Archive for January, 2024


Marking Holocaust Memorial Day

January 27th, 2024 by Roger Darlington

If you know something about history, if you have Jewish friends, if you’ve visited Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, today cannot pass without me remembering the Holocaust. You can remind yourself of some of the basic facts by reading my review of a book on the subject by a Jewish history teacher whom I met when he […]

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“Why We Get The Wrong Politicians” by Isabel Hardman (2022)

January 27th, 2024 by Roger Darlington

This analysis of British politicians was first published in 2018 (when it was a winner at the Parliamentary Book Awards) and then revised and updated in 2022. I was given it as a present for Christmas 2023 and therefore read it in a year (2024) when we will have a General Election which is almost […]

Posted in British current affairs | Comments (0)

What do you know about zero-degree longitude and the international date line?

January 26th, 2024 by Roger Darlington

The location of zero-degree latitude is obvious (the equator), but the location of zero-degree longitude is a purely political decision. It was variously placed at the Canary & Madeira Islands, the Azores, the Cape Verde Islands, Rome, Copenhagen, Jerusalem, St Petersburg, Pisa, Paris, and Philadelphia (among other places) before it finally settled down in London. No […]

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A review of the new film “Leave The World Behind”

January 25th, 2024 by Roger Darlington

I was attracted to this Netflix offering by the impressive cast list: Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, Mahershala Ali, Kevin Bacon. At first, it looked promising: an apocalyptic setting full of strange events, discordant sounds, and unusual camera angles. I kept waiting for the slow pace to pick up, for more dramatic sequences, and for a […]

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Have you ever watched ASMR videos? Apparently it’s a thing.

January 24th, 2024 by Roger Darlington

If you follow social media, you may have noticed a few of the more than 13 million ASMR videos online. Many of the videos create ASMR-inducing sounds to play out social situations with actions that may trigger a response. The videos have rapidly gained popularity, but they may still leave you wondering: What is ASMR […]

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A review of the new movie “The Holdovers”

January 21st, 2024 by Roger Darlington

The odd title refers to those students and staff at an exclusive boys boarding school in New England who are forced to stay behind at Christmas 1970 when everyone else leaves for family and fun. An accomplished director, a brilliant script and three stand-out performances make this comedy-drama a thoroughly enjoyable film that swings back […]

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And … we’re back

January 21st, 2024 by Roger Darlington

Sorry we’ve been offline for a few weeks, but the tech problems now seem to be sorted.

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