Obamas Give Queen Elizabeth an iPod 649
Ponca City, We love you writes "What did the Obamas give Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday when they arrived at Buckingham Palace? An Obama aide reported the queen was given an iPod loaded with video and photos of her 2007 trip to the United States, as well as songs and accessories. She also received a rare songbook signed by the composer Richard Rodgers. The gift issue had come up after Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the White House last month. Mr. Brown gave Mr. Obama a pen holder carved from the timber of an anti-slave ship, receiving in return a DVD box set of American movies, igniting a torrent of criticism in the British press. According to news reports, the queen gave the Obamas a silver-framed signed photograph — a gift she gives to all visiting dignitaries."
It's not an iPod (Score:5, Funny)
(RP joke, for the humour impaired).
Re:It's not an iPod (Score:5, Insightful)
I wish there was a "± 0 Confusing" mod point...
Re:It's not an iPod (Score:5, Funny)
Well, if it's Royal, surely it should be a "we"Pod rather than an iPod or onePod?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
And you've just written tomorrow's 'Sun' headline.
Re:It's not an iPod (Score:5, Informative)
Umm, no, he's making fun of how the royals pronounce vowels (the clue is RP = Received Pronunciation, look it up on wikipedia)
Or maybe IHBT...
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
It's also the sound a horny Ewok makes.
Maybe the original poster is a Star Wars geek with sexual issues.
Of course, I doubt the Queen wants her leg humped by an Ewok.
its England (Score:3, Funny)
And its good to be Queen...
Problem with DVDs was... (Score:5, Funny)
...that the Region 1 DVD's didn't play in Brown's Region 2 player. On his next visit Obama will give him a modding kit.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
People still pay extra for players that enforce regions, and give that "Operation Not Permitted" crap when you want to skip through the menus?\
I was surprised the first time I saw that ... glad I'm boycotting Sony.
Re:Problem with DVDs was... (Score:5, Informative)
I'm guilty of buying a region-enforcing Pioneer at Best Buy. I had just blown through two $25 generic players in two years and was willing to pay more so that I wouldn't have to buy a new one and hook everything up yet again in another year. Plus, Pioneer seems to "get it" and will play formats like DiVX.
That aside, just look at this page [videohelp.com] to make sure the player you are about to buy has an unlock code.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
...that the Region 1 DVD's didn't play in Brown's Region 2 player. On his next visit Obama will give him a modding kit.
and an NTSC-compatible television and power converter.
Re:Problem with DVDs was... (Score:5, Funny)
Rumours that Station X at Bletchley Park is to be re-opened in order to decrypt 'important data received on disk-based media from a high level US government source' remain unconfirmed. In other news, the Obama Administration has not yet commented on the suggestion that all gifts intended for European dignitaries for the duration of the recession were bulk-purchased in the Circuit City closing down sale.
Re:Problem with DVDs was... (Score:5, Funny)
Michelle: So, Mr. President, did you remember to pack the first-edition Walden that I wrapped for the Queen and put on your desk this morning?
Barack: He removes his iPod earbuds, and we hear the music softly before he presses 'pause' on the iPod resting on his lap. I'm sorry, honey, what were you saying?
Michelle: I was just checking to be sure you remembered the gift for the Queen. You know what happened last time.
Barack:
Michelle: Barack?
Barack: I
heh heh (Score:3, Interesting)
How much does custom firmware that will change its function to a logic bomb in the mysterious future cost? Or is that a standard feature in the iPod firmware, available to the federal government at any time? ;)
who cares? (Score:5, Insightful)
Like there's something better? (Score:5, Insightful)
Are there really not enough issues in the world to get worked up about that people are arguing over a freakin' gift exchange?
This just in...Israel and Palestine are fighting. More at the top of the hour...
A lot of people are pissed about Government bailouts. News at 11.
The economy sucks. More to come.
Don't complain. At least this is "new" by comparison to the rest of the shit that keeps getting dredged up day after day.
Re:Like there's something better? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:who cares? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Virg
Re:who cares? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
What I don't get is why these exchanges (which happen constantly) were never reported when Bush was in office. What makes them "news" now when they weren't "news" a year ago?
