Author Archives: odeboyz

How supermarkets promote theft

Posted on August 15, 2019 by odeboyz

“A 2015 study of self-checkouts with handheld scanners, conducted by criminologists at the University of Leicester, also found evidence of widespread theft. After auditing 1 million self-checkout transactions over the course of a year, totalling $21 million in sales, they … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Finance, Technology | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

No good deed goes unpunished: Hackney 1968

Posted on August 15, 2019 by odeboyz

One of my most horrifying experiences came about when I was called out to a routine job. I was told to replace a cast iron rain water pipe, at Lea View House in the Clapton area of Hackney. I pulled … Continue reading →

Posted in Autobiography, Health, housing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

A ten bob note

Posted on August 12, 2019 by odeboyz

The sash cords were rotted on My bedroom window, when it crashed down Dad said he’d fix it, for about half a crown Nip round to the oil shop, he said Ask for a knot of sash cord He gave … Continue reading →

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Community service

Posted on August 12, 2019 by odeboyz

A barber was convicted of a minor offence and was given community service. As he was self-employed the court ordered him to provide free haircuts for a week. His first customer was so pleased that he went out and bought … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Oliver Bullough ~ Moneyland: Why thieves and crooks now rule the world and how to take it back (2018)

Posted on August 12, 2019 by odeboyz

There is an investigative book. Like all investigative books it offers revelations, which alter our perception of the foundations of society itself. Misha Glenny’s McMafia: Seriously Organised Crime (2008) is the grand-father of the genre. His book is now so … Continue reading →

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Irony I like

Posted on August 8, 2019 by odeboyz
Posted in Humour, photography, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Laugh and duck

Posted on August 8, 2019 by odeboyz

Wife: I have blisters on my hands from the broom handle. Husband: I’ve told you before. Use the car. Ray E.

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The Exodus Incident: when emotion met geopolitics

Posted on August 8, 2019 by odeboyz

A common view at the time was that he [Bevin] was antisemitic and this influenced his policies.1 Introduction In an act of imperial hubris, Britain accepted the Mandate2 for Palestine. It was meant to run from 1923 to 1948. Britain … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Drug addicts in San Francisco

Posted on August 5, 2019 by odeboyz

San Francisco has more drug addicts than it has students enrolled in its public high schools, the city Health Department’s latest estimates conclude. There are about 24,500 injection drug users in San Francisco — that’s about 8,500 more people than … Continue reading →

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Dorothy Thompson’s Christmas Card list

Posted on August 5, 2019 by odeboyz

Dorothy frowned and said she simply couldn’t forgive him [Hobsbawn] for accepting the Companion of Honour: ‘OK for an actor or entertainer, but absolutely not for serious, critical intellectual work – I’m afraid I had to strike him off my … Continue reading →

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