Be safe while cooking your Thanksgiving meal
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- Published on 25 November 2014
- Written by PRNewswire
The recipe for a perfect Thanksgiving meal starts with an ounce of fire prevention and add a pound of food safety.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) urge consumers to make sure safety is on theThanksgivingmenu this year.
The threat of kitchen fires triples on Thanksgiving Day, according to CPSC. From 2009 through 2011, there was an average of about 1,300 cooking fires on Thanksgiving Day. This is more than three times the average rate of 400 cooking fires a day from 2009 through 2011.
"Keep your eye on the bird, as unattended cooking is the top cause of fires in the home," said CPSC Chairman Elliot F. Kaye. "Don't let your time with family and friends during the holidays be ruined by a call to 911."
There were nearly 150,000 cooking fires (more than 40 percent of all annual unintentional residential fires) each year from 2009 through 2011. Cooking fires also caused the most fire-related injuries at home, with an estimated average of 3,450 injuries each year.
Avoid wearing loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves near ranges or ovens; watch children closely so they don't come into contact with cooking food or hot stove tops; and turn pan handles toward the back of the stove to prevent kids and others from spilling a pan's scalding contents onto themselves.
In the event of a fire, call 911. Cover a pan with a lid to smother the flames. Never pour water or flour onto a fire – that can make the fire worse. Keep a fire extinguisher in the kitchen.
To reduce unattended cooking fires, CPSC staff has been working with the Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers to create ways to limit ignition temperatures on the stovetop and prevent fires. Work has already started on voluntary safety standards requirements for electric coil ranges in collaboration with Underwriters Laboratories.
Turkey fryers are another popular way to cook the Thanksgiving turkey. USFA warns consumers that turkey fryers can be dangerous. "We know conclusively that our nation is entering the most dangerous period for fires, December, January and February," said Glenn Gaines, Deputy U.S. Fire Administrator for the USFA. "Cooking and heating will be the greatest causes of fires during this time. This dangerous period always starts with Thanksgiving. Fried turkey is a wonderful meal, but frying a turkey comes with a number of dangers during cooking. I encourage everyone to review cooking safety tips prior to turning on their fryers," Gaines said.
Turkey fryers should be used outside only and away from your home. Never use a turkey fryer in a garage or on a porch. Don't overfill the oil in the turkey fryer or leave the turkey fryer unattended.
Since 2002, there have been more than 157 turkey fryer-related fire, burn, explosion or CO poisoning incidents reported to CPSC staff. There were 68 injuries among these incidents. Fortunately, none was fatal. The total loss reported was more than $8 million for incidents reporting a dollar value for the property loss. Additional incidents involving turkey fryers may have occurred that were not reported to CPSC.
Food poisoning can be another holiday hazard. "Preventing food poisoning also should be an important part of your Thanksgiving festivities," said USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food SafetyBrian Ronholm. "To ensure your bountiful meal is a success, follow the four key food safety steps – Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill. Clean utensils and wash your hands before preparing foods, separate raw meats from other foods to avoid cross-contamination, cookyour turkey to the right temperature of 165 degrees, and chill the leftovers within an hour so that you can have tasty meals and snacks for the rest of the weekend."
To keep food poisoning from ruining your Thanksgiving, follow these safety tips from the USDA. Wash hands, surfaces, and cooking utensils, but do not wash a turkey as this spreads bacteria onto sinks and countertops. Cooking your Thanksgiving turkey to 165 °F is the only way to kill harmful bacteria that can cause foodborne illness.
If you have additional questions about cooking a turkey, call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline at 1-888-MPHotline (1-888-674-6854) or chat live with a food safety specialist at AskKaren.gov available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. central time, Monday through Friday, in English or Spanish. The hotline will be open from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.on Thanksgiving Day.
Local economic indicators show positive trend
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- Published on 24 November 2014
- Written by Paul Gordon
On the surface, the third quarterly index that measures the Peoria area economy shows there wasn’t much change from the second quarter or from a year ago. But hidden inside the summary index are signs the economy is headed in the right direction.
The Summary Index for the Peoria-Pekin Metropolitan Statistical Area was 96.3 in the third quarter, which is little changed from 95.6 a year ago, though it maintains gains made earlier. But Bernard Goitein, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at Bradley University, said there “a lot of positive signs” within the index.
“All four of the leading indicators are up from a year ago, and three are up from the last quarter. On the whole, this is a good report,” Goitein said.
The Center for Business and Economic Research has compiled and analyzed leading, coincident and lagging indicators ̶ more than 30 of them in total ̶ and formed the Summary Index for the Peoria Journal Star since 1991 and is copyrighted by Bradley.
