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Oh my dog

“Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intervention in Ukraine is not a sign of Russian strength…” said U.S. President Barack Obama, standing in an elementary school classroom on this colorful alphabet rug. Seriously. This happened. (Thanks to MikeW for the link in the comments). Doesn’t he have people to scope out these locations in advance?

Not that the press conference went out this way — the shot was framed in the standard talking-head-plus-flags format. Still, this day and age, they didn’t think other photos would leak to the internets?

Anyway, that’s the image I should have been riffing on tonight. Instead, I did something I haven’t done in years — got a book in the mail this morning and read it all in one go. Blew most of my day and had to sprint at the end.

What? Oh. It was Thomasina. Which Disney made into The Three Lives of Thomasina in the Sixties. I never saw the movie but, knowing Disney, I can pretty much guarantee the book was darker and weirder.

Also by this author: Jennie, a book I read many years ago and loved. And, um, Poseidon Adventure.

Comments


Comment from Uncle Al
Time: March 6, 2014, 1:15 am

At another site where I post comments, we all had a lot of fun with that alphabet rug photo. I am a lover of interesting words, and I own the OED on CD-ROM, plus I have about as much respect for Barky as I do for hookworms. Here’s my entry:

A – anti-American (Hostile to the interests of the United States, opposed to Americans)

B – Baalist (A worshipper of false gods or idols, an idolater)

C – Chalazium (A small pimple or tubercule; esp. one on the eyelid, a stye)

D – Dipshit (A stupid, inept, or contemptible person; an idiot)

E – Ecraseur (Surg. A blunt chain-saw, tightened by a screw or by a rack and pinion, for removing piles, polypi, anal fistulas)

F – Faggot (A male homosexual)

G – Giftless (Devoid of mental endowments; without talent)

H – Horcop (A bastard. Also as a term of abuse)

I – Inane (Of persons void or destitute of sense; silly, senseless; empty-headed)

J – Jejune (Unsatisfying to the mind or soul; dull, flat, insipid, bald, dry, uninteresting; meager, scanty, thin, poor; wanting in substance or solidity)

K – kakistocrat (Adherent of government of a state by the worst citizens)

L – Logorrhea (Excessive volubility accompanying some forms of mental illness)

M – Misanthrope (A hater of mankind)

N – Neotene (A species, or member of a species, in which the period of immaturity is indefinitely prolonged)

O – Orticant (Irritating to the skin)

P – Putrefactive (Causing or inducing putrefaction; putrefying)

Q – Quack (One who professes a knowledge or skill concerning subjects of which he is ignorant)

R – Retromingent (An animal which urinates backwards)

S – Sociopath (Someone with a personality disorder manifesting itself chiefly in anti-social attitudes and behavior)

T – Thankless (Not moved by or expressing gratitude; unthankful, ungrateful)

U – Untermensch (A racially inferior person, a sub-human person)

V – Vacillant (Uncertain, hesitating, wavering)

W – Wuss (A weak or ineffectual person)

X – Xantippe (The name of the wife of Socrates; hence allusively, an ill-tempered woman or wife, a shrew, a scold)

Y – Yanky (Of doubtful status, origin, and meaning)

Z – Zabernist (One who misuses military power or authority; bully, aggressor)


Comment from MikeW
Time: March 6, 2014, 1:24 am

That tableau is just a jaw dropper, isn’t it?
I was thinking that most times when he speaks he’s got a line up of stooges behind him. Any chance you could ‘shop a few Muppets behind him to give him more gravitas? That could become as famous as the Evil Bert Laden pix.
http://dc-mrg.english.ucsb.edu/conference/2002/documents/mark_poster.html


Comment from Deborah
Time: March 6, 2014, 1:42 am

I have collected Paul Gallico books since I was a young woman. I don’t have all of them, but close. The story of Thomasina is one of my favorites. And The Snow Goose just destroys me. Well. I can’t read anything about Dunkirk without dissolving into tears. In another lifetime, I would be a historian, and specialize in the Battle of Dunkirk. I also love Neville Shute Norway, and have almost all of his books, too. And if I ever get rich, I’m buying a Hawker Hurricane.

