The Hottest New Grocery Scam Could Be Lurking In Your Pantry Right Now

Celebrity chefs have made olive oil a $720 million business in the U.S., but a new book is blowing the lid off an industry that might be built in part on the backs of crooks.
That's the argument Tom Mueller makes in Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil.
“I was sitting in a dark bar with an undercover cop in Italy, and he was telling me about deals being cut with high-level politicians and millions of dollars in EU subsidies being misappropriated,” Mueller told the New York Post. “He was speaking in this hushed tone, and I had to laugh, because this was not black-market plutonium or drugs, this was olive oil.”
Mueller contends that because true olive oil is so pricey to produce, some companies have taken to doctoring bottles with chemicals and disguising cheaper oils with added flavoring.
Then they slap on fancy labels with buzzwords like "Made in Italy" and "Cold-pressed" and ship them to stores without any rigorous quality control from the FDA, he says.
It wouldn't be that big of a deal, except the knockoffs offer far fewer of the health benefits that made olive oil such a cash cow to begin with.
The best way to tell a fake from the real thing? 
Consumers spend an incredible $720 million per year on olive oil, according to the California Olive Oil Council. But, clearly, not all olive oil is created equally.
Follow tips from COOC to be sure you know what you're buying:
Bottle color matters. True olive oil should be kept cool so bottles will be darker in color to extend shelf life.
Check the label. States like California place quality control labels from the COOC on all bottles of oil produced in the state. To earn a seal, a taste panel puts it through a vigorous chemical test.
Where you shop matters. Olive oil is definitely one of those products you never want to buy generic. Not all retailers keep a close eye on where they're sourcing their oils, so look for higher quality oils at specialty markets. When in doubt, check the label yourself to see its origin.
And don't believe everything you read. The FDA can't catch every bottle that hits store shelves proclaiming to be "Extra virgin" or "cold pressed," Mueller warns. If all else fails, try taking a whiff. True EVOO should smell a little fruity.

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Android RC toy for under $25? Yes please!

Now available at Toys R’ Us, Brookstone, and Radio Shack: DeskPets has released a toy which you can control remotely with your Android device, or let the autonomous mode take over - which will allow it to navigate mazes and using infrared to avoid walls and obstacles. There's a retractable USB charger attatched to the toy, which will charge in only forty minutes and give you a full fifteen minutes of realistic battlefield excitement, and costs only $24.99 - a really good deal for something that does all of this. The colors also run on different frequencies, so you could race to without getting your wires crossed. What do you guys think? Are you likely to drop $50 so you can have a race in your cubicle? Or $24.99 so you can enjoy some battlefield excitement at work?
Check it out at DeskPets

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Twitter Is Under The Gun To Ban Terrorist Accounts

Twitter has received another request from an organization to ban an account it deems to be “terrorist”.

Although Twitter is staying mum on the issue, the Telegraph has received a copy of a letter from Shurat HaDin, the Israel Law Centre sent to the company. In the letter, the Centre demands that Twitter block access to the Hezbollah Twitter account, which the Centre points out is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States.
In stern words, the Centre tells Twitter that by allowing Hezbollah and other Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) to use its service, they are breaking US law:

“Please be advised that providing social media and other associated services to terrorist groups is illegal and will expose Twitter, Inc. and its officers to both criminal prosecution and civil liability to American citizens and others victimized by terrorisms carried out by Hezbollah, al-Shabaab or other FTOs.”

This letter follows closely on the heels of a previous request from US Congress that Twitter shut down Taliban-related Twitter accounts.
In response to this request, Twitter is said to be resisting on the grounds that the Taliban was not considered a terrorist organization. Their official policy on closing accounts is to only do so if they are in violation of the company’s own policies.
However, this latest letter from the Israel Law Centre goes further than Congress’ request, claiming that Twitter is actually breaking the law by allowing organizations like Hezbollah to maintain a presence on the network and tweet propaganda to other users.

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