The Week in Review -- November 19
Troy Senik ·
Nov 19, 2011 at 8:18pm
- New poll results throughout the week showed former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich shooting to the front of the pack in the Republican presidential race, based largely on his strong debate performances. Concerns grew, however, that Gingrich is getting too confident in his onstage abilities after he concluded his first answer in the most recent debate by bellowing “You’re welcome, civilization!” and dropping the mic. Five minutes later, he reappeared on the end of the stage and loudly announced, “In case you missed it, that was a walk-off.”
- President Obama told an audience at the APEC summit on Sunday that part of the reason for the nation’s economic woes is that “we’ve gotten a little bit lazy.” The Commander-in-Chief then spent Monday golfing in Hawaii. Many thanks to the president for saving me the trouble of devising a punchline.
- During Saturday’s National Journal/CBS presidential debate, Texas Congressman Ron Paul was allowed to speak for only 89 seconds. Paul’s defenders were subsequently up in arms, though the Congressman himself seemed undisturbed, noting that it was still 45 seconds longer than his 1978 appearance on “The Gong Show.”
- The British royal family announced that they will be renting out rooms at St. James’ Palace when the summer Olympics come to London next year. Seeing an opportunity to address their massive debt crisis, Greek officials announced shortly thereafter that the Parthenon is now available for birthdays and retirement parties.
- On Monday, the Supreme Court made the highly unusual announcement that it will allot five and a half hours to oral arguments during the case on health care reform next year. It’s unclear as yet whether the expanded schedule is intended to allow the justices to hear a broader variety of opinions or simply to ask one question of Richard Epstein.
- Police in Janesville, Wisconsin arrested a woman at a McDonald’s at 3:30 on Sunday morning after she went on a violent rampage upon learning that the fast-food restaurant had changed over to its breakfast menu. Still unexplained: what Janet Napolitano was doing in Janesville, Wisconsin.
- Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was announced as the winner of this year’s Confucius Peace Prize, a Chinese counter to the Nobel Prize. The People’s Republic of China: stripping words of their meaning since 1949.
- In a major policy address in Iowa, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced a series of proposals to reform Washington, including term-limiting the federal judiciary and converting Congress into a part-time legislature. The original draft of Perry’s remarks is said to have been even more far-reaching, but it was revised after Perry’s aides advised him to drop his proposal that the president be allowed to telecommute.
- An album featuring love songs co-written by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was released on Tuesday, only days after he tendered his resignation. A spokesman for the former prime minister said that the album, along with the widespread allegations of sexual impropriety during his final days in office, were all part of Berlusconi’s plan to retire as a crude Italian stereotype.
- The ACLU announced that it is suing the Nebraska DMV after the department refused to issue a personalized license plate promoting the use of pot. The ACLU argued that it was a matter of free expression, while the DMV countered that the driver in question had other means available to express his marijuana advocacy, such as purchasing a regular California license plate.
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Comments :
Feb '11
Re: The Week in Review -- November 19
Troy, we have a great weekend of college football, and when I think my day couldn't get any better I find your week in review, thank you!
Re: The Week in Review -- November 19
You're very kind, Ultra. I put it up while transitioning over from the USC-Oregon game to the Baylor-Oklahoma game (both of which ended to my satisfaction), so I'm right there with you.
Aug '10
Re: The Week in Review -- November 19
Troy Senik ·
Darn tootin'!
Nov '10
Re: The Week in Review -- November 19
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Troy Senik ·
Darn tootin'! · Nov 20 at 9:03am
Richard Epstein would only need five and a half minutes.
Jul '10
Re: The Week in Review -- November 19
Troy Senik ·
I think a link to this scene is mandatory.
Jul '10
Re: The Week in Review -- November 19
mfgcbot
Richard Epstein would only need five and a half minutes. · Nov 20 at 10:46am
Including the mic drop at the end.