The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Strawberries, spinach, and kale top this year’s Dirty Dozen list for pesticide residue, but raisins are worse

Nearly 70 percent of the fresh produce sold in the United States contains residues of potentially harmful chemical pesticides, according to the Environmental Working Group’s 2020 Dirty Dozen. This year’s Dirty Dozen are:

1. Strawberries
2. Spinach
3. Kale
4. Nectarines
5. Apples
6. Grapes
7. Peaches
8. Cherries
9. Pears
10. Tomatoes
11. Celery
12. Potatoes

What’s in a name? The most popular names for girls and boys for 2020

Lannie or Fairley for boys or Judith or Sharron for girls? No, those aren’t names for 2020. Those names were popular names from the 1940s.

Names.org, a website all about names, has released predictions for the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020. New entries in the top 10 for boys this year are Henry and Alexander, while Mila made the top 10 list for girls.

The rankings were determined by analyzing the most recent data from the Social Security Administration, trends from the past five years, and current user interest from millions of visitors to the Names.org website.

Here are the Top 10 Girl Names for 2020

KULLEN 3-drawer chests recalled by IKEA due to tip-over and entrapment hazards

IKEA is recalling about 820,000 KULLEN 3-drawer chest in the United States and about 150,000 in Canada.

The recalled chest is unstable if it isn’t anchored to the wall, posing tip-over and entrapment hazards that could result in death or serious injuries to children. In addition, KULLEN 3-drawer chests imported after August 12, 2019, don’t comply with the performance requirements of the updated version of the U.S. consensus standard ASTM 2057-19.

IKEA has received six reports of tip-over incidents involving KULLEN 3-drawer chests that weren’t anchored to the wall, including one report involving a minor cut and one report involving minor cuts and bruises.

What you need to do to get ready for a possible COVID-19 outbreak in your community

It was helpful Tuesday when a federal official advised Americans to prepare for a possible coronavirus outbreak where they live.

“It’s not so much of a question of if this will happen anymore but rather more of a question of exactly when this will happen,” Nancy Messonnier, M.D., director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a New York Times article.

Messonnier said that cities and towns should plan for “social distancing measures,” such as dividing school classes into smaller groups of students or closing schools. Meetings and conferences may have to be canceled, she said. Businesses should arrange for employees to work from home.

What do you need to do to be prepared? One federal official said to get ready in your home like it was a snow storm or hurricane. Recommendations include:

Baby boomers write about family issues, finances, and candy

Last week, I spent days looking through my photo collections for photos for a funeral. It was a huge, huge trip down memory lane. Marriages, kids, divorces, travel, deaths, and more. I feel like I’ve been through an emotional wringer. However, through it all, I had an additional realization, again, that I need to work on getting my photos better organized.

I have 50 notebooks full of photos, and I have about that many more that need to be put in archival sleeves. Also, I could take more photos out of my digital chronological files and put them in the named files so I could have them handy to use.

Anyway, above is one of the photos I found, which is now properly identified.

Meanwhile, my baby boomer blogger friends are busy, too, continuing to write great articles. Topics for this issue of the Best of Boomer Blogs are:

An accessory incline sleeper included with baby beds is being recalled by Kolcraft due to the risk of suffocation

Kolcraft is recalling about 51,000 inclined sleeper accessories included with its cuddle ‘n care 2-in-1 bassinet and preferred position 2-in-1 bassinet.

Infant fatalities have been reported with other manufacturers’ inclined sleep products, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side, or under other circumstances.

No incidents or injuries have been reported with the two recalled products.

Boomers boggers write about tough issues, travel, and dining

Sometime it takes strength to be human. As we brave the cold weather and wait for spring, baby boomer bloggers are writing about difficult topics. They include:

• The loss of a partner of 15 years due to cancer.
• The skyrocketing rate of suicide for children.
• What to do if you’re traveling during the current coronavirus outbreak.

Topics on the lighter side include:

• A tour of the aquarium in Charleston, South Carolina.
• A trip north to help with the grandkids in Vermont.
• The eight most challenging things about restaurants.

Laurie Stone of Musings, Rants & Scribbles writes about these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #636. Click here to get the links to the articles. And, be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers appreciate getting your comments.

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Academy Award nominated movies for 2019 still largely violent

It makes me so happy when the Academy Awards are over. Then, I can stop watching violent movies.

So this year, although there were some great movies, the majority still were overly violent and largely male oriented.

Here are my picks for the best movies made in 2019:

Best picture

I liked “1917” best, a tale of two British World War I soldiers sent on a critical, stressful mission. Although it was violent, it was about a war. It wasn’t gratuitous violence. I thought it was a well written, engaging story.

I also liked “Marriage Story.” The writing was good, and it was about something that happens to ordinary people, a bitter divorce, although the two main characters were an actor and a director.

“Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood” didn’t catch my fancy. Spoiler alert. About an egotistical actor and his stunt man side kick, it ends up with a different twist about the Charles Manson murders. To me, it didn’t seem like an important “story” to tell.

As for “Little Women,” I’ve never liked the story. Having grown up with two sisters, I don’t find the story of sibling rivalry among sisters that engaging. However, I did enjoy the costuming with 2020 being the 100^th anniversary of women’s suffrage and revisiting an era when suffrage leaders were doing their work.

“Ford v. Ferrari” was very good, but “1917” was better. However, it was another buddy movie like “Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood.” It was discouraging to see the leaders of Ford Motor Co., in the 1960s, all white men. Not a woman or minority in sight. Not even as a secretary.

When I watched “Parasite,” I was glad when it was over. It’s a dark comedy set in Korea in which members of an unemployed family target a wealthy household. I was extremely anxious that the poor family would get caught, but disgusted at the rich family, some who could tell the smell of poor people who rode the subway.

I didn’t like “Jojo Rabbit,” a Hitler youth comedy, at all. With the rise of Nazism around the world, even in the United States, I don’t think a 10-year-old brown shirt having Hitler as an imaginary friend is funny.

I didn’t see “Joker” by choice. I just couldn’t stand the idea of watching the development of a psychopathic killer, who I’d seen in terrible, awful Batman movies.

I also didn’t see “The Irishman.”

Four additional companies are recalling inclined sleepers, with 165,000 more now recalled due to suffocation hazard

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday that four more companies are recalling inclined sleepers to prevent additional deaths and suffocation injuries.

Infant fatalities have been reported with other manufacturers’ inclined sleep products, after the infants rolled from their back to their stomach or side, or under other circumstances.

At least 73 infant deaths have occurred in inclined sleepers, including the Fisher-Price rock ‘n play and the Kids II rocking sleeper.

The CPSC is proposing a new rule that would remove these products from market.

Parents and caregivers should stop using all versions of inclined immediately, even if it hasn’t been included in a recall, consumer groups advises. Consumers can contact the companies included in Wednesday’s recall and request a refund or voucher.

The companies and products in the most recent inclined sleeper recall are:

Summer Infant’s swaddleme by your bed

Summer Infant is recalling about 46,300 of its swaddleme by your bed inclined sleepers.

For more information, call Summer Infant at 800-426-8627 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.summerinfant.com and click on Safety Alerts and Recall Information.

Guide to getting bargains throughout the year

It’s January and it’s a famous month for getting lots of items on sale. However, every month of the year usually offers bargains.

Here’s information from DealNews, a website listing bargains, so you can make a plan for saving throughout the year:

January

Gym memberships, white sales with deals on bedding and towels, winter clothing especially winter coats, fitness equipment, spring travel, holiday décor

February

Winter apparel, home goods, television sets, non-traditional Valentine’s Day gifts

March

Chocolate, frozen food, St. Patrick’s Day food, cruises, gift cards, luggage