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As the snow falls outside, let's take a minute and revel in the perfection of AWD rally cars slaying sideways at this past weekend's Sno*Drift Rally in Michigan.

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Have you ever wondered what would happen if you drove your car off a cliff? Volvo did.

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This kitteh is doing everything it can to get the Corgi into a tussle, (biting its butt!) but the Corgster isn’t having any of it. “My corgi (Sun) is a saint, and my cat (Schrödinger) is a total jerk. Guaranteed lolz!” -Lottie P.

Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: BFFs, Cats, Corgis, MASSIVE Impending Doom Tag

Dammit, I should've asked Miss Tia to include this ad in the new background.

submitted by benittybop [link] [160 comments]

When you buy an herbal supplement that says “echinacea” or “ginko boloba” on the label, you may expect that it contains some additional ingredients beyond the advertised herbs, but you should be confident that those herbs are present. However, DNA tests commissioned by the New York state Attorney General found evidence that many herbal products may not contain what they advertise.

New York AG Eric T. Schneiderman has dispatched letters to Walgreens, Walmart, Target and GNC, calling on these retailers to immediately halt the sale of certain store-brand herbal products found to not contain the ingredients touted on their labels. The letters also ask these companies to provide detailed information relating to the production, processing and testing of herbal supplements sold at their stores.

Of all the store-brand herbal products tested from these stores, only 21% turned up DNA from the plants listed on the products’ labels, while 79% of the results showed either no DNA related to the labeled content or turned up contamination from other plant material, including rice, beans, pine, citrus, asparagus, primrose, wheat, houseplant, wild carrot, and others.

At Walmart, only 4% of the tested products showed DNA from the plants listed on the labels, making it the worst of the bunch.

For the testing, researchers obtained multiple samples of each of the six supplement types — Gingko Biloba, St. John’s Wort, Ginseng, Garlic, Echinacea, and Saw Palmetto — and tested each sample five times. In all 78 samples were tested 390 times.

GNC:
Of the “Herbal Plus” brand supplements purchased and analyzed, only the Garlic supplement consistently turned up as containing what was advertised. One bottle of Saw Palmetto tested positive for containing DNA from the saw palmetto plant, while three others did not. The remaining four supplement types yielded mixed results, but none revealed DNA from the labeled herb, according to Schneiderman. In all, DNA results matched the labels only 22% of the time.

TARGET:
The retailer’s “Up & Up” fared the best of the four retailers, with DNA tests confirming 41% of the labels, but that still means that over half the products tested failed to contain what was advertised. The most consistent supplements were Garlic and Saw Palmetto. Echinacea was also somewhat consistent, says Schneiderman, though one sample apparently turned up rice DNA.

WALGREENS:
Subpar results here, with tests finding that only 18% of the tested Walgreens’ “Finest Nutrition” brand supplements lived up to their labels. Once again, Saw Palmetto was the most consistently accurate label, while Schneiderman says the others generally failed to show DNA of the advertised plant matter.

WALMART:
Which brings us to the worst-performing of the store-brand supplements. As mentioned above, only 4% of the tested “Spring Valley” brand herbal supplements showed DNA of the advertised herbs. None were consistently accurate, says Schneiderman, though tests showed some garlic in one Garlic supplement sample, and some saw palmetto in one Saw Palmetto sample.

Unlike medications, which are heavily scrutinized by the FDA, herbal supplements are not subject to a rigorous evaluation process. But you still can’t advertise that you’re selling one thing and sell consumers something completely different. That’s why Schneiderman’s office is looking at potential violations of New York’s General Business Law and Executive Law.

“This investigation makes one thing abundantly clear: the old adage ‘buyer beware’ may be especially true for consumers of herbal supplements,” said Schneiderman in a statement. “The DNA test results seem to confirm long-standing questions about the herbal supplement industry. Mislabeling, contamination, and false advertising are illegal. They also pose unacceptable risks to New York families—especially those with allergies to hidden ingredients. At the end of the day, American corporations must step up to the plate and ensure that their customers are getting what they pay for, especially when it involves promises of good health.”

