Biography
That’s Life, Part 2
My first time in France was in 1963 on an army ‘Adventure Training Expedition,’ aka ‘Think up a jolly which has a ‘ military slant ‘ and have most expenses funded. We were to canoe [more…]
Blog
19th Century
Ancient and Modern (or a Tale of Two Cartridges: 2)
In Part One I described the processes involved in reloading the (to me at any rate) ‘modern’ .303 British cartridge, all stages of which can easily be automated. Now let’s look at what is involved [more…]
21st Century
Maandamano: Cost of Living Unrest in Kenya
Mathare 19 July 2023 Mathare 19 July 2023. Aside ongoing power cuts, internet restrictions, Kenya’s Western proxy President William Ruto again finds himself between a rock and a hard place as business, religious leaders and [more…]
Arts
Elementary, my dear Watson – Ti Titanium
Another week, another element. Let’s head off on another exciting elementary excursion. You’ll get the idea now that I hope to ensure that at least one element is included from each of the eighteen Groups [more…]
19th Century
3 Grains of Death The New Opium Wars
We are all aware daily of our ongoing “conflict” with our new chief “adversary” in the world, the Chinese Communist Party. Warnings about the need to increase defense spending to prepare for possible war with [more…]
Cooking
Real Men Eat Curry (or, in this case, Aduk Ayam Goreng Basah)
The splendid Tachybaptus recently posted a recipe on this very blog for the ever-controversial quiche. “Real men eat quiche”, was the surprisingly strident assertion accompanying the article – a bold claim indeed. However, as it [more…]
America
Dollar Hegemony Ending Due to Geopolitical Change
Since the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1944 the dollar has been the world’s preferred reserve currency; i.e., the major trading nations of the world were willing to hold dollars in vast amounts to satisfy their [more…]
Animals
Larry’s Diary – Week One Hundred And Ninety-Seven
Monday Hello everyone and welcome to another week in Westminster. It was grey and grotty first thing outside, so I rushed back down and back and was busy tucking into my Felix before the rain [more…]
20th Century
Family Connections
Holiday 1932 My father’s parents were married on 8th October 1931. My grandfather, Elihu, was a 25-year-old mechanic. His bride, Edith, was four years his junior and worked in a wool shop. My grandfather left [more…]