Amazing as it may seem, recycling "programs" exist that are, at best, vague attempts at pretending to believe in eco-friendliness, and are almost not worth the cost of having them…

Take FL, where it would seem the idea is to discourage the citzenry from recycling at every possible juncture.  If your County or State’s program is anything like FL’s it looks like this:

• No curb-side pick up for the plethora of apartment and condo complexes that make up a large portion of our landscape – this means that the millions of folks living in such complexes must drive their recycling to “drop-off” areas – I’ll get to those in a minute
• If you do live in a detached home, finding a recycler for your neighborhood can be akin to finding the lost ark…
• Glass is glass, right?  Not in FL… glass that has any color to it can’t be recycled here…. It can in almost any other State, but in FL, if you drink Seagrams vs. Bacardi, your glass bottles go into the landfill
• Back to those “drop-off areas” – “Where’s Waldo” best describes the fun of finding one… and when you do, they may or may not provide receptacles for all your recyclables… So, you’ve lugged a load of glass, plastic, and newspapers to the closest recycling drop-off area (which, by the way, is usually many miles from home), just to find there’s no bin for the glass – safari time commences in search of one that does
• So, in essence with this “system”, most of our glass goes into the landfill, and we use a ton of gas to take what is recyclable all over creation to deposit it – millions of individuals driving oftentimes many miles, to deposit newspapers & plastic bottles in bins in one location, and glass in bins in another location many more miles away…
  

Now, really… How Stupid is That???….

An email titled “Gas Pumping Tips” has been making the rounds, written by a mystery person who works for Kinder Morgan Pipeline in San Jose CA (we don't know who wrote the original email, but Kinder Morgan Pipeline does exist) and thus has insider knowledge of the gas delivery/gas pumping process….
In it, you get tips like:

• In hot months, pump early in the morning to avoid gas vapor return (that's when the gas heats up, turns into vapor, which is then sucked back into the gas pump rather than into your car
• Fill up when your tank is half full so there’s less air to be displaced
• Don’t fill up when the gas truck is filling the underground storage tanks because that stirs up the dirt in the bottom of the storage tank that can then get into your tank…
  

Unfortunately, upon further research, come to find out that whatever money those tips may save you is so miniscule, if at all, they’re not worth the brain space it takes to remember them.

So here’s the real scoop: things that will actually save you money because they improve the fuel efficiency of your vehicle:

• Regular & timely maintenance, like properly inflated tires, regular filter replacements, and properly aligned wheels - besides being great for your car’s longevity, these will also prove to be fuel-savers
• Mileage is improved by removing weightier equipment from your car when the equipment is not being used, like sporting gear, tools, and roof-racks; they cause extra drag which requires more fuel
• Finally, stop with the “jack-rabbit” starts which eat up fuel…so does driving at higher speeds in both stop & start traffic, and on the highway where the 55 speed limit has been proven to be the most fuel effective

You have been officially alerted….

(reair of 6/12 show)
Last month, ABC Nightly News did a piece on a FL woman – a Boomer - whose 86 year old father was being inappropriately given antipsychotic medications for his dementia by the Assisted Living Facility in which he was living.  This is inappropriate because loads of research clearly shows that antipsychotic meds are dangerous when used to treat dementia in the elderly.  But, the ALF ignored the science, and used the drug to, in essence, make this poor man less of a bother.  After being in the facility for only 2 months, and after watching her father quickly descend into despondency to the point of becoming unresponsive, he died.  She knew something “wasn’t right” and now in retrospect “wished she had looked into his care further, asking them what medications they were giving him, etc.”  But she didn’t.  She took a hands-off approach with the facility and the doctors.  It cost her father, who she clearly loved dearly, his life.

Another news piece last week was on folks who were scammed by unlicensed contractors for big ticket work they were having done on their home.  One woman they interviewed, also a Boomer, said that she wished she had done more research on the contractors she was considering before signing on the dotted line, now that her brand new multi-thousand dollar air conditioning unit stopped working, and the contractor she hired to provide the unit and install it, is nowhere to be found….

Stop wishing after the fact.  Our generation is the best educated of all those on the planet today.  So use that great brain to investigate prior to making important decisions.  You don’t have the time, you say?  Posh…of course you do.  Here’s why.  It's guaranteed you’ll spend lots of time cleaning up the mess made by poor choices and bad decisions – it makes much more sense to take the time up front, proactively, thus avoiding major mistakes, and ultimately you’ll expend much less time than what you’ll wind up using to react after the fact.

You have been officially alerted…

I've learned..... That the best classroom in the world is at the feet of an elderly person. 

I've learned.... That just one person saying to me, 'You've made my day!' makes my day. 

I've learned.... That no matter how serious your life requires you to be, everyone needs a friend to act goofy with.

I've learned.... That sometimes all a person needs is a hand to hold and a heart to understand. 

I've learned.... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult. 

I've learned.... That I wish I could have told my Mom that I love her one more time before she passed away. 

I've learned.... That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. 

I've learned.... That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for. 

I've learned.... That money doesn't buy class. 

I've learned... That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved. 

I've learned.... That to ignore the facts does not change the facts. 

I've learned.... That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned.... That love, not time, heals all wounds. 

I've learned.... That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people who are smarter than I am. 

I've learned.... That life is tough, but I'm tougher. 

I've learned.... That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere. 

I've learned.... That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them. 

I've learned.... That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks. 

I've learned.... That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss. 

And…I've learned.... That being kind is more important than being right.

Thanks Andy….We have been officially alerted….

Cyber bullying – I’m sure you’ve heard of it.  Kids have committed suicide because of it.  Or, kids being enticed by child pornographers who come across online as wonderful folks who show the child (usually pre-teens and teens) lots of attention – I’m sure you’ve heard news stories about this as well.

The common denominator in most of these dangerous situations, is parents who don’t monitor their children’s online activity – many readily admit to knowing little about the computer at all. Choosing to remain computer illiterate is like having children who are or want to become drivers when you don’t have your own license – there is no way you can provide the required level of adult supervision, guidance, and instruction because you don’t have a clue yourself.  And if you do know computers, not closely monitoring your children’s use of them is the akin to having no idea who your kids’ friends are or where they are and what they’re doing when they’re together.

Online today is the “hanging out at the mall” of our day, only with far more inherent dangers.

So, here are my recommendations for keeping your kids…and grandkids…safe on the internet while helping them learn how to negotiate it as part of their growing up process - starting with the most obvious:

• If you don’t know computers, learn them, now and quickly – there is just no other path toward internet safety than one that requires you to know how to use it, and negotiate the web
• Once you’ve learned the computer, and for those who already use it, don’t be shy about setting up the parental controls that keep your kids off of certain sites – and keep predators from your kids – don’t let “that’s not faaaaairrrr” ever deter you from keeping them safe – just ask if they want a little cheese with that whine….
• Have all computers in a common area so you can keep an eye on kids’ usage – don’t let kid or fellow-adult peer pressure cause you to think that you are being “mean” by not allowing your child to have a computer in their room… that kind of off the radar computer use is precisely where many sad endings, begin
• Consistently talk with your children/grandkids, particularly teens, about cyber bullying – that it can happen to anyone (it can) – that it stems from the insecurities of really troubled kids not your child’s short-comings (it does), and that you have your kid’s back if something like that starts with them (you do!)
• Finally, let children know that you will be monitoring their use of social networking sites like Facebook, not because you don’t trust them, but because it’s another way of keeping them safe, just like the need to know who they’re going out with, where they’re going, and when they’ll be home…
  

You have been officially alerted….

If you need, someone to provide in-home care for an elder loved one, a recent article by LA Times writer Rosemary McClure highlights the dangers of hiring the wrong person.  

In it, she describes her mother, who has dementia, being left in the caretaker’s hot car for hours at a time, which she found out from a friend who saw this and reported it to her.  As it turns out, the caretaker was visiting her boyfriend on caretaker time, leaving mom in the sweltering car during these “conjugal” visits.

Unfortunately, such bad care-taking happens all too frequently, and not because we who did the hiring, don’t care enough to find someone good.  It’s more like given the time and effort it can take to make sure you have the right person on the job, we can easily become unwittingly careless.  As Ms. McClure puts it quite well: … “many well-meaning and caring adult children are just as lackadaisical as I was when hiring help for their parents.”

Here’s the very good news: Finding quality assistance personnel doesn’t have to be difficult – if you know the right way to look.

• First, use an accredited home health service – you will pay more per hour, but you will get a much higher quality person, and many priceless value added benefits like background checks on workers, fill-in help if your worker calls in sick, and a company you can hold legally accountable.  We’ll have on our website two services that I can recommend. To get you started, I can recommend: eldercarelink.com a national service which connects you to the resources in your community; and in Tampa Bay, Harmony Home Healthcare, at harmonyhh.com or you can call 727-723-7532
• Second, treat this as the job interview it is whether or not you’re using a home care service – have a basic job description developed, and insist on at least 2 references for anyone you’re considering. 
• Finally, look closely at the level and quality of training the person possesses or the agency provides their care personnel.  Untrained may be cheaper, but there’s a reason for that…don’t find out what it is at the expense of your loved one.
  

You have been officially alerted….

Each year there are hundreds of drowning deaths for children under the age of 5, and thousands of ER visits for pool submersion, many as a result of inflatable pools.  The reason: when very small children get themselves in there when you’re not looking, the inflatable sides make it impossible for them to get out.  Not a problem, you may be thinking…if they’re scared or in trouble, I’ll hear them.  Not true.

Many people think that if a child falls in the water, you will hear lots of splashing and screaming which will alert you to come to the rescue, when in fact, oftentimes children slip under the water silently. Even people near the pool report hearing nothing out of the ordinary.

Here’s some facts & tips to help you keep such a tragedy from happening at your home:

• Many drowning deaths occur when young children are initially not near the pool area. In a US Consumer Product Safety Commission study, almost 70 percent of young drowning victims were last seen in the house or nearby on a porch or in the yard before the incident.  And drowning can occur in the few minutes it takes to answer the phone. So when you know you’ll be distracted, take the extra precaution of bringing the tots inside & securing exits from the house to the pool area.
• Data from the same study shows that about 77 percent of the victims had been missing for 5 minutes. Precious time is often wasted looking for missing children anywhere but in the pool. Always look for a missing child in the pool first. 
• Put even a small inflatable pool in an area where small children can’t get to it without you present, or put some sort of barrier around it that small children can’t get through.
  

You have been officially alerted….

After hearing from our newest expert on the art and science of finding your Mr./Ms. Right, we want to make sure you stay safe while enjoying the dating scene.  And although that includes having your first meetings in public places and not drinking in excess so you can keep your wits about you, these are not nearly as concerning as the rise in HIV amongst Boomers.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, between 1996 and 2000 nearly as many older adults were diagnosed with AIDS as were those in their twenties.  Then, in 2003, CDC data shows that there were over 315K AIDS cases in people over 45, representing 30% of total cases.

Surprising?  It ought to be for a generation that certainly understands STD transmission, and how to prevent it.

So, why are we not being careful?  We let our guard down when it comes to unsafe sex, for two reasons:

1. If we’re dating someone our own age, we falsely believe that this is a kind of guarantee that there’s nothing to worry about, so why use protection?!  We erroneously believe that because we may have just come out of a monogamous 26 year relationship, so has everyone else, therefore this person cannot possibly be a risk.  The fact is, some if not quite a few of the fellow Boomers we date have been on the dating scene for a while, so very well may have been having unprotected sex with multiple partners
2. If we’re dating someone younger, we can easily be pressured into unprotected sex for fear of seeming uncool, or stodgy, being too overly cautious, so we give in rather than risk looking “old”
   

What can we do about it?  Also two things:

1. Do not jump into bed with someone without truly knowing him/her first – take your time.  We’re not kids, so don’t act like one
2. If you do find yourself about to have sex with someone you don’t know fully well, use protection.  If your sex partner balks at such common sense behavior, stay strong.  You’re right, they’re wrong.  If they will not relent, remember that you may be risking your life if you continue unprotected.  Much better option, get up, get dressed, and go home.  This is not someone worth your time.
   

You have been officially alerted….

Last week, the AARP’s Fraud Fighter Call Center along with John Gannon with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, revealed a distinct increase in the number of retirement-age investors who are being scammed out of their nest eggs by ethically challenged financial advisers…who are Boomers themselves…We Boomers are scamming…each other…

Apparently, these so-called “advisers” are taking full advantage of two things that make us vulnerable to them: our desire to recoup our Great Recession losses, and the likelihood that we will trust a fellow Boomer outright, because we believe he or she understands our plight and truly wants to help us. 

So, here’s some solid advice from the investment fraud experts, on how to safeguard yourself:

• Check your adviser's credentials (remember last week we alerted you to doing your research before making important decisions, and here is another example). Titles like "certified senior financial planner" can be fabricated to make you believe someone is uniquely qualified to assess your retirement needs, when, in reality, such designations don't necessarily mean a thing.  You can check on the legitimacy of an adviser's financial title, and verify his/her designation and licensing through FIRA's BrokerCheck service , or by contacting your State’s securities regulator.  You can also check federal court dockets to see if your adviser has declared bankruptcy or if his or her company has ever been sued for fraud, through PACER.gov
• Skip the free meal. According to a 2009 report by AARP, scam artists often find victims through free retirement planning seminars that usually include a free lunch or dinner at a nice local restaurant or hotel.
• You’re at greater risk of fraud when you let advisers talk you into stocks that don't trade on the NASDAQ or New York Stock Exchange
  

Bottom line: don’t rely on generational commonality as a key deciding factor when choosing your advisor. 

You have been officially alerted…