Hot Topic Likes Your Art So Much... They're Selling It! [Hot Topic]

 

I'm glad I'm bad at everything so I never have to worry about anyone plagiarizing my work. Sadly, this is not the case for Nina Matsumoto. Whoever is in charge of "designing" Halloween merchandise for Hot Topic is apparently a big fan of Nina's.

Above is a temporary tattoo that's on sale at Hot Topic. Here's some art by Ms. Matsumoto:

The tattoo was spotted by a guy who had the original art tattooed on his leg. Here's what the artist had to say about the incident:

As I've said countless times before, I don't consider reposting my artwork somewhere else to be art theft... When someone takes my art without permission and makes any sort of profit from it, that's when something should be done.

Yikes. Sounds like a job for your friendly neighborhood lawyer.

Space Coyote [DeviantArt] (Thanks, Brandon!)

Olympics reach a new low: trademarking the Canadian national anthem and threatening lawsuits over competing uses

 

The International Olympic Committee has trademarked a line from the Canadian national anthem, "with glowing hearts," and is threatening to sue anyone who uses the line in Canada, as part of the Vancouver Games.

This is par for the course. The IOC is a corrupt, bullying, greedy, hypocritical organization that uses trademark laws to limit the free speech and commerce of people who have the misfortune to attend or live near the games -- for example, in Athens, they forced people to take off or cover up t-shirts that had logos for companies that hadn't paid to sponsor the Olympics; and in Washington, they attacked decades-old businesses named after nearby Mount Olympia.

The Olympics cloak themselves in the rhetoric of international cooperation and development, but everything they touch turns to garbage: totalitarian surveillance camps where corporate greed rules all. The Canadian IOC ought to be disbanded over this -- it's an affront to the entire nation.

Parliament should undo its special legislation that allowed the IOC to assert trademarks over words like "Winter" as well -- our language is not property, it is freely usable by all of us.

. VANOC would only challenge the commercial use of the mottoes if a business began using them to create a specific, unauthorized commercial association with the 2010 Winter Games, said the statement.

O Canada is over 100 years old and, according to the Department of Canadian Heritage, is in the public domain so may be used without permission from the government.

The committee is so serious about protecting the Olympic brand it managed to get a landmark piece of legislation passed in the House of Commons last year that made using certain phrases related to the Games a violation of law.

The list includes the number 2010 and the word "winter," phrases that normally couldn't be trademarked because they are so general.

Olympic mottoes borrow lines from O Canada (Thanks, Dan!)

Taibbi: Scariest thing about Palin isn't how unqualified... it's what candidacy says about America.

 

Snip from a blog post by Rolling Stone contributor Matt Taibbi on the media phenomenon surrounding Republical vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin:

Sarah Palin is a symbol of everything that is wrong with the modern United States. As a representative of our political system, she's a new low in reptilian villainy, the ultimate cynical masterwork of puppeteers like Karl Rove. But more than that, she is a horrifying symbol of how little we ask for in return for the total surrender of our political power.

Not only is Sarah Palin a fraud, she's the tawdriest, most half-assed fraud imaginable, 20 floors below the lowest common denominator, a character too dumb even for daytime TV -and this country is going to eat her up, cheering her every step of the way. All because most Americans no longer have the energy to do anything but lie back and allow ourselves to be jacked off by the calculating thieves who run this grasping consumer paradise we call a nation.

(...) The great insight of the Palin VP choice is that huge chunks of American voters no longer even demand that their candidates actually have policy positions; they simply consume them as media entertainment, rooting for or against them according to the reflexive prejudices of their demographic, as they would for reality-show contestants or sitcom characters.

The scariest thing about Sarah Palin isn't how unqualified she is - it's what her candidacy says about America (Smirking Chimp -- thanks, friends list)

Above, the infamous 2005 blessing of Palin by Thomas Muthee, a witch-hunting evangelical minister from Kenya. In this ceremony, he and others lay hands on Palin, while Muthee prays she will succeed in government, calling on believers to seek positions of influence in government, education and business, because...

If we have that in our schools we will not have kids being taught how to worship Buddha, how to worship (Prophet) Mohammed. We will not have in the curriculum, witchcraft and sorcery," Muthee said.

(thanks, Emeka Okafor)

Drive Through Oil Change Gone Wrong - Watch more free videos

Video: "Make Porn Safe For Work"

 

This is hilarious !!!

 

Inspired by Something Awful articles and forums where folks used Photoshop to transform porn photos into images that are hilariously "safe for work," the brand Diesel put together an entire video of SFW XXX. I'm not sure that the result is, in fact, SFW, but it certainly is a hoot. Diesel SFW XXX (somethingawful.com, thanks Vann Hall!)

Diesel SFW XXX - Watch more free videos

After 16 Years, Justice Department Ordered To Build Used Car Database [Rulings]

 

A federal judge ruled last week that the Department of Justice has until March to establish a used car database as directed by Congress 16 years ago. The National Motor Vehicle Title Information System will warn potential buyers if a used car was stolen or totaled, and will instantly verify the car's title and mileage. Here's how it will work...

By the end of March, all insurance companies, junkyards, and salvage operations will be required to tell the government when they write off vehicles damaged by floods, fires or crashes. Unlike the for-profit service CarFax, the system will capture information on all used cars.

The suit against the government was brought by Public Citizen, Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety and Consumer Action, which argued that the Justice Department's failure to implement the 1992 law was endangering consumers. Justice countered that after 16 years, establishing the database was next on their to-do list.

The government did not dispute that it had failed to implement the law. But it argued it could be trusted to implement the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System without court-ordered deadlines.

Judge Patel ruled from the bench and rejected the government’s request.

The ruling is a tremendous win for consumers, one that will eliminate much of the uncertainty associated with buying a used car.

Public Registry for Wrecks Is Back on Track [Wheels Blog]
Car safety database still MIA [ABC7]
Consumer Groups Win Suit Over Used Vehicle Database [Consumer Law & Policy Blog]
(Photo: extranoise)

Michael's: "It's Store Policy Not To Accept Change" [Tender]

 

Hayden wanted to buy a $4 wood plaque for his mother as part of a last-minute birthday gift, but Michael's wouldn't accept 16 quarters as payment. "It's store policy not to accept change," a cashier explained, forcing an embarrassed Hayden to borrow a few bucks from his younger sister.

Hayden writes:

I recently went to Michael's in Hemet, California to make a last minute birthday present for my mother. I didn't have money on me at the time and the bank was closed so I had to use 4 dollars in quarters to buy a wood plaque. When I went to check out, an older woman told me "It's story policy not to accept change."

Is it really legal for a store to not accept change? It's still legal tender, and it's not as if I was paying in pennies; it was quarters and I was counting them out for the cashier.

I was in a hurry so I had to borrow money from my younger sister to buy it, which was pretty embarrassing.

Michael's is about 10 miles farther from my house than Joanne's, but needless to say I'm not going back. At least Joanne's accepts legal money.

It's not like this in other countries. Watch here as a pair of Marines try to shock an unsuspecting Japanese waitress by paying for their whole meal with nothing but change:

It's not an issue because it's not unreasonable to ask employees to count change.

(Photo: seawallrunner)

Wal-Mart shutting down DRM server, nuking your music collection -- only people who pay for music risk losing it to DRM shenanigans

 

Hey suckers! Did you buy DRM music from Wal-Mart instead of downloading MP3s for free from the P2P networks? Well, they're repaying your honesty by taking away your music. Unless you go through a bunch of hoops (that you may never find out about, if you've changed email addresses or if you're not a very technical person), your music will no longer be playable after October 9th.

But don't worry, this will never ever happen to all those other DRM companies -- unlike little fly-by-night mom-and-pop operations like Wal-Mart, the DRM companies are rock-ribbed veterans of commerce and industry, sure to be here for a thousand years. So go on buying your Audible books, your iTunes DRM songs, your Zune media, your EA games... None of these companies will ever disappear, nor will the third-party DRM suppliers they use. They are as solid and permanent as Commodore, Atari, the Soviet Union, the American credit system and the Roman Empire.

Boy, the entertainment industry sure makes a good case for ripping them off, huh? Buy your media and risk having it confiscated by a DRM-server shutdown. Take it for free and keep it forever.

From: Wal-Mart Music Team
Date: Fri, Sep 26, 2008 at 7:42 PM
Subject: Important Information About Your Wal-Mart.com Digital Music Purchases
To: xxxxxx@gmail.com

Important Information About Your Digital Music Purchases

We hope you are enjoying the increased music quality/bit rate and the improved usability of Wal-Mart's MP3 music downloads. We began offering MP3s in August 2007 and have offered only DRM (digital rights management) -free MP3s since February 2008. As the final stage of our transition to a full DRM-free MP3 download store, Wal-Mart will be shutting down our digital rights management system that supports protected songs and albums purchased from our site.

If you have purchased protected WMA music files from our site prior to Feb 2008, we strongly recommend that you back up your songs by burning them to a recordable audio CD. By backing up your songs, you will be able to access them from any personal computer. This change does not impact songs or albums purchased after Feb 2008, as those are DRM-free.

Beginning October 9, we will no longer be able to assist with digital rights management issues for protected WMA files purchased from Wal-Mart.com. If you do not back up your files before this date, you will no longer be able to transfer your songs to other computers or access your songs after changing or reinstalling your operating system or in the event of a system crash. Your music and video collections will still play on the originally authorized computer.

Thank you for using Wal-Mart.com for music downloads. We are working hard to make our store better than ever and easier to use.

Wal-Mart Music Team

(Thanks, Dorri!)

Anti-Piracy Supergroup formed, will filter the internet, oops, make the Internet “safe”

 

AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco, Viacom, NBC Universal and The Songwriters Guild of America have joined together to form a new advocacy group called Arts& Labs (artsandlabs.com). On the surface, the group’s goals seem so benevolent:

Arts+Labs is a collaboration between technology and creative communities that have embraced today’s rich Internet environment to deliver innovative and creative digital products and services to consumers.

A key element of the Arts+Labs mission is to inform and educate consumers about the availability and vast array of legal, safe, affordable and innovative entertainment content on the Internet. The group will also raise awareness of the growing problem of net pollution — which includes viruses, malware, hack attacks, spam, illegal file trafficking and other activity that threatens to degrade consumers’ Internet experience.

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it? Educate the consumers, provide them with legal and innovative entertainment content, protect them from “net pollution”. Those are all admirable goals but that is not what this consortium is really all about. The real aim of this group and it less than admirable tactics are revealed if you look a bit beyond their lies below the surface. Hit the jump to read some more.

An article from the Songwriters Guild in the testimony section of the Arts & Labs website provides great fodder for reading:

piracy is also one of the main contributors to the current network congestion problem. Thus, SGA believes that ISPs must be allowed the flexibility to manage traffic on their networks in a manner that: (1) permits, protects and encourages legitimate online commerce such as licensed music services to thrive, and (2) deters illegitimate conduct such as music piracy (including piracy of video content with embedded music), which will have the added benefit of reducing network congestion in the long term.

Hmm, that sounds like they want to promote their services and degrade the services they deem illegal. Have they ever heard of the concept of Net Neutrality? We figure they have but have chosen to ignore it. Reading a bit further, their plans become even more blatantly obvious:

Some network operators, such as AT&T, are researching whether there might be a technological means to identify and/or filter unlawful content transmitted over the Internet. In my view, this would make good economic sense, because lawful owners of copyrighted content would be anxious to make their works available on those networks that incorporated such technology – given the lower risk of digital theft of their works.

So basically they want to filter the Internet and will only play nice with ISP’s willing to play along. Filtering the Internet is much different from “delivering innovative and creative digital products and services”. This whole Arts & Labs advocacy group doesn’t sound so nice anymore, now does it?

Read

Immortal McHorror burger is 12 years old, looks just like new

 

Karen Hanrahan has been using the same McDonald's hamburger as a prop in her "Healthy Choices for Children" class since 1996 -- 12 years! -- and it's hardly aged a day in all that time. McDonald's should add "immortality" to its list of Unique Selling Propositions for its burgers (unless Karen has an ornate oil painting of the burger in her living room in which it slowly ages, grows mouldy, and decomposes).

The burger on the right, off the paper is a 2008 burger. I had to buy it to get the groovy paper and bag. The meat is a tad darker, the bun a little less golden but in 12 years it will look exactly like that too. Do you find this horrifying? McDonalds fills an empty space in your belly. It does nothing to nourish the cell, it is not a nutritious food. It is not a treat. I marvel at how McDonalds has infiltrated our entire world. A hamburger here tastes exactly the same in China or some around the world place.

1996 McDonalds Hamburger

Judge says that "attempted copyright infringement" is bogus

 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation's Corynne McSherry sez, "Judge Davis issued an order today rejecting the RIAA's effort to rewrite copyright law to include a form of 'attempted infringement.' Based on this order, the first p2p case ever to make it to a jury verdict is now headed for a *second* trial. Even more interesting, the Court devotes several paragraphs to a plea to Congress to lower penalties for noncommercial, individual infringers."

Joining the ranks of federal district judges in Arizona and Massachusetts, District of Minnesota Chief Judge Michael Davis today concluded [44-page PDF] that simply making a music file available in a shared file does not violate copyright law, and ordered a new trial in Capitol Records v. Jammie Thomas.

The case made headlines last year as the first peer-to-peer file-sharing case to go all the way to trial. In October 2007, a jury held Thomas liable and awarded $222,000 in damages to the record companies, based in whole or in part (it wasn't clear) on an instruction that merely making a file available violates a copyright owner's distribution right. Earlier this year, Chief Judge Davis said he was concerned that he might have made a mistake with that instruction and asked for more briefing on whether Thomas deserved a new trial. EFF, joined by Public Knowledge, the United States Internet Industry Association, and the Computer and Communications Industry Association filed an amicus brief urging the Court to reject the RIAA's making available theory.

Capitol v. Thomas: Judge Orders New Trial, Implores Congress to Lower Statutory Penalties for P2P (Thanks, Corynne!)

Man farts at officer, charged with battery

 

After being pulled over for driving with his car's headlights off, the gentleman pictured here failed a sobriety test and was arrested for drunk driving.

While being booked at the police station "[Jose] Cruz then allegedly moved closer to one of the officers and passed gas, the station reported. In the complaint, the investigating officer wrote that police noticed a 'very strong' odor."

As a result, Mr. Cruz was charged with battery.

West Virginia Man Charged with Assaulting an Officer

Man Sues Doctors For Amputating Penis [Malpractice]

 

What part of "circumcision" was unclear? That's basically what a Kentucky man and his wife are asking of two doctors who cut off the man's penis while he was under the knife. The doctors say they discovered cancer and made an emergency decision. The man says, dude, wtf, youcut off my penis. It doesn't grow back, and it was kind of important to me.

The lawsuit states that Patterson received consent to perform a circumcision and only a circumcision, and that Seaton did not consent to his penis being removed.

Kevin George, the plaintiff's attorney, said [Dr.] Patterson amputated the organ after finding cancer, but he only had consent to remove the foreskin.

"Sometimes you have an emergency and you have to do this, but he could very easily closed him up and said, 'Here are your options. You have cancer,' and the family would have said, 'We want a second opinion. This is a big deal,'" George said.

we've just made a new note to self: if we ever have surgery, we intend to grab the doctor by the collar and say vigorously to him, "No matter what happens, don't you cut off my penis." Who knew you had to worry about that sort of thing.

Watch the video report on the story at WLKY.com.

