Lake Superior State University 2012 List of Banished Words

Here it is...

The 2012 list of banished words from Lake Superior State University. And this is the ultimate guide people. Ready, set, go!

1. Amazing - Received the most nominations. LSSU was surprised at the number of nominations this year for "amazing" and surprised to find that it hadn't been included on the list in the past. Many nominators mentioned over-use on television when they sent their entries, mentioning "reality" TV, Martha Stewart and Anderson Cooper. It seemed to bother people everywhere, as nominations were sent from around the US and Canada and some from overseas, including Israel, England and Scotland. A Facebook page – "Overuse of the Word Amazing" – threatened to change its title to "Occupy LSSU" if  'amazing' escaped banishment this year
2. Baby Bump - Although nominated by many over the years, this phrase came in as a close second to "amazing" this year.
3. Shared Sacrifice - Usually used by a politician who wants other people to share in the sacrifice so he/she doesn't have to.
4. Occupy - Occupy Wall Street grew to become Occupy insert name of your city here all over the country. It should be banished because of the media overuse and now people use it all the time, i.e. "I guess we will occupy your office and have the meeting there." "We are headed to Grandma's house – Occupy Thanksgiving is under way."
5. Blowback - Sometimes exchanged with "pushback" to mean resistance.
6. Man Cave - Overused by television home design and home buying shows, has trickled down to sitcoms, commercials, and now has to be endured during interactions with real estate people, neighbors and co-workers.
7. The New Normal - The phrase is often used to justify bad trends in society and to convince people that they are powerless to slow or to reverse those trends. This serves to reduce participation in the political process and to foster cynicism about the ability of government to improve people's lives. Sometimes the phrase is applied to the erosion of civil liberties. More often, it is used to describe the sorry state of the U.S. economy. Often hosts on TV news channels use the phrase shortly before introducing some self-help guru who gives glib advice to the unemployed and other people having financial difficulties.
8. Pet Parent - Can a human being truly be a parent to a different species? Do pet 'owners' not love their pets as much pet 'parents' do? Are we equating pet ownership with slave holding? This cloyingly correct term is capable of raising my blood sugar. Lynn Ouellette, Buffalo, New York
9. Win The Future - A political phrase worn wherever you look – to the left (President Obama) or the right (Newt Gingrich).
10. Trickeration - A made-up word used by football analysts to describe a trick play. Sounds unintelligent. Perhaps they've had a few too many concussions in the football world to notice. Carrie Hansen, Grayling, Michigan
11. Ginormous - This combination of gigantic and enormous makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck every time I hear it. Each utterance reminds me of the high school drop-out that first used this offensive word in my presence. Gina Bua, Vancouver, Washington
12. Thank you in Advance - Usually followed by "for your cooperation," this is a condescending and challenging way to say, "Since I already thanked you, you have to do this." Mike Cloran, Cincinnati, Ohio

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A Heart for Christmas

Bird Lady: The man I loved fell out of love with me. That broke my heart. When the chance to be loved came along again, I ran away from it. I stopped trusting people.

Kevin McCallister: No offense, but that seems like sort of a dumb thing to do.

Bird Lady: I was afraid of getting my heart broken again. Sometimes you can trust a person, and then, when things are down, they forget about you.

Kevin McCallister: Maybe they're just too busy. Maybe they don't forget about you, but they forget to remember you. People don't mean to forget. My grandfather says if my head wasn't screwed on, I'd leave it on the school bus.

Bird Lady: I'm just afraid if I do trust someone, I'll get my heart broken.

Kevin McCallister: I understand. I had a nice pair of Rollerblades. I was afraid to wreck them, so I kept them in a box. Do you know what happened? I outgrew them. I never wore them outside. Only in my room a few times.

Bird Lady: A person's heart and feelings are very different than skates.

Kevin McCallister: They're kind of the same thing. If you won't use your heart, who cares if it gets broken? If you just keep it to yourself, maybe it'll be like my Rollerblades. When you do decide to try it, it won't be any good. You should take a chance. Got nothing to lose.

Bird Lady: Little truth in there somewhere.

Kevin McCallister: I think so. Your heart might still be broken, but it isn't gone. If it was gone, you wouldn't be so nice.

Bird Lady: Thank you. Do you know it's been a couple of years since I've talked to anybody?

Kevin McCallister: That's okay. You're good at it. You're not boring. You don't mumble or spit. You should do it more often. Just wear an outfit with no pigeon poop on it.

