Current Events in October 2013

Choosing the right college has never been more important. After all, it's a big investment. There's a lot at stake.

But for a high school senior it can be a pretty overwhelming decision and oftentimes emotion ends up trumping objective judgment. For example, if a parent or older sibling went to State U, there might be pressure for you to go there as well.

But it might be the wrong place for you. You might not find what you're looking for there, and worse still you might get discouraged and give up. David Mammano, CEO and founder of Next Step Education Group, a website for prospective students, says college is a journey, so before beginning that journey try to imagine its end.

Where do you want to end up?

"Choosing a college can be overwhelming and stressful — we know that after 18 years of talking to students," Mammano said. "To get started, go online. Narrow down some choices based on where you hope to be at the end of your journey. You should also ask your school counselor for materials and resources that could be helpful."

To begin, Mammano and other experts in the field counsel high school students to think about the kind of school they want to attend; Private or public? Large or small?

A private school often has a liberal arts bent and has a small, intimate feel, even if it's a rather large institution. Public colleges and universities can be either large or small and often emphasize technical pursuits over the arts, though that's not always the case.

Being on a small campus allows you to more easily integrate into the student body and make friends. A large school often has a more diverse student body and has more resources. So the reason you are attending college is an important consideration as you make a selection.

Online tool

The College Board has an online tool to help you address some of these questions.

Colleges are much more selective than they used to be. So maybe you didn't get serious academically until the middle of your junior year, meaning your grade point average (GPA) isn't what it should be. That's going to limit your options.

However, according to the College Board there are approximately 1,600 colleges – mostly community colleges – that accept almost all high school graduates. A community college just might be your best option, at least for the first year. A community college typically costs much less than a four-year school, allowing you to save money as you get your first college credits under your belt.

Cost, of course, is a major consideration when selecting a college. All schools will be expensive but some are more expensive than others. As you begin to think about where you will go to school also begin exploring sources of financial aid.

Get real

When considering student loans, look realistically at what the four-year loan total will be and whether your chosen field will pay you a salary that can comfortably make the payments.

Once a year some popular magazines issue their rankings of the best schools in the nation. While it makes for interesting reading, it's best to take these rankings with a grain of salt. Best school for whom, you should ask?

You may make a formal visit to the top schools on your list, which may provide you with a guide to show you and your parents around. That's all well and good, but if you are interested in the school, making a return trip and visiting the campus without a guide will provide a more objective view.

Reach out to the professors in the department where you will major. The professors almost always publish their email addresses and most are happy to communicate with prospective students.

One final consideration is distance from home. Most likely there are good schools within two or three hours of your home. But that can be a good thing or not, depending on what you're looking for.

Choosing the right college is more than picking a place to live for the next four years. It means finding a place where you think you can excel. In the end, choosing the right school may come down to making a list of the things that are most important to you and see how each of the colleges you’re considering measures up.

A new study finds that kosher chicken may harbor up to twice as much antibiotic-resistant E. coli as poultry raised conventionally, despite the common belief that kosher meat is safer than other types.

Northern Arizona University researchers said that between April and June 2012, they bought 213 samples of raw chicken from 15 retail locations in New York City among four categories: conventional, organic, raised without antibiotics (RWA) and kosher. They screened each sample for E. coli and then tested that E. coli’s resistance to 12 common antibiotics.

The results were a little surprising, said lead author Jack Millman: Resistance rates were lowest among RWA chicken meat, while conventional and organic had virtually the same frequency. Kosher chicken, on the other hand, had nearly twice as much resistant E. coli as conventional and organic.

The findings may also be surprising to consumers who buy kosher foods because they think they're healthier, which actually turns out to be the major portion of the market. A survey cited by The New York Times in 2010 found that 62% of those who buy kosher foods do so for quality reasons, compared to only 15% who do so for religious reasons.

Since kosher food production is governed by religious doctrine, it doesn't necessarily reflect scientifically-accepted standards. The ancient Jewish laws that govern kosher food production don't, obviously, say anything about use of antibiotics.

Chicken sold as RWA -- raised without antibiotics -- on the other hand, must never have been exposed to antibiotics at anytime in its life, while organic chicken can be given antibiotics in the first 24 hours of its life.

If you love the taste of fast-food chicken nuggets and also believe “ignorance is bliss,” then you won’t want to read this: Researchers in Mississippi analyzed the chicken nuggets they’d bought from two (unidentified) fast-food outlets in Jackson, and determined that “striated muscle (chicken meat) was not the predominate component in either nugget. Fat was present in equal or greater quantities along with epithelium, bone, nerve, and connective tissue.” In other words, chicken nuggets are mostly chicken fat and body parts.

Lead researcher Dr. Richard D. deShazo of the University of Mississippi Medical Center spoke with Reuters Health about his findings.  “What has happened is that some companies have chosen to use an artificial mixture of chicken parts rather than low-fat chicken white meat, batter it up and fry it and still call it chicken. It is really a chicken by-product high in calories, salt, sugar and fat that is a very unhealthy choice. Even worse, it tastes great and kids love it and it is marketed to them.”

Not everyday

Which is okay if people only eat these nuggets once in awhile; the problem, deShazo said, is that chicken nuggets are so cheap, convenient and tasty, some people eat them multiple times a week.

However, Ashley Peterson of the National Chicken Council pointed out that two chicken nuggets from two unidentified restaurants isn’t a sample size large enough to generalize about the chicken-nugget industry as a whole.

Furthermore, she said, “Every package of chicken nuggets in the grocery store by law contains an ingredient list and a complete nutritional profile, including fat content.”

That, of course, doesn't do anything for the diner who grabs his nuggets at a fast-food outlets.

For his part, deShazo told Reuters that his brief study wasn’t intended to be an expose of the chicken industry, merely another reminder that “not everything that tastes good is good for you.”

If you used TurboTax Online over the last five years and had fees deducted from your tax refund, you may be eligible to share in a $6.55 million class action settlement approved by a federal judge this week.

The case began when Tasha and Fredierick Smith, of Arkansas, complained about the fees charged by Intuit, which publishes TurboTax. The Smiths said they used TurboTax in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Each time they deferred paying the $86.90 fee for using TurboTax, opting to have it deducted from their tax refund. Intuit did so but added a $29.95 "refund processing option" charge, more than 34 percent of the original fee. The couple got their refund in two weeks.

