Hobby Lobby — home to glitter glue, crepe paper, and distress paint — was also apparently in the business of acquiring ancient Mesopotamian relics. However, the crafty retailer says it didn’t quite understand all the ins and outs of the whole “importing artifacts from Iraq” process and has agreed to forfeit thousands of items, including clay cuneiform tablets, that the federal government says were smuggled into the country. [More]
iraq
Hobby Lobby Agrees To Turn Over Thousands Of Ancient Iraqi Artifacts That Were Smuggled Into U.S.
By 7.5.17 — Updated: 7.6.17
Government Finds $6.6 Billion It Thought It Lost In Iraq
By 10.27.11
In a way, the U.S. government has lifted up the seat cushion it knows as Iraq and dug out the $6.6 billion in pocket change it believed it had misplaced during the early days of the conflict. A new report says the money was never lost, but instead was placed under the control of the Iraqi government, as intended. [More]
AIG Keeps Fighting Man Over Wheelchair, Glasses, And False Leg
By 4.18.09
AIG needs its money for its own problems, people, and doesn’t want to have to share with insurance claimants! That’s why they’ve fought every request from John Woodson, a man who lost a leg, an eye, and 70% of the vision in the remaining eye while working as a contractor in Iraq. He told ABC News, “You constantly are worried about who is going to pay these bills, who is going to take care of me? Because you can’t rely on AIG to come through for you. I don’t understand how a company of their size and their magnitude, with government bailouts and money and support, I don’t understand their not taking care of the individuals that were injured.”
UPDATE: American Airlines Agrees To Waive Extra Bag Fees For Soldiers
By 8.13.08
Tired of taking heat for refusing to waive extra baggage fees for soldiers, American Airlines has finally caved.
AT&T Loses Your Phone Number While You're Serving In Iraq, Says No Upgrade For You
By 5.13.08
Reader Nicholas is in the military, and while he was serving in Iraq, AT&T decided to give his phone number to another customer. When he returned, he asked for the number back, but was refused. The rep then convinced him that he needed to sign a new 2 year contract in order to reactivate his number. Naturally, right after he did this, his phone broke, and now AT&T is telling him that he’ll have to wait until 2009 to get a decent upgrade.
Progressive Responds To Question About Using Recent Military Service To Determine Rates And Eligibility
By 4.22.08
The Progressive auto insurance company saw our post “Why Is Progressive Using “Recent Military Service” To Determine Rates And Eligibility?” and responded to let us know that it’s just to make sure that service members aren’t penalized for having a lapse in their coverage due to the fact that they’ve been deployed overseas. They’ve apologized for the confusing wording on the website and have pledged to rewrite it for clarity. Full official statement, inside…
Why Is Progressive Using "Recent Military Service" To Determine Rates And Eligibility?
By 4.19.08
[Update: Progressive responded and clarified that the fine print does NOT mean they will use military service to give you a higher rate.] We got this email tonight from Ceaser, who wants to know why his military service would negatively affect his car insurance:
While searching for new car insurance on progressive and sadly other insurance carriers, figuring what the rate check would be I answered a few questions. Some questions asked were if I was currently in the military and in college, I am both. As an Iraq war Army vet I am currently going to school with the GI bill, and tuition assistance from the Air national guard, so I put that I am both a student and national guard.
Soldier Requires Local Media To Get His Money Back From Sprint
By 4.16.08
While Jeff Cannizzaro was off fighting in Iraq, he was also fighting Sprint. Jeff suspended his phone while overseas, but left some money in the account. While he was away, Sprint kept deducting small amounts from his balance. His wife kept calling and writing emails, trying everything they could think of to get Sprint to stop deducting the money. Nothing worked.
Alltel Tells Father They Won't Waive ETF For Soldier Deployed To Iraq Unless He Is Deceased
By 1.26.08
Mark writes in,
My son recently was deployed to Iraq. His cell phone carrier is Alltel. Prior to leaving for Irag, he cancelled his cell phone coverage before the completion of his 2 year contract commitment. As his father, I telephoned Alltell, explained the situation and asked Alltel to have the $200 early termination fee waived. Alltel explained they only waive the $200 early termination fee if the party is DECEASED.
Seriously, that’s just messed up.
Mandatory Binding Arbitration Means Alleged Halliburton Rapists Could Go Free
By 12.13.07
A woman who filed a civil lawsuit against Halliburton for being the victim of a gang rape by her coworkers in Iraq will have her day in court, kangaroo court, thanks to the mandatory binding arbitration clause in her employment contract. Jamie Leigh Jones says she was drugged and raped by her fellow workers, then imprisoned inside a shipping container and left without food or water until the US embassy came to rescue after the State Department got calls from her father. She says she was told she would be fired if she sought medical treatment. [More]
Public Storage Reimburses Soldier for Selling His Stuff
By 2.9.07
Back in January a solidier returned from Iraq to find that Public Storage had sold everything he owned. As a settlement they offered him $2,500, but the soldier estimated his stuff was worth about 8k.
Soldier Returns From Iraq; Storage Company Sold All His Stuff
By 1.11.07
- After serving a year in Iraq , Army Reserve Spc. Patrick Rogalin came home and found that everything he had put in a storage locker – essentially everything he owned – had been sold.
Whoops.
McDonalds Caused Iraq?
By 11.2.06
According to a new article in the Engineering Economist, Americans use 938 million more gallons of fuel per annum than in 1960 as a direct result of their increased weight.
Freedom Fries Refrogified On House of Representatives Menu
By 8.3.06
House of Representative Republicans will just have to choke down the greasy taste of semantic defeat: the ludicrous ‘Freedom Fries’ debacle is over.
CUB Consumer Clinic Cures Nurse’s Ailing Cellphone Bills
By 4.27.06
- “With her son stationed in Iraq, the last thing Maria Gonzalez needed was a collection agency hounding her about a $1,027 cell phone bill she didn’t deserve.”
Sprint Won’t Let Soldier Cancel Cellphone
By 4.26.06
We must be a tabloid, we’re getting our stories from Sploid:
