Employers often complain of lazy workers, but in this bizarro world of corporate human resources management, a woman was fired for working during her lunch break:

Smiley, 48, punched out of work for lunch Jan. 28, 2010, but remained at her desk to finish a project assigned by a manager because she did not plan to eat that day, she said.

Smiley, who had passed her 10-year anniversary with the company more than a month before, said another manager told her it was time for her to go to lunch and step away from her desk, but she refused. That manager observed Smiley working on a spreadsheet on her computer, answering the phone and responding to questions by people who approached her desk, according to a filing from the appellate court of Illinois. [...]

The company's human resources director then became involved, explaining that hourly non-exempt employees were required to take a 30-minute lunch break, a policy that had been in the company handbook for 10 years, according to the filing. Not following the policy would be a violation of Illinois' labor laws, the HR director said.

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Lunch Disguise Sandwich Bag – $4.45

Have you resolved to start taking sack lunches to work? Protect your precious cargo with the Lunch Disguise Sandwich Bag from the NeatoShop. This hilarious box of 20 sandwich bags, with two designs, will help prevent sneaky coworkers from pilfering your tasty treats.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more Sandwich Bag fun!

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I love this delightfully clever H.P. Lovecraft bento box by The Nghbrhood complete with a green hot dog Cthulhu and terrified egg people. I’ d be so jealous if I was one of this kid’s school friends.

Link Via BoingBoing

Do you love Domo? Now with the Domo Tin Lunch Box from the NeatoShop you can take Domo on the go. Fill up this great little box with a snack or just some of your favorite things.   You can even fill it with several small apples, but we don’t think Domo would like that very much.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more  fantastic Lunch Boxes.

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Kimono Girl Soft Lunch Box – $27.95

School days! Oh wonderful school days!

That’s right, school is just around the corner. Are you looking for a great insulated lunch bag? You need the Kimono Girl Soft Lunch Bag from the NeatoShop.  This super cute bag has a adjustable divider to keep beverages or food separated.  There is also a handy dandy name tag sleeve to make sure no one accidentally steals your meal.

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Back to School items!

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As a case study, one of the judges started in the morning by granting parole to about 65 percent of the prisoners; that percentage dropped to near zero by the end of the first session, then rebounded to about 65 percent after the snack break. The same pattern repeated in the second and third sessions.

The researchers suggest that as the number of rulings in a session increase, the judges become mentally fatigued. Once their mental resources are depleted, the judges are more likely to simplify their decisions. Ruling in favor of the status quo—denying parole—is the "easier" decision, the authors argue, since these rulings take generally take less time and require shorter written verdicts. After taking a break, their faculties are restored, and they are more likely to make "harder" decisions and grant parole requests again.

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Are you tired of your coworkers stealing your lunch? You need the Lunch Bugs Sandwich Bags from the NeatoShop.  If the fly bag doesn’t stop them in their tracks the cockroach bag sure will!

Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more fabulous Kitchen Stuff!

Does it seem like your lunchbreak goes too quickly? It’s time to reverse the effect with the Lunchtime Clock by Instructables user randofo. This clock slows down during the lunch hour so that you can relax a little:

Thanks to great in advances in clock technology, I present to you a clock that speeds up 20% every day at 11:00 and slows down 20% every day at 11:48, giving you an extra twelve minutes of lunch to enjoy. Twelve minutes may not seem like a lot but, to put it into perspective, this is a full additional hour of lunchtime gained every week.

Link via DVICE

I swear, it’s real! On the rare occasions when Alex allows lunch breaks here at Neatorama HQ, we have to wear these contraptions. And even if you’re not under that kind of pressure, it’s always useful to have food shoved in your mouth when you’re otherwise using your hands.

via Geekosystem

"Where should we go for lunch?" If you’ve ever had to ask this simple question to a group of indecisive co-workers, then you know how frustrating it can be.

Well, no more! With this handy What’s For Lunch? Decision Spinner from the NeatoShop, you can get rid of the stress of deciding. Just leave lunch to the fickle hand of fate! Link | More Gag Gifts

Did you ever want to know what the kids in the US public school system were eating for lunch everyday? A public school teacher started the blog “Fed up with lunch: The school lunch project” where she photographed and ate everything the kids were served since the beginning of the year. Have a look at their peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. It’s an eye-opener!

“It’s very challenging to teach students when they are eating school lunches that don’t give them the nutrition they need and deserve. Oftentimes what is served barely passes muster as something edible.”

Link – via askmoxie

From the Upcoming Queue, submitted by Lee.

Chris’ “permanent roommate” packs his lunch with notes that are kind of like a smile for an appetizer.

Anyway, when we have leftover dinner, the permanent roommate packs us both a lunch. Since they look identical, she started leaving a Post-It note so I would know which lunch was mine. At first they just said Chris but I guess she got bored with just writing my name. She started writing funny messages. I saved my favorites.

Link -via reddit

“We used to throw the odd crumb towards him, but none of us expected him to join us in the truck every day. He will take anything out of your hands and seems to enjoy human company.”
Now the robin descends from nearby trees every day and lands on John’s wing mirror ready for the snacks they bring especially for him.

Mr. Hancock and friends made a YouTube video of “Robbie” and created a Facebook fan page.

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Korea: Kimchi, a fish, some seaweed looking thing, and some colorful mystery items.

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From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by notoriousnicholas.

Do you hate being the only person that doesn’t bring lunch to work or school in a brown bag? Well, now you can keep up your old ways while following the bag trend with this entirely felt lunch set. If you’re interested, instructions are available to make your own chips, bag, sandwich and treat from felt. They even tell you how to sew a plastic sandwich bag for good measure.

Link Via CraftZine