pileofcrapola

Kids are evil. You’d think free candy on Halloween would be enough, but no—these middle schoolers show us that there is no limit to what they’ll do for a little extra candy.

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Halloween is tomorrow and some houses in Arlington have been decked out for the spooky holiday.

Spider webs and spiders hanging from fences, windows and trees are popular choices. The more festive have skeletons or half-decomposed corpses trying to emerge from graves on the lawn.

We stopped by N. Jackson Street near Clarendon, 15th Street N. in Waycroft-Woodlawn, N. Harrison Street in Leeway Heights and S. Frederick Street in Columbia Forest to check out some of the ghoulish decorations.

If you spot any other houses decked out for Halloween, post a picture or two in the comments section.

There is no official trick-or-treating time in Arlington, but tradition says costumed children will start arriving around sunset, until around 8 p.m. or so.

The post Photos: Halloween Decorations in Arlington appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON – The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria hosted Howl-o-ween, a costumed fashion show for dogs, in Old Town Oct. 29.

Prizes were awarded for the spookiest costume, the most creative getup, the best couple or group and the crowd favorite.

The league also unveiled its 2016 Alexandria Animals of the Year calendar at the event held at the Hotel Monaco.

All proceeds benefited the league.

Photos by Shannon Finney Photography.

The post Dogs get in costume, Halloween spirit to benefit welfare league (Photos) appeared first on WTOP.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Attorneys are challenging Virginia’s recall of banished license plates bearing the image of a Confederate battle flag.

The challenge was filed in state court on behalf of Leonard Tracy Clary, Virginia Division commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

While a federal judge agreed the state could outlaw the plates, the filing in Brunswick Circuit Court this week takes aim at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV demanded the return of the commemorative plates in exchange for the issuance of new plates.

In a separate court action Thursday, a Circuit Court judge in Danville dismissed a lawsuit against the mill city challenging the removal of the third final national flag of the Confederacy from city-owned land.

The post Virginia recall of Confederate battle flag plates challenged appeared first on WTOP.

When it comes to peanut butter, the great war wages on between chunky-lovers and smooth-o-philes, but one thing both sides of that battle can agree on is that peanut butter should not contain metal shavings of any sort.

That’s why Hormel has announced a recall of 153 cases (1,871 total pounds) of Skippy Reduced Fat Creamy Peanut Butter Spread.

The company says it discovered the possibility of “small metal shavings” in some of its product thanks to a magnet check during routine cleaning at one of its facilities. It claims to know of no injuries to, or complaints from, customers.

Hormel says the recall is limited to 16.3 ounce jars with a “Best If Used By” date of DEC1416LR1 (found on top of the lid) and a package UPC code of 37600-10500 (found on the label that wraps around the jar).

The company doesn’t know many of these jars were sold, but says they were shipped to distribution centers for Publix, Target and Walmart located in Georgia, Virginia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Delaware and Arkansas.

If you bought some of the recalled Skippy, you should return it to the store where purchased for an exchange or call Hormel Foods Customer Relations at 1-866-475-4779, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Central Time.

Hampton Creek, the company behind an eggless product called “Just Mayo,” has responded to the Food and Drug Administration’s warning that its product isn’t mayonnaise, and thus, shouldn’t be called “mayo.” That seems just fine by Hampton Creek, which recently responded to the FDA by agreeing with it.

The company acknowledges in a response obtained by Business Insider through a Freedom of Information Act request that the FDA is right — its product isn’t mayonnaise, it’s mayo. And “mayo” is not a regulated term, so its label is completely correct.

“The term ‘mayo’ should not now be held to the regulatory standard for ‘mayonnaise,'” wrote the company’s lawyer, Josh Schiller.

See, mayonnaise is defined by the FDA as a mixture of vegetable oil, vinegar, egg yolk, and lemon juice. Which means if you’re going to put a product on the shelf with the word “mayonnaise” on the label, it had better contain those ingredients.

But Hampton Creek argues that there’s no definition for mayo, because the FDA excluded that word in its definition when the federal regulations governing labels went into place in 1976:

“While there is a food standard of identity for ‘mayonnaise,’ there is no current standard for ‘mayo,'” the company wrote in its reply to the FDA. “Hampton Creek does not use the term ‘mayonnaise’ on any of its products or any of its marketing materials … If FDA had intended to cover products that use the term ‘mayo’ in its standard for mayonnaise, it could have done so, yet it did not.”

