Issue Date: May 13, 2007
Safe and sound advice
Stash it: Don't get burned by burglars.
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If a thief breaks into your home, he likely will rummage through the obvious places: dresser drawers and closets. As odd as it may sound, a good way to protect your valuables is by hiding them in plain sight.
A slew of everyday-looking domestic products now double as secret stashes. How about a can of Aqua Net to hide your string of pearls or passports, or a hidden wall safe that looks like an electrical outlet? There are also several "fake books" you can buy that have a title and author on the binder but contain a hidden compartment on the inside.
You can find items such as those online, for less than $20 (try safetyandsecuritycenter.com or diversioncansafes.com).
Or, of course, you always can go old school. Years ago, my father-in-law used to hide his extra cash in an empty Maxwell House coffee can, which he would leave in the freezer. Apparently, the can is good even after the last drop.
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A lifesaving fat
How much is good?
Eat fatty fish (salmon, herring, tuna,sardines, mackerel) two or three times per week.
And/or take fish oil supplements (800-1,000mg EPA and DHA combined) every day.
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The omega-3 fat in fish is more than a well-known tonic for the heart. It's the one fat you shouldn't skimp on. Here's why:
Blocks Cancer. Women who ate the most fatty fish in a 10-year period were 74% less apt to have kidney cancer than those who ate lean seafood or no fish. (Fatty fish has up to 30 times more omega-3 than does lean fish.) In a Harvard study among men who don't take aspirin, those who had the richest blood levels of omega-3 had 66% less colorectal cancer than those with the lowest levels. Reason: Omega-3, like aspirin, is anti-inflammatory.
Fights Pain. Taking fish oil supplements reduces the pain of rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and menstruation, according to a Canadian analysis of 17 studies.
Builds Bones. In young men, higher blood levels of omega-3 predicted greater bone mineral density, concludes a new eight-year Swedish study. Implication: Strong bones in adolescence help prevent osteoporosis and fractures in later life. Other evidence suggests fish oil may keep bones strong in the elderly.
Spurs Weight Loss. Taking fish oil and exercising gets rid of pounds without cutting calories or changing your diet, says a recent Australian study. Researchers believe omega-3 increases fat-burning ability by improving blood flow to muscles.
Lifts Mood. Fish oil is a natural antidepressant, says National Institutes of Health researcher Joseph Hibbeln. He found that seriously depressed patients who attempted suicide had lower blood levels of DHA, a component of fish oil.
Scientific sources:
Blocks Cancer:
Hall, NM, et al. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Preve 2007;16(2): 314-21
Fights Pain:
Goldberg RJ, Pain, 2007 Feb 28 E pub
Builds Strong Bones:
Magnus Hogstrom, Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85:803-7
Spurs Weight Loss:
Br J Nutr. 2007 Mar 29;1-10 [Epub ahead of print]
Lifts Mood, Prevents Suicide:
Conklin, SM, Psychosomatic Medicine 2007; 69(1): A-15, 1734
Sublette ME, Am J Psychiatry, 2006 Jun 163 (6): 1100-2
Br. J Psychiatry, 2007 Feb, 190:118-22
Contact Jean Carper at jeancarper.com.
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Pack light on cash, with big buying power
There's a new way for travelers to take money on vacation. Prepaid travel debit cards, like the American Express Travelers Cheque Card and Visa TravelMoney, are similar to traditional traveler's checks: You buy them in advance, and they're not linked to your bank account. Unlike traveler's checks, though, these cards can be used like credit cards to make purchases and withdraw money from automatic tellers.
Although the cards have notable advantages -- such as security (no risk of identity theft, and the cash can be replaced if lost or stolen) and budgeting (you can spend only what you put on the card) -- buyers should be aware of certain drawbacks. "These cards are full of fees," warns Ed Mierzwinski of U.S. PIRG, the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups.
Cards cost as much as $15, and additional fees kick in each time you withdraw cash or add funds. The Federal Citizen Information Center urges anyone who is considering travel debit cards to ask about the monthly maintenance fees and how much it costs to cash out the card at the end of your trip. So be sure to read the fine print before going this route.
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Print on the cheap(er)
Printing out photos and book reports is getting to be a pricey proposition. With ink cartridges costing up to $40 each, a few companies are fighting back. Here are two printers that won't make you wish you could print money.
Kodak's Easyshare 5300 ($199.99) prints up to 32 pages per minute and includes a photo card reader, scanner and a 3-inch screen for previewing your pics. Black ink costs $9.99 per refill; color is $14.99 -- or about 15 cents per 4-by-6-inch color print.
Photo buffs will like the Canon Pixma iP6700D ($179), with its 3.5-inch screen. It prints high-quality 4-by-6-inch photos for about 30 cents per copy and can print camera phone images. Smile!
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