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Spinwatch: Southwest (Finally) Apologizes To Mini-Skirted Customer
Southwest Airlines has finally condescended to apologize to the mini-skirted customer that it tried to kick off a flight... Self-confessed "PR lover" and Southwest CEO Greg Kelly said: "From a Company who really loves PR, touche to you Kyla! Some have said we've gone from wearing our famous hot pants to having hot flashes at Southwest, but nothing could be further from the truth. As we both know, this story has great legs, but the true issue here is that you are a valued Customer, and you did not get an adequate apology. Kyla, we could have handled this better, and on behalf of Southwest Airlines, I am truly sorry. We hope you continue to fly Southwest Airlines. Our Company is based on freedom even if our actions may have not appeared that way. It was never our intention to treat you unfairly and again, we apologize."Southwest also took this opportunity to launch something called "Mini-skirt fares." Not kidding. Being serious. Southwest Airlines Issues an Apology and Lowers...

Advertising: First Black Friday Spotted: Ace Hardware. Who Cares.
Much like the red robin of Spring, this season's first Black Friday ad, one for Ace Hardware, heralds the advent of Thanksgiving.All we have to say to Black Friday this year is BFD!All things considered, the Black Friday deals aren't that great...Too many shoppers are participating, increasing competition. Retailers have caught on to the fact that shoppers have caught on, using tactics like stocking a limited quantity of super-OMG items and put them at the front of the store to draw people in, and then having so-so deals around the store.If you're off the type to camp out in front of a store overnight in hopes of getting $100 off a TV, you obviously need to get a higher paying job as you value your leisure time too little under your current one.That said, $9.99 is a great price for a Black & Decker 120-Piece Drill Bit Set with Case. Still, if there's something you really like, you're probably better off sleeping in and waiting for some other speculator to put it up on eBay.Ace...

Nerds: People with a lot of credit cards, such as ...
People with a lot of credit cards, such as those who are regular players of credit card arbitrage, can use baseball card holders to help organize them. [My Money Blog]

Payday Loans: "My company was deliberately targeting minority ...
"My company was deliberately targeting minority people for a continuous loan process that they would never, ever get out of. " - Bill Harrod, Former Payday Loan Manager. [NBC4]

Subliminal Wild Kingdom: A reader at Neatorama reveals the dark Masonic ...
A reader at Neatorama reveals the dark Masonic secret of the Toblerone logo: a hidden bear! If you look closely at the mountain that's on every bar of Toblerone chocolate, you can see a bear standing on his hind legs. It also looks like there's a goldfish cracker near the base of the mountain, but that might just be because we're hungry. [Neatorama

Advertising: First Black Friday Spotted: Ace Hardware
Much like the red robin of Spring, this season's first Black Friday ad, one for Ace Hardware, heralds the advent of Thanksgiving.All we have to say to Black Friday this year is BIG WHOOP...All things considered, the Black Friday deals aren't that great. Too many shoppers are participating, increasing competition. Retailers have caught on to the fact that shoppers have caught on. If you camp out in front of a store overnight, you obviously need to get a higher paying job as your leisure time is worth too little for you under your current one.That said, $9.99 is a great price for a Black & Decker 120-Piece Drill Bit Set with Case. Still, if there's something you really like, you're probably better off sleeping in and waiting for some other speculator to put it up on eBay.Ace Hardware Black Friday Ad [Gotta Deal]

Insurance: Don't Be Fooled By "Limited Benefit" Insurance Plans
If you're a freelancer, temp worker, or hourly worker, you may have already been exposed to the "limited benefit plan," a rotten insurance scheme which is designed to rake in more profits for insurance companies by offering low cost plans that provide almost no worthwhile coverage for the consumer.These plans often cap out at amounts far lower than the market cost of any procedure, or have complicated rules on pay outs—Aetna's new offering, for example, pays up to $7,500 a year for inpatient care, but limits the daily amount of a hospital stay to $250.As our reader Laurel puts it,They market themselves as a way for temp firms and other places with hourly employees to increase the perception that their employees are 'valued.' The employer pays little - sometimes nothing - for the 'benefits.' Payment is deducted automatically from employee payrolls.My fear is that, with the push toward universal insurance, scam-scum like this will qualify as 'being insured,' leaving...

Advertising: Coming Soon To Paris, Bluetooth Ads For Mobile Phones
Marketers in France are planning to beam location-specific ads to your phone via Bluetooth, the common short-range wireless transfer technology that's now included in nearly every new cellphone, reports Reuters. Currently under consideration is just what sort of ad would be compelling enough to tempt consumers to opt in on such messages, since there's no way advertisers can force you to accept Bluetooth communications.The funny side to the story is that mobile phone operators like France's Orange Mobile don't like the idea, because it's a free one-to-one relationship with the consumer and therefore doesn't provide the phone operator a revenue opportunity. Or, to put it in hilarious corporatese,"Bluetooth does not answer all our needs for mobile marketing," Jean-Noel Tronc, head of Orange Mobile in France, told Reuters in an interview.Mobile operators are instead pushing quick response codes, which are those square, funny-looking barcode symbols that some phones can read and...

Why Punk And Advertising Don't Mix: Canadian telecommunications giant Bell Canada ...
Canadian telecommunications giant Bell Canada is pulling down over 50 ads placed around parts of Toronto and Vancouver, because they show a woman wearing a button that reads "Belsen was a gas," the title of a Sex Pistols song and a reference to the Nazi concentration camp Bergen-Belsen. The button is one of many the model wears, and the company says it was impossible to read during approval and proofing, and only became legible when blown up to billboard-size proportions. [Reuters and Free Republic]

Retirement: Checklist: 5 Ways To Rate A Retirement Home
SmartMoney is trying to spin it as a "take care of yourself" article, but we know that the real reason you're in the market for a good retirement home is because Dad has gotten older and he's nowhere near the madcap character Abe Simpson is on TV. Luckily for you (and your dad), they've put together a brief guide of 5 things you should look for when choosing a retirement home. You know, for "yourself."Health Services - look for an on-staff nurse or visiting health practitioner, at the very least. Smells of urine indicate unsanitary conditions (oh, really? we didn't know).Complaints - eat at least one meal with the residents and find out what they think about the place. Smart Money also offers several resources you should use to further investigate.The Fine Print - ask a lawyer who specializes in elder care to review the retirement community's contract. Although it's rare, try to negotiate an exit clause so you don't lose a huge amount of money if it doesn't work out.Staff -...

Passengers Bill Of Rights: Flyer's Rights Group To Stage Demonstration In D.C.
The Coalition For A Passenger's Bill of Rights is planning a demonstration in the hopes of securing limits on the amount of time passengers can be held on the tarmac against their will. From CNNMoney: The protest's organizers are planning to build a mock commercial aircraft that has seen its passengers' patience and infrastructure wear thin after hours of idling. The 28-foot aircraft, really a long grey tent made to look like a plane, will be adorned by sounds of crying babies, sneezing customers and overflowing toilets.Don't worry. Everything will be a replica, says Coalition for Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights organizer Kate Hanni, who worries some congressional representatives who have promised to attend the Wednesday protest won't stick around if the staging is too real. Ha! This sounds fun. Why weren't we invited?TRAVEL: Airline Passengers To Stage Protest Over Lengthy Tarmac Delays [CNNMoney](Photo:Meghann Marco)

Taxes: Make Sure Your Refinance Loan Isn't A "Tax Trap"
"If you fail to follow some little-known rules for calculating your home mortgage deduction, you may be writing off too much interest. Instead of saving on taxes, you could wind up owing them," says Business Week in next week's "Personal Finance" column.The problem is that when you refinance, the rules change for what you can deduct as mortgage interest when it comes time to file your taxes. Normally you can deduct 100% of your interest, but if you refinance, "Only the interest on your original mortgage balance, plus an additional $100,000, qualifies for a deduction." Unfortunately, you won't see any mention of this on the Form 1098 that your bank sends to you each new year, because lenders "have no incentive to educate borrowers about the tax consequences," says the CEO of an investment firm. The IRS isn't specifically targeting homeowners who miscalculate their taxes, but you can open yourself up for a nasty surprise if you get audited."Is Your Home A Tax Trap?" [Business...

Readers: Friday Consumerist Flickr Pool Finds
The Consumerist Flickr pool is filled with pretty pictures uploaded by readers for possible consideration for story photos. Here's five of our favorites from this week's submissions:(Photo: nailmaker)(Photo: photoMarkR)(Photo: Vince Brown (attila))(Photo: Scurzuzu)(Photo: FlyGuy92586)Be sure to check out other great pictures in our Flickr pool and consider adding a few of your own.

Privacy: TD Ameritrade Hacked, Customer Data Compromised
TD Ameritrade has announced that they've been hacked and contact information including names, addresses, e-mail addresses and account activity information such as how many trades were conducted in the last month. Social Security Numbers, user names and passwords were not in the database, according to TD Ameritrade's spokesperson.Consumerist reader and commenter AngrySicilian forwarded us the email that TD Ameritrade sent to its customers:September 14, 2007 You do not need to make any changes to your TD AMERITRADE accounts or to change the way you do business with us.Dear , Let me tell you why I am sending you this email. While investigating client reports about the industry-wide issue of investment-related SPAM, we recently discovered and eliminated unauthorized code from our systems. This code allowed certain client information stored in one of our databases, including email addresses, to be retrieved by an external source. Please be assured that UserIDs and passwords are not...

Customer Service: Update your address books: a reader reports ...
Update your address books: a reader reports that DirectTV has a new phone number for their Office of the President: 888-237-8327 [Thanks, Samik!](Photo: Getty)

Hospitals: Uninsured? New Service Lets You Pay Off Medical Bills Without Interest
A reader pointed us to a recent article in the WSJ abut CarePayment, a new financing option that provides a way for the uninsured to pay off their hospital bills in monthly installments, without incurring interest rate charges or finance fees.The card provides APR-free financing for up to 36 months; there is a $25 fee for missed payments, according to the customer service rep we spoke with, but never an interest rate. Minimum monthly payments are $25 or 4% of your bill, whichever is higher.CarePayment is provided through arrangements with hospitals, so you can't go out and apply for the card yourself. Usually a participating hospital will offer it to you automatically if they feel you will have trouble paying off your bill. Otherwise, you can contact your hospital's billing department and ask them whether they offer it. If your hospital doesn't offer it, you might want to ask them to look into it, as it's a good way for them to recoup money from the patients least likely to...

The Great Wireless Auction: Verizon Vs. Google: Verizon Wireless Sues The FCC Over "Open Network" Requirement
When Google lobbied successfully for the inclusion of an "open network" requirement in the upcoming wireless spectrum auction, it was seen as a coup for consumers. The open network clause would mean that consumers would be able to take their handsets and devices to the network of their choosing. At first, Verizon agreed to the rule. Now they're suing to stop it, calling it "arbitrary, capricious, unsupported by substantial evidence, and otherwise contrary to law."Google immediately snapped back, posting on their blog:The nation's spectrum airwaves are not the birthright of any one company. They are a unique and valuable public resource that belong to all Americans. The FCC's auction rules are designed to allow U.S. consumers -- for the first time -- to use their handsets with any network they desire, and download and use the lawful software applications of their choice.It's regrettable that Verizon has decided to use the court system to try to prevent consumers from having...

Tools: The Zero Based Budget
RateState put together a free "zero based budget" excel sheet which you can use to get a handle on your personal finances. The idea behind it is that every single dollar you earn will get allocated to a specific category. There is no money sloshing around, you have total mastery over all of your money.The template comes with a lot of categories set up, so plug in your numbers and create or delete slots as necessary.If you have a positive difference after taking care of expenses, allocate to paying down debts or to savings or to an investment. If you have a negative difference, then you need to reduce non-essential items.The key is to have no money left over at the end, to know where every single penny is going, even if it's going towards CDs or bubble gum.Download Zero Based Budget (XLS)Free Budgeting Tool [RateState]

Complaints: Verizon FiOs Install Results In Gas Line Breach
One Verizon FiOs install results in breached sewer pipe. Another, a breached gas line. There was no explosion, or even smoke. Some unpleasantly scented puffs of air, though. Guess they're getting better. What do you expect to happen when you have guys drilling through stuff? Accidents, that's what. Unfortunate and statistically insignificant accidents. It all comes out in the wash. Like blood. Blood comes out in the wash, right? Still, it's almost like some of these guys have no idea what they're doing. "It's true QAM." Yes, we have true qualms. [NetworkWorld](Photo: JGNY)

