Society
In the era of faceless phone snatchers, I miss the chutzpah of the old-school con man
These days, scams tend to come via our digital devices. But I like my swindles street side and in person
Latest
Take it from a Finn – there are ways to survive winter with a smile
Beating seasonal depression through the darkest months comes down to acceptance, staying connected and seeking plenty of light – even the artificial kind.
The reality behind Japan’s “vanishing phenomenon” and how people disappear
Global media’s obsession with sensationalising Japan into its eccentric, often stereotyped image is reductive. The much-discussed yet decades-old phenomenon of ‘johatsu’ is just one example.
What Parisians hate (almost) more than anything
It is rarely mentioned in guidebooks but dominates everyday life. It ruins appliances, dulls hair and inspires an entire economy of defensive measures. An expat learns why Paris takes certain domestic threats seriously.
Inside 19th-century mummy mania, when Europe dined with Egypt’s dead
After Napoleon’s Egypt campaign, the European bourgeoisie became fascinated by pyramids, hieroglyphs and mummies. The latter were shipped to Europe by the thousands, despite laws prohibiting the trade.
Research says there’s a simple solution to improving the world. So why isn’t staying warm a hotter topic?
Can something as simple as the temperature change how we feel about ourselves and the world? Can it boost our mood, concentration and even make us nicer people? Science and a growing body of…
It’s time to bring the literary café back to the heart of European society
“Most interesting cultural things emanate from restaurants,” Jeremy King told Monocle when he showed us around his newest project in London – the revitalisation of the beloved Simpson’s in the Strand. Yet today, hospitality isn’t geared around cooking…
