i can only rant but nothing can be done ... that is just so sad =(
Living Near Freeways Hurts Kids' Lungs
FRIDAY, Jan. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Children growing up alongside freeways risk having their lung development impaired, which can increase the likelihood of serious respiratory diseases later in life, researchers report.
Other studies have shown that children living next to highways are more likely to develop respiratory problems, such as asthma. But this is the first study to show that long exposure to car and truck exhaust actually affects the growth of the lungs, and hence their capacity.
The report is published in the Jan. 26 online issue of The Lancet.
"Exposure from tailpipe emissions from motor vehicles potentially carries chronic health risks to children's lung development," said lead researcher W. James Gauderman, an assistant professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. "We found that kids who live closer to freeways had significantly less lung capacity, compared with kids who lived further from freeways."
In the study, Gauderman and his colleagues followed 3,677 children for eight years, tracking their lung development. The children were 10 at the start of the study, and came from 12 southern California communities. The air quality differed in each community.
The researchers found that lung growth in children who lived within 500 meters of a freeway (about a quarter of a mile) was significantly less than children who lived 1,500 meters or more from a freeway.
Gauderman's group also found that exposure to freeways and regional air pollution had negative and independent effects on the growth of lung function. In addition, there was a significant drop in percentage of expected lung function among 18-year-olds who lived within 500 meters of a freeway.
Gauderman thinks that these effects on lung development are serious. "Lung capacity is something that once a child is done growing, that amount of lung capacity they have is carried with them throughout their adult life," he explained.
Lung capacity is further reduced as people age, Gauderman said. "Reduced lung capacity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease and respiratory diseases, such as emphysema," he added.
"What we worry most about are kids who have compromised lung function to start out with," Gauderman said. "When they are older, they will have a significantly increased risk for respiratory diseases."
One expert thinks that the problem is real, but the solution is elusive, and only changes in neighborhoods or automobile emissions seem likely to have an impact.
"Prior studies and common sense both suggest that breathing in a great deal of automobile exhaust cannot be good for the healthy development of children's lungs," said Dr. David L. Katz, an associate professor of public health and director of the Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine.
These data show a clear and clinically important association between the proximity of a child's home to a major freeway and deficits in lung function by age 18, Katz said. "The deficits observed in the force and volume of each breath suggests increased risk of asthma and bronchitis, as well as a decreased capacity for physical exertion," he said.
What these investigators cannot do is fix the problem, Katz said. "Can we redesign urban neighborhoods so that no home or school is near highway traffic? Can we reduce the volume and/or composition of car exhaust so that highways no longer represent threats to the lungs of growing children?" he asked.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians can tell you more about outdoor air pollution.
Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.
Friday, March 28, 2008
wonderless years
my rant of the blog is about irresponsible people and a chain reaction of events that leads to this rant
it is all common sense, but i still like to put this all down
if someone care about children and the well being of children would they choose to open a preschool next to a location of a busy freeway overpass in los angeles? especially the busy 10 and 405 intersection ... and the 405 was also expanded which means more cars and more pollutants in the morning hours.
maybe they didn’t do it intentionally or they did because all they care is about the money since it is a business.
another argument would be affordability ... but then what is the price of your child health?
it is really the chicken or the egg ... supply and demand ... and the cycle of hypocritical issue
if there is one preschool that is not near the freeway that cost let say $1,000 a month vs. the one that is just next to it that cost $800 a month ... but then your child would suffer from air pollution that would lead to deteriorate lung functions and cardiovascular diseases down the road as in leading into adulthood ... would you rethink for a moment ... starting at age 2 exposed for 4-8 hours a day until they turn 5 or 6 before moving them to a public school hopefully not near a freeway ... sinus infection that would lead to asthma, bronchitis etc … even as healthy as your child to begin with, exposure to even second hand smoking is a bad deal starting at a very young age.
why are those preschool given a license? what is the loophole of criteria to open a preschool but not dealing with environmental issue … which also is a health issue … in a virus level … should someone responsible who has the power to change please put this down for any school private or public … do not have schools be built near freeways which is a toxic area.
the worst of all thing ... is be in denial ... seriously it doesn't matter which direction the wind blows ... the worst is when there is no wind to blow anything away and all the pollutants just settle in the air where the children laugh away their lives!
here is a letter in regards to health of children who grow up breathing polluted air:
http://www.portoflosangeles.org/EIR/TraPacFIER/FEIR_Chapter_2G_Academia_and_Local_Chapters.pdf
it is all common sense, but i still like to put this all down
if someone care about children and the well being of children would they choose to open a preschool next to a location of a busy freeway overpass in los angeles? especially the busy 10 and 405 intersection ... and the 405 was also expanded which means more cars and more pollutants in the morning hours.
maybe they didn’t do it intentionally or they did because all they care is about the money since it is a business.
another argument would be affordability ... but then what is the price of your child health?
it is really the chicken or the egg ... supply and demand ... and the cycle of hypocritical issue
if there is one preschool that is not near the freeway that cost let say $1,000 a month vs. the one that is just next to it that cost $800 a month ... but then your child would suffer from air pollution that would lead to deteriorate lung functions and cardiovascular diseases down the road as in leading into adulthood ... would you rethink for a moment ... starting at age 2 exposed for 4-8 hours a day until they turn 5 or 6 before moving them to a public school hopefully not near a freeway ... sinus infection that would lead to asthma, bronchitis etc … even as healthy as your child to begin with, exposure to even second hand smoking is a bad deal starting at a very young age.
why are those preschool given a license? what is the loophole of criteria to open a preschool but not dealing with environmental issue … which also is a health issue … in a virus level … should someone responsible who has the power to change please put this down for any school private or public … do not have schools be built near freeways which is a toxic area.
the worst of all thing ... is be in denial ... seriously it doesn't matter which direction the wind blows ... the worst is when there is no wind to blow anything away and all the pollutants just settle in the air where the children laugh away their lives!
here is a letter in regards to health of children who grow up breathing polluted air:
http://www.portoflosangeles.org/EIR/TraPacFIER/FEIR_Chapter_2G_Academia_and_Local_Chapters.pdf
Monday, January 07, 2008
showcase 02 : amanda ryznar and her porcelain
okay, i heart etsy.com because of all the cool stuff i can find that are handmade by artisans!
well, i found amanda and her beautiful creation. her porcelain creation are absolutely beautiful and beyond words to describe. i had her create a custom order for me for a friend's wedding.
i really love her fish so i emailed her about an idea of the two fish who found each other among other fishes in the sea. and with that in mind she created this piece.
she uses fine english grolleg porcelain ( pure white kaolin from england ... primary clay used in many porcelain formulations to get a translucent and plasticity texture) hand-thrown on wheel. then she draws freehand using a porcupine quill revealing layers of handmade red colored slip. it is then fired to cone 10 ... at 2380 degrees F! the glaze she uses are food-safe, dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe.
she is just wonderful to work with.
i am definitely going back for more custom creation!
check out her other cool creation at yogagoat.etsy.com
well, i found amanda and her beautiful creation. her porcelain creation are absolutely beautiful and beyond words to describe. i had her create a custom order for me for a friend's wedding.
i really love her fish so i emailed her about an idea of the two fish who found each other among other fishes in the sea. and with that in mind she created this piece.
she uses fine english grolleg porcelain ( pure white kaolin from england ... primary clay used in many porcelain formulations to get a translucent and plasticity texture) hand-thrown on wheel. then she draws freehand using a porcupine quill revealing layers of handmade red colored slip. it is then fired to cone 10 ... at 2380 degrees F! the glaze she uses are food-safe, dishwasher-safe and microwave-safe.she is just wonderful to work with.
i am definitely going back for more custom creation!
check out her other cool creation at yogagoat.etsy.com
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
to be fat or not to be fat ?!
yup, that is the question ...
obesity is not only an epidemic it is a humanity issue ... would you let your kids eat a tub of lard ...? coca cola, oreo cookies, mc donald fries ... etc
moderation is the key ... diet soda is not a solution ... you think you are not gaining fat drinking or eating diet labeled whatever ... think again.
