Category Archives: Health

Drug addicts in San Francisco

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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Book Review: John Carreyrou ~ Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (2018)

Without trivialising this wonderful book I was reminded of a joke as I followed the career of Elizabeth Holmes: Q. What’s a gold mine? A. A hole in the ground owned by a liar Elizabeth worshipped Steve Jobs and Bill … Continue reading →

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Heroic Drinking in Tanganyika

One of Hosking’s jobs in Tanganyika was to buy the drinks for the dinner parties held by the mining community – the rations consisted of a crate of beer or a bottle of whisky per person. ‘It sounds more than … Continue reading →

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Book Review: Sebastian Horsley ~ Dandy in the underworld: an unauthorised autobiography (2007)

If you like train crash autobiographies this is for you. His family were rich and he was unconstrained from his earliest moments. Sebastian was a psychopath towards himself. He fell in love with Jimmy Boyle, a Scottish murderer, who was … Continue reading →

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Shadow

Strike the fear, so I may no longer see The apparition stalking me It has no substance, nor sinew strong In this light place, it does not belong. Be gone foul phantom creature Be gone whence the nothing Spawned you … Continue reading →

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Not everyone is middle-class with assets

Rachel and Jack1 are in their late thirties, with two young children. Both are immature but have worked hard on their relationship. Jack’s a self-employed window cleaner, odd job man, labourer and gardener. He’s hardly ever in steady full time … Continue reading →

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A veterinarian goes to see a doctor

The doctor began his consultation by asking the veterinarian about the pain and its intensity. The veterinarian sarcastically replied: “When I treat animals I can’t ask questions. I have to use my skill and judgement.” The doctor said, “OK.” After … Continue reading →

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He knew what he meant

A doctor asks a pharmacist to prepare some tablets of acetylsalicylic acid. “Do you mean aspirin?” asks the pharmacist. The doctor slaps his forehead. “That’s it!” he says. “I can never 
remember the name.” Chris

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Working on council estates

I worked for fifty years in Hackney and Havering on Council estates as a plumber. Like everybody else Council tenants are of all kinds of people: loud, selfish, helpful, timid, stupid and clever and I nearly forgot the rich and … Continue reading →

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Being a Chinese billionaire isn’t all glamour

Mortality rate notwithstanding, what’s more disturbing is how these mega wealthy souls met their demise. According to China Daily, 15 were murdered, 17 committed suicide, seven died from accidents and 19 died from illness. Oh, yes, and 14 were executed. … Continue reading →

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