Article 5740 of dc.general:
Newsgroups: dc.general,alt.english
From: hoey@AIC.NRL.Navy.Mil (Dan Hoey)
Subject: Re: Math in Wash Post
Sender: usenet@ra.nrl.navy.mil
Organization: Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC
Date: Fri, 2 Jul 1993 22:57:02 GMT

mheney@access.digex.net (Michael K. Heney) writes:
> Yes, that's very nice, but WHERE was it, and in WHICH issue?

All the Washington Post had on June 24 was an AP wireservice story on
page A15.

cradle@wam.umd.edu (Dave Eisner) writes:
> The story was on the front page of the NYT on June 24.  I remember
> seeing it through the window of a vending machine.  I didn't want to
> pay 75 cents for the Times, so I bought the Post, instead.
> Unfortunately, the Post didn't have the story.  They may have
> eventually reported it, but the Times got the "Scoop."

The Post had it on June 24, see above.  Perhaps you didn't get the
final edition.  The Times story was much better, anyway.  And the
Times's biographical story on Wiles on June 29 was nice, too.

Digressing toward alt.english, I noticed the Times mentioned "Wiles'"
proof on page 1 and "Wiles's" proof on page D22.  I wonder which is
the Times's style.  If they followed the AP style, I guess it could
possibly be that the front-page editor thought "Wiles" had two
syllables.  But note that Strunk and White would have you put "'s"
after every singular--even "Charles's"--except for "the names of
certain ancients". (I think the exception is a craven cavein because
they didn't want to take on the Bible's use of "Jesus'".)  And there
are plenty of people who will tell you never to put "'s" after a
proper name ending in "s", but I haven't seen that in a style book.
I've even seen "Max'" and "Jeez'", but I think they are simply the
usual work of illiterates.  (And no, I don't want to hear your or your
English teacher's vote unless it's a different criterion, so for
Jeez's sake forbear, like Willy the Shakes might have said.)

Dan Hoey
Hoey@AIC.NRL.Navy.Mil