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Category Archives: Journalism

NEWS AT A GLANCE

. In many parts of Africa gin is the only currency. — The Nelson Evening Mail, January 6 1909 . James Ramsay MacDonald became Prime Minister of Great Britain three times. Water is a better conductor of sound than air. A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the […]

We were musketeers once, and young

Long, ‘lost’ sequel to The Three Musketeers, reviewed. — For The Spectator

NEWS AT A GLANCE

. The honorary freedom of the borough of Rye in Sussex confers upon the freemen the privilege of kissing the mayoress. — The Nelson Evening Mail, March 21 1907 . When you register your child at birth, it immediately becomes the legal property of the state. In WW2 German physicists were able to discern the […]

NEWS AT A GLANCE

. The telephone has a tendency to render the girl operators left-eared. — The Nelson Evening Mail, July 4 1908 . Eight wickets for eight runs is the worst batting collapse in Twenty20 international cricket. St Blaise is the patron saint of sore throats, and of knitting. Estonian literature suffers from a dearth of stories […]

NEWS AT A GLANCE

. Pineapples are so plentiful in Natal at certain seasons that they are not worth carting to market, and so are often given to pigs. — The Nelson Evening Mail, September 27 1906 . The French king Louis XIII was known as ‘the Just’ because he was born under the sign of the Libra. Maxwell […]

NEWS AT A GLANCE

. Omnibuses in Holland are fitted with letter-boxes. — The Nelson Evening Mail, July 13 1908 . A ‘havelock’ is the flap of cloth that hangs down from a soldier’s kepi, to protect the neck. Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th president of the United States drew bigger crowds to Washington DC than any previous inauguration. The […]

Intellectual MOT

Some thoughts on the enquiring mind, slang, and judging a book by its cover – in correspondence with Tia Goonaratna. — For The Sunday Leader

Egyptomania

Review of three books on Ancient Egypt: Egypt: People, Pharaohs, Gods, by Rose-Marie and Rainer Hagen; Egyptomania: A History of Fascination, Obsession and Fantasy, by Ronald H. Fritze; and Writings from Ancient Egypt, by Toby Wilkinson. — For The Spectator

Heroes in error

Review of War Porn. — For The Spectator

Missing in action

Review of A Long Watch: War, Captivity and Return in Sri Lanka. — For The Spectator