pileofcrapola

who turns in lost money has its own rewards, too. There’s the satisfied feeling one might get from being a good human… and also there could be the gift of food, like the guy who scored free Domino’s pizza for a year after returning a wad of cash he found stashed in his box of wings.

A Domino’s customer in Berkeley, CA had ordered a pizza and wings from Domino’s and had himself set up for a relaxing day off, reports ABC 7. After eating just a slice of the pie, he stashed the rest of the food in the fridge as he apparently got called in to work.

A few hours later he noticed someone was trying desperately to get in touch with him — the Domino’s delivery driver who’d dropped off the wings and pizza earlier.

“My phone started blowing up and I wasn’t looking at the random messages,” the customer explained. “I was at work so I wasn’t answering.”

When he finally got home at 5 a.m., he went to his refrigerator, pulled out what he thought was a box of wings… and found about $1,300 stowed in the box, placed there by the delivery driver for safekeeping on his way to the bank.

Though some of his friends on Facebook commented on a post he wrote about his find urged him to keep the money, he decided he couldn’t do that. He walked it back in to the restaurant along with ABC 7.

The general manager thanked him, noting that honest people are “hard to find these days.”

“Just to thank you, we’re going to offer you free pizza for a whole year,” he added.

The customer is ready and willing to take the restaurant up on the offer.

“I’m going to have to start working out more, obviously,” he added.

BERKELEY MAN FINDS $1,300 IN DOMINO’S DELIVERY BOX [ABC 7]

Prince William County news in brief Washington Post OmniRide commuter bus routes will operate on the Emergency Service Plan on Wednesday and Thursday because of street closings and anticipated crowds during Pope Francis's visit to the District. OmniRide buses will operate their regular local pickup and ... and more »

Prince William County crime report Washington Post These were among incidents reported by Prince William County police. For information, call 703-792-7245. DUMFRIES AREA. THEFT/BREAK-IN. Marlington Dr., 15900 block, 9:30 a.m. to 12:53 p.m. Sept. 2. A computer tablet and jewelry were stolen from a ... and more »

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (AP) — Portsmouth police say a 27-year-old mother ordered her child to fight another student at an elementary school while she held the other student down.

Jeneve Marshall was charged with four counts of assault and battery Friday. Marshall was also charged with contributing to the delinquency of a minor and disorderly conduct.

Police say Marshall confronted a student in her child’s class who had been in a previous altercation with her child. Police say Marshall then ordered her child to fight the student.

The student broke free from Marshall, but police say Marshall chased down the child and assaulted three other children who were in her way. The children suffered minor injuries.

Jail records do not indicate whether Marshall has an attorney who can comment on the charges.

The post Police: Va. parent ordered child’s elementary school fight appeared first on WTOP.

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. (AP) — Protests continued Friday over a western Virginia high school’s ban on Confederate flags displayed on clothing and cars, but no more students were suspended for the violating the policy and one student said he’s considering legal action.

A group of roughly 40 people, including Christiansburg High School students and their supporters, gathered near the school Friday morning and flew Confederate flags from their cars and trucks. They called on the administration to reverse its policy a day after roughly 20 students were sent home for refusing to take off their Confederate flag gear before entering the school.

“We’re going to fight until we get our flag back,” said 17-year-old Melanie Chrisley, a senior.

Clothing emblazoned with the flag was banned at the high school in the small Virginia town just after the 2001-2002 school year, school district spokeswoman Brenda Drake said Friday. There were several racially-motivated fights and altercations that year, in which the “flag was used to harass or intimidate others,” she said.

A new policy this fall also bars students from having the flag on their vehicles in the school parking lot.

Drake said no students were suspended Friday for dress code violations. Three students, who came to school wearing clothing displaying the flag, removed the items before entering the building, she said. Other students never came into the school, but Drake couldn’t say how many.

Before classes began Friday, senior Houston Miller said he’s considering a lawsuit against the school. Miller has been leading the fight against the bans and said he will continue his efforts until the administration backs down. Several adults supporting the teens waved Confederate flags as students arrived at the school Friday and the group said it would be back Monday.

Drake said the administration is standing by its policy.

“Our job is to maintain a safe and orderly environment in the school and a peaceful environment in the school,” she said. “The ban was put in this specific case to help maintain that positive educational environment.”

Christiansburg, a predominantly white town of about 21,000 in the Blue Ridge Mountains, is home to many who work at nearby Virginia Tech. Of the 1,100 students at Christiansburg High School, 83 percent are white and 8 percent are black, state data show.

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 killings, had posed for online photos holding the Confederate battle flag.

In downtown Christiansburg, some residents said Friday they had no strong feelings either way about the Confederate flag.

Roger Gallimore, who has lived in Christiansburg most of his life, said he doesn’t think it’s appropriate for the students to be causing so much trouble over the policy. The 80-year-old who owns several buildings downtown said he feels like the teens are just trying to get attention.

“If they were my kids, I probably wouldn’t want them doing that,” he said.

___

Follow Alanna Durkin at http://www.twitter.com/aedurkin

The post Protests continue over Confederate flag ban at high school appeared first on WTOP.

What You Can and Can't Do During Pope Francis' Visit to D.C. NBC4 Washington FILE PHOTO: Pope Francis attends his weekly audience in St. Peter's square, June 3, 2015. (Photo by Franco Origlia/Getty Images). Pope Francis is set to arrive in the District on Tuesday, with event-packed days to follow. That means crowded Metro ... and more »

Petco and PetSmart are the two largest pet retailers in the United States: about 50% of all money spent in pet stores nationwide goes to one of the two chains. The two companies have given each other a good sniff and considered merging in the past, but after some changes of ownership are considering it again.

Last year, PetSmart, formerly a publicly-traded company, sold itself to a group of investors for $8.7 billion. Petco, meanwhile, is also owned by a private-equity firm, and the company recently filed for an initial public offering of stock. However, sources involved in the deal tell Reuters that the companies have started preliminary talks about getting together to form one big mega-pet store chain.

One concern as the companies keep sniffing is how much confidential information the two companies might share with each other. Last year, PetSmart’s leadership didn’t go forward with merger talks because they assumed regulators wouldn’t approve such a merger. While there are antitrust concerns about a rather similar big-box merger between OfficeMaxDepot and Staples, it seems more plausible. It may be too soon for such a deal, though: PetSmart’s deal to go private only closed in March, and they may not be ready to acquire their biggest rival.

Exclusive: Petco begins merger talks with PetSmart – sources [Reuters]

A CVS customer tried to return some batteries without a receipt, and was told that she wouldn’t be allowed to. Oh, well: she went to leave the store with her merchandise, and an unidentified man dragged her back inside the store. He was a CVS loss prevention officer, it turns out, but she claims he didn’t identify himself.

The CVS employee took the aspiring battery-returner’s purse and merchandise, but didn’t take her phone, which is how she was able to dial 9-1-1. Her boyfriend, who was waiting in the car, also saw a man grab her and drag her back inside the store, and he followed them back in.

“I grabbed her hand and that’s when they attacked me,” her boyfriend told TV station KHOU. (Warning: auto-play video)

One would think that police would take the side of loss prevention when they arrived on the scene, but the cops watched surveillance video and ended up arresting the loss prevention officer, not the suspected shoplifter. Police said that he has been charged with assault.

CVS, in a statement, said that they’e investigating the incident:

CVS/pharmacy has specific policies and procedures for interacting with customers who are suspected of shoplifting that are designed to protect the safety of both our employees and our customers. We are fully investigating the incident that occurred at our Westheimer Road store yesterday afternoon. The employee who was involved in this incident will be suspended pending the outcome of our investigation.

Meanwhile, the drugstore chain does accept returns without a receipt, but only if the customer provides ID and with the approval of a manager.

Local CVS employee charged with assaulting customer [KHOU] (Warning: auto-play video)

An important aspect of caring for your guinea pig is trimming his nails. Because guinea pigs are usually not able to keep their nails trimmed down on their own, you will need to learn how to trim your guinea pig's nails. Guinea pigs can be a bit squirmy when it comes to having their nails trimmed, but, with practice, you can make the experience go more smoothly for the both of you.

Steps

Obtaining Nail-Trimming Tools

1. Select a pair of nail clippers. Baby or animal nail clippers will work, so you could use either type. Keep in mind, however, that human clippers squeeze the nail together before clipping it; this may be painful to your guinea pig.^[1]
   • Animal clippers are guillotine-style, ensuring that the nail won't be squeezed. Also, they open more widely than human clippers, which makes the nails easier to trim. You can find this type of clipper at your local pet store.^[2]
   • You can try both types of clippers to see what your guinea pig is most comfortable with.
2. Purchase styptic powder or corn starch, if you do not have them already. These substances will quickly stop the bleeding if you trim the nails down too far. They are equally effective at stopping the bleeding, so you can use either one. ^[3]
   
   • Styptic powder can usually be found with men's shaving products at your local grocery store or pharmacy.
   • Cornstarch is located with the baking products.
3. Select a hand towel. In case your guinea pig is squiggly during nail trims, you can wrap him up in the towel to restrain him more easily.
   • If you have previously used a towel to trim his nails, keep using the same towel each time. This will help to keep the process more consistent. Plus, he may feel more comfortable with one towel over another.
4. Prepare the area where you will trim your guinea pig's nails. Organizing everything that will you need for the nail trimming ahead of time will help the process go more smoothly.
   
   • Place a small towel, nail clippers, and styptic powder (or cornstarch) on a counter or table top.
   • Placing a small amount (about 1/4 teaspoon) of styptic powder or cornstarch on a paper towel ensure that you have quick access to these substances in you need to stop a nail from bleeding.

Restraining Your Guinea Pig

1. Take your guinea pig out of his cage. After reaching into the cage with a slow and steady movement, place the thumb of one hand under his jaw and support his hindquarters with your other hand.^[4] Using the proper method to reach into the cage and pick up your guinea pig will not only ensure that he is not frightened, but will also keep you from getting bitten.
   
2. Wrap your guinea pig in the hand towel. Be careful not to wrap your guinea pig too tightly; this could cause him to quickly suffocate or overheat.^[5]
   
3. Position your guinea pig in your lap. He should be facing away from you, which will make it harder for him to bite or nip.^[6]
4. Relax your guinea pig. There are several things that you can do to relax your guinea pig before trimming his nails, such as petting him gently behind his ears and giving him snacks.
   • Make sure you don't have any food around him so he doesn't get tempted while getting his nails trimmed.

^[7] Keeping him relaxed will help you trim his nails more easily.

1. • Healthy snacks for your guinea pig include bell peppers and carrots. Cut the vegetables into small pieces so that your guinea pig can eat them easily.^[8]

Trimming Your Guinea Pig's Nails

1. Choose a leg and gently pull it out. Do not be surprised if your guinea pig wiggles when you do this. If he wiggles too much, release his leg and let him calm down before you try again.
   
2. Secure one of his nails. Using the hand that is holding your guinea pig's legs, steady the nail between the thumb and index finger. Do not squeeze too tightly to keep the nail in place; this may hurt your guinea pig and cause him to squirm.
   • Selecting a nail on one end of the foot and working your way to the inside or outside of the foot will help you keep easier track of which nails you've trimmed.
3. Pick up the nail clippers with your other hand. Position them in front of the nail that you are about to trim.
   
4. Identify the quick in the nail. The quick is the blood vessel that runs in the middle of the nail. Identifying it will be easier to do with a clear nail than a darker nail. Using a flashlight may be helpful in seeing the quick in a darker nail.
   
   
5. Trim the nail. If you can see the quick, trim the nail down to just above the quick. If you cannot see the quick, use caution and trim a little bit at a time.
   • If you cut the quick, the nail will start to bleed. Although this will be painful to your guinea pig, you have not caused any serious damage. Simply dab a small amount of the styptic powder or cornstarch on the nail and the bleeding will stop quickly.^[9]
6. Proceed with trimming the rest of your guinea pig's nails. If you see that your guinea pig is becoming restless, give him some time to calm down before trying to finish trimming his nails.
   
   • Giving your guinea pig a treat after trimming each nail can provide positive reinforcement and keep him distracted. Make sure that he finishes eating before starting on the next nail to prevent him from choking on his food.
7. Put your guinea pig back in its cage and tidy up the nail trimmings. If this was your first time trimming your guinea pig's nails, don't be too hard on yourself if things didn't go quite as expected. Guinea pigs will wiggle when getting their nails trimmed at any age.
   
   • If this time didn't go well, consider trimming your guinea pig's nails over several days instead of all at once. This may be easier for the both of you.
   • If you put styptic powder or cornstarch on any of the nails, check these nails to make sure that the bleeding has stopped. Wipe off the substance from the nail before you put your guinea pig back in his cage to prevent him from eating it on accident.

Video

Tips

• If you are not comfortable trimming your guinea pig's nails, your veterinarian can do so. You could also ask your veterinarian for tips on how to trim the nails on your own.
• In the beginning, it may be helpful to have someone else hold your guinea pig while you trim the nails. This would help you get comfortable with the nail-trimming technique without having to restrain your guinea pig at the same time.
• Guinea pig's nails can get easily caught in their floor coverings, especially if the nails are long. Consider using soft cage coverings, such as fleece.^[10]
• Start trimming your guinea pig's nails when he is young. This will help him get comfortable with the nail-trimming process.^[11]
• Trim your guinea pig's nails regularly (about once a month). Regular nail trims will prevent the quick from growing so far up the nail that the nail becomes difficult to trim.^[12]

Warnings

• It is possible that a guinea's pig feet can become deformed if its nails are not trimmed regularly. This could be extremely uncomfortable for him.^[13]

Related wikiHows

• How to Bathe a Guinea Pig
• How to Care for Guinea Pigs
• How to Groom a Guinea Pig

Sources and Citations

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Steve Yoon is the owner of Sushi Rock (1900 Clarendon Boulevard), a sushi restaurant with a rock and roll theme.

The trendy restaurant is two blocks from the Courthouse Metro station and offers customers a fun place to unwind and try some sushi, both old favorites and unique house recipes.

Steve began training to be a sushi chef in 2001 in a Japanese restaurant, Hama Sushi, in Venice Beach California. He opened up his local restaurant in 2012. Now it has six sushi chefs and is known across the area for its great sushi and specialty drinks.

ARLnow sat down with him and asked him the questions you’ve always wanted to ask a sushi expert.

What is the most important ingredient in a piece sushi?

A lot of people think fish is the most important, but the rice is equally important. I’d say they each have 50 percent of the importance in a sushi roll.

We use short grain Japanese rice, or sushi rice, and we use rice seasoning vinegar. So every sushi restaurant and every sushi chef, they use their own seasoning vinegar recipe. The rice vinegar style is totally unique to each sushi restaurant.

What are the differences between Japanese and American sushi?

The Japanese generally know a lot more about fish than American people. So naturally I didn’t have to explain so much about fish to Japanese people than I have to for Americans.

So in America, salmon, yellowtail and tuna are more popular, and Japanese customers tend to be more comfortable eating clam, scallops — more knowledge means a wider variety of fish. But they also love yellowtail and tuna. But here, not everybody but most people prefer tuna, salmon and yellowtail. So the biggest difference is different knowledge means different fish.

Is there any difference in the way sushi is prepared in the States than in Japan?

No, the preparation of fish is exactly the same in both places.

What is the most difficult thing to master as a sushi chef to make the perfect nigiri [nigiri is the style of sushi that is sliced fish with a ball of rice underneath]?

You need a lot of practice. To make the perfect nigiri sushi you have to practice for two years. I was hired by an American company, which is a different training. To make nigiri you need to make the perfect rice, which takes a very long time. Then you have to learn to cut the fish. It takes a long time before you can make a perfect nigiri, which would be a nice shape.

What are some common mistakes people make when they eat sushi?

I see a lot of people in my restaurant, and one common mistake is when they eat nigiri is to dip the rice directly into soy sauce. I recommend dipping the fish part only and not the rice. That’s the most common mistake.

What are some pointers you have for eating sushi properly, besides not dipping the rice into soy sauce?

Well, there are two kind of wasabi to be aware of: wasabi powder and fresh wasabi root. When people use the wasabi, the fresh is much stronger and I think better than powdered wasabi. I recommend the fresh wasabi root for people who like wasabi with their sushi.

A lot of people like pickled ginger and don’t know that it is for refreshing their palates. For example if you’re going to eat tuna and salmon, first you have the tuna nigiri, then you can have the pickled ginger before the salmon, it refreshes your mouth and helps taste the fish better.