Do Diet Sodas Make You Fat?
Posted Tue, Dec 04, 2007, 11:12 am PST
The short answer(s) to this question is no and, maybe, yes. One recent study has shown that people who drink diet soda still have a 41 percent chance of being overweight.
What is even more interesting about this research is that these diet-soda drinkers have a greater risk for obesity than do those who drink regular sodas.
How is this possible? It can't be that the diet sodas are causing obesity, since they contain no calories.
Some researchers believe that the problem with diet sodas is this: When people consume diet drinks, they think they're doing something "good" for their body — and then they feel free to splurge on other, high-calorie items.
For example, if you are eating at McDonald's and order a diet soda in place of a regular soda, you may think, "Now I can super-size my meal." People don't do this intentionally; it just happens and we don't pay attention to it — and then the extra pounds slip on board and stow away.
There is also some research that suggests diet sodas may actually stimulate the appetite. This explanation of the relationship between diet sodas and obesity is that the overly sweet taste of diet drinks actually creates a craving for still more sweet things, thus upping calorie consumption.
What then should you do about your drink choices?
First, remember: Everything in moderation. If you are drinking a lot of regular or diet soda each day, decreasing your intake of either may help you lose weight. Also, think about when during the day you drink diet sodas; do you then tend to splurge on other calories?
Although escaping the obesity epidemic isn't as easy as avoiding diet sodas, you should think about what you drink.
© 2007 Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved. This article from Johns Hopkins University is provided as a service by Yahoo. All materials are produced independently by Johns Hopkins University, which is solely responsible for its content.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
showcase 01 : heather gill with her pmc and chain maille
i am very glad to have met heather. she is a jewelry designer and also a customer of mine who found a wonderful design using those greek washer beads.
this is an interview with her. i hope you enjoy her work as much as i did.
what got you into designing jewelry? who influenced you?
doesn't this look delicious
how did you come up with the idea of this piece that you made for your sister?
what is your favorite material to use in your designs? what makes it special?
some pointers for setting up for a show? what must you do and what you shouldn’t do?
i am working on my own website so you can find me at http://www.hawaiiheather.etsy.com for now.
my next show will be a local craft show in gilbert, arizona on the 24th of november.
all contributed content © heather gill
this is an interview with her. i hope you enjoy her work as much as i did.
what got you into designing jewelry? who influenced you?
i got into jewelry making and designing after the birth of my daughter. i am a culinary trained chef and i wanted to stay home with my daughter after she was born. i wanted to do something creative so i took a class in basic stringing. i was bored with that within a couple of days so i started to look around for other things to learn how to do. i found pmc [precious metal clay] and have really loved working with it. i am currently taking classes on traditional metal smithing and i really love all that i am learning.
so many people and things have influenced me. i would have to say that some of my culinary training has influenced me and the designs i make. my sisters and my daughter. i grew up in hawaii so i would have to say that still has an influence on me. we get back ‘home’ every chance we can. nature and living in the southwest has really influenced me and my designs.
how did you come up with the idea of this piece that you made for your sister?
i have wanted to try chain maille but i’m a little out of time for another class. in one of my metal classes we had to make jump rings. so i had extra and was just going to link a few together and make earrings but once i got started i thought it would make a great bracelet. i sometimes don’t name pieces because i come up with really silly names, but i called this one, “Copper Coins.” it reminded me of pennies.
what is your favorite material to use in your designs? what makes it special?
my favorite material still has to be pmc. i really love to work with it. since i’ve been making things with traditional metal i think that my pmc pieces have gotten much better and have a little more substance to them. i love to use semiprecious stones because i think that just makes the fine silver that much more beautiful. i also love to mix metals as you can see from the bracelet.
some pointers for setting up for a show? what must you do and what you shouldn’t do?
i did my first show on the 3rd of november. i wasn’t sure what to expect so i planned for everything! i brought way too much jewelries for the space i had. so don’t put them all out at once.
make sure you bring the following:
01. business cards
02. something to display your earrings and necklaces so that you have levels of jewelry not all lying on the table.
03. someone to help you!
04. bags for items that are purchased and tissue to wrap them in! i got small kraft bags that i stamped my company logo on so if they didn’t take a business card they still knew how to get hold of me.
05. tablecloths and one that is dark – black is perfect. just something that the jewelry will pop off of. i have a lot of silver so that seems to work best for me but anything that doesn’t take away from your pieces is fine.
06. mirror so that they can see what it looks like on.
07. chairs because you’ll do a lot of waiting.
08. something to read because you’ll do a lot of waiting. when a customer comes up or you see them coming put it away but there were many times through out the day that there was just no one around.
09. receipt book and pens
10. cash – ones, fives, tens and twenties. i priced all my jewelry with the tax and made all the prices even – example instead of $11.99 just say $12.00. then you don’t have to worry with all the change. i did bring a little change but not much.
if you have time to visit other shows before yours make notes of what you like and don’t like. have fun with it. make sure you smile A LOT! and engage people in conversation without bugging them!
i am working on my own website so you can find me at http://www.hawaiiheather.etsy.com for now.
my next show will be a local craft show in gilbert, arizona on the 24th of november.
all contributed content © heather gill
Sunday, November 04, 2007
microfinancing and the internet
have you thought about making a loan to a mother of 4 children living in paraguay to help buy more material to continue her business as a tailor or a father in bolivia who needs $1000 so he may continue his water supply business and hopefully send his children to college.
with the internet and money transfer you can do anything to help the poor and support the economy. is it that hard to fathom, yet possible. Dr. Muhammad Yunus the founder of Grameen Bank and winner of the nobel peace prize started microfinancing in 1976 giving out a loan of $27 to 42 women in a village in Bangladesh.
i found this interesting organization called kiva.org and that is what the organization seek out to do ... connect people to make change ... just using that simple idea and make it grassroot.
* kiva in swahili means agreement or unity
don't let your money just sit in your checking account do something with it and make a change!
checkout www.kiva.org
with the internet and money transfer you can do anything to help the poor and support the economy. is it that hard to fathom, yet possible. Dr. Muhammad Yunus the founder of Grameen Bank and winner of the nobel peace prize started microfinancing in 1976 giving out a loan of $27 to 42 women in a village in Bangladesh.
i found this interesting organization called kiva.org and that is what the organization seek out to do ... connect people to make change ... just using that simple idea and make it grassroot.
* kiva in swahili means agreement or unity
don't let your money just sit in your checking account do something with it and make a change!
checkout www.kiva.org
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
an interview
i have to say i was flattered to have someone interview me for her blog space about my little shop petitespoon.etsy.com and my designs ... thank you kara for such opportunity.
check it out at:
http://innocentcharmschats.blogspot.com/2007/10/to-say-thanks-to-fab-lady.html
her blog is fabulous =D
check it out at:
http://innocentcharmschats.blogspot.com/2007/10/to-say-thanks-to-fab-lady.html
her blog is fabulous =D
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
stuff for free, why not
who doesn't want free stuff?
i really do hate those sign up website for free stuff and all you end up getting is really free junk e-mails that clog up your time into deleting them all. there is always a catch 22 ... i get all those e-mails about free $500 gift cards from home depot or target at the end it is a waste of time. so when it is too good to be true ... it is. nothing is really for free.
