Online trade at The Works boomed during the Covid crisis but now it faces new challenges, from higher costs to supply chain issuesIf you were trying to invent a retailer aimed at people stuck at home you might come up with the formula for The Works, wi…
I have a good life. But how can I experience joy when there is so much suffering outside?
So much of our polity drenches us in pain, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, but even within torrential misery there are sparks of brightnessI had thought I had come to terms with suffering in the world. I have a good life, good husband, en…
Hospital calls for action to stop cyclist deaths at notorious London junction
Colleagues of Dr Marta Krawiec, who was killed while riding to work, say urgent safety work is neededA leading hospital has called for immediate safety works at a notoriously dangerous junction in central London where one of its doctors was killed last…
10 essential tricks for remembering people’s names
From playing word games to using a memory palace, there are many ways to train your brain as we start to socialise in greater numbersSay what you will about the rule of six: at least it was easy to keep up with everyone. Now that most restrictions in t…
The schoolday I’ll never forget: ‘I had no idea how pivotal passing the 11-plus would be’
Sitting the exam had been completely routine, but I soon realised grammar school would be a major turning pointMy most memorable day was the morning I came to primary school knowing I had passed my 11-plus and would be going to grammar school: Harrow C…
Northern lights, northern soul and discoveries at the pole – take the Thursday quiz
Fourteen questions on general knowledge and topical trivia plus a few jokes every Thursday – how will you fare?Once again it is time to brave the Thursday quiz challenge. Dare you enter the arena and take on 14 questions on general knowledge and topica…
The power of no: how to build strong, healthy boundaries
When we find it difficult to say ‘no’ at work or at home, our responsibilities can quickly become overwhelming. For good mental health, focusing on our own needs and capabilities is crucialNo. A tiny, yet mighty word. To hear it can make us feel childl…
Juul hooked an entire generation on nicotine – can it redeem its image?
The company has been shamed by health regulators, lost revenue and is the center of hundreds of US lawsuits. Now it has thrown in a last-ditch effort to continue salesMore than a decade ago, Adam Bowen and James Monsees became friends over their smoke …
The schoolday I’ll never forget: ‘Our teacher broke all the rules and took us for a wild day out’
My school had any number of petty classroom diktats, and there were severe penalties for naughty children. But one day our nature study teacher decided to break freeMy primary school, in the 1950s, was incredibly strict. We lined up when the bell rang …
The chronic stress survival guide: how to live with the anxiety and grief you can’t escape
Stress can feel like a baseline condition for many of us – especially during a pandemic. But there are ways to help alleviate the very worst of it, whether through support, sleep or radical self-careAt a time when all life’s challenges have been amplif…