Current Events in March 2017

Federal agencies have been grappling with how to handle the increasing abuse of prescription opioid drugs. Last year, the FDA began an opioid drug policy review to address the drug approval process and prescribing policies, and the CDC released guidelines in the hopes of curbing the number of prescriptions.

While efforts such as these have gone a long way towards reducing dependence on opioids, a new study shows that the drugs still present a real danger – especially to children.

A study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy and Nationwide Children’s Hospital shows that there were over 188,000 calls made to poison control centers between January 2000 and December 2015 for children who were exposed to opioids; that’s an average of 32 calls per day, or one call every 45 minutes.

"The opioid crisis which has been affecting our adult population has now trickled down to our children," said study author Dr. Marcel Casavant. "When adults bring these medications into their homes, they can become a danger to the children that live there.

Exposure to young children and teens

The researchers note that most opioid exposures (60%) were experienced by children aged 5 years and younger; teenagers were exposed approximately half as often (30%), but the severity of the exposure varied by age. The drugs that led to the most calls to poison control included hydrocodone (29%), oxycodone (18%), and codeine (17%).

For the youngest children, most instances of exposure occurred in the home and were managed by caregivers without serious medical outcomes. However, while these exposures were generally unintentional, over two-thirds of teens who were exposed to opioids did so intentionally.

This is a worrying statistic when taken with some of the other study findings. In particular, the researchers say that there was a 50% jump in opioid-related suspected suicides among teens during the 16-year study period. Teens were also more likely to be admitted to health care facilities for serious medical outcomes than other groups.

Casavant states that most teens get opioids from friends and family, so it is important to make sure all medications are kept in a safe place. “It is important that these medications are stored up, away and out of sight of kids of all ages, in a locked cabinet is best," he said.

Striking a balance

Physicians have long stated that restricting opioids is a tricky proposal, since so many consumers depend on them for pain relief. However, senior study author Dr. Gary Smith says that finding a solution is imperative going forward.

"As physicians, we need to find a balance between making sure that we are helping our patients manage their pain, and making sure we don't prescribe more or stronger medication than they need," he said.

"While overall rates of exposure to opioids among children are going down, they are still too high. We need to continue to examine our prescription practices and to increase education to parents about safe ways to store these medications at home to keep them out of the hands of children."

The full study has been published in Pediatrics.

It's still hard to put money away on a regular basis, what with rising living costs and unexpected expenses.

But for the first time in six years of annual surveys, personal finance site Bankrate reports consumers are feeling comfortable with their ability to put money into savings. They're comfortable with the idea, but not so much with the practice.

The survey shows 21% of consumers with jobs aren't setting aside any money in savings, the same rate as last year. Those who are saving aren't saving as much.

Just 25% of consumers are saving 10% or more of their incomes, down from 28% last year.

Can't afford to save?

Not surprisingly, the biggest reason consumers give for not saving more money is they can't afford it. Nearly two in five people in the survey said monthly expenses consume all of their income.

This answer may be borne out in recent credit card data that shows Americans are adding to credit card balances at a record pace. If these balances are growing because many households are operating in the red, it could be a red flag for the economy.

"This illustrates what is wrong with Americans and their savings," said Bankrate.com chief financial analyst Greg McBride. "Too many Americans let their lifestyles dictate what they save or whether they save at all, instead of saving first and living on what is left over."

The key to savings

The key to saving money, after all, is not spending everything you earn. It requires living below your means instead of above your means.

For example, the average transaction price on a new vehicle is now more than $35,000. It's clear that many people spending that much can't really afford it, as payments are being stretched out for seven years or more.

Yet, there are a number of good cars that sell for $15,000 or so. If a consumer chooses to buy a car he or she can't really afford, it will be harder to put money away.

So it has to be asked, why do consumers seem to feel more confident about their ability to add to savings if they aren't doing it?

Bankrate thinks it has to do with Americans' increased feeling of overall financial security. It notes that for the first time, consumers noted improvements in job security, comfort level with savings and debt, net worth, and overall financial situation.

The Bankrate editors say that good feeling now needs to translate into action.

If your winter heating bills were higher than expected, there may be areas for improvement in your home's energy envelope.

