Bryan, remember the "Man Who Would Be King"?

Check it out!

from the BBC

A Hollywood actor who starred in horror film Dawn Of The Dead has found he is prince of the Afghan province of Ghor.

Scott Reiniger, who appeared in the 1978 movie, is the great, great, great grandson of Josiah Harlan, the first American to set foot in Afghanistan.

As a result of a treaty Harlan signed, his heirs are granted the title Prince of Ghor in perpetuity.

(snip)

[Harlan's mission for Dost Muhammed Khan, emir of Kabul] formed the basis for Rudyard Kipling's book The Man Who Would Be King, which, in a further Hollywood twist, was made as a film starring Sean Connery.

( A few memorable lines... )

on a much more serious note

The mother of a friend of mine went into the hospital yesterday for an operation, during the course of which, apparently, it was discovered she had an advanced case of ovarian cancer. I'm trying to find out what I can about this; apparently ovarian cancer is among the less common forms (accounting for about 4% of cancers detected in women) and can usually be treated successfully if diagnosed early (five-year survival rate: 95%). Unfortunately, early diagnosis is not common, and long-term survival rates drop sharply for women over 65 (which I think J's mom is); the average in that case is only 33%.

I'm not much of a one for prayers, but since J is mostly a friend-by-email, it's the only think I can think of to do. Please keep these folks in your thoughts and prayers, and if you have any spare karma, send it their way.

(no subject)

robbysmom and I were having an email conversation about this statement from a recent speech by Al Gore

Zinni's book will join a growing library of volumes by former advisors to Bush -- including his principal advisor on terrorism, Richard Clarke; his principal economic policy advisor, former Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill, former Ambassador Joe Wilson, who was honored by Bush's father for his service in Iraq, and his former Domestic Adviser on faith-based organizations, John Dilulio, who said, "There is no precedent in any modern White House for what is going on in this one: a complete lack of a policy apparatus. What you've got is everything, and I mean everything, run by the political arm. It's the reign of the Mayberry Machiavellis."

My first reaction to the observation that everything was being "run by the political arm" was ( this musing )

then I thought some more and ( came up with this )

press on Gen. Zinni's book, criticism of the handling of the Iraq war

on CBS

in the Post

I seem to have missed this one

Reading through someone else's LJ, I come across this from The Guardian

US government faked Bush news reports

Chris Tryhorn
Tuesday March 16, 2004

TV news reports in America that showed President George Bush getting a standing ovation from potential voters have been exposed as fake, it has emerged.

The US government admitted it paid actors to pose as journalists in video news releases sent to TV stations intending to convey support for new laws about health benefits.