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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: swearing

swearing stories: 12 news summaries
THAT %#*&! SMARTS

 Swearing Reduces Pain 

Coarse words help us deal with painful stimuli

Nov 9, 09 1:48 PM CST
(Newser) - If your reaction to slamming your finger in a door is to curse the air blue, you might be onto something: A new study shows that swearing relieves pain. Intrigued by the fact that people seem to swear in painful situations, UK researchers put the idea to the test: they... More »

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pain relief • swearing • pain

FREUDIAN SLIPS

 Another NYC Anchor 
 Swears On-Air 

Bernie Kerik, once a 'top cop,' gets a more anatomical name

Oct 21, 09 6:00 AM CDT
(Newser) - After one anchor's angry F-bomb and another's strange chicken-copulation metaphor, a third New York local newscaster accidentally slipped in some off-color language last night. WABC anchor Bill Ritter referred to Bernie Kerik, ex-head of the NYPD and briefly nominated to run the Homeland Security Department, as "former New York... More »

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Bernard Kerik • New York • WABC • swearing • news anchor • television news

Bleeping White House Better Watch Its Mouth

At least around reporters suddenly quoting official profanity

Oct 12, 09 12:29 PM CDT
(Newser) - Lately, the White House has had quite the potty mouth. Barack Obama called Kanye West a “jackass,” Joe Biden told a senator to “gimme a fucking break!” and one top economic adviser said that America hadn’t had its “holy shit” moment. That’s an... More »

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Barack Obama • Joe Biden • media • swearing • cursing • Obama administration

(Newser) - The heat is apparently getting to Tim Geithner. At a meeting last week with high-level financial regulators, the treasury secretary indulged in a potty-mouthed diatribe about delays in the administration's highly touted plan to overhaul the regulatory system, declaring, "enough is enough," the Wall Street Journal reports.... More »

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Ben Bernanke • Federal Reserve • SEC • profanity • Treasury Department • FDIC • financial institutions • swearing • Obama administration • Treasury secretary • Sheila Bair • Timothy Geithner • Obama Cabinet • Mary Schapiro • regulator • Securities and Exchange Commission • regulatory body • Neal Wolin

 Swearing Cuts Pain, Dammit 

Scientists suggest link to fight-or-flight response

Jul 12, 09 12:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stubbed your toe? Let loose a torrent of profanity and you may actually feel better, a study suggests. Scientists had subjects stick their hands in ice water for as long as they could, once while cursing and again using only G-rated language. The researchers discovered that cursing subjects could keep... More »

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study • language • swearing • pain • aggression

No Sex (After 9), Please—We're the BBC

Survey prompts British channel to cut back on racy content, swearing

Jun 25, 09 8:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - Responding to viewers’ concerns, the BBC will no longer give free rein to potentially offensive material after 9pm, the Telegraph reports. A network survey of 2,700 people age 11 and up found that its audience, especially older viewers, is unhappy with the content. Now, foul language may be subject... More »

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television • BBC • censorship • sex • profanity • Mark Thompson • Britain • swearing

ANALYSIS

Supreme Court Backs FCC's Profanity Policy

But justices decline to rule on ban's threat to First Amendment

Apr 28, 09 12:51 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Supreme Court ruled today that the Federal Communications Commission may fine broadcasters for even a single utterance of a curse word, Lyle Denniston writes for SCOTUSblog. In a 5-4 decision, the court ruled that the FCC’s recent switch in policy from discouraging “dirty words” to a stringent... More »

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Antonin Scalia • Hollywood • FCC • curse • profanity • US Supreme Court • swearing

Recession Creates Nation of Potty Mouths

F-bombs a popular
way to react to your 401(k) statement

Mar 17, 09 3:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - The state of the economy has made for a lot of bad news, and bad news makes for a lot of cussing, MSNBC reports. “I’ve been dropping the F-bomb every time I look at the Dow,” said one 35-year-old writer. “You see that number and you... More »

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recession • obscenity • language • swearing • financial crisis • 401(k) plans

 LA to Declare 'Cuss-Free Week' 

15-year-old founder of No Cussing Club hopes for more respectful city

Mar 1, 09 4:23 PM CST
(Newser) - Millions of angry drivers will be reduced to stunned silence if Los Angeles County passes No Cussing Week, the AP reports. The expected announcement from the county board of supervisors next week follows a campaign by 15-year-old McKay Hatch, who started a club against swearing. "It's not about forcing... More »

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Los Angeles • swearing • cursing

comment

 Unseemly Word Loses Its Sting 

'Near-dirty' term deserves a trip to the showers

Jun 21, 08 12:42 PM CDT
(Newser) - The word douchebag is in danger of losing its bite thanks to rampant overuse, writes Richard Dorment in Esquire. It's not that the "toxic mess of a man" population has increased, he observes. It may seem that way, what with reality TV and cable punditry promoting unsavory characters. But... More »

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profanity • obscenity • language • swearing • insult • opinion

Why Do Kids Love to Cuss?

Parents and peers
foist 'bad words' on virgin ears, but it may not be a big flippin' deal

Mar 27, 08 12:34 PM CDT
(Newser) - Kids swear. They swear like sailors. Why is that, and should parents be worried? NPR decided to investigate and found, logically enough, that kids swear because they pick up the words from others, particularly mom and dad. “That’s just language learning,” says psychologist Paul Bloom. “These... More »

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parenting • children • obscenity • swearing • cursing

 Supremes to Weigh
 On-Air Swearing 

Fox battles the FCC in next big court case

Mar 17, 08 1:11 PM CDT
(Newser) - The Supreme Court might take up a gavel in one hand and a bar of soap in the other next term, when it considers a case challenging the FCC’s “fleeting utterances” standards, it announced today. The FCC is appealing a lower-court ruling—which arose when Cher dropped an... More »

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television • CBS • FCC • indecency • Janet Jackson • profanity • Fox • wardrobe malfunction • US Supreme Court • constitutionality • swearing

12 Stories


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