Re:who cares? (Score:5, Informative)
From http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/ask/20070508.html [archives.gov] regarding the queen's visit to the White House in 2007:
President and Mrs. Bush gave Her Majesty a bronze statuette âoeHigh Desert Princessâ with a personal inscription on the bottom of the base. It is a replica of the original life size statue that is located in front of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Ft. Worth, Texas.
President and Mrs. Bush gave The Prince Philip an exclusive sterling silver eagle box by Tiffany & Co. with personal inscription on the inside lid.
President and Mrs. Bush gave Their Majesties a leather presentation box filled with a collection of documents from the National Archives. One of the items was a copy of an original letter from President Roosevelt to her father, King George, written in 1938. There were also photos from previous royal visits and a DVD of the footage from the Queenâ(TM)s visit to the United States when she was Princess Elizabeth in 1951.
Their Majesties gave President Bush a sterling silver oversized plate by William & Son with gold seals including: the Presidential seal, the Royal seal and a center seal with the star of Texas surrounded by roses. There was a personal inscription on the back of the plate. They gave Mrs. Bush a gold and crystal clock with the Royal seal by William & Son.
The Office of the Chief of Protocol assists the President and First Lady in the selection and presentation of gifts to foreign leaders.
I can hardly say that gift is any more elegant.
Obama's not playing by the rules... (Score:5, Insightful)
It's not the gifts themselves that are the issue... it's the symbolism, if you will.
See, diplomacy is a game, of sorts, and it's heavily dependent on symbolism. Things like gift exchanges, summit meetings, state dinners, and all that are mostly useless from a practical standpoint... but it's part of the game. They're the rules; to be taken seriously you have to at least play along with them and pretend that you care. It's like Christmastime at the office; you go to the parties and you buy little gifts for each other, not because you really care about everyone or want to hang out with them, but because it smooths things over and is just part of office politics.
Obama's not playing by the rules. And while the gifts and all that aren't really a big deal, he's committing a diplomatic faux pas--toward his country's closest ally, no less. What makes this (and similar small diplomatic blunders) ironic, and what the European press is starting to make noise about, is that everyone thought Obama would be better at international relations than Bush. True, he has yet to start any wars; but flubbing even the basic, petty, easy stuff like state dinners and symbolic gift exchanges with your closest allies and your historical and powerful military/economic rivals (China and Russia) certainly isn't getting off on the right foot.
It's like the new guy showing up at the office Christmas party with PBR and dollar store gag gifts for the exchange when everyone else brought drinkable wine or liquor and a $15 gift... then cutting loose a giant fart and laughing loudly about it. Sure, it doesn't really affect business operations, it's just a stupid little party. But now everyone's looking at him kinda funny and thinking "hey, we thought he was cool, but this guy's a bit of an ass." In other words, it may not be harmful, but he certainly isn't doing us any favors.
Problem is lack of thoughtfulness (Score:3, Insightful)
I agree mostly, but wanted to add that another big component of showing respect in gift giving is thoughtfulness of the gift chosen - the pen holder carved from an anti-slave ship is an obvious example of this.
Consumer electronics and media gifts like iPods and DVD's are what you give when your out of ideas. They do not show a good level of understanding of the person you are giving the gift to, although at least the iPod was loaded with pictures of the queens visit... but like all electronics they are eph
Re:Problem is lack of thoughtfulness (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Obama's not playing by the rules... (Score:4, Funny)
See, diplomacy is a game, of sorts
No kidding [wikipedia.org]. I hear it's pretty cutthroat, too.
Why is everyone ignoring... (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:All hail Lord Brown! (Score:5, Informative)
I don't even understand the controversy. 25 DVD's is a pretty damn good gift. Maybe the Brits don't understand that, in the U.S., giving exquisite gifts to politicians is a MAJOR no-no (unless you're Ted Stevens, of course). I'm surprised they even gave him that much. A U.S. politician couldn't accept anything in excess of $335 in value as a gift from a foreign leader.
It's pretty much standard here that diplomatic gifts aren't kept by the President; they're accepted on behalf of, and given over to, the American people. I'd imagine that it's pretty much the same in the UK; "suitcases full of cash and rare art" would be state-to-state gifts that just happen to be presented by/to individuals acting as representatives to their people.