What is your favorite kind of sushi?

I love salmon in many different styles, including salmon nigiri and sashimi [sliced fish without the rice ball underneath]. Also, I like spicy tuna rolls and scallop nigiri.

The preceding post was written by ARLnow.com and sponsored by Sushi Rock.

The post What You Always Wanted to Ask a Sushi Chef, But Were Too Afraid to Ask appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — He called his K-9 partner his best friend. And now, after working together for four years, that partnership is over.

Officer Gil Fones with the Montgomery County Police Department says the dog he worked with, a Belgian Malinois named Chip, has been retired from the force. But what really pains Fones is that he wasn’t allowed to keep the retired K-9. Instead he was told to surrender the dog, which has been placed with a rescue organization that specializes in rehoming police and military dogs.

Montgomery County police Capt. Paul Starks says Chip’s well-being was a priority in the decision to retire the dog.  Starks told WTOP that police had “concerns regarding the welfare of the dog, the handler the community and the handler’s family.”

Fones, Chip’s handler, has six adult children.

Fones says he was bitten on the forearm by Chip during a recertification exercise in April, but insisted the bite was minor and that Chip didn’t even break the skin. Fones says the dog may have been stressed and says that among K-9 handlers the saying is, “not if you’ll be bitten by your dog, but when.”

When asked if the dog was overly aggressive or had bitten anyone other than Fones, Starks said he couldn’t comment further because of “ongoing confidential and administrative issues and actions.”

Fones says after Chip bit him in April, the dog was taken to a veterinarian that the police department uses and several tests were run.

Then in May, Fones and Chip were run through some scenarios — another evaluation of how they worked together. Neither Fones nor Montgomery County police would provide details on what happened during that evaluation.

Fones was moved from the K-9 division to patrol. Fones says he does not know whether any of his own work as a K-9 officer violated any protocols or whether he had mishandled the dog.

“I have not been told anything. That’s what we’re trying to find out,” he says.

Starks says the department did not make its decision lightly. “I wish I could say more, but due to ongoing confidential administrative matters, we are precluded from discussing this case further,” Starks says.

Along with Chip, Fones has a bomb detection dog, K-9, Charlie.

“We work four 10-hour days, and every time I leave the house, the dogs are with me,” Fones  says. Now, he says, when he goes to work, it’s like leaving a part of himself behind.

Fones says the same day he went through various scenarios with Chip, he was told that Chip would have to retire. “And that night, I received a phone call that they did not want me to have Chip in my possession,” Fones says.

Not having Chip around is the hardest part of the situation, Fones says. And that’s why he and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 35 has started a petition on Change.org to try to get Chip back to Fones.

Fones says it’s not about getting the dog reinstated.

“It’s more about getting Chip back to us. We just want Chip to come back home where he belongs — where he’s cared for and loved. We’re devastated not having him here in the house.”

WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.

The post Md. K-9 officer fights to get retired dog back appeared first on WTOP.

This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Dowager Countess Nymeria MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold. She’s a sweet Shiba Inu who lives in Shirlington. She loves to steal toys, and will leap to incredible heights to give her people kisses on the face.

Here’s what Nymeria had to say for herself.

Hi! My name is the Dowager Countess Nymeria MacBattleby Logiealmond MacGold, but most people call me, “I’m sorry what?” I am one year old little Scottish Shiba Inu lass, and I live in Shirlington with my Hudad who is awesome and my Humom who wants to turn me into a dog dancing champion… We’re still trying to talk her out of that one. 

My days are mostly spent looking out of my sweet window, where I like to nibble on Nylabones and occasionally bark at nothing, just to keep the humans on their toes. My evenings are either spent working on my mad skills at agility class with Frolick Dogs or playing with the neighborhood pups. I love when other dogs run after me, and I’ve been known to instigate a game of chase by stealing their toys (I always give them back – puppy promise!). 

Unlike a lot of Shibas, I LOVE myself some people. If there’s a person I haven’t met, I always need to make sure I’ve greeted them with a proper kiss. I’ve been known to jump three feet up in the air just to get close to their faces! Apparently this is not necessarily a good trait and the humans say they’re, “working on it,” but in the meantime if you see me in Shirlington – I just want your extra time and your *mwuah, mwuah, mwuah, mwuah* Kiss! 

Want your pet to be considered for the Arlington Pet of the Week? Email office@arlnow.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 Pet of the Week: Nymeria appeared first on WTOP.

Patch.com

Abortion Clinic Closing in Manassas Sept. 28 Patch.com Amethyst Health Center For Women provides gynecological services and has specialized in abortion services since 1989. After 27 years, the center will be closing on Sept. 28, according to a message posted on the website. “We appreciate the trust and ... Abortion provider in Manassas to close at end of monthRichmond.com all 14 news articles »

Patch.com

Spirit Halloween Stores Open in Manassas Patch.com The popular Halloween store has opened its creaking doors once more. Find out how to get a discount on your spooky costume purchases. By Greg Hambrick (Patch Staff) September 16, 2015. ShareTweetGoogle PlusRedditEmailComments0. and more »

If you took a summer vacation this year, you may have spent it on a beach, on a boat, or at a theme park. Security journalist Brian Krebs spent his summer vacation doing something that sounds super-fun to us: hunting down compromised ATMs in Mexico. He found quite a few, and also learned who might be behind all of his fraud.

Check out the whole series of stories: they have handy photos and videos, and will give you a healthy dose of paranoia before the next time you travel internationally.

