names

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Botanists Vote to Change Racist Plant Names

Changing a letter turned racial slur into word indicating plant comes from Africa

(Newser) - In some countries, including South Africa, "kaffir" is a racial slur against Black people that's as offensive as the n-word is in the US. The word, with various spellings, appeared in the scientific names of hundreds of African plants, until scientists voted in favor of a simple change...

A Jolie-Pitt Kid Will Soon Be Just a Jolie
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt
Is Dropping
a Surname
UPDATED
Jul 21, 2024 8:21 AM CDT

Shiloh Jolie-Pitt Is Dropping a Surname

Daughter of Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt takes out legal notice to drop 'Pitt' from her name

(Newser) - Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt is one big—and public—step closer to becoming Shiloh Nouvel Jolie. The 18-year-old daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt took out a legal notice in the Los Angeles Times stipulating her intent to drop "Pitt" from her name, reports Page Six . Though some headlines...

Parkland Survivor Now Owns the Name of the Shooter

Gunman Nikolas Cruz can't do any interviews without OK from survivor Anthony Borges, 21

(Newser) - Anthony Borges was the most seriously wounded survivor of the Parkland school shooting, a high school freshman shot five times in the abdomen, lungs, and legs in the 2018 massacre. Now, the 21-year-old has reached a civil settlement with shooter Nikolas Cruz, in which Cruz must obtain permission from Borges...

Will These 2 Baby Names Ever Leave the No. 1 Spot?

Liam, Olivia are top boy, girl names according to SSA, for 5th year straight

(Newser) - Nearly 21,000 baby boys born in the US last year were named Liam, while more than 15,000 girls were announced as Olivias—the two names that have been bestowed upon American bambinos the most now for five years straight, reports NPR . That's according to this year's...

School Board Votes to Bring Back Confederate Names

Decision by Virginia's Shenandoah County school board came despite pushback

(Newser) - A Virginia school board has become the first in the country to restore school names honoring Confederate generals shortly after removing them. The school board in Shenandoah County, Virginia, on Friday approved a proposal to rename Mountain View High School to Stonewall Jackson High School and Honey Run Elementary School...

Job Seekers Get Callbacks Based on Their Names

A new 'Discrimination Report Card' is out, and white-sounding names seem to get more callbacks

(Newser) - In 2004, a study found that job applicants with stereotypically white-sounding names got callbacks for interviews 50% more than applicants with Black-sounding names. Now, scientists have rebooted that research, and while the results are better than they were two decades ago, they show that racial bias still appears to come...

In 500 Years, Everyone in Japan May Have the Same Name

Japan's residents may all have surname Sato if an antiquated civil code isn't updated, researcher says

(Newser) - An antiquated law in Japan could lead to an unusual happening in about five centuries: everyone with the same surname. That surname would be Sato, which is the conclusion on the universally shared surname by the year 2531 arising from the research of Tohoku University economics professor Hiroshi Yoshida. More...

Texas City Is Calling All Kyles
Texas City Is
Calling All Kyles
Apr 2, 2024 5:04 PM CDT

Texas City Is Calling All Kyles

They're hoping to beat world record with 'Gathering of the Kyles'

(Newser) - The city of Kyle, Texas wants as many Kyles as possible to visit for this year's "Gathering of the Kyles." The Austin-area city is aiming to beat the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same first name, UPI reports. The current record...

Users Rail on Glassdoor for 'Breach of Trust'

Company review site seems to have attached real names to profiles without consent

(Newser) - Glassdoor was recently named one of the most innovative companies in the nation by Fast Company , but some users aren't too pleased these days with the employer review site. "Time to delete your Glassdoor account," one software professional named Monica wrote in a recent blog post, upset...

Dwayne Johnson Finally Gets Rights to Famous Nickname
'The Rock' Has
a New Owner
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jan 27, 2024 4:00 PM CST

'The Rock' Has a New Owner

And it's Dwayne Johnson, who strikes a deal with WWE regarding rights to his famous nickname

(Newser) - It's a name that has become almost synonymous with professional wrestling, but its bearer, Dwayne Johnson, has never legally owned "The Rock." That will change under a new agreement with the WWE, under which Johnson will also join the board of TKO Group, the sports and entertainment...

