Current Events in March 2014

Ganz USA Marietta, Ga., is recalling about 8,200 plush Grumpy Cat stuffed animal toys.

The stuffed animals’ eyes can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children.

The firm has received six reports of the eyes detaching from the Grumpy Cat toys. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves three styles of plush Grumpy Cat stuffed animal toys by Ganz. They include an 8-inch Grumpy Cat in lying position, a 5-inch long sitting Grumpy Cat and a 4-inch Grumpy Cat key clip. The toys are multi-colored in white with dark brown, light brown and gray fur material. Grumpy Cat toys have blue crystal eyes with the eye lids half closed, a down-turned mouth and white whiskers. This toy is labeled for ages 3 and older. The Grumpy Cat key chain has a black plastic key clip at the top of the cat’s head. The recalled toys have batch numbers 86754 or 224861, and model numbers printed on the sewn-in label located near the tail of the cat.

The recalled toys model and batch numbers are:

The toys, manufactured in China, were sold at gift, drug and toy stores including hospitals, museums and gift shops nationwide from December 2013, through January 2014, for about $8 to $10.

Consumers should immediately take the recalled toys away from children and contact Ganz for a free replacement Grumpy Cat product of equivalent value or a full refund.

Consumers may contact Ganz at (800) 724-5902 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday.

It tends to be a problem shared by single guys and older women who live alone: food can stay in the refrigerator for weeks – maybe months. Despite the heavy presence of preservatives, sooner or later it's going to go bad. But how can you tell?

There are a couple of ways to tell if food has spoiled. Sometimes you can tell by looking. Sometimes it takes a whiff. But sometimes you don't know food has spoiled until you've eaten some of it and suffer the consequences.

Scientists presenting a paper at the American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting this week say they have developed a color-coded smart tag that would tell consumers whether a carton of milk has turned sour or a can of green beans has spoiled. The consumer would know with just a glance, without opening the containers.

Cheap and flexible

“This tag, which has a gel-like consistency, is really inexpensive and safe, and can be widely programmed to mimic almost all ambient-temperature deterioration processes in foods,” said Chao Zhang, the lead researcher of the study.

Zhang believes the tags could solve a lot of problems, both for grocery stores and for the consumers who shop in them. If a product is near the sell-by date but the tag indicates it's okay, the consumers might feel more confident buying it.

Another advantage, Zhang said, is that even when manufacturers, grocery-store owners and consumers do not know if the food has been unduly exposed to higher temperatures, which could cause unexpected spoilage, “the tag still gives a reliable indication of the quality of the product.”

The tags are small and unobtrusive and would appear in various color codes on packaging. ACS has produced a video showing how they work.

Any food will go bad after a certain length of time. Obviously, fresh food like meet, fish and dairy will spoil more quickly than processed food that contains preservatives.

Food poisoning

Eating food that has spoiled is a significant cause of food poisoning in the U.S. Dairy products or food containing mayonnaise, such as coleslaw or potato salad, that have been out of the refrigerator too long are subject to spoilage. Frozen or refrigerated foods that are not stored at the proper temperature can spoil, creating bacteria that can make you sick.

Children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable. According to doctors at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, children under two will display food poisoning symptoms one to 24 hours after eating spoiled food.

Previous spoilage detectors

There have been a number of previous attempts to develop products that will indicate whether food has spoiled. At a previous ACS meeting, John Lavigne, an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of South Carolina, unveiled a sort of dipstick -- a polymer sensor that detects the breakdown products of proteins that are a a strong indicator of food spoilage.

Zhang and his team say their smart tag has the advantage of giving the consumer information about the freshness of a particular product, not just whether it has spoiled. They say over time, the tag changes its color to orange, yellow and later green, which indicates the food is spoiled.

The colors represent a range between 100 percent fresh and 100 percent spoiled. If the label says that the product should remain fresh for 14 days under refrigeration, but the tag is now orange, it means that the product is only roughly half as fresh. In that case, the consumer would know the product is edible for only another seven days if kept refrigerated.

There's a dangerous new phishing scam, first discovered by security experts at Symantec, that seeks to steal the passwords and other confidential information of any Google account holder.

It's quite sophisticated compared to most phishing attempts, but even so: you should be able to protect yourself provided you pay extra-close attention to details, and also remember the phishing-protection rule “Don't call us; we'll call you.”

Here's how the newest scam works: you, the would-be victim, get an email with the subject heading “Documents”; the body of the email includes a link to an “important” Google Docs document.

Hopefully, if you'd received such an email you'd already know to ignore it, since it's neither personally addressed to you nor from any sender you actually know and recognize. But suppose you decided to click on this unknown link from an unknown sender anyway — what would you have found?

Looks convincing

Here's where the sophistication of this new scam comes in. In most phishing attempts, if you clicked on such a link (and did not immediately infect your computer with all sorts of malware as a result), you'd usually be taken to a page whose address, visible in your browser bar, is obviously not that of the company the scamsters are pretending to be – as in, you get a fake email allegedly from Google, but the link leads to a page with an unfamiliar (and distinctly not Google) web address.

However, as the official Symantec security blogger warned on March 13, if you click on this new Google-based phishing link:

“[T]he link doesn't go to Google Docs, but it does go to Google, where a very convincing fake Google Docs login page is shown. The fake page is actually hosted on Google's servers and is served over SSL, making the page even more convincing. The scammers have simply created a folder inside a Google Drive account, marked it as public, uploaded a file there, and then used Google Drive's preview feature to get a publicly-accessible URL to include in their messages.”

In other words, you think you're logging in to your actual Google account, so you type your email address and password as usual, not realizing that your password is not being read by the real Google to verify your identity, but by phishing scammers to steal your identity.

Still not too late

However, even if you were caught off-guard enough to click on the unsolicited Google Docs link that some unknown sender e-mailed you, it's still not too late to detect certain details indicating a scam. Remember two sentences ago, when we said “you type your email address and password as usual”? That's the detail which sharp-eyed Google account holders should recognize as scammy: usually, when logging into legitimate Google accounts from your own computer, you don't have to type your email address at all, only your password.

As Gizmodo writer Adam Clark Estes pointed out: “if you show up at the log-in screen, you should notice that it doesn't recognize you as a Google user (if you are a Google user).”

Note to non-Google users who don't understand what Estes is talking about here: if you have a Google account, or more than one, anytime you visit a genuine Google page it will recognize you, and you'll see your name, avatar and other personal features as applicable — although you still won't be allowed access to your Gmail or any other personalized, password-protected Google things until you actually type in your password and only your password — your actual you@gmail.com email address is already there.

But with this fake Google phishing scam, you only get a generic login page requiring you to type not just your password, but your email address itself; the genuine Google login pages only require this if you're accessing your account from a public computer, or a brand-new one you've never used to sign in to Google before.

The Justice Department (DOJ) is charging Toyota with defrauding consumers in the fall of 2009 and early 2010 by issuing misleading statements about safety issues in Toyota and Lexus vehicles. At the same time, in exchange for an admission of wrongdoing and payment of a $1.2 billion financial penalty, DOJ is deferring prosecution against the company.

In addition to the penalty -- the largest of its kind ever imposed on an automotive company -- the agreement imposes on Toyota an independent monitor to review and assess policies, practices and procedures relating to the company's safety-related public statements and reporting obligations.

If Toyota abides by all of the terms of the agreement, the government will defer prosecution on the information for three years and then seek to dismiss the charge.

Misleading statements

“Rather than promptly disclosing and correcting safety issues about which they were aware, Toyota made misleading public statements to consumers and gave inaccurate facts to Members of Congress,” said Attorney General Eric Holder. “When car owners get behind the wheel, they have a right to expect that their vehicle is safe. If any part of the automobile turns out to have safety issues, the car company has a duty to be upfront about them, to fix them quickly, and to immediately tell the truth about the problem and its scope. Toyota violated that basic compact.”

