Word: unpopular
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...outside mediation on Kashmir, and lobbied successfully to have the matter removed from Holbrooke's mandate. Especially after last November's terrorist attacks on Mumbai--blamed on a Pakistan-based group with long links to Islamabad's intelligence services--any hint of a concession to Pakistan would be hugely unpopular in India. The U.S. has some cards to play: it can offer India nuclear technology under a deal signed by the Bush Administration, closer cooperation on counterterrorism, and military assistance. But if a Pakistan-based group mounts another terrorist strike on Indian soil, the U.S. can kiss goodbye any lingering...
...study to be published in the March issue of Social Science Quarterly, David Kalist and Daniel Lee, economists at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania, find that adolescent boys with unpopular names are likelier than other boys to be referred to the juvenile-justice system for alleged offenses. The researchers conclude that the Ernests, Prestons and Tyrells of America are significantly more delinquent than the Michaels and Davids. Why? (See the top 10 crime stories...
...point out that previous research has shown that the name Allison is rarely given to girls whose mothers didn't finish high school but is frequently given to girls whose mothers have 17 years or more of schooling. On average, parents with less schooling are likelier to pick unpopular names for their kids. (See pictures of a diverse group of American teens...
...define unpopular? For their study, Kalist and Lee accumulated all 15,012 names given to the boys born in one large state between 1987 and 1991. (To get the boys' names, the authors had to agree not to reveal the state's name.) The researchers developed an equation that gave the most popular name of the period, Michael, a score of 100. The name David got a 50. Ernest, Preston, Tyrell, Kareem, Malcolm, Alec were each given a 1. Kalist and Lee theorized that the boys with the lower-scoring names might commit more delinquent acts...
...name doesn't cause the crime, of course, and the way people react to the name isn't the only other factor at work. Rather, boys with unpopular names are likelier to live in single-parent households and have less money. Those with unpopular names may also find it harder to get jobs because of the negative stigma toward certain names - particularly names likely to be given to African Americans, like Kareem. And the unemployed are likelier to commit crimes than those who work...