Name-calling may be good for the kids Jan 7, 2009
Rather than hurting them, such names can make children more popular and give them a positive identity, according to British psychologist Dr Erin Heerey. "If everybody's smiling, there's no reason to step in and stop it," she said. (Melbourne Herald Sun)
Morris men face extinction Jan 6, 2009
Paddy is quite a traditionalist, he has a British flag above his bed and he s interested in British history. This feeling of Englishness, a lot of people mock it. (Times Online)
Furious Five Jan 6, 2009
The British used it to mow down Zulu tribesmen; the Russians did the same to nomadic horsemen on the Central Asian steppe. It was less effective against modern armies. (Fox News)
Extremist group in Greece attacks police Jan 6, 2009
That group killed at least 23 people including US and British diplomats during its quarter-of-a-century existence. In 2002, Greek officials finally broke up the group and arrested most of its members. (Christian Science Monitor)
Dangerous turn Jan 6, 2009
The state department said it believed the Revolutionary Struggle was also responsible for "nine violent terrorist attacks since 2003, including the 2004 murder of a Greek guard outside the British defence attache's residence" ... The involvement of British detectives, following N17's murder of the UK's defence attache, Stephen Saunders, in 2000, also helped the Greek police bring the case to trial. (BBC News -- Europe)
Blair to accept top US medal in Bush's last week in office Jan 6, 2009
He is only the second British prime minister to receive the award, following Margaret Thatcher in 1991, though other recipients have included Lord Carrington, the former foreign secretary, and Lord Robertson, former defence secretary and secretary general of Nato ... The award was criticised by the Lib Dems, but Blair's spokesman said he regarded the medal as reflecting the courage of the British armed forces. (guardian.co.uk)
Of tax cuts, Secret Service cut-offs and John Lennon’s medal Jan 6, 2009
Some time after being named by England s Queen Elizabeth as Members of the British Empire, Beatle John Lennon decided to return his medal to the Queen. Subsequently considered to have been lost, the recently located medal and the story behind it are now being told. (La Crosse Tribune, WI)
Letter from Ternate Jan 6, 2009
British biogeographer Alfred Russel Wallace arrived in what was then known as the Malay Archipelago (now Indonesia and Malaysia) in 1854, at the age of 31. He traveled through the archipelago to collect specimens for sale and to study nature until 1862. (Jakarta Post, Indonesia -- Features)
Thousands mourn 8 killed by avalanches Jan 6, 2009
Todd Korol/ReutersPhotos of eight snowmobilers line the stage before a mass memorial in Sparwood, British Columbia on Sunday ... The community of Sparwood, British Columbia came together to say goodbye to eight men who died last week in an avalanche. (National Post)
Oscars 2.0: The film academy revamps its Web site Jan 6, 2009
The British comedian's stand-up special has its premiere on HBO on Nov. 15. A. O. Scott looks back at George A. Romero's 1968 horror classic. (International Herald Tribune)
Curtain calls Jan 6, 2009
Hope for a brighter future on a darker Broadway - International Herald Tribune. Why can't we continue. (International Herald Tribune)
Welcome to Vilnius! Jan 6, 2009
Take a wander through Heathrow's futuristic Terminal 5, the new London home of British Airways. Welcome to Vilnius. (iAfrica.com)
Amy Winehouse drops drug case appeal in Norway Jan 6, 2009
British singer Amy Winehouse dropped her appeal in a Norwegian drug case and will accept a fine for illegal marijuana possession in 2007, her attorney said Tuesday ... The British comedian's stand-up special has its premiere on HBO on Nov. 15. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Auto makers look to Mexico Jan 6, 2009
" They included John Wilson McConnell, the owner and publisher of the Montreal Star, H.R. MacMillan, founder of forestry company MacMillan Bloedel, and Henry Morgan, President of Morgan's department store in Montreal. What does the term mean now? It has been used recently to describe corporate executives who have taken hefty pay cuts because their companies are doing poorly. A few years ago John Chambers, CEO of U.S. telecommunications equipment firm Cisco Systems Inc., cut his pay to $1 for... (Globe and Mail -- Business)
British historian digs deep into 'Story of India' Jan 6, 2009
British historian digs deep into 'Story of India ... What Americans don't know about India could fill a six-part series on PBS. That's why British historian Michael Wood's The Story of India (premiering Monday at 9 ET/PT, times may vary) couldn't be more timely ... Sixty years after independence from the British, India is both fantastically rich and terribly poor. (USA Today -- Life)
Reports of N.H. filmmaker's demise greatly exaggerated Jan 6, 2009
Just not the British filmmaker who still lives in Holderness, N.H.. . (Seacoast New Hampshire)
Oscar winners reflect Hollywood's priorities Jan 6, 2009
The "outstanding motion picture" of 1942 was determined to be William Wyler's portrait of a middle-class British couple enduring the Blitz, "Mrs. Miniver," while the other nominees included three films urging, overtly or by suggestion, American intervention in the European war: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's "Invaders," Irving Pichel's "Pied Piper" and Michael Curtiz's "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Little wonder, then, that Welles's follow-up to "Citizen Kane," the piercingly nostalgic... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
'Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince,' 'Transformers 2' And More Surefire 2009 Blockbusters Jan 6, 2009
Every year, Hollywood's blockbusters mimic the British World War II bombs they were named after, bombarding us with. explosions, noise and an immersive attack (of advertising) that takes out entire city blocks at a time. (VHI.com -- Music News)
Celebrity harvests new career Jan 5, 2009
- British Consulate General ... - British Consulate General. (San Antonio Business Journal, TX)
'Wildwood,' by Roger Deakin Jan 5, 2009
He was a hands-on naturalist - his previous book, "Waterlog," recounted his effort to swim in as many British bodies of water as possible. "Wildwood" rests on its author's own lifelong experiences in woodlands, starting with the Suffolk farmstead where he lived for nearly 40 years. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Our man in the ... Annual mud race in Essex Jan 5, 2009
James Bamber, co-author of Wacky Nation, a guide to quirky British events, was one of the 6,000 who turned up to watch the messy spectacle: "The experience is unique. Football matches and theme parks are nothing compared to something like this. It's totally raw and unforgettable.". Many competitors race in fancy dress, soon caked in mud. (guardian.co.uk)
Ignorance is no excuse Jan 5, 2009
But it is the guerrilla war being waged by the Iraqi resistance that is having such a devastating effect on US and British forces. And now these insurgent groups want to create a united front - and a political platform. (Yahoo News -- Hutton Report)
Venice film festival shows the strain Jan 5, 2009
Each production is a celebration of the greatest talents in British theatre and television. From: 129. (Yahoo News -- Film Awards)
Visual art: Overseas adventures and a hot zone in the West Jan 5, 2009
The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery at the University of British Columbia is staging Action Camera: Beijing Performance Photography (Jan ... 14 to May 10), an in-depth look at the 19th-century British artist and his circle (among them, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti) ... Both shows highlight a moment in British culture that has important implications for Canadians, being concurrent with a key moment in the formation of our colonial identity. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Book review: 'Graham Greene: A Life in Letters' Jan 5, 2009
Born in 1904, Greene belonged to a lost British generation that had been too young either to fight in World War I or to reflect soberly on its calamitous effects ... In August 1947, a few months into an affair with Catherine Walston, the American wife of a Labour MP, Greene planned a trip with her to India, which was then in the midst of a bloodbath set off by the British decision to divide the country along religious lines ... It was as an MI6 agent that he noted the squalor of Sierra Leone; in... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Design loves a Depression Jan 5, 2009
Brooklyn designers became the apotheosis of indie cool (thin portfolios notwithstanding), and the British collective Established & Sons and other skilled maneuverers learned to breed their self-conscious furniture selectively into limited editions that sold for the kind of prices more often found in the art world ... The British comedian's stand-up special has its premiere on HBO on Nov. 15. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Mike Leigh, John Travolta, Sam Shephard Jan 5, 2009
Vincent Kessler/Reuters Sam Shepard. The Associated Press Published: January 5, 2009. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
BC travel chaos sparks Air Canada complaints Jan 4, 2009
CTV British Columbia- B.C. travel chaos sparks Air Canada complaints - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television ... CTV British Columbia ... With a report by CTV British Columbia's Leah Hendry. (CTV British Columbia)
Thousands join march to protest against Israeli action Jan 4, 2009
A crowd dominated by young British Muslims cheered as Israeli flags were burned and some protesters hurled missiles, including a firework, at police. Officers sealed off roads around Kensington High Street and armed themselves with riot shields as a small number of angry protesters tried to break down barriers protecting the building. (guardian.co.uk)
Kenneth Baker's top 5 art picks for 2008 Jan 4, 2009
In a style that echoes early Soviet avant-garde photography, knowingly or not, then breaking into a dizzying collective portraiture all its own, the video celebrates San Yuan Li for its fabled resistance to British incursion during the Opium Wars and for its ongoing resistance to the Chinese government's effort to extirpate every such "village-amid-the-city.". The artists have posted a five-minute sort of trailer on YouTube. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Peter Mandelson opens a euro trap for Gordon Brown Jan 4, 2009
You might have expected that familiarity with the euro, enjoying the convenience that it brings as we cross borders on the Continent and observing that France and Germany seem no less sovereign than they did, might have whittled away British opposition ... In his first months as chancellor, Brown quashed the argument for British entry ... For decades before 1997, British governments had set interest rates. (Times Online)
Astro Boys makeover Jan 4, 2009
The hotly anticipated movie will have Nicolas Cage voicing Dr Tenma and British child actor Freddie Highmore of The Spiderwick Chronicles fame will voice Astro Boy. Both Tsumura and Cheung admit that when a much beloved manga character makes a leap from 2D to 3D, some changes had to be made. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
After Somalia, Forces prove open and transparent' Jan 4, 2009
Capt. Semrau was among a small group of Canadian soldiers, members of the Operational Mentor and Liaison Team or OMLT who had accompanied the Afghan National Army battalion they had been training into neighbouring Helmand Province, an area under British control. The shooting of the Afghan man apparently occurred during the course of or about the same time as heavy fighting near the province's largest city, Lashkar Gah, which was under attack from three sides. (Globe and Mail)
Papua New Guinea and China's New Empire Jan 4, 2009
" Today, less than three years later, a series of small Chinatowns has emerged in the jungle complete with Chinese food, Chinese satellite television channels and crews of Chinese migrant labourers living in cheap dormitory huts. Where once was wilderness, you find the workers of China Metallurgical Group Corp., toiling seven days a week and chattering about their families back home in Beijing and Sichuan. It hasn't been easy. The state-owned mining company has dealt with violent clashes with... (Globe and Mail -- International)
S Dasgupta: There's clash, don't deny Jan 4, 2009
Writing to a friend in 1950, British historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, for example, apologised for hibernating in Oxford "writing a book of infinite pedantic exactitude on a character of infinite dullness; but I must rehabilitate myself with the learned world after writing a bestseller.". The influence on the wider public discourse by the likes of Edward Said, Henry Kissinger, and even Amartya Sen, and the glamour surrounding their interventions, may have eroded the Senior Common Room's faith in the... (India Times, India)
The Ga/Adangme/Coastal Factor & NPP Jan 3, 2009
In previous governments dating back to the British, when government received dignitaries, at the castle a student is picked from the OSU cluster of schools to present the bouquet to the guest this never happened in Kuffors government. The school children line up by the castle road and wave the flags of Ghana and that of the visiting country to show solidarity. (Ghana Web, Ghana)
Oscars flop in TV ratings | Media Jan 3, 2009
Other winners included British actress Tilda Swinton, who won best supporting actress for her role in Michael Clayton, and Spaniard Javier Bardem, named best actor in a supporting role for No Country For Old Men. Critics generally said Stewart did a better job of hosting than two years ago, when the host of Comedy Central's critically lauded Daily Show failed to live up to the hype of his Oscar presenting debut. (Yahoo News -- Academy Awards)
'Rap born in Scottish pubs, not on NY streets' Jan 3, 2009
Rap born in Scottish pubs, not on NY streets'-Science-Health & Science-The Times of India. Rap born in Scottish pubs, not on NY streets'3 Jan 2009, 0000 hrs IST, PTI. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Lion Tales: Possession Rules Jan 3, 2009
Are the powerful Field Museum and British Museum perpetuating cultural vandalism by withholding historic artifacts from Kenya and Turkey ... The lion, which occupies a prominent place in the British Museum in London, measures 10 feet long and 6 feet high and was sculpted perhaps as early as 350 B.C. from a single piece of marble ... Charles Newton was an archaeologist and an assistant curator for the British Museum. (Suite101.com)
Burton, Depp shooting 'Wonderland' Jan 3, 2009
december 12th; Fox; 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' trailer; Remake; jennifer connolly; movie trailers; variety; keanu reeves; Director Guy Ritchie returns another British gangster film. This time starring '300' stud Guy Ritchie. (Variety)
Revealed: UK set for first face transplants Jan 2, 2009
A British hospital is set to give the go-ahead for four British patients to undergo face transplants in what will prove a major landmark in surgery ... 16 Jan 2008: A British Heart Foundation advert urging children to avoid eating junk food. (Yahoo News -- Cosmetic Treatments and Surgery)
'Guardian, friend and protector' Jan 2, 2009
The Harrods owner maintains the crash was engineered by British intelligence officers and the royal family over fears Diana might marry Dodi, a Muslim. Official investigations in both France and the UK concluded that the couple died because their driver was drunk, speeding and had not been trained to drive the heavy armoured Mercedes. (Yahoo News -- Princess Diana)
Days of the enforcer appear numbered Jan 2, 2009
From a recent steward's conference in Japan, Ray Murrihy, the Racing NSW chief stipe, reports 287 suspensions were handed out to British jockeys over whip use ... O'Gorman refers to an insight given by British trainer and vet, Mark Johnston: "[It's] from a less subjective viewpoint but he to fails to come to terms with the real issue. The question of whether or not the whip works by eliciting the fight response or through some deeper physiological pathway may be interesting in itself but is... (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Channel 4 on knife-edge as Culture Secretary Andy Burnham ponders ... Jan 2, 2009
If there are problems with public service broadcasting, they really only extend to ITV regional news, which is disproportionately expensive to produce, and British children's telly on channels other than those owned by the BBC.. Mr Burnham appears to know this, to judge by a recent interview, but the question is whether he has sensible answers to those problems, while conjuring a plausible solution to Channel 4's finances without making a mess of the BBC.. (Times Online)
A new year's resolution: Could we be a little more polite, please?... Jan 2, 2009
AND THIS RUDENESS IS A MATTER OF BRITISH LAW, or so the conductors told us ... Your article made me sit up and take notice, because my wife and I were absolutely AMAZED at how rude the British were during our visit to your island this past August ... What was most shocking was how depressingly gloomy and unfriendly British VACATIONERS were. (The Drudge Report)
* [ EVENTS & ENTERTAINMENT ] Jan 2, 2009
Based on the Laurence Olivier Award-winning play by British playwright Martin McDonagh, the Pillowman (wEYH) tells the tale of Katurian, a fiction writer, who, together with his mentally challenged brother, is interrogated about the gruesome content of his short stories and their similarities to a number of bizarre child murders occurring in his town. See story above. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World Business)
Books: Still paging Mr. Salinger Jan 2, 2009
In the '70s he stopped giving interviews, and in the late '80s he went all the way to the Supreme Court to block the British critic Ian Hamilton from quoting his letters in a biography ... The British comedian's stand-up special has its premiere on HBO on Nov. 15. (International Herald Tribune)
Allegories and animations Jan 2, 2009
British director Mike Leigh's study of a primary-school teacher nicknamed Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a philosophical feel-good film and parable about education. The Flight of the Red Balloon. (Globe and Mail -- Entertainment)
Crowds cram into museum for glimpse of patriotic display Jan 2, 2009
It was raised over Baltimore s Fort McHenry on Sept. 14, 1814, to signal American victory over the British in the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812. The historic link to the battle is now kept in a dimly lit, low-oxygen, climate-controlled vault in the quest to preserve it for future generations to see. (Carroll County Times, MD)
Airport test to stop arrival of Sars and flu 'pointless' Jan 2, 2009
Screening for flu or Sars at UK airports to try to stop a pandemic taking hold in Britain will not work, warns an article in this week's British Medical Journal ... 16 Jan 2008: A British Heart Foundation advert urging children to avoid eating junk food. (Yahoo News -- SARS)
'Hitler's Private Library': Searching Hitler's books for the roots of the Third Reich Jan 2, 2009
This withdrawn infantryman had denounced the Christmas Truce of December 1914, when British and German soldiers fraternized for a day ... The British comedian's stand-up special has its premiere on HBO on Nov. 15. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Well Done, Rare, or Cryovacked Jan 2, 2009
With this appetite in mind, pioneering British agriculturalist developed new feeding and breeding methods at the end of the 18th century to raise tanklike "Dishley longhorns." These bovine behemoths, Rimas and Fraser explain, were not really suitable for milk production or field labor but amazing for sheer beef poundage. While Bakewell's ideas did not take hold immediately, his writings were highly influential for 19th-century British beef farmers as they ramped up production to feed a hungry... (Slate)
Movie treats in 2009 Jan 1, 2009
This will be the 11th film in the sci-fi classic's long history, and the all-new cast includes British comedian Simon Pegg. 8. (CNN -- International)
'Speed control' devices should be installed in cars, say campaigners Jan 1, 2009
Speed control' devices should be installed in cars, say campaigners. Claim Your Free Sunday Times Sports Calendar. (Times Online)
A serene jewel box Jan 1, 2009
LONG FORGOTTEN IN THE FORBIDDEN CITY Six years and $3 million later, the first building of the Forbidden City to be restored, Juanqinzhai, or Studio of Exhaustion From Diligent Service, has just been completed (International Herald Tribune)
Hair today, gone tomorrow? India moustaches face chop Jan 1, 2009
"It was an idea that started out as a bit of fun but turned into a labour of love," Mr McCallum, a British travel business operator, told the AFP news agency. "Beards and moustaches tell the story of modern India - how it is becoming a more Westernised, homogenised place, but also how the great traditions and the love of display still exist. "Male grooming is important to Indians, and facial hair proved a topic that took us to places and into conversations with people we would never have met... (BBC News -- South Asia)
Top BBC resignations astonished Hutton Jan 1, 2009
Law lord believes his report's findings on David Kelly's death were misinterpreted by media and is dismayed at accusations of whitewash. Thursday 4 March 2004 07. (Yahoo News -- Hutton Report)
Britain to Go Broke, Stocks to Rebound in 2009: Matthew Lynn Jan 1, 2009
Two, a soccer crunch: The two richest leagues in Europe, both pushing transfer fees and players wages through the roof, are the Spanish and the British. Both are being hammered in the global slump. (Bloomberg -- Columnists)
Robert Plant, Woody Harrelson, DMX Jan 1, 2009
Having driven ships to new lands and fought the Battle of Evermore (in song, anyway), Robert Plant, the rock singer and former front man of the rock group Led Zeppelin, was named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire on Britain's annual New Year's Honors List announced by Queen Elizabeth II. Others appearing on the list included the best-selling fantasy writer Terry Pratchett, whose novels include the satirical "Discworld" series, who was awarded a knighthood; the actor Michael Sheen,... (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Watching lives implode, from a distance Jan 1, 2009
Mendes, a British theater director and occasional dabbler in the movies - "American Beauty," "Road to Perdition," "Jarhead" - seems like a bad choice to take on "Revolutionary Road," though not because of a lack of talent ... The British comedian's stand-up special has its premiere on HBO on Nov. 15. (International Herald Tribune -- Arts)
Top 10 Breakups Jan 1, 2009
After nearly eight years, two kids, one awful desert island movie and multiple failed Kabbalist interventions, the muscled pop star, 50, and British director, 40, called it quits this fall. Rumors of a split started over the summer when Madonna and New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez hit it off so well that A-Rod's wife accused him of having an "affair of the heart." Once the Ritchie break-up was announced, the inevitable backbiting commenced. (Time.com)
Students break into Iran U.K. Embassy Dec 31, 2008
TEHRAN, Iran - Dozens of hard-line students broke into the British Embassy residence on Tuesday, Iran's official news agency said ... According to the agency, the students stormed the compound Tuesday evening and pulled down the British flag ... British Foreign Secretary David Miliband had called for an immediate cease-fire by both Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza. (MSNBC -- International)
Starbucks stresses tea offerings Dec 31, 2008
- British Consulate General. - National Clandestine Service (NCS). (Dallas Business Journal, TX)
David Cameron says Gordon Brown is dropping bombs on Britain Dec 31, 2008
David Cameron has accused Gordon Brown of "dropping bombs" on the British economy, appearing to liken the Prime Minister to the German air force during World War II.. By James Kirkup, Political Correspondent Last Updated: 6:29PM GMT 30 Dec 2008. (Telegraph.co.uk)
Waterford Wedgwood shifts to Asia to save company Dec 31, 2008
JAKARTA: For more than two centuries, Waterford crystal and Wedgwood china have been symbols of Irish and British craftsmanship. Now, their future may lie in Asia. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
