Michael Arrington Forced Out of Techcrunch

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The popular blog Techcrunch was founded in 2005 by Michael Arrington. He then sold Techcrunch in 2010 to AOL for somewhere around $30 million. Now he has been forced out of his own blog which is now owned by AOL with a statement posted earlier today on Techcrunch located at http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/12/deciding-to-move-on/ Here is another article that expands on the events http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904265504576566694092557886.html “I Sold My Company (to a Bunch of Idiots) and Expected to Still Maintain Control Over It.” -Michael Arrington Here are some videos of AOL back when it literally seemed like everyone was using it in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Source: http://tech.blorge.com/Structure:%20/2010/09/28/aol-acquires-techcrunch-a-good-day-for-arrington-a-bad-day-for-his-readers/

Haggling With Doctors: Lower the Cost of Your Medical Bills

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Consumer Reports has recently put out an article by John Santa M.D., M.P.H. titled “How to haggle with your doctor” published in September 2011 and located at http://www.consumerreports.org/health/doctors-hospitals/how-to-haggle-with-your-doctor/overview/index.htm The article recommends that if you are healthy you talk to your doctor about costs. Dr. Santa touches on the fact that some doctors will pursue more aggressive treatment options due to perhaps financial motivations and because of fear of being sued. There is a focus on looking over your hospital bill to make sure everything you were billed for was done and priced properly and inspect for any possible errors. In addition, Dr. Santa recommends that if you are having an elective procedure that you take time to conduct a lot of research on different providers and options that may be available. Dr. Santa went on the NBC Today Show recently in … Read more

Big Media Monopoly

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I recently read the book titled The New Media Monopoly: A Completely Revised and Updated Edition With Seven New Chapters published in 2004 by Beacon Press and written by Ben H. Bagdikian. I think it is well worth the read and provides some interesting perspectives even though it is now slightly dated due to the continued rise of the internet. Some interesting quotes provided in the book by past leaders in the United States of America: “Nothing can now be believed, which is seen in a newspaper” -Thomas Jefferson, 1807 “A people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives. A popular government without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy or perhaps both.” -James Madison “The first essential in determining how … Read more

Music to Listen to After Wisdom Teeth Removal: Rock and Roll Songs

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I have previously posted about some music you can listen to after having your wisdom teeth removed which you can see at http://blog.teethremoval.com/music-to-listen-to-after-wisdom-teeth-removal-youtube-musicians/ These artists were for the most part not particularly well known in the mainstream but well known on YouTube. Now on to some more well known artists and some great rock and roll songs. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – I Won’t Back Down ZZ Top – Sharp Dressed Man AC/DC – Thunderstruck Twisted Sister – We’re Not Gonna Take It Tom Cochrane – Life is a Highway Edgar Winter Group – Free Ride Derek and the Dominos – Layla Boston – Peace of Mind Some of these videos don’t seem to exactly be uploaded with proper permission so they may at some point be taken down. These are some of my personal favorite rock and roll … Read more

Find Free Dental Care

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I wanted to let anyone who might be interested in free dental care that recently 1dental.com put together a tool that allows one to enter their zip code to search for free dental care providers in their area. This tool is available at http://www.1dental.com/provider/. It allows different specialties to be searched for as well such as general dentists, oral surgeons, pediatric dentists, orthodontists,  periodontists, and endodontists. This tool will provide a phone number and a convenient Google map. Of course it should be mentioned that 1dental sells dental plans so they try to get you to sign up with the Careington Dental plan. I personally have not used this tool to find a dentist and have no experience with Careington Dental plan. Therefore use at your own discretion. It may help some looking for and in need of dental work. … Read more