Tuesday, April 27, 2004
NEEDLE IN A HAYSEED
A nurse friend of mine who used to work in a Shiite hospital in the Shiite suburbs of Beirut told me that they used to receive several casualty cases a day of women who had accidentally swallowed the pin or needle that they were holding in their pursed lips whilst applying their veil.
She even knew of a doctor, in private practice, who specializes in treating such cases.
3:41 pm
Saturday, April 24, 2004
TALK TO THE HAND!
Greek Cypriot voters have overwhelmingly rejected the United Nations backed reunification plan in today's referendum.
Turkish Cypriots voted in favor of union for a second time having previously done so in 1571.
5:00 pm
Sunday, April 11, 2004
EASTER SUNDAY
HAPPY EASTER
"CHRIST HAS RISEN"
- Opening headline on this evening's Lebanese Broadcasting Corporation television news bulletin.
10:14 am
Monday, April 05, 2004
MADE IN TAIWAN
Taiwan's* losing presidential candidate Lien Chan (LOSER!) is contesting last months election, claiming that the winner, incumbent President Chen Shui-bian, benefited from an unfair advantage - the sympathy vote - after he and Vice-President Annette Lu were shot and wounded on the eve of the polls.
Effectively saying "it's not fair, they were shot and I wasn't".
Is Taiwanese politics a "tough room" (as stand-up comedians** say) or what?
This comes as no surprise considering that Taiwan's major export (after premium quality electronics) is footage of all-in parliamentary brawls for the closing scenes of Western television news bulletins.
*Disclaimer: renatoobeidsworld can not vouch that this indeed happened in Taiwan (it could have been China, Japan, South Korea etc) as "they all look the same don't they?" and "it's impossible to tell them apart isn't it?"
**The "author" thanks Anthony Mir, Gary Eck and Akmal Saleh (the holy trinity of satire) for letting him tag along on tour with them.
I was their groupie.
I was also their timekeeper - being bohemians, they didn't wear watches but paradoxicaly spent a surprisingly disproportionate amount of time asking me what the time was (as most people who don't wear watches tend to do).
10:29 pm
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