Diplomatic gifts aren't really supposed to be personal anyways. The pen and case aren't for Obama to take home and use for paying his bills; they'll most likely be displayed for a little while, possibly used to sign some kind of treaty or trade agreement with the UK, and eventually filed away in a box somewhere. It might eventually go on display at whatever Presidential library Obama builds, but would remain the property of the United States and just be loaned to said library.
Had to be ... (Score:5, Funny)
The iPod will be taken apart ... (Score:5, Insightful)
After all, would ANY government allow one of their top people to accept an electronic gift without it being checked to make sure it's not bugged? That would be a serious security lapse.
Re:The iPod will be taken apart ... (Score:5, Insightful)
You remember that warehouse at the end of Indiana Jones where they store the Ark Of The Covenant ?
The Queen has a similar warehouse where all the presents the monarchs have been given over the last 300 years or so are stored, this I-Pod is never going to be used.
Re:The iPod will be taken apart ... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:The iPod will be taken apart ... (Score:5, Informative)
She has a face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister, the senior elected official of Her Majesty's Government once a week to talk about Britain and he Commonwealth, its current state and its place in the world. She receives a box of State papers every day to work through -- as Head of State she signs off on all treaties and international agreements negotiated between the UK and other countries.
She's been doing this for more than fifty years now, day in day out, week in week out. She's heard everything, the good news and the bad. Apart from the anodyne Christmas address to the nation she keeps her mouth shut about it, as it is her duty to do so.
Commander in Chief of the military (Score:3, Informative)
The queen has no role in the security status of her government
The Queen is Commander in Chief of the UK military [wikipedia.org]..
Re:The iPod will be taken apart ... (Score:5, Informative)
The Queen owns the government, she is not part of it. Hence, Her Majesty's Government, as well as Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.
Re:The iPod will be taken apart ... (Score:5, Interesting)
No I'm not being serious.
Re:The iPod will be taken apart ... (Score:5, Informative)
The Queen of England (United Kingdom actually, there hasn't been a Queen of England since Queen Anne) has no power in Canada. The Queen of Canada does. Yes, they are the same person, but they don't have to be.
The Queen of the United Kingdom doesn't appoint our Governor General, the Queen of Canada does, on the advice of the Canadian Prime Minister and Privy Council.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Sure the queen does not really know about any important political or defense issues, but
the Royal family itself is a national security issue.
The last the Brits need is foreign spooks eavesdropping on their first family's dirty laundry. Think of the blackmailing possibilities!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
agreed.
The blackmail-the-royals market needs to remain a domestic business.
Re:The iPod will be taken apart ... (Score:5, Informative)
Indeed. Winston Churchill said, after the fact of course, that King George (Queen Elizabeth's father) was one of the very, very few people with whom he would discuss all the secret plans and his thoughts about the war.
Brown responded... (Score:5, Funny)
Mr. Brown gave Mr. Obama a pen holder carved from the timber of an anti-slave ship, receiving in return a DVD box set of American movies, igniting a torrent of criticism in the British press.
Brown, commenting on the matter, said: "I've already downloaded most of these on the Pirate Bay."
Re:Brown responded... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Brown responded... (Score:5, Funny)
Yu 0we me a new keybrd!
Royal Navy anti slavery actions (Score:4, Interesting)
There's a good article here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/abolition/royal_navy_article_01.shtml [bbc.co.uk]
It's actually an incredibly cool story.
Re:Royal Navy anti slavery actions (Score:4, Informative)
In 1632 King Charles of England gave out charters to support the slave trade. Up to three million Africans had been transported in British ships since 1650, and at the end of the 18th century Britain was dominating the trade, with an average of more than 150 slave ships leaving Liverpool, Bristol, and London each year. This made Britain very rich.
There were people who realized that the slave trade was an abomination against human rights and they started a campaign against it. By 1807, Britain was forced to outlaw the practice and the Royal Navy had to enforce the new law but this was difficult because of the huge profits. The slave trade continued through 1880.
In light of the wealth that Britain received from the slave trade, it probably would have been more appropriate for Gordon Brown to give Obama a gift made from a slave trade ship (this gift would be less hypocritical but probably would not be appropriate). Britain has yet to seriously discuss reparations for the damage done to Africa from the profits they made in the slave trade.
Re:Royal Navy anti slavery actions (Score:5, Interesting)
Britain has yet to seriously discuss reparations for the damage done to Africa from the profits they made in the slave trade.
And I seriously hope we never do, not because I agree with slavery, but because I disagree with being held accountable for something that someone did 200 years ago.
Re:Royal Navy anti slavery actions (Score:5, Informative)
I see that you, along with all romantics, have entirely neglected the role that Africans themselves [wikipedia.org] played in the slave trade. Slaves traded across the Atlantic were bought from African dealers. I have yet to see any Afro-Americans demanding apologies from Africans, let alone reparations.
Britain was one of the first nations to abolish this hideous practice (by democratic choice, not "force"), before any African nation did, and Britain did more than most to bring an end to it. Even after the Atlantic slave trade was brought to a halt by the British [wikipedia.org] and later American navies, innocent Africans were being sold into slavery by Africans to Arabs [wikipedia.org]. Yet still Britain seems to have the majority of the blame for the slave trade forced upon it. This seems deeply unfair to me.
Re:Royal Navy anti slavery actions (Score:4, Informative)
I have yet to see any Afro-Americans demanding apologies from Africans, let alone reparations.
Because they don't have any money. That's what it's all about at the end of the day. I've yet to understand how giving money to the descendants of slaves repairs the damage that was done by the slave trade, but there you go.
My bloodline includes Native American, Polish, Jewish and German ancestry (typical American mutt here I suppose). When do I get my rent check for this nice continent my ancestors "gave" you? When do I get my check from Germany for all the damage done to my Polish and Jewish ancestors? When do I get my check from the British and Americans to make up for Dresden?
Re:Royal Navy anti slavery actions (Score:4, Insightful)
I can explain this for you. I know they don't really teach this in schools in as much detail as they should.
Slavery was not fully abolished, technically, until 1865. Now, that sounds like a long time ago. Over 100 years. But what happened after that? Well for 100 years, blacks were not allowed to go to the same schools with whites, they weren't allowed to live by whites, they weren't allowed to meaningfully interact with whites, they're vote was actively negated through Jim Crow laws, and they weren't even allowed to drink the same water.
Let me repeat that lest the math was not clear, they were actively and openly oppressed, exploited, violently attacked by both private vigilanties and law enforcement, and disenfranchised until 1965 . That means if you're 43 or over, you were alive then. It also means your parents were almost assuredly alive and could either tell tales of fighting for or against the Civil Rights movement unless you're very young.
What does this mean really? I'm sure the response is "Well, I didnt' do any of that!". This is true, but the entire American society did that. Laws aren't passed by individuals, they are passed by nations. Widespread discrimination of that calibar is not commited by individuals, it's sanctioned by states. And so, it is society that owes a debt.
It was not African American's Great Great Great Grandparents that were shoved into ghettos, educationally marginalized, disenfranchised, and openly, violently opposed. Those who experienced this first hand are still alive today as are those who perpetrated these grave crimes against humanity.
The audacity to presume that in less than one full generation 300 years of this stature of oppression would simply *poof* disappear. Do you really think that all the fathers and grandfathers who were so sure that blacks were less than human in their teens, 20's, and 30's all of a sudden did a 180 and changed their attitudes? It takes more than 1/2 a generation to repair that kind of dehumanization.
And to compare this to Dresden. Are you completely daft? Are you truly that ignorant of the difference (not in a hateful sense, but in the literal sense of igorance)? Dresden was a single event in a war that spanned a few years. The decendents of dresden were not stripped of their heritage, educational opportunities, and identity. Forced into slavery, shoved into ghettos, hanged from trees, and treated verbally and physically like animals for 15 generations .
Just ponder that for a moment. Just think of the significance, of the impact that has on a culture. I am amazed that the black community is so forgiving. That the sons (literally) of those our nation abused so egregiously are not absolutely raving with desire for revenge. That they're recovering so quickly economically, educationally, and culturally.
No, it is not one individual that owes a debt, the entire country owes a debt.
Now, I don't think monetary reperations are the right way to make amends. Mainly, because the harm is nigh incalculable. But if it were possible to guarantee a free ride to every black child to a first class college to give them the opportunity to pull their communities out of the ghettos that our nation put them in then that might be a good start. Of course, we probably can't afford that either.
The solution is not easy, nor is it simple, nor is it cheap. But your indignation is misplaced, misguided, and misinformed.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
I knew this. I spout it occasionally. No one likes to listen, especially my black mates after they start their chip-on-the-shoulder rants. People can't seem to understand that a small handful of English would have been easily overrun by masses of Africans. Without the help of the Africans, the slave trade wouldn't have happened.
Re:Royal Navy anti slavery actions (Score:5, Funny)
I agree and since the British government is unwilling to make reparations I as a British citizen am more than happy to do so on their behalf.
Obviously all the people actually involved are dead now so there is nothing I can do for them so it's their ancestors I feel I must recompense.
I have a simple formula, all we need to do it work out the average yearly income of American African Americans and the average income of Africans to get a figure of how much worse off the African Americans are. Then multilply that by the average lifespan of an African American and the number of them who can prove their ancestors were slaves.
I'll accept payment in gold bullion.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Britain has already paid Africa for the slave trade, at a fair price agreeable to both parties. Who do you think the British bought all those slaves from in the first place?
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Obama is not descended from slaves! I know this is true of most black Americans, but it is NOT true of Obama! He has no more relationship with the slavery than any of you cube-dwelling white boys!
Silly (Score:5, Insightful)
First, who cares who gave who what? Seriously? I mean, if you made a *major* boo-boo and gave Obama some racist memoribilia or something, then you're an idiot, but otherwise who cares? You're talking negotiations over the future of countries, anyone who reads anything into the gifts is clearly desperate for news or clearly focusing on the wrong things.
Have the governments of the two countries seriously got nothing else better to waste their money on than gifts for other nations? Sure, bring something along but keep it simple. A couple of bouquets for the missus and a bottle of special wine or something to enjoy over dinner one night. Anything else is asking for a cock-up because it'll have been made from the ship that X's father fought against in war Y or something. And, trust me, nobody British really cared what gift was received/given the last time the US president and the UK prime minister met. Nobody. The press obviously had nothing else better to report, or were feeling snubbed themselves. They don't even care that Churchill's bust was moved in the Whitehouse... really... we don't have American presidents lining 10 Downing Street, so why should the American's have anything similar? So long as it was done respectfully (i.e. they didn't kick it down the stairs after drawing a moustache on it), who cares?
Personally, I think the Queen's gift is the worst out of all those listed (in all the linked articles) anyway - it's too imperialist and overbearing... a signed photo... "Look, I have given you something cheap and readily available to remind you that you were once in my presence". Urk.
Re:Silly (Score:5, Informative)
The Queen's gift is a diplomatic one ... she gives the same gift of the same cost, to everyone, regardless of how important they are and regardless of what they give her in return, no one is snubbed, overvalued, undervalued, or insulted ....
The giving of gifts is done for purely diplomatic reasons and the cost of the gift given by the British PM is limited, any gift given to him over that same cost is owned by the government not by the current PM ....
Re:Silly (Score:5, Insightful)
I would agree with you except every day for the last 8 years we heard about Bushisms. Just because Obama is your guy (not you personally, just in general) shouldn't mean that you quit pointing out the idiotic things that he does.
Obama has already had plenty of Obamaisms (basically anytime he isn't in front of a teleprompter), yet I don't see people like Olberman leading off their show with them they way he did with Bush.
All I want is consistency from people.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Spare me your sour grapes, and suck it up. Apparently your candidate lost, and now all you can do is complain about very unimportant and petty things, that's sad.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
It goes to show the lack of class in the man and his administration. The two gifts mentioned from the British were classy gifts, and were well thought out.
The gifts from the Obama administration don't have a clue what class is.
Expect more of the same until we impeach and fire this clown of a president.
I am not entirely sure what you are saying? Do you not recall Bush? The tool that gave Angela Merkel (the prime minister of Germany) a back massage at a meeting? How about the time he winked at the Queen of England? Or when he addressed a room full of donors by saying something to the effect of: "Quite an impressive room of people here, the haves, and the have mores...". The same guy who got us involved in two wars and ushered in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
And YOU have the
RIAA? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:RIAA? (Score:4, Interesting)
american movies (Score:3, Funny)
"igniting a torrent of criticism in the British press"
Where can I find that .torrent?
Sync off only one PC? (Score:3, Funny)
Hilarious. (Score:5, Funny)
I just find it hilarious, it seems like the criticisms of the US personified.