"Plaintiffs paid $29.95 for an approximate 14-day loan of $86.90," their complaint stated. "The APR, properly calculated in accordance with TILA [the Truth in Lending Act], was an exorbitant quadruple-digit interest rate. Such interest rates also violated California's usury laws."

The couple argued that Intuit's fee should be considered a refund anticipation loan and therefore subject to interest rate and finance charge disclosure rules.

U.S. District Judge Edward Davila initially disagreed and dismissed the action, writing that the RPO did not qualify as a loan because customers never received any money from Intuit. But after allowing the Smiths to amend their complaint twice, Davila ordered the parties into mediation.

Earlier this year, both sides announced they had reached a preliminary $6.55 million agreement. Davila signed off on the settlement Tuesday, Courthouse News Service reported.

What to do

To find out if you qualify for a payment under the settlement, see the official settlement administrator site. The site outlines your rights and options. There is no fee for those covered by the settlement. Be sure to use the official claim form on the site. Do not give personal information to anyone who calls or emails you.  

American Airlines is calling attention to what it says is a blatant travel scam, filing a lawsuit against the promoters of what it claims is a scheme to deceive the public by stealing American's logo.

The suit, filed in Tarrant County, Texas, District Court against several individuals and operators, claims the defendants are using American's trademarks and likeness of its livery on mass-mailed postcards and letters to lure people into sales presentations for vacation club memberships. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to prevent the misuse of its logo and trademark.

The airline says consumers who receive a postcard or mailer bearing the American logo and containing a pitch for a vacation club should understand the airline has no connection to what is being offered.

The airline said some mailers refer to a promotion called "American Airlines Fly Away Promotion," while other mailers feature American's brand images or name.

Some of the mailers cited in the suit promise the recipient two free round-trip airfares.

Strings attached

But it doesn't work out that way, the airline says. When the recipient calls the phone number listed on the mailer, they are told they must attend a seminar to receive the airline tickets.

The suit claims the real purpose of the seminar is to sell vacation club memberships, which it says are high-priced and offer little more than discounts readily available online.

The promised airline tickets? American says they are either not provided or the consumer must jump through countless hoops to get them. While anyone can purchase American Airlines tickets and give them away, the airline objects to what it considers the unauthorized use of its logo in the promotion.

"The well-being of American's customers is our top priority, and this is such an unfortunate violation of an iconic brand that our customers, employees and communities around the globe have come to trust," said Rob Friedman, American's Vice President of Marketing. "This lawsuit seeks to protect the brand so many rely upon, and cease these deceptive practices."

Seeking evidence

If you receive one of these postcards or mailers, American says it would like to get a copy. It's asking consumers to scan the front and back of the item and email it to the company at webmaster@aa.com.

In the past promoters have used airline logos to add credibility to their travel pitches. There was a case recently where consumers received vouchers for two free tickets aboard “US Airlines.” However, there is no “US Airlines” but many receiving the mailer confused it with US Airways. The pitch was used to entice consumers to join a phony travel club.

American is the second corporation to complain about travel scams in recent weeks. Late last month RSI Vacations, which markets vacation clubs and travel benefit programs, warned travelers about a spike in thefts from international third-party ATMs. The company said thieves were using emplanted scanners to capture debit card numbers and PINs.

Timeshare scams

It also warned consumers about timeshare sales scams in which the bogus operator claimed to have close connections with resort developers or alleged buyers are used as leverage to convince timeshare owners to part with hundreds or even thousands of dollars in upfront "sale management" fees.

Another dubious practice travelers should watch out for is a practice called “card milling.” Operators will sometimes entice travelers with the promise of travel agent discounts on flights, hotels and rental cars, just by showing a card. Sometimes they discounts don't exist, sometimes they come with huge redemption fees that exceed the full price of the package.

A leading debt-settlement payment processor is being sanctioned for allegedly helping others to collect millions of dollars in illegal upfront fees from consumers. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has asked a federal district court to approve a consent order that would require Meracord LLC and its CEO and owner, Linda Remsberg, to halt all illegal activities and to pay a $1.376 million civil penalty.

“We are taking action against Meracord, a company that made it possible for debt-settlement companies across the country to charge consumers illegal fees,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “By taking a stand against those who facilitate illegal activity, we can root out harmful behavior across the debt-settlement industry and better protect consumers.”

Debt-settlement companies generally offer to help consumers reduce or eliminate their credit card or other debt by negotiating settlements with creditors. In many cases, when consumers enroll in a debt-settlement program, the company instructs them to stop paying their debts and to instead make monthly payments to a payment processor, such as Meracord, while the debts are negotiated. Washington state-based Meracord has been one of the largest payment processors for the debt-settlement industry.

Upfront fees charged

The CFPB charges that Meracord and Remsberg violated the Telemarketing Sales Rule by helping debt-settlement companies charge consumers upfront fees. The rule prohibits debt-settlement companies from charging consumers such fees before settling any of their debts. It's designed to protect consumers from the risk of spending money on services that may not materialize and then ultimately being left even deeper in debt.

According to the complaint, Meracord processed thousands of these illegal advance fees since October 2010. In total, the CFPB believes that Meracord helped debt-settlement companies charge millions of dollars in unlawful fees to more than 11,000 consumers in multiple states. Nearly 5,000 of those consumers’ accounts were closed without any of their debts being settled.

Prohibitions and penalties

The proposed order, which the defendants have agreed to, would bar Meracord and Remsberg from processing payments for debt-settlement companies and for members of the related mortgage-settlement industry. They would be subject to monitoring by the CFPB and would be required to make reports to the CFPB to ensure their compliance, and would also have to pay a civil money penalty of $1.376 million.

This action is part of the CFPB’s comprehensive effort to prevent consumer harm in the debt-settlement industry. In the lead up to this case, the bureau has been pursuing actions against several debt-settlement providers that charged consumers illegal advance fees with Meracord’s assistance.

