Since when did Christmas become about stuffing ourselves with Christmas cheer? To celebrate family and friends and to see how much we can eat without being sick? And then exercise and starve like a maniac to lose all the weight we've piled on in the name of fun? Continue reading...
People think that alcohol in your system makes you speak from the heart and allows your true feelings to come out. I don't think so. When I was drunk I said things to people I didn't mean. They weren't my true feelings at all. Continue reading...
How long should you brush your teeth for before you meet Muhammad Ali? I had eaten a taco earlier in the day. What a fool I had been. A young fool full of the naivety of New York. What would happen if I did a taco burp as I was introduced to Muhammad Ali? It did not bear thinking about. Continue reading...
In 1999, T.V Smith, founder of the pioneering punk band The Adverts, sang "And I pay more for my food 'cause the supermarket's too far... It's expensive being poor because everything costs more." He had a point. Continue reading...
Dr Hennessey lives in London. Dave lives in Newcastle. They've never met. Dave's entire consultation was conducted over the internet and telephone. His inhaler was sent through the post. Continue reading...
Couture has suffered a decline in the past century with the number of haute couture members dwindling from over a hundred in the post-war period to now just 18. The profitability of prêt-à-porter and the expense of creating a couture collection have contributed to its decline, but the kudos and aura it brings a design house is priceless. Continue reading...
As businesses and residents across the UK count the cost of the floods - and with unsettled weather forecast to continue for several days - the torrential rain is a timely reminder for businesses to think about what they would do to minimise the risk of their offices being flooded. Continue reading...
We need a twin-pronged approach in Somalia. Continued humanitarian assistance for the poorest families, but also aid to help them plant crops again and rebuild their lives. Continue reading...
Hailo is an interesting business because drivers tell you that already 7,000 of the network of 23,000 cabs are using the service. But it's very much on their own terms. Want to pay cash for a cab in the middle of the day? A driver will pull up in two minutes. Want to pay by credit card in the evening the app often struggles to find a single taker. Continue reading...
I just had a show open in MALBA, a very beautiful contemporary art Museum in Buenos Aires. It's my first museum show in South America. In fact it's my first museum show anywhere on the American continent. Continue reading...
My first visit since arriving in Zambia was to a UK aid adolescent girls empowerment programme in one of the poorest neighbourhoods of the capital, Lusaka. This initiative is supporting more than 1,500 of the most vulnerable girls, providing safe spaces and mentoring to help build their confidence and life skills. Continue reading...
Couture has suffered a decline in the past century with the number of haute couture members dwindling from over a hundred in the post-war period to now just 18. The profitability of prêt-à-porter and the expense of creating a couture collection have contributed to its decline, but the kudos and aura it brings a design house is priceless. Continue reading...
People don't have relationships with products; they are loyal to brands. Without having a 'hook' and enough courage and persistence, it is difficult to turn a product into a successful brand. Continue reading...
This week sees the start of the 18th Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, or COP18 for short, in Doha, Qatar. This should be a busy transitional COP, with much on the agenda to resolve and important steps forward being taken toward a long term international agreement. Continue reading...
I read the news of the death of 31-year-old Savita Halappanavar with horror and grief. Part of my reaction comes from a sense of "there but for the grace of God go I." Continue reading...
Girls isn't about women who refuse to grow up -- it's about women who are trying to grow up in a world in which economic prospects are dim; a world in which men and women can't seem to connect meaningfully or trustingly with each other at any level. Continue reading...
Nobody wants to be put at an economic disadvantage by taking steps while others gain market share by continuing to pollute. Above all, who wants to pay more for energy? Continue reading...
Who cares about why and how Greece entered the eurozone? Who cares about state accountants tip-tapping on Excel fifteen years ago? Does this discussion make tomorrow's solutions more likely? Continue reading...
If Argentina decides to carry out its promise not to repay vulture funds, it will come under huge international pressure and economic destabilisation. If we believe that the state's first duty to its citizens' welfare rather than international markets, we must support Argentina in spite of the propaganda. Continue reading...
Anticipation is growing among journalists, lawyers and regulators to what Lord Leveson will recommend to revive media ethics within the damaged reputation of the British press. The Leveson Inquiry has been ongoing since July 2011 and the report is due this Thursday. Continue reading...
I shall resist the temptation of being the Brit outside the euro trying to tell everyone inside why it was a bad idea. First, because I don't think it is a bad idea. In principle, a single currency along with a single market makes sense for Europe. Second, because in any event, we are where we are. Continue reading...
Up to 230,000 Syrians are now estimated to be in Jordan and 500 more are crossing the border every day, stretching the scarce resources of a country that is already battling an economic crisis and cutting fuel subsidies for its own population. Continue reading...
The six million people in poverty in working households show that at the moment, work is not the route out of poverty - so something needs to be done to ensure that it is. Continue reading...
As we approach the end of another dismal year in the world of the agency Madman, I look back on a couple of events that are currently shaping my thinking. Continue reading...
International Day of the Elimination of Violence against women, on Sunday 25 November 2012, was an opportunity to discuss how to stop women from experiencing discrimination, abuse and torture. Continue reading...
Wednesday sees the formal dispatch from the House of Lords of what the wilder critics have named my "Secret Courts Bill". The Bill's passage has so far aroused great passion and debate - as any Bill which seeks to deliver the twin imperatives of justice and security must always do. Continue reading...
