No. 201: "No-Stick Finish"
Fill in the blank. Ending her China trip yesterday, Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright was disappointed with that nation's position on human rights
but has few ways to alter it, says Nicholas Lardy of the Brookings Institution.
"The Administration has got only one carrot--that is
_____________."
by noon
ET Thursday to e-mail your answer to [email protected] .
Tuesday's Question
(No. 200)--
"Boyish or Goyish":
In the '60s it happened to 95 percent of American boys; today it's down
to 60 percent, and a policy just announced by the American Academy of
Pediatrics is meant to make it happen even less. What?
"Having
sex with Alan Ginsberg. (As for the precipitous drop-off, Ginsberg said, 'Come
on, I'm dead. Sixty percent still ain't bad.')"-- Jon Hotchkiss
"Getting through elementary school without a Ritalin
prescription."-- Michael Connelly
"Circumlocution. From now on, boys will be obligated to get to the point.
Immediately."-- Winter Miller ( Lois C. Ambash had a similar
answer.)
"Circumcising newborns by having members of the NYPD shoot 41 bullets at the
foreskin."-- David Rakoff
"Being
covered by health insurance."-- Jack Barth
Click
for more answers.
Randy's
Wrap-Up
There was a sweet and
goofy nostalgia in many of today's responses, recalling boyish sexual stirrings
in a nonexistent time without today's easy access to pornography. In those
days, a trembling boy who yearned to see a naked woman had to see her on the
radio, and that took imagination. If he lacked imagination, he'd need an older
sister whose friends slept over, plus a homemade periscope, assembled at a
scout meeting during those interludes when he wasn't being fondled by the scout
master, Father O'Finian. Such were the days. Or perhaps they weren't. Wasn't
nostalgia one of the things in Pandora's box? What about Marlboros, handguns,
and malt liquor? Were they in there? And a tiny Pat Buchanan? In the box? I
remember.
Abbreviated
Answer
Circumcision, as you all knew.
Announcing its third
penile policy in as many decades, the 55,000 member AAP says there is no
"medical indication" for the routine circumcision of infants. While the group
does not oppose the procedure for religious or cultural reasons, the new policy
calls for the use of pain reducing creams or injections.
Augmented
Quotations Extra
Each final sentence added by News Quiz.
"I am truly grateful that we are able to bestow this priceless gift on
generations to come. And so I proudly dedicate Trump's Sequoia
Casino!"--President Clinton, not discontent with a $480 million plan to protect
giant redwoods from giant lumber companies.
"There are several inaccuracies in what was printed, and that's of more
concern than what it might do to the ratings. And another thing: I can
fly!"--Eileen Murphy, ABC spokeswoman, not convinced that the Washington
Post 's reporting on Monica Lewinsky maintains the high standards of the
Barbara Walters interview.
"Richard Nixon was a wartime commander in chief. We were in a culture war
then. And we're in a, oh, call it a haircut war now, so die, you shaggy
bastard, die!"--John Taylor, executive director of the Nixon Library, not
criticizing the former president for trampling the constitution.
"We are absolutely serious about making this a terrific place to work for a
variety of diverse groups. Hey, ladies, pink curtains!"--John Steffens, vice
chairman of Merrill Lynch, not encouraging women employees to join a
class-action sex discrimination suit against the brokerage firm. Nearly a third
of those eligible have joined the case, far more than the 3 percent response
typical in similar actions.
"We have heard that only one percent of the
college population is over 5 feet 10 inches with over 1400 S.A.T. scores. And
we'd like to welcome each of you to Fashion Model University , a major
motion picture from Miramax."--Darlene Pinkerton, not embarrassed to have
placed an ad on behalf of an infertile couple, offering $50,000 to a leggy,
brainy egg donor.
Common
Denominator
Youthful erotic
awakening.
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