Front Lines NOTEBOOK By Any Other Name A game that I enjoy and have written about before is playing . with names. It's fun and challenging to try to come up with pairings of names that will produce a humorous result. It is also fun to create names based on sound/word play. Look at the following and then try your hand at it. If Condoleezza Rice's daughter were to marry Edith Piaff's son, her last name would be Rice-Piaff. If Jacob Zuma, deputy president of South Africa's National congress named his son Monte, he'd be Monte Zuma. If the former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox, had a daughter and she were to marry actress Helen Hunt's son, her last name would Sy Manello be Fox-Hunt. Editorial If Tom Hanks had a daughter and she were Assistant to marry Madeleine O'Hair's son, the last name would be Hanks-O'Hair. Now that you see how easy it is, let me share with you some of my inspiration for this "game." One of the most creative sets of minds in this field (mind — field ? There's another column) belong to the writ- ers of the National Public Radio show Car Talk. Here are some of the results. (Be sure to say each aloud to catch the play on words.) Local news reporter ... Phil Mataleven Staff kitchen designer ... Jaoquin Freezer Yard designer ... Roxanne Debris Excursion planner ... Deepak Tumuch Accounts payable administrator ... Imelda Czechs Air traffic controller ... Ulanda U. Lucky Art critics ... Phyllis Steen and Dot Snice Assertiveness trainer ... Lois Steem Customer care rep ... Kurt Reply Band leader ... Sasha Noyes Bowling coach ... Menachem Down Traffic director... Laura Biden Chief information officer ... Otto Delupe Complaint line operator ... Xavier Breath Credit counselor ... Max Stout Cruise activity planner ... Eton Doolittle Dental hygenist ... Ginger Vitis Dentist ... Perry O'Dontal Desert chef ... Tyra Meesu Catering director ... Russell Upsumgrub Director of photography ... Len Scapon Drycleaner ... Preston Creases Exercise chief ... Liza Round Fact checker ... Ella Fynoe Fashion consultant ... Natalie Attired Grammar consultant ... I.M. Shirley Wright Footwear consultant ... Susan Shocks Grounds maintenance chief ... Moe D'Lawn Lighting expert ... Shanda Lear Marriage counselor ... Marion Haste Nutrition consultants ... Eaton Wright and Liven Good Spokespersons ... Howie Vasive and Lou Scannon Proof reader ... Erin Spelling And so it goes. Who knows what hours of fun you can have by just being punny. Well, as the "Governator" might have said when asked to name his favorite modern playwright and favorite classical composer, "Albee; Bach." El JNenline A Super Mitzvah Sam Gringlas took a common bar mitzvah tzedakah project, volun- teering for Yad Ezra, a step further. Like many b'nai mitzvah students, Sam sorted and distributed food at the Berkley-based kosher food bank. But as his community service project, he also collected six large banana boxes of food, 501 pounds worth, raising $188 for Yad Ezra. "I am grateful to have been able to contribute to Yad Ezra, which is such an important organization in our Jewish community' the Farmington Hills student said. "We are honored that Sam has taken Yad Ezra's mission to heart and has partnered with us at this very special time in his life said Lea Luger, Yad Ezra development director. In a bold action for a 13-year-old, Sam first sought Jim Hiller's per- mission to set up his Cans for Kindness Food Drive booth in the front lobby at the Hiller's Supermarket in Commerce Township on Nov. 19. He asked shoppers to buy and donate to him a nonperishable kosher food item or a toiletry, which he, in turn, would donate to Yad Ezra. He gave each donor a bagel in a gesture of thanks for the kindness. "I believe that it is important that every person, no matter what their monetary status, has enough food so they won't be hungry,' Sam told Hiller in a letter. "If I have your permission," he added, "you would also be helping make the world a better place for everyone' - Robert A. Sklar, editor December 14 • 2006 Special Report! Interested in learning more about the Conservative movement's recent rulings on homosexuality? Find out about the decision and what it means as well as com- ments from Rabbi Daniel Nevins of Mat Shalom Synagogue, co-author of one of the adopted papers. Only at JNonline.us . Just click on News on the left. JBlog Jeff Klein offers his Perspectives on everything from dating to friendship. Always thoughtful, often provocative. Or perhaps you'd rather read about the adventures of Laurie Freernah's China Punim, 4- year-old-Amanda? Only at JNonline.us. Just click on JBlog on the menu on the left. Latest From Israel o Deck The Halls Ferndale Public Schools delayed an elementary school concert this month after a Jewish parent complained about the concert's content. The joint concert by fifth- and sixth-grade students from Kennedy and Coolidge schools was postponed from Dec. 4 to Dec. 20 by the school dis- trict to allow the students time to learn new songs for the program. "We will be ensuring that this concert will be inclusive in its program',' a schools spokeswoman said. Sharon Grene of Oak Park complained to the Anti-Defamation League that Christmas was the only holiday represented on the 11-song program. The ADL asked the schools to include other holiday or secular music. Betsy Kelman, ADL regional director, was glad the schools chose to change the program rather than cancel it. "We didn't want to be the grinch who stole Christmas',' she said. After the decision last week, Ferndale Public Schools sent copies of their board policies on religious and patriotic observances to all staff members. Meanwhile, a seven-foot menorah stolen from a Canton community center shortly after the community's Christmas tree lighting ceremony in November was found over the weekend on the front lawn of a Canton home. The $800 menorah was returned this week and police are still try- ing to determine if the theft was a crime of a prank. - Alan Hitsky, associate editor 12 This Week Want the most current news from Israel? Check our streaming news from Yhetnews.corn for con- tinuous updates and longer news, opinion and feature stories. Just visit JNonline.us and click on a scrolling story on the left. Last week's poll results: During Chanukah, will you light the menorah One night? 7% All nights? 84% Not at all? 9% This week's poll question: Has Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made a blunder with his admission of Israel's nuclear capabilities? Visit the JNonline.us homepage to cast your vote.