Spacey and Troughton at the Old Vic – On and Off Stage
by Jennifer Siebens
Who knew that a 19th Century British scientist could create such a buzz? 2009 was one long celebration for Charles Darwin, the naturalist famous for his theories of evolution and natural selection. Harvard Professor Steve Shapin recently took stock, “On or around 12 February 2009 alone – the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth – there were more than 750 commemorative events in at least 45 countries, and, on or ...
Special Relationship Bolstered by Great Weather and Wine
by Christopher Werth
In London, the weather is everything, which is why the new U.S. Ambassador, Louis Susman, and his wife Marjorie–who just arrived in the typically rainy British capital the month before–couldn’t have picked a better day to welcome AACL members to their new abode. The unusually bright sunshine kept wine sipping foreign correspondents and embassy press officers lingering long on the veranda at Winfield House until they were finally ushered inside ...
The view from Boris Johnson’s office
by Elizabeth Renzetti
What’s the first thing you’d expect to see upon entering Boris Johnson’s office? A soapbox, of course. This one fortunately remained on the shelf as the mayor entertained nearly a dozen AACL members in his office on the eighth floor of City Hall (it might just boast the best view in London – Tower Bridge is visible right outside the window).
Mr. Johnson gripped a baseball he’d recently been given by the ...
The AACL has Paxman for lunch
by Karla Adam
Jeremy Paxman, BBC presenter and one of Britain’s best known journalists, joined The Association of American Correspondents in London for a special lunch at the Foreign Press Association.
We talked a little about his best-selling book and BBC documentary series, The Victorians, and a lot about politics and our trade.
Paxman began by raising an eyebrow and asking: “Does anyone really want to hear about The Victorians?” We did — but we ...
Previous Events and Guest Speakers
by Karla Adam
The AACL has hosted the great and the good over recent years, including Prince Charles, Tony Blair, Dalai Lama, Gerry Adams, Jamie Oliver and John le Carre.
Below is the list of previous esteemed AACL guests from the previous decade, and beyond …
2008
July 28 David Miliband
January 22 Ken Wharfe
2007
June 11 HRH Duke of York
July 11 General Sir Mike Jackson
October 9 Alistair Campbell
2006
January 25 Benjamin Franklin House
February 9 Good Night and Good Luck
February 27 Sir ...
David Miliband on the Foreign Office
by Ginanne Brownell
Well weren’t we lucky? Just 48 hours before David Miliband’s controversial piece came out in The Guardian, which was seen as a thinly veiled attack on Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s leadership, the British Foreign Secretary was dining with us!
Though the lunch was off the record (so sadly can’t share snippets about where he is going on vacation nor the hotspots he’ll be watching over the summer break), he did ...