"Man Sues Doctors After Penis Amputated" [WLKY] (Thanks to Jay!)
(Photo: Getty)

Central Florida TV News Accuses Wal-Mart Of Price Gouging Poor People [Wal-Mart]

 

Local 6 news in Central Florida is accusing Wal-Mart of setting their prices for sugar and other "staples" by demographic — charging more in stores where the population isn't as wealthy as other neighborhoods. Wal-Mart's spokesperson claims to be offended by this accusation.

Local 6 says:

"When we see that a nearby competitor might temporarily lower a price on an item, our stores have the authority to adjust their price lower. This can happen in a very small vicinity of stores," the company said in a statement to Local 6.

However, the Problem Solvers found that the prices concerned were not temporary as Wal-Mart described, but consistent over a period of at least two months.

Barnaby [a consumer who reported the price differences] said she thinks that Wal-Mart is charging more for the same products in poorer neighborhoods than in neighborhoods with higher incomes.

"It disgusts me that the people who can least afford to buy the food have to pay more money than everyone else does," Barnaby said.

That’s a serious accusation and the Problem Solvers probed further, Cooper reported.

First, Cooper looked at the most recent census data, which showed the median household income is highest in Apopka — where the prices were the lowest, compared to incomes in Mt. Dora and Clarcona/Pine Hills where the prices were higher.

Cooper brought that data to Wal-Mart's attention and a spokeswoman for the company said she was offended by the suggestion that the company was charging more in poorer neighborhoods.

She insisted that Wal-Mart does not price by demographic, that it remains the low price leader in every market — and that the three stores we visited represent entirely different markets with different sets of competition, Cooper reported.
But when the Problem Solvers checked the competition, they did not find a similar pattern of pricing, Cooper said.

They visited Publix stores in the Windermere/Ocoee area, the Rosemont neighborhood of Orlando, and Altamonte.
The prices of the sugar, condensed milk and asparagus were consistent at all three stores. Visits to different Winn-Dixie stores generated the same results, according to Cooper.

Here are the prices they checked:

Sugar
$2.38 Mt. Dora
$2.36 Clarcona/Pine Hills
$1.76 Apopka

Condensed Milk
$1.54 Mt. Dora
$1.56 Clarcona/Pine Hills
$1.04 Apopka

Asparagus
$2.42 Mt. Dora
$2.54 Clarcona/Pine Hills
$1.86 Apopka

Congratulations, Central Florida. You've realized that Wal-Mart's pricing is shady and inconsistent.

Wal-Mart Price Discrepancies Investigated [Local 6] (Thanks, pattie-anne!)
(Photo: RowJimmy )

Postal Employees Ordered To Stop Offering First-Class Mail [Usps]

 

Postal employees have been ordered to upsell pricey express or priority mail services to anyone sending anything more than a letter, according to an anonymous tipster. The directive comes straight from Washington to help combat the Post Office's $1.1 billion operating deficit. To avoid the upsell, specifically ask if there is a cheaper way to ship your package. The anonymous tipster's letter, inside...

Hi, I work the counter for the United States Postal Service and right now we are in a really big financial mess, they claim to have lost about one Billion dollars this past fiscal year. I was told yesterday by my supervisor (and I saw the written memo from the District) that stated we are not to offer first class, parcel post, or media mail.

If a customer comes to the counter with anything other than a letter, we are not to offer anything other than Express Mail or Priority mail.

So if a customer comes to the counter with a 5 ounce small package I am supposed to say "Good Afternoon, would you like to ship this Express Mail overnight guaranteed, it includes $100 of insurance and free tracking for only $16.50?"—Customer looks at you like you are crazy, especially if the package is just going across town—"Ok, then we can send it Priority Mail and it should get to its destination in 2-3 business days for $4.80 and we can add insurance for loss or damage, and for an extra 65 cents you can add delivery confirmation." At this point I am supposed to shut up and let them either be duped into paying at least $4.80 or wait until they say - how about first class, or is there anything cheaper?—at that point I can offer the first class postage. For the package I described, a 5 ounce parcel, the cost would be $1.85 or almost $3 cheaper than Priority Mail. My advice is to always ask if there is a cheaper way to ship. Once asked we can tell you, but we won't volunteer the information.

Some tips if you are going to the Post Office, Express Mail will get it there overnight. Priority mail AND first class will usually get it overnight if it is going within your city or usually within your state. If the package is going farther than a neighboring state the Priority Mail will get there in 2 or 3 days, with first class usually a day or two later than Priority. We are not supposed to offer parcel post mail—I do agree with that, parcel post is usually within a dollar or two pricewise of Priority Mail and will take anywhere from 7-14 days or even longer to get where it is going. If you are only sending books, media mail is the ultimate cheap way to go, usually 1/3 the price of parcel post. A warning though—media mail can be opened, and we do open it if we suspect it is not media mail. In that case the person recieving the package will pay the difference in price.

(Photo: justmyowntwocents)

FTC: These Eleven Companies Cannot Cure Cancer [Caveat Emptor]

 

We're sorry, but there is no cure for cancer. The FTC is going after eleven companies that claim otherwise by selling potions, herbs, and a "systematized program of thinking good thoughts" masquerading as cures. You shouldn't need a federal agency to tell you that the "Miracle Water for Cancer" doesn't actually cure anything, nor does it reverse weight gain and aging. Bummer. Six of the snake oil companies agreed to settle, but five will crawl before a judge and argue that they can cure cancer. Let's look at the list...

The six companies that won't pretend to cure cancer anymore include:

• Ni-Gen Nutrition of Troy, Mich., which allegedly marketed an electrolyte liquid and apricot seeds as cures.
• Westberry Enterprises of Pineville, La., which the agency said sold teas that contained algae and other ingredients.
• Jim Clark's All Natural Cancer Therapy of Louisville, Ky., which allegedly sold digestive enzymes and coral calcium as treatments.

Included among the five bullshit-spewing companies:

• Omega Supply of San Diego, which allegedly sold hydrazine sulfate, a substance classified by the government as a potential cancer-causing agent.
• Herbs for Cancer, which allegedly sold 16 types of teas to fight specific cancers, plus a 17th type for "cancers not on our list."

They will be sued, convicted, and hopefully sentenced to cut weeds in Chernobyl.

FTC cracks down on bogus online cancer cures [The Los Angeles Times]
FTC Sweep Stops Peddlers of Bogus Cancer Cures [FTC]
Cure-ious? Ask. [FTC]
(Photo: Getty)

Purina Isn't Bothered By Dog Food Infested With Fly Larvae, Maggots [Purina]

 

Christina's two dogs fell ill after eating Purina Beneful infested with maggots and fly larvae. After taking her dogs to the vet, Christina called Purina for an explanation, only to be told: "As soon as our food leaves our factory, it is no longer our responsibility."

My husband and I found live maggots and larva in a bag of Purina Beneful last week. I bought it at a Petsmart in Kitchener last Sunday, and opened it on Wednesday. I had already fed our two labs two meals of the infested food before realizing there were numerous maggots and fly larva. When I called to speak with Purina about this the response I got as..."as soon as our food leaves our factory, it's no longer our problem." ...disappointing.

I then brought this up with Petsmart's main office, who claims it is not their responsibility either.

My husband and I are furious...our dogs have been sick for 4 days now...they have chronic diarrhea and are not themselves.

CTV picked up the story, but Purina didn't seem interested in talking to them either:
(Photo: Getty)

Is Wal-Mart Price-Gouging Hurricane Victims? [Insiders]

 

A Wal-Mart insider tells us that the price of cell phone chargers nearly doubled on orders from Wal-Mart HQ in the wake of Hurricane Ike. Before the hurricane, chargers cost from $10-$15, but afterwards, they rose to a uniform $19.

The insider writes:

I work in a Wal-Mart store in KY, and I'm writing in to let you know that my store has raised the prices on all of its cell phone chargers by almost 50%. These price changes were automatically put into effect in our system by Home Office. This, I feel, is in direct response to Hurricane Ike.

Here in KY, we didn't get the rain, but we did get high winds on Sunday morning, which knocked out power to some 300,000 people here. The next day when we opened, people bought every car charge and battery we had because they were still without any power. Now today all of our car chargers go up nearly 50%. In fact, every charger, car or wall, in our store is a flat $19.00, when car chargers were $10.00 and wall chargers were $15.00 yesterday. This is hardly a coincidence, and it's so blatantly obvious to our customers. I can't believe Wal-Mart would do something so totally against their own mantra of Save Money, Live Better. This is more like "Raise Prices, Screw Suffering Customers!"

It could be a coincidence, maybe not. Either way, the timing is certainly suspicious.

(Photo: chasingfun)

DTV coupons: Concerns raised about the program

 

I am sorry to say that I was one of the ones that the coupon expired before I could use it. 

DTV coupons: Concerns raised about the program

 

Did you apply for your two $40 DTV coupon from the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration)? Have you gotten them yet, or maybe the clearly-marked envelopes containing the $40 debit cards somehow got "lost" in the mail? Or maybe you were denied because of some address snafu?

Or perhaps you got them—but the $40 discount cards expired before you could use them?

Those are the common complaints readers have raised in comments on blog posts regarding the digital TV transition, DTV coupons and digital converter boxes. At a Congressional hearing this week, our parent company, Consumers Union, raised another, broader concern about the coupon program which was meant to offset the set-top converter boxes that older analog TV will need to use after February 2009.)

Testifying before the Telecommunications and Commerce committees, Chris Murray, CU's Senior Counsel, was pleased to note that the program has mailed some 25 million coupons to date, with 10 million redeemed. But he worried that "the program will quickly find that more consumers want coupons than Commerce can commit to under the present budget. At some point before February, the coupon program will perhaps have to turn away (or delay sending coupons to) some number of citizens. We hope to be proved wrong, but believe policymakers should prepare for this contingency. Consumers were promised that the cost of the DTV transition wouldn't be on their dime."

As Murray noted, by one government estimate, more than 49 percent of coupons now issued have been redeemed. The NTIA has proposed taking $7 million from other, unused funds to cover administrative costs needed to redistribute unredeemed and expired coupons.

While that request seems like a good thing, don't hold your breath. According to a blog post by industry magazine Broadcasting & Cable, the NTIA most likely won't be able to act fast on solving consumers' issues with missing or expired coupons.

The head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration told Congress the NTIA still does not have the inclination or authority to reissue digital-TV-to-analog converter-box-subsidy coupons to households that did not or could not redeem them before the 90-day expiration date.

How's the DTV transition going for you? Feel free to voice your thoughts here or on HearUsNow.org.

—Paul Eng

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EFF sues Cheney, Bush, and the NSA to stop illegal wiretapping

 

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has filed suit against the NSA, President Bush and Vice President Cheney on behalf of AT&T's customers to fight illegal wiretapping:

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit against the National Security Agency (NSA) and other government agencies today on behalf of AT&T customers to stop the illegal, unconstitutional, and ongoing dragnet surveillance of their communications and communications records. The five individual plaintiffs are also suing President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Cheney's chief of staff David Addington, former Attorney General and White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales and other individuals who ordered or participated in the warrantless domestic surveillance.

The lawsuit, Jewel v. NSA, is aimed at ending the NSA's dragnet surveillance of millions of ordinary Americans and holding accountable the government officials who illegally authorized it. Evidence in the case includes undisputed documents provided by former AT&T telecommunications technician Mark Klein showing AT&T has routed copies of Internet traffic to a secret room in San Francisco controlled by the NSA.

YEEEEEE-HAW! Ride 'em cowboys! I could not be prouder of EFF at this moment -- I'm bursting with joy. I made a five-figure donation to EFF this year, and they've just earned every penny. If you want to see them take this administration to the mat, kick in a buck or two yourself.

EFF Sues NSA, President Bush, and Vice President Cheney to Stop Illegal Surveillance

Stop Whining About Hurricane Ike, You're Scheduled To Work At Walgreens [Hurricane Ike]

 

A reader reports that the Walgreens he works at in Houston, Texas, where Hurricane Ike just passed through, is making him come to work, even though he has no roof. He writes

Nearly all of Houston has no power and most has no water. Even though my upstairs ceiling caved in, my manager at Walgreens said "you're scheduled to work and are expected to be here."

That's the message that he had left. When I called the store back to let them know there's no way in hell that I'm showing up, I luckily spoke to my friend Ms. Curtis, an assistant manager. I told her the situation and she then told me her situation. On Saturday, Mr Hudson, the store manager, called her to tell her that she needed to be there at the store on Sunday. She told him that she couldn't get out of her driveway due to a massive tree that was now in her driveway.

Mr. Hudson's response was, "You don't have a neighbor with a chainsaw ?" Ms. Curtis is a little person. She's a dwarf. 3' something tall, and he suggests to her to borrow a chainsaw to move a tree from her driveway so that she can come to work during a natural disaster.

I see no point in our store being open because we were out of all the supplies that could be useful to anyone on Thursday night.

So if you need 3 for 1 pantyhose packs, electric nose-hair trimmers, bouncy balls, or singing Hallmark Christmas houses, come on down to Walgreens in Houston, TX. Their automatically-opening doors stand ready, awaiting your patronage.

(Photo: cycle60)

Ex-Best Buy Employee Regrets Selling Warranties Now That He's A Customer [Best Buy]

 

We just got an email from reader Mike, who claims to be a former Best Buy employee who regrets selling all those extended warranties now that he's actually trying to use the one that he purchased.

While my story hasn't cost me thousands of dollars, it's brought me a lot of disappointment with the company I used to work for. For two years and three months, I was employee [redacted] at Store [redacted]. I sold computers, service plans, accessories, Geek Squad services and everything else they wanted me to like a good employee. I often defended the company online from people who had complaints and offered advice on what to do, based on my "inside" knowledge, to get these issues handled. So imagine my disappointment in the Geek Squad upon having to use a Performance Service Plan (PSP) on a Samsung monitor I had purchased.

On the morning of August 20th, I discovered my Samsung 204T was not responding to anything I was doing. After determining it was not the computer, based on a second monitor I have, I decided to make use of the PSP I had purchased for the monitor nearly three years prior when I was still working for Best Buy. I brought it to a different store than the one I worked at, and after having a small chat with the Geek Squad employee about it, he determined it would need to be shipped off to the repair facility. That's fine, I was expecting that. I asked him point blank "What are the turn around times like these days?"

"7-10 days" was the response. I commented "Oh, back when I used to work here it was closer to 2-3 weeks. Good to see it's gotten faster."

I figure that this is great, I'm going on vacation anyways and when I get back, the monitor should either be repaired or ready to be exchanged. Geek Squad even sends a tracking number to track the repair status of the monitor.

But nothing changes. Until August 29th, when it says it's arrived at the repair facility. Again, as a former employee I know that the service centers are USA based. Nine day shipping on the continental United States? What? I decide not to question it at the time. Status updates later in the day saying Parts Have Been Ordered. I'm a little disappointed that they're going to fix it instead of giving me a new one, but whatever. On September 4th, the status updates are saying that it's being repaired currently. No update until September 10th, at which point it is changed to "Exchange Assessment." "Product is in the process of approval or has been approved for an exchange. Please contact the Geek Squad Precinct within your Best Buy store for additional information." Great, I can get it exchanged finally!

So I head to the store with the paperwork from the Geek Squad page. Hey, it's the same guy that told me 7-10 days. But I let that slide at first when I show him the paperwork. He looks into the system and can't find any information on exchanging the monitor. He calls over a customer service representative, Rebecca, and the two of them look over the information on my repair. I hear some mumblings about the monitor being "junk out", and knowing what that is, I'm annoyed they're even looking at that since it has nothing to do with the exchange or repair. They also mention to each other about the parts for the monitor not even being available to order. Which makes me wonder where did 4 days of ordering parts and 6 days of repair go to when the parts didn't even exist? But I bite my tongue, hoping they'll just exchange it. At this point, they both inform me that the exchange has not been approved yet. I'm pissed now, and for the most part I keep my cool. The exchange I have with the Geek Squad employee goes like this.

Me: "When I first brought this in, you told me 7 to 10 days."
Him: "Business days"
Me: "That was like three weeks ago!"
Him: "Well there's nothing I can do about the service center being backed up."
Me: "You know, I used to work here. Why would you lie to me about the turn around time? That's bullshit."
Him: "All I can tell you is that this is the second to last step and the turn around for this should be pretty fast."
Me: "Whatever, I'll be back."

At that point, I leave. That was September 10th. At the time of this e-mail, it's September 15th and the system still has not updated.

I'm so disappointed in the service I've received on this monitor. It makes me feel bad that I sold these services for over two years, only to see this is how they were treating customers. One of the core things we were taught was to "Under promise, over deliver." Meaning that if a customer asks how long something is going to take, always go with the high end, and if takes less, great! Happy customer that we did something faster than we stated. If it takes the time we quoted, still happy that we did it on time. To see this core idea violated to this degree, it really cheapens what I did for them.

We recommend sending an EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) to your former bosses. Just because you used to work there doesn't mean that you're not a customer, too. For more information about launching an EECB, click here. Maybe hearing from one of their own will be a wake-up call.

If not, if you used a credit card to pay for the monitor and warranty, you can always contact your credit card company and see if they'll help you get what you paid for.

(Photo: dooleymtv )

3M Steals Viral Image Idea To Avoid Licensing It [Appropriation]

 

There is probably nothing more pathetic in the world of marketing than watching a big corporation try to do something "viral"—usually they end up looking like Elaine dancing. But sometimes, they're so cynical and soulless about it that they don't just come across as incompetent, but as exploitative cheapskates as well. In 3M's case, they wouldn't pay $2,000 to license a well-known photo with its own viral history, and instead recreated a fake version of it to save a grand. We guess they're just hoping none of the sites and communities that made the photo popular in the first place will notice. Oh wait, this is supposed to be viral or something...

Melanie at All About Content has the entire story, from the original office prank that went viral thanks to sites like Digg and BoingBoing, to 3M's attempt to appropriate it, to their shabby treatment of the owner of the photo and their subsequent workaround.

Michelle, the "eMarketing Supervisor" who was negotiating with Scott, comes across as particularly disingenuous in her email to him:

We were quoted about $750-$1000 to shoot our own, but if you could allow us to use yours on a couple in-store displays for 6 months within that range, we could arrange for that instead.

Really, Michelle? Only two displays throughout the entire country? Are you a really bad eMarketing manager, or lying to Scott about how much you'd use the photo? [We think mmmsoap makes a good point about how this was probably meant.]

We guess what's most offensive about this is 3M can surely afford to pay a legitimate licensing fee to the owner of the photo, which would have also served as a goodwill gesture to the community that most likely gave it the campaign idea to begin with. As Melanie puts it in her article:

But let’s pretend the legality of this move wasn’t even a question for now, and focus on this: Social media marketing campaigns rely on the social media community to carry them. As a marketer, you have to respect the community and its members. Ripping off community members and then turning around and asking that same community to generate buzz for your campaign is just ballsy... or stupid.

The irony: The YouTube contest rules say “Remember, creativity and true brilliance will get you noticed.”

Is that part of the rules, or a threat from 3M?

"3M Carjacks the Post-It Note Jaguar" [All About Content] (Thanks to Craig!)
(Photos: 3M display and original Post-It car by Scott Ableman)

AT&T's New 2,500 Page Contract 'Directly Violates' The Law [Contracts]

 

Do you want to know if AT&T boosts your rates? Maybe you want to pay only for services you ordered or explicitly authorized. Tough! AT&T's new 2,500 page "guidebook" is the latest spawn of California's failing experiment with deregulation, one that is in "direct violation" of the law, according to the Public Utilities Commission.

Witteman said a key problem with AT&T's service agreement is that the company doesn't list all the terms and conditions that apply to customers. Rather, AT&T says customers must review a separate "guidebook."

That guidebook is available only online, Witteman said, and runs about 2,500 pages. "What consumer is going to slog through that?" he asked.

Moreover, the service agreement says AT&T will "generally" provide written notice of price increases at least 30 days in advance, except when such notice isn't "commercially reasonable."

Witteman said the online guidebook and ambiguous notification policy appear to violate a California statute requiring that consumers "be given sufficient information to make informed choices."

AT&T's service agreement is written in dense legalese and essentially gives the company as much latitude as possible — while limiting customers' ability to seek redress.

[..]

An analysis of the agreement prepared for PUC staffers found fault with a variety of AT&T's provisions, including this one: "You also agree to pay for all charges for services provided under this agreement even if such calls were not authorized by you."

The analysis said this "is in direct violation to cramming laws," which protect consumers from having unauthorized charges placed on their bills.

Under the provision, the analysis concluded, "AT&T, or any other billing agents, could impose unauthorized phone calls on a consumer's bill." It said consumers would have "little chance in both avoiding and fighting against this type of fraud."

Unlike mandatory binding arbitration agreements—which are included in the guidebook—you can't simply opt-out of these new terms. "If you do not agree with the provisions of this agreement, your sole option is to cancel your services . . . within 30 days after receipt of this agreement."

Go free market, go!

AT&T buries customer rights in 2,500-page 'guidebook' [The Los Angeles Times]
(Photo: jetsetpress)

Your New Tires Could Be Six-Year Old Death Traps [Caveat Emptor]

 

Those "new" tires of yours could be six-years old and ready to disintegrate on the highway. Tire rubber dries out after six years, but unlike in Europe and Asia, American companies are allowed to sell expired tires long after they turn into death donuts. A 20/20 investigation found that the "new" tires on sale at Sears and Walmart can be up to 12-years-old. Inside, how to tell when your tires were born...

All tires bear a Department of Transportation number hidden on the inner wheel wall. At the end of the number is a four-digit sequence that shows the week and year the tire was made. Tires with the notation 3502 were made in the 35th week of 2002. If you only see three digits, get new tires immediately; your tires are from the 90's and are way past their effective lifespan.

Listen as the mustachioed John Stossel explains:

Check Your Tires [The Kim Komando Show]
Aged Tires: A Driving Hazard? [YouTube]
(Photo: zorilla)

Toys"R"Us: You Are Too Young For A Grandparent's Discount [Promotions]

 

Sorry 49-year-olds, you aren't valid grandparents according to Toys"R"Us. The toy retailer and validator of family roles told 49-year-old Linda Peters that she wasn't old enough to use a 20% off coupon for grandkid-spoiling grandparents.

"It's discriminatory," Peters said. "How do you put an age on a grandparent or a mother or a father, for that matter?"

Toys R Us tells 3 On Your side they always have to set guidelines when they have promotions and for this one, they say establishing an age requirement was appropriate.

But Peters disagrees and says Toys R Us may claim to love grandparents, but what they really mean is that they love "old" grandparents.

"To assume that someone over 50 is a grandparent and that someone under 50 is not a grandparent, it's not fair," Peters said.

We're old fashioned—to us, anyone with a grandkid is a grandparent. What do you think?

Young grandmother feels shortchanged by toy store [AZFamily.com]
(Photo: ThatBeeGirl) (Thanks to Greg!)

Fourth grader suspended for using broken pencil sharpener

 

9/12/08will be remembered as the day we finally caught one of the bad guys -- a 4th grader with a broken pencil sharpener.

A 10-year-old Hilton Head Island boy has been suspended from school for having something most students carry in their supply boxes: a pencil sharpener.

The problem was his sharpener had broken, but he decided to use it anyway.

...

The boy -- a fourth-grader described as a well-behaved and good student -- cried during the meeting with his mom, the deputy and the school's assistant principal.

He had no criminal intent in having the blade at school, the sheriff's report stated, but was suspended for at least two days and could face further disciplinary action.

Fourth grader suspended for using broken pencil sharpener

Bed, Bath & Beyond Manager Who Refused To Allow 911 Call Arrested [Bed Bath And Beyond]

 

Police have charged Elizabeth Miller, the manager of the Bed, Bath & Beyond in Lexington, Kentucky, who refused to let a couple use the store's phone to call 911 to report a three-year-old locked in a van, and refused to make an announcement over the store's PA system. The charge is "failure to report dependency, neglect and abuse, a Class B misdemeanor that carries a maximum sentence of 90 days and a maximum fine of $250."

The county attorney quoted in the Kentucky Leader-Herald article points out that common decency should always trump any store policy, misinterpreted or not. In fact, it's the law!

First Assistant Fayette County Attorney Brian Mattone told the Herald-Leader Thursday that under the duty-to-report statute, everyone has the duty to report dependency, neglect and abuse of a child if they have knowledge of it. Mattone said prosecutors thought that Miller, through witnesses, had knowledge of possible abuse or neglect. Moreover, there is language in the statute that says “nothing should relieve their obligation to report,” Mattone said.

The article also quotes another shopper who says she received a similar response from a different Bed, Bath & Beyond last summer when she saw a dog locked inside a car. Here's hoping that the store's "we're ashamed this happened" response is authentic, and that their employees learn that it's okay to offer help sometimes.

"Store clerk charged with failing to help child locked in van" [Herald-Leader] (Thanks to Michael and Donald!)
(Photo: Morton Fox)

Verizon Tech Made 5,000 Sex Chat Calls On Customer Accounts [Verizon]

 

The next time you're disputing a 900 number call to a sex hotline and the CSR tells you nobody else could have made that call, remind them of this story. Over the past 10 months, a Verizon technician made 5,000 calls to sex chat hotlines, totaling 45,000 minutes of dirty talk at a cost of $220,000. He placed the calls from over 950 tapped residential and commercial accounts throughout Bergen county in New Jersey. He has since resigned, and been charged with theft by deception and theft of services.

Joseph R. Vaccarelli worked for Verizon for 10 years but only started making the calls within the last 10 months, which makes us wonder what exactly happened last November or December to make him launch his non-stop telephone orgy of fraud—and how he got any work done during that time.

Verizon would like everyone to know that not all of its employees regularly call phone sex hotlines and charge the fees to customer accounts:

"We believe this was a highly isolated incident by an errant individual," Young said. "It should not reflect on the overwhelming majority of our workforce, who bring pride and respect to their jobs every day."

"" [redOrbit] (Thanks to skokieguy!)
(Photo: ernop)

Want More Than One Account On Your 'Spore' Game? Buy Another Copy, Sucker [EA Games]

 

EA's DRM spyware on the long-awaited game Spore turns out to have an added side-effect: if you live in a household with multiple players, you all have to share the same account. The game's manual says otherwise, but after repeated queries on the EA forum, a company spokesperson confirmed this. That's right—if you're in a household with several potential Spore players, and you want each of them to have their own account, you will have to buy multiple copies of the game.

From page 52 of the manual:

You may have multiple Spore accounts for each installation of the game.

However, here's what "EA_violet" wrote on the EA forums in response to complaints that players couldn't set up multiple accounts:

That section in the manual was a misprint and will be corrected in future printings of the manual. There is one Spore registration/account per game/serial code so you are correct in that you cannot make multiple accounts at this time.

We're among all those people who waited a long time for Spore to come out, and we're facepalming at how broken it is, all thanks to EA's misguided DRM implementation. This particular detail is notable for revealing that at some point in the past it was likely that the game allowed multiple accounts, and that this functionality was removed in order to tighten the DRM net.

forum.spore.com (Thanks to Sir Mildred Pierce!)
(Spore creature: Henjoness)

Why I Quit Staples Easy Tech [Confessions]

 

Sick of seeing customers screwed over and billed for unnecessary repairs by undertrained technicians, a Staples tech writes in to tell the incident that made him quit. See this picture? This is the floor model computer where he was told to copy all of a customer's hard drive data as part of their diagnostic process, then he had to leave the area and leave all the data up on the screen for any customer to see or snag with a thumb drive. The full story, inside...

A customer brought his desktop tower computer in for service, Microsoft Windows XP Home, will not post boot and rolls at start up at the XP GUI screen. The head technician without having run any diagnostics determines “it’s a virus that infected the hard drive and caused it to fail”. The instructions I received were as follows. Do not diagnose the issue, just remove the hard drive from the tower and connect it to a USB to PATA adapter, then take the 3.5 inch internal drive and adapter over to a floor display model, and connect it as we do not have a service computer. Transfer all the files and data from My Documents to the desktop, and “clean” the customers hard drive up. Now that the drive is powered and sitting in a static filled environment, on top of a metal display rack on a carpeted base for all to see, I was instructed to complete the next step.

Now that the customers documents are left on a floor model laptop for all to see, I am forced to leave the area and go to another part of the store and then reinstall the hard drive back into the case, and run the staples diagnostic utility, leaving this persons personal information for all to copy to a thumb drive. Having now altered the properties of the drive, and having changed administrator rights and privileges the data and drive comes back corrupt in the Staples antiquated diagnostic program.

The customer is then contacted and told that the 3 year old machine’s hard drive is dead, and that it’s not under warranty, and we have a replacement drive and can repair the computer while it’s apart and since it was a “good and expensive machine” it’s worth repairing. Now having left the customer with no option and not properly informing them about what to do the customer is really left with no choice but to repair it seeing as it is in pieces and we have the only copy of their data and school is starting to begin. The Easy Tech manager wrings up the bill, 1 charge service entry, 1 charge diagnostic fee, 1 hard drive service charge, 1 back up and restore charge, 1 format and restore, 1 copy of windows totaling around $480.00 if not more as I did not see the final receipt, which is the cost of a brand new Acer laptop that far surpasses the antiquated desktop.

After hearing what the head tech did to the customer and having put me in a position that compromised my integrity, I quit and told the customer all about it, and now I am airing it out for all to see and hear.

Apparently, when you push the Easy Button in front of a Staples Easy Tech, it activates one of those hinged arms with a white glove and it pulls cash from your wallet.

Senator opens inquiry into rising text messaging rates

 

Filed under: Cellphones

The increasingly high cost of text messaging has already caused a bit of a stir in Canada, and it looks like Democratic Senator Herb Kohl of Wisconsin is concerned with the situation in the US as well, with him now opening an inquiry to attempt to get the carriers to explain themselves. Apparently, Kohl is a bit puzzled as to why some customers are now paying 20 cents per message when they paid just 10 cents in 2005, a period that Kohl notes just happens to overlap with some consolidation in the wireless industry, when the number of national carriers shrunk from six to four. Those carriers, as you might expect, aren't saying much just yet, with Sprint only going as far as to say that it looks forward to "responding to the Senator's inquiry about the text messaging options we offer our customers and we will fully cooperate with his request," and the rest saying even less.