“The evidence for these herbs’ effectiveness is sketchy to begin with,” said David Schardt, Senior Nutritionist of the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “But when the advertised herbs aren’t even in many of the products, it’s a sign that this loosely regulated industry is urgently in need of reform. Until then, and perhaps even after then, consumers should stop wasting their money. Attorney General Schneiderman has done what federal regulators should have done a long time ago.”

Comcast is not exactly renowned for its high-quality customer service. It consistently ranks as one of the most-hated, most ineffective companies in the country, in both formal and informal surveys. They hired an exec just to change the customer experience, but the heap of public, embarrassing incidents for them just keeps getting bigger. So if you’re a Comcast customer, and you’re stuck in a loop trying to get your problem solved, is there anything you can actually do?

While no amount of foresight and complaining can solve all problems with comcastic customer relations, there are some things you can do. From the basic steps to the nuclear options, here are a few things to try when an ordinary phone call doesn’t work out.

1. Document, document, document.
Having proof that the company told you one thing, and then did another, can help you. Save any online chats, e-mail conversations, or documents sent in writing.

Any time you call, record the date and time of your call and any file, incident, report, or ticket number the rep gives you.

You may also wish to record any calls you have with Comcast. It’s easy enough to do with apps on basically any smartphone, but beware: call recording is not equally legal in all states. At least not without the explicit permission of both parties. The Daily Dot ran a solid rundown of the what, where, and how of customer service call recording last summer after one particularly arduous customer experience went viral.

But of course, hindsight is 20/20. The last service call went totally fine and it never occurred to you to record it lest the company renege on their words in the future. Or maybe you do have a record, and the CSRs you talk to just don’t care. All is not lost; you still have options.

2. Call back and try again.
Good companies and bad both have a mixed bag of CSRs on staff. With Comcast, they’re all trained to make your call difficult unless you’re buying something. Sometimes the first person you talk to won’t be helpful, but the second might. It’s worth a try.

Of course, when the second and third attempts fail, you need to try something new.

3. Go social.
@ComcastCares isn’t quite what it used to be in the era of Comcast Frank, but it’s still a way to reach a new employee when you need help. Facebook isn’t going to help you much, but sometimes talking it through on a site like reddit can find you the human or the solution you need.

But social media can be a crapshoot. So if it doesn’t help you…

4. Climb the corporate ladder.
If a first-line CSR can’t help you, you ask for a manager or supervisor. And if that person can’t help you (because they might not actually have any authority), ask for their manager.

Eventually you will run out of higher levels to be transferred to, but just because they can’t or won’t connect you to anyone else doesn’t mean you’re out of options.

When standard channels fail, executive customer service is your next step. Last we heard, their number was (215) 640-8960.

You can also e-mail executives, who will pass you along to executive customer service. Comcast maintains a full list of its top executives on their website, including the guy who is supposed to make the customer service experience suck less and the guy who oversees all the call centers.

If e-mailing the customer service executives still doesn’t get you into executive customer service, you may need to go big and hit all of ‘em with the classic executive email carpet bomb.

5. Appeal to a higher authority: the franchise agency.
Any company that can distribute pay TV to you has a franchise agreement with the area where you live. Those are the terms under which Comcast is able to be the sole cable provider to your town or county, and as such the local franchise has authority to help you out with customer service issues.

The local franchise authority that applies to you will appear on page 2 or 3 of your bill (which you can view as a PDF online, if you don’t receive a paper copy). With the office name and address, you can search for your local regulatory office and probably find a web form or phone number for reporting issues. Depending in which state (or part of a state) you live, you may have a state-level regulatory agency to contact instead of a local one. Searching for [your area] cable franchise authority will probably find you what you need.

Each franchise authority will have a different timetable for being able to help. But if that doesn’t work…

6. Take it to the media.
Hi! We’re team Consumerist, and we like to help people who have had trouble getting their problems resolved.

But we’re not alone. Your local TV stations probably all have a consumer affairs reporter (“on your side”) you can contact, as well.

Your local network affiliate news station probably isn’t going to spend their time on a $1.39 charge that keeps coming and going from your bill, it’s true. But if Comcast got you fired or put you through a particularly arduous call, someone out there wants to know.

