Urgent Care Clinics Move In To Malls, And Landlords Really Like Them

http://ift.tt/1I4iy7k

(Red and Jonny)

Sometimes you need a sprained ankle bandaged or a sore ear looked at outside of the hours that your primary health care provider is open. Where do you go when that happens? In a growing number of communities, you can head to the mall, where small urgent care clinics are setting up in that storefront where Blockbuster used to be.

“Blockbuster” isn’t just a random choice of a defunct retail chain. According to retail real estate experts, urgent care centers have been actively seeking out former Blockbusters in strip malls. They have everything that a walk-in clinic needs. They’re the right size, but location is important, too. Patients of a walk-in clinic need to know where it is in order to walk in.

We learned from Bloomberg Businessweek that malls like the clinics, too. While other retailers might appreciate customers wandering over, what mall owners appreciate is that clinic operators can bay slightly higher rents per square foot than stores. They sign longer leases, and medical practices usually have better credit than retailers. Renting out store spaces to clinics while mall vacancies are up seems to be working out for everyone.

Medical Clinics Take Over Malls’ Empty Spaces [Bloomberg Businessweek]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Quit Believing These Winter Driving Myths Already

http://ift.tt/1AyjSf6

(Ben Schumin)

If you’re in one of the places in the world that never has snow, ice, or typical winter weather, good for you. You can sit there and make smug noises while the rest of us learn useful information. There are a lot of common myths about driving in the winter that people accept as true, but probably shouldn’t. Here are a few of them.

The readers of our estranged gearhead ex-sibling site Jalopnik suggested ten myths about winter driving that would make us all safer and happier if they would just die already. (Head over there to read the rest, but please clean your windshield off first.)

People in wintery climates know how to drive in snow. This is not true.

Extensive observation (i.e. sometimes I leave the house in a car) shows that not only is this the case, but people in northern climates also forget how to drive in snow and ice whenever it hasn’t snowed in a month or more. We are, perhaps, a little better at everyone else at brushing snow off cars in an efficient manner, but even that isn’t always the case. Some people even believe….

You don’t need to remove the snow from the roof of your car. What is wrong with you? Of course you do. Leaving a towering snowhawk on top of your car only seems like a time-saver until you have to stop suddenly and it showers down on another motorist, your windshield, or your back window.

Under-inflating your tires helps with traction. This seems like it would work, but isn’t true.

Having an all-wheel-drive vehicle and/or an SUV makes you invincible. No, and if you act like it does by pretending there is no snow or ice on the ground, something bad will happen.

Ten Absurd Winter Driving Myths That Need To Die [Jalopnik]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Weed Glut: Washington State Marijuana Growers Outpacing Consumer Demand

http://ift.tt/1y0ujax

(Brett Levin Photography)

It sounds like your cousin Darren Who Still Lives In His Parents The Basement’s dream come true: Marijuana growers in Washington State are churning out huge piles of weed, producing more pot than people are buying.

Earlier concerns about legal weed running dry in the state seem to be for naught, as The Stranger’s Slog blog says prices have been falling in recreational shops as growers keep pushing out more product.

“It’s crazy what we’re selling weed for, it’s so cheap,” the owner of one shop says. His store’s prices rang from $10 to $23 a gram, on par with most medical stores. “Wholesale prices are literally half of what they were in September.”

Consumers aren’t keeping up however, as one farmer found out after filing a records request with the Washington State Liquor Control Board to find out how much product was out there. He’d noticed a glut of the stuff around Halloween and got curious.

The numbers showed that the difference between grams harvested and grams sold in the state is pretty vast — with 10 times more green being produced than what’s selling in stores. For the period from June through the end of November, farmers grew around 11,500,000 grams of marijuana. Stores sold 1,172,000 grams through November after opening in early July.

It’s important to point out per an update to the post, as ” it’s possible the liquor board’s harvest data comes from the weight of the pot before it’s dried, which could make the discrepancy between pot produced and pot sold somewhat smaller.

In any case, it’s not shocking to the WSLCB.

“The market is still maturing,” a spokesman told The Stranger. “Not everyone is going to make it… We knew the supply system would be pretty robust.”

Those stuck with excess product will find no relief there, either, as the WLCSB spokesperson warned against a “gold rush” mentality. The board doesn’t publish a list of sales data online with details like how much pot is being grown and sold in grams, which the farmer says he thinks it should. Sorry, says the WLCSB.

“I don’t know that we’re responsible for telling people how to run their business, and that’s what this is,” he said.

So what’s a pot grower with too much weed to do? Officials hope it’s not to other states where it isn’t legal, which could be tough due to the state’s tracking system.

This farmer, however, is not about to be the grasshopper who sang all summer: He put his surplus crop in bags flushed with nitrogen to keep the bud from oxidizing, explains The Stranger, and vacuum seals them before storing them in a dark, cool bunker.

“Under those conditions,” he says, “it keeps for years.”

Prices Fall as Washington State Weed Growers Produce More Pot Than Can Be Sold [The Stranger]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Here Are Your Consumer Predictions For 2015

http://ift.tt/14Bso1M

(Paxton Holley)

As 2014 ended, we asked Consumerist readers to look into their crystal balls and predict some of the bigger consumer headlines — from pending mega-mergers to possible turnarounds — for the coming year. Here’s what y’all told us.

MERGERS — WILL THEY OR WON’T THEY?

There are two pending mega-mergers in the pay-TV world — Comcast/Time Warner Cable and AT&T/DirecTV — and Consumerist readers were significantly more optimistic about the chances of the latter being approved by regulators than they were the former.

Nearly 75% of survey respondents believe that AT&T and DirecTV will ultimately be given the blessing of the Justice Dept. and the Federal Communication Commission.

But the predictions for the Comcast acquisition of Time Warner Cable were decidedly indecisive, with exactly 50% of the votes going each way.

LITTLE LOVE FOR TURNAROUNDS

We asked you which of four companies — Southwest, Sony, McDonald’s, Sprint — was most likely poised for a turnaround in 2015. Not surprisingly, the most popular response was “None of these,” with 30% of the vote.

Southwest, which had a year of labor issues, on-time arrival/departure complaints, and millions of dollars in federal fines, was still the one with the rosiest outlook in Consumerist readers’ eyes, as 29% of you picked the airline as the one most likely to turn things around.

Sony, the subject of multiple cyber attacks and the people responsible for turning a silly Seth Rogen comedy into a free speech milestone, trailed in second place with 19% of the vote.

Not so good new for McDonald’s and its sagging sales. Only 13% of readers think 2015 will be an improvement. But that was before the fast food giant told us all to “choose lovin’.”

And even though Sprint picked up 1 million net customers in the last quarter, it’s still so far behind AT&T and Verizon that a mere 9% of you picked it to have a winning year.

PRICES WILL INCH UP

We asked readers to make pricing predictions on gasoline, supermarket staples, college tuition, mortgage rates, and airfares, and many of you seem to believe that all of these will inch up over the next 12 months.

The highest level of consensus was in the food category, where 58% of you predicted a slight increase, compared to only 33% who think gas prices will go up slightly.

The category where readers predict the highest price increase is the cost of college, with 38% of you saying the price will increase greatly during 2015. Only 9% of you thought that mortgage rates will soar.

The categories with the most optimistic outlook are gas prices, where 45% of readers predict they will stay the same or decrease in the next year. Mortgage interest rates were next, with 36% of respondents believing they will at least remain flat, if not decrease, in 2015.

HERE COME THE DATA CAPS?

Readers were asked to rank several possible headlines that could occur in 2015 from most likely to least likely. Here’s how you ranked them:

1. Data caps put in place by most ISPs

2. Apple launches subscription streaming video service to compete with Netflix

3. Major studios try same-day digital release of high-profile title (that isn’t the subject of a notorious data breach)

4. A streaming service with a large catalog of ultra-HD 4K streaming movies

5. Dish or DirecTV offers satellite broadband that competes with cable ISPs in terms of speed and cost

6. Valve releases Half-Life 3

7. A viable resale model and marketplace for digital video downloads

Sadly, the top-ranked item does seem the most likely, especially if Comcast — which has been testing data “thresholds” in various markets — is successful in acquiring Time Warner Cable.

We’d have put the 4K streaming service at the top, as both Netflix and Amazon have already committed to bring more 4K titles to consumers.

THE ELECTRIC CAR IS ALMOST EVERY DRIVEWAY

Okay, not quite, but 50% of you believe that an almost-affordable electric vehicle with a driving radius comparable to gas-powered cars will be introduced this year.

We’re thinking that prototypes for such vehicles may be shown off this year, but we’d be surprised to see one hit the market in 2015.

THE LAND OF THE FEE

After years of being nickel-and-dimed by the airlines, it’s not a surprise that 55% of you predict that major airlines break the one remaining taboo of charging for carry-on bags.

We don’t think you’ll see that for any of the few remaining major national carriers, but we wouldn’t be shocked to see more smaller, regional airlines try it.

SO LONG $7.25

With nearly half the states having already taken the initiative to raise minimum wage above the federal floor of $7.25, some 62% of readers believe that 2015 will bring a change to that minimum.

However, nearly 83% of those predicting a federal minimum wage hike are expecting it to fall short of the $10.10 suggestion made by President Obama.

MORE OF THE SAME

There are only a few national wireless providers left, which is probably why 68% of you predict that the AT&T/Verizon/Sprint/T-Mobile quartet will remain when the calendar flips over to 2016.

HOW MUCH WILL IT COST TO CUT THE CORD?

We asked readers to predict what HBO will charge when it eventually launches its standalone streaming service later this year.

Removing the extremes (it won’t be free and it won’t cost hundreds of dollars a month), the median prediction from readers was $15/month, with the average slightly higher at around $17/month.

With Dish recently revealing that its Sling TV service will charge $20 for live streaming access to a dozen cable TV channels — including ESPN — we wonder what HBO will be able to offer that would justify if it charges anywhere near that amount for just one network, which you may not even be able to watch live.

