The Idler, Thursday, October 17, 2019

Fake News –

it's been in

hibernation

 

DONALD Trump's favourite term "fake news" has made it into the Oxford English Dictionary, according to Huffington Post.

However, the OED doesn't give the US president credit for coining the term. It was first used in 1890, says the OED.

It's remarkable, come to think of it, that the term should have been in hibernation all that time while the vile media were telling us all those lies about the Spanish Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Cold War and so forth.

In fact, Republican presidents like Ronald Reagan, George Bush snr and George Bush (Dubya) went through their terms of office naively unaware of the fake news being churned out daily by the likes of CNN, the BBC, the New York Times and others. It took Trump to rumble it and blow the whistle.

Another Trumpism – the word "wirch" – has not made it to the OED, according to Huffington Post, though it has become part of the Trump lexicon and the Twitter debate.

In a tweet he described the impeachment investigations in the House of Representatives as a "Wirch Hunt".

An immediate tweet in response was "Imporch him!"

Hey, is Huffington Post not sailing a bit close to the wind? This might not be actual Fake News but Making Fun News is almost as bad.

 

 

The Y-fronts factor

IT'S a bit like finding the jeans of The Incredible Hunk draped over planks on a building site. You wonder if you're next going to encounter the Hulk himself in his Y-fronts.

The discarded skin of a 2.5m snake was found draped over planks at a building site in a suburb of Sydney, Australia, according to the BBC.

The skin has been identified as belonging to a boa constrictor – an illegally imported alien species – and the hunt is now on because such a critter is capable of swallowing a kangaroo without any problem, which puts the entire human population at risk, not to mention pets.

Anyone catching a glimpse of him is urged to contact the cops pronto. He is immediately recognisable by size and almost geometrical markings. He will probably not be wearing Y-fronts.

 

 

Lovely Durban

 

DURBAN poet Sarita Mathur – who hails originally from India – sings the praises of her adopted city.

Of all cities in the world,
Durban is supreme.
Its rolling hills and beautiful beaches
Make people smile and beam.
Durban's rickshaw pullers,
Are a sight to behold,
On the beaches are they,
In colours bright and bold.
Durban is a melting pot
Of cultures old and new,
It is the Rainbow City,
People of every tone and hue.
Durban has Zulu dancing,
The Indian curry too,
Boerewors, fish and chips,
Braai and Putu.
Aquariums bird parks and wildlife.
Hiking, surfing and cycling.
There's plenty you can do.
Flagship beaches and the Golden Mile
Make everyone smile,
Durban (Unesco City of Literature)
Makes us feel proud,
Bridge clubs and book clubs abound ,
In this city,
The whole year around.
Durbanites are friendly and nice,
Hospitable as well.
Durban has so much to give,
This is the city
Where I'd definitely want to live.
Heaven on Earth is Durban,,
This statement is definitely true.
I love Durban,
It is a city
For me
And
For you.

 

Tailpiece

WHAT should you do if you see a spaceman?

Park in it, man!

Last word

He knows all about art, but he doesn't know what he likes. - James Thurber