In the news...

enrevanche buddy John deVille writes to point us to a couple of interesting news items.

First, "A Windmill I Won't Tilt At" by Simon Jenkins, a lovely appreciation of Miguel de Cervantes, in the Times of London:

This month we celebrate two anniversaries. One is of Einstein’s Special Theory of Relativity (1905), a great work of Western civilisation. The other is Cervantes’s Don Quixote (1605), also a great work of Western civilisation. The first is greeted with BBC specials, colour supplements, postage stamps and a United Nations Year of Physics. The other, at least outside Spain, is being ignored. Which merits the bigger salute?

As we say in the blogosphere, "Read the whole thing."

Second, this photo of Dubya (credit: AP/J. Scott Applewhite) flashing the "Hook 'em Horns" sign, with this irresistable detail in the caption:

President Bush's 'Hook 'em, 'horns' salute got lost in translation in Norway, where shocked people interpreted his hand gesture during his inauguration as a salute to Satan.

How Karl Rove is traditionally greeted.

John's comment is a very pertinent quote from Ian Faith: "I wouldn't say Tap's audience has gotten smaller....just more selective."

Related: Wikipedia expounds on the various cultural meanings of the sign.