Mr. Geography Update

"Ok, my brother. The first country is Djibouti. The next country is Fiji. The last country is Togo."

Mr. Geography was indeed correct. These three countries are the only three in the world that share no letters with "mackerel."

Mr. Geography was excited to hear from me (it was mutual), and was even more excited to learn that I was calling from New York. A few months ago, he had sent a FedEx package to the White House that contained press clippings, a videotape of his appearances on television, and an apparently unsolicited application to be a "bridge from the Arab-Muslim world to the United States." He feels that he has been touched by God: "Knowledge is power, and I have this power. I have the whole world in my head. I want to help people and bring people closer together." Unfortunately, he received no response from the White House; even more unfortunately, some of the material he sent was irreplaceable. He was wondering how he might get his application back, given that they don't seem to be interested. I reluctantly warned him that the odds of getting his stuff back were vanishingly small.

I did promise to look for existing organizations that serve as cultural bridges, and to forward their info to him. The man would make a very interesting and committed cultural ambassador. Corn Chips & Pie will stay in contact with Mr. Geography. Readers who wish to contact him-- with advice or geography trivia questions-- are advised to contact our ombudsman.