It’s tradition to get stuffed on Thanksgiving, but you can still get your fill of traditional flavors without wrecking your diet. MyFitnessPal shows us some simple food substitutions that cut the calories, sugar, and/or fat of traditional Thanksgiving foods.
Wood decks and stairs are susceptible to rot and water damage. Use lag bolts to raise deck posts and stair risers above footings to prevent water from seeping into the wood.
A box of powder-cheesed macaroni? Natural! A candy bar? Sure, why not: natural! A can of 7-Up? All natural! A bag of fruit snacks? Just chock full of natural flavors, my friends.
WASHINGTON — The job posting indicates that Fairfax County would pay up to $183,665 to replace Samuel Clay, who is set to retire in March as library director, but the county is apparently is struggling to find his successor.
The Washington Post reports that several qualified people have turned down job offers, and the search for a replacement has been put off till the new year.
“I’d like them to get busy and start filling the job … they’ve known this vacancy was going to be there for years,” says Dennis Hays, who heads a citizens’ group called Fairfax Library Advocates.
In the face of a budget shortfall, Fairfax County has sharply cut the library budget in recent years, including staff reductions. It’s also reduced its collection of printed books in favor of electronic books.
Hays thinks that some qualified candidates have turned down the job, unsure of the county’s support for the library system.
“It comes up to where there’s an actual offer made to an individual, but they look around and they see that they don’t have the level of support and commitment that they think is necessary for them to do their job,” Hays says.
The county says because of changes in technology, libraries in general are at a crossroads in trying to meet changing customer needs.
The post Fairfax County struggling to fill high-paying library position appeared first on WTOP.
This week’s pet of the week is Tweetie, a 15-year-old Cockatiel who misses his first owner and his favorite human very much. Still, he’s adjusted to his new home and lives by his own rules.
Here’s what Tweetie’s new owner has to say about the old but loving, singing bird:
This is Tweetie. He came to me after his owner passed away. He is a cranky old bird who is known to drop all of his food on the bottom of his cage to let me know that he would prefer birdseed.
Cockatiels are generally very social birds that can be hand tamed and clicker trained. But Tweetie will have none of this. He likes his humans to visit him and tell him he is a pretty bird, but he would prefer not to be touched, and he will not under any circumstances echo a whistle. Tweetie has a number of interesting bird calls, but he will only sing on his terms.
Tweetie has become a wonderful addition to our family. If you are looking for a pet that is less maintenance than a dog but still loving, funny and affectionate, consider a bird!
Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email arlingtonnews@gmail.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet.
Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks. Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Arlington and Northern Virginia.
The post Arlington Pet of the Week: Tweetie appeared first on WTOP.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — On the advice of doctors, Dennis Pitta reluctantly abandoned hope of playing for the Baltimore Ravens this season.
Next year, however, is still on the table.
The Ravens announced Wednesday that Pitta would be placed on injured reserve, a decision that came after his personal physicians and team doctors deemed it unsafe for the tight end to return from right hip surgery.
“Obviously, I really want to play. This is what I feel like I want to do and should do,” Pitta said. “It’s difficult for me, accepting the fact that I won’t be out there this season.”
Pitta caught a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl following an outstanding 2012 regular season in which he had 61 receptions for 669 yards and seven TDs. He fractured and dislocated his hip on the first day of training camp the following July and played in only the last four games.
Pitta got off to a good start in 2014 before again dislocating his hip in Week 3. He finally returned to the practice field three weeks ago, but his hopes of joining the active roster have been dashed.
“It didn’t quite respond the way we had hoped, and sitting down with doctors over the last couple of days, we decided that it was certainly too much of a risk at this time,” Pitta said.
He emphasized the last three words, because the 30-year-old is not ready to call it quits.
“I think no player wants to play their last play getting carted off the field,” Pitta said. “I’ll continue to work, and hopefully that won’t be the end of the story.”
Pitta said during the past three week there were “things — both on and off the field — that weren’t feeling right.” He considered long and hard about playing through the pain before finally adhering to the advice of physicians.
“Obviously, I’m not playing right now because the risk is high,” Pitta said. “But I’m a football player and that’s what I’ve always wanted to do. … I feel a sense of duty to be able to go out there and help my team, and I love football. I love competing and I love playing at the highest level. It’s something I don’t feel like I’m ready to give up.”
Ravens coach John Harbaugh wore a grim look as he considered what Pitta went through in an effort to be part of a team that has struggled this year in his absence.
“You had hopes. I was hoping he’d be able to play, and to see him come out here (in practice) and really perform well, that part of it was a plus,” Harbaugh said. “But the other thing that overrides that is the fact that we want what’s best for the player. His safety and going forward as far as quality of life overrides all. It’s not really close.”
When Pitta was healthy, he was a favorite target of Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. During the 2012 postseason, the 6-foot-4, 245-pounder had 14 catches for 163 yards and three scores.
“It’s great to have a guy like that you know you can go to, and you know what he’s going to do,” Flacco said. “He’s going to be in the right spot, he’s going to win and he’s going to catch the ball. When you have a guy like that on the field with you, it makes your job a little easier.”
Understanding that Pitta would have difficulty of returning after a second hip surgery, the Ravens drafted two tight ends in 2015 — Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle. Along with second-year pro Crockett Gillmore, the trio has combined for 43 catches this year.
Pitta will stick around to make sure they keep on improving.
“Obviously, they have a lot to learn and a lot of growth in front of them,” Harbaugh said. “Dennis has been already there with them throughout, and my understanding is I’ve asked him to continue to be here with them throughout the season, every day. I believe he’s going to do that.”
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Online:
AP NFL websites: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP_NFL
The post Ravens TE Pitta to be placed on IR following hip surgery appeared first on WTOP.
Washington Times |
'What Our Fathers Did' shows the pain of Germans acknowledging Nazi past Washington Times Horst von Wachter (left) and Niklas Frank (right) are the sons of Nazi war criminals struggling with their familial pasts in “What Our Fathers Did: A Nazi Legacy.” (Tribecafilm.com) more >. By Eric Althoff - The Washington Times - Wednesday, November ... and more » |
DC Animal Watch Washington Post These cases were handled by the Washington Humane Society, which operates its shelter at 7319 Georgia Ave. NW, and the District's, at 1201 New York Ave. NE. For information or assistance, call 202-723-5730 or go to www.washhumane.org. Flight on ... and more » |
This may come as a surprise to some of you, but Sears still exists. For a while, we wondered whether it was an advanced anti-capitalist prank that only pretends to sell goods in exchange for money, and that may still be the case for corporate sibling Kmart. The writers of Jimmy Kimmel Live noticed this, and decided to help Sears out by making them a commercial.
During a monologue bit about stores being open on Thanksgiving Day, Kimmel mentioned that one business open on the holiday will be Sears. In fact, Sears is open during the rest of the year, too. Now you know!
The tone of this fake ad actually isn’t that far off some real ads from Sears, including this one from 2013 where the retailer tries to use their empty parking lots as a selling point.
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His belly will always resemble a bowl full of jelly, he will always drive a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer and Santa Claus will always live at the North Pole. And according to disgruntled shoppers at Simon Malls, his polar home at the mall dang well better be in the traditional style we’re all used to, and not some futuristic, modern place with nary a poinsettia in sight.
Simon Properties introduced a new set-up that deviates from the usual snowy evergreens and cozy decor of Santa’s abode in six malls (out of the 200 it owns) that seriously grumped out some customers: the display included fake glaciers, artificial snow banks… and no Christmas tree, reports LoHud.com. That, along with interactive flat screens and a light show had shoppers complaining.
“It was our intention to experiment with delivering a modern interactive experience for the family,” said Simon Malls president David Contis.
The reaction wasn’t so great — shoppers threatened to boycott the mall and deluged Simon Malls with complaints on social media, demanding Santa’s hangout be restored to its traditional Christmas theme. It worked.
“After listening to customer feedback, we immediately decided to remove and replace them with traditional décor, including Christmas trees, and hope our customers will join us in celebrating the Christmas season,” said Contis.
Take Our PollFuturistic Santa display has shoppers saying bah humbug [LoHud.com]
Food poisoning outbreaks in restaurants are publicized so victims know to come forward, and have some idea where their sudden bloody diarrhea a week after eating that burrito bowl may have come from. In the case of this five-person outbreak, officials told the Oregonian, they weren’t able to figure out which ingredient was to blame, but did trace the outbreak to Chipotle.
The July outbreak put a higher proportion of diners in the hospital than the outbreak in October: 40% of people who reported their illness were hospitalized. It’s likely that there wer many others who were sick, but didn’t visit a doctor for testing, and didn’t know to come forward.
Chipotle cooperated with the investigation, letting inspectors check and test equipment, food, and they even tested employees. The strain was E. coli O26, but inspectors weren’t able to find it in any ingredients or on any surfaces.
