A Craven Canterbury Tale
Is this a storm in a teacup, as the archbishop now claims? Was the “feeding frenzy” biased and unfair?
Love Gained, Love Lost
Enfin, the rumors confirmed! Last weekend, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France married his singer-supermodel sweetheart, Carla Bruni, in a 20-minute civil ceremony at the Elysees Palace, the French White House. A city official performed the service. The bridal party consisted of family members plus one or two fashionable friends. Apparently the bride wore white.
Wir wollen Veränderung
Als ich vergangenen Sommer in Neu Mexiko die Lokalzeitung „Santa Fe New Mexican“ in die Hände bekam, war darin von Hillary Clinton oder Barack Obama keine Rede. Im Fokus der Wahlberichterstattung des „New Mexican“ stand der allseits bewunderte demokratische Gouverneur des Staates, Bill Richardson, der damals noch im Rennen um die Präsidentschaft 2008 war.
Beauty and the East
There was a particular historical moment, round about 1995 or so, when anyone entering a well-appointed drawing room, dining room or restaurant in London was sure to encounter a beautiful Russian woman. Though the word “beautiful” doesn’t really capture the phenomenon: The women I’m remembering were extraordinarily, unbelievably stunning.
The Rot In Kenya’s Politics
Blurry video of a policeman beating a demonstrator; a photograph of angry slum-dwellers storming a food depot; headlines featuring the word “violence.” That, more or less, sums up the news from Kenya, or at least the news that has filtered into the general consciousness over the past few weeks.
Tiny Car, Tough Questions
If you haven’t done so already, meet the Nano, possibly the most significant new car of the decade: Small, cute and snub-nosed, it fits four people and a duffel bag, has a single windshield wiper, travels at 65 mph — and it’s all yours for the princely sum of $2,500, roughly the same price as
The Color Of an Advantage
“Will Americans vote for a black man for president?” If I had a 10-euro bill for every time some incredulous foreigner asked me that question in the past week, I’d be a very rich person, particularly given the current exchange rate.
Barack Obama’s ‘day that would never come’
On the day when Barack Obama first entered America’s consciousness I was sitting glumly in the audience. It was the summer of 2004, at the Democratic Convention in Boston.
Two Benazir Bhuttos
What with the president of France jetting off to Luxor to spend Christmas with a supermodel and things looking up in Iraq, 2008 seemed set to be more cheerful than 2007.
A Stanton For the Saudis
“A court in country X sentenced a black man who had been severely beaten by white men to six months in jail and 200 lashes.” How would you react if you read that in a newspaper?