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By Rita R. Robison, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

After I returned from my vacation in Miami, my friend Sue Lean asked me to take part in two events celebrating the 100^th anniversary of Votes for Women in Washington state. The events took place at the state capital in Olympia.

Although I was jet lagged, I managed to get to the first event, Lobby Day for the League of Women Voters of Washington, last Monday. That’s me on the left, in my suffragette’s costume. Secretary of State Sam Reed is in the center of the photo and Sue is to the right.

In the background is the Five Star Flag, which symbolizes that Washington was the fifth state in the nation to grant women the right to vote.

I took photos of at the event, which included carrying the flag to the Secretary of State’s Office.

I enjoy tremendously taking photos. It gives me great joy. The costumes and decorations for the event were colorful, which made for terrific photos.

The second event two days later was the opening of a display in the Secretary of State’s Office on the first women elected to public offices in Washington state.

The display featured women elected to office early in the state’s history.

In addition, the display included panels of the first women elected in recent times, including our current governor Chris Gregoire, who was the first woman elected to the position of attorney general.

More than two dozen women wore costumes to the opening of the First Women Elected display.

Secretary of State Reed also wore a great costume. This is Sam with Gov. Gregoire.

I enjoyed taking photos at the second event and, again, the costumes and displays resulted in great photos.

I hope you’ve been able to experience joy recently. Let me know in the Comment section below about the good times you’ve had recently.

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By Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

What annoys you most when you shop for groceries?

It really upsets me when cashiers throw my groceries around. Food costs a lot of money these days. When it gets tossed into the bags and shoved into the cart, I get all streamed up.

WalletPop offers this list of the 20 most annoying things at the grocery store

1. Huge grocery carts
2. Oops! I forgot one thing…
3. Prolonged kid temper tantrums
4. Aisle blockers
5. Express lane abuse
6. Kids on wheels
7. Payment procrastinator
8. Let’s put back the…
9. Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
10. The ’10-for-$10’ trick
11. Food that’s past the expiration date, damaged, or opened
12. Poor functioning cart choices
13. Non-private PIN pads
14. Lots of closed lanes
15. Rough cashiers
16. Sale items that don’t ring up as they should
17. Checkout belt hogs who don’t move forward after they’ve put their items on the conveyor belt
18. Self-checkout lanes that don’t work
19. Oddly placed items or favorite foods that have been moved which requires wandering up and down the aisles
20. Frosty freezer doors

Are your top grocery store pet peeves on the list? If not, let me know in a comment below.

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By Rita R. Robison, Blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Now that lead is banned in products for children, the makers of cheap children’s jewelry are substituting another toxic chemical – cadmium.

An investigation by the Associated Press reported high cadmium levels in items including bracelet charms from Wal-Mart and Claire’s stores. Lab tests conducted for the AP on 103 pieces of low-priced children’s jewelry, nearly all exported from China, found 12 items with cadmium content above 10 percent of the total weight.

Several of those shed very high amounts of the metal when analyzed for how much of the toxin a child might be exposed to after swallowing the item.

Like lead, cadmium can hinder brain development in young children, according to recent research. It also causes cancer.

Writing in a blog post, Inez Tenenbaum, chair of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said:

Now we hear about cadmium in jewelry. This is unacceptable. Just this week, I sent a clear message warning manufacturers against the use of heavy metals, ‘especially cadmium,’ in a keynote speech that was delivered Tuesday at the APEC Toy Safety Initiative/Dialogue in Hong Kong.

Because of these recent developments, I have a message for parents, grandparents and caregivers: Do not allow young children to be given or to play with cheap metal jewelry, especially when they are unsupervised.

We have proof that lead in children’s jewelry is dangerous and was pervasive in the marketplace. To prevent young children from possibly being exposed to lead, cadmium or any other hazardous heavy metal, take the jewelry away.

Tenenbaum said the commission is moving swiftly to stop the replacement of lead with cadmium and other hazardous heavy metals in children’s products imported from China.

We are also actively investigating the jewelry cited in the recent AP story and will inform parents and consumers quickly of any actions we take as a result of our efforts. Our investigation is squarely focused on ensuring the safety of children.

Tenenbaum added:

It is very difficult for a parent to determine if an item contains harmful levels of a metal in a specific item except by checking recalls listed on the CPSC Web site. Parents should know that swallowing, sucking on, or chewing a metal charm or necklace could result in exposure to lead, cadmium or other heavy metals, which are known to be toxic at certain levels of exposure.

We are working to take decisive action at CPSC, using the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, a law aimed at keeping kids safe from toxic chemicals and metals.

Tenenbaum said a tragic incident occurred in March 2006, which had a significant impact on the CPSC. Jarnell Brown, a 4-year old boy from Minneapolis, Minn., swallowed a metal charm that was nearly pure lead. He died four days later.

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By Rita R. Robison, blogging at The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Lately, I’ve been thinking and writing about the most important events and books of the year and the decade.

What have been the most crucial happenings for you last year and since 2000?

I choose health care reform, the recall of millions of consumer products, and the recall of contaminated food as the top consumer stories of 2009. My other choices are offered in “Top 10 Consumer Stories for 2009.”

I picked the economic meltdown, the sluggish economy and job recovery, and retirement delayed as the top three stories for boomers in 2009. See “Top 10 Stories of 2009 for Baby Boomers” for my other choices.

I selected “2009 Action Plan: Keeping Your Money Safe and Sound,” “The Healing of America: The Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care,” and “Other People’s Money: The Corporate Mugging of America” for the best consumer books of 2009. See the article the “Top 10 Consumer Books of 2009” for my other choices.

My top three choices for the best consumer books of the decade are “Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal,” “Payback: Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth,” and “The Omnivore’s Dilemma.” See the article “Top 10 Consumer Books of the Decade” for my other picks.

For the most important stories for boomers during the decade, I chose 9/11, the War in Afghanistan, and the War in Iraq. See the article “Top 10 Stories of the Decade for Baby Boomers” for my other top stories since 2000.

The top posts on my blog The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide for 2009 were: “How Often Should You Change Your Bed Sheets,” “How to Buy Eye Glasses,” and “How to Buy a Dishwasher.” See the article “Top 10 Stories on The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide in 2009” for information on the other top stories on the blog.

The top posts on my blog the Boomer Consumer on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Web site were: “Don’t Put Condoms in Your Wallet,” “What’s in the Senate Health Care Bill?” and “How to Protect Yourself as a Boomer Consumer When You’re in the Hospital.” See the article “Top 10 Stories on the Boomer Consumer” for the other most-read posts.

Leave a comment below and let me know your opinions on the top events and books of 2009 and the decade for boomer consumers.

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