Lindsay in London

Last story

2007-08-22T08:29:00.001-07:00

The last story I published...
http://newslink.nandomedia.com/NandoTimes/asap/lifestyle/v-beaufort/story/3674620p-13059494c.html

Howdy, Y'all!

2007-08-14T08:28:00.000-07:00

Man oh man is it hot in this state!
Back in Texas, soaking up the sun and Dr Pepper. Im still trying to wrap my head around the fact that no one here has a British accent.
Well the Air India flight back as not nearly as awful and bumpy as the first one, but they did manage to lose the bags from the plane to the baggage claim so nearly everyone missed thier connecting flight... I barely got to mine!
The girls and I spent our last Sunday in London on a Beatles walking tour. We saw the studios where they made the Yellow Submarine movie and recorded Hey Jude. We saw the office where the Beatles gave their last concert on the rooftop. Below is a pic of the Abbey Road cross walk..we kept blocking traffic to get pictures!

The Tower of London is probably my favorite place in Europe, let alone England. So Rebekah and i went there our last day to see it one last time and to get her boyfriend something. And I mean, this picture just had to happen.

Rebekah and I grabbed a hot dog in a park by Buckingham Palace on one of our last days. She snapped this pic of me feeding the rest of it to the birds.

Walking across the Abbey Road zebra crossing.

Surrey

2007-08-08T04:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I got to go to Surrey to report on foot and mouth...which really means I spent the day bending down in bushes, trying to avoid poison ivy while watching dead cows loaded into a truck through a pair of binoculars. I had to contort into such strange positions just to get a view that I am very sore this morning!
My editor told me yesterday morning to get to Surrey, so I hopped a quick train out to Guildford and caught up with the photographer who was already out in the field (literally) reporting on the second case of foot and mouth within the last few days.
Luckily, my cab driver in Guildford was a news reading man. All I had to tell him was that I was a reporter, and he said he knew right where to take me.
"I thought you might not know. No offense, love, but you don't exactly look like you're from around here," he said. He was right. I'd chosen that day to be too lazy to match any colors, so I was dressed in black and wearing flipflops. Not quite what one wears in the English country side.
Once we got there, I saw reporters and photographers everywhere, climbing on ladders, peeking over bushes, trying to see where the cows are/were. I spent the day walking along roads and footpaths, discussing the outbreak with farmers and semiretired in tiny Normandy, England. The officials working on the outbreak hid the action from reporters behind trucks and trees, so while the photographers ran around in the heat, climbing ladders to get the perfect shot, reporters went to the pub across the street to watch and pretend like they were working.
Minus the gruesome sight of dead cows being loaded into a truck, the trip was just lovely. The town was beautiful_much quieter and sunnier than London. Exhausted as I was, I tried not to fall asleep on the train ride home. My last chance to see British countryside for a while, I think.
http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/08/07/883393-uk-says-lab-likely-foot-and-mouth-source
Today is my last day at work! There hasn't been much to do, honestly. Big news is an illegal translation of Harry Potter in France, and something about a cute monkey in England. One of the girls on the program spent her internship organizing a charity beer olympics tonight (not quite the AP, but could be fun), so our program has decided to celebrate our last days by suppoting the event she organized.

I have to push the pram alot...

2007-08-06T02:21:00.002-07:00

How weird. This is my last Monday here! Wednesday is my last day of work, and I'll fly back to DFW on Sunday. I'm sad to leave, but with August has come what news-folks call the 'silly season.' If I am asked to write one more story about a silly/scary cow/shark/bear entertaining/terrorising the UK, I am quitting early... But that and Madeline McCann seem to be the only news stories.
Friday, Rach, Cal, Bekah and I went to see Spamalot! I was really worried I wouldn't like it since I can probably quote the entire movie, but I absolutely loved it! I was sore from laughing. They add all these new elements to the show so no one could possible guess what comes next. Plus, the voice of God was played by John Cleese!
Before we went to Spamalot, we ate at a Mexican Food restaurant in Leister Square. AND I actually liked it! I take that to mean that I have been away from Texas too long.
Saturday, I hit up the final two museums I really had my heart set on visiting: the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
I'd forgotten that I'd been to the British Museum before, but once I walked in I had this strong memory of being jet lagged and exhausted, complaining with my 3 brothers and sisters about having to actively walk around until Mom and Dad caved in and took us to get cokes and a nearby cafe. I'm so glad I got to go back when I was well rested, the museum was wonderful. I walked around for hours, examining the Rosetta Stone and what remains of the east and west pediments from the Parthenon, as well as countless other artifacts from around the world. The museum is just packed with beautiful and telling pieces from ancient Greece/Rome/Egypt/etc. Sometimes, it made me wonder why those artifacts weren't, say, IN Greece/Rome/Egypt...but I digress.
Eventually, that museum just wears you out, so I hoped the tube to the V&A. It was a beautiful, summer day outside, so I sat in their courtyard, bathing in the sun next to the big, beautiful fountain. The V&A is pretty expansive as well, but I managed to see thier new fashion/textiles exhibit marking changes in dress over time, as well as a long, cool sculpture gallery. They also had a large exhibit of art from the Islamic world: finely woven rugs, delicately decorated vases, and beautifully illustrated books from places like Iran, Egypt, and Syria. It was hard to think of the current status of some of those countries, to think that few of those beautiful articles are being created in Iraq and Iran now...
Sunday, Cali, Rebekah and I went on a very nerdy, veeery touristy Beatles walking tour. We walked across the zebra crossing at Abbey road, saw the recording studio where they recorded Hey Jude, rested on the steps of the Palladium where Beatlemania officially began, saw the studio where animators created the movie Yellow Submarine and stood in front of the office building where the Beatles held their last live concert on a rooftop. I'll put some pictures up later! It was very surreal to think that the Beatles, the actual Beatles, were standing right where I was standing.
Rebekah and I spent the rest of the day in parks, lying in the sun reading and talking intermittently. Overall, a lovely weekend!

Vienna Pics II

2007-08-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

The Danube!!

The picture Cali took as she fell into the Danube!

I was glad we got to spend so much time in Vienna and just one day in Budapest. Like I said below, Budapest was kind of a trashy version of big, beautiful Vienna. But, the parliament building, visible behind me in these pics, is quite possibly the most beautiful building I have ever seen.

The Rathaus, or city hall, where we went to the big, outdoor film festival

They sure love Duran Duran in Budapest! This cafe was across the street from the chapel of Rachel's patron saint, St. Elizabeth.

Lindsay, Cali, and Rachel

New story

2007-08-02T02:46:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of the Scouting movement, which began in England.

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/08/01/871760-scouting-celebrates-100th-anniversary

