Current Events in January 2015

Petco, responding to a rash of unexplained illnesses in dogs and cats, says it has removed all China-made dog and cat treats from shelves at more than 1,300 retail stores nationwide, including Unleashed by Petco stores and online at Petco.com.

Walmart quietly pulled China-made treats from its shelves in 2007 following the well-publicized death of a two-year-old Chihuahua who died suddenly after eating Bestro chicken jerky strips. Walmart did not publicly comment on the action and did not commit to keeping Chinese treats off its shelves in the future.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been collecting and studying case reports of pet illnesses for years has still not pinned down the exact cause of the problems, although the agency said in May 2014 that it had confirmed the presence of a prohibited antiviral drug in treats containing chicken from China.

In its latest report, the FDA said it has combed through more than 4,800 complaints of illness in pets that ate chicken, duck, or sweet potato jerky treats, nearly all of them imported from China.

The reports include more than 1,000 canine deaths and involve a total of more than 5,600 dogs, 24 cats and three people. Some consumers reported illness in more than one pet.

While there's no guarantee that pet treats made in the U.S. or other non-Chinese venues are safe, many pet owners have vowed to stop buying treats from China.

“As a trusted partner for pet parents, we believe this is the right thing to do, and we’re proud to take this step in the best interest of pets,” said Jim Myers, Petco CEO. “What we feed our pets matters, and this milestone supports the company’s steadfast commitment to putting our customers, partners, animals and the communities we serve first.”

The safety and health benefits of food and treats continue to be top concerns for pet owners, according to a recent survey.

The survey by Packaged Facts found that 55% of dog owners and 48% of cat owners agree that fear of pet food contamination and product safety is a key consideration for the pet foods they buy. The survey also found that 61% of dog owners and 50% of cat owners seek out food made in the U.S.

In 1959 Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev debated the merits of the capitalist and communist systems while visiting an exhibit of the typical American kitchen of the future. Nixon noted all the modern appliances and gadgets to make his points in what became known as “the Kitchen Debate.”

As impressive as that 1959 exhibit probably was, it's doubtful either man could foresee the kitchen Whirlpool assembled at this week's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

The company has unveiled what it calls the "Interactive Kitchen of the Future 2.0," a food-preparation environment that is fully connected, with a social media hub that syncs all the appliances so that everyone in your circle can be part of the food-preparation process.

Interactive backsplash

The kitchen features an interactive backsplash with personalized touch screens so you can instantly chat with someone while cooking. For example, you get stuck in the middle of assembling a dish and need to reach out to your Mom for help.

Sure, you could pick up the telephone – as people have done for decades – but that doesn't seem nearly as futuristic.

There's more, of course. The interconnectivity allows you to turn on the oven just in time to ensure dinner is ready. The refrigerator will send you a text to let you know when food is at its freshest.

“We’re using technology’s biggest stage to showcase what our design team does best – visualizing the future of appliance technology that has yet to be invented and its influence on the home,” said Brett Dibkey, vice president and general manager of Integrated Business Units for Whirlpool Corporation. “We take special care to merge our designs with cultural observations. A lot of people are connecting a lot of things, but very few are creating true consumer value. Whirlpool brand’s purposeful use of technology does not get in the way, it points the way.”

Adapts to cooking curveballs

The theory behind all this is that delivering more information, to the right end point at exactly the right time, makes life easier and produces a better food product. They way Whirlpool puts it, “the system auto-adapts to any cooking curveballs.”

Using its gathered information, the system might remind the cook of ingredients already inventoried in the fridge and make a wine recommendation based on the meal being prepared. If dinner guests get lost, the system can track them using GPS – all from the nerve center located in the backsplash.

Laundry room

Connectivity also extends to the laundry room. The "Smart Top Load Washer and Dryer" has “home and away” controls, allowing consumers to manage their wash from anywhere. Whirlpool says that helps prevent wrinkles and delays cycles when energy costs are high, saving money.

It says the the new top load triggers a quiet mode within the Whirlpool Mobile app while at home for a little extra peace when you really need it.

Where did these ideas come from? Whirlpool says they came from you. Whirlpool's Jon Hall says the company studies how consumers use their products and never use technology that doesn't provide a real and useful benefit.

Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales (short sales and real estate owned transactions), rose 5.5% in November 2014 from the same time a year ago. The increase marks 33 months of consecutive year-over-year advances in home prices nationally.

However, on a month-over-month basis, home prices nationwide inched up just 0.1% from October. And that leads CoreLogic, a property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider, to predict a month-over month decline when figures for December 2014 are released in February.

“After decelerating for most of the year, home price growth has been holding firm between a 5-and-6% growth rate for the last four months,” said Sam Khater, deputy chief economist at CoreLogic. “However, pockets of weakness are clear in Baltimore and Washington D.C., and 3 of the top 4 states with the highest price appreciation are energy intensive and had been benefiting from the energy boom which is currently receding as oil prices trend downward. These states -- Texas, Colorado and North Dakota -- may see some downward pressure on prices in 2015.”

According to CoreLogic's Home Price Index (HPI) report, all states and the District of Columbia showed year-over-year home price appreciation in November. Twenty-nine states are at or within 10% of their peak. Seven states -- Colorado, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming -- reached new highs in the home price index.

Storm clouds?

The CoreLogic HPI Forecast indicates that home prices, including distressed sales, are projected to fall by 0.1% month over month from November 2014 to December 2014, while increasing by 4.6% on a year-over-year basis.

“The pace of home price gains have slowed as we exit 2014 but this is probably only a temporary lull,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “While the CoreLogic HPI Forecast shows a slight dip in prices next month, we believe that prices will be up a year from now as continued economic growth fuels buyer confidence and their willingness to purchase a home and invest in their future.

November highlights

• Including distressed sales, the 5 states with the highest home price appreciation were: Michigan (+9.0%), Colorado (+8.8%), Texas (+8.5%), North Dakota (+7.9%) and Nevada (+7.9%).
• The peak-to-current change in the national HPI (from April 2006 to November 2014) was -12.9%.
• The 5-year HPI change (from November 2009 to November 2014) is 18.9%.
• The 5 states with the largest peak-to-current declines were: Nevada (-35.7%), Florida (-33.4%), Arizona (-29.3%), Rhode Island (-29.1%) and Connecticut (-23.2%).
• The U.S. has experienced 33 consecutive months of year-over-year increases; however, the national increase is no longer posting double-digits.
• Ninety-six of the top 100 Core Based Statistical Areas (CBSAs) measured by population showed year-over-year increases in November 2014. The four CBSAs that showed year-over-year declines were: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, Md.; Camden, N.J.; Greensboro-High Point, N.C.; and Winston-Salem, N.C.

Cable and satellite networks are feeling the heat from streaming video services that make it easier for "cord cutters" and "cord nevers," a younger generation that prefers Internet streaming to more traditional sources of news and entertainment.

Dish Network is fighting back, announcing today a new streaming video service called Sling TV, featuring sports network ESPN, Food Network and TNT, priced at $20 per month without a contract or long-term commitment.

ESPN is the most expensive network for cable channels and also one of the most popular in the known universe, featuring live and on-demand sports of every description.

Notably missing from the line-up are offerings from major networks like CBS, NBC and Fox. Industry watchers say there are two reasons: one is that the younger crowd isn't particularly eager to sit around and watch old-style programming, while the other is that the big networks aren't eager to offer just a few of their channels, which is apparenty what Sling TV wanted.

4K Joey

The announcement follows yesterday's unveiling of 4K Joey, an "ultra HD" set-top box that works with Dish's Hopper DVR system.

Dish said that 4K Joey is dedicated hardware that will be compatible with all HDMI 2.0/HDCP 2.2-compliant televisions. The 4K Joey will play back 4K ultra HD content and also support side-by-side display of two programs, each in HD.

This picture-in-picture (PiP) capability was not possible previously and is ideal for sports fans who want to watch two games playing at the same time, Dish said.

"Our new 4K Joey offers the most versatile, future-proofed 4K setup for our customers," said Vivek Khemka, a Dish senior vice president. "It's easy to install and works with the most 4K televisions, so no matter what brand customers bought over the holiday season, they can enjoy content through Dish."

Jump Your Bones of Boca Raton, Fla., is recalling Jump Your Bones brand Roo Bites (Cubes).

The product may be contaminated with Salmonella.

No pet or consumer illnesses from this product have been reported to date.

Salmonella can affect animals eating the products and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated pet products, especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the products or any surfaces exposed to these products.

The recalled lots were distributed to retail pet food stores nationwide and through pet food retailers/distributors, and were sold in Boutique Bags and online stores.

The products are identified only with the following UPC codes:

• 63633010041 for 80g. / 2.82oz. including samples of .32 oz.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled products should stop feeding them to pets and return them to the place of purchase for a full refund or dispose of them immediately.

Consumers with questions may call (888) 249-6755 from Monday – Friday 9am – 5PM, EST.

AMD Imports of Houston, Texas, is recalling approximately 35, 275 pounds of Australian lamb products.

The products were not presented at the U.S. point of entry for inspection, raising the possibility of adverse health consequences.

There are no reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

The following products are subject to recall:

• Lot A, 17,500lbs: 416 containers of Australian Bone-In Lamb Shoulder weighing from 36 to 51 lbs each with package code “730030”. The product was packaged by Wagstaff Canbourne on dates ranging from September 8, 2014 – October 10, 2014.
• Lot B, 17,775lbs: 416 containers of Australian Bone-In Lamb Shoulder weighing from 36 to 51 lbs each with package code “730030”. The product was packaged by Wagstaff Canbourne on dates ranging from September 8, 2014 – October 10, 2014.

The products bear the Australian mark of inspection with establishment number “2773.” The product was shipped to AMD Imports, and further distributed to other distributors and retail locations.

Consumers with questions may contact Dan Martinez at (713) 928-3111.

Shark is recalling 2,538 medium and extra large RAW motorcycle helmets manufactured August 22, 2013, to June 29, 2014.

During testing, some of the affected helmets failed to conform to the impact attenuation requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218, "Motorcycle Helmets."

By wearing a helmet that fails to meet impact requirements, the user may not be adequately protected in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Shark will notify and direct owners to contact service provider Realtime Results who will replace the helmet, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin on January 20, 2015.

Owners may contact Realtime Results at 1-888-770-7157.

Pink’s Ice Cream of Seattle, Wash., is recalling all ice cream flavors produced in 2014 with the exception of Coconut Non-Dairy Frozen Dessert.

The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses related to the consumption of Pink’s Ice Cream products have been reported to date.

The recalled products were distributed through grocery stores and restaurants around the Puget Sound area including Uwajimaya and Metropolitan Market in Washington.

The 16-oz. pints of ice cream are sold with a six-digit numerical product code between on the bottom of the product. That six digit code will start with two numbers between 00**** and 52****. The recall includes all codes within that range with the exclusion of 01**** and 41****.

The following products are being recalled:

Consumers who have purchased the recalled products should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 206-861-9098 Monday – Friday, 9am-5:00 PST).

John B. Sanfilippo & Son is recalling Fisher 8-oz. Chopped Walnuts and Fisher 8-oz. Pecan Cookie Pieces packaged in plastic bags.

The products may be contaminated with Salmonella.

The company says it has not received any reports of illnesses

The following items are being recalled:

The BEST BY DATES can be found on the back of the bags.

The recalled products were sold in stores in Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas or online.

Consumers who purchased these products should not consume them, but return them to the store where purchased for a full refund or replacement.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at (800) 874-8734 Monday - Friday from 8:15 AM - 5:15 PM, Central Time.

If you've checked your Facebook account in the past couple of days then you've probably noticed a sudden sharp uptick in the number of official-sounding “copyright notices” appearing on your feed. Here's a typical example, which appeared on mine:

As of January 5th, 2015 at 6:20 a.m. Eastern standard time, I do not give Facebook or any entities associated with Facebook permission to use my pictures, information, or posts, both past and future. By this statement, I give notice to Facebook it is strictly forbidden to disclose, copy, distribute, or take any other action against me based on this profile and/or its contents. The content of this profile is private and confidential information. The violation of privacy can be punished by law (UCC 1-308- 1 1 308-103 and the Rome Statute). NOTE: Facebook is now a public entity. All members must post a note like this. If you prefer, you can copy and paste this version. If you do not publish a statement at least once it will be tactically allowing the use of your photos, as well as the information contained in the profile status updates. DO NOT SHARE. You MUST copy and paste.

(As a general rule, anytime you see anything on Facebook claiming either “you MUST do this” or “YOU MUST NOT” do that, lest something horrible happen as a result – that's either a hoax or a scam.)

You might also have seen a longer version of this post, which instead of starting with a specific time and time zone starts out with this statement: “In response to the new Facebook guidelines, I hereby declare that my copyright is attached to all of my personal details, illustrations, comics, paintings, professional photos and videos, etc. (as a result of the Berner Convention)....”

Don't even bother

Don't bother sharing this notice – or cutting and pasting it, either. It's a hoax – there are no new Facebook rules (or old ones, either) requiring members to share or copy any specific posts, nor any special privileges or protections which Facebook account holders enjoy in exchange for making certain posts. And Facebook, for all its various flaws and annoying, oft-changing policies, does not impose super-secret policy changes which can nonetheless be avoided – but only if you post a particular paragraph chockful of legalese on your Facebook wall (or anyone else's).

Legal eagles (or people who know how to use online search engines) will also note that there's no such thing as a “Berner Convention,” although there is a Berne Convention involving literary copyright law. The Berne Convention does not require people with accounts on Facebook or any other form of social media to copy and paste any particular posts, either.

If you post any variation of this notice on your Facebook wall, whether by “sharing” it or as a copy-and-paste, you will not derive any particular copyright protections for yourself; you'll only annoy your other friends on Facebook.

The current flu season became much more severe in December, with the outbreak now approaching epidemic levels in more than half the states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Federal health officials say that 15 children have died of flu-related complications in nine states – Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, North Carolina, Nevada, Ohio, Texas and Virginia. The most severe outbreaks are located in the southeast and Midwest, while the west has escaped the worst of the flu season so far.

But the season has months to go before it runs its course in the spring and, if you haven't gotten a flu shot yet, the CDC recommends that you still do so.

Even if you have been vaccinated you could still get the flu. This season's vaccine covers about 50% of the strains that are currently making people sick. If you have been vaccinated and get sick, doctors say the severity of your illness should be less.

If you get the flu

If you do come down with the flu, the CDC advises you to stay home and avoid contact with other people, except to get medical care. For how long?

CDC recommends staying home for at least 24 hours after the fever is gone. Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine, such as Tylenol. You should stay home from work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings.

“Most people with the flu have mild illness and do not need medical care or antiviral drugs,” the CDC says.

High-risk cases

But people at risk of flu complications – young children, people over 65, pregnant women and people with certain medical conditions – may need antiviral drugs prescribed by a doctor. These drugs work better for treatment the sooner they are started.

How do you know whether what you are coming down with is the flu or just a bad cold? Some of the symptoms are similar but generally, you feel more miserable when it's the flu.

Flu symptoms can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue and often, diarrhea and vomiting.

When it gets serious

When flu complications set in, the symptoms are often different and more severe. They can also be different in adults than in children.

Children can have trouble breathing and their skin may turn a bluish color. You'll notice they don't drink enough liquids or interact with others. They may become so irritable they don't want to be held.

When these symptoms appear, you should seek medical help right away, according to the CDC.

Adults with flu complications may also have trouble breathing and feel dizzy and have pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen. They may become confused and be affected by bouts of severe and persistent vomiting.

Great Feeling Foods of Portland, Ore., is recalling all Groove Gluten-free Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches produced between May 16, 2014, and December 20, 2014.

These products contain custard ice cream base produced and recalled by Snoqualmie Gourmet Ice Cream as an ingredient. This custard ice cream base has the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses related to the consumption of Groove Gluten-free Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches have been reported to date.

The recalled products were distributed to and sold in various retail outlets in western and central Oregon and southwest Washington.

The products are sold in 3 fl. oz. single packs and 6 fl. oz. 2-packs and labeled as Groove. “Best By” dates are located on the bottom of the package with lot codes printed above the “Best By” dates.

The following table summarizes the affected products:

Consumers who have purchased the affected products should dispose of them or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact Great Feeling Foods at 503-329-2750 Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm, PST.

BMW of North America is recalling 3,679 model year 2014 Mini Cooper Hardtop 2 door vehicles manufactured December 1, 2013, to May 14, 2014.

The vehicles do not meet the side impact performance requirements for the rear seat passengers. If the side impact performance requirements are not met, rear seat passengers may be at a higher risk of injury during a crash.

The remedy for this recall is still under development. The recall is expected to begin February 18, 2015.

Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-831-1117.

Bleating Heart Cheese (BHC) is expanding a recall notice published in December 2014 to cover all its sheep milk, goat milk, water buffalo milk and cows milk cheese produced between February 14, 2014 (coded as 14–0214) and September 19, 2014 (coded as 14-0919).

The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The company says it has not received any reports of illnesses.

The codes on the bottom label of all Bleating Heart cheese represent “Year-Month & Day of the Month” when the cheese was produced.

The following products are subject to recall:

• “Buff Ewe Blue” and “Buff Blue” – natural rind, blue-style cheese, aged 3 – 4months
• “Double Down Blue” - natural rind, blue-style cheese, aged 3 - 4 months with a double heart imprint on the rind
• “Ewelicious Blue” – natural rind, blue-style cheese, aged 2 – 3 months
• “Fat Bottom Girl” - natural rind, aged 2 – 3months
• “Funky Beats” – washed rind, aged 2-3 months. Note: this cheese has been sold out for some time and is not likely to be in the market place
• “Goldette Tommette” - natural rind, aged 2 – 3months
• “Mixtress” - natural rind, aged 2 - 3months
• “Moolicious Blue” - natural rind blue-style cheese, aged 3-4months
• “Shepherdista” - natural rind, aged 2-3months

The cheeses listed above were sold to distributors servicing the California and Pennsylvania areas who in-turn sold to retail food shops, restaurants and stores.

Consumers who have the recalled products in their refrigerators should discard it in a manner to prevent consumption.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 858-472-1754 Monday-Friday, 9:00am-4:00pm PST or by email at dave@bleatingheart.com.