pileofcrapola

Thrift stores are great, but if you want to find unique items, shop at stores that are near design, fashion, and art schools. The students there are likely to sell or donate their hardly-used wares at those stores closest to class.

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Spring is in full swing, which means that camping trip you’ve been itching to take is just around the corner. Of course, you’ve also been meaning to buy the required gear too. Don’t worry, whether you’re a complete beginner or a vet looking to cover your bases, we’ve got you covered.

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Windows/Mac/Linux: Opera users just got a free, unlimited VPN you can use to encrypt your data or get around location-based restrictions on content. It’s currently in the dev version of Opera, but turning it on is as easy as flipping a switch.

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You might remember slamming, or switching someone’s long-distance carrier without their knowledge or permission, as a crime of the years just after phone deregulation, when the idea that one could switch long-distance carriers was novel. It’s a scam that still happens to people with landlines, though, and you should know how to prevent it, and what you should warn landline-having friends and relatives not to do.

There are two similar-sounding phone scams that work in similar ways. “Cramming” can also happen to mobile users, and is when a company adds charges for things like horoscopes by text or call-in services to your bill without you noticing. “Slamming” is when a customer’s long distance provider is changed without their permission.

How a man who went to CBS Sacramento’s consumer watchdog, Kurtis Ming, learned that he had been slammed was that he saw charges on his phone bill that he didn’t recognize. When he called up the company behind them, they played a recording of his voice assenting to… something.

He didn’t remember actually having the conversation that they played, but did remember answering a phone survey around the time that the billing switch happened. It was his voice saying “Mmhmm,” but he hadn’t given permission to switch his long distance carrier.

His phone provider, AT&T, explained that if a company engages in either slamming or cramming, they’ll suspend the company’s ability to bill you directly as a third party. Yet this same company paid a hefty FCC penalty a few years ago for the practice, meaning that they’ve probably been at this for a while.

Not answering “yes” to mysterious survey-givers over the phone is a good way to avoid a variety of scams. If you’re concerned that you or someone else might put charges like this on your phone bill, you can contact your provider to have a third party billing block put on your accoun. That applies to mobile phone accounts, too.

Call Kurtis: How To Prevent Companies From Cramming Your Phone Bill [

Less than a month after Carnival Cruise Line received the official go-ahead for crises from the United States to Cuba, the company’s May start date could be delayed. 

Carnival says it could push back scheduled trips from Miami to Cuba unless the destination country doesn’t change a policy that prohibits nationals from returning to the island by sea, the Associated Press reports.

The cruise line’s announcement that it might delay its maiden voyage to Cuba was made during a status hearing for a lawsuit filed against the company by two Cuban-Americans. A Miami judge on Thursday said he would consider the lawsuit.

The lawsuit challenged Carnival’s refusal to allow Cuban-born consumers to book trips on the upcoming voyages, calling the policy discriminatory. The company had said at the time that it had to adhere to Cuban law.

Carnival reversed that stance earlier this week, announcing it would begin accepting reservations from people born in Cuba in hopes that the Cuban government would overturn the prohibition on travel by ship before May 1.

If that doesn’t happen, the company says it is prepared to delay its trips.

“We remain confident that we will reach a positive outcome and we continue to work full speed ahead in preparing for our every-other-week sailings from Port Miami to Cuba,” Carnival CEO Arnold Donald said in an email to employees, the New York Times reports.

Last month, Cuban authorities said they’d granted permission to Carnival for the 740-passenger Adonia’s inaugural voyage from Miami to Havana departing May 1.

The trips will be the first time in more than 50 years that a cruise ship has traveled from the U.S. to the island nation.

Travelers will set sail on seven-day cruises with Carnival’s Fathom brand, which offers cultural exchange programs. That’s one of the approved categories of travel to the island nation under new rules which allow for “people-to-people educational travel.”

Judge to consider Cuban exile lawsuit against Carnival [The Associated Press]

The next time you eat a Papa John’s pizza, something will be missing, not that you’ll necessarily taste it. The chain says it has eliminated high-fructose corn syrup from its entire menu, as part of its “Better Ingredients. Better Pizza.” iniatitive.

The move is effective today and includes, again, everything: all pizza ingredients, pizza toppings, dessert items, and sauce selections.

“We are proud to announce that Papa John’s is the first national pizza chain to remove high fructose corn syrup from our entire food menu,” said Sean Muldoon, Papa John’s Chief Ingredient Officer. “We’ve always strived for high quality ingredients in our pizzas and continue our aggressive push toward cleaner ingredients and menu offerings.”

The company says it invested more than $100 million a year in its efforts to provide customers with a “superior product.” That includes a promise made in December 2015 to go antibiotic-free for its chicken toppings and poppers, effective this summer.

Then in January 2016, Papa John’s scrubbed its menu of all artificial flavors and synthetic colors. It followed that move the following month with its “Quality Guarantee” campaign, which promised to replace customers’ pizzas for free if their order was less than satisfactory.

As you may have heard earlier this week, one McDonald’s location in Missouri will be offering all-you-can-eat fries when it opens in July. That news got twisted in some media reports that gushed about the fries being a company test, leading to confusion among customers. That misconception has prompted the powers that be at McDonald’s corporate to clear things up: there’s no test, so don’t get your hopes up.

We know, it must have been exciting to envision a tray overflowing with French fries — nay, a swimming pool of French fries! that a customer could swim around in and gobble at their leisure. Sorry, guys.

“To celebrate its grand opening, the restaurant is offering all-you-can-eat fries for a limited promotion as a great shareable menu item for our customers,” a McDonald’s spokeswoman told the Chicago Tribune by email. She said there had been some “confusion” going on over the news, which has been spreading all over social media.

Again, even the offer at the yet-to-be-built Missouri McDonald’s has an end point, if you were planning a pilgrimage at some point in the future. Customers will eventually have to pay for all the fries they eat, just like the rest of us.

All-you-can-eat fries at McDonald’s or anywhere else? Not on your life! [Chicago Tribune]

WASHINGTON – A small earthquake rattled part of central Virginia on Wednesday night.

The U.S. Geological Survey says that a 2.0 magnitude quake hit shortly after 10 p.m. about 9 miles east-southeast of Louisa, in Louisa County.

No injuries have been reported.

A 2.3 magnitude earthquake was reported last month, on Easter Sunday, about eight miles south of Louisa.

In August 2011, a 5.8 magnitude quake in Louisa County was felt from Georgia to Canada.

The post Small earthquake hits central Va. appeared first on WTOP.

Good news, fantasy fans. HBO has just announced that its service will be free this weekend, from Friday to Monday. Just in time to catch the first episode of Game of Thrones season 6.

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Good news, fantasy fans. HBO has just announced that its service will be free this weekend, from Friday to Monday. Just in time to catch the first episode of Game of Thrones season 6.

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Taking screenshots of your phone is so easy, everyone can do it. Taking a video of your screen is a bit harder. Here’s how to record your phone’s screen, when you need to show someone what’s happening on your phone.

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We don’t always get to collaborate with people who have mastered the nuances of communication in the workplace. You may not be able to change the behavior of others, but you can at least learn to effectively deal with them to minimize the impact and suffering on you, your confidence, and your work.

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Some people think you can just toss some pancake batter into a waffle iron and call it good. Not so. If you really want a great waffle, the secret is some carefully whipped egg whites.

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We’ve mentioned before that certain beers go well with certain foods , but this chart shows you which beer flavors pair best with different types of food. You have more flexibility with these more general pairings because you’re not limited to matching specific beers with specific dishes, so you can reach for your favorite brew that matches up well.

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WASHINGTON — The Prince George’s County firefighter killed last week while responding to a 911 call has been posthumously promoted to lieutenant. It was announced at his funeral Wednesday.

“He lost his life doing what he loved,” Prince George’s County Executive Rushern Baker said during the funeral of Firefighter/Medic Lieutenant John “Skillet” Ulmschneider, 37, who was fatally shot last Friday.

Hundreds of firefighters from around the Metropolitan Washington region and from as far away as New Jersey attended the funeral mass at St. John’s Church in St. Mary’s County. So many were in attendance that a loud speaker projected the service to crowds outside, and a video feed showed the mass to hundreds seated on bleachers and foldout chairs in the gym of the school that adjoins the church.

During the funeral, Ulmschneider was remembered as being a gallon of gumption squeezed into a quart container with equal parts muscle, determination and silly. He was remembered as someone who wouldn’t just give you the shirt off his back, but his socks too.

“It is said that a good firefighter knows how, but a great firefighter knows why,” Baker said. “John knew why. His ‘why’ were the people he served. His commitment to service made him special and beloved.”

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan spoke at the funeral, and said Ulmschneider lived and died as a hero who will never be forgotten. Hogan and U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., each presented Ulmschneider’s family with flags flown over the U.S. and state capitols.

In addition to giving the family the flag that was flying over the fire department’s headquarters the day Ulmschneider was fatally shot, Prince George’s County Fire Department Chief Marc Bashoor also presented survivors with Ulmschneider’s Medal of Valor and meritorious service award.

The post Posthumous promotion for Md. firefighter fatally shot appeared first on WTOP.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR has suspended the Xfinity Series crew chief for Ty Dillon for a penalty at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Nick Harrison was hit Wednesday with a P3 penalty because his Richard Childress Racing entry did not use a proper spoiler assembly and extension.

Harrison was also fined $10,000 and placed on probation through the end of the year.

NASCAR also warned RCR that the car driven by Brandon Jones failed the Laser Inspection Station at Bristol. It’s the team’s second warning and they will lose 15 minutes of practice time this weekend at Richmond.

The post NASCAR suspends Xfinity Series crew chief for Ty Dillon appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — The safety of area fire and EMS workers is a top concern after one firefighter was killed and another was seriously injured in Temple Hills. The two had forced their way into a home Friday after being asked to check on a person inside, who opened fire.

“We just never thought in our time that we’d have to worry about our first responders being targeted, or accidentally shot or attacked,” said Brett Garrett, chief of Green Pond Fire and Rescue/West Alabama Emergency Services, and a member of the National EMS Advisory Council. He said uncertainty about emergency calls has led departments to increasingly consider the use of bulletproof vests.

“More and more systems are issuing body armor to providers. The issue you have is the cost of this,” Garrett said. Also, while newer gear is lighter and less cumbersome, it can still be problematic for emergency workers.

“Is it an issue wearing body armor under turnout gear? Of course,” he said.

Garrett said the use of body armor by non-police emergency workers goes back a couple of decades, but that it was usually used on an “as-needed” basis, in situations known to be especially dangerous.

However, in some areas, the use of body armor at all times has become mandatory. EMS workers in Cleveland, for instance, now must wear bulletproof vests on every call.

“I see things are actually changing now, more cities are getting [the vests],” Cleveland EMS Commissioner Nicole Carlton tells WTOP.

“It’s an investment… you do have to replace them every five years,” she says, adding that several cities have reached out to her for guidance on creating similar policies for mandating the use of vests.

Firefighters in Cleveland also will be getting the vests this year, according to Fire Chief Angelo Calvillo. However, he does not believe it is possible to wear the vests during the course of all firefighting duties.

“The physical work and strain – it would just compound that,” Calvillo says, “For me, in my experience, it would be a difficult task.”

In Prince George’s County, certain medics who work with the police SWAT team are given body armor, according to Fire/EMS spokesman Mark Brady. He said the issue of equipping more of the county’s emergency workers with vests has been the subject of discussion for years, and that the recent tragedy might provide motivation for the department to take action.

Representatives for fire and EMS departments in D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County also say that body armor is not a standard-issue item to their emergency workers. A D.C. Fire and EMS spokesman said firefighters and EMS workers are strongly encouraged to involve police if they feel they may be in danger.

Nationally, agencies have been pushed to offer their workers more protection. A 2013 report from the Federal Interagency Committee on EMS echoed earlier calls to provide bulletproof vests to EMS personnel.

In 2014, the Federal Emergency Management Agency encouraged states to use federal grant money to purchase body armor for fire and EMS personnel who may respond to active shooter situations and mass casualty incidents.

A 2015 Department of Homeland Security report encouraged the “incorporation of ballistic vests … into the EMS and fire professions, when active shooter threats and situations warrant.”

The post Firefighters mull body armor in wake of recent attacks appeared first on WTOP.

PotomacLocal.com

Manassas shop owner says landlord put a cork on her business PotomacLocal.com Less than a year after she opened her wine and cheese shop, Darlene Sorge is calling it quits. It's not because she wants to, either. Sorge owns Center Street Gourmet, a specialty food store on the corner of Center and West streets in Downtown Manassas.

Last December, researchers from the University of Maryland put out a press release claiming — without showing any of the science to back up the assertions — that a certain brand of chocolate milk could improve cognitive skills of concussed athletes. The study — paid for by the chocolate milk company — was widely derided and the school has since admitted that the press release was rushed and botched. So what was the hurry in getting this incomplete science news out there? Apparently, in the hopes of riding the coattails of a new Will Smith movie.

The AP reports that emails between a university professor and the owner of chocolate milk company discuss the importance of timing the announcement of the sketchy study to the Christmas 2015 release of Concussion, the film in which Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu, the doctor whose reputation was smeared by the NFL after he tried to spotlight the link between football-related concussions and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

The company’s owner also correctly predicted that the press release would be heavily scrutinized and attacked, saying they needed to “talk through every element of the press release” to make sure it was backed up by the data.

The professor in charge of the study — who is a biomechanics expert without any prior experience in nutritional/supplementation research — then sent drafts of the study’s abstract to the milk company owner for approval.

While the messages discuss the importance of having the study’s claims backed up by the data, in one email, the professor writes that he was “trying to figure out how to report the football results because there are some ‘negative’ results.”

When the press release was made public, the backlash from the scientific community was harsh, as no actual data was included in the release, and no copies of the study were made available to the public or for peer review by other researchers.

In response to the criticism, the school initially said that the data was not released because it was preliminary. But the critics fired back, noting that if the results were preliminary, then the lead researcher should not have explicitly endorsed the product with statements like, “Our data suggest that athletes may be ready faster and better for the next game or practice if they drink [this brand of] chocolate milk.”

The press release also included a statement from a local school superintendent who said his district would be providing the chocolate milk to all its athletes “Now that we understand the findings of this study”… even though the finds were, at best, vague.

An internal University of Maryland review of the study and of the press release criticized the project — part of the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS), which teams up state school researchers with local companies — for these “troubling” endorsements.

The investigation also questioned the entire point of the study. Rather than use the MIPS program to develop or improve a product using science, this appeared to be solely an attempt on the part of the chocolate milk company to bolster its marketing. The review noted that if this were a truly unbiased study, it would not have focused solely on results for a single product without comparing it to other beverages.

In the end, the school chose to return the full $228,910 in funding it had received from the milk company for this study.

Buying an item on Amazon’s site doesn’t mean that you’re necessarily buying that item from Amazon. This can lead to serious confusion when you try to make a warranty claim, and seriously confuses some customers when a box from Walmart shows up on their doorstep with their Amazon order. Why would that happen? If a box from a different retailer shows up on your doorstep, it means that your seller is playing the retail arbitrage game and breaking Amazon’s rules.

When you shop on Amazon, you can buy either from Amazon.com itself, or from a Marketplace seller. These sellers could be anyone from your next-door neighbor who bought an extra pack of Sharpies to massive, nationwide wholesalers. Thanks to Fulfilled by Amazon, third-party sellers can have their items ship from Amazon’s warehouses and be part of the Prime program.

When a Re/Code reader reported receiving a Sam’s Club order after she purchased from Amazon, the seller claimed to use 20 different warehouses, and to ship directly from a vendor only when they’re out of stock of something. Sam’s Club is their vendor? While warehouse clubs do supply businesses, retail customers can also order from them directly.

Sellers small and large alike use retail arbitrage to get items into their inventory: a prominent recent example was when some Walmart stores across the country closed, and entrepreneurs loaded up on merchandise that they could sell at discounted prices on Amazon, eBay, or other venues. It’s simply taking advantage of low prices, liquidation, or loss leaders at one store and selling the items at retail elsewhere.

What’s against Amazon’s rules, though, is receiving an order, finding that another retailer sells it for cheaper, and ordering directly from the competitor to have it delivered to a customer’s house. That’s called drop shipping, and some marketplaces do allow it, but Amazon isn’t one of them. If you receive a box shipped to you directly from Walmart, Sam’s Club, or another retailer that isn’t the Marketplace seller, you should report it to Amazon. Drop shipping can lead to loss of the seller’s Amazon privileges.

Why your Amazon delivery sometimes comes in a Walmart box [Re/Code]

Last fall, Microsoft issued a software update on the Xbox One’s second birthday that included backward compatibility that allows owners to play some of their old Xbox 360 games on the newer console. With that feature firmly in place, Microsoft announced Wednesday that it will say goodbye to the 10-year-old console. 

Microsoft said in a blog post on Wednesday that it has shut down production of the Xbox 360, noting that manufacturing a product that’s a decade old isn’t as feasible as it once was.

“Xbox 360 means a lot to everyone in Microsoft,” Xbox Chief Phil Spencer explained in the post. “Which is why we have made the decision to stop manufacturing new Xbox 360 consoles.”

The company plans to continue to sell existing inventory of the consoles, and will support existing 360s with regard to hardware and software.

For example, Xbox 360 owners will continue to receive Xbox Live services for their console, such as online multiplayer gaming and parties and access to the apps they use today, the company says.

Xbox Live servers that support Xbox 360 services will also remain online and active, so that users can continue to play games online.

Additionally, 360 owners will continue to be able to buy games and accessories at retailers and online.

“I want to personally thank the Xbox community – that includes the vast and diverse audience of gamers, developers and publishers who brought so much passion and creativity to the Xbox 360,” Spencer said. “You are the heart of what we do at TEAM XBOX, and you have been critical to the success of Xbox 360.”

Whenever there’s any kind of friction between passengers, flight attendants have to get involved and try to sort out the situation. While sometimes it’s just a matter of smoothing ruffled feathers over a seating mixup or asking a rambunctious group to settle down, playing referee can get a lot more complicated when passengers turn nasty about their fellow travelers.

Gillian Brockwell, a former flight attendant “for a major carrier” writing for The Washington Post, explains how she learned to navigate the awkward situation of dealing with passengers who expect flight crew to be their accomplice “in their racism, their homophobia, their cruel joke about the larger person seated next to them or their conviction that the mother in front of them should drug their child to shut them up.”

She says flight attendants are trained extensively in evaluating suspicious behavior, training that infuses staff with “an automatic paranoid vigilance” that prompts them to take every threat seriously — if they’re wrong, the cost is much too high not to.

“But nowhere does it recommend you accept a passenger’s assessment of a situation, and nowhere does it teach that speaking Arabic is cause for suspicion,” she notes, referring to the recent news story about a Southwest Airlines passenger who was removed from a flight for speaking Arabic on the phone.

She gives the example of a woman she encountered on a flight in 2009 who had alerted her to a “suspicious” passenger. She thanked her, and told her she’d check it out.

“I watched the man closely as he stepped onto the plane, checking for signs of a terrorist. Was he jittery? Nope. Was he sweating? A little bit, but we were in South Florida; I was sweating, too,” she writes. “Was he wearing unseasonable clothing, like a big coat in the summertime? No. In fact, his Green Bay Packers jersey perfectly fit the season — football season.”

Upon further assessment, everything checked out — he conversed normally, he wasn’t sitting stiffly and clutching his bag in his seat, and was instead slouched in his seat, watching the seatback TV.

“In fact, the only thing he appeared to have in common with the 9/11 hijackers was that he was brown,” Brockwell writes. “He could have been Punjabi or Puerto Rican, I have no idea. He could have been Catholic, or Sikh, or one of the many hundreds of millions of Muslims who have nothing to do with terrorism.”

Instead of returning to the woman passenger, she says she simply let it go and had no further discussion with either passenger, beyond the normal scope of her duties.

When passengers reported an issue, it’s not like flight attendants know what their life experience has been.

“That’s why it was so important that we made assessments based on training. In this case, being friendly and being vigilant should have called for the same thing: a conversation,” she says.”Anyone who makes a snap judgment from the cocoon of the galley has no business being a flight attendant.”

I used to be a flight attendant. Dealing with passengers’ racism is part of the job. [The Washington Post]

For a certain kind of reader — the kind who can go through three books a week easy on her commute, let’s say — an unlimited subscription, wireless, e-book service sounds like a dream come true. That’s what Amazon promises with their Kindle Unlimited service, but the plan may be backfiring — not so much on readers, but on authors and on Amazon itself.

At the core of the problem is the way participating self-published authors get paid: by the page. Amazon launched this particular program last summer, at which time it seemed that authors who chose to enroll in Kindle Unlimited this way would get just over half a cent per page read.

So mathematically, for an author to make $1000, Kindle Unlimited subscribers have to read about 16,700 pages of their work. If you’ve written a 350-page novel, that’s about 48 cover-to-cover readers, give or take. So far so good, right?

But what the scammers quickly glommed onto, as the New York Observer reports, is that Amazon is not, in fact, being completely intrusive on its readers’ privacy. Instead, it’s counting page views based on the reader’s farthest synced position. In other words, if you read 75 pages on your Kindle today, then turn the WiFi on and sync it, Amazon will mark you at page 75. If you never pick up the book again, that’s your furthest synced point. If it’s a 300 page book and you finish it, page 300 is your furthest synced point.

But e-books don’t have to be linear. You might, for example, open up a new Kindle book and find it has a link on the first page, to take you to a later chapter or a table of contents or another language. Tapping that link could put you hundreds of pages into the book — which means that the author of that file is now making money off you, even if you haven’t read a word… or even if there’s not a single real word there to be read.

And that is exactly what’s happening. Scammers are basically uploading “books” that are nothing but files full of nonsense with some link on page 1 that puts readers on page 300 or 3000 (the maximum page length for which Amazon will pay out) almost instantly. In between there’s nothing but nonsense, but the scammer can use click farms to drive up the ranking of their book and so people download it anyway.

The user hasn’t paid for this book directly, because they have an unlimited subscription, so they just close the file, forget about it, and move on to the next. But if dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of readers get tricked into the same maneuver, that “author” has just made a decent amount of money for something like 15 minutes’ worth of total work.

What it does do, though, is squeeze out actual self-published authors who spent time penning their prose and are hoping for Amazon customers actually to read it. There’s a limited pool of cash Amazon will pay out to Unlimited authors each month. It’s a fairly large pool, granted — last month it was just shy of $15 million according to the Observer — but every dollar scammers take is a dollar that then can’t go to a new, as-yet-widely-undiscovered author.

Right now, the scammers are mostly an inconvenience to readers and authors alike. But the bigger they get, the fewer people are going to trust their work to Kindle Unlimited, and the less decent stuff there will be for subscribers to read. That, in turn, will mean fewer subscribers for Amazon. So it’s in their best interest to do what they can to clamp down on anyone gaming the system now, which it seems they are trying to do.

How Amazon Kindle Unlimited Scammers Wring Big Money From Phony Books [Observer]

As we’ve discussed in the past, even in states where recreational marijuana is now legal, businesses are still figuring out how the heck to handle their financial obligations like banking and paying taxes, as the drug remains a Schedule I controlled substance in the eyes of the federal government. Oregon has now figured out a safe way for weed dealers to pay the taxes they owe the state, and the process sounds like something out of a movie.

In the first two months of the year, Oregon brought in $6.84 million in recreational pot sales — which is more than twice the $3 million that had been projected for the entire year, the Associated Press reports.

But collecting that money is a complicated process, especially when more than half of the state’s dealers are paying their taxes with cash. The popularity of cash tax payments is because dealers, as in other states, are having a hard time accessing traditional banking methods.

In order to accommodate those people safely, the Oregon Department of Revenue set up a spot at its Salem headquarters that acts like the Impenetrable Fortress in keeping the general public out, and keeping those inside safe.

