Current Events in January 2013

Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephones are much more common now, providing an alternative to traditional phone service. But because the system uses the Internet for its voice communications, the technology may have more security vulnerabilities than a traditional telephone system.

Columbia University computer science professor Salvatore Stolfo and PhD candidate Ang Cui says they have found serious vulnerabilities in VoIP telephones made by Cisco. They note these devices are used around the world by a broad range of networked organizations from governments to banks to major corporations.

At a recent conference on the security of connected devices, Cui demonstrated how it is easy to insert malicious code into any of the 14 models of Cisco VoIP phones. Not only can the hacker start eavesdropping on private telephone conversations, the telephone mouthpiece also acts as a microphone when the phone is not in use, allowing the hacker to listen in on what's going on in the room.

Software flaw

According to Cui and Stolfo, the problem stems from the software running on the small computer inside the phone. The software, they say, has many security flaws.

They say they are particularly concerned with embedded systems that are widely used and networked on the Internet, including VoIP phones, routers and printers. And they say the problem is not limited to just one company.

“It’s not just Cisco phones that are at risk,” Stolfo said. “All VoIP phones are particularly problematic since they are everywhere and reveal our private communications. It’s relatively easy to penetrate any corporate phone system, any government phone system, any home with Cisco VoIP phones -- they are not secure.”

The professor and his student have proposed a fix, developing a new defensive software called Symbiotes. It's designed to safeguard embedded systems from malicious code injection attacks into these systems, including routers and printers. It can be installed on new systems as well as old systems that are already in place.

Patch called 'ineffective'

Since Stolfo and Cui first made their findings public Cisco has issued a patch for its VoIP systems but Cui said it's ineffective.

“It doesn’t solve the fundamental problems we‘ve pointed out to Cisco,” Cui said. “We don’t know of any solution to solve the systemic problem with Cisco’s IP Phone firmware except for the Symbiote technology or rewriting the firmware.”

Consumer use of VoIP services has taken off since 2004. Consumers utilize existing broadband Internet access and can place and receive telephone calls just like they would on a traditional telephone system. Since that time, Vonage has become a major provider of consumer VoIP services.

In recent years corporations have also made the move to VoIP systems because they tend to be much cheaper to operate.

In the last ten years or so, some good things have happened. Technology has made unprecedented leaps in the area of electronic devices, social networking and making the world a smaller and easier place to communicate.

Also, collective attitudes have seemingly shifted and people are showing more concern for their health, which foods they eat, and how they take care of their bodies.

But probably one of the biggest shifts in American society over the last ten years, is people being more conscious of the environment, whether it’s trying to use products that are more sustainable, being sure we’re recycling our cans, bottles and newspapers, or just trying to live a greener lifestyle.

And this greener approach has been carried over to the process of building new homes and remodeling existing ones, so houses and apartments can be more energy-efficient.

But according to Dr. Nathan Rabinovitch, an asthma specialist at National Jewish Health in Denver, homes that are being built to be greener and more energy-efficient also seem to be trapping air pollution indoors, thus causing significant increases in the number of asthma cases in children and adults.

“For every solution, there’s a problem,” said Dr. Rabinovitch.

Allergens inside

“Energy efficiency is really, really important, but at the same time, with the homes that we are building today, allergens getting into the house are staying in the house.”

Rabinovitch says things like dust, mold, pet dander and bacteria tend to linger in homes that have been built greener, by being trapped inside carpets, rugs, inside the furniture, and other places in the home.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 9.4 percent of children in the United States suffer from asthma and 8.2 percent of adults are plagued with the potentially deadly breathing disorder, and that percentage is increasing steadily.

The CDC also says that by taking medication and avoiding certain triggers including tobacco smoke, chemicals and mold, people can increase the chances of not developing asthma and lowering the risk of worsening their condition if they already have it.

Open the window

Rabinovitch says the best way to eliminate these asthmatic triggers inside the home is through proper ventilation, by cleaning your home regularly through dusting, mopping and vacuuming, using air filters and just opening the windows on a consistent basis.

These type of measures need to be taken more today than ever, says Rabinovitch because older homes were built to provide much better ventilation.

“It used to be when homes were built, a lot of air would come out through the roof and through the windows,” he said. “But now we’ve become so efficient at sealing off those areas that everything is getting trapped inside the house, and that’s making a lot of people sick.”

Rabinovitch also says it’s not only the residents of a house who can be exposed to pollution in the furniture and carpets, visitors to the home can also be exposed and develop asthmatic symptoms.

“The problem is, a lot of the air pollution in our home is actually in the carpet or on the soft furniture, he said. “If someone walks on the carpet or sits on the couch, they end up getting this kind of personal exposure, and with little ventilation in homes today, that pollution has nowhere to go, so it settles into our lungs.”

Other health experts say people should keep a moderate level of humidity throughout their homes, at around 30 percent to 50 percent, which should lower the amount of the moisture, dust mites and mold inside the house or apartment. Experts also say shoes shouldn’t be worn inside the home and  should be left by the door, so bacteria aren't tracked indoors.

Air monitors

To determine the level of air quality in the average home, Rabinovitch gave some local school children air monitors which they carried for an extensive period of time.

The monitors were carried inside their homes, in their schools and when they played outdoors, and Rabinovitch said the air quality was worse than he anticipated.

“For many of these kids, the amount of air pollution that they were being exposed to was often higher inside the home than outside the home,” he said.

“Pet dander and cigarette smoke are probably two of the most dangerous triggers there are. I always tell my patients that if there are smokers in the house or pets that are causing problems, those have to be addressed before anything else.”

“Homes were built 50 years ago in a way where there was ventilation, so I don’t think it’s difficult to go back to that. But the question is how do we do that and at the same time keep our energy efficiency? We don’t want to solve one problem and then end up with another,” said Rabinovitch.

