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22 Aug 2010 10:55

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Offbeat: Tyler Perry: Creator of bad movies, destroyer of worse homes

This mega-mansion outside Atlanta, which reportedly has awful architecture, languished on the market for 15 years. Tyler Perry bought it. He plans to destroy it. source

22 Aug 2010 10:48

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Tech: Prediction: Mirasol displays could be in your tablet-reading future

  • Is this the future of tablet design? The screen above, a hybrid of eInk and LCD called Mirasol, is getting some big buzz, and a certain client has Qualcomm paying $2 billion to ramp up production of the technology. Is it Apple? Is it Amazon? Is it HP? Is it somebody else? We don’t know, but we have to admit being able to read a tablet in direct sunlight would rule. source

22 Aug 2010 10:37

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Politics: At Chicago’s Comic Con, Blago outdrew the big stars

  • $50 the amount people paid for a signature from the hair himself
  • $80 the amount people paid to get in a photo with said hair source

22 Aug 2010 10:21

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World: Pakistan getting the flood help it needs, at least financially

  • $800 million in aid from the rest of the world so far source

22 Aug 2010 10:06

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Biz: The final stage of the Credit Card Act of 2009: The big changes

  • one The law limits the penalty fees on credit cards so that you’re not paying a $20 penalty for a $5 overage.
  • twoOther fees will disappear, too: You can’t get punished for not using your card for a while anymore.
  • threeAnd if you buy a gift card starting today, the balance will be active for a full five years after you buy it.
  • fourFinally, if a card company raises your interest rate for any reason, they have to tell you why. source

22 Aug 2010 09:51

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U.S.: In Philly, running a blog that makes no money will cost you $300

  • The real kick in the pants is that I don’t even have a full-time job, so for the city to tell me to pony up $300 for a business privilege license, pay wage tax, business privilege tax, net profits tax on a handful of money is outrageous.
  • Marilyn Bess • Regarding the letter she got from the city of Philadelphia, informing her that she had to pay for a business privilege license for her blog, which has only made $50 over a three-year period, largely off of eHow articles. Also, she’s on a WordPress.com blog, which does not allow advertising unless you hit a certain traffic threshold. There are free-speech ramifications here, and it sounds like a shakedown to us. A bureaucrat needs to be taken out back and shot. Possibly two or three. source

22 Aug 2010 09:10

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World: Iran shows off military technology way behind the U.S. yet again

Iran must be so proud. They have their first phallic device, an unmanned drone. Here’s the thing, though: Doesn’t the U.S. have like 50 of these things? source
 

22 Aug 2010 03:03

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22 Aug 2010 00:50

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Culture: Thanks Betty White: “Saturday Night Live” having Emmy renaissance

  • five the number of Emmys Betty White, a young 88 years old, has won – including one for “SNL”
  • three the number of Creative Arts Emmys creatively-peaking “Saturday Night Live” won this year
  • 12 the number of Emmys SNL is nominated for this year; they’ve won 28 since 1976 source

22 Aug 2010 00:43

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Politics: Hey, Obama vacation critics: Here’s a humbling number for you

  • 48 the number of days Obama has spent on vacation during his presidency; he’s getting lots of criticism
  • 115 the number of vacation days George W. Bush had taken at this point in his presidency source