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Bombay not Mumbai

I edit a daily news digest for digital movie makers — nothing grand, but it is fun building it up.

I have recruited stringers (correspondents) in the North of England, Singapore, Seattle, Brooklyn, Copenhagen, and most recently, Bombay. This is fun, and it keeps life interesting, too.

I received the Bombay stringer's application last week. I was surprised that he referred to his city as Bombay — I had been told that the new, and "correct" name is "Mumbai," and I had corrected my speech and writing to reflect that. I had supposed that this was like the Chinese correction of Peking to Beijing. I asked the fellow about Bombay/Mumbai. Here's what he replied: "As for your kind info, we all in India call Bombay; rarely someone mentions Mumbai." So it's back to Bombay for me!

Istanbul was Constantinople
Now it's Istanbul not Constantinople
* * *
Why did Constantinople get the works?
That's nobody's business but the Turks's!

Listen to the Four Lads sing it

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