Yankee Fog

The Office of Government Commerce

2008-04-24T20:28:50Z

Her Majesty's Treasury has a subsection known as the Office of Government Commerce. The Office of Government Commerce has a new logo. Unfortunately, it turns out that, when scene from certain angles, the OGC's new logo looks like... erm... Well, see for yourself.

Don't Mention The War

2008-04-18T18:09:47Z

My favorite British headline of recent weeks: Mystery 'Euro-whiff' blamed on Germans.

The Flight of the Emperors

2008-04-04T13:12:01Z

The British take April Fools' Day very seriously; almost every newspaper has at least one hoax story. This year, my favorite print hoax was from the Sun, which was no doubt inspired by the media frenzy surrounding Carla Bruni, the glamorous wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, during their recent visit to London. According to the Sun's April 1 report:

FRENCH President Nicolas Sarkozy is to have pioneering stretch surgery in a bid to make him taller.

The 5ft 5ins leader has contacted a leading Swiss laboratory because he has become so paranoid about his frame.

Doctors reckon they will be able to add an amazing FIVE INCHES to his height in just over a year.

When surgery is completed he will be an inch taller than his stunning ex-model wife Carla Bruni.

Sarkozy, 53, was ridiculed on last week's state visit to Britain for being so short. He had elevated heels in his shoes while wife Carla, 40, wore a flat pair of pumps.

The method, Stature Augmentation Treatment, was developed on guinea pigs by Israeli academic Professor Ura Schmuck.

Even better than that was this video from the BBC. I won't spoil it for you, but I recommend you watch it soon--it will only be up for three more days. UPDATE: If the above video link won't play for you, you can find a slightly lower-quality version on YouTube.

Found: One Screwdriver

2008-03-24T14:35:49Z

I thought this photo was pretty funny.

Could You Be British? Part II

2008-03-22T09:22:26Z

And now, the answers... 1. Where would you hear the following accents: Geordie; Scouse; Cockney?
"Well-known dialects in England are Geordie (Tyneside), Scouse (Liverpool) and Cockney (London)." 2. What are the nations of the United Kingdom, from most populous to least--and who are their patron saints?
England (St. George); Scotland (St. Andrew); Wales (St. David); and Northern Ireland 3. What is the rule regarding the teaching of religion in state schools?
"Schools must, by law, provide religious education (RE) to all puils. Parents are allowed to withdraw their children from these lessons. RE lessons have a Christian basis but children also learn about other major religions." 4. What is the maximum amount that a university may charge per year for tuition fees?
"At present, univeristies can charge up to £3,000 [about $6,000] per year for their tuition fees, but students do not have to pay anything towards their fees before or during their studies. The government pays their tuition fees, and then charges for them when a student starts working after university." 5. By law, how old must you be to work behind the counter of a fish-and-chip shop?
"By law, chldren under 16 can only do light work. There are particular jobs that children are not allowed to do. These include delivering milk, selling alcohol, cigarettes or medicines, working in a kitchen or behind the counter of a chip shop, working with dangerous machinery or chemicals, or doing any other kind of work that may be harmful to their health or education." 6. How many players are there on the UK rugby team?
A trick question. "There are no United Kingdom teams for football and rugby. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own teams." 7. Where is the original copy of the British Constitution kept?
Another trick question. "The British Constitution is not written down in any single document, as are the constitutions of many other countries. This is mainly because the United Kingdom has never had a lasting revolution, like America or France, so our most important institutions have been in existence for hundreds of years. Some people believe there should be a single document, but others believe that an unwritten constitution allows more scope for institutions to adapt to meet changing circumstances and public expectations." 8. If you notice that everybody on the Tube has paper poppies in their lapels, what time of year is it?
"Remembrance Day, 11 November, commemorates those who died fighting in World War 1, World War 2 and other wars. Many people wear poppies (a red flower) in memory of those who died. At 11 a.m. there is a two-minute silence." 9. What led to the American revolution?
"When the British government tried to tax the colonies to pay for their wars in North America against the French and the Native American tribes, the colonies rebelled. They said there should be 'no taxation without representation' in the British Parliament. Parliament refused to compromise. This led the American colonies to declare independence from Britain in 1776. The Declration of Independence asserted universal principles of free government. Many people in Britain and Europe who wanted political reform welcome the ideas of the declaration." 10. How did the colonies win the war?
"The American colonies defeated the British army with the help of the French."

Could You Be British?

