pileofcrapola

Google has been experimenting with the idea of adding podcasts to its Play Music service for a while, but now it seems the company is finally flipping the switch. For some users anyway.

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If you’re a pro in the kitchen, the different rice varieties probably seem fairly obvious to you. But if you’re a cooking noob, you may not know when to use short, medium, or long grain rice. Here’s a quick breakdown.

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Basting turkeys is a waste of time. Put the turkey baster to better use as a degreasing tool.

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If you want to take your favorite tomato sauce recipe to the next level, roasting it in the oven will enhance the flavor and requires less babysitting.

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Did you know you could play chess with a friend directly in a Facebook chat window? All you need is a special phrase to launch the chess board and start playing.

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ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (AP) — Police say an infant has been found dead in a commercial trash container in southwestern Virginia, and have charged a woman with illegally disposing of a body.

Rocky Mount Police Chief Ken Criner tells The Roanoke Times (http://bit.ly/1Kr446A ) that 24-year-old Katherine Dellis is charged with unlawful concealment of human remains, a felony.

Police say the infant was found in a trash container Tuesday and pronounced dead on the scene.

Criner says the medical examiner’s preliminary findings indicate Dellis’ pregnancy ended in a stillbirth.

Dellis was admitted with severe bleeding Tuesday to a hospital. Police said in a news release that Dellis denied giving birth.

Police say officers found evidence consistent with a birth at the woman’s home and relatives said one relative threw away soiled bedding at trash collection sites.

___

Information from: The Roanoke Times, http://www.roanoke.com

The post Police: Infant found dead in dumpster in Virginia appeared first on WTOP.

Arlington County animal control is seeking a man and a woman who may have been the victim of a rampaging fox.

According to an unnamed witness, a fox apparently attacked a couple pushing a stroller on N. Glebe Road in the Chain Bridge Forest neighborhood, near the northern tip of Arlington.

Animal control officers would like to talk to the victims and are trying to locate the fox.

From an Animal Welfare League of Arlington spokeswoman:

Arlington County Animal Control is seeking information regarding a fox incident that occurred Tuesday, 2/2/16 in the 4400 block of North Glebe Road at approximately 11am.

A witness saw a man and a woman with a stroller who may have been attacked by a fox in the street. The man tried to scare the fox away and may have been bitten. Animal Control has posted flyers in the neighborhood.

If you have any information regarding this incident, please contact animal control immediately at 703-931-9241. In addition, if you see a fox acting abnormally in this area, please contact us.

A small cluster of fox attacks in the area close to the Arlington/McLean border have occurred. On Monday night two people were attacked by a fox on the Custis Trail at North Nelson Street.

Fairfax County police have also reported that a fox bit and scratched a woman in the 1400 block of Laburnum Street in McLean.

File photo

The post Animal Control Seeks Victim of Fox Attack appeared first on WTOP.

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Legislation that would require that Virginia public school students get at least an average of 20 minutes of physical activity a day is advancing in the General Assembly.

A House version of the bill received preliminary approval Wednesday, despite criticism from some lawmakers that it was an unfair imposition the state was putting on teachers and local school districts.

The Senate has already approved its version of the bill. The legislation applies to students in kindergarten through fifth grade.

During debate on the bill Wednesday in the House, the bill’s sponsor, Del. Manoli Loupassi, replied to criticism of the bill by pointing out that inmates in prison are given an hour a day for physical activity.

The post Bill requiring mandatory physical exercise advancing appeared first on WTOP.

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (AP) — A Newport News man who snatched hundreds of young turtles and eggs from their nests has been sentenced to 30 days in jail.

The Daily Press (http://bit.ly/1meknbH) reports that Corey Lee Taylor was convicted Wednesday on charges related to the sale of the turtles.

State game officials say it is illegal to sell or purchase any turtle species native or introduced to Virginia.

In a statement, the animal protection group PETA said the court closed down the “cruel business” of trading in fragile baby turtles. PETA also discouraged the purchase of turtles and other exotic animals.

Besides 30 days in jail, Taylor was sentenced to one year of probation.

The post Virginia man gets jail time for collecting, selling turtles appeared first on WTOP.

Have you noticed changes in your hamster’s appearance or behavior? Is it less active or having trouble walking or breathing? Like people, hamsters get sick and sometimes need medical care. Talk to the pet’s veterinarian for advice. She will be able to recommend a course of therapy and tell you how best to deliver the hamster’s medicine, whether orally, in food or water, or by injection.

EditSteps

EditAdministering Medicine Orally

1. Find a good spot. Pick a place where you can safely administer medicine to your ailing hamster. Your hamster might be most comfortable on the floor. Avoid using tabletops or counters, because the animal could fall and be seriously injured. Also make sure that there are no nearby glasses, knives, or other sharp objects.^[1][2]
   
   • Once you’ve found a spot, begin to set out your materials. This might include the bottle of liquid medicine, an eyedropper or syringe, and a clean towel.
2. Prepare the medicine. Oral medication is usually given to hamsters in liquid form, with a small syringe or dropper. Make sure that you have a dropper as well as the bottle prescribed by your veterinarian.^[3]
   
   • First, read the directions on the bottle of medicine. Look closely for the proper dosage.
   • Take the bottle of medicine and give it a shake, if need be. Then, open the bottle and insert the dropper.
   • To draw the medicine, either pull back on the syringe’s plunger or press the dropper’s rubber bulb. This will create suction and fill the plastic tube with medicine.
   • Make sure that you draw the proper dosage. Hold the tube level and look at the measuring scale to check the amount.
3. Restrain the hamster, if need be. Some hamsters can be tempted to take medicine right from the dropper, so long as the taste is not too foul.^[4] You may have to restrain your pet, however. There are several humane ways that you can do this.
   
   • One way is to hold the animal down with the palm of your hand. Gently but firmly cup your palm and put it over the hamster’s body, so that it cannot move and only its head is free.^[5] Your other hand will be free to administer the meds.
   • Use a towel to swaddle the hamster, alternately. Just wrap the animal so that its paws are inside the towel and its head is sticking out. Hold the animal with one hand.
   • You can also “scruff” the animal. Hamsters have lots of loose skin around the neck and front of the shoulders, which you can grab with your thumb and forefinger.^[6] Just be aware that too much tension on the scruff can cause the hamster's eyes to pop out. Have your vet show you a safe way to scruff the hamster before attempting this at home or use a different method.
4. Administer the medicine. Take the dropper with your free hand, while continuing to restrain the hamster. Hold the dropper to the animal’s mouth and, if it licks the tool, gently push the medicine out.
   
   • The hamster might not be cooperative. It may squirm and resist. In that case, first try to insert the mouth of the dropper into the side of the animal’s mouth where it has no teeth. Squeeze the medicine out and it will be swallowed.
   • Do not try to open the hamster’s mouth with your fingers. While this can be done by pulling up at the mouth, making the animal “smile” and exposing gaps, you can also be bitten.
5. Reward your hamster. Taking medicine orally can be an unpleasant experience for your hamster. The liquid may taste bitter, and being restrained is traumatic. Give your pet a reward for good behavior and to help calm it.
   
   • A piece of food may also cleanse the palette, if the medicine was bitter.

EditDissolving Medicine in Food or Water

1. Measure the proper dosage. Medicine in food or water is easier to administer to your hamster but, at times, less effective. On one hand, you’re “hiding” the meds and do not have to handle the animal. On the other, it is hard to keep track of consumption, and the animal might taste the medicine and avoid eating or drinking.^[7]
   
   • Take the medicine bottle and measure out the correct amount with a small dropper.
   • Again, follow your veterinarian’s instructions and be sure you have the exact dosage. Hamsters are small animals and can easily overdose.^[8]
2. Dissolve the medicine in water. If the veterinarian has suggested it, you might be dissolving meds into your hamster’s water supply. Take the animal’s water bottle from the cage and open it.
   
   • Fill the bottle with water and add the medicine from the dropper. You will need to make sure that the meds are fully dissolved and well-mixed and that they are changed daily.^[9]
   • Use only purified, de-ionized water. No tap water.^[10]
   • Monitor your pet closely once you have returned the bottle to the cage. Make sure that the animal continues to drink normally.
3. Dissolve the medicine into food, alternately. Place the proper amount of drops onto a piece of your hamster’s food and then offer the food to the animal. You might place it directly into the cage, or you can tempt the hamster with the treat from your hand.
   
   • Hamster pellets are small. It might take you quite a few of them to administer the medicine, depending on the dosage.
   • Bribing the animal with a special, medicine-laced treat – like cottage cheese or baby food – is another idea. Put a small amount of food with the full dose on the spoon, and let the animal eat until it is gone.
4. Be cautious if administering antibiotics. Hamsters are sensitive to anti-biotics, which change the microbial balance of the animal’s intestines and can kill it. If the vet has prescribed antibiotics, follow her instructions to the letter.^[11]
   
   • Give the hamster a small amount of white, live-culture yogurt (1/10 of a teaspoon) twice per day if you are administering antibiotics, once in the morning and again in the evening. Do so for the duration of the therapy and for another 5-7 days.^[12]
   • The yogurt will help to replace the intestinal bacteria that your hamster loses because of the antibiotics.

EditGiving Your Hamster an Injection

1. Get instructions from your vet. Although giving medicine orally is easier and less expensive, “parenteral administration,” i.e. a shot, is often a more effective method. Your vet will tell you if this is the best way. Also, some medicines can’t be given to hamsters orally.^[13]
   
   • Ask the doctor for step-by-step instructions if you have to give the shot yourself. It is not particularly hard, but you must be able to do it correctly.
   • Try to have the vet write down the instructions on paper, if possible. This will allow you to refresh your memory at home.
2. Prepare your site and supplies. Beforehand, take the syringe and other supplies to draw out the correct dosage of medicine. Besides the syringe you will need the vial of meds the vet gave you, an alcohol pad, and a needle or sharp. Like before, set up shop in a safe place.
   
