~Sandy G.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Heart Experts Recommend Reduced Intake Of Added Sugars
High intake of added sugars implicated in numerous poor health conditions
By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.com
That's advice from the American Heart Association, which recommends limiting the consumption of added sugars and is providing information about the relationship between excess sugar intake and metabolic abnormalities, adverse health conditions and shortfalls in essential nutrients.A new scientific statement, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, for the first time, provides the association's recommendations on specific levels and limits on the consumption of added sugars.
Added sugars are sugars and syrups added to foods during processing or preparation and sugars and syrups added at the table. High intake of added sugars, as opposed to naturally occurring sugars, is implicated in the rise in obesity. It's also associated with increased risks for high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, other risk factors for heart disease and stroke, and inflammation (a marker for heart disease), according to the statement's lead author Rachel K. Johnson, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.D., associate provost and professor of nutrition at the University of Vermont in Burlington.
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Recalls
Black & Decker Recalls Thermal Coffeemakers
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
D’lite ST and Solo ST Child Trailers Recalled
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Ridgid Recalls Table Saws Sold at Home Depot
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Krell Amplifiers Recalled
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Felt Cyclocross Bicycles Recalled
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Pensi Ceiling Fans Recalled
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Weight Watchers Recalls Plush Hungry Figures and Magnets
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Wal-Mart Recalls Durabrand DVD Players
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
~Sandy G.
Recalls
Maytag, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag, Crosley Refrigerators
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Pella Recalls Casement Windows
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Wal-Mart Recalls 'Your Zone Loft Collection' Entertainment Stands
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
Eebee's 'Have a Ball' Cloth Books Recalled
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.
~Sandy G.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
11 ways to avoid hurricane costs
By Craig Guillot, Bankrate.com
It's hard to protect a home from a monster Category 5 hurricane, but many readily available products can reduce or minimize the impact and save homeowners big bucks in repairs and insurance premiums.The peace of mind that can result is priceless.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, predicts the 2009 Atlantic hurricane season, although a bit less active than normal, will spawn three to six hurricanes -- one to two of them major. And while the season got off to a slow start with no named storms by early August, it's important to remember Hurricane Andrew roared offshore just south of Miami on Aug. 24, 1992.
"Forecasts of an average season should not lead to complacency," says Claire Wilkinson, vice president for global issues at the Insurance Information Institute. "An average hurricane season was also forecast in 1992 when Hurricane Andrew caused more than $23 billion in property losses.
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Beware Of Health Clinics Pushing Credit Cards
Some consumers signed up without their knowledge
By Mark Huffman, ConsumerAffairs.com
Health care credit cards are designed to help consumers pay for uninsured health costs. They're supposed to be a better deal than regular credit cards, but they seem to draw the same kinds of complaints from consumers.Amanda, of Newnan, Georgia, got a GE Money CareCredit card nearly two years ago to finance some extensive dental work. The terms were excellent - pay it off in 24 months and there would be no interest charges. She says she rapidly paid down the balance.
"I received a letter in February stating they were reducing my credit limit from $4,000 to $1,000 because of my credit score," she told ConsumerAffairs.com. "Well my credit score hadn't changed until they closed my account."
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
The 10 cheapest cars to own and operate
1. Hyundai Accent
2. Nissan Versa
3. Chevrolet Aveo5 LS
4. Suzuki SX4 Sedan
5. Pontiac G3
6. Mazda3 iSport
7. Honda Fit
8. Pontiac Vibe
9. Toyota Yaris
10. Nissan Sentra
~Sandy G.
"Black Screen Of Death" Afflicts Many Flat Screen TVs
Set power supplies appear prone to fail
By Mark Huffman, ConsumerAffairs.com
Millions of consumers went out and purchased a flat screen television set 12 to 24 months ago, hoping for years of trouble-free viewing. Increasingly, some of these consumers are encountering the same frustrating - and expensive - problem."My children were sitting and watching TV and it all of sudden went black," Angela, of Anaheim, California, told ConsumerAffairs.com. "The sound was still on so I thought maybe the video cord was loose or something. I tried everything and realized that nothing was going to work to fix this problem. Got the same run around as everyone else. The TV costs more to fix than I paid for it."
Angela's lament is one of 61 complaints about Vizio flat screen TVs received at ConsumerAffairs.com in the last 12 months. Many of the complaints describe the same problem; suddenly the picture disappears, leaving a blank screen - "the black screen of death," as it has been dubbed by some consumers.
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Tougher Safety Requirements For Children's Products Now In Effect
Lead limits, product tracking among areas affected by new regulations
By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.comNew requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) aimed at making children's products safer and increasing consumer confidence in the marketplace are now in effect.
To that end, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is launching a program that it says will educate domestic and overseas manufacturers, importers, and distributors of children's products and other consumer goods about what it calls "these important new safety requirements."
CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum is promising that the CPSIA's new requirements "will be "enforced vigorously and fairly." She adds that by ensuring that toys and other children's products meet strict lead limits and can be tracked in the event of a recall, "children will be better protected in their homes."
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Hiring Tricks That Job Seekers Must Know
By Maria Hanson, for LiveCareer
In this highly competitive job market, employers and recruiters are using unconventional techniques to screen candidates. It's not enough to just be prepared for the interview; job seekers need to be prepared to be judged even when it's not clear they're being judged.Here are some secret tricks that real recruiters and hiring managers use to weed out candidates:
They inspect your car.
