The words ‘banished’ for the year 2023 by a university

Jan 5 2023

Every year since 1976, Lake Superior State University issues a compilation of choices of words which are to be banned for the entire year.

Over 1000 everyday terms have been included in this list, with some of them appearing more than once. This time around, the acronym of GOAT, which stands for Greatest Of All Time, has topped the poll.

For the 2023 list, the university judges reviewed over 1,500 submissions before coming up with a top 10. Some of the other words included were: inflection point; gaslighting; quiet quitting; moving forward; amazing; absolutely; does that make sense and irregardless.

Guess it is what it is for these words… oh wait, ‘it is what it is’ has also been included on this ranking. GOAT was deemed to suggest ‘literal impossibility and technical vagueness of this wannabe superlative.’

Words and terms which have suffered ‘bans’ in the past included ‘no worries’, ‘you’re on mute’, ‘vis-a-vis’, ‘I’m like’ and ‘giving 110 percent’.

The university has even copyrighted the concept of its Banished Words List to “uphold, protect, and support excellence in language by encouraging avoidance of words and terms that are overworked, redundant, oxymoronic, clichéd, illogical, nonsensical-and otherwise ineffective, baffling, or irritating”.

#MaltaDaily

Record attendance expected for Manchester United Women vs Birkirkara match

Jan 5 2023

Birkirkara FC has announced that all available tickets for Friday’s luxurious friendly match against Manchester United Women FC have been reserved.

The club is expecting an attendance of over 1,000 spectators which will see the club registering a new record attendance for women’s football in Malta.

In a post on their social media channels, the local champions announced that no more tickets are available. The club was also forced to close its waiting list of tickets due to the high demand that the club received.

The current record attendance for a women’s football match in Malta goes back to Malta’s National Team match against Italy in October 2019.

Manchester United’s Women Team are currently on the island for an intensive week of training, also getting the opportunity to experience the culture of the island during their stay.

#MaltaDaily

Prince Harry accuses William of physical assault in 2019

Jan 5 2023

UK Prince Harry has revealed through his new memoir ‘Spare’ that he was physically attacked by older brother Prince William during a 2019 argument.

The Guardian reported on Wednesday how the story is recounted in the book which is set to be released later this month, causing a massive internal clash within the British royal family.

38-year-old Harry writes that during a disagreement in their London kitchen home, William called Meghan Markle ‘rude’, ‘difficult’ and ‘abrasive.’

He then went on to tackle him to the ground, breaking a dog’s bowl under is back. Pieces of the bowl allegedly cut into his back as William ripped his necklace.

After the argument broke off, William apologised and expressed regret, urging him ‘not to tell Meg about this.’ The timing of this revelation is rather awkward given that their father King Charles is preparing for his coronation in May following Queen Elizabeth II’s passing.

#MaltaDaily

Tobacco companies billed for cigarette clean up efforts in Spain

Jan 5 2023

Tobacco companies are being billed for the clean up efforts of millions of cigarette ends which smokers discard every year in Spain as new environment regulations come into play.

The ruling comes into force this Friday and is part of a package of measures which aim to reduce waste and increase the practice of recycling.

Cigarette manufacturers will be responsible for educating the public on not discarding their cigarette ends in public spaces. It remains to be seen how the clean-ups will be implemented and how much it will actually cost.

One study by Catalan put the cost between €12 to €21 per citizen per annum, which amounts up to a total of around €1bn. A scheme was also proposed by the Catalan government whereby cigarette butts could be redeemed for €0.20 each, adding €4 to the current average price of €50 for a pack of 20. This scheme has not yet been introduced.

It is also assumed that tobacco companies will pass on the cost to the consumer, which would incentivise the users themselves to quit.

Cigarette ends are some of the most polluting substances worldwide as they take around 10 years to decompose as they emit toxic substances into the environment in the process.

The measures also include a ban on single use plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, plastic straws and expanded polystyrene cups.

#MaltaDaily