Current Events in April 2013

Microwave ovens are in just about every home now, and in a lot of offices and other workplaces as well. They can make food preparation a lot easier but they can also be a fire hazard.

Recently we received this alarming email from a reader named Anne.

“Our microwave, we believe it was a Samsung, started a fire in the middle of the night. Our house is totaled. No loss of life except our two cats. Can we do anything?”

A request to Anne for a follow-up interview about the accident went unanswered, so we decided to look into our database of consumer reviews to see if anyone else has had similar problems. They have.

“I bought this microwave and it starts sending out sparks and is an extreme fire hazard,” Emily, of Manteca, Calif., wrote about her Emerson microwave.

Needs cleaning?

Emily said she called the company and was told the fire was probably because the inside of the unit needed cleaning. Emily isn't buying it, especially after finding other consumers who have reported similar experiences.

“I and most of the reviewers on this site have had experience with many microwaves over the course of our lives and have not had sparks flying out of our microwave,” she wrote.

Earlier this year ConsumerReports published an in-depth study of reported problems with KitchenAid microwaves. Some of those problems have also been reported to ConsumerAffairs.

“Saturday the KitchenAid over the stove microwave/convection caught FIRE before my eyes,” Stephen, of Leawood, Kan., told us. “Serviceman yesterday said the magnatron had burned holes within the machine and was not replaceable.”

There have also been a few reports of similar problems with GE microwaves.

“I purchased the model (PEM31SM1SS) GE Profile in November of 2008,” writes Pamela, of Duxbury, Mass. “Less than a year later it overheated and failed; since it was still under warranty, the repair was managed by the appliance vendor. The scorch mark on the rear wall of the oven was and is still there. During the past year, the paint on the interior roof began to bubble and peel. There is now a broad area of exposed metal and the paint around the interior door frame is also peeling.”

2009 suit

A class action suit in 2009 alleged some GE microwaves were prone to bursting into flames without warning and had been defective since 2003. In a statement to an Ohio TV station at the time, GE said these incidents were rare and did not indicate any kind of systematic failure.

The really scary part of these reports is that some units appear to come on by themselves. But that problem doesn't appear to be limited to one manufacturer. An anonymous Emerson owner reports the same thing.

“I arrived home around 5:00 yesterday and my microwave was on,” the poster writes. “There were no numbers being displayed but the interior lights were on. My house could've possibly burned to the ground had I not arrived when I did. The microwave was hot to the touch but I was able to open the door and close it. I was eventually able to unplug it from the wall socket. The microwave was over a year old, but I would expect that it would at least be safe beyond the warranty period.”

Raihana, of Brooklyn Park, Minn., also has an Emerson.

“My kids were warming something in the microwave and started screaming, so I came down and found out that there were sparks flying in the microwave,” Raihana writes. “My first reaction was, what did you put in the microwave? They had not put anything unusual in it and so I tried putting something in there and the same thing happened.”

Two issues

There are at least two issues in these reports. One is the appliance starting a fire while cooking something. That might be the more explainable.

The second, and more scary, is the issue Anne reported – the appliance coming on in the middle of the night, or when no one is home. It may be a rare occurrence but it's hard to know how rare. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) doesn't release a lot of information to the consumers whose safety it is supposed to protect.

In response to a Consumer Reports Freedom of Information filing, CPSC did release 70 reports about KitchenAid microwaves, with 41 of them describing fires that broke out when the oven started on its own or was not in use.

Microwave ovens produce heat by producing waves of electromagnetic radiation. These waves cause water molecules in food to vibrate, and it's the vibration that produces the heat. You can't put any metal in a microwave oven because the waves would bounce off, firing arcs around the interior and starting a fire at some point.

Consumers report manufacturers have told them that dirt and food debris on the inside of the oven are responsible for the arcing. But there has been no explanation offered that we are aware of for the ovens turning themselves on and catching fire.

What you should do

If you experience any abnormal activity with your microwave oven, you should unplug it and not use it until a repair person inspects it. Also, tell someone about your problem. Specifically, report it to the CPSC.

Consumers often wonder why a product has not been recalled. One reason is that the CPSC has to get a certain number of reports of a problem before it will take any action. There are other factors as well. CPSC works partly off of hospital records; unless a product defect has caused injuries, it may not be eligible for recall.

Frankly, between the slow pace at which the CPSC moves and the air of secrecy that surrounds its operations, consumers are in many cases better off relying on non-governmental sites for information. They are much less bound by onerous regulations than the CPSC and other government safety agencies.

Also, consumers should report safety problems to the manufacturer. Use a civil, businesslike tone. The company needs to know the scope of the problem it has on its hands.

Finally, don't forget to post a report on ConsumerAffairs. Other consumers can learn and benefit from your experience.

What don’t smartphones do today? Because it seems they’re pretty much made to be a thousand gadgets in one.

Smartphones can quickly morph into full-on television sets that users can prop up, then sit back and watch brand-new shows that just aired the night before.

They can be excellent compasses too. Smartphones can guide you to safety through unfamiliar regions of foreign addresses, strange roads and desolate towns--but they can locate the nearest Taco Bell for you too, which may not be a lifesaving component, but try telling that to the person who hasn’t eaten all day and has a 99-cent greasy burrito on their mind.

Smartphones can be mini-arcades, electronic matchmakers, virtual assistants, fitness trainers, cooking teachers, encyclopedias, little stereo systems and the list goes on and on.

Oh yeah, they can make phone calls too, which is the last thing people use them for nowadays. (Good thing too, because it's one of the things they actually don't do very well).

Physical rehabilitation

Now researchers at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center are on the front lines of studying a new physical rehabilitation method that uses the same Bluetooth technology that smartphones use to help stroke survivors move their arms and legs.

Leading the study is Wexner's Stephen Page, PhD, who says using this innovative technology will allow doctors to better determine how a  patient is improving with their movements and it'll tell them which body parts are working in unison as well.

“These moving body parts are in a constant state of motion, but with this technology we can figure out how they are all working together,” said Dr. Page. “This gives us the ability to objectively, precisely, figure out at the bedside or in a rehab facility, how well someone is improving.”

The new rehabilitation technique works through electronic sensors being attached to the arms, legs and chests of patients and those sensors are then linked to a computer, where they can communicate with each other and keep track of each sensor's location to determine what direction those sensors are moving in.

Page says this same technology is exactly what’s used in the everyday smartphones that we use.

“The same technology you use when you’re playing a video game or when you’re taking your cell phone and turning it upside down or turning sideways and the picture adjusts to that,” Page says.

Works anywhere

In addition, he explains the Bluetooth technology can be used in just about any setting.

“The nice thing about this technology is we can do it anywhere,” says Page. “We can do it up the steps, we can do it in the kitchen -- anywhere that walking or balance is important is a place where we can capture how well the person is moving.”

Page and his team have been using this new technology specifically for those patients recovering from a stroke. At the conclusion of their research, they hope to find out if electrical stimulation, along with movement, will effectively retrain one’s brain to do things like sit up, stand or walk.

“The stepping motion on a recumbent bike uses similar parts of the brain as when a person is actually walking,” explained Page. “We are trying to recruit new areas of the brain, around the stroke-damaged areas, which is called ‘neuroplasticity,’ and get those areas to hopefully control walking again.”

In an informational video, Kelly Franklin, who’s a stroke survivor and one of Page’s patients, said using the technology has helped her tremendously so far.

This technology has “taken me a long way,” she said. “I couldn’t even sit up straight. I couldn’t even sit up about a year and a half ago.”

In addition, part of the study was to dispel the common belief among many rehab experts that a stroke survivor’s level of improvement tends to peak within a year of suffering a stroke.

Page says this belief simply isn’t true and using this new technology is his  way of dispelling it.

“We have shown in more than a decade of studies that this belief is not true, and we expect to show that with this intervention,” he says. “Stroke survivors can continue to get better and see meaningful gains years after their stroke."

According to the CDC, strokes are one of the leading causes of death in the United States, taking the lives of about 130,000 each year.

Overall, 795,000 people in the U.S. experience a stroke every year and one out of four get recurring strokes, so Page and his team are extremely eager to see what else they'll learn while delving into this new technology.

U.S. safety regulators think cars should be made safer for older drivers and passengers, so they've come up with a set of  "silver car" ratings that will give higher scores to things like inflatable seat belts and designs that keep drivers from hitting the wrong pedal. 

At a news conference today, officials from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said they may also take a look at how well rear-seat passengers fare in crashes and study the outcome for pedestrians who are hit by cars. You might think that's fairly obvious, but in Washington, anything is prime for additional study.

NHTSA Administrator David Strickland said the agency is "always looking at ways we can improve the margin of safety" and said crash-prevention features are also on his roadmap.

Some cars now have features like lane intrusion warning systems that alert you if you're about to move into an occupied lane. Such features are not currently included in the agency's safety ratings but Strickland thinks maybe they should be.

"In 2013, we plan to conduct focus group testing to determine if consumers would like alternative methods of having advanced technology information communicated and if ratings of advanced technologies, rather than the current approach of recommending advanced technologies, are preferred," NHTSA said in a prepared statement.

You don't eat horsemeat, do you? Are you sure?

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it's planning to do more "species testing" on imported beef, and will also be stepping up tests for E. coli pathogens that can produce serious illness and death.

“We are confident that the inspection system of ports of entry ensures the safety of products that come into our country every day,” USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) spokeswoman Cathy Cochran said. “However, in response to recent events and consumer concerns, we are increasing species testing to enhance current safeguards and prevent fraudulently labeled products from entering the country.”

The increased testing is aimed at meat coming from Iceland, Ireland, Poland, Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom, where DNA tests have found horsemeat showing up in ground beef.

Nestle, Taco Bell, Bird’s Eye, Burger King and Ikea have all been caught up in the horsemeat scandal in Europe but there have so far been no incidents in the U.S. 

