Archive for July, 2017
Rising life expectancy stalls after health spending cuts
July 18th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
There are many ways to measure the effectiveness of government policy in any particular country, but arguably a key measure is the life expectancy of its citizens. Obviously quality of life is important as well as length of life but the first tends to determine the second. In an article in today’s “Guardian” newspaper, the […]
Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)
The coming referendum on independence for Iraqi Kurdistan
July 17th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Regular visitors to my blog or Facebook page will know that I have been in Nairobi for 12 days visiting my son and his family. I flew back overnight and, in spite my tiredness, I found myself in serious conversation with the driver of my cab home. When I asked him where he was from, […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
Have you ever played Dobble?
July 14th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
No, of course not – you’ve never even heard of it, have you? Well, a couple of weeks ago, I was visiting friends in Oxford and we popped into a games shop that their 10 year old son loves. It is called The Gameskeeper and it is in Cowley Road. I explained to the friendly […]
Posted in Miscellaneous, My life & thoughts | Comments (1)
Word of the day: aquila
July 12th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
As you will see from this essay on my web site, I’m interested in people’s names and how they acquired them and what they mean. I am currently visiting my son and his family in Kenya and I have just spent a couple of days with my eldest granddaughter visiting a wonderful nature reserve called […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (2)
Word of the day: avocation
July 10th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
I’m currently reading the novel “Alone In Berlin” by Hans Fallada. This was written in German and first published in 1947, but I’m reading an English translation of 2009. At one point, the word ‘avocation’ is used which I had to look up. It means: something a person does in addition to a principal occupation, […]
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The coming general election in Kenya
July 9th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
I am currently in Nairobi for my fourth visit to my son and his family since he moved here two years ago for his work. What is different about this visit is that it falls just a month before a general election in Kenya and election propaganda is much in evidence. Now the political and […]
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Should we write grandad or granddad?
July 4th, 2017 by Roger Darlington
I’m off to Nairobi tomorrow to see my son, his wife and my two adorable granddaughters: Catrin (aged six a half) and Kara (aged 10 and a half months). Now to Catrin I have always been “Granddad Roger” as contrasted with “Grandpa David”. But, while I spell it granddad, most people spell it grandad. I […]
Posted in Cultural issues, My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
How many countries have you visited?
July 3rd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Top of my bucket list is – for as long as I have the health and wealth – to have visited as many countries as my age. I recently became 69 and I have currently visited 70 countries. You can see a map and a list of the relevant countries countries here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
My Thought For The Week reaches No 900 – would you like to join the circulation list?
July 2nd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
Around 18 years ago, I sent out an e-mail to the 12 members of the Research Department of the Communications Workers Union which I then headed. It was a quote from a newspaper article which I found interesting and I jokingly titled the e-mail Thought For The Week. Almost two decades later, that Thought For […]
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A review of this summer’s smash movie “Baby Driver”
July 2nd, 2017 by Roger Darlington
“Drive” meets “La La Land” in this smash success of summer 2017 both written and directed with great panache by the British Edgar Wright. Is this a car-chase heist movie disguised as a romantic musical or the other way round? No, it’s a genuinely fresh and original mash-up of genres with a plethora of tropes […]
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