Current Events in June 2014

It's said that hindsight is 20/20, but before you've had time for hindsight to come around you often muddle your way through an indistinct blur.

So it is with the latest news from Google, promising a “new encryption tool” to protect email users' privacy; when the New York Times reported the story on June 3, it kicked off with the sentence “The National Security Agency’s snooping is about to get more difficult.”

This of course is in reference to the NSA's indiscriminate monitoring of American communications in what critics say is defiance of constitutional guarantees against it, and maybe hindsight will one day view this as “One of the milestones on the road leading to Americans' regaining their ability to have private discussions without the government reading and recording every word.”

On the other hand, the whole NSA-spying bit didn't become common knowledge until whistleblower Edward Snowden told the world what his former NSA employers were up to. Among Snowden's many revelations/allegations was one saying that the NSA secretly installed “backdoors” into various encryption programs — meaning, you think your messages are encrypted and secure but the NSA can read them anyway.

In addition to Snowden's files, there are also the (alleged) email communications between Google and the NSA suggesting that Google executives have cooperated with the spy agency more enthusiastically than they've let on.

Of course, the phrase “Google executives” covers many different individuals, some of whom might be more idealistic than others. The New York Times quoted Eric Grosse, Google's chief of security, as saying “It’s important that the government not overstep … We don’t want any government breaking the security of the Internet.”

On the other hand, Grosse was allegedly one of the individuals mentioned by [first] name in those alleged emails between Google and the NSA (assuming the emails are genuine, not taken out of context, and otherwise accurate). And that same New York Times article later said this:

Until now, technology companies have been hesitant to provide end-to-end encryption because it excludes companies like Google and Yahoo from gathering data from messages that can be sold for targeted advertising. None of the major technology providers have signed on to Dark Mail Alliance, a partnership announced last year by Silent Circle and Lavabit, two privacy-conscious communications providers, that offered companies like Microsoft, Google and Yahoo a new end-to-end encrypted email protocol.

So perhaps hindsight will agree that Google genuinely is standing on principle, abandoning not only its former (alleged) close relationship with the NSA, but also a good chunk of its own ad revenue, to preserve the privacy essential for a free country. Or maybe hindsight will laugh at those who were naïve enough to believe it. It's still too early to tell.

The makers of e-cigarettes take great pains to point out their products should not be sold to minors. That said, plenty of young people are exposed to television advertising for e-cigarettes, which deliver nicotine through water vapor instead of smoke.

Because the products have only begun to be regulated, manufacturers are free to market them on TV, which has been off-limits for cigarette ads since 1971.

Researchers at RTI International and the Florida Department of Health have measured e-cigarette advertising on TV and say the number of youth and young adults exposed to these ads has more than doubled in the past 2 years.

Specifically, it found youth exposure to e-cigarette advertisements increased by 256% from 2011 to 2013 and young adult exposure jumped 321% in the same time period.

Absence of public health messages

“If the current trends continue, awareness and use of e-cigarettes will increase among youth and young adults,” said Jennifer Duke, senior research public health analyst and co-author of the study. “And unfortunately, in the absence of evidence-based public health messages regarding the health risks of e-cigarettes, television advertising is promoting beliefs and behaviors that pose harm to youth and young adults and raise public health concerns.”

The study, published in Pediatrics, looked at media industry data for ads promoting e-cigarettes across cable networks, where most of the ads run. They then calculated exposure for viewers ages 12 to 17 and 18 to 24.

The study determined that more than 75% of youth ad exposure occurred on cable networks like AMC, Country Music Television, Comedy Central, WGN America, TV Land, and VH1.

Further, the researchers say they discovered that e-cigarette ads appeared on programs like The Bachelor, Big Brother, and Survivor that were among the 100 most-watched programs by youth during the 2012-2013 TV season.

Heavy Internet advertising too

Another study earlier this year found a large increase in e-cigarette ads on the Internet. The public health foundation Legacy looked at how tobacco companies spent their advertising dollars and found an every-expanding percentage now goes to e-cigarettes.

With ever-tighter regulations on the sale of cigarettes, many U.S. tobacco companies have enthusiastically embraced e-cigarette products. More than 80% of the ads logged by RTI researchers in 2013 were for a single brand, blu eCigs, which is owned by Lorillard, a tobacco company.

“E-cigarette companies advertise to a broad TV audience that includes 24 million youth,” Duke said. “Given the potential harm of e-cigarettes to youth and their potential as a gateway to using cigarettes and other tobacco products, the FDA needs to regulate the positive images of e cigarettes on television and other venues where youth view advertising and marketing like they do for traditional cigarettes.”

Modest regulations

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations are in the works. Last month the FDA proposed regulations that would ban e-cigarette sales to minors. However, it stopped short of regulating how the products are advertised on TV.

One reason may be a rather fierce debate about how harmful the product really is. A number of public health researchers have suggested the jury is still out.

In fact, the FDA's chief tobacco regulator testified before Congress, saying there is little doubt e-cigarettes are healthier than cigarettes.

“If we could get all of those people who smoke to completely switch all of their cigarettes to noncombustible cigarettes, it would be good for public health,” Mitch Zeller, director of the FDA Center for Tobacco Products, told the lawmakers.

