Topps Meat Co. has expanded its recall of E. coli contaminated ground beef products to include about 21.7 million pounds distributed in New York and to other retailers and institutional food service customers nationwide.
Illnesses from the meat have already been documented in several states, but the company says most of the product that might be contaminated already has been consumed.
For more info, visit the company’s home page.
Sometimes telemarketers soliciting on behalf of public safety groups aren’t always what they seem. Be especially wary of solicitors for national groups — just ask a few more questions, such as who the donation will help locally and how much of the donation will go to administrative fees.
Here’s why.
A new drug has been approved for the treatment of scalp ringworm in young children.
Learn the details.
The Food and Drug Administration said it’s taking steps to curtail the marketing of cough suppressants containing hydrocodone for use by children.
Studies have found that accidental overdosing of youngsters with such medicines can lead to respiratory or cardiac problems. As it stands, no drugs with hydrocodone have been authorized for use by children under age 6 but some products are labled for use by kids as young as 2.
The FDA notice can be found here.
A couple of brands of child safety seats are being recalled.
Evenflo Triumph models made before Nov. 1, 2005 are being recalled because they have foam padding that kids might chew off and choke on. Here’s the federal recall notice.
And more than 1 million Costco, Eddie Bauer and other seats made by the Dorel Group are being recalled because they need additional restraint protection. Models are described in this federal notice.
Don’t take a hit of Tylenol and wash it down with large amounts of coffee or Coke.
Researchers have found the combination can cause liver damage.
Here’s a summary.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed an online game to teach consumers how to identify phony Web sites that exist to extract personal and financial information from unsuspecting Web surfers.
It’s called Anti-Phishing Phil and uses a little fish to teach the tell-tale signs of phony sites. It takes about 12 minutes to play and those who do can sign up for a chance at a $100 Amazon gift certificate.
Click here to play the game. Be aware that it takes about a minute or more to load, so be patient.
Bathtubs are the leading cause of non-pool drowning deaths involving children age 2 and younger.
The feds have new statistics about non-pool drownings and some safety tips for parents here.
Wasn’t this stroller used in one of those Chucky movies?
The Mini Zooper Doll Stroller, sold through Pottery Barn stores, can take a kid’s finger off.
Here’s the recall notice.
Houston, we have a problem.
Some Estes-Cox X-15 model rockets have a defect that causes them to separate without deploying a built-in parachute. It means the rockets might come back down fairly quickly and injure the person who launched them.
For more details, click here.
Cheese loafs, mainly supplied to restaurants for grating and frying, are being recalled because they might be contaminated.
Details are here.
Continuing advances in technology and expansions of its network mean that Verizon Wireless cell phone roaming areas are shrinking constantly, so the company recommends updating your phone’s “preferred roaming list,” or PRL, every few weeks.
The company says it can lead to longer battery life, fewer dropped or blocked calls, clearer connections in most areas, and ability to connect to the digital network in more parts of the country.
Here’s how to update your PRL:
More information, including a chart that describes roaming signals on your phone, can be found here.
A new J.D. Power and Associates study finds that 80 percent of car buyers fall into the category of those who only will buy domestic models or only will buy foreign models.
It also finds that fully 49 percent of all U.S. buyers purchase foreign models.
For more details, click here.
Another batch of products for children is being recalled because of hazards they pose or due to high lead content.
Nearly a half-million “play yards” for infants are being recalled because a youngster died in one.
Other products being recalled for high lead content include:
Child’s spinning metal necklaces
Puppet theaters
Toy rakes
Toy knights
Children’s gardening tools and chairs
Thomas & Friends railway toys
Trojan computer viruses are spreading across the globe this week faster than usual.
If you get an e-mail with any of the following subject lines, don’t open it:
Hot game
Here is it
You ask me about this game, here is it
Something hot
The e-mail usually has an attachment that ends with “card.exe.”
Just delete the whole thing.