El uso de Linkedin en España #infografia #infographic #socialmedia

Hola: Una infografía sobre el uso de Linkedin en España. Vía Websa100 Un saludo



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SEO vs SEM: semejanzas y diferencias #infografia #infographic #seo #marketing

Hola: Una infografía sobre SEO vs SEM: semejanzas y diferencias. Un saludo



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9 ideas para descubrir lo que te apasiona #infografia #infographic #entrepreneurship

Hola: Una infografía con 9 ideas para descubrir lo que te apasiona. Vía Un saludo



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Dear Equifax And Heartland Bank, I Am Not Dead

(oldeastsidr)

A 46-year-old woman near St. Louis would like to to refinance her mortgage and maybe get some new credit cards. She can’t, though. As far as her bank and the credit bureau Equifax are concerned, she’s dead.

The alleged dead woman filed a federal lawsuit this week. Her problems started about a year ago, when she had herself added to her parents’ bank accounts in order to help them manage their finances. Her parents are both alive, so that isn’t when the error occurred. It’s not like the case of a woman who was accidentally declared “deceased” on her hospital paperwork, setting off a bureaucratic nightmare. No one knows how this information entered her record, so no one knows how to get rid of it. Apparently.

Equifax told reporters that they blocked the offending account from the woman’s credit report, so theoretically no records should show her as “deceased” in the future. Will that work?

While most of us aren’t declared dead behind our backs, one report indicates that about a quarter of Americans have some kind of error on their credit reports.

‘Excuse me, I’m not dead’ St. Louis County woman pleads to her bank [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

7 ideas de contenido para tu blog #infografia #infographic #marketing

Hola: Una infografía con 7 ideas de contenido para tu blog. Vía Un saludo



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Los 4 errores más comunes de un Curriculum Vitae #infografia #infographic #empleo

Hola: Una infografía con los 4 errores más comunes de un Curriculum Vitae. Un saludo



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Cómo son las 5.000 mayores empresas de Castilla y León #infografia #infographic

Hola: Una infografía sobre cómo son las 5.000 mayores empresas de Castilla y León. Vía Un saludo



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El email marketing es el rey del marketing #infogafia #infographic #marketing

Hola: Una infografía que nos dice que el email marketing es el rey del marketing. Vía Un saludo



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Cómo conocer las emociones de otras personas #infografia #infographic #psychology

Hola: Una infografía sobre cómo conocer las emociones de otras personas. Un saludo © 2013 Pokersites.com



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10 errores que tu perfil público NO puede cometer (Infojobs) #infografia #infographic #empleo

Hola: Una infografía con 10 errores que tu perfil público NO puede cometer (Infojobs). Vía Un saludo



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Ask Tax Dad: Disabled Veterans, Commuting Actors, And Depreciating Dishwashers, And

Historically, our staff Certified Tax Cat has handled readers’ questions about taxes, but he took feline early retirement and hung up his oversized eyeglasses. Filling in for him is Laura’s dad, a retired accountant and real live independent tax preparer. Exclusively on Consumerist, Tax Dad answers your questions.

My husband receives money every month from the VA for his service-related disabilities. This is my first year doing our taxes with the addition of this income. The money is tax-free- do we still claim it?

- Shanna

Thank your husband for his service, Shanna. You need not claim the disability pension, according to IRS Publication 17, if he served in the Armed Services of any country, and the disability was the result of a combat-related injury, resulting directly from armed conflict, or under conditions simulating war, while he was engaged in extra hazardous service, or was caused by any instrumentality of war.

Other exclusions may apply: seek guidance from your local VA if you have more questions.

I have a question about depreciation for an appliance on a rental property. The dishwasher in my rental died at the end of the year. I bought and paid for a replacement in December, but the installation was a separate charge which I will pay in 2014. How do I handle depreciation for that?

- Becky

Yes, Becky, installation costs, delivery fees, and sales tax, if any, would also be legitimate costs of the basis of the new washer. These should be capitalized and depreciated over the life of the appliance.

Up until now, my tax life has been uncomplicated — no dependents, no house, no retirement plans, and income in the $40K range — so I have always used the 1040EZ.

This year I made over $50K so I started a 401K and IRA but have no other major deductions. Which tax form should I use?

- SWB

Hi SWB: If your life is really this uncomplicated, IRS says that you are still eligible to use Tax Form 1040A so long as your taxable income is less than $100,000, and you only have these adjustments for IRA and 401K, so you may be good for a couple more years.

Or, if you are expecting a tax refund, you may wish to visit the IRS.gov website and file electronically for free. Your refund will come much faster, and filing is uncomplicated also.

I am an actor and I drive to gigs. Acting is my only source of income.

Is my mileage deductible or do I have to meet a certain minimum income threshold?

Thanks.

Art Vandelay

Hi Art:

I thought you were in a different line of work.

This is one of those questions that requires a lot more information. Are you paid a salary? Are you self-employed? Are you paid via cash or check? Are you incorporated? Do you have an agent?

Generally speaking, I would think you would be considered self-employed, in which case you would file a Schedule C, Self-Employment Income, with your return. Assuming you have earned income, you would be able to deduct most expenses of earning this income, such as clothing, makeup, hotels and entertainment, travel expenses (mileage or actual costs), and others.

If your income is less than your expenses in 3 of 5 years, IRS might consider your acting a hobby. You should probably consult your agent, other actors with similar circumstances, or an accountant who is familiar with your trade. See you on Broadway.

Disclaimer: The nature of free advice is that you often pretty much get what you pay for. Questions answered in the “Ask Tax Dad” column should not serve as a substitute for consulting a tax preparer, accountant, tax attorney, or certified tax cat of your very own. Tax Dad regrets that he cannot offer advice privately over e-mail.