In April we reported an upcoming change to Walmart and Sam's Club credit cards: the old Discover logo changed to MasterCard. While investors in the companies involved reacted quickly to the news, it was too early yet to know if cardholders would see any real changes to their accounts.

On June 4 came news of a huge change which ultimately might affect not merely Sam's Club and Walmart customers, but all American credit card holders: the new Sam's Club credit card will feature EMV chip security technology. Sam's claims to be the first major American retailer to do this.

EMV stands for Europay, MasterCard and Visa. Last March we reported that MasterCard and Visa announced plans at some point to introduce EMV chips to American credit cards (they're already standard in much of the rest of the world, and have been for the past decade).

The difference between current cards and EMV is that the latter stores information on an encrypted microchip, rather than on the non-encrypted (and relatively easy to counterfeit) magnetic strip found on current American credit cards. EMV cards also require a personal identification number (PIN) at point of sale. The idea is that a thief who knows your credit card account number can no longer make and use a fraudulent credit card with that alone.

“MasterCard has taken a strong stance on the need for the U.S. market to make the transition to chip-enabled credit cards for the benefit of cardholders and merchants alike,” said Chris McWilton, president North America, MasterCard. “This move by Sam’s Club makes them a trailblazer in getting chip cards in the hands of businesses and consumers, and leading the push toward a safer and more secure customer experience. This will no doubt help drive chip-enabled technology forward here in the U.S. as it gains more traction.”

MasterCard and Visa have supposedly set an October 2015 deadline for retailers to more broadly adopt EMV technology.

In a case brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a federal judge has ruled that payday lender AMG Services deceived consumers about the cost of their loans by imposing undisclosed charges and inflated fees.

In many cases, U.S. District Judge Gloria M. Navarro found, the defendants’ inflated fees left borrowers with supposed debts of more than triple the amount they had borrowed.

In one example, the defendants allegedly told one consumer that a $500 loan would cost him $650 to repay. But the defendants attempted to charge him $1,925 to pay off the $500 loan. The defendants used deceptive loan documents in connection with at least five million consumer loans, the FTC charged.

Adopting an earlier recommendation from Magistrate Judge Cam Ferenbach, Judge Navarro found that the defendants’ lending practices were deceptive because by failing to disclose charges and inflating fees, they hid from consumers the true cost of the payday loans they offered.

Earlier ruling

The decision follows another significant ruling in the FTC’s favor. In March, after the defendants claimed their affiliation with American Indian tribes shielded them from federal law enforcement, Judge Navarro ruled against them finding that the FTC Act grants the agency authority to regulate arms of Indian tribes, their employees, and their contractors.

In her latest decision, Judge Navarro noted that the key portions of defendants’ loan documents were “convoluted,” “buried,” “hidden,” and “scattered.” And she further cited evidence indicating that the defendants’ “employees were instructed to conceal how the loan repayment plans worked in order to keep potential borrowers in the dark.”

“Like any other contract, payday lending contracts must disclose the true cost consumers will pay,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the agency’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “This is especially important because many consumers who take out payday loans calculate the amount they can afford to pay down to the dollar.”

The FTC has sued a number of payday lenders for engaging in unfair and deceptive practices targeting financially distressed consumers who are seeking short-term loans.

The latest “legal authority collection scam” comes out of Illinois, where state attorney general Lisa Madigan issued a warning about a new scam wherein threatening emails, allegedly from Madigan's office, claim that the recipient owes money on a loan and better pay it off right now or face prosecution.

Madigan said that people who took out loans online are at particular risk of getting such a letter, because the personal information you provided at the time can easily end up in the hands of a fraudster.

Scams like these are sadly typical; scroll through the most recent “scam alerts” in our own archives and you'll find plenty of examples. The basic scheme is that you, the intended victim, get some type of communication — email, phone call, even an old-fashioned snail-mail letter — that boils down to “This is someone with actual legal power over you, claiming that you owe money; pay it right now or face consequences ranging from prison time to confiscation of your worldly assets.”

Variations on a theme

Variations include “This is your local sheriff or police department calling to say that you missed jury duty”; “This is either the IRS or your city or state revenue office saying you owe back taxes”; and also a “utility scam” variant which says “This is the electric company; pay us now or we'll shut off your power.”

What makes these come-ons sound plausible is that such messages genuinely exist: people do face fines or jail time for missing jury duty, ignoring traffic tickets, non-payment of taxes and similar things. And of course the utility company can cut you off if you go without payment too long.

Furthermore, even if you're the type to promptly and responsibly handle all your legal and financial obligations, there's still always the chance you'll be the victim of honest mistakes or bad luck: “I'd never deliberately ignore a jury duty notice — but what if mine got lost in the mail?” or “Of course I paid taxes on time but — uh oh. Could I have made a math error? Maybe I did underpay” or even “I owe no outstanding debts, but what if some data-entry clerk at the electric company or in the state attorney general's office made a typo, and now they think I do?”

And that's not even counting the ever-present chance “What if hackers stole my identity after breaching any one of the thousand or so databases with my personal confidential information on it somewhere?”

