Current Events in September 2015

General Motors is recalling 159,584 model year 2005 Buick LaCrosse vehicles manufactured May 31, 2004, to June 27, 2005; and 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix vehicles manufactured April 12, 2006, to April 25, 2007.

The headlamp driver module (HDM) may overheat and fail, causing the headlamps and daytime running lights to not illuminate.

Headlamps that do not illuminate reduce the driver's ability to see the roadway and reduce the vehicle's visibility to oncoming vehicles, both of which increase the risk of a vehicle crash.

GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HDM, free of charge. Interim notices were scheduled to be mailed to owners on September 2, 2015. Owners will receive a second notice when remedy parts are available.

Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14291.

Safeway is recalling made-to-order deli sandwiches with cucumbers produced by Andrew and Williamson and sold in nine Safeway and Carrs stores in Alaska.

The cucumbers may be contaminated with Salmonella Poona.

No illnesses have been associated with the recalled sandwiches.

Sandwiches were sold from August 1 through September 4 from the full-service sandwich counter. The stores include:

• Carrs at 1725 Abbott Rd., Anchorage, AK 99507
• Carrs at 1650 W Northern Lights Blvd., Anchorage, AK 99517
• Carrs at 5600 Debarr Rd., Anchorage, AK 99504
• Carrs at 1340 Gambell St., Anchorage, AK 99501
• Carrs at 1501 Huffman Rd., Anchorage, AK 99515
• Safeway at 1907 Seward Hwy., Seward, AK 99664
• Safeway at 1313 Meals St., Valdez, AK 99686
• Safeway at 90 Sterling Hwy., Homer, AK 99603
• Safeway at 301 N Santa Claus Ln., North Pole, AK 99705

Customers who purchased the recalled sandwiches from the above-listed stores should discard or return them to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Safeway at 1-877-SAFEWAY or Andrew and Williamson at 1-844-483-3864.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 188,047 model year 2014-2015 Ram 1500 Quad Cab trucks manufactured August 26, 2013, to August 8, 2015.

The vehicles are equipped with side air bag inflatable curtains (SABIC) that may not fully overlap the C-pillars in the event of a vehicle crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 226, "Ejection Mitigation."

If a SABIC does not inflate as intended during a vehicle crash, there is an increased risk of injury to the rear seat occupant.

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

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R47.

Olli Salumeria Americana of Oceanside, Calif., is recalling approximately 5,391 pounds of salami products.

While the products’ packaging does not contain a list of ingredients, the products were formulated with wine that contains sulfites. Consumption of these products may cause adverse health consequences for consumers who have sulfite sensitivities.

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

The following salami products, produced from Aug. 3-27, 2015, are being recalled:

• “Olli Salumeria Napoli Applewood Smoked Salame” in 5.5 lb. bulk cases containing 3 pieces each with case code “2610” on the packaging.
• “Olli Salumeria Sopressata Robust Salame” in 5.5 lb. bulk cases containing 3 pieces each with case code “2659” on the packaging.
• “Olli Salumeria Genoa Mild Salame” in 5.5 lb. bulk cases containing 3 pieces each with case code “2449” on the packaging.
• “Olli Salumeria Toscano Fennel Pollen Salame” in 5.5 lb. bulk cases containing 3 pieces each with case code “2609” on the packaging.
• “Olli Salumeria Pepperoni Classic American Salame” in 5.5 lb. bulk cases containing 3 pieces each with case code “2295” on the packaging.
• “Olli Salumeria Calabrese Spicy Salame” in 5.5 lb. bulk cases containing 3 pieces each with case code “2448” on the packaging.

The recalled products bear establishment number “Est. 45334” inside the USDA mark of inspection, and were sold to a chef’s distributor, who then sold them to restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, Nevada and New York.

Customers who purchased these products should not consume them, but throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact the company at info@olli.com.

Rejuvenation of Portland, Ore., is recalling about 780 Shaker chairs and bar stools.

The legs and back of these products can break, causing the person sitting on the chair or stool to fall.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

This recall involves a Shaker chair and four different Shaker bar stools identified as follows:

The furniture, manufactured in Indonesia, was sold at Rejuvenation stores nationwide, online at www.rejuvenation.com and through Rejuvenation Catalog nationwide from May 2015, through June 2015, for about $350 to $570.

Consumers should immediately stop using the chairs and bar stools. Rejuvenation is contacting customers directly to arrange for the product to be returned for a full refund.

Consumers may contact Rejuvenation toll-free at 888-401-1900 from 7 a.m. to midnight (ET) Monday through Sunday or online at www.rejuvenation.com and click on Safety Recalls for more information.

To sell your home without it lingering on the market, any Realtor will tell you having it priced right is one of the most important things you can do.

But the latest data from Quicken Loans suggest homeowners who want to sell still have a hard time putting a realistic value on their properties.

Each month Quicken Loans releases its Home Value Index (HVI), a measure of home value changes based on actual appraisals. It also records homeowners' estimates of what their homes are worth, which it calls the Home Price Perception Index (HPPI). Those two numbers remained out of alignment in August.

In August, the data show the gap between homeowners' estimates and what appraisers say a home is worth was 2.65%. And the reality gap appears to be growing each month.

Increasingly wider gap

Homeowners' estimates of their homes' value exceeded appraiser opinions by a wider margin in August than in July, making August the seventh consecutive month of an increasingly wider gap between opinions.

According to the HVI, national housing values were nearly flat in August from the month before, with a slight drop of 0.05%. This is less than the 0.27% decrease in July. Home values continued to rise on a year-over-year basis, showing a 3.24% increase in value nationally compared to August 2014.

"While the month-to-month number is interesting to examine, it is not the single most important factor of the HPPI report,” said Quicken Loans chief economist Bob Walters. “Instead, the focus should be on the trend, the direction it's heading and how fast."

Walters says the disconnect between estimate and reality may lie in the fact that homeowners may be assuming that home values have been in a steady, linear path upward. In reality, home values appear to have peaked and have remained mostly flat this year.

Zillow sees similar trend

In late August real estate market site Zillowreported the first negative monthly change in home values since the market began its recovery nearly four years ago. It reported homes lost 0.1% of their value in July, falling to a Zillow Home Value Index of $179,900. Zillow also found values up on an annual basis but said the recent trend is unmistakably flat or downward.

Of the 517 metros covered by Zillow, 204 saw a slowdown, including major metros like Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati, where home values declined month-over-month in July. Nothing to be alarmed about, Zillow says, just a return to normal.

"This slight dip in home values is a sign of the times. Many people didn't think it was happening, but it is: we're going negative," said Zillow chief economist Svenja Gudell.

Gudell says the trend might even be good news for buyers, who will find homes more affordable. That is, if sellers have a realistic view of what their home is worth.

The nation’s two largest debt-buying firms are being accused of using deceptive tactics to collect bad debts and of trying to collect debts that the consumer doesn't owe.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau charged that Encore Capital Group and Portfolio Recovery Associates bought debts that were potentially inaccurate, lacking documentation, or unenforceable.

Without verifying the debt, the companies collected payments by pressuring consumers with false statements and churning out lawsuits using robo-signed court documents, the CFPB charged.

The CFPB has ordered the companies to overhaul their debt collection and litigation practices and to stop reselling debts to third parties. Encore must pay up to $42 million in consumer refunds and a $10 million penalty, and stop collection on over $125 million worth of debts. Portfolio Recovery Associates must pay $19 million in consumer refunds and an $8 million penalty, and stop collecting on over $3 million worth of debts.

“Encore and Portfolio Recovery Associates threatened and deceived consumers to collect on debts they should have known were inaccurate or had other problems,” said CFPB Director Richard Cordray. “Now, the two biggest debt buyers in the market must refund millions and overhaul their practices. We will continue to take action to protect consumers from illegal and obnoxious debt collection practices.”

Subsidiaries named

Encore Capital Group, Inc. is headquartered in San Diego, Calif. Its subsidiaries also named in today’s action are Midland Funding LLC, Midland Credit Management, and Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. Together, they form the nation’s largest debt buyer and collector.

Portfolio Recovery Associates is the nation’s second largest debt buyer and collector. Portfolio Recovery Associates is a Delaware for-profit corporation headquartered in Norfolk, Va. and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of PRA Group, Inc.

As debt buyers, Encore and Portfolio Recovery Associates purchase delinquent or charged-off accounts for a fraction of the value of the debt. Although they pay only pennies on the dollar for the debt, they may attempt to collect the full amount claimed by the original lender.

Together, these two companies have purchased the rights to collect over $200 billion in defaulted consumer debts on credit cards, phone bills, and other accounts.

Inaccurate or uncollectible

The CFPB found that Encore and Portfolio Recovery Associates attempted to collect debts that they knew, or should have known, were inaccurate or could not legally be enforced based on contractual disclaimers, past practices of debt sellers, or consumer disputes.

The companies also allegedly filed lawsuits against consumers without having the intent to prove many of the debts, winning the vast majority of the lawsuits by default when consumers failed to defend themselves.,

Other Illegal Collection Practices

• Encore disregarded or failed to adequately investigate consumers’ disputes:,If a consumer disputed their debt more than 45 days after Encore started collecting, Encore would require the consumer to produce specific documents or other “proof” to support their dispute or it would not conduct the legally-required investigation of the issues raised by the consumer.

• Encore farmed out disputed debts to law firms without forwarding required information:,In numerous instances, Encore assigned disputed debt to law firms and third-party debt collectors without informing them that the debt was disputed. As a result, law firms evaluating Encore accounts for litigation did not know which accounts were disputed.

• Encore made harassing collection calls to consumers:,Encore called consumers repeatedly or continuously with the intent to annoy, abuse, or harass them into paying. Encore’s subsidiary, Asset Acceptance, made thousands of calls to consumers before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. and called hundreds of consumers more than 20 times in a two-day period.

• Portfolio Recovery Associates misled consumers into consenting to receive auto-dialed cell phone calls:,For approximately a year, and ending in August 2013, Portfolio Recovery Associates told consumers that they could only prevent collection calls to their cell phones before 9 a.m. if they consented to receive calls on their cell phones from a dialer. The company penalized representatives who failed to adhere to this policy.

Enforcement Action

Under the terms of the CFPB orders released today, Encore and Portfolio Recovery Associates are required, among other things, to:

• Stop reselling debts;

• Refund millions of dollars to consumers;

• Cease collections on millions of dollars of debt;

• Stop collecting debts they can’t verify;,

• Ensure accuracy when filing lawsuits;,and

• Provide consumers information before filing suit.

Last year, hackers believed to have Chinese government connections managed to breach the database of the federal Office of Personnel Management (the agency that oversees security clearances for government employees and contractors), and stole sensitive and often blackmail-worthy information about 21.5 million people, mainly security clearance holders but also friends or family members thereof.

The stolen information included Social Security numbers and what the OPM called “findings from interviews” — in other words, all the sensitive and potentially embarrassing personal information uncovered in the course of an intensive national-security background check.

Last week, the Defense Department announced that it had awarded a $133 million contract to a company called ID Experts, to provide credit-monitoring services to the 21.5 million victims of the OPM hack. At first glance that looks like a bargain, at least by federal-budget standards: $133 million divided by 21.5 million clients comes out to just under $6.19 per OPM hacking victim.

Granted, the Washington Post did report that, according to officials, the $133 million award is only the first piece of a larger government-wide contract expected to cost a total of $500 million over the next five years. Even so, 500 divided by 21.5 still averages out to only $23.26 per person, arguably a good price for five years' worth of identity theft protection and credit monitoring.

Price vs. value

Specifically, that's a good price if those 21.5 million hacking victims actually get value for their (or the government's) money. But will they? Beth Cobert, the government's acting personnel in chief, seems to think so. “We want to do it right,” she said while announcing the contract. “We’ve tried to make sure we put in place a very high-quality contract that doesn’t create any more national security issues than we already had through the data that was stolen.”

But many critics, including security expert Brian Krebs, doubt the contract will be of much help to those those 21.5 million hacking victims: “No matter how you slice it, $133 million is a staggering figure for a service that in all likelihood will do little to prevent identity thieves from hijacking the names, good credit and good faith of breach victims.” Rather than pay hundreds of millions for ID-theft services offering dubious benefit, “perhaps the agency should be offering the option to pay for the cost that victims may incur in 'freezing' their credit files, a much more effective way of preventing identity theft.”

The problem is that identity-theft protection services don't actually offer “protection” from identity theft. As Krebs noted (italics lifted from the original), “The most you can hope for from these services is that they will notify you after crooks have opened a new line of credit in your name.” Though that's not to say such services have no use at all: “Where these services do excel is in helping with the time-consuming and expensive process of cleaning up your credit report with the major credit reporting agencies.”

If you want to actually protect yourself from identity theft happening in the first place, your only reliable option is to get a credit freeze, also known as a credit report freeze. A credit freeze basically puts your credit rating on lockdown: no credit-monitoring agencies will release any information about you without your specific individual consent. Without these credit reports, no lending institution will risk opening a new account in your name – which in turn means any would-be identity thief who tries opening credit cards or getting other loans in your name won't be able to.

At the same time, if you (the real you) want to get any sort of loan, you'll have to lift the credit freeze first.

Credit freeze

This all sounds pretty easy. So why doesn't everybody – at least, everybody who's not currently applying for a mortgage, credit card or other type of debt – get a credit freeze?

For starters, because it's not simply a matter of getting “a” credit-report freeze. If you, a modern American, want to completely freeze your financial identity, you actually need to arrange for several credit-report freezes, one with each of the major credit-reporting bureaus. And this can get expensive. Rates vary based on which state you live in, but credit freezes can cost up to $15 per person, per credit bureau. Furthermore, based again on where you live, temporarily lifting a freeze in order to apply for a legitimate loan might cost you additional per-bureau fees.

Currently, however, the government intends to spend at least $500 million offering credit-monitoring services to help possible identity-theft victims related to the OPM hacking, and $0.00 for credit freezes to prevent identity theft in the first place.

The Defense Department will start notifying these 21.5 million people about their free credit-monitoring options later this month.

The tax code would be simplified, tax rates lowered ,and corporate taxes reduced under a tax reform measure put forward today by Jeb Bush, the former Florida governor and candidate for the GOP nomination. 

Bush says his proposal -- available in its entirety here -- would restore economic growth and make American businesses more competitive. 

"Restoring the right to rise in America requires accelerating growth, and that can’t be done without a complete overhaul of the U.S. tax code," said Bush, who at one time was seen as the frontrunner for his party's nomination.

Bush said his plan is based on the same principles that he applied successfully in Florida.

"As governor of Florida, I cut taxes every single year—returning a total of $19 billion to Floridians. The state’s economy took off, growing at an average rate of 4.4%," Bush said. "Households saw bigger paychecks as median incomes rose by an average of $1,300. Florida’s pro-growth climate created 1.3 million new jobs. And we did it all while balancing the budget eight years in a row and increasing the state’s rainy-day fund by $8 billion."

Highlights

Individual tax rates would be cut from seven brackets to three: 28%, 25% and 10%. "At 28%, the highest tax bracket would return to where it was when President Ronald Reagan signed into law his monumental and successful 1986 tax reform," Bush said.

About 15 million Americans would have no tax liability under the new structure, he said. The standard deduction would be nearly doubled, the marriage penalty eliminated, the Earned Income Tax Credit expanded, the death tax ended, and the Alternative Minimum Tax eliminated. Employee FICA payments would be eliminated for workers over 67.

Loopholes would be reduced, leaving only charitable contributions and a few other deductions. Noninvestment income would be treated the same as other income, eliminating the capital-gains tax rate "unless you stake capital in an investment," Bush said. 

The corporate tax rate would be cut from 35% -- "the highest in the industrialized world," according to Bush -- to 20%, five percentage points below Canada. Bush also proposes ending worldwide taxation of U.S. businesses, thereby eliminating "inversions," the widely condemned practice of companies moving their headquarters overseas to escape U.S. taxation.

Bush would also allow businesses to fully deduct new capital investments, "a crucial step to increase worker productivity and wages," while eliminating most other corporate deductions including the deduction for borrowing costs. Bush argues that would remove the incentive for companies to take on heavy debt loads.

"Special-interest giveaways"

"Today, the tax code is a labyrinth littered with thousands of special-interest giveaways, subsidies and other breaks written to favor Washington insiders. At 80,000 pages, it’s a tax code only an army of tax accountants and lobbyists could love—because they’ve written it," Bush said in his statement, published in the Wall Street Journal and on his campaign website.

"The code is rigged with multiple carve-outs for favored industries. It penalizes people for moving up the economic ladder. It gives tax deductions for borrowing costs, thereby encouraging companies to take on too much debt and raising concerns about financial fragility, rather than having them focus on real investment and hiring," Bush said.

Emptiness. It is a word that many people with depression are familiar with. It is characterized by a distinct feeling of being lacking – lacking in feeling, lacking in motivation, lacking essential internal components that can make you feel “normal.” Ironically, researchers have found that it is an excess of a certain protein in the brain that may be a major factor in the development of depression in individuals.

The protein in question is called fibroblast growth factor 9, or FGF9 for short. When researching the protein, scientists found that people with major depression had 32% more of this protein in certain parts of their brain.

Testing the theory

Researchers from many organizations and universities, including the University of Michigan Medical School and the Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Disorders Research Consortium, developed their theory on FGF9 after years of studying brain tissue samples. They found that, along with increased levels of FGF9, the section of the brain called the hippocampus was smaller in brain samples of depressed individuals. They theorize that this is the result of FGF9 blocking cell growth and development in the brain.

In order to get a firm grasp on what FGF9 does to the brain, researchers used rats to see how changing the levels of the protein in their brains modified behavior. First, they exposed the rats to increased social stress for a week-long period. They found that FGF9 levels did increase, and the subjects became more socially withdrawn.

Next, the researchers injected FGF9 into the brains of an experimental rat group; the control group was given a placebo. The rats that received the real injection became much more anxious and less motivated to move around. These symptoms only worsened with more injections.

Finally, the researchers created a virus that would interfere with FGF9 production in the brain. They injected it into an experimental group of rats and found that FGF9 levels decreased by 30%. These rats became much less anxious as a result.

Better treatment

If we take a cue from the last experiment mentioned, then we can begin to see what some of the benefits of this research could be. It has already gone a long way in proving that depression is a physical illness, which has been debated in the medical community for many years.

“Fixing depression is not easy, because it’s a disorder at the level of the circuits that connect brain cells, and many regions of the brain are involved,” said Elyse Aurbach, co-author of the paper. “Still, this is the first time FGF9 has been identified as related to depression, and found to be active in a critical area of the brain for the disorder. We and others need to study it further to determine what is going on. It’s very exciting.”

As Aurbach says, there is still much research to be done on FGF9 before any sort of antidepressant can be developed. But when antidepressants can be developed, they would be much safer. Because the new medication would work at inhibiting FGF9 levels, instead of decreasing levels of something else in the brain, the risk of side effects would be greatly reduced. This thought will no doubt spur researchers on and keep them cautiously optimistic. 

New research presented at a medical science conference in Georgia issued a bold hypothesis; taking vitamin C supplements can have the same effects as regular exercise.

Take a pill and lose weight? No, not at all. Remember, exercise's main benefit is not weight control but heart health. It's cardiovascular benefits that researchers see from a daily dose of vitamin C.

So, according to researchers, overweight and obese individuals could benefit greatly from taking these supplements. Here's their explanation: the blood vessels of overweight and obese adults have elevated activity of the small vessel-constricting protein endothelin, also known as ET-1.

Constricting blood vessels

High ET-1 activity makes blood vessels more likely to constrict, researchers say. When that happens they become less responsive to blood flow demand and increase the risk of developing blood vessel diseases.

One of the things that happens when you exercise is your body naturally reduces ET-1 activity. That's why regular exercise is recommended for people who are overweight or at risk of developing heart disease.

But some people have difficulty establishing a daily exercise routine. Someone with chronic joint pain, for example, might like to walk a couple of miles each day but can't.

This particular study, conducted at the University of Colorado, Boulder, asked whether vitamin C supplements, which have been reported to improve vessel function, can also lower ET-1 activity. Apparently they can.

Same effect as walking

The researchers found that taking a daily, time-released vitamin C supplement of 500 mg/day can reduce ET-1-related blood vessel constriction as much as walking for exercise did.

“Vitamin C supplementation represents an effective lifestyle strategy for reducing ET-1-mediated vessel constriction in overweight and obese adults,” the researchers wrote.

Scientific opinions about vitamin supplements vary widely. There have been studies that suggest vitamin supplements protect against cancer, as well as increase the risk of cancer. Other studies have found supplements do little at all.

Mayo Clinic's view

As for vitamin C, the Mayo Clinic advises that many uses for it have been offered, “but evidence of benefit in scientific studies is lacking.”

It says research on asthma, cancer, and diabetes remains inconclusive, and, until this University of Colorado study at least, no benefit has been found for the prevention of heart disease.

Before taking vitamin C or any other supplement, the Mayo Clinic says you should talk to your doctor or a dietitian about which supplements and what doses might be appropriate for you. Be sure to ask about possible side effects and interactions with any medications you take.  

Varubi (rolapitant), a drug that prevents delayed phase chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (emesis), has won approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The drug is approved for use by adults in combination with other drugs (antiemetic agents) that prevent nausea and vomiting associated with initial and repeat courses of vomit-inducing (emetogenic and highly emetogenic) cancer chemotherapy.

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects experienced by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Symptoms can persist for days after the chemotherapy drugs are administered. Nausea and vomiting that occurs from 24 hours to up to 120 hours after the start of chemotherapy is referred to as delayed phase nausea and vomiting. It can result in serious health complications such as weight loss, dehydration and malnutrition in cancer patients, leading to hospitalization.

“Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting remains a major issue that can disrupt patients' lives and sometimes their therapy,” said Amy Egan, M.D., M.P.H., deputy director of the Office of Drug Evaluation III in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The approval, she continued, “provides cancer patients with another treatment option for the prevention of the delayed phase of nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy.”

Safe and effective

Varubi is a substance P/neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptor antagonist. Activation of NK-1 receptors plays a central role in nausea and vomiting induced by certain cancer chemotherapies, particularly in the delayed phase. Varubi is provided to patients in tablet form.

The safety and efficacy of Varubi were established in three randomized, double-blind, controlled clinical trials where Varubi in combination with granisetron and dexamethasone was compared with a control therapy (placebo, granisetron and dexamethasone) in 2,800 patients receiving a chemotherapy regimen that included highly emetogenic (such as cisplatin and the combination of anthracycline and cyclophosphamide) and moderately emetogenic chemotherapy drugs.

Those patients treated with Varubi had a greater reduction in vomiting and use of rescue medication for nausea and vomiting during the delayed phase compared to those receiving the control therapy.

The most common side effects in patients treated with Varubi include a low white blood cell count (neutropenia), hiccups, decreased appetite and dizziness.

Varubi is marketed by Tesaro Inc. , based in Waltham, Massachusetts.

Making the choice to become healthier is one that people struggle with every day. To many, dieting and exercising can seem like a pointless waste of energy. I’m sure you’ve heard the following excuse (or one like it) at least once: “Everyone in my family is overweight. It’s just how it is for us.”

Researchers have found that the above line of thinking can be very dangerous. A new study shows that people who believe that they have no control over their weight are more likely to have unhealthy body mass index scores (BMIs), make poorer food choices, and believe they are less healthy than those that do not have these beliefs.

Researchers were able to come to their conclusions after examining medical and self-reported health data from nearly 9,000 men and women. They found that individuals who do not take ownership of their weight problems are much more likely to make short-term, unhealthy decisions, rather than long-term, healthy ones. These bad decisions include eating satisfying, albeit unhealthy, foods and avoiding exercise.

Age and gender factors

Age may also be a factor in a person’s opinion on weight. Researchers found that older people are less likely to make healthy food choices, such as reading nutrition labels and buying fruits and vegetables. They also tend to exercise less and eat foods that are less healthy- such as frozen, ready-to-eat, and restaurant meals.

Surprisingly, although age was a factor when it came to weight mindset, the authors of the paper found that gender was not. “Although previous research has found gender differences in weight as a motivation for exercise and healthful eating, we did not find evidence that gender affected the relationship between health beliefs and physical activity or healthful eating,” they said.

Changing this perception that your weight is determined by your genetics is integral to the health of the general population. “By fighting the perception that weight is unchangeable, health care providers may be able to increase healthful behaviors among their patients,” said co-authors of the study, Dr. Mike C. Parent and Dr. Jessica L. Alquist.

Their full study has been published in the journal Health Education & Behavior. 

There is little question that younger consumers have strong feelings about the food they eat. They tend to be as concerned with how it's produced as how it tastes.

Some manufacturers and restaurant chains have been able to profit from this trend by adapting to Millennials' value and preferences. McDonald’s, because of its vast scale, has had more difficulty.

But the fast food giant is signaling that it “gets it,” announcing that it will fully transition to cage-free eggs for its nearly 16,000 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada over the next 10 years.

Where food comes from

“Our customers are increasingly interested in knowing more about their food and where it comes from,” said McDonald’s USA President Mike Andres. “Our decision to source only cage-free eggs reinforces the focus we place on food quality and our menu to meet and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

Small chains and independent restaurants have won youthful followings in recent years by stressing “fresh” and “locally sourced” food. McDonald’s, with thousands of restaurants around the world and a vast supply chain, has sometimes found implementing those concepts challenging.

Additionally, McDonald’s built its empire at a time when different food values prevailed. Much of McDonald’s success was because it was convenient, affordable and predictable. Also, kids loved going there.

But in the age of childhood obesity, McDonald’s has been forced to dial back its appeal to children. Sales slumped and its stock price suffered.

New direction

In March, McDonald's took a step in a different direction when it announced that it would stop using chickens treated with antibiotics that are also used to treat humans. Some activist groups reflexively critical of the company expressed skepticism, but The New York Times noted that McDonald's is one of the largest buyers of chicken in the U.S., and the decision would likely have a major impact on how poultry is raised.

This time, there may be fewer skeptics.

“This is a watershed moment in a decades-long effort to eliminate the cruelest confinement from our food supply,” said Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) president and CEO Wayne Pacelle, in a statement emailed to ConsumerAffairs. “McDonald’s admirable move makes clear that egg productions’ future is cage-free.”

That's because McDonald's scale is huge. On an annual basis, U.S. stores use approximately two billion eggs and McDonald’s Canada purchases 120 million eggs to serve on its breakfast menus.

McDonald's also took pains to point out that it already sources some of its eggs from cage-free suppliers, pointing out for good measure that one supplier – Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch in Michigan – is “family owned,” another trait prized by Millennial consumers.

Marion Gross, senior vice president and Chief Supply Chain Officer of McDonald’s North America, says the company has been working toward going 100% cage-free for some time, calling the latest announcement a big milestone “building on our work with industry experts and suppliers to improve the treatment of animals.”

Mortgage applications posted a big decline last week following a surge of more than 11% a week earlier.

According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey, applications plunged 6.2% in the week ending September 4.

The Refinance Index was down 10%, pushing the refinance share of mortgage activity down to 56.9% of total applications from 58.7% the previous week.

The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity decreased to 6.9% of total applications, the FHA share rose to 13.4% from 12.7% the prior week, the VA share was 10.8% and the USDA share of total applications edged up to 0.8% from 0.7% a week earlier.

Contract interest rates

• The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) with conforming loan balances ($417,000 or less) inched up two basis points -- from 4.08% to 4.10%, with points increasing to 0.39 from 0.37 (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) dipped to 4.03% from 4.05%, with points unchanged at 0.28 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 30-year FRMs backed by the FHA rose three basis points to 3.90%, with points falling to 0.23 from 0.32 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate was unchanged from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 15-year FRMs increased to 3.34% from 3.30%, with points rising to 0.28 from 0.26 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.
• The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs slipped two basis points to 3.03%, with points dropping to 0.27 from 0.36 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate decreased from last week.

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

The last business day of July saw the number of job openings at a series high of 5.8 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

At the same time, the number of hires and separations edged down to 5.0 million and 4.7 million, respectively. Within separations, the quits rate was 1.9% for a fourth straight month and the layoffs and discharges rate declined to 1.1%.

Job openings

Job openings increased to a new series high of 5.8 million in July, eclipsing the previous high of 5.4 million in May. The series began in December 2000.

The job openings rate for July rose to 3.9% after measuring 3.6% in the prior 3 months. The number of job openings rose in July for total private and was little changed for government. Several industries experienced a rise in openings in July including professional and business services (+122,000), accommodation and food services (+82,000), retail trade (+77,000), and nondurable goods manufacturing (+27,000).

In the regions, the number of openings rose in the Northeast (+154,000) and South (+141,000).

The number of job openings (not seasonally adjusted) increased over the 12 months ending in July for total nonfarm and total private.

The number of job openings for government was little changed.

Job openings rose over the year for many industries with the largest increases occurring in professional and business services (+452,000), health care and social assistance (+174,000), accommodation and food services (+141,000), and retail trade (+136,000).

Job openings decreased over the year in mining and logging (-8,000). The number of job openings increased over the year in all four regions.

Hires

The number of hires edged down to 5.0 million in July from 5.2 million in June. The hires rate was 3.5%. The number of hires edged down for total private and was little changed for government in July. There was little change in the number of hires in all industries and regions over the month.

Over the 12 months ending in July, the number of hires (not seasonally adjusted) was little changed for total nonfarm and total private, and rose for government. At the industry level, hires increased in accommodation and food services (+113,000) and in federal government (+13,000), but fell in construction (-109,000) and in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-37,000). The number of hires was little changed in in all four regions.

Separations

Total separations includes quits, layoffs and discharges, and other separations. Total separations is referred to as turnover.

Quits are generally voluntary separations initiated by the employee. Therefore, the quits rate can serve as a measure of workers’ willingness or ability to leave jobs. Layoffs and discharges are involuntary separations initiated by the employer. Other separations includes separations due to retirement, death, and disability, as well as transfers to other locations of the same firm.

There were 4.7 million total separations in July, versus 4.9 million in June. The separations rate was 3.3%. The number of total separations edged down for total private and was little changed for government. Total separations decreased in July in arts, entertainment, and recreation (-38,000) and in the West region (-184,000), but was little changed in the other industries and regions over the month.

There were 2.7 million quits in July, little changed from June. Although the number of quits has been increasing overall since the end of the recession, the number has held between 2.7 million and 2.8 million for the past 11 months. The quits rate was 1.9% in July for the fourth month in a row. The number of quits was little changed for total private and unchanged for government over the month. Quits fell in professional and business services (-57,000) and in the West region (-107,000), and was little changed in the other industries and regions in July.

The number of quits (not seasonally adjusted) increased over the 12 months ending in July for total nonfarm, total private, and government. Over the year, quits increased in accommodation and food services (+101,000), state and local government (+27,000), and educational services (+23,000). Quits decreased over the year in finance and insurance (-25,000) and in nondurable goods manufacturing

(-18,000). In the regions, quits increased in the South (+168,000) and Northeast (+67,000), but fell in the West (-85,000). 

There were 1.6 million layoffs and discharges in July, edging down from June. The layoffs and discharges rate fell to 1.1%. The number of layoffs and discharges edged down over the month for total private and was little changed for government. The number was little changed in all four regions.

Seasonally adjusted estimates of layoffs and discharges are not available for individual industries. The number of layoffs and discharges (not seasonally adjusted) edged down over the 12 months ending in July for total nonfarm and total private, and was little changed for government. The number of layoffs and discharges rose over the year in mining and logging (+8,000) and in federal government (+5,000), but fell in construction (-90,000) and educational services (-23,000). The number of layoffs and discharges fell over the year in the Northeast region (-138,000) and was little changed in the other regions.

In July, there were 413,000 other separations for total nonfarm, up slightly from June. Over the month, the number of other separations was little changed for total private at 341,000 and increased for government to 72,000. Seasonally adjusted estimates of other separations are not available for individual industries or regions.

Over the 12 months ending in July, the number of other separations (not seasonally adjusted) increased for total nonfarm (+64,000) and for government (+12,000), and edged up for total private (+52,000).

Other separations increased over the year in several industries, with the largest changes occurring in

construction (+17,000), health care and social assistance (+16,000), and accommodation and food services (+15,000).

Other separations decreased over the year in nondurable goods manufacturing (-10,000). In the regions, other separations increased in the Midwest (+33,000) and was little changed in the other regions.

The full report is available on the BLS website.

IKEA North America Services of Conshohocken, Pa., is recalling about 38,400 VYSSA SPELEVINK crib mattresses. These mattresses mattresses were previously recalled in January 2015 and again in May 2015 for entrapment hazards.)

The crib mattresses fail to meet the federal open flame standard for mattresses, posing a fire hazard.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

This recall involves IKEA VYSSA SPELEVINK crib mattresses. The recalled mattresses are 52 inches long and 27 1/2 inches wide. They are white with a blue piping around the edge and have an identification label attached to the mattress cover has the date of manufacture in Month-DD-YY format or YY-W format and the VYSSA SPELEVINK model name. Mattresses made after July 2007 also have a federal tag at the foot of the mattress.

The mattresses, manufactured in Mexico, were sold exclusively at IKEA stores nationwide and online at www.ikea-usa.com from October 2000, through May 2014, for about $100.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled crib mattresses and return them to any IKEA store for a full refund. Mattresses that were given in an exchange to consumers for their VYSSA SPELEVINK mattresses in the two previous recalls are included in this recall program.

Consumers may contact IKEA toll-free at 888-966-4532 anytime or online at www.ikea-usa.com and click on the recall link at the top of the page for more information.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling 1,655 model year 2014-2015 Ram 1500 diesel 4x2 trucks manufactured August 8, 2013, to July 2, 2015.

The recalled vehicles have a battery harness that may rub against the frame bracket for the right engine mount resulting in an electrical short. If the harness shorts, the vehicle may stall and there is an increased risk of a fire.

Chrysler will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles to confirm that the battery harness is correctly routed and secured. Any harness that shows evidence of wear will be replaced. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is R43.

Southeast Toyota Distributors (SET) is recalling 949 model year 2015 Toyota Prius C vehicles manufactured April 20, 2015, to June 30, 2015.

The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) may be improperly calibrated and, as a result, the TPMS may fail to warn the driver that the tire pressure is low. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 138, "Tire Pressure Monitoring Systems."

If the vehicle is driven on underinflated tires, the tires may fail. Sudden tire failure increases the risk of a crash.

SET will notify owners, and dealers will re-calibrate the TPMS, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin September 22, 2015.

Owners may contact SET customer service at 1-866-405-4226. SET's number for this recall is SET15E.