margaret!

ms cho, i am shocked and appalled that you would be so wantonly cruel. some of us are set with the name ester, beset with it, even, and we have learned to live with it, even like it. we don't need your disdain knocking us back to square one:

Why would you change your name to Esther? I am trying to understand, but it is hard. ... But what does Esther mean? I admit, I hate the name ...

i guess i must take comfort in the fact that she spelled it with an "h." that's certainly not *my* name.

nope, actually, i'm still irked. for your information, miss "Oh Madonna, Madonna, why hast thou forsaken us?," the name ester HAS meaning. ester saved the jewish people, thankyouverymuch. ester is persian for star. ester is derived from astarte and from ishtar, the sex-positive goddess who legendarily slew gilgamesh (of the Epic Of Gilgamesh) because he renounced women.

lay off, margaret. you're no madonna yourself.