Kieran Healy’s Weblog Sociology and other distractions

Great Headline

There’s been plenty of coverage of the claims by Clonaid to have produced a human clone. Clonaid are tied to the Raelians, who the BBC says “believe humans are the result of a genetic engineering project run by super intelligent extra-terrestrials.” Ha! A genetic engineering high-school project by the somewhat dull offspring of super intelligent extra-terrestrials, maybe. Look at my lower back, for Christ’s sake. Does that look like good design to you? Don’t even get me started on my impacted wisdom teeth, myopia or appalling ability to get sunburned.

Anyway, the best misleading headline comes from today’s Irish Times (subscription only, I’m afraid), and reads “Alien cult claims to have produced first human clone“. A classic, I think—- right up there with “MacArthur Flies Back to Front” and that one about the psychotic serial rapist who broke into a convent’s laundry room and escaped before the police could arrive, “Nut Screws Washers and Bolts”.

Does the telegram ‘Mother-in-law on death’s Doorstep, come and pull her through’ qualify?

How about this from a UK paper of the late ‘40’s,early’50’s:
‘Americans think British-made bicycles are tops’ which drew the response ‘back to the drawing board chaps!’

These came from a book I had back in the 50’s. The tile and author are now a mystery, but I’d like to try and find the details again. Anyone?