Audioboom user numbers soar ahead of Russell Brand’s arrival February 23, 2015 Online streaming service Audioboom has signed up controversial comedian Russell Brand to produce a twice-weekly podcast in an effort to attract a more "edgy, young" audience. The signing was part of plans, announced this morning by the service as part of its 2014 results, to boost the number of active registered user, as will as [...]
Your voice could get you your dream job – here’s how to perfect it February 23, 2015 Before Margaret Thatcher reached the pinnacle of her political career, her voice was both higher and faster. But her colleagues, concerned that she did not sound authoritative enough, suggested that she undergo voice coaching. Gradually, Mrs Thatcher lowered the pitch of her voice through a series of exercises. By the end of the [...]
Rothschild eyes pre-election bonus payouts to avoid Ed Balls tax February 23, 2015 Financial giant Rothschild is considering whether to hand out 2014 bonuses to staff early in order to avoid potential taxes that could be brought in if Labour wins the election. Shadow chancellor Ed Balls has promised to introduce a £1.5bn to £2bn tax on bonuses during its first year in office to fund a “jobs [...]
Europe latches on to peer-to-peer lending and crowdfunding February 22, 2015 EUROPE is embracing the concept of alternative finance as the ongoing fallout of the credit crunch sparks a flourish of industry start-ups, a report published by Cambridge University and Ernst & Young says today. The UK dominates the industry and increased its share the market in alternative finance to 79 per cent. The online alternative [...]
London toasts boom in craft beer start-ups February 22, 2015 BUSINESS is booming for London’s micro-breweries, with 2014 emerging as yet another record year for start-ups entering the capital’s thriving artisan beer scene. Last year there were 30 applications to HMRC to launch breweries in London, a small increase of one on 2013’s record year and almost double that of two years earlier. London is [...]
Pimlico Plumbers founder Charlie Mullins talks pipes, politics and £1m election bets February 22, 2015 I don't know much in life, but I know how to run a plumbing company,” says Charlie Mullins, founder of Pimlico Plumbers, matter-of-factly. Mullins is entitled to his own opinions (and he’s got his fair share) but he’s probably wrong on this one. The self-made multi-millionaire is unerringly humble – he’s not just any managing [...]
Theatre review: Mark Strong stars in A View From the Bridge February 20, 2015 Wyndham’s Theatre | ★★★★☆ The set in Ivo van Hove’s lauded adaptation of Arthur Miller’s classic A View From the Bridge (first shown at the Young Vic in 2014) evokes both a boxing ring and a pagan temple. It’s an ideal space for a play in which desire wrestles with reason on the way to [...]
Young Britons squeezed out of owning homes as low rates drive up UK house prices February 19, 2015 Brits in their 20s are half as likely as the previous generation to own their own home, a study from the Institute for Fiscal Studies showed yesterday, as low interest rates and a lack of construction have driven up prices. Only 20 per cent of 25-year-olds own their home now, compared with 45 per cent 20 [...]
Why competence will always beat charisma at work February 19, 2015 In an age when soft skills are all that matter, Elena Shalneva still prefers ability and rigour. A headhunter calls about a job. It’s in Amsterdam, starts next month, requires fluent Dutch and pays about half of what I used to earn when I last worked in an office. The job is fairly basic, but [...]
Film review: Cake – the one where Jennifer Aniston feels sorry for herself February 19, 2015 Cert 15 | ★☆☆☆☆ Since Friends, Jennifer Aniston has gone on to build a successful, if not groundbreaking, career as a commercially bankable but critically patronised American sweetheart. But she wants more. She wants respect. She wants awards. She wants – whisper it – to do a McConaughey. Cake isn’t Aniston politely asking to [...]