Category: LAZLO FERRAN

Memories of the 1960s – Music

The Small Faces
The Small Faces

In many ways, this is the hardest post I have made about the 1960s and it has taken me a long time to decide to make it. Many writers have tried and failed to capture the magic and disillusionment of 1960s music and I most surely must fail too. But that won’t stop me ‘taking a shot’ at it, as Americans like to say, or ‘having a go’ as Brits like to say.

I am not just talking about something in remote history when I talk about music from that era; I actually remember 1960s music. The first song I remember is Puppet on a String, which of course won the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest (yes, we had it then too!) for Sandie Shaw. I would have been 5 but I well remember the catchy tune blasting out of BBC Radio 1 on our little, blue radio set in the kitchen, or in my bedroom when I was sick, which was often. Continue reading “Memories of the 1960s – Music” →

REglam magazine Article

Read the article in the link: a fine argument for diversity of female body shapes in fashion

bylaurenhayley's avatarBY LAUREN HAYLEY

Aaaages ago, I wrote a post to you guys telling you that I had been asked to write an article for REglam magazine.

Well a lot has changed since then. I’m now much more involved with the company and I’ve been starting to take over the PR & Communications side over the past week.

REglam is a fashion magazine which helps to promote positive body image, with roots in the health, fashion and eating disorder communities. It’s almost brand new and lots of exciting things  are being planned right now for its near future so it’s a great thing to check out.

You can find them on twitter by clicking here, or reach their website here.

Plus, my article is finally up! So what better time to start? Click here to read it!

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Do we Need a Social Market Economy?

Angela Merkel - leader of the social market economy in Germany
Angela Merkel – leader of the social market economy in Germany

My thoughts have been building on this for a while and this may be little more than a rant but I want to put my ideas up for discussion.

Let me paint you three pictures:

1. I recently had to scrap my 1995 BMW 3 series car. I had always serviced it at a BMW dealer, often paying more than £1000 per year on things like new suspension, brakes, etc and the thing was as well-maintained as a 20 year old car can be. And yet its market value was less than the price of a replacement bonnet! I had bumped into a van which had high bumpers and these had pushed in the grill, thus bending the bonnet. The lights also needed realigning and possibly the grill needed replacing but the damage was minimal. Think of all the complexity of a car like that, a system that tells you when it needs servicing, air-bags, h-plane adjustable seats, sun-roof, electric windows and a beautifully reliable and powerful engine. And yet its total value was less than a basic piece of pressed steel which probably cost all of £20 to make. Luckily, because my car had been well-maintained I got an offer near the maximum for a car of that age but if it had been tatty it could have been worth only £150 or even less. What a waste of metal and technology! What a wasteful society we live in! That car could have run for another 20 years with a new bonnet. Continue reading “Do we Need a Social Market Economy?” →