Archive for July, 2007
The British-Irish Council
July 19th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
Earlier this week, there was a little-reported meeting of the virtually unknown British-Irish Council. This was the first meeting of the Council since the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive and the first time it has ever been held in the Stormont Parliament. But what is the British-Irish Council and what does it do? The […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
50 years of the EU in the world
July 18th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
I’ve always been a supporter of the European project which we now call the European Union (EU), but its difficult for the citizens of its 27 member states to appreciate the role and value of the organisation. In an effort to explain what it is all about, the EU has posted 52 video clips on […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
The power of touch
July 17th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
“There is not a culture where touch is natural. We don’t feel very confident in the presence of others, therefore touch is not natural, it’s not organic, and the word ‘touch’ is so misused.” Polish massage therapist Beata Aleksandrowicz commenting on the British I’m a touchy-feelly person – I like to kiss women on the […]
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (2)
LibraryThing
July 16th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
If you love reading books, you might find this site fun. Talking of libraries, as a schoolboy I used to borrow all the books I read and, as a student, I used to spend most of my time in the places. Since I finished at university, I’ve never been to a library. I like to […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (5)
The World In One City
July 15th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
One of the major reasons that I love living in London is that it is such a cosmopolitan and multicultural city. Some of our closest neighbours are Irish, Indian, Pakistani, Polish and Lebanese. Some of our closest friends are Chinese. My newsagent is Sri Lankan, my doctor is Indian, my hairdresser is Kosovan, and my […]
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (3)
The (very clever) new iPhone
July 14th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
As a user of O2’s mobile network, which is likely to obtain exclusive UK rights to the new iPhone by Christmas, I’m excited by the prospect of obtaining the device as a Christmas present to myself – especially if it does this.
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (1)
Home alone … no more
July 13th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
After 10 days in France with her twin sister and two other female relatives, Vee has returned home to find that – with help from our Chinese friends Hua & Zhihao and the use of a microwave – I have survived and so has the cat. It’s lovely to have her back and I’ve arranged […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Have bags of fun saving the planet
July 12th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
A colleague of mine at Postwatch Liz Lainé has recently been on BBC Breakfast television showing how to turn old bits of material into what the ‘guerrilla bagging’ movement calls a ‘morsbag’. This is a reusable bag for shopping that means less plastic bags and less damage to the environment. You can learn more about […]
Posted in Environment | Comments (0)
“Europe At War” (2)
July 11th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
At last I’ve finished reading the 500-page work “Europe At War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory” written by the British historian Norman Davies. The main theme of this work is that the western nations have failed to comprehend and acknowledge the scale of the battles and the deaths on the Eastern Front which are such as […]
Posted in History | Comments (3)
Should we simplify spelling?
July 10th, 2007 by Roger Darlington
The English language – which is, of course, now the global language – is relatively easy to learn and exceptionally hard to master. One of the major problems with English is the inconsistent spelling and pronunciation. This has led some to argue for a simplified system of spelling. There is a fascinating debate on this […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (3)