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Drug-Related Emergency Room Visits Are on the Rise

Michele Turk — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST

Drug-related emergency room visits in the United States have increased, largely due to prescription painkillers, according to a new study.

Roughly 700,000 Americans were taken to the hospital in 2007 after ingesting drugs (both legal and illegal), costing $1.4 billion per year in emergency department charges alone, according to researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. This translates to roughly 1,900 patient visits and $3.8 million in charges per day.

Poisoning by antidepressants and tranquilizers, as well as pain- and fever-control medicines, were responsible for almost half of the emergency department visits for drug-related poisoning examined in the study.

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In some states, drug poisonings have surpassed motor vehicle fatalities as the leading cause of death by injury.

"I never thought in my career that I would see anything that surpassed deaths from motor vehicle accidents," said Dr. Gary Smith, the senior author of the study and director for the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital. "This is a public health emergency."

Over 27,000 people died from drug overdoses in 2007, a number that has risen five-fold since 1990 and has never been higher, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prescription drugs are now involved in more overdose deaths than heroin and cocaine combined.

While drug abuse used to be considered a largely urban problem, the Ohio study found that the rate of emergency department visits for drug-related poisoning is now three times higher in rural areas than in non-rural areas. In addition, children five years and younger had a higher rate of emergency room visits for unintentional drug-related poisonings than all other age groups.

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College Donations Rebound to 2006 Levels

Michele Turk — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 08:41:00 EST

Filed under: Financial Aid, Economy

After falling off during the recession, donations to institutions of higher learning in 2010 recovered to the level they last reached in 2006. But after adjusting for inflation, giving was still 8% lower than in that year, according to the Voluntary Support of Education survey. The nation's colleges and universities received charitable contributions of $28 billion, an increase of 0.5% from 2009, according to the annual survey, conducted by the nonprofit Council for Aid to Education.

Giving from corporations, foundations and other organizations is largely responsible for the increase in 2010, while personal giving declined slightly.

Still, the findings represent a marked improvement over 2009, when giving to colleges and universities dropped almost 12%, the steepest decline in the survey's 50-year history.

"Giving has started to return to healthier levels, but it still has a way to go," says Ann Kaplan, director of the survey of 996 colleges and universities.

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College giving is a reflection of what's happening in the economy as a whole, which isn't recovering quickly, adds Kaplan. "You can't see into the future, but the value of recovering the stock market will have a positive effect on charitable giving to colleges and universities," she says.

In 2010, Stanford University raised more from private donors than any other university ($598.89 million), followed by Harvard University ($596.96 million) and Johns Hopkins University ($427.59 million).

Both overall alumni giving and the average amount of alumni donations decreased 0.4% last year. In comparison, there was an 18% drop in giving by alumni and non-alumni donors in 2009.

The survey noted that 10% of alumni donated to their alma maters in 2009, while 9.8% gave in 2010, in a continuation of a decade-long trend of steady declines in alumni participation. "Participation is going down," says Kaplan, "and there hasn't been a year where it's gone up in a least a decade."

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Sam's Club's $99 Health Package: Don't Mistake It for Real Insurance

Michele Turk — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:10:00 EST

Filed under: Company News, Health Care, Wal-Mart

Sam's Club, the discount warehouse owned by Walmart (WMT), has begun selling a basic health package called the Prevention Plan this month. The $99 plan is offered via U.S. Preventive Medicine, a privately owned Florida company offering wellness programs. But it's not an actual health insurance plan: It's a personalized health-management program that gives consumers access to tools to help evaluate their health.

The $99 annual fee includes an annual subscription to a Web-based program used to identify potential health risks, as well as at-home blood tests to help identify potential health problems.

The information users provide is used to create a personalized prevention plan to improve health. Members also receive two health-coaching sessions and access to a 24-hour-a-day nurse line. The plan is open to all three types of Sam's Club members, although they need to sign up online rather than in stores.