An ATM is only as secure as the employees who have access to it. A source in Mexico explained to Krebs that men with Eastern European accents offered ATM technicians impressive amounts of money to allow them access to the innards of the machines they maintained. One person said yes, and the devices they found inside compromised machines provided clues about how to find other compromised ATMs.

They’re easy to find. Simply scanning the area for Bluetooth devices would turn up ATMs giving off a telltale signal: Bluetooth beacons that were part of the scheme bore the name of the non-criminal manufacturer that made them.

You can’t just wander by and harvest the data from a Bluetooth skimmer: the bundles of customer data are locked up with a code that only the criminals have.

Compromised devices were thick on the ground. Once Krebs knew what to look for, he found compromised ATMs everywhere. There were some in the airport. One of the ATMs in the hotel in Cancun where he stayed was compromised. Sometimes there was more than one telltale Bluetooth signal visible from where he was standing.

It’s hard to find anyone to tell when you do find a compromised machine. By the time tourists notice fraudulent withdrawals, they’ve already gone home. Hotel employees seemed concerned at first, but the Bluetooth signal kept on signaling until he left town.

There’s no one to tell. The criminal justice system in Mexico can easily be manipulated with bribes, and someone with a cash-extracting business has lots of money to pay bribes. Compromised ATMs belonged to independent ATM-servicing companies, not banks.

The ATM you’re using might not dispense money at all. Some ATMs didn’t have Bluetooth beacons, but “malfunctioned” and wouldn’t spit out a receipt when used. It’s possible that there are fake ATMs on the ground that just capture your account information, and in a tourist town it’s possible that no one would notice.

In summary, always travel internationally with large wads of cash. But that isn’t safe, either, so don’t do that.

Tracking a Bluetooth Skimmer Gang in Mexico [Krebs On Security]
Tracking Bluetooth Skimmers in Mexico, Part II [Krebs On Security]
Who’s Behind Bluetooth Skimming in Mexico? [Krebs On Security]

What’s a $145 billion cable company to do when it keeps losing pay-TV subscribers? Judging by Comcast’s recent actions, the answer would be “raise prices,” but the company’s CEO admits that this isn’t exactly a tenable business model… except he’s not talking about cable TV rates.

No, when Comcast CEO Brian “My Dad Gave Me The Company” Roberts said yesterday that “You can’t keep raising the price forever,” he was referring to the content providers who sell their bundles of channels to Comcast and other pay-TV companies.

The cable networks often try to force cable companies to buy a whole slate of channels — many of them smaller, niche offerings — in order to get the rights to carry the one or two most popular channels. This is why there are countless ESPNs and enough Nickelodeons to fill up a school bus.

Of course, Comcast’s own NBCUniversal division is just as guilty of this behavior as the others. We’ve all heard of NBCU’s USA Network, E!, and Bravo, but when was the last time you heard any watercooler talk about Cloo or Chiller? [NOTE: This question does not apply to employees of those two channels, though we have a hunch even they have a hard time remembering where to find them in their local cable listings.]

As the cost of these bundles has gone up, Comcast has been sure to pass the added expense on to its shrinking pay-TV customer base and its growing number of broadband subscribers who may now be subsidizing cable channels they don’t even have access to.

Earlier this week, the Albuquerque Journal noted that Comcast’s Internet prices are going up 4.5% in that market. The hike is even more dramatic (7.6%) for customers who subscribe to Internet and pay-TV service from Comcast. Nationwide, a company rep says Comcast’s prices are going up an average of 3.4%.

“We continue making investments in our network and technology to give customers more for their money, including more video across platforms, better experiences like X1 and faster Internet service,” the rep explained to the Journal. “We periodically need to adjust prices due to increases we incur in programming, business costs and new technology.”

This statement and the nationwide price hike reveal the depressing truth that Comcast’s recent decision to upgrade some customers’ broadband speeds for “free” was really just “free until the next price increase.”

At the same time, Comcast is continuing to expand its test of data caps as a revenue source. The company recently began offering an “Unlimited” option for customers who live in markets where 300GB monthly caps are being tested. For an additional $30/month, subscribers can avoid being hit with overage fees, though in some cases it would be less expensive to pay the overage than it would to pay for the Unlimited option.

This is effectively a way of charging customers more for using the same amount of data — in spite of the fact that Comcast’s broadband customer base is growing and the costs associated with delivering data to end-users is decreasing.

Comcast may now be the #2 pay-TV provider in the country behind the combined audience of DirecTV and AT&T U-Verse, but it certainly has the leverage to try to break up these pricey bundles of cable channels.

But as indicated above, it also has a bit of a conflict of interest because those NBCU bundles that it foists on other pay-TV providers brought in more than $9.5 billion for Comcast in 2014. And while Comcast is griping about paying more to carry other channels, last year it saw a 4.6% increase in revenue from distribution of its cable networks.

Verizon is currently involved in a legal battle over its attempt to shake up the cable bundle system. Earlier this year, it announced so-called “Skinny Bundles,” where FiOS subscribers only have to pay for a small core number of channels and then buy additional bundles of 10-15 channels (usually grouped together in a common theme).

By not including ESPN — the most expensive single basic cable channel for pay-TV companies to carry, at around $6/month — in the required core stations, Verizon wakened the beast that is the legal team of ESPN parent company Disney. They claim Verizon is violating its contract by not making all subscribers get the sports network, but Verizon maintains that it’s done nothing wrong.

