The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Another problem recall: Dangerous inclined sleepers that have killed 36 infants

On Tuesday, I wrote about problems with the recall of the MacBook Pro computer that I experienced. I only learned about the recall, the replacement of batteries due to a fire hazard, because I write weekly about recalls and saw it listed on the website of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. I complained to an Apple store manager that more needs to be done to inform consumers about the recall. On average, consumers follow up on recalls 6 percent of the time.

The recall of infant sleepers that is killing babies is an even more significant problem recall.

Three months after nearly 5.4 million infant sleepers were recalled for causing 36 infant deaths, a survey by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education and Kids in Danger or KID, a group working on product safety for children, showed that some day care centers continue to use the dangerous inclined sleepers. One in 10 of the 376 survey respondents that have children under age 1 indicated they were using at least one of these dangerous sleepers in the day care center. The survey began after PIRG Consumer Watchdog Adam Garber discovered that his own son’s daycare in Philadelphia was using the recalled products.

Cheesecake Factory wins another Xtreme Eating Award, with Cracker Barrel, Jimmy John’s, and Topgolf winning first-time awards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cheesecake Factory’s Cinnamon Roll Pancakes are the 21^st menu item from that chain to receive one of the Xtreme Eating Awards from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. The organization has given the awards for bad food to America’s restaurant chains since 2007.

The pancakes from The Cheesecake Factory have a day’s worth of calories, 2,040; two-and-a-half days’ worth of saturated fat, 51 grams; more than a day’s worth of sodium, 2,950 milligrams; and almost three-days’ worth of added sugar. It contains 137 grams of total sugar, which CSPI estimates is all or nearly all added sugar.

These kinds of meals help explain why two out of three American adults and one out of three children and teens are overweight or obese, said Lindsay Moyer, senior nutritionist for CSPI.

Recall of Apple computer shows the problem with the recall system in the U.S.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the recall of the 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro. For some reason, I didn’t think about it being my laptop, probably because I thought mine had a larger screen. However, I finally looked online, and sure enough, it was my computer.

Apple has received 26 reports of the 15-inch MacBook Pro’s battery overheating, including five reports of minor burns and one report of smoke inhalation, as well as 17 reports of minor damage to nearby personal property.

The advice from Apple and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission was to immediately stop using the recalled laptop computers. Consumers were advised to contact Apple to schedule a free repair, according to the recall announcement.

Baby boomers keep writing despite the devastation of mass killings

Rebecca Olkowski of Baby Boomster says she’s been paralyzed by the horrifying things that have been happening with four mass shootings in the United States in one week – Brooklyn, Gilroy, El Paso, and Dayton.

Myself, I find the inaction on responsible gun laws appalling. I just can’t understand why Congress won’t do something. I applaud states and local government who have taken action in recent years.

But, it’s not enough. In Washington where I live, the Washington State Legislature passed open carry laws. It’s terrible. One day I went to the state capitol to take photos, and a gun group was having a rally. Guns were everywhere. I asked men at the edge of the group what they were doing. They said they were “protecting the perimeter.” Appalling, just appalling. And Washington is supposed to be a progressive state.

I took photos because I’m a photojournalist and I have a right to take photos in public places. Above is one of the photos I took at the rally. Fortunately, no one shot me.

Baby boomer bloggers are keeping at it, despite upsets, and are writing about:

• The gift of being there for our friends.
• Whether you should tell your age.
• The characteristics of your favorite restaurant.
• How the fear of flying abates for the wonders of Scotland.
• Information on what to do about the Equifax data breach payment for consumers.
• Medicare updates.
• Ethical fashion brands.

This is the Best of Boomer Blogs #608. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to leave comments. It’s fun to hear from our readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Magnetic trivets being recalled by Tristar Products due to ingestion hazard

Tristar Products is recalling about 350,000 magnetic trivets.

Magnets can detach from the trivets, posing an ingestion hazard to children. When two or more magnets are swallowed, they can link together inside the intestines and clamp onto body tissues, causing intestinal obstructions, perforations, sepsis, and death. Internal injury from magnets can pose serious lifelong health effects.

Tristar Products has received one report of magnets detaching from a trivet and being swallowed by a child. The child suffered intestinal perforations and blockage, requiring surgery.

Are you ready to go back to cable?

It's August, so I guess my Comcast TV contract has run out. How do I know? I got a bill for $185.65 instead of the usual $145.25.

When I first signed up for Comcast in 2008, I chose to get the $99 bundle: $33 for television, $33 for internet, and $33 for a landline phone. Every year or two since then when my contract runs out, I've had to beg, plead, and yell to get Comcast to offer me the $99 bundle again. I have to ask for the supervisor and/or call back another day to try. It's so frustrating. The price for the services should be the price for the services. Having hidden prices is unfair to all customers.

I haven't "cut the cable" because I don't watch much TV. In addition, there isn't a company in my area that's going to be any better than Comcast for providing internet services.

Textured breast implants linked to rare cancer recalled

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration Saturday asked Allergan to recall its BIOCELL textured breast implants. The FDA said that there are now 573 unique cases globally of large-cell lymphoma or BIA- ALCL, a rare form of cancer, 481 of which are attributed to the implants.

The FDA’s action is too little, too late, said Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy group.

The FDA asserted: “Once the evidence indicated that a specific manufacturer’s product appeared to be directly linked to significant patient harm, including death, the FDA took action to alert the firm to new evidence indicating a recall is warranted to protect women’s health.”

Can you really just go to the Equifax website and get $125?

Although dozens of people have said on Facebook that you can easily get the $125 from the Equifax data breach settlement, the answer is no, you can’t. When you go to the Equifax Data Breach Settlement website to the File a Claim page, you need to list what activities you did related to the breach that cost you money. For up to 10 hours, you don’t need to provide any documentation.

You’ll be asked if you want money or free credit monitoring. If you request money, you have to say that you have credit monitoring for at least six months.

I listed time spent freezing my credit reports, which I did earlier this year. So, we’ll see if I get the $125 or a lesser amount.

What to do about Capital One’s gigantic data breach

A massive data theft at Capital One exposed personal information, in some cases including Social Security numbers, of more than 100 million people. It’s the largest amount of data stolen from any bank to date. 

Consumers should assume that their Social Security number has been exposed between this breach and breaches of other major companies’ databases, such as Equifax’s, said Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. PIRG’s federal consumer program senior director. U.S. PIRG recommends all Americans should freeze their credit reports for free to safeguard their financial security. Click on the following link for details on how to do this: https://uspirg.org/feature/usp/freeze-your-credit. 

“The Capital One breach impacting 100 million Americans is the largest-known breach of a bank,” said Mierzwinski. “The hacker stole people’s credit applications which help make up their financial DNA – and in some cases included Social Security numbers. This information could be used to steal our identities or drain our finances.”

Baby boomers offer wonderful, wise, and witty words

It’s summer and despite the heat in many areas baby boomers are offering words of wisdom.

They’re writing about:

• Why you should do what makes you happy today.
• A summer day at the beach.
• Why you need to keep practicing if you want to get better.
• The cons of moving to Florida.
• Techniques that marketers, politicians, and others use to manipulate people to pad their bank accounts.
• Facebook's $5 billion settlement for consumer privacy lapses and Expedia's $570 million settlement for negligence that led to a massive data breach.

Laurie Stone of Musings, Rants & Scribbles reports on these articles in the Best of Boomer Blogs #607. Click here to get the links to the articles. And be sure to join in the conversations. Boomer bloggers love to hear from readers.

Copyright 2019, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist