Flight delays

Damn nuisance! I've had to cancel my long weekend in Beirut

You'll miss the Danny Thomas Film Festival!

During one of the seemingly perpetual Lebanese crises, the Lebanese Foreign Minister visited Washington to brief President Ronald Reagan. After a few minutes discussion, Reagan looked at him and said, "You know, your nose looks just like Danny Thomas."

"You know, your nose looks just like Danny Thomas." Sounds like a Bushism. Actually I think Reagan said, "...your nose looks just like Danny Thomas's." Not to mention Uncle Toulouse...

"I've had to cancel my long weekend in Beirut." Don't fret, Fred, I hear Baghdad is nice this time of year.

THE ACTING PRESIDENT By Bob Schieffer and Gary Paul Gates. 397 pp. New York: E.P. Dutton. $18.95.

With violence and terror escalating in Beirut, the Lebanese Foreign Minister visited Washington to brief the President. After surveying the competing factions, he paused for Ronald Reagan to respond. ''You know,'' Mr. Reagan remarked cheerfully, ''your nose looks just like Danny Thomas.''

''The Acting President'' is full of these kinds of anecdotes. - New York Times

Not having seen the nose in question, I can't say if it did or didn't look like Thomas or Thomas' nose. (But I did know a guy once whose nose was so big, he had to drink his beer from a special glass. Honest. His nose was bigger than my fist.)

quote:

Originally posted by Professor:

"I've had to cancel my long weekend in Beirut." Don't fret, Fred, I hear Baghdad is nice this time of year.

Baghdad ? No. At present there's too many American tourists there for my liking

Though I would and did, quite seriously consider Haifa and would certainly go to Israel. Just think what cheap deals you can get in hotels there now ! Years ago I was down by the Dead Sea when the very first intifada broke out. I rang the Hilton in Jerusalem to find a room. It took many goes and several minutes before I could get them to understand that I was trying to book a room not cancel a booking !And when I did get understood I got a magnificent room at a giveaway price: it was room 13-13 (extra discount for the unlucky number) Some of us travellers attract trouble: we just turn up to start a riot or uprising or some security scare. On my honeymoon I stayed in a hotel in Vienna where they'd posted a guard with a sub-machine gun in the corridor outside the suite (there was an OPEC meeting going on) It's also a good idea not to choose a hotel near any American consulate or embassy if you want a quiet night's sleep. Some of those rioters are insomniacs.

In London I was living in a block when Princess Anne suddenly decided, after the Palace security had checked the neighbours etc, to move in there.So thereafter we had an armed guard in that corridor too.

Note:Check the neighbours? Doesn't say much for our intelligence services if they let her live in the same block as us To be fair we did have security come up once and ask " We know who you are on camera but who is that man with you on your roof-garden" It was my father-in-law but why they thought I'd be standing with a terrorist or someone worthy of suspicion....though on the other hand.. They also amused themselves by a) trying to establish how easy it would be to drop a man by helicopter onto our roof garden and b) what line of fire they'd get in the event of trouble.I didn't tell the insurers: they might have worried ! ]

quote:

Not to mention Uncle Toulouse...

Pssst, Professor. Hans Conried was Uncle Tonoose. You're thinking of that short painter fellow.

Uncle Tonoose comes to Danny's apartment to make an announcement, which he does by doing a ritual dance.

Danny: You're getting married!

Uncle Tonoose: Yes, I found a wonderful woman.

Danny: Let's celebrate with cocktails. What do you want?

Uncle Tonoose (dumbfounded): You mean there's more than one kind?

quote:

''The Acting President'' is full of these kinds of anecdotes.

If you're interested in this sort of stuff, Sam Donaldson published a book on his experiences as White House correspondent for ABC which is absolutely hilarious. I think it's title was Excuse Me, Mr. President, or something like that.

Hold On, Mr. President

From a review, an important distinction -
He tells some funny stories, and makes some good points: "So when I cover the president, I try to remember two things: First, if you don't ask, you don't find out; and second, the questions don't do the damage. Only the answers do."

Looks like I stand corrected on two accounts: Uncle T. and Reagan's remark. Sorry about that, Chief.