Homemade granola may be vastly superior to the boxed stuff, but the hour of work required by most recipes means you’ve got to plan ahead. If you’re not so good at forethought, don’t worry! Food 52 has you covered: their granola can be made in less than half the time, using your stove top rather than oven.
It’s ridiculous and also annoying how clothing sizes vary so much across brands . You could be a size 8 in one brand and a 4 in another. Fitbay’s new sizing tool helps take some of the guesswork out of finding out what size to choose.
Companies that send vehicles on demand also enjoy giving people the ability to summon other things with the power of their smartphones, like when Uber let people in select cities summon puppies and kittens or free fruit deliveries when the company was suspended from giving rides in Germany. Lyft’s Halloween publicity stunt is less cuddly and more spooky: they’ll send you zombies on demand if you order one.
This is the second promotional event for Lyft in the last half of October: you might remember that the company also offered a few people in New York City rides through time in hired DeLoreans on October 21, the day that the main characters in Back to the Future: Part II supposedly traveled to. October 30 is the day before Halloween, so customers can use the app to summon on-demand zombies.
No, not actual zombies. Probably. We believe that the zombies are actors made up and pretending to be zombies, though you can never really be sure.
The promotion works similarly to the puppies and kittens: if you’re in New York or San Francisco and manage to hail a zombie on the appointed day, one will appear at your home or office. That’s it.
Your Guide to the 2015 Lyft Zombie Apocalypse [Lyft Blog]
CVS might have stopped selling cigarettes, but you can still buy booze at the drugstore chain — without even getting carded. Just head over to the homeopathic medicine section and pick up some store-brand “constipation relief,” which just happens to be 40-proof.
In a piece for Slate on homeopathic medicine, chemist and blogger Yvette “Sci Babe” d’Entremont notes that this particular CVS product is 20% ethanol, meaning it contains more alcohol by volume than beer or wine.
Yes, the product is sold in 1 ounce containers, but at 20% alcohol and without any age requirement, it might be easier than trying to refill mom and pop’s vodka bottle with water.
In a recent YouTube clip, d’Entremont — an adult — put the product to the test, downing six ounces of the supposed constipation reliever.
After 20 minutes, she was legally drunk:
Well, lots of drugs have side effects and can be abused, but at least they still do what they’re supposed to, right?
If you consumed six servings of a constipation-relieving medicine, you probably would be too busy in the bathroom to worry about your intoxication. But according to d’Entremont the only thing she experienced from her experiment was a buzz.
“It doesn’t do what it claims to do and it got me drunk,” said d’Entremont. “I want people to be a little more discerning when they go to pick up a medication because you might end up with something with no medicine and a lot of alcohol in it.”
That’s because the product is really nothing more than alcohol and water:
And yet, as NBC Los Angeles confirmed, anyone can walk into a CVS and buy the product without being carded.
A news producer sent their 15-year-old daughter into a CVS, where she was able to purchase the product without any issues:
Most over-the-counter drugs are limited in the amount of alcohol they can use as an inactive ingredient, but according to federal law, homeopathic medications are exempted from these limits.
CVS’s response to NBC Los Angeles was to point out that “Homeopathic products are regulated by the FDA. The alcohol content in this type of product is not unusual and our products should only be used as directed.”
Well, at the moment, it’s not that consumers are into the marketplaces as much as investors are. After some initial resistance and confusion from venture capitalists, now investors are throwing money at used-clothing marketplaces. While there might be plenty of Lululemon flippers, they’re meant for regular people who want to sell their old clothes quickly and easily. The catch: they might lout on some money on thee deal.
The marketplaces offer varying levels of help and automation and market niches, and eventually the Old Clothes Wars will end and a few sites will emerge victorious. What they have in common is that they’re filling a gap in both the used-stuff market and the fashion market.
Because of the variety of sizes, colors, and styles, standard e-commerce marketing doesn’t work so well, especially when inventory coming from sellers can be erratic.
Why Is Silicon Valley Pouring Millions of Dollars Into Old Clothes? [Bloomberg]
That wild salmon entrée calling to you from the menu at dinner might not be all it’s advertised. In fact a new study released Wednesday found evidence of mislabeling in nearly half of all salmon sold in restaurants and grocery stores.
