Grapevine: United Airlines camera shy?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine...
Shuttered Out
A travel blogger says he was kicked off a United Airlines flight last month for taking a picture of an empty seat.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Matthew Klint told KYW-TV he had just boarded his flight when he snapped a picture on his iPhone.
He says a flight attendant told him no pictures were allowed. It's a rule stated in the airline's in-flight magazine -- quote -- "The use of still and video cameras...is permitted only for recording personal events."
Klint says he explained he was a travel blogger and put his phone away, but was escorted off the plane and booked on a later flight.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}United says -- quote -- "We welcome customers to record their personal experiences on board provided they don't take photos or videos of customers and crewmembers without their consent."
Klint maintains there were no people in his picture.
He says after blogging about his ordeal, the airline offered him a modest compensation, but no apology.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Show Me the Money
Super Bowl Most valuable player Joe Flacco has signed a six year, $120 million contract with the Baltimore Ravens making him the highest paid player in NFL history.
But thanks to a little geography the quarterback is not taking home more money than any other NFL player.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Americans for Tax Reform points out, Flacco's decision to stay in Baltimore means that he is on the hook for a combined marginal income tax rate of 51.98 percent for a total tax liability of $10.44 million per year.
Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints -- the second highest earner in the NFL -- will take home an estimated $470,000 a year more than Flacco.
Sticky Fingers
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}And finally, Columbia University is the victim of a costly string of thefts. The Columbia Spectator reports students are stealing Nutella from the dining room.
Last month, the undergraduate cafeteria started serving the hazelnut spread.
Since then, students have been going through about 100 pounds of it per day.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}It appears diners have been not only eating it, but hoarding it to take back to their dorms -- at a price tag of about $2,500 for the first week alone.