The Consumer Memo, 6/15: Paul McCartney backs meatless Mondays

Heavy on carrot sticksVegetarian and former Beatle Paul McCartney asked fans to go meatless on Mondays to help slow global warming by reducing the amount of gaseous emissions from farm animals.

Cows, pigs and sheep bred for human consumption discharge millions of tons of methane, a more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. Livestock accounts for about 18 percent of greenhouse gases, more than all the world’s cars, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has said.

Supported in his cause by celebrity chefs and Hollywood actors, McCartney said in a statement Monday that skipping meat a day a week is a “meaningful” change everyone can make to their lifestyles to help the environment. Less consumption may lead to fewer animals reared, and so emissions would fall.

Breakfast of champions
KobeWheaties will issue a commemorative package honoring the 2008-09 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers. The 15.6-oz box, which celebrates the Lakers’ victory over the Orlando Magic will be available nationally starting next month. The front of the box features the team lineup, including Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.

Credit card rates
Rates edge higherCredit card interest rates wavered in the past week, with the lowest rates holding steady while some higher rates dipped.

Overall, the average annual percentage rate charged on variable rate credit cards edged up to 10.88 percent from 10.85 percent last week, according to Bankrate.com.

Pizza pride
Papa John’s is betting the store on keeping its eye on the pie — even as two larger competitors load their plates with pasta with pasta or sandwiches to boost sales in the slumping economy.

John Schnatter, founder and chief executive of Papa John’s International Inc., is taking a pass on the type of menu expansions rolled out by rivals Pizza Hut and Domino’s Pizza Inc. in the past year.

The No. 1 and 2 chains have rolled out pastas and sandwiches as they fight for sales in a pizza business that isn’t doing as well as fast-food rivals in the recession. The third-largest chain, Louisville-based Papa John’s, tested its own pasta and calzones, but decided against offering them nationwide.

Pizza is the centerpiece of the menu, but the chain offers an array of side items — from chicken strips and wings to breadsticks, which “enhance the core product” but don’t take away from making the pizzas,Schnatter said.

Phone fee hike
The fee paid by telephone customers into a fund that subsidizes service in rural areas will increase by 14 percent, the Federal Communications Commission said. The charge on monthly bills will increase during the third quarter to 12.9 percent of the cost of long-distance and international calls from 11.3 percent this quarter, the agency said in a news release Monday.

The fee is reset quarterly. It replenishes the Universal Service Fund, which helps pay for telephone service in rural areas, for discounts for some poor users and for Internet access in schools and libraries.

Extended Stay bankruptcy
Extended Stay Hotels LLC has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The Spartanburg, S.C.-based company’s brands include Extended Stay Deluxe, Extended Stay America Efficiency Studios, Homestead Studio Suites, StudioPLUS Deluxe Studios and Crossland Economy Studios. It operates more than 650 hotels in the U.S. and Canada catering to long-term business travelers.

IRS snafu
The Internal Revenue Service said an employee erroneously released a document that suggested letting tax-preparers regulate themselves as part of an effort to end fraud and improve the accuracy of tax filings.

The document released last week said the agency wanted to design a “self-regulatory organization” for tax preparation companies such as H&R Block Inc. and Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc.

The document “runs counter to the explicit instructions that I have given to be open to all ideas and input,” IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman said in a statement Monday.

Facebook user names
Facebook Inc., the largest social- networking service, said it assigned 5.75 million user names through Sunday, giving easier-to-remember Web addresses to its customers.

Facebook began offering user names after midnight New York time on June 13. Separately, the Palo Alto, California-based company said Greg Badros joined Facebook as director of engineering.