Toys (safe) for Tots?
My kids are getting sticks and stones for Christmas.
Not because I don’t love them, but because I do.
I can’t keep up with all the toy recalls. Dora, Thomas the Train, Winnie the Pooh … They’ve all been tainted by reports of product hazards like lead paint.
Today I read an AP story about Australian officials pulling Chinese-made AquaDots from shelves there because parts contained a chemical that converts into a “date rape” drug. No word yet if the United States is going to yank the popular craft toy.
I threw away my child’s AquaDots last week — not because I knew my child was in danger, but because it wasn’t such a great toy. Thank goodness! And thank goodness I read the wire regularly so I usually see reports of tainted toys.
But what about most other parents, who don’t or can’t keep up with the daily recalls? And because the recalls usually involve a certain model number or fabrication date, just knowing the name of the product isn’t always enough to make the determination to toss.
Christmas is around the corner. I’m afraid to buy any toys, especially those made in China, where many recalls have originated. Even clothing is suspect, as some baby bibs recently were found to contain lead.
I’ll make some decisions based on recommendations of the Consumer Product Safety Council. It can be accessed online at http://www.cpsc.gov/
But I want your advice too. What suggestions do you have? What are you going to do differently this year?
Comment here or e-mail me at ssimpson@oklahoman.com
Susan Simpson, Reporter, Mom, Worrywart
My experience with House Bill 1804
House Bill 1804, called one of the toughest immigration laws in the country, took effect Thursday.
The bill also taught a hard lesson about procrastination to those of us who forgot about renewing our driver’s licenses in the Halloween clamor last week.
The new law, among other things, makes you prove you are a U.S. resident by bringing along a certified copy of your birth certificate to a Department of Public Safety office when you attempt to renew your expired driver’s license.
Before you go, though, know this: You’ll be spending time with your neighbors, in longer lines.
On Tuesday, I found myself in a room full of nervous teenagers and disgruntled adults. The youthful group perused training manuals and fingered car keys. The elder, their birth certificates and tight grimaces displayed prominently, muttered under their breath.
Now, admittedly, this was my fault. If I had been more attentive, I could’ve just renewed my license at the tag agency last week.But I didn’t. So the clerk gave me a list of the four closest DPS offices and told me to arrive with my expired ID and certified birth certificate. Well, who’s going to drive me? was my first thought after she proposed this adventure.The second was the TV news images of the people with warrants out for their arrest who think they’ve won a free stereo and show up with their “prize voucher” only to be shuffled into vans with all the other suckers.
So, maybe I pull up to the curb at DPS with my expired license, get a $100 ticket for using it to drive and a voucher to get a new license from the tag agent who sent me?
Maybe not.
But doesn’t telling you to take your invalid license to agencies twenty miles away in a city without decent mass transit make her an accessory before the fact, especially when you’ve already shown up with an expired ID in one hand and car keys in the other? That’s almost solicitation, right?
Jokes aside – cough up that $21.50 before your ID exceeds its shelf life.
By Matt Dinger, Staff Writer, The Oklahoman
A sniffing sensation
A couple weeks ago, I blogged about a company called Rare Chick that sells Flavor Paper — essentially, scratch n’sniff wallpaper. On a whim, I decided it would be fun to receive a sample of the paper, which the web site provides.
Today, I felt like a child with a golden ticket when I received the Flavor Paper in the mail. Unfortunately, this Flavor Paper is not quite edible, like Willy Wonka’s. However, it is indeed smelly.
One reader commented on the previous blog that Flavor Paper should be used in public restrooms. To be honest, the three different samples of my flavor paper do smell a bit like a public restroom — like a combination of generic potpourri and hand soap. My favorite paper design is Sakura, though the scent smells like toy factory plastic instead of the expected Japanese blossom.
It never hurts to try new things!
–Lindsay Goodier, NewsOK.com Editor
Surprise: Google’s ‘Android’ a software concept
I’m not sure what I expected from Google’s long-awaited cellphone announcement on Monday, except perhaps a cool new phone.
Turns out all we got was an announcement about a big consortium and some open-source software that will power cellphones nicknamed “Android” when it is all put together.
Of course, I won’t under estimate Google, because everything cranked out by the king of search seems to fill a niche that fits a lot of needs. Look at Gmail, for instance. Or Google’s online collaborative suite of productivity software. We use the Google app here in the Business News department to plan our upcoming news budgets.
Still, I was hoping that Google would show off a new phone that played music and videos and had a touch screen and could surf the Web with a real browser. Oh, right, we already got that in the iPhone. Cool.
So, we’ll cool our collective heels for a few months and see what brews in wireless communications under the Google brand. Meanwhile, I’m hitting Santa up for an iPhone.
Telecommunications analyst Charles Golvin at Forrester Research said Google’s Android will have a big impact on the wireless industry — some day. But one thing it won’t change, he said, is the U.S. business model for the wireless industry that puts the big carriers in control of phone distribution.
“Those of you dreaming of low-cost unlocked handsets sold at retail along with flat rate access plans should sit back, take another hit off your bong, and mellow out,” Golvin said. “Not gonna happen, not just by virtue of Android’s presence, anyway.”
–Jim Stafford, Business Writer
Space Station, Shuttle make early morning fly-by
The eastern horizon was beginning to brighten as I stepped out of my house at precisely 6:20 this morning and looked to the southwest sky. Stars still shone brightly as I gazed over my neighbors trees.
