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Peter Kobs's definitions

Tuition

1. An imaginary number invented by college administrators to inspire fear in middle-class parents and new students.

2. An enormous fee that automatically rises at 3 times the rate of inflation.

3. The catch-all term for huge sums of money that young pepole start paying at age 18 or 19. Payments usually continue for the next 10-20 years.
College President: "What should Tuition be next year?"

Comptroller: "Let's me see... $38,000 has a nice ring to it. Of course, we always tack on another $6,000 in fees just for fun, not to mention mandatory health insurance and thost textbooks that cost $100 a pop."

College President: "Can we make it $39,000?"

Comptroller: "Why not? Works for me!"
by Peter Kobs February 12, 2010
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Pre-Abandoned

1. A building or military installation that is never intended to be used, but which must be constructed anyway for political reasons.

2. A public space that planners know will never be occupied or properly used. It gets built anyway to satisfy a planning commission or zoning board.

3. The act of constructing something useless and pointless because it is demanded by an overall "plan."
"Did you hear about those Pre-Abandoned schools in Iraq? They built them out in the desert without any electricity or air conditioning. No one will ever use them, but at least they look good on paper."
by Peter Kobs September 22, 2009
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Pop City

1. A city with widespread and pervasive gun violence.

2. A dangerous neighborhood or part of town.

3. A place where young people get "popped" on a regular basis by rival gang members or criminals, usually between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.
Man, don't go over there tonight. That neighborhood is Pop City! You'll get gunned down for sure.
by Peter Kobs August 12, 2009
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Talibanned

1. The act of banning any Taliban member from a specific area or activity.

Examples include: Crossing a border, entering a city, serving on a tribal committee or boarding an airplane. In some cases, local governments are trying to recruit ex-Taliban members into the fold, providing a way out from "Talibanishment."

2. The continuing effort by Pakistani and Afghani officials to eliminate Taliban violence by labeling specific individuals or groups as terrorists.

3. An extremely difficult task.
Mustafa won't be coming to Lahore for the soccer game next week. He's been Talibanned.
by Peter Kobs January 4, 2010
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Greenspanning

1. The act of blaming someone else for your own mistakes.

2. Refusing to take responsibility for anything BAD while always taking credit for anything GOOD.

Greenspanning was pioneered by Alan Greenspan, the former head of the U.S. Federal Reserve System, who has spent the last 5 years denying any responsibility for the housing bubble or subsequent economic collapse -- despite enormous evidence to the contrary.
"Did he ever admit his mistakes."

"No way, man. He's Greenspanning again."

"Typical."
by Peter Kobs April 7, 2010
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Certainty Pimp

Someone who sells "certainty" on a particular issue to gain money or power -- usually a politician, pundit or preacher. Certainty Pimps don't like shades of gray because they force people to think for themselves.
Did you see that Certainty Pimp on TV? He says the recent cold snap is proof that global warming is a complete hoax.
by Peter Kobs January 17, 2009
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The Great Disruption

1. A frightening new historical era that began in 2008 with the crash of world economies and the simultaneous collapse of trust in governing institutions. 2. A wrenching shift in human society resulting from 50 years of unsustainable development, over-population, environmental degredation, economic injustice and rapid resource depletion. 3. The growing realization that sophisticated "financial engineering" cannot solve the growing list of real-world problems.
The Great Disruption could be the biggest challenge in human history since the collapse of the Roman Empire in 466 A.D.
by Peter Kobs March 9, 2009
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