And if it cost more to heat your home this winter, it might cost more to keep it cool when summer arrives. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has outlined a number of steps every homeowner can take to improve energy efficiency by conducting a home energy audit.

The first step is to locate and seal air leaks. In the winter, drafts are not just costly but reduce the comfort level. The most likely places to find air leaks are along the baseboard or edge of the flooring and where the walls meet the ceiling.

Cracks around doors and windows are another source of energy loss. You may also find leaks around light and plumbing fixtures and electrical outlets. DOE estimates plugging these leaks can not only make a home more comfortable, but trim up to 20% off annual energy bills.

Is insulation adequate?

The next step is to check your home's insulation. Houses built over the last 20 years are generally pretty energy efficient, but homes built before the 1980s may have skimped on insulation.

If you have an attic hatch or pull-down steps, this could be one area where energy is escaping. Check to make sure the opening has as much insulation as the rest of the attic and that there are no gaps around the opening. Installing thick weatherstripping can close most gaps, but hinges and springs may need adjustment to ensure a tighter fit when the attic access is closed.

Furnaces and air conditions are big energy users, since both are appliances that are on many hours of the day to control the interior temperature of your home. Besides plugging leaks, you can save money by making sure that when they do run, they are operating at peak efficiency.

Replace filters

Filters need to be checked and replaced on a regular basis. The burners on gas and oil furnaces need regular cleaning so they aren't wasting fuel. If a furnace, air conditioner or heat pump is old and prone to periodic breakdowns, consider replacing it instead of repairing it. New units will be much more efficient.

After conducting an energy audit, DOE suggests making a whole house energy plan. Total up your annual spending on home energy and pinpoint areas where you think costs can be reduced.

The plan should also made a judgment on the cost effectiveness of remedies. Determine the payback on installing triple-pane windows as opposed to plugging holes with caulk.

DOE has more energy-saving ideas here.

As the battle for consumer dollars is increasingly being waged online, eBay is trying to enhance its competitive position.

With Amazon and Walmart now offer free two-day delivery options, eBay says it will roll out what it calls Guaranteed Delivery later this summer. The guarantee is that the ordered item will be delivered in three or fewer days.

The guarantee will cover 20 million items purchased in the United States and will include free shipping for some. As an added inducement, eBay will provide a filter that will allow shoppers to search for items that are available with one or two-day delivery.

"While the majority of items on eBay already ship within three days or less, as well as for free, Guaranteed Delivery will give shoppers even faster delivery options and the confidence that their items will arrive on time," said Hal Lawton, Senior Vice President of North America at eBay.

How it works

If the items a consumer orders are covered under the guarantee, eBay says they will arrive by the delivery date. Consumers using the eBay site will be able to search for items by guaranteed delivery date.

If the item doesn't make it by the delivery date, eBay says the consumer can request to have shipping costs refunded. If the shipping was free, eBay will send out a coupon to be applied against the next eBay purchase. The buyer will also be able to return the item at no cost.

The company says the program will also benefit sellers, since it will make their items searchable by delivery times. Being able to guarantee a delivery date, eBay contends, will lead to happier customers.

Many delivery complaints are outside the U.S.

Indeed, an analysis of eBay customer reviews posted on ConsumerAffairs shows lengthy delivery times are a common source of complaints. However, in most cases the consumers in question are experiencing delays in delivery from sellers outside the U.S.

Brett Thome, vice-president of business development at Spreetail, says the new program will help sellers on eBay who have earned a reputation for speedy and reliable service.

"There are so many great sellers on eBay delivering an incredible shipping experience where they deliver in two days, and even next day, so the ability to highlight Guaranteed Delivery will further increase customer confidence and satisfaction," he said.

There is no firm date for the launch, with eBay saying it will occur during the summer. There will be no cost to sellers, but they will be required to meet a set of shipping standards to take part.

Blue Buffalo Company is recalling one production lot of BLUE Wilderness Rocky Mountain Recipe Red Meat Dinner Wet Food for Adult Dogs.

The product may contain elevated levels of naturally- occurring beef thyroid hormones. Dogs ingesting high levels of beef thyroid hormones may exhibit symptoms such as increased thirst and urination, weight loss, increased heart rate and restlessness.

These symptoms may resolve when the use of the impacted food is discontinued. However, with prolonged consumption these symptoms may increase in severity and may include vomiting, diarrhea, and rapid or difficulty breathing.

There have been no reports of illness.

The following item is being recalled:

The recalled product was distributed nationally through pet specialty and on-line retailers.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should dispose of it or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Consumers with questions may contact Blue Buffalo at 866-201-9072 from 8 AM – 5 PM(ET) Monday through Friday, or by email at CustomerCare@bluebuffalo.com for more information.

The majority of Arkansas voters want sick people to have access to marijuana, whether their own lawmakers approve or not. During last year’s November election, Arkansas was one of seven new states to legalize marijuana in some form when 52 percent of voters passed Issue 6, an amendment allowing patients of 12 specified diseases to use cannabis for medical purposes. Issue 6 also allows the sale and cultivation of marijuana, meaning that accessing the drug legally is a reality for Arkansas consumers, not just an abstract pipe dream.

But since the election, Arkansas' Republican-led state legislature has drafted its own bills to undo the voter-approved amendment. “You mark my word. People will be hurt, they will be injured, and some will die as a result of this loose amendment,” one state senator claimed earlier this month, when speaking in support of a proposed law that would have banned the act of smoking medical marijuana.

Another bill introduced at the same time would have banned the consumption of marijuana through edibles. Other Republican lawmakers, however, even those who were opposed to Issue 6, argued that banning the smoking or eating of medical marijuana in a state that just voted to legalize medical marijuana went directly against their constituents’ wishes. 

“I would argue this is in direct violation of the vast majority of people that voted for that. I think it’s time to respect the will of the people even if it doesn’t comport with our desires or our feelings,” State Senator Jeremy Hutchinson said several weeks ago, speaking against the proposed smoking ban. (Arkansas lawmakers instead last week voted to pass legislation that bans smoking medicinal cannabis only in places where tobacco smoke is already barred). 

It’s still incredibly difficult to legally obtain marijuana in the Deep South, even in states where marijuana for medical use is technically legal. But it may not be that way for long. A new report by a marijuana-focused marketing and research firm predicts that every state in the union will legalize marijuana in some form by 2021. 

A growing industry

In 2016, retailers from 20 jurisdictions sold $6.5 billion worth of marijuana, according to a new report on the status of the cannabis industry by GreenWave Advisors, a firm that was founded by former equity analyst Ray Katz in 2014.  

Katz’s firm, which tracks sales for the cannabis industry, anticipates that more states will follow the lead of places like California, Colorado and Washington, where voters continue to demand looser drug laws and easier access to marijuana. By 2021, 29 states will allow medicinal use of marijuana, GreenWave Advisors predicts, while 22 states will make marijuana completely legal. Such reforms will turn legal marijuana into a $30 billion industry.

GreenWave makes these predictions even as marijuana supporters are lamenting President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint Jeff Sessions as attorney general. Sessions recently told law enforcement officers that marijuana is “only slightly less awful” than heroin. But Trump himself has spoken favorably about the legalization of marijuana as medicine and also suggested that states should be allowed to decide on the issue themselves. He at one point even said he favored the legalization of all drugs, albeit that was long before he ran for president. 

The financial services industry sees a more immediate benefit that Trump would bring to cannabis retailers -- deregulated banking. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, for instance, is a law banks are supposed to follow in investments to prevent accounting fraud. But it has also discouraged banks from investing in cannabis businesses, GreenWave Advisors argue. Undoing this act, “could free up banking resources to focus on cannabis businesses," the firm's report says. 

Hurdles and gains for consumers who want to purchase cannabis legally

Strict drug laws remain in place even in states where medical marijuana is technically legal. 

While Georgia legalized the possession of medical marijuana in 2015, for example, the sale and growth of marijuana remained off the table, making it difficult for consumers to actually obtain the substance in a legal manner. And only patients diagnosed with one of eight specified diseases would be allowed to possess marijuana. But some of those restrictions are being relaxed. Georgia’s lawmakers last Thursday voted to allow patients with six additional diseases and patients in hospice care to possess cannabis as well. 

