Word of the day: Holodomor
May 2nd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I came across this word very early in the film “Child 44” which I have recently viewed [my review here]. Holodomor is a composte of two Ukrainian words and means ‘extermination by hunger’.
It is a reference to the man-made famine in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1932 and 1933 that killed somewhere between 2.5–7.5 million Ukrainians. It was part of the wider disaster, the Soviet famine of 1932–33, which affected the major grain-producing areas of the country and a major feature of Stalin’s terror war on his own citizens.
Since 2006, the Holodomor has been recognized by the independent Ukraine and 14 other countries as a genocide of the Ukrainian people carried out by the Soviet Union.
You can learn more here.
Posted in Cultural issues, History | Comments (0)
A review of “Captain America: Civil War”
May 1st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
First, there was “Captain America: The First Avenger” [my review here]. This was was followed by “Captain America: The Winter Solider” [my review here]. This weekend saw the release in the UK of “Captain America: Civil War” – the best of the three – which I’ve reviewed here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
A review of the new release “Demolition”
May 1st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Canadian Jean-Marc Vallée has made three successive response-to-grief films. Following “Dallas Buyers Club” [my review here] and “Wild” [my review here], this weekend has seen the release in the UK of “Demolition” which I’ve reviewed here.
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Today is May Day – a celebration of the workers of the world
May 1st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
“On May Day, we celebrate the worker of the world: blue collar, white collar, pink collar, in hoodies, hijab, or prison green, this day belongs to the entire working class.”
Peter Linebaugh, American author of “The Incomplete, True, Authentic, and Wonderful History of May Day”
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Bluebells herald the arrival of Spring (at last)
April 30th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Vee with her twin sister Mari among bluebells
down on the south coast
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (1)
10 reasons why the UK should remain a member of the European Union
April 30th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
One of my Members of the European Parliament Seb Dance has put together an informative but succinct case on why we should vote ‘Yes” in the referendum on 23 June. You can check out his 10 reasons here.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of the thriller movie “Child 44”
April 29th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I haven’t read the book (should I?) but I have now seen the film of the novel “Child 44”. It should have been a better movie but it is still worth viewing and I’ve reviewed it here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
How to be a good leader
April 29th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
As part of my Friday practice of highlighting advice in the Life Skills section of my web site, today I offer suggestions on “How To Be A Good Leader” here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
A review of the action movie “Bastille Day”
April 28th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Black British actor Idris Elba is a man of talent and presence and “Bastille Day“confirms his ability to headline a movie. You can read my review here.
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A review of a new book on a 1942 commando raid on Sark
April 28th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
“Operation Basalt: The British Raid On Sark And Hitler’s Commando Order” by Eric Lee is a meticulously researched and excitingly written work about a small commando raid which had large and criminal consequences. You can read my review here.
Posted in History | Comments (0)