When Politicians Play Sport: Wen Jiabao Comes Up Short

CHINA’S Henan Business Daily prints the photo of China’s Premier Wen Jiabao jumping up to shoot a basketball. He is the latest politician to toil at the sports-politics interface.

Politicians cannot resist looking sporty. Tony Blair played headers; Gordon Brown hit a tennis ball; even Ted Heath messed about in boats, although who didn’t think that a euphemism?

In China, Jiabao is promoting not only the Olympics but so too sporting prowess – although one basket from five suggests the basket was too small and basket maker 65567980b should be shot.

Anorak

Posted: 4th, August 2008 | In: Back pages, Politicians | Comment

Learning Self-Hatred With Ivan Lewis And Fat School Report

THERE no follows an announcement from the department of Heath & Efficinecy:

“From September this year, parents of children who have been weighed and measured at school could automatically receive their child’s results in a bid to get parents to be more aware about healthy lifestyles, and help their children achieve a healthy weight, Health Minister Ivan Lewis announced today“.

No losing your fat report on the way home for shcool, kids, or eating it. Not any more:

Anorak

Posted: 4th, August 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (8)

Why Presidential Candidate Paris Hilton Should Not Endorse Obama

JOHN McCain shows a campaign video of Barack Obama and two blonde girls: Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

Is this dog whistle politics about the black man coming for the white woman? Maybe. More likely it’s just McCain trying to be associated with people more famous than he is.

McCain is 71. Obama turns 47 today. When McCain was 47 the top celebrities – or VIPs as they were then knows – were Dave Kid Jensen, Vanessa Williams and My Little Pony.

Anyhow, Kathy Hilton, Paris’s mum, is upset. So she does what any upset Hollywood mum does and writes an article about just how upset she is and puts it online. Says she:

Read the rest of this entry »

Anorak

Posted: 3rd, August 2008 | In: Celebrities, Politicians | Comments (2)

The War On Salt With CAOSH, Emma Thompson And Norfolk Council’s Shaker Police

THE man from the Consensus Action On Salt Health is on the BBC’s breakfast show. He’s the man from CAOSH.

Anorak wonders if Sean Connery is a member of CAOSH, or, as is more likely, fighting it in his guise as James Bond?

Emma Thompson, the actress, is not a member of CAOSH. Says she in the Sunday Times:

There is no greater partnership, when on a rock, than that of egg and crisp. Textural reasons present themselves immediately – even, perhaps, to those who have never sampled the above. The softness of the egg marries beautifully with the edges of the crisp – of course it does. That much is obvious. But one can extrapolate the pleasures still further.

Anorak

Posted: 3rd, August 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Celebrities, Politicians, Tabloids | Comments (4)

What Barack Obama Does And Does Not Look Like

OBAMANIA Watch – Anorak’s look at Barack Obama in the news.

BARACK Obama says in Germany:

“I know that I don’t look like the other Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city.”

Barack Obama says in the US:

“What they’re going to try to do is make you scared of me. You know, he doesn’t look like all those other presidents on the dollar bills.”

Says Barack Obama in London:

“I know I look like David Miliband…”

So what does he look like?

I look like Barack Obama because Barack Obama looks like hope.

He does not look like this. Or this. He looks a bit like this:

A Belmont, N.C., man sold a sweet potato on eBay Wednesday that he says resembles Democratic U.S. presidential contender Barack Obama.

Complete the line: Barack Obama looks like…

Anorak

Posted: 2nd, August 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (4)

Nancy Pelosi Purges Amazon

NANCY Pelosi has written a book. You can buy it through Amazon. It’s called Know Your Power…

Pelosi adheres to her illiberal fascism in every aspect of her life. It seems she wields her totalitarian “fairness doctrine” far and wide. Lone Pony is reporting that she is scrubbing Amazon of bad reviews – were there any other kind?

No..!

Nancy Pelosi had over 100  BAD reviews of her failed  book disappeared from Amazon’s site yesterday!

Well, Amazon is in the business of selling books. And who buys a book knowing it will be crap? Ahem – I did once buy Learning To Fly by Victoria Beckham. And it was…

More

Anorak

Posted: 2nd, August 2008 | In: Money, Online-PR, Politicians | Comment

Tea And Crumpet With Tony BLair

TONY Blair invites you for tea with him and his this Monday August 4th.

Wendi Deng is a friend. She’s married to Rupert Murdoch. Tony’s invitation is on his MySpace page…

Anorak

Posted: 2nd, August 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)

McCain Attacks Divine Obama

OBAMANIA Watch – Anorak’s look at Barack Obama in the news.

