I've come close to posting a lot of the Telegraph's wedding coverage for sheer comedy value - it pretty much all sounds like it was written by Craig Brown, if you haven't been keeping up. However, if I had to select one particular piece as my favourite, this cherishably pointless exercise in inanity goes above and beyond anything else published so far.

Quote:

It was a day of high emotions, but men and women watching the Royal wedding responded to the day's events in strikingly different ways. While happiness was the dominant emotion for women, their male counterparts were more likely to be bored at times. But both sexes were united in strong feelings of pride. The gender gap was exposed in a unique study conducted for The Sunday Telegraph with the help of ITN Productions. Using television footage, researchers were also able to piece together how the nation's feelings ebbed and flowed through the day, from the build-up to the ceremony, through the exchange of vows, right up to the first public kiss exchanged by Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, formerly Kate Middleton, as a married couple. For women, the peak of excitement and of happiness came at the first glimpse of the bride's wedding dress, when she stepped out of her car on her way in to Westminster Abbey. The couple's walk back down the aisle as husband and wife also produced an upsurge in joy for women, while the second kiss on the balcony was another peak. Men, on the other-hand, seemed particularly touched to see Kate Middleton walking up the aisle with her father. While male viewers reported boredom at times, particularly before the bride appeared and early in the ceremony, they felt a strong sense of pride – especially during the march-past of the Royal Guard and the RAF fly-past. Mike Stevens, head of research at Vision Critical UK, an online survey company that carried out the research, said: "Women are more excited than men, and they feel greater levels of happiness. "But their happiness doesn't peak at the key romantic moments – the vows or the kiss. It actually comes when Kate's dress is first glimpsed. "Some of the key moments that women react positively to, like the kiss on the balcony, provoked strong emotional responses in men too." The research was carried out using reaction tracking software developed by Vision Critical. A panel of 400 Britons watched a five-minute reel of the day's highlights while rating how each moment made them feel, from a selection of 11 emotions, using a tool called ReactionPlus. Two moments in particular were rated "annoying" by viewers – when the Prime Minister spoke about the wedding, and when Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, arrived at Westminster Abbey. The top moments judged "amusing" were the couple's trip in a decorated Aston Martin with "JUST WED" plates and Prince William struggling with the wedding ring. Mr Stevens added: "Perhaps most remarkable of all is the near-complete absence of anti-royal sentiment. With a nationally representative sample of a few hundred people, we would normally encounter this much more."

Royal wedding: men and women split over pride and joy - Telegraph

I'm not entirely sure what we're supposed to conclude from this - except that the Sunday Telegraph is clearly staffed by members of the 1938 Eton B stream, which we knew already.

That the best form of foreplay for a British chap is a demonstration of military implements from WWII? Well I rather suspected that, too, tbh, but it's not as though it's something I can bring to bear on my own daily life. Not every time, at least.

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.

Quote:

Perhaps most remarkable of all is the near-complete absence of anti-royal sentiment.

This just baffles me. Other than it being some sort of mental disorder.

"Ay Pa Pa. Teacher says we used to be a great country right? Used to rule we did?"

"Aye son we did, that we did"

"But I don't feel like it... I don't see any evidence of it, we're always dancing to those damn Yanks fiddle that we are"

"I understand, but its no lie, I assure you. But don't take my word for it, look with your own eyes upon the living shadow of our former glory!"


(privilege to taxpayers and economy, a mere £30 bil)

Then top it off with activists and protesters being disappeared for days Orwellian style by the police... I honestly can't help but believe the rosy, lovey-dovey coverage we're given here in the US is a bit of a sham.

__________________
Righteousness will always be the trap at the gates of hell

Would the world really be a better place if we all just went about our business in the most efficient way possible, looking neither left nor right?

Besides - without these stupid displays of sentiment the left would have far fewer chances to prove its intellectual superiority

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.

I looked at this more closely and..

__________________
Righteousness will always be the trap at the gates of hell

Old jokes' home:

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.

Originally Posted by Zichao

Would the world really be a better place if we all just went about our business in the most efficient way possible, looking neither left nor right?

When it is about business, yes. You can be as inefficient as you'd like in your personal life...

Quote:

Besides - without these stupid displays of sentiment the left would have far fewer chances to prove its intellectual superiority

True dat. But I'd exchange that in a snap for a better working public space...

__________________
Unless otherwise specified, I am posting as a regular poster. When I will act as a mod, I'll make sure you're in no doubt.

I've got a friend who just passed the St-Cyr entrance exam. His situational judgement exercise involved being on mission in Cambodia with a bunch of bored, pissed off, stressed out grunts for 6 months. They arrived in a town with a brothel and his CO and the medical officer were telling him to let the guys go hog wild to improve their morale, despite the fact that it was technically against the rules. He had to decide what to do.

My point is that even at work people aren't robots.

__________________
Standard disclaimer: the disgusting statements contained in this post are the views of the poster, and unless specified do not represent the views of the moderators or the site's owners.

So what you're saying is Buckingham Palace is a whore house, and the price tag for the wedding was just the fee the public paid to work off some steam with a big national royal love in?

__________________
Righteousness will always be the trap at the gates of hell