By the time authorities tracked the pathogen to Chipotle, the incubation period for the disease was over, and there was no point in alerting the public. Right? The county is considering telling people about outbreaks that have already passed in the future.
Chipotle involved in 4th outbreak this year that was kept secret [Oregonian]
Ever walked into a McDonald’s and not been sure what to order? Probably not, if you’re already at the restaurant. But for those of us who just can’t make up our minds, the Golden Arches has a solution: a digital menu board that recommends meals depending on the weather.
The idea behind the boards, which are expected to be installed by the end of 2016, is to better engage customers, bring attention to certain items, and of course increase sales, Business Insider reports.
As for the boards’ ability to determine your meal needs based on weather?
McDonald’s U.S. President Mike Andres says the smart menus are designed to monitor the temperature outside and, based on that information, recommend products that tend to sell better at hotter or cooler temperatures.
So when it’s cold or raining outside, for example, the digital menu might suggest hot drinks or heartier meals.
Additionally, the boards will track the time of day to promote breakfast products in the morning, then switch to other items at appropriate times.
McDonald’s ‘smart’ menus will start recommending food based on the weather [Business Insider]
In the past year, automakers have recalled millions upon millions of vehicle for airbag issues. Bucking that trend is Rolls-Royce, which announced this week that it would recall one car. That’s right a single – very expensive – vehicle because of a problem with the safety device.
The carmaker, a division of BMW, issued the recall for one model year 2015 Ghost.
In a notice [PDF] posted with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Rolls-Royce says the driver and passenger airbags in the affected vehicle may fail to meet side impact performance requirements. In the event of a crash, the company says the airbag’s non-deployment may increase the risk of injury to front seat passengers.
“As such, this vehicle may fail to comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards [on] Side Impact Protection,” the notice states.
Rolls-Royce will notify the owner of the affected vehicle and a dealer will replace the driver-side and passenger-side airbag module.
This isn’t the first single vehicle recall we’ve heard of. Last year, Swedish carmaker Koenigsegg Automotive notified NHTSA that it would recall one 2013 Agera sold in the United States because of a tire problem.
“We have only one US spec vehicle with this system installed,” the company said at the time. “We located the customer, who had temporarily moved to Europe and had taken the car with him. By the time we had located and made contact, he had already initiated the return of the vehicle to the US.”
A group of scientists at New Mexico State’s Molecular Vector Physiology Lab studying the most effective mosquito repellents tested 10 different formulas, including camping standbys like DEET, as well as a Victoria’s Secret perfume called Bombshell. They published their findings in the Journal of Insect Science (h/t Gizmodo).
Researchers put mosquitos to the test by giving them two options: either leave a holding chamber in one part of a Y-shaped tube and head to a researcher’s bare hand, with no repellant on it, or wind up on a hand coated with one of the repellents.
When the mosquitoes were set loose, the researchers counted how many chose the hands with treatments on them, in order to measure how attracted they were. They also took measurements over time in order to see which repellents were most effective after a few hours.
DEET-based repellents were the most effective, while bare hands attracted 61% of the mosquitoes. But as it turns out, the Victoria’s Secret perfume worked almost as well as formulas with DEET: it attracted only 17% of mosquitos and stayed effective for 120 minutes.
Researcher Stacy Rodriguez initially decided to test the perfume in the research to see if fragrant, sweet smells attract the pests or not.
“There was some previous literature that said fruity, floral scents attracted mosquitoes, and to not wear those,” she said in a statement. “It was interesting to see that the mosquitoes weren’t actually attracted to the person that was wearing the Victoria’s Secret perfume – they were repelled by it.”
Stow that one away for summer — we now return you to your regularly scheduled chilly weather gripes and grumbles.
The Efficacy of Some Commercially Available Insect Repellents for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) [Journal of Insect Science]
CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) — The Montgomery County school board is considering revising a countywide dress code policy to ban Confederate symbols and other apparel that would disrupt a school’s learning environment.
The Roanoke Times (http://bit.ly/1iTNeQI ) reports that the board approved the first reading of the proposal on Tuesday night.
Confederate symbols are among examples of items that would be banned. Other examples include clothing or items denoting Neo-Nazi and other hate groups.
The proposal follows recent protests over Christiansburg High School’s ban on Confederate symbols on student vehicles in the parking lot.
Confederate symbols have come under increased public scrutiny since the June 17 massacre of nine black worshippers at a church in Charleston, South Carolina. Dylann Roof, the white man charged in the slayings, had been photographed holding the Confederate battle flag.
