Have you ever had the experience of getting tantalisingly close to a big opportunity in your creative career a but not quite making it? Maybe it was a pitch, or a competition, a publishing opportunity, a senior role, or a funding application. Maybe you got really positive feedback. They said you were great, your work [â¦]
The post Are You in the Ballpark? (finally, The 21st Century Creative on YouTube) appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
When the Covid 19 pandemic struck in 2020, human life on earth was massively disrupted. Not only the human tragedy of millions of lives lost, but also the social and economic damage caused by the virus and our attempts to control it. As a writer and a coach for creatives, I have been particularly concerned [â¦]
The post Creative Disruption: How 12 Creatives on 5 Continents Rose to the Challenge of the Pandemic appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 10 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Itas been my most ambitious season yet, with creatives from 5 continents and probably the closest Iall ever [â¦]
The post How I Created, Funded and Launched My New Podcast (while the World Was in Meltdown) appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 9 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. This week we are off to Tokyo, to meet Ichi Hatano, a wonderful artist whose work has deep [â¦]
The post From Tattoos to NFTs with Ichi Hatano appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 8 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Have you ever had the idea for a creative project that youave never quite got round to starting? [â¦]
The post Using Lockdown to Launch a Dream Project with Nicky Mondellini appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
If you work on your own a in your office or studio, or your bedroom or at your kitchen table a it can feel like no one is watching. So it doesnat matter whether you show up. If you skipped a day on your novel, who would know? If you didnat go to the studio [â¦]
The post All Arts Are Performing Arts appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 7 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today weare focusing on a creative sector that is close to my heart, which was massively disrupted but [â¦]
The post Taking Deep Work Online with Laura Davis appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
A few months ago I was listening to the DavidBowie: AlbumtoAlbum podcast, a terrific show about Bowie hosted by Arsalan Mohammed. In Season 3 episode 11 Arsalan spoke to Donny McCaslin, the leader of the jazz band that Bowie discovered in a New York club, and asked to work with him on what turned out [â¦]
The post Sometimes You Have to Grind the Work Out appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 6 of the Creative Disruption season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today we are off to Australia in the company of Charlotte Abroms, a music manager based in Melbourne [â¦]
The post Helping Musicians Through Lockdown with Charlotte Abroms appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Last week I suggested that if youare serious about achieving your creative ambitions, you need to think in terms of projects, not tasks. Because if you get up every morning and ask yourself aWhat should I work on today?a you risk making decisions based on what feels urgent right now, rather than what will make [â¦]
The post Work on Multifaceted Projects appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 5 of the CREATIVE DISRUPTION season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today we are going to look at one of the biggest challenge for many people during lockdown, whether [â¦]
The post Staying Creative as a Parent (Even in a Pandemic) with Kay Lock Kolp appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
When we think of productivity we typically think about tasks and to-do lists, working habits and routines. We focus on how to make the most of our time on a daily or at most a weekly basis. All of which is great, but if this is all we focus on, thereas a danger of getting [â¦]
The post Focus on Projects, Not Tasks appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 4 of the CREATIVE DISRUPTION season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today we meet Amrita Kumar, the co-founder and CEO of Candid Marketing, an innovative marketing agency in India. [â¦]
The post Launching a New Business in the Pandemic with Amrita Kumar appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Marketing is a word that strikes fear into the heart of a lot of creatives. Itas an area where a lot of us feel we donat have a natural talent a weare far more comfortable making work than telling the world about it, let alone trying to get people to buy it. One reason for [â¦]
The post Make Your Marketing Personal with a Media Dashboard appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 3 of the CREATIVE DISRUPTION season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. Today we are looking at the world of film and TV production, which was massively disrupted by the [â¦]
The post Rebooting Global Filming with Hometeam appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
A lot of creative professions involve submitting work to gatekeepers of various kinds: agents, editors, publishers, gallerists, funders, producers, studios and competition judges and so on. Yes, the 21st century gives us plenty of options for creating things without gatekeepers a you can sell direct, build your own platform, launch your own event, self-publish or [â¦]
The post Why Rejection Doesnat (Necessarily) Mean Your Work Isnat Good Enough appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Welcome to Episode 2 of the CREATIVE DISRUPTION season of The 21st Century Creative, where we are hearing stories of creatives around the world who came up with a creative response to the challenges of the pandemic. This week we are off to South Africa, to hear from Earl Abrahams, an artist and filmmaker who [â¦]
The post Lockdown Series: Windows on a Changed World with Earl Abrahams appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
aEat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.a This quote is often attributed to Mark Twain. Apparently thereas no hard evidence linking it to him, but that hasnat stopped it from concentrating the minds of many people when they ask themselves [â¦]
The post Eat that Frog (But Eat the Cake as Well) appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Today we kick off Season 6 of The 21st Century Creative, the podcast that helps you thrive as a creative professional amid the demands, distractions and opportunities of the 21st Century. The theme for this season is CREATIVE DISRUPTION. Every episode will feature an interview with a creator whose work was disrupted by the Covid-19 [â¦]
The post The Rocky Road for Theatre through the Pandemic with Steven Kunis appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
I hope this finds you as well as can be. Here in the UK weare bracing for what we are assured will be a large wave of Omicron. I know things may be very different for you, depending on where you are in the world. But whatever the circumstances, I hope you are finding your [â¦]
The post Video: Forget the Career Ladder a Start Creating Assets appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Today is the launch of my new podcast, and itas something Iave been planning and dreaming of sharing with you for years. Itas called A Mouthful of Air. And in several ways, itas the opposite of my 21st Century Creative podcast. I designed the two shows to work together from the start, although itâs taken [â¦]
The post My new podcast (and why itas the opposite of The 21st Century Creative) appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Last night I was about to go to bed when I suddenly remembered an idea Iad had for an article a few months ago. Though I say so myself, it was a great idea, and I was keen to revisit it, so I opened up the Scrivener project where I had written it downa| and [â¦]
The post Ideas Are Leprechauns appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Todayas guest on The 21st Century Creative is Michael Bungay Stanier, a returning guest whose interview way back in Season 1 proved very popular. And his book The Coaching Habit turned out to be even more popular, as it went on to sell three quarters of a million copies. Michael is back with some excellent [â¦]
The post Avoiding the Advice Trap with Michael Bungay Stanier appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
A lot of productivity advice tells us that we need to stop procrastinating, beat Resistance, and get things done. The Americans like to talk about ashippinga, meaning finished and sent out for delivery. This emphasis on getting things done and out to market is part of their extraordinary entrepreneurial culture. Famously, Guy Kawasaki even said [â¦]
The post Every Creative Project Is a Revolving Door appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Todayas guest on The 21st Century Creative is Krystal Lauk, an illustrator who took an unconventional path by creating illustrations for tech companies, and founded a studio that counts Google, Uber, Facebook and The New York Times among its clients. Itas a fascinating story of discovery and enterprise at what Krystal calls athe intersection of [â¦]
The post The 21st Century Illustrator with Krystal Lauk appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Iave recently started taking one-to-one Japanese conversation lessons. It hasnat been easy. In fact, itas been a bit of a humbling experience. Between work and family responsibilities, I only have 30 minutes a day to study Japanese, and Iave spent this time every day for the past two years memorising kanji characters, vocabulary and grammar [â¦]
The post You Have to be Bad to Get Good appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Todayas guest on The 21st Century Creative is Cynthia Morris, a coach for creatives who shares insights on the book-writing process, based on her latest book The Busy Womanas Guide to Writing a World-Changing Book. So if you are contemplating writing a book â whether itas your first one or your twenty-first â there is [â¦]
The post Writing a World-Changing Book with Cynthia Morris appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
If you think about overhearing something, you probably think of listening to someone elseas conversation, whether deliberately or accidentally, and picking up a titbit of information that you would never otherwise have been privy to. It might be funny, or shocking or useful, or â as in the case of so many loud phone calls [â¦]
The post The Art of Overhearing Yourself appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Todayas guest on The 21st Century Creative is Emily Kimelman, a thriller author who has travelled the world in a boat and criss-crossed the USA in an Airstream trailer while writing and publishing her books, and selling hundreds of thousands of copies in the process. Emilyas adventurous spirit shines through in her writing as well [â¦]
The post The Adventure of Writing with Emily Kimelman appeared first on Creative Coach | Mark McGuinness | Since 1996.
Iranas military spokesperson tells western allies to stop supporting Israel and warns of response to any further aggression
A senior spokesperson for Iranas military has warned the US, UK, France and Germany to stop supporting Israel, and said that there will be an even stronger response from Iran if Israel retaliates to the strikes at the weekend.
The official state news agency IRNA reports that Brig Gen Abolfazl Shekarchi said:
We remind the heads of state of the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany to stop supporting the declining child-killing terrorist regime of Israel. The Islamic Republic of Iran has proven that it is not a warmonger and does not seek to spread the war. The response will be stronger if the regime carries out more severe aggressive act.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Englandas chief medical officer says tobacco industry is the aone gainer from the death and diseasea caused by its products
Chris Whitty has said lobbying by big tobacco aneeds to be addressed head ona, as email evidence emerged of campaigning tactics being used to put pressure on MPs to sink Rishi Sunakas smoking ban bill.
The landmark legislation, which would bar anyone born after 2009 from buying cigarettes and make England the first country in the world to ban smoking, is due to be debated in parliament for the first time on Tuesday.
Continue reading...Underwater infrastructure vulnerable to Russian threats, says V Adm Didier Maleterre, after suspected sabotage of gas pipelines
The security of nearly 1 billion people across Europe and North America is under threat from Russian attempts to target the extensive vulnerabilities of underwater infrastructure including windfarms, pipelines and power cables, a Nato commander has warned.
V Adm Didier Maleterre, the deputy commander of Natoas Allied Maritime Command (Marcom), said the network of underwater cables and pipes on which Europeas power and communications depend were not built to withstand the ahybrid warfarea being pursued by Moscow and other Nato adversaries.
Continue reading...Dramatic images capture blaze at historic bourse where spire has collapsed
Simon, a reader, has sent in a photo of people carrying a painting in Copenhagen, after the Old Stock Exchange caught fire.
Lara, a Brit whoas lived in Copenhagen for over 20 years, said she came out of the metro and saw the fire. aAbsolutely heartbreaking. 400 years of history disappearing before your eyes,a she said.
Continue reading...Head of IAEA issues warning as Ukraine and Russia trade accusations over Europeas biggest nuclear plant
Russian attacks against Ukraine killed three people and injured eight over the past day, the Kyiv Independent cited regional authorities as saying earlier today.
Russia was reported to have targeted 13 Ukrainian regions: Chernihiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv, Luhansk, Odesa, Khmelnytskyi, Cherkasy, Kirovohrad, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Kharkiv and Donetsk. Casualties were reported in the latter three regions.
Continue reading...BH3 spotted when scientists chanced upon star in Aquila constellation awobblinga under its gravitational force
Astronomers have discovered an enormous black hole which formed in the aftermath of an exploding star a mere 2,000 light years from Earth.
BH3 is the most massive stellar black hole yet found in the Milky Way and revealed itself to researchers through the powerful tug it exerts on a companion star that orbits the object in the constellation of Aquila, the Eagle.
Continue reading...Firms such as Serco and Virgin Active pull facial recognition and fingerprint scan systems used to monitor staff attendance
Dozens of companies including national leisure centre chains are reviewing or pulling facial recognition technology and fingerprint scanning used to monitor staff attendance after a clampdown by the UKas data watchdog.
In February, the Information Commissioneras Office (ICO) ordered a Serco subsidiary to stop using biometrics to monitor the attendance of staff at leisure centres it operates and also issued more stringent guidance on the use of facial recognition and fingerprint scanning.
