Links to the best chat on the web
ISSUE #11 - Friday, 17th October 2008
- Hannah Strange, "Across the Pond", The Times
"The Al Smith dinner: Vote for your comic-in-chief"
http://timesonline.typepad.com/uselections/2008/10/the-al-smith-di.html
DJR's gist: The Times' US Politics blog provides video footage of both Barack Obama and John McCain "roasting" each other at the Al Smith Memorial dinner in NYC. Great speeches by both - a favourite from Obama saying "My name, Barack, is actually Swahili for 'that one'. My middle name came from someone who never thought I'd run for President". McCain made use of the Clintons, saying "Even here among all you proud Manhattan Democrats, I can't help thinking some of you may be supporting me. Good to see you Hilary!"
- Editorial, The Washington Post
"Barack Obama for President"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/16/AR2008101603436.html
DJR's gist: The Washington Post comes out in support of Barack Obama, highlighting both the successes of his campaign and the failures of John McCain's. Single most important factor? Surprise, surprise, it begins with a P, ends in 'alin' and makes George W. Bush look like a well-rounded intelligent politician.
- Hugo Rifkind, The Times
"Beware of anyone called A.Nony Mouse"
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/hugo_rifkind/article4958329.ece
DJR's gist: Apparently Whitehall are getting worried about anonymity on the internet. In fact, a "Whitehall source" has gone as far as saying "“People have many accounts and sign up as Mickey Mouse and no one knows who they are... We have to do something." Yes, that's right - the quote came from a "Whitehall source". Double standards, anyone?
- Adam Boulton, Boulton & Co, Sky News
"Purple ties that bind"
http://blogs.news.sky.com/boultonandco/Post:213ce21f-9ea8-4945-8f3e-2fafa1ec340c
DJR's gist: Sky News' Adam Boulton gets credit for fashion spot of the day, noting how Westminster's penchant for sky blue ties earlier in 2008 has evolved into one of deep violet. The PM, the Chancellor, and now the Foreign Secretary are all at it. New Parliamentary year, new fashions... obviously.
- Mike Harvey, Mousetrap technology blog, The Times
"Punctuality is dead - so how late should you be for that dinner party?"
http://timesonline.typepad.com/technology/2008/10/punctuality-is.html
DJR's gist: Being fashionably late has always been a dictum for anyone attempting for fit the vogue of "cool". However, evidence suggests that the ubiquity of mobile phones in modern culture now mean that so long as you let the host know you're on the way, it no longer counts as "late". Bad news for all those people obsessed with people keeping to time...
- Stephen Naughton, The Daily Telegraph
"Surfing rat rides wave in Hawaii"
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3215660/Surfing-rat-rides-wave-in-Hawaii.html
DJR's gist: Depending on whether you read the Telegraph article above, or the Times linked below, this story is either very suspicious and should be treated with utmost scepticism, or absolutely amazing are potentially revolutionary in teaching tricks to pets. A kid in Hawaii has produced photos of his rat surfing a tube. You decide.
See also: Philippe Naughton, The Times - "Surf's up for rat-ical rat"
- VIDEO: John Oliver, The Daily Show with John Stewart, Comedy Central
"Joe the Plumber's House"
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=188619&title=joe-the-plumbers-house
DJR's gist: John Oliver, hero of The Bugle podcast and member of The Daily Show's team of satirists, produced this classic clip from outside the home of America's newest and possibly worst celebrity. Just to emphasise that point, "he's already done more interviews than Sarah Palin".
- Daniel Finkelstein, Comment Central blog, The Times
"What the economic crisis will do to Playboy models"
http://timesonline.typepad.com/comment/2008/10/never-mind-whet.html
DJR's gist: Ground-breaking research on the "Environmental Security Hypothesis" has studied the essentials of Playboy Playmates over the last couple of decades, and compared the results with the economic climate of the day. There is a striking correlation - during good times men want smaller, more curvaceous girls. During lean times, they want taller, larger, and slimmer girls. Serious news, this one.
- Ed Gorman, Formula One blog, The Times
"Not Fernando's finest hour"
http://timesonline.typepad.com/formula_one/2008/10/not-fernandos-f.html
DJR's gist: After a year where he has managed to brush away a lot of the darkness that surrounded his image after a horrific 2007, the greasy swine that lives inside Fernando Alonso is back out again in the Press Conference before the penultimate GP of the 2008 season in China. It was here last year that the tragedy of tragedies befell Lewis Hamilton, and being the conniving swine that he is, there is little doubt Alonso will do everything in his power to attempt to achieve a similar result. Hopefully he'll blow up after 20 metres, and take out Massa in the process.
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