pileofcrapola

The hymen is a poorly-understood body part, right up there with the spleen and the gallbladder: you’ve heard of it, but may have no idea what it looks like or how it actually works. This video from CollegeHumor schools you with style.

Read more...

Let’s face it, we’ve all received gifts that might as well have been lumps of coal. If you’re careful enough, you can use these tips to rid yourself of those stinkers and look generous all at once.

Read more...

Some of this year’s cheeriest holiday decorations look great, but use lasers or other focused light projected on the side of your home for a stunning display. But they can be dangerous if you accidentally have them aimed skywards, where they can blind pilots of low flying planes or helicopters, or be mistaken for laser strikes.

Read more...

If you get sick and need an antibiotic, you’ll also need a prescription because these medically important drugs shouldn’t be used willy-nilly. But if you’re a cow, pig, chicken, or fish, you can get many of those same antibiotics without any prescription whatsoever at any number of retail and online stores.

As we noted in last week’s report on the FDA’s latest data on antibiotics used on farm animals, 97% of these antimicrobials are purchased without a prescription or a veterinary feed directive. Nearly two-thirds (60%) of these over-the-counter antibiotics sales are for drugs deemed medically important to human beings.

But surely you can’t just go to the store or hop online and pick up a two-pound bag of chlortetracycline without any questions being asked? Oh wait — yes you can.

Writing for National Geographic, Maryn McKenna — author of Superbug — notes that she was able to do just that, purchasing a large bag of the drug with nothing more than a credit card.

In response to skeptics, some doctors posted the pics to Twitter showing that drugs like penicillin, cephaphirin, and others were readily available for purchase on the shelves of farm supply stores.

Response to MPR caller Re: Abx & Vet med. #antibioticresistance @marynmck @spidadoc1 @Ddrekonja @KerriMPR pic.twitter.com/bvvxDUiF98

— Jonathan Sellman, MD (@JonathanSellman) December 13, 2015

Likewise, you can easily buy a jar of cephalexin — a commonly used antibiotic to treat ear and urinary tract infections in humans — under the Fish Flex brand from Amazon and other retailers.

We certainly don’t recommend anyone buy these veterinary forms of the antibiotics, nor do we want to suggest that you should use antibiotics without first seeing a physician. Misuse of antibiotics can have dangerous results, as can using the wrong drug.

But if humans should take care to only use antibiotics under the guidance of a healthcare professional, shouldn’t the same be true for cows and pigs?

Whenever you take a swig of Gatorade, you’re probably not thinking about the Riptide Rush tree that bore fruit and provided your drink with flavor. But Pepsi wants to change how customers view Gatorade with a flying leap onto the healthy trend bandwagon, by introducing an organic version of the sports beverage next year.

Yes, really: Al Carey, the CEO of PepsiCo Americas Beverages, said that the company is going to unleash organic Gatorade upon the masses in the near future, reports Business Insider. As for the reason why, one only has to look in the mirror.

“It’s a consumer interest,” Carey said at Beverage Digest’s Future Smarts conference on Monday. “I think they’re very interested in non-GMO [genetically modified organisms] and organic, and to the degree you can make it meaningful to the consumer — do it.”

Joining Gatorade in the makeover room will be Tropicana, which is set to include a line of non-GMO labeled juices in 2016.

Pepsi is just the latest brand to pick up what health-conscious consumers are putting down — a slew of food companies and restaurant chains have recently announced changes to their products that are designed to appeal those looking for what they see as natural, healthier choices and flavors, free from GMOs and artificial preservatives: Hershey’s recently promised to ditch artificial flavors in some of its signature items, while Panera, Campbell’s, Schwan, Subway, Aldi, Mondelez, and more all removed or have promised to stop using artificial flavors and additives in some of their products in response to consumer demand for less processed foods.

Just days after Amazon handed a blow to “hoverboard” manufacturers, pulling the self-balancing scooters (that don’t actually hover) from its marketplace over safety concerns, another major retailer is following suit: Target took down listings for the scooters on Monday. 

Mashable reports that Target pulled Swagway X1 hoverboards from its website yesterday in the wake of safety concerns related to the device’s potential to catch on fire.

A spokesperson for Target confirmed it took down the listings to ensure the products had documentation that showed they complied with battery and charger safety standards.

The company says it plans to re-list the scooters on Tuesday, as Swagway provided the required documentation. The hoverboard manufacturer did not provide comment to Mashable on the products being pulled.

A search of “hoverboard” on Target’s website on Tuesday morning showed only results for the Razor Hovertrax. A similar search for Swagway came up empty. A link provided by Mashable includes the description for a Swagway scooter in its URL, but the item page lists the item as unavailable.

Hoverboards, which have been a hot holiday item, have had a less than stellar few weeks. First a family claimed a recently purchased scooter burst into flames while charging, causing significant damage to their home.

Next, Razor filed a lawsuit against Swagway, accusing the leading hoverboard distributor of patent infringement. And last week, several airlines announced bans on the devices, as the contain lithium batteries.

Santa Claus isn’t the only one polishing up his ride for the season: more than 100 million travelers are expected to take a trip for the holidays this year, which is a record number for the travel-heavy season. And, of course, it means sharing the roads and skies with more people than usual, which is always fun.

AAA is projecting year-end holiday travelers to top 100 million for the first time on record, with nearly one in three Americans going somewhere this holiday season. An estimated 100.5 million are going to sojourn farther than 50 miles from home, which is a 1.4% increase over last year and the seventh year in a row that holiday travel has grown.

If you’re trying to avoid traffic jams and crowds at the airport, the year-end holiday season is defined by AAA as Wednesday, Dec. 23 of this year through Sunday Jan. 3, 2016.

“The holidays are a time for joining with friends and family, and the record number of people traveling this holiday should make for a joyous travel season,” said Marshall Doney, AAA President and CEO. “Rising incomes and low gas prices are helping to fill stockings this year, and more people than ever will choose to spend those savings on travel this year.”

Why are we venturing forth in greater numbers than we have in the past? AAA attributes the boost in travel to an ongoing improvement in the labor market, rising incomes and lower prices.

Though we’ll be taking all kinds of transportation to get to our holiday destinations, more than 90% of travelers (or about 91.3 million people) will drive, a 1.4% increase from last year. Air travel is predicted to go up by 0.7%, with 5.8 million people taking flights to grandma’s house. Another 3.4 million travelers will hop on cruises, trains and buses to get where they most want to be for the holidays.

Imperial Tobacco Group, the fourth largest cigarette company in the world, is the latest company to distance itself from its bread and butter by dropping the “tobacco” part of its name. 

The British company, which recently acquired the Salem, Kool, Winston, blu e-cigarette brands during the Reynolds, Lorillard merger, announced on Tuesday that it would change its name to Imperial Brands, Bloomberg reports.

The change, which still has to be approved at a February shareholders meeting, was made to better reflect Imperial’s “dynamic, brand-focused business.”

“Our business is built around great consumer brands,” Imperial said in a statement. “Our growth and specialist brands are the key assets in our portfolio and we continue to focus on building the contribution they make to our volume and revenue development.”

The company says that the changes will be predominantly focused on its corporate headquarters and website.

Imperial is the latest tobacco giant to distance itself from cigarettes, albeit in name only. Bloomberg reports that Philip Morris Co. changed its name to Altria Group for similar reasons nearly a decade ago. The Philip Morris name does live on, however, in Philip Morris International. That company, which was spun off from Altria in 2008, is responsible for the non-U.S. sales and marketing of Marlboro and other big-name tobacco brands.

Cigarette Maker Drops Tobacco From Name, Becomes Imperial Brands [Bloomberg]

WASHINGTON — The holiday season is here, and it’s loaded with freebies.

WTOP put together a list of free events and offers available now through December to enjoy yourself, and help entertain your out-of-town visitors.

ONGOING:

•  Through Jan. 3, head to Gaylord National Resort at National Harbor to see its spectacular holiday décor, as well as free fountain shows synchronized to music and a free nightly snowfall.

• The White House Historical Association’s holiday exhibit features the largest gingerbread White House ever, designed by White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier.  Open Monday-Saturday through Dec. 22, except closed Nov. 26-27 and Dec. 1.

•  Leesburg’s free holiday parking program runs through 8 a.m. Jan. 4.  Parking will be free in the Town Hall Parking Garage and at all on-street meters, although there will still be a 2-hour limit at meters.

•  D.C.’s annual Downtown Holiday Market runs through Dec. 23 on F St. NW between 7th and 9th streets.

• At Christmas Village in Baltimore, through Dec. 27, weekday admission is free.

•  Washington landmarks made from plants, a model train exhibit, a display of poinsettias and seasonal music is some of what you’ll find at the U.S. Botanic Garden’s holiday exhibit through Jan. 3.

• New this year at the National Zoo’s ZooLights holiday display: a light show set to music.  ZooLights runs through Jan. 1, but it’s closed Dec. 24, Dec. 25 and Dec. 31.