According to Goitein, among the positive signs are the labor market indicators, including the fact there was growth in the number of “quits” or voluntary separations from the workforce when compared with the number of involuntary job losses. The quits, which he said indicate people going to another job, leaving the labor force altogether such as in retirement or possibly starting their own business, outnumbered the number fired or laid off. That, he added, was on the national scale, as well.
“Here, we have fewer people working than in the second quarter but we also have fewer unemployment claims. That tells me there were more who left their jobs voluntarily,” Goitein said. He added most of the quits came in the health care and hospitality industries.
Asked about whether the lower unemployment numbers could simply indicate more people gave up on finding work, Goitein said that theory is less valid when looking at the number of voluntary separations who left the job market altogether.
He said that also explains why the local unemployment rate of 7.3 percent was basically unchanged from the second quarter but was much improved from the rate of 9.4 percent in the third quarter of 2013.
Another positive indicator is that the number of advertised job openings in the region shows that employers “are eager to fill the jobs people are leaving or they are filling jobs that have remained vacant for a while or even creating jobs. That is a positive thing,” Goitein said.
Other indicators that showed economic growth as well as improved consumer confidence were in retail sales and home sales, both up from last year. Also, single family building permits increased throughout the metro area, not just in the areas affected by the Nov. 17, 2013 tornado that ravaged much of Washington and parts of East Peoria and Pekin.
The increase in building permits shows that money is being spent in the region but also that construction workers are working; Goitein said constructions jobs were considerably higher than in the third quarter last year.
Survey shows saving, investing adjustments for the holidays
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- Published on 21 November 2014
- Written by PRNewswire
More than one-third of Americans will alter their saving and investing strategies in the last few months of the year to accommodate their holiday shopping, according to the annual Holiday Spending and Savings Study from financial service company Edward Jones.
While 35 percent of those surveyed revealed those plans, 39 percent said they are most preoccupied with paying off their debts during this time of year, the study showed.
"While Americans acknowledge the importance of sticking to financial goals, even those with the best intentions can get sidetracked this time of year," said Scott Thoma, retirement strategist and principal at Edward Jones. "To ensure people spend wisely during this time, we suggest they create a holiday shopping budget and stick to it. And to make up for the extra spending, we also suggest that people reconnect with their financial advisors or take a closer look at their own financial plans and make sure they're well positioned to remain on track after the holidays."
According to the study, women are more likely than men to make accommodations for increased year-end spending in their savings and investing strategies, with 40 percent doing so compared with 30 percent of their male counterparts. In addition, women are more likely than men to be most focused on holiday purchases (32 percent versus 26 percent, respectively).
"Women typically control household spending, so the response in our survey is in line with expectations," said Brian Yarbrough, senior retail analyst at Edward Jones. "As for spending levels, all signs point to a solid holiday shopping season. We also expect the online shopping trend to continue, with less spending conducted in brick-and-mortar stores."
Other findings include:
- 18-to-24 year olds are nearly twice as likely as those 65 or older to adjust their savings and spending strategy during the holidays (43 percent compared with 24 percent).
- Households with income levels between $50,000 and $75,000 are the least likely to adjust their plans, with only 26 percent indicating their plans to do so. The lowest earning households, those earning less than $35,000 per year, were most likely to adjust their plans, at 42 percent – but unexpectedly, the highest income earners were no less likely than the survey average to do so.
- Respondents between 45 and 54 years of age are the most likely to focus on paying off debts as the year ends (46 percent), compared to all age groups.
- Respondents with household income levels greater than $100,000 are more likely than all groups to focus on making final contributions to savings and retirement plans (22 percent compared with 13 percent for household incomes between $75,000 and $100,000, and 11 percent overall).
The survey was conducted by ORC International's CARAVAN Omnibus Services and was based on 1,007 landline and cell phone interviews of U.S. adults conducted October 2-5, 2014. The margin of error was +/-3%, according to Edward Jones.
Consumers more aware after data breaches
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- Published on 24 November 2014
- Written by PRNewswire
Retail data breaches have consumers more aware of the need to protect their identity during the busy holiday shopping season, according to a new survey from Experian.
In fact, more than 70 percent of respondents shopping in stores said they plan to stay aware of their surroundings when shopping. Consumers also expect retailers to keep their information safe: 79 percent would like to hear from retailers as to how those retailers plan to protect personal and credit card information – before the holiday shopping starts.
However, the survey demonstrates that consumers could do a little more to protect their own information. For example, of those planning to shop online, nearly 40 percent still don't check to see if the site is secure. In-store, only 41 percent of respondents cover the PIN pad at registers when entering that information, leaving them exposed to "shoulder surfers."
"Many of this season's holiday shoppers received retail data breach notifications during the past few years and they feel that their identities are at risk more than ever before, whether shopping online or in-store," said Becky Frost, senior manager of consumer education for Experian's ProtectMyID. "However, consumers should understand that it's not just about retailers keeping their information secure; often an identity thief only needs a shopper's momentary lapse in focus to walk away with an unintended 'holiday gift' of personal information."