Horsemeat is prized as a delicacy in some countries but in many other cases, it is surreptitiously added to ground beef and prepared foods because it's cheaper than beef.

The animal rights movement also vociferously opposes consumption of horsemeat.

Four mortgage insurance companies that allegedly engaged in widespread kickback arrangements with lenders across the country will pay a heavy price.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has filed complaints and proposed consent orders against four national mortgage insurance companies that require the firms to pay more than $15 million in penalties.

“Illegal kickbacks distort markets and can inflate the financial burden of homeownership for consumers,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “We believe these mortgage insurance companies funneled millions of dollars to mortgage lenders for well over a decade. The orders announced today put an end to these types of arrangements.”

The four companies are Genworth Mortgage Insurance Corporation, United Guaranty Corporation, Radian Guaranty Inc., and Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation.

According to the CFPB, the companies provided kickbacks to mortgage lenders by purchasing captive reinsurance that was essentially worthless but was designed to make a profit for the lenders.

Details of the CFPB complaints and consent orders can be found on the CFPB's website.  

Adults with type 2 diabetes have a new treatment option.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved canagliflozin tablets, which are marketed as Invokana, to improve glycemic control. The pills are to be used in conjunction with diet and exercise.

Approval of the drug came after it was evaluated in nine clinical trials involving over 10,285 type 2 diabetes patients.

There are some side effects associated with the medication, including vaginal yeast infection, urinary tract infection and a sudden fall in blood pressure when standing up.

Learn more about Inkovana and its uses here.

The unemployment line got a little longer last week.

The Labor Department reports 385,000 people applied for first-time unemployment benefits during the week ending March 30 -- up 28,000 from the week before when there were 357,000 initial applicants.

The 4-week moving average, which is less volatile and considered a better gauge of the labor market, rose 11,250 from the previous week -- to 354,250.

The full report is available here.

Allergic reactions can cause intense itching that distracts you during the day and keeps you up at night. Fortunately there are several prescription and over-the-counter medications that do a pretty good job of relieving symptoms.

But we continue to hear from some consumers who say the medications  make their misery worse when they stop taking them – leaving them dependent on the medication.

“I have been taking Zyrtec for about six years and my doctor wants me to stop some of my meds,” Patrick, of Mt. Gilead, Ohio, writes in a ConsumerAffairs post. “But when I quit Zyrtec, a couple of days later, I started itching and the itching became unbearable. It's all over from my head to my feet and I have a sort of numbness and tingling in my hands. This drug works well for allergies but is a nightmare to get off.”

Karen, of Kodak, Tenn., reports a similar experience.

“I started taking Zyrtec for allergies and once I stopped taking it, I was itching and had hives along with a headache,” she writes. “I really wish I would have never taken this stuff.”

Singulair

Mavi, of St. Louis, Mo., reports the same problem with Singulair.

“I tried to get off the Singulair, but every time I did, I would develop a rebound that was even more severe, swollen itchy eyes, sinus infection, coughing, asthma," Mavi wrote. “That would make me run back to the Singulair just to get some relief.”

We turned to a couple of eminent allergists, members of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, to find out if other patients are having similar experiences. Neither was aware of it.

Doctors' opinions

“I would say this is not common or even reported at all,” said Todd Rambasek, M.D., of E.N.T. & Allergy Health Services, Cleveland, Ohio. “Tolerance to a drug is called tachyphylaxis and although this may be seen with other allergy drugs, namely albuterol, it has not been found with antihistamines. I suspect that in these patients their underlying allergies just got worse.

Vincent C. Tubiolo, M.D., an allergist in private practice in Santa Barbara, Calif., told us much the same thing.

“The short answer is that there is no scientific evidence that I am aware of that supports the claim that several patients have regarding a type of 'rebound' worsening of symptoms after stopping antihistamine therapy,” he said.

Nasal sprays another matter

Tubiolo said Afrin and similar decongestant sprays do have this effect and consumers should understand it can be a significant risk. Physicians generally recommend stopping these decongestant sprays after approximately three days of use.

“In my experience, most patients who claim a worsening of symptoms after stopping the antihistamines either have more severe allergies than they recognize and symptoms simply recurred with a new allergen exposure or they have another problem, like a sinus infection,” Tubiolo said.

Both doctors says that consumers who suffer worsening symptoms should waste no time in seeing their physician if they find allergy medicines no longer helpful.

Do you ever wonder why stores ask for your Zip Code? Some consumers think it must be part of the credit card approval process -- and sometimes it is -- but usually, it's something a little more nefarious.

Many large retailers collect as much information as they can about their customers and sell or trade it to database marketers who make a business out of building profiles of American consumers. 

The Zip Code is an important link in this process. The store already has your name, credit card number and information about your purchases. The addition of the Zip Code makes it possible for the database marketers to put together other pieces of the puzzle, including your street address.

ConsumerAffairs editor Jim Hood discussed the process yesterday on Fox Business' Neil Cavuto Show:

Several years ago, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) attempted to ban the import and sale of electronic e-cigarettes, a court stood in the way.