"Here's a rare and incredibly symbolic gift, a pen case made with wood from anti-slave ships."-British
"lol heres 2 fast 2 furious" - US
Re:Hilarious. (Score:4, Insightful)
I think it's indicative of Obama's naivete and complete lack of experience with regard to foreign policy. IIRC, he also blew off an official state dinner with Brown saying he was "too busy", and dismissed the US-UK relationship as "nothing special", and sent back the bust of Churchill that had been at the White House for quite a long time. Oh, and the DVDs came with a couple of Marine One helicopter toys, too.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
"Don't say anything negative about our black president. The nation's delicate sensibilities can't handle it."
You must be seeing different media than I am.
I'm constantly seeing criticism of Obama and his administration and his policies.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
On the matter of outrageous bonuses for failed AIG leadership, why aren't we hearing about Franklin Rains cleaning up at Fannie Mae while he was simultaneously setting off a global recession?
Because that's a bile of BS Republican misdirection. Nevermind the 1:60 ratio between assets and liabilities that investment firms were taking on, nevermind the complete lack of oversight from the SEC, it's all the fault of FM/FM and the CRA.
The Queens Gift (Score:5, Insightful)
She should have gave him Northern Ireland . . . (Score:5, Funny)
"Ah, Mr. Obama, I've been expecting you."
"You seem to be handling all the troubles in the world, right now. One more shouldn't be a problem for you, please accept my gift to you of Northern Ireland."
Re:The Queens Gift (Score:4, Insightful)
Or it could be to avoid situations like those that arose when Brown visited the USA.
If everyone gets the same gift, no one will feel slighted. The leader of a major superpower or a tiny island nation being treated the same? That's actually a pretty smart political move.
Mix Tapes (Score:5, Funny)
Remember back in the day when you used to give mix tapes to girls to show them how amazing you were?
!iPod (Score:3, Funny)
Title is wrong (Score:4, Informative)
You are wrong (Score:3, Informative)
Queen is just a hereditary title and can be used like any other title including social titles like Mr, Dr, Sir, Mrs and so on.
Using the term Queen Elizabeth without specifying which Queen Elizabeth is no less correct than referring to someone called Paul who is a Dr. as Dr. Paul. The only reason you'd want to specify is if there were multiple Dr. Pauls you could be referring to, but seeing as the summary quite clearly points out he met a living Queen there is no room for ambiguity and so there is no need to
Re:Title is wrong (Score:5, Insightful)
God Save The Queen? (Score:5, Funny)
I hope out of consideration for the rich history of British music that it included some of the classics...
like the Sex Pistols http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Save_the_Queen_(Sex_Pistols_song) [wikipedia.org]
If the British press can't find something... (Score:5, Insightful)
There's a recession on, people. Do you really expect Obama to be handing out diamond necklaces? How's that going to look?
Also, both sides know perfectly well that whatever they give, the other side won't be allowed to keep it as a matter of anti-corruption policy. Every single gift given to an American president goes straight into a vault. So there's no point in giving anything really expensive.
Re:If the British press can't find something... (Score:5, Funny)
Actually, it was the day before D-Day. On D-Day itself, the coverage ran something like 'Thank God, they're all in France now.'
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Yes and no. Take a tour of a presidential library sometime. It's facinating to see what gifts other nations gave our presidents. I recently visited the Clinton library, and the gifts there ranged from unique pieces of art, to one of the bikes Lance Armstong rode in the Tour. Some gifts had little monetary value, others were of immesuarbale worth. But they all personified
Is Obama's personal player known as... (Score:3, Funny)
Why not more practical gifts? (Score:5, Funny)
It was a thoughtful gift (Score:3, Insightful)
The Obamas gave the Queen a rare signed songbook by Rick Rodgers, or Rodgers and Hammerstein fame. Rodgers is one of the greatest American composers. The iPod was filled with his music. It was a thoughtful, expensive, classy gift.
Re:Obama Policies Will Bankrupt USA Tsarkon Report (Score:5, Insightful)
It seems kind of 'tarded to give a 70+ year old woman an ipod with a tiny screen filled with speeches she is very unlikely to agree with (not that he would even be aware of her political leanings.)
