Dear Louise,

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I recently has a baby girl. My husband wants to name her "Fulcrum", and I want to name her something ordinary like, "Lois".

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When I asked him why he wanted to name her fulcrum, he replied that a fulcrum is a very important scientific word and something on which everything hinges on. He thinks if he names her that she will also be a very important component of the future.

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She is not a component, Louise, but a very human child. I have nightmares of children calling her, "Fulci, Fulci".

My husband is very adamant, and I am afraid this matter is one of serious contention that might result in our splitting up.

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Help, Louise!

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Dear Help,

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Oh, this certainly is a conundrum. You and your husband have braved a relationship long enough to make a child, and now, something like what to call your child may result in your splitting up.

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Far be it from me to make judgments, but if your relationship ends because of this, well, maybe it would have split over something else.

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I am with you. A machine part is a machine part. She's a little human. Sometimes simplicity is best.

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Always, Louise

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Dear Louise,

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My nephew is part of a throuple that is getting married soon. They are going to Mars for their honeymoon and have opened a registration site with gifts they would like to receive.

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I am hesitating between giving the food reproducer device or contributing to the Martian Dune Buggy Tour. The latter will be more expensive and I do not have a high salary; however, my nephew is my favorite, and I want to make him happy.

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What do you suggest?

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In a Quandary,

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Dear In,

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I would contribute what you can to the Martian Dune Buggy Tour. Not as useful as the food reproducer device, it will be the experience of a lifetime, and I suspect they will need as many contributions as they can get. True, your contribution may get lost in the plethora of contributions, but love is selfless, right? And if he is your favorite, you want the best for him.

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Always, Louise

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Dear Louise,

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I am hopping mad. The Library at my son's high school has removed the book, "Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy". This book is a classic, and I am tired of schools removing books and putting out undue censorship.

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The current atmosphere of cancelling classics is reminiscent of the Great Book Purge of the early 2020's where classics such as "Catcher in the Rye" and the "To Kill a Mockingbird" were removed from the library for sexual content and other matters self-appointed moralists thought too controversial for teens to consider. If you remember, these removals resulted in repressed thoughts and ideas, and it took the U.S. years to recover from the ignorance of these students who graduated never having their thought processes and beliefs challenged.

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I am afraid we might be entering this phase again.

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Anxious in Alabama

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Dear Anxious,

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I am with you. This book is a classic, and I can see nothing harmful in the reading. Trying to shelter students from new ideas and concepts can only result in their inability to judge and make choices. Write to your congressman and the head of the education department. In this day and age this should not be happening.

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Readers: I cannot stress how important the free flow of ideas and exposure to difficult concepts are important for our youngsters. They are the future, please make sure we provide them with the tools they need to make decisions and to participate in decision making that affect millions.

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Always, Louise