The holiday season is coming to a close, and it’s time to start taking down those decorations and Christmas lights. But fear knot! With just a piece of cardboard or even an old coffee can, you can organize your strands of holiday lights to avoid a tangled mess.
One of the common misconceptions about depression is that the same as sadness but just stronger. This video from TED-Ed explains clearly the difference between the two, as well as many other aspects of depression.
Prepping spinach and other greens—whether it’s for lasagna or to serve straight—usually involves boiling or blanching them in a pot of boiling water. This method from America’s Test Kitchen brings the water to the greens, not the greens to the water.
Fake reviews are everywhere online . If you want to check whether a particular hotel’s reviews are real before you book it, the Review Skeptic tool can help.
HOOKSETT, N.H. (AP) — Republican presidential hopefuls called for a more compassionate discussion around drug addiction Tuesday, with emphasis on substance abuse as a curable disease, not a moral failing.
“This is a national calling,” former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said at the New Hampshire Forum on Addiction and the Heroin Epidemic. “We should be able to talk about this without all the stigma attached to it. We need to eliminate the stigma.”
Home to the nation’s first 2016 presidential primary and a state that’s seen drug deaths skyrocket in recent years, New Hampshire’s prominent place on the campaign calendar has turned drug addiction into a hot-button issue on the campaign trail. Health officials estimate that about 400 people died from overdoses in New Hampshire in 2015 — including heroin and the powerful opiate fentanyl — more than doubling its own rate of overdose deaths in 2013.
Candidates have taken to visiting a peer-recovery center in Manchester, attending drug roundtables at local hospitals and sharing stories they hear on the trail from New Hampshire voters battling addiction. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and technology executive Carly Fiorina spoke about how frequently they meet people on the trail in New Hampshire who share their struggles with addiction or talk about family members who lost their lives to drugs. Both have deeply personal experiences with addiction, which they spoke about on Tuesday. Fiorina’s step-daughter died from a drug overdose in 2009, while Bush’s daughter has struggled with addiction.
“The pain that you feel when you have a loved one who has addiction challenges and spirals out of control is something that I share with a whole lot of people,” Bush told the crowd after sharing an emotional reflection on his daughter’s history with drugs.
Bush’s daughter graduated from a drug court program in Florida, and he and the other candidates are advocating for the expansion of such programs nationwide. Drug courts send non-violent offenders through treatment programs. The candidates advocate for a similar slate of other policies, including cracking down on dealers and doctors who overprescribe pain killers, placing a stronger focus on prevention and creating more peer-based recovery programs.
Injecting a dose of humility into his remarks, another GOP candidate, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, admitted he has “no clue” what it’s like to fight addiction, but said that no one is too far gone to save. He said he’s come to understand the issue more deeply during his tenure as governor of Ohio as people shared their personal stories about addiction.
“You cannot give up, because there’s a purpose to your life, you understand that. Everybody in this room has a God-given potential to do something to change this world,” he said. “If you can climb out of it, people will learn from you.”
On policy, Kasich points to initiatives in Ohio aimed at expanding drug education in schools and his decision to expand Medicaid in Ohio, which he says has opened up more resources for treatment and other programs.
Chris Christie, meanwhile, pointed to his record as governor of New Jersey focusing on treatment over incarceration for non-violent offenders. He said it is incumbent upon the country’s next president to use the bully pulpit to address drug addiction in a meaningful way.
“We’ve been programmed in our society to talk about this as a moral failing,” said Christie, who polls show is been making noteworthy gains in New Hampshire ahead of the Feb. 9 primary. “As long as we continue to do this we’re going to treat this differently than other diseases.”
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FLINT, Mich. (AP) — The latest on water woes in Flint, Michigan (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has declared a state of emergency in Flint over problems with lead in the city’s drinking water as federal officials confirm they’re investigating the matter.
Snyder announced the action Tuesday. It makes available state resources in cooperation with local response and recovery operations.
Federal prosecutors also said Tuesday they’re working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on an investigation into problems with lead in Flint’s water supply.
The city temporarily switched from Detroit’s water system to Flint River water in a cost-cutting move in 2014, while under state financial management.
Residents complained about the water’s taste, smell and appearance and children were found to have elevated levels of lead.
Last week, Snyder apologized and Michigan’s top environmental regulator resigned.
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11:15 a.m.
Federal prosecutors say they’re working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on an investigation into problems with lead in Flint’s water supply.
U.S. Attorney’s spokeswoman Gina Balaya said in an email Tuesday that the investigation is “an effort to address the concerns of Flint residents.”
Balaya couldn’t say whether it is a criminal or civil investigation.
The city switched from Detroit’s water system to Flint River water in a cost-cutting move in 2014, while under state financial management.
Residents complained about the water’s taste, smell and appearance and children were found to have elevated levels of lead due to the water supply.
Last week, Gov. Rick Snyder apologized and Michigan’s top environmental regulator resigned.
Flint returned to Detroit’s water system in October.
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CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — A man convicted of committing sex crimes against a child at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne is asking a federal judge to delay his sentencing hearing for a few months so he can qualify for a military pension.
Wyoming Army National Guard Lt. Timothy Wells was convicted in federal court in October of sexual exploitation of a child and other charges. He faces at least 15 years in prison, federal prosecutors say.
Jim Barrett, one of Wells’ lawyers at the Federal Public Defender’s Office, recently asked U.S. District Judge Alan B. Johnson of Cheyenne to release Wells from custody temporarily and push his scheduled sentencing hearing back from next Tuesday until April so he can finish 20 years of military service necessary for a pension.
