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Obamas Give Queen Elizabeth an iPod
Ponca City, We love you writes "What did the Obamas give Queen Elizabeth II on Wednesday when they arrived at Buckingham Palace? An Obama aide reported the queen was given an iPod loaded with video and photos of her 2007 trip to the United States, as well as songs and accessories. She also received a rare songbook signed by the composer Richard Rodgers. The gift issue had come up after Prime Minister Gordon Brown visited the White House last month. Mr. Brown gave Mr. Obama a pen holder carved from the timber of an anti-slave ship, receiving in return a DVD box set of American movies, igniting a torrent of criticism in the British press. According to news reports, the queen gave the Obamas a silver-framed signed photograph — a gift she gives to all visiting dignitaries."
Umm, no, he's making fun of how the royals pronounce vowels (the clue is RP = Received Pronunciation, look it up on wikipedia)
Or maybe IHBT...
She has a face-to-face meeting with the Prime Minister, the senior elected official of Her Majesty's Government once a week to talk about Britain and he Commonwealth, its current state and its place in the world. She receives a box of State papers every day to work through -- as Head of State she signs off on all treaties and international agreements negotiated between the UK and other countries.
She's been doing this for more than fifty years now, day in day out, week in week out. She's heard everything, the good news and the bad. Apart from the anodyne Christmas address to the nation she keeps her mouth shut about it, as it is her duty to do so.
I see that you, along with all romantics, have entirely neglected the role that Africans themselves played in the slave trade. Slaves traded across the Atlantic were bought from African dealers. I have yet to see any Afro-Americans demanding apologies from Africans, let alone reparations.
Britain was one of the first nations to abolish this hideous practice (by democratic choice, not "force"), before any African nation did, and Britain did more than most to bring an end to it. Even after the Atlantic slave trade was brought to a halt by the British and later American navies, innocent Africans were being sold into slavery by Africans to Arabs. Yet still Britain seems to have the majority of the blame for the slave trade forced upon it. This seems deeply unfair to me.
All intents and purposes. Not intensive purposes.
I don't even understand the controversy. 25 DVD's is a pretty damn good gift. Maybe the Brits don't understand that, in the U.S., giving exquisite gifts to politicians is a MAJOR no-no (unless you're Ted Stevens, of course). I'm surprised they even gave him that much. A U.S. politician couldn't accept anything in excess of $335 in value as a gift from a foreign leader.
It's pretty much standard here that diplomatic gifts aren't kept by the President; they're accepted on behalf of, and given over to, the American people. I'd imagine that it's pretty much the same in the UK; "suitcases full of cash and rare art" would be state-to-state gifts that just happen to be presented by/to individuals acting as representatives to their people.
Diplomatic gifts aren't really supposed to be personal anyways. The pen and case aren't for Obama to take home and use for paying his bills; they'll most likely be displayed for a little while, possibly used to sign some kind of treaty or trade agreement with the UK, and eventually filed away in a box somewhere. It might eventually go on display at whatever Presidential library Obama builds, but would remain the property of the United States and just be loaned to said library.
The meek may inherit the earth, but the strong shall take the stars.
Indeed. Winston Churchill said, after the fact of course, that King George (Queen Elizabeth's father) was one of the very, very few people with whom he would discuss all the secret plans and his thoughts about the war.
Atheism is a religion to the same extent that not collecting stamps is a hobby.
From http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/ask/20070508.html regarding the queen's visit to the White House in 2007:
President and Mrs. Bush gave Her Majesty a bronze statuette âoeHigh Desert Princessâ with a personal inscription on the bottom of the base. It is a replica of the original life size statue that is located in front of the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame in Ft. Worth, Texas.
President and Mrs. Bush gave The Prince Philip an exclusive sterling silver eagle box by Tiffany & Co. with personal inscription on the inside lid.
President and Mrs. Bush gave Their Majesties a leather presentation box filled with a collection of documents from the National Archives. One of the items was a copy of an original letter from President Roosevelt to her father, King George, written in 1938. There were also photos from previous royal visits and a DVD of the footage from the Queenâ(TM)s visit to the United States when she was Princess Elizabeth in 1951.
Their Majesties gave President Bush a sterling silver oversized plate by William & Son with gold seals including: the Presidential seal, the Royal seal and a center seal with the star of Texas surrounded by roses. There was a personal inscription on the back of the plate. They gave Mrs. Bush a gold and crystal clock with the Royal seal by William & Son.
The Office of the Chief of Protocol assists the President and First Lady in the selection and presentation of gifts to foreign leaders.
I can hardly say that gift is any more elegant.