On Wednesday General Mills (GIS) released its quarterly earnings report, revealing that the food firm's earnings dropped during the fourth quarter. This was not the only news from GIS over the past few days. The company finds itself the subject of a lawsuit that once again has parental responsibility looking for the nearest exit.

Reportedly, Dow Jones fast-food behemoth McDonald's (MCD) is facing a lawsuit from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The lawsuit surrounds MCD's Happy Meal toys, stating that the toys "lure small children into McDonald's" in a marketing ploy that is "illegal under various state consumer protection laws." Interesting, as I thought it was the responsibility of the parents to make sure that their children eat healthily. I mean, I am a father of three and I make sure that my kids eat healthy food. Do they have the occasional Happy Meal? Yes, but I am the one making the decision.

It is a rare occasion when several of my interests line up ... but that has happened this week. First and foremost, I am a sneakerhead - a sneakerfreak - a sneakerologist - whatever you want to call it. I am also a fan of music, namely great guitar players - and being a child of the 80's, Eddie Van Halen is one of the first names that comes to mind when asked to name great guitarists. Well, sneakers and Eddie Van have collided, as the rocker is suing Nike (NYSE: NKE) for using his "Frankenstrat" guitar's color scheme in a pair of shoes without his permission.

Nike has created a design for a pair of its Dunk Low sneakers that has a red sole on a black show, with white and black diagonal stripes decorating the sole. Eddie contends that this design has caused "irreparable harm and damage" to his design, which he trademarked back in 2001. According to Nike, "Nike's Dunk shoe design is not substantially similar to any of the Van Halen designs, and Nike has not referenced the 'Van Halen' name or image as part of any marketing campaign or promotional material associated with the shoe."