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facts & arguments

Is there a secret message in Wendy’s new logo? The fast food chain revamped its old-timey trademark last year with a more casual font and a grown-up Wendy. Now, keen eyes have spotted something in the ruffles of her collar: the word “MOM.” A spokesman for the company has said it’s “unintentional,” but Mom can’t be unseen now.

Welcome to Talking Points, a daily roundup of digital miscellany

SIDLE UP

Alexander Abad-Santos knows what time it is. The Atlantic Wire writer has championed a long-maligned practice in his piece titled, "The Beauty of Eating at the Bar." Writes Abad-Santos: "Reservations are cumbersome. Waiters aren't always the nicest. Getting drinks faster is always better. Eating by yourself at a table looks lonely. These are among the reasons some people, like myself, prefer to eat at the bar." He enumerates the many perks of this seating arrangement, including better service from the bartender, who is perpetually right in front of you: "Science says that you should be getting your drinks faster if the bartender is also your waiter," he points out. Other bonuses? When dining alone bar-side, there's no pressure to finish up and clear out for more lucrative couples the way there might be at the prime real estate of an actual table. At the same time, a speedy bartender's hand means bar-eaters also get what everyone wants occasionally: "the dinner quickie."

(MR.) KIM

Despite his proven experience and track record, an Australian consultant suffered a steady stream of rejection letters as he applied for work in engineering, management and sales. It was the nineties and Kim O'Grady couldn't catch a break, even when he pitched for jobs well beneath his qualifications. "As I sat scouring every detail of that CV, a horrible truth slowly dawned on me. My name," the man named Kim recounted last week in a blog post titled, "How I Discovered Gender Discrimination." O'Grady's original résumé featured his gender-neutral name prominently; he'd also noted that he was married with children, a point that usually denotes stability to many employers – but perhaps something different as they assumed he was a woman. Popping two letters ahead of his name, O'Grady landed the next job he applied for, and the one after that. He concluded: "It was like being hit on the head with a big sheet of unbreakable glass ceiling."

QUOTED

"David's not bad." - David Beckham

Unblushing, the former English soccer player champions a name for the royal baby, due any minute, overlooking that the infant might be a girl. Still, David may be a gentler alternative to the christening of Beckham's own brood: Romeo, Cruz, Harper Seven and Brooklyn. David's not bad.

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