Archive for August, 2015
“Lonely Planet”‘s ultimate travellers’ bucket list – how many of them have you visited?
August 22nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
This week, the “Lonely Planet” organisation issued a list of its top tourist destinations around the world. The top 20 were as follows: Temples of Angkor, Cambodia Great Barrier Reef, Australia Machu Picchu, Peru Great Wall of China, China Taj Mahal, India Grand Canyon National Park, USA Colosseum, Italy Iguazu Falls, Brazil-Argentina Alhambra, Spain Aya […]
Posted in Miscellaneous, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
My 24th short story: “A Question Of Life”
August 21st, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Having written more than 20 short stories some five years ago, I was emboldened to try one with a Holocaust theme. You can check it out here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Word of the day: myrmidon
August 20th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
The word means ‘a person who executes without question or scruple a master’s commands’. It comes from the name of a character in Greek mythology. It’s a new word for me and I came across it in the book I’m reading at the moment: “The Storm Of War”, an account of the Second World War […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
The bloodiest siege in history: Leningrad 1941-1944
August 20th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I am currently reading the 600-page book “The Storm Of War”, an account of the Second World War by Andrew Roberts. Even though I am familiar with all the major events of the war, it is still shocking to be reminded of the utter devastation of the conflict. Following the German invasion of the Soviet […]
Posted in History | Comments (0)
A review of the new Pixar animation movie “Inside Out”
August 18th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Summer’s here and school’s out, so thank goodness for a great new movie from Pixar. “Inside Out” manages to be a delight for both kids and adults. You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
How I have voted in the Labour Party elections
August 17th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Today I received my ballot paper as a fully paid up member of the Labour Party for 46 years. Since I know some of you will be interested, this is how I voted (online) in the three most important elections (I’m assuming you’re not so interested in the elections for the Conference Arrangements Committee and […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (1)
Word of the day: littoral
August 17th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Littoral can be a noun or an adjective and refers to the shore of a lake, sea or ocean. It’s a new word for me and I came across it in a chapter title of the book I’m reading at the moment: “The Storm Of War”, an account of the Second World War by Andrew […]
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The largest loss of life in a British maritime disaster – and you’ve never heard of it
August 17th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Which British ship was sunk with the largest loss of life? The “Lusitania” in 1915 with 1,198 deaths? The “Titantic” in 1912 with 1,517 deaths? Suppose I told you that there was a sinking in which the death toll was greater than that of the “Titantic” and the “Lusitania” combined? And suppose i told you […]
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U.S. presidential election (10): has Hillary Clinton’s campaign seriously faltered already?
August 16th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Not really. Not yet. The row over her private e-mail account as Secretary of State is unhelpful, but unlikely to impact on Democratic voters in the primaries; Bernie Sanders may do well in the primaries in the liberal states of New Hampshire and Iowa, but will struggle thereafter; Vice-President Joe Biden does not have the […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
At last, the United States has an embassy in Cuba once more
August 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
When Vee and I visited Cuba seven years ago for a wonderful holiday, I hoped – and expected – that the thaw in relations between the USA and Cuba and the introduction of political reforms in Cuba itself would move more quickly. But there has been real progress under Barack Obama’s leadership and with support […]
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