Michael Higgins kicks some ass

This clip is a little old, but it's new to me and so I post it here. Not only is it nice to hear some cut-the-bullshit from a credible source, but it's done with such style.  Michael Higgins here is the current President of Ireland and also went to school in these United States.

 

Also, I love his Limerick accent. Dropping the "h" off of every "th" combo just makes me happy.

STOP THE PRESSES HOW DID I NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS THEY MADE AN IRISH JERSEY SHORE

As you know, I'm from the Jersey Shore.

The real Shore, not the one made infamous by MTV, the spreaders of all things hateful, vile and untrue.

FALSE.  FALSE, FALSE, FALSE.

HOWEVER.

However, however, HOWEVER.

THEY MADE AN IRISH VERSION OMGGGGGG SQEUEEEEEEE

I hate to sound like a hypocrite being so excited for this when I get so peeved about MTV's Jersey Shore.  As a native Jerseyan, I've always had to combat the same exact stereotype that MTV chose to perpetuate on their stupid show by casting people from New York, and now has made worse.

Ryan: everyone assumes no one lives at the shore year round in NJ...because outside of monmouth county (and only parts of it) no one does! 
Katie: and it annoys me, because when I tell people I'm from the Shore, they get this completely false stereotype in their head
Ryan:  katie, NO ONE looks at you and thinks "oh her boyfriend's name must be anthony"

So I get it.  The Irish had enough going on with the whole leprechaun stereotype before this showed up, so my sincere condolences, oh people of Ireland. 

A note, however, before I exit for the day.  I never once, not in any time I visited Ireland and certainly not when I was living in Galway, saw any guys who looked like that.  Irish guys were all super skinny and weight lifting was just not a thing.  However, I have to admit that the ladies in this promo are not too much of a stretch from what I would see over there.  (Except for you, Rach, I love youuuuuu.)  Still, overall, where oh where did they get these people??


Final word: please, please let this go global.  I need to be able to watch it.

The Famous Last Word on the Infamous Printed Word

Maureen Dowd may be the Queen Bee but we'd all rather be friends with Gail Collins.

Every week I compile a group of articles featuring what I would consider to be the week's most ridiculous news from [some of] the world's most upstanding news sources.  I scour The New York Times, LA Times, BBC, The Boston Globe, Providence Journal and The Irish Times, amongst others, looking for great writing, crucial snark and the latest in I-can't-believe-this-is-news updates.

The best articles are always those in the Style section (or whatever the particular newspaper calls it) in which the ever hopeful reporter tries to break the newest trend with all the gravity of his journalistic integrity.  The second best is when they report on the young to the bewildered old (Wall Street Journal, I'm looking at you.)  This experience has given me, I think, unique insight into the soul of these periodicals.   Each has its own place in the media's own little cafeteria hierarchy.

For instance, The New York Times is clearly the coolest, smartest kid in the room.  Yes, I know, most of you groaned out there.  But admit it, you groaned because it's true.  NYT has the best writers, hands down, and cover the widest array of issues.  For the five of you who actually read our weekly Friday summary of the news, you'll have noticed that The Grey Lady tends to dominate the conversation.  Their Style section is fantastic.  And no, I don't mean because it's super relevant, I mean because they have good writers writing about completely ridiculous things.  They try really hard to be up with the trends, which often leads to breaking news like "Teenagers share passwords!" or "Being pretty counts for more with teen girls than being smart!" 

That being said, while NYT has the best writers and the best features, they're not the best in every issue area.  When it comes to political news, The Washington Post has that covered.  They tend to have less of a slant than NYT, and they cover a greater spectrum of the political arena.  The Washington Post is never going to be the coolest kid because it tries so hard.  They want  you to like them, they want you to think they're funny and trendy, and they really do everything right.  They even give out a free version of the paper to commuters!  Spreading information to the masses! Journalistic integrity at its finest!

Just kidding! Amelia and the Muppets have saved me from the end of the internet!

P.S. David take me to see the Muppet Movie okay thank you bye.

The End of the Rainbow