Category Archives: History

Gambling and the Stock Market

Posted on March 4, 2026 by odeboyz

Introduction Many managers are little better than gamblers who are adept at strutting their stuff convincingly and looting their companies. Sometimes they get lucky and add value, but many destroy shareholder investments. The history of the FTSE is littered with … Continue reading →

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War Studies: The battle of the Somme, 1st July-18th November 1916

Posted on February 11, 2026 by odeboyz

Introduction Medieval warfare ended on the 1st July 1916. The battle of the Somme began with British soldiers being used as human battering rams. Its failure was so devastating warfare transitioned into modernity.1 Modern warfare then pivoted from battlefields to … Continue reading →

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Yabba, Dabba, Doo

Posted on January 17, 2026 by odeboyz
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A definition of Fascism: Donald Trump fits the bill

Posted on January 14, 2026 by odeboyz

At the core of fascism as a movement was a contempt for limits, especially those imposed by reason-based arguments; a belief that reality could be altered by the will; and an exaltation of the violent assertion of that will as … Continue reading →

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The Trump-Lincoln Memorial

Posted on January 3, 2026 by odeboyz
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Rachel Reeves and Competence

Posted on December 10, 2025 by odeboyz

Rachel Reeves is incompetent because she misunderstands her role. She thinks being an economist is an advantage as Chancellor of the Exchequer.Her MSc in economics is irrelevant to being Chancellor.1 She’s been appointed as Chancellor to implement Labour’s economic policy … Continue reading →

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War Studies: American Exceptionalism and war by other means: 2011 and 2025

Posted on November 19, 2025 by odeboyz

On May 2nd 2011,1 Obama watched Osama bin Laden being assassinated. Fourteen people watched the snuff movie with him, President Obama said, “Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of … Continue reading →

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Latch Key Kid, Leeds, 1950s

Posted on November 12, 2025 by odeboyz

During the war my father worked brutal hours building bombers. He worked for 20 days and then had a day off. His shifts were 12 hours on, 12 off, which alternated every 20 days between days and nights. He made … Continue reading →

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War Studies: Britain’s ‘White Feather’ Campaign 1914-16

Posted on October 1, 2025 by odeboyz

The declaration of war in August 1914 was popular because everyone knew Britain was unbeatable. They’d been fed a century of triumphs in colonial wars. Even the disastrous Charge of the Light Brigade, 1854,was seen as a success….(a bit like … Continue reading →

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The sublime Oscar Wilde

Posted on September 24, 2025 by odeboyz
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