“Mr. Wells, as this court is aware, is a member of the armed services,” Barrett wrote. “He is a matter of months away from obtaining his twenty year retirement. If released, Mr. Wells could serve the necessary number of days to procure retirement. This is expected to be completed by late March, 2016. Mr. Wells desires release to obtain this retirement in order to fulfill his financial obligations to his family while he is incarcerated.”
Barrett was unavailable for comment on Tuesday, his office stated. David Weiss, another assistant federal public defender representing Wells, declined comment.
Federal prosecutors are urging Johnson to deny Wells’ request to be released for a few months pending sentencing.
Prosecutor Thomas Szott wrote to Johnson last week stating Wells, 47, doesn’t deserve any special consideration. “If his crimes have in fact cost him his twenty-year retirement, he must bear that loss as a consequence of the choices he made. His detention pending sentencing remains appropriate,” Szott wrote.
Szott also stated it’s unclear that Wells would in fact have to be released in order to qualify for the pension. Szott stated that his office consulted with the Wyoming Army National Guard and understands that Wells will attain the required twenty years of military service this March even if he’s not released.
Szott stated Wells should have to substantiate his assertions at a court hearing before Johnson would consider releasing him from custody.
John R. Powell, spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Cheyenne, declined comment Tuesday on Wells’ request to be released pending sentencing.
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CHICAGO (AP) — Officials of a Christian college in suburban Chicago on Tuesday said they have begun efforts to fire a professor who was placed on leave after asserting that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.
Wheaton College announced its action against Larycia Hawkins in a statement on its website, saying Provost Stanton Jones initiated the termination-for-cause proceeding after Hawkins refused to participate in “clarifying conversations” about theological issues.
The private evangelical school west of Chicago said it placed Hawkins on paid administrative leave in December because of theological statements “that seem inconsistent with Wheaton College’s doctrinal convictions, which she voluntarily agreed to support and uphold when she entered into an employment agreement with the college.” Hawkins also had begun wearing a hijab, the headscarf worn by some Muslim women, but the school has said that is not why she was placed on leave.
Hawkins, who is a Christian and an associate professor of political science, began wearing a hijab to counter what she called the recent “vitriolic” rhetoric against Muslims. She told reporters last month that her actions “were motivated by a desire to live out my faith.”
The college said it has had frank conversations with Hawkins on doctrinal issues as it pursued the possibility of reconciliation with her but that “Hawkins has stated clearly her unwillingness to participate in such further clarifying conversations.”
A spokeswoman for Hawkins, Shelly Ruzicka, said the professor wouldn’t immediately comment on the effort to fire her but that it comes as she as Hawkins “maintains Christian support for the Muslim community amid the ongoing anti-Muslim climate.”
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ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (AP) — A North Carolina farm worker accused of killing four chickens by grinding his heel on their heads and throwing one against a wall has pleaded guilty.
The Daily Journal of Richmond County reports (http://bit.ly/1VG5FqD) that court documents show 22-year-old Danny Cajija Miranda pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of misdemeanor cruelty to animals.
A judge sentenced Miranda to 45 days in jail, with credit for 27 days already served.
Officials say Miranda killed two chickens by grinding his heel on their heads and whipping one around by its neck. A third chicken was hit it in the head with a hammer and a fourth died after being thrown against a wall.
Miranda worked for a contract grower for Maryland-based Perdue Farms.
Richmond County sheriff’s deputies were made aware of the abuse by Los Angeles-based Mercy for Animals, which sent an undercover operative to work at the farms and record evidence of any mistreatment.
Video provided by Los Angeles-based Mercy for Animals shows several chickens being stomped and one being flung against the wall inside a chicken house, as well as other chickens in poor health. The organization says it has conducted more than four dozen investigations across the U.S. and Canada, including four in North Carolina.
A new law, dubbed the “ag-gag” bill, went into effect last Friday and penalizes such investigations.
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Information from: Richmond County Daily Journal, http://yourdailyjournal.com
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DENVER (AP) — A judge on Tuesday dismissed a lawsuit that sought federal approval for a credit union aimed at serving Colorado’s marijuana businesses, saying pot is still illegal under federal law.
Fourth Corner Credit Union challenged a decision by the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City to keep the pot bank from accessing the nation’s financial system. The credit union, which was chartered by Colorado in 2014, is not allowed to take deposits or issue credit — leaving many marijuana businesses operating on a cash-only basis and causing concerns over the possibility of robberies.
Colorado voters decided to legalize recreational marijuana in 2012.
Lawyers for the Federal Reserve argued that giving marijuana businesses access to the nation’s banking system is too risky, saying that despite guidance about pot banking from the Department of the Treasury, marijuana money should not be allowed into the nation’s central banking system as long as the drug remains federally outlawed.
U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson dismissed the lawsuit Tuesday because federal law prohibits the drug.
He said the U.S. Department of Justice has pointed out that Congress still deems marijuana dangerous, and that financial institutions that deal with money generated by the pot industry could be breaking the law.
Jackson concluded that the marijuana banking situation is untenable, and he hopes it will soon be resolved by Congress.
The credit union claimed that although marijuana remains illegal under federal law, the Federal Reserve as a quasi-government institution lacks the authority to keep marijuana banks out of the nation’s financial system. Mark Mason, an attorney for the credit union, argued in December that a pot bank would serve the government’s interest in keeping better tabs on the drug money.
