No matter where you travel, you want your hotel room to be a place you can take a load off and relax. It’s hard to do that, however, if you don’t feel comfortable and safe. This hotel safety checklist from a former CIA operative can help.
All our pets want in life is a comfy bed, good food, and a solid routine. But nope, they’re at the whim of our major life decisions, and sometimes that means moving. Whether you’re transporting them across the city, country, or even the world, a few simple steps can make the experience a little easier on them—and on yourself, too.
PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) — Authorities say they found at least 50 puppies and small dogs in steel crates inside a van behind a northern New Jersey pet store.
Paramus Police Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg says two officers found the dogs behind Just Pups on Route 17 after they heard crying from inside the vehicle. The officers found several small crates, each with two to four puppies and small dogs inside.
Investigators say the crates were too small for some of the dogs to stand up. Ehrenberg says they contained no food or water and some of the dogs were covered in feces.
Ehrenberg says the temperature inside the van was 38 degrees.
Police say the van is registered to the store owner, who had his business license revoked last week.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — State officials say a sewage leak has caused a major fish kill in a lake near the Mississippi River in west Tennessee.
Kelly Brockman, a spokeswoman with the Tennessee’s Department of Environment and Conservation, said Tuesday that the number of fish killed in McKellar Lake in Memphis is in the thousands.
Officials say a broken sewage line is dumping up to 50 million gallons of untreated wastewater per day into Cypress Creek. The leak into the creek began Thursday. The creek runs into McKellar Lake, which flows into the Mississippi. Officials say the creek and the lake are not sources of drinking water.
Officials have said the spill poses no immediate risk to the public, but they also said people should avoid touching or fishing in both bodies of water. City crews have placed warning signs in the area near the creek, and a marina that provides access to the lake has been closed.
Memphis public works officials have said a bypass around the damaged section of line is estimated to be in place on Wednesday.
Construction to replace the sewer line could take three to four months, with an estimated repair cost of $8 million to $10 million, said Robert Knecht, director of the Memphis Public Works Division.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Hacking for ransom is on the rise — on pace to beat out last year’s figures — and hits people where it hurts, locking them out of files, photos and critical records until they pay hackers a bounty to restore their access. Hackers bait users to click on infected email links or open infected attachments, or they take advantage of outdated and vulnerable systems.
Victims see important files scrambled into encrypted gobbledygook, as an electronic ransom note warns that if they ever want to see those files again in a readable format, they must pay money in virtual currency, known as bitcoin.
Last year’s 2,453 reports of ransomware hackings totaled a reported loss of $24.1 million, making up nearly one-third of the complaints over the past decade. They also represented 41 percent of the $57.6 million in reported losses since 2005. Such losses are significantly higher than any paid ransoms because companies routinely include remediation costs, lost productivity, legal fees and sometimes even the price of lost data in their estimates.
What’s priceless is avoiding the hack altogether.
Here are five tips to make yourself a less likely victim:
MAKE SAFE AND SECURE BACKUPS
Once your files are encrypted, it’s nearly always game over. Backups often are out of date and missing critical information.
Ransomware has become increasingly sophisticated and effective at separating users from the contents of their computers. For example, sometimes it targets backup files on an external drive. You should make multiple backups — to cloud services and using physical disk drives, at regular and frequent intervals. It’s a good idea to back up files to a drive that remains entirely disconnected from your network.
UPDATE AND PATCH YOUR SYSTEMS
The recent samsam virus-like attack takes advantage of at least two security vulnerabilities on servers, including one discovered in 2007. Updating software will take care of some bad vulnerabilities. Browsers such as Chrome will automatically update behind the scenes, saving you the time and deterring hackers.
USE ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE
It’s basic but using antivirus will at least protect you from the most basic, well-known viruses by scanning your system against the known fingerprints of these viruses. Low-end criminals take advantage of less savvy users with such known viruses even though malware is constantly changing and antivirus is frequently days behind detecting it.
EDUCATE YOUR WORKFORCE
Basic cyber hygiene such as ensuring workers don’t click on questionable links or open suspicious attachments can save headaches. System administrators should ensure that employees don’t have unnecessary access to parts of the network that aren’t critical to their work. This helps limit the spread of ransomware if hackers do get into your system.
IF HIT, DON’T WAIT AND SEE
When hackers hit MedStar Health Inc., the hospital chain shut down its network as soon as it discovered ransomware on its systems. That action prevented the continued encryption — and possible loss — of more files. Hackers will sometimes encourage you to keep your computer on and attached to the network but don’t be fooled.
