KCWC John Simpson

Mahin and I took advantage of the opportunity to get our photo taken with John Simpson, BBC News World Affairs Editor, when he spoke at the KCWC General Meeting. He amused us with tales of his latest outings with fellow adventurers Sir Ranulph Fiennes (after whom his son Rafe is named) and Sir Robin Knox-Johnston -- essentially a challenge as to who can out-terrify the others. Simpson has interviewed many world leaders and reported from 30 war zones. One insight he tried to convey was that although the famous leaders he has met may exhibit strange behaviours, few are "all that special". He seems also to have lost much of his enthusiasm for war reporting since the birth of his son.