Question: when is a paper not a paper? Answer: when it’s a non-paper.
October 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
You have no idea what I’m talking about, do you? Well, today I went to a meeting where reference was made to a non-paper which was a new concept to me. Don’t believe me?
Well, this document was issued recently by the British Government’s Department of Culture, Media & Sport and it is entitled “UK Non-Paper Review of the Electronic Communications Regulatory Framework”. You can access it here. Now, do you believe me?
Apparently the notion of a non-paper is a European thing. I think it’s a paper which contains preliminary views that may change.
It’s an interesting concept which could have wider application. Consider the idea of a non-conversation, a non-meeting, a non-decision. Actually I’ve come across a few of those.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Remembering the Soviet role in the space race
October 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
When I was an adolescent in the 1960s, the space race between the USA and the USSR was at full pelt. It was an exciting time with a new achievement almost every few months. But, of course, we knew much more at the time about the background to the American space programme compared to the secrecy of the Soviet effort.
A correction to this imbalance came in 2005 with the television series “Space Race” which was accompanied by a book of the same title which I have reviewed here. Now, at London’s Science Museum, we have a fascinating exhibition titled “Cosmonauts: Birth of The Space Age” which covers Russia’s fascination with space from late tsarist times to the present day. .
I was fortunate enough this week to attend a private showing of the exhibition when we were accompanied round by one of the museum’s staff heavily involved in curating the collection. The amazing exhibits include:
- Vostok 6: the capsule flown by Valentina Tereshkova, the first ever woman in space
- Voskhod 1: the capsule used on the first mission to carry more than one crew member
- LK-3 Lunar Lander: a single cosmonaut craft built to compete with America’s Apollo
Posted in History, Science & technology | Comments (0)
More Americans killed by guns since 1968 than in all U.S. wars
October 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
More Americans have died from guns in the United States since 1968 than on battlefields of all the wars in American history. Each year, the number of firearm-related deaths reach almost the equivalent of U.S. casualties in the Korean War.
You can sees a visualisation of the relevant data here.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of the new vertiginous film “The Walk”
October 11th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
For all of us, the Twin Towers in New York evoke terrible memories of 9/11. But, before that, they were iconic buildings that attracted millions of tourists (I visited several times) – and one amazing French tightrope walker. The feat of Philippe Petit was shown in the accomplished documentary “Man On Wire” [my review here] and now we have “The Walk” [my review here] which attempts to show you what it must have been like up there.
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A review of the thrilling new movie “Sicario”
October 11th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I’m a big fan of British actress Emily Blunt and it’s good to see her now taking more action roles. She’s excellent in the new thriller “Sicario” but so are her fellow thespians Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro. You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
We have a world class triathlon star in the family
October 11th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Vee’s nephew David Rowe is an amazing athlete who has run marathons and even performed in triathlons around the world. This weekend, he competed for the second time in the Ironman World Championship which was held in Kona, Hawaii.
First, he swam 2.4 miles (3.9 kms) in 1 hour 14 minutes 20 seconds; then he rode a bike for 112 miles (180 kms) in 5 hours 42 minutes 51 seconds; and finally he ran a marathon of 26.2 miles (42 kms) in 4 hours 36 minutes 29 seconds. Officially he was on the go for a staggering 11 hours 41 minutes 21 seconds.
David is a real hero and, boy, does he deserve that medal – all the more so for now being 42 and having had months of injuries and set-backs in the run up to the event.
You can read his blog here.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (1)
A rare visit to the theatre to see “Farinelli And The King”
October 10th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Although we live in London, Vee and I go too rarely to the theatre. One of my New Year resolutions for 2015 was to try to go to the theatre around once a quarter and this weekend we managed our third visit of the calendar year.
We went to the Duke of York’s Theatre (opened in 1892) to see the new play “Faninelli And The King” written by Claire van Kampen. It is an unusual and impressive work.
The Italian Faninelli (literally ‘little baker’) was the most talented and famous castrato of his time. His real name was Carlo Broschi and he lived from 1705-1782. In the production we saw, his singing persona was performed by counter tenor Owen Willetts.
The eponymous monarch was King Philippe V of Spain who suffered terribly from bipolar disorder, but found relief from the singing of Farinelli. In the play, he is portrayed brilliantly by Mark Rylance (husband of the writer) who was Cromwell in the recent BBC adaptation of “Wolf Hall”.
When we do go to the theatre, Vee and I are usually delighted by what we see, but too many of London’s theatres (especially the older ones) are very expensive, have cramped seating, and offer minimal toilet facilities.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
How the world’s population is becoming heavier and heavier
October 10th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
“In 2010, 11.5% of adults, or 565 million people, were obese. By 2014, that had already risen to 13% (670 million) … if the trajectory does not change, 17% of adults will be obese by 2025. There will be 170 million adults with a BMI above 35, which is the threshold for urgent medical treatment, such as gastric surgery, to reduce the amount people can eat. But even in affluent countries, there is insufficient capacity for those who already need help. Adding in those who are overweight as well as obese, by 2025 there will be about 2.7 billion with excess weight, up from 2 billion in 2010.”
Full story here.
Posted in Social policy, World current affairs | Comments (0)
My 31st short story: “Dying For A Pint”
October 9th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
For the past 31 Fridays, I’ve been revisiting my collection of short stories. This week’s piece – “Dying For Pint” – is the last that I have written and you can read it here.
Perhaps inspiration will seize me and I’ll write some more stories sometime. Meanwhile I hope that you’ve enjoyed at least some of these 31.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
A review of the new film “Miss You Already”
October 9th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Not all cinema can be escapist entertainment; sometimes a movie looks at life in all its pain and rawness. “Miss You Already” is about breast cancer viewed through the prism of female friendship. I was impressed and tearful. You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)