   • Read the instructions closely before going ahead. As always, you must be careful to get the right amount to avoid an overdose.
   • Take the cap off the vial and wipe the top with an alcohol pad to sterilize it.
3. Draw the medicine. Hold the syringe in your hand like a pencil and take the protective cap off the needle. Pull back the plunger to the line on the scale for your dosage. This will fill the tube with air.^[14]
   
   • Next, hold the vial right side up, push the needle through the rubber top, and push out the air. Doing so will keep a vacuum from forming.
   • Turn the vial upside down so that the needle is in the medicine. Then, pull back on the plunger to your dosage amount. Remove any trapped air bubbles by tapping on the syringe with your fingers, and gently push the plunger to expel them from the tube.
   • Remove the needle from the vial. Keep it sterile. If you have to set the syringe down, be sure to cover the needle with the protective cap.
4. Restrain the hamster. Carefully and gently take your pet from the cage. You may want to clear out obstacles like exercise wheels and food dishes, so that the animal cannot evade you. The best way to give a shot to a hamster is by scruffing.
   
   • Again, gently pinch the scruff between your thumb and forefinger and pull it taut. Then, turn the animal over while supporting its body with your palm. The hamster should be immobilized.
5. Administer the shot. Take the syringe with your free hand and remove the protective cap. Hold the animal steady and prepare to deliver the medication.
   
   • For a shot into the body cavity (called an intraperitoneal injection), wipe the lower left part of the abdomen with the alcohol wipe and let it dry.
   • Tip the animal so that its nose is pointing down a bit and insert the needle at a 30 degree angle in the sterilized area. Push the plunger to inject the medicine and then remove the needle.^[15]
   • For a shot under the skin (called a subcutaneous injection), lightly pull up the skin over the injection site to make a small pocket. Sterilize the pocket with alcohol and insert the needle.
   • Retract the plunger. If you see any blood or fluid, reposition the needle. Repeat. When you have found a good site, push the plunger to inject the medicine and remove the needle.^[16]
   • Return the animal to its cage when you are done.

EditRelated wikiHows

• Play With a Hamster
• Keep a Happy Hamster
• Give Your Hamster a Bath

EditSources and Citations

Cite error: <ref> tags exist, but no <references/> tag was found

Prince William County community calendar, Feb. 4-10, 2016 Washington Post AARP income-tax preparation help Thursdays and Tuesdays at 11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Chinn Park Regional Library, 13065 Chinn Park Dr., Woodbridge. 703-792-4800; and Thursdays at noon-8 p.m., Mondays at 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Bull Run Regional Library, 8051 ... and more »

DC Animal Watch Washington Post These cases were handled by the Washington Humane Society, which operates its shelter at 7319 Georgia Ave. NW, and the District's, at 1201 New York Ave. NE. For information or assistance, call 202-723-5730 or go to washhumane.org. Balancing act fails: ... and more »

Washington Post

DC's 911 center is getting more calls, but it's not always getting them right Washington Post In recent months, emergency call takers in the District sent a firetruck to the wrong address — on 14th Street instead of 40th Street. They didn't tell police the details of a license plate that a sharp-eyed citizen noticed and reported while ... and more »

Tips for calling 911 Washington Post Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we'll e-mail you free updates as they're published. You'll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You're all set! Sign up. *Invalid email ... and more »

Patch.com

Manassas man killed in car crash Washington Post A Manassas man died in a car crash on Wednesday night, Prince William County police said. Rodney James Wells, 69, was driving a 2000 Toyota Echo on Cobb Road in Manassas at 9:14 p.m., police said. While crossing Dumfries Road, he hit a 2007 BMW ... Manassas man, 69, killed in Va. 234 crashInside NoVA Fatal Wreck at Dumfries Road IntersectionPatch.com all 3 news articles »

PotomacLocal.com

Manassas woman in Humvee gets patients to critical care during snowstorm PotomacLocal.com Two feet of snow didn't stop Debra Bobitt from helping to get residents to critical medical care. Area road conditions were treacherous when the major winter storm brought the region to the standstill on Jan. 22, 23 and 24. Despite the snow, hospitals ...

W*USA 9

Naked man tries to abduct Va. teen, police say W*USA 9 WOODBRIDGE, Va. (WUSA9) – It was a terrifying walk to the bus stop for a 16-year-old Osbourn Park High school student. Loading… Post to Facebook. Naked man tries to abduct Va. teen, police say WOODBRIDGE, Va. (WUSA9) – It was a terrifying walk to ...

Starting later this year, Scion will join a long list of vehicle brands — think Mercury, Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn — in the dustbin of history, as Toyota plans to end production of the brand after 13 years.

The carmaker announced today that it would transition Scion into the Toyota brand starting in August when the 2017 lineup of vehicles are released.

Instead of a circular wave emblem imprinted with “SCION,” model year 2017 Scion vehicles will be rebranded with Toyota markings.

However, not every Scion model will be making the transition: the tC sports coupe will have a final release series edition and end production in August 2016. Other models, including the FR-S sports car, iA sedan, iM 5-door hatchback, and the new C-HR concept will live on under the Toyota banner.

“This isn’t a step backward for Scion; it’s a leap forward for Toyota,” explains Jim Lentz, the glass-half-full CEO of Toyota Motor North America. “Scion has allowed us to fast track ideas that would have been challenging to test through the Toyota network.”

Scion debuted in 2003 as Toyota’s way to explore new products and attract younger customers. Over the past 13 years, Toyota says Scion achieved its goals of developing unique products and becoming the youngest brand in the auto industry, with an average age of buyers at 36 years old.

The decision to phase out the Scion brand was made in response to consumers’ changing preference in looking for “traditional attributes of quality, dependability and reliability” that can already be found in Toyota, the company says.

Owners of Scion vehicles can still visit Toyota service department for repairs and other needs after the transition.

The more than 1,000 Scion dealers in operation are also Toyota dealers, so they will continue to operate normally, just without the Scion signage.

“We believe our dealers have gained valuable insights and have received a strong return on their investment,” Bob Carter, Toyota senior vice president of automotive operations, said in a statement. “During this time of transition, we will work closely with them to support this process and help communicate this change to customers.”

Members of Scion’s team, representing sales, marketing, distribution, strategy, and product and accessories planning, will have the opportunity to take on new jobs at Toyota Motor Sales, while regional representatives will assume different responsibilities in their respective Toyota sales offices.

Has anyone seen Ashton Kutcher lurking around? Because we’re pretty sure we’re getting Punk’d by Levi’s and a new style of jeans it’s pushing for the spring, the “Wedgie” fit.

That look that says, “Someone on the playground just got me good” is the goal for its just-launched line of women’s denim, Levi’s says: The “Wedgie Fit” features a high waist like your typical “Mom” jean, but is designed to lift and separate, thus defeating the flat-bottomed result one often gets when wearing jeans that cover a lot of torso real estate.

“The Wedgie was inspired by the way girls were wearing vintage Levi’s,” Jonathan Cheung, senior vice president of Levi’s Global Design, told Mashable. “Just as the 501 CT was inspired by girls wearing the 501 a little bit slouchy, the Wedgie is inspired by girls [who] were downsizing a vintage 505 and wearing it very close and almost vacuum-packed to the rear-ends — hence the affectionate and cheeky name.”

Lest you’re worried that your Wedgie will overpower you and squeeze you to death in its close embrace, the jeans have added stretch for comfort, Levi’s says, while still fitting snugly.

“What’s great about the vintage 505 is this flatness at the front, that holds your tummy in, and they are a little tight around the back,” Cheung said.

Though this is apparently a real thing that Levi’s is selling, we’re still worried that as soon as a person admits they want a pair, they’ll find their undergarments lodged uncomfortably where the sun never shines, and have to pay $88 to $158 to some playground meanie for the pleasure.

Target customers will soon see what $1.9 billion can buy, as CVS has officially started rebranding the big box store’s pharmacies into its own mini drugstores. 

CVS unveiled its first pharmacy inside a Target this week in North Carolina, marking the beginning of the end for the $1.9 billion acquisition first announced in June 2015.

The new pharmacies – there are six so far – will operate as a store-within-a-store format, offering the same services available at traditional CVS locations, including Maintenance Choice, Pharmacy Advisor, and Specialty Connect programs.

In addition to changing signage and painting walls blue at the new pharmacies, the rebranding — which mostly took place after hours — included transitioning approximately 14,000 of Target’s previous in-store pharmacy and health care workers to CVS employees.

The new pharmacies all come with updated digital tools meant to assist patients in managing their prescriptions, by scanning pill bottles to order refills of their prescriptions and receive medication reminders.

CVS plans to transition the rest of Target’s 1,672 pharmacies and 79 health clinics, which will be rebranded as MinuteClinics, over the next six to eight months.

Under the company’s acquisition of the Target-based pharmacies, any new facilities planned by the retailer will come standard with a mini CVS drugstore.

“We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to introduce our integrated pharmacy services and health care expertise to Target guests across the country,” Larry Merlo, President and CEO of CVS Health, said in a statement. “We look forward to welcoming Target guests as our pharmacy patients.”

Have you seen one of the new CVS-inside-Target pharmacies in the wild? Send us your photos and thoughts at tip@consumerist.com.

Around 4pm ET on Sunday, Jan. 15, 1967, the National Football League’s Green Bay Packers squared off against the American Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs in the first ever Super Bowl. Some 50 million people watched the game, simulcast on both NBC and CBS, but neither network retained their footage of the historic event — and the one guy that does have a tape of the game isn’t allowed to sell it.

