I also love their raison d'être:

Loudon came up with the idea for the VJ Movement while covering conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. While talking with colleagues after long days of reporting in these war zones, Loudon realized two things: that many journalists could not do stories they wanted to do because editorial directors in far-off newsrooms believed other events were more important, and that when multiple journalists covered the same topic, they all ended up with entirely different stories. This is the basis of our concept, "There is more than one truth."

VJ Movement is in its early stages and who knows how successful it will be but it's a great idea. However, in order to register so that you can pitch, it costs $50 for a year's membership. That seems a pretty steep price for the right to send a reporter tips and leads. So if you want to give it a whirl, we've got a free 3-month trial login you can use, username and pass are consumerist.

VJ Movement

In games like Mafia Wars, Farmville, YoVille and Vampires Live, you know, some of the major sources of all those garbage announcements cluttering up your Facebook, players compete to complete missions and level up. By leveling up, you can complete more difficult missions and fight off weaker opponents. You can wait for your various energies to regenerate naturally over time, or you can purchase with real money in-game boosts. Or, you can complete various lead generation offers, many of which are of the "answer page after page of questions and opt in and out of receiving various kinds of spam" variety. Some of them install malware and adware that is impossible to remove. And some of them secretly subscribe you to monthly recurring $9.99 credit card charges.

Couple this reckless profiteering with in-game incentives for recruiting more players into your network and a constant blast (if you let it) of promotional messages to your friends, and it's like Amway discovered Facebook and threw a gangster-themed house party.

Here's Mark's spiel:Here's the pertinent transcript of the talk the CEO gave to some other developers at a mixer:

I knew that i wanted to control my destiny, so I knew I needed revenues, right, fucking, now. Like I needed revenues now. So I funded the company myself but I did every horrible thing in the book to, just to get revenues right away. I mean we gave our users poker chips if they downloaded this zwinky toolbar which was like, I dont know, I downloaded it once and couldn't get rid of it. *laughs* We did anything possible just to just get revenues so that we could grow and be a real business…So control your destiny. So that was a big lesson, controlling your business. So by the time we raised money we were profitable.

I'm sorry, but if you need to scam people to keep your company going, you have a flawed business plan.

After getting reamed in an excellent multi-part TechCrunch investigation by Michael Arrington, Mark Pincus pledged to more aggressively remove scammy offers.

That's great, but c'mon. Now that they're funded and raking in the cash, they can act all contrite and go "oh! you caught us! you're right, we're bad, we'll fix that. Lah dee dah." How convenient that now you can afford morals.

By the way, nice work, TechCrunch! Now, if only we could get Arrington to apply the same level of discipline to re-evaluating his gushing praise for Cash4Gold.

Zynga CEO Mark Pincus: "I Did Every Horrible Thing In The Book Just To Get Revenues" [TechCrunch]
PREVIOUSLY: Social Network Games: Fake Mobsters, Real Racket

If you this clip, you should also watch Theresa in this ShamWow test video.

For the full condom review and ratings, check out this article on ConsumerReportsHealth.org (subscription required).

Which condom, or contraceptive method, do you prefer?

How Consumer Reports Tests Condoms [Consumer Reports]

After many phonecalls, United informed Steph via email that they will pay $3,174.20 of the claim. They will let Steph know in 60 days whether they are going to continue looking for her gear or not.

"I was a hell of a lot safer tossing myself off a cliff in a nylon squirrel suit. It's awfully hard to base jump with no parachutes though. Thanks United! You're the best!" wrote Steph on her blog.

Here's a video of Steph climbing and jumping off the 400-foot Castleton Tower, in Moab, Utah.

Guitars, the luggage of people with broken guitars, rock-climbing equipment... United seems to have a problem safely delivering valuable baggage, or owning up to its mistakes.

So, next time, if you're flying with a lot of expensive gear, make sure to have it insured, or send it FedEx.

United Loses BASE Gear [High Places] (Thanks to Mark!)

