I’ve just been to Amsterdam for the opening of the Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht. 2013 is another big year, with the reopening of the Rijksmuseum after 10 years of renovation. And the New York Times placed the city sixth on its list of “The 46 Places to Go in 2013”. * Amsterdam, the refined, easy-going and eco-friendly… Continue reading
Hertz offer electric cars for hire – by the hour
You want to drive an electric car, but they cost too much. So that’s it then, for a few more years at least and prices come right down. Or you are a tourist, and you really want to find a green way around the sites. So it’s a Boris Bike, or regional equivalent, or nothing?… Continue reading →
Les Miserables is Guernsey’s reason to be cheerful
I’m standing in the room where the greatest French 19th Century author scaled the summits of romantic writing and brought us back the book on which was based one of the greatest musicals of the 20th century, Les Miserables. And now there’s fresh acclaim for the author, with the release of the film of the… Continue reading →
Solar solution – sunny outlook for charging the iPad
It’s hard to compete with the Chinese in making the current generation of solar panels, with the price of silicon panels dropping fast. There are few if any manufacturers in the UK, and in the US the Tea Party party ridiculed the Obama administration for so conspicuously supporting Solyndra, the solar panel manufacturer that went… Continue reading →
Now rural England revolts over solar power
Anybody who proposes a windfarm, or even a single wind turbine, in the countryside these days can expect a tough battle with the locals. Let the proponents advance any of the standard arguments – the need for urgent action to combat global warming, a quick and cost-effective response to the coming energy crisis, the fact… Continue reading →
We shouldn’t let politics darken Belfast’s bright new dawn
At the start of December I enjoyed a meal in good company in one of Belfast’s liveliest new restaurants. Made in Belfast, in the city cenre, was full on our visit. The name summed up the optimism and vigour of a city rebuilding itself, after many dark days. The walls were festooned, floor to ceiling,… Continue reading →