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Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com
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WASHINGTON — In a bundle of cuteness, the Smithsonian National Zoo’s giant baby panda Bei Bei reached another major milestone.
Baby Bei Bei took his first step under the watchful eye of his mother, Mei Xiang, the zoo announced.
The adorable wobbly moment happened at around 4:50 p.m. Monday and, to the delight of panda watchers, was captured on video. In the clip, Mei Xiang can be seen congratulating the nearly 3-month-old panda cub with a big hug.
Ever since, the footage has been buzzing on social media — the Smithsonian’s Instagram post alone had topped 4,350 likes as of Wednesday morning.
Before the big moment, Bei Bei had spent much of his time scooting in circles and making attempts at crawling and walking. “It sort of looks like he’s swimming in the den,” a zookeeper wrote in the zoo’s Giant Panda Bulletin on Nov. 4.
Zoo officials had predicted the cub would be walking by the end of the month, based on milestones hit by prior cubs.
“Now that he’s got all four paws under him, Bei Bei will begin to wander around and leave the den on his own to explore the indoor enclosure,” zoo officials said.
The post One small step for panda: Bei Bei takes first steps at National Zoo (Video) appeared first on WTOP.
WASHINGTON — Capt. James Sears may be the future of pain management.
The Army nurse was injured in a bus crash in 2007 while on his way to a domestic training mission in South Dakota. The driver fell asleep at the wheel and hit a bridge, leaving Sears with damage to his back and left hip — and the possibility of a lifetime of chronic pain.
“I actually did become dependent on the medication I took,” says Sears, adding that addiction to opioid painkillers is a problem facing too many, both in and out of the military.
As time passed, he saw others benefit from a set of alternative pain management techniques that are being tested by the military medical system to help both active duty members of the armed services and veterans.
Gradually, he began to try different options available through the pain management program at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda — from acupuncture, to yoga, to mind-body wellness.
“Mind and body wellness takes into account your mind is a big part of healing a person as a whole,” says Sears, who adds that distracting or calming the mind can “help immensely.”
His reliance on strong painkillers is gone, having been replaced by this basket of alternative therapies.
“I do like yoga, but mind and body wellness and acupuncture do wonders for me, and I love them and can’t do without them,” Sears says.
It’s a modern approach that uses ancient techniques — and experts at Walter Reed say it’s working.
“We have the science now that is backing it that we didn’t even have 20 years ago,” says Dr. Christopher Spivak, prescription medication misuse director at Walter Reed and deputy director of the Wounded Warrior Pain Care Initiative.
He says patients such as Sears are taught a variety of skills that they can use to manage their pain. Some are as simple as using the smell of peppermint to train the brain and wean it off prescription painkillers.
“We can give people the smell of peppermint every time they take their pill,” Spivak says. In time, the scent has the same effect as the medication.
“I love it because the common sense things are what our grandmothers told us,” he adds.
Today, modern brain imaging offers proof that grandma was right.
Movement is another effective tool Walter Reed uses to help manage chronic pain; the intensity is determined by the overall physical condition of the patient.
Sears, for example, started out with yoga instruction adapted for his injuries. He says he gradually became more limber, and perhaps more importantly, he began to realize “it can bring you peace.”
Spivak says yoga can be extremely beneficial, but notes it is not for everyone. He says for older veterans — particularly those from the Korean and Vietnam War eras — the most popular form of physical activity incorporated in pain management is ballroom dancing.
“Ballroom dancing requires so much conductivity to the brain, listening to the music, the steps and things like that, that we can make that brain fire less pain,” Spivak explains.
That is also the premise behind the rising use of ancient Chinese forms of exercise that use flowing, gentle movements, such as tai chi and qigong.
Elmer Lee, a physical therapist at the McGuire Veteran’s Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, has been teaching these exercises to his patients, and was recently brought to Walter Reed to share his knowledge at a seminar on alternative pain management for military health care personnel from around the world.
Lee says health care professionals are no longer looking at pain as a problem to be treated with drugs, injections or surgery. He finds that teaching disciplines, such as tai chi and qigong, to patients through veteran and military hospitals — rather than classes open to the public — makes the therapies even more powerful pain management tools. Camaraderie is the not so secret ingredient.
“Sharing past histories, being part of a team, being part of a common goal for better health awareness, all play a role,” Lee says.
This united spirit is one reason why the military medical system is uniquely qualified to lead the way on alternative pain management.
“We have been developing programs that have never been seen in the civilian sector,” says Spivak, acknowledging that the task of caring for the wounded warriors of recent conflicts has given added impetus to this work.
