England dropped two Group G points at home to unfancied Switzerland, though after starting the game with the wrong team and a much too cautious approach, rescuing a draw felt like a minor victory after going two goals down in the first half. Had Darren Bent finished more reliably in the absence of the suspended Wayne Rooney England could easily have had all three points, such was the extent of their recovery once Ashley Young and Stewart Downing were added to the attack. Barring any more nasty surprises like the manner of both Swiss goals and how close Admir Mehmedi came to snatching a winner right at the end, the key fixture in deciding who qualifies automatically from the group is still likely to be England’s visit to Montenegro in October. This disappointing result, and performance, just puts that bit more pressure on England ahead of their next competitive match, in Bulgaria a month earlier. Considering Switzerland are supposed to have problems in the goalscoring department they managed to give Joe Hart’s goal a peppering in the first half-hour. They did not manage a goal from open play, so perhaps that is the problem, yet Hart was required to make stops from Eren Derdiyok, Gökhan Inler and Xherdan Shaqiri in the opening 20 minutes, the middle one a particularly important save as the Swiss captain’s shot had taken a significant late deflection off Rio Ferdinand. Diego Benaglio in the visitors’ goal did have to make the first save of the game, when a Frank Lampard corner found Glen Johnson at the far post in the second minute, yet after that he was mostly a spectator as Hart did all the diving around. The trouble from England’s point of view seemed to be that Fabio Capello’s surprise choice of James Milner and Theo Walcott ahead of Young and Downing was not really working from either an attacking or defensive point of view. The amount of time both spent tracking back into their own half suggested they had been told to help out the back four, yet Switzerland were still doing most of the pressing. The England attack was ineffective because Bent was effectively playing up front on his own. Not only that, but a couple of poor touches and one wasted opportunity from a Scott Parker interception suggested he might not be having one of his better days. Things looked up for England when Ferdinand headed narrowly over from Lampard’s cross on the half-hour, yet withing a couple of minutes the Swiss took the lead. It was the sort of silly goal that should never be conceded at international level, yet all too often is by England. Tranquillo Barnetta swung in a free-kick, Ferdinand and Johan Djourou jumped for the ball and missed, and Hart realised too late that it was going to be up to him to cover the bottom corner. Never let it be said that England are a team who do things by halves, however. Almost unbelievably, they let the same thing happen again three minutes later. The aghast expression had hardly left Capello’s face from the first time when Parker brought down Reto Ziegler and Barnetta stepped up again to make Hart look even more foolish at his near post. The goalkeeper did not get much protection from a wall (Milner and Walcott) that obligingly parted to let the shot through, yet even so he was caught unprepared by the accuracy of Barnetta’s shot. Capello now looked as if he was going to explode in his seat, though at least England pulled back a goal before the interval, Lampard scoring confidently from the spot after Djourou had brought down Wilshere in the area. The Italian sent on Young for the second half, not for Walcott or Milner, but for Lampard. Young stationed himself ahead of Parker and Wilshere in a more central and more advanced position than Lampard had occupied, and though Capello would probably deny it, England were now set up 4-4-2. The coach deserves credit for correcting his earlier mistake and making the switch, whatever the formational theory, because Young scored an excellent equaliser after five minutes on the pitch, sweeping a crisp, low shot past Benaglio after Leighton Baines had laid back Milner’s cross in what looked suspiciously like England’s first decent move of the afternoon. A superb, threaded pass from Wilshere put Bent one on one with the Swiss goalkeeper midway through the second half, but though the striker made exactly the right run Benaglio was alert to the situation and came to the edge of his area to snuff out the chance. At least England were doing most of the attacking now and when Walcott made a darting run into the area Young scooped a shot over the bar a little wastefully from the edge of the box. That was