More survey results:
Shoppers' game plan
- Ninety-five percent of survey respondents anticipate shopping at a physical store, while 86 percent believe they will shop online via a computer and 41 percent will make purchases online via a mobile device. (However, 30 percent of consumers believe their identities are more at risk when shopping online.)
- Forty percent of surveyed consumers plan to shop with cash more often due to the recent retail data breaches.
Retail breach victims* take action
- Retail breach victims plan to step up safety measures with in-store shopping. Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of in-store shoppers said they would not leave a purse or a wallet in an unattended car while shopping, 75 percent plan to carry a closed wallet or purse while shopping and fifty percent plan to use a credit card or cash instead of a debit card.
- Retail breach victims also demonstrate greater awareness and caution when shopping online, with 67 percent checking to see if a site is secure before making purchases and 61 percent logging out of personal accounts after shopping.
Tips to protect your identity while holiday shopping
- Minimize wallet contents – Unnecessary items, like extra credit cards or a checkbook, can raise identity theft risks in the event that the wallet is lost or stolen.
- Keep it covered – Protect your PIN when paying with a debit card by using your free hand or your body to obscure the keypad from the view of others around you.
- Connect with caution – Do Internet shopping from a secure connection. It is easier for identity thieves to steal information over public Wi-Fi networks.
- Stay secure – Shop only on websites that protect customer information; look for an "s" after "http" in the web address (https://) and the image of a secured padlock.
- Be informed – Review credit reports and bank and credit card statements during and after the holidays to watch for potentially fraudulent transactions.
- Have a partner – Consider enrolling in an identity protection membership, such as Experian's ProtectMyID.
* Survey respondents who acknowledged having received a breach notification.
Survey methodology
The online survey was conducted by Edelman Berland on behalf of Experian from Oct. 29, 2014, through Nov. 3, 2014, among 1,005 adults ages 18 and older residing in the United States. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.1 percent.
Schock, Bustos co-sponsor #GivingTuesday resolution in U.S. House
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- Published on 20 November 2014
- Written by The Peorian
The Peoria region’s two congressmen were co-sponsors on a bi-partisan resolution that would give special recognition to #GivingTuesday, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving dedicated to charitable giving and volunteerism.
U.S. Reps. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, and Cheri Bustos, D-East Moline, co-sponsored the resolution introduced in the U.S. House on Thursday. This is the third year for #GivingTuesday, which follows the already establish holiday events of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. The resolution recognizes that philanthropy and charitable giving knows no party divide, as giving has the ability to transcend any differences of political ideologies and has the power to unite people across boundaries.
“According to the 2014 Millennial Impact Report, 73 percent of millennials gave to charity in 2013,” said Schock. “Generosity and philanthropy are important to our generation, and we are rising to do our part as previous generations have done. For some, it’s through financial support of a favorite charity, church, or synagogue. For others, it’s through acts of service in their communities, or even through our nation’s most important form of volunteer service in the United States Armed Forces. Whatever the avenue they choose, millennial are wholeheartedly following the great American tradition of giving back and paying it forward.”
“All too often, people focus on what divides us rather than what unites us. But throughout the year, and especially during the holiday season, we can all work toward a shared goal by giving back to others and making a positive change within our own communities,” said Bustos. “That’s why this holiday season I am joining with Democrats and Republicans to recognize ‘Giving Tuesday,’ a day dedicated to volunteering and giving back to those less fortunate than we are. I encourage everyone to get involved in service not only this holiday season, but year round.”
Now in its third year, #GivingTuesday is a worldwide movement with more than 16,000 U.S.-based partners that celebrates the power of giving in all its forms. Launched by the 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation in 2012, this worldwide movement harnesses the power of social media and the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities and celebrates the power of giving in all its forms.
This resolution was co-sponsored by Reps. Rodney Davis (R-IL), Todd Young (R-IN), Juan Vargas (D-CA) and Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI-2).
For more information, including background, partner information, tools, and updates, please visit www.givingtuesday.org.
According to #GivingTuesday, this effort builds on the collective power of a unique blend of partners — charities, families, businesses and individuals — to transform how people think about, talk about and participate in the giving season.
“#GivingTuesday inspires people to take collaborative action to improve their local communities, give back in better, smarter ways to the charities and causes they celebrate and help create a better world,” it said.
Founding partners who started #GivingTuesday include include Blackbaud, CECP, charity: water, GlobalGiving, Groupon, Kiva, Microsoft, Pvblic Foundation, (RED), Unilever, United Nations Development Programme and Univision among many others. The movement includes signature media partner MSNBC, who will help spotlight the innovative ways that people are giving back in their communities and the world.
