Archive for January, 2019
What does federalism mean in the context of the American political system?
January 6th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
In the Autumn of 2018, I attended a series of six lectures at London’s City Literary Institute which examined the history of the American federal system. I have used some of this information to update the section of my guide to the American political system that explains the nature of federalism which is so important […]
Posted in American current affairs, History | Comments (0)
A specially inclusive performance of “A Christmas Carol”
January 5th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
This week, I finished the holiday season in style by seeing a special performance of “A Christmas Carol”. Charles Dickens’ classic story has arguably come to define Christmas in the 175 years since its publication and there have been numerous versions, both on stage and screen. The Chickenshed theatre in Enfield in north London has […]
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The most diverse House of Representatives in American history
January 4th, 2019 by Roger Darlington
“Among the historic class of new congresspeople who took the oath of office in the US House of Representatives on Thursday are the first Native American women, the first Muslim women, the first black women elected from Massachusetts and Connecticut, the first Hispanic women elected from Texas, and the youngest woman to be elected to […]
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Some international events and anniversaries in 2019
January 3rd, 2019 by Roger Darlington
Countries with more than a third of the world’s population will hold nation-wide elections. They include India, the planet’s largest democracy, plus the populous Indonesia, Nigeria and South Africa. The European Union – presumably down from 28 to 27 Member States because of Brexit – will have an election to the European Parliament, China will […]
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Word of the day: obesogenic
January 2nd, 2019 by Roger Darlington
The Obesity Health Alliance, an umbrella group that includes charities and medical organisations, said more urgent action than messages on swapping high-sugar foods for low-sugar alternatives was needed. “Today’s children are growing up in obesogenic environments, bombarded by adverts and promotions for junk food online, on TV and in our supermarkets,” said Caroline Cerny, the […]
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A review of the new Mexican film “Roma”
January 2nd, 2019 by Roger Darlington
This is a deeply personal film from Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón whose previous work was the stunning “Gravity”. He has said that 90% of the narrative is autobiographical and accordingly it is set in a very particular place and time. The place is a district of Mexico City called Colonia Roma – hence the title […]
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For me, a new year means a new diary
January 1st, 2019 by Roger Darlington
I have a near-lifelong practice of writing a diary and I have an entry for every day since I started. As 2018 ends and 2019 starts, I have now kept a diary for 57 years and the total number of daily entries now stands at 20,817. I find comfort in keeping a diary: I record […]
Posted in My life & thoughts | Comments (2)