Suddenly, I saw it, a bright speck moving rapidly to the northeast, just as had been promised.
It was the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle flying in tandem. The pair were much brighter than I imagined, with the Space Station looking much bigger and brighter as it led the way across the sky. The Shuttle trailed just behind. The space vehicles crossed over just to the west of Oklahoma City, but the view was still spectacular.
My wife came out in time to watch the fly-by, which lasted only six minutes. For once, I was glad to be up so early.
Jim Stafford, Business Writer
The weekly news quiz
It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz:
1. Restaurateur Harlan Speegle recently died. His Shipman’s Restaurants were known for:
a) Brightly colored decor.
b) Biscuits and fried chicken.
c) Nightly dance performances.
2. Voters in which country elected their first woman president?
a) Philippines.
b) India
c) Argentina.
3. Vince Gill was lauded last week for what?
a) Induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
b) Singing the national anthem at the World Series.
c) His most recent marriage.
4. LaTyshia Green, a sophomore at Emerson Alternative Education High School, says she enjoys the teamwork involved in what?
a) Golf.
b) Racquetball.
c) Boxing.
5. The Oklahoma Conference of Churches has issued a statement in opposition to what new state law?
a) SB 473, which bans smoking in Oklahoma zoos.
b) HB 1669, which makes the watermelon the official state vegetable.
c) HB 1804, the immigration reform measure.
6. According to Oklahoma City Public Schools, which beverage has increased in sales since 2006?
a) Juice.
b) Milk.
c) Soda.
7. Through Nov. 17, State Fair Park is host to a world championship animal show, where owners can compete for their share of $2.6 million in cash prizes. What type of animal will take part in the show?
a) Hedgehogs.
b) Horses.
c) Exotic birds.
8. Which of the following is the name of the film debut of director Sterlin Harjo, a Holdenville native?
a) “Three Sheets to the Wind.”
b) “Four Sheets to the Wind.”
c) “Oklahoma … Without Tornadoes.”
9. Country legend Porter Wagoner died recently. Which Oklahoma native was replaced by Dolly Parton on his TV show?
a) Reba McEntire.
b) Carrie Underwood.
c) Norma Jean Beasler.
10. Many in the scientific community are mourning the death of Washoe the chimpanzee, a former Oklahoma resident who learned what and even taught it to other chimps?
a) How to use a washing machine.
b) How to paint using water colors.
c) American Sign Language.
11. Refusals by at least 24 state legislators to accept gift copies of the Quran were called:
a) Disrespectful.
b) Illiterate.
c) Blasphemous.
12. A study by the American Psychological Association estimated that loss of productivity, absenteeism, job turnover and medical costs related to stress cost U.S. employers how much money per year?
a) $30 million.
b) $300 million.
c) $300 billion.
13. What did a Pittsburg County judge rule former state Sen. Gene Stipe must sell to settle a lawsuit?
a) A collection of rare German 35 mm cameras.
b) Two abstract companies.
c) An antique car collection.
14. Which company will move into its new location at 6001 S Air Depot this spring?
a) Boeing Co.
b) American Airlines.
c) United Airlines.
15. What unwanted element seems to be making inroads in rural communities in the Oklahoma Panhandle?
a) Kudzu.
b) Skunks.
c) Gangs.
16. What does Grove area resident Lowell Eggert do with Blue Bird Southern Railroad?
a) He hauls freight in the Grand Lake area.
b) He offers free rides on his one-eighth scale train.
c) He operates the HO-scale railroad in his basement.
17. The Mid Continent Oil & Gas Training Center finally has what it needs to train students in crude transportation, but what is it?
a) An oil-well “Christmas tree.”
b) A 3-mile segment of pipeline with pumping station.
c) A tractor-trailer combination.
18. What new operating system did Apple recently release?
a) Leopard.
b) Elephant.
c) Giraffe.
19. Besides red meat and processed meat, what else increases cancer risk, according to a new study?
a) Alcohol.
b) Typing.
c) Reading.
20. Which quarterback has signed a $67 million contract with his pro football team?
a) Tony Romo.
b) Marc Bulger.
c) Jerry Jones.
How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-B; 2-C; 3-A; 4-C; 5-C; 6-B; 7-B; 8-B; 9-C; 10-C; 11-A; 12-C; 13-B; 14-A; 15-C; 16-B; 17-C; 18-A; 19-A; 20-A
Americans spend double dose in health care
If you’re an average American adult, about $7,000 is spent annually on your health care, according to a new study. That’s about double what is spent on medical care for patients in other countries, according to the Commonwealth Fund, which surveyed individuals in the United States and six other countries.
The survey also found that U.S. patients are more likely to report experiencing medical errors and to go without care because of costs. U.S. patients, along with Canadians, also are the least likely to be able to get a same-day appointment with their physicians when sick, and the most likely to seek care in emergency rooms as an alternative. The study, published as a “Web Exclusive” in the journal Health Affairs, also finds that U.S. adults have the highest out-of-pocket costs and greatest problems paying medical bills.
Information was gathered from a recemt survey of 12,000 adults in Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States .
|
|
In terms of patient safety, U.S.adults report the highest rates of laboratory-test errors, and among the highest rates of medical or medication errors.
Results from the survey found U.S. adults were most likely to have gone without care because of costs and to have high out-of-pocket costs. About 40 percent of U.S. patients skipped medications, didn’t see a doctor when sick, or skipped recommended care in the past year because of costs.
-Jim Killackey, Medical Writer
