Consumer Reports

Daylight Savings Time in the United States starts on the second Sunday in March of each year and the Federal Emergency Management Agency encourages all Americans to use the change to daylight savings time to update emergency preparedness plans. For years, firefighters and safety professionals at every level have asked the public to change smoke alarm batteries throughout their homes, as they move their clocks ahead. According to FEMA Acting Regional Administrator Dennis Hunsinger, the March ritual of making homes safer from fire is also a great opportunity to review disaster response plans and restock disaster kits. Read more…

Newsflash! The economy is going about as well as the New Jersey Nets’ season. But there could be some light on the horizon for small business owners. On Tuesday, President Obama announced potential plans to help out small businesses and in turn, improve the overall economy. The proposal includes a tax cut for small businesses, hoping to encourage hiring . It also calls for eliminating capital gains on these businesses for one year. It is suggested that money leftover from the Troubled Asset Relief Fund (TARP) be redirected towards small businesses. Along with these things, the President wants to invest money in roads, bridges, and other infastructure and give rebates to people who make their homes more energy efficient.

Results from a major indoor air study of 51 homes today along with initial reports from two studies of corrosion in homes with Chinese drywall, show a strong association between homes with the problem drywall and the levels of hydrogen sulfide in those homes and corrosion of metals in those homes. To date, CPSC has received more than 2000 reports from consumers and homeowners concerned about problem drywall in their homes. Homeowners who believe they may have problem drywall should immediately report to CPSC by calling 800-638-2772 or logging on to www.CPSC.gov. Hearing- or speech challenged individuals may access the phone number through TTY by calling the toll-free Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. Read more…

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Stork Craft Manufacturing Inc., of British Columbia, Canada, today announced the voluntary recall of more than 2.1 million Stork Craft drop-side cribs, including about 147,000 Stork Craft drop-side cribs with the Fisher-Price logo. The recall involves approximately 1,213,000 units distributed in the United States and 968,000 units distributed in Canada. CPSC, Health Canada, and Stork Craft are aware of 110 incidents of drop-side detachment; 67 incidents occurred in the United States and 43 in Canada. The incidents include 15 entrapments; 12 in the U.S. and three in Canada. Four of the entrapments resulted in suffocation. This recall includes Stork Craft cribs with manufacturing and distribution dates between January 1993 and October 2009. This recall also includes Stork Craft cribs with the Fisher-Price logo that have manufacturing dates between October 1997 instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board. The firm’s insignia ’storkcraft baby’ or ’storkling’ is inscribed on the drop-side teething rail of some cribs. In Stork Craft cribs that contain the ‘Fisher-Price’ logo, this logo can be found on the crib’s teething rail, in the manufacturer’s instructions, on the assembly instruction sheet attached to the mattress support board, and on the end panels of the Twinkle-Twinkle and Crystal crib models. CPSC urges parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the recalled cribs, wait for the free repair kit, and do not attempt to fix the cribs without the kit. They should find an alternative, safe sleeping environment for their baby. Consumers should contact Stork Craft to receive a free repair kit that converts the drop-side on these cribs to a fixed side. Read more…

Sunday, June 14, is Flag Day, when Americans are encouraged to display the flag outside their homes and businesses. Visit USA.gov for a link to the guidelines for displaying the U.S. flag.

My mom admits to being paranoid about ATMs, online banking, and shopping on the internet, so she won’t use them.

As a relatively new resident to the state of Maryland, last week I had the less-than-enjoyable task of getting a new driver’s license and changing the registration on my car. The whole process started back in March when I started researching what exactly was required to get a new license and registration. It’s different in each state , but in Maryland, I found out I would need a state safety inspection, proof of ownership of the car, proof of insurance and a standard application form to get Maryland license plates . To get a Maryland license , the Web site said I would need my birth certificate , another form of identification (such as a passport) and two examples of proof that I lived at the address I was claiming was my home. I started rounding up documents, had my mom mail me my birth certificate, asked the leasing office for a copy of my lease, scrounged around for a piece of mail from a government agency. So far I hadn’t spent a dime. Then I took my car for inspection. Turns out my baby needed two new tires and the rear cylinders replaced to the tune of $530-ish. Ouch. But once that was done, I had everything I needed to go to the MVA last week. I was secretly dreading this trip, fearing that I would be stuck waiting forever and that I’d be told I was missing something even though I did my research. Long story short, the actual MVA process went pretty smoothly. I probably only waited about 15 or 20 minutes even though the place was packed. And now I can say I’m the owner of a new license with a pretty decent picture (much better than my passport !) and my car’s sporting new plates. Do you have any DMV success or horror stories? Feel free to share your experiences in the comments!