“They intend to take this money out of shadows and off of the street so that they can track it and trace it,” he argued.
Aaron Smith, executive director of the National Cannabis Industry Association, said Tuesday that Jackson’s ruling sends the message that Congress must act.
“There’s no shortcut, there’s no Band-Aid, there’s no workaround to fix this industry-wide,” he said. “Forcing cannabis businesses to operate without banking access is a crisis, affecting public safety, law-abiding businesses and the state officials in charge of regulating them.”
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Associated Press writer Kristen Wyatt contributed to this report.
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Follow Thomas Peipert on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/thomaspeipert and Kristen Wyatt at http://www.twitter.com/APkristenwyatt
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LUKE, Md. (AP) — The State Highway Administration says a western Maryland highway that’s been reduced to one lane by a rock slide could stay partly closed for up to a month.
Spokesman David Buck says workers will place a temporary traffic signal along Route 135 near the town of Luke to replace a flagging operation that started Sunday.
Buck says workers have erected a concrete barrier, about 400 feet long, to catch any falling debris from the mountainside. He says any work that would close the road completely for more than 15 minutes would be limited to overnight hours.
The rock slide was reported on Saturday. Workers opened up one lane of the two-lane highway on Sunday.
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A Virginia state senator whose son stabbed him multiple times before fatally shooting himself has filed a $6 million wrongful death lawsuit against the state and a mental health agency.
Sen. R. Creigh Deeds of Bath County claims in the lawsuit that his 24-year-old son, Austin “Gus” Deeds was improperly denied mental health treatment before the deadly November 2013 incident.
Defendants in the lawsuit are the state, the Rockbridge Area Community Services Board and Michael Gentry, a mental health worker for the community services board who evaluated Gus Deeds the day before the attack. Gus Deeds stabbed his father 13 times before shooting himself.
The lawsuit claims the community services board and Gentry breached their duties by releasing Gus Deeds after failing to find a psychiatric bed in the area.
“Virginia’s mental health care system failed my son, Gus,” Deeds said in a statement released Tuesday by his lawyers, John E. Lichtenstein and Monica M. Mroz. “I am committed that my son’s needless death shall not be in vain, and that no other Virginia family suffer this tragedy.”
John D. Young, interim executive director of the community services board, declined to comment on the lawsuit.
Attorney General Mark Herring had not seen the lawsuit and could not comment, spokesman Michael Kelly said.
According to the lawsuit, Gentry determined that the younger Deeds needed to be hospitalized but released him to his father’s care after being unable to find a bed. The complaint says Gentry claimed to contact 10 facilities, but phone records showed he only called seven — and two of the three that were not contacted had space available.
Gus Deeds’ mother, Pamela Miller Mayhew, told Gentry that her son “was in a very bad place” and pleaded to have him hospitalized, the lawsuit says.
“She told Gentry that Gus would kill Creigh and himself if he was not hospitalized,” it says.
About 13 hours after Gus Deeds was released, he attacked his father outside a barn on the family farm. The senator was flown to a nearby hospital, where he was initially in critical condition. A short time later, his son shot himself with a rifle.
The lawsuit faults mental health officials for not making improvements recommended by the state inspector general’s office after the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings. Those recommendations included steps to improve coordination between community services boards and hospitals to ensure that people who are found to pose a danger to themselves or others are not prematurely released.
“Gus Deeds’ violent acts and death could have been avoided” had state mental health officials acted on the inspector general’s findings, the complaint says.
Deeds had filed a notice of his intent to sue in May 2014. The lawsuit was filed in November, but escaped notice until it was reported by The Rockbridge Advocate, a monthly newspaper.
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BALTIMORE (AP) — One of six Baltimore police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray is asking a judge to quash a subpoena for his testimony in the upcoming trial of a fellow officer.
William Porter’s attorneys filed the motion on Monday saying that he plans to invoke his Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination and decline to testify in the trials of Caesar Goodson and Sgt. Alicia White.
Porter was the first of the officers to be tried, last month. Jurors could not reach a verdict, however, and a judge declared a mistrial. Porter’s retrial has been scheduled for June 13.
Gray died in April from injuries that prosecutors say he received while riding in a police van following his arrest. Goodson was driving the van.
Goodson, Porter and White all face manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges. Goodson faces an additional charge of second degree “depraved-heart” murder. Gray’s death led to protests and unrest that resulted in millions of dollars in damages.
Porter testified during his own trial last month. The state had previously indicated that prosecutors planned to call him as a witness against Goodson and White. But because of the mistrial, Porter has a Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself on the stand before his case is complete. Still, prosecutors issued subpoenas last month seeking his testimony.
Porter’s attorneys argued in their motion that forcing him to testify would “effectively render the Fifth Amendment meaningless.”
His attorneys also argued that if Porter were to take the stand prior to his own trial, no matter the outcome, his credibility would be adversely affected.
“If Officer Goodson or Sergeant White were to be acquitted it is all but inevitable that jurors would conclude that Porter — the star witness — was not credible,” the filing reads. “If convicted, the jurors will assume that Officer Porter has knowledge of inculpatory acts that he has now revealed when granted immunity.”
Prosecutors and defense attorneys are barred by a gag order from commenting on the case.