The study [PDF] from international environmental advocacy group, Oceana, analyzed 82 salmon samples from restaurants and grocery stores, finding that 43% of the products were mislabeled.
DNA testing confirmed that 69% of the mislabeled product consisted of farmed Atlantic salmon being sold as wild-caught product.
According to the report, consumers satisfying their salmon craving in restaurants are misled about 67% of the time, while those who buy their seafood in a grocery store are misled 20% of the time.
“Americans might love salmon, but as our study reveals, they may be falling victim to a bait and switch,” Beth Lowell, senior campaign director at Oceana, said. “When consumers opt for wild-caught U.S. salmon, they don’t expect to get a farmed or lower-value product of questionable origins.”
Oceana found mislabeled salmon in most areas of the U.S. Nearly 48% of the samples in Virginia, 45% in Washington, D.C., 38% in Chicago, and 37% in New York were mislabeled, according to the report.
Salmon samples were considered to be mislabeled if they were described as being “wild,” “Alaskan” or “Pacific,” but DNA testing revealed them to be farmed Atlantic salmon; or the samples were labeled as a specific type of salmon, like “Chinook,” but testing revealed them to be different species – often lower valued fish product.
Samples tested by Oceana were collected during the winter of 2013-2014, when wild salmon were out-of-season.
“This type of seafood fraud can have serious ecological and economic consequences,” Lowell said. “Not only are consumers getting ripped off, but responsible U.S. fishermen are being cheated when fraudulent products lower the price for their hard-won catch.”
Wednesday’s report is a contrast to Oceana’s 2013 national survey that found low rates – just 7% – of mislabeled salmon. Unlike the new report, these samples were collected when wild salmon was plentiful.
When Oceana combined its two studies, which included 466 total salmon samples, the group determined that diners were five times more likely to be misled in restaurants than grocery stores, 38% in restaurants compared to 7% in grocery stores.
Consumers shopping in national, large grocery stores were less likely to be misled on the origin of their salmon.
However, salmon purchased out-of-season from all retail types was three times more likely to be mislabeled than salmon purchased during the traditional commercial fishing season.
“Eat your salmon in season,” Kimberly Warner, senior scientist at Oceana and one of the writers of the study, said. “Time of year makes such a big difference on whether salmon mislabeling is high or low.”
Oceana’s findings related to wild-caught salmon is the third in the past 12 months regarding mislabeled seafood products.
Back in April, the group found that 38% of Chesapeake Bay blue crab sold in the Maryland and Washington D.C. area contained imported impostors instead.
Instead of the locally caught blue crab on the menu, those crab cakes had imported substitutes, most of which were fished unsustainably, the group says.
Prior to that, the group discovered that a third of Wild Gulf Shrimp sold in U.S. stores and restaurants weren’t what they were advertised to be.
DNA testing revealed that 30% of the 143 shrimp products sampled by the group contained some kind of misrepresentation including products where one species was swapped for another; product sold as Gulf/wild shrimp were actually farmed; or bags included a mix of different species.
This week’s Pet of the Week is Jovi, an 8 year-old lab mix who was born in New Mexico. Jovi came to Arlington with her mom and dad in 2012.
Jovi likes visiting the monuments in D.C. and chasing squirrels. Here’s what Jovi’s mom had to say about this cheese-loving dog:
Hi! My name is Jovi and I’m an 8-year-old lab mix, currently living in Arlington Village. I was born in New Mexico, but quickly shipped to a shelter in Denver, Colorado. Luckily, there was a fresh college grad that had just moved from Arlington on a whim and thought it’d be a great idea to adopt a puppy. I stole her heart at first sight and after some paperwork and a quick check-up, I had myself a new home, best friend and mom.
A year passed and we decided it was time to leave the mountain life and head back closer to mom’s family in Arlington. To keep things interesting, we decided to make another big move six months later — this time to sunny San Diego to be with my soon to be dad. I quickly fell in love with the dog beaches, hiking trails, and year-round sunny weather. In 2012, dad finished his time in the Navy and we all moved back to Arlington as a big happy family of three.
I enjoy being back on the East Coast, especially with my retired grandparents nearby. While mom and dad are at work, they usually take me on afternoon field trips to one of my favorite spots — Roosevelt Island, Lubber Run Park or the monuments in D.C. In addition to long walks, I enjoy chasing squirrels, sleeping in the middle, riding in the car and snacking on cheese.
