Last week, there was a minor horse meat scandal in Ireland and the UK. Several supermarket chains were forced to pull horse-contaminated beef products, including one – the Tesco Everyday Value Beef Burger – that was found to be almost 30% horse. In addition to Tesco, four other supermarkets were found selling part-horse burgers,which were traced to three processing plants: Liffey Meats, Dalepak Hambleton and Silvercrest Foods. Gross, right?

What began as a simple post on Subway Australia's Facebook page demanding to know why the company's Footlong sandwiches were coming up an inch short has spiraled into a full-blown lawsuit.

Concerned that his poor grades might get him in trouble, an 11-year-old Spanish boy did what any kid his age would do when faced with the prospect of getting yelled at by mom and dad: He faked his own kidnapping.

In case you're not up to date on the newish lingo for stupid pranks, "Swatting" is the act of reporting a fake crime or emergency at someone's home, which usually results in a SWAT team showing up and scaring the hell out of everyone at the nonexistent crime's location. Last week, Tom Cruise was swatted, perhaps resulting in an advertisement in The Atlantic; this week, it was gentleman R&B star Chris Brown's turn. According to TMZ:

New York Times-approved chef Guy Fieri, the mastermind behind culinary innovations such as Donkey Sauce and the no-longer-served (RIP) Nuclear Waste Margarita, is now officially in the wine business. Sometime last year – how the news went so long without being reported is a mystery and, really, an indictment of the food media – Fieri purchased a five acre vineyard of pinot noir grapes in Sonoma County, California.

There is nothing not great about this candid AP photo of President Obama and the First Lady sneaking a quick smooch during this afternoon's Inaugural Parade while the First Daughters look on.

Among those absent from today's inauguration was Mitt Romney, the man who almost was. NBC News' Peter Alexander also reports that a former aide of Romney's says it's "doubtful" that the Romneys were watching. What's your problem with Beyoncé, Mittens?

Two adults and three children are dead after being shot by a teenager in an Albuquerque home this morning.

President Barack Obama was officially sworn in for his second term as president. In a small ceremony at the White House, Obama swore to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States." The oath was administered by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts; Michelle, Sasha and Malia joined him too.

Three people were wounded Saturday afternoon after an accidental shooting at the Dixie Gun and Knife Show in Raleigh, North Carolina. The incident apparently occurred at a security check point when the owner of a 12-gauge shotgun was asked to remove his gun from its case. Somehow, the gun discharged, shooting two people in the hand and one in the right torso.

Why can't you suits understand: Kim Dotcom is just a simple man with a simple website who's definitely not burning with rage at the government officials who raided his mansion and arrested him almost exactly a year ago today?

Stephen Colbert's sister is planning to throw her hat in the race for South Carolina's First Congressional District, hoping to succeed where her famous sibling failed.

In the comments section of a recent Salt Lake Tribune story about a smoothie bar owner who charges liberal customers more for their drinks, another Utah business owner expressed his support for the initiative, and said he was also doing his part in the fight against different points of view.

Today is a very good day to be New York Police Department Commissioner Ray Kelly. A new poll puts his approval rating at 75 percent, the highest yet. It is also a good day to be a criminal in New York City; 2012 saw a significant spike in the crime rate.

The state of Mississippi ranks 50th in the average salary it pays its public school teachers. There's also, you know, the deep history of poverty and racism and deprivation. So perhaps it is no surprise that Mississippi's public schools are exceedingly quick to arrest students for the most trifling violations.

Were you one of those people who was always up in the grocery store with your husband or whatever saying "No dear trust me this POM juice is definitely worth $69.99 for this eight-ounce serving because, honey, listen, it is so amazing for your health, I read about it, trust me." WERE YOU? Well, you were wrong, unsurprisingly, and now the whole world will know about it.

This should go well. Wednesday afternoon, Fox News announced they'd hired Dennis Kucinich as their newest contributor. Kucinich is a two-time presidential candidate and former Democratic congressman from Ohio best known for his strong anti-war views. He's also known as the guy who sued the congressional cafeteria over an olive.

Economics is a field in which the general public will often give deference to the opinions of someone with professional credentials, even when that person seems to be saying something in direct opposition to common sense. "Well, sounds crazy, but he's the expert," we say to ourselves. We assume that the expert knows something we don't. Sometimes, he does. Other times, the expert is just a very wrong person with a very impressive job title.

A few minutes ago, President Obama announced a $500 million package, synthesized from suggestions put forth by Vice President Joe Biden's task force on gun control, aimed at curbing gun violence in the U.S. in the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre. The President called on Congress to take action in a number of ways, including:

Last week, John McPhee published a lengthy piece on The Structure of Nonfiction Writing in The New Yorker. The collective eye-glaze of readers upon hearing that news could cover all the world's donuts. We're happy to report, though, that McPhee has surprised us.