– On the verge of the Oreo's 101st anniversary, physicist David Neevel has created a futuristic machine designed to undo Nabisco's great mistake—it separates and removes the icky creme from the otherwise wonderful Oreo. "Once every several generations, an invention comes along that fundamentally alters the course of human civilization," declares the Christian Science Monitor, which likens Neevel's "Oreo Separator Machine" to Gutenberg's printing press and the steam engine. Neevel stars in a humorously dry video demo (Yahoo News likens it to a Portlandia sketch) in which he shares that he worked on his Rube Goldberg-style machine for "0.04 years"—aka, "two weeks"—during which he faced major struggles, like how to keep the back of his neck warm. "It was a big time commitment," he notes, saying he spent "hours at a time" away from his dog and girlfriend, and that he "had to try to find, like, a good sandwich in this part of [Portland, Ore.] and stuff. There were a lot of sacrifices I guess." But jokes aside, the machine, which employs a hatchet and floss, is pretty nifty, and Geekosystem notes that videos of more Oreo-separating machines may be coming.

Expand this summary.

David Neevel doesn’t like the creme in the middle of Oreos, so he built a machine to remove it. Even though his stance on Oreo creme is horribly, tragically, and completely misguided you have to respect a guy who takes action to get what he wants, or to eliminate what he doesn’t want as the case may be. Neevel is a physicist from Portland who is the type of person who sees a problem and solves it — with a hatchet-wielding robot — because that’s how you freaking get things done.

 A machine that halves Oreos with a hatchet and then removes the creme is admittedly only so useful, but watching Neevel explain the challenges he faced building it is weirdly captivating. He didn’t let things like cold hands, cold cookies, or finding a decent sandwich place near his workshop stop him. David Neevel gets things done.

 Watch him talk about his machine, his distaste for Oreo creme, and his amazing catchphrase “This creme’s no good, get it off the cookies or something,” in this video from Oreo:

 This is only the first of what appears to be a series of videos that show Oreo separating machines, and that’s just wonderful. I’d love to see more of these, but I have to say it will be hard to best Mr. Neevel’s personality and mustache.

 (via YouTube)

 Relevant to your interests ||||| Abstract Context Relationships between socio-environmental factors and obesity are poorly understood due to a dearth of longitudinal population-level research. The objective of this analysis was to examine 45-year trends in time-use, household management (HM) and energy expenditure in women. Design and Participants Using national time-use data from women 19–64 years of age, we quantified time allocation and household management energy expenditure (HMEE) from 1965 to 2010. HM was defined as the sum of time spent in food preparation, post-meal cleaning activities (e.g., dish-washing), clothing maintenance (e.g., laundry), and general housework. HMEE was calculated using body weights from national surveys and metabolic equivalents. Results The time allocated to HM by women (19–64 yrs) decreased from 25.7 hr/week in 1965 to 13.3 hr/week in 2010 (P<0.001), with non-employed women decreasing by 16.6 hr/week and employed women by 6.7 hr/week (P<0.001). HMEE for non-employed women decreased 42% from 25.1 Mj/week (6004 kilocalories per week) in 1965 to 14.6 Mj/week (3486 kcal/week) in 2010, a decrement of 10.5 Mj/week or 1.5 Mj/day (2518 kcal/week; 360 kcal/day) (P<0.001), whereas employed women demonstrated a 30% decrement of 3.9 Mj/week, 0.55 Mj/day (923 kcal/week, 132 kcal/day) (P<0.001). The time women spent in screen-based media use increased from 8.3 hr/week in 1965 to 16.5 hr/week in 2010 (P<0.001), with non-employed women increasing 9.6 hr/week and employed women 7.5 hr/week (P<0.001). Conclusions From 1965 to 2010, there was a large and significant decrease in the time allocated to HM. By 2010, women allocated 25% more time to screen-based media use than HM (i.e., cooking, cleaning, and laundry combined). The reallocation of time from active pursuits (i.e., housework) to sedentary pastimes (e.g., watching TV) has important health consequences. These results suggest that the decrement in HMEE may have contributed to the increasing prevalence of obesity in women during the last five decades.

 Citation: Archer E, Shook RP, Thomas DM, Church TS, Katzmarzyk PT, et al. (2013) 45-Year Trends in Women’s Use of Time and Household Management Energy Expenditure. PLoS ONE 8(2): e56620. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056620 Editor: Susanne Breuer Votruba, NIDDK/NIH, United States of America Received: September 20, 2012; Accepted: January 13, 2013; Published: February 20, 2013 Copyright: © 2013 Archer et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: This study was funded via an unrestricted research grant from The Coca-Cola Company. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing interests: GAH has received consultancy fees from The Coca-Cola Company. TSC receives honoraria for lectures from scientific, educational, and lay groups. TSC has a book entitled "Move Yourself: The Cooper Clinic Medical Director”s Guide to All the Healing Benefits of Exercise." TSC has received unrestricted research funding Cover Letter from The Coca-Cola Company. TSC has overseen study sites for large pharmaceutical trials funded by Sanofi Aventis, Orexigen, Arena and Amylin. TSC is a member of the Jenny Craig Medical Advisory Board and has served as a consultant to Technogym, Trestle Tree, Vivus, Lockton-Dunning and Neuliven Health. In addition, he serves as the Senior Medical Advisor for Catapult Health. DMT has received honoraria for service on the Scientific/Medical Advisory Boards for Jenny Craig. SNB receives book royalties (<$5,000/year) from Human Kinetics; honoraria for service on the Scientific/Medical Advisory Boards for Clarity, Technogym, Body Media, Santech, and Jenny Craig; and honoraria for lectures and consultations from scientific, educational, and lay groups which are donated to the University of South Carolina or not-for-profit organizations. SNB is a consultant on research projects with the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical School and the University of Miami. During the past 5-year period SNB has received research grants from The Coca-Cola Company and Body-Media. There are no patents, products in development or marketed products to declare. This does not alter the authors” adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials, as detailed online in the guide for authors.

 Introduction Despite the significant mortality, morbidity and economic burden engendered by the recent increase in the prevalence of obesity and non-communicable chronic diseases [1], [2], there are few investigations of longitudinal population-level data that allow examination of trends in presumptive risk factors. Etiologies of Obesity and Energy Balance The origins of the obesity epidemic are in dispute [3]. Nevertheless, it is widely accepted that increments in body weight and adiposity, at the most fundamental level, are the result of chronic positive energy balance (i.e., energy expenditure [EE]<energy intake [EI]) [4]. While this imbalance may be engendered via decrements in EE (e.g., diminished physical activity) and/or increments in EI, the imprecision of current methods for measuring population-level EI [5], [6], [7] and EE [8] limits the accurate quantification of the energy balance equation. Therefore, data on population-level trends in risk factors (e.g., physical activity, PA) [9] may provide essential contextual evidence by which to inform public policy. Energy intake and obesity. Given the lack of reliable data on population-level EI [5], [6], [7], recent publications have suggested that superficial food economics (e.g., alterations in food supply or food costs) are responsible for the obesity epidemic [10], [11]. This unidimensional determinism (i.e., economic forces cause obesity) is implausible given two well-established facts. First, humans adapt physiologically and behaviorally to perturbations in energy balance via an array of compensatory homeostatic mechanisms [12], [13], [14], [15], [16] and second, while food supply forces (e.g., availability, price) affect purchase and perhaps utilization and waste, the mere presence of food and over-consumption of food are simply necessary but not sufficient conditions for long-term changes in adiposity [13], [15], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21]. This is most clearly demonstrated in countries in which the food energy supply increased [21], [22], [23] while BMI levels were stable or decreasing [22], [24], [25], and the converse context in early 20th century US in which the food supply was decreasing [26] while BMI was increasing [27]. Given the homeostatic nature of human behavior and energy physiology, and the fact that physical activity and body composition determine nutrient partitioning (i.e., the metabolic fate of the food we consume), we postulate that it is highly unlikely that the obesity epidemic is the result of superficial food economics. Data on population-level trends. The complex, multi-dimensional nature of the obesity epidemic and lack of valid data on population trends in EI [5], [6], [7] necessitates examinations of trends in population-level risk factors if public health policy is to be informed by the best available science. Recent publications have concluded that PA has not declined over the recent past despite two major limitations. First, these studies focused on highly selected, non-representative samples and used indirect, inherently confounded measures of PA such as the physical activity level (PAL) index (which conflates all non-resting EE with PA) [28]. Second, most previous empirical work examined domains of PA that account for only a small portion of total EE [29]. In 2011, Church et al., examined occupational EE via US Bureau of Labor Statistics” surveys that included data on employment and earnings from more than 140,000 businesses, government agencies and >440,000 individual worksites, and found a significant decreasing trend over the past 50 years. They concluded that the reduction in this single domain of PA may account for a considerable portion of the increase in mean body weights for men and women [30]. The present study sought to complement Church et al.”s results by providing longitudinal data on another domain of PA: household management (HM). Since Church et al.”s work on occupational EE explained more of the increase in weight for men than women, and nearly all women (but not the majority of men) perform HM activities on a daily basis [31], we posited that a greater portion of women”s EE may be from HM. To test the hypothesis that trends in the time allocated to HM may contribute to longitudinal decrements in EE and potentially to gains in weight or adiposity, we examined nationally representative time-use diary data sources to analyze 45-year trends in the allocation of time, HM activities (e.g., meal preparation, laundry, and cleaning) and energy expenditure in women.

 Methods The Allocation of Time Data on women”s” allocation of time were derived from nationally representative time-use diary data from 1965–2010. Time-use data have been demonstrated to be more reliable and valid for non-occupational PA than other traditional surveillance systems [32]. Importantly, this data source provides details that allow an examination of the reallocation of time between activities (i.e., activity displacement). For example, if individuals spend less time cooking and cleaning, they may spend more time exercising, sleeping, or watching television TV. The American Heritage Time Use Study (AHTUS) [33] database was the source of nationally representative historical time-use data, and provided harmonized data on specific activities relevant to HM. The AHTUS dataset was produced specifically to analyze trends in total work output (i.e., paid and unpaid work) [34]. The harmonization process standardized multiple sources of data into a unified context for the purpose of comparative analyses. This process is complex and detailed information is provided by Fisher et al. (2011) [33] and Egerton et al. (2005) [34]. The AHTUS datasets consist of >50,000 diary days from 1965–2010. The number of weighted diaries from women (age 19–64 years) available for analysis were: 1036 for 1960s, 1924 for 1970s, 1420 for 1980s, 4117 for 1990s, 17,885 for 2003–2005, and 23,900 for 2006–2010. Time-use data sources were divided into four areas: 1) paid work, 2) household (e.g., unpaid housework and family care), 3) personal care (e.g., grooming), and 4) free time (e.g., TV viewing, exercise). Time-use data were analyzed for the change in the amount of time spent in each area by examining >90 subcategories of daily activity. Our final analyses included only those activities that significantly affected total daily EE over the 45-year period. For this investigation, household management activities were comprised of the aggregate time spent preparing food (e.g., cooking, washing dishes), general cleaning (e.g., vacuuming), clothing maintenance (i.e., laundry) but not general child or adult care, vehicle or house maintenance (e.g., painting), gardening or lawn care. Screen-based media use was defined as the non-occupational use of television and computer during free time, and leisure time physical activity (LTPA) was defined as sport and exercise participation. Employment status and age. Employment impacts the time allocated to HM [31], [35], [36]. For this study, the terms “employed” and “non-employed” encompassed all women and referred to the respondent”s self-reported employment status based on paid work hours per week. Full time employment was >21 hr of paid work per week for 1965–1990 and >35 hr/week for 1990–2010. Age also impacts HM activities; therefore, the sample was divided into age groups (i.e., <35 years, 35–50 years, >50 years old). Energy expenditure associated with activity. HM consists of numerous tasks of varying intensity and EE. The data used in this study did not have the detail necessary to delineate between the various components of HM. As such, a conservative Metabolic Equivalents (MET) value of 2.8 was assigned to HM activities. This value represents the EE per unit of time and was based on the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, World Health Organization and United Nations University (FAO/WHO/UNU) report on human food energy requirements [37], [38] and the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities [39]. Walking (2–4 METs) accounted for the vast majority of LTPA in the AHTUS and US population [40], [41], [42]. Nevertheless, a liberal MET value of 4.5 was used for all LTPA to account for the infrequent occurrence of activities of higher intensity. Energy expenditure and body mass. Increased body mass increases EE at rest and during PA. Since women were heavier in 2010 than in 1965, increments in the body weight used for the estimation of the HMEE and LTPA for each epoch were necessary. These increments were calculated from national surveys (NHES:1960–62; NHANES: 1971–74, 1976–80, 1988–94, 1999–2002 and 2003–2010) for the age group 19 to 64 [43]. The NHANES provides a representative sample of the civilian, non-institutionalized U.S. population via a complex, probability sampling design. The estimated body weights used for each epoch were 1960s = 65 kg; 1970s = 66 kg; 1980s = 69 kg; 1990s = 71 kg; 2005 = 74 kg; 2010 = 75 kg. As per previous research on PA [30] and the 2011 Compendium [39], the estimated EE for each activity and time period was calculated from the equation: EE = (hours in activity per week x MET value for activity x mean body weight). Statistical Analyses Data processing and statistical analyses were performed using SPSS V·19 in 2012. Decade-to-decade contrasts and trend analyses were conducted for HMEE and the allocation of time to HM, screen-based media, LTPA. Analyses accounted for the survey design via the incorporation of weighting to maintain a nationally representative sample. All analyses included adjusted means, and p<0.05 (2-tailed) indicated statistical significance.

 Discussion From 1965 to 2010, there was a large and significant decline in the time women allocated to HM (figure 1). By the 1990s, women spent more time in screen-based media use (e.g., watching TV) than in cooking, cleaning, laundry and LTPA combined. A major consequence of the 12 hr/week decline in HM was a considerable decrement in HMEE, with non-employed women experiencing the largest decrease (10.5 Mj/week, 1.5 Mj/day; 2518 kcal/week, 360 kcal/day; figure 3). In parallel with the considerable decline in HMEE was a substantial increase in the amount of time spent in screen-based media use (8.3 hr/week), and a smaller but statistically significant increase in LTPA (1.2 hr/week) (figure 4). Technology has played a large part in the decline in HM hr/week [35], [44], [45]. As automation improved the efficiency and decreased the requisite exertion of household tasks, the greatest decrements in HMEE were in individuals who previously allocated the greatest amount of time to HM (e.g., “stay-at-home” moms). Advances in food manufacturing led to an increase in the use of prepackaged, microwaveable meals and a consequent decrease in the time spent preparing food [46], [47]. In 1970, less than 1% of all homes had a microwave oven and <20% a dishwasher; by 2005, more than 90% of homes had a microwave and >60% a dishwasher. Post-meal clean-up was minimized (via disposable food containers) and mechanized (via the dishwasher) so individuals had the freedom to perform other activities (e.g., watch TV). Another development relevant to food preparation was the increased reliance on the food service industry. In 2000, nearly 50% of all food costs were spent on food away from home, compared with <30% in 1965, despite the decreasing relative costs of restaurant foods [46], [48]. One of the most dominant factors in the decrement of HMEE over time appears to be the change in women”s social roles. Early in the 20th century, women allocated the vast majority of their time to unpaid HM activities. Beginning in the 1950s, women began to divide their time between unpaid HM activities and paid employment [49]. From 1950 to 2000, women”s full-time employment increased from 34% to 60% [50] and the full-time employment of mothers with children increased from 19 to 57 percent [36], [51]. This demographic transition lead to a decrease in the time women allocated to HM, child care, and personal care [31], [35], and dramatically decreased the amount of time that working women with children allocated to HM. Mothers who are employed full-time perform less childcare (8 hr/week), less housework (10 hrs/week) and achieve less sleep (~3 hr/week) than non-employed or part-time working mothers. [35], [36], [52] This shift from more active (i.e., energetically costly) activities such as HM to more sedentary occupational activities has an obvious impact of energy expenditure and health. [9], [30], [53] The resulting decrease in HM and HMEE was only partially offset by the increases in LTPA. Energy Balance, Obesity and Health Given the complexity of human behavior and the behavioral and physiological compensatory mechanisms engendered by alterations in energy balance, there are no models that allow valid extrapolations from decreases in HMEE to increments in population-level weight-gain. Nevertheless, the declines in HM-hr/week and HMEE parallel the increments in screen-based media use suggesting that as the overall time and energy spent on PA decreased, the amount of time spent in sedentary behaviors increased. Intergenerational Effects of Inactivity Given the intergenerational effects of inactivity on metabolic function, health and obesity [54], [55], [56], the dramatic decreases in HM and HMEE may result in ever-increasing increments in obesity and NCDs in subsequent generations. Recent research has demonstrated that a majority of pregnant women spend more than 50% of their waking hours in sedentary behavior and that >15% of pregnant women have reported spending more than 5 hr/day in screen-based media use [57], [58]. The trend of the reallocation of time from active behaviors such as HM to sedentary activities has obvious and significant health consequences for future generations [9], [53]. Population Trends and Obesity The confluence of our results and research on other PA domains (e.g., transport [59], occupational [30], housework [44], sedentary behavior [60]) suggests a considerable decrement in total PA and substantial increases in sedentary behavior during the past few decades. This growing body of research suggests that the rise in bodyweight and obesity may be due to decreases in PA alone. In fact, these data from multiple PA domains suggest that the decrement in EE may be so large that current levels of obesity would be significantly higher if compensatory responses (e.g., decreased EI or increased LTPA) were absent. Strengths and Limitations Strengths. This study represents the first detailed analyses of trends in HMEE derived from nationally representative historical time-use databases. HMEE was derived using an empirically supported protocol for the translation of PA into EE [39], [61]. Our results on the allocation of time to HM, LTPA and screen-based media use are in agreement with other research [33], [52], [62], [63]. Furthermore, we used a conservative estimate of the mean intensity of household activities (i.e., 2.8 METs) based on the convention established by the FAO/WHO/UNU in 1985 [37] since the available data did not have the level of detail necessary to calculate EE for each specific component of HM. Importantly, the use of this value facilitates future examinations of HMEE across developed nations. Moreover, our results on activity displacement (i.e., the reallocation of time away from HM to sedentary pursuits) are bolstered by investigations independent of the AHTUS datasets demonstrating decreased HM [64], and Nielsen research that suggests that TV viewing has increased at a rate greater than indicated in our findings [65], [66]. Limitations. The two most significant limitations are the use of harmonized datasets and self-reported data. The harmonization process of the datasets is complex and was not performed by our research group. Nevertheless, the process is quite robust and there are hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and academic texts that used these harmonized datasets (see http://www.timeuse.org). The biases associated with self-reported data are not trivial and limit our results; especially biases induced via social desirability and the cognitive demands of recording the allocation of time. Nonetheless, these biases may be omnipresent and stable, and therefore may not present a significant threat to our analysis of trends. For example, TV viewing was not considered a socially desirable behavior throughout the period of study [66], [67]; as such, the self-reported increments in screen-based media use over five decades lend support to our contention that longitudinal trends may be less affected than analyses of static cross-sectional data. Additionally, our analyses accounted only for the time allocated to HM and not how technological advances (e.g., self-propelled vacuum cleaners, food processors) have altered the effort (i.e., intensity) of HM. Accelerometry and indirect calorimetry research [68], [69], [70] suggest higher estimates for specific components of HM activities than either the 2011 Compendium [39] or FAO/WHO/UNU report [37]. Nevertheless, this limitation does not diminish our estimates of the decrement in HM hr/week and suggests a modest underestimation of HMEE that is supportive of our overall interpretation of decreased PA and HMEE. Implications for Public Health Policy The estimated reductions in HM (>12 hr/week) and HMEE (>7.7 Mj/week; 1850 kcal/week) were not compensated by the observed increases in LTPA (<1.3 hr/week; 1.9 Mj/week; 460 kcal/week); nor can the decrements be adequately compensated by meeting the 2008 federal PA recommendations of 2.5 hr/week of moderate intensity PA (MPA) (~2.3 Mj/week; ~560 kcal/week) [71] or the Institute of Medicine”s recommendation for the maintenance of a healthy weight of 60 minutes/day of MPA (~6.6 Mj/week; 1575 kcal/week) [72]. Future PA recommendations may need to be increased to overcome the total decrement in the various domains of PA (e.g., transport [59], occupational [30]) that some sub-groups (e.g., stay-at-home moms) have experienced over the past half century. Conclusion Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the world [2], [73], [74] and yet is all too often under-emphasized in clinical, educational and public health settings [75], [76], [77]. While the attraction of simple causation in the etiology of obesity is powerful (e.g., economic forces cause obesity), the development of effective strategies and tactics to ameliorate the effects of NCDs and obesity necessitates a broad understanding of the complexities of human behavior and energy metabolism, inclusive of EI, EE and PA.

 Acknowledgments Disclaimer: Analyses and the inferences in this research are those drawn by the authors, and may not reflect the views of the creators or funders of AHTUS or the collectors of the original surveys harmonized in this dataset. ||||| David Neevel (YouTube)

 A cookie-favoring physicist has created what appears to be the world's first Oreo separator.

 David Neevel, an artist and inventor based in Portland, Ore., was commissioned by the popular cookie brand to produce the machine as part of its "Cookies vs. Creme" campaign.

 "My Oreo machine is based entirely on my dislike for creme and my preference for cookie," Neevel said in a short video that could easily be mistaken for a "Portlandia" sketch.

 The OSM, as Neevel calls it, was constructed of scrap aluminum, wood, a hatchet and floss in a Portland garage.

 After the hatchet blade is lowered to split the Oreo, a pair of mechanical arms are dispatched to collect the cookie halves, which are transferred to a router table where the creme is removed.

 The electric-powered contraption took about two weeks to build. "It was a big time commitment," Neevel said. "I had to work some long hours—I didn't see my girlfriend or my dog for hours at a time."

 "Outstanding. I applaud your efforts," one YouTube commenter wrote. "For your next design, how about an automatic sock pair singlifier?

 Three other inventors were commissioned by Oreo to come up with concepts, with the next one slated to be unveiled later this week.

 Watch Neevel's Oreo separator in action: |||||


News article:

NEW DELHI (BLOOMBERG) - In a country where women travellers face myriad dangers, one Indian airline has an idea: Chivalry, and no middle seats.

 With its Woman Flyer service, Vistara has begun offering to help women flying solo with their bags, escort them to and from their ground transportation, and give them preferred window and aisle seats on their flights - no middles.

 The New Delhi-based airline says between 75 and 100 women use the complimentary service, which began in March, each day. It is believed to be the first airline to offer such a service.

 Mr Sanjiv Kapoor, Vistara's chief strategy and commercial officer, said the airline began offering it after noticing women seeking help after their planes had landed.

 "Our staff is equipped to help women travelling alone with the booking of airport-authorised taxis, as well as escort them to the airport taxi stand upon their request," Mr Kapoor said via e-mail. "This service is a sincere effort to ensure peace of mind of our women customers."

 India is forecast to become the world's sixth-largest business travel market by 2019, according to the Global Business Travel Association, but it has gained an international reputation for being unsafe for women - particularly since the brutal 2012 gang rape, torture, and murder of a medical student attacked on a public bus in New Delhi.

 In its notices to Americans about travelling to India, the United States State Department is blunt on the danger of sexual assault: "US citizens, particularly women, are cautioned not to travel alone in India."

 Australia and the United Kingdom offer similar, slightly more circumscribed warnings for women to avoid travelling alone on Indian public transit. In sexual assault cases in India, "successful prosecutions are rare", Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade advises. Street harassment, controversially known as "Eve teasing", is common.

 The problems for India's tourism flow directly from cultural issues around gender inequality in Indian society, said Ms Marta Turnbull, editor of the International Women's Travel Center, a resource site that compiles a list of the 10 most dangerous countries for women travellers using a variety of government travel warnings, United Nations data, and other sources.

 India is fifth on that list, which also includes Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Saudi Arabia.

 "We did find there is a correlation between what happens to local women and women travelers," said Ms Turnbull. "There are a lot of activists who are taking it on as an issue. We're optimistic that things will get better, but it will take a while - a long time."

 In efforts to combat sexual assault and harassment on public transit, officials from Calcutta to Mexico City to to Leipzig, Germany, have tried offering separate train cars and buses reserved for women and children.

 Mexico City, where surveys have found that as many as 90 per cent of women riders do not feel safe, went so far as to install a seat on the subway molded with a male torso, and penis, to call attention to the problem.

 While women-only transportation zones have shown some success and proven popular among some passengers, they have also been criticised for implying that women must be segregated in order not to be harassed.

 A study that Middlesex University researchers conducted in 2015 for the UK Department of Transport when it was exploring such ideas found they would mark "a retrograde step" in countries like the UK where gender equality was the norm.

 "Although women-only transport may be an effective means of reducing unwanted sexual behaviour on public transport in some countries, they are essentially short-term fixes and reinforce a message that women must be contained and segregated in order to protect them," the study found.

 Vistara, meanwhile, hopes to extend its new service for women to international flights once it expands outside of India.

 In May, Bloomberg News reported that the airline, which flies an all-Airbus A320 domestic fleet, was seeking to recruit pilots trained on Boeing aircraft - a signal that the carrier is considering leasing or buying Boeing jets for longer-haul routes outside the country. ||||| Ever dreaded getting stuck in that pesky middle seat? This carrier has a solution.

 It was just earlier this year that one Indian airline announced they were offering women-only rows, in a bid to make female fliers feel safer.

 And now another of the nation’s carriers has rolled out a women-only service, one that promises to stop female travellers getting boxed in to a middle seat.

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 Vistara, a domestic airline based in New Delhi, has launched a Woman Flyer programme that it claims is a world first.

 Read:

 When This Couple Were Stranded, One Kind-Hearted Emirati Stepped In To Help

 Five Over-Water Bungalows To Escape To This Summer

 As part of the service, solo female travellers are guaranteed a window or aisle seat at check-in, even if they’ve not pre-selected one before arriving at the airport.

 They’ll also get baggage and transport assistance on arrival from a Vistara staff member, who will help book authorised taxis and escort women to the pick-up point.

 So if you’re off on an Indian sojourn soon, and always hate that initial touch-down panic of finding your way to your hotel, this should help.

 Women who want to use the service need to email custrelations@airvistara.com at least 72 hours before their flight.

 The airline says between 75 and 100 women use the complimentary service every day, according to Bloomberg.

 “This service is a sincere effort to ensure peace of mind of our women customers,” Vistara’s chief strategy and commercial officer Sanjiv Kapoor told the publication.

 Read:

 14 Of The Best Travel Hacks That Will Make Your Holiday A Breeze

 This Emirati Couple Has Some Inspiring Advice About Making A Marriage Work

 Governments around the world have warned women about the dangers of travelling solo in India, with both the UK and Australia advising citizens to avoid using public transport if they’re alone.

 “Women travellers often receive unwanted attention in the form of verbal and physical harassment by individuals or groups of men,” the UK foreign office warns on its website.

 In January, Air India even introduced female-only rows on its flights to combat a rise in assault cases taking place at 36,000 feet.

 The move came after reports of two women – a female passenger and an air stewardess – being groped aboard separate Air India flights.

 The initiative was met with both criticism and praise, with former Air India executive director Jitendra Bhargava telling The Hindu it was a “misplaced priority”.

 Social media users also accused the airline of sexism by forcing women to move to deter potential crimes against themselves, though many commended Air India for taking action.

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 Image: Getty |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– India has earned a reputation as a place that's dangerous for women and girls, underscored by the story of a 10-year-old rape victim now in the news for trying to get permission to get an abortion. Another shocking story from 2012 set off a series of protests across the country after a young woman was fatally gang-raped on a public bus, and—along with many other high-profile sexual assaults—has prompted countries like the US to caution women not to travel alone in India. Now the Indian airline Vistara has taken matters into its own hands, offering a free service called Woman Flyer, which it describes to Bloomberg as a "sincere effort to ensure peace of mind of our women customers." The free service, which launched in March, is used by between 75 and 100 women every day, according to Vistara. Women who sign up for the service will get help with their bags, be guaranteed a window or aisle seat, and be escorted to a pickup point by airline staff, reports Emirates Woman. While this is thought to be the first airline anywhere to offer this kind of service, Air India began providing female-only rows earlier this year in response to assaults in the air. In 2015, researchers in the UK noted that in places with gender equality, separating women "reinforces a message that women must be contained and segregated in order to protect them," but many who are hailing Vistara's new service says safety comes first. (That 10-year-old mentioned earlier is being made to deliver her baby.)


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 — Police are asking property owners in this city and throughout nearby rural Albemarle County to look for any signs of missing University of Virginia student Hannah Graham, hoping that they can locate her after nearly two weeks of searching.

 Charlottesville Police Chief Timothy J. Longo said during a news conference Thursday that searchers have combed through most of this college town and are now moving south into surrounding farms and woodland. He also urged real estate agents and others to look in and around vacant homes and buildings in an effort to find the 18-year-old, who has been missing since Sept. 13.

 Longo said Graham had an iPhone 5S with a pink case that has not been found, and he said people should report anything they see that seems out of the ordinary on their properties, including unexpected tire tracks, clothing or other evidence that might help police find her.

 “We have no idea where she is, despite our best efforts,” Longo said. “Everyone realizes the more time that goes by, the more difficult this is going to come for everyone. I can’t lose hope until I have to, until I need to, until it’s appropriate to transition this into some other type of operation. I have hope, and I think Hannah’s mom and dad have hope.”

 Longo said in an interview Thursday that he wants anyone who knows Jesse L. “LJ” Matthew Jr., 32, who is charged with abducting Graham, to help identify spots that Matthew frequented. Police asked for help finding places where Matthew likes to fish, for example. A reward of $100,000 is being offered for information leading to the safe return of the 18-year-old U-Va. sophomore from Fairfax County.

 Charlottesville investigators arrived Thursday in Galveston, Tex., where Matthew appeared in court after he was arrested on a beach Wednesday afternoon. Longo said Charlottesville police will not approach Matthew about the case because he has invoked his right to consult with an attorney. Local authorities said they would try to speak with him late Thursday or early Friday, and they were searching his car for evidence.

 Matthew is the last person known to have seen Graham, and he has been charged with abduction with intent to sexually assault her. Police have not detailed what evidence they have against him. Matthew was taken into custody Wednesday in Texas after a widespread manhunt, and police said he will be extradited to Charlottesville to face charges in her disappearance.

 Early Thursday, Matthew appeared briefly in a Texas courtroom, where a judge denied bond and read Matthew his rights. Matthew declined a court-

 appointed attorney and waived an extradition hearing.

 Charlottesville lawyer James L. Camblos III, who is representing Matthew, said that he spoke to Matthew by phone late Wednesday, after his arrest.

 “He sounded okay considering the circumstances,” Camblos said. “He called me from the jail and, under the circumstances, he sounded pretty good.”

 Longo said it is unclear why Matthew was in the Galveston area, a popular summer destination on the Gulf of Mexico southeast of Houston and about 1,300 miles from Charlottesville. A Galveston County deputy found Matthew after the sheriff’s office received a call from a woman who saw Matthew on the beach — in Gilchrist, on the Bolivar Peninsula — and found him suspicious.

 The deputy noticed that Matthew had set up a tent on the beach, sheriff’s Capt. Barry Cook said. Matthew initially gave a false name, but the deputy ran the license plates on Matthew’s car and discovered that he was wanted in Virginia, Cook said. Matthew was taken into custody without incident.

 [See a map of the region where Matthew was apprehended.]

 Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset said Thursday that deputies have examined the car and surrounding sand dunes and will widen their search, but that they have no indication of where Graham might be.

 “This individual has a 1,300-mile track,” the sheriff said, referring to Matthew’s trip from Charlottesville to east Texas. “There’s a lot of area to look at.”

 It is unclear what ties, if any, Matthew might have to Texas. He grew up in the Charlottesville area and attended two Virginia universities — Liberty from 2000 to 2002 and then Christopher Newport in 2003. He played football at both schools and left both schools. Officials at the school would not discuss the circumstances of his departure, citing privacy rules.

 Also on Thursday, the owner of the restaurant where Graham was last seen said that Graham never entered the establishment with her alleged abductor, instead waiting outside for him while he purchased drinks.

 Brice Cunningham, owner of the upscale Tempo Restaurant in Charlottesville, said he saw Matthew for the first time at the restaurant late on Friday, Sept. 12, and then again during the early hours of Sept. 13. Cunningham said that Matthew drank shots of bourbon with two other customers about 11:45 p.m., and that he then saw Matthew enjoying music on the restaurant’s dance floor.

 Cunningham said that Matthew, who was not a regular at the bar, appeared to be having a good time that evening.

 “He wasn’t aggressive, he wasn’t unpleasant,” said Cunningham, 43. “He seemed friendly and was talking to people.”

 Cunningham said that Matthew left the bar briefly and returned just after 1 a.m., closed a tab for two beers at 1:10 a.m. and then left sometime after that. He said that Tempo staffers, who were checking identification to ensure that patrons were at least 21 years old, saw Graham outside the bar and thought she appeared intoxicated. They saw her leave with Matthew on foot.

 “None of my staff saw her inside that night,” Cunningham said in an interview Thursday. In a statement, Cunningham said that Graham was not served alcohol. “She was, however, noticed by the door person outside the restaurant at that time, and seen leaving with Matthew shortly thereafter.”

 Graham had been seen on surveillance video walking with Matthew shortly after 1 a.m. on the city’s Downtown Mall, headed in the direction of Tempo. Friends said her last text to them was at 1:06 a.m., just minutes before Matthew got to Tempo. The owner’s account suggests that Graham arrived at the restaurant with Matthew, waited for him outside, and then left with him.

 The account differs from what police have said about Graham’s interactions with Matthew at Tempo. Longo said Thursday that his investigators “have at least one witness statement that puts Hannah Graham inside the bar with Mr. Matthew. You’re always evaluating witness statements in an ongoing investigation, and we will be talking to folks again, but we have that statement.”

 An extensive search has turned up almost no trace of Graham after she was seen at Tempo. Police have collected evidence from Matthew’s car and apartment, and Longo said that prosecutors decided to press charges against Matthew after reviewing evidence from experts at the crime lab in Richmond. The charge against Matthew suggests that police believe Matthew took Graham against her will — or while she was in a state that left her unable to consent.

 Those close to Matthew, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 270 pounds, have said they know him as a “gentle giant” who prayed at a local church, worked at the U-Va. hospital caring for patients and volunteered at the private Covenant School as a football coach.

 Flaherty and Jouvenal reported from Washington. ||||| Thank you for Reading.

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 Thank you for reading 5 free articles. You can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 5 free articles, or you can purchase a subscription and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information. If you are a current 7-day subscriber you are granted an all-access pass to the website and digital newspaper replica. Please click Sign Up to subscribe, or Login if you are already a member.

 Thank you for reading 5 free articles. You can come back at the end of your 30-day period for another 5 free articles, or you can purchase a subscription and continue to enjoy valuable local news and information. If you are a current 7-day subscriber you are granted an all-access pass to the website and digital newspaper replica. Please click below to Get Started. ||||| GILCHRIST, Texas (AP) — If kidnap suspect Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. was looking to hide from authorities, he picked what would seem to be a good spot with the remote Bolivar Peninsula, a finger of Gulf of Mexico barrier sand and scrub vegetation barely above sea level.

 Galveston County Sheriff Henry Trochesset answers a question about the arrest of Leroy Matthew Jr. during a news conference Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014, in League City, Texas. Matthew Jr. was arrested on... (Associated Press)

 Jill Howard, left, and her stepdaughter Martie Belt, look for seashells as they walk along the beach Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014, near Gilchrist, Texas, on the Bolivar Peninsula. Leroy Matthew Jr. was arrested... (Associated Press)

 Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr. is escorted into a courtroom for an appearance before 405th District Court Judge Michelle Slaughter regarding his extradition back to Virginia, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014, in Galveston,... (Associated Press)

 CORRECTS NAME TO JESSE LEROY MATTHEW JR., NOT LEROY MATTHEW JR - Jesse Leroy Matthew Jr., right, appears before 405th District Court Judge Michelle Slaughter, center, regarding his extradition back to... (Associated Press)

 Jill Howard points down the beach in the direction where Leroy Matthew Jr. was arrested Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014, near Gilchrist, Texas, on the Bolivar Peninsula. Matthew Jr. was arrested on a beach in... (Associated Press)

 Jill Howard, left, and her stepdaughter Martie Belt, talk about the arrest of Leroy Matthew Jr. as they walk along the beach Thursday, Sept. 25, 2014, near Gilchrist, Texas, on the Bolivar Peninsula.... (Associated Press)

 The island's beaches have served as a hiding spot for centuries: graves from one of the Houston area's most notorious mass slayings and a haven for the famed French pirate Jean Lafitte.

 "We seem to be the end of the road," Sheriff Henry Trochesset said.

 Matthew was arrested Wednesday as a suspect in the abduction of University of Virginia student Hannah Graham. He waived extradition Thursday in Galveston.

 His arrest — initially for refusing to identify himself to authorities — came after a phone tip from a resident who saw the 6-foot-2, 270-pound man with dreadlocks and recognized him from TV. A deputy then spotted him camped out on the beach.

 It's not uncommon to see random tents on the barren beaches, nor for sheriff's deputies to encounter people who don't want to identify themselves, Trochesset said.

 "We get lots of weird folks," Rob Faupel, 45, an air conditioning technician, said. "It seems like a good place to seek refuge. It's kind of remote."

 Only one road leads to the peninsula from the mainland to the east, a two-lane state highway south of Interstate 10 that ends at the Gulf of Mexico and heads west toward Galveston. Repeated storms wiped out the old highway Texas 87 that bordered the seashore and led to Port Arthur and Beaumont at the far southeast corner of the state. Motorists coming from Galveston and Houston must take a 20-minute ferry ride across Galveston Bay.

 As far as the campers, beach maintenance crew member Cliff Reichel said, "We don't bother them unless they flat out are doing something wrong."

 Reichel, 62, of Galveston, recalled one woman who was noteworthy because she had puppets on stakes outside her tent. She stayed for five months, then abruptly left.

 "You get people who stay a month at a time, a week at a time," his partner, Jacob Huffstetler, 25, of nearby High Island, added.

 Becky Sosa, who works at Miss Nancy's Bait Camp in Gilchrist not far from the beach, agreed that Matthew might have easily gone unnoticed.

 "He would fit right in," said the 54-year-old Sosa. "We get some strange ones that come through here. Some have stayed. It's like a magnet."

 She thought it was possible that Matthew had bought cigarettes from her on Tuesday, but she couldn't be sure because it was a busy day with fishing customers. "I would have thought nothing about it," she added.

 In the early 1970s, authorities recovered seven bodies from a Bolivar beach at High Island, one of three mass graves used by serial killer Dean Corll. His 28-victim killing spree ended when accomplice Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. killed him in August 1973.

 "It's kind of scary," Jill Howard, 56, of Arlington, said, recalling the infamous killings while walking the beach Thursday with her stepdaughter. But she said she could understand how someone trying to avoid capture would head out to "this beach out in the boonies." |||||
What is a one-paragraph summary of the above article?

– Jesse Matthew, charged with the abduction of missing UVa student Hannah Graham, was found in Galveston, Texas, Wednesday on a "beach out in the boonies," as one Texan put it. After a tip, police spotted Matthew camped out on a sliver of sand on the remote Bolivar Peninsula—the site of a mass grave used decades ago by serial killer Dean Corll and accessible by a single road, the AP reports. Matthew is one of many to hole up on the spot (among others: famed French pirate Jean Lafitte, rumor has it), where some stay for months. "We get lots of weird folks," says a local. "It seems like a good place to seek refuge. It's kind of remote." More on the case from the Washington Post and the Daily Progress: Matthew initially said he was "George Carr," but police discovered his true identity when they ran his car's plates. Authorities have searched the car, beach, and sand dunes. The case has brought to light another accusation against Matthew. An official has confirmed he was accused of raping a woman at Liberty University in 2002, but she didn't proceed with the case. He was a student there at the time. "Basically, the woman was saying she hadn't consented and Matthew was saying she had," says an attorney with the Lynchburg Commonwealth Attorney's Office. Searchers have scoured much of Charlottesville, Va., and are moving on to surrounding farms and woodland. They've asked area real estate agents to inspect any vacant buildings or properties they represent, and have told the public to be on the lookout for Graham's iPhone 5S with a pink case or unexplained tire tracks. Authorities are also looking to identify some of Matthew's favorite fishing spots. Matthew has declined to fight his extradition, and Virginia police have been sent to retrieve him. He should arrive back in Charlottesville in a few days.


News article:

Craig Heimer, right, arrives for his preliminary hearing on charges related to the hazing death of Timothy Piazza at Penn State's Beta Theta Pi fraternity at the Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte,... (Associated Press)

 BELLEFONTE, Pa. (AP) — A detective testifying at a hearing for 18 Penn State fraternity brothers accused in the death of a 19-year-old pledge said Monday the student looked like a corpse in surveillance video from the frat house.

 "He looked dead, he looked like a corpse," said State College Police Detective David Scicchitano, describing sophomore Tim Piazza's appearance in footage showing frat brothers carrying him upstairs the morning after a pledge event that involved heavy drinking.

 Scicchitano spoke at preliminary hearing at a courthouse near campus that will determine if there's enough evidence to send the case to court for trial.

 Video shot inside the Beta Theta Pi house was being shown from the night the pledge was ordered to drink and then fatally injured in a series of falls.

 Piazza consumed what prosecutors said was a life-threatening amount of alcohol during a hazing ritual on Feb. 2 in State College, Pennsylvania, and he died two days later.

 Fraternity members didn't call 911 until nearly 12 hours after his first fall.

 Piazza's father, Jim, rocked back and forth quietly in the front row of the courtroom as he heard his son's final hours described. When the video started, he and his wife Evelyn left the courtroom.

 Scicchitano said the footage shows Piazza was clearly injured after his first serious fall, at 11:22 p.m.

 "He is unconscious, his eyes are closed, he is limp. He is dead weight," he said, also noting he had a bruise on his abdomen.

 By about 3 a.m., the detective said, Piazza was left alone on the couch. He later falls several times in the house's great hall and other areas.

 He can be seen hitting his head and stomach, rolling around on the floor and then staggering severely to the lobby area and toward the basement stairs, Scicchitano said.

 He's not seen on tape again until two hours later, when brothers looking for him find him in the basement.

 Piazza was carried upstairs and had labored breathing, he said.

 By that time, he had "lost all color," and some of the fraternity members thought he may have died, Scicchitano said.

 The defendants face a variety of charges, with some accused of involuntary manslaughter and felony aggravated assault. The fraternity chapter is also a defendant.

 Piazza, of Lebanon, New Jersey, died at a hospital Feb. 4 from traumatic brain injury and had suffered severe abdominal bleeding. His blood-alcohol measured at a dangerous level.

 Penn State has permanently banned the fraternity, saying the school found "a persistent pattern" of excess drinking, drug use and hazing. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. |||||
What is a shorter version of the above article?

– A detective testifying at a hearing for 18 Penn State fraternity brothers accused in the death of a 19-year-old pledge said Monday the student looked like a corpse in surveillance video from the frat house. "He looked dead, he looked like a corpse," said State College Police Detective David Scicchitano, describing sophomore Tim Piazza's appearance in footage showing frat brothers carrying him upstairs the morning after a pledge event that involved heavy drinking, reports the AP. Scicchitano spoke at preliminary hearing at a courthouse near campus that will determine if there's enough evidence to send the case to court for trial. Video shot inside the Beta Theta Pi house was being shown from the night the pledge was ordered to drink and then fatally injured in a series of falls. The Post-Gazette notes that this is the first time prosecutors showed the video. Piazza consumed what prosecutors said was a life-threatening amount of alcohol during a hazing ritual on Feb. 2 and he died two days later. Fraternity members didn't call 911 until nearly 12 hours after his first fall. Piazza's father, Jim, rocked back and forth quietly in the front row of the courtroom as he heard his son's final hours described. When the video started, he and his wife Evelyn left the courtroom. "The grand jury presentment released last month had described what was on the video in detail, but still it was no match for the actual footage," the Post-Gazette notes. The defendants face a variety of charges, with some accused of involuntary manslaughter and felony aggravated assault. Piazza died at a hospital Feb. 4 from traumatic brain injury and had suffered severe abdominal bleeding. His blood-alcohol measured at a dangerous level. Penn State has permanently banned the fraternity, saying the school found "a persistent pattern" of excess drinking, drug use, and hazing.


– Police in three states are still hunting for a Range Rover whose occupants opened fire on another car on the Vegas Strip this morning and set off a deadly chain reaction. Cops don't know most of the details, but they say it started with a dispute of some kind in one of the nearby hotels, then spilled into the street, reports the Las Vegas Sun. When the Range Rover caught up to a Maserati at a stop light, shots were fired from the SUV that sent the Maserati crashing into a taxi, which exploded upon impact. Three people—the Maserati driver, the taxi driver, and a taxi passenger—were killed, and three others were injured, reports the LA Times. Police are hoping to piece together more details by interviewing a passenger in the Maserati, who was injured in the melee. Earlier reports that gunfire came from both vehicles as part of a moving shootout were incorrect. The AP collects this quote from a tourist visiting from Manchester, England: "This doesn't happen where we come from, not on this scale. We get stabbings, and gang violence, but this is like something out of a movie. Like Die Hard or something."

Expand this summary.

The Las Vegas Strip became a scene of deadly violence early Thursday when someone in a black Range Rover opened fire on a Maserati, sending it crashing into a taxi that burst into flames, leaving three people dead and at least six injured.

 In this still image take from video provided by KTNV, police investigate the scene of a shooting between cars on the Las Vegas Strip early Thursday, Feb. 21, 2013 in Las Vegas. Gunshots fired from a black... (Associated Press)

 Map locates the site of a shooting in Las Vegas that ended in a deadly car crash. (Associated Press)

 Police believe an altercation earlier at an unspecified casino resort prompted the car-to-car attack in the heart of the Strip at Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road.

 The crossroads is the site of several major hotel-casinos, including Bellagio, Caesars Palace and Bally's.

 "This doesn't happen where we come from, not on this scale," said Mark Thompson, who was visiting from Manchester, England, with his wife. "We get stabbings, and gang violence, but this is like something out of a movie. Like `Die Hard' or something."

 Police said they were contacting authorities in three neighboring states about the Range Rover Sport with dark tinted windows, distinctive black custom rims and paper dealer ads in place of license plates that fled the scene about 4:20 a.m.

 In Southern California, the California Highway Patrol alerted officers in at least three counties to be on the lookout for the SUV.

 Las Vegas Police Sgt. John Sheahan said the Range Rover was last seen near the Venetian resort as it headed north from the shooting scene on Las Vegas Boulevard.

 Witnesses also told police the SUV and Maserati had come from the nearby CityCenter area, just south of the site of the attack.

 "We have numerous witnesses to this," Sheahan said. "But what is the genesis of this? We don't know yet."

 Predawn jogger Eric Lackey was on his way back to the New York-New York hotel when he snapped a cellphone photo of the blazing scene moments after the crash. Black smoke billowed from the flaming taxi, amid popping sounds from the fire.

 Lackey, of Forest Hill, Md., said a security officer in a yellow shirt performed CPR on a person on the sidewalk while police officers canvassed a small crowd of perhaps 15 onlookers gathering at the scene.

 "Police were asking if anyone was still in the vehicles and if they heard gunfire," Lackey told The Associated Press. "That's when I realized it wasn't just a regular accident."

 Sheahan said police have video from traffic cameras at the intersection and were checking hotel surveillance systems. The video will not be made public, he said.

 Police said the Maserati hit the taxi cab, which went up in flames, and the driver and passenger were killed. The male driver of the Maserati also died, and his passenger was shot.