From CNNMoney.com
How to find free stuff
Monday September 24, 2:09 pm ET
By Gerri Willis, CNN
Everybody likes free stuff. So put your wallet away and get out those pencils. We went out to find the best deals out there for the taking.
1: Free Samples
Let's face it...free stuff is the best stuff. You have to be careful of free-product programs...your inbox may be flooded with ads or there may be hidden fees. So read the fine print carefully.
Here's one Web site that connects manufacturers with consumers who test products. That's www.startsampling.com. You'll also want to check out company Web sites directly like tide.com and olay.com to sign up for discount coupons and new-product samples.
2: Free Phone Aid
We've all been charged for dialing 4-1-1, but now there's free directory assistance. That number is 800-FREE-411. You will have to listen to a few seconds of advertising. But you'll get your number at no charge.
And here's another handy phone tool...If you really want to get out of a meeting...or a date, you can "receive" a fake call. Check out popularitydialer.com. Set the time you need to receive the call and which excuse you want to use...(like the "return to the office" call), and voila! you'll receive a "fake" call with a recorded message that demands you leave whatever you're doing and go back to work.
3: Free Memory
If Post-its just aren't cutting it as your scheduling tool, there are some free tools on the Web that can help. Check out memotome.com. You'll never have to say a happy belated birthday again. Just put in your e-mail, and program in the events and dates you need to be reminded of. There's also birthdayalarm.com. Membership is free and you'll even get free invites and party planning tools.
4: Free Books
If you're an avid reader, you may really love paperbackswap.com. All you have to do is choose a book you'd like to read from a list and you'll receive it in the mail.
At the same time, you list the books you want to get rid of. When someone requests to read it, all you have to do is pop it in the mail. You will have to pay for postage, but it's usually around $2.13.
5: Financial Planning
Before you invest in a financial planner, check out some of these online tools. To figure out how much you'll need in retirement, check out this calculator. All you have to do is punch in some basic info about your income and savings. If you want to take a peek inside your portfolio to see how your funds are doing, Morningstar.com has a great tool on its Web site called Instant X-ray.
i really do hate those sign up website for free stuff and all you end up getting is really free junk e-mails that clog up your time into deleting them all. there is always a catch 22 ... i get all those e-mails about free $500 gift cards from home depot or target at the end it is a waste of time. so when it is too good to be true ... it is. nothing is really for free.
From CNNMoney.com
How to find free stuff
Monday September 24, 2:09 pm ET
By Gerri Willis, CNN
Everybody likes free stuff. So put your wallet away and get out those pencils. We went out to find the best deals out there for the taking.
1: Free Samples
Let's face it...free stuff is the best stuff. You have to be careful of free-product programs...your inbox may be flooded with ads or there may be hidden fees. So read the fine print carefully.
Here's one Web site that connects manufacturers with consumers who test products. That's www.startsampling.com. You'll also want to check out company Web sites directly like tide.com and olay.com to sign up for discount coupons and new-product samples.
2: Free Phone Aid
We've all been charged for dialing 4-1-1, but now there's free directory assistance. That number is 800-FREE-411. You will have to listen to a few seconds of advertising. But you'll get your number at no charge.
And here's another handy phone tool...If you really want to get out of a meeting...or a date, you can "receive" a fake call. Check out popularitydialer.com. Set the time you need to receive the call and which excuse you want to use...(like the "return to the office" call), and voila! you'll receive a "fake" call with a recorded message that demands you leave whatever you're doing and go back to work.
3: Free Memory
If Post-its just aren't cutting it as your scheduling tool, there are some free tools on the Web that can help. Check out memotome.com. You'll never have to say a happy belated birthday again. Just put in your e-mail, and program in the events and dates you need to be reminded of. There's also birthdayalarm.com. Membership is free and you'll even get free invites and party planning tools.
4: Free Books
If you're an avid reader, you may really love paperbackswap.com. All you have to do is choose a book you'd like to read from a list and you'll receive it in the mail.
At the same time, you list the books you want to get rid of. When someone requests to read it, all you have to do is pop it in the mail. You will have to pay for postage, but it's usually around $2.13.
5: Financial Planning
Before you invest in a financial planner, check out some of these online tools. To figure out how much you'll need in retirement, check out this calculator. All you have to do is punch in some basic info about your income and savings. If you want to take a peek inside your portfolio to see how your funds are doing, Morningstar.com has a great tool on its Web site called Instant X-ray.
Friday, September 21, 2007
welcoming baby clémentine
on september 21st, 2007 at 7:03 AM pacific time
8 pounds 12 ounces and 21 inches tall
Love, mama Yvonne, papa JP and big bro Théodore
a link to more photos at www.chialu.com/clemmie
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
greek ceramic beads are hot hot hot
i haven't post for a long time what is happening at my petite shop ... these are the beautiful and color greek ceramic beads that i have been carrying in my shop since june.
greek ceramic beads or round washers come in bright colorful tone, earthy shades assortments and metalized gold, silver, copper etc you name it. these kiln-fired, dyed terra cotta beads often have the look of wood, metal, or stone. they keep up well except for when it goes through some crushing at the post office cause they were fed through a letter machine.
the bright colorful tone comes in 8mm and 13mm
the earthy tone comes in 8mm and 13mm
the metalized 24 k gold finish comes in 8mm
the metalized 100% fine silver finish comes in 8mm
the metalized pure copper finish comes in 8mm
these hand-formed ceramic beads are truly a labor of love. they are kiln-fired terracotta biscuits then fired again with rough copper and lastly the finishing coat of either pure copper, 100% fine silver, or 24 k gold is applied. these beauties also come in green patina copper and antique patina silver.
* Mykonos is an island of Greece part of the Cyclades. it is believe that this island is named after an offspring of the god Apollo. this happening destination is among the best of Europe nightlife.
visit my petitespOOn at http://petitespoon.etsy.com
email me at petitespoon@gmail.com about flat rate s/h special to US $1, to Canada $2, to everywhere else $3 on wires, findings and beads order till the end of the year using google checkout
greek ceramic beads or round washers come in bright colorful tone, earthy shades assortments and metalized gold, silver, copper etc you name it. these kiln-fired, dyed terra cotta beads often have the look of wood, metal, or stone. they keep up well except for when it goes through some crushing at the post office cause they were fed through a letter machine.
these hand-formed ceramic beads are truly a labor of love. they are kiln-fired terracotta biscuits then fired again with rough copper and lastly the finishing coat of either pure copper, 100% fine silver, or 24 k gold is applied. these beauties also come in green patina copper and antique patina silver.
* Mykonos is an island of Greece part of the Cyclades. it is believe that this island is named after an offspring of the god Apollo. this happening destination is among the best of Europe nightlife.
visit my petitespOOn at http://petitespoon.etsy.com
email me at petitespoon@gmail.com about flat rate s/h special to US $1, to Canada $2, to everywhere else $3 on wires, findings and beads order till the end of the year using google checkout
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
made in china
what a recall by mattel and fisher-price?!? if you want to cut cost you cut safety issues for sure this is a backlash for doing so. it shouldn't be a surprise ... i look at the european toy market and all toys made local in germany or france they cost 3 to 4 times as much than counterpart made in china products ... so what do parents choose if they have limited budget and still want to get toys that is worth their money?
Mattel recalling more Chinese-made toys
By NATASHA METZLER, Associated Press Writer
Toy-making giant Mattel Inc. issued recalls Tuesday for about 9 million Chinese-made toys that contain magnets children can swallow or which could have lead paint.
The recall includes 7.3 million play sets, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 253,000 die cast cars that contain lead paint.
Nancy A. Nord, acting Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman, told a news conference no injuries had been reported with any of the products involved in the new recall.
"The scope of these recalls is intentionally large to prevent any injuries from occurring," she told the news conference.