Good for Small Businesses

While it may not seem like a natural fit for a wholesaler to offer a health benefits package, Sam's Club spokeswoman Christi Gallagher said the company's goal is to bring in new members, retain old ones and result in increased revenue. "This made sense for us because our members are looking for solutions to stay on top of their health, so we are constantly looking for new things to bring into our club," said Gallagher.

Sam's Club hasn't disclosed projected revenues or sign-up goals for the program, although Gallagher said that so far, they are very pleased with the results of the Prevention Plan, which is particularly appealing to small businesses.

"Many of our small business owners may not be able to provide the breadth of coverage larger companies can offer, so this is a solution they can offer employees that also helps them stay in control of their health care costs," she said. "Our primary focus is to help members become aware of their health and learn about programs we offer to help them reduce health care costs, because they might identify and treat a problem before it gets to severe or even prevent a problem from developing."

Wellness Screenings Are Also Available

This is the first time the Prevention Plan has been sold in a retail environment, although U.S. Preventive Medicine has offered it to employers for two years. The plan is also available to people who aren't Sam's Club members for $229 per person per year.

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To date, tens of thousands of people have signed up for the Prevention Plan through their employers, according to U.S. Preventive Medicine spokeswoman Trish Kapustka. Judging by the success of the program in the corporate market, the plan could prove to be a boon for the Walmart unit, which has 47 million members.

In a separate initiative launched in 2010, Sam's Club stores offered free quarterly health screenings for members and nonmembers. In 2011, the screenings will be offered on a monthly basis. Each month, Sam's Club stores will offer different screenings, including blood pressure checkups, bone density scans, body mass index assessments, cholesterol and glucose tests and hearing and vision screenings.

It's important to note that consumer health advocates caution that these types of preventive health programs should not be used as a substitute for regular medical checkups.

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Bill Gates Calls for Overhauling Teacher Pay System

Michele Turk — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 08:35:00 EST

Filed under: Microsoft, Education, People, Investing

Bill Gates delivered a speech Friday criticizing school pay structures, and urging the 50 state superintendents of education to end teacher pay increases based on seniority and education level.

In a speech to the Council of Chief State School Officers in Louisville, Ky., the Microsoft (MSFT) founder argued that teacher seniority is costly, yet it has only a modest effect on student achievement.

"The pay increases that teachers get for years of service account for 10% of total school expenditures," he said. "On a budget of $500 billion, that means $50 billion is paid out every year for something that has little correlation with student achievement."

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School spending has faced increased scrutiny in communities nationwide since the recession began, despite the $100 billion in stimulus money allocated towards public education. In recent years, Gates has turned his attention towards addressing education reform through his philanthropic organization, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Gates also questioned the practice of paying higher salaries to teachers with advanced degrees, because a teacher's level of education has little bearing on student achievement.

Instead, Gates urged state education officials to restructure the nation's public education budgets based on excellence.

"What if we introduced a new element in the pay structure that builds on the excellence we already see in the system?" he asked. "What if we identified the most effective teachers and offered them extra pay for taking on more students, or teaching kids who are behind, or teaching in the toughest schools?"

Gates also suggested that increasing class sizes could help save money, suggesting that it wouldn't negatively impact students if the increases were offset by technological innovations that enable educators to customize their teaching to each student's needs.

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A Weight Loss Tip from Your Wallet: Credit Cards Boost Unhealthy Eating

Michele Turk — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 16:28:00 EST

Filed under: Health Care, Credit, Retail

Cash or credit? If you're trying to watch your weight, you may want to pay in cash the next time you're at the grocery store. That's because a new study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that if you pay for groceries with a credit card, you're more likely to buy unhealthy food products.

Researchers at the State University of New York analyzed the shopping habits of 1,000 households over a six-month period to examine the factors influencing buyer behavior. Specifically, they set out to determine whether the mode of payment affects consumers' ability to control their impulsive urges. The shoppers alternated between using credit and cash at the supermarket.

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It turns out that when using credit or debit cards to pay for the purchases, consumers filled their shopping baskets with a larger proportion of unhealthy or "vice products," and they were more likely to make impulsive food choices.

Paying in cash increases what's known as the "pain of payment," and curbs the desire to buy junk food like cookies, cakes and pies, the researchers found. "The pain of paying in cash can curb impulsive urges to purchase such unhealthy food products," the authors conclude. "Credit card payments, in contrast, are relatively painless and weaken impulse control."

The authors note that the number of obese Americans has increased substantially in the past two decades, while credit cards have replaced cash as the preferred form of payment during the same time period.

One more dieting tip can be culled from the research: People who did their shopping on weekends were less likely to purchase unhealthy food items, ostensibly because they used prepared shopping lists.

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Few States Pass When It Comes to Funding Schools Fairly

Michele Turk — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Education, Economy

Ever noticed how some school districts seem flush with cash while neighboring districts struggle to provide even basic schooling? One reason could be that many states may not be distributing school aid fairly.

In a new report titled Is School Funding Fair? A National Report Card, the New Jersey-based Education Law Center ranked the fairness of the school finance systems in all 50 states plus Washington, D.C. And only six of those states -- Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Vermont and Wyoming -- scored well on all four "fairness measures." The report evaluated the amount of funding per pupil, the amount of education spending compared to states' gross domestic product, the allocation of money to schools with higher poverty levels and the proportion of children in public schools, as well as their income levels.

Most states received mixed reviews, while four states -- Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri and North Carolina -- ranked below average on all of the indicators.

Spending Varies Widely

"The results show that many states do not fairly allocate education funding to address the needs of their most disadvantaged students and the schools serving higher numbers of those students," the report states. Only seven states -- Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio, South Dakota and Utah -- scored an A or B for distributing more money to schools in impoverished communities.

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In addition, states' per-pupil spending varies widely. While the national average for state spending amounts to $10,132 per pupil, a student in Tennessee receives about 40% of the funding of a comparable student in Wyoming.

"This report shows that many states fall short in providing education funding, although there are some bright spots," David Sciarra, executive director of the Education Law Center, said in the report. "Every state needs to do a better job, but certainly some more than others." Education funding has become a nationwide contest, thanks to the Race to the Top, the Obama Administration's signature education initiative, which pits states states against one another in a competition for federal money.

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The CDC: Number of Americans With Diabetes Projected to Soar

Michele Turk — Sun, 31 Oct 2010 11:00:00 EST

Filed under: Health Care

As many as one-third of American adults could develop diabetes in the next 40 years, according to a new analysis by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Diabetes was the seventh-leading cause of death in 2007, and it's the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults under age 75, according to the CDC report. The disease is also among the most expensive chronic illnesses to treat and is considered one of the culprits in rising health care costs.

Treating patients with diabetes currently costs $174 billion a year, according to the report, published in the journal Population Health Metrics. In addition, pre- or undiagnosed diabetes (when a person's blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough for a diagnosis of diabetes) accounts for $25 billion, according to the American Diabetes Association.

The disease is expected to take an even greater financial toll in the coming years if current trends continue.

The number of Americans with diabetes has been steadily rising: From 1997 to 2003, the incidence of diagnosed diabetes increased 41%. One in 10 U.S. adults currently suffers from diabetes, but one-quarter of those people are not aware that they have the disease, the CDC reports.

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The researchers looked at various models to calculate the incidence of diabetes in the next four decades. The conservative projection is that the total number of diagnosed and undiagnosed cases will increase to 21% of the adult population by 2050. However, at current rates, the number of Americans with diabetes will jump to 33%, or one-third of all American adults.

"These projected increases are largely attributable to the aging of the U.S. population, increasing numbers of members of higher-risk minority groups in the population, and people with diabetes living longer," the report states. Obesity has also been linked to an increased risk of developing diabetes.

