Perfect Storm Typhoon Haiyan Gets a Sex Change

I only found out yesterday that Typhoon Haiyan is called ‘Yolanda’ in the Philippines.  I wonder if that’s standard procedure to give them female and/or Philippine names, or only if it’s a Chinese name that needs to be rejected.  

In Indonesia Chinese letters and numbers (same thing) are illegal, so of course I had to wear my newly purchased Hong Kong T-shirt reading 香港 in the Jakarta airport 20 years ago.  Sure enough a policeman informed me that I was breaking the law.  I almost laughed in his face, but not quite.  I guess the ‘Year of Living Dangerously’ and the slaughter of thousands of resident Chinese in the name of anti-Communism was fresh on their minds, but still…  

Maybe  a female name makes a storm seem more benevolent, Mother Nature and all, just a hissy fit or maybe that time of the month…

BTW China pledge to increase the $100,000 is has pledged for disaster aid to the Philippines, nice guys, definitely hear more about that at treaty time…

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