The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Watch out for toxic, dangerous toys, consumer group warns

This holiday season, watch out for dangerous and toxic toys. WashPIRG Foundation’s 33rd annual "Trouble in Toyland" report found toxic amounts of boron in slime products and a failure by Amazon to appropriately label choking hazards. Boron can cause nausea, vomiting, and other health issues.

“No one should worry about whether or not the toy they’re buying is toxic or dangerous," said Elise Orlick, director of the WashPIRG Foundation. "But in 2018, we’re still finding hazards in some of the most popular toys. Toy manufacturers must do better to ensure their products are safe before they end up in children’s hands and mouths.” 

For more than 30 years, Trouble in Toyland has issued toy safety guidelines and has provided examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards to small children. Key findings from this year’s report include:

Baby boomers pondering the holidays, travel, and change

Thanksgiving has always been nice celebration for me and my family. However, in recent years, I’ve been thinking more and more about the criticisms of the holiday.

Meryl Baer of Six Decades and Counting sheds some light on Thanksgiving. Baer did research and discovered some historical facts not taught in school, at least not when she went to school. Her “A Thanksgiving Story for Adults” isn’t X-rated, but includes details that might shock kids and many adults, too.

Carol Cassara at A Healing Spirit reminds us it's not Thanksgiving yet, and it’s still early in the holiday season. Cassara offers a gift guide for the special people in your life.

Rebecca Olkowski with BabyBoomster.com has updated her holiday gift guide for 2018. Look and see what she recommends for fun gifts you can order online for family, friends, and colleagues. And if you’re looking for something tasty to make for Thanksgiving check out her "Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup" of family favorites.

Tom Sightings of Sightings Over 60 is visiting Charleston, South Carolina, billed as America's most historic city. Take a look at “Discovering the Lost Cause” for a glimpse of the city – and a look at what really went on in its gilded past.

Jennifer Koshak of Unfold And Begin reminds us we’ve all been through change. Some easy. Some hard. But imagine finding out that not only is your husband leaving you for his mistress but that he’s lost all of your money and is leaving you in massive debt. That's what happened to Lee Gaitan who is the most recent Starting Over interview on Koshak’s blog.

Laura Lee Carter of the Adventures of the New Old Farts suffered a close call this past summer with wildfires in southern Colorado. Carter shares her thoughts about those caught in California's recent firestorms, and those who simply don't understand how it feels.

This is the Best of Boomer Blogs #573. Click on the links and see what boomer bloggers have to say. And, be sure and join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Another mass killing: Let’s do something about responsible gun legislation

It’s been 10 days since I wrote about the last gun massacre. Eleven people were killed and six injured in a shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, a Pittsburgh neighborhood.

Now, it’s happened again. On Wednesday, 12 people, including a sheriff's sergeant, were killed at a bar in Thousand Oakes, California.

Ian David Long, 28, was dressed in black and wore a mask when he entered the Borderline Bar & Grill. Long threw smoke bombs and used a Glock 21 .45-caliber handgun, which had been modified with an extended magazine, law enforcement officials said.

What is it that people don’t get about 80,000 more people dying each decade under Trump’s policies?

Although the Democrats taking over the U.S. House of Representatives is a good step, I was appalled the Republican party increased its majority in the Senate and won governorships in Tuesday’s election.

It’s disgusting that Trump’s anti-immigrant propaganda is so overwhelming that the public doesn’t get it that he and his cronies are destroying the consumer, clean water, and clean air policies that protect us.

Each decade 80,000 extra people will die due to Trump’s environmental agenda, according to two Harvard researchers.

These extra deaths will affect us all – our husbands, our wives, our children, our babies, and our friends. It’s agonizing watching someone die from chemically induced cancer. My father, a farmer, died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is linked to pesticide exposure. It was horrible to watch him get more frail and die.

Best wishes on Election Day to us all

If you haven’t voted yet, be sure and do it. So much is at stake. Americans have the opportunity to tell a racist, sexist, anti-consumer, anti-environmental president that we don’t want his toxic policies any more.

I’m hoping for a Blue Wave. We must undo the harm that President Trump and his cronies are doing to the nation’s consumer and environmental laws. I’ve written article after article on this. Some examples of Trump’s terrible policies are:

• Allowing oil and gas companies to drill in the Arctic.
• Relaxing car pollution rules.
• Extending the life of dirty coal power plants.
• Weakening protection for student borrowers harmed by for-profit colleges.
• Allowing coal ash to be dumped into streams.
• Allowing association health plans that have a history of offering inadequate coverage, even scams.
• Weakening of chemical and pesticide regulations.

See the Brookings Deregulatory Tracker for more information on the Trump administrations deregulatory program.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Baby boomers deal with life in today’s world

 

The midterm elections are Tuesday and some of our baby boomer writers are getting excited about the outcome. America could be on the cusp of political change. It all depends on who comes out to vote.

This week, boomer bloggers are writing about:

• A 50^th high school reunion.

• A family’s immigrant past.

• Bullet journals.

• The child-like part of us.

• The deferred credit card trick.

• How Congress is out of step with the rest of us.

Rebecca Forstadt-Olkowski of BabyBoomster is the host for this week’s Best of Boomer Blog 571. Click here to get links to this week’s boomer articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Marion Nestle investigates food industry sponsored research in her latest book

Every time I hear about how research shows a food, such as coffee, is good for you, I wonder who paid for the research.

Marion Nestle, consumer activist, nutritionist, and professor, looks at research paid for by food companies in a new book.

In “Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat,” Nestle reveals how millions of dollars flow from corporations and trade groups to research laboratories at colleges and universities, distorting how consumers think about food and health. The ultimate goal of this research is to promote sales of their products.

Happy Halloween

Americans will spend $9 billion on Halloween this year. Seven in 10 consumers plan to celebrate, and they’ll spend an average of nearly $90 per person.

If you’re looking for ways to get rid of too much Halloween candy, see “Leftover Halloween Candy: What to Do With It” for suggestions, such as dole it out or donate it to a food bank

Another idea is to donate it to a dentist participating in a Halloween Candy Buy Back program. It reduces the amount of candy kids will eat after Halloween to help prevent cavities. The candy is sent members of the U.S. military.

Happy Halloween. I hope you have a fantastic celebration.

Copyright 2018, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Facts and figures for Halloween 2018

 

Are you ready for Halloween? It’s rainy here in the Seattle area. One suggestion for keeping kids dry is to find see-through plastic bags to keep rain out, but yet let the costumes be seen.

Halloween spending

Halloween spending for 2018 is expected to reach $9 billion, the second highest seen post-recession. Seven in 10 consumers plan to celebrate this year, and they’ll spend an average of nearly $90 per person, according to a survey conducted for the National Retail Federation.

This year, kids are planning to dress as their favorite princess – back in the No. 1 spot – or super hero, while pets will be donning pumpkin, hotdog, or bumble bee costumes. Adults are sticking with the traditional spookiness of Halloween, dressing as witches, vampires, and zombies.

About nine in 10 consumers will buy candy, while others will spend their Halloween budgets on decorations, seven in 10, and greeting cards, four in 10.

Halloween facts

Here are facts and figures from the U.S. Census Bureau on Halloween this year:

Top Halloween costumes for 2018

Will you be dressing up for Halloween this year like nearly 70 percent of Americans?

Here’s a list of the most popular costumes for 2918 from the National Retail Federation:

Kids

1. Princess
2. Superhero
3. Batman
4. Star Wars character
5. Witch
6. Spider Man
7. Avengers character including Spider Man
8. Ghost
9. Pirate
10. Frozen – Else, Anna