Toward the end of today’s Impromptus, after talk of war, peace, and the fate of the world, I have a little note on language. It has to do with the Minnesota Vikings — who are sometimes known as the “Vikes.” Earth-shattering stuff, I know, but kind of fun. Oddly, this item has brought a fair amount of mail already. Here is a letter from Victoria, British Columbia:

The excellent men’s basketball team at the University of Victoria used to be the Vikings. The women’s team, of course, was the Vikettes. Well, ahem . . . So now, after we have all been corrected, everyone at UVic is a Vike. The correction happened ten or fifteen years ago, I think.

By the way, some of us NR types were once in Victoria, after an Alaska cruise. Beautiful place, with flowers out the wazoo. During that Alaska cruise — summer of 2007, I believe — we met a new governor in Juneau, Sarah Palin. Wonder how she’s doing . . .