Chuckle of the day

Liked that:

No one doubts that Mr Obama can walk on water. (Washington was frozen over this week.)

Found it …

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Rebecca Carrington – cellist, comedian, impressionist and singer

If you haven’t heard of Rebecca Carrington – Cellist, singer, impressionist and comedian – well, have a look:

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The Presidential Candidates at the Al Smith Dinner

Nur ein kurzer Hinweis auf diese zwei fantastischen YouTube-Clips, die John McCain und Barack Obama beim Vortrag einer teils witzig-ironischen, teils rührend-ernsthaften After-Dinner-Speech zeigen. Das Ganze fand statt am 16. Okt. 2008, also vorgestern, und zwar zugunsten der Stiftung von Alfred E. Smith, die sich um Arme, Kranke und sonstwie Benachteiligte in der Erzdiözese New York kümmert.

• YouTube – McCain at the Al Smith Dinner

• YouTube – Obama at the Al Smith Dinner

P.S.: Dick Cavett schreibt in der New York Times darüber, dass er es kaum glauben kann, dass der McCain in den Fernsehdebatten derselbe ist, der hier so witzig sein kann.

P.P.S.: Ebenfalls lesenswert in diesem Zusammenhang: McCain and Obama Earn Rave Reviews for Their Comedy Routines at the Alfred E. Smith Dinner in New York – NYTimes.com

This entry with proper links TulgeyWood

 

A word from the pundits

Probably the funniest pun in a long while (that I’ve come across anyway) was just posted by Bill Poser at the Language Log: Sarah Palin (the governor of Alaska the Republican candidate John McCain chose as his running mate for the presidential election of Nov. 2008).

I hope I may be forgiven for quoting it in full length:

What with all the controversy over Sarah Palin’s views and (lack of) qualifications to be President, as far as I can tell thus far no one has claimed that she is prone to linguistic errors. That’s really too bad. If only she would make the right sort of error, rather than the mundane bushisms we could be discussing palindromes.

I also like the last sentence of his comment (in answer to another comment): “Being allowed to make bad puns is one of the few perks that accompany a Ph.D. in Linguistics.”

Well, for my part I’d say: Being allowed to make bad puns would be one of the few incentives that could move me to write a dissertation in linguistics 😉

This entry with proper links: TulgeyWood

 

Thank you, William the Conqueror!

Wikipedia tells us the following (among other things) on what teachers and pupils in Bavaria are about to begin (s.v. Holiday):

Etymology

Holiday

Holiday is a contraction of holy and day, holidays originally represented special religious days. This word has evolved in general usage to mean any special day of rest (as opposed to regular days of rest such as the weekend).

Vacation

In the United Kingdom the word “vacation” referred specifically to the long summer break taken by the law courts (and later universities)—a custom introduced by William the Conqueror from Normandy where it was intended to …

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George Carlin’s Life and Comedy

If a newspaper like The New York Times devotes three different articles to the life and death of one person in the same edition of the paper, it has to be somebody important.

George Carlin, who died last Sunday, was one of the most famous U.S. comedians. In his obituary …

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All Fools‘ Day

The OED’s word of the day acquainted me with an expression that was new to me. Thank you, Oxford English Dictionary. You’re simply the best.

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Teaching methods

Die Comedy-Serie „Not! The Nine O’Clock News“ lief zum ersten Mal im April 1979, und nach einigen Änderungen bei der Besetzung blieb man bei diesen vier Protagonisten: Rowan Atkinson, Mel Smith, Griff Rhys Jones und Pamela Stephenson. Ähnlich kreativ und witzig wie „Monty Python“, aber weniger aggressiv, wurde die Reihe bald so populär, dass …

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Improv Everywhere

Das ist eine begeisternde Mischung aus Aktivismus und Schauspielleidenschaft: „Improv Everywhere“ hat sich von der spontanen Idee eines jungen Schauspielers und zwei seiner Freunde zu einer tausende Mitglieder zählenden Gruppe entwickelt, die sich einen Spaß daraus macht, mit kurzen, exakt zeitlich abgestimmten und koordinierten Aktionen die Öffentlichkeit ein bisschen zu verwirren, zu unterhalten und zu erheitern. Eine faszinierende Aktion aus dem Februar 2007 kann man auf diesem Video bewundern: „Frozen Grand Central“, …

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Den Hinweis hierauf verdanke ich einer Erwähnung des Blogs von Sven Scholz auf den Seiten des Lehrerzimmers von Herrn Rau.

 

In expectation of April Fool’s Day …

It will be 51 years ago this 1 April, when the BBC broadcast its legendary report on Spaghetti Harvest in Switzerland. Still a joy to watch:

The BBC’s ‘Spaghetti Harvest’ Spoof (report and video link)

„Swiss Spaghetti Harvest 1957“ on YouTube

Thanks a lot for drawing my attention to this, Jane!

[This post at the other TulgeyWood site]