Category Archives: Economics

The long transition from Victorian technology

Posted on October 28, 2021 by odeboyz

The transition from Victorian technology is accelerating. Their technologies are embedded into 21st century Britain, which has been shaped by them. The transition will be revolutionary, disconcerting and will be resisted by broad swathes of society. Background Victorian technologiesare pervasive: … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, Politics, statistics, Technology | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Commercialised Gluttony

Posted on October 18, 2021 by odeboyz

For 25 years, Fat Boys Cafe [Croydon, London] has been serving up the Blow Out breakfast challenge. It consists of two sausages, six slices of bacon, a slice of fried bread, mushrooms, beans and 1.25kg of chips, and is thought … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Humour | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Gambling as an Investment Option

Posted on October 14, 2021 by odeboyz

Combining ‘Gambling’ and ‘Investment’ appears to be bizarre. After all, gambling involves unpredictable risk and the loss of all of your capital in one fell swoop. Investment, on the other hand, breathes the heady air of prudence and safety. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Finance, Mathematics, statistics | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Greek Joke: 2015

Posted on October 11, 2021 by odeboyz

Question: What does a Greek civil servant say when he gets his salary? Answer: Danke schön

Posted in Economics, Humour, Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

Anthony Eden’s Mental Map: the Suez Canal Débâcle, 1956

Posted on September 23, 2021 by odeboyz

Napoleon commented, “to understand the man you have to know what was happening in the world when he was twenty.1 Background As a young officer, Eden aged 18, led troops in the battle of the Somme, 1916. This vicious battle … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, Politics, War | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selected Quotes: Health and Social Care Levy 8th September 2021

Posted on September 16, 2021 by odeboyz

Jake Barry (Con) Will my right hon. Friend [Jesse Norman] tell the House how much the 1.25% increase in national insurance will cost the NHS on top of its current payroll? John Redwood (Con) I understand that for a couple … Continue reading →

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

The monetary value of biodiversity

Posted on August 16, 2021 by odeboyz

Swiss bee colonies, for example, have been shown to ensure “a yearly agricultural production worth about US$ 213 million by providing pollination,” and the value of an improved microclimate from 400,000 trees planted by local authorities in Canberra [Australia] has … Continue reading →

Posted in ecology, Economics, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Victor Hugo on Sewage

Posted on August 2, 2021 by odeboyz

Violating every rule of narrative, Hugo interrupts the climax of his great novel Les Misérables (1862) to hector the reader for fifteen pages about the Parisian sewer system. The city’s sewers discharged vast quantities of excrement into rivers, which carried … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, Health, History, Literature | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Immigration: Conservative Hypocrisy 1903, 1938, 2021

Posted on July 29, 2021 by odeboyz

1903 IMMIGRATION OF DESTITUTE ALIENS. HC Deb 26 February 1903 vol 118 cc938-77 Sir Howard Vincent (Conservative)1 In the first place, I should like to say most emphatically that this motion has nothing whatever to do with any religious question. … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, Philosophy, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

An Italian economic boycott, 1848

Posted on July 12, 2021 by odeboyz

….the inhabitants of Milan, under Austrian rule, followed the principle of the Boston Tea Party by giving up smoking in order to stop the Austrians obtaining revenue from a tax on tobacco. Richard Evans The pursuit of power p189

Posted in Economics, History, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment