Archive for June, 2014
The other D-Day: Operation Bagration launched on 21-22 June 1944
June 21st, 2014 by Roger Darlington
“There were two D-days in June 1944. The landings in Normandy on 6 June, Operation Overlord, recalled so movingly a fortnight ago, are part of British national memory. The other D-day remains virtually unknown both here and in America. Yet it was equally important in ending the second world war. And it also marked the […]
Posted in History | Comments (0)
Which company are we talking about?
June 20th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
“the most influential company in the world” “the world’s most admired company” “the only company that really mattered at all” “his system had overtaken the web and the world” So, which company are we talking about? Microsoft, Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon? It’s actually a fictional company called “The Circle” which is at the heart of […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
The consummate storytelling of Khaled Hosseini
June 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini has now written three best-selling novels and I have just finished the third of them. Having admired “The Kite Runner” [my review here] and “A Thousand Splendid Suns” [my review here], I love his latest work “And The Mountains Echoed” [my review here]. “The Kite Runner” was made into a film […]
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Out of 11 of the major industrialised countries, which has the best health system and which has the worst?
June 18th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
The countries are Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States. The best health system is that of the UK which is publicly funded but spends the second lowest amount of money on health care – £2,008 or $3,405 per head. The worst health system is that of […]
Posted in Social policy, World current affairs | Comments (0)
As the World Cup runs its course, John Oliver takes apart its governing body FIFA
June 18th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Still 16,300 nuclear warheads, so world a long way from nuclear disarmament
June 17th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
All five legally recognised nuclear-weapons states – China, France, Russia, Britain and the US – are deploying new nuclear weapon delivery systems or have announced programmes to do so, according to an authoritative study. India and Pakistan are also developing new systems capable of delivering nuclear weapons and are expanding their capacities to produce fissile […]
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A little look at the Big Bang
June 16th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
This weekend, I went on a one-day course at London’s City Lit to study the Big Bang with tutor Roger O’Brien. I was pleased that I have viewed a number of television programmes and read a few books [the most recent reviewed here] on the subject, because it is quite mind-boggling. The tutor began by […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
Reviewing Hollywood movies through the prism of genre
June 15th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
This weekend, I went on a one-day course at London’s City Lit to study Hollywood movies with tutor Jon Wisbey. We used the analytical tool of genre which could be described as a type of story or narrative. There are broad genres like the western, the musical. the comedy, the action adventure, but there are […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
A review of the new blockbuster movie “Edge Of Tomorrow”
June 14th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
If you like science fiction action movies (and I do), you’ll enjoy the latest Tom Cruise film “Edge Of Tomorrow” which will remind you of no end of other films. You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
What now for the Kurds of Iraq?
June 13th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
The speed of events in Iraq is astonishing and frightening. The actions of the Shia government in Baghdad have assisted the insurgents in the Sunni-dominated north of the country. Meanwhile the Kurds in the largely autonomous north-east have moved quickly to take over control of Kirkuk. Some commentators have blamed “Western policy” for the present […]
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