Talking to son Dima the other day and Rene Descartes' dictum cogito ergo sum cropped up, as it does; and since Dima is into using the word ergo in his work at the moment, he was keen to learn this extension. A couple of days later he asked me to repeat the phrase, by way of saying ... er ... ergo tsum ... well, that's what it sounded like and, given my magnificent fluency in the Russian language I launched back with I think therefore I shop! An explanation is painfully needed I hear you cry. cogito ergo sum means I think therefore I am and Rene Descartes is famous as a mathematician of yore, friend of the Queen of Sweden and all round idle Jack! tsum is Russian for a particular department store to be found throughout the former Soviet Union ... it's Gum in Moscow therefore cogito ergo sum was corrupted to cogito ergo tsum ... I think therefore I shop. Oh, flaming Nora, was that worth it? Made me laugh anyway. DW