But Illinois Attorney General Madigan answered that question, at least for Illinois residents afraid she's out to get them: “Do not respond to anyone claiming to represent my office with demands for money or threatening prosecution. Instead, call our Consumer Fraud Bureau immediately at 1-800-243-0618.” (For out-of-state residents, the number to call is 312-814-3000.)

Madigan's advice is merely an Illinois-specific variant of a piece of anti-scam advice we're repeatedly given: anytime you get an unsolicited, unexpected message — whether the AG's office complaining about debts you had no idea you owed, or a subscription service (Netflix, for example) warning of problems you never noticed with your account — remember that, if you respond to these messages, do not use any contact information (or click on any links) they offer. Instead, get the contact information on your own.

Consider: if you got one of these fake warnings from Madigan, even if you did not read this article or any other warning of the threat, you can go online, find Illinois' official attorney general website in seconds, and see for yourself that Madigan's real contact information is wildly different from what your threatening message had to offer.

More things to consider: genuine legal (or legally sanctioned) fines, whether to the attorney general, electric company, your sheriff's office or anyone else, do not require untraceable payments—you can pay with a personal check, or at least an official money order, rather than be required to pay in cash, through a wire transfer or by handing over an anonymous pre-paid money card. Anyone demanding payment is such form is likely to be a fraud.

You can pay legitimate fines through the mail, or in person at the police station, county clerk's office or wherever; you're not required to meet somebody in (for example) a parking lot to hand over payment, nor send payment to a sketchy-looking PayPal account attached to a webmail address.

And finally, while legal fines do have deadlines — and it's even possible to hear “If you don't pay by a certain time, we'll cut off your power or send you to prison” — that deadline is never “Before sunset” or “within half an hour” or anything like that.

The scammers mention such short deadlines (and dire consequences) in hope of pressing your panic button: “Act now pay now right now, don't calm down and especially don't stop to think how very unlikely it is that you could be a scofflaw bad enough for the authorities to single you out, yet until five seconds ago you had no idea.”

GlaxoSmithKline will pay $105 million to settle charges that it unlawfully promoted its asthma drug Advair and antidepressants Paxil and Wellbutrin. The payment settles charges brought by 45 state attorneys general.

The attorneys general alleged GSK violated state consumer protection laws by misrepresenting the proper use and qualities of Advair, Paxil and Wellbutrin and by marketing the drugs for “off-label uses,” or uses that were not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

“GlaxoSmithKline put its business interests ahead of what was best for vulnerable patients,” said Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan. “This settlement will put a stop to the illegal marketing practices the company used to boost its sales.”

The case is the most recent in a long list of lawsuits and prosecutions that accused GlaxoSmithKline of unlawful conduct.

The attorneys general alleged GSK promoted Advair for off-label use to mild asthma sufferers. Mild asthmatics were steered to the drug for initial treatment, which was not a use approved by the FDA, even when substantially cheaper alternative medications were a better treatment option for these patients.

GSK also illegally marketed its antidepressant drug, Paxil, as safe and effective for children and teens, which the FDA had not approved, in spite of clinical trials that raised concerns the drug was associated with an increased risk of suicide.

Weight loss

The attorneys general alleged GSK also illegally marketed a second antidepressant drug, Wellbutrin, to children without FDA approval. GSK also unlawfully marketed Wellbutrin as an “off-label” drug for weight loss and to treat attention deficit disorder, addiction, anxiety and bi-polar disorder.

The settlement will require GSK to continue its so-called “Patient First Program” for five years. The Patient First Program reduces the level of financial incentives by the company to drug sales representatives in order to reduce deceptive marketing tactics.

The settlement also requires scientifically trained personnel to develop and approve responses to health care provider questions to ensure their responses are unbiased and do not promote specific drugs.

A study by researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) finds that consumers who buy popular soda brands like Coca-Cola and Pepsi may be getting a much higher dose of the harmful sugar fructose than they have been led to believe.

In the study, published online in the journal Nutrition, USC Keck School of Medicine researchers analyzed the chemical composition of 34 popular beverages and found that beverages and juices made with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, Mountain Dew and Sprite, all contain 50 percent more fructose than glucose, a blend that calls into question claims that sugar and HFCS are essentially the same.

"We found what ends up being consumed in these beverages is neither natural sugar nor HFCS, but instead a fructose-intense concoction that could increase one's risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and liver disease," said Michael Goran, Ph.D., lead author of the study.

"The human body isn't designed to process this form of sugar at such high levels. Unlike glucose, which serves as fuel for the body, fructose is processed almost entirely in the liver where it is converted to fat," Goran said.

Trade group claims

The Corn Refiners Association, a trade group representing HFCS producers, has long argued that HFCS is only negligibly different from natural sugar (sucrose), which is made up of equal parts of fructose and glucose.

Goran's analysis of beverages made with HFCS, however, showed a fructose to glucose ratio of 60:40 — considerably higher than the equal proportions found in sucrose and challenging the industry's claim that "sugar is sugar."

The research also shows that the ingredients on some product labels do not represent their fructose content. For example, Goran's team found that the label on Pepsi Throwback indicates it is made with real sugar (sucrose) yet the analysis demonstrated that it contains more than 50 percent fructose.