If you got a flu shot this year, it doesn't mean you won't get the flu. Thousands of people who got the vaccine report getting sick anyway.

“Reports of influenza-like-illness (ILI) are nearing what have been peak levels during moderately severe seasons,” said Dr. Joe Bresee, of the US. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “While we can’t say for certain how severe this season will be, we can say that a lot of people are getting sick with influenza and we are getting reports of severe illness and hospitalizations.”

The CDC reports that 25 percent of reported flu cases are among people who had gotten flu shots. But the health agency says that means 75 percent of people who have gotten sick didn't get the vaccine, meaning if you haven't gotten a flu shot you should.

Get a vaccination

“Anyone who has not already been vaccinated should do so now,” Bresee said. “And it’s important to remember that people who have severe influenza illness, or who are at high risk of serious influenza-related complications, should get treated with influenza antiviral medications if they get flu symptoms regardless of whether or not they got vaccinated. Also, you don’t need to wait for a positive laboratory test to start taking antivirals.”

Government health data show the number of consumers seeking treatment for flu-like symptoms has been “elevated” for four consecutive weeks -- jumping from 2.8 to 5.6 percent. Last flu season, which was relatively mild, peaked at 2.2 percent.

While the timing of influenza seasons also is impossible to predict, based on experience CDC says it’s likely that flu activity will continue for some time. During the past 10 influenza seasons, ILI remained at or above baseline for an average of 12 consecutive weeks.

Nearly every state has reported flu activity with 29 states and New York City now reporting high levels of influenza-like-illness and another nine states reporting moderate levels of ILI.

Avoiding the flu

Besides getting a flu shot, consumers should take other steps to protect themselves:

• Flu germs are spread much like cold germs. When it's possible to avoid being in large groups of people, do so.
• Wash your hands regularly.
• When grocery shopping, take advantage of the free sanitary hand-wipes available at most stores. Wipe your hands thoroughly after handling grocery carts.
• Take steps to keep up your body's resistance to germs. Get plenty of sleep and vitamin C.

If you do get flu-like symptoms, seek treatment right away. Flu can turn into pneumonia and result in hospitalization and even death.

Is there such a thing as too quiet? Apparently there is.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing that hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound standards in order to help make all pedestrians more aware of the approaching vehicles.

“Safety is our highest priority, and this proposal will help keep everyone using our nation’s streets and roadways safe, whether they are motorists, bicyclists or pedestrians, and especially the blind and visually impaired,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

Electric and hybrid vehicles do not rely on traditional gas or diesel-powered engines at low speeds, making them much quieter and their approach difficult to detect. The proposed standard, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 141, would fulfill Congress’ mandate in the Pedestrian Safety Enhancement Act that hybrid and electric vehicles meet minimum sound requirements so pedestrians can detect the presence, direction and location of these vehicles when they are operating at low speeds.

“Our proposal would allow manufacturers the flexibility to design different sounds for different makes and models while still providing an opportunity for pedestrians, bicyclists and the visually impaired to detect and recognize a vehicle and make a decision about whether it is safe to cross the street,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.

Sound minimum needed

The sounds would need to be detectable under a wide range of street noises and other ambient background sounds when the vehicle is traveling under 18 miles per hour. At 18 miles per hour and above, vehicles make sufficient noise to allow pedestrians and bicyclists to detect them without added sound.

Each automaker would have a significant range of choices about the sounds it chooses for its vehicles, but the characteristics of those sounds would need to meet certain minimum requirements. In addition, each vehicle of the same make and model would need to emit the same sound or set of sounds.

NHTSA estimates that if this proposal were implemented there would be 2,800 fewer pedestrian and pedalcyclist injuries over the life of each model year of hybrid cars, trucks and vans and low-speed vehicles, as compared to vehicles without sound.

Every year people stop smoking. This months millions of consumers will resolve to kick the habit and many will succeed. Bad news for tobacco companies, right?

Not necessarily. Big tobacco can see which way the wind is blowing and has found a way to cash in on the anti-smoking campaign. Increasingly, tobacco companies are taking interest in the e-cigarette phenomenon.

E-cigarettes are electronic devices that look just like a tobacco cigarette. Instead of burning tobacco, however, they vaporize a substance containing nicotine. The smoker inhales the vapor, just as he would smoke. It reportedly provides the same satisfaction as smoking and allows smokers to give up cigarettes.

Tobacco companies offering e-cigarettes

In 2012 Lorillard Tobacco purchased the Blu brand of e-cigarettes and RJ Reynolds is said to be producing its own brand of e-cigarette. The strategy is simple; as tobacco companies lose cigarette smokers they gain new e-cigarette customers.

In an interview with CNBC, Wells Fargo analyst Bonnie Herzog said e-cigarettes produced as much as a half-billion dollars last year and will likely double this year.

Ironically, government could end up the big losers as smokers abandon cigarettes and move to e-cigarettes. Cigarettes are heavily taxed, to discourage people from smoking. Much of the cost of a pack of cigarettes goes to state and federal governments.

Untaxed and unregulated

But e-cigarettes are currently untaxed and unregulated. As more consumers stop buying cigarettes and start smoking e-cigarettes, tax revenue will fall. Minnesota is currently the only state to have taken action to tax e-cigarettes but other states are likely eying a similar move.

Meanwhile, anti-smoking groups and health advocates have turned their attention to e-cigarettes, warning they are not without harm. In 2010 researchers at the University of California, Riverside evaluated five e-cigarette brands and found design flaws, lack of adequate labeling and several concerns about quality control and health issues.

They conclude that e-cigarettes are potentially harmful and urge regulators to consider removing e-cigarettes from the market until their safety is adequately evaluated. Last year Greek researchers at the University of Athens said consumers switching to e-cigarettes may still be harming their lungs.

Marketing claims

Meanwhile, marketers of e-cigarettes have also drawn the attention of officials in California and Oregon. In 2010, California sued the Florida-based electronic-cigarette retailer Smoking Everywhere for making what officials said were "misleading and irresponsible" claims that electronic cigarettes are a safe alternative to smoking. The state also claimed the company has targeted minors with its marketing.

A year earlier the state of Oregon filed two settlements that prevented two national travel store chains from selling "electronic cigarettes" in Oregon.

But for now e-cigarettes remain unregulated, thanks to a federal appeals court ruling that said the U.S. government may not block the sale or import of electronic cigarettes, which the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) calls dangerous, unregulated products.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled the FDA doesn't have the authority to outlaw the product if it is not being sold for therapeutic purposes.

With the best of intentions you have begun a new year with the goal of losing weight. So how's that going?

Yes, it's early in the process and you should understand that shedding pounds might not be as easy as you think it will be.

“Losing weight is one of the top resolutions made every year, yet only 20 percent of people achieve successful weight-loss and maintenance,” said Jessica Bartfield, MD, who specializes in nutrition and weight management at the Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care in Chicago.

Despite that fact that two-thirds of Americans say they are on a diet to improve their health, very few are actually seeing results. Bartfield says it's because dieting is a skill. It takes practice to get there.

Knowing why people fail to lose weight might help you avoid some of the common mistakes. Bartfield says there are four main reasons dieters don't lose weight.

1. Underestimating calories consumed

This is a biggie. Most people underestimate the number of calories they eat per day. That's why you have to read food labels and look up the caloric value of foods. Writing down everything that you eat -- including drinks and "bites" or "tastes" of food -- can help increase self-awareness.

Pay attention to serving sizes and use measuring cups and spoons as serving utensils to keep portions reasonable. Food eaten outside of the home tends to be much larger portion sizes and much higher in calories. Frequent restaurants that post the calorie content of their food.

2. Overestimating Activity and Calories Burned

If you underestimate how many calories you consume you might also overestimate how many calories you burn in a typical day. The older you get the fewer calories you burn.

“Typically you need to cut 500 calories per day to lose one pound per week," Bartfield said.

This is very hard to do through exercise alone. It would require most people to add 60 minutes or more of vigorous activity every day. Exercise is important to good health but it's much easier to reduce the calories you consume than burn them off once you've consumed them. And when you do exercise be careful -- exercise is not an excuse to eat more!

3. Poor Timing of Meals

Bartfield says people need a steady stream of glucose throughout the day to maintain optimal energy and to prevent metabolism from slowing down. Eat breakfast every day within one hour of waking up, then eat a healthy snack or meal every three to four hours. Fasting is actually counter-productive. Try not to go longer than five hours without eating a healthy snack or meal to keep your metabolism steady.

4. Inadequate Sleep

Studies have shown that people who get fewer than six hours of sleep have higher levels of ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, particularly for high-carbohydrate/high-calorie foods. In addition, less sleep raises levels of cortisol, a stress hormone, which can lead to weight gain.

“Good health practices are more than just learned, they become a regular habit and a way of life,” Bartfield said.

A good first step is to determine how many calories you need each day. The American Cancer Society maintains an online calorie calculator to help you arrive at your number.

You should also discuss it with your doctor to find the approximate number of calories you burn. From there, you and your doctors can devise a target for calorie consumption that is right for you.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is proposing five new rules to support and strengthen the nation’s food safety system. The new regs, which gow out of the Food Safety Modernization Act, would establish requirements for farmers, food companies and importers to prevent foodborne illness.

The preventive controls for human food would require that food facilities implement “preventive controls,” a science-based set of measures intended to prevent foodborne illness.

Regarding produce safety, the food-safety law requires that science-based standards be set for the production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables. FDA is proposing such standards for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding produce on farms.

Controls for human food

FDA has oversight of more than 166,000 registered domestic food facilities, including manufacturers, processors, warehouses, storage tanks and grain elevators. Under the new preventive control rules, most human food facilities would be required to have a written plan that:

• evaluates hazards that are reasonably likely to occur in food, such as pathogens (disease-causing organisms) and allergens.
• specifies the steps that will be put in place to minimize or prevent those hazards.
• specifies how these controls will be monitored.
• maintains routine records of the monitoring.
• specifies what actions will be taken to correct problems that arise.

The plan would specify the steps to be put in place to minimize or prevent those hazards, and the actions that will be taken when problems arise.

Food facilities “must think up front about what they have to do to keep the food safe,” said Michael Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods.

“While the plan will come from the food companies, the planning and execution are done under the watchful eye of FDA,” notes Donald Kraemer, senior adviser at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. “The agency will evaluate the plans and will continue to inspect the facilities,” he added.

Produce safety

These standards include requirements addressing major areas specific to agriculture that can be the conduit for contaminants:

• Irrigation and other agricultural water
• Farm worker hygiene
• Manure and other additions to the soil
• Intrusion of animals in the growing fields.
• Sanitation conditions affecting buildings, equipment and tools

The proposed rule also includes additional provisions applicable to the growing, harvesting and packing of sprouts, which are more vulnerable in their growing environment to harmful bacteria.

Three other rules

The rules still to come are:

• Foreign Supplier Verification for Importers: This program will require importers to verify that foreign suppliers are following procedures that provide the same level of health protection as that required of domestic food producers. About 15 percent of the food consumed in the U.S. is imported, including about 49 percent of fresh fruit and 21 percent of vegetables.
• Accredited Third Party Certification: The accreditation of third-party auditors would help ensure that food producers in other countries comply with U.S. food safety laws.
• Preventive Controls for Animal Food: This is the implementation of preventive controls at animal food facilities that are similar to those proposed for human food.

Medical supply companies report being swamped with demands by expectant mothers for breast pumps. The demand has been so great that some retailers report they can't keep them in stock.

What's going on? Is there a mini baby boom under way? Not really. It turns out that a little-publicized feature of the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare, requires insurance companies to cover the cost of these devices.

A breast pump extracts milk from the breasts of a woman who is lactating. Breast pumps may be manual devices powered by hand or foot movements or electrical devices powered by mains electricity or batteries. The milk can be extracted and saved for later feeding of an infant.

They can range in cost from under $100 to well over $200. On eBay, the breast pump business is also booming. Over the weekend, the auction site offered a new Medela double breast pump for $220. A Philips Avent Natural Manual Breast Pump was going for less -- around $40.

Shopping tips

Assuming you can find a breast pump in stock, what kind should you get? Many new mothers make their choice based only on recommendations from friends, family or midwives.

Personal electric breast pumps are probably the most common type and are best suited for moms who are going to pump multiple times a day and need the ability to transport the pump from place to place.

Personal electric pumps tend to be lightweight, portable and come in single or double varieties. The double allows you to pump both breasts at the same time and as you would expect, cuts pumping time in half. Electric pumps are fully automatic and some models allow for hands free pumping. Most of these models have adjustable suction levels and some even have two phases to mimic the stimulation a baby provides.

A manual breast pump generally costs less, is compatible with most standard baby bottles and doesn't require batteries to operate. That makes it convenient to use on the go.

Let’s face it, a lot of consumers count on gyms and fitness clubs to get them into shape.

In many cases, it’s not really their willpower or level of discipline they're counting on to stay fit, it’s the act of going someplace that has professional trainers, a variety of exercise equipment and other people who also want to work out.

In essence, gyms aren’t only exercise facilities; a lot of people look for them to be places of inspiration to stay enthused.

But just how effective are gyms compared to working out at home or doing exercises by yourself?

According to statistics released by TheNew York Times in 2011, 90 percent of U.S. residents belonging to a gym or fitness club stop going within the first 90 days of  membership, which is an indication that many people go into a new gym membership with the hopes of staying inspired, but they end up finding out that going doesn’t fit into their daily schedule or  doesn’t provide the amount of inspiration they thought it would.

Online workout

That’s where the website Dailyburn.com comes in, as its creators have replaced the entire experience of going to the gym and put it online. That doesn’t sound so revolutionary at first glance, but when you delve into the site and see the many features it has to offer, you’ll notice that Dailyburn.com separates itself from most fitness websites that usually only provide you with one or two gym features.

DailyBurn users have the ability to access workout videos that have professional trainers who walk you through a variety of exercises which includes cardio, kickboxing, aerobics, mobility workouts and other workout routines.

The site also offers users customized fitness and meal plans, and considers users to be part of an exercise community once they join the site, where people can discuss fitness challenges, share workout routines or simply get inspired by another person’s story.

Currently, the site is offering membership for $10 a month, which is considerably less than most gym memberships, and by giving users far more features than the video workouts of yesteryear like Tae Bo or Hip-Hop Abs. Consumers should be able to get a much bigger bang for their buck, while also being able to get some variety in their workout routines and meal plans.

Pick your passion

Professional trainers who work for DailyBurn say people need the ability to select their passion when it comes to exercising, as opposed to walking into a workout regimen that’s pre-designed, since workouts that don’t appeal to one’s specific goal or current level of physical fitness will not keep a person’s interest, and that’s where people get locked into lengthy and costly gym memberships that they barely use.

Another cool feature of DailyBurn is the weekly challenges the site puts out for the community of users to do together. If completed successfully, DailyBurn gives you reward points that can be redeemed during the course of the membership.

DailyBurn also lets you know which meals on the site are trending, so users can get receipt ideas and also suggest recipes for others to try.

Also, being able to pay such a small amount for full access of DailyBurn’s features, even if you cheat a little bit and miss days of your workout regimen, you’re not wasting a bunch of money, because we all know it’s extremely unfortunate when you combine the issue of not sticking with your workout plan with losing hundreds of dollars on an unused gym membership.

Engaging exercise

The creators of the site say every exercise is engaging and allows users to keep track of their successes and failures, which is also supposed to serve as motivation for you to not back out of any goals you’ve set for yourself.

“Each workout is interactive and engaging, allowing you to track your weight and your performance on key physical challenges during the workout,” said DailyBurn’s creators on the site.

“This interactivity can boost your performance and helps encourage you to push yourself during difficult parts of the workout. The on-screen prompts make it fun and even easier to follow the workouts," the said.

We all know that you shouldn't drop your smartphone in the toilet or use your iPad in a thunderstorm. But when someone buys a waterproof camera, they expect it to stand up to a little moisture.

It doesn't always work out that way, though, according to purchasers of Olympus cameras who've posted reviews on ConsumerAffairs.

Sarah of Miami admits that the problem she encountered was at least partly her fault. While using her camera in the pool, she forgot to switch the seal tab to the "lock" position, a two-step process she describes as "horrible."

"I placed it under water for 10 seconds to take a picture and next thing I knew it shut off," Sarah said. "When I tried turning it on the screen went black and the lens stayed open, and it has been like that for the past week."

$140 repair

Sarah sent the camera to Olympus, which told her that since she hadn't bought the extended warranty, it would cost $140 to repair it. Since the camera had cost only $199, that didn't seem like a very good deal to Sarah.

"I feel completely disappointed with Olympus, and I didn't do an extended warranty because I didn't think a waterproof camera would break because of water," Sarah said.

Ashley of Warren, Mich., had a similar experience.

"My Stylus Tough 6020 (purchased in Feb 2011) somehow became flooded while using it in a shallow pool (seems to be a common problem with these cameras)," she said. "I called the service dept, got a repair number and shipped the camera in as instructed. USPS tracking says it arrived at their facility on Dec. 16, and a month and a half later the repair still isn't showing up in their online system and I can't get anyone to respond to me and let me know what's going on with my camera."

 "This is the worst customer service I have ever received from a company. I will never buy an Olympus again," Ashley fumed.

Fire and water

"J" of Sherwood Park, Alberta, had the worst of both worlds -- his camera suffering both fire and water damage.

"My camera short-circuited during vacation and almost caused a fire on the bed. Sent for repair (almost cost of new camera!) and when used again (after the 6-month warranty for repair) on vacation in Tahiti, leakage was immediate," J said.

"Returned to Olympus, but they replied the camera would have had to come in for seal replacement after 6 months. Explained I only use camera for underwater on holidays as I have a DSLR, therefore camera was not used until this holiday," a plea that fell on deaf ears.

In fairness to Olympus, the company cautions customers that underwater cameras require more maintenance than ordinary cameras. It recommends they be cleaned with fresh chemical-free water (not salt water) after each use and says the seals should be replaced at least annually.

Detailed care instructions are on the Olympus website.

Professional reviewers aren't wild about the cheaper line of Olympus tough cameras. Writing in PC Magazine, Jim Fisher recommends spending a bit more money to get the Olympus Tough G-1 iHS, which goes for $399, nearly double what Sarah spent.

Probably the most important consideration before purchasing any underwater camera is deciding whether you are willing to do the maintenance that's needed to keep the thing running. After all, digital cameras are electronic gadgets that, by their nature, don't like being wet.

It takes a little extra effort by consumers to keep their camera happy and dry. Failing that, it's probably a good idea to buy the extended warranty.

It wasn't long ago that putting fuel-efficient and General Motors in the same sentence would be unheard of. But things have changed.

Today, GM says it has sold more than 1 million vehicles in the U.S. with an EPA fuel-economy rating of 30 miles per gallon in highway driving. It says it's the first American automaker to hit that mark.

GM also released sales figures for December today, showing the highest sales for the month in five years, with deliveries up 5 percent year over year to 245,733 vehicles.

December was also GM’s best retail sales month of 2012. Retail volume was up 38 percent from November – about double the industry’s estimated increase. Incentive spending was competitive with industry-wide levels, according to J.D. Power PIN estimates, and remains below many Asian and domestic competitors.

"Our investments in advanced powertrains are clearly paying off, and our smaller vehicles are resonating with customers,” said Mark Reuss, president of GM North America. “In 2013, we'll introduce new diesel, eAssist and plug-in vehicles in the United States and expand the availability of turbocharged four-cylinder engines.

“This will give us the most technologically diverse range of fuel-efficient cars and crossovers in the industry.”

The news is not so good for Hyundai and Kia. They're forecasting their slowest sales growth in seven yeas, thanks to a slowing global economy and a stronger South Korean currency, which makes its cars more expensive in the U.S.

Part of a trend

GM's experience reflects a growing trend towards higher mpg ratings industrywide. The average EPA city/highway fuel economy of new vehicles sold in the U.S. in December was 23.9 mpg -- up 3.8 mpg (or 19%) from the value in October 2007, according to the University of Michigan Eco-Driving Index.

However, the fuel economy in December was down 0.2 mpg from November, likely reflecting the recent reduction in the price of gasoline.  The average fuel economy of all vehicles sold in 2012 was 23.8 mpg, up 1.3 mpg from 2011 and up 2.9 mpg from 2008, the university said.

In the pipeline

GM said it has 13 models that hit the 30 mpg highway mark, with more in the pipeline.

In 2013, Buick will launch the 33-mpg Buick Encore crossover, Cadillac will introduce the ELR extended-range electric vehicle and Chevrolet will expand availability of eAssist to include the new Impala. Chevrolet will also introduce a 2.0-liter clean diesel powertrain for the Chevrolet Cruze and a full-electric powertrain for the Spark.

The launch of the Spark EV will make GM the first company to build a complete electric motor and drive unit for a modern electric vehicle in the United States.  By 2017, GM will have up to 500,000 vehicles on the road with some form of electrification, with a focus on plug-in technology.

The nation's unemployment rate was unchanged at 7.8 percent in December as the U.S. economy added 155,000 payroll jobs, according to the U.S. Labor Department. The performance was in line with expectations.

The economy added jobs in health care, food services and drinking places, construction and manufacturing. The number of people without jobs -- 12.2 million -- has been virtually the same since September.

Among the major demographic groups, the unemployment rates for adult women and blacks edged up in December, while the jobless rates for adult men, teenagers, whites and Hispanics showed little or no change.

New normal?

There was also little change among the long-term unemployed, those who have been out of work 27 weeks or more. In nearly every category, the numbers showed little change, leading some analysts to suggest things have settled into a new normal.

In fact, for 2012 as a whole things were pretty stable. Employment growth averaged 153,000 per month, the same as the average monthly gain for 2011.

In December, employment in food services and drinking places rose by 38,000. In 2012, the industry added an average of 24,000 jobs a month, essentially the same as in 2011.

Healthcare added 45,000 jobs in December, with ambulatory health services accounting for just over half the new jobs. Hospitals added 12,000 jobs and nursing care facilities hired 10,000 employees.

Home-building boosts employment

Construction added 30,000 jobs in December, led by employment increases in construction of buildings and in residential specialty trade contractors.

Manufacturing added only 25,000 jobs in December. Its tally for the year was 180,000, with most of that occurring in the first three months.

Looking at additional data, economist Joel Naroff, of Naroff Economic Advisors, in Holland, Pa., said manufacturing has been surprisingly resilient.

Could be worse

“With all the worries that the fiscal cliff could be breached and consumers slowing their spending, it was assumed the downdraft in the industrial portion of the economy would continue and possibly accelerate,” Naroff said. “That did not happen in December. Instead, activity increased. That is not to say conditions are strong.”

Employment in major industries, including mining and logging, transportation and warehousing, financial activities, professional and businesses services and government, showed little change over the month.

