The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Top 10 worst toys of 2009

W.A.T.C.H., World Against Toys Causing Harm, has announced its 2009 10 Worst Toys list. It includes:

1. Disney-Pixar Wall-E Foam Rocket Launcher
2. Moon Board Pogo Board
3. Curious Baby Curious George Counting – My First Book of Numbers
4. The Dark Knight Batman Figure
5. X-Men Origins Slashin' Action Wolverine
6. Lots to Love Babies – “Mini Nursery”
7. Just Kidz Junior Musical Instruments
8. Cat “Rugged Mini”
9. Pucci Pups Maltese
10. Spy Gear Viper-Blaster

See “2009 '10 Worst Toys’ List” for details on why these toys were selected and what W.A.T.C.H. thinks needs to be done to improve toy safety.

W.A.T.C.H. is a Massachusetts nonprofit corporation founded by Edward M. Swartz, a trial lawyer and child safety advocate. W.A.T.C.H. has been issuing its worst toy list since 1973.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Happy Thanksgiving to you

 

Best wishes to you and your loved ones on Thanksgiving Day, if you celebrate this holiday. I hope that your Thanksgiving holiday is filled with fun and joy and many memories to cherish.

 

On Thanksgiving Day, many people give thanks for life’s treasures. I’m thankful for a loving family and good health. I also have a nice, warm home and enough food to eat. In addition, I'm thankful for being able to blog and be a consumer writer. I receive abundant amounts of joy in sharing information with baby boomer consumers.

 

If you’re feeling down during this holiday season or if you’re missing someone special, see the articles “10 Steps to Surviving the Holidays” and “How to Avoid Holiday Depression.”

 

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Watch your wallet on Black Friday and Cyber Monday

"Black Friday is soooo close. It’s my favorite holiday!!!"

"Debating whether or not to enjoy Black Friday shopping. Nothing really needed, just enjoy the thrill of the hunt."

"Old Navy started their Black Friday sales this morning [Tuesday]!"

That’s what three consumers writing on Twitter said about Black Friday, the big shopping day after Thanksgiving that got its name because it was the day that retailers started making money after being in the "red."

Black Friday, Saturday, and Sunday will attract up to 134 million shoppers this year, up from 128 million last year. According to the National Retail Federation, 57 million people say they will definitely hit the stores while another 77 million are waiting to see what retailers are planning before heading out the door.

Cyber Monday is a term coined by Shop.org in 2005, when retailers noticed a large increase of people shopping online on the Monday after Thanksgiving.

But don’t be stampeded into spending a lot of money this weekend or on Cyber Monday just because of all the news in the media about Black Friday and "how important it is to give the economy a much-needed boost."

The article "Dirty Secrets of Black Friday" describes these problems shoppers may run into on the big shopping day:

• Limited quantities.

• Derivatives offered, models that have a few less features than a standard model in that product line.

• No information on what Black Friday sales are offered online.

• Online deals that don’t get shipped.

• Rain checks that don’t result in the cheap Black Friday deal.

Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, urges consumers to not get wound up in the hype about Black Friday:

So let me get this straight. One year after the financial sector took our economy to the brink of collapse, we’re rooting for Wall Street’s success, which depends on the willingness of consumers to spend as much as they can – most likely more than they can afford, since that’s how the financial sector makes its money– during the worst economy in 26 years and while 10.2 percent are unemployed? Sounds like some seriously misplaced priorities.

So make a plan for your holiday gift giving and spend only what you can afford. It will reduce your holiday stress and make for a happier new year.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Giving to others on Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is a time of love and joy, when we gather with family and friends to give thanks for our many blessings.

Although you may be busy with holiday preparations and money is tight for most of us, it’s a good time to remember, for those who are able, those who are less fortunate.

Here are some ideas for giving to others on Thanksgiving:

• Donate a Thanksgiving meal or food items to your local food bank.

• Visit older relatives or friends who are in nursing homes. If your relatives are far away, call a local nursing home and ask about residents who would be cheered by visitors.