These Baby Names Are Going Down the Tubes
These Baby Names
May Soon Be 'Extinct'
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jan 27, 2024 6:00 AM CST

These Baby Names May Soon Be 'Extinct'

According to BabyCenter, certain names have dropped significantly in popularity

(Newser) - If you know a Brooke, Blake, Brady, or Bradley, offer them either condolences or a big congrats—they may soon claim a pretty rare first name. BabyCenter offers an annual "most popular" baby names list, but the company also sifted through the data to find the names that seem...

New Yorkers, Say Goodbye to This Sign
New Yorkers, Say
Goodbye to This Sign
Jan 12, 2024 11:13 AM CST

New Yorkers, Say Goodbye to This Sign

'Trump Links' golf course has become 'Bally Links' in the Bronx

(Newser) - On the final day of a civil fraud trial that could strip former President Trump of his ability to do business in the state he called home for most of his life, New York City officials were taking their own steps to sever ties with Trump by erasing his name...

Unsurprisingly, 'Hitler' Bug Is Causing a 'Ferocious Debate'
This Bug's Scientific Name
Is Causing a Big Uproar
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Jan 6, 2024 4:20 PM CST

This Bug's Scientific Name Is Causing a Big Uproar

'Anophthalmus hitleri,' aka the 'eyeless Hitler' beetle, is now the subject of 'ferocious debate'

(Newser) - Slovenia: home to former first lady Melania Trump, "breathtaking" landscapes , and one of the most controversial insects on the planet. Not that the Anophthalmus hitleri ground beetle is inherently a troublemaker—but, as you may have surmised from its longer scientific moniker, its designation as the "eyeless Hitler"...

Streisand Took Up Her Beef With Siri With Tim Cook

Singer didn't like how Apple's digital assistant pronounced her last name, so she made a call

(Newser) - Barbra Streisand must be annoyed at how often her first name is misspelled. Now, she's got another beef: how her last name is mispronounced. The 81-year-old singer is on the interview circuit to promote her new memoir My Name Is Barbra , coming out Tuesday, and in one interview airing...

All American Birds That Honor People to Be Renamed

American Ornithological Society announced the decision Wednesday

(Newser) - It's being framed as a "fairly radical" decision in a fairly traditional domain. The American Ornithological Society on Wednesday said it will rename all US and Canadian bird species that honor people in order to remove painful associations that can come with the eponymous practice. NPR places the...

Ron DeSantis Offers an Answer on How to Say His Last Name

'Winner,' the presidential candidate snarks, refusing to clarify further on 'ridiculous' pronunciation debate

(Newser) - "Dee-Santis" or "Deh-Santis"? How GOP presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pronounces his own last name has become the debate du jour , and although Mediaite calls it a "substantively meaningless distinction," the public's curiosity has yet to be quelled. Fox News reporter Paul...

No One Knows How to Say Ron DeSantis' Name— Including DeSantis
DeSantis Keeps
Switching How He
Says His Name
THE RUNDOWN
Jun 1, 2023 8:41 AM CDT

DeSantis Keeps Switching How He Says His Name

Yearslong puzzle on how to pronounce surname reignites now that he's running for president

(Newser) - Now that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has officially jumped into the 2024 presidential race, people have lots of questions on what he plans to do if he's elected to the Oval Office. But another question has emerged of late, and it's a more personal one: How the heck...

Don't Know Who Abel Tesfaye Is? Yes, You Do

Canadian singer known as the Weeknd has started using his birth name on social media

(Newser) - The most popular singer on Earth (at least according to Guinness World Records stats) is on social media, but you might not recognize his accounts now—at least not until you get used to his new, actual moniker. The Weeknd, whose birth name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye, is now going...

Tourism Agency Sorry for Sexualizing City Name

Effort to embrace jokes about Regina, Saskatchewan, went awry

(Newser) - Regina, capital of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, knows all about the jokes on how the pronunciation of the city's name rhymes with "vagina." The Washington Post reports that a recent effort by a tourism organization to embrace the gag went awry, leading to accusations the campaign...

Yes, She Goes by 'Nikki,' and Critics Should Respect That

Daily Beast essay defends her choice to go by her middle name instead of Nimarata

(Newser) - Now that Nikki Haley has launched her campaign for president, critics have begun revisiting a personal choice she made long ago: She goes by her middle name, Nikki, instead of her first name, Nimarata. "To these gatekeepers of cultural authenticity, Haley must either be Nimarata or a self-hating Indian...

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