Have a question for Tax Dad about your federal or state tax returns? Send it to us at tips@consumerist.com with “ASK TAX DAD” in the subject line. We’ll run the answers as soon as we can get him to stop Photoshopping pictures of wild grouse.

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

El elevado coste de lo gratis #infografia #infographic #marketing

Hola: Una infografía sobre el elevado coste de lo gratis. Vía Un saludo



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Delta Flight Makes Unplanned Stop To Drop Off “Unruly” Passenger Accused Of Getting Grabby

(YouTube)

If there are two things that don’t mix it’s alcohol and close quarters. Okay, three — it’s even trickier when you’re in mid-flight and your fellow passenger gets a bit unruly after a few too many cocktails. A woman who was allegedly intoxicated on a Delta flight from Baltimore to Salt Lake City prompted the pilot to make an unplanned stop to drop her off with authorities in Minneapolis.

It’s unclear exactly what went down, but the fellow passenger who posted two videos of the incident wrote in the caption that the woman was allegedly drinking and made “sexual advances” to her male seatmate. Those videos accuse her of becoming enraged when he turned her down, prompting the flight crew to handcuff her.

Again, that’s coming from a passenger sitting a few rows away so the video’s descriptions are just allegations at this point.

A spokesman for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International airport confirmed to the The Salt Lake Tribune that the crew handed the woman over to airport police at about 8 p.m. on Friday night, whereupon she was taken to a medical center for observation.

The spokesman said she was was “very intoxicated” and was “grabbing at passengers,” but left it at that.

In one video she’s heard screaming profanities and other potty-mouthed epithets, while the follow-up video shows a quieter scene after she’d been taken into custody. The video may be NSFW due to strong language, so turn down the volume or put on headphones if/when you watch the videos.

Because the flight was in mid-air at the time of the alleged disturbance, local law enforcement won’t pursue charges. It’d be up to federal officials to make that call, and it’s unclear if she’s been charged for anything.

The flight continued on to Salt Lake City without further incident, a Delta spokesman said.

Drunk woman on plane to Salt Lake City allegedly made sexual advances [The Salt Lake Tribune]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Campañas efectivas de Google Adwords #infografia #infographic #marketing

Hola: Una infografía sobre campañas efectivas de Google Adwords. Un saludo Cómo crear una campaña efectiva con Google Adwords. Una infografía de Área Estrategias en Internet



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Cómo doblar los +1 en Google + en un mes #infografia #infographic #socialmedia

Hola: Una infografía sobre Cómo doblar los +1 en Google + en un mes. Vía Un saludo



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Comcast, NBC Won’t Let Lower-Tier Cable Subscribers Stream Olympics Online

Comcast really wants you to watch the highlights that were already spoiled for you 12 hours earlier.

If you don’t like the idea of watching pre-taped, heavily edited rebroadcasts of sporting events that happened eight to 24 hours earlier (and which have probably been spoiled for you by the Internet anyway), NBC is letting some viewers of most cable providers stream all the events live online. Unfortunately, those with the most basic of cable packages apparently don’t count as far as NBC is concerned.

Gigaom confirms that cable and satellite subscribers whose packages don’t include CNBC and MSNBC can not access the NBC live streams, even though little to no Winter Olympics coverage is being shown on those channels… and the live streams aren’t actually the same feeds as you see on the NBC channels… and the feeds not only have banner ads you can’t get rid of but are also interrupted at every opportunity by the same four ads that invariably begin whenever something interesting is about to happen.

So this means that people who have Comcast’s Internet Plus package — the one that is the lowest cable tier and HBO — or its Digital Economy tier don’t have access to the streams, and most of them aren’t finding this out until after they try to verify their cable account via the NBC Olympics website or app.

And the same goes for all the cable and satellite providers that have an arrangement with NBC for verifying streaming users. If your package doesn’t have CNBC or MSNBC, don’t expect to watch curling at 4 a.m. on your iPad.

That is unless you have a friend willing to let you use her login, or use a DNS-spoofing service or proxy service to trick the BBC website into thinking you’re in the U.K.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

El futuro del móvil #infografia #infographic

Hola: Una infografía sobre el futuro del móvil. Vía Un saludo



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10 frases interesantes sobre liderazgo #infografia #infographic #citas #quotes

Hola: Una infografía con 10 frases interesantes sobre liderazgo. Vía Un saludo



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La primera regla del marketing de contenidos #infogafia #infographic #marketing

Hola: Una infografía sobre la primera regla del marketing de contenidos. Un saludo Hecho con cariño por Socialmood



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Beneficios de trabajar desde casa #infografia #infographic #empleo

Hola: Una infografía con los beneficios de trabajar desde casa. Un saludoArchivado en: Infografía, Inserción laboral, RRHH, Sociedad de la información Tagged: Infografía, Inserción laboral, internet, RRHH, tic



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Bank Of America Customer Battles $245 In Cascading Overdrafts, Wins

(frankieleon)

We don’t want to admit it, but most of us have done it before. We’ve misjudged how much money was in our checking accounts, leading to a cascade of overdraft fees. It happened to Bob: he used his Bank of America debit card for each transaction during a night out and was hit with a total of $245 in fees. Sure, he could have taken the fees as an expensive lesson, but he chose to fight back instead.

A Starbucks drink here, a dinner tab there…it adds up when you get smacked with a $35 overdraft fee every time you swipe your card. The best solution is to avoid overdrafting in the first place, or to remove overdraft protection from your account, but it was too late to do that. Instead, Bob called up Bank of America.

The front-line customer service rep was helpful enough, but only had the authority to waive one of the overdraft fees. Bob remembered one of the most basic lessons in dealing with customer service: appeal to a greater authority. “I knew to ask to plead to a higher power,” he wrote to us in his letter of thanks, “and after a brief wait in the supervisor queue – I was thrilled to find out that the supervisor was willing to reverse not just a portion – but ALL of the charges. I can’t explain the feeling of euphoria that generated.”

That’s okay. Most people reading this right now will understand the euphoria and satisfaction that come from fighting to get your money back and winning. Consumer satisfaction: one of the best natural highs of all.

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Starbucks Says ‘Dumb Starbucks’ Can Not Use Starbucks Name

(Photo: Twitter user @MarkMcCune)

A quick update to the earlier story about the “Dumb Starbucks” store that opened up in L.A. over the weekend with operators claiming they don’t need permission to use the coffee chain’s name because the addition of “dumb” makes it a parody and therefore covered by the doctrine of fair use. Starbucks disagrees.

In a statement to the L.A. Times, a rep for Starbucks gives a vague explanation of the company’s current stance on the store that came out of nowhere.

“We are evaluating next steps and while we appreciate the humor, they cannot use our name, which is a protected trademark,” says the rep.

Some believe that the operators of the Dumb Starbucks are confusing copyright and trademark. Fair use generally covers the parodic use of copyrighted content — that’s why people can do parody covers of songs or why TV sketch shows can do spoofs of other shows and movies without worrying about getting sued or having to pay the original’s authors. Trademark parody isn’t as cut and dry, especially when the creators of an alleged parody make no attempt to hide the fact that they are merely using the parody defense to take advantage of a trademarked brand name, which the Dumb Starbucks folks did in an FAQ handed out at the store.

There are those who believe the operators of Dumb Starbucks have no interest in operating a coffee shop or of making a point about parody and copyright or trademarks, but will be revealed to be a publicity stunt for someone (or group of persons) looking to do anything to stand out.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Teen Scams Walmarts Out Of $30,000 By Pretending To Be Manager From Another Walmart

I once knew a guy who said that with the right outfit and enough confidence, you can get through any door. Looks like a 17-year-old in Oklahoma took that lesson to heart, walking into multiple area Walmarts and walking out with wads of cash in his pocket.

KFOR-TV (yes, the same station with the homophobe restaurateur story from earlier today) reports that police in Norman, OK, recently caught the young scam artist, but not until after he’d already tricked a Walmart workers at a trio of stores to give him access to cash.

The teen had previously worked at a Walmart until he was fired (for stealing cash, obviously). But he kept the uniform and apparently realized he could use it to get more money dishonestly than he would have with an honest day’s work.

At one point he showed up in uniform to a Walmart in Edmond, OK, where the manager had him work the cash register… from which police say he stole $3,000.

He then promoted himself to manager when he visited the store in Moore, OK, in December.

According to the police report, the teen “acted as if he was a general manager from another store,” who was there to do “an inventory of the store before general managers came to inspect them after the holidays.”

Somehow, the young whipperscammer found himself alone in the cash room, where he helped himself to “multiple bundles of cash, stuffing them inside his pockets and clothes,” before hugging the real store manager on the way out.

It wasn’t until he tried the scam again in Norman that police finally caught up to the young man.

“He’s obviously confident in what he’s doing and has a good story,” explains a police sergeant to KFOR, who reports that the 17-year-old appears to be an aspiring actor.

This is already the second story we’ve done this month about a sketchy guy pretending to be a Walmart employee. Last week, we brought you the tale of fake Walmarter who took a hit to his genitals after he exposed them to a customer.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

California Plant Shuts Down After Recalling 8.7 Million Pounds Of Beef “Unfit For Human Food”

(emuphoto)

In what sounds like the perfect storm of awfulness and complete inedibility, a Northern California plant has announced it’s voluntarily closing after issuing a recall for 8.7 million pounds of beef. Why? Because federal officials say the plant “processed diseased and unsound animals” without a full federal inspection, resulting in products that are “unfit for human food.” Yum.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service says due to that lack of inspection, “the products are adulterated, because they are unsound, unwholesome or otherwise are unfit for human food and must be removed from commerce.”

Rancho Feeding Corp. recalled those products, which were sold to retailers and distributors, though there have been no illnesses reported yet due to the beef in question, the company and the USDA said.

The plant’s quality control manager said in a statement to the Los Angeles Times that the plant enacted the recall “out of an abundance of caution” and that the company regrets the inconvenience to its customers.

Included in the recall are products produced Jan. 1, 2013 through Jan. 7, 2014 and shipped to distribution centers and retail establishments in California, Florida, Illinois and Texas:

“Beef Carcasses” (wholesale and custom sales only)

2 per box “Beef (Market) Heads” (retail only)

4-gallons per box “Beef Blood” (wholesale only)

20-lb. boxes of “Beef Oxtail”

30-lb. boxes of “Beef Cheeks”

30-lb. boxes of ” Beef Lips”

30-lb. boxes of “Beef Omasum”

30-lb. boxes of “Beef Tripas”

30-lb. boxes of “Mountain Oysters”

30-lb. boxes of “Sweet Breads”

30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Beef Liver”

30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Beef Tripe”

30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Beef Tongue”

30- and 60-lb. boxes of “Veal Cuts”

40-lb. boxes of “Veal Bones”

50-lb. boxes of “Beef Feet”

50-lb. boxes of “Beef Hearts”

60-lb. boxes of “Veal Trim”

Beef carcasses and boxes bear the establishment number “EST. 527″ inside the USDA mark of inspection, and each box bears the case code number ending in a 3 or a 4.

California Firm Recalls Unwholesome Meat Products Produced Without the Benefit of Full Inspection [FSIS]

After recalling 8.7 million pounds of beef, California firm shuts down [Los Angeles Times]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Unlocked iPhones Now A Form Of International Currency

(immaculate aaron)

Want to make friends all over the world? Have an extra $650 and don’t really care about customs regulations? The next time you leave on an international trip, grab an extra unlocked iPhone and bring it along to sell or trade. You’ll gain friends everywhere, especially in Brazil, Jordan, or Turkey, which are apparently the most expensive places to buy an iPhone.

