My Son's 15th Birthday!

This is the youngest of my four kids and today is his 15th birthday! Happy Birthday Tate! I love you.

Mom

Blood Pressure Medicine Linked To Severe Gastric Distress

Mayo Clinic doctors find olmesartan can cause nausea, vomiting and weight loss

By Mark Huffman, ConsumerAffairs.com

Olmesartan is a commonly prescribed medication that helps patients control their blood pressure. But Mayo Clinic researchers say it can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and electrolyte abnormalities -- symptoms common among those who have celiac disease.

The findings are published online in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Their discovery took shape over a three year period, from 2008 to 2011. Doctors at Mayo Clinic treated 22 patients with symptoms similar to celiac disease who suffered symptoms like chronic diarrhea and weight loss. The median weight loss was 39 pounds, and one patient lost 125 pounds. Fourteen of the 22 were hospitalized because of the severity of their symptoms.

Read the entire article here.

Healthy Choice Recalls All Sizes of Liquid Gold Carrot Juice for Possible Health Risk

From FoodSafety.gov

Healthy Choice Island Blends, Inc. of Los Angeles, CA, is recalling all sizes of LIQUID GOLD CARROT JUICE including 128oz, 64oz, 32oz, and 16 oz, because it has the potential to be contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, which can cause botulism, a serious and potentially fatal foodborne illness. Foodborne botulism is a severe type of food poisoning caused by the ingestion of foods containing the potent neurotoxin formed during growth of the organism.

Site link here.

Consumer Awarded $65,000 for Bank's Harassing Phone Calls

Bank kept calling even after being advised it was calling the wrong person

By Daryl Nelson, ConsumerAffairs.com

Have you ever received a continuous flow of pre-recorded phone calls? They usually come at the most inconvenient time during your day, and typically have to do with some sort of sales pitch, survey, or debt collection.

Well, a gentleman from Michigan took his annoyance to court, after receiving a slew of harassing phone calls from World Financial Network National Bank (WFNNB).

Dan Harris claimed he received 56 robo-calls to his cell phone about an outstanding debt, but Harris was the wrong person, and although he told the bank it was phoning the wrong person, the harassing phone calls didn't stop.

Read the entire article here.

Wyndham Hotels In Hot Water Over Personal Information Protection

Credit card data of hundreds of thousands of consumers compromised, millions lost to fraud

By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.com

When you go on vacation, the last thing you want to do is be hassled with a credit card problem because someone at your hotel screwed up. But, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), that’s what’s happened to a lot of folks who stayed at Wyndham Hotels.

The FTC has filed suit against global hospitality company Wyndham Worldwide Corporation and three of its subsidiaries for alleged data security failures that led to three data breaches at Wyndham hotels in less than two years.

According to the agency, these failures led to fraudulent charges on consumers’ accounts, millions of dollars in fraud loss and the export of hundreds of thousands of consumers’ payment card account information to an Internet domain address registered in Russia.

Read the entire article here.

Safety Recalls

Bluestem Recalls Fingerhut, Gettington Recliners

The legs contain excessive amounts of lead paint
Read the entire article here.

GM Recalls US-Built Chevrolet Cruze

Engine shield may trap flammable liquids in engine compartment
Read the entire article here.

Notus Air Movers Recalled Due To Fire Hazard

The air mover/blower's internal electrical capacitor can fail and overheat, posing a fire hazard.
Read the entire article here.

TBC Recalling SUV Tires

Tread separation raises the risk of a crash
Read the entire article here.

Safety Recalls

Thomas Lighting Recalls Ceiling Fixtures

Fire and Shock Hazards
Read the entire article here.

Frigidaire Gas Range Recalled

Ranges were sold exclusively at Lowe's
Read the entire article here.

Big Lots Recalls Ceramic Space Heaters

Portable heaters post fire, shock hazards
Read the entire article here.

Portfolio Outdoor Lanterns Sold at Lowe's Recalled

A short circuit can pose a fire and shock hazard
Read the entire article here.

Mercedes-Benz Recalls E350 Models 

Problem with rear suspension
Read the entire article here.

BMW Recalls X5, X6 Models 

Power steering fluid may leak
Read the entire article here.

EDIC Recalls Aqua Dri Air Movers 

The blowers are used to dry floors in buildings
Read the entire article here.

Flushmate Recalls Millions of Toilet Flushers 

A weld seam can break, blowing off the tank lid and shattering the tank
Read the entire article here.

eZip, iZip Adult Tricycles Recalled

The rear axle can break, causing a wheel to detach
Read the entire article here.

Reports Of Mortgage Modification Rip-Offs Increasing

Washington attorney general sees uptick in complaints

By Mark Huffman, ConsumerAffairs.com

Five years into the foreclosure crisis there is no end in sight. After a pause for a now completed settlement with the mortgage industry, the pace of foreclosures is picking up again.

Many homeowners have attempted to negotiate mortgage modifications with their lenders in an effort to keep their homes, but have become frustrated with the process. That's when many turn to a third-party mortgage modification consultant.

"Because I was behind in my mortgage and facing foreclosure, I contacted Britt Processing," Chris, of Reading, Pa., wrote in a ConsumerAffairs post. "They told they work with Wells Fargo as well with many other banks. They guaranteed me they could get me a modification and save my home for me. They told me not to pay my mortgage for two months, instead send them $ 1000.00 a month to get this done."

Read the entire article here.

Traveling? Don't Bring Measles Home With You

Summer Olympics could be an Olympic event for measles

By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.com

With the 2012 Summer Olympics just weeks, people around the world are preparing.

Athletes are putting in their final weeks of training, officials in London are getting the city ready for visitors and spectators are making travel plans. In the U.S., the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to make sure everyone’s healthy for the big event.

One area of concern is measles -- in particular -- unvaccinated travelers contracting the disease while abroad and bringing it back home. Last year, 222 people in the U.S. were reported to have measles -- due mostly to overseas travel.

Read the entire article here.

Knik Glacier Wreckage Is From Military Crash That Killed 52

By Chris Klint, Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska— A military plane crash found near Knik Glacier earlier this month has been identified as a Korean War-era Air Force cargo plane that killed all 52 people on board and was buried by heavy snow shortly after it went down, bringing closure to victims’ families after nearly 60 years.

Army Capt. Jamie Dobson with the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command says the wreckage discovered on Colony Glacier June 10 by a UH-60 Blackhawk crew with the Alaska Army National Guard is that of a Douglas C-124A Globemaster II that crashed in the area on Nov. 22, 1952.

While evidence collected by the eight-man team is en route to JPAC’s Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for further analysis, Dobson said the plane was identifiable by materials found at the scene.

Read the entire article here.

Annual List Reveals Dirty Dozen Fruits

"Highly disturbing" level of pesticides found in baby food

By Truman Lewis, ConsumerAffairs.com

You like fruit? See how you feel after reading this:

• Some 98 percent of conventional apples have detectable levels of pesticides.
• Domestic blueberries tested positive for 42 different pesticide residues.
• Seventy-eight different pesticides were found on lettuce samples.
• Every single nectarine USDA tested had measurable pesticide residues.
• Grapes have more types of pesticides than any other fruit, with 64 different chemicals.
• Thirteen different pesticides were measured on a single sample each of celery and strawberries.

These are among the findings of the eighth edition of the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, published annually by the Environmental Working Group, this year with updated information on 45 popular fruits and vegetables and their total pesticide loads.
Read the entire article here.

BPA Exposure May Last For Generations

Researchers found the chemical in a series of mice generations

By Mark Huffman, ConsumerAffairs.com

The debate over the safety of Bisphenol A (BPA), a widely used chemical in plastic containers, will likely continue for some time but the evidence of its effects continues to pile up.

The latest study comes from researchers writing in the journal Endocrinology who say they have found exposure to low doses of BPA during pregnancy had trans-generational effects on mice.

In other words, a female mouse exposed to BPA during gestation had offspring that displayed different social behaviors, previously associated with BPA exposure. The research found the offspring and succeeding generations of offspring all showed the effects of BPA, including anxiety, aggression and cognitive impairments.

Read the entire article here.

Suit Claims Nutrex Contains a Dangerous Stimulant

DMAA is becoming the next ephedra, safety advocates fear

By James R. Hood, ConsumerAffairs.com

Nutrex must face class-action claims that its body-building diet supplements contain a powerful stimulant banned in professional sports, a federal magistrate has ruled.

The case arises out of a complaint by Stephen Rush, who charged that Nutrex Research and its founders violated California's fair business laws by marketing the supplements as safe muscle builders despite their alleged knowledge that the products were ineffective and dangerous because of the use of the chemical stimulant DMAA, Courthouse News Service reported.

Several countries and Major League Baseball have banned DMAA or geranamine, which is growing in popularity among young people as a designer "party pill."

Read the entire article here.

University of Phoenix Still a Complaint Magnet

Online education doesn't always live up to consumers' expectations

By Daryl Nelson, ConsumerAffairs.com

College is a lot of fun. Whether one goes away to a campus or commutes to a local college -- the partying, the learning, and the socializing can all be life-changing experiences.

But not everyone can go to college right after high school, as we all know that life has an interesting way of temporarily knocking you off your planned path. Thankfully, getting a degree online these days is as easy and accessible as downloading a song.

The University of Phoenix is generally regarded as standing at the top of this particular area of higher education. It advertises heavily and markets itself as the primary go-to for those who need a more flexible college schedule.

But, like everything else in life, it doesn't always work out just the way consumers expect.

Read the entire article here.

How To Reduce Or Eliminate Your Student Loan Balance

It isn't easy, but some federal student loans can be forgiven

By Mark Huffman, ConsumerAffairs.com

Crushing student loan debt is a growing threat to the economy. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports total student loan debt in the U.S. now exceeds $1 trillion, placing a huge financial burden on new graduates.

New education programs warn students and their families of the dangers of running up college loan debt, but what about the millions of former students already struggling to make payments?

Student debt doesn't have to be a lifelong burden. It turns out there are ways to reduce or eliminate that debt, but it takes time and you must meet certain criteria. But for graduates with federal student loan balances the size of a home mortgage, the student loan forgiveness programs may offer hope.

Read the entire article here.

Consumers Fume as Their Toyotas Burn

Feds investigating fires in recent-vintage cars as consumers complain of no help from Toyota

By James R. Hood, ConsumerAffairs.com

You wouldn't expect your car door to catch fire, but that's apparently what's been happening on some 2007 through 2009 Toyotas, according to federal safety regulators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it has received 32 complaints of electrical fires or burned switches from fires that started in the driver's side door -- specifically in the power-window switch.

Some of the fires have been serious and have destroyed the entire car, although there is so far only one report of personal injury, which occurred when a passenger in a 2007 Camry tried to extinguish a door fire.

Read the entire article here.