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Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Well-known Atlantans weigh in on Panda name
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Xiao Tao is a big hit with Brian McCann and Jeff Francoeur, two guys who know something about hitting. And they’re not alone.
OutKast’s André Benjamin, who knows something about sounds, likes the sound of Ming Yue.
Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin? The name she prefers for Zoo Atlanta’s baby giant panda is … well, more on that later. Her Honor may still be mulling her choices.
Through Sunday, the world has the opportunity to choose a name for the little female panda, born Sept. 6, via online voting at ajc.com. Anyone with Internet access can choose from 10 names provided by Zoo Atlanta, its sponsors and China, owner of the cub and her parents, Lun Lun and Yang Yang.
As of noon Tuesday, 28,470 votes had been cast. A winner will be announced Dec. 15.
The names, written in Mandarin Chinese, range from celestial (Ming Xing, or Bright Star) to agricultural (Xiao Tao, or Little Peach). Some refer to the panda’s Atlanta roots — Mei Lan means Atlanta Beauty, for example. Chang Jiang (Yangtze River) reminds us that the panda is here but for a short time; one day, she will return to the land where the Chinese river curls to the sea.
But first, she needs a name. From Georgia to England, and Chicago to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, everyone has a favorite.
Terry Maple likes Mei Li (“Beautiful”) and Ping Bao (“Peacefulness and Precious Treasure”). The former executive director of Zoo Atlanta helped engineer the zoo’s temporary acquisition of Lun Lun and Yang Yang, who arrived in Atlanta in 1999. Lun Lun delivered Sept. 6, making Maple feel sort of like a grandfather.
“This is such a special animal,” said Maple, now CEO of Palm Beach Zoo in Florida. “Every little kid in the state of Georgia is thinking about that panda right now.”
The young scholars at the Atlanta New Century School certainly are. The school, located downtown in the shadow of the Georgia Aquarium, plans to vote a day before the deadline. Each of the school’s six classes will select a favorite.
The 4-year-olds in Latashaa Martin’s class came down on the side of Xiao Tao and Ming Xing (Bright Star). Peaches, they noted, taste good.
The fifth-graders agreed to submit Ping Bao (Peacefulness and Precious Treasure), which didn’t altogther please Justis Mullins, 11. Justis, who plans to pitch for the Braves when he grows up, lobbied for Xiao Tao.
“You know how the peach has fuzz on it?” he asked. “The panda … does, too.”
In Chicago, panda fan Susie Berger voted for Cheng Ya, or Pretty Atlanta Girl from Chengdu. Berger, 39, has been a fan of the unnamed cub since before it even was a cub. Logging on periodically to Zoo Atlanta’s Web site, she’d watched closely as officials began to think Lun Lun was pregnant. “When she had the cub, I immediately burst out in tears,” she said.
In Staffordshire, England, writer Amanda Aarons felt like cheering when the cub was born. She thinks the young panda should be named Ming Yue (Bright Moon).
Why does she care about a little animal five time zones away? “They’re so fragile” at birth, she said. “It’s almost as if they’re not ready to be born, isn’t it?”
Franklin wasn’t ready to declare her favorite name late last week. Faced with the 10 names, Franklin waffled. She paused. An aide whispered something in her ear, but Her Honor ignored him.
Ever the diplomat, Franklin took a firm stand on three sides of the naming issue: Cheng Ya (Pretty Atlanta Girl From Chengdu), Xiao Tao and Ming Yue.
“They’re all so good,” Franklin said.
Despite repeated requests to offer a favorite, Gov. Sonny Perdue did not respond. However U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson did: An aide said Isakson liked Xiao Tao, too.
The recording artist sitting atop Billboard’s No. 1 singles chart had no such trouble choosing a favorite. Atlanta rapper Akon opted for Ming Xing.
“It just sounds really pretty,” said Akon, whose “I Wanna Love You (with Snoop Dogg) is the most popular pop song in the country.
