Archive for February, 2017
Bring back bottle deposits to stop plastic pollution in our oceans
February 15th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
In the UK, we use a staggering 38.5 million single-use plastic bottles and a further 58 million cans every day. Only half of these are recycled, so it’s no surprise that many of these end up on our beaches and in our oceans. Plastic bottles take 450 years to break down, killing marine life, harming […]
Posted in Environment | Comments (1)
Who will save America’s Democratic Party? (1) There’s Elizabeth Warren in the Senate
February 14th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
In the United States, the Republicans now control the White House and the two houses of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. If President Trump has his way, the vacant position on the Supreme Court will be filled by a conservative. In these circumstances, the Democratic Party has to fight back urgently and […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
Who will save America’s Democratic Party? (2) There’s Keith Ellison in the House
February 14th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
In the United States, the Republicans now control the White House and the two houses of Congress, the Senate and the House of Representatives. If President Trump has his way, the vacant position on the Supreme Court will be filled by a conservative. In these circumstances, the Democratic Party has to fight back urgently and […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
Ever heard of the Internet of Wings?
February 13th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
You may have heard of the Internet of Things – the connection of millions and millions of devices through the Net. Now let me introduce you to a project sometimes dubbed the Internet of Wings but properly called ICARUS. ICARUS is short for ‘International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space’ and it is a global […]
Posted in Environment, Internet | Comments (0)
And the winner is .. the 2017 BAFTA AWards
February 13th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
This evening, I spent a very enjoyable two hours watching the BBC1 coverage of this year’s British Academy Film Awards. In Stephen Fry’s hosting and in the acceptance speeches, there were lots of allusions – some direct, others indirect – to the arrival of Trump in the White House and the role of cinema in fostering understanding and […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
A review of the film of “Me Before You”
February 12th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
I haven’t read the book, but I have now seen the film and you can read my review here.
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Is Donald Trump starting to learn the limits of presidential power?
February 11th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
They say that politicians campaign in poetry but govern in prose. But, as in so many other things, Donald Trump is trying to defy the normal rules of politics, both in the way that he governs (such as his inveterate tweeting) and in the policies that he is pursuing (such as the Muslim ban). Yet, […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (4)
How important is the birth order of children?
February 10th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
It is widely believed and indeed evidenced that first-born children are generally more successful educationally and professionally. I am a first-born of three and have a younger sister and a younger brother. Of course, this is anecdote and not evidence, but, while I was the first person in my family to go to university, in […]
Posted in Miscellaneous, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
“The Cost of Doing Nothing: The Price of Inaction in the Face of Mass Atrocities”
February 6th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
This is the title of a new report published by the Policy Exchange. The report examines the history of British intervention – militarily and from a humanitarian perspective – arguing that it has been an irreducible part of British foreign and national security policy for over 200 years. It says that while the recent lessons […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Three very different films on my three-day weekend
February 5th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
As those who know me will attest, I’m a massive movie fan and rare is the week when I don’t see a film either at the cinema or on television. This weekend, I managed to view a film each day and they were very different. On Friday, it was “Chappie” – my review here. On […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)