Author Archives: odeboyz

Rhododendrons: From Flower to Monster

Posted on June 24, 2021 by odeboyz

If you wish to read about the impact of Rhododendrons on the wider environment see Rhododendron- invasive weed vs treasured flower plant | Environment and Green Living (wordpress.com)

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Book Review: Jonathan Calvert and George Arbuthnot ~ Failures of State: The inside story of Britain’s battle with Coronovirus (2021)

Posted on June 24, 2021 by odeboyz

Investigative journalists are worth their weight in gold. Clavert and Arbuthnot write for the Sunday Times about Covid-19 from its earliest manifestation. As journalists they write in a very attractive and accessible way. This is epitomised by their chapter headings: … Continue reading →

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The Wrong Answer

Posted on June 21, 2021 by odeboyz

Emperor Augustus was touring his Empire and noticed a man who looked so similar that he could have been his brother. Intrigued he asked: “Did your mother work in the Imperial Palace?” “No, Your Highness. But my father did.”

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Ben Bradley MP (In a previous life a workhouse manager)

Posted on June 21, 2021 by odeboyz

“…..[Mansfield] Tory MP Ben Bradley has claimed that free school meals vouchers are “effectively” a handout to a crack den and brothel. Even if this is true – and the evidence for it is less than overwhelming – so what? … Continue reading →

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A Successful Teaching Moment

Posted on June 17, 2021 by odeboyz
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Book Review: Jo Nesbo ~ Nemesis (2002) (Translator: Dan Bartlett)

Posted on June 17, 2021 by odeboyz

The job description of fictional Detective Inspectors is that they should be alcoholics, mavericks, insightful, very persuasive, and yet, curiously, trusting. They get into scrapes where everything says, ‘Don’t do it’. But they do. They lure colleagues into committing crimes … Continue reading →

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Open Wide!

Posted on June 14, 2021 by odeboyz

If you want to read more about this tryDental MythBusters: Do Crocodiles Let Birds Clean Their Teeth? | Canyon Gate Dental of Orem

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J B S Haldane, scientist, organises his very own After Life

Posted on June 14, 2021 by odeboyz

“He [Haldane] had left strict instructions about what was to be done with his body. ‘I hope that I have been of some use to my fellow creatures while alive,’ he once wrote, ‘and I see no reason why I … Continue reading →

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Winston Churchill mocks Clement Attlee – who got the last laugh

Posted on June 10, 2021 by odeboyz

Churchill mocked his wartime deputy prime minister, Clement Attlee, on many occasions: (1) “An empty taxi arrived at 10 Downing Street, and when the door was opened, Attlee got out.” (2) “He is a modest man with much to be … Continue reading →

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London and the Great Plague, 1665: Plague Pits

Posted on June 10, 2021 by odeboyz

Records state that plague deaths in London and the suburbs crept up over the summer from 2,000 people per week to over 7,000 per week in September. These figures are likely to be a considerable underestimate. Many of the sextons … Continue reading →

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