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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

On addressing tough subjects

A fascinating aspect of the Coronavirus crisis is the light it has directed upon the humanity’s attitudes to mortality and death. This is a tricky subject because it simultaneously touches upon the fact that every living species goes about its daily business from a starting point that death is [...]

April 14, 2020 // 0 Comments

Reflections on a sunny day

Maybe it’s because I’ve got too much time on my hands during the lockdown but I’m beginning to get irritated by both aspects of the coverage of the current crisis and some of the ironies about the world that the UK experience has highlighted. Let me give some examples. Arguably, because of [...]

April 11, 2020 // 0 Comments

What’s going on (as Marvin Gaye used to warble)

These are strange times and, the longer the Coronavirus crisis continues, the more I grow concerned about where the 21st Century world of the internet, smartphones and social media is taking us. Overnight I rose to the accompaniment of a phone-in programme on Radio Five Live as I toured the [...]

April 6, 2020 // 0 Comments

Some are getting it … and others aren’t

In this day and age it should surprise nobody that the human world is largely composed of (1) generally well-meaning individuals who try to treat others as they’d like to be treated themselves and also care about those less fortunate than themselves; (2) those that through circumstances beyond [...]

March 31, 2020 // 0 Comments

Another “spot” from a favourite scribe

No apologies from me for my link today. I have made no secret of firstly, my respect and admiration for Tom Peck who writes political sketch/opinion pieces for The Guardian newspaper and secondly, my conviction that we Rust columnists exist not to ‘ape’ or attempt to provide front-line [...]

March 20, 2020 // 0 Comments

The balance of life

Earlier this week (Monday 9th March) I alighted upon a piece by Clare Foges on page 21 of my copy of The Times commenting upon the latest developments in the coronavirus epidemic and the UK government’s official advice on self-isolation – “Remain in your home. Do not go to work, school or [...]

March 11, 2020 // 0 Comments

Just another day at the bank

My late father used to take a fairly robust attitude towards alleged corporate inefficiency, incompetence and/or poor practice which is why, whenever he came across a glaring example, he always contacted the head of the organisation concerned. He justified this practice on the basis that – in the [...]

February 22, 2020 // 0 Comments

Going down to the water, but not drinking …

Being – to coin a phrase – an old age pensioner who necessarily lives somewhat hand-to-mouth, I have to confess that sometimes I have been less than sympathetic to the type of Brit who complains bitterly that they don’t have enough to live on, have to visit food banks etc. and then put the [...]

February 15, 2020 // 0 Comments

It Ain’t Right …

It’s funny how the modern world operates sometimes – I’m thinking of such recent phenomena as the ‘diversity’ row over at the recent BAFTA awards which even Prince William felt necessary to complain about, even though he’s President of the ruddy organisation. As an oldie, what strikes [...]

February 5, 2020 // 0 Comments

Sometimes it comes to this

I once heard an interview in which the learned guest offered the statement “If you ask forty-two economists their view, you’ll get forty-two different answers”. Arguably – if you’re anywhere as cynical as I am – the logical extension of this dictum is the assumption that, if just [...]

January 26, 2020 // 0 Comments

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