New York Times' "qoutes of the year"

international | miscellaneous | other press

Thursday December 20, 2007 14:25

by funderland on crack - (jayzhus) : funderland on LSD (dicey)

Every year the NYT issues "quotes of the year", hardly newsworthy for us lot who generally ignore the list which is awash with Bush gaffes & gurglings. But this year is different because Bush hasn't even made the top ten & the number one quote goes to a story which excited our interest & in its own way became a milestone in extended policing issues. I refer of course to the taser-ing of a student who heckled John Kerry whose immortal line " Don't Tase me Bro! " not only gave us a new verb with which to enjoy the usual holiday season scrabble sessions but was watched on youtube by hundreds of thousands of people just like yourself.

The incident generated several articles on the newswire http://www.indymedia.ie/article/84270
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/84287 & is still referred to in our ongoing consideration of this weapon.
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Lauren Upton, a "Miss Teen USA" contestant got second place for her charming answer to the question "why can't one fifth of Americans locate the USA on a map?" :-

''I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us,'' = give the girl a tiara, & if you don't see why just read it again. Under the glaring spotlights she managed to outdo the very worst of our regular bar stool cliche mongering commentators.

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Third prize went to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comment at the Columbia university debate he starred at for saying " 'In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country.'' I thought that was very thought provoking but in the comments to the report on that debate on this website no-one seemed to want to touch it with their size 12 feet. http://www.indymedia.ie/article/84366

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Larry Craig, a Republican Senator from Idaho made big news earlier this year when he was accused of trying to pick up an undercover police agent in a toilet in an airport toilet. The cop's evidence reported how Senator Craig's foot had suggestively caressed his own leading one to only one conclusion - "yer man wants sex". (remember that the next time you're at a urinal). His excuse won him position 8 in the top ten - ''(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom,''
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I'm sure there have been quite a few wonderful quotes from people in Ireland this last year & I suggest they be appended in the comments for us all to giggle at this holiday season. For myself the two quotes from the Spanish state which cry out for recognition & eventual castigation came from the prime minister ZP in response to the question "how much is a cup of coffee?" - "about 80 cents" [it is in fact 1.20€] which opened the way for his minister of finance to quip last weekend that most people in the Spanish state don't understand the Euro & leave tips of one Euro for two coffees [the average tip is in fact 20 cents]. & that's why they deserve to lose..,

Comments (3 of 3)

The most significant quote of the year

by funderland on lager in plastic glasses

Thu Dec 20, 2007 23:34

didn't feature in the NYT report or the annual Yale round-up. But the five most important words uttered in any political or geopolitical context this year were beyond a doubt said in Spanish by the King of Spain.
"porque no te callas" (= "why don't you shut up") clocked up multiple youtube vids with several million hits so far & within a day was (& still is) heard around the world on as a mobile phone ringtone. The Spanish King addressed Hugo Chavez in the familiar form "tu" asking him why he didn't shut up as Chavez heckled his (the king's) prime minister Zapatero describing the former pm of Spain as a "fascist". The incident didn't really provoke as much diplomatic fuss as anyone might have hoped for. Both Chavez & the King came out of it quite well in retrospect and curiously Chavez used the "royal we" for the next week demanding a formal apology until he lost a referendum & went "q-u-i-e-t".
The Spanish prince Felipe who it emerged is a correspondent of Chavez met the latter some time later at the investiture of Mrs Kirchner as the new president of Argentina. By which stage the fun had gone out of the exchange & their words ( hello how are you tonight ) & smiles were over shadowed by the hugs & cuddles as Mrs Kirchner succeeded her husband Mr Kirchner as president.

The incident as I've written has multiple vids on youtube complete with translations into many languages not just its first (spanish the second most spoken tongue on the planet which beat english into third place this year) but many others too. It also sparked comment here & pages & pages of news organisation coverage - the BBC english version alone managed to generate 8 articles & one "voxpop" out of the wonderful :-

Why don't you shut up!?

Bertie

by you-tuber

Wed Dec 26, 2007 18:03

"I looked at the great George Bush and told him I wanted to be sure to sure and he assured
me"... (Bertie Ahern, who cannot spell government)

its on you-tube, though the one of Sarko pissed out of his skull at the G8 is pretty good too.

Chavez meets King of Spain who gives him a "why don't you shut up T-shirt"

by funderland on crack

Fri Jul 25, 2008 16:43

Of the quotes which were appraised in English language as defining 2007 - "don't taze me bro!" quickly became a lame t-shirt and never really made a hit as a mobile phone ringtone download. The King of Spain's "why don't you shut up!" yelling effort at Hugo Chavez really did enter popular culture.

Chavez complete this year's arms buying trips to Russia and Belarus with a drop-off in Madrid and then meal with the Spanish King on the island of Mallorca today.

The King gave him a "porque no te calles" t-shirt. If you've no idea what that's about, you're not only insular but in need of reading the comment above and the article it accompanied. It might help if you get past the username thing. Coz you just never know. Do you?

further indymedia coverage - http://indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/07/404586.html

BBC coverage