The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

What are the best sunrises and sunset you’ve ever seen?

By Rita R. Robison

The most memorable sunsets I can recall were in Tacoma, Wash., Sacramento, and Florida. The one above is in Tacoma.

Sunrises? I’m an evening person, so I don’t have many photos of the sun coming up.

AARP, The Magazine, gives its opinion on the topic in the article “America’s Best Sunrises and Sunsets.” Its picks are:

• First sunrise: Cadillac Mountain, Maine

• Most secret sunset: Key West, Fla.

• Best city sunrise: Salt Lake City, Utah

• Reddest sunset: Grand Canyon, Ariz.

• Last sunset: Mauna Kea, Hawaii

• Sneakiest sunset: Yosemite Valley, Calif.

One of the best tips I have for taking photos of sunsets is to take lots of photos. The light keeps changing, and it’s hard to tell in the small digital camera window what the colors actually are.

For other suggestions, see the Digital Photography School’s “12 Tips for Photographing Stunning Sunsets.”

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were your best and worst consumer experiences this week?

By Rita R. Robison

Which consumer happenings cheered you this week and which ones made you want to scream or weep? 

Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:

My best: 8 x 10 inch prints at Ritz Camera

Last Sunday, Ritz Camera offered a free 8 x 10 print if you went to one of its stores and placed an order. I copied one of my favorite photos on a disk and headed over to the store.

When I was there, the manager of the store pointed out that Ritz was having a sale the next day: 8 x 10 inch prints for a $1 each. There was no limit on the number of prints.

I was excited. I’ve been waiting for months for this sale. I put 45 of my best photos on a disk.

When I arrived at the store, the manager told me that Ritz had pulled the sale that morning. They offered a larger size instead, he said, because they had just had the one 8 x 10 deal for free and wanted to offer a different size. However, the manager said he’d honor the $1 price for me because he had pointed out the sale to me.

The photos are wonderful. I’ve already given some of them for Christmas gifts.

My worse: Renting a medical device gone awry

At the recommendation of my physical therapist, I rented a medical device. It didn’t do the job it was supposed to do. I followed the directions for sending it back.

The company charged my first insurance company $695 for the device I’d returned. I complained loudly.

Now the company has charged my second insurance company $695. The amount of this that I’m supposed to pay is $231. I’m incensed. This is fraud, in my opinion.

I’ve spent so much time trying to get this straightened out. I hope I can get this second outrageous charge canceled, too.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Procession of the Species marchers, crowd celebrate earth’s riches

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

On one of the first beautiful days of spring recently in Olympia, Wash., 30,000 people gathered to watch marchers dressed as eagles, crabs, bumblebees, flamingoes, parrots, fish, peacocks, frogs, turkeys, bats, butterflies, owls, turtles, the sun, and more.

Others walked with floats they’d made, whales and fish among the favorites.

Drill teams, some dressed as their favorite species, performed. Samba bands played, and native Americans dressed in striking feathered headdresses danced.

Tall poles carried brightly colored flowers, silver, pink, and black-and-white birds, spiders, a mallard duck, fish, and jelly fish.

Brightly decorated windsocks, some with flowers, were another favorite.

Parents pulled costumed children in wagons, one "eagle" mom smiling widely as she pulled her baby birdie behind her in a "nest." Others pushed their little ones in strollers. Kids also rode tricycles, bicycles, and scooters.

It was the  17th annual Procession of the Species, and a good time was had by all. Before the parade, scores of children used free colored caulk to decorate the streets, some tracing outlines of themselves or their shadows. 

A group of citizens in Olympia was looking for a way to recognize Earth Day’s 25th Anniversary and to mark action in Congress to renew the Endangered Species Act in 1995. They created a community celebration now attended by thousands of people every year.

More than 100 volunteers take on the different jobs needed to make the procession happen.

A studio opens before the parade where people can make huge puppets, floats, masks, headdresses, and banners. Recycled materials and arts and crafts supplies are available. Workshops are offered.

The Procession of the Species has grown from 800 people taking part in the parade to more than 3,000.

See The Olympian’s "Warmest Day of 2011 Good Time for Procession of the Species" for more information on this year’s parade.

For details on the event, see Procession of the Species Celebration.

If you'd like to plan a Procession of the Species celebration in your community, see Start a New Procession. 

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

 

Recall of the Week: Stained glass soldering irons due to burn hazard

By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

About 69,000 stained glass soldering irons are being recalled by Cooper Tools. The power cord can break at the flex point where the cord attaches to the handle, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

Cooper Tools has received three reports of the power cord breaking at the flex point, resulting in three reports of minor burns.

The recalled product is a 100 watt, 120-volt stained glass soldering iron with “Weller” and the model number W100PG, W100P3, or W100PGMX written on the light blue handle. The model number is located under the Weller brand name on the iron’s handle. Only certain date codes are included in the recall.

Manufactured in Mexico, the soldering irons were sold at authorized distributors nationwide from August 2006 to May 2010 for $50 to $60.

Consumers should immediately stop using the product and contact Cooper Tools for information sending the product to the company for an inspection and obtaining a free replacement soldering iron, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, who issued the advises.

For additional information, contact Cooper Tools at 800-476-3030 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at www.cooperhandtools.com.

For details on other recalls, see www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

2011 Academy Awards nominated movies often too violent, dark

Last year, I wrote that the movies getting the Academy Award nod didn’t live up to the potential of what the powerful movie industry, one of the main purveyors of American popular culture, could achieve.

This year, it’s more of the same. It seems as though Hollywood executives sat around and thought about what kind of violence they hadn’t shown yet, then made their selections. Again, the emphasis often was on movie topics that appeal to young males.

Here are my picks among what was nominated for Academy Awards in 2011:

Best picture: “The King’s Speech.” Although I liked “The Social Network,” too, British historical movies are a favorite of mine. I realize the movie had historical inaccuracies.

Best director: David Fincher for “The Social Network” and Tom Hooper for “The King’s Speech.” They both did a good job on complicated, nonviolent movie topics.

Best actor: Jesse Eisenberg for “The Social Network. I agree with many commentators who said Eisenberg nailed the role of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Best actress: No pick. I didn’t see “Rabbit Hole” or “Blue Valentine.” “Black Swan” was the worst movie of 2010; the prima ballerina slipped into madness while her mother watched. “Winter’s Bone” was slow and disturbing. I couldn’t figure out what Hollywood was trying to say in “The Kids Are All Right”; lesbian families can be wrecked by male interlopers?

Best supporting actor: Geoffrey Rush in “The King’s Speech.” Rush did a great job as King George VI’s speech therapist. “The Town,” about bank robbers, had twists, but was too violent. “The Fighter” was O.K., but watching boxers plummet each other, get injured, and bleed isn’t my idea of entertainment.

Best supporting actress: Helena Bonham Carter in “The King’s Speech.” Bonham Carter did a spirited job playing the Duchess of York and Queen Elizabeth. “True Grit” was a Western remake, with way too much violence. “Animal Kingdom,” about a criminal family in Australia,” was slow and full of senseless violence.

Costume design: “The King’s Speech.” “I Am Love” actually was a story about something besides killing. “Alice in Wonderland,” about the teenage Alice,” wasn’t for children with its excessive violence. I heard an interview with the director on NPR. He said his grade-school age children could handle the violence in the movie. Children shouldn’t be expected to mature enough steel themselves against violent “entertaining” assaults.

Animated feature film: No pick. I saw two of the three movies nominated, but I didn’t think either was a superior movie for children. “How to Train Your Dragon” wasn’t too bad, but again, a lot of violence for children. “Toy Story 3” was way too dark for young children.

Visual effects: “Inception.” About manipulating dreams and dreams within dreams, it was interesting, but filled with fighting, explosions, and killing. In addition, it had the added visuals of worlds of dreams tipping and collapsing. “Iron Man 2,” with lots of fighting, explosions, and killing, was a bit entertaining with Robert Downey Jr. as the self-centered head of Stark Industries. However, I don’t quite know what to think about the movie’s comment that Iron Man brought peace between the East and the West.

Original song: No pick. I saw three of the movies nominated in this category, but I wasn’t watching them to evaluate the music. “Tangled,” a typical Hollywood story for kids, had lots of fighting between the good guys and the bad guys.

Sound mixing: No pick. I think the sound in most movies is too loud. Also, I don’t like the way sound editing is done when more sound is added to things, such as footsteps, as was done in “I Am Love.” I watched “Salt” because it was nominated for this award. The overly violent movie was unrealistic with an extremely thin Angelina Jolie overtaking dozens of burly men.

Sound editing: No pick. I saw four of the movies nominated for sound editing, but wasn’t watching to see which one had the best sound. “Unstoppable” was a pretty good movie; plenty of action and drama, but not about people killing each other.

Adapted screenplay: Aaron Sorkin for “The Social Network.” I thought the writer was creative in thinking up a way nerdy computer scenes could be entertaining. I’m interested in finding about how much of it was true. I checked Wikipedia to find out after I saw the movie, then I had to laugh. Reading a site written by thousands of people, including those who have a vested interested in a topic, was an Internet age irony. “127 Hours” was gruesome, although it was about something that really happened.

Original screenplay: David Seidler for the “The King’s Speech.”

Hopefully, movies will improve in the next year as Hollywood realizes baby boomers are returning to the theaters and want to see something beside topics that appeal to teenage males.

Copyright 2011, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Photo fun: My photos appear in county voters’ pamphlet

To mark the 100th anniversary of women being granted the right to vote in Washington state, about 50 people marched in Olympia’s Lakefair Parade on July 17 dressed as suffragettes and enlightened men of the Golden West.

Some rode in antique cars provided by the Olympia Region of the Horseless Carriage Club of America.

I had a great time taking photos. I took about 650 photos of the participants before and during the parade.

It was nice to learn that my photos are appearing as artwork on the front and back covers of the Thurston County Voters’ Pamphlet and on page 13 where a summary of the struggle for suffrage is given. The pamphlet provides information on candidates and a school levy to county voters for the general election Nov. 2

To see my best photos, along with starbursts, go to “Community Celebrates ‘Voter for Women’ at Annual Parade.”

I love taking photos. It’s great when they turn out well and appear where a lot of people can see them.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Tattooing increases hepatitis C, other health risks

Youth, prison inmates, and individuals with multiple tattoos that cover large parts of their bodies are at higher risk of contracting hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases, according to a University of British Columbia study.

The researchers reviewed and analyzed 124 studies from 30 countries, including Canada, Iran, Italy, Brazil, and the United States, and found the cases of hepatitis C after tattooing is directly linked to the number of tattoos an individual receives.

Tattoos are increasing in popularity. In the U.S., an estimated 36 per cent of people under 30 have tattoos. More and more baby boomers are getting tattoos with about 20 percent of adults between the age of 40 and 64 reported having one or more tattoos.

During tattooing, the skin is punctured 80 to 150 times a second in order to inject color pigments.

"Since tattoo instruments come in contact with blood and bodily fluids, infections may be transmitted if instruments are used on more than one person without being sterilized or without proper hygiene techniques," says UBC researcher Dr. Siavash Jafari.

"Furthermore, tattoo dyes are not kept in sterile containers and may play a carrier role in transmitting infections," says Jafari. "Clients and the general public need to be educated on the risks associated with tattooing, and tattoo artists need to discuss harms with clients."

Other tattooing risks identified by the study include allergic reactions, HIV, hepatitis B, bacterial or fungal infections, and risks associated with tattoo removal.

The researchers are calling for infection-control guidelines for tattoo artists and consumers, and enforcement of these guidelines through inspections, reporting of adverse events, and record-keeping.

They also recommend prevention programs that focus on youth – the population who are most likely to get tattoos – and prisoners – who have a higher rate of hepatitis C – to lower the spread of hepatitis infection.

The chemical ingredients in tattoo dyes can include house paint, ink from computer printers, or industrial carbon. Toxic contents of some tattoo inks may be entering the kidney, lungs, and lymph nodes through the circulatory system. The study also revealed a new trend among youth to get tattooed with glow-in-the-dark ink, the risks of which aren’t yet known.

Thanks to ConsumerAffairs.com for a heads up on this article.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were your best and worst consumer experiences this week?

Which consumer happenings cheered you recently and which ones made you want to scream or weep?

Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:

My best: A visit to the Lowe Art Museum

 

My daughter took me to visit the Lowe Art Museum at the University of Miami for a birthday treat. I enjoyed it very much.

I liked these two paintings: Frank Stella's Le Neveu de Rameau, 1974, and Roy Litchtenstein's Modular Painting in Four Panels V, 1969.

The Myrna and Sheldon Palley Pavilion for Contemporary Glass and Studio Arts, with a $3.5 million glass collection featuring pieces by Dale Chihuly, Richard Jolley, William Carlson, and others, also was enjoyable.

My worst: A questionable transaction at CVS

I bought two gifts for $21.38 at CVS. The cashier may have short changed me $1.

I didn’t expect the cost to be more than $20. I pulled out the $20 bill then two, maybe three $1 bills. The cashier had my bills in a pile, and she placed one over to the side. I asked her what she was doing, and concluded she was putting the $20 in a separate place.

I was in a hurry and not paying close enough attention. When I thought it through after I left the store, it was too late to go back and try to figure out what she’d done.

Most cashiers these days don’t know how to count out change. They just look at what the machine says the change is and thrust it in your hand.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What were your best and worst consumer experiences this week?

Which consumer happenings cheered you recently and which ones made you want to scream or weep?

Here are my best and worst consumer experiences this week:

My best: A book on how to make paper airplanes

 

When I was at the Museum of Flight last week for the Washington Press Association’s awards luncheon, I stopped in the gift shop to look for a present for my grandchildren.

I saw a book I liked, "Kids’ Paper Air Plane Book" by Ken Blackburn and Jeff Lammers.

It was a big hit with my grandchildren, age 6. We started out with the Slice, Count, and Butterfly. The first two were the best fliers.

We enjoyed making and flying the airplanes in the book. It was a great, fun-filled activity for kids.

My worst: Getting my Linksys router to work again

Working with Linksys to reconfigure my router for Wi-Fi was frustrating.

First, it was irritating to find out that I’d have to pay $30 for technical support or $40 if I wanted to pay for six months of technical assistance or six sessions.

Second, the first technician who helped me was hard to understand at times. Then she disconnected me when she attempted to transfer me to the place where I was to leave my credit card number. Super, super frustrating.

Finally, the second technician on the third call was able to make the router function properly. At last.

Cisco certainly needs to do work to improve its customer service.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top 15 retirement cities for cultural events, opportunities

Photo/Courtesy of City of San Luis Obispo

Although only about a quarter of baby boomers want to move when they retire, one thing that those relocating are looking for are communities where cultural opportunities abound.

Here are Smithsonian magazine’s picks for intriguing places to live:

1. Portland, Ore.
2. Oakland, Calif.
3. San Luis Obispo, Calif.
4. Ogden, Utah
5. Sante Fe, N.M.
6. San Antonio, Texas
7. Ann Arbor, Mich.
8. St. Louis, Mo.
9. Lexington, Ky.
10. Gainesville, Fla.
11. Amherst, Maine
12. Wilmington, Del.
13. Washington, D.C.
14. Richmond, Va.
15. Raleigh, N.C.

Smithsonian magazine sought out cities or towns with their own distinctive character and charm, preferably with pleasant, close-in pedestrian neighborhoods; places where outdoor activities are within easy access; and most of all, places with rich cultural offerings, including museums, galleries, and symphonies.

Let the Smithsonian know what you think of their choices by clicking here.

Copyright 2010, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist