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Letter to the editor

The skinny

By Times Wires
Published November 14, 2007

Patriots and cynics

Great Britain: It's an island unto itself

The Times of London reported that Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown was looking into the possibility of a national motto. Something to maybe challenge the elegance of France's Liberty, Equality, Fraternity. When the story appeared online, readers began helpfully providing suggestions. Some showed potential:

Great people, great country, Great Britain

A country so brave and true

Those are nice. But they aren't the ones that earned this story a spot in this column. Those follow:

In America we trust

At least we're not French

Created by heroes, destroyed by Labour

Wallowing in a post-colonial miasma Put down the dictionary: "Miasma" is an atmosphere of corruption.

Once mighty empire, slightly used

Drinking continues until morale improves

Sorry, it's all our fault

Brown has since clarified his goal - possibly due to the public reaction - suggesting he's not so much looking for a motto, but more of a "statement of values."

Police reports

Bro, you shouldn't taze yourself, either

Police officers can get in trouble when they shoot something they didn't mean to, even when the something they didn't mean to shoot is themselves. An officer in Madison, Wis., was reprimanded when he - or she, the report didn't identify the officer - accidentally discharged a Taser during a checkout procedure, hitting him/her self right in the hand. The reprimand came because officers are supposed to ensure the air cartridges aren't loaded before testing the gun when checking out the weapon.

Problem gamblers

Within an hour, couple has 2 wins

Anthony and Antonietta Marrocco had a good night at the casino in Orillia, Ontario, on Saturday, winning $13,000 - which these days, when converted to U.S. currency, is just about $13,000. Then Antonietta had one of those moments where you realize you just had a lucky day, and the lottery drawing is in an hour ... maybe it's time to go buy a ticket. So they did. And the only consolation for the rest of us is that they had to split the $37-million jackpot with someone else.

Just call him junior

Parents hospitalized over baby's name

Picking a name for your baby is serious business, but a couple in the Egyptian city of Asyut was having particular trouble coming to an agreement. The arguments got more heated after the baby, a boy, was born. "We had been quarreling for a week, and one day we began to sort the matter out with our fists," the husband admitted. It got to the point that both were injured and taken to the hospital. They promised police they would spend their hospital time quietly coming to a decision.

Compiled from Times wire services and other sources by staff writer Jim Webster, who can be reached at jwebster@sptimes.com.

[Last modified November 14, 2007, 01:37:29]