Robinwho

Fizz AM

Never Bored

The most common family name in Iceland is Vietnamese. Yapping but never capping. Nikola Jokic. Booby meets William Shakespeare.

Issue #012
Hoooold up – really? On the Beach Someone Cooked Ballin' Booby's Journal Be Nice Certified Good Boy

Hoooold up – really?

Nguyen character

Nguyen is the most common hereditary family name in Iceland.

Robinwho: What happens when an Icelander and a Nguyen have a kid then?
In 1979, Iceland welcomed just 34 Vietnamese refugees. Yet Nguyen became one of the country's most common inherited surnames. Why? I mean, how? Well, the explanation lies in Iceland's unusual naming tradition: most Icelanders don't have hereditary surnames. Instead, they use traditional patronymics — the last names are derived from a parent's first name and change with each generation. Nguyen, meanwhile, gets passed down. So a few dozen newcomers left an unexpectedly lasting mark on Iceland's naming landscape.
More on the refugees in Iceland

On the Beach

The Glass Essay by Anne Carson

Robinwho: The reason is obvious.
I I can hear little clicks inside my dream. Night drips its silver tap down the back. At 4 A.M. I wake. Thinking of the man who left in September. His name was Law. My face in the bathroom mirror has white streaks down it. I rinse the face and return to bed. Tomorrow I am going to visit my mother. ...
Read the full poem

Someone Cooked

The famous Korean Tent Legend

Robinwho: Lee Kwang-nak be like: I may yap but never cap.
In 2012, a South Korean man named Lee Kwang-nak casually claimed on an internet forum that he could pitch a 24-person military tent all by himself. Nobody believed him. So naturally, the internet organized a festival to find out. Within days, sponsors, musicians, reporters, and more than 2,000 spectators showed up to watch one man assemble a tent. Lee, an eight-year army veteran, completed the challenge in about 90 minutes, climbed onto the roof to celebrate, and became an internet legend. All because he refused to lose an argument online. Respect.

Ballin'

Booby's Journal

Booby’s Journal

Booby meets William Shakespeare

· Stratford-upon-Avon

Went to visit Mr. Shakespeare. Grew quite fond of his work, so I took some books with me to sign. Couldn’t find him, but ran into a young fellow named Shakspere. I left the books with him and asked him to pass them to William to sign when they meet. I had to leave, because Mommy said not to be late for dinner. My copies were Penguin Classics. Bird solidarity.

Spelling of Shakespeare's name

Be Nice

poster

Helping All Little Things: Finding loving homes for small animals. 🥺

Robinwho: Little things need bigger love.
A volunteer-run nonprofit dedicated to rescuing overlooked small animals, particularly those with complicated medical needs. They began in 2010 when a guinea pig rescue became overwhelmed. Today they care for small animals who need rehabilitation, adoption, or permanent sanctuary, including elderly and terminally ill animals.
Get involved!
Melody Campaign: Helping All Little Things: Finding loving homes for small animals.

Certified Good Boy

#012

Recipient

もみじ

Citation: look at this little (chubby) mooncake

Committee decision: Absolutely yes