Comcast does not particularly enjoy the negative publicity that comes with viral “bad service” stories, so if your experience has been particularly wretched, you might as well tell the world.

A Cox Communications insider tells me that the company is preparing to shake up their lower speed tiers, and is also on the cusp of major announcements regarding the company's 1 Gbps "Gigablast" deployments. According to the source, in mid-February Cox will begin upgrading their "Starter" Internet offering from 1 Mbps down, 384 kbps up, to 5 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up. Cox's "Essential" Internet offering will be bumped from 5 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up to 15 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up.

"Other than the previously announced rate hikes, there will be no other change in cost," states the source. "Implementation will take about 6 weeks and will be by region."

More interesting perhaps is the fact that Cox will be expanding their "Gigablast" 1 Gbps offering in February. The source states that the company will be engaged in a "major" increase in deployments to single family homes in February in Phoenix and Omaha.

Cox announced their GigaBlast initiative back in May of last year. Like many companies now, Cox is primarily targeting higher-end housing developments where fiber tends to be already buried in the ground. Also like other companies, Cox isn't willing to get specific about how many users can get the faster services -- because it's usually not all that many.

Cox is currently offering Gigablast for $70 if bundled with cable TV, or $100 standalone. Cox has previously stated it will begin to offer 1 Gbps speeds across the rest of their footprint (using DOCSIS 3.1 technology) sometime in 2016.
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A dog miraculously appears from out of nowhere in this amazing magic trick by two cute golden retrievers, Goldie and Ami.

[jimmie augustus theodorus]

This wonderful custom bamboo cutting board($45) from Etsy seller Elysium Woodworks will teach you..(Read...)

When was the last time your saw a GQ list featuring the 10 best things about back hair?

Exactly. Never.

But don't fret: There's a swift and easy way to get rid of unwanted back hair (without having to resort to painful methods like waxing.)

Get yourself the Mangroomer ultimate back shaver to get all those hard-to-reach spots on your back.

The Mangroomer comes with two interchangeable attachment shaving heads: a 1.8-inch ultra-wide back groomer blade to shave large areas and longer hairs quickly, and an additional foil body groomer bi-directional head for regular maintenance and shorter hairs.

The Mangroomer also comes with a shock absorber, which follows the contours of your back for perfect blade-to-skin contact at any angle.

So check out today's deal on the Mangroomer Ultimate Pro Back Shaver — for $49.99. (That's 38% off.)

And if you're looking for something else, you can check out Amazon's other deals of the day here.

SEE ALSO:  The Drone Gift Guide: Four Drones To Help You Start Flying [Up To 55% Off]

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The Vesper($69) is a pendant necklace that is also a vibrator. It's charged via USB and sells..(Read...)

The latest Razer Blade gaming laptop, unveiled today, features a GeForce GTX 970M graphics card, IGZO display panel, 16GB of 1600 MHz DDR3L memory and when closed is .70 of an inch thick.

The Razer Blade, which went on sale today, starts at $2,199 for the IGZO model and $1,999 for the HD model. It will also be available in some Microsoft Stores starting Feb. 16.

"When we debuted the Razer Blade in 2013, we set the benchmark for gaming laptops - and other companies worldwide have followed in our footsteps," says Min-Liang Tan, Razer co-founder and CEO. "We continue to listen as gamer needs evolve and the new Razer Blade again sets the industry standard by which gaming laptops are measured."

Housed in a precision-cut CNC aluminum...

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This 1974 Mazda Rotary Pick-up is described as a strong-running, all-original example recently donated by its original owner. The truck isn’t perfect but presents better than 90% or more of the other REPU’s we see for sale, and though the automatic trans is a bummer we wonder if a 5-speed swap is possible. Rust around the windshield is another concern, though overall it looks to have been well-cared for. Find it here on eBay in Fullerton, California with a $4,890 BIN.

In life, one cannot simply go around laying hands on people’s faces and telling them one way or the other if they find them attractive. Well, you could do it, but it’d be awkward. On the flipside, you can’t so easily retract a profession of “like” or “dislike” as it were. Tinder wants to let users do that in the virtual dating world, with a paid version of the app that’s coming out in March.

