Current Events in November 2013

Cold and flu season is kicking into high gear, prompting the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition (AAC) to urge consumers to double check to avoid doubling up on medicines that contain acetaminophen when treating winter illnesses.

Acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, is also found in more than 600 different medicines, including prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers, fever reducers, sleep aids and numerous cough, cold and flu medicines. Approximately 23% of U.S. adults use it. While it is safe and effective when used as directed, there is a limit to how much can be taken in one day. Taking more than directed is an overdose and can lead to liver damage.

Colds and flu

Americans suffer from an estimated one billion colds each year, and as many as 20% of us will get the flu. Seven in 10 people will reach for over-the-counter medicines, many of which contain acetaminophen, to treat fevers, sinus headaches and other unwelcome cold and flu symptoms.

“It is especially important for patients who regularly use medicines with acetaminophen for pain conditions such as arthritis or headaches, to ‘Double Check, Don’t Double Up’ before taking a cold or flu medicine that also contains acetaminophen,” said pharmacist Phil LaFoy, a member of the National Community Pharmacists Association, a founding organization of the AAC. “Educating patients on safe acetaminophen use is the first step in preventing liver damage.”

“Consumers should be diligent about reading their medicine labels, knowing the ingredients in their medicines and following dosing directions when taking all medicines—especially during cold and flu season when medicines for coughs and stuffy noses are commonly layered on top of other medications they may be taking,” said Kathleen Wilson, nurse practitioner and member of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, a founding organization of the AAC. “Because acetaminophen is in many pain relievers as well as medicines to treat cold and flu symptoms, I remind my patients to double check medicine labels and avoid taking two medicines that contain acetaminophen so they don’t exceed the daily limit when taking multiple medicines.”

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommends taking no more than 4,000 mg of acetaminophen in a 24-hour period. You can check here for more information and a list of some of the common medicines that contain acetaminophen. 

What to do

When taking medicines for cough, cold or flu, the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition counsels consumers to follow these four simple acetaminophen safety steps:

Always read and follow the medicine label.
Know if medicines contain acetaminophen, which is in bold type or highlighted in the “active ingredients” section of over-the-counter medicine labels and sometimes listed as “APAP” or “acetam” on prescription labels.
Never take two medicines that contain acetaminophen at the same time.
Ask a healthcare provider or a pharmacist if you have questions about dosing instructions or medicines that contain acetaminophen.

A new guideline has been released for treatment of cholesterol in people at high risk for cardiovascular diseases caused by hardening and narrowing of the arteries that can lead to heart attack, stroke or death.

The guideline, released by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, identifies four major groups of patients for whom cholesterol-lowering statins, have the greatest chance of preventing stroke and heart attacks. It also emphasizes the importance of adopting a heart-healthy lifestyle to prevent and control high blood cholesterol.

“The new guideline uses the highest quality scientific evidence to focus treatment of blood cholesterol on those likely to benefit most,” said Neil J. Stone, MD, Bonow professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and chair of the expert panel that wrote the new guideline. “This guideline represents a departure from previous guidelines because it doesn’t focus on specific target levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, commonly known as LDL, or ‘bad cholesterol,’ although the definition of optimal LDL cholesterol has not changed. Instead, it focuses on defining groups for whom LDL lowering is proven to be most beneficial.”

Four groups identified

The new guideline recommends moderate- or high-intensity statin therapy for these four groups:

• Patients who have cardiovascular disease;
• Patients with an LDL, or “bad” cholesterol level of 190 mg/dL or higher;
• Patients with Type 2 diabetes who are between 40 and 75 years of age; and
• Patients with an estimated 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease of 7.5 percent or higher who are between 40 and 75 years of age (the report provides formulas for calculating 10-year risk).

In terms of clinical practice, physicians can use risk assessment tools in some cases to determine which patients would most likely benefit from statin therapy, rather than focusing only on blood cholesterol to determine which patients would benefit.

“The likely impact of the recommendations is that more people who would benefit from statins are going to be on them, while fewer people who wouldn’t benefit from statins are going to be on them,” Dr. Stone said. Doctors may also consider switching some patients to a higher dose of statins to derive greater benefit as a result of the new guidelines.

Statins and lifestyle

The guideline was prepared by a panel of experts based on an analysis of the results of randomized controlled trials. The panel was charged with guiding the optimal treatment of blood cholesterol to address the rising rate of cardiovascular disease, currently the leading cause of death and disability in the U.S.

The panel chose to focus on the use of statins after a detailed review of other cholesterol-lowering drugs. “Statins were chosen because their use has resulted in the greatest benefit and the lowest rates of safety issues. No other cholesterol-lowering drug is as effective as statins,” said Dr. Stone. He added that there is a role for other cholesterol-lowering drugs, for example, in patients who suffer side effects from statins.

The report also stresses the importance of lifestyle in managing cholesterol and preventing heart disease. “The cornerstone of all guidelines dealing with cholesterol is a healthy lifestyle,” said Dr. Stone. “That is particularly important in the young, because preventing high cholesterol later in life is the first and best thing someone can do to remain heart-healthy. On the other hand, if someone already has atherosclerosis, lifestyle changes alone are not likely to be enough to prevent heart attack, stroke, and death, and statin therapy will be necessary.”

Recommendations

In addition to identifying patients most likely to benefit from statins, the guideline outlines the recommended intensity of statin therapy for different patient groups. Rather than use a “lowest is best” approach that combines a low dose of a statin drug along with several other cholesterol-lowering drugs, the panel found that it can be preferable to focus instead on a healthy lifestyle along with a higher dose of statins, eliminating the need for additional medications.

“The focus for years has been on getting the LDL low,” said Dr. Stone. “Our guidelines are not against that. We’re simply saying how you get the LDL low is important. Considering all the possible treatments, we recommend a heart-healthy lifestyle and statin therapy for the best chance of reducing your risk of stroke or heart attack in the next 10 years.”

The guidelines are intended to serve as a starting point for clinicians. Some patients who do not fall into the four major categories may also benefit from statin therapy, a decision that will need to be made on a case-by-case basis.

Netflix has a new look -- one it hopes will better lend itself to viewing on TV screens instead of smaller tablet and smartphone screens. 

"Our members collectively watch more than a billion hours of Netflix a month, most of that is on a TV," said Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt. "This is the biggest change to the Netflix experience on televisions in our history, making it even easier to find something great to watch on Netflix."

The new design was created specifically for the big screen, featuring multiple cinematic images for each title along with a new, snappy description and more personalized detail on why Netflix suggests it, the company said. 

The new format also lists Facebook friends of each subscriber who have already watched each programme, if a subscriber has paired their Netflix account to the social network.

The new TV experience is delivered by a new Netflix software platform that runs efficiently on various devices, from low-powered set top boxes, recent model Smart TVs and Blu-ray players to high-end game consoles. Previously each device had its own Netflix experience, which meant features took longer to roll out across devices. The Netflix website remains unchanged.

"This new software platform will allow us to innovate even faster and continuously improve the Internet television experience for our members across multiple devices," said Hunt.

The new format launches today and will be rolled out to all members globally within two weeks. Devices that will support the new experience include PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Roku 3, newer Smart TVs and recent Blu-ray players. Additional devices, including other Roku boxes, will be added at a later date.

Eating cable's lunch

Netflix, whose share price has more than trebled this year, is fast becoming a major threat to pay-per-view channels and premium cable channels. It already has than 30 million subscribers in the U.S. - surpassing that of HBO's older pay-per-view channel - and 1.5 million in Britain.

Netflix and other streaming video services are in the right place at the right time to grab the loyalty of younger consumers. Millennials -- the 18-to-24 group -- are dropping their TV remote controls at a faster rate than any other demographic, according to new research expected to be released this week by digital ad firm YuMe and the IPG Media Lab, Online Media Daily reports.

The Millennials are making video viewing a more personal experience, preferring tablets and smartphones to large-screen TVs, the study finds; they consume the majority of their video content via smartphone (about 20%); just over 15% via tablet devices; just under 15% via PC; less than 10% via live TV; and less than 7.5% via DVR devices.

Secret documents published today by WikiLeaks and analyzed by the nonprofit consumers group Public Citizen reveal that the Obama administration is demanding terms that would limit Internet freedom and access to lifesaving medicines throughout the Asia-Pacific region and bind Americans to the same bad rules, belying the administration’s stated commitments to reduce health care costs and advance free expression online, Public Citizen said today.

“The WikiLeaks text ... features Hollywood and recording industry-inspired proposals – think about the SOPA debacle – to limit Internet freedom and access to educational materials, to force Internet providers to act as copyright enforcers and to cut off people’s Internet access,” said Burcu Kilic, an intellectual property lawyer with Public Citizen. “These proposals are deeply unpopular worldwide and have led to a negotiation stalemate.”

WikiLeaks published the complete draft of the Intellectual Property chapter for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposed international commercial pact between the United States and 11 Asian and Latin American countries. Although talks started in 2008, this is the first access the public and press have had to this text. The administration has refused to make draft TPP text public, despite announcing intentions to sign the deal by year’s end. Signatory nations’ laws would be required to conform to TPP terms.

The leak shows the United States seeking to impose the most extreme demands of Big Pharma and Hollywood, Public Citizen said, despite the express and frequently universal opposition of U.S. trade partners. Concerns raised by TPP negotiating partners and many civic groups worldwide regarding TPP undermining access to affordable medicines, the Internet and even textbooks have resulted in a deadlock over the TPP Intellectual Property Chapter, leading to an impasse in the TPP talks, Public Citizen said.

“Given how much text remains disputed, the negotiation will be very difficult to conclude,” said Peter Maybarduk, director of Public Citizen’s global access to medicines program. “Much more forward-looking proposals have been advanced by the other parties, but unless the U.S drops its out-there-alone demands, there may be no deal at all.”

The worst to date

“The Obama administration’s proposals are the worst – the most damaging for health – we have seen in a U.S. trade agreement to date. The Obama administration has backtracked from even the modest health considerations adopted under the Bush administration,” Maybarduk said. “The Obama administration’s shameful bullying on behalf of the giant drug companies would lead to preventable suffering and death in Asia-Pacific countries. And soon the administration is expected to propose additional TPP terms that would lock Americans into high prices for cancer drugs for years to come.”

Last week, the AARP and major consumer groups wrote to the Obama administration to express their “deep concern” that U.S. proposals for the TPP would “limit the ability of states and the federal government to moderate escalating prescription drug, biologic drug and medical device costs in public programs,” and contradict cost-cutting plans for biotech medicines in the White House budget.

Other U.S.-demanded measures for the TPP would empower the tobacco giants to sue governments before foreign tribunals to demand taxpayer compensation for their health regulations and have been widely criticized. “This supposed trade negotiation has devolved into a secretive rulemaking against public health, on behalf of Big Pharma and Big Tobacco,” said Maybarduk.

“It is clear from the text obtained by WikiLeaks that the U.S. government is isolated and has lost this debate,” Maybarduk said. “Our partners don’t want to trade away their people’s health. Americans don’t want these measures either. Nevertheless, the Obama administration – on behalf of Big Pharma and big movie studios – now is trying to accomplish through pressure what it could not through persuasion.”

The text obtained by WikiLeaks is available at wikileaks.org/tpp. Analysis of the leaked text is available at www.citizen.org/access.

Mortgage applications were down for the second time in as many weeks during the week ending November 8. But there is a bit of good news hidden in the report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA).

While the MBA's Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey shows applications dipped 1.8%, it also notes that during the week ending November 1, the decline was just 2.8% instead of the 7.0% initially reported.

The Refinance Index fell 2% from the previous week, with the refinance share of mortgage activity remaining at 66%. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity increased to 7% of total applications.

Interest rates

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) increased to 4.44%, the highest level in a month, from 4.32%, with points increasing to 0.44 from 0.42 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs with jumbo loan balances (greater than $417,000) increased to 4.48%, the highest level in a month, from 4.37%, with points increasing to 0.34 from 0.26 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs backed by the FHA increased to 4.16% from 4.07%, with points increasing to 0.32 from 0.22 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 15-year FRMs increased to 3.52%, the highest level in a month, from 3.44%, with points decreasing to 0.27 from 0.30 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs increased to 3.11% from 3.08%, with points decreasing to 0.27 from 0.31 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

Athertone Foods of Richmond, Calif., is recalling “Best Buy” dates 9-23-13 through 11-14-13 of ready to eat salads and wraps because they may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

No illnesses have been associated with these products to date.

The following products are subject to recall:

The “Best Buy” dates can be located on the front of the package label.

Consumers who purchased the contaminated products are urged to return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or dispose of it.

Consumers with questions may contact Atherstone Foods at (510) 236-8905 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm PST.

Since 2008, the holiday shopping season has been more competitive and, it seems, increasingly hyped. Black Friday has become an unofficial holiday like the Super Bowl and retailers try to outdo one another, not only in their door-buster deals but with their earlier and earlier openings.

For the last two years most major retailers have been open at least part of Thanksgiving Day. This year Kmart is pushing the envelope, announcing it would open early on Thanksgiving Day and remain open the next 41 hours straight, through Black Friday.

But while millions of consumers are expected to fill the stores on Black Friday, the stores are offering holiday deals now, encouraging consumers not to wait until Black Friday. Make no mistake, they still want full stores on November 29 but their strategy appears to be to persuade consumers to shop early and often. The strategy appears to be working.

Shopping early

ICSC, a trade group representing the shopping center industry, says its research suggests 62% of consumers plan to wrap up their holiday shopping on or before December 16. One reason may be the increasing number of in-store and online pre-holiday sales.

The survey also found that toys and games are likely to be the most sought-after gift items this year, followed by consumer electronics. Gifts receiving the most specific mentions include smartphones, tablets, game consoles, digital cameras and televisions.

When it comes to selecting gifts, the survey found that it's mainly bargains that attract buyers. Of the women who were surveyed, 37% mentioned “seasonal discounts” as the main reason for a purchase, followed by 20% who cited “gift practicality.” The survey found men slightly less interested in saving money and slightly more concerned about the practicality of a particular gift.

Men, particularly young men, are most likely to buy consumer electronics this year. Approximately one-third of respondents from households with a combined annual income of $100,000 or more are expected to shop on Cyber Monday vs. Black Friday. The opposite is true for respondents from households with a combined annual income of less than $35,000.

More online shopping

In fact, online sales have increasingly become a bigger part of the holiday shopping season, which may explain the early appearance of online bargains. Consumers can shop at anytime and even brick and mortar stores can benefit when consumers buy from them online. Some stores encourage consumers to make their purchases through the store's website, then pick up the merchandise at the brick and mortar location, thus avoiding shipping charges.

Despite the growing emphasis on pre-Black Friday holiday sales, the day after Thanksgiving remains a huge day for retailers. This week Toys R Us announced its Black Friday plans, opening at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

The company has announced it plans more than 300 doorbuster values, while supplies last, during the Black Friday weekend. Among the deals Toys R Us has announced in advance are:

• A free $50 Toys R Us gift card with the purchase of a 5th generation Apple 16GB iPod Touch
• Monster High School Play set – regularly $74.99 – for $29.99
• LEGO Legends of Chima Eagles' Castle – regularly $44.99 – for $22.49
• Disney Infinity Starter Pack – regularly $74.99 – for $37.49
• Skylanders SWAP Force – regularly $74.99 – for $37.49

Like most retail chains Toys R Us will publish its deals in a newspaper circular but it, like most others, is expected to leak on numerous Black Friday ad sites. The company itself will provide a preview on its Facebook page Sunday November 24.

Car insurance rates have increased by 43% on average in the last 25 years, with only California showing a decrease, a study by the Consumer Federation of America finds.

The escalating rates are being driven at least in part by insurance companies' use of non-driving factors -- such as credit ratings -- in arriving at premiums. 

Only in California, where a 1988 ballot initiative -- Proposition 103 -- transformed oversight of the industry and curtailed some of its most anti-consumer practices, did insurance prices fall during the period.  CFA found that the amount that drivers spend on auto insurance in California declined by three-tenths of one percent, resulting in billions of dollars of annual savings.

“It is the 25th Anniversary of Prop 103, passed on November 8, 1988.  On this silver anniversary we can report that the Proposition delivered over $102 billion in savings for California’s motorists, an average annual savings of $345 per household, or $8,625 per family over the entire period,” said J. Robert Hunter, CFA's Director of Insurance and former Texas Insurance Commissioner and Federal Insurance Administrator under Presidents Ford and Carter. “This was the result of strong regulatory oversight and a more competitive market fostered by the 1988 insurance reform measure.”

States failing their citizens

Insurance is one of the few consumer services that is regulated on a state-by-state basis, which would lead one to think that state regulators -- who are, in many states, elected -- would be driven to ride herd on insurance companies, requiring them to provide the best possible coverage at the lowest possible cost.

But it seldom works out that way, as the CFA study found. In many states, insurance companies can raise their rates without prior permission, a system that CFA found discourages rate competition.  

“Consumers across the country would be better served with a more robust, prior-approval system of auto insurance regulation than the system currently in place in most states,” Tom Feltner, CFA’s Director of Financial Services said.  “When drivers, particularly low- and moderate-income drivers, are required to purchase auto insurance, states have a responsibility to address the high cost of coverage.”

Feltner said the prior approval system of regulation, in which insurers must apply for rate changes before they can be imposed in the market, is most effective at keeping rates low.

The CFA study also found that markets that are less or not regulated tend to have the most substantial increases.

Prop 103

The low rates that Californians have enjoyed under Prop 103 have spurred competition and reduced costs to consumers without impacting safety, CFA found. 

Proposition 103 built strong incentives for safety into the initiative.  Drivers with clean records gain a 20 percent rate discount.  They also receive the right to buy insurance from the company of their choice through Proposition 103’s “Good Driver Protections."

Also, state rules prohibit many of the discriminatory elements that plague low-income and minority consumers in other states, especially prohibitions on use of credit scoring and prior insurance coverage as rating factors. 

Perhaps surprisingly, insurers earned above-average profits in California during the study period, CFA said. 

“If every state in the nation were to implement and enforce a regulatory and pro-competitive agenda as demonstrably pro-consumer as that in California, our research indicates that Americans could save over $350 billion over the next decade ($3,361 per household), even as insurance companies realize reasonable profitability and competition remains robust,” said Hunter.  

“When it comes to regulating an industry as large as the auto insurance industry that impacts so many millions of Americans who are required to purchase insurance, we ask of policymakers and regulators the same question we asked when we first began reviewing auto insurance systems around the country more than a decade ago: Why not the best?”

If you’re one of those people blessed with more money than (fashion or financial) sense, you’ll definitely want to add a “Navigate” jacket to your wardrobe.

The jacket, invented by the Australian company Wearable Experiments, is equipped with GPS devices and other technological flourishes, to help pedestrians navigate through unfamiliar cities. Wearbale Experiements co-founder Ben Moir boasted that, “The technology built into the jacket is subtle and unobtrusive.”

“Subtle,” in this case, includes flashing LED lights sewn into the jacket’s sleeves, and vibrating devices in the shoulders. The sleeve lights start flashing as the jacket-wearing pedestrian approaches a turn, then the left or right shoulders vibrate to indicate a change of direction.

GPS-enabled clothing is nothing new; early in 2009, various snowboarding blogs heralded the introduction of GPS-infused coats marketed to snowboarders, cross-country skiers and other people whose hobbies regularly take them into cold, remote wilderness environments where getting lost can easily be fatal. And there’s no doubt that GPS clothing using directional vibrations to guide pedestrians could prove very useful for people whose vision is impaired badly enough to make personal navigation a challenge.

Everyday wear

What seems to set the Navigate jacket apart from earlier GPS clothes (in addition to the light-show rave sleeves) is that, based on our own (admittedly brief) online searches, it appears to be the first such jacket intended as ordinary everyday wear, rather than specialized garments for wilderness explorers and other niche market customers.

A writer for the BitRebels technology blog sounded excited about the world-freeing possibilities inherent in the new jacket: 

Wouldn’t it be quite interesting to wear one of these GPS jackets to guide you while in a city you have never been in before? I mean, just entering a destination through your smartphone and then head there with the help of the directions your jacket would give you. It would be the ultimate tourist accessory and with the subtle tappings and the LED lights not taking up too much of your time (where the smartphone would require you to constantly look at it) you would have more time to enjoy the actual city itself and what it has to offer.

Huh. We’ve used both smartphones and independent GPS devices to help us find our way through unfamiliar cities and suffered no shortage of time to “enjoy the actual city itself,” because we didn’t realize we had to “constantly” look at our GPS in order for it to work. Not to brag or anything, but: we’re perfectly capable of, for example, looking at a GPS just long enough to determine “Okay, in three blocks we’re supposed to turn right onto Tourist-trap Street,” and then — we do.

Granted, this requires a certain minimal level of intellectual effort — it helps if you read the actual signs, to determine which one is Tourist-trap Street — but this is not a problem because we figure the whole point of doing the tourist-visit thing is to look around and see what’s actually there. 

Thus far there’s no word on when the jackets will be available for sale, or what their price will be. We suspect it will be much higher than the cost of an individual jacket, GPS system and multiple LED lights, though.

American Airlines and US Airways have ended a lengthy standoff with the U.S. Justice Department and six states, potentially clearing the last hurdle to their $16 billion merger.

The carriers agreed to give up slots at key airports around the country to low-cost carriers, a concession that's intended to increase competition and hold down fares in key markets.

“Competition in the airline industry has been preserved by this settlement,” said Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne, one of the state AGs involved in the negotiations.  “The required divestitures of key assets at airports across the country will spur competition by allowing other airlines, most notably low cost carriers, to enter and expand service to cities across the country.”

The proposed settlement will open up slots for low-cost carriers at Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare, Dallas Love Field, Los Angeles International, Miami, New York LaGuardia and Washington Reagan National. 

Six state attorneys general – Arizona, Florida, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Tennessee and Virginia – and the District of Columbia joined in the proposed settlement, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.  If approved by the court, the settlement will resolve the U.S. Justice Department's competitive concerns and the lawsuit. 

