pileofcrapola

The other week, we posted a question on Facebook, asking readers for questions about shopping. The following is a sampling of questions; in some instances, they have been edited for length or clarity. Thanks to everyone who participated!

Q: What is a good single-serve smoothie blender? 

A: We love the Ninja Master Prep Professional QB1004 blender, which sells for about $60. It's compact size is perfect for whipping up a single drink, and unlike some of the other blenders we've tested (including the highly rated—and much pricier—Vitamix 5200) it's relatively quiet. However, it's 6-cup capacity may be more than you need. In that case, we recommend the Hamilton Beach Single Serve Blender 51101. This little blender has a 1.65-cup capacity and sells for just $20, but it scored lower than the Ninja in tests.

Q: I'm looking for a fax/copy/scanner printer which will print a good photo. I have an Epson, which works well except for the photo printing. Any suggestions?

A: Wow... you want it all! If having a fax is a must, then look no further than the HP Photosmart 7520. This $200 all-in-one printer scans, copies, faxes, and has Wi-Fi, so you can connect wirelessly. However, if printing photos is the most important feature to you—and you can live without a fax—then consider the Canon Pixma MG6320. In tests, it surpassed the HP for photo quality, and it's about $50 less than the HP. 

Q: What are the best laundry detergent out there?

A: There are so many laundry detergents available that it's easy to feel overwhelmed. If you're looking for the best stain-fighting detergent, we recommend Wisk Deep Clean. This liquid detergent excels at removing grass, blood and sweat stains; it's fragrance-free; and you can use it in both top- and front-loading washers. And at 14 cents per load, it's also cheaper than other laundry detergents. If you're pinching pennies, consider Kirkland Signature Ultra. This powder detergent works almost as well as Wisk, and it's just 9 cents per load.

Q: What's a good lower-end juicer? I can't afford the top-of-the-line model.

A: The Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro, which retails for about $80, is one of the better juicers out there and is also less expensive than other models. However, like a lot of juicers, the Big Mouth is relatively noisy.

Q: I live in an area with very hard water. I don't care for the taste and I see what it does to my pots... Can you recommend a good water filter?

A: There are a number of choices when it comes to water filters: pitchers, countertop models, and under-cabinet ones. From a price perspective, pitcher-type water filters are certainly the cheapest, although you'll have to refill them regularly. That said, we love the Clear2O CWS100A, which costs about $25. It outperformed all other carafe-style filters in our tests, although the tube you must use to fill it can be tricky to use at first.

Q: What are the best and quietest front load washing machines that don't vibrate when placed on tile floor?

A: Noise and vibration are just two of the factors our testers consider when reviewing washing machines. Among front-loading washers, the top-rated Maytag Maxima XL MHW8000AG does a very good job of minimizing both vibrations and noise. But if the $1450 price tag is too steep, consider the Whirlpool Duet WFW70HEBW, which sells for just $800 and also gets good marks for noise and vibration.

A price book, which tracks the lowest prices on the products you buy most often, is the best tool for saving money on groceries and household items. With it, you'll always know when a sale is really a good deal, when produce is in season, and when to stock up on the essentials. Here's how to make and keep this time-tested savings tool yourself—and save as much as $1,000 a year.

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Sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your brain is just not evolved to process big numbers. In our journey from hunter-gatherers to wage slaves, homo sapiens never quite evolved the mental machinery needed to efficiently process the high numbers we typically face when doing things like buying cars, taking out mortgages, and saving for retirement.

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There are a lot of variables when it comes to a good—we mean really good—cup of coffee, but one that's often overlooked is how you grind your coffee beans. If you're going with whole beans (and by all accounts, you should), this video will show you how to get the best grind for your brewing method.

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Android: HTTPS Everywhere, one of our favorite privacy-protecting browser extensions, now protects your surfing on your Android phone as well, provided your primary browser on Android is Firefox. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has made the add-on available to mobile users, and it works like a charm.

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All too often, we just toss our screws, nuts, bolts, cables, and other odds and ends into big boxes and stash them wherever there's room. But this simple, flexible, and colorful storage bin system ensures you'll always be able to put your hands right on what you need.

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Medical costs for people aren't the only healthcare costs rising. Veterinary care for our pets is rising too. Not only can large veterinary bills strain a household budget, but they can also force us into making tough choices. Do we go ahead with a life-saving surgery for our beloved pet, or do we decide that the cost is simply too high?