The dating app accidentally announced at first that an update available today would include the “undo” capability in a Plus version, as well as the ability to view users outside your geographical location called “Passport.” This paid version was previously announced in November and slated for a year-end release, which clearly has been pushed back.

TechCrunch first noticed the description mentioning the Plus features for the iOS update that have yet to roll out:

“Undo – Take back your last swipe! – Passport – Change your location to match with people around the world! – Bug fixes”

Tinder confirmed that those features are not ready yet, and instead are slated for a mid-March arrival. Though earlier reports put Plus at $6.99 per month, Tinder hasn’t disclosed pricing.

As it works right now, users swipe either left (nope, don’t like you) or right (yep, you look goooood to me) on users’ photographs within a certain distance of their location, instead of searching a huge pool of users consisting of the entire world.

But sometimes, swipe fatigue leads fingers to go rogue, accidentally telling someone the thing you didn’t want to tell them, losing potential soulmates with one touch and encouraging others who don’t have a hope.

You can “unmatch” someone now if they also liked you, but anyone who’s seen a match disappear from their list knows that, “Why me?” feeling, knowing someone regretted their apparent choice.

Again, it’s a lot easier than marching up to someone in person and saying, “So, I know I said I liked you, but actually I don’t.” Or conversely, “Hey, remember when I told you I wasn’t interested in you? Surprise! I am!”

Ugh, kids these days.

Tinder Plus, The Paid Version Featuring An Undo Button And More, Arrives In U.S. Next Month [TechCrunch]

RadioShack built its brand by creating a vast nationwide network of stores across the country: they still have 4,300 of them, which has been a significant burden for the company as it has struggled to stay relevant and make money. As the Shack prepares to declare Chapter 11 bankruptcy, those stores are a tempting asset for other retailers looking to expand their retail footprints, like mobile carrier Sprint…and now Amazon.

Amazon, as you may recall, recently signed a lease on a building near the Empire State Building that has first-floor retail space, leading to speculation that the company would be opening its first Amazon Store. Amazon plans to use the building for warehouse and office space, as it turns out, and sublet the retail floor to another company. Taking over much smaller stores in areas with significantly lower rent than Manhattan is a tempting proposition, though.

Bloomberg reports (warning: auto-play video) that according to sources who are familiar with the Radio Shack pre-bankruptcy negotiations, Amazon has joined Sprint in talks to possibly take over some store leases. Initial reports were that the chain planned to sell about half of its store leases to Sprint and shut down the rest.

Amazon wouldn’t just use the stores as a showcase for its Kindle and Fire lines of e-readers, tablets, phones, and streaming-video devices. They would also use the stores as pickup and return centers for customer orders.

Radio Shack could also stay open, running co-branded stores with Sprint. Instead of closing down the chain and selling off stores, it’s possible that someone could see Radio Shack as a good investment and bid to take the whole thing over.

The Chinese investment group that now owns Brookstone, Sailing Capital and Sanpower, are also reportedly interested in bidding on some current Radio Shack stores.

Amazon in Talks to Buy Some of RadioShack’s Stores [Bloomberg News] (Warning: auto-play video)

This 1972 Datsun 240Z is being offered on behalf of its original owner and is said to have only 23k and change miles from new. Photos show a very impressively preserved car, and the owner’s mechanic who is helping with the sale adds that it’s been garaged since new and never rusted. Apparently completely stock right down to the rare OEM wheel covers, we’re guessing it’s never been driven in winter. Find it here on Craigslist in Lafayette, Indiana for $32k OBO. Special thanks to BaT reader Todd M. for this submission!

​Orange is arguably the S30 chassis’ signature color, and this one’s paint sounds to be all-original excluding some hood and front fender rock chip repair in 1973. One other small ding is noted in photographs, and from what we can make out it seems to be very small and located on one of the doors. If truly the only noticeable flaw we’d guess the owner was quite used to parking at the deserted end of parking lots and hoofing it.

​Though far from ideal, the white vinyl interior looks just as nice as the exterior including dash top, upholstery, door cards and what we can see of carpet—it’s partially obscured by a very period set of sisal mats. A headliner shot looks promising as well, and the odometer displays 23,146 miles. We’d consider pulling the seats and other white trim for careful storage and swapping in a black interior in their place—not only for looks, but also to help preserve what we’re assuming are the originals.