If you’re facing a ransom demand and locked out of your files, law enforcement and cybersecurity experts discourage paying ransoms because it incentivizes hackers and pays for their future attacks. There’s also no guarantee all files will be restored. Many organizations without updated backups may decide regaining access to critical files, such as customer data, and avoiding public embarrassment is worth the cost.
The hackers, of course, are counting on that.
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Follow Tami Abdollah on Twitter at https://twitter.com/latams .
PEQUANNOCK, N.J. (AP) — A biker has been arrested four months after police say he led them on a chase through the streets of New Jersey that reached 160 mph — a pursuit he recorded on video and posted online.
Anthony Darrigo, 20, of Wanaque, was charged Wednesday with eluding police with risk of severe bodily injury and resisting arrest.
A police officer began chasing Darrigo on Dec. 10 after seeing him driving the motorcycle on its rear wheel on state Route 23. But instead of pulling over, Darrigo sped up, authorities said.
Officers from Pequannock and Riverdale later joined the pursuit.
A video from Darrigo’s helmet camera showed him weaving in and out of traffic on a highway and through a residential area, where the pursuit was then called off.
Darrigo then fled northbound onto Interstate 287. His speedometer showed him going 160 mph.
“Unbelievable, insane disregard for public safety is what pops into my mind,” Pequannock Police Capt. Christopher De Puyt told WNBC-TV.
Officers couldn’t read the motorcycle’s license plate because it had been bent up under the rear fender, De Puyt told the Daily Record.
But the video was posted on YouTube and police traced it to Darrigo.
Darrigo told NBC 4 in New York on Wednesday that he was “nervous” when police pulled him over.
“I don’t know why I did it, just all in the heat of the moment,” he said.
Police have seized his dirt bike, helmet, camera, laptop and jacket.
Darrigo, whose leg is broken from a bike crash about a month ago, said he’s been riding his entire life and will never stop. He said he plans to ride more carefully in the future.
NEW HOLLAND, Pa. (AP) — An abandoned horse later found shot more than 100 times with paintballs in central Pennsylvania has been released from a veterinary hospital.
The 20-year-old horse named Lily was found at the New Holland Sales Stables last month. Police say the horse was hit by about 130 paintballs at close range and needed surgery to remove its injured right eye.
The case remains under investigation as authorities try to figure out who shot the animal with the paintballs.
Officials at the New Bolton Center say the horse has been discharged and is now at a recovery barn so her condition can be monitored.
When you work in a restaurant, don’t put anything on a customer’s ticket that you wouldn’t want them to see. If you want to know why, you can take a look back in our archives… or just ask the couple in Texas who are annoyed with a local churrascaria that identified them on their receipt as “CHAIR.”
“I’m not one to really get offended,” the male half of the couple told CBS 4 in Miami. “Our order was fine and our food was delicious but I think it’s a good opportunity to educate people that someone in a chair isn’t just a chair. There is more to that person than the chair.”
CBS 4 in Miami followed up with the owner of the meat-centered mobile restaurant, who explained that she wasn’t singling the couple out and dehumanizing them: she generally uses shorthand physical descriptions of people, especially what they’re wearing, on tickets. “I [would] put ‘polo shirt’,” she explained to a reporter on-camera.
She didn’t see the problem with this system, but promised to stop if it bothers customers. “If they took offense, I apologize,” she said. “It was not meant in that manner. If that’s the case, I make sure it doesn’t happen again.” She also invited the couple to come back for a personal apology.
Six months after Best Buy jumped on the same-day delivery bandwagon by launching a pilot program in San Francisco, the electronics retailer plans to expand those tests to additional cities around the country.
Best Buy unveiled plans this week to expand same-day delivery of everything from phone chargers to laptops to additional cities served by delivery partner Deliv.
In addition to San Francisco and New York, which was added to the tests earlier this year, customers in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. can place orders through BestBuy.com and have them delivered in a matter of hours.
Best Buys says that customers can choose the quick-shipping option by selecting “expedited shipping” when checking out. Fees for same-day delivery vary between $10 to $20 per order. Best Buy already offers customers the choice of in-store pickup.
Orders must be placed on BestBuy.com by 3 p.m. local time and will be delivered by 9 p.m. that day. Same-day shipping is not available on Sunday or for items that weigh more than 50 pounds.
