A Breath of the Freshest Air
Last December the pollution in Beijing got so bad that the authorities declared a five day ‘red alert’, the highest level of warning. Schools were closed, thousands of vehicles were ordered off the road. People were told to stay indoors. Industries that produce pollution such as steel plants were ordered to either stop or significantly slow down their operations. Many other cities in China followed suit. There are people literally choking or gasping for breath because of poll
Behind the Mask: The Importance of Character
In my early twenties I sometimes acted as the emcee for fun nights. That meant being a stand-up comic who cracked jokes and introduced various short acts, most of which were comedy routines. I’d vetted all of these prior to the evening. I will never forget the time when one of the acts deeply offended the overall organiser of the event. He didn’t wait till after it was all over to let me know how he felt. He called me back-stage while the act was still in progress and vented