uVeterinarians Warning Pet Owners In Midwest Over Canine Flu Outbreak That’s Sickened Hundreds Of Dogsr

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  (Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie)

  
  
  
  While we humans dread the arrival of flu season every year, we aren’t the only ones who can get sick by coming into close contact with the fellow members of our species. Veterinarians in the Midwest are warning pet owners over a recent canine flu outbreak, telling them to keep sick pooches away from clinic waiting rooms filled with their furry brethren.
  

  At least 1,000 dogs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana have been sickened by the H3N2 strain of the flu virus, reports the Associated Press, though it’s not clear yet how effective current vaccines are against this particular strain.

  
  

  Dogs can develop a persistent cough, runny nose and fever, and although the virus can’t jump to humans, cats could fall ill from it as well. A small percentage of pups will develop more severe symptoms, experts say, with some deaths associated to the H3N2 infection.

  
  

  Clinical assistant professor Keith Poulsen of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine advises pet owners with sick dogs to make arrangements with their vet to schedule a test outside the veterinary clinic, to cut down on the risk of infecting other dogs.

  
  

  As such, keeping your sick pets away from anywhere they’d sniff, lick or otherwise interact with their friends is a good idea.

  
  

  “It’s really no different if you’re talking about dogs or toddlers, if you think they’re sick, don’t bring them to day care,” Poulsen said.

  
  

  Canine flu outbreak sickens hundreds of dogs in Midwest [Associated Press]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uWalmart Raises Suspicions After Closing 4 Stores In Same Day For “Plumbing” Problemsr

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  There are thousands of Walmarts in the U.S., so the fact that four of them were temporarily shut down all on the same day, all for the same reason, and all for the same estimated amount of time, may be statistically insignificant. But some workers and city officials are raising questions about what’s actually behind these six-month shutterings.
  

  The four stores — two in Texas, one in California, and another in Florida — were all closed on Monday without advance notice to shoppers or the thousands of affected employees. At each of the stores, the reason given for the closures — which are estimated to last upwards of six months — was problems with plumbing.

  
  

  However, some local officials are questioning the veracity of this claim.

  
  

  In Pico Rivera, CA, the City Manager tells CBS Los Angeles that he was blindsided by the closure, which affects more than 500 workers in the area. As of yesterday, he said that the city hadn’t received any permit requests from the store.

  
  

  Some employees at this store are questioning the motive, as it’s been a focal point of the pro-union OUR Walmart movement, and was the first location to stage a wage-related walkout back in 2012.

  
  

  “This is the first store that went on strike. This is the first store in demanding changes for Walmart,” said one employee.

  
  

  Walmart’s closure of a Tampa-area store is likewise being met with skepticism.

  
  

  The Hillsborough County Commissioner tells WFLA that the store “didn’t mention anything about plumbing,” just “repairs and updates to the store.”

  
  

  A Walmart plumbing technician, one of the 400 employees who could be out of work until the holidays, tells the station that the plumbing explanation lacks credibility.

  
  

  “Even if they had to replace the whole sewer line, it wouldn’t take six months to replace a whole sewer line in that store,” he says.

  
  

  Additionally, while this closure is being listed as temporary, a letter sent to the county claims the layoffs are permanent.

  
  

  An ABC News report out of Tampa claims that no plumbing permits have been pulled in any of the municipalities where Walmart closed stores on Monday.

  
  

  A city official from Midland, TX, tells ABC that his plumbing inspector was sent away when he tried to visited the closed store earlier this week to help them secure necessary permits.

  
  

  We’ve written to Walmart HQ seeking comment on these reports and will update if we hear anything back.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uUber Won’t Allow Drivers To Discriminate Against Gay Passengers Even If A State Law Allows Itr

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  (Alan Rappa)

  
  
  
  

  Even as lawmakers in Oklahoma sign off on a ridesharing service bill that removes protections for gay and transgender passengers, Uber has made it clear that changes to state laws will not alter its anti-discrimination policy.

  
  

  A bill outlining how Oklahoma regulates ridesharing programs like Uber and Lyft [PDF] passed the state’s Senate on Wednesday, after removing language from a House-passed bill [PDF] that had outlawed discrimination in the industry against passengers based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

  
  

  From Section 14 of the original House bill “Oklahoma Transportation Network Company Services Act” (bolding ours) dated April 1:

  
  

  
  

  “TNCs shall adopt a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of destination, race, color, national origin, religious belief, religious affiliation, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity with respect to passengers and potential passengers and notify TNC drivers of such policy.”

  
  

  
  

  In the same section of the amended bill, written by Sen. Jason Smalley that passed the state Senate on April 15, those bolded words are missing:

  
  

  
  

  “TNCs shall adopt a policy of nondiscrimination on the basis of destination, race, color, national origin, religious belief, religious affiliation, sex, disability, or age with respect to passengers and potential passengers and notify TNC drivers of such policy.”

  
  

  
  

  According to the Associated Press, Sen. Smalley said he removed those terms because he thinks private businesses should be allowed to establish their own policies regarding discrimination.

  
  

  “I believe if a private business owner wants to serve or not serve an individual, they have that purview right now,” he said.

  
  

  Sen. John Sparks tried and failed before the Senate bill passed to include an amendment [PDF] that would require drivers to tell passengers they’re of the discriminating sort, and explain exactly who they’re not going to drive:

  
  

  
  

  “Any person not wanting to comply with the non-discrimination provisions set forth in subsection A of this section based on sexual orientation or gender identity shall post notice of such refusal in a manner clearly visible to the public in all places of business, including exteriors of vehicles, mobile phone applications and website. The notice may refer to the person’s religious beliefs, but shall state specifically which individuals the business does not serve by referring to a refusal based upon sexual orientation or gender identity.”

  
  

  
  

  “Why should you be able to discriminate?” Sparks said. “We’re talking about a level of civil conduct in the marketplace. Society has figured out that when you enter the marketplace, you should have an expectation of being treated fairly.”

  
  

  Although the Senate bill opens the door to such discrimination, both Uber and Lyft have policies in place that expressly prohibit drivers from doing so.

  
  

  “Uber’s policy is to serve every neighborhood, every driver and every person who needs a ride,” an Uber company spokeswoman told the AP, saying the company will continue to enforce its current terms of service, “which make clear that discrimination in any form is not tolerated and will result in removal from the platform,” she said.

  
  

  While Lyft has yet to respond to our request for comment, the company’s terms of service clearly state the company’s policy against discrimination as well:

  
  

  
  

  “Such Driver will not discriminate or harass anyone on the basis of race, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, age or sexual orientation.”

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uRyanair Flight Attendant Lists Passenger’s Camera On eBay, Gets Caughtr

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  (Jon Gosier)

  
  
  
  When we leave something behind on a plane, we like to believe that it is not going home with the cabin crew to be immediately listed on eBay. Yet that’s exactly what one attendant for Irish discount carrier Ryanair is accused of doing. He was caught at his second job when the owner of a camera up for sale was browsing eBay looking for a replacement.
  

  Makes sense, right? He lost his almost-new camera, so he was shopping for a discounted almost-new replacement. The camera originally cost an estimated £499 ($743). While browsing eBay, he noticed the same model of camera that he had lost, in the location where his plane had landed, on eBay with only half an hour left in the auction.

  
  

  Naturally, he wrote a polite note to the seller. “I am assuming that you work for Ryanair as the cabin gets checked after the flight and your location is Stansted,” he wrote. “So it’s up to you whether this is worth your job or not.”

  
  

  The employee agreed to meet up and hand over the camera. “I found the camera at the end of the day and I will return it to you, of course. Please, please don’t report me,” the seller wrote back.

  
  

  Instead, the police showed up at his home to arrest him after looking over the evidence.

  
  

  Passenger had camera stolen by Ryanair steward then saw it for sale on ebay while shopping for replacement [Mirror] (via Bitterwallet)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

uNetflix Changes Tune About Seeking Data Cap Exemptions For Servicer

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  In recent years, Netflix has been a vocal proponent of net neutrality and an outspoken critic of ISP business models that would allow certain deep-pocketed companies to gain a competitive edge over smaller players in the streaming video market. Thus the company was heavily criticized in March when it made deals with Australian ISPs that would exempt Netflix from users’ monthly data caps. This morning, the company announced that it regrets this decision and will no longer seek exemptions going forward.

  
  

  The deals that Netflix made in Australia with providers like iiNet and Optus are commonly known as “zero-rating” arrangements, where the content provider subsidizes its users’ data so that, in this case, a Netflix subscriber could binge-watch at will without any of those hours of video counting against their monthly data cap.

  
  

  It’s not unlike what T-Mobile offers here in the U.S. with its Music Freedom program, which allows T-Mo subscribers to stream audio from a number of different services without dinging their data allotment.

  
  

  While zero-rating deals don’t automatically run afoul of the new net neutrality rules recently passed by the FCC, the Commission does now have the authority to review them on a case by case basis. Given that the neutrality rules were just published in the Federal Register on Monday — and that there are numerous legal and legislative challenges pending — it may be some time before we get any idea on how the FCC will handle the zero-rating issue.

  
  

  In Australia, and some other countries where data caps are more commonplace, these sorts of deals are less controversial. But in a letter sent yesterday to shareholders, Netflix acknowledged that it may have been hypocritical to argue for a truly neutral Internet while still making zero-rating deals in Australia.

  
  

  “Data caps inhibit Internet innovation and are bad for consumers. In Australia, we recently sought to protect our new members from data caps by participating in ISP programs that, while common in Australia, effectively condone discrimination among video services (some capped, some not),” reads the letter. “We should have avoided that and will avoid it going forward. Fortunately, most fixed-line ISPs are raising or eliminating data caps in line with our belief that ISPs should provide great video for all services in a market and let consumers do the choosing.”

  
  

  [via DSLreports.com]
  
  [via ArsTechnica]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Chris Morran via Consumerist

uCalifornia Health Dept. Close To Declaring Measles Outbreak Linked To Disneyland Officially Overr

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  (NatalieProcter)

  
  
  
  A few months after Disneyland officials warned unvaccinated people to stay away amid a measles outbreak that was traced back to the park, the California Department of Public Health says it’s preparing to announce the end of the outbreak tomorrow, barring any new cases.
  

  California disease investigators have been trying to contain the spread of measles after the disease popped up in Disney theme parks in December, soon traveling to other states and countries. In California, 131 people were infected, reports the Associated Press.

  
  

  Many of those who caught the Disneyland measles weren’t immunized or hadn’t gone through the entire measles-mumps-rubella immunization process.

  
  

  Disneyland was an ideal place for the measles to set up shop, experts said, as the parks bring in steady crowds from around the globe who then act basically as ambassadors, bringing the disease back home with them when they leave.

  
  

  The Disneyland outbreak “reminds us that we are part of a global medical community” and the U.S. should help tame measles raging in many parts of the world, Dr. Richard Wenzel, an infectious disease expert told the AP.

  
  

  Though the outbreak was homegrown, with the disease starting with 40 people who had been at Disneyland in December, as well as another identified source, it’s believed that whoever patient zero is, he or she brought it into the country from elsewhere, health experts say.

  
  

  Disney-linked measles outbreak soon to be over in California [Associated Press]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

uDelta Cutting Some International Flights Later This Yearr

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  (So Cal Metro)

  
  
  
  

  If you were planning to fly Delta Air Lines for an overseas trip this holiday season, you might want to start making other plans. The airline aims to cut its international flights by about 3% during the last three months of 2015.

  
  

  The Wall Street Journal reports that Delta will trim the routes to Japan, Brazil, Africa, India and the Middle East, as well as seasonal trips to Moscow in an effort to make up revenue.

  
  

  The company said it chose to cut these routes as they are markets that have been most affected by the strong dollar and where demand has been negatively impacted by the decline in oil prices.

  
  

  Despite the effect low oil prices and the strong dollars have had on Delta’s international service, the company says it expects to save more than $2 billion on fuel this year.

  
  

  In preparation for less frequent international flights, Delta has been cutting back on routes from its hub at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, while instead serving more Asian destinations from Seattle and other U.S. airports.

  
  

  In some cases, the company plans to make the cutbacks by simply using smaller jets. For example, to reduce capacity on Japan routes, Delta will mostly stop using the current Boeing 747 jumbo jets, Bloomberg reports.

  
  

  Delta Air’s Pullback Abroad Seen Spurring Rivals to Follow [Bloomberg]
  
  Delta Says Profits Triple, Plans Capacity Cuts to Overseas Flights [Wall Street Journal]

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


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by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist