Archive - October 2, 2013

Maureen Orth (Colombia 1964-66) was on the TODAY show this morning and talked about her article on Mia Farrow in the new Vanity Fair. Maureen said she asked Farrow if her son, Ronan Farrow, was not Woody Allen’s son, but Frank Sinatra’s child. Farrow replied, “possibly.” “I asked her point blank,” said Orth. “I said, ‘Is Ronan Frank Sinatra’s son?’ and she said, ‘Possibly,’”  (Farrow and Sinatra were married from 1966-68.) “No DNA tests have been done. But they never really broke up. Obviously they got divorced. She was only 21 when she married him, he was 50, she lost her virginity to him … she said he was the love of her life.” Also, noted Orth, Ronan “looks a lot like Frank Sinatra and he sings like Frank Sinatra.” Added Orth, “He’s very close to the Sinatra family … Ronan told me that Nancy Sinatra senior fusses over him . . .

The October 7, 2013 issue of The New Yorker carries a Letter From Egypt column entitled, “Keeping The Faith” written by Peter Heller (China 1996-98) that focuses on Sheikh Mohammed Fakeeh, a blind preacher from a poor farming family on the banks of the Nile who for the first time gave a sermon at Aziz Bellah, and influential mosque in eastern Cairo. In recent days, a few Cairo imams had been suspended, and all of them had been warned not to preach directly about politics. Certain words and phrases were regarded as off limits: “coup,” “legitimacy,” “injustice,” “military rule.” But avoiding the subject entirely was also a risk. If a sermon seemed too bland or apolitical, members of the congregation might shout down the preacher. • Also in the same issue is a new short story by Paul Theroux (Malawi 1963-65) entitled, “I’m The Meat, You’re The Knife” which is . . .