Vienna: Part II

2007-08-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

OK, here is the rest of what happened in Vienna! Its been crazy, so sorry this didnt come sooner. A few pics are posted below, but I'll add more!
So on our first full day in Vienna, we decided to go to the Freud museum. The psychoanalyst lived in Vienna, and his house has been transformed into a museum celebrating his contributions to our realizations of our neuroses. Finding the museum proved harder than we thought, not because we weren't looking, but because we kept getting distracted with all the incredible things there were to see. We stopped at an outdoor cafe near the university and ate cheap sandwiches while listening to students argue and debate in German. The cafe looked over a beautiful Gothic cathedral, which we visited after lunch. Then we passed by the city hall (hilariously pronounced rat-house) where we saw a huge international cuisine bazaar. The Rat House was holding a film festival, so we promised to come back once we'd actually buckled down long enough to find the bloody museum.
The Freud museum is next to Cafe Freud, where we did not stop. The museum is housed in his cozy, smallish apartment. Many of the rooms had been kept in tact, including his waiting room. His office where he saw patients was turned into a display of his collected objects, letters, and publications. He had an incredible collection of statuettes from all over the world. Calli, Rachel and I made sure to take pictures on the couch they had displayed, I'll post those later.
After the museum, we went back to the film festival, where we ate chicken burritos and watched Carmen. A very international evening!
***
The next day we went to Schobrunn, a Hapsburg castle. We saw rooms where Mozart had played and where Marie Antoinette grew up. We climbed to the top of the hill behind the palace, where there was an incredible view over the whole city. I chose to go to Vienna because I dont know that I'll ever be able to go back there. But after seeing the city spread at our feet like that, I know I'll have to go back one day. What a beautiful city!
We spent the next day in Budapest. The trip was wonderful, but the city is kind of a trashy Vienna. Our tour guide was nutty as a fruitcake, though. She did not speak English well and kept telling us to "Prepare your cam-eh-rahs, Ladies and Gentleman, for a special picture of Budapest" before pointing us at a totally random rock or hill or something.
For lunch, the tour offered a €14 lunch at a traditional Budapest restaurant. We decided to splurge, hoping our typical Budapest meal would be worth it. They took us to Best Western... And served us french fries... It was hilarious. I think I've had more Hungarian food in England.
All of that was on the Pest side of the city, which is divided by a river. We crossed the bridge and entered the historical and hilly Buda side, where we saw the castle and some of the oldest areas of the city. (see pictures!)
***
We had a few hours on the Pest side of the city to do what we wanted. Cal, Rach and I started walking on a bridge over the Danube where they had a little market of crafts and snacks. As Rach bought a bar of handmade soap, Cal and I started talking about how cool it would be to put our feet in the Danube. Before we knew it, our shoes were off and we were running down the stone steps along the bank to get to the river. We exchanged cameras to get pics of each other, and headed out over the perilous rocks lining the shore. As I sat down, I slashed my foot open on a sharp rock, causing me to yell so loudly that Calli stepped on a moss-covered rock, slipped, and fell INTO the Danube! WITH my camera! Luckily we are both OK, as is the camera, but, man, that was hilarious. We walked back up to the bridge (well, I limped and Cali sort of waddled) where we tried to tell Rachel what happened without cracking up. The weather was so nice, Cal dried off pretty quick. But she did smell pretty foul...

Last about Harry Potter, I swear

2007-07-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

My article on the 'afterlife' of the Harry Potter characters was listed as Yahoo!s #1 most emailed today with over 3000 emails.
Awesome.
Thanks, mom, for the tip!
Heres the article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070730/ap_en_ot/potter_s_afterlife;_ylt=AiWSIoQaVBNZd07oR.JRbVkDW7oF

2007-07-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Schobrunne Castle gardens

The Freud museum

Calli and me at Sigmund Freud national park

Calli and I outside a cathedral in Karlsplatz

Vienna

2007-07-30T05:14:00.001-07:00

Back from Vienna! Prepare yourself for a long blog post. Again.
Rachel, Calli and I took a few days off of work to spend 5 days/4 nights in Vienna, including one full day in Budapest. We stayed at a hostel just a few blocks from the U-train station Schwelgerstrasse. Rachel and I were totally lost in a German-speaking city, but luckily Calli studied abroad in Germany last summer and taught us how to say the basics. This seemed to be too complicated for me, however. To apologize in German, I was supposed to say 'Entschuldigung' (pronounced Int-SHUL-dee-gung). For some reason, I kept saying 'Islamabad' which would cause Rach, Cal, and the German speaking person I was talking to (who usually spoke English anyway) to erupt in fits of laughter. Maybe I'll stick with French.
Once we dropped our bags at our suprisingly nice hostel, we caught the U train to Karlsplatz for no real reason except to be out in the lovely, warm weather. We walked around, touring the city and enjoying the fact that it wasn't raining. We had a lovely dinner at a kebap place with outdoor seating before heading to the state opera house. As we stood, admiring the beautiful opera house all lit up at night, two guys dressed as Mozart started trying to talk us up in German. Only in Vienna...
Ill keep updating as the day goes along, so check back for updates.
Ill also be posting pictures, hopefully. My camera broke (wonderful story that I will explain later) so Im hoping I can still get the images from my memory card.

Harry Potter

2007-07-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

Man oh man, what a last 72 hours.
So yes, I did cover the midnight book launch of the final installment of the Harry Potter series for the Associated Press London bureau. It is so sad that I dont think I will ever write a sentence that awesome again for the rest of my life.
I got to Piccadilly Circus a little after nine. The trains were delayed because there'd been some pretty 'massive' flooding (texans will roll thier eyes) after the rain.
I was worried at first I wouldn't be able to find the bookstore. I was wrong...There were already thousands of people lined up. It was like some bizzare convention, only everyone was standing in line Fans were hurridly finishing the 6th book (again), adding final touches to costumes, or making signs on cardboard that said things like "The Giant Squid is a Horcrux."
It took a good 15 minutes to weave my way to the back of the line, which was blocks and blocks away past the witches hats and Hogwarts flags. People were dressed as Castles, as wizarding paintings, and as firebolts. Others were dressed as thier favorite characters, be that Lucius Malfoy or a Thestral.
Then came the crazy part...
***
There were over 5000 people in like for the book, and a good 200 had joined the crowd outside, just to watch. After pushing my way throguh the crowd (not easy, and I did knock over a few camera men to get to the front...totally on accident), I joined in the last ever countdown and cheering as the stroke of 12:01 came after so many years.
That's when I realized, people buying the book were being released out the BACK of the store, not the front. My job at this launch was to get quotes from people who'd just bought the book, so, cursing under my breath, I started ramming my way back through the crowd with my shoulder (which is swollen and the color of a plum.) Once I got clear of the mass gathering outside, I sprinted to the back pushing past fans and bystanders alike, till I got to the alleyway.
I was greeted by a bookstore employee wearing a shirt that said 'Muggle' yelling "No one through, I'm sorry but NO ONE is allowed through." They'd blocked off the street to protect new owners of the 7th book from people who wanted to yell the ending at them...or from the evil Rita Skeeter members of the press.
Thank god I took ballet when I was little. I turned my back on the Muggle_like I was walking in the other direction_then did a quick pas de bourrée past him and leapt over the police tape seperating me from my quotes.
***
Once I got there, I started asking people, now holding the 7th book, how it felt to hold the final installment. (Now remember, these people had been at the front of the line, and so had probably been interviewed a million times)
They rolled their eyes at me, saying they wouldnt talk to anymore reporters. They said they were sick of being asked questions by stupid journalists who hadnt even read the books!
"Are you kidding," I said back. And in diatribes of nerdiness evident in previous blog entries, I proved to them that I was a fan and, therefore, worthy of their quote.
And I got 'em. I got enough quotes in 15 minutes to get to go home hours and hours early...which meant more time to read the book. So I called in the quotes, hopped on the tube, and had the book opened by 1 am.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/features/20070721-0552-harrypotter.html
What a night!
***
And yes, I finished the book. I started reading at 1 and finished around 7pm the next day, which includes sleeping, eating, showering and a quick jaunt to the grocery store.
And I loved it. So so worth it. Anyone wanna discuss?

2 new stories!

2007-07-19T03:29:00.001-07:00

...and one of them is even about something other that Harry Potter!

London mayor denounces 'vicious' campaign against ficticious mosque
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/17/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Fictitious-Mosque.php

Royal Mail releases Harry Potter stamps
http://origin.mercurynews.com/celebrities/ci_6395736

Parliament

2007-07-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

I got to cover Parliment today!! Awesome
(*UPDATE*) I did NOT get to go in to the house of commons because American papers/wire services arent allowed. It makes sense if you think about it, why would PoDunk, MO care about British legislation that affects Leeds, England? But still annoying. We tried to get me in, but they wouldnt let me. Then the reporter from News of the World (a pretty ridiculous tabloid) said he'd take me in, but I figured they would rember my face. But kinda funny that he gets in and the AP doesnt!

The press gallery is in the area of the Houses of parliament in the above picture. I kept getting distracted because Big Ben would ring every 15 minutes. Plus, protesters were screaming about god knows what outside. None of the other reporters even looked up, haha.
The Parliament reporter and I spent the morning reading through reports and listening to the Prime Minsters Questions. (*UPDATE*) I did NOT get to go in to the house of commons because American papers/wire services arent allowed. It makes sense if you think about it, why would PoDunk, MO care about British legislation that affects Leeds, England? But still annoying. We tried to get me in, but they wouldnt let me. Then the reporter from News of the World (a pretty ridiculous tabloid) said he'd take me in, but I figured they would rember my face. But kinda funny that he gets in and the AP doesnt!
Then after eating lunch in the downstairs cafeteria (thats right, an actual lunch break! At the bureau, you just eat a sandwich at you desk if you have the time...), we attended a foreign office cabinet meeting about UK-Russia relations. I ended up helping out with a Russia story and an Afganistan story, and covering a woman from Iran who could be stoned to death if she returns to Iran becuase she converted to Christianity. Interesting, huh?
It was a pretty slow day, as recess begins next week. The reporter I shadowed likened it to the week before classes let out in school.
But still, it was a really cool feeling being in Parliament as a reporter, not just as a tourist. To get to talk to people and hear everything that was going on instead of just taking pictures with the bobbies outside was so different. And so fun!

