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MOUNT IDA, Ark. (AP) — The teeming plant world could become a virtual mystery in the coming decades as college students increasingly shy away from studying botany and universities across the U.S. shutter their long-standing herbaria.

Since 1988, the number of research universities offering botany degrees has dropped by half, according to National Science Foundation research funding statistics. And the National Center for Education Statistics reports that fewer than 400 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral botany degrees were awarded in 2012. Educators say that’s because students are being pushed into more modern, technology-related majors.

Current botanists fear that will lead to a dearth of people able to teach about, identify and use plants, which could harm conservation efforts and even the ability to develop alternate fuels and important medicines. At the same time, universities and states struggling under budget cuts are closing the sometimes-expensive task of maintaining herbaria— collections of plant species that botanists can reference or use for genetic material.

“We aren’t going to understand what we have in the world. By some estimates only 20 percent of the (plant and animal) species in the world have been identified,” said Joe Miller, a program officer at the National Science Foundation’s Division of Environmental Biology.

In a clearing on the side of a rural Arkansas highway, about a dozen researchers scoured the rocky glade for a threatened annual called the Missouri bladderpod, which blooms with clusters of small yellow flowers. Only 75 populations of the threatened species exist in the world, and all are close enough to urban centers to be in danger, Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission botanist Theo Witsell said.

The 39-year-old, carrying a small shovel and a handful of large plastic bags, plucked a few purple flowering plants from the ground by the root.

“I think one of the things that’s happening in this field of study is there aren’t a lot of open jobs,” Witsell said. “But as people get older and they retire, you then have fewer people who are qualified for those jobs.”

Witsell hopes to conserve some of the glades, where he said scientists are still finding new species of plants. That’s where botanists’ skills are irreplaceable, Miller said.

“If we are able to name a plant, then we understand its biology,” Miller said. “If we understand its biology, then we can use the comparative method to understand and predict how it could be used.”

For example, Quinine is a malaria treatment that occurs naturally in cinchona trees. He said if botanists identify plants with similar taxonomies that react similarly to their surroundings, plant biologists could do genetic research to find medical uses.

Herbaria are a major reference source for botanists, but increasingly, such repositories are dwindling as several states and universities have closed or consolidated their collections, including the University of Iowa and the University of Nebraska State Museum. Researchers acknowledge the bulky collections of plant specimens that are mounted, dried, dated and tagged with pivotal information can be hard to maintain. They require temperature and moisture control and space for the preparation process.

The University of Missouri announced May 18 that it would donate its more than 200,000 plant specimens to the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis.

“The facility on campus that was housing them, it outlived its lifespan,” said Jordan Yount, a spokesman for the university’s College of Arts and Science. “Regulating the humidity and temperature was critical and getting to be a problem. And we reached a point where we had to decide, do we spend a lot of money renovating this facility or find another home for the collection.”

From his 14th-floor office in downtown Little Rock, Witsell is fighting the trend. After the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville herbarium narrowly escaped closure in 2003 and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock closed its collection a few years later, he decided the commission needed its own.

A handful of commission staff and Witsell have combed the state over the past 12 years to find, collect and preserve more than 70,000 native plant species. The commission’s herbarium is now the most actively growing in Arkansas.

“This is the physical record of the plant life of the planet, of this state,” he said. “You can’t get all of the information from a photograph.”

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CHAPTICO, Md. (AP) — A senior prank in which 72,000 ladybugs were released in a public high school has several youths and adults facing criminal charges.

The St. Mary’s County’s Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that early on May 20, five men forced open a door at Chopticon High School in Morganza, Maryland.

Deputies say the suspects, who were wearing masks and hoodies, released about 72,000 ladybugs throughout the school. Police say two others waited in a car.

Investigators say four male juveniles and three men were identified as suspects. One suspect ordered the ladybugs from the internet, deputies say.

The four youths have been charged with burglary, property destruction and disruption of school activities. They were released to their parents. Deputies say the three adults will be charged by criminal summons.

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WASHINGTON (AP) — For viewers of last year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee, one of the most surprising results came courtesy of a test nobody saw.

Vanya Shivashankar was one of the stars of the show, heavily promoted in ESPN’s coverage. Her older sister, Kavya, won the bee in 2009, and the smiling, telegenic Vanya was participating for the fourth time, coming off a fifth-place finish in 2013.

Vanya breezed through the preliminary rounds and spelled both words correctly in the semifinals. But when the finalists were announced — factoring in scores from a computerized spelling and vocabulary test — Vanya was eliminated. ESPN’s cameras cut to her, but she didn’t show much emotion.

Two years after vocabulary became part of the bee for the first time, the integration of the test remains a work in progress. While participants and bee officials say it’s made the competition fairer — everyone is tested on the same words — it has taken some of the drama away from the semifinal rounds.

Vanya still loves the bee, but she misses the simplicity of the old format, when the semifinals would continue for as long as necessary for the field to be narrowed to about 10 finalists.

“Lots of people would like to see people going up and spelling words and seeing how they used to do it, just to spell until everyone drops,” Vanya said. “I’m fine with anything, but spelling till you drop is kind of cool.”

Vanya, who’s from Olathe, Kansas, wasn’t entirely surprised she didn’t make the finals last year. She knew her test score could have been better. Spellers were given their own scores, but neither they nor the audience knew how they stacked up.

That’ll change this year as bee officials continue to tweak the format. The test scores will be announced and spellers will be ranked heading into the semifinals.

Tim Weinkauf, the lead producer of ESPN’s coverage, said he’ll take advantage of that change by showing golf-style leaderboards and highlighting the spellers who can work their way into the finals if someone ahead of them falters.

“I think it allows for more dramatic moments because there will be those certain kids that are on the bubble,” Weinkauf said.

Preliminaries will be held Tuesday and Wednesday, with semifinals Thursday morning and finals Thursday night.

One important thing that hasn’t changed in the format: If you miss a word on stage, the bell rings and you’re out.

There were drawbacks to what Vanya calls the “spelling till you drop” approach. In 2010, the semifinals were stopped in the middle of a round because too many spellers got words wrong and there was a chance of having too few finalists to fill the 2-hour broadcast window.

The bee’s executive director, Paige Kimble, heard plenty of complaints that ending the semifinals that way was unfair.

“We’ve certainly had some white-knuckle moments,” Kimble said. “You just don’t know when you go into a round how the kids are going to do.”

The vocabulary test, Kimble said, plays a much more important role than making the semifinals more predictable.

“I think it’s making the most profound impact exactly where we wanted it to, and that is at the school and local spelling bee levels,” she said. “We’re finding that teachers and students and parents are embracing the acquisition of vocabulary along with the memorization of words for a spelling bee.”

Kimble also said she didn’t think the vocabulary test has ultimately had much influence over who advances to the finals.

The 285 participants in this year’s National Spelling Bee have already proven they’re better spellers than 11 million other kids — and to spell at that level, it’s essential to at least have some idea what the words mean. The best spellers can figure out words they’ve never heard before by understanding Greek and Latin roots and languages of origin.

In addition to 13-year-old Vanya, this year’s bee has two other siblings of past winners — 12-year-old Jairam Hathwar, whose brother, Sriram, was a co-champion last year; and 11-year-old Srinath Mahankali, whose brother, Arvind, was a popular winner in 2013.

Jairam and Srinath will get another shot if they fall short. Vanya is in 8th grade, which means this is her last chance. She insists she doesn’t feel any added pressure.

“I’ve been having the time of my life,” she said. “This is something that not many people get to do and I’ve been able to do it so many years, so definitely no regrets.”

___

Follow Ben Nuckols on Twitter at https://twitter.com/APBenNuckols .

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WASHINGTON — Drivers sitting in Washington-area traffic at least have some bragging rights: The nation’s capital comes in at number two on NerdWallet’s “Worst Cities for Car Drivers” list.

D.C. just missed the top mark awarded to Boston and its miserable driving experiences of historic proportions.

NerdWallet analyzed the following factors based on a points system and an awarded overall score to determine the worst ratings:

• How bad and long are the delays?
• How congested is the city during peak commute times?
• How’s the weather? (Poor weather conditions often lend to driving dangers and delays.)
• How available is parking?
• How much does car insurance cost annually?
• How expensive is the gas?
• Is there a higher chance for an accident compared with the national average?

Top 10 worst cities for car drivers and why

1. Boston: Among all of the cities NerdWallet surveyed, drivers in Boston face the greatest likelihood of an accident.
2. Washington, D.C.: Compared with other major cities, D.C. drivers waste the most time in delays: 67 hours each year.
3. Los Angeles: Drivers endure an average of 61 hours of delays each year, and L.A. interstates, including the 110 and the 405, are notorious for bumper-to-bumper traffic.
4. Miami: In addition to major traffic during peak hours, car owners pay an average of $1,750.10 for auto insurance annually, 59 percent more than the average U.S. driver.
5. Chicago: Parking can be sparse in the Windy City, with only 0.77 parking lots or garages for every 1,000 commuter vehicles.
6. San Francisco: Drivers waste a significant amount of time in traffic: 61 hours each year. The City by the Bay also touts a high rate of auto theft.
7. Philadelphia:  This city saw 113 days of precipitation in 2012. Drivers are 61.2 percent more likely to get into an accident here than  in other U.S. cities.
8. Seattle: Seattle’s frequent rainy weather creates a dangerous driving environment with slick roads and poor visibility.
9. Detroit: Although the Motor City makes a lot of cars, there’s nowhere to park them. Detroit has the lowest parking availability on the list.
10. New York City: The Big Apple is the nation’s most populated city and its streets bear the brunt. Car owners spend $1,614.71 annually on car insurance, $500 above the national average.

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“If we educate the children and expose them to the environment starting from the third or fourth grade, we will have them for life.” – Senator Lisa Gladden, District 41, Baltimore

A fishing derby for underprivileged youth was held on May 9 at the ponds of Camp Airy in Thurmont. A total of 37 youth from the city of Frederick, 28 of which live in public housing caught 140 trout that had been stocked a few days prior to the event. Camp Airy has two beautiful spring-fed ponds that are used for several fishing events each spring and summer.

Fishing is a safe, rewarding and educational outdoor activity that can provide many memorable experiences for children and adults alike. Unfortunately, many children do not have an adult in their lives who can teach them the necessary skills like how to tie a hook onto a fishing line and cast a fishing rod. These children may never make a connection with their natural world and can sometimes turn to alternate activities for entertainment that are not always healthy.

The lack of involvement of ethnic minorities and the economically underprivileged in the environmental community is a problem for inner city families. Fortunately, there are adults and businesses in the Frederick community that are making the effort to bring environmental awareness to at risk youth through the annual fishing derby event held at Camp Airy.

Rick Gladhill has an important job as the Director of Physical Services for the Housing Authority of the City of Frederick and his involvement with the community he serves goes well beyond his job description. “I started this program 14 years ago because I think that fishing is something every kid should experience,” said Galdhill.

“The kids attending are our at risk youth whom reside in our public housing units in the City of Frederick. They typically do not get the opportunity to experience the outdoors, as many others are fortunate to do so. Our focus is to introduce them to the outdoors as a safe alternative to drugs,” said Galdhill.

Gladhill believes that kids who engage in outdoor activities such as fishing are less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drug use that can destroy their lives. “I am insane about fishing,” said Gladhill, “fishing is so exciting that drugs cannot come close to the feeling I get when I catch a fish.”

The excitement of the catch was evident in the young people I talked to at the event. As I approached the young anglers, they were proud to show me their full stringers and tell me stories of the big fish they landed or the one that got away.

12-year old, Emmanuelle Hean and 9-year old, Trinity Ntemi told me that the best part about the derby was that they could take the fish home to eat. “My Aunt Laure will fry these fish up for dinner,” said Trinity. This was Trinity’s second time participating in the fishing derby.

The kids arrived in a bus from the public housing units early that morning. Gladhill greeted the children and provided a short orientation and demonstration. “I explained to them about how to fish, the rodeo rules, safety, etc. and that this event is about being “Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs,” said Galdhill.

Following this short speech he spread the kids out around the lower pond and then the cast off began. Within minutes the young anglers started reeling in trout and squeals of excitement could be heard coming from across the pond as trout were netted or pulled onshore by the eager anglers. “After an hour or so, I moved only those kids from the lower pond to the upper one that has not yet caught a trout,” said Gladhill.

Lunch was delivered from Rocky’s Pizza in Thurmont at noon. Many of the kids continued to fish while eating the pizza, making the best use of valuable fishing time. At 1:00PM, the fishing time ended and Gladhill called all of the kids together for a final speech about the importance of being “Hooked on Fishing and Not on Drugs”.

After the speech, each angler’s catch was weighed and prizes were awarded according to weight and the length of the biggest fish in four age categories. Winners included: Jamin Naylor, age 7 and under; Deon Melvin, age 8-9; Alexandra Garcia, age 10-11; Shatia Campbell, age 12 and up. These winners were given a fishing rod and a tackle box full of tackle. Names of other participants were drawn and each received a fishing tackle prize.

The event was financially sponsored by BB&T Bank as part of the Lighthouse Project that strives to make a positive difference in the Frederick community. Other sponsors include Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Albert Powell State Fish Hatchery, Walmart, Camp Airy, Custom Imprints and the volunteers from the Housing Authority of the City of Frederick and BB&T Bank.

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AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION THIS WEEK are TORETTO, a 13-year-old male pit bull terrier mix, and SHADOW, a 1½-year-old male domestic medium hair cat.

Toretto is a familiar face on this page. Being older and a pit bull terrier mix is not helping his adoption plight. Toretto arrived as a stray, so his age is just an estimate and his behavior has been exemplary since he has been in our care. Read more about Toretto in this week’s Pets and People column; better yet, stop by and visit him in person.

Shadow is a handsome fellow. He is an independent cat and would enjoy a quiet home where he has time to adapt to his new surroundings. Shadow is a bit on the shy side but loves to have someone talk to him. He looks you right in the eye and responds well to a soft voice.

Meet Toretto and Shadow at the Frederick County Animal Control Center, 1832 Rosemont Ave., Frederick. To view all the adoptable animals at Frederick County Animal Control, visit petfinder.com/shelters/MD103.html. For general questions, call 301-600-1546.

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Contact the Frederick County Animal Control Center, 1832 Rosemont Ave., Frederick. To see more pets available at FCAC, go to petfinder.com/shelters/MD103.html. For general questions, call 301-600-1546.

The post Looking for a home appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON (AP) — About 162,000 trailer hitches sold at U-Haul outlets are being recalled because of weak steel that could cause the parts to break.

The recall, announced Saturday, covers two types of hitches made by Wisconsin-based Curt Manufacturing between July 2014 and January 2015 and sold under the “U-Haul Power Tow” brand. They were sold only at U-Haul stores and online.

Curt Manufacturing said a Chinese company, Shandong Jiyang Machinery, changed the way it cleaned steel during the hot-rolling process, reducing the steel’s strength.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that if owners don’t also attach safety chains for the trailers, the defective hitches could mean a trailer breaking away from the vehicle towing it.

The TS1 and TS2 hitches are rated to tow trailers weighing up to 7,500 pounds, but can break near the maximum load, according to a recall report posted on the highway agency’s website. The agency said no injuries or property damage has been reported to the manufacturer.

Curt Manufacturing will notify owners and replace the parts free of charge, according to the highway agency.

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TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — More than $20,000 has poured in for an Arizona dog that was found hanging from a tree more than a week ago but is now recovering in a foster home.

Sunny the dog made headlines when someone found him on May 12. The shepherd mix was hanging from a tree in Tucson with a rope tied around her mouth.

José Ocaño, director of shelter operations for the Pima Animal Care Center, said Sunny has slowly began to recover and is now being taken care of by a foster parent.

“She’s getting her spirit back. Even the look in the eye looks more trusting and hopeful, which is a testament to how resilient animals are,” Ocaño said.

Ocaño said Sunny’s story attracted attention from all over the country and even internationally, drawing in thousands of dollars for her recovery. The shelter has used its Facebook page to post updates and pictures, many of which have gained more than 1,000 “likes.”

Sunny’s medical bills cost about $2,500, and the rest of the money raised will benefit other animals at the county shelter.

The shelter has on average about 650 dogs and 300 cats on a daily basis, and has a small budget, Ocaño said.

Meanwhile, police are seeking tips regarding Sunny’s previous owner. The dog was not microchipped and appeared to have been neglected before she was found hanging from the tree.

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INKSTER, Mich. (AP) — A Detroit-area woman turned 116 Saturday, but she offers no secret for a long life.

“There’s nothing I can do about it,” Jeralean Talley of Inkster said ahead of her birthday weekend.

Talley will celebrate her birthday twice, including a party on Sunday at her church, New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist. The Gerontology Research Group considers her to be the oldest person in the world, based on available records, followed by Susannah Jones of Brooklyn, New York, who turns 116 in July.

“You’re more likely to win the lottery than to reach this age,” said Robert Young of Gerontology Research.

Talley bowled until she was 104 and still likes to catch fish. A daughter, Thelma Holloway, tells the Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/1F2Ez2k ) that her mother still has a sharp mind.

She was born in Montrose, Georgia, in 1899 and moved to Michigan in the 1930s. Talley’s husband died in 1988 at age 95.

“Her No. 1 rule is to treat people how you want to be treated,” said godson Tyler Kinloch, 21, who fishes with her. “I definitely carry that with me every single day.”

Talley received $116 — a dollar for every year — at an event Thursday at a local office of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The attendees included U.S. Rep. John Conyers. The Democrat is the longest-serving member in the House, but even at 86 he’s three decades younger than Talley, who lives in his district.

“I thank you very, very, very, very much,” Talley told the crowd.

___

Information from: Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com

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NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — Earlier this month a 93-year-old man carried his own obituary into a newspaper office in Norfolk.

James Crumbley wanted to know much it would cost to put his story in print.

He brought three typed pages about his life to The Virginian-Pilot (http://bit.ly/1Q3k7Vl). It turns out he’d already been written about many times.

Crumbley served as an airport manager in Norfolk and was instrumental in the evolution of Hampton Roads’ modern port.

He started working on his obituary a few months ago. He says it wasn’t odd to write about himself in the third person or the past tense.

He says he just wanted to make sure his story was properly told.

___

Information from: The Virginian-Pilot, http://pilotonline.com

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GLOUCESTER, Va. (AP) — A judge has found a Gloucester County couple guilty of felony neglect and abuse in the death of their infant son.

Media outlets reported that Gloucester Circuit Judge William Hamblen determined Friday there was insufficient evidence for homicide charges against Brian Gore and his wife, Shannon Gore.

Authorities found the 7-month-old boy’s remains under a shed at the couple’s residence in 2011 while investigating a separate case involving their daughter, who was 6 years old at the time.

Sheriff’s deputies discovered the daughter in a makeshift cage while investigating a burglary report.

Brian Gore and Shannon Gore each pleaded guilty in 2013 to child abuse and malicious wounding in the earlier case. Both are serving 30-year sentences.

Their sentencing in their son’s death is set for July.

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WASHINGTON – Just in time for World Turtle Day (Saturday, but of course you knew that), the National Zoo says that a rare spider tortoise has hatched in its Reptile Discovery Center.

Spider tortoises, native to Madagascar, are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the zoo says in a statement. They’ve declined by 80 percent since 1970, the zoo says.

The tortoise hatched May 10. Zoo officials don’t know yet whether it’s male or female.

Hatching a spider tortoise is tough: The mother only lays one egg at a time, the zoo says, and it has to be incubated, cooled and incubated again.

The parents came to the zoo in January 2014 and this hatchling is from the second egg laid since then. The first, in August 2014, didn’t hatch. The third, laid in October, hasn’t hatched yet.

If all goes well, the zoo says, the hatchling will go on display this summer. For now, a group of adult male spider tortoises is on exhibit.

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HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — The GPS-based hobby known as geocaching (jee-oh-CASH’-ing) is drawing enthusiasts to western Maryland for what organizers call their annual international convention.

The GeoWoodstock event begins Friday in Hagerstown City Park, then shifts to the Washington County Agriculture Education Center near Boonsboro for the weekend.

Organizers say they expect as many as 5,000 participants, including product vendors.

The hobby involves using GPS data to locate small, hidden boxes containing items of little value. Enthusiasts record their finds and often travel long distances to explore new courses.

The Maryland Geocaching Society developed the Washington County GeoTrail in 2013 in anticipation of the annual convention.

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HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — The GPS-based hobby known as geocaching (jee-oh-CASH’-ing) is drawing enthusiasts to Western Maryland for what organizers call their annual international convention.

The GeoWoodstock event begins Friday in Hagerstown City Park, then shifts to the Washington County Agriculture Education Center near Boonsboro for the weekend.

Organizers say they expect as many as 5,000 participants, including product vendors.

The hobby involves using GPS data to locate small, hidden boxes containing items of little value. Enthusiasts record their finds and often travel long distances to explore new courses.

The Maryland Geocaching Society developed the Washington County GeoTrail in 2013 in anticipation of the annual convention.

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Just because technology is obsolete in one way doesn’t mean it can’t still be put to use in another. Proving that point is a group of German designers who have resurrected floppy disks from the box of irrelevant computer technology, using 49 of them to create sweet digital music on an instrument called the “Floppy Orgel.” Which yes, translates to “Floppy Organ” in English.

And to be clear, when I say “sweet,” I mean, it sounds exactly like a floppy disk drive that’s making music. Or rather, 49 of them.

The good-humored gang at Toolbox Bodensee e.V., non-profit youth group out of Markdorf, Germany says the Floppy Organ’s disks are connected to an Arduino Uno controller board that runs a code to translate MIDI signals from an electronic keyboard into motor pulses for the drives.

Thus far, the Floppy Organ has a few classics under its belt, including the Pirates of the Caribbean theme, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” and the Tetris theme.

Now go ahead and snicker at the headline, you know you want to because inside, we are all 12 years old.

(h/t UPI)

(frankieleon.)

Last October, United Parcel Service announced it would attempt to cut down on delivery stops and protect consumers’ packages from sticky fingers with its Access Point service that drops off packages at local businesses where you can pick them up at your convenience. While the idea seems great in theory – who doesn’t want to protect their unattended packages? – in practice, it appears there are still a few kinks to work out: Mainly that people aren’t aware of the service, and the packages may not be as secure as we’d hoped.

Those issues certainly appeared to be the case this week when an editor for ANIMALNewYork spotted “more than two dozen packages crammed into the aisle” of a small local grocer.

When UPS announced the service, it said it was designed for people who work or live in big cities, where packages left on the doorstep could be stolen. It would allow consumers to skip waiting at home to sign for a package and instead pick them up at the pharmacy, convenience store, dry cleaners and other local businesses.

Prachi Gupta says in her post that she was unaware of the Access Point service until she received a notice that one of her packages had been delivered to the grocer. Upon arriving at the store, she says she was greeted with a long line of customers, several frustrated with this new service.

“One frustrated woman told me that she had no idea why her package was sent to a bodega,” Gupta writes. “Another man complained that his packages had been routed to two different Access Point locations.”

As for her package, it was actually deemed undeliverable to the store twice thanks to a required signature. She only learned the package was at the store through a UPS slip left on her door.

An employee at UPS’s West Houston Street facility tells ANIMALNewYork that several customers have expressed their displeasure with these new service.

Aside from the frustration of not knowing about the service or the requirement that you have to slog out into the city to retrieve it, the bigger issue appears to be the fact that these packages were left in the open.

