WalletPop

Higher education results in lower death rates

Gary E. Sattler — 2008-05-14T14:15:00+00:00

Science Daily released an article today which cites clear scientific evidence showing that the better educated we are, the longer we tend to live. The study, which was conducted by the American Cancer Society and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, analyzed data from more than 3.5 million deaths occurring between 1993 and 2001. Science Daily reports that the study concluded; "People with less education have fewer financial resources, less access to health insurance or stable employment, and less health literacy." It would seem that not only do the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, but the poor get deader sooner also.

The greatest percentage increase in death rates was reported to be within the social class, white women. In that group, death rates increased by 3.2% annually for women with less than 12 years of education. The group of white women with more than 12 years of education also had a statistically significant increase in death rates of 0.7%. Men on the other hand, have seen increases in longevity. Well educated black men showed the greatest improvement, with a 36% decreased death rate. Well-educated white men also posted longevity gains, with a 25% decreased death rate.

My street level analysis is this: The education factor speaks for itself. Well educated people have the knowledge and resources to take better care of themselves. This is not to minimize the fact that they also tend to do fewer stupid things. Women, as they increase their power, leverage and exposure in this world, also increase their stresses and risks. Black men are beginning to make up for decades of high mortality rates, by working together to enhance their socio-economic well being overall. Men in general have begun to admit their vulnerability to the ravages of life and more of us are willing to admit when we need help.

As for us educated white guys living longer, well, that's probably just dumb luck.

Escalators can be deadly

Geoff Williams — 2008-05-14T11:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Transportation, Health

As if I didn't have enough to worry about. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, probably my favorite government agency, sent an email today, warning people about the dangers of escalators.

Granted, this news may not at first glance seem like it has anything to do with a personal finance blog, but plenty of businesspeople use escalators. You may be preparing to use one later today, when going up to see your financial adviser on the fifth floor of a building downtown. And like my recent elevator post, perhaps I should suggest investing in an escalator company. There are at least three that I'm aware of: the Escalator Company, Star Elevator and Escalator Company, and Detroit Escalator Company, or I thought that last one was one, until I logged onto a web site and discovered it's the name of a musician who calls himself the Detroit Escalator Company.

Anyway, if the musician wanted to start his own company, he'd have plenty of work. Each year, according to the CPSC, 90 billion riders use an escalator.

And while most people go up and down without a problem, the CPSC estimates that last year, there were approximately 11,000 escalator related injuries.

And, you know, at first, I was going to really send this up, and make fun of this plight, because it seemed silly and so random, but then I started Googling and found all sorts of scary things.
It really can be dangerous to ride an escalator. Eleven people in Japan were injured on an escalator when it came to a sudden stop earlier this week. And I found three instances of people who died due to escalator accidents in just the last month. I won't link to them because I don't want to anyone to somehow think I'm making fun of this -- I'm not. As it turns out, one of the victims was an elderly man, another was an eight-year-old boy in India who lost his balance and then there was a guy who drank too much and met an untimely end at a baseball stadium in April.

Drinking and escalators definitely don't mix. Years ago, I interviewed the president of a small record label who had a similar accident. He spent a few months in a hospital, reconsidered the direction of his life, stopped drinking and became a valuable member of society. I wish I could find the link to the story. But I digress.

Anyway, if you're curious, the CPSC says that most injuries involve falling, but 10 percent of accidents occur when hands, feet or shoes are trapped in escalators. Soft sided shoes are the most likely to get stuck. Clogs are particularly prone as are women's shoes called slides.

So the CPSC recommends that you:

make sure your shoes are tied before getting on an escalator
stand in the center of the step
always hold children's hands on escalators
don't let kids sit or play on the steps
don't bring children in strollers onto the escalator
face forward (do we really need to be told that?)

And if you're truly panicked, learn where the emergency shutoff buttons are, just in case you need to stop the escalator.

As for me, I'm just going to take the stairs. It's better for you, anyway.

Geoff Williams is a business journalist and the author of C.C. Pyle's Amazing Foot Race: The True Story of the 1928 Coast-to-Coast Run Across America (Rodale).

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Cheap earrings may not be a good deal after all

Tom Barlow — 2008-05-13T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Shopping, Health

A recent study of inexpensive earrings conducted by a pair of scientists at UC-SF found that almost a third of the under-$50 pairs they tested contained nickel. Why does this matter? In my years as a jeweler I became acutely aware of just how many people are allergic to the metal. Nickel dermatitis results in very sore, red and swollen ears and eczema-like symptoms.

The study found that a higher percentage of earrings on American shelves targeted to younger wearers contained nickel. They didn't find an correlation between the country of origin and the propensity for nickel.

Fortunately, there is a simple fix for many cheap earrings. If they are dangles, replacing ear wires made with nickel with those made with surgical steel should fix the problem. Fixed posts can also usually be swapped for stainless steel ones, although the cost of having your jeweler do so may exceed the value of the earrings.

Gold and platinum jewelry doesn't contain nickel.

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Don't bogart the skull, dude!

Bruce Watson — 2008-05-12T18:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Extracurriculars, Food, Health

The idea of using old skulls for the consumption of intoxicants is fairly common. In fact, it's become the basis of more than a few legends. One of my favorites involves Nostradamus, who supposedly predicted that anyone who drank wine from his skull would gain his powers of prediction, but would die soon after. As the tale goes, three French soldiers decided to test this legend in 1791, but the one who drank was shot almost immediately. History doesn't record whether or not he offered any predictions before giving up the ghost.

Another great story involves the head of Edward Teach, the famed "Blackbeard." After years of ruling the seas off the East Coast of North America, he was finally killed in 1718. Rather than bring Teach's corpse back to port, his killers cut off his head and threw his body overboard. After Robert Maynard, the commander of the force that killed Blackbeard, turned in his head for a reward, Governor Spottswood of Virginia hung the trophy from a pike in Bath, Virginia. There are conflicting stories about what happened to the skull; my favorite is that it was gilded with silver and turned into a drinking vessel.

It's not too hard to see why people would contemplate using a skull as a beer mug. Apart from the grisly coolness of the finished product, it's not all that hard to do. Basically, it only requires removing the top of the head, blocking a couple of holes, slapping on a handle, and developing a strong stomach.
On the other hand, constructing a bong from a skull is a pretty difficult undertaking, involving the aforementioned blocking as well as the introduction of various other difficult elements, including hole drilling, carburetor inserting, and so forth. Given a choice, I'd probably go with the femur as a more likely bong candidate, although the humerus would do in a pinch. Still, I guess the thighbone and the arm bone don't quite have the romance of the head bone.

Recently, three Houston teenagers decided to test the potential of bone-based bongs. Apparently, the boys found a disused graveyard, where they proceeded to disinter the body of an 11-year-old boy who died in 1921, remove his skull, and use it to fashion a water pipe. They weren't caught in the act, nor was the scene of the crime discovered. Rather, one of them, Kevin Wade Jones, told the police about his arts and craft project while he was being questioned in connection with a completely unrelated crime. When he was asked why Jones would incriminate himself in this way, a Houston police officer stated that "We can only speculate and guess to what goes on in the criminal mind."

I'm sure that the officer's statement about the criminal mind is absolutely correct, but I'd argue that the stoner mind is a little easier to decipher. In all likelihood, Jones was probably vacillating between mild paranoia, a desperate craving for Cheetos, and a goofy desire to brag about his incredibly cool new bong.

This little adventure probably won't cost the boys all that much. The three culprits are being held on misdemeanor charges of abuse of a corpse. Still, maybe this will encourage the next gang of would-be bone recyclers to consider a plastic skull kit instead.

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He wishes that India hadn't placed a ban on the exportation of bones; no wonder stoner kids are digging up graveyards!

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Squeaky hips leave customers' noses out of joint

Bruce Watson — 2008-05-12T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Entrepreneurship, Insurance, Retire, Health

When I was a kid, my favorite Wizard of Oz character was the Tin Man. The Lion was furry, but obnoxious, and the Scarecrow was nice, but a little too spastic. Toto was a yappy little dog and Dorothy was a girl and everyone else was just too damn weird looking. The Tin Man, though, was warm and caring, could blow steam out of his head, and made all kinds of fun sounds. He was just too damn cool.

I thought about the Tin Man recently because of some problems that Stryker Orthopaedics has been having with some of its replacement hips. Apparently, the company has a line of ceramic-lined hips that are guaranteed to last far longer than conventional plastic hips.

On the bright side, the hips have, thus far, lived up to their promise: in most cases, they are showing far less wear-and-tear than their plastic competitors. On the down side, 1-7% of these implants have developed an obnoxious squeak. Unlike the Tin Man, however, Stryker's customers can't get rid of their squeaks with a precise application of oil; they need to get their hips replaced again, a costly and intense surgical procedure with tons of potential complications.On one level, this seems pretty funny. After all, most of Stryker's squeakers aren't feeling any pain from their squeaking joints, nor are they suffering from dislocation, infection, or any of the other life-threatening problems that are often associated with prosthetic installation. The replacements are still good, and will probably continue to function for decades to come. On the other hand, after listening to the sound of a squeaking hip, I realized that this is no laughing matter. Having to constantly hear the sound of a chalkboard every time I walk would drive me crazy. Add in the fact that, as one patient complained, "it can interrupt sex when my wife starts laughing," and you've got a real quality-of-life issue here.

Hopefully, I've got a few years before this becomes an issue for me; one of the best parts of being a member of "Generation X" is that I've got the whole "Baby Boomer" cadre standing in front of me, waiting to work out the kinks on any new technology. That having been said, I hope that Stryker can find a way to square things with its hip customers!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He is hoping that brain transplant surgery is a reality by the time he's in his eighties.

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Recession gives plastic surgeons furrowed brows

Bruce Watson — 2008-05-11T11:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Health

One day, as I was flipping through some old pictures of LBJ, I noticed that his wife, Lady Bird, had a discolored front tooth. Rather than be disgusted or repulsed, I was actually kind of impressed. Growing up in a time when image often (always?) trumps depth, it is hard for me to imagine a woman as prominent as Mrs. Johnson refusing to get her tooth capped.

Looking back at pictures from my grandparents' day, I see a similar phenomenon: the images are filled with men and women who are blotchy, overweight, have crooked teeth, or otherwise fail to live up to the beauty ideal of my generation. Part of the reason for this, of course, is the fact that styles have changed; similarly, the beauty industry is constantly developing new technologies for pampering and self-glorification. A few years ago, the idea of injecting a biotoxin into one's skin would have seemed outlandishly repulsive, yet Botox is now a multi-million dollar business.

On the other hand, earlier generations often didn't have the disposable income necessary to support today's massive beauty industry. Expensive plastic surgery was reserved for wealthy people and the victims of disfiguring accidents. For anybody else, it would have been an outrageous extravagance.
This seems an important lesson to remember as money becomes tighter and vastly inflated. In fact, a recent Los Angeles Times article noted considerable declines in cosmetic procedures in California, citing the case of a regular Botox and Juvederm user who is currently out of work and has had to cancel her regular cosmetic treatments. According to the article, some doctors in the "luxury health care sector" have seen their business drop by up to 30%

There have been similar declines in the cosmetic dentistry and laser eye surgery businesses, as many potential customers have decided that this isn't the year to get expensive veneers or have their eyes permanently "fixed." It's not hard to imagine this trend spreading into the cosmetic industry, where "youth-defying" creams often run into the hundreds of dollars per ounce.

On the bright side, with a little carefully-targeted spending, our upcoming economic stimulus package might be just the thing to help iron the wrinkles out of America's foreheads!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. His "getting old with style" hero is Spencer Tracy.

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Soaring medical costs getting you down? Do-it-yourself tracheotomy!

Zac Bissonnette — 2008-05-11T08:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Health

Before we get any angry emails from concerned citizens: the title of this post was meant in jest and we certainly don't suggest that anyone actually try to perform surgery on himself.

