Current Events in April 2015

In the 19th century people often went to bed when the sun went down and rose before dawn. After all, there was no TV to watch or web to surf.

Besides, it was thought that every hour of sleep you got before midnight was worth 2 hours of sleep after that hour. Modern research suggests there might be some truth in that.

Korean researchers writing in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism have concluded that people who stay up late are more likely to develop diabetes, metabolic syndrome and sarcopenia than people who turn in early, even when they get the same amount of sleep.

Sleep-wake cycle

The study focused on a person’s natural sleep-wake cycle. It found that staying awake later at night is likely to reduce the amount and quality of sleep. Maybe even more important, it connected staying up late with strange dietary patterns, with subjects tending to eat the wrong kinds of food at the wrong times.

“Regardless of lifestyle, people who stayed up late faced a higher risk of developing health problems like diabetes or reduced muscle mass than those who were early risers,” said Nan Hee Kim, of Korea University College of Medicine in Ansan, Korea and one of the study’s authors. “This could be caused by night owls’ tendency to have poorer sleep quality and to engage in unhealthy behaviors like smoking, late-night eating and a sedentary lifestyle.”

Night owls less healthy

In the study, some subjects stayed up late and others went to bed early. Even though the people who stayed up late were younger, they had higher levels of body fat and triglycerides, or fats in the blood, than the older subjects who both turned in and rose early.

The night owls also were more likely to have sarcopenia. That’s  a condition where the body gradually loses muscle mass. Late night men were more likely have diabetes or sarcopenia while late night women tended to have more belly fat and a significant risk of metabolic syndrome.

“Considering many younger people are evening chronotypes, the metabolic risk associated with their circadian preference is an important health issue that needs to be addressed,” Kim said.

The Korean study adds to the growing body of research stressing the importance of sleep to health.

Other research

 “Sleep affects almost every tissue in our bodies,” said Dr. Michael Twery, a sleep expert at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “It affects growth and stress hormones, our immune system, appetite, breathing, blood pressure and cardiovascular health.”

According to NIH, a good night’s sleep consists of 4 to 5 sleep cycles. Each cycle includes periods of deep sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. It’s during that time that you have dreams.

“As the night goes on, the portion of that cycle that is in REM sleep increases. It turns out that this pattern of cycling and progression is critical to the biology of sleep,” Twery said.

How much sleep do you need? It will vary by age but Twery says – in addition to the number of hours – the quality of the sleep is just as important.

If you are ready to enter the job market – either by changing jobs or maybe leaving school and getting your career started, no doubt last Friday’s March jobs report from the U.S. Labor Department came as bad news.

While most economists were expecting at least 200,000 new jobs to have been created, the actual number was much lower – an increase of 126,000. It was something of a surprise because the U.S. economy has been creating an average of 269,000 new jobs over the last 12 months.

Survey tells different story

But there may not be cause for concern. A survey from employment website CareerBuilder.com suggests the March numbers might have been an outlier – that the job market is much healthier than the statistics suggest.

CareerBuilder asked businesses, both large and small, about their hiring plans for the second quarter. Twenty-three percent of companies with 50 or fewer employees expect to add full-time, permanent staff over the next three months, up from 18% last year.

Among all the employers in the survey, the number planning to increase staff between now and July is up 6% over the second quarter of last year. And with more companies competing for employees, wages may finally move a bit higher.

Harder to find employees

In short, businesses are finding it harder to hire employees, with 43% of employers saying job openings remain unfilled for at least 12 weeks. Because of the new competition, about 24% of companies expect to bump up salaries by at least 5% in the second quarter, compared to the same period last year.

In the information technology field, 37% of employers anticipate paying their new hires more.

 “The brisk hiring anticipated for the second quarter comes against the backdrop of stronger sales, new product development and market expansion among companies of all sizes,” said Matt Ferguson, CEO of CareerBuilder.

Small businesses getting bigger

Ferguson says job seekers might have better luck applying at small businesses, which he says have been playing a larger role in America’s sustained job growth.

“When you pair that with the fact that hiring has increased in a variety of industries and regional areas, it bodes well for workers seeking new and better-paying employment prospects.”

It’s true that some industries need more employees than others. The March jobs report showed lackluster job creation, in part, because of a continued decline in the oil industry. But the business and professional services sector added 40,000 jobs during the month.

More full-time jobs

Part of the problem with this slow jobs recovery has been the increase in part-time jobs and the decline in full-time positions. They survey also suggests that’s changing.

In the months ahead, 32% of employers plan to take on full-time, permanent staff, up from 26% in the second quarter of last year. About 8% plan to lay off staff, about the same percentage as last year.

Even if you don’t find a full-time job with benefits, you at least have an improved chance of landing contract work, according to the CareerBuilder survey. Thirty-seven percent of employers plan to hire temporary or contract workers in the second quarter, an improvement over last year.

And 31% say they plan to give full-time jobs to some current contract or temporary workers, up from 26% last year.

You just realized that you're going to have to send Uncle Sam some of your hard earned money to settle up your taxes.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says it’s “easier than ever" to pay taxes electronically, and for those who can’t pay on time, “quick and easy solutions are available.” That may be debatable, but there are some options for you.

Among them:

• IRS Direct Pay. Available at IRS.gov/directpay, this free online tool allows individuals to securely pay their income tax directly and securely from checking or savings accounts without any fees or pre-registration. No need to write a check, buy a stamp or find a mailbox. Payments can even be scheduled up to 30 days in advance, and the tool is available round the clock. Any taxpayer who uses the tool receives instant confirmation that their payment was submitted.
• Electronic Federal Tax Payment System. This free service gives taxpayers a safe and convenient way to pay individual and business taxes by phone or online. To enroll or for more information, call 800-316-6541 or visit www.eftps.gov.
• Electronic funds withdrawal. E-file and e-pay in a single step.
• Credit or debit card. Both paper and electronic filers can pay their taxes by phone or online through any of several authorized credit and debit card processors. Though the IRS does not charge a fee for this service, the card processors do.

Taxpayers who choose to pay by check or money order should make the payment out to the “United States Treasury.” Also, print on the front of the check or money order: “2014 Form 1040”; name; address; daytime phone number; and Social Security number.

To help insure that the payment is credited promptly, also enclose a Form 1040-V payment voucher.

You should file either a regular income tax return or a request for a tax-filing extension by this year’s April 15 deadline to avoid stiff late-filing penalties.

Got the shorts?

Taxpayers who owe, but can’t pay the balance in full, have some options. Some may qualify for payment plans and other relief.

In many cases, those struggling with unpaid taxes qualify for one of several relief programs, including the following:

Most people can set up a payment agreement with the IRS online in a matter of minutes. Those who owe $50,000 or less in combined tax, penalties and interest can use the Online Payment Agreement to set up a monthly payment agreement for up to 72 months. Taxpayers can choose this option even if they have not yet received a bill or notice from the IRS. With the Online Payment Agreement, no paperwork is required, there is no need to call, write or visit the IRS and qualified taxpayers can avoid the filing of a Notice of Federal Tax Lien if one was not previously filed. Alternatively, taxpayers can request a payment agreement by filing Form 9465. This form can be downloaded from IRS.gov and mailed along with a tax return, bill or notice.

Some struggling taxpayers may qualify for an offer-in-compromise. This is an agreement between a taxpayer and the IRS that settles the taxpayer’s tax liabilities for less than the full amount owed. The IRS looks at the taxpayer’s income and assets to make a determination regarding the taxpayer’s ability to pay. To help determine eligibility, use the Offer in Compromise Pre-Qualifier, a free online tool available on IRS.gov. Details on all filing and payment options are on IRS.gov.

Marketers who helped promote a Utah-based home loan modification scheme will be banned from the mortgage relief and debt relief industries.

The newly-announced court settlement resolves Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that the marketers violated the law by promoting the loan modification scam, which conned consumers into paying hefty fees for worthless mortgage relief services.

Worthless promises

According to an FTC complaint filed last June, the scam led by Philip Danielson, the Danielson Law Group, and several closely associated companies and individuals, fraudulently pitched loan modifications to consumers.

The complaint accuses the defendants of luring consumers into paying $500 to $3,900 by falsely promising that attorneys would negotiate loan modifications that would substantially reduce the consumers’ mortgage payments. In the face of rising consumer complaints against Danielson Law Group, Linden Financial Group was formed to serve as the marketing arm for the defendants’ enterprise, the FTC contends

Linden Financial Group prepared and mailed ads for mortgage relief services that were designed to look like they were coming from lawyers in the recipients’ states. The FTC also claims Linden Financial Group received money from the payment processor set up to collect funds from consumers and then used this money to fund expenses and funnel cash to Philip Danielson and others.

Hefty fine ordered

Under the proposed settlement, Linden Financial Group also is prohibited from violating the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule, and is required to have competent and reliable evidence to support claims made about the benefits, performance, or efficacy of any financial product or service.

The proposed order imposes a judgment of $28.6 million against Linden Financial Group and requires the company to turn over its financial accounts to the agency.

Back in February, the FTC announced settlements with the other individual and corporate defendants in this case that resulted in orders which ban the defendants from offering mortgage assistance relief services and from participating in the debt relief industry.

Henry’s Farm of Woodford, Va., is recalling all packages of soybean sprouts.

The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes

No illness has been reported to date.

The following products are being recalled:

• 1-lb bags of soybean sprouts in clear plastic bags labeled “Natto Soybean Sprouts” “Keep Refrigerated” with a UPC Code of 1303020000 produced on or after March 24, 2015.
• 10-lb bags of soybean sprouts in black plastic bags labeled “Soy Bean Sprouts” “Keep Refrigerated” produced on or after March 24, 2015.

The recalled items were sold in retail stores in Virginia and Maryland.

Individuals who purchased the recalled soybean sprouts should return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact the company at 301-802-2996.

A jury in Georgia has awarded $150 million to the family of Remington Walden, 4, who died in 2012 when his family's 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee was rear-ended and burst into flames, creating an inferno from which he could not escape.

Safety advocates say that at least 269 others have died in similar accidents. They blame the placement of the fuel tank, behind the rear axle in the part of the car generally known as the "crush zone."

It is the same placement that earned the Ford Pinto the reputation of being a death trap and led to a massive recall sparked by the revelations of Ralph Nader, who in 2011 termed the Jeeps a "modern day Pinto for soccer moms."

Read a partial timeline of the Jeep fire-death scandal

The jury in Decatur County, Ga., found that Chrysler -- now known as FCA US LLC -- was liable for Remington's death because it had failed to warn customers that the tank's placement increased the risk of fire in rear-end collisions.

It found Chrysler acted with "reckless and wanton disregard" for consumers' safety and ordered it to pay 99 percent of the damages in the case. The driver of the car that rear-ended the Walden family was ordered to pay one percent. Chrysler's lawyers had claimed that it was not the fire that killed Remington but rather the driver who struck the family Jeep. 

FCA US LLC CEO Sergio Marchionne was ordered to testify at the trial and in videotaped testimony said he had "no way of knowing" whether newer Jeeps, with the gas tanks in front of the rear axle, are safer.

Marchionne also said he is "not an engineer" and could not say whether it was dangerous to have a gas tank located between the bumper and rear axle.

“The $150 million verdict will not bring back 4­-year-old Remi Walden who burned to death in a child booster seat or any of the other victims in the 395 fatal fire crashes of the 1993­-2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 1993­2001 Jeep Cherokee and 2002-­2007 Jeep Liberty covered by NHTSA’s
now closed investigation," said Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the non-profit Center for Auto Safety.

Ditlow called on NHTSA and the Transportation Department to reopen the Jeep fuel tank investigation that was closed mysteriously after a secret meeting involving officials who have since taken lucrative lobbying jobs.

A recall that wasn't

Beginning with Nader in 2011, safety advocates called on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Chrysler to recall Jeeps with the unusual fuel tank placement. The government "studied" the matter for years while Chrysler stonewalled.

Eventually, after a secret meeting at Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Marchionne and then-Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that Chrysler would install bumper hitches on hundreds of thousands of Jeeps, in the hope that the bumper hitches would protect the fuel tank from damage.

The notion was never subjected to rigorous scientific testing, as is the usual practice before a recall is approved by NHTSA. The agreement was generally regarded as a political band-aid rather than a scientific solution. LaHood "retired" a short time later to go into private practice as a lobbyist and public affairs executive. NHTSA head David Strickland took a senior position with Venable, a D.C. law firm that public records indicate did $1.1 million worth of business with Chrysler over a recent five-year period.

A hitch develops

The recall itself dragged on. At first, Chrysler said it was short of parts, then it began blaming consumers for not bringing their SUVs in quickly enough.

But those who heeded the recall were dismayed to find that they were not even getting a full towing package on their vehicle. Dealers installed the hitch but not the wiring or other heavy-duty components needed to tow a trailer safely. Dealers received a memo asking them to tell customers the hitch was not suitable for towing.

In other words, the hitch can't be safely used for towing and has not been proven to provide effective protection in the event of an accident.

More disturbing to some is the likelihood that future owners of the vehicles will not know that the hitch is not usable for towing, which could create an additional safety hazard. 

