Archive for March, 2015
Vee and I have now been married 33 years
March 19th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Today is the 33rd wedding anniversary for Vee and me. I know that the number does not end with a nought or a five, but somehow it seems special. Certainly Vee is special and I feel very fortunate to have her as my partner in life.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Do you understand the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam? (2)
March 18th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
In an earlier posting, i explained the fundamental reason for the schism between Sunni and Shia Muslims. In terms of how many there are of each branch and sub-branch of Islam and where they live, you’ll find a really helpful infographic here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Four years of death, destruction and diaspora for Syrians
March 17th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The week 15-21 March 2011 – exactly four years ago – is considered by the media to mark the beginning of the Syrian civil war or uprising. Since then, an estimated 220,000 have died. Nearly seven million have fled their homes but remain within the country. Some four million are living in camps in the […]
Posted in My life & thoughts, World current affairs | Comments (0)
Should the democratic process be subject to thresholds?
March 16th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The UK Conservative Party’s 2015 election manifesto is expected to promise that a future Conservative Government, if elected, would dramatically tighten up industrial action laws, with a minimum 50 per cent ballot participation threshold alongside a requirement for unions in ‘core’ public services to obtain a minimum 40 per cent majority of all those eligible […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
Have you ever met someone for the first time in 45 years?
March 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
No, neither had I – until today. From 1967-1971, I did a degree in Management Sciences from the (then) University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) where I spent a year (1969-70) as sabbatical President of the Students’ Union. This morning, I met the person who preceded me as Union President and the […]
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Who will win the Israeli general election?
March 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
My American Jewish friend David Eden has produced this analysis of what might happen after the election on Tuesday: “With the Israeli elections just a few days away, many of my friends have been asking me what the results will be. Will Bibi win? Will it be Herzog & Livni? Which will be the third […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (2)
A review of “Kingsman: The Secret Service”
March 14th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
It’s taken me a while to catch up with this movie, but I’m so glad I did so. You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
That’s one small step for Apple, one giant leap for Roger
March 14th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
One of my New Year resolutions was to upgrade my mobile phone and my mobile network. Two years ago, I upgraded from an iPhone 1 to an iPhone 5 and from 2G to 3G. This week, I upgraded from the iPhone 5 to the iPhone 6 and from 3G to 4G. I may be 66 […]
Posted in My life & thoughts, Science & technology | Comments (0)
My 1st short story: “Making A Difference”
March 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
It’s almost six years since I started to write short stories, although I haven’t written one for a while now. So I thought it was time to give them another airing and, over coming Fridays, I’ll highlight one short story for you to read to end the week or start the weekend. My first short […]
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Still more evidence that homeopathy does not work – or, if it does ‘work’, it is simply the placebo effect
March 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
As this article highlights, the latest findings in Australia add to a series of other studies proving that homeopathic preparations have no proven benefits to patients. As Ian Sample puts it: “Scientific, and unscientific, studies abound on homeopathy. To date, there is no convincing evidence that like cures like; that water retains a memory of […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)