Have your friends been laid off recently? Of course they have, almost nobody has a job anymore! Complaining about society’s newfound poverty, however, is apparently a violation of eHarmony’s terms of service, as the East Village Idiot recently discovered.
BLOGS
Is Local Food Safer Than Industrial Food?
By 1.10.09
So food from green markets and community supported agriculture is cleaner and healthier than that grocery store schmaltz, right? Not so fast, says E.coli litigation king Bill Marler, who recently wrote that convincing local food producers to keep their food clean will be one of the top ten food safety challenges of the year.
Jetblue Changes Policy, Will Stop Charging $50 If You Check A Box With A Foldable Bike
By 1.10.09
Jetblue charged Carl $50 to check a small box. If Carl hadn’t mentioned that there was a small foldable bike in the box, his package would have been checked for free…
$400k ATM Receipt – Madison Ave Doin' Just Fine
By 1.9.09
There’s a $407k balance on this ATM receipt. At least one denizen of Madison Ave, a metonym for the advertising industry, hasn’t been reading the headlines. One is that he’s supposed to have no money thanks to the recession. The other is that the FDIC only provides coverage up to $250,000. Oh Don Draper, won’t you ever be felled by your devil-may-care ways? Full-size, inside…
The Worst Target Ever Created: The One At The Atlantic Center Mall In Brooklyn
By 1.6.09
The FIPS blog, via undercover video (which contains NSFW curse words in textual format), attempts to uncover why the Target at the Atlantic Center Mall in Brooklyn is the absolute worst Target ever created. See, you people in the suburbs, with your nice Targets where products are arranged on the shelves in a sensible matter and the floors are clean and the lights are bright, probably don’t get it. This Target is like a Kmart that got too depressed to be physically able to put its shoes on in the morning. I know of this particular Target and speak from experience. So the FIPs people don’t get anywhere close to finding out why the Target is so bad, but they do approach its pathos. (The girl in the video blames the disarray on “the weekend” and “time of year.” Not true. It’s ALWAYS like that). Video inside…
Consumerist Nominated For Best Blog
By 1.6.09
That’s right, despite having its budget slashed and being put up for sale, Consumerist still rocked 2008 with a bunch of cool and/or ridiculously awesome posts, and now we’re in the running for the Best Blog in the 2008 Weblog Awards. You can cast your vote here. Frankly, we haven’t even heard of some of the competitors. Gawk-er? What is that, a peeping tom site? Boing boing? Who names this stuff?
3 New Credit Card Rules Got Chucked
By 1.6.09
Some of those pro-consumer credit card rules that we reported on have already disappeared. That’s because our post was based on the preliminary report, but by the final version, three got chucked. Here’s the final tally:
What Your Homeland Security Travel File Looks Like
By 1.6.09
Homeland Security’s dossier on all your the travel you’ve ever taken looks something like this.
Lost Your Job? Hyundai Lets You Return Your New Car
By 1.5.09
To crowbar open the pocketbooks of newly thrifty shoppers, carmakers are getting more creative. For instance, if you finance a new Hyundai after Jan 3 and lose your job, supposedly the car maker will let you return your vehicle, with no further financial obligation, and no damage to your credit. Intriguing, but definitely one to scour the fine print on.
Suicide: Hedge Fund Manager Who Invested $1.4 Billion In Madoff Scheme Found Dead
By 12.24.08
A hedge fund manager, Rene-Thierry Magon de la Villehuchet, who invested $1.4 billion in Madoff’s $50billion Ponzi scheme was found dead by apparent, movie-style, suicide.
Traveling In Cargo Can Be Deadly To Pets
By 12.17.08
Caution if you’re putting your pet in cargo while flying, persian cats and short-nosed dogs are particularly vulnerable to DEATH during flight, especially during the summer. Better, don’t put them in the belly at all.
What's New For 2008 Return Policies
By 12.15.08
Some retailers are tightening their returning policies this year, while others are loosening them. ConsumerWorld tells you who’s naughty and nice this year.
$50 Billion Ponzi Scheme Could Just Be For Starters
By 12.13.08
Madoff’s $50 billion scam came unwound when too many investors tried to pull their money at the same time, which means we’re likely to more big swindles get exposed in the coming months…
$50 Billion Ponzi Scheme Busted
By 12.12.08
Famous broker Bernard Madoff was arrested yesterday for running what was really a $50 billion pyramid scheme. Slate’s The Big Money has insight on how investors can spot an operator like Madoff:
GM Hooks Up With Midwest Credit Unions To Offer Low-Interest Car Loans
By 12.12.08
GM announced a deal with 1,200 credit unions in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio to make $10 billion in low-interest car loans available to shoppers.
Teacher Confiscates Linux Discs, Chides Charitable Computer Group, "No Software Is Free"
By 12.12.08
Recently a Texas teacher confiscated Linux OS discs that a kid was passing out in class. She then sent a nasty email to the nonprofit that built and donated the Linux-loaded computer…
Avoid Airport Rental Car Fees
By 12.9.08
Upgrade: Travel Better has good some ideas on how you can avoid those excessive airport rental car fees (you know, the ones like “facility fee.” What is that, you have to pay a fee for the rental place having a roof? Can I choose the place without a roof then?) One idea is to rent at the airport, then drop the car off the next day downtown. This way you only pay extra airport fees on the first day. Just make sure the place isn’t going to tack on a one-way dropoff fee. This is even better in Europe, which isn’t as into one-way fees as America is.
