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понеділок, 2 червня 2014 р.

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What are you worth? Or rather, how much would you want to be paid to have your likeness used in a wildly popular and profitable sports video game? According to video game giant (and two-time Worst Company In America winner) Electronic Arts, the price tag for a college athlete’s face is just shy of one thousand bucks.

For the last several years, current and former college athletes have been suing EA for using the players’ likenesses without permission or payment in the company’s NCAA Football, Basketball, and March Madness video games.

On Friday, the law firm of Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro announced the plaintiffs had reached a preliminary settlement with EA that would result in a few bucks being thrown in the general direction of the athletes who bring in billions for their schools, the NCAA, broadcasters, apparel makers, ticket brokers, and others, but who aren’t allowed to be paid because that would somehow violate the sanctity of collegiate sports.

The settlement, which still needs approval of the court, would pay affected athletes up to $951 for each year in which their likeness was used in an EA game. For players who were featured in multiple EA games in recent years, that could mean several thousands of dollars. For the superstars who moved onto the pros after only a year or two in college, it’s not as much money, but hopefully they are saving their NFL and NBA salaries.

And a player’s particular payout could actually be significantly lower than the $951 figure, depending on a number of factors, including the total number of claims made and when that player’s likeness was used. Individual claims could be as low as around $50.

According to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, in order to stake any claim to the estimated $40 million settlement pool, you would have to have been an NCAA football and/or basketball player listed on the roster of a school whose team was included in an NCAA-branded EA game published or distributed after May 4, 2003. Additionally, your assigned jersey number — or a photograph that looks like you — would have to have been part of the game.

“We’re incredibly pleased with the results of this settlement and the opportunity to right a huge wrong enacted by the NCAA and EA against these players and their rights of publicity,” said attorney Steve Berman in a statement. “We’ve fought against intense legal hurdles since filing this case in 2009 and to see this case come to fruition is a certain victory.”

morez срочный автовыкуп by Chris Morran via Consumerist

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One of the dozen d-Con products

that will be phased out in the coming year.

The company will still continue to

make rodenticides that meet

EPA safety standards.

For years, makers of mouse and rat poisons in the U.S. have been phasing out in-home rodenticides that use toxic pellets without a so-called “bait station” to contain them, allowing to pellets to scatter around a house, making their way into the mouths of curious kids. In fact, only one company has balked at pulling these potentially dangerous products from shelves; unfortunately, that company is the nation’s largest maker of rat poison.

The Environmental Protection Agency has acknowledged for decades that rodenticide pellets pose a poisoning risk when used in the home, and that around 10,000 children a year were accidentally exposed to these poisons.

Ten years ago the Natural Resources Defense Council and West Harlem Environmental Action successfully sued to get the EPA to develop safety standards for the rodent-control industry. Since then, only Reckitt Benckiser — maker of d-Con (and Lysol, and Clearasil, and Woolite, and Frank’s RedHot sauce, among many others) — has continued to put out products that don’t conform to the EPA standards.

The EPA maintains this list of products that meet its standards, some of which are from d-Con, but there are currently 12 d-Con in-home rodenticides that don’t pass muster.

The agency says that after attempting to negotiate the removal of these remaining products — including d-CON Ready Mixed Kills Rats & Mice and d-CON Mouse Prufe — it began to take action to cancel these products and force Reckitt to remove them from the market.

But on Friday, the EPA and Reckitt announced that a deal had been made that would phase out the production and distribution of these rodenticides over the next 10 months.

Reckitt will begin to phase out production of the 12 d-CON poison products immediately, with the goal to stop all production by Dec. 31. The d-Con products in question will no longer be distributed by the company after March 31, 2015.

The company is not allowed to stockpile or ramp-up production of these products in anticipation of the phase-out. Instead, Reckitt is only allowed to produce enough to meet existing orders.

Stores will be allowed to continue selling the products until their inventories are exhausted, which the EPA predicts would be during the summer of 2015.

“Today, we can celebrate a major victory for children’s health across the nation and for common sense,” writes Mae Wu, an attorney for the NRDC. “Now we can protect our kids and communities, and deal with rodent problems in our neighborhoods at the same time.”

morez срочный автовыкуп by Chris Morran via Consumerist

неділя, 1 червня 2014 р.

Самые богатые люди в мире от Discovery

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Детектор лжи. Жесты [2010]

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Поймать лжеца (HD) - Дискавери

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Секреты допроса (HD) - Дискавери

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(D O’Quinn)

Two weeks go to go until Father’s Day. Odds are you haven’t gotten pops a gift, but what to buy? Let’s be honest. Your dad probably doesn’t need another tie or paperweight. And he probably doesn’t want new tools or personal hygiene products.

In theory, there’s nothing wrong with a gadget — unless you know it’s the kind of thing your dad will stick in a drawer.

So this Father’s Day, forget the traditional and go for something different. But make sure it’s the kind of different that fits your dad’s personality and preferences.

Here are some ideas on how to not suck at Father’s Day gift giving.

For the card-lover

(Honey, if you’re reading this, stop now. I don’t want to ruin your Father’s Day surprise.)

If your dad has a dark sense of humor and isn’t all that worried about being politically correct, he’ll love a game called Cards Against Humanity.

(My husband and I played this recently at a friend’s house, and it was a rip.)

In short, each player receives answer cards, and then in each round, all the players have to fill in the blanks of a phrase or question provided on a different card.

For example, the phrase could read: “In the new Disney Channel original movie, Hannah Montana struggles with _____________ for the first time.” Or “_______: Kid tested. Mother approved.”

And your available answer cards might read:

- “Praying the gas goes away”

- “Sharing needles”

- “Edible underpants”

- “A cooler full of organs”

- “Crystal meth”

- “Powerful thighs”

The other players vote for the best/most disgusting/most outrageous answer.

It’s not about who wins. It’s how you play the game. (And it’s totally not appropriate for kids!)

For the comic-loving gardener

New garden tools aren’t a bad choice for a dad with a green thumb, but it’s not an especially original gift.

Try a plantable comic book instead.

Dad can read about a green super hero, then plant the seed covered pages to grow herbs or wildflowers.

It’s different, indeed.

For the chef

If dad loves to grill, you can always go for new grilling tools. Or you can go high-tech with the iGrill. This wireless Bluetooth thermometer promises to tell dad when the food is ready, and it can be used with an app that will let him know his masterpiece’s status. If he’s not one of those guys who loves to stand in the heat of his BBQ while he cooks, that is.

You can couple this kind of gift with any number of grilling cookbooks, aprons and oven mitts. Or not.

If your dad prefers the kitchen to the grill, maybe try a foodie gadget like a breakfast sandwich maker.

For the car enthusiast

Buy some gift certificates for the local car wash, or get your hands wet and wash his wheels yourself.

There are few men who wouldn’t prefer a souped-up sports car to his regular ride, but we’re guessing that’s not in your budget. Instead, see about renting Dad a fancy car for the day.

For the tired dad

If Dad is the kind of guy who regularly works himself until he’s exhausted, give him a 30-minute massage. Or if you have the cash, buy him a gift card for a massage at a local salon.

A variation on that theme — if you have smaller kids who like toy cars or trains — try a play-mat T-shirt. Dad simply has to put it on and lay down, and the kids will step up to massage his back while they play with their wheels.

For the gamer

If dad likes playing games on a tablet, maximize his experience with a snap-on joystick. This is especially handy if Dad likes retro games like Pac Man. And yes, you can download those, too.

For the music man

A guitar-lover (or ukelele-lover, even) needs a pick, or a dozen of them.

Dad can make his own with the Pick Punch. Or try a pick made from repurposed coins.

For the trouble-maker

If your dad loves playing practical jokes, give him some new fodder with The Mischief Maker’s Manual. Think: “Invisible Toilet Force Field,” and “The Metal Pillow Prank,” and you get the idea.

For the dad with fine tastes

(We didn’t think “the drinking dad” was an appropriate subhead for this section.)

A couple of old stand-bys still work if your father is a connoisseur of alcohol.

Try a Beer of the Month Club. Or buy a six-pack of his favorite brew, but decorate each bottle with customized labels.

If dad is more of a sommelier, Tasting Room offers an inexpensive starter set in which Dad would receive some mini bottles of wine. He’d then go online and rate each one, and based on his preferences, he’d get a new delivery of full-sized bottles.

For the sentimental dad

We’re going to borrow from our Mother’s Day gift guide for some personalized gifts that dad will like just as much as mom.

• In this digital age, go retro and print and frame a photo of you and Dad.

• Pick up some canvases and paint and let your kids paint some artwork for Grandpa.

• Hit the craft store and buy a mug decorating kit, or create a personalized cup, mouse pad or other item through an online photos-and-more store.

• Create a book of favorite photos and stories about Dad.

For the hero adventurer

You can get the whole neighborhood involved in this one.

“Kidnap” [note the quotes, indicating that we don't actually suggest you kidnap anyone against their will, as that's illegal and just plain wrong] your mom and send Dad on a wild journey to find her.

Think of it as a treasure hunt of sorts. Create a list of clues that Dad will have to find at each new location. At the end of the hunt, have the final clue lead to a restaurant or picnic location where you can all enjoy a post-kidnap meal.

If you can’t resist the tie…

We’re not sure why you wouldn’t be able to resist buying your dad a tie, but if you can’t, at least be a little creative. Enlist help from your kids and create some Shrinky-Dink tie pins.

Have a topic you’d like to see covered in How To Not Suck? Or maybe you’re an expert who would like to share your insight with Consumerist readers? Send us a note at notsuck@consumerist.com.

You can read Karin Price Mueller’s stories for The Star-Ledger at NJ.com, follow her on Facebook, and on Twitter @kpmueller.

DISCLAIMER: Any websites, services, retailers, or brands mentioned in the story above are only intended as some of many options available to consumers, and do not constitute an endorsement by Consumerist, Consumerist Media LLC (CML) or its staff. Per Consumerist’s No Commercial Use Policy, such information may not be used by others in advertising or to promote a company’s product or service. In addition, this policy precludes any commercial use of any of CML’s published information in any form, or of the names of Consumers Union®, Consumer Media, Consumer Reports®, The Consumerist, consumerist.com or any other of CU or CML’s publications or services without CU or CML’s express written permission.

morez срочный автовыкуп by Karin Price Mueller via Consumerist

понеділок, 2 червня 2014 р.

неділя, 1 червня 2014 р.

For the card-lover

For the comic-loving gardener

For the chef

For the car enthusiast

For the tired dad

For the gamer

For the music man

For the trouble-maker

For the dad with fine tastes

For the sentimental dad

For the hero adventurer

If you can’t resist the tie…

понеділок, 2 червня 2014 р.

неділя, 1 червня 2014 р.