Today, as you may have noticed, is Friday the thirteenth. If that bothers you, then you're not alone. In fact, the fear of Friday the thirteenth even has its own word: paraskavedekatriaphobia. Apparently the thirteenth of the month falls on a Friday more than it does...

There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics. So said Benjamin Disraeli  (and later Mark Twain, who was quoting him). Yet the public (and that's all of us, at one time or another) continues to be sucked in by reports based on spurious logic and...

Microsoft has announced it's to open its own shops, in a clear bid to grab a slice of the Apple retail action. Apple trades on its image as the quintessence of cool: all innovative design and sleek lines. Microsoft may face an uphill battle in this respect, at least...

Kill the fatted calf: it seems we do now have a definition of the word 'Depression'. (See 'What's in a word?', below.) According to the Economist, it's: ... a slide in peak-to-trough of real GDP of 10% or a decline lasting more than three years. I'm glad we sorted...

Gordon Brown mentioned the word 'Depression' for the first time yesterday at Prime Minister's Questions. Everyone jumped except David Cameron, who apparently failed to notice until it was pointed out to him afterwards. Apparently there's no definition of the 'D-word',...

Here in the southeast snow all-but brought normal business life to a standstill yesterday. And it’s not much better today. Here in Emphasis towers we’re made of sterner stuff: it takes more than a few snowflakes to deter us from our vital work of showing...

As a solicitor, it’s likely that you’re a skilled oral communicator. But if you’re less than confident when it comes to writing, you’re not alone. Many professionals haven’t received formal writing training and instead rely on copying the...

If you’re struggling to read the latest lengthy management report, it could be worse. Take a look at this. It’s the original manuscript scroll for Jack Kerouac’s seminal novel, On the Road, which goes on display in Europe for the first time at...

Imagine you've got to write a set of instructions for a total stranger; no, millions of total strangers. It's a huge audience, made up of people from all walks of life. So it's going to be impossible to cater for individual needs. You'll have to write it so that...

We’re lucky here in Emphasis Towers. Five minutes from Brighton beach and five minutes from the station, we really have got the best of both worlds. The beach is great. It’s close enough to go for a lunchtime dip on those rare days when the thermometer...