Current Events in September 2017

American tourists are flocking to visit Ireland and Northern Ireland in record numbers to enjoy the area’s magnificent scenery, history, and strong cultural ties with the U.S.

Irish tourism officials began 2017 with a major promotional campaign in the U.S., hoping to produce another record-breaking year. Last year, about 1.6 million tourists from the U.S. and Canada took trips to the island, a 13% increase over 2015.

Fans of the TV series "Game of Thrones" might have something to do with this increase, particularly in Northern Ireland, which provides many of the cinematic backdrops to the beloved show.

Travelers can visit Tollymore Forest, a 1,600 acre state park featured extensively in season one of the series. Or they can visit Ballintoy, a village on the coast of County Antrim, which figured prominently in season two.

Among the most popular "Game of Thrones" destinations is The Dark Hedges, an avenue of beech trees planted by the Stuart family in the 18th century. Even without its "Game of Thrones" tie-in, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Northern Ireland, according to the Belfast Telegraph.

There are many other reasons to visit Northern Ireland, which remains part of the United Kingdom. Belfast, the largest city, is rich in history and culture and, according to The New York Times, possesses a "vibrant restaurant scene."

Dublin

Most visitors to Ireland include a visit to Dublin, its capital and largest city. In 2016, popular travel site Lonely Planet placed Dublin on its list of top 10 world cities to visit, largely for its mix of old and new, and its spirit of hospitality.

The official Irish tourism website suggests visitors wanting to interact with locals should head for one of the city's pubs for a pint and friendly conversation. Among its recommendations are Brazen Head, one of the city's oldest pubs, and J.W. Sweetman's.

Dublin Castle is another major tourist attraction, a medieval fortress whose modern structure dates back to the 18th century. It served as the seat of British government on the island until it was transferred to the independent Irish government in 1922.

For a small country, Ireland has large public parks, and one of its largest is another popular Dublin destination. Phoenix Park, on the west side of the city, encompasses about 1,750 acres and is one of the largest enclosed recreational areas in urban Europe. A herd of wild deer, whose ancestors extend back to the 17th century, roam freely through the park.

This brief video clip provides a glimpse of some of the sights tourists can find in Ireland's capital.

Cliffs of Moher

The Cliffs of Moher are probably Ireland's most-visited tourist location. The attraction is so popular that you need to get tickets, and the visitor center closes periodically to prevent overcrowding. A visit after 4 p.m. is recommended to ensure you get in.

The Dingle Peninsula in County Kerry contains evidence of prehistoric man, including a collection of drystone beehive huts. The region also has remnants of ancient forts and stone monuments.

"I loved the prehistoric stuff, which has been well-preserved and is just there to be seen," said Gary Guthrie of Louisville, Ky., a two-time visitor to Ireland. "I like how they don't try to monetize everything. You can see a lot of cool stuff without buying a ticket or being asked for a donation."

Cheap airfare makes getting to Ireland from the U.S. a lot more economical. Kayak.com shows Norwegian Air and WOW airlines among the cheapest flights, most departing from New York area airports or Boston's Logan International.

The island has three major airports -- Dublin Airport, Shannon Airport, and Belfast International, in Northern Ireland, all with many direct flights from the U.S. and Canada.

Since the early 2000’s, retailers like TOMS have popularized the concept of a company whose brand identity centers on philanthropy and responsible use of resources. Now, public relations firm MWWPR says they’ve inspired a new type of buyer that’s dominating the U.S. consumer landscape: the “corpsumer”.

The firm’s study describes this group as shoppers who care as much about company reputation or ethical stance as product quality or value, and they account for a whopping one-third of the U.S. population; approximately 100 million people.

This consumer segment is “bigger than so many of the segments that brands target -- bigger than millennials, bigger than moms,” said MWWPR chief strategy officer Careen Winters.

Characteristics

According to MWWPR, corpsumers tend to be:

• Well-educated

• Employed full time

• High income earners

• Parents

• Millennials / Gen X-ers

Additionally, a key characteristic of this group is strongly-held values. Corpsumers are fiercely loyal to companies with values and priorities similar to their own. More than half (51 percent) will stick with a product that has disappointed them because they believe in what the company stands for.

This loyalty also translates to a willingness to spend more -- 67 percent will pay full price for something from a company they believe in, rather than purchase the same product at a discounted price from a different vendor.

"Corpsumers bring together two of the most valued attributes of any customer -- loyalty and activism -- providing a one-two punch for growth in an increasingly competitive market," Winters said.

Brand advocates

The emergence of the corpsumer has prompted companies to work harder at cultivating a positive reputation instead of focusing solely on product features and attributes -- and with good reason.

This consumer segment tends to be highly engaged and optimistic, ready to advocate for what they believe in. A majority (89 percent) are likely to share positive news about companies. More than half of corpsumers regularly utilize social media to voice their opinions about news, current events, and cultural issues pertaining to companies and brands several times a week.

On the flip side, they are also eager to dissuade their peers from supporting a brand. Three-quarters of corpsumers (74 percent) have encouraged someone to give up or not use a product because of the company’s reputation.

To reach these values-driven consumers, food companies have begun advertising their use of ingredients like using cage-free eggs or Wendy’s “sustainable beef.” Yoplait’s latest ad campaign set out to curry the favor of women -- one of the yogurt brand’s key demographics -- by encouraging moms to ignore the judgement of others and “Mom On.”

How corpsumerism impacts business

Winters points out that brands and marketers who successfully harness the power of the corpsumer will likely see their effort reflected in the areas of pricing, loyalty, and brand evangelism.

"Corpsumers represent the ultimate example of the increasing value of a customer over a lifetime, both in terms of their own purchases and in the new customers they help brands acquire through their advocacy and activism,” she said.

The latter may be especially good for business, since -- according to Harvard Business School Press -- a 12 percent increase in advocacy represents a 200 percent increase in revenue growth.

The Americans with Disabilities Act has been in effect for 27 years, and is responsible for familiar accessibility features like handicapped-designated parking spots and ramps in public spaces and large businesses. 

Like other civil rights legislation, the ADA is enforced by either filing a complaint with the federal government or by filing suit. However, a few unscrupulous attorneys and plaintiffs have abused this to such an extent that the ADA may soon face legislation to weaken it.

In Los Angeles, a wheelchair-bound convicted pedophile sued more than 1,000 businesses over ADA violations before his legal scheme was exposed by a newspaper report. He committed suicide four months later. 

In Phoenix, a group billing itself as advocates for the disabled sued a reported 2,120 businesses over the size of their handicapped parking spots. In Austin, an attorney targeted nearly 400 small businesses with either lawsuits or demand letters asking for money to settle supposed ADA violations. 

A bill that could kill the ADA completely

Congressman Ted Poe, a Texas Republican in the House of Representatives, has introduced a bill that he claims “will curb frivolous lawsuits filed by cash-hungry attorneys and plaintiffs that abuse the ADA.”

His legislation, HR 620, recently cleared the House Judiciary Committee with support from Democratic lawmakers in California.

"The ADA is being abused by lawyers who've often never seen these properties,” says Representative Scott Peters, a California Democrat who is co-sponsoring HR 620.  

But over 200 civil rights organizations warn that HR 620 will severely weaken a landmark piece of legislation for the disabled and do little to deter the problem of ADA lawsuit “trolls," as they are sometimes called. 

Texas civil rights attorney Jim Harrington counts the ADA as one of the best civil rights laws ever enacted. But last year, Harrington took an unexpected turn defending small businesses in Austin targeted by frivolous ADA lawsuits. 

Austin attorney Omar W. Rosales sued so many local businesses over technical ADA violations that local disabled persons advocacy groups publicly denounced him. Among Rosales’ targets were small pediatric clinics, which his adult client would be unlikely to ever visit.

The “offenders” often agreed to pay Rosales settlements “because it was less expensive for them to settle than fight him, even though they would win [a court battle]," Harrington says. 

Individual attorney problem

Rosales has since been sanctioned, sued by the State Bar, and suspended from practicing law in the Federal Western District Court for the next three years. He still advertises his “commitment" to the disabled on his website, but refused attempts to be interviewed by a ConsumerAffairs reporter.

“Are you hiding from debt collectors?  IRS problems?” he responded in one hostile email to a reporter.

Critics note that HR 620 doesn’t specifically target people like Rosales. Under HR 620, if any prospective customer finds they cannot access a building because of their disability, they would be required to first send a written notice to the business owner, wait 60 days for a response, then, assuming the business owner responds, wait an additional 120 days for the business to correct the problem. Only after this waiting period would they be able to sue or lodge a complaint. 

Human Rights Watch says this bill would “act as a profound deterrent to people looking to enforce their rights under the ADA.”

Though the measure has attracted sponsorship from a slew of Democratic California lawmakers like Representative Peters, he sounds less enthusiastic when discussing the details of the bill, particularly the 180-day waiting period. "Would the ACLU agree this is a good bill if there was 60 days?" he asks. 

Harrington points out that no other civil rights law requires a person to send in a written notice before they can sue. "We don't do that with civil rights law,” he argues. 

Harrington and disability groups say that the frivolous lawsuit problem isn’t really a problem with the ADA itself, but an individual attorney problem, and should be dealt with as such.  

"These clowns around the country have given [Congressman Poe] and other folks the opportunity to come in and essentially gut the ADA,” he says. “The courts are really basically taking care of this. They really clamped down on these jerks."

Many large business associations, representing apartments, retailers and shopping centers, have thrown their support behind HR 620. But those associations don’t fit the profile of the type of businesses that Harrington and Peters say are typically victimized by frivolous ADA litigation. 

“Who I hear from mostly,” Peters says, “are these small restaurants who rent space from a land owner."

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study finds that opioid-related poisoning deaths more than tripled from 2000 to 2015 in the U.S., and that they are a significant factor in reducing the country’s average life expectancy.

Although life expectancy at birth increased by two years over the course of the study period, CDC researchers say that opioid-related poisonings contributed to an overall loss of 0.21 years in life expectancy. Their findings show that 96 percent of these deaths were unintentional.

On its site, the CDC says that the spike in overdoses involving prescription opioids  is directly tied to current prescribing practices.