Sierra Mist, Gatorade and Mexican Coca-Cola also have higher concentrations of fructose than implied by their label. This suggests that these beverages might contain HFCS, which is not disclosed on their labels.

45 gallons a year

Americans consume more HFCS per capita than any other nation and consumption has doubled over the last three decades. Diabetes rates have tripled in the same period. Much of this increase is directly linked to sodas, sports drinks and energy drinks.

"Given that Americans drink 45 gallons of soda a year, it's important for us to have a more accurate understanding of what we're actually drinking, including specific label information on the types of sugars," said Goran.

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The full study, "Fructose content in popular beverages made with and without high fructose corn syrup," is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900714001920

Funding for the research was provided by the Dr. Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation.

Members of Goran's research team include Ryan W. Walker, Ph.D. and Kelly A. Dumke, M.S.

The University of Southern California's Childhood Obesity Research Center is a collaborative effort between USC, the Keck School of Medicine of USC and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Home to one of the nation's leading research teams addressing childhood obesity, the Center strives to understand childhood obesity and its related conditions, to examine its relationship to minority health, and to develop novel strategies for prevention and treatment.

Walker, R.W., Dumke, K.A., Goran, M. I. (2014). Fructose content in popular beverages made with and without high fructose corn syrup. Nutrition . Published online June 3, 2014; dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2014.04.003

ABOUT KECK MEDICINE OF USC

Keck Medicine of USC is the University of Southern California's medical enterprise, one of only two university-owned academic medical centers in the Los Angeles area. Encompassing academic, research and clinical entities, it consists of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the region's first medical school; the renowned USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, one of the first comprehensive cancer centers established in the United States; the USC Care Medical Group, the medical faculty practice; the Keck Medical Center of USC, which includes two acute care hospitals: 401-licensed bed Keck Hospital of USC and 60-licensed bed USC Norris Cancer Hospital; and USC Verdugo Hills Hospital, a 158-licensed bed community hospital. It also includes outpatient facilities in Beverly Hills, downtown Los Angeles, La Cañada Flintridge, Pasade

The full study, "Fructose content in popular beverages made with and without high fructose corn syrup," is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899900714001920

Like Rodney Dangerfield, dad just “don't get no respect.” That's how it must seem when comparing spending for Father's Day with other holidays.

It's no secret that Father’s Day is the smallest of the American gift-giving holidays -- barely a blip on the retail sales radar compared with Christmas and Mother’s Day. Still, dutiful sons and daughter feel compelled to go out and buy something for the old man. But they don't go crazy about it

According to the National Retail Federation's (NRF) 2014 Father’s Day Spending Survey conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, the average person will spend $113.80 on neckties, tools, electronics and other special gifts for dad -- roughly $6 dollars less than they did last year. Total spending for the holiday is expected to reach $12.5 billion.*

“Knowing both cost and sentiment are important to their shoppers, retailers this Father’s Day will make sure to offer promotions on a variety of gift options, including home improvement items, tools and even apparel,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “As more people look for ‘experience gifts’ with tickets to baseball games or a day on the golf course, retailers will also make sure to promote their gift cards for families hoping to create the perfect gift package.”

That's it?

Most people (64.1%), according to the survey, will simply say “thank you” to dad with a greeting card, while four in 10 (41.5%) will treat him to new apparel items such as neckties and sweaters -- spending a total of $1.8 billion. Another 42.6% will celebrate with special outings such as dinner or a tickets to a sporting event, spending a total of $2.5 billion.

The survey also found that those celebrating Father’s Day will spend $1.6 billion on electronic gifts like smartphones and tablets, and $1.8 billion on gift cards, letting dad pick his own special gift.

Consumers will also spend on tools or appliances ($663 million), sporting goods or leisure items ($662 million), home improvement items ($645 million), personal care items ($641 million), books or CDs ($555 million) and automotive accessories ($520 million).

Sons and daughters will look for gifts at a variety of locations, including discount stores (28.1%), online (28.4%) and specialty stores (24.2%); 16.6% say they plan to support their communities and shop at a local or small business to find gift items for dad. Most shoppers, however, will head to dad’s favorite department store (35.8%).

Eye on the budget

“As we saw with Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day this year, consumers are keeping to a strict budget,” said Prosper Insight’s Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow. “Whether they spend $10 or $100, millions of Americans will find creative, affordable ways to show dad how much they care.”

On-the-go shoppers will use their smartphones and tablets to research and purchase gifts for dad this year. Nearly one-quarter of smartphone owners (23.4%) will research products and compare prices on gifts using their smartphone, and 3 in 10 tablet owners (30.6%) will do the same. Nearly 1 in 5 (18.2%) will purchase products with their tablet for Father’s Day.

More than half of survey respondents plan to shop for their father or stepfather (52.3%) and 27.6% of wives will look for ways to show their appreciation for their husband.

Mortgage applications fell by 3.1% during the week that included the Memorial Day holiday.

At the same time, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports the Refinance Index was down 3% during the week ending May 30, although the refinance share of mortgage activity rose 1% -- to 53% of total applications.

The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity was unchanged at 8% of total applications.

Contract interest rates

Interest rates for most mortgage loans fell to their lowest levels in close to a year.

• The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) fell 5 basis points -- from 4.31% to 4.26% -- with points decreasing to 0.13 from 0.15 (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) slipped to 4.22% from 4.23%, with points decreasing to 0.11 from 0.16 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate dropped from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs backed by the FHA was down 5 basis points to 3.99%, with points dropping to -0.46 from -0.45 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 15-year FRMs fell to 3.39% from 3.42%, with points increasing to 0.07 from 0.06 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs dropped fro 3.13% to 3.11%, with points decreasing to 0.05 from 0.19 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate was down from last week.

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

The popular party drug MDMA, popularly known as "Ecstasy" or "Molly," can be deadly when taken in conditions that mimic the hot, crowded, social settings where the drug is often used, according to a new National Institutes of Health study.

The study, being published in the Journal of Neuroscience, was conducted by researchers at the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s Intramural Research Program (NIDA IRP) using rats, but the researchers say the findings could also apply to humans.

While MDMA can have a range of adverse health effects, previous studies have shown that high doses of MDMA increase body temperature, while results with moderate doses were inconsistent. This has led some people to assume that the drug is harmless if taken in moderation.

However, this study shows that in rats even moderate doses of MDMA in certain environments can be dangerous because it interferes with the body’s ability to regulate temperature.

“We know that high doses of MDMA can sharply increase body temperature to potentially lead to organ failure or even death,” said NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow. “However, this current study opens the possibility that even moderate doses could be deadly in certain conditions.”

It is impossible to predict who will have an adverse reaction even to a low dose of MDMA. However, in this study scientists gave the rats low to moderate doses that have been shown in past studies to not be fatal. They monitored the rats to determine drug-induced changes in brain and body temperature and in the body’s ability to cool itself through blood vessel dilation.

When rats were alone and in a room-temperature environment, a moderate dose of MDMA modestly increased brain and body temperature and moderately diminished the rats’ ability to eliminate excessive heat. However, when researchers injected the same dose in rats that were either in a warmer environment or in the presence of another rat in the cage, brain temperature increased, causing death in some rats. These fatal temperature increases were because the drug interfered with the body’s ability to eliminate heat.

“These results demonstrate that the use of MDMA in certain warm, social settings could be more dangerous than commonly believed,” said Dr. Eugene Kiyatkin, first author on the study and NIDA IRP scientist. “Even with moderate doses, we saw drug-induced, fatal brain hyperthermia during conditions of social interaction and in warm environments.”

Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference grinds on and continues to be a hugely big deal for iFans everywhere. Truth to tell, even Apple-free households have reason to take interest. Apple's a huge player in the computing industry, and if the company unveils anything truly innovative, everyone else will eventually follow. Remember: before there were generic “tablets,” there was the iPad.

After Day Two, it turns out that Google stockholders (and anyone else concerned with the welfare of the search-engine giant) might worry that Apple's latest update might hurt Google's bottom line. As AdAge magazine asked on June 3: “Did Apple's 'Spotlight' [local search function] update just sideline Google Search ads?”

The question arises from the fact that Apple has made Microsoft's Bing search engine the default on its upcoming products, in addition to its current status as the default search engine for voice-activated Siri products. (However, Google will remain the default search engine for Apple's browser Safari.)

Furthermore, Apple Spotlight users will get web-only search results stripped of ads — gutting one of Google's money-making models.

No guarantees

None of this guarantees that Google has reason to worry, though. AdAge notes that Apple's Bing-powered search engine generally brings back far fewer results than Google.

Bing has, in previous commercials, tried portraying this as a positive feature – you'll get a small number of search results specific to your query, rather than a large number of search results cluttered with useless junk – but, as AdAge noted, “Apple would have to prove that its small number of results are accurate enough to fulfill someone's query. Good-enough search has never been enough to unseat or take share from Google.'

Home values continued their year-over-year increase during April, but the rate of growth likely wont be sustained in the coming 12 months.

According to global property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider CoreLogic, home prices nationwide -- including distressed sales -- rose 10.5% in April from the same time a year ago. That marks 26 consecutive months of year-over-year increases in home prices nationally.

On a month-over-month basis, CoreLogic's Home Price Index (HPI) shows home prices nationwide -- including distressed sales -- increased 2.1 percent in April from the previous month.

“The weakness in home sales that began a few months ago is clearly signaling a slowdown in price appreciation,” said Sam Khater, deputy chief economist for CoreLogic. “The 10.5% increase in April, compared to a year earlier, was the slowest rate of appreciation in 14 months.”

No price drops

At the state level -- including distressed sales -- no states posted depreciation in April. Additionally, Colorado, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming all surpassed their previous home price peaks. In all, 23 states and the District of Columbia are at or within 10% of their peak home price appreciation.

Excluding distressed sales, home prices nationally posted a year-over-year increase of 8.3% in April, and were up 1.1% month over month. Distressed sales include short sales and real estate owned (REO) transactions.

Looking ahead

The CoreLogic HPI Forecast indicates home prices -- including distressed sales – will rise 1.0% month-over-month from April 2014 to May 2014, and by 6.3% from April 2014 to April 2015.

Excluding distressed sales, home prices are expected to rise 0.8% month-over-month from 1.0% month-over-month from April 2014 to May 2014, and by 6.3% from April 2014 to April 2015.