This trade is not, strictly speaking, legal, but everyone sort of acknowledges that it happens. People all over the world got hold of iPhones before their respective countries’ telecoms officially offered them. Anyone who wanted the hottest gadgets, gray market or no, found a way to get one.

Bloomberg’s Vernon Silver picked up a phone on behalf of a woman who does domestic work for him at his home in Rome. The 32 GB iPhone 5s costs around $815 in New York City, including sales tax, but would sell for about $1,130 in Rome. The purchase required a call to his bank’s antifraud department, but such transactions are now apparently totally routine. Silver claims that cashiers at the flagship Manhattan Apple Store asked him if he wanted “only one?” unlocked iPhone, as if the $650 gadgets were McDonald’s apple pies.

Carrying value around in small, easily-portable but valuable packages is nothing new–people have always brought designer goods, jewelry, electronics, or other items that they plan to sell home “as gifts.” Whether this is okay depends on the customs regulations at your destination; after all, customs fees are part of the reason why iPhones cost more in some places than in others. Check these regulations before you load your suitcase up with gold iPhones the next time you travel.

Apple’s iPhone, the New International Currency

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Uncle Ben’s Rice Recalled Following Multiple Illnesses At Schools

The makers of Uncle Ben’s rice have recalled various versions of the product that were only sold on the wholesale market following multiple incidents where numerous people fell ill after eating the rice at school lunchrooms.

The recall involves several varieties of Uncle Ben’s Infused Rice products, but only those sold at wholesale in 5-lb and 25-lb bags. Uncle Ben’s rice sold in smaller bags at supermarkets and other retail locations is not being recalled.

USA Today reports that the most recent incident involving suspected rice-related illnesses occurred last Friday, when children at three different schools in Katy, TX, experienced burning, itching rashes, headaches and nausea.

While it’s too soon to say that all the incidents are related to the same source or exactly what the problem with the rice is, it’s possible that the illnesses may be due to too much niacin (vitamin B3) in the rice. The FDA found high levels of the vitamin in the Illinois rice.

“Overexposure to niacin can lead to skin reactions such as redness and flushing, itching and dry skin,” a rep for the FDA explains. “Very large doses can cause indigestion and nausea.”

Any foodservice company or anyone that purchased the following products (in the 5-lb or 25-lb size; again, all other variations are not included in the recall) from a wholesaler or distributor should not eat, says the FDA.

Here are the recalled varieties of the rice:

UNCLE BEN’S® INFUSED® Rice Roasted Chicken Flavor (25-lbs) U3010501

UNCLE BEN’S® INFUSED® Rice Roasted Chicken Flavor (5 lbs) U0257000

UNCLE BEN’S® INFUSED® Rice Garlic & Butter Flavor (5-lbs) U0257100

UNCLE BEN’S® INFUSED® Rice Mexican Flavor (25-lbs) U0318000

UNCLE BEN’S® INFUSED® Rice Mexican Flavor (5-lbs) U0257300

UNCLE BEN’S® INFUSED® Rice Pilaf (5-lbs) U0262000

UNCLE BEN’S® INFUSED® Rice Saffron Flavor (5-lbs) U0263002

UNCLE BEN’S® INFUSED® Rice Cheese Flavor (5-lbs) U0262900

UNCLE BEN’S® INFUSED® Rice Spanish Flavor (25-lbs) U3012100

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Vietnam Greets Its First McDonald’s With Big Crowds, Blasting Techno Music

(Consumerist Dot Com)

Can you remember the first time you stepped into a McDonald’s? For many Americans, the answer is probably not, and subsequent trips are probably all a blur of fry grease and hamburger patties. But for the crowds lined up outside Vietnam’s first Mickey D’s, in Ho Chi Minh City on Saturday, that memory is much more immediate.

The fast food chain opened its doors in the country for the very first time amid a blitz of fanfare and excitement, reports USA Today, with blasting techno music and hundreds lined up behind velvet ropes to get in as soon as the restaurant opened.

The new McDonald’s has 350 seats and offers the usual fare — Big Macs, french fries, Chicken McNuggets and the like — which is far from usual for a population that has a wide selection of cheaper street fare available.

It wouldn’t be a hyped opening without “free balloons, face-painting, live performers and photo-ops with Ronald McDonald” to create a “festive atmosphere” while family members of the new McDonald’s employees made sure to capture everything on camera.

It’s not like there’s no fast food there either — KFC, Burger King, Baskin-Robbins, Dairy Queen, Carl’s Jr., Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Subway, and of course, Starbucks. And of course, some customers have encountered McDonald’s before, including a family of Americans from Indiana who’ve lived in the country for a year.

“It’s nice to see a little bit of America here,” said the mother of three kids who were up at 5:30 a.m. due to excitement on the morning of the opening.

But some Vietnamese customers aren’t all that impressed with the brand they’ve only heard about so far: A group of teens and young adults chimed in to tell the reporter that the burgers and chicken sandwiches were great. But French fries? Meh.

“We don’t really like the fries,” admitted one, with piles of leftover fries littering the group’s trays.

Add again, there’s that cheaper street food with all the local flavors the Vietnamese love.

“It’s just fast food,” said the owner of a shop down the street that serves pho noodle soup. “It doesn’t have all the delicious flavors of pho.”

She’s not worried about the competition, and instead says she’s willing to try out McDonald’s at some point, to be nice.

“They’re our neighbors,” she explained. “Neighbors should help each other.”

