Category Archives: History

Anchorites: The Search for Perfection

Posted on April 29, 2016 by odeboyz

St. Benedict’s Rules (530 AD) were the first to be widely adopted by monasteries . These governed every aspect of a monk’s life. Intensely religious people, both men and women, wanted a purer religious experience without distractions. These people wanted … Continue reading →

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The Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact 1939: Bismarck’s Final Triumph

Posted on April 15, 2016 by odeboyz

The most audacious diplomatic pact of the twentieth century was between Nazi Germany and the USSR: the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (23rd Aug 1939). It was audacious but stood in the tradition of German foreign policy established by Otto von Bismarck. Bismarck’s … Continue reading →

Posted in History, War | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lyndon Johnson’s driver and the actuality of racism*

Posted on April 5, 2016 by odeboyz

“Well Senator …. we drive for hours and hours. We get hungry. But there’s no place on the road we can stop and go in and eat. We drive some more. It gets pretty hot. We want to wash up. … Continue reading →

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A pen portrait of Winston Churchill

Posted on March 22, 2016 by odeboyz

The prime minister was undoubtedly born too late. By nature he is an adventurist on an historical scale, strong-willed and resolute, a romantic of British Imperialism and war. Had he lived in previous centuries, he would have been a match … Continue reading →

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Religious fanaticism and the normality of ISIS (aka Daesh)

Posted on February 19, 2016 by odeboyz

Religious fanaticism takes many forms sharing one thing: malevolence. War, theatrical brutality and a desire for religious conformity are part and parcel of religious fanaticism. ISIS is simply another example of the gruesome reality of intolerant certainty attempting to enforce … Continue reading →

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The greatest post-war British prime minister: Harold Wilson

Posted on February 4, 2016 by odeboyz

Harold Wilson created modern Britain. Between 1964 and 1970 Britain was changed into a caring, tolerant society, a civilised society. Every aspect of British life was touched, for the good, by Harold Wilson. Ranging from prison reform, to dealing with … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Politics, Prison reform | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

What a surprise!

Posted on January 28, 2016 by odeboyz

My wife Jan, and I often take the time to just chat to one another especially when there is nothing of interest on the T.V. a few months ago we were talking about now long passed over relatives and some … Continue reading →

Posted in History, War | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Flexible Psychopath: Adolf Eichmann and the Hungarian Jews, 1944

Posted on January 22, 2016 by odeboyz

The moral degradation of the Nazis extended from Munich in the 1920s to Budapest in 1944. Boorish posturing in Munich was transformed when the Nazis became the government (1933). Their rhetoric was codified into the Nuremberg Laws (1935) reaching a … Continue reading →

Posted in Economics, History, War | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

The cost of everything, no longer has value.

Posted on December 3, 2015 by odeboyz

Whilst waiting at the bar, to be serve, two young men finally finished their food and drinks order. As the barmaid totalled up the cost on the electric till the lad standing next to me whipped out his mobile phone … Continue reading →

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How Desegregation worked: Tchula, Mississippi

Posted on December 1, 2015 by odeboyz

“We even had… a swimming pool We weren’t allowed to swim in it but it was there… When we had desegregation the whites filled it with cement to stop us using it.” Chris McGreal Tchula ‘We tell our kids, leave … Continue reading →

Posted in History, local politics | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments