Here are my top 10 tips for recovering from mental illness. Tell me any really good tips I've missed out in the comments. They're not commandments, just what worked for me - feel free to disagree. Continue reading...
I don't feel the need to rid myself of inhibitions prior to a gig because, in all sincerity, the stage is one of the few places that I can be entirely myself, warts and all. If you can't amplify your neuroses and insecurities at a show then, frankly, what's the point? Continue reading...
The power of female athletes to draw audiences in London 2012 highlights the appetite for women's sport. However, the current lack of coverage is creating a glass ceiling effect. The lack of exposure on the playing field is reflected in the boardroom with few women in senior positions at sports clubs and governing bodies. Continue reading...
The doctors at the hospital sat my mother down and told her there was nothing else they could do, that my body was shutting down and that I was going to die. That was it - I was going to die because of asthma. It sounds crazy but sadly over 1100 people do die from asthma every year. Continue reading...
We need to rise above our preoccupation with struggling between studies and our non-academic activities. The distinction between work and play is mostly arbitrary, and constrains us to thinking that we need to always maintain a constant balance between the two. University life isn't just about balancing lifestyles. Continue reading...
The Israel-Palestine conflict is a defining issue of our time, but has also ended up becoming a primary example of the so-called 'confirmation bias', where a particular position is adopted, and then retrospectively justified with selective pieces of evidence, ignoring anything which may be contradictory. Continue reading...
Have you ever been at risk of HIV? Most people think they haven't, and quite a few of you are wrong. In fact, around 25,000 of you in the UK are so wrong that you're walking around with HIV without knowing it. If you're one of those 25,000 (and let's face it, that's much better odds than winning the Lottery, which many of us hope to do) then you are risking your own health and life, and you may well be unwittingly putting others at risk too. Continue reading...
Twitter, of course, seems to be doing its best to despatch the still living to the great beyond, with rumours of the deaths of pop stars, film actors and politicians regularly reaching halfway round the world before the 'mistake' - for which read 'spoof' - is unmasked. Margaret Thatcher has already died 10 times this year in the bubble of social media. Continue reading...
This luxurious and surprisingly quick dish is the ultimate weekend indulgence and the very best way to eat one of my favourite foods. I always source my lobster from the British Isles, particularly Scotland, as it has a wonderfully sweet and fresh flavour. Continue reading...
A total elimination of all violence against women and girls may be hard to imagine but each day I think about saving one girl from FGM. This means she is spared from a painful, traumatic and potentially fatal procedure. Continue reading...
Physical and sexual abuse of women is a global scourge, that transcends borders. From the UK, where one in four women will be the victim of domestic abuse in their lifetime to Zambia, where 47% of women have suffered gender-based violence. Continue reading...
Alcohol is ubiquitous at this time of year. Abstinence may make you feel virtuous but can also be dull. If you do drink, I'd advocate men avoiding beer. Beer increases levels of an enzyme called aromatase. This converts testosterone into oestrogen and leads to fat deposition around the pectoral - the dreaded man boobs. Stick to a few glasses of good quality red wine instead. Continue reading...
The power of art and creativity to illuminate the world for others is not simply a cultural benefit, but also a deeply important tool to help the authors themselves navigate their way through their own emotions, experiences and journeys. Continue reading...
A blanket ban on support for young adults would leave thousands at risk of homelessness - while any truly compassionate list of exemptions would be so broad as to make the policy redundant. Ministers should ditch this unworkable proposal now. Continue reading...
Our virtual family celebrates together, we mourn together, but through it all we are singing, connecting with each other in a way that only singing allows. And the community has begun spilling over into "real life" as well. Continue reading...
Electrocution sends a current through the heart and immobilises the animal, but it does not stop brain activity. When animals are electrocuted without prior stunning, they suffer the crushing, agonising pain of a full-blown heart attack until their hearts finally stop beating. Continue reading...
Dan Howell is a London-based, 21-year-old YouTube vlogger. When watching his videos, you can't help but like him. And it seems like lots of people feel this way; Dan has 115,000 Facebook likes and 211,000 Twitter followers Continue reading...
No matter if it is an Arab or Israeli death, the despair is no different. Ask an Arab mother or an Israeli father- What was it like to lose your son? What was it like to lose your daughter? Continue reading...
