Going Green: the new government voucher scheme
From the end of September, a new ‘Green Homes Grant’ scheme will offer vouchers for homeowners across England. The vouchers will help to pay for environmentally friendly home improvements such as loft, floor and wall insulation, or to replace single-glazed windows with double glazing. The majority of vouchers are worth...
Lullaby by Leila Slimani
Due to the general lack of, well, anything else to do, our next virtual meet-up came around quickly. One benefit of lockdown seems to be that reading time is up exponentially, especially when one group member’s husband (mine) is reliving his teenage years by hogging the television with an eBay...
Global Warming in a Decade: A Timeline Review
Global climate change can seem like a lot to process and understanding all the moving parts behind it can be overwhelming. This is especially true when trying to comprehend every change in Earth’s history. To make it a little easier, let’s look at how our climate and ecosystems have changed...
School’s Out
In this uncertain era, there is some comfort to be taken in the opportunity to appreciate the here and now. Many of us may no longer use the excuse ‘I just don’t have the time’. Yet it’s easy to over-romanticise the notion of having less, technically, to do. Learn a...
On the 50th anniversary of the decriminalisation of Homosexuality in the UK, LGBT lives still criminalised in 72 countries, report finds
Whilst England and Wales saw the decriminalisation of homosexuality fifty years ago today, 72 other countries and territories continue to criminalise same-sex relationships, including 45 in which sexual relationships between women are outlawed. According to an annual report released by the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA),...
Tracey Emin/ Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul at the Royal Academy
Rudyard Kipling once said, ‘He wrapped himself in quotations – as a beggar would enfold himself in the purple of Emperors.’ Tracey Emin has done something not dissimilar with Art. Standing alongside an artist of superior talent, or even in his shadow, she hoped this would enhance her own, but,...
The Sussex Pass at the White Hart, Wadhurst
To say that your average Londoner is hungry for a holiday is an almost laughable understatement. For most, after over a year spent primarily hunkered on the sofa, the desire to go anywhere not contained within a one-mile radius of your house is probably on a par for urgency with...
Just how wicked is the new Terrible Thames boat tour?
London and the Thames have a long and winding history. Now, you can experience the highs and lows with a new Horrible Histories boat tour.Over 45 minutes, the two-person cast regale the audience about the gruesome goings-on that have occurred on the river over the past 2,000 years. From King...
Michelangelo’s fingerprint possibly found on 500-year-old statue
A fingerprint that likely belonged to world renowned artist and Renaissance man, Michelangelo, has just been discovered on a wax statue he built approximately 500 years ago. Art historians and researchers at London’s Victoria & Albert Museum believe Michelangelo may have pressed his thumb into it, leaving behind a mark. ...
Coffee & liver health
All kinds of coffee could lower the risk of chronic liver disease, fatty liver disease, liver cancer, and deaths from chronic liver disease. That’s according to a large new study from researchers at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, published in the journal BMC Public Health. ...
Richmond in top London five for student satisfaction
Richmond, The American International University in London, is delighted to announce that it is one of the top five London universities for overall satisfaction levels in the quality of the course (79.1% satisfaction) as voted by students in the latest National Student Survey (NSS) results. The NSS gives students the opportunity to say...
Blockchain: organised crime’s new best friend
The way security is secured in the information age is fundamentally changing. Traditional methods of policing are increasingly ineffective in dealing with the capabilities of organised crime, with groups taking advantage of novel forms of financial technology (fintech) to evade detection and disruption. Blockchain in particular is a technology exploited...
Swan song for Lamborghini’s Aventador
By Fahad Redha It’s hard to believe that the Aventador has been with us for a decade. It has gone down in history as one of, if not the top selling V12 supercar of all time. It may even be one of the most produced 12-cylinder cars ever. Lamborghini had...
Scientists uncover the earliest samples of bubonic plague in human history
The earliest known strain of the bubonic plague has been discovered in the body of a man buried in Latvia approximately 5,000 years ago. Research since the discovery has concluded that this strain materialized around 7,100 years ago and was not nearly as destructive as many of the other strains...