For more:
Comcast raises prices just as CEO says “you can’t raise the price forever” [Ars Technica]
Comcast CEO: ‘You Can’t Keep Raising Prices Forever’ [DSLreports.com]

Two weeks after McDonald’s rejected Burger King’s cross-marketing olive branch offer to put aside their metaphorical beef in the name of peace and create a burger marrying the two fast food chains, the King has decided to officially move forward with offers of collaboration from Denny’s, Wayback Burger, Krystal and Giraffas, unveiling a mismashed sandwich that includes bacon, ham, a square patty, egg, cheese and other ingredients.

Burger King announced Wednesday that the five companies will come together to offer 1,500 free Peace Burgers made with one key ingredient from each of their signature sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Peace Day – Sept. 21 – at a pop-up store in Atlanta.

A photo of the upcoming burger collaboration shows the sandwich will include ingredients from Denny’s Bacon Slamburger, Wayback’s Wayback Classic, Krystal’s Cheese Krystal, Giraffas’ Brutus and Burger King’s Whopper sandwiches.

In addition to adding to the special limited-edition burger, each of the restaurants participating in the collaboration will donate ind to Peace Day One, a nonprofit organization devoted to raising awareness and encouraging action on Peace Day.

The debut of the Peace Day burger comes nearly three weeks after Burger King first proposed the idea to create a McWhopper with McDonald’s.

The Golden Arches unceremoniously shot down the offer, leading to an onslaught of other chains stepping up.

“Since the beginning, the main objective of this initiative was to raise awareness of Peace Day,” Fernando Machado, senior vice president for global brand management at Burger King, tells Bloomberg. “We were overwhelmed by the goodwill of our fellow restaurateurs, and believe that working with them to create this once-in-a-lifetime burger is a beautiful twist of fate.”

[via Bloomberg]

You might think of yourself as a long-term investor with your cute little retirement fund, but that’s nothing compared to an investment that recently paid out to Yale University. Twelve years ago, the university’s rare books and manuscripts library purchased a bond issued by a Dutch water authority to fund the construction of a pier. The thing is, the bond pays out in perpetuity, and that water authority still exists, so Yale checked to find out whether it was still earning interest. It is.

The college didn’t have an investment in mind when they bought the bond: it was for their rare books and manuscripts collection, and a water bond from 1648 is a pretty neat old manuscript to have. It’s been earning interest all the time, though, which means that the goatskin parchment that they paid $20,000 for in 2003 has earned a sweet, sweet €136.20, or $153, in interest. They didn’t say whether the pier still exists, though.

The bond is actually older than Yale itself, which wasn’t founded until the 18th century.

Yale to Be Paid Interest on Dutch Water Authority Bond From 1648 [Bloomberg]

Another celebrity may be losing his job after admitting he included himself in a real-life tragedy that he had nothing to do with. This time, it’s Steve Rannazzisi — co-star of The League and recently hired TV pitchman for Buffalo Wild Wings — who revealed this morning that he’d lied about his account of being in the World Trade Center when it was struck by a terrorist-piloted plane.

In 2009, and possibly before, the actor spun a tale of working for Merrill Lynch on the 54th floor of the Trade Center’s south tower when the first plane collided with the north tower.

“I was there and then the first tower got hit and we were like jostled all over the place,” he said at the time, describing the hectic scene as he and others fled the building before the south tower was struck by a second jet.

Rannazzisi said that the event was, as one would expect, a life-changing moment that helped put him on the path toward acting and comedy.

But people recently began to question the veracity of his story and there were no records of the actor ever having been employed by Merrill Lynch.

Today, Rannazzisi confessed (through a rep) to the NY Times, that “I was not at the Trade Center on that day… I don’t know why I said this. This was inexcusable. I am truly, truly sorry.”

On Twitter, the actor added further apologies.

“[I]t is to the victims of 9/11 and to the people that love them–and the people that love me–that I ask for forgiveness,” he added.

But it may be too little, too late for Rannazzisi’s job as a hot wings shill.

“We are disappointed to learn of Steve’s misrepresentations regarding the events of September 11, 2001,” a Buffalo Wild Wings rep tells AdWeek. “We are currently reevaluating our relationship with Steve pending a review of all the facts.”

It is just not a great year for Android security, it seems. Researchers in Texas have discovered that some devices running Android version 5 (Lollipop) can be unlocked and accessed basically by just mucking around with buttons on the lock screen long enough.

The security analyst who discovered the flaw did it basically out of boredom, Wired reports. He started poking around his phone to make it see what he could make happen, and discovered the vulnerability.

Happily, unlike the last headline-grabbing Android exploit this year, this bug affects only a small minority of users. Specifically, it’s Android device owners running Android 5 and who use a password — not a PIN or a pattern — to lock their screens.

The other good news is, someone needs physical access to your phone in order to pull it off. Where other exploits have been vulnerable to remote access, like a text message, unlocking the phone’s screen still requires someone actually tapping on the screen — it just doesn’t require them actually to know your password.

“My concern when I found this…was thinking about a malicious state actor or someone else with temporary access to your phone,” the researcher told Wired. “If, say, you give your phone to a TSA agent during extended screening, they could take something from it or plant something on it without you knowing.”

Google pushed a patch for the vulnerability in August, but for device owners who have to rely on their service providers for updates (i.e. most people), there’s no telling when the patch will actually come through.

Hack Brief: Emergency-Number Hack Bypasses Android Lock Screens [Wired]

Fruit-flavored exotic Oreos don’t generally contain the fruit whose flavor they’re trying to imitate, but that’s all different for the newest flavor, toasted coconut. There are flakes of actual coconut in its coconut-flavored creme. It will be nothing at all like dunking a bottle of suntan lotion in milk.