“From 1999 to 2015, more than 183,000 people have died in the U.S. from overdoses related to prescription opioids,” the agency said. “Opioid prescribing continues to fuel the epidemic. Today, nearly half of all U.S. opioid overdose deaths involve a prescription opioid.”

Treating opioid addiction

An aggravating factor in the rise of opioid overdoses can in large part be attributed to their highly addictive nature. Many people develop their addiction to these drugs while attempting to manage pain, but cases of abuse have become more common over time. Two of the most common opioids related to overdose cases include oxycodone (OxyContin), and Hydrocodone (Vicodin) – both of which are commonly prescribed to relieve pain.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIH) says that 2.5 million Americans currently suffer from opioid use disorder, but there are effective medications that can treat it. The World Health Organization has classified buprenorphine and methadone as “essential medicines” for treating opioid addiction, but experts say that these drugs should be used in conjunction with other interventions for the best outcomes.

“Medications should be combined with behavioral counseling for a ‘whole patient’ approach, known as Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT),” NIH said on its web page. Officials have credited MAT with decreasing opioid use, overdose deaths, criminal activity, and infectious disease transmission rates.

New, non-addictive drugs?

Unfortunately, one of the most-cited drawbacks of these medicinal treatments are that they themselves can become addictive to users. This is particularly true of methadone, which has been connected to a large number of overdose deaths in its own right.

However, researchers from Mount Sinai hospital are currently working on a new class of medications that would be non-addictive and less harmful to consumers. While these drugs are currently being tested and may not be available to patients for some time, lead investigator Dr. Marta Filizola is committed to attacking the opioid overdose epidemic with effective alternatives.

“An alternative, non-addictive medication for chronic pain will help us combat the ongoing national crisis of addiction to opioid drugs and the devastating overdose epidemic deriving from it,” she said.

The team’s full study has been published in Scientific Reports.

A World Health Organization report has found that the global healthcare community is quickly running out of antibiotics that can effectively treat deadly, infectious diseases.

Officials say that clinical drugs currently in development can only temporarily stave off the emerging threat of antimicrobial resistance, which has allowed viruses and bacteria to evolve in ways that make them impervious to commonly-used antibiotics, antivirals, and antimalarials.

“Antimicrobial resistance is a global health emergency that will seriously jeopardize progress in modern medicine,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom.

"There is an urgent need for more investment in research and development for antibiotic-resistant infections…otherwise we will be forced back to a time when people feared common infections and risked their lives from minor surgery.”

Lack of innovative treatments

WHO has identified 12 classes of priority pathogens that it says require urgent attention from the scientific community. The list includes several common infections, such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections, but more deadly diseases like tuberculosis are also included.

In its report, WHO says that there are currently 51 new antibiotics and biologicals in clinical development to treat these pathogens. However, officials say that only eight of them will “add value to the current antibiotic treatment arsenal.”

Among its criticisms, WHO says that there are very few oral antibiotics being developed, despite the fact that these drugs are vital for treating infections outside of hospitals or in resource-limited settings.

“Pharmaceutical companies and researchers must urgently focus on new antibiotics against certain types of extremely serious infections that can kill patients in a matter of days because we have no line of defense," said Suzanne Hill, Director of the Department of Essential Medicines at WHO.

Tuberculosis treatments especially needed

Of particular concern to WHO officials is the emergence of drug-resistant M. tuberculosis and gram-negative pathogens such as Klebsiella and E. coli, which can be fatal if allowed to spread in hospitals or nursing homes.

Dr. Mario Raviglione, Director of the WHO Global Tuberculosis Program, says that funding for new treatments of tuberculosis is seriously deficient. He points out that only two treatments for drug-resistant versions of the disease have made it to market in the last 70 years.

“If we are to end tuberculosis, more than $800 million per year is urgently needed to fund research for new anti-tuberculosis medicines,” he said.

A new survey from the Shelton Group indicates that Millennials are less likely than any other generation to recycle. However, they’re more likely to buy from companies making a positive impact on the world.

The reason, according to the report, is that Millennials believe their individual power to solve global problems pales in comparison to the power wielded by large corporations. This mindset has given way to a new type of environmental activism which experts have dubbed “reverse crowdsourcing.”

"Millennials see corporations as having the power of many -- the ultimate crowd," said Shelton Group CEO Suzanne Shelton. "Millennials see spending money with these companies as another form of activism. It's crowdsourcing by consumerism."

Individual action lacking

Instead of recycling and making other small efforts to help the environment, Millennials prefer to pool their collective financial resources into companies that share their concern about the environment.

It’s important for companies to bolster Millennials’ sense of purpose, since members of the generation believe that their individual efforts to help the environment seem to lag behind their overall concern about environmental issues.

A 2016 study conducted by the Shelton Group found that Millennials’ concern about climate change stands in stark contrast to their individual behavior. Only 33 percent of Millennials said they adjusted their thermostat to save energy (vs. 48 percent of all Americans), and just 34 percent recycled paper and aluminum cans (vs. 46 percent overall).

