Alain de Botton on unfortunates and losers
I am in Oxford at the TED Global conference, a melange of all sorts of talented people people making short and provocative presentations over four days. The surprise attraction at the opening session this afternoon was Gordon Brown, the British prime minister. Read more
A chilly wind blows through luxury resort hotels
I am not sure of the moral to be drawn from the fact that Citigroup, in its role as lender, has taken control of a resort hotel in California where American International Group held a retreat after being bailed out by the US government, but it is a straw in the wind.
The St Regis Monarch Beach in Dana Point is far from the only resort hotel to be in trouble as a result of the severe cutbacks in business travel and conferences following the financial crisis. Read more
| About this blog | Blog guide |
John Gapper is an associate editor and the chief business commentator of the FT.
He has worked for the FT since 1987, covering labour relations, banking and the media. He is co-author, with Nicholas Denton, of 'All That Glitters', an account of the collapse of Barings in 1995.
Andrew Hill is an associate editor and the management editor of the FT. He is a former City editor, financial editor, comment and analysis editor, New York bureau chief, foreign news editor and correspondent in Brussels and Milan.
Latest columns by John and Andrew