Posts Tagged With ‘ Research ’

The Fourth of July is all about red, white, and blue to celebrate the country’s birthday, the 248th this year. What are some ways Americans celebrate the holiday? Many families host or join a family or neighborhood event. Some examples include: picnicking or barbecuing with family and/or friends or enjoying outdoor activities such as hiking, fishing, swimming, dancing, playing sports games, or camping. Participating in or watching patriotic parades or doing patriotic crafts with kids are also popular. Celebratory events organized by communities occur throughout the nation and include food trucks,... Continue Reading

Your July Fourth celebration could be ruined with a serious injury and trip to the emergency room. Fireworks related injuries continue to be high, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging consumers to either watch community fireworks displays or take steps to use consumer-grade fireworks safely. Eleven fireworks-related deaths were reported in 2022, mostly associated with mortar-style devices, the CPSC said in a new report announced Thursday on the National Mall where the agency offered live demonstrations of fireworks dangers. Five of the deaths were caused by fireworks misuse,... Continue Reading

It’s hard to believe that the July Fourth sales are coming up. It seems like the Memorial Day sales were just yesterday. July Fourth is a huge shopping holiday in the United States and marks the middle of summer. Look for the sales to begin far in advance of July Fourth. DealNews.com offers these tips for the July sales: Electronics Get up to 70 percent off on electronics on a wide variety of electronics such as photography items, SSDs, monitors, laptops, TVs, phones, smart devices, and other items. Summer clothing Clothing sales make up a large part of the July 4th sales every year so look... Continue Reading

Years ago before the pandemic, I used to take sliced pineapple to parties for an appetizer. I remember taking overripe pineapples back to Costco and returning them to Safeway as well. It seemed like the quality varied widely with the pineapples often being too ripe and even rotten. When I had a tea party Friday, I decided I’d get a pineapple. I wanted Rainier cherries, but Safeway didn’t have any and the red cherries didn’t look good. Fortunately, I didn’t have time to prepare the pineapple for the party. Because when I cut the top off on Sunday, it was rotten, really rotten. It was the... Continue Reading

Have you been able to purchase any decent celery lately? Although celery isn’t one of my favorite vegetables, and it’s not one of the more nutrient-packed ones, I do like to eat it once in a while. In addition, I’ve just started drinking smoothies and celery is a good thing to add occasionally along with fruits and spinach or kale. However, I haven’t been able to find any even average-looking celery lately. I’m headed to Costco right now to return this celery. Now, Costco, even though it has the best blueberries and other berries consistently, has celery that’s often a little funky... Continue Reading

Photo: Filip Maljković American International Group is planning to curb homeowners insurance sales for owners at high risk of floods, storms, or wildfires in 200 zip codes across the United States, according to a report in the Wall St Journal. AIG is the third major insurer in recently to announce cuts to homeowners insurance.  “AIG’s actions are shameful,” David Arkush, director of Public Citizen’s Climate program. “It is a top global insurer of oil and gas  — meaning that, more than most insurers on the planet, it is contributing to and profiting from the very climate harms that... Continue Reading

How is your Father’s Day going? Seventy-five percent of Americans are celebrating Father’s Day today. They’re spending a record $22.9 billion, according to a survey conducted for National Retail Federation. Consumers are spending $196.23 on average, up from $171.79 last year and topping the previous record of $174.10 in 2021. As in other years, the most popular Father’s Day gifts are greeting cards, purchased by 61 percent. Other top gifts include clothing, 55 percent; a special outing such as dinner or brunch, 52 percent; gift cards, 48 percent; and personal care items, 32 percent. Today,... Continue Reading

Genetic testing, where a company examines your DNA, often from a saliva sample, and sends you a report about your family background or your likelihood for developing certain health conditions, is all the rage. It sounds like a great idea, but can you trust a company when it promises to keep your sensitive DNA data private? Vitagene, a San Francisco-based DNA testing company, promised consumers that it exceeded industry-standard security practices for maintaining the privacy of people’s sensitive health and genetic information. However, the Federal Trade Commission said the company didn’t... Continue Reading

Either I missed the Public Citizen report on the toll private equity is taking on U.S. health care or I didn’t understand the significance of it. The report, released in March 2023, says private equity takeovers have come with shocking lapses in safety, with prices rising faster than at non-private equity acquired entities, while patients have been subjected to price gouging schemes. Private equity acquisitions in the health care sector have climbed since the financial crisis in 2009, particularly in the past five years. Unlike acquisitions of hospitals, which usually occur under with public... Continue Reading

More than two thirds of online shopping scams begin on the social media platforms Instagram and Facebook, according to an analysis by the Lloyds Banking Group. Fraudsters are preying on shoppers in search of a deal. They’re creating fake business pages, social media ads, and online stores.  Nick Drewe, of the online discounts platform Wethrift, offers this list of things to watch out for when buying on social media: Is the deal too good to be true? If it looks too good to be true, it probably is. A product or service being advertised for what seems like a very low price can be an indicator... Continue Reading