About the Irregulars
The Occam’s Typewriter Irregulars is a place for guest bloggers to write. Some of these writers might in time have their own blog on OT; others might simply have been invited (or they asked!) to contribute a one- (or two- or three-) off post. Enjoy!-
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
- Vladimir Vojtech on So who is she then?
- Nicola Spaldin on So who is she then?
- Vladimir Vojtech on So who is she then?
- Nicola Spaldin on Eternal Questions
- Heather on Eternal Questions
Archives
- October 2021
- October 2017
- September 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- January 2016
- November 2015
- December 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
Categories
Meta
Author Archives: Philip Strange
500 dead bumblebees – the chemical blitz of modern farming
Earlier this year, Sheila Horne was walking at Hacton Parkway, a public park and conservation area in Havering, East London. April is normally a good time to see insects in their prime so she was very surprised to find many … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts
Tagged buff-tailed bumblebee, buglife, bumblebees, common carder bee, conservation, epoxiconazole, flusilazole, fungicides, Hacton Parkway, imidacloprid, insecticides, neonicotinoids, pollinators, red-tailed bumblebee, thiamethoxam, tony gunton
Comments Off on 500 dead bumblebees – the chemical blitz of modern farming
Disturbing the natural order – the case of neonicotinoid insecticides and farmland birds
One of my favourite nature writers is Mark Cocker who has the ability to capture a scene or an idea in a few hundred words. Despite his immense knowledge he never loses his sense of awe and with clever … Continue reading
Lock up your hydrangeas, drug thieves about!
Plants are rich and varied sources of chemicals that change brain function, so-called psychoactive chemicals. For example, the coca plant, a shrub indigenous to the foothills of the Andes, was used for thousands of years by the local people because … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts
Tagged cannabis, cocaine, cyanogenic glycosides, flowers, hortensia, hydrangea, hydrogen cyanide, marijuana, mescaline, opium, peyote, psychoactive chemicals, tetrahydrocannabinol
4 Comments
A night at the opera – or how the myth of the love potion seduces both writers and scientists
The Glyndebourne Touring Opera visits Plymouth in the South West once a year and it’s a real treat to go to their productions. This year we went to see Donizetti’s frothy but very popular L’elisir d’amore. This was beautifully sung … Continue reading
The bitter wind of Brussels sprouts
It’s that time again; that most controversial of vegetables is appearing in UK shops. I am referring of course to Brussels sprouts, feared and hated by some, lauded by others. Not only is it peak growth season for sprouts but, … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts
Tagged bitter taste, brussels sprouts, christmas, francis crick, glucosinolates, vegetables, vitamin C, vitamin K, windiness of sprouts
2 Comments
Those poor beleaguered bees! Now they’re being confused by diesel fumes. Or are they?
Bees are having a hard time. Pathogens, insecticides and loss of habitat are all thought to be contributing to a decline in their numbers. Now a potential new threat has been added to the “perfect storm” threatening these insects. A group at … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts, Uncategorized
Tagged bee decline, bee numbers, bees, bumblebees, city bees, diesel fumes, honeybees, oilseed rape, southampton university
3 Comments
The UK and New Zealand: two very different approaches to the problems of “legal highs”.
In many people’s minds, the county of Devon is synonymous with cream teas, cider and summer holidays so it may come as a surprise to hear that Devon has its fair share of social problems. Over the past few months … Continue reading
Next time you see Nelson’s Column, think of Dartmoor
Dartmoor is the largest and wildest area of open country in the south of England but despite the wildness, the human imprint is never far away. For many years, the moor has been exploited by industry which has shaped the … Continue reading
Posted in Guest posts, Uncategorized
Tagged birds, china clay, dartmoor, devon, flowers, granite, nelson's column, richard mabey, stephen spielberg, warhorse
2 Comments