I didn't have a video background, but my husband and I borrowed video equipment and started to shoot scenes on a tabletop in my basement. I put a puppet on my hand and plopped my cat down in front of the camera. My husband and I used our home computer to edit our first video.

I didn't do any research. I knew my baby. I knew what she liked to look at. I assumed that what my baby liked to look at, most other babies would, too.

"Julie Aigner-Clark" [Ladies Who Launch via Boing Boing]
(Photo: Jason DeRusha)

Since it's still a drug and not an actual beauty product, you have to have some sort of medical condition to take it. That's why one of the first bits of fine print in the commercial says that the drug is only for people who suffer from "inadequate or not enough lashes, also known as hypotrichosis." Like Brooke, apparently.

"Ad for eyelash drug Latisse goes too far" [Consumer Reports Health Blog]

RELATED
"Yeah, Your Eyes Are Discolored And Red, But Your Lashes Look Great!"

<- Franken clip.

In the second clip, Sen. Whitehouse asks: "Did you actually read the bill that is the subject of today's hearing?"

Here she uses the big "UC" - that less strict bankruptcy laws have the "unintended consequence" of encouraging more people to seek bankruptcy. Her solution to so many medical bankruptcies is then to make it harder to seek bankruptcy, rather than addressing the underlying over-inflated costs that drive consumers into medical bankruptcy in the first place.

Pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lilly, Merck and Novartis number among The Hudson Institute's funders.

You can watch the entire session and read and search the transcript here on C-SPAN.

(Thanks to Dirk!)

Derivatives from Marketplace on Vimeo.

Derivatives [Marketplace]

(Photo: Seansie)

And for those of you who asked, yes, transcripts are coming.

PREVIOUSLY:
Consumerist Takes Your Financial Reform Questions To The White House
Consumerist Takes Your Financial Reform Questions To The White House, Part II

You may notice that this bears a strong resemblance to that stupid Levi's viral video and that stupid Ray Bans video and that stupid Coor's Light video. With this quadtych, I hereby declare using fishing line to yank stuff and then running the film in reverse to make it look like it's thrown an official viral video format.

In an interview with Stanford Magazine, Born recalls a lunch date she had with Greenspan:

Well, Brooksley, I guess you and I will never agree about fraud," Born, in a recent interview, remembers Greenspan saying.

"What is there not to agree on?" Born says she replied.

"Well, you probably will always believe there should be laws against fraud, and I don't think there is any need for a law against fraud," she recalls. Greenspan, Born says, believed the market would take care of itself.

Prophet and Loss [Stanford Magazine]

PREVIOUSLY: Videos: Consumerist Takes Your Financial Reform Questions To The White House

Announcements:

1. Add your email to your commenter profile. (see this post, "If You Do Not Add A Working Email To Your Profile By Sunday You Will Lose Your Account." We are getting a new site probably Oct 27 and this is part of it.
2. First Consumerist Meetup, Wed Nov 4th, NYC. The "Internets Celebrities" (not us, these other guys who make cool videos like this one about check cashing places and this one about bodegas) will be showing their videos and talking about the joys of quarter water.
3. Observe giant plaque.
4. New cat! His name is Tigre.
5. Cash4Gold hit with class action lawsuit, dramatic reading ensues.

We'll have more excerpts from our interview, along with a full transcript, shortly.

RELATED:
How It Works: The Consumer Financial Protection Agency And You

Ahead of President Obama's 2pm address, senior economic adviser Austan Goolsbee released a video this morning making the case for shifting the consumer protection power from seven different agencies and putting them into one, one that is streamlined, clear, and accountable, the CFPA.

From pushing bad mortgages to unclear language to payday lender shenanigans to credit card companies setting the due date at 9am so that if mail happens to come after lunch that day you get a late fee, companies have gotten away with playing fast and loose, says Goolsbee. What we had before, wasn't working, and it contributed to our recent economic collapse.

But what powers will the CFPA have? What is the very first initiative it would take? Is this better government, or simply bigger government?

