30 Companies Paid Lobbyists More Than the IRS

Staff / Truthdig Dec 19, 2011 An analysis by Public Campaign reveals that between 2008 and 2010, 30 of America's most profitable companies, including Verizon, Wells Fargo, FedEx, GE and Mattel, spent more money buying influence in Washington than they did paying taxes. (Full list after the jump.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Barbie Gets Tattoos, Maintains Biologically Unlikely Proportions

Staff / Truthdig Oct 20, 2011 If you think that what happens in popular culture might have broader societal implications, maybe something more to it than fluff and distraction, we invite you to consider the conversation around Mattel's new Harajuku theme Barbie. If not, well, carry on then. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Mad Men’ Gets the Barbie Treatment

Staff / Truthdig Mar 11, 2010 They don't come with the full range of accessories to complement their onscreen characters -- eg, cigarettes, cocktails, someone else's dog tags -- but Mattel's new line of "Mad Men" Barbie dolls at least includes a mistress, in the form of a plastic Joan Holloway But Joan's famous assets (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Introducing Computer Geek Barbie

Staff / Truthdig Feb 20, 2010 Before anyone freaks out, let us unequivocally state that we heart the computer geeks. Apparently toymaker Mattel Inc. is hoping that members of its Barbie target market do, too, as the company is debuting its own computer engineer version of the iconic blond doll, complete with a pink laptop and a stylish-yet-nerdy T-shirt. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Paging Ralph Nader

Staff / Truthdig Aug 15, 2007 With the news that Nokia is recalling millions of batteries, on top of the ongoing exploding laptop problem, and Chinese-made products ranging from toothpaste to Barbies sounding alarm bells, we can't help but feel the absence of America's greatest consumer advocate. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )