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03 Nov 2010 10:52

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Music: Taylor Swift: A million-seller in her first week. And so sweet, too!

  • 1,047,000 in sales for Swift
  • 1,006,000 the number of copies Lil Wayne’s “Tha Carter III” sold way back in 2008 – the last time any artist had a million-plus week
  • 1,141,000 the number of copies 50 Cent sold of “The Massacre” back in 2005 – the last time anyone sold as many copies as Taylor Swift source

18 Jun 2010 13:51

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World: Pop quiz: Guess which country this soap opera takes place in

The only hint we’re going to give you: Despite the telltale signs, this is not, in fact, “The Hills.” Click the link to see if you’re right. source

14 Jun 2010 10:57

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Culture: One way to remember Jimmy Dean: His company’s awful food

  • A musician firstDean, who died last night at 81, started his career as a country musician. His biggest hit, “Big Bad John,” went to the top of the charts in 1961. He later became an actor, and even starred in a James Bond movie.

    Crimes committed in his nameLater, he got into the sausage-making business, building a popular brand off his image. Eventually, he sold his company to Sara Lee, who eventually got sick of this old man hanging around and kicked him out. Then they started making crap like the stuff to the left. Pancakes? Sausages? Chocolate chips? At least now that he’s dead, he can roll in his grave. source

21 Apr 2010 10:27

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Tech: Here’s a fun-looking heat map on Apple uptake in the U.S.

To our friends in D.C, NYC, L.A., Silicon Valley, Chicago and Colorado: You’ve officially been sucked in by the Apple borg. How’s it feel, anyway? source

31 Mar 2010 23:14

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World: Haiti help: The international community should be proud of itself

  • $9.9 billion to help the quake-rocked nation recover source

03 Jan 2010 03:10

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Politics: Corny country comic Ray Stevens is still around, still sucks

  • 36 years ago, this guy was responsible for one of the cheesiest, corniest songs to ever become a No. 1 pop hit, “The Streak.” (In his defense, Owl City’s blatant Postal Service rip-off “Fireflies” might be cornier and cheesier.) Since then, he’s maintained a cult audience, but in recent years, he’s taken to releasing topical country “comedy” songs about current events, with a far rightward lean. This one, “We the People,” threatens congressmen who vote for health care. And it has a million views on YouTube. Who are these million viewers, and what are they doing searching for “Ray Stevens” on YouTube? It’s not even funny!

10 Dec 2009 20:54

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World: Hungry for attention: Meet the cleverest bastard in India’s history

K. Chandrasekhar Rao starved himself for nearly two weeks in an attempt to get his region, Telangana, recognized as a separate Indian state. It worked. source
 

26 Nov 2009 09:59

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World: Happy Thanksgiving! Dubai may default on its massive debt

  • $59 billion in liabilities owed to various creditors source

17 Nov 2009 20:43

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World: Daily poll: Like corruption? Vote for the most corrupt country!

  • First, we apologize for the late poll. Today was a slow news day and there wasn’t a lot of really pollworthy stuff. Anyway, today, Transparency International released its Corruption Perceptions Index for 2009, which is a survey of the most corrupt countries in the world. The top five are fairly obvious, if you follow the news. But what are we if not people who offer you the opportunity to vote?! So vote for the country you think is most corrupt. We left an option open for you to pick your own country. So go for it, kids. source

08 Nov 2009 10:06

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World: China sees a lot in Africa. That’s why they keep investing in it.

  • $10 billion amount China will loan Africa this year to to develop infrastructure and social programs
  • $7.8 billion amount China loaned Africa last year; they see the continent as a future economic driver source