In December 2010 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled the FDA's attempt to classify e-cigarettes as drug delivery systems was incorrect. Instead, the court found that e-cigarettes were tobacco products, even though they contain no tobacco.

The FDA declined to appeal the ruling but has served notice that it might propose rules that would, in fact, regulate e-cigarettes as tobacco products. The agency suggested it could issue a Notice of Proposed Rule Making sometime this month.

Welcomes regulation

Not all in the industry, it turns out, fear FDA regulation. Eli Alelov, CEO of LOGIC Technology, a maker of e-cigarettes, thinks some regulation is overdue. He told ConsumerAffairs that he wants to see manufacturing standards and age restrictions.

“I support raising the bar for the industry,” Alelov said. “Right now my biggest enemy is not the FDA, it's these 'me too' brands that come into the market with cheap electronic cigarettes, trying to make a buck, and they're putting lousy products on the market. That's hurting the entire industry.”

Alelov's company makes e-cigarettes in only two flavors – tobacco and menthol. He says the wide variety of fruit flavored e-cigarettes offered by other companies don't appeal to people who smoke cigarettes, but instead appeal to young people who don't smoke.

Children, he says, should not be using his product and he is in favor of restricting Internet sales.

“A 13-year-old girl should not have the option to buy electronic cigarettes just because she clicks on a button that says 'Yes, I'm 18' and then makes the purchase with her mother's credit card,” he said.

Passionate customers

E-cigarettes give smokers many of the same pleasures as smoking a cigarette. They are the same shape, they generate water vapor that can be inhaled and the water vapor contains nicotine, which satisfies an addictive craving. E-cigarette makers and their growing number of customers say the products are safer than smoking, a claim hotly denied by anti-tobacco groups. There is little scientific research so far to support either side.

The industry and its passionate customers have formed the Consumer Advocates for Smoke-Free Alternatives Association (CASAA) to try and head off what they view as onerous regulations that might relegate them once again to shivering in the cold outside buildings to have a smoke. Because there is no secondhand smoke with e-cigarettes, they are currently allowed in many public venues, in a practice called “vaping” instead of smoking.

When the FDA announced it was considering a rule making on e-cigarettes, more than 27,000 people signed an online White House petition to prevent it. CASAA launched a special website to keep track of the FDA's activities.

“At this time we do not know which regulations the FDA intends to apply to e-cigarettes, but statements made by the FDA in its letter to stakeholders raises some concerns for electronic cigarette consumers and tobacco harm reduction advocates,” the group says on the site.

Tobacco tax?

In its 2010 ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals may have pointed the way, by classifying e-cigarettes as tobacco products. As such, it could be argued they could fall under the same tobacco taxes that make cigarettes so expensive, even though they contain no tobacco. Whatever the FDA decides to do, its impact could well be felt internationally.

“The FDA is a big player in the global market,” Alelov said. “I think some countries are waiting to see what the American FDA is going to say about this product.”

Whatever the decision may be, Alelov says he thinks within five to seven years, nearly half of today's smokers will be “vaping” instead.

You know how consumers are always complaining that appliances were built better back in the day? It's pretty hard to disagree with that, especially when such simple devices as coffee makers and toasters -- the basic elements of breakfast -- have become so short-lived.

Read the reviews on our site about Cuisinart and other high-priced coffee makers and you'll see why so many of us have gone back to buying the most basic Mr. Coffee. It's not great but it's cheap to replace.

It's hard to be quite so accepting of faulty toasters, however. After all, a toaster is a pretty simple device. All we ask is that it apply enough heat for the right amount of time to turn bread into toast. This is something any Boy Scout learns to do with nothing but a campfire and a loaf of bread, so how hard can it be?

This topic came alive for me a few months ago when I popped a few pieces of sourdough into the anonymous white toaster in the kitchen, to be greeted a few minutes later by screeching smoke alarms and clouds of black smoke.

The toaster, later identified as a Proctor-Silex Cool-Touch, had lost its cool and had been transformed into a bread executioner. No matter the setting, it immolated whatever came its way. The history of this toaster is unknown. No one could remember where it came from, what it cost or how old it was but it was clearly past its prime. (There was a recall of "fire-prone" Procter-Silex toasters a few years ago, it turns out.)

Disturbed and dismayed by this unexpected development, I beat it over to Sunrise Highway and dashed into the nearest big box store. When making purchases, I try to not study the options too closely, preferring to make the same mistakes a distracted consumer might make, hoping to at least get a story out of any misadventure that may follow. Also, I really hate stores.

An Oster toaster

Thus, without paying much attention, I grabbed a stainless steel Oster toaster. Besides its melodically rhyming name, the Oster had controls for various toasting options -- bagels, bread, frozen, etc. 

The next morning, two pieces of sourdough went into the Oster and soon out came two pieces of what might be called bread toast -- toasted on one side, pristine on the other. I tried every possible combination with the controls, none of which actually seemed to do anything.

There are two sides to this story, all right. One is that the outside heating elements work. The other is that the inside heating elements don't.