“Home prices are continuing to rise as we head into the summer months,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “The purchase market continues to suffer from a dearth of inventory which we expect will continue to drive prices up over the year.”

Hill’s Pet Nutrition of Topeka, Kan., is recalling 62 bags of Science Diet Adult Small & Toy Breed dry dog food.

The product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

There have been no reported illnesses related to this product.

The recalled product was distributed to 17 veterinary clinic and pet store customers in California, Hawaii and Nevada between April 24 and May 13, 2014.

The recall is limited to 62 15.5-lb. bags of Science Diet Adult Small & Toy Breed dry dog food with the Stock-Keeping Unit (SKU) code, “Best before” date and production code shown below:

The SKU number is located on the bottom of the bag, both side panels and on the back lower right hand corner below the UPC code. The “Best before” date and production code is stamped on the top, middle of each bag.

Consumers who may have purchased the recalled product should discontinue use of it and immediately call Hill’s Pet Nutrition at 1-800-445-5777 Monday-Friday between of 7am-7pm (CT).

Hill’s will arrange to collect the unused portion of the product at its own expense at a time convenient for the consumer and will provide a full refund.

Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing is recalling 50,000 model year 2014 Highlander and Highlander Hybrid vehicles.

The recalled vehicles may have improper software installed in the air bag electronic control unit (ECU) for the operation of the front passenger seat belt force limiter and -- as a result -- the force limiter may use the restraint setting designed for small occupants, such as those that weigh approximately 110 pounds, for all occupants regardless of their size.

In the event of a crash, a larger front passenger seat occupant may not be properly restrained and be at an increased risk of injury.

Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will install a software update in the air bag electronic control unit, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin in mid-June 2014.

Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-800-331-4331.

Consumers spend millions of dollars on gym memberships and weight loss programs but not everyone has something to show for it. If results come slowly or not at all it's easy to get discouraged and give up.

Very often people jump from one diet and exercise fad to the next in hopes it will pay off.

Paul Arciero, an exercise scientist at Skidmore College, thinks most people simply aren't maximizing their exercise effort. It's not that they aren't spending enough time and effort, he says. They haven't found the right combination.

In a report in the Journal of Applied Physiology, Arciero and his research team say it's the quality of the exercise that's important, not the quantity. They reached that conclusion based on the results of a study of adults between the ages of 36 and 57.

Multi-dimensional

They argue that when it comes to a workout, a multi-dimensional exercise regimen provides the best results. That includes resistance exercise, interval sprint exercise, stretching – such as yoga or pilates -- and endurance exercise.

Resistance training is “carrying a load,” or lifting weights. It can be done with free weights or with machines at the gym. It is important because it builds and maintains muscles, promoting healthy metabolism.

Interval sprint exercise is a workout in which you mix a moderate walk with a more intense jog or sprint.

In 2012 researchers at the Researchers at the University of Colorado found sprint interval exercise burned more calories in a shorter period of time.

They have found that exercisers can burn as many as 200 extra calories in as little as 2.5 minutes of concentrated effort a day —- as long as they intersperse longer periods of easy recovery in a practice known as sprint interval training.

Stretching

Stretching is important before and after vigorous exercise so you don't damage muscles. But it can also promote a healthy weight because it promotes flexibility. According to the Mayo Clinic, people with flexibility in their joints tend to be more active.

Endurance exercise are any activities that step up your breathing and heart rate for longer periods of time. Walking, jogging, swimming, raking, sweeping, dancing, and playing tennis are good examples.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends doing it gradually, starting with as little as 5 minutes at a time before working up to about 30 minutes a day.

Arciero says a workout routine employing all 4 exercises will produce better results that using just 1. The final ingredient, he adds, is the right diet.

Arciero suggests adding moderate amounts of protein to your diet throughout the day to decrease total and abdominal fat while increasing lean body mass.

“It’s very difficult to just lift weights, or only do the treadmill or the elliptical machine and be healthy,” Arciero said. ”Your exercise regimen needs to encompass as much of what makes you a fully integrated living person as possible.”

How do you look a half-million kids in the Majority World in the eye and tell them they have to go blind this year? Why? The genetically-modified Golden Rice that could provide them a daily ration of Beta carotene will not be approved thanks to activist claims it might contaminate organic crops.

As with most environmental issues, there’s a simple solution. You don’t tell these kids anything of the sort. Instead, you tell organic activists to read their own standards for organic production, standards which stipulate that there is no such thing as contamination of an organic crop by genetically-modified organisms (GMOs). Full stop!

Organic farmers are not allowed to make use of GMOs, just as they’re not allowed to make use of synthetic pesticides. But mere contact with trace amounts of pesticide drift does not cause an organic farmer to lose certification. Likewise, mere contact with GMOs does not jeopardize organic integrity. Full stop… again!

Let’s be clear. Synthetic pesticides can contaminate an organic crop if they reach a critical threshold level outlined in America’s standards for organic production. This can result in the decertification of an organic crop, and has resulted in countless negligence suits over the years.

But there has never been an organic decertification, much less a lawsuit, resulting from GMO “contamination” anywhere in America … anywhere in the world in fact! And it’s because the scientific community has never isolated a single example of any health effect caused by GMOs, nor any environmental effect.