“Entering this agreement, while difficult, is a major step toward putting this unfortunate chapter behind us,” said Christopher P. Reynolds, chief legal officer, Toyota Motor North America. “We remain extremely grateful to our customers who have continued to stand by Toyota. Moving forward, they can be confident that we continue to take our responsibilities to them seriously,”

According to the allegations, Toyota deceived consumers and its U.S. regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), in the fall of 2009, by claiming that it had “addressed” the “root cause” of unintended acceleration in its vehicles through a limited safety recall of eight models for floor-mat entrapment, a dangerous condition in which an improperly secured or incompatible all-weather floor mat can “trap” a depressed gas pedal causing the car to accelerate to a high speed.

Such public assurances deceived customers and NHTSA in two ways, according to the allegation: First, at the time the statements were made, Toyota knew that it had not recalled some cars with design features that made them just as susceptible to floor-mat entrapment as some of the recalled cars.

Second, only weeks before these statements were made, Toyota had taken steps to hide from NHTSA another type of unintended acceleration in its vehicles, separate and apart from floor-mat entrapment: a problem with accelerators getting stuck at partially depressed levels, known as “sticky pedal.”  

In towns and cities, urban areas and rural, an increasing number of homeowners are installing some form of home security system. The reason is a persistent rise in the number of burglaries and home invasions.

In the years between 2003 and 2007, the Bureau of Justice Statistics says there were an average of 3.7 million annual burglaries. In about 28% of these burglaries, someone in the household was present during the burglary, making it a home invasion. In some seven percent of all burglaries a household member experienced some form of violence.

Fear of assault and theft are among the strongest reasons consumers install security systems. ADT and a few other national firms were among the first to begin marketing whole house systems that monitored whether a door or window was open when it shouldn't be. Depending on the options selected, a system can then place a call to an operator to verify that everything is all right in the dwelling. If there is any doubt, the operator then dispatches first responders.

Technology can both raise and lower the cost

With increases in technology, home security systems have become more sophisticated – and more expensive. But technology has also produced some simple yet capable systems that don't cost that much because they utilize existing resources, like the Internet.

One example is the Insteon Home Monitoring and Control Kit, available at Costco for $199.99, a do-it-yourself security kit in a box. It's designed to let you control and monitor your home while you are away, using a smartphone or tablet.

According to the marketing material, it provides centralized control, an open/close sensor for monitoring doors and windows, a motion sensor, a wireless IP camera with full pan and tilt capability and two dimmer modules.

Pros and cons

A do-it-yourself system may have advantages and disadvantages. You can tailor the system to your specific needs and avoid a monthly contract. On the other hand, you may not feel you are up to putting together and maintaining a system yourself. You might also feel more comfortable having access to an operator, provided by the commercial home security services.

Retailers like the Home Security Store cater to do-it-yourselfers. It sells alarm systems, back-up power supplies, keypads and voice-activated dialers. You design your own system and just buy what you need. If you want a third-party monitoring service, the company says it can set customers up with a partner that provides that service for as low as $10 a month.

Having a home security company under contract is kind of like having a permanent house guest – one that you pay each month. If you don't close a door fast enough or forget a pass code you are likely to get a call, or even a visit from the police. Farrukh, an ADT customer from Philadelphia, says the newer systems relying on cellular technology tend to be buggy.

“We are experiencing false alarms due to 103 Check LngRng Radio getting disconnected from the cell tower,” he wrote in a recent ConsumerAffairs post.

Avoid scams

When purchasing any home security product or service, make sure you are working with a reputable provider. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has warned that door-to-door home security sales have been a problem in recent years.

“During the spring and summer months, home security or alarm companies hire traveling sales agents to go door-to-door, making unsolicited cold calls on homeowners,” the agency says on its website. “In some cases, the salespeople use high-pressure or deceptive sales tactics to get potential customers to buy expensive, and sometimes substandard, systems or equipment they don't need.”

The FTC says some sales agents may look for a sign on your home that you currently have a home security system. They may say or imply that they are from your existing security company and that they're there to "upgrade" or "replace" your current security system. Once inside your home, however, they may install a new security system and have you sign papers that include a costly contract for the monitoring service.

There may be many good reasons to get a home security system-- a break on homeowners insurance, for example – but if you don't think you can afford it, at least make would-be burglars think you have one. The Burglary Prevention Council suggests placing a sign on your property warning that your property is under surveillance and protected by alarm home security systems.

“This is often enough to press a burglar to search for a more vulnerable target,” the group says.

Learn more about home alarm systems

Cars are lasting longer than ever, which is good. But as consumers drive their cars longer, it creates a shortage of used cars, which drives up prices and narrows the selection.

To help consumers find the best used cars, Consumer Reports has compiled a "Best & Worst" list for model years 2004 through 2013.

“When shopping for a used car, it’s really important to find a car that drives well and will hold up down the road. Our guide makes it easy for shoppers to choose a great used car by highlighting the best small cars, sedans, and SUVs in four different price ranges,” said Rik Paul, auto editor, Consumer Reports.

Best buys

In the $15,000-$20,000 price range the following cars made Consumer Reports’ list of best used cars:

SMALL CARS: 2012-13 Hyundai Elantra and 2011-13 Subaru Impreza
The magazine's experts said these two are as roomy and  comfortable as larger, more expensive cars. 

SEDANS: 2011-12 Toyota Camry, 2010-11 Toyota Camry Hybrid, and 2008 Acura TL

Both the four- and six-cylinder Camry deliver impressive fuel economy along with a comfortable ride, a roomy cabin, and superb reliability. For even better gas mileage, the Camry Hybrid gets 34 mpg overall and 41 on the highway. A sportier alternative is the Acura TL.

SUVs: 2006-07 Lexus RX and 2009-10 Subaru Forester (nonturbo)

The Lexus RX is comfortable, nicely finished, and extremely reliable. The Forester is more utilitarian but handles well and has an excellent ride, CR said. Access is easy, and the view out is the best among SUVs.

Cars to avoid

Unfortunately, some cars have much worse than average reliability. Among the more than twenty models that made the "cars to avoid" list are the BMW X5 (6-cyl.), Chrysler Town & Country, Ford Fiesta, and Volkswagen Beetle.

For more information on used cars pick up a copy of Consumer Reports’ April Annual Auto Issue, which is available on newsstands now wherever magazines are sold, or visit the 2014 Autos Spotlight page on ConsumerReports.org.

When CVS announced in February that it would stop selling cigarettes, it became just a matter of time until other chains followed suit or were pressured to do so by health advocates.

And, sure enough, a coalition of state attorneys general is now calling on Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Rite-Aid, Safeway and Kroger to remove all tobacco products from their shelves. 

“Pharmacies and drug stores, which increasingly market themselves as a source for community health care, send a mixed message by continuing to sell deadly tobacco products,” said New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. “The fact that these stores profit from the sale of cigarettes and tobacco must take a backseat to the health of New Yorkers and customers across the country. I urge these companies to do the right thing and remove tobacco products from store shelves.”

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is joining Schneiderman in the effort, saying in a letter to CEOs of the chains that, "The health of our kids is just too important” to be sacrificed for profits from tobacco sales.

Tobacco-related disease is the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, causing more than 480,000 deaths in the last year alone – more than AIDS, alcohol, illegal drug use, car accidents and firearm-related deaths combined, the AGs noted in their letter.

Furthermore, health care costs and productivity losses attributable to smoking cost the nation at least $289 billion each year. Almost 90% of all adult smokers start smoking by 18 years of age. “Big Tobacco” relies on getting young people addicted to cigarettes and keeping them as life-long smokers, they said.

Another drop -- the second in a row -- in applications for mortgages

Data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey shows applications slipped 1.2% in the week ending March 14, 2014.

The Refinance Index also fell -- 1% percent -- from the previous week, taking the refinance share of mortgage activity down for a sixth straight week -- to 56.5%. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity was unchanged at 8% of total applications.

