Kay and Lewis Brown wanted some quick cash so they could make a moderate addition to their home. They turned to CashCall, an online loan service, after seeing the ads on TV. The company lent them $5,000 — at 59% interest. Now the couple is on the hook for $20,830.
Government Policy
Man May Lose Home Over Refusal To Pay Dog-Walking Fine
By 4.20.09
A Florida man who won’t walk his dog on a leash now seems set to lose his $380,000 home, all because he refuses to pay a $1,000 ‘leash violation’ fine to his Homeowners Association. And he’s ready to kill over it.
Nighttime Itching? Bed Bug Infestations Up 500% Worldwide
By 4.20.09
Call it the Twilight phenomenon. The EPA held its first ever “bed bug summit” last week, to discuss the rise in infestations of the tiny nocturnal bloodsuckers. There was talk of more ‘bed bug task forces’ in big cities, possible federal research into new technology such as steaming or freezing the bugs, and lots of icky close-ups of parasites.
Please Do Not Expose Your Genitals To The Comcast Guy
By 4.19.09
A [Howell, Michigan] man was ordered to stand trial on charges he exposed his genitals to a computer technician trying to fix his slow Internet service.
Slate Investigates If It's Really Illegal To Fart On A Sandwich
By 4.19.09
Nina Rastogi decided to look into food tampering laws in the wake of our Domino’s Pizza story last week. It turns out you can spit in food in Ohio without fear of jail time so long as you don’t have a communicable disease. Ohio is clearly the place to work if you are an angry restaurant employee, and the place to avoid if you’re a diner who easily angers waitstaff.
Reader Finds Another Card Skimmer On ATM
By 4.19.09
Kelly sent us these pics of a card skimmer he found yesterday on a Bank of America ATM in Atlanta. He writes, “I asked the police what to do; they said give it to the bank. I asked the bank what to do, they said give it to the police. I assume that no one has established standard procedures to handle this kind of thing yet.” Well if nothing else, send us a photo! Then we can publicize it for other readers, which is how Kelly found it in the first place: “I would have not even recognized it or known to look for it had I not read the article on your website a week earlier about what to look for.” Full size pics below.
Advice: Don't Have Group Sex In The Taco Bell Bathroom, Kids Might Walk In
By 4.17.09
The Taco Bell in South Bend, Indiana is installing “self-locking” doors after two young girls walked in on four people having sex in the bathroom. Public sex in this particular bathroom is apparently such a problem that they tried keeping the bathrooms locked — but too many customers complained about having to ask for a key.
New Withholding Rules Mean You Might Owe The IRS Next Year
By 4.17.09
New tax laws designed to boost the economy by giving you a bit more cash in your pocket might lead to problems for you next year if you’re in a dual-income household. The new payroll tax tables mean you could end up withholding too little without even knowing it and, though you’re welcome to take that long-awaited trip up the Zambezi, you probably won’t enjoy writing a check to the IRS come April 2010.
Please Handle Your Balls Carefully While Exercising
By 4.17.09
The CPSC has issued a hazard warning for Bally Total Fitness, Everlast, Valeo, and Body Fit fitness balls, due to instances of overinflation “causing the user to fall to the floor”.
Sex Spray To Stave Off Orgasm Might Not Be So Revolutionary After All
By 4.17.09
That topical spray we mentioned last week—the one designed to help premature ejaculators—turns out to just be a mixture of lidocaine and prilocaine. Lidocaine is commonly used by dentists to numb the mouth, and prilocaine is used to numb skin before inserting a needle. But beyond that, Consumer Reports points out that side effects reported by the men and their partners in the study included a “rash on their penis” or “a burning sensation in their vagina.”
Traveler Arrested For Bathroom Emergency On Delta Flight
By 4.16.09
Is there a worse place to have sudden diarrhea than on an airplane? Well, yes, and that would be on a water slide, but let’s stay with the airplane for a bit. Joao Correa was on a Delta Airlines flight from Honduras to Atlanta last week when something bad happened down below, and he had to immediately use the bathroom. Unfortunately, there was a drink cart blocking his way and the flight attendants wouldn’t let him by.
Arrest Warrants Issued For Domino's Outlaws Kristy And Michael, While Domino's Prez Apologizes Online
By 4.15.09
The saga of Kristy and Michael, the two (former) Domino’s employees whose on-the-job shenanigans made it to YouTube earlier this week, continues. Now there are warrants out for their arrests, and Domino’s says it plans to sue them. Seriously, if you work in the food industry and are nursing some grudges, just… try to hold them in until you can find a job better suited to you.
What If I Can't Pay My Taxes?
By 4.15.09
What if you don’t have enough money to pay your taxes right away? There are several options. For starters, you can request a payment extension of up to 120 days after filing to pay in full without penalty. By June, if you haven’t paid yet, the IRS will send you a bill and assess a small penalty and start charging interest. For $105. you can also set up an installment plan and pay a little bit each month with each paycheck. Set that up online here. Just don’t blow it off entirely, the IRS are a lot more tenacious than BMG.
Beware The "Dirty Dozen" Tax Scams
By 4.14.09
They say the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. Only one of these can be cheated, and that’s the one they’ll dress you up in horizontal stripes for. Some scammers promote schemes that they say you can use to get out of that one, but they’re just as legit as the Floridian Fountain of Youth. So, don’t be a Ponce (de Lion), and watch out for what the IRS calls the “Dirty Dozen” tax scams:
16 Ways To Get The IRS To Audit You
By 4.14.09
Bwahhhh! The Tax Man cometh! Here are 16 red flags to watch out for. If you wave them, it will be like if you called up the IRS and said, “Hello? IRS? I’d like you to come audit my sorry ass six ways from Sunday. Here’s my address.”
Get An Extension On Your Taxes
By 4.14.09
If you’re not done with your taxes, don’t worry, just get an extension. Just send in IRS Form 4868 and you’ll get 6-months to send in your paperwork. However, you still need to send in 90% of your total tax due otherwise you’ll get fines. If you’re getting a refund, then no sweat, just send in your extension. Don’t feel too bad about not having it together in time, either; according to the IRS website, form 4868 is their most requested document.
Martha Stewart And Kmart Settle With Magician Who Lost Fingertip In Lounge Chair
By 4.13.09
It looks like a certain Des Moines magician/hand model will be able to afford a fancy new gold fingertip soon, or at least a gold-plated one, because he’s settled his lawsuit against Kmart and Martha Stewart Omnimedia for an undisclosed amount.
