As the government continues to pretend that it cares what anyone thinks about Comcast’s merger with NBC Universal, a coalition of Christian media watchdog groups are asking the cable giant to publicly divulge how much money it makes from porn channels and pay-per-view. [More]
Government Policy
Stone Brewing Co. Discovers Its Beer Mustard Is Missing The Beer
By 6.28.10
In addition to pale ales, Stone Brewing Co. sells mustards and sauces made with beer. Last week, in a blog post titled “MustardGate 2010,” the company announced that it recently discovered its mustards were beerless. (Or as they describe it, those mustards are “instant beer mustards–just add beer!”) The real mystery is what happened to the beer; the brewer says the kegs sent out to the mustard company were sent back empty. [More]
Airline Food Might Not Only Taste Bad, It Might Make You Sick
By 6.28.10
Maybe it’s a good thing that more and more airlines are charging to chow down on their mediocre meals. FDA reports uncovered by USA Today reveals the unappetizing conditions at some of the kitchens that prepare the overpriced grub. [More]
Chicago's 28-Year-Old Handgun Ban Struck Down By Supreme Court
By 6.28.10
The Supreme Court has decided 5-4 in favor of firearm owners, ruling that Chicago’s 28-year-old gun ban is unconstitutional. [More]
Congress Won't Let Traders Gamble On Hollywood Box Office
By 6.28.10
If you were planning on putting your kids through college based on your foreknowledge that Toy Story 3 was going to rock the box office, you’ll need to do your gambling on the black market, because Congress has banned Hollywood box office futures trading. [More]
35,000 Bottles Of Scope Recalled For Defective Caps
By 6.28.10
If you have a 1-liter bottle of Scope Original Mint Mouthwash that you bought sometime since January 1st, you might want to test the cap. If it twists off without needing the sides pressed in and it’s a got the number 4 stamped onto the bottom, Procter & Gamble would like to replace it, please. [More]
Toyota Recalls 17,000 Lexus HS 250h Hybrids Over Potential Fire Risks
By 6.25.10
No, you’re not having a flashback. This is a new Toyota recall, and it’s not based on sticky pedals, stuck floormats or problems with emergency handling. This time, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the problem is that the Lexus HS 250h hybrid could leak fuel in rear-end collisions, potentially causing fires. Sales of the vehicle have been halted as Toyota works on a solution. [More]
FDIC Says Pilot Program Offers Alternative to Payday Loans
By 6.25.10
The FDIC has announced the results of a two-year pilot program designed to help banks offer alternatives to payday loans that would be “safe, affordable and feasible.” Under the test program, participating banks offered loans of up to $2,500 at maximum interest rates of 36% — instead of the 400% offered by some payday lenders. [More]
Kellogg's Recalls 28 Million Boxes Of Cereal Over Stinky Box Liners
By 6.25.10
A few weeks after getting slapped on the wrist by the FTC for the second time in a year, the Kellogg Company’s cereal division has another embarrassment on its hands — a recall of 28 million boxes of Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops and Honey Smacks due to “an uncharacteristic off-flavor and smell coming from the liner in the package.” [More]
Auto Dealers Win Exemption From Financial Protection Bureau Oversight
By 6.25.10
Some shady auto dealers are known to fake financial docs to get customers approved for loans they can’t afford. They refer to senior citizens as “people with oxygen tanks” and even straight up steal money from their ATM account. So, good thing that they can afford good lobbyists, because in the final hours they succeeded in making it so the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau doesn’t apply to them. [More]
California Welfare Recipients Spending Millions At Casinos
By 6.25.10
Following an L.A. Times report that revealed the California welfare debit card program allows benefits recipients to withdraw cash at ATMs at casinos, state officials disclosed that over $1.8 million in taxpayer cash had been withdrawn on the gaming floors of casinos in just the last eight months. [More]
FTC Makes Twitter Promise Not To Mislead Customers About Privacy
By 6.24.10
Twitter has settled a Federal Trade Commission investigation, which started after a hacker gained access to a number of Twitter accounts (including President Barack Obama’s) and sent out fake tweets from those addresses. Under the terms of the settlement, Twitter “will be barred for 20 years from misleading consumers about the extent to which it maintains and protects the security, privacy and confidentiality of nonpublic consumer information.” We don’t know what happens in year 21. [More]
Shuttered Tylenol Plant Had Troubling Pattern of Problems
By 6.24.10
Should Tylenol have been recalled sooner? FDA inspection reports going back to 2003 paint a queasy picture. [More]
Would You Like Fries With Your Lion Burger?
By 6.24.10 — Updated: 3.11.13
By now, you’ve probably heard about the small Mesa, Arizona, restaurant that caused an up-roar this week by making a limited-time addition to its menu — Lion Burgers. If you hadn’t heard about it, well now you have. But putting any judgment aside for the moment, one has to ask — Where in the world do you get lion meat from? [More]
VIDEO: What's So Dangerous About Drop-Side Cribs?
By 6.24.10
So 2 million drop-side cribs were recalled this morning, but what is it about drop-side cribs that leads to can lead to baby entrapment, even death? What should you do if you own a drop-side crib? What’s the deal with the immobilizer devices? How do you test it to make sure its safe? Can I fix the crib myself? The CPSC answers these questions and more in a new video released this morning: [More]
2,000,000+ Drop-Side Cribs Recalled
By 6.24.10
The CPSC recalled over 2 million drop-side cribs from seven firms today, due to reports of falling and entrapment. The makers are: [More]
Netflix Is Fine With No Saturday Mail Delivery; Amazon, Not So Much
By 6.24.10
When we first wrote about the US Postal Service’s plan to put an end to Saturday deliveries, only 35% of the 7,000 readers polled thought it would be a hassle to their way of life. However, many commenters wanted to know what this would mean for deliveries of their precious Netflix DVDs. Yesterday, they got their answer. [More]
Toyota's Toyoda Apologizes To Shareholders
By 6.24.10
Today in Tokyo, Toyota president Akio Toyoda met with shareholders for the first time since the world’s largest automaker began issuing recalls on millions of its vehicles last October. And fittingly enough, the grandson of the company’s founder kicked things off humbly. [More]
