Oh, what a lonely boy: Dismissing the M*A*S*H doctrine

When I first heard ‘Lonely Boy’ by Andrew Gold I was instantly hooked on the simply brilliant rock ballad. In 1977 a fair few people agreed with me since It peaked at number 7 in the US and reached 11th spot in the UK charts. According to its discography the lyrics which engaged with the … Read more

Shafted: good karma wears sensible shoes

Being deceived, duped, conned, or shafted isn’t pleasant. But if you have been you are in damn good company. In 30 BC, according to Plutarch, Cleopatra misled her protector Epaphroditus and committed suicide. Prime Minister Anthony Eden was duped by Harold Macmillan during the Suez Crisis of 1956 resulting in the latter getting the top … Read more

Balls! A journey from 38 to 30

According to the font of all knowledge (Google) on average men feel their balls seven times a day. At least I can be reassured that I am above average in this particular field. Indeed, touching them thousands of miles away from home led to a change in lifestyle that I think may possibly have added … Read more

Run, sweat and cheers: How parkruns conquered my fear of keep fit

I loathe running. At secondary school, the cross-country run was a fucker and I usually brought up the rear crossing the line well after the athletic kids were showered and probably on their way home. In the early 1970’s designer gear comprised of plimsoles and a standard white top and blue shorts. Think of the … Read more

An open letter to Anti-Vaxxers …

Dear Anti-Vaxxers, Hope you are well (due to a vaccine). You are right that ordinarily a vaccine takes around ten years to develop. In ordinary times only a handful of research institutions are targeting a specific virus, often simultaneously investigating other life-threatening scenarios. The law of duplication means that if, say, three people are doing … Read more

The Cummings and goings …

As an ex-cop and having reviewed the televised account of Mr Cummings I am puzzled as to why, given his keenness to talk about the matter, he did not initially attend a local Metropolitan police station and offer an explanation? Out of force enquiries are not unusual and he would have been afforded all of … Read more