pileofcrapola

Anyone who's ever had to lose weight can tell you that it takes both exercise and a change in what you eat. Similarly, changing your spending habits is as essential to keeping your budget under control as eating better is to managing weight loss.

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If you're renting, or just want to avoid holes in the wall, you probably don't want to use tacks to hang posters. Rather than buy sticky pads, just use a thin layer of toothpaste to place posters.

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It’s been several months now that I’ve been on a savings lockdown. It’s been going well, except for this past weekend, when I had a relapse. I over-splurged on everything—food, shopping, beer—and I’m officially hungover. My buzz started when a client check came early, making me feel super rich and burning the hell out of my pockets.

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Kids can find joy in the mundane, be it a cardboard box turned into a fort or just some generic item around the house imbued with possibility through their imagination. When all that energy dissipates and it's time for a nap, you can make that more fun with a homemade hammock.

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There are some of us who are content eating regular fried chicken, and the rest of us who want the crispiest, crunchiest, crackliest fried chicken possible. This quick cooking tip is for the latter group.

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Itinerary planning seems to be one of those things you can’t efficiently outsource to a computer just yet. It generally requires a couple of things: knowing where you're staying, where you'd like to go, and where exactly all these places are in a city that you have absolutely no idea about. Now, wouldn’t it be so much easier if everything was collated onto a specific map? Enter the holy grail of usefulness: Google Maps.

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Taking care not to wreck your lunch isn't rocket science, but if you've ever peered into your lunch bag to see the sandwich you crafted that morning is now a mess in a plastic bag, or gazed on the way deli sandwiches are beautifully wrapped wishing you could do the same, this tutorial from Food52 will show you the way.

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We have to wonder whether anyone pays attention at all to the Halloween costumes offered at major retailers. The “naughty leopard” incident was weird, but how is it even remotely okay to sell Osama bin Laden costumes to the public? After the Sikh Coalition pointed this out, so far Walmart, Amazon, Sears, and Rite Aid have pulled the outfit from their shelves.

Amazon’s description in the catalog actually referred to it as an Osama costume. What the Sikh Coalition found especially problematic was Rite Aid’s listing of it as a “Turban Beard Adult Halloween Instant Costume.” Baptized Sikh men, who wear turbans and grow long beards, have been the target of ignorant attacks and profiled as terrorists. Just last week, a Sikh Columbia University professor was beaten. His assailants called him a “terrorist” and said, “Get Osama!”

In their press release, the Sikh Coalition compared the product to a Hitler costume, and listed the different categories of people who this costume insults.

Apart from promoting stereotypes about turbans and beards that lead to violence against Sikhs and other minorities, these costumes insult those who lost loved ones during the 9/11 attacks and insult American troops who sacrificed their lives in our nation’s war against Al Qaeda.

Walmart says that it never offered the costume in retail stores, but only online.

Major Retailers Remove “Turban and Beard” Costume [Sikh Coalition]

While concerns about health effects and youth-targeted marketing have the attorneys general of 37 states asking the FDA to regulate e-cigarettes much like the agency regulates the sale of tobacco, there are numerous reports of the devices “exploding” or catching fire, which can be significantly more dangerous than simply inhaling nicotine.

For example, there was the Florida man who had an e-cig explode in his mouth last year, resulting in a trip to the hospital to treat burns to his face.

At the time, a rep for industry group the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association told the AP that the organization had not heard of any incidents involving explosions or fires.

But in just the last few months, there have been numerous reports of fires caused by e-cigs going “kapow.”

In September, an Atlanta woman says her new e-cigarette was charging when it exploded and shot flames several feet across her living room.

A more high-profile incident occurred a few weeks later in Utah, when a young child was burned after an exploding e-cigarette set fire to the youngster’s car seat.

The Provo Fire Marshall said at the time the fire was due to a “catastrophic failure of the device,” and that this was the second such explosion he knew of in the city, but luckily only the first to result in an injury.