P.S. I have a first edition of The Abandoned (Jennie).


Comment from Oceania
Time: March 6, 2014, 2:12 am

Obama won’t be saying that in a few days … 🙂


Comment from QuasiModo
Time: March 6, 2014, 2:35 am

Where’s his Fisher-Price toys?…some poor assistant is going to get thrown under the bus when they get back to the white house.


Comment from weasel tablet
Time: March 6, 2014, 2:59 am

ZOMG, thank you, Deborah!!! The Abandoned was the name of it when I read it! I knew Jennie didn’t ring a bell…


Comment from ben
Time: March 6, 2014, 4:08 am

The Poseidon Adventure has a sequel (soft-of), Beyond The Poseidon Adventure. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_the_Poseidon_Adventure#Relationship_of_Gallico.27s_novels_to_the_films


Comment from JuliaM
Time: March 6, 2014, 5:32 am

Ah, Paul Gallico! What an author! And he knew cats.


Comment from JuliaM
Time: March 6, 2014, 5:37 am

He also wrote the book ‘The Zoo Gang’, which became a great little tv show in the Seventies, on – I think? – ITV.


Comment from Mike James
Time: March 6, 2014, 11:03 am

He never wastes an opportunity to make the word ‘boy’ drift to the front of one’s mind, does he?


Comment from AltBBrown
Time: March 6, 2014, 12:33 pm

Cool PS of Mr. Dickhead w/ some well thought out memes thown in:
https://twitter.com/CalebHowe/status/440937024652996608/photo/1


Comment from Wolfus Aurelius
Time: March 6, 2014, 2:50 pm

Paul Gallico is one of my writing heroes. It seems he never wrote the same kind of book twice. Though he did have a series detective, a young man who investigates so-called psychic phenomena (which always turn out to hoaxes or accidents, disappointing him), in Too Many Ghosts and The Hand of Mary Constable. Besides Poseidon Adventure and the cat books like Silent Miaow, he also wrote several about world-traveling charwoman Mrs. Harris (aka Mrs. ‘Arris, for her cockney dialect).

Hm. I was wondering what to look for on my next library jaunt. Now I know. . . .


Comment from Christopher Taylor
Time: March 6, 2014, 6:19 pm

No, I’m pretty sure they were counting on this optic making it out. Sure it looks horrible to us because it makes Obama look infantile and weak.

But to the onesie-wearing left, it looks comforting. He’ll never get us into war. He’s caring and thinks of the children. He’s gentle and soft and not at all a cowboy. I feel so much more comforted after seeing that picture, I think I’ll go have a hot chocolate and sign up for Obamacare.


Comment from beasn
Time: March 6, 2014, 10:05 pm

An idea.

The weasel down yonder in the ‘fang damage’ thread? You should totally print those up as Christmas cards or something and sell them.
It gave me a good chuckle.


Comment from Veeshir
Time: March 6, 2014, 10:41 pm

B – Baalist (A worshipper of false gods or idols, an idolater)

Don’t forget the baby-killing (killing babies who’ve survived their partial-birth abortion), both Obama and Baal are big fans.

The Puppy Blender linked this yesterday and Anna Marie Cox said she would wrestle a bear if it wasn’t p-shopped.

Even an Obama sycophant thought that was too ridiculous.


Comment from S. Weasel
Time: March 7, 2014, 12:24 am

Beasn: it’s taken from a larger color image I’m working on, so that is a possibility.


Comment from Stark Dickflüssig
Time: March 7, 2014, 4:55 am

Obama sure do like that D, I know that.


Comment from Oceania
Time: March 7, 2014, 9:52 pm

American troops in the Ukraine

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VFMAIv8yvA&feature=player_embedded

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