The Associated Press lead says it all: "The 55-year-old Omaha man who performed a tracheotomy on himself with a steak knife says he did the same thing to himself two years ago."

Steve Wilder's throat has shrunken because of radiation treatments for cancer and, when he was having trouble breathing, he headed for the kitchen instead of the hospital. "I didn't feel no pain. I was just trying to survive," Wilder told a reporter. "I got relief right away. There was a big gush of blood, and I was able to start sucking in air."

Wilder's doctor even told him that he'd done a pretty good job.

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Medical evacuation insurance: another cautionary travel tale

Michele Turk — 2008-05-09T16:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Insurance, Health, Travel

Last month, my parents went to Florida for two weeks against the advice of their four children. We were worried that my father, who is on oxygen and has multiple medical problems, would take a turn for the worse and end up in a hospital. They decided to go anyway (parents today...they just don't listen).

Before they left, I urged my father to buy medical evacuation insurance, a specific type of travel insurance that retrieves "members" from anywhere in the world and transports them to the hospital of their choice. Last year, I edited an article for a website called Traveling Mom about the benefits of an insurance plan provided by a company called MedJet Assist. Afterward, I told my parents about the company and the week before they left for Florida, I spoke with them again and my father said he bought similar insurance via American Express.

You know what happened next. My dad, who has a blood disorder that makes his hemoglobin count drop to life threatening levels (among other medical problems brought on by 40 plus years of smoking), ended up in the hospital. It got so bad he needed a blood transfusion. They stabilized him but he just wanted to get back home to New Jersey.

Lo and behold, the American Express policy didn't actually provide emergency evacuation; it just pays for your travel expenses if you have to buy a last minute ticket on a commercial airline. So my parents ended up paying for a "critical care air ambulance," equipped with a stretcher, medical life support equipment, two pilots and two medical crew members, through a company called Res-q-jets. The company flew my mother, father and brother, who flew to Florida to help out, into Philadelphia, then drove my father by ambulance to the hospital in New Jersey. This "bedside to bedside" service cost $12,000, not covered by any insurance.

There's no question it was the right thing to do because my father has spent the last month back and forth between a hospital and a rehab facility, and he's had some close calls. This is obviously the most upsetting part of the ordeal, but I'm also sick over the fact that I could have prevented the exorbitant cost -- it would have cost a mere $195 via Medjet Assist for both of my parents for two weeks' coverage. An annual membership costs $225 for an individual and $350 for a family. Medjet is just one of several such companies that offer this type of program. As far as I can tell, there is no fine print, and people can't be excluded from joining due to preexisting conditions. You just have to sign up before your trip.

When I think of the places I've been without emergency evacuation insurance -- trekking in Thailand or driving aimlessly through vineyards in the Priorat region of Spain, just south of Barcelona -- and I can't even imagine what a hospital in Vietnam back in 1993, before American borders opened up, would have been like! Given my father's experience, emergency medical insurance seems like a small price to pay and now, I don't think I'll leave home without it.

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Train your brain, And gain as you age

Randy Burnham — 2008-05-09T09:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Retire, Technology, Health

What fun is retiring well-off if you're not all there to enjoy the ride?

Anyone unfortunate to have witnessed the ravages of Alzheimer's certainly understands. But almost all of us have experienced some kind of preview of diminished capacity to come -- glasses "lost" perched right atop our brows; forgetting whether or not you just took that vitamin; mentally misplacing long-burned-in info, like your mom's birthday. It starts earlier than most of us want to admit.

There's good news, in the form of research showing the brain has more plasticity than previously thought. In laymen's terms, our aging brains can likely benefit from regular exercise, to help stave off what was previously written off as inevitable, age-induced, mental atrophy.

Send your brain to the gym by doing fun and challenging stuff like:

- playing chess
- doing Sudoku and crossword puzzles
- balancing your checkbook without a calculator
- learning or regularly playing a musical instrument
- learning a foreign language, or diving deep into some other new-to-you subject
- reading a book while holding it upside down
- playing Bridge
- writing a novel or short story
- adding up a column of stock prices (you gain even if your portfolio loses)
- memorizing numbers in your everyday life - credit cards, etc.

