December 31, 2012

Spoiler Alert: 2013 Banished Words List released

While the U.S. Congress has been kicking the can down the road and inching closer to the fiscal cliff, the word gurus at Lake Superior State University have doubled-down on their passion for the language and have released their 38th annual List of Words to be Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness.

The list, compiled from nominations sent to LSSU throughout the year, is released each year on New Year's Eve. It dates back to Dec. 31, 1975, when former LSSU Public Relations Director Bill Rabe (RAY-bee) and some colleagues cooked up the whimsical idea to banish overused words and phrases from the language. They issued the first list on New Year's Day 1976. Much to the delight of word enthusiasts everywhere, the list has stayed the course into a fourth decade.

Through the years, LSSU has received tens of thousands of nominations for the list, which is closing in on its 1,000th banishment.

This year's list is culled from nominations received mostly through the university's website. Word-watchers target pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from the news, fields of education, technology, advertising, politics and more. A committee makes a final cut in late December.

http://www.lssu.edu/banished/

December 31, 2012

Hilarious Johnson Motorboats commercial!

December 30, 2012

Mom Has Son Sign 18-point Agreement for iPhone

Thirteen-year-old Greg Hoffman had been begging his parents for an iPhone all year. So on Christmas morning he was thrilled to find the object of his desire under the tree, but there was a catch.

The phone came with an 18-point set of terms and conditions that he had to agree to before the phone could be his. And the agreement did not come from Apple or the phone provider, it was from his mother.

"Merry Christmas! You are now the proud owner of an iPhone. Hot Damn! You are a good & responsible 13 year old boy and you deserve this gift," the agreement begins. "But with the acceptance of this present comes rules and regulations."

The first rule on his mother's list: "It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren't I the greatest?"

http://abcnews.go.com/US/massachusetts-mom-son-sign-18-point-agreement-iphone/story?id=18094401

December 30, 2012

French 75% income tax struck down by constitutional council

Source: BBC

France's constitutional council has struck down a top income tax rate of 75% introduced by Socialist President Francois Hollande.

Raising taxes for those earning more than 1m euros (£817,400) has been a flagship policy for Mr Hollande.

The policy angered France's business community and prompted some wealthy citizens to say they would emigrate.

Mr Hollande's government said it would rework the tax, due to take effect in 2013, to meet the council's complaints.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20864114

December 30, 2012

Former President Bush moved out of intensive care

Source: Detroit Free Press

Former President George H.W. Bush's condition continued to improve Saturday, prompting doctors to move him out of intensive care, a spokesman said.

"President Bush's condition has improved, so he has been moved today from the intensive care unit to a regular patient room at The Methodist Hospital to continue his recovery," family spokesman Jim McGrath said Saturday. "The Bushes thank everyone for their prayers and good wishes."

Bush was hospitalized Nov. 23 for treatment of a bronchitis-related cough. He was moved to intensive care at the Houston hospital on Dec. 23 after he developed a fever.

On Friday, McGrath said Bush had improved since arriving in the ICU. He said he was alert and in good spirits and was even doing some singing.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20121229/NEWS07/121229024/bush-moved-out-of-intensive-care

December 30, 2012

Philippines contraception law signed by Benigno Aquino

Source: BBC

Philippines President Benigno Aquino has signed into law a bill providing for free access to contraception and family planning.

Supporters say the law, which took 14 years to pass, will reduce poverty and maternal mortality in a country with the highest birth rate in the region.

...

"The passage into law of the Responsible Parenthood Act closes a highly divisive chapter of our history - a chapter borne of the convictions of those who argued for, or against this act," she said.

"At the same time, it opens the possibility of co-operation and reconciliation... engagement and dialogue characterised not by animosity, but by our collective desire to better the welfare of the Filipino people."

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20863691

December 28, 2012

Fugelsang on unions' "thugs" vs. Assad's "loyalists"

In 2012 one cable news network taught me that teachers' unions had 'hired thugs' but Syria's Assad had 'loyalists.'

http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10151299518456051&id=180058246050

December 27, 2012

Weekly Jobless Claims Plunge To Five-Year Low

Source: Huffington Post

The average number of people seeking U.S. unemployment benefits over the past month fell to the lowest level since March 2008, a sign that the job market is healing.

The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly applications dropped 12,000 to a seasonally adjusted 350,000 in the week ended Dec. 22. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell to a nearly five-year low of 356,750.

...

Weekly applications are a proxy for layoffs. They have mostly fluctuated this year between 360,000 and 390,000. At the same time, employers have added an average of 151,000 jobs a month in the first 11 months of 2012. That's just enough to slowly reduce the unemployment rate.

Economists were mildly encouraged by the decline in applications. But they emphasized that the figures are volatile around the holidays. They were also distorted until recent weeks by Superstorm Sandy.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/27/weekly-jobless-claims_n_2369646.html

December 27, 2012

'Blank this blank' puts woman in jail

Source: WOOD TV8

LaRue Ford, who has no criminal record, had hoped to spend Christmas with family in Chicago. Instead, she spent the holiday in the Berrien County Jail.

She is still locked up there, has been for eight days.

Her offense, according to court records: "profanity in the clerk's office."

"She said, 'f--- this s---,'" said attorney Megan Reynolds, who is working on her case with several other
ACLU attorneys.

Read more: http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/news/local/sw_mich/larue-ford-jailed-for-swearing-in-court-clerk-office-122612

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Eight days! While I would never support using that language, this is just ridiculous!

Meanwhile, those who wrecked our economy...

December 25, 2012

Can't compete with your neighbor's Christmas lights? Just say "DITTO"