Yeah, don’t everybody?

After all, “Jones” is the most common last name in Wales, the second-most common last name in Britain, and the fourth-most common last name in the United States. These facts were apparently known to Gethin Jones, Cardiff-born TV presenter, who took it upon himself to host a…Jones extravaganza.

This event, properly entitled “Jones, Jones, Jones,” was a successful attempt to beat the world record for a gathering of people with the same family name. The record had been held by the Norbergs, who brought 583 people together in Sweden in 2004, but after Friday, November 3, the Jones had doubled the number and won the record. From as far away as Australia and the United States, 1,224 Jones gathered in Cardiff, Wales. Guinness World Record officials were present and made all the Joneses prove their identity to confirm the breaking of the record.

The event was watched closely by the Norbergs, but alas, they were not to keep their place in the book of world records. But then, who knows? Perhaps they have another get-together in mind.

In 2004, after narrowly defeating John Kerry, President Bush boasted he had earned political capital and he intended to spend it.

What political capital, then, have Democrats just earned?

The dust has settled, most of the results are now in, and for Republicans, the results are not good. Democrats have taken solid control of the House, capturing 27 Republican-held seats and leading in two other races. They are on the verge of taking the Senate as well, with Democratic wins in Virginia and Montana likely, although not yet certain.

Ultimately, one can point to two things that cost Republicans this election: Mark Foley and Iraq. Exit polls indicated many voters were unhappy with Bush, with the war in Iraq, and with what they perceived to be corruption in Congress.

The jury is still out on the corruption—that issue will undoubtedly come up again and again in the not so distant future—but clearly Iraq is not going to go away anytime soon. To paraphrase an old saying: Republicans made their own bed on that one, and now they have to lie in it.

The “good” news for conservatives? We’ve essentially been operating with a Democratic-controlled Congress since Bush became president. Republicans technically controlled Congress, but the result was out of control government spending and big government policies. Maybe now that they’re no longer the party in power, Republicans will make some sort of attempt to return to their fiscally conservative roots.

So reported major French newspapers on Tuesday, October 31. It seems the celebration of Halloween which was pushed in France in the late 1990s is losing popularity. The daily French newspaper Le Monde quoted the head of costume company Cesar who said that Halloween in France is “pretty much buried” due to “a cultural reaction linked to the rise of anti-Americanism.”

The holiday has always been controversial in France, and many have lacked interest because they do not understand what is being celebrated. The pushed trend is dying down now so much so that a group called “Non a Halloween,” established to fight the popularity of Halloween in France, has disbanded, their mission complete.

“Halloween was a marketing gimmick aimed mainly at children,” said former president of the group, Arnaud Guyot-Jeannin. “It’s a big festival of consumption selling outfits, masks, gadgets and it couldn’t last forever.”