Sears has experienced the results firsthand, coming back from a dangerous reliance on opioids with new resolve.
“My dream is to go on and get my nurse practitioner degree and specialize in addiction treatment and help those who are going through what I went through before,” he says.
In this way, he believes, his experience will help others. And as a military veteran, he will continue to serve.
The post Veterans, military lead the way in future of pain management appeared first on WTOP.
WASHINGTON — The driver of a pickup truck involved in a deadly crash in Chillum on Sunday has been identified by police as 30-year-old Medardo Flores.
Police say they believe Flores had been involved in a previous crash in the area, and was trying to speed away from the scene when his pickup truck collided with a church van.
One child and three adults, including Flores, were killed. Thirteen people were injured in the crash, and a pregnant woman who was in the van lost her unborn child.
The van was traveling to a Sunday evening service at a church in Riverdale, Maryland. Police said the pickup truck burst into flames upon impact with the van.
A Prince George’s County police spokesperson tells WTOP the investigation into the cause and circumstances surrounding the crash could take several months.
The post Driver in fiery Prince George’s County crash identified appeared first on WTOP.
This sponsored column is written by Peter Bui, founder of The Honest Teacher. An Arlington native and former teacher, Peter offers private tutoring services that focus on the individual needs of students and emphasize the core values of confidence, independence and resilience.
According to Dr. BJ Fogg of the Persuasive Tech Lab at Stanford University, there are three core motivators: sensation, anticipation and belonging. Each motivator has two sides: pleasure/pain, hope/fear, and acceptance/rejection. What is more intriguing and insightful about Fogg’s approach to motivation are his challenges to the current paradigm of motivation.
In his lecture, which can be found in the link above, he corrects “motivate behavior change” to “facilitate behavior change.” A subtle yet dramatic difference in interpretation. Trying to motivate someone to change their behavior is often quite difficult. It requires a constant injection of one of the core motivators. However, if behavior change is truly the goal rather than a change in motivation, facilitating the behavior change by utilizing, as Fogg states, the “current motivation” is much more effective at long-term change.
Motivation comes in waves rather than always being high. Although there are individuals who are always highly motivated, most people typically reside in the low areas of motivation with peaks of high motivation. These areas still allow for behavior change but only the easiest kind, such as tasks that require very low ability or effort. Social media has both a low level of ability and provides belonging, a core motivator. It becomes clear based on Fogg’s framework why so many people choose to use it when they are bored or have low motivation. So how do we harness these natural waves of motivation to produce positive behavioral change?
At times of low motivation, structured behavior, tiny habits and baby steps are still possible. Structured behavior is behavior that is daily and routine. School provides a great deal of structure for students but can vary from class to class, which then takes longer for some students to build the feeling of routine. Habits and routine take time to build and also require occasional reinforcement.
Tiny habits require trusting that they will grow naturally into larger habits. A tiny habit can be as simple as “flossing one tooth” which then grows into “flossing all your teeth.” Starting just one homework assignment when a student comes home could grow into completing all the assignments.
Baby steps are important for providing effective, long-term change. Making a commitment like running every day is a daunting goal, but making it into walking outside once a day will have a longer lasting effect and result. Reading notes for the most difficult class is a baby step towards consistent study habits, which can lead to focusing more in class due to the lowered need for ability or effort in order to comprehend the new concept.
At natural high points of motivation, reducing barriers to behavior is the most versatile tactic. After a good day of school, try getting all the homework in a pile or maybe just having a tiny habit like quiet time. When these natural high points occur is still unknown, but as students develop their own routine, taking advantage of these high points can provide a great deal of change.
The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ARLnow.com.
The post Honest Teacher: Understanding Motivation to Get Results appeared first on WTOP.
A little over a year ago, we pondered the age-old question: Will mozzarella sticks ever be a McDonald’s Dollar Menu item? We received a partial answer this June when the Golden Arches began pushing the hot cheese on susceptible Wisconsinites via a test of the “Lovin’ Value Menu” – you know, because that only makes sense. Well, now we know that those (maybe) glorious sticks of gooeyness are headed to a McD’s near you.
The fast food giant announced that mozzarella sticks would be rolling out to its restaurants nationwide sometime in 2016, BuzzFeed News reports.
McDonald’s U.S. President Mike Andres revealed the new Dollar Menu & More addition, which includes three sticks with marinara sauce, during an investors’ meeting on Tuesday.
Andres didn’t give an exact timeline for when customers might expect to see the fried cheese hit menus, but noted that the new item was expected to help spur sales at the company.
Back in June, local franchisees in Wisconsin said customers were “thrilled” to have the option of mozz sticks as a quick snack.
Dip into marinara sauce with $1 Mozzarella Sticks at participating McDonald’s. pic.twitter.com/cINgzJ9zyw
— McDonald's TriState (@McD_TriState) November 6, 2015
McDonald’s Will Offer $1 Mozzarella Sticks Nationwide [BuzzFeed News]
Pizza Hut has a history of trying strange and occasionally wonderful new product ideas overseas, and importing the ones that work to the United States. The Hot Dog Bites pizza made the cut for the U.S. menu; unfortunately, a seafood pizza with a crust stuffed with cream cheese and flying fish roe didn’t make it across the Pacific from Hong Kong. The latest import from international Huts is the Triple Treat Box, a three-level cardboard dresser full of food.
If that sounds strange, well, that’s what it looks like. Here’s the photo released to the press:
The box includes two medium one-topping pizza on your choice of crusts, a giant chocolate chip cookie, and either breadsticks or flavor sticks. Each pizza goes in one drawer, and the breadsticks and flavor sticks nestle in the third. The whole package costs $19.99 plus tax and any delivery costs.
Pizza lovers thought that this was a great idea, and thousands signed an online petition asking Pizza Hut to import the Triple Treat box to North American Pizza Huts. People are still signing it today, having apparently not heard the great news.
The boxes were available in Middle Eastern Pizza Huts in recent months, apparently, and people liked the idea. Here, they’re a limited-time item, and the promotion will likely continue until local Pizza Huts run out of boxes.
(via Brand Eating)
Almost a month after Nevada declared that daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings and FanDuel are unlicensed gambling operations and barred them from operating in the state, New York appears to have come to a similar conclusion.
As first reported by ESPN, NY state attorney general Eric Schneiderman — who began looking into these sites after news reports raised serious concerns about their business practices — has sent letters to both DraftKings and FanDuel telling them to cease and desist selling their fantasy sports betting services in the state.
That means that if you live in New York City — home to more than a few former Wall Streeters-turned-fantasy sports bigshots — or anywhere else in the state, you wouldn’t be allowed to enter any tournaments on these sites. It’s possible the sites could convince a court to stay the AG’s decision pending a legal review.
Schneiderman’s office reviewed the business operations of these companies and concluded that they “constitute illegal gambling under New York law.”
As we’ve explained before, fantasy sports betting was exempted from a 2006 law barring financial institutions from transferring money to these sites. The argument at the time was that fantasy sports are games of skill, rather than gambling.
But critics of the industry — which recently received huge investments from venture capitalists, and have signed high-profile marketing deals with sports leagues and major broadcast networks — say that fantasy sports are just as much a game of chance as poker, or betting at the racetrack.
Which seems to be the conclusion reached by Schneiderman.
“[U]nlike traditional fantasy sports, daily fantasy sports companies are engaged in illegal gambling under New York law,” reads a statement from the AG to ESPN, “causing the same kinds of social and economic harms as other forms of illegal gambling, and misleading New York consumers.”
Schneiderman dismisses the argument that no one is hurt by fantasy sports sites.
“Daily fantasy sports is neither victimless nor harmless, and it is clear that DraftKings and FanDuel are the leaders of a massive, multi-billion-dollar scheme intended to evade the law and fleece sports fans across the country,” explains the AG. “Today we have sent a clear message: not in New York, and not on my watch.”
In a statement to Consumerist, a rep for DraftKings says the site is “very disappointed” by today’s “hasty” decision from Schneiderman, claiming that the AG “did not take any time to understand our business or why daily fantasy sports are clearly a game of skill.”
DraftKings says it “will examine and vigorously pursue all legal options available to ensure our over half a million customers in New York State can continue to play the fantasy sports games they love.”
Meanwhile, FanDuel accuses Schneiderman of grandstanding.
“This is a politician telling hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers they are not allowed to play a game they love and share with friends, family, coworkers and players across the country,” reads the FanDuel statement. “The game has been played — legally — in New York for years and years, but after the Attorney General realized he could now get himself some press coverage, he decided a game that has been around for a long, long time is suddenly now not legal.”
Here in the Consumerist Cave, we’re always amused when a photo or a story makes a complete lap of the newsosphere, and a reader sends it to us having no idea that it originated with us. This week, things are starting to get strange, as social media users are sharing and even legitimate news outlets are posting a small, blurry camera phone photo of a sign posted at Nordstrom about their Christmas decorations policy. A photo that we posted six years ago.
