It's one of those illnesses that you never get over, addiction. But far worse than the looming fear of relapse, is the fact that addicts are not 'allowed' to do anything other than recover. Continue reading...
We are well into the typical British summer, complete with glorious rain and the odd bout of sunshine. Whether you're planning on making the most of it at home or jetting off to sunnier climes, it is vital you think about your summer skin and how to protect it from the sun. Continue reading...
So I am currently wrapped up in the madness that is Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It is my first time taking part in the festival and I am finding it gloriously over whelming. The colour and flare are just joyous; the city feels so alive with spectacle and people are by far the loveliest folk I have met. Continue reading...
London 2012 is in full swing and the world's eyes are all on England's capital, with Brand London's reputation on the line. Last year I put together some thoughts on potential factors that could affect London's brand during the Games. I thought it'd be interesting to see how these predictions fared! Continue reading...
The Olympics have reminded us there is more to sport than just football. As a kid, I remember watching any sport that I could on TV largely due to the fact that there was no football on it. In those days a year's worth of televised live footy could be comfortably watched in a single afternoon. Today, men's football is ubiquitous, so it was ironic that our representatives in The-Only-Sport-That-Matters-TM bowed out quietly, with yet another bathetic penalties defeat in the Quarter-Final, on what was arguably the greatest night for British Sport since 1966. It would be great to think that the FA and the Premiership were capable of learning something from this. Continue reading...
For ambitious writers there's no longer any excuse to wait around for a publisher to come calling. Self-publish on Kindle and if the book is as good as you believe, the phone might ring. Every author craves that nod of approval, even the self-published success stories. Continue reading...
Paid internships are a great thing. For the employer, it is a unique opportunity to inject energy and new ideas into their business and to recruit graduates with a diverse range of talent and potential, while for the interns themselves, it is a chance to develop vital professional skills, establish useful connections, and gain hands-on experience of the working world. Continue reading...
Bring your eye back dear, to the keyhole, to your private peep show onto the demented and lascivious happenings at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I am La JohnJoseph, your voyeuristic narrator on this journey, and I am here to open your eyes. Continue reading...
Countries which lost competitiveness during the first decade of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) will need to return to sustainable growth through improvements in competitiveness rather than cheap credit. This will take time but will be necessary for the long-term survival of EMU. Continue reading...
So many systems are interconnected in the cloud making things more convenient than ever before, but we have to realise that this same interconnectedness makes security exponentially harder. Continue reading...
The popular quiz show University Challenge has been on our screens continuously since 1994 but the programme itself was first shown way back in 1962. Over the 50 years since its inception, there have been some impressive displays from students on the show and here ten of the most successful quiz teams. We've done the leg work to put them in lovely little list for you! Continue reading...
One year ago, England experienced the most significant outbreak of rioting in the entire post-war era. One year on, to what extent are we worried about a repeat of the riots? At first glance, many of the wider conditions that surrounded the riots remain, if they have not worsened. Continue reading...
To answer these questions, everyone is hanging on Standard Chartered's testimony before the New York regulatory body on August 15. Continue reading...
The Irish Times, the newspaper and media organisation for which I work, has embarked on what might be termed a "slightly radical" initiative. Continue reading...
Were there a medal table for making money at London 2012, there'd be few surprises at its summit. Just as China and the U.S. were a shoo-in for the top spots in the official standings, the International Olympic Committee's ascendancy would be assured alongside McDonald's and Coca-Cola in the commercial Games. Continue reading...
"We call this area Nairobi," says Wesley Rotich, gazing across a 50 acre basin of severely eroded land, punctuated by red mud stacks of various sizes. "Nairobi is all tall buildings and short buildings and it looks like this." Continue reading...
Against all my own expectations, the Olympic Games have emerged like unexpected blossom on a tree that only flowers erratically. When was the last time GB could stand so proudly tall? I'm reminded of the post war years when the response to the end of WW2 was to implement the Beveridge Report and build the welfare state. Am I comparing a few sporting triumphs to the construction of, amongst other things, the National Health Service? No - that would be pure bathos. But I am comparing a display of national character, where the choices that were made in a moment of coming together, were open, inclusive and dynamically forward looking. Continue reading...
The excitement of the Festival going off like a sprinter in the 400 meters, well, that's wearing thin. And the 400 meters go by in a flash, don't they? And then where are you, after? Continue reading...
So we're asking What Bugs a Bunny? And hopefully Bugs himself will hold up his hands - paws - and say "Ehh, sorry doc, got it wrong!" Here's hoping! That's all folks. Continue reading...
Lord Michael Bates would be the first to agree that there's a disconnect between the stunning sporting event in London and the Olympics' too-obscure legacy of peace. Continue reading...
Although it feels wrong to write about something you should be afraid of on a page that's dedicated to overcoming fear, I think having anxiety about your online image is a good thing. Continue reading...
Being in the public eye is a tricky thing, very few people remember the things you get right and everyone will remember the things you get wrong. Continue reading...
While watching the Olympics over the last week, it wasn't just Team GB's fantastic medal tally that made me stop and think. Something else was different, noteworthy. Gone were the airbrushed, botoxed and identikit actors and actresses of soap operas, dramas and commercials. Instead, people of many shapes and sizes danced across the screen. Continue reading...