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.
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WASHINGTON — Pretty much any workday could be brightened by a few minutes of romping kittens, and the car-sharing company Uber is making it happen.
On Thursday, Uber will bring a passel of kittens to offices in the District for 15 minutes of playtime — as well as potential adoption — to offices between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Here’s how you do it, courtesy of Uber:
Uber adds that you should make sure no one in your office is allergic to cats, and you should have a separate, secure room for kitten playtime.
It costs $30, which goes to the Washington Humane Society. A representative from the society will be there as well, in case someone can’t resist the urge to take a kitten home.
The post Uber bringing kittens to D.C. offices Thursday appeared first on WTOP.
WASHINGTON — Who would steal from a group that trains puppies as service dogs for veterans? That’s what the staff at the Warrior Canine Connection and the Maryland Natural Resources Police want to know.
Candy Thomson, with the NRP, says that over the weekend, someone broke into a machine shed at the organization’s future training facility on Seneca State Park property in Germantown, used a chain saw to slice through a padlocked chain securing the shed’s door and took off with the ATV.
“And they took the chain saw while they were at it,” says Thomson.
The ATV itself doesn’t have a WCC logo on it, but Molly Morelli, director of dog programs for Warrior Canine Connection, says, “Our property is clearly marked ‘Warrior Canine Connection’.”
Morelli says it’s plain that the shed housed WCC property — including the ATV.
“Whoever took it knew exactly where they were stealing from,” says Morelli.
Morelli says the red Kawasaki four-wheeler has black tape on the seats. Thomson says the vehicle had been previously registered in Pennsylvania and had been moved to Maryland, but had not yet been registered in Maryland.
The ATV has been used in the renovation of the Germantown property, which will be home to the organization that breeds, raises and trains service dogs for veterans. WCC is currently operating in Brookeville and just graduated 14 dogs. Morelli says 45 dogs are currently in training for use as service dogs.
Police say anyone with tips about the stolen ATV should call their 24-hour communications line at 410-260-8888. Thomson says anyone offering a tip can remain anonymous.
STOLEN! 1997 Red Kawasaki 4-Wheeler. We arrived to our future Healing Quarters today to find that our machine shed had…
Posted by Warrior Canine Connection on Monday, October 26, 2015
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WASHINGTON — Halloween arrived early in D.C. Tuesday night as parade of drag queens — many dressed as famous people — strutted their stuff ahead of the annual 17th Street High Heel Race in Northwest.
Among the best costumes WTOP’s Michelle Basch spotted were Lady Gaga, Mama and Eunice from TV’s “Mama’s Family,” Dolly Parton, Salt-N-Pepa and the Wicked Witch of the West from “The Wizard of Oz.”
The High Heel Race has been a city tradition since 1986, according to the event’s Facebook page. It takes place on the Tuesday before Halloween, and draws crowds to the Dupont Circle neighborhood.
The post Costumes steal the show at 2015 High Heel Race appeared first on WTOP.
ABINDGON, Va. (AP) — A former Bristol Utilities Authority member has pleaded guilty to federal charges stemming from a NASCAR ticket scheme.
Paul Hurley pleaded guilty on Monday to mail fraud and lying to a federal grand jury.
U.S. Attorney Anthony P. Giorno says the 74-year-old Bristol resident abused his position at the authority for his personal benefit.
According to court records, the authority bought tickets for two annual NASCAR races in Bristol at the request of Hurley.
Hurley said the tickets would be given to representatives of businesses interested in relocating to Bristol. Instead, he sold at least 50 tickets to friends, ticket scalpers and others for his personal benefit.
Hurley also made false statements to a grand jury investigating the authority.
The former Bristol mayor faces up to 25 years in prison.
The post Ex-Bristol official pleads guilty in NASCAR ticket scheme appeared first on WTOP.
WASHINGTON — Say hello to Hershel! This three-year-old red shepherd mix arrived at the Washington Animal Rescue League recently from South Carolina.
The shelter from which Hershel came was inundated with strays following massive flooding caused by Hurricane Joaquin. To make room for these new arrivals waiting to be reunited with their families, the Humane Society of the United States stepped in and transported some of the dogs already there to other shelters, including WARL.
Hershel is a friendly boy who is a bit overwhelmed by shelter life. He likes people and does well with most other dogs. Like many dogs from down South, Hershel is heartworm-positive. WARL will take care of the cost of treatment.
About WARL: Founded in 1914, the Washington Animal Rescue League is the oldest animal shelter in Washington D.C. Its mission includes rescuing, rehabilitating and finding homes for animals who have no where else to go. The League also supports animals through affordable veterinary care, community outreach and education. Learn more about the Washington Animal Rescue League at www.warl.org.
If you are thinking of adding a furry friend to your family, check out these other great shelters in the area:
Maryland
Humane Society of Charles County
(301) 645-8181
71 Industrial Park Dr. PO Box 1015 Waldorf, Md. 20604
Humane Society of Charles County offers a low cost spay/neuter program to the public. Please call or visit our website for more information. The shelter is also looking for more foster parents to help its animals.
Lab Rescue of L.R.C.P.
(301) 299-6756
4808 Moorland Ln, Rockville, MD 20850
Lab Rescue of the LRCP is a volunteer driven, nonprofit organization that rescues, fosters and places homeless, abused, and/or abandoned Labrador retrievers.
Prince George’s County Humane Society
(301) 262-5625
P.O. Box 925 Bowie, Md. 20718
Prince George’s County Humane Society is also looking for foster parents. For more information, contact the organization.
PAW — Partnership for Animal Welfare
(301) 572-4729
P.O. Box 1074 Greenbelt, Md. 20768
Paws Animal Kingdom
(301) 920-2318
P.O. Box 11531 Takoma Park, Md. 20912
Montgomery County Humane Society
(240) 252-2555
601 South Stonestreet Ave. Rockville, Md. 20850
The Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County
(301) 740-2511
12 Park Ave. Gaithersburg, Md. 20877
D.C.
Washington Humane Society
(202) 576-6664
1201 New York Ave. NE 20002
ASAP — Alliance for Stray Animals and People
(202) 331-1330
P.O. Box 65438 Washington, D.C. 20035-5438
Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue
(202) 575-2210
Approved applicants may attend monthly adoption meets that are usually held at the house of a volunteer in either Northern Virginia or Southern Maryland.
Northern Virginia
Lucky Dog Animal Rescue
(202) 741-5428
5159 Lee Highway Arlington, Va. 22207
Lucky Dog is a foster home organization and does not run a dedicated housing facility.
A Forever Home
(703) 961-8690
P.O. Box 222801 Chantilly, VA 20153-2801
A Forever-Home is a nonprofit dog rescue group that operates in the Northern Virginia/Washington Metropolitan area.
FOHA — Friends of Homeless Animals
(703) 385-0224
39710 Goodpuppy Ln, Aldie, Va. 20105
All visitors must speak to a Friends representative before receiving directions to their shelter location.
SPCA of Northern Virginia
703-799-9390
P.O. Box 100220 Arlington, Va. 22210-3220
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria
(703) 746-4774
4101 Eisenhower Ave. Alexandria, Va. 22304
Animal Welfare League of Arlington
(703) 931-9241
2650 S. Arlington Mill Dr. Arlington, Va.
Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation
(703) 295-3647
P.O. Box 223953 Chantilly, Va. 20153
HART — Homeless Animal Rescue Team
(703) 691-HART
P.O. Box 7261 Fairfax Station, Va. 22039-7261
King Street Cats Rescue and Adoption
(703) 231-7199
25 Dove St. Alexandria, Va. 22314
Virginia German Shepherd Rescue
(703) 435-2840
P.O. Box 126 Sterling, Va. 20167
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Just hours after rumors began swirling that a proposal was in the works, Walgreens Boots Alliance – the holding company that owns Walgreens Co. and Boots pharmacies in Europe – officially dropped to one knee offering Rite Aid $9.4 billion to live happily ever drug store after.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Walgreens Boots Alliance announced late Tuesday that it would add the Rite Aid branded drug stores to its portfolio creating a mega-pharmacy chain.
The deal, which will face antitrust scrutiny, combines the country’s first- and third- largest drugstore chains, vaulting far beyond rival chain CVS’ reach.
