When you know that potential employers will be googling your name, do you carefully edit your social media presence to sound professional or do you let the tweets fly without a care? Moreover, how can you utilize social media to your advantage when searching for a job?
Peeling hard-boiled eggs can be nightmare if you don't cook them right or try to pick off the shell piece by tiny piece. A quick shake in a partially water-filled glass can do the deed cleanly in a matter of seconds.
It seems like a question that's as old as time itself, "How much sleep do I really need?" The nonprofit National Sleep Foundation and a panel of 18 prominent medical scientists and researchers reviewed over 300 sleep studies to try and finally answer it.
You have so many options when it comes to using up leftovers , but it can be difficult to find ways to use up multiple leftovers at once. Try making a grain bowl to get rid of a variety of leftovers in one dish.
When you're learning new material, it can be overwhelming when you think about how much time you need to truly understand it all. This studying technique can help you stay focused and take on more information with shorter study sessions.
Ramen noodles can make a great snack or cheap meal, but Chef David Chang—lover and master of all things ramen—discovered another ingenious use for the deep fried noodles: A perfectly crispy, flavorful breading for fried chicken or fish. Here's how it works.
Picking the right hairstyle is a lot harder than it seems. The wrong cut can make anyone look a little off. So, the folks over at Birchbox created a handy chart that matches the best hairstyles and cuts to your face shape.
You really need sleep , almost certainly more than you're getting. Today, with the help of Lifehacker readers , a decade of sleep coverage from our Editorial staffs, and my own victories in the battle with insomnia, we're helping you best equip yourself to get those hours .
While brown rice, with its numerous health benefits, has an obvious nutritional leg up on white rice, it also has one undeniably huge drawback: it takes a lot longer to cook. Thankfully, you can cook brown rice much faster if you're willing to do a little prep early on.
Reaching out to retailers over social media is the modern way of grabbing discounts. You can even chat up online stores via Facebook Messenger and get coupon codes and insider shopping tips .
It seems a little early to start thinking about the holidays. After all, it feels like they just happened. But for optimal savings at the end of the year, you should start your holiday shopping now.
Women might have many more hairstyle options than men, but the same overall rules apply: It's best to pick the hairstyle that suits our faces the best . The images below should help you out.
Sometimes we go a little overboard when we're cooking. If your spicy dish is bringing a little too much heat, a little acid can help cut through it.
Most people have heard of stocks and bonds, but there are a ton of different ways to invest your money—mutual funds, CDs, real estate...the list is seemingly endless. Here's our guide to all the different types of investments and what they mean.
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. THEFTS/BREAK-INS. Graham Ct., 18200 block, 9 a.m. Jan. 22 to 5 p.m. Jan. 27. A cellphone, electronics and clothes were stolen ... and more » |
WASHINGTON — As the number of measles cases rises, one doctor says vaccines are a parent’s obligation and the laws surrounding exemptions need tightening.
“Vaccine rates have been falling, sadly, in the United States. Autism rates have been climbing,” says Dr. Art Caplan, a medical ethicist at NYU’s Langone Medical Center.
Caplan says there’s no connection between autism and vaccinations and in many cases autism is diagnosed before children are old enough for vaccines. Additionally, worldwide cases of autism have increased despite the fall in vaccines. Parents can exempt their children from vaccines, but Caplan says the laws surrounding exemptions need strengthening.
In 2000, about 1 in 150 children was identified with a form of autism in the U.S. In 2010 it was 1 in 68 according to the Centers for Disease Control.
In addition to parents who want exemptions needing more education Caplan says, “You should be told if something goes wrong and your child infects, harms or kills another child, if you’ve said no, you’re gonna be liable for the costs that are incurred.”
He likens it to punishments for driving under the influence or leaving a gun unattended.
As the concern for measles becomes more pressing, Caplan says he’s concerned about an epidemic, pointing out past mumps outbreaks and that the meningitus vaccine isn’t “where it should be.”
“You vaccinate not only to protect your children and sometimes yourself, but it’s a community thing to do,it’s a neighborly thing to do.”
According to the CDC, the U.S. had 644 cases of measles from 27 states in 2014, the most since 2000 when the disease was considered eliminated in the U.S. By Aug. 24 of 2013, 159 cases were reported.
In contrast 102 cases were reported in 14 states, including one in the District, by the end of January 2015.
The post Doctor: Parents of unvaccinated kids should be legally liable when others get sick appeared first on WTOP.
This week’s Arlington Pet of the Week is Gus, a West Highland white terrier who “gruffs” at jaywalkers.
Here’s what owner, Jim, had to say about his pale pooch:
We brought Angus (Gus for short) into our home in October of 2014 after a long trip back from Canton, Ohio, where Gus was born. Gus was the second-to-last puppy in his litter of West Highland white terriers to be sold, and after seeing some photos and videos, we knew we had to have him.
Naturally, he loves to watch football — especially his favorite team, the Ohio State Buckeyes. His favorite activity, though, is gruffing at jaywalkers from our high-rise window. When he’s not gruffing at the scofflaws, he can be found playing fetch, chewing on his mallard, or refusing to allow his owners to take out the trash without being able to tag along.
Gus has quickly made friends with the 70 doggie neighbors in our building, and as many young pups do, has taken to Instagram to wow the lady Westies of the Internet. Naturally a quiet dog — except for the gruffing — Gus will bark when it’s time to play fetch and throw himself on the ground with a hearty sigh if he is refused, which is rare.
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 Arlington Pet of the Week: Gus appeared first on WTOP.
WASHINGTON — When Robert Branson reached a certain age, he noticed a dramatic change in the conversations he had with his friends after a routine round of golf.
“We used to talk about booze and broads, and now we talk about medical things,” says Branson, 66, of Bethesda, Maryland. “When you cross over to the dark side, which is [when you’re] eligible for Medicare, your focus becomes more medically oriented than you would believe.”
With health on the top of his mind, Branson enrolled in a concierge medical practice, where, for about $150 a month, he has somewhat unlimited access to, and time to spend with, his primary care physician.
“I’ve got [my doctor’s] personal cell phone number — never had that from a doctor before,” says Branson, who also emails back-and-forth with his physician. “That kind of peace of mind is comforting.”
In the U.S., concierge medicine — also called “boutique” or “personalized” medicine — is growing fast. The American Academy of Private Physicians says about 4,400 doctors were practicing some form of concierge medicine in 2012 — a 25 percent increase from the previous year.
In December 2014, Dr. Jim Williams joined the expanding number of primary care doctors transitioning into personalized care when he opened his own concierge practice, Total Primary Care, at Sibley Hospital, in Northwest D.C.
His principal reason for leaving the traditional model of health care behind was to spend more time with his patients — a main selling point of most concierge practices. To do so, he keeps his patient numbers low.
“Our practice will never be more than 600 patients per doctor,” Williams says. “The average, if you were to go to your typical primary care office, each doctor might have 3,000 or 3,500 patients.”
That’s where the $150 monthly fee comes in to play. Williams explains that in managed care, doctors are only paid when they see patients in the office for a visit.
“A medical practice would never be viable if it only had 600 patients and only received the revenue that insurance companies pay,” he says. “If a doctor takes a phone call, or spends extra time with the patient, or spends perhaps extra time explaining the patient’s situation to a family member, sometimes medical practices frown on that because it’s not a revenue generator.”
With personalized care, patients pay a fee that helps to float the costs for the things insurance doesn’t reimburse, such as house calls and extra time spent during office visits. This frees up a doctor’s schedule and allows each patient to receive more time and attention.
“There’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re on a treadmill and need to see a patient every 15 minutes, or every 12 minutes,” Williams says. “I think the physicians like it because we get more time with our patients; we get more of an opportunity to put our knowledge and expertise to work in a meaningful way. And being able to spend more time is very rewarding for us.”
Williams says it was difficult to find a concierge practice in D.C. about 10 years ago. That is no longer the case — and a number of factors are contributing to the boom in concierge medicine. For starters, baby boomers are entering the age at which they require more care. This is placing a huge demand on physician services.
At the same time, there is a shortage of primary care physicians in the country; experts predict the need for an additional 50,000 in the next 10 years, The Atlantic reports. But a survey of third-year medical students found that only 20 percent planned to enter into primary care.
Physician retention is a concern as well. A study of 500 primary care doctors found that 30 percent of those aged 35 to 49 planned to leave their practices within five years. For older physicians eager to cut back their hours in anticipation of retirement, that rate jumped to 50 percent, The Washington Post reports.
The influx of millions of newly insured Americans also adds a stress to the system, Williams says.
Could a thing of the past become a model for the future?
Concierge medicine is not for everyone, Williams admits. Those who are young and healthy and only see a doctor one or two times a year for an acute illness likely won’t see a value in the model. But the aging population, or those with chronic illnesses, will likely benefit from the extra care offered — whether that’s time spent explaining a cholesterol test, helping a cancer patient navigate the appropriate specialists to see, or making house calls — something Williams does often.
“That can be such a difference-maker — to see a person in their home environment is so helpful to see what’s really going on in their life. This is often the case with some of our older patients, to see how the home is and how they’re getting about their daily life,” Williams says. “In traditional medicine, doctors are hard-pressed to ever find the time to really do it.”
Branson recently watched a good friend and patient of Williams’ go through what he describes as “the whole medical practice of dying.” He says Williams would drop by his friend’s house on his way home from work a few times a week to sit with him.
“That’s the way it was when I was a little boy and Dr. Sweeny used to come by my house and take my temperature. So in some ways, it’s medicine as it used to be, but I think it’s really medicine of the future,” Branson says.
Critics of concierge medicine say the model creates a two-tier health system, making exceptional care available only to those who can pay for it, The Atlantic reports.
But Branson argues that concierge medicine is not elite medicine.
“It doesn’t cost any more than a latte a day … And it doesn’t add hugely to the cost of medicine. Medicare and Medicaid still pay for everything; you just have this one-latte-a-day pay for the peace of mind of always knowing you’re going to get a great answer from a doctor,” he says. “It’s beyond getting your money’s worth.”
Personalized medicine is becoming more democratized as demand grows. Some concierge practices are even starting to offer their services at a lower cost than previous years.
“I think going forward in the next few years, people are really going to notice a change in their health care – not that it’s going to deteriorate in quality … the speed with which it will all take place is going to be a challenge. So I think the comfort factor of this is really worth all the effort,” Branson says.
The post ‘Concierge’ medicine grows to meet patient demands and physician frustrations appeared first on WTOP.
WASHINGTON — When Paola Hernandez, 30, saw her Chihuahua, Shelby, collapse in December, she knew something was terribly wrong.
Shelby’s heart would stop beating for seconds at a time, and after medications failed to help, there was only one option for the Alexandria woman and her fiance.
“The doctor said that she needs a pacemaker urgently,” Hernandez said.
The price tag for a pacemaker was $4,800. And that, according to Hernandez, didn’t include the hospital stay and other bills that come with the procedure. The grand total for the life-saving procedure for Shelby: around $10,000.
Hernandez is from Mexico and is studying marketing at the University of Maryland. She is in the United States on a student visa, which doesn’t allow her to work.
To make matters worse, shortly before Shelby got sick, Hernandez and her fiance, James Cox, 31, made a non-refundable down payment on a wedding venue.
For Hernandez, putting Shelby to sleep was never an option.
“We’ll have to lose that down payment and pay Shelby’s because we don’t have the option of paying both,” Hernandez said.
Her fiance’s Air Force salary made them ineligible for any financial aid programs, so Hernandez turned to GoFundMe for help.
Weeks after setting up the page, Hernandez raised close to $4,000 toward Shelby’s medical costs.
She says many of those who donated were complete strangers.
“They added me on Facebook and they were sharing their posts daily,” Hernandez said.
GoFundMe has seen a staggering number of pet owners use their website to help animals. Since the site began in 2010, spokeswoman Kelsea Little says there have been more than 157,000 campaigns started in the “Animals & Pets” category, which has raised more than $21 million in donations.
“Our ‘Animals and Pets’ category is skyrocketing in popularity,” Little says, adding that from 2013 to 2014, donation volume in the category increased 256 percent.
Veterinarians are seeing more and more people turning to crowdfunding to pay for vet bills.
“I think it’s wonderful and I think it’s honestly saving lives across the country,” said veterinarian Dr. Katy Nelson, of the Belle Haven Animal Medical Centre.
Nelson says some tests, such as MRIs, can run $1,500 to $2,000. Then, when surgery is the best option, some procedures can cost up to $7,000.
Some families have to make a really terrible decision where they may have to lose their pet, Nelson says, and this provides another option.
Now Shelby has a new lease on life after the receiving her new pacemaker, and Hernandez was able to save the puppy she rescued from a shelter months ago and keep her wedding on schedule.
The post Crowdfunding helps save Chihuahua’s life appeared first on WTOP.
(mslavick)
According to the FTC, it has sent letters to 20 different manufacturers and marketers of supposedly environmentally friendly dog waste bags, warning them that their claims of biodegradability or compostability may be considered deceptive, and advising these companies on how to revise their marketing so that it no longer crosses that line.
The FTC’s guidelines for Environmental Marketing Claims [PDF] say that if a company is going to make an unqualified claim of a product being “biodegradable,” it should completely break down into its natural components within one year after being thrown out. But because these bags go to landfills, the FTC says the material is unlikely to completely break down in a year, if it degrades at all.
Those same guidelines state that unqualified “compostable” claims should be used for products that will safely break down at the same rate as natural products, like leaves and grass clippings, in home compost piles. However, the FTC says that composting dog waste is not safe in most home compost setups and that very few larger compost facilities accept dog waste.
