Archive for November, 2014
Is there other intelligent life out there or are we the alone in the universe?
November 5th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
If it is suggested that humankind is probably the only intelligent life in the universe, some people condemn this as an arrogant thought. But this is not a matter of attitude or emotion; it is a matter of science and probability. On the one hand, it seems impossible that humans can be alone in the […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (2)
How big is the American national debt?
November 4th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
The short answer is approximately $18 trillion. But most people have no idea what a trillion is. In most English-speaking countries (usage varies around thew world!), a trillion is 1,000 billion and a billion is 1,000 million, so a trillion is 1,000,000,000,000. Therefore $18 trillion is a LARGE number. But it still means little unless […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
Support Oxfam’s campaign to “Even it up!”
November 3rd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Oxfam has launched a new report and a new campaign on the explosion in inequality around the globe. You can view a three-minute video here. You can see the excetive summary of the report here. The campaign has the following nine objectives. 1) Make governments work for citizens and tackle extreme inequality Public interest and tackling […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of “Would They Lie To You?” and a guide on “How To Think Critically”
November 2nd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I’ve just finished a short book called “Would They Lie To You?” by Robert Hutton – an amusing and insightful guide to how authority tries to bamboozle us. You can read my review here. I have used this book as one of several sources to revise and expand my guide to “How To Think Critically”. […]
Posted in Cultural issues, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Britain’s greatest pilot: the extraordinary story of Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown
November 1st, 2014 by Roger Darlington
One of my many interests is aviation which is why on my web site I have a section on aviation and a section on aviation films. I recently watched a rebroadcasting of a BBC 2 television documentary with the intriguing title “Britain’s Greatest Pilot”. Who, on earth (OK, in the skies), could this be? It […]
Posted in History | Comments (0)