McDonald’s brings Big Macs to Vietnam [USA Today]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Homophobe Restaurant Owner Shouldn’t Be Surprised His Eatery Now Touted As “Best Gay Club” On Yelp

If a local restaurant owner goes on local TV to talk about how he hates gay people and doesn’t want them as customers, it’s not a shock that people will get angry and boycott, protest, petition… the usual stuff. But in the age of Yelp, that owner should probably also expect to find that his business is now being written up online as the “best gay club” around.

Last week, when a KFOR-TV reporter asked the owner of an Enid, OK, restaurant/bar about allegations that he wasn’t exactly the most open-minded businessman in town, he admitted, “I’ve been in business 44 years, I think I can spot a freak or a faggot… I really don’t want gays around.”

He continued to enlighten the reporter on the difference between right and wrong.

“If I reached over there and slapped the sh** out of you, you should be offended,” he explained. “But to call someone a ‘chink’ or someone call me a bigot, that doesn’t bother me.”

When the reporter asked him if he would call her a “chink,” he nervously replied, “No… not unless we were drinking.”

And so, in addition to the normal social media outrage that has arisen out of this situation, folks have taken to Yelp to create a prank page, complete with photo of the owner and a male exotic dancer, and reviews that say things like, “I thought this place was going to be cheap. But it was the all male review night and I had to whip out all my singles. Despite the lovely views and even lovelier men my burger had way [too] many sesame seeds. So I have to give it a 2 stars.”

[via Eater]

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Justice Dept. Sued Over Validity $13 Billion Chase Mortgage Settlement

(Santos Gonzalez)

Remember back in November when JPMorgan reached the massive $13 billion settlement with the Justice Dept. over allegations tied to toxic mortgage-backed securities sold to investors before the housing market went kerflumpp? A non-profit group filed suit today against the DOJ, challenging the validity of the deal and asking for a court to review it.

The group, Better Markets, filed the complaint [PDF] in a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., claiming that in exchange for the $13 billion, the DOJ gave Chase “complete civil immunity from DOJ for years of pervasive, egregious, and knowing alleged fraud and other illegal conduct related to the worst financial crash in the U.S. since 1929.”

In spite of the fact that this was the largest settlement ever reached by the government in a suit involving a single bank, Better Markets says nothing about the process was transparent.

“[T]his contract was the product of negotiations conducted entirely in secret behind closed doors, in significant part by the Attorney General personally, who directly negotiated with the CEO of JP Morgan Chase, the bank’s ‘chief negotiator,’” reads the complaint. “No one other than those involved in those secret negotiations has any idea what JPMorgan Chase really did or got for its $13 billion because there was no judicial review.”

Better Markets maintains that because of the lack of disclosure about the settlements and the negotiation process “no one has any ability to determine if the $13 Billion Agreement is fair, adequate, reasonable, and in the public interest or if it is a sweetheart deal” for Chase.

Among the questions raised by the complaint: How much did Chase’s victims ultimately lose through these alleged frauds? Perhaps more importantly, how much did Chase profit?

Alleging, among other claims, that the administration violated the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989 by including a $2 billion payment to the DOJ without a court’s approval, the complaint asks that the deal be declared unlawful and that the court issue an injunction to prevent the DOJ from enforcing the agreement until it has been reviewed and approved by a court.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Too Much Of A Good Thing? ‘Flappy Bird’ Developer Pulls Game After Surge Of Success

(CNN)

Anyone who’s ever eaten an entire cake in one sitting knows that yes, it is possible for there to be too much of a good thing. And that goes for inedible things as well: The sudden success of mobile game Flappy Bird appears to have been too overwhelming for its developer, who pulled the mega popular game from app stores yesterday say he just “cannot take this anymore.”

What’s that, you haven’t even heard of Flappy Bird? Though it was first released last May, CNN notes that the game suddenly picked up steam in December and had reached bona fide viral success by January.

In it, players steer a little bird through a maze of metal pipes ( which themselves are reminiscent of Super Mario Bros). And it’s now been downloaded over 50 million times. Sometimes simplicity is the key to success, eh?

But while those who have already downloaded it can keep playing, no new users will be able to get in on the action.

“I am sorry ‘Flappy Bird’ users, 22 hours from now, I will take ‘Flappy Bird’ down,” the developer tweeted on Saturday. “I cannot take this anymore.”

He’s not saying much else about the reasons for his decision to pull the game, which he created in a few days last year and didn’t promote at all after its release.

“It is not anything related to legal issues,” he said. “I just cannot keep it anymore.”

There’s still hope for those who want to play — if you’ve got deep pockets, that is: Time.com reports that phones with Flappy Bird already downloaded on it have already popped up on eBay for as much as $1,499. Ah, priorities.

Developer yanks ‘Flappy Bird’ after game soars to success [CNN]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

McDonald’s Customer Gets Wrong Burger Twice, Fires Gun Into Window

(bluwmongoose)

Yes, it can be deeply disappointing when a fast-food joint doesn’t prepare your burger exactly how you ordered it. There are many ways to deal with that situation: ask for a manager, complain to corporate, demand that they re-make your meal immediately…or fire a pistol into the window of the restaurant. You could do that, too.

You could do that, but that doesn’t mean it’s a rational response or even remotely a good idea. Yet police say that late last night, that’s how a woman in Grand Rapids, Michigan made her concerns known to her local McDonald’s.

It all began when she came through the drive-thru and ordered a burger, which the restaurant prepared incorrectly. That’s unfortunate, but it happens. Employees promised her a free meal on her next visit when she complained, and she went on her way. That’s all a nice, normal fast food transaction.

Around 3 AM today, the woman came back and ordered another burger. This one was also prepared incorrectly. Instead of going through the normal complaint channels, police say that she got out of the car and fired a round into the restaurant’s window.

Fortunately, no one was injured in this altercation. The woman got back in the car and she and her companion drove off. The thing is, when she complained about the original incorrectly-made burger, she left her phone number behind. Her real phone number.

