As we’ve already seen from the hug-happy 4-year-old, the 7-year-old on crutches, and the baby who caused the evacuation of an entire airport terminal, terror threats are getting younger and younger. The latest: An 18-month-old little girl who somehow allegedly ended up on a no-fly list. [More]
Government Policy
Recall Roundup – Banzai Inflatable Slides, Kolkraft Bassinets, And More
By 5.10.12
There are some particularly scary recalls this week, including a massive pet food recall for dog foods manufactured by Diamond, some bassinets that might collapse and hurtle babies, and those Banzai water slides are finally being recalled after allegedly killing one person and paralyzing another. [More]
Flyers Season Ticket Holders Sue Comcast Spectacor For Trying To Upsell Them Expensive Winter Classic Tickets
By 5.9.12
Sadly, the Philadelphia Flyers’ Stanley Cup hopes were dashed into the boards last night by the New Jersey Devils. But season ticket holders still have something to get riled up about, as they try to call team owners Comcast Spectacor for legal high-sticking. [More]
Teenager Says TSA Screeners Are Responsible For Breaking $10K Insulin Pump
By 5.9.12
Sure, there are a lot of things the Transportation Security Administration does right. Catching gun parts in stuffed animals? Great job! But one diabetic Colorado teen is upset with the agency, blaming TSA screeners for breaking the $10,000 insulin pump she needs to survive. [More]
FDA One Step Closer To Approving First Drug For HIV Prevention
By 5.9.12
The battle against AIDS continues, with a favorable review by the Food and Drug Administration of a pill that has been used to treat HIV. The hope is that the pill could be used to prevent people from contracting the virus that causes AIDS. [More]
Man Tells TSA He Has No Idea How Gun Parts Got In His Son's Stuffed Animals
By 5.9.12
It’s unfortunate when gun parts show up when you least expect them. Say, in your son’s stuffed toy while going through security at an airport. A man traveling with his four-year-old told officials at T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, Rhode Island that he didn’t know how handgun parts ended up in his kid’s three stuffed animals. [More]
Wells Fargo Prepping For Possible Racial Discrimination Lawsuit
By 5.8.12
Though it hasn’t been formally accused of anything by the government, Wells Fargo let it be known in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission that the Justice Dept. may soon be alleging the bank was involved in discriminating against minority mortgage applicants. [More]
Skipped Step Results In Mass. Police Writing 896 Illegal Speeding Tickets
By 5.8.12
It’s a pretty big case of “Ooops,” on the part of the Massachusetts Dept. of Transportation, which forgot to follow its own regulations when it determined the speed limit on a new stretch of road in Salem. Now, nearly 900 speeding tickets could be reversed — if the drivers are willing to go to court. [More]
Are Heavier Airline Passengers At Greater Risk For Harm?
By 5.8.12
Usually when we bring up the topic of weight and air travel it involves either passenger comfort or controversial airline policies regarding “customers of size.” But some worry that outdated safety standards are actually putting people at risk while flying. [More]
FTC Goes After Nation's Largest 3rd-Party Billing Company For Profiting Off Bill-Cramming
By 5.8.12
The federal crackdown on the practice of landline bill-cramming — the slathering on of charges for often unauthorized third-party services onto consumers’ phone bills — continues, with the Federal Trade Commission accusing the country’s largest third-party billing business of attempting to cram $70 million worth of bogus charges down consumers’ throats. [More]
Report: Forced-Place Insurance Pushing Homeowners Into Foreclosure
By 5.7.12
If you’ve got a mortgage on your home, it needs to be insured. So if you stop paying that insurance premium, the bank will often go out and get insurance for you. Problem is, according to Bloomberg News, those policies cover less, cost more and will likely just end up putting you into foreclosure anyway. [More]
Nudie Mag's Lawsuit Could Have Far-Reaching Impact On Tumblr, Pinterest
By 5.7.12
I’ve heard a rumor that there are a number of Tumblr pages that may feature nudity. Furthermore, some of these pages contain nude images to which someone else holds the copyright. One such copyright holder has filed a lawsuit against Tumblr which, if successful, could impact a lot more than just pictures of boobs, buns and bits. [More]
Congressman Claims TSA's Pat-Down Was Aggressive & Strayed Into Uncomfortable Territory
By 5.7.12
Senator Rand Paul isn’t the only politician who’s upset with the Transportation Security Administration. Congressman Quico Conseco claims the TSA was overly aggressive while patting him down, and that he didn’t appreciate where he says the agent’s hands went while searching him in San Antonio. [More]
The TSA Brags About Scooting 1 Million Passengers Through PreCheck Screening
By 5.7.12
The Transportation Security Administration trumpeted last week that it had screened a whole one million passengers through its brand new accelerated screening program, PreCheck. But although that seems like a high number, it’s really just the very tip of a large, slow-moving iceberg. [More]
UK Checking To See If It Can Just Go Ahead And Block All Porn Sites
By 5.4.12
United Kingdom Internet users won’t have to suddenly shut their eyes in shock when “accidentally” happening upon a pornographic web site, if the Prime Minister can figure out whether or not the government can just block all porn. For its citizens’ sakes, of course. [More]
FBI To Internet Biggies: Pretty Please Give Us An Easy Way To Spy On Your Users
By 5.4.12
The FBI really wants to know why you won’t just make it your Facebook friend or add it to your Google+ circle. That’s why the bureau has reportedly been asking those companies, along with Microsoft, Yahoo and others, to not impede its proposal to require back doors that would give the feds easy access for snooping. [More]
Bioethicist: If We're Going To Tax Obese People More, We Should Tax Cat Owners Too
By 5.3.12
A growing number of people believe that obese Americans should pay more in taxes than healthy folks since being overweight can put you at a higher risk for health problems. It’s similar to the logic used to justify additional taxes on cigarettes. But bioethicist Art Caplan asks: Why not tax cat owners more while we’re at it? [More]
Taxpayers Stuck With Tab For Restaurant's Utilities Because City "Failed To Issue" Bills
By 5.3.12
The taxpayers of Philadelphia have unwittingly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars paying the electric, gas, and water bills for a posh restaurant, all because the city says it simply goofed. But now that they know about it, the restaurant will be compelled to pay that money back, right? Not quite. [More]
