Archive for February, 2016
Some tough rules here in sunny Nairobi
February 17th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
So I left London on a morning when the temperature was – 1C and here in Nairobi, visiting my son and his family, it is around + 31C. That’s not all that’s different – here there is my granddaughter Catrin now aged just five. She was so excited to see me again that she woke […]
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Back to Nairobi to see my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter
February 16th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Six months ago, my son Richard, his wife Emily and their daughter Catrin relocated to Nairobi as a result of his work. Two months later, on the occasion of Catrin’s half-term, Vee and I visited the family and I wrote up an account of the trip here. Four months on, Catrin now has another half-term, […]
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My film reviews of (most of) the BAFTA winners
February 15th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
It was a really good Valentine’s Day evening yesterday. Vee and I – celebrating our 34th such day together – went out for an enjoyable Italian meal at a local restaurant. Then we returned home to watch a two-hour broadcast of the BAFTA film awards. Stephen Fry was terrific as the compere, Rebel Wilson was […]
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Poor Christchurch hit by another earthquake
February 14th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Three years ago, Vee and I visited Australia and New Zealand and had some time in Christchurch. My account of the trip noted of the city: “Christchurch has been utterly changed, and will experience still more change, as a result of the devastating earthquake of 22 February 2011 which killed 185 people and severely damaged […]
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Why is it called the Zika virus?
February 14th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
The Zika virus, discovered by Scottish virologist Alexander Haddow in 1947, is named after the forest where it was found. The forest is located on the equator, close to Lake Victoria in Uganda. “It is a global epicentre of pathogens and viruses,” says Louis Mukwaya, head of the entomology department at the Ugandan Virus Research Institute […]
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Does the world really need a 500 Euro note (or other very high denomination notes)?
February 13th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
The €500 note, in use throughout the Eurozone, is one of the highest value banknotes in the world. It is worth around £388 or $563. According to Europol, the European police agency, the €500 note accounts for a third of all the euro notes in circulation, despite their low public profile. About a fifth of all […]
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A review of the thriller novel “I Am Pilgrim”
February 12th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
This debut novel by screenwriter Terry Hayes is one of the best thrillers that I’ve ever read and it’s going to make a series of cracking films. You can read my review here.
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How to have a good job interview
February 12th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Advice on this subject was the first topic in the Life Skills section of my web site. I crafted my recommendations because I kept being asked by young colleagues how they should prepare for an interview for a job. You can check out the advice here.
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A review of the novel “The Girl Who Fell From The Sky”
February 11th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I admired enormously Simon Mawer’s novel “The Glass Room” which I have reviewed here. And a while ago I read his follow-up thriller “The Girl Who Fell From The Sky” which I have reviewed here.
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The stark statistics that summarise the appalling tragedy of Syria
February 11th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
470,000 have been killed 1.88 million have been wounded 11.5% of the population has been killed or injured 6.36 million have been displaced internally More than 4 million have been displaced abroad 45% of the population has been displaced overall About 13.8 million have lost their source of livelihood Consumer prices rose 53% last year Poverty […]
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