Inky reader M.C. e-mails to point out my blooper:


“In Vanity of Vanities: The New, Politically Correct Vanity Fair [Sept. 22], you say that Miss Crawley is played by Rhys Ifans.


“This is false–Rhys Ifans, being male, plays Captain Dobbin. Eileen Atkins plays Miss Crawley.


“Totally agree with your review of the film.  It didn’t show enough of the Becky Sharp some of us know well. It was also very plain that the director and writer picked up on the Scarlett O’Hara parallel; at one point, Rawdom Crawley says, ‘A cat’s a better mother’ about Becky, something Rhett Butler said about Scarlett.”


Yeesh–egg on my face! I’ve already made the correction. (Query:: Why is “Reese” a girl’s name but “Rhys” a guy’s name?) And how interesting that the “Vanity Fair” screenplay loops back to “Gone With the Wind”–I hadn’t noticed. Thanks for pointing that out, M.C.


And here’s yet another entry–from male reader H.M.– in our ongoing discussion of public breastfeeding (see Mailbag: Duped Dan, Bared Breasts, and All That, Sept. 20):


“My daughter is currently breastfeeding. She’s convinced it’s best for the baby, and no one is arguing otherwise. She also says she is most comfortable when she and my granddaughter have privacy–mostly peace and quiet. It goes a lot faster that way because there is no other activity to distract the baby. Finally, she isn’t uncomfortable nursing in public if that’s the way it has to be. She points out that it can be done covertly. Some people might realize it’s happening but most don’t. Very few men who see it give it any more than a moment’s attention. And the way she and her friends go about it, the men don’t see anything pertinent anyway. Her view is that attracting unwanted attention is a function of the women drawing attention to themselves somehow– usually be exposing too much body surface. She feels is this is totally unnecessary.”


I agree. As I’ve said many a time on this blog–and also in a debate on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered” on Aug. 22–“covertly”–that is, discreetly–is the proper way to go about breast-feeding in public. Right now, however, bare-breasted exhibitionism is all the rage in nursing. If that’s your thing, go for it–but at home, please.