Shock news reaches The Moodie Blog of the purrfect crime – a male cat eating his way through US$1,100 of gourmet fish products after breaking into an airport duty free shop. And no, I’m not kitten you – this is a true story, an absolute travel retail catastrophe. According to The Siberian Times, the “gourmet
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Miscellaneous
It will (not really) be lonely this Christmas
Try to imagine A house that’s not a home Try to imagine A Christmas all alone That’s where I’ll be Since you left me My tears could melt the snow What can I do without you? I got no place, no place to go It’ll be lonely this Christmas Without you to hold It’ll be
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Miscellaneous
Taking the independent route at JFK T4
The broad, open spaces of the Retail Hall at the new-look JFK Terminal 4 As the only independent operator of an airport terminal in the USA, JFKIAT is used to thinking differently. That’s underlined by the transformation of Terminal 4 at New York JFK – a project where phase one opened in May 2013 and
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Miscellaneous
Throwing a smile to Lucy
“I’m sick of having needles stuck into me,” Lucy told them. “I don’t want to be prodded and poked any more. I want to go home…” – From ‘Throw me a Smile’ by Colleen Mortzou If you’re looking for a different kind of gift for someone special this Christmas, or if you just want some
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Discovering the human touch behind Pandora
I swallowed a moon made of iron They refer to it as a nail I swallowed this industrial sewage, these unemployment documents Youth stooped at machines die before their time I swallowed the hustle and the destitution Swallowed pedestrian bridges, life covered in rust I can’t swallow any more All that I’ve swallowed is now
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Mastering time and making the final carbon footprint
I’m nearly on the home strait. My final trip of a long year, much of it spent extending my carbon footprint to the size of a jet-setting Yeti. Abominable behaviour I know (which reminds me of the tragic tale of an Irish friend who died after deciding to slash his carbon footprint by cycling to work instead.
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Miscellaneous
Encountering a splendidly human touch at Dubai Duty Free
“Good afternoon Sir. Wow, you are someone very famous! It’s so nice to meet you.” The greeting was as warm as it was unexpected. Meet Roland Santos Gripon, a young man from the Philippines who is today manning the Dubai Duty Free Full of Surprises and Millennium Millionaire prize draw desk. Was this a case
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Sizing up the odds at the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup
I’m holed up in The Moodie Report’s interim Dubai bureau, the stylish Dubai Duty Free-owned and operated Jumeirah Creekside Hotel. And later today, I hope to be holing out in style at the Dubai Duty Free Golf World Cup, which tees off this afternoon. More of that in a moment. I flew here via that
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All fired up for the real Dragons’ Den
Nid wy’n gofyn bywyd moethus, Aur y byd na’i berlau mân: Gofyn rwyf am galon hapus, Calon onest, calon lân. Calon lân yn llawn daioni, Tecach yw na’r lili dlos: Dim ond calon lân all ganu Canu’r dydd a chanu’r nos. Tomorrow my autumn sporting odyssey continues, and I am (literally) back on familiar ground.
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Celebrating a quarter century’s achievements in style
I’m at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, en route to Hong Kong and then London, my head a little tender after a wonderful King Power International Group 25th anniversary party and concert last night. What magnificent hosts King Power were and the concert in the exquisite Aksra Theatre was a fantastic mix of top Thai artists and
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From Br’ansk, with a little help from Benedetti, to Bangkok
Sunday This Blog starts in The Moodie Report’s latest Interim Bureau onboard Thai Airways 911 from London to Bangkok. I’m 35,000ft above Russia, just east of Minsk and heading towards Br’ansk (I wonder why the apostrophe in the word?). As I write, I’m listening to the exquisite violin artistry of Nicola Benedetti, exploring her Scottish
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A fabulous Highland Fling with Glenmorangie Dornoch
After a week in Cannes, the body – especially the liver – craves rest. Plain fare. No alcohol. Early nights. Well, scratch THAT. The Moodie Report had barely unpacked from the Riviera before heading to the Highlands for a whisky launch, courtesy of LVMH and World Duty Free Group (WDFG). Out went the stilettos and
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Nailing down a Carpenter for a very different photo shoot
What a difference (nearly) four years makes… Earlier this week I had the welcome opportunity to catch up with a long-time travel retail pal, Clive Carpenter, formerly of Hennessy and Camus Cognac fame, who now runs a thriving golf website business (www.GolfToday.co.uk), as well as dabbling in the drinks sector. Our shared love of golf, satire,