Noseybonk 12: Tinker Tailor Soldier Bonk

[The story so far… Alain de Botton has failed to persuade the Adult Contemporary sing-songwriters to build him his own international airport. Ed Balls is trying to 'squash' all of his rivals but particularly Ed Milliband. Meanwhile, Chakrabati and Bidisha, chief minions of sinister mirror-licking mastermind Julian Assange, have captured elusive poet ... Read More...

Row Z – The Edwardian Football Hooligans

Having recently demolished some of the most popular football myths, James Hamilton begins another three-part series for our Row Z feature, this time looking at death and violence in Victorian and Edwardian football. The first part reveals that football fan violence was far from an invention of the Thatcher years... It’s ... Read More...

Round Blogworld Quiz #11: The Solution

Earlier we asked the 11th RB Quiz question, namely: What links the chilly destination of a fictional submarine on a rescue mission, a laughably strange halal meat permitted by some islamic sects,  an unlucky participant of the mutiny on The Grampus, and The Murders in the Rue Morgue? The winner was Ian ... Read More...

The Dabbler’s Round Blogworld Quiz #11

Here's this week's devilishly fiendish Round Blogworld Quiz question (see the previous ones and their solutions here). As usual, find the link between these cryptic clues. A point for each item you get, and an imaginary cream bun of regal proportions if you get them all. If you get the ... Read More...

The illusion of sepia

I recently came across these engaging photos of Victorian Spitalfields. They have bundles of charm and interest. What struck me in particular (apart from the newshoarding announcing the sinking of the Titanic in the final one) was the number of children on the streets and how smartly dressed they seemed (though ... Read More...