Archive for July, 2006
Happy birthday, Nelson
July 18th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
Nelson Mandela is 88 today. He is the most inspirational leader of my generation and I wish him many more birthdays. I very much enjoyed reading his biography “Long Walk To Freedom” and you can read my review here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (1)
Would you live in a cul-de-sac?
July 17th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
For the past 22 years, I’ve lived in a cul-de-sac in north-west London. We love it: it’s quiet, there’s no through traffic, it’s easier to get to know the neighbours and – when our son was a child – it was a great place for him and the other children to play safely. But apparently […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (4)
Should we be supporting Israel? (1)
July 16th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
My good friend Eric Lee – who, for many years, lived in Israel – has written an eloquent and passionate piece about the current situation in the Middle East. I personally feel that the Israelis have overeacted to the blatant provocation to which they have been subject and I do not believe that everything possible […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (4)
24: The Movie
July 16th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
I’m a fan of the American television series “24”. I never watch it as it is broadcast weekly on television, but instead watch it on DVD when I can miss the adverts and watch several episodes at a time. This weekend, I started watching season three. In fact, I managed to watch a total of […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
The enduring appeal of modernism
July 15th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
This week, together with a very good Slovak friend, I visited the Victoria & Albert Museum in central London to see the exhibition “Modernism: Designing A New World 1914-1939”. It is an excellent exhibition and it has an informative website. What is modernism? The exhibition describes it as “not a style but a loose collection […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
What is it with labyrinths?
July 14th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
Almost everyone I know believes – always sincerely and often passionately – things about which I am (to be kind) deeply skeptical and which (to be less kind) I suspect are crackers. There are countless examples of such beliefs and I think that I’ll have to write an essay on the subject for my web […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
Memorable movie moments
July 13th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
No sooner did I post a call for memorable movie moments than my blog crashed, so probably few people saw the posting and responded to it. Therefore I’m repeating it again today …. As will be apparent from my web site, I’m a massive movie fan. A friend of mine in the United States, Professor […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Would you move to Vanuatu?
July 12th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
A new global measure of progress, the Happy Planet Index, has been constructed by the New Economics Foundation (Nef) and Friends of the Earth using three factors: life expectancy, human wellbeing and damage done via a country’s “environmental footprint”. It is published today and you can find more details here. Vanuatu comes top because its […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Should Royal Mail be privatised?
July 11th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
This lunchtime, I attended a seminar organised by the Social Market Foundation at which three different models were proposed for the creation of shares in Royal Mail which is currently 100% owned by the Government. Model 1: This was put forward by Conservative MP Tom Yeo, former Shadow spokeperson for Trade & Industry. He wants […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (1)
The English language
July 10th, 2006 by Roger Darlington
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is “screeched.” No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, or purple. “Dreamt” is the only English word that ends in the letters “mt.” There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous”: tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous. If you’re interested […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (2)