Baby Names
 

Weird that. This particular sexual fantasy has served a much longer life as a punchline than it ever did as a fantasy. Stack up every boner that came about as a result of a real "women in prison" fantasy --- a stack of Catherine MacKinnon articles about the symbology of sexual hegemony would be both taller and more erotic.

(An exception, of course, would be "women in prison" porn, but that's because it's PORN. You could make a porno about how a bill becomes a law and it would sell somewhere, but that doesn't mean parliamentary process is arousing.)

Number of expectant parents who've come to grief by refusing to disclose baby names under consideration: 0.

Number of well-meaning friends and family who say "That's a suck-ass name; why'd you pick that?" upon simultaneously meeting your newborn and hearing the name for the absolute first time: 0. Or should be 0; YMMV.

Ann & Clint; Harold & Meda. Str8 is welcome to any of these except Clint, which I'm saving for a Grinch baby that looks tough enough to carry it off, male or female.

I have greater strictures in the baby-naming department than most because I have a surname that is a preexisting word in the English language. A great many meritorious girl names would create unfortunate associations when paired with my last name, even though I'm sure many of you carry them with distinction and honor IRL.

I'm sorry to hear that. "Cunt" must have been really tough when you were a kid.

Naming a girl Clint is just asking for trouble.

Baby Names
 

Well, Helenic in the sense that the Helenes bastardized the Aramaic Jeshua as Iesous when transliterating it on the way to the ultimately Latin Jesus. Requisite Cite .

Interestingly, the Latin variation had been adopted into Hebrew for some time - there are a couple of other Jesuses in the Old Testament. Because of the Latin influence, and because Latin names become prominent in the Middle East long after Greek names, the appearance of the name in the Old Testament can help establish dates of authorship.

Atticus, Hank, I think this one is a draw for the two of you. And your sincere interest in the topic is appreciated.

(Atticus, have you been reading Karen Armstrong again? ETA -- You should know this just from the -us ending.)

Games for Pedants
 

Has anyone played this.

Baby Names
 

I would like to see that.

And fyi, I received my "bottom reformulator" cushion last night and my ass is currently planted on it. I can feel the reshaping technology at work already! If you hear reports of a "magic ass" in NYC in a few weeks, you will know the reason! I am so excited I can barely sit still.

If this law thing doesn't work out for me, it looks like air traffic control will.
 

I promise that this is my last "overheard in new york" post. For a while, anyway.

Pilot: Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for the delay in landing the aircraft, but the air traffic controller here at LaGuardia is an angry, bitter man.

--over LaGuardia

Hell's Kitchen
 

It showed promise the first episode, but fell off after the second episode was exactly the same. How many times can you watch them cook dinner wrong and get yelled at?

TM

Baby Names
 

If you can't sit still, I don't think this miracle product will be much use to you.

Your last name is Dick?

Leo
 

Looks like mmmmmm234523 has a new nickname.

TM

AdL was closer. Let's just say that it would be a big mistake for Atticus to name his child "Slippery."

shooters
 

I am now remembering a shooter from my youth called a "Slippery Nipple." Yummy.

In other news, the Simpsons is going to be a movie:
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/eo/2...827472000.html