SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota wildlife official is trying to combat a scene she sees several times every summer: A mom and her children show up carrying a box with holes poked in the top and a baby wild animal inside.

The family thinks they’ve rescued it from apparent abandonment, but that’s far from the truth, Thea Miller Ryan says, because the rescue can be harmful, even deadly. So, with the backdrop of the bison calf in Yellowstone that had to be euthanized this month after tourists put it in their car, Ryan is taking to social media to teach people to let nature take its course.

“I know that it’s not going to have a happy ending,” Miller said of any rescued animal’s future. “… Really, the minute humans intervene with wildlife in most cases, not all, it’s a death sentence.”

Miller and the Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls, which she directs, have been teaching adults and children for years to avoid this type of rescues. But the number of calls the facility receives every year — upward of 300 — has not decreased. Now, for every call her office answers about a potential rescue, she posts on Facebook and Twitter a photo of a ceramic sparrow that has a sugar skull as its head. The accompanying message mentions the creature that the call was about and the phrase, “If you care, leave it there.”

Her campaign comes at an appropriate time after the failed “rescue” at Yellowstone National Park, where a man told park rangers that he loaded a bison calf into his sport utility vehicle May 9 because he thought it was cold. Rangers took the animal back to where it was picked up, but they could not reunite it with the herd. The calf had to be euthanized as it was causing a dangerous situation by constantly approaching people and cars.

“You wouldn’t pick up your neighbor’s kid and try to raise it just on your own. So, why would you assume that you want no better than mother nature?” said Kenneth Wilson, who leads the fish, wildlife and conservation biology department at Colorado State University. “… How do we know they are abandoned? They have no sign on them.”

Wildlife officials across the country almost always encourage people who have attempted a rescue to return the animals exactly where they found them, because mothers are likely to return to their offspring after searching for food or hiding from predators. People are also told to put the animals in a nearby area if they are at risk of being attacked by a pet. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, for example, has a website that helps people determine whether a wild animal is orphaned and provides detailed descriptions for at least 13 species.

People are also encouraged to use gloves while handling the animals and avoid hugging them to prevent their “human scent” from transferring, which could be a giveaway to predators.

“Nature can be pretty darn harsh,” Wilson said. “Often sometimes people will grab a youngster, ‘Oh, we are worried about it getting attacked by something,’ Well, that’s the natural cycle.”

___

Reach Regina Garcia Cano on Twitter at: https://www.twitter.com/reginagarciakNO

The post Leave baby wild animals alone, new campaign stresses appeared first on WTOP.

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — It’s one of the most divisive issues in New Jersey, one that inflames regional rivalries and spurs fierce debate among residents and lawmakers.

Is the meat in the state’s favorite breakfast sandwich called Taylor ham or pork roll?

The debate has raged for years in homes, diners and restaurants, and recently found its way to the Legislature, where one member has introduced legislation that would designate the meat, egg and cheese combination as the official state sandwich. But he concedes a final decision on which meat name will be used in the measure will have to be “negotiated.”

The decision on whether it’s pork roll or Taylor ham mostly depends on where you are geographically. North Jersey is mostly Taylor ham country, while south Jerseyans are pork roll folk and central Jersey residents use both names.

A strong sign of the meat’s popularity is that two — yes, two — pork roll festivals are being staged Saturday in Trenton. Thousands of people are expected at both events, where the menus will feature specialty dishes featuring the beloved meat in a variety of culinary disciplines and creations.

___

WHAT IS PORK ROLL/TAYLOR HAM?

The salted pork-based processed meat was developed in the capital, Trenton, by John Taylor in 1856. It’s often consumed as a breakfast meat paired with egg and cheese in a sandwich usually served on a bagel, bun or hard roll.

The meat is generally sliced and pan-fried or grilled. Besides New Jersey, it’s commonly available in Delaware and parts of Pennsylvania and Maryland.

Changes in food regulations in the early 1900s meant Taylor ham could not be called ham because, technically, ham is a specific cut from a pig. So Taylor and his company began calling their product pork roll.

Butcher George Washington Case created his own recipe in 1870. The crosstown rivalry between the Trenton-based firms has remained strong ever since.

___

TWO FESTIVALS, TWICE THE FUN

The organizers of the two festivals, T.C. Nelson and Scott Miller, worked together on the first event in 2014. But they went their separate ways the following year due to disagreements over logistics and other issues.

When asked why pork roll is so beloved, Nelson says it’s a matter of pride. He’s holding the Trenton Pork Roll Festival at his restaurant Trenton Social.

“Not many things are still made here in Trenton,” he said, “so we’re going to celebrate it, were going to have fun with it. Pork roll is a versatile protein that you can have for breakfast, lunch, dinner. You can have it as highbrow as you want or enjoy it as a decadent meat.”

Miller is staging the “Official 3rd Annual Pork Roll Festival” at Mill Hill Park in Trenton. He hopes the event will present a positive image of the city and its residents.

“I want to use pork roll to help make Trenton strong again,” Miller said with a laugh. “The best pork roll is made in this city, and the city has a lot to offer. I want people to know that.”

Miller admits that he’s only been a pork roll fan for a few years, as he never was a big meat eater. But now he loves the stuff.

“It tastes really good,” he said. “It’s not a lame lunch meat; it’s not bland. It’s an underappreciated product.”

___

LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS

Assemblyman Tim Eustace has introduced legislation that would designate the meat, egg and cheese combination as the official state sandwich.

But what to actually call it is still under debate. He has introduced separate measures — one that designates the meat as Taylor ham, one that calls it pork roll.

“We’re going to do a little negotiating, and it’s going to be Taylor ham/pork roll, because above the Driscoll Bridge, it’s Taylor ham,” Eustace has said, referring to a span in the central part of the state. The Bergen County Democrat has also created an online survey to solicit constituents’ opinions.

