Newley Purnell

Colin Powell on the Allende Coup
Colin Powell: the US was wrong to help Pinochet gain power in Chile in 1973. Henry Kissenger’s aid: we didn’t do anything improper. (Via Reenhead.)

www.WeLoveTheIraqiInformationMinister.com
Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the former Iraqi Information Minister, has a fanclub.

A Plot to Kill Ecuador’s President
The BBC reports that police foiled a plot to assassinate Ecuador’s populist president, Lucio Gutierrez, last February, just after he took office. Details are scant, but it appears “Ecuadorian and Colombian hit men had agreed to a $1.5m contract” to kill Gutierrez. In a Colombian radio interview, Gutierrez said the corrupt business elite wants him dead. And as if that weren’t enough, his own wife recently criticized his political appointees.

A New Magazine from Dave Eggers
Lockhart Steele reports that Dave Eggers, of Might Magazine, McSweeney’s, and “A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius” fame, has launched a new magazine. Its focus is books and writers; it’s called The Believer. More info available here.

My New Classes
The new term is off to an excellent start. I’ve got three classes: a 103 level adult class from 7-8 a.m (you read that correctly–7 in the a.m.), a 403 (literature and creative writing) high school-age class from 3:00-4:20 p.m., and another 103 level high school age-class from 4:30-5:50 p.m. My students are great.

Funniest moments so far: yesterday, I prepared my 103 students for an in-class reading by brainstorming U.S. cities they’re familiar with. They threw out the ones they knew–New York, L.A., Chicago, etc.–and I wrote them on the board; they hit a wall after about 10.

And then, in both classes, in virtually the same reluctant, half-serious manner, someone volunteered another American town: Springfield. As in the home of “The Simpsons.” Or as they’re known here, “Los Simpsons”.

I’m Back from Peru
I’m back in Cuenca. It’s good to be home. My friend and I arrived here last night. Classes start again on Monday.

FlubTitles
My friend Jordan, who’s an extremely talented medical illustrator, it must be said, just sent me a funny site via her hilarious pal Pete. The site is FlubTitles–an amusing compilation of Engrish subtitles from Hong Kong DVDs.

And I can now say this with complete assurance: this moment, right now as I’m writing this, is the first time I’ve ever sat in a Web cafe in northern Peru and pondered East Asian linguistic gaffes.

More Links to War Coverage
I’m still in Peru. At the beach with my friend Mike. Waiting for the Ecuadorian consulate to process our long-term visa applications so we can continue traveling and then return to Cuenca. There’re worse places to be stranded, of course. So I can’t complain.

I’ve been using the Web to follow the war. The best sites I’ve found are: 1) Command Post, a frequently-updated Weblog with links to breaking stories; and 2) CyberJournalist, which features links to reporters maintaining Weblogs. The conventional news sites, like Yahoo News and CNN and the New York Times, are okay. But they don’t provide the breath of coverage that blogs offer.

Following the War from Rural Peru
It’s strange following the war in Iraq from rural Peru. I don’t have access to a TV, and Web connections are slow and sometimes elusive. Nick Denton, though, has put together a nice collection of Web sites posting reliable and up-to-date war news.

Report From Mancora, Peru
I’ve been in Mancora, Peru for the last few days. I had to leave Ecuador and re-enter the country in order to apply for a long-term visa, so I decided to travel for a week or so before returning.

Mancora’s a sleepy little beach town on Peru’s northern coast; lots of sun, good seafood, and plenty of relaxation. My friend and I might head down to Lima next and then make our way back to Ecuador. But we’re not sure yet.