“Consumers looking to buy environmentally friendly products should not have to guess whether the claims made are accurate,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
The FTC is not yet releasing the names of companies that received warning letters.
No, it didn’t result in a giant mess of honey roasted chicken. You wouldn’t want to eat this chicken, with or without the diesel glaze. The bees escaped from the crash, but were understandably confused. Highway patrol officers reported that they were flying around the crash site. Meanwhile, pieces of cooked chicken were scattered around the site, probably smelling delicious but being decidedly not edible.
Fortunately, neither of the drivers were injured, and no other motorists were hurt either. The truck carrying the chicken was “incinerated” by the fireball, but the good news is that the bees mostly stayed under control: highway patrol officers noted that the wreck produced enough smoke that the bees that escaped from their crates stayed pretty calm. A nearby beekeeper later came by to gather them up.
TRUCKS CARRYING FROZEN CHICKEN, BEES COLLIDE IN FIERY CRASH [AP]
The Philadelphia Daily News has the story of a local man who was traveling from Philly to Miami in Jan. 2013 when he was put under scrutiny by airport security.
A scan of his bag brought up some questions about a tube-shaped case that showed up on the scan (it contained a heart-monitoring watch), and screeners asked him if he had any “organic matter” in his bag.
Thinking that organic matter referred to things like fresh produce and not highly-processed packaged foods, the traveler didn’t mention the energy bars he’d packed. This failure to disclose apparently didn’t go over well with the TSA supervisor. According to the traveler, the agent became confrontational.
After the energy bars were determined to not be a danger to anyone on the plane, the traveler asked to file a complaint about his treatment. He says he was told to wait while the form was obtained, but instead of returning with paperwork, TSA agents came back with police officers who handcuffed him and took him to an airport holding cell.
Three hours later, he was taken to another holding cell at a city police precinct, where the traveler says no one told him why he was being detained. It wasn’t until his 2 a.m. arraignment that he learned he’d been accused of “threatening the placement of a bomb” and making “terroristic threats.”
Thing is, he says he hadn’t done any of that. And the TSA agent’s initial statement about the incident doesn’t seem to indicate that there was a real threat made.
When the agent first talked to police, he claimed the traveler had said, “anybody can bring a bomb and you wouldn’t even know it,” which is a matter of opinion and not a threat.
That statement was later upgraded to “I could bring a bomb through here any day of the week and you would never find it,” which someone could possibly argue might be construed as a threat.
But when the case came to trial, that TSA agent testified that the passenger had put his finger in agent’s face and told him, “Let me tell you something. I’ll bring a bomb through here any day I want.”
The agent also claimed under oath that it was the passenger who was making a scene.
“I saw a passenger becoming agitated,” he testified “Hands were in the air… had both hands with fingers extended up toward the ceiling up in the air at the time and shaking them.”
Except the Daily News’s Ronnie Polaneczky writes that the actual security footage from the airport shows quite the opposite. According to her account of what can be seen in the video, the traveler remains calm, with his laptop tucked under his arm and his hands clasped in front of him.
“Not once does he raise his hands,” writes Polaneczky. “Not once does he point a finger… If anyone is becoming agitated, the video shows, it is [the TSA agent].”
The court never got the chance to see this footage as the judge threw out all charges against the traveler within minutes of hearing the agent’s testimony.
But it may all finally come to light now that the traveler has filed a federal lawsuit [PDF] against the TSA, the agent, the Philadelphia police department and the officers involved.
The complaint alleges violations of the traveler’s Fourth Amendment protections against unlawful search and seizure, and use of excessive force; false arrest; false imprisonment; malicious and retaliatory prosecution; and unconstitutional infringement of free speech.
It’s doubtful that J.M. Smucker will create any brand mashups — though we’re sure Fido might find a jelly doughnut treat of his own quite appealing — the company announced Tuesday that it would buy the pet food company formerly known as Del Monte from its private equity owners, reports the New York Times.
The deal is Smucker’s biggest ever, and will bring in brands like Milk-Bone, Kibbles ’n Bits and Meow Mix. The CEO of Smucker’s, a great-grandson of founder J.M. Smucker, calls the move as one of the most transformational in the company’s history, beating out even its$3.3 billino buy of Folgers five years ago.
“It’s not uncommon at all for leaders in the industry to be in human food and pet food,” Smucker said, pointing to other food giants like Mars that own large pet divisions. “Pet food is one of the fastest-growing areas in the center of the store.”
Seriously though — dogs love peanut butter, and dogs love treats, so… It’s just so easy.
Smucker to Buy Big Heart Pet Brands for $5.8 Billion [New York Times]
(Mr.TinDC)
Mini-stores are about 15% of the size of a standard Target discount store, and fit into former urban grocery stores. They began experimenting with CityTarget in 2012, but kept the test small until 2015. Now, planned sites for TargetExpress stores are in Boston, San Francisco, and San Diego. Stores announced just this week are planned in Chicago and in Washington, D.C.
Target is growing a little bit in the United States as its failed Canadian expansion shuts down: the chain’s northern outpost is waiting for court approval to begin liquidating its 133 stores.
Target joins industry trend, will open more express stores this year [Star-Tribune]
Here, the soy sauce and fortune cookie both come from Kari-Out. (Juan Calderón)
That’s not a completely random association between two plastic-encased liquids. Kari-Out, one of the companies that supplies food containers and condiment packets to Asian food restaurants, was founded by a man whose father made the packaging for freezer pops. In 1964, he started his own company in the family business. He entered a new market by building on his father’s knowledge about sealing liquids in plastic,
The catch: he was an outsider. He was trying to sell an improved product to Chinese entrepreneurs, and he is Jewish. His first contract actually came from an airline, and he found more customers by traveling across the country.
Soon, you might have a drawer full of these, instead. The soy sauce fish is an alternative less likely to spray sauce on your shirt.
The main advantage of the soy fish is that it’s sturdier and reusable, not to mention refillable. Similar squeeze bottles are in use in other countries.
The Mysterious, Murky Story Behind Soy-Sauce Packets [The Atlantic]
Fairfax County Animal Watch Washington Post No incidents were reported by the Animal Control Division of the Fairfax County Police Department. For information, call 703-246-2253. No incidents were reported by the animal control section of the Fairfax City Police Department. For information, call ... and more » |
WASHINGTON — The Fairfax County police department is outfitting its force with a newer type of holster that could mean the difference between life or death.
Right now about 150 of the 1,350 sworn officers in the department have the new weapon retention holsters. They work to keep others from grabbing an officer’s gun during a struggle. The department started transitioning to the newer holster in December 2014.
This weekend, says Officer Roger Henriquez with Fairfax County police, a call came in for a man trespassing. Two officers, from the Mt. Vernon police district were arresting 39 year-old Shelbin Northern for trespassing at a restaurant on Route One where he had been banned.
Henriquez says, “He (Northern) physically started to fight the officers.” And then struggled for the gun.
Luckily that officer had the new holster with a secondary locking device and the training that’s required. The officer was able to retain control of the gun. But it’s a situation that Officer Henriquez says could have ended very badly.
See video of a similar holster:
The post Fairfax County gets weapon retention holsters appeared first on WTOP.
WASHINGTON – Pulling over to the shoulder along a road with high speeds isn’t necessarily the safest spot to stop during a roadside emergency.
AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Lon Anderson says Sunday’s fatal hit-and-run on the Baltimore Washington Parkway and a tow truck driver who was killed along the Capitol Beltway in December are reminders of the dangers to drivers.
“It’s just very, very dangerous. No matter how well you’re marked, if you’re on the side of the road, bad things can happen,” he says.
Anderson recommends that drivers try to exit the highway and find a parking lot or side road before pulling over to inspect their vehicle.
But if drivers must pull over along the highway, Anderson says drivers can take some steps to increase their safety.
Illumination is key especially at night. Drivers should use reflective triangles, flares or the vehicle’s flashers to warn approaching traffic. Drivers might also call 911 to ask if a police vehicle is nearby to help.
Staying inside the car may or may not be the safest place. Anderson says if there is a guardrail, stand on the other side of it.
The post Tips to stay safe during a roadside emergency appeared first on WTOP.
You may be familiar with different cultures’ variations on king cakes, which have different ingredients but one thing in common: they conceal a small, non-edible token, and the person who wins that token is king or queen for the day. In the U.S., the holiday is mainly associated with Louisiana, but it’s a tradition in Latin America as well. The bread contains dried fruit and a tiny baby Jesus figurine.
Lab tests performed by the Orange County Register showed that the breads sold in January contained an extra festive ingredient: a synthetic cannabinoid. Specifically, a strain called JWH-122. The lab believes that this contamination isn’t accidental, especially since the substance was found in multiple cakes.
The substance can be sprayed on smokable dried plants: this specific strain is illegal, but the synthetic cannabinoids aren’t hard to find in head shops.
The bakery was closed for much of January for reasons not directly related to the king cake incident. The local health department and police are conducting their own investigations, and haven’t commented publicly on them.
Tests Show Synthetic Drug Contaminated Holiday Bread From CA Bakery [Food Safety News]
