artillery – A S H Smyth

The Gentleman’s Marathon

A S H Smyth — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 14:27:25 +0000

On my attempt to run 26.2 miles, in Pheidippides’ footsteps.

NEWS AT A GLANCE

A S H Smyth — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 11:08:12 +0000

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An architect named Firth was found at a Weymouth inquest to have shot himself in the side with a toy cannon while temporarily insane.

— The Nelson Evening Mail, Tuesday, December 22 1908
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The SAS have killed some people in Afghanistan.

The Veneziana pizza was invented in the 1970s by Pizza Express.

In China, there’s a Monastery of Sin.

The first artificial Christmas tree wasn’t a tree at all.

Sir Isaac Newton was the last of the magicians.

The half-cock is a purely defensive stroke.

Greed was the cause of Colombo and indolence was that of Star Fort.

The word ‘robot’ is derived from the Russian for ‘to work’.

Wolves are a bit scarier than reindeers.

The average Dutchman is 6’1″.

Every child finds their father’s sneezes loud.

There are about half a dozen booksellers’ shops in Sydney.

A basic awareness of the humanities could make one a little less offensive.
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NEWS AT A GLANCE

A S H Smyth — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 07:00:22 +0000

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Though Russia is fast developing her oil lands, the United States produces more petroleum than all the rest of the world.

— The Nelson Evening Mail, June 22 1912

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In English maritime law a ship is not ‘wrecked’ if the cat survives.

Ezra Pound heard many performances of the Bellringers’ Guild.

Kale is a winter vegetable.

Napoleon’s troops shot the nose off the Egyptian sphinx for target practice.

If you put a chameleon on tartan it will explode.

You are twice as likely to crash while texting than drink-driving. (So if you need to send an urgent text, put an inebriated friend behind the wheel, instead.)

1% of marmalade sales are to people under 28.

Beauty and the Beast isn’t the first Disney movie for LGBT audiences.

The Welsh character is an interesting study.

John Travolta is 63 years old.

Turtles find it very difficult to look happy.

You never know with clowns.

Canadian passports have images of ice hockey in them.