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CONTENTS

Editorial Staff:..................................................................................................................................................................1

Contents:.........................................................................................................................................................................2

Glamour for Oscar: Many of the stars nominated for this year's Oscars were not what you'd call household names.  But what really kept us glued to our sets was who would win Best Frock. ..............................................................................3

More Glamour:  Julia Roberts never seems to get it completely right. A pale coffee-coloured satin plunge dress clasped with jewels at the waist draped across a boyish figure. Her hair is a mass of tumbling streaked curls. Yes, she has the widest smile in the business but will someone instill some hair and fashion sense into her? But as for Catherine Zeta Jones - she looked predictably chocolate-box beautiful in a tight red clinging dress with lots of intricate design detail in the material...................4

Photos: More photos from the OSCAR ceremony and red carpet..........................................................................................................................5

Glamour Photos:.................................................................................................................................................................................................6

Great Winners: The great winners....................................................................................................................................................................7

 Jayson Blair: Trouble just seems to follow Jayson Blair around. The disgraced New York Times reporter, sacked for making up stories last year, is at the centre of a new scandal as his tell-all memoir is about to hit bookshops. Advance copies of the book have been leaked to newspapers, including the New York Times itself, prompting...............................................................................................................................8

Revolution Day: At noon I was on the lower roof of the Palestine hotel with Paul Danahar and Killa, preparing to do a live broadcast from our satellite position. Malek and Duncan were on the balcony of our suite on the 13th floor filming the American Abrams tanks on the Joumhouriya bridge. The BBC studio in London could already see me on ................................................................................8-9

Alistair: The 95-year-old joined the BBC in 1934 as a film critic before starting up US current affairs and historical programme Letter From America in 1946. The show is the world's longest-running speech radio programme. Cooke, who was absent from the show last week due to illness, will not record any new shows but Radio 4 will air archive shows for several weeks. The BBC said Cooke had decided to sign off following advice from doctors Cooke said: "I can no longer continue my Letter From America. "Throughout 58 years I have had much enjoyment in doing these talks and hope that some of it has passed over to the listeners, to all of whom I now say thank you for your loyalty and goodbye." Since Letter From America began, Cooke has presented 2,869 shows, making up more than 717 hours of broadcasting time. This does not include other radio ...................................................................................................................10

 

 

 

US/Haiti: The exiled former President of Haiti, Jean-Bertrand Aristide, has said that the Americans forced him to leave his country. In interviews with US television and news agencies, he said he had been the victim of a "coup d'etat". He said he had signed documents relinquishing power because of fears that violence would erupt if he did not comply with the demands of US agents. But he repeatedly refused to answer direct questions about whether he had been kidnapped. Earlier, friends of Mr. Aristide in the US alleged that the former president was abducted by American agents.....11

Bush/Aristide: The Bush administration insisted Monday that Haiti's exiled president was not kidnapped or strong-armed into fleeing, despite Jean-Bertrand Aristide's claims that the U.S. military forced him to leave. The Pentagon said as many as 2,000 U.S. troops could go to Haiti to help to curb violence that culminated Sunday in Aristide's departure. White House officials said Aristide left willingly and that the United States aided his safe departure. But in a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Aristide said: "No. I was forced to leave. "Agents were telling me that if I don't leave they would start shooting and killing in a matter of time," Aristide said during the interview, which was interrupted at times by static. Asked to identify the "agents," Aristide said: "White American, white military. "They came at night. . . . There were too many. I couldn't count them." ..........................................................................12

 American Sex Warfare: Standing beneath the dome of San Francisco's City Hall last week, amid floral bouquets and wide-eyed onlookers, Josephine and Gieseppina made their vows and were married; they have been together for eight years. Josephine works for the electricity company and Gieseppina works in a store. But their union is more than just an act of love. It is also a political statement. 'How come I live in the land of the free, yet am not free to spend the rest of my life in my own country with the woman I love?' said Josephine. .............................................................................................13-14

