The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

How to take Halloween photos

Halloween offers the opportunity to capture a variety of images that are sure to please you and your family for years.

If you take the time to think through your photo opportunities, your chances of having terrific photos increase.

Here are 12 tips for Halloween photography:

1. Start early.

Snap photos of your children and grandchildren before they set off to trick or treat. They’ll be less rumpled and sticky. If kids wear a mask, take photos of them with the mask on and off so you can identify them in years to come.

2. Turn off the flash for pumpkin shots.

If your lighted pumpkin is on the doorstep in the dark, using the flash will wipe out the light from the candle. Put the ISO on 400 or 800, slow down the shutter speed, and use a tripod, if you have one, or rest the camera on a fence or chair so it doesn’t move. It’s safer to use battery-operated candles or a flashlight in your pumpkin.

3. Stagger a group of six or eight trick or treaters or partygoers.

Your photo will be more interesting if people aren’t lined up.

4. Take head and shoulder photos, too.

In addition to snapping the full body to get in the entire costume, remember to take photos of people’s head and shoulders. The faces and the smiles can be delightful or scary.

5. Try unusual angles.

A different angle, like shooting from down low can completely change a photo and make it unique.

6. Use natural light.

Try taking photos at twilight. This time of year, we experience a beautiful pinkish light at twilight. At dusk, you’ll get a spookier look.

7. Avoid flash reflections.

Don’t place your subjects in front of mirrors or windows.

8. Ask for action.

Have the child act out the costume, such as having your princess strike a royal pose.

9. Try lighting effects.

Use the light from the pumpkin or have someone shine a flashlight from the side onto a face for special effects.

10. Experiment with the night settings on your camera.

They adjust for low light by letting more light in. Press the shutter slowly, use a tripod, or use the self-timer so the camera doesn’t shake.

11. Convert photos to black and white or sepia.

This can add to the scary factor.

12. Take photos of the food and decorations.

If you have a Halloween party, remember to snap a few photos of the food and decorations.

For more information on Halloween photography, see “Halloween Photography Tips” on the Digital Photography School Web site.

Good luck with your Halloween photos. Let me know how they turned out.

Happy Halloween.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Tips for Halloween safety

Kids these days love Halloween. My grandchildren have been talking it about it for weeks, pouring over catalogs to get just the right costumes.

To make sure Halloween is safe for your children and grandchildren, help them choose a costume that is flame resistant, fits well, and is light enough to be seen clearly by motorists. Adding reflective tape will help with visibility.

If a mask is worn, it needs to fit well and not block vision. Consider applying face makeup instead of having the child wear a mask. If face paint is applied, only use paint that is intended for use on the skin.

Determine in advance where the children will trick or treat. Instruct them to not eat any candy or other treats before you have examined them carefully. Be sure to accompany small children.

Tips for adults are to be careful if candles are used in pumpkins or elsewhere. Also, adults should avoid wearing decorative contact lenses unless they have a prescription for them.

For Halloween safety, adults need to drive carefully through the community and designate a driver if they attend a party.

See my article “Halloween Safety Tips for Kids and Adults Can Save Injuries, Illness” for details.

My next post will be on "Facts and Figures on Halloween 2009."

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Did you know children can drown in toilets, buckets, and bathtubs?

 

After pools, more children drown in bathtubs than in any other product in and around the home.

For 2003 to 2005, the Consumer Product Safety Commission received reports of an average of 90 children younger than 5 years of age who drowned in bathtubs (62 percent), baby seats or bathinettes (15 percent), buckets and pails (11 percent), landscaping or yard products (6 percent), and other products (4 percent).

An annual average of 39 reports of non-fatal submersion incidents for 2005-2007 was reported for the same products.

The majority of drownings and non-fatal submersion incidents involved children younger than 2 years old.

Many of the reported incidents involved a lapse in supervision by caregivers, such as leaving the bathroom momentarily while the child was in the bathtub to answer the phone or door or to retrieve an item like a towel, reports the commission. In other incidents, an older sibling was left to watch a younger sibling.

"What parents need to know is that anywhere there is water, there is a potential drowning hazard to children," said Inez Tenenbaum, commission chairman, as part of the agency’s efforts to warn the public that the end of outdoor swimming and the pool season doesn’t mean the end of drowning dangers for young children. "Parents shouldn’t let their guard down; young children need constant supervision around bathtubs, bath seats, and buckets."

The commission recommends parents and caregivers follow these safety tips:

• Never leave young children alone, even for a moment, near any water. Young children can drown quickly in even small amounts of water.

• Always keep a young child within arm's reach in a bathtub. If you must leave, take the child with you.

• Don't leave a baby or toddler in a bathtub under the care of another young child.

• Never leave a bucket containing even a small amount of liquid unattended. Toddlers can fall headfirst into buckets and drown. After using a bucket, always empty and store it where young children can’t reach it. Don’t leave buckets outside where they can collect rainwater.

• Learn CPR or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It can be a lifesaver when seconds count.

See the commission’s

2008 Submersions Related to Non Pool and Non Spa Products for more information.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Do you remember kindergarten?

My twin grandchildren Cecilia and Rafa, age 5, started kindergarten a few weeks ago.

The school day for them begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. They have homework every school night. Their teacher says they’ll be reading by the end of the year.

I didn’t attend kindergarten. It wasn’t offered in the rural area where I lived at Orondo Elementary School.

My oldest daughter attended kindergarten at Garfield Elementary School in Olympia, Wash. The emphasis was on kids learning how to get along in the school environment and getting ready to learn to read in the First Grade.

However, the two kindergarten teachers had a special theory they practiced. They assessed the readiness of kindergarteners for first grade by a test that included having the student draw a picture of a person. If the child included a belly button on the person they drew, they were considered too immature for First Grade.

What do you remember about kindergarten if you attended? Was it all work and no play?

In kindergarten, the major goal is to help your child become comfortable in school, the article "Kindergarten: What Do They Learn?" on the Web site Family Education reports.

Students will learn to get along with others, follow rules, and some of the basic skills needed to read, write, and do math, the article says. They’ll:

• Recognize and form uppercase and lowercase letters of the alphabet.

• Match sounds to each alphabet letter.

• Recognize and use rhyming words.

• Begin reading words by using initial consonant sounds and such sound patterns as "an" as in fan, man, can and "at" as in sat, rat, pat.

• Recognize a few frequently used sight words such as: the, and, is.

• Capitalize the first and last name of a person and the word "I."

• Count, recognize, and write the numbers up to 20.

• Identify, draw, cut, and name squares, circles, triangles, ovals, diamonds, and rectangles.

• Classify and group objects according to such characteristics as shape, color, size, and texture.

• Understand how people in communities work together.

• Use their five senses to make simple scientific observations.

Are these types of experiences what you and your children and grandchildren learned in kindergarten? Or was the emphasis on learning to read by the end of the year?

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Secure furniture, TVs, and appliances to prevent tip-over injuries and deaths to children

Parents and grandparents need to take simple steps to make sure that furniture, television sets, and appliances are secured to prevent injuries and deaths when these items fall on children.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that in 2006, 16,300 children 5 years old and younger were treated in emergency rooms because of injuries associated with television, furniture, and appliance tip-overs. Between 2000 and 2006, the commission received reports of 134 tip-over related deaths.

In addition, there have been at least 30 media reports of tip-over deaths since January 2007 involving this same age group.

"Many parents are unaware of the deadly danger of this hidden hazard," said commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum in announcing the agency’s tip-over prevention campaign. "I urge parents to include securing televisions, furniture, and appliances in their childproofing efforts. Taking a few moments now can prevent a tip-over tragedy later."

"You may think your home is safe, but everyday things like a television can hurt your child," said Sylvia Santiago, of West Haven, Conn., who lost her two-year old daughter in 2008. "I was right there, and it happened."

Injuries and deaths occur when children climb onto, fall against, or pull themselves up on TV stands, shelves, bookcases, dressers, desks, chests, and appliances. In some cases, televisions placed on top of furniture tip over and cause a child to suffer traumatic and sometimes fatal injuries.

"The most devastating injuries that we see resulting from furniture tipping on children are injuries to the brain and when a child is trapped under a heavy piece of furniture and suffocates," said Gary Smith, MD, DrPH, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.

Recent revisions to the voluntary safety standards for clothes storage units provide for the inclusion of warning labels and additional hardware to secure the furniture to the floor or wall, reports the commission.

To help prevent tip-over hazards, the agency offers the following safety tips:

Furniture should be stable on its own. For added security, anchor chests or dressers, TV stands, bookcases, and entertainment units to the floor or attach them to a wall.

• Place TVs on a sturdy, low-rise base. Avoid flimsy shelves.

• Push the TV as far back as possible.

• Place electrical cords out of a child’s reach, and teach kids not to play with them.

• Keep remote controls and other attractive items off the TV stand so kids won’t be tempted to grab for them and risk knocking the television over.

• Make sure free-standing ranges and stoves are installed with anti-tip brackets.

Be sure to add these important steps to your childproofing efforts. It may take an hour or two and cost money for straps and brackets, but it’s worth it to prevent an injury or save a child’s life.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Were you reassured by President Obama’s press conference today on health care?

Health care reform is crucial to baby boomer consumers.

Baby boomers are one of the top groups that are having difficulty paying for health care, according to a recent study.

Like many Americans, I’m worried about what’s going to be adopted. Although I think the changes will be an improvement, I’m concerned that some detail may affect me negatively.

I was reassured by President Obama’s health care press conference today when he made these 10 points:

1. The status quo is going to cost us a lot of money in each coming year, if reforms aren’t adopted. Interest groups, who don’t want a change in their position, are saying the status quo works fine for them.

2. Everyone will be covered. Obama said that’s 97 percent to 98 percent of people because a few may not want coverage.

3. Money to pay for insuring everyone can come from eliminating waste in current health care programs.

4. Things don’t happen in the nation’s capital if deadlines aren’t set. Action is needed quickly because health care costs are eroding the spending power of American families. Obama said he receives letters every day from families asking for help because health care costs are driving them toward bankruptcy.

5. The changes to the health care system won’t increase the deficit. Obama said he inherited an enormous deficit of $9.3 trillion a year for 10 years, and that has been reduced to $7.1 trillion a year for the same time period. His administration hasn’t reduced the deficit as much as they’d like yet, he said, but reductions will continue to be made, such as elimination of funding for the F-22 fighter jet program.

6. The health care bill won’t be signed if it adds to the deficit, costs more, or isn’t workable.

7. Consumers will be asked to give up things that don’t make them healthier, such as duplicate tests when they see a different doctor or go to the hospital. “I want to change that,” Obama said. “Every American wants to change that.” The patient, doctors, and hospitals need to be more discriminating consumers, he said. “We can’t afford what we’re doing now.”

8. The government won’t deny medical coverage, if a public option is adopted. People will have a range of plans to choose from, and one of them will be the public option plan. If the public option can offer better care at a lower price, it will encourage private insurance companies to do better.

9. The changes being proposed will provide consumers with more security and stability. Consumers can keep their current insurance if they’re happy with it. New rules will prevent insurance companies from dropping coverage if consumers get too sick. If people lose their jobs, move, or change jobs, they’ll still be able to have coverage. It will limit the amount an insurance company can force consumers to pay for medical costs out of their own pockets. It will cover preventive care such as check-ups and mammograms that save lives and money.

10. No insurance company will be allowed to deny consumers coverage because of a pre-existing medical condition.

Are you less worried after listening to President Obama’s health care press conference? If so, why? If not, why not?

Leave me a comment below with your opinion.

Tomorrow, I’ll write about the MedPAC proposal, giving a panel of experts the authority to look at the evidence on which types of treatments work and which don’t. They’ll send a list of recommendations to Congress for approval.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top 10 baby boomer challenges

What are the top 10 difficulties baby boomers face today?

With the recession continuing, many boomers are stressed about money, jobs, and housing.

Here’s my take on the top 10 things worrying boomer consumers these days:

1. Setting a retirement date

With investment returns and housing prices down, many boomers are postponing retirement.

2. Keeping a job

Older workers are often the first to be laid off, so boomers have concerns about being able to remain in the workforce. Or, they’re unemployed and looking for work.

3. Declining health

As boomers get older, the chances of becoming ill – including developing a serious illness or having a heart attack – increase. 

4. Rising health care costs

Health care spending has risen about 2.4 percent faster than GDP since 1970. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services project that by 2018 health care spending will be more than $4.3 trillion or $13,100 per resident and account for 20.3 percent of GDP. Meanwhile, the quality of health care diminishes, including an increased risk of getting an infection when you go to the hospital.

5. Dwindling home values

In 2008, home sales prices fell an average of 9.5 percent, the largest annual decrease in 39 years.

6. Handling family relationships

Tough economic times make it more difficult to visit with adult children and their families who are spread across the country. Or, adult children may need to move back home due to job losses and financial setbacks. 

7. Increasing costs and the inability to pay off debts

Costs are continuing to rise while raises and promotions disappear, making it more difficult to pay off credit card debt.

8. Decreasing leisure activities

With money tight, the opportunity for vacations and health club memberships are reduced. 

9. Increasing stress levels

More demands at work, less time to spend with family and friends, and the intrigues of social networking make it difficult to find a time to relax.

10. Increasing declines in environmental quality

Although the Obama Administration has plans to turn around the environmental destruction of recent years, the sweeping changes needed aren’t yet in place.

Let me what’s of concern to you as a baby boomer. 

Tomorrow’s post will discuss “Top 10 Reasons for Baby Boomers to Be Optimistic.”

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Safety rules for children's toy, other consumer products delayed

It’s a disappointing decision for parents and grandparents wanting to buy safer toys after a troubling two-year period when millions of children’s products such as toys, clothing, and books were recalled.

Product safety regulations put aside

Testing and certification requirements for manufacturers and importers of products regulated by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission are being delayed for one year.

The requirements are part of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act passed by Congress last year.

However, starting tomorrow, other parts of the act are being implemented for total lead content for products for children 12 and under, phthalates limits for certain products, mandatory toy standards, and other requirements.

That means that toy manufacturers and importers will have to meet new standards set out in the act, but they won’t need to test or certify that they’ve done so.

The delay in requirements for testing and certification is confusing for parents and grandparents. On one hand, standards must be met. On the other hand, companies don’t have to do tests or certify that the standards are being met.

Why the commission delayed new requirements

The commission justified the one-year delay by saying it provides limited, temporary relief to the crafters, children's garment manufacturers, and toy makers who would have been subject to the testing and certification required under the act.

"However, all businesses, including… handmade toy and apparel makers, crafters, and home-based small businesses, must still be sure that their products conform to all safety standards and similar requirements, including the lead and phthalates provisions of the CPSIA," the agency said in a statement.

The commission said handmade garment makers should know whether the zippers, buttons, and other fasteners they’re using contain lead. Likewise, handmade toy manufacturers need to know whether their products, if using plastic or soft flexible vinyl, contain phthalates.

The one-year delay in enforcement on testing and certification does not address thrift and second-hand stores and small retailers because they’re not required to test and certify products under the act, the commission said. The products they sell, including those in inventory on February 10, 2009, must not contain more than 600 ppm lead in any accessible part.

Consumer organizations question decision

Consumer groups have expressed their concerns about the one-year delay in testing and certification.

David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch, is quoted on CNN Money.com as saying he thinks some businesses may not move quickly to comply with the new standards due to the confusion surrounding the commission’s decision.

Johanna Neumann, executive director of Maryland PIRG, said in a quote on ABC2News.com that the commission had six months to address concerns about the new legislation:

At its core, the CPSC’s decision benefits the big firms whose rampant, recurring violations of the old, weaker limits led to passage of the new law. In a nutshell, given the choice between protecting America’s littlest consumers and protecting the industry’s bottom line, the Consumer Product Safety Commission sided with industry.

For parents and grandparents seeking safer toys and children’s products, the commission’s delay of attempts by Congress to address toy safety is disappointing.

Note: The photos show jewelry sets recalled by the commission because some of the jewelry contains high levels of lead.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

What should grandparents do about toy safety until protections from new law are in place?

Last week, President Bush signed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.

The law will ban lead and phthalates in toys, require mandatory third-party testing of toys, strengthen standards for all terrain vehicles, and revamp the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Phthalates are chemicals added to plastics to make them flexible.

Since the law won't take effect for six months, parents and grandparents may not see safer toys on the market until 2009.

An exception: In a post, "In Search of Safe Toys," Seattle Post-Intelligencer consumer reporter Phuong Cat Le said Wal-Mart and Toys-R-Us have indicated they're planning to phase out phthalates in toys by the end of the year.

What should parents and grandparents to about unsafe toys until the new law takes effect?

Phuong's post advises soft, squeezable plastic teethers, rattles, and other toys should be disposed of. Buy replacements after the ban takes effect. Substitutes for teething rings can be cold, wet cloths or fabric teethers or having babies such on frozen celery stalks or frozen mini-bagels.

Her post also offers these Web sites and blogs for safe alternatives:

healthytoys.org

zrecs.blogspot.com

squidoo.com/saferbabytheethers

For details on the new law, see "Toy Safety Law: What's in It?"

Copyright 2008, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Visit science museum when you travel to South Florida

If you get a chance to take a trip to Florida, your kids or grandchildren would love a visit to the Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale.

On a recent vacation, I went with my daughter and 4-year-old grandchildren. We had a great time.

The museum offers more than 200 interactive exhibits. You'll see:

• A 11,000 square-foot nature trail with information about the Everglades.

• A space exhibit with a simulated trip to the Moon or Mars.

• The Discovery Center, designed for children under age 7.

• The largest living Atlantic coral reef in captivity.

• A frog exhibit with 15 live frog habitats and 12 interactive stations.

• Sharks.

• Bats.

• A 12-foot snake.

• Alligators.

• Turtles.

• Iguanas.

An IMAX film Theater also is available.

Copyright 2008, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist