When David Cameron became PM he talked of the “big society,” imagining armies of citizens carrying out good works for free in their spare time. Unfortunately most people have to work long hours to make ends meet and to appease slave driver bosses. It was a nice idea, but in practice it couldn’t work, especially has Cameron also announced austerity measures, that meant that everyone’s finances were tighter than ever before as public series suffered. After Cameron lost the EU...

In a similar vein to Marco Pierre White, Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey – Marcus Wareing has become a TV chef personality whose equal parts loved and loathed. Over the past three years, the chef has perhaps become best known as the second toughest judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, but he’s also the name behind three London restaurants. At one end of the spectrum, Marcus at The Berkeley in Knightsbridge is the chef’s two Michelin-starred mother ship, offering one of...

By Stephen Mayne @finalreel Some narratives are so obviously constructed to hit a series of emotional highs; the power begins to ebb away. The Olive Tree is like that, marching along a transparently pre-ordained path. And yet it remains a mostly charming experience through the sheer weight of emotion brought to bear by director Iciar Bollain and writer Paul Laverty. The tree of the title plays a vital role in bringing a number of moving parts together, though the crux...

A terminally ill cancer sufferer told she has just months to live has drawn up a bucket list to visit every country in the world and marry her boyfriend before she dies. Jo Sutton, 37, is part-way round a global trip in a determined bid to “live her life to the fullest” and tick off all 196 countries across the world. She originally penned “40 countries to see before I’m 40” after her mum, Pamela, died of breast cancer five...

By Dr Nigel Mellor Discussing consciousness is entering a dangerous swamp with lots of traps, dead ends and scary monsters. Scientists can’t even agree on a definition. The whole shebang can also get very mystical. So let’s lighten up. We’ll start with a few things we can agree on, even though the first topic, emergence, itself can be a bit of a puzzle. “Mind” will get some in apoplectic rage. But we’ll finish off with a whiff of basic Buddhism,...

New Global Recruitment Software Seeks Funding To Help More Businesses Find Top Talent The creators of game-changing recruitment software are seeking new investment as they tackle one of the biggest challenges businesses face today – finding the right employees. Talent Ninja is a human resources (HR) recruitment tool allowing businesses to attract candidates from a range of sources by advertising vacancies on a huge selection of platforms, without the hassle or cost typically associated with doing so. Through Talent Ninja,...

The one plus side to 2017 going by as fast as lightning means it’s time for Cheltenham again, undoubtedly one of the best racing weekends in the whole calendar. As well as hoping for a great race, you’re probably praying for a big win at the bookies so we’ve produced some tips on how you can pick a winner. My Racing have produced a fantastically quirky little betting app that can pick your winner for you. For those of you...

For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been succumbed with an irrational fear of snails. It’s embarrassing. More common, less hilarious fears (spiders, snakes, rats, death) have never phased me, but something about those lettuce-munching bogies in crash helmets would always plague me with fear. As somebody who dedicates such a portion of my life to writing about restaurants, I appreciate that it’s crucial for me to eat just about everything. So much so that over the past...

Troubled Michael Freeman, 34, suffered a fatal heroin overdose following a two-decade battle with mental health issues and addiction. One week after his death, his heartbroken mum Gillian Freeman, 75, went to the flat where he lived alone to sort through his possessions. It was there that she discovered – among needles and other drug paraphernalia – an incredible 62-piece collection of drawings, most of which she never knew existed. Dad-of-two Michael loved art from a young age and his...