Great American Traditions – Why British Traditions May Be Older But Not Necessarily Better

British Halloween Celebrations Tend To Be Basic At Best

Americans claim to have invented Halloween, and let’s face it, they did. In Britain we have celebrated it for much longer, but in rather a rubbish fashion it has to be admitted. It’s actually an old Pagan festival called Samhain. And like all Pagan festivals, it was long ago hijacked by the Catholic Church. Hence the name Halloween. Short for “All Hallows Eve”, the day before All Saints’ Day

The Creativity Vortex – Some Thoughts On Writing Brought To You By Harper Lee And Carl Douglas

Everyone who writes for a living- or even just as a hobby- inevitably ends up locked in a cycle. That cycle is a cycle of thought, and it goes something like this:

The Carrot Connection – How Weird Fish Can Show You Whether You’re Middle Aged Or Not

Years ago, Jasper Carrot used to do a joke which went something like this:

A Shibboleth of Squirrels – How England Avoided Being Invaded By Defending Itself With Trick Words

Shibboleth (noun) – A custom, principle or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people. Origin : 17^th Century, from the Hebrew Sibolet ‘ear of corn’, used as a test of nationality by its difficult pronunciation (Judges ch12 v6)

Football’s Coming Home – Why Britain Gave Away Baseball But May Never Recapture Football

Baseball. As Seen By British People

 

Multibillionaire Warren Buffet gets very angry with his fellow entrepreneurs. Not all of them, just the ones who claim that luck had nothing to do with their success.

The Four YorkshireMen Of The Apocalypse – Why Armageddon Won’t Be Good Enough For The Average Man From Leeds

We Didn’t Have Smart Phones. We Had One Nokia 3310 Between Us. And We Were Grateful For It.

The chances are that if you are not a snob, then you are probably an inverted snob. If you are not obsessed with broadcasting your good taste and refinement, then you probably bang on about how rough you had it when you were growing up.

Bob Monkhizzle – How A Dead English Comedian Invented Rap Talk

Bob Monkhizzle. National Trizzle And Consummate Wordsmizzle.

 Way back in the mists of time, Snoop Dogg invented “-izzle” speak. There are some that say fellow rapper E-40 actually invented it in the 90s. Or that it first appeared in the song “Double Dutch Bus” by Frankie Smith in the 80s. Or even that it’s been around since the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s and 30s. But Snoop Dogg says he invented it and I’m certainly not going to be the one who contradicts him.

In Touch With Your Inner Teen.

IN TOUCH WITH YOUR INNER TEEN – Where Your Inner Child Lives and How He Can Make You Feel Much Better.

I Don’t Like Mondays Was Number One Thirty Two Years Ago

I Named My Daughters Peaches And Fifi Trixibelle? Are You Sure?

No one ever thinks they’ll become an addict. I certainly didn’t. Thought I could handle it no problem. No man ever thinks it’ll get the best of him. But of course that wicked light brown powder has taken over my life. Can’t sleep without it, can’t think the next day if I haven’t had any. The bad thing is that it’s a lot easier to get than drugs, even heroin. And you can buy that pretty much anywhere. I am referring to the opium of the old and the middle aged; Horlicks.

A Little Englander’s Rough Guide to Foreigners

A Little Englander’s Rough Guide To Foreigners – Everything You Wanted To Know About Europe But Couldn’t Be Bothered To Ask

You’ll Like This Trick. Not A Lot, But You’ll Like It

Spain. Portugal. Greece. Until recently, just sunny places to go for your summer holidays. Now, harbingers of economic doom. Drowning men of Europe who are going to drag us under with them if we’re not careful.

The threat from across the Channel is bearing down on us like a drunken stepdad with his belt in his hand. Crossing your fingers and hoping his trousers fall about his ankles and trip him over before he reaches you is not enough. Knowledge is power. Having just completed a correspondence course in Xenophobia from the London Cosmopolitan University (formerly Cable Street Comprehensive, Limehouse, Isle of Dogs), I am in an ideal position to furnish you with the knowledge you require.

Remember, these words are ammunition. Load them well.

The Game Is Afoot – How The Critics Want To Sink Sherlock And Why I Think They Never Will

 

I’m not an uber Sherlock fan, so I didn’t bother watching the first episode of the new season until a few days after it had been aired. So I ended up reading the reviews before seeing the program for myself. The reviews were what is euphemistically called “mixed”, which is another way of saying that the first episode was universally panned.