I am trying hard to think of ways to link my Lucite obsession to public

policy matters. Encase the Najaf shrine in Lucite? Build a Lucite barrier

along the Mexican border? Seal nuclear waste in Lucite? Nothing quite

works. Any suggestions would be welcome.

(And for those readers who have chid me for writing “imbed” rather than

“embed,” please note that: (A) Merriam-Webster’s Third permits both, and

(B) I was using this word long before the Iraq War, as it is a term of art

in mathematics, though it would take much too long to explain the

mathematical meaning. I feel pretty sure than mathematicians, at any rate

in England, prefer “imbed” to “embed,” but I’ll take correction from any

real mathematician who has an opinion.)