The local grocer tells Gupta that packages are usually kept in a room below the store. It wasn’t clear exactly why the packages were left “in the aisle for at least an hour.”

UPS vice president of new product development, Stephanie Callaway, tells ANIMALNewYork that leaving packages out in the open is “not what we consider to be a secure location,” and that the company would look into the situation.

She went on to say that the issues seen this week were likely the result of local businesses getting acclimated to the new service. So far, New York has designated about 550 businesses, including dry cleaners, bodegas and other store, as Access Point locations.

For the most part, she tells ANIMALNewYork that the feedback from retailers and customers has been positive.

“The numbers were off the charts,” she said. “Ninety-eight percent said they had a good experience while they were picking up their package. It’s not typical for us to see that.”

Your Package Might Be In The Grocery Aisle Due To New UPS Service [ANIMALNewYork]

AdultFriendFinder.com is one of the largest online dating sites out there and now it’s suffered a hack attack that’s exposed a hefty portion of its 64 million members: According to a new report, the data of up to four million users of the hookup site has been exposed.

Information like sexual preference, marital status and other personal data (dates of birth, email addresses and addresses) for as many as 4 million members may have been stolen, reports the UK’s Channel 4 news agency (via USAToday), after the news outlet investigated the “dark web.”

The site is now in touch with law enforcement security firm FireEye to investigate the data breach. AdultFriendFinder is part of the FriendFinder Networks group of sites, which says it has more than 600 million members on its 40,000 sites.

This particular community advertises itself as a place to “Hookup, Find Sex or Meet Someone Hot Now,” as well as share video cams and chat online.

Channel 4 reports that its investigation led to a forum where a hacker posted the details of about 3.9 million AdultFriendFinder users. Within hours of the breach, hackers on that forum said they intended to send out spam emails to victims, with one user telling Channel 4 he received emails containing viruses since his information went public. This, though he’d deleted his account previously on the site.

“I deleted my account, so I thought the information had gone,” he said. “These sites are meant to be secure.”

The company confirmed to USA Today that it has “begun working closely with law enforcement and launched a comprehensive investigation with the help of leading third-party forensics expert, Mandiant,” which is owned by FireEye. That company has helped investigate major breaches at CareFirst, Target, JP Morgan Chase, Sony Pictures and Anthem.

“FriendFinder Networks Inc. has only just been made aware of this potential issue and understands and fully appreciates the seriousness of the issue,” the company said.

Though Channel 4 cited up to four million members exposed, the company didn’t clarify how large the breach is or which regions were affected.

“Until the investigation is completed, it will be difficult to determine with certainty the full scope of the incident, but we will continue to work vigilantly to address this potential issue and will provide updates as we learn more from our investigation,” FriendFinder’s statement continued. “We cannot speculate further about this issue, but rest assured, we pledge to take the appropriate steps needed to protect our customers if they are affected.”

Adult dating site hack exposes millions of users [Channel 4]
Large online dating site AdultFriendFinder confirms data breach [USA Today]

Soon ads like this one that play before YouTube videos will allow viewers to easily buy the promoted product.

Have you ever sat through an advertisement before being able to watch that super cool, totally in-the-moment viral video on YouTube, and thought “Man, I really need that [insert random item you probably don’t need]?” No? Okay, but in case that ever is you, Google wants to ensure it’s as easy as possible for you to make a purchase right then and there.

ABC News reports that Google is adding purchasing power for products to its TrueView advertisements – those short clips that play before a YouTube video – in an attempt to better connect retailers and consumers.

Google’s senior vice president of advertisements and commerce, Sridhar Ramaswamy, made the announcement during a keynote at Ad:Tech in San Francisco Thursday, saying the new venture will capitalize on consumers’ need for instant gratification.

The idea behind the new ad buying service – which could be a revenue machine for the company – is to coax people to actually watch the ads, then click on the product and make a purchase on the retailer’s website, ABC New reports.

“In a world where people want things right away, this is the ultimate expression of a full-purchase journey within an ad,” Ramaswamy said. “For the first time, viewers will be able to not only learn about products through video — they’ll be able to shop for them as well — seeing product listings within the video itself.”

Furniture retailer Wayfair tested the system and reportedly saw their revenue triple and a 20% increase in the number of people who stick with the ad until it ends, Ramaswamy said.

Google’s announcement about the souped up ads on YouTube comes just days after it was reported the company would add “buy” buttons to mobile search results, a move that will increase the company’s rivalry with other online marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon.

Google Brings Shopping Experience to YouTube [ABC News]

“We’ve heard the same rumors you have,” says a recent publication from McDonald’s. “Fillers in our beef, so called ‘pink slime.'” The message is fine, but the location is problematic: McDonald’s is not only protesting a little too much, but this message is on a tray placemat. In one of their restaurants. The kind that you look at while you eat your McDonald’s food.

(Harry McCracken)

“I sort of feel that McDonald’s shouldn’t mention pink slime on its trays,” mused technology journalist Harry McCracken on Twitter, “even if only to debunk it.”

Let’s refresh our memories about what “pink slime” is. The pink bricks are a way to use trimmings from cow carcasses that would normally be thrown away. These small pieces are cooked, have the fat separated out using a centrifuge, and are sprayed with ammonia gas to kill bacteria. Then they’re packed into pink bricks shipped to sellers of ground beef, where it’s used as a filler that is, technically, beef. That’s how the U.S. Department of Agriculture defines it.

The idea of ammonia-sprayed meat and just the phrase “pink slime” turned the public against the stuff: the company that makes it sued news network ABC for defamation.

If you don’t like the existence of pink slime, too bad: higher beef prices mean that as of last year, it was popular again. Just not at McDonald’s. Apparently.

McDonald’s doesn’t use pink slime now, but they used to. The company stopped using the product in their burgers back in 2011, but still fights rumors that it comprises 85% of their ground beef.

We’ve said this before, of course: once you’re putting on a defensive ad campaign explaining that your food is actually made out of food, you’ve already lost. When you’re reminding people of what used to be in their burgers while they eat their burgers, you’ve really lost.

