Monthly Archives: April 2022

The problem of being a dictator

In the span of a couple of weeks, Vladimir Putin….managed to revitalize NATO, unify a splintered West, turn Ukraine’s little-known president into a global hero, wreck Russia’s economy, and solidify his legacy as a murderous war criminal. How did he … Continue reading

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A very expensive parrot

Jim went into a pet shop to buy a parrot. An assistant asked which one he wanted. “How about the yellow one?” “He’s £2000.” Jim was shocked and asked why it was so expensive. ”The parrot is very special. He … Continue reading

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Book Review: Viet Thanh Nguyen ~ The Sympathizer (2015)

This superb book won the USA’s Pulitzer Prize. Nguyen is brilliant and the real thing: a great author. Opening sentences are important, I am a spy, a sleeper, a spook, a man of two faces.1 The unnamed hero/anti-hero is a … Continue reading

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A Skydiving Instructor

Alan, the skydiving instructor, always took time answering stupid first-timer questions. Joe, who was quietly terrified, asked, “If my chute doesn’t open, and neither does my spare, how long do I have until I hit the ground?” He carefully looked … Continue reading

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Mugged by Rishi Sunak

Millions of Britons1 will be dragged into paying more income tax after a punishing Government freeze on thresholds, the Office for Budget Responsibility has warned.  A report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research commissioned by The Mail on Sunday … Continue reading

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Who was Oliver Cromwell?

He was courageous, devout, resolute, principled, intelligent, eloquent, able, adaptable and dedicated, but also self-seeking, unscrupulous, dishonest, manipulative, vindictive and bloodthirsty: definitely not somebody to be simply taken at his word. Ronald Hutton The Making of Oliver Cromwell p338

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A Wordless Poem: Modern Drug Dens

Note https://www.addiction.org.uk/addictions/food-addiction/

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