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The American Bankers Association Education Foundation and volunteer bankers are giving youth a credit reality check, with a serious conversation on the responsible use of credit.

"America's youth is listening when we talk about the economy and their financial futures," says Laura Fisher, ABA Education Foundation director. "We are in the midst of a national teachable moment on credit use and bankers are seizing this opportunity to educate future generations."

Celebrating its sixth anniversary, Get Smart About Credit Day brings thousands of bankers and students together for lessons on developing good credit habits, such as paying on time, using credit wisely and not borrowing more than you can repay. "This is a tough time for everyone, but it's not the time to let up on financial education," Fisher says. "Just as interest in hybrid cars went up with prices at the pump, there's an interest in financial management that needs to be met."

The ABA Education Foundation also encourages parents to strike while the iron is hot and use this opportunity to talk to their children about using credit wisely:

• Talk openly about money with children. Communicate your values and experiences with money. Encourage questions and be prepared for tough ones.
• Explain the difference between needs and wants, the value in saving and budgeting and the consequences of not doing so.
• Be an example of a responsible money manager by paying bills on time, being a conscientious spender and an active saver.

Consumers are also encouraged to use Get Smart About Credit Day as a time to take A.C.T.ion when it comes to their credit. The A.C.T. Credit Pledge calls for consumers to:

A: Assess your debt.
C: Check your credit report for errors.
T: Take the information and create a plan.

"When it comes to credit and personal finances, the worst thing someone can do is idle in neutral and do nothing," says Fisher. "They need to take A.C.T.ion."

Learn more at www.getsmartaboutcredit.com.

(11-03-08)

Change your clocks. Replace your smoke alarm batteries. Both are important this weekend as daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 2.

While changing your clock can keep you on time for work on Monday, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) advises consumers that putting fresh batteries in your smoke alarms can save your life.

In recent years, an estimated annual average of 378,700 fires, 2,740 deaths, 13,090 injuries and $5.6 billion in property losses associated with residential fires have been reported by fire departments.

"Smoke alarms save lives," says CPSC Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. "That's a fact. Working smoke alarms buy you valuable time to get out of your home when there's a fire."

CPSC urges consumers to install smoke alarms on every level of their home, outside sleeping areas, and inside each bedroom. To minimize nuisance alarms, install smoke alarms at least 10 feet from the stove and oven.

CPSC staff recommends installing both ionization and photoelectric type smoke alarms. Ionization type smoke alarms typically detect flaming fires more quickly, while photoelectric type smoke alarms typically detect smoldering fires sooner.

In addition to replacing smoke alarm batteries, consumers should test their smoke alarms every month to make sure they are operating properly - and never disable a smoke alarm. Long-life smoke alarms with 10-year batteries are also available to consumers.

(11-03-08)

Approximately 40 percent of winter home energy bills involves heating. Deborah Taylor-Hough, author of the Frozen Assets series, Frugal Living for Dummies, Mix-and-Match Recipes and A Simple Choice: A Practical Guide for Saving Your Time, Money and Sanity, shares some simple tips for cutting back on your home energy costs this winter:

Heating:

• Change furnace air filters regularly (once a month or according to manufacturer's recommendations).
• Schedule a cleaning/maintenance call each year for your furnace.
• Install a programmable thermostat.
• Turn down the heat one degree during the day. Lower the heat by 10 degrees at night.
• Make sure your furniture and carpets don't cover or block vents or air ducts.

Insulating:

• Add weather-stripping around doors and windows.
• Install thermo-pane windows in your home.
• Insulate your top floor ceilings and attic.
• Replace window screens with storm windows.
• Close the damper on the chimney flue when not in use.
• Cover your windows with insulated blinds or curtains. Or make window quilts for the winter months.
• Insulate yourself! Wear a sweater and insulated slippers in the house. Buy a down comforter for your bed.

Lighting:

• Use compact florescent lights, especially in outside lighting like porch lights that are left on for long periods of time.
• Use photo-cells or motion sensors for outdoor lights.
• Open drapes when the sun is shining in your windows (helps to provide both light and passive heat), and be sure to remember to close the drapes at night to keep the heat in.
• Turn off lights when you leave a room.

Appliances:

• Insulate your older water heater.
• General rule of thumb: If you aren't using it, turn it off!
• Unplug electronics and electric appliances when not in use (battery chargers, hair appliances, computers).
• Use a power strip as a central turn off point for electronics, videos games and computers when not in use..
• Use the right size pot on the stovetop.

Cleaning:

• Always run full loads of both laundry and dishes.
• If you have a newer model dishwasher, don't rinse dishes prior to putting them in the dishwasher.
• Install an energy efficient showerhead, which will not only save on water usage, but also save money on water heating.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible. Hot water heating uses 90 percent of the electricity used to run your washing machine.
• Use the correct water level when washing clothes.
• Don't over-dry your clothes. Hang to dry – or to finish drying – whenever possible.
• Empty your lint trap before each load.

(11-03-08)

Hot microwaved liquids pose a significant burn threat to children as young as 18 months old, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics.

For the study, researchers reviewed medical records of children ages 4 and younger who were admitted to the University of Chicago Burn Center between January 1, 2002, and December 31, 2004. Of the 118 unintentional burn injuries, 14 were tap water scalds and 94 were due to hot cooking or drinking liquids, including 26 related to microwave use. Specifically, nine children (8.7 percent) between the ages of 18 months and 4 were scalded after opening a microwave oven and removing a hot substance themselves, and 17 (16.3 percent) were burned while an older child, ages 7 to 14, was cooking, carrying a scalding substance or supervising a younger child.

As burn injuries are extremely painful and can cause scarring and physical limitations, the study authors recommend prevention strategies and messages that address a broader range of liquid safety hazards, including microwave dangers. In addition, the study authors recommend changes in microwave design to prevent child entry.

(10-21-08)

On a night known for its mischief, parents should not have to live in fear for the safety of their children. To help ensure little witches and warlocks enjoy a safe Halloween, Nationwide Children's Hospital offers a few quick safety tips for homeowners.

Paint your pumpkins. Carving knives are dangerous and the candles used inside carved pumpkins are fire hazards. If you light a jack-o-lantern this year, keep it away from your front door or porch so little costumes do not catch fire. Never leave a lighted pumpkin unattended. Another option for lighting your pumpkin is to use flameless candles.

Leave on both your indoor and outdoor lights if you want visits from trick-or-treaters.

Clear the walkway to your door of decorations, hoses, toys, wet leaves or other items that could injure hurrying children.

Do not hand out homemade items as Halloween treats.

(10-21-08)

In light of recent news reports focusing on the potential health risks to children less than 5 years of age from nontraditional pets, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) is reminding the public that no matter what your age and no matter what species your pet, good hygiene practices greatly reduce the spread of disease and lead to happier and healthier relationships between people and their pets.

The AVMA is also stressing that, under no circumstances, should people abandon pets or turn them loose in the wild due to the fear of diseases that spread between animals and people, also known as zoonotic diseases. If a pet must be relinquished, pet owners need to find it a new and suitable home.

"Pets have so much to offer our children and can be valuable additions to our households," says Dr. James Cook, president of the AVMA. "It would be a shame if recent newspaper articles scare people away from pet ownership, or cause them to abandon pets they already have. Pets bring our children joy and companionship and teach them about animal welfare and responsibility. If anything, these reports should remind people about the importance of washing their hands and other sanitary measures they can take when in contact with any animal." In a recently released document, the AVMA addresses and answers questions pet owners might have regarding zoonotic diseases and provides tips on how to minimize health risks for both pets and their owners. The document is available on the AVMA Web site at http://www.avma.org/animal_health/pets_ZD_faq.asp.

(10-21-08)

Safety is a concern for everyone, especially parents. An important part of raising children is careful supervision of their activities in the home. Parents need to be aware of their children's surroundings at all times in order to anticipate and prevent potential injury. One of the most overlooked areas in the home is the window. Whether open or closed, windows are a potential hazard to the safety and well-being of toddlers and young children.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) have designated October as National Window Covering Safety Month to raise awareness of the dangers posed by window covering cords. According to the CPSC, since 1990 more than 200 children have died as a result of accidental strangulation from window covering cords.

"We have always been a strong supporter of these two esteemed organizations and their mission of educating consumers about child safety, especially the potential dangers of window covering cords," says Joe Jankoski, corporate vice president of Merchandising for Hunter Douglas, as well as a member of the Board and Past President of the WCSC.

"Hunter Douglas was the first manufacturer to respond with a solution to the problem and has consistently taken a leadership position within the industry with regard to innovating alternative lifting systems that enhance the safety of our window coverings and building consumer awareness of window covering safety," he says. In fact, the company is offering a free upgrade to its LiteRise® cordless lifting system with the purchase of all Duette® and Applause® honeycomb shades during the Hunter Douglas Child Safety Promotion in effect September 25 to November 17, 2008.

"Unfortunately, the majority of accidents still happen in the home," says Jankoski. "At Hunter Douglas, we urge parents to go through the home from top to bottom while on their knees to better understand potential hazards from a child's vantage point. Where we see the unremarkable, functional aspects of daily domestic life, a child may see an intriguing tangle of wires, a space in which to hide, a plant or pills that look good to eat or a bottle of cleaning fluid that resembles the juice that Mommy takes out of the refrigerator."

Test your child safety knowledge, with this quiz developed by Hunter Douglas to raise awareness of child safety issues:

1. Window screens provide adequate protection against falls.

FALSE. Screens are designed to keep bugs out, not children in. Install locks on all windows, even those on the ground floor. If you need to open a window for ventilation, install a side lock that will keep it at a level too low for a child to pass through.

2. Avoid long draperies when decorating a child's bedroom.

TRUE. When kids start to crawl, there's a real danger that they will pull on the fabric, bringing down the hardware and heavy, potentially suffocating draperies.

3. Cordless window fashions help prevent a potential hazard.

TRUE. Yes, Hunter Douglas has developed the LiteRise® system that eliminates potentially dangerous operating cords, and raises and lowers the window fashions with a gentle touch on the bottom rail.

4. Place furniture close to the window so children can benefit from fresh air and sunlight.

FALSE. Toddlers are very agile and can climb from a crib or other furniture to the windowsill. And, in case the window is broken, there's a danger of injury from flying glass.

5. Sometimes the less obvious items can present the biggest potential hazards.

TRUE. Splintered wood, untacked carpets, poorly secured shelf units and dangling appliance cords are just a few of the not-so-obvious hazards to child safety.

6. Crib toys strung across the crib or playpen should be removed when the child is about a year old.

FALSE. Once a baby is able to push up on his hands or knees – usually around 5 months – the cord used to fasten the toys can pose a danger.

7. Crib slats should be no more than 2 3/8 inches apart.

TRUE. Also, avoid decorative cutouts that might also trap little heads.

8. Candles are a pleasant addition to a child's room.

FALSE. Never put a candle anywhere in a child's room and be sure that all lighted candles, lighters and matches are out of children's reach at all times.

9. Parents should put electric socket covers over all outlets.

TRUE. There are a number of easy-to-install socket covers on the market that keep small fingers out of dangerous outlets. They also prevent appliances from becoming unplugged accidentally.

10. Large glass doors and windows can shatter from the weight of a child's body.

TRUE. Use shatterproof glass in the construction of sliding glass and French doors and put stickers at child's eye level on these and any other wide expanses of glass.

11. Many household plants can be toxic to children.

TRUE. Houseplants not only make our homes aesthetically pleasant, they help to oxidize and cleanse the air. However, some common household plants such as amaryllis, begonia, philodendron and poinsettias have some level of toxicity when ingested or when they come in contact with skin.

12. Doors can also be a hazard to small children.

TRUE. Small fingers can be caught and even amputated if caught in closing doors or hinges. Foam guards can be installed to prevent this.

13. Children can only drown in six inches of water or more.

FALSE. Children can drown in as little as 1 inch of water in a bathtub, wading pool, toilet, bucket, spa or hot tub. These accidents can happen in seconds – never leave a child unsupervised near water, even for a moment.

14. Household cleaners and all medicines should be kept in locked cabinets.

TRUE. Many ordinary household products and over-the-counter or prescription medicine can be lethal. Kids can mistake pills for candy and detergent for juice. Spilled liquids can splatter and get into a child's eyes. Secure these items carefully and keep the Poison Hotline number posted near the phone: 800-222-1222. (10-14-08)

A new study from researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, has found that more than 213,000 children under 18 years of age are treated each year in hospital emergency departments in the United States for playground-related injuries. The number of injuries remained consistent across the 10-year study period. The study is published in the electronic issue of Clinical Pediatrics.

"Although playground guidelines and standards exist, the consistently high numbers of injuries we are seeing in our emergency departments show that unsafe playground conditions remain and pose risk for severe injury," says study co-author Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital, and an associate professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. "Our study findings underscore the importance of strengthening current standards and increasing our efforts to prevent these injuries."

Other key findings in the study include the following:

• Injuries occurred most frequently on climbers (36 percent), followed by swings (30 percent) and slides (20 percent).
• The majority of injuries occurred to children between 5 and 12 years of age and injuries occurred equally among boys and girls.
• The most commonly injured body parts were the upper extremities – which included the upper and lower arm, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand and fingers (45 percent), followed by the head (15 percent) and face (13 percent).
• The most common types of injuries included fractures (35 percent), bruises (20 percent), cuts (20 percent) and sprains and strains (11 percent) with more than three-fourths of these injuries occurring as the result of a fall.
• Compared with other mechanisms of injury, falls were significantly associated with fractures, and fractures accounted for over 90 percent of the injuries among children who needed to be admitted to the hospital as the result of a playground equipment-related injury.

"When science and the community come together, we can help our children play safely whether they are at school or in sports areas or around the home," says Dr. Ileana Arias, director of CDC's Injury Center. "We want our children to exercise to stay healthy, and it's a good idea if parents check the play area for safety hazards before their children start to play."

The Center for Injury Research and Policy recommends the following:

• Make sure there is a shock-absorbing surface under and around the play equipment.
• Remove or close open "S" hooks that could cause an injury.
• Check for spaces where children can get their head caught.
• Make sure platforms and ramps have guardrails for barriers.
• Remove any trip hazards.
• Never attach ropes, jump ropes, clotheslines or pet leashes to playground equipment.
• Have children remove their bike helmets before entering the playground. Strangulation can occur if either the straps or the helmet get caught on playground equipment while the child is wearing the helmet.

(10-14-08)

Fires in the home can start in an instant and spread in seconds, leaving families with as little as two minutes to escape from a residential fire. However, with smoke alarms, escape plans and good fire safety practices, two minutes is enough time for families to evacuate unharmed. October serves as national fire prevention month to remind everyone about the importance of fire safety and prevention.

Although burns are among the most painful injuries a person can live through, the most common cause of fire-related deaths is smoke inhalation. Cooking is the most frequent cause of house fires and almost two-thirds of all house fire-related deaths occur in homes without working smoke alarms.

"Working smoke alarms can decrease an individual's risk of dying in a house fire by nearly half," says Nichole Hodges, MPH, CHES, home safety program coordinator, Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "Most houses do have at least one smoke alarm, but many do not work because the batteries are missing or dead. Most children who die or are injured in a house fire live in a home without working smoke alarms."