• Make a donation to your local women’s shelter.

• Find out if you have any farms nearby that have community supported agriculture programs and join one. Consumers buy shares in the farm and in return receive boxes of produce during the growing season.

• Volunteer at a Thanksgiving dinner for the homeless and others in need in your community.

• Volunteer your time and vehicle to deliver meals or to drive people to community Thanksgiving dinners.

• Donate items or money to second-hand stores.

• Do research and find out ways you can help Native Americans in need.

• Organize a fund-raising effort at work to help those in need on Thanksgiving or donate if a program or project already is in place.

• Invite extra guests to your Thanksgiving dinner, people who are alone or neighbors who may have lost their jobs.

• Be sure to check out any organization you’re considering donating to at the Better Business Bureau Web site and the agency in your state that registers charities.

Have a joyous Thanksgiving Day and holiday.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Thanksgiving 2009: Facts and figures

Thanksgiving became a national holiday in 1863 when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November as a national day of thanksgiving.

What’s happening in American on Thanksgiving 2009? Here's a rundown on the numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau.

117 million

Number of households across the nation – all potential gathering places for people to celebrate the holiday.

250 million

An estimate of turkeys raised in the U.S. in 2009. That’s down 8 percent from 2008. The turkeys produced in 2008 weighed 7.9 billion pounds and were valued at $4.5 billion.

Food

45.5 million

An estimate of turkeys Minnesota expected to raise in 2009. The top turkey state is followed by North Carolina – 37.5 million; Arkansas – 28 million; Missouri – 21 million; Virginia – 16.4 million; and California – 15 million. The six states account for about two-thirds of U.S. turkeys produced in 2009.

709 million pounds

The forecast for U.S. cranberry production in 2009. Wisconsin is expected to lead all states with 400 million pounds, followed by Massachusetts with 190 million. New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington are also will be large producers, growing from 16 million to 54 million pounds.

1.8 billion pounds

The total weight of sweet potatoes produced in 2008 by major states that grow them. North Carolina, with 874 million pounds, produced the most sweet potatoes followed by California with 437 million pounds and Mississippi with 335 million pounds.

1.1 billion pounds

Total production of pumpkins produced in the major pumpkin-producing states in 2008. Illinois led the country with 496 million pounds. California, Pennsylvania, and New York each produced at least 100 million pounds. The value of all pumpkins grown by major pumpkin-producing states was $141 million.

794,777 tons

The 2008 production of snap green beans in the major states that grow them. Of this total, Wisconsin led all states with 320,200 tons.

The turkey industry

$3.8 billion

Forecast 2009 receipts to farmers from turkey sales.

Price

$1.33

Retail cost per pound of a frozen whole turkey in December 2008.

Places with Thanksgiving names

Three

Number of places in the U.S. named after the holiday’s traditional main course. Turkey, Texas, was the most populous in 2008, with 456 residents, followed by Turkey Creek, La. – 361 – and Turkey, N.C. – 272. There are also nine townships around the country named Turkey, three in Kansas.

Five

Number of places and townships in the U.S. that are named Cranberry or some spelling variation of the berry (for example, Cranbury, N.J.). Cranberry township in Butler County, Pa., was the most populous of these places in 2008, with 27,194 residents. Cranberry township in Venango County, Pa., was next with a population of 6,795.

28

Number of places in the U.S. named Plymouth, as in Plymouth Rock, the landing site of the first Pilgrims. Plymouth, Minn., is the most populous, with 71,486 residents in 2008; Plymouth, Mass., had 55,705. Just one township in the U.S. is named "Pilgrim." Located in Dade County, Mo., its population was 128 in 2008. The population of Mayflower, Ark., was 2,231 in 2008.

Whatever your Thanksgiving traditions, I hope you have a day of love, peace, and joy.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Top 10 Thanksgiving Tips

Need help to figure out how to have the best Thanksgiving celebration ever?

Here are 10 ideas to help you.