• The 38th Annual Festival of Lights at the Washington, D.C. Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints runs from Dec. 3 through Dec. 31.

• From Dec. 5-Jan. 3, you can enjoy the Winter Display and Garden Railway Exhibit at Brookside Gardens.

• Every Sunday through Dec. 20, Eastern Market hosts “Deck the North Hall” with activities and live holiday music.

• The National Christmas Tree on the Ellipse will be lit nightly, and the Pathway of Peace will be open through Jan. 1.  There are also free, nightly music and dance performances at the tree through Dec. 22.

• Buy a $25 Tropical Smoothie Cafe gift card this holiday season at participating locations, and get a free 24 oz. smoothie.

• Mockingbird Hill has transformed itself into a decadently decorated Christmas bar called “Miracle on Seventh Street,” which you can visit through Dec. 24.  They’re offering special promotions including free cookies on Thursdays, free Tuesday holiday movie screenings and a “Bad Santa” Happy Hour on Fridays.

• Buy a $25 gift card at California Tortilla in December and get a coupon good for a free entree in January.

• Dec. 11-20 from 6-10 p.m. nightly, visit the Georgetown GLOW outdoor light art exhibition featuring installations by five artists. Also, on weekends during GLOW, there will be live outdoor musical performances at Grace Church.

• Looking to add to your holiday music collection?  You can listen to and download all of The United States Air Force Band’s holiday recordings (15 albums!) free.

DEC. 16

• Merry TubaChristmas! at the Kennedy Center at 6 p.m. brings together hundreds of tuba, sousaphone and euphonium players from around the region to play holiday music.

DEC. 17:

• Muppets and Mistletoe at The Coupe is screening of VHS tape-recorded Christmas specials.
• Caroling on the Town Green in Vienna starts at 6:30 p.m., weather permitting.  Take part in the singing, and enjoy marshmallow-roasting stations.

DEC. 18:

• The Chesapeake Beach Railway Museum holds annual dramatic readings of The Polar Express.

DEC. 19

• The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. performs in The Park at CityCenterDC at 5:30 p.m.
• The annual Merry Tuba Christmas at Harborplace Amphitheater in Baltimore will feature a performance by more than 200 tuba and euphonium players who will be “festively dressed.”

DEC. 23:

• The Kennedy Center’s annual Messiah Sing-Along starts at 8 p.m. Tickets will be distributed starting at 6 p.m.

DEC. 24:

• Water-Skiing Santa, his Kneeboarding Reindeer and other water-worthy friends will appear for a 1 p.m. performance on the Potomac River.  The best place to watch is along the Alexandria waterfront between King and Oronoco streets.

DEC. 31:

•  Watch Night in Falls Church is a free, family-friendly celebration with live music, activities, balloon artists, an obstacle course, free food while it lasts, and much more.
• Downtown Annapolis will welcome the New Year with family-friendly entertainment starting at 3 p.m., as well as a midnight fireworks display.
• The New Year’s Eve Spectacular in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor starts at 9 p.m. with live music by the band What’s Next, followed by a midnight fireworks and lights show.
• If you’re in Ocean City for New Year’s Eve, head to Northside Park for fireworks at midnight, along with live entertainment and hot chocolate.

The post Freebies for the 2015 holiday season appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — More than two dozen dogs rescued from a South Korea meat farm are now in the D.C. area, and are being prepared for new loving homes.

Some of the dogs are skittish around people and awkward walking on a leash. They’ve lived their entire lives in cages that are open to the elements and suspended over the ground.

“They never actually even walk physically on the ground at any point in time. They don’t even know what grass feels like beneath their feet. And then within a year they’re sold off to slaughter,” says Director of Companion Animals and Engagement with Human Society International Kelly O’Meara

The dogs aren’t immediately available for adoption. It will take a few weeks to get them ready for new homes.

“We’ll make sure that medically, they’ve gotten all their vaccinations and that they’re in good health. We’ll need to spay and neuter them,” says Abbie Hubbard of the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria. “Then we’ll take a look at their behavior and if they need any support, we’ll make sure we provide that either to a foster or an adoptive parent.”

The dogs soon will be available for adoption from the Washington Animal Rescue League, Washington Humane Society, Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, Animal Welfare League of Arlington, and the Fairfax County Animal Shelter.

This batch of animals comes from the fourth dog meat farm shutdown this year by Human Society International. O’Meara says the farmers are happy to give up the animals.

“We offer them seed funding to make a transition into new business. We take custody of the dogs and remove them and we demolition all of their property so that it becomes a farm that can be used for another purpose such as crop growing,” O’Meara says.

To read about other pets that are up for adoption, check out WTOP’s Pet of the Week page.

The post Dogs rescued from S. Korea meat farm need D.C.-area homes (Photos, Videos) appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — Meet Neopolitan: This 6-month-old is a classic goofball puppy who is still learning his manners, but loves to have a good time.

Neopolitan is a small hound mix with cute markings and a fun loving personality. He’s very sociable: He is happy to hang out with the humans and loves to play. Neopolitan will need a home that is willing to continue his training and provide lots of playtime.

He can be fearful around children, so we recommend he go to a home with adults or kids over 12.  Come out to the Washington Animal Rescue League to meet him today!

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.

If you are thinking of adding a furry friend to your family, check out these other great shelters in the area:

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
4808 Moorland Ln, Rockville, MD 20850
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

The post Pet of the Week: Neopolitan appeared first on WTOP.

Like many Americans, I like to shop at Target. However, walking inside the friendly red doors means that shoppers must accept that they’re entering a different reality. Inside the Target Reality Vortex, numbers have no meaning, and ordinary retail logic doesn’t hold up.
Shopping there is easier once you’ve accepted this, but our readers still send us pictures from Target’s reality vortex.

Moshe found prime examples where Target was trying to sell DVDs as an impulse item. That’s a good idea, but he noticed that the display and the films on it didn’t quite line up. The shelf promoted the DVD release of Minions, which is nice, and had a sign up top advertising “Favorite movies under $10.”

As a new release, Minions probably won’t be priced under $10, but surely the other movies in the display would be. Right?

Stranger still, do you see the $5 sign off to the left? Using normal retail logic, you would probably assume that it marks a real discount shelf full of cheap DVDs. You would be wrong. It’s not clear what costs $5 here, but it isn’t the Scooby-Doo feature on that first shelf.

Nearly a month after a task force recommended the Federal Aviation Administration require drone hobbyists to register their unmanned aircraft, the agency has finally solidified a process to keep tabs on the flying devices. 

The FAA announced Monday that it will begin accepting drone registrations on Dec. 21 for devices weighing between 250 grams (0.55 pounds) and 55 pounds that are operated outdoors.

Registration will cost $5, but for the first 30 days (ending Jan. 20) the FAA will waive the fee in order to expedite the process.

Under the system, which was recommended by a task force of drone manufacturers, state regulators, airline pilots, and police in November, individuals who currently own and fly a drone have until Feb. 19 to register with the FAA.

Small unmanned aircraft (UAS) purchased after Dec. 21 must be register before the first flight outdoors, the agency says.

The registration system, which can be completed online or via a paper process, requires owners to provide their name, home address, and e-mail address.

Once registration, which is valid three years, is completed the web application will generate a Certificate of Aircraft Registration/Proof of Ownership that will include a unique identification number for the UAS owner, which must be marked on the aircraft.

Owners using the model aircraft for hobby or recreation will only have to register once and may use the same identification number for all of their model UAS, the FAA says. That means whether you have one or 30 drones, you will only have one registration number to cover all the devices.

“We expect hundreds of thousands of model unmanned aircraft will be purchased this holiday season,” FAA Administrator Huerta said in a statement. “Registration gives us the opportunity to educate these new airspace users before they fly so they know the airspace rules and understand they are accountable to the public for flying responsibly.”

The FAA says that the new system does have a few limitations: it currently doesn’t support registration for UAS used for any purpose other than hobby or recreation. The agency is developing additional specifications for commercial drone registration; those rules could be announced as soon as next spring.

 

About a year ago, a plumbing company in Texas made the news for trading in their pickup truck for a new one. The real problem where the truck ultimately ended up: it went from hauling tools and pipes around Texas to hauling an anti-aircraft weapon around Syria for the terrorist group known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh. Now the plumbing company is suing the Ford dealership where they traded the truck in over the incident.

It’s not like the Ford dealership turned around after the trade-in and shipped the truck right to Syria. Like most trade-ins, the dealership sent the vehicle to be sold at auction, and it was exported to a buyer in Turkey. The truck made its way to Syria, which its original owner never would have known about if it weren’t for a fateful tweet of the vehicle in action.

We know that it was the same truck, since it still had the company’s name and phone number on the door. According to the lawsuit, when a representative from the plumbing company started peeling their business decal off the door, a dealership employee said that it might damage the truck’s paint, and to leave that task to the dealership. You can see in the above picture how well that worked out.

The aftermath was terrifying for employees of the plumbing company: last year, they told reporters that they took the batteries out of the office’s cordless phones, since they never stopped ringing. They missed plenty of legitimate business calls, but it was worth it not to listen to threats coming in on what callers probably thought was some kind of Jihadi Hotline.

The plumbing business claims that the incident lost them business and damaged their reputation, led the owner and employees to fear for their lives, and cost them business during the week that they had to close down entirely. The story appeared on the series finale of The Colbert Report, which had more than double its usual number of viewers that night. Whenever the story pops up in the news, including when the Report’s director was nominated for an Emmy award and the truck appeared on-screen during the ceremony. News reports of this lawsuit will probably lead to a fresh round of phone calls, too.

Texas Plumber Sues Car Dealer After His Truck Ends Up on Syria’s Front Lines [New York Times]
Mark-1 Plumbing, Inc. v. Charlie Thomas Ford, Ltd. [Scribd]

Most people think of AirBNB as a listing service for individuals who want to rent out a space, ranging from a spare room to an entire vacation homes. It’s an important “sharing economy” site, but people searching the site might notice some alternative offerings from… hotels.

The next time you notice an AirBNB host with multiple listings, the person may not in fact be an enterprising subletter or an enterprising landlord welcoming guests in a residential area. It might be an actual hotel. Hostels and hotels that aren’t part of a chain have embraced the idea of such a large platform. Yes, they use AirBNB, which has about 2 million rooms available on any given night, as one of many ways to draw customers.

There’s also a hidden advantage: AirBNB takes 3% of the fee for the customer’s stay. The mega-travel aggregators charge as much as 25%. Expedia, which owns multiple online travel agent sites, recently announced that it plans to acquire Homeaway, a site that does peer-to-peer room and home rentals like AirBNB.

The service’s rule is that they have to make it clear what they are, and not masquerade as individual hosts. or B&B owners.

TO FILL ROOMS, HOTELS ARE TURNING TO AIRBNB [FastCompany]

Cupcake liners are useful for lots of things , but they also make easy, mess-free, disposable serving dishes for loose snacks, like nuts, snack mix, or trail mix. Whether you’re setting up for a party or just getting game night ready, everyone will be able to grab enough to munch on without digging through a shared bowl or wrangling plates.

Read more...

WASHINGTON — While shopping this holiday season, it’s important to pay attention to what’s going on around you so you don’t become the victim of an attacker.

Charles Cherry, self-defense expert and owner of Bowie Mixed Martial Arts, shared some advice to help you avoid being a target.

For one, Cherry says if you are attacked, the ultimate goal should be getting away.

“I will always advise everyone to try to get away first, to avoid the confrontation at all costs,” Cherry says. “Fighting and defending yourself is that last ditch effort in the event that you can’t avoid the fight.”

Listen below for more advice and tips from Cherry.

The post Self-defense expert shares safety tips for holiday shoppers appeared first on WTOP.

Prince William County community calendar Washington Post Dale City Farmers Market 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Dale City Commuter Lot, (behind Center Plaza Shopping Center), Dale Boulevard, Dale City. 703-670-7112, Ext. 227. pwcparks.org. Free. Holiday Homes Tour Five homes in Manassas are on this year's GFWC ... and more »

Stars and Stripes

Photo gallery | Wreaths Across America 2015 at Arlington National Cemetery Stars and Stripes The Custis-Lee Mansion is lit by hte early-morning sun as Wreaths Across America participants await the arrival of the trucks at Arlington National Cemetery, Dec. 12, 2015. Joe Gromelski/Stars and Stripes. Image Gallery Image Gallery Image Gallery ... Volunteers place wreaths at Arlington National CemeteryGreenwich Time Thousands to attend wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National CemeteryWTOP Wreaths Across America Achieves Goal to Honor Every Veteran Buried at ...Digital Journal all 408 news articles »

Cats love to knock stuff over or push things off tables, and that leads to a lot of broken items. Are they mean-spirited animals that hate your stuff? Here’s the truth, and how you can help prevent it.

Read more...

Decorating cookies by hand can be a pleasant activity, but with a LEGO Mindstorms set, you can crank out a bunch of perfectly iced cookies in no time at all.

Read more...

WASHINGTON — Authorities say that online sleuths helped to crack at 25-year-old mystery in which an unidentified man known as “Grateful Doe” for the concert tickets found on his person, was finally solved.