On The Cheap: Fall Is A Good Time To Fertilize Your Lawn
The summer is winding down and the days are getting shorter. Sigh. Time to fertilize your lawn. Taking a few steps in the fall will help your lawn avoid disease and will ultimately save you money. From This Old House:Early in September, grass is recovering from a long hot summer and may be coming out of a drought-induced dormancy, so you'll want to give your lawn a shot of nitrogen to push blade growth. A fertilizer with a formula of 20-8-8 will get it growing again. Always follow the manufacturer's recommended rate of application. Some people treat weeds and insects at this time, but I think that unless there are signs of trouble or a history of problems, don't apply anything but fertilizer. While this September dose of fertilizer is important, an application at the end of October or early November is essential. Don't forget about your shrubs and trees too!Fall Fertilizing [This Old House via Shakyard](Photo:kusine)

Privacy: Opt Out Of Verizon's Scheme To Sell Your Personal Info To Marketers
Verizon Wireless customers who don't feel like having their personal information and account information sold to marketers can opt-out by calling 1-800-333-9956. A notice tucked into our recent bill told us we had 30 days from receiving the notice to do it. Considering that Verizon just sold 1,000,000 old accounts to a debt-collecting agency who tried to bully people into pay debts that were already paid off or never incurred in the first place, calling this number might be a wise move.(Photo: Getty)

Badvertising: Great Moments In Commercial History: Rainier Beer
Reader Ian nominates these Rainier Beer commercials because they bring together "two great things that go great together: drinkin' beer and ridin' motorcycles," because the Budweiser frogs were a ripoff, and because Rainier was "bizarre before bizarre became de rigueur."We actually like these ads. Maybe we should change the tag to "Goodvertising." Nah.If you'd like to nominate a commercial for our weekly series "Great Moments In Commercial History" send us an email at tips [at] consumerist [dot] com. Be sure to put "Great Moments In Commercial History" in the subject. To see other commercials that have been featured in the series, click here.

Get What You Pay For: USDA Says Some Organic Milk Is A Rip-Off
If you're going to pay twice as much for milk because you like the idea that the cows have a yard to play in—that's your business—but you'd better be getting what you pay for. According to the USDA one "organic" milk producer that supplies milk to Wal-Mart, Costco, Target and Safeway has been cutting corners.From Fortune:Aurora Organic Daily, a private company based in Boulder, Colorado, says it never broke any rules. But Aurora, which operates large-scale organic farms in Colorado and Texas, signed a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, promising to clean up its act."We're doing a transformation - cows reduced, pasture increased, all animals organic from birth and a significantly increased commitment to research," says Clark Driftmier, vice president of marketing at Aurora.An Aurora farm in Plattsville, Colorado, for example, which once had as many as 4,200 cows, will reduce that number to 1,250, even as most of the farm's buildings and...

Fewer Technicians: Comcast Testing "Do-It-Yourself" Phone Install Kits
Let's face it, you are probably smarter than your last Comcast technician—at least, you probably think you are.Comcast's new telephone self-install kit is for you, smarty pants. Comcast saves money, you save aggravation. (This is where you cross your fingers and pray that what we say is true.) Comcast tentatively plans to charge customers $250 for three cordless phones that link to their cable modems. The total time from opening the box to getting a dial tone is 30 minutes or less, Avgiris said.``It's for the customer who says, `I want the service, and I want it now,''' said Avgiris. Subscribers who want their wired phones to work still need a service call by a Comcast technician. Let's just hope it works. Install kits are being tested in San Francisco and are coming soon to Boston, Denver and Comcast's home town of Philly.Comcast Tests Do-It-Yourself Install Kits for Phones [Bloomberg](Photo:Spidra Webster)

Vehicles: September Is Last Month To Qualify For Hybrid Vehicle Tax Credit
If you're still thinking of purchasing a hybrid vehicle this year, time is running out to get in on the Alternative Motor Vehicle tax credit. We pointed out the official IRS schedule of expiring credits back in March, and now you've got less than 30 days to score a small credit (currently 25% of the original credit amount) on a Toyota or Lexus hybrid—after September 30th, the credit disappears for good. Honda tax credits may be cut by 50% after September 30th, but the verdict's still out on this one. Other AMV credits will continue to exist for a while; for example, alternative fuel vehicles will score you a credit until at least 2010, while fuel-cell vehicles can qualify for credits as high as $12,000 until at least 2014. Which is good, considering that only one car so far meets either category—the Honda Civic GX and the not-available-for-purchase 2006 Honda FCX, respectively.But remember, if you're subject to the alternative minimum tax, the credit won't...

Bargains: Fall Is The Best Time To Buy Cars, Jeans, Wine And More
Did you know that the best time to buy wedding dresses is in November, right after Thanksgiving? For many items, fall is the best season to make a purchase, says SmartMoney's "Deal of the Day" section. This includes wine and cars in September, jeans and toys in October, sneakers in November, and those bargain-basement wedding dresses right before December begins: "The dynamic of the wedding industry is that most people get engaged at Christmas, and most people who are planning [a wedding] get distracted by the holidays," says Alan Fields, co-author of "Bridal Bargains." The result: very lonely bridal-shop owners anxious for business. Now we know what everyone's getting for Christmas! "Best Time to Harvest Deals in Autumn" [SmartMoney](Photo: Maulleigh)

Chinese Poison Train: More Mattel Lead Painted Toy Recalls Tomorrow
Toy-giant Mattel will recall yet more toys covered in deadly lead-tainted paint, the AP reports.Anonymous sources indicated a Fisher-Price toy and its accessories and a Barbie playset would be the recalled items, and the recall would number into the hundreds of thousands.We're not surprised. As we predicted on August 18th in a post commenting on a video Mattel's CEO made after their last recall, that as companies audit their suppliers more intensely, they're going to find more defects.Mattel to Announce 3rd China Toy Recall [AP] (Thanks to super5at)(Photo: AP)

Credit Cards: Opt Out Of USAA's Arbitration Clause
USAA dropped a goose-egg in my mailbox today, a letter informing that there's a new arbitration agreement being added to my AMEX contract. Lovely, I just love being stripped of my rights to a trial with due process. I'm disappointed that USAA, which is otherwise renown for their customer service and concern for their customer's well-being, would resort to this chicanery. Maybe AMEX is making them do it, I dunno. (update: A reader with a USAA Mastercard writes that he received an arbitration notice as well).In any event, the notice also says that I have until October 15, 2007, to opt out of the arbitration agreement without penalty simply by signing and mailing in a form, an option I will most certainly be exercising.

PSAs: Welcome, i-Caught Viewers
Hello to those coming to our site after watching us on ABC's i-Caught!Think of us as your new, daily, consumer action handbook. We give you tips for becoming a smarter shopper, as well as tools for fighting back when a company screws you over.Here are some of our stories on videos mentioned in the broadcast:Macbook SmasherBeware of Brad BensonRobert Mckee taped his Delta flight being stuck for 7 hours on the runwayMattel's online video apologyHere's a bit about us:How can I send you a video? You can upload it to a site like YouTube, Revver, or Vimeo, and email the link to tips@consumerist.comHow do I send you a story/tips/question? Email us at tips@consumerist.com. We can't promise a post, but we will read.What's the deal here?How can I become a commenter?How do you decide what stories to run?

Organic: Whole Foods Mocks FTC By Actually Lowering Prices In Colorado Stores
Now that the Whole Foods organic supermarket chain has finally completed its acquisition of former competitor Wild Oats Markets, it's time for the horrible price gouging we were warned about to kick in. That's why today Whole Foods announced a permanent price reduction at all Wild Oats stores in the Rocky Mountain Region, and stated that all Wild Oats stores in its hometown of Boulder will remain unchanged. Wait—what? Of course, this amounts to mostly a publicity stunt (or goodwill gesture, depending on your level of cynicism); at least one Wild Oats store in another part of the country has already been closed.One of the more interesting announcements following today's completed tender offer is that the company plans to pursue "a new experimental concept called Whole Foods Market Express, featuring a value-oriented product mix, grab-and-go offerings."Value-oriented products? Lower prices? Maybe the gouging will happen next year. It always takes a while for these acquisiti...

Shopping: Morning Deals
AT&T: Pay-As-You-Go Motorola RAZR V3 for $79.99Teva: Sandals Clearance $10.90 Women's, $14.90 Men's, + Free ShipFree bag of Dunkin Donut's ground coffeeHighlights From DealhackB&H Photo: Kodak EasyShare V1003 10MP Digital Camera $175Snapfish: 4x6 Photo Prints only 9 Cents Each with CouponEddie Bauer: Include a Pair of Pants and Save 20% off Entire OrderHighlights From BargainistRalph Lauren: Last Chance Sale up to 70% offAltrec.com: Garage Sale 25% off couponPep Boys: $10 off $50 or more coupon

Health: Vaginal Surgery Is All The Rage—But Is It Worth It?
Labiaplasty is exploding in popularity, but consumers aren't always thinking about the possible risks involved, says the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists—which is why they issued a warning to the public last week that these are not "accepted" or "routine" procedures."What we're concerned about is that there is no safety or efficacy data for these procedures," says Dr. Cheryl Iglesia, director of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. "There are no studies in peer-reviewed journals that show long-term outcomes."The number of overall cosmetic plastic surgeries has surged more than 400 percent in the past decade, and in the past few years labiaplasty has emerged as one of the most popular procedures. Although there are sound medical reasons for the procedure, it's being requested more these days for solely cosmetic reasons, which has the OB/GYN organization worried enough to speak out about...

Defects: Dell Laptop Catches Fire In Shanghai Office
Just when you thought it was safe taste to eat a pomegranate... a Dell laptop catches fire and self destructs! This time, on 9/03, in a Shanghai office. We're guessing a defective battery is the culprit, thus illustrating the perils of ignoring global product recall announcements.More pictures in the indecipherable forum where they first appeared: Dell [Hi-PDA via The Raw Feed]

Recalls: Various Barbie Accessory Toys (lead), Fisher ...
Various Barbie Accessory Toys (lead), Fisher Price Big Big World 6-in-1 Bongo Band toys (lead), Fisher-Price Recalls Geo Trax Locomotive Toys (lead), NettoCollection "Moderne" and "Loft" Cribs (entrapment, strangulation), d-Scan Jubee Bunk Beds (collapse). Mattel's CEO appeared in a new apology video, featuring shots of people in lab coats going through the motions of testing toys (we like how the guy in the beginning nods his head as he writes down a figure, nice lil piece of overacting there).

How To: 13 Step Method For Buying A Car While Controlling The Sale And The Price
Commenter Keter posted a completely kick-ass 13 step guide to buying a car while maintaining total and absolute control over the sales process. It was so good we're lifting it and posting it to the front page.1. Pick the exact make and model of car you want.2. Call around first anonymously (such as calling from work on your lunch hour), and get prices. Tell them you are calling everybody, and the best deal wins. Write down the prices you are given, and note any difference in packages.3. Pick the dealership you think you want to do business with based on the results of this phone call. Price should not be the decider -- demeanor and gut feel should be....4. Go to the dealership you absolutely NEVER want to do business with. Nail down the details on the options -- go for "loaded," then whittle it down to find the approximate prices for each option. Make a detailed list with prices. Mark the options you must have and those can do without.5. Do your research online and compare your...

Swell News: 8 Airlines Raise Fares
Despite what may be the most frustrating summer ever for airline travelers, 8 airlines have decided to raise their fares. Why? Jet fuel prices are up 24% this year. Southwest started the fare raise by upping their prices from $1-$10 each way on Aug 31. "American Airlines, United Airlines, Continental Airlines Inc., Northwest Airlines Corp. and US Airways Group Inc. matched the fares over the weekend, spokesmen said. Delta Air Lines Inc. and AirTran Holdings Inc. raised prices to a lesser extent," says Bloomberg.This will be the 10th fare raise this year. Only JetBlue and Alaska Air abstained from the latest increase.Southwest leads way as 8 airlines raise fares [Baltimore Sun](Photo:Ack Ook)

Health: First Consumer "Popcorn Lung" Case Found
A Denver man who snarfed microwaved popcorn at least twice a day for over a decade has been diagnosed with the first consumer case of "popcorn lung" an asthma-like condition that results from over-exposure to popcorn fumes, NYT reports."When he broke open the bags, after the steam came out, he would often inhale the fragrance because he liked it so much," Dr. Rose said. "That's heated diacetyl, which we know from the workers' studies is the highest risk."Dr. Rose measured levels of diacetyl in the man's home after he made popcorn and found levels of the chemical were similar to those in microwave popcorn plants. She asked the man to stop eating microwave popcorn."He was really upset that he couldn't have it anymore," Dr. Rose said. "But he complied."Now the man has lost 50lbs and his lungs have gotten better. Moral of the story: Don't OD on popcorn, freakazoids.Doctor Links a Man's Illness to a Microwave Popcorn Habit [NYT]PREVIOUSLY: Microwave Popcorn May Cause Lung Damage(Photo:...

Gas: FTC Says Gas Was Expensive Last Year Because Of Market Forces, Not Price Gouging
You can stop worrying about whether or not you got screwed by the gas industry. The Federal Trade Commission announced late last week that they've found no evidence of price gouging during 2006, when the average price of gas rose above $3 per gallon. Or as one oil industry spokesman puts it (tactlessly, for a spokesman), "It's difficult for the average American to understand market forces, but that is what's ultimately in play with this industry." The FTC said high gasoline prices in the spring and summer of 2006 were caused byregular seasonal effects from increased demand in the summerincreases in the price of crude oilincreases in the price of ethanolreduced production by refinersdamage to refineries from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005increased demand for gasThe lone dissenting statement, from Democrat Jon Leibowitz, is brief enough to include in its entirety here (or you can download a pdf copy with footnotes from the FTC website):The oil industry, which posted record...

Clean Up Your Act: American Airlines Fined Again For Unsafe Work Conditions At O'Hare
American Airlines was fined $231,000 back in June for unsafe work conditions at Chicago's O'Hare airport. The conditions included fall hazards, electrical and fire hazards, hygiene issues, blocked exits and storage of oxygen and acetylene cylinders. Now American Airlines has been fined a second time by OSHA—and this time it'll cost them $227,500. From the Daily Herald:Citations have included a lack of warning signs or labels on previously identified asbestos-containing materials, which could exposure employees to that hazardous substance; hearing conservation; confined space entry; respirator issues and failing to inform employees of the presence of hazardous chemicals and labeling many of those chemicals; and failing to maintain Hepatitis B declination forms.Since 2004, OSHA has inspected American Airlines 66 times at locations nationwide, with 37 inspections resulting in citations. Its O'Hare hub has been inspected 10 times since 2000, with five inspections resulting...

Furniture: Reach IKEA Executive Customer Service
For some consumers, it seems IKEA wants them to also build their own customer service. But hex wrenches can't effect a warranty repair. If calling the general customer service number doesn't help you out, these methods may help you lob your issue into their laps.Connect to IKEA US Customer Relations Manager Office and also pull up a company directory that goes off of the first three letters of the last name: 610-834-0180Email addresses for US top management. The four letter system may work for other employees, or firstname.lastname@memo.ikea.com. Try both.(Photo: jgodsey)

Subprime Meltdown: Pending Home Sales Plummet 12% In July
Pending home sales plummeted in July—dropping 12%—the steepest drop since the pending sales index was created and nearly 5 times what analysts were estimating. ``The housing market is bad and is going to stay bad for some time,'' said Zach Pandl, an economist at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in New York, who predicted a 3 percent drop. ``This number does not look good for existing home sales for August.''The median forecast was for a decrease of 2.2 percent, according to a survey of 26 analysts. Estimates ranged from a drop of 4 percent to an increase of 1.5 percent....President George W. Bush on Aug. 31 said he will let the Federal Housing Administration, which insures mortgages for low- and middle-income borrowers, guarantee loans for delinquent borrowers. The new program will allow homeowners with a good credit rating who can't afford their current payments to refinance into FHA-insured home loans. Let's hope all those subprime borrowers have good credit....

Reverse-roofie: Beware Viagra's Possible Love Side Effects!
And now, an article for the men. Dang!—it turns out Viagra has a sneaky side effect of making you feel love and not just arousal whenever you take it. In lab studies, it increases the amount of oxytocin in rats, which is a hormone associated with "feelings of love," including nursing and childbirth as well as sexual pleasure. (This should not be confused with the drug OxyContin, which does something else entirely, and which tends to be widely abused by lab rats in the midwest.)What's the point of chemically induced party sex if it's just gonna lead to willful monogamy? And if it turns out to have the same effect in humans, can Pfizer be found legally responsible for failed marriages that were initiated by drug-induced false love? Are these even scientifically literate questions? No, they are not. On a more serious note, however, it may indicate that drugs like Viagra could be used for other purposes—the article suggests "to promote social bonding," but that...

Good Intentions: Washington D.C. Gives Away Uncool, Defective Condoms
We're sure that Washington D.C. meant well when it started giving away free condoms in order to help stop the spread of H.I.V. in the US city with the highest AIDS rate. One problem: The condoms suck. From the Washington Post: Volunteers concerned about why interest had dropped began asking people who had picked up the condoms. They were told about packets ripping in purses or bursting open in pockets. As a result, recipients said they had little confidence that the condoms would offer protection.In addition, expiration dates on some of the Chinese-made condoms were illegible."People were saying, 'These packets aren't any good,' " said Franck DeRose, executive director of an organization called the Condom Project, one of those involved in the grass-roots distribution system. Well, that's really disappointing. Consumers also don't like the way the package looks. It's emblazoned with the slogan "Coming Together to Stop HIV in D.C." We nominate those words as the very last thing...

Taxi Strike 2007: 80% of taxi drivers stayed home because of ...
80% of taxi drivers stayed home because of a strike in NYC, causing long lines and general grumpiness in an already grumpy city. [New York Times]

Fashion Police: Southwest Airlines Thinks Your Outfit Is Inappropriate
According to the Union-Tribune, Southwest airlines objected to an outfit worn by a 23 year-old Hooters waitress. Southwest went so far as to ask the woman the leave the airplane. So what was she wearing? A "white denim miniskirt, high-heel sandals, and a turquoise summer sweater over a tank top over a bra."My god! Alert the TSA and the local police! We can see leg!She had a doctor's appointment that afternoon in Tucson, where temperatures had topped 106 all week. She arrived at Lindbergh Field wearing a white denim miniskirt, high-heel sandals, and a turquoise summer sweater over a tank top over a bra. After the plane filled, and the flight attendants began their safety spiel, Ebbert was asked to step off the plane by a customer service supervisor, identified by the airline only as "Keith." They walked out onto the jet bridge, where Keith told Ebbert her clothing was inappropriate and asked her to change. She explained she was flying to Tucson for only a few hours and had brought...

Food: Starbucks To Stop Using Monsanto Milk
By the end of this year, Starbucks will no longer serve dairy products that contain Posilac, aka rBGH or rbST, the growth hormone manufactured by Monsanto, says a Reuters article. The company was already well on its way to cutting rBGH out of its menu—as of last month, 72% of their dairy comes from rBGH-free suppliers. According to a letter sent by Starbucks to Food & Water Watch (which has heavily campaigned against the synthetic hormone), "By December 31, 2007, all of our fluid milk, half and half, whipping cream and eggnog used in U.S. company-operated stores will be produced without the use of rBGH." According to the article, 30% of dairy cows today are given Posilac injections to increase milk production, and Monsanto (previously discussed here and here) has countered that the decision will have negative effects on dairy farmers who rely on Posilac for their business model. The synthetic hormone hasn't been proven to have any negative health effects on humans&...

Videos: Clip Of Meghann On ABC's i-Caught
newVideoPlayer("con_cuaght.flv", 475, 376);Here's the segment from last night's i-Caught featuring Consumerist's Meghann Marco talking about how consumers are using online videos to express their grievances.We think the online video can be effective escalation tool, as it were, as long as you've made reasonable efforts to contact the company and exhausted normal channels. The guidelines for making a good complaint still apply. That said, everytime you make a consumer complaint video, a new kitten is born.

Personal Finance: Cars Cost Half Of A Family's Income
Bankrate is reporting that the average new car will cost half of the average family's income. How depressing! The average price for a new car is $28,200 in 2007, meaning that the average family has to work about 25 weeks to afford the car. It sounds bad but it's nowhere near as awful as it used to be in the 1990s when families were working 31 weeks a year to afford a new car. So how much should you really spend on a car? According to advice from Edmunds.com, it's probably less than you think."People waste all kinds of money when purchasing and owning cars. It's a depreciating asset. There's no way to get around that," Reed says. "So right from the get-go you will lose money, but the question is: How much? You want to control the bleeding."Reed is fairly strict about how much money people should spend on a car. He says a good rule of thumb is 20 percent of income. This means someone who buys a $20,000 car should be making $100,000. Yay for used cars.Cars cost half of family's...

Polls: Has "Super-Capitalism" Outmoded Democracy?
Heard some interesting commentary this morning on the Leonard Lopate show by former Secretary of Labor Robert B. Reich on why he thinks "super-capitalism" has outmoded democracy.He posits that Americans are increasingly disengaged from the democratic process and people are more concerned about prices than creating a stronger social fabric... So the question we beg is...Gawker Media polls require Javascript; if you're viewing this in an RSS reader, click through to view in your Javascript-enabled web browser.

Stocks: Historically, September is the worst month ...
Historically, September is the worst month for the S&P 500. Now we don't feel so bad about our portfolio. [All Financial Matters]

Schadenfreude: iPhone Price Chopped Already, 8GB $200 Cheaper
Hey, early adopters! You've been screwed! Again! Steve Jobs announced at his keynote speech today that the 8GB iPhone is getting a price chop and the 4GB is going away completely, according to our sister site Gizmodo.Consumerist always advises that eager beavers take a moment to relax and think before running out to buy the next new thing. As former Consumerist editor Joel Johnson once said: "Stop buying this crap. Just stop it. You don't need it. Wait a year until the reviews come out and the other suckers too addicted to having the very latest and greatest buy it, put up a review, and have moved on to something else."So, the next time you feel the need to wait in line to get a pretty new gadget remember that you could have saved $200 bucks by waiting, uh, about 2 months, and 8 days. Give or take. 8GB iPhone Price Cut by $200, 4GB iPhone Gone [Gizmodo](Photo:Gizmodo)

Badvertising: Great Moments In Commercial History: Apple
It has the power of at least 2 computers! It can run over 10,000 different programs! It comes with everything you need to hook it up to your TV! You can take it home for under $1300!We like watching ads for outdated technology. It reminds us not to spend tons on money on soon-to-be obsolete junk, and also makes us feel happy that technology is so much better than it was in 1984. And just because we love you, here's one about something new called "the internet" and an old Mac/PC ad:If you'd like to nominate a commercial for our weekly series "Great Moments In Commercial History" send us an email at tips [at] consumerist [dot] com. Be sure to put "Great Moments In Commercial History" in the subject. To see other commercials that have been featured in the series, click here.

Xbox: "Bill Gates, You Suck"
Dan Jouver, a self-identifying southern Floridian, is yet another customer experiencing Xbox's notorious Red Ring of Death product failure, multiple times, but unlike others, he is eventually driven to destroy his Xbox on-camera in a series of exciting scenarios.See, Dan wants to play Tiger Woods, Madden, Need For Speed, and GTA... so he plays them with his broken XBOX. It's a process that involves large pieces of plastic and metal become smaller, multiple, pieces of plastic and metal.That's in the second video, below. The first video, above, is his expression of frustration with the warranty repair process in the typical "straight to camera" mode, but the eponymous conveyance of his true feelings, and the appearance of what looks like a recalled Fisher-Price toy in the background, raise it above the quotidian.

Fast Food: Krispy Kreme Is In Serious Trouble
For a place that makes some pretty damn good donuts, Krispy Kreme isn't quite as good at managing their money. The troubled donut maker will close about half of its 15 Chicago-area stores and its Illinois franchise will enter Chapter 11 bankruptcy. From the Chicago Tribune:Sweet Traditions [franchise] abruptly shut down its three tollway oasis locations in May, citing high rent and low foot traffic.Schlegel said the company had been obligated to pay leases at a total of seven oasis location, even though it had shuttered three and had not built stores at the other four."We were needing to get out of those leases," Schlegel said. Bankruptcy allows companies to void unwanted leases.Schlegel said some corporate practices at Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Krispy Kreme had also hurt her company.At one time, the company required its franchisees to build large factory stores, where all doughnuts are made on site. The stores cost about $3 million each, Schlegel said, a large capital investment...

It's Your Mess, You Fix It: A disgruntled mother, overwhelmed by the ...
A disgruntled mother, overwhelmed by the sheer number of toys to check against the lead paint recall list, throws them all in a trash bag and brings them to Mattel headquarters to let their employees sort them out. [CNN Video]

Bioshock DRM Backlash: Just when we thought the Bioshock DRM fiasco ...
Just when we thought the Bioshock DRM fiasco was going away, a 2k Games rep told a customer that he needed to buy the game for each user account on his PC. "The other way to view this, is one USER has purchased the game. Not the whole family. So why should your brother play for free?" [2k Forums via Digg]

Religion: Annual Islamic Convention Is A Muslim Shopper's Dream
The annual Islamic Society of North America convention, which was held this past weekend in Illinois, is the largest on the continent—this year approximately 40,000 people attended to take part in panel discussions and seminars. It's also a bastion of shopping stalls offering every Muslim product imaginable, which leads the UK's Guardian newspaper to wonder whether it has become "more about shopping than spirituality."The huge convention centre was packed with 333 stalls catering for the modern Muslim's every need, including a digital Qur'an audio player, festive Ramadan lights, a pre-packed funeral kit, halal jerky and a mobile phone application that provides daily prayer times for more than 12,000 cities worldwide.It's a straw man argument, apparently, because the article provides no source for the criticism that the convention is too materialistc. Instead, it mostly offers quotes from attendees who share their enthusiasm for what's on offer and say the convention...

Everything's $1? Just Take It: Over a dozen shoppers perused the aisles ...
Over a dozen shoppers perused the aisles of an unstaffed Dollar Tree store on Labor Day after a door lock malfunctioned. The lights were on and shopping music was being piped in, but there was nobody at the registers, which led a suspicious customer to call the authorities. [seattlepi.com]

Airline Suckage From Around The Globe: "Officials at Nepal's state-run airline ...
"Officials at Nepal's state-run airline have sacrificed two goats to appease Akash Bhairab, the Hindu sky god, following technical problems with one of its Boeing 757 aircraft, the carrier said Tuesday." It also fixed the plane in a more mechanical way, but has declined to say what was wrong with it. [Reuters]

Agitprop: Anti-Wal-Mart Show Discounted By Critics
Sure, it's a clich, but the closest New York City residents are going to get to the Wal-Mart experience is... a musical! Yes, with singing and dancing! After a year of retooling to transfer it from its semi-professional beginnings in Wisconsin to its latest incarnation Off-Broadway, "Walmartopia" opened this week to mostly poor reviews.The husband and wife team behind the "musical on a mission" have cited the books "Nickel and Dimed" and "Selling Women Short" as sources, but it might just be better to read the books, based on reactions to the show, which include descriptions like "ham-handed satire" and "bland and witless."As far as effective agitprop goes, it looks like South Park still holds the award for most entertaining spin on the pleasures and dangers of the super-mega-corporation. Or, as one review puts it, "Bad art never helped anyone's cause."Resources:"Selling Women Short" at Amazon"Nickel and Dimed" at Amazonwalmartopia.com"Attention, Shoppers: Anguish in Aisle...

Sam's Club: Adventures In Receipt Check Refusals Continue
Rich in Michigan writes that a Michigan Sam's Club employee foiled his efforts to circumvent the receipt-checking line.I was detained in a Sams Club receipt-checking line today. When I attempted to steer my cart around the line and out the exit door, an employee with a nametag of 'Linda' stepped in front of my cart and asked me to surrender my receipt. When I asked if I was being detained, she assured me that I was...At this point, she took the receipt out of my hand, checked it (there were two items in the cart), I left the store. I'm not exactly sure if what went on was legal or ethical, but I damn sure know that it was terrible customer service.You know, in all this receipt-checking kerfuffle we've mentioned that places like Sam's Club can insert mandatory receipt-checking clauses in their contracts, but we've yet to see one proper, and darned if we can't find a copy of their membership agreement online. Scavenger hunt: provide us with a copy of a store's, any store's,...

Thrift: This frugal mother keeps all the ketchup ...
This frugal mother keeps all the ketchup packets she ever gets from fast food places, puts them in a kitchen drawer, and when the ketchup bottle runs out, spends an hour with a funnel and scissors, refilling the bottle. Imagine how much more money, in real dollars and health costs, she could have saved if she forwent fast food in the first place. [Wisebread via Blogging Away Debt]

Consumer Alert: Rite Aid Selling Smoke Machine Fuel Containing Antifreeze
Rite Aid is selling antifreeze-laced fog juice, the substance that is atomized and turned into a gas by smoke machines, and doesn't seem to care too much, reports reader Jennifer.Instructions available on making your own smoke machine fuel specifically forbid using ethylene glycol, as it is a deadly poison.The distributor, Harry at First Imperial Trading Company, told Jennifer that ethylene glycol was a "harmless food additive." (He somehow must have it confused with propylene glycol...)When Jennifer contacted the CPSC, they referred it to Rite Aid, who referred it back to the manufacturer. The local Rite Aid, however, did agree to take the bottles off the shelves, but what of the 5,000 other Rite Aids?

Sales Techniques: Can A Confusing Sales Pitch Trick You Into Buying Something?
An article due out in the October issue of the Journal of Consumer Research studies a sales technique called "disrupt-then-reframe," in which the sales person initially tries to confuse the potential customer, then restates the sales pitch in a more familiar way. By reframing the sales pitch in a more familiar way the consumers natural defenses are weakened and the consumer becomes more susceptible to the sales pitch. So, can you be confused into buying something? Yes. And it's not even very difficult to do. From the University of Chicago Journals Press Release:Although encounters between commercial sales representatives and consumers are one of the more common types of interpersonal interactions found in everyday life, relatively little research has been conducted on interpersonal influence attempts applied to commercial settings," write Frank R. Kardes (University of Cincinnati), Bob M. Fennis (University of Twente, the Netherlands), Edward R. Hirt, Zakary L. Tormala, and...

Apple: Claim Your $100 Early Adopter iPhone Credit
If you bought the iPhone before the price drop, Apple has an easy site where you can claim your $100 credit.Just write in your phone number and iPhone serial number. Apple sends you a text message with an access code. Write the access code and your phone number again and there you go, your early adopter tax is refunded.iPhone Store Credit [Apple] (Thanks to Vincent!)

