The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Baby boomer bloggers write about aging, men, finances, pets, and food

Laura Lee Carter of the Adventures of the New Old Farts is the host for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs #453.

Carter, who’s been posting photos of snow in the past few weeks where she lives in Southern Colorado, reports wildflowers are finally “taking off” at last.

Other boomer bloggers are writing about tips for traveling with your dog this summer, why men no longer dominate in the workplace and leadership roles, how old it makes you feel when you see a class called “The 1960s: Life a Half Century Ago,” a proposal to regulate payday loans, and voluntary guidelines for the food industry to reduce the amount of salt in processed food.

Click on the second link above to read about these topics. And, be sure to join in the conversations.

Copyright 2016, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: Top Fin power filters for aquariums due to shock hazard

United Pet Group is recalling about 155,000 Top Fin power filters for aquariums in the United States and about 3,300 in Canada.

A conductor on the pump motor can become exposed and electrify the aquarium water, posing a shock hazard to consumers, the company and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

No incidents or injuries have been reported.

Super Bowl ads still violent this year, but less sexist and ageist

In the past, I’ve been critical of violent, ageist, and sexist Super Bowl ads, for example, Betty White being slammed to the ground in a Snickers ad several years ago.

This year, the ads about companies and their products were less violent. However, there were so many ads for violent movies and TV programs, the 50^th Super Bowl, along with the brutality of the game, had an overpoweringly violent tone.

The ads seemed less sexist and ageist, a good thing. However, I didn’t like the Audi ad in which a depressed old man, apparently a former astronaut, gets to drive a new car and has flashbacks of going into space. I think older adults need to be portrayed in a more positive way.

Facts and figures for Halloween this year

More than 157 million Americans plan to celebrate Halloween this year.

The average person celebrating will spend $74.34, compared with $77.52 last year, according to the National Retail Federation’s Halloween Consumer Spending Survey. Total spending on Halloween is expected to reach $6.9 billion.

Consumers celebrating Halloween plan to spend an average of $27.33 on costumes for the whole family, and a total of $2.5 billion on store-bought, homemade, large, and small costumes.

Baby boomer bloggers focus on travel, writing, pets, and health

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting is the host of this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs #422.

Baer introduces Sally Wessely, new member of our group, who writes a blog called Retired English Teacher. Wessely, in her first offering, reports on her thoughts on blogging in retirement.

Other boomer bloggers write about how people continue to dress for the rest of their lives like they did in their thirties, the difficulties packing a suitcase for a trip, a writing get together with other bloggers, a new cat in a home that has a dog, and cancer rate increases in children who live in homes that use insecticides.

Check out our bloggers, leave a comment, have a great week, and enjoy the beautiful fall weather. It won’t last long – Vermont experienced its first snowfall this weekend.

Copyright 2015, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: PetSmart Top Fin aquarium heaters due to fire or electrical shock hazard

PetSmart Inc. is recalling about 112,200 Top Fin plastic aquarium heaters in the United States and about 4,800 in Canada.

About 33,000 heaters were previously recalled in August 2014.

An electrical problem with the aquarium heaters poses a risk of fire or electrical shock to the consumer, the company and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

The firm has received 13 reports of incidents, including four reports of minor shock, seven reports of the water tanks overheating, and one report of property damage from an electrical shortage resulting in fire.

This recall involves all 50-, 100-, 150-, 200-, and 250-watt Top Fin brand plastic aquarium heaters sold between August 2014 and April 2015 with model numbers: HT50, HT100, HT150, HT200, or HT250.

Tips for making Thanksgiving a happy holiday for your pets

 

Thanksgiving can be stressful for humans, but sometimes people don’t realize it can be challenging also for their pets.

The Seattle Animal Shelter offers holiday tips to help you make Thanksgiving a safe one for the pets in your family.

“Holidays are stressful enough,” said Mary Ellen Zoulas, D.V.M., medical director of the Spay and Neuter Clinic at the shelter. “The last thing you want to deal with after a long day of cooking, entertaining, and cleaning is a cat or dog that is sick from stress or overeating.”

FDA issues guidance on nanotechnology, but consumer groups say it fails to protect consumers

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued three final guidances and one draft guidance Tuesday that the agency said would provide greater regulatory clarity for industry on the use of nanotechnology in FDA-regulated products.

One final guidance addresses the agency’s overall approach for all products that it regulates, while two additional final guidances cover foods and cosmetics. One new draft guidance addresses food for animals. 

But two of the consumer groups that sued the FDA in 2012 over its lack of regulation of nanomaterials said that the new FDA guidances won’t protect consumers. The lawsuit asked that: (1) nanomaterials be tested for safety before they’re used in food and cosmetics, (2) products containing nanomaterials be labeled, and (3) products containing nanomaterial be recalled until the new technology is proven to be safe.

"These are mere guidances from FDA and do not offer the substantial regulation we are seeking to ensure nanomaterials are managed safely and transparently,” Kate Colwell, spokeswoman for Friends of the Earth, said.

Baby boomer bloggers offer advice on aging well

Tom Sightings of Sightings From Sixty is the host for this week’s Best of Boomer Blogs #342.

In “It’s Snowing Advice,” Sightings describes what boomer bloggers have to say about getting older, something everyone – including a baby boomer – does.

Martin Rice of fifty2ninety.com is a language lover, and as such, simply can’t stand euphemisms such as “Male Menopause.”

Karen D. Austin at The Generation Above Me offers a window into Joseph Campbell and the power of myth with a discussion of the phrase "follow your bliss."

Amy Blitchok of Modern Senior asks whether new mobility technology is trying to reinvent the wheel with her article “Is a Smart Walker a Smart Idea or Technology Overkill?”

Sitings went to a fundraiser over the weekend for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, and learned that Guiding Eyes has expanded its mission to include providing companion dogs for children with autism.

On my blog, I write about whether consumers should use their credit cards less due to security issues after the massive Target hacking, and 10 top tips for reducing the chemicals used in the home to improve health.

Be sure to take a look at this snowstorm of advice for boomers. And, tune in again next week to see what boomer bloggers are writing about.

Copyright 2014, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

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Travel, emergencies, and midlife challenges are the topics for this week's Best of Boomer Blogs

Baby boomer bloggers offer tips on how to live better

Baby boomer bloggers take a look at 2014

Health and the holidays are grabbing the attention of baby boomer bloggers

Hot weather warning: Don’t leave children, seniors, or pets in hot car

When I was reading The Washington Post this evening, I came across that dreaded headline: “Baby Boy Dies After Being Left in Car.”

Kids and Cars.org says an average of 38 children die in hot cars each year after being trapped inside.

What sometimes happens is that an adult who isn’t the one who usually takes the child to day care gets the assignment, then forgets the child is in the back seat of the car.

Here are tips from Kids and Cars to avoid a hot day tragedy in your family:

• Put something you’ll need such as your cell phone, handbag, employee identification, or brief case on the floor in the back seat.

• Get in the habit of always opening the back door of your vehicle every time you reach your destination to make sure no child has been left behind.

• Keep a large stuffed animal in the child’s car seat when it’s not occupied. When the child is placed in the seat, put the stuffed animal in the front passenger seat. It’s a visual reminder that anytime the stuffed animal is up front you know the child is in the back seat in the child safety seat.

• Make arrangements with your child’s day care center or babysitter that you’ll always call if your child won’t be there on a day as scheduled.

• If you see a child alone in a vehicle, get involved. If they’re hot or seem sick, get them out as quickly as possible. Call 911 immediately.

The child reported on in Friday’s article was an 8-month-old boy, who was apparently left in his mother’s car while she was at work in Arlington, Va.

Copyright 2013, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist