Monday, February 05, 2007

I read the news today, oh boy

Dave is my go-to guy whenever anything military is in the news. At The Galloping Beaver, Dave explains that Harper's "troops in the city" announcement means less than meets the eye:
It's not a plan; it's an advertising campaign.
From the department of Yeah, That'll Happen:
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty says he and three other premiers will try to convince officials in Washington to ease cross-border restrictions on Canadians travelling to the United States.
While I can certainly see why Canadians would want the United States to change its passport rules, what I cannot see is why the US should ever do so -- especially with all the ex-CSIS people who've been running to the media in recent years complaining about how badly Canada is protecting the border.

If you liked the Lennie Briscoe Law & Order as much as we did, then don't miss Lance Mannion's The Ballad of Lennie Briscoe. His bit comparing George Bush to Frank Burns is pretty good, too.

I knew today's weddings were getting rather crass and boorish, but this one takes the cake, so to speak:
Dear Miss Manners:
What does one say to a friend who offers to sell one back one's wedding present? I gave her the gift some time before the wedding, which I was unable to attend. After the wedding, she approached me, said that she was unable to use my gift, and offered to sell it back to me. Suggestions for a civilized response would be appreciated.
Words would fail me, but Miss Manners never does. She always comes up with the perfect bon mot putdown phrase:
"This came with my good wishes. I don't know what you think they are worth."

And finally, Editor and Publisher (via) gives us this great Molly Ivins story:
The line that ended her New York Times career came in a story about a community chicken-killing festival. Ms. Ivins called the event a ‘gang pluck,’ a choice of words that caused her to be ‘sort of abruptly recalled like a defective automobile and replaced,’ she told Salon.com in 2000.
Apparently the NYT still wouldn't publish the offending phrase, even in her obituary. I think she got the last laugh.

No comments: