I understand people being homesick and preferring to live close to home rather than abroad. I'd feel the same if I worked in another country. (Well, unless it were Canada, in which case I'd be all "Marry me so I can get citizenship! PLEASE!" to random passers-by...) But the article in question had a definite "Get me away from the dirty round-eyes!" slant, and I'd like to think I could manage a more tactful way to say I prefer home even if I weren't earning the GNP of some third world nations due to my popularity among the furriners.

But the article in question had a definite "Get me away from the dirty round-eyes!" slant, and I'd like to think I could manage a more tactful way to say I prefer home even if I weren't earning the GNP of some third world nations due to my popularity among the furriners.

Might it have been the spin the newspaper decided to put on it? They certainly wouldn't be the only foreign press to induldge in a little USA bashing.

Possibly... the account of it I read was a translation of the original, so anything's possible. But unless they completely put words in his mouth it was at least insultingly tactless if not outright inflammatory.

I'd like to think I could manage a more tactful way to say I prefer home

I agree (well, I'm positive ::you:: would). It is kind of tacky even if you have nothing good to say about someone else's alien culture to talk about it when you are a public figure. It is amazing to me, in this era, that some public people still think their words are just for the people back 'ome. Like the English golfer recently who said some fairly anti-american things (in the context of rah-rah competition) when he a) lives in the US, b) goes to school at a US university, and c) is engaged to an american woman. He was a touch surprised when his remarks to a UK tabloid hit the web and turned into a big kerfuffle in his sport. To his credit (in my view), he didn't back down from what he said, and tried to put them into the context he meant them (American sportsmanship at some of the recent international golf competitions has been shameful, and he's right). It still cost him a sponsor, and I think those are reasonable consequences.

However, it is in poor taste to be publicly critical in that manner when one is collecting cheques in USD with the other hand.

Amazon notified me that Bringing Up Baby is available for pre-order. There's a special 2-disc dvd set coming out on March 1st.

Amazon notified me that Bringing Up Baby is available for pre-order. There's a special 2-disc dvd set coming out on March 1st.

Great news. Thank you, Sumi.

Amazon notified me that Bringing Up Baby is available for pre-order. There's a special 2-disc dvd set coming out on March 1st.

Woohoo! It's about time.

Hot damn! Good news on the health/diet front. A bunch of researchers are putting together a list of the foods that will help cardiovascular health.

[link]

Treating yourself to 100 grams of dark chocolate every day appears to reduce systolic blood pressure -- the top number in a blood pressure reading -- by 5 units, and the bottom blood pressure number by almost 2 units, which research suggests may reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems by 20 percent.

Yeehah!

You know, I like the premise of Final Destination 2, but every death is so damned funny that I can't even be creeped out. My favourite so far is the one with the plate glass -- I've liked that medium for death since The Omen.

Huh, I obviously thought I was in Bitches when I posted earlier. Still, dark chocolate is good at the movies, and one shouldn't post while putting on one's shoes before running to catch a bus.