There’s quite a few steps in getting the cash from the hands of the dealers into the hands of the state. The AP got a rundown of the process, which we find kind of fascinating in a “isn’t this a scene in Casino?” way. Sit back, and pretend Robert DeNiro is narrating.

1. Dealers call the Marijuana Tax Program hotline and make an appointment, and are asked to fill out a voucher with the business’ details and bring it to the appointment for the state’s record-keeping.

2. Once they arrive at the Department of Revenue, the pot dealers — toting their cash in a duffel bag, briefcase, laundry hamper or whatever they choose to transport it in — take an elevator to an upper floor.

3. Upon their arrival, pot dealers pick up a phone on the wall and dial a five-digit number, as a sign instructs, which confirms their appointment. They’re buzzed through a door.

4. At the Cash Transaction Unit, the cash carrier steps up to a window similar to those frequented by bank tellers, with security cameras, monitors, and a retired police officer watching.

5. Cash and the voucher are placed in a bullet-proof metal deposit drop, and a worker picks it up on the other side. The dealer then waits while a cash-counting machine does its job and workers upload the information.

6. The money goes into another bag and is carted off to an undisclosed area, where it will be picked up by an armored car and delivered to the state’s bank.

This happens on an almost daily basis, the AP notes, as pot dealers pay their taxes every month instead of quarterly. Those not paying in cash send payments through the mail by way of bank checks, money orders, and cashier’s checks.

Colorado and Washington have similar systems in place as well, but according the AP, officials are hesitant to discuss the process out of security concerns.

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How Oregon pot dealers pay taxes [Associated Press]

You probably thought that just because fall is months away, that means you won’t have to read about any new pumpkin spice flavored products going on the market. Don’t be silly: today, General Mills announced that pumpkin spice Cheerios are a real thing that will be happening. None of us are safe.

General Mills seems to be using the logic that limited-time novelty flavors are working out for the candy and cookie industries, so perhaps they could work to attract attention to the Cheerios brand. While there’s a surprising variety of Cheerio flavors on the market, they haven’t tried limited-time flavors since 2000. (There’s a difference between failed flavors that don’t stick around for long, and limited-time flavors that are meant to be seasonal.)

The spring and summer limited-time flavor is strawberry, which you should be able to find on shelves now if it interests you. Pumpkin spice will arrive when pumpkin spice season does, which is usually around Labor Day, but can inexplicably come as early as July.

The cereal industry as a whole has been declining in recent years, as Americans have turned away from gluten and carbohydrates and toward breakfast options that are even more portable, like fast food or cereal bars.

General Mills Bets on Pumpkin Spice Cheerios to Boost Brand [Bloomberg]

With only one day to go before Volkswagen is supposed to present a workable fix for more than 500,000 diesel vehicles equipped with “defeat devices” designed to cheat emission standards, the carmaker has reportedly reached a deal with U.S. regulators that includes the company paying billions of dollars to compensate owners. 

Reuters, citing German newspaper Die Welt, reports that unidentified sources say Volkswagen will provide owners of emission-cheating vehicles with as much as $5,000 in order to start putting the scandal behind the company and avoid a trial.

Sources close to the negotiations between VW and regulators say that the deal is expected to be presented to U.S. Federal Judge Charles Breyer Thursday.

Last month, Breyer gave VW until April 21 to provide him with a detailed plan to bring the affected vehicles into compliance with clean air laws and compensate owners, or risk going to trial.

That directive was a one-month extension of a previous deadline the judge has issued the carmaker, noting at the time that six months was long enough for VW to find a solution to the issue, emphasizing that every day the cars remain in use additional pollution is emitted.

The sources tell Die Welt that the deal, which doesn’t include a detailed plan to fix the affected cars, isn’t set in stone and could be modified in the future.

VW to pay each U.S. customer $5,000 to settle dieselgate: Die Welt [Reuters]

It’s a scene straight out of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, which is the only movie anyone ever quotes in these situations: a customer who took his Audi in for servicing in California says his car’s dash-cam captured a service technician taking his wheels for a joyride.

The car owner posted the video claiming that the tech veered from the usual test ride, racing the vehicle at high speeds, and snorting something in the car at oone point, CBS San Francisco reports (warning: link contains video that auto plays).

GPS information in the dash-cam video shows the driver speeding down a street at 53 miles per hour — and apparently enjoying it, if you’ll please note the high-pitched giggle at 1:10 and chuckle at 1:22.

He stops for a break, at which point viewers are treated to the sound of the man taking two deep, long sniffs. He races away again, blasting some upbeat tunes and revving the engine to get to 65 mph to hit a curve that’s marked with a 25 mph speed limit. He hits the freeway and pushes the pedal to get up to 77 mph.

The general manager of the Audi dealership did not confirm the authenticity of the the dash-cam footage nor comment on whether the employee in question has been terminated, but offered a statement to the news station.

“An unfortunate incident was brought to our attention earlier this week. We immediately began our investigation and have already taken action.”

Police told CBS they aren’t investigating the alleged incident, noting that the streets in the video are close to at least two dealerships and mechanics often use them for high-speed test drives.

Dash Cam Video Shows Alleged Audi Tech’s Palo Alto Joyride In Customer’s Car [CBS San Francisco]

Prince William County crime report Washington Post These were among incidents reported by Prince William County police. For information, call 703-792-7245. CATHARPIN AREA. THEFT/BREAK-IN. Sudley Rd., 4900 block, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jewelry was stolen from a residence. HAYMARKET AREA. and more »

Prince William County community calendar, April 21-27, 2016 Washington Post American Business Women's Association meeting Guest speaker Dorri Scott, publisher of Virginia Woman Magazine Group presents “The Power of Story.” 11:30 a.m. Stratford University, 14349 Gideon Dr., Woodbridge. 703-615-1575. abwanvcc.org.

Four states and Washington, D.C., have already legalized recreational marijuana use, while medical marijuana use is currently legal (or about to become legal) in around 20 states — not to mention the many states that have decriminalized the drug. At the same time, tobacco use continues to decline and the few remaining cigarette giants can only merge with each other so many times. So is Big Tobacco destined to become Big Marijuana?

The tobacco industry, for all its feigned ignorance about the health hazards of its products, is not stupid and has been thinking about dabbling in marijuana since at least the 1960s.

“We are in the business of relaxing people who are tense and providing a pick up for people who are bored or depressed. The human needs that our product fills will not go away,” reads an internal Philip Morris memo from 1970, making the argument that pot could be hazardous, not to the moral fabric of America, but to the tobacco industry’s bottom line. “Thus, the only real threat to our business is that society will find other means of satisfying these needs.”

In the decades since, we’ve seen tobacco use plummet in the U.S., with fewer than 20% of adults smoking cigarettes — though smoking is still the leading preventable cause of death, according to the Surgeon General.

To combat the shrinking domestic audience, the number of companies making cigarettes has been reduced to what is effectively a duopoly. In 1994, when then-Congressman Henry Waxman called the heads of the nation’s largest tobacco companies to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health and the Environment, there were executives from seven different companies there. If Congress were to hold that hearing today, there would be only three: Altria, Reynolds — which together comprise nearly 80% of the U.S. market — and the significantly smaller Liggett. Further consolidation stateside just isn’t an option.

Over at Bloomberg Gadfly, columnists Tara Lachapelle and Rani Molla make the argument that it’s not a matter of “if” the tobacco industry will get into the pot business, but “when” that change will happen.

They point out that there is a reported $45 billion a year consumer demand for marijuana in the U.S., more than chocolate or wine, and about half the demand for tobacco or beer.

However, the demand for tobacco is expected to continue to decline while alternatives like e-cigarettes are expected to grow in popularity.

Analysts tell Bloomberg that the demand for marijuana is too big for Big Tobacco to ignore, especially when you consider that these giant cigarette producers have some equipment and processes that could be easily repurposed for the production of commercial pot products.

While Altria and Reynolds have both previously denied any current interest in pursuing marijuana, it seems like they are fated to head that route as the nation moves toward legalization on the federal level.

Lachapelle and Molla conclude that the “reality of marijuana joints in big brand-name packaging may still seem far away. But it’s coming a lot sooner than you think. Companies doing the groundwork and getting ready to pounce will have a first-mover advantage.”