Currently, Walgreens Boots Alliance operates more than 8,200 stores in the country, while Pennsylvania-based Rite Aid operates more than 4,600 stores in the U.S.
The merger would be the latest in a recent spate of new combinations in the healthcare industry as companies try to lower costs and get more leverage with suppliers: health insurer Anthem is buying Cigna, and Aetna offered $37 billion for Humana.
Walgreens, Rite Aid Unite to Create Drugstore Giant [The Wall Street Journal]
We were under the impression that when SpaghettiOs Shrink Rayed their standard-size cans to 14 ounces across all flavors to celebrate the product’s 50th birthday, this was done to harmonize the package size across the whole brand. Plain pasta in tomato-ish sauce, sliced hot dogs, meatballs: across the board, they would all be 14 ounces. That made sense. Then we saw the pizza flavor.
Yes, Campbell’s sells TacOs and CheeseburgerOs and PizzOs. Disappointingly, they’re just pasta rings with flavoring and some meat in the burger and taco versions. Even more disappointingly, they lost some volume in the latest round of Shrink Rayage, going from 15 ounces to 14.2. Wait, what? Why not 14?
We thought that there was logic to this particular shrinkage. Apparently not, thanks to that extra fifth of an ounce.
(Thanks to G., who we will not judge for browsing the flavored SpaghettiO shelf, for the submission!)
When a manufacturer recalls a vehicle for a safety defect, they’re required to contact owners of the affected models and provide a remedy for the issue free of charge. But federal investigators say this sort of smooth recall just isn’t possible for tires because the current tire recall system is “completely broken.”
A new report [PDF] from the National Transportation Safety Board details how the national system for recalling defective and potentially dangerous tires isn’t working, leaving consumers on the road at risk.
“Today’s report…uncovered several issues, some of which are systemic, that consumers cannot address on their own,” National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Christopher Hart said. “The current system for tire registration and recalls has proven ineffective.”
According to the report, only 1-in-5 defective tires are removed from the road through the safety recall process.
Another 24% of recalled tires are actually taken off the road for other reasons – normal wear and tear or damage, the Associated Press reports. That leaves nearly 56% of defective, recalled tires on the roadways.
“Based on the work we did, that system is not working,” Rob Molloy, head of the NTSB investigations, said. “It is completely broken.”
In all, investigators say about 539 people were killed and 19,000 injured in tire-related accidents last year, although it’s unclear how many of those were a result of recalled tires, the AP reports.
At the core of the system’s failing is the inability of manufacturers to contact tire owners about recalls.
Currently, there is no requirement for tire dealers to register the products they sell with the manufacturer.
And because most dealers don’t take the time to do so, it is difficult for manufacturers to determine who owns the tires and to contact them.
While consumers can take it upon themselves to register their tires with the manufacturers, NTSB’s investigation found that often doesn’t happen.
“Few people are aware that tires must be registered so that they can be recalled if they are defective,” Chris Hart, the safety board’s chairman, said.
NTSB expressed concern with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s tire recall website, noting that it can be confusing for consumers searching for information about their tires.
As a result of the year-long study, NTBS passed on 11 safety recommendations to NHTSA and Congress, including one that would require the registration of new tires. Registration would consist of a consumer’s name, phone number, address, email address and the identification number of the car.
The board also suggested that manufacturers create a Tire Identification Number lookup system on their websites or include scannable chips inside tires so that issues can be easily identified.
While we’re sure there are a lot of very experienced, bright and imaginative adults out there designing toys, who knows what a kid wants better than a kid (see: Big)? That’s why IKEA is straying from the traditional, realistic stuffed animal and instead, offering plush toys straight out of the imaginations of a few lucky children.
IKEA’s fundraising efforts this year through its Soft Toys for Education line led it to tap directly into the minds of kids, taking 10 winning entries and turning them into real stuffed animals.
Each toy purchase will donate €1 toward children’s education projects via Unicef and Save the Children.
As one might expect, the winners are pretty much the best thing ever, and will likely make you wish you were six years old again, with a huge, new box of crayons at your disposal. Here are a few more (full list of winners here and their real-life counterparts here), try to contain your squeals of delight:
(h/t AdWeek)
“Stars… are stupid, subjective short-hand added almost entirely as a tl;dr for people too lazy to read actual words,” writes Philadelphia Magazine’s Jason Sheehan in his impassioned rebuke of the star system. “I’ve known a lot of critics in the nearly 15 years that I’ve been reviewing restaurants and not one of them ever had a defense for them more nuanced than ‘we use them because we use them.'”
And yet Sheehan uses them at his current gig because (A) the magazine has employed star-ratings for ages, and (B) because “Readers are accustomed to seeing stars. Restaurateurs and chefs are accustomed to seeing stars.”
Diners are always on the hunt for new “4-star” reviews or to be warned off yucky “1-star” writeups, just like restaurant owners will try to cash in on a high star rating… and probably change their name after a really miserable grade.
Sheehan, who describes the star system as “stupid and broken,” wrote this piece after a reader questioned why a recent glowing review of a Philly restaurant had only been given three stars when everything written about the restaurant was positive.
This, he notes, points to a severe limitation of the star system, and it has to do with the general public’s expectations of what a top rating indicates.
Does a small restaurant “without a bar or wine program, with just a couple wood tables and an exposed kitchen, no servers, and a highly focused menu” merit the same four stars as a larger establishment with top-flight servers, complex menu, and a huge wine selection?
According to Sheehan, readers who are looking at just the star rating will expect something worth traveling miles, possibly hours, to visit; not just a nice place to eat really good food.
This again, is why it’s so important to read the full review and decide whether that 2-, 3-, or 4-star rating is in line with your expectations.
Maybe the smaller restaurant with the limited but lovely menu is exactly what you’re looking for. If so, writes Sheehan, go ahead and consider a 4-star eatery.
“Give it nine stars for that matter,” he concedes. “Because you, wise commenter, read the actual words in the review and decided that you liked the sound of” what you’d read.
The rewards come from health insurance companies, which find data about their customers’ weight, pulse, and blood pressure very valuable. A risk assessment from the kiosk can send a patient back to their doctor if there’s a flag for a potential problem. The data can be sent to their insurance company or directly to their healthcare provider.
Where will you find these kiosks? They’re going where customers are likely to be: Walmart. Insurance companies will send out rewards card and reminders to their customers, encouraging them to visit the kiosks to get free stuff.
Intervening as early as possible when someone has high blood pressure, for example, or encouraging an overweight person to lose even 5% of their body weight can have huge long-term effects on their health… and on their insurance company’s profitability, of course.
The “compensation” will come in the form of unspecified “healthy” rewards, which insurance companies can specify down to the specific item. A reward could be $5 worth of fruit, for example, or a protein bar coupon.
(via Chain Store Age)
The effort to tap another natural resource for fuel is eating into the available hardwood supply in the Northeast right now, reports the Associated Press: hydraulic fracturing well sites in Pennsylvania slorping up natural gas from the ground are using construction mats made of hardwood logs to get heavy equipment over soggy ground, wetlands and other soft surfaces.
It isn’t just fracking sites gobbling up logs, but many large-scale construction projects — like laying pipelines — have been increasingly turning to the hardwood mats. That’s sending the price of a cord of firewood up in New England. Prices in some areas are averaging $325 a cord, or even $400 for a seasoned, delivered load. That amounts to an increase of $50 to $75 more a cord, or about 18%-23%.
“If you’re putting in a power line or gas line over wetlands or soft soil, they use thousands and thousands of these mats, and they’re made of hardwood logs,” Jasen Stock, executive director of the New Hampshire Timberland Owners Association told the AP. “If you’re in the firewood business, that’s your sweet spot. That’s the log you want.”
There’s good news for next season if winter is warmer than average as predicted this year — if folks don’t burn as much firewood this winter, they’ll have leftovers for next. If you’ve already bought your firewood for the fall, however, that isn’t much help.
“There’s only so much wood around,” the owner of a tree farm in New Hampshire told the AP. The price of a cord of wood he sells went up $10 this season, while demand has stayed the same.
“Our calls started early this year and have continued steady,” he said. “Even now, we’re getting people who are having trouble getting their wood in.”
The Surprising Reason Firewood Prices Are Going Up [Associated Press]
Sometimes, when you make a big move, you don’t have to do anything — just sit back and watch the jaws drop and arteries clog: a Canadian restaurant chain has lit up the internet by debuting a burger stuffed — and topped — with Reese’s peanut butter cups.
American in search of something new to test the limits of calorie-laden Frankenfood creations can travel north to Canada, where Ontario-based burger chain The Works is peddling the Reese’s PBC: it’s got peanut butter chocolate candy inside the beef patty, as well as more crushed on top.
It’s not just beef, chocolate and peanut butter, however, because why stop there?: the PBC is “stuff’d with Reese Peanut Butter Cups candy right inside our juicy beef patty and topped with crispy onion strings, two strips of smoked bacon and even more Reese Peanut Butter Cups candy!” (In Canada, Reese’s is Reese, apparently.)
All that heart-stopping glory goes for $15.98 Canadian dollars.
Is this a trick or a treat? It depends on how you look at it, and how strong your stomach is feeling on any given day.
(h/t FWx)
While backwards compatibility has been promised for some time, Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb confirmed on Twitter last night that all Xbox One users will get a software update starting Nov. 12 that will give them the functionality to play the older games.
Or rather, we should say some older games. With only a few weeks to go before the wide rollout of this update, Microsoft’s official list of backwards-compatible games is pretty small and lacks a lot of big-name titles from the previous-generation console.
The company says the intention is to add hundreds of games to that list, but don’t expect that on Nov. 12 you’ll be able to just dust off all your old green disc boxes and party like it’s 2009.
After more than 26 incidents in six years in which e-cigarettes have caused fires or explosions on planes, a new federal rule is set to go into effect banning the devices from being left in checked baggage.
The Department of Transportation announced Monday that it had issued an interim final rule prohibiting passengers and crew members from carrying any battery-powered portable electronic smoking devices (e-cigarettes, vaporizers, e-cigars, etc.) in checked baggage.
The rule, which is set to go into effect in the next two weeks, also prohibits passengers and crew members from charging the devices or their batteries on aircraft.
“We know from recent incidents that e-cigarettes in checked bags can catch fire during transport,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “Fire hazards in flight are particularly dangerous. Banning e-cigarettes from checked bags is a prudent safety measure.”
Passengers who own e-cigarettes can still bring them aboard aircraft in their carry-on bags, but, like traditional cigarettes, they can’t be used during flights.
According to the DOT, the 26 incidents recorded since 2009, often included devices that had been accidentally left on or that suffered a battery short-circuit.
One such case occurred in January at the Los Angeles International Airport. The Associated Press reports a checked bag that arrived late and missed its connecting flight caught fire in the luggage area due to an overheated e-cigarette packed inside.
The rule comes about 10 months after the Federal Aviation Administration issued a Safety Alert for Operators recommending that air carriers require their passengers to carry e-cigarettes and related devices exclusively in the cabin of the aircraft.
Prince William County community calendar Washington Post Bird Walk The guided tour will include a variety of habitats. Bring binoculars and cameras. 8 a.m. Merrimac Farm Stone House Visitor Center, North Parking Lot, 15014 Deepwood Lane, Nokesville. 703-499-4954. alliance@pwconserve.org. Free. Catharpin ... and more » |
Building supply store opens in Manassas Inside NoVA Building Supply of Manassas, carrying a complete line of lumber and building materials, has opened to serve Northern Virginia. The facility is on 6.5 acres with a 50,000-square-foot showroom and warehouse space, located at 9412 Stonewall Road, ... |
That’s a possibility presented in a research note from investment analysts at Bank of America, who have discussed what might happen with contacts in the industry. The Federal Trade Commission has reportedly approached Essendant with the option of acquiring that part of Staples.
As far as we know, that is the main hurdle for the merger; both chains have closed stores in areas where their business overlaps. Office Depot plans to close 400 stores by the end of next year whether the merger goes through or not.
Staples and Office Depot are the largest and second-largest commercial office suppliers respectively, and are truly national distributors, unlike third-place finisher and perennial New York Yankees advertiser W.B. Mason.
Well, okay, but who’s Essendant? The company used to be called United Stationers, and has made some large acquisitions recently with its eye on more. Essendant is a competitor, but not a major one, and is looking to expand its business in the wholesale office supplies market.
Of course, the FTC declined to comment to Bloomberg Business.
Staples Is Seen Getting Antitrust Clearance by Forging Side Deal [Bloomberg]
Walk into any Walmart and you’ll see shelves upon shelves stocked with a wide variety of products in every shape and size. But that will soon change, as the retail giant begins a transformation of sorts by decluttering its aisles of excess items.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the big box store is taking steps to tame the stores’ sprawling inventory and organize its abundance of merchandise in a move to meet consumers’ tastes and turn a profit.
First up, the company says it will decrease the number of products it offers. So instead of having six different sizes of the same kind of ranch dressing, the particular condiment brand might just have two size options.
“It’s the same brand, exactly the same item, but it just comes in six different sizes,” Greg Foran, Walmart’s chief executive, tells the WSJ. “I look at that and I say to our team, ‘Do you really need six?’ The answer is we probably don’t.”
So far, the company says it’s cut about 2,500 items from its average 120,000-product inventory in stores.
The company also plans to display those fewer products in a different way, the WSJ reports.
Foran says that while Walmart will be dropping some inventory, those that remain in the stores will be showcased in wider aisles: 10 feet wide compared to the current four-foot pathways.
Additionally, the company is experimenting with several other inventory changes: restocking products during normal business hours, lowering shelf height near registers, and ditching some of the bin displays littered throughout the store.
Under the new stocking system, the company says it can cut down on reorders of products that are simply lost in the backroom, the WSJ reports.
The idea to lower shelves that hold gum, candy and other impulse products was made to give consumers a better view of the store from the front.
The WSJ estimates that the change could cost the retailer hundreds of millions of dollars in sales. But the company says it will mitigate those losses by adding other, more popular products like fresh produce to its inventory lineup.
“These are not willy-nilly decisions, these are decisions being driven by customer behavior,” Deisha Barnett, a spokeswoman for Walmart, says.
While the changes might seem subtle to consumers, the WSJ reports that hasn’t been the case for suppliers of the company.
The company reportedly sent out renegotiation letters to vendors and suppliers over the summer asking them to adapt to the retailer’s new processes.
So far, that’s been met with apprehension, as some large suppliers say they can’t afford to pay fees for selling products at the store or accept longer payment windows.
“All of the changes we are asking suppliers to make are to be true to our business model and everyday low prices,” Barnett tells the WSJ. “Change isn’t always easy. What we’re doing is what is happening across the industry.”
Wal-Mart Shrinks the Big Box, Vexing Vendors [The Wall Street Journal]
Last week, we shared a reader’s story of encountering a cool spider just hanging out on a cart in the middle of the store while shopping at Petco. Yes, Petco does sell tarantulas, but they live in habitats. Are spiders really supposed to just hang out on the cleaning cart while their habitats are cleaned?
Here’s what reader David saw in the store:
As it turns out, no, they aren’t. “Our policy is that the animal should be contained in a specific carrier during cleaning, so we are following up with the store,” a Petco spokesperson explained to Consumerist when we sent over the photos. Today, they sent us a fascinating update to the story: the “spider” on the cart wasn’t a spider at all. It was a shed spider skin.
This might be obvious to experienced tarantula-keepers, but the problem is that most people wandering through pet stores are not experienced tarantula-keepers. Reader David, the person in the Petco, knew enough to speculate that the skin might be a molt, but he still ran away.
Here’s a shed skin from a baby tarantula. Here’s the underside of a molt, showing the fuzzy exoskeleton and how the animal is able to wriggle its legs out of the skin. Here’s a tarantula side by side with a molted skin: you may start to see where the confusion comes in.
Petco checked with David’s local store, and found out that the “spider” starring in this story was indeed a molt. While it’s good to hear that no pets were ever sitting around loose, we’d recommend that pet store employees stash molts somewhere other than the edge of the cleaning cart where it can frighten or confuse shoppers.
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Shopper Spots Loose Tarantula On Cleaning Cart At Petco, Freaks Out
With their playful personalities, affectionate behavior, and adorable faces, cats can be the ideal pet. But, despite popular opinion, cats are not maintenance-free! To keep your cat healthy and happy, you need to know how to take care of and provide the best possible life for your new furry friend.
Prince William County news in brief Washington Post Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative encourages residents to prepare their homes for winter, which many weather forecasters are predicting to be as snowy as last year's. NOVEC offers the following winter-preparation checklist: →Close storm windows. |
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