I would have given her a gift of pictures of her during the WW2 blitz on London, showing her changing tires and working along with the rest of the people under siege by the Germans and put this into a classy montage. I would want to honor her good qualities, and there is plenty out there. For one of the richest women in the world, I'm certain trinkets are not high on her shopping list.
Seriously, Obama is a sad amateur. Camacho was a smarter president.
Re:Obama Policies Will Bankrupt USA Tsarkon Report (Score:5, Insightful)
If he had really wanted to put two seconds' thought into it, he would have gotten something for her dogs ... either the corgis or the labs. She's absolutely nuts over her corgis (same as every dog lover :-)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Yeah, I really do think Corgi owners are a fun lot, and Corgis are some of the nicest dogs around. As the poster said above , The Queen of England is not exactly a simpleton, a slouch or unintelligent. I find someone so entitled has gotten down on all fours like the rest of us and she has done a lot more for her country, I believe, than Obama ever will.
See her first telivised christmas address in 1957. [youtube.com]
Re:Obama Policies Will Bankrupt USA Tsarkon Report (Score:5, Interesting)
Well said, I have had the pleasure of meeting Her Majesty, and I can tell you she is no simpleton. She is an intelligent witty person, who actually has a "can do" mind.
People forget that in WW2, she drove ambulances carrying injured people to the Hospital. She is a trained mechanic, and does actually know more about cars and engines than most normal people.
She even has a blackberry, which she uses to keep in touch with her grandchildren. Talking of Grandchildren, Remember Princess Beatrice once said "she is lucky to have a cool grandmother"
She is a charming, intelligent and lovely person, and one of the things that makes me as a Brit, feel proud.
God Bless you maam.
Re:Obama Policies Will Bankrupt USA Tsarkon Report (Score:5, Funny)
She was on the allied side, despite the fact that her real surname is "Achtungschweinhund Hollenstollen Von Saxe-Koburg Gutenberg".
Re:Obama Policies Will Bankrupt USA Tsarkon Report (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry to answer myself again, but I believe she has an iPod already.. since 2005... a 6GB iPod mini.
Its pretty well known actually (google queen ipod).
Not sure what she uses it for, but if i remember rightly, she (or maybe Prince Philip) are avid podcast listeners.
Re:Obama Policies Will Bankrupt USA Tsarkon Report (Score:4, Funny)
By all accounts the Queen is actually into gadgets. She even has a Wii.
I assume that would be the "Royal Wii"?
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While I am broadly anti the monarchy I have to agree with you that the Queen does do the British people proud. She is a fantastic ambasador for the country (when she leaves the hubby at home) and I believe that unlike just about everyone else in power in Britian she actually earns the money she gets. The rest of the royal family can go jump for all I care though. Charlie Boy is loosing the plot more and more each day and his two sons are spoilt little brats. When the Queen finally leaves office I think it w
Re:Obama Policies Will Bankrupt USA Tsarkon Report (Score:4, Funny)
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Re:Obama Policies Will Bankrupt USA Tsarkon Report (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:Obama Policies Will Bankrupt USA Tsarkon Report (Score:4, Funny)
Mr Brown does not have ur 733t h4kk1n sk1lz.
What am I on about? He doesn't have any skills, the fat Scottish twat.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I wasn't trying to say this gift was redundant, I was trying to say that an iPod isn't a "retarded" gift for the Queen, as the original poster seemed to think.
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Re:Maybe Japan's Prime Minister will get 20" rims! (Score:4, Insightful)
first, he gives the British PM a stack of DVDs (ultra lame). next, he gives the queen of england a friggin ipod
The DVDs and iPod are not the gifts, they are the packaging. The real value of these gifts is of the content that's on them -- examples of the artistic and cultural outputs of the United States, which have been exported to the world.
That most of this culture is available to anybody with $300 to spare is not an indictment of Obama's stinginess, nor of America's, but a celebration of our egalitarianism.
Re:Which iPod? (Score:5, Insightful)
Obmama didn't 'give her an iPod' at all.
Obama gave her a signed Rogers (Of Rogers and Hammerstein, who the queen loves,and considers the a song from Oklahoma her and her husbands 'song') songbook.
It was an absurdly good gift. Personal, and yet historic enough that it can be displayed with a bunch of other historic things.
He also gave her a bunch of footage of her trip here that was filmed. He presented this to her within a video iPod.
And everyone trying to make an issue of this is a giant moron.