GeekSugar

Philadelphia Bloggers Pay Business Tax: Fair or Unreasonable?

GeekSugar — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 12:15:45 PDT

Is this fair, or just ridiculous? The city of Philadelphia wants to charge bloggers $300 to continue posting on their blogs - the equivalent of a "business privilege license." While this fee would apply to professional or money-making blogs, it also applies to blogs created by residents as a hobby or part-time blogs that make no money. Additionally, bloggers are required to pay taxes on any earnings they received from the blog, however small the profit.

While taxes on a lucrative blog seem fair, taxing those who run popular or successful blogs that don't turn a profit seems a little ridiculous, even for a cash-strapped city. The city of Philadelphia's take: if your blog has the potential to become lucrative, you must pay a tax, regardless of how much money is actually generated.

On one hand, these are the same sorts of rules that freelance writers and others must follow; on the other, these blogs aren't turning a profit. If everyone started charging such a tax, I'm afraid that otherwise awesome content would never see the light of day. What do you think about this tax?

5 Sites For Creating Your Wedding Website

GeekSugar — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 05:47:13 PDT

I already told you why you need a wedding website, now I'm making it easy to set one up of your own! If you don't have the time or web skill needed to create a site from scratch, fear not! There are plenty of sites that do the hard work for you, allowing you to customize your site with designs, colors, photos, and even music that fit you and your betrothed's style. Here, five simple places to get started creating your own wedding website. And don't forget to check what information you should include to make you and your guests' lives much easier.

Cool Idea: Give Your Houseplants a Vacation

CasaSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:15:40 PDT

I have been following David Horvitz's blog for a few months or so. For all of 2009 (not necessarily every day, but frequently), he sends out small texts of simple instructional ideas through his mailing list, and then posts screenshots of them on his blog. Many of his instructions involve mailing things to far-off addresses, like "Take a photo of your head in the freezer and mail it to a museum in Greenland that has no current exhibition." I've never followed through with his suggestions. But I think this one, shown above, giving your house plants a vacation, is fun and something I might actually do. I've gotten to the point that I don't even notice my houseplants anymore, unless they're in desparate need of watering. So it would be fun to switch it up and lay my eyes on someone else's ficus for a while. What do you think? Would you do this?

What Do You Think of the Word "Blog"?

GeekSugar — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:00:10 PDT

I found myself watching TiVoed episodes of Miss Guided this weekend and got a kick out of a scene where a student's gossip blog creates drama on campus. Namely, the main character, Becky, learns she's at the bottom of the "do-able" teachers' list and complains about the site to the principal, calling it a "blurgh." The principal, who is played by the dorky SNL alum, Chris Parnell, says "it's a blog, Becky, not a 'blurgh.'" It was a hilarious scene, but I couldn't help but wince. Blog has become such a dirty word and a huge fragment on the population doesn't understand what it means. I love blogs more than anyone, but I can't say I love the word.

Photo copyright 2008 ABC, Inc.

Little Boxes on the Hillside

CasaSugar — Wed, 10 Oct 2007 07:05:10 PDT

Molly directed me to these Flickr photos from the Westlake District of Daly City, California. One of America's first master-planned postwar suburbs, Westlake was the "inspiration" for Malvina Reynolds' song "Little Boxes," which became a hit for folk musician Pete Seeger in 1964. Many Casa readers, however, probably recognize it as the theme music for the TV show "Weeds."

You can find out more about Westlake on America's Most Perfect Ticky-Tacky Suburb. I'm curious: Do you like these homes, or do you find the design too dated? Tell me when you take a look the gallery and

Blog I Love: Beauty Product Junkies

BellaSugar — Thu, 03 May 2007 05:00:02 PDT

One of my favorite beauty blogs on the Web is actually right here on TeamSugar: Created by our very own Atoxicsparkle, it's called Beauty Product Junkies, and it has more than 1,700 members. If you're a fellow junkie, you should definitely check out BPJ: This is an incredibly active group where users post everything from product reviews to Beauty Marks to instructions on how to achieve different looks. There are also weekly Beauty Challenges, where users Beauty Mark their favorite products.

I'll be featuring the results of those challenges on BellaSugar, along with other occasional BPJ content. So, if you're a Beauty Product Junkies member, don't be surprised if you get a message from me asking to feature one of your posts on BellaSugar. (You can always say "no thanks.")