And just this week, a Minnesota man says his e-cig “turned into a firework” while plugged into his computer for charging.

“This is something that is supposed to be safe and is not,” he told MyFox 9 in Minneapolis.

The owner of an e-cig shop in the area told the station that “There’s a lot of inferior products out there,” and that he hears of similar incidents a few times a week.

Given its previous claims that it didn’t know of explosions and fires related to e-cigarettes, we went back to TVECA to see what, if anything, the industry was doing to minimize the odds of future incidents.

“We at the TVECA push for regulation that requires companies to purchase products with GMP (good manufacturing practices) standards,” a rep for the organization tells Consumerist. “We request that these companies also carry liability insurance on all products sold. We work diligently with government agencies to implement these rules so that we can create a responsible and stable industry.”

The rep did attempt to downplay the prevalence of the issue, pointing to the millions of e-cigs sold and used without incident, though he did admit that even the few incidents that have occurred are not acceptable.

It seems like most e-cig explosions occur when the the device is being charged. As some remarked in response to this Reddit thread about a fiery faux smoke, the devices will sometimes continue to attempt to charge the battery even after it is already fully charged. This can happen either because the cigarette doesn’t have a built-in safeguard to prevent this and/or because the person charging the device is using a charger that didn’t come with it.

So even though most of us have gotten used to leaving phones and other rechargeable devices plugged in long after they have been fully charged, e-cig users should be careful and unplug their devices from the charger when it is recharged. Consumers should also pressure the manufacturers and regulators of these devices to enact stricter quality control standards and to employ technology that will prevent e-cigarettes from continuing to charge already full batteries.

There’s nothing like putting [sandwich protein] between two slices of [something delicious/fried that is definitely not a traditional bread bun] to get the Internet worked up and drooling in envy. Joining the ranks of viral food creations is this burger with deep-fried macaroni and cheese as buns from a Chicago eatery.

The Rockit Burger Bar in Chicago is only serving this Frankenfood creation — topped with scallions, lettuce, tomato and Sriracha ketchup — until Sunday, notes HuffPo. So counting the rest of today, that means diners have four days to get their hands on that thing. Which can’t be easy, as the bun is fried food and it probably gets your hands greasy — you know where we’re going here.

Limited-offerings are a great way to ensure that the restaurant doesn’t have to fear turning into an assembly line dedicated to one trendy product [cough, cronuts, cough cough who cares], for sure. That being said, anyone handy with deep fryer could definitely create a reasonable facsimile of this on their own time, long after the clamoring masses have gone home.

Or we can all just go on the Internet to ogle comfort food and see what comes up next, without ever tasting most of these creations because geography is in the way. Sigh. It’s a vicious, hungry cycle.

Burger With Fried Mac-And-Cheese Bun Is A Comfort Food Dream Come True [Huffington Post]

Do you trust the United States Postal Service? How much? Would you trust them with important documents? Valuable jewelry? How about the cremated remains of your spouse? A New Hampshire woman wanted to get her husband’s ashes to his daughter in Florida so she could spread them at his favorite fishing spot in Key West. Instead, he’s lost somewhere in the postal system.

His wife is grieving this second loss, too, after his sudden death from a heart attack. “I felt like I failed him because this was his wish, and it was my job, somehow it all went wrong,” she told CBS Boston.

We do know where the mailing box is. It arrived at his daughter’s house with the bottom split open and the two urns missing. Did they fall out along the way? Did the box open, someone saw a shiny vase-like object, and took it home? The U.S. Postal Service says that they’re investigating the matter.

In case you were wondering, yes, it is completely legal to mail human cremains. What the bereaved wife didn’t know is that they’re supposed to be sent using a secure service: Priority Mail Express or registered mail. The contents of the box must be labeled on the outside.

Ashes Of NH Woman’s Husband Go Missing In Mail [CBS Boston]

You have to go inside a courthouse, and in the car you have a dog and a birthday cake for your daughter. You don’t want the dog to eat the cake. To keep them apart, you could put the cake in the trunk, bring the dog in the courthouse, or bring the cake in the courthouse. A woman in Washington State chose that last option, which was bad news for the cake.

A man was just entering the Hall of Justice for a court appearance on an indecent exposure charge. When he saw the cake come out of the metal detector, he did what any sober and sensible person would do: he jammed his hand inside it. When a sheriff’s deputy told him not to, he apparently dove in face-first. Law enforcement restrained him. He was jailed on suspicion of third-degree theft.

Surveillance video? Why, yes, we do have it!

The heartwarming part of this story is also the part relevant to consumers: Grocery chain Safeway offered to replace the cake. A woman who accompanied him to the courthouse claims that he was not high at the time of the cake-snarfing.

Child’s birthday cake at Hall of Justice sparks struggle, arrest [The Daily News]

Gather round the flickering flames and stretch your marshmallow-roasting wrist muscles, folks. This is what a Tesla Model S looks like when it’s on fire, all $62,000 worth of it.

Of course, the Tesla Model S only starts at $62,000, so this burning example caught by a Jalopnik reader could have cost quite a bit more. It’s hard to tell what with all those flames burning on it and firefighters obstructing the view.

Tesla said the fire happened after the car hit some kind of “large metallic object in the middle of the road,” but said in a statement that no one was hurt:

The car’s alert system signaled a problem and instructed the driver to pull over safely, which he did. No one was injured, and the sole occupant had sufficient time to exit the vehicle safely and call the authorities. Subsequently, a fire caused by the substantial damage sustained during the collision was contained to the front of the vehicle thanks to the design and construction of the vehicle and battery pack. All indications are that the fire never entered the interior cabin of the car. It was extinguished on-site by the fire department.

In possibly related news, LATimes.com reports that Tesla’s stock price is going up in flames today, or fine, it’s down a bit and we just wanted to use that pun.

Shares dropped 6% yesterday after the video hit the media and Robert W. Baird & Co. issued a downgrade. In the report, Baird said Tesla could have trouble expanding production and developing new models, giving it a neutral expectation instead of its previous assessment that it would outperform the market.

This Is What Fiery Tesla Model S Death Looks Like [Jalopnik]
Tesla shares fall after mysterious car fire and analyst downgrade [LATimes.com]

Rover McFuzzyBottoms III might like the feel of the wind in his fur as his tongue lolls out happily on a breezy car ride, but many pet advocates say it’s dangerous to have unrestrained pets in the car in the event of an accident. But it’s not like there are crash-test dummy dogs to test safety belts for pets… until now, that is.

Subaru teamed up with the nonprofit Center for Pet Safety to run a few tests on 11 pet safety belts currently out there, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Center wanted to find out which restraints could work well enough to be approved across the board from pet-advocacy groups and perhaps lead to national safety standards.

But before tests could begin, researchers had to specially design a canine dummy to undergo the simulations, some of the first crash-test dogs ever. The dummies included a 25-pound terrier mix, a 45-pound border collie and a 75-pound golden retriever.

The results of that study are expected this week, but it seems there won’t be a rush on pet seat belts: Researchers say only Sleepypod’s Clickit three-point safety harness consistently kept a dog in its place on the seat, and was also the only one that offered enough protection to passengers and the dog in an accident.

While pet restraints aren’t currently tested by the American Pet Products Association (or the federal government, traffic-safety groups or other product-safety groups, for that matter) the chief executive of the group says he hopes consumers will keep using them.

“Our members are continuously striving to develop products that enhance the lives, health and safety of pets,” he says.

At least they’ve finally got their own crash-test dummies, right? Cats are probably jealous when they’re not busy being indifferent.

For Crash-Test Dummy Dogs, Seat Belts A Bust [The Wall Street Journal]

Most people are really happy about the current trend to put bacon in every food item, but do you know who isn’t? Vegetarians, vegans, and people whose religions prohibit them from eating pork. Like the Muslim woman who ordered her Cobb salad without bacon, please, and claims that she ended up with bacon crumbles in her straw, instead.

Having lunch with a friend, she noticed that the server wasn’t being very friendly. “Me and my friend were like, ‘Let’s be extra nice to him, because maybe he’s not comfortable with us because we’re Muslim,” she told TV station WFAA. That server disappeared and someone else waited on them for the rest of the lunch.

As she left, the woman claims that someone offered her a to-go refill of her drink. That was a first, and she thought the restaurant was just being generous. Nope: she took a sip, and there were bacon pieces in her straw. As a convert 6 years ago from Christianity, she’s had bacon before. Also, bacon straws aren’t actually a thing. Yet. (Give it time.)

She went back to the store to complain, and the manager didn’t take her seriously. “Our wait staff does not have access to the kitchen and they wouldn’t do that on purpose,” she was told. The manager took the cup from her, so she no longer has evidence of the alleged prank.

TGI Friday’s is, of course, taking it very seriously. In a statement, they said:

We take this matter very seriously, as it would represent a gross violation of our values and the promise we make to each of our guests. We have been in contact with the guest, and we are working with her to investigate. We will take any appropriate actions necessary based on the findings.

She received an apology call from a company executive last night, and the company is still investigating the incident.

Garland restaurant contaminated her drink, Muslim woman says [WFAA]

Sad news, Consumerists. There was a brief, shining period beginning in 2009 when anyone, not just people affiliated with the military, could get checking and savings accounts from the almost-universally-beloved credit union USAA. Now that dream is over.

We’re not saying, of course, that the privilege of belonging to a great credit union shouldn’t be reserved for people who volunteer to serve in the armed forces. That’s a given. It was just nice to have the option available to civilians who are unhappy with their local bank and don’t mind not having a local branch in most of the country.

Check with your parents to find out whether they might be eligible: any honorably discharged member of the military is now eligible for membership. (My own Tax Dad, for example, grew up in the compulsory draft era and served in the Army.)

If you’re looking for a bank without physical branches that has most of the same perks as a USAA checking account, check out Charles Schwab Bank–readers tell us nice things about them. People in New Hampshire and North Carolina may still be able to get USAA car insurance if that interests them, and non-members who already have bank accounts get to keep them.

Who can become a member? [USAA]

Patrons of a heavy-metal themed burger joint in Chicago are used to wild, wacky and out-of-the-box creations. Such is the realm of heavy metal music, so it follows that burgers designed with that genre in mind aren’t going to be your usual fare. But the newest offering has some customers upset over the unconsecrated communion wafer resting atop the burger.

Kuma’s Corner named the burger The Ghost after Swedish metal band Ghost B.C., and designed the burger with that in mind: a 10-ounce burger topped with a red wine reduction and that controversial wafer, reports the Chicago Tribune. The band is known for its secretive nature, with members wearing hooded robes while the lead singer dresses as a Roman Catholic cardinal.

The joint’s director of operations says some customers have been offended so far, but it doesn’t sound like he’s ready to pull the burger.

“People have been kind of upset,” he said. “The thing with this is, the communion wafer is unconsecrated, so until that happens, it’s really just a cracker.”

He adds that the restaurant isn’t trying to convey a larger message with its choice of topping.

“It’s not a commentary on the state of religion or anything like that,” he explained. “It’s literally, ‘We like this band; we think what they do is cool.’”

One naysayer includes a Catholic food blogger, who admits that while the wafer isn’t consecrated, it’s still not a great move to include it on a burger.

“It’s not the Eucharist, but it’s still symbolic,” he said. “For us as Catholics, the Eucharist is more than a symbol, it’s a sacrament. At the same time, it doesn’t mean that symbols aren’t important. … It is a mockery of something that is holy. The same thing could be said of the band itself.”

Many of Kuma’s Facebook fans are on the other side of the fence, writing things like: “I find it offensive…that I’m 900 miles away and can’t eat one of these” and “Sacrilicious!”

Any customers who don’t want the wafer garnish can order the burger that way — or for those who really like the taste of unleavened bread, customers can always order extra with their meal.

What do you think?

Take Our Poll

Latest burger at Kuma’s: Tasty or tasteless? [Chicago Tribune]

Some people may disagree that it’s fair for a restaurant to charge a cancellation fee when someone misses their reservation. However, there’s pretty much no one who thinks that it’s fair to charge a cancellation fee because a customer uses a wheelchair and is literally unable to get in the door. 

It’s easy to reduce this story to “noble person with disability battles small-minded jerk restaurant owner,” but it’s more complex than that. The restaurant in question is Oxheart, a top and top-priced establishment in Houston with a small space in a very old building. The owner was under the mistaken belief that such buildings are “grandfathered in” and don’t need to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act, and told Houstonia magazine so.

Not so fast: all public businesses need to comply with the 1990 law in some way. However, there isn’t really any government entity that goes around checking for compliance, at least not in Houston. Someone turned away or inconvenienced can sue, but not everyone has the time and money to do that.

Just entering the building requires climbing some stairs. As it turns out, the restaurant has a portable ramp, but the article’s author (who happens to be a member of the dining party that included the wheelchair user) says that one wasn’t offered on the evening they were turned away. Would it have helped? Maybe not: not all portable ramps can accommodate all chairs or all people, and if a disabled customer needed to use the rest room, it isn’t accessible. The owner claims that staff did offer the customer one, but he said it wouldn’t work for his chair.

“I really want to serve every person I can,” the restaurant’s owner told Houstonia. We don’t doubt that: chefs want to serve food to people. The restaurant ultimately decided not to charge the party the $49 per person cancellation fee, and has also bought a sturdier portable ramp.

Standing Room Only [Houstonia]

You may remember the story from February of the 60-year-old man who was accused of getting really drunk on a Delta flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta and smacking a toddler and allegedly saying “shut that ni**er baby up” to the child’s mother. Yesterday, he agreed to a plea deal that could result with him serving up to six months behind bars.

The man, now 61, had initially entered a plea of not guilty. He does admit to having had something to drink during the flight, but intended to argue that he was exhausted, emotionally and physically at the time, as he was en route to Atlanta to have his adult son taken off life-support following an intentional insulin overdose that had left the son in a coma.

“He lost a child,” explained his attorney. “And to hear a child scream… he lost it. He was up for 24 hours determining whether to unplug his son.”

The man lost his job at an aerospace contractor after the incident made headlines around the world, and says he has not worked full-time since. He also says he’s been going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and getting counseling since being arrested.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the plea deal will cap his prison time at six months, half of what he could have faced if found guilty in a trial. He must also continue substance-abuse treatment and undergo anger-management counseling, which the man claims he’s already enrolled in.

The man’s fate will be determined in January when he returns to court for sentencing. His lawyer says her client hopes to receive probation.

“He’s already lost his son and his job,” she explained.

Twin panda cubs at Zoo Atlanta are healthy and growing. 

The world's deadliest lake perfectly preserves animal remains

Survival is impossible without food ... most of the time. 

DC Animal Control officials have confirmed that a mountain lion was seen in Northeast near the new Costco.

Furloughed federal workers got together near the closed Smithsonian museums today, and helped DC tourists find other things to do in our city while the government stays in partial shutdown mode.

Federal workers who are furloughed because of the government shutdown are filing for unemployment benefits.

Company reports 13 burned or suffered smoke inhalation

Would you ever pay $6,600 for a cell phone?

Twin panda cubs at Zoo Atlanta are healthy and growing. 

Take a look at these photos of one of the chicks being fed by its parents.