Archive for August, 2020
How did Lebanon get into this state?
August 11th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
The Prime Minister of Lebanon has offered his resignation stating: “I said that corruption is rooted in every part of the state, but I found out that corruption is greater than the state.” This situation has come about because of the history of the state and the meddling of so many external players. It may […]
Posted in World current affairs | Comments (0)
While you’re waiting for the “Top Gun’ sequel, here’s 63 other aviation films to watch
August 6th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Two of my many interests are aviation and cinema. I really loved the movie “Top Gun” which was released as long ago as 1986 and I can’t wait to see the sequel “Top Gun: Maverick” which is now not due to be released until summer 2021. Fortunately there are many other aviation films around if […]
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Today my heart is with the people of Beirut
August 5th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Like so many others around the world, I was horrified to hear the news about, and see the pictures of, the huge explosion in Beirut. This is a country, and especially a city, that has already suffered so much in recent decades. Fortunately the people I know in Beirut are safe but shocked. In 2011, […]
Posted in My life & thoughts, World current affairs | Comments (0)
A review of the 2017 film “The Shape Of Water”
August 4th, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Somehow I didn’t manage to see this fantasy horror movie at the cinema and, by the time I viewed it on the television, it had collected a whole host of nominations and awards, including 13 nominations at the 90th Academy Awards where it won for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Production Design, and Best Original […]
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A review of a book on the Texel Uprising of 1945
August 3rd, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Like his earlier book “Operation Basalt”, historian Eric Lee has managed to take a little-known and – in the grand scheme of the Second World War – small-scale incident and turn it in to a fascinating story by putting the events into a wider context with a variety of points of view. Both “Operation Basalt” […]
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A review of the new French film “The Truth”
August 2nd, 2020 by Roger Darlington
In the 1960s, I was a tiny bit in love with French actress Catherine Deneuve (“Repulsion”, “Belle De Jour”, “Mayerling”). For decades, I’ve been more than a little bit in love with French actress Juliette Binoche (“The English Patient”, “Chocolat”, “Clouds Of Sils Maria”). So the opportunity to see both in this (largely) French-language film, […]
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What excuse can any American possibly have for voting for Donald Trump?
August 1st, 2020 by Roger Darlington
Posted in American current affairs | Comments (0)