The FCC has long subsidized access to land lines in rural areas, but will vote Tuesday to possibly shift the funding toward high-speed internet access. [More]
Government Policy
Police Nab Suspected Bellagio Robber
By 2.4.11
In Vegas they say the house always wins, and that appears to be the case in December’s brazen robbery of the Bellagio, in which an armed thief made of with $1.5 million in casino chips by escaping on a motorcycle. [More]
Should Supermarkets Be Responsible For Notifying Club Card Members Of Recalls?
By 2.4.11
A new class-action lawsuit being brought against Safeway claims that the supermarket chain failed in its duty to actively notify members of its Safeway Club card program about recalls for food sold at the store. [More]
Accused Puppy-Mailer Wants Dog Back
By 2.4.11
The woman who tried to ship a four-month-old puppy from Minneapolis to Atlanta in an airless box using Priority Mail earlier this week reportedly would like the dog back. Will her request be granted, or will the puppy be made available to the numerous people all over the country who actually know how to keep an animal alive and have inquired about adopting him? [More]
There Is No Good Reason To Buy These 9/11 Commemorative Coins
By 2.4.11
If you enjoy commemorative coinage, and want something tangible and shiny to mark the tenth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, wait for the official coin coming from the U.S. Mint later this year. Skip the neat-looking coin currently being hawked on cable TV. That coin comes from a company with an untrustworthy past when it comes to 9/11 coinage, headed by the same man who brought us the Bedazzler. [More]
Send Your Ideas To The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's New Website
By 2.3.11
ConsumerFinance.gov, the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new website, is live and in full effect. So is their Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and YouTube. They want your suggestions and ideas so send ’em in! As they announced on their website their central role is “to make markets for consumer financial products and services work for America…The CFPB belongs to the people it serves. If you have suggestions, we want to hear them.” [More]
Virginia AG Asks Supreme Court To Hear Health Care Case Now
By 2.3.11
Rather than wait for his case against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to run the appellate court gauntlet, the attorney general for the commonwealth of Virginia has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to hear arguments about the legislation now. [More]
NYC Bans Smoking At Parks, Beaches
By 2.3.11
The smokers of New York City will soon have even fewer places to light up this summer after the Big Apple’s city council voted to expand the existing ban on smoking in restaurants and bars to include, beaches, parks, boardwalks and other public spaces. [More]
Govt. Unveiling "Superstar" Energy Star Rating
By 2.3.11
The government is updating the Energy Star program and launching a new higher tier of certification called “Superstar,” Marketplace reports. The program currently certifies the top 25% most energy-efficient products in a given category, so the new star might be for the top 5%. Energy Star could certainly use an overhaul; last year the Government Accountability Office found it was able to submit and get certified 15 of 20 phony products, including a gasoline-powered alarm clock. [More]
Feds Aim For Harsher Regulations On Toxic Chemicals In Drinking Water
By 2.3.11
The Environmental Protection Agency is ratcheting up restrictions on drinking water, setting the first standards for perchlorate, a compound found in rocket fuel, as well as new standards for as many as 16 other toxic and carcinogenic chemicals. [More]
Consumers Group Asks FTC To Stop Misleading Vitaminwater Marketing
By 2.2.11
Sick of seeing Vitaminwater continue to market itself as some sort of health drink, in spite of all evidence to the contrary, the National Consumers League has called on the Federal Trade Commission to intervene and put an end to what it believes are Vitaminwater’s deceptive practices. [More]
Family Wakes Up To Cell Tower In Front Yard
By 2.2.11
A family in Long Island says workers have been putting up a giant pole, pictured at left, in their yard the whole week. Workers told them it was an extra light that the town was putting in. But when it was done, it wasn’t a light. It was a cellphone tower put up by “NextG Networks,” and local officials are calling it “construction by ambush.” [More]
TSA Testing Less-Revealing Full-Body Scanner Software
By 2.2.11
If you’re one of the many travelers who aren’t exactly thrilled at the idea of having the intimate details of your anatomy displayed on a monitor at the airport security checkpoint, here’s some promising news. The TSA is testing out an upgrade to some of its full-body scanners that could put an end to incidents like this or this. [More]
South Dakota Politicians Propose Mandatory Gun Ownership Law
By 2.1.11
A handful of South Dakota lawmakers have introduced a bill that would require every one of the state’s citizens over the age of 21 to own a firearm. But the legislation isn’t really intended to force South Dakota residents to take up arms. Instead, it’s meant to highlight the questions some have regarding the constitutionality of the mandatory coverage portion of the health care bill. [More]
USDA's New Guidelines Finally Listen To Tyler
By 2.1.11
“If you read the document it really is what I’ve been saying for over 2+ years. The government realized, “What’s the point in recommending all this ultra-healthy Whole Foods type of food if NOBODY listens to us? Let’s just simplify it and listen to Tyler and what he’s been saying for two years: eat less of ANY food you’d like to start off with (and learn about nutrition as you go) and just move around.” – A tongue-in-cheek email about the USDA’s new dietary recommendations from Tyler Weeks who documented his weight-loss journey to less than 200 lbs on 344pounds.com. [More]
Federal Judge Strikes Down Health Care Reform Bill
By 2.1.11
Health care reform legislation lost a significant court battle Monday when a U.S. District Court judge in Florida ruled that the entire Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is void after finding that the portion of the law that requires people to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. [More]
Shocking New USDA Recommendations: "Just Eat Less"
By 1.31.11
For the first time ever, the USDA came out and said that in order to combat obesity, you have to eat less. So just eat a single down, okay? [More]
"Armed" Man Arrested At Walmart Was "Armed" With A Cellphone
By 1.31.11
A Walmart in Missouri went into lockdown after a bystander reported a man in the parking lot was behaving “erratically” and wielding a gun, reports the Kirksville Daily Express. The eyewitness reported that the man was holding a gun to his head. [More]
