*Those DVDs Obama Gave The British Prime Minister? *They are the wrong
region
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mandrake/5011941/Gordon-Brown-is-frustrated-by-Psycho-in-No-10.html>
for most British DVD players.
Alas, when the PM settled down to begin watching them the other
night, he found there was a problem.
The films only worked in DVD players made in North America and the
words "wrong region" came up on his screen. Although he mournfully
had to put the popcorn away, he is unlikely to jeopardise the
special relationship --- or "special partnership", as we are now
supposed to call it --- by registering a complaint.
A Downing Street spokesman said he was "confident" that any gift
Obama gave Brown would have been "well thought through," but
referred me to the White House for assistance on the "technical
aspects".
As it happens, when the story of the DVD gift first came out, I thought
of putting up a snarky post saying that they were probably the wrong
region. But that seemed so implausible that I didn't bother to put it up.
Many others share my amazement at this blunder as you can see, for
example, here <http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/03/023120.php>
and here
<http://hotair.com/archives/2009/03/19/confirmed-dvds-obama-gave-gordon-brown-are-the-wrong-format/>.
(Most British DVD players, because there are multi-region DVD players,
though I don't think they are very common yet.)
- 10:05 AM, 20 March 2009
*More: *One last (I hope!) humiliating detail: Gordon Brown is almost
blind
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/labour/3178318/Gordon-Browns-eyesight-is-causing-concern-among-aides.html>.
The Prime Minister's close friends have revealed that he can only
see extremely large print and has needed guidance at public events.
There were suggestions that if Mr Brown falls or bumps into
something his damaged retina could fail and he would go blind
completely.
Mr Brown, who was left blind in one eye after a rugby accident at
the age of 16, addressed the problems in an interview when he
admitted that he is suffering increasing problems with the other eye
and recently had to have a cataract removed.
So we gave American movies to a nearly blind man, who is not known to be
a movie fan of any kind, movies that won't play in his DVD player. A
formal apology seems in order.
- 11:02 AM,
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