Gov. Chris Christie, a northern New Jersey native and resident, declared this week that Taylor ham is the correct answer and joked he may issue an executive order.

___

OBAMA WON’T WADE IN

The Taylor ham or pork roll debate drew national attention this month when President Barack Obama gave the commencement address at Rutgers University.

Obama jokingly told the crowd that he had come to New Jersey to settle the dispute.

But he eventually decided the best position was to stay neutral.

“There’s not much that I’m afraid to take on in my final year in office, but I know better than to get in the middle of that debate,” the president said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

The post A state divided: Do you call it Taylor ham or pork roll? appeared first on WTOP.

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) — A 91-year-old World War II veteran in Florida is recovering after police say his caretaker beat him with his oxygen tank.

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports (http://bit.ly/20O4wz3 ) that 45-year-old Elena Erickson was charged Thursday with attempted murder for the May 15 beating of Michael Tristano.

North Port police say Erickson hit him in the head multiple times with the tank before leaving him on the floor. They say she returned to the home the next day, found him still alive and called paramedics. She denied any connection to the beating.

Authorities say Tristano subsequently told detectives Erickson hit him during an argument over her pay.

Erickson is jailed on $300,000 bail. It couldn’t be determined if she has an attorney.

Tristano was a gunner on a bomber during the war.

___

Information from: Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune, http://www.heraldtribune.com

The post World War II vet recovering after oxygen tank beating appeared first on WTOP.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A black teenager says he was escorted out of his high school graduation ceremony in Sacramento by three deputies for refusing to remove his kente cloth, a traditional Ghanaian silk and cotton fabric.

Nyree Holmes said Saturday that he wore the decorative cloth atop his graduation robes to have something with him that represented his culture during the ceremony at Sacramento’s Sleep Train Arena on Tuesday.

“The kente represents my culture that I have no other links to,” Holmes told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I wanted to show I’m proud of who I am and that as the descendant of slaves, I represent Africa and my ancestry.”

But Holmes, an 18-year-old student from Cosumnes Oaks High School in Elk Grove, California, said the school’s student activities director wouldn’t hear his arguments and told him he was violating graduation dress requirements, which only allow decorating caps and gowns with medals, cords or pins received though the school.

Holmes said he tried to have a dialogue with him, but the activities director instead tried to prevent him from walking onstage.

“I understood the rules. But I feel if he would had heard what I was saying, I may have just put it in my pocket and wait until after graduation to wear it,” Holmes said. “But I felt that he wasn’t listening to what I was saying or respecting my opinion.”

Holmes walked the stage wearing the kente and shook hands with the school principal, Maria Osborne, and other administrators. But as he walked down the stairs, three sheriff’s deputies waited for him to escort him out. A security guard later helped him to get back into the arena to retrieve his diploma and returned the loaned cap and gown, he said.

Osborne met with his parents and apologized for the incident and he too, plans to meet with her next week, he said.

Elk Grove Unified spokeswoman Xanthi Pinkerton told the Sacramento Bee on Friday it was unfortunate that Holmes was escorted out of the commencement.

“We would have preferred that the student would have complied. We wouldn’t have even gone here with that. It would have been nice not to have the image of a police escort,” Pinkerton said.

Holmes he would like the school’s rule on graduation attire change to reflect how much Elk Grove has transformed over the years.

“This neighborhood has gone from a farm town to a bustling small urban city that’s building up and growing,” he said. “I understand not wanting people to dazzle their caps with random words or wear neon pink sashes and crazy things. But they need to adapt it to accept cultural items.”

___

Rodriguez reported from San Francisco.

The post Teen removed from graduation for wearing African cloth appeared first on WTOP.

Some people like the sound of running water because it helps them relax. For others, it creates a strong urge to urinate. This is no coincidence, and it happens more commonly than you think—all thanks to the power of suggestion.

Read more...

WASHINGTON — One person has serious injuries after a struggle on Pennsylvania Avenue in Southeast, D.C. Saturday morning.

According to a police report obtained by WTOP, a man told D.C. police that he saw a woman fall from the Interstate 295 Anacostia Freeway overpass onto Pennsylvania Avenue in an apparent suicide attempt around 6 a.m.

Three men rushed over to help her, when another man started to fight them, telling them to get away from “his girl.”

According to the report, the suspect pulled out a handgun and a struggle ensued. The gun fired but the bullet did not strike anyone.

The suspect got into his vehicle and drove away, later returning and hitting one of the good Samaritans with the car before fleeing the scene.

That victim has serious injuries.

The woman and the other men who tried to help her are expected to be OK.

The post Good Samaritan struck by car after trying to help woman who jumped from overpass appeared first on WTOP.

Whether they live exclusively indoors or spend time outside, pet cats may become host to internal parasites such as roundworms, tapeworms, and hookworms.^[1] Kittens often pick up worms from the mother in her milk, while adult cats pick up worms by accidentally eating worm eggs or eating vermin infested with worms. Because it is relatively easy for a cat to acquire worms, it is a good idea to know the warning signs so you can seek veterinary treatment for the problem early on.^[2] Untreated, worms can cause symptoms such as a dull coat or a potbelly, but it is rare they make a cat seriously unwell. Getting rid of worms is relatively easy with the correct worming medication,^[3] and with a little knowledge, it's also easy to determine if your cat might have worms.

EditSteps

EditSymptoms

1. Look for changes to the cat's coat. A cat's fur is usually lustrous, but if your cat has worms, its coat might become dull or flat looking.^[4]
   
   • This can occur because of dehydration or poor absorption of nutrients resulting from the parasite infection.^[5]
2. Check your cat's gums. A healthy cat has pink gums, much like our own. If your cat's gums are pale or white, this could be a sign that it is anemic. A common explanation for this can be a parasite infection.^[6]
   
   • To check your cat's gums, sit him or her in your lap or next to you, gently grasp the cat's head in your hands, under the jaw and behind the ears. Use your fingertips to lift the flap of the cat's upper lip so that the gums above the teeth are exposed.^[7]
   • If the gums are pale, you should contact your vet as soon as possible.
3. Examine your cat's feces. If your cat uses a litter box, it is easy to keep an eye on its feces. Watch for the following symptoms:
   
   • Dark, tarry stools may indicate blood loss from where hookworms attached themselves to the wall of the intestine.^[8]
   • Diarrhea can occur because worms also take up space within the gut and interfere with digestion.^[9]
   • If your cat has diarrhea for more than 24 hours, or if you see fresh blood or dark tarry stools, seek veterinary help.
4. Watch for vomiting. Vomiting is common among cats. If it occurs frequently, however, your cat should see the vet, as this may be a sign of worms or some other health problem.^[10]
   
   • Worms can cause vomiting either by blocking the outflow to the stomach or by irritating the stomach lining.^[11]
5. Pay attention to how much your cat eats. A high worm burden is usually associated with a loss of appetite.^[12]
   
   • This is due to a number of factors such as inflammation of the bowel lining, stomach ache, and the physical space the worms take up within the bowel.^[13]
6. Look for changes in the shape of your cats body. Cats with a lot of worms may develop a potbelly, causing the abdominal area look swollen.^[14]
   
   • Like vomiting, this is a general symptom and can happen for a variety of reasons, but this sign is sufficient to warrant a trip to the vet, whatever the underlying cause.^[15]
7. Notice signs of lethargy. If the worms are stealing nutrition direct from the bowel, the cat or kitten will feel lethargic, appear listless, and lack energy.^[16] Pay attention to any dramatic changes in your cat's energy level.
   
   • Again, this can be a symptom of many different ailments, and is one that warrants a vet check up.^[17]
   • You know your cat's normal energy level best, so keep your eye out for any sudden reduction in energy or playfulness.

EditEvidence

1. Check for eggs in the cat's feces. Put on some disposable plastic gloves and use a disposable tool such as a popsicle stick to examine feces in the litter box for signs of parasites.
   
   • Tapeworms may leave egg packets stuck to the surface of the stool. These look like sesame or cucumber seeds, and sometimes wriggle and move.^[18]
   • It is unusual to see a whole tapeworm in cat feces, but they look like flat, cream-colored worms made up of many segments. An adult tapeworm can reach about two feet (60 centimeters) in length.^[19]
   • Roundworm eggs are too small to see with the naked eye, but sometimes whole worms do pass out in the feces, or may even be vomited up. Roundworms look like spaghetti: long and smooth and about the same diameter as a strand of pasta. An adult roundworm is usually just three to six inches long.^[20]
   • Hookworm eggs are also too small to see. An adult hookworm is likewise tiny, measuring a mere two to three millimeters long, and therefore also difficult to detect.^[21]
2. Check your cat's anus. Tapeworm eggs packets migrate out of the cat's anus and stick to the fur. Thus, you can safely conclude your cat has tapeworms if you see creamy-white egg packets, which look like sesame seeds, clinging to the cat's fur.^[22]
   
3. Examine your cat's bedding and other favorite spots. Egg packets sometimes get stuck on places where the cat has sat, such as bedding or soft furniture, so check these areas if you suspect your cat may have worms.
   

EditTesting

1. Call your veterinarian to schedule an exam. If you are concerned your cat may have worms, one of the most reliable ways to find out is to submit a fecal sample for analysis to your local veterinary clinic. The sample will be looked at under a microscope to detect worm eggs.
   
   • Each worm type has different shaped eggs and so this is the most effective way to determine what type (or types) of worms your cat may have.^[23]
   • When you call the vet, describe any symptoms your cat may be displaying.
2. Collect a stool sample. If you are asked to collect a sample, you'll need to gather up some of your cat's feces and store the collection container until your appointment.
   
   • Worm eggs are hearty, but for best results, keep the container in a cool, dark place such as a garage or shady shed.^[24]
   • Do not keep the container in a room where food is prepared, and always wash your hands after collecting a fecal sample.^[25]
   • To decrease the chances of a false negative on the fecal test, some vets will ask for a pooled sample, which means collecting three bowel movements from three separate days in the same container.^[26]
3. Bring your cat in for an exam. The veterinarian will examine your cat and perform fecal tests if they think it necessary.
   
   • If your cat does have worms, the veterinarian will prescribe medication. Administer as directed and the problem should clear up quickly.

EditTips

• It is important to note that cats can harbor some worms, especially roundworms, without showing signs of ill health. However, if worms are allowed to breed and build up in the intestine, they absorb nutrition and rob the cat of vital nutrients, which in the long term can compromise the cat's health.^[27] Have your cat examined by a veterinarian regularly to avoid this and other health risks.
• You can help reduce the chances of parasitic infections. Maintain a clean litter box by throwing out solid waste every day and regularly cleaning the litter box with a small amount of bleach diluted in water (in a ratio of 1:30) or mild dish detergent.^[28][29]
• Vacuum your home at least once a week to help prevent fleas.

EditWarnings

• If you suspect worms or have checked your cat for worms, wash your hands after handling your cat, remove all excrement from litter boxes immediately, and keep small children away from the cat until you can get to the veterinarian for treatment.
• Be aware the sometimes negative fecal tests are misleading. Some parasites shed eggs inconsistently, so even when a cat has an infection, there may not be any evidence in the stool sample you've collected. Repeated testing may be required to diagnose some parasite infections.^[30]

EditRelated wikiHows

• Identify if Your Cat Has Had a Stroke
• Get Rid of Ear Mites in a Cat
• Reduce Stress in Cats
• Prevent Gum Disease in Cats

EditSources and Citations

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

A humidifier is an essential purchase for certain homes, but how do you know which one is right for you, or which one can handle your space? Consumer Reports has a comprehensive video buying guide for humidifiers, with a cheat sheet for the right size for a room.

Read more...

It’s officially hammock season, and you can join in the fun for just $36, courtesy of today’s Amazon Gold Box.

Read more...

Kids grow. This may not come as a surprise to most of us, who were ourselves children one, but health insurance companies are not necessarily prepared for this facet of reality. And where reality and bureaucracy can really come into hard conflict is when kids who need durable medical equipment might — gasp — outgrow the tech, which doesn’t grow at all.

The Atlantic tells the story of one girl who suffered a sudden, virus-related paralysis. While it took some time for doctors to come to a final verdict on diagnosis and treatment, one short-term goal seemed clear: since the girl couldn’t walk, she’d need a wheelchair to get around.

The girl’s medical team wrote a prescription for a wheelchair, but the family hit a snag when it came to insurance: without a formal diagnosis of the problem, they wouldn’t pay for any equipment.

It took a crowdfunding campaign from friends and family to buy the girl her the first chair, but that one — secondhand, and adapted for someone else’s very different needs — proved to be a bad fit for the active nine-year-old.

Getting a properly-fit medical device, like a wheelchair, for an adult is one thing. But for a kid it’s a whole separate set of issues, because kids are constantly growing. At 29, your leg length, arm length, and shoe size probably aren’t going to change much in the coming weeks. At 9, though, there’s no such guarantee.

That means that one GoFundMe — even if it reaches its goal — isn’t going to be enough. A child with a disability who needs mobility aids is going to keep needing new ones for years to come — some kids, after all, are still growing as late as college.

A family seeking medical treatment for pediatric disability may find themselves having to go through the process of getting a wheelchair prescription nearly yearly… and every single one of those requests can be a lengthy back-and-forth with doctor’s offices and insurance. The longer it takes, the worse the problem gets, because a kid keeps growing — and outgrowing the requested replacement gear — while adults are arguing about the logistics.

So what is a parent to do when repeated requests from their child’s pediatrician and specialist, with literal reams of proof attached, keep getting denied? Go out-of-pocket — and go social.

Susan Mahoney, a specialist who worked with the families interviewed for the story, told The Atlantic that some families go through as many as six levels of appeals. “By the time you hit a certain level of appeal, you’re looking at six months to a year. It’s unethical,” Mahoney said. And that leaves only one venue for rapid change: “I tell the families to go to the media, if they can.”

Twitter, Facebook, and crowdfunding sites are where families in need end up going. According to The Atlantic, there are currently over 15,000 wheelchair-related campaigns happening on GoFundMe. In fact, medical expenses are far and away the most popular category of donation-seeking campaigns, accounting for 15% of all the money given on the site. (In 2012, that was worth more than $6 million.)

When multiple appeals for getting the partially paralyzed nine-year-old were denied, her mom took to Twitter and told the world about the situation with a hashtag that went viral. Cable news picked up the story, and an escalation expert from the insurance company appeared like magic to solve the family’s problems and get the girl’s new chair approved.

When the family finally got the wheelchair they had been requesting for their daughter, they didn’t stop. The mom who won the day with a blog post and twitter fight is now doing the same work on behalf of other families.

“I’m willing to loan my soapbox to anyone who needs it,” she told The Atlantic. “If they’re having trouble with their insurance company, they can come and stand on my mountain and yell.”

One Parent’s Twitter Campaign to Get Her Daughter a Wheelchair [The Atlantic]

If you were hoping that Target’s curbside pickup would eventually reach your city, your hopes are for naught: Target tells Consumerist the pilot program will be discontinued effective June 15.

After Consumerist received word that the program — which kicked off in October 2014 with partner Curbside, and was being tested in 121 stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles — would be shut down, we reached out to Target headquarters.

The company confirmed what we’d heard, saying in an emailed statement that it had “learned a lot” from the pilot, but “as we’ve shared for months now, at this time Target is focused on making sure we deliver and execute on retail fundamentals.”

That includes devoting more of its resources toward “enhancing” its “core of digital-stores offerings such as Cartwheel, Order Pickup and shipping online orders from stores.”

“The pilot with Curbside will be discontinued in mid-June as part of those efforts,” Target says.

Because we’re feeling nostalgic, here’s a (very brief) timeline of events that led up to the program going kaput:

August 2014: Target and Curbside launched their pilot program at stores in the San Francisco Bay area. (Warning: auto-play video at that link)

October 2015: Target and Curbside expanded their partnership to an additional 100 stores, bringing the service to select stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.

May 17, 2016: Target digital chief Jason Goldberger told Re/Code that customers shouldn’t expect to see an increase in partnerships with startups like Curbside and Instacart.

WASHINGTON — If the air conditioning is going to quit on you, it always seems to happen on the eve of a long holiday weekend.

At least that is how it happened at the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria in Alexandria, Virginia.

The air conditioning that serves two of three dog runs at the shelter went kaput Friday. The aluminum parts needed to fix the problem will not be available until sometime next week, said Abbie Hubbard, deputy director of AWLA.

“We just have to wait,” she said.

In the meantime, it’s dog foster parents to the rescue, she said.

“Our veterinarian and foster care coordinator are working together and have identified dogs that have priority,” said Hubbard.

Of the 60 dogs currently in AWLA’s care, Hubbard said, 10 are considered high priority. These dogs include older dogs and dogs with medical conditions that may be sensitive to heat. They will be moved into the homes of the many volunteer foster parents AWLA has on its roster until the repairs are done, she said.

