Archive for November, 2015
Ruminations on Rome (5)
November 16th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Whenever we can, on our short breaks together my sister Silvia and I try to visit a location associated with Jewish life and (sadly) death. So, on the last day of our weekend in Rome, we headed out to the former Jewish Quarter to visit the synagogue and museum. Jews have been a significant presence […]
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Ruminations on Rome (4)
November 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Sunday in Rome is still a bustling day full of locals and tourists thronging the streets and cafes, but Silvia and I took it easier this morning while going on another tour in the afternoon. So this morning we left the hotel almost an hour later than yesterday and headed for the banks of the […]
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Ruminations on Rome (3)
November 15th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
Silvia and I had a very full, and very enjoyable, day in Rome where there was an obvious security presence following the terrible events in Paris last night. We decided to use the morning for orientation by visiting the major squares and to use the afternoon to tour the Vatican since it will be closed to […]
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Ruminations on Rome (2)
November 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
My long weekend in Rome with my sister Silvia got off to a slightly anxious start when she was three-quarters of an hour late meeting me at London’s Heathrow Airport. She had major problems with her train from Leicester to London and then her mobile refused to send or receive either calls or texts. Of course, […]
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Ruminations on Rome (1)
November 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I’m off to Rome for a weekend break – not with my wife Vee but with my sister Silvia. For about a decade now, my sister and I have tried to have a short holiday together without our spouses and this is our ninth such break. It will be my third visit to Rome, but […]
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How to get a good night’s sleep
November 13th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
I am fortunate: I can sleep almost anywhere almost anytime and invariably have around eight hours sleep a night. But so many people struggle to sleep well. You can find some useful advice here.
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Have you ever seen the mid 1980s movie “Out Of Africa”?
November 12th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
If not, you should. If you have, you might want to revisit it – as I have recently done. You can read my review here.
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The s-l-o-w decline in the use of cash
November 11th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
A couple of decades ago, I assumed that by now we would be moving rapidly to a much less cash, if not actually a cashless, society. But we are still using a lot of cash for a great many payments in spite of debit cards, credit cards, and contactless payment systems. The number of branches […]
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The remarkable story of Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi
November 10th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
It’s exciting news that in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), the National League for Democracy (NLD) looks set to have won a stunning election victory, although there are many constitutional, economic and ethnic problems ahead. The NLD leader is the remarkable Aung San Suu Kyi who has a special connection with the UK because her late […]
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Sooner or later, the Internet changes everything
November 9th, 2015 by Roger Darlington
This is the title of my latest column on Internet matters. I look briefly at three sectors: one sector where the changes as a result of the Net have already been dramatic (mail); another where the changes are still in progress (e-commerce); and a third where the changes are not yet too significant (broadcasting). You can read […]
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