Archive for June, 2013


“The Spirit Level” – the two-minute trailer

June 30th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

“The Spirit Level” film is an official documentary based on Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett’s seminal book. It shows how the rising gap between rich and poor has impacted on our societies, and aims to engage people on the issue of inequality, helping them to discover how it affects them and what can be done […]

Posted in Social policy | Comments (0)


Do you think I look like Jeff Tracy?

June 29th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

I was at a social event this evening (listening to “The Paramount Blues Band”) where someone (actually a member of the band) said that I looked like the leader of the Thunderbirds, a one-time puppet series for children on British television. I can’t see it. Can you? Check here.

Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)


How an SS officer tried to get the Pope to condemn the Holocaust

June 29th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

Until this weekend, I had never heard of Kurt Gerstein. In the Second World War, he was a SS officer and member of the Institute for Hygiene of the Waffen-SS who witnessed mass murders in the Nazi extermination camps at Belzec and Treblinka. He gave information to the Swedish diplomat Göran von Otter, as well as to members of the Roman Catholic Church including contacts […]

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A review of the film “Silver Linings Playbook”

June 28th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

You can read my review of this wonderful film here.

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)


A review of the novel “The Wasted Vigil”

June 28th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

You can read my review of this remarkable novel here.

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)


12 things you need to know about Qatar

June 26th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

On the occasion of the transfer of power from father to son in the tiny but immensely rich state of Qatar, the “Guardian” newspaper helpfully provides this checklist of facts about the kingdom that you should find interesting. One fascinating fact is that immigrant workers – mostly from south Asia and the Philippines – outnumber native […]

Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)


OMG – today I’m officially an old age pensioner

June 25th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

It’s my birthday today and I’m 65, so I start to receive a state pension. I’d like to feel that I’ve used my time so far quite well, but you can check out a brief biography here. Certainly I think that those of us in our sixties in Britain can feel fortunate as I’ve explained […]

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What is the future of television?

June 24th, 2013 by Roger Darlington

I’ve offered a few thoughts in my latest column on IT issues here.

Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)


Don’t worry – it’s only your metadata that the spies are collecting

June 23rd, 2013 by Roger Darlington

The revelations from Edward Snowden to the “Guardian” newspaper – about how the American and British security establishments are monitoring our communications – are stunning and the full repercussions have still not been worked out. We need a lot more light on PRISM. One of the messages that we are hearing – which is intended […]

Posted in Science & technology, World current affairs | Comments (2)


A review of the movie “World War Z”

June 22nd, 2013 by Roger Darlington

It’s a blockbuster starring Brad Pitt. What else do you want to know? You can read my review here.

Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)