20th Century
The Cold War
Arts
Elementary, my dear Watson – Co Cobalt
We are working our way through each of the eighteen Groups of the Periodic Table (a.k.a. the Periodic Table of the Elements), with the general idea behind this series being to ensure that at least [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…]
20th Century
Somalia – Western Economic Colonialism
Somalia’s recent history is also a tale of grave miscalculations made by foreigners in a very foreign land. Knowing nomads happily demonstrated their supremacy and disdain for outsiders, the so-called fruits of civilization were not [more…]
History
Postcard From Osh
A promise was made to Puffins regarding a dispatch from Kazakhstan to report upon the fighting between Kazakh forces, Russian paratroopers and ‘fuel protestors’. Located at Bishkek in Kyrgyzstan, a correspondent was only 12 miles [more…]
History
Postcard From Kyrgyzstan
There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell Swiss Bob but haven’t got round to. Perhaps you could oblige? Next time you bump into him, drop into the conversation that, after two years sitting around on [more…]
Arts
Film Review: The Third Man
The Third Man is a wonderfully evocative, innovative, and fascinating film, directed by Carol Reed with the screenplay by Graham Greene, set in the dystopian ruins and chaos of immediate post-WW2 Vienna, which at that [more…]
Authoritarianism
So……….. Why do our Political & Corporatist Classes love Chyyyyna?
In a recent Spectator article, Niall Ferguson worried about the infatuation that the ruling class of the West have for the Chinese system of governance & their clear desire to imitate it. Unfortunately, he fails [more…]
20th Century
The Spy Who Went Into The Deep Freeze
Kim Philby. For those of a certain age, the name conjures up an indicator as to the decline in British post-war influence abroad. His charmed connections within society enabling him to bypass interrogation over material [more…]