Archive for October, 2014
30 years in Sudbury Hill
October 5th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
When my parents split up, I was seven and I lived with my mother (and sister and brother) in one rented location after another. So, as an adult, I’ve hated moving. Today Vee and I celebrate living 30 years in the same house: a semi-detached place in a quiet crescent in Sudbury Hill in north-west […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
A review of the recent film “Transcendence”
October 4th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I alway enjoy a good science fiction movie, but sadly “Transcendence” – in spite of starring Johnny Depp – is one one of them. See my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Understanding the difference between the deficit and the debt: the smaller one is going down but the bigger one is still rising
October 4th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
At this week’s Conservative Party Conference, the Prime Minister David Cameron told delegates and voters that the country has been “paying down its debts”. Is that true? Is it heck. At best, it was misleading; at worst, it was an outright fib. Let me explain briefly … The deficit is the difference in any given […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
At last, a good news story: how a million Africans will receive much better medical care
October 3rd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
It’s a 159 tonne ship that once used to be operated by the Royal Navy. It’s been kitted out in Scotland as a medical centre by BAE Systems. It has been transported 8,585 miles by sea and land from Glasgow to Lake Victoria. The journey took 246 days. And, over the next 20 years, it […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
What’s wrong with the British political system?
October 3rd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
“I know the vast majority of politicians are in it for the right reasons but the entire political culture is geared around Westminster elections and the positioning needed to win them. The middle ground is where elections are won and so parties disproportionately focus on how to win votes and craft policies to appeal to […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
All companies need to listen to their customers
October 2nd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
For the past two and a half years, I have been the independent Chair of the Customer Challenge Group of South East Water, one of the 18 suppliers of water and sewerage services in England and Wales. Each of the companies has had such a group. Since these companies are local monopolies, they are are […]
Posted in Consumer matters | Comments (0)
How secure is the White House?
October 1st, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Not very if you read this story. Any US President – but especially the first black one and a man I admire so much – needs much better protection than this at the building that is his home and office. It makes a couple of recent Hollywood action movies look a little less unlikely than […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)