We’ve never been to Las Vegas, but apparently there is a serious problem with giant hula hoops going on. According to AOL, the Las Vegas City Council is considering banning hula hooping on a five-block pedestrian mall called “The Fremont Street Experience.” (Warning: link is annoying.) [More]
Government Policy
Table Dancers Turn Tables, Show Up To Church To Protest Being Protested
By 8.9.10
The dancers at the Foxhole in Coschocton County, Ohio, are used to arriving at work to the sounds of protests from members of the nearby New Beginnings Ministries church. But the same couldn’t quite be said for the churchgoers, who showed up for services on Sunday and were greeted by the sight of bikini-clad protesters. [More]
Honda Recalls 384,000 Cars Because They Might Roll Away
By 8.9.10
Honda is recalling 383,000 Accords, Civics and Elements from 2003-2004 because they might roll away after they’ve been parked. [More]
Woman Arrested Over Wet T-Shirt Complaints At Florida Children's Water Park
By 8.9.10
A 36-year-old woman says she’s planning on suing the city of Tavares, Florida, because its police force demanded her name for a “database” as she was leaving a children’s water park last spring. She’d taken her 7-year-old son there for the third time that season, and on each visit, other parents complained that her wet t-shirt and bra look was offensive. As she was leaving, a police officer demanded her name, and arrested her when she refused. [More]
Kids Could Be Getting Salmonella From Pet Food
By 8.9.10
No, it’s not what you’re thinking, parents are not feeding their kids pet food. Instead, a new study finding a link between salmonella contaminated pet food and children posits that the kids might be touching affected animals or their pet food dishes, and then putting their hands in their mouths. [More]
Why Target And Best Buy's Support Of Anti-Gay Bigots Is Going To Change The Way You Shop Forever
By 8.8.10
Target gave $150,000. Best Buy chipped in $100,000. Companies supporting politicians or their political action committees isn’t new. A quarter-million dollars for Minnesota Forward—a group that supports anti-gay rights candidates like Tom Emmer—might seem like a gay rights issue, but it’s so much more. It represents the next frontier in consumer activism and a world where every purchase acts as a political statement. Join us inside as we explain. [More]
Flight Cancellations Hold Steady Despite New Tarmac Delay Limit
By 8.8.10
Remember how airlines threatened to cancel a mess of flights if the Department of Transportation imposed fines for holding planes on the tarmac for more than three hours? Well, the DOT imposed the rule and it looks like airlines are coping just fine. The Wall Street Journal examined recently released data and found that the most probable explanation for the slight jump in cancellations is a combination of weather and shoddy maintenance. [More]
Uh Oh, 1 Million Pounds Of Beef Is Contaminated With E. coli
By 8.7.10
Alright, you know the drill: go to your freezer and look for meat products labeled “EST. 8268,” which is now code for everybody’s favorite stomach bug: E. coli. The Valley Meat Company of California announced this week that they plan to recall nearly one million pounds of ground beef contaminated with the icky stomach bug. [More]
UPDATE: Officials Say Little Kids Don't Need Health Dept. License To Run Lemonade Stand
By 8.6.10
Earlier today, we brought you the tale of a girl in Oregon whose lemonade stand was shut down by health inspectors for lack of proper permits. Realizing the error of their ways, county officials have now issued an apology, meaning the little girl’s horribly unsafe lemonade can be unleashed upon the world once more. [More]
Government Cracks Down On Little Girl's Lemonade Stand
By 8.6.10
UPDATE: The little girl has gotten a reprieve and is allowed to sell her lemonade without a license. [More]
Sign Up For MSN Internet At Best Buy? You Could Get $75
By 8.5.10
If you signed up for MSN Internet at Best Buy between 1999 and 2004, you could be entitled to up to $75. [More]
Foods That Pretend To Be Drugs
By 8.4.10
“Medical attention does not come from a Cheerios box,” Steven Nissen, head of cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, told Forbes. See, one of the biggest trends in the food industry are these so-called “functional foods,” water that helps you sleep, yogurt that regulates your digestion, pomegranate juice that cures cancer, etc. But most of the claims are bogus, or at best, misleading, and the FDA is cracking down. [More]
Courthouse In Florida Has 35,000 Body Scans Of Citizens
By 8.4.10
Like it or not, advanced imaging technology (AIT)–capable of producing highly detailed pics of your naked body–is expanding rapidly throughout U.S. airports. Last month, there were at least 142 AIT units deployed in eleven airports, but by the end of the year that will jump to more than 450 nationwide, spread across at least forty airports (see full list below). The TSA has tried to downplay privacy issues by saying that the units won’t save images, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t. In fact, the U.S. Marshals Service in Florida says they’ve got over 35,000 AIT scans of people saved. They also say that an AIT unit tested in the Washington, D.C. federal courthouse was sent back to the manufacturer with images still stored on it. [More]
NFL Retirees Blitz EA With Madden Lawsuit
By 8.4.10
NFL retirees are unhappy that Electronic Arts used their likenesses and stats in Madden NFL 09 without paying for the rights to do so. The game didn’t include the old-timer’s names in order to run the end around on licensing fees, the class-action lawsuit alleges. EA also changed the players’ numbers for an extra layer of protection. [More]
Iams Salmonella Recall Expanded
By 8.3.10
Iams has expanded a voluntary recall of pet food because it might be contaminated with salmonella. No illnesses have been reported, but better safe than crying than over Mr. Tinkers. Here are the affected products so you can get them off your pantry: [More]
Shoplifter Forgets Baby
By 8.3.10
A note to shoplifters: When doing your thing, don’t leave behind any item that could incriminate you, such as, say, your 10-month-old infant. [More]
Before Suing A Company In Small Claims, Look Up The "Registered Agent"
By 8.3.10
Suing a company in small claims court is fun and easy and oftentimes the company won’t even try to fight back. One thing you want to make sure to remember though is to look up the company’s “registered agent” in the state where you are filing. If you don’t serve this person with notice of the case, it could result in a dismissal. [More]
Motor Home Travelers Attacked In Walmart Parking Lot Sue Company
By 8.2.10
Back in 2006, a Florida couple parked an RV in a Utah Walmart and shot and killed an intruder. Now the couple is suing Walmart, saying the company knew the creep was lurking about but didn’t alert authorities, the Salt Lake Tribune reports. [More]
