TSA Officer Pretended To Find Cocaine In Flyers' Bags

TSA Officer Pretended To Find Cocaine In Flyers' Bags: "

The Smoking Gun has procured internal TSA memos about the security officer who was fired after pulling jokes on travelers by pretending to find cocaine in their luggage.

It turns out the powder was creatine that the officer was supposed to be using to test new bomb detection equipment.

One of the of the incident reports is from a fellow officer who saw what happened:

On Jan 5th, 2010, I observed BAO [redacted] approach a female passenger on lane #7. He showed her a small clear plastic bag which contained white powder. He told her that he found this bag amongst her property in the x-ray bin and he believed the white powder was cocaine.

The female passenger [redacted] was surprised to hear this as she denied ever using drugs. She also stated that she had no idea how the plastic bag got mixed in with her property.

BAO [redacted] told her that she did not have to lie to him and asked her again as to why her property would have this plastic bag. She vehemently denied having the plastic bag in her property. Once BAO [redacted] realized that she was getting upset, he told her it was a hook and she would have to admit that it was funny. She said it was not funny but was rather cruel and unprofessional o him to do this.

Once the female passenger left the checkpoint (D/E), I informed ST30 [redacted] of my observation of this incident.Pretty screwed up abuse of power. Also screwed up? Out of the six workers interviewed, this was the only one who reported the incident to a supervisor.

Memos Detail TSA Officer's Cocaine Pranks [The Smoking Gun]

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San Francisco Bans Happy Meals [Happy Meals]

San Francisco Bans Happy Meals [Happy Meals]: "

San Francisco has done the unthinkable. Not win the World Series. It's effectively banned happy meals. More »

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McDonald's Boss Tells Employees To Vote For His Candidates Or Risk Losing Pay Raises & Benefits

McDonald's Boss Tells Employees To Vote For His Candidates Or Risk Losing Pay Raises & Benefits: "

The owner of a McDonald's restaurant in Canton, OH, may have gone a little too far in attempting to get out the vote for the candidates he supports in tomorrow's election when he placed notes in his employees' pay envelopes saying their pay and benefits were at risk if certain nominees didn't win.

The pamphlet included with the staffers' pay was in support of three candidates up for election. It said, 'If the right people are elected, we will be able to continue with raises and benefits at or above the current levels. If others are elected, we will not.'

A rep at McDonald's HQ tells the NY Times that the owner's decision to distribute the pamphlets in his employees' pay was an 'unfortunate lapse in judgment' on the owner's part and that 'he's disappointed with himself.'

Through the corporate rep, the eatery owner released a statement saying, 'For those that I have offended, I sincerely apologize.'

The owner's decision to hand out the pamphlets the way he did might have violated a 1953 Ohio statute that prohibits political material from being attached to wage envelopes.

McDonald's Workers Are Told Whom to Vote for [NY Times]

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Study: Higher Minimum Wage Doesn't Increase Unemployment

Study: Higher Minimum Wage Doesn't Increase Unemployment: "

A new study shows that increased minimum wage does not increase unemployment.

Over a 16-year period, the study looked at counties that were located across the border

from another county that had a minimum wage increase. Instead of increasing unemployment, the study found that higher wages decreased worker turnover. That's good for both employers and employees.

Here's a transcript of an interview with one of the study's authors.

MINIMUM WAGE EFFECTS ACROSS STATE BORDERS: ESTIMATES USING CONTIGUOUS COUNTIES (PDF) via Economix

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Man Dies After Ingesting Enough Caffeine For 70 Energy Drinks

Man Dies After Ingesting Enough Caffeine For 70 Energy Drinks: "

A 23-year-old man in the UK has passed away after he reportedly ingested 'spoonfuls' of powdered caffeine at a party.

A statement on the caffeine's packaging says to not ingest more than 1/16 of a teaspoon, but according to testimony given at the inquest, the man swallowed spoonfuls of the caffeine -- the equivalent of 70 cans of energy drink. He became ill within a matter of minutes.

'He was puking up blood and he was sweating really bad,' one friend testified. Others said he became incoherent and his speech was slurred.

While police have said there were no suspicious circumstances and the deceased was not acting illegally, the local coroner criticized both the availability and labeling of the powdered caffeine:

Caffeine is so freely available on the internet for £3.29 [$5.27] but it's so lethal if taken in the wrong dose and here we see the consequence...

Who would take [one sixteenth of a teaspoon]? It's such a small dosage, the warning is so small on the front of it.

If you're sharing a bag, carrying it around and if you hadn't seen the warning - it could be that anyone at the party could have taken it. It's so dangerous to take something like this.

'Strong caffeine products should be banned' says grandmother of overdose victim [Nottingham Post]

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