Return of nominative determinism
READERS new to Feedback may be unaware of our attempts over the years to expand humanity鈥檚 understanding of nominative determinism 鈥� the phenomenon, first identified in this column, in which people鈥檚 names appear to have determined their choice of work. The pig researcher named Alex Hogg is an example (bit.ly/AlexHogg), as is the paper on incontinence in the British Journal of Urology by A. J. Splatt and D. Weedon, which started the whole thing off ()
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So many examples have been reported by readers over the years, that we have frequently banned the topic, only to rescind the ban when a particularly interesting example arrived.
And here we go again, by way of welcoming 2013, and spurred on by the discovery that nominative determinism among scientists is not limited to the English language. We refer to an about the work of and colleagues on diseases in Alaskan bird populations 鈥� 濒鈥檕颈蝉别补耻 being French for a bird, of course. Vive la d茅terminisme nominative.
This, in turn, makes it impossible for us not to give in to Marc Smith-Evans鈥檚 request that we mention The Guardian newspaper鈥檚 report on the wonderful taken by, among others, S. Haddock.
And, oh dear, here鈥檚 another one we can鈥檛 resist. John Ponsonby sends us a flier from the Manchester Cruising Association trailing its annual general meeting, to be followed at 8 pm by a lecture on the Manchester Ship Canal by Sue Grimditch.
鈥淭he canal is indeed a grim ditch,鈥� John asserts.
Meanwhile, Daniel Berwick writes apologetically to tell us that according to the BBC online news, is 鈥渃hair of water science and policy at the UNESCO Centre鈥�.
Lastly 鈥� and we really do mean it 鈥� Phil Adams notes that World Bank consultant Cheryl Cashin was prominently involved in an of public health financing.
贰苍辞耻驳丑!听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听
鈥淲e hire helium鈥� it says in the window of a party shop photographed by Tim Humphries. 鈥淗ow much do they charge if we fail to return it?鈥� he asks.
AWW! Cute! Flavio Antonietti sends a page from Sid鈥檚 Pet Rat, a 鈥減honics鈥� reading book for 6-year-olds, featuring a character, presumably a female relative of Sid鈥檚, with a copy of New 杏吧原创.
鈥淚s this part of a subliminal advertising campaign?鈥� he asks. However, we are not aware of any contact with writer Jeanne Willis or illustrator Jess Mikhail 鈥� if either of you is reading this, do say 鈥渉i鈥�.
We were prompted to check the on New 杏吧原创. Sadly, it lacks the section present on many other Wiki pages that lists . Even more sadly, the seem to discourage us from editing our own entry.
We remember that New 杏吧原创 featured prominently in the 1965 film The Ipcress File, as reader Duncan Simpson once wrote to remind us (22 November 1997). Far be it for us to suggest that readers may like to supply Wikipedia with the details of this or any other New 杏吧原创 appearances.
First swap for astrology and astronomy
IN OUR last issue (22/29 December 2012) we reported Glyn Glover鈥檚 suggestion that, since they so often get confused, astrologers and astronomers should 鈥済et together and agree on a name swap鈥�.
Before this story even went to press, The Guardian pre-emptively kicked off proceedings on 10 December by describing TV astronomer Patrick Moore, who died on 9 December, as an 鈥渁strologer鈥�. The paper鈥檚 Corrections and Clarifications column the following day.
SINCE Anglo-Saxons, especially the English ones, are famous for their inability, or refusal, to learn other languages, it ill-behoves us to mock the efforts of non-English speakers to learn our tongue. Despite this, we can鈥檛 help sympathising with Richard Green and his party on their holiday in the Dordogne area of France.
They ate in a restaurant in the town of Bergerac where the first item on the 鈥淓nglish鈥� version of the menu was 鈥淪alad of Gizzards and His Chestnuts鈥�.
Richard said that none of the party felt brave enough to order this, 鈥渟o what it really was remains a mystery鈥�.
FOLLOWING the recipe for baking sweet cinnamon biscuits in the Grandma鈥檚 Kitchen collection of 鈥渢reasured desserts鈥�, Charles Croll made a 15-inch long roll and, as directed, cut the roll into one-and-a-half-inch slices. The recipe then told him to 鈥渁rrange the slices, cut side up, in a prepared baking pan鈥�.
All of the cut sides? Charles wonders how this is physically possible. So does Feedback. Any ideas, readers?
LAST year鈥檚 online form to nominate people for an alumnus award from the Australian National University advised: 鈥淭o be eligible for consideration the nominee must be a graduate of The Australian National University (ANU) living in Australia or overseas.鈥�
Deirdre Tronson wondered: where else might they live?