Thanks to a couple of friends: HowManyOfMe.com There is:1person with my namein the U.S.A. How many have your name? The thing I found interesting was the breakdown of the statistics. Let’s quote its bit on “Allyn”: There are 1,500 people in the U.S. with the first name Allyn 4019th most popular first name. (tied withContinue reading “On Unique Names”
Monthly Archives: October 2006
On the Vinland Map
An e-mail about the PBS program NOVA landed in my inbox yesterday. This coming Tuesday they’re showing a documentary on the Vinland Map, a map that may date from the early 15th-century and depicts the eastern coast of North America: Tuesday, October 10 at 8PM ET/PT on PBS Check your local listings as dates andContinue reading “On the Vinland Map”
On Pelosi's Plan
House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi unveiled a plan that she would like to enact if the Democrats can take control of the House in this November’s mid-term elections. From the Washington Post: Franklin Roosevelt had his first hundred days. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi is thinking 100 hours, time enough, she says, toContinue reading “On Pelosi's Plan”
On John Yoo
I'm sure many of you have heard about the NPR interview with legal scholar John Yoo. Yoo, in case you don't know, is the legal theorist behind many of President Bush's philosophies. Signing statements, the unitary executive–they all originate in the writings of John Yoo. Yoo was interviewed by NPR yesterday on the Congressional billContinue reading “On John Yoo”
On Things That Need To Be Said
In all the insanity of the week–from a scandal that could bring down a government to an appalling crime in Pennsylvania–Garrison Keillor offered some words on what our country has become that went overlooked. I would quote only excerpts, but the whole thing need to be read. So, let’s look at then–“A Shameful Retreat fromContinue reading “On Things That Need To Be Said”
On a School Shooting
Until about four years ago I lived in Pennsylvania’s Amish country. It’s a beautiful area, though sometimes the smell of cow manure can be overpowering. But if you could put the stench aside lazy afternoon drives through the back roads of Lancaster county were amazing. Amish farmhouses have a distinct look to them, their fieldsContinue reading “On a School Shooting”