Bird Lady: I have been working very hard at keeping people away. I always think I'll have a lot of fun if I'm alone... but when I'm alone, it's not fun.

Kevin McCallister: I don't care how much people bug me, I'd rather be with someone than alone.

Bird Lady: So what are you doing alone on Christmas Eve? You did something wrong?

Kevin McCallister: A lot of things.

Bird Lady: Did you know that a good deed erases a bad deed?

Kevin McCallister: It's late. I don't know if I'll have enough time to do enough good deeds to erase all my bad ones.

Bird Lady: It's Christmas Eve. Good deeds count extra tonight. Think of an important thing you can do for others, and go do it. Just follow the star in your heart.

Kevin McCallister: Okay... It's getting pretty late. I'd better get going. If I don't see you, I hope everything turns out okay.

Bird Lady: Thank you.

Kevin McCallister: Tell the birds I said goodbye.

Bird Lady: I will.

Kevin McCallister: If you need somebody to trust, it can be me. I won't forget to remember you.

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O Come Let Us Adore Him

"Brad didn't put Christmas lights up this year?" my husband, John, asked with a tone of disbelief.

"I don't think he did." I continued stirring the saucy mixture in a potful of chicken asada. Snippy thoughts at the absurdity of Christmas relished one less house garnished with blinking, twinkling, electrified lights.

I don't like Christmas. And I don't partake in the hoopla of frenzied shopping, family quarrels, and excessive food consumption. What a Scrooge I am!

Actually, in 1645, when Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. [http://www.history.com/topics/christmas]

Don't hate me and I won't ever chastise anyone for the Christmas merrymaking. But consider what we are to adore most about the season.

Think of all the symbols associated with Christmas. One look at Santa and a universal recognition associates the logo with this holiday.

John 1:1 declares:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (NIV1984) 

'Word' in the Greek represents Logos. It's similar to our word for logo. When you see the Pepsi Cola logo, you immediately envision not just soda, but the variety of Pepsi products along with processing centers all over the world and actually, your mind will recall every aspect of Pepsi--maybe even the fact Pepsi Cola originated in the small town of New Bern, North Carolina. You think of that logo as the totality of its corporation.

In the beginning was the totality of God ... and John 1 verses 4-5a says:

In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness.

God is the totality of life and this life is the light for everyone.

You can step back, admire your lights, decorations, beautifully set dinner table, or delight in serving  holiday meals to the homeless, but in order to celebrate Christmas the right way, the light and life illuminating this holiday must reflect the totality of God.

After all, it's his birthday.


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He Said, She Said...

Thursday
11-6-2012

I absolutely hate lying. I do not lie. It causes my toes to wiggle at the thought of it. And I detest those that lie or lets say, bend, manipulate, or combine information to suit their agenda.

So let it be said--let it be known...

(T represents: true fact--not defamation)

WinePress Publishing has done much to malign my name. (T) That is their business. I really just want them to stop selling my book, which according to my lawyer, they no longer hold the right to sell. (T) And as a wise woman said, "Why do they sell your book if they have referred to you as sick, twisted, an enemy of Jesus, a liar, a conspirator, (T) and all the other stuff they claim?" But their campaign also included hours of well crafted and lengthy missives of "he said, she said" and I don't know a single Christian publisher in the entire world who would engage such ferocious and time consuming efforts to destroy people--mainly Athena Dean and I. Who are not partners... (T)

In one recent accusation of causing a death threat on an employee, two of the members went to the Enumclaw police station with a printout of an email and picture this employee was sent. He claimed he was scared and considered it a death threat. (T) I spoke to the police officer handling this claim. He informed me these WinePress employees never mentioned my name.

Yet, they have created these many sites and print editions (T) stating I caused this email to be sent. The picture included with the email would make it appear I was behind the entire fiasco.

Here is WinePress's recent Crimeline entry: (T)

http://www.enumclaw.com/intolerance-timeline/

http://hardtruth.sdoctrine.org/?p=45.a_hate_crime_in_the_making

Below is a group of versions of this same picture, widely used on the Internet as a spoof:

WinePress also stated that: (T)

http://www.enumclaw.com/intolerance-timeline/

I attended Write-to-Publish in May 2012 as an instructor. I verified with the person who runs it that I had nothing to do with their decisions about WinePress publishing, which I knew because I never even contacted them. Wow, more provable lies by WinePress publishing. (T)

So who do we trust now?

He said, she said ... 

Why post this garbage? Everyone advises me not to. 

Because I'm tired of being trashed and slandered by a "Christian" publisher.

Cindy

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