If you're techie at heart, the Times story suggests looking at Nintendo's Brain Age 2 for DS ($19.99); PositScience's Brain Fitness Program ($395); MindFit ($149); Luminosity.com; Happy-Neuron.com.

Just do it. So you can enjoy it, later.

Randy Burnham is a Westport, CT-based clinical psychologist and co-founder of My Next Phase (www.mynextphase.com), a consulting firm expert in non-financial planning products and processes.

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Bike to Work Week starts Monday!

Josh Smith — 2008-05-08T17:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Transportation, Health

This coming week May 12 through 16 is Bike-to-Work Week with Friday the 16 being Bike-to-Work day. The event is sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists and has many events nationwide. The league has also provided a listing of 50 ways to enjoy the bike related festivities during May, national Bike Month. If you have organized an event in your local community as part of the celebration you can get it added to the official page of events.

Biking to work is a great way to save money on gas as it approaches the $4 mark in many areas of the country. Biking to work has many other benefits including being environmentally friendly. The exercise gained from biking to and from work even a short distance is good for your body. The savings over time for being healthy and in good shape throughout your life is worth more than most people can tally up.

If I was more of a morning person or if I lived closer to work I would definitely take advantage of Bike-to-Work week. Unfortunately I live about 20 miles one way from work and I don't have the desire to get up early enough nor do I have the physical prowess to bike 20 miles and then put in a full day's work. If my employer provided a good shower facility I might attempt to bike every now and then, so long as I had a safety net to pick me up when I fell behind.

Do any readers bike to work? How far do you go? Does your employer provide areas to benefit bikers or incentives to bike?

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Diabetes danger: Back away from the Burger King!

Bruce Watson — 2008-05-08T13:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Food, Home, Health

My wife and I are thinking about moving. As we've been looking at various apartments, we've had to consider the standard questions: how close is it to the subway, what is the nearest hospital, do the drug dealers seem friendly, what's the homicide rate, how many pairs of shoes are dangling from the nearby power lines...

You know, the standard Bronx questions.

One issue that we've never considered is the distance between our home and the nearest McDonald's. However, a recent study has revealed that our proximity to fast-food restaurants and convenience stores might be among the most important considerations when we choose our next home.

Apparently, neighborhoods in which junk food joints outnumber grocery stores exhibit much higher levels of obesity and diabetes than areas where the opposite is the case. This, by the way, is true for all people, regardless of race, social class, and economic position.

The study, conducted by UCLA's Center for Health Policy and a pair of nonprofit health advocacy groups, proposed a new environmental measure: RFEI, or "Retail Food Environmental Index." Basically, RFEI is the total number of fast food restaurants and convenience stores in an area, divided by the the number of grocery stores, supermarkets, farmers' markets, and other fresh produce vendors in the area. The average RFEI in California was 4.5, which means that, for every produce retailer in a Californian's neighborhood, there are 4.5 junk food palaces.

The study showed that California adults who lived in an area with a RFEI of 5 or higher had a 23% greater chance of having diabetes and a 20% greater chance of being obese than those living in an area with an RFEI of 3 or less. Needless to say, junk food purveyors quickly got up in arms, proclaiming that individuals are responsible for their food choices and that "[Suggesting] that living near a quick-service restaurant is a health threat akin to living next to a coal plant is ludicrous."

Personally, I'm not so sure. I used to work near a coal plant, and the filters on the stack meant that I rarely had to deal with any nasty smells or evil particulates. On the other hand, the McDonald's that I had to pass on the way home consistently put out the tantalizing scent of bubbling fries, a health threat that I found much more dangerous. More to the point, my daughter already recognizes the distinctive Dunkin' Donuts logo and she's only two and a half. Like Pavlov's dog, she starts drooling whenever we get within sight of one.

I wonder if I can find an apartment near a farmers' market...

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He carries a portable cattle prod to "gently" remind himself that fast food is bad, bad, bad!

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Drinking green: Just say no to bottled water

Julie Tilsner — 2008-05-07T14:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Saving, Simplification, Health

Drink this up. Despite what the marketers of bottled water have almost convinced us of, there remains little scientific evidence that drinking eight cups of water a day does anything more for your health than make you pee a lot.

A piece in last week's Health Section of the New York Times cites a new study in the June issue of The Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, which reports that researchers can't even find where the "at least eight cups of water a day" rule came from.

"Under normal circumstances," Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, a co-author and a professor of medicine at the University of Pennsylvania told the Times, "drinking extra water is unnecessary. I want to relieve people of the burden of schlepping water bottles around all day long."
Beverage Digest, which tracks trends in the industry, reports that the amount of liquid consumed by the average American holds steady at an estimated 182.5 gallons per year. Bottled water's share of that amount is growing, while all other drinks, including milk, is declining, according to one report.

So all that water you're supposed to drink to keep you healthy? It will cost you $0.00135, or about 49 cents a year if you drink it from a New York City tap. It goes without saying that cost is probably much less in most other areas of the country.

Or you could continue to spend 2,900 times as much, roughly $1,400 yearly, by drinking bottled water. And with all that extra money you're spending, you're also piling on the karma of contributing to the nation's waste heap and encouraging more of the industrial emissions that are contributing to Global Warming.

In my town near Los Angeles, a water engineer I know laughed derisively when asked what kind of bottled water he drank. "I drink the tap water," he says, looking at us like we were idiots for doing otherwise.

But the trends in American thirst quenching continue to favor the expensive option, as overflowing trash bins suggest. Bottled water is growing at the expense of nearly all other beverages, including coffee and milk, and is closing in on beer. Only the sports drink category is growing faster.

Something to digest next time you reach for that plastic bottle of $1.50 Fiji water. Your tap is just as good, and actually a greener option.

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$35,000 for a cat that doesn't make me sneeze?

Gary E. Sattler — 2008-05-07T10:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Extracurriculars, Health, Relationships

If you have money to burn and you're allergic to pet dander, but you'd really like to have a cat; have I got a deal for you! ABC News reported recently that a company called Allerca claimed two years ago that they had developed the world's first hypoallergenic cat. Allergic cat lovers immediately began paying deposits for ownership of the sneeze-free felines.

Selling prices range anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000 for your average tabby all the way up to $35,000 for an exotic variety of "wild cat." Emergency room doctor David Avner, who has researched the key feline protein believed to cause allergic reactions, says hypoallergenic cats are a fallacy. That's where the matter becomes a bit cloak and dagger-ish.

Dr. Avner states that a businessman named Simon Brodie approached him with the idea to develop a business offering non-allergenic cats, using the doctor's research. Anver alleges that after about a year, Brodie pilfered the kitty allergy research files and took off.

Brodie however, tells a different story. He insists that he offered Anver 3% interest in his new sneeze-less cat company. The two men couldn't agree, and litigation soon ensued.

ABC News reported that Dr. Erik Viirre, an ear, nose and throat specialist in San Diego, received an Allerca cat and has been quite pleased with "Jet". However, it seems that not all Allerca's customers are quite so happy. More than one customer has reportedly paid Allerca for a cat they never received. Additionally, Brodie's company has dodged scrutiny of it's product by unaffiliated members of the scientific community. The report indicates that only one series of tests has been completed on Allerca cats, which involved one neutral scientist, one cat, and nine human test subjects.

Scientists and feline breeders agree that an allergy-free feline is certainly feasible. However, they also agree that the actual development of one is to date, unlikely. There are particular species and even individual cats which can have very strong non-allergenic characteristics, though, and the combination of one particular cat with one particular person can result in a satisfactorily allergy reduced pet relationship.

For the time being, the best method to determine if a particular cat will aggravate your allergies is still to simply rub your face in it. Getting cheek to cheek and nose to nose with kitty will always answer your questions. It's also a good way to find out about the cat's disposition. Possibly the best part of your personal kitty testing is that it won't cost $35,000 to do it.