At least one U.S. child has died and 19 others have needed surgery since 2003 after swallowing magnets used in toys, the government said. Several injuries had been reported in an earlier Polly Pocket recall last November.
Mattel, in a full-page ad Tuesday in some U.S. newspapers, said the company was "one of the most trusted names with parents" and was "working extremely hard to address your concerns and continue creating safe, entertaining toys for you and your children."
Tuesday's recall was the latest blow to the toy industry, which has had a string of recalled products from China. With about 80 percent of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are worried shoppers will shy away from their products.
It was also the second recall involving lead paint for Mattel in two weeks. Earlier this month, consumers were warned about 1.5 million Chinese-made toys that contain lead paint.
"There is no excuse for lead to be found in toys entering this country," Nord said. "It's totally unacceptable and it needs to stop."
Toys recalled Tuesday include 253,000 "Sarge" cars from the movie "Cars," because the surface paint could contain lead levels in excess of federal standard. The 2 1/2-inch, 1-inch high car looks like a military jeep.
Lead is toxic if ingested by young children, and under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.
Also recalled Tuesday were 345,000 Batman and "One Piece" action figures, 683,000 Barbie and Tanner play sets and 1 million Doggie Day Care play sets.
In the newspaper ads, presented as a letter to "fellow parents" from Mattel chief executive Bob Eckert, the company said "nothing is more important than the safety of our children."
"We have already taken steps to further ensure the safety of our toys," Eckert said.
Nord said the company has stopped selling the recalled products, instructed retailers to pull them from the shelves and made a production change. Mattel is also offering replacement products.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which negotiated details of Mattel's recalls, reported that in the previous recall of Polly Pockets play sets in Nov. 11, three children had been injured by swallowing more than one magnet. All three suffered intestinal perforations that required surgery.
When more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attach to each other and cause intestinal perforation, infection or blockage, which can be fatal.
In March 2006, another toy company, Mega Brands Inc., recalled 3.8 million Magnetix magnetic building sets after one child died and four others were seriously injured after swallowing tiny magnets in them.
Two weeks ago, Mattel's Fisher-Price division announced the worldwide recall of 1.5 million Chinese-made preschool toys featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo. About 967,000 of those toys were sold in the United States between May and August.
Mattel discovered the latest problem while they were investigating the earlier recall, Nord said.
Mattel officials maintained that a European retailer discovered the lead in some of the lead-covered Fisher-Price products in early July. On July 6, the company halted operations at the factory in China that produced the toys and launched an investigation.
Days after the Fisher-Price recall, Chinese officials temporarily banned the toys' manufacturer, Lee Der Industrial Co., from exporting products. A Lee Der co-owner, Cheung Shu-hung, committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend, apparently by hanging himself, a state-run newspaper reported Monday.
Lee Der was under pressure in the global controversy over the safety of Chinese-made products, and it is common for disgraced officials to commit suicide in China.
After Mattel announced the recall of its Fisher-Price toys, it launched a full-scale investigation into all of its factories in China.
Before this month, Fisher-Price and parent company Mattel had never recalled toys because of lead paint.
Consumers should call Mattel at 888-597-6597 for information about the recalled toys with magnets, or 800-916-4997 for information about the recalled cars.
___
Mattel: http://service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp
Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/
Mattel recalling more Chinese-made toys
By NATASHA METZLER, Associated Press Writer
Toy-making giant Mattel Inc. issued recalls Tuesday for about 9 million Chinese-made toys that contain magnets children can swallow or which could have lead paint.
The recall includes 7.3 million play sets, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 253,000 die cast cars that contain lead paint.
Nancy A. Nord, acting Consumer Product Safety Commission chairman, told a news conference no injuries had been reported with any of the products involved in the new recall.
"The scope of these recalls is intentionally large to prevent any injuries from occurring," she told the news conference.
At least one U.S. child has died and 19 others have needed surgery since 2003 after swallowing magnets used in toys, the government said. Several injuries had been reported in an earlier Polly Pocket recall last November.
Mattel, in a full-page ad Tuesday in some U.S. newspapers, said the company was "one of the most trusted names with parents" and was "working extremely hard to address your concerns and continue creating safe, entertaining toys for you and your children."
Tuesday's recall was the latest blow to the toy industry, which has had a string of recalled products from China. With about 80 percent of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are worried shoppers will shy away from their products.
It was also the second recall involving lead paint for Mattel in two weeks. Earlier this month, consumers were warned about 1.5 million Chinese-made toys that contain lead paint.
"There is no excuse for lead to be found in toys entering this country," Nord said. "It's totally unacceptable and it needs to stop."
Toys recalled Tuesday include 253,000 "Sarge" cars from the movie "Cars," because the surface paint could contain lead levels in excess of federal standard. The 2 1/2-inch, 1-inch high car looks like a military jeep.
Lead is toxic if ingested by young children, and under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall.
Also recalled Tuesday were 345,000 Batman and "One Piece" action figures, 683,000 Barbie and Tanner play sets and 1 million Doggie Day Care play sets.
In the newspaper ads, presented as a letter to "fellow parents" from Mattel chief executive Bob Eckert, the company said "nothing is more important than the safety of our children."
"We have already taken steps to further ensure the safety of our toys," Eckert said.
Nord said the company has stopped selling the recalled products, instructed retailers to pull them from the shelves and made a production change. Mattel is also offering replacement products.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which negotiated details of Mattel's recalls, reported that in the previous recall of Polly Pockets play sets in Nov. 11, three children had been injured by swallowing more than one magnet. All three suffered intestinal perforations that required surgery.
When more than one magnet is swallowed, they can attach to each other and cause intestinal perforation, infection or blockage, which can be fatal.
In March 2006, another toy company, Mega Brands Inc., recalled 3.8 million Magnetix magnetic building sets after one child died and four others were seriously injured after swallowing tiny magnets in them.
Two weeks ago, Mattel's Fisher-Price division announced the worldwide recall of 1.5 million Chinese-made preschool toys featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo. About 967,000 of those toys were sold in the United States between May and August.
Mattel discovered the latest problem while they were investigating the earlier recall, Nord said.
Mattel officials maintained that a European retailer discovered the lead in some of the lead-covered Fisher-Price products in early July. On July 6, the company halted operations at the factory in China that produced the toys and launched an investigation.
Days after the Fisher-Price recall, Chinese officials temporarily banned the toys' manufacturer, Lee Der Industrial Co., from exporting products. A Lee Der co-owner, Cheung Shu-hung, committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend, apparently by hanging himself, a state-run newspaper reported Monday.
Lee Der was under pressure in the global controversy over the safety of Chinese-made products, and it is common for disgraced officials to commit suicide in China.
After Mattel announced the recall of its Fisher-Price toys, it launched a full-scale investigation into all of its factories in China.
Before this month, Fisher-Price and parent company Mattel had never recalled toys because of lead paint.
Consumers should call Mattel at 888-597-6597 for information about the recalled toys with magnets, or 800-916-4997 for information about the recalled cars.
___
Mattel: http://service.mattel.com/us/recall.asp
Consumer Product Safety Commission: http://www.cpsc.gov/
Sunday, July 29, 2007
congrats to business.com
business.com got acquired by r.h. donnelley aka yellow pages company!
the bid went up to $345 million ...
i read on some discussion board some people questioning the purchase price to be outrageous because some of them thinks that the price tag is for the domain name only. if you go to business.com it is like yahoo.com or google.com, but only it is a b2b search engine. and beside purchasing the domain name you get all the technology and people who works behind the scene and business.com is generating revenue. so what is there to complain about?
R.H. Donnelley to Acquire Business.com Inc.
CARY, NC UNITED STATES
Business.com's CEO, Jake Winebaum, To Be Appointed President of R.H.
Donnelley's Interactive Operations
CARY, N.C., July 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- R.H. Donnelley
Corporation (NYSE: RHD), one of the nation's leading Yellow Pages and online local commercial search companies, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Business.com, a leading businesssearch engine and directory and pay-per-click advertising network.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060731/NYM044LOGO)
Through this transaction, R.H. Donnelley will add to its existing interactive portfolio a rapidly growing and profitable business-to-business company, with online properties that include Business.com, Work.com and the Business.com Advertising Network. These online brands attract an audience of highly qualified and motivated business decision makers. Business.com optimizes the revenues from these properties through the use of its Performance Based Advertising (PBA) platform, which is considered to be one of the most advanced systems in the marketplace.
In addition, R.H. Donnelley's Triple Play(TM) business-to-consumer integrated marketing solutions will also benefit from a significant infusion of leading-edge search and directory technology and interactive thought leadership from Business.com, particularly in the areas of performance based advertising technologies and corresponding ad network capabilities. Business.com employs approximately 100 highly-skilled technologists, strategists and businesspeople and serves more than 6,000 business-to-business advertisers and their agencies. The company is profitable and is expected to generate revenues of greater than $50 million in 2007. It is widely recognized as a leader in the online business-to-business commercial search space and has been named to the "Inc. 500" and BtoB magazine's "Media Power 50".
"With this transaction R.H. Donnelley takes another significant step forward in the online local commercial search marketplace," said David C. Swanson, chairman and CEO of R.H. Donnelley Corporation. "Upon closing, we will immediately gain a profitable business-to-business vertical that is widely recognized as one of the leaders in the market. We also gain technology and talent that will accelerate our capabilities with DexKnows.com and other aspects of our digital strategy." Business.com is led by Founder and CEO Jake Winebaum, a highly-regarded, successful leader of Internet and media companies. Upon closing of the transaction, Winebaum will be appointed as President of R.H. Donnelley's interactive unit (RHDi), which will now include DexKnows.com(TM), LocalLaunch! search engine marketing company, Business.com, Work.com and the Business.com Advertising Network. Winebaum
will lead RHDi from Santa Monica, Calif., and will report directly to
Swanson.
Prior to starting Business.com, Winebaum led the Internet activities of
The Walt Disney Company, serving as the Chairman of Buena Vista Internet
Group, which managed high-profile brands such as Disney.com and ESPN.com.
His leadership and contributions to the Internet industry have been
acknowledge by Time magazine, which included him as one of the Top 50 Cyber
Elite and Wired magazine, who placed him on the Wired 25.
"We are very excited about joining the R.H. Donnelley organization,"
Winebaum said. "Business.com and the platform we built over the past seven
years are a perfect complement to R.H. Donnelley's interactive strategy.
The solutions that we have created for business decision makers and
advertisers are directly applicable to what is required to service the
local search and directory needs of consumers and local merchants. It is
exciting to become part of an organization with such substantial reach,
capabilities and resources. Business.com is already a profitable and
growing enterprise, but together we will accelerate this growth and ensure
our combined leadership position in the business and local markets."
Swanson added, "We are very pleased to welcome Jake and the
Business.com team to R.H. Donnelley. Jake's track record of success and
significant experience in building and running successful interactive
organizations make him the perfect choice to lead RHDi's fast-growing
interactive business."
Under the terms of the agreement, R.H. Donnelley will acquire
Business.com for $345 million in cash and deferred purchase consideration.
The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2007 and is subject
to customary terms and closing conditions, including compliance with the
Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
Conference Call Information
R.H. Donnelley Corporation will discuss this transaction and 2nd
quarter earnings on a conference call scheduled for Thursday, July 26,
2007, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Individuals within the United States can access the
call by dialing 888-387-9606 -- others should dial 517-645-6055. The pass
code for the call is "RHD." In order to ensure a prompt start time, please
dial into the call by 9:50 a.m. (ET). A replay of the teleconference can be
accessed from within the United States by dialing 800-793-2380 and
internationally by dialing 203-369-3339. There is no pass code for the
replay, which will be available through August 9, 2007. In addition, a live
Web cast will be available on RHD's Web site at http://www.rhd.com, and an
archived version will be available for up to one year.
About R.H. Donnelley
R.H. Donnelley connects businesses and consumers through its broad
portfolio of print and interactive marketing solutions. Small- and
medium-sized businesses look to R.H. Donnelley's experienced team of
marketing consultants to help them grow their companies and drive sales
leads. Consumers depend on the company's reliable, trusted, local business
content to deliver the most relevant search results when they are seeking
local goods and services. R.H. Donnelley's Triple Play integrated marketing
solution provides the most comprehensive print Yellow Pages, Internet
Yellow Pages and search engine marketing/search engine optimization
(SEM/SEO) tools for local businesses to attract ready-to-buy customers. For
more information, visit http://www.rhd.com.
About Business.com
Business.com (http://www.business.com) is the leading business search engine
and directory and pay-per-click advertising network, serving more than 30
million business users and thousands of advertisers every month.
Business.com helps business decision makers quickly find what they need to
manage and grow their businesses, and enables advertisers to reach these
users wherever they are across the business Internet through premier
partners, including The Wall Street Journal Online, Forbes, BusinessWeek,
Hoovers, Financial Times and Internet.com. The company recently launched
Work.com (http://www.work.com), a b-to-b community publishing platform featuring
more than 1,800 business how-to guides contributed by business experts.
Business.com was named to the 2006 Inc. 500 and BtoB magazine's Media Power
50. Business.com was founded in 1999 by eCompanies and is headquartered in
Santa Monica, Calif. Its investors partners include Benchmark Capital,
Institutional Venture Partners, Evercore Partners, Reed Business
Information and McGraw-Hill.
Safe Harbor Provision
Certain statements contained in the release regarding RHD's, RHDi's or
Business.com's future operating results or performance or business plans or
prospects and any other statements not constituting historical fact are
"forward-looking statements" subject to the safe harbor created by the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Where possible, the words
"believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "should," "will," "planned,"
"estimated," "potential," "goal," "outlook" and similar expressions, as
they relate to RHD or its management, have been used to identify such
forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements reflect only our
current beliefs and assumptions with respect to future business plans,
prospects, decisions and results, and are based on information currently
available to us. Accordingly, the statements are subject to significant
risks, uncertainties and contingencies, which could cause actual operating
results, performance or business plans or prospects to differ materially
from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements.
The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to
differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: (1) the risk
that the conditions to closing will not be satisfied; (2) the risk that the
transaction will be delayed or fail to close; and (3) the possibility that
the expected strategic advantages of the transaction will not be realized
or may take longer to realize than expected. Additional factors that could
cause RHD's results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements are described in detail in RHD's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 in Item 1A "Risk
Factors" as well as RHD's other periodic filings with the SEC that are
available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.
the bid went up to $345 million ...
i read on some discussion board some people questioning the purchase price to be outrageous because some of them thinks that the price tag is for the domain name only. if you go to business.com it is like yahoo.com or google.com, but only it is a b2b search engine. and beside purchasing the domain name you get all the technology and people who works behind the scene and business.com is generating revenue. so what is there to complain about?
R.H. Donnelley to Acquire Business.com Inc.
CARY, NC UNITED STATES
Business.com's CEO, Jake Winebaum, To Be Appointed President of R.H.
