Listening to “A Head Full Of Dreams”
December 26th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
One of my Christmas presents was the latest Coldplay album: “A Head Full Of Dreams”. It is the fifth Coldplay album in my collection.
I know that critics can be quite condescending about Coldplay’s music, but it is consistent in style and consistently pleasurable and joyful.
It’s the kind of music you hear a lot in cafes and clothes shops and I enjoy listening to it while I’m working on the computer. So what’s wrong with that?
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Christmas is too much fun to have only once a year
December 26th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
So, that’s it: another Christmas over. Forget the presents; what’s really special about Christmas is seeing family and friends and all that delicious food and drink with some time off work. It’s a pity that we only do this sort of thing once a year.
But, wait … The Americans effectively do it twice a year because, a month before Christmas, they have Thanksgiving. I’ve never understood why other countries don’t take on this idea. After all, we’ve borrowed so many other American traditions, most notably Halloween.
OK. So, if Thanksgiving isn’t coming to us, perhaps we can go to Thanksgiving. The idea has been on my bucket list for some time.
Now our good American friends Mike and Laura – who live outside Washington DC – have invited us over to spend Thanksgiving 2016 with them. So we don’t have to wait 12 months for another Christmas-type event. Great stuff!
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Happy Christmas story (1): how 18 month old Bella survived the switching off of her ventilator
December 24th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
“A couple who said a final farewell to their baby daughter as her life support machine was turned off told of her miracle recovery.
Francesca and Lee Moore-Williams, 41 and 44, cried as they held Bella’s hand and took one final photograph before her ventilator was switched off.
The couple even signed a Do Not Resuscitate form meaning no special measures would be taken to keep her alive.
But just 30 minutes after their heartbreaking goodbye the 18-month-old tot, who doctors had given up for dead, began kicking and screaming.”
You can read the full story here.
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Happy Christmas story (2): how three year old Emma saved her pregnant mum and unborn brother
December 24th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
“A girl of three received a bravery award on Wednesday for saving the life of her heavily pregnant mum who tripped and fell downstairs.
Little Emma Bazzard called 999 as mum Catherine, 27, lay unconscious on the floor with a ruptured placenta.
The toddler calmly gave her name and address and explained what happened during the 11-minute call to emergency services.
Emma told call handler Sarah Morris: ‘Mummy fall down a stairs and she has got a baby.'”
You can read the full story here.
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Who were the 73 most powerful people on the planet in 2015?
December 23rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Each year, the “Forbes” magazine compiles a list of those it believes to be the most powerful in the world.
This year – for the third year running – top place goes to Vladimir Putin, President of Russia. Second place is given to Angel Merkel, Chancellor of Germany. No 3 is Barack Obama, the President of the United States.
David Cameron, Prime Minister of Britain, comes in at 8th place.
Hillary Clinton is currently at No 58, while Donald Trump is in 72nd place. Where will they be in a year’s time?
You can see the full list here.
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Labour people are optimists, but this time Polly Toynbee sees no hope
December 22nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
As a lifelong Labour Party member, I share Polly Toynbee’s despair. I have never known a time in my 46 years of party membership when i thought that Labour was less likely to win the next General Election.
Toynbee begins an article for today’s “Guardian” newspaper as follows:
“This is the bleakest midwinter of Labour’s misfortunes. Those emotionally invested in the hope of a future Labour government have never faced such dark days. Ahead lie years of a hegemonic Conservative era, free to do what they like in pursuit of driving the state below the size of anything attempted by Margaret Thatcher.”
Later in her piece, she picks up on the absurdity of making party policy by inviting e-mails from party members:
“Compromise with the voters will be far harder with Corbyn’s pledge this week to let party members decide policy … The 1% who join parties are not like other voters. Both memberships [Labour and Conservative] are far from the centre, Tory members even further away than Labour’s.
May’s law of curvilinear disparity shows voters are more centrist than party activists, and MPs are closer to voters than are their party members. Labour will only win when its members decide it’s worth compromising to oust the Tories from power, as they finally did after their fourth miserable defeat in 1992.”
This surely is the key issue: does the Labour Party want to be a movement that is mainly concerned with making its supporters feel good or above all one that wants to win power to create a fairer and more equal society?
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Major upset in Spanish politics
December 21st, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The Spanish went to the polls on Sunday to election a new Congress of Deputies and a new Senate.
For the first time in anti-austerity Continental European politics, the party of government that had imposed severe budget cuts managed to win the largest share of the votes – but the People’s Party lost its overall majority and will now struggle to find the necessary coalition partner(s).
Two new parties, Podemos and Ciudadanos, have won significant support to provide the largest upset in Spanish politics since the resumption of democracy in the mid 1970s.
You can understand more about what is going on by reading my up-dated guide to the Spanish political system.
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My reviews of EVERY “Star Wars” film including “The Force Awakens”
December 20th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
For the 17th time in my life, this weekend I went to the cinema to see a “Star Wars” movie. As you will know – unless you’ve been in an alternate universe for the last couple of years – the seventh film in the franchise opened this weekend and I was there with other expectant and hopeful fans.
If you want to read my reviews of all seven “Star Wars” films, click here. If you just wish to view my review of “The Force Awakens”, click here.
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A Christmas performance of Handlel’s “Messiah”
December 19th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
This weekend, Vee and I went along to the Royal Albert hall in London for a splendid performance of “Messiah” composed by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759). Amazingly Handel wrote this oratorio over the course of just 24 days in the summer of 1741. The work consists of 53 pieces which take over two hours to perform.
We had terrific seats – on the arena floor, just five rows from the front. We had one full orchestra with organ, three large choirs, four distinguished solo singers, all overlooked by two huge Christmas trees. The conductor Brian Wright invited the audience to stand for the mighty “Hallelujah”.
You can see and hear a rendition of the “Hallelujah” from “Messiah” – another version sung at the Royal Albert Hall – here (be sure to turn up the volume):
Posted in Cultural issues, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
How to use time well
December 18th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
People often ask me how I manage to do so much – and I answer simply that “I plan”.
This Friday’s visit to the Life Skills section of my web site is a highlight of my advice on “How to use time well” which you can read here.
Even I will be taking it easy over Christmas and the New Year though!
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