Campaign 2008

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Sarah Palin, Hypocrite
Why she shouldn't complain about big government wasting taxpayer money.
Timothy Noah
posted Sept. 4, 2008
Dalton Conley Replies
The NYU sociologist elaborates on stress, work, and the rich.
Timothy Noah
posted Sept. 4, 2008
Sarah Palin Wows Convention!
Why success is foreordained for the vice-presidential nominee's convention speech.
Timothy Noah
posted Sept. 3, 2008
Stress and Class
An NYU sociologist claims, preposterously, that it's more stressful to be rich than poor.
Timothy Noah
posted Sept. 2, 2008
Sarah Palin, Web Invention
How a college sophomore put Alaska's governor on the map.
Timothy Noah
posted Aug. 29, 2008
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chatterbox: Gossip, speculation, and scuttlebutt about politics.

Aptronym Watch: Sue Yoo Too!Meet a born lawyer.

By Timothy Noah
Posted Tuesday, May 2, 2006, at 4:02 PM ET

It doesn't get any better than Sue Yoo, an associate at Sullivan & Cromwell, New York, N.Y. I got 20 bucks says she's going to make partner.

More aptronyms*:

Jeffrey M. Advokat is a lawyer in Morristown, N.J.

Laura Knott-Twine founded, in 1985, the Windham Textile and History Museum in Windham, Conn. ("thread city"). She also served as its executive director for many years.

Cynthia Houser is a realtor in Silver Spring, Md.

William Dement, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Stanford.

David Dollar is an economist at the World Bank.

*aptronym (n): A name that inadvertently describes its bearer's occupation. Widely attributed to Franklin P. Adams, aka "F.P.A.," whose newspaper column, "The Conning Tower," was popular during the 1920s and 1930s.

Updated Aptronym Yellow Pages:

Anger Management
Dr. Richard Madden (Hudson, N.Y.)

Astronomers
Alan Heavens (University of Edinburgh)

Cabinet Secretaries
Margaret Spellings (Secretary of Education)

Clergy
Jaime Lachica Cardinal Sin (former archbishop of Manila)

Dentists/Orthodontists
Ngoc Quang Chu, DDS (Bethesda, Md.)
Dalbert Fear, Jr., DDS (Ann Arbor, Mich.)
Ken Hurt, DDS (Albuquerque, N.M.)
Kenneth Krowne, DDS (Brookline, Mass.)
Les Plack, DDS (San Francisco, Calif.)
Anthony J. Puller, DDS (Richmond, Va.)
Randall Toothaker, DDS (University of Nebraska Medical Center)
Barth, Lacy, and Craig Toothman (Columbus, Ohio)

Economists
David Dollar (economist at the World Bank)

Food Critics
Jamie Maw (Vancouver magazine)

Football Players
Brian Baldinger (former defensive lineman, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts*, and Philadelphia Eagles)
Joey Goodspeed (former running back, St. Louis Rams)
Quentin Jammer (cornerback for the San Diego Chargers)

Gastroenterologists
Angel Colon (Annapolis, Md.)

Gynecologists
Dr. Bonnie Beaver (West Hills, Calif.)
Dr. Harry Beaver, retired (Fairfax, Va.)
Sheldon H. Cherry (New York, N.Y.)
Dr. Hyman Meltzer, deceased (Chicago)

Laywers
Jeffrey M. Advokat, (Morristown, N.J.)
Sue Yoo (Sullivan & Cromwell, New York, N.Y.)

Leadership Expert
Jack Christ (Ripon College, Ripon, Wis.)

Lobbyists
Leon Billings
Robert Cashdollar

Novelists/Essayists
Francine Prose (New York, N.Y.)

Office Supplies and Equipment
Dean Boring, president, Boring Office Supplies (Lakeland, Fla.)

Opthalmologists
Dr. Kevin Blinder (Washington University)

Ornithologists
David Bird (director, Avian Science and Conservation Center, McGill University, Canada)

Performing Arts
Sarah Slipper (former dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet)

Podiatrists
Dr. Allen Korn (Washington, D.C.)

Police
John Lawless (Haverstraw, N.Y.)

Psychologists/Psychiatrists
Dr. Jules Angst (emeritus professor of psychiatry, University of Zurich)
Roberta L. Nutt, Ph.D. (director, Counseling Psychology Doctoral Program, Texas Women's University)
William Dement, M.D. (professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at Stanford)

Race-car Drivers
Scott Goodyear
Scott Speed

Rapists, Convicted
Robert Raper (Boston, Mass.)

Realtors
Ann Greathouse (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Cynthia Houser (Silver Spring, Md.)

Religion, Professors of
Terry Godlove (Hofstra University)

Risk Management
John C. Chicken (author, The Philosophy of Risk)

Sexual Misconduct Researcher
Charol Shakeshaft

Spokespersons
Am Rong (Khmer Rouge spokesman, Cambodia)
Tony Snow (Washington, D.C.)
Larry Speakes (Reagan White House flak)

Textiles
Laura Knott-Twine, (founder, Windham Textile and History Museum in Windham, Conn., known as "Thread City.")

Urologists
Dr. Richard ("Dick") Chopp (Austin, Texas)
Dr. Dennis Peters (Pensacola, Fla.)
Dr. Alexander Philpott (Wheat Ridge, Colo.)
Dr. Keith Waterhouse, retired (New York, N.Y.)

*Correction, May 2: Earlier versions of these listings made erroneous reference to the "Indiana Colts." Click here to return to the corrected entry.