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Ocho Cinco: It's official
The Cincinnati Bengals receiver has legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco in Broward County, Fla., a switch that became official this week, according to several media reports. Johnson, who lives in Miami, didn’t return a message left on his cell phone Friday night.
“It’s something I don’t think anyone has ever done before,” he told the team’s Web site. “Have I ever had a reason for why I do what I do? I’m having fun.”
Two years ago, Johnson gave himself the moniker – a reference in Spanish to his No. 85 – and put it on the back of his uniform before a game. Quarterback Carson Palmer ripped it off before the kickoff. After the season, coach Marvin Lewis – who dislikes Johnson’s attention-getting stunts – referred to the receiver as “Ocho Psycho.”
Bengals spokesman Jack Brennan said the Bengals had no comment on the matter. The Cincinnati Bengals receiver has legally changed his name to Chad Javon Ocho Cinco in Broward County, Fla., a switch that became of... more -
Website maps surnames worldwide
A website which maps global surnames has been launched to help people find the origins of their name and how far it may have spread.
The Public Profiler site plots 10.8 million last names using data from electoral rolls and phone directories.
The site covers a billion people in 26 countries, showing the origins of names and where families have scattered.
The site - www.publicprofiler.org/worldnames - also reveals which of the 6.5 million forenames are most closely associated with different surnames and lists the top regions and cities for each surname. A website which maps global surnames has been launched to help people find the origins of their name and how far it may have spread. ... more -
Yoda blocked from Facebook
A woman called Yoda has claimed that she was blocked form the social networking site Facebook simply because of her unusual name.
Hiroko Yoda claims that she tried several times to sign up, but that she received an error message. A woman called Yoda has claimed that she was blocked form the social networking site Facebook simply because of her unusual name. ... more -
Traditional UK names 'dying out'
Some traditional British names such as Edna, Norman and Gertrude are in danger of dying out, research suggests.
Gurgle.com studied the most popular names of 1907 with those that have made the grade over the past five years.
In 1907, 1,048 babies were named Gertrude but none were in 2005. Baby Normans declined from 1,991 to two.
Many babies are named after celebrities or given made-up names now, rather than being given relatives' ones, as often happened in the past, Gurgle.com said.
The two Normans named in 2005 were in Shropshire and Tyne and Wear.
GIRLS' NAMES OUT OF FAVOUR
Gertrude
Edna
Ethel
Irene
Ada
Norah
Olive
BOYS' NAMES OUT OF FAVOUR
Norman
Walter
Percy
Harold
Ernest
Herbert
Clifford Some traditional British names such as Edna, Norman and Gertrude are in danger of dying out, research suggests. ... more -
Ban lifted on naming your kids Budwieser
Swedish authorities say parents can now name their newborns "Budweiser" or "Metallica" if they so wish.
For decades, Swedish tax authorities had banned parents from naming their children after fast-food chains, rock bands or their favourite brand of beer.
But tax authority spokesman Lars Tegenfeldt says the guidelines have been relaxed. He says "there is nothing negative about a name like Coca-Cola or McDonald's today. In the 1970s, maybe it was."
Still, authorities are drawing the line at giving children swear words for names. And forget about naming your child God, Allah or Devil.
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Oh good now they can grow up to be alcoholics! but not a messiah. This bud's for you! Swedish authorities say parents can now name their newborns "Budweiser" or "Metallica" if they so wish. ... more -
Natural Highs- Better than sex?
"When it comes to the natural highs, Gracienne Myers says sex just doesn't cut it. Shoes, on the other hand, get her heart racing.
The 34-year-old Brazilian native who now calls State College, Pennsylvania, home says there's just something about heels, sandals, platforms and wedges that give her a rush.
"They're thrilling," says the entrepreneur, who recently started designing her own line of shoes and selling them online and through a handful of retail locations.
She still remembers the rush she got when she found a pair of strappy gold heel sandals at a boutique in Brazil. "I'll never forget it," she recalls, "that feeling of being powerful and sexy in those shoes."
