‘Murder at the Mermaid’ a short story by local author, Allen Nicklin
Local author, Allen Nicklin regularly frequents the Mermaid Pub and shares his short story with us, 'Murder at the Mermaid'.
Tasty Recipes To Try At Home – from Zesty Catering
St Albans business, Zesty Catering have shared two of their favourite recipes with us. Start with their tasty Korean Fried Chicken and finish with a delicious Chocolate Orange Cheesecake that's super easy to make and requires no baking...
St Albans Businesses – Supporting Each Other During the Pandemic
We are all keen to preserve our shops and businesses as they are the heart of everything that St Albans has to offer, they employ local people and attract tourism to the city. This crisis has hit public-facing businesses the hardest – with shops and restaurants closed, and the city centre deserted, these types of [...]
VE Day 75 – Recollections – by Tim Boatswain
It is a timely reminder that in times of crisis we can all pull together to overcome the gravest threat. As this country and the rest of the world grapples with Covid-19 and the death and misery it is inflicting upon individuals and communities we can recollect how this nation survived those dark days when [...]
The History of Roman Emperor, Diocletian and St Alban
Some years ago I was invited to give a lecture at Diocletian's Palace in Split, Croatia. The title of my talk was Emperor Diocletian and Christianity. Those of you who have been lucky enough to visit the beautiful city of Split, looking out over the spectacular Croatian coastline, will know that much of the Palace [...]
Conspiracy Theories and Evolutionary Psychology
The question has been put to me, "As an anthropologist, how do you explain the human desire to invent conspiracy theories? Since humans have been recording their existence we have been looking for explanations to understand the arbitrary events in our lives. Natural disasters or accidents were seen as the work of the supernatural. For [...]
The Anthropology of Anxiety & the Coronavirus
Anxiety caused by worry or fear is a significant part of human nature so it is unsurprising that the pandemic of Covid-19 has hugely increased people’s anxiety across the globe. In our evolutionary past as a species anxiety has served us well causing us to avoid the physical dangers that stalked homo sapiens, like ending [...]