pileofcrapola

In the most exciting development in fast-food cross-brand synergy since Taco Bell started serving up tiny Cinnabons, Arby’s is testing cheddar-filled Auntie Anne’s pretzel nuggets in some of their outlets in the Midwest. As you might expect based on that “cheddar-filled” description, we know that Wisconsin is one test site.

To be fair to the cheese-crazed Wisconsinites in our office, people also have spotted the nuggets in southern California and in Florida. Brave pretzel-lovers who have tried them report that the overwhelming flavor is “salt.” I thought that was how pretzels worked.

The nuggets reportedly are baked inside the Arby’s restaurants, and served warm. They come in containers of 5 or 20, and the 5-pack costs $1.99. While nuggets are on the menu at regular Auntie Anne’s stores, the version with cheddar inside appears to be exclusive to Arby’s.

FAST FOOD NEWS – Arby’s Auntie Anne’s Cheddar Pretzel Nuggets [The Impulsive Buy]

When a car manufacturer initiates a recall and provides a remedy for the issue, you assume that fix is going to stick. But that may not be the case for the 2012 airbag-related recall of two Jeep models, as federal regulators are investigating why Chrysler’s fix has not eliminated the problem.

According to a report [PDF] filed Monday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, investigators are looking into the effectiveness of a remedy put in place related to airbag inadvertent deployment (ABID) issues that resulted in the recall of 744,822 model year 2002-2003 Jeep Liberty and model year 2002-2004 Grand Cherokee vehicles.

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation recently received reports from Chrysler that the company is aware of six cases in which vehicles that received the fix have had an additional ABIDs. No crashes or injuries were reported in the most recent cases.

At the time of the initial recall [PDF], Chrysler issued a fix intended to eliminate transient electrical spikes thought to be responsible for the ABID. The repair consisted of installing an in-line jumper harness with an integrated electrical filter for the circuits that connect to the airbag modules.

The 2012 recall was initiated after Chrysler found a component in the airbag control module could fail, causing the front airbags, side curtain airbags and/or seatbelt pretensions to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle was running.

A subsequent NHTSA investigation found that on at least 131 occasions frontal ABIDs occurred in Jeep Liberty SUVs resulting in 62 injuries consisting of burns, cuts and bruises. Additionally, at least 61 frontal ABIDs, with 31 injuries, were reported related to the Grand Cherokee.

The unexpected airbag deployments happened both while on the road and during startup. NHTSA reported there were no instances of loss of vehicle control or vehicle crashes, but that “some owners noted that the airbag warning light (ABL) and/or chime had activated just seconds prior to the airbag deployment, while others stated that they did not observe any prior ABL illumination.”

Almost all of the more than 400,000 ATMs in the U.S. are used for the most basic of banking purposes — withdrawing cash and making deposits. But fewer people are using cash and it’s now often easier to deposit a check (in those rare instances when you receive one) via smartphone than it is to trek to the ATM. In order for the machines to survive (and someday play their part in the inevitable robot uprising), they must diversify.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has an in-depth look at a number of ways in which financial institutions and tech companies are trying to provide services — some of which have nothing to do with banking — that could keep the ATM relevant in the online age. Here are a few that we found interesting.

1. Cash for Your Phone

There are plenty of services that will let you trade in your old smartphone for cash or credit, but many of them require that you mail in your device, resulting in a delay and the possibility that the phone could be lost or chewed up in shipping. Some wireless companies will let you do the trade-in at one of their stores, but then you’re going to get the hard sell from staffers on new devices and services.

The folks at Outerwall (formerly known as Coinstar) recently purchased a phone-recycling kiosk business called ecoATM, which could give more consumers an automated option for when they want to get cash for their device.

2. Loan Applications

Many lenders have automated loan applications on their websites, and ATM biggie NCR says there is no reason the ATM couldn’t also be “a platform to print out a mortgage application, sign it, scan and complete it without ever having to be in front of a loan officer.”

The CEO of Lake State Credit Union tells the Star-Tribune that it is using ATMs with video tellers to bolster its loan business.

“We signed a fair amount of new membership as a result of just the interactive technology machine,” said the CEO. “There’s no question that it has been a component of what is driving new business.”

3. Virtual Branches

It’s no secret that many of the larger banks have been shutting down branches (or at the very least failing to open new branches) in neighborhoods and towns that are already underserved by financial institutions. The use of video tellers could allow for banks to offer many of the services a consumer would get at a traditional bank without the institution having to take the risk or deal with the expense of opening a new branch at a time when banks are looking to pare down their retail footprints.

The new ATMs: Soon they won’t be just for cash anymore [StarTribune.com]

While the power struggle between Amazon and book publisher Hachette moves into its third week, other retailers have begun to use the situation to their advantage.

