Archive for July, 2015
U.S. presidential election (9): now a total of 21 politicians declared as candidate for their party’s nomination
July 22nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
On the day that I did a posting explaining that there are now 20 candidates seeking to win the US presidency next year, yet another candidate declared. He is John Kasich, the Republican governor of Ohio. This makes the Republican field especially crowded with no less than 15 bidders for their party’s nomination. Probabaly all […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
U.S. presidential election (8): no less than 20 politicians now declared as candidate for their party’s nomination
July 21st, 2015 by Roger Darlington
My last posting on the American presidential election was a month ago when I noted that the number of candidates in the two parties had risen to 15. That number is now an incredible 20 – five Democrats and 15 Republicans. You can see the full list here. On the Democratic side, all the excitement […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (1)
The need for a stronger consumer and citizen voice in regulated markets
July 20th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I recently gave my first media interview as Chair of Consumer Forum for Communications. It was to Ellen Branagh, chief journalist at Cable.co.uk, a price comparison website accredited by Ofcom. I took the opportunity to call for a stronger voice for consumer and citizen groups in regulated markets such as communications, broadcasting, energy and water. […]
Posted in Consumer matters | Comments (0)
The discovery of a new sub-atomic particle: the pentaquark
July 20th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Although the relevant data was accumulated more than three years ago, those clever people at CERN on the French/Swiss border chose to announce the discovery of a new sub-atomic particle on the same day as the New Horizons photographs of Pluto were published by NASA, so you won’t have heard about it. The particle is […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
A review of my weekend movie: “Ant-Man”
July 19th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Like “Guardians Of The Galaxy”, this one is played for humour but with lots of special effects – and it works well. See my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Ever heard of “powernoia” or “nomophobia”? Well you’ve probably suffered from both.
July 19th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
You’ll find this explanation in this short article by Eva Wiseman who admits to her dependence on her mobile phone. I understand her feelings: these days, if my iPhone 6 is not charged and nearby, not only do I not have connectivity, but my Apple Watch will only really tell the time and remind me […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
How many other planets have we discovered – and does any other planet support intelligent life?
July 18th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
This week, we saw fantastic pictures of Pluto which we used to call a planet and now call a dwarf planet. Whatever we call it, Pluto is on the very edge of our solar system – but we’ve been able to detect other planets in other solar systems. I’m currently reading “The Magic Of Reality”, […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
My 19th short story: “A Lucky Escape”
July 17th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Ever been crossing a road and almost been hit by a car? Ever thought how things could have turned out very different? This is the inspiration behind my short story “A Lucky Escape”. You can read it here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
What kind of a country is Iran?
July 16th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I am very pleased that a deal has been done on Iran’s nuclear programme. As I explained in this blog posting, more than eight years ago some observers were insisting that Iran’s nuclear programme had reached “a point of no return” and Israel was contemplating bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities. The assessment was wrong and, had […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
The challenge of Islamic extremism (4)
July 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
This weekend, I attended a one-day course entitled “Hope And History: A Short Introduction To Contemporary Issues In Muslim Contexts” run by a lecturer called Dr Farid Panjwani. He explained that most post-colonial leaders of Muslim countries were modern and secular but were dictators and did not provide welfare systems or prosperous societies. In the […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)