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Showing posts from March 22, 2009

Happy Birthday, Quentin Taratino and Mariah Carey

I just noticed that Quentin and Mariah share a birthday today; note that the woman next to Quentin in the above picture is not Mariah . As far as I can tell, Mariah and Quentin live in parallel universes. Quentin celebrates year 46, and Mariah remains the same: eternally 12.

Stultify and Stupefy -- Writer's Poke #218

Stultify and Stupefy are two perfectly good verbs that have life only in song lyrics. I've never uttered them in a real conversation, nor do I know anyone that has. Nevertheless, fans of Lisa Loeb and Disturbed (and yes, you can be a fan of both), recognize these words -- although they might not have an exact definition for them if asked what they mean. I always assumed that "to stultify" meant basically to cause mental stagnation. As it turns out, this is the approximate second definition , but the first definition actually means "to make, or cause to appear foolish or ridiculous." Stupefy sounds like it could refer to the word stupid, but the exact definition is more closely related to the word "stupor," as in to "put into a stupor." Would you rather be stultified or stupefied? Take some time to develop and justify your response. "The so-called clergy stupefy the masses....They befog the people and keep them in an eternal condition o...