According to the American Diabetes Association, people at risk for type 2 diabetes include those with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and/or impaired fasting glucose (IFG); those over age 45; those with a family history of diabetes; those who are overweight; those who do not exercise regularly; those with low HDL cholesterol or high triglycerides, with high blood pressure; and members of certain racial and ethnic groups. In addition, women who had gestational diabetes, or who have had a baby weighing nine pounds or more at birth, also face an increased risk.

Needed: Effective Prevention Strategies

The CDC researchers note that lifestyle interventions can reduce the number of Americans who develop type 2 diabetes. For example, a healthy diet, physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight can prevent or delay the onset of diabetes.

"Effective strategies will need to be undertaken to moderate the impact of these factors on national diabetes burden," the authors conclude. "Our analysis suggests that widespread implementation of reasonably effective preventive interventions focused on high-risk subgroups of the population can considerably reduce, but not eliminate, future increases in diabetes prevalence."

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What College Dropouts Cost Taxpayers: $9 Billion a Year

Michele Turk — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 12:40:00 EST

Filed under: Careers, Financial Aid, Economy

Everyone knows how expensive it is to get a college education, but what about the cost of dropping out of college? A new report found that taxpayers foot a steep bill for college dropouts: more than $9 billion annually.

Finishing the First Lap: The Cost of First-Year Student Attrition in America's Four-Year Colleges and Universities, conducted by the nonprofit American Institutes for Research (AIR), set out to tally the costs associated with freshman students who don't return to the college where they initially enrolled.

Between 2003 and 2008, states appropriated almost $6.2 billion to colleges and universities to help educate students who didn't return for a second year. In addition, the states doled out $1.4 billion and the federal government spent more than $1.5 billion in grants to students who left school before their sophomore year, according to the analysis. California, New York and Texas led the nation in government spending on students who dropped out of college.

More Graduates Needed

Overall, more than 20% of full-time students who enroll in a four-year college won't be in school the following year, and 40% of students attending community colleges won't return for a second year, according to AIR.

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To address this problem, AIR and Matrix Knowledge Group have launched a new website, Collegemeasures.org, which allows consumers to evaluate the performance of the nation's four-year colleges.

President Obama has called for reducing high school and college dropout rates, and he has said that the future of America's prosperity relies on a better-educated workforce. At the first White House Summit on Community Colleges, held Oct. 6, the president called for federal funding for two-year community colleges as a way to boost the economy and get Americans back to work.

Community colleges will have to increase the number of degrees they confer by 5 million over the next 10 years, Obama said, to achieve his goal of retaking the world lead in the percentage of adults with a college degree by 2020. The U.S. now ranks 12th in the percentage of workers between the ages of 25 and 34 with associate's degrees, according to a July 2010 report by the College Board.

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T-Shirts on Sale at Eddie Bauer

Michele Turk — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:00:00 EST

The daily deal for June 20, 2008 is men's t-shirts at Eddie Bauer . You can't buy a t-shirt on the boardwalk at the Jersey shore for less than $20 nowadays, so these seem to be a real steal for $9.99 reduced from $16.50 to $19.50.

The short-sleeve classic pocket tee is available in 14 colors in small through XXX-large, regular and tall sizes. The short sleeve classic tee (no pocket) and sleeveless tee are also available for $9.99. Several others styles are also available for $14.99.

Eddie Bauer is one of those catalogs that sends you teaser sales throughout the year hoping you'll take the bait, but if can hold out for a real sale like this one-their "ultimate sale," it's worth the wait. Sales in other departments also turned up some finds, including some cute sundresses, and the clearance section is worth a peek too for deals up to 65% off original prices.

