Clipmarks | Balzac's clips

Word of the Day

Tue, 24 Jul 2007 02:25:33 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.m-w.com

The Word of the Day for July 23, 2007 is:

extirpate • \EK-ster-payt\ • verb

*1 a : to destroy completely : wipe out

b : to pull up by the root

2 : to cut out by surgery

Example Sentence:

By insisting that he has a plan to extirpate crime and corruption in our cities, the governor might have bitten off more than he can chew.

Did you know?

If we do a little digging, we discover that "extirpate" finds its roots in, well, roots (and stumps). Early English uses of the word in the 16th century carried the meaning of "to clear of stumps" or "to pull something up by the root." "Extirpate" grew out of a combination of the Latin prefix "ex-" and the Latin noun "stirps," meaning "trunk" or "root." The word "stirp" itself remains rooted in our own language as a term meaning "a line descending from a common ancestor."

*Indicates the sense illustrated in the example sentence.

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Tags: vocabulary

Legalize Online Poker

Mon, 28 May 2007 17:26:36 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.launchpoker.com

Poker Players Alliance Thrilled by Frank

The Poker Players Alliance (PPA), a grassroots organization dedicated to preserving poker and the rights of poker players, was thrilled by the introduction of a bill by House Financial Services Chairman Barney Frank. Congressman Frank’s bill has been described as a "common sense approach to Internet gambling" by the PPA. The bill seeks to repeal the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), passed last October. The Internet Gambling Regulation and Enforcement Act of 2007 (IGREA), seeks to legalize and regulate online gambling, and is officially known as H.R. 2046. Frank’s bill supposes that technology can provide the needed regulation to keep online gambling safe and out of the hands of minors.

Tags: poker

Monster Pig Killed by Christian School Boy

Sun, 27 May 2007 01:19:40 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.breitbart.com

Boy Bags Wild Hog Bigger Than 'Hogzilla'

Tags: pig

Excellent Daily Videoblog

Sun, 27 May 2007 01:07:31 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.rocketboom.com

Rocketboom is a three minute daily videoblog based in New York City. We cover and create a wide range of information and commentary from top news stories to quirky internet culture. Agenda includes releasing each new clip at 9am ET, Monday through Friday. With a heavy emphasis on international arts, technology and weblog drama, Rocketboom is presented via online video and widely distributed through RSS.

Tags: videoblog

Relationship Tips

Fri, 11 May 2007 03:15:32 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.theonion.com

Woman Masturbates To Concept Of Commitment

PORTAGE, MI–Soaking in her bathtub Tuesday, area resident Linda Marston, 32, pleasured herself over the thought of a long-term committed relationship. "Mmmm... oh, yeah, baby... I want to settle down with you forever," moaned the never-married Marston, as she gently massaged her clitoris with two fingers. "Oh, God, yes... two kids, maybe three... and a house in the country. Big swingset in the backyard." Several hours later, Marston masturbated again to the idea of loving someone unconditionally through good times and bad.

Tags: love, marriage

Word of the Day

Tue, 03 Apr 2007 03:26:37 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.m-w.com

rebarbative

• \rih-BAR-buh-tiv\ •

: repellent, irritating

Example Sentence:

Adrianna frequently wrote to her local newspaper to complain about the redundant headlines, rebarbative editorial commentary, and grammatical errors.

Tags: vocabulary

US Military Faces New Problem: Pre-Traumatic Stress

Sat, 24 Mar 2007 22:50:36 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.theonion.com

Report: More U.S. Soldiers Suffering From Pre-Traumatic Stress Disorder

NORFOLK, VA—Pre-traumatic stress disorder, a future-combat-related psychological condition previously thought to afflict only young soldiers drafted against their will, is now found in growing numbers among National Guard members, Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force reservists, semi-retired officers, and the newly recruited, according to a government study released Monday.

Tags: war on terror

Nasty Zimbabwean Politics

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 03:29:05 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.allheadlinenews.com

MDC Leader Brutally Beaten By Zimbabwean Police

March 12, 2007 9:09 p.m. EST

Ihuoma Ezeh - All Headline News

Zimbabwe (AHN) - Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change, is in critical condition after being beaten and arrested by police forces Sunday.

One activist was shot dead and others brutally wounded at the "Save Zimbabwe rally," which the government said breached a ban on political gatherings in Harare, the country's capital.

Hebson Makuvise, MDC spokesman in London, said Tsvangirai was beaten beyond recognition.

Tags: zimbabwean politics, police

Apple Working to Make iPhone Obsolete

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 01:56:27 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.theonion.com

Apple Hard At Work Making iPhone Obsolete

CUPERTINO, CA—Only a month after the much-heralded announcement of the iPhone, Apple CEO Steve Jobs confirmed that his engineers were already working around-the-clock on the touchscreen smartphone's far-superior replacement. "We looked at [the iPhone's] innovative user interface, the paradigm-shifting voicemail, the best-in-class mobile browser, and we realized we could make all that seem ridiculously outdated by the time the product becomes available to customers in June," said Jobs, who described the project as "Apple reinventing the iPhone." "When the second-generation iPhone comes out this fall, we want iPhone users to feel not just jealous, but downright foolish for owning such laughably primitive technology." Jobs also hinted that the second iPhone device would not be compatible with existing Mac computers, third-party peripherals, or any future Apple products.

Tags: iphone, conforming individualists

Bush Family Makes $$$ Brave Americans Die

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:35:56 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

Bush's uncle linked to options lawsuit

Defendants' backdating benefited a board he was on, the SEC alleges.

WASHINGTON — President Bush's uncle William H.T. "Bucky" Bush was among directors of a defense contractor who together reaped $6 million from what federal regulators say was an illegal five-year scheme by two company executives to manipulate the timing of stock option grants, court documents show.

The youngest brother of former President George H.W. Bush, he is the second Bush family member whose name has surfaced in stock options scandals this month.

He was an outside, nonexecutive director of Engineered Support Systems Inc. of St. Louis, a supplier of military equipment and electronics that financially benefited from the Iraq war. It was acquired last year by another defense contractor and has been under federal investigation on suspicion of options backdating.

Tags: industrial military complex

EMI's Music Catalog w/Out Copy Protection

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:07:31 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: news.google.com

EMI in talks to sell unprotected MP3s
BusinessWeek - 8 hours ago
Music company EMI Group PLC -- home of The Rolling Stones and Coldplay -- has been talking with online retailers about possibly selling its entire digital music catalog in MP3 format without copy protection, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday, ...
EMI 'in talks' to sell music without copy protection Times Online
EMI may lift online music restrictions: WSJ MarketWatch
NEWS.com.au - New York Times - Reuters.uk - Register
all 173 news articles »

Tags: drm

Brain Scan Can Read Your Mind

Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:02:37 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: news.google.com

Brain scan 'can read your mind'
BBC News - 2 hours ago
Brain scans have been developed which it is claimed can predict what a person is about to do. German, British and Japanese scientists were able to "read minds" using sophisticated functional magnetic imaging (fMRI) and computer programs.
We knew you would read this story The Age
Scientists becoming mind-readers Telegraph.co.uk
New Scientist (subscription) - Guardian Unlimited - LiveScience.com - DailyIndia.com
all 21 news articles »

Tags: brain, reverse engineering, the singularity

White House Retracts State of Union Address

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 04:42:11 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.theonion.com

White House Quietly Retracts Entire State Of The Union Address

WASHINGTON, DC—In a brief statement faxed to major media outlets at approximately 11:50 p.m. Friday, the White House retracted the entire 5,600-word State of the Union address delivered by President Bush last Tuesday. "This includes all components of the address, and is not limited to the president's congratulations to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi or his plan to give more Americans affordable health care through tax cuts, which has since been deemed infeasible," the statement read in part. "Furthermore, the president's urge for bipartisanship as well as his final statement about the state of the union being 'strong' are hereby stricken from the public record." Like the State of the Union address itself, the White House's retraction has not yet become a significant national news story.

Tags: bush, war on terror

Astronaut Tried to Kidnap Love Rival

Tue, 06 Feb 2007 03:27:07 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

Astronaut tried to kidnap love rival: police

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - Disguised in a dark wig, glasses and a trench coat, U.S. space shuttle astronaut Lisa Nowak waited in hiding for a woman she considered a rival for another astronaut's affections and tried to kidnap her, police in Orlando said on Monday.

She told police she drove from Houston to the Orlando International Airport to confront Colleen Shipman, who Nowak considered a rival for the attentions of fellow astronaut Bill Oefelein, the affidavit said.

Tags: astronaut

Petite Gal Eats 44 Maine Lobsters

Sun, 04 Feb 2007 22:05:29 GMT

clipped by: Balzac

Clip Source: www.ifoce.com

Armour Vienna Sausage: 8.31 pounds Armour Vienna Sausage /Lowe's Motor Speedway Charlotte / 10 Minutes/ May 28, 2005

Cheesecake: 11 pounds Downtown Atlantic Cheesecake / 9 minutes/ Sept. 26, 2004

Chicken Wings, National Buffalo Wing Festival: 161 chicken wings, 5.09 lbs / 12 minutes/ Sept. 5, 2004

Eggs: 65 Hard Boiled Eggs / 6 minutes, 40 seconds

Hamburger: Big Daddy Burger: 9 pound cheeseburger/ Plaza Hotel Casino / 27 minutes, 0 seconds/ Jan. 21, 2006

Maine Lobster/ Kennebunk: 44 Maine Lobsters (11.3 Pounds of meat) from the shell / 12 minutes/ Aug. 13, 2005

Oysters: 46 Dozen Acme Oysters/ Acme Oyster House / 10 Minutes/ Mar. 20, 2005

Tags: speed eating contests