| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Adele |
Posted - December 01 2003 : 3:54:38 PM
This just cracked me up.....
'Foot in mouth' prize for Rumsfeld
Monday, December 1, 2003 Posted: 1:26 PM EST (1826 GMT)
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A comment last year by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on the hunt for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction was awarded the "Foot in Mouth" prize Monday by Britain's Plain English Campaign.
Rumsfeld, renowned for his uncompromising tough talking, received the prize for the most baffling comment by a public figure.
"Reports that say something hasn't happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know," Rumsfeld told a news briefing.
"We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns -- the ones we don't know we don't know."
John Lister, spokesman for the campaign, which strives to have public information delivered in clear, straightforward English, said: "We think we know what he means. But we don't know if we really know."
Although Rumsfeld's comments were made at a news briefing in February 2002, they were nominated for this year's award.
Rumsfeld, whose boss, President Bush, is often singled out by language critics for his sometimes unusual use of English, defeated actor-turned-politician Arnold Schwarzenegger for the booby prize.
"I think that gay marriage is something that should be between a man and a woman," the new California governor said.
Previous holders of the award include U.S. actress Alicia Silverstone and British Chancellor Gordon Brown. Last year's winner was actor Richard Gere. |
| 1 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Ilse |
Posted - December 01 2003 : 6:52:17 PM
Adele, you inspired me too visit the odd news section again. Rich, you will love this one:
Man Changes Name to Bubba Bubba Bubba
Mon Dec 1, 7:30 AM ET Add Strange News - AP to My Yahoo!
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. - What's in a name? If you're the former Raymond Allen Gray Jr., only one word — Bubba.
The 39-year-old Springfield native legally changed his name last month to reflect his childhood nickname. His new first name? Bubba. His new middle name? Bubba. One guess what his new last name is.
"I kind of like to laugh and joke, and it's something silly to kind of poke fun with," Bubba Bubba Bubba said.
The name change won't be hard to get used to because he has long been known as "Bubba" or "Bubby" Gray, he said.
"My dad called me Buddy, and it got switched to Bubby. Some of the kids couldn't pronounce Buddy too well, so they said Bubby, and it just stuck," he said.
For years he considered changing his name to Bubba Gray. Then a co-worker in the Illinois Secretary of State's office started calling him Bubba Bubba Bubba in jest. Later another co-worker mistakenly thought that was his real name.
"That's kind of what started me thinking: Well, let's just have it all the way through — Bubba Bubba Bubba — first, middle and last," he said.
Bubba's new name became official on Nov. 20 and he's already got a new driver's license and work identification card. He sometimes has been asked what his parents, who are now deceased, would think about the change.
"I'm sure my dad probably would be shaking his head," Bubba said. |
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![The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]](images/wwwboard.gif "The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!]")
