Archive for September, 2015
My weekend viewing of films not the most cheerful
September 8th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
As regular visitors to NightHawk will know, I’m a big movie fan and enjoy a wide range of genres and styles. This weekend. Vee and I – together for almost three and a half decades now – went to the cinema to see the new British film “45 Years” [my review here]. Then, next day, […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
U.S. presidential election (11): who can trump Trump?
September 6th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
To the astonishment of many observers, motor-mouth Donald Trump has taken the lead – and kept it so far – in the Republican primary race to chose a presidential candidate. Now the media loves political upsets and is looking for evidence that Trump is under challenge. The current unlikely candidate is an African-American neurosurgeon called […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (1)
10 ways to manage the migration crisis
September 5th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
1) Establish a standard asylum procedure across Europe 2) Provide a safe and swift alternative to a meaningful number of refugees 3) End the war in Syria 4) Give Syrians employment rights in Turkey 5) Persuade Gulf countries to take in more Syrians 6) Provide economic alternatives in smuggling communities 7) End the war in […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
My 26th short story: “The Heart Of The Matter”
September 4th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
This week’s short story is really short, so give it a go. You’ll find it here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
The position of China in World War Two
September 3rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
In China today, the Communist Party mounted a massive military parade through Beijing’s Tiananmen Square (the name means ‘The Square of Heavenly Peace’) to mark the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan and the end of the Second World War. Except, of course, that the Japanese were not defeated in China (they capitulated after the […]
Posted in History | Comments (2)
We are all migrants
September 3rd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Originally the only humans resided in the Rift Valley in East Africa. Now there are people in every corner of the globe. How did they get there? Migration. So, in a sense, we are all migrants. Some may argue that this was a long time ago, but most of us only have to go back […]
Posted in My life & thoughts, World current affairs | Comments (3)
What is the wettest place on earth?
September 2nd, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Over the last few weeks, Britain has had a miserable summer with one rainy day after another and often the deluges have been severe. But, of course, this is nothing compared to many parts of the world. So where is the wettest place on earth? According to the BBC, it is the cluster of hamlets known […]
Posted in Environment | Comments (0)
The most desperate battle in history: Stalingrad 1942-1943
September 1st, 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. He writes: “The battle of Stalingrad is deservedly considered to be one of the most desperate in human history.” The ferocity of the fighting and the scale of the casualties almost defy comprehension. Roberts gives […]
Posted in History | Comments (0)