Archive for November, 2010


Now we have snow too

November 30th, 2010 by Roger Darlington

Here in London, we often have winters with no snow at all. When we do have snow, it is in January or February. But it’s the last day of November and now, like most of Britain, we have snow. At least the snow waited until the conclusion yesterday of the fourth tube strike in as […]

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What’s the coldest you’ve known?

November 29th, 2010 by Roger Darlington

Britain is experiencing a really cold spell which is unusual for this time of year. Snow has already fallen on northern parts of the country, it has now reached Leicester where my sister lives, and we are promised some in London where I live. The coldest weather that I have personally experienced was one Christmas […]

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Word of the day: Pangaea

November 27th, 2010 by Roger Darlington

Pangaea was the supercontinent that existed during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras about 250 million years ago before the component continents were separated into their current configuration. The name was coined in the scientific discussion of Alfred Wegener’s theory of the continental drift. The term Pangaea appeared in 1928 during a symposium to discuss Wegener’s […]

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Is there intelligent life beyond Earth?

November 26th, 2010 by Roger Darlington

I have been reading “The Greatest Show On Earth”, the evidence for evolution presented by Richard Dawkins. Towards the very end of the book, he offers the most succinct and likely answer to the question of life beyond our planet that I have see: “My guess, for what it is worth (not much, because there […]

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The Republicans and global warming

November 25th, 2010 by Roger Darlington

The greatest contribution to global warming is made by the United States whose House of Representatives is now controlled by the Republic Party following the rise of Tea Party fervour.  So read this and weep: “A 53%-majority of Republicans say there is no solid evidence the earth is warming. Among Tea Party Republicans, fully 70% […]

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The hidden side of China’s economic boom

November 25th, 2010 by Roger Darlington

This is an extract from the latest edition of the “China Labour Bulletin”: “The Chinese government last week announced a series of measures to stabilize rapidly increasing food prices. The new measures, which include boosting supplies of staples from government stockpiles, providing additional subsidies to needy families, and cracking down on speculators, clearly indicate the […]

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Those Angry Birds are still at it

November 25th, 2010 by Roger Darlington

Two months ago, I did a posting about the addictive power of the iPhone app called Angry Birds. I thought that it was time that I reported my progress. I tend to pay the game when I’m waiting for something: the PC to warm up, a tube train to arrive, the kettle to boil. Also, […]

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What is happening on the Korean peninsula?

November 24th, 2010 by Roger Darlington

As anyone who studies international relations will appreciate (I’m still doing a Wednesday evening class in the subject at the City Literary Institute in London), things are always more complicated than they seem at first sight. North Korea’s attack on the island of Yeonpyeong is provocative and unjustified. It is arguably the most serious incident […]

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How to think critically

November 21st, 2010 by Roger Darlington

The Joint Military Department of the United States Naval War College has approached me for permission to use my web site advice on “How To Think Critically” on their intranet for the 425 students.  Of course, I was happy to agree. If it’s good enough advice for the US military, you might want to check […]

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The ultimate intelligence test

November 20th, 2010 by Roger Darlington

If you have half an hour and would like a new measure of your intelligence, try this test.

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