The FDA had also taken issue with Hampton Creek’s use of the word “Just” on the label, saying that it implied that the product contained only mayonnaise. But the company said that on that front, the “just” pertains to how it manufactures its products, reducing land use, water use, and carbon emissions while creating an allergy-free product. In this case, “Just” means “fair,” not “only.”

Hampton Creek also urges the FDA to consider expanding its definition of mayonnaise — not that its product is mayonnaise! — to include new and more ecologically sustainable food production methods, thereby putting eggless products in the same category.

The company did acknowledge one change it’s making in light of the FDA’s August letter: it has updated Just Mayo labels to move its cholesterol-free claim to the appropriate location and will no longer imply on the label that its products can reduce the risk of heart disease.

The case is not listed as resolved on the agency’s website, BI notes, though communications between the two parties through Oct. 12 showed that the FDA and Just Mayo planned to meet.

Hampton Creek’s response to the FDA: Mayo is different than mayonnaise [Business Insider]

The post A scary good night: A spooky suite in a haunted hotel (Photos) appeared first on WTOP.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Attorneys are challenging Virginia’s recall of banished license plates bearing the image of a Confederate battle flag.

The challenge was filed in state court on behalf of Leonard Tracy Clary, Virginia Division commander of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

While a federal judge agreed the state could outlaw the plates, the filing in Brunswick Circuit Court this week takes aim at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV demanded the return of the commemorative plates in exchange for the issuance of new plates.

In a separate court action Thursday, a Circuit Court judge in Danville dismissed a lawsuit against the mill city challenging the removal of the third final national flag of the Confederacy from city-owned land.

The post Virginia recall of Confederate battle flag plates challenged appeared first on WTOP.

Local chefs walked away with big wins at a charity cooking competition in Clarendon last night.

The Arlington County Fire Department’s finest firehouse cooks faced off against three groups of local professional chefs in a reality TV-style cooking competition where the competitors had 25 minutes to whip up dishes using only ingredients found in the Arlington Food Assistance Center’s pantries.

Judges Scott Brodbeck of ARLnow.com, Becky Krystal of the Washington Post and Chef George Pagonis of Kapnos Taverna sampled each dish before choosing a winner of the round by ringing a large bell, signaling a vote for the firefighters, or putting on a chef’s hat.

At the end of the night, the local chefs walked away from the Clarendon Ballroom (3185 Wilson Blvd) with two of the coveted “Golden Eggplant” awards.

Arlington County Fire Department’s Lt. Romulius Queen and firefighter Frank Rachal took home the first “Golden Eggplant” of the night with their Southern Style Fried Chicken topped with a homemade barbecue sauce and accompanied by a zucchini pasta with a thai peanut and ginger sauce. All three judges rang the bell.

“That fried chicken, he really nailed it,” Pagonis said.

Queen and Rachal beat out SER Restaurant chef and co-owner Josu Zubikarai, who made Rulada chicken ragout with mushrooms and spicy vegetables.

It was Queen’s first time competing in AFAC’s Chiefs vs. Chefs event.

“It feels good to go home with a trophy instead of going home crying,” he said.

Chef Tom Madrecki of Chez le Commis took home the second “Eggplant” with his caramelized onion soup with buttermilk, accompanied by homemade bread with butter. He earned the votes of two out of the three judges for his simple but flavorful soup.

Cooking with only the food in AFAC’s pantry was a challenge, Madrecki said.

“It’s reflective of what thousands of Arlington families have to do every day, so it’s very rewarding,” he said.

Facing off against ACFD’s finest brought its own difficulties as the firefighters were both skilled chefs and have a connection to the community, Madrecki said. Votes for the firefighters were applauded by the crowd, whereas votes for the chefs were greeted by good-natured boos.

“We’re the underdogs as the chef because they’re the ones out in the community everyday,” he said. “They’re the ones protecting us so it’s an honor to cook with them.”

Cooking is part of the firehouse lifestyle, said Acting Chief Joesph Reshetar, adding that the firefighters often try out new dishes on their coworkers.

“The firehouse is where they experiment,” he said. “If you can please us, if you can please a group of people, you know you’re on to something.”

Many of the firefighters learn cooking skills from home, including Queen and firefighter Blair Cameron, who made a sausage and tortellini soup for the second round. Some firefighters also work part time in the food industry, Reshetar said.

Despite being the “underdogs,” the chefs walked away with the third “Eggplant.” Brodbeck and Pagonis both seemed to waver before choosing to put a chef’s hat on, while Krystal confidently rang the fire bell.

Chef Jesus Guzman of the U.S. Navy earned the judges’ favor with his “Breakfast in Paradise” dish, containing peanut butter, banana and mint stuffed french toast covered in oatmeal with a sweet potato hash and homemade chicken sausage.

Guzman faced off against firefighters Tony Westfall and Greg Hendershot, who made chicken croquettes. Westfall walked away with a “Golden Eggplant” at last’s year competition, putting him at a slight advantage over Guzman.

“We knew we had a really good challenger,” Guzman said.

The charity event raised about $45,000 in ticket sales and $10,000 in donations throughout the night for AFAC, said Joy Myers, director of development for AFAC. She said the proceeds will feed about 100 families throughout the next year.

The post Chefs Beat Out Firefighters in Charity Cooking Competiton appeared first on WTOP.

A New Jersey woman who thought she’d been cheated out of several thousand dollars by a service that connects prospective parents with willing egg donors did something that a lot of ticked-off consumers do: She filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau — not knowing that the company would then threaten her with a massive legal action for daring to speak her mind.

Here’s the background, according to Paul Alan Levy of Public Citizen.

The customer found what she’d believed was the ideal donor in the company’s online database, and so she sent them a sizable check for their fee. After receiving payment, the company then said that the selected donor had backed out.

Since the customer couldn’t get the donated eggs she’d paid for, she requested a refund, but the company only offered to allow her to select from another donor in their database.

Feeling like she was being taken for a ride, the woman filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.

Now, contrary to what some believe, the BBB has no actual authority and companies are not legally required to respond or take action to complaints. But while some companies might completely ignore this sort of filing, the fertility service went ballistic.

“You directly violated our legal agreement by attempting to post an online review,” reads a letter to the customer. “As such, we are setting the plans in motion for a multi-million dollar defamation case against you…. unless you withdraw your unwarranted BBB complaint or any illegal online reviews, we will proceed at lightening [sic] speed in a defamation case against you to minimize as much damage as possible. We have your signed legal agreement clearly stating you will NOT post online reviews.”

Granted, the customer’s written agreement [PDF] with the service does state that customers “agree NOT [caps in original] post any online reviews anywhere on the Internet without first presenting it” for legal review to the fertility service.

As Levy notes, the response from the fertility service gives no indication as to what the company believes is false or defamatory about the BBB filing.

But this clause in the service’s contract isn’t meant to apply to only negative or false reviews; it also covers positive reviews.

“Even good reviews can be misconstrued and hurt potential business,” reads the agreement, which also includes a barely veiled warning against trying to post something anonymously. “There are truly no anonymous reviews because web sites that post them, if they receive a complaint, will be required to show the real identity of the poster and with a court order will be forced to remove the post until the facts are revealed.”

Except… that’s not really true. Getting a court order to remove the post before the “facts are revealed,” would be an example of prior restraint. And as Walter Sobchak has previously, if loudly, pointed out, the U.S. Supreme Court has not exactly been a fan of prior restraint.

There were more clumsy contradictions in the fertility service’s customer agreement and its letters to this unhappy customer.

The first notice threatened a “multi-million dollar defamation case” against the woman. But per the agreement, any disputes that can’t be resolved through mediation must go into binding arbitration, and that the customer’s contract is “governed and interpreted by California jurisdiction,” meaning the arbitration would need to take place in California.

Thing is, California outlawed these sorts of anti-disparagement clauses in 2014, meaning the clause can’t be enforced.

Earlier this month, Levy wrote [PDF] to the fertility service on behalf of the customer, explaining the various legal problems with their threats of expensive litigation. He also stated the customer was fine with having her BBB filing “reviewed” by the fertility service’s legal team.

Subsequent responses from the company revealed that it had no intention of providing a lawyer to do this review, and it had still not explained what was defamatory about the customer’s statement.

As Levy notes, companies don’t need non-disparagement clauses to protect them from defamation. That’s why slander and libel laws exist.

Companies only use these sort of bullying tactics as a way to chill any speech about their products and services.

In April, members of Congress tried once again to introduce federal legislation that would outlaw non-disparagement clauses nationwide, but even though this version of the bill was sponsored by powerful California Representative Darrell Issa, it has been sitting untouched in committee since being introduced in April.

More recently, a Senate version of this legislation was introduced by Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. GovTrack gives this one a slightly better — but still slim — chance of being enacted.

KitKat slogans all over the world acknowledge that the chocolate-wafer concoction is for giving people breaks. As Nestle introduces the candy in the country of Colombia, their ad concept is about taking a literal “break” at public transit stops in Bogotá. A massage break. By leaning up against a billboard.

Where things get a little weird are the two hands cartoons on the billboard with the tall headline: “Come [here], I’ll give you a massage.” The ad vibrates when someone leans up against it, which is cozy and could earn the brand loyalty of millions of commuters worldwide if it expanded. Just saying.

Unfortunately, the brand doesn’t plan to take this idea global, and it just exists in a demonstration video from the ad agency. It was only for the KitKat rollout in Colombia. Will the people of the country’s capital always associate the candy with backrubs, with comfort, or with just taking a break? Will the “KitKat = break” brand messaging get through?

KitKat’s New Billboards Are Truly Touching: They Give You a Free Massage [AdWeek]

If you’ve missed your chance in the past to order a kitten visit through Uber — whether because there weren’t enough cats to go around or the offer wasn’t available in your city — you’ve got another opportunity today. Uber will bring shelter kittens (many of which are eligible for adoption) to customers in more than 50 cities today between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Snuggle fee: $30 for 15 minutes of playtime. [Uber]

A Krispy Kreme customer has a few choice words for her local restaurant, claiming that a video she took at a North Carolina location shows large insects falling onto doughnuts in the process of being glazed.

In the video posted to YouTube, you can see black specks getting caught in the glaze that’s spread on the doughnuts by a machine at Krispy Kreme. Those little dots are bugs, the customer says in the video’s description. And that’s not all, she claims.

“The machine had freaking MOLD on the catcher and the employees were touching the floor with the same hands they handled the doughnuts with! One employee even dropped a spatula, picked it up and proceeded to scrape the belt the doughnuts were coming off!” she writes. “After expressing my concern with the supervisor he shrugged me off.”

She goes into the experience further on the local store’s Facebook page, writing that the manager was extremely rude and “nonchalant” about the things she said she witnessed, and that he laughed at her complaint, “even going as far as stating that he gets complaints everyday but he doesn’t care about them.”

The location in question replied to her complaint in a comment, writing:

“Thank you so much for letting us know. We have been investigating this issue and the video. We take this very seriously.”

(h/t UPI)

Whether you’re lying or telling the truth, the thing about saying you have a bomb in your bag on an airplane is you’ll get in trouble either way: a Massachusetts man has a court date this morning after walking onto a United Airlines flight last night out of Boston and allegedly announcing that he was carrying an explosive device.

According to Massachusetts State Police, the man boarded his flight last night and told other passengers that he was carrying a bomb in his bag. That more than likely caught the attention of his fellow travelers, as police then boarded the plane to investigate his alleged statements.

The 55-year-old man was ultimately arrested for making a false bomb threat.

The flight was delayed for about 50 minutes, while the passenger was delayed significantly longer: he was booked at the State Police Barracks at Logan Airport and held on $250 bail. His arraignment is scheduled for this morning in Boston.

When you or someone you know suffers a severe allergy reaction, the quick use of an epinephrine pen (commonly known as an EpiPen) is likely needed. But one drugmaker says it’s recalling tens of thousands of those devices because they might work correctly. 

Sanofi SA, a French drugmaker, announced Wednesday that it would recall all of the Auvi-Q injection pens currently on the market – about 490,000 packs of the devices in the U.S – because they may not deliver the correct dose.

If a patient experiencing a serious allergic reaction – known as anaphylaxis – does not receive the intended dose, there could be significant health consequences, including death.

According to a recall notice from the Food & Drug Administration, there have been 26 reports of suspected device malfunctions in the U.S. and Canada.

In the reports, patients described symptoms of the underlying hypersensitivity reaction. No deaths have been linked to the issue.

Auvi-Q is packaged with two active devices and one trainer device in a corrugated box, and distributed throughout the U.S. at wholesalers, pharmacies, and hospitals.

Sanofi says all customers using Auvi-Q should immediately contact their healthcare providers for a prescription for an alternate epinephrine auto-injector.

Washington Post

13 things to do in the DC area on Halloween weekend Washington Post Here are the big Halloween weekend's best bets in nightlife, theater, sports and music, as well as many other events around the Washington area. I've shared a few Halloween-related events, but if you want more, check out Fritz Hahn's guide to the silly ... Things to Do in DC This Weekend October 29-November 1: Halloween Screenings ...Washingtonian.com (blog) all 2 news articles »

Washington Post

Visit one of DC's (allegedly) haunted haunts on Halloween — if you dare Washington Post “D.C. ghosts just kind of seem to be trapped here. They appear but never do anything,” says Canden Schwantes Arciniega, who then admirably refrains from making a joke about Congress. Arciniega is a tour guide for DC by Foot, which offers — among other ...

Word has spread across the Internet of a truly glorious event coming up later this week: all you can eat chicken nuggets and waffle fries at Chick-Fil-A for four hours in the evening. People shared the ad on Facebook and adjusted their weekend plans accordingly, but failed to notice one important detail: the promotion is only at one location, in Florida.

Yes, more than a hundred thousand people shared the ad on Facebook. Some of them surely live in the area or were only wishing that it was available in their area, but most of those sharers probably didn’t pay attention and spread the word.

Before sharing, at least some people did think to check with the brand about whether the ad was some kind of hoax.

If you live in or near St. Pete Beach, Florida, this promotion is for you. Evidently, they’re going to expect a large crowd. The promotion is only at that location: not others in Florida, or in the region. While people elsewhere are disappointed, this is an important lesson about why you should read all of the words on something before hitting “share” on Facebook.

AdAge checked with Chick-fil-A corporate to find out whether this was maybe going to become a national promotion. No such luck. “The last thing we want to do is disappoint any customers,” he said. “But there are definitely not any plans to make it national.”

At least now they know that if they wanted to, or if any other franchisee wants to give it a try, people will be really excited about the prospect of stuffing their faces with nuggets and fries. They should just make sure to emphasize the location in any ads shared online.

St. Pete Beach Chick-fil-A’s all-you-can-eat chicken nugget promotion goes viral [Tampa Bay Times]
Florida Chick-Fil-A’s Unlimited-Nuggets Promo Disappoints Facebook Users in 49 States [AdAge]

A hotel room safe is designed to keep valuables like your passport or cash locked away while you’re traveling. But as it turns out, most hotel room safes are relatively easy to break into, so you might want to think twice about where you stash your most valuable items.

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Extended-reach lighters are great for lighting barbecues, campfires, and candles, but they can get expensive. This video explains how to open one up and replace the empty lighter fluid reservoir so you can save a few dollars.

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There’s more to cooking vegetables than tossing them in a pot. Some cook more evenly when heated up gradually, while others should be put directly into boiling water. So when do you use which?

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Cleaning sand out of your kids’ toys after playing at the beach is a pain, but if you keep them in a mesh laundry bag, a few shakes is all it takes to keep that sand from following you home.

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Nothing lasts forever, especially the items you store in your pantry or the fridge. This graphic from Fix is a great resource listing the ingredients you might want to regularly keep in your pantry and how long they’ll last there.

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There are many ways to perk up a bland rice routine, from adding a few pinches of saffron to steeping rice in beer to enhance its nutty qualities.

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It’s good to wash your bed sheets regularly, but pet fur can make you want to wash them every single day. You can avoid that anxiety by making sure your linens match the color of your furry friends.

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If you haven’t picked a Halloween costume yet, never fear, Google is here to help. Frightgeist shows you what the most popular Halloween costume ideas are in your area, as well as nationally.

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Most of us waste at least some money. Whether it’s throwing out unused food or overspending on gadgets, we all could conserve more. To figure out how, focus on these five R’s.

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Thanks to labels like Mike’s Hot Honey and Bees Knees Spicy Honey, the past year has seen a new creation, hot honey, become the darling of the condiment world. But why pay as much as $13 for a jar when you can make your own version of the stuff using only two pantry ingredients?

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Patch.com

3 More Suspects Wanted in Shooting Patch.com After arrest of initial suspect, three other are now wanted in the case, according to Manassas City Police. Manassas, VA. By Greg Hambrick (Patch Staff) October 28, 2015. ShareTweetGoogle PlusRedditEmailComments0. 3 More Suspects Wanted in Shooting. and more »

Missing Mother and Child | Barber Shop Heroin Raid | 3 Wanted in Shooting: Top ... Patch.com Some of the top posts at Manassas Patch, including a new owner for a downtown apartment complex. Plus, how to share your local news. Manassas, VA. By Greg Hambrick (Patch Staff) October 28, 2015. ShareTweetGoogle PlusRedditEmailComments0. and more »