However Millennials had an edge over the general population when it came to their concern about climate change. The EnergyPulse survey found that three-quarters of Millennials (76 percent) said they were “somewhat to extremely concerned about the impact climate change will have on their quality of life during their lifetimes.”

The majority of Millennials (82 percent) also said they were worried about the impact of climate change on their children's quality of life, while only half of the general population (51 percent) said they were anxious about climate change.

"Clearly, Millennials are concerned about the environment, but many feel the problems are too big for them to tackle as individuals," Shelton said. "So they're looking to corporations to take action.

What this means for companies

The report suggests that companies can earn Millennial loyalty by helping them tackle the problems they think they can’t solve on their own. At 80 million strong, Millennials recently surpassed Baby Boomers as the largest generation in the nation -- so it’s important for companies to understand what drives their buying behavior.

The findings suggest Millennials’ concerns about the environment play a major role in their purchasing decisions. Seventy percent of Millennials surveyed said a company’s environmental practices impacted their decision to purchase its products.

"That gives companies a real opportunity," Shelton added. "Help the planet, help your business."

A survey by mobile banking app Varo Money indicates consumers – led by Millennials – are eager to embrace the simplicity and convenience of remote banking and artificial intelligence (AI) for managing their finances.

Millennials appear especially intrigued with AI's potential to help them budget. Eighty-five percent of Millennials believe AI can help them better manage their finances.

AI, a foundation of the burgeoning field of fintech (financial technologies), is already being used to help consumers devise the best savings plan and provide real-time visibility of spending patterns. Fifty percent of consumers in the survey agreed that an AI assistant would be better than they are at creating a budget.

“Millennials understand how technologies like AI are going to fundamentally change our lives," said Colin Walsh, co-founder and CEO of Varo Money. "We founded Varo for this digitally savvy generation.”

Varo may well be an example of where the future of banking is headed. It's a mobile banking app offering checking, savings, and installment loans, integrated with a number of money management tools.

Traditional banks are adapting

Traditional banks are also adapting to the new technology, and consumers may have seen the evidence with their local banks' movement beyond online banking to mobile account access. Instead of having to make a trip to the bank to deposit a check, consumers can do it electronically using their smartphone.

A recent survey conducted by the American Bankers Association (ABA) found that 60% of consumers said it is important for their bank to offer online and mobile services.

Earlier this month, ABA endorsed a digital lending solution by LendKey (an Authorized Partner) for its member banks. The system provides a digital solution for originating student loans, student loan refinancing, and home improvement loans.

Using LendKey (an Authorized Partner), consumers only need to go to their bank's website or mobile app. There, they can apply for a loan, get credit approval in real time, and pick a loan offer. There's no need to visit a branch.

In use since 2013

ABA said member bank WSFS Bank partnered with LendKey (an Authorized Partner) in 2013, providing a suite of digital solutions to its customers.

“They have successfully helped us accelerate our online student lending and refinance product offerings, while allowing us to maintain control over the credit criteria and keep the loans on our balance sheet,” said Lisa Brubaker, Senior Vice President, WSFS Bank.

The app bears the partner bank's brand and conforms to the bank's own underwriting criteria and standards, giving legacy institutions the ability to compete with the fintech start-ups that have taken the lead in this field.

Rocket Mortgage, SoFi, and Lenda have gained ground as mobile-based lenders. Consumer Reports says Rocket Mortgage (part of Quicken Loans) will speed up the mortgage process, but may be more expensive for borrowers.

Humans preferred for investment advice

While these tools have proved popular with Millennials, other data suggests this generation isn't ready to give up on human interaction completely, especially when it comes to financial advice.

A survey by Lendedu suggests Millennials still prefer to deal with human financial advisors, rather than AI-driven robo-advisors. Just over 46 percent of Millennials in the survey chose working with a financial advisor while nearly 25 percent expressed a preference for robo-advisors like Betterment and Wealthfront.

Robo-advisors provide financial advice or portfolio management online with very little human intervention. They use mathematical rules or algorithms to develop their recommendations.

However, just over half of Millennials said they would hesitate to use a robo-advisor because they think the machines are more likely than a person to make a mistake with their money.

Travel industry giant Airbnb is continuing to expand its reach with a new app feature allowing users to reserve a table at nearly 650 restaurants in 16 U.S. cities.

"The ability to book reservations at a curated selection of restaurants is part of our ongoing commitment to focus on the entire trip, not just homes, and follows the launch of Experiences last year," the company said in a statement.

So Airbnb, the app that matches lodgers with people renting a spare room, condo, or house, is taking what it calls the next logical step. Effective immediately, consumers can use the Airbnb app to reserve a table at nearly 650 restaurants in the U.S.

Among the top-shelf restaurants included in the app are Thip Khao in Washington, D.C., Petit Crenn in San Francisco, Kismet in Los Angeles, and Bateau in Seattle.

Especially handy for international travelers

Airbnb says the restaurant feature will prove especially handy for international travelers. While in a different country, guests might not be familiar with local reservation sites or be able to translate online systems into their own languages, the company says.

The new feature is powered by Resy, a restaurant booking app. There is now a dedicated restaurant tab on both the Airbnb website and app, allowing users to search by a number of different parameters. You can sort restaurants by the cuisine they serve, or break them down by which meal you want -- breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner.

Resy picks the available restaurants, judging them on overall quality and making note of which ones are local favorites or have won awards or other recognition.

Airbnb's Restaurant Spending Report shows its guests spent over $6.5 billion at restaurants last year in 44 markets around the world.

Travelers' survey

An accompanying survey shows nearly half of travelers from the U.S. prefer restaurants that have been recommended by the local population. More than half said they would like to have the option of dining out or cooking in when they travel.

Thirty percent of U.S. travelers who have traveled outside the country said they find it difficult to find good restaurants that are favorites among locals -- not just tourists -- when they travel.

Currently, about half of Americans who eat at restaurants when traveling say they usually choose a restaurant by asking the hotel concierge.

Chrysler (FCA US LLC) is recalling four model year 2017 Dodge Durangos that may have been assembled with rear axle halfshafts that are too short.

If a halfshaft is too short, it may disengage from the differential causing a loss of drive and increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Chrysler has notified owners, and dealers will replace both halfshafts, free of charge. The recall began on September 18, 2017.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is T55.

High blood pressure is generally seen as a condition that only affects adults, but a September study presented to the American Heart Association (AHA) shows that even adolescents could face dire risks from the condition.

Study author Dr. Elaine M. Urbina said that standard diagnostic testing is insufficient, meaning many teens who test within normal limits may be suffering from organ damage.

"Some adolescents may have organ damage related to blood pressure and are not targeted for therapy," Urbina said. "Imaging of the heart may be useful in youth in the high-normal range of blood pressure to determine how aggressive therapy should be."

Organ damage at “normal” levels

Testing for high blood pressure is different for adolescents and children than it is for adults. Instead of basing judgments on systolic and diastolic readings alone, doctors consider factors such as height, age, and gender to place teens in blood pressure “percentiles.”

In coordination with current standards, Urbina and her colleagues defined teens placed below the 80th percentile as having “normal” blood pressure levels. Teens falling between the 80th and 90th percentiles were considered to be in the “mid risk” group, while those measuring above the 90th percentile were in the “high risk” group.

After analyzing patient data for 180 teen participants, the researchers found evidence that teens falling in the “normal” blood pressure range were still at risk of organ damage. They also found that teens in the mid-risk and high-risk groups often had heart and vessel damage, which are serious risk factors for organ failure.

Treating high blood pressure in teens and children

The AHA says that treating high blood pressure in teens and children primarily involves managing lifestyle factors such as diet, weight, and exercise. In certain cases, a pediatrician may also prescribe medications to treat the condition.

For parents, a good first step is to ensure that their children are not at cardiovascular risk by calculating their blood pressure percentile. Researchers at the Baylor College of Medicine have created age-based pediatric blood pressure reference charts to help consumers determine if certain teens fall within normal, prehypertension, hypertension levels.

For more information on high blood pressure in children, consumers can visit the AHA’s website here.

Food production and consumption in the United States have seen a radical shift throughout the 20th century, and -- with almost half of the food produced in the U.S. winding up in landfills -- our current situation begs for major intervention.

"When you think that 40 percent of the food produced in the U.S. goes to waste, that is just irresponsible,” said Ruth Litchfield, a professor of food science and human nutrition at Iowa State University.

Experts estimate nearly a billion people worldwide (including U.S. citizens) still don’t have enough to eat, making U.S. food waste a “huge problem,” says Litchfield, who points out that Americans average about 20 pounds of wasted food each month -- per individual person.

Why it’s happening

There are several reasons we waste so much food, and all of them have to do with Americans’ long-outdated “more is better” mentality. This likely subconscious approach informs every excessively large grocery store haul or restaurant order, Litchfield says.

To reduce our food waste, the first and most critical step is to move past the idea that more is better, she says.

On a large scale, the food service industry is taking steps to combat food waste by donating uneaten food to shelters or soup kitchens, incorporating extra food into other menu items, and collaborating with farmers to feed unused food to farm animals, says Susan Arendt, a professor of hospitality management at Iowa State.

"Some restaurants are also training servers to ask customers what they don't want with their meal,” Arendt added. “For example, instead of bringing both butter and oil with bread, they're asking the customer which one they prefer, rather than letting one go unused and have to be thrown out.”

How to limit your waste

Employing similar tactics at home can help you limit your own food waste and save money, says Litchfield. Here are a few of her tips for reducing household food waste.

• Plan a weekly menu. Meal planning can go a long way toward helping the planet and lowering your grocery bill. Take a look at your family’s activities for the week and try to match your activity plans with your meal plans. For example, if you know you will be too busy to cook certain weeknights, cut back on what you’re buying at the store or stockpile some homemade frozen meals.
• Find an alternative use for produce. Fresh produce can be frozen or donated if you don’t think you will eat it before it wilts or rots. Fruits and veggies can also be frozen and added to smoothies, sauces, or casseroles.
• Compost. Composting is another productive use for food that’s no longer edible. Whether you take advantage of a community composting program or compost at home, the environment will thank you, and so will the garden your compost fertilizes.
• Understand sell by dates. Confusion over “sell by” or “best by” labels is responsible for a large amount of wasted food. The date on the label has to do with the quality of the food, not the safety, says Litchfield. The “sell by date” simply tells grocers how long to keep the item on the shelves.

Over the last decade, first-time home buyers have struggled more and more to purchase a home, according to a new survey from Unison Home Ownership Investors.

Qualifying for a mortgage immediately after the financial crisis of 2008 was very difficult, and unfortunately that hasn’t improved much. The survey identifies today's biggest barrier to homeownership as saving for a down payment.

While 77 percent of consumers agree that buying a home is a good financial decision, 41 percent identified scraping together the money for a down payment as the biggest hurdle.

The mortgage application process is significantly easier than it was six or seven years ago, but 30 percent of consumers in the survey still describe it as a headache.

Millennials have the most worries

When segmented by age groups, the survey found Millennials are most likely to worry about the cost of housing. Fifty-six percent worried about what a home would cost to purchase and maintain, as opposed to 47 percent of Baby Boomers expressing similar concerns.

Nearly 60 percent of Millennials report rent and mortgage payments as a strain on their budget each month, slightly higher than their Gen X and Boomer predecessors.

If Millennials are finding it difficult to become homeowners, a joint study by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) and the nonprofit group American Student Assistance point to another culprit aggravating difficulties with down payment requirements -- student loan debt.

Student loan debt

Even though this generation is in its prime home-buying years, a majority of Millennials with outstanding student loans are not homeowners and predict their debts could delay their first home purchase by as many as seven years.

The survey also revealed that Millennials with student loans are also delaying other milestone financial moves, such as saving for retirement or starting a family. Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist, says the five-figure (and in some cases, six figure) loans Millennials had to borrow to attend college came at a higher financial and emotional cost than many expected.

"Sales to first-time buyers have been underwhelming for several years now, and this survey indicates student debt is a big part of the blame," Yun said. "Even a large majority of older millennials and those with higher incomes say they're being forced to delay homeownership because they can't save for a down payment and don't feel financially secure enough to buy."

U.S. Student loan balances now total $1.4 trillion. It's hard to stack up such significant money in debt without it impacting other major purchases, Yun says. Data show that even young people who own an “entry-level” home are hesitant to sell it and move up because they aren't sure they can afford anything nicer.

This problem is also aggravating the very low inventory levels that have nearly stalled the housing market in some areas. Young people who do have the means to purchase a home are finding they have fewer homes to choose from, because there are fewer for sale, creating yet another barrier to homeownership.

DEMDACO of Leawood, Kan., is recalling about 1,500 infant bib and bootie sets.

Rattles sewn into the booties can detach, posing a choking hazard.

No incidents or injuries are reported.

This recall involves the following Story Time bib and bootie sets for infants, ages 3 through 6 months:

The multi-colored pastel sets were sold in six different child themes and have serial numbers ranging from 5004700491 to 5004700496. The serial number can be found on the side of the bib. The sets were sold under the brand name Nat & Jules.

Rattle attachments sewn into the booties coordinate with the theme.

The infant bib and bootie sets, manufactured in China, were sold at Christus Health Retail Systems, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, More Than Words, The Mole Hole of Peddlers Village & Eash Sales from June 2017, through August 2017, for about $25.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled bib sets, take them away from children and return them to any store that sells DEMDACO’s products for a full refund.

Consumers may contact DEMDACO toll-free at 888-336-3226 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (CT) Monday through Friday or online at www.demdaco.com and click on Recall Info for more information.

Mortgage applications fell last week, negating nearly all of the previous week's advance.

After rising 9.9% previously, applications plunged 9.7% in the week ending September 15, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) latest survey. The previous week’s results had included an adjustment for the Labor Day holiday.

The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index plunged 11% from a week earlier, while the Refinance Index was down 9%. The refinance share of mortgage activity rose to 52.1% of total applications from 51.0% the previous week.

The adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) share of activity accounted for 6.8% of total applications, the FHA share was unchanged at 9.9%, the VA share dropped to 10.1% from 10.3% the week before, and the USDA share remained at 0.7%.

Contract interest rates

The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs) with conforming loan balances ($424,100 or less) inched up one basis point -- to 4.04% from 4.03% -- with points unchanged at 0.40 (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 $424,100) slipped to 3.99% from 4.00%, with points decreasing to 0.23 from 0.24 (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 3.97%, with points unchanged at 0.34 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 15-year FRMs jumped to 3.35% from 3.30%, with points increasing to 0.44 from 0.39 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

The average contract interest rate for 5/1 ARMs shot up 13 basis points to 3.30%, with points decreasing to 0.34 from 0.36 (including the origination fee) for 80% LTV loans. The effective rate increased from last week.

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

In the wake of a security breach that exposed personal information for 143 million Equifax customers, cyber security companies are seeing a spike in business.

Bloomberg News reports Equifax knew about its server vulnerabilities as early as March, when its systems were breached for the first time. Company officials say the two intrusions were not related.

It’s not good news for the company, which already faces state and federal investigations. Meanwhile, consumers aren’t taking any chances, as many have been turning to credit monitoring companies for help.

Lifelock, one of the better-known names in the credit monitoring space, has reportedly seen its business boom since the Equifax breach was announced. One company executive told the Phoenix Business Journal "business has been doing quite well" since the Equifax breach was disclosed September 7.

Lifelock offers three plans, starting at $9.99 a month, all with different levels of service. The mid-range plan is $19.99 a month and the top tier plan is $29.99.

ID Shield

ID Shield also offers credit monitoring, but company CEO Jeff Bell says there is a single plan costing $9.95 a month -- $19.95 for a family plan. He says it provides consumers with maximum protection.

"If you have an identity theft, a licensed private investigator sends you a power of attorney to sign and return, and they do all of the work for you," Bell told ConsumerAffairs.

According to Bell, if someone steals your identity to purchase an expensive boat, the private investigator will find where the loan originated, who sold the boat, who financed it, and prove to both the lender and the seller it wasn't the member in question.

"They will basically exonerate, and equally important, expunge – that transgression from our member's record," Bell said. "Because you don't want to have on your record that you were involved in an identity theft and the loan was written off."

Credit freeze vs. monitoring

There is an important distinction between credit monitoring and a credit freeze, which many consumers have been requesting since the data breach was announced. A credit freeze is a service provided by all three credit bureaus -- Equifax, Experian, and Trans Union. There is a fee every time the credit files are frozen and unfrozen.

Freezing a credit file prevents anyone from accessing your credit report without your permission. If your file is frozen, no one can open a credit account in your name.

Credit freezes are temporary and must be renewed periodically. Credit monitoring, on the other hand, tracks a person’s credit activity and does not prevent identity theft.

"Monitoring is important, not to prevent but to alert," Bell said. "I think people should be very concerned, not whether they are going to have an incident but rather when it's going to happen. And when it does, they want the peace of mind knowing they have a partner that is going to let them go on with their lives and do all the work for them."

How it works

Credit monitoring services rely on a credit bureau to perform the credit surveillance, alerting it when a member's file is accessed. Bell is quick to make a distinction between Lifelock, which he says uses Equifax, and ID Shield, which he says uses Experian.

"It has everything to do with Experian's acquisition of a company called CSID, which is a consumer information database," he said. It is the most comprehensive database of non-credit related data -- things like passports, driver’s licenses, past addresses and other things not specifically related to borrowing money. We felt that gave Experian the most comprehensive ability to monitor and they had the highest levels of security protocols."

The credit bureaus also market different levels of credit monitoring services to consumers. For example, Experian charges $19.99 a month for a service that includes Dark Web surveillance and alerts, fraud resolution, and a $1 million identity theft insurance policy.

If you have a Discover It card in your wallet, you may already have some level of credit monitoring you aren't paying for. Cardholders are alerted if their Social Security Numbers show up on the Dark Web. Cardholders are also notified when new credit accounts are opened.

For couples with kids, romance can often get put on the back burner -- but regular date nights can help cut through some of the stress of parenting. When couples need to get out for a few hours, grandparents are often the first to volunteer to watch the kids.

Now, a new study using data collected from 1990 to 2009 finds grandparents who step in to fulfill the role of babysitter may live longer lives.

For the study, researchers used data from the Berlin Aging Study which followed 500 seniors aged 70 and older over the course of 20 years. They found that grandparents who provided some form of care to their grandchildren had mortality hazards that were 37 percent lower than seniors who did not take care of children.

Promoting physical activity and social engagement

Young children are highly energetic and curious, requiring close supervision and physical activity from their caregivers. For seniors, opportunities for this type of engagement are rare and valuable.

In addition to helping seniors stay physically active, babysitting can even help alleviate stress, the study found. What’s more, the social interaction can help keep the brain healthy.  

“There is a link between providing this care and reducing stress and we know the relationship between stress and higher risk of dying,” said Dr. Ronan Factora, a Geriatric Medicine specialist at the Cleveland Clinic.

And it didn’t matter whether the children in their care were blood relatives or not. Similar benefits were seen when seniors provided care to children who were not their own.

“If providing care to grandchildren and others in need is one way that can actually reduce stress, then these activities should be of benefit to folks who are grandparents and provide this care to their grandkids,” he said.

Avoid overdoing it

While occasionally stepping in to help give parents a much-needed break can translate to a longer lifespan for grandparents, dedicating too much time to caregiving can negate the health benefits.

When it comes to caregiving, balance is key. An overwhelming amount of caregiving can actually be a source of stress and aging, says Factora.

"You want to make sure that you find that right balance where you are doing what you can to stay active, doing good for the folks that you're helping out with, but don't do too much where you get to the point where you're overly stressed," said Dr. Factora.

The full study has been published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior.

A new study conducted by researchers at San Diego State University and Bryn Mawr College suggests that teens are maturing at a much slower pace than in previous decades.

Lead author Jean M. Twenge, an SDSU psychology professor, says that teens are participating less in certain social activities and taking longer to engage in “adult” responsibilities like driving or even working for pay.

"The developmental trajectory of adolescence has slowed, with teens growing up more slowly than they used to," explained Twenge. "In terms of adult activities, 18-year-olds now look like 15-year-olds once did."

Cultural shift between generations

The researchers analyzed seven nationally representative surveys conducted between 1976 and 2016, which questioned 8.3 million 13- to 19-year-olds about their engagement in adult activities. The study focused on comparisons between teens in the 2010s and their counterparts from the 2000s, 1990s, 1980s, and 1970s.

After adjusting for factors like family size, life expectancy, education, and the economy, survey data indicated that teens in the 2010s are less likely to work for pay, drive, date, drink alcohol, go out without their parents, or have sex than teens from previous decades. The findings were consistent across all demographic groups, which suggests an overarching cultural shift between generations.

The researchers say that the results cannot be explained away by extra time spent on schoolwork or extracurricular activities, since these factors have remained steady or decreased over time. Rather, they believe that an increasing amount of time spent online could be playing a role.

Not necessarily a problem

While older generations may lament what they perceive to be stunted development, co-author Heejung Park, an assistant professor of psychology at Bryn Mawr College, says that the findings do not necessarily indicate a problem in today’s youth.

"Our study suggests that teens today are taking longer to embrace both adult responsibilities (such as driving and working) and adult pleasures (such as sex and alcohol)," he said. "These trends are neither good nor bad, but reflect the current U.S. cultural climate."

The full study has been published in Child Development.

Taxpayers in Florida who were hit by Hurricane Irma have more time to file certain individual and business tax returns and make certain tax payments.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says this includes an additional filing extension for taxpayers with valid extensions that run out on Oct. 16, as well as businesses with extensions that ran out on Sept. 15.

Any area designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as qualifying for either individual assistance or public assistance in Florida is covered by the extension.

What it means

The tax relief postpones various tax filing and payment deadlines that occurred starting on September 4, 2017 in Florida. Affected taxpayers will now have until January 31, 2018 to file returns and pay any taxes that were originally due during this period.

This includes the September 15, 2017 and January 16, 2018 deadlines for making quarterly estimated tax payments. It also includes 2016 income tax returns for individual tax filers who received a tax-filing extension until October 16, 2017.

However, because tax payments related to these 2016 returns were originally due on April 18, 2017, the IRS says those payments are not eligible for this relief.

A break for businesses

A variety of business tax deadlines are also affected by the decision, including the October 31 deadline for making quarterly payroll and excise tax returns.

Several other groups will also benefit from the extended deadlines, including calendar-year partnerships whose 2016 extensions run out on September 15, 2017 and calendar-year tax-exempt organizations whose 2016 extensions run out on November 15, 2017. The disaster relief page has details on other returns, payments, and tax-related actions qualifying for the additional time.

The IRS is also waiving late-deposit penalties for federal payroll and excise tax deposits normally due during the first 15 days of the disaster period. Check out the disaster relief page for the time periods that apply to each jurisdiction.

What to do

The IRS automatically provides filing and penalty relief to any taxpayer with an IRS address of record located in the disaster area. Thus, taxpayers need not contact the IRS to get this relief.

However, if an affected taxpayer receives a late filing or late payment penalty notice from the IRS that has an original or extended filing, payment, or deposit due date falling within the postponement period, they should call the number on the notice to have the penalty abated.

The IRS says it will work with any taxpayer who lives outside the disaster area but whose records necessary to meet a deadline occurring during the postponement period are located in the affected area.

Taxpayers qualifying for relief who live outside the disaster area need to contact the IRS at 866-562-5227. This also includes workers assisting the relief activities who are affiliated with a recognized government or philanthropic organization.

Those who suffered uninsured or unreimbursed disaster-related losses can choose to claim them on either the return for the year the loss occurred (in this instance, the 2017 return normally filed next year), or the return for the prior year (2016). See Publication 547 for details.

Toys “R” Us announced Monday that its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries have voluntarily filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The decision gives the company a chance to hold off its creditors and reorganize its business in an attempt to return to profitability.

The company said that it will use its court-supervised proceedings to restructure $5 billion in outstanding debt and invest in the long-term growth of the company.

“Today marks the dawn of a new era at Toys“R”Us where we expect that the financial constraints that have held us back will be addressed in a lasting and effective way,” said Toys “R” Us Chairman and CEO Dave Brandon.

Brandon cited an “increasingly challenging and rapidly changing retail marketplace” as the reason for the retailer’s current woes. He followed up by saying that filing under Chapter 11 will allow Toys “R” Us to strengthen its competitive position and improve the customer experience.

Stores still open for business

The filing comes at an especially challenging  time of year, as retailers across the U.S. are beginning preparations for what should be a busy holiday shopping season. However, the company has assured its customers that the filing will not result in mass store closures..

“As the holiday season ramps up, our physical and web stores are open for business, and our team members around the world look forward to continuing to put huge smiles on children’s faces. We thank our vendors for their ongoing support through this important season and beyond,” said Brandon.

The company said that it has thus far received over $3 billion in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing from lenders, which it expects will aid in the restructuring process. On its restructuring informational page, the company says that the Chapter 11 filing only affects its U.S. and Canadian operations, which excludes its separate entities in Asia.

Toys “R” Us currently operates approximately 1,600 stores worldwide and employs nearly 65,000 workers.