So that’s it for your crystal ball predictions for 2015. We’ll revisit these in about 350 days to see how well you did!

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Vinyl Subscription Service Like The Netflix Of Records, But You Can Buy What You Get

http://ift.tt/14DPCoy

(Great Beyond)

While it seems music has moved as far away from the more physical music era of the past — records, cassettes, CDs, etc. — as we stream millions of artists into our ears from wherever we want, whenever we want, some people still like to get their hands on a solid hunk of plastic for their listening pleasure. A new vinyl subscription service is catering to those analog folk with LP deliveries.

VNYL is already being called the Netflix of records, and it is, in that customers can keep the records for as long as they want (while still paying a monthly fee) but for those familiar with Stitch Fix, Gwynnie Bee or Trunk Club, it’s also similar to those models in that customers are in essence allowing a stranger to pick something out that they think they’ll like, and then either keep it or send it back, unused.

Subscribers choose from a list of hashtagged moods like #rainyday, #cooking and #comingsoon (which I expect must contain tracks that haven’t even been written yet! So hipster!) and then receive a curated set of three records every month, reports RollingStone.com.

Subscribers can keep the records as long as they would like, but the service costs $15 a month so if you don’t send’em back in a timely manner you might regret it holding on to unwanted records.

If you like the music enough to keep it, each costs between $8-$12. Otherwise, the records go back in a prepaid envelope, much like Netflix. That might lead to some incidental damage to the products, but hey, it’s what they’re doing.

Vinyls are all the rage these days, it seems — a similar service called Vinyl Me, Please is already in business sending members a limited-edition record each month along with a cocktail paring recipe for $23 per month for a year’s subscription.

New Record Service VNYL Distributes LPs Like Netflix [Rolling Stone]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Protecting Military Servicemembers From Predatory Loans Is A National Security Issue

http://ift.tt/1I3ns4k

(Hammerin Man)

In recent years, we’ve written a number of stories about laws aimed at protecting active-duty servicemembers and their families from predatory loans and the businesses that try to take advantage of loopholes in these rules. Some readers have asked why members of our armed forces merit protections not available to civilians. But this isn’t about just doing something nice for our soldiers; it’s about removing a threat to national security.

Laws like the Military Lending Act are intended to reduce servicemembers’ likelihood of ending up in debt to predatory creditors by capping interest rates on loans at 36%; prohibiting “roll over” loans where you pay off an existing debt by taking out a new loan with the same or less-favorable terms; eliminating forced arbitration with creditors; banning creditors from requiring that you carve out an automatic amount of money from your paycheck to pay back your loan; and forbidding prepayment penalties for borrowers who pay back some or all of a loan early.

These rules effectively ban servicemembers from taking out payday lenders and similar products that tend to trap borrowers in high-interest debt spirals.

While it’s bad for any consumer to end up with revolving debt that requires loan after loan to pay back, there are particular concerns when that borrower is a servicemember.

Someone looking for unauthorized access to military information or assets may be able to leverage that debt in their favor. This is why servicemembers with significant debt on their credit reports might end up having their security clearance lowered or taken away.

And some debt collectors are using this dangling sword of career-ruination to compel armed forces to pay up, threatening to reveal their financial situation in a way that will negatively impact the borrower’s position in the armed forces.

According to the Holly Petraeus — Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Assistant Director, Office of Servicemember Affairs and wife of retired four-star general David Petraeus — more than 11,000 servicemembers, veterans and military families have filed complaints with the CFPB about debt collections since July 2013. She says this is the Bureau’s fastest-growing complaint category.

Some of those collectors have allegedly told servicemembers that they would tell the borrower’s commanding officer about their outstanding debt. Such contact would be illegal, but the threat is enough for those unfamiliar with the rules set out by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

But even if a collector doesn’t threaten to directly alert a soldier’s superiors about this debt, the collector can still say that unpaid debt will end up on a servicemember’s credit report. And when that servicemember comes up for review, their security clearance may be reduced or revoked.

Thus, some servicemembers are not getting promotions and clearance they otherwise deserve, meaning someone less qualified — but without unpaid debt — may be boosted up the ladder ahead of someone who should rise in rank.

In a blog post for the CFPB, Petraeus says that unpaid debt need not be a career-killer if the indebted servicemembers handle it correctly.

“If you find that your finances have put your security clearance in jeopardy, you should do your best to show that your financial problems resulted from circumstances beyond your control (not a pattern of irresponsible behavior) and that you acted as responsibly as you could under the circumstances,” she explains. “This may include showing that you’re currently living within your means, that you’re making a good-faith effort to resolve your unpaid debts, and that you’re disputing debts that aren’t yours.”

Servicemembers with financial issues can — and should — seek out free assistance and advice from their installations’ Personal Financial Manager (PFM) and/or JAG office, says Petraeus.