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Backlash: Anti-DRM Protesters Trash Spore's Amazon Rating [Backlash]

 

Spore, the long awaited new game from SimCity creator Will Wright, has been critically well-received, so what's up with its Amazon.com score? As of this posting, the game, despite being #1 on Amazon, has 1,494 one star ratings from gamers who are upset about the game's DRM. Here are some excerpts from the angry reviews:

...the game incorporates a draconian DRM system that requires you to activate over the internet, and limits you to a grand total of 3 activations. If you reach that limit, then you'll have to call EA in order to add one extra activation. That's not as simple as it sounds, since when you reach that point EA will assume that you, the paying customer, are a filthy pirating thief. You will need to provide proof of purchase, reasons why the limit was reached, etc, etc (it has all happened before with another recent EA product, Mass Effect). EA, of course, is not obligated to grant you that extra activation or even provide that service. In a couple of years they might very well even shut down the general activation servers, because "it's not financially feasible" to keep them running. What you will be left with is a nice, colorful $50 coaster. And you will be required to pay for another copy/license if you want to continue playing.

And...

The DRM for the game utilizes securom which is essentially a virus that installs itself without warning when you install the game. There is no way to completely remove it without reformatting and it is constantly running in the background if not removed. Sucking up computer resources.

It also is overpriced. This is actually a RENTAL, not a bought game because it only lets you install 3 times.

And...

I logged on to buy this but now no way. I don't care if its the best game in the world, I'm not loading it onto my computer if it has DRM. No thank you, remove it and I'll buy version 2.0.

And...

I personally feel EA has crossed the line with what is considered an acceptable protection scheme. What they have done is essentially created a rental for the price of the full game, and after 3 activations you have to call up EA and beg them to reactivate the game. I for one am a computer enthusiast and format and upgrade regularly so I'd burn through the 3 install limit in about three months top and I REFUSE to have to call up any company and have to beg and prove that I rightfully am entitled to an install. As a paying customer I expect to be able to install the game infinite amounts of times on MY computer without any DRM disturbances. What's worse is that this DRM considers any computer upgrade, BIOS update, and some patches as system change and thus requires an additional activation.

And...

Thanks to everyone who warned us about the DRM in this game. I'm interested in the game, but not interested enough to break my computer to play it.

And...

Too bad I can't play this game because of the horrible copyright protection scheme/malware called SecuROM which locks up my rig. It doesn't even keep the game from being pirated, so I don't know why EA treats its paying customers like criminals.

And...

I will not pay EA $50 to rent a game, period. DRM is dying, and its dragging good products down with it. Get a clue EA. The music industry did, now its your turn to face the fire.

And...

I was going to buy this game today but because of the DRM and a few other issues I will skip this game altogether. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to owning this game. EA is not helping Will Wright in any way.

You get the idea. Have these reviews convinced you to skip this game?

Spore [Amazon via Kotaku]

BBB Warns Consumers: Stay Away From TicketsMyWay [Ticket Brokers]

 

The complaints about TicketsMyWay—the Las Vegas-based ticket broker that doesn't actually deliver the tickets it sells, then threatens you with litigation or fines if you attempt to get your money back—have reached a high enough level to earn a Consumer Alert from the Better Business Bureau:

[Parent company] Event Tickets LLC has an unsatisfactory rating from BBB due to its performance, which includes nearly 100 instances of non-delivery of tickets, nearly another 100 complaints involving refunds and exchanges, and on about 200 occasions, the company has failed to even respond to BBB or consumers to resolve issues.

Remember, avoid this company when buying tickets. We've heard only bad things about them, and have yet to hear of any sort of resolution or follow-up story that would make us change our minds.

"BBB Warns Sports Fans, Concert-Goers, and Theater Buffs: Beware of TicketsMyWay.com" (Thanks to Cheriset!)
(Photo: Getty)

Funeral Association Scaring People Away From Green Burials? [Funerals]

 

Funeral homes are being scared away from "green" burial options by an indemnification form the National Funeral Directors Association included in one of their recent magazine issues, according to an open letter posted on Funeral Consumers Alliance. The language basically suggests that if you don't use mainstream funeral methods, in terms of the embalming and type of coffin used, you won't be able to show grandma because she'll be all rotted, the grave will turn into a sinkhole, and you might not be able to find where the body was buried years down the road. Here's the specific language they're using...

5. ADVISORY:
The Green Funeral choice is usually made for environmental reasons and a desire for a simpler disposition. It is an appropriate and meaningful choice for certain families. However, it does preclude certain options and poses several risks that the REPRESENTATIVE has been advised of and is now acknowledging. The REPRESENTATIVE has been advised by the FUNERAL HOME that with a Green Funeral the FUNERAL HOME can provide no assurances regarding the appearance or the condition of DECEDENT's remains, that there will not be a public visitation or viewing of the DECEDENT, that there are possible health risks posed by handling an unembalmed body, that there can be substantial risks of physical injury to pallbearers from holding, carrying, and transporting a body in a container that may not be designed to hold the weight or to be safely lifted and carried, that burial of the body in a grave plot without an outer burial container may lead to the ground settling and sinking over the grave, that the body may not be able to be disinterred and moved at a later date, and that in later years it may be difficult or impossible to locate the grave due to the lack of a permanent marker or monument.

Over at Funeral Consumers Alliance, they translate this into what they think it really means...

NFDA Lawyer Uses Scare Tactics on Green Burial Customers [Funeral Consumers Alliance]

Nobody Panic: Government Seizes Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae [Too Big Too Fail]

 

Oh dear, all that talk about Freddie and Fannie being "adequately capitalized" was utter bullshit and the government has now announced plans to place the failed government sponsored enterprises into conservatorship. That means the fate of the housing market and the global economy rest squarely on the shoulders of U.S. taxpayers.

Here's how it went down:

• Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told Fannie Mae CEO Daniel Mudd (whose name is good as...) and Freddie Mac CEO Richard Syron that they and their boards were fired.
• The companies will be placed into conservatorship of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.
• Common shareholders will be virtually wiped out. Preferred shareholders (banks) will be protected.
• Instead of providing a massive headline-grabbing infusion of cash upfront, the government will provide quarterly subsidies to cover losses.
• Freddie and Fannie will continue to operate normally, except taxpayers will be on the hook for future losses.

The two companies collectively back almost half of the nation's $12 trillion mortgages, and 70% of new mortgages. They have lost $14 billion over the past year.

Both Obama and McCain announced that they support the plan, not that either of them can veto the Bush Administration's takeover.

The Treasury made its move now partly to reassure Mexico, Japan, and China that their central banks' shares of the Depression-era institutions will be backed by you.

Isn't that great?!

U.S. Rescue Seen at Hand for 2 Mortgage Giants [The New York Times]
U.S. Near Deal on Fannie, Freddie [The Wall Street Journal]
Fannie, Freddie's boards meet Saturday to mull government plan [Reuters]
PREVIOUSLY: U.S. Treasury Attempts To Save Freddie, Fannie, Avert Apocalypse
Bush Administration Considering A Takeover Of Freddie And Fanny
(Photo: Getty)

Mad Magazine on Sarah Palin

 

Mad Magazine has leaked its satirical Sarah Palin spread to the HuffPo -- a good 'un, too.Exclusive: MAD Magazine's Election Coverage, Sarah Palin Edition

Toys R Us Cracks Down On "Death Crib" Makers [Safety]

 

One of the main features that a crib should have is "does not accidentally kill the baby," so Toys R Us has decided to crack down on the manufacturers of the cribs that it sells, says the Chicago Tribune.

Asserting that government and industry safety rules don't protect children from the hazard, Toys "R" Us is dictating stricter tests and design standards that cribmakers have balked at for years. The company, which also owns Babies "R" Us, has the clout to do so because it sells so many cribs—hundreds of thousands annually.

Toys "R" Us is specifying the trees its suppliers can use, the way they attach spindles to crib railings and even the type of glue. Manufacturers that don't follow the new rules can't sell cribs in its stores.

The move by Toys "R" Us shows that major retailers, responding to parents' concerns, are using their purchasing power to redefine the safety of children's products—more quickly and more stringently than government regulators and groups that set standards for the industry.

Toys R Us says that it can speak for consumers when the government won't.

