No, this isn’t a very late endorsement for Barack Obama. (Will and Anita made personal endorsements during the 2008 campaign. Like The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Bugle’s noble influence will not be tainted by political endorsements.) This is about Gordon Brown’s visit to the White House last week. (more…)
12 March 2009
21 January 2009
2 November 2008
Memo to North American tourists in Europe
Through a FOIA request submitted this summer, it has come to the Bugle’s attention that all American tourists travelling to Europe received the following instructions:
From: North American Tourist Authority
To: US and Canadian Citizens bound for Europe
Date: [redacted]Dear US and/or Canadian citizens bound for Europe,
Tourists from North America have always been drawn together by the sound of their non-British accents. For decades, the Standard Greeting among these travelers was, “Where are you from?” or “Where ya from?” or some variation thereof.
As of [redacted], 2008, the new Standard Greeting is “So, what about this election, huh?” Please use this Greeting when encountering any person with a non-British accents in Foreign Countries.
An image of the letter, as received by the Bugle in response to our FOIA request, is available in PDF form.
The Bugle already sent a letter to the President of NATA with the following message:
We respectfully request that American expatriates receive timely notice of any future changes in the Standard Greeting. NATA should be aware that expatriates with American accents may be disoriented when visiting tourist sites around Europe without having prepared a Suitable Response to a new Greeting.
That is all.
21 October 2008
Recommended Listening: Looking at the US
Ordinary Dubliners want to talk about the coming election for the US Presidency, given any excuse. In fact, the Europeans we meet want to talk about the coming election, given any excuse.
And everybody talks about the American economy, but especially Americans.
All that is by way of introduction to two podcast episodes that I found fascinating and accurate in representing the mainstream of English-speaking European thought about the US. (more…)
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