Things could always be worse, of course. Robyn of Redding, Calif., had an Oster toaster too. Here's what happened to her: 

Toaster caught fire for no reason. I lost my whole kitchen because I was upstairs sleeping at the time. I lost everything I owned in the kitchen. Most of my belongings throughout the house were ruined from smoke damage or from the firefighters tearing through it. I had to move out of my apartment witch was declared uninhabitable and was homeless for 3 months. On top of it all my landlord kept $1000 from my deposit for "fire Damage."

Finally, after a year or so of having to toast everything twice, I decided that instead of dashing into the nearest store and grabbing the first toaster I saw, I would try to be a wise consumer and would spend a little extra time and money, in hopes of getting something that would a.) work, b.) not burn the house down and c.) last longer than a month.

Sticker shock

I went to Amazon.com and did a search for toasters, filtering by price from high to low, thinking perhaps I would spring for something a little costlier than usual.

First up was a mint green Dualit two-slice toaster. The price: $254.19. I was feeling profligate but not stupid, so, paging down a bit, I came to the DeLonghi Kmix two-slice toaster, priced at $99.94 for the stainless steel model. It would have been $99.95 for a yellow one. I could afford the extra cent but who really wants a yellow toaster? Anyway, it's a truly ridiculous price to pay for a toaster but at least it's under $100, right? 

Ordering was only half the challenge. It took days for the FedEx guy to figure out which door to knock on. Thanks to Superstorm Sandy, our Long Island condo is somethiing of a wreck. The signs that used to point to floors 1 and 2 were blown away when the wall they were mounted on collapsed. The wall has since been replaced but the sign hasn't.

It's pretty clear, though. The first floor is the one on the bottom -- you know, the wet one. The second floor, the DeLonghi's new home, is upstairs. It took a few days to get that straightened out. I got to know Karen at FedEx through our frequent calls. She seemed more exasperated than I was by the driver's mental shortcomings.

Finally, as I sat typing a few feet from the door, my cellphone chirped, informing me the package had been delivered, and sure enough, there it was, waiting sheepishly.

The initial trial run went fine. There was no sourdough left but I put in a couple of pieces of Trader Joe's Tuscan Whole Wheat Pane and it actually came out as toast a minute or so later.

Case closed. For now, anyway. 

By the time a child reaches the sophomore year of high school, going to college jumps from a future goal to something kids really have to start preparing for, whether it’s taking the PSATs, sporadically visiting schools to get a feel of where they'll want to go or deciding what they'd like to study once their freshman year at college begins.

And for many families, finances will be a real issue and may determine which school a kid can attend, whether they’ll have to work and how much money they will need to borrow.

Once senior year of high school hits, all kinds of decisions need to be made and by the time the January rolls around, kids should be getting out the last of their college and financial aid applications and parents--especially those who may be cash-strapped--need to get the last of their financial ducks in a row, which will oftentimes include a big fat loan.

Understanding college loans can get a little confusing, in terms of knowing which loan is right for you, what the monthly payments will look like, and what the penalty fees will be if you’re late or miss a payment. We’ve pulled a couple of places you can visit, because many families will need all the help they can get to both pay for college and fully understand how those payments are applied.

First, The U.S. Department of Education has added two new features to its StudentLoans.gov site.

One feature is a Repayment Estimator and the other a Complete Counseling page, which are both pretty self-explanatory and both can assist families, whether it's a family sending their child to college for the first time or one that's paying back a loan after their child graduates. 

Less intimidated

The Department of Education says the new additions to the StudentLoans.gov site are supposed to help families feel less intimated about the process of borrowing and repaying a college loan.

“With college graduation around the corner, thousands of students will soon start to repay their loans and we want to help them select the repayment plan that makes sense for them,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

“These tools give students the information they need to understand how to better manage their student loan obligations. Our goal is to make the entire challenge of college costs much less daunting, and these tools are additional steps in that direction.”

To access the sites' new features, current users will need to log in with their PIN numbers and new users can apply for a PIN here.

An abacus

Collegebacus.com is another site that helps families understand college costs and financial aid packages.

The site is free and perhaps best of all, the creators say they’ll never sell your financial information to other parties for future solicitations or charge for use of the site.

“There are many hidden costs in the college process; our goal is to help users identify and hopefully avoid these costs. We do not wish to add to them. We will never sell the financial information of our users. Our site earns revenue by connecting prospective students with colleges, not through the sale of financial information to third parties,” the company says on its website.

Here’s how the site works:

It gathers net-price calculators from about 2,500 colleges and universities across the U.S., as legislation recently forced schools that receive federal funding to add net-price calculators on its websites, so families can better determine how much each school costs and how big of a dent their financial aid packages will put in the tuition.

These calculators are usually able to break down each cost, especially those hidden fees that often aren’t mentioned in the school’s advertised tuition prices, so instead of families having to go to each individual college site, Collegebacus.com provides one-stop-shopping, or one-stop-calculating if you will.

The creators of the site say the calculations it provides will be the same as the ones provided by the net-price calculators on the college websites.

Out of whack

That's all fine but the concept of going into extreme debt to get an education seems totally out of whack, and some politicians agree.

Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Sen. Al Franken recently attended a panel discussion on the campus of St. Paul College, in Minnesota and said that poor families digging themselves into an even bigger financial hole to pay for their child’s education is vastly different from how they were able to secure a college education.

“When I was an aide to then-Sen. Walter Mondale in 1975-1976, education was one of my areas of responsibility, said Dayton.

“And back then federal student financial aid was one-third grants, one-third loans and one-third college work study. Now it’s 2% college work-study, 18% grants for the poorest student and 80% loans; which means for most students and their families it’s loans, loans and more loans.

Fine talk. Now what?

Do you care where your food comes from? While some people aren't too concerned, many others think they have a right to know whether the meat, fruits and vegetables they're about to eat were grown in the U.S. or somewhere else.

Currently, the situation is in flux and a coalition of 229 farm, rural, faith, consumer and environmental organizations from 45 states are trying to protect and strengthen the labeling rules for meat products.

At issue is something called the Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) provisions for meat products. The 2008 Farm Bill included mandatory COOL provisions for beef, pork, poultry, fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables and some nuts, but Canada and Mexico successfully challenged the rules for meat products at the World Trade Organization as a barrier to international trade.

Now the Agriculture Department (USDA) has come up with a new set of prposed rules that would simplify COOL to comply with the WTO decision.

“Consumers want more information about the source of their food, not less,” said Chris Waldrop, director of the Food Policy Institute at Consumer Federation of America. “Strengthening the Country of Origin Label provides consumers with more accurate and precise information about the source of beef and pork products they purchase.”

Born in the USA

The proposed new rules would require that all meat from animals born, raised and processed in the United States would have a “born, raised and slaughtered in the USA” label.

“Consumer and farmer advocates pushed for COOL for more than a decade to overcome the largest food processing and meatpacking companies that wanted to hide the source of the food from consumers,” said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of Food & Water Watch.

A letter from the coalition was sent to the USDA as part of the regulatory comment period supporting the proposed new rules.

Hyundai Motor Company is recalling 186,254 model year 2011-2013 Elantra vehicles manufactured from November 12, 2010, through March 05, 2013.

A support bracket attached to the headliner may become displaced during a side curtain airbag deployment, possible causing a laceration injury.

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will apply adhesive strips to the headliner, free of charge. A remedy is expected to be available in May 2013.

Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

Tyson Foods of Russellville, Ark., is recalling approximately 127,000 lbs. of uncooked breaded chicken tenderloins and uncooked chicken tenderloin fritter products. The products contain soy, a known allergen not declared on the label.

The following products are subject to recall:

• 20-lb. packages of "SPARE TIME Uncooked Chicken Tenderloin Fritters" bearing the establishment number "P-5839" inside the USDA mark of inspection and a case code of "7083861."
• 10-lb. packages of "Tyson UNCOOKED, BREADED CHICKEN TENDERLOINS" bearing the establishment number "P-5839" inside the USDA mark of inspection and a case code of "7083928."

The products were produced between March 1, 2013, and March 27, 2013 and shipped to food service companies nationwide for further distribution to restaurants and institutions.

The cartons bear a package code of "0603TYLxxxx", "0663TYLxxxx", "0733TYLxxxx", "0773TYLxxxx", "0813TYLxxxx", or "0863TYLxxxx" under the product code. The xxxx represents a time stamp.

The problem was discovered by the company and occurred as a result of a label change after reformulation of the product. A marinade ingredient that included an incorrect sub-ingredient (concentrated soy protein) was not declared on the label. There are no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

Consumers with questions should contact Tyson Foods consumer relations at (866) 886-8456.

So you say you want to meet somebody new, huh? Either for casual dating or a true love connection and because of that, you’ve kept this extensive list in your head about what he or she should be like if they want to step into your carefully guarded world.

Maybe the first thing on that list has something to do with personality, in terms of that person making you laugh or possessing some type of wit.

Or maybe the first thing on your list has to do with a person being smart, open-minded, caring, altruistic, love kids, etc., etc.—but let’s be honest with ourselves, the first thing many of us look for, even if we don’t realize it, is looks and physical attractiveness. That doesn’t make us shallow. It’s our human nature.

While some of us will allow the looks of movie stars and celebrities to shape what we find physically attractive, a good portion of folks have developed their own idea of what eye-catching is, so they’ll seek that out, and that act of seeking out attractive people is what the phone app Tinder is all about, as it doesn’t use a bunch of personality characteristics to match people, it matches them together based on initial attraction.

Facebook log-in

You first log in with your Facebook information that notifies the app of your geographic area, so it can send you potential matches that are close by.

From there, you’ll have access to numerous photos of other users that you can give a quick glance to and decide if you’re immediately attracted to that person.

If you are attracted, you “like” them. If not, you swipe the screen left and move on to other photos.

The process is pretty simple, which apparently was intended by the creators of the app, so it would be set apart from cumbersome dating sites that many times require a good amount of time to view profiles.

The whole thing sounds a little superficial, doesn't it? Well, yes, maybe a little bit.

Okay maybe a lot of bit, but the creators of Tinder say that’s how people normally make their dating choices off-line, and the company is just looking to take that experience and apply it digitally, where a person sees someone, finds them attractive and hopes some sort of introduction or a conversation ensues.

“We want to create experiences that emulate human behavior,” co-creator of the app Sean Rad told FastCoDesign.com. “What we do on Tinder is no different than what we already do."  

Private exchanges

And although you log in with your Facebook info, none of your “likes” or interactions between you and another person will be posted or shared on your Facebook page, so exchanges are kept private, which is good, since you probably don’t want your on- or off-line dating life exposed to all of your friends. 

And if you “like” somebody, they won’t be notified unless they "like" you too, which helps to remove some of the creepy-factor, where a person can see someone they find attractive, “like” them and constantly harass them with messages or pings.

In addition, the app has a push notification option, so you’ll be alerted when a person has mutual interest.

You set up your profile using photos from your Facebook page. From there, you need to apply the proper settings, so you can specify your sex, how close to your area you want the potential connection to be and what gender you’re interested in dating.

Once you see a person that strikes your fancy, you click on that photo, see other pics of them and read the rest of their profile information to get a better idea of what they’re into.

Younger crowd

It seems the creators of Tinder are gearing the app towards younger consumers who typically don’t mind meeting and dating people in hyper speed, and so far college kids along with twenty and thirty-somethings have really taken to it and created matches, according to the general Internet chatter.

Simply put, Tinder is a combination of the social app City Chatter, that links you with people in your immediate area and the site Hot or Not, which lets users rank each other based on photos submitted voluntary.

Whether Tinder is for the older dating crowd as well, that will be answered in time, but it’s unlikely since most folks who’ve circled the block a few times need a little more than an attractive face before they’re ready to communicate and take things offline.   

But for those who want to establish quick communications with people in your area who already find you attractive too, Tinder might be a good thing to have.

The only thing is, you’ll have to put your photo for people to either “like” or be indifferent to and that can take away some of the fun of using the app, because rejection is never enjoyable, but if your skin is kind of thick, which it should be if you’re already using dating sites, you might as well give Tinder a try.

It won't hurt.

Famous outlaw Willie Sutton was purported to have replied to the question, "why do you rob banks" with "because that's where the money is." The fact that he never said it is almost beside the point. He might as well have.

And the same answer would hold true if you ever asked a scammer, "why do you target senior citizens?" According to the FBI, seniors are most likely to have a “nest egg,” to own their home, and to have excellent credit.

"Unfortunately, we know from our research that seniors are very attractive targets," said Eleanor Blayney, Consumer Advocate for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

It's also unfortunate that seniors have fewer defenses against these attacks. People who grew up in the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s were generally raised to be polite and trusting. Con artists exploit these traits, knowing that it is more difficult for these individuals to say “no” or just hang up the telephone.

If you are a senior, or the caregiver to one, it's vitally important to know the favorite ways scammers try to play their games. Here are some very common senior scams and some suggestions for dealing with them.

Health care scams

Every American over age 65 is on Medicare and is very sensitive to any changes or modifications to the system. If a scammer calls and pretends to be a Medicare official, the senior may fall right into the trap, providing sensitive information like date of birth, Social Security number and even bank account information.

The proper response is to politely say you never reveal that information over the phone and hang up. No one from the government would ever call you and ask for it.

Unscrupulous medical equipment manufacturers sometimes use seniors to bilk the government. They dangle the offer of free medical products in exchange for their Medicare account numbers. A physician has to sign a form certifying that equipment or testing is needed before Medicare will pay for it. The FBI says scammers fake signatures or bribe corrupt doctors to cooperate.

Once the senior signs, the manufacturer bills Medicare for merchandise or service that was not needed or was not ordered. Again, seniors should not reveal their Medicare numbers to people they don't know.

Telemarketer fraud

Seniors have a hard time hanging up on people and telemarketers know this. That's why when scammers get an older person's phone number, it has great value. Seniors then become the target of people who sell bogus products and services. Telemarketing scams often involve offers of free prizes, low-cost vitamins and health care products, and inexpensive vacations.

The National Crime Prevention Council cites studies showing that seniors are more at risk to be targeted by telemarketing scams than other age groups, and fraudulent telemarketers direct anywhere from 56 to 80 percent of their calls at older Americans. These con artists believe that senior citizens are vulnerable and more susceptible to their tricks.

The best defense against these scams is to place the senior's telephone number on the Do Not Call list. Then, any telemarketer who calls and tries to make a sale has identified themselves as someone who is breaking the law. Just hang up.

Reverse mortgage scams

Reverse mortgages, also known as home equity conversion mortgages (HECM), have increased more than 1,300 percent between 1999 and 2008, according to the FBI. They have become especially popular since the Great Recession, as older homeowners try to tap the equity in their homes to meet living expenses.

While a reverse mortgage is a legitimate financial instrument, set up by the U.S. government, it can be easily misused to defraud seniors.

"Seniors, more than other segments of our population, often have homes they own, or have a lot of equity that they want to tap into," Blaynay said. "There are very strict rules for reverse mortgages in terms of who is qualified to issue them. Sometimes seniors are mistakenly led to believe that need to sign over their property deed in order to get a reverse mortgage. That's an absolute red flag."

In some scams the FBI has investigated, senior victims are offered free homes, investment opportunities, and foreclosure or refinance assistance. They have also been used as straw buyers in property flipping scams. Seniors are frequently targeted through local churches and investment seminars, as well as television, radio, billboard, and mailer advertisements.

If you investigate a reverse mortgage, make sure it is a loan product insured by the Federal Housing Administration. Eligible borrowers must be 62 years or older and occupy their property as their primary residence.

Grandparent scam

Many seniors have grandchildren who are teens or young adults. In the grandparent scam the scammer calls a senior and, muffling their voice or adding a lot of background noise to the line, says something like "Grandpa, it's me!" The victim might respond with the child's name. At that point the scammer assumes that identity and pleads for money to either get out of jail or avoid some trouble. In many cases the senior, who might not hear that well anyway, falls for it.

Seniors need to be aware of this scam and be prepared to deal with it. Here's one way to respond: when you receive a call like this say "give me a phone number where I can reach you and I will call you right back." Then, call the child's parent and fill them in. They should be able to quickly determine whether the caller is an impostor.

Finally, the advice is trite but bears repeating. If something sounds too good to be true, it almost always is. If someone makes you an offer, whether it is an investment with a “guaranteed” double-digit return or the exciting news that you've won a lottery you never even entered, you should recognize it for what it is; a scam.

President Obama has kicked off April by declaring it “Financial Capability Month,” with an emphasis on increasing financial literacy among consumers. The initiative stresses acquiring the tools to get ahead in today's economy.

But what tools do you need, exactly? At the very core, you need to know how to add and subtract. But everyone knows that, right?

If they do, why do we have so much consumer debt? You can add up all the income you have and subtract what you are spending, either in cash or on credit cards, and at the end of the month you had better come up with a positive number, not a negative one. We may have put our finger on the first rule of financial literacy – you must know how to manage debt, particularly credit cards.

Financial comic book

In 2012, Visa partnered with Marvel Comics to produce a financial literacy comic book that teaches children basic personal finance skills. The comic book, launched with the spring 2012 Avengers movie release, is available in eight languages. According to Visa, more than 150,000 copies have been printed to date.

Visa says it also has financial literacy programs for adults. In 2012 it began conferences in various regions of the world to provide basic financial skills.

But knowing how to add and subtract income and expenses is only part of the equation. With that knowledge consumers need the discipline to spend no more than they make. It's very easy to put restaurant meals and movie tickets on your credit card, but you must have the discipline to pay for all of those items when the bill arrives and not let the balance accumulate.

A second building block of financial literacy is budgeting. This is where those math skills come in handy.

Budgeting

A budget spells out on paper how much money is coming in and where it is being spent. You start with the big things, like rent or mortgage, car payments and insurance. But you should also include even the small stuff, like bank fees and your Netflix account.

A budget should also include some savings, so that you'll have the funds to meet an emergency expense. You'll quickly see where your money goes each month.

A third basic is choosing a place to keep your money. A bank used to be the logical choice, but these days you had better choose the right one. Most banks now charge fees to let them hold onto your money for you. Those fees have to be considered expenses in your budget that you just drew up.

Carrington, of Orlando, Fla., writes that he's closing his BB&T account because of fees.

“I have never felt so ripped off by a bank!” he wrote in a ConsumerAffairs.com post. “I did not even choose them, they bought out my old bank. I am closing my account with them ASAP. They're not worth it when there are so many banks in Florida to choose from.”

Small banks, fewer fees

Avoiding large national banks and even major regional banks will allow you to avoid the worst of the fees. If you bank at a credit union or small community bank, assuming you can find one, you should be able to hold onto more of your money.

Keep enough money in your account at all times so that you avoid unnecessary overdraft fees.

There are a few online-only institutions, like PerkStreet,  that offer free checking and debit cards. A ConsumerAffairs editor has had a PerkStreet account for the last year or so and says he has not only enjoyed free checking but has even made $100 or so in "perks," cash bonuses earned for certain types of spending. Unlike many banks, there is no minimum balance required.

A better, cheaper life

The object of financial literacy is to live a better life. With knowledge about money and how to manage it, you should be under less financial stress. An unexpected bill doesn't knock you for a loop and you'll have a little extra cash now and then for a treat.

But all of that requires living slightly below your means, and that's where lots of people fall short. They'd rather live slightly above their means and eventually, the numbers just don't add up.

Tracking your income and expenses, managing your credit card usage, sticking to a budget and not wasting money on bank fees are all part of the first step. That sets you up to start saving money, and that's how you can really get your financial life under control.