Archive for February, 2016
A review of “Trumbo” – a film about the Hollywood Ten
February 28th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
“Are you, or have you ever been, a member of the Communist Party?” During the ‘red scare’ of the late 1940s, this was the question posed to those called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in the United States. In this evening’s Academy Awards, Bryan Cranstan has been nominated for Best Actor for his performance […]
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How to have a good media interview
February 26th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I’m returning to my Friday practice of highlighting advice in the section of my web site concerning Life Skills. I don’t do many radio and television interviews these days but, at different times in my career, I’ve done a lot of them, so I’ve compiled some advice for those who might find that they are […]
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How the 7% privately-educated elite continue to dominate the UK professions
February 24th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
The Sutton Trust report “Leading People 2016″ shows very clearly that the UK’s top professions remain disproportionately populated by alumni of private schools and Oxbridge, despite these educating only a small minority of the population (estimates suggest about 7% attended private schools, less than 1% Oxbridge): In the military, nearly three quarters (71%) of the top […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (1)
Essential services: getting extra help
February 24th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Services such as gas, electricity, water, phones and public transport are not luxuries. We need them every day to look after ourselves, and if you’re older, ill or have a disability, or you’ve suddenly found yourself in vulnerable circumstances, you may have particular needs. This new leaflet, produced by the UK Regulators Network, tells you about […]
Posted in Consumer matters | Comments (0)
Remembering the sky-high achievements of Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown
February 23rd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
One of my many interests is aviation which is why on my web site I have a section on aviation and a section on aviation films. So I was saddened to hear of the recent death, aged 97, of the legendary – but not so widely known – Eric Brown, a British test pilot known […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
Back from Kenya to find Britain divided by Europe
February 23rd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
At 5 am this morning, I landed at London’s Heathrow Airport after a near nine hour overnight flight from Nairobi. It was wonderful to spend almost a week with my son Richard, his wife Emily, and their daughter Catrin (now just five). It was Catrin’s half term and we able to spend a lot of […]
Posted in British current affairs, World current affairs | Comments (1)
Chilling in hot Nairobi
February 21st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Sunday was my last full day in Nairobi (I fly home Monday night). Even on weekends, at home in London, I always have a busy programme as I like to be active, productive, and sociable. But Sunday here in Nairobi was as chilled out – allowing for the strong sun – as could be. On […]
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More fun and games in Nairobi
February 20th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I’m having some real quality time in Nairobi spending many hours each day with my five year old granddaughter Catrin. Today her parents took their dogs for a walk in a forest and then went for a couples session at a spa, while I looked after the little one. Most of our time was spent […]
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Lions go for a walk in suburbs of Nairobi
February 20th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Well, if Wednesday in Nairobi was about cheerful chipmunks and a cheeky monkey, Thursday was about escaped lions and the world of mammals. Nairobi National Park is the only national park in a capital city anywhere in the world and Vee and I visited it on our trip to the country in October. On Thursday, […]
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Cheerful chipmunks and a cheeky monkey in Nairobi
February 18th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Here in Nairobi, it was 30C again today. But at least the day started a bit later with my granddaughter Catrin not waking me up until 6.45 am. Catrin & I spent the afternoon at Westgate Shopping Mall. On 21 September 2013, the Islamist terrorist group al-Shabaab attacked the mall and 67 people were killed in […]
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