Archive for October, 2009
The perils of being a writer
October 17th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
In an article in today’s “Guardian”, writer Lionel Shriver explains how basing her fifth novel on her own family proved disasterous for familial relationships. All writers face the problem that inevitably they will draw on the lives of people they know – perhaps most especially their own – but one does not want to cause […]
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My 12th short story
October 17th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
I haven’t published a short story for a couple of weeks – too many work meetings. But today I’ve added to my web site my latest – and my shortest – story. It’s entitled “An African Adventure”. Please check it out and let me know what you think.
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Does water have memory?
October 16th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
I don’t think so – but it’s amazing how many people do and of course this theory is at the heart of the alleged efficacy of homeopathic medicines. This page from Wikipedia explains: “While some studies, including Benveniste’s, have reported such an effect, double-blind replications of the experiments involved have failed to reproduce the results, […]
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Some political humour
October 16th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
I was at a conference this week held in the House of Commons and entitled “Parliament And The Internet”. One of the speakers was Stephen Timms in his capacity as Minister for Digital Britain. He told us a delightful little story. First Timms reminded his audience that Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the world […]
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“Mountains of National Debt – Hysteria and Myth?”
October 13th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
The university department where I did my degree in Management Sciences is now part of the Manchester Business School and the latest “MBS Alumni Relations eNewsletter” features an article entitled “Mountains of National Debt – Hysteria and Myth?”. It is by Professor Michael Luger, Director of Manchester Business School, who asks whether the national debt […]
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Three libraries and one Marxist
October 11th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
This week, I visited Manchester to speak for Consumer Focus at a fringe meeting of the Conservative Party Conference [my blog posting here]. I took the opportunity to see my step-mother who lives outside the city. Now I love books and she is a former librarian, so she took me to no less than three […]
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Dinner at “Bakko”
October 11th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
Now that our good friend Eric has moved from Finchley to Muswell Hill in north London, we’re exploring new eating venues each time we see him. This evening, we went to a Turkish place called “Bakko” and had the set menu. Delicious food and friendly service.
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Angel Awareness Day
October 10th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
I bet that you didn’t know that today is Angel Awareness Day. Who says so? Someone called Diane Cooper. It seems that Angel Awareness Day is an annual event to help more people to be aware of and connect to their angels. Teachers from the Diana Cooper School organise a variety of events throughout the […]
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My visit to Toryland
October 9th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
I’ve been a member of the Labour Party for 40 years and, in my younger days, between 1972-1983 I attended 12 consecutive Labour Party Conferences at various seaside venues. But this week was my first visit to a Conservative Party Conference and the venue was Manchester (actually my home town). I was a speaker for […]
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The obliquity of the ecliptic
October 8th, 2009 by Roger Darlington
What is it? Well, it’s the reason why in the Northern Hemisphere the days are now becoming colder and shorter. You’ll find an explanation here.
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