Archive for October, 2012
Obama vs Romney: on the final stretch
October 23rd, 2012 by Roger Darlington
The United States presidential election is only two weeks away and we have just had the third and final of the debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. Romney certainly won the first debate, but Obama came back fighting and probably won the second and third on points. So, how does the election stand now? […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
How to have a good job interview
October 22nd, 2012 by Roger Darlington
I spent this afternoon supporting a good friend in carrying out interviews of four young people for a part-time job. Over the years, I’ve done a lot of interviewing (and been interviewed many times) and it always astonishes me how ill-prepared many interviewees are and how weakly they often present themselves. I was asked so […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
The bombing in Beirut
October 20th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
The assassination of Major General Wissam al-Hassan, head of the police intelligence unit in Lebanon, by a car bomb in Beirut is both a personal and a political tragedy. Eight people were killed and many others injured, while the attack will threaten the stability of the government and the country, reviving fears of a return […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Why does the statue of Gladstone have red hands?
October 19th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
As I explained in my previous posting, yesterday I was visiting London’s East End to view a participating location in this week’s Get Online Week events. While I was in the area, I noticed a rather fine statue of the Liberal statesman William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898) who managed to serve four terms as Chancellor of the […]
Posted in History, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
My visit to London’s East End
October 18th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
I used to travel a lot through the East End of London because I lived out in Leyton and then Leytonstone for a decade and my son was actually born in the London Hospital at Whitechapel. But, since I moved to north-west London almost three decades ago, I don’t visit the East End that much. […]
Posted in Internet, My life & thoughts | Comments (1)
An American view of the US presidential election
October 18th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
I’ve been blogging a lot about this year’s presidential election in the USA (although nowhere near as much as I did about the 2008 election), but I wanted to share with you the latest analysis from my good American friend Mike Grace with whom Vee and I spent a week earlier this year. He writes: […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
Who are the 25 richest people ever?
October 17th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
The web site Celebrity Net Worth has done a calculation which takes account of inflation and come up with some fascinating results. You’ve probably never heard of the top guy – they’re all men – who was the King of Mali Mansa Musa (c.1280-c.1337). In fact, only three people alive today feature on the list.
Posted in History, Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
A simple graph that shows how the UK is becoming like the USA
October 16th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
The graph shows government spending as a proportion of Gross Domestic Product and you can view it – and the accompanying article by Aditya Chakrabortty – here. Chakrabortty explains the messages of the graph as follows: “Drawing on IMF figures published last week, the graph compares what will happen to government spending in Britain up to […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
Obama vs Romney: how’s it going?
October 15th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
The United States presidential election is just three weeks away and we are about to have the second of the three debates between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. So, below all the media froth, how is the election going? Real Clear Politics is an independent and informed web site which tracks American politics in forensic […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
The role of the Special Adviser in the British political system
October 14th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
In the political world, they are know as Spads – short for Special Advisers. They are political appointments by Secretaries of State in Britain’s government. In the Wilson/Callaghan Governments, I was a Special Adviser in two Departments: the Northern Ireland Office and the Home Office. In the Blair/Brown Governments, my son Richard Darlington was a […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)