Archive for the ‘Miscellaneous’ Category
Why is opinion polling becoming harder and less reliable?
July 27th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
All the pollsters failed to forecast accurately the result of the British General Election in May 2015. We are still awaiting the outcome of an inquiry by the British Polling Council to determine what went wrong and how it can be fixed. Most of my work as a consumer advocate involves working with regulators and […]
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There is so much terrible news out there, but here’s a tale of survival and love
July 9th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
A British couple have survived four bouts of cancer and 19 heart attacks to celebrate 60 years of marriage. You can read more about David and Muriel Emery here.
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Ready for a laugh? Well, how many jokes can you take?
July 6th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I have lots of serious material on my web site, but there are plenty of jokes too. Check out these sections: Lots of jokes to make you laugh More jokes to keep you laughing Still more jokes to keep you laughing
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It may not be the most challenging political question of our time …
June 28th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
… but, in the face of such depressing news, let’s consider for a moment a more lighthearted dilemma that is quintessentially British. A delicious British treat is the cream tea which consists of a scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam. But: which goes on first? the cream or the jam? This was the challenge […]
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Nine important facts to remember as we grow older
May 26th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
#9 Death is the number 1 killer in the world. #8 Life is sexually transmitted. #7 Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. #6 Men have two motivations: hunger and hanky panky, and they can’t tell them apart. If you see a gleam in his eyes, make him a […]
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What’s the fastest-growing language in the UK?
May 20th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
According to this piece in today “Mirror” newspaper, it is the emoji. Indeed a survey has suggested that eight out of 10 people in the UK have used the symbols and icons to communicate, with 72% of 18 to 25-year-olds adding that they found it easier to put their feelings across using emoji than with […]
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Five English things that are not actually English
April 23rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
So many traditions that people think define a nation originated outside that particular country. On St George’s Day, here are five things that most people think of as quintessentially English that came from abroad. We should embrace and celebrate multiculturalism and not spend so much time trying to separate ourselves from ‘the other’. Once upon […]
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By George, it’s still a popular name
April 23rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
In England and other places, today is St George’s Day since 23 April is supposed to be the date that the saint died in 303 AD. The name is still very common in this country and currently stands at 10th in the popularity charts for new babies as you can see here. The family in the […]
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Third anniversary of the #EverydaySexism project
April 16th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The Everyday Sexism Project, an online campaign highlighting sexism across the world, is three years old today. It is on course to hit 100,000 entries this week, showing just how prevalent sexism still is. As a man, I can’t claim always to have been totally blameless on this course but, like any caring male, I […]
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Why are we running out of chocolate?
April 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
It’s all to do with supply and demand and those Chinese – as explained in this article.
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