ANORAK thoght 71-year-old John McCain was closer to God. But you live long enough, you learn…

Anorak

Posted: 1st, August 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment

What’s Melissa Kite On?

DAVID Cameron says teach the kids to drink at home. Says Melisaa Kite:

If the answer to alcoholism really is to teach children how to drink, then why don’t the Tories propose giving away free Dubonnet and soda in schools during break time, or perhaps little bottles of vodka and red bull at lunch.

Yeah, perhaps…

Anorak

Posted: 31st, July 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Politicians | Comments (3)

David Miliband And Barack Obama: Separated At Birth

DAVID Miliband would be Labour Leader.  David Miliband would be leader of the Opposition (surely Prime Minister? -Ed)

David Miliband is for Change, just like Barack Obama. You don’t suppose…

“Labour facing civil war”, according to the Daily Mail.

“Brown furious over Miliband treachery”, says the Daily Express. “Gordon Brown was ‘incandescent’ with rage over a challenge to his authority…” Voice call the foreign secretary “condescending”, “patronising” and “crappy”.

“Brains versus Brown” says the Sun.

The Telegraph’s Ivan Lewis says “timidity and incremental change will not deal with the way people feel right now”.

Anorak

Posted: 31st, July 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Politicians, Tabloids | Comments (7)

Barack Obama Starts To Believe – In His Own Hype

OBAMANIA Watch – Anorak’s look at Barack Obama in the news.

BELIEVE:

“In his closed door meeting with House Democrats Tuesday night, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama delivered a real zinger, according to a witness, suggesting that he was beginning to believe his own hype.”

BELIEVE:

As he marches toward Inauguration Day (Election Day is but a milestone on that path), Obama’s biggest challenger may not be Republican John McCain but rather his own hubris. . . . On his presidential-style visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem last week, Obama left a written prayer, intercepted by an Israeli newspaper, asking God to ‘help me guard against pride and despair.’ He seems to have the despair part under control, but the pride could be a problem.

BELIEVE:

Obama, who acknowledged that he needed a nap, stood up to say farewell to the audience of journalists, many of whom gave him another standing ovation.

Do believe the hype…

Anorak

Posted: 31st, July 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (4)

John Edwards Baby News: Rielle Hunter’s Site Is Back Up

RIELLE Hunter was John Edwards’ webisode director. She got behind the scenes, showing the real Edwards as he really is.

Then a story broke that he’d fathered a child by her. All alleged. Nothing proven. But the reaction to the report has been the best part of the story.

She went to ground. The LA Times avoided talking about it. Big media bias? Her site – BeingIsFree – was purged from the web.

But some kind soul has somehow put the site back online.

Anorak

Posted: 31st, July 2008 | In: Politicians | Comment (1)

Ludacis Backs Obama Over Irelevant Bitch Hillary

OBAMANIA Watch – Anorak’s look at Barack Obama in the news.

Ludacris, a rapper, has released a song called ‘Politics: Obama Is Here’ in which he attacks Hillary Clinton as an ‘irrelevant bitch’.

Misogyny. Or Bogotry. We know which one won:

Lyrics:

Anorak

Posted: 30th, July 2008 | In: Celebrities, Politicians | Comments (2)

Barack Obama Is Britney Spears Is Paris Hilton

IF Barack Obama is a celebrity, is he Britney Spears? Is he Paris Hilton?

Does he wear underwear? Does he wear underwear inside – or outside – his trousers?

And if John McCain is a celebrity, which one is he?

Anorak

Posted: 30th, July 2008 | In: Celebrities, Politicians | Comment (1)

Barack Obama Is A Symbol

OBAMANIA Watch – Anorak’s look at Barack Obama in the news.

I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.

A big mouth salesman in a suit?

Anorak

Posted: 30th, July 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (2)

Gordon Brown And The Fall Of Glasgow

COMPARTING people to Hitler is… well, fun (NSFW):

Anorak

Posted: 30th, July 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (2)

John Edwards Defines Irony, With Rielle Hunter

FORMER US Democratic Presidential hopeful John Edwards has expensive hair. He also might have a child by illegitimate means.

But there is little news on John Edwards’ non-baby baby maybe. He did star in a webisode series, made by one Rielle Hunter. We would see it and like Edwards all the better. But the videos are hard to come by, removed from Edwards’ site. But you can enjoy them here:

Anorak

Posted: 30th, July 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (6)

Barack Obama’s Wailing Wall Prayer Was A Fix

OBAMANIA Watch – Anorak’s look at Barack Obama in the news.

BARACK Obama places a prayer in the Western Wall, Jerusalem, Judaisim’s holiest place. He prayed to win the Presidency, to cure cancer by touch and for tastier lo-cal chocolate:

“Lord, protect my family and me. Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of Your will.” (Click the image to read the prayer.)

Obama has prayed. God has listened. A Jewish students removes the prayer. And we have read all about it:

What initially seemed to be a journalistic scoop of dubious moral propriety now seems to be a case of an Israeli paper being played by the Barack Obama campaign.

Maariv, the second most popular newspaper in Israel, was roundly criticized for publishing the note Obama left in the Kotel. But now a Maariv spokesperson says that publication of the note was pre-approved for international publication by the Obama campaign, leading to the conclusion that the “private” prayer was intentionally leaked for public consumption.

Nothing is private when you’re running for the Presidency.

Anorak

Posted: 30th, July 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (7)

Hillary Clinton Escort Services

SAYS the email from Hillary Clinton (remember her?):

“Summer is a time for simple pleasures: family vacations, baseball games, and dinner out under the stars. At least it is if you aren’t running for president!”

“HAVE A MEAL WITH HILLARY – LET’S GO TO DINNER!

Hillary’s not pimpimg Chelsea. There’s more:

Read the rest of this entry »

Anorak

Posted: 29th, July 2008 | In: Money, Politicians | Comments (4)

Misspellings, Bad Grammar And Typos Do For County Magazine

EAT your heart out Total Politics, in the US a magazine has lasted not even a single issue.

Cook County magazine joins the likes of Catholicism For Kids, Teach Yourself American French and Not Well Endowed (a Canadian business magazine) on the list of failed organs.

The brains behind Cook County magazine was Cook County Board president Todd Stroger. And do you want to know why it failed?

Anorak

Posted: 29th, July 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (9)

Nick Cohen On The Post-Bush Change

NICK Cohen on change after George Bush:

In January, Bush will be history, leaving liberals all alone in a frightening world. Little else will change. Radical Islam will still authorise murder without limit, Iran will still want the bomb and the autocracies of China and Russia will still be growing in wealth and confidence. All those who argued that the ‘root cause’ of the Bush administration lay behind the terror will find that the terror still flourishes when the root cause has retired.

Indeed…

Anorak

Posted: 28th, July 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Politicians | Comment

Obama Is A Commie

OBAMANIA Watch – Anorak’s look at Barack Obama in the news.

IS it because American politics is distilled into two shades of blue?

Some right wing Americans think Barack Obama is a communist. Looking at the US from the outside, he looks very much like the typical American politician raising loadsa money for himself and his campaign.

Source

.

Anorak

Posted: 28th, July 2008 | In: Money, Politicians | Comments (2)

Jacqui Smith’s Crime Maps

SAYS Home Secretary Jacqui Smith:

“The public are the best weapon for fighting crime. By rolling out up-to-date, interactive crime maps we can better inform people about crime problems in their area and enable them to have much more of a say in what their local police focus on. This will help increase public confidence in the police and make communities safer.”

What are the police focusing on if they are not focusing on crime? How will knowing where crime has been committed “make communities safer” without making some communities feel less safe?

And if you were a criminal, where would you go to:

a) The higher crime zone the police are heading to?
b) The lower crime zone the police are heading from?

Anorak

Posted: 28th, July 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (5)

Barack Obama Amen

OBAMANIA Watch – Anorak’s look at Barack Obama in the news.

Anorak

Posted: 28th, July 2008 | In: Politicians | Comments (6)

Sarah Brown Is Fashionably Latte

SARAH Brown, wife to Prime Minister Gordon Brown (correct at time of writing) is on the Times’s front page. Why?

The paper’s Janice Turner explains:

We are at Good Housekeeping magazine’s celebrity accessories swap, held at the North London home of Kathy Lette, the punning Aussie author.

Also there are: Dannii Minogue, Fay Weldon, Ruby Wax, Lynda La Plante – Kathy Lette’s eclectic gang of gal pals.”

I ask Kathy Lette what she plans to swap and, snapping into character, she says: “My husband.” She’d like to trade the QC Geoffrey Robertson for Penny Smith’s bloke but actually she is donating a strange Moschino bag shaped like a milk carton.

Anorak

Posted: 28th, July 2008 | In: Broadsheets, Politicians | Comments (4)