Archive for June, 2009


How is Obama doing?

June 28th, 2009 by Roger Darlington

During the US presidential election campaign, we all knew that expectations of Barack Obama were so high that the reality was bound to disappoint. On the inauguration of Obama as president, we all knew that the honeymoon period could not last for ever. At the end of his first 100 days in the White House, […]

Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)


Remembering the Katyn massacre

June 27th, 2009 by Roger Darlington

What each of us knows and doesn’t know is very varied and very personal, but I’ve been surprised and saddened at how few people I know have heard of the Katyn massacre of 1940. The Wikipedia page on the subject introduces it as follows: “The Katyn massacre, also known as the Katyn Forest massacre (Polish: […]

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Am I a white supremacist?

June 26th, 2009 by Roger Darlington

I’ve just had a text message from a British friend who is currently working in the United States. He told that he was in the lobby of a hotel in Connecticut where ‘SiteCoach’ would not allow him to access my web site on the grounds of ‘white supremacy’. Check out whether you think I’m that […]

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The shame of Iran (4)

June 26th, 2009 by Roger Darlington

Four international trade union organisations (ITUC, ITF, IUF and EI) have declared today as the international day of solidarity with Iranian workers to support their struggle for their basic rights. Members of these confederations around the world will organize practical support towards workers in Iran today. Further details of the day of action here. This […]

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It’s my birthday (again)

June 25th, 2009 by Roger Darlington

Today’s my birthday. This is surprising to me because I’m sure that I had one last year – but they seem to keep coming. As my wife says, it’s better than the alternative. Last year, it was a special birthday; this year, it’s a routine one (I’m 61). In fact, so routine was it that […]

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The PILL pilot trial (5)

June 24th, 2009 by Roger Darlington

For 12 weeks now, I’ve been taking a “polypill” each day as part of an international pilot trial for the treatment of people at raised risk of cardiovascular disease such as as heart attack or stroke. So this morning, I made my fifth and final visit to the International Centre for Circulatory Health at St […]

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All change in Manchester

June 24th, 2009 by Roger Darlington

In the early part of this week, I visited Manchester to speak at a conference on next generation broadband. Now I was brought up in Manchester and went to school and university there, so it’s always a pleasure to return to the city which has undergone enormous redevelopment since I left in 1971. Also I […]

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My ever-smarter iPhone

June 21st, 2009 by Roger Darlington

I bought an iPhone within days of its release in the UK as I blogged here and, in no time at all, I was enthusing about its wonderful features here. However, it’s only recently that I’ve started to use the e-mail facilities and to download applications. Now along comes version 3.0 of the Operating System […]

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Ten days that shook my world (5)

June 20th, 2009 by Roger Darlington

Regular readers of NightHawk will know about my recent loss of connection problems with my Internet service provider Pipex, but you can remind yourself here. Once I obtained my Net connection back again, I lodged an immediate and detailed complaint with Pipex. I was not satisfied with the response so I took the matter to […]

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The shame of Iran (3)

June 20th, 2009 by Roger Darlington

Is Iran on the verge of another revolution? The complete rejection of the protesters’ concerns by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggests that either the demonstrations will collapse or they will be put down forcibly or they will ignite a revolutionary movement. Where does the reformist leader Mir Hossein Mousavi stand in all this? […]

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