Clipmarks | Phrases Clips

Oxford compiles list of top ten irritating phrases

Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:02:13 GMT

clipped by: lifecyce1898

A top 10 of irritating expressions has been compiled by researchers at Oxford University.

England's Steven Gerrard is among the footballers who often recite the most irritating phrase: 'At the end of the day'

Heading the list was the expression 'at the end of the day', which was followed in second place by the phrase 'fairly unique'.

The top ten most irritating phrases:

1 - At the end of the day

2 - Fairly unique

3 - I personally

4 - At this moment in time

5 - With all due respect

6 - Absolutely

7 - It's a nightmare

8 - Shouldn't of

9 - 24/7

10 - It's not rocket science

To know or not to know?

Sat, 15 Nov 2008 12:16:42 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus
clipper's remarks: I do not understand nor support her attitude.
What is the 'father' she seeks? someone to blame for misfortunate emotional state? and if she looks him in the eyes, then what? would she understand something?

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

'I could have 300 siblings'

As a child, Jo Rose discovered her father was a sperm donor. At 36, she still hasn't found him. She describes the battle to have her rights recognised, and find her identity

Throughout my childhood, my family would use phrases such as "donor conception" quite openly, but they never acted as if this meant I had a genetic father, or a different paternal family out there, even as I got older.

By my mid-teens, I felt uncomfortable and confused about who I was, but I didn't have the words to verbalise it all. I started suffering from bulimia and bouts of depression - it was like a cauldron of black stuff that would bubble up every so often - but I couldn't have told you what it was about.

What would it be like to look my genetic father in the eyes?

it was dehumanising and deeply upsetting to know that I was bred with plastic gloves

my case helped to lead to a ban on anonymity for sperm donors

naive and deeply focused on themselves and their infertility

Tags: sperm donation

Unreleased 14-minute Beatles Song

Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:44:04 GMT

clipped by: RecordSage
clipper's remarks: Hopefully Sir Mac will be able to pull this off.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

These Guitars Are Not Gently Weeping

A new track from the Beatles? Paul McCartney hopes to unleash “Carnival of Light,” a 14-minute experimental Beatles track recorded in 1967 but never released, he said in an interview with BBC Radio 4 that is to be broadcast this week, The Guardian reported. During a recording session at Abbey Road Studios, Mr. McCartney said, he asked the other Beatles to “just wander round all of the stuff and bang it, shout, play it.” The resulting recording — which was played just once, at an electronic music festival in London — includes distorted guitar sounds, eerie organ notes and random shouted phrases. Mr. McCartney said that he had the master recording of the song, which was inspired by the experimental composers John Cage and Karlheinz Stockhausen, and that “the time has come for it to get its moment.” To release the track, he needs permission from Ringo Starr and the widows of John Lennon and George Harrison.

Tags: beatles, music

Google Maps the Flu

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 17:28:21 GMT

clipped by: Rebecca Ruiz
clipper's remarks: No doubt you've already seen this story online, but since I have a keen interest in using technology to map or graph one or more trends in a predictive or user-friendly way, I wanted to share this story about Google's Flu Trends. The web tool allows users to track flu-related searches by state to see if the flu is on the rise locally. Though this tool is in its initial stages, the idea behind it has been validated by another study showing that internet searches may correlate with flu outbreaks.

Check it out here: http://www.google.org/flutrends/

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

There is a new common symptom of the flu, in addition to the usual aches, coughs, fevers and sore throats. Turns out a lot of ailing Americans enter phrases like “flu symptoms” into Google and other search engines before they call their doctors.

That simple act, multiplied across millions of keyboards in homes around the country, has given rise to a new early warning system for fast-spreading flu outbreaks, called Google Flu Trends.

Tests of the new Web tool from Google.org, the company’s philanthropic unit, suggest that it may be able to detect regional outbreaks of the flu a week to 10 days before they are reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The premise behind Google Flu Trends — what appears to be a fruitful marriage of mob behavior and medicine — has been validated by an unrelated study indicating that the data collected by Yahoo, Google’s main rival in Internet search, can also help with early detection of the flu.

Why We Need to Call a Pig a Pig - The politics of language ..

Tue, 11 Nov 2008 05:36:56 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: We know Orwell for his novels, but it's the way he saw the politics of language that makes him relevant.

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

Why We Need to Call a Pig a Pig (With Or Without Lipstick)

We know Orwell for his novels, but it's the way he saw the politics of language that makes him relevant.

Clip Source: www.newsweek.com

Though many of Orwell's essays describe single incidents, his concerns are political, in the largest sense: the way human dignity is corrupted by false phrases. He was less interested in what motivates people to act without integrity than in the words they use to camouflage and perpetuate their dishonesty: for Orwell, bad language and bad politics were one and the same. Yet for all his penury and despair, his faith in the power of clear, strong language can only be read as optimistic.

Orwell's ideas have been bastardized and simplified over time, so that "Big Brother," the totalitarian, state-run citizen-control mechanism of "1984," is now the name of a reality-TV show that bears little resemblance to the book, except for the fact that contestants are watched by cameras

How to spot weak arguments

Sat, 17 May 2008 14:59:18 GMT

clipped by: spherepet

Clip Source: blog.createdebate.com

How to spot weak arguments

When you’re debating, you’ll come up against many styles of arguing, based on all different levels of arguing. If you’re in the debate to win, you’ll have to spot the flaws in opposing arguments and point them out, or exploit them like a weak spot. Sometimes it’s as easy as listening for fuzzy words. Here are some words and phrases that are easy indications of flaws:

many, all, a lot, every, none, nobody, much, more

Solid arguments use actual numbers with references to their source. These words can indicate implied statistics that show the debater is making up a fact rather than working off real data. Example: “Many Christians disagree”

never, always, usually, tend, trend - These may be blanket statements that imply cause and effect, or assumptions about overall responses and opinions that don’t hold up under scrutiny. Example: “the rich have always been getting richer”

I, I don’t think, I believe

including yourself in the argument can indicate thinking personal

Tags: arguments, debates

Gay activists disrupt Sunday service at Michigan church

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:00:19 GMT

clipped by: Efrain Alvarado

Clip Source: www.catholicnewsagency.com

Lansing, Mich., Nov 13, 2008 / 01:20 am (CNA).- A homosexual activist group on Sunday disrupted services at a Michigan Assemblies of God-affiliated church, throwing fliers, shouting slogans at churchgoers, and kissing each other.

David Williams, communications director at the church and son of its pastor Dave Williams, said their slogans included phrases like “It's OK to be gay” and claims that Jesus was homosexual, the Lansing State Journal reports.

A report on the Bash Back group’s web site claimed credit for the protest. It described the outside protesters as a small group dressed in pink and black equipped “with a megaphone, black flags, picket signs and an upside-down pink cross.”

“The church didn’t file any complaint. When we arrived there, they [the protesters] left on their own accord when they were told to leave. There was no incident as they were leaving,” she said.

Tags: tolerance, homosexuality, christianity

ban on Latin

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:36:03 GMT

clipped by: mona
clipper's remarks: ???

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Councils ban use of Latin terms

A number of local councils in Britain have banned their staff from using Latin words, because they say they might confuse people.

Several local authorities have ruled that phrases like "vice versa", "pro rata", and even "via" should not be used, in speech or in writing.

Some local councils say using Latin is elitist and discriminatory, because some people might not understand it - particularly if English is not their first language.

"The advice is intended as a guide only, not a direction."

However, the council's Plain Language Guide lists Latin under the heading "Things To Avoid".

Other local councils have banned "QED" and "ad hoc", while other typical Latin terms include "bona fide", "ad lib" and "quid pro quo".

A Campaign spokesman said the ban might stop people confusing the Latin abbreviation e.g. with the word "egg".

Zeitgeist of the US

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:11:58 GMT

clipped by: AtlLiberal
clipper's remarks: Clipped is the preamble to a very short article explaining what is meant by anti-science and some of the ramifications of it. Since there is an undercurrent in the US that is anti-science I thought this would be a nice introduction to this topic.

Clip Source: rationalwiki.com

Anti-science

Anti-science, in modern terms, refers to largely ideological attacks on the teaching of evolutionary theory and other sciences in schools, and their use in the world at large. This is particularly true when it comes into conflict with conservative, religious pseudo-scientific positions. Common targets include evolution^[1], global warming and various sorts of medicine, although other sciences that may conflict with right-wing ideology are often targeted as well.

The anti-science position generally holds that in cases where science and ideology come into conflict, science itself must be flawed. This position is normally couched in reassuring code phrases, such as "intelligent design". Although it is highly likely that anti-science positions are the result of ideological positions, the holding of a particular ideological position will not automatically make an individual guilty of being anti-science.

Google Flu Trends

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 15:58:59 GMT

clipped by: debbyski

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Turns out a lot of ailing Americans enter phrases like “flu symptoms” into Google and other search engines before they call their doctors.

That simple act, multiplied across millions of keyboards in homes around the country, has given rise to a new early warning system for fast-spreading flu outbreaks, called Google Flu Trends.

The service covers only the United States, but Google is hoping to eventually use the same technique to help track influenza and other diseases worldwide.

Google also says it believes the tool may help people take precautions if a disease is in their area.

Google Follows Flu Trends by your Key Stroaks

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 03:21:41 GMT

clipped by: glennbah
clipper's remarks: There is a new common symptom of the flu, in addition to the usual aches, coughs, fevers and sore throats. Turns out a lot of ailing Americans enter phrases like “flu symptoms” into Google and other search engines before they call their doctors.

That simple act, multiplied across millions of keyboards in homes around the country, has given rise to a new early warning system for fast-spreading flu outbreaks, called Google Flu Trends.

Clip Source: www.google.org

Explore flu trends across the U.S.

We've found that certain search terms are good indicators of flu activity. Google Flu Trends uses aggregated Google search data to estimate flu activity in your state up to two weeks faster than traditional systems. Read more »

United States flu activity:

Low

Tags: google, flu trends

Top 10 Most Annoying Phrases

Sat, 08 Nov 2008 07:37:08 GMT

clipped by: fraynelson

Clip Source: blog.wired.com

Not all University of Oxford researchers are uptight and humorless, "irregardless" of what you might think. In fact, a bunch of them compiled a list of the Top 10 Most Irritating Expressions in the English language -- just because we needed one.

The great hierarchy of verbal fatigue includes:

1 - At the end of the day
2 - Fairly unique
3 - I personally
4 - At this moment in time
5 - With all due respect
6 - Absolutely
7 - It's a nightmare
8 - Shouldn't of
9 - 24/7
10 - It's not rocket science

The list appears in a new book, Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare, by Jeremy Butterfield. Since it's always possible for the Oxford brainiacs to "borrow you" space on the list for your own complaints

Why as our knowledge & expertise increase, our bility to innovate tend to taper off ?

Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:27:00 GMT

clipped by: einbar
clipper's remarks: In her book, “Innovation Killer: How What We Know Limits What We Can Imagine — and What Smart Companies Are Doing About It,” Cynthia Barton Rabe proposes bringing in outsiders whom she calls zero-gravity thinkers to keep creativity and innovation on track.“Look for people with renaissance-thinker tendencies, who’ve done work in a related area but not in your specific field,” she says. “Make it possible for someone who doesn’t report directly to that area to come in and say the emperor has no clothes.”

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

IT’S a pickle of a paradox: As our knowledge and expertise increase, our creativity and ability to innovate tend to taper off. Why? Because the walls of the proverbial box in which we think are thickening along with our experience.

it becomes nearly impossible to look beyond what you know and think outside the box you’ve built around yourself.

once you’ve become an expert in a particular subject, it’s hard to imagine not knowing what you do. Your conversations with others in the field are peppered with catch phrases and jargon that are foreign to the uninitiated. When it’s time to accomplish a task — open a store, build a house, buy new cash registers, sell insurance — those in the know get it done the way it has always been done, stifling innovation as they barrel along the well-worn path.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

When experts have to slow down and go back to basics to bring an outsider up to speed

it forces them to look at their world differently and, as a result, they come up with new solutions to old problems

Latest GOP smear revealed.

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:18:14 GMT

clipped by: bjtindle

Clip Source: rawstory.com

Latest GOP smear plot revealed: Professor paid to try to tie Ayers to Obama biography

The brother of a Republican congressman and a Republican businessman attempted to pay an professor in Oxford to use software he designed to "prove" that 1960s radical William Ayers helped write Sen. Barack Obama's biography.

The professor, Dr. Peter Millican, teaches philosophy at Hertford College, Oxford. His software is designed to detect when works are by the same authors by comparing the use of similar words and phrases.

Republicans try to use Oxford don to smear Barack Obama

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 10:04:10 GMT

clipped by: tabsey
clipper's remarks: The methane coming off the crap the Republicans are spreading ( to steer people away from the main issue - that a Republican has put America into massive debt to fund a stupid invasion ) is killing the planet.

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

The Republicans have made a last-minute attempt to prevent Barack Obama’s ascent to the White House by trying to recruit an Oxford academic to “prove” that his autobiography was ghostwritten by a former terrorist.

With two days before the election, Obama is poised to become America’s first black president, according to polls showing he has an average six-point lead over John McCain, his Republican opponent.

Dr Peter Millican, a philosophy don at Hertford College, Oxford, has devised a computer software program that can detect when works are by the same author by comparing favourite words and phrases.

He was contacted last weekend and offered $10,000 (£6,200) to assess alleged similarities between Obama’s bestseller, Dreams from My Father, and Fugitive Days, a memoir by William Ayers.

Fox and Cannon each suggested to The Sunday Times that the other had taken the initiative.

Tags: it, isn't, politics, if, dumb - who, said, that?