“Useful present for a soldier”

Napoleon called the British a nation of shopkeepers. As the first Christmas of the 1914-18 war neared, those shopkeepers of Britain were concerned the country might be distracted from being a nation of customers. To remedy it for that year and throughout the war, much marketing effort was put into keeping the home tills ringing.… Continue reading “Useful present for a soldier”

Hunting for the bad, bad Benders

Not much is certain about the murderous Bender family except to say they were acknowledged to be America’s first serial killers — at least the first discovered. Were they a family? Probably not. Was Bender their real name? Almost certainly not. Even the number that they killed is uncertain. It was known to be around… Continue reading Hunting for the bad, bad Benders

“War is no sport”

Inevitably there will be many more words written over Christmas about that unofficial truce during the first year of the First World War, when, to the dismay of their senior officers, British and German soldiers left their trenches swapped cigarettes and played football on Christmas Eve. It has entered the pantheon of sentimental mythology and… Continue reading “War is no sport”

“I’ve got nobody to hug. I’m such an ugly bug”

(Preface note to New Yorkers: Prepare to be disappointed. This is not about your favorite psychedelic rockaboogie band from Brooklyn, also called The Ugly Club. Though to those that have not heard them: Google them, they’re good.) The prayer “God grant me the serenity to accept what cannot be changed” is a statement of the… Continue reading “I’ve got nobody to hug. I’m such an ugly bug”