Even those who have have their security clearance damaged by debt can appeal their case to an Administrative Judge of the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals, where they can explain how they ended up in debt and what they’ve done to address the problem.

“Managing your debts, expenses, income and other personal finance matters is more than just a tactic to guard your security clearance,” writes Petraeus. “It’s also a day-to-day exercise that can help lead you and your family to financial security.”

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

A Professional Cuddler Can Pull In $80 Per Hour Of Platonic Snuggling

http://ift.tt/14DDrbs

(frankieleon)

How much money would it take for you to be cool with the idea of embracing strangers for a living? For at least one worker making some dough off the growing industry, it’ll cost customers $80 an hour or $400 for an entire night of platonic spooning. There are worse things, surely.

In in-depth and interesting look at the burgeoning industry, the Wall Street Journal highlights one such professional snuggle buddy who charges the above rates, bringing clients into her home to spoon.

The Internet is spurring a boom in business, with apps and sites hawking services for hire. Some will locate fellow cuddlers in the area, while other sites providing matching services complete with profiles.

Others runs businesses out of their homes or in commercial districts. One such cuddle shop offers 45 minutes of body contact for $50 or $425 for overnights

All of it’s platonic, with some businesses installing cameras to ensure that customers will behave, or requiring contracts for customers to sign before touching that sets out the limits in no uncertain terms. Don’t know what those words mean? Here’s a diagram with all the no-touch spots marked on it.

“I could tell some were disappointed that all they were getting was a cuddle, but that’s the way it is,” says a worker for a Portland, Ore. cuddle business.

Professional Cuddlers Embrace More Clients [Wall Street Journal]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

What’s The Difference Between AM And PM Cold Medicine, Anyway?

http://ift.tt/14aXCw9

(Jennifer Moo)

Cold and flu season is here, which means that you might be stumbling into the “cold and allergy” aisle of the nearest store, trying to sort out which remedy is the best choice between sneezes. What does “non-drowsy” mean on a medicine bottle? Terms like “AM,” “PM,” and “maximum strength” aren’t regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, which can lead to bleary-eyed confusion when you’re sick.

Fortunately, our colleagues down the hall at Consumer Reports are effective all day long, and they’ve clarified some terms that you might see on a box or bottle and what they might in practical terms.

The “Quil” family of medicines has since become so complex that we have an entire post explaining the differences between DayQuil, NyQuil, ZzzQuil, QlearQuil, and QuilQuil. (That last one isn’t real. Yet.)

Here are some terms you might see, and what they mean in real life:

Non-drowsy: This means that the medication doesn’t contain any ingredients that will make you sleepy. That doesn’t mean that the medication contains any stimulants that will work to keep you awake when you’re feeling sick and sleepy. While the decongestant pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) might make you more alert, it also might not.

PM: Medicines with this label have an ingredient that may have the effect of making you sleepy, which can be useful when congestion, coughing, or pain make it hard to sleep. It’s usually an older antihistamine like diphenhydramine or doxylamine. Depending on these drugs long-term can disrupt your sleep and cause other health problems: avoid them if you take medication to regulate your blood pressure, and stay away from alcohol.

Migraine: Here’s a case where you should pay attention to the back of the package. Excedrin Extra Strength and Excedrin Migraine have identical amounts of active ingredients, but the dosing information (especially the maximum number of pills) differs.

Overall, the best piece of advice is to compare different medications by looking at the back of the package, not at the words on the front.

What over-the-counter drug labels really mean [Consumer Reports]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Study: 58% Of All American Adults Are On Facebook

http://ift.tt/1BPupSA

(afagen)

While you’ll still bump into your share of people who prefer to abstain from maintaining a social media presence, there are a whole lot of us signed up and freely sharing inspirational quotes wrongly attributed to famous people. According to a new study looking at adults who use the Internet in the U.S. (81% of the entire population), a new study found that 71% have a Facebook account, which means roughly 58% of all American adults are on the social media site.

Facebook remains the most popular social media site in the United States, according to the study by Pew Research Center, “Social Media Update 2014.”

As such, it’s become the baseline, a”one stop shop” for online interaction, Nicole Ellison, a professor of information science at the University of Michigan told USA Today. She helped design the Pew study. who’s been studying the social media site for the past decade.

“If you look at any line in the post office and see what people are doing on their phones, they’re frequently on Facebook,” she notes.

“Facebook has become kind of a daily practice for many people,” she said. “It’s the default social site.”

Though it seems like a big number, the percentage of people using Facebook hans’t actually gone up since 2013, but the amount of time they spend on it is: 70% of users visit the site daily (up from 63%) and 45% go several times a day.

Senior citizens are increasingly down with The Facebook these days too, Pew says.

“For the first time, more than half of all online adults 65 and older (56%) use Facebook. This represents 31% of all seniors,” the findings say.

I’ll give you one word to explain that: Grandkids.

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Why Are So Many Recent Car Loan Borrowers Missing Payments?

http://ift.tt/1BVLAlL

Like my new wheels? I got it through an 8-year loan with a 22% APR. What a steal! [Note: Not actually my car] (photo Axion23)

In 2014, new car sales increased to 16.5 million, the highest level since 2006, but did too many car buyers take on more than they could afford?

A Wall Street Journal/Moodys report looks at just those consumers who took out a car loan in the first quarter of 2014. In that short period of time, more than 2.6% of these borrowers have missed at least one payment.

That percentage might not seem terribly high to you, but it is the highest level of early loan trouble since 2008. At that time, early delinquencies rose above 3% just before the housing market crashed.

During the recession, lenders tightened their underwriting restrictions, making it more difficult for loan applicants with less-than-pristine credit to qualify for car loans. But as the economy stabilized, banks began opening up those loans to subprime borrowers.

In 2013, around 1-in-4 car loans were written to subprime borrowers, some of whom faced interest rates higher than 20%.

So while these consumers had more access to credit, that credit may have come at a cost that some could not afford.

The WSJ analysis found that 8.4% of subprime auto loan borrowers during the first quarter of 2014 had missed at least one payment by November. Again, this represents the highest early delinquency level since 2008, when passed the 9% mark.

While the general level of all car loan borrowers who have missed at least one payment (3.4%) is slightly from 3.2% during the same time last year, that rate is still below the 4.2% high water mark from 2009.

The U.S. Office of Comptroller of Currency, which regulates the largest banks, says that it has seen a trend toward relaxed standards and riskier behavior in auto loans.

“We’re putting banks on notice that we have concerns,” the OCC’s deputy comptroller of supervision risk management tells the Journal. “It’s definitely an area that warrants some attention.”

Last summer, the Dept. of Justice issued a subpoena to General Motors regarding its subprime auto loans, requesting that the car maker turn over documents related to the underwriting criteria it used to make subprime auto loans since 2007, as well as information about the representations GM made about the criteria when the loans were pooled into securities.

If you’re in the market for a new or used car and need to take out a loan, please remember to not be sweet-talked into buying a more expensive vehicle just because you can get financing. Buying what you know you can afford — even if it’s not going to turn heads in the parking lot — is the best way to avoid missed payments or being saddled with a car you’ll take big loss on when you eventually resell it.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

U.S. Internet Speeds Are Getting Better, But Still Lag Behind Global Elite

http://ift.tt/1ue3jWh

(Tom Richardson)

Internet company Akamai keeps its pulse on the state of broadband at home and worldwide, and they update their state of the Internet reports every quarter. The latest report has great news for Americans in a handful of states… but it also shows how far, still, the nation has to go on broadband infrastructure before catching up to our international peers.

Akamai’s most recent State of the Internet Report (PDF) covers the third quarter of 2014. Like the Q2 report, it shows significant progress in the download speeds U.S. internet users can get.

Although the effects are far from evenly distributed, the good news is that nearly everyone is seeing at least some improvement. Only one state out of 51 (the report includes D.C.) saw a decrease in average speed quarter-over-quarter — but even there, in Virginia, the difference was just 0.6%.

Akamai’s top ten states for internet connection speeds, as of Q3 2014.

The entire report is filled with good news for Delaware: the first state clocks in with both the highest average and highest peak connection speeds in the nation at 17.4 Mbps and 75.7 Mbps respectively. After that, the two top ten lists feature mostly the same players but in different places.

On the other end of the scale, Alaskans face the lowest average connection speed (7.8 Mbps) and residents of Arkansas see the slowest peak speed (33.1 Mbps).

Not only does the first state clock in with the highest average and peak connection speeds in the nation, but also Delaware residents are the most likely in the nation to be connecting at a speed greater than 10 Mbps, the threshold Akamai calls “high broadband.” 69% of Delaware connections exceed that threshold, and 96% of Delaware connections exceed the current (but soon changing) FCC broadband definition of 4 Mbps. Delaware also tops the list of states where connections hit or exceed 15 Mbps (the “4k readiness” baseline, as Akamai puts it), with 39% of connections hitting that goal.

In “high broadband” and “4k readiness” terms, Delaware is at the top of some very short lists. The Akamai report identifies only seven states where half or more of connections hit even the 10 Mbps threshold. The others are Connecticut (64%), Rhode Island (58%), Massachusetts (56%), New Jersey (55%), and New Hampshire and Washington both at 50%. Connecticut, meanwhile, is the only state other than Delaware to cross the 30% adoption rate for 15 Mbps connections, at 31%.

West Virginia rounds out the bottom for the fourth consecutive quarter; only 57% of connections from that state hit or exceeded even the 4 Mbps threshold, Akamai reports.

Still, despite all of the quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year growth, internet connectivity in the U.S. remains nowhere near the top ten globally, and we are far from among the elite of the world.

U.S. internet speeds, both average and peak, are indeed the best in the Americas, Akamai finds. But we remain consistently outperformed by nations in other regions — not just South Korea, Singapore, and Japan, but also Ireland, Romania, Israel, and the Czech Republic, among many others.

Akamai’s top 10 fastest average internet speeds in Q3 2014.

Of course, every time global internet statistics are released, we have to admit that it’s apples to elephants to compare internet connectivity in the United States to someplace compact like Singapore.

The U.S. is 3000 miles wide, with 315 million residents spread out across 50 differently-governed states. Deploying anything nationwide is a major and complicated undertaking, rife with challenges from geography to politics to cost. So national averages don’t necessarily mean as much here as the state-by-state portraits do.

The FCC has also noted, year over year, just how uneven broadband deployment is in the United States. The most recent draft findings show that our digital divides persist, especially between urban and rural consumers.

However, the FCC draft report also proposes changing the definition of “broadband” in the U.S. from that current 4 Mbps threshold to a 25 Mbps baseline. That would immediately make adoption statistics look far weaker, but also would (hopefully) spur the development of faster, better networks, both public and private.

In the meantime, Americans face a landscape essentially devoid of competition, dominated by a small handful of ever-larger players that don’t see a problem with the status quo. As long as that holds true and alternatives get squashed, improvement will keep being a long, uphill road.

by Kate Cox via Consumerist

After Refusing A Room On Christmas Night, Hotel Decides Homeless People Can Stay There For Free

http://ift.tt/1ARyWpF

(taberandrew)

A Delaware hotel that caught heat yesterday after reports that it had canceled room reservation booked for a group of homeless people on Christmas night, the hotel has now apologized and reversed course, saying that it will provide lodging for the group through the weekend.

WDEL reported first that the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington, DE refused a room meant for a group of homeless to stay in on Dec. 25, saying that the co-founder of Road to Redemption Ministries who’d booked the reservation had said the people didn’t have IDs.

As such, a DuPont representative told The News Journal that the reservation was declined under standard hospitality operating practice of requiring photo identification at check-in.

“Our primary concern is for the safety of all of our guests,” he said.

The couple who arranged the room said the group did have IDs, and that the call to cancel came three hours before the group was supposed to arrive.

“They were blown away,” the woman said of breaking the news to the intended guests. “One woman, she cried.”

Yesterday amid the controversy, the general manager of the Hilton Wilmington Christiana offered up 10 free rooms last night for homeless people.

The hotel has now apologized, saying it will provide a room for six people Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, saying in a statement to WDEL:

“We apologize for the misunderstanding regarding a hotel reservation under [the ministry group co-founder’s] name, which was cancelled on December 25, 2014. Respect for People is a core value of the Hotel. That extends to everyone, including the homeless. Like all major hotels, we have a policy of requiring IDs from guests, and our employees followed that policy. We have invited the [ministry group co-founder’s] guests to the Hotel, as early as this weekend. If the guests do not have IDs, we will work with them to address that.”

The couple has mixed feelings about the turnaround, but when it comes down to it, they’re glad the group will get to stay in the hotel, regardless of why.

“I wish I could say a heart change or a condition change, but it was probably from the outpour of the community,” he told WDEL. “People just reaching out from all over the country saying, ‘Hey, look, this needs to be fixed, this needs to be righted.’ The hotel has offered the entire weekend, three or four rooms, and anything the need. No matter what their motives may be, that’s not the point. The point is we’re going to get people off the street. This is the coldest few days that we’ve had and I think it’s perfect timing.”

Delaware’s Hotel du Pont will house homeless for weekend [WDEL]

Hotel du Pont apologizes, welcomes homeless guests [The News Journal]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

#BillGates still an innovator Repost By @bbcnews: “9 JAN:...

Nike: Marty McFly’s Air MAG Sneakers With Power Laces Will Arrive In 2015

http://ift.tt/1FzQfQj

(via Nice Kicks)

It’s haaaaappening, it’s finally haaaaaappening! After teasing fans of Back to the Future II first with a limited run of replica Air MAGs that it auctioned off for charity, followed by an apparently licensed pair that lit up but didn’t lace up automatically or hover, Nike has confirmed that it’ll be releasing Marty McFly’s Air MAG sneakers with Power Laces sometime this year.

Yes, they’re going to lace up, said Nike’s Vice President for Design and Special Projects and the designer of the original shoes in the movie, Tinker Hatfield during the Agenda Trade Show in Long Beach, CA this week, according to shoe blog Nice Kicks.

The people wanted to know, and Hatfield was willing to talk, saying that his team is working as hard as possible to bring the shoes to the market this year. However, he pointed out, we still have “11 and two-thirds months left in 2015.”

That means there’s no set date, but who’s willing to bet on Oct. 21, 2015? It is, after all, the date Marty travels in time to in the movie to save his progeny from ruination. Just saying, convenient timing.

You can also check out the patent for the Power Laces via Nice Kicks as well.

TINKER TALKS NIKE MAG 2015 RELEASE WITH POWER LACES AT #AGENDAEMERGE [Nice Kicks]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

More Than 48,000 Pounds Of Beef, Pork Recalled Because Pieces Of Metal Aren’t Edible

http://ift.tt/1tTdbVR

The USDA has recalled more than 48,000 pounds of beef and pork because it might contain pieces of metal.