“The same-day delivery initiative is part of Best Buy’s ongoing commitment to improving the in-store and online shopping experience,” the company says. “We want our shoppers to be able to get what they want, when and where they want it.”
Update: August 21, 2018 In a 47-page indictment today, federal prosecutors formally charged Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and his wife Margaret with wire fraud, falsifying records, campaign finance violations, and conspiracy involving $250,000 of campaign funds. That includes $1,528.68 spent "at Steam Games on video games" in 2015, according to the criminal complaint.
Margaret Hunter claimed at one point those purchases were "personal" and put on the campaign credit card in error, according to the documents. The campaign later promised in FEC reports that the Hunter family would pay back over $1,300 in Steam purchases from personal funds for this reason. But in 2016, according to the charging documents, Margaret Hunter falsely told her bank that the Steam charges were "fraudulent" and received a $1,302 credit for the purchases.
The indictment also alleges the Hunters used campaign funds for lavish personal spending on vacations, clothing, food and drink, salon trips, dental work, and more while concealing this spending from the FEC and investigators.
In late 2011, the Environmental Protection Agency published a draft report on an investigation of groundwater contamination near Pavillion, Wyoming, where fracking had jump-started an oil and natural gas field that includes the Wind River Reservation. It's an unusual geologic setting, with little separation between the drinking water aquifer and the rocks being fracked for gas. Add poorly sealed gas wells, the draft report concluded, and you get fracking contamination that appeared to have reached the drinking water aquifer.
Controversy ensued, and the EPA withdrew from the investigation before the report was ever finalized, giving the state of Wyoming control.
One of the EPA scientists leading the investigation, Dominic DiGiulio, subsequently took a job at Stanford University. Along with Stanford colleague Rob Jackson, DiGiulio has tabulated all the EPA data that was sitting in scientific limbo—DiGiulio even went as far as using a Freedom of Information Act request to access EPA data from a couple of water samples that weren’t published.
DENVER (AP) — Fewer Americans are visiting libraries — which means they’re missing out on the changes at such institutions, according to results of a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday at the Public Library Association’s annual conference in Denver.
Pew has been asking American adults whether they visited a library in the past year. The first time, in 2012, 53 percent said yes. That has dropped steadily, to 44 percent last year.
The trend is worrying, but such numbers should not be the only way the importance of libraries is measured, said Vailey Oehlke, president of the Public Library Association, which works to strengthen public libraries and their staffs. She pointed, for example, to efforts by libraries across the country to help patrons earn high school diplomas or improve career skills.
“Public libraries are critical players in ensuring that our communities are healthy and successful and ensuring that the people living in the communities are living up to their potential,” Oehlke said in an interview.
Kristin Murdoch, who was visiting Denver’s main library Thursday, said she wasn’t surprised to hear that, according to the Pew survey, she was in the minority.
“I think people just don’t read as much,” she said. “I still prefer to hold a book, something tangible.”
Murdoch, a server at a nearby restaurant, does not have her own computer, so also uses computers at the library. And she borrows videos and music as well as books.
“You can get your hands on anything here,” she said.
But Pew found that many adults don’t know they can borrow e-books, study for high school equivalency degrees and take part in other programs at their libraries. Libraries across the country have been increasing offerings, in part to try to remain relevant as the municipal budgets on which they rely shrink. Pew, citing the Information Policy and Access Center at the University of Maryland, said 90 percent of public libraries have e-book lending programs. But Pew’s survey showed a third of adults either didn’t know that.
Researchers interviewed a nationally representative sample of 2,752 adults by landline and cellphone. The margin of error was 2.1 percentage points.
Libraries can’t devote much of their budgets to public relations, but know they need to do more, said Denver City Librarian Michelle Jeske. After years of keeping the marketing budget at $25,000, the Denver library is spending $75,000 this year. Part of that will be spent on a survey to get more information about how the community views library services.
The Public Library Association conference is a chance for librarians to learn about their colleagues’ experiences with the latest technologies and programs, which go far beyond GED prep. In Colorado’s Arapahoe County, library users can test the Oculus Rift, Facebook’s virtual reality headset.
For all the emphasis on technology, Jeske said the niche for institutions like hers may be in providing an old-fashioned kind of connectivity. “I think there is a clamoring in the community for a place for people to come together,” she said. Libraries “actually ask people to loiter.”
BALTIMORE — It runs on a mix of water and solar power. Rakes attached to a conveyor belt pull in trash, which then gets dropped into a floating dumpster. Meet Mr. Trash Wheel, now keeping the waters of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor clean.
Things are heating up over at the Consumer Product Safety Commission recently, with a slew of products that are being recalled for being literally hot fashions, due to the unfortunate possibility that they may burst into flames.
A quick scan of the CPSC’s recent product recalls reveals a potentially very fiery time in the world of consumer fashion products. Here’s what you should be looking out for.
The recall involves two styles of the scarves: Beach Wave, in blue, coral and yellow; and Brushstroke Oblong, in blue, red, neutral and green. Each style is 76 inches long and 24 inches wide, and made from 100% rayon with a machine-rolled hem. The scarves bear a black label sewn on the edge reading “IVANK TRUMP” embroidered in silver.
Both were sold at stores like Century 21, Lord & Taylor, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and Stein Mart retail stores nationwide, and online at amazon.com and loehmanns.com from October 2014 through January 2016 for between $12 and $68.
No injuries have been reported yet. The CPSC says consumers should immediately stop wearing the scarves and return them from where they were purchased for a full refund. If you bought one online, you’ll be contacted directly by online retailers with return instructions.
Givenchy silk men’s shirts
Oh, you classy huh? For those who love designer goods but hate catching on fire, pay attention: Givenchy is recalling three styles of branded 100% silk T-shirts for men — for a total of only about 60 shirts. Still, if you’re wearing one of those, this is useful information to have. The recalled shirts also fail to meet the federal flammability standard for wearing apparel and pose a risk of burn injury to consumers, the CPSC says.
The short-sleeve T-shirts are sheer and come in black and white stripes,black with an image of Jesus on the cross, and blue and black plaid. The style number 16J7127135, 16J6218886 or 16J7205877, which is printed on a tag sewn into the side seam.
The shirts were sold at Barneys New York, Givenchy Boutiques, Maxfield and Forward, Neiman Marcus, and Nordstrom stores nationwide from February 2016 through March 2016 for between $685 and $1,350.
No injuries have been reported here either, but customers should immediately pick something else in their closet to wear and return this one to the place of purchase for a full refund. Givenchy will also be contacting the customers who bought the recalled shirts.
Eleanor Rose children’s loungewear
Parents who enjoy dressing kids in cute things, you’ll want to pay attention. Eleanor Rose is recalling loungewear for boys and girls that doesn’t meet the flammability standards for children’s sleepwear, again, posing a burn risk.
The recall involves about 5,900 items, including two different styles of Eleanor Rose loungewear: a girl’s gown, and a boy or girl’s top and pants set.
The clothing was sold in sizes 12 months through size 12, and has “Eleanor Rose” printed on a tag sewn into the neck of the garments and on the back outside of the pants. The style number is on a tag sewn into the side seam or inside the back of the pants.
The recalled loungewear style names and numbers include:
The clothing was sold at online at http://www.eleanorrose.com from November 2014 through February 2016 for about $30.
No injuries reported here either, but consumers should immediately stop clothing their kids in these items and return them to Eleanor Rose for a merchandise credit towards the purchase of another Eleanor Rose product.
(RIDGEWAY, Va.) — Kyle Busch made a fan’s day as he sat in traffic following Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.
Busch, who won Martinsville’s STP 500, shared a video on Facebook in which he’s seen honking at a car that had a passenger wearing a Kyle Busch hat. She gave him a glance but didn’t realize who she was looking at.
That changed once Busch rolled down his window and said, “Hey…sup?” After a few moments, the woman understood what was happening, and screamed, “Oh my God!”
Busch graciously took her hat and signed it for her before pulling away.
WASHINGTON — Police don’t know why bullets were fired into two more occupied Prince William County, Virginia, homes over the weekend, but they know more than one gun was used.
Police say on Sunday a Woodbridge man heard what he thought was fireworks. The next day he discovered bullet holes in a wall in his Stockholm Way home.
A day earlier, a homeowner on Lindendale Road in Woodbridge found bullet holes in a wall and a parked car.
Prince William County police public information officer Nathan Probus says investigators won’t reveal the caliber of bullet casings found, because that detail would be used in future prosecutions.
However, Probus says “there was one or two locations where we found another caliber in the same proximity.”
Knowing that more than one weapon was used doesn’t necessarily clarify what happened, Probus says, since the gunfire could be a result of two shooters firing together at a home, or two shooters firing at each other, or one person firing more than one weapon.
“We really don’t know,” Probus acknowledges. “We really don’t have any reason to believe they’re connected.”
