Category Archives: Politics
Turning a Blind Eye to History
The Battle of Trafalgar, fought in 1805, when the British Navy defeated the French Fleet in the service of the Emperor Napoleon, may not quite be over. The victory was delivered by Admiral Horatio Lord Nelson who commanded the British … Continue reading
Posted in History, Politics, statues, Uncategorized, War & Peace
Tagged black lives matter, Cecil Rhodes, HMS Victory, Nancy Astor, Napoleon, Nelson, Robert E Lee, statues, Trafalgar
Leave a comment
In other’s foot steps.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. – Lou Tsu. Continue reading
Posted in antarctic, Greece, History, Politics, Scott, Uncategorized
Tagged antarctic explorer, asylum, captain oats, Europe, Henry Worsely, ice, Scott of the antarctic, syrian refugees, tundra, walking across europe
5 Comments
End of an Era
Of course, it was on the cards. He was a very, very old man who had spent the best years of his life in political prison. I remember that bright and hopeful day in February, 1990 when Mandela walked out … Continue reading
Posted in anc, History, mandela, Politics, south africa, Uncategorized, War & Peace
9 Comments
The Moon’s a Balloon
Now I love a good conspiracy theory. We’ve heard them all, from George Washington and his “all seeing eye and Pyramid on the US Dollar – proof he was a member of the secret “Illuminate” sect, Area 51 and flying … Continue reading
Posted in conspiracy, History, Politics, transport, Uncategorized, War & Peace
Tagged aliens, apollo 11, area 51, Buz aldren, conspiracy theory, debunk, did we go to the moon, moon hoax, NASA, Neil Armstrong
10 Comments
Give a dog a bad name.
It’s often a problem trying to decide where to meet friends in a busy city. Spend any time in Tokyo, and you will soon notice that people are forever meeting other people, mostly at one of the 640 railway stations … Continue reading
Posted in History, Politics, War & Peace
Tagged giro, hatchiko, hoesch, interchange station, Japan, london, nazis, railway companies, railway stations, ribbentrop, shibuya, Shinjuku, shinjuku station, time in tokyo, Tokyo
7 Comments
A moment of cinema history
There is always something magical about going to a cinema in a foreign land. Never did I feel that more than on a hot and balmy August night in the mid 1970’s when I first saw the film “Zorba the … Continue reading
Posted in Cinema, crete, Greece, History, Politics, Uncategorized
Tagged Alan Bates, antony quinn, cinema history, classic cinema, crete, Greece, Greek, Hiraklion, Iraklion, Kazantzakis, Mikis Theodorakis, nostalga, open air cinema, Zorba
16 Comments
Henry V in the Garden of Eden – repost
Six hundred and One years ago today, October 25th 1415 the English King and his army beat the French at the Battle of Agincourt. As we hover on the brink of triggering Article 50 of the Treaty of Rome, that … Continue reading
Posted in Cinema, History, Politics, War & Peace
Tagged agincourt, article 50, brexit, iraq, refugee
9 Comments
English Heritage and the Cuban Missile Crisis
“I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.” Albert Einstein. It’s such a mournful sound; the Banshee wail that rolls across the valley from the … Continue reading
An Orphan of Manchuria
When the sensei declared the school day over, the children ran out into the hot August afternoon. Nine year old Masao Nakajima did what he always did. He ran across the small town to the edge of the airbase, where … Continue reading
Posted in History, Politics, railways, Uncategorized, War & Peace
Tagged 1945, china, cultural revolution, Harbin, Japan, japanese surrender, lost children, manchuria, mig fighter, orphans, war, WPLongform
10 Comments