I love reading Beauty Product Junkies just for fun, but Atoxicsparkle and the other members have also been a huge help as I was gearing up to launch BellaSugar. So thanks, guys! Anyway, if you aren't familiar with this group, be sure to check it out.

The Magic of Mushroom Sandwiches

OnSugar Blog — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:09:29 PST

These mushroom sandwiches via Between the Bread look so enticing, don't they? Makes us wonder why every deli board doesn't have a "mushroom sandwiches" section.

For most of my life, I hated mushrooms, and when I turned the corner into mushroom conversion, I became somewhat obsessed. Lately, 'shrooms have been my go-to sandwich filling if I'm not feeling particularly meaty. The earthy, salty taste and the substantial presence feel so decadent, especially when melted with cheese.

First we have a mushroom panini from DeLessio Market, smushed into cheesy service with zucchini and onions. Like many mushroom paninis, this suffered from a slight slipperiness, but that didn't stop me from eating the whole thing.

Check out her other mushroom sandwich encounters when you keep reading.

Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams Break Box Office Records

Lauren Turner — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:59:23 PST

Channing Tatum is bringing in the big bucks at the box office - HuffPost Entertainment
See Prince William and Kate Middleton as Barbies! - People
Which royal couple wants an invite to the Oscars? - Lainey Gossip
What Victoria's Secret really thinks of SI model Kate Upton - D-Listed
Reese Witherspoon confesses her love for Pinterest - JustJared
Celine Dion shares her opinion on Whitney Houston's death - BuzzFeed
How PBS got cool with their Downton Abbey hit - The Daily Beast
Celebrity couples who met at work - Zap2it
Is Lil Wayne engaged?! - TooFab
The sexiest CIA spies on the big screen - Next Movie
Kate Upton loves to dance in her bikini - Hollywood Tuna
What do you think of Brad Pitt's hot gangster look? - Pink Is the New Blog
Terry Richardson knows how to make Lindsay Lohan look good - The Superficial

Lil Links: Potty Training in a Week? It's Possible!

Rebecca M Gruber — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:32:15 PST

How to potty train your tot in a week - Parenting
Ten questions to ask yourself before having kids - The Stir
Jennifer Lopez reveals her twins' nicknames! - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Steal pretty Harper Beckham's chic Fashion Week style - Celebrity Baby Blog
Your dog or cat can help prevent allergies during pregnancy - FitPregnancy
From low-tech to high-tech: how to make a baby - The Bump
What do stay-at-home-moms do all day? - Momformation
How children of celebrities deal with grief - Yahoo! Shine
Mess-free finger painting is now a reality – Child Mode
Your guide to getting started on Pinterest - Cool Mom Picks

Southern California Cool: Amber Lewis Take Us on a House Tour

Elka Karl — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:00:07 PST

My nominee for Elle Decor's Bloggers' Choice feature, Amber Lewis, is the founder of Amber Interiors, a design firm that mixes gorgeous textiles with one-of-a-kind pieces that reflect Amber's design philosophy that "chic should be comfortable and functional."

Amber started her career when she turned her love of mixing bold textures and patterns into a small textile and pillow company. After spending time at fashion school for textile design, Amber attended UCLA's Interior Design program and created her first interior design firm shortly thereafter.

LA born and bred, Amber adores her home city. She notes, "I grew up in LA, at the beach to be precise, so I have a love/love relationship with this city. I have traveled all over and I always love coming home. There is something about the weather in LA that is like nowhere I have ever been. It is 74 degrees pretty much every day, 365 days a year. We live outside of LA so it feels a bit removed from the hustle and bustle, but I know I am a 30-minute drive from the city or the beach. It's really a special place."

Amber's currently crazy-busy with multiple projects, and she's launching an online shop soon that will sell pillows, rugs, and extraordinary finds. Make sure to keep checking her blog for the launch date!

Amber recently took us along on a hour tour of her gorgeous 1960's California ranch-style home, which she and her husband bought from the original owner. Amber admits, "the decor and layout was awful but now it's open and airy and just what we wanted." See how she adapted the house to meet her aesthetic (and to look fashionable even while living with pets and a toddler) when you keep clicking!