How much do you know (and care) about world poverty?
September 23rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
One billion people across the world live in extreme poverty, struggling to survive on the equivalent of about $1 a day. The United Nations aims to lift every single one of them out of this category within 15 years.
It’s an ambitious target, and this weekend 150 world leaders will meet to work out how they’re going to do it. But is it even possible? To help you judge, a short quiz has been set by the renowned statistician, Prof Hans Rosling. You can check out the seven-question quiz here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
What’s the more dangerous: a shark or a selfie?
September 22nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
According to this article in the “Daily Telegraph”, there have been twelve recorded selfie deaths in 2015 so far, compared to eight people dying because of shark attacks. Most of the selfie-related deaths have been due to falling. The next most common is when people are trying to take a selfie, and they’re hit by a moving vehicle.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Can British politics get any weirder?
September 22nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
First the Labour Party elects a Leader of the Opposition who, in 32 years as a Member of Parliament, has never sat on the Front Bench. Then the Prime Minister is savaged by a biography co-authored by someone who is a principal funder of the PM’s political party.
Amusing though the tales of Cameron’s university days might be, the most serious revelation so far is Lord Ashcroft’s insistence that he told David Cameron of his non-com tax status in 2009 before the General Election the following year. So Ashcroft is accusing Cameron of lying when, in March 2010, Cameron claimed to have only known about the peer’s tax status a month before.
But it seems that Cameron is not the only liar. It is widely reported that Ashcroft promised the then leader of the Conservative Party William Hague that, on receipt of a peerage, he would take up permanent residence in the UK.
At tomorrow’s Prime Minister’s Questions, Corbyn should hit Cameron hard on this issue with a set of sustained questions that do not allow the PM the easy time he had last week.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
So, a week after Jeremy Corbyn’s election, where does Labour stand with the wider electorate?
September 20th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
An Opinium/Observer poll today shows that the wave of “Corbynmania” which swept him to the leadership has not spread across the wider voting public. The Conservatives (on 37%) remain five points ahead of Labour (32%) with Ukip on 14% and the Lib Dems on 6%. When voters were asked who they would choose to be Prime Minister, 41% chose David Cameron and 22% Corbyn.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
How late can one be to the party? Just started to watch “Homeland”.
September 20th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The nights are drawing in and there seems to be little of interest on television. So, this weekend, Vee and I finally pulled out the box set of series 1 of the American television programme “Homeland” which was a present ages ago. It seems that almost everybody else – including Barack Obama – has been watching this for four years, but we’ve finally made a start with the first two episodes. The trouble is, if we become hooked, there are now five series.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (2)
The history of 13 countries in 15 words or less
September 19th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
A web site issued the challenge of summarising the history of a country in a sentence. The offerings are amusing and sometimes insightful.
For the United States:
“Freedom*
*terms and conditions may apply.”
For the United Kingdom:
“Had the largest empire ever, but lost it due to drinking too much tea.”
You can check out 11 other nations here. If your country is not mentioned, perhaps you’d like to offer a suggestion for it.
Posted in History | Comments (0)
My 28th short story: “The Girl With The Crimson Scar”
September 18th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Another Friday; another of my short stories. This one is located on the London Underground and you can read it here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
U.S. presidential election (12): Trump attacked at second Republican debate
September 17th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Donald Trump’s exchange with Jeb Bush:
JB: “To subject my wife into the middle of a raucous political conversation was completely inappropriate and I hope you apologise for that Donald.”
DT: “Well, I have to tell you I hear phenomenal things, I hear your wife is a lovely woman. I don’t know her.”
JB: “She is, she’s fantastic. She is absolutely the love of my life, and she’s right here, and why don’t you apologise to her right now?”
DT: “No, I won’t do that because I said nothing wrong, but I do hear she’s a lovely woman.”Donald Trump’s exchange with Carly Fiorina:
Moderator Jake Tapper gives Ms Fiorina the chance to respond to Mr Trump’s comments about her in Rolling Stone magazine in which he said: “Look at that face. Would anyone vote for that. Can you imagine that as the face of our next president?” Mr Trump later said he was talking about her persona, not her appearance.
CF: “You know it’s interesting to me. I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr Trump said.”
(Loud applause)
DT: “I think she’s got a beautiful face and I think she’s a beautiful woman.”
These are two of the exchanges in the this week’s second debate between the major contenders for the Republican candidacy for next year’s US presidential election. You can read more about the debate here.
To most non-Americans, the idea that Donald Trump could win the Republican’s presidential nomination is incredible and the notion that he could succeed someone as sensible and progressive as Barack Obama in the White House is scary. But then, at the beginning of the summer, very few thought that Jeremy Corbyn could become leader of the British Labour Party or that Bernie Sanders could be challenging Hillary Clinton in polling in the earliest primary states. These are strange political times.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
The 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain and our family’s part in the original conflict
September 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Today we celebrated the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 1940 and commemorated the bravery of the almost 3,000 Royal Air Force pilots who flew in the conflict. Around 40 World War Two aircraft – Spitfires, Hurricanes and Blenheims – were brought together to fly over southern England, creating some amazing sights and sounds. This was the largest such grouping since the war itself. One of those in the air was a 95 year old veteran of the Battle itself.
In the Battle of Britain, a fifth of the RAF’s pilots were not in fact British. Almost 90 of them were Czechoslovaks including the father of my wife Vee: Karel Kuttelwascher who flew Hurricanes and, later in the war, won the Distinguished Flying Cross twice in 42 days. Vee tried to see some of the aircraft at Northolt, but in the end they landed elsewhere. However, Vee’s twin sister Mari was able to see all the aircraft take off from Goodwood.
Many years ago, I used the family’s records and many other sources to write a biography of Karel Kuttelwascher or Kut as his comrades called him. In 1985, after three years of research, the book, entitled “Night Hawk”, was published. I thought that would be the end of the story – but time and time we have been invited to revisit Kut’s amazing record.
So, currently I am in discussions with a company which – 30 years later – wants to republish the book with some additions.
Posted in History | Comments (2)
What Jeremy Corbyn and I have in common
September 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Apparently the new Leader of the Labour Party frequents a central London cafe called “Gaby’s” which is one of my favourites too. All is explained in this news clip.
In fact, such is my love of “Gaby’s” that I set my first short story there. It is called “Making A Difference” and you can read it here.
Posted in British current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)