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June 2011

Drivers try to beat the system with red-light camera

detectors

Cities are increasingly installing cameras at dangerous intersections to detect red-light runners. As you might expect, some drivers are using technology to try to beat the system.

Red-light cameras snap a photo of a car's license plate, if the driver runs a light. The car owner then gets a traffic ticket in the mail.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says the cameras reduced the rate of fatal red-light running accidents by 24 percent in 2004-2008. Had the cameras been installed in all cities with populations above 200,000, 815 deaths might have been prevented.

Drivers are now looking for ways to avoid pricey citations for red-light running, according to USA Today. But at the same time, cash-strapped police agencies want to increase revenue.

Some drivers are using devices that give them a heads-up when it's time to stop or slow down. They include Cobra's iRadar, which can connect with an iPhone, and Fuzz Alert, which works with iPads and iPhones.

One police officer says he's "all for them" and even provides GPS companies with information about where the cameras are. He believes devices and apps make drivers more aware of where they are. When they slow down for a red light, that's what he wants.

One user says the device has made him even more aware while he's driving. He thinks drivers aren't paying a lot of attention, especially on roads they drive repeatedly. The warning system makes them more aware of everything that's going on.

How one millionaire went broke, and came back to

serenity Fifteen years ago Sarah Ban Breathnach had a best seller that topped the New York Times best seller list. Royalties from her first book, Simple Abundance, made her a millionaire.

But Sarah didn't know how to handle money. She splurged on homes, paintings, antiques and other luxuries. And she married a free-spending Englishman who owned nothing but a car.

Five years later, she was broke, homeless and staying with her sister.

Now she has a new book: Peace and Plenty: Finding Your Path to Financial Serenity. Her advice on recovery targets women, but it works for men just as well or maybe better.

She writes: "You have no idea how terrifying it is to rerun the reel in my mind of the money I wasted, opportunities I didn't take." One reviewer comments: "Delicious. Who doesn't love to read about someone else's world exploding?"

To understand why she and others have squandered fortunes, she turns to money gurus such as Suze Orman, but also examines the ideas of Miss Piggy, Mae West, Scarlet O'Hara, Auntie Mame and Great Depression survivors.

She writes a simple book with plenty of optimism and advice, including:

* Write down five things that got you through the day and gave you a feeling of peace or plenty.

* Track daily spending and budget.

* If you are married, or have a partner, have your own bank account.

Joe P. Allocca, Realtor - (623) 760-6811 - joe@joeallocca.comBrought to you by: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Giuseppe's Corner

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Health in the news

Good News for GERD patients

Heartburn symptoms caused by GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) are usually relieved by drugs called proton-pump inhibitors such as Prilosec, Prevacid and others.

The Food and Drug Administration now says these over-the-counter drugs do not appear to be associated with an increased risk of fractures. They scrapped plans to require an update of product labels to warn consumers of the risk.

Last year the FDA said the proton-pump inhibitors, which suppress acid in the stomach, might be associated with various types of fractures. Now they say that isn't so.

Babies need 39 weeks in the womb to fully develop

Some mothers and their doctors believe that inducing labor at 37 or 38 weeks does no harm. Obstetrics groups say for an unborn baby to develop fully, it takes 39 weeks and not a day less.

* National Institute of Health studies show infants born at 37 or 38 weeks face problems with brain development and function, including psychological, behavior and emotional problems.

* They are more likely to have vision and hearing problems after birth.

* Babies born before 39 weeks often can't learn to suck and swallow well. They may not be able to stay awake long enough to eat.

* Their lungs may not be fully developed until 38 weeks, 6 days. Those born a few days before have increased risk of respiratory problems.

* Important growth in the liver occurs during the last weeks of pregnancy.

The March of Dimes is leading a national campaign to reduce early induced deliveries. Insurance companies and government agencies are taking notice.

About 18 percent of babies electively born at 37 and 38 weeks require expensive neonatal special care for 4.5 days, compared with 4.6 percent of babies delivered at 39 weeks.

Health habits and AMD risk

New research on the Women's Health Initiative shows that women who eat right, exercise and don't smoke are 71 percent less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in older Americans. The research was done at the University of Wisconsin.

Take your Meds… carefully!

To get well or stay well, patients should have prescriptions filled and take them according to the directions. But the Community Pharmacists Association says often that doesn't happen.

* 49 percent forget to take it

* 39 percent forgot they took it and took it again

* 31 percent did not fill a prescription

* 29 percent stopped taking the medication before the supply ran out

* 18 percent took someone else's prescription

* 11 percent received a prescription but substituted an over-the-counter drug

* 8 percent didn't understand how to take the medication

* 6 percent took more than the recommended dosage.

Brought To You By

 

Joe P. Allocca, RealtorColdwell Banker Residential

Brokerage9949 W. Bell Road, Suite 101

Sun City, AZ 85351

(623) 760-6811joe@joeallocca.com

http://www.azmoves.com/joseph.allocca

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Father’s Day Sudoku 

        How to solve

To solve a sudoku, you only need logic and patience. No math is required. Simply make sure that each 3x3 square region has a number 1 through 9 with only one occurrence of each number. Each column and row of the large grid must have only one instance of the numbers 1 through 9. The difficulty rating on this puzzle is easy.

  

 

Just wonderfuI! Crab-stuffed mushrooms

Do you ever dream about the taste of crab-stuffed mushrooms as they are served at the best restaurants? Try this recipe for size.

Crab-stuffed mushrooms Crab-stuffed mushrooms 3 8-ounce packages of medium or large button mushrooms 1/2 pound crab claw meat, fresh or canned 1/4 cup finely chopped celery 2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots 2 tablespoons finely chopped bell pepper 2 cups crushed oyster crackers 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground Old Bay seasoning 1/4 teaspoon fresh salt 1 egg, beaten 1 stick unsalted butter 1 cup Chardonnay wine Preheat oven to 400, then wash mushrooms, remove stems and set caps aside. Finely chop about half the stems, and discard others. Saute celery, shallots, and peppers in one stick of butter for about 2 minutes. Combine the stems, sauteed vegetables and all other ingredients (except the Parmesan cheese and half the wine) in a medium bowl. Mix well. Stuff the caps, mounding on the top. Place the caps in a buttered, large but shallow ceramic baking dish. Sprinkle each stuffed cap with Parmesan cheese and sparingly baste with the remainder of the wine. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until the cheese and stuffing are slightly brown.

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© Copyright 2011 All Rights Reserved

Fitting rooms in some stores get a makeover Clothing and department stores are realizing that fitting rooms are places where decisions are made.

Customers are more likely to buy if the fitting room has pleasant lighting, plenty of hooks to hang clothing on, adjustable three-way mirrors and space to move around. Fitting rooms should also be a few degrees warmer than the rest of the store.

Customers who try on clothes in fitting rooms are more likely to buy the clothes they try on. According to retail consultant Envision Retail Ltd., of Surrey, England, who observed more than 8,000 shoppers, 67% will make a purchase. Customers who bypass the fitting room will only buy 10% of the time.

Prospective buyers will not feel rushed when trying on clothes if the store has a place nearby for companions to wait, a gathering spot with comfortable chairs and a sofa. Macy’s has been adding flat-screen TV’s tuned to cartoons or sports to keep the waiting companions happy.

Because customers are likely to buy more if a store associate is present, some fitting rooms now have a button to push to call for help. The associate can get a different size or comment on the attractiveness, color and fit of the clothing.

Store your files on a Cloud Drive Because people use mobile gadgets, they fear losing access to photos, music and other valuable files when a phone is lost or broken. They are becoming more interested in remote storage lockers for digital files that can be accessed anywhere. In industry jargon, they are storing in a cloud.

Amazon has launched a service called Amazon Cloud Drive. At no cost, consumers get 5 GB of free storage space. The company says 5 GB of storage holds up to 1,000 songs. Other clouds include:

Flickr: Yahoo's free service for uploading and sharing photos.

Mozy: EMC service will store music, photos and emails. It starts at $5.99 a month.

Dropbox: Used to store and sync files, it provides 2 GB free. The cost is $9.99 a month for 50 GB.

Google Docs: Used to create, upload and share documents and spreadsheets. Free for up to 1 GB in uploads.

Joe P. Allocca, RealtorColdwell Banker Residential Brokerage9949 W. Bell Road, Suite 101Sun City, AZ 85351

(623) 760-6811joe@joeallocca.comhttp://www.azmoves.com/joseph.allocca

Giuseppe's Corner