This little ditty lampoons the whole dirt-cheap flight industry that attracts flyers with super low fares and then adds on fee after fee. It’s sung by the British comedy singing group Fascinating Aïda in the style of an Irish folk song and is clearly a dig at Ryan Air. It’s also pretty amusing, and true. [More]
videos
Federal Prosecutor Is Latest Credit Card Skimming Victim
By 9.6.11
ATM credit card skimming has gotten so pervasive that thieves managed to snag the digits of U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan, a federal prosecutor, and lift $1,000 from her bank account. [More]
Baguette ATM Hits Paris Streets
By 8.16.11
A new vending machine just hit the streets of Paris dispensing freshly baked baguettes. [More]
Watch "Winnebago Man" For Free And Meet The Man Behind The Rant
By 8.16.11
“Winnebago Man” is a famous viral video of all the profanity-dripping outtakes of an old-school salesman trying to make a Winnebago promo, and failing. Now, the feature documentary of the same name about trying to track down the reclusive and unwitting star is available to watch online for free until August 25. [More]
The Bandit Sign Vigilante
By 8.12.11
One man has had enough and won’t take it anymore. He’s going to take cleaning up Philly into his own hands, one “We buy houses!” and “Get paid daily from home!” sign at a time. [More]
Daily Show: Downgrade Was Because US Government Doesn't Pay S&P Any Fees
By 8.12.11
The US government got downgraded by S&P because, unlike corporations, they don’t pay the ratings agency any fees, Columbia law professor John Coffee told The Daily Show. [More]
Bat Ejected For Refusing To Sit Down On Airplane
By 8.10.11 — Updated: 9.8.16
On Friday, a Delta pilot was forced to return to the airport when a bat began flying around the cabin 15 minutes after takeoff and ignored instructions from the crew and his fellow passengers. [More]
The Daily Show: Couple "Forecloses" On Bank Of America
By 8.9.11
The couple who “foreclosed” on Bank of America got The Daily Show treatment last night. John Oliver caught up with the homeowners to find out how they showed up with repo men and sheriff’s deputies at a Bank of America branch office and got the bank to pay them money they were owed. It all began when the bank tried to foreclose on them, even though they had no mortgage at all, and owned their home free and clear. [More]
How Do Credit Rating Agencies, Like Standard And Poors, Work?
By 8.9.11
We’ve been hearing a lot about rating agencies, and Standard and Poors in particular. You might have the general idea that the ratings they give bonds are a lot like your credit score. The lower the bond rating, the lower the credit score, the harder and more expensive it is to borrow money. But how exactly do these places work? And how might their judgment be corrupted? Marketplace’s Paddy Hirsch explains in this video using his trusty whiteboard and dry-erase marker. [More]
28 Get Rabies Shots After Apt Complex Infested With Bats
By 8.8.11
28 different people have had rabies shots as a precaution against the horde of bats that have infested a Baltimore-area apartment complex. [More]
Elderly Woman Dies From Heat After Her A/C Was Stolen
By 8.5.11
Two days after she reported her central air conditioning had been stolen, a 79-year old woman in Texas died from heat-related causes. [More]
Police Continue Battle Against Kiddie Lemonade Stand Menace
By 8.3.11
Every year, the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) pedals through towns across Iowa. Some children in Coralville, one of the ride’s host towns, wanted to participate in the event by selling lemonade in front of their houses for a quarter per cup. Police celebrated their entrepreneurial spirit by promptly shutting down at least three lemonade stands for not obtaining $400 vendors’ licenses and a health inspection. [More]
Mayor Crushes Car Parked In Bike Lane With Armored Vehicle
By 8.2.11
A mayor of a Lithuanian city this week took to driving an armored personnel carrier over a Mercedes-Benz that was parked in the bike lane. “I’ve had enough of these drivers parking their luxury cars on bike lanes and pedestrian crossings. This tank is a good tool to solve the problem of parking in the wrong place,” Mayor Zuokas told the assembled reporters. [More]
Govt. Rips Up $535 Ticket Mom Got After Daughter Saved Woodpecker
By 8.2.11
The US Fish and Wildlife Service says that the mother who got mailed a $535 fine after her daughter saved a woodpecker and transported it, a potential violation of federal law meant to protect migratory birds, wasn’t supposed to have gotten ticketed. Here is their statement they mailed to us this afternoon: [More]
Mom Fined $535 After Daughter Saves Woodpecker
By 8.2.11
A mother faces a $535 fine and possible jail time because her 11-year old daughter saved a baby woodpecker from the family cat. [More]
Colbert Interviews The Vampire Who Foreclosed On Wells Fargo
By 8.1.11
The story of the guy who foreclosed on Wells Fargo after they messed up his mortgage insurance just got the Colbert bump. [More]
Contractor Tears Siding Off Wrong House
By 7.27.11
An Iowa homeowner was surprised when he looked at his house and half the siding on it was gone, leaving an exposed underbelly of bare white plastic. No other nearby houses were affected. Had a highly localized tornado swept through and targeted just the side of his house? Nope. A local contractor got the address wrong and taken the siding off the wrong abode. The timing was pretty poor, too, as the homeowner had just put it up for sale. And because of insurance bureaucracy, it may be a while before the siding goes back up. [More]
Two English Lads Visit Their First Walmart, Make Cheeky Commentary
By 7.26.11
Just about everything sounds better in a British accent, including outsider commentary on the banal/hilarious/beautiful details found inside a typical Walmart. [More]
