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04 Feb 2010 10:10

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Biz, U.S.: Many homeowners choosing to give up on their worthless mortgages

  • Since the beginning of December, I’ve advised 60 people to walk away. Everyone has lost hope. They don’t qualify for modifications, and being on the hamster wheel of paying for a property that is not worth it gets so old.
  • Scottsdale, Ariz.-based mortgage broker Steve Walsh • Regarding the depressing, sad state for many homeowners – many who giving up on their homes due to mortgages that cost more than the homes are actually worth. 4.5 million homeowners have homes that are worth just 25% or less than the cost they paid. Many are choosing to foreclose rather than stay stuck in a property they don’t want. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Feb 2010 09:58

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Biz: Toyota says an evil computer is causing the Prius’ brake problems

  • This company has just had a lot of hell lately, haven’t they? A software glitch is to blame for the 2010 Prius’ brake issues. It causes a one-second disconnect between the brakes and the computer – long enough to go 90 feet if  you’re driving at 60mph. They plan to offer a fix for it, but one thing they aren’t doing is offering a recall. The Prius, BTW, doesn’t have the accelerator problems that caused many of the company’s non-hybrid cars to get recalled. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Feb 2010 09:48

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Tech: For teens, old hotness: Blogs. Not hot at all: Twitter. Hot: MySpace?

  • 73% of teens use social networking, a number that keeps going up
  • 18% of teens blogged in 2009, down from 28% in 2006
  • 70% of teens own a computer, most of those being laptops
  • The most popular site for teens? MySpace still, surprisingly. Facebook is generally more popular among adults, and just 8 percent of teens tweet, even though 19 percent of adults do. The average teenager is the modern equivalent of a ’90s AOL user. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 23:25

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Politics: Murray Hill Incorporated: Finally, a candidate we can believe in

  • Yeah, this is pretty cheeky. But Murray Hill, Inc. is really running for Congress in the Maryland 8th District. They even have the kind of press release that should be studied by people who write press releases. “We want to get in on the ground floor of the democracy market before the whole store is bought by China,” they write. We hope they win so the Supreme Court is forced to reconsider its decision about giving corporations the same rights as people. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 22:35

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Biz, Tech: Why does Wal-Mart have a limit on buying new release DVDs?

  • five the number of copies of a newly released DVD you can buy from Wal-Mart; Target also does this
  • 40% the percentage of DVDs that kiosk company Redbox buys from Wal-Mart or Target; hmm source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 22:26

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Tech, World: Italy’s trying to screw over YouTube for some stupid reason

  • The background In 2006, a video of a child with Down’s syndrome getting attacked showed up on YouTube. Italy has gone after Google for the video big time, suing major executives and arguing that they should screen their content. Google argues this is a bad idea because it’s impossible.
  • The changes Now, Italy is considering taking the policy a step further. They want to force user-generated content sites like YouTube to be liable for what it posts by screening all the content that goes through and getting licenses to distribute the content online. Gah. What a bad idea.
  • The motives? Who’s the Prime Minister? Oh yeah, Silvio Berlusconi. Anyway, some suggest the government’s putting the hammer down due to Berlusconi trying to protect the content of his total-conflict-of-interest media and entertainment companies. Tinfoil hat time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 22:08

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U.S.: Don’t not sweat it: Self-help guru charged in sweat lodge deaths

  • helpful James Ray is a world-reknowned self-help expert who’s shown up on TV shows, including “Larry King Live” and “Oprah.”
  • harmful During a sweat-lodge meetup Ray organized in New Mexico last year, three people died and 20 people got sick as a result of the bad idea.
  • helpless Ray was charged today on three counts of manslaughter in the wake of the sweat lodge deaths. He says it was an accident. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink
 

03 Feb 2010 21:57

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Politics: Why are we holding back Rahm Emanuel’s hilarious profanity?

  • Issues of derogatory comments that make fun of one group or pit one against the other don’t do anything to further our political discourse, And for that Rahm apologized and we’re looking to move forward.
  • White House spokesman Bill Burton • Regarding the fact that Obama adviser Rahm Emanuel called some liberal activists “#(&(@&# retarded” in a closed-door meeting. Sarah Palin jumped on it for some reason, and now Emanuel is being forced to apologize. Can we just say that it’s retarded that Emanuel is getting trashed on for using the word “retarded”? Sure, there are stereotypes at play here, but come on. Rahm walks into a meeting room in the White House and says something worse than “retarded” without even trying. This man should be praised for his uncompromising, innovative use of profanity, not chided for it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 21:43

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Music: It was drugs: Jay Reatard’s cause of death finally revealed

  • He died from “cocaine toxicity,” and alcohol was in his system. The plot to this film has been written way too many times. Live fast, die young, take in lots of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll in-between. And a medical examiner confirmed that this, too, was how Jay Reatard died last month. On the plus side, his legacy will be put on wax once again for more to hear: Albums by his bands The Reatards and The Lost Sounds will be re-released by two of his former labels. Sob. He was one of the greats. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Feb 2010 21:32

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Biz: A good sign for jobs? Monster.com buys HotJobs from Yahoo

  • $225 million for a job-listing-site mega-merger source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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