Spitbank Fort: Welcome to the UK’s craziest hotel August 8, 2014 Spitbank Fort is a granite maritime castle marooned in the home waters of The Solent, one mile out of Portsmouth harbour but a comfortable breast stroke swim from the Isle of Wight. It was built by Prime Minister Palmerston in 1878 to discourage Napoleon III in his ambitions of sailing the French fleet up the [...]
Car review: Ferrari’s California T model – now with cutting-edge Formula One technology August 4, 2014 If you listen to the “purists”, the Ferrari California is a bit of a wet blanket. For some reason this 490 horsepower V8 hairdryer never quite set the experts alight. Too soft, they crowed, and – possibly – too ugly. Ferrari was never going to stand for that, so now there’s a new version [...]
Learn how to fight like a gladiator in Rome August 1, 2014 Things started badly. Paolo tried to convince me to hold the sword in my right hand. “I really can’t. I’m very left-handed,” I whined back. “OK. You will die first,” he replied nonchalantly. Paolo was my gladiator training instructor and it was a beautiful sunny day – a “great day to die” as they shout [...]
Investment Comment: How to spot the dog funds – and what to do if you own one July 22, 2014 When it comes to crowing about so-called “star” performing fund managers and handing out endless awards, the investment industry certainly doesn’t hold back. Yet the simple fact is that, over the long term, after the impact of charges, many fund managers fail to deliver a better return than the benchmarks for the markets they operate [...]
City Moves for 22 July 2014 | Who’s switching jobs July 21, 2014 PwC George Stylianides has been appointed leader of PwC’s financial services risk and regulation practice. He is taking over from Julie Coates, who is returning to Australia after four years in the UK. Stylianides has over 25 years’ experience working in financial institutions. Natixis Global Asset Management The asset manager has announced four appointments to [...]
Bottom Line: Nothing to crow about as Alstom heads for a GE deal June 23, 2014 THE FRENCH rooster is already crowing over the deal clinched with GE for Alstom’s energy businesses this weekend. I wish it well. But the socialists in the Elysee Palace should probably limit the liberality with which they spray their champagne. While for some this proves French politicians can cut a smart deal with major multinationals, [...]
The apps bringing you the best coffee in London May 9, 2014 Decent coffee isn’t hard to come by in London. All the same, it’s nice to know where it is, and easily – without the fun of appealing to a group of colleagues for an answer, and still be standing there 10 minutes later, as the debate rages on. London’s Best Coffee app maps over 150 [...]
Union suspends Tube strike after last-ditch talks May 6, 2014 A PLANNED three-day strike by London Underground (LU) workers was called off yesterday just hours before it was due to take place, after both sides called a truce. Members of the RMT union were set to walk out at 9pm last night in a row over LU’s plan to close all Tube ticket offices and [...]
The apps bringing you perfect craft beer April 8, 2014 A bevy of apps are entering the market, and they’re designed to help ale aficionados seek out their ideal suds. Craft beer is rapidly growing in popularity. In 2012, 415m pints of independently-brewed beer were consumed in the UK – up from 22.3m. That figure comes from the Society of Independent Brewers who, after 21 [...]
How to be the envy of the golf club April 7, 2014 The new Mercedes C-Class has finally emerged from the shadow of its big brother, the S-Class THE battle for golf club car park supremacy remains alive and well. And this year, to trump your fellow members, you’re going to have to get one of these: the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class. It’s that simple. Emerging from the [...]