Literature

Millions of Brits admit to struggling with basic grammar and spelling, according to research. More than one in 10 adults admit to getting confused when to use ‘their, there and they’re’, while a further 26 per cent mix up ‘license’ and ‘licence’, and 19 per cent never know whether to write ‘stationary’ or ‘stationery’. And while spellings such as ‘conscience’, ‘liaison’ and ‘flourescent’ give Brits a headache, it is the more modern dictionary inclusions which baffle most. It also emerged...

If you’re hoping to win a promotion in 2019, making a plan to get ahead now is a good idea. But a promotion won’t just fall into your lap. If you want to climb the career ladder, you need to showcase your skills and your leadership potential, writes Richard Newman. By Richard Newman I was recently asked to coach a client for his promotion interview. He had been rejected the year before and was determined to succeed this time. When...

The London Economic sits down with author and marketing guru Hafiz Muhammad Ali to discuss the benefits of a career in digital marketing. The London Economic (TLE): What makes a career in digital marketing an appealing option for professionals already established in offline advertising or other media professions? Hafiz Muhammad Ali (HMA): As advertising budgets continue to shift from offline to online, a career in digital makes sense for professionals in traditional roles. Bellwether reported that internet budgets are up...

To mark the 30th anniversary, a statue of Roald Dahl’s beloved fictional character, Matilda Wormwood, has been unveiled facing the man voted the person she would be most likely to stand up to in 2018, President Donald Trump. Inspired by Matilda’s courage and the battle she picks with Miss Trunchbull in the novel, the Roald Dahl Story Company gave the general public the chance to decide who they thought she would be taking a stand against in 2018. Topping that list...

Science is revealing more and more about how our minds work. Understanding the latest thinking will make you smarter and improve the decisions that you make. Here, the author and expert on applied cognition, KJP Sheedy, reveals how understanding our Thinking Paradigms can improve our lives and society. By KJP Sheedy What skill does your favourite motivational speaker share with an internet troll writing click bait for profit? No one quite knows how your brain works but we do have...

Mission: Impossible-style ebooks which self-destruct after reading went on sale in Britain yesterday. Digital products at the Nobu.store are fitted with electronic fuses that are set to ‘detonate’ when the rental period expires. Consumers have between two and 20 days to read the book before a ‘coded bomb’ explodes and wipes “every trace of data” from their smartphone or tablet. Similar software is already in use for movie and box set rentals, but it is the first time that so-called “timestamp...

Part of the annual Jane Austen Festival which runs from the 14-23 of September in Bath

Despite profound deafness, the acclaimed British novelist David R Ewens never learned to lip read or to use sign language. Instead, his family taught him to ‘ignore the deafness and carry on’ – a mantra he relies upon to this day. In this candid, exclusive interview, he reveals how his mother’s tough love helped him to cope with social isolation and how he turned an impairment to his advantage. By David R Ewens I am stone deaf, but I have...

Five million people worldwide were affected by the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, which was triggered by an earthquake with the energy of 23,000 Hiroshima-type atom bombs. Here, we review a thought-provoking new novel about one of the world’s most deadly natural disasters and its aftermath. By Lucy Bryson Just before 8am on December 26th, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the Indonesian coast. It triggered a massive tsunami that stretched across the Indian Ocean. Waves up to 30 feet high...