Let’s see: So we go from Hurricane Edith to Hurricane Frank (remember, male and female names are now alternated to avoid sexism) to Hurricane Gertrude to Hurricane Harold to Hurricane Orange … as in “Orange you glad they didn’t say ‘Isis’?” That’s the official word from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which according to Reuters has removed “Isis” from its official list of names for future hurricanes.
The idea is, of course, to avoid referring to a name associated with the Islamic State terrorist group, even though they use ISIS as an acronym for Islamic State in Syria.
The move raises two questions: First, will the name of the Egyptian goddess Isis now also be changed to “Ivette” (which is what the WMO has chosen to replace “Isis” in the “i” slot) for the same reason? Second, will the Islamic State feel provoked because its acronym has been deep-sixed for an act of violence perpetrated by nature?
Stay tuned.
