The Fleming Foundation Cultural Commentary

7

Wednesday’s Child: Tsetski-Petski

When passed by a horse and buggy, ubiquitous in the streets of Palermo, I scarcely know how to respond to Vasily’s wordless query.  Is the answer “horse”?  Or “carriage?”  Or “anachronism”?  Or “tourist attraction”?  By the same token, what am I to say about an open “door” to the balcony, which is a “window” when it is closed?  And is a cup of tea primarily “cup” or primarily “tea”?

13

In Search of Honest Journalists

If we were to take on Diogenes as our role model, as we attempt to shine our light in the nooks and crannies of American journalism, whom could we name?  To make the game more amusing, we should, in addition to picking out the eccentrics, also have to name a famous contemporary who typified the regime lackeys that are the true heirs of Pulitzer and Hearst.

1

Wednesday’s Child: Nurse Mengele

A criminal case, expected to last for another six months, is now being heard in Manchester Crown Court.  The gentle reader may recall my fitful interest in public sensations of this kind, most recently the Depp libel trial, as these would transport me into that epoch of yellow journalism where liberty of conjecture reigned supreme, so unlike the straitjacketed press in our day.