He says he hopes residents who hear loud noises call 911 immediately, rather than waiting until the next day.
In addition, after each shooting incident, police canvass neighbors to determine who heard what or if homes have security cameras.
While not discounting the possibility that one or more person is responsible for all of the shots fired into homes, Probus notes the incidents have happened at different times of day.
This makes seven shooting incidents into occupied homes in the county in the past few months. In February, bullets hit five homes in the area of Banjo Court in Woodbridge. Nobody has been hurt.
This week’s Pet of the Week is temporary Restonain Kate, a mixed breed who is currently being fostered here. Her foster parents are hoping to find her a permanent home nearby. Here is what they have to say:
Kate is a bluetick coonhound / beagle mix who was rescued from a high-kill shelter in southern Virginia by Homeward Trails Animal Rescue. Her foster family lives in Reston.
Kate had never been to Reston before her foster family picked her up from the Homeward Trails adoption center, but she is really enjoying her stay so far. Her foster family hopes she can find an adoptive home in the area so she can become a permanent Restonian!
Kate’s exercise needs are low to moderate, but she is always happy to go on a nature walk. During the week she enjoys walking along the network of Reston paths near her foster family’s home. On the weekends, she likes to go hiking at Lake Fairfax or other local parks. Kate walks nicely on a leash and loves to greet other friendly dogs.
Kate really loves other dogs and gets along well with her foster “sister.” Kate seems to gain confidence from canine companions so she may be happiest in a home with another calm dog. She is not looking to be the alpha dog and knows to respect her “sibling’s” food. She also loves to snuggle up with her foster family, human and canine alike.
A nice bonus of Kate living in a foster home is that she has learned her “dog manners.” She is house trained and crate trained. She does not bark nor chew inappropriate objects. She knows “sit” and “down” and is working on “stay.” She sleeps quietly overnight for 8-9 hours without having to go out for a break. She has been a great house guest and has really captured our hearts during her stay. Perhaps she could capture yours too?
Are you and Kate a match? If so, let us know and our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, will send you $100 in Becky’s Bucks, as well as some treats.
Want your pet to be considered for the Reston Pet of the Week?
Email news@Restonnow.com with a 2-3 paragraph bio and at least 3-4 horizontally-oriented photos of your pet.
Each week’s winner receives a sample of dog or cat treats from our sponsor, Becky’s Pet Care, along with $100 in Becky’s Bucks.
Becky’s Pet Care, the winner of three Angie’s List Super Service Awards and the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters’ 2013 Business of the Year, provides professional dog walking and pet sitting services in Reston and Northern Virginia.
WASHINGTON — The District’s Department of Health is issuing a warning to emergency responders after a troubling report of a group of ATV drivers surrounding and stopping a working ambulance in the area of Washington Hospital Center and Children’s National Medical Center.
A commercial ambulance crew told the Department of Health they were swarmed by about 30 ATV and motorcycle riders on March 23 on Michigan Avenue near North Capitol Street.
The incident description said the group blocked the ambulance, which was carrying an intensive care patient being transported to a children’s unit, and forced it to stop even though the ambulance used its lights and sirens in an attempt to get by.
The crew reported one of the drivers opened the ambulance door and accused the ambulance driver of cutting the group off.
No one was hurt and the patient was not affected.
D.C. Fire and EMS said it was not one of its crews, but it is aware of the situation.
In a memo to EMS crews on April 4, the Department of Health suggested that crews be aware of their surroundings, ensure doors are locked and windows are rolled up and remain calm, so as to not “provoke a situation.”
“EMS agencies should let their personnel be aware of this incident, and discuss how they would handle this situation,” the incident report said.
According to Costco, all current American Express-Costco card holders will automatically be transferred to the new Visa/Citibank card.
The new cards will arrive sometime in May or early June, and will be usable starting June 20.
Do I Have To Opt-In? Can I Opt-Out?
While account holders will soon receive updates about the status of their Costco cards and the transition, this information will not include the option of whether or not to get the new card.
That’s because it isn’t required, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
The Truth In Lending Act addresses the issue of credit card account transfers between two different credit issuers. Under the Act and Regulation Z, a card issuer is barred from issuing a card that a consumer has not applied for — except in very specific situations, including those times when a credit issuer has purchased accounts from another issuer.
In this case, the new owner can issue an updated card as long as the use of the old card is cut off and the new cards can be issued in a one-for-one substitution.
However, a rep for Costco tells Consumerist that current cardholders can contact American Express to opt-out of getting a new Citi Visa account. But this comes with the caveat that, even if you tell AmEx you’re opting out, Costco might still send you a new card.
The Costco rep explains that because Citi is printing a “very large amount of cards, if a member opted out with American Express they would still receive a Citi card, however it would not be active and they would just discard the cards.”
Will The New Card Affect My Credit?
Usually, applying for a new line of credit can result in a “hard pull” on your credit report. But in this case, since no new credit is being issued, Citi says it will not pull a credit report as part of the account transfer process.
To confirm, Consumerist reached out to the three major credit bureaus — Equinox, TransUnion, and Experian — about how this transition would be reflected in customers’ reports. Neither Experian nor Equifax responded to our requests, while TransUnion referred us to the Consumer Data Industry Association, a trade group for credit reporting agencies.
Stuart Pratt, president and CEO of the CDIA, tells Consumerist that cardholders should see no adverse effect on their reports from the transition at Costco.
“Consumers shouldn’t worry about inquiries on their credit reports which result from the transition since these are considered ‘soft inquiries’ and they are not shared with subsequent lenders,” he explains.
A soft inquiry — such as account review inquiries made by your current lender relative to a current account relationship or the inquiry logged when you order your free report — are not reported to lenders or others requesting a consumer’s credit report.
What About My FICO Score?
Where cardholders might be affected is in their credit score — depending on how much, and what sorts of, available credit they currently have, and how long they have had the AmEx Costco card.
The exact math for calculating credit scores is secret, but FICO does acknowledge that it uses a mix of factors — including payment history, amount owed, and length of credit history — to come up with its final numbers.
While this transition from AmEx to Visa is structured in a way that you get a new card without pulling a credit report, the change will almost certainly reflect that your AmEx was closed and a new Citi/Visa account was opened.
“I don’t think that can be reported otherwise,” Pratt of the CDIA tells Consumerist.
If you’ve had that AmEx account for a long time and always paid on time, your credit score might be dinged because your “length of credit history” — itself a complicated, mysterious calculation — would be shortened.
We asked American Express if it would be possible for a current cardholder to maintain that “old” length of credit history by having their longstanding AmEx line of credit separated from the Costco account. Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be a possibility.
“If a Costco co-brand Card Member would like another Card from American Express, they should call us to discuss their needs,” a rep for the company says. “They can apply for a new American Express Card, and we would try to match their line, which is subject to our policy and regulatory requirements.”
So even if you did get the AmEx card, it would be a new line of credit. Additionally, applying for that AmEx would — just like applying for any other card — result in a hard pull on your credit report.
If you do opt-out of activating the Visa credit card but have a “thin” credit history — meaning you lack a variety of credit lines or additional available credit — that could also have an adverse effect on your score.
Please note that this is all hypothetical, as FICO not only does most of its calculating behind a shroud of mystery, it also didn’t exactly provide a clear answer to questions regarding this transition.
Ethan Dornhelm, senior principal scientist for FICO tells Consumerist that it refers questions about how specific reporting scenarios will be reflected in the credit file to the three credit reporting agencies. As you can see above, they weren’t very forthcoming.
Dornhelm did tell Consumerist that even if the credit bureaus provide information on how the change will be reflected, the result on a credit score still depends “on the information contained in the impacted accounts, as well as the make-up of the consumer’s credit file generally.”
On the shelf, the 48-ounce carton of Swanson’s chicken broth brags that it’s 50% bigger. “50% bigger than what?” the cynical consumer might ask. The fine print tells us that it’s in comparison to the company’s 32-ounce container. This is all factually true, but the problem is that while the package makes shoppers think that they’ll get more, they’re actually paying more per ounce to buy the bigger package.
This is a phenomenon that we call Fuzzy Math, a type of Target Math, since for some reason it happens often at Target. Purchasing something in bulk should get shoppers a discount, not a per-unit price hike.
Reader Captain Pete noticed this at his local Walmart in New Mexico. “Obviously new graphics increase costs,” he observed. Yet somehow we don’t think the price increase was because of that “50% more” graphic splashed on the larger container.
Starz officially joined the ranks of HBO and Showtime on the standalone streaming service bandwagon less than a year after the company’s CEO said the channel was taking a wait-and-see approach when it came to creating the option.
The new streaming service comes out of the gate aiming for its competition by way of customers’ wallets. Starz’s service will cost $8.99/month, undercutting the prices for rival streaming services HBO Now (14.99/month) and Showtime ($10.99/month).
Starz has previously offered streaming access to its library of movies and original shows — but only to customers who subscribed to the network through participating cable providers. In Dec. 2015, Starz began selling online access as an add-on to Amazon Prime. This new streaming service, which does not offer live access to the network, now expands the offer to anyone without requiring any other subscriptions.
The app is available on mobile for devices running either the iOS or Android operating systems.
Additionally, users of the service will have the option to download programs for viewing without WiFi or broadband connections.
“Starz has entered the market today with an enormous value proposition for consumers,” Chris Albrecht, Starz CEO, said. “Our programing will now be more widely available to the 20 million broadband-only homes of cord nevers, cord cutters and cord shavers, including Millennials and other underserved consumers who need other viable subscription service options.”
In a bid to attract customers to the service a bit early, Starz says it will stream the first episode of Outlander’s second season two days before it premieres.
Starz first threw its hat into the streaming service ring in October 2014, when CEO Albrecht declared that premium channels like Starz were seeing “significant value” constrained by cable operators requiring that customers purchase basic pay-TV service before they could get access to the premium networks.
Months later, however, he pulled back, noting that the company was instead throwing all of its resources behind the company’s companion streaming service Starz Play, which is free for subscribers who get Starz through their cable/satellite providers.
“We are evaluating what others are doing,” Albrecht said at the time. “It’s early days. We have yet to see any hard reported data on the benefits of that to brands.”
A lot can happen when you take a nap on the job, as one Uber driver found out when he fell asleep while taking a passenger on a 200-mile ride. He awoke to find the car in the middle of a police chase, with his customer at the wheel.
A Bronx man hired an Uber on Saturday in Philadelphia to take him 200 miles to central New York, reports PIX-11. According to state police, at some point the driver asked his passenger to take over driving duties so he could indulge in a snooze.
When the Uber driver woke up, he asked the passenger-turned-chauffeur why he was driving so fast — police later said he was clocked going 86 mph in a 65 mph zone — the man had a simple answer: because police were chasing them.
A state trooper said he’d tried to stop the speeding car, but that the man refused to stop, CBS New York reports.
The runaway passenger crashed the car soon after, with both he and the Uber driver suffering minor injuries.
The passenger was charged with fleeing police and driving without a license.
We’ve reach out to Uber for comment and will update this post when we hear back.
Even though the FBI has figured out a work-around that — for now — allows the agency to bypass an iPhone’s encryption, the debate still continues about which is more important: privacy for all consumers, or ready-but-limited access for law enforcement? Today, Facebook-owned messaging service WhatsApp made it clear which side of that argument it comes down on.
“From now on when you and your contacts use the latest version of the app, every call you make, and every message, photo, video, file, and voice message you send, is end-to-end encrypted by default, including group chats,” writes WhatsApp in a blog post published this morning.
“The idea is simple,” continues the company, “when you send a message, the only person who can read it is the person or group chat that you send that message to. No one can see inside that message. Not cybercriminals. Not hackers. Not oppressive regimes. Not even us. End-to-end encryption helps make communication via WhatsApp private – sort of like a face-to-face conversation.”
On the one hand, it means that users can feel more secure about the odds of anyone eavesdropping on your conversation. On the other hand, it frustrates law enforcement officers who have relied on being able — with a warrant or court order — to listen in on chats between suspected criminals.
If not even WhatsApp can crack the encryption on these conversations, then the company can’t just readily allow the FBI or any other agency to have access. It would likely require a court ordering WhatsApp to either weaken its encryption or figure out a work-around — and then we’re back in the same place where we were with the Apple vs. FBI legal battle.
The Justice Department has yet to make a big public showing about the WhatsApp issue. Some privacy advocates believe it’s because the government is waiting for a case — like the Apple one, which involved an iPhone belonging to a known terrorist and killer who slaughtered 14 people at a holiday party — that would make the DOJ’s demand for weaker encryption look the most reasonable.
“While we recognize the important work of law enforcement in keeping people safe, efforts to weaken encryption risk exposing people’s information to abuse from cybercriminals, hackers, and rogue states,” reads the WhatsApp blog post.
WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum notes that the decision to fully encrypt chats isn’t just business for him.
“I grew up in the USSR during communist rule and the fact that people couldn’t speak freely is one of the reasons my family moved to the United States,” he explains.
The same day that PayPal took away potentially hundreds of jobs from North Carolina over a recently passed state bill targeting the rights of gay and transgendered people, the governor of Mississippi has signed off on a piece of legislation that goes even further, allowing a number of businesses to refuse service to customers based on their personal biases.
HB 1523 [PDF] allows “religious organizations” to refuse service to, hire, or provide non-emergency medical treatment to anyone who violates “sincerely held religious belief[s] or moral conviction” that “Marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman;” or that “Sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage;” or that “Male (man) or female (woman) refer to an individual’s immutable biological sex as objectively determined by anatomy and genetics at time of birth.”
What critics of the bill find particularly troubling is that, while the bill uses the term “religious organization,” it covers a wide variety of non-religious activity, effectively opening up the door to many business-owners who wish to discriminate against LGBT customers with impunity.
In addition to exempting churches, doctors and therapists, adoption agencies and foster care services, the bill lists “Photography, poetry, videography, disc-jockey services, wedding planning, printing, publishing or similar marriage-related goods or services; or Floral arrangements, dress making, cake or pastry artistry, assembly-hall or other wedding-venue rentals, limousine or other car-service rentals, jewelry sales and services, or similar marriage-related services, accommodations, facilities or goods.”
The bill’s protection also extends to government officials, who can opt-out of doing the job that taxpayers are paying them to do.
“Any person employed or acting on behalf of the state government who has authority to authorize or license marriages, including, but not limited to, clerks, registers of deeds or their deputies, may seek recusal from authorizing or licensing lawful marriages,” reads the bill, which also covers judges and magistrates.
In a statement, Gov. Phil Bryant contends that this bill “does not limit any constitutionally protected rights or actions of any citizens of this state under federal or state laws… The legislation is designed in the most targeted manner possible to prevent government interference in the lives of the people from which all power to the state is derived.”
Yesterday, with Gov. Bryant still weighing his decision to sign the legislation, several large, national corporations — AT&T, IBM, Levi’s, and Mass Mutual — joined the state’s chamber of commerce and the Human Rights Campaign in calling on the governor to use his veto power.
JCR acquires Manassas shopping center Virginia Business Magazine The 105,781-square-foot shopping center is located in the Liberia Avenue retail corridor and shares the Signal Hill Road intersection with a Walmart. Signal Hill's tenants include Shoppers Food Warehouse, GameStop, Glory Days Grill, Panera Bread and ...
It’s no secret that the NFL has been looking for streaming partners for its Thursday night games. A month ago, the rumor mill said that Facebook was looking to be the victor on that field. But today the news has broken about what streaming service will be getting the games, and it’s not Facebook — nor is it Amazon, Netflix, or any big streaming suspect you might suspect. It’s Twitter. Yes, that Twitter.
Bloomberg first reported the deal, which was later confirmed — how else? — in a tweet from league commissioner Roger Goodell, his first since September 2014.
“This fall Thursday Night Football will be streamed live @twitter so fans will see more of this,” Goodell wrote, sharing a six-minute highlight reel of the 2015 season.
Twitter will be streaming 10 of the 16 Thursday night games, the NFL said in a press release. The other six games will be airing on the NFL Network.
Those same games will be broadcast on CBS and NBC when they air this fall, and those networks also paid for digital rights — so they can stream the games on their own over-the-top services. So while Twitter’s streaming is not exclusive, it is still noteworthy. Because seriously, who thinks of Twitter as a go-to live sports destination?
Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey does, apparently. “This is about transforming the fan experience with football. People watch NFL games with Twitter today,” Dorsey said in a statement. “Now they’ll be able to watch right on Twitter Thursday nights.”
Tech news site Re/Code, citing people familiar with the situation, reports that Twitter’s bid beat out not only Amazon but also Verizon, both of which had expressed interest.
DES PLAINES, Ill. (AP) — Federal officials are investigating two companies after a construction worker was killed and three others were injured in suburban Chicago.
The accident happened early Tuesday when a 40-ton steel bridge beam fell on the workers as they tried to remove it at Interstate 90. Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials say the beam rolled from a pier support while workers cut steel bracing it.
OSHA says it is investigating the deceased worker’s employer, Omega Demolition Corp. of Elgin, and the general contractor, Judlau Contracting Inc. of New York.
Judlau spokesman Cesar Pereiri said the company isn’t commenting about the accident. Omega Demolition didn’t respond to calls and emails seeking comment.
Des Plaines fire officials say three workers were treated and released from hospitals. The fourth was pronounced dead at a hospital.
