What should we talk about today?
The world according to Kirkey
Smugly tucking into my steak, I looked across the table at my dinner guest and uttered a stunningly stupid question, “What made you an addict?” My friend sublimely staved off any urge to punch me in the face and simply responded, “You first. What made you an addict?” My enforced silence no doubt accompanied a … Read more
As megalomaniacs go Vladimir Putin isn’t that special. A Bond villain appearance is the typical and very necessary façade but what exactly motivates them? In Putin’s case money alone is doubtful, since it is probable that he is the richest person on Earth with a personal fortune of circa $200 billion. To put this mind-boggling … Read more
How often have you woken disappointed that you only recall fragments of that dream? The one that doesn’t make sense and is often framed within a bizarre fantasy. Dreams exist for several psychological reasons, including the notion that they may help us consolidate and better understand our memories, which in turn equips us to respond … Read more
My first recollection of the term ‘bully’ was from the pages of The Dandy, my must-read childhood comic. “Bully Beef and Chips,” created by Jimmy Hughes, first appeared in 1967 and reflected the story of two boys in seemingly constant conflict – the aggressor, a pudding basin haired brute called Bully Beef, and the victim, … Read more
Rubbing shoulders with the British Royal family should have been more than sufficient reason to act with a degree of decorum. After all, Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, were only a stone’s throw away. I was at Royal Ascot, in my best suit, shirt and tie looking, if I do … Read more
The tragedy that unfolded last Thursday evening is beyond comprehension. Whilst I still try to process this utter heartbreak, I cannot fathom how such a specimen with a history of violence was allowed to have any form of access to firearms, let alone a licence. Already I can hear the mantra, “Lessons will be learned.” … Read more
According to Albert Einstein, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” And who am I to argue with such a luminary? Little did I know that this piece of guidance would begin to prove itself on a scrap of paper. Nor, come to think of it, did I ever imagine that as a direct consequence … Read more
Minding my own business should, on the face of it, be a pretty good way of avoiding the chaos of others. If only life was as simple as that. Suffice to say that recently this posture did not prevent me from being immediately sucked into a vortex of havoc, even though it wasn’t of my … Read more
Our thumbs are useful for gripping, allowing fingers to click and acknowledging when things are OK or not so good. I also remember it being used in an elegant metaphor for night shift town centre foot patrol when I was a copper in the then concrete jungle of Bracknell’s pedestrianised shopping centre in the early … Read more
What seems a lifetime ago, aged sixteen, I was at college trying to figure out life, the universe, and what lay ahead. Cocooned with my college chums, often in the refectory smoking Gauloises cigarettes supplied by the rich Persian students, I realised that most of us didn’t have a clue what we wanted to become, … Read more