Consumer News & Alerts

March 19, 2007

OLD, POISONED, FORGOTTEN
The latest food recall panic is sweeping the country. This time it's dog and cat food that may be contaminated, potentially causing kidney failure and death in household pets. Already it's reported that at least 10 dogs have died -- a fact trumpeted far and wide by our friends in the daily press and broadcast news. Though they haven't been documented by any public health agency, the dogs' deaths are accepted as fact and grocers are removing every can of dog and cat food possibly included in the recall.

Contrast this with the deaths of Rosie Haskins, 81; Mary Halstead, 85; Roberta Barkay, 76, and George Baldwin. They died of complications of what looks suspiciously like Salmonella poisoning but, because their families did not insist on an autopsy, there has been no "official" confirmation that they died from eating peanut butter, which their families say they ate just before they became ill.

Government has reacted to these deaths with its usual indifference. After all, if the paperwork isn't done, the wheels of bureaucracy don't budge. The silence from the press, meanwhile, is deafening. It's illustrative of two big problems in what passes for journalism today: over-reliance on "official" sources and a stunning lack of interest in the elderly. Pardon our saying so, but many reporters are lazy and a shocking number are timid, afraid to challenge official orthodoxy or report something their colleagues have passed up. We are regularly chided by our former colleagues for running a Web site they consider "sensationalistic" or "muckraking," meaning that we rely as much on the testimony of everyday citizens as on the bilge put forth by paid liars, apologists, spinners and propagandists (same thing, really).

Not a day goes by that we don't provide information to other reporters about problems with cars, credit cards, refrigerators, icemakers and other effluvia. But old people dying? The phone stays silent.

This shouldn't be surprising. Government, the press and just about everyone else routinely look the other way when disaster afflicts the elderly. Just one day after September 11, 2001, rescue teams went door to door in Lower Manhattan rescuing pets left behind in hasty evacuations. It was a week or more before anyone thought to check on the frail elderly living in the area. A disproportionate number of Hurricane Katrina victims were elderly, some left to die in nursing homes in the storm's path, others abandoned by a mayor who, in the city that care forgot, didn't care enough to make plans for evacuating frail elderly taxpayers from their homes.

Nor do medical teams always knock themselves out when presented with an elderly person in distress. When Mark Haskins died after suddenly falling ill, her family asked her doctor what had happened. "Her doctor told us 'maybe her heart just failed,'" a family member said.

Those who work in the aging services field -- home health care aides, nursing home attendants, practical nurses -- are among the poorest paid and most harshly treated workers in America. We don't hear Congress, the Presidential candidates or even the likes of AARP saying much of anything about the death-by-peanut-butter scandal but look out! If Shadow, Flopsy, Buster and Muffy start dying, there'll be hell to pay.

THE LONGEST DAY
Freakish weather and an airline system in chronic chaos are increasingly combining to thwart the hopes of air travelers for an uneventful flight. The late-winter Nor'easter that roared up the East Coast late last week meant long waits and cancelled flights for thousands of spring break travelers.

We can't do much about the weather but, as our Dan Schlossberg sees it, the air travel system is so stressed on a normal day that even the slightest glitch somewhere along the line throws the entire affair off-kilter. The airline system, says Dan, is simply at the breaking point. All airlines have problems when the air traffic system slows down but, judging from our in-box, American Airlines wins the "Most Hostile" award for its response to customer pleas for help.

BACK WHERE WE STARTED
Some of us are old enough to remember when the telephone company (it wasn't necessary to say which one) controlled not only the telephone network but everything that was hooked up to it and all of the voice and data that flowed across it. Fortunately, an irritable federal judge, Harold H. Greene, saw the outrage inherent in such anti-competitive monpolistic behavior and, in 1982, ordered AT&T broken up, launching a great wave of innovation that produced everything from fax machines to the Internet.

But, like a determined inmate who rats out his fellow prisoners in exchange for an early release, AT&T has slithered back, stronger than ever. So powerful and arrogant is the new AT&T that it once again feels free to begin blocking service to those who it deems an annoyance -- in this case a small venture known as FreeConference.Com, which dared to help non-profits and small businesses place economical conference calls.

WAL-MART GIVES UP ... FOR NOW
Staging a strategic retreat, Wal-Mart has conceded defeat in its battle to get into the banking business. Pressure from Congress, local banks and consumers was creating a distraction, says the giant retailer. Wal-Mart insists it never meant to operate a full-service bank but merely wanted to issue its own credit cards and handle other routine retail services in-house. We suspect Wal-Mart will be back to fight another day -- and, frankly, we're not convinced the local banks are quite the virtuous hometown boosters they're made themselves out to be.

An "Unholy Alliance" Eliot Spitzer's desk is barely cleaned out but his successor, Andrew Cuomo, is losing no time in attacking the big financial interests that incurred Spitzer's wrath. Cuomo says a nationwide probe shows serious conflicts of interest in the way universities run their student financial aid programs. He's warning New York State schools to clean up their act before he does it for them.

Ohio Forecloses on New Century Financial As the subprime lending industry sinks beneath the surface, Ohio's attorney general sues faltering New Century Financial, aiming to shut down its Ohio operations and vowing to hold the company "accountable for ... its misdeeds."

