Books A: Books A - Booking Hotel

Americans spend $40 billion a year on weight-loss programs and products. They answer Jenny Craig's enticement to "lose 20 pounds for just $20" ("plus the cost of food") or Trimspa's offer of a seven-day supply of chocolate Hoodia weight-loss supplements for $24.95.

We buy books and magazines that offer the insightful revelation that we overeat because we're bored. There are publications that promote weight loss via "food combining" or a diet that corresponds to blood type.

Most offensive are alleged fitness experts who issue such advice as: "Keep your nose out of carrots, bunny. They're full of sugar. Pears, too—pure sugar." Meanwhile, they recommend chemical-laden diet soft drinks and salt-choked low-calorie frozen meals. More>>

The joke, of course, is that "$350 a month" is not a price, it's a fleecing. A blatant ripoff attempt. How long does this loan last? What are the terms? Only someone as stupid as Homer Simpson could fall for such a transparent ruse, right?

Don't tell that to the home selling industry. More>>

The hotel plays up its haunted past with ghost tours like The Shining Ball where guest are entertained with live music, a costume contest and a buffet dinner "prepared by [their] ghoulish staff."

The ExorcistDespite being an unassuming brick home on Prospect Street in Georgetown, DC, one home will forever be rumored as haunted thanks to William Friendkin's 1973 film "The Exorcist."

Also famous for the steep stairs on M Street directly behind the house, today the area is a popular tourist destination, featuring charming homes built circa 1880 by wealthy ship owners, merchants and land speculators. More>>