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April 15, 2011

Craziest Tax Deductions for 2011

For those off us procrastinators who still haven't filed. A little levity for a change.

Amplify’d from www.foxbusiness.com

10 Craziest Tax Deductions for 2011

Behold Bankrate's sixth installment of the year's craziest, laughably outrageous, utterly true tax deduction tales, culled from the seasonally imbalanced minds of certified (if not certifiable) public accountants from across the land, some of whom requested anonymity.

And if The Fridge Breaks, I'd Starve to Death!

Ah, the evergreen home security system ploy. We've seen legitimate home businesses try to claim their dogs and even cats as a security expense. Me-ow! But the Hunter Group in Fair Lawn, N.J., reports that one client had a personal stake in her home security system.

"One client tried to write off the cost of her home security system. Rationale? If the client's home was burglarized and she was killed, she could no longer pay taxes."

Does it Count if I Wrote the Checks in There?

Home office deductions continue to entice would-be tax evaders. The rule: Improvements to the office portion itself are deductible; improvements to the rest of the house may be reimbursed based on the percentage of total square feet devoted to the office.

"The most troubling return was a lady that was self-employed who demanded that she get to deduct more than $30,000 she had paid in remodeling her home," says Sibley. "The only trouble was, the area that was remodeled did not include her actual home office."

Read more at www.foxbusiness.com
 

April 14, 2011

Trouble @Twitter>

Maybe this is why I haven't hit 10,000 followers yet. It's certainly not the fact that I tweet in fits and spurts or my bone-dry wit.

Amplify’d from tech.fortune.cnn.com

Trouble @Twitter

Boardroom power plays, disgruntled founders, and CEO switcheroos are clipping the wings of this tech high flier.

There's no shortage of drama at Twitter these days: Besides the CEO shuffles, there are secret board meetings, executive power struggles, a plethora of coaches and consultants, and disgruntled founders. (Like Williams. The day after Dorsey announced his return to the company -- via tweet, naturally -- Williams quit his day-to-day duties at the company, although he remains a board member and Twitter's largest shareholder, with an estimated 30% to 35% stake.) These theatrics, which go well beyond the usual angst at a new venture, have contributed to a growing perception that innovation has stalled and management is in turmoil at one of Silicon Valley's most promising startups, which some 20 million active users rely on each month for updates on everything from subway delays to election results -- and which a growing number of companies, big and small, seek to use to market themselves and track customers.

Just two years ago Twitter was the hottest thing on the web. But in the past year U.S. traffic at Twitter.com, the site users visit to read and broadcast 140-character messages, has leveled off. Nearly half the people who have Twitter accounts are no longer active on the network, according to an ExactTarget report from January 2011. It has been months -- an eternity in Silicon Valley -- since the company rolled out a new product that excited consumers. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg used to watch developments at Twitter obsessively; now he pays much less attention to the rival service. Meanwhile companies are hungry to advertise, but Twitter hasn't been able to provide marketers with enough opportunities. Last year the company pulled in a mere $45 million in ad revenue, according to research firm eMarketer. Facebook brought in $1.86 billion.

See more at tech.fortune.cnn.com
 

April 13, 2011

Autism Researcher Poul Thorsen indicted

Poul Thorsen indicted for allegedly concocting a scheme to steal more than $1 million in autism research money from the CDC

Amplify’d from www.bizjournals.com

Dane indicted for defrauding CDC

A Danish man was indicted Wednesday on charges of wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly concocting a scheme to steal more than $1 million in autism research money from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The indictment charges Poul Thorsen, 49, with 13 counts of wire fraud and nine counts of money laundering. The wire fraud counts each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and the money laundering counts each carry a maximum of 10 years in prison, with a fine of up to $250,000 for each count.

According to U.S. Attorney Sally Quillian Yates, the charges and other information presented in court, Thorsen worked in the 1990s as a visiting scientist at the CDC Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, when the CDC was soliciting grant applications for research related to infant disabilities.

Thorsen promoted the idea of awarding the grant to Denmark and provided input and guidance for the research. From 2000 to 2009, the CDC awarded more than $11 million to two governmental agencies in Denmark to study the relationship between autism and exposure to vaccines, between cerebral palsy and infection during pregnancy and between childhood development and fetal alcohol exposure.

Read more at www.bizjournals.com
 

April 12, 2011

Will a gluten-free diet improve your health?

A #GF diet can improve your health if you have celiac disease, are gluten intolerant or are allergic to wheat/gluten. It may also benefit those on the autism spectrum, but it's a way of life, not a diet. It's difficult to go gluten free, it can be very expensive and it requires careful monitoring of proteins, vitamins and fiber that you would otherwise get from whole grain breads.



I have two children on the spectrum, one is allergic to wheat and has been gluten and casein free since birth, he also stims if he gets even a tiny dose of wheat. My teenage daughter can eat all the gluten she wants without any side effects or worsening of her #ASD symptoms.



In short, gluten free is not for everyone.

Amplify’d from www.cnn.com

Will a gluten-free diet improve your health?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye (and countless food products like pasta that contain those grains).

Experts now think of gluten intolerance as a spectrum of conditions, with celiac disease on one end and, on the other, what's been called a "no man's land" of gluten-related gastrointestinal problems that may or may not overlap.

Leffler estimates, for instance, that half of the approximately 60 million people in the U.S. who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are probably sensitive to gluten. (Gluten allergies, which are similar to other food allergies, also fall on the spectrum but affect only about 0.1 percent of the population.)

Gluten-free doesn't equal healthy

If you suspect your body can't tolerate gluten, the first thing you should do is get tested for celiac disease. If the test comes back negative, try a gluten-free diet for a week to see if you feel better, Leffler says.

Cutting out gluten is the most reliable way to determine if you are, in fact, sensitive to the protein -- and if you are sensitive, it's the only treatment.

However, Leffler stresses that you should get help from a dietitian to make sure that you avoid hidden sources of gluten (like soy sauce and salad dressing), and that you don't miss out on the vitamins that wheat products provide.

Even though celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Gwyneth Paltrow have reportedly cut out gluten to "detox," there's nothing inherently healthier about a gluten-free diet.

"It can be very healthy, or it can be junk food," says Dee Sandquist, a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

Read more at www.cnn.com
 

April 5, 2011

Ryan Budget Cuts Spending by $6.2 Trilli

I have major qualms about such a change to medicare, but something has to be done to reduce the staggering debt.

Amplify’d from blogs.abcnews.com

Ryan Budget Cuts Spending by $6.2 Trillion

While congressional leaders meet at the White House Tuesday morning to haggle over a few billion in spending cuts in this year's budget, GOP budget chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will be unveiling a budget for 2012 and beyond that would cut TRILLIONS.

In an op-ed in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal, Ryan reveals that his budget, to be released at 10am, would cut government spending $6.2 tillion more over the next 10 years than the budget President Obama released last month.

Even with these cuts the budget would not be balanced by the year 2021.

To address the long-term problem, the Ryan plan would transform the Medicare program beginning in the year 2022, changing it from a government-run system that pays health bills for seniors into a system where seniors buy insurance plans subsidized by the federal government. 

Read more at blogs.abcnews.com
 

April 1, 2011

Gmail Motion - newest easiest mail yet

Gotta Love It!

Amplify’d from mail.google.com

Gmail


Motion BETA



A new way to communicate


The mouse and keyboard were invented before the Internet even existed. Since then,
countless technological advancements have allowed for much more efficient human
computer interaction. Why then do we continue to use outdated technology? Introducing
Gmail Motion -- now you can control Gmail with your body.


How it works


Gmail Motion uses your computer's built-in webcam and Google's patented spatial
tracking technology to detect your movements and translate them into meaningful
characters and commands. Movements are designed to be simple and intuitive for people
of all skill levels.

Gmail Motion - How it works
See more at mail.google.com
 

March 29, 2011

The new Amazon Cloud Drive

Awesome; Love Amazon

Amplify’d from money.cnn.com

How Amazon beat Google and Apple to the music cloud

amazon_cloud_drive.jc.top.jpg

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Amazon on Tuesday launched the Amazon Cloud Drive, an Internet service that lets customers store music and other digital files on the company's servers and access them on computers, smartphones and other devices.

Amazon (AMZN, Fortune 500) will give customers 5GB of Cloud Drive storage for free, and if users buy an MP3 album through Amazon, they'll be upgraded to 20GB of cloud storage for a year. The Cloud Player works on PCs, Macs and Android devices.

Read more at money.cnn.com
 

March 26, 2011

Parent's Magazine neglects Autism month

Imagine the coverage for World Autism if Parents Magazine had chosen their April issue this year to feature an autistic child on their cover and stories inside about autistic children of all ages. Instead they chose to headline baby sleep solutions, the 10 family restaurants and 21 Mom-tested discipline tips, none of which work on my 8yo #ASD son.



Imagine the possibilities if Parents Magazine had chosen to list therapy programs around the nation where parents of autistic children can find therapist-tested ways to calm an autistic meltdown, respite care, autistic friendly parks and restaurants.



Now imagine another year lost for parents who don't have access to any of these saving graces. Another year lost without proper diagnosis and treatment. Another year worrying and wondering if your autistic child will ever speak or socialize with others.



Shame on parents magazine for missing this opportunity. Oh and FYI: We've been to several of your top 12 restaurants, without any sympathy for our son's GFCF special diet (we were actually told in some restaurants that we could not bring in his food); without special seating or understanding service when our son is starting to meltdown and with other customers and staff who just stare and comment loudly over the fact that our son is on the floor under the table rather than dining like a "normal" child. . .as if we could control his behavior.



The only exception I'm going to note is that we have received excellent service at Panera Bread company, where they will go out of their way to try to find something our son can eat or to cut his apple just so.

Parents magazine vs. the autism community?

Silver Spring, Md. March 25 — It all started when Jennifer Ethirveerasingam looked at her April issue of Parents magazine. Mother to a child with autism and aware that April is Autism Awareness Month, she began to page through the magazine, looking for an article—anything—about autism. Finding nothing, she told some friends, who posted on the Parents magazine Facebook page under the heading "Lack of Autism Coverage."


"What a missed opportunity to raise awareness, provide information and to include families with autism in your parenting discussions," wrote Beth Andersen, the first to broach the topic on the magazine's wall.


Within hours, this slight gained traction in the online autism community, collecting dozens of comments on the Facebook posting and inspiring a string of posts around the blogosphere criticizing the magazine for neglecting a demographic that makes up a sizable chunk of the parenting population.

Read more at communities.washingtontimes.com
 

March 23, 2011

The Voyage for Autism Awareness

Philadelphia Firefighter is planning a 425 mile journey during Autism Awareness Month. . .someday maybe this will be us to. . .right now we are still trying to get a handle on our own autism issues.


The Voyage for Autism Awareness

Read more at voyageforautism.blogspot.com
Down Rivers, Up Bays, Across Canals
The Voyage will make use of  several diverse bodies of water getting from Washington, DC to NY. ETA's are based on fair winds and no boat problems, with slim odds on maintaining both for the entire trip!
This first leg is about half the trip. We'll take the Potomac River from DC's Fire Boat Station . . .
See more at voyageforautism.blogspot.com
 

March 21, 2011

Happy 5th Birthday to Twitter

Do you tweet? I do!

Amplify’d from www.11alive.com

Happy 5th #Birthday @Twitter

SAN FRANCISCO -- The message was cryptic. Two words. No context, no punctuation, just: "inviting coworkers".

But that short statement proved to be enough to launch a global phenomenon that has launched careers, reunited long-lost relatives, and even, some would argue, topple dictators.

It was the first tweet.

Since Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey posted it on March 21, 2006, Twitter has registered nearly 200 million users who now post more than a billion tweets every week.

Read more at www.11alive.com
 

March 17, 2011

Shine a Light on Autism

Help me raise awareness by wearing blue on April 2, World Autism Awareness Day

Amplify’d from www.lightitupblue.org

Autism Speaks: Light It Up Blue


Shine a Light on Autism





24058



people are joining Autism Speaks to shine a light on autism by raising awareness in communities across North America.


Join them and sign the pledge.





WELCOME TO LIGHT IT UP BLUE


On the evenings of April 1 and 2, 2011, prominent buildings across North America and the world — including the Empire State Building in New York City and the CN Tower in Toronto, Canada — will turn their lights blue to raise awareness for autism and to commemorate World Autism Awareness Day on Saturday, April 2.


We’re aiming to light the world blue all throughout April — city by city, town by town — by taking action to raise autism awareness in our communities.




World Autism Awareness Day


The fourth annual World Autism Awareness Day is on April 2. People, schools, organizations, and companies are hosting events around the world.



Click here to find out more


Read more at www.lightitupblue.org
 

March 16, 2011

AT&T puts broadband users on monthly all

This is NOT good news and I'm ticked since I just switched back from Comcast to AT&T three months ago. We'll see if this sticks.

Amplify’d from www.cnn.com

AT&T puts broadband users on monthly allowance

(WIRED) -- AT&T broadband users will soon face a cap on the amount of internet data they can download a month.

Traditional DSL users will be capped at 150 GB per month, while subscribers to the fiber-backed UVerse system have a 250-GB limit. Usage over that will be charged at $10/month for 50 GB, the company says.

So, how could a user end up hitting these caps? Streaming video such as HD movies from Netflix, using bittorrent to download movies and heavy gaming with services like Steam can easily eat up lots of data, especially in households with multiple heavy internet users.

Read more at www.cnn.com
 

March 14, 2011

Less than perfect moms need to unite!

This goes triple for "less than perfect special needs moms;" there's no such thing as perfect people, even weebles wobble!

Amplify’d from www.cnn.com

Less than perfect moms need to unite!

Blogger Jill Smokler loves her kids but admits there are days when they drive her crazy.

(CNN) -- Glance at any parent's Facebook page, and you'd think that parenthood is a picture-perfect joyride, filled with constant sunshine, never-ending ice cream sundaes and breathtaking double rainbows. With the occasional unicorn trotting by.

Facebook has become the brag book for modern parents to showcase their budding superstars. Only the very best pictures, most precious stories and most flattering videos make the cut. It's the equivalent of not leaving the house without a full face of make up and an expensive designer suit.

But when's the last time you actually saw a mother in a designer suit that wasn't stained with spit or snot? Even if they've gotten the suit meticulously dry-cleaned, the bags and dark circles under their eyes give away the sleepless nights they've spent thanks to bed-wetting and night terrors.

There is no such thing as the perfect parent. Or the perfect child, for that matter.

Read more at www.cnn.com
 

Exemption for special-needs scholarship

I hope his passes and becomes law; the wait can easily be more than a year, since schools go out of their way to drag out the IEP process with SST tracking etc...in order to delay providing services.

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Exemption for special-needs scholarship clears House

The Georgia House on Monday approved a measure that would lift the one-year requirement for students to qualify for a special-needs scholarship.

House Bill 181 would let families petition the state Department of Education for a waiver of the requirement that students spend a year in public school under a Individualized Education Program before qualifying for the scholarship that can be used at private schools.

The bill passed 115-33. It now moves on to the Senate.

Read more at www.ajc.com
 

iPhone clock bungles time change

Just for the record, my 1-week old Droid X handled the time-change perfectly. So did our Blackberry Tour. And to think that Verizon tried to talk me into an iPhone when I had to replace my Blackberry last week.

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Users complain iPhone clock bungles time change

NEW YORK — It's hard enough to get your bearings when the time changes twice a year. It's all but impossible when your phone starts playing tricks on you, too.

One user complained of missing church, another of almost missing yoga. One called her iPhone stupid and several just asked for help.

It turns out some users' phones fell back one hour instead of springing forward, making the time displayed on the iPhone two hours off.

Read more at www.ajc.com
 

March 11, 2011

Disabled Student handcuffed seven hours

This is appalling!

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Student handcuffed seven hours to file cabinet sues APD, school system

A former Grady High School student who said Atlanta Police officers handcuffed him to a file cabinet for an entire school day filed a civil rights lawsuit Friday against APD and the city school system.

At the time of the incident, Tony Smith was a student with a disability and who received individualized educational instruction, the suit said.

Read more at www.ajc.com
 

March 10, 2011

Biggest Full Moon Possible March 19

I don't think I'll start blaming all the recent rain on the moon. We're just glad to be out of the years-long drought.

Amplify’d from abcnews.go.com

What Is a 'SuperMoon'?



Biggest Full Moon Possible Will Be Visible March 19



Next week -- on March 19 -- the moon won't just be at its closest approach to Earth in its elliptical orbit, enthusiasts say it will be closer to Earth than it's been in 18 years.


For the past few days, they've not only been buzzing about the mega moon, but the meteorological mayhem they expect it to cause.


Floods! Earthquakes! Volcanic eruptions! To hear it on the Internet, this so-called super moon could cause a climatological reign of terror on the entire planet.


In a blog post earlier this month, Paquette said a new or full moon at 90 percent or more of its closest perigee qualifies as a "supermoon." Next weekend's full moon won't just be a supermoon but an extreme supermoon, he said, because the moon will be almost precisely at its closest distance to Earth.


According to "new age" forecasts, he said, the supermoon is expected to bring strong earthquakes, storms or unusual climate patterns.

See more at abcnews.go.com
 

Debit cards: $50 spending limit coming?

Well @DaveRamsey, what do you have to say about this?

Amplify’d from money.cnn.com

Debit cards: $50 spending limit coming?

Debit card limit

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Declined! Your debit card may soon be denied for purchases greater than $100 -- or even as little as $50.

JPMorgan Chase, one of the nation's largest banks, is considering capping debit card transactions at either $50 or $100, according to a source with knowledge of the proposal.

Why? Because of a tricky thing called interchange fees.

Read more at money.cnn.com
 

March 9, 2011

60-year-old albatross still breeding

Fascinating that they have been tracking this bird for over 50 years.

Amplify’d from news.blogs.cnn.com
America's oldest wild bird is a new mom
e 50,000 miles a year, has had almost three dozen kids and now she's got

The bird was first identified and banded by a USGS researcher in 1956 when she was incubating an egg, according to the USGS. As the Laysan albatross can't breed before age 5 and spends much of its life before that at sea   scientists estimate Wisdom is at least 60 years old. She may be even older, though, as most Laysan albatrosses don't breed until age 8 or 9 after an extended courtship, according to the USGS.

The Laysan albatross mates for life. No word on whether a 60-year-old Mr. Wisdom is somewhere on Midway or whether Wisdom is charting new skies in that area too.

Read more at news.blogs.cnn.com
 

March 8, 2011

Del Monte says they can do better

What that old saying? It's Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature

Amplify’d from www.11alive.com

Del Monte says they can do better than nature on packaging

ATLANTA -- Where nature has provided a single serve, already wrapped banana, Del Monte says they can go one better -- with plastic-wrapped single bananas for sale.

Read more at www.11alive.com
 

March 2, 2011

Students disciplined for Facebook posts about teacher. . .parents should be vigilant

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Students disciplined for Facebook posts about teacher

Three Douglas County middle school students were disciplined with expulsion or suspension after they wrote disparaging comments on Facebook about a teacher, according to a media report.

Read more at www.ajc.com
 

March In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb -If Monday's storm were any indication it will be true this month!

Amplify’d from www.11alive.com

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

We've all heard the old saying: "If March roars in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb." But is there truly any validity to this old proverb?

March is a very fickle month with a lot of changeable weather, due to the fact that it occurs during a time of transition as our weather is shifting from Winter to the Spring season.

It turns out, though, that the actual saying may be more derived from astronomy than meteorology. During the beginning of March, the constellation Leo (the Lion) is more prominent in the night sky, while at the end of March, the constellation Aries (the Ram or Lamb) is more visible.

See more at www.11alive.com
 

February 25, 2011

Code officer among 10 charged in connection with fatal DUI wreck

Sadly, I can believe this!

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Code officer among 10 charged in connection with fatal DUI wreck

Douglas County authorities have charged 10 people -- including Douglasville's chief code enforcement officer -- they say helped supply alcohol at two parties attended by teens before a fatal wreck.

The accident early last Saturday morning killed Cheyenne Sauls, 16, a Villa Rica High School sophomore. Her funeral is today.

Douglasville's chief code enforcement officer, Todd McAllister, owns the Sterling Point Drive home that hosted the second party, the Sheriff's Office said. He and his son, Justin McAllister, 17, were among five defendants who appeared in court Friday on charges of furnishing alcohol to minors.

"That's the party they left just prior to the accident," Chief Deputy Stan Copeland said.

Read more at www.ajc.com
 

February 24, 2011

Cherokee teacher pleads guilty to duct-taping autistic student

This should NEVER happen to any child, must less special needs children!

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

Cherokee teacher pleads guilty to duct-taping autistic student

A Cherokee County teacher who duct-taped an autistic boy to a chair and confined a blind girl under a desk pleaded guilty to false imprisonment and was sentenced to six years of probation and $2,000 in fines.

Read more at www.ajc.com
 

February 23, 2011

T. Rex More Like Hyena Than Lion

I don't think I will tell the #ASD 8yo Tazmanian Devil that his T-Rex is not the king of the prehistoric jungle. Taz doesn't adjust well to change.

Amplify’d from abcnews.go.com

T. Rex the Killer? Nah. King of Dinos More Like Hyena Than Lion



The blood-thirsty Tyrannosaurus rex of our favorite books and movies may not be so ferocious after all.


According to a team of dinosaur researchers, the so-called King of the Dinos was more like a scavenging hyena than a hunting lion.


After a 12-year study of dinosaur skeletons uncovered in eastern Montana, the researchers said there were just too many T. rexes for the animals to survive solely on prey killed by themselves.

Read more at abcnews.go.com
 

Amazon Prime now includes unlimited instant streaming of movies and TV shows

Thanks Amazon, just another great benefit of my Amazon Prime membership. Will be comparing your selection to Netflix so keep adding to the free streaming content.


February 21, 2011

Via johnpiercy 'Sister Internet' kicked out of religious order for spending too much time on Facebook

Amplify’d from www.dailymail.co.uk

Bad habit: Nun dubbed 'Sister Internet' kicked out of religious order... for spending too much time on Facebook

For its millions of users all over the globe, Facebook is a fun and harmless way to make new friends and catch up with old ones.

However for Spanish nun Maria Jesus Galan, her online activity on the social networking site ended up costing her job - and her home.

Sister Maria was apparently asked to leave the religious order where she has resided in seclusion for 35 years because she spent too much time on the website, it has been reported.

Sister Maria
See more at www.dailymail.co.uk
 

Parents Drop Lavish Amounts on Over-the-Top Kids' Birthday Bashes

I'll stick to the $100 dinner and knighting ceremony at Medieval Times for my autistic son's 9th B'Day. . .we don't have to worry about the color of his cake since he has food allergies, and we've already gotten lots of mileage out of an old knight's costume that he still loves to wear.

Amplify’d from abcnews.go.com

Parents Drop Lavish Amounts on Over-the-Top Kids' Birthday Bashes



It's almost expected that celebrities throw their children over-the-top birthday bashes.


But today, even everyday moms and dads are spending big bucks to say happy birthday in style, which is the subject of the new TLC reality show, "Outrageous Kids Parties."


One couple featured on the show, Nicole and Jason, planned an over-the-top party of their own for their soon-to-be 6-year-old daughter Gracie's birthday.


Gracie may not be a real princess, but she might as well be with a party like this. They spared no expense -- from Gracie's spa treatments the day before the party, to the perfect pink dress befitting a princess, to the exact cake of their daughter's choosing.


Not to mention 42 center pieces, 2,000 flowers and 300 costumes. The party's budget? $32,000.


All did not go as well with the cake, however. Gracie began to cry when a bird on the cake was purple instead of blue.

Read more at abcnews.go.com
 

February 18, 2011

UberTwitter, other popular Twitter clients, banned

Only used UberTwitter briefly a couple of years ago; did not work well on Blackberry so ax'd it.

Amplify’d from www.ajc.com

UberTwitter, other popular Twitter clients, banned

Users of popular Twitter clients got an unpleasant surprise Friday: UberTwitter, twidroyd and UberCurrent have been banned.

"Today we suspended several applications, including UberTwitter, twidroyd and UberCurrent, which have violated Twitter policies and trademarks in a variety of ways. These violations include, but aren’t limited to, a privacy issue with private Direct Messages longer than 140 characters, trademark infringement, and changing the content of users’ Tweets in order to make money," Carolyn Penner, Twitter’s spokeswoman, told TechCrunch.

Read more at www.ajc.com