Nordstrom, you see, has had a long-standing policy that they do not put up any Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. We like this policy, and most of our readers do too. Nordstrom has apparently had it since they opened in 1901, though most of their competitors were not putting up Christmas trees next to the Halloween costumes back then.
Here’s the post in question. A reader sent the original photo to us, saying that he snapped it at his local Nordstrom.
The story became popular, and other sites lifted the photo. It resurfaced in November every year, even during years when Thanksgiving was not on the 26th. You see, Thanksgiving has to be on the 26th and Black Friday on the 27th for this poster to make any sense. Thanksgiving is on the 26th this year. It also was in 2009.
It’s easy to recognize the version that we originally posted six years ago, though, because you can actually see the photographer’s reflection in the picture. Every year, Nordstrom makes a new poster with the accurate date. People share ours anyway.
As far as we can tell, this year there’s been the normal chain of re-posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Imgur. Also, many local news stations shared and re-shared it… based on a post by St. Louis Fox affiliate KTVI from 2012. Oddly, the stations do not acknowledge that the photo is, as far as they know, three years old. We’re not sure why. The date is right there.
People shared this Facebook post more than 451,000 times, even though Thanksgiving was on November 22, 2012, and Black Friday on November 23.
Nordstrom has the same policy again this year. They haven’t changed it in the last century or so. Yet some local news stations found our picture, and don’t know how to peform a reverse Google search or use TinEye. KPTV in Oregon posted it, a regional site for the Chicago Sun-Times posted it, Digiday posted it, and even ABC News tweeted our six-year-old image and included it in an article on the subject (warning: auto-play video) That’s when readers started submitting it to us. Naturally.
Nordstrom praised for bucking “Christmas creep,” vows no holiday décor until Black Friday: https://t.co/yFWuZR72Is pic.twitter.com/tkUxSxQGEC
— ABC News (@ABC) November 10, 2015
To be fair, ABC News does credit the photo. They credit it to the person who they apparently think originally posted it on Twitter: a man who posted it yesterday, and claims to live in Stockholm, Sweden. Nordstrom responded to him on Twitter, which was probably how ABC News found it.
@CristobalSGB Thanks for the love and support, Marcus! Hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
— Nordstrom (@Nordstrom) November 9, 2015
Mostly, this is all very amusing: we’d certainly appreciate credit for this image that was sent to us originally.
The lesson for us was to watermark reader-submitted photos, and now we do. What should the lesson be for our readers? Don’t take everything that you see at face value. In this case, the facts on the poster were true in 2009 and are true this year.
However, that isn’t always necessarily true. The next time that you hit share or retweet or repost something to your Facebook friends, or maybe to a Twitter account with 4.8 million followers, as ABC News has, check it out first.
The company hasn’t specified when each location will open, but they will begin on Wednesday, November 11. Give your favorite location a call if you live in the area and are thinking about heading over. The threat of E. coli illness appears to have passed: all batches of ingredients that were still in the restaurants were tested, as were employees.
If, for example, the illness came from a specific batch of steak or cilantro, the batch may have been used up long before any customers even reported symptoms of illness. E. coli usually incubates in your gut for two to eight days (and sometimes longer) before causing abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and kidney failure in some very young or very old people who become infected.
Seattle-based attorney (and publisher of the excellent site Food Safety News) Bill Marler, who handles food safety cases across the country, has filed two lawsuits so far, and says that he is representing many more customers. “I think [Chipotle’s] corporate leadership needs to step back [and] look at their food safety culture,” Marler told Buzzfeed News last week.
That’s what Chipotle has promised to do in the future: their business depends on it going forward. The company says that it plans to test batches of ingredients proactively in the future, as well as improving their food safety procedures and performing food safety audits nationwide.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST RESTAURANT CLOSURE UPDATE [Chipotle]
Multistate Outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O26 Infections Linked to Chipotle Mexican Grill in Washington and Oregon [CDC]
Apple fulfilled a promise to bring its subscription music service to the other side today, launching Apple Music for Android users. Most of the functionality for the new app is the same as its iOS counterpart, minus Siri integration. The Android-based app also offers a free, three-month trial of the service to new users. After that, the service costs $9.99/month for a single user or $14.99 for a family plan, so don’t forget to cancel your subscription if you don’t want to foot the bill after 90 days. [via ArsTechnica]
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York is calling for the FDA to investigate the safety of a peanut butter spread sold by a company called Steem that promises to deliver the same dose of caffeine in two tablespoons that two cups of coffee would provide.
