Archive for May, 2013


Half a million in UK now dependent on food parcels.

May 31st, 2013 by Roger Darlington

Although the UK is the seventh richest country in the world, many people struggle to afford even the most essential of goods: food. In a briefing entitled “Walking The Breadline” published this week, Church Action on Poverty and Oxfam highlight the rise in food poverty in the UK, where over 500,000 are now thought to […]

Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)


How happy are people in your country?

May 30th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

If your nation is one of the 36 developed countries that is a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation & Development (OECD), then it has just been ranked according to a Better Life Index which takes into account 11 factors. Of course, this type of index depends crucially on both the factors which make […]

Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)


Did Vasili Arkhipov save the world from nuclear destruction?

May 29th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

I was 14 at the time of the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and, like many millions around the world, I was scared that the world was about to enter a nuclear war. So I was fascinated by the sixth episode of  the Sky Atlantic series “Oliver Stone’s Untold History Of The United States” which covers the period […]

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World faces ‘self-inflicted’ water shortages within a generation

May 28th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

“Water in the Anthropocene” is a 3-minute film charting the global impact of humans on the water cycle. Evidence is growing that our global footprint is now so significant we have driven Earth into a new geological epoch — the Anthropocene when human activity dominates geological developments. Human activities such as damming and agriculture are […]

Posted in Environment | Comments (0)


A review of the book “The New Digital Age”

May 28th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

How will new digital technologies change our lives and challenge our privacy? How will states use these technologies in dealing with their citizens, each other, and other international actors? These are some of the questions addressed by two top Google executive in this thoughtful book which I have reviewed here.

Posted in Internet, Science & technology | Comments (0)


Should we block access to extremist web sites?

May 27th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

According to the latest news, Home Secretary Theresa May is considering proposals for blocking access to web sites that promote religious extremism, although Prime Minister David Cameron earlier told the nation that we should not have knee-jerk reactions to the horrific murder of a soldier in Woolwich. The problem is that we keep having short-lived […]

Posted in Internet | Comments (0)


Sunshine arrives in London – at long last

May 26th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

Today was a brilliant day. After a spring which is set to prove the coldest since 1979, we had glorious weather today. Our Chinese ‘family’ – Zhihao, Hua and their six old son Joshua – visited us in London. First, we had lunch in our favourite local cafe: “The Doll’s House” at Harrow-on-the Hill where […]

Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)


One of the longest love affairs in history

May 26th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

Luigi Pedutto was an Italian prisoner of war, while Mokryna Yurzuk was a Ukrainian forced labourer. They met during the Second World War in a Nazi camp in Austria and fell in love. What happened? You can read their story here.

Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)


If you were faced with an armed terrorist, what would you do?

May 25th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

Would you attempt to flee the scene or would you walk up to the terrorist and engage him in conversation? Here in my home city of London, this week two Muslim fundamentalists hacked to death a soldier in broad daylight as he walked in a street in Woolwich. One remarkable woman, named Ingrid Loyau-Kennet, approached […]

Posted in British current affairs, My life & thoughts | Comments (3)


A review of “Iron Man 3”

May 23rd, 2013 by Roger Darlington

Tony Stark strikes again in this new movie which I’ve reviewed here.

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)