nothing, however, compared with the sitter Bent missed a few moments later, after Benaglio spilled Young’s shot in his direction to leave the striker a clear sight of an open goal. It was the moment for Bent to seize his fourth England goal, repay Capello’s faith in him and finally establish a reputation for clinical rather than erratic finishing, and Wembley groaned as one when he lofted the ball over the bar with his left foot. Young could not convert a more difficult chance off Milner before the end, but Bent’s miss will be remembered for costing England two points, especially if things go wrong from here. Let’s hope Rooney’s rug rethink is more convincing than his striking replacement, though if blame is ultimately to be apportioned, the unnecessary yellow card in Wales that allowed Rooney to book a hair appointment instead of helping ensure Euro 2012 qualification might be the best place to start. Euro 2012 England Switzerland Paul Wilson guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Yemeni officials deny president is being treated for injuries in Saudi Arabia
June 4, 2011 No Comment
Authorities insist Ali Abdullah Saleh is still in Sana’a with minor head wounds from an attack on his compound Yemeni officials have denied reports that President Ali Abdullah Saleh has travelled to Saudi Arabia to receive treatment for a wound sustained in an attack on his compound . Al Arabiya reported that the president was taken to a Saudi hospital with six other Yemeni politicians who were injured in the strike. But Yemen’s state TV said though the prime minister and the speakers of both houses of parliament had travelled, the president had not. “Saleh is still in Sana’a,” a Yemeni official told Reuters. “He had suffered minor wounds to his head and, I believe, his face.” Any departure by Saleh could make it extremely difficult to him to return to Yemen, where he is fighting a four-month uprising that has brought the country to the brink of civil war. Hisham Sharaf, minister of trade and industry, said he met Saleh on Friday night and that the president remained defiant in the face of escalating violence. “He was in very high morale,” said Sharaf. “The strike that doesn’t break you makes you stronger. The strike made him more adamant that he won’t hand over the country until he is sure it will be safe and clear of militias.” He said he spoke with Saleh at a military hospital on Friday night where he was treated for minor wounds before returning to the presidential palace. But a senior official in the president’s office said Saleh remains in the military hospital. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press. Presidential spokesman Ahmed al-Sufi declined to comment. He accused the United States of orchestrating the attack on Saleh, saying all signs pointed to American involvement “because of the precision and the timing”. Tribal and medical officials said, meanwhile, that 10 tribesmen were killed and 35 injured in overnight fighting in the Hassaba neighborhood, headquarters of opposition Sheik Sadeq al-Ahmar. A tribal leader said street fighting had lasted until dawn. Many of the compound’s buildings and surrounding houses have already been heavily damaged by days of bombardment. Government and rebel forces exchanged rocket fire, damaging a contested police station. The rockets rained down on streets housing government buildings that had been taken over by tribesmen. Since violence erupted in the city on 23 May, residents have been hiding in basements as the two sides fight for control of government ministries and hammer one another in artillery duels and gun battles, rattling neighborhoods and sending palls of smoke over the city. Seven guards were killed in the rebel strike on the mosque in the presidential palace compound where Saleh and the other officials were at prayer. The news agency said the prime minister, a deputy prime minister, the president’s top security adviser, and the two heads of parliament were sent to Saudi Arabia by air in the early hours of Saturday. The security officer was reportedly in serious condition. Inspired by uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, protesters have been trying unsuccessfully since February to oust Saleh with a wave of peaceful protests that have brought out hundreds of thousands daily in Sana’a and other cities. Now the crisis has transformed into a power struggle between two of Yemen’s most powerful families: Saleh’s, which dominates the security forces, and the al-Ahmar clan, which leads Yemen’s strongest tribal confederation, known as the Hashid. The confederation is grouped around 10 tribes across the north. Yemen Arab and Middle East unrest Middle East Saudi Arabia guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Bill Cunningham Threatens A "Peasant Uprising" Against Ohio Governor John Kasich
June 4, 2011 No Comment
enlarge Bill Cunningham and John Kasich attend a Ohio Tea Party rally in 2010. Right wing talk radio host, Bill Cunningham, is a well known name in Cincinnati and nationally. His show on 700 WLW is heard by an estimated 200,000 listeners daily. He also hosts a weekly, syndicated show, “Live on Sunday Night, it’s Bill Cunningham”, which is carried by 300 stations nationally and is a regular guest on Hannity. In 2008, Cunningham made big waves during a campaign rally for John McCain when he constantly referred to Barack Obama as “Barack Hussein Obama”. That eventually lead to John McCain having to apologize for what Cunningham was saying. Cunningham admits being a Republican, which made his endorsement of John Kasich, the Republican running for Ohio Governor against incumbent Ted Strickland, no surprise in 2010. Now Cunningham is having a serious case of buyer’s remorse and on his show yesterday, Cunningham said he would lead a “peasant uprising” against the Governor if he doesn’t start changing his politics. Click here to view this media Cunningham was discussing the delayed construction of the new casinos in Ohio. Him and his guest, Todd Portune, a Democratic Hamilton County Commissioner, highlighted the loss of revenue Ohio has seen by Kasich constantly delaying these casinos, despite Ohio voters approving the construction of four casinos in 2009. This has cost Ohio an estimated $100 million in revenue so far. Cunningham then started agreeing with Portune as Portune was highlighting the radical agenda Kasich has been undertaking, including the recently passed SB-5 anti-collective bargaining bill, which is much like the recent bill passed in Wisconsin. As matter of fact, Kasich and Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker, are very well aligned politically, including their rock-bottom approval ratings . Later in the show, Cunningham went on to apologizes to his listeners for ever supporting John Kasich. You can listen to the entire hour here .
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Click here to view this media A “Fox News alert” broke the shocking news Friday that Rush Limbaugh was criticizing President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy. “The President of the United States is winning his war against the private sector,” the network quoted Limbaugh as saying. “He is destroying it. That is his mission.” “I’m glad the godfather has been reading my program notes,” conservative radio host Neal Boortz told Fox News host Alisyn Camerota. “I’ve been saying that for quite a while. It is Barack Obama’s intention.” “If people vote for Barack Obama next year, it’s like strapping on an economic suicide vest and giving the detonator to your ex-wife,” he declared. “Neal, wow,” Camerota said chuckling. “I’m glad you’re not mincing any words this morning.” Boortz added that there was no way Obama would be re-elected unless Republicans did something “stupid” like nominating Sarah Palin.
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• Press refresh or turn on our automatic tool for the latest • Email jacob.steinberg.casual@guardian.co.uk for a chat • Click here to find out the latest scores around Europe • Follow Jacob on Twitter, if that’s your thing 16 min: Leighton Baines is warming up. It seems Ashley Cole is injured and will have to come off. He was caught on the ankle by Behrami in that last move. 14 min: Parker takes advantage of slack play from his former West Ham midfield partner, Behrami, and the ball rebounds to Bent. He charges towards goal, but with no support, he’s crowded out by four Swiss defenders. Immediately Switzerland counter, Barnetta loping into space where Johnson is nominally supposed to be. He slides the ball to the edge of the area for Behrami, but with a very presentable shooting opportunity, his touch is woefully heavy and Cole block-tackles him. 11 min: Switzerland are having the best of it at the moment. Liechsteiner bombs up the right flank from the back, before Wilshere foolishly trips him to the right of the area. Shaqiri’s left-footed cross is headed away by Terry at the near post, a terrific honour for the ball, I’m sure you’ll agree, but it’s lifted straight back into the area by Switzerland. Derdiyok controls it on his chest and then goes for the spectacular, the overhead kick. No luck, it’s miles over the bar. But full marks for the ambition. “When I see John