Iraq: The Beginning of a Civil War in Iraq. Explosions hit Iraq Shia festival. At least 30 people have been killed in Karbala and many hundreds wounded, and as many as 75 killed in Baghdad. BBC correspondents in Karbala said there were scenes of panic with victims being carried on makeshift stretchers and women trying to get children away. Security had been tight for fear the festival of Ashura would be targeted. This was the first time in decades that Iraq's majority Shia community had been able to freely observe the holy day. More than a million people had flocked to Karbala.......................................................................................................15-18

US/Iraq: Arabs accusing the US. Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, blamed U.S. soldiers for the attacks, saying they were responsible for the security. Sheik Hamed Khafaf said U.S. officials ignored repeated requests to bolster security for the pilgrims. Shiite cleric Sheik Sayyed Akeel al-Khatib said the explosions, "especially those at Kazimiya,".........................................................................................................................................................................................19-20

UUS intelligence inquiry:  US Intelligence Inquiry: President George Bush has made the final appointments to a commission  to investigate pre-war intelligence on Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction, which to date have not been found! The panel has been given more than a year to complete its work, and will not report until well after the next US presidential elections in November. The White House says such a time span is needed as the panel has a broad brief to examine the possibility of wider intelligence shortcomings. Democrats are unhappy with the inquiry. They question how a panel appointed by the president can be independent, and also want the body to examine charges that the White House manipulated intelligence. .....................................................................................21

Entertainment1: Mel Gibson's gamble on The Passion of the Christ paid off enormously, riding a storm of religious debate to a $117.5 million US haul in its first five days, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Passion, which debuted on Ash Wednesday, rocketed to the No.1 box-office slot for the weekend with $76.2 million from Friday to Sunday. It was the seventh-best three-day opening ever, behind Spider-Man at $114.8 million and such Hollywood franchises as The Matrix Reloaded and the first two Harry Potter movies. The Passion put up the second-best five-day figures for a movie opening on Wednesday, behind last year's The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King at $124.1 million and ahead of Star Wars................................................22

 

Balsamo: He mastered the sacred hidden language of lights and shadows. Balsamo's palette is an Iliad of transmigrated visions of an unexplored melodic, intellectual and lyrical  dimension. Although, structural compositions define a solid platform, Balsamo's lyricism transcends the frontiers of his canvases. His forms are free of conceptualism, yet, each piece tells the tale of conceptual visualization of esthetics, romanticism and freedom of evolutionary artistic expression. .........................................................................................................23

 

Zeidan: Ms. Zeidan is a Lebanese artist with a cosmopolitan education and understanding of European illustrative arts. Thus, her artistic creativity emanates from an explosion and infusion of convergent and divergent blend of innovative artistic visions. The strokes are limpid, yet powerful in their fragile and delicate elegance. Partially spiritual, globally intellectual and sensitively lyrical, Zeidan's artistic evocation is sublime. Her soul and struggles are part of her work. It was not easy for this Lebanese artist living and working in tumultuous Lebanon to make her mark on the international art landscape.................................................................................................................................24

Rebecca Spencer: Ms. Spencer succeeded in establishing herself as a most talented and striking vedette. Although, she is traditional in the form, shape and selection of her repertoire, Ms. Spencer managed to enlarge and innovate the perimeter of illustrative cabaret for she added class, finesse and lyrical interpretational intimacy to the ambiance of traditional cabaret. In that context, Ms. Spencer has earned our admiration and respect. Indeed, she is a world-class artist. Her recent CD "Wide Awake and Dreaming" redefined romanticism, vocal virtuosity.................................................................................25

 

Divas: Would we ever see real cabaret if we hit Broadway or venture in cosmopolitan cities in the United States? Affirmative. America has become the world stage for cabaret. The fascinating aspect of this American art and musical platform resides in the variety of styles of the artists, rather than in the rendered repertoire. Back in the 20s, 30s and 40s, France defined the prototype of a cabaret vedette and the persona of a chanteuse. In the United States, categorizing and indexing chanteuses is a hard task. For, each American star and starlet, the aura of her presence on stage and artistic quality are defined by a personal charisma and powerful artistic performance, rather than by artistic quality. It would be impossible to establish an analogy between traditional French cabaret artistes such as Mistinguet and the popular American .........................................................................................................................................................26-28

Mars: Mars was once soaked with water, enough to support life in a "good, habitable environment," NASA scientists said Tuesday after reviewing data from the Mars rover Opportunity, although they said the finding doesn't prove that life existed. "Opportunity has landed in an area of Mars where liquid water once drenched the surface," said Edward Weiler, associate NASA administrator for space science, at a news conference. "This area would have been a good, habitable environment." .................................................................................................................................29-34

Ballet: One of the hottest issues facing the future of ballet is striking the elusive balance between traditional movement and innovation. For Harris that means keeping the classical genre visible, in the arabesques and the pointe work. But he wants to see those elements choreographed so the work looks fresh, quirky, extraordinary and athletic. It has worked, in Harris' book, if the audience is on the edge of their seats saying, "Wow! Just look at what these people can do with their bodies". Saltarello has already proved its "wow" worth, bursting on stage for its 2001 premiere in Wellington dressed in slinky black and silver, and punching out a near perfect blend of edgy, contemporary originality in fine classical technique, set to a medieval musical score. Choreographer Christopher Hampson..............................35-37

Reality TV: Reality TV has burst upon the Arab world, drawing huge audiences but firing up conservative outrage over the spectacle of young men and women flirting, hugging and dancing under one roof. Young people from Iraq and Syria to Egypt, Kuwait and Yemen love these variations on ''Big Brother'' and ''American Idol.'' Some religious scholars and politicians say they're sacrilegious. Things got so heated this week that Saudi-owned MBC TV bowed to pressure from Islamic fundamentalists and the Bahrain Information Ministry and said it will suspend ''Al-Rayes,'' its version of ''Big Brother,'' less than two weeks into the show. ''Al-Rayes'' featured................................................................................................................38

Jon Stewart: Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, Dan Rather ... and Jon Stewart? Readers over 30 might scoff at Stewart's inclusion - assuming they know who he is. For many under 30, the host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" is, improbably, an important news source. A poll released earlier this year by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that 21 percent of people aged 18 to 29 cited "The Daily Show" and "Saturday Night Live" as a place where they regularly learned presidential campaign news. By contrast, 23 percent of the young people mentioned ABC, CBS or NBC's nightly news broadcasts as a source. Even more startling is the change from just four years ago. When the same question was asked in 2000, Pew found only 9 percent of young people pointing to the comedy shows and 39 percent to the network news shows. The people at "The Daily Show" ridicule the idea of people looking to their show as a primary news source.".................40-41

Media-Poll: Most Admired TV Personalities in the United States: Anchors-Female: The results of  the Monthly Herald recent international poll on the most admired and popular American television personalities (Anchors, Commentators and Hosts) are as follows........................................................................................................42-44

Media-Polls2: Most Admired TV Personalities in the United States: Anchors-Male: The results of  the Monthly Herald recent international poll on the most admired and popular American television personalities (Anchors, Commentators and Hosts) are as follows.......................................................................................................................................................45-46

Princess: Tapes secretly recorded by Diana, Princess of Wales, in which she talks about the breakdown of her marriage, are due to be shown on US television. "Diana will tell her story beginning with her life before becoming a princess, through her battle with bulimia and her suicide attempts, to intimate details of Prince Charles's long-time affair with Camilla Parker Bowles that haunted their marriage." NBC. The princess speaks of Prince Charles's affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, her relationships with other members of the Royal Family and her suicide attempts. Network NBC is airing the video and audio tapes on Thursday evening (Friday in the UK). Andrew Morton used the audio tapes for his 1992 book, Diana: Her True Story...............................................................................................49-50

 

