Off-topic: Killing mockingbirds
On Monday President Bush awarded the presidential Medal of Freedom to Harper Lee, author of the (American) classic To Kill a Mockingbird. If you've never read it, you should. If you have, read it again.
My eldest daughter, Scout, is named for the heroine of the book, Scout Finch. I had read the book several times through high school and university, but when my wife told me that she had always planned to name her first daughter "Scout" I chafed at the idea. It seemed too weird.… Read more