Gary Sattler is a freelance blogger. He's a former state certified Humane Officer, and a former retailer of animal care products.

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Smile and say ch...ch...ch..condom!

Gary E. Sattler — 2008-05-06T10:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Sex Sells, Extracurriculars, Health

File this under the heading of "What will they think of next?" The condom marketer Lifestyles has put a new spin on an old photo booth. Gone are the days when you and your love could snuggle, giggle and mug it up in the five-for-a-quarter photo booth. Back then, you dropped in your coin and you got a strip of black and white snap shots. These days you put in your money, pose for some snaps and you could get your pictures along with... you guessed it... condoms.

Lifestyles brand debuted its novel new photo booth concept in January at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Since that time, the company has expressed an interest in having more of the booths built for placement in large city clubs. Personally, I think the idea would present too much of a logistical nightmare for the company to be of any real value. I think the idea is more of a timely yet quirky publicity stunt.

Now, I have some ideas for other ways to move condoms. They could give them out at gas stations for when you get screwed at the pump. Or how about having the IRS send condoms out on a regular basis to taxpayers? In that scenario, they might want to furnish some complimentary KY Jelly also. My state Department of Motor Vehicles could put one in the envelope along with the yearly vehicle registration payment notice they send. We might also start looking for them in with those handy Social Security benefit estimates we're supposed to get each year.

Kudos to Lifestyles for coming up with an original condom awareness device. The approach is to be admired for its novelty. But honestly folks, It's my opinion that photo booths are for picture taking and they should be reserved for that purpose. Condoms on the other hand, are for... well... you know.

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Eating right at Mickey D's

Tom Barlow — 2008-05-06T09:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Food, Health

Fast food has been blamed for the plague of Dunlop disease in the U.S. ("My belly dunlop over my belt.") Certainly, a typical meal at McDonald's takes a lot of work to burn off. A Quarter-pounder with Cheese (in Europe, a Royal with Cheese), fries and a medium Coke contains 1,100 calories. The average person needs 1,800- 2,500 calories for an entire day to maintain consistent weight.

However, most chains now offer waistline-friendly selections. For example, McDonald's has compiled suggested menus that don't require you to eat leaves and twigs. These include-

Breakfast:
Sausage Burrito
12 oz. orange juice
440 calories
(For comparison, two glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts have 400 calories)

Lunch:
4 pc. Chicken McNuggets w/ honey dipping sauce
Side salad with a half pack of Newman's Caesar dressing
Small Sprite
470 calories

Supper:
Cheeseburger
Apple dippers with low-fat caramel sauce
Small Diet Coke
400 calories

Certainly these menu selections aren't perfect; they are high in fat, sodium and cholesterol. However, for sedentary workers they make a lot more sense.

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More cheap prescription drugs coming to Wal-Mart

Tracy Coenen — 2008-05-05T18:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Shopping, Health

When Wal-Mart first lowered the price of certain generic prescription drugs to $4 for a 30-day supply, consumers wondered how they could do it. Wouldn't they lose money? Of course they would lose money on the prescription, but the master of merchandising knew they'd more than make up for those losses on what you'd purchase while you were waiting for your prescription.

Now Wal-Mart has announced that it's going to make even more drugs available for $4 (30 day supply) or $10 (90 day supply). These aren't your newest, fanciest drugs. But they are common generics that many people take daily. They will now have over 1,000 prescription drugs available at bargain basement prices.

And there's another bright side for consumers: Even if you don't shop at Wal-Mart, you might benefit. Consumers filling their prescriptions at Target also receive the same bargain pricing, in an effort to compete with Wal-Mart. And I'm sure there are other chains that have also followed suit, giving consumers several options for extremely affordable prescription drugs.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

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Save your money, forget about diet pills

Josh Smith — 2008-05-05T12:00:00+00:00

Filed under: Health

MSNBC took a look into the effectiveness of diet pills recently and found that, on their own, diet pills won't make you thin. Despite the reality that diet pills aren't magic bullets, the drug industry is set to roll out almost 15 new diet pills in the next few years! Many experts agree that diet pills can be used in tandem with exercise to make a difference, but taking them alone is only an exercise in futility.

