New Economy

1. An imaginary economic system that will magically replace millions of jobs lost to outsourcing, downsizing and low-wage overseas competition.

2. A feel-good term used by politicians to distract attention from their own immense policy failures.

3. Something that's always "just around the corner" if we only "do the right things."
Michigan's governor said we must prepare for the New Economy by turning 400,000 unemployed auto workers into video game programmers and pastry chefs. That's the ticket!
by Peter Kobs May 03, 2010
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Prisoner of the Present

1. A person whose entire worldview is shaped by current events, stumbling along from one crisis to another.
2. Someone without a historical perspective or hope for the future.
3. The mindset that causes "knee-jerk" reactions to almost any kind of social or economic change.
4. A state of perpetual panic about "the world today."
Larry says the U.S. economy will never recover no matter what happens in Washington -- he's a typical Prisoner of the Present.
by Peter Kobs June 04, 2009
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Hollow Market

1. A financial market so fragile that even strong companies are decimated by panic selling on Wall Street. 2. A market with almost no real buyers, only frantic sellers.
In this hollow market, even a safe company like Kraft Foods is tanking.
by Peter Kobs February 17, 2009
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Blackberry Ban

1. The banning of all Blackberry smart phones by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Republic starting in late July 2010.

Because Blackberries use data encryption for transmitting text over the airways, the security forces of those two countries can't "monitor" e-mail traffic from them. Afraid that anti-government forces will use Blackberries for nefarious purposes, they simply banned the devices entirely. Other authoritarian countries are expected to follow suit. Welcome to the 21st century!
Don't bring your new phone to Dubai, man. They just announced a complete Blackberry Ban. You could end up jail -- or worse.
by Peter Kobs August 01, 2010
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Slumburbia

1. A derisive term for older suburbs that are declining into poverty. The word is a combination of "Slum" and "Suburbia."

2. The bleak future for many aging American suburbs.

3. What happens when people refuse to take urban planning seriously.

Slumburbia is almost always found in large metro areas. As middle-class residents move farther and farther away from the urban core, the closer-in suburbs start to deteriorate. Property values fall leading to reduced local tax revenue, decreased public services, declining schools and increasing crime, especially gang activity. This vicious circle continues for years until the suburb itself is no longer distinguishable from the large city it borders.

Examples of Slumburbia: Hamtramck, Michigan; Somerville, Massachusetts; Camden, New Jersey; and Compton, California.
My hometown is turning into Slumburbia. You can hear gunfire there almost every night.
by Peter Kobs March 09, 2010
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Minute Money

1. Cash that's urgently needed (usually by a teenager) to purchase additional cell phone minutes. 2. The reason why pre-paid cell phones are so cheap.
"Dad! I need some Minute Money so my girlfriend can text me after the party tonight."
by Peter Kobs July 08, 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 04, 2010
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