THE BEALE CIPHERS
I had never heard of the Beale Ciphers until I recently read an article in, of all things, the Popular Mechanics magazine. The Beale Ciphers …
PALINDROME
Palindrome is a word I had forgotten all about until I read the following example. Most palindromes are short because writing one involves a great …
BRAIN DRAIN
The phrase “Brain Drain” usually refers to the migration of the intellectual elite of one place to another place. This is often driven by deteriorating …
D-Day Wrecks
Among the 80-year-old sunken D-Day wrecks that line the coasts of Britain and France, wildlife is thriving. The story is particularly poignant this past week …
BRITISH SENSE OF HUMOUR
The purported British Government notice below, which appeared on the internet recently, graphically illustrates the British sense of humour, which is an enigma to most …
GIANT REDWOOD TREES
There are more Giant Redwood trees in the U.K. than there are in their native habitat in California. How’s that for an incredible statement, which …
ASMA KHAN
Asma Khan is an Indian-born British restaurateur and cookbook author. She owns Darjeeling Express restaurant in London’s Soho District, and was profiled on the sixth season of …
GIANT TORTOISES
An army of reptilian bulldozers – giant tortoises – is helping a Galápagos island, Española, make an ecological comeback. Española’s burgeoning tortoise population – …
STRAW AS INSULATION
I thought this article on the plans for using straw as insulation on homes in the U.K. was worth reporting as a sensible contribution to …
CIVIL WAR IN THE US
The prospect of civil war in the US just got a little closer this week with Donald Trumps’ rally speech last weekend. My last block …