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This “Quick Vote” is on the front page of CNN right now.
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Comcast Stacks FCC Hearing Seats With Sleepy Shills
By 2.26.08
Comcast admitted to paying its employees to sit in at a F.C.C. hearing on net neutrality at the Harvard Law School today, depriving angry protesters from their right to sit in those folding chairs. Despite the venue being filled to over capacity, keeping some people from entering, not everyone inside seemed appreciative of their privilege. One Comcast employee admitted on tape, “I’m just getting paid to hold someone’s seat, I don’t even know what’s going on.” According to SaveTheInternet.com, the Comcast employees, “arrived en masse some 90 minutes before the hearing began and occupied almost every available seat, upon which many promptly fell asleep.” The stacked audience’s behavior was limited to wearing a yellow highlighter, sleeping during the proceedings, and loudly applauding when Comcast VP David Cohen got on the mic.
Special Ring Sold Only Online, Wowie Zowie!
By 2.26.08
Just got this PR spam in my inbox. I can’t wait to not buy this godawful ring. I just love the body copy. I think my favorite part is where they say that the fact the ring is only sold over the internet further enhances its uniqueness.
CODE ROYAL is the first jewel brand worldwide that combines a costly engraved white agate with a rose golden frame (massive) in 18 carat. White is the color of purity and innocence, of the unbroken light and the absolute truth. What accentuates the color white in a more beautiful way than the deeply symbolic agate gemstone?
TSA Takes "Rights Of Traveling Public" "Very Seriously"
By 2.26.08
THE QUOTE: “TSA takes the rights of the traveling public very seriously, and in implementing security screening measures, carefully weighs the intrusiveness of those measures against the need to prevent terrorist attacks involving aircraft. Balancing the same considerations, the courts have long approved searches of airline passengers and their bags for weapons and explosives as constitutionally permissible under what is now commonly referred to as the “administrative search” or “special needs” exception to the Fourth Amendment warrant requirement.” (emphasis added)
Product Placement In Tween Lit Is "Another Opportunity For Authenticity"
By 2.20.08
Our sister site, Jezebel, has posted something awesome about the product placement that’s infiltrated the teen lit genre. One particularly sad example features a character called “Mackenzie Blue” whose tastes seem to be for sale before the books have even been written.
Starbucks Retraining Employees At 7,100 Stores Next Week
By 2.20.08
Next Tuesday, Starbucks will close 7,100 corporate-owned stores early to implement a company-wide retraining session on how to make drinks. “The barista re-education is a ‘renewed focus on espresso standards,’ say Starbucks honchos.” We thought that’s why they bought the robot espresso machines—so they didn’t have to have trained coffee pullers anymore.
Monster Responds To "Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff"
By 2.19.08
The Monster Cables Public Relations department sent in a two-page response to our post, “Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one issue that they are definitely taking seriously. Read their official company rebuttal statement, inside…
Direct Marketing Association Lies About Telemarketers' Contribution To Economy
By 2.8.08
In order to make itself look a respectable and unfairly maligned industry, The Direct Marketing Association (the same people behind OptOutprescreen.com) likes to tout how greatly telemarketing contributes to the American economy. The Denialism blog scoured the DMA press releases and website found the profit they say telemarketing generates varies wildly from year to year, and sometimes within the same year.
Coffee Shop Accidentally Forwards Embarassing Internal Emails To Customer
By 2.5.08
Reader X sends us an internal email chain that was accidentally forwarded by some executives at Beaner’s Coffee.
UnitedHealth Takes Potential $1.3 Billion Fine Seriously
By 1.29.08
THE QUOTE:“”Our integration issues and challenges shouldn’t affect our providers, and they shouldn’t affect our members,” he said. “We’re very regretful about that.”
(Product) Red Responds To Dell Pricing Controversy
By 1.28.08
Responding to a Dell pricing controversy that boiled over last week, a spokesperson for (Product) Red, an initiative whereby company color some of their products red and donate a portion of the profits to an AIDS fighting charity, left a comment on our blog to try dispel some of the confusion they felt had arisen over the issue. At stake was a computer Dell sells for $1,299 that you can get in the (Product) Red version for $1,599, with $80 of it going to the Global Fund. What about the other $220, asked gizmo blog Engadget? Well, we could tell them that it’s because you’re getting Windows Vista Ultimate and Microsoft Office and Student 2007 instead of Windows XP and Microsoft Works, but we’ll let the comment from Bich Ngoc Cao of (Product) Red do the talking…
Is Dell's Pricey (Project) Red PC A Ripoff?
By 1.25.08
Over at Engadget there is a debate going on about Microsoft and Dell’s collaboration on a (Project) Red XPS PC that is $300 more than the standard XPS, with $80 going towards AIDS relief.
Best Takes In-Store Display Cashing In On Heath Ledger's Death Very Seriously
By 1.24.08
THE QUOTE: “Please be certain Best Buy takes matters of this nature very seriously. In reviewing your concerns with the management team at our Mission Valley store, they have concluded that the display was inappropriate in light of Mr. Ledger’s recent passing and have removed it from the sales floor.”
Dell: Let's Ship Tiny CDs In Massive Boxes!
By 1.19.08
Dell has promised to stop shipping individual CDs in 10x19x10 boxes after Christian over at Technologist for Hire posted a rant about Dell’s growing love for wasteful packaging.
Safeway Takes Rusty Nails In Your Bread Seriously
By 1.17.08
BONUS QUOTE: “I’m frustrated by the lack of information they’ve given me about what they’re trying to do to determine where the nail came from or make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
44% Normally Disbelieve Any And All Company Statements
By 1.17.08
A recent survey found that 44% of Americans don’t trust a damn thing that comes out of the mouths of companies. The poll asked, “Which of these industries do you think are generally honest and trustworthy – so that you normally believe a statement by a company in that industry?” and then posed a variety of industries, from supermarkets, airlines, to tobacco companies. Since the poll began in 2003, the amount of people answering, “none of these,” increased 7 percentage points. Either companies are getting more deceitful, or somehow, Americans are getting smarter. When queried about the poll, Big Business, Inc. told The Consumerist, “We’re aware of the results, and we’re taking them very seriously.”
"Green" Walmart Has Decorative Moldings Made From "The Leg Holes In Disposable Diapers"
By 1.16.08
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the first of Walmart’s new “high efficiency” stores is slated to open Jan 23, in Romeoville, IL. It’s part of Walmart’s super awesome PR-tastic, yet characteristically stingy plan to make its stores 25 to 30 percent more energy efficient by 2009.
Wisconsin Takes Printing Your SSN On Mailing Labels Twice Seriously
By 1.12.08
THE QUOTE: “We take our responsibility in Wisconsin very seriously and we take this matter very seriously,” Kenny said. “We regret that it happened.”
