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May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
A pose by any other name
By
Jim Mullen
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
If you're a school teacher or an employer, it will come as no surprise that many parents are naming their children after the place where their child was conceived. Paris Hilton being the prime example. There are some things I would rather not know. I don't know if it started with Paris Hilton, but after being introduced to children named Catalina, Jamaica and Antigua, I know it didn't stop with her. We should probably count our blessings that parents aren't completely honest or we'd end up with classrooms full of children named Hot Tub, Princess Cruise, Port Authority and Buick LeSabre.
"Martha's Vineyard, would you please go to the blackboard and spell the word 'pretentious'? Put the cell phone away, Disney World, or I will take it away. Does anyone know what caused the Civil War? No, Aspen, it was not because the Civils didn't get along. Anyone else? Jackson Hole, is your hand up?"
Lots of parents name their children after some state they would like to visit someday, judging by the number of kids in the local grade school named Nevada and Dakota. I'm sure there are more children named Dakota than there are people living in the Dakotas.
It's funny how some state names seem to be so much more popular than others. I've yet to run into a kid named Massachusetts or Ohio, even though it makes as much sense as Nevada or Montana. What's wrong with New Hampshire, South Carolina or West Virginia as names?
Although Tiffany & Co. is a real place, I'm pretty sure none of the children named Tiffany were conceived there. I hear they discourage that kind of behavior during business hours. But why did Tiffany become such a popular name while Bloomingdale's and Saks did not? If you're going to name your kid after a store, why not NTB, Trader Joe or Walmart, Target or Costco? Will someone, someday, somewhere, name a child QVC?
It's easy to see why parents take names so seriously. It's natural to want to give your children every advantage in life. Why name the kid after some loser relative when you can give the child a name that will really launch his or her career? If your phone rang right now, and the caller ID said "Pete Castle," you might not pick it up, even though Pete was named after his grandfather, who was, by all accounts, a very nice guy. But if your phone rang and it said, "Windsor Castle," you'd grab it before the second ring. One can only imagine the social heights a child named "The Mellon Foundation" could climb to. If you think the name Paris Hilton has a ring to it, imagine how many parties a debutante named Trump Tower could get invited to.
The day may come when names like John and Mary, Pete and Susan, Tom and Sally are back in fashion, but now they sound as old-timey as Cotton and Constance, Mame and Fanny, Ichabod and Elihu to new parents. Even Paris and Nevada may fall by the wayside to be replaced with more up-to-date-sounding names.
"Good morning class. Would you please settle down, Blackberry? We have a lot of work to get through this morning. Kindle, put that book down and pay attention. What is it, Wii? Well, why didn't you go before you came to class?"
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Comment by clicking here.
Jim Mullen is the author of "It Takes a Village Idiot: Complicating the Simple Life" and "Baby's First Tattoo."
Previously:
Warning: Column contains 2010 spoilers
He loves only gold, only gold
Think about direction, wonder why …
Flushing your money down a diamond-studded toilet
More like wack Friday
The good, the ad and the ugly
The desert of the real
Let books be large and in charge
I was insulting people way before the Internet
GPS drill sergeant: Left, right, left!
Butterfly in the sky, you make winds go twice as high
Music to my ears it's not
You don't light up my life
Fair or not: Country living is far from Little House
A parable for the ages
Top 100 Cable news stories of the century
Green dumb
A developing story
Thinking outside the lunch box
What's good for the goose is good for the scanner
Newspapers will survive, but network TV?
A really big show of generation gaps
When pigs flu
The reports of our decline have been greatly exaggerated
Mergers and admonitions
Invest in gold: little, yellow, different
Stuck in Folsom Penthouse
Collecting karma
Setting loose the creative juice
It's all in the numbers
You're damaging your brain with practical skills
The real rat pack
The unspeakable luxury of the Park-O-Matic
Gross-ery shopping
© 2009, NEA
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