Me and Ryland & Gretchen Devero outside the Citie of York pub down the street from the AP office

Pictures, as promised

2007-07-18T01:01:00.000-07:00

Man, I put these pictures up and then realized that most of them have to do with Harry Potter... I promise that the rest of the time the weather was just too awful to take a picture! We really did see more of the city, haha. But as you can see, the castle is visable everywhere andis just stunning. The tour inside was amazing.

The music festival we stopped in at when the weather was nice. Beautiful, huh?

The hotel where JK Rowling finished the 7th Harry Potter book, which comes out Friday!

View from the castle. A little left of center is the street market where Rachel and I would get crepes for breakfast

View from the castle

Just a funny pub outside the castle

View from halfway up the hill to the castle

Inside the cafe called the ELephant House which claims Rowling drank coffe and wrote about the boy wizard when she couldnt afford her heating bills

That's Edinburgh castle behind me!

One of the cafes where JK Rowling wrote the first 2 HPoks

Rebekah and me at the only restaurant in town that serves Dr Pepper AND lets you sit outside!

Edinburgh was a blast!

2007-07-16T03:08:00.000-07:00

It was wonderful to spend time in a city that wasnt crowded and dirty and loud for a change. Edinburgh (pronounced Edin-burrow, all you Texans), was on a whole other pace, which helped Rachel and I relax after a furious two months in London.
Edinburgh was rainy and freezing, so we bought tickets on one of those lame tourguide buses so we could see the city without actually having to go outside. Somehow, we got on the tour bus with the raunchy, racous, hyper-Scottish tour guides (the rest were remarkably Engilsh), so we spent the tours laughing and being made fun of. We saw the house where Robert Louis Stevenson grew up (Oh, how I love to go up in a swing!), the lake where Scots drowned women they thought were witches, Edinburgh castle, and other Scotland tourist-y highlights.
And there were kilts everywhere! I expected the occasional bagpipe-playing, kilt-wearing Scotsman yucking it up for the tourists, but, really, every man dressed for a nice evening out was wearing a kilt! I loved it. Makes me wish I could wear one, but I settled for trying Haggis to make me feel like I was one with the Scots. (By the way, Haggis is delicious and no, I dont know whats in it and have chosen not to thank you very much)
When the sun was out, we hung out at an outdoor music festival at a park on the main drag and a little French market over by our hostel (which they called a "guest house" because it is "nicer" which is a lie).
The trip was a bit of a Harry Potter pilgrimage (fer nerdy lil' me, anyways.) We saw the cafes where Jo Rowling finished the first two books, and the hotel where she completed the last one. Clues about where Rowling got her scenery and characters for the series are everywhere in Edinburgh: We ate at the Hogshead, we visited the graveyard that looks up to Edinburgh Castle high on a hill, we went through closes (or alleys) that resembled Diagon and Knockturn Alley. Again, way way nerdy, but a really fun way to spend the weekend before the final book comes out, and its all finished forever.
I took tons of pictures, but the internet is out in my flat, so I'll have to post them all up later.

Off to Scotland!

2007-07-12T17:04:00.001-07:00

I'll report back Monday!

For MAJOR Harry Potter fans

2007-07-12T07:21:00.000-07:00

(Warning: I am about to reveal my true inner nerd here so bear with me if you are a fan. Otherwise, this entry may not be for you)
So Jill Lawless, out AP arts writer with an awesome last name, headed to Edinburgh this morning to interview Jo Rowling, Harry Potter author. As she left, she jokingly asked me if I had any questions for her.
I wrote them down for her so she wouldn't forget.
Well, actually it is just one question: What does Hermione smell when she smells love potion?
See, in the 6th book, potions professor Slughorn has a cauldron of the strongest love potion in the world, which smells different to every person. For Harry, it smells like the wood of his broomstick handle, treacle tart, and "something flowery" that he smelled at the Burrow (where Ginny Weasly lives, wink wink)
Hermione admits to smelling new parchment, freshly mowed grass and...
Then she stops! And we never learn what she smells! She blushes and Slughorn moves on with the class.
So I asked Jill to ask Jo, which she did, and I am thrilled to tell you...
To Hermione, the potion smells like Ron's hair. Isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever heard?

Back to tracking down UN officials to discuss the political backlash terrorism could have on asylum legislation in Britain...

Pubs and Published clips

2007-07-12T02:20:00.001-07:00

Wow, quite the response asking for details about the pub last night! I'm nervous now, I think a few people at work have started reading the blog. So if you work for AP and were out with me last night, feel free to skip this entry. After all...you were there.
But for those Dallas-ites that have asked...
A group from work met up last night at Smith's on Smithfield, a local bar about a five minute walk from the office. It was the first time I'd interacted with some of the people at the office more than "Oi, intern! Call the Ministry of Defense for me, will ya?" It was interesting to hear their perspectives on the office, especially the reporters who were from Britain. It must be strange to work as a foreign correspondent in your hometown...
Our group of correspondents from Britain, Australia, Canada and the US talked about everything from the future of the newspaper industry to musicals over the course of the night. There was some sports talk, mostly about hockey, that I had absolutely no chance of keeping up with. Most of it was about titles won before I was even born_which I held over the heads of the sports guys trying to make me look stupid.
Then we met up with more reporters at a cafe in Islington. Nigerian beats mixed in with some Black Eyed Peas (the band, not the food), and more conversation about where reporters had worked in Africa and the Caribbean. Then a cab home, where most of my roommates were still up gossiping about each other.
Definitely a fun night, I'll absolutely have to meet up with people from work again.
Tonight, I managed tickets to an early showing of the fifth Harry Potter movie! Then off to Edinburgh on Friday morning.
***
Links to articles I've written: (Models and Becks, so much for hard news!)
Statue of David Beckham stolen: http://msn.foxsports.com/other/story/7008670
Ban on underage, not underweight, models: http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6773128,00.html

London is crowded...

2007-07-11T08:38:00.000-07:00

Home in a month! Weird... For those of y'all who have asked, I am very sad that at one point I'll have to leave this incredible city and go back to the bustling news hub that is Columbia, Missouri. But there are a few things here I wont miss.
Namely, crowds.
I mean, look, I might be a small girl but I will fight to get on that bloody train, and I will fight hard. I've started carrying the 6th Harry Potter book with me. Handy reading material...and occasional weapon. It's got much sharper corners than my paperback copy of Feminine Mystique.
(You think I'm kidding. The other night I had a dream that I was on this same internship program, but it was set in the late-1700's and the whole point was to have babies instead of jobs. I told my flatmates, who blame it on my having read Pride and Prejudice and Feminine Mystique back-to-back!)
***
Last night was a blast. My flatmate Cali and I went to see Billy Elliot, a musical about a boy who just wants to dance. She got the tickets online for £20, and we had incredible seats on the second row of the balcony. I'd never seen the movie or the show, but it was way fun and the theater was absolutely beautiful.
Tonight, I'm off to a pub with the sports desk! Cheers!

