Archive for Englishman in New York
Surnow’s Revenge?
Posted by: | CommentsDid anyone notice the name of the senator grilling Jack Bauer in tonight’s season seven premier of “24?” Surely it is no coincidence that the senator’s name, Blaine Mayer, bore more than a passing resemblance to that of Jane Meyer, who wrote an unsympathetic article about “24″ co-creator Joel Surnow for The New Yorker in February, 2007.
In that article, Meyer calls out the program and Surnow for blind patriotism and for legitimizing torture as a means to an end. In tonight’s show, Senator Mayer judges Jack Bauer similarly harshly. Though not before Jack has time to call the senator “smug” and leave the Capitol to save America from the terrorists once again–using any means necessary, we suspect.
Surnow and the rest of the crew were still unhappy about the article when my editors and I visited them in the summer of 2007, while we were working on Secrets of 24
UPDATE: It seems Meyer was not amused. This from the Washington Post:
“It’s kind of flattering,” she says in an e-mail. “It’s also kind of amusing that the Tough Boys of Hollywood, who created Jack Bauer, are total cream puffs themselves, who can’t take criticism that their glamorization of torture is about as popular these days as Dick Cheney.”
(Hat tip: Dan)
Gaza: A Tragedy in Seven Paragraphs
Posted by: | CommentsThe emergency room of Shifa Hospital, Gaza City.
A car arrived with more patients. One was a 21-year-old man with shrapnel in his left leg who demanded quick treatment. He turned out to be a militant with Islamic Jihad. He was smiling a big smile.
“Hurry, I must get back so I can keep fighting,†he told the doctors.
He was told that there were more serious cases than his, that he needed to wait. But he insisted. “We are fighting the Israelis,†he said. “When we fire we run, but they hit back so fast. We run into the houses to get away.†He continued smiling.
“Why are you so happy?†this reporter asked. “Look around you.â€
A girl who looked about 18 screamed as a surgeon removed shrapnel from her leg. An elderly man was soaked in blood. A baby a few weeks old and slightly wounded looked around helplessly. A man lay with parts of his brain coming out. His family wailed at his side.
“Don’t you see that these people are hurting?†the militant was asked.
“But I am from the people, too,†he said, his smile incandescent. “They lost their loved ones as martyrs. They should be happy. I want to be a martyr, too.â€
Danske Bike Chic
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Riding in Style. Photo: Copenhagen Cycle Chic
It’s particularly hard not to feel inadequate in Copenhagen. Not only is everyone taller, leaner, fitter and better looking than you, they also have a great sense of style. Their clothes are stylish, their homes are stylish, their shops are stylish. Even the street kiosks that sell pølser, a type of Danish hot dog, look stylish. (Hell, even the bloody sausages look like they might have been designed by Arne Jacobsen.)
So, only a city like Copenhagen could provide enough material for a site like Copenhagen Cycle Chic, post after post of lean, fit, good-looking Danes peddling effortlessly through the city on sleek, curved, and very retro-looking bicycles, seemingly without a care in the world. Even their baskets and trailers, and the sub zero temperatures, don’t seem to slow them down.
AdSense Nonsense
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The perils of relying upon an algorithm.
As far as I know, Google Ads are generated by an algorithm which trawls the content on my site and then streams relevant adverts to my sidebar. Which means that Google’s algorithm somehow scanned a post about model railways, a link to David Aaronovich, and an image of the Firth of Forth Bridge, and arrived at the conclusion that a reader interested in those subjects would also be partial to intimate knowledge of gay hairy men.
Perhaps it was my glowing review of the boxer Barney Ross that swung it. Who knows. The question is, when will it go away?
Trainspotting
Posted by: | CommentsThe past few weeks seem to have been dominated by trains. Sofie’s stepfather Richard was both a trainspotter and a keen model railway enthusiast, so i spent many days this December marveling at his collection of DVDs, magazines, and memorabilia. Then I found out that my friend Wizzy‘s dad also used to be a train buff, and that his baby son Jack is pacified by steam train videos on YouTube. That’s perhaps why this video by A Brooklyn Lad, of a recent visit to The Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanic Gardens, seems all the more pertinent right now. Apparently, even the trains and the buildings are made out of plants.
The Holiday Train Show (A Brooklyn Lad)
