Current Events in November 2016

You normally have to buy a new car if you want the latest technology -- you know, like lane departure warnings, self-parking, and onboard Wi-Fi. But in the case of Wi-Fi, T-Mobile has an add-on solution that works on most cars manufactured after 1996.

It's called SyncUP and it's a device that you plug into your car's onboard diagnostics port. Once connected it brings you 4G LTE Wi-Fi and remote monitoring capabilities.

“With T-Mobile SyncUP DRIVE, you have a new way to ride on America’s fastest nationwide 4G LTE network,” said John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “We’re making it radically simple for customers to connect their cars with a complete, all-in-one package."

SyncUP normally costs $149 but will be available free to consumers who signed up after Nov. 18 for a 24-month no-cost finance agreement with a 2GB or higher mobile Internet plan, Legere said.

Similar devices are available from Verizon and AT&T, though under somewhat different terms. They're also being offered, though often without the Wi-Fi capability, by insurance companies and others who want to keep track of how and where cars are being driven.

Besides Wi-Fi, T-Mobile said SyncUP can analyze your driving behavior by keeping track of speed, harsh braking, and rapid acceleration. It can also let you monitor others driving the car, including family members, by providing reports on driving behavior, destinations and current location of the car.

For an event whose name suggests a one-day connection, Black Friday seems to start earlier and last longer every year. Retailers are eager to move product and rake in consumer dollars, and now one company has officially kicked off its Black Friday sales.

Walmart shoppers who use the company’s app can start indulging in sales today on a variety of items, including electronic devices like an Acer laptop and a 65-inch Hitachi 4K Ultra HDTV. The deals will continue all the way through the actual Black Friday event on November 25, and may even last longer into the holiday shopping season.

Starting up its sales early could be viewed by some to be a risky move; recent reports indicate that consumers have become guarded when it comes to Black Friday, with many saying that they’ll be avoiding the hassle by doing more shopping online.

Consumers who do choose to shop in stores say that they’re often disappointed by hyped up deals that fall short of expectations because product inventory runs out so fast. However, Walmart says that won’t be a problem this year. The company says that it is stocking up on 1.5 million TV’s, 2 million tablets and computers, and 3 million video games that will be purchasable online and at stores.

“I don’t expect to see any kind of decline [on] Black Friday. . . traffic continues to grow in the stores while we continue to grow our online business,” said Walmart’s chief merchandising officer Steve Bratspies.

For consumers planning to get up early and hit the stores on Black Friday, here's a way to plan your morning. A shopping website, BestBlackFriday.com has published leaked Black Friday ad slicks from five major retailers, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, Sears, and Kmart.

Best Buy

According to the ad for Best Buy, the electronics retailer will open at 5:00 p.m. Thanksgiving Day and offer a Samsung 55-inch 2160p 4K HD smart TV for $479.99, marked down by $320. A Toshiba 49-inch 2160p set will go for $199.99.

The Dell Inspiron 15.6-inch touchscreen laptop will have a sale price of $349.99, $150 lower than its regular price. The seven-inch, 8GB Kindle Fire has a sale price of $33.33. You can save $125 on the 9.7-inch iPad Pro.

Walmart

Walmart will open at 6:00 p.m. Thursday. The Walmart ad shows the iPhone 5 on Straight Talk Wireless selling for $99. A Philips 55-inch 4K LED TV has been marked down to $298.

For gamers, the Playstation 4 Slim 500GB bundle is $249, and includes a $30 gift card. The Samsung 4K Blue-ray disc player is $39.

Target

The ad for Target's Black Friday Preview Sale, starting Thanksgiving Day, promotes a Fitbit Charge HR for $89.95, marked down from $129.95.

On Wednesday and Thursday, Target is offering the Jetson V6 hoverboard with Bluetooth speakers for $284.99. In the toy department, the Badgor Basket wooden doll house, with 15-piece furniture set, goes for $69.

Sears

Sears will open at 6:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Its ad touts a Kenmore washer-dryer combo for $279.99 each and a 25.6 cubic inch, two-door stainless steel refrigerator for $999.

The Craftsman 41-inch, 12-drawer ball bearing tool chest is marked down to $349.98. A Serta Posturepedic queen sized mattress and box spring set has been marked down to $349.

Kmart

Kmart will open at 7:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving and its ad shows a Bell & Howell dashcam with 8 GB micro SD card for $15. It's 10-inch Frozen or Spiderman bike, regularly $49.99, has been marked down to $19.

Housing data collected by the federal government shows African American and Hispanic borrowers still have a harder time qualifying for a conventional mortgage than other races.

The statistics gathered under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) show improvements in mortgage access for these groups, but disparities persist.

For example, 22.4% of black applicants were denied in 2015 when they applied for a conventional mortgage. But that's an improvement from five years earlier, when the denial rate was 30.5%.

Among Hispanic mortgage applicants, 17.3% were turned down when they applied for a conventional mortgage last year, but that was also a significant improvement over 2010's 25% decline rate.

Typically, 10% of all applicants are turned down

Overall, only 10.4% of all conventional mortgage borrowers were turned down last year.

"Even though conditions have improved over the past few years, getting approved for a mortgage is still a significant barrier for some would-be buyers," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. "Owning a home is an important way for the middle class to build personal wealth. It's encouraging to see more black and Hispanic borrowers getting approved for mortgages, but there's still a lot of progress that needs to be made."

It should be noted that the denial rate only applies to conventional mortgages, which can carry some advantages but usually require larger down payments and stronger credit profiles.

FHA a popular alternative

For consumers who don't qualify for a conventional mortgage, a government-backed FHA mortgage is a popular alternative. To qualify for an FHA mortgage, an applicant needs only a credit score of 580 and a 3.5% down payment.

There can be slightly higher interest rates associated with these loans, however. Also, the homeowner is required to continue to pay for mortgage insurance over the life of the loan, no matter how much equity he or she eventually gains in the property.

Zillow raises a concern that black and Hispanic borrowers are not getting access to the conventional loan market at the same rate as white and Asian applicants. The real estate website says the problem appears to be so entrenched that last week Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac announced programs to improve access to credit for these groups.

Another month of declines in both completed foreclosures and the foreclosure inventory.

Property information provider CoreLogic reports completed foreclosures declined by 7.0% in September from the same time a year ago, while the foreclosure inventory plunged 31.1%.

The number of completed foreclosures nationwide was down year-over-year by 3,000 -- to 36,000 in September 2016, representing a drop of 69.7% from the peak of 118,222 in September 2010.

The foreclosure inventory represents the number of homes at some stage of the foreclosure process and completed foreclosures reflect the total number of homes lost to foreclosure.

Since the financial meltdown began in September 2008, there have been approximately 6.4 million completed foreclosures nationally. Since homeownership rates peaked in the second quarter of 2004, there have been approximately 8.5 million homes lost to foreclosure.

As of September, the national foreclosure inventory included approximately 340,000, or 0.9%, of all homes with a mortgage, versus 493,000 homes, or 1.3%, the year before.

Mortgage delinquencies

The number of mortgages in serious delinquency -- 90 days or more past due including loans in foreclosure or REO -- plummeted 24.8% from September 2015 to September 2016, with 1 million mortgages, or 2.6%, in serious delinquency. That's the lowest level since August 2007. Decreases were seen in 48 states and the District of Columbia.

“This improvement is continued evidence of the recovery in the housing market,” said Dr. Frank Nothaft, chief economist for CoreLogic, “especially given that the decreases were fairly uniform in most cities across the country.”

Report highlights

• On a month-over-month basis, completed foreclosures increased by 5.2% to 36,000 in September from the 34,000 reported for August. As a basis of comparison, before the decline in the housing market in 2007, completed foreclosures averaged 21,000 per month nationwide between 2000 and 2006.
• The September foreclosure inventory was down 3.1% compared with August 2016.
• The five states with the highest number of completed foreclosures in the 12 months ending in September were Florida (53,000), Texas (27,000), Michigan (24,000), Ohio (23,000), and Georgia (21,000).These five states accounted for 36% of completed foreclosures nationally.
• Four states and the District of Columbia had the lowest number of completed foreclosures in the 12 months ending in September: the District of Columbia (186), North Dakota (338), West Virginia (447), Alaska (643), and Montana (701).
• Four states and the District of Columbia had the highest foreclosure inventory rate in September: New Jersey (3.0%), New York (2.7%), Maine (1.8%), Hawaii (1.8%), and the District of Columbia (1.6%).
• The five states with the lowest foreclosure inventory rate in September 2016 were Colorado (0.3%), Minnesota (0.3%), Arizona , Michigan, and Utah (all at 0.3%).

Jobless claims

The decline last week in first-time applications for state unemployment benefits more than wiped out the increase posted the previous week.

The Department of Labor (DOL) reports initial jobless claims were down by 11,000 in the week ending November 5 to a seasonally adjusted 254,000.

It's now been 88 straight weeks that claims have been below 300,000 the longest streak since 1970.

The four-week moving average inched up 1,750 from a week earlier to 259,750. This measure is seen as a better gauge of the labor market as it lacks the volatility seen in the weekly headcount.

The complete report may be found on the DOL website.

Volvo Car USA is recalling 74,027 model year 2016-2017 XC90, S90, XC60, V60 Cross Country, V60, S60 Cross Country, S60, and S60 Inscription vehicles manufactured February 16, 2015, to August 22, 2016.

The front passenger seat belt buckle attaching stud may loosen, allowing the buckle to separate from the seat belt bracket. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages" and number 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies."

If the seat belt buckle separates from the bracket, the front seat passenger may not be restrained adequately in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

What to do

Volvo will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the front passenger seat belt buckle stud, replacing the seat belt buckle as needed, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin December 12, 2016.

Owners may contact Volvo customer service at 1-800-458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R89708.

When the shock of Tuesday's stunning election results begins to wear off, consumers may start to wonder what a Trump administration might mean for their pocketbook. Will it help or hurt?

It's possible that many voters who pulled the lever for the GOP ticket were voting against the status quo and for change, hoping for better job opportunities and rising incomes, which have been stagnant since the recovery from the Great Recession.

Trump has said on numerous occasions that his first priority as president would be to “repeal and replace” Obamacare. Some consumers faced with skyrocketing premiums might be interested in an alternative. On the other hand, consumers who have health coverage only because they can't be denied due to a pre-existing condition might reasonably wonder how they would fare under a replacement plan.

Repealing Obamacare a challenge

But repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) may prove to be a tall order. While it is true that Republicans will control the White House, House, and Senate next year, they will still need the cooperation of some Democrats to get anything through the Senate.

In an interview with NPR, Jack Hoadley, a research professor at Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute, says the Trump Administration is more likely to use executive powers to tinker with Obamacare around the edges.

"They are probably, practically speaking, talking about leaving the ACA, as is, in place," Hoadley told NPR. "Then he can change the ACA to have it showcase the kinds of plans he wants to see in place."

Rising interest rates

The outlook for interest rates under a Trump administration remains unclear. The Wall Street Journal has been quick to point out that Trump's surprise victory makes a Federal Reserve rate hike less certain, since the markets have reacted negatively to the election results. It says the Fed is now much less likely to take any action that might introduce economic headwinds.

At the same time, Trump has been highly critical of the Fed's extended low interest rate policy and will likely replace Fed Chair Janet Yellen at the first opportunity. Consumers and investors should expect a rising interest rate environment, if not immediately, in the near future.

Gasoline prices should remain low

Short term, the election results may keep gasoline prices down for months, if not years. Bloomberg News reports the Trump victory likely makes it harder for OPEC to reach any kind of agreement later this month on capping oil production.

“The pressure on OPEC to come up with a deal only increases in the wake of Trump’s victory,” said Giovanni Staunovo, an analyst at UBS in Zurich told the news agency. “Even though the oil market is rebalancing, the political uncertainty in the short term leaves oil prices vulnerable to downside, that makes it more urgent for OPEC to act.”

Added pressure comes from Trump's stated support for U.S. energy production, which has lagged since OPEC began creating a world oil glut two years ago.

Consumer agency in the cross-hairs

Finally, the future of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) could be very much in doubt. The agency, created by the Dodd-Frank legislation, has taken a large number of very consumer-friendly actions. In the process, it has earned the opposition from Republicans, as well as the financial institutions it is regulating.

As CNBC reports, the legal challenges facing the agency, created in 2010, may require Congress to make changes. The business network says those changes are almost certain to reduce the agency's power and make it less consumer friendly.

In the depths of the presidential campaign, marketing analysts said that Trump the candidate was doing a lot of damage to Trump the brand and that Donald Trump's hotels, golf clubs, neckties, and other consumer goods were feeling the heat.

But now that it's the morning after, things are looking a little different. A post-Election Day, overnight national survey conducted by Brand Keys, the New York-based brand engagement and customer loyalty research consultancy, revealed that in each of the seven categories Brand Keys has been tracking, the Trump brand has rebounded to levels seen just prior to the April 2015 announcement of his candidacy.

"“Mr. Trump has been one of the most powerful brands we'’ve ever tracked,”" said Robert Passikoff, Brand Keys founder and president. “"You could add his name to anything from ties to buildings and the increased perceived value of the products fell into the 20% to 37% range. Which was very high, enviable by any category or brand standards, and what a brand is supposed to do. Now, I suppose, he literally qualifies as ‘the most powerful brand in the world’.”"

Blurred the lines

The Trump brand took a beating as campaign rhetoric heated up. Things worsened when a videotape was released that captured Trump making lewd comments about women.

"That didn't totally surprise or alarm us,"” Passikoff said. "“In becoming a candidate Mr. Trump changed both the brand paradigm regarding consumer expectations and values surrounding the Trump brand and also blurred the traditional lines regarding where the ‘Trump brand’ was expected to compete."

Passikoff said that human brands -- brands built around living people -- are powerful but can be damaged by the actions of their namesakes. They "don'’t usually come back as strong as they used to be" after an incident like the videotape release, he said.

"Think about what happened to Martha Stewart or Tiger Woods. Their brands survived but they never came back as strong as they were before the brand imploded –after they went to jail or were forced to do a PGA Adultery walk-of-shame, for example,"” noted Passikoff.

"“Human brands don’'t generally get a second chance to breathe real life back into their brands or rekindle the desire in the hearts and souls of consumers. Not at their former brand strength, added-value levels, at least," Passikoff said. "But apparently winning a presidential election is the exception that tests the rule."

Study details

According to 1,203 registered voters in the nine US Census regions, 100% of the categories where Brand Keys has tracked the Trump brand that had been negatively affected a month ago with the Access Hollywood tape disclosure have rebounded to pre-candidacy added-value brand levels.

Added-value related to the Trump brand --– that is, how much more a product or service is seen to better meet consumer expectations and be seen to be worth more monetarily with the Trump brand --– is back up significantly from a month ago in each of the seven categories where Brand Keys has historically tracked the Trump brand.

In some categories the added-value brand numbers are the highest Brand Keys has ever tracked for the brand.

A crude oil pipeline slated to pass under the Missouri River and sacred Native American tribal land was one of the few hot-button political issues that neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump wanted to touch during this election.

The Dakota Access Pipeline was approved by the feds last July and is expected to be completed by the end of the year, unless protesters successfully stop it. Protesters and lawsuits note that the Missouri River is an important source of drinking water for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, who have led the historic fight against the project.

The Corps responded that the pipeline would pose “no significant impact” on the waterways. But if recent history is any indication, the federal government is probably not the best judge of protecting Native American waterways.

More problems, less enforcement

The report published in Policy Studies Journal found that tribal water facilities received 44 percent fewer inspections than water plants not on tribal land, even though tribal utilities committed 57 percent more drinking water violations. “This suggests regulatory neglect,”  Manny Teodoro, a lead researcher on the study, told Environmental Health News.

The researchers chose to study enforcement of federal drinking water laws on tribal lands because “Indian reservations are homes to a disproportionately poor, historically subjugated racial group,” the researchers wrote, and  “analysis of environmental programs on tribal lands offers a unique perspective on environmental justice.”

The story is not that different from that of other low-income, minority communities in America, which also often lack access to safe drinking water or any piped water at all.

The Environmental Protection Agency has of course enforced some water violations on tribal land. In 2013, the agency reached a $136,000 settlement over drinking water violations on the Hopi Reservation. The Hopis’ public water supply system is controlled by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, and according to the EPA, the Bureau had failed to monitor drinking water for arsenic and disinfectant compounds, leading the water to grow contaminated.    

Lack of local control

Most tribes are not in charge of enforcing Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act violations on their own water, as they must gain permission from the EPA to obtain that control.  The EPA currently lists 53 tribes that it has deemed eligible to apply for that authority,  a small fraction of the nation’s 567 federally-recognized tribes.

The Navajo Nation was the first Native American tribe to achieve that feat when the EPA granted them regulatory control in 2001. The Navajo reportedly had to spend 10 years working on the application process before they finally won approval.

Election-related stress affected more than half of Americans, according to the American Psychological Association. If it’s true that our pets can pick up on how we’re feeling, your furry companion may have been riding a rollercoaster of emotions over the past few days.

NYMag reports that the videos, which are narrated by David Tennant, calm pets by using sights and sounds that have been scientifically proven to be relaxing to animals.

Reduces stress from loud noises 

There's also a video for stressed-out felines. Cats who feast their eyes on the film "Peer Window" (shown below) will be treated to images of swimming fish and trees just outside a window. The sounds of gentle purring and calming music accompany David Tennant's narration.

Music to soothe anxiety

Research has shown that different sounds and types of music can help calm pets. Classical music, especially, can help reduce anxiety in dogs, according to the Journal Veterinary Behavior.

These videos aren't the first efforts to harness the power of music to help calm anxious pets. "Through a Dog's Ear" is touted as a form of music therapy for pets. It features slow, classical music that is said to help calm a nervous dog. Meanwhile, there are entire albums devoted to the idea that classical music and nature sounds can help calm cats. 

Earlier this year, PetSmart also jumped on the music-for-pets bandwagon. The retailer worked with Mood Media to create pet-friendly playlists designed to calm the nerves of pets staying at their PetsHotel. The playlists, as we reported, feature certain tones and textures that have been shown to help relax stressed-out pets. 

If you ask voters, putting an extra tax on sugar-sweetened soda seems like a good idea. It was on the ballot Tuesday in four cities, and voters in all four cities approved it.

Three of the cities are in California – actually the same region of California. The tax won approval in San Francisco, Oakland, and Albany. In addition, voters in Boulder, Colo., approved the tax.

In a statement issued on election day, before any of the ballots were counted, Dr. Michael Jacobson, Executive Director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), said just the presence of the ballot initiatives represents a new normal for “Big Soda.”

“The lessons learned by the community groups and advocates in these campaigns will be shared across the country and brought to bear in other cities and states,” Jacobson said. “The industry will continue to outspend because they can’t afford to lose. But they have already lost: The science base is growing stronger for sugar drinks’ causation of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and tooth decay, and communities are acting.”

Outspent

According to USA Today, consumer groups pushing for the soda tax spent just over $9 million to support their cause. Opponents, back in part by the beverage industry, spend $20 million. It was pretty much the same story in the other three municipalities.

The four cities are the first to approve a soda tax since Berkeley, Calif., took that step in 2014. In Tuesday's voting, Boulder added a two-cent tax to the cost of soda. The California cities each added a penny.

Will it have an effect? The World Health Organization (WHO) believes it will and recently urged cities around the world to enact taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages. The organization said it believes adding to the cost of these products could help reduce health risks like type 2 diabetes and obesity.

“Consumption of free sugars, including products like sugary drinks, is a major factor in the global increase of people suffering from obesity and diabetes. . . If governments tax products like sugary drinks, they can reduce suffering and save lives. They can also cut healthcare costs and increase revenues to invest in health services,” said Dr. Douglas Bettcher, director of WHO’s Department for the Prevention of Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs).

The taxes approved in Tuesday's voting are projected to raise as much as $29 million between the four cities.

Social media giant Facebook isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but the company has progressively been trying to find more ways to keep users engaged in its network. Last month, it launched Marketplace, an apparent answer to Craigslist, that is meant to allow users to see and buy items that people close by have for sale.

Now, the company says it will be testing out a new feature on some Pages that’s designed to help with job recruitment. It said in an announcement on Monday that the tool will help employers find new, prospective candidates for job openings. So far, the tool is only in the testing phase, but it could provide a challenge to popular networking site LinkedIn, which is also heavily invested in job listings and recruitment.

“Based on behavior we’ve seen on Facebook, where many small businesses post about their job openings on their Page, we’re running a test for Page admins to create job postings and receive applications from candidates,” a spokesperson told Reuters.

Applying via Facebook

According to TechCrunch, Pages can now formally share a job opening by accessing an option in the status update composer; details such as salary and prerequisites can be added to the opening before it is published. An “Apply Now” button on the job posting will allow prospective candidates to begin the application process, and any relevant information collected by Facebook can be used to fill in answers more quickly.

Users will be able to find the postings in a couple of different places. Currently, they can go to a company’s Page and look under the “Jobs” tab to see if there are any openings. In the future, businesses will also be able to post a job opening to their News Feed, allowing all their followers to see it.

Completed applications will be sent to the appropriate Page as a Facebook message, and administrators will be able to take the information from there.

Providing incentive

If successful, the new job listing feature is sure to drive even more internet traffic to Facebook. Since the jobs tab of each Page acts as its own landing site, companies and businesses may be able to attract more Facebook followers and increase their reach.

Also, since each application is sent as a Facebook message, it might incentivize businesses to start committing to the social network’s chat feature. However, TechCrunch notes that if this feature doesn’t work well due to the variety of Facebook messages a Page receives, moving to an email-based system may be better.

The whole development comes at an inopportune time for LinkedIn. Not only is it dwarfed by Facebook’s user base – a difference of nearly 1.32 billion – but its recent acquisition by Microsoft could put the service on its heels as it seeks to adjust. Whether it will be forced to recover and try to retain users over the long-term remains to be seen. 

Donald Trump's victory at the polls has business interests wishing they had a crystal ball that would tell them which of Trump's campaign promises he actually intends to pursue vigorously.

Republican candidates are usually fervent supporters of free trade and opponents of unnecessary government regulation of business. But Trump is not your ordinary Republican, and it's not entirely clear what his approach will be. 

Restricting international free trade and renegotating treaties like NAFTA -- as he has proposed -- could have an enormous impact on everything from advertising to bananas, while tighter immigration policies would hit the food and beverage industries hard, Advertising Age notes today.

It quotes analysts as saying that Corona and Modelo Especial beers would be at risk. If 1.5 million undocumented Mexican immigrants left the United States, the beer brands could suffer because, the analysts say, Mexican immigrants' per capita beer consumption is about twice that of the general population.

Media policy

Telecom and media interests are also feeling some trepidation. Trump made no secret of his disdain for the news media and threatened to change libel laws to make it easier for candidates to sue press outlets.

Trump has also been outspoken in his opposition to further media consolidation and specifically mentioned AT&T's proposed acquisition of Time Warner. He also said he would try to break up Comcast and NBC Universal.

"As an example of the power structure I'm fighting, AT&T is buying Time Warner and thus CNN," Mr. Trump said Oct. 22 as the deal was announced, "a deal we will not approve in my administration because it's too much concentration of power in the hands of too few."

An AT&T executive said this morning that the company is looking forward to working with Trump and is optimistic the deal can be approved.

Broadband providers are also wondering how a Trump presidency will affect the Federal Communications Commission, which is implementing new rules to protect consumers' privacy on the Web. 

In a letter to Trump organized by the National Association of Manufacturers, top executives from Boeing, Ford, and United Technologies, among others, urged Trump to take a "constructive" approach to business regulation.

“We hope President Trump is more nuanced than candidate Trump,” said Jake Parker, vice president of China operations of the U.S.-China Business Council, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Consumers' fascination with food has made The Food Network must-see TV for many an amateur chef.

But while viewers may learn how to prepare a gourmet meal, they aren't going to learn much about avoiding E. coli and other foodborne illnesses. At least that's the conclusion of a study by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Though they rarely burst into the headlines, food-related illnesses occur every day. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are 48 million cases each year, resulting in as many as 3,000 deaths.

The U-Mass researchers say the popularity of cooking shows on TV provides a perfect opportunity to educate consumers on basic food safety, yet they say their study found little evidence of it.

19-question survey

The researchers developed a survey with 19 questions, modeled after the Massachusetts Food Establishment Report. It looked at hygienic food-handling, how gloves and utensils are used, protection from contamination, and time and temperature controls.

They also listened for mentions of food safety and proper practices. Researchers viewed 10 popular cooking shows – two to six episodes each – for a total of 39 episodes.

Lead author Nancy Cohen said the survey found the majority of practices observed on the shows were out of compliance or conformance with recommendations in at least 70% of episodes. Food safety was mentioned in only three episodes.

“Only four practices were observed to be in compliance or conformance with recommendations in more than 50% of the episodes,” Cohen said. “For most behaviors observed, the percentage of shows in conformance with recommended practices was much lower than that seen in restaurant employees and consumers in general.”

Food safety at home

The high-profile foodborne illness outbreaks that make the news tend to occur at the manufacturing level or in restaurants, such as the recent E. coli outbreak at several Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants. But the authors say many of the unreported illnesses occur when consumers prepare food at home.

“There are many opportunities on cooking shows to educate the public regarding safe food handling practices and help reduce the incidence of foodborne illness,” Cohen said. “Similarly, nutrition and food safety educators could work with the media to produce shows that demonstrate positive food safety behaviors and educate consumers about food safety practices as they adopt recipes.”

Until that happens, consumers should educate themselves on ways to properly handle and cook food to prevent illnesses. For example, the U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) urges consumers to always refrigerate perishable food within two hours.

You'll find other helpful FSIS food safety tips here.

The popularity of e-cigarettes continues to rise for teens across the U.S. Middle and high school students are glorifying habits like vaping, and many still believe that the products don’t pose much of an immediate threat to their health.

While different studies have disagreed over that fact, new findings from the University of Southern California suggest that the health of young users may be at serious risk in the short- and long-term. The reason, the authors say, is that e-cigarette use and vaping can be associated with an increased frequency of smoking and heavier smoking habits overall.

Heavier smoking patterns

Dr. Adam M. Leventhal and his colleagues came to their conclusions after analyzing surveys given to 10^th grade students in ten public high schools in Los Angeles County between 2014 and 2015. Questions focused on the frequency and heaviness of e-cigarette and cigarette use, as well as vaping habits. A follow-up survey was given six months later to gauge any changes.

The analysis found that students that smoked or vaped at the time when they took the first survey were more likely to increase their e-cigarette smoking frequency by the time the second survey was taken. Similarly, the researchers found that adolescents who smoked cigarettes were more likely to increase their smoking frequency and heaviness if they also vaped; this was especially true for infrequent smokers.

The researchers believe these findings speak to the need for stronger tobacco control policies, though they admit that more research will need to be conducted to verify the results. The full study has been published in JAMA. 

Ahhh...the best laid plans and all that.

Even though many major retailers said they planned on expanding their workforces this Christmas shopping season, October employment gains have plunged 21% from a year ago to 154,600.

An analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data by outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas shows that's the fewest job gains to kick off the holiday hiring season since 2012.

This year’s decline follows two consecutive years of record job gains in October. BLS data shows that retail employment grew by 194,800 in 2015, a record number of October job gains for the sector.

Not a harbinger

Challenger, Gray & Christmas CEO John A. Challenger points out, however, that record October job gains in 2015 did not lead to record retail hiring throughout the holiday season. In fact, overall holiday hiring declined.

“The shrinking number of jobs added during the holiday season does not necessarily mean that the retail industry is shrinking," said Challenger. “As of October, there were 15,994,000 Americans employed in this sector. That is up from 15,759,000 a year ago and represents the highest October employment level ever recorded by the BLS.”

What's going on

A few trends could be contributing to the fall off in holiday hiring. Challenger said stronger hiring throughout the year and advances in retail technology may mean that stores do not have to hire as many extra workers during the busy holiday shopping season. In addition, he said, “increased online shopping could be shifting the holiday job gains away from retailers toward warehousing, fulfillment, and transportation operations.”

In fact, holiday hiring plans announced by the likes of Amazon.com, UPS, and FedEx have grown significantly over the last five years, according to Challenger. Meanwhile, hiring announcements from retailers have remained relatively flat or declined.

Country Home Products of Vergennes, Vt., is recalling about 3,900 Pro leaf and lawn vacuums.

The muffler can overheat and melt the air cleaner cover, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.

The firm has received 20 reports of the vacuums becoming hot to the touch, melting or catching fire. No injuries have been reported.

