Current Events in January 2019

Coinstar has teamed up with Coinme, the first state-licensed “Bitcoin ATM company,” to equip Coinstar kiosks across the country with the ability to let consumers easily purchase Bitcoin.

In an announcement, the company said there are “thousands in the U.S. market that can be enabled to accept Bitcoin transactions,” but currently the service is only available at “select Coinstar locations.”

“Bitcoin is now accessible at your local grocery store via Coinstar kiosks, and this offering will make it even easier for consumers to participate in this dynamic new economy,” said Neil Bergquist, Coinme Cofounder and CEO.

Coinstar CEO Jim Gaherity said the company’s collaboration with Coinme “makes it possible for consumers to easily purchase Bitcoin with cash.”  

How to purchase Bitcoin

The updated machines, which utilize Coinme’s “innovative delivery mechanism,” can be tracked down using the Coinstar Bitcoin locator tool.

“If Bitcoin is unavailable in your area, keep checking as the service is being added to more Coinstar kiosks every week,” Coinstar noted on its website.

Once at one of the upgraded Coinstar kiosks, consumers can purchase the digital currency by taking the following steps:

• Touch “Buy Bitcoin” on the Coinstar machine, review and accept the transaction terms, and enter your phone number.

• Insert U.S. paper money into the cash acceptor (there is a limit of $2,500).

• Receive a voucher with a Bitcoin redemption code.

• Visit www.coinme.com/redeem to create a Coinme account or sign in to your existing account to claim your Bitcoin.

Housing affordability remains a concern for many would-be home buyers, especially now that mortgage rates are going up. But a new report from real estate marketplace Zillow suggests one segment of the housing market is losing pricing power.

A Zillow analysis found that home builders lowered the price on their new inventory at a faster rate in the fourth quarter of 2018 than in the first quarter. The report found a quarter of new homes on the market in the last three months of the year had at least one price reduction. In the first quarter, only 19 percent had a price cut.

The same trend is also showing up in existing homes, though the statistics may appear misleading. Overall existing home values continue to rise, albeit at a slower rate.

Starter homes getting more expensive

When broken down by price range, entry-level starter homes continue to go up in value while more expensive homes have experienced more price cuts, just as new homes have. That’s because there are a lot more consumers who can only afford an entry-level home, while there is a limited number for sale.

New construction must compete with more expensive existing homes, for which there are fewer buyers. With the law of supply and demand asserting itself, prices have to come down.

Prices have risen since the housing recovery in large part because of tight inventories. As the economy improved and more people wanted to buy homes, they found a declining number of homes in the entry-level, moderately-priced segment while there were plenty of expensive homes.

Housing shortage continues

Home builders are producing only about half as many new homes as they did before the housing crash, and those tend to be large and expensive. As we reported in 2017, home building activity wasn’t alleviating the housing shortage because most first-time home buyers couldn’t afford them.

Homebuilders have cited higher costs for materials, labor, and land to explain their focus on more expensive homes. While homebuilders no doubt could easily sell small homes priced under $200,000, builders say they wouldn’t be profitable.

“Facing high and rising construction costs, builders have few options but to target upmarket while homebuyers are increasingly squeezed by tight affordability and rising interest rates,” said Zillow Senior Economist Aaron Terrazas.

But Terrazas says the price cutting trend might not last. He says builders appear content to build fewer new homes and charge more for them. With fewer new homes in the pipeline, the price cuts may not last.

Netflix, which last week raised its monthly subscription prices for all 58 million of its U.S. subscribers, may see a slight drop in its subscriber count in response to price increases, a new study suggests.

News site Streaming Observer recently partnered with Mindnet Analytics to "gauge [subscribers'] reaction to the latest round of price increases."

Of the 607 adult subscribers who participated in the survey, nearly one-fourth (24 percent) of respondents said they "might cancel" Netflix over the higher prices. Three percent said they would “definitely cancel" their subscription.

However, most subscribers (71 percent) said they would keep their Netflix subscription despite the latest round of price increases.

Interest in ad-supported model

Ten percent of those who responded to the online survey said they planned to downgrade to a lower-priced plan. Two-thirds (65 percent) said they would consider a lower-priced or free version of Netflix with advertisements, which is a change from past survey results.

“In the past, many Netflix users were adamant they would never tolerate ads on the streaming service," the site's founder and editor-in-chief Chris Brantner said in the survey results. The new prices have most subscribers “reconsidering” whether they’d still subscribe to Netflix if ads were included, he added.

In response to whether they would consider a discounted, ad-supported version of Netflix, 35 percent of respondents said "No discount is enough" to have to sit through advertising. The rest of those polled had different ideas on how much of a discount they would require if commercials were thrown into the mix.

Fifteen percent said they would want the service for free, 8 percent said that would require a 75 percent discount, 29 percent wanted the service to be half-price, and 13 percent would require 25 percent off to watch ads while using the service.

Price increases largely tolerated

Netflix’s new monthly prices will cause consumers’ bills go up anywhere from 13 percent to 18 percent -- the biggest price jump in Netflix’s history. Existing customers will see the price increases reflected on their bills “over the next few months.” New subscribers will already see the new pricing on the company’s website.

Netflix said it changes pricing on occasion to financially bolster its efforts to provide “great entertainment” and “improve the overall Netflix experience.”

Streaming Observer noted that Netflix’s previous price increases haven’t taken much of a toll on its overall subscriber count, even when large numbers of subscribers said they might cancel the service over the change.

“In the past when Netflix has raised prices and subscribers have threatened to cancel in large numbers, analysts predicted only a very small percentage, roughly 3%-4%, of subscribers would actually do so. In that case, the price increase would still prove to be quite profitable overall for Netflix,” the report said.

For many consumers, busy schedules make it hard to squeeze everything into one day, and something usually ends up on the back burner.

Now, a new study conducted by researchers from McMaster University makes it that much easier for consumers to fit exercise into their day-to-day routines. The researchers found that climbing stairs in short intervals can work to improve cardiovascular health.

“The findings make it even easier for people to incorporate ‘exercise snacks’ into their day,” said researcher Martin Gibala. “Those who work in office towers or live in apartment buildings can vigorously climb a few flights of stairs in the morning, at lunch, and in the evening and know they are getting an effective workout.”

A 10-minute commitment

The researchers based their study on previous research that involved sprint interval training (SIT) -- the idea that intense exercise in small increments can have beneficial health effects.

The researchers tested if the same positive health benefits would occur by climbing stairs; they had participants who weren’t regular exercisers test their hypothesis. The participants exercised three times per week for six weeks, climbing three flights of stairs -- 60 steps -- three times per day. Each exercise session was separated by one to four hours of rest.

When compared with a control group who didn’t exercise, the researchers found that the exercise group not only showed better cardiovascular health, but they were also stronger than their non-exercising counterparts by the end of the test period.

“We know that sprint interval training works, but we were a bit surprised to see that stair snacking approach was also effective,” said researcher Jonathan Little. “Vigorously climbing a few flights of stairs on your coffee or bathroom break during the day seems to be enough to boost fitness in people who are otherwise sedentary.”

Keeping it short

Many consumers let exercising go by the wayside, as it can be seen as too large of a time commitment. However, based on this study and other recent studies, consumers can feel the effects of exercise without spending hours in the gym.

Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that one single workout can affect consumers’ metabolisms for up to two days.

“It doesn’t take much exercise to alter the activity of...neurons,” said Dr. Kevin Williams. “Based on our results, we would predict that getting out and exercising even once in a semi-intense manner can reap benefits that can last for days, in particular with respect to glucose metabolism.”

Similarly, researchers found that one minute of running per day can help bone health in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women.

“We don’t know yet whether it’s better to accumulate this small amount of exercise in bits throughout each day or all at once, and also whether a slightly longer bout of exercise on one or two days per week is just as good as 1-2 minutes a day,” said Dr. Victoria Stiles. “But there’s a clear link between this kind of high-intensity, weight-bearing exercise and better bone health in women.”

Johnsonville of Sheboygan Falls, Wis., is recalling approximately 48,371 pounds of raw ground pork patties.

The products may be contaminated with extraneous materials -- specifically pieces of black rubber.

