My teaching team at Highland Plaza United Methodist Preschool where I was director for 24 years nicknamed me "Magpie" due to my extreme attraction to all things sparkly. As it often turns out, beliefs we have assumed to be true need further research to determine their veracity. I am dismayed to discover that magpies are in fact quite fearful of shiny objects and do not collect them as gifts for their mates or to decorate their nests. But I doubt these scientific findings will