1. Tasty recipes

Try some exciting new recipes. Some ideas are Herb-Roasted Turkey with Cider Baste; Turkey Cutlets with Spinach, Crab, and Asiago Cheese Sauce; Roasted Diced Yams With Smoked Paprika; and Pumpkin Cake With Snow Glaze and Spiced Vanilla. Read the recipe two or three times to understand it before preparation or practice the recipe a week before Thanksgiving.

2. Harvest table decorations

Use small white pumpkins, a candle placed atop a pumpkin and surrounded with flowers, or harvest vegetables for centerpieces.

3. Delicious, inexpensive wines

Select one of the wines from this list of recommendations to complement your Thanksgiving dinner.

4. Turkey thawing

Use FoodSafety.gov to figure out how long it will take a frozen turkey to thaw. For example, a 12- to 16-pound turkey will thaw in three to four days in the refrigerator.

5. Pie storage

Refrigerate pies made with eggs, including pecan, after you’ve cooled them quickly and after you serve pieces. Fruit pies can be covered and stored on the counter for up to two days, but for best quality refrigerate, especially in a warm climate.

6. Activities for kids

Check out this list of Web sites to pick out activities for your children to help keep them occupied during the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Thanksgiving. Also think through jobs that you can give them to help with holiday preparations.

7. Stress reduction

Stay calm by planning ahead, meditating, being flexible, and asking people to help.

8. A green Thanksgiving

Think green by simplifying the day, using candles, serving locally grown food, and offering organic beverages.

9. Road trip savings

Save money if you’re traveling by properly inflating your tires, driving at or under 60 milers per hour, using public transportation, or renting a fuel-efficient vehicle.

10. Thanksgiving vacations

Take a vacation during the Thanksgiving holiday and visit your family at another time of the year.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

A Veterans Day 2009 look at what veterans need

America has 23.2 million veterans. About 10.9 million of them are baby boomers.

On this day that we stop to remember the contributions of our service men and women, what’s being said about veterans and their needs on Veterans Day?

President Barack Obama said that there have been times in the past when America didn’t stand by its veterans. Obama pledged that this wouldn’t happen again:

That is my message to all veterans today. That is my message to all who serve in harm's way. To the husbands and wives back home doing the parenting of two. To the parents who watch their sons and daughters go off to war, and the children who wonder when mom and dad is coming home. To all our wounded warriors, and to the families who laid a loved one to rest. America will not let you down. We will take care of our own.

And to those who are serving in far-flung places today, when your tour ends, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you will be home in an America that is forever here for you just as you've been there for us. That is my promise – our nation's promise – to you.

Veterans for Common Sense, a veterans’ advocacy organization, said that today’s observance offers the opportunity to raise awareness about the mental health needs of service members, veterans, and families:

Of the two million U.S. service members deployed to the two war zones since 2001, researchers at Stanford University estimated 500,000 or more Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans are likely to return home with mental health conditions such as post traumatic stress disorder…

As more and more service members deploy to war and redeploy home, the scope of the health care crisis among our veterans continues to worsen…

Our list of concerns included the need for more military mental health care providers, the need for universal, mandatory medical exams before and after going to war, and the need for a stronger anti-stigma message to encourage our soldiers and veterans to seek care.

An article in the Christian Science Monitor, “Veterans Day Highlights New Efforts to Help Homeless Vets,” said veterans have a high rate of homelessness:

An estimated 131,000 former members of the armed services are homeless – with vets twice as likely as non-vets to be out on the streets. With high unemployment a nationwide problem, vets face higher-than-average jobless rates as well.

New initiatives by President Obama, by Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki and by members of Congress focus on improving living standards for veterans.

On Veterans Day and throughout the year, we need to think through and take action on ways the federal government, local and state governments, veterans groups, community groups, foundations, religious organizations, educational institutions, businesses, nonprofit organizations, and Americans citizens can improve the lives veterans.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist 

Leftover Halloween candy: What to do with it

Several people have asked me what to do about candy that didn’t get handed out at Halloween.

Here are my suggestions:

Return it to the store. If you have an unopened bag of candy and the receipt, most grocery stores will refund your money, if you return Halloween candy promptly.

Throw it out and make crafts with the wrappers. You and your family don’t need empty calories but more nutritious foods. See www.marthastewart.com/ for craft ideas.

Give it to a food bank. Low-income people don’t need empty calories either, but it might be better to have a few little candy bar bits than go hungry. Many food banks are short of food donations during the Great Recession.

Donate it. You may be able to find a doctor’s office, nursing home, or homeless shelter that will take it. Or find a dentist who is participating in Halloween Candy Buy Back program, which buys candy for $1 a pound and sends it to servicemen overseas.

Stash it and dole it out to the kids for treats. My daughter does this for her twins, now 5½. It works well. They eat surprise treats, a few a day, for a couple of months after Halloween.

Take it to work or send it with another family member to his or her workplace. At work, you usually can get rid of any type of leftover food.
 
Make cookies. You can create cookies with peanut butter cups, bake Baby Ruth Cookies, make s’mores, or put bits of chocolate bars in your favorite chocolate-ship cookie recipe.

Make other dishes. You can create biscuits filled with tootsie rolls, a Peanut Butter Crunch Milkshake, Snickers Smoothies, Hot Chocolate Peanut Butter Toast, Poached Pears With Chocolate Peanut Caramel Sauce, or Eggs on a Snowy Log.

Use it for art projects. You can make a make a mosaic with hard candy. Use stiff icing to stick the candies in.

Create decorations for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Make a piñata for Thanksgiving or an Advent Calendar for Christmas.

Store it and use it later or next Halloween. The National Confectioners Association’s “How to Store Halloween Candy” offers the following information on candy storage:

Chocolate. Dark chocolate can be kept for one to two years if wrapped in foil and stored in a cool, dark, and dry place. Milk and white chocolate have a more limited storage time – no more than eight to 10 months.

Hard candy such as lollipops, hard mints, and butterscotches. Hard candies can last up to a year when stored at room temperature in a cool, dry location.

Soft candies such as gum drops and jellied candies. If the packaging has been opened, soft candies should be covered away from heat and light at room temperature. Stored in this manner, the candy should last six to nine months. If the packaging hasn’t been opened, soft sweets will last about 12 months.

Candy corn. If opened, candy corn should be stored under the same conditions as soft candies and will last about three to six months. Unopened, packages will last about nine months.

Good luck utilizing your stash of Halloween candy. Let me know your disposal method.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Flickr photo by Matt McGee

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

Recall of the Week: Halloween flashlights sold at Target recalled due to burn hazard

About 610,000 flashlights sold at Target are being recalled because the flashlights can overheat and melt, posing a burn hazard to consumers, reports the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Manufactured by DGI LLC, of Warren, N.J., and Tien Hsing, of Wanchai, Hong Kong and imported by Target, of Minneapolis, Minn., the flashlights have been the subject of eight reports of overheating and melting, including one report of burns to the hand.

The recall involves two types of Halloween-themed flashlights: the mini flashlights and flashlights sold with stencils.

Mini Flashlights – The mini flashlights have a key ring extending from the bottom and were sold in a pack of three colors: orange, green, and black. The orange and purple packaging has “Mini Flashlights (3 Pack)” printed on the front and “DGI,” “Made in China,” and “DPCI# 234-02-1813” printed on the back.

Standard Size Flashlights – Also included in the recall are standard-sized flashlights with a black handle and an orange top. The flashlights were sold with six stencils in various colors and images: a pumpkin, ghost, spider, cat, witch, and skull & cross-bones. “Flashlight with Stencil” is printed on the front and “Tien Hsing,” “Made in China,” and ”234 02 1838” is printed on the back of the packaging.

The flashlights were sold exclusively at Target stores nationwide from August 2009 through September 2009 for $1 for the mini flashlights and $2.50 for the flashlights with stencils.

Consumer should immediately stop using the flashlights and return the product to any Target store for a full refund, advises the commission.

For additional information, contact Target at 800-440-0680 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.target.com.

Copyright 2009, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist