Not that long ago, crypto currencies were all the rage: Fortunes were made on even the most obscure of tokens and trading volumes went through the roof, with investors from the most seasoned to the rookies jumping on the bandwagon. How things have changed in recent months! Just look at Bitcoin, the crypto currency which […]
COP27 – A bit like Groundhog Day
Do you remember the movie Groundhog Day released in 1993, where a weatherman is sent to cover a story about a weather forecasting “rat” (as he calls it) and finds himself in a time loop until he gets it right? Somehow the annual COP-shindigs remind me of exactly this situation: At each conference lots of […]
The 10’000 Steps A Day Myth
I am not exactly a fitness afficionado, but this summer I decided that I really needed to shed some weight. My exercise routine basically consists of going for walks and, weather permitting, walking from home to the office and back (approximately 30 minutes and 3 kilometers each way). And, as it happens, I also have […]
Banana Republic
Anyone observing from the outside the British isles what is currently happening in British politics must be appalled! After Boris Johnson resigned in shame in July, Liz Truss, his successor as Prime Minister, nominated by the members of the Conservative party, lasted a mere 44 days in her job before being forced to resign over […]
Going to the dogs
The United Kingdom is definitely going to the dogs (and I obviously don’t mean the races). The Pound Sterling is literally collapsing against all major and even not so major currencies, while the prices of most goods and services in line with interest rates are in a steep ascent. Interest rates are now forecast to […]
The ultimate business trip
Since the start of the pandemic more than 2 years ago, business travel and corporate gatherings have become the exception rather than the rule. And at the same time many employees may also have started to feeling disenfranchised working from their kitchen table or spare bedroom at home. So some firms have come to the […]
Prove you are who you say you are
I don’t know whether there are many fake South African passports in circulation, but Ryanair seems to think that there a sufficient number to make some U.K.-bound travellers of apparently South African origin take a test to prove that they’re really originating in said country. Passengers to be assessed are probably chosen at random, and […]
Podcasts of a different kind
Podcasts are fantastic: I can listen to them while doing chores or cooking, or when walking to and from my place of work, which particularly now in spring and summer is not only enjoyable, but a good way for me to get some exercise as it is an approximate 2 to 2.5 miles walk each […]
Shoplifting
Shoplifting, large and small, tends to rise during times of crisis. As inflation makes things harder for more families, retail theft data will be a telling gauge for consumer distress. With prices rising exponentially, expectations are that this will become even more of a problem as long as high inflation persists. And it is’t just […]
Autocracies vs democracies – A question of personal choice
The war in Ukraine is showing once more, how interconnected the global economies are and hence to what extent our lifestyle depends on what in democratic terms are unfriendly governments. Russia provides a substantial share of oil, gas and coal burnt in Europe, and hence the ‘special military operation’ against pro-western Ukraine poses a dilemma. […]
The grumpy older man 