Donnelley's Interactive Operations
CARY, N.C., July 26 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- R.H. Donnelley
Corporation (NYSE: RHD), one of the nation's leading Yellow Pages and online local commercial search companies, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Business.com, a leading businesssearch engine and directory and pay-per-click advertising network.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060731/NYM044LOGO)
Through this transaction, R.H. Donnelley will add to its existing interactive portfolio a rapidly growing and profitable business-to-business company, with online properties that include Business.com, Work.com and the Business.com Advertising Network. These online brands attract an audience of highly qualified and motivated business decision makers. Business.com optimizes the revenues from these properties through the use of its Performance Based Advertising (PBA) platform, which is considered to be one of the most advanced systems in the marketplace.
In addition, R.H. Donnelley's Triple Play(TM) business-to-consumer integrated marketing solutions will also benefit from a significant infusion of leading-edge search and directory technology and interactive thought leadership from Business.com, particularly in the areas of performance based advertising technologies and corresponding ad network capabilities. Business.com employs approximately 100 highly-skilled technologists, strategists and businesspeople and serves more than 6,000 business-to-business advertisers and their agencies. The company is profitable and is expected to generate revenues of greater than $50 million in 2007. It is widely recognized as a leader in the online business-to-business commercial search space and has been named to the "Inc. 500" and BtoB magazine's "Media Power 50".
"With this transaction R.H. Donnelley takes another significant step forward in the online local commercial search marketplace," said David C. Swanson, chairman and CEO of R.H. Donnelley Corporation. "Upon closing, we will immediately gain a profitable business-to-business vertical that is widely recognized as one of the leaders in the market. We also gain technology and talent that will accelerate our capabilities with DexKnows.com and other aspects of our digital strategy." Business.com is led by Founder and CEO Jake Winebaum, a highly-regarded, successful leader of Internet and media companies. Upon closing of the transaction, Winebaum will be appointed as President of R.H. Donnelley's interactive unit (RHDi), which will now include DexKnows.com(TM), LocalLaunch! search engine marketing company, Business.com, Work.com and the Business.com Advertising Network. Winebaum
will lead RHDi from Santa Monica, Calif., and will report directly to
Swanson.
Prior to starting Business.com, Winebaum led the Internet activities of
The Walt Disney Company, serving as the Chairman of Buena Vista Internet
Group, which managed high-profile brands such as Disney.com and ESPN.com.
His leadership and contributions to the Internet industry have been
acknowledge by Time magazine, which included him as one of the Top 50 Cyber
Elite and Wired magazine, who placed him on the Wired 25.
"We are very excited about joining the R.H. Donnelley organization,"
Winebaum said. "Business.com and the platform we built over the past seven
years are a perfect complement to R.H. Donnelley's interactive strategy.
The solutions that we have created for business decision makers and
advertisers are directly applicable to what is required to service the
local search and directory needs of consumers and local merchants. It is
exciting to become part of an organization with such substantial reach,
capabilities and resources. Business.com is already a profitable and
growing enterprise, but together we will accelerate this growth and ensure
our combined leadership position in the business and local markets."
Swanson added, "We are very pleased to welcome Jake and the
Business.com team to R.H. Donnelley. Jake's track record of success and
significant experience in building and running successful interactive
organizations make him the perfect choice to lead RHDi's fast-growing
interactive business."
Under the terms of the agreement, R.H. Donnelley will acquire
Business.com for $345 million in cash and deferred purchase consideration.
The deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2007 and is subject
to customary terms and closing conditions, including compliance with the
Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
Conference Call Information
R.H. Donnelley Corporation will discuss this transaction and 2nd
quarter earnings on a conference call scheduled for Thursday, July 26,
2007, at 10:00 a.m. ET. Individuals within the United States can access the
call by dialing 888-387-9606 -- others should dial 517-645-6055. The pass
code for the call is "RHD." In order to ensure a prompt start time, please
dial into the call by 9:50 a.m. (ET). A replay of the teleconference can be
accessed from within the United States by dialing 800-793-2380 and
internationally by dialing 203-369-3339. There is no pass code for the
replay, which will be available through August 9, 2007. In addition, a live
Web cast will be available on RHD's Web site at http://www.rhd.com, and an
archived version will be available for up to one year.
About R.H. Donnelley
R.H. Donnelley connects businesses and consumers through its broad
portfolio of print and interactive marketing solutions. Small- and
medium-sized businesses look to R.H. Donnelley's experienced team of
marketing consultants to help them grow their companies and drive sales
leads. Consumers depend on the company's reliable, trusted, local business
content to deliver the most relevant search results when they are seeking
local goods and services. R.H. Donnelley's Triple Play integrated marketing
solution provides the most comprehensive print Yellow Pages, Internet
Yellow Pages and search engine marketing/search engine optimization
(SEM/SEO) tools for local businesses to attract ready-to-buy customers. For
more information, visit http://www.rhd.com.
About Business.com
Business.com (http://www.business.com) is the leading business search engine
and directory and pay-per-click advertising network, serving more than 30
million business users and thousands of advertisers every month.
Business.com helps business decision makers quickly find what they need to
manage and grow their businesses, and enables advertisers to reach these
users wherever they are across the business Internet through premier
partners, including The Wall Street Journal Online, Forbes, BusinessWeek,
Hoovers, Financial Times and Internet.com. The company recently launched
Work.com (http://www.work.com), a b-to-b community publishing platform featuring
more than 1,800 business how-to guides contributed by business experts.
Business.com was named to the 2006 Inc. 500 and BtoB magazine's Media Power
50. Business.com was founded in 1999 by eCompanies and is headquartered in
Santa Monica, Calif. Its investors partners include Benchmark Capital,
Institutional Venture Partners, Evercore Partners, Reed Business
Information and McGraw-Hill.
Safe Harbor Provision
Certain statements contained in the release regarding RHD's, RHDi's or
Business.com's future operating results or performance or business plans or
prospects and any other statements not constituting historical fact are
"forward-looking statements" subject to the safe harbor created by the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Where possible, the words
"believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "should," "will," "planned,"
"estimated," "potential," "goal," "outlook" and similar expressions, as
they relate to RHD or its management, have been used to identify such
forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements reflect only our
current beliefs and assumptions with respect to future business plans,
prospects, decisions and results, and are based on information currently
available to us. Accordingly, the statements are subject to significant
risks, uncertainties and contingencies, which could cause actual operating
results, performance or business plans or prospects to differ materially
from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements.
The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to
differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements: (1) the risk
that the conditions to closing will not be satisfied; (2) the risk that the
transaction will be delayed or fail to close; and (3) the possibility that
the expected strategic advantages of the transaction will not be realized
or may take longer to realize than expected. Additional factors that could
cause RHD's results to differ materially from those described in the
forward-looking statements are described in detail in RHD's Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2006 in Item 1A "Risk
Factors" as well as RHD's other periodic filings with the SEC that are
available on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.
Monday, July 23, 2007
bead faire
it was a sunday morning and my cousin and i spend an hour and half at the bead faire. it was a bead lover's heaven for all those who love beads!
a line was already formed at the ticket booth when we arrived at 10am. it was also a pretty hot day especially with my huge belly. thank goodness we didn't wait that long to get in or i would have just have a heat stroke out there.
the first thing we checkout was polymer clay beads. the lady must have a lot of patient to make those beads. everyone of them were so detailed and they are all little art sculptures.
there was tons of beads!!! as we walked into the main hall with probably 100 of booths displayed of mostly semi-precious gemstones and freshwater pearls. at the via murano booth, i really love the vintage venetian glass beads. those were selling for $5-10 each. they were showing demo on how to use their snapeez jump rings and twisted tornado crimps. those are just great findings! i have to get some for my little shop.
i bought some thai karen hill tribe silver beads and charms. those where a bit expensive but well worth the money. the designs on those beads were intricate and just beautiful and they were not light weight. i bought my mix of ocean themes: fishes, seashells, starfishes, sea turtles and little swirls of waves.
i also purchased some potato pearls and some semi-precious gemstones.
a line was already formed at the ticket booth when we arrived at 10am. it was also a pretty hot day especially with my huge belly. thank goodness we didn't wait that long to get in or i would have just have a heat stroke out there.
the first thing we checkout was polymer clay beads. the lady must have a lot of patient to make those beads. everyone of them were so detailed and they are all little art sculptures.
there was tons of beads!!! as we walked into the main hall with probably 100 of booths displayed of mostly semi-precious gemstones and freshwater pearls. at the via murano booth, i really love the vintage venetian glass beads. those were selling for $5-10 each. they were showing demo on how to use their snapeez jump rings and twisted tornado crimps. those are just great findings! i have to get some for my little shop.
i bought some thai karen hill tribe silver beads and charms. those where a bit expensive but well worth the money. the designs on those beads were intricate and just beautiful and they were not light weight. i bought my mix of ocean themes: fishes, seashells, starfishes, sea turtles and little swirls of waves.
i also purchased some potato pearls and some semi-precious gemstones.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
bye bye, plane
are nowadays flight attendants retarded or what? at least for the one that a mom and her 19 months old son met on express jet airlines is ... after trying to tell the mom to drug her baby boy so he can shut up from saying 'bye bye, plane' ... i would be concerned if it were a 19 years old person, but what can a 19 months old do beside throw a tantrum, yell and scream, cry ... and saying 'bye bye, plane' should be the least of a concern. at least the baby is not yelling 'bomb bomb, plane.'
From Associated Press on Yahoo! News:
Mom says she, toddler kicked off plane
Thu Jul 12, 2:15 PM ET
A woman said she and her toddler son were kicked off a plane after she refused a flight attendant's request to medicate her son to get him to quiet down and stop saying "Bye bye, plane."
Kate Penland, of suburban Atlanta, said she and her 19-month-old son, Garren, were flying from Atlanta to Oklahoma last month on a Continental Express flight that made a stop in Houston.
As the plane was taxiing in Houston en route to Oklahoma, "he started saying 'Bye, bye plane,' Penland told WSB-TV in Atlanta. The flight attendant objected, she said.
"At the end of her speech, she leaned over the gentleman beside me and said, 'It's not funny anymore. You need to shut your baby up,'" Penland told WSB-TV in Atlanta.
When Penland asked the woman if she was joking, she said the stewardess replied, "You know, it's called baby Benadryl."
"And I said, 'Well, I'm not going to drug my child so you have a pleasant flight,'" Penland told the TV station.
Penland said other passengers began speaking up on her behalf, and the flight attendant announced they were turning around and that Penland and Garren were going to be taken off the plane.
Penland and her son were let off the plane and did not complete the trip to Oklahoma, said Kristy Nicholas, spokeswoman for Express Jet Airlines, which flies as Continental Express on behalf of Continental Airlines.
Attempts by the Associated Press to reach Penland under a telephone listing that matched her last name were unsuccessful.
"I was crying, I was upset and I was thinking, 'What am I going to do? I don't have anything with me, I don't have any more diapers for the baby, no juice, no milk," Penland told WSB.
Nicholas said, "We received Ms. Penland's letter expressing her concerns and intend to investigate its contents."
From Associated Press on Yahoo! News:
Mom says she, toddler kicked off plane
Thu Jul 12, 2:15 PM ET
A woman said she and her toddler son were kicked off a plane after she refused a flight attendant's request to medicate her son to get him to quiet down and stop saying "Bye bye, plane."
Kate Penland, of suburban Atlanta, said she and her 19-month-old son, Garren, were flying from Atlanta to Oklahoma last month on a Continental Express flight that made a stop in Houston.
As the plane was taxiing in Houston en route to Oklahoma, "he started saying 'Bye, bye plane,' Penland told WSB-TV in Atlanta. The flight attendant objected, she said.
"At the end of her speech, she leaned over the gentleman beside me and said, 'It's not funny anymore. You need to shut your baby up,'" Penland told WSB-TV in Atlanta.
When Penland asked the woman if she was joking, she said the stewardess replied, "You know, it's called baby Benadryl."
"And I said, 'Well, I'm not going to drug my child so you have a pleasant flight,'" Penland told the TV station.
Penland said other passengers began speaking up on her behalf, and the flight attendant announced they were turning around and that Penland and Garren were going to be taken off the plane.
Penland and her son were let off the plane and did not complete the trip to Oklahoma, said Kristy Nicholas, spokeswoman for Express Jet Airlines, which flies as Continental Express on behalf of Continental Airlines.
Attempts by the Associated Press to reach Penland under a telephone listing that matched her last name were unsuccessful.
"I was crying, I was upset and I was thinking, 'What am I going to do? I don't have anything with me, I don't have any more diapers for the baby, no juice, no milk," Penland told WSB.
Nicholas said, "We received Ms. Penland's letter expressing her concerns and intend to investigate its contents."
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
4th of July and hot dogs
well, only in america ... do we have the celebration of independence and finally an american gaining back the title of nathan's hot dog eating contest winner. yup you got it ... the sport of competitive eating aired on espn. joey chestnut ate 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes beating the 6 times champ takeru kobayashi who finished second eating 63 hot dogs.
joey chestnut is from sunny california!
we also survived a 105 degree fun in the sun in the valley. even with 50 spf applied every 30 minutes my skin still got a slight tan.
joey chestnut is from sunny california!
we also survived a 105 degree fun in the sun in the valley. even with 50 spf applied every 30 minutes my skin still got a slight tan.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
i am a verified member of paypal!
okay so now i am proudly displaying my paypal seal of approval ...
a link to official paypal verification seal statement
a link to official paypal verification seal statement
apple vs microsoft ...
on fonts.
jp emailed this article today about computer fonts and apple and microsoft are not really on the same page on how fonts should be displayed on computer screens.
apple is for the design of the fonts so blurriness doesn't really matter just as long as the typefaces look great. microsoft seemed to be on the practial side of the thinking in the readability of the fonts even if the design of typefaces are lost in the mist.
as a designer of course i prefer the typefaces to be true to their designs, why would we have so much typefaces out there to began with if all we need is something like arial to solve the problem of readability. it just seem too monotone, don't you think?
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2007/06/12.html
Font smoothing, anti-aliasing, and sub-pixel rendering
This item ran on the Joel on Software homepage on Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Apple and Microsoft have always disagreed in how to display fonts on computer displays. Today, both companies are using sub-pixel rendering to coax sharper-looking fonts out of typical low resolution screens. Where they differ is in philosophy.
Apple generally believes that the goal of the algorithm should be to preserve the design of the typeface as much as possible, even at the cost of a little bit of blurriness. Microsoft generally believes that the shape of each letter should be hammered into pixel boundaries to prevent blur and improve readability, even at the cost of not being true to the typeface. Now that Safari for Windows is available, which goes to great trouble to use Apple's rendering algorithms, you can actually compare the philosophies side-by-side on the very same monitor and see what I mean. I think you'll notice the difference. Apple's fonts are indeed fuzzy, with blurry edges, but at small font sizes, there seems to be much more variation between different font families, because their rendering is truer to what the font would look like if it were printed at high resolution.
(Note: To see the following illustration correctly, you need to have an LCD monitor with pixels arranged in R,G,B order, like mine. Otherwise it's going to look different and wrong.)
The difference originates from Apple's legacy in desktop publishing and graphic design. The nice thing about the Apple algorithm is that you can lay out a page of text for print, and on screen, you get a nice approximation of the finished product. This is especially significant when you consider how dark a block of text looks. Microsoft's mechanism of hammering fonts into pixels means that they don't really mind using thinner lines to eliminate blurry edges, even though this makes the entire paragraph lighter than it would be in print.