GAS PRICES SPURT UPWARDS
In the pricing equivalent of a Nor'easter, gas prices have roared northward and are now above $3 in most of California, well above $2 most everywhere else and climbing fast. Prices went up about a nickel per gallon in the last week, our latest survey finds. Nevertheless, automakes continue to resist higher fuel economy mandates,, telling Congress Americans don't want fuel economy. Besides, they mumbled, other things burn fuel too. Not the strongest argument, is it?

Speaking of the automakers, they don't want the public listening in as a Vermont court hears their challenge to the Green Mountain State's attempt to adopt California's much tougher emission regulations. The automakers say the taxpayers have no business learning Detroit's secrets, what's left of them.

GM, meanwhile, is so finely attuned to what Americans want that it's launched yet another sale, hoping to move some of the excess tonnage off dealers' lots.

WARNING: DRUG DANGERS AHEAD
The FDA has ordered stronger warnings on Ambien and other popular sleep disorder drugs. The "sedative-hypnotic" drugs can cause an odd assortment of dangerous behaviors, including "sleep-driving." That's just what it sounds like -- the equivalent of sleep-walking. You might recall that Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) was involved in a highly publicized mishap about a year ago, crashing his car into a barricade at the U.S. Capitol. He was taking Ambien at the time and said he had no recollection of the incident. Besides sleep-driving, the drugs can cause severe allergic reactions, FDA said.

Bladder Problems Everyone's seen the commercials blathering on about "overactive bladder." It's not entirely hype. Many seniors are troubled by various bladder-related problems. But Healthy Geezer Fred Cicetti says help is available and seniors shouldn't be shy about talking with their doctor about the problem.

Pacemaker Patients Take Note A study finds that sleep apnea is common among pacemaker users, with more than 60 percent showing symptoms of the dangerous condition. Sleep apnea can contribute to heart disease, so if you're wearing a pacemaker, it's a good idea to talk to your doctor about a sleep test that can detect the presence of sleep apnea.

Red Wine May Protect Against Colon Cancer Some good news for once: A study finds that red wine reduced the risk of colon cancer by 68 percent in the test group. The usual cautions apply: If you don't drink, don't start. Alcohol can be addictive, after all. But if you do drink a glass or so of red wine, the findings may help you sleep better.

SUDDEN DEATH IN YOUNG ATHLETES
Every year, there are widely-publicized cardiac deaths of young football and basketball players. Though relatively rare, these deaths are tragic and, it turns out, may be preventable. The American Heart Association has published a 12-step screening process that can identify those at risk of problems. If you're the parent of an active teen, you should scan the list and seek medical advice if you answer "yes" to any of the questions.

"Moody Teen" Hormone It's no secret that teens can be difficult to live with. A new study finds the hormone responsible, but doesn't offer any advice on dealing with the mood swings that are typical of teens. It does, though, remind us that much erratic teen-aged behavior is a side effect of changes in the maturing brain and not the fault of teens ... or their parents, for that matter.

Binge Drinking While a glass of red wine may be good for you, the kind of binge drinking that's common on college campuses definitely isn't. Unfortunately, a new study finds that the problem is as bad, or worse, than ever. Besides the deaths, injuries and flunk-outs that result from excessive drinking on and around campus, students are setting themselves up for a lifetime of alcohol dependence, lost productivity and serious health problems.

UNCLE SAM'S PRESENT
A couple of generations ago, D-Day came on June 6, 1994. It marked the beginning of the Allied effort to liberate Europe. This time around, D-Day falls on February 17, 2009 and it marks the long-awaited beginning of the federal government's battle to take back the frequencies now occupied by over-the-air TV broadcasters. The frequencies will be reallocated to police, fire and other emergency channels. And the rest of us? Well, we'll have to be ready to start receiving digital signals broadcast on a new range of frequencies. This means we'll need new TV sets or, at the very least, a converter box. Loathe to leave anyone lacking a workable television, your friendly federal government will be handing out converter boxes to those in need.

MacBook Battery Suspected in Australian Fire Here's another instance of lithium ion batteries being blamed for starting a fire. This time it involved an Apple Macbook in Australia.

SCAMS & OUTRAGES

• Blue Hippo Company violates West Virginia telemarketing laws, the state charges.

• Kmart Gift Cards The company settles charges filed by the Federal Trade Commission and promises refunds to its customers.

• "Trust Mills" Minnesota charges firms preyed on senior citizens with living trusts and inappropriate annuities.

• Tulsa Financial Advisor to Serve Time, Pay $627,000 Defendant pleads guilty to defrauding his 87-year-old business partner and one client.

• Couple Sentenced In Cell Phone Charity Scam Donated phones were supposedly used to help elderly, disabled and battered women.

• "Free Medicine" Marketer My Free Medicine targeted low-income consumers, charged $199 for information they could have gotten for free.

• TracFone Pays $50,000 The company called consumers on Missouri's Do Not Call list, left recorded messages, the state charged.

• Homeward Bound Company doesn't pay for home-care services it promises seniors, Florida's attorney general warns.

• Mortgage "Rescuers" Investors targeted consumers faced with tax foreclosure on their properties.

• "Credit Insurance" Policies supposedly protected news cars' financing. Texas refunds may total $6 million.

• IRS Look-Alike Sites Scam artists use similar names to steal taxpayers' personal data.

• "Secret Shopper" Scam Latest version of the "secret shopper" scam uses phony checks from a real Montana bank.

• Abusive Practices Final defendant in CAMCO case hounded consumers to pay debts they did not owe.

RECALLS

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