Not only should smoke alarms be tested monthly, but batteries should be replaced once a year, unless the smoke alarm has a longer-lasting lithium battery. Also, smoke alarms should be replaced every 10 years.

"Smoke alarms need to be installed on every level of your home, even in the basement," says Hodges. "There should be a smoke alarm outside of each sleeping area, and, for better protection, a smoke alarm inside each bedroom as well."

Along with smoke alarms, Hodges encourages all families to develop and practice a fire escape plan. Fires spread much more quickly today than they did 20 to 30 years ago because of the synthetic materials in homes. Escape plans are especially vital for children younger than 5 years old and adults older than 70 years old because they are at higher risk of dying in a house fire and often need assistance to escape.

"Fire escape plans should be practiced until they are second nature," says Fire Chief Ned Pettus, Jr., City of Columbus, Ohio, Department of Public Safety. "Once your family gathers at your safe meeting place, you can call the fire department."

Chief Pettus also stresses the need for businesses to practice fire safety. Compliance with fire code requirements should be maintained, fire drills conducted and emergency action plans and exit route maps must be posted and distributed to all employees. He suggests that businesses choose leaders for emergency evacuations and decide how to help disabled co-workers to safety.

(10-14-08)

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers these health and safety tips:

All Dressed Up

• Plan costumes that are bright and reflective. Make sure that shoes fit well and that costumes are short enough to prevent tripping, entanglement or contact with flame.
• Consider adding reflective tape or striping to costumes and trick-or-treat bags for greater visibility.
• Because masks can limit or block eyesight, consider non-toxic makeup and decorative hats as safer alternatives. Hats should fit properly to prevent them from sliding over eyes.
• When shopping for costumes, wigs and accessories look for and purchase those with a label clearly indicating they are flame resistant.
• If a sword, cane or stick is a part of your child's costume, make sure it is not sharp or too long. A child may be easily hurt by these accessories if he stumbles or trips.
• Obtain flashlights with fresh batteries for all children and their escorts.
• Teach children how to call 9-1-1 (or their local emergency number) if they have an emergency or become lost.

Carving a Niche

• Small children should never carve pumpkins. Children can draw a face with markers. Then parents can do the cutting.
• Votive candles are safest for candle-lit pumpkins.
• Candlelit pumpkins should be placed on a sturdy table, away from curtains and other flammable objects, and should never be left unattended.

Home Safe Home

• To keep homes safe for visiting trick-or-treaters, parents should remove from the porch and front yard anything a child could trip over such as garden hoses, toys, bikes and lawn decorations.
• Parents should check outdoor lights and replace burned-out bulbs.
• Wet leaves should be swept from sidewalks and steps.
• Restrain pets so they do not inadvertently jump on or bite a trick-or-treater.

On the Trick-or-treat Trail

• A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
• If your older children are going alone, plan and review the route that is acceptable to you. Agree on a specific time when they should return home.
• Only go to homes with a porch light on and never enter a home or car for a treat.
• Because pedestrian injuries are the most common injuries to children on Halloween, remind trick-or treaters:
  -Stay in a group and communicate where they will be going.
  -Carry a cell phone for quick communication.
  -Remain on well-lit streets and always use the sidewalk.
  -If no sidewalk is available, walk at the far edge of the roadway facing traffic.
  -Never cut across yards or use alleys.
  -Only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks (as recognized by local custom). Never cross between parked cars or out driveways.
  -Don't assume the right of way. Motorists may have trouble seeing trick-or-treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn't mean others will!
• Law enforcement authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.

Healthy Halloween

• A good meal prior to parties and trick-or-treating will discourage youngsters from filling up on Halloween treats.
• Consider purchasing non-food treats for those who visit your home, such as coloring books or pens and pencils.
• Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
• Try to ration treats for the days following Halloween.

(10-07-08)