The New York Times has the story of Troy Haupt, a North Carolina man who, at 47 years of age, wasn’t even born when his dad — a man he never even knew — recorded the first Super Bowl using a Quadruplex videotape machine.

Troy’s mom didn’t even know about the recording until years later, when her former husband, dying of cancer gave her the tape reels in the hope that they might someday be of some value. And so she put them in the attic, where they stayed for decades.

Until 2005, when Troy learned that the two networks that aired Super Bowl I had failed to save their recordings of the game. One estimate at the time put a value on such a tape at around $1 million.

The tapes have been restored, thanks to the Paley Center for Media, but Troy’s attempts to see any money from the video have been unsuccessful.

He says the league only offered $30,000 for the footage and refused to budge. In fact, according to the Times, the NFL now refuses to offer any money at all for the tapes.

Troy also claims that the league scuttled CBS’s offer to pay him $25,000 plus Super Bowl 50 tickets to use a few minutes from the game footage.

A rep for the league tells the Times that it did not direct CBS to renege on its offer to pay Troy for the footage and the accompanying interview, and the network says it canceled the piece “because we couldn’t get the appropriate clearances.”

That’s because the league technically owns the content on those tapes. That doesn’t mean the NFL can has a right to the physical tapes or that it can force Troy to allow them to have a copy for free. But it can block Troy from selling the footage to someone else.

Troy tells the Times he hopes that he and the league could work out a joint sale, with some of the money going to good causes.

“They’re not doing anybody any good sitting in a vault,” he explains. “Let’s help some great charities.”

Honda warned dealers this week that they could be held liable if they sell a vehicle equipped with unrepaired Takata airbags and it explodes, injuring a passenger or driver in an accident. The warning comes as the carmaker issued a stop-sale for and once again expanded — by 1.7 million — the number of its vehicles affected by the ongoing safety device defect.

Automotive News reports that Honda sent a notice to U.S.-based dealers on Jan. 30 directing them to stop the sale of all new and used model year 2007 to 2015 vehicles equipped with potentially deadly Takata airbags that have been found to explode with enough force to send shrapnel flying at drivers and passengers.

The measure, which hasn’t yet been posted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, covers model year 2007 to 2011 CR-V crossover, 2011 to 2015 CR-Z coupe, 2009 to 2013 Fit, 2013 to 2014 Fit EV, 2010 to 2014 Insight hybrid, and the 2007 to 2014 Ridgeline.

According to the notice sent to dealers reported by Automotive News, the driver-side airbag inflators in the vehicles may experience “over-pressurization” due to exposure to high temperatures and high absolute humidity.

Repairs to the affected vehicles won’t be available until this summer, as parts are unavailable.

Honda also warned dealers in the notice that they would be responsible for claims stemming from any unrepaired vehicle sold.

“Should an unrepaired vehicle result in any claim because of the required recall repair, the dealership will be solely responsible to the claimant, and will be required to defend and indemnify American Honda for any resulting claims,” Honda said in the memo.

The order, which applies to Honda’s own dealerships, follows federal law that bars the sale of new vehicles with pending recalls. However, that measure doesn’t cover used vehicles, but it appears Honda is trying to distance itself for that liability, as well.

Honda warns dealerships of liability as it widens airbag recall [Automotive News]

Did you just make travel plans and suddenly need to change your plans? Not knowing whether your airline allows you to cancel a reservation within 24 hours can leave you on the hook for hundreds, possibly thousands, of dollars for a flight you can no longer take.

We’ve seen travelers on both domestic and international flights losing significant amounts money because they weren’t aware that their airline did not give passengers the option of canceling tickets in that one-day window.

That’s why we looked at the policies for the largest U.S. carriers and more than a dozen of the biggest international airlines that do business in the states.  Below are sortable tables (data is current as of Feb. 1, 2016) that show you which of the following options each carrier offers:

• 24-Hour Hold: The airline allows you to book a reservation without paying for it right away. If you don’t pay within the one-day period, your reservation is canceled and you haven’t spent anything. But if you don’t notice this option and pay when you make the reservation, the hold option is no longer available to you.

• 24-Hour Cancel: The airline allows you to cancel your reservation within 24 hours of booking without any financial penalty. If you cancel or change your reservation after this one-day period, you’re subject to whatever fees the airline states in its terms.

In either situation, you have to make the reservation at least seven days before the scheduled departure of the first flight. Last-minute reservations are not subject to these hold/cancellation rules.

Domestic Airlines:

AIRLINE	24-HOUR HOLD?	24-HOUR CANCEL?	POLICY DETAILS
Alaska Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
Allegiant Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
American Airlines	Y	N	Choosing “hold” when booking keeps reservations on hold for free for 24 hours
Delta Air Lines	N	Y	Provides a full refund if cancellation is made by midnight the day after purchase of most flights
Frontier Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
JetBlue	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
Southwest Airlines	N	Y	No fee for cancellation, customers receive full credit toward future flight
Spirit Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation
United Airlines	N	Y	24-hour free cancellation

 

International Carriers:

An important note on international airlines — these rules only apply to flights involving travel to and from the U.S. Some airlines’ websites will not have these policies built into their sites for customers in other countries. So if a carrier has country-specific reservation portals, be sure to use the one for U.S. customers.

Some international carriers offer both the hold option and cancellation. Be sure you know which one you’re choosing when booking your flight.

Airline	24-Hour Hold?	24-Hour Cancel?	Policy Details
Air Canada	N	Y	Passengers can receive a refund of the price of their ticket or cancel the transaction within 24 hours.
Air France	N	Y	Travelers can request your refund within 24 hours of purchase.
Air India	N	Y	Air India allows you to cancel reservation without penalty and receive 100% refund if you cancel within 24 hours of purchase.
Avianca	N	Y	Travel booked through Avianca’s U.S. ticketing locations, U.S. telephone reservations line, or U.S. website can be canceled without penalty and refunded within 24 hours of purchase, if the reservation is made one week or more prior to scheduled departure date.
British Airways	N	Y	You may cancel a reservation made on ba.com or through the British Airways call center within 24 hours of ticketing for a full refund by calling British Airways, as long as the booked travel is one week or more from the date of purchase.
Cathay Pacific Airways	N	Y	Bookings made at least one week before departure via Cathay’s U.S. site, involving itineraries to/from U.S., can be canceled within 24 hours after purchase for full refund.
Emirates	N	Y	For itineraries booked on Emirate’s U.S. website involving flights to or from the U.S., where the booking is made at least a week before departure, you may request a refund within 24 hours of booking without penalty.
Japan Air	N	Y	Tickets can be refunded without penalty for online reservations if requested within 24 hours after completing the reservation.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines	N	Y	You can apply for a refund if you want to cancel your ticket within 24 hours after booking.
LAN/TAM	Y	Y	LATAM will allow reservations to be held at the quoted fare without payment, or if purchased, cancelled without penalty, for at least 24 hours after the reservation is made if the reservation is made one week or more prior to the flight’s scheduled departure.
Lufthansa	Y	Y	Customers can hold a telephone reservation made directly with Lufthansa’s telephone reservation center without payment for up to 24 hours. Or, customers can cancel their reservation without penalty, for at least 24 hours after the reservation is made (on the phone or online), if the reservation was made at least seven days prior to departure.
Qantas	N	Y	Customers who purchase a ticket in the U.S. may cancel their reservations and obtain a ticket refund without charge within 24 hours of ticketing when purchase is one week or more prior to departure of the first flight in the itinerary.
Singapore Airlines	Y	Y	Consumers can cancel a reservation made using the Singapore Airlines website without penalty for 24 hours after the reservation is made. Or the airline will hold a reservation for 24 hours without payment. In either case, the reservation must be made at least one week prior to the scheduled departure.
Turkish Airways	Y	N	Reservations can be held for 24 hours at a quoted fare, as long as the booking to/from the U.S. is one week or more prior to your flight.
Virgin Atlantic	Y	Y	Passengers can hold a telephone reservation at the quoted fare without payment, or they can cancel a website booking without penalty for a maximum of 24 hours after the reservation is made, as long as that reservation is made one week or more prior to scheduled departure.

Consumer trying to get a jump on the tax filing and refund ball may have to wait a bit longer, as the Internal Revenue Service suffered a severe computer crash on Wednesday that prevented it from accepting any taxpayer information for several hours. 

Engadget reports that while officials believe the system will be up and running sometime today, the issue could cause a delay for some early filers’ tax returns.

The agency is “still assessing the scope of the outage,” but thinks that any disruptions will be minimal, noting that “nine out of 10 taxpayers will receive their refunds within 21 days.”

The IRS announced Wednesday afternoon that it was experiencing a hardware failure affecting a number of tax processing systems, rendering them unavailable.

“Several of our systems are not currently operating, including our modernized e-file system and a number of other related systems,” the IRS said in a statement. “IRS.gov remains available, although a number of the services on the site are not, including Where’s My Refund.”

The agency said it was working with its e-file software transmitters and the tax community during the outage.

IRS expects its e-file tax system to be back online today [Engadget]

Let’s start by pointing out the obvious: oven doors are not supposed to explode. They’re supposed to keep hot air in while letting us view the food cooking inside. Yet hundreds of customers with Kenmore ovens have reported shattered doors to retailer Sears, and Sears and the Consumer Products Safety Commission have reacted with a collective shrug. Past one year, issues like this are officially the customer’s problem.

WPLG in Miami began looking into the doors when a viewer complained about the issue to their consumer problem-solving reporter. While the good thing about tempered glass is that broken items break into many small, rounder pieces instead of jagged shards, she has still been finding pieces of glass in the kitchen since the explosion incident.

Her research turned up hundreds of other customers in the last few years who have had similar problems with their ovens, mainly Kenmore models with model numbers starting with 790. The Safety Institute, a watchdog group, asked the CPSC to look into the reports.

Sears, owner of the Kenmore brand, counters that sudden breakage like this can happen due to mistreatment of the door or other accidental causes. In a statement to the TV station, Sears explained:

Breakage beyond the first year following purchase is most likely due to damage caused to the glass during use. Damage to the glass can be caused by a number of things including using the door to push in an oven rack or an object striking the glass-both examples may cause a weakness and lead to failure over time.

In addition, the company called the station’s attention to the door-specific instructions in the manual of affected models:

Read the following recommendations:

1. Do not close the oven door until all the oven racks are fully in place.

2. Do not hit the glass with pots, pans, or any other object.

3. Scratching, hitting, jarring or stressing the glass may weaken its structure causing an increased risk of breakage at a later time.

Numerous consumers report exploding Kenmore oven [WPLG]

Another auto parts maker has kicked off a massive recall thanks to potentially defective airbags. This time, it’s Continental Automotive Systems, which has alerted federal regulators that some 5 million vehicles produced by a half-dozen car companies may contain airbags that could deploy inadvertently or fail to deploy in a crash.

In a notice [PDF] filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Continental reveals that certain airbags manufactured between Jan. 2006 and Dec. 2010 may have power supply components that can corrode when moisture gets inside. This could result in issues with airbags deploying when they shouldn’t, or not deploying when they should.

Honda and Fiat Chrysler have already announced recalls. According to another filing [PDF] from Continental, vehicles made by Kia, Mazda, and Volvo also include the possibly defective airbags, but no recalls have been announced as of when this story was published.

 

Fiat Chrysler (FCA) announced Thursday that 112,001 of its vehicles were affected by the recall, including model year 2009 Dodge Journey, 2008 to 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country, and 2008 to 2009 Volkswagen Routan vehicles. The Routan was manufactured by Chrysler using the VW name.

The carmaker tells NHTSA in a filing [PDF] that it opened an investigation into possible inadvertent airbag deployments in July 2015 after receiving reports that two 2009 Dodge Journey vans experienced issues with the safety device.

FCA says it is aware of seven potentially related minor injuries, but no accidents connected to the issue. The manufacturer will notify owners of the affected vehicles of the recall when parts are available.

For Honda, the recall covers 341,444 model year 2008 to 2010 Accord sedans.

The carmaker tells [PDF] NHTSA that it has received 1,575 warranty claims, 83 field reports, and two confirmed injury reports related to the safety defect that first came to light in May 2015.

“Additionally, there have been 74 injury allegations related to airbag non-deployments,” Honda says, noting that the carmaker has not yet had the opportunity yo determine if those claims are related to the safety defect.

According to notices filed with NHTSA, the carmaker will install new computer systems in the airbags, however, parts will not be available until fall 2016.

MLive reports that the recall also affects about 126,260 model year 2008 to 2009 C-Series and model year 2010 GLK350 cars due to the issue. Daimler has not yet posted recall notices with NHTSA.

In Northern Ireland, northeast of Belfast, the country built a massive underground bunker big enough to hold 235 people. It was meant for the country’s elite to shelter themselves in the event of nuclear war. Its existence was only made public in 2007, and the government has decided to get rid of it. There’s a problem, though: it’s easy enough to sell government surplus filing cabinets or tanks, but what’s the market for 46,363 square feet of blastproof and windowless real estate?

The bunker costs $850,000, and journalists got to tour the facility this week in the hope that media attention might lead to interested buyers. It would make a fine storage facility, for example. Someone could run it as a tourist attraction: I suggest Post-Apocalypse Fantasy Camp.

The bunker sits under some nice grassy fields and the entrance is hidden, so it could also make a fine underground lair for anyone who wants to take up supervillaining.

The Strangelove Suite: Northern Ireland sells nuclear bunker [Associated Press]

If you were traveling to Boston, an Airbnb listing for a private, one-bedroom unit with a great view of Boston Common might sound pretty attractive. For one college student, however, his success in renting his downtown dorm room was not applauded by his school’s administrators.

A sophomore at Emerson College says he could be facing disciplinary action after renting his room on homesharing site to three people on three separate occasions, reports the Boston Globe. He says he was trying to offset his student expenses, and knowing that tourists would love his part of town.

“Really, the idea just came from the combination of understanding where Emerson is located in the city, and it being in such a heavily-desired neighborhood,” he told the Globe, “and the thought of how I could make a little bit of extra money.”

How much extra money he made from those rentals, he declined to say. His listing was up for two weeks before the school flagged it and asked him to remove it, the student claimed.

Emerson officials told the Globe that it’s against the rules of the school’s housing and residency hall contract, which all students sign, to rent out or sublease a dorm room, or beds.

That rule is there “protect residents and the community from exposure to safety and security risks,” Emerson College said in a statement.

Emerson administrators wouldn’t confirm or deny to the Globe that the student rented out his room, citing federal privacy laws.

“However, an attempt by any student to sublet their Emerson residence hall room would be in clear violation of the college’s residence hall policies,” the school wrote in a statement.

The student admits he violated at least one school policy, and says he’s now facing a disciplinary hearing.

“The decision [about a punishment] is up to the school board, who I have an upcoming hearing with,” he said.

Emerson student could face disciplinary action for renting out dorm room on Airbnb [Boston Globe]

Super Bowl Sunday is a time for football, friends, occasionally creative commercials, and food, lots of food. But firing up the grill on a February afternoon isn’t exactly the same as cooking out on the Fourth of July.

With two-thirds of grill owners planning to utilize their gas or charcoal grills for the big game, Super Bowl Sunday is the most popular grilling day of the winter.

To make sure you’re able to easily add those burgers, wings, hot dogs, and brats to the menu this weekend, our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports compiled a set of cold-weather grilling tips for the pro and novice griller alike.

Perform A Grill Check: Because grilling in cold weather takes longer than it does in warm weather, you want to make sure you have enough fuel on hand for all that food. Additionally, make sure your grill isn’t covered in snow and that the knobs and lid aren’t frozen shut.

Exercise Patience: Properly preheating your grill in the winter is a must. Although that can take longer, it means that food won’t stick to the grates.

Protect Yourself: Just because the grill is warm, doesn’t mean you will be. CR suggests that grill masters bundle up against the elements; choose warm gloves that allow full movement so you don’t drop those spatulas and tongs.

Keep A Lid On It: Letting the heat escape from your grill can prolong the cooking time during the winter. For this reason, CR suggests only opening the grill lid when absolutely necessary.

Plan A Quick Cleanup: You don’t want to spend more time outside than necessary, so a quick cleanup is important. The best time to clean your grill is when it’s still hot so take the time to brush food detritus off the racks.

Check out Consumer Reports for more cold-weather tips, including how to ensure your meat is cooked to perfection and ratings for the best grills on the market.

As the saying goes, “McDonald’s has 99 problems, and mozzarella sticks that don’t contain cheese make up at least two of them.*” After customers raked the chain over the coals for selling breaded shells filled with fried air instead of mozzarella, another customer in California has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit against McDonald’s, claiming its version of mozzarella is not, by definition, actual cheese.

A customer filed a lawsuit in California federal court last week, reports Law360, accusing McDonald’s of selling mozzarella sticks that don’t contain real cheese, but instead are made up of “something else.”

The plaintiff said the Golden Arches markets the item as being made with “pure mozzarella,” “real mozzarella” and “100 percent real cheese,” but that’s not the real story, the complaint claims.

“Rather than solely containing cheese, the sticks contain an admixture of various substances,” the lawsuit said. “In particular, McDonald’s has used starch as a cheap substitute and filler.”

He said he bought an order of the item in question at a California location on Dec. 24. A core sample** of one of the sticks showed it contained 3.76% starch by weight, the complaint says, but federal standards prohibit the ingredient in products labeled as “mozzarella cheese.”

Federal regulations spell out exactly what mozzarella cheese should be composed of, the complaint states, and filler is not one of them. Thus, the sticks have been rendered mislabeled and adulterated, the lawsuit claims.

“The sticks are filled with a substance that is composed (in part) of starch, in violation of the federal standards of identity for ‘mozzarella’ cheese, and contrary to reasonable consumers’ expectations regarding the meaning of the term ‘mozzarella,’” the complaint said.

Why would McDonald’s present alleged filler to us cheese-loving folk? Money, the customer says, claiming that the chain is trying to cut costs by “limiting its reliance on actual dairy products necessary to make mozzarella, contrary to what the law requires for products labeled as ‘mozzarella.’”

The customer calls McDonald’s ads and packaging of the mozzarella sticks misleading, deceptive, unfair and fraudulent, and is seeking claims under California’s unfair competition, false advertising and consumer protection laws.

He’s also seeking a class action representing other Californians who may have purchased the item, along with a nationwide class. The suit wants restitutionary and nonrestitutionary disgorgement, an award for attorneys’ fees and a cease-and-desist order prohibiting McDonald’s from continuing its allegedly illegal practices.

McDonald’s denied the allegations on Monday.

“Our mozzarella cheese sticks are made with 100 percent low moisture part skim mozzarella cheese,” a spokesman told Law360. “We intend to defend ourselves vigorously against these allegations.”

*We don’t know McDonald’s actual problem count, but felt the lyric quote was still justified in this case.
**Does this guy have a cheese lab in his house?! If so, cool.

McDonald’s Hit With Class Action Over ‘Mozzarella Sticks’ [Law360]