In the meantime, shelter staff have worked to maximize the cool areas of the shelter and minimize the heat in the areas where the air conditioning went out, Hubbard said.

Of course, she said, AWLA would ideally see all of the dogs, cats and other critters in its care find permanent homes.

For Memorial Day weekend, AWLA is running a promotion called “Paws and Stripes Furever,” a play on the title of the famous patriotic tune by John Philip Sousa, “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Under the promotion, veterans can adopt an animal for free until May 30 at 5 p.m.

The post Alexandria animal shelter faces long hot weekend appeared first on WTOP.

PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) — The National Park Service says the Petersburg National Battlefield has apparently been looted.

Jeffrey Olson, agency spokesman, said in a news release Friday that numerous excavations were found at the Civil War battlefield last week. Olson said by phone that because of the ongoing investigation, he could not say how many excavations were found or whether the excavations were done by hand or machine.

He says thieves were probably looking for relics.

The incident is under investigation.

Petersburg National Battlefield is a 2,700-acre park where more than 1,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died fighting during the Siege of Petersburg 151 years ago.

The post Petersburg National Battlefield looted appeared first on WTOP.

Last month, Senators Diane Feinstein of California and Richard Burr of North Carolina were set to bring forth legislation that would end the debate on whether companies like Apple should help law enforcement unlock users’ devices, by requiring them to do so. In spite of the bipartisan, high-level sponsorship and the spotlight of the disputes between Apple and the Justice Department, it looks like this controversial legislation may never even be formally introduced.

The Compliance with Court Orders Act of 2016 [PDF], which has been circulating around the Senate as a draft since mid-April, would require companies to provide, among other things, “appropriate technical assistance” to the government when presented with a warrant for data on a secured electronic device.

There has been a lot of debate about whether or not the All Writs Act — a law dating back to 1789 — gives the government the authority to compel tech companies to undermine encryption that doesn’t have built-in backdoor access for the manufacturer.

In the recent Apple cases, the company fought federal warrants trying to compel Apple’s help in unlocking iPhones that had belonged to criminals. Apple does not have a way to unlock a user’s device without their passcode (or their fingerprint, if they’ve chosen to use the device’s biometric lock), so it would have to figure out a way to break its own encryption.

This issue was never ultimately resolved, with the federal authorities finding their own ways around the encryption in both instances.

The Feinstein-Burr legislation would have made such debate pointless, as it would effectively mandate that companies never provide the maximum level of encryption, as doing so would risk violating the law.

The draft of the bill was met with a backlash from privacy advocates, electronics and software companies, and many in the public. One petition against the bill already has more than 70,000 signatures — not bad, considering the legislation hasn’t even been formally introduced.

Most importantly, even though the DOJ has been fighting Apple and other companies in court over encryption, the Feinstein-Burr bill failed to get any sort of backing from the White House.

Now, both Feinstein and Burr are telling Reuters that there is no rush to get this bill introduced. Feinstein says she is going to get feedback from additional tech stakeholders on the issue, while Burr merely said, “be patient.”

As Reuters notes, the bill may never be brought forth for serious consideration — at least not during the current administration. Aside from the fact that the present White House doesn’t seem interested in pushing this as a legislative issue, it’s probably not wise for the two senators — both from states with significant high-tech industries — to bite the hands that feed them during an election year.

Amazon was once notorious for shipping items in comically oversized boxes, an e-commerce phenomenon that we blame on mysterious employees called the Stupid Shipping Gang. We don’t hear about over-packaging from Amazon that much anymore, perhaps because the Stupid Shipping Gang has all moved on to jobs packaging e-commerce orders at Sears.

At least, that’s how it looks based on reader Corey’s order of tools from Sears.

“The box was big enough that my daughter got in with them and they still had room for all the packing material,” Corey writes. His daughter is 12 years old, if you were wondering.

A former shipping manager contacted us a few years ago to explain how this happens.

“Having as few different sized boxes as possible is the name of the game,” the former gangster explained: using fewer box sizes means storing fewer box sizes and saving money by ordering larger quantities of the boxes you use most often.

Also, while it might seem counter-intuitive to regular people, in a commercial shipping operation, it might be cheaper to ship a larger box than a small one. How does that work?

“While you can fit more smaller boxes than larger boxes into a finite space,” our source explained, “sometimes a lot of those smaller boxes end up creating blank space through their odd dimensions, which makes it harder to fit in larger boxes.”

At least Corey has somewhere to stash his daughter, though.

Just about any dessert-themed flavor is now plausible when it comes to novelty Oreo flavors and other stunt food, and it’s difficult to surprise us. Yet we were sort of surprised at one of the new flavors that Nabisco plans to release in June, since it’s sort of a type of cereal, and sort of not.

Fruity Pebbles, you may recall, are a brand of cereal from Post. Yet here are cookies with the theme of Fruity Pebbles Oreos that are totally not official Fruity Pebbles.

The flavor will hit stores next week, and will be available in a wide variety of grocery stores: Nabisco lists Ahold, Wegmans, HEB, AWG, HyVee, Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, Giant Eagle, Price Chopper, and Meijer, but “wherever you normally get your Oreos” is probably a fair guess.

The other new flavor is more conventional, by Oreo standards, and is blueberry pie. That’s not what we’d think of as a traditional summer flavor, but it still sounds good. That novelty Oreo is an exclusive to Target, and will hit stores the week after Fruity Crisp, or the week of June 6.

Earlier this month, a federal court gave the go-ahead to a lawsuit alleging that Facebook’s photo-scanning, facial-recognition feature violated Illinois state law. Having lost that legal battle, it looks like Facebook may be trying to get out of the lawsuit by simply changing that Illinois law.

The law in question is the Biometric Information Privacy Act, which sets restrictions on the collection and storage of biometric data.

