Archive for August, 2007
Happy birthday Rachael
August 2nd, 2007 by Roger Darlington
This evening, Vee and I took our young friends Rachael and James out for dinner to our favourite local restaurant “Incanto” at Harrow-on-the-Hill. The food and service there are always excellent and tonight was a little special because it was Rachael’s 28th birthday and we had arranged for a special birthday dessert.
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The Japanese political system
August 2nd, 2007 by Roger Darlington
In the series of essays on different political systems for my web site, I’ve now composed “A Short Guide To The Japanese Political System”. This is the fifth in the series and I plan three more. Each country’s political system is so different because of its different history and culture.
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Forgotten World (94): Kyrgyzstan
August 2nd, 2007 by Roger Darlington
Kyrgyzstan is a multi-ethnic, but mainly Muslim, state of 5M comprising Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Russians, Ukrainians and Germans, and a small number of Uighur, Dungan – Chinese Muslims – and Koreans. It became independent with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. In 2005 a popular revolt, sparked by allegations of government interference in […]
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Czeching out London
August 1st, 2007 by Roger Darlington
Today I spent six hours taking a 19 year old Czech guy called David on a walking tour of central London. It was his first visit to the city, so I just wanted him to have a quick overview of the main tourist locations. We started at Buckingham Palace where our arrival coincided with the […]
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Winston Churchill travelling fellowships
August 1st, 2007 by Roger Darlington
Each year, the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust awards a number of travelling fellowships. I won one in 1980 which enabled me to spend five weeks in the USA studying the American telecommunications system. There are no eligibility criteria so anyone can apply for an award. However, each year there are different subject categories for the […]
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Forgotten World (93): Oman
August 1st, 2007 by Roger Darlington
Oman – a state of 3M citizens – occupies the south-east corner of the Arabian peninsula and is the oldest independent state in the Arab world. Under Sultan Said bin Taimur, who came to power in 1938, the country experienced decades of international isolation, a society run along feudal lines and internal rebellion. However, after […]
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