The New York Times has thrown its weight behind the state dirt movement. New Jersey wants the sandy loam, a name which conjures images of seaside idylls or grazing cattle. I think California would stand to benefit from claiming the polished, grooved slickenside soil.

The movement has its critics, but the Times editorialists, cogent as ever, rebuff them:

"There are two excellent reasons to encourage this sort of thing. One is that although legislatures do indeed have many more important things to do, experience shows they’re probably not going to do them."

In other news, I am officially a movie star.