In December, the average workweek got a little longer, expanding to 34.5 hours. Employees' average hourly earnings rose by 7 cents to $23.73, the report noted. During 2012 average hourly earnings have risen by 2.1 percent.

Despite a still sluggish U.S. economy, car sales rose sharply in 2012. And one segment of the car industry did particularly well -- high-priced luxury cars.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) sold more cars than ever last year -- 305,072 vehicles, representing a 15.4 percent increase over the 264,460 vehicles sold during the same period in 2011. The Mercedes-Benz model line alone also recorded a record year with sales of 274,134 for the year, up 11.8 percent.

Smart and Sprinter model lines both achieved their highest volumes under the MBUSA umbrella with smart sales increasing 92.2 percent to 10,009 while a record month for Sprinter took the brand to 20,929 for 2012, an increase of 26.3 percent.

Strong 2013 outlook

"A strong product offensive backed our retail network's commitment to providing a world-class ownership experience put the wind at our back and enabled us to outperform the market and take the brand to new heights in the U.S.," said Steve Cannon, president & CEO of MBUSA. "We're going to ride that momentum into 2013 with new products across the entire model line from entry point to flagship."

For December, the Mercedes-Benz product line alone posted sales of 28,145 vehicles, up 9.5 percent from 25,701 in December 2011, bringing MBUSA sales to a best-ever 31,372, up 12.0 percent from the 28,006 vehicles sold in December 2011.

Anything with the Mercedes logo seemed to sell well. The sporty C-Class -- the gateway to the Mercedes-Benz brand for younger and first-time Mercedes-Benz buyers -- recorded its highest year on record with sales of 81,697, up 17.9 percent over its year-to-date volume in 2011. The 9th generation E-Class followed with sales of 65,171, and the M-Class, MBUSA's top-selling SUV, rounded out the top three with sales of 38,101.

Infiniti

Infiniti reports its 2012 sales hit 119,877, up 21.8 percent from 2011. Infiniti said its strong sales were helped by December, which saw 12,627 units drive out of showrooms -- beating the previous December by nearly 15 percent.

"2012 was a strong year for Infiniti, as we added the Infiniti JX luxury crossover, and the Infiniti G sports sedan and QX full-size luxury SUV continued to be solid players in their segments," said Ben Poore, vice president, Infiniti Americas. "The JX brought new buyers into our showroom, and we expect that will continue throughout 2013, as we add another important new vehicle to the Infiniti line."

The company said sales of the Infiniti QX rose 28.6 percent in December, marking its best month ever. For 2012, sales increased 14.0 percent to 15,310 units, its best year since the full-size luxury SUV was introduced into the Infiniti line in 2004.

The new Infiniti JX saw sales of 2,708 in December, its best month since it went on sale in March. For 2012, the 7-passenger luxury crossover had sales of 21,674, making it the second best-selling vehicle in the Infiniti line.

Consumers willing to spend more

Even if they weren't buying luxury cars, U.S. consumers spent more on new vehicles in 2012. Automotive pricing information company TrueCar estimates the average transaction price for light vehicles in the U.S. $31,228 in December 2012, up $542 from December 2011 and up $396 from November 2012.

"Pricing and incentives spending in December were almost ideal for manufacturers as the industry spent less money on incentives while attaining higher net transaction prices in the market place compared to year ago levels," said Jesse Toprak, Senior Analyst for TrueCar. "The resurgence of the trucks segment in December helped contribute to the some of the highest average transaction prices we have ever recorded."

It's a good news, bad news situation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that younger women (30 and younger) are getting Pap tests consistent with newer national recommendations. At the same time, it says 60 percent of women continue to get Pap tests -- even after having a total hysterectomy.

Last year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and American Cancer Society recommended that women -- beginning at age 21 -- should start Pap test screening every three years, and not be screened annually. The same groups agree that screening is unnecessary for most women who have had a total hysterectomy (removal of the uterus and uterine cervix) for non-cancerous reasons, or for women aged 65 years and older with several years of normal test results.

“As we monitor Pap test use among U.S. women, we can make sure that women are being screened in accordance with guidelines, to best maximize the benefits of screening and minimize the harms,” said Meg Watson, M.P.H., an epidemiologist with CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.

Following recommendations

The researchers for both studies analyzed Pap test survey data from CDC’s Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System during 2000 through 2010. They found that screening has become more consistent with current cervical cancer screening recommendations:

• The percentage of women aged 18-21 years who reported never being screened increased from 23.6 percent in 2000 to 47.5 percent in 2010. Screening is not recommended for women under the age of 21.
• In 2010, recent Pap testing (within three years) dropped among women aged 30 years and older without a hysterectomy, primarily due to declines among women aged 65 years and older (from 73.5 percent in 2000 to 64.5 percent).
• For women aged 30 years and older who had a hysterectomy, Pap testing declined from 73.3 percent in 2000 to 58.7 percent in 2010.

On the other hand

They also found that contrary to recommendations:

• The percentage of women aged 22-30 years who had not been screened increased from 6.5 percent in 2000 to 9.0 percent in 2010.
• Women aged 30-64 years who did not have health insurance and had not had a hysterectomy were less likely to have received a Pap test within the previous three years -- from 74.4 percent in 2000 to 68.7 percent in 2010.

“The good news is we are focusing our public health efforts on women at highest risk, while decreasing screening for women under age 21, when cervical cancer is rare and screening is not recommended,” said Keisha Houston, Dr.Ph., Epidemic Intelligence Service officer with CDC’s Division of Cancer Prevention Control. “We need to remain vigilant and increase screening among women who would benefit most from this preventive service.”

Because of the new healthcare act, many private health plans and Medicare now cover certain preventive services, including cervical cancer screening, with no copays or other out-of-pocket costs.

