What the world is reading

The trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,the principal accused in the 9/11 attacks,has left the US and indeed the rest of the world deeply divided. Republicans may have decried Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to have Mohammed tried by a civilian court rather than a military commission,but Tom Malinowski’s piece argues against a military trial in as much as it gives legitimacy to a militant’s claim of being a ‘soldier’. Malinowski’s says,“If Osama bin Laden were captured alive tomorrow,what image would better serve the United States in the political struggle against al Qaeda—an image of bin Laden in an orange Guantánamo jumpsuit brought before military officers,or one of the same man in plain clothes holding a serial number in an ordinary jailhouse mug shot?”

VANITY FAIR

Alexander McQueen (1969-2010)

McQueen is no more. And what a loss that is. The world of fashion will sorely miss its enfant terrible. In the face of this tragedy,Michael Roberts recalls the McQueen journey from when he had an “open,childlike face that should have been advertising baby food” to when he became “the only hope of British fashion”. His sparkling friendship with the legendary Isabella Blow is brought out through that famous anecdote that does them both justice—the one,when Blow bought McQueen’s graduation collection and paid for it in installments because she didn’t have any money. Paying tribute to his eccentricity,Roberts rightly describes this genius as a ‘consummate showman’ whose “aesthetic would wander from the ghoulish to the balletic,from the floral and swooningly dramatic back to some nightmarish science-fiction horror the following season”.

THE NEW YORKER

The Top of Our Game

Political journalism is a serious matter,but that has not stopped George Parker from exploring the riddled jargon reporters use while covering Washington. While demolishing David Broder’s coverage of Sarah Palin’s speech at the National Tea Party Convention in The Post,he speaks about the manner in which Broder was not “analysing Palin’s positions or accusations,or the truth or falsehood of her claims…He was reviewing a performance and giving it the thumbs up.” The article argues that political comment has increasingly become about the right phrases instead of intelligent analysis. He says,“Anyone covering Washington,not excluding me,will sooner or later turn to a phrase like “refocus its image” or “a perception that the President has come to look” or “a pitch-perfect recital of the populist message,” because they come so easily,and because they make it unnecessary to say anything substantial,which means thinking hard and perhaps suffering the consequences.”

THE AGE

Who’s afraid of the big,bad remake?

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland has left many curious to see what tricks this intelligent filmmaker will pull out of the burrow,but ironically,this time round children may not be a part of the excitement. Reworking a children’s classic may often make a film “too frightening,too dark or too complicated for little people.” The columnist believes that not only are some films scary for children,but they may also raise issues parents would not like to expose their kids to. For instance,the family breakup in Where the Wild Things Are could distress many young kids and leave parents doubtful whether it actually makes appropriate viewing for their little ones.