Coincidence, or Unrealized Influence?

The paper was missing from my driveway this morning, (Did my wife abscond with it, or did our ever-reliable delivery man stumble?) so I was reduced to reading The New Yorker while I ate breakfast. The Talk of Town (the first story in every issue) is about the occupation of Wall Street. The story refers to that glorious leader of the revolution, he who can do no wrong, as that "murderous Communist Mao Zedong". Has Mao fallen out of favor? Me thinks The New Yorker is asking for trouble, taking that kind of stand.

There is another line in that same story about another Chinaman that kind of puts everything in prespective:

"So far, the best answer is the one that Zhou Enlai, the Great Helmsman’s great henchman, supposedly gave when President Nixon supposedly asked him to assess the impact of the French Revolution: it’s too early to tell."

Then I turn the page, and what do I see? A story about The Phantom Tollbooth. I just did a post about The Phantom Tollbooth, sort of. Did they steal my idea? Or did my post prompt Mr. Gopnik's? Or is it just a coincidence? Mmmm, I smell a conspiracy.