Think President Obama needs a little help...

LaughingWater

LaughingWater

Cathlete
in the gift-giving department?

(All in good fun, of course.)

Who knows. Maybe the Queen really, really loves her new iPod. I hear he loaded it with show tunes. It's just...funny. Giving the Queen an iPod.

Gordon Brown, however, cannot play any of the movies from his 25 DVD gift set. That kinda stinks. What's worse? Giving DVDs after getting the following from Brown:

* The first of which is a pen holder fashioned from the oak timber of HMS Gannet, a Navy vessel that served on anti-slavery missions off Africa.

* Another treasure given to Obama is a framed commissioning paper for the HMS Resolute, a Royal Navy ship that came to symbolize British-American goodwill when it was rescued by the U.S. from icebergs and given to Queen Victoria. It is the sister ship of the HMS Gannet.

* Finally, Brown gave Obama a first edition of Martin Gilbert's seven-volume biography of Winston Churchill, whose World War II partnership with President Franklin Roosevelt symbolized the U.S.-Anglo alliance.

Source

That's awkward. :eek:

Anywho, I'm thinking our President needs some help in this department (and fast...before anyone else gets a gift :p ). I say we volunteer. What would you have given PM Brown? STS Shock Cardio? The Slap Chop? A Snuggie?

I'd send some funny suggestions to the White House, but I'm not sure how light the mood is over there right now. Heh...
 
I thought that giving the Queen an Ipod was sort of odd and funny too!
Lori, just wondering--what would you put on an Ipod that you planned to give the Queen?
 
I don't know about the DVDs but the iPod with footage from her visit to the US was actually a pretty thoughtful present. Someone has done their research.

Queen Elizabeth is well known in England to be very interested in technology. Despite of what many may think of her being old-fashioned she surfs the internet, she stays up to date on new technology and if she wasn't the Queen she could be called a geek :p

When she bought an iPod for herself a few years ago it was in all the British papers. http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/182005243.htm
So she got a newer generation iPod today. I bet she is more thrilled about that than a picture of the Obamas. :cool:

I am not sure the fur-trimmed bomber jacket that President Bush gave to suit-wearing, stiff upper lip British Prime Minister Brown was more appropriate and less embarrassing than the DVD set. :eek: Let's just hope none of the DVDs was Gigli!!!

Can't help but getting reminded of some weddings I went to, some interesting presents :eek: Although I'd take the iPod anytime, especially with Coach Sean loaded on it :cool: Should have given that to the Queen :D
 
Last edited:
Assuming he gave her an ipod touch I'd like to know what kind of apps she'll be downloading. Wouldn't it be funny to find out that the Queen is playing "Mafia LIVE" :eek:
 
It's just so easy to make fun of the Queen, isn't it? The Kids in the Hall did the funniest sketch about her farting about 15 years ago. I actually think the IPod is a great present - it treats her like a real person and gives her something she could actually use, instead of assuming she would be thrilled with some dusty old knicknack like the soapstone sculpture our Prime Minister probably gave her (although I actually like soapstone, as long as it is made from Cape Dorset stone.)
 
I thought the iPod was a great idea. She gave him a picture of herself and Prince Philip--the same gift she has been giving since Harry Truman!
 
Dear old Queen is a real pro. Obama and the rest of them are amateurs. Came to the throne in 1952. Puts UK and Commonwealth before party politics. Politicans could learn a lot from this lady.
 
hiitdogs said:
I don't know about the DVDs but the iPod with footage from her visit to the US was actually a pretty thoughtful present. Someone has done their research.

Queen Elizabeth is well known in England to be very interested in technology. Despite of what many may think of her being old-fashioned she surfs the internet, she stays up to date on new technology and if she wasn't the Queen she could be called a geek :p

When she bought an iPod for herself a few years ago it was in all the British papers. http://www.abcmoney.co.uk/news/182005243.htm
So she got a newer generation iPod today. I bet she is more thrilled about that than a picture of the Obamas. :cool:

I am not sure the fur-trimmed bomber jacket that President Bush gave to suit-wearing, stiff upper lip British Prime Minister Brown was more appropriate and less embarrassing than the DVD set. :eek: Let's just hope none of the DVDs was Gigli!!!

Can't help but getting reminded of some weddings I went to, some interesting presents :eek: Although I'd take the iPod anytime, especially with Coach Sean loaded on it :cool: Should have given that to the Queen :D
Click to expand...

My Dear Carola!
You are a walking freakin' encyclopedia!

I LUV reading your posts...they always make me think I should have stayed awake more in school!

Based on your QUEENIE KNOWLEDGE...The iPod was indeed a generous and thought-filled gift! I do think that the Queen would have loved some Caoch Sean - ya never know..Maybe it WAS a little bonus- Michelle is a runner I think! I wonder if the Queen would swoon as we do around around here!

 
I thought the Ipod was pretty cool. And the DVDs might have been too , especially if they held significance to the PM. Although they should have checked the region thing first.
 
Yes, I had read about the Queen's first iPod. One of her grandsons had suggested it, I believe, and she has her favorite music on there. Plus the British papers responded kindly to American apologies by saying it was probably more appreciated than some useless trinket, of which she has many.

Still...I would have given something along with it. :D Something a tad more stately, just to round things out. Maybe he did, and the press isn't reporting it.

Seems PM Brown has some bad luck when it comes to getting gifts. In Bush's defense, at least Brown can wear the darn jacket. :p

Regina, I would have compiled a list of her favorite songs. I'll never forget the time my SIL bought our daughter her first MP3 player. We discovered music had already been loaded. Terrible, awful music, in our opinion. While it played, we looked at each other like, "Did someone else buy this first and then return it with this crap? Was this re-gifted?"

Thank God we didn't say anything and instead quietly removed the tunes. It turned out my SIL loaded her favorites on there, thinking we'd enjoy them. Whoops!

After catching hell in the British media, and taking some (hopefully) good-natured ribbing here on the subject, it'll be interesting to see what kind of gifts Obama chooses in the future. *chuckle*

Random odd fact: The Queen and I share the same birthday. :eek:
 
Obama also gave the queen a rare, autographed songbook by Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame). The queen apparently loves shows tunes and Oklahoma is her favorite musical. (40 show tunes were also downloaded on the ipod for her.) She got her first ipod in 2005 as the suggestion of her son, Prince Andrew and loved it.

I guess the queen was happy w/ the Obamas as she actually put her arm around Michelle Obama toward the end of the reception, which is unheard of for the queen! She does NOT touch people other than shaking hands.

I also read that the Queen launched a royal youtube channel in 2007 and toured the London offices of Google last October. She actually burst into giggles at the "laughing baby" video, which shocked the onlookers. She's not known as a public giggler apparently.

FWIW, the British press are not making fun of the ipod gift. The UK Guardian called it "thoughtful."

I do agree that the DVD gift (in the wrong format, no less) was not a good idea. Especially in light of what Brown gave Obama--a pen holder made from the timbers of a Victorian anti-slavery British warship. Obama's protocol chief made a HUGE gaffe on that one, IMO.
 
jonahnah said:
Obama also gave the queen a rare, autographed songbook by Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame). The queen apparently loves shows tunes and Oklahoma is her favorite musical. (40 show tunes were also downloaded on the ipod for her.)
Click to expand...
That is very thoughtful. Anyone wondering if Brown is at home going, "What the hell...?!" :D
 
I think all of the gift giving is stupid. Am I uninformed or is he using tax payer dollars to purchase this stuff? If he is using his pocket book, then I could care less...
 
marnold said:
I think all of the gift giving is stupid. Am I uninformed or is he using tax payer dollars to purchase this stuff? If he is using his pocket book, then I could care less...
Click to expand...

DH and I were saying the same thing this morning! Besides...how the hell do you buy for the QUEEN??? Hasn't she pretty much got the scratch to get everything she wants?
 
This is a gift from one government official to another not a personal expense. I guess you would call it a "business" expense. It has always been done--not just the Obamas.
 
Well, at least they didn't go overboard on the gift giving, considering our economy and deficits, the DVD set and iPod didn't make a dent :p

Looking at it from that perspective the DVD set was a great idea :eek:
 
Let me re-state my humble opinions....the gift giving has ALWAYS been stupid. This tax payer is ultra frustrated and would rather not hear about it at this time. And I am cognizant that this is not the first President to do so. I think in the light of our current situation, any gift is in poor taste. :)
 
Last edited:
I thought it was cool. It featured photos of her on her many trips to the US going back decades. That took time to put together, which shows thoughtfulness. It also contained a very specific catalog of songs. I would have enjoyed it. The queen gave them a photo - of herself. I am guessing someone took the time to check in to what the queen would enjoy yet was unique and they went with that. They aren't the type of people to mess that up. And the knowledgeable posters here seem to support that. And basic etiquette dictates that you don't show up to someone's house for the first time, for tea empty handed - ever. Especially when it actually is the freakin' Queen of England!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top