Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check

Your tax dollars at work:

Facebook is the hottest social networking tool around, but making online buddies isn't always easy. The NY Post's Page Six gossip column reports that ROBERT S. MUELLER III --who happens to run an agency called the FBI --can't understand why no one wants to "friend him." (Lee)

Valentine's Day:

It's almost Valentine's Day --what are you gonna get that tough-to-buy-for man in your life? How about the gift of literature? MARIA GARCIA-KALB just wrote a new book called "101 Ways to Torture Your Husband" which contains novel ways to get under Mr. Wonderful's skin like drinking his last beer, posting his favorite sports memorabilia on eBay or burying the remote in the backyard!
   It can be yours for a budget-friendly $9.95. (Lee)

Or how about going that extra mile and getting a gift for their special guy that says "It" without actually saying "It."
   Or at least that's what the press release for the "Pantygram" says. Here's the concept: woman sends the pair of red, lacy panties to her guy. When he opens "the discreet package," there's a note attached that sends the guy to a website where he can enter the verification code to see whatever private, perhaps suggestive message his loved one has sent.
   Bottom line: $24.95 at www.sendapantygram.com.
   The company says they will ship to boyfriends, fiancés and husbands stationed in Iraq, or to Canada, Bermuda, France, Greece, Germany, Japan, Puerto Rico, Romania, London, China, Korea and more.

Shopping Around:

A new spending survey from the National Retail Federation reports cards continue to be the main way that people plan to express their love on Valentine’s Day (52% will buy one), but 17% plan to make a jewelry purchase, up from 15% last year.
   The holiday is expected to generate $3.5 billion in jewelry sales, $3.4 billion on dining out, $1.7 billion on flowers, $1.6 billion on clothing, $1.5 billion on candy, and $1.1 billion on greeting cards. And men are likely to outspend women, at $159 to $76.
   The survey of almost 9000 respondents also found that those in the 25-34 age range will be the biggest spenders, at an average of $190. (Kaye)

Recall, Irony Dep't:

That Toxic Waste candy your kids are eating has earned its name. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a recall of all Toxic Waste brand products made by the company Nuclear Sludge. There was actually a recall two weeks ago, and this latest notice is an expansion of that.
   The FDA says the candy contains unacceptably high levels of lead, which could pose health risks for infants, children and pregnant women. The first recall was for .7-ounce size packages in all flavors. Now it’s been expanded to include .3-ounce pieces, including those sold individually or as part of a “Party Bag” or “Membership Kit.”
   FYI: Check UPC numbers and flavors here. (Page)

Stupid people, stupid places:

A British immigration officer was so sick of his wife, he added her to a terrorist watch list.
   The London Daily Mail says the unidentified man admitted to placing his wife's name on the no-fly list while she was visiting relatives in Pakistan. When she tried to fly home again, she was told she couldn't board a plane.
   The woman called her husband, who promised he would look into it. But, officials say he left the woman stranded overseas for three years.
   Eventually, the man's bosses found out about it, confronted him and he copped to the whole thing. He was fired. The wife was allowed to return to England, and presumably, they're getting divorced. (Still)
   Editor's note: Either that or really hot make-up sex.
   --This would be the king of passive-aggressive break-ups.
   --Reminds me of the time my wife accused me of volunteering to drill oil in Alaska just to get away from her and I wanted to kick myself for not thinking of it. (Maiman)

Pushing up daisies:

EUNICE SANBORN, who died Monday at her home in Texas. At the time of her death, she was the world's oldest woman at the age of 115 years. Some people said she was just 114 but her family claimed that the Census Bureau erroneously recorded her birth year, and that she was actually born on July 20, 1895 in Lake Charles, LA. She was one of the 50 verified oldest people ever, even if she was only 114 years and 195 days.