SECTIONS

sleeping dogs

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OpinionApril 22

Switch off the new TV, read about old TV

I re-read old books more than I read new books. 
Switch off the new TV, read about old TV
Switch off the new TV, read about old TV
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OpinionApril 15

Pie? Terrific, I’ll just get myself a glass

A reader has alerted me to a new product at the supermarket.
Pie? Terrific, I’ll just get myself a glass
Pie? Terrific, I’ll just get myself a glass
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OpinionApril 1

The past never dies in a photograph

‘‘The past is never dead. It isn’t even past,’ said American writer William Faulkner.
The past never dies in a photograph
The past never dies in a photograph
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OpinionMarch 25

Sending redundancy back whence it came

He was sat on a park bench, hunched over.
Sending redundancy back whence it came
Sending redundancy back whence it came
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OpinionMarch 18

Symbolism waiting for someone to find it

Signs and symbols, signs and symbols, which of us doesn’t love a sign or symbol?
Symbolism waiting for someone to find it
Symbolism waiting for someone to find it
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OpinionMarch 11

On giving a melancholic bore an army

One should not give, wrote Auden, a rifle to a melancholic bore.
On giving a melancholic bore an army
On giving a melancholic bore an army
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OpinionMarch 4

The robot will now read today’s lesson

Ooooh, the creep of technology.
The robot will now read today’s lesson
The robot will now read today’s lesson
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OpinionFebruary 25

The years flood back with a single crunch

Bed time.
The years flood back with a single crunch
The years flood back with a single crunch
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OpinionFebruary 18

Killer ducks were killed, not anything else

"Oh why do people waste their breath, inventing dainty names for death?" asked Sir John Betjeman, which seems a suitable way to introduce a discussion of the meaning of euthanasia.
Killer ducks were killed, not anything else
Killer ducks were killed, not anything else
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OpinionFebruary 11

Offering the kindness of strangers to others

Let me paint the scene: it is an early summer evening and I am rewarding myself with a glass of wine for having survived the day.
Offering the kindness of strangers to others
Offering the kindness of strangers to others
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OpinionFebruary 4

Catabingo, the game no-one wants to play

How's the gloom?
Catabingo, the game no-one wants to play
Catabingo, the game no-one wants to play
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OpinionJanuary 28

Sweeping away bovine misconceptions

Witgar Wiegele is a baker in the Austrian alps.
Sweeping away bovine misconceptions
Sweeping away bovine misconceptions
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OpinionJanuary 21

Swinging the lead over leading campaign

To lead is a fine Old English verb.
Swinging the lead over leading campaign
Swinging the lead over leading campaign
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OpinionJanuary 14

A long time spent together is precious

Bernard Levin, the writer, wore the same watch for most of his adult life.
A long time spent together is precious
A long time spent together is precious
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OpinionJanuary 7

Take a single chance to learn about stereo

For six decades I believed that the word stereo meant two.
Take a single chance to learn about stereo
Take a single chance to learn about stereo
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OpinionDecember 17

Being more manly, taking the proverbial

I have always wanted to create a proverb.
Being more manly, taking the proverbial
Being more manly, taking the proverbial
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OpinionDecember 10

The things you do at -40°C in Moose Jaw

Where were you at 1.30 in the morning on Christmas Day 1983? 
The things you do at -40°C in Moose Jaw
The things you do at -40°C in Moose Jaw
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OpinionDecember 3

Serried ranks and technological wonders

Before me rise the serried ranks of a university lecture theatre.
Serried ranks and technological wonders
Serried ranks and technological wonders
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OpinionNovember 26

The Vellacott dictum and Kalgoorlie water

Some years ago a gentleman from Perth in Western Australia got in touch about some matter.
The Vellacott dictum and Kalgoorlie water
The Vellacott dictum and Kalgoorlie water
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OpinionNovember 12

Signing off on a first-class collection

Do little boys still collect autographs?
Signing off on a first-class collection
Signing off on a first-class collection
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OpinionNovember 5

Hum along bravely to old school song

What was I humming?
Hum along bravely to old school song
Hum along bravely to old school song
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OpinionOctober 29

The breathless desire of the mighty auction

I want a new rule for auctions.
The breathless desire of the mighty auction
The breathless desire of the mighty auction
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OpinionOctober 22

Lash everything down, for today it is windy

Trees will fall today.
Lash everything down, for today it is windy
Lash everything down, for today it is windy
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OpinionOctober 15

Nosing out my specific memory of 1988

The year 1988 was a leap year.
Nosing out my specific memory of 1988
Nosing out my specific memory of 1988
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OpinionOctober 8

A pleasant surprise at the petrol pump

Surprise is good.
A pleasant surprise at the petrol pump
A pleasant surprise at the petrol pump