General Jackson and I had observed the scene with some delight on the ground that what we could not prevent, we ought at least to enjoy.
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Entries Tagged as 'Humour'
What You Cannot Prevent You Ought to at Least Enjoy – “Burr” – Gore Vidal
October 2nd, 2012 · No Comments · Humour, Quotes
Tags:Making the Best of a bad situation·Quotes
The Devil is at Least Good Company – “Burr” – Gore Vidal
October 1st, 2012 · No Comments · Humour, Quotes
I hate the Dons worse than the devil himself—the devil is at least good company they say
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Gracefully Acknowledge the Compliement – “Burr” – Gore Vidal
September 21st, 2012 · No Comments · Humour, Quotes
The Colonel often says, “Whenever a woman does me the honour of saying that I am father to her child, I gracefully acknowledge the compliment and disguise any suspicion that I might have to the contrary.”
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Tags:paternity·Quotes
Whitlam in PNG – “Inside the Canberra Press Gallery: Life in the Wedding Cake of Old Parliament House” – Rob Chalmers
June 4th, 2012 · No Comments · Australian Labor Party, Civilisation, Culture, Humour, Politics, Quotes
On Whitlam’s official visit to Papua New Guinea, the press party got a taste of Whitlam’s quirky sense of humour. The Prime Minister’s party visited Mendi in the Highlands, where he was guest of honour at a spectacular gathering of the tribes. Warriors adorned in fantastic traditional dress danced and chanted in the ‘sing-sing’ display, […]
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Moss Cass – “Inside the Canberra Press Gallery: Life in the Wedding Cake of Old Parliament House” – Rob Chalmers
June 3rd, 2012 · No Comments · Australian Labor Party, Humour, Politics, Quotes
With 27 ministers in the Cabinet, inevitably much time was wasted on repetitious debates and Whitlam’s exasperation was palpable. Moss Cass, a short, dark, intense man from the Victorian Left faction, was a medical practitioner before he entered Parliament. As Minister for Environment, Cass publicly advocated the decriminalisation of marijuana smoking. About the same time, […]
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Tags:ALP·Environment Policy·Labor·Labor Politics·The Left
Don Chipp – Customs Minister – “Inside the Canberra Press Gallery: Life in the Wedding Cake of Old Parliament House” – Rob Chalmers
May 28th, 2012 · No Comments · Art, Australiana, Culture, Humour, Politics
Minister for Customs and Excise in the Gorton ministry after the 1969 election, Chipp presented himself as the small-‘l’ liberal who believed in loosening up strict rules relating to the behaviour and rights of citizens. He made a name for himself by removing the ban on the sale of various books, such as Portnoy’s Complaint. […]
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Tags:Australian Politics·Censorship·Politics·Pornography·The Democrats
Prince Danilo – “The Guns of August 1914”, Barbara Tuchman
March 29th, 2012 · No Comments · History, Humour
The last-named, Prince Danilo, ‘an amiable, extremely handsome young man of delightful manners’, resembled the Merry Widow’s lover in more than name for, to the consternation of British functionaries, he had arrived for the funeral the night before accompanied by a ‘charming young lady of great personal attractions’ whom he introduced as his wife’s lady-in-waiting, […]
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Tags:Adultery·Monarchy·Royalty
Nothing in France is Free From Sexual Assignment – “Me Talk Pretty One Day” – David Sedaris
March 29th, 2012 · No Comments · Humour, Prose, Writing
Nothing in France is free from sexual assignment. I was leafing through the dictionary, trying to complete a homework assignment, when I noticed the French had prescribed genders for the various land masses and natural wonders we Americans had always thought of as sexless, Niagara Falls is feminine and, against all reason, the Grand Canyon […]
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Communists and Work – “Me Talk Pretty One Day” – David Sedaris
March 28th, 2012 · No Comments · Communism, Humour
The communists I’d known in the past had always operated on the assumption that come the revolution, they’d be the ones lying around party headquarters with clipboards in their hands. They couldn’t manage to wash a coffee mug, yet they’d been more than willing to criticize the detergent manufacturer.
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Tags:communism·elitism
Pavlov’s House – “Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege: 1942-1943” – Antony Beevor
February 29th, 2012 · No Comments · Criticism, Humour, War, WW2
During the huge battles for the northern industrial sector of the city, house-fighting, with local attacks and counter-attacks, had continued in the central districts. One of the most famous episodes fo the Stalingrad battle was the defence of ‘Pavlov’s House’, which lasted for fifty-eight days. At the end of September, a platoon from the 42nd […]