Archive for September, 2018
When did you last write a letter?: The rapid decline of long-form communication
September 16th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
This week, I have chaired two meetings at which we’ve discussed different forms of communication and which have led me to draw the same conclusion: we are witnessing the rapid decline of long-form personal communications whether in the form of text or voice. One meeting was at Citizens Advice which is the statutory body representing […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (2)
Ten years after the collapse of Lehman Brothers, I’m reminded of a story …
September 15th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
Ten years ago today, the American investment bank Lehman Brothers went into liquidation. It was the most dramatic event of the financial crash of 2008 which has led to economic retrenchment and austerity for so many nations and so many people. When I started to write short stories, I found that one of the characters […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
How old is the germ theory of disease?
September 12th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
I’ve recently returned from a trip to Colombia which finished in the Caribbean port of Cartagena. Since my return, I’ve started to read the classic novel by Colombian Nobel prize winning author Gabriel García Márquez “Love In The Time Of Cholera”. Although the novel does not specifically identify the location of the story, it is very […]
Posted in Science & technology | Comments (0)
A guide to the mid-term elections in the US Congress
September 11th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
I’ve never been so interested in – and concerned about – the mid-term elections in the United States which will be held on Tuesday 6 November 2018. All the seats in the House of Representatives (435) and a third of the seats in the Senate (35) are up for election. The Democrats should win the House […]
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)
My recent trip to Colombia – the full story
September 9th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
I have recently returned from a fascinating trip to Colombia. Although I did daily postings to this blog while on the holiday, I’ve now pulled all these together into a comprehensive and continuous narrative which you can read here.
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
“Lunch Atop A Skyscaper” – so many questions …
September 7th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
You know this iconic photograph. We know it was taken 840 feet (260 meters) above the streets of New York City during the building of the Rockefeller Centre – a building I have visited a couple of times – on 20 September 1932. But who took the picture? It was credited to Charles C. Ebbets in 2003, […]
Posted in Cultural issues | Comments (0)
Good work matters – so we should measure it
September 7th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
Measuring good work matters. The UK has an excellent record of strong job creation, with each record low unemployment statistics celebrated in the national media. But why do we not have any similar measures for understanding quality of work and how we can make work better? Today the Carnegie UK Trust-RSA Measuring Job Quality Working […]
Posted in Social policy | Comments (0)
Holiday in Colombia (11): conclusion
September 6th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
After spending two nights at each of five hotels, our trip to Colombia was coming to an end. On the final morning in Cartagena, there was no programme, so Silvia and I did some final shopping and I had my photograph taken with 73 year old Victoria, a distinguished black woman of African descent wearing […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Holiday in Colombia (10): Cartagena
September 5th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
The last full day of our holiday in Colombia was devoted to a tour of the Caribbean city of Cartagena. I have wanted to visit the old town since I saw the film of the book “Love In The Time Of Cholera” whichwas set and shot in the colonial quarter. There was a lot to […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)
Holiday in Colombia (9): Medellin to Cartagena
September 4th, 2018 by Roger Darlington
Essentially today (Monday) was another travelling day as we transferred from Medellin to Cartagena. The day started very early with an alarm at 5.15 am and departure from our hotel at 7 am. It was only a 45 minute flight from Medellin to Cartagena where we were met by our third guide of the trip, […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (0)