Monthly Archives: March 2014

Matt Ridley on the mystery of Flight MH370

Mar 31, 2014

by Raleigh Addington

Writing in today’s Times newspaper, Lord Matt Ridley, best-selling author of “The Rational Optimist,” commented on the mystery of Flight MH370 as being “the most baffling disappearance in history.” Matt argues that none of the possible explanations seem remotely plausible, yet one of them must be true. After debunking the scenarios that have been suggested so far, including …

Posted in Speakers We Admire, International Affairs & Security | Tags:Matt Ridley, Flight MH370

Watch Rory Stewart’s new BBC2 documentary – “Border Country”

Mar 31, 2014

by Raleigh Addington

Rory Stewart, best-selling author, former Harvard Professor and MP for Penrith and Border, has released a new documentary entitled “Border Country – the Story of Britain’s Lost Middleland,” which explores the identity and history of Cumbria, Northumbria, and the Borders. Rory explains that the “documentary is an attempt to make sense of more than two thousand years of history. …

Posted in Speakers We Admire, History, Culture & Literature | Tags:Rory Stewart, BBC2, Documentary, Border Country

Roger Bootle to publish “The Trouble With Europe” in May

Mar 28, 2014

by Raleigh Addington

Roger Bootle, one of the City of London’s best-known economists, is set to publish his new book entitled “The Trouble With Europe” on May 1st 2014, by Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Roger argues that Europe has changed, the world outside has changed, and what people want has changed. As such, “The Trouble With Europe” looks at …

Posted in Speakers We Admire, Global Economy & Finance | Tags:Roger Bootle, EU, Book, The Trouble With Europe

Vivek Wadhwa: “Facebook’s moonshot is a wise move in a time of radical change”

Mar 27, 2014

by Raleigh Addington

Vivek Wadhwa, Director of Research at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Research Commercialization at the Pratt School of Engineering, has written a new Washington Post column, commenting on Facebook’s acquisition of Oculus for $2 billion. In September 2013, Vivek wrote that Facebook could have the same fate as AOL or MySpace because it wasn’t keeping up with …

Posted in Speakers We Admire, Technology & Innovation | Tags:Vivek Wadhwa, Facebook, Oculus, Disruptive Technology

Tony Leon to publish “Opposite Mandela” in May

Mar 26, 2014

by Raleigh Addington

Tony Leon, speaker and advisor on Sub-Saharan African trends and strategy, and former Leader of the Opposition in the South African Parliament, has written a book of unique insight into an unexplored aspect of the presidency and leadership of Nelson Mandela. “Opposite Mandela: Encounters with South Africa’s Icon” relates the untold stories of how South …

Posted in Speakers We Admire, Politics & Government | Tags:Book, Nelson Mandela, Tony Leon, South Africa

Dennis Ross: Obama Needs to Soothe the Saudis

Mar 26, 2014

by Raleigh Addington

In a recent op-ed for the Los Angeles Times, Dennis Ross, counsellor at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, discussed President Obama’s trip to Saudi Arabia and what he needs to consider in order to affect Saudi behaviour. Fundamentally, Dennis explains, the Saudis believe that America’s friends and interests are under threat, and the U.S. response has …

Posted in Speakers We Admire, International Affairs & Security | Tags:Nuclear, Dennis Ross, Obama, Foreign Policy, US-Iran Relations, Saudi, Los Angeles Times, Op-ed