History
Postcard From Birmingham
Myself and my wife fussed over our Kitkats and coffees and peeled off the Standard Premium antimacassars to make it look as though were travelling First Class. Little did we realise our day trip to [more…]
Always Worth Saying
20th Century
About Little Women
We play a game at work with girls’ heights. There is a reason for this. Colleagues are going to build a tunnel to the shop next door and steal their toys. To confuse the local [more…]
Journalism
Boiling Point
July saw a series of high-profile racial attacks with white people as the victims. Anthony Esan, a black man, was charged with attempted murder over the stabbing of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton near Gillingham’s Brompton [more…]
21st Century
Postcard From The Antebellum, Part Two
On Thursday, 25th July, Mrs AWS and myself struck out for Birmingham New Street. One of our Standard Premium day trips, it’s memorable – even without hindsight – by a heightened presence of the transport [more…]
Capitalism
Postcard From Antebellum Birmingham
“You know there isn’t going to be any war,” said Scarlett, bored. “It’s all just talk. Why, Ashley Wilkes and his father told Pa just last week that our commissioners in Washington would come to–to–an–amicable [more…]
20th Century
The Tectonic Plates Shift
As we make our way back from an enjoyable day trip by train to Edinburgh, Mrs AWS and I have pause for thought as we pass through Lockerbie, scene of the 1988 bombing which claimed [more…]
Arts
Book Review: The Shortest History of England
‘The Shortest History of England’ by James Hawes is not too short and tops the scales at 272 pages. A bright chap, the 64-year-old writer graduated in German from Hertford College, Oxford, and studied for [more…]
America
Outwith The Expected Path
American presidencies have typically followed the expected path of an election cycle, with presidents either completing their terms or being voted out of office. However, the history of the United States includes several presidencies that [more…]
20th Century
Disaster Over The Strait of Hormuz
As Mrs AWS and I flash through the Scottish Lowlands after our day trip to Edinburgh, passing through Lockerbie station reminds us of events decades ago and thousands of miles away. Nowadays the term ‘Gulf [more…]