Archive for the ‘World current affairs’ Category
This week’s national election (1)
August 21st, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Earlier this week, a country went to the polls to elect a president. The turnout was a staggering 97.5% and the man who won secured an amazing 93% of the vote. You probably hear nothing about it and yet this was a country that recently suffered one of the worst genocides in recent history. The […]
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Still battling over “The Spirit Level”
August 17th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
This is the 10th time that I’ve blogged about the book “The Spirit Level” by Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett [see my review of the work here], but I make no apology for this because it is one of the most important books that I’ve ever read. The core message is that, on a whole […]
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China: world’s second largest economy
August 17th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Since 1968, Japan has been the second biggest economy on the globe when it overtook West Germany. No more – China has now overtaken Japan to be second only to the United States which it will probably overtake around 2030. The detailed figures are here. This Easter, I returned to China for a third visit […]
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The floods in Pakistan
August 13th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
This morning, I received the following e-mail from a friend in Pakistan. “How are you? Hope you will be fine and enjoy well.. I am fine and my study is going well. As you know Pakistan is facing the worst ever disaster in its history in the form of floods…. The flood caused destruction at […]
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My encounter with Hizb ut-Tahrir
August 11th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
While I was on holiday in Copenhagen last week with my sister, I came across a stall mounted by the Islamic group Hizb ut-Tahrir in one of the city’s main squares. I stood at the stall for a few seconds longer than I should because I was then engaged in conversation with a very articulate […]
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World statistics updated in real time
July 29th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
You’ll find some fascinating statistics here.
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Defending “The Spirit Level” (1)
July 26th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
The authors of the book “The Spirit Level”, Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett, have now published detailed responses to all the criticisms made of their argument that societies with large levels of income inequality suffer many poor social outcomes. You can read the rebuttal here. Just a reminder that you can read my review of […]
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Defending “The Spirit Level” (2)
July 26th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
In an editorial today, the “Guardian” newspaper defends the work of Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett in their important work “The Spirit Level”: “Perhaps some dark corners of the soul arrive with the human condition; many others emerge in lives that have little in societies where others have lots. After a budget that made the […]
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“The Spirit Level” debate
July 23rd, 2010 by Roger Darlington
I’ve already blogged several times about a fascinating book called “The Spirit Level” by Richard Wilkinson & Kate Pickett. In my review of the work, I commented: “This is one of the most important books that I have read in five decades of reading because its scope is so wide and its message so compelling […]
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Forgotten World (215): Council of Europe
July 16th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
The Council of Europe – headquartered in Strasbourg, France – is not to be confused with the European Union. The Council was formed in 1949 to promote human rights on the continent, while the European Union – as it is now called – was created in 1957 to encourage economic and political union. The EU […]
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