Meet the man who wants to say good-bye to the word "hello." Leo Canales wants us all to say "heaveno" instead. And now his campaign to scrap the greeting is getting world-wide support. Leo, 56, says, "I'm overwhelmed by the impact my idea has had. People want to know why we use the word 'hell-0' as an everyday greeting." Now Leo's home town, Kingsville, Texas, has endorsed his crusade. Town officials have praised "heaveno" as "a universal word for peace, friendship, and welcome. And a top restaurant in Kingsville welcomes its customers with a huge banner emblazoned with "Heaveno". A state-wide chain of convenience stores has even adopted it as an official greeting. Leo believes many of society's ills can be blamed on the unconscious use of the word "hell". He says, "We promote a negative attitude every time we greet someone. Maybe it affects the way we behave to each other." According to Leo, the word "hello" was first used 120 years ago. He says, "Until then people said 'hullo', which was derived from 'hallow' a common greeting used in Chaucer's time.
