The Bolivia Set

El Enejo Bolivians have more of a reason to be angry than most. Despite the recent economic upturn which has led to an impressive reduction in poverty and an increase in living standards (especially for the indigenous populations), Bolivia’s history is one of rampant pillage and plunder. It remains one of the poorest countries inContinue reading “The Bolivia Set”

The Ecuador Set

El Servico Of all the gastronomic experiences in South America, the Ecuadorians will tell you that Ecuador is the best. The cuisine is a fusion between Peruvian and Colombian food with their own twist. Rich meat, Chinese-inspired chifa, tropical fruit, and vegetables – everything has a home on the Ecuadorian dinner table. It’s possible toContinue reading “The Ecuador Set”

The Peru Set

La Arena My dreams had become sand. In them, I tumbled down great dunes, grains being thrown up in plumes behind me, as dry and desiccated as the endless barren vista around me. Sometimes I would be overwhelmed by disorientation, the wind whipping the ancient powder into my eyes and stinging my cheeks. Each particleContinue reading “The Peru Set”

The Colombia Set

El Tráfico The intensity of the traffic in Colombia is startling. There’s aggression in every movement, a seemingly random desire to change lanes, or to stop suddenly and just get out of the car to check your engine or tyres. If you’re waiting to cross the road, the dark cars and yellow taxis speed past,Continue reading “The Colombia Set”

Cutting Corners: OceanGate and the Titanic

Read time: 3 mins The ocean gate disaster has been widely reported as a failure of design. The submersible used a brittle carbon fibre cylinder instead of the normal titanium or equivalent steel that other deep sea submersibles used. Carbon Fibre is lightweight and cheap in comparison. But it also behaves in bizarre and unpredictableContinue reading “Cutting Corners: OceanGate and the Titanic”

The Doolittle Moment: Talking to Animals

The Doolittle Moment Whales have an emotional range larger than humans can possibly imagine. The part of their brain responsible for emotion is immense. Its size means that whales are likely to have stronger and far more profound emotions than we damned dirty apes could ever fathom. In the same way that our turns ofContinue reading “The Doolittle Moment: Talking to Animals”

Heat Seekers: How Spice Shaped Modern Cuisine

Read Time: 15 mins We take spice for granted. It’s safe to say that modern humans have the most varied palates in history, enjoying cuisine and flavour from every corner of the world. These flavours have mixed and melded, creating brand-new fusion cuisines. We have also created our own artificial spice, things like MSG orContinue reading “Heat Seekers: How Spice Shaped Modern Cuisine”

The Anatomy of Lying

We seem to be enthralled by liars. We all know lying is bad but there’s something dangerous and captivating about deception. Famous liars pepper literature; spies like James Bond, sociopaths like Sherlock Holmes, fantasists like Gatsby or capitalists like Jordan Belfort. You can go back to the story of Adam and Eve and see thatContinue reading “The Anatomy of Lying”

Good – by Cecil Philip Taylor

Read time: 3 mins Have you ever imagined yourself as a guard in a concentration camp? Have you ever thought about what would have to happen, the intellectual and moral corruption that would have to be inflicted upon you and that you’d have to inflict upon yourself? Have you ever considered under what circumstances youContinue reading “Good – by Cecil Philip Taylor”

Agile – The Fatal Slip

Author: Sweyn Martin / Read Time: 4 mins “The truth,” wrote Oscar Wilde “is rarely pure and never simple”. It’s a truism that has fallen somewhat out of fashion in recent decades, as the emergence of ever more complex challenges in a world of accelerating change has, paradoxically, driven an almost universal appetite for simple,Continue reading “Agile – The Fatal Slip”