At 08:11 AM 1/18/00 +1100, Ben wrote:

>The only people on this list who want to be called doctor are those who
>aren't doctors of medicine!
>
>Particularly, those who want to trash the medical profession and allopathic
>medicine are the ones who love to be called doctor!!

In the academic food chain, having your Ph.D. is a bit of a requirement.
Sort of like a driver's licence for a trucker.  On the academic side, I've
found that the people with an E.Ed are most insistent on the title
"Doctor".  Engineers rarely give a d*mn.  Most of us come from the
industry, where profit is the only thing that matters, not titles.

On the medical side, I find dentists are most insistant on the title.

True story:  My Ph.D. is from the University of Wales, Swansea.  When I
flew home after the defense I got properly and professorially smashed on
the plane.  I told the flight attendant that I was not driving and to keep
the liquor flowing as I was celebrating.  When she asked what, I told her I
had just passed my doctorate.  About a half hour later she asked me to look
at one of the passengers. Sigh...

As for why the titles are silly?  Here is my full official title - with all
of the lettuce;

James John Alpigini,  Ph.D., M.Eng.ES, BEE
MIEEE, MIEE, C.Eng.
Assistant Professor of Systems Engineering

Ergo, I go by James.

I now return you to your normal paleo reading.