Archive for April, 2016
The wonder of Palmyra – revisited
April 22nd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
This week, a monumental recreation of the Arch of Triumph in Palmyra, Syria, which was destroyed by ISIS, has been unveiled in London’s Trafalgar Square. The 1,800-year-old arch was destroyed by Islamic State militants last October and the 6-metre (20ft) model, made in Italy from Egyptian marble, is intended as an act of defiance: to […]
Posted in British current affairs, My life & thoughts, World current affairs | Comments (0)
How to have a good meeting
April 22nd, 2016 by Roger Darlington
In my life, I have attended so very many meetings – a good many of them poorly run. I chair lots of bodies these days and try to make the meetings enjoyable and worthwhile. You can find my advice on how to have a good meeting here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Do you or someone you know need help with your water bills?
April 21st, 2016 by Roger Darlington
For the past four years, I’ve chaired a customer body which provides an independent challenge to South East Water, so I’ve been very active in the water sector especially around issues of affordability and vulnerability. Almost all water companies in England & Wales now have a social tariff in place to help customers who are […]
Posted in Consumer matters | Comments (0)
A review of “Eye In The Sky”
April 20th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
It’s a rare kind of film that raises moral issues and forces you to think while doing so in a manner which is not boring or leaden. “Eye In The Sky” is that kind of work that explores the complicated decisions that have to be made when deploying drones to combat terrorism. You can read […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Where now for Iraqi Kurdistan?
April 19th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Broadly speaking, there are three main groups in Iraq: the Shia Arabs, the Sunni Arabs and the Iraqi Kurds. We hear a lot about the first two groupings – especially the conflicts between them – but less about the Kurds who have created a near-autonomous territory in the north of the state and fought successfully […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Couples are healthier, wealthier… and less trim
April 18th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
Vee and I have now been married for 34 years and it works for us. But does marriage – or at least a stable relationship – have benefits generally? “They say that marriage isn’t a word, but a sentence. For the most part however, it seems to be a cushy one. Quite aside from the […]
Posted in Miscellaneous | Comments (0)
A “Frozen River” that will melt your heart
April 17th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
As regular readers of NightHawk will know, I love a commercial blockbuster of a movie (I’ve just seen “Batman v Superman”). But I also enjoy seeing films that are a bit different – more realistic, more thoughtful. A friend recommended to me a small, independent film that was released in 2008. It’s called “Frozen River” […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
61 photographs of Mexico added to the account of our holiday
April 17th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
It’s a fortnight now since Vee and I returned from a wonderful two-week holiday in Mexico. I was blogging about the trip each day during the journey and then, when I came home, I pulled together all the blog postings into a continuous narrative for my web site, adding some links to further information. It’s […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)
The world’s newest country: Czechia
April 16th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
As Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic, I’ve visited the country 26 times because my wife is half-Czech and we have many relatives and close friends there. Indeed I regard the capital Prague as my favourite city. But this week the nation rebranded itself as Czechia. Why? All is explained here.
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Fact checking the Government’s statements on the European Union
April 16th, 2016 by Roger Darlington
I’m very much in favour of British membership of the European Union and I’ll be voting in the referendum for us to stay in the EU. But I think it’s good that 38 Degrees has organised for the statements in the Government’s booklet to all homes to be fact-checked independently. This is the result: The […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)