Ben Rosen
Sightings&Citings Synopses of and excerpts from interesting items that have recently appeared here and there —and sometimes way over there—in the media FARCICAL FACIAL FINANCES The complex complexions of Congress? Fox News reported last week that Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) are attempting to introduce a bill to reform the official painting of congressmen’s portraits. The paintings can cost more than $50,000 each. Coburn commented: “Hardworking taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for lavish official portraits, especially when government officials spend more on paintings of themselves than some Americans make in a year.” It’s not just Congress getting painted. The Obama administration reportedly spent nearly $400,000 on paintings of officials within a two-year period. The senators’ bill would allow only $20,000 of taxpayer money to be spent on each painting, and only paintings of congressmen in the line of succession for the presidency would be allowed. Private Sorry, Denmark. You can get a seat with the US and the UK, but you’re still an unknown.
money would be allowed to be spent on the paintings after the taxpayer money was spent. The bizarre implication: Congressmen think we want to be reminded of their faces.
PRESERVING THEIR TRADITIONAL CULTURE Not very subtle there in Romania JTA reported that a new Romanian television station for aired an Xmas carol praising the burning of Jews during its inaugural transmission. TVR3 Verde aired the song on December 5. It contained the lyrics “The kikes, holy G-d would not leave the kike alive, neither in heaven nor on earth, only in the chimney as smoke, this is what the kike is good for, to make kike smoke through the chimney on the street.” The TV station said afterward that it hadn’t chosen the music but had played songs compiled by the Center for Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Cul-
ture from the county of Cluj. The station said that it had notified the Cluj city council that the selection was “uninspired.” U ninspired, maybe. But it’s certainly inspiring.
TRANSLATION DIFFICULTIES Unsecure signing at Mandela memorial The sign-language interpreter at the recent Nelson Mandela memorial, Thamsanqa Jantjie, was widely criticized for not actually signing and instead making a series of unintelligible hand motions. The company he worked for “vanished into thin air,” according to reports. Then came the revelation that the interpreter was schizophrenic and claimed to have seen angels during the service. All of which doesn’t make it surprising that the South African news agency eNCA reported late last week that Jantjie had faced a series of criminal charges for a number of crimes, including kidnapping, attempted murder and murder, but was never con-
THE (NO) NAME GAME
STANDING OVATION OF A SNEAK “[H]e behaved so arrogantly and insolently as unwillingly standing up from his seat and half-heartedly clapping...” North Korean official news agency KCNA explaining the reasons for the trial and execution of Jang Song Thaek, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s uncle, described in the report as “despicable human scum” and “worse than a dog.”
victed, apparently because of his mental health status. Jantjie, who told eNCA that he becomes violent “a lot,” stood next to a number of world leaders, including President Obama, while he made his repetitive hand motions. B ut compared to South African security, he was doing a great job.
“President Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron pose for a picture with an unidentified official during the memorial service for South African former president Nelson Mandela.” —The caption on a photo by AFP of Obama, Cameron and Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt —who was sitting between them—taking a picture of themselves.
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