Antitrust lawsuit 

On Aug. 13, 2013, the Justice Department, six state attorneys general and the District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit against US Airways and American alleging that US Airway’s $11 billion acquisition of American would have substantially lessened competition for commercial air travel in local markets throughout the United States. 

The department alleged that the transaction would result in passengers paying higher airfares and receiving less service.  In addition, the department alleged that the transaction would entrench the merged airline as the dominant carrier at Reagan National, where it would control 69 percent of take-off and landing slots, thus effectively foreclosing entry or expansion by competing airlines.

Smartphone giants Samsung, Google/Motorola and Microsoft need to do more to protect consumers from smartphone theft, according to 31 state attorneys general.

“The growing popularity of smartphones has made them valuable targets for thieves who sell them on black markets across the country and around the world,” said Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden.  “I’m concerned that this thriving black market puts consumers needlessly at risk of theft and violence."

Biden, who with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is leading the multi-state effort said the smartphone industry "can and should do more to develop anti-theft features that reduce or eliminate the value of these devices to criminals.”

The AGs want the companies to develop technology that would permanently disable stolen smartphones. They say that would dry up the resale market and make the phones less attractive to thieves. 

“While some new anti-theft security features are encouraging, the response from manufacturers needs to be more robust,” the AGs said in a letter to the companies. “For example, to the extent these security features have an opt-out component, or require consumers to pay for them, they may not be very effective.” 

Kill switch

The attorneys general pointed to the South Korean requirement that devices be produced with a “kill switch” that would enable stolen devices to be permanently disabled as an example of technology that would protect consumers and discourage theft.

The AGs are members of the Secure Our Smartphones (S.O.S.) Initiative, a coalition of prosecutors, police chiefs, attorneys general, public officials and consumer activists launched earlier this year to combat the rise in violent street crimes involving smartphone thefts.  Coalition members are committed to pressing the industry to find effective solutions to stopping the epidemic known as “Apple Picking” – the theft of popular mobile communications devices such as smartphones and tablets.

Nationally, thefts of smartphones have spiked dramatically.  In the US, one in three thefts involves a mobile communications device, and Consumer Reports estimates that 1.6 million Americans were victimized by smartphone thieves in 2012.  Mobile electronic devices that are stolen across the US help feed the growing international trade in stolen devices.

For a lot of Americans this Thanksgiving holiday, it'll be “over the river and through the woods,” or some variation thereof.

Travel site TripAdvisor's annual Thanksgiving travel survey finds revealing that 39% plan to travel this year -- up seven percent from 2012. Of those heading out, 37% will take to the skies, while 57% will be on the road.

Thanksgiving spending

Forty-six percent of travelers plan to spend more on Thanksgiving travel this year than they did in 2012, while 44 percent anticipate spending about the same.

• 14% plan to spend more than $3,000
• 21% expect to pay $1,000-$2,999
• 23% are budgeting $500-$999

Shopping malls will be crowded along with roads and runways, with 45% of U.S. respondents saying they expect to take a Black Friday shopping trip -- up 12% from those that anticipated doing so in 2012.

"With a seven percent increase in those planning a Thanksgiving pilgrimage this year, it's clear Americans are hungry for the holiday," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications for TripAdvisor. "As more than a quarter of travelers plan to depart the day before Thanksgiving, travelers with flexible schedules will be best served leaving Tuesday or earlier."

Turkey Day travel stress

Seventy percent of those asked admit to being stressed by Thanksgiving travel. Top sources of frustration include congested roadways, crowded airports/long security lines and bad weather. To cut down as much as possible on the stress, 64% plan to travel during off-peak hours, but 27% say they'll be traveling on Wednesday -- the busiest day for Thanksgiving travel.

Eight percent of travelers say they'll try to relieve stress by paying for a a hotel or motel room rather than staying with family and friends, and 16% will have Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant mainly to avoid cooking

Tapping technology

Fifty-seven percent of travelers plan to use a mobile device to help them with their Thanksgiving travel, with 85% of that group turning to a smartphone and 47% will utilizing their tablet.

The top five reasons travelers plan to utilize their devices:

• Check the weather (70%)
• Use navigation (51%)
• Research restaurants (40%)
• Check flight status (36%)
• Check-in to a flight (35%)

Where we're going

The top U.S. cities travelers plan to visit:

• New York City
• Chicago
• Washington, D.C.
• Los Angeles
• Boston / San Francisco (tie)

November is not only American Diabetes Month, it's also Pet Diabetes Month, intended to remind pet owners that their dogs and cats can develop diabetes just as humans can.

"Pet owners should be aware of the possible warning signs of pet diabetes and see their veterinarians for a definitive diagnosis," said Dr. Madeleine Stahl, a veterinarian speaking on behalf of Merck, which makes Vetsulin, an insuline product for dogs and cats. "Considering the fact that pet diabetes can be effectively managed, lack of owner awareness may be the biggest risk factor associated with this condition." 

Lethargy, excessive thirst and frequent urination are some of the most common signs of diabetes mellitus in dogs and cats. Pets may also exhibit increased hunger while losing weight, cloudy eyes (due to cataracts) in dogs and weakness of the back legs in cats.

Though any dog or cat can have diabetes, it is most commonly found in miniature schnauzers, German shepherds, golden retrievers and poodles. It strikes females more than males and it usually appears in a dog's middle years – age six to nine.

The causes of diabetes in dogs are similar to those in people. The islet cells in the pancreas slow down, failing to produce enough insulin. Without the proper amount of insulin, glucose can't pass into cells and produce energy for metabolism.

The result is high blood sugar as well as too much sugar in the urine.

Awareness campaign

To call attention to the problem, Merck Animal Health is launching a global awareness campaign during November. It has created three videos to help pet owners learn more about the condition and its signs. Those videos can be found at www.petdiabetesmonth.com along with a variety of pet owner educational materials.

It couldn't have come at a worse time.

On the cusp of the holiday shopping season, small business optimism dropped from 93.9 to 91.6, according to the National Federation for Independent Business (NFIB). The decline comes amid a sharp decline in hiring plans and expectations for future small business conditions.

Of the ten components that make up the NFIB Index of Business Optimism, seven turned negative -- falling a total of 27 percentage points. The stalemate in early October over funding the government as well as the failed “launch” of the Obamacare website left 68% of owners feeling that the current period is a bad time to expand; 37% of those owners identified the political climate in Washington as the culprit -- a record high level.

“Washington paralysis is never good news for the economy, so it was no surprise that while politicians were arguing over whether or not the government should remain fully operational, small-business optimism measures deteriorated,” said NFIB chief economist Bill Dunkelberg. “Small employers are not fooled by headlines announcing record high stock market indices; everyday they live the economic realities of over-regulation, increased taxes, weak sales and a government without any direction or plan for the future.”

Optimism Index

The NFIB optimism index lost 2.3 points to 91.6, with two components -- the outlook for business conditions and the outlook for real sales gains -- accounting for 52% of the decline. A weaker outlook for business produced dissatisfaction with inventory stocks, and fewer plans to create new jobs.

The average value of the index since the recovery started is 91 -- 8 points below the 35 year average through 2007 and well below readings typically experienced in a recovery, so the current reading is hardly something to cheer about. It is very hard to identify any current developments that would make owners more optimistic. The new budget deadline of January 15, 2014 is approaching quickly and Congress continues to wrangle over the healthcare law and little else.

Labor markets

Twelve percent of the owners (up 1 point) reported adding an average of 3.5 workers per firm over the past few months. Offsetting that, 9% reduced employment (down 2 points) an average of 2.8 workers (seasonally adjusted), producing the seasonally adjusted gain of 0.11 workers per firm overall. The remaining 79% of owners made no net change in employment. Fifty-one percent of the owners hired or tried to hire in the last three months and 40 reported few or no qualified applicants for open positions.

Reports of workforce reductions have reached normal or sub-normal levels, explaining the favorable levels of initial claims for unemployment. Nine percent reported reducing employment, the lowest reading since 2006. But owners report sub-par levels of hiring, so job growth remains anemic even with low levels of initial claims. Twenty-one percent of all owners reported job openings they could not fill in the current period (up 1 point), a positive signal for the unemployment rate. But, job creation plans lost 4 points from September, landing at a net 5%.

Inventories & sales

The net percent of all owners (seasonally adjusted) reporting higher nominal sales in the past 3 months compared with the prior three months deteriorated 2 points to a negative 8%. Seventeen percent still cite weak sales as their top business problem. The net percent of owners expecting higher real sales volumes fell 6 points to 2% of all owners (seasonally adjusted). Not much help for hiring or inventory investment in those numbers.

The pace of inventory reduction continued, with a net negative 6% of all owners reporting growth in inventories (seasonally adjusted) -- 1 point better than September. The net percent of owners planning to add to inventory stocks was a net negative 1%. The negative outlook for the economy and real sales prospects adversely affected inventory satisfaction. The net percent of owners viewing current stocks as too low fell to a net negative 5%, the worst reading since 2011.

Capital spending

The frequency of reported capital outlays over the past six months rose 2 points to 57%, the best showing since January, 2008 -- improved, but still relatively weak. A net 2% of all owners expect improved real sales volumes, down 6 points. Seventeen percent reported “poor sales” as their top business problem, unchanged from September. Reported sales trends deteriorated 2 points to a net negative 8%. Overall, the environment for capital spending deteriorated as what little confidence owners had in the future eroded further. The percent of owners planning capital outlays in the next 3 to 6 months fell 2 points to 23%. Six percent characterized the current period as a good time to expand facilities (down 2 points).

Inflation

Seasonally adjusted, the net percent of owners raising selling prices was 5%, up 4 points. Twenty percent plan on raising average prices in the next few months (unchanged), and 3% plan reductions (up 1 point). Seasonally adjusted, a net 18% plan price hikes, down 1 point. Not much of this is likely to “stick” if owners are correctly forecasting the future of the economy over the next six months.

Profits & wages

Earnings trends did not improve in October, holding at a negative 23%. Two percent reported reduced worker compensation and 18% reported raising compensation, yielding seasonally adjusted net 16% reporting higher worker compensation (down 1 point). A net seasonally adjusted 10% plan to raise compensation in the coming months -- down 3 points. Overall, the compensation picture remained at the better end of experience in this recovery, but historically weak for periods of economic growth and recovery. This is consistent with the macro reports about weak growth in income and compensation. With a net 16% raising compensation but a net 5% raising selling prices, profits will continue to be under pressure.

Credit markets

Six percent of the owners reported that all their credit needs were not met, unchanged from September. Twenty-eight percent reported all credit needs met, and 53% explicitly said they did not want a loan. Only 2% reported that financing was their top business problem. Twenty-eight percent of all owners reported borrowing on a regular basis, down 2 points and a record low. A net 6% reported loans “harder to get” compared to their last attempt (asked of regular borrowers only), up 1 point from September. The net percent of owners expecting credit conditions to ease in the coming months was a seasonally adjusted negative 8 percent, 1 point worse than September. A surprising result in an economy with the most aggressive monetary policy in history.

