Archive for December, 2010
What can we expect on the international front in 2011?
December 31st, 2010 by Roger Darlington
“Politically speaking, not a lot changed and not a lot was solved in 2010. Economic hard times, disappointment with an underachieving Barack Obama, the familiar bloody slog in Afghanistan, lack of progress on climate change, sabre-rattling in east Asia and stalemate in the Middle East made it a year many will be happy to forget. […]
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I start my 50th diary
December 30th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
After several failed attempts, I managed to start keeping a diary when I was 12 and my first entry was on Sunday 31 December 1961. Since then, I’ve never missed a single day which means that I’ve written around 18,000 entries and that in the New Year I’ll start my 50th diary. Why do I […]
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I see my 2,000th film
December 30th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
I have a lifelong love of the cinema which I’ve explained here. Throughout the nearly 50 years that I’ve kept a daily diary, I’ve recorded all the films that I’ve seen at the cinema, on television, and on VCR or DVD and maintained a card index system to note when I’ve seen (or re-seen) each […]
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What do celebrities know about science?
December 29th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
The short answer is: “Not very much”. But their fame can lead them to have a real influence over the take-up by credulous people of all sorts of nonsense devices or techniques. The organisation Sense About Science has just published its annual round-up of some of the weird advice offered by various celebrities in 2010. […]
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How much do you give?
December 29th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
It’s easy to be cynical about the Coalition Government’s idea of the Big Society, but it’s hard to disagree with the main themes behind the Cabinet Office Green Paper on “Giving” which is published today. Francis Maude, Minister for the Cabinet Office, said: “Big Society is about creating a country in which people are in […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
Four days of families and fun
December 28th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Effectively Christmas 2010 is now over for us. On Christmas Day and Boxing Day, at home in London Vee and I hosted a visit by eight members of her family, six of whom stayed overnight. Two of them were little ones which added to the fun. Then yesterday we drove up to Leicester for a […]
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Eight shepherds and two angels
December 26th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
All our eight Christmas Day/Boxing Day family guests have now left; a great time was had by all; and here’s a shot of the Christmas lunch: Can you spot the two angels?[Photo by David Rowe]
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The calm before the (welcome) storm
December 25th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
The table is laid for Christmas lunch for 10 people; not one but two turkeys have been cooked; Christmas pudding, Christmas cake and mince pies are all ready. Now Vee and I await the arrival of eight of her closest relatives: twin sister Mari and husband Derek; their sons Martin and David; their wives Isobel […]
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Friends at the Frenkels
December 24th, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Almost four years ago, Vee and I spent a fantastic week travelling round Israeli [my account here] with our special friend Eric, who once lived in the country for 18 years, and his son Yonatan. One of the places where we stayed was a wonderful bed and breakfast place [click here] run by Erwin and […]
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Political systems of different nations
December 23rd, 2010 by Roger Darlington
Some of the most visited pages on my web site are my various short guides to political systems of different countries. I started with Britain and the USA and gradually expanded the scope. I’ve had no meetings this week as we run up to Christmas, so I’ve had time to add two more such essays, […]
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