Our readers often tell us that when you don’t like something and complain about it, the last thing that you want is a coupon or voucher for more of that item. That’s true. We’d suggest requesting a refund before you start shooting, though.

Wrong burger orders lead to shot being fired at Grand Rapids McDonald’s [MLive]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

FaceBook: 10 años y 10 curiosidades #infografia #infographic #socialmedia

Hola: Una infografía sobre FaceBook: 10 años y 10 curiosidades. Un saludo Hecho con cariño por Socialmood Archivado en: Infografía, Redes Sociales, Sociedad de la información Tagged: FaceBook, Infografía, internet, redes sociales, tic, Web 2.0.



TICs y Formación http://ift.tt/LNqRvI Via Alfredo Vela y www.bscformacion.com

Buenas y malas prácticas en Twitter #infografia #infographic #socialmedia

Hola: Una infografía sobre buenas y malas prácticas en Twitter. Vía Un saludoArchivado en: Infografía, Redes Sociales, Sociedad de la información Tagged: Infografía, internet, redes sociales, tic, Twitter, Web 2.0.



TICs y Formación http://ift.tt/NqeyY3 Via Alfredo Vela y www.bscformacion.com

EA Doesn’t Really Want People Sharing Negative Game Reviews Where Someone Might Read Them

It’s almost time to start thinking about this year’s Worst Company In America tournament, which can mean only one thing — two-time reigning WCIA champ Electronic Arts is once again making a final push to be hated by its own customers. This time, the video game giant has been caught apparently trying to game the Google Play review and ratings system.

Last week, the folks at Gamasutra noticed something funny about free-to-play EA game Dungeon Keeper.

When the game asks users of the Android version to rate it, users are only given two options: 5 stars or 1-4 stars:

Clicking on the button marked “5 stars” takes the user to the Google Play store with the hope that a positive review will come of it.

Clicking on the “1-4 stars” button brings up a different message, asking the user to e-mail the company:

@LewieP @RaveofRavendale 4 or less goes here http://t.co/yRaQR70mfj—

mike (@mike_robbo) February 06, 2014

As Gamasutra points out, you’re not locked into a Google Play rating just because you clicked either button, though one would assume that most people who click “5 stars” aren’t doing so sarcastically and that any review they leave at Google Play would be positive. And users who give the game fewer than five stars on the in-app survey are still able to go to Google Play and leave whatever scores and reviews they choose.

However, it does seem to some like a deliberate attempt to steer happy users toward leaving a review while attempting to placate unhappy users by giving them an e-mail outlet to vent their disappointment.

A rep for EA tells Gamasutra that “The ‘rate this app’ feature in the Google Play version of Dungeon Keeper was designed to help us collect valuable feedback from players who don’t feel the game is worth a top rating.”

[via Polygon]

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Colonoscopy Fun: FDA Approves Tiny Camera That Travels Your Digestive Tract Taking Selfies

The dread and utter feeling of helplessness that one gets before going in for a colonoscopy is normal. What’s not normal is being excited for the procedure. Well, that could all change now that the Food and Drug Administration approved a tiny, ingestible camera to help screen patients who have trouble with the traditional four-foot long, flexible tube used in colonoscopies.

Last week, the FDA approved Given Imaging’s PillCam COLON for patients who have experienced an incomplete colonoscopy due to anatomy issues, previous surgery, or other colon diseases. Incomplete colonoscopies occur in approximately 750,000 patients each year in the United States, The Associated Press reports.

The device uses a battery-powered camera to take high-speed photos while it takes a leisurely ten-hour ride through a patient’s intestinal tract. The small device is equipped with two miniature color video cameras and an LED light source.

Given first introduced and received FDA approval for a similar pill in 2001, but company studies found the images were no as clear as those from in-office procedures.

The PillCam, which was previously approved in 80 other countries, costs about $500. The going rate for a traditional colonoscopy is about $4,000.

Given Imaging, headquartered in Israel, produces other medical devices including pillcams to screen the small intestine and esophagus.

FDA Approves Pill Camera To Screen Colons [The Associated Press]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Groupon Self-Service Lets Companies Design Their Own Deals

(Groupon)

If you could design an entire daily deal campaign for your company without talking to any pesky salespeople, would you? Most people prefer to minimize the number of pesky salespeople in their lives, which is why Groupon’s new self-service deal tool might be a great idea for even small businesses than the ones that Groupon usually works with.

Some companies are just too tiny to get the immediate attention of the company’s sales staff, you see. “Before, we ended up with a lot of merchants that’d call in, and we wouldn’t necessarily have someone available right then and there,” the company’s VP of product development explained to Bloomberg Businessweek. A self-service platform, which is popular in Web advertising, would let small businesses create and administer their own deals without an intermediary. That’s a good thing and a bad thing: it opens up the Groupon model to smaller businesses that might not normally try the service. However, if their deals go horribly awry, businesses can’t blame Groupon’s sales staff for over-promising or not explaining things correctly.

Groupon Unveils Self-Service Tool to Draw Merchants to Deal Site [Bloomberg Businessweek]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Busting Through Broken Doors, Empty Elevator Shafts: Sochi Bobsledders Had A Tough Weekend

yWe’ve been hearing reports back from the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, from reporters saying their hotel rooms have been, well, less than finished or those that came with beers already under the bed. But it seems athletes aren’t immune from the shoddy shenanigans: over the weekend two different bobsledders had a bit of a close call with malfunctioning parts in the Olympic Village.

Within six minutes of each other on Saturday, bobsledders Rebekah Wilson (Britain) and Johnny Quinn (U.S.) tweeted evidence of some pretty hairy situations.