Book dealers and retail stores seem to be happy to fill the void for consumers’ favorite Hachette published authors, such as J.K. Rowling, and with some pretty steep discounts, CNN reports.

Last week, Amazon released a statement about the issue with Hachette suggesting that consumers who are inconvenienced and need the books quickly could simply shop elsewhere.

If you do need one of the affected titles quickly, we regret the inconvenience and encourage you to purchase a new or used version from one of our third-party sellers or from one of our competitors.

And those competitors quickly jumped at the opportunity by slashing the price of Hachette published books.

Walmart recently began advertising up to 40% off of nearly 400 Hachette books and promises consumers delivery of currently available titles as soon as this week. Barnes and Noble’s website is also offering up to 40% off certain Hachette books.

The feud between Amazon and Hachette began in mid-May when the online retailer escalated its e-book pricing dispute with the publisher by pulling pre-order options from titles such as Rowling’s new novel, Silkworm, and the upcoming The Girls of August by Anne Rivers Siddons.

As of Monday morning, preorders are currently unavailable for Rowling’s new book in hardcover, while Siddons’ book is unavailable in both hardcover and paperback format.

Amazon has also increased the time in which currently available book will ship. Some of James Patterson’s popular series books will ship in two to four weeks, CNN reports.

This isn’t Amazon’s first attempt to strong-arm publishers. In 2010, the retailer briefly removed the “buy” button from Macmillian published books. That same year, the e-tailer lowered the prices on Penguin hardcovers to $9.99 when the publisher refused to budge on e-book pricing.

E-book pricing has been a contentious issue for years. Initially, sellers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble were generally able to determine the retail prices charged for titles. Then, after Apple got into the e-book business, many publishers switched to the so-called agency model, where the publisher sets the price with the seller getting a fixed percentage of the sale price.

This model resulted in higher prices for e-books and ultimately led to lawsuits against Apple and several publishers, including Hachette, Macmillan and Penguin. The publishers settled these claims, refunding some $166 million to consumers in 32 states.

Amazon book feud sparks Walmart fire sale [CNN]

For years, makers of mouse and rat poisons in the U.S. have been phasing out in-home rodenticides that use toxic pellets without a so-called “bait station” to contain them, allowing to pellets to scatter around a house, making their way into the mouths of curious kids. In fact, only one company has balked at pulling these potentially dangerous products from shelves; unfortunately, that company is the nation’s largest maker of rat poison.

The Environmental Protection Agency has acknowledged for decades that rodenticide pellets pose a poisoning risk when used in the home, and that around 10,000 children a year were accidentally exposed to these poisons.

Ten years ago the Natural Resources Defense Council and West Harlem Environmental Action successfully sued to get the EPA to develop safety standards for the rodent-control industry. Since then, only Reckitt Benckiser — maker of d-Con (and Lysol, and Clearasil, and Woolite, and Frank’s RedHot sauce, among many others) — has continued to put out products that don’t conform to the EPA standards.

The EPA maintains this list of products that meet its standards, some of which are from d-Con, but there are currently 12 d-Con in-home rodenticides that don’t pass muster.

The agency says that after attempting to negotiate the removal of these remaining products — including d-CON Ready Mixed Kills Rats & Mice and d-CON Mouse Prufe — it began to take action to cancel these products and force Reckitt to remove them from the market.

But on Friday, the EPA and Reckitt announced that a deal had been made that would phase out the production and distribution of these rodenticides over the next 10 months.

Reckitt will begin to phase out production of the 12 d-CON poison products immediately, with the goal to stop all production by Dec. 31. The d-Con products in question will no longer be distributed by the company after March 31, 2015.

The company is not allowed to stockpile or ramp-up production of these products in anticipation of the phase-out. Instead, Reckitt is only allowed to produce enough to meet existing orders.

Stores will be allowed to continue selling the products until their inventories are exhausted, which the EPA predicts would be during the summer of 2015.

“Today, we can celebrate a major victory for children’s health across the nation and for common sense,” writes Mae Wu, an attorney for the NRDC. “Now we can protect our kids and communities, and deal with rodent problems in our neighborhoods at the same time.”

Prince William County community calendar, June 1-7, 2014 Washington Post Sunday, June 1. “War and Peace,” an exhibit of tintype portraits by Melissa Cacciola depicting service men and women from various backgrounds, ages and roles in the armed forces. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, through Dec. 1, National Museum of the Marine Corps, ... and more »

Want a Dog Park in Manassas Park? Go Vote PotomacLocal.com MANASSAS PARK, Va. – There is $100,000 up for grabs, and that money could help some area dogs have a new place to play. Manassas Park's Dog Park Committee is participating in the Petsafe “bark for your park” contest where one city will be awarded ...

A Pentagon investigation concluded in 2010 that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his unit, and after an initial flurry of searching the military decided not to exert extraordinary efforts to rescue him, according to a former senior defense official who was involved in the matter.

Everybody expects the Spanish Inquisition. And as with all things Monty Python, fans need to expect the unexpected, too.

American Monty Python fans who can't attend the troupe's London reunion can always look on the bright side of life. The show will be screened in hundreds of U.S. movie theaters.

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl can expect a buoyant homecoming after five years in Taliban hands, but those in the government who worked for his release face mounting questions over the prisoner swap that won his freedom.

Authorities say two children in suburban Denver were injured in the latest case of an inflatable bounce house breaking loose and being blown around in the wind.

Which scares you more: Hurricane Victor or Hurricane Victoria? People are slightly less likely to flee an oncoming storm with a feminine name than a masculine one, a new study finds.

Beware of the bears: It's that time of year when more bears roam closer to humans.

Flags in Maryland are flying at half-staff in honor of a longtime Baltimore County firefighter who died after he went into cardiac arrest during a training exercise.

Homemade spreadable butter is surprisingly easy to make. With only a few ingredients and a bit of time, you can save over half the cost of the tub you get at the grocery store—and control the end quality and taste.

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You've probably heard the general advice for the best time to buy a plane ticket (start shopping Tuesday afternoon , for example, about 7-8 weeks ahead ), but that's just that—general advice. For specific guidance on a particular route you're going to fly, take a look at the data-driven flight reports from Hopper.

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The way you praise a kid or ask for help can make all the difference. According to recent studies, kids pick up on subtle language choices, such as whether you use a noun or a verb in your request or praise.

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Droopy doors that rub on the floor can sometimes be fixed just by tightening the screws on the top hinge. If that doesn't take care of it, Ask The Builder suggests installing hidden screws.

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We've discussed that packing your resume full of buzzwords like "creative" and "organizational" is a bad idea, but sometimes those words are appropriate. To use them effectively, tie them to actual results—that way they're descriptive of specifics, not eyeroll-worthy generalizations.

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Anne Arundel County police say the parents of an 8-week-old baby got high and passed out inside a vehicle alongside their infant boy.

Lewis Katz, a self-made man who built his fortune in New York parking lots, billboards and cable TV, and went on to buy the NBA's New Jersey Nets, NHL's New Jersey Devils and The Philadelphia Inquirer, died in a weekend plane crash. He was 72.

A cheap, decades-old chemotherapy drug extended life by more than a year when added to standard hormone therapy for men whose prostate cancer has widely spread, doctors reported Sunday.

A North Dakota company that discovered an antibody technology while trying to cure flocks of dying geese is using its research for a more warm and fuzzy purpose: saving puppies.

The news of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's release from captivity Saturday spread quickly in his hometown in southern Idaho, and residents immediately began making plans for a welcome-home celebration.

Hundreds of people came to the American Legion on Saturday evening for the 10th Annual Testy Fest, also known as the Testicle Festival.

The games showcase the athletic abilities of firefighters, police officers, corrections officers and customs agents from around the world.

A Virginia man who believes the Sandy Hook school shootings were a hoax has been charged in the theft of two memorial signs in New Jersey and Connecticut dedicated to victims of those shootings, police said Friday.

Does your house have things that go bump in the night? Maybe between the creaking door, the strangle rattling in the walls, and the squeaking stairs, you're convinced the place is haunted. Luckily there are a few things you can do to silence those squeaks and rattles.

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A restaurant whose entire bathroom-related theme — complete with toilets as seats, dishes with hilariously fecal names, and miniature toilet-shaped bowls for your food — seems to have been cooked up by a potty-obsessed two-year-old has closed down after an eight-month run, suggesting that most people would rather put foods in their mouths without thinking about how that food will ultimately exit their bodies.

The owners of The Magic Restroom Cafe in City of Industry, CA, apparently thought that customers would want to sit on actual (though non-functioning) toilets in a room decorated to look like a bathroom while eating Taiwanese food.

But not just any Taiwanese cuisine. No, the MRC kicked it up a notch with some dishes with clever names like “black poop” and “smells like poop.”

Perhaps it would have all been more acceptable if the food was better, as many reviews on Yelp (which, granted, doesn’t always give the full measure of a restaurant’s quality) point to the dishes being “nothing special,” “sub-par,” or “just okay.” Many people who went to the MRC during its brief time in this world say their primary purpose in trying it out was to see the decor and to take photos, which is probably why there are more than 400 of them on Yelp for a restaurant that wasn’t even open a year.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to go to the city health department to get approval for my new food truck, the Vomit Van, soon to be serving extra-chunky guacamole at corner near you.

Magic Restroom Café Goes Down the Toilet [L.A. Mag]

Magic Restroom Cafe Craps Out After Eight Months [Eater L.A.]