Blog
The Times and its terrific adoption campaign
I would like to commend The Times for the terrific adoption campaign it is running this week. Ask any child if he wants to spend his childhood in an institution or a loving, stable home - and I think you can guess the answer. Just like troubled Maisie who was featured...
Cambridge Wordfest and advice for would-be authors
With publishers still adapting to the uncertainties of promoting authors in the digital era amid increased demand for ebooks (the huge sale of Kindle readers over Xmas took them by surprise), it is reassuring to know that there is no shortage of budding authors...
National Theatre ignores pleas of murdered prostitute’s mother
A play about how the Ipswich community responded to the murder of five prostitutes gets its world premiere at the National Theatre on Thursday. While many Suffolk folk whose lives have been interwoven into the storyline of London Road, may be audience, the families of...
How does it feel to be an adoptive parent?
I was really moved by last night's BBC 2 documentary featuring traumatised Maisie, who at 8 years-old had two failed adoptions behind her and was desperate to belong to a family. At first I thought the programme was too intrusive as therapists probed and opened up...
My new iPad 2
It is quite by fluke that I am the delighted owner of an iPad 2. In fact, I have owned two in the last few days. I originally ordered one online as the Cambridge Apple store had sold out when I called in to buy one 48 hours after they were launched in the UK. I had...
John Bird, The Big Issue and adoptions
This post has been written by Francesca Polini, an advocate for adoption reforms in the UK, and published on her blog. I found it so interesting that I have re-published it here. Last week I was invited to the launch of the Parliamentary Friends of The Big Issue. The...
Abcodia’s pancreatic cancer collaboration
Pancreatic cancer robbed Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze of his life while in his prime, and has struck Apple's Steve Jobs and our sensational soulful singer Aretha Franklin. Unbelievably, the survival rate has not improved in 30 years due to its late diagnosis....
My blog reunites “missing” man with family
I am delighted to say that a post I wrote about Gary Spencer listed as "missing" in Thailand has a happy ending - the story was picked up by the media on the Isle of Wight where his family live and he plans to fly home in a couple of weeks. Gary turned to me for help...
Monitoring MPs – making politics social
If you want track the livestream social media activity of MPs, then the new website YatterBox will be perfect for you. It has just been launched by York University graduates and their unique site tracks all MPs' social media: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Flickr,...