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08 August 2005
...formerly known as...
Every now and then you see this phrase, and it doesn't really merit a pause. "The artist formerly known as Prince" was common for a while, but this--the opening sentence of the second paragraph--caught my eye. From the article entitled "Reading Ratzinger" by Anthony Grafton in the 25 July issue of The New Yorker:
"At the time, Ratzinger was the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the Vatican office formerly known as the Inquisition."
Not like "the Inquisition" carries with it any nasty historical connotations... Perhaps I'll see if The Name of the Rose (the self-described palimpsest starring Sean Connery) is on the tube...
For a more obvious laugh, also check out "My Dog is Tom Cruise" by Noah Baumbach in the same issue.