Archive for May, 2008
How many continents are there?
May 6th, 2008 by Roger Darlington
It really depends on the categorisation one uses Seven areas are commonly regarded as continents. They are (from largest in size to smallest): Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia. On this basis, I’ve visited five – not having been to Antarctica or Australia. As you’ll see from this analysis, however, there […]
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Can a politician be normal?
May 6th, 2008 by Roger Darlington
I think that I have some understanding of what it is like to be a senior politician. I worked full-time for one in the 1970s, two years in the House of Commons, two years in the Northern Ireland Office and two years in the Home Office. Since those days, I have met many Members of […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (1)
Cuban music in Hammersmith
May 5th, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Our recent visit to Cuba [my narrative here] has stimulated my interest in Cuban music. We bought a couple of CDs during the trip and, since we returned from the holiday, we’ve purchased and watched the 1999 film “Buena Vista Social Club” [my review here]. So we were excited at the opportunity to hear some […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
What we watch
May 4th, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Vee and I usually finish the day sitting on the couch together watching television. Most of what we watch is recorded on Sky+. That way, we never miss a programme we really want to watch, we can stop the programme if we missed some dialogue, and we can skip the adverts. At the core of […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)
Beyond our Ken
May 3rd, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Two days ago, I did a posting about the London elections. In the event, Ken Livingstone did not come that close to holding on to the post of London Mayor and now we have at least four years of Boris Johnston in the top seat. It will take some getting used to – but he […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
Forgotten World (130): Australia
May 2nd, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Australia is one of the largest countries in the world – but most of it is desert – and constitutes the overwhelming mass of the smallest continent on the globe (Australasia). The population is just over 21 million with approximately 60% of the population concentrated in and around the mainland state capitals of Sydney, Melbourne, […]
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The London elections
May 1st, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Ever since I obtained the right to vote at the age of 18 – almost 42 years ago – I have never failed to vote in an election and I have never failed to vote Labour. This may make me predictable and old-fashioned but, if (as I do) one supports a fairer and more equal […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (2)
Forgotten World (129): Burkina Faso
May 1st, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Formerly called Upper Volta and a French colony until 1960, Burkina Faso (which translates as “land of honest men”) is a country of 15 million which has spent many of its post-independence years under military rule with repeated coups, especially during the 1980s. Coup leader Blaise Compaore won a new five-year term in 2005 after […]
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