Contract interest rates

• The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) was down 2 basis points -- from 4.52% to 4.50%, with points decreasing to 0.26 from 0.29 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs with jumbo loan balances (greater than $417,000) fell to 4.39% from 4.41%, with points decreasing to 0.19 from 0.20 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages backed by the FHA dropped 5 basis points to 4.13%, with points decreasing to 0.18 from 0.21 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 15-year fixed-rate mortgages dipped from 3.53% to 3.52%, with points decreasing to 0.25 from 0.28 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs fell 9 basis points to 3.09%, with points increasing to 0.38 from 0.36 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

The survey covers over 75% of all U.S. retail residential mortgage applications.

Arctic Cat is recalling about 2,300 Prowler 500 HDX off-highway utility vehicles.

Fuel can leak from the fuel fitting at the throttle body of the vehicle, posing a fire hazard.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

This recall includes Model Year 2014 Arctic Cat Prowler 500 HDX Recreational Off-Highway Vehicle (ROV). The two-seat vehicles come in four colors: green, red, vibrant red metallic or emerald green metallic. The vehicles have “Arctic Cat” printed on each side of the hood and on the cargo box tail gate, “500” printed on each side of the front fenders and “HDX” printed on each side of the rear cargo box.

The vehicles, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at Arctic Cat dealers nationwide from August 2013, to January 2014, for between about $11,000 and $12,400.

Consumers should stop using the recalled Prowlers immediately and contact an Arctic Cat dealer to schedule a free repair. Arctic Cat is contacting all known owners of the Prowlers directly.

Consumers may contact Arctic Cat at (800) 279-6851 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.  

Vera Bradley Designs of Fort Wayne, Ind., is recalling about 98,000 Bear Ring Rattles and Bunny stuffed toys.

The pom-pom tail can detach from the body of the bear rattle and the bunny, posing a choking hazard to young children.

The company has received two reports that the pom-pom tail detached from the product. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves all Vera Bradley Bear Ring Rattles and Bunny stuffed animal toys. The products are made of cotton and fleece. The bear ring rattle has a white teddy bear head, arms attached to an O-shaped body with a green, blue, brown and pink crisscross pattern design rattle. The bear ring rattle measures about 4.25 inches in diameter.

The bunny is 10 inches tall from the top of its head to the bottom of its foot and was sold in three printed patterns. The “Bunny in Lilli Bell” has green vines with pink and orange flowers on the body, limbs and the back of the ears. The “Bunny in Lola” has a crisscross geometric pattern on the arms, legs and ears of the white headed bunny with a floral print body. The “Bunny in Tutti Frutti” has a green with a pink and yellow floral printed pattern fabric covering whole body.

All of the recalled rattles and bunnies have a white pom-pom tail on the back of the item.

The name Vera Bradley is marked on a tag attached to each item along with the following serial numbers:

The stuffed toys, manufactured in China were sold at Vera Bradley retail stores, department stores and specialty gift shops and online at www.verabradley.com and other online stores from September 2012, to January 2014, for between $12 and $19.

Consumers should immediately take them away from young children and stop using these recalled products and return them to Vera Bradley for a full refund.

Consumers may contact Vera Bradley toll-free at (888) 855-8372 from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and 8:30 am to 5 pm ET Saturday and Sunday.

For years, Kevin Trudeau has promised to reveal the "secrets they don't want you to know" about everything from weight loss to cancer cures, all for just your credit card number.

Trudeau has defied the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Justice Department and has sued critics and news outlets that questioned the truth about his "secrets." 

But in a federal courtroom in Chicago yesterday (Monday), it was a penitent Kevin Trudeau who appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Ronald Guzman. Fresh from four months in jail for contempt of court, Trudeau wasn't looking like the well-coiffed, expensively-tailored infomercial king. He was looking more like a rumpled jailbird awaiting sentencing at the bar of justice, the Chicago Tribune reported.

“If I ever write a book again, if I ever do another infomercial again, I promise no embellishment, no puffery and absolutely no lies,” Trudeau said. “I know going forward I will be a better person.”

It wasn't a sales pitch the judge was buying. He sentenced Trudeau to ten years in prison, calling him “deceitful to the core.”

Lengthy sentence

Ten years is an unusually lengthy sentence for a contempt of court conviction but Guzman said Trudeau had "treated federal court orders as if they were mere suggestions...or at most impediments to be sidestepped, outmaneuvered or just ignored.”

Trudeau has been in jail since last November when he was found in contempt of court for statements he made in infomercials about the contents of his book, “The Weight Loss Cure 'They' Don't Want You to Know About.” He has also been found in civil contempt for failing to pay a $37.6 million fine imposed by the Federal Trade Commission.

Assistant U.S. Attorney April Perry called Trudeau "a habitual liar and a fraudster.” Prosecutors argued for a harsher prison sentence but Trudeau's lawyers said none of the consumers who bought his book suffered irreparable financial harm.

Is sugar bad for you or good for you? The answer, of course, is: “It depends; some sugar is an absolute biological/nutritional necessity for human bodies to function (which is why we evolved the tendency to crave it in the first place), but if you live in a modern Westernized technological society, there's a very good chance your own diet contains far more sugar than is healthy.”

So in the past few generations there have been countless attempts to discover some type of sugar substitute that will deliver all the delicious sweetness of sugar with none of the health risks too much sugar can cause.

And there's still debate in scientific circles over just how useful these sugar substitutes actually are; to offer just one example, a study out of Yale last autumn suggested that dieters (or anyone seeking to either lose weight, or avoid gaining any) who use artificial sweeteners might actually be worse off than dieters who eat regular sugar, basically because the sugar cravings generated in your brain will not go away unless the brain receives certain chemicals which your body only makes after breaking down genuine sugar.

In other words, artificial sweeteners might do nothing to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Sweet tooth

Bear this is mind next time you read articles touting the alleged miracle attributes of stevia, a plant extract reputed to be from 250 to 300 times sweeter than sugar (though even stevia fans admit it tends to leave an unpleasant, licorice-type aftertaste).

Like this article, which the UK's Daily Mail published on March 17 to specifically discuss stevia and other sweeteners' potential to reduce the high levels of sugar consumption commonly found in the British diet.

Evan assuming stevia really is as wonderful as its most fervent advocates say — no health effects compared to sugar, no ill effects at all except for the bitter aftertaste (which is easy to mask with oher ingredients) — it's still important to remember that too much emphasis on sugar levels in your diet can blind you to other potential problems.

There's an actual name for this – “over-compromising” – the best example of which is found in the old joke about the self-defeating guy who drinks a diet soda in lieu of a regular one, then rewards himself by eating a few donuts: calories are calories, and if you consume too many overall, reducing your consumption in one area won't matter if you increase it in another.

Wait! Don't cancel that Amazon Prime membership just yet. Amazon is said to be ready to start shipping its long-rumored video-streaming device early next month.

The Amazon device will be similar to Roku, Google Chromecast and Apple's set-top boxes and will give consumers access to popular video services like Netflix, Hulu Plus, HBO Go and, of course, Amazon. 

The Wall Street Journal says the device will be sold at Best Buy and Staples, as well as online at Amazon.com. 

Pricing isn't yet known but it's likely that some kind of incentive will be offered to Amazon Prime members. Beyond a discount of some kind, the obvious question is: why would you buy this if you weren't a Prime member since Prime includes access to original Amazon production and hundreds of other TV series and movies?

Pricing remains unclear, though the people familiar with the company's plans said the device likely would come with incentives available to members of Amazon's Prime streaming video and shipping program. Last week Amazon said it is increasing the price of Prime by $20 to $99 annually, in part because of the rising cost of acquiring video.

Most of the existing set-top boxes are relative inexpensive and also -- refreshingly -- relatively simple. Amazon's device is expected to similar. It will run on a version of Google's Android operating system, as do Amazon's Kindles.

Besides producing more original TV shows like poitical comedy "Alpha House," Amazon is said to be in talks with music publishers, apparently hoping to create an on-demand music-streaming service.