"We saw that there were products that passed the existing standards but had problems in the real world," Toys "R" Us chief executive Gerald Storch said. "Something needed to be done, so we did it. . . . We think that it will spread to the market as a whole."
...
"Clearly a consumer is not going to say, 'You need a slat integrity test,' but they want to feel confident shopping for products," said Storch, the Toys "R" Us CEO. "What we try to do is stand up for the consumer and say, 'What would they do if they had the facts?' "

Toys 'R' Us gets tough with cribmakers [Chicago Tribune]
(Photo: What Rhymes With Nicole )

Help! IKEA's Delivery Guys Smashed My iPod! [Property Damage]

 

Reader Belinda's iPod and a few accessories were smashed by some delivery guys contracted by IKEA. When she tried to file a claim for the $500 worth of damage they did, she got the runaround until she eventually gave up and wrote to us.

Belinda writes:

In early July my roommates and I visited an IKEA store in Schaumburg, IL. We spent over $1000 on furnishings that day, opting to have much of it shipped to our apartment in a week. On July 13, movers arrived and carried 14 boxes up to our second floor apartment. I arrived on the scene halfway through the delivery process. They carried boxes in and we pointed them either to the living room or my bedroom to set them down. We checked them off as they carried them in the door, not as they set them in the correct room. They hurriedly asked for initials and left. We grabbed lunch and returned an hour later to begin the long assembly process. I asked my friend to put music on in my room. She reappeared with my 60gb iPod Video, completely smashed.

I had purchased an iHome just the day before, and it was sitting on the floor next a lamp I had purchased at IKEA and taken home (rather than having it delivered). The iPod was docked on top of the iHome, and a long heavy box of wood had been dropped on it. It fell onto a wall outlet as well, cracking the casing and completely bending the prongs of the cords plugged into it sideways. I used pliers and fixed the lamp and iHome's electrical plugs, but the iHome was damaged beyond repair. The iPod dock on the top no longer functions at all, and the internal clock is now unable to distinguish between AM and PM, rendering this equipment a 60-dollar paperweight.

I called IKEA that day and presumably filed a case, because I was promised a return call the next day. I received no such call, and on July 15 I sent this message to IKEA through their online feedback form:

My IKEA order was shipped by Encenda on Sunday morning (7/13). I promptly contacted IKEA that day when I found that the movers had dropped a heavy box of wood from my MALM bed frame onto a wall outlet, iPod, and iHome speaker deck, breaking all of them. The outlet is cracked. My landlord assessed that we'd need new plastic casing. The iPod is completely shattered. I bought it for $399. The iHome's top connector the iPod was sitting in no longer functions. The iHome was purchased just the day before for $60. Considering the mass amount of damage done, I need to get in contact with someone who can help me receive some sort of compensation. Surely IKEA has an insurance policy with Ensenda. I called the day of the incident and was promised a return call the next day. I received nothing, so this is my second attempt at getting results. My phone number is [redacted] Thank you.

- Belinda [redacted]

Later that day I received this:

Hello Belinda,

Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We do apologize for any difficulty that you may have experienced.

Please call the Schaumburg store at 847-969-9700, to present a case to management of this matter. If you already have a case please give them the case number.

We do apologize for any inconvenience, and we thank you for your inquiry.

Best Regards, Beldian
IKEA Customer Care Center

I promptly did just that, and after being transferred to enough different people that I had no idea who I was talking to, I finally spoke to someone who could possibly help me. She asked for a detailed account of what happened, which I relayed to her. She repeated it all back to me slowly and typed furiously, leading me to believe she was filing some sort of report on my behalf. Once we finished, she promised I'd be contacted "in a few weeks." I waited three weeks, received no response, and decided it was time to call to check on the status of my complaint. On August 12, I began my foray into IKEA's customer service yet again.

The first call was spent trying to locate my case. I gave my name, address, and phone number in every way shape and form, to no avail. I explained that I'd never been given a case number, but explained the situation in detail to other representatives. I said I didn't know if I was talking to IKEA or Encenda (the moving company), to which she hastily replied, "Oh no, whoever would have sent you to them was wrong. This is an IKEA issue, not the moving company's. They have nothing to do with it."

She put me on hold to 'check on something,' and after waiting 3 or 4 minutes, I heard a dial tone. She'd hung up on me. I called again and explained that I was trying to locate my case and was unaware of whether my property damage case should be taken up with IKEA or the moving company. She assured me that it was the moving company's issue and said she'd put me on hold to get a hold of the moving company. She hung up on me.

I called again and got a man who seemed genuinely concerned with my situation. I explained that I had just called two other times trying to locate a case that obviously did not exist, and insisted on filing a new one and starting fresh. He kept saying we'd "take care of this situation" and that everything would get resolved. I sat on the line with him in silence for about 5 straight minutes before he cut back in, making sure I was still there. When I affirmed this, he asked if he could put me on hold to contact the Schaumburg store (isn't that who I called?!) to which I loudly responded no before he put me on hold anyway a second later. I sat on hold for 45 minutes before I hung up and called the IKEA customer service line the fourth time. This woman checked and found a case that had been filed that evening (presumably by the man before he put me on hold for 45 minutes), and I asked for a phone number to the moving company. She got it for me and gave me a case number (finally!) before hanging up. She'd promised I'd hear something in 24 hours.

Sure enough, this time I got a response. I received a voicemail from a woman in IKEA's claims department informing me that she put a claim in with the delivery company because "they really don't have anything to do with property claims." I crossed my fingers and hoped that I'd hear from the movers, seeing as IKEA was the middleman in this situation and they hadn't done so well in getting my message across. Amazingly, I received a voicemail from a woman representing what I assume is the moving company. Cindy [redacted] from Veteran's Messenger service claim department... "just to follow up on this after investigating and pulling paperwork, there was no documentation on any paperwork that any items were damaged during this delivery, therefore we are denying the claim. If you have any questions, feel free to contact IKEA."

So I'm not supposed to contact the movers, I'm supposed to contact IKEA. Again. I promptly called her back and asked who exactly I should be talking to in order to receive compensation for the $500-worth of damage done to my personal belongings. She said there was something missing in the documentation, therefore the movers were entitled to deny any wrongdoing.

I opted to not contact IKEA. Long story short, movers dropped a heavy box on my electronics, obviously breaking them, then picked up the box and scurried out without mention of damage. I called IKEA that day to file a claim, was ignored, called 5 more times before finally getting a real case filed, was told that IKEA isn't responsible, was sent to the moving company's claims department, then was denied any wrongdoing by the moving company because IKEA hadn't filed some sort of paperwork.

This is just blatant passing of the blame back and forth, not to mention a slew of customer service representatives who seemed to be confused. Half of them assured me it was the moving company's fault, half of them assured me it was an IKEA issue completely. Now I have an apartment completely furnished by IKEA that I wish I never would have purchased. The furniture itself was a little under a thousand dollars, but adding in delivery charges and the damage, I spent around $1600 on this stuff. Pay close attention to your deliveries. It's been a few months and I've spent hours on the phone, but now understand I'll never be compensated for this disaster delivery. I have every piece of paper & receipt along with my shattered iPod and outlet casing prominently displayed so that I never forget the price of all this furniture. It's also served as a great segue into a heated explanation of my hatred for IKEA whenever a passer-by asks what happened.

We think that since you have a business relationship with IKEA and IKEA only, you should deal with them. Now, obviously that hasn't worked too well, but we recommend taking the following steps.

Write a very concise EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) detailing the chain of events that you describe here. For more information about launching an EECB, click here. You need to reach someone at IKEA who actually knows what to do in this situation, and is able to file accurate paperwork.

If that doesn't work, and it may not, consider filing a small claims lawsuit against IKEA. It's easy and inexpensive, and it will make you feel better about your furniture if you win. Also, IKEA might not even show up, and you may get a default judgment.

Here are some email addresses to try, and some information about small claims court. Good luck.