Archive for December, 2014
All I wanted for Christmas
December 25th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I have received books totalling 2,000 pages and DVDs adding up to 8 hours. Perhaps I need to give up my portfolio career and start that much-postponed retirement …
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Was Jesus really born in a stable?
December 25th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Evangelical scholar Rev Ian Paul, a theologian and former Dean of Studies at St John’s theological college, Nottingham, has argued that the entire nativity story may be based on a misreading of the New Testament, reviving an ancient theory that Jesus was not, in fact, born in a stable. You can read more here. Maybe, just […]
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A short guide to the Chinese political system
December 24th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Over the past three months, I have lectured to no less than five visiting delegations from China, explaining the nature of the British political system. I have emphasised the uniqueness of the British model and compared it with other democratic systems, pointing out that I have guides to the political systems of 12 nations on […]
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What does the ‘X” mean in Xmas?
December 23rd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Do you find the word “Xmas,” as an abbreviation for Christmas, offensive? Many people do. You won’t find Xmas in church songbooks or even on many greeting cards. Xmas is popularly associated with a trend towards materialism, and sometimes the target of people who decry the emergence of general “holiday” observance instead of particular cultural […]
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Listening – at Christmas and always
December 22nd, 2014 by Roger Darlington
“A few years after I left my secondary school in Manchester, I was invited to help out with the school’s Christmas Fair and I decided to have a go at being Father Christmas. I had recently grown my first full beard and thought that I would enter into the role by rubbing flour into my […]
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A review of “Night At The Museum 3”
December 20th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
If you have children to amuse this Christmas or you are still a child at heart (like me), you should go to see what is officially named “Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb” [my review here] – thoroughly entertaining.
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The 50 Paddington statues in London
December 20th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
To coincide with the release of the “Paddington” film [my review here], there are currently 50 Paddington bear statues scattered around central London. I’ve loved spotting some of them as I travel between meetings in the capital. You can see photos of all of them here.
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Farewell to “The Newsroom” by Aaron Sorkin
December 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I’ve just watched a recording of the sixth and final episode of the third and final series of the American televison show “The Newsroom” which in Britain was aired by the Sky Atlantic channel. I have seen all 25 episodes and really enjoyed the show. The final episode neatly pulled together many of the story […]
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A short guide to the American political system
December 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
I have now completed a series of five lectures at London’s City Lit for a course on “American Political Institutions” delivered very ably by Malcom Malcolmson. This has enabled me to make major revisions and additions to the page on my web site entitled “A Short Guide To The American Political System” which is one […]
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U.S. presidential election (1): the first candidate declares
December 19th, 2014 by Roger Darlington
Former Florida governor Republican Jeb Bush has become the first person to declare that he will seek his party’s candidature in the US Presidential election in November 2016. His rivals for the nomination will include: Chris Christie – current governor of New Jersey Rand Paul – a senator from Kentucky Ted Cruz – a senator […]
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