Archive for December, 2012

Currently Trending, Michigan School’s Annual Banned Words List….Extreme Redonkulousness

December 31, 2012

Spoiler alert: This story contains words and phrases that some people want to ban from the English language. “Spoiler alert” is among them. So are “kick the can down the road,`trending” and “bucket list.”

A dirty dozen have landed on the 38th annual List of Words to be Banished from the Queen’s English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness. The nonbinding, tongue-in-cheek decree released Monday by Michigan’s Lake Superior State University is based on nominations submitted by the public.

At the risk of further offense, here’s another spoiler alert: The phrase receiving the most nominations this year is “fiscal cliff,” banished because of its overuse by media outlets when describing across-the-board federal tax increases and spending cuts that economists say could harm the economy in the new year without congressional action.

“You can’t turn on the news without hearing this,” said Christopher Loiselle, of Midland, Mich., in his submission. “I’m equally worried about the River of Debt and Mountain of Despair.”

Other terms coming in for a literary lashing are “superfood,” ‘’guru,” ‘’job creators” and “double down.”

Yet Redonkulous lives on….

redonk

McCartney and Higgs Honored Helping Make God Particle Fashionable

December 30, 2012

Stella McCartney, who designed the uniforms worn by Britain’s record-smashing Olympic team, and Scottish physicist Peter Higgs, who gave his name to the so-called “God particle,” are among the hundreds being honored by Queen Elizabeth II this New Year. McCartney was honored with the title of Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE, in part for her work creating the skintight, red-white-and-blue uniforms worn by British athletes as they grabbed 65 medals during the 2012 games hosted by London.

Queen Elizabeth honors science and fashion.

 

higgsbosonHydrogen atom, H, plus pigs minus pea, Higgs. Bow, General Zod trapped in the Phantom Zone. Bow-zone. Pear. Tickle. Pear-tickle. Higgs Boson Particle.

Sandy Hook Survivor Jill Doe Suing The State $100M For Trauma Created Through The Airwaves

December 29, 2012

A New Haven attorney is asking permission to sue the state for $100 million on behalf of a student who survived the mass shooting at a Newtown school.
Pinsky said the 6-year-old student, identified as “Jill Doe,” was in her classroom at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14 when “the horrific confrontation” with Adam Lanza came over the loudspeaker. Lanza killed 20 first grade students and six adult staffers at the school before killing himself. Pinsky said the student has been traumatized by the killings, and accused the state of failing to protect students from “foreseeable harm.”

New Haven attorney suing Connecticut for trauma created through experiencing and reliving horrific event via airwaves. Violent movies and CNN on standby.

moviechildren

Oscar Vote Experiences Problems With E-Voting Veers Into An Inconvenient Truth

December 28, 2012

It looks like online Oscar voting is hitting a few snags, which some Academy members worry might depress voting participation to its lowest level in years.Voting to determine the next set of Oscar nominees began Dec. 17 and will extend through Jan. 3. On Dec. 26, I reached out to a wide cross-section of the Academy to see if they tried to vote online (an Academy spokesperson tells me that “a great majority” of members have registered to do so) and, if so, to characterize their experience. Roughly half of the members reached said they experienced problems navigating the site; more than one described it as a “disaster.” They also worried that hackers could compromise the Oscar vote.

Celebrities veer into the inconvenient  truth regarding e-voting.

evoting

Soda Shop Could be Slapped with Sales Of Candy Cigarette Fine, Candy Cigarettes Viewed As Gateway Food

December 28, 2012

A “candy cigarettes” fine of $500 could be slapped on a soda shop in Minnesota if it refuses to stop selling the controversial product, according to reports out this week.Lynden’s Soda Fountain, which is an old-fashioned soda shop, opened in April in St Paul, Minn. However, the shop has caused controversy after selling so-called candy cigarettes.The store has now said that it would heed the warning of a potential fine threatened by city inspectors.St Paul City Council passed a ban on candy cigarettes and cartoon character lighters in April 2009, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Fine for selling candy cigarettes. Everyone knows candy cigarettes are not a gateway food.

mari

 

 

Fathers Disappearing From Households Across US As #1 Dad Weeps

December 26, 2012

Nicole Hawkins‘ three daughters have matching glittery boots, but none has the same father. Each has uniquely colored ties in her hair, but none has a dad present in her life.
In her neighborhood in Southeast Washington, 1 in 10 children live with both parents, and 84 percent live with only their mother.In every state, the portion of families where children have two parents, rather than one, has dropped significantly over the past decade. Fifteen million U.S. children, or 1 in 3, live without a father, and nearly 5 million live without a mother. In 1960, just 11 percent of American children lived in homes without fathers

People “look at a child in need, in poverty or failing in school, and ask, ‘What can we do to help?’ But what we do is ask, ‘Why does that child need help in the first place?’ And the answer is often it’s because [the child lacks] a responsible and involved father,” he said.
#1 Dad Weeps as fathers vanish from US households.

dad

Meth Lab Discovered In Walmart Parking Lot, Lowest Meth Prices In Town

December 25, 2012

Shoppers doing some last-minute Christmas shopping at a Wal-Mart in eastern Pennsylvania came across an unusual scene.
Members of a state police emergency team say a van was stocked like a mobile methamphetamine lab.Saint Clair police discovered the Ford Windstar about 5 a.m. Sunday while investigating a hit-and-run crash in the Wal-Mart parking lot.They say 39-year-old Felix Ferrer Jr. of Reading, was found sleeping inside the van that was struck by a hit-and-run driver. Police arrested him and the drug team removed the hazardous meth-making materials.

Walmart mobile meth lab. Rolling back prices..

walmart

Obama Breaks Into Hawaiian During Senator Daniel Inouye Funeral Service Hooked On Vowels

December 23, 2012

President Barack Obama used the funeral for Hawaii senator Daniel Inouye to talk about himself. In the short 1,600 word speech, Obama used the word “my” 21 times, “me” 12 times, and “I” 30 times.

Obama  speaks Hawaiian during Inouye funeral service.

hawaiian

Ask The Eye, Who’s Your Menopausal Momma?

December 22, 2012

Dear Eye View,
I am dreading my family’s annual Christmas get-together this year, but not for the usual reason. My mother, who’s in her 60s, her sister-in-law, and a female cousin are huge fans of the Fifty Shades of Grey books. They literally cannot be in a room together without discussing the book in great detail, regardless of who is around. They have all badgered me to read the books; however, any interest I had in reading them was squashed by their incessant and overly detailed accounts of the books. They all call me a prude, laugh at me, and deliberately try to cause me discomfort. I have been warned to not be “so oversensitive and uptight” and that they plan to discuss this openly at our family Christmas dinner in front of the children. Am I wrong to think they should be respectful of my feelings and others? Am I the only grown woman having this issue or are all women so crazy for those books they have lost all concept of appropriateness?

Dreading the Holiday

Dear DTH,

I understand your concern. I can understand that after years of discussing the thickness of the gravy and the thinness of Uncle Herbert’s 401(k), these ladies have grown sick of post-Christmas Mass talk and would prefer a mass reading of Christian Grey. But respect your elders and let these ladies have the pleasure of thinking that isn’t a hot flash, they’re just hot. Maybe you guys could take in a musical. Hope this helps.

EV

menopausal

Eye View Trends New Economy And New Eco- Friendly Minimalist House Brings Back Farfegnugen

December 21, 2012

Tiny House, Big Freedom

Ella Jenkins, 24, a California-based Celtic harpist has been living in a space about the size of a shipping container since October—and loving every minute of it. She built her own 130-square-foot house with the help of a kit and her stepfather, and is now part of a growing trend of people who reside in “tiny houses,” miniature abodes that are modestly priced, eco-friendly and minimalistic. . “Moving into the house was actually a relief because I could only take what I could fit,” she explains. “It feels freeing to have only what I really need around me.” Jenkins recaptures farfegnugen.

 

van