Current Events in September 2012

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent warning letters to PruTect Rx, of Highlands Ranch, CO, and Trinity Sports Group Inc., of Plano, TX, for promoting products labeled as dietary supplements with claims to treat concussions and prevent or treat post-concussion syndrome and other neurological disorders. 

The products cited in the warning letters include Trinity Sports Group’s Neuro Impact Concussion Response Formula and PruTect Rx’s NeuroPruTect and Omega3PruTect. These products are in capsule and powder forms. They are marketed online in the U.S. and internationally. 

Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), a product is a drug if it is intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease. New drugs may not be legally marketed in the U.S. without FDA approval. Although Neuro Impact, NeuroPruTect, and Omega3PruTect are marketed as dietary supplements, they are promoted as drugs through claims made on the firms’ Websites. 

Untested and unapproved 

“The FDA has taken these actions because companies may not sell new drugs unless the drugs have been tested by the sponsor and approved by FDA, and they may not make false or unsubstantiated claims about drugs they sell,” said Dara A. Corrigan, the FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. “Products with unapproved claims are dangerous because they may cause consumers to delay or avoid legitimate treatments.” 

Neuro Impact, NeuroPruTect, and Omega3PruTect have not been approved by the FDA for treatment of concussions or for prevention or treatment of post-concussion syndrome or other neurological disorders, nor have the products been shown to be safe and effective for these purposes. 

Consumers should contact a physician or health care provider if they believe they have suffered a concussion, or if they have experienced any problems that may be related to taking or using these products.

Customers at drugstores around the nation can get help to improve blood pressure control, through a collaboration among pharmacists, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other partners. 

The program, “Team Up. Pressure Down.,” includes educational videos, a blood pressure control journal, and wallet card to track medication use. 

The blood pressure initiative, part of the Million Hearts health education program, was developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with practicing pharmacists and national pharmacist groups. The initiative’s tools will help pharmacists talk about current medications and ways in which patients can use the medications most effectively. The goal of Million Hearts is to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2017. 

“This valuable Million Hearts initiative will prevent heart attacks and strokes by bringing pharmacists into the care team to help patients control their blood pressure,” said Surgeon General, Regina M. Benjamin, MD. “Pharmacists are able to talk to patients and families about using medication to manage, high blood pressure, and they can also help patients address barriers to taking their medication.” 

Team-based care 

In May, the Community Preventive Services Task Force, an independent, nonfederal, uncompensated body of public health and prevention experts, whose members are appointed by the Director of CDC, recommended team-based care uniting the efforts of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, and other health care professionals -- to improve blood pressure control. Its recommendation followed a review of evidence from more than 70 scientific publications. 

“More than 36 million Americans, or more than half of those with hypertension, don’t have their blood pressure under control and every single day, more than one thousand Americans have a heart attack or stroke,” said Janet Wright, M.D., a board-certified cardiologist and executive director of Million Hearts. “Through the ``Team Up. Pressure Down.’’ educational program for pharmacists, we are taking the first step in helping many more Americans achieve blood pressure control.” 

“Our organization trains the next wave of young pharmacists who are committed to making a difference in patients’ lives,” said William Lang, M.P.H., vice president for policy and advocacy, American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. “`Team Up. Pressure Down.’ recognizes and supports the critical role of pharmacists in improving blood pressure control through team-based care.” 

“`The Team Up. Pressure Down’. program will help pharmacists in any setting talk to their patients about the importance of staying on blood pressure medications and coach them on how to control hypertension,” said Carolyn C. Ha, Pharm.D., director, professional affairs, National Community Pharmacists Association. 

The materials can be tailored for any pharmacy setting. Continuing pharmacy education credit is available for pharmacists who participate.

When Amazon introduced its new line of Kindle Fire tablets last week, consumers were for the most part delighted at the prices. But there was a catch that didn't get a lot of attention right away.

The 4G version of the 8.9 inch Kindle Fire HD will retail for $499, the same price as the entry-level iPad. The Wi-Fi version will sell for just $299; the seven inch version for just $199.

But it turns out Amazon could justify those prices because the new devices would display ads that consumers couldn't turn off. The reasoning, according to the company, was that advertisers would subsidize part of the cost for consumers. With ad revenue, the company is able to basically sell the units for below cost.

Apparently this was not discussed at the news conference on Thursday when the new products were introduced. It was generally assumed there would be an advertising -- referred to as “special offers” -- opt-out, just as there is on the current tablet.

But CNET quoted an Amazon spokesman on Friday as saying there would no be an opt-out with the new products. In other words, consumers were stuck with the “special offers,” whether they like it or not.

A number of tech sites quickly jumped on the issue and over the weekend, Amazon responded with an alternative. Consumers could pay an extra $15 and turn off the ads.

Reuters quoted an Amazon spokeswoman as saying most customers “love our special offers” and she didn't expect many consumers to opt out of the ads.

CNET reports the opt out feature will be provided on both the new HD tablets and the entry-level Fire device that retails for $159. The new HD tablets will be available sometime in November.

Toys"R"Us has had it with "showrooming" -- shoppers examining products in its stores, then ordering them online. It's introducing a new Android wi-fi tablet, called the tabeo, that will be available only at Toys"R"Us.

The company says the device is loaded with the content kids want, as well as safety features desired by parents. The 7-inch, multi-touch tablet features 50 free, preinstalled apps that were selected to entertain and educate children, while helping them explore the Internet.

Toys"R"Us says it made online safety a top priority in designing the tabeo. It includes integrated parental controls that offer the flexibility to customize levels of Internet access for each member of the family. 

“Over the past year, we’ve spent considerable time talking to parents and children to determine what features and functions they really want in a kids’ tablet, resulting in tabeo,” said Troy Peterson, Vice President, Divisional Merchandise Manager, Toys“R”Us, U.S. “We are proud that tabeo offers robust and flexible parental controls that can help protect children as they surf the Internet, and we are pleased to offer the tabeo App Store, which features only kid-safe content carefully curated by the Toys“R”Us team.”

The company says that each app included on tabeo was selected to ensure that it is kid-friendly and fun, including:

Games: Nearly 20 included games, like Angry Birds, Fruit Ninja, Cut the Rope, Temple Run, 100 Floors, Collapse!, Tiki Golf, Tiki Cart 3D.

Education: Nearly 10 apps help children learn about letters, math, science and additional categories. Software installed on tabeo includes AlphaTots, Discovery Kids Putterbugs, Operation Math and TechCalc, along with five more learning apps.

Entertainment: Those ready to explore the world around them can find creativity, photography, cooking and activity apps, such as Putt Putt Zoo, Freddy Fish and the Stolen Shell, Camera App, and more than ten additional apps.

Books: Featuring an initial library, tabeo comes with iStorybooks, Candy Factory and Little Red Riding Hood.

A new study by University of North Carolina School of Medicine pediatrics researchers finds a surprising difference in the eating habits of overweight children between ages 9 and 17 years compared to those younger than nine. 

Younger kids who are overweight or obese consume more calories per day than their healthy weight peers. But among older overweight children the pattern is reversed: They actually consume fewer calories per day than their healthy weight peers. 

Is that possible? 

How to explain such a seemingly counterintuitive finding? 

"Children who are overweight tend to remain overweight," said Asheley Cockrell Skinner, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics at UNC and lead author of the study published by the journal Pediatrics. 

"So, for many children, obesity may begin by eating more in early childhood. Then as they get older, they continue to be obese without eating any more than their healthy weight peers," Skinner said. "One reason this makes sense is because we know overweight children are less active than healthy weight kids. Additionally, this is in line with other research that obesity is not a simple matter of overweight people eating more -- the body is complex in how it reacts to amount of food eaten and amount of activity." 

Weight strategies 

These results also suggest that different strategies may be needed to help children in both age groups reach a healthy weight. 

"It makes sense for early childhood interventions to focus specifically on caloric intake, while for those in later childhood or adolescence the focus should instead be on increasing physical activity, since overweight children tend to be less active," Skinner said. "Even though reducing calories would likely result in weight loss for children, it's not a matter of wanting them to eat more like healthy weight kids -- they would actually have to eat much less than their peers, which can be a very difficult prospect for children and, especially, adolescents." 

These findings "have significant implications for interventions aimed at preventing and treating childhood obesity," Skinner said. 

In the study, Skinner and co-authors Eliana Perrin, MD, MPH, and Michael Steiner, MD, examined dietary reports from 19,125 children ages 1-17 years old that were collected from 2001 to 2008 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). 

They categorized the weight status based on weight-for-length percentile in children less than 2 years old, or body mass index (BMI) percentile for children between 2 and 17, and performed statistical analyses to examine the interactions of age and weight category on calorie intake.

Could watching the rerun of a show about nothing motivate you to do something?

Yes, it sounds crazy but a University of Buffalo researcher says watching Seinfeld or any other favorite show you've seen before may help restore the drive to get things done in people who have used up their reserves of willpower or self-control.

“People have a limited pool of these valuable mental resources,” said Jaye Derrick, research scientist at the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions. “When they use them on a task, they use up some of this limited resource. Therefore, they have less willpower and self-control for the next task.”

Over time, these mental resources return. But Derrick believes there may be ways to speed that process.

Believe it or not, one of these ways is to re-watch your favorite TV show, Derrick’s research found. Doing so, she says, taps into the surrogate relationship people form with the characters in their favorite shows.

Comfort on the screen

Why a rerun – why not a game show or baseball game? Because, Derrick says, we find it comforting to watch a re-run. We already know what the characters are going to say and do. All we have to do is sit back and enjoy it.

“When you watch a favorite re-run, you typically don’t have to use any effort to control what you are thinking, saying or doing,” Derrick said. “You are not exerting the mental energy required for self-control or willpower. At the same time, you are enjoying your ‘interaction,’ with the TV show’s characters, and this activity restores your energy.”

To prove her theory Derrick had groups of volunteers participate in experiments, which included writing about their favorite TV shows and engage in mental activities that required a lot of effort. She found that if subjects had to perform an effortful task they were more likely to seek out a re-run of their favorite television show, to re-watch a favorite movie or to re-read a favorite book. Doing so, then restored their energy levels.

She also said writing about their favorite television show restored their energy levels and allowed them to perform better on a difficult puzzle.

In that experiment, half the group wrote about their favorite show while the other half wrote about objects found in their bedroom. Those who wrote about their favorite television show wrote for a longer period.

Indiscriminate viewing doesn't work

But this is not an excuse to become a couch potato, Derrick says. And channel surfing, or watching whatever happens to be on, doesn't have the same effect.

“The restorative effect I found is specific to re-watching favorite television shows or re-watching favorite movies or re-reading favorite books,” Derrick said. “Just watching whatever is on television does not provide the same benefit. And perhaps surprisingly, watching a new episode of a favorite television show for the first time does not provide the same benefit.”

The difference she says is the relationship that exists between the viewer and the TV show. In fact, she says this fictional “social surrogacy” may work better than actual social interaction with real people under some circumstances.

Derrick’s findings may dispel some notions that watching TV is bad for us. And indeed she argues that watching television is not all bad.

“While there is a great deal of research demonstrating that violent television can increase aggression, and watching television may be contributing to the growing obesity epidemic, watching a favorite television show can provide a variety of benefits, which may enhance overall wellbeing,” she said.

For those who like to place bets on sporting events, but like to do it on their couch in front of the TV, this new Facebook and Zynga game may be for you.

It’s called “Sports Casino” and it was developed by San Francisco-based  RocketPlay. The game lets you place bets on different sporting events with just a few fast clicks of the mouse.

Unfortunately for some gamblers, the virtual Las Vegas-styled betting hub won’t offer real money bets but virtual money instead, and players can compete with friends or other users as games are on live.

RocketPlay, who has partnered with Zynga to release the game, says Sports Casino is a precursor for possibly allowing real money bets to be made, although the company says it’s a ways off from bringing cash bets into complete fruition, mainly because it's illegal at the moment.

“It’s unlikely that anything like that is going to happen for any one of us to be able to offer that in the United States anytime soon,” said RocketPlay’s president Matthew Cullen.

Virtual winnings

The game will work in two different ways. Users can place bets on the outcomes of football, baseball and other sporting events, and win virtual money if your selected team wins.

And users can also place smaller side bets within the game, like if the running back will gain more than 10 yards on the next carry, or if a certain baseball player will hit a home run in that particular game. Bets can be placed before or while the game is going on.

Zynga has also announced plans to offer real money bets through its site by 2013, though legal restrictions in the United States would force the company to only offer these games in other countries that have different gambling laws.

Cullen says RocketPlay will watch and take Facebook’s lead when it comes to offering real money gambling at some point. “We’re keeping an eye on what Facebook may or may not do on real-money betting today in the United Kingdom and potentially in Western Europe, he said.

But for now the company is hoping that virtual money and betting for bragging rights will be satisfaction enough for both gamblers and sports fans alike. RocketPlay said it plans to add more games like basketball, English Soccer, and college football in the coming future.

Although Sports Casino doesn’t use real money, it does require real money to play and bet. For example purchasing $10 million of virtual cash cost $200 in real cash, and smaller amounts of virtual dough cost as little as five dollars.

And speaking of real cash, many Zynga and Facebook users are still waiting for the day when social sites figure out how to successfully and legally be able to offer actual money bets within the U.S.

Experts say there still has to be some much needed tweaks for social gambling to really take off in an effective and popular way.

Lot of liquidity

“You need a lot of liquidity, so there’s a constant activity between players,” says Barak Rabinowitz, of the social gaming company bwinparty.com. “And then you need depth of offering, enough things to bet on—real or virtual—to keep the user engaged,” he says.

But for now, those looking to gamble on social sites have to use companies like RocketPlay, as the company also allows traditional computer betting games like blackjack and poker to be played on Sports Casino. The release date for the virtual gambling site has yet to be announced.

With the new school year already here parents have just put the finishing touches on getting their kids out the door and on to the school bus for another school season.

For some children it’s their first time leaving mom and dad in the morning to catch the bus, and although it can be a definite time of excitement for him or her, it can also be a little bit scary.

And sometimes it’s even scarier for adults, as they let their children out of their sight for the first time, not being able to see them until later in the afternoon or sometimes in the evening when parents get off work.

To remove some of the anxiety associated with putting children on school buses, a company named Zonar has created an electronic tracking system, specifically designed to let parents know when their children get on and off the bus each day.

“They run a tag across the scanner and it records that they entered the bus, the location, and the time, said Dave Meeuwsen, who is the transportation director for the Zeeland, Mich. school district, where they began using the tracking system just this year.

ZPass

The way Zonar works, or ZPass as it’s also called, is by having kids swipe an electric card once they enter or exit the bus. The swipe then gets registered to a data base which allows the school district to know the exact whereabouts of not only each child, but the bus as well.

School officials also say the ZPass is ideal for safety and emergency units to respond quicker and in more accurate fashion, as school districts can electronically send messages to response units about who is exactly on the bus at that very specific moment.

“By having students with this card, we can immediately email EMT folks about the ridership of that day, so they know who they are looking for,” said Meeuwsen.

Zonar also provides a group of service representatives that parents can contact to get specific questions answered, like why is the bus running late, or checking to see if their child had any behavioral problems on the bus that day.

In order for the system to be used, each school district must first agree to purchase and install the hub of the device on each bus. In Zeeland’s case the district received a $50,000 grant to have the tracing system put in.

What’s also handy about the ZPass is the fact that parents can receive real time text messages on their smartphones or computers, as any developing information happens on the bus while it's in route.

Nothing bulky

Additionally, students don’t have to carry a bulky or expensive electronic device to use the system, as they only have to tote a small card, which is perfect for younger children who are more prone to loose or misplace their belongings. The card easily clips on to the child’s book bag, pocket or jacket.

The tracking systems also allows school districts to gauge if buses are overcrowded, as the database will be able to give accurate daily counts of each student getting on and off the bus. This better allows schools to tweak certain bus routes if need be, or add more buses to routes that are overcrowded.

At the end of each route the bus drivers are asked a series of questions by the device like, did you check for students? And other safety questions that allows the driver to document how each bus ride and day was completed.

The Zeeland school district also says the device better allows drivers to focus more on the road, and safety, and not on headcounts, as the electronic reader provides the driver with the accurate number of riders they have each day.

Amazon's Kindle Fire turned lots of heads when it debuted less than a year ago. It was a seven-inch tablet -- not just an ereader -- but cost only $199. What do you do for an encore?

Amazon has introduce three new tablets -- what it calls the “Kindle Fire HD family.” Two of the three have 8.9 inch screens. The 4G version sells for $499 -- the entry price point of an iPad -- and the WiFi version sells for $299. The third model, the Kindle Fire HD, is the updated version of Amazon's seven-inch tablet selling for the old price of $199.

“We’re taking on the most popular price point for a tablet, $499, but doubling the storage and incredibly, adding ultra-fast 4G LTE wireless,” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “Kindle Fire HD is not only the most-advanced hardware, it’s also a service. When combined with our enormous content ecosystem, unmatched cross-platform interoperability and standard-setting customer service, we hope people will agree that Kindle Fire HD is the best high-end tablet anywhere, at any price.”

Cheap data

The 4G model offers a $50 a year data package that Amazon says will save customers hundreds of dollars. It includes support for all 10 4G bands, has upgraded audio capability and dual antenna, dual band WiFi.

The Kindle Fire HD starts with 16 GB of local storage, enough to accommodate the larger file sizes of HD content. Amazon says it has improved the battery life, claiming the seven-inch model can go eleven hours between charges.

As the name implies, the new Kindles are easier on the eye. They offer custom HD display with in-plane switching and a screen with less glare and richer color.

Amazon would obviously like to repeat the performance of the original Kindle Fire, which the company calls the most successful product launch in its history, citing industry figures showing it captured 22 percent of the U.S. tablet market in its first nine months.

Includes a camera

Unlike the original Kindle Fire, the new HD models possess a front-facing HD camera with custom Skype application for video calling.

However, the old Kindle Fire is getting an upgrade along with a price reduction. New versions of the old tablet will include a faster processor, doubled memory capacity and longer battery life. Instead of $199 it will sell for $159.

While Apple introduced the first tablet computer, Amazon pioneered the first e-readers, the forerunner of the tablet. Amazon still sells grayscale versions of its Kindle e-readers, starting at $79.

Meanwhile, the competition in the tablet space is heating up. Microsoft is expected to release its new tablet, running on Windows 8, later this year. Apple has scheduled a press event for next week at which is widely believed to be a launch of a new, mini iPad. There are dozens of other tablets in various price ranges all vying for consumers' attention, all competing to sell a product that didn't even exist three years ago.

Prepaid cards are still a new specimen and consumers are often uncertain about how to deal with them. A new report from the Pew Charitable Trusts highlights some of the most common concerns.

Pew researchers looked at 52 prepaid cards that made up 75 percent of the market in 2011 and found that:

• The varying fee structures and disclosures for prepaid cards make comparison shopping very difficult because most products have 7 to 15 individual fees to consider and their disclosures are not uniform.

• The cost of prepaid cards can be less than checking accounts, but the cards come with significant risks. These products are not covered by laws requiring disclosure of fees and terms - nor those that limit consumer liability for unauthorized electronic fund transfers.

• Most consumers use prepaid cards as a way to keep spending within their means; overdraft options run counter to this goal and should not be offered.

• FDIC insurance does not necessarily apply to funds loaded onto GPR prepaid cards. Those companies that claim funds are FDIC-insured are not federally supervised and, therefore there is no guarantee the protections are executed correctly.

ConsumerAffairs found about 130,000 consumer comments about prepaid cards on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter over the last year. A computerized sentiment analysis of those comments finds net sentiment plummeting from 72% to just 36% in the last 12 months, presumably as consumers gain experience with the good -- and bad -- aspects of the cards.

Starsky of Cranston, RI, is one consumer who has learned to be wary of prepaid cards.

"I had enough funds on the card to make an iTunes transaction. When iTunes submitted the payment request, Green Dot refused payment after they already approved it. Do prepaid cards not have to follow regulations of "Must Pay Items"? Now my iTunes account is frozen until funds are paid. When I worked for a bank, this was deemed as illegal: to not pay a 'Must Pay Item' when there was prior payment approval by the financial institution," Starsky said.

It's not just consumers who are learning to be wary of prepaid cards. We recently heard from Paul of Manitou Springs, Colo.: "I am a hotel owner. A customer charged $678.09 in room charges which was later debited from our account as a charge-back for insufficient funds. This happened 33 (thirty-three) days after the transaction was processed and despite the fact that an authorization number was obtained for this transaction at the time it was processed. I got nothing but runaround from Green Dot."

The full text of the Pew study is available online. 

Regulation pending

The cards may eventually be more tightly regulated than they are now. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is drafting rules but the timetable for enactment is unclear.

The CFPB said in May that its rulemaking will focus on “General Purpose Reloadable” prepaid cards which allow consumers to load the cards with money upfront and use them as if they were checking account debit cards. 

According to a 2009 FDIC study, 9.7 percent of all households used these prepaid cards.  It is projected that the total dollar amount loaded onto prepaid cards will hit $167 billion in 2014.

"The people who use prepaid cards are, in many instances, the most vulnerable among us,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “All consumers need, and deserve, products which are safe and whose costs and risks are clear upfront.  Yet right now prepaid cards have far fewer regulatory protections than bank accounts or debit or credit cards.  That’s why we are launching a rulemaking to promote safety and transparency in this emerging market.”

Consumer groups have urged the CFPB to ban overdraft and credit featureson the cards. 

“The most important step that the CFPB can take to ensure that prepaid cards fulfill their promise, and to prevent unfair, deceptive or abusive practices, is to ensure that prepaid cards are true to their essence as a prepaid transaction product,” according to comments submitted by the Center for Responsible Lending, the National Consumer Law Center and the Consumer Federation of America.

Although it is a relatively measley business at the moment, Internet "radio" is starting to make Apple's iTunes look old-fashioned. And Apple may be hatching a scheme to do something about it.

Pandora, Spotify, MOG and other streaming services are increasingly how consumers are listening to music. Back in the 1990s, buying a song for 99 cents or so on iTunes might have seemed kind of cool but it's starting to resemble the antique juke box over at the Silver Diner.

The word on the street today is that Apple is planning something similar to Pandora, basically a service that lets consumers build their own radio station, playing just the types of music they like.

This would be relatively easy for Apple, as it is already a big player in the music business and already licenses millions of songs for iTunes. It's being suggested that Apple might be able to use existing iTunes accounts to offer pre-selected "stations" for its customers.

All of this is still quite preliminary and Apple has not made any public statements about its plan, but the reports surfacing today wre enough to hammer Pandora's shares on the stock market, slicing 19% off their value in trading this afternoon, The Wall Street Journal reported.

This is a headache Pandora doesn't need right now. Although it has nearly 55 million active users, it's a long way from being profitable. The company, which went public last year, has reported widening losses for the last three consecutive quarters as it shells out higher licensing fees to artists.

Ironically, Apple is already a problem for Pandora, as consumers use apps to listen to music on their iPhones and other mobile devices. More customers aren't always good; in this case, Pandora pays higher licensing fees while collecting less in subscriptions and advertising form mobile users.   

College loan debt may be sky high but the image of college students running up huge credit card balances may be unfair. A new survey suggests that, when it comes to handling credit card debt, college students may be doing a better job than their parents.

In its survey, CreditDonkey asked college students if they felt “responsible” enough to use a credit card. Not surprisingly, 85 percent said they did. Only 15 percent confessed to being unable to handle plastic.

Thirty percent of college students said they got their first credit card at age 18, the age when most students go off to college. The recently-passed CARD Act has provisions to restrict credit card marketing to college students who, it was feared, would run up mountains of unaffordable debt.

Nearly a third have no card

The CreditDonkey survey suggests that isn't a problem, or at least it isn't anymore. In fact, 30 percent of college students polled said they did not have a single credit card.

A major problem with credit cards is that consumers often run up their balances, intending to pay them down in the future, but find they are never able to do so. As a result, they suddenly find themselves with balances of several thousand dollars and, at credit cards' high interest rates, it is all they can do to keep up with the interest payments.

The survey suggests college students have yet to fall into that trap. When asked how much they pay on their credit card bill each month, a surprising 42 percent said they paid off the balance each month. Only 17 percent confessed to paying just the minimum each month.

Prefer debit cards

Sixty percent of college students questioned in the survey said they use their debit card rather than a debit card for everyday expenses, another sound financial habit. The biggest use of credit cards, according to the survey, was to pay for text books, which can run hundreds of dollars a semester.

Many of the students expressed concern about college loan debt and were mindful of ways to minimize it. Seventy-eight percent were aware that college loan debt cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.

"College students' confidence in their ability to manage debt may be well-founded, especially when compared to the baby boomers, who, in recent years, have become synonymous with high debt," said Charles Tran, founder of CreditDonkey.com.

Recently, a majority of boomers between 50 and 64 surveyed by the AARP said that they feel anxious about whether they can afford to retire, thanks both to high levels of debt and low levels of assets.

In the past you could avoid most email viruses if you didn't click on a link in a spam email or open its attachment. You could open the email, read the contents, delete it and you were fine.

No so anymore. “Drive-by” viruses are becoming more common, infecting computers when the user simply opens the email. While you can be victimized by a drive-by virus when opening an email, it's not the only way.

Often computers are infected without the users knowledge when they visit a particular website or click on a deceptive pop-up, thinking they are closing it. The consumer is unaware of what is happening until the virus takes control of the device.

FBI Scam

In Connecticut, Attorney General George Jepsen says a number of his constituents have reported being victimized by a drive-by virus delivered by email that looks like it's from the FBI. In this case, the virus installs what is known as “ransomware,” software that seizes control of all computer files until the victim pays a “ransom” to free the data.

In this particular case the virus immediately locks the computer and displays a screen stating there has been a violation of federal law and that the user’s IP address was identified by the FBI for viewing child pornography and other illegal content.

The message then demands money through a prepaid money card service as a “fine” to the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Our office has received complaints from consumers who we believe have been victimized by this malicious email scam,” Jepsen said. “It’s important for consumers to be informed and to exercise caution to protect themselves from scams like this. Never click on a link or open an email attachment from someone you do not know and trust. I would urge any Connecticut resident who receives this email to report it immediately.”

Links and attachments

In addition to not clicking on links or attachments, consumers should immediately delete any suspicious emails without opening and reading them. Not only are these viruses used to extort money, they may continue to operate on the computer and could be used to commit online banking and credit card fraud. Infected computers may not operate normally, and users may require the assistance of a local computer expert to remove the virus.

The FBI is cooperating with the National White Collar Crime Center on this issue and wants to hear from victims. You can reach their website here. 

Men with high risk for heart disease had lower blood pressure after drinking non-alcoholic red wine every day for four weeks, according to a new study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation Research. 

Non-alcoholic red wine increased participants' levels of nitric oxide, which helped decrease both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, researchers said. Nitric oxide is a molecule in the body that helps blood vessels relax and allows more blood to reach your heart and organs. 

Researchers studied 67 men with diabetes or three or more cardiovascular risk factors who ate a common diet plus one of the following drinks: about 10 ounces of red wine, non-alcoholic red wine or about 3 ounces of gin. All of the men tried each diet/beverage combination for 4 weeks. 

It appears to be the alcohol 

The red wine and nonalcoholic wine contained equal amounts of polyphenols, an antioxidant that decreases blood pressure. 

During the red wine phase, the men had very little reduction in blood pressure and there was no change while drinking gin. However, after drinking non-alcoholic red wine, blood pressure decreased by about 6mmHg in systolic and 2mmHg in diastolic blood pressure -- possibly reducing the risk of heart disease by 14 percent and stroke by as much as 20 percent. 

Researchers concluded that the alcohol in red wine weakens its ability to lower blood pressure. But polyphenols -- still present after alcohol is removed from wine — are likely the beneficial element in wine.

Between Harry Potter and the rise of "geek" culture, lots of kids today consider wearing eyeglasses fashionable, and even downright "cool." Still, the day may come when your son or daughter comes to you and asks for contact lenses. 

There are some good reasons to say "yes," and there are also reasons to say "no." 

According to Bernard Lepri, O.D., M.S., M.Ed., an optometrist at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), contact lenses have benefits. "They can be better for sports activities, because they don't break as frames and the lenses of glasses can, and they provide better peripheral vision for sports, or driving, if your teen is of driving age,” Lepri says. 

Moreover, in some cases, contact lenses improve the quality of vision in comparison to eyeglasses, especially when a child is very nearsighted, he adds. 

Pros and cons 

Contact lenses can provide benefits beyond improving vision. A three-year study conducted at the Ohio State University College of Optometry (October, 2007) on children between the ages of 8 and 11 showed a definite improvement in a child's self perception when wearing contact lenses as opposed to glasses, especially for girls. 

On the other hand, "You have to remember that contact lenses are medical devices, not cosmetics," Lepri says. "Like any medical device, contact lenses should be used only if they can be used safely and responsibly. And only under the supervision of your eye care professional." Serious injury to the eye can result particularly if the contact lenses are not removed at the first hint of a problem. 

No one wants a visit to the E.R. 

Kids and contact lenses are not always the best fit. 

According to a 2010 study published in Pediatrics, about 13,500 or one fourth of the roughly more than 70,000 children who go to the emergency room each year for injuries and complications from medical devices are related to contact lenses. The problems from contact lenses include infections and eye abrasions. 

The reasons? Hygiene and responsibility. Or rather, Lepri says, the lack thereof. 

He adds that it’s essential for all people who wear contact lenses to follow their eye care professional's advice "to the letter." That means observing basic hygienic precautions, such as: 

• Always wash your hands before cleaning or inserting lenses, and carefully dry your hands with a clean, lint-free cloth.
• Rub, rinse, and disinfect rinse your contact lenses as directed and only with the products and solutions recommended by your eye care professional.
• Avoid keeping lenses in too long.
• Never put a contact lens into an eye that is red.
• Never wear someone else’s lenses.
• Don’t ignore eye itching, burning, irritation or redness that could signal potentially dangerous infection. Remove the lenses and contact your eye care professional.
• Apply cosmetics after inserting lenses, and remove your lenses before removing makeup. 

Not taking the necessary safety precautions can result in ulcers of the cornea (the front of the eye that shields it from germs, dust, and other harmful material) and even blindness. "Even an experienced lens wearer can scratch a cornea while putting in or taking out a lens," Lepri says. 

What about young kids and contacts? 

"Eye care professionals typically don't recommend contacts for kids until they are 12 or 13, because the risks are often greater than the benefits for younger children," Lepri says. 

But, he adds, age isn't the only issue -- it's also a question of maturity. Lepri suggests that parents who are considering contacts for their kids take a look at how well they handle other responsibilities, especially personal hygiene. "It takes vigilance on the part of the parents," he says. "You need to constantly be looking over your child’s shoulder." 

As many an eye care professional can attest, kids find all sorts of ways to be less than hygienic. Common behaviors include wearing another child's lens, using saliva to moisten a lens, and wearing decorative lenses purchased from flea markets, beauty supply stores, the Internet and other sources. Even a lens without corrective power is still a medical device and has all the risks other contact lenses do, says Lepri. 

Extended wear lenses are generally not recommended by eye care professionals for kids and teens and can increase the incidence of corneal ulcers, which can lead to permanent loss of vision. Although a bit more expensive, daily disposable lenses can reduce some of the risks since the wearer is using a new pair of lenses every day. 

Children with seasonal allergies are usually not good candidates for wearing contact lenses. The lenses may only increase the itching and burning caused by their allergies. 

More tips for safe lens wearing 

Other tips include: 

• Don't sleep with your contact lenses in unless they are specifically approved for overnight use, says Lepri. Overnight use of daily wear lenses dramatically increases the risk of corneal ulcer, even with just one night's wear.
• When playing sports, wear safety goggles or glasses over your lenses.
• Always have a pair of back-up glasses handy. 

"It's easy to impress upon kids the dangers of unsafe driving," Lepri says. But the potential perils of contact lens wearing are harder to get across. "Kids think they're invincible," he adds. "They just don't think anything bad is going to happen to them."

With gasoline prices near record highs for this time of year, the price at the pump leveled off a bit over the last seven days.

The national average price of self-serve regular today is $3.822 per gallon, compared with $3.829 last Friday, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge Survey. The spread between a month ago and today is now less than 18 cents. It was 30 cents a week ago.

The average price of diesel fuel today is $4.113 per gallon, versus $4.090 a week ago.

The mostly static prices provided welcome relief for motorists who were rocked the previous week, which saw rapid upward movement in the cost of gasoline. This week, most states either saw prices rise or fall by just a couple of cents a gallon.

While fuel prices normally start going down after Labor Day, the outlook this year is less certain. The Energy Information Administration reports U.S. stockpiles of crude oil have dropped more than expected.

Oil prices remain high, rising on the expectation that the U.S. Federal Reserve may once again try to stimulate the economy by purchasing more bonds. In the past that has eroded the value of the U.S. dollar, making oil cost more.

Among the states, South Carolina reclaimed its spot as the state with the cheapest gasoline prices after to falling to third last week. Eight states now have gas prices averaging over $4 a gallon with a ninth, Michigan, a fraction of a cent away from that price point.

The states with the highest gas prices this week are:

• Hawaii ($4.359)
• California ($4.170)
• Illinois ($4.099)
• Washington ($4.061)
• Oregon ($4.036)
• Connecticut ($4.035)
• New York ($4.015)
• Alaska ($4.005)
• Michigan ($3.997)
• Wisconsin ($3.929)

The states with the lowest gas prices this week are:

• South Carolina ($3.596)
• Colorado ($3.589)
• Mississippi ($3.589)
• New Mexico ($3.618)
• Alabama ($3.628)
• Arkansas ($3.650)
• Tennessee ($3.653)
• Texas ($3.663)
• Wyoming ($3.675)
• Arizona ($3.704)

Students heading back to school will be getting twice the amount of vegetables and fruits on their meal trays, as well as more whole grains, and less salt and unhealthy fats. 

The updated school meal standards, unveiled by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in January, have been highly praised by health and education groups, including the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest. The standards set calorie maximums for the first time and lower calorie minimums to better ensure that school meals address obesity, as well as hunger. 

"The new school meal standards are one of the most important measures to promote children’s health in decades," said Center for Science in the Public Interest director of nutrition policy Margo G. Wootan. "With one out of every three children in America overweight or obese, 31 million children eating school lunch, and 15 years since the last update, it was time for a change. School food service professionals are working hard to implement the new standards, and they need the support of parents, teachers, administrators, and food manufacturers." 

A job for everyone 

Parents can help by reinforcing healthy eating at home, and encouraging their kids to try the new menu options, says CSPI. Teachers can try the new school lunches and speak supportively about them with students. School administrators can support the program by showing leadership and support for the programs and help ensure the new standards are fully implemented. State child nutrition programs can continue to support school efforts and provide ideas for menus and recipes. And companies can produce products with more whole grains and less salt. 

The updates to school meals were required by Congress in the bipartisan Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which President Barack Obama signed into law in late 2010. The law also provides additional funding for school meals through several provisions, including the first increase in reimbursement rates (above inflation) in years and reasonable pricing requirements for school lunches and a la carte items. 

Beginning October 1, schools will be eligible to receive an additional six cents for each healthy lunch they serve.

Nowadays buying organic food has become a badge of honor of sorts. The stereotype of the organic shopper is one who’s seemingly more conscious about health, or maybe a little more forward thinking as it pertains to nutrition.

The term organic shopper also helps develop a picture of one who appears to be more in the know about what’s best for their bodies and what isn’t.  But are those who purchase organic foods better off than those who don’t? Maybe not.

In a four year study comparing organic foods to conventional foods, the Stanford researchers said there was no significant health benefit to buying organic, suggesting the extra costs to buy such foods may not be worth it.

“There isn’t much difference between organic and conventional foods, if you’re an adult and making a decision based solely on your health," said Dena Bravata, one of the study authors.

Twelve Stanford University researchers examined 240 studies on organic foods that were previously conducted between 1996 and 2011. The goal of the researchers was to determine the true differences between conventional foods and organic, in terms of nutrient levels and the amount of contaminants.

Less pesticide residue

Here’s what they found:

When it came to vitamins A, C and E, there was no substantial difference in the amount of the vitamins between the two types of foods.

And when contaminant levels were compared, the researchers found that neither organic nor regular produce had pesticide amounts that went over the allowed maximum established by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

However researchers found that 7 percent of organic fruits and vegetables had small levels of pesticide tracings, compared to 38 percent of conventional food items.

“People choose to buy organic foods for many different reasons, said Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler, lead author of the study. “Our goal was to shed light on what the evidence is. This is information that people can use to make their own decisions based on their level of concern about pesticides, their budget and other considerations.”

The study also found that bacteria levels were similar between organic and conventional foods, and there was no significant difference in the allergic effects between the two food types among the consumers that purchased them.

So in all, the only thing organic foods really have going for it, according to the study, is the level of pesticides. But is that enough to shell out the extra dollars to purchase organic? And is consuming small levels of pesticides really all that harmful?

Pesticides harmful?

To find out, we contacted

Joan Salge Blake, who is a registered dietician, a spokesperson for The Academy of Nutrition Dietetics, and a nutrition professor at Boston University.

“The dose makes the poison, that’s really what it comes down to,” she told ConsumerAffairs about consuming pesticides in fruits and vegetables.

“Anything in extreme can be problematic, anything that you consume. So the issue with pesticides is -- and the issue with the study was -- traditionally grown produce had a higher level of pesticides, which makes sense compared to organic, but it was still within a low-risk and still under the safe level, so it was fine.”

Also, “it was at a safe level that was regulated by the FDA and EPA,” she explained.

Salge-Blake also said there are effective ways you can remove the amount of pesticides even further once you bring your produce home from the market.

“When you bring the produce home you should clean it,” she said. “You should clean it for many reasons. A: it’s dirty. B: it can have harmful packages on it that can cause contamination,” she says.

Salge-Blake, who is the author of several books covering health and diet,  said the decision on whether to buy organic foods or not should truly be a matter of cost.

Meaning, since we all require a certain amount of fruits and vegetables a day, we should choose whichever is least expensive to ensure we’re buying our needed amount of produce.

Eat your veggies

“Buy what’s on sale,” she said. “We should be eating at a minimum 4 1/2 cups of fruits and vegetables a day, and we should be doing it for many reasons. We know through research that fruits and vegetables can help reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, stroke and Type-2 diabetes, which are the major killers of Americans, and we’re not getting enough.”

“On the other hand we have the consumer pricing index predicting that food prices are going to go up about 3 percent this year,” she added.

“So for many Americans that wallet is getting tighter and tighter. And when it comes to fruits and vegetables more matters, and I’d like you to get 4 1/2 cups, and I’m really cognizant of the fact that people are on a tight budget, so my answer is get what’s on sale.”

The researchers from Stanford University have caused a pretty decent stir in the organic-over-conventional food debate, and many groups disagreeing with the study have already dished out their fair amount of backlash.

But what professor Salge-Blake suggested makes perfect sense. Since we all need a consistent amount of produce to stay healthy, why not simply get what you can afford. That way you’ll hopefully be able to consume your needed portion of fruits and veggies whether they’re organically grown or not.

Most apps are free or close to it, and many provide at least marginally useful services but a new study finds that privacy concerns are driving users away from apps.

The Pew Internet study found that 88% of American adults use cell phones. Some 43% of these cell owners now download apps to their phones but as apps grow more popular, privacy concerns are growing, the study found:

• 54% of app users have decided to not install a cell phone app once they discovered how much personal information they would need to share in order to use it
• 30% of app users have uninstalled an app that was already on their cell phone because they learned it was collecting personal information that they didn’t wish to share

Taken together, 57% of all app users have either uninstalled an app over concerns about having to share their personal information, or declined to install an app in the first place for similar reasons. 

Owners of Android and iPhone devices are also equally likely to delete (or avoid entirely) cell phone apps due to concerns over their personal information.

Younger cellphone users were twice as likely as older users to report that "someone has accessed phone in a way that felt like privacy invasion." This poll follows another survey by Pew that found that users were becoming more active in managing their social media accounts. 

Male app users were slightly more likely than female app users to say they have uninstalled an app because it was sharing too much of their personal information. Men and women are equally likely to avoid apps entirely based on personal privacy concerns.