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It's awkward enough talking about death with other adults. It's even harder when you have to explain to impressionable children that a loved one is gone forever. Here are a few tips for approaching this inevitable topic in the best way possible.

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Most of us have been there: In line ready to check out, only to remember that we left our 20% off coupon at home. Sometimes you can pull a replacement up on your phone before you pay, but if you're stuck, don't worry—these retailers will cut you some slack anyway.

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Smartphones are awesome, and we talk about them a lot, but for some people, they're just not worth the complexity or the cost. Whether it's for a tech-challenged family member or you're giving up your own, this week we want to know which feature phones you think are the best.

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Sure, you’ll still be able to buy cigarettes at Walgreens for the foreseeable future, but what else should you pick up while you’re there to get your smokes? Nothing, apparently.

Marketwatch compiled a list of five things that you should avoid buying at the drugstore unless you’re in a bind, in a hurry, or trapped inside your neighborhood chain drugstore during a zombie apocalypse.

1. Drugs

Wait, what? Our own colleagues over at Consumer Reports figured out that the cheapest place to get the most popular prescription drugs is Costco. Turns out discount stores generally have better prices on over-the-counter meds.

2. Food

Not surprising – other than a few loss leaders, food is generally more expensive at drugstores than grocery stores. When you’re picking up milk or a frozen pizza there, it’s more like going to a convenience store.

3. Makeup

Marketwatch’s research showed that the same makeup products are generally cheaper at big-box stores than at drugstores.

4. Cleaning products

Noticing a pattern? They, too, are cheaper at big-box stores.

5. Office supplies and gift wrapping

You can’t beat the convenience, but there are much better and cheaper places to get your cards, gift wrap, and office supplies. Dollar stores, for example.

5 things not to buy at drugstores (including drugs) [MarketWatch]

There are three important features that make Burger King in Japan a very different experience: apples, booze, and couches, or ABC. Apples? Yes, Burger King has brought back their limited-time apple burgers in Japan, which feature grilled apple slices instead of tomatoes. Are they any good?

There are two burgers available with apple: The BK Ringo, a small burger that features one apple slice and cinnamon mayonnaise, and the NY Whopper, a larger sandwich with two apple slices and hollandaise sauce. “Ringo” is Japanese for “apple,” and has nothing to do with any famous drummers. The NY Whopper concept comes from the vaguely NYC-ish theme that Burger King is using to market these burgers.

Anyway, do the burgers taste any good? Yes! Cinnamon mayonnaise is not as strange as it sounds. “The cinnamon smells great, and the scent mixes with the meat and produces an almost Middle Eastern effect,” notes Casey Baseel of RocketNews24. The apple has a nice texture–not crunchy or mushy, but like a “firm apple pie,” and hollandaise sauce provides a nice creamy citrus note. The NY Whopper includes a small amount of bacon.

The cocktails? Ah, yes, you can order those at Burger King in Japan, as long as you like highballs mixed with cola or ginger ale. Beer is also an option

Maybe they should try the apples over here: tomatoes aren’t particularly good in much of the United States for most of the year, but apples keep beautifully when stored correctly. We could have fresh, tasty grilled fruit in our appleburgers year-round.

Burger King has apple burgers (and cocktails) in Japan, and we’ve got them in our bellies [Rocketnews24]

No overdraft penalties, no overspending and sometime low but occasionally ridiculous fees are all perks that have led consumers to an increased use of prepaid debit cards in the last year. And while the cards are convenient there are plenty of reasons consumers should by wary.

Prepaid cards offer consumers an alternative to traditional checking accounts, and often come with lower or fewer fees. However, with no federal laws or regulations tied to the cards, consumers could be putting their financial future at risk.

Two reports released today by the Pew Charitable Trusts highlight consumer demand for GPR prepaid cards (PDF), a growing concern over the lack of consumer protections and recommendations (PDF) the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau should consider.

The landscape of prepaid cards has changed immensely since they first entered the marketplace. The new report found that nearly 12 million consumers loaded more than $64 billion onto prepaid cards in 2012. Today three of the top 10 companies offering prepaid cards are highly recognizable banking institutions, while none offered the product last year.

Still, consumers’ reasons for using the prepaid cards remain mostly the same. Most reported using the cards as a way to avoid debt, control spending, and avoid problems of the past, such as, losing or closing a checking account because of excessive overdraft fees.

Prepaid cards can be a useful product to assist consumers in avoiding financial problems, but there are also vulnerabilities that need to be addressed before consumers take the plunge, says Susan Weinstock, director of Safe Checking in the Electronic Age project for Pew.

Because there are no federal laws or regulations to protect consumers who use the cards, they could be subjected to hidden fees, unauthorized transactions, or loss of funds. It’s that lack of oversight which undermines prepaid cards as a safe and easy way to manage money, Weinstock says.

One of the first steps would be to require cards be accompanied by clear, concise information about terms, conditions and fees. This would help to ensure consumers truly understand what the product they are using and are getting the best card to meet their needs.

On Thursday, Pew recommended six policies to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that would ensure the protection of consumers using prepaid cards:

• Prepaid cards should not have overdraft or other automated or linked credit features.
• Prepaid cardholders should be protected against liability for unauthorized transactions that occur either when a card is lost or stolen or a charge is incorrectly applied.
• Prepaid cardholders should have access to account information and transaction history.
• Prepaid cards should be required to provide information about terms, conditions, and fees in a uniform, concise, and easy-to-read format. This information should be included with the card packaging so that it is accessible pre-purchase at retail outlets as well as online.
• Prepaid card funds should be federally insured against loss caused by the failure of an institution.
• Predispute binding arbitration clauses in cardholder agreements, which prevent cardholders from having the choice to challenge unfair and deceptive practices or other legal violations in court, should be prohibited.

Consumers Continue To Load Up On Prepaid Cards [Pew Charitable Trusts]
Why Americans Use Prepaid Cards [Pew Charitable Trusts]

There’s a floating restaurant in Kentucky called Jeff Ruby’s Waterfront, and it’s located pretty much where you would assume: on the water. Until 2011, the restaurant operated in a boat docked in the Ohio River. Well, it was. Three years ago, the eatery came loose from the dock and floated down the river with more than a hundred customers on board. Waterfront closed, but was supposed to reopen soon. Today, it escaped again.

The boat isn’t equipped to actually cruise down the river with the ability to “steer” and whatnot, so it just floats like a very large, very fancy raft. This time, there was one maintenance worker on board when it broke loose.

The boat was secured with only one cable, and left open gas and electric lines when it broke loose from the dock. It came to a rest against a trestle of the same bridge that it hit three years ago.

The restaurant’s owner blames river ice for snapping the cable, and is really having one of those days.

Waterfront breaks loose AGAIN I'm in such a hurry I have a FREKIN car accident a block from Waterfront. How's ur day goin?—
Jeff Ruby (@TheRealJeffRuby) February 06, 2014

Waterfront Restaurant breaks free again (Thanks, Reid!)

What’s that, Olympic Games attendee? You’ve got a dirty hotel room with beers under the bed in Sochi? Your room has no hot water, or no water at all? Well,  your complaints are aimed at trying to sabotage Sochi’s shining moment, said one official in response to Western critics.

The Wall Street Journal happened to be in the right place at the right time while on a tour of the new media center in Sochi this morning with Dmitry Kozak, the deputy prime minister responsible for the Olympic preparations. He seems to share the view of many in Russia who think such criticism come from a Western bias against the country.

“We have surveillance video from the hotels that shows people turn on the shower, direct the nozzle at the wall and then leave the room for the whole day,” he said. An aide then pulled a reporter away before Mr. Kozak could be questioned further on surveillance in hotel rooms. “We’re doing a tour of the media center,” the aide said.

When asked again about the problems circulating in the media with ill-prepared hotel rooms, the WSJ says Kozak was dismissive.

“We’ve put 100,000 guests in rooms and only gotten 103 registered complaints and every one of those is being taken care of,” he said.

So stop worrying about that toilet, Mr. Journalist! Apparently there’s a camera in your hotel room, even if there isn’t a lobby downstairs.

And besides, any issue is a tiny one when you consider that the entire Olympic area was recently an “open field.”

“The realization of such a project is an enormous victory for the entire country,” Kozak said. “As we say in Russia, victors don’t get blamed.”

A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin sounded a bit more apologetic about the situation in an interview earlier this week, chalking up hotel complaints to basically, “different strokes for different folks.”

“In fairness, I would ask everyone to recall the reports from international and our domestic media about various Olympics,” the spokesman said. “Everywhere someone doesn’t like the food, someone doesn’t like the hotel, someone thinks the mattress is too hard, etc. That is, such complaints accompany all Olympics. But the guest is always right and the organizer is obliged to listen to these complaints.” He added he’s sure Sochi’s organizers are working around the clock to fix the “flaws.”

Russian Officials Fire Back at Olympic Critics [Wall Street Journal]

The Food and Drug Administration is taking additional steps to ensure our youngest citizens are getting the nutrients they need from formula by updating quality standard requirements for manufacturers. So maybe you can rest a bit easier knowing your child’s formula probably isn’t contaminated.

The FDA’s interim rule will ensure that infant formal contains all federally required nutrients infants need. Those nutrients obviously doesn’t include beetles or high levels of melamine.

The rule amends the FDA’s quality control procedures, notification, and record and reporting requirements for manufacturers of formula use by infants without medical or dietary problems.

Detecting contamination is a significant part of the interim rule. By establishing good manufacturing practices, including required testing for microbial contamination, manufacturers can prevent the distribution of contaminated products.

Many companies manufacturing infant formula in the United States already voluntarily conduct the good manufacturing practices set forth by the rule.

The FDA also issued two draft guidance documents addressing formula manufactured for infants with unusual medical or dietary problems and how manufactures can demonstrate that their products meet the quality factor requirements of the interim rule.

Last year, the FDA banned manufacturers from using BPA in infant formula packaging, although most had already quite the practice.

The FDA is accepting comments from the public on the interim final rule for 45 days at http://www.regulations.gov (Docket Number FDA-1995-N-0036).

Updated FDA requirements for infant formula will maintain high-quality standards and help ensure healthy growth of infants [Food and Drug Administration]

Smartphones have changed modern life, from our inability to disconnect from our jobs to making commutes more fun to making it possible to order items online from inside a store. There are some applications of smart technology, though, that are just plain stupid. Like the Porkfolio, an Internet-enabled piggy bank.

The idea behind the Porkfolio is that it counts your money as you put it inside the plastic pig, and you can check your balance from afar. You can set savings goals within the app, and the pig’s nose lights up when you insert a coin. Nice.

It also has a built-in accelerometer that can trigger alarms if someone steals your bank. Does it make a loud noise or just send you a push alert? The promotional materials aren’t clear on that point.

The maximum the bank can hold is about $100, so the alarm system may be overkill.

I have a plastic piggy bank that counts money for me, using the low-tech method of measuring the diameter of each coin. Sure, it mistakes pennies for nickels sometimes, but it only cost two dollars.

Porkfolio [Quirky] (via The Worst Things For Sale)

Ohio-based Pro-Pet LLC has issued a limited recall of varieties of three of its dry dog and cat food brands — Hubbard Life, Joy, and QC+ — over concerns about possible salmonella contamination.

The decision to issue the recall, done in cooperation with the FDA, came after a field test indicated products manufactured during a two-day period may have been tainted by salmonella.

Pro-Pet and the FDA say they know of illnesses related to the recalled products.

The concern for the recall isn’t just about sick pets, but also about the possibility that humans who come in contact with these products may pick up the salmonella bacteria, which can cause a wide variety of symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramping and fever.

Rarely, Salmonella can result in more serious ailments, including arterial infections, endocarditis, arthritis, muscle pain, eye irritation, and urinary tract symptoms. Consumers exhibiting these signs after having contact with this product should contact their healthcare providers, says the FDA.

Signs of possible salmonella poisoning in pets include lethargy, diarrhea or bloody diarrhea, fever, vomiting, decreased appetite, and abdominal pain.

Some pets may become infected but not show any outward signs of illness. The FDA advises that people should contact their pets’ vet if their dogs or cats have eaten the recalled products.

The specific products, lot numbers, “Best By” dates, and UPC codes can be found in this chart:

These products were distributed through select retailers, distributors and on-line consumer purchases in Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.

If you have any of the above-listed products, you should stop using them immediately and contact Pro-Pet at 1-888-765-4190 for instructions on how to dispose of the remaining food.

For more information on the recall, customers can contact the customer service line for Pro-Pet at 1-888-765-4190. Customer service representatives will be available Monday through Friday 8 am to 5 pm CT.

The thing about bandwagons is that anyone can hop on’em. You just need to have the right resources and the wherewithal to hitch yourself up there. Coca-Cola just bought what it needs to join the single-serving pod revolution, snapping up a 10% stake in Green Mountain Coffee so it can start working on its own system for making cold drinks at home.

Coca-Cola announced that it’s snapped up the stake for about $1.25 billion and will now be working with the coffee company that makes Keurig brewers to develop a system that will instead brew up single-serving cold drinks.

That could be Coke, but also likely all the company’s other offerings will have a chance too, from Fanta to Sprite, notes Bloomberg News.

“With The Coca-Cola Company as a global strategic partner in our multi-brand at-home Keurig Cold beverage system, we believe there is significant opportunity to premiumize and accelerate growth in the cold beverage category by empowering consumers with an innovative, convenient way to freshly prepare their favorite cold beverages at the push of a button,” said Brian P. Kelley, President and CEO of GMCR in a joint statement from the two companies.

It’s probably a pretty good move for Coca-Cola, which has been trying to keep up with consumers who are turning away from soda toward other drinks like iced coffee or energy drinks.

The companies will join forces to develop the new cold brewer which will be sold starting later this year. Green Mountain will also produce and sell Coca-Cola branded pods to go with the machines, but it will also partner with other companies to sell other pods for the Keurig cold, Green Mountain CEO Brian Kelley said in a conference call this week.

“We will have a number of partners and a number of brands on the system,” he said, without revealing what those other brands might be.

Coca-Cola to Buy 10% Stake in Green Mountain Coffee [Bloomberg]

These days it seems like if there’s an ingredient in food sold to the masses with even the slightest whiff of controversy around it, someone will root it out and start a campaign to get rid of it. Thus, Subway now says it will remove a chemical from its bread — one that’s banned in Europe but legal in the U.S. — after a food blogger started a petition against it.

Of course, in Subway’s statement about Azodiacarbonamide, an ingredient that apparently increases elasticity in the bread, there’s no mention of the popular food blogger behind FoodBabe.com, Vani Hari. She started a petition against the stuff which has earned 58,000 signatures to date, reports USA Today.

The chemical is also used in yoga mats, shoe rubber and synthetic leather, she says.

“We are already in the process of removing Azodiacarbonamide as part of our bread improvement efforts despite the fact that it is USDA and FDA approved ingredient,” the company says in a statement. “The complete conversion to have this product out of the bread will be done soon.”

While Subway isn’t saying, “Yes, we’re bowing to the pressure of this campaign,” there’s always a bigger campaign out there, one that might be somewhat silent but is reflected in the way consumers have changed their eating habits.

Eating healthy and making sure food is safe have become important to American consumers in recent years, and companies have started to respond. Just last month General Mills said it would remove genetically modified ingredients from Cheerios, reflecting the changing habits and desires of its customers.

“I commend Subway for finally responding to me and now over 58,000 concerned citizens. Their swift action is a testament to what power petitions and individuals can have,” Hari said. ” I’d like to note that current Subway sandwiches still have this ingredient, and I urge everyone not to eat their sandwich bread until they have finally removed the chemical.”

Subway to remove chemical from bread [USA Today]

When the 1994 baseball season started, there was only a single MLB stadium whose name could be considered a result of corporate sponsorship (and the company owned the team at the time, so even that is up for debate). When the 2014 season kicks off this spring, fewer than one-third of the stadiums are without a corporate name over the gates.

Yesterday, the Texas Rangers announced that their stadium would once again be undergoing a name change after selling off the naming rights to Oklahoma City-based Globe Life and Accident Insurance Company. With that, the number of MLB stadiums without a corporate sponsor sinks to only 10 (possibly 11, depending on how you look at things).

Out of curiosity, we looked back to 1994 to see just how rampant this naming rights nonsense had become within our lifetime.

As things stand now, there are only 9 stadia of the 30 MLB venues that aren’t brought to you by some company or product — Dodger Stadium (Los Angeles Dodgers), Yankee Stadium (NY Yankees), Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox), Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs), Nationals Park (Washington Nationals), Marlins Park (Miami Marlins), Angel Stadium of Anaheim (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim), Kauffman Stadium (Kansas City Royals), and Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles).

And of those nine teams, two had previously played in branded stadia. In 1998, Anaheim Stadium became Edison International Field, a name it kept until the end of the 2003 season, at which point it took on its new, non-commercial title.

Meanwhile the Marlins, then known as the Florida Marlins, played in a stadium that went through numerous name changes in just a few years. When the Marlins started there it was Joe Robbie Stadium, before changing in relatively rapid succession from Pro Player Stadium to Dolphin Stadium to Land Shark Stadium to Sun Life Stadium before the Marlins moved out to their own, yet-unbranded Marlins Park in 2012. We have no doubt that the cash-strapped club would not turn away a big enough offer to slap some bank or insurance company’s name on that new stadium.

The ’90s Bring Changes
Twenty years ago, only the St. Louis Cardinals played in a stadium with a corporate name — Busch Stadium — but even that may be an exception to some, as Anheuser-Busch did own the team at that point in time. But following the strike-shortened 1994 and 1995 baseball seasons, a handful of stadium operators and teams began selling off the naming rights to their venues.

The Atlanta Braves moved from the crumbling confines of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium to the venue that had been briefly known as Centennial Olympic Stadium (built for the 1996 Atlanta games) before being named after Ted Turner, who owned the team at the time. The Braves continue to play at Turner Field but will soon be moving to a yet-unsponsored stadium outside of the city.

The Cincinnati Reds were playing in Riverfront Stadium in 1994, but that became Cinergy Field in 1996. The team moved to spanking new sponsored stadium, Great American Ball Park, in 2003.

The San Diego Padres had called Jack Murphy Stadium (aka San Diego Stadium) home since 1969 before it was renamed Qualcomm Stadium in 1997. The Padres then made the move to Petco Park in 2004.

For years the San Francisco Giants shared Candlestick Park with the NFL’s 49ers, but the legendary stadium was briefly renamed 3Com Park in 1995. The Giants would then move to their own waterfront stadium in 2000, going through three name changes — from PacBell Park to SBC Park to AT&T Park — in only six years, as rapid consolidation in telecom and wireless required constant rebranding of the venue.

The expansion Colorado Rockies were still playing in Denver’s Mile High Stadium in 2004, but would relocate to the beer-branded Coors Field the next year.

When the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays (now just the Rays) entered the league in the late ’90s, they came with branded stadia. The D’backs played in Bank One Ballpark, which is now known as Chase Field, and the D-Rays bounced balls off the rafters of Tropicana Field.

The Seattle Mariners left their home Kingdome and moved to Safeco Field in 1999, closing out a half-decade of naming rights deals for MLB stadia.

New Century, New Names
The new millennium would see the closing of two of baseball’s most beloved (and a few of its most hated) venues, meaning stadium operators had to decide whether to stay true to a well-known name or cash in with brand-name sponsorship.

While Yankee Stadium was replaced with… Yankee Stadium, the Detroit Tigers had no such reverence for the Tiger Stadium name, leaving their longtime home and relocating to the corporate-friendly Comerica Park in 2000.

The Chicago White Sox had tried to keep the Comiskey Park name when they opened their new stadium in the early ’90s, but a decade later it was time to make some money off the naming rights, turning the building into to U.S. Cellular Field in 2003.

After three decades of playing at Milwaukee County Stadium, it was apparently time for the Milwaukee Brewers to be associated with the city’s most well-known beer company, as the team moved to Miller Park in 2001.

In 2000, the Houston Astros left behind the Astrodome and into the significantly upgraded site of what was originally dubbed Ballpark at Union Station before almost immediately being renamed Enron Field after a company that tanked so badly the stadium had to briefly be renamed Astros Field in 2002 before being re-christened as Minute Maid Park.

Both Pennsylvania ball clubs ditched their cookie-cutter concrete behemoths in the early part of the 21st century. The Pittsburgh Pirates were first, fleeing Three Rivers Stadium for the bank-branded PNC Park in 2001. My beloved Phillies left the not-very-loved Veterans Park behind in 2004 and walked across the parking lot to Citizens Bank Park.

Another relic that sorely needed replacing was Shea Stadium, which somehow managed to stand up for nearly 45 years. But unlike their counterparts in The Bronx who maintained their unsponsored stadium’s name, the New York Mets sold the naming rights to Citi Field… right before the bottom fell out of the banking industry and no one knew if the bank would have to back out of the deal (or be around to take advantage of it). Citi survives but to this day, the NYC subway map still refers to the Citi Field stop as just “Mets.”

The Cleveland Indians had just moved into Jacobs Field in 1994, and the team managed to wait all the way until 2008 before selling off the naming rights to Flo from Progressive.

Likewise, the Toronto Blue Jays are still playing in the same building that was called the SkyDome in 1994. It just got a new name, Rogers Centre, after Rogers Communication bought the team and the stadium. Much like the Busch Stadium of the ’80s and ’90s, you might not consider it sponsorship if the team owner puts its name on the building.

Recent Developments
Given that there are fewer and fewer stadia to slap a corporate name on — and how some fans would likely revolt if they had to go to games at Gatorade Field at Fenway Park or the Yahoo! Yankee Stadium — we don’t expect too many major name changes to MLB venues in the coming years.

That said, in addition to the Texas Rangers announcement, there have been two recent examples of branded stadia.

After years of being somewhat sheltered from the elements inside the Metrodome, the Minnesota Twins aligned with a small local retail chain and moved into Target Field in 2010.

Meanwhile, the Oakland Athletics’ home continues to roll through a series of name changes. The Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum was renamed Network Associates Coliseum in 1998, then McAfee Coliseum in 2004, then back to Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum in 2008, then finally to O.co Stadium in 2011 in the most expensive effort ever to convince people to use shortened URL for an online retailer.

Old Town Manassas to hold First Friday event Inside NoVA The first “First Friday” event in Old Town Manassas will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Feb. 7. Admission is free and the event will include live entertainment, chocolate-themed specials and extended store hours at several Old Town shops including ArtBeat ...

Prince William County and Stafford County home sales Washington Post Prince William County. These were among sales data provided to The Washington Post by Lender Processing Services. To find sale and assessment records for homes elsewhere in the Washington area, visit www.washingtonpost.com/homesales. BRISTOW ... and more »

- They were a British family on a day out -- almost a million years ago.

- An East Tennessee couple faces a murder charge, accused of forcing the man's 5-year-old daughter to drink more than 2 liters of grape soda and water, causing her brain to swell and rupture, authorities said.

A woman is more likely to die from a stroke than a man. But prevention and treatment guidelines have always been targeted at male patients -- until now.

I'm a big fan of music and use it a lot when working, but I had no idea about how it really affects our brains and bodies. Music is such a big part of our lives, and we react to it in many ways without even realizing.

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Earlier today, we shared numerous Tweets about the hellish hotel problems experienced by reporters on the ground in Sochi, Russia, as they prepare for the upcoming Winter Olympics. Now a journalist in Sochi shares his Sochi story with Consumerist.

Steve has been in Russia for a few days with a large group of reporters and photographers. He’s asked us not to identify his employer, but let’s just say it’s a household name.

Much like the other reporters who have been sharing unpleasant experiences from Sochi, Steve is having a few hospitality-related issues with the town he’ll call home for the next few weeks.

“On the third night I found empty beers under my bed,” he tells Consumerist about his hotel room. “They are either from before I got there and I didn’t see them or someone partied while I was at work.”

Steve also says that when he went to check out the Olympic hockey arena, he got stuck in an elevator had to pry the door open himself to get out.

He has this important caveat for anyone who might be traveling to Sochi to attend the games: “Nobody takes credit card and some places have just run out of food and drinks and bottled water.”

On the credit card front, Steve says he and his large team went out for their big dinner the other night. They had already pre-paid half of the very expensive restaurant bill in advance and agreed to pay the remaining half in credit card after the meal.

“When we went to pay and leave they said ‘No, nobody pay yet,” he recalls, saying the restaurant demanded that the entire tab be paid for in cash right then and there. “So… it took some time and some arguing before they agreed that, okay yes, we had paid half then they still wanted $5k in cash. They had to drive a credit card machine up from the city so we could pay them.”

Since Steve and most of the team were only vaguely aware of this drama, he lightheartedly says, “It was like a really fun, boozy kidnapping/extortion.”

In spit of all this, Steve says that it could be a lot worse.

“I’m feeling safe for the most part and having a good time,” he writes. “Once the games actually start I’m sure it’ll fly by.”

The latest freeze-thaw cycle has taken its toll on the roads. Orphaned hubcaps have been found strewn along shoulders, leaning against jersey walls, laying in culverts -- footstones for travelers who have fallen victim to the region's eruption of potholes.

- School officials violated state anti-discrimination law when they would not allow a transgender fifth-grader to use the girls' bathroom, Maine's highest court has ruled.