Showing 1 - 9 of 9
Sunscreen and our move towards a sun-safe future
Oped, Charlotte Mathieson, Published on 14/09/2024
» It's April 2000. I'm 14 years old, lying on a beach in the Bahamas, a bottle of SPF 20 at my side. I periodically check to see how my suntan is developing, watching with fascination as my pale white skin turns a deep, chestnut brown. Through the headphones of my Discman, Baz Luhrmann is telling the class of '99 to "trust me on the sunscreen". I nod along to the beat, oblivious to the irony. Luhrmann's caution is ahead of the curve.
Gap's Met Gala denim moment stunning, smart
News, Andrea Felsted, Published on 11/05/2024
» Among the many luxury brands showing off their lavish creations at the Met Gala this week were a handful of more mainstream names. One standout was The Gap Inc, which dressed actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph.
What 'Barbie' can really teach working-class men
News, Betsey Stevenson, Published on 14/03/2024
» Economists spend a lot of time talking about jobs. Work is not only how people support themselves financially, it can also be the way in which they contribute to society, create unique identities and find meaning in the world. When work disappears or shifts, people can feel as unmoored and confused as Ken in Greta Gerwig's Barbie, who had one last moment in the spotlight at this week's Academy Awards, when Ryan Gosling performed the Oscar-nominated song I'm Just Ken.
Corporate responsibility in the age of AI
Oped, Maria Eitel, Published on 09/08/2023
» In the past year, a cacophony of conversations about artificial intelligence has erupted. Depending on whom you listen to, AI is either carrying us into a shiny new world of endless possibilities or propelling us toward a grim dystopia. Call them the Barbie and Oppenheimer scenarios -- as attention-grabbing and different as the Hollywood blockbusters of the summer. But one conversation is getting far too little attention: the one about corporate responsibility.
Climate change is killing our summer
News, Niall Ferguson, Published on 31/07/2023
» Most of us have an idea of summer in our heads. It generally involves beaches. Americans head to their coasts -- avoiding only fog-shrouded San Francisco -- and Europeans to the Mediterranean or Aegean. We all strip down to near nakedness and sit around in the sun, occasionally frolicking in the ocean waves. We aim to return home tanned and toned. If you come from another planet and don't know what I am talking about, watch the Barbie trailer.
French learn about their Aussie 'mates'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/09/2021
» It is encouraging to learn that it is not just Thailand that gets into deep water involving contracts over submarines. France is most upset with Australia for pulling the plug on a nuclear submarine deal, resulting in various shades of not-so-diplomatic name-calling. Standing out was the rather poignant observation from the recalled French ambassador to Australia that "what makes me sad is that we thought we were mates but we were stabbed in the back".
Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 20/12/2020
» In the mid-1970s, while travelling on the slowest train in the world from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, I recall reading a substantial chunk of John Le Carre's espionage novel, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Though not a fast-paced book, it still had more momentum than the wretched train.
In the face of danger
News, Postbag, Published on 07/03/2020
» Re: "Masking selfishness", (PostBag, March 5). I have read Yankee Doodle's letter with interest. Almost everything he says about the effectiveness of face masks against Covid-19 is true: face masks are not effective against the spread of coronavirus.
The girl from the Black Country
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 01/03/2020
» My thanks to readers who pointed out that Janice Nicholls, who featured in last week's column, did not have a Brummie accent at all, but a Black Country lilt, hailing from Wednesbury, just west of Birmingham.