 Breast Surgery: Almost six out of 10 women have had, or would have, surgery on their breasts, a survey has suggested. Men were most likely to opt for a nose job, with a third saying they had already had the operation or were considering doing so. The findings emerged from a survey of 2,000 people for the financial group Abbey. It found people were prepared to borrow an average of £4,000 to pay for cosmetic surgery. In the survey, 58% women said they had already had, or would consider having a breast augmentation or reduction, or an operation to raise or reshape breasts. Overall, women were three times more likely to opt to go under the knife than men..................................................................................................................................55

Profile: Martha Stewart. For millions of US consumers, she is the high priestess of lifestyle advice. For investors, she was a successful chief executive, sitting on the board of the New York Stock Exchange. Her company, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, is a business powerhouse, with revenues of $295m in 2002. Ms.  Stewart stepped down as chairwoman and chief executive after being indicted but remains a board member and the most influential shareholder. While her refined offerings may not sit well with the Texas lifestyle popularised by President George W Bush, she is as American as apple pie. The 62-year-old's............................................................................................................................................................................56

 

Fashion: 2004 World Fashion. Other luxury houses have hit lean times, but at Christian Dior sales and profits have climbed steadily this decade, without a single wearable dress appearing on a catwalk. There has always been an air of fairytale to the John Galliano story. However, even by the standards of fashion's finest showman, Monday's haute couture spring/summer 2004 show in Paris was jaw-dropping. The show was conservatively valued at more than £1 million ($2.4 million). Each season, Galliano travels abroad in search of inspiration. Two months ago he visited Egypt, where he was struck by how the elongated shapes and exaggerated poses of the figures in ancient Egyptian art echoed the 1950s fashion portraits.....................................................................57-68

 

Mail: Letters to the Editor.............................................................................................................................................................................70--76

Cartoons: .......................................................................................................................................................................................................76

Comics: Comics against the French and funny photos by Americans to illustrate their disdain and hate for of the French............................77-80

Stewart Comics:   A la Martha Stewart...........................................................................................................................................................81

Women Artists: The visionary women artists of the Middle and Near East. The Middle East gave to the world an avalanche of remarkable women artists who produced exquisite abstract, modern, figurative, illustrative and futuristic artworks. The list of distinguished artists is endless. Among the most illustrious female artists of the Middle and Near East are those who are studied and listed on these pages. A considerable number of Arab women have already made their mark on the international scene of contemporary art. Many of them became wealthy and famous, for they have cultivated efficient rapports and contacts with the West. Arab female artists who never left the Arab homeland succeeded in their career within a limited geographical perimeter. The quality of their work rival the beauty and excellence of the work of their compatriots who managed to exhibit their paintings in the United States and Europe. Although,  modern Arab societies provided Middle and Near Eastern women artists with autonomy and ample opportunities to exhibit their work, the socio-cultural traditions refrained them from expanding their career as a "legitimate and serious" profession. A considerable number of the Middle Eastern female artists studied on the hands of well-known European artists in ateliers and academies  dispersed in the major cities and capitals of Europe......................................82-88

Essay: What Local Stations  Don't Want You to Know! An essay on the state of local news

 

                                                             

                                                                                                                                   

                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

Local Television News has become less important to Americans--in part because we're catching on to their scam.  More and more of us are realizing how little journalism local news gives us because they'd rather reap profits than provide public service. Station promotion departments spend more than a few dollars to lead you to quite the opposite impression.  Even so, newscasts are rarely news anymore--they're mostly 'info-tainment to build ratings."  Below are the strategies they use to keep you watching.  After you read them, you'll never see local news the same way again. TV people can easily be caught up in the glamour of it all.   In stations all over the country, there are those who work in TV who are well meaning, dedicated professionals.  They have little control over the way stations now staff and define news.  The 'real journalists' working in stations aren't happy their bosses shamelessly maximize ratings and profits.  They do the best they can under the circumstances.  A great number eventually leave after a few years--disillusioned over the pressure, superficiality, and nomadic lifestyle.  Greg found TV work exciting, even intoxicating and occasionally personally rewarding.  But not at all what it once...........................................................................................................................................................91-127

Books: The 12 Best Books in the US. The 12 Best Books in Great Britain. The readers choice (The International List).........................128

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