Atlanta Falcons rookie quarterback D.J. Shockley wasn’t reluctant to call some audibles on the names. The former University of Georgia star took sides with the moniker that features his hometown — Mei Lan (Atlanta Beauty). “That’s pretty nice,” he said.
Shockley also singled out names that shouldn’t be in the game.
Cheng Ya? “Definitely not,” he said.
And Ping Bao? “Are you kidding me? You can’t call it that.”
Xiao Tao, pronounced “shao-tao,” also works for Daryn Kagan. The former CNN anchor, who recently launched a Web site featuring inspiring news stories, thinks the name translating to Little Peach is best. She voted early, lingering over a bowl of Raisin Bran sprinkled wth Honey Smacks while she made her choice.
“I … was so intrigued that I poured an extra bowl of cereal,” she wrote in an e-mail. “I like the mention of ‘peach’ for Atlanta.”
So did Gerry Klaskala, the executive chef and owner of Buckhead restaurant Aria. “It’s so easy to pronounce,” Klaskala said. “It sounds like ‘Shout out’!”
OutKast’s Benjamin, an Atlanta resident and creator of the Cartoon Network show “Class of 3000,” liked Ming Yue. The name, he said, “just sounds good coming off the tongue.”
Mei Tao (Beautiful Peach) sounded good to a majority of the Atlanta City Council. “It’s easy to say,” said council member Carla Smith, whose district includes the zoo.
Chet Chin also voted. The communications executive, who lives in Kuala Lumpur, had kept a close watch on the panda’s progress from hairless to lustrous. “It just makes me happy looking at them,” said Chin, who logs on late at night to see the zoo’s daytime-only panda cam, 13 time zones away. “All my cares don’t matter any more when I look at them.”
She does care, though, about the cub’s name. This past weekend, while most of Atlanta was probably asleep, she joined the Xiao Tao team, siding with McCann, Francoeur and a world of others who want a say in the naming of Atlanta’s little cub.
Online voting continues through Dec. 10 here
Staffers Virginia Lewis, Bob Longino, Sonia Murray, Steve Wyche and Jill Vejnoska contributed to this article.
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VIPs vote for panda name
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
What’s your favorite name for Zoo Atlanta’s panda cub?
With online voting continuing through Dec. 10 here, we asked celebrities and other V.I.P.s to name the female bear, choosing from the list of ten finalists provided by sponsors, Zoo Atlanta and Chinese officials. Some early feedback:
Atlanta Braves Brian McCann and Jeff Francouer like Xiao Tao (“Little Peach”).
Andre Benjamin of Outkast prefers Ming Yue (“Bright Moon”).
Falcons quarterback D.J. Shockley votes for Mei Lan (“Atlanta Beauty”).
Former CNN anchor Daryn Kagan also likes Xiao Tao (“Little Peach”). “I like the mention of “peach” for Atlanta,” she said.
Ever the diplomat, Mayor Shirley Franklin took a firm stand on three sides of the naming issue: Cheng Ya (“Pretty Atlanta Girl From Chengdu), Xia Tao (“Little Peach”) and Ming Yue (“Bright Moon”).
The winning name will be announced Dec. 15 from the following list of contenders:
1. Xiao Tao (shao-tao) “little peach”
2. Mei Tao (may-tao) “beautiful peach”
3. Mei Lan (may-lan) “Atlanta beauty”
4. Mei Li (may-lee) “beautiful”
5. Ming Xing (ming-shing)”bright star”
6. Ping Bao (ping - bao) “peacefulness and precious treasure” 7. Cheng Ya (chung-ya) “pretty Atlanta girl from Chengdu”
8. Ming Yue (ming-yuu) “bright moon”
9. Chang Jiang (chung-jung) “Yangtze River”
10. Tai Ji (tai-ji) “Tai Chi- philosophical foundation of Taoism”