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

The following items, produced and packaged on September 27, 2018, and October 17 – 18, 2018, are being recalled:

• 24-oz. (1.5 lbs.) plastic bag in a carton of frozen “Johnsonville Grillers CHEDDAR CHEESE & BACON FLAVOR” with “Best Flavor By: 7/24/2019” represented on the label.
• 24-oz. (1.5 lbs.) plastic bag in a carton of frozen “Johnsonville Grillers CHEDDAR CHEESE & BACON FLAVOR” with “Best Flavor By: 8/13/2019” represented on the label.
• 24-oz. (1.5 lbs.) plastic bag in a carton of frozen “Johnsonville Grillers CHEDDAR CHEESE & BACON FLAVOR” with “Best Flavor By: 8/14/2019” represented on the label.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should not consume them, but discard them or return them to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions may contact Johnsonville consumer relations at (888) 556-2728.

Perdue Foods of Perry, Ga., is recalling approximately 68,244 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken nuggets.

The product may be contaminated with extraneous materials -- specifically pieces of wood.

There have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions.

The following ready-to-eat item, produced on October 25, 2018, is being recalled:

• 22-oz. plastic bag packages of frozen “PERDUE SimplySmart ORGANICS BREADED CHICKEN BREAST NUGGETS GLUTEN FREE” with “Best By: Date 10/25/19” and UPC Bar Code “72745-80656” represented on the label.

The recalled product, bearing establishment number “P-33944” inside the USDA mark of inspection, was shipped to retail locations nationwide.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should not consume it, but discard it or return it to the place of purchase.

Consumers with questions about the recall may contact Perdue consumer care at (877) 727-3447.

If the television networks ever run out of material for soap operas, maybe they can just televise the Sears bankruptcy saga, which has so far been filled with plot twists.

Former Sears Holdings CEO Eddie Lampert and the hedge fund he controls, ESL Investments, finally prevailed with a $5 billion offer to take over what’s left of the company and keep 400 Sears and Kmart stores open.

But not everyone is happy. The unsecured creditors who are still owed money have filed a motion in bankruptcy court, asking for an open hearing where they plan to air their grievances. The creditors claim Sears’ downfall was precipitated by Lampert’s and ESL Investment’s mismanagement of the company over the last few years.

"This is a matter of significant public interest and should be heard entirely in open court," the creditors said in their motion.

Ignoring the objection

ESL Investments is moving forward, essentially ignoring the objection from the unsecured creditors. A spokesman for the hedge fund said the company is confident Sears Holdings will successfully emerge from bankruptcy, saving one of the most famous names in American retail.

“Subject to its approval by the court, our going concern proposal will deliver a total consideration in excess of $5.2 billion and save tens of thousands of jobs,” the spokesman said in an email to ConsumerAffairs. “It will also fund certain severance costs incurred by Sears during bankruptcy and reinstate severance benefits for eligible employees in a new company.”

The spokesman said the takeover agreement will also honor commitments to customers who purchased products with extended warranties and support affected vendors.

“At every stage in this process, ESL has worked tirelessly to help Sears re-emerge from bankruptcy, including by enhancing our offer several times, because we believe Sears has a future as a profitable company that can succeed in today's competitive retail landscape,” the spokesman said.

Hearing early next month

The bankruptcy judge has scheduled a hearing for February 1, at which time the creditors’ objections will be heard.

In particular, the unsecured creditors have been highly critical of some of the financial transactions Lampert made while running the company. The deals include the spinning off of Lands’ End in 2014 and other spin-offs of some real estate.

After extensive negotiations, ESL reached agreement with Sears Holdings this week to acquire 425 Sears stores and other company assets for $5.2 billion.

You look a little different than you did 10 years ago, right? We all do. And, if you’re a Facebook user, it’s probably a safe bet your Facebook page has photos from various stages throughout your life.

In today’s all-digital world, the use of facial recognition is growing rapidly. Amazon is a big proponent, Microsoft has called for Congress to regulate it, and Delta Airlines is testing it out.

Now comes a report that Facebook may be using facial recognition in tandem with a notion called the “10-Year Challenge” to surreptitiously mine sensitive information for its 2.7 billion users.

The challenge is simple enough -- people post one photograph from 10 years ago alongside a more recent photograph. While it sounds innocent, skeptics are throwing up flares left and right. The trend is claimed to be a "ploy devised by Facebook to help train facial recognition algorithms on age progression,” said Rebecca Jennings of Vox Media.

“The challenge provides Facebook with “a perfect storm for machine learning. It presented Facebook with a terrified opportunity to learn, to train their systems to better recognize small changes" in users' appearances,” Amy Webb, a professor at NYU Stern School of Business, told CBS News

Critics think that some folks may have even gotten suckered into adding context to their then-and-now photos.

“Through the Facebook meme, most people have been helpfully adding that context back in (“me in 2008 and me in 2018”) as well as further info, in many cases, about where and how the pic was taken (“2008 at University of Whatever, taken by Joe; 2018 visiting New City for this year’s such-and-such event”),” wrote Wired’s Kate O’Neill.

“In other words, thanks to this meme, there’s now a very large dataset of carefully curated photos of people from roughly 10 years ago and now.”

Not Facebook’s first facial recognition run-in

In the middle of all the faux pas Facebook made in 2018, the company had already encountered a run-in with its use of facial recognition.

In April 2018, ConsumerAffairs reported that Facebook was sued, with plaintiffs alleging that the company’s Tag Suggestions feature violated users’ privacy by storing biometric info without their explicit consent. The backbone of that suit was the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act (BIPA), which requires consent before companies can collect biometric data.

A federal judge in San Francisco went as far as dismissing Facebook’s argument that the law didn’t apply to it because its servers aren’t located in the state.

One ConsumerAffairs reviewer also raised their hand about the platform’s use of facial recognition. “They are holding the site hostage to get more private info off of me… want(ing) a passport style photo so they can scan a biometrics ID of my face. Then they held me out of the site for two days until they could verify,” they said.

A second chance?

You may have guessed that Facebook refutes having any hand in the #10YearChallenge. "This is a user-generated meme that went viral on its own," a Facebook spokesperson said responding to O’Neill’s story.

"Facebook did not start this trend, and the meme uses photos that already exist on Facebook. Facebook gains nothing from this meme (besides reminding us of the questionable fashion trends of 2009). As a reminder, Facebook users can choose to turn facial recognition on or off at any time.”

While Facebook’s data privacy past is riddled with holes, it’s highly possible the company is really trying to do the right thing regarding facial recognition, after all. In 2017, Facebook vowed that its users control whether Facebook can recognize them in photos and videos.

“Soon, you will begin to see a simple on/off switch instead of settings for individual features that use face recognition technology,” wrote Joaquin Quiñonero Candela, Facebook’s Director of Applied Machine Learning. “We designed this as an on/off switch because people gave us feedback that they prefer a simpler control than having to decide for every single feature using face recognition technology. To learn more about all of these features, visit the Help Center or your account settings.”

If you’re part of the better-safe-than-sorry crowd on the facial recognition issue, Mashable has put together a step-by-step guide on how to turn that feature off on Facebook.

A federal grand jury in Detroit indicted four former German Audi officials on Thursday over the diesel emissions scandal, court documents reveal.

The executives -- Richard Bauder, Axel Eiser, Stefan Knirsch, and Carsten Nagel -- were charged with multiple counts of violating the Clean Air Act, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and wire fraud. If convicted, each charge carries up to 20 years in prison.

None of the four men are currently in United States custody. Reuters reports that they are believed to be in Germany and do not yet appear to have American attorneys on the case.

During their employment, the four allegedly helped design and test “defeat devices” for Audi cars that were used to help the brand cheat Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) emissions tests, the criminal cases alleges.

The Audi officials are just the latest to face criminal charges over their parent company Volkswagen’s emissions cheating scandal, in which Volkswagen admitting to rigging the engines on their “clean diesel” cars.

Volkswagen and Audi agreed to stop selling cars with diesel engines after getting caught in 2015. The diesel engines emitted as much 40 times the legally allowable limit of smog when they were on the road from 2008 through 2015.

CVS Health and Walmart have resolved their disagreement over pricing and won’t be parting ways, the companies announced on Friday.

Earlier this week, the two companies publicly announced that an ongoing dispute over pricing would likely result in Walmart leaving CVS Health networks. Walmart and CVS disagreed over how much the CVS Health network’s pharmacy benefit management (PBM) unit would pay Walmart pharmacies to fill prescriptions.

Derica Rice, president of CVS Caremark, said Walmart’s requested rates would result in “higher costs for our clients and consumers.”

The split would have affected millions of CVS Caremark commercial and Medicaid plan members who would no longer be reimbursed for filling prescriptions at Walmart, analysts said.

Multi-year agreement

Under a new agreement, Walmart will continue to participate in the CVS Caremark PBM retail pharmacy networks.

