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Monthly Archives: July 2018
Jewish fathers and their sons
“Rabbi, I brought him up in the faith, gave him a very expensive Bar Mitzvah and spent a fortune educating him. Then last week he tells me he’s decided to be a Christian. Rabbi, where did I go wrong?” The … Continue reading
Book Review: A A Dhand ~ Girl Zero
The hackneyed British thriller genre featuring maverick Detective Inspectors is moved on by Dhand. Detective Inspector Harry Virdee is British-Asian brought up in Bradford where his father owned a corner shop. As a teenager Harry murdered a thief who was … Continue reading
Posted in Literature, Review
Tagged Asian drug gangs, Asian grooming gangs, Bradford, detective inspector thrillers
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Bringing Joy and Happiness
Richard M
A Bizarre, Wonderful Democracy: the London Borough of Havering, 2018
The May, 2018 election was keenly fought in the London Borough of Havering. Havering is a thriving democracy with nine parties elected to the council chamber. There were 2011 candidates for 54 elected positions. The people of Havering favour the … Continue reading
Posted in local politics, statistics
Tagged binary politics, Election 2018, Hornchurch, Residents Association, Romford, Upminster
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1951 – Cherry Pie
Replete with dinner, just eaten Mum brought a golden pie in from the kitchen The jug of custard quickly followed, “Be careful, the cherries have stones Just leave them round the side of your dish”. Soon after we, three boys, … Continue reading
My worst day!
There I was sitting at the bar staring at my drink when a large, trouble-making biker steps up next to me, grabs my drink and gulps it down in one swig. “Well, whatcha’ gonna do about it?” he says, menacingly, … Continue reading
Bertrand Russell in Brixton prison, 1918
For the first two months of his sentence, life at Brixton prison suited Russell perfectly. Freed from the demands of both political campaigning and romantic attachments,* he was able to live precisely the kind of cloistered, contemplative life he craved. … Continue reading
Posted in History, Prison
Tagged anti-war activities, Bertrand Russell, Brixton Prison, First World War, privilege
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Henrietta Maria: the Heretic Queen of England 1625-49
When Henrietta Maria married Charles the First, England’s vicious anti-Catholicism made her a hate figure. She was a child-bride of fifteen when she married the 25 year old Charles. Her brother, Louis XIII, agreed marriage articles with Charles, which were … Continue reading
Posted in History, Politics, War
Tagged Charles 1, Civil War, Henrietta Maria, Queens Chapel, Roman Catholics
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Why football is better than discus throwing
“….you spin around with a special disc trying not to fall over. You chuck it as far as you can. The winner is whoever chucked it furthest. ‘And then what?’ ‘No, that really is it.’” O’Farrell, John. There’s Only Two … Continue reading →