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Curious Questions: Why do we still love pirate stories, 300 years on from Blackbeard?
Tales of swashbuckling pirates have entertained audiences for years, inspired by real-life British men and women, says Jack Watkins.
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'We are in the midst of a sewage scandal and the natural world is paying the cost'
Country Life's leader article takes aim at the mess in the water industry.
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Jason Goodwin: 'I slung my boots around my neck and squeezed the mud between my toes. Touching the earth with my feet — puddles, grass, leafmould — was curiously liberating'
Our Spectator columnist sheds his shoes and earths himself.
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Curious Questions: Why is race walking an Olympic sport?
The history of the Olympics is full of curious events which only come to prominence once every four years. Martin Fone takes a look at one of the oddest: race walking, or pedestrianism.
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Patrick Galbraith: 'The Itchen is a place of such pastoral beauty that it’s almost too much to take in'
Patrick realises that often, it's the journey, and not the destination, that is most important.
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Curious Questions: Where does the phrase 'daylight robbery' come from? It's literally about the theft of daylight
Martin Fone tells a tale of sunshine and tax — and where there is tax, there is tax avoidance... which in this case changed the face of Britain's growing cities.
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Carla Carlisle: If Jeremy Clarkson was on the ballot, he'd win the farming vote easily
Our columnist from across the pond reflects on the turbulent state of politics, and retains hope for a more predictable future.
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Curious Questions: Is there a way to win at rock, paper, scissors?
A completely fair game of chance, or an opportunity for those with an edge in human psychology to gain an advantage? Martin Fone looks at the enduringly simple game of rock, paper, scissors.
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Patrick Galbraith: We are a brilliant and terrible species who messed it up a long time ago — and that means we have to do things we don't want to
Our columnist laments the painful decisions on culling wild animals which he argues have to be taken if we're to manage the countryside and maintain biodiversity.
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Minette Batters: The Peppering Project is a 'blueprint for delivering food and Nature security across the country in a way that rewilding on its own never will'
The ex-NFU president reflects on a recent visit to the pioneering nature-recovery project being undertaken by the Duke of Norfolk in West Sussex.
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Curious Questions: Is being left-handed an advantage?
In days gone by, left-handed children were made to write with the ‘correct’ hand — but these days we understand that being left-handed is no barrier to greatness. In fact, there are endless examples of history's greatest musicians, artists and statesmen being left-handed. So much so that you'll start to wonder if it's actually an advantage.
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10 ways to save the planet, according to Country Life
There are many practical ways in which we–individuals, groups and Government–can make a difference to our planet, both locally and nationally. As the General Election looms, we present 10 areas where improvement is badly needed.
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Jonathan Self: Gossip, atheists, and the cheating husband caught on his own CCTV cameras
Heard it on the grapevine? Then you're simply making use of one of your great evolutionary advantages, says Jonathan Self.
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'By the time I wanted to know about the war that had swept over the world and redefined lives, I’d left it too late for first-hand accounts'
Carla Carlisle reflects on the 80th anniversary of D-Day and its legacy of gratitude and awe.
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'The sound of ripping cloth confirmed there was a crisis. And then I remembered I had come as no-knickers-Norma'
Joe Gibbs has a night to forget. Which is ironic, since anyone who reads his account will remember it for years...
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'I didn't realise quite what we were getting into': how to make cheese in Norfolk and what it says about us
Patrick Galbraith visits a cheesemaker in Norfolk and leaves wondering what 'a hard day's work' really means.
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Jonathan Self: Real friendship survives separation, violently different opinions and surprisingly shabby behaviour'
The reopening of a much-loved restaurant is, says Jonathan Self, like a joyous reunion with an old friend.
