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Articles by J S Bird

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About J S Bird

A retired academic, Jeremy will contribute article on subjects that attract his interest. More Posts

Frustration – a whole new level

One of the recurring themes featured on this organ is a subset of the oldies’ general complaint that Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be [© the 1960 musical by Lionel Bart], viz. that one of the most heinous iniquities inflicted upon the human race in the 21st Century is that of large – and [...]

October 25, 2022 // 0 Comments

The Queen’s last journey

Yesterday I joined hundreds of millions around the world watching television coverage of Her Majesty the late Queen’s funeral service despite having decided several times over the past ten days that this was close to the last thing I intended to do. I’m an atheist when it comes to God and, when [...]

September 20, 2022 // 0 Comments

Time keeps slipping away …

One of the weirder aspects of “being of one’s time” is the phenomenon I readily admit to – I don’t know whether other Rusters have similar thoughts – that, human nature being what it is, beyond the age of about 45 one’s perception of how old one is becomes progressively more at [...]

June 17, 2022 // 0 Comments

Transgender issues, not least in sport

Being an oldie, Rust readers would expect me to be relatively unimpressed by the 21st Century’s general obsessions with “wokeness”, atoning for the alleged sins of colonialism, no-platforming, the advancement of equality and diversity and, of course, the supposed inalienable right of women [...]

March 22, 2022 // 0 Comments

A media/sporting oddity

With my apologies in advance for stepping gingerly into our esteemed sports editor’s domain, this morning I wanted to bring to Rusters’ notice an example of media coverage that – for those who might wish to consider such things – highlights some of the difficult and [...]

January 13, 2022 // 0 Comments

Theatre review: Moscow City Ballet

At my advanced age I have no issue with admitting that firstly – on various levels – I don’t care in the slightest that much of modern life “as it is lived” seems to pass me by and – secondly – that there is very little that occurs which surprises me. Earlier this week I went in a [...]

January 8, 2022 // 0 Comments

When the only consistent thing is the lack of it

Last night I had an early dinner for the first time at a highly-recommended pub in West Sussex, which shall remain nameless partly because it is irrelevant for present purposes and partly because I enjoyed the atmosphere and my meal sufficiently that I fully intend to return there again and [...]

December 17, 2021 // 0 Comments

Standing up for what counts

Sometimes it occurs to me that, given the frequency with which contributors to this organ feel obliged to open their musings with an apology and/or ‘declaration of interest’ for being either an oldie and/or generally ‘out of touch’, our average reader might be forgiven for gaining the [...]

December 6, 2021 // 0 Comments

Driving disqualification developments

Yesterday I was interested to come across a media story that, following a Freedom of Information Act request from the Press Association, the DVLA has revealed that some 8,632 UK motorists who have amassed 12 points on their driving licences for either speeding and/or drunk-driving offences – and [...]

November 30, 2021 // 0 Comments

A visit and then a disagreement

A couple of days ago, three weeks into the occupation of our new house on the south coast, we received our first (semi-formal) visit from friends rather than family. In typing “(semi-formal)” and “friends” in the above context I was referring obliquely to the fact that, having never [...]

October 17, 2021 // 0 Comments

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