Random dumb thoughts

This page is to put those little weirdnesses of life that don't really fit anywhere else, or aren't worth a page of their own

Saturday, May 05, 2007

The New York Times Must Be Running Out of News

Irrespective of what one thinks of our current President (and I know my readership, and am virtually listening to the collective "Fuck off!"s from here), this has got to be one of the dumbest articles I have ever read coming from the New York Times. For those without a login, the opening section reads:

"WASHINGTON, May 4 — How does George W. Bush, a towel-snapping Texan who puts his feet on the coffee table, drinks water straight from the bottle and was once caught on tape talking with food in his mouth prepare for a state dinner with the queen? With tips from an etiquette guide, of course — and a little gentle prodding from his wife.

The White House is atwitter over the visit on Monday by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. "

Of course it later goes on to point out how wonderfully mannered a previous President -- one George HW Bush -- was when he met her. Hmmm, I wonder if the two presidents know each other or have met? Nah, doubtful.

For Pete's sake, people, he may like to hang out in a barn, but he wasn't born in a barn, really. One thing you can say about Mother Barbara is that she takes no guff and is there anyone out there who thinks those kids didn't have their ears boxed for behavioral infractions? Didn't think so. And there might have been a chance for this guy if he'd had the experiences of Andover, Yale, and Harvard, and summering in Kennebunkport Maine .... oh wait. Nevermind.

And I'm thinking that the Queen hasn't been sealed inside a convent for the last 81 years where she's never experienced the slightest lapse in protocol either. I bet secretly she HOPES someone will take their pants off and moon her at a banquet -- I bet she's been to more rubber chicken dinners than anyone on the planet.

But this article is stupid no matter who the individual players are -- I'm sure had this banquet happened in the Clinton years, we'd see the same article in which there would be lots of snide references to Momma Clinton's hair and A Little Town Called Hope. It's just filling column inches based on stereotypes and no actual insight or research, with the added bonus of being to take potshots at the sitting President. I bet if I googled it, we'd find the 1991 version of this article out there in which the phrases "pork rinds" and "throwing up on the Japanese Prime Minister" would appear (not quite sure the sequencing of the State dinner and the Japan trip, though).

Was this author too busy to cover the Paris Hilton story? Now THERE's news....

.: posted by Lily Saturday, May 05, 2007

Tuesday, May 01, 2007

You Bowed Down

Tonight, I was sitting here minding my own business and what do I see on the tee vee? Elvis Costello shilling for Lexus about some fancy sound system. This is so sad. I'm not the person who usually gets all offended about "selling out" -- nice work if you can get it, and if someone paid me a million dollars to talk about a car, I'd take it, I need a new bathroom -- but for some people it's just a little harder to watch.

.: posted by Lily Tuesday, May 01, 2007

Comments by: YACCS