With that, we offer some suggestions for alternate placemat messages for McDonald’s.

• Picture some mucus. That’s not us.
• We promise we washed our hands.
• Our food now contains food. (This isn’t far off the message of the current McDonald’s campaign.)
• Chicken McNuggets are definitely not made from mutant birds the size of goats.
• Our lemonade is 100% mucus-free.
• McDonald’s: Better Than Eating Off The Floor!

Would any of these things have occurred to you before seeing them on your placemat? Probably not!

(Caroline Angelo)

Consumers pay higher prices to dip their breads and douse their salads in extra virgin olive oil. However, out of the eleven brands tested, six didn’t pass the lab’s stringent tests to meet the “extra virgin” standard. The lab in Australia performed chemical tests on the oil as well as sensory testing by trained humans to determine the flavor profile.

While they didn’t name which oils failed the tests, here’s a list of brands that they say passed:

• California Olive Ranch “Extra Virgin Olive Oil”
• Colavita “Extra Virgin Olive Oil”
• Trader Joe’s “ Extra Virgin California Estate Olive Oil”
• Trader Joe’s “100% Italian Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil”
• Lucini “Premium Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil”

“The results of our olive oil testing reveal that, while consumers are buying and paying extra for olive oil labeled EVOO, too much of the olive oil bought off the shelf isn’t the real deal,” Sally Greenberg, executive director of the NCL, said in a statement. When more than half of the bottles are degraded, that’s pretty bad, especially when the group says that they took care to choose bottles that were stored away from the light and less likely to be degraded.

Olive oil mislabeling: Are consumers catching on? [National Consumers League]

Hydroponic tomatoes are grown in a nutrient solution rather than soil, although they are typically placed in a non-soil material that can support their roots and hold the nutrients. Growing tomatoes hydroponically allows the grower to raise them in a controlled environment with less chance of disease, faster growth, and greater fruit yield. However, hydroponic gardening is much more labor intensive, and sometimes more expensive, than ordinary tomato planting, especially if you have not set up or run a hydroponics system before.

Steps

Setting Up a Hydroponics System

1. Decide which type of system to use. There are several varieties of hydroponic systems, and tomatoes can grow well in any of them. The instructions in this section will teach you how to construct an ebb and flow system, which is relatively cheap and easy to build. However, you may wish to investigate alternatives, such as the simpler "water culture" system suitable for cherry tomatoes and other small plants, or the more complex "multi flow" or "NFT" systems, which are more commonly used by commercial growers.^[1]
   
   
   
   • Note: Hydroponics stores and home improvement stores may sell a hydroponics kit which includes everything you need to set up your system. Alternatively, you can purchase each component separately, or even find some of them around your house. Clean secondhand or previously used components thoroughly before building the hydroponics system.
2. Find a suitable location. Hydroponics systems are only suitable for indoor or greenhouse environments. They require precise control to function properly, so they should be set up somewhere closed off from other rooms and from the outside. This allows you to set the temperature and humidity to accurate levels needed for best growth.
   
   
   
   • It is possible to grow hydroponics using natural light, but keep the system under a glass or polyethylene covering such as a greenhouse roof, not open to the air.
3. Fill a large, plastic container with water to use as a reservoir. Use a plastic container that does not let in any light to prevent the growth of algae. The larger this reservoir, the more stable and successful your hydroponics system will be. At minimum, each small tomato plant (such as cherry tomato plants) will require 1/2 gallons (1.9 liters) of water, while most, somewhat larger tomato plants will require 1 gallon (3.8L) each. However, many factors can cause the tomato plants to use water faster, so it is recommended that you use a container that can hold double the minimum amount of water.^[2]
   
   
   
   • You may use a plastic bucket or trash can for this purpose. Use a brand-new one to prevent any contamination of the system, or at least a lightly-used one thoroughly scrubbed with soapy water and rinsed.
   • Collected rainwater may be better suited for hydroponics than tap water, especially if your tap water is especially "hard" with high mineral content.^[3]
4. Fix a tray in place above the reservoir. This "ebb and flow tray" will support your tomato plants, and will be periodically flooded with nutrients and water that the tomato roots will absorb. It must be sturdy enough to hold up your plants (or be placed atop additional support), and placed higher than your reservoir to allow excess water to drain down into it. These are typically built of plastics, not metal, to avoid corrosion that could affect the plants and wear out the tray.
   
   
   
5. Install a water pump inside the reservoir. You can purchase a water pump at a hydroponics store, or use a fountain pump found at home improvement stores. Many pumps will have a chart listing the water flow at different heights. You may use this to find a pump strong enough to send water from the reservoir to the tray containing the plants. The best course of action, however, may be to pick a powerful, adjustable pump and experiment with the settings once you have your system set up.
   
   
   
6. Install fill tubing between the reservoir and the tray. Using 1/2 inch (1.25cm) PVC tubing, or the type of tubing that came in your hydroponics kit, attach one length of tubing between the water pump and the tray, so the tray can be flooded to the height of the tomato plant roots.
   
   
   
7. Install an overflow fitting leading back to the reservoir. Attach a second length of PVC tubing to the tray with an overflow fitting, located at a height near the top of the roots, below where the tomato plant stems will be. When the water reaches this level, it will drain back through this tube and into the reservoir.
   
   
   
8. Attach a timer to the water pump. A simple timer intended for light fixtures can be used to power the water pump at regular intervals. This needs to be adjustable so you can increase or decrease the amount of nutrients delivered depending on the plants' stage of life.
   
   
   
   • A heavy duty 15-amp timer with waterproof cover is recommended.^[4]
   • Any water pump should have a way to attach a timer, if it doesn't come with one already, but the exact instructions vary by model. Ask the manufacturer if you are having trouble with this step.
9. Test the system. Turn on the water pump and see where the water goes. If a stream of water fails to reach the tray, or if excess water spills over the edges of the tray, you may need to adjust the settings of your water pump. Once you have the water set to the correct strength, check the timer to see if it sets the pump going at the specified times.
   
   
   

Growing the Tomatoes

1. Grow tomato seeds in a special material. Raise your tomato plants from seed whenever possible. If you bring plants in from the outdoors, you may introduce pests and diseases to your hydroponics system. Plant seeds in a nursery tray with a special support material for hydroponics, instead of ordinary soil. One inch cubes of a material called "rock wool" is a common choice, as is lava rock or long strands of coco peat.^[5] Before using, soak the material with pH 4.5 water. Plant the seed under the surface, and keep under plastic domes or other transparent material to trap moisture and encourage the seeds to sprout.^[6]
   
   
   
   • Gardening stores have pH test kits which allow you to measure the pH, or acidity, of your water, as well as pH modifier materials or kits that allow you to adjust it.
2. Place seedlings under artificial light once they sprout. As soon as the plants sprout, remove the covering and place the seedlings under a light source for at least 12 hours a day.^[7] Only use incandescent light bulbs as a last resort, as these produce more heat than other options.
   
   
   
   • See the section on hydroponics system setup to learn about grow light options.
   • Take care not to let the light shine on the roots to avoid damaging them. If roots are protruding from the starter material before they are ready to transplant, you may need to soak additional starter material and use it to cover them.
3. Move seedlings into the hydroponic system. Wait until their roots start to protrude from the bottom of the nursery tray, and the first "true leaf" has grown, larger and different in appearance than the first one or two "seed leaves". This usually takes 10–14 days.^[8] When you move them into the hydroponics system, you may place them at 6 inch (15cm) intervals in a layer of the same material, or transfer them to individual plastic "net pots" containing the same material.
   
   
   
   • If using the ebb and flow system described in this article, the plants are placed on the tray. Other systems may call for the plants to be placed in a trough, along a slope, or wherever the water and nutrients can reach the roots.
4. Set the water pump timer. To begin with, try setting the pump to run for 15 or 30 minutes four times a day (once every six hours). Keep an eye on the plants: you'll need to increase the watering frequency if they begin to wilt, and decrease it if the roots become slimy or soaked. Ideally, the material the plants are in should just barely dry out when the next watering cycle comes along.
   
   
   
   • Even once the watering cycle is established, you may need to increase the watering frequency once the plants begin to bloom and fruit, since these processes require additional water.
5. Set your artificial lights (if applicable). For ideal growing conditions, expose growing tomato plants to between 16 to 18 hours of light a day. Then turn off the lights and let them sit in total darkness for about 8 hours. The plants will still grow if you are relying on sunlight, but will likely grow more slowly.
   
   
   
6. Stake and prune tall tomato plants. Some tomato plants are "determinate," meaning they grow to a specific size, then stop. Others continue to grow indefinitely, and may need gently tying to a stake in order to grow upright. Prune them by breaking off stems with your hands rather than cutting them off.
   
   
   
7. Pollinate the tomato plant blossoms. When the tomato plants bloom, since there are no insects in your hydroponics environment to pollinate them, you will need to do it yourself. Wait until the petals bend back to expose the round pistil and the pollen-covered stamens, or long, thin sticks at the flower center. Touch a soft paintbrush to each of the pollen-covered stamens, then touch the rounded end of the pistil. Repeat daily.
   
   
   

Creating Good Growing Conditions

1. Control the temperature. During "daylight" hours, the temperature should be 65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (18 to 24 C). At night it should be 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (12 to 18 C).^[9] Use thermostats and fans to regulate the temperature. Monitor the temperature while the plants grow, as it could change with the climate or tomatoes' life cycle.
   
   
   
2. Run a fan in the room (optional). A fan that exhausts to the outside or another room may help keep the temperature even throughout the room. The air flow it creates may also make pollination easier, although to be certain of growing fruit you may wish to pollinate by hand anyway, as described below.
   
   
   
3. Add a nutrient solution to the reservoir of water. Choose a nutrient solution made for hydroponics, not ordinary fertilizer. Avoid "organic" solutions, which may decompose and make caring for your system more complicated.^[10] Because the needs of your system vary with tomato variety and mineral content of your water, you may need to adjust the amount or type of nutrient solution you use. To begin with, however, follow the instructions on the packaging to determine how much you need to add to the reservoir.
   
   
   
   • Two part nutrient solutions create less waste and can be adjusted if problems arise simply by mixing them in different amounts, making them preferable to one-part solutions.^[11]
   • You may wish to use a growth-focused formula while the tomatoes grow, then switch to a bloom formula once they flower to meet their new nutrient needs.
4. Use a pH test kit to adjust the water. Use a pH test kit or litmus paper to test the pH of your nutrient and water mix once it's had time to become an even mixture. If the pH is not within the range of 5.8–6.3, ask a hydroponics store or gardening store employee about materials that can be used to lower or raise the pH.
   
   
   
   • Phosphoric acid can be used to lower pH, while potassium hydroxide can be used to raise it.
5. Install grow lights (recommended). Artificial "grow lights" will allow you to simulate ideal growing conditions year round, providing your tomatoes with many more hours of "sunlight" than the garden outside may be receiving. This is one of the major benefits of an indoor growing system. However, if you are using a greenhouse or other area that receives high amounts of natural light, you may accept a shorter growing season and save money on electric bills.
   
   
   
   • Metal halide lamps simulate sunlight most accurately, making them a popular choice for hydroponics systems. Fluorescent, sodium, and LED grow lights are also available, but may cause slower or differently shaped growth. Avoid incandescent lights, which are inefficient and short-lived compared to other options.^[12]
6. Monitor the water regularly. An electrical conductivity meter or "EC meter" may be expensive, but it is the best way of measuring the concentration of nutrients in the water. Results outside the range of 2.0–3.5 indicate that the water should be changed or partially changed.^[13] If you do not have an EC meter, look for the following signs in your tomato plants:^[14]
   
   
   
   • Leaf tips curling downward may mean the solution is too concentrated. Dilute with pH 6.0 water.
   • Leaf tips curling upward or a red stem suggest the pH is too low, while yellow leaves indicate the pH is too high or the solution is too dilute. In any of these scenarios, change the solution as described below.
7. Change the water and nutrient solution regularly. If the water level in the reservoir drops, add more water, but do not add more nutrients. Every two weeks, or once a week if your plants do not look healthy, empty the reservoir completely and rinse the support material and roots of the tomato plants with pure, pH 6.0 water to leach away mineral buildup that could cause harm.^[15][16] Fill the reservoir with a new water and nutrient solution, making sure to balance the pH and let the mixture become even before you start the water pump.
   
   
   
   • You may use the water used for leaching to water regular garden plants.

Video

Things You'll Need

• Large plastic container
• PVC tubing
• Plastic "ebb and flow" tray
• Water pump
• Grow lights (e.g. metal halide lights) (recommended)
• Two powered timers (one for the pump, one for lighting)
• Tomato seeds
• Rock wool
• Net pots or other pots that allow water through
• Nutrient solution
• pH test kit
• Potassium hydroxide (or other pH raising substance)
• Phosphoric acid (or other pH lowering substance)
• Thermostat
• Fans
• Paint brush
• Stakes and ties

Related wikiHows

• How to Grow Tomatoes from Seeds
• How to Grow Tomatoes in a Greenhouse
• How to Plant Tomatoes from Seed
• How to Grow Heirloom Tomatoes

Sources and Citations

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WASHINGTON — Hurricane season starts June 1, and Virginia is giving people a tax break to help prepare for it.

The Virginia Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday waives the state sales tax on items that will help people get through power outages and repair damage. Things such as batteries, flashlights, bottled water, coolers, portable generators and chain saws are exempt from Virginia sales tax May 25 through May 31.

There are rules on what items, at what prices, are eligible for the exemption; you can read them here.

Another such holiday will be offered Aug. 7 to Aug. 9; after this year, it will be in August only.

“During this time of year, it makes sense for everyone to have a well-stocked emergency preparedness kit, We will work as quickly and safely as possible to restore power in the wake of a hurricane or powerful storm, but prolonged power outages are possible. Advance preparation can help ensure our customers and their families are ready,” says David Rives, senior vice president of distribution at Dominion Virginia Power, says in a statement.

Dominion has a video on stocking an emergency kit:

The post Virginia offers tax holiday on hurricane-prep items appeared first on WTOP.

No laughing matter.

No, apparently not: Eat’n Park of Pennsylvania is suing Chicago American Sweet & Snacks in federal court over its use of a cookie that features a smiling face drawn in icing, reports the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

On the one hand, there’s Eat’n Park’s Smiley cookies, which it’s been selling since 1985. Those feature white icing with a smiling face — including a nose — in various colors.

Chicago American’s “Smiley’s” are a lot like its product, Eat’n Park claims. That iteration of happy baked good is a beige treat filled with chocolate cream, with brown wyes and a smiling mouth. No nose, however.

Eat’n Park has filed numerous trademark infringement suits against various companies to protect its design in the past, something the company is required to do now and then to defend the Smiley trademarks.

“In this particular case, the ‘Smiley’s Cookies’ logo name and design used by the company infringes on our brand trademark,“ a spokesman told the paper.

Eat’n Park sues Chicago cookie-maker over Smiley trademark [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]

In the Big Bang Theory episode “The Zarnecki Incursion,” Sheldon’s World of Warcraft account is hacked and his in-game character is robbed of all its amassed treasure and weaponry. The local police and FBI both laugh off his demands to track down the virtual thief, but in the real world there are prosecutors going after this new form of criminal.

Fusion has the story of a pair of online gamers-turned-bandits who teamed up to steal and resell virtual goods in the game Diablo III. The twosome profited to the tune of more than $8,000 — in actual money.

To commit their crimes, they would trick other Diablo users into downloading software that would allow them to remotely access the other users’ computers.

Then one of the thieves would take over a victim’s character, dropping all of its loot in an in-game spot for his partner-in-crime to come in and grab up.

The victimized players were able to get their lost items back by dealing with the game publisher, Blizzard, but that doesn’t make it any less of a crime for someone to illegally access your computer, and to resell those goods (virtual or not) for thousands of dollars. Additionally, Blizzard was at a loss for having to reimburse users whose in-game items were stolen.

That’s why the FBI arrested the men in 2012.

Though the dollar value of the crimes resulted in felony charges for the two thieves, they eventually both entered guilty pleas to misdemeanor “unauthorized impairment of a protected computer.” They were given probation and ordered to pay $5,654 to Blizzard.

“People think they are not going to get caught, that they’re not going to be found in their bedrooms on a computer. They don’t think it’s that big of a deal,” the federal prosecutor in the case tells Fusion.

Following news reports of allegedly excessive formaldehyde levels in some of its flooring products — and subsequent lawsuits and investigations — the CEO of Lumber Liquidators has resigned from the top position at the company.

In a move the company describes as “unexpected,” Robert Lynch told the Lumber Liquidators board he’d decided to step down as CEO and President.

While the announcement made no mention of the formaldehyde issue, the company’s stock price has plummeted in the months since a 60 Minutes report that claims to have found potentially dangerous levels of formaldehyde in China-made laminate flooring sold by Lumber Liquidators.

The company has maintained that it did nothing wrong and has questioned the testing methods used in the news report, but decided in early May to halt sales of laminate flooring from Chinese manufacturers.

But even that move could not help the company, whose stock price is now less than one-third of what it was in February.

Company founder Thomas Sullivan will take over as interim CEO while the company looks for Lynch’s replacement.

Formaldehyde is commonly used in the manufacture of laminate flooring, but usually in such small levels that it dissipates quickly. If employed in excess, the chemical can remain in the flooring even after it’s been installed.

Prolonged, continued exposure to formaldehyde has been linked to numerous health problems ranging from nausea to increased cancer risk. Children are more susceptible than adults to the toxic effects of formaldehyde.