Wilson tweets that she was greeted with the the abyss of an empty elevator shaft when she walked out her door to find the doors already open into the yawning chasm of doom. Or something like that.

Wowzers! @paulawalkerGB nearly didn't have her brakewomen after walking out into this! http://t.co/7AzRxRsioX—

Rebekah Wilson (@BexGBbobsleigh) February 08, 2014

She explained later that yes, this was in the Olympic Village, but that she didn’t even have to press the call button, the shaft was just… waiting for her.

And then there’s our great American hero Quinn, who found himself trapped in his room’s bathroom when the locked door refused to become unlocked. Despite the lack of protein-filled Greek yogurt, he managed to bust straight through the door in time to make an interview with the Today show that he was perilously close to missing. It’s helpful that the door appears as though it’s partly made with cardboard.

…With no phone to call for help, I used my bobsled push training to break out. #SochiJailBreak http://t.co/apZRefgvCO—

Johnny Quinn (@JohnnyQuinnUSA) February 08, 2014

That shot has been retweeted more than 27,000 times by now, so go ahead and do that if you haven’t already. Because America!

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

“Operation Angry Birds” Rescues 3,000 Cockfighting Contenders

(Great Beyond)

When you think of a coordinated law enforcement effort that involves simultaneous takedowns of three illegal operations in three different counties, you might assume it involved narcotics or human trafficking or terrorist cells. But New York state’s Operation Angry Birds had a truly fowl target in mind.

The state’s Organized Crime Task Force announced over the weekend that its actions against illegal cockfighting in Queens, Kings (Brooklyn), and Ulster counties had resulted in nine felony arrests and the rescue of some 3,000 roosters that had been destined for bloody battle.

The first raid happened late Saturday night, early Sunday at a cockfight in Queens that had been operating at that location since May 2013. Authorities initially detained 70 people at the event before ultimately charging six attendees who had brought and fought birds with felony Prohibition of Animal Fighting. The OCTF rescued 65 roosters here.

While this was going on in Queens, the OCTF raided a pet store in Brooklyn, rescuing 50 fighting birds and charging the store’s owner with Prohibition of Animal Fighting. In addition to the roosters, investigators found cockfighting paraphernalia — artificial spurs, candle wax, medical adhesive tape, and syringes used to inject performance-enhancing drugs.

The final raid occurred a couple hours up the Thruway at a 90-acre farm in Plattekill, where thousands of roosters were recovered. Authorities say the farm had operated for years under the guise of a live poultry farm, hiding thousands of cages for cockfighting birds within the center of the property to avoid detection by neighbors and law enforcement. The farm’s manager and a farmhand were arrested.

The OCTF had some help with taking down the cockfighters. The ASPCA provided assistance in the investigation and helped with evidence collection as well as removal and sheltering of the seized animals. Then everyone from the Ulster County Sheriff’s office to the NY State Police to the Department of Homeland Security provided surveillance and assistance in the raids.

“Cockfighting is a cruel, abusive and barbaric practice that tortures animals, endangers the health and safety of the public and is known to facilitate other crimes,” NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said in a statement. “This investigation – one of the largest in U.S. history – illustrates the prevalence of cockfighting in America, its brutal nature and the link to other illegal activities. My office will keep working to hold these individuals accountable, and put an end to illegal cockfighting.”

In New York, cockfighting and possession of a fighting bird at a cockfighting location are felonies, and each charge carries a maximum penalty of four years in jail and a fine of $25,000. Merely attending a cockfight is a misdemeanor and carries a possible sentence of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Which Other Restaurants Have Dough Conditioner Azodicarbonamide On The Menu?

(Great Beyond)

Last week Subway announced that it would stop using azodicarbonamide, an ingredient known as a dough conditioner that’s also a chemical found in yoga mats, shoe rubber and other synthetic leather. It’s recognized as a safe ingredient in the U.S., but is banned in Europe and Australia as a food additive. But of course, Subway isn’t the only fast food restaurant to use it. So where else can you find azodicarbonamide?

Pretty much everywhere, notes CNBC:

McDonald’s: regular bun, bakery style bun, bagel and English muffin, Big Mac bun and sesame seed bun

Burger King: specialty buns, artisan-style bun, sesame seed bun, croissant, English muffin, home-style Caesar croutons and French toast sticks

Wendy’s: bagel, premium toasted bun, sandwich bun and panini bread

Arby’s: croissant, French toast sticks, harvest wheat bun, honey wheat bread, marble rye bread, mini bun, onion bread and sesame seed bun.

Jack in the Box: bakery style bun, jumbo bun, croissant, grilled sourdough bread and regular bun

Chick-fil-A: chargrilled chicken sandwich, chicken salad sandwich, and chargrilled chicken club sandwich

While Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, Arby’s and Jack in the Box didn’t give CNBC a comment, a few companies did pipe in about using azodicarbonamide, which again, is totally legal in the U.S.

“Azodicarbonamide is commonly used throughout the baked goods industry, and this includes some of the bread goods on our menu,” a McDonald’s spokeswoman said, pointing out that it’s approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

It sounds like azodicarbonamide will remain on the menu, as Mickey D’s will keep serving “the great tasting, quality food they expect from McDonald’s. This ingredient, like all the ingredients we use, is available to consumers on our website.”

Dunkin’ Donuts also had an answer, writing that “There are trace amounts of azodicarbonamide, a common ingredient approved as safe by the Food and Drug Administration, in three Dunkin’ Donuts bakery items, including the Danish, Croissant and Texas Toast. All of our products comply with federal, state and local food safety standards and regulations. We are evaluating the use of the ingredient as a dough conditioner in our products and currently discussing the matter with our suppliers.”

So it sounds like the chemical is here to stay at DD as well.

Over at Starbucks, there’s a change coming as the chain is transitioning the chemical out of its foods like the butter croissants and chocolate croissants.

