Deciding to take away a final creature comfort from death row inmates on the verge of execution, Texas has eliminated the traditional last meal ritual, in which the condemned got to choose a favorite dish before he departed. [More]
Government Policy
New York Subway Workers Say Rats Are Out Of Control
By 9.23.11
According to workers who spend their days underground in the New York City subway system, the rats that infest their work environment are rapidly multiplying and getting more aggressive than ever. The union TWU Local 100 has launched an initiative called New Yorkers Deserve a Rat-Free Subway to bring attention to the problem. [More]
Wisconsin Library Loans Out iPads
By 9.23.11
Any libraries concerned that the ebook phenomenon will render them obsolete could stand to take a cue from a Wisconsin library that has started lending iPads to members. The devices come pre-loaded with at least 1,000 classic books and are available for weeklong loans and four-hour in-library use. [More]
Over-The-Counter Asthma Inhalers To Vanish From Store Shelves By End Of Year
By 9.22.11
If you or someone you know uses Primatene or any other over-the-counter epinephrine inhaler for asthma, the clock is officially ticking before they disappear off store shelves. The Food and Drug Administration announced today that, in an effort to cut down on products using ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons, these inhalers will no longer be available after Dec. 31. [More]
Debt Collectors Fighting Laws Aimed At Making Them Do Their Jobs Properly
By 9.22.11
In recent years, a number of U.S. states have crafted legislation intended to make sure that debt collectors are doing a thorough job of properly identifying debtors and proving that a debt is actually owed. But now these collections folks are fighting these laws because they apparently make debt collecting a less profitable venture. [More]
New Law Has Put 1 Million More Young Adults On Parents' Health Insurance
By 9.22.11
A 2010 health insurance law that allows those under age 26 to stick to their parents’ health insurance plans has allowed 1 million presumably uninsured adults in the age group to find coverage. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the amount of young adults who lack health insurance has fallen from 34 percent from the beginning of 2010 to 30 percent in March. [More]
Customer Allegedly Pulls Shotgun On Taco Bell Employee For Forgetting Hot Sauce
By 9.22.11
Some people take their missing hot sauce far too seriously. An irate Taco Bell customer was so enraged after he found out his order was missing the condiment that he allegedly returned to the restaurant with a shotgun and pulled it on the offending employee. Now the suspect has been arrested and faces up to 10 years in prison. [More]
Full Tilt Poker Says It Isn't A Ponzi Scheme
By 9.22.11
Responding to allegations from the U.S. Department of Justice that Full Tilt Poker proprietors operated a global Ponzi scheme, attorneys of the online poker emporium responded with the legal equivalent of “nu-uh!” [More]
US Accuses Full Tilt Poker Of Being Global Ponzi Scheme
By 9.21.11
Looks like Full Tilt Poker just went bust. The Department of Justice has accused the site’s proprietors of operating a “global Ponzi scheme” in which the owners got paid with money they told players was being safely held. [More]
The TSA Thinks You Might Be Hiding Weapons In Your Big Hair
By 9.21.11
Here’s a warning to the big-haired travelers of the world: Your voluminous ‘do might merit a second round of security screening the next time you’re traveling through the airport. [More]
Report: Government Investigating Google's Alleged Ad Price Gouging Of Microsoft
By 9.21.11
In what has the appearance of a high-stakes, corporate sumo wrestling match, the Federal Trade Commission is reportedly investigating a hefty ad rate increase with which Google stung Microsoft. The investigation is said to be part of the FTC’s antitrust probe of Google that’s been going on for months. [More]
Pennsylvania Pulls Plug On Wine Kiosk Experiment
By 9.20.11
As anyone who has tried to buy booze, wine or beer in Pennsylvania can tell you, the Keystone State has some of the most bizarre and byzantine liquor control rules on the books. Last year, the state tried to clear things up by introducing overly complicated wine kiosks in supermarkets, but it now looks like those have fallen victim to a payment dispute. [More]
Should We Be Concerned That Federal Agents Are Raiding IHOP Restaurants?
By 9.20.11
Of all the places one would expect to see IRS, FBI and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents storming through the doors, an IHOP in Ohio. That’s why it’s even more bizarre to hear that very thing went down today inside at least seven IHOPs. [More]
Despite Their Protests, Airlines Are Indeed Liable For Lost Luggage
By 9.20.11
Many airlines have inserted “checked baggage limitations of liability” into their contracts which try to act like it’s not their fault if jewelry or gadgets somehow go missing during transit from your luggage. They’re bunkum. [More]
OSHA Goes After Sea World For Killer Whale Incident
By 9.20.11
Sea World Orlando faces hearings this week that are connected to the infamous 2010 tragedy in which a killer whale caused the death of a trainer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration contends Sea World Orlando willfully put its employees in danger by failing to take enough safety precautions, including using proper barriers, decking or oxygen supply systems. [More]
Copy "Wedding Crashers" Prank, Get Charged With A Felony
By 9.20.11
In the movie Wedding Crashers, Owen Wilson’s character pours eye drops into an enemy’s drink to put him out of commission and is rewarded with audience laughter. In real life, a Wisconsin college student does the same to her roommate and is charged with a felony that stuck her with 90 days in prison and 30 months of probation. [More]
Some New York Taxi Drivers Anger Businesses By Rejecting Racy Ads
By 9.19.11
Claiming their free speech has been violated, advertisers are speaking out against the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission’s decision to let taxi drivers decline to post ads featuring scantily-clad women on their vehicles. The companies are bitter that they apparently wasted the money they paid to create ads they now can’t use as widely as planned. [More]
TSA Fires 28 Agents Who Allegedly Did Not Do Jobs
By 9.19.11
In the slow but inevitable reaction to the scandal in which several Transportation Security Administration agents were accused of letting un-screened baggage make it on to flights, the agency fired 28 employees. Fifteen others connected to the alleged negligence — which is believed to have occurred over several months in Hawaii last year — were suspended. Three others left their jobs voluntarily. [More]
