News

On Friday 8 June 2018 the foodie world reeled to the news that celebrity food author and TV presenter Anthony Bourdain, 61, had committed suicide. I never met Bourdain. I never even read his acclaimed book, Kitchen Confidential, though I meant to. But his TV shows like No Reservations and Parts Unknown were go-to choices […]

In an article titled ‘Teens who hide sexuality at higher risk of suicide’ (1), SOS Safety Magazine reports on a recent study by the American Journal of Preventative Medicine. The study is titled ‘Sexual Orientation Discordance and Nonfatal Suicidal Behaviors in U.S. High School Students’ (2). Thankfully SOS Safety Magazine is on hand to translate […]

A new report by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that between 2009 and 2015, rates of self-injury among girls aged 10-14 years skyrocketed from 110 per 100,000 Emergency Room (E.R.) visits to 318 per 100,000 visits. The rate for older teen girls doubled to 633 per 100,000 E.R. visits. Rates for […]

#METOO has changed the landscape of society. It is no longer possible to ignore the widespread extent of male sexual dysfunction. For too long we—and by ‘we’ I mean men—have pretended that unhealthy sexual behaviour is the exclusive preserve of a few ‘bad eggs’ while most of us are squeaky clean goody-two-shoes. It’s comforting to […]

I don’t have a single favourite film. But there is a bunch of films, indeterminate in number, that rise above the rest. Wonder Boys, Shakespeare in Love, Apocalypse Now, Chinatown, Sunset Boulevard… and American Beauty. American Beauty was a Hollywood wet dream, a modestly budgeted feature that smashed the 2000 Oscars. It won five statuettes, […]

Recent revelations of sexual abuse in the highest corridors of Hollywood have caused a fundamental shift in gender relations. Suddenly, abuse claims are gaining traction. Hard on the heels of the American revelations, a ‘dirty dossier’ is circulating in Westminster with the names of Conservative MPs alleged to have behaved inappropriately. Responding to the ‘Sexminster’ […]

As I write, social media is ablaze with furore over multiple sexual allegations against movie mogul Harvey Weinstein. Until just a few days ago Weinstein was in a seemingly untouchable position in an ivory tower at the pinnacle of Hollywood. Now he’s a toxic figure that the industry is rapidly spitting out (in the PR […]

The oxygen masks have dropped from the ceiling. The aisle strip lighting has come on. The in-flight crew are strapping themselves into their seats—which are, luckily for them—rearward facing. The pilot calls over the intercom: brace! Society crash Yes, it can’t be ignored now. Society is in a semi-controlled crash. The indicators of this crash […]

The 2017 Wimbledon Men’s Singles tennis final was a date with destiny for Marin Čilić. His first Grand Slam final. Pitted against Roger Federer, one of the best players in the history of the game. Federer was bidding to win a record eighth Wimbledon title. Čilić was clearly the underdog, but he had beaten Federer […]

I recently posted about the emotional dysfunction underlying the Finsbury Park and Westminster Bridge attacks in London. A scant few days later, a shooting in New York with distinct emotional similarities has occurred. In the afternoon of 30 June 2017, Dr Henry Bello entered the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital where he used to work as a family […]