Word: flagging
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...When Suharto's body arrived, his coffin, draped in the Indonesian flag, was pulled from a simple, silver caravan by regular soldiers with little other security around the vehicle. There was no mad rush, no wailing or rending of garments, just a quick escort into the area where VIPs and family members were waiting. For such a historic moment, the feeling was subdued - less sadness than respect. "Suharto ruled with an iron fist but he also managed to create a mystique and aura around him," says Sujiwo Tejo, a well-known Javanese playwright and musician who made the trip...
...years ago, James Herring was the barman at the Flag and Firkin, an imposing Georgian pub a stone's throw from Watford Junction, a half-hour train ride from central London. "We were the flagship pub for Firkin [Britain's largest brewer]. We had loads of funding for staff and promotions and Firkin kept the place looking nice. In those days, we were packed." The Flag, as has been known since the Firkin Brewery went out of business in 2001, is owned by Mitchell and Butler, the leading operator of pubs and pub restaurants in the U.K. Before Christmas, Mitchell...
...Frantic efforts to draw in new customers through a variety of marketing tactics appear to give the Flag something of an identity crisis: Slot machines glow in one corner; another looks like a homely living room; garish posters advertise budget meals; flat screens hang ready for televised sports; a bar runs the length of the pub to a small stage that showcases local rock bands. But, the vast pub is empty. Says Herring, "They know we are closing so they won't even renew Sky Sports [the subscription TV channel that carries Premier League soccer...
...Flag is not alone, however. The Campaign for Real Ale, CAMRA, estimates that 60 pubs close every month in Britain. According to industry figures, a smoking ban implemented during one of the coldest and wettest summers in decades resulted in a 10% drop in beer consumption. CAMRA says energy costs rose during months when owners hadn't expected to have to pay for heat. And beer production costs have risen thanks to the rains that drowned hops and barley yields. For many pubs, serving food has become the key to survival. The Office of National Statistics indicates that Britons spend...
...Korea with a busload of South Korean tourists, I read Jenn Gearey's report with pleasure and a touch of nostalgia for the government minders, bugged hotel rooms, and forced deleting of photographs that made for a travel experience like no other [Jan. 14]. Hope seemed present: a "unification flag" flew outside our hotel and a KOREA AS ONE banner unfurled during an evening circus show drew the loudest applause of the night. As for generations past who cycled through Hitler's Germany or crossed the Iron Curtain, it's certainly true that traveling to North Korea entails a moral...