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Police: Gun Fired at Manassas Hooters Patch.com Suspect fired his gun during an argument on New Year's Eve, according to Prince William County Police. Manassas, VA. By Greg Hambrick (Patch Staff) January 5, 2016. ShareTweetGoogle PlusRedditEmailComments0. Police: Gun Fired at Manassas ... |
Most of LG’s Tuesday morning was given over to ooh-and-ah displays of its big, beautiful, super-thin (as skinny as 2.5mm), Ultra-HD OLED TVs, but we’ve all seen really large, expensive TV sets displaying vibrant images. The company’s more novel innovations were shown off during the tail-end of the event, when LG showed off its new line of premium appliances.
For instance, there was the LG Signature washing machine that does away with the standard panel of buttons and dials and puts all the controls on the glass window.
And not only does this machine retain the in-the-pedestal mini-washer that LG introduced at last year’s CES, this version is also a combination washer/dryer. According to LG, the machine’s drying function requires half the electricity of a traditional electric clothes dryer.
Another cool idea with this washer: push-to-open. So if your arms are full of laundry — or maybe you’re talking on your phone and trying to load the washer at the same time — you can just push the door in and it will open; no having to put anything down to pull the handle.
Speaking of easy-open, the new LG Signature fridge features two interesting innovations. The first is a floor-level sensor that allows people to use their feet to tell the refrigerator to open the door. LG claims that a nosy pet won’t trigger the sensor, but we’ll believe that when we see it.
Then finally there’s the fridge door with a panel that turns transparent and lights up when you knock on it. Want to see if there’s milk, or if the butter is running low? Just knock and — assuming what you’re looking for is visible through that panel — you’ll know without having to open it.
The fridge also comes with an interior clad in stainless steel, which doesn’t just look rad, but which LG claims will better moderate the inside temperature.
As mentioned at the top, LG did spend an awful lot of time showing off its new Ultra-HD OLED TVs, so we might as well give you some more information on those.
The company is showing eight new models of these next-gen sets, which feature thinner displays and deeper blacks than the LED and LCD screens most people are used to. The screens range from 55″ to 77″.
By housing the TVs’ circuitry in its base, LG has gotten these OLED sets down to 2.57mm (.1″) thick. LG compares that to the thickness of a few credit cards stacked together.
The speakers are housed in a forward-facing soundbar that either sits below the screen. According to LG, this provides a more robust sonic experience compared to the downward-facing speakers found in most skinny TVs.
Of course, if you’re splashing out the money for a 77″ OLED set, what are the odds that you’re just using the speakers that come with the TV?
Reuters, citing unnamed VW sources, reports that the car company is struggling to agree with U.S. authorities on a remedy to ensure that affected vehicles meet emission standards during testing and regular road use.
According to the source, coming up with a proposed fix for the issue has been more difficult than expected because it involves creating new components, which would then require testing.
Officials with VW, including chief executive Matthias Mueller, are expected to meet next week with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Environmental Protection Agency — the agencies which revealed VW’s defeat devices in September.
The VW source says that while the company has run into trouble creating a fix for the emissions cheating vehicles, it’s still hopeful to meet a mid-January deadline to have a plan in place.
VW and officials for the EPA and CARB previously met in late November to discuss potential remedy plans for the vehicles.
The carmaker submitted an initial proposal at the time, and the EPA said it would review that plan. However, it’s unclear if that same plan will be discussed in upcoming meetings, or if the agencies are seeking a new remedy.
Volkswagen struggling to agree fix for U.S. test cheating cars: source [Reuters]
In an alert on its website, Malaysia Airlines advised passengers flying from Kuala Lumpur to Paris and Amsterdam today and tomorrow that they should try to not fly with checked bags.
The concern is that the extra weight, combined with unusually strong headwinds and longer flightpaths, could put the carrier’s planes at risk for running low on fuel before they reach their destinations.
Bloomberg reports that even carry-on bags are being limited to one piece weighing no more than 15 pounds. Travelers who do check luggage will have to wait for it to eventually arrive at their destination via other means.
Affected passengers are being the given the option of rebooking travel at a slightly later date. If they can neither reschedule nor fly without checked bags, the airline is offering to let them cancel their reservations and apply the value of that ticket toward the purchase of a new ticket at some point within one year of whenever that original ticket was first issued.
In 2014, two Malaysia Airlines flights tragically never made it to their destinations. Flight MH370 disappeared over the South China Sea en route to Beijing in March 2014. Four months later, flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine.
In Sept. 2014, the carrier had to apologize for its misguided “bucket list” promotion that many thought was in bad taste, given these two incidents that killed hundreds and left no survivors.
It’s not a good week for Hasbro’s long-running (and apparently inexhaustible) Monopoly franchise. First, the company has to explain why its new Star Wars-themed game leaves out the new film’s female lead character, and now comes news that Hasbro has decided that Iowa’s capital city is actually located hundreds of miles away in Ohio.
The Monopoly Star Wars game includes four characters from the fictional galaxy far, far away: Two good guys and two bad guys. And we do mean “guys” — all four of the characters are dudes. No Leia from the original trilogy, no Padmé from the prequels, and no Rey from the new series.
In response to fan’s concerns about Hasbro and Disney pushing only the male stars of the series, the company told EW.com yesterday that Rey was left out to avoid [spoiler alert for the one person who hasn’t seen the movie but felt compelled to read this story anyway] “revealing a key plot line that she takes on Kylo Ren and joins the Rebel Alliance.”
Um. I don’t think anyone watching even the very first trailers were of the mind that Rey was not going to be a Rebel. But given how mad some people were about the fact that early photos of Rey’s action figure showed her [spoiler alert #2… seriously, just go see the movie or stop reading stories about it] brandishing a lightsaber, maybe there’s something to keeping this rather obvious plot point a secret.
