Archive for August, 2011
London in flames – but why?
August 9th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
What a miserable summer: the return of famine in East Africa, the murder of demonstrators in Syria, the Eurozone crisis, the collapse of share prices around the world – and now rioting, looting and burning in more and more parts of London and even other British cities. As someone who has lived in London for […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (1)
A review of “Fair Game”
August 7th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
This is a political thriller and a true story that deserves much more attention. You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Is this the cutiest photo yet of baby Catrin?
August 7th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I’m know that I’m biased and besotted – but don’t I have the most gorgeous granddaughter? “Why does mommy keep photographing me?”
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)
A review of “Marathon Man”
August 6th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
As research for a possible short story, I finally caught up with the 1976 film “Marathon Man” which I’ve reviewed here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
The letter you never want to write
August 6th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
In the Family supplement of today’s “Guardian”, there is this letter to “my husband, soon to be a widower”: “Well, my darling man, last Thursday we heard the news. The haematologist looked so stricken when he gave us the six-month deadline that neither of us felt we could react or cry then and there, for […]
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
Is Israel having its own kind of revolution?
August 5th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I was talking this week to a Jewish friend, who once lived in Israel for 18 years, and he complained that the current round of demonstrations in Israel was receiving so little coverage in the British media. He was making a good point. Our media seems to have a different prism through which it sees […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
My offer to be a London Ambassador (5)
August 4th, 2011 by Roger Darlington
It’s almost exactly a year ago that I did my first posting about my wish to become a London Ambassador for the 2012 Olympic Games. Subsequently I applied and was shortlisted and this morning I was actually interviewed for the position. First, a few facts and figures. Apparently, some 33,000 registered an interest in the […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)
Catrin & I visit ‘Appearing Rooms’
August 3rd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
I spent the afternoon with my granddaughter Catrin who is now six and a half months old and phasing in to attendance at a nursery. “Corr, it ain’t ‘arf hot here in London town” It was really hot (30C/86F), so I thought it would be fun to visit the ‘Appearing Rooms’ fountain on the South […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (4)
A review of “Captain America”
August 3rd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Just what the world needs – another super-hero. Actually “Captain America – The First Avenger” is not bad at all and sets us up nicely for next April’s release of the collective of super-heroes “The Avengers”. You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
How can America cut its deficit?
August 2nd, 2011 by Roger Darlington
Economics can seem complicated and coverage of the debate over raising the US debt limit has been about process more than substance. But, in this article, George Monbiot, makes the implications of the agreement clear: “There are two ways of cutting a deficit: raising taxes or reducing spending. Raising taxes means taking money from the […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)