Blog Archives

The Old Man and Brave New France


An old man sits in front of the Louvre which, from residence of wasteful french royalty has become  a splendid museum in Paris, although marred by a ridiculous little glass …
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R.I.P. Volvo Ocean Race


It could well be that we are witnessing the last Volvo Ocean Race. Before I go any further let me stress right away that this will not be the crews’ …
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WineTime.


Wine Time! my friends! This is my busy time of the year as March is the red wine making month in South Africa. In the first week I get my …
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Mankind’s horrible gods.


My dear friend Barbara talks about God-made laws and man-made laws. I do not think that such a distinction exists. Witness the following: Morocco, in a bushy bit of forest …
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In search of Benign Dictators


Yet another respected statesman and president has clearly stated his secular and religious convictions. The fellow’s name is said to be Karzai and he is supposed to be president of …
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Seamen are becoming a rare species.


Seamen are not very different from farmers but that’s not always very evident. Both of these professionals have to weigh their actions very carefully as a bad decision may lead …
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Sail at your Peril


Dear friends, if any of you are ever tempted to sail in one of these monstrosities, get yourself a decent bottle, do a bit of thinking and then tell yourself …
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E Finita la Commedia


Before I used the internet I searched the encyclopaedia Britannica when I was stumped for some information and most of the time I found what I looked for although my …
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Famous Last Words


One of my faithful readers, Gerhard, sent me a story that, to my mind, ought to be widely known. When the limeys kicked out Winston Churchill, once WW2 was finished, …
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I don’t know what to call this one


Lets have a few bits of South Africa this time, where I live it’s hot enough for that right now, 40°C. It is a bit of a hazardous undertaking in …
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How I saw the Twin Towers from the Hudson River

Read my Blog: Weekly comment on the Human Condition


Sink the Birkenhead

Sink the Birkenhead!

SINK THE BIRKENHEAD ! which is the story of Maqoma´s Last War

by Nicholas Dekker

This is the story of a lone Xhosa Chief who destroyed a British Navy troopship that threatened to annihilate his nation in 1852. This is the story how the attack was carried out by a few African black people. [...]

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