British man in secret detention in Ethiopia eight months after rendition
March 4th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I have recently returned from a two-week holiday in Ethiopia, so I am very disturbed about the case of Andargachew ‘Andy’ Tsege.
Tsege, a British national of Ethiopian origin who is Secretary General of the outlawed Ethiopian opposition group Ginbot 7, disappeared at Sana’a airport in Yemen on 23 June 2014 while he was travelling to Eritrea. He had previously been tried in absentia in Ethiopia and sentenced to death for involvement in an alleged coup attempt.
You can read the comments of Amnesty International on the case here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Have you thought of opting for a water meter?
March 3rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Today, I chair the last meeting of the Customer Challenge Group at South East Water which has spent three years critiquing the company’s customer engagement programme and resultant business plan for 2015-2020. However, I have signed a two-year contract to chair a successor Customer Panel which will monitor how well the company actually fulfils this business plan.
South East Water is half way through a 10-year compulsory metering programme and Southern Water has just completed a five-year compulsory metering programme. Customers of other water companies can always opt voluntarily for a meter which could cut their water consumption and water bills.
University of Southampton research has shown consumers reduce their water consumption by 16.5 per cent after they receive a metered connection – based on the study of a five-year programme to install nearly half a million water meters in the south-east of England. This reduction is far more than the national average of ten per cent and is mainly achieved very quickly after a meter is installed.
Economists Dr Mirco Tonin and Dr Carmine Ornaghi have been working with Southern Water to examine the impact of the company’s five year universal metering programme (UMP). They examined the consumption habits of more than 200,000 UMP customers over a period of four years from 2010. The researchers found that in total customers were making water savings of more than one and a half times the predicted ten per cent.
Posted in Consumer matters, Environment | Comments (4)
Bibi or not Bibi? That is the question (for Israelis)
March 2nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
If you think British political opinion is very fluid at the present time and that the result of the General Election in two months is impossible to forecast, spare a thought for Israeli voters who go to the polls in less than three weeks time.
Incumbent Prime Minister and leader of the Likud Party Binyamin Netanyahu (nickname Bibi) is being seriously challenged by a politician who could not be more different: Labour Parry leaderIsaac Herzog.
As this article explains, the outcome of the Israeli election is still really uncertain. If you want some context to this election, check out my short guide to the Israeli political system.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Almost 90 photos of our holiday in Ethiopia
March 1st, 2015 by Roger Darlington
A week ago, I put on my web site a detailed account our our two-week holiday in Ethiopia.
Now I have added 89 photographs to the text, You can view them here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
British general election (6): the key could be Scotland
February 28th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
“The evidence suggests that no single party will win an outright majority on 7 May. But with more than two months until voting day, and with the margins between possible government scenarios so tight, there are enough moving parts to yet turn the wheels in favour of either Cameron or Miliband.
At this stage, the most important factor in determining the election outcome is Scotland, and whether Labour can recover votes there. Labour’s win in most Scottish seats in 2010 was so large that even a small movement back to the party would save a significant numbers of those seats. As such, the size of Labour’s loss in Scotland will matter greatly in determining who between Miliband and Cameron emerges atop the largest party in May.”
This is the key point from a new analysis of the likely outcome of the coming General Election which you can read here.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
The film “Selma” and the song “Glory”
February 28th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Earlier this week, I caught up with the film “Selma” which I have reviewed here.
It’s surprising and disappointing that the brilliant central performance was not nominated for an Academy Award but at least the moving song which closes the film won the Oscar for Best Song. You can listen to it here:
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
In the week since our return from Ethiopia …
February 27th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
- We have had our third and last rabies injection.
- We have had our third and last (for a year) hepatitis B injection.
- We have completed our course of maleria tablets.
- All the clothes have been washed and ironed (mostly at our local dry cleaners).
- Even our dusty, hard working trainers have been cleaned (in our washing machine).
- All the photos have been uploaded onto the computer and a selection now have to be added to my web account of the trip.
- All the photos have been printed and around three-quarters of them will be mounted in albums.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
What do you know about the Internet of things?
February 25th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
My latest IT column provides a short introduction to this fascinating subject. Check it out here.
Posted in Internet | Comments (0)
10 things we learned from this year’s Academy Awards
February 24th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Last night, we watched a two-hour programme of the highlights of this year’s Academy Awards. It was good to seen British artists – most notably Eddie Redmayne – do so well.
i have seen four of the eight films which wee nominated for Best Picture, but I have still not viewed the winner “Birdman”.
So, what did we learn from this year’s Oscars? Here’s a list of 10.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
15 + 1 greetings from around the world
February 23rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
View Interactive Version (via Two Little Fleas).
And an extra one from me: in Ethiopia, from where I have just returned, while still holding the right hand of your companion, you touch your right shoulder to your friend’s right shoulder three times.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)