Patients being treated for heart failure take note: A new study reports that if you find yourself out of breath when bending over to tie a shoelace or pick up the newspaper on your doorstep, it may be a sign that your condition is worsening. 

The condition, which University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center cardiologists named “bendopnea,” is an easily detectable symptom that can help doctors diagnose excessive fluid retention in patients with heart failure, according to the findings published in a recent edition of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Heart Failure.

“Some patients thought they were short of breath because they were out of shape or overweight, but we wondered if there was something more to it. So we developed this study to further investigate this symptom,” said Dr. Jennifer Thibodeau, Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Cardiology.

Dr. Thibodeau cautions that bendopnea is not a risk factor for heart failure, but rather a symptom that heart failure patients are becoming sicker and may need to have their medications or treatments adjusted.

Bendopnea is a way for both doctors and patients to recognize something may be amiss with their current heart failure treatment. Patients should speak with their cardiologist or health care provider if they experience bendopnea, notes Dr. Thibodeau.

If you spend a lot of time polishing your resumé, you'll likely be crushed to know that one in six (17%) hiring managers spend 30 seconds or less -- on average -- reviewing resumés. In addition, a new survey by CareerBuilder finds most (68%) spend less than two minutes.

With so little time to catch the attention of the person who may hold your future, word choice can make a difference. The nationwide sample of employers identified which commonly-used resume' terms are overused or cliche' and which are strong additions.

“Hiring managers prefer strong action words that define specific experience, skills and accomplishments,” said Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. “Subjective terms and cliche's are seen as negative because they don’t convey real information. For instance, don’t say you are ‘results-driven’; show the employer your actual results.”

The worst resumé terms

The following terms are résumé turn-offs as selected by respondents:

1. Best of breed: 38%
2. Go-getter: 27%
3. Think outside of the box: 26%
4. Synergy: 22%
5. Go-to person: 22%
6. Thought leadership: 16%
7. Value add: 16%
8. Results-driven: 16%
9. Team player: 15%
10. Bottom-line: 14%
11. Hard worker: 13%
12. Strategic thinker: 12%
13. Dynamic: 12%
14. Self-motivated: 12%
15. Detail-oriented: 11%
16. Proactively: 11%
17. Track record: 10%

The best resumé terms

There are, however, several strong verbs and terms candidates can use to help describe their experience. The following are terms employers would like to see on a resumé:

1. Achieved: 52%
2. Improved: 48%
3. Trained/Mentored:%
4. Managed: 44%
5. Created: 43%
6. Resolved: 40%
7. Volunteered: 35%
8. Influenced: 29%
9. Increased/Decreased: 28%
10. Ideas: 27%
11. Negotiated: 25%
12. Launched: 24%
13. Revenue/Profits: 23%
14. Under budget: 16%
15. Won: 13%

The national survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of CareerBuilder from November 6 to December 2, 2013, and included a representative sample of 2,201 hiring managers and human resource professionals across industries and company sizes.

Consumer prices were up in February -- but not by much.

The government reports the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inched up just 0.1% last month, bringing the rate of inflation for the past year to a moderate 1.1%.

The cost of food was a major factor, accounting for more than half the increase, with a gain of 0.4% -- the largest since September 2011. Within that category, meats, poultry, fish, and eggs rose 1.2%, while dairy and related products saw a more modest increase of 0.7%. Prices for fruits and vegetables rose 1.1 % after five consecutive declines. On the other hand, the cost of cereals and bakery products was down 0.4%, and the nonalcoholic beverage prices dipped 0.3%. Overall, food prices are up 1.4% over the past year.

Energy prices dip

Energy prices were down index declined 0.5% as a drop in gasoline prices offset sharp increases the cost of fuel oil and natural gas. Gasoline prices were down 1.7%, while the costs of fuel oil and natural gas rose 4.1% and 3.6%, respectively. Electricity, meanwhile, dipped 0.2% after an unusually large increase in January. Over the last 12 months, energy costs have fallen 2.5%, due to an 8.1% drop in gasoline prices.

Core rate remains tame

The cost all items excluding the volatile food and energy sectors rose 0.1% in February. Withing that category, shelter rose 0.2%, medical care was up 0.3% and airline fares jumped 1.3%. Decliners included household furnishings and operations (-0.4%), apparel (-0.3%) percent and used cars and trucks (-0.1%).

The full February CPI report is available on the Labor Department website.

Home builders didn't break ground on nay new houses in last month, but they were thinking about it.

The government reports housing starts were down in February for a third straight month, while applications for building permits shot upward.

Privately-owned starts dipped 0.2% last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 907,000. That rate 6.4% below the same time a year ago. Single-family homes were being built at a rate of 583,000 -- 0.3 percent above the January figure of 581,000. The rate for buildings with five units or more was 312,000.

Applications for building permits jumped 7.7% to a adjusted annual rate of 1,018,000 -- 6.9% above February 2013. Permits for single-family homes rose 1.8%.

The rate of construction in the Northeast plunged 37.5% in February after a 46.3% surge the month before. Starts in the Midwest were up 34.5%, while construction in the South rose 7.3% and fell 5.5% in the West.

The complete report is available on the Commerce Department website.

Baby Boomers nearing retirement may lie awake at night worrying about their assets. Will they be substantial enough, they may wonder, to see them through retirement?

The question may take on more urgency in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. A wave of subprime foreclosures and the collapse of the housing market turned an ordinary, garden-type recession into the Great Recession.

In just a few months time -- by March 2009 -- the stock market had plunged, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average falling below the 7,000 mark. While the stock market has recovered nicely in the last five years the fear and trepidation, for many, remains.

Stay diversified

Are there things the retired and near-retired need to do to make sure their portfolios are ready for retirement? Financial advisers have always counseled clients to maintain diversified portfolios and that remains good advice. But Curt Whipple, CEO of C. Curtis Financial Group, points out that few saw the 2008 financial crisis coming and any similar event is also likely to take investors by surprise. So keeping risk under control is paramount.

“Regardless, there are eight indicators that you can focus on that will help you identify whether or not you’re taking too much risk in your portfolio and if your retirement plan is in danger.”

Risk comes with investing. An investment with no risk is either a scam or provides very little return. But for those nearing or in retirement, maintaining a reasonable level of risk may reduce your exposure and allow you to get a good night's sleep.

Too much risk?

According to Whipple, if you lost more than 15% to 20% of your investments' value in 2008-2009 you had too many risky investments. Some self-assessment may be necessary here because each individual needs to be aware of how much risk they are willing to take on.

Generally speaking, the younger you are, the riskier you can be. However, risk is also a personal decision. Whipple says you should make sure you and your adviser are on the same page regarding risk tolerance. That will require your adviser taking the time to explain your investments and how they’re diversified.

When Whipple talks about diversification, he doesn't mean owning stocks in diversified sectors. He says if your portfolio is mostly tied to Wall Street, like stocks and bonds, you aren't truly diversified.

4% withdrawal rate

Financial experts at Fidelity also advise diversification, but also discipline in how asserts are withdrawn from the portfolio during retirement. In a hypothetical example, Fidelity analysts found a 10% per year withdrawal rate drained a balanced portfolio in 10 years. However, withdrawing just 4% per year provided income for 36 years.

“Our analysis clearly shows that the amount of the annual withdrawal rate dramatically raised or lowered the chances of a portfolio lasting for a longer period of time,” the Fidelity analysts concluded. “And the risk of running out of money is a real one. Americans are living longer these days, so it's entirely possible that your retirement could last for 30 or more years.”

Gone before you are

Regardless of how much money is in your retirement portfolio, the rate at which you withdraw it is likely to determine whether it's gone before you are.

Christine Benz, of Morningstar.com, says she polled retired readers about what helped them sleep at night. Thrift was the overriding message, as was discipline in the withdrawal rate. Many of her readers also said they continued to work part-time in retirement, both for the social stimulation and the income generation. As long as they had a job to go to the next morning, they said it was easier to sleep at night.