Stand Up Jack… Your Days Are Numbered

27 September, 2011 Opinion No comments

One subject is sure to divide the opinion of consultants. In at least one area, they are likely to offer advice on what is best, based on their own experience and life choices: whether it is better to be a specialist or a generalist.

While many believe that these harsh trading times call for consultants to be generalists, able to undertake a wide range of projects for a broad base of clients, others say that nowadays more than any other, business demands specialists. They proclaim that these conditions are best for people who are knowledgeable and focussed in one key area of proficiency, people who know their subject inside out and can write, speak and advise with credibility and expertise. They argue in support of the adage that proclaims a generalist as a jack of all trades, and a master of none.

Read more

Professor Wangari Maathai: Remembering a Great Woman, Friend & Colleague

27 September, 2011 Culture 3 comments

It is autumn in England. Instead of light winds and falling leaves of amber and gold, we are experiencing a spell of unseasonably good weather. The trees outside my window are enjoying one last burst of green life before they have to give up their leaves to rest awhile and prepare to be reborn again in a few months.

Kenya’s Nobel Peace laureate, activist and former government minister Wangari Maathai loved trees more than most other people could imagine. She appreciated them as the lungs of our world and recognised the role that we all play in the interwoven scheme of life. But her work did not end in the forests of Kenya. Wangari Maathai was a visionary, an academic and a campaigner. She was a great environmentalist and a driving force that empowered people to improve their own lives.

Read more

Serbia, Albania & Macedonia Join Forces For Shakespearean Trilogy

26 September, 2011 Culture No comments

Serbia, Albania and Macedonia will come together at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre for a unique run of performances of all three parts of Henry VI as part of an ambitious cultural festival. Actors from the three national theatres will fly to London to take part in what is billed as a Balkan Trilogy of Shakespeare – and each theatre troupe will perform Shakespeare in their own language and costumes.

Globe to Globe, which falls within the World Shakespeare Festival as a celebration of Shakespeare as the world’s playwright, will see 37 international theatre companies presenting all 37 of Shakespeare’s plays in37 different languages. Serbian, Albanian and Macedonian will join the long list of languages to be performed, including languages less frequently heard on the British stage.

Read more

Wi-Fi Can Set You Free : Belgrade Knows This Well

Belgrade surpasses London in at least one enviable respect: it provides free wi-fi readily available in so many places across the city. As a foreigner who often uses Google Maps to get out of a jam or to satisfy my craving, my dependence on email and Twitter, this can be invaluable.

In Belgrade, I have found that almost every café, restaurant and hotel bar provides wi-fi, often accessible free by use of a generously available password. It is not just Belgrade: even regional towns like Novi Sad and Banja Luka have more free wi-fi than most larger EU cities. This is not how it is in London, where free wireless in public places is still quite limited and, usually, must be bought via mobile phone subscription or a one-off fee.  So while I am quick to make the most of the full online options of my iPhone, I prefer not to pay extra to link up my my phone to my laptop.

Read more