Current Events in November 2014

There's a disconnect somewhere between companies that want to hire veterans and veterans looking for work. A new RAND Corporation report finds that while veterans make excellent employees, companies still experience challenges locating and hiring them.

Studying a group of companies that have made a major commitment to hire veterans, researchers concluded that challenges remain for veterans seeking civilian jobs and employers hoping to hire them, including continuing difficulty understanding the match between military skills and civilian job requirements.

Too often veterans believe their talents apply only in the security or defense arenas and employers struggle to understand how military experience translates to the skills needed for civilian jobs, according to researchers.

"Military members need to know that defense contractors and similar businesses are not the only place they should look for work," said Kimberly Hall, lead author of the study and a senior project associate at RAND, a nonprofit research organization. "Veterans should consider the financial sector and other types of businesses. They contribute valuable skills and experience across the spectrum of American industry."

While the federal government has instituted programs to help veterans gain civilian employment, the RAND report suggests several improvements.

"Although we acknowledge the considerable effort by federal agencies to improve the transition from military service to the civilian workforce, and especially to improve the Transition Assistance Program, opportunities remain for improvement," said Margaret Harrell, co-author of the study and a senior social scientist at RAND.

The RAND report suggests that the Transition Assistance Program, which helps military members prepare for civilian life, should include the participation of civilian employers. The U.S. Department of Defense should continue to facilitate on-base access to recruiting events with civilian employers.

The Department of Defense also should extend SkillBridge, which helps military members train and intern with private employers, to include more participants, according to the report. Military members who are leaving service should be encouraged to enroll early with the Veterans Employment Center, an online employment tool with a registry of veterans and employers. Likewise, employers should consider participating in both SkillBridge and the Veterans Employment Center.

Consumers were on a shopping spree in September and in large part were using credit to pay for it.

The Federal Reserve reports consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.5% during the third quarter. Revolving credit – things like credit cards -- increased at an annual rate of 3% while non-revolving credit, such as car payments, increased at an annual rate of 8%.

Much of the increase came late in the quarter. In September, consumer credit increased at an annual rate of 6%.

Consumers have steadily increased their use of credit since the Great Recession, when credit totals actually started falling.

Cars and college

While some growth in credit use is good for the economy, where the credit is used is also important. It can either be helpful or harmful. The Fed report shows two of the biggest areas of credit spending were auto financing and student loans.

Car loans surged, along with rising new car sales. Cheap financing continues to draw consumers to new car showrooms month after month and can have a stimulative effect on the economy.

College loans, meanwhile, continue to be an area of concern. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has warned that the $1.2 trillion student loan balance is placing a heavy burden on students and the economy as a whole.

It found that in 2010, 67% of bachelor's degree recipients used loans to pay for their education.

“If you have to take out student loans, comparing your options can help you find the student loan best suited for your needs,” CFPB advises.

Double-digit interest rates

Meanwhile, consumers carrying balances on their credit cards paid an average of 15.09% in early November, according to CreditCards.com's weekly rate report. The company's average is made up of 100 of the most-used credit cards in the U.S., but does not include introductory “teaser” rates.

The Fed report shows outstanding credit balances of all types – excluding those secured by real estate – increased by more than $15 billion from August to September. But the relatively small increase in credit card balances suggests consumers aren't stepping up their spending heading into the holidays. At least, they aren't using plastic.

Reluctant spending

A recent survey by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) suggests that increases in consumer credit – particularly credit cards – have been reluctant, with consumers increasing their worries about their finances since the Great Recession.

The survey found that 92% of those polled expressed a fear of running out of money. Sixty-four percent said they were worried they wouldn't have enough money to pay each month's bills.

“The focus on immediate needs, as opposed to future ones such as retirement, reflects the uncomfortable financial situation in which many Americans live month after month,” said Gail Cunningham, spokesperson for the NFCC. “Entering the holiday shopping season already struggling to meet existing debt obligations will only add more pressure on the family.”

Perhaps you have a 20-something sitting on your couch and you are starting to think they blend in with the pillows. They don't move a lot because they are glued to the TV or they are stuck at a level in their video game. Yep, in their 20's and still playing the video games. Well guess what? You just might be part of the problem.

On that same note, also be aware it’s happening everywhere in all sorts of families, and it appears young people are taking longer to reach adulthood overall.

The 20's are really a time for growth. One-third of people in their 20's move to a new residence every year. Forty percent move back home with their parents at least once. They go through an average of seven jobs in their 20's, more job changes than in any other stretch.