And in Florida, where voters overwhelmingly approved expanded access to medical marijuana in the November election, state lawmakers are currently fighting over five competing bills that would dictate how to implement the reforms. 

Polling indicates that lawmakers overall are still well behind the curve of public opinion. According to a Gallup Poll pushed last fall, 60 percent of Americans, the “highest level in Gallup's 47-year trend,” support the complete legalization of marijuana for recreational or medical purposes. 

EoY Report ExecSummary Final 3 by Toast da Most on Scribd

The Trump Administration is rolling back an Obama initiative that gave some breathing room to consumers who fall behind on student loan repayments. 

In its first major policy decision on student loan issues, the U.S. Department of Education is giving lenders the right to charge a 16% fee to borrowers who enter a loan rehabilitation program within 60 days after defaulting on their debt.

Consumer advocates say the move will do nothing to address a wave of defaults.

“The Administration’s first move on the student loan default crisis will do nothing to stop the tidal wave of defaults that is sweeping across the nation,” said Rohit Chopra, Senior Fellow at the Consumer Federation of America and the former Student Loan Ombudsman at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “With more than 3,000 Americans defaulting on a student loan every day, this just adds insult to injury.”

The action applies only to borrowers who took out loans from banks and other institutions, not Federal Direct Loans. It potentially affects about 7 million people who owe approximately $162 billion. 

Advocates object

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.) protested the action, saying the 16% fee "is enormous and results in an unnecessary financial burden on vulnerable borrowers."

"Congress gave borrowers who default on their federal student loans the one-time opportunity to rehabilitate their loans out of default and re-enter repayment. It is inconsistent with the goal of rehabilitation to return borrowers to repayment with such large fees added," they said in a letter to Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

The case grows out of a lawsuit against United Student Aid Funds (USA Funds) that challenged the collection costs. In that case, borrower Bryana Bible was charged $4,547 in collection costs after defaulting on a student loan in 2012. The company assessed the fees even though she had signed a rehabilitation agreement that set a reduced payment schedule. 

Education Department officials sided with Bible and USA Funds sued the department in 2015. USA Funds later agreed to pay $23 million to settle a class-action lawsuit that grew out of the Bible case, although it did not admit any wrongdoing. 

Last week, the Consumer Federation of America released an analysis that showed that 1.1 million Americans defaulted on a federal student loan in 2016. Americans are now in default on $137 billion in federal student loans.

Not long ago, the Justice Department argued in court that the structure of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was perfectly legal. Now it says it isn't.

What changed? The Constitution remains the same and the law that established the CFPB remains intact, but the United States is under new management and President Trump is determined to jettison holdovers whose views he finds disasteful.

Thus, the Justice Department is now arguing that Trump should be able to fire CFPB Director Richard Cordray, even though a few months ago it made exactly the opposite argument.

When the CFPB was established as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, lawmakers wanted to protect it from political pressure so they gave it a single director who, unlike most other appointees, can be fired only "for cause," meaning for misconduct or dishonesty.

Most political appointees are routinely dismissed when a new administration takes office, but Cordray's term runs through next year, and so far Trump has not found grounds to dismiss him. 

"Extreme risk"

The pressure comes from the financial services industry. It has been calling for a rollback of the CFPB, which has recovered billions of dollars for consumers in lawsuits and enforcement actions against banks, mortgage lenders, car dealers, and payday loan operators, among others.

The current challenge to the CFPB grew out of a lawsuit brought by mortgage lender PHH Corp., which argued that the one-director structure of the CFPB is unconstitutional. It notes that the Federal Trade Commission, Federal Communications Commission, and many other executive branch agencies are governed by a group of commissioners. 

The CFPB and its supporters note that the Constitution does not specify that independent agency heads are subject to firing without cause and they point to the Social Security Administration and Federal Housing Finance Agency. They each have a single director who has not been replaced by the Trump Administration.

The Justice Department agreed with them a few months ago, but in a brief filed Friday, it argues that an agency headed by a single director represents an "extreme risk" of deviating from the President's policies. 

The case is before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, which has scheduled a hearing for May 24, Chief Judge Merrick Garland presiding. But however the appeals court rules, the case is almost certain to go to the U.S. Supreme Court for a final disposition, by which time Cordray's term will most likely have expired. 

Pet owners who are preparing to tackle the annual chore of spring cleaning may want to consider brushing up on their knowledge of common pet poisons. Chances are, you’ve got at least one pet poison in your home.

Many common food items or household products can sicken or even kill animals. Pet poisons can be found in each area of the home, according to Dr. Katy Burr, on-staff veterinarian at pet insurance provider Trupanion. Because pets react to substances in food and medicines differently, certain items should be kept out of paw’s reach.

Poisonous household items

Here are a few household items to store away from your curious pet’s sniffer.

• In the garage. Household cleaners, rodent poison or traps, fertilizer, slug bait, antifreeze, deicing salts, and garden chemicals. These items can harm a pet by irritating the skin or eyes, as well as damaging and blocking the gastrointestinal system, Burr says.
• In the kitchen. Chocolate, Xylitol (found in sugar-free gum and some peanut butter), grapes, raisins, alcohol, yeast dough, caffeine, onions, garlic, and mushrooms can all pose a danger. Store these items where pets can’t get into them.
• In the medicine cabinet. Acetaminophens (Tylenol), pseudoephedrines (Sudafed), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and albuterol found in inhalers can all be dangerous to pets, especially if you’re throwing out expired medication.
• In the yard. Tulips, Daffodils, Foxglove, and Azaleas are all plants that can cause symptoms such as vomiting, drooling, and even kidney damage when ingested by pets. The nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron, zinc, and herbicides in plant growth supplements can also cause severe symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, diarrhea, and intestinal blockage.

Safe storage and disposal

Trupanion says it has paid out more than $3.1 million in toxicity claims to date. However, many incidences may have been preventable if homeowners had taken a few simple precautions.

Remember that if something smells good, your pet is likely to eat it. Products that may be enticing to pets should be stored away from pets and/or in sealed containers.

Cleaning out your medicine cabinet? Before tossing out medicine bottles, consider flushing unused medicines down the sink or toilet first; a determined pooch can chew through the childproof cap on a medicine bottle.

You may have heard the adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away, but it turns out that drinking tea every day could be even more beneficial in some respects.

A study from the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine finds that drinking tea daily could greatly cut the risk of cognitive decline in the elderly. The researchers say the findings are a positive sign due to the beverage’s popularity.

“Tea is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world. The data from our study suggests that a simple and inexpensive lifestyle measure such as daily tea drinking can reduce a person's risk of developing neurocognitive disorders in late life," said assistant professor Lei Feng.

Reducing risk of cognitive decline

The study examined 957 Chinese seniors aged 55 and older and found that drinking tea regularly cut the risk of cognitive decline by 50%. However, those who carried the APOE e4 gene – which genetically predisposes individuals to cognitive conditions like Alzheimer’s – had their risk reduced by 86%.

The researchers believe the positive effects of tea drinking are derived from some of its bioactive, natural ingredients, such as catechins, theaflavins, thearubigins, and L-theanine. Feng points out that these compounds are known to reduce inflammation in the body and protect the brain from vascular damage and neurodegeneration.

Additionally, the researchers say the type of tea does not matter when it comes to these benefits, as long as the leaves are brewed from tea leaves such as green, black, or oolong tea.

Improving prevention strategies

While the findings focus specifically on Chinese seniors, the researchers believe that the results could apply to other races as well. This is an important point, they say, because of how pervasive cognitive diseases have become and how difficult they are to treat.

“Our findings have important implications for dementia prevention. Despite high quality drug trials, effective pharmacological therapy for neurocognitive disorders such as dementia remains elusive and current prevention strategies are far from satisfactory,” said Feng. “Our understanding of the detailed biological mechanisms is still very limited so we do need more research to find out definitive answers.”

The full study has been published in the Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging.

Scientists for years have urged the federal government to ban the synthetic chemical Bisphenol A from food packaging, citing extensive evidence that it easily leaches into the food it is supposed to protect and then mimics the hormone estrogen when ingested, which can disrupt the endocrine system in a variety of ways. With the feds continuing to say BPA is safe, the charge to get the chemical out of plastics has been primarily led by advocacy groups and voluntary measures taken by corporations.

But researchers continue to find more evidence that BPA-free isn’t a good enough promise. “Industry is working to replace BPA because of health concerns – but all these alternatives are also estrogenic,” Michael Antoniou, a researcher at the Gene Expression and Therapy Group at King’s College London, told the site Environmental Health News.

New study says BPA alternatives accelerate cancer cell growth

Antoniou is the lead author of a new study investigating the effects that six chemicals commonly used in hard plastics to replace BPA have on human breast cancer cells in a lab. All of the chemicals “showed estrogenic activity in promoting [cancer] cell growth” the study says. Three of the alternatives appeared to be even more potent at promoting breast cancer cell growth than BPA is.

This study has only been published online and has not yet been peer-reviewed. But it is part of a growing body of research investigating problems with commonly-used BPA alternatives. 

All of the chemicals studied in this case come from the bisphenol family, which, as a paper published in the journal Endocrine Disruptors two years ago argues, should be considered as one class of chemicals in research, since studies have suggested that all bisphenol chemicals have “similar biological activity.”

The chemical Bisphenol-S, for instance, often found to be a replacement in BPA-free packaging, has been shown in past research to have similar effects on the embryos of zebrafish that BPA has, namely negative impacts on the thyroid system. BPS has also been linked to heart arrhythmia, hyperactivity and cell death.

Avoiding hard plastics and canned food when possible

For now, experts say that the best way to avoid endocrine disrupting chemicals is to stop eating canned food, as cans are commonly lined with a plastic containing BPA or BPS to protect the food from the corrosive effects of the metal.

Environmental Working Group suggests avoiding polycarbonate plastic, or the hard, shatter-proof plastic sometimes used in dishes and other foodware. Scientists say that parents-to-be or parents of young children should be especially cautious, since BPA is more potent in fetuses and young children, and sippy cups are often made from hard plastic.

While companies have voluntarily phased BPA out of sippy cups and other food packaging for babies, tests by the nonprofit the Center for Environmental Health have found that chemicals used in plastic sippy cups still show estrogenic activity.

How we spend travel dollars is a personal choice. Do we allocate part of our travel budget for splurges, and if so, what’s worth indulging and what’s not? One of my friends only books business class on flights over four hours, while another friend chooses to book an inside cabin on a cruise so she can spend her travel dollars on excursions.

When it comes to indulgences, to each his own. Here are my favorite ways to treat myself while traveling:

Transportation from the airport or train station
I remember arriving at Schipohl Airport in Amsterdam. The train connecting the airport to the city was easy and inexpensive, but with an overnight flight and little sleep, it was hard to follow kiosk instructions and navigate our way. Nowadays, we start our vacation with a driver waiting for us. There is nothing as heartening as arriving in a new city, exiting customs, and finding someone with your name on a sign. They greet us, take our bags, and drive us to our destination. Hotels can arrange transportation for you or you can do an online search for airport or train transportation.

Lightweight luggage
When we toured China, we had to keep our luggage to 40 pounds. This was problematic as our suitcases alone weighed eleven pounds. As soon as we returned from our trip, we researched lightweight luggage. We now have several sizes of suitcases to meet all our travel needs and the older we get, the easier they are to maneuver.

Day Bags
Searching for a day bag became a travel obsession. How to find a bag that was cross-body, attractive, and roomy enough to hold everything needed for the day was a bit of a challenge. I finally found several vendors that made stylish, durable, nylon bags that met my needs, and I splurged and bought them in several sizes and colors.

Excursions
How will you remember a locale? While it’s fun to hang out at cafès and people watch, I especially enjoy experiences that are unique to an area. I particularly like taking cooking classes that focus on local products and cuisine, providing insight into the shopping habits, customs, and foods of the area.

Private Guides
I use private guides sparingly as they are expensive and generally don’t fall under travel insurance. But, there are times when a private guide can get you entry into places you can’t get into otherwise, or a place difficult to navigate on your own. Guides also share in-depth information that makes a locale come alive.

Seat upgrades
Each airline has its own upgrade system. I travel United Airlines and always book Economy Plus. The extra leg room is worth the additional cost, especially on longer flights.

Whichever way you choose to allocate your budget, have a great time. That’s what travel is all about.

Editor's note:  The author of this story has no financial interest in the companies, products, or services discussed and has accepted no gratuities, payments, or free merchandise. Any samples provided for research purposes were returned immediately upon conclusion of the research.

Yesterday it was JetBlue eyeing lucrative trans-Atlantic routes. Now the parent company of British Airways, already an established international carrier, is elbowing its way into the fray -- announcing that it is launching a new carrier, called Level, and will start selling tickets as low as $149 today.

Level said it will fly two new Airbus A330 aircraft branded in its own livery and fitted with 293 economy and 21 premium economy seats. Initially it will be operated by Iberia’s flight and cabin crew.

The expansion of cut-rate international travel by Norwegian Air has caused legacy carriers to consider the potential costs of sitting on the tarmac while upstarts eat their in-flight snacks.

JetBlue, no longer a hungry upstart but not quite a legacy carrier either, said earlier this week that it is studying the possibility of flying a new Airbus A321LR narrow-body jet on East Coast-Western Europe routes. But JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said he would have to be convinced the routes would yield an adequate return.

Apparently British Airways parent, International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (IAG), has already made those calculations and decided it's time to apply some thrust.

LAX and OAK

IAG said today that Level will start flying from its base in Barcelona, Spain, to airports in Los Angeles and Oakland, California, as well as Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, and Buenos Aires, Argentina, with service starting in June. 

Checked luggage (in addition to a free cabin bag), meals, seat selection, and the latest movie releases will be complimentary for customers flying in premium economy, Level said. Those traveling in economy can "choose what they want to buy," the airline said. Entertainment and high-speed internet will be available. 

Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive, said Level would become its fifth airline brand alongside Aer Lingus, BA, Iberia, and Vueling.

"Barcelona is Vueling's home base and this will allow customers to connect from Vueling's extensive European network onto Level's long-haul flights," he said.

For decades, Atlantic routes have been dominated by legacy carriers in the U.S. and Europe -- British, American, Lufthansa, etc. More recently, lavishly funded Middle East airlines like Emirates have entered the market, offering lavish service at competitive prices. 

The entry of low-cost carriers styled on the domestic disrupters -- most notably Southwest, which upended American travel in the 1900s -- is likely to be a boon for consumers, bringing more seats and lower fares, but it is certain to be a headache for established carriers.

Emirates CEO Tim Clark called it a "gathering storm," according to a Wall Street Journal report, which is probably one of the more polite reactions among airline executives. 

During his life and career, rock musician Frank Zappa was not exactly a mainstream artist. And that's part of what made him cool.

He leaned heavily on rock, pop, and jazz, but also tossed in intriguing bits of jazz fusion, orchestral, and works that used various eclectic sounds. He and his band, The Mothers of Invention, had an extremely devoted following in the late 1960s.

Now, the Zappa Family Trust and Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) are teaming up to release 24 Zappa albums, some of them rare, later this month. The music will be available on CD, digital downloads, and streaming on March 24.

"For more than two decades, the only place to get exclusive Frank Zappa albums was through our mail order and website," said Ahmet Zappa, son of the late artist and the Trust's executor. "We are thrilled to be able to make these titles available to fans across the globe with the help of our friends at Universal."

According to UMe, nine of the albums in the collection, including Zappa's 100th release, "Dance Me This," and the cult favorite live disc, "Roxy By Proxy," have never been made available for download or for streaming.

The collection also includes a recording from a 1971 performance at Carnegie Hall and a 1974 recording made at KCET-TV studios in Los Angeles, which ended up being used in a number of different Zappa projects.

Zappa died in 1993 after a long battle with cancer. He was 53.

J.C. Penney said last month that it would close about 130 stores as it tries to contend with falling traffic, and today it released a list of 138 stores that will be closing. 

The company said the stores on the chopping block generate less than 5% of sales revenue. With the closings, the company will have about 970 stores remaining. 

The stores slated for closing are:

Auburn Mall, Auburn, AL
Tannehill Promenade, Bessemer, AL
Gadsden Mall, Gadsden, AL
Jasper Mall, Jasper, AL
Military Plaza, Benton, AR
Chickasaw Plaza, Blytheville, AR
Riverview Mall, Bullhead City, AZ
Downtown Bishop, Bishop, CA
Sunwest Plaza, Lodi, CA
The Village at Orange, Orange, CA
Hilltop Mall, Richmond, CA
Fort Morgan Main St., Fort Morgan, CO
Glenwood Springs Mall, Glenwood Springs, CO
St. Vrain Centre, Longmont, CO
Broadway Plaza, Sterling, CO
Connecticut Post Mall, Milford, CT
Jacksonville Regional Shopping Center, Jacksonville, FL
Palatka Mall, Palatka, FL
Dublin Mall, Dublin, GA
Macon Mall, Macon, GA
Milledgeville Mall, Milledgeville, GA
Gateway Plaza, Thomasville, GA
Tifton Mall, Tifton, GA
Downtown Decorah, Decorah, IA
Crossroads Mall, Fort Dodge, IA
Penn Central Mall, Oskaloosa, IA
Quincy Place, Ottumwa, IA
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An employee lawsuit may see a Maine dairy company on the hook for millions of dollars, according to a report from the New York Times. Truck drivers with Oakhurst Dairy sued the company back in 2014, alleging that they were owed four years’ worth of unpaid overtime.

The court decision handed down Monday could pay out members of the class action $10 million, but it wasn’t standard legal precedents that won the day for the plaintiffs. Instead, it was a lesson in grammar – more specifically, the use of the Oxford, or serial, comma – that may end up costing the company.

The Oxford comma

For those of you in need of grammar refresher, Oxford commas are punctuations that often show up when listing items. For example, the second comma in a list like “eggs, milk, and bread” is an Oxford comma showing a clear demarcation between the items.

However, many writers – and even certain organizations and writing style formats – omit the Oxford comma. The problem is that not using it can sometimes make things ambiguous and lead to misunderstandings. One example can be seen from the following phrase cited by nit-pickers' favorite website, Grammarly:

I love my parents, Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty.

This could be taken to mean that your parents are Lady Gaga and Humpty Dumpty. A clearer, though arguably choppier, version is:

 I love my parents, Lady Gaga, and Humpty Dumpty.

This makes it clear, at least to the careful reader, that one's parents are not in fact modern celebrities or fairy tale characters.

It's not only the serial comma that's important, of course. Perhaps the best-known example comes from "Eats Shoots & Leaves," a somewhat wry best seller of a few years back, penned by fed-up editor Lynne Truss. The title refers to the diet of the panda, although the strategic addition of a few commas could modify it to describe a gentleman's quick visit to his mistress. 

Ambiguous and uncertain

In the court decision, a similar misunderstanding may be what leads to a judgment against Oakhurst Dairy. Maine state law dictates that overtime rules do not apply to the following cases:

The canning, processing, preserving, freezing, drying, marketing, storing, packing for shipment or distribution of:

1. Agricultural produce;
2. Meat and fish products; and
3. Perishable foods.

You’ll note that there is no comma after the “packing for shipment” section of the law. The question that arises, then, is whether the law intends to exempt the distribution of the three categories or specifically "the packing for the shipping or distribution of" those items.

The plaintiff truck drivers argue that they do indeed distribute those items but don’t pack the boxes themselves. Therefore, they say, it should follow that they are applicable for overtime pay.

An appeals court on Monday said that the lack of a comma created ambiguity and uncertainty and sided with the drivers, reversing a lower court decision. Between 2010 and 2014, the drivers earned between $46,800 and $52,000 per year and worked an average of 12 overtime hours per week. So, the suit could pay out $10 million to 75 drivers in the class.

Just rewrite it

David G. Webbert, the lawyer who represented the drivers, wasn’t shy about saying that the comma was a make-or-break facet of the case. “That comma would have sunk our ship,” he was quoted as saying in an interview on Wednesday.

Oakhurst Dairy, meanwhile, has reaffirmed its belief that it is on the right side of the law. “We believe we’re in compliance with state and federal wage laws, and we’ll continue to defend ourselves in this matter,” said President John. H. Bennett on Thursday.

Bennett also echoed advice that many writers may have heard from college professors and teachers growing up; if there’s any instance of ambiguity, just go back and rewrite the sentence.