Live Earth

2007-07-10T07:56:00.001-07:00

Got to cover Live Earth this weekend!
Actually, that's a lie. We had an extra press pass, so my colleague D'Arcy offered me a spot in the press pen. The concert in London was at Wembley stadium, which is set up for sports, so my seat and the press area as a whole was just outstanding.
Live Earth, fyi, was a series of concerts starting in Australia and spanning all seven continents till it ends in New York. And by New York, I mean New Jersey. And nothing EVER happens in New Jersey. Therefore, the NJ bureau took the story over so we Londoners could focus on terrorism and 'real' news. So I honestly just went to the concert for free and ate free, but stale, sandwiches. Awesome.
I'll post pics when I get home.
Here's who performed:
Genesis, Razorlight, Snow Patrol, Damien Rice and David Grey (who covered Que Sera Sera, which I have had stuck in my head since), Kasabianm, Paolo Nutini, Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Duran Duran, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bloc Party, Corinne Bailey Rae, Terra Naomi, Keane, Metallica, Spinal Tap, James Blunt, Beastie Boys, Pussycat Dolls, Foo Fighters, and Madonna.
Spinal Tap was incredible and absolutely stole the show. They brought out a miniature model of stonehenge during the song Stonehenge, which all the artists had signed. Then during Big Bottom, any artists backstage who could play the bass came out to join the band. They were introduced by Spinal Tap as "ever bass player known to man."
Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and the Beastie boys were also amazing.
What made me sad about the whole event is that no one mentioned saving the earth the entire time. The concerts were supposed to be about ending global warming, etc. And no artist said anything about the earth. Except for Fergie, sort of. It was like no one realized what the concert was for!
Plus, my job was to check for press conferences. There was a room available in case the artists wanted to make a statement before or after they played. Not one person or band had a press conference. Not one. No one came out for the earth. So sad.
Pics and more later!

Train Derailment

2007-07-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6759974,00.html

Got to cover a train derailment today! The bureau chief walked out of her office and asked if any1 would go to the scene of the train accident, and I was like, uh...Yes. So I got to go and write the above story.
Pretty cool!

*UPDATE*: I first heard about the train derailment when I was on the Picadilly line going to work. I take the Picadilly line (which cuts a hypotenuse through central London) about 8 stops from Earl's Court to Holborn every day. Then I hop east one stop on the Central line to get to Chancery Lane. My office is located between the Burger King and the Mcdonalds on High Holborn by Chancery Lane...incase any of y'all are in the area anytime soon!
Anyway, when I was in Holborn switching to the Central line, I heard a Tube official say frantically that there'd been a problem and if you could seek an alternte route, you should. Now, the people who work for the tube are very VERY honest (I always hear over the intercom about ppl stuck under trains and think, do I really need to know that?). So when they say take another route, I take another route. I walked the trip from Holborn to Chancery Lane, and thats when I heard more specifics.
Luckily, the derailment happened far away from me. I live in the south-west and work in the center of London. The derailmnet happened in the north-east.

Happy 4th!

2007-07-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Fourth of July!
Tonight, were hoping to have a bbq good ole American style. Then, I'm hoping throw some tea bags into the Thames River...
Oh, and a British guy I work with just asked me if rodeo was the same thing as a ho-down. Psh...stupid British!

And links to other stories

2007-07-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Harry Potter Story!
http://www.miamiherald.com/804/story/159588.html

And here are links to other stories Ive written so far...

Open casting call for Harry Potter VI
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070625/ap_en_mo/film_harry_potter_casting_call
McDonald's switches to biodiesel fuel
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/fn/4937547.html
Art blames foreign policy for terror bombings
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/03/arts/EU-A-E-ART-Britain-Terrorism-Art.ph

As promised

2007-07-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

Emma Watson, classy as ever

Rupert Grint, who admitted to being afraid of spiders

Ginny Weasly, and behind her with hair longer than mine, Evanna Lynch who plays Luna Lovegood

Liescter Square, transformed into the Ministry of Magic

Back from the HARRY POTTER PREMIERE

2007-07-03T12:36:00.001-07:00

Just back from the Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix movie premiere. AWESOME
Warner Brothers transformed Londons Leicester Square into the "inner sanctum of the Ministry of Magic" as one fan described it. Fans camped out starting at 5 pm yesterday, and I got to get there an hour before AND ask everyone questions. awesome.
I'll attach pictures when I get home. I'm still working on the story for now. As it get edited I'm drying off my clothes. It was pouring rain at the premiere, though that didnt keep the fans back.
I didnt see the film, but I didnt really want to. I wanna be a real fan, you know? Im hoping to go to Edinburough for that weekend, where Jo Rowling wrote the first 2 books.
I was stuck between a childrens magazine writer, 2 celebrity mag writers, and a beautiful, rich looking guy my age who said quite snobbishly that he worked for The Times and then waited for your impressed reaction. It was tough, because I wanted to ask questions about the film, silly me. Everyone else asked questions like "If you could have a power, what would it be?" and "Who would you kiss if you had the chance?"
Ugh. Below are the people I interviewed and the questions I asked them:

Daniel Radcliffe-As the movies get darker, are they more of a challenge to act?
-Dan said yes, and that that was what made the movies fun to do. He also told the girl next to me that he does not have a girlfriend.
-Emma Watson-As the movies get darker, are they more of a challenge to act?
She also said yes, adding that the movies call for more depth and emotion. Emma was wearing an incredible Channel dress, camera flashes followed her everywhere she went.
Rupert Grint-As the movies get darker, are they more of a challenge to act?
-Rupert said no, funnily enough. He said it was fun to battle out with wands because Ron has never been terribly brave before in the films. He enjoyed wand-fighting lessons.
Katie Leung (Cho Chang)-Will fans be angry about the change in your character?
-She said she hoped not, but she didn't seem all that bright and sort of stumbled over an answer. I think she was just suprised to not be asked about the famous kiss...
Evavna Lynch (Luna Lovegood)-Do we remind you of Rita Skeeter?
-"No you dont! You are much nicer than her!"
Lily Allen-Are you a fan?
-Yes! She couldnt be here this weekend so she had to come to the premiere tonight.
I also got to interview David Yates (director), David something (producer, they are both named david), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), Bonnie Wright (an unimpressive Ginny Weasley), Imelda Staunton (Prof Umbridge) and James and Olvier Phelps (the Weasley twins).

Sunday

2007-07-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

I was at the office for 12 hours on Saturday and learned loads about how to cover terrorism plots. It was absolutely fascinating. I figure if I can do something from 10 am to 10 pm and still want to do it at teh end of the day, I must like my job!
Rachel's mom and her mom's friend came in last night, so we spent today showing them around. We ate lunch at a portugese chicken place, and then walked around the fair they set up in our neighborhood for the summer. Then we walked down to Imperial College, where we have class once a week. We walked down the street to check out Royal Albert Hall and the Albert Memorial. We spent the rest of the day walking around Kensington Gardens at the Diana memorial fountian and the Peter Pan statue. There was a special exhibit at Kensigton Palace of Diana photographs up for her birthday today. Then Mrs. Delmore treated me and rachel to a dinner we couldnt have afforded on our internship salary. Overall, a lovely sunday.

More car bombs...

2007-06-30T12:06:00.000-07:00

...sort of.
A car on fire crashed into Scotland's largest airport at 3 pm here, while I was covering the increased security at the gay pride parade (which was a blast! Ill post that link later)
The car was on fire, and Glasgow airport and a Glasgow hospital have been evacuated.
But, man, I've been at work today for coming up on 12 hours now. I'm sure I could leave if I wanted, but they are ordering pizza...
Plus I'm getting to do some pretty cool stuff. It's been harder to get info on this because A) its the weekend, B) its past 5, and C)everyones alot more careful now to not say too much. But to just be here, Im learning loads.

Also...

2007-06-30T02:24:00.000-07:00

Too cool!
My name is listed on the car bombing stories in this morning's Austin American Statesman and Fort Worth Star Telegram! Its at the bottom as a contributor.

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared-gen/ap/Europe/Britain_Car_Bombs.html
http://www.star-telegram.com/468/story/154115.html

Bombs and the opera

2007-06-30T01:08:00.000-07:00

Well, everything has settled down for the most part. They ended up finding 2 cars packed with explosives but they detonated both without harm to anyone.
The AP asked me to come into work today because they think this weekend will be pretty busy, so that's where I'm headed.
On Thursday night, Rebecca, Callie and I went to the opera (posh, huh?). The Royal Opera House was offering 10 pound tickets to students, so we sat on the second row, where ticktets are usually over $300, for a FRACTION of the price. We saw Katya Kabanova, an opera sung in Czech with English surtitles. It was beautiful, but the experience was even more enjoyable knowing that I only had to pay, like, 20$ for the ticket, haha. its good to be a student!