Complaints: Verizon Doesn't Care If It Eats Up All Your Vacation Days Waiting For Installations
To whom it may concern:I signed up online for Verizon DSL. I was sent an email on August 1 informing me that my DSL, and the dedicated data line I set up, were both ready. However, when I did the installation, the DSL light was blinking and none of the repairs worked. I called Verizon to try to remedy the problem. The operator led me through the steps before telling me that I would be receiving a call from dispatch to set up an appointment with a tech. No one called. Over a day later, I called again, and was forced through the same tests I did before, and was again told dispatch would call me. They did not call. Between these two phone calls and your automated system, I had already spent approximately four hours on the phone with your customer service department.Finally, last night (8/8), I went through the whole program (AGAIN), and actually got to speak with dispatch. They informed me that a tech would be out today (8/9) between 8 am and 7 pm. As I am actually employed...

Wholesale: Direct Buy: Pay $5,000 To Save?
Consumer Reports investigated wholesale shopping club "Direct Buy." to see if the deals lived up to the commercials. They were unimpressed.For those of you who haven't been subjected to Direct Buy's frequent and annoying commercials, the club is marketed as a store with no mark-ups, then Direct Buy cues the parade of McMansion owners who claim to have saved some ridiculous number like $80,000 on kitchen cabinets alone. (That they made kitchen cabinets that cost more than $80,000 was something we didn't know. If it's not in the IKEA catalog it doesn't exist.) Anyhow, Consumer Reports says:To evaluate the pitch, we went undercover at two DirectBuy franchises in New York. Both gave us the same hard sell and offers of up to 70 percent off retail prices if we were to join. Only after an hour and a half of sales pitches and video testimonials from members did we learn the membership fee: $4,900 to $4,990 (plus tax) for three years and then $190 a year for seven more. Financing is...

How To: 9 Ways To Break Your Shopping Addiction
If you compulsively shop, shop to cheer yourself up, experience regret after spending money you don't have, run up high credit card bills, and generally behave like a freshman college student at your first beer blast, then... well, we don't want to go all Dr. Phil on you, but you might have a little bit of a problem. Sharon Epperson, author of "The Big Payoff," offers 9 tips on how to curb your addiction.Know what you haveCarry a shopping list (note: we accidentally typed "bag" instead of "list"—seriously—which we think raises some alarms about our own tendencies)Put items that you want to buy on "hold"Don't be a sucker for salesBring cash, leave the plastic at homeTrack what you spendCut up your credit cardsPay off credit card debtSeek financial advicePersonally, we think the latter half of the list falls into the "tired financial advice" category. But we like suggestions that trick the more immature parts of your brain, like putting things you like on...

Shopping: Morning Deals
Woot: Polk Audio RM8000T/RM50T Tower Speakers for $399.99T-Mobile: WING cell phone for $49.99 no activation fees, free shipping, with 1 year contractBloomingdale's: 20% off when you buy 2 or more pairs of women's denim with coupon code DD914Highlights From BargainistDell: $350 off Inspiron desktops over $999 couponE.L.F. Cosmetics: Everything $1JetBlue Airways: $50 Off winter travel + 20 TrueBlue pointsHighlights From DealhackDesign Within Reach: Free Shipping on All Lighting & 15% off Tolomeo LampsCircuit City: Save $150: InFocus IN24+ DLP Projector $500iPrint: Save 30% off All Custom Business Card Orders

Roundups: Top Posts Of The Week
The World's Worst Credit Card"After all the fees have been collected, it has a credit limit of $53."How I Lost 14.6 Pounds Sitting In Front Of A Computer"Something had to be done, and I was going to use what made me fat, computers and the internet, to help me do it."Walmart Tries To Steal Shopper's Baby"Your rentacop badge doesn't make you God."Man Attempts To Return Walmart Ammunition At 1300 Feet Per Second"...a man tried to return shotgun ammunition to his local Walmart. After he was refused he became enraged and told the employees he would be back to kill them all."Comcast Installs Cable With Extreme Incompetence"They took apart one of our phone jacks in our office room for some reason and left it hanging."

Cars: A resource site for California drivers interested ...
A resource site for California drivers interested in fighting their traffic tickets, including sample form letters and how to have a trial by mail. [The Ticket Assassin]

Telephony: Which Cellphone Company Is Best About Fighting Text Message Spam?
Cellphone text message spam is still rare, but annoying, especially as each one usually costs you. If you're experiencing a deluge, often the only way to fight it is to turn off text messaging entirely, but which providers let you?Tmobile: No, "because it's where voice mail and billing notifications are delivered."Verizon: No, but you can disable receiving text messages sent from emails or web browsers.Sprint: Yes.AT&T: Yes.Alltel: YesVerizon wins. Almost all text-message spam campaigns are run from a computer so disabling receiving messages sent by computer, while still retaining the ability to receive cellphone text messages, is the best option.For some, there's no way around text spam [Red Tape Chronicles](Photo: NOC)

Subprime Meltdown: WaMu has closed Long Beach Mortgage Co., ...
WaMu has closed Long Beach Mortgage Co., their Southern California subprime mortgage lender, laying off 150 people. WaMu says they will also drop 1,000 jobs and stop financing mortgage companies. Subprime mortgage candidates will now have to deal directly with WaMu to apply for a loan. [Orange County Register]

Subprime Meltdown: Greenspan "Didn't Really Get" That Subprime Lending Could Hurt The Economy
Former U.S. Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan told 60 Minutes that he "didn't really get" that irresponsible subprime lending could be significant enough to hurt the economy, but he still defends the decision to keep interest rates low from 2001-2004. Critics are now saying that these low rates were the cause of the crisis. Bad news for Greenspan who is set to release his book, The Age Of Turbulence, on Monday—just as his successor considers a rate cut that many say is needed to prevent the subprime meltdown from taking down the rest of the economy. From CBS News:Greenspan says he knew about the questionable subprime lending tactics that gave loans to homebuyers and investors with low adjustable interest rates that could rise precipitously, but not the severe economic consequences they posed. "While I was aware a lot of these practices were going on, I had no notion of how significant they had become until very late," he tells Stahl. "I really didn't get it until...