While we don’t fully understand Hasbro’s decision to omit a buttkicking female character from its Monopoly game, we do understand that Des Moines is a city in Iowa… not Ohio.
KCCI-TV in, where else, Des Moines reports that the Monopoly: Here & Now game describes the Iowa capital as full of “Fairs and farmers’ markets, miles of trails,” and even mentions the city’s world-famous cow sculpture made from butter.
All of that seems reasonable enough, except for the part about Des Moines being located in a time zone (and around 600 miles) away in Ohio.
“I’m used to people pronouncing Des Moines incorrectly, but it’s not often you hear them placing the city in the wrong state,” an anonymous Iowan who may or may not also be a Consumerist staffer explains. “Does the Ohio state fair even have deep fried butter on the menu?”
Remember the refrigerators of your youth? Far from sleek, shiny, or Internet-connected, they were at least magnetic, which meant they doubled as the home’s bulletin board for reminders, calendars, and shopping lists. Now that everything is stainless steel, Samsung thinks it has a substitution for those old fridge magnets, by way of a 21.5″ touchscreen on the front of its newest refrigerators.
With a touchscreen that’s larger than most of your average laptops, Samsung’s Family Hub fridge isn’t just a place’s not just a spot for calendars, to-do lists and notes you might’ve slapped on the fridge with the magnets Great Aunt Sally always brings you from her cruises, but includes three built-in cameras that take photos from inside the fridge every time it’s closed. A companion app will also alert users when they’re running low on things like eggs, milk, or whathaveyou.
Which, for people who might forget to check what they’re out of before going to the store, or maybe just want to think about what they’re going to eat before they actually make the move to go get it, could be a handy thing.
Or, if you’re the type that doesn’t actually want to go anywhere to buy groceries, Samsung has partnered with MasterCard for a new “grocery shopping experience” that lets you order food online from either Fresh Direct or Rite Aid, for now, with plans to expand with MyWeb Grocer in the future.
All items end up in one common cart no matter which grocer you use, so shoppers can check out all at once. The fridge accepts all U.S. credit and debit cards, though of course, noted Betty DeVita, chief commercial officer of MasterCard Labs during today’s presentation at the Consumer Electronics Show, MasterCard would love it if you use one of their cards.
On top of those food bells and whistles, there’s also a built-in speaker for playing music that includes Bluetooth so you can play it on other connected speakers in your home, and a TV mirroring capability so you can see what everyone in the living room is watching on the Samsung Smart TV while you’re cooking.
Elsewhere in the world of smart appliances, Samsung introduced a new feature for its front-loading washing machines called AddWash, which, aptly enough, allows users to add something to the washing machine that they’ve forgot by pressing a button. I’m calling it a sock door, because that’s what it is — you left a sock out of the load, and cannot bear to complete the rest of the load knowing that its mate will be clean while it, alas, is not.
And lest you’re worried your child might decide they also need to get into the wash after it’s started going, the feature comes with a child lock.
Spaying or neutering your pets can be expensive, but it’s important to consider.. Luckily, this map from the ASPCA shows you clinics with affordable spay and neuter programs in your area.
We talk about all kinds of electronics projects and name drop a variety of hand tools. But if you’ve never known exactly what tools you need or how to use them, Adafruit walks you through everything you need to know.
Quality clothes last longer for the money you spend, they’re more comfortable, and they make you look and feel pretty good while you wear them. Best of all, you can find quality anywhere. It comes down to buying less mediocre stuff and using that money on a few nice things that last forever.
Stocks and bonds are fundamental investing terms, but if you’re new to investing, you might not have any idea what these terms mean. This video breaks it down.
We all know you'd forgive your pet. You'd have no choice. You love that pet. But wouldn't it just SUCK to wake up on your birthday and find that all your presents had been eaten? Even if you could laugh about it later.
Help your dog control its animal nature. Put the good stuff on one side and your dog on the other. Set up a pet gate and endure a little bit of whining and you can enjoy a LOT of birthday after.
Which will be good. And it won't end with someone locking someone else into the garage while swearing.
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ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida has a backlog of more than 13,000 rape kits that have not been tested or submitted for processing, and managing them could cost the state tens of millions of dollars and take several years, according to a report released Monday.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement conducted the $300,000 study on the number of untested kits and will present its findings to the Legislature.
Backlogs of untested rape kits have been an issue across the U.S. In September, federal officials said an estimated 70,000 rape kits sitting in laboratories and evidence collection rooms across the country would be tested with a combined $79 million in federal and New York City funds.
Of the 13,345 rape kits in Florida that have gone untested, authorities said in Monday’s report that 9,484 should have been submitted. The FDLE recommends testing all kits “in the interest of public safety.”
The most common reason the kits weren’t tested, the report says, was that the victim decided not to proceed with the investigation. That was the case in 41 percent of the untested kits. In 31 percent of the kits, the state attorney’s office declined to prosecute. Other reasons included a suspect’s guilty plea, a victim’s death, or a victim who declined to file a police report.
Clearing the backlog will take time and money. The report says any proposals to test the thousands of kits “are dependent upon additional funding for outsourcing, technology, overtime and a stabilized workforce of crime laboratory analysts.”
Gov. Rick Scott announced in November that he will seek $8.5 million to help process the backlog. But estimates of managing the backlog range from about $9 million to $32 million over three to nine years, according to the report.
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement that she’s pleased the survey is finished.
“In this upcoming legislative session, I will work with lawmakers, law enforcement and victims’ advocates to ensure our state crime labs have the resources needed to continue testing unprocessed sexual assault kits,” she said.
The FDLE suggested that the most efficient and inexpensive way to manage the untested kits is through a combination of outsourcing , overtime for lab workers and federal funding.
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Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush.
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NEW YORK (AP) — As bitter winter weather arrived in the Northeast, New York’s governor issued an executive order requiring the homeless to be forcibly removed from the streets in freezing temperatures, an unprecedented government intervention that faced immediate legal questions and backlash.
The order, believed to be the only one of its kind in any city or state, would require communities to reach out to their street homeless populations and take those people to shelters, voluntarily or not, once the temperature drops to 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below.
“We have to get people in off the streets,” Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo said.
But the order faced resistance, including from New York City officials, who threatened not to comply. The prospect of forcible removals from the streets also raised deep worries among advocates for the homeless.
“Put simply, being homeless is not a crime,” said Mary Brosnahan, president of the Coalition for the Homeless in New York, who warned that aggressive measures would push “the most marginalized homeless men and women further away from the very networks needed to engage them.”
That sentiment was echoed by some homeless men interviewed by The Associated Press on Monday.
Eddie Rouse said he feels safer and more comfortable riding subway trains for warmth on frigid New York City nights than he would in a shelter.
“I’ve been in a shelter, and I’m telling you, a lot of those people need to be in mental institutions,” said Rouse, who’s 64. “You’ve got drug addicts. You have to wake up at a certain time and leave at a certain time. So they’ll put you back in the cold. You can’t stay in the shelter. It’s not a safe haven.”
Under current state law, a police officer or outreach worker can take people from the street only if they appear to be in imminent danger or display signs of mental illness.
Maria Foscarinis, executive director of the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, said there was no other U.S. municipality that had adopted a broad rule of removing people from the streets when it gets cold.
“The approach of the order is misguided,” Foscarinis said. “It’s a positive thing that (Cuomo) understands the urgency of doing something to help homeless people. But what’s needed is permanent housing and services, not these kind of tactics.”
Cuomo was moved to act amid a growing homelessness crisis in New York City, which houses about 58,000 people in shelters and has another 3,000 to 4,000 people living on the streets. Six homeless people suffered cold-weather-related deaths in the city during the winter of 2013-14, the last season for which statistics are available.
Thirty years ago, then-Mayor Ed Koch tried to relocate the city’s homeless but faced massive legal obstacles. The state’s Mental Hygiene Law requires police to interview and determine mental capacity before taking a homeless person into custody; if the person appears to suffer from mental illness, he could be taken to a hospital or mental institution for evaluation.
Cuomo aides said Sunday, shortly after the order was issued, that state officials were interpreting the law to mean anyone who chose to turn down shelter in favor of sleeping outside in freezing temperatures inherently displayed some degree of mental illness and could therefore be removed. The governor’s office later appeared to walk back that interpretation.
“Obviously, the order does not mandate involuntary commitment for competent individuals,” Cuomo’s counsel, Alphonso David, said in a written statement.
If that’s the case, the order would largely reiterate outreach programs already in place in cities including New York City, Syracuse, Buffalo and Rochester. Other U.S. cities including Chicago, Philadelphia and Baltimore also expand shelter capacity and extend their homeless outreach programs when temperatures plummet.
The Department of Justice’s civil rights division has increasingly cracked down on municipalities for enacting laws criminalizing sleeping on public streets even as many U.S. cities are battling a surge of homelessness during the dead of winter.
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Klepper contributed from Albany. Additional reporting was contributed by Deepti Hajela and Michael Casey in New York, Mike Sisak in Philadelphia, Carla Johnson in Chicago, Ed White in Detroit and Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo.
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Contact the writer on Twitter @JonLemire
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WASHINGTON — The staff members at the Montgomery County Animal Services Division and Adoption Center have their hands full. Along with dozens of cats and dogs already under their care, they’re evaluating 66 dogs that were confiscated by officers from a Rockville, Maryland, home on New Year’s Day.
Director Thomas Koenig explains his officers were investigating a reported dog bite at the home off Glen Mill Road on New Year’s Eve. But the homeowner was not cooperative. Koenig says the two officers — among the division’s most experienced — suspected there were a number of dogs on the property, and a strong odor at the home raised concerns about conditions at the property. That’s what led to the New Year’s Day raid.
“We thought we’d find 20 dogs — and we walked out with 66,” he says.
As of Monday afternoon, Koenig says it still wasn’t clear if the dog suspected in the bite case was among the 66 taken from the home.
“We haven’t been able to get through all the records — it took us almost 16 hours to process all of the animals — and that’s not even including capturing all the paperwork that attaches to these animals. So we’re doing all of that now,” Koenig says.
Koenig said reporters could not photograph or even look in on the confiscated dogs, because they’re considered evidence in an ongoing investigation. He says the dogs’ conditions vary.
“All I can tell you: there was a wide range of levels of care needed for these animals,” he says.
Because the case is still under investigation, and because no charges have been filed, Koenig could not name the homeowner. He did not give details about the initial dog bite that led to the confiscation.
Koenig did say that there have been a number of inquiries about adopting the dogs that were removed from the Rockville home. He said officials are “not there yet” — and said there are plenty of other animals currently waiting, and available for adoption.
In cases of cruelty or abuse, animals can be taken from their owners; or owners may surrender the animals. Koenig explained again that this case remains under investigation.
