An employee in the franchise office told Wade about what the woman had said. Wade said, "The employee had stated to her, 'Imagine if you saw a snake or a spider, how would you respond?' And that employee said she understood that. And I said, 'That's unbelievable. I am a human being.'"

"How could you compare the fear of a snake and spider to a human being? That makes no sense to me," Wade said. "I've seen kids kind of react like that. Understandable. But grown adults to act like that? That's just not acceptable."
 
The restaurant deferred comments on the matter to the franchise office.
 
The person who answered the phone at the franchise office when WYFF News 4 called said the only people who could discuss this case are the franchise's attorneys, insurance company and the owner, but they refused to give out any of their names.

After WYFF spoke to a media spokeswoman at the corporate level, the franchise owner, Cynthia Samour, released a statement saying, "We take these matters seriously and do our very best to serve our customers with the utmost care and respect."

From the TSA blog, where every TSA employee suspiciously writes in the same perfectly-punctuated, on-message style (this quote is from the man who heads TSA security operations in Salt Lake City, and clearly not from a PR flack):

The Green lanes are used primarily by families, who often feel stressed in the traditional lane trying to get through with their kids, strollers and other stuff. Often these folks haven't gotten the proper level of attention they deserve. People who don't travel much and groups also select this lane. We've dedicated more resources to get people through this lane quickly without making them feel pushed. The Blue lanes are for casual travelers who understand TSA procedures to a degree but may not travel all that frequently so they take a little more time. The black diamond lanes are for expert travelers who understand the system by the nature of traveling a lot and are totally prepared for the checkpoint.

Halfway down a Denver Post story about the experiment is one of the saddest things we've read all week. Here's a glimpse of the future of America—children indoctrinated from their earliest memories to accept The Way Things Are.

In the stroller were her sons, Christian, 4, and Wyatt, 2.

Wyatt was crying up a storm.

Asked if she thought the new system might benefit her and her kids, Clatterbuck said, "I hope so," as the two well-trained little boys took off their shoes even though they were seated in the stroller.

RELATED
"Color-coded screening takes off at DIA" [Denver Post]
"DIA security lines: Pick 'em" [Rocky Mountain News]
(Image: Jeff R.) (Thanks, Jeff!)

Dr. Soni said he was raising the objection publicly because "I feel the message needs to be put across. I don't think the T.S.A. has the training to exert judgment on what the nutritional needs of a baby are" for a 2 ½ hour flight, not to mention a possible long delay.

Dr. Soni stressed that he and his wife have no quarrel with the T.S.A. officers, but would like to see a rule allowing parents more discretion. He also suggested that airport shops inside the security zones consider selling baby food.

"Bringing Along Baby Food? Not Too Much, Rules Say" [New York Times]

Polycarbonate plastic, which can only be produced by using B.P.A., creates bottles that are transparent and almost as hard as glass, but particularly shatter-resistant.

Recently, however, the use of B.P.A.-based plastics in food containers has questioned in Canada by Environmental Defence , a Toronto-based group. Environmentalists in the United States are also raising concerns about the chemical.

Last year, San Francisco's board of governors passed a local law banning the use of the chemical in children's products. B.P.A. was removed from the ordinance before it went into effect, however, after an industry lawsuit.

Critics point to studies dating back to 1936 showing that the chemical can disrupt the hormonal system.

While there is little dispute about that, the plastics industry, supported by several studies from government agencies in Japan, North America and Europe, contends that polycarbonate bottles contain very little of the chemical and release only insignificant amounts of B.P.A. into the bodies of users.

Canadian Retailer Bans Some Plastic Bottles [NYT]

Taser International also reported that it had six product liability suits dismissed this past quarter, and in all has had 58 wrongful death or injury suits dropped.

"Taser profits surge on sales of consumer model" [AZCentral.com]
(Image: Taser)

Oh no she didn't! What happened next?

Jennifer continues:

To be fair, it was probably the tirade surrounding the use of The Consumerist that compelled Scooba to bend more so than the mighty power of our name, but hey, we'll take it where we can get it. — BEN POPKEN

Consumer Reports doesn't think Elmo is worth it, and, frankly, neither do we. We suggest getting your little darling a cuddly stuffed version. It's cheaper...and quieter.

Other Winners and Losers for the Holiday season include:

•Lazer Tag Team Ops by Hasbro, New Super Mario Bros for Nintendo DS and DS Lite game systems, and Moon Sand Castle Set by Spin Master were winners with kids.

•Most kids just didn't like: Cranium Giggle Gear: Mega Mask Kit, Lego SpongeBob and Plankton's Adventure, Lego Mindstorms NXT, and HyperScan Game System with X-Men by Mattel.

Elmo is back. [ConsumerReports.org]
Toy Test 2006 [ConsumerReports.org]

But seriously, that's not what blogging's all about. It's about freeloading. But what could we do? We were hampered by fair use laws. Luckily, some of our wily commenters came up with an alternative to buying the magazine: an impetuous Chinese blogger was kind enough to type it all up. And we can sure link that!

Here's another snip:

Please switch off all mobile phones, since they can interfere with the aircraft's navigation systems. At least, that's what you've always been told. The real reason to switch them off is because they interfere with mobile networks on the ground, but somehow that doesn't sound quite so good. On most flights a few mobile phones are left on by mistake, so if they were really dangerous we would not allow them on board at all, if you think about it. We will have to come clean about this next year, when we introduce in-flight calling across the Veritas fleet. At that point the prospect of taking a cut of the sky-high calling charges will miraculously cause our safety concerns about mobile phones to evaporate.

Thanks to Crayon Shinobi for the link.

Fear of Flying [XYZ.org]

I work for an airline and I've noticed a lot of people complaining that they are being inconvenienced by the new regulations. This is a problem in my opinion because people are more concerned about convenience than their personal safety. I believe that until the TSA does away with carry-on bags altogether, we will not be any safer. With more bags comes more room for error, more screening time, etc. For decades, people checked in their baggage and carried tiny little cabin bags. Why are we now so dependent on having our huge rolling suitcases with us at all times? I mean, come on people! If it means flying safely, I think you can wait an extra 15 minutes at baggage claim.

First of all, when that extra 15 minutes comes on the end of an existing hour, and when airlines and insurers won't cover the value of the items we check-in, it goes beyond a mere gripe about convenience. And then the question is: do these regulations make anyone feel safer? Or do they simply make us more afraid? And isn't that precisely what both terrorists and politicians want in the end, anyway?

I'd take it further, to the point that you can be free or you can be safe, but not both. But why bother? You will never win an argument with conformists to a culture of fear.

CNN.com readers share tales of travel woes [CNN]