Finding a piece of metal in your frozen pork or beef might be enough for you to rethink your dinner plans. To ensure that doesn’t happen in your kitchen, a Los Angeles company is recalling more than 48,000 pounds of frozen meat that may be contaminated with metal.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall of 48,139 pounds of Unibright Foods Inc. frozen, ready-to-eat sukiyaki beef and gingered pork that may include metal fragments.

Unibright Foods, Inc. learned about the issue after a restaurant in Illinois found stainless steel wire in a sukiyaki beef product.

Officials with FSIS and the company say they have received no reports of injury or illness associated with the consumption of the products.

The affected beef products were produced between August 12, 2014 and December 16, 2014, while the pork products were produced between August 5, 2014 and August 6, 2014. The meat was shipped to restaurants and retail outlets in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York.

The following products are subject to recall:

• 2.2 lb. packages of “MISHIMA SUKIYAKI BEEF” bearing the establishment number “EST.1163” inside the USDA mark of inspection and package ID number “15069.”

• 1.7 lb. packages of “MISHIMA GINGERED PORK” bearing the establishment number “EST.1163” inside the USDA mark of inspection and package ID number “15059.”

California Firm Recalls Beef and Pork Products Due to Foreign Matter Contamination [USDA]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Chipotle Will Bribe Everyone To Try Their Braised Tofu

http://ift.tt/1tTdbVL

“I don’t like tofu, and you can’t make me eat it!” Americans and Canadians have said to Chipotle, ignoring the tofu that the chain introduced last year. “If you try it, I’ll give you a free burrito with meat in it!” Chipotle countered, striking a bargain like a clever parent. Will the chain’s customers take this deal? On January 26, we’ll find out.

That’s the day that Chipotle is making their try-it-you’ll-like-it offer. Customers are being invited to purchase and try a food item with braised tofu in it. They just have to try it. Whether they like it or they don’t, the receipt from that soy-laden visit will earn them a free burrito, bowl, salad, or tacos with any fillings they want. It can be tofu, or it can be something other than tofu. That’s up to you.

The free entrée deal starts the following day, January 27th, and lasts until the end of February. Of course, you have to remember to bring the receipt back, which adds an extra hurdle to this deal compared to Chipotle just giving free tofu burritos away.

I’ve tried Sofritas: it has good flavor and texture for a tofu, and is spicier than the chicken that I normally get. It’s worth a try even if that isn’t something you would normally order, and that’s exactly what Chipotle is doing here.

Sofritas Monday [Chipotle]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Dish’s Sling TV Streaming Service Wins Best Of CES Award

http://ift.tt/1yxqtbH

ESPN and ESPN2, along with Disney, are going to be the main draws for most users looking to try Sling TV.

A few years back, Dish’s Hopper DVR with Sling technology was supposed to be take home the Best of CES award from CNET, but that site’s parent company (CBS) said the prize couldn’t be given to the DVR because CBS was involved in litigation with Dish over the Hopper. This led to CNET no longer being the ones behind the “Best Of” awards and to the CEA stepping in to award Dish with the title it had rightfully earned. Now Dish has won that top award again, but without the drama.

This time, its Dish’s Sling TV standalone streaming TV service that has been named “Best of the Best” by current CES media sponsor Engadget.

Sling, which will allow users to stream at least a dozen live cable TV channels over the Internet fro $20/month, also won in the Best Home Theater Product and Best Software/App categories.

“Many of us have been waiting, hoping and even lusting after Sling TV before we’d ever heard of it,” writes Endgadget’s Michael Gorman. “It could very well be the beginning of the end for traditional pay TV here in the US, and that’s not something I ever thought possible before this week.”

Earlier this week, we got our hands on with Sling during our visit to CES, and while we’re certainly intrigued by the service and plan to try it to see how it performs in the real world, we hesitate to call it the holy grail of cord-cutting, as its channel slate is wanting and it doesn’t include DVR functionality or streaming of any broadcast networks.

Regardless of our current reservations, we agree tat Sling TV is an important first step in the evolution of live TV, and we hope that others follow in Dish’s lead in offering this sort of service to consumers.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Yes, Even Dunkin’ Donuts Will Be Ditching Its Familiar Foam Cups After NYC Ban

http://ift.tt/1FzBOM2

(m01229)

Following the announcement yesterday that a new initiative in New York would effectively ban the use of extruded polystyrene – commonly referred to as styrofoam – containers by this summer, one of the cities largest users of the receptacles, Dunkin’ Donuts, says it will ditch its iconic cups in more than 500 stores.

The New York Daily News reports that Dunkin’ will stop use of its trademark cups in all of its 536 stores throughout the five boroughs.

So how will Dunkin’ keep beverages hot and hands from being scalded? Officials with the coffee chain say they are currently testing new types of cups as a replacement, including a “double-walled paper cup.”

Still, the New York Daily News reports that some Dunkin’ employees aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of losing their much-loved cups.

A manager at a Midtown West branch tells the Daily News that the current cups are the best option because coffee stays warm for hours and customers simply prefer them.

“Sometimes, every five or three days a customer wants a paper cup,” the manager tells the Daily News. “But people like this cup.”

The ban on styrofoam containers at restaurants, other food businesses and retailers that sell packing peanuts started with former mayor Michael Bloomberg in 2013 and will be carried out by current Mayor Bill de Blasio this year.

Starting July 1, New York City will become the largest city in the country to ban the environmentally controversial containers.

At the time of the ban’s announcement on Thursday, de Blasio said the products cause real environmental harm and have no place in New York City.

“We have better options, better alternatives, and if more cities across the country follow our lead and institute similar bans, those alternatives will soon become more plentiful and will cost less,” he said.

Dunkin’ Donuts removing styrofoam cups from all city locations in response to ban [New York Daily News]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Uber Promising Seasonal Cuts To Prices In 48 Of Its “Newer” Cities

http://ift.tt/1xYutlP

(Ken Shelton)

Maybe you thought you were special, living in a city that’s had Uber longer than others. Perhaps at one time you were different, but now the newbies are getting the special treatment. Uber says seasonal ride prices will be going down in 48 of its “newer cities” on the U.S. map, while still guaranteeing earnings for those driver.

Uber writes in a blog post today that its largest cities have already seen price cuts in the last year, so now it’s time for those more recent additions to get a discount.

Acknowledging that cold weather might keep people indoors right now, Uber says the price cuts will come with a guarantee for drivers, despite not offering such incentives in the past.

“We’re so confident in the earnings gains drivers will see that we’re making earnings guarantees in every city where we’re cutting prices,” Uber writes.”

It’s not clear exactly how reduced prices will be, but keep an eye on your fares if you live in one of the below 48:

Albuquerque

Atlanta

Austin

Baltimore

Baton Rouge

Charlotte

Cincinnati

Cleveland

Columbus

Connecticut

Corpus Christi

Dallas

Denver

Detroit

Fayetteville, NC

Fresno

Grand Rapids

Hampton Roads

Indianapolis

Inland Empire

Jacksonville

Kansas City

Lansing

Lexington

Lincoln

Louisville

Madison

Miami

Milwaukee

Minneapolis

Modesto

Oklahoma City

Orlando

Palm Springs

Portland, ME

Providence

Raleigh-Durham

Richmond

Sacramento

Salt Lake City

San Antonio

San Diego

Santa Barbara

Spokane

Toledo

Tucson

Tulsa

Wilmington, NC

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Macy’s Closing 14 Stores As Part Of Restructuring Plan; Opening Two In California

http://ift.tt/1yK20jt

(Mike Mozart)

Citing changes in the way consumers shop, department store giant Macy’s announced Thursday that it plans to shut 14 stores in an effort to increase its focus in online shopping.

The closures, which will cut 1,343 jobs, represent only a fraction of the company’s 790 stores across the U.S. and should be completed within the next several months, the Agence-France Presse reports.

Officials with Macy’s say the restructuring plan will allow the company to better focus on the growing market of online sales.

“Our business is rapidly evolving in response to changes in the way customers are shopping across stores, desktops, tablets and smartphones,” Terry Lundgren, Macy’s chairman and chief executive, in the statement. “We must continue to invest in our business to focus on where the customer is headed.”

The company says the stores targeted for closure – the locations of which were not announced – generate about $130 million in annual sales. Representatives for Macy’s believe that some of those sales will be retained in nearby stores and online sales.

In all, the company estimates that the restructuring changes will produce $140 million in savings annually.

Contrasting the impending closures is Macy’s plan to open two new stores in California this year.

Additionally, Forbes reports the retailer will create a team to explore opportunities for a Macy’s off-price business.

Macy’s to close 14 stores, cut 1,300 jobs [Agence-France Presse]

Macy’s Announces Massive Restructuring [Forbes]

by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist

Are you ready #Ravens or #Patriots Claim your set Repost By...

Are you ready #Ravens or #Patriots Claim your set Repost By @nfl:

“Double-tap on the QB that YOU think will win this weekend! #NFLPlayoffs” #officialplugmag #officialplugmagazine #pluggedinnfl #pluggedinsports

via Tumblr http://ift.tt/1AwzmR2

Consumerist Friday Flickr Finds

http://ift.tt/1xYm9Cw

Here are nine of the best photos that readers added to the Consumerist Flickr Pool in the last week, picked for usability in a Consumerist post or for just plain neatness.

(Great Beyond)

(Chris WIlson)

(Jason Cook)

(Hulya Ozkok)

(Xavier J. Peg ☠)

(ozz13x)

(Freaktography)

(Rick Drew)

(吉姆 Jim Hofman)

Want to see your pictures on our site? Our Flickr Pool is the place where Consumerist readers upload photos for possible use in future Consumerist posts. Just be a registered Flickr user, go here, and click “Join Group?” up on the top right. Choose your best photos, then click “send to group” on the individual images you want to add to the pool.

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist