pileofcrapola

There used to be a time that the price you paid for a flight was the published cost. Those were indeed the days. With hidden fees on each airline, that ticket price is just the beginning, so it's good to know the fees in advance when comparing airline prices.

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Whether it's a boss, a salesperson, or a customer service agent, we're often in a position when we need something from someone else. Asking questions can sometimes help shift the balance of power in your favor.

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Although we've covered many ways of getting free books and music before, Noisetrade has a huge selection of both—and it's all legal.

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Even the most experienced grill master has trouble memorizing cooking times for everything. This chart tells you all you need to know for almost anything grill worthy.

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Electricity bill got you down? Blame your cable box or PlayStation or printer or refrigerator or any of your smart, networked devices that have a gentle-sounding but energy-sucking "standby mode." A new report from the International Energy Agency puts the energy from networked devices worldwide at 616 terawatt-hours. That's more than the entire energy consumption of the United Kingdom.

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If you're short of space, vertical storage solutions are ideal. Mount your dustpan and brush vertically with Velcro to keep it available but out of the way.

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For many people with sleep problems, this may be the toughest time of the year.

An animal advocacy group is targeting the Mill Mountain Zoo in its campaign to draw attention to animals used for entertainment.

State police say a trooper shot and killed a pit bull mix that had bitten a woman inside her Centreville home and was about to attack her again.

When you’re flying with your pet, sometimes it’s not possible to keep your beloved Mr. Saucypants in the plane cabin with you. But banishing him to the cargo hold below can be a daunting prospect, which is why U.S. regulators have expanded how many airlines must report on their animal-safety records.

Passengers traveling with pets will have access to more information now, things like animals that were lost, injured or died while carriers transported them, Reuters reports. The U.S. Transportation Department has beefed up who has to report, from 14 airlines currently to 27.

The new rules go into effect on January 1, 2015 and will also include commercial shipments of pets, like those by breeders, for the first time. The rules only covered pet owners and their animal friends previously.

This only covers furry friends, however, so if you’re flying with your iguana, there aren’t numbers on lizards. The DOT said it would be “unduly burdensome” to report on all species, despite the urging of animal rights groups to do so.

Every year airlines will have to file a report with all the numbers — the total amount of animals transported, lost, injured or died. Before now, airlines simply reported monthly on what happened to animals, not how many pets they actually transported.

“This rule will provide consumers with a fuller picture of an airline’s safety record when it comes to transporting animals,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “Consumers deserve clear and accurate information when choosing among air transportation options,” he said.

U.S. expands airlines’ reporting requirements on pet safety [Reuters]

With an increased concern about the role high sodium levels play in high blood pressure, kidney disease and other health issues, a number of restaurant chains have been attempting to cut back on the salt in recent years. A new review of meals from 17 of the nation’s most popular fast food and family eateries shows that most chains are slowly reducing the amounts of sodium in their food (though it’s still very high), while a small number of others have actually gone the other direction.

A new survey [PDF'\] from the Center for Science in the Public Interest looks at a total of 136 meals from the 17 restaurant chains to see whether the sodium levels in those meals changed between 2009 and 2013.

While there is no hard-and-fast number on recommended sodium intake, both the American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control say that 1,500mg a day is a good number for those looking to avoid high blood pressure.

The CSPI study found that 79% of the adult meals surveyed were still above that 1,500mg line, with seven meals — mostly from family restaurants — containing more than three days’ worth of sodium.

In general, sodium levels have fallen, but not by much. According to the CSPI, the overall sodium reduction between 2009 and 2013 was only 6%, or 1.5% per year. Kids’ meals only dropped by 2.6% during the four-year period, and much of that was due to restaurants replacing french fries with fruit options.

The biggest names in fast food are also responsible for the biggest reductions in sodium. All of the meals surveyed at Burger King, McDonald’s, Subway, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell demonstrated some level of sodium reduction.

Of that group, Subway’s efforts to cut salt were the most effective, reducing sodium levels nearly 28%, followed by Burger King at 27%. BK’s cheeseburger kids’ meal had the most substantial decrease in sodium (44%), going from 1,200mg to 840mg.

On the opposite end of the survey are those popular eateries where sodium levels actually went up.

While Wendy’s and Sonic were each able to reduce the sodium on 50% of their surveyed meals, increases in other menu items resulted in a net increases in sodium of 2.7% and 1.3%, respectively.

But that was nothing compared to KFC, which only reduced sodium on 14% of one of its seven meals in the CSPI survey. While the reduction for that particular meal was significant (22%), four of the six other meals had double-digit percentage increases in sodium, resulting in a whopping 12.4% net sodium increase for the chicken chain.

The biggest single meal sodium increase also came from KFC, where the kids’ meal with a grilled chicken drumstick, corn on the cob, string cheese, and Capri Sun juice drink resulted in a 52% increase from the 2009 version of the meal. The not-horrible news is that the sodium level for this meal is still under the 1,200mg daily intake figure recommended for children.

But the sodium levels at the family restaurants make most fast food look like heart-healthy options by comparison.

Look at the below chart of the 10 saltiest meals found in the survey, all of which have at least two days’ worth of sodium, and all but one of which comes from a sit-down family eatery:

The FDA puts no limits on sodium content in food, which some public health advocates believe is a mistake. The CSPI points to the restaurant industry’s slow and inconsistent efforts to reduce sodium as evidence that regulation is needed.

“For far too long, the FDA has relied on a voluntary, wait-and-see approach when it comes to reducing sodium in packaged and restaurant food,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. “If chains like KFC, Jack in the Box, and Red Lobster are actually raising sodium levels in some meals, FDA’s current approach clearly isn’t working.”

New York firefighters were mourning the death of a 40-year-old lieutenant killed when he became trapped while looking for victims in a public-housing high-rise fire Saturday, the first to die in the line of duty in more than two years.

Prince William County crime report Washington Post These were among incidents reported by Prince William County police. For information, call 703-792-7245. BRISTOW AREA. SEXUAL ASSAULTS. Cellar Door Dr., 7800 block, 8:30 p.m. June 22. A man at a concert inappropriately touched a woman who had ... and more »

Lightening Strike Starts Fire, Displaces 10 Condo Residents Patch.com Storms that rolled through Manassas on Wednesday night caused a fire at a condo, displacing 10 residents, according to a city release. A lightening strike started the fire at the building on Sandalwood Drive. Units from the City of Manassas, Manassas ...

The Friday night show was cut short from debris landing outside the safety zone.

She has serious, but non-life-threatening injuries.

The mother of a pupil at a French pre-school stabbed a teacher to death in front of her class Friday, the last day of the school year, authorities said.

Google's removal of search results in Europe is drawing accusations of press censorship, as stories from some of the continent's most prominent news outlets begin vanishing. The U.S. internet giant said Thursday it is getting 1,000 requests a day to scrub results.

A Georgia man who police say intentionally killed his toddler son by leaving the boy inside a hot SUV was exchanging nude photos with women the day his son died and had looked at websites that advocated against having children, a detective testified Thursday.

An Idaho woman gave birth while driving to a doctor appointment and delivered her daughter by herself.

A little planning before the weekly trip to the grocery store can save big money.

Virginia is getting a bonus from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for its performance using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Police in eastern Tennessee are investigating after the body of a man turned up in a car hauler at the Bristol Dragway.

A historic plantation in Prince George County has a new owner.

Experts explain the differences between manual and automatic transmissions in cars.

The Maryland Zoo is asking the public to help name a new resident before her official debut at the facility.

Sunburn: The holiday weekend souvenir that nobody wants. A D.C. dermatologist has tips to care for and soothe those sore arms and shoulders.

A mobile application and website created by Old Dominion University is designed to encourage tourists and residents in southeastern Virginia to evacuate during a major hurricane.

On the eve of the celebration of America's birthday, WTOP pulled 15 questions from the U.S. citizenship test. See how well you'd do!

Studies show some mosquitoes are more attracted to people with specific body odors.