Cable Boxes Slurp More Electricity Than Refrigerators

Cable Boxes Slurp More Electricity Than Refrigerators: "

The biggest energy hog in your house is probably sitting right under your TV. That little ol' set-top box could be using up more electricity in your house than your refrigerator or central air conditioning, according to a new study by the National Resource Defense Council.

The 160 million devices combined use up $3 billion in electricity a year, 66% of it when no one is watching and no shows are being recorded. That's because it's cheaper for cable companies to have them designed to run full-blast all the time, rather than waste money making ones with power-saving modes.

In the short-term, you can cut your power drain by plugging all your media producing boxes - TV, DVD player, cable, etc - into one power strip and turning it off when not in use.

And in the long-run, you can also lobby your cable company and the FCC to add power-saving modes to cable boxes.

Better Viewing, Lower Energy Bills, and Less Pollution [National Resource Defense Council

via MoneyTalksNews]

"

More Than 2,000 Businesses Registered At This Wyoming House

More Than 2,000 Businesses Registered At This Wyoming House: "

You wouldn't know to look at it, but this small, unassuming home in Cheyenne, Wyoming, is a bustling center of American industry, with more than 2,000 companies registered to this single address.

Reuters had a look inside the house, home to Wyoming Corporate Services, a business-incorporation specialist, and found 'walls of the main room are covered floor to ceiling with numbered mailboxes labeled as corporate 'suites',' while a lone employee answers the phone and sorts mail.

WCS helps other businesses establish shell companies, businesses that exist only on paper and often just to hide assets. They also sell 'shelf' companies, which come with built-in credit histories and regulatory findings for added legitimacy.

This is all completely legal, but Reuters says some of the companies doing business out of this little house on the prairie are questionable. There's the shelf company sheltering real-estate assets controlled by a jailed former prime minister of Ukraine. And then there is the owner of two other firms banned from government contracting for selling counterfeit truck parts to the Pentagon.

Reuters calls this business, and others like it in corporation-friendly Wyoming, the Cayman Islands of the Prairie.

Check out the whole special report at Reuters.com.

"

Snapple Tells Me Why Snapple Apple Juice Drink Doesn't Have Apples In Ingredients List

Snapple Tells Me Why Snapple Apple Juice Drink Doesn't Have Apples In Ingredients List: "

A reader was curious as to why Snapple's Apple Juice Drink, despite having pictures of cut apples on the front, did not have 'apple' in the list of product ingredients. Instead, they have 'filtered water, sugar, pear juice, concentrate, citric acid, natural flavors' and 'vegetable and fruit extracts (for color).' So I emailed Snapple customer service asking them them why, and also if they mainly used pears instead of apples. Here is their reply, which contains the words 'promulgated' and 'proprietary.'

June 22, 2011

Dear Mr Popken:

Thank you for contacting our Company regarding our ingredients in our products.

Our Company complies with all applicable labeling regulations promulgated in the United States by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory bodies. Product flavor components that form part of our 'natural' or 'natural and/or artificial flavors' ingredients are considered proprietary to our Company. If you have a concern regarding the intake of this product, we suggest that you contact your health care provider. If you have known sensitivities to any substance listed in the ingredient statement, we advise discontinuing use of the product.

Thanks again for contacting us.

Sincerely,

Consumer RelationsMmm, that delicious opacity tastes 'natural,' like it was flavored with artificial and natural 'malarkey.'

Here's what's really going on: While something called 'juice' and having pictures of fruit on it is required to have its flavor mainly come from the pictured fruit, if you call it 'juice drink' you don't need to have the flavor be derived from the items on the picture. It can also contain as little as 5% juice.

That sounds like a contender to become the next 'Snapple Cap Fact!'

So the answer to this mystery is that Naturally Flavored Snapple Apple With Other Natural Flavors Juice Drink contains 10% juice, most of which is pear juice concentrate flavored to taste 'appley,' because the government says it's okay, and, most importantly, people will buy it.

Supposedly also apple juice itself doesn't taste like what people expect of apples when its used as a flavoring, which is why tweaked-out pears are used instead.

As an amusing aside, our reader is not the first to be confused about this phenomenon, as it was recently made into no less than two rage face comics:

MORE

Food Label Fibs: Juice Drinks [Foodcom.org]

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Capital One Tries, Fails To Allay Fears Of ING Direct Customers

Capital One Tries, Fails To Allay Fears Of ING Direct Customers: "

When we first reported that Capital One would be purchasing online bank ING Direct, the response from ING customers was overwhelmingly negative with some variation on 'noooooo' being a common comment. But lest you think everyone at Cap One is a barbarian (and/or viking), a rep for the perennial Worst Company In America contestant talked to the NY Times to allay ING customers' fears about their new overlords.

Admitting that people are not terribly thrilled about the news of ING's acquisition, the Capital One rep says the bank has 'no plans to make any significant changes. ING customers should expect the same great customer experience and the 'status quo' from ING for the foreseeable future.'

But any hope that somewhat direct response might have engendered might be erased by the rep's answer to the Times' query about any new fees or minimum balance requirements:

ING Direct has built a large and valuable franchise of engaged customers by focusing on a few simple proconsumer products. We deeply understand the value of the loyalty and advocacy ING Direct has been able to build with its customers. Everything we do as we integrate our businesses will be thoughtful and surefooted with a focus on sustaining and building that customer loyalty. We will focus on the customers, channels, products, and pricing strategies that build the best long-term customer relationships and deliver the best cost of funds.

I'm sorry... what about new fees?

Capital One gives a similar non-answer about whether or not the negative reaction suggests that the bank might need to improve its own customer service.

'We want to reassure the current customers of ING Direct that the great products and experience they've come to expect will continue and, in fact, expand over time,' says the rep. By 'expand,' does she mean Capital One will offer more products, or just that the fees for existing products will get larger?

And when it comes to the topic of whether ING Direct will operate separately from Cap One or if the two banks will be integrated, the rep talks about the companies' shared heritages 'of innovation' and takes 142 words to say what could have been answered in three: We're not telling.

If you really want to slog through the rep's double talk, feel free to read the entire Q&A at the NY Times site.

"

New York Post Blocks iPad Safari Access

New York Post Blocks iPad Safari Access: "

In an effort that's seemingly geared to get iPad users to subscribe to its paid app rather than read the paper through the browser for free, the New York Post has reportedly cut off Safari access to its site on the device.

Scripting News and several other sites report users who try to access the Post's site on the iPad get a message that urges them to subscribe to the app, which costs $6.99 a month or $74.99 for a year. The website reportedly continues to be accessible via Android tablets.

If you're a tablet owner, which paid apps do you subscribe to? And will the Post's move make you more or less likely to spring for its app subscription?

New York Post Blocks iPad Access Via Safari To Sell Subscriptions [Scripting News via PaidContent, Engadget]

"

Man Holds Up Bank For $1 And Free Prison Medical Care

Man Holds Up Bank For $1 And Free Prison Medical Care: "

A 59-year-old man recently walked into a bank in Gastonia, NC, intent on robbing one dollar -- no more or less -- from the financial institution. Was it because he was aiming low for his first foray into bank robbery? No, he says it was because he needs medical care and the only way he could think to afford it was by going to prison.

'It wasn't done for the monetary value. It was done for medical reasons,' he tells WCNC-TV in the video interview below. 'I went in knowing i was going to jail.'

In fact, the man told the teller he robbed that he was unarmed and that he'd be waiting for the police in a chair near the entrance.

Before going on his wild crime spree, the man, who says he's got a bad back, sore foot and a growth on his chest, wrote a letter to the Gaston Gazette newspaper explaining his reasons and saying, 'I am of sound mind but not so much sound body.'

The man has only been charged with larceny from a person, which carries a lesser penalty than bank robbery. His bail was reduced to $2,000 but he's obviously refusing to pay it so long as he's being tended to by doctors.

'If I had not exercised all the alternatives I would be sitting here saying, 'Man I feel bad about it,'' he told the Gaston Gazette after his arrest.

Bank robber planned crime and punishment [Gaston Gazette via NY Times]

"

Walmart Shopper Jumps On Hood Of Getaway Car To Prevent Beer Heist

Walmart Shopper Jumps On Hood Of Getaway Car To Prevent Beer Heist: "

We've run our fair share of stories of Walmart employees whose anti-crime heroics got them into trouble, but now comes the story of a customer who decided she was going to succeed where Walmart loss prevention staff failed.

'I'm just sick of the lawlessness,' the 42-year-old woman, whose last name is actually Lawless, tells the Houston Chronicle. On Sunday, she had been at the Walmart checkout line when she spotted three young men she believed to be pilfering three cases of beer from the store. She alerted the store staff and a greeter was briefly able to slow down two of the men before they escaped out to the parking lot.

'They knew their chances of getting caught were slim to none. Those kids would have gotten away with it, celebrated their theft and probably continue to do it,' says the customer, who ran out into the parking lot and did her best to halt the shoplifters' escape.

