Television Banned in Afghanistan
The revolution will not be televised -- at least not in Afghanistan. The
Taliban government today banned TV, and gave Afghans 15
days to get rid of all sets and VCRs. After that, if the organization's
enforcers find one in your house, it will be destroyed and you will
be punished. (And in a country where women are beaten in the street if
their bodies are not covered from head to toe, tuning in for your regular
satellite dose of "Baywatch" may not be worth the pain.) Of course there
hasn't been anything good on Afghan TV for some time -- the Taliban closed
down the country's only TV station in 1996, for fear that the medium would
corrupt society. So if you're looking for the remote in an Afghan
household, you're unlikely to find it in the couch cushions -- try digging
up the back yard.