Continue reading...Humanitarian work in Afghanistan and Yemen now classified as climate finance, FoI request reveals, as APS11.6bn pledge slips
The UK government has been accused of double counting APS500m of overseas aid as climate finance in an attempt to meet its commitments under the Paris agreement .
Money for humanitarian work in Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia is now being classified as climate finance, according to documents released under a freedom of information request by the website Carbon Brief.
Continue reading...Trump charged with 34 felony counts over alleged payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal
Donald Trumpas Manhattan hush-money trial enters its second day on Tuesday morning with continued jury selection. The commencement of Trumpas trial on Monday marked a momentous day in US history: when jury selection began, he became the first current or former American president to face a criminal trial.
The Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg, brought the case against Trump, which involves purported payments aimed at keeping secret his alleged affairs with the adult film star Stormy Daniels and the Playboy model Karen McDougal. Prosecutors said Trump schemed to keep these alleged liaisons under wraps, so he would not suffer in the 2016 presidential election.
Continue reading...Organisers of the Beijing half marathon are investigating the menas race after two Kenyans and one Ethiopian runner appeared to deliberately allow Chinaas He Jie to win.
Footage of the final few hundred metres of the race seemingly shows Robert Keter and Willy Mnangat of Kenya and Ethiopiaas Dejene Hailu Bikila slow down and gesture in front of them, encouraging He to pass and take the lead.
Continue reading...The US seems so preoccupied that officials are barely keeping track of shipments they last week said were a priority
Iranas attack on Israel tested the countryas air defences, but repaired a at least temporarily a Tel Avivas fractured relationship with Washington, and pushed the war and the looming famine in Gaza out of the headlines and down the diplomatic agenda.
In Gaza, where almost all the civilian population is displaced and hungry after more than six months of war, this shift in attention has been felt acutely.
Continue reading...The former prime minister spent just 49 days in office but wants to stay on the world stage. Her attacks on Biden and praise for Trump are aimed at the populist right
In her new book, the former British prime minister Liz Truss directs scathing attacks and mockery at Joe Biden, president of her countryas closest ally. Biden was guilty of autter hypocrisy and ignorancea, Truss writes, when the US leader said he adisagree[d] with the policya of acutting taxes on the super wealthya in the mini-budget Truss introduced in September 2022, shortly after taking power.
aI was shocked and astounded that Biden would breach protocol by commenting on UK domestic policy,a Truss adds. aWe had been the United Statesa staunchest allies through thick and thin.a
Continue reading...From Michael Cohen to Stormy Daniels, these are the people likely to play key roles in the landmark trial
The start of jury selection in Donald Trumpas hush-money case marks the first time that a former president has stood trial on criminal charges. Hereas a look at some of the people who are likely to play a key role in the case.
Continue reading...Mary Dispenza spent years as a nun and working in the church before her buried memories rose to the surface. It was the start of her long journey towards justice and peace
Mary Dispenza was almost 50 when she experienced her first flashback. At the time, she was in a workshop entitled Sexual Misconduct on the Part of the Clergy, which she had been asked to attend as part of her job in pastoral support for the Roman Catholic archdiocese in Seattle. To this day, she isnat sure what words unleashed that memory.
She recalls only how clammy her hands became and how the room suddenly started spinning as she saw her seven-year-old self being lifted on to the lap of a priest in a dark, empty auditorium. She knew in an instant who he was.
Continue reading...It is taking fast fashion to ever faster and ever cheaper extremes, and making billions from it. Why is the whole world shopping at Shein?
For another five hours and 47 minutes, I can buy a Royal Blue Twist Front Cloak Sleeve Slit Back Dress for $5.90, a Striped Pattern High Neck Drop Shoulder Split Hem Sweater for $8.50, or a Solid Sweetheart Neck Crop Tube Top for $1.90. When todayas 90%-off sale ends at 8pm, the crop top will revert to its original price: $4. There are 895 items on flash sale. On todayas aNew Ina page, there are 8,640 items (yesterday there were 8,760). The most expensive dress of the nearly 9,000 new arrivals a a floor-length, long-sleeved, fully sequinned plus-size gown, available in five sparkly colours a is $67. The cheapest a a short, tight piece of polyester with spaghetti straps, a cowl neckline and an all-over print of Renaissance-style flowers and cherubs a is $7.
