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February 10, 2012
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The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
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Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
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Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
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Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
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Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
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Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
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Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
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Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
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John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
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January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Oct. 30, 2009
/ 12 Mar-Cheshvan 5770
What's in a Name?
By
Linda Chavez
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
It's a good thing Larry Whitten isn't in charge of the editorial page of this publication; otherwise, I might be forced to write under the name Pretty Keys which is how Linda Chavez roughly translates from (old) Spanish to English. Mr. Whitten is the owner of a Taos, N.M., hotel who decided one way to promote business in his new enterprise was to make hotel employees Anglicize their Spanish names. The story hit the newswires this week when angry former employees and their families set up picket lines across the street from the hotel.
Predictably, charges of racism ensued, followed by countercharges that Hispanics simply refuse to assimilate. In fact, Whitten may have had a right to do what he did so long as he'd make the same requirements of an employee named, say, Hermione or Ethelrod. But just because you have a legal right to do something doesn't mean it's the right thing to do.
My parents weren't thinking of passing on any ethnic heritage when they named me Linda. It was simply the most popular girl's name in 1947 and ranked in the top 10 from 1940-1965. But the popularity of babies' names does sometimes reflect changing demographics. In 1998, Jose moved to the top of the list of most common boys' names for the state of California, for example. But names also reflect a changing culture and the acceptance of what might, at one time, have seemed foreign.
In 2009, names like Aiden and Liam were among the most popular boys' names in the United States, as were Isabella, Chloe, and Sophia among girls. At an earlier point in American history, those names might have raised eyebrows, but not today. And the parents giving their babies those names may well be the descendants of Irish, Spanish, and Greek immigrants who didn't feel free to do the same for their own offspring.
A hundred years ago, it was not uncommon for immigrants to want their children to be recognizably American by giving them names more common in the U.S. than in the country of their ancestors. Antonio became Anthony and Giuseppe, Joseph. And sometimes the change took place in school, not on the birth certificate, and the choice was the child's, not the parents. Nor was it just immigrants who made the decision. My father, Rudy, whose family had lived in New Mexico for nearly 400 years, always gave his full name as Rudolph Frank Chavez. But his birth certificate clearly reads Rodolfo Enrique which means Henry, not Frank as he apparently preferred.
We've become a very tolerant society, in which we don't judge people by their names any more than by the color of their skin. Assimilation still requires some accommodation by the newcomers learning English, first and foremost as it should. But it doesn't mean entirely giving up some attachment and affection for one's origins, even distant ones.
It's one thing for an employer to insist his staff speak English on the job (which Whitten did as well) and quite another for him to require a Marcos to become Mark or tell a Martin (Mahr-TEEN) to pronounce his name with the accent on the first syllable or else. The former represents an obvious business advantage; it allows customers to understand what is being said in their presence and supervisors to know that employees are not being insubordinate. But the latter just seems insulting, to both employees and customers, who are presumed be too bigoted to accept Spanish names.
And the irony couldn't be more acute, given the venue. Whitten's hotel is located on Paseo del Pueblo in Taos at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I suppose if Whitten had his way, he'd Anglicize all those names as well though no doubt the separation-of-church-and-state fanatics would have a field day if New Mexico chose the Blood of Christ as the new name for its spectacular mountain range.
Whitten has a record of turning around distressed hotel properties in several states, so he must be a savvy businessman. But in the state of New Mexico -- where Chavezes outnumber Whittens or Smiths, for that matter, and have been there a lot longer he'd be wise to turn around his attitude if he hopes to make money.
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.
JWR contributor Linda Chavez is President of the Center for Equal Opportunity. Her latest book is "Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics". (Click HERE to purchase. Sales help fund JWR.)
Linda Chavez Archives
© 2006, Creators Syndicate
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