Adam Price, a psychologist who has offices in New Yorkand New Jersey has tailored his practice to young adults."We can de-motivate our kids when we rescue them from consequences," says Price, "We learn when we make choices and face consequences. When parents soften the blow, we're not helping our kids learn."

Some examples of this are writing a final paper for a student. Cleaning their room. Doing laundry, paying for their car insurance. Calling in sick for work or school. Not letting them bounce and feel a bruise.

Be consistent

As a parent you have to be consistent even into early adulthood if they haven't started flying by themselves yet. If you have made a decision about something -- for instance a curfew at your home even if they are older -- you have to stick to it. Letting the curfew slide is a symbol of everything else that will slide and you will skid into a situation of never getting that young adult off the couch because you are holding them back by not holding them accountable.

Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, co-author of "Getting to 30: A Parent's Guide to the 20-Something Years," Has some suggestions that may help.

Manage your expectations. Understand your child's limits. With college-age kids, if consequences continually aren't working, look at what has happened in the past. Perhaps your child has a learning disability that has been undiagnosed. They could be suffering from substance abuse, or simply just not be the best student and have trouble studying and taking tests.

Open lines of communication. Engage in productive dialogue so they know you're on their side. With college-age kids, "be an asker, not a talker," Price says. "Listen for answers, long before you give opinions. The more they say, and the less you lecture, the better. You don't have to agree for them to know you hear them."

Don't be too generous. There is a line between supporting your children and enabling them says Christine Hassler, a life coach, author and professional speaker with an expertise in Gen Y. Money is often the problem, she says: "Just because you have the money to help them out, it does not mean that you should. As long as you continue to do so, you are impacting their ability to self-generate and possibly putting your own retirement plans at risk."

Create age-appropriate agreements. "If your 20-something is still living at home, have them pay rent. Draft a lease agreement that outlines the terms and conditions of this tenant arrangement," Hassler said.

Accept that as a parent of a young adult your power has diminished. Not everyone grows at the same pace -- it make take more time for some than others. If you commit to yourself and your ability to create a change, you will see that your child will be better able to commit to themselves and eventually you may get a seat back on that couch for yourself.

Would you lather yourself up in pig's blood, hoping to persuade an anaconda to swallow you and regurgitate you? I can think of things I would rather do but there is always that one person who wants to be the first.

Of course it's happening on TV. The Discovery Channel's "Eaten Alive" show, which claims it will show a man being eaten alive by an anaconda, will not only torment the snake. It is also getting under PETA's skin.

"Anacondas go days without eating and expend the energy needed to do so selectively. Making this snake use up energy by swallowing this fool and then possibly regurgitating him would have left the poor animal exhausted and deprived of the energy that he or she needs," the animal rights group said in a statement.

Paul Rosolie who is an author, environmentalist and -- you guessed it -- wildlife filmmaker is the planned snake snack. Rosolie will be wearing a tether that can pull him back out should he go too deep, along with a custom-built snake suit. (Custom built because this is just not the type of outfit one can pick up at Target.)

He will lather himself up with pig's blood so he becomes enticing for this huge powerful snake. An adult anaconda can weigh up to 550 pounds and grow to be 29 feet long.

And although Rosolie sent a message on Twitter on Nov. 4 saying he would "never hurt a living thing," he's not very popular with animal lovers right at the moment.

Around 20,000 people have already signed a petition on Change.org saying they will boycott the show and calling on Discovery to cancel its scheduled Dec. 7 airing.

Gee, isn't it great that some companies donate some of their profits to charity, help find homes for lost dogs, support recycling efforts and use energy-saving LED light bulbs in their factories?

Sure it is, but a new study confirms that such socially responsible activities can create a "health halo" over foods that are really no healthier than competing products. 

"Research demonstrates that consumers frequently engage in inference making when evaluating food products. These inferences can be highly inaccurate, leading to unintended, unhealthy consumer choices," say the authors of a study published in the Journal of Public Policy & Marketing.

The authors asked study participants to make assumptions about the healthfulness of a future granola bar product. The people who were told that the granola bar company had won many awards for its public service predicted that the granola bar would therefore be extremely healthy.

The authors found that this "health halo" encouraged overconsumption and underestimation of calories consumed, adding that the current study could lead to important changes in advertising regulations -- for example, limiting how much information about its social programs a company may include on its food packaging.

The authors say they believe that this and other studies may help raise awareness among those consumers who genuinely want a healthy product, and who don't want their emotions manipulated in ways that lead them to make unhealthy as¬sumptions about food quality.

The study concludes with a warning: "If consumers seeking a healthy diet inaccurately estimate nutritional content of products marketed by firms with strong reputations for corporate social responsibility, it can lead to serious health consequences for both individuals and society."

The authors of the study are John Peloza (University of Kentucky), Christine Ye (Westminster College) and William J. Montford (Florida State University).

Ferrari has found that putting off until tomorrow what you should do today is an expensive policy.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is fining the automaker $3.5 million for failing to submit early warning reports (EWR reports) identifying potential or actual safety issues. In addition, the company has been ordered to comply with NHTSA oversight requirements as set forth in a consent order.

Violations admitted

Federal law requires large manufacturers and affiliates of large manufacturers to submit comprehensive EWR reports on a quarterly basis, in order to provide notice to the Transportation Department of potential safety concerns.

Ferrari, an affiliate of Chrysler, admitted that it violated the law when it failed to submit required reports to NHTSA over a 3-year period, and failed to report 3 fatal incidents. Until Fiat (which includes Ferrari since 2011) acquired Chrysler, Ferrari qualified as a small volume manufacturer and was not required to file quarterly EWR reports. However, while Ferrari was not required to file quarterly reports, it must report fatal incidents nonetheless.

"There is no excuse for failing to follow laws created to keep drivers safe,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “All automakers will be held accountable if they fail to do their part in our mission to keep Americans safe on the road."

Remedial actions ordered

In addition to the civil penalty, the consent order requires the Ferrari to improve its processes for EWR reporting, to train personnel on the EWR requirements, to communicate these improvements to NHTSA, and to retroactively submit all EWR reports. The consent order is immediately enforceable in federal court if any terms are violated.

"The information included in early warning reports is an essential tool in tracking down dangerous defects in vehicles," added NHTSA Deputy Administrator David Friedman. "Early warning reports are like NHTSA's radar, helping us to find unsafe vehicles and make sure they are fixed. Companies that violate the law and fail to comply will be subject to comparable swift NHTSA enforcement action."

EWR reports are required under the Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability, and Documentation (TREAD) Act of 2000. The law requires quarterly reporting of: production information; incidents involving death or injury; aggregate data on property damage claims, consumer complaints, warranty claims, and field reports; and, copies of field reports involving specified vehicle components, a fire, or a rollover.

AT&T sometimes seems to live in a world of its own. Take last April, when it breathlessly announcedthat it would enter the in-flight broadband wireless business. competing with Gogo.

Gogo shrugged it off. AT&T's bid was "too little, too late," said Gogo CEO Michael Small who, it turns out, was right. Now, having heard the busy signal, AT&T says it will put its energies elsewhere. 

At the time of its announcement, AT&T quoted a survey showing that 9 out of 10 customers were unhappy with the speed and reliability of in-flight wireless and said its 4G LTE service would be markedly better.

But yesterday, AT&T said it will instead go after international wireless opportunities, including the purchase of a Mexican company. It is also, of course, trying to complete its $48 billion purchase of DirecTV.

Wall Street analysts greeted the news with a shrug, saying the in-flight wireless market was already "mature" -- meaning it has all the service providers it needs, primarily Gogo and Row 44, which have most North American airlines locked into long-term contracts.

There are many things you should not do with a credit card. Among them -- falling behind on payments.

Consider a cardholder who carries a $4,000 balance on a card charging 11.82%. That's the average rate for those carrying a balance, according to the Federal Reserve. At the 28.45% average penalty rate, the cardholder would have to pay an extra $665.20 in interest a year, according to CreditCards.com's survey of 100 U.S. credit cards. In 2012, it would have been worse. The average APR then was 28.60%.

Penalty rates are the often-stratospheric APRs that a bank charges a cardholder for making a major mistake, typically being 60 days or more late with a payment.

Staying current is a must

“This drives home, once again, just how incredibly important it is to pay your bills on time every time,” said Matt Schulz, CreditCards.com’s senior industry analyst. “Debt can grow quickly even with an average interest rate. But when you’re hit with a penalty rate, things can get out of control in a hurry.”

Fortunately for cardholders who carry a balance, the number of issuers using penalty interest rates has decreased dramatically since the passage of the 2009 Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act. In 2010, 91% of issuers imposed penalty rates. By 2012, the number had fallen to 69%. This year, it was just 60%.

Among card issuers charging a penalty rate, the lowest -- 17.99% -- is assessed by Pentagon Federal Credit Union's Cash Rewards Visa Standard card. 

Survey highlights

• Sixty of 100 surveyed cards have a penalty interest rate of some kind:28 have penalty APRs based on the prime rate plus a specified percent. Rates based on the prime rate can move up automatically when that index rises, as it is expected to in 2015; 32 calculate a cardholder's penalty APR based on creditworthiness.
• Only 23 cards disclose penalty rate information in the card terms and conditions; 77 cards required follow-up phone calls or review of cardholder agreements to confirm penalty rate details.
• The CARD Act required lenders to revoke the penalty rate if consumers make 6 consecutive on-time payments after the penalty rate is applied, but just 38 of the 60 cards make that clear in their publicly available documents.

McDonald’s Corp., of Oakbrook, Ill., is recalling about 2.5 million “Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop” whistles.

Components inside the whistle can detach, posing choking and aspiration hazards to young children.

The company has received 2 reports of children who coughed out pieces of the whistle that they had sucked into their mouths, including 1 child who received medical attention.

The recalled whistles are red and were included in a plastic “Hello Kitty” figurine holding a pink heart-shaped lollipop. The whistle can be removed and used to make sounds by inhaling or exhaling through the mouthpiece. When closed, the figurine measures about 3 inches in height and width and 1 3/4 inches in depth.

The whistle measures about 1 3/4 inches in height and width and 3/4 inches in depth. A picture of “Hello Kitty” appears on both sides of the whistle. The text “©1976, 2014 SANRIO CO., LTD.” appears above “Hello Kitty’s” face on the whistle, and “Made for McDonald’s China CCW Chine” appears below “Hello Kitty’s” face on the whistle. The bag in which the toy is packaged includes the text “Hello Kitty Birthday Lollipop” and the number “6” in the upper right corner.

The whistles, manufactured in China, were distributed exclusively at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide from October 2014, through the first week of November 2014, with Happy Meals and Mighty Kids Meals.

Consumers should immediately take the whistle away from children and return it to any McDonald’s for a free replacement toy and either a yogurt tube or a bag of apple slices.

Consumers may contact McDonald’s at (800) 244-6227 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT, 7 days a week.

Public policy makers, from President Obama to education leaders, have stressed the value of a community college education.

Students can earn a 2-year degree or complete the first 2 years or work on a bachelor's degree for a significantly lower cost than a public or private 4-year institution.

But what about value? Getting a job after graduation is what it's all about. How valuable is the education you get at a community college?

The answer is, it depends.

Major study

Researchers in Washington state have completed a major study of students who enrolled in either certificate or degree programs at the 34 community colleges in the state in the early 2000s. Next, it followed their career progress over the next 7 years.

First, the good news. The study found that students who enrolled in a 2-year degree program got their moneys worth and more.

But those who enrolled in short-term certificate programs – usually less than a year – got little value when they returned to the labor market.

The findings are significant because lately, short-term certificate programs have been rapidly growing. They're popular with students because they don't take long to complete. Colleges like them because they're a growing revenue source.

The researchers say between 2000 and 2010, the number of students receiving short-term certificates grew by 151% nationally. In that time they went from being 16% of credentials issued by community colleges to 24%.

The extra time will pay off

But the researchers say if you are thinking about investing a year in a certificate program, it will likely be more advantageous to invest an extra year to get a 2-year degree.

“While we find that earning associate degrees or long-term certificates is associated with increased wages, an increased likelihood of being employed, and increased hours worked, we find minimal or no positive effects for short-term certificates,” the authors write.

Madeline Trimble of the Community College Research Center says the bulk of the evidence suggests that short-term certificates lead to lower returns, on average, than longer-term credentials.

“Even in those states where their returns are positive, the average increase in earnings is unlikely to be greater than $300 per quarter,” she said.

Study co-author Mina Dadgar discusses key findings in the video below.

Time to take another look

Dadgar and Trimble are calling for a critical examination of short-term certificates. They say states should be concerned with the recent dramatic increases in short-term certificates and whether that is money well-spent.

They say students considering a degree program at a community college should know that getting a long-term certificate like an associate's degree was linked with a 11% increase in the chances of getting a job for women and an 8% increase for men.

Community colleges are a proven way to get started on a college education without running up huge levels of debt. In 2010-11, average tuition and fees for a full-time student enrolled in a public two-year college were $2,713, compared to $7,605 at public four-year institutions and significantly higher levels at private for-profit and nonprofit institutions, according to the College Board.

What did General Motors know and when did it know it? Those are the questions likely to arise in damage suits and continuing governmental investigations of the massive GM ignition switch recall. 

The Wall Street Journal reports today that GM ordered half a million replacement ignition switches for Chevrolet Cobalts, Saturn Ions and other cars nearly two months before it informed federal safety regulators of the problem.

The newspaper says that email exchanges between a GM contract worker and ignition-switch supplier Delphi Automotive show that GM placed an "urgent" order for 500,000 switches on Dec. 18, 2013, nearly two months prior to Feb. 7, when it notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the problem that would eventually lead to 2.5 million recalls and that has been linked to at least 30 deaths.

The emails came to light as part of a court case in New York that's headed for trial in January 2016. The emails had been designated as confidential but a lawyer for the plaintiffs challenged that designation and the court ordered them unsealed.

A spokesman for GM said the company, which has been fined $35 million, acted properly and wasn't required to report the huge order for switches. Federal law requires automakers to notify NHTSA promptly when a safety defect is discovered.

Security researchers at Kaspersky Labs announced todaythat for at least the past four years, a group of hacker/spies have been engaged in a campaign of widespread corporate espionage which Kaspersky calls “Darkhotel.”

It's not known exactly who or how many people are behind this, though Kaspersky says that, “The attackers left a footprint in a string within their malicious code pointing to a Korean-speaking actor.”

The hackers attack and intercept the wi-fi networks at luxury hotels of the sort where big-company CEO-types stay while on business trips, and plant malware disguised as a legitimate software update (usually Google Toolbar, Windows Messenger or Adobe Flash).

When the unwary executives allow the “update,” it plants keylogging software that allows the hackers to remotely see everything the executive later types on that device – including, potentially, the passcodes those executives use to log on to their companies' restricted corporate networks, where the super-sensitive and valuable information is kept.

In the shadows

As Kaspersky said in its initial announcement, the Darkhotel espionage campaign:

…. has lurked in the shadows for at least four years while stealing sensitive data from selected corporate executives travelling abroad.“Darkhotel” hits its targets while they are staying inluxury hotels. The crew never goes after the same target twice; they perform operations with surgical precision, getting all the valuable data they can from the first contact, deleting traces of their work and melting into the background to await the next high profile individual.  The most recent travelling targets include top executivesfrom the US and Asia doing business and investing in the APAC [Asia-Pacific] region: CEOs, senior vice presidents, sales and marketing directors and top R&D staff have all been targeted. Who will be next? This threat actor is still active, Kaspersky Lab warns.

Even worse, Darkhotel's targets and the hotels whose networks were attacked might not even know about it:

These tools collect data about the system and the anti-malware software installed on it, steal all keystrokes, and hunt for cached passwords in Firefox, Chrome and Internet Explorer; Gmail Notifier, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo! and Google login credentials; and other private information. Victims lose sensitive information - likely the intellectual property of the business entities they represent. After the operation, the attackers carefully delete their tools from the hotel network and go back into hiding.

More valuable payoff

From a company's perspective, corporate espionage is a far worse threat than any hacker-caused loss of money or financial data — and from a thief's perspective, corporate espionage can have a far more valuable payoff.

Imagine a thief seeking to enrich himself at the Coca-Cola company's expense. Under the right circumstances he could perhaps hack into Coke's corporate bank account and take whatever money is there, or steal the credit-card numbers issued to Coke executives, buy things and charge them to Coke's corporate accounts — but if that thief wants to get seriously rich (or seriously hurt the Coca-Cola company, which is not the same thing), his best bet is to try stealing the actual secret recipe for Coke. Same thing if someone wants to get dishonestly rich off of Kentucky Fried Chicken – the real treasure isn't KFC's current cash reserves or credit lines, but Colonel Sanders' top-secret chicken recipe.

But so far, the evidence suggests that the Darkhotel spies aren't going after fast-food recipes or other consumer-based trade secrets; they appear more interested in gaining power rather than mere money. Kaspersky manager Costin Raiu said that, “Their targeting is nuclear themed, but they also target the defense industry base in the U.S. and important executives from around the world in all sectors having to do with economic development and investments.”

Kaspersky's tips on “How to outsmart Darkhotel's tricks” include a reminder that “When traveling, any network, even semi-private ones in hotels, should be viewed as potentially dangerous.”

Even if you're not a wealthy executive with access to weapons-grade secrets, you still should be wary and take extra precautions when using any public wi-fi hotspot, not just those at hotels (luxurious or not).

The United States Postal Service admitts that hackers broke into the USPS database, which is bad news for more than 800,000 employees and might possibly cause problems for ordinary mail-receiing or mail-sending USPS customers, too.

The USPS said it discovered the intrusion sometime in mid-September and has been working with the FBI since then, but declined to speculate on who might be responsible.

However, the Washington Post said that “individuals familiar with the investigations” think the USPS hackers are connected with or working for the Chinese government, and are likely the same people who hacked the federal Office of Personnel Management last July, stealing data on up to 5 million government employees and contractors holding security clearances.

China's government, for its part, denies any role in American hacking activities and points out that hacking is illegal under Chinese law.

Regardless of who is responsible for the USPS data breach, it's believed the hackers made away with the names, addresses, Social Security numbers, emergency contacts and similar information for all post office employees.

Customers maybe not affected

A postal spokesman, David Partenheimer, said that customers who visited their local post offices or used USPS.com were likely not affected, but it is possible that some customers of the USPS call center had their telephone numbers, email addresses and similar information compromised.

However, analysts who spoke to the Washington Post said it's possible the hackers were also interested in other types of data — for example, the USPS photographs and keeps records of the address information on all envelopes and packages sent through the mail, on behalf of American law enforcement.

Thus, if you've sent or received any “snail mail” since approximately 2001 (when the photography program apparently first started), your own government definitely keeps that information about you on file, and now it's possible that China's government might have this information too.

That said: Postmaster General Patrick Donohoe, referring specifically to the theft of USPS employee information, said in a statement that “we have seen no evidence of malicious use of the compromised data and we are taking steps to help our employees protect against any potential misuse of their data.”

On the surface at least, the October employment report, released on Friday, looked pretty good. Job creation for the month was a respectable 214,000. The unemployment rate fell to 5.8%, the lowest it has been since before the financial crisis.

When you look at what these jobs pay, however, the results are not all that impressive. Economists have worried that, while the economy is growing, wages are not. If consumers can't afford to increase their purchasing power, there's less fuel to grow the economy.

The job growth in October occurred largely in traditionally low-wage sectors. Food services and drinking places added 42,000 jobs while retail added 27,000. Higher-paying jobs like manufacturing added 15,000 jobs.

Familiar pattern

In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Dan Alpert, Managing Director of Westwood Capital, says we've seen this before.

“When you go back to 2013, some 58% of all the jobs that we’ve created are in the very low wage sector,” he said. “Those low wage sectors are retail, temp work, social assistance and leisure and hospitality. And combined those sectors do just a little more than 50% of all the other sector in terms of wages.”

Women rebound faster

But when it comes to regaining lost jobs, women appear to be doing better than men. The Institute for Women's Policy Research (IWPR) has analyzed Friday's employment report and has found that the total number of jobs lost in the recession has now been recovered.

However, it says men are down 71,000 jobs from the number they held at the start of the recession. In October, men gained 87,000 jobs while women gained 127,000. Women now hold 50% more jobs than they did at the start of the economic downturn.

The unemployment rate is based on the percentage of the population actively looking for work. If you aren't looking you aren't counted. Increasingly, economists have worried about the number of people no longer participating in the work force.

In October, the overall labor force participation rate increased slightly to 62.8% from 62.7% in September. Here again, that's largely due to women.

Fewer men participating

More women joined the labor force last month while more men dropped out. While women's participation rose slightly, men saw a rather dramatic drop of 4 percentage points from the start of the Great Recession.

"The economy is consistently adding over 200,000 jobs each month, but the recovery for men has remained painfully slow," said IWPR President Heidi Hartmann. "Working women continue to be the engine behind the economic recovery."

IWPR found that without women's strong presence in a few growing industries, women would have fared much worse in comparison to men than they did in the recovery. Men added more jobs in more sectors but where women were in the lead – sectors like education and health care – they lead by a lot.

The analysis also takes a close look at wages. It finds growth is not just limited to traditional low wage jobs but says most of the growth has come in what it calls mid-level wages, such as professional and business services.

It agrees, however, that job growth has been much slower in higher paying sectorsm such as information technology, financial services and government.

Uber is starting to resemble one of those start-ups that grows like kudzu. Or something. While expanding into new global markets at near-light speed it is also starting to get its tentacles into neighboring businesses. Like home delivery.

Or so it appears anyway, with the news that Tom Fallows, the head of Google's same-day delivery business, has abandoned Google for Uber. Don't feel bad for Google though. It holds a major investment position in Uber so what's good for Uber is good for Google. It's sort of an Uber uber alles situation.

The obvious implication in all of this is that Uber now has its eye on the home delivery business -- something everybody has been scheming to enter lately, although few have done so on any major scale with any major degree of success.

Lots of cars

An Uber entry makes a lot of sense, however. After all, it has what Amazon, Google, et al, don't -- namely, cars and drivers, lots of them. 

Amazon, which seemingly has everything imaginable in stock, is still largely reliant on third-party carriers -- everyone from UPS to USPS and points in between.

Google has indexed everything but the actual items for its home-shopping service, Google Express, come from retailers like Walgreens, Costco and Staples. Google doesn't have its own cars, unless you count those cute little self-driving ones. It does have a collection of independent contractors who run around buying whatever customers order and then delivering it to them. Not exactly state of the art, but a start anyway.

While neither company is saying much about Fallows' delivering himself from Google to Uber, he dropped a hint that his loyalties had not necessarily been much changed by the move.

“Even though the next stage of my career takes me outside Google, I’m really excited to watch Google Express continue to thrive and expand,” Fallows said in a statement Google emailed to The Wall Street Journal.

Speaking of the WSJ, the news of Fallows' move was delivered earlier today by Re/code, the technology news website started by a couple of Wall Street Journal defectors.

Military veterinary clinics all over the world are having to cut back services that they offer to privately owned pets so they can save some money.

The cutbacks took effect in mid-October, according to the U.S. Army Public Health Command, which oversees veterinary treatment facilities at all military installations. Lt. Col. Matt Takara, the command’s program manager for animal medicine said that they are temporarily suspending almost all procedures that involve anesthesia for privately owned animals at most of the 150 locations around the world.

What's happened is the command has hired more civilians -- who are more expensive than military members -- and so they need to cut back staffing in some areas to save money. Veterinary facilities will still perform emergency procedures for pets and will continue to operate on military animals, Takara said.

The cost of examinations has increased $10 to $35, and the price of some items sold by the clinics rose slightly.

The military had been charging less than the actual cost of the procedures. So there was no way to win on that.

Despite the cutbacks, Takara said pets will still receive good preventive care. "The goal is to increase access to care and provide more wellness and sick call appointments to our military families’ pets,” he said.

As the Federal Communications Commission begins considering rules to ensure free and equal access to the Internet, President Obama is weighing in with his suggestions.

"An open Internet is essential to the American economy, and increasingly to our very way of life," Obama said in a statement. "By lowering the cost of launching a new idea, igniting new political movements, and bringing communities closer together, it has been one of the most significant democratizing influences the world has ever known."

Obama suggests the FCC "should create a new set of rules protecting net neutrality and ensuring that neither the cable company nor the phone company will be able to act as a gatekeeper, restricting what you can do or see online." He listed these priorities:

• No blocking. If a consumer requests access to a website or service, and the content is legal, your ISP should not be permitted to block it. That way, every player — not just those commercially affiliated with an ISP — gets a fair shot at your business.
• No throttling. Nor should ISPs be able to intentionally slow down some content or speed up others — through a process often called “throttling” — based on the type of service or your ISP’s preferences.
• Increased transparency. The connection between consumers and ISPs — the so-called “last mile” — is not the only place some sites might get special treatment. So, I am also asking the FCC to make full use of the transparency authorities the court recently upheld, and if necessary to apply net neutrality rules to points of interconnection between the ISP and the rest of the Internet.
• No paid prioritization. Simply put: No service should be stuck in a “slow lane” because it does not pay a fee. That kind of gatekeeping would undermine the level playing field essential to the Internet’s growth. So, as I have before, I am asking for an explicit ban on paid prioritization and any other restriction that has a similar effect.

Obama noted that more than 4 million consumers have submitted public comments urging the adoption of net neutrality rules but conceded that a federal court had struck down the FCC's previous attempt to impose new regulations "not because it disagreed with the need to protect net neutrality, but because it believed the FCC had taken the wrong legal approach."

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has said that he does not expect to have a final draft of proposed new rules before early next year.

Cat got your tongue? It just might, at the brand new Cat Town Cafein Oakland, Calif. It's a first for cats. The two people who created this unique cafe are Adam Myatt who goes by the moniker "Cat Man of West Oakland" and Ann Dunn who founded a local cat rescue organization.

They describe it as "an elaborate play area" where customers can order drinks and spend quality time with up to 12 adoptable cats. The cafe has two areas -- one a food prep area and counter where you can order the usual cafe items like coffee, tea, sandwiches and pastries.

Then there is a play area for the fabulous felines, with cat-sized replicas of city icons and murals featuring famous cats of pop culture. A limited number of people can be in the lounge area at one time to interact with the cats.

Least adoptable

All of the cats at the cafe are from Oakland shelters and they have been labeled as the least adoptable cats. The funding came via IndieGogo, which raised $40,695 and $20,000 was donated by Pet Food Express.

"The Cafe allows us to not only empty more cages, but allow the cats who remain at the Oakland shelter to get more attention from volunteers, stay healthier, and have more opportunity for sooner adoption with fewer cats and kittens competing for attention," the cafe's website says.

Similar businesses are set to open soon in San Francisco (KitTea), Portland (Purringtons), Los Angeles (Catfe), Denver, (Catco) San Diego and Seattle (Meowtropolitan).

Don't think you can take a cat nap and then get in to the Cat Town Cafe. You need to make reservations as there is a waiting list to visit.

Consumers are showing more optimism about the economy and that, according to Deloitte’s 29th annual holiday survey, is kindling holiday cheer with shoppers planning to spend more.

Among the survey's findings:

Holiday spending to increase

• Total holiday spending is predicted to increase by 13% -- to $1,299 per household, and includes gifts, socializing away from home, entertaining at home, non-gift clothing for family or self, home/holiday furnishings, and any other holiday-related spending not in the other categories.
• Spending on just gifts is expected to rise by 9% -- to $458 this year, from $421 last year.
• Consumers who shop across store, mobile and online channels are expected to spend 66% more on gifts than those shopping stores only: $592 versus $357.
• The number of gifts consumers expect to purchase increased to 13.4, compared with 12.9 in 2013, but nearly 10 gifts less than the high of 23.1 in 2007.

The Internet and discount/value stores rule

• The Internet and discount/value stores once again rank as the top shopping venues this year, with the Internet No. 1 for the second straight year. Nearly half (45%) plan to shop online, followed closely by 44% at discount/value stores.
• In-store purchases are expected to account for 52% of the holiday budget.
• Consumers expect to make an average of five (4.6) trips to traditional “brick-and-mortar” stores during the shopping season.
• Clothing remains the top item consumers plan to purchase as a gift, cited by 45% of respondents; gift cards (43%) continue to hold the No. 2 position, but are down from a high of 69% in 2007.
• The top two gifts people would like to receive are gift cards (37%) followed by cash (35%).
• More than two-thirds (68%) plan to “shop local” this year, with the No. 1 reason, “To support the local economy”; and the No. 2 reason, “To find one-of-a-kind gifts.” In the survey, “local retail stores” are defined as small businesses, independent retailers or boutique shops which are not part of national chains.

Data breach concerns

• More than half (55%) indicate they are concerned about the protection of their personal data when shopping online and 42% have the same concerns in-store.
• Though there is concern for personal data when shopping both online and in-store, 56% indicated they will continue to shop at retailers that have experienced a data breach.
• Nearly four in 10 (36%) percent said, “I am more likely to shop at a retailer who provides me education surrounding the security of my personal data.”

A busy December in the works

• Forty-three percent of respondents will do a majority of their shopping in December or later -- an increase of 6% from 2013.
• Almost seven in 10 (68%) indicated they will go online to look at an item, then go to a store to see it and buy it in the store (“webrooming”).
• Nearly half (49 percent) indicated they will go to a store to look at an item, then search online for the best price and then purchase online (“showrooming”).
• Roughly three-quarters (74%) of shoppers say they will be influenced by coupons/promotions.
• Consumers plan to take advantage of a number of retailer offerings this year, including free shipping (68%), free returns (52%), price matching (45%), extended holiday hours (35%), order online for pick up in-store (34%) and free layaway (16%).
• Nearly half (47%) of shoppers say they do not rely on Black Friday as much as they used to for holiday shopping.

“With the short, 27-day shopping stretch between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day, retailers need to be sharp with their promotional timing, inventory management and distribution capabilities,” said According to Alison Paul, vice chairman and retail sector leader at Deloitte. “Retailers that can fulfill orders from both online distribution centers and store inventories, for example, may be more nimble and poised to respond quickly to pockets of high demand for certain gifts -- and ensure timely holiday deliveries.”

Paul also notes that despite concerns about the security of personal information, shoppers also appear resilient to reported data breaches and desire to still shop with affected retailers. “Retailers should benefit from this optimism and expression of loyalty,” she notes, “but need to stay vigilant as a spike in transactional activity around the holiday season comes with increased vulnerability.”