2008-03-20T18:38:38Z

Now that Lauren and I have been in the UK for five years, we've decided to apply for an "indefinite leave to remain" -- the UK equivalent of a green card. (NOTE TO OUR PARENTS: Yes, we do still plan on moving back to the States at some point. Honest.) Of course, Her Majesty can't let in just any riffraff. Before she will grant us leave, we have to take a test on life in the UK--the same test taken by people hoping to become British citizens. For those of you who want to test your Britishness, here are some questions based on the official government study guide. I'll post the answers in a day or two; in the meantime, if you want to play at home, you can post your guesses in the comment section. (Googling your answers is most definitely not cricket.) 1. Where would you hear the following accents: Geordie; Scouse; Cockney? 2. What is the rule regarding the teaching of religion in state schools? 3. What is the maximum amount that a university may charge per year for tuition fees? 4. By law, how old must you be to work behind the counter of a fish-and-chip shop? 5. What are the nations of the United Kingdom, from most populous to least--and who are their patron saints? 6. How many players are there on the UK rugby team? 7. Where is the original copy of the British Constitution kept? 8. If you notice that everybody on the Tube has paper poppies in their lapels, what time of year is it? 9. What led to the American revolution, and what was the reaction to it in Britain? 10. How did the American colonies win the war?

Jewno

2008-03-14T16:19:54Z

As he has been in year's past, my-friend-the-Daily-Show-writer Rob Kutner is involved in a charity sketch show in honor of the Jewish holiday of Purim. And as in year's past, I've written a sketch for it. This year, guests include also-from-the-Daily-Show Aasif Manvi, and a special video appearance by Lewis Black. If you're in New York, on Saturday, March 22, I highly recommend you stop by the Shushan Channel. You may want to buy your tickets now; it tends to sell out. And if you aren't in New York, here's a small sample of the Hebraic humor goodness you're missing.

And speaking of relationships

2008-02-26T16:10:28Z

My friend and former Dennis Miller Live co-worker Leah--one of the funniest people I know--is a regular contributor to a site called The Mad As Hell Club. I thought her latest entry made a nice counterpart to Mike's Guide To Dating A Nice Dude.

Mike's Rules for Dating Nice Dudes

2008-02-22T16:23:22Z

I can attest that my brother-in-law Mike is a genuine Nice Guy. And fortunately for you Nice Gals who wonder how you can meet and date a Nice Guy, Mike has written Mike's Rules for Dating Nice Dudes. It deserves to be one of those blog posts that ends up getting linked to and passed around endlessly, and it probably will be, so read it now and you can tell everybody you read it before it was famous.

Headline News

2008-02-12T15:54:52Z

The Brits are following the US presidential elections with intense interest. Here, for example, is how The London Paper covered the Super Tuesday results last week: If you look closely, you'll note that Hillary and Barack were deemed sufficiently important to push full coverage of the Spice Girls reunion off the front page; greater honour cannot England grant. (Admittedly, troubled singer Amy Winehouse got a much larger front-page photo than any American candidate, but until Barack and Hillary have spouses in jail on charges of assault and trial fixing, they're going to have to settle for second place.) I suspect there are a number of reasons for the intense interest in our race. For one thing, most Europeans find it soothing to think ahead to a time when Bush will no longer be president. For another, it's simply a good story, pitting an underdog against a famous name, and the fact that it's an equal contest is a surprise to many. Long before this election cycle began, the Brits I spoke to seemed to take it for a given that Hillary Clinton would be our next president. It's only recently that they've realized that the Clintons are not as unambiguously admired in America as they are abroad. But the main reason for the interest in our election is simply this: the rest of the world know they'll be directly affected by America's choice, and lacking a vote, the only thing they can do is follow the race.

Last Restaurant Standing

2008-02-08T16:39:43Z

One of our favorite British TV shows of last year was The Restaurant, a sort of foody version of The Apprentice. In place of Donald Trump was the vastly more-likable French chef Raymond Blanc. Alas, our American friends have been unable to see the show--until now. It's airing on BBC America under the name Last Restaurant Standing, starting on February 12. If you get BBC America, I highly recommend it.

Dipso, Fatso, Asbo, Bingo, Tesco

2008-01-31T18:38:00Z

As The New York Times reports, Prime Minister Gordon Brown recently solicited input from the British public on what it means to be British. This request soon morphed into a rumor that the British Government was seeking an official national motto. And that inspired the Times of London to have a contest; readers suggested potential national mottoes, and then voted on their favorites. As the New York Times explains:

The readers' suggestions included "Dipso, Fatso, Bingo, Asbo, Tesco" (Asbo stands for "anti-social behavior order," a law-enforcement tool, while Tesco is a ubiquitous supermarket chain); "Once Mighty Empire, Slightly Used"; "At Least We're Not French"; and "We Apologize for the Inconvenience." The winner, favored by 20.9 percent of the readers, was "No Motto Please, We're British."

HTML Weirdness

2007-12-03T19:26:14Z

Apologies for some HTML weirdness in the last few entries. I think I've got everything worked out now. Now, if only I can get off my duff and post more often...

Pushing Pencils

2007-12-03T08:46:42Z

Another in a series of funny strike-related videos: The Mighty Pencil.

More strike stuff! More strike stuff! More strike stuff!

2007-11-15T10:20:19Z

For a thoughtful and clear explanation of what residuals are and why writers are willing to strike over them, I refer you to John August's blog.

And for the funniest strike video yet, take a look at the Daily Show writers' special report.