Police say that Jason Callahan, 19, from Myrtle Beach, S.C., was reportedly following the Grateful Dead when he was involved in a fiery car crash and killed instantly. He was burnt beyond recognition, and since his family never reported him missing, no one claimed his remains. All he left behind were the tickets, and a letter addressed to “Jason.” The only identifying information: a star tattoo, according to a New York Times account.

The paper lists a number of amateur investigators on Reddit, Websleuths, and Facebook, who, armed with these few clues, sketches and a composite image of the victim, were able to piece together enough to build a profile over the years and spread the word. The last breakthrough came when an old roomate of Callahan saw the photo. After Callahan’s mother, Margaretta Evans, saw the story online, she contacted the operator of one of the sites dedicated to “Grateful Doe.” She identified her son and the news soon went viral. Condolences have been pouring in for the family, who told reporters that Callahan was a frequent runaway and that is why he was never officially reported “missing.”

“No one ever thought to report him missing because they thought he wanted to be missing,” his half-sister, Shannon Michelson, told The Associated Press.

 

the Grateful Doe case has come to an end 20 years later. RIP Jason Callahan gone to soon brother ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/FtW2ZsMNl5

— QB (@_myhippy) December 9, 2015

 

The post Online sleuths solve mystery of “Grateful Doe” crash victim in VA appeared first on WTOP.

ODENTON, Md. (AP) — Ready. Action. OK, do it again. And again.

Would-be actors who signed up for a two-day training session, Act Tactical for Film in Odenton over a recent weekend, spent a lot of time doing it all over again.

Repetition brings muscle memory, which turns to looking like you know what you are doing on film.

Brawnlyn Blueitt, who works full-time at the Department of Defense, lives in Odenton so she didn’t have to travel as far as most of the participants.

She’s always wanted to try acting and has been busy at it in her spare time, performing on stage at the Bowie Community Theatre and with the Wolf Pack Theatre in Prince George’s County.

“But I want to get into film, as an extra in action movies,” she said during a brief lull in a session held at Annapolis Defense and Security, a firm specializing in weapons and unarmed training, such as hand-to-hand combat.

“I have been training to get in top condition and this class adds to my resume, it gives me extra skills,” she said.

Getting similar training, for real, in the military, provided some challenges. “I have unlearn real habits to apply the skills for film,” Blueitt said.

Learning weapons skills the right way, whether for film or not, is the core lesson, the 20 participants learned.

Safety first. Always keep your weapon pointed down, unless you are in an exercise. Don’t pull the trigger.

“We teach them as if they are using real weapons, safety is first,” said Matt Clanton, the founder of Act Tactical for Film. He’s been teaching full- time for three years after being injured as a law enforcement officer in Georgia. His company teaches weapons use and tactics but also fighting, self-defense and knife skills for actors. Headquartered in the Atlanta area, he also teaches in New Orleans, and has held sessions in North Carolina and soon, in Miami.

“I grew up analyzing film. My dad, a firefighter all his life, was a film buff and photographer,” Clanton said.

“I have had some acting jobs, but my real interest is in teaching actors,” he said. “My biggest reward is seeing people’s confidence change” when they finally get it right.

And that comes from repetition.

During the morning session teams of two trainees repeated “slicing the pie,” a method to scan a room with potential targets, read bad guys, before entering the room to clear it in a police or military film scenario.

Each pair did the move several times over, learning foot work, communication, and proper positioning of the toy M-15 rifles they used.

Later it was learning three ways of ejecting and reloading handguns. Pressing the magazine release, pulling it, reloading, slapping the magazine with the butt of the hand, and returning to firing position.

Over and over again. Clanton walked up and down the line of students, stopping to check a hand position, smooth a technique, and always eyeing safety.

The weekend class was under the auspices of the D.C. Stunt Coalition, a group of up-and-coming stunt performers and actors that formed on Facebook a few years back.

After chatting back and forth, someone suggested they do a meet-up, and the coalition grew from there.

“That first meeting we just spent the first hour talking about safety,” said Dylan Hintz, a founder of the group. From there they began meeting wherever they could find space, usually at a dance studio or gym where they could find open time at affordable rates.

Then Hintz happened upon MarVaTots and Teens Gymnastics in Rockville.

“I went in and was talking with the owner,” he said. “I told him what I was trying to do. And he gave me the keys.”

The stunt group was able to get Sunday evenings for free for a few months, then for a very reasonable rate.

“We meet every Sunday and work out for a few hours. It’s like going to church,” Hintz said.