Terry with his socks rolled up over his knees, I am reminded of Jane Fonda in her aerobics phase (not her Hanoi Jane phase),” says Gary Naylor. “Should I get out more?” You know the answer to that one.b 8 min: The warning signs are there for England already. Under little pressure outside his own area, Terry lazily plays a loose pass to Wilshere, facing his own goal. Unaware of what’s going on behind him, Wilshere’s on his heels as he’s brushed off the ball by Inler, who strides forward again and pings a shot goalwards. It takes a nick off Ferdinand, which makes the save much more awkward for Hart. He can only spill it, but then does brilliantly to save the follow-up from Derdiyok, who was offside in any case. 6 min: This is too simple. Where’s England’s midfield gone? Inler strolls through a great, gaping hole through the middle, easy as you like, England already on the beach. Earth to Parker! Inler’s touch lets him down and he loses the ball, but it rebounds to Barnetta on the edge of the area. He can’t get it under control though and it pinballs through for Derdiyok, who scuffs his shot straight at Hart from 12 yards out. 5 min: Hart dawdles over a backpass in the great style of Tomas Kuszcack and nearly has the ball robbed off him by Derdiyok. 3 min: Switzerland are all over the place at the back. From the left, Lampard whips a deep, high corner to the far post. Johnson, totally unmarked, leaps highest to meet it but his header is blocked by the star-jumping Benaglio. The ball bounces down three yards from goal, but as Johnson tries to poke it into the empty net, the keeper denies him again, smothering the danger. 2 min: Terry lofts a clever pass over the top of the gawping Swiss defence for Bent, who’s played onside by Ziegler. From the left of the area, he tries to slide it across for Walcott, who’s only denied by a terrific sliding challenge by Senderos. 1 min: Switzerland get us going, attacking from right to left. There are plenty of empty seats inside Wembley. Johnson knocks a long pass down the line for Walcott, but it bounces out of play. And so it begins. “John Terry is endlessly entertaining,” says Linda Howard. “It’s even the little things – like his penchant for wearing his socks above the knee as if they were ~stockings~. Surely bringing up the imagery of hosiery and the garter belt that seems to be missing(?) is a key component to being deemed EBJT. Maybe this is what bonds him on a personal level with Hiddink?” Darren Bent didn’t sing the national anthem. Nor did Fabio Capello. P45 please! Did you know that he’s not English by the way? Bill Chilton’s noticed the polaroid farce too. I love the bit when the pre match segment with the Polaroid pictures introducing the team with the sub Mo’wax bed track comes on,” says he. “No sorry, got the wrong word there. Meant ‘stab myself in the face with a ecoli infected cucumber’ rather than ‘love’.” The teams stroll out, and a jaunty beat plays out across Wembley. England, of course, are lead out by John Terry, which speaks volumes of them. On Scott Parker, placidcasual asks “Could we start calling him Group Captain Scott Parker?” ITV have just shown a segment of England’s players getting their photos taken individually, before scrawling their name on the results. Some highlights: Jack Wilshere isn’t old enough to have a signature and just wrote his name out in full. How adorable. John Terry decided his was a bit “serious”. Not serious enough considering his role as head of state. Theo Walcott said his was “good”. Our first email of the day comes from Luke Stevenson. Well done, it speaks volumes of you. “Ahhh good,” he says. “A segment on Jack Wilshere, I don’t feel like the English media has of yet put enough unbearable pressure on him so that when he inevitably makes one little mistake he will never recover from the verbal battering that the turncoat media will then dish on him. I’m excited.” Wilshere hasn’t even won the World Cup. Overrated. Speaking of young players, by the way, why wasn’t Daniel Sturridge named in this squad? He couldn’t have done much more. Wayne Rooney has had a hair transplant . What must Bobby Charlton make of it all? The teams are in. And Capello has sprung a surprise by choosing James Milner and Theo Walcott instead of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing. That’s an odd choice. Milner has been decidedly average for Manchester City and has struggled playing in a front three, while Young has been very impressive for England in his last few outings. One 0-0 coming right up. England (4-3-2-1): Hart; Johnson, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole; Parker, Wilshere, Lampard; Walcott, Milner; Bent. Subs: Green, Jagielka, Baines, Barry, Young, Downing, Zamora. Switzerland (4-5-1): Benaglio; Lichtsteiner, Djourou, Senderos, Ziegler; Shaqiri, Inler, Behrami, Xhaka, Barnetta; Derdiyok. Subs: Wolfli, Von Bergen, Emeghara, Dzemaili, Fernandes,Mehmedi, Margairaz. Referee: Damir Skominam (Slovenia). England v Switzerland is a fixture that tends to have about as much bite as Bleeding Gums Murphy, but that’s not the case any more. Oh no, with the FA having returned from Fifa’s Zurich-based Temple of Doom after a week of Cuddly Uncle Sepp poking them in the chest and asking what they’re gonna do about it if they’re so tough, Fabio Capello and his side will be under strict instructions to search and destroy in order to preserve the honour of this glorious nation. They’re for it now, the Swiss: insult the English and you’re basically saying Pippa Middleton’s backside isn’t all that. Wrong move Switzerland: you have awoken a sleeping giant. In summary then: It’s on! In reality: Not really. A year, then, since England took their comedy act worldwide and jetted off to South Africa for the World Cup. And didn’t they do well. Plenty has changed since then. Although plenty of the tinpot generation remain in the squad, there’s a tentatively positive feel about England at the moment. Give it until 4.46pm and the first misplaced hoof from Glen Johnson for that frankly unsettling sensation to dissipate. Joe Hart, the man with the golden gloves, has impressed in goal, Scott Parker and Jack Wilshere have hinted at a fruitful partnership in midfield, Ashley Young is finally starting to look comfortable in an England shirt and Darren Bent has three goals in his last three games. Not that they are anything near the finished article yet, and this still has the potential to be a frustrating experience for England, especially with Wayne Rooney. Indeed they haven’t won at Wembley since September, and in that time they have been given a footballing lesson in a friendly by France and laboured to a 0-0 draw against Montenegro in their last qualifier here. The latter means there’s not much room to manoeuvre for England; they only lead Group G on goal difference and still have to go to Montenegro. Six points off the top, realistically there’s more chance of Roland Bunce actually being made the face of Next than there is of Ottmar Hitzfeld’s Switzerland reaching Euro 2012, so for them, this is more about pride and making a nuisance. Should they cause England some bother, they can then sit back with some satisfaction and watch the wailing and flailing that usually accompanies such events. Switzerland have a fairly terrible record against England and have never won at Wembley, although they did poop the party at Euro 96 when they drew with the hosts in a dire opening game. That game was on the ever-excellent ESPN Classics the other day and seemed to consist of 90 minutes of Stuart Pearce launching it long from left-back. Last Saturday, Barcelona made difficult football look so simple; England always make the simple stuff look so hard. It’s a special occasion today, by the way, graced as we are by the presence of John Terry, who’s been making an exhibition of himself again. Here is talking about Guus Hiddink: “I kept in contact on a personal level. That speaks volumes for him.” Euro 2012 qualifiers England Switzerland Jacob Steinberg guardian.co.uk
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Work suspended at Leiv Eiriksson rig off Greenland after protesters demand to know how owner Cairn Energy would cope with leak on scale of Deepwater Horizon An Arctic oil rig was forced to stop drilling by environmental activists demanding to know how its owner would respond to an oil leak on the scale of last year’s Deepwater Horizon spill. Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy said drilling was suspended at its Leiv Eiriksson rig off the coast of Greenland after 18 Greenpeace protesters breached a restricted area. The activists launched from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in five inflatable speedboats from outside a 500m exclusion zone set up by Danish authorities. Campaigner Ben Ayliffe said: “Cairn Energy is hiding its oil spill response plan, so we’re going to the one place where there must be a copy of it. It’s obvious why Cairn won’t tell the world how it would clean up a BP-style oil spill here in the Arctic, and that’s because it can’t be done. “Experts say the freezing temperatures and remote location mean a deep water blow-out in this stunning pristine environment would be an irreversible disaster. If