About this date, 10 years ago, I tried getting out of bed in Phnom Penh, Cambodia to get ready for my job as foreign editor of the Cambodia Daily. I passed out from the pain of doing so; it felt like I'd been hammered on the head with a baseball bat. I didn't know it at the time, but I wouldn't work again for another year.

Yesterday, Russia's President Vladimir Putin explained why he kissed a young boy's stomach.

But in the same BBC webcast, he also had this riposte when asked about when he lost his virginity:

Mr Putin, apparently enjoying himself, invited further questions.

"What about the one that so many voted for on the Russian website,'" asked one journalist. "About when you first had sex?" Even that was something he was prepared to field.

"I can't remember the first time," he said. "But I remember exactly when I last did it."

Macho man indeed.

Hopefully he isn't referring to the June 28 incident. :)

The BBC has a special section: 7/7: One Year On.

The Guardian has Attack On London: One Year on.

The Independent has the following:

• The big question: How successful have the police been in thwarting terrorism since July 7
• Bomber's video shows hand of al-Qaida
• Muslims set up coalition to fight extremism
• Tears and prayers on the day a city remembers its dead
• Minister: Public inquiry 'would be a diversion'

The Times of London has a special report: London Bombs

From The Globe and Mail: Shattered faith, fresh optimism and split opinion (That's a print edition story; if you link to this online story, you can access some of the Globe's interactives).

Dr. Abby Goodrum of the Ryerson School of Journalism is doing a study on The Mediasphere and the Blogosphere, which started in January. And what would a study like that be without a blog of its own?

Her research assistant is Susan Susannah Schmidt.

Someone made the following posting:

Reporter’s notebook

July 4th, 2006

Noticed for the first time that Doskoch occasionally refers to his news writing for CTV.ca on his blog in addition to news round-up:  http://billdoskoch.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2006/7/3/2080831.html

Observe the choice of words: "Noticed for the first time ..."

Actually, I do it with all bylined features I write for CTV.ca News (I started there as a staffer in January 2004). Interestingly, no one has ever left a comment on one.

I guess most people are shy about saying, in public, that something's perfect. :^)

Seymour Hersh talks to Democracy Now! about his current New Yorker article on the Bush's bombing plans for Iran. Here's a link to an earlier, related New Yorker story from April.

A BBC article on World Cup fever in France that tastes faintly of sour grapes.