On the proposition that not all academic research is particularly useful, consider these recent titles: "Burnout Among Female Indoor Sex Workers" by Ine Vanwesenbeeck (Archives of Sexual Behavior, Vol. 34, No. 6), a Dutch study finding that progressive management reduces burnout among prostitutes; and (2) "Odd Versus Even Prices and Consumers' Behavior" by Nicolas Gueguen and Celine Jacob (Psychological Reports, Vol. 96, No. 3), a French study finding that consumers are more likely to buy pancakes if their price ends in a 9 than in a zero.

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And speaking of France, a French feminist going only by the name of Mathilde is petitioning the government to abolish use of the word "mademoiselle." The term, says Mathilde, "puts a diminutive view on our girls. It turns them into incomplete 'little things,' never really autonomous, who will not become real adults unless they find a husband or become mothers." Well, in English-speaking lands, Miss and Mrs. are broadly ceding to Ms., and in Germany "fraulein" (for young women) is ceding to frau.  So in France can mademoiselle be far behind?

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Remember the other Churchill - Ward? Tenured University of Colorado professor Ward Churchill termed those who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11 "little Eichmanns" and said, "It may be that more 9/11s are necessary." Now an investigative panel has found that (a) Churchill plagiarized research, (b) falsely claims to be a Cherokee Indian, (c) falsely claims he is an Army combat veteran, and (d) falsely claims to possess a Ph.D. He merits swift firing, but unhappily just one of the five members of the investigating committee concurs. The school is slated to decide later this year whether to give him the boot. Stay tuned.

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Soon Internet domain names .com, .net, .org, .edu, .gov (etc.) may be joined by .xxx for - among other reasons - easier denial of access to porno Web sites by the young. A solid notion. But there are problems, of course, and the usual complainants. A .xxx domain would require registering for a fee, and someone to receive it - and likely the same someone or something to oversee compliance. Free speech considerations and what-all. Yet hey, how throttled can fee-licensed speech really be? Countless goods and services in this life, on this planet, can be gotten only for a fee, so why not porn? The Internet already boasts 4 million pornography sites.