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04 Feb 2010 23:47

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U.S.: Blago has a few more charges to answer to over that Senate thing

  • 16 number of charges Rod Blagojevich was indicted for last April
  • 24 number of charges Blago faces in an expanded inquiry
  • Why the change? Blago’s former charges had a lot to do with what’s referred to as “honest services fraud,” a statute that allows lawyers to nail corrupt politicians who get a few too many perks for white collar crimes. This law, passed by Congress in the ’80s and responsible for nailing Conrad Black, Jack Abramoff and fellow former Illinois Gov. George Ryan, is likely to get struck down by the Supreme Court in a few months, so they needed something else to nail him on. The eight new charges don’t rely on the law. 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

23 Jan 2010 17:40

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U.S., World: The U.S. isn’t letting Blackwater remain above the law in Iraq

  • The U.S. plans to appeal the decision to clear Blackwater in a 2007 shooting. A few weeks ago, our boys at Blackwater (now called Xe to avoid self-created negative connotations) were cleared of any wrongdoing in a shooting that killed 17 innocent Iraqi citizens. The decision sparked controversy, and the U.S. government now plans to appeal it. The Iraqi government has not been happy about this entire situation, BTW. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Jan 2010 12:08

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Tech: Amazon’s new Kindle app store a bum deal for developers?

  • 15¢ the cost per megabyte Amazon wants developers to pay for its Kindle app store
  • 70% the share of the pie developers take home after the 15-cent-per-meg charge
  • 30% the share Amazon takes; this is a less favorable deal than Apple’s App store, BTW
  • Why the 15-cent charge? Simple: Users don’t pay for the wireless connection. Amazon does. It’s a cost-recouping measure which has the effect of making the store less desirable for developers. No free apps to be found here, guys. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

02 Jan 2010 16:40

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Biz: Happy New Year! Banks are figuring out new ways to screw you

  • $50B the amount of income banks stand to lose due to the Credit Card Act of 2009
  • 43% of bank execs feel that consumer trust has eroded in the last six months; no, really
  • fees the solution banks plan to offset losses – let the nickel & diming commence source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Dec 2009 21:39

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Music: T.I.’s out of prison, just in time for Lil’ Wayne to take his place

  • The Atlanta rapper was everywhere a year ago; will his star shine again? T.I., a.k.a. Clifford Harris Jr., was released from an Arkansas prison today and put in an Atlanta halfway house for three months. The “Whatever You Like” superstar was jailed on weapons charges – just like Lil’ Wayne is about to be. Won’t someone think of the larger-than life rappers? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Dec 2009 22:34

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Culture: Reality TV judge Shane Sparks’ child abuse arrest shocks Twitter

Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

05 Dec 2009 09:23

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Tech: David Pogue’s recent Verizon article leads to FCC investigation

  • If the ETF is meant to recoup the wholesale cost of the phone over the life of the contract, why does a $120 ETF apply?
  • The FCC • In a letter to Verizon asking them why their recently-changed early termination fees are so high. They also asked about these finicky $1.99 charges for accessing the Web our boy David Pogue brought up (along with these fees) in an article last month. This warms our heart because it proves the FCC is actually listening to concerns like these as they come up. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

04 Dec 2009 18:52

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World: Did a 3D animation get Amanda Knox convicted?

The New York Times reports that the prosecution’s closing arguments were peppered by a video-game style animation of the killing. Like this? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

25 Nov 2009 09:57

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World: Pakistan throws out charges in last year’s Mumbai attacks

  • 7were charged in the attacks, which killed 160 people source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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