Quick, go to the search function on thestate.com and search for "JoDell Pickens." You’ll see one of the most delightfully goofy guesses I’ve ever seen a search engine or a spell-checker make.

I was looking for that name while reading tomorrow’s proofs. There were a couple of letters mentioning that Ms. Pickens had asserted in a news story that she employed illegal aliens. I thought I’d better double-check that. (It was true, by the way; that was in the story.)

Anyway, the search engine asked, "Did you mean giddily pickets?"

Wouldn’t that be a wonderful stage name for a performer on the Grand Ole Opry?

Or perhaps it refers to the actions of a particularly blissed-out-looking protester, such as the lovely young Italian antiwar demonstrator below?

When I told a colleague about the question the computer had asked me, he replied, "No, but I am intrigued…." Unfortunately, the impertinent machine was merely teasing us; it had no such association to share.

Alas, not even Google could sate my curiosity on the point. Shame.

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