Will we ever agree on what caused the First World War?
August 19th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
It took six weeks, but I have now finished viewing the box set of the 26-part BBC television series on “The Great War” which was bought for me as a birthday present by a good friend. It was a utterly fascinating series, informative and balanced and very, very moving. This was a war the like of which the world had never seen, resulting in over 37 million military and civilian casualties.
The BBC series was broadcast in 1964 to mark the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of this horrendous conflict. Next year, we will see a host of television programmes, books, articles and exhibitions to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the start of the war. I am particuarly interested in seeing the new sections of the Imperial War Museum in London.
However, in a recent article, Richard Norton-Taylor opined:
“… the government seems intent on avoiding any serious debate about the war and its causes, ducking responsibility, apparently fearful of getting embroiled in a blame game.”
He refers to the work of Cambridge historian Christopher Clark and writes:
“The conflict began in the Balkans but a catalyst, he says, was Italy’s seizure of the Ottoman province of Libya in 1911 – 100 years before Britain and France launched air strikes against the country. Italy’s attack whetted appetites and Bulgaria, Serbia and Greece grabbed Turkish territory in Macedonia and Albania. Nationalistic and ethnic divisions erupted in a region which formed part of the Austro-Hungarian empire as well as the Ottoman.”
Posted in History | Comments (0)
Welcome to food bank Britain where even working families have to request provisions
August 18th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
“Food banks have no place in modern Britain. Millions of families are facing a perfect storm of pressures on their budgets. The combined impact of welfare upheaval, cuts to public spending, low wages and the high cost of living are putting unbearable pressure on many households, forcing them to seek emergency help putting food on the table.”
This is a quote from Gillian Guy, Chief Executive of Citizens Advice, in a newspaper piece explaining that an “alarming” 78% rise in food bank inquiries has taken place over the last six months, as people with jobs start using them to provide emergency supplies until their next pay day.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
An Indian evening of Raksha Bandhan and birthday celebration
August 17th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
This evening, Vee and I were delighted to spend time with our lovely Indian neighbours Anil & Bharti (grandparents), Manish & Krishna (parents), and Deepa (16) & Anand (12).
It was mainly a celebration of Deepa’s 16th birthday (which is actually on Wednesday), but it was also an occasion to mark the Indian festival of Raksha Bandhan (which is also on Wednesday). Outside of Manish’s three staff, who are from various parts of the former USSR, we were the only non-Indians there among a vibrant gathering of around 60 and we felt very privileged to share in this cultural celebration.
In the West, we have Father’s Day and Mother’s Day but we have no equivalent to Raksha Bandhan which marks the relationship of brother and sister. The sister ties a rakhi. a sacred coloured thread, on her brother’s wrist, while the brother offers money (not exactly a fair exchange). We ate delicious Indian food and Vee was given a lovely shawl.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Ever heard of Brit Marling?
August 17th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
No, I didn’t think so. But, believe me, she is a woman to watch.
She is an intelligent and attractive American actress who turned down a job at Goldman Sachs to seek a career in the movies. In just a few years, she has been in three small, independent films where she was the lead actor and she co-wrote and co-produced.
The works are “Sound Of My Voice”‘ [my review here]. “Another Earth” [my review here].,and “The East” [my review here]. She has also appeared in “Arbitrage” [my review here].
Rent the movies and watch her career.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Who is the oldest man on the planet?
August 16th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
It’s the summer – the silly season for the media when Parliament is in recess and politicians are on holiday. Right on cue, the “Mirror” newspaper today has a story about the oldest man alive – who apparently is the oldest man ever recorded.
He is called Carmelo Flores Laura and he is said to be an amazing 123 years old. He is a Bolivian who lives near Lake Titicaca. I was in the location in 2001 [see account here] and, if I’d known about Carmelo then, I’d have called on him for a cup of tea.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of the movie “Gangster Squad”
August 16th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
I think that you can guess what this film is about, but you can learn more from my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
The stupidest interview ever by Fox News
August 15th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
American academic Reza Aslan is brilliantly clear and composed in refuting the absurd claims of Fox News interviewer that, because, he is a Muslim, he is suspect in writing a book about the life of Jesus. Check it out here:
In an interview in today’s “Guardian”, Aslan states:
“You can’t spend your life studying the world’s religions and take any one of those religions all that seriously, in so far as it’s a manmade set of doctrines espoused and enforced by an institution. I self-identify as a Muslim now because the language of it makes most sense to me.”
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
What is the most dangerous country in the world to be a trade unionist?
August 15th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
The answer is Guatemala where, in the last five years, at least 58 trade union members have been killed with no one ever convicted of a murder.Current trade union membership in the country stands at a mere 1.6% of the working population. You can find more information here.
I spent 24 years as a professional trade union official in Britain. Whatever criticisms one can make of trade unions, i believe that no nation can truly claim to be open and democratic if it does not have a vibrant labour movement.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Why Britain’s National Health Service is so sick
August 15th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
Are we really that close to Christmas?
August 14th, 2013 by Roger Darlington
All our Christmas cards are purchased from charities that we support and we try to spread our orders between a number of them. So each year we receive catalogues through the mail from every charity that we have ever backed.
Today – more than four months before Noel – we received our first charity Christmas catalogue for 2013!
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)