Feeling my insecurities

Viral tops proposed banned words list

Michigan school gives list of overused, misused, and useless words and phrases

Last Updated: Friday, December 31, 2010 | 11:41 AM ET Comments64Recommend16

The Associated Press

The term viral's days of going viral are numbered if a Michigan university has anything to say about it.
Use of the word Google as a verb should be banned, according to an annual list released Friday by Lake Superior State University. (Paul Sakuma/Associated Press)Lake Superior State University features the term linked to popular online video clips in its annual List of Words to Be Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-use, Over-use and General Uselessness.
The 2011 list, compiled by the university from nominations submitted from across North America throughout the year, was released Friday.
Nominators did more than vanquish "viral." They also repudiated Sarah Palin's "refudiate," flunked "fail" and weren't at all wowed by "wow factor." In all, 14 words or phrases made the cut to be, well, cut from conversation.
The call to banish viral was vociferous, garnering more nominations than any other.
"This linguistic disease of a term must be quarantined," Kuahmel Allah of Los Angeles wrote in his submission. "If one more thing goes viral, I'm buying a Hazmat suit and moving into a clean-room."
Other entries showed people's apparent aversion to simple language, hence the call to "live life to the fullest" when they could just live, promoting every foible or stumble to "fail," or super-sizing every reasonably good time to an "epic" event.
"Standards for using 'epic' are so low, even 'awesome' is embarrassed." said Mike of Kettering, Ohio, whose submission came with no last name.

List falls short of being 'epic'

Appropriately, Lake Superior State spokesman Tom Pink stopped short of describing this year's batch of submissions as "epic." Rather, he viewed it as solid and typical — based on more than 1,000 nominations, once he and his colleagues sorted out phrases previously banned in the list's 36-year history.
'Shellacking', the term U.S. President Barack Obama frequently used to describe his party's performance in mid-term elections, didn't make the list. (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)For all the words coming in for a "shellacking," he was surprised President Barack Obama's endlessly dissected term to describe his party's performance in November's mid-term elections didn't merit one vote.

P.O.V.:

Which words top your list for banishment?Take our survey.

Still, Washington-speak made an appearance. Several American people vetoed "The American People."
But those who just want to keep on saying the words or phrases that made the annual list can take heart.
Although it does bring attention to the school in Sault St. Marie — the last stop before Michigan's northernmost border crossing with Canada — it doesn't really change the way people talk.
After all, "tweet" and "sexting" made last year's list. And other previously banished items have included "carbon footprint" (2008), "LOL" (2004) and "state of the art" (1993).
The complete list for 2010:

• Viral
• Epic
• Fail
• Wow factor
• A-ha moment
• Backstory
• BFF
• Man up
• Refudiate
• Mamma Grizzlies
• The American people
• I'm just sayin'
• Facebook or Google used as a verb
• Live life to the fullest

Homosexuality pulled from Alberta disorders guide

Last Updated: Wednesday, December 22, 2010 | 3:18 PM MT Comments156Recommend128

CBC News

Alberta Health and Wellness Minister Gene Zwozdesky ordered homosexuality to be removed from a provincial diagnostic guide of mental disorders. (CBC)Alberta has removed homosexuality from its diagnostic guide to mental-health disorders.
Alberta Health and Wellness Minister Gene Zwozdesky ordered the section of the document removed Tuesday after a reporter brought the issue to the province's attention.
"I ordered the immediate removal of something I thought was incorrect, unacceptable, rather ancient in its thinking and otherwise demeaning," he said Wednesday.
"I've also asked for a thorough review of the entire classification categories."
The diagnostic guide helps doctors decide what to bill for the treatment of patients.
Homosexuality was listed in the guide under sexual deviations and disorders.
The American Psychiatric Association stopped considering homosexuality a disorder in 1973, followed by the Canadian Psychiatric Association in 1982.
Zwozdesky said he doesn't know why it remained so long on Alberta's list.
However, members of Edmonton's gay community said the government has long shown half-hearted support for gay rights in the province.
"People who are gay and lesbian like myself have had to fight every step of the way to make any changes at the political level," said former city councillor Michael Phair. "I wonder whether this was forgotten or ignored."
Albertans are more progressive in their attitudes about gay rights than their government, he said.
The province promised twice to remove the section over the last dozen years and failed to do so on both occasions, said Liberal MLA Laurie Blakeman.
"Frankly, it just couldn't be bothered to make the changes," she said

Playwright David French dies

Last Updated: Sunday, December 5, 2010 | 4:47 PM ET Comments11Recommend41

CBC News

David French was an officer of the Order of Canada. (David French website)Canadian playwright and actor David French died in Toronto on Saturday night after a long battle with brain cancer, CBC News has learned. He was 71.
French was born in the small Newfoundland outport of Coley's Point on Jan. 18, 1939.
He is best remembered for his tales of the fictitious Mercer family, characters inspired by his early years living in Newfoundland.
What became known simply as the Mercer plays included Leaving Home, Salt-Water Moon, Soldier's Heart, 1949 and Of the Fields, Lately.
Leaving Home is considered a landmark play in Canadian theatre. After premiering in Toronto in 1972 at the Tarragon, the play went on to be produced at almost every regional theatre in the country — the first Canadian play ever to do so.
The play, one of the most familiar and adored Canadian plays, continues to be taught in schools and universities across the country.

Pork Barrelling on the Reserve

Mi'kmaq chief of 304 paid $243K

Tiny First Nations community in Nova Scotia pays its councillors $1.7M

Last Updated: Thursday, December 2, 2010 | 7:26 PM AT Comments94Recommend40

CBC News

The chief of a tiny Mi'kmaq community in Nova Scotia defended Thursday the $1.7 million in salary and compensation she and three councillors received in 2008.
Chief Shirley Clarke declined to say what she and Glooscap First Nations councillors earned. (CBC) Chief Shirley Clarke and the Glooscap First Nation came under the spotlight when the Canadian Taxpayers Federation unveiled federal documents last week that showed high salaries at many reserves across the country, including one East Coast band with 304 members that paid its chief $243,000 a year.
The federation didn't release the name of the band, but it was widely believed to be Glooscap, because the population numbers matched.
Until the news conference Thursday, Clarke had refused to confirm that it was her band or to say what the band's salaries were.
Clarke said she works hard for her money, and that it was unfair for the Taxpayers Federation to make public the salary information. The federation obtained the numbers through access-to-information requests.
"It has singled out native communities in a way that deepen prejudice and reinforces stereotypes, and that is not fair," she said.
Clarke confirmed that one councillor, Mike Halliday, received $978,000 in 2008, but she says much of it was business-contract revenue, not salary.
Numbers the band released Thursday showed that $718,000 was business revenue related to contracting work Halliday did for the band. The contracts were awarded by the council.
"Media reports suggest he was getting hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxpayer support," Clarke said. "In fact, that money was generated as business revenue here in our community."
Clarke said Halliday is an important entrepreneur in the community.
The chief is promising a review of current salaries in the new year, and better disclosure, including posting the figures online.
"I work hard, but I can always do better," Clarke said.
Residents had requested a meeting with band politicians after learning of their hefty salaries.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/nova-scotia/story/2010/12/02/ns-glooscap-salaries-taxpayers-federation.html#ixzz174RBQd8r

The Price Video based on Neil Gaiman Short Story