Posts in category Columns

“So what is it about wine?” my sister asked me some 30 years ago. At that time, this question surprised and stumped me. I knew …

Our mothers always told us not to sell ourselves short. Her point was that we shouldn’t underestimate ourselves. But when you sell a stock short, …

I have been in Vietnam for nearly four years, and my biggest challenge as a health and education consultant centres on food. There seems to …

You may have heard of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which came into effect in late May.  Broadly, it’s a European Union (EU) regulation …

On a rainy Tuesday in May, a dismayed customer came into the shop with an interesting issue that I rarely encounter. On her iPhone 6s, …

Imagine leaving your village for life in the big city, with no home or job to go to. Imagine being unable to go to school …

Melbourne boy Jason Gibaud has had a bit of a wild and whimsical ride, one that’s taken him from interior design school to Hollywood films …

People often asked me what my Local Eats columns is about, besides introducing local cuisine that people eat on daily basis. Well that is the …

When I first arrived in Vietnam back in 1993, there were food hawkers everywhere. Some were stationary and some moved from street to street. These …

Based in Hoi An, Streets International provides an invaluable bridge for disadvantaged youth, taking them from extreme poverty and a life on the streets to …

My concerned mother sent me screenshots of a message that invaded her Messenger inbox last month, allegedly originating from Mr. Facebook himself. It asked Facebook …

By the time you read this column, hopefully the drama of my past few months will be behind me. To explain: we run offices in …

Last month I outlined two of the five pension pitfalls people encounter. Here are the final three. Not Minding Asset Location and Sequence of Withdrawals …

In 1991, the American newspaper Newsweek described one of the 32 preschools in Reggio Emilia, Italy, as “more like a cheerful greenhouse than a public …

While I’ve written a lot about nutrition and the absorption of macro and the conventional micro nutrients (minerals and vitamins), I haven’t talked much about …

Child poverty in Vietnam is still a real concern for many. Step outside the rapidly developing urban areas and rural life is full of challenges, …