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The city of Key West, FL, has an ordinance restricting tattoo parlors in its popular Historic District, meaning anyone who wants to open a tattoo shop on the island has to do so in a designated commercial zone. But a federal appeals court has ruled that the city’s rules are too restrictive of tattoo artists’ right to free expression. It also chided Key West for not understanding the lyrics to a Jimmy Buffett song.
There are already two tattoo parlors in the Key West Historic District, but only because of an earlier settlement involving a legal challenge to the city’s regulations.
So when a man from Virginia attempted to get a business license from the city for the space he’d just leased in the famed part of Florida tourist destination, his request was denied.
He sued — eventually ending up in federal court — but the judge granted summary judgment to the city, saying that the ordinance is content-neutral and is a “reasonable time, place, and manner restriction” of free speech.
And so the man petitioned the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, claiming the city rule is unconstitutional.
Whether you’re a fan of tattoos or not, it’s generally accepted that tattoos themselves are protected as free expression. But what about the actual process of making that tattoo?
In defending its ordinance to the appeals court, Key West cited various legal precedents where courts had ruled that having a tattoo merits a higher degree of First Amendment consideration than merely tattooing someone else.
Per one court’s opinion, providing someone with a tattoo “does not rise to the level of displaying the actual image conveyed by the tattoo, as the tattoo itself is clearly more communicative, and would be regarded as such by the average observer, than the process of engrafting the tattoo on the recipient.”
“The very nature of the tattoo artist is to custom-tailor a different or unique message for each customer to wear on the skin,” opined another court, which found that the act of tattooing is “one step removed from actual expressive conduct.”
But in its opinion [PDF], the Eleventh Circuit says that these other courts are taking too limited a view of what constitutes expressive conduct.
“These decisions treat the First Amendment’s protection as a mantle, worn by one party to the exclusion of another and passed between them depending on the artistic technique employed, the canvas used, and each party’s degree of creative or expressive input,” reads the opinion. “Protected artistic expression frequently encompasses a sequence of acts by different parties, often in relation to the same piece of work. The First Amendment protects the artist who paints a piece just as surely as it protects the gallery owner who displays it, the buyer who purchases it, and the people who view it.”
Thus, according to the court, regulating the way in which a piece of art is created “curtails expression as effectively as a regulation limiting its display.”
If such a law were constitutional, the court holds that the government could make an end-run around displays of creative work they find disagreeable.
“[I]t can simply proceed upstream and dam the source,” reads the opinion, which concludes that “the right to display a tattoo loses meaning if the government can freely restrict the right to obtain a tattoo in the first place.” [note: italics in original]
In a footnote, the court also calls out the city for misrepresenting the lyrics to the song “Margaritaville” by famous Key West resident Jimmy Buffett.
The city made reference to the song twice in its arguments before the court, citing the lyrics
“Don’t know the reason,/Stayed here all season/ With nothing to show but this brand new tattoo” in an effort to support its claim that drunk Key West tourists who visit the historic district might end up with tattoos they regret.
But the court notes that the next line in song, describing the tattoo as a “a real beauty/A Mexican cutie,” indicates that the narrator of the tune is “seemingly far from suffering embarrassment over his tattoo.”
With regard to whether or not the city’s ordinance is an allowed restriction on free speech, the court notes that any such regulation must meet three conditions:
• 1: It is content-neutral, meaning the ordinance must be justified without reference to the content of the speech being regulated;
• 2: It is narrowly tailored to serve a significant governmental interest;
• 3: It leaves open ample alternative channels for communication of the information.
With regard to the second prong of that trident, the city argued that the ordinance is required because additional tattoo parlors in the Historic District would adversely impact the “character and fabric” of the area, which the appeals court says is indeed a substantial government interest.
However, the court asked the city to provide evidence that barring new tattoo artists from the district would further this goal. The city had to show that the reason for the ordinance was because of “secondary effects,” and not just because Key West didn’t want more tattoo parlors.
In other words, if a city is going to have an ordinance that limits concert venues, it would have to show that something like loud noise, increased traffic, increases in violent crime, etc., were likely; not just that the city didn’t want another concert hall.
To that end, Key West failed.
The city’s statement of purpose for the ordinance claims that putting a limit on tattoo parlors will prevent “the potential deterioration of a preserved historic district; an increase in the incidence of disease; and land use incompatibilities,” but the court says that the city provided nothing to bolster these generic assertions of what could happen.
Key West argued that tattoo parlors might harm tourism, but the court noted that the city “pointed to no study… conducted no investigation and made no findings… relied upon no expert testimony, findings made by other municipalities, or evidence described in judicial decisions… failed to muster even anecdotal evidence supporting its claims.”
Before the settlement that ultimately allowed for the two current parlors to come into being in the Historic District, Key West had banned tattooing in the area for four decades. The fact that nothing of interest has happened as a result in the years since that all-out ban was lifted works against the city’s claims, according to the court.
“The City concedes the absence of any ill effect as a result of the two tattoo establishments it currently allows to operate in the historic district,” reads the opinion. “And it fails to explain why allowing additional tattoo establishments to operate there would sour the district’s historical flavor, especially since the first two apparently have not done so.”
KEY WEST, Fla. (AP) — A federal appeals court has overturned a ruling barring a Virginia man from opening a tattoo shop in Key West.
In a 14-page decision released last week, the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals found the city lacked evidence in arguing that adding tattoo shops would hurt tourism.
The Key West Citizen (http://bit.ly/1R73FIK ) reports the judges also found city officials misused tattoo-referencing lyrics in Jimmy Buffett’s song “Margaritaville.”
In a deposition and in arguments before the district court, city officials twice referenced the song to support their argument that inebriated tourists would be more likely to get tattoos and then regret getting tattoos if more tattoo shops were open in Key West’s historic district.
The appeals court judges wrote in a footnote that the singer in “Margaritaville” considers his own tattoo “a real beauty” and seems far from embarrassed about it.
The appeals court ruled that U.S. District Judge Jose E. Martinez erred in his 2014 ruling that the city did not violate Brad Buehrle’s First and 14th Amendment rights.
Buehrle, who operates a tattoo shop in Richmond, Virginia, had asked the city to issue a permit allowing him to open a commercial tattoo business in a historic stretch of Duval Street.
The judges said in their ruling that the city failed to prove that Buehrle’s proposed tattoo shop would erode the historic district’s “character and fabric.”
Buehrle’s attorney, Wayne LaRue Smith, said that he “doesn’t believe for a minute that there’s any adverse effects even remotely possible from allowing as many tattoo establishments as the market will support.”
Tattoo parlors were banned within Key West city limits until 2007, when the city amended zoning rules to allow a limited number of them.
According to the appeals court ruling, the city feared that “rash tourists will obtain regrettable tattoos, leading to negative association with Key West.”
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Information from: The Key West (Fla.) Citizen, http://www.keysnews.com
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WASHINGTON — Meet Martha May, this week’s Pet of the Week.
Martha May is a hound/shepherd mix, with eyes that are oh-so-soulful. She has an adorable, pleading face that is so hard to resist.
Martha May is a super energetic pup with a go-getter attitude. At just over 1 year, she is excitable and would benefit from training to channel her exuberance, but she is good with other dogs and loves people.
Martha May is currently heartworm positive; WARL will take care of the cost of treatment, but the adopter must be willing to adhere to a heartworm treatment schedule.
If Martha May sounds like your match, come out to meet her — she can’t wait to go to her forever home.
About WARL: Founded in 1914, the Washington Animal Rescue League is the oldest animal shelter in Washington D.C. Its mission includes rescuing, rehabilitating and finding homes for animals who have no where else to go.
The League also supports animals through affordable veterinary care, community outreach and education. Learn more about the Washington Animal Rescue League at www.warl.org.
Maryland
Humane Society of Charles County
(301) 645-8181
71 Industrial Park Dr. PO Box 1015 Waldorf, Md. 20604
Humane Society of Charles County offers a low cost spay/neuter program to the public. Please call or visit our website for more information. The shelter is also looking for more foster parents to help its animals.
Lab Rescue of L.R.C.P.
(301) 299-6756
P.O. Box 1814, Annandale, VA 22003
Lab Rescue of the LRCP is a volunteer driven, nonprofit organization that rescues, fosters and places homeless, abused, and/or abandoned Labrador retrievers.
Prince George’s County Humane Society
(301) 262-5625
P.O. Box 925 Bowie, Md. 20718
Prince George’s County Humane Society is also looking for foster parents. For more information, contact the organization.
PAW — Partnership for Animal Welfare
(301) 572-4729
P.O. Box 1074 Greenbelt, Md. 20768
Paws Animal Kingdom
(301) 920-2318
P.O. Box 11531 Takoma Park, Md. 20912
Montgomery County Humane Society
(240) 252-2555
601 South Stonestreet Ave. Rockville, Md. 20850
The Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County
(301) 740-2511
12 Park Ave. Gaithersburg, Md. 20877
D.C.
Washington Humane Society
(202) 576-6664
1201 New York Ave. NE 20002
ASAP — Alliance for Stray Animals and People
(202) 331-1330
P.O. Box 65438 Washington, D.C. 20035-5438
Metropolitan Guinea Pig Rescue
(202) 575-2210
Approved applicants may attend monthly adoption meets that are usually held at the house of a volunteer in either Northern Virginia or Southern Maryland.
Northern Virginia
Lucky Dog Animal Rescue
(202) 741-5428
5159 Lee Highway Arlington, Va. 22207
Lucky Dog is a foster home organization and does not run a dedicated housing facility.
A Forever Home
(703) 961-8690
P.O. Box 222801 Chantilly, VA 20153-2801
A Forever-Home is a nonprofit dog rescue group that operates in the Northern Virginia/Washington Metropolitan area.
FOHA — Friends of Homeless Animals
(703) 385-0224
39710 Goodpuppy Ln, Aldie, Va. 20105
All visitors must speak to a Friends representative before receiving directions to their shelter location.
SPCA of Northern Virginia
703-799-9390
P.O. Box 100220 Arlington, Va. 22210-3220
Animal Welfare League of Alexandria
(703) 746-4774
4101 Eisenhower Ave. Alexandria, Va. 22304
Animal Welfare League of Arlington
(703) 931-9241
2650 S. Arlington Mill Dr. Arlington, Va.
Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation
(703) 295-3647
P.O. Box 223953 Chantilly, Va. 20153
HART — Homeless Animal Rescue Team
(703) 691-HART
P.O. Box 7261 Fairfax Station, Va. 22039-7261
King Street Cats Rescue and Adoption
(703) 231-7199
25 Dove St. Alexandria, Va. 22314
Virginia German Shepherd Rescue
(703) 435-2840
P.O. Box 126 Sterling, Va. 20167
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