This recall involves Premier, Pro and Pro-XL models of the tow-behind DR leaf and lawn vacuums manufactured by Country Home Products.

Recalled units have a serial number between LLV34601 and LLV39980. The leaf and lawn vacuums are towed behind a riding lawnmower to collect leaves and are tan and black in color with a set of two wheels on each side.

The DR logo with “Professional Power Done Right” and “leaf and lawn vacuum” are printed on the side of the vacuum. The serial number is located on the left side of the tow bar near the engine. 

The vacuums, manufactured in the U.S., were sold at Country Home Products catalog, website and authorized dealers nationwide, including Tractor Supply Company, from August 2014, through September 2015, for between $1,300 and $2,200.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled leaf and lawn vacuums and contact Country Home Products to receive a free repair kit that contains a replacement muffler and instructions for completing the repair.

Consumers unable to install the repair kit should contact the firm for information on authorized dealers who can install the free repair.

Country Home Products is contacting all purchasers directly.

Consumers may contact Country Home Products toll-free at 877-220-0691 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. (ET) Monday through Friday, by email at vacrecall@chp.com or online at www.DRPower.com and click on “Product Recalls” for more information.

A former flight attendant has filed a lawsuit against Alaska Airlines claiming she was effectively terminated for reporting that the pilot and other crew members of Alaska subsidiary Horizon Air went out drinking late the night prior to an early-morning flight. 

The suit filed in Multnomah County Court, Oregon, seeks $800,000 in damages for Vickie Brown, who charges that she was effectively fired after a 15-year career because she reported the unruly and drunken behavior of fellow flight-crew members.

"Ms. Brown was employed by Horizon as a Flight Attendant; she resigned from the company this year," a company spokeswoman told ConsumerAffairs. "We do not comment on ongoing litigation."

Brown said that on Feb. 6, 2016, she and other crew members were staying at a hotel near Bellingham International Airport (BLI) in a room next to the one occupied by the captain. She was invited to go out drinking with the captain and other crew members but declined, the suit states.

She heard the crew return later that night and said they were "loud and disruptive."

Kicked out of the bar

"The crew had in fact been out drinking past curfew and had been so heavily intoxicated that they were kicked out of one bar and so went to another before returning to the hotel," the suit alleges.

The crew was scheduled to catch a 4 a.m. van to the airport the next morning. Brown said she encountered the captain getting coffee and found him looking "disheveled and exhausted" and said that she could smell alcohol coming from her fellow crew members.

Federal regulations forbid flight crews to consume alcohol within ten hours of a flight.

Brown said she looked for someone she could report her concerns to but found no supervisor at the airport. She also could not locate the airline's safety hotline number, she said.

While she looked for the hotline number, Brown said, the aircraft doors were closed and the plane began to taxi before safety and compliance checks had been completed.

The flight arrived safely in Portland, where Brown declined to continue on the next leg. She said one of the flight attendants who had been out drinking also left the flight in Portland, saying she was ill.

Passed out

"Later that day, [Brown] spoke with another flight attendant [who said the captain] was talking about the previous night and mentioned that a flight attendant ... had passed out in his room and that he had wondered if he should tell his wife about it," the suit alleges.

Brown said that after leaving the flight, she reported the incident to her supervisor but said there was "no indication" the crew was tested for alcohol or that any other action was taken.

Brown said the incident left her feeling anxious and she called in sick for the next several flights. She said her later reports to management were met with "disinterest and condescension." 

Brown said other flight attendants told her the captain was angry at her for reporting him and she felt she faced a hostile work environment. 

"The message was clear: Horizon did not think this was a serious issue and was going to do nothing to protect" her from retaliation by the captain. "She was on her own and if she didn't like it she shouldn't come to work," the suit alleges.

She left the airline Oct. 5, saying she could no longer work in what had become a "toxic work environment."

We’re often told that you are what you eat, but one new startup believes that who you are should determine what you eat. A nutrition tech company called Habit is aiming to change the way we eat by highlighting the importance of personalized nutrition.

Every body is different, and Habit’s home test kit (which looks at your DNA, blood, and 58 other biomarkers) can help you determine what nutrients your unique body craves. After taking the test, the company will send you recommendations and personalized meal-kits that can help you achieve your health goals.

Science-based approach