Me and Cal at the opera

Fleet Street

2007-06-29T10:05:00.001-07:00

So nothing big with the London bomb situation, but...

We got a report that they'd shut down Fleet Street due to a 'suspect vehicle,' and I got to run down to cover it! It was so awesome. Fleet Street used to be the journalism capital of the UK, of the world really. So to cover breaking news ON Fleet Street was such a rush.
News-wise, it was kinda boring though. They opened the street after a few minutes.
But still...awesome.

All safe in London

2007-06-29T03:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.guardian.co.uk/terrorism/story/0,,2114743,00.html

A car bomb was found in London today. It didn't go off, and no one was hurt...but man oh man. This is the first time I've lived in a major city during a terror alert, and I'm not going to lie it freaked me out a little.
I was on the tube this morning on the way to work when I first suspected something. I take the Picadilly Line from Earl's Court to Holborn every morning_a route that passes me right under Picadilly Circus. They announced that Picadilly was closed and evacuated due to a security threat, and my news senses picked up. What could possibly shut down Pic Circle?
I'm helping cover the alert. So far it doesn't appear to be an Al-Qaeda pattern...Its a bit early either to make a big statement about Brown's govt or to 'commemorate' the 7-7 bombings. If its not an Al-Qaeda pattern, than there is less of a chance for there to be other bombs. Also, the car was left (acutally, it was crashed) outside a nightclub in an area not terribly crowded on a Thursday night_another sign it was an isolated incident. More and more, it sounds like the city is safe. But we'll see.
If anything major does happen, I'll post when I can.

New story

2007-06-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is the kind of story I came here to write. I had to fight like heck to get it though. When they got this report, our bureau actually threw it away! They passed it to me on a slow day, and I loved and took off with it. Now it's running across the wire, with particular popularity in Asia.
Basically, the UN came out with a report that half of the world's population will be living in cities next year for the first time in history. I got to meet with the UN undersecretary who commissioned and oversaw the report. It was amazing, we sat in this very posh, exlusive club drinking very expensive tea giggling over idiots trying to cut comprehensive sexuality education funding. Men is suits glared at us over thier Blackberries.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1637734,00.html

New version: (changed for morning papers...)
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-state-of-world,0,6101107.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

6 weeks in...

2007-06-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

This week marks my half-way point in London. I've got only 6 weeks left!
In honor of this poignant anniversary, and to appease the calls for more posts, I'll post this week a few differences between how I felt about London at the beginning, and how I feel now.
For today:
-THEN: When I came here, I promised that I would not eat at an 'American' place, like McDonalds or Burger King or Subway. There is so much great food, and I loved popping into a cafe or hole-in-the-wall place to grab a bite. I didnt understand why every food item on the menu had 2 prices, nor why I was always charged the more expensive price...But it was only a matter of a few pence so oh well.
-NOW: I admit, I broke the promise not to eat American food yesterday. I was at a music festival at Leister Square and grabbed a Burger King cheeseburger. Restaurants in London have 2 prices, I found out, because 'Take-Away' (or food 2 go) is cheaper. They charge you for eating in the restaurant. So I've started getting takeaway and eating it at my flat or in a park or something. But Sunday, it was raining and freezing and the concert was outside. So while we took a break, Maggie and I ducked into a Burger King, the only restaurant in the square that charged less than £3 for a meal that could be eaten inside.
I admit, it's an excuse...

Harry Potter

2007-06-25T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today, I covered a Harry Potter press conference.
And yes, Ben, Emma Watson was there. She says she misses you.
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Rupert Grint (Ron), Emma Watson (Hermione), Evanna Lynch(Luna Lovegood) and Katie Leung (Cho Chang) were all present today at the Order of the Pheonix press conference. Basically, they just stuck about 100 reporters in a room and told us we couldnt really ask questions, but I did get to meet them, sort of. Emma winked at me, haha.
And I didn't even have to write a story about it, because we already have one in the works. So I spent my day hanging out, watching Harry, Ron and Hermione joke about Harry's first kiss. I love my job.
Thought I should share, being the HUGE HP fan that I am. For those of you reading this who are also anxiously awaiting the release of the Deathly Hallows, email me and I'll tell you what the actors said about the end of the series.

Links

2007-06-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here are the links to the stories I wrote yesterday!

Ralph Lauren debuts 'window shopping' touch screen
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2007-06-20-ralph-lauren-window-shopping_N.htm

Museum Portrays Medicine Through Art
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jun21/0,4670,ScienceMuseum,00.html

A lot of hot air

2007-06-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

Spent Tuesday at a energy savers conference. Terribly interesting, for the first time power providers are discussing openly, publically what their company can do to protect the environment. It's a strange debate...how far must these people go to protect the environment if it means cutting back on their own profits?
The conference wasn't for a story. More of a chance to mingle with interesting people and get business cards. And free lunch. Awesome. Most of it went over my head though...I have no idea what carbon trading is!
Today, I interviewed Boris Becker, the famous tennis playboy, at the Ralph Lauren flagship store. It was so nauseating. Everyone was wearing really posh polos and worshiping the ground Boris and David Lauren walked on. Boris didnt look at anyone twice, he kept his gaze steadily at the mirror before him. Fascinating. Ill post the story, though, when it gets out!
I felt so awful as I left, though. This big, buff polo-clad lad handed me a RL shopping bag on my way out. People hand me things all the time_usually press packets with releases and, if I'm lucky, a small chocolate bar. No big. But once I walked down the street, I realized they'd handed me a polo shirt! I now 'own' a navy big polo shirt... Kind of unethical, dontcha think?? (And yes, sister Laura, it is too big for you, lol)

Happy Father's Day!

2007-06-17T13:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Father’s Day, fellow blog readers! Aka, pretty just much my dad, lol.
In honor of this momentous occasion, I am going to answer all of the questions my dad asked that I’ve been holding off on! Love you, Dad!
At the Associated Press, there are 11 reporters covering all of the UK, Ireland, and part of Iceland. In our office, there are a series of desks where the ‘real’ reporters sit, and the interns sit at these cubicle-like desks. So, yes, I have a desk…but what I really have is a phone and a computer and a notebook. Which is all I need.
We have a window, but all we see is the tow-truck that parks outside of it. It flashes yellow lights, which is annoying.
I usually write down the notes from my interviews in a handwriting that is bad even by my standards. Then I transcribe all of the quotes onto a computer and craft my story from there. I do a lot more reporting than writing.
After I finish something, I send it to the editor Danica, who rips it apart and hands it back to me in pieces. (Which, honestly, is the best part!) If I had a nickel for every time I heard the phrase “This story is not quite there”, I could afford to live here…
Once the story IS there, it is passed on to the copy-editing desk, who gives it another read through, before it is published on the wire. Two versions are published, an American one and an international one. They are edited by different people.
Stories longer than 250 words get a byline (aka get my name on it). Otherwise, it is just chalked up to the AP. Many papers don’t publish the writer’s name, and just put AP anyway. You have to have a byline, though, if you have anonymity in your story.
I do get phone numbers for ‘famous’, hard-to-get people, which is fun. But they don’t always call you back. Case in point: Yoko Ono. (see previous entries).
They have free tea and coffee, but there is a sandwich shop around the corner that sells Dr. Pepper…so clearly that’s where I go. Plus, I can get a ham, avocado, and mozzarella panini for cheap and the guys there call me ‘Bella’. So that’s my usual lunch hangout.
The tube stop is a 2 minute walk from my flat and a 1 minute walk from work. I take the Picadilly line from Earls Court to Holborn, then switch to Chancery Lane. At night, there are always musicians playing in the tube. That is my absolute favorite part about this city.
I don’t often use my umbrella. I kinda like rain…
I don’t talk funny, but it is more common for me to slip into a British accent than into a Texas accent. People keep asking if I’m from South Africa.
There is a sports desk, so I doubt I could get in to Chelsea matches…but the sports guys might let me in. That’s a good idea, dad!
I don’t have a press pass yet, our machine is broken. But I usually call people, so I don’t need one for that. I really want one though!
Its easy to stay safe, especially when you live in South Kensington. It’s very posh in this area. Mace is actually considered a firearm here and is illegal.
Well, that’s two long long entries today, I hope that makes up for the lull!
Happy Father’s Day!

This weekend

2007-06-17T12:38:00.000-07:00

Howdy y’all! I have a lot to say, so don’t be discouraged!
So a fun weekend…I’m covering a new museum opening, so I spent all day Friday poking around. Ill post the article once its published Tuesday, which is when the museum opens. But any job that makes you go hang out in a museum all day before anyone else gets to go in is basically awesome! Its called the Wellcome Collection, check it out online. It’s a really cool museum of medicine history…
***
Yesterday I went to lunch with my roommate Rebekah and my friend Brittney. We went to an Indian place in Earl’s Court. None of us had had Indian food before (which is disgraceful, I know) so we had the waitress explain everything to us and then tried a bit of everyone’s meal. The food was incredible, though, so we are definitely going to have to go back. All I could think about was the last time I went to London a few years ago, and all we ate was Pizza Megherita because all the Toler kids are too picky!! What amazing food we missed out on, y’all! Haha
Then I went to the Tate Modern, a museum of modern art. I went with this guy, Seth, who said he knew how to get there. That was a lie. I think he was trying to impress me with his sense of direction (“I’ve only been lost like twice in my life, Lindsay, don’t worry!”), but we got off the tube like 4 miles away from the place, then tried to cross the Millennium bridge in the rain… Finally, I pulled out my map, told him to get lost, and got there on my own in, like, five minutes. Sucker.
The museum was amazing, totally different than the usual National Gallery-esque places I’ve been visiting. I bought a ticket to the Dali in Film exhibit, which was incredible. They showed the dream sequence in Hitchcock’s Spellbound, which Dali designed, and then showed all of Dali’s sketches and artwork that went along with it. They had a lot of other films he’d worked on, too, so it took a few hours to get through. But it was well worth it, especially as it was raining so hard outside!
***
Today, I went to church at St. Paul’s cathedral. The ceiling was so beautifully and intricately decorated, it was absolutely mesmerizing. And the choir songs would reverberate and echo off of all the surfaces, which was beautiful, even if you couldn’t understand a word they said. The sermon was on the importance of risktaking: “Blessed are the risk-takers, for they shall spread the gospel.” Which was inspiring, if unexpected.
Then I went to Kensington Gardens (again) to read the paper. Which didn’t happen because I fell asleep. It was lovely, but once the clouds stated gathering I figured I should head home.
Then Rachel and I went to a local Italian restaurant and had spinach and egg pizza, which was delicious. We sat outside and watched the traffic pass on Earl’s Court and gossiped about people back at school while the very Italian waiter sang to us and professed his pizza to be “the best in town.”
Very entertaining!!

Brief!

2007-06-15T00:54:00.001-07:00

Got a brief out today! By 'Associated Press', they mean me!

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/14/europe/EU-GEN-Britain-Amnesty-Abortion.php

Israeli boycotts

2007-06-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

The leading quality broadsheet in London has my byline under its Breaking News International section...

Rock on

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-6707022,00.html

Speaking of Harry Potter

2007-06-13T00:27:00.000-07:00

Did I ever put up the link to my Harry Potter Theme Park story? Dontremember...so here it is again http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-05-31-harry-potter-park_N.htm. Just in Case. I published the above version, and then the AP bureau in Orlando stole the story, re-wrote the lede, interviewed a 15-year-old, and put someone else's by-line on it. Ah well.
Yesterday, I attended a Homeland Security conference at the Royal United Services Institute. It was bizzare walking in. I was the only woman, the only person under 40 if not 50, the only person with fair hair, and the only person wearing green in a sea of black and navy suits. On one hand, people we eager to talk to me but on the other...it was a touch scary at the beginning. But I managed to become chums with a senior officer in the Ministry of Justice in the Netherlands, who ended up showing me around and introducing me to everyone. Hopefully I'll get to write a longer form piece about the defense industry in England!

Harry Potter and Hare Krishna

2007-06-10T12:29:00.000-07:00

Quite a week!
First off, remember the 'man-eats-dog' story I wrote? Well, turns out the artist lied to my face (as well as to countless other news organizations) about Yoko Ono (not) being there. So I had to spend an entire day writing a correction that no, indeed, Yoko Ono did not eat a dog. Outrageous. The good news is, we are not being sued by Yoko because we did not say that she was definately there. I called the artist to ask why he lied, and he said that Reuters had yelled at him for lying.
'He kept yelling saying he was going to lose his job,' the artist said incredulously of the Reuters reporter.
'Well, the truth is our job, Mark. If we dont tell the truth then we failed for that day." I replied.
"Oh god. I hope she doesnt sue you, you seem nice."
Gee, thanks...
****
This weekend I went to see Equuis with my flatmate Rebekah. We both have a deep love for the theater, as well as for Harry Potter, so it seemed fitting. The play was wonderful, and we had great box seats at stage left. Afterwards, we went around back to casually get a glace at Daniel Radcliff. Fat chance. There was a huge crowd ready with programmes and cameras and he STILL didnt come out. Rebekah and I found his huge fan base far more amusing than his scribble on our programme, so we left and grabbed some sushi.
OH, and I forgot. before the play, we went to Leichester (pronounced Lester) Square for a picnic. Turns out, it was Spirit in the City day. Imagine a huge, texas style revival meeting in the 2nd busiest square in london. It was so bizzare, there was singing and yelling...and then these girls and boys in hoop skirts and courtier outfits, respectively, came out to dance a May Pole Dance (in June) singing about an 'English country garden' (in London). THEN, a group of dredlocked dancing Hare Krishna devotees came in for a non-violent god-centered smackdown with the priests and nuns. All the while you can hear the boys and girls making a May Pole in the back ground...
Rebekah had to drag me to the play.
Oh London.

Equuis!!

Today I went back to Kensington Gardens to read the paper and eat lunch/dinner. Its sunny and warm here, so the park was packed with families and couples and students...the perfect place to people watch. I took a quick tour of Kensington Palace (quaint if not boring) before heading back to finish my homework for the class we have every Monday night.
The private gardens at Kensington Palace (yes, I snuck in...)

She works hard for no money

2007-06-07T04:32:00.000-07:00

So I just met Tom Curley, president of the Assoicated Press.
He is in town from NY to attend the funeral of a photographer who was recently killed in the Middle East, but he took some time to come in to our bureau and introduce himself. My editor, Danica, introduced me as 'the intern from Missouri', at which point his eyes lit up and he mumbled something about our school of journalism. Danica looked at me and said, "Lindsay, this is Tom Curley, the President of the AP."
I wanted to be like, "No duh."
But I didn't. I shook his hand,('President, huh? We'll i thought I'd heard that somewhere. I'm Lindsay') and we had a quick chat about my program that landed me here. A colluege who is helping me with my Israeli boycott story told him about what we were working on.
"I am very excited to read that, D'Arcy" he said.
"Well, its the intern whose doing it," D'Arcy mumbled, pointing to me.
I win.

Busy week!

2007-06-06T00:32:00.000-07:00

Howdy y'all! Sorry I havent posted in a while!
This weekend was really beautiful, so I spent the whole 2 days outside. I visited the Tower of London (my favorite place in all of Europe) and was led around by a Beefeater, and I spent Sunday in Kensington Gardens reading the paper by the swan pond. The picture below shows the area I was picnicing at!

Then back to work. Ive been working since Friday on an article about British unions that are boycotting Israel. You've probably heard about it, it's all over the news. Im working on a piece that puts these boycotts into context within time and history, politics, cultures, even geography. Its been a really fun piece to write, and hopefully it will be filed today or tomorrow! Ill let you know, though.
But yea, working on that piece has been draining. All my roommates started work this week, so we all come home and just crash, and I just look at them and think, "All you did was get coffee and go to lunch today! Why are YOU so tired!" But what are you gunna do?
Oh, and this will give you some insight into what its like to write for a wire service: My editor read my 1500 word story last night at around 6:30 pm. Then she looks up at me and goes, "You did a really good job with this. You did some really wonderful reporting.
"Enjoy that, because I wont tell you that again."
Well, OK, boss! Whatever you say...

Roommates

2007-06-02T03:23:00.000-07:00

I found my Sgt Pepper piece on FoxNews.com…God must have a sense of humor.
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Jun01/0,4670,MusicSgtPepperAnniversary,00.html
Work has been wonderful but exhausting. The right side of my neck is absolutely throbbing from leaning my head to the left to keep the phone against my shoulder while I hurriedly take notes. Speaking of which, it is amazing how many people will call you back when you say you are with the Associated Press. Kinda different than the Missourian.
***
My 5 roommates have been really wonderful, especially seeing as how 6 girls have to be ready for classes/work/interviews at the same time and we have one, small bathroom.
Rachel
There’s Rachel, my sorority sister whom I knew before coming over. She is a magazine design major from Witchita, Kansas, and she will start working for Retail Weekly next week designing the layout for their magazine. Rachel is a very nurturing, sweet, almost mothering personality, so we’ve adopted her as our flat-mom.

Rebekah, Rachel, and me

Rebekah and Cali
Rebekah, who was also from Witchita but moved around a lot also, is a convergence (i.e. internet) major and will be writing for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting. Cali, also a convergence major, is working for the Index on Censorship. Both of these publications track social justice issues as they apply to journalists and publish big, seasonal magazines. Cali and Rebekah, who knew each other before coming over here, are the types of J-students who A) are graduating with honors, B) are graduating early and C) make sure you know it. They were hard to get to know in the beginning as they stuck with the two guys on the trip to whom A, B, and C also apply. Luckily, a mutual love for Harry Potter has brought out the nerd in all of us and I’ve gotten to know them a lot better.

Maria and Maggie
Maria, who is originally from Bulgaria, will be working for E-Map in their advertising department. She and Maggie, who also knew each other before coming over, are both in advertising, or strategic communications as they call it. Although I don’t remember where Maggie is working…
Maria and Maggie are the types who always know where the party is, even if they don’t know what was in the paper that day. If its light outside, you can find them in, on Facebook with their friends or on the phone to a boyfriend. But once the sun comes out, these are the girls you wanna know! Most of us in the flat are the types who would spend our money on museums and shows, not pubs and clubs…a night out with Maggie and Maria will never disappoint.

It was 40 years ago today

2007-05-31T09:27:00.000-07:00

Two stories today, one on the Beatles and one on Harry Potter.
Tomorrow is the 40th anniversary of Sgt Pepper, and Universal Studios is adding a Harry Potter theme park in Orlando.
I know I got into this business to write about politics, social justice, and other hard news topics...but I'll get over it. I seriously love this job.
I'll add the links when I can.
And, no, I did not get to interview Yoko. She didnt get back to us in time, which is too bad. But now I have her agent's phone #, so if you wanna call her, let me know!
***
Spent the morning at Vouge's offices in London. Well, actually, all of the Conde Nast publications's office; they own allure, GQ, H&G, etc. It was a very British version of the offices in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, if you've ever seen it. Clearly trying to look fashionable and cool, but lots of old, cramped places and bad teeth. At least I know I don't wanna work there, right?

Corgis, Kidneys, and Yoko Ono

2007-05-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

You know how when you start an internship, the first thing you do is get coffee and make copies? You walk into the office, and someone who needs his papers filed yells “Intern!” Your whole first week, you poke your head into offices hoping desperately someone will give you a real assignment?
When I walked into the office today, they asked me to call Buckingham Palace and Yoko Ono because a man ate a dog to protest Prince Phillip.
Awesome.
Read the story online at http://www.miamiherald.com/news/world/AP/story/123396.html.
I spent the morning conducting on-the-street interviews about a reality TV show in the Netherlands where a terminally ill woman donates her kidney to a patient based on viewer voting. That was a blast, walking around the city, asking people what they think and trying to interpret their answers through their accents. The AP Bureau in the Netherlands handled the story, but I got a “contributed” line that named me as an AP writer!!!
See the story at http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/05/30/europe/EU-GEN-EU-Organ-Donors.php. (Yes, that is the International Herald Tribune in which my story is published. Awesome.)
This job so rocks. I was at work until 7 waiting for Yoko to call me back. We’ll see if I get a hold of her tomorrow.
Awesome.

My REAL First Day...

2007-05-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

...was amazing!
First, our class went to the offices of Bloomberg in London. Bloomberg is a financial data and information company that expanded to become a major, integrated news setwork. Walking into their offices was like walking into a people-aquarium. Everything is clear: walls, tables, cabinets, trashcans. The print news floor had football (soccer) bean bag chairs, which were awesome. There was free food and drink, and no one was over the age of 30. It was like a big party + a gazillion Bloomberg terminal computers.
Bloomberg operates a news service, magazine, tv stations (in multiple languages, podcasts, internet news....the works. It was facinating to hear how they are integrating their reporting, and how customer service has taken a big role in their news industry. In fact, when you first walk in, you dont walk into thier lobby. You walk into their broadcast station. Which transmits to little screens all over the office, including on the benches in the lobby.
When I got to work this afternoon, my first assignment was a story based in the reproductive rights world, which was really exciting! An artist wants to hang a sculpture of a crucified pregnant teenager at an antipoverty event, and the sponsors wont let him. Freedom of expression+ sexuality education= awesome!
I wrote the story and turned it in to my editor, who called me over to her desk. She looked at me, turned to the story, and deleted everything except the first 2 sentences. Then she turned back to me and said, 'whats wrong with this?'
I was like, o my god what am I doing here.
But then I realized, if I ran a paper like the Columbia Missourian and my international page only had room for 2 sentences of an AP wire story, I would not choose the story I'd just written. It didnt make any sense.
So she sent me home with some notes and a whole new perspective on how news is delivered over the wire.
I think Im gunna like it here.

Portobello Road

2007-05-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

MY FIRST DAY...

2007-05-28T09:17:00.001-07:00

...was really boring. I went in for half an hour and they taught me how to use the computers. It was just me and one other guy, the poor soul who had to work on the Bank Holiday. He called my boss to ask if I should do anything, but she told me to gout and 'enjoy the rain'!
So I did. On the way home I met Britney and Rachel at the tube stop and hopped on with them to see the National Gallery (again). We rented headsets and walked around learning about the paintings. Then we grabbed some lunch at the cafe downstairs (tuna and cucumber for £2, yum.) As I got up to get a hot chocolate (its freeeezing here) I met a guy from South Africa. We got to talking about his country, and he told me that, if I was interested in South Africa, I had to go outside on Trafalgar Square right now because the 'Tina Turner of SA' was performing a live concert! I went and stood in the freezing rain, but the concert was amazing. The square was PACKED and everyone was celebrating Africa and enjoying the music.
What a day you can have in London when they let you off of work early!

A Laid Back Weekend

2007-05-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday, a few girls and I went shopping on Portabello Road, a weekend outdoor market known for its hippie clothing and cheap(ish) antiques. It was lovely to walk along the shops, examining the occasional necklace or pashmina, and listening to the blend of accents and languages haggling over prices. For lunch, we found a food booth selling sandwiches for a little over 1£. I had a salmon and creem cheese bagel. Weird, huh?
When it got too cold and rainy, we ditched into the National Gallery. We took the same approach, walking at a leisurely pace through the rooms and stopping occasionally to sit and look at the paintings. We only got to see one wing, so Ill have to go back.
***
Yesterday, I woke up late and went downstairs to fetch a newspaper. The papers on Sunday are so huge, I fancied I could read all day and still not finish! I took my Observer (like the NY Times) and my News of the World (a very trashy tabloid with occasional political news) to Covent Garden and drank tea and read under a heater outside so I could still watch the street performers.
I spent the evening watching Notes on a Scandal with my roommates because it was so dreadfully cold out. But a pleasant day overall!
Work starts today! Wish me luck!

A day on the river

2007-05-25T15:16:00.000-07:00

Britney and I in front of Tower Bridge

Rachel and I in front of London Bridge, which is way boring. Plus people make stupid jokes about it falling down...

Wow! Busy couple of days!
After the AP interview, I went exploring London with a couple of roommates. I ended up running into Rachel and Britney, my two good friends on the trip, who yelled across Leister Square that they bought me a ticket to Les Miserables!!
The show was wonderful. Despite the nosebleed seats, there wasn’t a bad seat in the house. Brittney had never seen the show, so Rachel and I got to experience it with her, explaining who Valjean was and watching for her reaction at the ‘lovely ladies’. Between the three of us, there was always someone crying, the show was just incredible.
Today, we had an early morning tour of Fleet Street, the old newspaper capital of England and the UK. I’d expand, but no one would be interested I think. Even the people on the tour thought it was boring. I was the only one nodding and laughing when the tour guide made obscure literary references and showed us where the dailies and weeklies of the time held their offices. The group did like the pub, ‘Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese’, where many literary greats spent their nights…and mornings. Everyone from Dickens, Conan Doyle, even Mark Twain got to knock back a few in the old pub. It’s halfway between my offices at the AP, Britney’s offices at CNBC, and Rachel’s offices at Retail Weekly. So we may have to meet there after work and pretend we are on the verge of writing the great American/British novel.
Then Rach and Brit and I went to the Tower of London. Well, we wanted to. When we got there, we realized we didn’t want to spend $36 to spend only a couple hours in such a huge castle, so we toured around the river Thames instead. We crossed the Tower Bridge, shopped in a river side gallery, got some gelato, and bought tickets to a show at The Globe. We waited for the show on the steps of St. Pauls cathedreal, where we held a competition: Each of us would wave to tour busses in turn, and whoever got the most people to wave back won. Rachel won, because someone gave her a fist-pump.
The Globe show, called In Extremis, was a modern play written about Shakespeare’s time. It was a wonderful examination of reason’s place in faith and religion. We again had nosebleed seats, but they ended up being an incredible view of the stage. Rachel and I really enjoyed the play, but Brittney said the seats were too wooden. Good point, that.

The River Thames

London's City Hall

The Globe Theatre's stage

Lindsay Toler, Associated Press

2007-05-24T05:19:00.000-07:00

I start as an intern with the Associated Press London Bureau on Monday!
My interview was in two parts, first with a general supervisor and then with another woman who works more directly with the stories.
The first interview was amazing. Paisley, the supervisor, and I got along really well. I told her I loved politics and she caught me up on the Tony Blair resignation from the AP angle. Apparently, Cameron (one of the candidates for PM) hasn’t interviewed with the AP yet, so she said my job is to get him to talk.) She called me “switched on” and said I had spunk, which may be the best compliment I’ve ever gotten!!
I joked to her that, between Tony Blair and Harry Potter, this was going to be an amazing summer. Then her eyes lit up. “Are you interested in Harry Potter?” she asked. Apparently, no one in the bureau wants to cover the local HP events, like a party at a castle, spell work summer school, and the book/movie releases. So, well see if I get to cover the Harry Potter beat!!!
Then I went on the second interview, which was a nightmare! The lady took me to go get coffee. I don’t drink coffee, so when she asked me what she could get me, I said tea. STUPID! I’m in Great Britain! So naturally, I ordered the tea wrong and put the wrong stuff in it and got all flustered while trying to answer her questions about who I was as a person and reporter. When we were done with the interview, I think she walked away with this image of me as this too-young, flustered, nervous Southern girl who’d never lived outside of the Midwest. All I can think of is her looking at me pityingly saying, “Well get you a notebook so you don’t have to use this one. And well get you pens,” as she tried to write her number on my free UM notebook with the pen that cost 10 pence because it apparently doesn’t work. What a nightmare. I felt a lot better after coming back and complaining to my roommates. Plus, I think that once she sees my stories, she’ll feel better about the fact that I’m from Texas.
Oh well. I start Monday. I know Ill be really excited when I walk into the office, but right now I just keep thinking of when I almost put salt in my tea…

Just thought these were funny

2007-05-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

We went to the Museum of London today. It was sort of directed at children, especially their dress up section...

A REAL 17th Century fire fighter's hat, like what they wore when they put out the Great Fire of London in 1666. It was made out of leather! Could you imagine?

A 16 or 17th century maiden's cap

Maybe we had too much fun... But it was a nice break from analyzing the media landscape of the entire civilized world!

Pics

2007-05-21T09:43:00.002-07:00

Royal Albert Hall

The view from my flat

Hooray Chelsea!

2007-05-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

Last night, the only way IE could keep us kids awake was to hold a pub crawl. We ended up befriending a local Bobby who (huge shocker) was mates with every pub owner in the borough. So we spent the night walking around London, getting free food and drink at great local pubs while celebrating the FA cup win with the Chelsea fans. What an amazing night.
Today was an early morning, though. We got on a bus with a hilarious if not cynical tour guide who loved telling stories about Victoria and Albert. The tour was unlike I’d ever been on. Instead of showing us the city, they told us how to live in the city: where the cheap shops were, where the best places to stand were for shows and such, where to hold on to your handbag, etc. Dead useful.
We spent the rest of the day in Harrods’ food sections. I was expecting the Smoked Salmon Cones and the Champaign Truffles. What I wasn’t expecting was the Krispy Kreme donut store, the gelato bar, and the pizzeria where the chef tossing the dough is also singing opera. Ah, luxury.

Day One

2007-05-19T20:45:00.000-07:00

We ate fish and chips for lunch at the union of Imperial college before our safety lecture. The girl next to me spent a long time looking for ketchup, which she didn’t find. She thought the Brown Sauce was ketchup, and I didn’t have the heart to tell her otherwise.
By 4pm, I was so exhausted that I was looking for any activity as an excuse to stay awake. My roommates (there are 3) and flatmates (5 total) and I unpacked and went grocery shopping at the Salinsbury’s down the street. Sandwich-making stuff, pretzels, Nutella, and even Dr. Pepper for under 5 pounds!
We live on the 5th floor of a typical British (read: old and small) flat. Each flat has its own kitchen, living room and bathroom, and we share bunkbeds in the bedrooms. It’s lovely, though a bit cramped. And no hot water...

The flight there

2007-05-19T09:50:00.000-07:00

As you get on an Air India flight, a male attendant directs you where to go (there are 85 rows on the first floor of the plane alone!) and a female attendant in a sari bows her head over her folded hands and blesses you. The seats look like they were upholstered with old rugs, and there is a picture over each exit of a man in a turban bowing.
But what really struck us was the heat. It was late evening when we boarded, but it was at least 80 degrees on the plane. It got hotter and hotter over the hour and a half we sat on the runway hearing about technical problems. Then, all of a sudden, the lights shut off as the ‘ding’ you hear when the Fasten Your Seatbelt sign goes off started ringing out over and over and over. It was a strange, cacophonous symphony of differently pitched dings. For a long time. In the dark.
The flight attendants didn’t seem to understand that we wanted an explanation for our 2 hour delay. Then, we just took off. No announcement was made , not even a Take-Your-Seats. Maybe it’s a cultural difference? I guess a plane full of American journalists would want to know every detail of what was going on…
***
Once we were in the air, the turbulence was so bad that at one point my glass of water flipped over into my lap! Kind of hard to sleep when you are bouncing and wet.
Good news is the food was pretty tasty. Except the cantaloupe we had for breakfast…turns out it wasn’t cantaloupe. No idea what it was.
***
Honestly, the flight was fine. The people (almost all girls) are really sweet, and it was fun to freak out about how awful the flight was as a big group. Turns out I was the ONLY person to bring only one big suitcase (everyone else has 2 or 3, including the guys) which makes me nervous. The bus driver made fun of everyone as he loaded our suitcases: “Are you moving here, love? Blimey, this is a lotta stuff. How’d you carry it all?” Then he got to me. He looked at my bag, then at me, then back at my bag.
“So I take it you’re staying here for about three weeks, then?” he said while laughing.
Nice to know he makes fun of everyone equally.

So why a blog?

2007-05-12T12:36:00.000-07:00

I know it is nerdy-if not egomaniacal-to start a blog and expect people to follow it. But I figure this way, I won't have to send out one email to the parents, a different one to the boyfriend, a different one to the sorority sisters, cousins, professors, Columbia friends, grandparents, Dallas friends, etc. everytime something happens. I promise this will not be a journal in which I voice my deepest thoughts and feelings but rather a weekly-ish account of how school/work/life is going in London. Just in case you are curious.

I also promise (this is mostly directed at the parents) that this will not be my sole form of communication to the states. I figure it can just be an easy way to keep tabs, especially since I am awful at getting back to people when they email me.

That being said, wish me luck! I fly out in less than a week!
Lindsay