Your salsa may have more of a kick to it than you know. The Food and Drug Administration announced that Pacific International Marketing has recalled 6,141 cartons of cilantro that might have been contaminated with salmonella. Cilantro is often used in salads and salsa. [More]
Government Policy
IRS Is Stuck With $153.3 Million It Wants To Give Away
By 12.12.11
The Internal Revenue Service has $153.3 million in tax refunds burning a hole in its pocket, but can’t find any takers. The agency says mailing address errors have rendered 99,123 refund checks undeliverable. [More]
Motorola Wins Patent Battle And Potential For Injunction Against Apple In Germany
By 12.9.11
Apple is having a tough go of it over in Europe, as they’re involved in various lawsuits in several countries, including one they just lost. Motorola Mobility just scored a big hit against Apple, winning a patent infringement suit against them in Germany. [More]
Obama Administration Counters Chase CEO Statement On Taxing The Rich
By 12.8.11
After JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon complained over how the rich have to pay so much in income taxes, claiming he and his fellow wealthy “wage-earners” end up shelling out 50% of their incomes to the government, we took the chance to ask the White House what they thought of that. [More]
White House: GOP Efforts To Block Confirmation Of CFPB Director Will Hurt Consumers
By 12.8.11
Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, Brian Deese, spoke with Consumerist today during a conference call where he stressed the importance of Richard Cordray’s confirmation as director of Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a confirmation that was blocked earlier today by Senate Republicans. [More]
Senate Blocks Vote On Confirmation Of Richard Cordray As Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director
By 12.8.11
A vote today in the Senate over whether or not to confirm Richard Cordray as the new director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has been blocked with a filibuster by opponents of the current structure of the bureau. [More]
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Proposes Two-Page Credit Card Forms
By 12.8.11
Anyone who hand shreds unwanted credit card solicitations knows how thick those envelopes can be — with forms full of interest rates, fine print and unnavigable terms. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a new, shorter form yesterday, so that you wouldn’t have to wade through pages full of credit jargon. [More]
Senate Expected To Vote On Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Tomorrow
By 12.7.11
It feels like it was ages ago when former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray (not to be confused with his doppelganger NBC page Kenneth Ellen Parcell) was announced as the White House’s nominee for director of the recently formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Now it’s almost time to cue some sort of dramatic music as the Senate is expected to thumbs-up-or-down the nomination on Thursday. [More]
Iams & Other Dog Foods Recalled Over Mold Concerns
By 12.7.11
Two apparently separate dog food recalls have been issued in the last 24 hours — one by Procter & Gamble’s Iams brand, the other involving several regional brands produced by agribusiness colossus Cargill — that both involve the same concern over an unfriendly mold being present in your furry best friend’s food. [More]
Drugstore.com Named In Lawsuit Over Knock-Off Sex Toys
By 12.6.11
Opting not to buy into name brand hype can be cheaper, but in the case of one company that manufactures vibrators, knockoffs might mean a legal battle. A Canadian company claims that Walgreen’s online-only entity Drugstore.com is importing knockoff sex toys and selling them in the U.S. [More]
European Officials Investigate Possible E-Book Cartel Involving Apple
By 12.6.11
In a page ripped from the script of Scarface, except switch out drugs for e-books and Tony Montana for Apple, European Union anti-trust officials are looking in to whether five publishers of e-books have colluded with the makers of the iPad, offering them lower book prices than they do for everyone else. [More]
States Push Insurers To Pay Off On Policies
By 12.6.11
Silly insurance companies, forgetting to pay off policies owned by beneficiaries of dead policyholders. Good thing state governments are there to help refresh their memories. [More]
6 Warning Signs Of A Mortgage Modification Scam
By 12.5.11
Getting a mortgage is difficult enough. Having that mortgage modified because your house has dropped in value can be a Minotaur’s maze full of unscrupulous types looking to cash in on your uncertainty about the often complicated process. [More]
TSA Thinks Fake Gun On Your Handbag Is A Security Threat
By 12.2.11
While gun replicas have been outlawed on planes since 2002, should that include miniature designs of pistols that are part of your handbag? This is the question that vexed a teenager who was stopped by TSA agents and told that her weaponized handbag was some sort of illegal security risk. [More]
Government Reports 120,000 New Jobs As Unemployment Rate Slips
By 12.2.11
Today the government reported 120,000 new jobs for November, which might sound awesome but is actually considered weak, even as unemployment rates dipped from 9% to 8.6%. Better than blatantly bad news, right? [More]
Honda's Airbag Recall Continues To Inflate, Adds Another 273,000 Cars
By 12.2.11
Back in 2008, Honda issued a recall of a measly 3,940 vehicles over potentially faulty airbags. In 2009, that number ballooned up to 440,000 cars, and then added another 438,000 in 2010. But like a big white bag that inflates unexpectedly in your face, it just got larger, adding another 273,000 cars. [More]
Report: States Need To Do More To Keep For-Profit Colleges Honest
By 12.2.11
According to a report, for-profit colleges are making things tough for students by charging exorbitant fees, engaging in high-pressure recruiting efforts and supplying degrees that don’t do as much for students as promised. The report contends more oversight from state governments could better protect students from the institutions. [More]
Patient Sues Dentist Who Threatened Legal Action Over Yelp Reviews
By 12.1.11
A number of dentists who fear what effect a negative review on a site like Yelp can have on their business have been compelling patients to sign “privacy agreements” that aim to stop annoyed customers from going public with their complaints. But one patient has decided that these agreements go too far, especially after his comments on Yelp resulted in his dentist coming after him for money. [More]
