The Washington Post (my hometown paper) presents the White House Correspondents’ dinner, one of the biggest social events in the calendar where the presidents get to show their communication skills to the max. A nice guide to self-deprecation and humor, US-style.
A Ukrainian reporter caused a scene in Moscow when, as one of a crowd, he asked Will Smith for a hug. WS obliged and gave him a “man hug” (patting him on the back). The reporter responded by trying to give him kisses on both cheeks, almost kissing him on the mouth. Will Smith reacted [...]
Gabbi Giffords’ moving speech for gun control on Jan 30 (link to her handwritten notes):
Before the shooting (speaking here after a Tea Party attack on her office, 25 March 2010):
Her recovery (great husband!):
In this debate, Obama was very good at answering questions. He listened very attentively, and then focussed coolly on individual aspects of the question, answering each in turn to showcase his position. He uses a relatively simple tactic in answering, namely to give highly structured and “signposted” answers – signposting meaning adding words and phrases [...]
The wonderful singer-songwriter John Prine turned 65 yesterday (thanks Eamonn).
“Dear Abby” was an advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name of Abigail Van Buren, and was syndicated in the Washington Post. Or was it in the evening paper, the Evening Star (later the Washington Star)? We got both. I never [...]
“The Problem We All Live With” by Norman Rockwell is currently on display at the White House, just outside the president’s office. It shows Ruby Bridges, the most famous of the children who in 1960, at the age of 6, walked into an all-white school and helped desegregate the schools of New Orleans. Daddy’s brave [...]
He was called “The great communicator”. At the time I wasn’t willing to listen to any of his speeches, because he was at the opposite end of the political spectrum, and I was out in the streets demonstrating against cruise missiles, Star Wars and all that. But I was just reading Vicki Hollett’s very interesting [...]
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