Words are the most misunderstood part of that crowded, undisciplined and noisy group of ill-fitting elements that together make up what we call communications. In fact, words often get in the way of communications, like rider-less horses in a race or hooting stationary cars in a traffic jam. We misunderstand each other in some way […]
Author Archives: Lionel Stanbrook
2026 Ahem
PEAGE PINTXOS BANISTER: May 2026
Ahem, I travelled down to La Hune with Jurrat and Jessie in a well-loaded car [...]
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01
Jun
Jun
2026 Ahem
MUSKETS SHRIFT RAPT: April 2026
Ahem Alli and I were up and early on Good Friday to be driven with [...]
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30
Apr
Apr
Professional Writing Writing
They awoke…
The hidden past of the bisexual pronoun Those of all political and cultural persuasions [...]
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2026 Ahem
BABY FAIRYLAND TWITTEN: March 2026
Ahem I was about to open a pile of birthday cards when I was encouraged [...]
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30
Mar
Mar
2026 Ahem
QUOTIDIAN HAMMERHEAD HIPPO: February 2026
Ahem Rain and colder weather in southern England dominated the first few days of the [...]
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02
Mar
Mar
Ahem The mornings and evenings are becoming increasingly colder, measured by the increasing number of layers I use for walking the dogs at weekends. I can be relaxed about the oncoming winter as I am going to tropical Abidjan in mid-November to begin my contract there for the Banque Africaine de Developpement, or BAD – […]
There is cautious optimism about the economic outlook in Sub-Saharan African countries, where the GDP increase in 2016 was stronger than in other regions. But cheap commodities and expensive borrowing will continue to complicate an economic infrastructure still dominated by oil and mining. The need for diversification is urgent – regional economies must concentrate on […]
05
Oct
Oct
A hill in Yorkshire, thought to have been a Norman castle motte, is in fact an Iron Age monument, built by hand 2,500 years ago. Skipsea Castle in Yorkshire is not, as previously thought, a Norman motte and bailey castle but is an Iron Age monument more similar to Silbury Hill in Wiltshire . The discovery […]
Ahem A brilliant idea jump-started September: a swim in the Rhein. After the warm late summer weather prolonged the opportunities for Basel’s time-honoured Rheinschwimmen, I joined the Barneses for a leisurely and warm float downstream in the elbow of the Rhein. Almost no aerobic movement was needed, as we were soon barrelling past the Munster […]
“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimble in the wabe: / All mimsy were the borogoves, / And the mome raths outgrabe.” Peer review is widely viewed as an essential step for ensuring scientific quality of a work and represents a cornerstone of scholarly publishing. On the other hand, those involved […]
03
Sep
Sep
I do it a lot late at night and early in the morning. I like doing it outdoors but it’s better in indoors. Mostly I do it in the bedroom, but I often do it in chairs and even more on desks. I don’t mind doing it in front of people and I don’t mind […]
Ahem Our increasingly populous clan is ever more global. A family wedding might in the past have meant a short trip to the local registry office or church, or perhaps a day trip to another town. Now, almost invariably, it means foreign travel. As does, less romantically, obtaining work for the improvement of my income. […]
23
Aug
Aug
Just 40 years ago, most large companies saw brands as the prime creators of value, but they did not trouble to assess corporate reputation. It did not seem to create or even affect value. Investors focused on share price, profit, turnover; connections were made through stockbrokers, agents and financial media. The practice of communications was […]
17
Aug
Aug
It should be taken as unacceptable everywhere that Africa loses every year over 10% of its domestic production because its people and especially its children do not get enough food in quality or quality to eat. It should be taken as unacceptable everywhere that 58 million African children have stunted growth, a condition that cannot […]