Unsquelched, a rampaging rumor can erode a product's sales, damage its market share, and even put workers out of their jobs.

Peruse the Paris papers these days and you'll notice an obsession with bobos: no, they're not a team of cheerleaders or a troupe of clowns, but rich, artsy types known as bourgeois bohemians, who are now pretty much the tip of Parisian tastemakers. So when friends who were recently staying in Saint Germain des Pres asked me where to go to people watch, I told them to head for the Ninth Arrondissement citadel of bobo cool.

The teacher called time, and there were a few groans. (Some children pleaded for more time, another just said it was really hard, and a few others agreed that this was really cool.)

Crampton. Your name is Sophronia, girl: you were called after your aunt Sophronia, my sister: she gave you your first Bible with your name written in it.