Archive for December, 2012
Whatever happened to Meg Ryan?
December 23rd, 2012 by Roger Darlington
Remember the blonde-haired, blue-eyed cute actress who appeared in such hits as “When Harry Met Sally” [my review here], “Sleepless In Seattle” and “You’ve Got Mail” [my review here]? Well, you haven’t seen her in a film for a decade have you? Why not? I discuss this, in course of reviewing the film “In The Cut”, […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
What can the US President do to mitigate the impact of the so-called fiscal cliff?
December 22nd, 2012 by Roger Darlington
I’ve had an interesting e-mail from a guy who asks me: “I would like to learn about the extent of Presidential powers, as granted by the Constitution, to deal with situations in which the cooperation of Capitol Hill may be suboptimal. For example, can the President issue and enact executive orders aimed at avoiding the […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (2)
So the world didn’t end today which means that …
December 21st, 2012 by Roger Darlington
… views on YouTube of the Gangnam Style video by South Korean’s Psy could pass the one billion total, a new landmark in the evolution of the Internet:
Posted in Cultural issues, Internet | Comments (0)
How Rupert Murdoch tried to buy the United States’ presidency and how the American media have played down the revelation
December 21st, 2012 by Roger Darlington
This is a shocking story which challenges the state of American democracy.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of the thriller film “Argo”
December 20th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
If this was not a true story, it would be unbelievable – my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
A review of the rom-com movie “It’s Complicated”
December 20th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
The film stars the incomparable Meryl Streep and you can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
My decade of analysing developments on the Net
December 19th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
Ten years ago, I spoke to the then General Secretary of the then Connect, a trade union representing managers and professionals in the communications sector. I was critical of the then contributor to the union’s magazine on Internet issues and offered to do the job myself for free. My offer was accepted and, a decade […]
Posted in Internet | Comments (0)
How the world’s largest economy is hurtling towards a fiscal cliff
December 17th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
Those who feel that the United States political system is now fundamentally dysfunctional can quote in evidence how Congress is unable to agree measures which will avoid the US economy falling off a so-called fiscal cliff in a couple of weeks time. You can read why and how this is likely to happen here.
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
How to think critically
December 17th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
For the third consecutive year, my permission has ben sought – and obviously given – for my website essay on “How To Think Critically” to be used on the Junior Military Officer course at the United States Naval War College. If my advice is good enough for the American military, you might want to check […]
Posted in American current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (1)
Preparing for the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War One
December 16th, 2012 by Roger Darlington
This week, I visited the Imperial War Museum in central London to view an exhibition of photographs taken by Cecil Beaton during the Second World War. I found that most of this fascinating museum is closed for major redesign, starting with the opening in 2014 of a new section on the First World War to […]
Posted in History, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)