Choice (Chippendale, Australia) articles from November 2007

Choice (Chippendale, Australia) archives from November 2007

Dodgy restaurants.(Comment)
November 1, 2007... With an estimated 5.4 million cases of food-borne illness in Australia each year, most of us have had the experience of eating something dodgy and suffering the results. And it's not something we'd care to repeat in a hurry. Australians...

$8 billion in risky investments: if you open most newspapers' money sections, you'll probably see ads for a range of risky investments that haven't been assessed by an independent ratings agency. An Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) report reveals that over $8 billion is invested in unrated debentures that aren't listed on a stock exchange.(RISKY INVESTMENTS)
November 1, 2007... Debentures are a way for companies to raise money from the public, to fund activities such as their property developments or to lend to companies that can't get finance from other sources such as banks. Investors are paid interest, but the...

Come to Australia--for surgery?(+ MEDICAL TOURISM)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Medical tourism is a growth industry in countries such as Thailand, Singapore and India, with people travelling there to combine a holiday with having medical procedures, ranging from general health checks to...

The fructose debate: sugar is sugar is sugar, right?(+ SUGAR DANGER)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] According to some scientists, fructose is a sugar with hidden dangers. It's the type of sugar sourced from fruit, but using it as a sweetener in other foods is what's creating the current controversy, with new...

What are we flushing away?(+ HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS)(environmental friendly tissue papers)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Your carefully selected toilet paper may be less environmentally friendly than you think--and it's hard to tell from the packaging alone. Only 5% of the toilet paper we flush away in Australia is made from recycled...

Halogen downlights a fire risk: poorly installed lighting sparks fire safety warnings: downlights could pose a risk to any house if they come into contact with roof insulation.(+ HOME LIGHTING)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The number of house fires caused by wrongly fitted halogen downlights is on the increase, according to recent figures released by the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade. In Melbourne alone, 57 examples have been...

Prexige pulled: the urgent recall of osteoarthritis drug Prexige has been surrounded by controversy.(+ DRUG RECALL)
November 1, 2007... The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) cancelled Prexige's registration and initiated its recall on 11 August, after receiving eight reports since March of serious liver-related side effects associated with its use, including two deaths and...

Help wanted: are you cashing in your house?(Consumer news)
November 1, 2007... We need your help with an investigation into reverse mortgages and similar products that allow people aged 50 and over to borrow money against the value of their home. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you've taken up or paid off a reverse...

Planners recommended Bridgecorp: until at least 2005, financial planners from PKF Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers recommended high-risk investments in Bridgecorp Finance, the property investment company whose parent (Bridegcorp Holdings) went into receivership in July 2007.(+ FINANCIAL PLANNERS)
November 1, 2007... One investor told CHOICE that after advice from PKF in 2005, he believed his investment was as safe as government bonds. But that wasn't the case. Bridgecorp wasn't an authorised deposit-taking institution; rather, it was at the high-risk end...

Brandwashing our children.(+ FAST FOOD)
November 1, 2007... It's official--our kids are brainwashed into putting branded food in their mouths. A study in the US has confirmed that clever marketing and branding influence even the youngest of customers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The study examined...

Low-GI diet fights flab.
November 1, 2007... A Cochrane studies from five countries, comparing the effects of low-GI diets on overweight adults, showed that those on a low-GI diet lost an average of 1 kg more than those on a conventional diet. Low-GI diets may also improve heart health,...

Complaining made much easier.(Consumer news)
November 1, 2007... The Australian Securities and Investments Commission now has seven approved external dispute resolution schemes to deal with complaints about the financial industry. They are: the Banking and Financial Services Ombudsman, Credit Ombudsman...

iRobot Dirt Dog cleaner.(+ PATIO CLEANER)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If you've got a messy workshop or patio, and plenty of time, the Dirt Dog might be your new best friend. Coming from the same stable as the IROBOT Roomba robot vacuum cleaner, it's marketed as a workshop cleaner,...

Miro on the video world.(+ INTERNET TV)(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... The internet is full of video content that you can view free. Video-sharing website YouTube has become a household name, but it's just one of many sources. But with thousands of internet TV 'channels' available, how do you find and manage...

Beach security: it was hard to fit everything into the ArmPac, but the bigger BeltPac took it all easily.(+ WATERPROOF WALLET)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] AQUAPAC waterproof cases offer a solution to a problem we've all faced at the beach or pool: what to do with your valuables while you're swimming. Do you hide them under your towel or bury them in the sand and hope...

Sparkling wine for Christmas.(Coming ...)
November 1, 2007... Expert tasters sampled 67 sparkling whites, reds, roses and champagnes--and there's a good drop out there for every taste, budget and occasion. The expensive French champagnes weren't all favoured by the experts--some of the top-scoring wines...

80 cm televisions.(Coming ...)
November 1, 2007... An 80 cm TV might not be big enough for some television fanatics, but if you only have a small living room, or don't want an entire wall taken over by a jumbo TV, this is a very 'livable' size. But we're still finding TVs without an inbuilt...

Handheld GPS.(Coming ...)(Global Positioning System)(Brief article)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Handheld GPS devices can help you get back safely from a long walk in the bush, but don't rely on alone: take along a compass and a good map--just in case. One of these GPS units can reveal your position if you're...

Scratchy towels.(Letters Emails)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * After having changed from a top- to a front-loading washing machine, I found my towels, which had stayed soft after washing in the top loader, have become hard and scratchy. I assume this is due to the...

Premium beers.(Letters Emails)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... * I'd like to compliment you on your excellent report on premium beers. However, you seem to have missed a key difference between bottle-conditioned beers, like the Coopers range, and mainstream beers that use preservatives to keep them...

Too much energy used on standby power.(Letters Emails)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... * I recently bought a Ryobi 2000 W Slide Compound Mitre Saw. After I set it up and did a few trial cuts, I left for a number of hours before returning for more work, when I noticed that the handle was warm. Suspecting a fault, I rang the...

More energy wasted on standby.(Letters Emails)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I bought the Sunbeam EM5600 espresso machine on your recommendation and agree with all the good points you mentioned. However, I was surprised to find it was still warm the day after I'd used it, although I'd turned it off at the switch on the...

Canned food labelling.(LETTER OF THE MONTH)(Letter to the editor)
November 1, 2007... I've been curious for years about the ambiguous expiry codes on some tinned foods. Today I tried to 'refresh' the items in my pantry and found that I had no idea what the expiry dates were for half the items in my cupboard. I tried searching...

Dana Lowe is very impressed by the customer service she received--above and beyond what she expected.(Thumbs up!)
November 1, 2007... Dana Lowe is very impressed by the customer service she received--above and beyond what she expected. When her pharmacy was unable to get more of the "great little hats" she'd bought earlier, the distributor, CWA Cashmink Accessories, sent her,...

Michelle Turner gives her Thumbs up to Carman's, which sent her three boxes of muesli bars.(Thumbs up!)
November 1, 2007... Michelle Turner gives her Thumbs up to Carman's, which sent her three boxes of muesli bars, a total of 18, to make up for two bars she'd had in a packet that were about half the usual size.

Is your home carbon neutral? Living a low-emission life is a tall order, but there are four steps you can take to reduce your environmental footprint. CHOICE investigates.(Home: Carbon emissions)(Cover story)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Recently, a young man approached the company Climate Positive and asked if he could offset the environmental damage his grandfather's 70 years on the planet had caused. This is an unusual example, but it highlights...

Perils of eating out: Food Safety Week is 12-19 November--but just how much do state governments and councils tell us about hygiene in restaurants and food outlets?(Health Restaurant hygiene)
November 1, 2007... Live and dead cockroaches, pigeons wandering around the kitchen, ready-to-eat Peking duck stored in garbage bags on the floor, and exposed meat and other food being prepared in the toilet airlock. These stomach-turning observations were...

A taste for Fairtrade: buying Fairtrade products means your purchasing choices improve the lives of small producers in developing countries.(Shopping: Fairtrade)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The term Fairtrade has been at the edge of consumer consciousness for the last five to 10 years. You may have heard of Fairtrade goods such as coffee and chocolate, but might assume they're still only available from...

When to cheat on your trusted brands: do supermarkets' premium own-brands taste as good as the brands we know and love?(Shopping: Supermarket own-brands)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Earlier this year, CHOICE reported on how much you can stretch your food and basics budget by buying some or all of your groceries at an ALDI store (in our supermarket price survey, July 2007). But as you stroll the...

Super snags? Our expert tasters gave some of the 'gourmet' sausages from supermarkets high scores, but others were rated no better than cheaper standard snags.(Food: Sausages)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The humble snag has gone up in the world. Unless you live out the back of Wheelyabarraback, your local butcher now has a range of gourmet sausages with exotic flavours, and increasingly the big supermarket chains...

Xmas ease: if you can't cope with Christmas crowds, you now have the option of buying your presents online. But do cyberbargains exist, or is traditional high-street shopping cheaper?(Shopping: Online vs in-store)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Traditionalists may feel online shopping takes the fun out of personally selecting gifts for loved ones, but when you're battling against fellow Christmas shoppers for the last Harry Potter box set on the shelf, it...

Buying guide: your comprehensive car insurance.(Insurance: Cars)(Buyers guide)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the 12 months to March 2007, about 13% of comprehensively insured cars had an accident, with an average damage cost of around $2500, according to Insurance Statistics Australia. And more than one in 300 cars was...

Sale away: factory outlet shopping centres are challenging traditional CBD retailing. They're a bargain hunter's paradise--just don't let the 'sale' signs go to your head.(Shopping: Factory outlets)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Forget your local Westfield: there's a new breed of shopping centre appearing around the country. These creatures have all your favourite labels: Country Road, Villeroy & Boch and Esprit, plus cafes and free parking,...

Pulp friction: some non-centrifugal juicers extract more nutrients.(Test: Juicers)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Rising rates of obesity, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and cancer have led to fruit and vegetables being promoted as a national dietary priority because they're packed with vitamins, minerals and fibre. The Cancer...

The big gig: a DVD recorder with a 160 GB hard drive gives you hundreds of hours of recording capacity.(Test: DVD/hard disc recorders)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Using a DVD player to play movies with a separate VCR to record TV shows is, like, so five years ago. If you feel you've been lingering too long in this technology time warp you might be considering an upgrade to a...

Mower power: plug them in or charge them up--electric lawnmowers are great for your suburban backyard.(Test: Electric lawnmowers)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] They're fume-free, they start at the press of a button, are comparatively quiet, tend to vibrate less than petrol mowers, and some of the models we tested are very compact and lightweight--all of which makes an...

Cool down now, warm up next winter: if you're buying a large air conditioner, choose one that'll heat your home economically as well as cool it.(Test: Reverse-cycle air conditioners)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Australians are increasingly getting air conditioning installed, or moving into a new home that delivers a cooling breeze at the touch of a button. Overall, more than 60% of households now have an air conditioner....

Chilling out in style: even a $7500 fridge isn't perfect, and bells and whistles don't make up for mediocre performance.(Test: Fridges)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Extra-large side-by-side fridges can have through: the-door water and ice dispensers as well as all kinds of other fancy bells and whistles--in this test, one even has its own TV. They look ever so stylish, but...

Pump up the volume: there's a rainwater tank renaissance! To get the best out of your tank, you need a good pump.(Test: Rainwater tank pumps)(Product/service evaluation)
November 1, 2007... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Years of drought have focused our attention on saving water, and the humble rainwater tank, which once almost vanished from suburbia, is enjoying a renaissance. It's now reappearing in force, so much so that tank...

Recalls & bans.
November 1, 2007... Nowadays there are so many product recalls we may not be able to print all of them in CHOICE. For comprehensive recall information go to the Product Recalls Australia website: www.recalls.gov.au. If you don't have web access, call the Product...

Nutrition info: which one do you find easier to use? The 'traffic light' labelling system proposed by the UK Food Standards Agency, or Kellogg's Daily Intake labelling.(+ FOOD LABELLING)
November 1, 2007... Some food manufacturers are now placing nutrition information on the front of packs. But have you ever wondered what's prompted them to do it? Given the rising rates of overweight and obesity in Australia, the primary aim of any new...

Generic drugs: cheaper but just as effective.(+ PRESCRIPTION DRUGS)
November 1, 2007... The National Prescribing Service (NPS) recently conducted a campaign with the key message that generic medicines are just as effective. When a pharmaceutical company develops a new medicine it takes out a patent, which allows it exclusive...

Hard word.
November 1, 2007... The prize for best entry goes to M Primc for the Aussie ostriches. Thanks also to R Metz, R MacGregor, L Norwood, G Chambers, P Elks, P Hendy, M Sulzberger, J Crabbe, M Chalmers, M Farmer, T Jones, G Frauenfelder and M Howie for their...