“Our new La Boulange Bakery goods do not contain the ingredients. Our goal is to transition all the stores to La Boulange. We’re about halfway through that transition,” a Starbucks spokeswoman told CNBC.

What’s the big deal, anyway, if it’s legal for use in food? The nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest is lobbying the United States Department of Agriculture to consider putting the kibosh in it, saying that when the chemical is baked in bread it produces the carcinogen urethane and “leads to slightly increased levels of urethane in bread that pose a small risk to humans” when azodicarbonamide is used at its maximum limit.

A World Health Organization report states: “Case reports and epidemiological studies in humans have produced abundant evidence that azodicarbonamide can induce asthma, other respiratory symptoms, and skin sensitization in exposed workers. Adverse effects on other systems have not been studied.”

Whether you care about it or not, it’s always better to know what’s in your food and then make a decision whether or not to eat it. The more you knoooooow [cue shooting star, rainbow].

That Chemical Subway Ditched? McDonald’s, Wendy’s Use it Too [CNBC]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Pilots Head To The Wrong Airports More Frequently Than You Might Imagine

(Phillie Casablanca)

Last month, a Southwest Airlines flight made headlines when it landed at the wrong Branson, MO, airport, but a new report finds that while it’s rare for a pilot to make a mistake about where to land his or her plane, it happens more than you probably think it does.

The AP reviewed air safety documents and media reports for the last two decades and found at least 150 incidents in which a commercial flight either landed at the incorrect airport or began to land before realizing a mistake was made.

According to the AP, many of these goofed landings and approaches occurred at night when a pilot sees an airport’s runway lights and mistakenly believes that it is the one at which he’s supposed to land. And in almost all cases, the air traffic controller on the ground gave the pilot clearance to land based on what the pilot sees and relays to the controller, rather than any automated system.

“You’ve got these runway lights, and you are looking at them, and they’re saying: ‘Come to me, come to me. I will let you land.’ They’re like the sirens of the ocean,” explains a former Air Force pilot who now teaches aviation safety at the University of Southern California.

“Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” isn’t just a Burt Bacharach/Hal David/Dionne Warwick classic, it’s also a valid question to ask of several pilots who have confused the runway at San Jose’s Moffett Field with the nearby Mineta San Jose International Airport.

In a 2012 report discovered by the AP, a San Jose air traffic controller writes that airport confusion “occurs several times every winter in bad weather,” with planes being cleared to land at Mineta while they were actually preparing to land at Moffett.

And San Jose isn’t alone in this sort of mix-up. Last summer, a commercial flight headed for San Antonio International in Texas was actually about to land at Lackland Air Force Base. Someone pointed this out at the last minute to the pilot, who aborted the landing and headed to the correct airport. When he spoke to the San Antonio tower about the goof, he recalled that “They did not seem too concerned…. and said this happens rather frequently there.”

While the AP found 35 mistaken landings and 115 approaches at wrong airports in news reports and NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System, it believes there are others, as reports to the NASA database are voluntary. Reporters requested FAA documents that would reveal a more accurate number but were turned down, claiming that some of the information in those reports may be used in eventual enforcement actions against pilots.

The potential problems with landing at the wrong airport don’t just involve having to move passengers and cargo to the correct destination or the embarrassment of admitting an error.

A training captain for a major airline explains to the AP that when a pilot lands at the wrong airport, they don’t know the length or condition of the runway on which they are about to touch down.

“There could be a bloody big hole in the middle of the runway,” he says. “There could be a barrier across it. There could be vehicles working on it.”

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

‘Dumb Starbucks’ Opens In L.A., But For How Long?

(Photo: Twitter user @MarkMcCune)

Over the weekend, Dumb Starbucks, a coffee shop using virtually identical branding and logos to that of coffee colossus Starbucks opened up in Los Angeles. Even though on every level it operates as just another java joint, the operators believe (or at least claim to believe) that they can use the Starbucks name by stating that the entire store is a parody.

From an FAQ sheet handed out to people curious about the store’s name and branding:

“By adding the word ‘dumb’, we are technically ‘making fun’ of Starbucks, which allows us to use their trademarks under a law known as ‘fair use’. Fair use is a doctrine that permits use of copyrighted material in a parodical work without permission from the rights holder. It’s the same law that allows Weird Al Yankovic to use the music from Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ in his parody song ‘Eat It”.

The owners of the business may be shooting themselves in the feet with a later statement in this same FAQ. In response to the question, “Are you saying Starbucks is dumb?” they write, “Not at all. In fact, we love Starbucks and look up to them as role models. Unfortunately, the only way to use their intellectual property under fair use is if we are making fun of them. So the word ‘dumb’ comes out of necessity, not enmity.”

Starbucks has so far only said that it’s “looking into” the matter, but given that the coffee chain spent the better part of a decade trying — but failing — to stop a small New Hampshire coffee company from selling a dark roast dubbed “Charbucks,” we imagine a legal letter is on the way to this one-off coffee shop.

In the Charbucks case, the name was a direct parody both of the Starbucks name and of its reputation for very darkly roasted coffee blends. The makers of Charbucks also did not attempt to brand their product using the Starbucks logo or font, so the court repeatedly held that the Charbucks name was “not likely to impair the distinctiveness of the famous Starbucks marks.”

Here are some photos from inside the Dumb Starbucks:

Enjoy our full menu of coffees and cold drinks http://t.co/wPacrEEH9k—

Dumb Starbucks (@dumbstarbucks) February 08, 2014

L.A.’s ‘Dumb Starbucks’ Imitates the Real Thing [WSJ.com]

A Mysterious New Coffee Shop Called ‘Dumb Starbucks’ Is Baffling Los Angeles [SFgate.com]

by Chris Morran via Consumerist