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.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
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.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
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)
The shame of modern Britain – in one of the richest countries on the planet …
April 27th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
… over a million live in destitution, as explained in this piece from today’s “Guardian newspaper”:
“More than a million people in the UK are so poor they cannot afford to eat properly, keep clean or stay warm and dry, according to a groundbreaking attempt to measure the scale of destitution in Britain.
A study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) found that 184,500 households experienced a level of poverty in a typical week last year that left them reliant on charities for essentials such as food, clothes, shelter and toiletries.
More than three-quarters of destitute people reported going without meals, while more than half were unable to heat their home. Destitution affected their mental health, left them socially isolated and prone to acute feelings of shame and humiliation.
Although the study could not demonstrate that destitution had increased in recent years, it said this would be a plausible conclusion because of related evidence showing austerity-era rises in severe poverty, food bank use, homelessness and benefit sanction rates.”
If you want to look at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, you can access it here.
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)