... is Thomas Nast's 165th birthday.  He gave us our picture of Santa Claus -- and in his spare time, showed the power of the political cartoon.

And...

Nine hundred thirty-nine ago, Billy and the Normans got on their boats and sailed off across the Channel, heading for an October 14 appointment with some poor schmuck named Harold, at some place called Hastings -- and, along the way, turning English into a language all full of -ion words.  Which allows us to say "nation state"  and "city state", instead of the more confusing "staat staat" and "stadt staat".

Anyone got a burning writing question for our hungry minds?

Scribite!
~kent