The Supper Club founder Duncan Cheatle talks cowboys, venture capital and safe spaces January 25, 2015 If you ask Duncan Cheatle, founder of members-only entrepreneur networking group The Supper Club, to describe his formative entrepreneurial experience, you’re instantly transported. “Like lots of entrepreneurs, the first early thing I did was to sell tuck,” he tells me. “I guess there’s a limit to what you can do as a kid to show [...]
Samoens and Morillon: Is this the ideal family ski holiday destination? January 25, 2015 The ski villages of Samoens and Morillon may not have the extreme slopes of its neighbours, but they’re perfect for enthusiastic amateurs The village of Samoens in the French Alps is a 600 year old ski secret. The name actually dates back to 1167 but the focal point of the village square – a giant [...]
Where are the richest people in the world? Most live in the US, followed by Japan, France and the UK January 25, 2015 London has more than its fair share of the super-rich, but when it comes to the country with the largest portion of the world's wealthiest one per cent of people, the US tops the chart by a long way. 18m people in the US fall into this bracket – out of a total of [...]
Theatre review: Bull at the Young Vic January 23, 2015 Young Vic | ★★★☆☆ Mike Bartlett’s one act play, Bull, gives us a Hobbesian view of office-life with backstabbing and conniving aplenty. And at a scant 55 minutes, it’s “nasty, brutish and short”. Tony, Isobel, and Thomas, are a trio of grasping would-be Apprentice-types, awaiting the arrival of their boss, Carter, who will decide [...]
Keeping up with the Joneses: why living next to wealthier neighbours harms boys’ prospects in life January 23, 2015 Mixed communities are heralded by many UK policymakers as a way to stem inequality and improve the prospects of children from low-income families. They consider aspiration to be a strong driving force away from antisocial behaviour and towards success, arguing it will help struggling families in the long run. But when it comes [...]
Film review: Ex Machina is a psychological techno-thriller tour de force January 23, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★★ With everyone from Stephen Hawking to Elon Musk warning we’re about to be slaughtered by artificial super-intelligences, Ex Machina is a timely reflection on consciousness, creativity, hubris, and the possibilities that await us just around the corner. Author-turned-screenwriter Alex Garland’s directorial debut is a psychological techno-thriller tour de force. Caleb [...]
Leon Brittan obituary: Former home secretary and EU commissioner dies aged 75 January 22, 2015 Brittan, who became one of the big political figures of the Thatcher era, was first elected to parliament for the Conservatives in Cleveland and Whitby in 1974, and then for Richmond in Yorkshire in 1986. After being elected, Brittan held many key political roles relating to business and finance. He was chief secretary to the [...]
Film review: A Most Violent Year is a most intelligent movie January 22, 2015 Cert 15 | ★★★★☆ In an early scene in JC Chandor’s A Most Violent Year, budding oil entrepreneur Abel Morales (Oscar Isaac) stares his employees in the eyes and says, “You will never do anything as hard as staring someone in the eye and telling the truth.” This rings especially true in their world, where [...]
Sport Comment: Van Gaal system is nothing new but needs refinement January 22, 2015 THERE are lies, damned lies and statistics, so the saying goes. And while British sport is not as consumed by stats as our Stateside cousins, the numbers game is catching on fast. Football formations are not stats in themselves, but are becoming an important part of the game’s currency. This season, more than ever, there [...]
Martin Odegaard: Is Madrid’s £2.5m 16-year-old a future legend or the next Freddy Adu? January 22, 2015 With one or two exceptions aside, Real Madrid are most commonly known for buying superstars rather than making them. Yet the European champions made headlines today not through the purchase of another household name for another record-breaking fee, but instead with the signing of 16-year-old Martin Odegaard for £2.5m. The Norwegian prodigy’s [...]