Current Events in April 2015

It's hard to imagine that stores could still have toys and products on the shelves that can be toxic to kids.There has been so much awareness about products containing chemicals that are harmful to children.

But according to a report by the New York League of Conservation Voters Education fund. and Clean and Healthy New York, some big-name brand stores are still selling toxic products. Stores like Target, TJ Maxx, Dollar General, 99 Cent City and Children's Place stores in Onondaga County are all selling children's toys with dangerous levels of toxic chemicals in them.

They had people from Clean and Healthy NY actually go into these stores and use a device to test merchandise. It's a hand-held tool that can measure levels of heavy metals.

What they found may be surprising. Arsenic seems to be a component in everything that is good. Like wine for instance lately people have been talking about the level of arsenic in that. Well, they found arsenic  in children’s jewelry and hair clips. Xylophones seem to be the big ticket item for chemicals -- they were found to contain lead, cobalt and mercury. They even found toxins in zippers in kids' clothing.

The fear is that these products with the chemical compounds can cause brain damage and other problems as small children put them in their mouth. If they have had contact with the toys that contain the toxic chemicals and then put their fingers in their mouth they are transmitting the toxins that way also.

There are federal standards but the problem is they are voluntary. There has been a great deal of effort put forth to pass something but as of yet nothing has gone through. Some New York counties are acting on their own to pass laws. Washington State did pass laws in 2008 that require manufacturers of toys and other children's products to disclose the toxic chemicals they use.

Renee Havener is a former hospice nurse for children and she spoke when the report was released. She would like the state Legislature to pass a law that would force manufacturers to list the toxic chemicals in toys they sell in New York. Albany County recently passed its own law in absence of any state legislation.

According to Syracuse.com Target responded to the allegations with a statement: "Target is committed to providing high quality and safe products to our guests. The products in question meet all federal product safety requirements."

Health and wellness have never been easier to manage than in the current age of technology. Information is now easily accessible, and there are a wealth of services that consumers can take advantage of to reach their fitness goals.

In particular, "health apps” have become increasingly popular. The question is, just how beneficial are these apps?

Many argue that health apps inspire people to adapt healthier lifestyles and stay committed to their health goals. They are extremely simple to access through smartphones and other devices that people use every day.

Iltifat Husain, editor of iMedicalApps.com, and assistant professor of emergency medicine at the Wake Forest School of Medicine, argues that the apps have great potential “to reduce morbidity and mortality.” He admits that there is not much research to support health app use, but that “doctors should not wait for scientific studies to prove benefits because these have already been shown.”

For example, Sylvia Warman, an office worker from London, believes that her health app has improved her life dramatically. She points out how much easier these apps make it to track her progress and adjust her lifestyle. She claims that her app has made her more conscious of her everyday choices. She is more active as a result, and has even improved her diet.

Too many choices

Despite these positive testimonials, there are some drawbacks to using these health apps. Because of the number of apps that have been produced, it is difficult to separate useful ones from those that are ineffective.

Des Spence, a general practitioner, argues that most health apps are “mostly harmless and likely useless,” but he cautions that there is another more serious danger associated with them -- they can play on the fears of “an unhealthily health obsessed generation.”

Spence points out that certain medical technologies, such as MRI’s and blood tests, are already overused. He believes that all of this extra technology leads to over-diagnosis which can “ignite extreme anxiety” and cause serious medical harm.

Whatever your opinion may be on the growth of these technologies, they will inevitably continue to progress. Luckily, the level to which they are utilized is still entirely up to the consumer.

What is it with Neiman Marcus? The upscale retailer seems to have an obsession with fake faux fur. No, that's not a typo -- the fur that's supposed to be fake isn't. Allegedly.

In 2013, Neiman Marcus settled Federal Trade Commission charges that it misrepresented some of its fur products. A few years before that, it paid $25,000 on a similar rap.

And now, the Humane Society of the United States is charging that Neiman is at it again, or still. It's petitioning the FTC to once again take action against the company. 

"Following similar petitions in 2007, 2008 and 2011, which named dozens of nationally and internationally known retailers, The Humane Society of the United States hoped the FTC would realize the enormity of the problem and start being proactive in protecting consumers," the Humane Society said in a prepared statement. "However, as evidence collected from 2011 to 2014 shows, the situation is just as bad as it was in 2011."

Cruel treatment

"Many Americans are opposed to buying or wearing animal fur because they object to rabbits, foxes, coyotes and other animals suffering and dying for frivolous trimmings on jackets and shoes," spokeswoman Samantha Miller added. "American consumers deserve to have the facts, and should be able to make socially-conscious decisions while shopping."

The Humane Society says it's not just Neiman Marcus that needs to modify its behavior. It faults the FTC for allegedly not taking action until prodded to do so and says other retailers are playing the same game -- selling real fur instead of the more expensive faux fur that many consumers prefer.  

"The FTC is tasked by Congress with protecting American consumers from deception and administering and enforcing the Fur Products Labeling Act.  But even the most notorious offenders like Neiman Marcus continue with a business-as-usual approach, with the FTC taking minimal action after evidence being presented by our investigators year after year," Miller said. "Another notorious offender, DrJays.com, is the subject of a similar petition filed in July 2014.  Now, almost a year later, the FTC has taken no public action."

In fact, Miller says, at least of the items mentioned in the petition was still being promoted on the Neiman Marcus website as recently as yesterday -- the "Fizzy Faux-Fur Bootie." As of this writing, the item is shown as sold out but is still displayed on the site.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a $1.54 million civil penalty against Air Methods Corp. of Englewood, Colo., for allegedly operating Eurocopter EC-130 helicopters on dozens of flights when they were not in compliance with Federal Aviation Regulations.

According to the agency, Air Methods operated two helicopters on 70 passenger-carrying flights for compensation or hire, over water and beyond power-off gliding distance from shore, when they lacked required helicopter flotation devices and flotation gear for each occupant.

The company operated another helicopter on 13 such flights when it lacked required flotation gear for each occupant, the FAA contends. All 83 flights by the emergency medical transport company occurred around Pensacola, Fla.

“Operators must follow every regulation and take every precaution to ensure the safety of all those on board,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “Flying without required safety equipment is indefensible.”

Air Methods has 30 days from the receipt of the FAA’s civil penalty letter to respond.

After posting gains in each of the previous 3 weeks, applications for mortgages have turned downward.

According the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey, applications declined 2.3% in the week ending April 10.

While the Refinance Index fell 2% from the previous week, the refinance share of mortgage activity inched up to 58% of total applications from 57% the previous week. The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity dipped to 5.4% of total applications.

The FHA share of total applications was 13.5%, the VA share was 11.1% and the USDA share of total applications was unchanged from the previous week at 0.8%.

Contract interest rates

• The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) edged up 1 basis point -- to 3.87% from 3.86%, with points increasing to 0.38 from 0.27 (including the origination fee) for 80% loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs with jumbo loan balances (greater than $417,000) rose from 3.81% to 3.84%, with points increasing to 0.35 from 0.26 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs backed by the FHA slipped 2 basis points to 3.67%, with points increasing to 0.23 from 0.18 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate remained unchanged from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 15-year FRMs moved to 3.16% from 3.15%, with points unchanged at 0.29 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs jumped 6 basis points to 2.82%, with points falling to 0.40 from 0.45 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

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

Buy4easy is recalling 2,505 TMS HY-809 motorcycle half-helmets, size Large, manufactured March 20, 2012, to October 31, 2012.

The helmets may dampen impacts insufficiently and may be missing, or have incomplete, manufacturing dates and instructions to the purchaser.

The user may not be adequately protected in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.

The remedy for this recall is still under development. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Buy4easy customer service at 1-626-388-9898.

How often does this happen to you -- you type a search query into your smartphone, click on the first link and find yourself at a site that looks like a schematic of an anthill? You know -- tiny letters, paragraphs that run off the page, photos the size of a deer tick. 

It happens to everyone. A lot. And the reason is that way too many sites that rank highly on Google have for whatever reason not bothered to make their sites "mobile-friendly" -- a phrase that simply refers to having a separate format that automatically displays to users who are using a phone or small tablet.

It's hardly a secret that mobile devices are steadily replacing desktop and laptop computers, after all. You may not be aware of it but your browser communicates with every site you visit, passing along information about your operating system, browser and device, among many other things, so it's not as though the world's webmasters don't have access to the information.

Currently, it's reported that 29% -- nearly one-third -- of Google's search queries come from smartphones and tablets and the number is growing fast.

Why would a site not want to accommodate those visitors by presenting a layout that's easy to read and understand? Good question. While it's obviously a no-brainer for retail sites, the simple truth is that consumers aren't just using their phones and tablets when they're out and about, perhaps looking to duck in somewhere and buy something. They're using them at home, at work and at school as well. It's no longer unusual to watch television with one eye while nosing around on an iPhone with the other, so every kind of site needs to make itself mobile-friendly.

If you've muttered to yourself that someone should do something about this little annoyance, rest assured. Someone is and that someone is Google, a name that gets attention from web publishers everywhere.

Web aflutter

The web is all aflutter today because come April 21, Google will be making a major modification to its search algorithm. This is something that happens every now and then and is greeted with the awe and trepidation usually reserved for the unveiling of a new Apple product.

Earlier Google algorithm changes have resulted in many previously successful sites being shoved off the edge of the earth. Companies large and small have literally gone out of business in some extreme cases when they were banished from the first few pages of search results. 

Major changes over the past few years have been aimed at eradicating sites that trafficked in stolen content or played games with keywords, hoping to lure visitors who were looking for topic Y only to find a site that instead specialized in topic X. Or even XXX.

The change now pending could be even more far-reaching. It is intended to recognize -- and reward -- sites that are optimized for mobile users. In other words, if your site looks good on an iPhone or other mobile device, it will be more likely to rank highly in Google's index. If not, well ... you can always get a job driving for Uber.

Google takes heat for some of its ventures but no one can say it doesn't try to stay ahead of trends on the web. While those who lose out in the algorithm upgrades are understandably critical, there's general agreement among experts that Google does its best to deliver honest, useful results and that its algorithm adjustments are made with the consumer's best interests in mind.

So the results come April 21 should be mostly good for consumers, even though they're likely to take a big bite out of the traffic totals for many sites that have failed to look out for mobile users.

Smaller sites

For smaller sites that use WordPress and other popular content management tools, it's not that hard to get into the mobile era, experts assure us. To test this theory, I went to one of the small community sites I manage and ran Google's mobile test and found my site did about as well as I did the summer I took intensive Russian. Flunked, in other words.

Ah, but salvation sometimes is easy for little guys. I loaded a small plug-in (free, open source) called WPtouch Mobile, activated it and ran the test again, with much better results. If you have a small site, you should do the same. If your site is built in what webmasters call "flat HTML," you may have to do a little more work but it's not all that difficult. Easy-to-use programs are available from comanies like CoffeeCup. That's the good news. 

233 big bad sites

The bad news is that for a large site, becoming mobile-friendly is no simple task. You could just as easily invent a new and improved version of the aardvark as totally rework a site that sprawls over thousands and thousands of pages and has all kinds of complex interactive elements.

Big sites that have retooled for mobile users have spent months and hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not more, trying to prepare for April 21, a date that is now circled in very thick red ink on web developers' calendars.

Not all big sites are going to make the deadline, however. Some are working feverishly but others appear to be asleep at the switch, a ConsumerAffairs survey found.  

We looked at the top 1500 sites, as determined by Quantcast, and found that fully 233 did not pass. Among the flunk-outs were 8 sites in the top 100, including MSN.com.

Perhaps because they are not as plugged into audience statistics and generally don't sell advertising, .org sites seemed to be over-represented in the no-pass list, including PBS.org and ConsumerReports.org. 

But other no-shows were a bit more puzzling. They included RollingStone.com, which has recently flunked a couple of other tests we could mention. (At the last minute, RollingStone completed an upgrade and now passes Google's test). 

And then there are the .gov sites. Flunk-outs include irs.gov, weather.gov, nih.gov and senate.gov. It's perhaps not a surprise that many of them didn't make the grade. Given the speed at which government moves, it may very well be that efforts to upgrade mobile readability are just about to get started after a few more studies and may even begin to show results in a few more fiscal years, which would probably be considered -- as the old saying has it -- good enough for government work. 

What about the states? Same story: va.gov and wa.gov lead the no-shows with many trailing behind.

So what?

What does this mean to Joe and Jill Consumer? Maybe not much in the abstract but in terms of the Google searches we all rely on for day-to-day tasks, it may very well mean that some familiar sites no longer pop up where we expect them. The next logical conclusion is that some sites we may not know about will get their chance to rise to the top and may turn out to be not only more user-friendly but much more useful all around.

After all, a site that pays attention to its technology to make sure it delivers the most useful possible product to its visitors probably pays attention to the other parts of its business as well.  

Those who criticize Google for gobbling up so much of the known universe may want to pause and be thankful that, unlike other companies that grab a big share of the market, it at least keeps stirring the barrel, keeping things frothy and fresh rather than stable and stale.

Despite the discomfort it causes webmasters, it should make life easier for consumers. 

When it comes to applying for a job, far too many applicants walk into the interview expecting the employer to ask all the questions. But to make sure the job is the right fit, the applicant also needs to have a list of questions ready to ask.

Some job-seekers refrain from quizzing a potential employer for fear of appearing presumptuous. But asking good questions will only raise an applicant’s stature in the eyes of the interviewer. The key, of course, is asking good, smart questions.

Here are some questions human resources experts believe will help you gain insight to a potential employer and impress interviewers:

Can you provide more details about this position’s responsibilities?

You should have already read a job description, often produced from boilerplate. This question may uncover specific things about the job that aren’t in the job description or clear up something you aren’t sure of. It might uncover a specific need that isn’t currently being met.

In fact, uncovering that unscratched itch should be the aim of all your questions.

If I were to get the job, how could I most quickly become a contributor to your organization?

In other words, give me a blueprint for advancement. This question will uncover some of the interviewer’s biggest perceived needs.

It also shows that your focus is not on your own needs but on the needs of the organization. “Ask not what your company can do for you…”

What do you see as the most challenging tasks that go with this position?

This is a question that any savvy interviewer will appreciate. It takes time, effort and money to hire an employee. If it turns out not to be a good fit, everyone loses.

For the applicant, there might be something about this job he or she didn’t anticipate. Better to learn where the pitfalls are before a job is offered and accepted.

What are your expectations for this position and how would I be evaluated?

This might be the most important question an applicant can ask. It will help define the scope of the job up front and let the applicant know what he or she must do to meet and exceed expectations.

What shouldn’t be asked or answered

There are also plenty of questions an applicant should not ask during an interview, most having to do with financial issues and vacation time. And it goes without saying that you shouldn’t ask about things you should already know, like what the organization does, how long it’s been around, etc. That’s what Google is for.

In a typical interview applicants will answer more questions than they ask and anyone who has applied for a job has probably encountered them. But there are a whole host of questions an interviewer is not allowed to ask.

Incredibly, a recent CareerBuilder.com survey found that 20% of hiring managers have asked questions during a job interview that they later learned were illegal. For example, if you have some gray hair and an employer asks, “When do you plan to retire?” what they really want to know is how old you are. That’s out of bounds.

The survey uncovered these other questions that one-third of hiring managers didn’t realize were illegal:

• What is your religious affiliation?
• Are you pregnant? 
• What is your political affiliation?
• What is your race, color or ethnicity?
• How old are you?
• Are you disabled? 
• Are you married?
• Do you have children or plan to?
• Are you in debt? 
• Do you drink or smoke?

“It’s important for both interviewer and interviewee to understand what employers do and don’t have a legal right to ask in a job interview – for both parties’ protection,” says Rosemary Haefner, chief human resources officer at CareerBuilder. “Though their intentions may be harmless, hiring managers could unknowingly be putting themselves at risk for legal action, as a job candidate could argue that certain questions were used to discriminate against him or her.”

Has America lost its appetite for saving fuel? Hybrid sales have declined in recent months, at a time when high gasoline prices have fallen, so it is easy to draw a connection. But industry analysts say there may or may not be a link.

Honda recently announced that it is moving its Honda Accord Hybrid production from Ohio to Japan. Not long afterward Chevrolet said it would cut its Chevy Volt production back because of rising inventories.

According to Kelley Blue Book (KBB), Volt sales went from just over 7,600 in 2011 to 23,464 the following year. But since then, sales have fallen – to 18,805 last year to just 1,874 so far this year.

Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at Autotrader.com, says the moves by both Chevy and Honda indicate weakness in hybrid sales.

“Autotrader’s analysis of IHS/Polk registration data shows the hybrid/electric vehicle share of vehicle registrations peaked in May 2014, and that share has dropped every month since then,” Krebs said.

Low gasoline prices?

If you think relatively low gasoline prices are solely to blame for sluggish hybrid sales, Krebs says you’re wrong. She says the market began trending downward when gas prices were still increasing, and continued to decline with gas prices above or near the $3.50 gallon mark.

“In fact, the share declined for 4 consecutive months from May to September 2014 when gas prices were near historically high levels,” she said. “Further, that was against the backdrop of strong total vehicle sales and a flurry of new hybrid and EV introductions.”

GM is already firmly committed to EVs with its announcement earlier this year of the Chevy Bolt, an advanced concept of the plug-in electric car. GM said its Orion, Mich., assembly plant would gear up to make the car, which has a higher mileage range and lower price tag than its predecessor, the Volt.

Just part of a strategy

At the same time, Chevy is about to introduce the next generation Volt. In light of that, KBB analyst Akshay Anand called Chevy’s curtailing current model year Volt production a smart move since it will mean less inventory and fewer incentives on the older model.

“Hybrid and alternative fuel vehicle sales have been declining for some time now, with gas prices well below the summer prices of 2014,” Anand said. “Sales of the Volt are down nearly 50% for the first quarter this year, as consumers are already anticipating the new 2016 Volt, which has more aggressive styling, more premium interior, and seating for five.”

Eric Ibara, Anand’s colleague at KBB, says consumers shouldn’t see the softness in Volt sales as a reflection on the product. He says when Chevrolet announced the 2016 Volt would have upgrades that include expanded range, it makes sense for buyers to wait.

Other analysts are also not ready to say America is losing its appetite for saving fuel. In January the Detroit Free Press looked at declining hybrid sales and drew a distinction: hybrids that still use gasoline are falling out of favor. At the same time, sales of plug-in EVs rose 17%.

With the tax-filing deadline hours away, there are some things you need to do -- fast. But in your haste, you don't want to do things that can cause you trouble.

To that end, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) offers the following tips:

File electronically

Doing so, whether through e-file or IRS Free File, vastly reduces tax return errors, as the tax software does the calculations, flags common errors and prompts taxpayers for missing information. And best of all, there is a free option for everyone. Whether filing electronically or on paper, be sure to make a copy of the return.

Check out tax benefits

Take a moment to see if you qualify for these and other often-overlooked credits and deductions:

• Benefits for low-and moderate-income workers and families, especially the Earned Income Tax Credit. The special EITC Assistant can help you see if your eligible.
• Savers credit, claimed on Form 8880, for low-and moderate-income workers who contributed to a retirement plan, such as an IRA or 401(k).
• American Opportunity Tax Credit, claimed on Form 8863, and other education tax benefits for parents and college students. Because limits and special rules apply to each of these benefits, the agency’s Interactive Tax Assistant, available on IRS.gov, can be a very useful tool.

Health care tax reporting

While most taxpayers will simply need to check a box on their tax return to indicate they had health coverage for all of 2014, there are also new lines on Forms 1040, 1040A and 1040EZ related to the health care law. Visit IRS.gov for details on how the Affordable Care Act affects the 2014 return. This includes:

• Reporting health insurance coverage.
• Claiming an exemption from the coverage requirement.
• Making an individual shared responsibility payment.
• Claiming the premium tax credit.
• Reconciling advance payments of the premium tax credit.

The Interactive Tax Assistant tool can also help.

Make the right IRA contribution

Eligible taxpayers have until April 15 to contribute to either a Roth or traditional individual retirement arrangement (IRA) for 2014. A six percent excise tax applies if a taxpayer contributes more than the law allows. Publication 590-A describes the limits in detail and includes examples.

