Though the website claims the products are intended for entertainment purposes only, the question remains whether or not such products are legal or ethical.

John Liddell, co-founder of the company which sells the Excused Absence Network products, dismissed the question of legality and ethics. He stated, Millions of Americans work in dead-end jobs, and sometimes they just need a day off. People are going to lie anyway. How many people go visit their doctors every day when they’re not sick because they just need a note? [] If employers treated people the way they need to be treated, people wouldn’t be using these notes.

Darl Waterhouse, the other co-founder of the company, explained that people who really use the excuses to trick their employers are unlikely to be caught because of federal restrictions on the release of medical information. Furthermore, Waterhouse commented that employees are fed up with having no flexibility if they needed to tend to a sick family member or attend a child’s school activities.

Using the products for more than entertainment is not without risks, however. One New Jersey woman was arrested this year after using one of the company’s fake chiropractor notes as an excuse from traffic court. Court officials discovered the ruse when they called the chiropractor, who stated he had never heard of the woman.

Liddell and Waterhouse launched the company four years ago when they witnessed fellow employees write and use fake doctor notes. With a $600 start-up cost, the founders operated the business from Liddells laptop at home. While the owners did not comment on the sales for The Excused Absence Network products, Liddell did share that the website receives approximately 15,000 hits per month.. more

Sims new two-story home, due to be completed this week, commemorates the inaugural meeting of the World Toilet Association. The WTA aims to improve worldwide hygiene through promoting proper sanitation and water supplies for human waste disposal. The WTA will hold a conference in Seoul with representation form 60 countries to launch the creation of national toilet associations.

The conference highlights a toilet expo, which includes a Hansel and Gretel bathroom made of candy that gives children presents when they flush. The expo also features a toilet gallery café where attendees can sit on elaborate commodes while drinking tea.

The commode-shaped home, named Haewoojae or a place to solve ones worries, is in the shape of a 24 ½ foot tall toilet bowl. The house cost $1.1 million to build. Visitors will be greeted with a plaque at the entrance that reads, Mr. Toilets House. A showpiece bathroom at the center of the house is displayed through a floor-to-ceiling window of glass. The glass turns opaque at the touch of a button, and when guests enter the bathroom, motion sensors activates classical music to play for their enjoyment.

Occupants gain access to the roof and balcony, which runs around the rim of the bowl, via stairs through what would be the toilet drain. The house exterior is encased in white-painted steel that simulates ceramics used to make toilets.

Sim commented, Toilets stand central to peoples lives. more

Ashland Police Captain Don Petrella explained that several witnesses had seen Rocchi flee and told police where he was heading. Authorities arrested Rocchi in his home, where they found money, a ski mask and a stapler.

Petrella commented that the staplers chrome finish might have made it easy to mistake it as a gun if someone didnt get a close look at it.

Rocchi was charged with first degree robbery and made his first appearance in court on Wednesday morning. more