For natural highs -- from stilettos to skydiving -- experts say to look beyond the bedroom. Some activities can actually mimic your brain's response to sex, says Ronald Frederick, a licensed psychologist and the author of the forthcoming book "Living Like You Mean It: Use the Wisdom and Power of Your Emotions to Get the Life You Really Want."
"Some of the same chemicals are involved," he says. "A 'natural high,' that pleasant feeling one experiences during and after a certain activity like running or strenuous exercise, has to do with the release of endorphins, as well as other mood-regulating hormones such as adrenaline, serotonin, cortisol and melatonin. Orgasm also produces a flood of endorphins, which is what makes us feel calm and relaxed after sex."
For some people, the natural high is just that: high up.
"Hiking and climbing mountains is better than sex," says Ramani Durvasula, a professor at California State University Los Angeles who discovered the sport last year after reaching a big weight loss goal.
"When you pull yourself up onto a summit -- and climax, so to speak, particularly as a woman -- the sheer physicality, beauty and endurance are like no other feeling on earth," she explains.
Durvasula, 42, has climbed summits throughout California. "My favorite 'lover' was Half Dome," she says, "the iconic rock formation in Yosemite." When she reached the top, "I fell to my knees. It was one of the best moments of my life."
Scientists have long known that some decidedly nonsexual things can get our brains going. For instance, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston found that a baby's smile activates a region in the mother's brain known to produce feelings of euphoria.
The same can be said for money and praise; Japanese researchers have linked both to the brain's pleasure centers. In other words, whether you get a raise at work or a big compliment from the person you're dating, your striatum -- the brain's reward system -- is likely to be turned on.
Anecdotal research maintains that shopping does it, too. According to a small study released earlier this year by the British research and consulting firm MindLab International and sponsored by retailer T.J. Maxx, successful shopping produces a euphoric experience equal to kissing and other romantic activities. The informal study, which followed 12 women for a day of shopping, found that heart rates increased to 192 beats per minute while shopping and, in particular, when they discovered an exciting find -- more than triple the normal resting heart rate of 60."
So what's your natural high- and is it better than sex? "When it comes to the natural highs, Gracienne Myers says sex just doesn't cut it. Shoes, on the other hand, get her heart r... more -
Barbados locals angry at 'Discovery' of World's Tiniest Snake
"A small snake has sparked a big debate in Barbados.
Residents of the wealthy Caribbean nation have been heating up blogs and clogging radio airwaves to vent their anger at a U.S. scientist, who early last week announced his "discovery" of the world's smallest snake and named it "Leptotyphlops carlae," after his wife Carla.
"If he needs to blow his own trumpet ... well, fine," said 43-year-old Barbadian Charles Atkins. "But my mother, who was a simple housewife, she showed me the snake when I was a child."
One writer to the Barbados Free Press blog took an even tougher tone, questioning how someone could "discover" a snake long known to locals, who called it the thread snake.
"How dare this man come in here and name a snake after his wife?" said the writer who identified themselves as Margaret Knight.
The man she refers to is Penn State University evolutionary biologist S. Blair Hedges, whose research teams also have discovered the world's tiniest lizard in the Dominican Republic and the smallest frog in Cuba.
Hedges recently became the first to describe the snake — which is so small it can curl up on a U.S. quarter — when he published his observations and genetic test results in the journal "Zootaxa."
Full-grown adults typically are less than 4 inches long.
Hedges told The Associated Press on Friday that he understands Barbadians' angry reactions, but under established scientific practice, the first person to do a full description of a species is said to have discovered it and gives it a scientific name.
He said most newly "discovered" species are already well known to locals, and the term refers to the work done in a laboratory to establish a genetic profile.
In the study, he reported that two specimens he analyzed were found in 1889 and 1963.
"There are no false claims here, believe me," Hedges said." "A small snake has sparked a big debate in Barbados. ... more -
Sexy Beijing - lost in translation
Sexy Beijing is a show about love, lust, youth culture and street life in China's capital. In this episode, our heroine Su Fei goes around Beijing, asking Chinese people what their English names are, and why they need them.
Who said China is not a creative country?
This episode was shot in June and July 2006 in Beijing.
Starring Su Fei, shot and edited by Luke Mines, with music by Fernando Fidanza. Sexy Beijing is a show about love, lust, youth culture and street life in China's capital. In this episode, our heroine Su Fei go... more -
Your parents named you what? The pros and cons of unusual names
When you hear the name "Indiana Jones," you think of an archaeologist carrying an idol and dodging a giant boulder. When you hear about "Dow Jones," you might wonder if it's up or down that day. However, in this case, Indiana and Dow Jones are siblings, 12 and 7 years old, respectively.
Indiana Elizabeth Jones shared her story with the iReport community, and we spoke with her mother, Jennifer Jones. The Port Deposit, Maryland, resident says Indiana got her name simply because her husband's family is from that state. Dow and Indiana Jones participate in many sporting events. Indiana says, "announcers love to say our names."
As for Dow Joseph Jones, there was serious talk of naming him Jack Ryan Jones, to keep the Harrison Ford theme. (Jack Ryan is the character Ford played in a series of action movies.) Instead, her husband named their son Dow on a dare while Jennifer was asleep in the hospital bed after giving birth.
She said she cried when she found out and even thought about having Dow's name changed.
CNN.com asked users to share their unusual names after a 9-year-old New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula from Hawaii won the right to change her name. Dozens of members of iReport.com community explained the stories behind their odd names, as well as what they've experienced in their day-to-day lives.
Some names might not seem problematic until they're actually used on a daily basis. Open Weaver Banks of Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey (speaking of odd names), says that she shared her story with iReport.com in hopes that parents would think twice before giving their children an unusual name.
Open is an unusual name, but it's not necessarily a name that one might expect to cause regular difficulties. Weaver Banks, however, says that she often has problems with it. iReport.com: Check out Banks' story
"I have a hard time using my credit cards for personal items, because clerks will accuse me of using a business card. I cannot tell my name to someone without having to explain it. Some days, it is exhausting, and I can't even disguise the annoyance in my voice."
Banks' childhood was "painful" because of her name, too. "I still give my mother a hard time about the name choice, and she tries to explain that she was young, she liked how it sounded, it was 1970 and various other reasons," she explains. "I actually tried going by another name for a year, and I realized that as much as I truly hate my name, it is embedded in me and so much a part of my experience." iReport.com: Read about more unusual names
Some people avoid the use of their name altogether to avoid questions, confusion or embarrassment. "At times, for the sake of avoiding an uncomfortable conversation or throwing someone off guard, I answer to the names of 'Mary' or 'Kelly'," says Bluzette Martin of West Allis, Wisconsin. At restaurants, "the thought of putting an employee through the pain of guessing how to spell and pronounce 'Bluzette' just isn't worth it to me."
Martin was named after "Bluzette," an up-tempo jazz waltz written by Jean "Toots" Thielemans. Despite her daily problems with this name, it certainly has its perks, like when she met Thielemans in 1987 at a club in Los Angeles. "When I met [him], he thanked my mother," she says.
She called her mother in the middle of the night and told her that she had a surprise for her. She gave the phone to Thielemans, and he started doing his famous whistling, to the tune of "Bluzette."
Even celebrities aren't immune to the use of unusual names. Take boxer George Foreman's children, all named George. (Or actor Jason Lee's son, Pilot Inspektor, or comedian Penn Jillette's daughter, Moxie CrimeFighter.) These are just-plain bizarre names. When you hear the name "Indiana Jones," you think of an archaeologist carrying an idol and dodging a giant boulder. When you... more -
Embarrassing Names Trend in New Zealand
A 9 year old girl named "Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii" has been made a ward of court in New Zealand so she could change her name. She was too embarrassed to use it and insisted friends just called her "K". I was more shocked that record show someone else wanted to call their kid - Sex Fruit - although I suppose it's to the point. It's interesting that one mother wanted to call her kid O.crnia - using text language as this article says - I'll be interested to see if text spelling starts to become more common in names. K8Y?
Although Sex Fruit was not allowed, the New Zealand authorities did let other parents call their kids "Number 16 Bus Shelter" and "Violence". !!! A 9 year old girl named "Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii" has been made a ward of court in New Zealand so she could change ... more -
Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116
Brfxxccxxmnpcccclllmmnprxvclmnckssqlbb11116 (pronounced (albin)) was a name intended for a Swedish child who was born in 1991.
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All Fun & Names
If you're called Keith, then you might think your name is a bit embarrassing. And you'd be right. Keith is a rubbish name. But at least youre not called "Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii". If you're called Keith, then you might think your name is a bit embarrassing. And you'd be right. Keith is a rubbish name. B... more
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No funny names in New Zealand!
"A family court judge in New Zealand has had enough with parents giving their children bizarre names here, and did something about it.
Just ask Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii. He had her renamed.
Judge Rob Murfitt made the 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that her name could be changed, he said in a ruling made public Thursday. The girl was involved in a custody battle, he said.
The new name was not made public to protect the girl's privacy.
"The court is profoundly concerned about the very poor judgment which this child's parents have shown in choosing this name," he wrote. "It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap, unnecessarily."
The girl had been so embarrassed at the name that she had never told her closest friends what it was. She told people to call her "K" instead, the girl's lawyer, Colleen MacLeod, told the court.
In his ruling, Murfitt cited a list of the unfortunate names.
Registration officials blocked some names, including Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit, he said. But others were allowed, including Number 16 Bus Shelter "and tragically, Violence," he said.
New Zealand law does not allow names that would cause offense to a reasonable person, among other conditions, said Brian Clarke, the registrar general of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Clarke said officials usually talked to parents who proposed unusual names to convince them about the potential for embarrassment."
Wow! What do you think? "A family court judge in New Zealand has had enough with parents giving their children bizarre names here, and did something abou... more -
New Zealand Girl Ashamed of Embarrassing Name
A New Zealand judge has made a 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that her name can be changed from Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii, the country's national news agency reported Thursday.
Family Court Judge Rob Murfitt listed a series of unusual names that New Zealand parents had given their children, and said he was concerned that such strange monikers would create hurdles for them as they grew up.
"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap," the New Zealand Press Association quoted the judge as saying.
Among the names Murfitt cited: twins named Benson and Hedges -- after a brand of cigarettes; Violence; and Number 16 Bus Shelter.
Some parents had named children after six-cylinder Ford cars, the news agency reported.
The Registrar General of Births, Deaths and Marriages said in a statement that it had rejected names including Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Twisty Poi -- a staple food in Polynesian cuisine -- and Sex Fruit.
A lawyer for Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii said the girl is so embarrassed by her name that friends know her as "K."
Last month, an judge in the U.S. state of Illinois allowed a school bus driver to legally change his first name to "In God" and his last name to "We Trust."
But an appeals court in the state of New Mexico ruled against a man -- named Variable -- who wanted to change his name to a two-word phrase that contains a four-letter expletive and expresses opposition to censorship.
Whatever happened to Katie or John? A New Zealand judge has made a 9-year-old girl a ward of the court so that her name can be changed from Talula Does the Hula From Hawa... more -
Girl called 'Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii' ordered to change name
The parents of a New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii have been ordered to change her name because it risks making her the target of abuse and ridicule, the Telegraph reports.
A judge ruled that the nine-year-old girl, who is the subject of a custody fight, should be placed in the guardianship of the court until she is renamed.
A lawyer acting for the girl claimed she was so embarrassed by her name that she had kept it from her friends, insisting she should be known as "K" instead. She also feared that if it became public she would be mocked and teased.
The lawyer claimed the girl fully understood the absurdity of her name, unlike her parents who had not considered the implications when they named her.
Justice Robert Murfitt said the name clearly presented a social hurdle for the child.
"It makes a fool of the child and sets her up with a social disability and handicap," he said.
He also voiced concern over other names given to New Zealand children, such as Violence, Midnight Chardonnay and Number 16 Bus Shelter.
A set of twins was named Benson and Hedges, after the cigarette brand and some children had been named after six-cylinder Ford cars. There has ever been a case of a child being named after the entire All Blacks side.
"Recently, for the first time in my experience as a Family Court judge, the name of a child described in text language has emerged," Mr Murfitt said.
In that case, a girl was named O.crnia, but in negotiations with the mother over a parenting order, the name was adjusted to Oceania.
New Zealand officials said they did have the power to block outlandish names.
Brian Clarke, the registrar general of Births, Deaths and Marriages, told the New Zealand Herald that the law did not allow names that would cause offence to a reasonable person, that are more than 100 characters or that include titles, military ranks, punctuation or numerals.
Names rejected by the office include Fish and Chips, Yeah Detroit, Stallion, Twisty Poi, Keenan Got Lucy and Sex Fruit.
Why oh why would you do that to a child? Sex fruit? Sex fruit!? Is it funny to lumber your kid with a name that'll forever bring them ridicule, or just plain cruel? Does hardship indeed make a child stronger, or just a bit damaged? Do you have any horrific family names to own up to? Are you planning to name your kids something you think is funny, but they'll think is horrific? And should the state be able to intervene if you pick something like 'Stallion' for your sprog? The parents of a New Zealand girl named Talula Does the Hula From Hawaii have been ordered to change her name because it risks making ... more -
Want Scientific Immortality? Name a Species After Yourself
"Jeff Goodhartz is single and has no children. But he wanted to ensure the family name would live on after he's gone.
So he paid $5,000 to have a newfound sea worm given the Goodhartz name, ''goodhartzorum.''
''This really jazzes me up,'' said the 55-year-old high school math teacher whose namesake is translucent with a flamboyant blue tuft. ''It will be out there, the family name.''
And it will be swimming in the Belize mangroves where someone else discovered it.
Goodhartz bought the naming rights from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which unveiled its name-a-species program earlier this year. This modern twist on taxonomy is a way to raise research money, and lots of groups have been doing it.
But its growing popularity has rekindled a debate over whether the practice invites fake discoveries and has led to a push for oversight.
''It is conceivable that someone could fabricate a new species in order to make money, if it were shown to be lucrative,'' said Andrew Polaszek, an entomologist at the Natural History Museum in London.
Taxonomy ranks among the world's oldest professions, dating back to 18th century Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus, who popularized the classification system still in use today. Of the 30 million or so species of animals, plants and microbes on Earth, only about 1.8 million have been named and identified so far.
Traditionally, the discoverer gets to christen the new organism. All living things have a two-part scientific name, usually in Latin. It's common for discoverers to name a new species after themselves or in honor of their spouses, children, colleagues, benefactors or even celebrities.
In recent years, species names have gone from finders keepers to being auctioned off or sold to donors to support research as other funding has dried up. Not all species are created equal. The rarer and more evolved the organism, the more money it tends to fetch.
Still up for grabs is a $15,000 sea slug, a pair of bone-feeding worms for $25,000 each and $50,000 rare hydrothermal vent worm. Donors receive a framed photo of their namesake and a copy of the scientific paper that describes the species. "
Say WHAT? That's a little rich for my blood! "Jeff Goodhartz is single and has no children. But he wanted to ensure the family name would live on after he's gone. ... more -
Urban dictionary will define you
Have you ever looked your name up on Urban Dictionary? Apparently it is the new thing to do and being the follower that I am, I did it. Unlike most name definitions (supposedly, the Germanic origin of my name means “work") Urban Dictionary’s definitions seem to be far more accurate! Have you ever looked your name up on Urban Dictionary? Apparently it is the new thing to do and being the follower that I am, I did it... more
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No more Fatboy Slim
No, he did not die. He is, however, ditching his stage name. He is keeping it a secret as to what his new name is going to be.
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What's your superhero name?
In light of all the attention given to the man who won the right to use his wife's last name, I think we should all just opt for our super hero names.
Mine: The Super Gorilla
My Superpower: Soul Sold to Devil
My Weakness: Crystals
My Weapon: Toxic Cannon
My Mode of Transportation: Llama In light of all the attention given to the man who won the right to use his wife's last name, I think we should all just opt for ... more -
So you think Smith is a popular name?
Discover where your family name ranks among others. Every surname has a story. But people who study names — a field known as onamastics — say the origins of most names can be traced to one of five categories. Discover where your family name ranks among others. Every surname has a story. But people who study names — a field known as onamastic... more
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