This is yet another refreshing summer cookie, even though it’s hitting shelves now that summer is over. We would have expected pumpkin spice latte-flavored Oreos to be coming out around now, to follow present food trends. We’ll take coconut, though: the concept sounds delicious, and would probably go nicely with the key lime flavor. If you were making some kind of mixed-Oreo pairings platter.

One early review of the cookie is positive, comparing them favorably to a coconut cream pie.

Eaten together with the sweet cream, these Toasted Coconut Oreos taste like eating a crunchy, portable version of a coconut cream pie. Coconut and vanilla are a match made in Heaven, and Nabisco struck the perfect balance here. They’re not Marshmallow Crispy good, but what is?

As far as exotically-flavored mass-produced sandwich cookies with cream filling go, there may not be much better than that.

The cookies in the photo above were spotted at a Meijer store: we don’t know where else you can find them. Some limited-edition flavors have been exclusive to one store or another: if you see them elsewhere, let us know!

SPOTTED ON SHELVES: Nabisco Limited Edition Toasted Coconut Oreo Cookies [The Impulsive Buy]
REVIEW: Toasted Coconut Oreos [Junk Banter]

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The 4-week-old giant panda cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo now weighs nearly 2 pounds and is starting to look like a panda — specifically, his dad.

The zoo says the cub weighed in at 1.9 pounds on Monday. That’s nearly eight times what he weighed at birth on Aug. 22.

The cub also has much more distinct black-and-white markings. Zoo officials say the markings on his back closely resemble those of his father, Tian Tian (t-YEN t-YEN).

The cub is the survivor of a set of twins. The other cub died four days after it was born.

Zoo officials say the cub is sleeping through much of the day, which his normal. His eyes will begin to open in the next few weeks.

The post Panda cub at National Zoo is growing, weighs nearly 2 pounds appeared first on WTOP.

Who needs a regular old hamburger — or a turkey burger, or a chicken filet — when you can get a burger made from ground chicken instead? At least that’s the thought process for the operators of 202 McDonald’s restaurants in Florida’s Tampa Bay area.

The new regional-specific item debuted Monday after local McDonald’s operators worked with the company’s chicken supplier Keystone Foods for 18 months to craft a more heath-conscious alternative to traditional burgers, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reports.

The chicken burger concept, which is a 50/50 blend of white and dark ground chicken, was born from the desire of 37 Tampa Bay area McDonald’s operators looking to appeal to new customers.

“It’s a product that may cause people to think about McDonald’s in a different way,” Blake Casper, CEO of Caspers Co., which operates 53 McDonald’s franchises in the area, tells the Business Journal. “Ultimately, anyone that likes a good burger is our target for this product.”

The new burgers – which have 390 to 400 calories – come in two varieties: the Classic with red onions, lettuce, tomatoes and ranch sauce and the Signature which includes grilled onions with lettuce, tomatoes and a tangy and sweet “signature” sauce.

Casper tells the Tampa Bay Times that the operators decided to use chicken in the new burgers as it’s a more approachable and easily customizable than other alternatives like turkey.

“The whole chicken burger market is growing; you’re seeing it more in restaurants,” Casper told the Times. “This isn’t a chicken sandwich, but a chicken burger — there’s a real difference in its bite.”

While the chicken burgers are only available in the Tampa Bay region for now, Casper and other local operators believe it could expand to other areas of the U.S. eventually.

“We are definitely approaching this product with the same spirit that the owner/operators who created the Filet-O-Fish, Egg McMuffin and Big Mac did,” Casper says of other McDonald’s staples that started regionally. “But our focus is on our customers here in Tampa Bay.”

The next Filet-O-Fish? Tampa Bay McDonald’s operators create their own chicken burger (EXCLUSIVE) [Tampa Bay Business Journal]
Tampa Bay McDonald’s restaurants debut ground chicken burger [Tampa Bay Times]

The nation’s top cigarette manufacturer must stop selling four products after federal regulators determined RJ Reynolds failed to show the brands did not pose increased health risks compared to items already on the market.

The Food & Drug Administration ordered RJ Reynolds to cease the sale, distribution and marketing of Camel Crush Bold, Pall Mall Deep Set Recessed Filter, Pall Mall Deep Set Recessed Filter Menthol and Vantage Tech 13 after finding the company’s submissions for the products did not meet requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act).

The order to cease the sale of the products was handed down after investigators for the FDA found that the four products were not substantially equivalent (NSE) to comparable products marketed as of Feb. 17, 2007.

Under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act of 2009, the FDA has the ability to reject cigarettes and other tobacco products that its scientists believe pose greater public health risks than comparable products.

In the case of RJ Reynolds’ Camel Crush Bold, Pall Mall Deep Set Recessed Filter, Pall Mall Deep Set Recessed Filter Menthol and Vantage Tech 13 products, the company was allowed to begin selling the cigarettes on the basis that they were comparable to products already on the market.

To be considered substantially equivalent, tobacco products must be proven to have the same characteristics of previous products, or to different ones that don’t raise new questions for public health.

However, the FDA determined that the products were not the same as their predecessor brands. Specifically, the agency found that the products in question had higher amounts of harmful ingredients, higher levels of menthol, and the addition of new ingredients raised new questions for public health.

In the case of Camel Crush Bold, RJR also failed to show the addition of a menthol capsule in the filter did not affect consumer perception and use.

“These decisions were based on a rigorous, science-based review designed to protect the public from the harms caused by tobacco use,” Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a statement. “The agency will continue to review product submissions and exercise its legal authority and consumer protection duty to remove products from the market when they fail to meet the public health bar set forth under law.”

Under the NSE orders, RJ Reynolds must stop selling the products immediately and to dispose of them within 30 days or face financial penalties or criminal prosecution.

Fifty years ago, Frank DeLuca was an entrepreneurial Connecticut teenager who wanted to earn money for college, and didn’t actually know anything about restaurants or about sandwiches. He asked a family friend, Peter Buck to loan him $1,000, and opened up a sandwich shop called Pete’s Super Submarines. (Co-founder Buck came up with the concept.) Nine years later, the first franchise opened, and 50 years later there are more than 44,000 restaurants worldwide.

The company reported to media outlets that DeLuca died on Monday. He had reportedly been treated for leukemia since 2013, and his sister, Suzanne Greco, has been serving as company president since June during a difficult time for the business, where they’ve not only lost their spokesman to sex crime charges, but are also dealing with the consequences of concentrating on opening more and more stores.

The company declined to tell Bloomberg Business whether Greco will also take the CEO title; as they attempt a makeover and turnaround and hope to increase sales at each store instead of just opening more stores, it might be smart to bring someone in from outside.

Subway Co-Founder, CEO Fred DeLuca Dies at 67 [Bloomberg Business]
Subway: Co-founder of sandwich chain DeLuca dead at 67 [AP]

A new report is cautioning parents about the risks of seemingly harmless liquid hand sanitizer, after an increase in calls to poison control centers about children who’ve ingested enough of substance to make them dangerously drunk.

Since 2010, poison control center hotlines in the United States have seen almost a 400% increase in calls related to kids under 12 consuming hand sanitizer, CNN reports, citing new analysis by the Georgia Poison Center.

The high alcohol content in liquid hand sanitizer — ranging anywhere from 45% to 95% alcohol, compared to wine and beer at 12% and 5% alcohol — can easily cause alcohol poisoning with just two or three squirts, experts say. Children may become confused, vomit or experience drowsiness, and in extreme cases, a child might stop breathing.

“Kids are getting into these products more frequently, and unfortunately, there’s a percentage of them going to the emergency room,” said Dr. Gaylord Lopez, the center’s director.

He said 3,266 hand sanitizer cases involving young kids were reported to poison control centers in 2010. Last year, that number reached 16,117.

Lopez sent a letter to Georgia’s school systems last week warning parents about the dangers of kids drinking hand sanitizer, explaining that some do it intentionally to get drunk, but others might try it on a dare from friends.

Also, it often looks tasty: for example, a six-year-old girl was recently brought to the hospital, unable to walk and slurring her words, after ingesting some strawberry-flavored hand sanitizer at school. Her blood-alcohol was .179, about twice what’s considered legally drunk for an adult.

She had to be watched overnight for signs of brain trauma, as the alcohol made her fall and hit her head.

“That was very scary,” her mother said. “It could have been very lethal for my child.”

Experts recommend tha tparents and teachers keep hand sanitizer away from where children can get it, and monitor them when they do use it. Nonalcohol-based products or sanitizing wipes are also a safe alternative.

More children getting drunk on hand sanitizer [CNN]

We already know that 4-in-5 popular restaurant chains have put little to no thought into dealing with the overuse of antibiotics in the farm animals that provide the beef, chicken, and pork for their foods. And though chicken titans like Perdue and Tyson are nudging the poultry industry toward fewer antibiotics, cattle farmers are apparently more reluctant to head the drug-free route because they are making big profits on drugged-up cows.

The Wall Street Journal reports that, with ranchers ranchers seeing some of their largest profits ever, they are balking at providing antibiotic-free meat to customers.

Following a drought in 2014 that culled cattle herds to historic low levels, cattle prices have been at all-time highs recently. The price of fresh beef in July was up 11% over the previous year to $6.16/lb.

Grassfed and antibiotic-free beef often sells for a higher price, but some farmers say that making that switch requires additional investment and time. If farmers are already making more now than ever before on cows raised using an abundance of antibiotics, they have little incentive to switch to providing a product that might not be as immediately profitable.

“With a real strong market like that, there’s just no advantage to going to a natural program,” explains one Oregon farmer who has declined to join a local natural beef cooperative.

Antibiotic-free beef only accounts for about 5% of the whole U.S. market, representing around $800 million in sales a year. But the popularity of organic beef has soared by more than 300% since 2011, compared to only about 12% overall growth in the fresh beef business.

And there are more people out there who want to buy the product, at least according to a rep for a natural cattle cooperative — representing 80 ranchers in the Western U.S. — who tells the Journal that “supply is our bigger issue.”

With an apparent shortage of antibiotic-free meat in the U.S. and an industry that is slow to adopt — partly because cows take so much longer to go to market than chickens — some big buyers of the drug-free stuff have had to look across the ocean for beef vendors.

Last year, with beef prices rising and not enough stateside providers to meet its demand, Chipotle — one of only two major restaurant chains to earn an “A” in today’s antibiotics scorecard — had to resort to getting some of its grassfed beef from Australia.

The Journal notes that CKE Restaurants — the parent company of Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s — also relies on Australian beef for its “All-Natural Burger.”

Antibiotics for farm animals account for around 80% of all antibiotics sold in the U.S. While some of those drugs are used for the genuine treatment of actual diseases, the majority of these antibiotics are provided to the animals — through their feed and water — in doses too low to effectively kill disease-causing bacteria. In fact, this sort of prophylactic, non-therapeutic application of antibiotics is believed to be aiding in the development of bacteria that is resistant to traditional drugs.

A recent investigation by our colleagues at Consumer Reports recently turned up antibiotic-resistant bacteria in 18% of tested ground beef samples. Meanwhile, only about 9% of more sustainably sourced beef contained these nasty pathogens, which turned up a mere 6% of grassfed beef tested for the study.