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I don't give my dogs middle names, so why should people have 'em?
"Well, I guess I'm surprised by two things here:"@@@@ When you get surprised, Daividh, do your eyebrows shoot up to your hairline and a comical little cartoon question-mark pops up over your head? :)"1) There's actually a public database left in Die Vereinigten Staaten (your papuhs, plees!) that doesn't rely on the good ol' SSN ("Not To Be Used For Identification", mine says, but it's JFK era and the world then still equated BIG, INTRUSIVE GOVERNMENT with nasty totalitarianism). Hats off to youse guys!"@@@@ Thank ye! But, you know, with people hearing more and more on the news these days about the new crime of "identity theft", people are becoming less cooperative about giving out their SSNs. And I don't blame them in the least. I passed up opening a charge account at a store in the mall not too long ago because the clerk insisted that I give her my SSN. I'd never been asked for my SSN when opening charge accounts at other stores, and I wasn't about to start giving it out to shopclerks at this particular store now."2) There are two million people in Suffolk County who take out enough time between flipping each other the bird on the L.I.E. to actually read or view something from the Liberry."@@@@ Well right now at the height of IRS tax form preparer's season, it seems like all two million of them of coming into the library just to use the photocopiers (as well as pick up tax forms)."As much as I dislike the USE of middle names, I find both these things curiously reassuring. Also, I see your point about distinguishing between the various Maria Velasquezes, but surely better funding of the INS could eliminate much of that problem (joke, Nan)?"@@@@ Well, I'm no friend of the INS. Personally, I think we need better funding for education in this country -- for a lot our own citizens as well as for newcomers. :)"Around here there's a tendency to forego the middle initial thing in databases and use date of birth to tell people apart."@@@@ We'd never get away with asking people for their date of birth when they apply for a library card. They'd all lie about it, anyway! :)"But I guess in a much larger DB like yours, middle initials are useful. So okay, people, bestow the things if you must, but don't burden others with yours (or its initial) on a day-to-day basis."@@@@ So *there*! :)- Da.@@@@ Ya!-- Nanaea
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Hey Nan,What's a "hairline"? Seems I remember something like that dimly, but not sure. :)Shouldn't we hold a little contest or something to select an honorary middle name for Selwyn? He oughta share the misery with the rest of us. I'd be willing to kick in a token prize in the form of a plastic miniature Kintuckie license plate that reads "BUBBA". Saw some at Wal-Mart (visit #5).Strange they had BUBBA, BRIANNA, and JOSE, but no NANAEA/NAN, LIBERTY, or DAIVIDH/DAVE. What moron picks these things, anyway?- Da.
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I definitely think that holding a contest to select an honorary middle name for Selwyn is an excellent idea. But that prize you proposed sounds more like the bubba-prize than First Prize. :)Is Selwyn a "he"? Strange... I'd gotten vibes that Selwyn might be a "she". Selwyn is going to have to straighten out at least one of us on that matter, so we don't give him/her a middle name that might cause his/her parents some concern. :)-- Nanaea
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Not that it's any of my business, because I'm definately just butting in, but as for my two cents, I had always thought selwyn a she myself. I read the postings everyday, simply because of the extensive knowledge i find in the postings of Nanaea, Davidh, and the other guy who's name has completely slipped my mind. Starts with P, ends with Lovs or something along those lines. Every now and again I slip in my own little opion, as well:)
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Have to re-think this...Okay, seeing as how Selwyn is posting from Denmark, I'm going to reverse my original conviction that Selwyn is a "she", and now say that Selwyn is a "he". For the simple reason that I think Selwyn is more likely to be a masculine name in Europe than it is in America.So, which is it, Selwyn? :)-- Nanaea
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Do we *have* to impose such social roles on poor Selwyn?
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OK, SELWYN -- 'FESS UP! IS YOU A BOY OR IS YOU A GIRL?Re: Have to re-think this......and I know you're not old enough to recognize the humor in asking that of someone posting from DENMARK.
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