Politicians, it seems, find it easier to get to people when they're out and about, rather than go knocking on doors. One of the best places to "nab" someone is a café or restaurant (which Americans use far more than we do), where the poor soul is captive until such time as he or she has managed to gulp his food and coffee and make a hasty exit.
So much so that café owners have got round to the idea that to attract more customers, even if it means shutting out the man who who might just be the next president, the best idea is to bar the politicos!
Not a bad idea really, is it?
It occurred to me as I read the notice that America restaurateurs must be better schooled than our equivalents. Without a doubt we at best would have had: "No Politician's No Exception's"
Have you seen your misplaced apostrophe in para 2? :0
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind intervention there, Richard, in what was an embarrassing error for me! The offending apostrophe which had been in a non possessive "Americans" (American's) has now been removed.
ReplyDeleteIn my defence I would say that it was down to bad editing on my part. I had started off with a different sentence in which Americans were (or was!) definitely required to be genitive! :¬)
I think that is totally unfair on politicians, especially Scottish ones who want to run away from protesters.
ReplyDeletetris,
ReplyDeleteI see Niko is off again.
Aye, you wonder where Iain Don't Sleep in the Subway Gray, would have gone, had he been in New Hampshire, eh Ged.
ReplyDeleteHas Niko come off his medicine again...? Oh dear. I'll better go and look. I'll take a big hypodermic with me...
:)
I think the context of the apostrophe is important. I saw this on Labournews yesterday and thought it was wrong...
ReplyDelete"Dancer's escape from Costa Concordia on rope ladder"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16562062
But then I read the article and realised it was just one dancer they were talking about rather than a troupe of dancers.
The dancer has been on Labournews a few times today. I think that ruggie has the hots for her. Forget the teleprompt reader's name.
Just hearing that the Olympic tickets for the 5 games of footie at Hampden have reached 20,000 out of a possible 250,000!
ReplyDeleteNo apostrophes there.
I was certain that the presumably misplaced apostrophe was just another example of Tri's famous linguistic and punctuational humor. One thing is certain, the reader's of Munguins' Republic will overlook a lot, but not grammatical incorrectitude. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell, at least the good citizens of South Carolina will have one less politician to deal with this week. Jon Huntsman is just now on TV (the telly) announcing the end of his campaign and his endorsement of Mitt Romney. Barring a surprise, it looks like the Republicans will have effectively made their choice by the end of the month, after the South Carolina and Florida results are in.
Of course the state primaries must still go on, for the purpose of choosing pledged delegates to the formal nominating convention next summer.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/jan/16/jon-huntsman-chronicle-of-defeat-foretold1?newsfeed=true
Ironically, I believe that you are somewhat spared this annoyance by choosing your party leaders at a party convention - the way we did it from 1832 to about 1976, when the state primary system fully took hold. Unlike America, you also have the good sense to choose your governments in an election campaign which is not a year or more in duration.
From an American politician's viewpoint, all that kissing of babies surely gets tiring. President Obama has already displayed considerable command of this essential political skill. (Did Gordon Brown ever kiss a baby? I can't imagine it.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CAToDe5pmrA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5cIEvZe-Eg&feature=related
PS: Please excuse my cut-and-paste links to websites. CH once told us how to create clickable hypertext links in the Google Blogspot text editor, but I've long since forgotten the technique.
ReplyDeleteArghhh God preserve us from the misplaced apostrophe!
ReplyDeleteDanny just google 'html links' if you ever forget.
ReplyDeleteHehe I used apostrophes.
Thanks CH! The apostrophes are cool. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHmmm... I'm glad I have provided you guys with something amusing...
ReplyDelete...I feel like a total idiot! :¬(
It's good to know Monty that the BBC is spending our money wisely by repeatedly telling us about dancers, or dancer's or maybe ever dancers' that one of their staff fancies.
ReplyDeleteYeah, bright idea CH. Have some not very interesting football matches in Scotland, at the other end of an horrendous train journey on a train with a world-wide reputation for being slow, late, dirty, and very expensive, to spend a night in Scotland while retaining your London Hotel, for fear that if you don't you won't be able to get another one..
ReplyDelete...and expect it to be a success.
Alternatively think that Scots, who are helping to pay for the whole carry on in England will be satisfied with the matches that no one else wants to see...
Well Duh, Coe... Carrying around all these titles slowing down your thought processes, Your Lordliness?
I expect you'll have to give them away to local kids.
Famous is it Danny?
ReplyDeleteHmmmm...
Yep, I'd put money on it being Mitt's turn... and who knows, he could even be successful. Obama's coat is (as we would say in Scotland) on a shoogly peg! Although things are getting better, I expect the House to do it's best to show Obama in a bad light over eerything in the next 10 months.
I'm not sure about Brown and babies, although I suspect if he ever went near one, its mother would be inclined to pick it up and run like hell.
'''''''''''''''''''''''
I'm selling apostrophes if anyone's in the market?
Ah, it is very important auld acquaintance. Is it Sainsbury's or Morrison's that announced that it is getting rid of its apostrophe... or maybe someone else.
ReplyDeleteIt's a brave man who corrects the grammar and punctuation of another. Although it's not really all that polite, it's also absolutely irresistible. And then you usually proceed to make the same or similar mistakes yourself. ;-)
ReplyDeleteDanny,
ReplyDelete"Did Gordon Brown ever kiss a baby?"
Not unless they have previously been inoculated against 'talking diarrhoea' disease.
Tris and Gedguy,
ReplyDeleteI can see why a parent would want to keep a baby as far away from Brown as possible. :)
And I suppose it's out of the question for the Queen to work a rope line and kiss a few babies. That's reserved for ELECTED Heads of State I would imagine. Surely the requirement to appear that you're actually ENJOYING holding a drooling crying baby is one of the most difficult things a president is called upon to do. ;-)
That's why I always avoid it on other people's posts Danny.
ReplyDeleteBut the general lack of interest in where apostrophes go, and the fantastical mistakes made all the time over here always tempt me away from what I know is sensible.
I had been going to say something about .... an American's favourite haunt... but then I though, that's probably not true; they probably prefer bars. So I changed it, without changing the American's...
But no one likes a sore loser, so, yes, I was caught out being a smart arse...and I own up! :(
Lord no, Danny. The queen has never kissed a child in her life; not even her own.
ReplyDeleteBrown was excused that sort of thing on the basis of him being erm...well, badly suited to the task. I think he was allowed to kiss dogs though.
Funnily, the Queen has probably kissed the odd dog, but only royal ones... and only the corgies!!!
Tris...
ReplyDeleteIt's very easy to make the occasional typo, but the fundamental ignorance of the proper use of the apostrophe in plural and possessive forms is indeed appalling. Same here as there. I must apologize for jumping on the typo.
As you suggested, the small town cafe or "diner", where the townfolk socialize over their breakfast coffee is indeed an enduring fixture of American life. Most assuredly in New England where small towns abound.
The image of the Queen failing to kiss even her own children, but perhaps favoring a royal corgie or two is quite compelling. :-)
Scotland tonight on STV is doing a report on apostrophes lol
ReplyDeleteI take it I'm too late now Monty...
ReplyDeleteOh well....
Oh don't worry about that Danny. The guys just like to give me a good kicking from time to time to keep me in my place... LOL
ReplyDeleteLOL. I can see the Queen getting all sentimental over a corgie, but not ever over her kids (mind you, with kids like she's got... exception Anne... who can blame her?)