Archive for September, 2008
Forgotten World (144): Lesotho
September 4th, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Lesotho – an African country with a population of less than 2 million – cannot be seen apart from South Africa. First, it is totally surrounded by the territory of the much larger state. Second, over the decades thousands of workers have been forced by the lack of job opportunities to find work at South […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Is crime mapping a good idea?
September 3rd, 2008 by Roger Darlington
London residents can see how much crime is being committed in their neighbourhood on a new website launched today. The £210,000 projects shows robbery, burglary and car-crime statistics for the capital. Crime maps were a key manifesto pledge of the London mayor, Boris Johnson, who said today that the site would be “hugely beneficial” and […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
Why men should never be depressed
September 3rd, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Men are just happier people– Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can never be pregnant. Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another petrol station restroom because this one […]
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Forgotten World (143): Kashmir
September 3rd, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Kashmir is the north-western region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term “Kashmir” referred only to the valley lying between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal range. Since then, however, it has been used for a larger area that today includes the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir consisting of the […]
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Bring me sunshine
September 2nd, 2008 by Roger Darlington
“The gloomiest August on record has given way to a wet September, leaving sun-loving Brits once again feeling cheated of that most elusive of natural resources. At work and at home, at bus stops and in pubs, people talk about the weather.” This is how a BBC online piece on the British weather begins. I […]
Posted in Environment | Comments (0)
Forgotten World (142): Denmark
September 2nd, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Denmark – nation of 5.5 million – is one of the very few European countries of significant size that I have not visited. It is noted for its frequent post-war social democratic governments and high standards of living, but latterly it has had some centre-right coalitions and it is a skeptical member of the European […]
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Understanding PMR and GCA
September 1st, 2008 by Roger Darlington
Five women are launching a trans-Atlantic survey to help find the causes – and cure – for two mystery illnesses, PMR and GCA, which mainly affect the over 50 ‘baby boomers’ and must cost the UK many millions of pounds. These illnesses also mainly affect women, and an estimated 100-200,00 suffer from them in the […]
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Forgotten World (141): Sardinia
September 1st, 2008 by Roger Darlington
It’s been two months since I’ve run a week of postings in my long-running series called Forgotten World – a look at parts of the world that hardly feature in our media or thoughts. You can check the previous 140 entries here. Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily). The island […]
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