The bureau obtained judgments against two of these companies -- Payday Loan Debt Solution, Inc. and American Debt Settlement Solutions, Inc. It also filed a complaint against four others – Mission Settlement Agency, the Law Office of Michael Levitis, Premier Consulting Group, LLC, and the Law Office of Michael Lupolover.

The government's monthly employment report, which is usually released on the first Friday of the month is Missing In Action -- or more appropriately -- Inaction today.

In a press release, the Labor Department says, "Due to the lapse in funding, the Employment Situation release which provides data on employment during the month of September, compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, will not be issued as scheduled."

The release goes on to say that "An alternative release date has not been scheduled."

The monthly employment report includes the jobless rate (from the household survey) and payroll employment (from the business establishment survey).

If you like the way the labor market looked at the end of 2012, you should be fairly happy with the way this year will wrap up.

According to a survey done for CareerBuilder, one in four employers (25%) plan to add full-time, permanent positions in the fourth quarter, relatively unchanged from a year ago (26%). Meanwhile, industries that are expected to outpace the national average for companies hiring include Information Technology (36%), Financial Services (32%) and Manufacturing (30%). Hiring among large healthcare organizations is expected to mirror the national average.

"Consistent hiring has been the theme throughout this jobs recovery," said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder. "Economic concerns are still looming. Some headlines in the news need to play themselves out before employers fully mobilize to create a more active job market. Companies will continue to produce an even stream of new jobs in the fourth quarter as they assess their positioning and prospects for the coming year."

Review and forecast

Twenty-eight percent of employers added full-time, permanent positions in the third quarter -- down 4 % from a year earlier and indicative of a market that, while stable, still wrestles with uncertainty. Eleven percent cut positions, compared with 12%, while 60% made no change to staff levels and 1% were unsure.

Looking ahead, 25% of employers plan to hire full-time, permanent employees, similar to the 26% of companies who planned to hire during the same period in 2012. Nine percent expect to downsize -- the same as last year. Another 61% anticipate no change and 5% undecided.

Thirty-two percent of employers say they plan to hire temporary or contract workers in the fourth quarter, relatively unchanged from 33 percent last year, while 22% report they will transition some temporary or contract staff into permanent employees before the end of the year.

Size and region

Although small businesses continue to trail large organizations in the percentage of employers hiring, recruitment among companies of all sizes will remain relatively steady over the next three months.

• 50 or fewer employees -- 15% plan to add full-time, permanent staff compared with 16% last year; 8% expect to cut positions versus 7% last year;
• 250 or fewer employees -- 18% plan to add full-time, permanent staff in the fourth quarter compared versus 20% last year; 9% will likely reduce their staffs, while 8% did so last year
• 500 or fewer employees -- 20% expect to hire full-time, permanent employees as opposed to 21% the year before; 9% expect to cut back compared with 8% last year
• More than 500 employees -- 32% say they'll be hiring during the last three months of the year, 2% less than last year; 11% expect to reduce their workforce compared with 9% last year

The West remains the most optimistic in terms of hiring plans, much as it has in previous surveys. The South saw the largest year-over-year decrease (four percentage points) in the number of employers expecting to recruit new talent, but is still slightly ahead of the Northeast and Midwest.

West -- 29% plan to add full-time, permanent staff in the fourth quarter compared with 31% last year; 9% expect to trim their staffs, while 7% did so the year before

• South -- 24% think they'll be hiring versus 28% a year ago; 9% look for workforce cuts as opposed to 8% in the fourth quarter of 2012
• Northeast -- 23% expect to add full-time, permanent staff close to the 24% who did so last year; those reducing headcount remained at 10%
• Midwest -- 23% say they are cent planning to hire full-time, permanent workers as the year draws to a close, the same as last year; 11% expect cutbacks compared with 10% last year

The national survey was conducted online by Harris Interactive from Aug. 13 to Sept. 6, 2013, and included a representative sample of 2,099 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

Millions of consumers increase their debt during the holidays each year because they put their spending on a credit card, to be paid later. Personal finance experts often advise that it's much better to pay with cash.

For most, however, that's easier said than done. But it can be done, says Cameron Huddleston, contributing editor at Kiplinger.com and author of “How to Save $1000 or More by Black Friday.” She breaks down her advice in two areas – how to save money and how to earn money. Most people can save, she says, by reducing telecommunications charges. 

“You need to evaluate whether you really need that landline,” Huddleston said. “Are you using it enough to justify the expense? You could be saving $30 to $40 a month if you can get by with just your cell phone.”

Consider a pre-paid smartphone

Even then, she says, consumers might be able to save money on their cellphone bills. Her advice? If you aren't locked into a two-year agreement with a major carrier, consider moving to one of the pre-paid wireless providers. Straight Talk Wireless, for example, offers unlimited talk, text and data for about $45 a month. That's about half what you might pay on a major carrier's contract plan.

Another area where consumers can save is by reviewing their insurance coverage. Premiums are affected by the policy's deductible – the amount a driver or homeowner pays on a claim. By raising the deductible – and assuming more of the risk – the consumer pays a smaller premium.

“I saved by doing this myself,” Huddleston said. “I shaved about $300 off my annual premium by boosting my deductible from $1,000 to $2,000. That's a savings of about $25 a month. You can also do the same thing with your auto insurance. It's also a good idea to do this, especially with homeowner's insurance, because you don't want to be tempted to file small claims, which will just lead to increased premiums.”

Park your car

When gasoline costs more than $3 a gallon, driving less will obviously save money. Sometimes you have to drive but if you don't – if you can bike to work, for example – that eliminates some expense.

Another obvious way to save money is by taking your lunch from home instead of buying it at the corner deli. While everyone knows there's savings to be had, Huddleston has done the math. A pound of deli meat for $6, a loaf of bread for $2 to $3 and you replace a week of meals out.

Cable TV is another big expense and many people might not think they can do without it. If you can get by on Netflix, says Huddleston, you can save $70 or more each month.

Keep more of what you earn

When it comes to earning extra money, perhaps the easiest way is to simply adjust your federal income tax withholding. This, after all, is money you are already earning.

“This is a really easy way to earn money and most people can do this,” Huddleston said. “The majority of taxpayers get a refund and the average refund this year was about $2,600. If you get a big refund each year, go to your human resources director or your boss and adjust your withholding so you'll get more money in each paycheck. Better to get it now than have to wait until spring.”

