The Argus, news, sport, events, jobs, homes for Brighton, Hove and Sussex
Get involved: Send your news, views, pictures and video by texting SUPIC to 80360 or email us.
Jo Chipchase - Letting off steam profile »
Jo Chipchase is a professional writer who divides her time between East Sussex and Spain these days, after first moving to Brighton in 1997. She’s a mother of two lively little boys, enjoys acerbic humour and likes to have ‘fun’.
Posted at 11:35am Monday 16th January 2012
Why airlines and other companies should stop treating customers like naughty children
Customer service from airlines and other companies in the UK has taken a nosedive during the last few years. Jo Chipchase casts forth on why they should stop treating us like wallets to empty, naughty children and prize chumps.
Posted at 9:00am Sunday 25th December 2011
The Twelve C’s of Christmas
Never mind 'The Twelve Days of Christmas': now that Chrissie Day is upon us, Jo Chipchase takes an amusing look at the 12 'Cs' of contemporary Christmas.
Posted at 9:58am Friday 28th October 2011
Are you happy with Helloween?
Did you know that the UK spent £280m on Halloween 2010, in the midst of a recession? Jo Chipchase takes her usual 'humbug' stance to explain why the scariest part of Halloween is its price tag and all the plastic tat it involves.
Posted at 11:17am Thursday 22nd September 2011
Call it a McBlog and you’ll attract the lawyers…
Following the recent Argus news story about how Coca Cola made Worthing-based Innocent Vitamins drop "innocent" from its brand name, Jo Chipchase takes an amusing look at the multinational companies that are trying to stake claim to generic words.
Posted at 7:25am Sunday 24th July 2011
You've Been Fraped?
In light of Sussex police officers having their knuckles rapped over their inappropriate use of Facebook, Jo Chipchase takes an ironic look at the downside of social media, the news we don't want to hear but will have fed to us anyway, and the practise of "fraping".
Posted at 11:19am Wednesday 22nd June 2011
Why fortnightly bin collections are just rubbish… food for thought!
Often accused of talking rubbish, Jo Chipchase throws in her two penneth about the idea of fortnightly refuse collections in Brighton and Hove, combined with more frequent collection of the city's food waste...
Posted at 7:54pm Monday 20th June 2011
The rise of child free holiday resorts – why not use birth control instead?
Jo Chipchase has a rant about the rise of child free holiday 'experiences', and those who would rather leave their offspring at home, lest they should whine, make noise and splash water in a resort swimming pool.
Posted at 2:49pm Monday 23rd May 2011
When fly BMI will mean Body Mass Index…
Jo takes an ironic look at the practice of airlines fussing about the exact dimensions and weight of passengers' cabin bags, while paying no heed to the exact dimensions and weight of the passengers themselves...
Posted at 3:34pm Monday 18th April 2011
Why one is thrilled and delighted to miss the Royal Wedding…
Jo Chipchase takes a wry look at the circus surrounding the Royal Wedding and asks 'do we really need all that tacky memorabilia'.
Posted at 1:02pm Wednesday 13th April 2011
Fi fi fo fum, I smell the flip-flops of an Englishman
Jo Chipchase takes a wry look at how the British bikini may have "saved" Spain... but is our national penchant for removing more clothes than the weather conditions demand really such a clever plan? Is being under-dressed with goose pimples an established part of our culture? Or are we just warm-blooded?
Posted at 4:02pm Tuesday 15th March 2011
Combat consumer ‘churn’: Freecycle, recycle and Swish it
Jo Chipchase on how we can say "no" to consumer churn, recycle our unwanted goods and obtain ones that are new to us by joining the likes of Freecycle and My Swish.
Posted at 4:51pm Tuesday 25th January 2011
The Big Fat Gypsy Prejudice
Jo Chipchase examines our attitudes towards Travellers and poses the question: would we talk about any other ethnic or cultural group in the same derogatory way?
Posted at 2:39pm Tuesday 11th January 2011
Oinkings regarding the unwanted ‘gift’ of porcine flu
Last winter, there was a big fuss and fanfare over the Swine Flu "pandemic" but fewer people than anticipated caught it. This winter, people are dropping with it like flies but there's very little fuss. Jo Chipchase muses on the vile lurgy that made its porky presence known at Christmas and beyond...
Posted at 10:16am Wednesday 15th December 2010
The secret life of the mystery shopper
At a time when most of us are doing our Christmas shopping, Jo Chipchase explores the role of the mystery shopper and catches up with a company that helps retailers answer the question: "are we being served".
Readers who submit articles must agree to our terms of use. The content is the sole responsibility of the contributor and is unmoderated. But we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention. If you wish to complain about this article, contact us here.