​Several lift shots are provided as well, with this one painting the clearest picture of the underpinnings’ overall state of preservation. Indiana salts their roads in the winter, and as mentioned above, we’d guess it’s never been driven through the stuff.

​Despite a slightly blurry focus, the engine bay still looks to be tidy with excellent inner fender paint. The car’s standard Hitachi-SU carbs are retained behind an OEM air cleaner housing with good factory info stickers, and the owner’s mechanic says they performed a valve adjustment 12 years and 2,000 miles ago. Other work completed at the time included new spark plugs, fuel filter and an oil change, and more recently the car has received a fresh fuel pump, master cylinder and muffler—good tires, brakes, belts, hoses and remaining exhaust are all claimed original.

​Though priced at the top of the market, the car is very likely one of the nicest still out there. If the seller is indeed able to make a nine-fold increase over the original, approximately $3,600 purchase price we’d say they’ve got it coming—call it a delayed payday for 43 years of preservation.

'Socialist paradise' turns into nightmare...


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“Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

It’s been forty-five years since Joni Mitchell first sang that fateful line on her hit track Big Yellow Taxi, but her words continue to ring out to this day. That line has been repeated, and repeated, and repeated over the years but for as straightforward as her sentiment may be, we’re still struggling to grasp the song’s message. This is especially true here in New York, where more and more so-called institutions of the city seem to be disappearing by the day. And no industry seems to be both more at risk, and more revered than restaurants.

At this point, it seems as if any restaurant that’s been around for more than five years, doesn’t serve some blogger approved, Instagram-ready menu of avant garde delicacies, and/or hasn’t found their niche food fad yet, is endanger of shuttering at a moments notice. And in turn, each “we’re closing” announcement is met by a chorus of complaints, and groans, and claims that New York is over. Inevitably though a week passes, and we all forget about it. We bounce back to whatever “hot new restaurant” is peaking that week, or to our favorite dollar slice spot, depending on our particular palette preferences. And honestly, when was the last time any of us ate at Soup Burg, or Cafe Edison, or El Greco or Odessa?

Often we only patronize these places once their fate has already been sealed, in a last ditch effort to say “yup, I was there.” But for the proprietors of these beloved, yet under frequented establishments, that is simply not enough. Starting today, I’d like to propose a different approach. Instead of waiting around for the death rattle of yet another classic New York establishment, why don’t we all actually make an effort to keep these businesses afloat. Let’s start with diners. Once a staple of this fast-paced city, New York’s greasy spoon numbers are dwindling at an alarming rate. Diner food is rarely exceptional, but it’s never going to let you down. There’s an innate comfort that comes from eating no-frills food in a place that hasn’t been renovated since well before you were born.

So, get out there and order some corned beef stacked on rye, or a bowl of Chicken Noodle so packed with pasta it’ll make the broth seem like a mere afterthought, or maybe even a hamburger that you don’t have to wait two hours for. I don’t care what you order, just do your part, and help to keep those griddles hot, those surly waiters employed, and those spoons as greasy as ever.

Waverly Restaurant – 385 6th Ave. at Waverly Pl., Greenwich Village

Tom’s – 782 Washington Ave. at Sterling Pl., Crown Heights

Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop – 174 5th Ave. at West 22nd St., Flatiron

Joe Jr. – 167 3rd Ave. at 16th St., Gramercy

Tom’s Restaurant – 2880 Broadway at West 112th St., UWS

Stage – 128 2nd Ave. at Saint Marks Pl., East Village

Viand Coffee Shop – 673 Madison at 61st St., UES

Square Diner – 33 Leonard St. at West Broadway, Tribeca

Manhattan Three Decker – 695 Manhattan Ave. at Norman Ave., Greenpoint

Cup & Saucer – 89 Canal St. at Eldridge St., Lower East Side

Stop Inn – 60-22 Roosevelt Ave. at 61st St., Woodside

B&H Dairy – 127 Second Ave. at St. Marks Place, East Village

La Bonbonniere – 28 8th Ave. at West 12th St., West Village