Another easy way to raise cash is to liquidate some assets. That doesn't mean selling stocks and bonds. Rather, it means taking some of your unused or little-used possessions – the stuff your significant other commonly refers to as “junk,” to a consignment shop and sell it. The shop may keep 50% but still, it's a fairly painless way to clean out your closet and get some holiday cash.

“I recently made $300 selling furniture and over $100 selling clothing,” Huddleston said. “It's a really easy way to make extra money and you don't have to deal with the hassle of having a yard sale.”

These individual steps, by themselves, might not produce a lot of money but Huddleston says the more of them you can do, the more substantial your holiday fund becomes. Starting now gives you almost two months before Black Friday, when the deals get better and the temptation to load up your credit card intensifies.

It’s bad enough that a woman who signed up for a $6-per-month gym membership had over $1,000 drained from her bank account; what’s worse is that the gym tried excusing it by telling her they didn’t think she was a real person anyway.

Courthouse News broke the story of Kathleen Tester, who is suing a Minnesota gym called Fitness 19 for violation of the Electronic Fund Transfer Act.

According to court documents, when Tester initially joined Fitness 19, she authorized the gym to withdraw $6 per month in membership fees. Then, “on or around July 15, 2013, defendant Fitness made two unauthorized withdrawals from plaintiffs' bank account in the amounts of $165.00 and $652.50, a total of $817.50.”

When Tester called the gym about this, she was told that Fitness 19 had “intentionally withdrawn the moneys from her account because it did not believe that she was a real person.” Because what better way to verify the authenticity of a bank account than to withdraw hundreds of times more money than you're supposed to, right?

Tester cancelled her contract with the gym, yet it continued withdrawing money until Tester’s account became overdrawn and she had to pay $105 in overdraft fees to her bank.

Overdraft fees

More details can be found in TechDirt’s coverage of the story: before going to court, Tester tried settling the matter with the gym. The money taken out of her account on July 15 was refunded three days later (and isn’t it funny, how false withdrawals can be made instantaneously, but refunding the money always takes a day or two?).  

A month later, after Tester had already cancelled her contract, the gym allegedly withdrew another  $165, resulting in $105 in overdraft fees. This time the gym took only one day to refund the $165, without offering any explanation why it withdrew the money in the first place. Nor has it explained why it consistently withdrew three-digit amounts of money when the most it was ever authorized to take in a given month was six dollars.

Full-body cringing probably burns more calories than calmly sitting still. So when I don’t have time to exercise, I’ll read about the latest marketing or advertising campaign “for women,” cringe throughout and watch the pounds melt away.

Behold a mystery: 51 percent of the entire human population is female, putting us slightly in the majority, yet market researchers act like we’re these rare, exotic outliers completely distinct from the mainstream. Hence, the existence of ordinary ad campaigns aimed at ordinary “consumers,” and specialized ad campaigns aimed at “women consumers.”

The best cringing (from an aerobic-working perspective) comes from companies that try feminizing non-gender-specific products like writing implements, such as when the Bic corporation decided “Hey! Let’s take some ordinary ball point pens, give them pastel-colored casings, call them ‘Bic For Her’ and charge over four times as much,” but there’s no lack of quality cringe-fodder from people hawking actual “women’s products” like cosmetics.

Today’s calorie-burning cringe workout story comes from MediaPost, covering the latest Omnicom study and assuring us that “For Women, Monday is the Ugliest Day of the Week.” Here’s why:

"You’ve heard of “fat” days. Well, according to a new beauty study from Omnicom’s PHD, Women have ugly days as well and Monday tops the list.

"The shop conducted a quantitative survey of women 18+ across the U.S. that was designed to identify when women feel most vulnerable about their appearance throughout the week in order to determine the best timing for beauty product messages and promotions."

I shudder to think what spammy emails I'll get next Monday morning. Here’s more relevant statistics from the article: 49 percent of American women say Monday is the ugliest day (with Sundays running a close second), 69 percent said they (we) feel least attractive sometime between the hours of five and nine in the morning, 67 percent feel not-so-fresh after 10 p.m., and 67 percent also feel unattractive when we’re sick.

Short window

So when do we not feel bad about ourselves? “The findings show that women have the strongest positive feelings about their appearance in a relatively short window between noon and 3 pm.” Three hours out of every 24.

 Confession: Some of those statistics do apply to me. Last time I suffered a cold, for example, I didn’t feel attractive at all, not with clammy skin, watery eyes, fever sweat and a swollen red nose impersonating Niagara Falls. Even when I’m healthy, I doubt I look my best first thing in the morning, either. But — does this really set me apart from the male almost-half of the human race?

Serious question for the men reading this: when you want to look good (maybe, when you’re hoping to impress a potential romantic partner), do you think, “To increase my chances of success, I should sleep now, and wake up mere seconds before introducing myself” or “Gee, I wish I could catch a mild virus first, because I’m never more attractive and charismatic than when I’m sick as a dog?”

Serious advice for the women reading this: A good way to feel attractive and confident is to ignore as much “beauty” advertising as you can. I learned this, quite by accident, during my college days, when I thumbed through a copy of a so-called “women’s” magazine because one of the cover stories sounded mildly interesting. 

The thing about such magazines is, you will not find their table of contents just inside the front cover; it’s hidden somewhere behind literally dozens of pages of glossy advertising. So there I sat, flipping through page after page after page of beauty-product ads, searching for the table of contents, and here’s a rough transcript of my thoughts throughout:

“Hmm, that particular shade of lipstick would look really good on me! I’ll have to remember it .... wonder if that liquid foundation would make my complexion look as porcelain-flawless as the model’s .... ooh, if my eyelashes could only look like these eyelashes here in this mascara ad ….”

Suddenly, fortunately, I snapped out of it, shut the magazine and wondered: “What the hell? Two minutes ago I was perfectly content, except for wanting something to read, and now I feel I need to buy hundreds of dollars’ worth of cosmetics which, half an hour ago, I had no idea even existed?”