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Father's Day: Life lessons from Tim Russert

Michele Turk — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EST

Filed under: Careers, Family Money, Financial Aid

Since Tim Russert's death was announced by NBC Friday afternoon, prominent journalists and politicians have paid tribute to him. I won't attempt to compete with the likes of Andrea Mitchell, Tom Brokaw, Barack Obama, the Clintons or various members of the Kennedy family, who praised Russert as the best political journalist of our time, a devout Catholic, patriot, devoted father and husband and loving son.

Instead, I'll try to explain why I cried for an hour last night while watching televised tributes to a man I never met. For starters, I am a Jesuit-educated journalist with working class roots and a passion for politics. Russert's son Luke just graduated from Boston College, my alma mater. Russert was a fellow Bruce Springsteen fan, something I learned a decade or so ago when I read an essay titled Springsteen & Me in a magazine called P.O.V. So we had a few things in common.

Continue reading Father's Day: Life lessons from Tim Russert

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Bargains on bathing suits for men

Michele Turk — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EST

The daily deal for Friday, June 13, 2008 is men's bathing suits at Old Navy.

Been wearing the same bathing suit summer after summer? Elastic gone and color faded? Not to stereotype, but men it seems, don't go out and buy themselves a new bathing suit until the old one is torn to pieces, or they grow out of it, to put it kindly.

If this sounds familiar, head to Old Navy, where there are more than a dozen men's bathing suits on sale. Most bathing suits are reduced from $19.50 to $11.70, and they come in sizes small through extra extra extra large.

At this point, even overnight shipping won't arrive in time for Father's Day, but a recent trip to my local Old Navy store found plenty of bathing suits in stock, and flip-flops for as little as $3.

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What Father really needs: A good read

Michele Turk — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Retail

With just a few days to go till Father's Day, if you don't have any good gift ideas, books are a good fallback. Here are a few you can find in any bookstore:

Everyday Drinking: The Distilled Kingsley Amis: I laughed out loud when I read the New York Times review of this compilation of three out of print works by deceased British author Kinglsey Amis, an authority on booze. I love his comment about dieting: "The first, indeed the only, requirement of a diet is that it should lose you weight without reducing your alcoholic intake by the smallest degree."

Bobby Flay's Grill It: If your dad is more into cooking than drinking, famed chef and TV food host Bobby Flay has just published his fourth grilling cookbook. Although he could never top the first title, Boy Meets Grill, his recipes are winners.

Continue reading What Father really needs: A good read

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Luxury sheets for under $50

Michele Turk — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EST

The daily deal for June 9, 2008 is 400-thread count Egyptian cotton sheet sets at amazon.com. The sheets set includes a flat and fitted sheet, plus standard pillow cases made by Pinzon, and come in 12 colors including neutral tones like ivory and white. To be honest, I found the sheets while checking out a new web site I just learned about called Bradsdeals.

The sheets, which typically retail for $50 to $120, are on sale from $22.99 to $49.99, depending on the size (twin, queen, king, full and California king--whatever that is). What's more, the sheets are eligible for free super saver shipping because the order exceeds $25.

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Talbots Kids is closing?everything is half price

Michele Turk — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 12:30:00 EST

Filed under: Retail, Economizer, Family Money

If you need summer clothes for your kids, check out your local Talbots Kids store--but hurry, word has gotten out about their blowout sale and pretty soon it will be slim pickings. Talbots Kids, which sells preppy summer clothing and accessories, always has good end of season sales, but right now everything is 50% off original prices because all Talbots Kids stores are closing.

Talbots announced last winter that it planned to close its kids and men's' divisions, and it intended to focus on its core businesses, women's clothing. Talbots is in the process of closing 78 stores, including 66 kids' stores and 12 men's stores nationwide.

I was tempted, but didn't buy one of several exquisite white dresses perfect for a flower girl or first Holy Communion dress. I also could have stocked up for next summer but it's hard to predict a child's size a year ahead of time. Instead, I figured out what my daughter needed for summer, and picked up a sweet white sweater to wear over floral sundresses, a pair of capris, some t-shirts and a black and white floral skirt-this was the best bargain-reduced from $48 to $15.

I was disappointed in the boys selection: there wasn't anything my 9 year old would wear - the clothes are a bit too stuffy for his skaterboy tastes, and since all sales are final I didn't want to chance it.

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Shell mosaic table, $12.99, Linens and Things

Michele Turk — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:00:00 EST

Filed under: Family Money

The daily deal for May 30, 2008 is a shell mosaic table, reduced from $19.49 to $12.99 at Linens and Things. The table, made of hand-laid mosaic tiles is water-resistant so it can be used outdoors on a patio or deck--perfect holding two margaritas next to a chaise lounge!

The table is 16 x 21 inches, and requires minimal assembly. The table also comes in a palm leaf motif or green floral mosaic design for the same price. Shipping will run you $6.99, but you can check online to see if a local Linens and Things carries the table, and save yourself shipping costs.

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e-books get cheaper: $40 discounts on Kindle

Michele Turk — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:30:00 EST

Filed under: Technology, Retail, Economizer

The first time I heard about e-books, I was in journalism school back in the early 1990s. I remember lively debates about whether newspapers, magazine and books would be rendered obsolete by the turn of the century, replaced by electronic versions you could hold in the palm of your hand. At the time, these predictions seemed both blasphemous and futuristic.

Last year, when I read about Kindle, Amazon.com's e-book reader, I still didn't believe wireless reading devices would catch on. Kindle sold out in hours after it was released in November, 2007, and remained out of stock for months.

Now Kindle is back, and I read in paidcontent.org that Amazon has lowered the price by $40, which is surprising, given its success when it was launched. It's now going for for $359, still more expensive than Sony's competing digital book, which sells for about $300. Apparently, as production of the Kindle reader increased, manufacturing costs decreased, in turn lowering the retail price.

Continue reading e-books get cheaper: $40 discounts on Kindle

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A to-do list at your fingertips

Michele Turk — Wed, 28 May 2008 15:45:00 EST

Filed under: Budgeting

As I age, and my short-term memory fades, I rely on lists more than ever: at any given time, I have several going, on bits of scrap paper next to the computer, on a notepad I keep next to the driver's seat in my car, and in a master notebook of everything I need to do for the next say, three months or so. Every once in a while - ok, about once a week at least - I think of something so urgent that I resort to scribbling it on my hand. No, I'm not 12, but I have been doing this since I was a teenager. It can be embarrassing if people see my hand covered in ink, but it works for me.

I just read about temporary to do list tattoos on boingboing.net. Each package includes 12 to-do forms you can affix to your body and a skin-safe felt tip marker. I found the tattoos on amazon for $3.45 but they were temporarily out of stock. Fred and Friends, the manufacturer of the tattoos, also makes some other funny, slightly useful products like the irreverent Jesus Look at the Time watches, with an image of Jesus on the face.

I doubt I'll actually buy the to-do list tattoos, but the fact that there is this product--and it's already sold out on Amazon-- does make me wonder how many other grown-ups out there actually write on their bodies to jog their memory. For the record, I also have a calendar, which I prefer over technologically advanced options like Blackberries. I understand these devices are very good at helping people like me get organized, but I will have none of it. I'm perfectly happy with my system, and it's free.

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Comebacks we'd like to see: #3 -- Easy to open packaging

Michele Turk — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:00:00 EST

Filed under: Retail

This post is part of our series ranking the top 25 bygone products and trends we'd like to see return.

On Christmas morning, my house, like thousands of others, is a chaotic, frenzied scene, with children frantically opening gifts and squealing with delight.

But the joy in my children's faces inevitably turns to frustration after they tear off the gift wrap and are unable to get their little hands on the toy inside the package because the darn thing is sealed up tighter than a coffin! If you haven't opened a doll lately, with a plastic hairbrush, barettes and the like, all smaller than your fingers, these toys and many others are taped to the cardboard box, then each piece is individually wrapped in a twist-tie that makes it hard even for parents to open without a well-stocked toolbox.

I miss the days when it was simple to open a new package, like an over-the-counter medicine bottle that didn't have childproof caps or an album wrapped in plastic so thin I could puncture it with my nails-as opposed to shrink-wrapped CDs and DVDs. The editors at Consumer Reports seem to agree with me, since they started something called the Oyster Awards (named after the infamously difficult to open mollusk) in 2006, a "hard to open packaging hall of shame." Last year, top honors went to the Oral-b Sonic Complete Toothbrush Kit and the Bratz Sisterz doll, which apparently earned its moniker before a little girl even got to play with the toy.

Consumer Reports mentions a few reasons manufacturers have made packaging so much more difficult to open, including safety laws and to prevent theft. Consumer Reports also applauds some "good guys," and claim that manufacturers are beginning to make improvements -- apparently brought on by consumer backlash -- such as a user-friendly clamshell package and toys without twist ties.

What shopping experiences of yesteryear do you miss?

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Women's bathing suits for under $20

Michele Turk — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:02:00 EST

The daily deal for May 23, 2008 is the the Mossimo zebra tankini bathing suit, Target, $19.99.

I was flipping through In Style magazine and an article on the latest styles in summer swimsuits caught my eye. Normally, these articles are disheartening to read this time of year because my body is so pasty. Besides, the pre-summer exercise program has gotten off to a slow start. When you add the shock of what women's bathing suits costs these days, reading an article about swimsuit fashions can be doubly depressing.

This story was different: mixed in with the designer bathing suits upwards of $200 were several cute swimsuits from Target, priced in the $20 to $30 range. At your typical department store, it's hard to find a decent bathing suit for under $50, even if you wait till the July 4^th sales.

When I went to Target's web site, there were so many bathing suits to choose from, it took a while to find any of those I admired in the magazine. After a while, I went back to the home page, clicked on women, then swim shop, which brought me to a page where I could choose the preferred style. It seems that most of the swimsuits featured in In Style were sold out, no surprise, but there are plenty of others still available, mostly for about $19.99, and I haven't even checked out the store yet.

Also, if you spend $50-in any department-you get free shipping.

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Comebacks we'd like to see: #13 -- Gas station attendants

Michele Turk — Wed, 21 May 2008 09:00:00 EST

Filed under: Travel

This post is part of our series ranking the top 25 bygone products and trends we'd like to see return.

When I visit my family in New Jersey, where I grew up, there are a two things I always do before I head back to my home in Connecticut: I stop at the local farm stand for fresh produce and I fill up my tank with gas.

Correction: a gas station attendant fills up my tank with gas, which right now, is 50 cents per gallon cheaper than in Connecticut, even though it's full-serve. That's because a state law enacted in 1949 bans self-service gas stations in New Jersey. According to Infoplease, Oregon is the only other state with such a law, purportedly enacted to prevent accidents. My understanding is that the New Jersey law has survived several challenges over the years, but defenders have argued that lifting the ban would be unfair to disabled people and unsafe for the elderly, and people who've grown accustomed to full-serve might do something dangerous like light up a cigarette while filling their tank.

I realize that these are antiquated laws and the 48 other states seem to be getting along fine with self-serve gas stations, but I have to admit that I really miss full-service gas stations. Since I left home for college more than two decades ago, I have lived in Massachusetts, California, New York, Washington, D.C. and Virginia. With the exception of New York, where I didn't do much driving, I've pumped my own gas, and I consider it a nuisance, especially in the winter.

Last weekend, not only did the attendant fill up my tank, he washed my windows! Sometimes they even ask if I'd like to have my oil checked. Then I had another nostalgic moment: When the attendant handed me my receipt, he called me sweetie. Never mind that he was old and unshaven (more gross than grunge), and chauvinistic, gas station attendants would be a welcome return-especially if I'm paying $4 a gallon.

What services do you rue the passing of?

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