I can buy casual dresses, going-out tops, workout leggings, winter parkas, pink terry-cloth hooded rompers, purple double-breasted suit jackets with matching trousers, red pleather straight-leg pants, cropped cardigans with mushroom embroidery, black sheer lace thongs and rhinestone-trimmed hijabs. I can buy a wedding dress for $37. I can buy clothes for school, work, basketball games, proms, funerals, nightclubs, sex clubs. I see patchwork-printed overalls and black bikinis with rhinestones in the shape of a skull over each nipple designated as apunka. I can buy Christian-girl modesty clothing and borderline fetish wear.
Continue reading...Following acclaim for her affecting sound collages, the Texanas new album flips her old aemo ambienta to aambient emoa, inspired by Young Thug and Sparklehorse a and an unexpected show of charity from the Wilco frontman
For Claire Rousay, a bed can be a studio, a sanctuary and a suffocating cocoon. On the cover of her exquisitely sad new experimental pop album Sentiment, she is seen huddled under the covers, blankly staring at the camera. On her current tour, she is recreating on stage the various bedrooms where she made the record, complete with 16ft walls, a poster of avant garde hero Arthur Russell and, at the centre, a bed. When we speak via a video call in March, Rousay is sitting cross-legged on her mattress in a striped T-shirt, the Los Angeles sun providing a gauzy glow through the window.
aThe bed has been very central to me throughout the last couple years of making music. Iall even mix tracks in it,a she says. aIam also just so depressed, all the time. So Iam in bed a lot.a She smiles and lets out a small laugh, dulling the sting of her candour; no matter how bleak the conversation gets, she maintains a dry, mischievous wit. Some days, she adds, sheall pull her blackout curtains down at around noon and stay in bed until the following morning. aItas comforting but also enabling. My therapist says itas an unhealthy coping mechanism.a
Continue reading...The One Day authoras new will-they-wonat-they tale, about two divorcees who find themselves walking the Lakes and Pennines, is a great comic novel a and superb on the landscape
The proximity of the publication of David Nichollsas sixth novel, You Are Here, to the screening of the superb Netflix remake of One Day gives the new book an added sense of poignancy. If One Day (2009) saw Nicholls as a writer in his mid-40s looking back nostalgically on the loves and losses of twentysomethings, here we find him approaching 60 and turning his attention to a couple either side of 40. If One Day was angst and high drama, the setup here is softer and, initially at least, more obviously comic. But the shadow of the earlier novel, of Dexter and Emmaas will-they-wonat-they romance, hangs over this book.
Michael Bradshaw, a geography teacher reeling from a series of personal setbacks, most painfully his separation from soon-to-be ex-wife Natasha, decides to walk Alfred Wainwrightas famous coast to coast path through the Lakes and the Pennines. His happily married colleague Cleo, despairing at his inability to move on, turns what was going to be a solitary excursion into a party. She invites a motley gang along for the first leg of the walk: Conrad, an aabsurdly attractivea pharmacist; Cleoas taciturn teenage son, Anthony; and Marnie Walsh, a copy editor, aaged 38, of Herne Hill, Londona. There was supposed to be another friend, Tessa, whom Cleo had invited as a potential match for Michael, but she drops out at the last minute.
Continue reading...From simple lifestyle changes to choosing the right bedding and gadgets that can help
Dr Nicola Cann, a sleep consultant and psychologist, says sleeping is a natural process athat our bodies are primed fora, so there is a lot you can do to improve it without spending anything.
Continue reading...A five-day mindful adventure on the Knoydart peninsula a one of the last great wildernesses in the UK a offers the chance to fully unwind and leap into the unknown
Itas a relief to lay my rucksack down, plunge hot feet into the cool stream and pause to revel in the fairytale surrounds. Foxgloves stand tall against a cornflower-blue sky, ferns look almost luminous, the water glints in the early summer sunshine. A patch of moss-covered ancient forest provides shade, a cuckoo calls in the distance, mountains layer on the horizon.
Iam in Knoydart in the Highlands of western Scotland, one of the last great wildernesses in the UK, on a hiking and wild camping adventure. No roads cross the 22,000-hectare (55,000-acres) peninsula, a rugged place where a trio of Munros soar skyward, sandwiched between sea lochs Nevis and Hourn (poetically translated as heaven and hell). Over five days our group of eight will explore this land on foot, carrying our sustenance and shelter on our backs, led by two guides from The Living Project, Josh and Emily.
Continue reading...More than 80,000 Nigerian women died from pregnancy-related complications in 2020, a statistic activists say reflects a lack of political will to fix a broken medical system
Despite having the largest economy in Africa, Nigeria also loses more women to death in childbirth than most other countries in the world. In 2020, about 82,000 Nigerian women died due to pregnancy-related complications, a slight improvement on the previous year, but an increase on previous decades.
The causes of death included severe haemorrhage, high blood pressure (pre-eclampsia and eclampsia), unsafe abortion and obstructed labour. Doctors and activists say high maternal mortality rates reflect a lack of trust in a broken public healthcare system and little political will to fix it.
Lawal Arinola being brought up to surgery at Lagos Island maternity hospital
Continue reading...Ticket sales might have lagged for the once-unbeatable double weekender but an array of crowd-pleasing female acts made it a worthwhile journey
It takes a lot of time, money and willpower to make it to Coachella: the desert locale sits three hours from Los Angeles on a good day (five in the case of my drive) and general admission passes for the festival start at $499. Then thereas the cost of lodging, food and booze to consider a no small expense, considering a cup of black coffee at the food court costs $10, a large pizza set campers back $65, and White Claws went for $16. In this economy? Not everyone can do it, and maybe thatas why ticket sales lagged this year amid a less-than-buzzy lineup. In the lead-up to the festival, fans and press alike dubbed 2024 a flop year, with the Daily Beast going so far as to publish a curtain-raiser obit last month with the headline, aIs this the end of Coachella?a
As someone who attended (for free, as press a| though I did succumb to the call of the $16 Claw), I can confirm that rumors of Coachellaas demise are a little premature. Yes, there were fewer people. But the diehards still showed up a with a notable exception being the so-called Queen of Coachella, Vanessa Hudgens, who skipped out this year due to her pregnancy.
Continue reading...The former PMas book claims she was undermined by aestablishmenta enemies. It instead shows exactly why her friends deserted her
So it wasnat just a bad dream, then. Liz Truss really did become prime minister, and that brief ensuing moment of madness really did happen. It must have done because sheas written a book about it, though given the brevity of her stay at No 10 itas arguably less a memoir of her time there than a kind of extended Tripadvisor review. (Great location for central London; shame about the fleas.) And while calling it Ten Years to Save the West may suggest faintly deluded levels of self-belief, given Britain had to be saved from the author after less than seven weeks, itas accidentally very revealing about the deeper reasons for that overconfidence and what they mean for the country.
Truss entered parliament in the golden Tory era of 2010, and prospered despite bosses who clearly grasped her faults. (Theresa May, she writes, wanted to sack her but didnat feel strong enough; Boris Johnsonas allies have long suspected he promoted her to crowd the pitch for others he considered more of a serious threat.) In comparison with Labour politicians of the time, she was therefore playing politics mostly on the easy setting: one where the biggest newspapers bend over backwards to be kind, the City broadly shares your view of wealth creation, and a lack of serious challenge from the opposition makes it possible to believe that the facts of life will remain Conservative, regardless of what Conservatism itself actually morphs into.
Gaby Hinsliff is a Guardian columnist
Continue reading...By voting for the tobacco and vapes bill, MPs have a historic opportunity to prevent disease and reduce inequality
Addiction to smoking traps then slowly disables and kills thousands of our fellow citizens, especially the most vulnerable. The great majority of smokers wish they had never started, but their choice was taken away at a young age by marketing that deliberately promoted addiction to nicotine.
About 80,000 people a year die in the UK as a result and many more are harmed. The burden of smoking-related diseases is very heavily weighted towards people living in areas of deprivation, with about one-third of smokers in England living in the most deprived two deciles. Smoking is one of the most important modifiable drivers of the substantial inequalities in health we see across the country.
Prof Chris Whitty is the chief medical officer for England
Continue reading...It is unlikely that the companyas owners will invest more or it will be fully nationalised, but its structure needs a rethink
Set your watches: Ofwat, the water regulator, has fixed the date for when it will publish its so-called adraft determinationa a in other words, its first view on how far each water and wastewater company should be allowed to raise its bills in the five-year period that starts next spring.
Wednesday 12 June is the day when the outside world will be able to look at the assessment that caused the current owners of Thames to say a fortnight ago that Ofwat had made their company auninvestablea and they wouldnat be putting in another penny. Thamesas murky future may become slightly less murky at that point.
Continue reading...With a heavy focus on deterrence, the agreement shows how far Europeas centre has shifted to the right
The Oscar-nominated Io Capitano, now showing in cinemas, is a sensitive and moving portrait of the trials faced by two teenage boys as they attempt to reach Europe, via unofficial migration routes, from their homes in Senegal. The film is unsparing in its depiction of the violence and danger they face along the way a but what it doesnat show is how the boysa journey is shaped by European border policy from almost the moment they set off.
Their first stop, the people-smuggling hub of Agadez, Niger, is the capital of a country into which the EU has poured millions of euros in recent years to combat smuggling. It hasnat halted the trade entirely, but it has forced it further underground. In Libya, where the boys are tortured and trafficked by armed gangs, European governments have striven to keep migrants in place a as painstakingly documented by Sally Hayden in her recent book My Fourth Time, We Drowned a despite the dire threat to their safety.
Continue reading...Defamation is often used to silence women and the media speaking out on gender-based violence. Hopefully this decision deters such cases
In the much-anticipated cause celebre defamation case, Justice Michael Lee found that Bruce Lehrmann did rape Brittany Higgins. Finally, vindication for Higgins a and for Lisa Wilkinson and Ten, as they won the Lehrmann case on the defence of truth.
aThe federal court has found that I published a true story about a rape at a federal ministeras office at Parliament House in March 2019. I sincerely hope that this judgment gives strength to women around the country,a Wilkinson said on the steps of the court.
Continue reading...Blamed for almost everything else these days, for Sunak the focus on foreign affairs was a blessed relief
It goes without saying that Rishi Sunak would have preferred the Easter recess to go on indefinitely. The more that people see of him these days, the further he drops in the polls. So loitering in Downing Street, online shopping for Adidas trainers or taking the dog for a walk is about as good as it gets for the prime minister these days. At least that ensures the level of public contempt rises at a more or less manageable rate.
But if recess did have to end then the first day back in parliament was pretty much ideal for Rish!. OK, so the escalation of hostilities in the Middle East and the prospect of world war III might be a major concern for the rest of us, but for Sunak it is a blessed relief.
Continue reading...Girls are much more likely than boys to drop out of competitive sports. Itas little wonder when revealing kits are highlighted on the global stage
Paris has long been known for its avant garde fashion. Yet the couture scene would be hard-pressed to produce anything as confounding and controversial as the Team USA track and field kits that were unveiled in the City of Light last week. There was nothing to see when it came to Team USAas menas track uniforms: standard shorts and a tank top. But when it came to their female counterparts, there was everything to see, especially around the nether regions.
As reigning the 800m Olympic champion and Nike athlete, Athing Mu, modelled the US teamas briefs (fellow participant ShaaCarri Richardson opted for shorts) the scene drummed up memories of the Rio Games: the new USA uniforms would be ideal for a Brazilian beach. Citius Magazine further highlighted the design flaw when it tweeted an image of a mannequin showcasing the uniform and suffering from some major camel toe.
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