Some years ago now, I was involved in two major public inquiries which were much in the news. One was the Savile Inquiry into the events in Londonderry in Northern Ireland on Sunday January 30th 1972, known as Bloody Sunday, and the other was an inquiry chaired by Dame Janet Smith into the activities… Read More »
Data privacy is not necessarily a subject which quickens the pulse, unless, of course, it is your data which is under threat. However, the subject has acquired a whole new significance in recent days following the revelations by whistleblower Edward Snowden who leaked sensitive information about US surveillance programmes to the Guardian here in the… Read More »
Do you remember Major Tom (David Bowie)? More of him later, but Captain Ron?! To be honest, I have not actually met Captain Ron. However, I know about him because I was having dinner recently in Santa Monica, California at The Galley Restaurant and Bar and found myself being served by one of Captain Ron’s staff in the form… Read More »
Do you want the good news or the bad news? It is not always easy to decide! As is so often the case, there has been both good news and bad in the past few weeks, so let’s start with the bad news in the hope that we will all feel better once that is… Read More »
Thomas Paine was born in Thetford in Norfolk in 1737 and died in NYC in 1809 and is credited with being the inspiration behind the decision which led America to secede from Britain. Paine had an extraordinary life. Starting as a corset maker by trade, he emigrated to the USA and participated in the revolution there. Despite… Read More »
I have come to the conclusion that California is like that! By that, I mean that it makes you forget everything else. It is a place which seems to have the power to consume all the senses, and I am not referring here to the readily available “medicinal marijuana.” Spending a few days in California… Read More »
Called upon to give advice to an excited 27 year old who had just heard she had been offered her dream job and wanted to give her current boss a piece of her finely educated mind, I believe I was able to prevail upon her that that particular approach is almost always doomed to ultimate… Read More »
According to the National Leprechaun Museum, the leprechaun is a mythological Irish character. Usually male and dressed in green, the little man is often a shoemaker providing dancing shoes for fairies. Because fairies like to dance, the leprechaun is kept very busy. In fact this is the best way to catch one. If he is… Read More »
Authors often say they experience difficulty in deciding on a title for their scribblings. Naming a film, book or poem can pose problems, although sometimes the answer is obvious. Think about Jane Austen’s eponymous novel Emma! Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey are similar no brainers and even Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion and Pride and Prejudice… Read More »
April 1st has come and gone once more. This year All Fools’ Day fell on Easter Monday and as such was not a working day for most. Nonetheless, unless you have inhabited a different planet from others for much of the past six months you will know that the new CPR rules about disclosure, costs… Read More »