So why do activists, who long ago rejected this agricultural technology (in spite of urgings to accept GMOs on a case-by-case basis by the Clinton Administration), remain so committed to labelling GMO foods like a package of cigarettes as is the case now in Vermont, or banning them outright as will now be the case in Jackson County, Oregon?

Many dangers

Lots of things could be dangerous. In fact, organic pesticides like Rotenone and pyrethrins ARE frightfully dangerous, and no one argues that fact, even organic activists.

Activists admit that labelling is only the first step to their goal of banning GMOs. The National Director of the Finland, Minnesota-based Organic Consumers Association, Ronnie Cummins, spells it all out: “The challenge will be to see if organic consumers, environmental organizations, farm activists, churches, and public interest groups can begin making headway in the bigger battle — driving genetically engineered crops off the market all over the world.” So much for the ruse that GMO labelling is all about consumer choice.

We’ve been down this road before. In the late nineteenth century, officials in France were so worried that Alfred Nobel’s invention of dynamite (TNT) might be dangerous that they actually banned it, creating L’Administration des Poudres et Saltpetre. So absolute was the power of this agency that it led to the defeat of Napoleon III by the Prussians at the Battle of Sedan in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870.

And here we are again with France once again at the forefront of the global movement to ban yet another form of technology; this time, GMOs. Only time will tell how poorly this will bode for the nation that gave us Marie Curie and Louis Pasteur. But the really horrific aspect of France’s technological obstinacy is those half-million kids who will go blind this year due to Vitamin-A deficiency, most of whom will die.

Other technologies OK

Meanwhile, organic activists are fine with the most-advanced forms of technology in all other areas of life. Anyone who agrees, even half-heartedly, with anti-GMO organic activists should ask themselves if they use any of the following artifacts of our modern, technological society:

• Electricity
• Light bulbs
• Microchips
• Energy-efficient heating and cooling systems
• Fuel-efficient cars
• Mass transportation
• Tap water

Organic activists would have you believe technology is fine, except in the field of farming. But we all have to eat. Shouldn’t farming be MORE important than texting your friends?

The activists respond by saying we have never directly manipulated plant genomes before. But each of the innovations listed above, including Nobel’s TNT, relied on doing something we never did before. It’s how society moves forward.

Pesticide contamination

Meanwhile, a whopping 43% of the organic food sold in America tests positive for pesticide contamination. How could this be? Simple really. The activist leadership of the organic industry chooses to ignore the testing clause contained in America’s organic standards, focusing instead on their unwavering, ideological opposition to GMOs.

But if rank hypocrisy among organic activists and France’s ban on TNT over a century ago don’t strike you as compelling examples of the negative consequences of ignoring science, consider instead the global ban on DDT, a pesticide once used to kill disease-carrying mosquitoes.

It was Rachel Carson’s 1962 bestseller "Silent Spring" that first questioned the use of DDT, but she never called for its ban, only for its more judicious use. And yet, eight years after her death, environmental activists went ahead and banned DDT. And, since 1972, more people have died of malaria and dengue fever than died in both world wars after, mostly children under the age of 5.

As surely as activists failed to comprehend what Carson was actually saying in her book, they’ve also failed to comprehend what their own standards say about GMOs, to say nothing of the fraudulent use of synthetic pesticides.

Combined with Europe ignoring its own scientific community that has repeatedly concluded GMOs are perfectly safe (see here and here), and with the 25 states here in America that are considering no fewer than 84 pieces of legislation related to GMO labeling and/or banning, the question now becomes, How many more people will die of malnutrition while urban organic activists continue to pretend GMOs pose a threat to organic crops?

History would appear to be repeating itself. But don’t worry. There’s no need to inform the people who run the morgues over in the Majority World. They’re already accustomed to the disastrous effect environmental activism here in the West has on their kids.

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Mischa Popoff is a former organic farmer and USDA-contract organic inspector. He is the author of Is it Organic? and has co-authored articles alongside Dr. Patrick Moore, one of the co-founders of Greenpeace, and leader of the Allow Golden Rice Now! campaign.

The price of a college education has skyrocketed in the last generation. Today, millions take on steep debt to get a bachelor's degree in hopes of getting a good job.

Lately, however, good jobs have been hard to come by. Since 2009 more college graduates have struggled to find jobs. Many have been forced to take jobs that don't require a college education.

According to the Labor Department the unemployment rate among college graduates runs between 3.2% and 3.5%. Yet, to hear corporations tell it, there are jobs available. There just aren't the people with the skills and training to fill them.

Something to consider?

So if you or someone in your family is planning to attend college in hopes of improving employability, perhaps vocational training is something to consider.

When it comes to higher education, vocational schools simply haven't gotten the love that colleges have. The assumption has been that vocational students are aiming lower.

But is that really true? Today, vocational schools offer a wide range of training for specific jobs which companies are currently trying to fill.

Typically, a vocational certificate can be obtained in less than two years. Better still, the costs are much lower than many colleges.

Relative earning power

In 2012 researchers at Georgetown University's Center for Education and the Workforce conducted a study of the relative earning power of students opting for the vocational path.

They found that 39% of men with a certificate earn more than men who earned an associate's degree, something you would typically get in two years from a community college. More impressive, nearly a quarter earned more than men who graduated with a bachelor's degree.

A corresponding study found science and technology-related training paid off even more. Getting a two year science degree at a community college provided more earning power than the average humanities bachelor's degree.

An April survey by jobs site Careerbuilder.com found a growing number of employers concerned about the preparedness of recent college graduates. For example, 53% of the HR directors surveyed thought college graduates were too strong on academics and not strong enough on real world applications.

Entry level jobs more demanding

A quarter of those surveyed said even their company's entry level jobs had grown more complex, requiring a higher level of technical ability than college graduates bring to the job.

According to the survey, the most sought-after backgrounds for entry-level employees include business, computer and information sciences, engineering, math and statistics and health professions – all of which are available through vocational training.

Compare the costs

Students considering vocational training need to consider costs, just as college students should. Typically, the least expensive certificate training is available at public institutions like community colleges.

The state of North Carolina has an online tool for determining the real costs of vocational education at institutions nationwide.

By entering the field you wish to pursue you can get a list of institutions offering certification, the length of the certificate program and the cost.

Lately private companies have entered the vocational training field in greater numbers, opening for-profit vocational schools that can be expensive. Not only that, officials have questioned the value of the instruction they provide.

In March the Department of Education proposed new regulations to measure whether some career programs, such as culinary arts, provide adequate training for graduates to actually get jobs.

Programs that don't meet the new requirements would become ineligible for federal loan and grant funds.

In preparation for Walmart's annual stockholder meeting, which is to be held June 6, a group of Walmart employees went on strikelast Friday, demanding better pay and working conditions.

The overall story “Walmart employees allege various forms of mistreatment” has been ongoing for years. As early as 2004, for example, the New York Times reported that night-shift employees were locked in the store overnight and forbidden to leave on pain of firing, even in case of medical emergencies.

The latest chapter in the story unfolded when the sporadic walk-outs started last week. The workers' group Organization United for Respect at Walmart, also known as “OUR Walmart,” is behind the strike.

OUR Walmart's complaints can be broken down into three basic categories: workers' pay is inherently too low; working conditions are often poor; and employee scheduling tends to be erratic and last-minute, making it impossible to try holding a second job or any other activities, since you never know in advance when or if Walmart expects you at work.

Sales slipping, profits off

Walmart for its part takes the position that it cannot afford to offer pay as high as OUR Walmart wants, and that its various workplace conditions — such as its pregnancy policies — meet or exceed legal requirements.

When Masslive.com reported the May 30 protest at a Walmart in Chicopee, Massachusetts, it said: “The company has denied that workers are underpaid or mistreated, and blamed much of the furor on the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, which has tried to unionize the company’s workers.”

It's not only Walmart that says times are tough. Investors are complaining too.

Last month, John Schwinghamer, a Montreal portfolio manager, said he sold all of his shares of Wal-Mart after a key measure of the company’s profitability fell in consecutive quarters for the first time in at least 20 years. 

“This is a game changer and a warning sign to investors that Wal-Mart is facing challenges in the competitive environment that they may not easily overcome this time,” said Schwinghamer, according to the Wall Street Journal's Moneybeat blog.

Wal-Mart’s earnings per share dropped by 3.5% in the quarter ended April 30, following a 20% drop in the previous quarter, according to S&P Capital IQ. 

Taxpayers' burden

On June 2, the Christian Science Monitor ran a guest column by Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor under President Clinton, discussing the issue. Reich, who compared the Walmart strikers with civil rights protestors from 50 years ago, summarized the issue as follows:

Although Walmart is no Bull Connor, it’s the poster child for keeping low-wage workers down. America’s largest employer, with 1.4 million workers, refuses to provide most of them with an income they can live on. The vast majority earns under $25,000 a year, with an average hourly wage of about $8.80.

You and I and other taxpayers shell out for these workers’ Medicaid and food stamps because they and their families can’t stay afloat on what Walmart pays. (I’ve often thought Walmart and other big employers should have to pay a tax equal to the public assistance their workers receive because the companies don’t pay them enough to stay out of poverty.)

Reich went on to discuss various lawsuits against the company. Last January, the National Labor Relations Board filed a consolidated complaint against Walmart, citing allegations that in at least 13 states, the company violated the rights of its employes who were engaged in legal acts of employee protest.

An NLRB press release dated January 15 listed the following violations allegedly committed by Walmart:

During two national television news broadcasts and in statements to employees at Walmart stores in California and Texas, Walmart unlawfully threatened employees with reprisal if they engaged in strikes and protests.

At stores in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas and Washington, Walmart unlawfully threatened, disciplined, and/or terminated employees for having engaged in legally protected strikes and protests.

At stores in California, Florida, and Texas, Walmart unlawfully threatened, surveilled, disciplined, and/or terminated employees in anticipation of or in response to employees’ other protected concerted activities.

Not all the protests are taking place at Walmart stores. On June 2, OUR Walmart held another protest and posted photos on its Facebook page under the caption “#Walmartstrikers & #Walmartmoms from around the country march to Walmart Chairman Rob Walton's house in Phoenix, calling for an end to retaliation & bullying.”