A review of “Iron Man 3″
May 23rd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Tony Stark strikes again in this new movie which I’ve reviewed here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Why was Ann Boleyn executed in 1536?
May 23rd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
This was the question examined in a fascinating BBC2 programme aired this evening. Seven different historians and historical novelists offered their views, including Suzannah Lipscomb who has blogged about the programme and the subject here.
Another of the contributors was Man Booker Prize winning novelist Hilary Mantel. The death of Ann Boleyn concludes her new novel “Bring Up The Bodies” which I have reviewed here.
Posted in Cultural issues, History | Comments (0)
My introduction to e-government services
May 23rd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
One of the huge potential benefits of widespread Internet connectivity and digital literacy is the development of online government services at both national and local level. Although I have been using the Net for 18 years now, it was not until very recently that I have entered the world of e-government services.
I imagine that, if you know me, you’ll be surprised (!) to learn that next month I was be 65 and therefore eligible for a state pension. So I have just registered on the Government Gateway and applied for my pension.
It took longer than I expected because a lot of information is required – both to establish identity and eligibility – and my position is a bit complicated (I am still a portfolio worker). The whole process took a degree of confidence that I’m not sure all people in their mid 60s have and some would require support and encouragement.
Posted in Internet, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
An interesting perspective on the distribution of population around the globe
May 22nd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
There are more people living inside this circle than outside of it.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Practical advice at my local station on the London Underground
May 22nd, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)
A review of “Star Trek Into Darkness”
May 21st, 2013 by Roger Darlington
You can read my review of the latest “Star Trek” movie here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (1)
Do you know a place where seven streets come together?
May 20th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I do – it’s called Seven Dials and it’s located in the centre of my home city of London. You can see a map here and find more information here.
There’s a Seven Dials in Brighton too [see here], so the UK has at least two such phenomena.
The French beat us by having the Place Charles de Gaulle with no less than 12 roads coming together [see here].
Do you know of any other places around the world where seven or more streets come together?
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
More time with American friends in Dover
May 19th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Two years ago, Vee and I drove down to Dover for the weekend to spend some time with our close American friends Mike and Laura Grace who had crossed the Atlantic on the “Celebrity Constellation” and docked in the port for a few hours. You can read my blog posting on the occasion here.
One year ago, we went to the United States and stayed for a week with Mike & Laura in their home between Washington DC and Baltimore. You can read my account of the trip here.
This weekend, Vee and I repeated the visit to Dover since again Mike & Laura were over on the same cruise ship. They were very keen to discuss our recent holiday in Australia and New Zealand, because they want to visit those countries themselves, and they pored over the near 700 photos in our four albums. You can read an account of our holiday and view a much smaller selection of photos here.
We drove Mike & Laura over to the Battle of Britain Memorial at nearby Capel-le-Ferne. This has a wall listing all the 3,000 Royal Air Force pilots who fought in the Battle which includes Vee’s father the Czech Karel Kuttelwascher.
The famous white cliffs of Dover
Vee points out the name of her father
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
How many people work in the UK Government’s climate adaptation team?
May 18th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Thanks to the “Guardian” newspaper, we have the revelation that the number has been cut by the current Goverment from 38 to just six.
Globally we have to act decisively to slow down and then reverse CO2 levels in the atmosphere but, in the meanwhile if we do not act to mitigate the impacts of climate change, the cost – personal, societal and financial – will be catastrophic.
Posted in British current affairs, Environment | Comments (0)
How many Native Americans are there?
May 18th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I have recently received this e-mail from the United States:
“I enjoyed your article about use of names until I reached the section on
Native American name usage in the US, in which you stated that very few
Native Americans remain in the US. In fact, according to the most recent census:Out of the total U.S. population, 2.9 million people reported American Indian or Alaska Native alone. In addition, 2.3 million people reported American Indian or Alaska Native in combination with one or more other races. Together, these two groups totaled 5.2 million people. Thus, 1.7 percent of all people in the United States identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, either alone or in combination with one or more other races.
I think your misconception is one commonly found among Europeans, but that you would be glad to correct it.”
I am suitably chastised, I have corrected it, and I share my learning with you.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)