Ah yes, the Philadelphia Airport. You’ll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. A baggage handler has been charged with two counts of theft after a woman noticed that $550 worth of clothes (with the price tags still on) had mysteriously wandered out of her luggage.
Government Policy
Stay Informed About The Pistachio Salmonella Apocalypse
By 4.3.09
There have been quite a few “salmonella pistachio” recalls in the past few days, so the FDA has set up pistachio HQ on their website. You can search and/or browse the Pistachio Recalled Products List, learn about salmonella, and generally freak out about contaminated pistachios.
3 Last-Minute Tax Tips
By 4.3.09
We’re less than two weeks away from April 15, and while many are basking in the glow of a nice tax refund (though we shouldn’t be letting the government use our money for free, but that’s a different post), others are just starting their tax return preparation for this year. As such, it seemed appropriate to give them some last-minute advice courtesy of three pieces from Yahoo:
Bad Idea: Confessing To Your $100,000 A Year Shoplifting Habit On National TV
By 4.2.09
All the clever shoplifting tricks in the world won’t save you from yourself if you decide to reveal your secrets on Dr. Phil. Last week a fraud task force raided the home of Laura and Matthew Eaton, who appeared on an episode in November to show the audience how they did it and to say they were going straight.
Movie Distributor Doesn't Care For Blogosphere, Says To Ignore It
By 4.1.09
Magnolia Pictures, the company behind the botched US release of the DVD of Let The Right One In, isn’t backing down from its claim that the new simplified subtitles are just fine. In fact, this internal communication from a Magnolia rep to a Canadian distributor shows just how little they care about how their core fans feel.
Good News! You Got A Tax Cut! Bad News! You Might Want To Adjust Your Withholding!
By 3.31.09
CNN points out that while it’s wonderful to be getting the “Making Work Pay” tax credit right away through your employer adjusting your withholding — some people might end up getting more credit than they really are entitled to — meaning they may end up owing money at the end of the year.
Pistachios Recalled For Salmonella
By 3.31.09
The FDA recalled three different kinds of pistachios this week for salmonella. [Consumer Reports Safety Blog] (Photo: ?o??ƒx™)
Restaurant Owner Busted For Filming Women's Bathroom
By 3.30.09
Police say that the owner of the Poloros Restaurant in Mineola, NY had a hidden surveillance camera installed in the ceiling tiles of the women’s bathroom. The device, which was used by the owner to watch customers and female employees alike, was spotted by a customer, who notified police.
Tax Break: IRS Announces New Car Buyers Can Deduct Sales Tax
By 3.30.09
The IRS just announced that new car buyers can deduct the state and local sales and excise taxes on their 2009 tax returns next year, according to our furry little tax adviser.
Judge Orders F.D.A. To Make Plan B Available To 17-Year-Olds
By 3.28.09
Great news, 17-year-olds! A federal judge has ruled that you can now avoid accidental babies by partaking in the emergency contraceptive wonder that is Plan B. Back in 2006, the Food and Drug Administration limited the contraceptive to women 18 and over, and ordered pharmacists to hide the drug behind their counters away from other common contraceptives. Judge Edward Korman ruled this week that the agency’s decision was based on politics not science, and that it constituted an unacceptable public health buzzkill.
ShamWow Guy Arrested For Beating Up Prostitute
By 3.27.09
Slap chop to the face! Vince Shlomi, aka the ShamWow Guy, aka You’re Gonna Love My Nuts, was “arrested last month on a felony battery charge following a violent confrontation with a prostitute in his South Beach hotel room,” reports the Smoking Gun.
Shopper Arrested For Saying "The F Word" At Walmart
By 3.27.09
Well, here’s a truly weird story, disorderly conduct charges have been dropped against a Texas woman who dropped an f-bomb at her local Walmart.
"Velveteen Rabbit" Robocallers Pay $25,000 To Settle Lawsuit
By 3.27.09
Verizon Wireless has settled its lawsuit against those telemarketers who were phonespamming thousands of people back in February to promote a kids’ movie. Feature Films For Families has agreed to pay $25,000 to Verizon, which will be donated to the National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH).
FTC Sues Dish Network For Violating Do Not Call List
By 3.25.09
A lawsuit has been filed against Dish Network by the U.S. Justice Department (on behalf of the FTC) alleging that the company violated “Do Not Call” rules by phoning potential customers without their permission.
By 3.24.09
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If you recently bought organic brown eggs from a Costco, Safeway, or Pack ‘n’ Save in California or Nevada, you should check to make sure they’re not part of yet another salmonella recall. [MSNBC] (Photo: Bonzo McGrue)
Best Buy Accused Of Paying Bonuses To Managers Who Don't Price Match
By 3.23.09
- Best Buy provided financial bonuses based, in part, on denying proper price match requests.
- Best Buy denied more than 100 proper price match requests per store per week.
Comcast Threatens To Cancel Your Service Over "Leaky Signal" That They Can't Understand Or Fix
By 3.22.09
Comcast keeps sending Andrew’s parents letters insisting that “there is a leak of our electronic signal into the air,” and that if it can’t be immediately fixed, their service will be disconnected. Andrew’s parents always immediately call Comcast to schedule a service visit, because nobody wants a signal leaking into the air, especially not one that “could interfere with aircraft and ship communications,” but each time they call, Comcast has no clue why they sent a letter, or how to plug the leaky plane-gobbling signal.
