Archive for February, 2016
U.S. presidential election (20): still early days (look at the numbers)
February 10th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
For all the excitement of the voting for presidential candidates in the states of Iowa and New Hampshire, it’s still very early days. In the Republican camp, 1,237 delegates are required to win the nomination. So far, seven candidates have picked up delegates. The top four are Donald Trump 17, Ted Cruz 10, Marco Rubio […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
How can the Israeli Government improve the image of the country?
February 9th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Well, one approach is to be found in this news item which explains: “The Israeli government is offering directors and actors shortlisted for this year’s Oscars a trip to the Holy Land worth $55,000 (£38,000) in the hope of countering recent bad press for the country. The voucher for a 10-day trip, valid for one […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Remembering my mother: Anna Darlington
February 8th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Today is the anniversary of my mother’s death. She died 17 years ago, just short of reaching age 79. So it was not a short life, but it was a tough one and, for the last decade, a very limited one. My sister, my brother and I think about her often – especially on a day […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
A review of the Oscar-contending film “The Revenant”
February 6th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
At this year’s Academy Awards, “The Revenant” will be up for the highest number of awards having been shortlisted in no less than 12 categories. It is a stunning work which I have now seen. You can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (2)
How to cope with unemployment
February 5th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I’ve been very fortunate – I’m retired now and I never had a period of unemployment, But many relatives and friends of mine have experienced unemployment, this situations seems to be affecting more people more often, and so I sought advice from a friend who knows what unemployment is like. You can find his advice […]
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
You learn something every day. Let me introduce you to RAMSAR
February 4th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
For the past four years, I have chaired a body – currently called the Customer Panel – for a company called South East Water. The operation and regulation of the water sector is incredibly complicated with lots of specialist terminology and a great many acronyms. This week, we had a meeting at which we focused […]
Posted in Environment | Comments (3)
U.S. presidential election (19): the previous, the next and the last contests
February 3rd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
So, in the first state to have primaries, Ted Cruz beat Donald Trump in the Republican race and effectively Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders tied in the Democratic contest. In a perceptive analysis of the Iowa results, “Guardian” correspondent Gary Younge concludes his piece: “Last night’s results lay bare the scale and depth of the […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
U.S. presidential election (18): the results of the Iowa caucuses
February 2nd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Iowa was the first of the 50 US states to decide who its delegates should be to the Republican and Democratic party conventions which will choose a candidate for the presidential election in November. What were the results? Republican vote, 99% reported: Ted Cruz: 27.6%, eight delegates Donald Trump: 24.3%, seven delegates Marco Rubio: 23.1%, seven delegates Ben […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of the new film “Spotlight”
February 2nd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
The subject matter of this particular film – child abuse by Catholic clergy in Boston – is heavy, but the story of how it was investigated and revealed by reporters on a local newspaper makes for compelling viewing. You can read my review of the film here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Let’s enjoy (and admire) President Barack Obama while we can
February 1st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Regular readers of NightHawk will know that I have been an admirer of Barack Obama since even before he entered the Senate. On the day that the election of his successor as US President begins in earnest with the Iowa caucuses. let’s take a moment to reflect on the person who currently occupies the White […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)