Frustrated with Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, a Philadelphia homeowner took the bank to court under the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act and won a $1,000 default judgment because it wouldn’t answer his formal questions about a dispute. The bank blew him off, so the man got the sheriff to schedule a sale of contents of a Wells Fargo Home Mortgage location to pay for the judgment and $200 in court and sheriff’s fees. [More]
Government Policy
Full-Body Scan Privacy Law Gets One Step Closer To Reality
By 2.15.11
Back in December, we wrote about the law being proposed by Senator Chuck Schumer that would make it a crime to distribute or save images taken as part of an airport security scan. That law has come one step closer to becoming a reality after being unanimously accepted as an amendment to the FAA Reauthorization Bill being considered by the Senate. [More]
Fast Food Calorie Counts Don't Stop Kids From Overeating, Either
By 2.15.11
A provision in last year’s federal health care reform bill requires all food-serving establishments with more than 20 outlets to post the calorie count of every item on the menu so customers know exactly what they’re getting themselves into. The FDA is taking nationwide an idea that some cities and counties had already put in place. It seems like a good idea in theory, but studies show that calorie counts on menus just make people say “ah, screw it” and order the same amount of food that they would have without the calorie posting–or more. A new study in this month’s International Journal of Obesity shows that children, too, fall into the same delicious caloric trap. [More]
Do Not Try To Deal Drugs From Your Cruise Ship Cabin
By 2.15.11
What won’t you find on a list of must-pack items for cruise vacations? Narcotics and incriminating wads of drug money. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials say a passenger on a Royal Caribbean cruise was caught with both inside his cabin, where he had allegedly set up a drug-dealing operation. [More]
1.7 Million Summer Infant Baby Monitors Recalled After 2 Babies Die
By 2.14.11
1.7 million Summer Infant video baby monitors were recalled after two babies died after they wrapped their necks in the electrical cords of the the devices that were placed too close to their crib. “I urge all parents and caregivers to put at least 3 feet between any video or audio baby monitor cords and a child in a crib,” Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum said in a statement. “This simple step can save your child’s life.” [More]
No Electronic Cigarettes Allowed On Flights, Rules The DOT
By 2.14.11
Looks like cigarette smokers will have to keep furiously chewing nicotine gum on U.S. flights, as the Department of Transportation has said “nope, not gonna do it,” to allowing smokeless electronic cigarettes on airplanes. [More]
Teen Arrested For Sending Out School Threat Via Xbox Live
By 2.11.11
Authorities arrested a Maryland teenager who is charged with making threats of a mass shooting at a high school. He’s accused of impersonating another student while sending a threatening message to more than 100 people via Xbox Live. [More]
CA Supreme Court: Stores Can't Ask For ZIP Code When You Pay By Credit Card
By 2.10.11
If you live in California and you’ve ever been annoyed or concerned about giving out your ZIP code when making a credit card purchase, the state’s Supreme Court has issued a ruling that should appeal to you. [More]
Why Does The Government Hate War Widows?
By 2.10.11
Over 50,000 war widows whose late spouses paid for insurance to help support their families in the case they lost their life now find themselves unable to receive the entire benefit of the insurance — that is unless they remarry… but not until after they turn 57. [More]
TurboTax's Pricing Scheme Is A Little Confusing
By 2.10.11
You depend on the company that makes your tax preparation software to actually be good at math, but Kevin is a little confused when looking at the pricing scheme for TurboTax this year. It doesn’t make any sense, he points out, if you need to file state income taxes, or if you’re filing returns for multiple households. [More]
Angry Super Bowl Ticket-Holders Sue NFL, Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones
By 2.10.11
Unhappy Super Bowl ticket-holders, including some of the 400 who were forced to stand during the big game because their seats were deemed unsafe, have filed a lawsuit claiming they were misled by the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys and that team’s owner Jerry Jones. [More]
Bernake Says Unemployment To Stay "Elevated"
By 2.9.11
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke testified before the House Budget Committee today that he expects unemployment to “remain elevated” “for some time.” So if you were putting your job search on the back burner, thinking, “oh, I’ll just try harder when the economy gets better,” it might be time to reevaluate that strategy. [More]
Eggs Today Contain Less Cholesterol Than They Did A Few Years Ago
By 2.9.11
It’s been a rough few months for eggs, following a massive salmonella-related recall. But there is a slight bit of decent news for the chicken ova industry: The eggs being popped into folks’ frying pans today aren’t as bad for your arteries as they were not so long ago. [More]
IRS Offers Amnesty To Tax-Evaders With Offshore Accounts
By 2.8.11
If you are, or if you know, a person who is avoiding paying their taxes by stashing their cash in an offshore account, the IRS has announced a new amnesty program for just that sort of rich d-bag. [More]
Sony Goes After People Who Spread PS3 Hack
By 2.8.11
First Sony went after alleged PS3 hackers who broke down the console’s firmware, opening it up to gamers to run pirated, copied and unlicensed games. Now it wants information on those who posted details of the hack online, even though they had no hand in its creation. [More]
Florida Bans Coke-And-Meth-Like "Bath Salts" Sold In Gas Stations
By 2.8.11
Florida became the second state after Louisiana to ban sales of MDPV, a synthetic drug with effects similar to meth and cocaine that sellers are marketing as “bath salts,” NPR reports. They can be found in convenience stores and gas stations. Besides their high, authorities have said that the drug produces a psychotic break in their users, afflicting them with violent hallucinations. In one case, a man tore out a police radio from the car with his teeth. In another, a woman went after her mother with a machete, having confused her with a monster. Party time! [More]
Detroit Mayor Offers $1,000 Homes To Cops, Firemen
By 2.8.11
In a bold offer that speaks volumes about Detroit’s housing market as well as its state of public safety, the city’s mayor has offered to provide homes for as little as $1,000 to police and firefighters. [More]
"Shocked" That It's Not Healthy, Mother Sues Nutella
By 2.7.11
A mother of a four-year old child has filed a class action lawsuit against delicious hazelnut spread Nutella. In her complaint, the mother says she was as “shocked to learn” from her friends “that Nutella was in fact not a ‘healthy,’ ‘nutritious’ food,” as advertised, “but was instead the next best thing to a candy bar.” [More]