Watch his video and leave your questions in the comments, or email them to tips@consumerist.com, subject line CFPA. Then, next Tuesday, we'll interview Diana Farrell, Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, get you some answers, and post the video. Deal?

RELATED: Ben & Meg Interview Obama Administration On Credit Card Reform

Fortunately, someone contacted Chipotle to ask whether it's true that their food will cause rectal bleeding. Chipotle responded, "There is no truth to that claim." Whew!

Ghost Hunters, however, is still ridiculously stupid.

(Thanks to mybodystory!)

The Iowa City Press Citizen reports, "Weiss was charged with fourth-degree theft. She was taken to the Johnson County Jail, posted a cash bond and was released an hour later." She then promptly signed up for Netflix, we hope.

"Woman arrested for 1998 video tape thefts" [Press-Citizen] (Thanks to Bruce!)
(Photo: mecredis)

Publishers have recently released multimedia books that include videos. No, not like the tiny LCD screen embedded in some copies of Entertainment Weekly in September. It's more akin to a more sophisticated ebook version of embedding a YouTube video in a web page.

The products are being called "vooks," a word which sounds sounds like it should be some kind of ethnic slur and not a literary product.

Simon & Schuster is also releasing two digital novels combining text with videos a minute or 90 seconds long that supplement - and in some cases advance - the story line.

In "Embassy," a short thriller about a kidnapping written by Richard Doetsch, a video snippet that resembles a newscast reveals that the victim is the mayor's daughter, replacing some of Mr. Doetsch's original text.

While the applications of this idea in the how-to market could be fascinating (crafting books with videos would be particularly nice) are we ready to fundamentally change the act of reading?

Curling Up With Hybrid Books, Videos Included [NYT]

(Photo: nailmaker)

"Well It Turns Out That Microsoft Ad WAS A Porno" [Oh Gizmo!]

NBC's findings will be troubling to people who use valet parking, as valets are seen hitting other cars, getting parking tickets and not telling the customers, and using cars to ferry other valets back and forth. But even though we don't use valet parking, we're really upset to see valets breaking parking laws by blocking off public spaces, putting up fake no parking signs, and swapping cars out of the same metered spaces all day. We assume other cities have this problem, we hope there will be more exposés in other cities, and that these videos will lead to some city action.

Rogue Valets Exposed [NBC Los Angeles] (via Curbed LA)
(Photo: Lindacat)Thanks, John!

Original Monex ad:And here is the recording of the Kristen Wiig skit and its transcript:[Opens with rich lady in a elegant,upscale room.]

Monex Spokeperson: Is there anything more satisfying that owning gold and holding it in your hands? [Camera splits showing hands caressing gold coins. Stacks of gold coins in the background] What? You mean, you've never experienced it? Then call Monex now for this informative brochure and vhs tape that will show you how you can invest in gold. [Gold coins splash around on mountains of golden coins. 1-800-555-0199 Book and tape. Why gold? Why now?] Did you know that in the past 12 years the value of gold has gone up a little bit? [A bunch of gold coins weigh more than a stack of dollars in a balance] I love touching gold. I would never do this with mere paper money. [Lady caresses her face with a gold coin. Kisses it.] "Guold" I love it. There is no better time to invest in gold than right around the time that it is now. [Lady goes into a golden living room] Look around my living room. Every surface is covered in 100% real gold. [In a golden table a photo of Goldie Hawn, a goldfish in a bowl, the lady drinks a glass of orange juice] I'm not drinking gold. I wish. This is orange juice but the brand is Florida Gold. I guarantee you'll spend hours caressing your gold, [hands caressing gold coins] massaging your gold, [hands massaging gold coins] washing your face in "guold" [lady splashes gold coins in her face like water in slow motion] What time is it? Oh, I know. It's time for you to call Monex and invest in "guold". [1-800-555-0199. Coins splashing around] Call today and tomorrow you'll be enjoying your "guold", touching your "guold", golding your gold "guold" [Lady is ecstatic in a shower of gold coins] Well? Convinced? I think I made a really good case for "guold". Speaking of gold case. [Lady picks up golden briefcase] I'm late for work. I work for gold. Ohh, I better put this on. [Lady puts on a golden scarf] It's getting "gold" outside. [Monex logo, coins splash around] Monex. "Guold".

[Cheers and applause]

Transcript from snltranscripts.jt.org

Windows 7 is indeed launching soon, so we figured you'd want to see this now so you have time to stop by the Party Plus store and stock up on crepe paper—don't worry, you don't have to hang it up, just leave it on the corner of the table—and of course balloons.

Never install a new operating system without balloons.

We suspect that this promo was actually written, directed, and edited by a Songsmith-style software being developed in Microsoft's research division.

"Mainstream Press 'Cringes' At Win7 Launch Parties" [Slashdot]

"Infamous Domino's location closes doors" [Charlotte Observer] (Thanks to Timothy!)

Lose The Weight And Keep It Off: Mission Impossible? [Newsweek]
Midlands Man's Weight Loss Inspires Others [WLTX]
344pounds [Tyler's blog]

Pizza Hut iPhone App [iTunes Store] (Thanks to Dirk!)

In the ad, a corporate rumor-squasher (read: PR spokesbot) responds to a rumor-mongrel's (read: pudgy gadget blogger) request for comment about a tip he got about a PS3 price-drop. "You can't believe everything you read on the Internet. Otherwise I'd be a Nigerian millionaire by now."

In response to this false, defamatory and confidential claim, Nigeria demanded an immediate recant. "Nigeria also demands an unconditional apology from Sony Corporation for this deliberate negative campaign against the country's image and reputation," said a spokesman for the Nigerian government.

Sony Corporation portrayed Nigeria as home of fraud [Vanguard NR via The Raw Feed]

And yeah we know this hit Digg almost a week ago, but we were holding on to it for Friday.

[via Lifehacker]

In their ever-expanding quest for new subject matter, Rhett and Link are asking people to nominate their favorite local business to win a free, customized commercial. To make a nomination, you can visit the website, where you can also view the businesses that have been nominated so far.

Rhett & Link will make your next local TV ad [Adfreak]

According to 9News, VisitDemark initially defended the stunt, calling it "a good and sweet story about a mature, responsible woman who lives in a free society and shoulders the responsibility of her actions."

There's that. But then there's also the message, "Come to Denmark, where you can impregnate beautiful women and disappear the next morning!" It's the Denmark-as-Vegas model, but "What happens here stays here" was already taken.

Naturally, there's already a parody video (and, actually, it's pretty funny).

Denmark sorry for 'one-night stand' hoax [9News via Brandfreak]

The advice ranges from sneaky (place your phone into roam mode to trick the cell phone company into thinking your contract is more trouble than it's worth) to the outrageous (move to a blackout area). Other hints include finding a friend to take over your plan and whining incessantly to customer service. Of course, there's also the ever-popular pastime of watching for materially adverse changes to your cellphone contract and using them as an excuse to rip up your service agreement. Watch and learn!

How to Get Out of Your Cell Phone Contract for Free [SpendLess TV, via Bargain Babe]
(Photo: FastFords)

Attention Digital has collected several YouTube videos of CEOs apologizing for one reason or another: Domino's Patrick Doyle, for the infamous snot-food video; Matel's Bob Eckert, for its run of toy safety violations, and the Maple Leaf Foods robot, for listeria in its products. The article missed it, YouTube also has a video apology from United Airlines' Jim Goodwin (oooo, I just want to take him home and rub his belly...)

Having all of these collected in one place is nice because it allows consumers to get a sense of apologizes as a genre. Apparently, bad lighting and monotone reading from a teleprompter are a plus. Of course, CEOs can always get help from this guy when they need it.

CEOs apologize on YouTube [Attention Digital] (Thanks to Johnny!)

Marketplace convened a "Small Town Hall" to find out, among other things, whether preteens thought they should have plastic. In the video, one of the girls succinctly explains how using cash can make paying for things more painful and tangible. These kids are smart! Are they the offspring of Marketplace staffers, I wonder? The group asks another girl, who is on the pro-kiddie-credit-card side, how she is going to pay her credit card bills. "Uh, holidays?" she responds, a sentiment that many a would-be debtor has shared, no doubt.

Small Town Hall [Marketplace]

Based on a Bargaineering post, this method is designed to destroy the magnetic strip and any identifying information on the card at all. The cuts are placed to obliterate not only the magnetic strip, but the embossed name and card number.

We can't help but wonder: is this worth the effort? Isn't it more fun to hack the card into random pieces, making sure to cut through all text? This is all too methodical. Where's my blender?

In all seriousness, how do you destroy your deceased cards? (Crosscut shredder with a card slot, here.)

Cut up your credit card the right way [YouTube]
Properly Destroy A Credit Card [Bargaineering.com]

(Photo: frankieleon)

The defendant, 21-year-old Kenneth Applegate II, denied being the person who slipped a small video camera under the door in a pile of clothes, but co-workers found a video camera they recognized as his few days later, and on that camera's memory card was footage of the teen.

The teen included A&F in the lawsuit because she says Applegate the Deuce had been banned from the mall one month before the incident, and the store was therefore negligent in hiring him. Clearly he would be better suited for the all-sex-all-the-time branding of American Apparel.

"Teen sues after she was taped in dressing room" [WKRN] (Thanks to Christopher!)
(Photo: woodleywonderworks)

For those who can't watch the video, the hard drive was pre-tested by another company and deliberately messed up with what Fox called a "minor software problem." Then they dropped it off at Data Recovery Corp and paid $100 for a diagnostic review of the drive. Later, they received an email that said the drive had suffered a logical failure due to ELECTRICAL SEVERANCE. Data Recovery said it would cost $1490 to repair the drive.

Fox brought the email to their expert, who read the email and said, "That's gibberish. That doesn't even make sense. They're basically adding words to make it sound technical." That's how you write a solid teleplay for a Star Trek episode, but not a good way to service customers, obviously.

Fox then went back to Data Recovery Corp and asked them to explain those terms. The guy at Data Recovery said he didn't know.

The Fox expert said it would cost about $350 for him to retrieve the data.

"Data Recovery Scam - FOX 11 News Investigation" [YouTube] (Thanks to Jon!)

The Associated Press says an animal rights group secretly filmed employees at the Hy-Line North America hatchery in Spencer, Iowa, this past May and June. The most sensational parts of the video shows male chicks being thrown alive into a grinder, as they aren't necessary for Hy-Line's egg business. There are a couple of other shots described in the AP article that show discarded male chicks dying from falls or scaldings.

Unlike the forklift-to-the-cow actions of last year, though, grinding up male chicks is an accepted and well-known industry practice:

The United Egg Producers, a trade group for U.S. egg farmers, confirmed that figure and the practice behind it.

"There is, unfortunately, no way to breed eggs that only produce female hens," said the group's spokesman, Mitch Head. "If someone has a need for 200 million male chicks, we're happy to provide them to anyone who wants them. But we can find no market, no need."

Using a grinder, Head said, "is the most instantaneous way to euthanize chicks."

Hy-Line, however, has said that the actions of the workers in the video with respect to the chicks left to die on the floor were "a violation of our animal welfare policies," and that they are investigating.

"Video shows Iowa chicks ground up; egg producers say it is best practice" [Des Moines Register via Towleroad]
(Photo: JOE M500)

Update: Here's a screencap of the page, for those readers fortunate enough to not live anywhere near a Dolan.

"Police find skimmer on Long Beach ATM" [News 12 Long Island] (Thanks to Betsy!)
(Photo: Rennett Stowe)

"It's Not Like Your Dog Needs Dignity, Get Him The PooTrap And Never Touch Poopy Again" [Oh Gizmo!]

"Hotel Survival - with George Egg" [YouTube via whill]