they published the plan, the dangers of investing in such a high-risk venture would be laid bare. We have to draw a line in the ice and stop the Arctic oil rush.” Cairn announced this week that it had begun drilling in two wells in the region. The two wells are approximately 160km and 300km off Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Each drilling operation is in water deeper than 900m. Last week, two Greenpeace protesters occupied the company’s 53,000-tonne drilling vessel.They hung from the underside of the rig in an Arctic survival pod and had enough supplies to keep them there for 10 days, but were removed by Danish police. Cairn has asked a court in the Netherlands to legally prevent Greenpeace from disrupting any future deep-sea drilling operations. In a statement, the company said: “Cairn confirms that members of Greenpeace have boarded the semi-submersible drilling vessel, the Leiv Eiriksson, owned by Ocean Rig. The protesters have breached the safety exclusion zone and entered a restricted area on the rig. In accordance with the strict health and safety practices employed in this drilling programme and in order to ensure safe operating conditions, drilling has been suspended. “Cairn respects the rights of individuals and organisations to express their views in a safe and peaceful manner, but would be concerned with any action that presents a risk to the safety of people and/or equipment.” The company added: “Wherever it is active, Cairn operates in a safe and prudent manner. The Greenland Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum has established some of the most stringent operating regulations anywhere globally, which mirror those applied in the Norwegian North Sea. Cairn takes its responsibilities such as oil spill contingency and response plans very seriously. “Cairn, working closely with the Greenland authorities, has developed an extensive emergency response and oil spill response plan. As stipulated by Greenland Authorities, the oil spill response documents are not publicly available.” Greenland Greenpeace Oil and gas companies Oil spills BP oil spill Oil Activism Protest Oil Commodities Energy Fossil fuels Cairn Energy guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Work suspended at Leiv Eiriksson rig off Greenland after protesters demand to know how owner Cairn Energy would cope with leak on scale of Deepwater Horizon An Arctic oil rig was forced to stop drilling by environmental activists demanding to know how its owner would respond to an oil leak on the scale of last year’s Deepwater Horizon spill. Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy said drilling was suspended at its Leiv Eiriksson rig off the coast of Greenland after 18 Greenpeace protesters breached a restricted area. The activists launched from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in five inflatable speedboats from outside a 500m exclusion zone set up by Danish authorities. Campaigner Ben Ayliffe said: “Cairn Energy is hiding its oil spill response plan, so we’re going to the one place where there must be a copy of it. It’s obvious why Cairn won’t tell the world how it would clean up a BP-style oil spill here in the Arctic, and that’s because it can’t be done. “Experts say the freezing temperatures and remote location mean a deep water blow-out in this stunning pristine environment would be an irreversible disaster. If they published the plan, the dangers of investing in such a high-risk venture would be laid bare. We have to draw a line in the ice and stop the Arctic oil rush.” Cairn announced this week that it had begun drilling in two wells in the region. The two wells are approximately 160km and 300km off Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Each drilling operation is in water deeper than 900m. Last week, two Greenpeace protesters occupied the company’s 53,000-tonne drilling vessel.They hung from the underside of the rig in an Arctic survival pod and had enough supplies to keep them there for 10 days, but were removed by Danish police. Cairn has asked a court in the Netherlands to legally prevent Greenpeace from disrupting any future deep-sea drilling operations. In a statement, the company said: “Cairn confirms that members of Greenpeace have boarded the semi-submersible drilling vessel, the Leiv Eiriksson, owned by Ocean Rig. The protesters have breached the safety exclusion zone and entered a restricted area on the rig. In accordance with the strict health and safety practices employed in this drilling programme and in order to ensure safe operating conditions, drilling has been suspended. “Cairn respects