Sad News for the Happy Meal

“McDonald’s marketing has the effect of conscripting America’s children into an unpaid drone army of word-of-mouth marketers, causing them to nag their parents to bring them to McDonald’s,” Stephen Gardner of The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) wrote to the heads of the burger giant. CSPI, the Washington-based consumer advocacy group is threatening a lawsuit claiming that the popular fast food restaurant chain markets toys to children, “unfairly and deceptively.” By promoting toys in meals for children, McDonald’s is promoting poor eating habits in our youngest members of society. William Whitman, Vice President of McDonald’s disputes the claim that the toys included in Happy Meals are in violation of any laws. “We…

Prices Falling for 5 Popular Purchases

We do plenty of grumbling when we watch prices rise on our everyday purchases. But, have you noticed that the prices of certain items have actually been falling? Here are some of the things that we regularly purchase that have seen reductions in price: Housing – since the housing bubble has burst, we have seen prices fall and become more affordable once again. Television sets – the prices of television sets has actually fallen by 84%. So have the prices for audio systems, video records and movies. Kitchen Appliances – big appliances such as dish washers and refrigerators have not seen price increases since 2000, which is good news for consumers. Small appliances such as…

Maria Sharapova Advances at Wimbledon

At 17, Maria Sharapova won the title at Wimbledon in 2004. Her subsequent years were not as stellar. In 2008, she was beaten in the second round by Russian player, Alla Kudryavtseva, who was ranked 154th. “My body feels good,” said Sharapova referring to her past shoulder injury. “I’m in much better match condition than I was last year.” So far for 2010, her record stands at 18-5 and she’s got two tournament titles under her belt. “My joy in the game is pretty up there with what it was before I got injured,” she said in an interview. “Maybe even more so, because it was taken away from me for such a long period…

Roger Federer’s Wimbledon Close Call

By the end of his match against Alejandro Falla in the first round of Wimbledon Monday, Roger Federer was looking unkempt. The five-set battle that ensued between the two must have been a scare for the six-time champ. He came mighty close to elimination in the first round. “It’s important to take the right things out of this match,” he said on Monday. “There was positives and negatives, obviously. “But then again, every player, thank God, in some ways plays different. The next guy is a righty, big-serving guy, nothing to do with the guy I played today. “Because you struggle today doesn’t mean you’re going to struggle in the next match, too. Same thing…

Sandra Bullock Has Pick of Choice Roles

Fresh off of her Oscar win for best actress, Entertainment Weekly announced that Sandra Bullock would re-team with her “Proposal” co-star (and husband of her MTV Movie Award kissing partner, Scarlett Johansson), Ryan Reynolds in the film, “Most Wanted.” Doesn’t exactly sound like another Oscar-worthy role. A representative for Bullock was reportedly quick to point out that, “There are several projects of many different genres that Ms. Bullock is presently considering and has not committed to any of them at this time. The next project that will follow her Oscar will be chosen carefully and with a great deal of thought.” Bullock seems to have her choice of roles these days. But acting is not…