'I just started running towards the car, jumped on the hood and was kicking at the front windshield, trying to kick the windshield in,' she recalls. 'Then I jumped on the roof and tried to kick in the sunroof, and in the meantime they're just laughing.'

The three men were eventually arrested, facing charges of felony evading arrest and aggravated robbery.

A local police captain does not recommend this sort of behavior:

In this case, it was not a good thing to do... While we appreciate the sentiment, she put herself in grave danger with this theft. She did get injured but it could have been worse.

According to the Chronicle, the woman suffered a scratched face, broken lip and scrapes and bruises to her legs.

Five-finger discount wasn't to her liking [Chron.com]

"

New Services Adds Your Drunken Facebook Photos To Employer Background Checks, For Up To Seven Years

New Services Adds Your Drunken Facebook Photos To Employer Background Checks, For Up To Seven Years: "

The FTC has given thumbs up to a company, Social Intelligence Corp., selling a new kind of employee background check to employers. This one scours the internet for your posts and pictures to social media sites and creates a file of all the dumb stuff you ever uploaded online. For instance, this sample they provided was flagged for 'Demonstrating potentially violent behavior' because of 'flagrant display of weapons or bombs.'

The FTC said that the file, which will last for up to seven years, does not violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act. The company also says that info in your file will be updated when you remove pictures from the social media sites. Forbes reports, 'new employers who run searches through Social Intelligence won't have access to the materials if they are completely removed from the Internet.'

Here is a statement on their privacy policy the company's COO sent Forbes:

While we store information for up to seven years we do not 'reuse' that information for new reports. Per our policies and obligations under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, we run new reports on applicants on each new search to ensure the most accurate and up-to-date information is utilized, and we store the information to maintain a verifiable chain-of-custody in-case the information is ever needed for legal reasons. We are not however building a 'database' on individuals that will be evaluated each time they apply for a job and potentially could be used adversely even if they have cleaned up their profiles.

Another profile was flagged for having racist tendencies for clicking 'Like' on a Facebook group called, 'I shouldn't have to press 1 for English. We are in the United States. Learn the language.'

So many things wrong here I don't even know where to begin...

* How do they know they have the right 'you?' The profile on 'John Smith' has got to be horrendous.

* Can you now sabotage someone's job prospects by creating a fake profile of them filled with racist, homophobic and violent imagery?

* Considering how hard it is to fix an error on your credit report, how hard will it be to fix an error on your social media report?

'Dislike.'

Now Your Embarrassing/Job-Threatening Facebook Photos Could Haunt You For Seven Years [blogs.Forbes]

"

Let's Talk About Dudes And How Much They Love Fast Food

Let's Talk About Dudes And How Much They Love Fast Food: "

Fast food restaurants are beloved by many dudes across the country, some for the fries, others for the plethora of hot sauce packets, some even for the quality and diameter of their straws. So says a new spiffy infographic based on a study about the habits of guys and their favorite fast food places.

Lab42 conducted an online survey using social networks, of 500 men between 18 and 35 who had eaten at a fast food restaurant in the last three months, resulting in a neato infographic and some interesting findings regarding six of the nation's most popular restaurants.
For example, not only do most men (30%) use two packets of hot sauce at Taco Bell, 32% keep 1-5 packets at home for use later.
About 90% of men surveyed had been to McDonald's in the last month, which makes sense, since 56% rated Mickey D's as their favorite fries.
Check out the fun findings below, or head over to Lab42 for a bigger version.

American Dudes and Fast Food [Lab42]
"

Sega Announces 1.3 Million Users' Info Stolen In Database Breach

Sega Announces 1.3 Million Users' Info Stolen In Database Breach: "

Sony PlayStation and Nintendo have more company in the hacker gaming attack club, as Sega announced on Sunday that 1.3 million customers have had their info stolen from its database.

Although credit card numbers are said to have been safe, names, birth dates, e-mail addresses and passwords of users of Sega Pass online network members was compromised, reports Reuters. Sega Pass is now shut down.

'We are deeply sorry for causing trouble to our customers. We want to work on strengthening security,' said Yoko Nagasawa, a Sega spokeswoman. Users were notified on Thursday after the breach as first discovered.

Sony Corp had a bit more of a problem, as it has been the victim of two hack attacks, affecting the info of more than 100 million customers overall.

Sega says 1.3 million users affected by cyber attack [Reuters]

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Miracle-Gro Wants To Help You Grow Your Medical Marijuana

Miracle-Gro Wants To Help You Grow Your Medical Marijuana: "

Medical marijuana is legal in 16 states and will reportedly account for nearly $2 billion in sales this year. And even though marijuana growers use any number of major brand-name plant products on their crops, the big companies have shied away from acknowledging this fact... and they certainly don't openly market to them. But the CEO of Scotts Miracle-Gro wants to change that.

'I want to target the pot market,' said Scotts CEO Jim Hagedorn. 'There's no good reason we haven't.'

From the Wall Street Journal:

To target marijuana growers, Scotts would likely buy niche dirt companies that already exist rather than create its own line of branded products.

Raids on pot-growing operations have turned up Scotts products. Mr. Hagedorn takes that as a good sign of brand awareness, but he fears that some growers would be reluctant to use a mainstream product.

Hagedorn says this is all part of his company's strategy of targeting smaller, niche markets that have gone ignored by companies like Scotts.

High Hopes at Miracle-Gro in Medical Marijuana Field [WSJ.com]

PREVIOUSLY:

New Law Would Allow Medical Marijuana Sellers To Get Bank Loans

Gardening Franchise Calls Itself 'The Walmart Of Weed,' Starts Expansion

Pot Farmers Market Sprouts Up In Seattle

"

Kent, WA Office Depot Manager Accused Of Swiping Millions In Toner And Ink

Office Depot Manager Accused Of Swiping Millions In Toner And Ink: "

The loss prevention staff at Office Depot should be checking employees' pockets. Authorities in Washington state have charged a manager, along with a former employee, at the retail chain of swiping oodles of office supplies that they are accused of then re-selling on eBay.

According to SeattlePI.com, more than $2.1 million ink and toner supplies have vanished from the Kent, WA, Office Depot since 2007. But it wasn't until recently that the store wised up and installed cameras to catch the culprit magenta-handed.

The manager was reportedly spotted on camera carrying ink cartridges out to a man, a former employee at the store, waiting in the parking lot.

The former O.D. staffer was arrested with $6,750 of stolen store goods in his vehicle. He told police that the pair had earned at least $500K by reselling the pilfered products on eBay.

But the police say it was a lot more than $500K, as that man's PayPal account had received more than $1 million since things started vanishing from Office Depot. One customer alone purchased $600K in ink and toner over the course of three years.

In addition to ink and toner, the men are believed to have sold stolen laptops, cameras and other electronics.

Office Depot manager got rich selling stolen ink cartridges, police say [SeattlePI.com]

"

Cable Companies Finally Realizing They Might Have Priced Themselves Into A Corner

Cable Companies Finally Realizing They Might Have Priced Themselves Into A Corner: "

What has cable company executives losing sleep at night? It's certainly not thoughts on how to improve customer service or billing. But it's also not Netflix, Hulu, BitTorrent or any other obvious customer siphon. No, cable suits confess, it's actually the fact that a growing number of Americans find themselves too poor to pay to watch TV.

'We have to be sensitive in making sure we have a product that consumers can afford,' said the president of Cox Communications at this week's Cable Show industry event.

Chimed in Time Warner Cable's CEO, 'There clearly is a growing underclass of people who clearly can't afford [cable]. It would serve us well to worry about that group.'

Talking about the cable industry's largely unchecked ability to raise rates when and how it wants, one analyst tells Reuters that cable companies have priced themselves into a corner:

That has been a wonderfully attractive model for a generation, but the danger, of course, is that eventually the video product will be priced into irrelevance for lower income consumers... I don't know when it will happen, but I suspect we're already perilously close.

Cable worried about poverty, not Netflix [Reuters via CrooksAndLiars]

Thanks to ScandalMgr for the tip!

"

Report: Capital One To Buy ING Direct For $9 Billion

Report: Capital One To Buy ING Direct For $9 Billion: "

The barbarians at Capital One have reportedly laid siege to the ING castle and are prepared to take control of online bank ING Direct, a move that would allow Cap One to leapfrog over the head of several competitors.

The Wall Street Journal reports that CapOne will soon announce its intent to purchase ING Direct USA from its Dutch parent company for $9 billion. When combined, Capital One will jump from the ninth-largest U.S. bank (in terms of deposits) to the sixth-largest.

ING Direct is one of the largest online banks in the country with seven million customers. Its parent company had been ordered by the European Commission to sell ING Direct by 2013 as a condition for government aid it had received during the financial crisis.

We know there are a number of ING Direct customers out there. Please share your initial feelings on this deal.

Capital One Wins ING Direct USA [WJS.com]

"

Do Not Body-Pierce Kittens And Sell Them As 'Goth'

Do Not Body-Pierce Kittens And Sell Them As 'Goth': "

Cats are born equipped with defiant attitudes, night vision, and claws, so it doesn't take anything more to make them 'goth.' At least I always thought so. A Pennsylvania woman with kittens to sell had different ideas. She gave the animals ear and neck piercings, docked their tails, and then pierced their tail nubs. Why? She thought it would look 'neat.' Then she listed them on eBay for $100, until PETA and the local ASPCA noticed and came calling. She was convicted of animal cruelty, and the Superior Court of Pennsylvania recently affirmed her sentence and conviction on the grounds that no one could possibly be stupid enough to think that this was a good idea. I paraphrase.

The piercings were on the animals' ears, the scruffs of their necks, and at the tips of their docked tails. (You can see pictures, which may be upsetting to animal lovers, here, here, and here.) Docking was performed using the banding method, which is common for dogs and farm animals with docked tails, but inappropriate for cats. The woman defended her actions, using the examples of declawing surgery for cats and debarking surgery for dogs, both of which are controversial but legal. The court's response was that these procedures have a purpose, while putting a metal ring through the scruff of a cat's neck kinda doesn't. The judge wrote in her 19-page opinion:

Again, appellant's claims center on her premise that a person of
normal intelligence would not know whether piercing a kitten's ears or
banding its tail is maiming, mutilating, torturing, or disfiguring an animal.
We disagree.

While some baby humans have pierced ears, cats and humans are--newsflash!--different from each other. The kitty piercer was sentenced to house arrest and probation, and had to shut down her dog-grooming business for two years. Business was down for some reason after her arrest, anyway.

The kittens, now going on three years old, were all adopted.

Piercing Cats Is Cruelty, Judges Rule [NY Times] (Thanks, Howard!)

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence, April 12, 2010 [PDF]

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If You Get This Green Postcard, Don't Call The Number

If You Get This Green Postcard, Don't Call The Number: "

Reader Michael reports he got a funny little green postcard in the mail telling him he had a package waiting for him. It said that he should call this toll-free number to schedule a pickup. Suspicious, he Googled around and it turns out that if you call the number they try to pitch you on vacation rentals. The 'package' is simply a packet of brochures pimping their services

See, if they can induce you into calling THEM, they can get around all those rules telemarketers have to follow about when and how they're allowed to contact you.

Smart! Sort of. What sort of person would go, 'oh, I thought I was getting a package in the mail from a friend or family member, but now you actually just want to sell me on 'vacation deals?' Great! Sign me up!'

Suffice to say, if you get one of these postcards in the mail, chuck it.

"

Ken Dumps Barbie After Learning She's Into Deforestation

Ken Dumps Barbie After Learning She's Into Deforestation: "

Last week, Ken broke up with Barbie after finding out some of the paper in her packaging comes from a Singapore company, Asian Pulp & Paper (APP), they accuse of clearcutting rain forests and destroying endangered tiger habitats. In the animated video put out by Greenpeace, he shrieks after seeing video of Barbie chainsawing the forest and laughing like a mad woman, and shouts, 'It's over!' before punching the camera. Later, activists rappelled down the side of Mattel's headquarters to unfurl a banner announcing the breakup, and Barbie herself showed up in her bright pink 'Dream Dozer' before the cops arrested her. Now in response to the campaign, Mattel announced they're cutting APP out of their supply chain.

'While Mattel does not contract directly with Sinar Mas/APP, we have directed our packaging suppliers to stop sourcing pulp from them as we investigate the allegations,' the company announced on their Facebook page, which is usually reserved for promoting things like World Wish Day and cross-promoting Cars 2. The company also announced a new 'Sustainable Procurement Policy' for all of their products which 'will require packaging suppliers to commit to sustainable forestry management practices.'

The announcement was a change of pace from Mattel's initial response to the Greenpeace action, which was to call their actions 'inflammatory,' disable comments on Barbie's Facebook wall, and shut down on trademark grounds Greenpeace's Facebook ad campaign about the breakup.

In a statement, Aida Greenbury, Managing Director, APP, said, 'Despite Greenpeace's unsubstantiated allegations, the facts are that our packaging materials contain more than 95% of recycled paper sourced from around the world... We are happy to share the scientific analysis of our packaging materials with anyone who wants to review it.'

Here is Greenpeace's investigation on APP's practices and how they link to Mattel.

Here's the video of the action at Mattel HQ. It's worth it just to see an actress playing Barbie drive the 'Dream Dozer':

Here's the breakup video that kickstarted the campaign:

The only question is, now that Barbie has changed her ways, will Ken take her back?

Pressured by Greenpeace, Mattel cuts off sub-supplier APP [LAT]

"

Diners and Employees at Marie Callender's Restaurants Abruptly Kicked Out

Diners and Employees at Marie Callender's Restaurants Abruptly Kicked Out: "

Marie Callendar's may be known for warm pot pies, but patrons and employees of Marie Callendar's restaurants in Washington got a cold bit of news last night: The eatery's parent company told restaurant managers they needed to shut down and tell customers -- some in the middle of their meals -- to get out.

The manager of the Marie Callendar's location in Northgate, Wash., told KOMO TV news:

I thought it was a big joke, because I was like, 'I still have people in the restaurant,' and they were like, 'they need to leave.'

There was a party of 25 in the back room. It was somebody's birthday party, and I feel so bad that we like ruined the celebration.

A corporate spokeswoman told KOMO on Sunday evening, the abrupt closing was 'a very difficult decision to make' and the company apologizes 'to any guests' in the restaurants. But, it wasn't until this morning the 'why' the sudden shut down was made.

According to several news outlets, Perkins & Marie Callender's Inc. filed for Chapter 11 this morning, citing the rising cost of food staples such as coffee and eggs and declining consumer spending. With more than $440 million in debt and less than $300 million in assets, the company plans on closing 65 of its 600 restaurants and firing 2,500 employees nationwide as part of its reorganization efforts.

Customers kicked out as Marie Callender's shuts down [KOMO]

Perkins & Marie Callender's Files Bankruptcy [Bloomberg]

"

Netflix Now Lets You Use 50 Different Devices To Stream Video

Netflix Now Lets You Use 50 Different Devices To Stream Video: "

With all the options now available to stream Netflix videos, it was easy to surpass the service's old cap of six devices. Addressing the concern, Netflix has now lifted the limit to 50.

As High-Def Digest notes, some gadget-juggling customers toppled the old limit if they streamed Netflix through a couple game machines, a Roku, a connected Blu-ray player, desktop computer, laptop and phone.

One can only imagine that there are some out there who respond to Netflix's 50-device limit with a Barney Stinson-like 'challenge accepted' and try to find 51 ways to stream Netflix with stuff they've got around the house, just to find something to complain about.

Did you ever bump up against the six-device limit? How many things do you own that stream Netflix?

Netflix Ups Device Limit Per Account to 50 [High-Def Digest]

"

Guy Crashes Multiple Times To Make Point About NYPD Ticketing Bicyclists

Guy Crashes Multiple Times To Make Point About NYPD Ticketing Bicyclists: "

Casey was fined by the NYPD as part of a recent bicyclist dragnet, getting dinged $50 for not riding in the bike lane. He tried to tell the cop that sometimes the bike lane isn't safe but the officer wasn't having any of it. So Casey made a video of what happens when you only ride in the bike lane, despite the numerous piles of construction equipment, taxis, and other obstacles, deliberately crashing his velocipede and eating asphalt. Hm, there seems to be a logic error somewhere here.

The first part is his encounter with the cop. The crashing starts at about a minute in.

"

Parent Wages Internet Campaign Against Disgusting McDonald's Play Area

Parent Wages Internet Campaign Against Disgusting McDonald's Play Area: "

If you noticed that the play area at your local fast-food restaurant was unacceptably filthy, what would you do? Sure, you might keep your children off the equipment and stop visiting that restaurant, and tell your friends and neighbors to do the same. But when one Arizona mom repeatedly complained about the conditions at her local McDonald's and still nothing changed, she went further. She paid for testing by an independent lab to see exactly what was crawling around in that playground. She also climbed through the playland tubes herself, filming the graffiti, discarded food, and filth her children had been romping around in.

She also visited other restaurants, finding--surprise!--similar conditions.

The local franchisee is, of course, taking the accusations very seriously, telling the Arizona Republic in a statement:

As the owner of this restaurant, and a father of three kids, I'm disappointed we let this customer and others down. I sincerely apologize. We take these matters very seriously. All concerns have been addressed. We've also put the necessary steps in place to ensure these violations do not happen again.

McSwarth: Kids Play Safe [YouTube]

Chandler mom disgusted by fast-food play areas starts crusade [Arizona Republic]

"

9 Confessions Of A Former Geek Squad Geek

9 Confessions Of A Former Geek Squad Geek: "

Consumerist reader K. recently ended his 4.5 year tenure as a Geek Squad member at Best Buy. And while he says that he considers his time there to be 'generally a positive experience,' K. did feel that there is some backstage info the public might want to know.

K. writes:

1. A high percentage of Geek Squad employees lack basic troubleshooting skills such as correctly identifying malfunctioning components. This stems from inadequate and outdated training materials, such as the Best Buy Learning Lounge.

2. People are hired or promoted from other departments to Geek Squad simply to sell services. Specifically, individuals who have no experience working on computers are given the appearance of being a technician.

3. Selling services and warranties are pushed more than actually completing repairs. I remember one instance where my GM said that selling a new computer with services was more important than completing a customer's unit that they had already paid for.

4. Employees are taught situational tactics to extract as much money as possible from a potential customer. If an individual had a small software issue that could simply be resolved, then we were taught to charge $200.

5. Although this changed shortly before I left, Geek Squad employees at the store I worked at were required to track each individual sale. Before the end of your shift, you were required to get a manager to look at your sales sheet and sign it. If you weren't doing so well, then the manager 'coached' you on how to sell more services.

6. Best Buy Credit Cards were pushed to customers at every available opportunity. More than once, I witnessed Best Buy employees talking to people about signing up for a credit card, only to find out they were not old enough. Also, we were taught in Geek Squad to push the credit card even if the customer was already paying with another form of tender.

7. There is no chance for advancement within the Geek Squad department. The only position an employee could move up to is the Manager.

8. Best Buy does not encourage Geek Squad employees to get certifications or reimburse or pay for part of taking a certification. I specifically remember inquiring about this, and apparently there exists such a program for the GS Auto Techs in which they also get paid more for each certification passed, but not for GS Computer Techs.

9. Geek Squad City, the repair center for repairs we could not do in-store (any repair that was not a hard drive, memory, or power supply replacement), routinely completed unsatisfactory repair work. There were times I would send off a computer 3 times for a verified issue and the unit would come back with the same issue un-repaired. The worst example I can remember was a laptop that had its screen replaced and where the webcam was supposed to be on the screen bezel was instead a screw that held the LCD together.

"

McDonald's Employees Stand Outside New Sonic To Remind People McDonald's Exists

McDonald's Employees Stand Outside New Sonic To Remind People McDonald's Exists: "

Up until the other day, there was only one Sonic restaurant in the entire state of Connecticut. And now that a second one has opened, the locals are showing up to see if they like it. But the staff at a nearby McDonald's decided to turn a problem into an opportunity by standing outside the new Sonic with signs directing hungry diners to the Golden Arches.

Someone at the Sonic captured the scene forever in a photograph and posted it to the Sonic's Facebook page with the caption:

The Manager of McDonalds in Burrs Corner of Manchester made their employees stand in front of our new store today with signs redirecting our Sonic business to their McDonalds store. This really shocked all of our customers and our new employees! AMAZING! There is enough business to go around! Our hearts went out to the 2 MC employees who obviously didn't want to be there!

Was this a smart move on McDonald's part or did it make them look desperate?

Thanks to Jim for the tip!

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FTC Sues People Behind "Winning In The Cash Flow Business" Infomercial

FTC Sues People Behind "Winning In The Cash Flow Business" Infomercial: "

For the last decade, the late-night TV airwaves have been home to a series of infomercials hawking a get rich quick system called 'Winning in the Cash Flow Business,' in which some guy named Russell Dalbey explains over and over again how easy it is to make money by finding, brokering, and earning commissions on seller-financed promissory notes. Now, the FTC and the attorney general of Colorado are calling Dalbey's bluff, suing him and his partners for allegedly defrauding an awful lot of insomniacs.

The infomercial -- see clip below -- says that you, yes you, could make hundreds or thousands of dollars in a day off brokering promissory notes in just three easy steps - 'Find 'Em,' 'List 'Em,' and 'Make Money.' The ads are also bolstered by testimonials of people claiming to have used Dalbey's system to earn oodles of cash. Dalbey himself swears by his 1-2-3 system.

Alas, the FTC alleges the system does not work as advertised and that customers were misled into spending anywhere from a few bucks to thousands of dollars each. The suit points out that the bulk of Dalbey's millions have been made from the selling of his program and supplementary offerings, and not from brokering notes.

Additionally, the suit says at least one of the testimonials in the infomercial misrepresents that person's actual earnings by $50,000. That woman has agreed to a settlement with the FTC and is cooperating with the case against Dalbey, et al.

''Winning in the Cash Flow Business' was a real loser for hundreds of thousands of consumers nationwide,' said David Vladeck, Director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection. 'When someone is selling a program designed to help people make money, they have to accurately describe how much consumers can expect to make and be truthful about how quickly they will be able to do so. None of that happened in this case, and people who bought the program paid the price.'

See the entire complaint [PDF] HERE.

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Delta Discontinues Discount For Paying Bag Fees Online

Delta Discontinues Discount For Paying Bag Fees Online: "

Since Delta began charging fees for checked bags -- $25 for the initial piece on domestic flights; $35 for a second -- the airline has been offering $2-3 discounts to travelers who prepaid those fees online instead of at the airport. Not anymore.

Starting yesterday, passengers will now pay the full price regardless of when or where they pay the fee.

The reason? A Delta rep tells the Atlanta Journal Constitution that it's a 'competitive response' because no other U.S. airlines offer a similar discount.

So, to be competitive, Delta is not offering a service that would make it unique?

There is other news from AJC.com about Delta baggage fees:

Delta also now allows only one free checked bag for flights to Mexico, Central America or the Caribbean, rather than allowing two free checked bags for flights to Central America and some destinations in the Caribbean. Fees for a second checked bag to Europe also increased.

Delta changes checked baggage fees [AJC.com]

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If For-Profit Colleges Want Federal Student Aid, They Have To Prove Graduates Can Get Jobs

If For-Profit Colleges Want Federal Student Aid, They Have To Prove Graduates Can Get Jobs: "

A 2010 GAO studied showed that federal aid to students at for-profit colleges had tripled over a five-year period from $8 billion to $24 billion and now accounts for 23% of the total aid given out, even though enrollment at for-profit schools only accounts for 8% of college students. Meanwhile, studies continue to show that an inordinately small number of students at these schools ever graduates. In an effort to cut back on the number of people left with mammoth amounts of student loan debt they can't pay back, the U.S. Dept. of Education has issued a new edict: Show us your college actually prepares students for gainful employment or risk losing out on that lovely loan money.

From the agency's statement on the new rules, which will ramp up over the course of the next four years:

To qualify for Federal aid, the law requires that most for-profit programs and certificate programs at nonprofit and public institutions prepare students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation. Under the regulations introduced today, a program would be considered to lead to gainful employment if it meets at least one of the following three metrics: at least 35 percent of former students are repaying their loans (defined as reducing the loan balance by at least $1); the estimated annual loan payment of a typical graduate does not exceed 30 percent of his or her discretionary income; or the estimated annual loan payment of a typical graduate does not exceed 12 percent of his or her total earnings. While the regulations apply to occupational training programs at all types of institutions, for-profit programs are most likely to leave their students with unaffordable debts and poor employment prospects.

'These new regulations will help ensure that students at these schools are getting what they pay for: solid preparation for a good job,' Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. 'We're giving career colleges every opportunity to reform themselves but we're not letting them off the hook, because too many vulnerable students are being hurt.'

Not surprisingly, a group representing for-profit schools isn't thrilled. In a statement, the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities writes:

We remain very concerned that the gainful employment regulation, while reflecting the fact that the department has listened to the sector and made changes to its initial proposal, is still using the same ill-advised metric approach to this matter and is clearly outside of its statutory authority.

Last summer, the GAO released the results of its undercover investigation into for-profit colleges' questionable financial aid practices. They found a number of schools where admissions staffers encouraged applicants to lie on their FAFSA forms in order to increase the amount of their student loans.

Students and graduates of several for-profit colleges, have filed lawsuits alleging that they were defrauded into thinking they would be able to find better employment after graduation.

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Ads Implant Fake Memories In Your Head

Ads Implant Fake Memories In Your Head: "

A new study says that really lifelike commercials are really good at tricking our brains into thinking that not only did they actually happen, but that they are scenes from our lives.

In the study, published in the Journal of Consumer Research, researchers showed two groups of students an ad for a made-up popcorn. One group saw an ad that was mainly text, the other saw one full of bright images. Later, both groups were again mixed up and split into two rooms. One got to eat the popcorn, while the other did not. A week later, all the students were asked whether they remembered sampling the popcorn and how good it was.

Here's the twist: most of the students who were shown the highly image-filled ad reported that they had eaten the popcorn, and that it was delicious, even if they were were in the group that did not eat the popcorn.

Those who saw the text ad and did not eat the popcorn didn't report remembering eating the popcorn.

'Viewing the vivid advertisement created a false memory of eating the popcorn, despite the fact that eating the non-existent product would have been impossible,' write the researchers.

I always did wonder what ever happened to my brother Mikey with his fondness for Life cereal...

I Imagine I Experience, I Like: The False Experience Effect [Journal of Consumer Research (Thanks to Deborah!)

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