You can imagine how my ears perked up when the fictional character of a consul appeared Season 9, episode 2, of Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO). How was Larry David going to deal with this person? Was he going to (incorrectly) … Continue reading →
In my previous posts (and more extensively in chapter The Tiff over Titles in my book) I have written about the many confusing titles that consular officials may claim. All this makes for interesting (and fun!) social and official situations to … Continue reading →
When I gathered all my notes for my consular reference book a couple of my beta-readers commented, “Why so much emphasis on titles?” This led me to repeat the commonly-stated explanation of how people in distinguished positions — think judges, politicians … Continue reading →
“Well-written and lively, offering an engaging way to learn about the sometimes perplexing world of foreign consulates.” These words follow a very laudatory review by the professionals at Kirkus, a prestigious magazine of book reviews that’s distributed to book buyers at … Continue reading →
I have written about this before, but the incorrect preposition keeps cropping up. An honorary consul somewhere in the United States is not a representative to a foreign nation, but of or for. When Mr. Cornelissen became Belgium’s new honorary consul in the Boston … Continue reading →
When Israel celebrated its 67th year of independence, the Miami Herald wrote about the consulate (general) greeting guests. But it’s the consul (general) – in the person of Chaim Shacham – shaking hands with one of them. Pop quiz: what is correct in the … Continue reading →
It’s a safe bet that not many people recall a consular board from the McCarthy hearings in the 50s. But when William Shirer mentions this in one of his memoirs I got curious.What could this possibly have had to do with … Continue reading →
When President Obama referred to the “Corpsmen” (very much alive and kicking) he used the pronunciation for a dead body: “corpse” with the hard p and s (notice the e in the end). What a great teaching moment this is for all … Continue reading →