The Missing Vermeer
The Missing Vermeer
In this short story by Roger Pulvers, new and distant horizons open up to put a spring in your step as summer approaches. Illustrations by Alice Pulvers There are no portraits or self-portraits of Vermeer
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A slight unmasking of Japan’s flu ‘pandemic’
While traveling through Scandinavia two weeks ago, I had scant opportunity to monitor Japan’s anxiety over the sudden increase in confirmed cases of H1N1 flu that led to closings of schools in the Kansai region. Europe seemed barely concerned about the new flu and when I caught BBC World in hotel rooms or at friends’ homes the flu was mentioned only in relation to Japan, even if there were still more cases in North America. Nevertheless, the feeling of alarm in Japan was conveyed. All a report had to do was show footage of a crowd of people wearing face masks. By the time I returned the alarm had begun to subside and schools were opening again. Self-reflection was in full swing, with the media wondering whether or not the authorities had over-reacted to the perceived seriousness of the…
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