Tina Hamilton, of HireVision Group, knows a corporate president who would find out which car belonged to the candidate he was interviewing. "The receptionist ... would then go outside and look in the candidate's car to see how neat and clean the car was, if there were food wrappers ... how well maintained the car was," says Hamilton. "The owner considered this a definition of the candidate's character."FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Seeking Lessons in Swine Flu Fight
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D., The New York Times
As the three-month-old outbreak of swine flu raises havoc during the winter season in the Southern Hemisphere, officials in the United States are carefully seeking clues from there to deal with its likely return in this country in the fall, before a vaccine can protect large numbers of people.Although much about the swine flu pandemic and the virus remains unknown, experts say this outbreak has exposed several weaknesses in the world’s ability to respond to the sudden emergence of a widespread illness.
Over all, the pandemic’s severity has been “moderate” compared with past influenza pandemics, the World Health Organization says, although it has spread with “unprecedented speed” to at least 168 countries. And although influenza typically strikes in colder months, the swine flu virus, A(H1N1), has swept through summer camps in the United States and Canada. That pattern has led to the prevailing belief that many more people will get swine flu than seasonal influenza this fall and winter, but that the country could face outbreaks of both strains, perhaps at different times.
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Saturday, August 08, 2009
Free program to save money and electricity
From Kim Komando's Download Of The Day
Edison is a free power management program from a company called Verdiem. It has helped people the world over reduce the waste of energy from IT devices. It is available for Windows XP and Vista.You can learn more about Edison and download it here. Please also be sure to visit Kim Komando's site. She is a computer expert and has a ton of great, free advice and downloads and she has several different emails you can subscribe to. You can also find out what radio station near you hosts her weekly show.
I am not affiliated with Kim Komando or Verdiem in any way, nor am I being paid to post this.
~Sandy G.
Phony Debt Collectors Calling Consumers Nationwide
Scamsters loaded with personal info
By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.com
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has put out a national alert about phony debt collectors that are calling consumers nationwide, warning of imminent arrest if they don't pay on a defaulted payday loan immediately.Claiming to be lawyers, the scammers say they are with the "Financial Accountability Association" or the "Federal Legislation of Unsecured Loans" and are equipped with a disconcerting amount of personal information about their potential victims.
"Because the scammers have so much information about potential victims, BBB is concerned that this may be the result of a data breach," said Randall Hoth, president and CEO of the Wisconsin BBB. "Thousands of people may have had their personal information compromised, and given the scammers' tactics, it appears that those who have previously used payday loan services could be particularly at risk."
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Thursday, August 06, 2009
Recalls
Spalding In-Ground Basketball Hoops Recalled
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.Black & Decker Reissues Trimmer/Edger Recall
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.Ross Stores Recalls Plant Stands
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.Polaris Recalls Ranger Side-by-Side Vehicles
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.Kaplan Recalls Baby Hammocks
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.Nova Natural Toys Recalls Baby Hammocks
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION.~Sandy G.
High Cholesterol In Midlife Raises Risk Of Late-Life Dementia
Study shows even moderately elevated cholesterol level boosts dementia risk
By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.com
Elevated cholesterol levels in midlife -- even levels considered only borderline elevated -- significantly increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia later in life, according to a new study by researchers at Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research and the University of Kuopio in Finland.The four-decade study, appearing in the journal Dementia & Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, found that having high cholesterol in midlife (240 or higher milligrams per deciliter of blood) increases, by 66 percent, the risk for Alzheimer's disease later in life.
Even borderline cholesterol levels (200-239 mg/dL) in midlife raised risk for late-life vascular dementia by nearly the same amount: 52 percent. Vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, is a group of dementia syndromes caused by conditions affecting the blood supply to the brain. Scientists are still trying to pinpoint the genetic factors and lifestyle causes for Alzheimer's disease.
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
CDC Makes Recommendations For Use Of Swine Flu Vaccine
Five key populations targeted for vaccine against novel influenza A (H1N1)
By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.com
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is out with its recommendations on who should be vaccinated against swine flu.The recommendations determine which groups of the population should be prioritized if the vaccine is initially available in extremely limited quantities.
The committee recommended the vaccination efforts focus on those who are at higher risk of disease or complications, those who are likely to come in contact with novel H1N1, and those who could infect young infants.
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Findings May Explain Gap in Cancer Survival
By RONI CARYN RABIN, The New York Times
Scientists say they have made a discovery that may help explain the racial gap in cancer survival, providing clues to why white patients often outlive blacks even when they have what appear to be the same cancers.The insights come from research at the University of Maryland into throat cancer and squamous-cell cancers of the head and neck, which have been increasing sharply in recent years, apparently because of the human papillomavirus — the same sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer and is the target of a vaccine for girls.
The virus can also be spread through oral sex, causing cancer of the throat and tonsils, or oropharyngeal cancer.
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
Lack of Study Volunteers Hobbles Cancer Fight
By GINA KOLATA, The New York Times
Not long ago, at a meeting of an advisory group established by Congress to monitor the war on cancer, participants were asked how to speed progress.“Everyone was talking about expanding the cancer work force and getting people to stop smoking,” said Dr. Scott Ramsey, a cancer researcher and health economist, who was participating in that January 2008 meeting of the President’s Cancer Panel. “Lots of murmurs of approval.”
Then it was his turn.
The biggest barrier, in his opinion, was that almost no adult cancer patients — just 3 percent — participate in studies of cancer treatments, mostly new drugs or drug regimens.
FOR COMPLETE STORY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
~Sandy G.
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