Gifts to Charity

A new law gives taxpayers the option of claiming on their 2014 return cash contributions made by April 15 to charities aiding the families of two slain New York police officers. Details are on IRS.gov.

If claiming a charitable contribution deduction, use the IRS Select Check tool to see if a charity is eligible to receive tax-deductible donations. For donations of $250 or more, taxpayers must obtain a written acknowledgment from the charity before filing a return.

IRS Publication 526 has further details on making gifts to charity, including records to keep. In addition, special reporting requirements generally apply to vehicle donations, and taxpayers wishing to claim these donations must attach any required documents to their return.

Refunds

Most taxpayers claiming refunds now choose to receive them by direct deposit. A taxpayer can choose to deposit a refund in a single account at a bank or other financial institution or allocate it among as many as two or three accounts. See Form 8888 for details.

To avoid a refund delay or misrouting to a wrong account, make sure the financial institution routing and account numbers entered on the return are accurate. After filing, whether or not direct deposit was chosen, track the status of a refund with the Where's My Refund? tool on IRS.gov or IRS2Go.

Special instructions for paper filers

Math errors and other mistakes are common on paper returns, especially those prepared or filed in haste at the last minute. These tips may help those choosing this option:

• Fill in all requested Taxpayer Identification Numbers, usually Social Security Numbers, such as those for any dependents claimed. Check only one filing status and the appropriate exemption boxes.
• When using the tax tables, be sure to use the correct row and column for the filing status claimed and taxable income amount shown.
• Sign and date the return. If filing a joint return, both spouses must sign.
• Attach all required forms and schedules, such as Schedule A for people who itemize their deductions. In addition, attach to the front of the return all Forms W-2 and other forms reflecting withholding.
• Mail the return to the right address. Check Where to File on IRS.gov or the last page of the tax instructions. If mailing on Wednesday, April 15, be sure to do so early enough to meet the scheduled pick-up time and ensure a postmark before the midnight deadline.

Need more time to file?

Avoid a late-filing penalty by requesting a tax-filing extension. There are several ways to do so, including through the Free File link on IRS.gov, or by designating a payment as an extension payment and making it via one of the IRS e-payment methods, including the newest, IRS Direct Pay. Alternatively, taxpayers can file Form 4868. While an extension grants additional time to file, tax payments are still due April 15.

Owe tax?

If so, use IRS Direct Pay or any of several other e-payment options. They are secure and easy and you receive immediate confirmation of your payment. Or, send a check or money order payable to the “United States Treasury,” along with a Form 1040-V payment voucher. Taxpayers who can’t pay by April 15 often qualify to set up a monthly payment agreement with the IRS using the Online Payment Agreement option on IRS.gov.

Cats can be your best friend, and they can own that title that dogs have held for so long. But if you want them to remain your best friend and live a long healthy life then there are a few things you might want to think about doing, otherwise you are the one responsible for their demise.

Every cat no matter how independent they may be needs an ID tag. If they are stuck in a neighbor's tree how will the fire department know who to bring them home to? (There are still fire departments that will rescue a cat.)

Tags are really backup for a microchip. An immediate ID is important but tags can fall off and a microchip is a permanent solution. Vets can do this and different rescue groups will do it, even pet fairs usually have someone on hand to microchip.

Free-range parenting has gotten a lot of press these days and you know the question of whether to let your cat roam the neighborhood is right along those same lines.

Is it safe? Some indoor/outdoor cats live long healthy lives, but tons don't. They meet their fate through car accidents, animal attacks, and malicious humans, not to mention the possible exposure to many infectious diseases. You can build a screened-in area where your cat gets the benefits of being outside with the sun and fresh air while staying safe from the predatory environment.

Say what you will but secondhand smoke kills and it can kill your cat. Your cat has teeny tiny lungs, so while you are huffing and puffing and blowing all that smoke, your cat is choking and just trying to breathe. Lung problems and cancer occur more often in cats that are around smoke.

Deadly trash

Your trash can kill your cat. A cat that has access to trash cans can get string wrapped around its neck and swallow things that are deadly. Make sure your trash cans are covered.

Vaccinations are the one thing that will not only protect your cat but also prevent it from transmitting diseases back and forth with other cats. Feline leukemia is preventable yet it is a common issue.

Breast cancer in cats is another disease that can usually be prevented. Cats that are not spayed are at higher risk for mammary tumors (breast cancer) as well as a potentially fatal uterine infection called pyometra.

Males that aren't neutered are more likely to fight and escape the house to roam, which makes them more susceptible to getting hit by a car or attacked by another animal.

Prevention means you stop something before it happens and taking your cat to a vet offers you the opportunity to have your cat checked for any ailments before they get to a stage where they aren't treatable.

You can see how easy it is to kill your cat, or in reality how easy it is to keep them alive for a very long time by taking all the precautions necessary and being proactive in their care.

After posting declines in four consecutive months, the Producer Price Index (PPI) moved higher in March.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the PPI was up a seasonally adjusted 0.2% last month after falling 0.5% in February and 0.8% in January. Over the last 12 months, the PPI is down 0.8%.

Goods and services

Prices for goods were up 0.3% following 8 consecutive decreases, led by a 1.5% surge in energy costs, due primarily to gasoline, which jumped 7.2%. Food prices, meanwhile, fell 0.8%, thanks to a plunge of 5.1% in pork prices. The “core rate” -- less foods and energy – was up 0.2% in March.

The cost of services inched up 0.1% in March following a decline of 0.5% in February. Services less trade, transportation, and warehousing, rose 0.3%, while transportation and warehousing services and trade services both declined 0.2% in March.

Details are available on the Labor department website

Retail sales shot higher in March after tumbling an upwardly revised 0.5% month earlier, for the first gain in 4 months.

Figures released by the Census Bureau show sales totaled $441.4 billion -- an increase of 0.9% from February up 1.3% from a year earlier.

Sales at motor vehicle and parts dealers were up 2.7% last month following February's 2.1% decline. Other sectors show strong advances were building material and garden equipment and supplies (+2.1%), miscellaneous store retailers (+1.7%) and furniture & home furnishing stores (+1.4%)

Sales declines were posted by gas stations and grocery stores (-0.6%), and electronics and appliance stores (-0.5).

The complete report is available on the Commerce Department website.

The nation's foreclosure inventory posted a year-over-year decline of 27.3% in February, with completed foreclosures down 15.7%.

According data from property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider CoreLogic, there were 39,000 completed foreclosures nationwide in February compared with 46,000 a year earlier, representing a decrease of 67% from the peak of completed foreclosures in September 2010.

Completed foreclosures are an indication of the total number of homes actually lost to foreclosure. Since the financial meltdown began in September 2008, there have been approximately 5.6 million completed foreclosures across the country. Since home-ownership rates peaked in the second quarter of 2004, there have been approximately 7.7 million homes lost to foreclosure.

“The number of homes in foreclosure proceedings fell by 27% from a year ago and stands at about one-third of what it was at the trough of the housing cycle,” said Frank Nothaft, chief economist at CoreLogic.

Mortgage delinquencies

CoreLogic also reports the number of mortgages in serious delinquency fell 19.3% from February 2014 to February 2015, with 1.5 million mortgages -- or 4% -- in serious delinquency (defined as 90 days or more past due, including those loans in foreclosure or Real Estate Owned).

This is the lowest delinquency rate since June 2008. On a month-over-month basis, the number of seriously delinquent mortgages dipped 1.1%.

“While the drop in the share of mortgages in foreclosure to 1.4% is a welcome sign of continued recovery in the housing market,” Nothaft added, “the share remains more than double the 0.6% average foreclosure rate that we saw during 2000-2004.”

As of this past February, the national foreclosure inventory included approximately 553,000 homes compared with 761,000 homes in February 2014. The foreclosure inventory as of February 2015 represented 1.4% of all homes with a mortgage, versus 1.9% in February 2014.

“The foreclosure inventory dropped year-over-year in all but 2 states,” said Anand Nallathambi, president and CEO of CoreLogic. “The foreclosure rates in judicial foreclosure states are beginning to pick up and remain higher than in non-judicial states. What’s encouraging is that fewer Americans are seriously delinquent in paying their mortgages which in turn is reducing the foreclosure inventory across the country as a whole.”

Report highlights

• On a month-over-month basis, completed foreclosures were down 11.6% from the 44,000 reported in January 2015. As a basis of comparison, before the decline in the housing market in 2007 completed foreclosures averaged 21,000 per month nationwide between 2000 and 2006.
• The 5 states with the highest number of completed foreclosures for the 12 months ending in February 2015 were: Florida (110,000), Michigan (50,000), Texas (34,000), California (30,000) and Georgia (28,000). These 5 accounted for almost half of all completed foreclosures nationally.
• Four states and the District of Columbia had the lowest number of completed foreclosures for the 12 months ending in February 2015: South Dakota (15), the District of Columbia (83), North Dakota (334), West Virginia (506) and Wyoming (526).
• On a month-over-month basis, the foreclosure inventory was down by 1.4% from January 2015. The February 2015 foreclosure rate of 1.4% is back to March 2008 levels.
• Four states and the District of Columbia had the highest foreclosure inventory as a percentage of all mortgaged homes: New Jersey (5.3%), New York (4.0%), Florida (3.4%), Hawaii (2.8%) and the District of Columbia (2.6%).
• The 5 states with the lowest foreclosure inventory as a percentage of all mortgaged homes were: Alaska (0.3%), Nebraska (0.4%), North Dakota (0.5%), Montana (0.5%) and Minnesota (0.5%).

Leader Slaughterhouse of Imler, Pa., is recalling approximately 1,800 pounds of veal carcasses.

The product did not undergo federal inspection, and does not bear the USDA mark of inspection.

There are no reports of illness due to consumption of this product.

The following product, produced on April 10, 2015, is being recalled:

• 6 individual 300 pound veal carcasses, cut into quarters.

The product was picked up at the establishment’s Pennsylvania location and taken by customers to Pennsylvania and New York.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact David Hill at 814-239-0182.

When consumers embrace a particular weight loss program, they may achieve results. But in other instances, try as they might, the pounds can be very slow to come off, if they come off at all.

In the latter case, it might not be a matter of how much a dieter is eating, but what the dieter is eating.

Changing those old eating habits – adding certain foods to the diet and avoiding others – can make it easier to win the battle of the bulge. At least that’s the conclusion of researchers at Tufts University.

At Tufts, the Friedman School Nutrition Science & Policy analyzed 3 previous studies that were based on more than 16 years of follow-up among 120,000 adults. That led researchers there to focus on the glycemic content, or load (GL) of particular foods.

The GL is determined by multiplying a food’s glycemic index, a measure of a food’s ability to create blood glucose, by the carbohydrate content. Foods with a high GL were more likely to make it easier to gain weight and harder to lose it.

Refined grains, starches and sugars

Food with a big GL include refined grains, starches and sugars. Researchers say these high GL foods can boost blood glucose and lead to chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes. Until now, they say, the link to weight gain had not been firmly established.

“There is mounting scientific evidence that diets including less low-quality carbohydrates, such as white breads, potatoes, and sweets, and higher in protein-rich foods may be more efficient for weight loss,” said Jessica Smith, one of the authors. “We wanted to know how that might apply to preventing weight gain in the first place.”

If you are trying, without result, to lose weight you may be interested in the food Smith and her colleagues say you should eat and what you should avoid – or at least keep consumption to a minimum.

Less red meat, more yogurt

The study concluded that increasing the amount of red meat and processed meat are the food items most strongly associated with weight gain.

Conversely, increasing consumption of yogurt, seafood, skinless chicken and nuts are most strongly associated with weight loss. In fact, the more people ate these foods, the more weight they lost.

Interestingly, the researchers found that eating dairy products in general didn’t seem to have much effect one way or the other.

“The fat content of dairy products did not seem to be important for weight gain,” Smith said. “In fact, when people consumed more low-fat dairy products, they actually increased their consumption of carbs, which may promote weight gain. This suggests that people compensate, over years, for the lower calories in low-fat dairy by increasing their carb intake.”

What else is on your plate?

The combination of foods you consume also appears to be important. For example, avoiding foods with a high GL seemed to make fish, nuts and other food associated with weight loss even more effective.

Weight-neutral foods like eggs and cheese appear to contribute to weight gain when combined with high GL food but are associated with weight loss when eaten with low GL food.

The chief take-away from the study seems to be this: not all calories are created equal.

“Our study adds to growing new research that counting calories is not the most effective strategy for long-term weight management and prevention,” said Dariush Mozaffarian, the study’s senior author. “Some foods help prevent weight gain, others make it worse. Most interestingly, the combination of foods seems to make a big difference.”

The Tufts researchers advise those trying to shed a few pounds to not only emphasize specific protein-rich foods like fish, nuts, and yogurt to prevent weight gain, but also focus on avoiding refined grains, starches, and sugars in order to maximize the benefits of these healthful protein-rich foods.

To further help consumers identify foods to eat and avoid, the Harvard Medical School recently published this list of 100 foods and their GL.

Are ransomware attacks happening more frequently, or are more victims stepping forward and filing reports with the police? Actually, these days the police are just as likely to be the victims themselves.

Just last week, police in Tewksbury, Massachusetts, admitted that they'd had to pay an untraceable $500 Bitcoin ransom to the hackers who'd encrypted the Tewksbury PD's computer files. The chief of police admitted that the attack “basically rendered us in-operational, with respect to the software we use to run the Police Department.” Tewksbury PD did not keep backup copies of its crucial files.

Over the weekend came news of another law-enforcement organization who'd made a similar mistake: four small towns and a county in Maine all used a single computer network to share files and records with no backup.

WCSH-TV reported that Sheriff Todd Brackett of Lincoln County admitted somebody on the network had accidentally downloaded a “Megacode” virus (which a questioner on a BleepingComputer discussion forum described as being “Like Cryptolocker, but not as well done”).

$30 ransom

The virus encrypted the computer files of four town police departments and a county sheriff, until the department paid a $300 ransom for the decryption key. Brackett said that the FBI could trace the money as far as a bank account in Switzerland, but could not trace it beyond that.

Megacode, Cryptolocker and other forms of ransomware work by literally holding files for ransom, specifically by encrypting them and demanding payment in exchange for the encryption key. Some of the less sophisticated forms of ransomware can be removed or decrypted with the right tools, but more often, the ransomware can't be removed or broken without the decryption key from the ransomer.

Ransomware is simply another form of malware and thus is spread just like any other kind. In Durham, New Hampshire, last June, the police department's computer network fell victim to ransomware after an employee clicked on what they described as a legitimate-looking email. Fortunately, the Durham PD did have backup copies of its computer files, so instead of paying the ransom, they wiped their computers clean and then restored everything with their backup files.

Everyone vulnerable

Anyone with any type of network connection is vulnerable to ransomware if they're not careful. Just last month, security researchers discovered a then-new version called TeslaCrypt which targeted people on multiplayer game platforms such as Minecraft, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and other popular titles.

TeslaCrypt not only encrypted the victims' game files, but could also spread to Word documents, Excel files, PowerPoint presentations and similar files. The hackers behind the malware demanded $1,000 from their victims.

If you don't already have backup copies of all your important files – not just on your home computer, but also your tablet, smartphone and anything else holding files you don't want to lose – you should make copies right away, and keep them on a dedicated thumb drive or flash drive, or burn copies onto a disc.

In addition to these physical media storage options, you also have the option of hiring a backup service — though that brings the usual risks that comes with entrusting your data to someone other than yourself.

Norovirus it's the one thing that can sink a cruise ship vacation. Noroviruses are a group of viruses that cause inflammation of the stomach and large intestine lining (gastroenteritis); they are the leading cause of gastroenteritis in the U.S. It infects 19-21 million Americans annually -- more than six percent of the US population, according to the CDC. 

Sometimes they are called food poisoning because they can be transmitted through food that's been contaminated with the virus.

They aren't always the result of food contamination, though. We don't usually associate them with our dogs either. Usually if you get sick you aren't worried that you caught it from the family dog or if the dog got sick that they caught it from you. You might now though.

According to research published at the beginning of the month in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology there is a possibility of dog to human transmission. The lead author of the study is  Sarah Caddy, a veterinarian and research fellow at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College.

Immune response

Caddy said the research revealed that some dogs can have an immune response to human norovirus.

“This strongly suggests that these dogs have been infected with the virus. We also confirmed that that human norovirus can bind to the cells of the canine gut, which is the first step required for infection of cells,” she said. 

To do the research on this they used non-infectious human norovirus particles, which consist solely of the virus’ outer protein, called the capsid. The capsid is the part of the virus that binds to host cells. By itself, it is non-infectious because it lacks genetic material.

The study didn't really show anything conclusive but did suggest that canine infection and transmission may really be a problem for humans. Even though dogs may be susceptible, they didn't see any type of norovirus in dogs' stool samples including dogs that had diarrhea. 

They did find it in serum samples though in about one-seventh of 325 dogs tested. 

Still not known

As of now it is still not known if human norovirus can make dogs sick. If a dog becomes infected with the human strain, it isn't known whether they could spread the virus with enough power to infect humans. It should be noted also that clinicians estimated that as few as 18 virus particles can cause human infection. 

It still is yet to be determined if dogs play any part in transmitting the disease and causing outbreaks. The places that see the most activity from the disease are places dogs aren't usually present such as cruise ships and hospitals.

Some symptoms of the norovirus include, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach cramps and it’s usually accompanied by a low grade fever. Dehydration is one fear of the virus so if you display any of the symptoms clear liquids are important. If severe dehydration develops, contact your doctor. 

Since nothing is definitive it's probably a good idea to just err on the side of caution. Wash your hands and hold off on the kisses until everyone feels better.

Last February, financial industry insiders first reported evidence that hackers might have breached security and stolen customer payment card information from various hotels run by the White Lodging Services Corporation (which operates franchises under various brand names including Marriott, Sheraton, Renaissance and Courtyard).

Specifically, the hackers managed to plant malware on the point-of-sale systems used in the bars and restaurants attached to certain White Lodging-owned hotels, and stole the payment card information of anybody who ate in a hotel restaurant or drank in a hotel bar.

Security expert Brian Krebs first reported the suspected White Lodging breach in February. However, not until late last week did White Lodging confirm the breach and specify exactly which customers are at risk.

10 hotels

In a press release dated April 8, White Lodging admitted that from July 3, 2014 through February 6 of this year, hackers had compromised the point of sale systems for the food and beverage outlets connected to hotels in 10 different locations:

• Indianapolis Marriott Downtown, Indianapolis, IN
• Chicago Marriott Midway Airport, Chicago, IL
• Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac at Centerpoint, Pontiac, MI
• Austin Marriott South Airport, Austin, TX
• Boulder Marriott, Boulder, CO
• Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows, Denver, CO
• Louisville Marriott Downtown, Louisville, KY
• Renaissance Boulder Flatiron, Broomfield, CO
• Courtyard Austin Downtown, Austin, TX
• Sheraton Hotel Erie Bayfront, Erie, PA

However, guests who stayed at those hotels without using their cards to pay for food or beverage services are not at risk.

The stolen data is believed to include customers' names, credit or debit card numbers, security codes and card expiration dates.

As usual in such circumstances, the company is offering a year of free credit protection services, this time through Experian:

For more information about how to enroll for this service please send an email to WhiteLodging@protectmyid.com. You will then receive enrollment instructions. Alternatively, you can enroll by calling 1-866-926-9803. If you call this number you will be presented with a recorded message and various options. Press 1 to access the enrollment information. If you are a non-U.S. resident the available services will vary. If you decide to enroll in the service, you will be required to provide your Social Security number for identification purposes.

Watch for scams

White Lodging's press release also warned customers to watch out for scam artists who might send them scammy emails or text messages falsely claiming to be from White Lodging. This also happens anytime there's a widely publicized hacking: as soon as the media reports that Company X has been hacked, scam artists immediately start using Company X's name in their bait-emails.

If you receive any email or other communication allegedly from White Lodging and warning you that you personally were compromised in the attack, that message is guaranteed to be a fake. White Lodging is not informing individuals, because they can't. The company's online FAQ page about the hacking includes this question-and-answer combo:

Q: Why wasn’t I notified directly about this incident?

A: Because this incident affected the point of sale systems at select food and beverage outlets we do not have not have contact information associated with the affected credit/debit cards. Therefore, we could not notify you directly by email, postal mail or telephone.