"Who’s going to tell subsequent owners?" asked an attorney who represents other Jeep families. "They don’t even put all the bolts in.  It’s not just a fake remedy; it’s a fake tow hitch."

"The $150 million verdict in Walden vs Chrysler rebukes the deal cut by former DOT Secretary Ray LaHood, former NHTSA Administrator David Strickland and Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne in a secret meeting in Chicago to conduct a sham recall using a fake trailer hitch that can’t even tow," Ditlow said. "Strickland, who arranged the deadly meeting in a series of 23 emails that excluded NHTSA professional staff from participating, is now a lawyer with a law firm that represents Chrysler and failed to recuse himself from the Jeep investigation even though he planned to join the law firm."

When people spend their money on real estate, it is generally for their primary residence, investment property they plan to lease, or for vacation property they plan to use for personal leisure.

When spending on vacation property goes up, as the National Association of Realtors (NAR) says it did last year, it might say something about the economy.

According to NAR, sales of vacation homes in the U.S. boomed last year, even rising above their most recent peak in 2006, just before the housing crash.

What makes that comparison more remarkable is that in 2006, lending standards were very lax. Now, they are strict -- yet sales have surpassed the 2006 high.

Fewer investment purchases

While vacation home sales are increasing, purchases of investment property declined for a fourth straight year.

The NAR survey shows vacation home sales surged to an estimated 1.13 million, rising more than 57% over 2013. At the same time, investment home sales in 2014 fell 7.4% to an estimated 1.02 million units.

So more people were purchasing second homes in which to spend leisure time than purchasing rental property to produce income.

Astonishing

Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, says the numbers are nothing short of astonishing.

"Affluent households have greatly benefited from strong growth in the stock market in recent years, and the steady rise in home prices has likely given them reassurance that real estate remains an attractive long-term investment," Yun said. "Furthermore, last year's impressive increase also reflects long-term growth in the numbers of Baby Boomers moving closer to retirement and buying second homes to convert into their primary home in a few years."

In fact, last year vacation home sales accounted for 21% of all transactions while sales of investment properties fell to 19%. Owner-occupied purchases - sales to consumers who plan to live in the homes - dropped from 67% of sales to just 60%.

Median price falls

While overall home prices continue to rise modestly, median prices for both vacation homes and investment property went down last year. The median vacation home price was $150,000, down 11.1% from $168,700 in 2013. The median investment-home sales price was $125,000, down 3.8% from $130,000 a year ago.

But Yun says those price declines might have more to do with the kinds of properties being purchased rather than erosion in values. He says consumers bought more condos and town homes in both categories and fewer single-family homes.

Although 54% of vacation buyers bought a single-family home, the share of those buying a condo or a townhouse or row house increased from a year ago.

Forty percent of vacation buyers purchased in a beach area, 19% purchased in the country and 17% purchased a vacation home in the mountains.

If you plan to sell your home this year there may be a few things you can do to speed the process, landing an offer sooner and closer to your asking price.

Randy Cantrell, an assistant professor at the University of Florida, has become something of a housing specialist as he has watched his state recover from the housing bust. As he has worked with Realtors to fine-tune the marketing of real estate, he’s compiled a list of tips that revolve around different buyer psychologies.

Psychology of buyers

It’s true that location remains the most important quality of a piece of property but Cantrell says he has found post-crash homebuyers fall into four categories and five sub-categories, and it’s these categories that largely influence purchase decisions.

The first thing a seller needs to understand, he says, is the general description of the post-crash buyer. Since they are competing for financing in much tighter credit markets, today’s buyer has a higher credit rating, is more affluent and is more likely to know exactly what they want.

Cantrell enlisted several hundred buyers in a study who had purchased an existing, furnished or staged home after 2008. They were all between the ages of 25 and 50 at the time of purchase and they all had children under age 19 living at home when they occupied the home.

In addition, they looked at several comparable homes within the same community before making their purchase. Cantrell’s goal was to look for things that influenced their decision. Beyond that, he wanted to learn what groups of people – as opposed to individual homebuyers – want when they buy a home.

Curb appeal

One of the largest groups was the people who said they bought their home because it was close to the best schools. It turns out these folks are impressed most with curb appeal.

Overall, they use external impressions about your house and others on the street to determine whether they believe the neighborhood is well-suited to raising a family.

But another buyer group isn’t nearly as concerned about the home’s exterior but is focused on the interior. Cantrell says this group is most impressed by fine craftsmanship, both in the home’s construction and with any additions, such as bookshelves.

Cantrell said his research confirmed some pretty obvious points but also produced some surprises. It wasn’t that surprising that a potential homebuyer might be turned off when she opened a closet door to see a disorganized jumble, concluding that the house hadn’t been that well maintained.

Staging

But Cantrell said he was surprised at how effective “staging” a home is. In that part of his research, he has first-hand experience.

When his home was on the market he never considered hiring a stager until feedback showed that potential buyers were confused about how the living room “fit” into the home’s floor plan.

The stager recommended moving the big-screen TV to the other side of the living room so potential buyers could experience a better view of the TV next to windows, which exposed the large front yard.

“That was the ’eureka’ moment for me,” said Cantrell. “I complied with unconventional thinking, and my home sold. I knew there was a story to be told about the ‘hidden’ details that most sellers never come to understand about buyers and why a seller’s really nice home continues to sit on the market. It’s all in the eye of the beholder.”

As fans of HGTV real estate shows well know, staging is all the rage in home selling these days, with decorators making a nice living helping Realtors and their clients present their homes in the best possible light.

If you’re getting ready to sell your home, you might get some valuable tips from the video clip below.

The economy continued to create jobs in March, but the pace has slowed considerably.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 126,000 last month following an advance of 264,000 in February. Over the prior 12 months, employment growth had averaged 269,000 per month.

The unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.5%.

Professional and business services was the largest contributor to March's increase (+40,000 jobs), followed by retail trade (+26,000) and health care (+22,000).

Employment losses came in mining (-11,000), while food services and drinking places, construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, transportation and warehousing, information, financial activities, and government, showed little change over the month.

Who's working and who's not

Among the major worker groups, the unemployment rates for adult men (5.1%), adult women (4.9%), teenagers (17.5%), whites (4.7%), blacks (10.1%, Asians (3.2%) and Hispanics (6.8% showed little or no change in March.

Among the unemployed, the number of new entrants fell by 157,000 in March and is down by 342,000 over the year. Unemployed new entrants are those who never previously worked.

The number of long-term unemployed (those jobless for 27 weeks or more) was little changed at 2.6 million in March. These people accounted for 29.8% of the unemployed. Over the past 12 months, the number of long-term unemployed has declined by 1.1 million.

The civilian labor force participation rate slipped slightly to 62.7% from 62.8%. The employment-population ratio was 59.3% for the third consecutive month.

The complete report may be found on the Labor Department website.

Lebanese Butcher Slaughter of Warrenton, Va., is recalling approximately 902 pounds of beef, goat, and lamb products due to misbranding and because the products were further processed without being fully inspection.

There are no reports of illness due to consumption of these products.

The following products are being recalled:

• 406 pounds of beef cuts in unlabeled plastic bags.
• 496 pounds of lamb or goat cuts in unlabeled plastic bags.

These items were slaughtered under inspection on March 27, 2015, but were subsequently processed without the benefit of inspection and sold directly to consumers on March 28-29, 2015.

The products may or may not bear the establishment number “Est. 31959” inside the USDA Mark of Inspection.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Kheder Rababeh, at (703) 304-6458.

La Terra Fina is expanding its already expanded product recall to include one more product.

The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

To date, there have been no confirmed cases of illness in relation to these products.

The newly added product is a 10-oz container of Chunky Spinach Artichoke & Parmesan Dip & Spread:

The recalled products were sold by retailers in the Midwest, West Coast and Rocky Mountain regions.

Consumers who purchased these products are urged to discard or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers may call the La Terra Fina consumer affairs call center at 877-929-2575 between Monday and Friday from 8:00AM - 8:00PM US EDT.

New York and several other states have sued the suspected perpetrators of a nationwide scam campaign that mailed out millions of unauthorized and wildly overpriced subscription renewal notices to newspaper and magazine readers.

The solicitations were sent without the permission of the publishers and stated that consumers were receiving “one of the lowest available rates,” when, in fact, they were being charged, in some cases, more than double the publication price. The companies then pocketed the difference.

“It is illegal under New York law to trade on the name of reputable publications and use deceptive advertising to trick consumers into overpaying for goods and services,” said New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman. “New York is home to the largest media market in the country and serves as headquarters to many of our nation’s most important newspapers and magazines. My office will work hard to protect New Yorkers from swindlers and to protect the business of reputable companies who play by the rules.”

Joining in the lawsuit against Orbital Publishing Group, Inc., and affiliated companies were Oregon, Minnesota, Missouri and Texas.

44 publications

Schneiderman’s lawsuit alleges that, from at least 2010 to the present, the companies sent consumers unlawful solicitation notices designed to look like they came directly from at least 44 publications. The victimized publications include some of the nation’s leading periodicals, including Consumer Reports, National Geographic, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post.

Dow Jones, in an affidavit filed as part of New York lawsuit, stated that it has spent $3.5 million in responding to the unauthorized notices, including by offering free subscriptions. American City Business Journals estimates that its subscribers, who were charged double the publication’s real subscription price, have lost as much as $120,000 as a result of the companies’ allegedly deceptive practices.

“This sophisticated mail scam ripped off thousands of Oregonians and others across the country,” said Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum. “Consumers thought they were dealing with legitimate companies, and that they were paying the lowest available price. Instead, they sent payments to a dishonest third-party, who pocketed the money."

“They used deceptive ‘renewal’ notices to get people to unwittingly pay significantly more for their newspaper or magazine subscriptions,” said Minnesota Attorney General Lori Swanson.

Pocketed the difference

According to the court papers, once the companies received orders from consumers, typically at exorbitant prices, the companies sent a check to the publishers for the actual subscription price, so that the consumer’s subscriptions were started or renewed, and then pocketed the difference.

For example, the companies charged consumers as much as $59.95 for annual subscriptions to Consumer Reports that cost $29.95. They charged Wall Street Journal consumers $599.95 for a one-year subscription that cost $413 at retail. The New York Times estimated that the companies charged consumers a price that is 30 to 40 percent higher than the actual subscription cost of The Times. Many publishers are no longer accepting orders from the companies.

According to the New York lawsuit, the solicitation scams were operated by a labyrinth of corporate entities, which were allegedly created to disguise the scheme.

The solicitation companies have used dozens of different names to solicit consumers, including Magazine Payment Services, Associated Publishers Network, Publishers Periodical Service, United Publishers Service, Publishers Billing Exchange, Publishers Billing Association, Publishers Billing Center, Magazine Billing Network, Publishers Distribution Services, Magazine Distribution Service and Subscription Billing Service. The solicitations generally contained a return address in White City, Oregon, Henderson, Nevada, or Reno, Nevada.

The lawsuits seek to stop the alleged illegal business practices, return money to consumers, disgorge any profits related to these alleged illegal activities, and penalties.

Marketers grateful

The Direct Marketing Association, a trade group, helped gather information on the scam and expressed gratitude to the state AGs for their action.

"Examples like this demonstrate that enforcement action from state and federal authorities, coupled with nimble and quick-to-adapt industry self-regulation, helps to protect consumers from bad actors and advances consumer trust in the marketing industry,” said Senny Boone, General Counsel for the Direct Marketing Association.

Here's the latest scam you need to watch out for: today the Federal Trade Commission issued a warning about fake letters, allegedly from the FTC's consumer protection director Jessica Rich, offering to help victims claim a cash prize they supposedly won.

But in order to get this big cash prize, the letter says, you'll first have to pay $5,000 to cover the costs of the “Legal Registration Bond” supposedly required.

It's a come-on for the classic “advance fee scam,” of course; if you pay the money the scammer will take it and run, leaving you $5,000 poorer and without any prize. There's nothing unusual nowadays about getting such a scammy come-on message from a con artist pretending to be some type of governmental authority figure or bureaucrat – anybody from a courtroom clerk to your state's attorney general, a fake IRS agent to a bogus deputy sheriff.

But getting such a letter through the U.S. Mail is relatively rare nowadays; most scammers prefer email because it's faster and cheaper, even free. On the other hand, that same fact might make people slightly more likely to fall for such a scam if the come-on is printed on actual paper and sent through old-fashioned snail mail, rather than done entirely by electronics.

“The language might sound legal, and the letter might look legit. You might look up Jessica Rich and see she's an actual FTC official. But the truth is, there's nothing legal or official about it. It's a fake letter designed to convince you to send money for a non-existent prize,” the FTC's warning said.

Furthermore, the FTC doesn't oversee contests, sweepstakes or any other “win valuable prizes”-type events. Even if it did, you should always remember that legitimate contests, sweepstakes or any other “win valuable prizes”-type events don't require you to first pay money in order to receive your prize.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is urging health care professionals, including veterinarians, and patients not to use products made and distributed by the Prescription Center pharmacy, located at 915 Hay St., Fayetteville, North Carolina.

In an inspection conducted in March by the NC BOP, state inspectors observed significant deficiencies that raise concerns about the company’s ability to assure the sterility, stability and potency of the sterile and non-sterile human and veterinary drug products that it produced.

The Prescription Center has been closed by order of the North Carolina Board of Pharmacy, which has ordered a recall of all lots of sterile and non-sterile products compounded or repackaged and distributed by the pharmacy Sept. 10, 2014, and March 10, 2015.

The FDA said it is not aware of any adverse events associated with the pharmacy's products but, due to concerns about a lack of sterility assurance and other conditions at the facility, both the FDA and the state pharmacy board are advising against their use.

Health care professionals should check their medical supplies, quarantine any drug products from the Prescription Center and should not administer them to either human or animal patients.

Adverse reactions or quality problems experienced with the use of these products may be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.

This week, Amazon launched a new product aiming to let people buy and sell home services through the company, the way they already can buy physical retail products — expectant parents could always order a crib on Amazon, but now you can also hire someone to put that crib together for you (at least in certain select markets).

Amazon Home Services is, according to Amazon's press release, “a new marketplace for on-demand professional services [from] handpicked pros offering upfront pricing on pre-packaged services.” In other words, Amazon's version of start-ups like TaskRabbit (which is integrating, rather than competing, with Amazon Home Services): Amazon itself isn't providing any services, but listing (and vetting) independent contractors for customers to find.

The company also promises a money-back “Happiness Guarantee” to ensure customers are satisfied with their service purchases.

Thus far, Home Services is only available in select (and for the most part densely populated) urban areas, which currently include Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City and of course Seattle, where Amazon is headquartered. Those four cities are currently the only ones offering a “HIGH” level of Home Services coverage, according to Amazon's own map.

But “medium” to “light” coverage is available in over a dozen other cities across the country and, as Amazon's marketing language says, “More locations and service pros are being added to Amazon Home Services every day.”

Reviews are mixed

Reactions thus far have been mixed. Megan Geuss at Ars Technica tried hiring a contractor through Home Services, but it didn't work out:

The cheapest service I could find in my area was getting windshield wipers replaced ($15 if you provide your own wiper blades). I selected that service, hoping that a team of underemployed teens/drones would descend on my vehicle within the hour. I was disappointed to learn that, despite the "Home Services" moniker, I could only get the service if I took my car in to a nearby shop—even then, I couldn't get an appointment until Wednesday. Sorry, but I can replace my own wiper blades, after all.

Other “home” services also turned out to be “in-store” services, including various forms of virus or spyware removal that required customers take their infected devices to a service center.

In my neck of the woods (a part of Virginia technically considered an outermost suburb of Washington D.C.), Amazon only offers a short and oddly inconsistent list of offered services. Under the category “General Repair and Odd Jobs,” for example, there was nobody near my zip code I could hire for “furniture assembly,” although there were offerings for “hutch assembly” ($139), “bookcase” or “bar stool assembly” ($100 each), $150 for “dining set” or “buffet or sideboard assembly” – but nobody who'd assemble a “kitchen island or cart.”

Amazon says that Home Services is “an invite-only marketplace for professional service providers,” who in turn are “handpicked.” That said, the Home Services page also includes a link for service providers to click if they'd like to get an invitation (though Amazon told The Verge that it only accepts 3 out of every 100 professionals in an area).

The gig economy

While most attention to the Home Services rollout focused on the customers' perspective, others wondered what effect this would have on the service providers. Alison Griswold writing for Slate said that Home Services “could take Uber's iffy labor model to a whole new level,” by increasing the number and types of services performed by “independent contractors” rather than “employees” who (at least in theory) have better benefits and job security than pay-by-the-gig independent contractors.

On the other hand, David Lumb at Fast Company proclaimed that Home Services could be “great for gig economy workers,” in part because it will allow them to set their own locally competitive prices. At the same time, Lumb reminded readers of previous Amazon ventures, such as its Fire smartphone and now-defunct subscription diaper service – which launched to much hoopla yet failed to live up to the hype.

And Ars Technica pointed out another potential problem with Home Services: its pricing model. Amazon plans to make money off of Home Services by taking a cut of each contractor's fee – anywhere from 10 to 20 percent, depending on the type of service.

That's likely to work well for one-time hires, but what about recurring services? As Megan Guess said: “Once you find a babysitter or drum teacher you like on Amazon Home Services, there's less of a drive to keep paying through Amazon if the company is taking a cut. If you really love your drum teacher, you'll pay her under the table and let her keep the extra 10 percent.”

After announcing plans to cut more than 50,000 jobs in 2 consecutive months, employers have ratcheted back a bit.

New figures released by outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas show US-based employers announced plans to trim payrolls by 36,594 during the month. That's down 27.6% from the 50,579 job cuts in February and the lowest monthly total since December, when 32,640 were announced.

Still, the March figure was 6.4% higher than the same month a year ago, making it the fourth consecutive year-over-year increase.

Oil prices take a toll

Through the first quarter of 2014, employers announced 140,214 job cuts -- up 15.6% from the same 3 months a year ago. In addition, the first quarter saw 17% more job cuts than in the final quarter of 2014 -- when 119,763 job cuts were recorded.

Of the 140,214 job cuts announced in the first quarter, 47,610 were directly attributed to falling oil prices.

“Without these oil related cuts, we could have been looking one of lowest quarters for job-cutting since the mid-90s when three-month tallies totaled fewer than 100,000,”said John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas. “However, the drop in the price of oil has taken a significant toll on oil field services, energy providers, pipelines, and related manufacturing this year.”

First quarter job cuts were dominated by the energy sector, where employers announced 37,811 reductions in force in the first 3 months of 2015. The 3-month total is up a whopping 3,900% compared with a year ago, when fewer than 1,000 energy cuts were reported.

“Oil companies are not the only energy-related firms who are getting hit this year,” Challenger noted. Coal mine closings in West Virginia and elsewhere around the country are also costing jobs.”

The good news is that the pace of energy-sector job cuts appear to be slowing. Only 1,279 job cuts were announced by energy firms in March -- 92% fewer than the 16,000 announced in February.

Other cutters

The retail sector has tallied the second highest number of job cuts this year, with 22,502 planned terminations through the first 3 months of 2014. That figure includes 6,640 in March, most of which were due to a major announcement from Target.

While energy and retail top the year-to-date job-cut tallies, the heaviest job cutting in March occurred among industrial goods manufacturers, whose payroll reductions totaled 9,383 during the month. That brings the sector’s 2015 total to 17,738, which ranks third among all industries.

“Oil prices impacted energy firms directly at the end of 2014 up until February. Now, peripheral manufacturers are losing contracts and laying off workers in an effort to limit major losses,” Challenger said.

Hiring continues

The flip side of losses due to oil prices appears to be occurring in automotive and transportation hiring. Automotive manufacturers announced over 7,000 new jobs so far this year, according to Challenger tracking, compared with just over 2,000 by this time last year. Meanwhile, companies in the transportation sector have announced over 6,700 new jobs; there were just over 2,000 through the first quarter of 2014.

“This is just a fraction of the actual hiring occurring across the country,” Challenger concluded, “but a jump in these numbers suggest auto and transportation companies are benefiting by the oil slump which could ultimately positively impact consumers.”

Initial claims

In other employment news, first-time applications of unemployment benefits plunged by 20,000 in the week ending March 28 to seasonally adjusted 268,000. That's the lowest level since the end of January.

The 4-week moving average, which is less volatile than the weekly report and considered a more accurate gauge of the Labor market, was down 14,750 -- to 285,500.

The complete report is available on the Labor Department website.

It's the stuff springtime is made of -- home improvement scams. This is their finest hour so beware.

“Spring is a busy season for home improvement projects,” said Paula Fleming, spokesperson for the Marlborough, Mass., Better Business Bureau. “Unfortunately, it also becomes a high season for home improvement scams.”

These guys will case your neighborhood and they have no qualms about going door to door telling you your roof is leaking even though they have never been on top of it. They will offer you huge discounts because they "are in the neighborhood doing work already." Of course all of this is false information. They most likely are unlicensed and have no skills other than manipulation.

Before hiring a contractor on the spot, be sure to do your research and check them out on review sites. Do your research and get at least three bids or quotes in writing.Don't just settle for the lowest bid. It could easily be a reflection of the quality of work you will receive.

Most jobs won't hire you without a reference check. Why shouldn't you get one on your contractor as well? Were they on time? Did they follow through? Do they clean up? 

Check them out and make sure they have a valid license. Make sure they carry insurance and ask to see the policy. If they break something you don't want to have to pay to have them fix it. If they get hurt, you don't want them to sue you for their medical bills. 

How many times have you heard "get it in writing?" Make sure you have an agreement that states exactly what the work is and what they will be doing. "She said he said" doesn't stand up in court. Make sure you get receipts for your deposit and all warranties and guarantees are stated in a contract.