The advantage of Microsoft's method is that it works better for on-screen reading. Microsoft pragmatically decided that the design of the typeface is not so holy, and that sharp on-screen text that's comfortable to read is more important than the typeface designer's idea of how light or dark an entire block of text should feel. Indeed Microsoft actually designed font faces for on-screen reading, like Georgia and Verdana, around the pixel boundaries; these are beautiful on screen but don't have much character in print.
Typically, Apple chose the stylish route, putting art above practicality, because Steve Jobs has taste, while Microsoft chose the comfortable route, the measurably pragmatic way of doing things that completely lacks in panache. To put it another way, if Apple was Target, Microsoft would be Wal-Mart.
Now, on to the question of what people prefer. Jeff Atwood's post from yesterday comparing the two font technologies side-by-side generated rather predictable heat: Apple users liked Apple's system, while Windows users liked Microsoft's system. This is not just standard fanboyism; it reflects the fact that when you ask people to choose a style or design that they prefer, unless they are trained, they will generally choose the one that looks most familiar. In most matters of taste, when you do preference surveys, you'll find that most people don't really know what to choose, and will opt for the one that seems most familiar. This goes for anything from silverware (people pick out the patterns that match the silverware they had growing up) to typefaces to graphic design: unless people are trained to know what to look for, they're going to pick the one that is most familiar.
Which is why Apple engineers probably feel like they're doing a huge service to the Windows community, bringing their "superior" font rendering technology to the heathens, and it explains why Windows users are generally going to think that Safari's font rendering is blurry and strange and they don't know why, they just don't like it. Actually they're thinking... "Whoa! That's different. I don't like different. Why don't I like these fonts? Oh, when I look closer, they look blurry. That must be why."
About the Author: I'm your host, Joel Spolsky, a software developer in New York City. Since 2000, I've been writing about software development, management, business, and the Internet on this site. For my day job, I run Fog Creek Software, makers of FogBugz - the smart bug tracking software with the stupid name, and Fog Creek Copilot - the easiest way to provide remote tech support over the Internet, with nothing to install or configure.
jp emailed this article today about computer fonts and apple and microsoft are not really on the same page on how fonts should be displayed on computer screens.
apple is for the design of the fonts so blurriness doesn't really matter just as long as the typefaces look great. microsoft seemed to be on the practial side of the thinking in the readability of the fonts even if the design of typefaces are lost in the mist.
as a designer of course i prefer the typefaces to be true to their designs, why would we have so much typefaces out there to began with if all we need is something like arial to solve the problem of readability. it just seem too monotone, don't you think?
http://www.joelonsoftware.com/items/2007/06/12.html
Font smoothing, anti-aliasing, and sub-pixel rendering
This item ran on the Joel on Software homepage on Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Apple and Microsoft have always disagreed in how to display fonts on computer displays. Today, both companies are using sub-pixel rendering to coax sharper-looking fonts out of typical low resolution screens. Where they differ is in philosophy.
Apple generally believes that the goal of the algorithm should be to preserve the design of the typeface as much as possible, even at the cost of a little bit of blurriness. Microsoft generally believes that the shape of each letter should be hammered into pixel boundaries to prevent blur and improve readability, even at the cost of not being true to the typeface. Now that Safari for Windows is available, which goes to great trouble to use Apple's rendering algorithms, you can actually compare the philosophies side-by-side on the very same monitor and see what I mean. I think you'll notice the difference. Apple's fonts are indeed fuzzy, with blurry edges, but at small font sizes, there seems to be much more variation between different font families, because their rendering is truer to what the font would look like if it were printed at high resolution.
(Note: To see the following illustration correctly, you need to have an LCD monitor with pixels arranged in R,G,B order, like mine. Otherwise it's going to look different and wrong.)
The difference originates from Apple's legacy in desktop publishing and graphic design. The nice thing about the Apple algorithm is that you can lay out a page of text for print, and on screen, you get a nice approximation of the finished product. This is especially significant when you consider how dark a block of text looks. Microsoft's mechanism of hammering fonts into pixels means that they don't really mind using thinner lines to eliminate blurry edges, even though this makes the entire paragraph lighter than it would be in print.
The advantage of Microsoft's method is that it works better for on-screen reading. Microsoft pragmatically decided that the design of the typeface is not so holy, and that sharp on-screen text that's comfortable to read is more important than the typeface designer's idea of how light or dark an entire block of text should feel. Indeed Microsoft actually designed font faces for on-screen reading, like Georgia and Verdana, around the pixel boundaries; these are beautiful on screen but don't have much character in print.
Typically, Apple chose the stylish route, putting art above practicality, because Steve Jobs has taste, while Microsoft chose the comfortable route, the measurably pragmatic way of doing things that completely lacks in panache. To put it another way, if Apple was Target, Microsoft would be Wal-Mart.
Now, on to the question of what people prefer. Jeff Atwood's post from yesterday comparing the two font technologies side-by-side generated rather predictable heat: Apple users liked Apple's system, while Windows users liked Microsoft's system. This is not just standard fanboyism; it reflects the fact that when you ask people to choose a style or design that they prefer, unless they are trained, they will generally choose the one that looks most familiar. In most matters of taste, when you do preference surveys, you'll find that most people don't really know what to choose, and will opt for the one that seems most familiar. This goes for anything from silverware (people pick out the patterns that match the silverware they had growing up) to typefaces to graphic design: unless people are trained to know what to look for, they're going to pick the one that is most familiar.
Which is why Apple engineers probably feel like they're doing a huge service to the Windows community, bringing their "superior" font rendering technology to the heathens, and it explains why Windows users are generally going to think that Safari's font rendering is blurry and strange and they don't know why, they just don't like it. Actually they're thinking... "Whoa! That's different. I don't like different. Why don't I like these fonts? Oh, when I look closer, they look blurry. That must be why."
About the Author: I'm your host, Joel Spolsky, a software developer in New York City. Since 2000, I've been writing about software development, management, business, and the Internet on this site. For my day job, I run Fog Creek Software, makers of FogBugz - the smart bug tracking software with the stupid name, and Fog Creek Copilot - the easiest way to provide remote tech support over the Internet, with nothing to install or configure.
Monday, May 28, 2007
star wars 30th
okay we are crazy as usual. we went to the star wars 30th anni convention at the la convention center saturday. we took théodore of course! it took an hour to get the ticket/badge to get in and it cost $45 per person except for children under 6 years of age so théodore got in for free . and we didn't even plan on staying that long, but we stayed for 4 hours. théodore enjoyed the scenery change from staying home most of the week and he had a blast running around in open space and people watching.
i haven't been to a convention for a long time ... this is by far more fan crazy than my x-files days. if you are a hardcore fans like some of the folks ... they come dressed up as their favorite star wars characters. they were all there.
well click here to view our photo of that eventful day --->>
a saturday at star wars 30th
yup, this is my badge. i love the cartoony drawing of 3cpo.
i haven't been to a convention for a long time ... this is by far more fan crazy than my x-files days. if you are a hardcore fans like some of the folks ... they come dressed up as their favorite star wars characters. they were all there.
well click here to view our photo of that eventful day --->>
a saturday at star wars 30th
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
domestic Queen
i was bored today when théodore was taking his nap. so i designed this logo for tees. what do you think?
well just check out my tees shop to see what i have so far petite spOOn tees shop
well just check out my tees shop to see what i have so far petite spOOn tees shop
welcome to the world baby erin!
we are so happy to see the photo of baby erin sent by papa Sammy via mms.
congrats to mama Donna and papa Sammy. she is just so adorable. look at her cheeks!!! don't you just love those cheeks!!!
congrats to mama Donna and papa Sammy. she is just so adorable. look at her cheeks!!! don't you just love those cheeks!!!
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