Archive for February, 2010
The sudden outbreak of deficit hysteria
February 6th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Should Americans panic about the current level of the federal deficit? In the “New York Times”, Paul Grugman has this op-ed which explains rationally why an economy just out of recession needs a tolerable level of deficit.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
Happy Waitangi Day
February 6th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
On this date in 1840, some 40 Maori chiefs and British Governor William Hobson gathered in the village of Waitangi, in the Bay of Islands, to sign a treaty which gave Britain sovereignty over the land of New Zealand, while protecting the Maoris’ ownership of their lands and treasures. This was called the Treaty of […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (1)
Asking people a question
February 5th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
I had lunch today in central London with a new work colleague. I wanted to welcome her to the organisation and get to know her better. Although we both now live and work in the capital, we are both Northerners – she from York and me from Manchester – and people from the North have […]
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
What is the Kaaba?
February 3rd, 2010 by Roger Darlington
I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of devout Muslims walking around a huge rectangular object in the heart of Mecca. But what is it and why is it so significant in Islam? It is called the Kaaba. Inside this enormous cube, the holiest object is the black stone. Nobody is sure what it is but it […]
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Academy Award nominations 2010
February 2nd, 2010 by Roger Darlington
I’m a massive movie fan, so I always watch out for the Academy Award nominations and awards. The nominations for this year have just been announced – see full list here. Three films have received eight or nine nominations each and I’ve seen each of them: “Avatar” – my review here “The Hurt Locker” – […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
The wonder that was Mo Mowlam
February 1st, 2010 by Roger Darlington
This evening, I watched a recorded version of the Channel 4 docu-drama on the life of Labour Minister Mo Mowlam which was screened yesterday evening. I thought that it was an impressive work that both captured the essence of this wonderful character and challenged us to think of how illness can define us. I am […]
Posted in History | Comments (0)
National Storytelling Week
February 1st, 2010 by Roger Darlington
You may have missed it but this week – the first in February – is National Storytelling Week. I’m a big fan of stories. On my web site, you’ll find 44 short motivational stories here and 18 of my own short stories here. Enjoy!
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Word of the day: hermeneutics
February 1st, 2010 by Roger Darlington
I had never heard of this word until my son spent a year at the University of Amsterdam as part of his first degree over a decade ago. He did a course called “The Hermaneutics Of Gender”. I’ve seen the word rarely since – but I did come across it in an academic paper that […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)