Name game reveals a lot

Businesses spend considerable time and money naming the products they send forth in the world. Parents? Not so much. As soon as I heard the name “Reality Leigh Winner” — the young Georgia woman charged with leaking top-secret information to the press — I knew she would finally get the attention her parents so clearly craved.

Multiple black eyes have taught me it’s wrong to poke fun at people for things they can’t control like their name or how they vote, but, as Gordon Solie or any professional wrestler would tell you, a memorable name really enthuses a crowd.

Remember the fellow accused of burning down I-85? Basil Eleby sounds like the name of a chef or Bruce Wayne’s butler, but it sticks in the brain.

Creating a name that is both memorable and unique isn’t easy. All the cool names have been taken.

The most common criminal name in Georgia, according to a survey of mugshots, is “Willie.” That’s as good a name as any but modern parents can do better.

I don’t watch much TV, but when I do I am besieged by pharmaceutical ads intent on providing names for a new generation of customers.

How often, I’ve wondered, does an expectant mother watch a commercial and consider naming their child “Latuda” or “Lunesta?”

A Google search of “most-advertised drugs” gives us the pleasant monikers “Lyrica,” “Victoza” and “Invokana,” which sounds like it could be the president’s grandchild.

Need a strong male name? Consider “Paxil, “Actos” or “Zocor.” The last one is perfect if you envision your son someday fighting Superman.

Prescription drugs sound nice, but they can be more dangerous than someone who lights fires under bridges or has access to top-secret documents and a copying machine. In 2016, about 60,000 Americans died from overdoses of illegal and prescription drugs. That exceeds the peak number ever killed in car crashes (54,000 in 1972) or shootings (39,000 in 1993).

In the Deep South, the overdose death rate is lowest in Georgia and Mississippi, says the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control. After almost a minute of careful analysis, I concluded the states where overdose deaths are highest don’t have beaches. West Virginia leads the nation with 41.5 fatal overdoses per 100,000 residents. Georgia’s rate, 12.7, ranks 13th best nationally.

The single most fatal drug is heroin, but more deaths are caused by misused prescription opioids like OxyContin, Percocet and Vicodin. The most abused illegal drug in the U.S.? Marijuana, aka “ganja, “dope,” and “kind bud.”

How many people has the vexing street weed killed? That’s debatable, but the argument starts at zero.

City to allow mayor full voting powers

Lawrenceville Mayor Judy Jordan Johnson announced Monday that the city has undergone a charter update. The most significant change addresses the mayor’s ability to vote regularly on matters before the city council. In the past, Lawrenceville’s mayor only voted in the event of a tie vote. As of May, the mayor’s position has a vote on all matters in Lawrenceville.

Mayor Johnson added, “As the individual holding this position, my preference would have been to implement this change at the point of a new mayoral term as I believe that a change of any elected official should not change mid-election term. But I have now voted, and I will continue to vote.”

Tree trimming may cause street delays

Motorists can expect delays in downtown Roswell later this month as crews prune and raise tree canopies, requiring one lane of traffic on Canton Street to be closed and driveways possibly blocked for short periods.

The project is scheduled for June 19-23 for Canton and the Heart of Roswell Park, near Elizabeth Way, city officials said. Caldwell Tree Care will perform the work for The Historic Roswell Beautification Project, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving