Author Archives: odeboyz

Book Review: Norman Mailer ~ The Naked and the Dead (1949)

Posted on June 8, 2020 by odeboyz

How do you review a masterpiece? This is a work of staggering genius and, if possible, was better for a 50 year gap between readings. Obviously I bookmarked sections in preparation for this review, which is very easy in Kindle … Continue reading →

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Covid Lockdown

Posted on June 8, 2020 by odeboyz

After weeks, with nothing to do The phobia’s did grow Claustrophobia – well that one, was new Agoraphobia was raring to go. “Pull yourself together”, she did say, “There are far worse off, than you Make the most of each … Continue reading →

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Vladimir Putin’s favourite joke

Posted on June 4, 2020 by odeboyz

A KGB colonel visits a Siberian youth prison , “Why are you here?” He asked the first youth. “For the past week my clock woke me up early so I got into work early. I’m convicted of being a spy … Continue reading →

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Brexit, Northern Ireland and Unification

Posted on June 4, 2020 by odeboyz

The 2016 Brexit referendum aggregated all UK votes into a single total. England’s majority swamped the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish vote, which immediately cast a doubt on the idea of a shared political identity. Brexit’s authority however depended on … Continue reading →

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Desirable building land – apply Chancellor of the Exchequer

Posted on June 1, 2020 by odeboyz
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Karl Marx as a journalist

Posted on June 1, 2020 by odeboyz

The ethos of the [Russian Crimean] army was dominated by the eighteenth-century parade-ground culture of the tsarist court, in which promotion, to quote Karl Marx, was limited to ‘martinets, whose principal merit consists of stolid obedience and ready servility added … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Hilary Mantel ~ The Mirror and the Light (2020)

Posted on June 1, 2020 by odeboyz

The scale of the success of the Thomas Cromwell trilogy is that it’s a 2112 page story about a Tudor civil servant. Cromwell’s speciality was as a courtier and sycophant endlessly grovelling to Henry VIII. He was also a ruthless … Continue reading →

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Lunchtime

Posted on May 28, 2020 by odeboyz
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Heaven and Hell Defined

Posted on May 28, 2020 by odeboyz

In heaven, the English are the policemen, the French are the chefs, the Germans the mechanics, the Italians are the lovers, and the Swiss organize everything. In hell, the Germans are the policemen, the English are the chefs, the French … Continue reading →

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Failing Maths at Sir Philip Magnus school, 1958

Posted on May 28, 2020 by odeboyz

In June 1958 our class was told about the annual mathematics examination. This didn’t fill me with enthusiasm. I feared exams and I especially hated maths. Our teacher, Mr Jones, a hard Welshman from the Rhonda, made the announcement with … Continue reading →

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