When someone is looking to buy a cell phone, they don’t generally want to hear about how the World Health Organization has classified such devices as “possibly carcinogenic to humans.” But the city of San Francisco now requires that such a lovely piece of info be passed along to its more than three million residents upon purchase.

The city's board of supervisors approved a new law on Tuesday, giving their "final approval to a law that would require retailers to disclose information about the radiation emitted by cellphones. No other city in the nation has passed similar legislation," according to The Bay Citizen.

Earlier this month, “the San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave preliminary approval to a revised ordinance that would require cell phone retailers to provide information to customers about radio frequency energy emissions from cell phones,” according to CNN.com. “ This energy can be absorbed by the head and body, and retailers also would have to explain how consumers can limit this exposure.”Continue reading...

News of the World closure and fall-out (including editor's possible arrest, impact on BSkyB deal and The Sun staff protest) tests News Corp.'s and Rupert Murdoch's political skills.

ABC cancelled soaps find new life online.

AMC sale price rises thanks to Mad Men.

Apple loses bid for Amazon injunction in "Appstore" tussle, reportedly discounts iAd pricing.

CBS lawsuit over Tony awards broadcast by Bret Michaels moves to New York.

Deutsche Bank is in talks to sell BHF Bank.

Japan hit by another earthquake.Continue reading...

How green are cities today and what can they do to improve their environmental footprint? The Green City Index, a research project by the Economist Intelligence Unit with sponsorship by Siemens, has named San Francisco the world's greenest city in 2011.

Jonathan Kaplan, who gave us the Flip — the web-ready video camera sold to Cisco for nearly $600 million in 2009 before its demise this year — has flipped to a new business, a "Chipotle-style chain" of grilled cheese restaurants called The Melt.

You might say that Kaplan, the former CEO of Pure Digital Technologies, has an app-etite for innovative ideas.

Four outlets for his new gourmet sandwich concept (which comes with its own app) will be open in the San Francisco Bay Area by Labor Day, with a goal of 500 nationwide by 2015.

Backers have so far put $10 million in his coffers, including a $500,000 to $1 million stake by Sequoia Capital, whose previous investments were Apple, Google, YouTube, and PayPal.Continue reading...

Absolut is paying its respects to San Francisco with a new flavored vodka, following in the wake of past citified special editions for New Orleans, Los Angeles, Boston and Brooklyn. Absolut SF’s somewhat esoteric mix of grape, dragon fruit and papaya is designed to capture the “unique cultures, ethnicities and culinary delights of San Francisco” and entice drinkers with a “bold flavor when mixing a perfect cocktail.”

The brand is tying the latest entrant in its Absolut Cities campaign with a Facebook page, “What’s Your Absolut SF?” that encourages city residents to share their stories, as well as inviting prominent San Francisans such as Digg founder Kevin Rose and DJ Miguel Migs to collaborate with the brand on various projects. Absolut is also donating $50,000 to Habitat for Humanity Greater San Francisco as part of the campaign. Continue reading...

Call it a serene, green, social machine.

Following a $383-million upgrade, Virgin America is promoting its revamped terminal 2 at San Francisco International Airport for its eco-friendly features, abundant skylights, artwork, a "recompose" area past security checkpoints, “hydration stations” for refilling reusable water bottles, kids’ play area, and multiple recycling stations.

As fliers enter the 640,000-square-foot terminal, which just opened on April 14th, they're invited to check out the revamped terminal by checking in via Facebook and Foursquare.Continue reading...

Absolut is going exotic with its new Wild Tea vodka featuring a campaign with Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But the flavor was originally associated with a good old Yankee city that no one would call exotic: Boston. It’s a study not only in product testing, but in marketing a very similar product in vastly different ways.Continue reading...

Looks like there's still no happiness (on either side) as the McDonald's Happy Meal battle in San Francisco rages on.

In November, mayor Gavin Newsom vetoed the Board of Supervisors' ban on toys in fast food meals if the meals failed to meet nutritional standards. But now a consumer group, The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), is jumping into the fray.

CSPI yesterday filed a class-action suit in California Superior Court charging McDonald's with violating the state's consumer protection laws, claiming that Happy Meals "constitute unfair and deceptive marketing." The suit was brought on behalf of Monet Parham, a Sacramento mom with two children.Continue reading...