Chrysler Group LLC is recalling 8,370 model year 2014 RAM 1500, 2500, and 3500 trucks manufactured July 1, 2013, through August 22, 2013.

Randomly, the warning lights in the instrument cluster may fail to illuminate as designed. Inoperative warning lights may not properly warn the driver of vehicle problems, increasing the risk of a crash.

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will update the instrument cluster software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in late November 2013.

Owners may contact Chrysler at 1-800-247-9753. Chrysler's recall campaign number is N59.

Getting a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease is devastating for both the patient and their loved ones. At present there is no cure and the patient faces a gradual memory loss and, ultimately, death.

After the initial shock a patient may have many questions, not least of which is “how much time do I have?” Doctors currently have no good answer for that, but they might soon. A research team at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) has clinically validated a new method they say can predict how long a patient has between diagnosis and full-time care, nursing home residence and death.

The method, which uses data gathered from a single patient visit, is based on a complex model of Alzheimer’s disease progression that the researchers developed by consecutively following two sets of Alzheimer’s patients for 10 years each. Their findings are published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. 

Hard to predict

“Predicting Alzheimer’s progression has been a challenge because the disease varies significantly from one person to another,” said senior author Yaakov Stern, PhD, professor of neuropsychology at CUMC. “Two Alzheimer’s patients may both appear to have mild forms of the disease, yet one may progress rapidly, while the other progresses much more slowly. Our method enables clinicians to predict the disease path with great specificity.”

Stern says the new predictor model – dubbed L-GoM – takes into account the complexity of Alzheimer’s disease. He says patients don’t typically fall neatly into mild, moderate, or severe disease categories and therefore they are uncertain of how much time they have before they begin to feel the degenerative impact of the disease.

“For example, a patient may be able to live independently yet have hallucinations or behavioral outbursts,” said Stern, who also directs the Cognitive Neuroscience Division at CUMC. “Our method is flexible enough to handle missing data. Not all 16 variables are needed for accurate prediction – just as many as are available.”

Too much information?

It may not be the kind of information an Alzheimer's patient wants to have, but it can be vitally important to their caregivers, and to the patient's quality of life.

“In addition to time to nursing home residence or death, our method can be used to predict time to assisted living or other levels of care, such as needing help with eating or dressing, or time to incontinence,” said Ray Razlighi, assistant professor of neurology at CUMC one of the study's authors.

Knowing how long you have before your memory slips away would allow you to be a more active participant in crucial end-of-life decisions and provide a timeline for getting legal and financial affairs in order. For caregivers, knowing what to expect and when might help them get through what will be an extraordinarily difficult time.

Alzhiemer's disease cases are expected to increase rapidly as the large Baby Boom generation enters old age. As many as 5.1 million Americans may currently have Alzheimer's disease, but estimates vary.

The disease

Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disease that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and eventually even the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s, symptoms first appear after age 60.

According to the National Institutes of Health, memory problems are typically one of the first signs of Alzheimer's disease. Sometimes, other thinking problems, such as trouble finding the right words or poor judgment, are the early warning signs. Other symptoms may include:

• Getting lost
• Trouble handling money and paying bills
• Repeating questions
• Taking longer to complete normal daily tasks
• Poor judgment
• Losing things or misplacing them in odd places
• Mood and personality changes

Near the end, people with severe Alzheimer's cannot communicate and are completely dependent on others for their care. They may be in bed most or all of the time as the body shuts down.

All of this, of course, takes an enormous toll on the caregiver. NIH offers a guide for caregivers that offers advice for coping, starting with the diagnosis. 

Nikolaos Scarmeas, one of the Columbia researchers, says he and his colleagues believe their method of determining the timeline of the Alzheimer's progression will advance efforts to diagnose, treat and manage the effects of this dread disease.

“It may become a valuable tool for both physicians and patients’ families,” he said.

Congress has refused to let the U.S. Postal Service stop delivering on Saturday, so instead it will start delivering packages for Amazon on Sundays.

Amazon Prime members, who receive unlimited, free two-day shipping on millions of items, can now receive their packages on Sunday in the New York and Los Angeles areas, with more cities to be added next year.

The Postal Service -- famously short of cash because of requirements that it pre-fund healthcare benefits for its workers -- has been looking for ways to cut expenses and increase revenue. 

Package delivery is one of the Postal Service's more profitable lines of business and has actually been growing even as the volume of first-class mail has been decreasing. You can thank the Internet for both trends.

While the USPS has been pulling out all the stops to improve its bottom line, Amazon has been working to establish faster delivery service in major markets. It has experimented with same-day service and, with the USPS deal, Sunday service.

Voracious shoppers

“If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can order a backpack for your child on Friday and be packing it for them Sunday night,” said Dave Clark, Amazon’s vice president of worldwide operations and customer service. “We’re excited that now every day is an Amazon delivery day and we know our Prime members, who voraciously shop on Amazon, will love the additional convenience they will experience as part of this new service.”

“As online shopping continues to increase, the Postal Service is very happy to offer shippers like Amazon the option of having packages delivered on Sunday,” said Patrick R. Donahoe, Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer. “With this new service, the Postal Service is now delivering packages seven days a week in select cities."

To participate, Amazon customers can simply add millions of eligible items to their cart and will see the Sunday delivery promise at checkout when available in their region.

If you’re looking to buy boots now that winter is approaching, beware: Jonnette H. from Vancouver, Wash. wrote and warned us to avoid the site womensbootsforcheap.com , unless you’re in the market for counterfeit boots in a size and color you don’t even want.

Jonnette told us on Nov. 11 that she ordered a pair of Ugg boots off the website because she couldn’t find the style and size she wanted elsewhere. So what happened?  “I not only received a style I didn't order, but they are also counterfeit. Dialog with the company got me nowhere fast.” In lieu of a refund, she says, the company kept offering her discount coupons for her next purchase (not that she had any intention of making another one).

“I finally gave up,” Jonnette told us. “I researched the domain name (something I now know to do before placing an order with unfamiliar sites) and found the registrar to be HICHINA ZHICHENG TECHNOLOGY LTD.”

When we visited the boot site ourselves, we immediately used their “Contact Us” feature to write and ask them about Jonnette’s allegations; if the company responds to us, we’ll let you know.

Alarm bells

Meanwhile, though, some details we noticed about the site set off a few of our anti-scam alarm bells. The entire site apparently is dedicated to selling nothing but Ugg boots—at less than half the price of boots sold on the genuine Ugg website.

Now, it’s certainly possible to find legitimate, brand-name clothing items sold at half price or less—if you’re shopping in overstock or end-of-season outlets. But legitimate overstock/discount outlets rarely if ever focus exclusively on one company brand, except for outlet-mall stores run by the companies themselves.

We did an online search for reviews about the Womensbootsforcheap site and discovered, among other things, that Scamadvisor.com gave the site a “trust score “of zero percent.

Scamadvisor’s generic explanation of how it calculates trust ratings also said: “we looked at many factors, such as the ownership details, location, popularity and other sites relating to reviews, threats, phishing etc. Although a site may have a high trust rating, it's worth just checking the countries involved as these could indicate that goods would be shipped from abroad rather than your home country.”

Which happened in Jonnette’s case. Not that all foreign imports are automatically suspect (or that all American mail-order companies are legit), but there’s no denying that Chinese internet law offers scant protection to American consumers who claim to have been cheated by a Chinese website.

Meanwhile, ProjectHoneypot.org, which tracks IP addresses linked to phishers, content spammers and other untrustworthy Internet characters, listed womensbootsforcheap.com as one of many addresses connected to a content-spamming IP.  

It’s unlike Jonnette will get a refund for the money she wasted buying a pair of worthless counterfeit boots, but you can learn from her mistake: if you’re tempted to order something from an unfamiliar shopping website, a few minutes of online research can save you a lot of money and aggravation down the road.

Active duty military members too often fall victiim to unscrupulous businesses and scam artists. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman recently discussed the problem and highlighted state and federal laws protecting current and former members of the armed services.

“Our nation owes a great debt to military service members, veterans, and their families. It's despicable that anyone would seek to take advantage of those who have sacrificed to ensure our safety and preserve our rights here at home,” Schneiderman said.

He noted that military personnel and their families are consistently targeted by scam artists. The unique characteristics of service members – a guaranteed paycheck, job security, and the transient lifestyle of multiple deployments and relocations – make them more susceptible to a variety of frauds.

As scamming incidents in the military often parallel those in the civilian community, service members and veterans should follow these basic consumer tips in order to avoid becoming victims:

• Don‘t rush into making purchases or investment decisions. Take your time;
• Always carefully read through a contract;
• Resist high-pressure sales tactics. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is;
• Beware unsolicited phone offers -- don’t be afraid to hang up on solicitors who are rude or pushy;
• Use care when giving out personal information such as bank account or Social Security numbers; never give that information to people you don’t know;
• Get written estimates;
• Ask about refund policies and warranties before you buy;
• Prepare a list of questions in advance when considering a major purchase;
• Call the Better Business Bureau to find out about a firm’s track record.

Protections guaranteed

In addition, service members and their families should stay abreast of the rights and protections guaranteed them under the Service Members' Civil Relief Act (SCRA) in order to avoid frauds and other financial difficulties:

• Interest rate on mortgage payments and credit card obligations may be capped at 6% during the period of military service (and one year after the service member's return, in the case of a mortgage) if service materially affects the member's ability to pay.
• Mortgage lenders may not foreclose, or seize property for a failure to pay a mortgage debt, while a service member is on active duty or for nine-months grace period prior to December 31, 2012, unless they have the approval of a court.
• A landlord may not evict a service member or family from a primary residence where the rent is $2,975.54 or less (adjusted annually) except by court order.
• Service members have the right to stay any civil proceeding, including foreclosure action and debt collection, for at least 90 days if they cannot appear, and without accrual of penalties. The court has discretion to grant additional stays upon further application.
• Service members who receive permanent change of station orders, or who are deployed to a new location for 90 days or more, have the right to terminate contracts, including vehicle leases, phone contracts, etc., effective 30 days after the next rental payment is due (if no lease) or the last day of the month following the month in which notice is given.
• A military legal assistance office locator for each branch of the armed forces can be found here.

G. I. Bill

Service members and veterans who are seeking to further their education at a for-profit higher education institution, such as trade school, should choose carefully.

The for-profit education industry has recently been plagued by complaints and reports alleging that some proprietary school officials and recruiters engage in deceptive conduct, including misrepresenting the quality and cost of the education they provide, engaging in high-pressure tactics, and misrepresenting the job prospects and earnings of students who complete their program.

• If you are considering a two-year program and hoping to transfer to a four-year college, make sure that your credits will transfer with you. If the school does not have a "Regional Accreditation," you may have trouble transferring any credits you earn to another institution.
• If you're looking to obtain a certificate for a specific occupation, make sure the certificate will be accepted by the state agency that regulates that occupation.
• If you are considering enrolling at a for-profit school, consider that for-profit schools are often much more expensive than similar programs at public universities and community colleges. And, if the program does not meet your needs or if you drop out, you may have exhausted your VA benefits and be left without sufficient funds to continue your education.