Some years ago I campaigned to stop the building on a city park. Many of the arguments that were thrown at us are eerily similar to those being kicked around regarding press freedom. It’s mostly about the dangers of freedom. But it is dangers that help us to evolve, indeed, you could argue that they … Continue reading
I recently heard a discussion on the radio about that simple, and very English food, toast, though the prime minister of Denmark in The Killing III seems to be very fond of it also. This is Heywood Banks’ version of the history of toast, played on a toaster: This is Carl Philip Moritz’s discovery of … Continue reading
The 18th century in England was an age notorious for the consumption – often to excess – of alcohol, in part due to the lack of clean drinking water. Hogarth famously illustrated the social problems of gin, and rum was a common drink on board ships, especially once they had figured out how to distil … Continue reading
Another anecdote from Carl Philip Moritz’s Journal of 1782: “A foreigner has nothing to fear from the Press Gang provided he keeps away from suspicious places. Standing on dry land on Tower Hill, near the Tower of London is a ship complete with masts and rigging. This is no more than an ingenious device for … Continue reading
Another part of Carl Philip Moritz’s account of his visit to London in 1782: “This park is nothing more than a semi-circular avenue of trees enclosing a large area of greensward in the midst of which is a swampy pond. Cows feed on the turf and you may buy their milk quite freshly drawn from … Continue reading
A Prussian pastor called Carl Philip Moritz visited England in 1782, starting in London then going on a walking tour up to Derbyshire. His account, published as a series of letters as was the style at the time, is beautifully written and privides some lucid descriptions of life at the time. He sailed up the … Continue reading
I have been working through a book by Nigel Heard, ‘International fairs’. By focusing on trade, it shows how European history has been affected by commerce. Greek civilisation drove trade, similarly to that of Western Europe in the 19th century. When Rome expanded to the Levant, it gave them access to gold, and silver, so … Continue reading
My newspaper today has a quote from the great Czech writer Carel Capek who first coined the term robot in its modern sense. “Man will never be enslaved by machinery if the man tending the machinery is paid enough.” This sums up the eternal dilemma presented by machinery: the utopian notion of freeing humanity of … Continue reading
We hear about the horrors of CCTV cameras, but they also capture humanity in all its great, funny, generous and insane moments. Enjoy! http://www.openculture.com/2012/11/big_brother_captures_the_better_qualities_of_humanity.html
The most famous has to be Eric Clapton’s ‘Layla’, when he was in love with Patti Harrison, wife of George, his close friend and Beatle. This is an unplugged version that is ok but rather misses the pain of the original, showing how the pain has lessened with time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_jpWumPnxc This is a similar scenario, … Continue reading
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