the rights of individuals and organisations to express their views in a safe and peaceful manner, but would be concerned with any action that presents a risk to the safety of people and/or equipment.” The company added: “Wherever it is active, Cairn operates in a safe and prudent manner. The Greenland Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum has established some of the most stringent operating regulations anywhere globally, which mirror those applied in the Norwegian North Sea. Cairn takes its responsibilities such as oil spill contingency and response plans very seriously. “Cairn, working closely with the Greenland authorities, has developed an extensive emergency response and oil spill response plan. As stipulated by Greenland Authorities, the oil spill response documents are not publicly available.” Greenland Greenpeace Oil and gas companies Oil spills BP oil spill Oil Activism Protest Oil Commodities Energy Fossil fuels Cairn Energy guardian.co.uk
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An hour before the disastrous June jobs report was released yesterday morning, NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell chatted with “Fox & Friends” anchor Brian Kilmeade about the media's spin job on the Obama economy. [See video of the segment embedded below the page break]
Continue reading …An hour before the disastrous June jobs report was released yesterday morning, NewsBusters publisher Brent Bozell chatted with “Fox & Friends” anchor Brian Kilmeade about the media's spin job on the Obama economy. [See video of the segment embedded below the page break]
Continue reading …Jon Stewart Blasts Trump In Apoplectic Rant About New York City Pizza (VIDEO)
June 4, 2011 No Comment
As you probably already know, the most important meeting of modern political minds happened this week in New York City when fake presidential candidate Donald Trump met up with semi-fake presidential candidate Sarah Palin to discuss whatever it is that wealthy pseudo-celebrities discuss when they’re not out creating pseudo-events other than the one they’re creating by meeting up in the first place. And Trump really rolled out the red carpet for Palin, taking her and her family out for a slice of pizza at Famous Famiglia’s in Times Square, whose fare has recently been described as “a slice that tastes like a manila folder with Ragu slathered all over it.” Well, on Wednesday night’s “Daily Show,” host Jon Stewart had something to say about Trump’s taste in New York style pizza. A lot of something to say about it, actually. Beginning with: STEWART: I’ve eaten there, that pizza is fine. I used to eat there a lot when I was working next door at Caroline’s Comedy Club. It’s good convenience pizza. Back in the 80s there weren’t a lot of food options in Times Square. It was Famiglia’s pizza or edible underwear from one of the porn shops. Then Giuliani took that option away. You know, Donald, I don’t want to say anything, but if you’re taking an esteemed visitor to get real New York pizza, Famiglia’s ain’t it. With Stewart’s audience loudly concurring, Stewart went on an extended rant in which he joked that Famiglia’s could also be found at “terminal four of the Phoenix airport,” offered up several more authentic pizza options, critcized Trump’s slice stacking, finally reaching a height of apoplexy at the sight of Trump going at his pie with a fork, as if he were from outer space or something. Then Stewart moved on to a proper demonstration of both New York-style pizza-eating technique and New York City-style profanity, before concluding: “Based on how you eat pizza, Donald, I want to see your long form birth certificate. I don’t think you were really born in New York.” One thing that Stewart didn’t touch on was why Trump, who is ostensibly a rich and well-connected man, would drag Palin to Time Square to eat at a chain restaurant. Well, as Village Voice music editor Maura Johnston recalled on Wednesday, “Just FYI, Palin and Trump’s visit to Famous Famiglia was also a little bit of synergy with The Celebrity Apprentice.” Indeed, various Celebrity Apprentice “stars” were dispatched to Famiglia’s 8th and Broadway location back in October, to promote the show. So what drew Trump and Palin to Famiglia’s? The sucking vortex of reality-goddamned-television. What did you expect? WATCH: International users click here to watch this clip on the “Daily Show” website. [Would you like to follow me on Twitter? Because why not? Also, please send tips to tv@huffingtonpost.com -- learn more about our media monitoring project here.]
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