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2004-04-28 Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | 'Train blast victims died saving leaders' portraits': "North Korea's state-run media today claimed that many of the 161 people who died in last week's train explosion in the town of Ryongchon had struggled heroically in the last moments of their lives to save portraits of the ruling family." Steve | 17:38 | 2004-04-27 If any of you expats or others have seen Rex-patriates I haven't noticed any comments about it. By contrast, they can't shut up about it at prague.tv. Somebody tell me what it was like so I don't feel I'm absolutely completely missing out. Steve | 03:55 | 2004-04-26 Taking the temperature: Delirious. The Grauniad's list of most read articles today goes like: 1) Flight from the fight: Anne McIlroy on two deserting US soldiers (56,725) 2) US porn industry hit by HIV fear (PA) (47,676) 3) HIV scare hits US porn industry (35,650) 4) Blair condemns Israel and opens rift with US (18,085) 5) Sidney Blumenthal: Hear no evil, read no evil, speak drivel (18,084) 6) George Monbiot: Their beliefs are bonkers, but they are at the heart of power (14,566) 7) Arab ally snubs Bush amid 'unprecedented hatred' for US (14,310) 8) Terry Jones: Invade Iraq? It's a no brainer (10,679) 9) Probe shows Iraq nuke facilities unguarded (AP wire) (9,581) 10) US military 'pressuring' journalists (8,820) The readers thus speak. I recommend George Monbiot's piece. The lede - "To understand what is happening in the Middle East, you must first understand what is happening in Texas." And Terry Jones': "Everyone agrees that President George Bush's lobotomy has been a tremendous success." Get a cup of coffee and enjoy. I'd like to thank the Guardian for making my choices easy. Most important to read what everyone else is reading. Afterthought: This is a British newspaper. All top ten articles are about the US. The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about. Steve | 18:24 | 2004-04-25 MacMillan's amused by Colin Powell's Pottery Barn remark. To me, it's actually not so surprising that he should choose that particular temple of blandness for his break it, own it rule. I once observed Colin Powell shopping. The place: Arlington, where I then lived; the time: just a few weeks after the end of the first Gulf War. My buddy and I were at the old Sears Home Improvement center on Wilson Blvd one weekend evening. The only other customer was General Powell himself, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs at the time, shopping for lawn mowers. He seemed to know his lawn mowers and was really getting under the hood, so to speak, comparing prices, working the levers, getting the feel of the handle grips. There's not much more to the story, apart from the fact that when I visited that same friend while passing through D.C. a couple of months ago, we went for a walk up Wilson Blvd to check out our old neighborhood. He pointed out where the old Sears used to be, and reminded me of our Powell sighting back when. As we walked on, I noticed a great big new shopping center across the street, and there, jutting out in a pretty vulgar way was a bright and shiny Pottery Barn. I guess Colin Powell still does his shopping on Wilson Blvd. Steve | 20:51 | 2004-04-23 Cerny's long snippet from a story about Meeloash Forman and Cuckoo's Nest inspires me to relate another story I heard from a friend, which has the merit of being charming and possibly even true. I'm sure I have already mentioned this story, but if so it was months ago so it doesn't count. Said friend (an American) had a meeting in Prague with an older Czech gentleman a year or two ago who had returned after living many years in the US. This gentleman emigrated in the 60s, working in various capacities in the film and entertainment business. As a fellow Czech, he became pals with the little known Forman and they hung out. Another of Forman's early 70s acquaintances was Buck Henry, one of the original writers of Saturday Night Live. It came to pass that Mr. Buck was looking around for ideas for the original season of SNL and one night observed these two Czechs, Forman and his pal, yukking it up at a party. With their wacky accents and 70s polyester extravaganza outfits, they were a couple of wild and crazy guys, if not quite brain surgeons. If you get my drift. And thus, goes the story, did Milos Forman play a small but important role in the history of live television. Steve | 04:02 | 2004-04-20 If I were there, I'd go here. An animation film festival in Trebon in the early days of May sounds like a great idea. Nice films, and the prettiest, most pleasant town in the CR for people in the know. Steve | 02:33 | 2004-04-16 The type of headline that makes a foreigner living in the CR click to read more: Police in Brno shoot foreigner dead in car.Steve | 01:32 | 2004-04-10 As people who check may have noticed, they updated the article about Alan Levy with new comments, mostly from well-known names like Vaclav Havel etc. Many important names in theater and the arts. The current prime minister. Mr. Doctor Professor President is ... noticeably absent! They hated each other, it should be said. I remember Levy writing about one of their encounters. Klaus was being his smarmy, oily self until he noticed Levy at the dinner. His nose turned up, and he said, "ah, The Prague Post. There is nothing true written there!" Levy: "what, you mean you don't agree with some things we write?" Klaus: "No, I mean there is nothing true in it! Not one word!" And, hey wow: Lisa Frankenberg's appreciation piece has unleashed a fusillade of arrows from all different directions - all aimed at her. You've seen them, I'm sure, but here's Scott, Welch, Nicmoc and Cerny. Consensus: more arrows, please. Her tone in distillation: "It's hard to be gracious when you're as important as I am, but I shall endeavor." What fun. Those long ago days. Man, I can still feel, hear and smell them, even from where I'm sitting out here in the barbaric marshes and desert wastelands of the moronic inferno. Steve | 01:15 | 2004-04-08 As prime minister of Slovakia until 1998, Mr Meciar was a backward-looking bully and at times scarcely a democrat, though he claims to have changed for the better. Uh-huh. Just like that slice of the population who support him have no doubt changed for the better.
I belatedly note Alan Levy's death - sad news. I never met him. I sometimes wondered at the subjects he picked for his profiles. But I always read them. There was almost always something interesting, some connection, that made his pieces very much worthwhile. I note also that detractors seemed always to have read his pieces as well. And I always disliked the way some people ranted about his "left bank of the 90s" tagline. I mean, so what? Most of the people upset with that weren't even here in those days, and perhaps were even among those who came expecting to find something like that.... Steve | 00:45 | |
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