[Theforum] survey update?

Luther, Ron Ron.Luther at compaq.com
Fri Dec 7 15:25:31 CST 2001


Gosh darn it!

A US-centric cultural gaffe! ... my bad!  
[Shoot - and minutes after I was so nice and asked for cultural
references, too!]

Virginia O'Hanlon ... a little girl who wrote the New York Sun
(newspaper) in 1897 asking if there really was a Santa Claus ... the
editorial response is considered a "classic" piece of writing and is
often recirculated at this time of year:

http://www.murphystation.com/ChristmasPages/virginia.htm

Over the last hundred years ... the "Yes Virginia, there really is 'x'"
... has been widely used and abused in many contexts over here.  



Oddly enough, the newspaper returned the original letter to Virginia ...
her family kept it ... and they *still* have it ... along with an
original copy of the editorial.  A current family member trotted it out
on "Antiques Roadshow" to ask what it was worth .... the appraiser's
considered response? ... "We have no friggin clue! - but we would LOVE
to see what an auction would bring for it!"

A response I found refreshingly honest!

RonL.


-----Original Message-----
From: Madhu Menon [mailto:webguru at vsnl.net]

Who's Virginia? :-/





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