Caffeine is a powerful stimulant that can cause adverse symptoms like increased heart rate and blood pressure, Schumer says, adding that an overdose can be fatal.
“Parents across the country shouldn’t have to worry about a scenario in which their child might unknowingly bite into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that contains more caffeine than two cups of coffee,” Schumer a press release. “The thought of super caffeinated peanut butter should give everyone the jitters because of the potential health threat it poses, especially in the hands of children and teenagers. The FDA should take immediate action and investigate whether this caffeinated food product should be pulled from shelves.”
Steem said in a statement (via Quartz) that it welcomes federal oversight, and that it has “complied with any and every obligation we were required to before putting our product out on shelves.”
It also added that the peanut butter is safe when “used as directed,” which includes keeping it away from pets.
If the FDA takes action, it wouldn’t be the first time the agency has stepped in to keep caffeinated products off the shelves: in 2013, Wrigley pulled its caffeinated gum “Alert Energy” from store shelves after the FDA voiced concerns.
Back in July, Campbell Soup Company announced it would stop using artificial colors and flavors in all its North American products by 2018. But it turns out the packaged food company already made the changes to its iconic Chicken Noodle Soup, and it left out a few things other than hard-to-pronounce additives.
The New York Times reports that the new version of the timeless classic, which recently hit shelves in limited-edition Star Wars cans, contains 20 ingredients – that’s 10 fewer than before.
The new recipe uses mostly ingredients you’d find in a typical kitchen: chicken stock, salt, chicken fat, sugar and other things. But it’s not just the additives like disodium inosinate or maltodextrin that were eliminated from the soup recipe: celery, onions, cornstarch and vegetable oil were also shelved, so to speak.
“It’s a delicate balance because these products are beloved,” Charles Vila, vice president for consumer and customer insights at Campbell, tells the Times. “Their profile has become very defined in the consumer mind over the years, so any change we make is very carefully considered.”
In all, Campbell says it took two months of intense work to find the right balance for the newly tooled soup.
The changes to long-enduring soup – and other Campbell products – come as the company tries to better align with consumers’ changing tastes and how it affects the environment.
“We’re closing the gap between the kitchen and our plants,” Denise M. Morrison, chief executive of Campbell, tells the Times. “Before, when we talked about our business, we talked about how many cases we shipped. Today, we’re talking about our food.”
The company is also using the revamp to attract new customers, as soup sales have lagged in recent years.
“There are 80 million millennials now, and they’re shopping and thinking differently about food and in a way that is influential,” Morrison says.
Have you tried Campbell Soup’s new Chicken Noodle recipe? Tells us what you thought, send an email – titled “Chicken Noodle” to tips@consumerist.com.
Campbell Rethinks Its Recipe as Consumer Tastes Change [The New York Times]
The new cereal is denser than plain Cheerios. A serving of the “Oats & Honey” flavor of the new cereal is 1.25 cups, which comes in at 210 calories. 1.25 cups of Cheerios, meanwhile, has 125 calories. If you’re measuring the amount of protein in each cereal by calorie count, Cheerios Protein barely has more protein. Yet it’s loaded up with sugar: standard Cheerios have 1 gram of sugar per serving, and Cheerios Protein have 17.
Maybe Cheerios Protein is just a catchier name than Sugar-Blasted Protein Circles. All of the sugar-containing products, which include brown sugar, sugar, corn syrup, caramel, honey, and refiner’s syrup, are there to give the cereal flavor when it has protein-adding ingredients such as ground lentils and soy protein. The “clusters” of Cheerios Protein also make the cereal more calorie-dense, but that density comes from sugar.
We learned about the weird differences between Cheerio varieties from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which is behind a class action lawsuit against General Mills. Other than the sugar issue, the nutrition-policing nonprofit also points out that while the cereal is promoted as providing 11 grams of protein, it contains only seven. 11 would include the half-cup of milk that’s considered part of the serving size. Is that misleading?
The initial complaint says that the lead plaintiffs both bought Cheerios Protein assuming that they were, you know, Cheerios with some extra protein.
She believed that consuming Cheerios Protein would deliver substantially more protein than consuming original Cheerios. She would not have purchased Cheerios Protein had she understood the true nutritional profile of the product.
Somehow, “Sugar-Blasted Lentil Circles” doesn’t have the same healthy ring or brand recognition as “Cheerios Protein.”
Coe et al. v. General Mills Inc. [Complaint] (PDF)
NBC4 Washington |
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