His stunt career is beginning to take hold. He had work as a stunt performer in the first season of AMC Network’s “Turn” now called “Turn: Washington’s Spies” and was recently a stunt double in “Black Mass,” the Johnny Depp movie about Boston mobster Whitey Bulger.

The facility in Odenton teaches weapons and hand-to-hand tactics. A classroom area is used for teaching and also reviewing video from all the training. Each room in the facility has cameras, and student and their instructors can review exercises, which the ActTactical group did first thing that day.

Annapolis Defense and Security founder and chief instructor Joe Lynch realized “Uncle Sam had provided me all this expensive training” that he could in turn use to instruct others. About two years ago he set up shop training civilians and law enforcement officers tactical methods.

“We have taught some Anne Arundel police and plan to do more,” specifically in small hand-to-hand techniques.

“We want to teach them right. We emphasize safety and responsibility. We want the (negative) things you might read about in the paper to be rare, and that comes with training,” Lynch said.

He assisted a bit with some of the class, tweaking a technique or two.

He stressed keeping your finger off the trigger “until you are ready to fire.” The reason? “You want to make the decision, not have the gun make the decision for you.”

The post Weapons class for actors is hardly playing pretend appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON – Police say real-life Grinches broke into the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree warehouse and stole presents just days before the gifts were to be delivered to thousands of low-income children in the D.C. region.

“This could not have come at a worse time,” says Ken Forsythe, spokesman for the Salvation Army National Capital Area.

Around 9 a.m. Saturday, some Salvation Army employees arrived at the warehouse on 8th Street in Southeast and discovered two teenagers inside.

D.C. police  Lt. Sean Conboy said a teen boy and a teen girl were arrested on burglary charges. Conboy said police were looking for three other suspects.

Portable electronics, toys, clothes, bicycles, and a Salvation Army laptop were among the items stolen. The Angle Tree gifts would have been distributed on Thursday to about 6,000 children.

“We had already been counting all the bags and receiving gifts from sponsors throughout the last two weeks leading up to the distribution of these toys,” Forsythe says. “But rest assured, we will make sure that every child that was registered to receive toys through the Salvation Army Angel Tree program will receive toys this year and have something to open on Christmas.”

The Salvation Army does not have a permanent warehouse for Angle Tree so they lease space to store the gfits during the holiday season. A security guard monitors the space during operational hours and the building has motion sensors.

In light of this incident, the Salvation Army will beef up security measures at an additional cost. “We will have around-the-clock security,” Forsythe says. “We will take whatever precautions necessary so that this doesn’t happen again.”

The Salvation Army has vowed to replace the stolen items so no child will be left without a present.  To donate toys or money to help recover some of the losses, people can mail a check, make a donation online, or at a Salvation Army Red Kettle.

Meanwhile, the Washington Nationals are encouraging fans to bring MP3 players, Kindles, tablets and other electronic items to the Winterfest toy drive on Sunday. The donations would be used to replenish the warehouse, a spokeswoman for the team said.

 

 

 

Southeast DC’s Salvation Army has rows of bags full of toys for kids….teens allegedly took much of it @wusa9 pic.twitter.com/EAFCJMnOYP

— Matt Yurus (@Matt_Yurus) December 13, 2015

The post Police: Grinches steal toys from Salvation Army Angel Tree warehouse appeared first on WTOP.

School Closing Details in Manassas Patch.com Winter is just around the corner in Virginia. Here's what you need to know for snow day decisions from Manassas City Schools. Manassas, VA. By Greg Hambrick (Patch Staff) December 11, 2015. ShareTweetGoogle PlusRedditEmailComments0. School ...

WASHINGTON– Santa has a backlog of letters and is asking you for some help this year.

The US Postal service is asking volunteers to be part of Operation Santa.  Volunteers can stop by the main branch of the DC Post Office in Brentwood, Northeast D.C. during business hours and pick up a few letters.

The Postal Service is asking you to answer the letters and buy gifts if you can.

Back in 1912, Postmaster General Frank Hitchcock first authorized postal employees and local citizens to respond to the many letters written to Santa.The letters to Santa adoption program became known as Operation Santa. Operation Santa has made dreams come true for those in need for 102 years.

Photo identification must be presented to adopt a letter. Participants will be provided a copy of the Santa letter of their choice, which is coded and has the personal information removed. When the letters are returned, the Postal Service will match the coded photocopy to the original,  apply the name and address and deliver the packages.

The post Santa looking for helpers as wish list letters pour in appeared first on WTOP.

WASHINGTON — Concerns have been raised over numbers of euthanized dogs at a local animal shelter

The Tri-County Animal Shelter is run by Charles County but is used and funded by Calvert and St. Mary’s Counties too.

Calvert County Commissioner Mike Hart was told in July that the shelter euthanized a total of 6 dogs in 2014.

But during their December 8 meeting, commissioners learned the actual number of dogs euthanized last year was 364.

Why the huge difference?

The initial number only included the number of euthanized dogs that the shelter considered healthy and adoptable.

Sick dogs and so-called “bully breeds” such as pit bulls that the shelter considers unadoptable were left out of the original number.

Commissioner Hart calls the difference in the totals “ridiculous.”

“That was my question, how many dogs were put down. Not some skewed number to make somebody feel better,” he added.

Tri-County Animal Shelter Advisory Board member Linda Kelley says the facility does not have a vet on staff. Several commissioners voiced concerns about the shelter’s size and the way it is being run during Tuesday’s meeting.

A statement on the shelter’s website explains that in recent years, it has been working with animal rescue groups to help get “bully breed” dogs with good temperaments adopted.

In part, the statement reads: “Currently, TCAS does not have the evaluation protocols in place that we believe are necessary for the proper placement of bully breeds. The majority of the rescues that TCAS works with go through additional levels of behavioral assessment for the dogs, have an extensive application process for potential adopters and perform home visits to ensure the animal will be placed in a proper home with responsible owners. At this time TCAS cannot perform these evaluations of dogs and homes to the same level as the rescues we work with.”

As for what the county should do next, Kelley says there are several options.

The first is to make no changes to the current shared shelter.

The second is to replace the Tri-County shelter with a brand new facility.

“Option 3, which is our recommendation, is that we begin the process to move forward with plans for a stand-alone Calvert animal shelter, rebranded as the Calvert Animal Care and Adoption Center. We should immediately begin a search for an appropriate site,” she said.

She also asked that funding for the new shelter to be added to the fiscal year 2017 budget.

No decision on the proposal was made at the meeting.

The post Treatment of ‘bully breeds’ at local shelter raises concerns appeared first on WTOP.

This morning, it seemed like Disney had realized that sending copyright takedown notices for legally obtained and posted photos of Star Wars action figures was maybe not a good idea. But the Dark Side apparently has Mickey in its grips, as Disney continues to send takedown notices for copyright claims the company had already retracted.

Ars Technica reports that the folks at Star Wars Action Network — who dared to break absolutely no law by posting a photo of a new Star Wars action figure, legally purchased at a Walmart store, on their Facebook page — are the victims of Disney’s utter incompetence when it comes to dealing with copyright matters.

Earlier today, Disney had retracted its demand to have SWAN remove the images. But Ars notes that, almost immediately after everyone rejoiced, a second copyright Death Star was built.

“For reasons we can’t understand—Disney has now RESUBMITTED the claim, again removing the pictures (that they restored this morning),” wrote Marjorie Carvalho of SWAN.

Making matters even more confusing, Facebook demanded that the entire post — not just the photos — be taken down.

So instead of the post seen in the above screengrab, visitors to that link now only see this:

And just to rub in how horribly, horribly stupid and bad Disney is, the SWAN staffer who posted the photo is now under a three-day ban from posting to Facebook.

As Ars notes, it’s highly possible this is all the result of a dumb copyright bot. But it also flies in the face of the Digital Millennium [Falcon] Copyright Act, which says it’s against the law for anyone to knowingly file a false copyright takedown notice. Since Disney had previously retracted this notice, it would seem to follow that the company should have know that the initial claim was bogus.

Maybe you’re planning a large purchase or a big shopping trip with a certain retailer, and you seek out gift cards to that store from online gift card marketplaces. Swapping gift cards online is a unique opportunity for savings, but also provides a unique opportunity for fraudsters.

How’s that? The sellers aren’t misrepresenting the amounts on their cards or selling counterfeits. According to a report on Krebs on Security, there’s a problem unique to national retail chains: shoplifters turn ill-gotten merchandise into cash by using gift card exchange sites.

The sites aren’t parties to this scheme, but the existence of sites where people can sell gift cards for prices under retail provides an opportunity for them to convert cards into cash easily before card buyers and marketplaces catch them.

One flag to look out for: the reader who initially submitted this story to Krebs purchased Petco gift cards that turned out to be merchandise return cards, not gift cards as they were advertised. If this happens to you, don’t just shrug and go shopping anyway: notify the gift card marketplace.
The Role of Phony Returns in Gift Card Fraud [Krebs on Security]