Here's a remarkable piece of personalized reporting by the BBC's correspondent in Jerusalem:

A few years ago, at university, I got a call from one of my tutors. "Come and see me at once," he commanded.

"OK" I said. And I suddenly felt very nervous. I had not been to all that many of this man's lectures - and I was fairly convinced that his call had something to do with that.

I went to his study. He stood by his desk, smoking a pipe. "I've been asked to write you a reference for a summer job," he said, "But I don't know you at all."

There was a pause. "So, here's my idea," he went on, "write the reference yourself. I'll copy it out later and sign it."

He handed me the form. I hesitated - though shamefully, not for long.

And I sat down and began writing a fairly tepid appraisal of my character and my achievements.

The tutor looked at me. "Make it good," he ordered. "Sell yourself."

So I started again. "James is a very talented student," I wrote, "In fact, he is an outstanding student."

And so I went on, for about a page or so - getting more and more into it, feeling free to ascribe to myself soaring skills across a limitless range of subjects.

I finished writing - and handed back the form, feeling slightly embarrassed. The tutor glanced at it : "That's it," he said, "just the job."

In his own words

I was reminded of all this a few days ago in Washington as I watched President George W Bush read out a statement at the end of Ariel Sharon's White House visit.

Mr Bush spoke of the Israeli prime minister as a bold and courageous leader. He praised what he called his historic and courageous actions.
And then he went on dramatically to rearrange US foreign policy on Jewish settlements and Palestinian refugees - in effect lining himself up with Mr Sharon's own position.

It was as if Ariel Sharon had written the president's words himself.

It was as if! (OK, I inject personal stuff into my writing too, but I am blogging, not reporting international events for the BBC.)

I mean, the guy remembered that a professor once allowed him to write his own letter of recommendation! And therefore, Sharon wrote Bush's speech!

Bravo, BBC! Nothing gets past these guys. Just look at the similarities between Sharon and Bush; they are so striking that truly they must have been separated at birth!

it is very hard to find any remaining differences whatsoever between Mr Bush and Mr Sharon. The similarities are what stand out.

Both men have a tendency to see the world in the black and white of good and evil.

Each has put great faith in a simple political belief - that action is more important than consensus.

And both are ranch owners.

It's like, um, Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy, and Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln!

(Listen carefully!)

But there's more magic afoot in this analysis, and Bush better beware!

[T]he reference I wrote for myself at university did not work.

I did not get the job.

I wish I could read the above "news report" in Arabic.

By the way, does anyone know why the stories featured in the BBC's Arabic edition are so different in appearance? I can't read Arabic, but the pictures are not the same at all. Is it the same news?

I'd love to read this story, for example, but I can't find it in English.

Anything wrong with wanting to know what's being injected in Arabic?