CDC’s National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides low-income, uninsured, and underinsured women access to timely cervical and breast cancer screening and diagnostic services in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, five U.S. territories, and 11 American Indian/Alaska Native tribes or tribal organizations.

Gasoline prices are beginning the new year much like they did a year ago -- moving higher.

The national average price of self-serve regular today is $3.295 per gallon, compared with $3.279 last week, according to AAA's Fuel Gauge Survey. That's about 7.5 cents lower than a month ago. Prices are about a penny higher than at this time a year ago.

Defying the trend of rising gas prices, the average price of diesel fuel today is $3.914 per gallon, versus $3.917 a week ago.

In the last few weeks there has been a major geographic shift in gas prices. While the highest prices remain clustered in the northeast the cheapest fuel can now be founded in the west, and in some states that at times last year, experienced some of the highest prices in the nation.

But while prices in most states went up this week by two or three cents a gallon, the average price in Colorado tumbled by eight cents. Most states in the mountain west and Great Plains states saw continued price declines at the pump.

Gasoline prices are starting 2013 the same way they did in 2012, and while the fiscal cliff deal in Washington could oil and gasoline prices in the coming weeks, AAA's Avery Ash doesn't think we'll see the steep hikes we saw last year.

“Continued economic concerns, weak demand and increased domestic crude oil production are likely to temper any seasonal price increase in the coming months,” Ash said.

The states with the most expensive gas prices this week are:

• Hawaii ($3.999)
• New York ($3.747)
• Connecticut ($3.694)
• California ($3.594)
• Alaska ($3.561)
• Vermont ($3.557)
• Maine ($3.551)
• Rhode Island ($3.549)
• Pennsylvania ($3.519)
• Massachusetts ($3.484)

The states with the lowest gas prices this week are:

• Wyoming ($2.957)
• Utah ($2.964)
• Colorado ($2.966)
• Oklahoma ($3.000)
• Idaho ($3.023)
• Minnesota ($3.034)
• Missouri ($3.035)
• New Mexico ($3.048)
• Arizona ($3.052)
• Montana ($3.088)

Besides high unemployment, the U.S. is experiencing high rates of under-employment, with more people working part-time and earning less than they need to sustain themselves and their families.

Besides the economic ramifications, researchers at the University of California (UC) Davis say there appear to be health consequences as well. They found that employees earning the lowest wages have a higher risk of hypertension than workers with the highest wages, even if the high-wage jobs carry a lot of stress. The correlation between wages and hypertension was especially strong among women and workers under 45.

“We were surprised that low wages were such a strong risk factor for two populations not typically associated with hypertension, which is more often linked with being older and male,” said J. Paul Leigh, senior author of the study and professor of public health sciences at UC Davis. “Our outcome shows that women and younger employees working at the lowest pay scales should be screened regularly for hypertension as well.”

New focus of research

The study, published in the December issue of the European Journal of Public Health, is believed to be the first to isolate the role of wages in hypertension, which occurs when the force of circulating blood against artery walls is too high. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hypertension affects approximately 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. and costs more than $90 billion each year in health-care services, medications and missed work days. It also is a major contributor to heart disease and stroke, both of which are leading causes of death and disability.

What's surprising is that hypertension has previously been assumed to afflict the stressed-out corporate executive, faced with the responsibilities of meeting profit projections or bearing other stressful burdens. But the UC study suggests it is the people working for them who are feeling the effects of the stress.

While there is a known association between lower socioeconomic status and hypertension, determining the specific reason for that association has been difficult, according to Leigh. Other researchers have focused on factors such as occupation, job strain, education and insurance coverage, with mixed results. Leigh’s study was the first to focus on wages and hypertension.

The role of wages

“By isolating a direct and fundamental aspect of work that people greatly value, we were able to shed light on the relationship between socioeconomic status and circulatory health,” said Leigh. “Wages are also a part of the employment environment that easily can be changed. Policymakers can raise the minimum wage, which tends to increase wages overall and could have significant public-health benefits.”

Leigh is not the first researcher to express concern that young people, especially, are not being adequately screened for high blood pressure. In November research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012 found that adults 18-24 years old with high blood pressure were 28 percent less likely to be diagnosed during doctor visits than those 60 and older.

"These young patients come to the clinic and their blood pressure is recorded," said Heather Johnson, M.D., lead researcher of the study. "They have high blood pressure, but there's no documentation of a diagnosis."

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke. While more prevalent in older Americans, about 29 percent of all U.S. adults have hypertension, according to American Heart Association statistics. About 11 percent of men and 7 percent of women 20-34 years old have high blood pressure.

If you find yourself in the kitchen, late at night whipping up strange food mixtures like mashed potatoes and Oreo cookies, frozen vegetables mixed with mayonnaise, and chips with lemon, pork rinds, Italian dressing and salt -- then you, my friend, may be a binge eater.

At least that's the conclusion of a study by researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), which has linked strange food concoctions with the binge eating disorder.

The study suggests this pattern of food selection is common among binge eaters. The findings reveal that one in four survey participants secretly creates concoctions.

Concocting

It's called “concocting” and the UAB researchers say those who do it are more likely to binge eat than those who overeat without binging. Those who concoct reported the same emotions as drug users during the act; they also reported later feelings of shame and disgust, which could fuel an existing disorder.

Mary Boggiano, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Psychology and primary investigator of the study, said study participants confessed to feeling some kind of high during the process.

“While they are food concocting and binge eating they report being excited, in a frenzy, and high, but afterwards they feel awful about themselves,” said Boggiano.

According to Boggiano, the actual number of binge eaters who also practice food concocting is likely to be higher than that revealed in their survey.

“We found significant numbers in a non-clinical population,” said Boggiano. “If the same survey was given to people in a hospital, clinical or psychiatric setting, they would certainly report higher levels.”

Reasons for the behavior

What leads someone to go on an eating binge? Boggiano theorizes that some of it may be linked to fears of caloric deprivation. There have been documented accounts of odd food concoctions created by victims of natural famine and prisoners of war, as well as refugees during wartime food shortages.

According to the National Institutes of Health, someone on an eating binge might consume 5,000 to 15,000 calories in one sitting. The binge-eater often snacks, in addition to eating three meals a day.

Binge eating by itself usually leads to becoming overweight and it may also be linked to another eating disorder, such as bulimia.

Boggiano believes food concocting has never been studied scientifically because nobody has thought to quantify the behavior or consider that it may worsen eating disorders if linked to negative emotions. It also hasn't been linked, until now, to binge eating. Patients may not disclose this behavior, she says, because of shame.

“Secrets can kill us,” said Boggiano. “The more secretive a patient is with aspects of an addiction or eating disorder, the worse off he or she will be because they will continue to engage in their secret, maladaptive behavior.”

Saying that the "facts just weren't there" to support charges of biased search results, the Federal Trade Commission today closed its 19-month investigation into Google after wresting the search giant's agreement to change some of its business practices that could stifle competition in the markets for popular devices such as smart phones, tablets and gaming consoles, as well as the market for online search advertising.

Pressed by reporters at a news conference, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz said that by a 5-0 vote, the bipartisan commission agreed that it had not found evidence that Google search results were purposely biased to unfairly promote its own products over those of competitors.

Leibowitz said the commission had "examined 9 million pages of documents, interviewed numerous industry participants and took sworn testimony of key Google executives." 

Leibowitz conceded that while "some evidence suggested Google was trying to eliminate competition" through changes in the format of its search results and  frequent tweaking of its search algorithms, the commission had concluded that "Google's primary reason for changing the look and feel was to improve the user experience."

"Tellingly, many of Google's rivals engaged in many of the same design changes," Leibowitz noted.

Critics were quick to pounce.

"The Federal Trade Commission’s settlement with Google fails to end its most anticompetitive practice," the California-based group Consumer Watchdog said today. 

“Google clearly skews search results to favor its own products and services while portraying the results as unbiased. That undermines competition and hurts consumers,” said John M. Simpson, director of the group’s Privacy Project. “The FTC rolled over for Google."

Patents and ads

Under the settlement, Google agreed to meet its prior commitments to allow competitors access – on "fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms" – to patents on critical standardized technologies needed to make popular devices such as smart phones, laptop and tablet computers, and gaming consoles.

Also, in a separate letter of commitment, Google has agreed to give online advertisers more flexibility to simultaneously manage ad campaigns on Google’s AdWords platform and on rival ad platforms.

Google also agreed to refrain from misappropriating online content from so-called “vertical” websites that focus on specific categories such as shopping or travel for use in its own vertical offerings -- a practice referred to as "scraping." He said Google would allow local businesses and sites to opt out of being listed in Google's local and shopping searchers without being penalized in general search results.

When going to the supermarket, most consumers believe what they’re buying is fresh and safe to eat.

For one, the date on the package is used to determine freshness, which gives consumers a certain level of comfort, and two, one would think that grocery stores wouldn’t put out items that would spoil quickly in order to avoid people getting sick and receiving a bunch of lawsuits.

But that hasn’t stopped some grocery stores from putting less than fresh  food items on shelves and even preparing or cooking those stale foods for resale.

Also, a lot of consumers choose not to pay attention to the date on the label and even when they do, that date is only an indication of the foods peak freshness, which doesn’t really let you know the exact level of freshness an item really has.

To help consumers with this problem, a handful of companies have created what’s called “intelligent plastics” that lets consumers know how fresh a food item is and when it has totally spoiled. 

Intelligent Plastic isn’t a new invention and it’s been in development over the last few years, but for some reason a lot of stores still aren’t using it, even though it can be extremely helpful in alerting customers to food that's past its prime.

Changing color

Among the newer solutions, a design company called TO-GENKYO in Japan has created a plastic that turns the label on the packaging to a different color as the food is going bad.

Most labels are white in color, so TO-GENKYO has designed a plastic that reads the amount of ammonia or other chemicals that are released as food spoils. The plastic changes color as the food ages.

So a steak that’s losing freshness, let’s say, will have a label on the package that gradually goes from white to the color of the ink.

And once the label is totally colored, it will be pretty obvious that the food has spoiled. Even if you don’t pay attention to the label, the item won’t make it past the check-out scanner since the label's background color will have obliterated the pricing and bar-code info.

Intelligent plastics are also being developed and tested by the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, England, and researchers there say once they get rolled out to grocery stores throughout the world, they will decrease the level of food waste, which hurts businesses, consumers and the overall environment.

“At the moment, we throw out too much food, which is environmentally and economically damaging” said Andrew Mills, a professor at the University of Strathclyde and lead researcher in the school’s development of intelligent plastics.

“We hope that this will reduce the risk of people eating food which is no longer fit for consumption and help prevent unnecessary waste of food. We also hope it will have a direct and positive impact," he said in a published interview.

Health risks

Australian food scientist Paul Brockwell says spoiled foods aren’t only bad for the environment, and reminds consumers that people die every day from food poisoning caused by foods going bad.  

Brockwell and his research team are also working on food packaging made from intelligent plastic, but instead of the packaging releasing ink like TO-GENKYO’s invention, the Australian research team has created a label that goes on the actual plastic and serves as a freshness scale that has numbers from 0 to 100.

“It takes the guesswork out of food work,” says Brockwell’s research partner Bob Holland, who spoke about intelligent plastics on an informational video.

Holland says the package meters are so accurate that a food's level of freshness can be measured from the manufacturer to the consumer, which certainly isn’t the case now.

Just when grocery stores in the United States start widely using intelligent plastics remains to be seen, but when so many inventions today surround the advancements of gadgets and electronic gizmos, it’s nice to see the creative wheels are still turning for those consumer items that we purchase every day.