As an admirer of Walter Bagehot, The Economist's wonderfully quotable editor (1859-1877), I knew the magazine had a sense of humor. I just didn't realize it had such a talent for slapstick.
From a report on the consolidation of the Anglican and Catholic churches: "Sceptics are already casting doubt on suggestions, spread this week in parts of the British press, of a massive remerger in the global communications industry. But the prospect of a tie-up between a vast, Rome-based corporation, and a smaller rival with headquarters in southern England, has sent some analysts into a speculative spin. Early discussions are said to have taken place between representatives of two long-established groups. If successful, the deal would see a parent company rejoined with a unit that separated from it, somewhat acrimoniously, in the 16th century."