At issue is whether Facebook’s Tag Suggestions feature — which scans users’ photos and then tries to match that data to previously tagged users — should be considered as biometric data under this law.

The BIPA does currently state that “photographs” do not count as biometric identifiers, but does that mean a physical photograph or any image of a human? Is there a difference between a photo that is archived without any sort of analysis or data gleaned from it, versus a photo that is scanned, analyzed, and compared to millions of other similarly uploaded images? The BIPA does not say, and that is a dispute that would likely make for lively debate at hearings or in a trial.

However, yesterday, some members of the Illinois General Assembly introduced a rider — piggy-backed on a bill about unclaimed property — that amends the BIPA in such a way as to effectively win Facebook’s case before it gets to court.

First, the amendment revises the term “photographs” to make it clear that it means both “physical and digital photographs” are exempted from the definition of “biometric identifiers.”

The rider then goes on to clarify that you can’t create a biometric identifier from these photographs, meaning all data collected from scans of Facebook photos is exempted from the law.

Perhaps most importantly, the rider adds an entirely new definition to the law. If passed, a “Scan” would only refer to “data resulting from an in-person process whereby a part of the body is traversed by a detector or an electronic beam.”

Thus, Facebook would not be “scanning” users’ photos under the law, because it would be taking information from a digital version of a photo.

The Illinois legislative session is drawing to a close in the coming days, so this rider will likely come up for consideration soon.

Facebook has not yet replied to Consumerist’s request for comment on this story, but we will update if we hear anything back.

The company did provide a semi-statement to the Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog. Facebook points out that a co-sponsor of this amendment, Sen. Terry Link, was also behind the original BIPA.

“We appreciate Sen. Link’s effort to clarify the scope of the law he authored,” explains the company, which did not address the question of its role, if any, in the last-minute introduction of the rider.

The social media site had previously tried to get the Illinois case dismissed by arguing that all the plaintiffs had, by okaying the Facebook terms of use, agreed that California law governs any disputes with the company. California does not have a law similar to BIPA.

While the court found that the plaintiffs had indeed agreed to the Facebook terms of use, it ultimately determined that Facebook could not use this clause to negate the Illinois state law.

“There can be no reasonable doubt that the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act embodies a fundamental policy of the state of Illinois,” explained the court, noting “if California law is applied, the Illinois policy of protecting its citizens’ privacy interests in their biometric data, especially in the context of dealing with ‘major national corporations’ like Facebook, would be written out of existence.”

If you’re going for a hike this holiday weekend to enjoy the beauty only nature can provide, there is one thing you should know: ticks are your enemies, they’re out for your blood, and it’s up to you to destroy them.

The Centers for Disease Control has some handy tips on how to prevent tick bites — walking in the center of trails, using strong repellants containing DEET, treating clothing with permethrin products, etc. — but even the best laid battle plans can’t always keep one of the little suckers from hitching a ride home with you.

To rout out any ticks that may have latched on while you were out tramping through the woods or other brushy areas, the CDC recommends you bathe or shower as soon as you can after you come inside, preferably within two hours, and conduct a “full-body tick check” with a hand mirror.

Don’t stop there, because the ticks certainly won’t: leaving clothing around that may be hiding ticks is also a bad idea. If you can’t wash your clothing in hot water, you can at least tumble dry clothes in a dryer on high heat for 10 minutes (damp clothing will take longer), which will kill off any ticks stuck on clothing, the CDC recommends.

Simply washing/dunking clothes in cold and medium temperature water won’t do the trick either, the CDC warns. If you don’t have hot water and need to wash your clothing, make sure to tumble dry on low heat for at least 70 minutes or high heat for 40 minutes. The clothes should be warm and completely dry.

Notable tick borne diseases these steps will help prevent include: Anaplasmosis, Babesiosis, Ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Keenan Reynolds will get his chance to play in the NFL this season.

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced Friday that the record-setting Navy quarterback Reynolds and fullback Chris Swain can defer their military service to play in the NFL.

Carter made the announcement during his graduation speech to the academy in Annapolis. As students cheered the news about their graduating classmates, Carter said: “Go get ‘em.”

Reynolds was drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens. He is the NCAA’s career leader in touchdowns with 88. He had 31 touchdown passes while leading Navy’s triple-option offense. The Ravens plan to use him as a running back, receiver and kick returner.

Swain has signed with the San Diego Chargers.

Ravens executive vice president/general manager Ozzie Newsome applauded the decision, calling it “good news,” and congratulating Reynolds on his graduation.

Reynolds said in a statement released by the team that it was a “blessing” to hear the news from Carter.

“I am truly excited to proudly serve my country while having the ability fulfill my dream of playing for the best organization in the NFL,” he said. “I would like to thank the Navy for allowing me to represent them while taking advantage of this unique opportunity.

He also thanked Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti.

___

AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

The post Defense secretary: Navy’s Reynolds, Swain can play in NFL appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — This little kitty found itself on the wrong side of the tracks at the Fort Totten Metro station in D.C.

On Friday morning, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s emergency management team had to briefly cut power to the electrified third rail for the southbound Yellow and Green lines after a gray and black tabby kitten was discovered hanging out underneath it.

Crews from WMATA and the Washington Humane Society-Washington Animal Rescue League freed the little guy from danger. A humane society spokesman said the kitten, who has since been named Totten, appeared to be healthy.

Totten has been transferred to the New York Avenue Adoption Center for further evaluation.

The post Kitten rescued from Metro tracks appeared first on WTOP.

An outdoor projection screen, Adidas hiking shoes, and a FoodSaver starter kit lead off Friday’s best deals.

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A newly released study from the National Toxicology Program, a division of the National Institutes of Health, has found a link between the kind of radiation emitted by cell phones and cancer in rats.

This study has been a long time in the making, note our esteemed colleagues over at Consumer Reports — and it’s cost the government a pretty penny, at a cost of $25 million. It’s the most expensive ever undertaken by NTP, involving more than 2,500 rodents.

Those rats were exposed to the same kind of radiation cell phones emit for nine hours a day, every day, over a period of two years. Researchers found that male rodents experienced low incidences of two type of tumors: gliomas, in the brain, and schwannomas, in the heart. It’s unclear if female rats experienced the same issue or were part of the the study.

Consumer Reports notes that these results seem to support earlier findings from epidemiological studies, which found the same kinds of tumors in humans. That led the International Agency for Research on Cancer to classify radiation as a possible human carcinogen in 2011.

So what do these results mean? On the one side, there are industry leaders and others who say that evidence has shown cell phones don’t pose any risks to human health.

But then there are scientists and some health officials who argue that more research needs to be done but point to available evidence as enough to suggest that there’s a possible connection between cell phone use and brain cancer. That’s enough to justify taking precautions when you’re yapping away with your phone up to your ear, some say.

“This study in mice and rats is under review by additional experts,” a spokesman for the NIH said in a statement to Consumer Reports. “It is important to note that previous human, observational data collected in earlier, large-scale population-based studies have found limited evidence of an increased risk for developing cancer from cell phone use.”

For now, there will definitely be increased debate between the two sides on what exactly this study means for the average person, and whether or not something should be done as a result. The NTP’s site says the results could be used by the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission in determining the best way to protect consumers from the potential harms of radiation that comes from cell phones.

The cell phone industry is likely to push back, as wireless trade group CTIA has said in the past that cell phones are totally safe. It’s been on the front lines pushing back on laws in cities like Berkeley, CA and San Francisco that would require retailers to notify consumers about the potential risks of using cell phones.

The Federal Communications Commission weighed in on the study’s results today, saying in a statement:

“We are aware that the National Toxicology Program is studying this important issue. Scientific evidence always informs FCC rules on this matter. We will continue to follow all recommendations from federal health and safety experts including whether the FCC should modify its current policies and RF exposure limits.”

Cell Phone Radiation Causes Cancer in Rats, Government Study Finds [Consumer Reports]

WASHINGTON — Despite the 90-degree heat and humidity, more than 1,000 soldiers gathered to participate in a 68-year-old tradition Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery.

The 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, known as the Old Guard, spent four hours placing small American flags in front of more than 230,000 grave markers to honor fallen soldiers.

Staff Sergeant Sean Hackshaw, 27, said he was happy to participate in the event, called “Flags-In.”

“Flags-In is about the soldiers of the present honoring and paying homage to the soldiers from the past who laid the foundation and the framework for us to be here today and do our jobs,” Hackshaw said.

Soldiers center the flags one foot in front of each grave marker, according to a news release from the U.S. Army Military District of Washington.

Hackshaw said soldiers use their boots to measure the placement. Because boot size varies from soldier to soldier, he said one person is in charge of an entire row to ensure precise, uniform placement.

“If it’s not done correctly, they [the soldier] will redo it until it’s done to standard,” he said.

The tradition began in 1948 when the Old Guard became the Army’s official ceremonial unit, the news release said. The event takes place every year before Memorial Day weekend.

Hackshaw said it is important to remember the real reason behind the long weekend Americans celebrate each year.

“While it’s always fun to have three or four days off after a hard week’s work, just really think about the soldiers […] who laid this frame for us today to be a country […] and to have the things that we have today,” he said.

Rachel Nania contributed to this story.

The post Soldiers place 230K flags in annual event at Arlington National Cemetery appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — We oohed and ahhed as two little fuzzballs hatched in front of live webcams in March.

Now, it’s almost time to say goodbye to the two young bald eagles named Freedom and Liberty at the National Arboretum.

The eagles are now about 10 weeks old, and will soon be ready to fly away from the nest where they were born.

“They could potentially leave the nest anywhere between 11 and 13 weeks of age. It really depends on the eaglets,” said Al Cecere with the American Eagle Foundation.

The nonprofit group partnered with the National Arboretum to place the two HD video cameras near the nest.

The webcams have been very popular, with well over 40 million views so far.

Cecere says the eaglets are actively getting ready for their departure.

“What they’re doing now in the nest is they’re starting to branch, which means they’re actually leaving the physical nest and walking up on to some tree limbs,” he said.

“And then they’re flapping their wings a lot. They exercise their wings to build up their wing muscles and kind of get the hang of lifting off the ground, but they’re not quite ready to take the jump yet.”

Cecere says if webcam viewers see the eaglets “go out on a limb,” they shouldn’t worry because it’s normal and natural.

Once the birds leave the nest, there’s a chance that they’ll come back a few times before they leave for good.

Freedom and Liberty are eating well, thanks to the hard work of their parents, named The First Lady and Mr. President.

“I was told by a biologist that so far, the parents have brought about 14 different species of fish up to the nest from the Anacostia River,” Cecere said.

The young birds also recently feasted on two groundhogs.

If you haven’t checked out the eagle cam in a while, you might be surprised by the young birds’ size and color.

The eaglets are almost completely brown, and won’t develop the familiar white head and tail for a while.

“They have a brown beak, they have brown eyes and they have yellow feet. When they’re about 4 years old, they’re going to start transforming,” Cecere said.

“Then their eyes will turn yellow, and their beak will turn yellow as well. That’s a process that takes place between the third and fifth year. It’s a gradual process.”

The post Eaglets will soon fly away from nest at National Arboretum appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — As the District considers raising its minimum wage to $15 an hour, D.C. Council members heard from residents and business owners who say they’ll be helped and hurt by the move.

During a hearing that lasted more than seven hours, residents such as street cleaning supervisor Darnell Jackson testified to the difference a few dollars an hour would make in his life.

“I have to take money from one check and wait ’til the other check and pay my rent. It has gotten hard, at times, when you have other bills,” he told the Committee on Business, Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.

The Fair Shot Minimum Wage Amendment Act would raise the minimum wage by 2020 and increase it each year in proportion to the Consumer Price Index.

Some small business owners, such as Jeremy Gifford, who owns the bars DC Reynolds and The Pub & The People, testified that his success depends on workers’ tips.

“Everyone works together,” Gifford said. “We split evenly. When it rains, we all suffer; when it’s beautiful, we all prosper.”

Gifford and other small restaurant and pub owners are considering opening other locations, but don’t know whether it’ll be financially possible given the pending change to their payroll.

“Guys like me, small operators, we’ve got to pause and wait and see what you guys are going to do and figure out, ‘Does our model work and can we actually do this,'” he said.

Teddy Folkman, co-owner of multiple restaurants, including Grandville Moores, agreed with Gifford, saying, “with a proposed tip wage increase, it would cut our profits in half.”

“The proposed wage increase will have a negative impact on hospitality and tourism industries in D.C. Please know: This is a job-killer.”

The post Fighting for and against DC’s $15 minimum wage bill appeared first on WTOP.

You can see it now, can’t you, in your mind’s eye? It’s juicy, it’s delicious, it’s cooked perfectly, and you made it: it’s your ideal Memorial Day burger. Let us help you get there with a few handy tips that will help your fantasy burger become a reality this holiday weekend.

At Consumerist HQ, we take burgers very seriously. So much so, that we wanted to share some tips we gathered from expert the Chef Howie Velie, Associate Dean of Specializations at the Culinary Institute of America. He teaches students how to cook for a living, so we figured he’d be a good person to ask.

Here are a few things we learned from Chef Velie that every home cook should keep in mind before picking up that spatula this weekend:

1. Use ground beef with an 80/20 lean-to-fat ratio

If you want something to be moist, like a burger, you have to maintain the moisture within the product. To do that, Chef Velie says, it’s important to use a ground beef with high fat content, because fat equals moisture.

He adds that whatever heat source you use, whether it be a grill or a pan on the stove, heat transfers very well through fat. That means the fattier the burger, the faster it will cook, Chef Velie explains.

2. Charcoal grills are great — but propane grills work too

Chef Velie says his personal preference is using lump charcoal in a charcoal grill, instead of briquets, but that, of course, is a matter of personal preference.

“I like cooking over a fire,” he tells Consumerist, likening it to methods of cooking that go back thousands of years.

Propane grills will also do the trick, he adds — “you’re getting plenty of good flavor from that,” Chef Velie says.

Don’t have an outdoor space or a grill at your disposal? Cooking a burger on the stove works, too, as we found out when we tested Chef Velie’s burger-making tips last year (among a few other methods you can check out).

“If you have a nice heavy iron, cast iron skillet or something like that, that’s gonna hold heat, you can get a really good char,” he notes.

3. Don’t press that patty!

You might’ve heard that moving a burger around on the grill is bad — that’s arguable, Velie says, but there is one thing you definitely shouldn’t do: smushing the burger with your spatula — even if makes your grill flare up in a cool way.

“A lot of people do that, and it’s kind of the most tragic thing you could do because you’re basically just pressing out all the flavor,” Chef Velie explains.

4. Salt & pepper are your friends

While you can add whatever seasonings you want to your burger patties, don’t shy away from good old salt and pepper.

“I think salt and pepper are tragically under utilized on burgers on grills,” Chef Velie says. “Salt and pepper are where you build flavor in everything. So you’re enhancing the meat flavor, you’re enhancing the char and smokiness of the grill by using salt.”

Beyond that, Chef Velie says he’s not a fan of mixing in or adding too many other things to burgers.

“If you’re gonna do that, make meatloaf and serve it with potatoes.”

5. Use a heat thermometer to make sure it’s done

When it comes to cooking raw meat, it’s important to get the temperature up to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit for safety reasons. And you can’t just judge by color, as the USDA’s Food Safety & Inspection Service explains, oxidation from freezing and thawing can cause red meat to turn brownish without any cooking.

FSIS also notes that “some lean ground beef may remain pink at temperatures well above” 160° F.

Chef Velie agrees that a meat thermometer is the “guaranteed way” to make sure a burger is cooked thoroughly.

“Don’t guess. You can guess all day, but unless you’ve done it 10,000 times, you’re not gonna be good at it,” he advises, adding, “I know when it gets to 165 degrees it’s done, it’s gonna be juicy.”

Happy eating, everyone, from our stomachs to yours.

The point of a password is to keep your accounts secure. A bad password, though, doesn’t do that very well. And despite decades’ worth of repeated warnings not to use the same terrible passwords, millions of people still regularly do, even when a system tries to require better ones. So Microsoft, in the name of customer protection, has finally had enough and is just going to start banning the really crappy ones altogether.

Mashable noticed the change, which Microsoft posted on a tool-sharing blog for server managers.

Basically, Microsoft is putting a tool in place for anyone using its login systems that has a check against the worst passwords list and bans new entries from matching them.

In the blog post, a Microsoft expert explains that across all their properties (Outlook, Xbox Live, OneDrive, and so on) Microsoft sees hostile attempts made on 10 million accounts per day, so they have a lot of internal data to draw on about bad password habits.

The annual list is full of passwords you really shouldn’t be using anyway, with “123456” and “password” routinely taking the top two spots, and such scintillating entries as “qwerty,” “football,” and “12345678” also appearing in the top ten. Microsoft’s system is dynamic, but is still pulling from basically the same pool of bad ideas.

The post, targeted to developers, also explains that administrators using Azure AD — a cloud-based identity verification service from Microsoft — will be able to enable the dynamic banning on their own systems in the near future.