Author Archives: odeboyz

Book Review: Saima Mir ~ The Khan (2021)

A A Dhand has written a series of novels set in Bradford, which are consistently excellent. The Khan is set in Bradford, is a thriller, with Asian drug lords and has extreme violence. It even has tropes from Mario Puzo’s, … Continue reading

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A Lawyer joke

Jim was vacationing on the French Riviera when he met Sarah, a lawyer friend. He asked how she’d paid for the holiday. She replied, “Remember that terrible house I bought? Well, it caught fire and I used the insurance money.” She … Continue reading

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The Importance of the Battle of Warsaw, 1920

Tsarist Russia was engulfed in a revolutionary civil war, which led to a Bolshevik government in1917. The leader of the Red Army, Leon Trotsky, wanted to end capitalism in Europe. He believed Germany was the key to this. If the … Continue reading

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Welfare Cuts Explained

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Joseph Heller* on War

“What is a country? A country is a piece of land surrounded on all sides by boundaries, usually unnatural. Englishmen are dying for England, Americans are dying for America, Germans are dying for Germany, Russians are dying for Russia. There … Continue reading

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Black History Month, 2022: Lyrics of ‘I wish’

I wish I knew howIt would feel to be freeI wish I could breakAll the chains holding meI wish I could sayAll the things that I should saySay ’em loud say ’em clearFor the whole round world to hear I … Continue reading

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Britain’s new Health Secretary: Theresa Coffey

She said that she isn’t a ‘role model’ and the NHS breathed a sigh of relief

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Book Review: George MacDonald Fraser ~ Flashman at the Charge (Flashman 4) (1973)

 I made the mistake of thinking about the direction of travel that Britain is on. The Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, believes Britain is a global military power. He’s a True Believer not allowing trivialities like evidence to interrupt his beliefs. … Continue reading

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Sunday Lunch

Ben disliked his brothers’ wife but occasionally he would go for Sunday lunch. He always brought two decent bottles of wine which smoothed things over. One Sunday he saw his niece, Sarah, staring at him every time he drank his … Continue reading

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The Purchase of Commissions in the British Army, 1683-1871

The 17th century was transformative. It began with the attempted assassination of James I and ended with a successful invasion and three quasi-legitimate monarchs. The century included three civil wars, the execution of a king, a warrior class seizing power, … Continue reading

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