Margaret Ada Box (1890-1986) trained as a nurse and midwife, and in 1918, towards the end of the First World War, she joined the Scottish Women’s Hospitals and travelled out to Serbia to nurse the sick and wounded. She was my Great Aunt, and many of the letters she wrote home have been preserved, and… Continue reading Nathan’s Kitchen
Category: Works in progress
Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics
Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics, written by Peter Geoghegen, is about how the political system in democracies is being undermined by concealed influence of large amounts of money. Peter is editor of openDemocracy, an organisation which publishes a web site covering issues related to free speech, equality and democracy. Much of the… Continue reading Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics
Transparency and Trust
This is a work in progress, published, but not the final article, so it can be referred to from other articles. Trust is really important – particularly when it comes to how we make decisions. (See How to we decide ?) Who do we vote for , what product do we buy, who do we… Continue reading Transparency and Trust
Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? is a book by Michael Sandel. It deals with some of the philosophical thoughts on justice, such as utilitarianism and libertarianism, and links them to real life issues (mostly American). As with my other Book Reviews, this is partly a guide to what is in the book, and… Continue reading Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?
Good Economics for Hard Times
“Good Economics for Hard Times: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty” is an economics book aimed at the general reader by two MIT professors of economics who specialise in the economics of poverty, social and political equality, migration and globalization. Economics is important to be as one of the mechanisms to… Continue reading Good Economics for Hard Times
About William Webster
My Great-Great Grandfather was William Webster (1823-1889). His daugher, Ada Webster (1861-1944) married my Great Grandfather, John Robert Box (1849-1826) in 1884 at Highgate Rise Church. Confusingly his father was also William Webster (1796-1888), and I think his Grandfather may have been also been a William Webster. Here I try to untangle the more recent… Continue reading About William Webster
Fitzhenry Family
My Great Grandmother, Jane Fitzhenry, married my Great Grandfather, Joseph Lines on 30th June 1877 the parish church of St Andrew in Holburn. Her father was Michael Fitzhenry, recorded in census and some other records as being born in Bristol in 1809. There is however no record of his birth, or who his parents were,… Continue reading Fitzhenry Family
The Other Lines Brothers
Most of my family history posts are based on items of information I have inherited, which is not found elsewhere, but sometimes it is handy to have a place to describe significant people who do not have a post of their own. My Grandfather, George Edward Lines had three brothers, who also went on to… Continue reading The Other Lines Brothers
New Year 1919 in Sarajevo
Margaret Ada Box started the year 1919 far from home (Croydon), in a hospital in Sarajevo, where she was a Red Cross Nurse with the Scottish Women’s Hospitals. Although the First World War was over, sickness and disease – particularly the Spanish Flu, meant there was a great need for medical attention. The Armistice had… Continue reading New Year 1919 in Sarajevo
How do we decide ?
This is very much a work in progress, which I intend to refine, but published in this incomplete form to link other posts into a wider context. Choices can be tricky – important ones always are, and for each choice we (as individuals, groups, societies and humanity as whole) make there will be an alternative… Continue reading How do we decide ?