A review of the new film “Carol”
December 18th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I’ve had a really good week for moviegoing – first “Brooklyn” and now “Carol”. Both are set in New York in the 1950s and could be regarded as women’s films but I loved them. See my review of “Carol” here.
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A review of the new film “Brooklyn”
December 17th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
It is most certainly not a blockbuster; it’s galaxies apart from the new “Star Wars” movie (which I am dying to see); but “Brooklyn” is a gem of a movie which I heartily recommend. You can read my review here.
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Why is the American middle class so anxious and why is Donald Trump doing so well?
December 16th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
One of the most astute commentators on the American political and economic scene is Robert Reich and he has just written this short article explaining why so many Americans are so anxious and seeking solace from “a strongman who’d promise to protect them from all the chaos”.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
The danger in the South China Sea
December 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Five years ago, I did a posting which pointed out:
“We think of the Middle East as the most likely location for global conflict, but the South China Sea is the scene of many worrying developments. China has declared that it views the South China Sea as a “core” interest and is beginning to deploy more military muscle in the area, while the United States continues to insist that it has a “national interest” in freedom of navigation in the Sea.”
Meanwhile the situation has become much more tense, largely as a result of the more interventionist approach being adopted by China which is building a range of artificial islands and deploying a sizeable naval force in the region.
China is bound by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which it has ratified. The law states that sub-sea structures, such as reefs, cannot be claimed as sovereign coastline and that building artificial structures on top of them does not turn them in to sovereign territory either.
Yet China has reclaimed or built upon no less than seven reefs and laid claim to almost all of the South China Sea. It takes an aggressive stance towards anyone trying to sail or fly near those reefs as you can see from this new BBC report. It is only a matter of time before there is an international incident in these disputed waters.
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The Darlington Christmas letter 2015
December 14th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Each year, Vee and I send out a Christmas letter with our Christmas card to those with whom we have been in too little touch in the course of the previous 12 months. It’s a way of keeping friends up-to-date with our lives and activities and seems to be popular. You can now read this year’s Christmas letter here.
In fact, since I became an Internet user, I’ve been putting our Christmas letters on my web site with some photographs and hyperlinks. The latest letter is the 20th. So, if you have the time and inclination, you could look at the text of earlier letters – or just glance at the photos – here.
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Ever heard of Louie Zamperini?
December 14th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Like most non-Americans I guess, I’d never heard of Louis “Louie” Zamperini before Angelina Jolie made a film about him.
It is a truly remarkable story: someone who represented the United States in the 5,000 metres at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and then, during his war service as a bombardier with the USAAF, somehow survived drifting in the Pacific for an amazing 47 days, only to find himself a prisoner of war who was brutalised by his Japanese captors.
You can read my review of “Unbroken” here.
Posted in Cultural issues, History | Comments (0)
The rise and rise of Alicia Vikander
December 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Nine months ago, I did a blog posting which began: “You may not have heard of her but, believe me, you will.” This was a reference to the Swedish actress Alicia Vikander.
Well, to confirm that 2015 has been her break-out year, today the “Observer” newspaper devotes three pages to an interview with her.
I have now seen her in four of her films and I believe that she is a special talent.
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The best news for a l-o-n-g time: we have a global deal on climate change
December 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
After 23 years of failure to agree a new global climate deal and negotiations in Paris that concluded with three all-night sessions, 196 nations have signed a deal on climate change set out in 31 pages of text and due to come into force in 2020.
What are the key elements?
- To keep global temperatures “well below” 2.0C (3.6F) and “endeavour to limit” them even more, to 1.5C
- To limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity to the same levels that trees, soil and oceans can absorb naturally, beginning at some point between 2050 and 2100
- To review each country’s contribution to cutting emissions every five years so they scale up to the challenge
- For rich countries to help poorer nations by providing “climate finance” to adapt to climate change and switch to renewable energy – around $100 billion a year from 2020.
Many, many people have brought about this historic deal, but special appreciation should go to Christiana Figueres, the Costa Rican who has been executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change since 2010. Thanks Christiana, thanks everyone. Now let’s make the deal stick.
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‘World’s longest married couple’ celebrate 90th anniversary
December 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Many congratulations to Karam and Kartari Chand – see here.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
A short guide to the Spanish political system
December 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
In just over a week’s time, Spanish voters will elect a new parliament and the two establishment parties are being challenged by two new parties, so the result could represent a new political settlement.
In preparation for the election, I have written the 14th contribution to my collection of essays providing a short guide to a country’s political system. Check out my description of the Spanish political system here.
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