"We are very pleased to have reached a mutually agreeable solution with Walmart. As a PBM, our top priority is to help our clients and consumers lower their pharmacy costs," Rice said in a statement.

"This new agreement accomplishes our top priority and enables Walmart to continue participating in CVS Caremark's commercial and Managed Medicaid pharmacy networks and provides enhanced network stability for our clients and their members,” she added.

The terms of the new multi-year agreement weren’t disclosed by either company. However, Sean Slovenski, a Walmart senior vice president, described the terms as “fair and equitable” in a press release.

A federal appeals court has rejected the Federal Communications Commission’s request to delay a court hearing regarding its decision to repeal net neutrality rules.

Earlier this week, the agency requested that oral arguments be postponed due to the ongoing government shutdown. The FCC argued that the shutdown has translated to a lack of sufficient time and resources for lawyers to prepare for the hearing.

“Due to the recent lapse in funding for the FCC and the relevant component of the Department of Justice, the Commission believes that, in an abundance of caution, it should move for an extension to ensure that attorneys may fully prepare for argument," FCC attorneys said in a motion.

But on Thursday, a three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the request. The court is still scheduled to hear arguments on February 1.

Net neutrality advocates to speak out

At the hearing, a coalition of groups opposing the FCC’s December 2017 repeal of net neutrality regulations will argue that the rules are necessary to prevent broadband providers from engaging in censorship and harming competitors.

“In a case where consumer protections are at stake, we are glad to see the hearing proceed as planned,” said Amy Keating, Mozilla Corporation’s general counsel. “We are looking forward to appearing on Feb 1.”

Another group challenging the FCC’s order, the trade group Incompas, said the agency’s “misguided and unlawful repeal of the network neutrality rules” has put consumers “at risk of substantial harm from Internet Service Providers (‘ISPs’), which may now interfere with access to lawful Internet content without the restraint of the net neutrality rules.”

“There is a need for a timely decision in this important matter,” Incompas wrote in papers filed this week.

While the debate over gun control continues to rage on, a new study conducted by researchers from Boston University’s School of Public Health attacks the situation from yet another angle: youth suicide.

According to the researchers, three young people between the ages of 10 and 19 use a gun to commit suicide every day, and those numbers become even more prevalent in states where gun ownership is more common.  

“The availability of firearms is contributing to an increase in the actual number of suicides, not just leading youth to substitute other means of suicide for guns,” said lead researcher Anita Knopov.

Localizing the problem

The researchers were looking to break down suicide rates by state and see the way gun ownership in the home affects the likelihood of young people committing suicide.

The team analyzed data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) to determine how many households per state had guns. They also consulted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to track the number of youth suicides from 2005 through 2015 and the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) by state to account for any potential variables, including education, poverty, depression, substance abuse associated with suicide, suicide planning, or suicide attempts.

The researchers found that states that had higher gun ownership were also associated with higher gun-related youth suicides; however, they also found that higher gun ownership is contributing to higher youth suicides overall.

For the 10 states with the lowest youth suicide rates, gun ownership in the home was at around 20 percent, whereas in the 10 states with the highest youth suicide rates, gun ownership in the home was over 52 percent.

“This study demonstrates that the strongest single predictor of a state’s youth suicide rate is the prevalence of household gun ownership in the state,” said researcher Michael Siegel. “The level of gun ownership is a much better predictor of youth suicide than even knowing the exact number of youth who will attempt suicide in a given year.”

Other factors

While guns are just one factor contributing to youth suicides, recent research has found that there is certainly more to it. A recent study found that suicide rates among young women are at an all-time high, which could be because of societal pressures to always feel perfect.

Researchers found that between the demands of performing well in school and portraying life perfectly on social media, comparison to others often leaves young women feeling inadequate, which can lead to suicide.

Additionally, a study from late last year found that lack of sleep can contribute to a higher chance of teens engaging in risky behaviors, including substance abuse, drinking and driving, and suicide.

“We found the odds of unsafe behavior by high school students increased significantly with fewer hours of sleep,” said lead author Matthew Weaver, PhD. “Personal risk-taking behaviors are common precursors to accidents and suicides, which are the leading causes of death among teens and have important implications for the health and safety of high school students nationally.”

