Monthly Archives: February 2011

Song for the New Breed

Posted on February 28, 2011 by hnbjr

Rory Stewart‘s The Places in Between, an account of his walk through Afghanistan in 2002, is every bit as good as critics say it is. (I can’t remember the last time when I read a book that proudly announced that … Continue reading →

Posted in afghanistan, international development, UN | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Friday AM briefs

Posted on February 25, 2011 by hnbjr

There’s way too much news this week, from the Libya to the milleproroghe, from Macedonia’s electoral crisis to the role of social media in the events that have shaken the Arab world.   Fini’s proclamation that the PM was not … Continue reading →

Posted in Balkans, electoral crisis, fini, il cav, italy, macedonia, the italian right | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Getting Clowned

Posted on February 19, 2011 by hnbjr

This week’s l’Espresso features Berlusconi getting ‘clowned’ (as old school hip hop might have it) by the US, via the leaked Embassy cables.  Coverage is running in English as well, and the magazine promises to publish more than 4,000 cables … Continue reading →

Posted in america, il cav, italy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I thought it was the USA…

Posted on February 19, 2011 by hnbjr

…or just another country? I’m not sure what’s more depressing — the amount of ‘worst’ categories that my adopted country is in, or the amount of ‘worst of the worst’ categories that my native country is in. But something about … Continue reading →

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Friday AM Roundup

Posted on February 18, 2011 by hnbjr

What’s great about Friday morning?  Having the Economist placed at your feet.  And even though this is a blog, sometimes it takes having the paper placed in your hands to do a good scan. Premesso’s not-quite week in review, drawn … Continue reading →

Posted in art, Balkans, Bossi, electoral crisis, eu, film, il cav, immigration, italy, lega nord, macedonia, obama, the italian left, the italian right, the right in europe, veneto | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Minetti on CNN

Posted on February 17, 2011 by hnbjr

[youtube_sc url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE9Da8Pw4Rk] Minetti’s English is not the issue. Someone claimed she was near-native, which is obviously not true, but she speaks English much better than many a company head, tourist operator, receptionist at one of the few blue-chip firms, or … Continue reading →

Posted in electoral crisis, il cav, italy, the italian right | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Berlusconi’s Steganography

Posted on February 17, 2011 by hnbjr

Yesterday the FT ran the following photo, shot by AP photographer Riccardo de Luca, above-the-fold in its Europe edition.  The unspoken message is clear: you’re old, and it’s time to leave. Even in a recent broadcast, Berlusconi seems old and … Continue reading →

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Remembering to Forget

Posted on February 5, 2011 by hnbjr

Growing up,  no annual pilgrimage to my grandmother’s native Cape Fear was complete without a trip to the Brunswick Nuclear Power Plant‘s visitor center.  Nothing seemed strange about this habit at the time: they had educational and interactive exhibits, complete … Continue reading →

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Lelemore Lelemore

Posted on February 1, 2011 by hnbjr

If you find recent write-ups on the doings at Arcore too much to bear lately, then get your day started right with this hilarious Grease parody. Warning: not only do you have to follow the news and Italian, you have … Continue reading →

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