 The crumpled, gray sports car, which had no license plates, came to rest several feet away from the incinerated taxi.

 "The people I feel sorry for are the people in the taxi," said Elvina Joyce, a tourist from Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. "Seconds made all the difference in the world for them. Wrong place, wrong time."

 Joyce and her husband, Dave Joyce, were among the guests staying in high-rise hotels around the scene who found police tape blocking access to normally busy pedestrian crossings at the intersection. Hotel security officers and police shooed away people with cameras, and footbridges linking resort hotels were closed. Traffic around the area was snarled.

 Sheahan said the closures were expected to last most of the day while crime scene investigators collected evidence.

 "CSI," said Dave Joyce. "There it is. Real crime scene investigators in Las Vegas."

 A convention-goer, Jeff Martin, 33, of Columbus, Ohio, said he was unable to cross the Strip several hours after the attack.

 "When you're out at 4 a.m. nothing good's going to happen," he said.

 Sheahan said the attack was not a rolling gun battle as previously described. The SUV and Maserati were stopped or approaching a red light when at least one person in the Range Rover opened fire. Several people were inside the SUV, the sergeant said.

 Six vehicles were involved in the crash that followed, including the taxi and Maserati. The taxi was affiliated with Desert Cab company, according to general manager Sandy Shaver. He declined to comment further.

 The taxi might have been propane-powered, Sheahan said.

 The incident marked the latest violence on the Strip since the beginning of the year. Two people were critically wounded in a shooting at a parking garage on Feb. 6, and a tourist was stabbed Saturday in an elevator at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay.

 A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Jeremy Handel, reassured people that much is being done to keep them safe.

 "Recent incidents, while unfortunate, were isolated events," he said in a statement. "Las Vegas is among the safest travel destinations in the world and utilizes the most advanced technology and training to maintain a secure environment."

 Las Vegas Police Officer Jose Hernandez acknowledged that the Strip has seen several violent incidents in recent weeks but said police have made arrests or identified suspects in each case.

 "People don't have to worry," he said. "This is an unusual occurrence, as tragic as it may be."

 The area near the scene of the latest shooting has been the site of high-profile violence in the past.

 Rapper Tupac Shakur was killed in a drive-by in 1996 about a block away under similar circumstances, as assailants opened fire on his luxury sedan from a vehicle on Flamingo Road. The killing has never been solved.

 ___

 Associated Press writers Michelle Rindels and Hannah Dreier contributed to this report. ||||| Three killed after gunshots fired from SUV cause fiery crash on Las Vegas Strip

 Fatal crash

 The Las Vegas Strip became a scene of deadly violence early Thursday when someone in a black Range Rover opened fire on a Maserati, sending it crashing into a taxi that burst into flames, leaving three people dead and at least six injured.

 Late Thursday afternoon, names of two of the deceased became known. The man driving the Maserati has been identified as Kenneth Wayne Cherry Jr., 27. Las Vegas attorney Vicki Greco, of Greco Law Group, had represented Cherry in speeding ticket cases and said friends of his had been calling throughout the day about his death. The deceased taxi driver was identified as Michael Boldon, Desert Cab company general manager Sandy Shaver confirmed.

 Police said a confrontation that appeared to have begun in the valet area of the Aria resort spilled onto Las Vegas Boulevard, leading to sporadic gunshots being fired from the Range Rover as the vehicles traveled north. The accident occurred near Las Vegas Boulevard and Flamingo Road, the site of several major casinos, including Bellagio, Caesars Palace and Bally's.

 "This doesn't happen where we come from, not on this scale," said Mark Thompson, who was visiting from Manchester, England, with his wife. "We get stabbings, and gang violence, but this is like something out of a movie. Like 'Die Hard' or something."

 Police were contacting authorities in three neighboring states about the Range Rover Sport with tinted windows and paper dealer plates that fled the scene about 4:30 a.m.

 Metro Police Sgt. John Sheahan said the vehicles were seen pulling onto Las Vegas Boulevard near East Harmon Avenue, near City Center, then heading north. Although authorities initially said gunshots were fired from both the SUV and the Maserati, Sheahan clarified that gunfire came only from the Range Rover.

 Thursday afternoon, Sheriff Doug Gillespie said after the driver of the Maserati was shot, he lost control of the car passed through a red light and hit the taxi cab, which went up in flames. Boldon and his passenger in the cab were killed. Cherry died in the Maserati, and his passenger was shot.

 "What is the genesis of this, when did this all start? We don't know yet," Las Vegas Police Sgt. John Sheahan said.

 The passenger in the Maserati was taken to University Medical Center, where he was being interviewed by detectives.

 Gillespie said there were several people in the Range Rover, but police were not saying whether they knew of any relationship or ill will between the people in the two vehicles beyond the argument at the valet station.

 Tourists staying in high-rise hotels around the scene found police tape blocking access to the area around the intersection. By 8 p.m., the intersection was reopened, after police crime scene investigators were finished collecting evidence.

 Jeff Martin, 33, of Columbus, Ohio, said he was unable to cross the Strip several hours after the incident.

 "When you're out at 4 a.m. nothing good's going to happen," he said.

 Sheahan said the attack was not a rolling gun battle as previously described. The cars were stopped at a light when at least one person in the Range Rover opened fire. Several people were inside the vehicle, described as a four-door SUV with big black rims.

 Multiple rounds were fired from the Range Rover, Gillespie said. He added police did not know whether what kind of firearms were used in the shooting,

 Six other vehicles were involved in the crash that followed, including the taxi and Maserati.

 Shaver said he was called to the scene to provide information.

 Shaver also said the taxi that was struck was not fueled by propane or natural gas, as some had speculated. Gillespie said the cab exploded from the "sheer force" of the impact of the crash.

 Greg Bambic, president of the Professional Drivers Association, a taxi driver organization dedicated to assisting drivers who are victims of crimes and acts of violence, said the group plans to donate $5,000 to the Boldon family.

 Bambic said the organization since 2004 has donated thousands of dollars to drivers who have been robbed and assaulted on the job and their families.

 “It’s drivers helping drivers,�? said Bambic.

 The association raises money through memberships and fund-raisers and it receives donations from Southern Nevada companies that are friendly to the cab industry. Bambic said some of the most supportive donors are the cab companies themselves.

 Teri Williams, a spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Business and Industry, which oversees the Nevada Taxicab Authority, said the agency’s patrol officers were close to the scene when the incident occurred and were among the first responders.

 The Taxicab Authority investigates accidents involving taxicabs.

 Williams said Metro took over the investigation, but authority officers are continuing to assist. She had no further details about the status of the investigation.

 The incident marked the latest violence on the Strip since the beginning of the year. Two people were critically wounded in a shooting at a parking garage Feb. 6, and a tourist was stabbed Saturday in an elevator at The Hotel at Mandalay Bay. On Dec. 14, a busy Friday night at the Excalibur, a murder-suicide near the registration desk of the resort sent crowds visitors running to the exits.

 A spokesman for the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Jeremy Handel, said his organization didn't immediately have a comment on the latest incident and deferred to police.

 Metro spokesman Officer Jose Hernandez acknowledged the Strip has seen several violent incidents in recent weeks but said police have made arrests or identified suspects in each case.

 "People don't have to worry," he said. "This is an unusual occurrence, as tragic as it may be."

 Eileen Brosnan, who was visiting Las Vegas from Killarney County Kerry, Ireland, was stunned by what she saw at the scene.

 "I live in a little small town where we have absolutely no crime," she said. "The only way we hear about things like this is on CNN or news from other places. I knew there was crime here, but I wasn't expecting anything of this magnitude. I don't feel less safe, because there is plenty of security and police to deal with it. It is very surprising to me, though. I was staying at Caesars, and I just had to come down and see it."

 Sheahan said police have video from traffic cameras at the intersection and were checking whether the shooting might have been sparked by an altercation at a nightclub.

 "We have a lot of pieces to put together to establish a timeline as to why this confrontation occurred," Sheahan said. "We have numerous detectives checking resorts on the Strip south of this intersection."

 In interviews with Fox 5 KVVU-TV, family members of Boldon said he moved to Las Vegas recently to care for his mother, who is 93. It was not clear where Boldon lived before making the move.

 “My life mission would be to see (the suspects) punished and brought to justice,�? said Tehran Boldon, Michael Boldon’s brother. “I don’t know what their affiliation is, if they’re in a gang or whatever. But they’re stupid and senseless men, and they must pay.�?

 Cherry was an aspiring rapper whose twitter feed included links to videos identifying him as "Kenny Clutch" and with scenes featuring a Maserati on the Las Vegas Strip. His attorney said Cherry loved cars and drove a gray Maserati, but she’d always remember him for his trademark dreadlocks.

 “He was loyal, dependable, somebody that would always have your back if you were on his team,�? Greco said. “He was a stand up guy.�?

 Associated Press writers Ken Ritter, Michelle Rindels and Hannah Dreier contributed to this report, as well as Sun reporters Will D’Urso, Ron Sylvester, Tovin Lapan and Richard N. Velotta. ||||| Vegas Strip shooting

 LAS VEGAS — It started with a dispute in a hotel along the famed Strip then turned into the kind of mayhem associated with blockbuster movies: gunshots, crashing vehicles and a fiery explosion. Three people were killed, at least three were injured and this resort city was in a midst of a manhunt Thursday.

 Las Vegas Boulevard near Flamingo Road -- some of the most valuable real estate along the legendary Strip -- was shut down Thursday morning and probably will stay closed for hours, officials told reporters at a news conference in the shadow of such major hotels as Bellagio, Caesars Palace and Bally’s.

 “It began with a dispute at a nearby hotel and spilled on to the streets,” Capt. Chris Jones, from the Las Vegas Robbery Homicide Division, said. There was no immediate explanation for the altercation, he said.

 PHOTOS: Las Vegas rolling gun battle

 Those involved in the dispute took to the road in two vehicles, a silver-gray Maserati and a black Range Rover SUV, with tinted windows, black tire rims and paper dealer plates from out of state, the police captain said. The Maserati sped off at a high rate of speed and the SUV followed.

 About 4:30 a.m. at a stoplight, gunshots were fired from the SUV, police said, hitting the Maserati, which then plowed into a taxi cab that exploded in a fireball on impact. The cab driver and passenger were killed at the scene and Maserati driver was pronounced dead at a hospital. A passenger in the Maserati was among the injured.

 The SUV raced off and was being sought by officials who have contacted police authorities in three states to be on the lookout for the vehicle. It was not known how many people were inside the SUV, but all were assumed to be armed and dangerous.

 INTERACTIVE: Violence in Las Vegas

 Las Vegas, which is based on gambling, tourism and convention business, prides itself on being safe for visitors. There have been some incidents in recent weeks, but nothing on the scale of this predawn shooting.

 Tourists waking up Thursday morning faced problems getting around. Bell captains tried to direct lines of people to alternate transportation, including cab lines outside the shut-down zone. Workers in the service industry were delayed through the morning commute. Limousine drivers sought alternate routes. Casino workers coming off their overnight shifts looked for makeshift stops for buses that normally picked up and delivered people along the Strip.

 “You have to go way out of your way,” Jim DeSanto, driver for a local resort, said. “Most people will understand but you have your complainers. Those people will complain when everything is perfect.”

 STORIFY: Witnesses capture shooting and fire in tweets and video

 Another limousine driver stood outside his black stretch vehicle. Malik Alamudeen, a driver for 24-7 Entertainment Limousines, said the traffic snarls cost him at least $500 in tips.

 The shooting was the talk of the area, even among the denizens of the night, such as Paul Pillat, 58, formerly of Milwaukee, Wis. He described himself as a homeless person who has been trawling the streets for years. He said he was known by his street name, Tumbleweed, and he was heading to a fast-food restaurant near the intersection about 4:20 a.m. when he heard the gunshots.

 “I ducked right away,” Pillat said. “I didn’t know what was going on. Somebody could have been shooting at me.”

 He said he did not see the impact, but heard the crash of vehicles.

 “Then the ambulances started coming, it was like a stock car rally out there,” he said, adding he had come to expect violence. “It’s the wild West here. People don’t understand. They think it is fun and games. It’s not. It’s dangerous.”

 But many tourists were more sanguine.

 Inside the casinos, the hurly-burly of the gambling continued with one person, who refused to give his name, pulling the handle of a slot machine. “I’m here for the day and I’m going to get my gambling in,” he said, turning back to the machine at Bally’s.

 “Look at what happened in Orange County this week,” Gaspar Pasqualetto, of Diamond Bar, 83, said of a shooting spree that left four dead, including the gunman. He said he learned of the Nevada shooting when he arrived at Las Vegas on Thursday morning.

 Racing form in hand, Pasqualetto waved as he headed to the sports book inside Bally’s.

 “Wish me luck,” he said.

 ALSO:

 Report: Citizens detained at immigration officials' request

 Former New Orleans mayor pleads not guilty in corruption case

 Man accused of beheading son is ruled incompetent to stand trial |||||


Write a summary based on this article:

Fidget spinners are one of the hottest new trends of the year, but ahead of the holiday shopping season, a new report by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocacy organization, says testing found dangerous levels of lead in some.

 The safety group is not aware of any reported cases of kids getting lead poisoning from fidget spinners, but they urge awareness and transparency on the part of the retailers, especially when putting the items in children's toy sections, reports CBS News correspondent Anna Werner.

 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said there is no safe level of lead when it comes to children. It can cause serious health problems, including brain damage. It's something a mother from Portland learned the hard way, and now she is trying to help other parents.

 "You don't know what that means the first time you hear that your kid has lead poisoning," Tamara Rubin said.

 CBS News

 Rubin said her sons still suffer debilitating effects from lead exposure in their home 12 years ago, when she says contractors used unsafe methods to remove lead paint. Now, the mother of four helps other parents learn more about products that may contain lead.

 Her "Lead Safe Mama" Facebook page has more than 15,000 followers. She tests consumer products that concerned parents send to her, including hundreds of fidget spinners. She said many of them had concerning levels of lead.

 "It's on the center, it's the part you're interacting with so it's definitely a hazard for children," Rubin said.

 Rubin's blog caught the attention of the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. They tested 12 fidget spinners found in children's toy aisles in Target stores across the country.

 Two of the products tested with high levels of lead. One contained levels reaching 33,000 parts per million. That's 300 times higher than the legal limit for children's products.

 "They should take these toys off the shelves," said Kara Cook Schultz, U.S. PIRG's toxics program director.

 "The reason that lead is a large concern – especially in children's products – is that when children are exposed to high levels of lead they can experience things like memory loss, learning disabilities," she said.

 Tamara Rubin

 When the group contacted Target and asked them to take the product off the shelves, Target declined, saying the two products are not designed for children.

 According to the packaging, they are marked for ages 14 and up, and Target says, "They are not defined by the Consumer Product Safety Commission as toys" and as a result "are not required to meet children's product standards."

 The toy's manufacturer, Bulls-i-Toy, similarly stated in a letter to the safety group: "The products in question are clearly labeled 'ages 14+'…there are no mandatory CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) requirements for it."

 The CPSC says fidget spinners marketed to children under the age of 12 would be subject to federal testing regulations including lead testing, but those marketed for use over age 12 are considered "general use products," which would not be subject to those same tests. U.S. PIRG is pushing to change the guidelines for these popular gadgets.

 CBS News reached out to Bulls-i-Toy for comment but has not heard back. ||||| - High levels of lead have been found in one of the more popular gadgets this year: fidget spinners.

 In recent lab results, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund found two fidget spinners sold at Target have “extremely high levels of lead.” The advocacy group requested Target and its developer, Bulls i Toys, LLC to recall the products and investigate the how lead seeped into them.

 The two fidget spinners containing the lead are, “Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass,” and “Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal.”

 According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, lead's toxicity resulted in its ban in household paints and products marketed to children in 1978. Exposure to children is damaging because it can impact development, and any amount of lead in a child’s blood is unsafe. It can affect nearly every body system.

 U.S. PIRG also called on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to reclassify fidget spinners as toys, rather than its current category of general use products. The organization argues that the two fidget spinners are marketed towards children. On Target’s website, the “Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Bass” is recommended for ages 14 and over, as well as, 6 and over.

 CPSC could hold the products to federal standards for lead if classified as a toy. Children products must not contain more than 100 parts per million (ppm) of total lead in "accessible parts," according to federal requirements.

 In the report, the lab results were tested twice to confirm the results. For the "Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass," the center circle tested for 33,000 ppm of lead, and the arm tested for 22,000 ppm of lead. The center circle of the "Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal" was tested for 1,300 ppm of lead and the arm tested for 520 ppm of lead.

 While U.S. PIRG notified the CPSC, the agency held firm that the fidget spinners are not toys.

 In the meantime, U.S. PIRG still recommends for adults and children to stop using the fidget spinners. The report did not address whether there have been any injuries after a product purchase.

 View the full report here. ||||| These crawls are part of an effort to archive pages as they are created and archive the pages that they refer to. That way, as the pages that are referenced are changed or taken from the web, a link to the version that was live when the page was written will be preserved.Then the Internet Archive hopes that references to these archived pages will be put in place of a link that would be otherwise be broken, or a companion link to allow people to see what was originally intended by a page's authors.The goal is to fix all broken links on the web . Crawls of supported "No More 404" sites. ||||| If you're thinking about buying your kids a fidget spinner this holiday season, you may want to think twice. This inexpensive and addictive little toy is already the topic of choking hazard warnings by the Consumer Product Safety Commission. And Thursday morning the US Public Interest Research Group revealed that some of the spinners sold at Target (TGT) contain dangerously high levels of lead.

 The Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass tested at 33,000 parts per million for lead -- some 300 times the 100 parts per million allowable for children's toys. The lead level in another model, the Fidget Wild Premium Spinner in Metal, tested at 1,300 parts per million.

 The response from Target and the manufacturer: These particular spinners are recommended for consumers over the age of 14. That means CPSC lead restrictions for children don't apply, according to the companies. Products marketed to those over the age of 12 have no specific lead-level prohibitions.

 "The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has reviewed and explicitly defined fidget spinners as 'general use products.' They are not defined by the CPSC as toys," said Target spokesman Lee Henderson in a prepared statement.

 Fidget Spinner craze sweeping the nation

 Noting that US PIRG had provided Target with its lead testing results, Henderson added that the retailer's product safety team reviewed the consumer advocacy group's data and decided there was no need to pull the products from its shelves or website.

 "The two fidget spinners cited in their letter are clearly marked on the package as 'appropriate for customers ages 14 and older,' and are not marketed to children," Henderson said in an email. "As a result, the fidget spinners identified are not regulated as toys or children's products and are not required to meet children's product standards."

 The manufacturer, Bulls-I-Toy, said in a letter to US PIRG that because the product packaging says this spinner model is for youngsters who are at least 14-years-old, "There are no mandatory CPSC requirements for it."

 Regardless of how the CPSC classifies these spinners, they're marketed as toys for kids, said Kara Cook-Shultz, toxics director at US PIRG. Not only are they sold in the toy aisles, alongside the spinners sold to 6-year-olds, until Thursday, the description of the brass spinner noted that the gadget has an "educational focus" and is appropriate for ages "6 and up," on Target's website.

 After publication of this story, Target updated its website to reflect that the toy was appropriate for ages 14 and up, which matches the age range on the product packaging.

 "All fidget spinners have play value as children's toys regardless of labeling," said Cook-Schultz. "We can't sit idly by while children play with these toxic toys. And, yes, they are toys."

 Lead poisoning is considered most dangerous for young children because their rapidly growing bodies absorb the substance more readily, and they're more likely to put products in their mouths and near their noses, where the lead is most easily ingested. But lead is dangerous for everyone.

 In children, lead can lead to hyperactivity, lack of appetite, behavior problems and learning disabilities. In adults, lead poisoning leads to brain and nervous system ailments, stomach and kidney problems, as well as high blood pressure, weakness, muscle problems and headaches, according to WebMD.

 Some lead exposure victims facing new threat as adults

 Target's spokesman failed to comment about why the retailer would sell a product that could be dangerous for adults. A spokesman for Bulls-I-Toy said the company's products meet CPSC guidelines. When a reporter noted that there are no lead guidelines for adult products, he reiterated: "As a company, we follow the guidelines issued by the CPSC."

 Meanwhile, the CPSC has been warning about other spinner hazards.

 "As the agency investigates some reported incidents associated with the popular product, fidget spinner users or potential buyers should take some precautions," said CPSC Acting Chairwoman Anne Marie Buerkle in an August statement.

 Some of the pieces can break off and create choking hazards, she said. Moreover, light-up spinners often contain lithium coin cell batteries. If swallowed, these batteries can cause severe internal burns. Several reports have also said the devices can catch on fire while charging.

 The CPSC noted that the agency classifies most spinners as "general use" products, rather than children's toys. Thus, they're not required to meet a variety of toy safety standards, including those that limit lead or phthalates content.

 US PIRG's Cook-Schultz said the debate about whether the lead-laced products are a child's toy or an adult "stress-reliever" is beside the point: "These products are not safe," she said. "Let's get them off the shelves." ||||| By Dev Gowda and Kara Cook-Schultz, U.S. PIRG Education Fund

 Introduction

 The negative health effects of lead poisoning are well known. Unfortunately, lead remains a problem in our everyday lives. While much attention has been focused on tainted drinking water, such as the lead crisis in Flint, Mich., lead still remains a problem in toys. While lead in toys has become less prevalent in recent years, U.S. PIRG Education Fund tested several models of one of today’s hottest toys, fidget spinners, for the toxic heavy metal. Laboratory results indicated that two fidget spinners purchased at Target and distributed by Bulls i Toy, L.L.C. contained extremely high levels of lead.

 U.S. PIRG Education Fund calls on Target and Bulls i Toy to immediately recall these two fidget spinners and investigate how such high levels of lead were found in these toys. Also, we call on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to classify these fidget spinners as toys and hold them to federal standards for lead in children’s products.

 Background on Lead

 Elemental lead is a metal occurring naturally in soils and rocks. It has a variety of commercial uses including in batteries, plastics, and radiation shielding. In the past, lead was also added to gasoline and paint. Because of lead’s toxicity, in 1978 it was banned in household paint, in products marketed to children, and in dishes and cookware in the United States. Lead is not discernible by sight or smell.

 Lead exposure is particularly damaging for young children because of its impact on development. Even low levels of lead in blood have been shown to undermine IQ, attentiveness, and academic achievement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) makes clear that any amount of lead in a child’s blood is unsafe. Moreover, since the effects of lead exposure cannot be reversed, it is especially important to prevent lead exposure to children in the first place.

 Unfortunately, toys can pose a risk in part because lead is used in other countries and can be found in imported products. Additionally, lead may be incorporated into plastic. Lead is used to soften plastic and make it more flexible, but when the plastic is exposed to sunlight, air, or detergents, the chemical bond between the lead and plastic breaks down, forming lead dust. Children can inhale or come in contact with this dust when they put toys in or near their mouths.

 Federal Standards for Lead

 With a few exceptions, federal law requires that all children’s products manufactured after August 2011 contain no more than 100 parts per million (ppm) of total lead content in all accessible parts. The CPSC defines accessible parts as parts that a child could reach through “normal and reasonably foreseeable use and abuse of the product.”

 Paint or similar surface coatings on all children’s products are subject to a limit of 90 ppm of total lead. (Household paints are also subject to this rule.)

 Exceptions to these standards include metal components of bicycles, which cannot contain more than 300 ppm of lead. Components in electronic devices, inaccessible parts, and other items are exempt from the lead standard.

 Note that these limits do not meet the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which recommends that all products intended for use by children contain no more than trace amounts of lead, defined as 40 ppm, the high end of typical lead concentrations in uncontaminated soil.

 Lead Found in Fidget Spinners

 Several fidget spinners were tested for lead content by a CPSC-accredited laboratory. The fidget spinners were analyzed in accordance with CPSC-CH-E1001-8.3 using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP/MS). The toys that tested for high levels of lead were then re-tested a second time to confirm the results. The results of the second test are included in this report.

 The lab results showed two fidget spinners contained extremely high levels of lead:

 Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass:

 The center circle tested for 33,000 ppm of lead.

 The arm tested for 22,000 ppm of lead.

 This fidget spinner was purchased at Target and is distributed by Bulls i Toy, LLC, located in Des Moines, Iowa. Although the box says for ages 14+, the Target.com website where it is available for sale says both that it is for children 6+ and 14+ and specifically states that it is “framed as a toy”. See screenshot from Target.com website below. Moreover, it was found in the toy aisles of numerous Target stores throughout the country and is marketed as a toy. Below is a picture of the Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass in the toy aisle of a Target store. Therefore, we believe that this product should be treated as a toy since it’s marketed for use by children under 12 years.

 Screenshot from Target.com website.

 Fidget spinner in Target store.

 Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal:

 The center circle tested for 1,300 ppm of lead.

 The arm tested for 520 ppm of lead.

 This fidget spinner was purchased at Target and is distributed by Bulls i Toy, LLC, located in Des Moines, Iowa. Although it says it’s for ages 14+, it was found in the toy aisles of numerous Target stores throughout the country and is marketed as a toy. Therefore, it should be held to federal lead standards for children’s products.

 Furthermore, the BullsiToy.com website where Fidget Wild products are found is clearly a website for toys. Below is a screenshot of the Bulls i Toy website. The products they sell are marketed towards children and should, therefore, be classified as toys by the CPSC.

 Alarmingly, when U.S. PIRG Education Fund notified the CPSC about the elevated lead levels in the fidget spinners, the CPSC responded in an email (screenshot below) that these fidget spinners are general use products, not toys, so the CPSC will not hold them to federal lead standards. When we alerted Target and the toy's distributor to our findings, they pointed to the same CPSC statement and refused to address the problem. Belying that statement, U.S. PIRG Education Fund staff found these fidget spinners sold in the toy aisle of Target stores and on the Target.com website, which includes a statement that the product is intended for children ages 6 and up. Furthermore, common sense dictates that fidget spinners are meant for kids and therefore should be classified as toys. U.S. PIRG Education Fund calls on the CPSC to classify these fidget spinners as toys and hold them to the federal standard for lead in children’s products.

 Recommendations

 For consumers:

 Adults and children alike should stop using these fidget spinners.

 Call on the CPSC to classify all fidget spinners as toys so that they will be held to federal standards for lead in children’s products.

 Subscribe to email recall updates from the CPSC and other U.S. government safety agencies available at www.recalls.gov.

 For Target, Corp and Bulls I Toy, L.L.C.:

 Immediately recall these fidget spinners and remove from store shelves and Target.com website.

 Issue a public statement about the recall due to high lead content.

 Investigate how these toys came to contain such extremely high levels of lead and make findings public.

 Ensure that other fidget spinners sold or manufactured do not contain high levels of lead.

 Notify customers who purchased these fidget spinners, where contact information is available, that they should stop using the fidget spinner due to high levels of lead and offer a return for full refund.

 For U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission:

 Ensure that all fidget spinners are classified as toys and that they must meet federal regulations for children’s products.

 Investigate any misleading marketing by Target, Corp. and Bulls i Toy, L.L.C. and take appropriate action. Although the labels on the toy boxes say 14+, they’re clearly being marketed to children under 12 years.

 Conduct testing for other fidget spinners, especially those labeled “brass” or “metal”, for lead.

 U.S. PIRG Education Fund is a consumer and public health non-profit organization. We work to educate the public about dangers in toys, and for more than 30 years we have published an annual report titled Trouble in Toyland. Our survey of toys has led to more than 150 recalls and other enforcement actions. |||||

– A maker of one of the hottest products of the year has just found itself in a bucket of hot water. According to a consumer advocacy group, two fidget spinners supplied to Target by Iowa-based Bulls-i-Toy contain lead at up to 330 times the federal legal limit for toys. Inspired by a 15,000-strong Facebook group run by a woman who tests consumer products for lead, the US Public Interest Research Group tested 12 fidget spinners sold by Target and found two with unsafe lead levels, reports CBS News. Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Brass was found to contain 33,000 parts per million at its center, while Fidget Wild Premium Spinner Metal contained 1,300 parts per million, reports the Washington Post. Federal laws limit lead in "children's products" to 100 parts per million. The group is now asking Target to remove the products and recall those already sold. But Target isn't complying, arguing the Consumer Product Safety Commission classifies fidget spinners as "general use products" marketed to users 14 and up, making them exempt from regulations on toys. Bulls-i-Toy seconds that, noting the products are "clearly labeled" for ages 14 and up. But FOX 13 notes the fidget spinners sold in Target toy aisles had actually been listed on its website at one point with a manufacturer's recommendation for users "6 years and up." Given that lead exposure can cause learning disabilities in children, among many other issues, US PIRG's toxics director maintains "these products are not safe," per CBS. (They're also a choking hazard.)