Then again, this all happened late in the evening when, according to the latest market research, I’m statistically most likely to feel insecure and unhappy about my appearance. Next time, I’ll watch the clock and make sure it’s between the hours of noon and three p.m. in my time zone. And never, ever on a Monday.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released the results of its test of the redesigned 2014 Toyota Corolla and the news isn't good.

The small car earned only a marginal rating because, according to IIHS, structural performance was poor and the driver’s space was seriously compromised by intruding structure.

The institute says measures from the dummy indicate that injuries to the left lower leg would be possible in a real-world crash of this severity. Additionally, the dummy’s head contacted the front airbag but rolled to the left as the steering wheel moved 4 inches to the right. That left the head vulnerable to contact with forward structures like the windshield pillar and dashboard. Still, the side curtain airbag did deploy and had sufficient forward coverage to protect the head from contact with forward side structure like the roof rail and interior door panel and outside objects.

Earlier tests

In August, IIHS released results for 12 other small cars but didn’t test the Corolla because the redesigned model was about to be released. If design changes are imminent, the institute delays tests to ensure that its ratings don’t soon become obsolete. The practice also encourages automakers to improve designs more quickly.

In the earlier tests of the small cars, half earned a good or acceptable rating for occupant protection in a small overlap crash and qualified for the IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ designation. Six other small cars earned marginal or poor ratings.

New test added

The Institute added the small overlap test to its lineup of vehicle safety evaluations last year. It replicates what happens when the front corner of a vehicle strikes another vehicle or an object like a tree or a utility pole.

In the test, 25% of a vehicle's front end on the driver side strikes a 5-foot-tall rigid barrier at 40 mph. A 50th percentile male Hybrid III dummy is belted in the driver seat.

The Corolla currently qualifies for the 2013 TOP SAFETY PICK award, without the +, for good ratings in the Institute’s four other tests -- moderate overlap front, side, rollover and rear.

It's one thing to pay more than $70,ooo for an electric car. It's something else entirely to stand helplessly by as the thing catches fire and burns.

That's what happened to a Seattle-area driver the other day. He told police he hit a small piece of metal that was lying the pavement. He pulled over and was examining his gleaming Tesla S when the car started to smoke.

Firefighters arrived and poured water on the flames, which seemed to make things worse. They switched to dry foam, then cut into the car so they could get to the lithium-ion battery pack under the passenger compartment.

Lithium-ion batteries, you may recall, are also used in other devices great and small -- the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Chevrolet Volt and also cell phones and laptop computers, among others.

Smoke screen

Tesla, which had been sitting on the top of the automotive heap, has been issuing statements pointing out that the battery pack was damaged by the unknown metal object, the fire didn't start spontaneously and so forth. But those statements haven't gotten much mileage when heaped up against the video of the blaze that's been making the rounds on the Internet.

"This was not a spontaneous event," company spokeswoman Liz Jarvis-Shean said in a statement. "Every indication we have at this point is that the fire was a result of the collision and the damage sustained through that."

Tesla shares fell sharply on news of the incident, which tarnished Tesla's reputation for safety. It had been named the "safest car on the road" by a consumer magazine just a few moths ago.

A California environmental group says tests have found a cancer-causing chemical in 98 shampoos, soaps, and other personal care products sold by major national retailers.

The chemical, cocamide diethanolamine (cocamide DEA), a chemically-modified form of coconut oil used as a thickener or foaming agent in many products, was listed by California as a known carcinogen last year.

Products tested with high levels of cocamide DEA include shampoos made by Colgate Palmolive, Colomer and Paul Mitchell, among others. In addition, products marketed for children and a product falsely labeled as organic were found with the chemical, which would be a violation of California law.

The Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health is suing Macy's, JC Penney, Kohl's and Marshalls, as well as such personal care companies as Shikai Products and Avlon Industries, in a suit filed in Alameda County Superior Court.

The nonprofit has sent legal notices to more than 100 other companies that produce or sell cocamide DEA-tainted products that their products violate state law.

Doused with chemicals

“Most people believe that products sold in major stores are tested for safety, but consumers need to know that they could be doused with a cancer-causing chemical every time they shower or shampoo,” said Michael Green, Executive Director of CEH. “We expect companies to take swift action to end this unnecessary risk to our children’s and families’ health.”

Besides brand-name products, the CEH testing found cocamide DEA in store-brand products purchased at Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Pharmaca, and Kohl’s. A store brand children’s bubble bath from Kmart and a children’s shampoo/conditioner from Babies R Us were also found with cocamide DEA.

CEH said falsely labeled organic products from Organic by Africa’s Best also tested for high levels of the cancer-causing chemical; CEH said it previously won a legal settlement with this company requiring it to end its use of phony organic labels.

The suit charges that cocamide DEA has been identified as a carcinogen and, under California's Proposition 65, manufacturers must post a warning on their labels saying their product contains a known carcinogen.

Okay -- it's only October. But in the dog-eat-dog world of retailing, it's never to early to start looking ahead to your most profitable time of year: the Christmas shopping season.

With that in mind, the National Retail Federation (NRF) says it expects sales in the months of November and December to increase 3.9% -- to $602.1 billion, compared with 2012’s actual 3.5 percent holiday season sales growth and the 10-year average holiday sales growth of 3.3%.

“Our forecast is a realistic look at where we are right now in this economy -- balancing continued uncertainty in Washington and an economy that has been teetering on incremental growth for years,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “Overall, retailers are optimistic for the 2013 holiday season, hoping political debates over government spending and the debt ceiling do not erase any economic progress we’ve already made.”

Numerous factors

Given the current government shutdown and NRF’s holiday outlook, Shay says the forecast is “somewhat hinging on Congress and the administration’s actions over the next 45 days; without action, we face the potential of losing the faith Americans have in their leaders, and the pursuant decrease in consumer confidence.”

Economic variables including positive growth in the housing market and increased consumer appetite to buy larger-ticket items give retailers reason to be cautiously optimistic for solid holiday season gains. However, much remains up in the air, including fiscal concerns around the debt ceiling and government funding, income growth and even policies and actions surrounding foreign affairs, all of which could affect holiday sales. According to NRF, the holiday season can account for anywhere from 20-40 percent of a retailer’s annual sales, and accounts for approximately 20 percent of total industry annual sales.

“The economy continues to expand, albeit at an unspectacular pace,” said NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz. “In order for consumers to turn out this holiday season, we need to see steady improvements in income and job growth, as well as an agreement from Washington that puts the economic recovery first. Our forecast leaves room for improvement, while at the same time provides a very realistic look at the state of the American consumer and their confidence in our economy.”

Online sales forecast

In its forecast for online sales, Shop.org says it expects sales in November and December to grow between 13-15% over last holiday season to as much as $82.0 billion.

The digitial trade organization calculates sales based on government data including consumer confidence, consumer credit, disposable personal income and previous monthly retail sales releases. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, e-commerce sales rose increased 15.5% in the final three months of last year.

“Online and mobile continue to be a leading area of growth for retailers. In this economy savvy, cost-conscious consumers go to the web to do their research and get the best bang for their buck,” said Shay. “In addition to researching what their peers are saying online about products and gifts this holiday season, consumers will use the buy online pick-up in store option, retailers’ apps and mobile websites to find something special for their loved ones.”

Seasonal employment growth

NRF expects retailers will hire between 720,000 and 780,000 seasonal workers this holiday season, which is in line with the actual 720,500 they hired in last Christmas season, saw a 13% year-over-year increase from 2011.

“Retailers will add hundreds of thousands of valuable jobs to the economy this holiday season, including extra staff for their distribution centers, store managers, e-commerce and mobile positions and helpful staff associates,” said Shay. “Teenagers, college students and adults love working in retail during the holidays, especially with the perks of employee discounts and being the first to see what’s added to store shelves. Additionally, as we’ve heard from several companies, these holiday positions offer thousands of people the opportunity to turn seasonal employment into a long-term dynamic and thriving career opportunity.”

More people found themselves out of work in September as employers announced plans to reduce their payrolls by 40,289. That's the lowest level of cuts in three months and a drop of 20% from August, when terminations hit a six-month high of 50,462.

At the same time, though, outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas notes the September total was 19% above the 33,816 planned job cuts announced the same month last year, marking the fourth consecutive month that saw heavier job cutting than a year ago.

A rough quarter

During the third quarter, job cuts were up 25% from a year ago, with 128,452 planned announced versus the 102,910 over the same stretch last year. In addition, the third-quarter total was 13% higher than the second quarter, when 113,891 job cuts were announced.

Despite the third-quarter surge, the overall pace of job cutting this year is virtually unchanged from a year ago. To date, employers have announced 387,384 job cuts -- up just 0.4% from the 386,001 announced from January through September in 2012.

Another health care hit

For the third time in the last five months, the health care sector was the leading announcer of job cuts, totaling 8,128. That is the highest monthly job-cut total for this sector since December 2004, when 9,588 job cuts were announced.

The sector has now announced 41,085 job cuts this year, which is 13.4% more than the 36,212 health care job cuts announced in all of 2012.

Because of the government shutdown, we may or may not get the official word on how many jobs the economy cranked out in September. But, according to the ADP National Employment Report, private sector employment increased by 166,000 last month.

At the same time, though, the report -- which is derived from ADP’s actual payroll data -- revised August’s job gain down from 176,000 to 159,000.

What grew and what didn't

Goods-producing employment rose by 19,000 jobs, a slight increase over its August growth rate. Construction payrolls added 16,000 jobs, while manufacturing payrolls increased by 1,000.

Service-providing industries added 147,000 jobs -- down 5,000 in August. Among the service industries,, trade/transportation/utilities added the most jobs with 54,000 over the month. Professional/business services employment rose by 27,000, while financial activities lost 4,000 jobs.

"During the month of September, the U.S. private sector added a total of 166,000 jobs,” said Carlos A. Rodriguez, president and chief executive officer of ADP. "As in previous months, most of the job gains occurred in the service-providing sector."

Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody’s Analytics which collaborates with ADP in the report, thinks the job market has softened in recent months. “Fiscal austerity has begun to take a toll on job creation,” he said. “The run-up in interest rates may also be doing some damage to jobs in the financial services industry. While job growth has slowed, there remains a general resilience in the market. Job creation continues to be consistent with a slowly declining unemployment rate.”

Of the total, 74,000 jobs were created by businesses with 49 or fewer employees. Employment levels among medium-sized companies with 50-499 employees rose by 28,000 and there was an increase of 64,000 at large companies -- those with 500 or more employees.

Jobless claims

Separately, one of the parts of the government that is still functioning reports initial claims for unemployment benefits rose by 1,000 in the week ending September 28 to a seasonally adjusted total of 308,000. The total for the previous week had been revised upward by 2,000.

Analysts at Briefing.com say this level of claims normally would suggest a strong gain in nonfarm payrolls. But they add that over the last couple of months, the strengthening in the claims level had no effect on payroll growth. Employers appear to be content with their workforce, they point out, so that while there's been a drop in layoffs, there's been no corresponding spike in hiring.

The 4-week moving average, which eliminates the volatility in the weekly number and is considered a more accurate gauge of the labor market, was down 3,750 to 305,000.

The full report can be found on the Labor Department website.

If you go online to look, you'll find the jobs are out there -- and in growing numbers..

The Conference Board reports online advertised vacancies were up 209,700 in September to 5,184,600 -- the first rise of over 200,000 since December 2012. That puts the September Supply/Demand rate at 2.3 unemployed for each vacancy with a total of 6.3 million more unemployed workers than the number of advertised vacancies.

“The 210,000 gain for September is the first optimistic sign this year that employers are seeking additional workers,” said June Shelp, vice president of  The Conference Board. It brings the gain for the third quarter to 68,000/month and follows a gain of 27,000/month in the second quarter and a first quarter loss of 26,000/month.

Gains and losses

The increase resulted from a mixture of gains that outnumbered the losses. The largest September gain was for food service workers, up 45,000, or 20% -- a welcome increase since there are still four unemployed in this occupation for every available opening. The number of ads for management positions also rose by 24,700 in part due to greater demand for food service managers. Demand for transportation workers rose by 20,800 as employers advertised for truck drivers.

Occupations with declines in September included legal workers (-6,200) as demand for lawyers and legal support decreased. Office occupations also declined (-5,400) with less employer demand for secretaries and information clerks.

By area

Online labor demand increased in 45 states. Three states (New Jersey, Alaska and Idaho) declined, and Vermont and Rhode Island remained unchanged. Forty-three states are above last September’s levels

The largest increase in online labor demand occurred in the South, which gained 65,300 in September, led by the increase of 14,800 in Texas, to its series high. Georgia gained 8,500, North Carolina rose 5,400, Virginia gained 5,200, Florida increased 4,700, and Maryland gained 3,300. Among the smaller States, Tennessee rose 3,800, South Carolina increased 2,000, Arkansas rose 1,900, and Louisiana rose 1,800 (Table 3); all four of these less populated states reached their series highs.

Online labor demand in the West rose 50,200 in September with California gaining 27,100. Arizona rose 4,500, Washington gained 4,000, and Colorado increased 3,500 to its series high. Among the smaller Western States, Utah rose 1,500 to its high followed by Nevada (1,100) and Oregon (1,000).

The Midwest was up 48,200 in September, with Illinois posting the largest increase (7,500) followed by Minnesota (5,900), Michigan (4,800), Missouri (3,600), Ohio (3,400) to its series high, and Wisconsin (800). Among the smaller Midwest states, Indiana rose 3,300 to its series high, Kansas rose 3,100 to its high, West Virginia increased 2,000, and North Dakota rose 1,500.

The Northeast was up 28,000 in September with Pennsylvania posting a gain of 7,900. Massachusetts rose 7,300 to its series high, and New York rose 400. New Jersey dropped 600. Among the smaller states in the region, labor demand in both New Hampshire and Maine rose 1,100 with Connecticut up 800. Labor demand in Rhode Island was unchanged.

The Supply/Demand rates for the States are for August 2013, the latest month for which state unemployment data are available. The number of advertised vacancies exceeded the number of unemployed only in North and South Dakota, where the Supply/Demand rates were 0.57 and 0.98 respectively. The State with the highest Supply/Demand rate was Mississippi (4.28), where there were over four unemployed workers for each online advertised vacancy (Table 4). Please note that the Supply/Demand rate only provides a measure of relative tightness of the individual State labor markets and does not suggest that the occupations of the unemployed directly align with the occupations of the advertised vacancies.    

Have you ever had an unctuous salesperson offer you some wonderful freebie — free luxury-restaurant dinners, free show or concert tickets, free stay in a vacation resort hotel — provided you agree to spend an hour or two attending a vaguely described “sales presentation?” If so, then watch out: chances are someone’s about to try selling you a timeshare.

In just the past month we’ve had readers from all over the world complain about what they say are deceptive or high-pressure timeshare-sale tactics from Wyndham Vacation Resorts, but before sharing their stories, we want to remind you of three things you should remember while dealing with all salespeople, not just timeshare peddlers:

One: Don’t trust anyone who offers you something valuable in exchange for listening to a sales pitch. If what they’re selling were really such a good deal, they wouldn’t need to bribe potential customers into hearing about it.

Two: Never trust a salesperson who tries making you feel hurried or uncomfortable. “We’re offering a stunningly awesome deal, but only if you buy right now! This instant! No, you can’t take time to think about it! You can’t sleep on it tonight and make your decision tomorrow! You must sign a contract now now now right now!” 

Three: Never buy anything from a salesman who tries guilt-tripping you into a purchase. “I desperately need you to buy this, ’cause if you don’t I’ll lose my job and my children will be homeless and we’ll all starve!”

So as you read the reviews we collected about Wyndham Vacation Rentals this September, keep these three rules in mind — and notice how every single anecdote features a salesman breaking at least one of them.

Approached in a mall

Jana S. from Whangaparaoa, New Zealand, doesn’t even own a Wyndham timeshare, but still wrote us on Sept. 30 to say, “I am getting very sick and tired of these people … We were approached in a mall, asked if we would like to take part in a little competition and win a holiday, cash or TV.”

So they did, and they won! What amazing good luck, right? They took their valuable prize and went home?

Of course not. “When we won we were told we had to attend a 90-minute sales presentation. I pointed at the kids and said only one can go, but the lady was adamant that there was kids' entertainment and we had to attend both to redeem the prize. We agreed that it is 90 minutes of our holiday (and were set on not buying anything), but hey, we would get a free holiday in return.”

Or so they thought. Next morning, they went to the sales presentation. “It was a pokey little office and the kid’s entertainment was a TV and some colouring-in sheets. We had to wait for another couple and then the presentation started. It took about 45 min and the two of us just looked at each other and we knew there would be no sales agreement. Anyway, after the initial presentation, we were placed with a sales rep and he started to fill out a questionnaire. Then he talked us again through the program with all the fancy sales schnickschnack.”

Jana and her husband work in financial services, and are presumably more contract-savvy than the average person, so they ignored the salesman’s high-pressure pitch and “got straight to the point."

"We asked a lot of questions and he showed us what would be available and at what points amount, etc.," she said. "But our questions were never answered. We asked whether it's a timeshare (my other half still has one somewhere in Asia, worth not even the paper the contract is written on). The sales rep told us adamantly it isn't.”

They asked the salesman for the contract, so they could “read it in peace and quiet, do a little bit of research and then decide. That's when his manager stepped in and tried to lure us in, decidedly not to give us the fine print. We weren't moving an inch, and my other half even asked them if they would buy anything without reading the contract first.”

That was three years ago. Jana and her husband eventually escaped without signing anything, but Wyndham now had their contact phone number, and wasn’t afraid to use it.

“A couple of months later it started. Every so often I get called -- I had won something. After 3 years of harassment I told them to effing take me off their callers list, as they are scammers and there would be no way that I would ever buy anything from them. Well, one of ’em rung me today ... But, my new phone has an ignore function and that was hopefully the last I ever heard of them!”

Hopefully.

And hopefully Timothy P. of Melbourne, Australia, won’t have his next three years play out like Jana’s last three. Tim wrote us after attending a Wyndham sales presentation on Sept. 22, and concluding their salespeople were “unprofessional bullies.”

Tim almost considered buying a timeshare, he said, “until we were bullied and intimidated into a sale at the end of the presentation by a man whose name I cannot remember."

"His behavior was incredibly unprofessional and argumentative," Timothy said. "We left the presentation feeling angry and incredibly frustrated. I put a warning out to everyone who is looking to attend one of these presentations, as you will be treated like idiots and probably feel intimidated like we did. … Prior to the presentation I was told over the phone that it was a no-pressure, no-obligation presentation.”

Not so lucky

As annoying as Tim and Jana’s experiences were, at least they didn’t sign anything or part with any of their money. Most of our readers weren’t so lucky. Pamela P. of Worcester, Mass., wrote us on Sept. 16:

“We were basically accosted during vacation. For free tickets to a museum, we had to sit through a ‘no pressure’ timeshare presentation for 90 minutes. The presentation was over 5 hours and the salespeople wouldn't take no for an answer. By the time we left, we had purchased a deeded unit at Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach.”

Uh-oh. As Pamela mourned, “We were told many lies.” The first: “We could use Bill Me Later for the down payment and if we couldn't pay it in 6 months, they would extend it another 6 months, interest free. After falling on hard times, we couldn't pay the down payment and were told by Bill Me Later that was not true, and Wyndham should not have told us that.”

What else? “We were told we would get 10 days of vacation during ‘primetime’ with the 84,000 points we bought into. Come to find out, for the property we bought, that only gets us 3 days, and SC is too far to travel to for just 3 days.” Also, “They didn't tell us our points expire. They have to be used or forfeited unless we pay a fee.

"We were told party weekends were for anyone who could attend just because Wyndham likes to treat their customers well. We later found out, you have to bring a guest and they have to sit through a sales pitch."

What else went wrong with their Virginia stay? “We were accosted again, and tricked into another presentation advertised as learning how your membership works and finding out about new resorts in New York and Boston, but it was actually another sales pitch. … We were told it would be 45 minutes but turned into over 4 hours.

Maintenance fees

Another time Pamela attempted to vacation at a Wyndham property, “We had to bring a guest over 28 with an income of over $70,000, or a person over 55, and they had to sit through a presentation. … They also never told us about all the fees that are associated with any services. … They never told us that the maintenance fees will increase when we signed up, but when they tried to get us to upgrade, they told us that we needed to get out of our current plan because it's just going to keep going up.”

Wyndham timeshare owner Ed M. of Tafton, Pa., also complained about maintenance fees, when he wrote us on Sept. 17 to say that “upgrades are basically buying more points with more maintenance fees.”

Ed never actually bought a timeshare, but explained that, “My wife inherited hers from her parents who bought it many years ago and they never went once. They since have both died and now we have it. We asked [Wyndham] how we could change a fixed week to points and they said, ‘This is all we have.’"

“When the smoke cleared we did change a fixed week to 126,000 points but when we signed the contract we went back to the room and saw that we bought another 126,000 points for $17,000, which we paid off within a month, thanks to Mom and Dad's will," Ed said. 

What are these points?

What are these “points” that Ed and other customers keep mentioning? Our attempts to find answers on Wyndham Resort’s incredibly annoying website went nowhere, though when we checked today’s eBay listings we found dozens of sellers trying to unload “Wyndham timeshare points,” with some auctions offering over 200,000 points for as little as a dollar.

The best explanation of the Wyndham point system we found came from a Fodor’s Travel Talk discussion forum, after a member asked, “Wyndham timeshares — should we or shouldn’t?”

Dozens of community members warned the advice-seeker to avoid all timeshares, and a commenter calling himself “No Timeshare” gave a more detailed warning against Wyndham’s in particular:

“If you buy, you will be purchasing a point system. It allows these resorts to sell then raise the amount of points it will take to stay there in the future. Then you have to buy more points. It’s a new twist to buying a week of timeshare. With the selling of weeks, resorts would eventually run out of inventory. With points, it is unlimited sales."

So points (not money) are what you need to buy time at a Wyndham property, except points (unlike money) have a built-in expiration date, and points you can spend at one property aren’t necessarily good at another property. Which is why “No Timeshare” urged everyone at the Fodor’s forum:  “My advice … rent for your vacation. It's cheaper and your kids won't be stuck with it someday.”

Alicia S of Johns Island, S.C., wrote us on Sept. 6 about her Wyndham experience: “My husband and I purchased 154,000 points from Fairfield Ocean Ridge Edisto, SC on 06-16-00 for $15,150.00. We paid the (so-called) mortgage in full on 08-08-03. This purchase was a mistake for us because we weren't able to use it very often. We used it approximately six times over the 13-year ownership.”

Not for lack of trying, though.

“It was also extremely difficult to attempt to make reservations as there never seemed to be any availabilities when we needed. This exacerbated the already frustrating feeling we had over such a huge financial mistake. The maintenance fee started at $54.03 and is now $98.44. They want to hold you hostage to this maintenance fee (which they can raise at any time) for life."

"We asked by phone (in June 2013) to discontinue our ownership, wanting nothing other than to be done. We were told ‘it's just not that easy’ to do. We had paid our account in full in 2003 and never missed a maintenance fee. The points are worth nothing and you cannot give them away because no one wants to be stuck with a lifetime of maintenance fees," she said.

Eventually, Alicia said, “We consulted with an attorney. Our attorney said trying to deal with them was frustrating and actually made her angry at times. They just try and wear you down so you will give up. They have held up recording the deed as long as they can, to obtain more maintenance fees. Our attorney told them she didn't need their permission to record a deed in SC. Their response was, ‘Go ahead... we'll just record it back to your client.’ …  We have given them approximately 27,000-plus dollars over the last 13 years in exchange for maybe roughly 42 days of hotel/condo use. Again, I understand this was our mistake. But for them to make you feel you have no way out even when you owe them nothing is just wrong on so many levels. Their aggressive practices need to be stopped.”

And in conclusion ...

As one remorseful timeshare owner put it: “Trust me, people, just save your money every year and purchase your vacation the old-fashioned way. I am trapped into paying for a headache, and these bozos have even begged me to put Wyndham in my will for my kids! Like I really want to leave my kids the headache I foolishly bought into.”