I think deep down a lot of people who purchase diet pills know they don't work, but at the same time they rationalize that this one is new and maybe, just maybe, it will be the one. I know I have been tempted by the snake-skin oil hucksters pitching these bowel loosing magic pills before, but I never bought in so to speak. I dropped about 40 pounds towards the end of my high school career the cheap way, running and more running, and for dessert, more running.

Now as I think about how to lose some weight I gained over the winter, I would love to be able to pop a pill in the morning for 6 weeks and drop 12 pounds. The problem is I don't want to be popping pills for the rest of my life to keep 12 pounds off, as this would get pricey real quick. For many people a diet pill could be a good tool to add to their weight loss arsenal, but relying on a pill without changing any habits is ridiculous. Save your money, in many cases a lot of money, and combine working out with eating less to lose weight.

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Forget about your health savings accounts!

Josh Smith — 2008-05-05T09:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Saving, Simplification, Health

Health Savings accounts are a great tool for preparing for medical expenses, both planned and unplanned. After a knee surgery last year tapped out our HSA, we bumped up our monthly contributions to try quickly build up to a useful amount. After putting the increase in place we promptly forgot about it and adjusted to the slight decrease in take home pay. Despite being forced to drop the amount contributed by the yearly caps the balance and the contributions have remained untouched and out of mind for several months.

Last week we got a bill for about $400 from the local hospital prompting me to call up and find out what our HSA balance was. To my surprise the balance was more than double what I expected! I had forgotten that we had bumped our monthly contribution months ago up and that in the meantime our employer had made a contribution which led to a significant balance. I quickly made sure the money was actually mine and faxed in the request form .

That's it, no muss no fuss and we didn't have to put the payment on a credit card or string it out for months at the hospital. As an added bonus our hospital has an incentive to pay early, so we save 5% on the total bill. When it comes to savings of any kind, the best method may be to, "set it and forget it".

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Help for the uninsured

Michele Turk — 2008-05-02T15:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Insurance, Health

This week, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is sponsoring Cover the Uninsured Week, a program launched in 2003 to raise awareness of the plight of the 47 million Americans who lack health insurance.

The foundation's web site is packed with helpful information and resources, as well as moving personal stories and facts and figures documenting the problem. Perhaps most helpful are the state profiles with specifics on eligibility and coverage information, and state-by-state guides on how to find low-cost and free health insurance programs. The site also links to events happening across the country to provide health education and to sign up families for health insurance. For example, ten health fairs are being held in California this week and weekend by various community organizations. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also sponsors back to school week in August to help uninsured school children enroll in health plans.

Here in Connecticut, I read about the campaign in a local paper, which mentioned that Americares runs three free clinics in the state, in Bridgeport, Danbury and Norwalk. To find out if you're eligible, visit the Americares free clinics website. The Stamford-based charity opened its first free U.S. clinic in 1994 to serve the medical needs of the working poor, although it is better known for its international relief work.

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2,900 calorie cheese fries at Outback Steakhouse

Zac Bissonnette — 2008-05-02T12:30:00+00:00

Filed under: Food, Health

The last time I wrote about restaurants offering huge portions of unhealthy calories, one kind commenter referred to me as "food Stalin."

Well now I'm at it again. Fortune Small Business reports that Outback Steakhouse sells 2,900 calorie cheese-fries. A new law in New York requires that the company and other large chains post the calorie information on the menu, and other states may follow suit.

Of course, there's nothing illegal about offering 2,900 calorie cheese-fries. But I have to say: I think it's at least socially irresponsible to offer serving sizes that are by definition unhealthy for anyone to eat.

Whether disclosure laws will do anything to temper people's appetites is doubtful. The amount of knowledge/information that consumers have about nutrition has done nothing but increase over the past 50 years -- and has our nation's collective waistline.

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