A report by corrosion experts has identified America’s aging water infrastructure as a pressing and costly threat to public health. The researchers urge water utilities in the U.S. to take immediate action.

The report from NACE International, a nonprofit association that specializes in the study of corrosion, enlisted more than 1,300 corrosion experts to compile the report. It said corrosion in water lines that provide drinking water to millions of American homes is exposing consumers to unhealthy levels of lead and other contaminants.

When corrosion occurs in lead pipes, lead gets into the water. Because corrosion often occurs with extended use, the problem is getting worse in some of the nation’s oldest towns and cities.

"Like much of our nation's infrastructure, our drinking water pipelines and systems are nearing the end of their useful life," said NACE International CEO, Bob Chalker. "Ignoring this critical infrastructure until repairs are needed is far costlier, both economically and socially, than preventing corrosion from occurring in the first place.”

Staggering cost

Efforts are already underway in some areas to provide a remedy. NACE says government estimates put the annual cost of replacing aging infrastructure, along with lost water from pipeline leaks, at about $80 billion.

However, NACE officials say that does not include the much higher cost of widespread health crises that corrosion can create, such as what has happened in Flint, Michigan.

The Flint water crisis put the water purity issue front and center in late 2015 when the city’s water supply was found to contain unsafe amounts of lead. Wide areas of the city lived on bottled water for months as water lines were replaced.

Positive attention

One positive outgrowth of the Flint crisis was the attention it brought to the issue. Sebring, Ohio tested its water supply and found lead contamination was up after it stopped adding a chemical to keep lead pipes from corroding. Even the nation's capital experienced a jump in lead levels in 2001 after the city changed some of its water purification procedures.

Government health officials say there is no safe level of lead exposure, especially for children. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says homes built before 1986 are more likely to have lead pipes, as well as fixtures and solder containing lead.

The Safe Drinking Water Act has lowered the maximum allowable lead content that is considered "lead-free." It’s now a weighted average of 0.25 percent calculated across the wetted surfaces of pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings, and fixtures and 0.2 percent for solder and flux.

While many parents try to monitor the content their children are watching to avoid inappropriate language or other mature themes, a recent study found that watching violence on the big screen doesn’t correlate to viewers taking violent actions.

Researchers found that those who see violent scenes in PG-13 movies are not more likely to engage in violent behaviors in their day-to-day lives, though many have believed the contrary.

“Evidence suggests that edgier, more violent content may increase in PG-13 and PG movies over time,” said researcher Christopher J. Ferguson before the study began. “This is because PG-13 rated movies may be considered particularly marketable as action-oriented fun, but without the graphicness that parents may consider inappropriate for younger children… However, whether it is an actual problem for public health remains unknown; that’s the research gap we aimed to fill in this study.”

Getting to the bottom of it

To see how violence in movies is affecting moviegoers outside the theater, the researchers looked at several different datasets.

They examined the National Crime Victimization Survey for data on youth violence, violent crime reports from the FBI, reports on education, socioeconomic status, and poverty from the U.S. Census Bureau, and other academic studies on the subject of violence in movies.

After analyzing three decades worth of data (1985-2015), the researchers found that violence in movies does not contribute to an increase in criminal activity in society.

Violent crimes and homicides were found to decline during years when movies were becoming increasingly more violent, which is the opposite of what the researchers expected the outcome to be, especially considering the increase in gun violence in movies.

“Evidence suggest that violent and antisocial behavior result from a complicated interaction of numerous factors, but media violence does not appear to be one of these factors,” said researcher Patrick Markey. “This may be because individuals perceive media exposure differently than they do real-life exposure to violence.”

Focus on other factors

Rather than point fingers at movies with violence, the researchers suggest legislators focus on factors that have been found to influence criminal behavior, including mental health, education, poverty, and family environment.

“Our analysis of data on violent crime and depictions of violence in PG-13 movies shows no evidence of a public health concern,” said Ferguson.

“Thus, the ‘low-hanging’ fruit argument that suggests parents should reduce their children’s exposure to violent movies as a simple way of reducing exposure to risk factors for crime, may cause more harm than good. It may distract from the hard work of dealing with real pressing problems by focusing society, parents, and policymakers in an illusory simple fix.”

Motorists have enjoyed relatively low prices at the pump for the last six weeks, but this may be as good as it gets. There are signs that prices could be headed higher in February.

The AAA Fuel Gauge Survey shows the national average price of regular gas is $2.24 a gallon, a penny more than last Friday. Prices continued to fall in the western states with the most expensive gas, but in the states with the cheapest fuel, prices went up in the last seven days.

The average price of premium gas is also up a penny a gallon to $2.83 while the price of diesel fuel is two cents lower at $2.92 a gallon.

One sign that prices may have bottomed, at least for the time being, is price action in the various states. Prices are still going down in the western states where gas prices are highest. However, prices have begun to rise in southeastern states, where gas prices are lowest.

Supply and demand

While gas prices usually begin to creep higher in late winter, consumers should be spared any dramatic rise thanks to the laws of supply and demand. The Energy Information Administration reports U.S. gasoline supplies grew by 7.5 million barrels in the previous week because consumers aren’t using as much gasoline.

“If demand remains seasonally low amid continued growth in gasoline stocks across the country, American motorists may see pump prices remain low for the remainder of winter,” AAA said in its latest market update. “However, increasing crude prices could push pump prices higher.”

But so far there’s no sign of that happening. A big increase in U.S. oil production is keeping U.S. oil prices below $55 a barrel.

The states with the most expensive regular gas

These states currently have the highest prices for regular gas, according to the AAA Fuel Gauge Survey:

• Hawaii ($3.27)

• California ($3.26)

• Washington ($2.96)

• Alaska ($2.95)

• Oregon ($2.85)

• Nevada ($2.89)

• Arizona ($2.56)

• Connecticut ($2.53)

• New York ($2.53)

• Utah ($2.46)

The states with the cheapest regular gas

The survey found these states currently have the lowest prices for regular gas:

• Missouri ($1.89)

• Alabama ($1.93)

• Oklahoma ($1.93)

• Texas ($1.93)

• Mississippi ($1.94)

• South Carolina ($1.96)

• Louisiana ($1.97)

• Kansas ($1.97)

• Ohio ($1.97)

• Tennessee ($2.00)

SRAM is recalling about 700 three-speed internal gear hubs with a coaster brake.

The brake can fail, posing a crash or fall hazard to the rider.

The company has received no reports of incidents or injuries in Canada. In the U.S., there have been four 4 reports of crashes or falls, and one report of a knee and ankle injury from a fall.

ThE SRAM i-Motion 3, three-speed internal gear hub with coaster brake, UPC 710845662782, was installed on the following models of bicycles (with no redundant braking system -- for example no front brake):

• Electra Cruiser Custom 3i
• Electra Coaster 3i
• Electra Hawaii 3i
• Electra Hawaii 3i (24")
• Electra Straight 8

The gear hubs, manufactured in Taiwan, were sold in Canada from February 2014, to January 2018.

What to do

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled hub and contact SRAM for reimbursement of the affected bicycle. SRAM will repurchase the affected bikes at a fair market, depreciated value, based on the Bicycle Blue Book.

Consumers with questions may can contact SRAM’s Canadian distributor HLC at (888) 522-2453 between 9:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. (EST) Monday through Friday, or online at https://www.sram.com/.

HP is expanding an earlier recall and replacement program for certain notebook computer and mobile workstation batteries.

The batteries can overheat, posing a fire and burn hazard.

The recalled batteries may have been shipped with specific HP products or sold as accessories or provided as replacements from December 2015 through December 2018 through HP or an authorized HP Service Provider -- including certain HP Mobile Thin Client products.

Many of the batteries are internal to the system, which means they are not customer replaceable, so HP is providing battery replacement services by an authorized technician at no cost.

The company is also releasing an update to the BIOS that places the battery in "Battery Safety Mode" so the notebook or workstation can be safely used without the battery by connecting to an HP power adaptor. These batteries should immediately be put into "Battery Safety Mode".

The following products may have been shipped with batteries that are being recalled:

The following products are compatible with, but were not shipped with, affected batteries. Customers

may have purchased a battery as an accessory or received a replacement battery through services that is affected by the recall.

What to do

Owners should recheck their battery using the HP Battery Program Validation Utility, even if they did so previously and were informed that it was not affected. Anyone who received a replacement battery is not affected by this expansion.

Consumers may contact HP at (866) 671-7362 or by email at batteryprogram687.ext.hp.com/en-US/Home/ContactEmail.