It’s not a good year to be a toy maker. It is fair to say if you are a parent of a small child, this year has proven that trusting that toy makers are making safe toys is officially - off the table. Whether we’re talking about the ongoing audit of Mattel’s (and other companies) manufacturing methods because of widespread use of lead-based paint in their kids products or the safety instructions of the popular Bumbo Baby Seats, it is clear that parents must heed a cautious eye when buying for their children.

In the 30 years since the safety commission has been monitoring lead levels in consumer items, the agency has issued 154 recalls, with 70 of the recalls coming since January of last year.” ~ Maurice Possley, Chicago Tribune

Within the last week, Mattel’s recall list jumped an additional 38,000 toys due to the use of lead-based paint on their popular line of Go Diego Go! line of toys. Considering these massive recalls this year, there is one Boston-based organization, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (US-PIRG), which has an email alert system that you can subscribe to regarding toy safety updates. Considering the Christmas season is fast approaching, it may be prudent to consider signing up.

One thing is clear to this parent that Mattel’s remaining shareholders can count on one thing this Christmas, a lump of coal in their stocking.

Sited Links:
Chicago Tribune | 600,000 Toys Join Recall List
US-PIRG | Toy Safety

Related Links:
Bumbo Seat | Recall Information
Fisher-Price Recalls More Toys With Lead
CSPC | Fisher-Price Recalls Go Diego Go! Boats

   

It’s quite simple. Dress up your kid for Halloween (and yourself, for that matter), take a picture of yourselves and send it to them. If you win, you get a bunch of horror DVDs - how apropos. There are winning categories for both kids and adults and the movie titles are appropriately rated (i.e. Gremlins and Monster House for kids and Nightmare on Elm Street - Box Set, and The Exorcist for adults amongst others).

Sited Links:
Cinematical | Third Annual Halloween Costume Contest

   

From breast cancer to man-boobs there is a little something for everyone to learn in this list generated by the folks at Body Philosophy. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so check it out for yourself — but I have to share my favorite from the list, good ‘ole Number Nine;

9. Man-boobs may be a medical condition

I think many of us mistakenly assume that men with breast-like pectorals are just a bit overweight. Not necessarily so. Obesity can contribute to the phenomenon, but there are many other factors that can contribute, including hormone imbalances, castration, medications, genetic disorders, liver disease, Klinefelter or Gilbert’s Syndrome, or even-possibly-marijuana use. The official term is gynecomastia, which comes from the Greek words meaning “woman” and “breast,” most nearly translating to “woman-like breasts.” While many think this condition is a joke, we should also remember that it can signal medical problems, not to mention serious psychological consequences.”

Sited Links:
Body Philosophy | Ten Facts You May Not Know About Breasts

   

The Long Halloween is heavily influenced by film noir and films such as The Godfather and was the inspiration of the 2005 release, Batman Begins. The series continues the story of Carmine Falcone introduced in Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One. Set early in Batman’s career a few months after the events of Year One, the story revolves around the gradual transition of Batman’s rogues’ gallery from simple mob goons to full-fledged supervillains.

It is also the origin of Two-Face, adding along to the story in Batman: Annual 14. It follows the events in a few months following Year One and examines an entire year of Batman’s career as a crime fighter, so it could be considered a “Year One”/”Year Two”, in some form. This story has been accepted into continuity after Zero Hour erased the events of Batman: Year Two from the canon. The plot follows Batman’s struggle to find a mysterious killer, while Harvey Dent’s and Jim Gordon’s marriages are strained during the process. As the story unfolds, Carmine Falcone hires “freaks” (Poison Ivy, the Riddler, the Scarecrow, and the Mad Hatter) in an attempt to stop the Batman and restore power back to the family, only to discover that the freaks are more powerful than he expected. [Overview courtesy Wikipedia]

(Batman; The Long Halloween Via Amazon.Com)

   

I’m rooting for you. I want you to win this thing, really. Whoever answers the question correctly will win a video game title.

The Rules: Unfortunately, this give-away only works if you are in the United States - sorry Canada, sorry Mexico, sorry rest of the planet, nothing personal, I’m just not interested in paying too much for the postal. Let’s see how it goes. I will post the winner by next Monday — assuming someone gets it.

The Prize: The game titles include: Ultimate Spiderman, Wolfenstein, Doom III, Call of Duty 2 or Boogie (Wii). You get to choose one of them. They are all great games.

The Question: This one should be easy — the category (ala Cranium) is Wordworm (think crossword puzzles).

1. Give an example of a parental palindrome.

Think about it.

   

(Via That Other Blog)

   

(Via NurseryWorks.Com)

   

Unlike an infant who fixates on the most prominent part of the object (ex. a wagging tail on a dog, the bright pattern of someone’s shirt), a young toddler focuses on the whole object (the dog, or person). So the research they have recently found this reveals that as young toddlers learn language, they are focusing on the whole object rather than the parts. As a parent to a toddler, this is helpful to know. So when talking about part of an object it may help to point it out (specifically) and say the word (of the part) and explain what it is or what it does. The average vocabulary comprehension for a 12-month-old is 65-110 words, and that increases to a few thousand by the time the child is 2.

For example, when introducing a young toddler to a dog, the child automatically thinks of the object as a dog. If adults want to talk about the dog’s tail or its bark, then they need to be more explicit when communicating with the child. If adults do not make this effort, it can hinder the child’s understanding, said Hollich, who also is director of Purdue’s Infant Language Lab.” ~ George Hollich, Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences

“There is a lot going on when infants and young children learn language,” Hollich said. “In addition to parents emphasizing an object, its parts and its function when talking to children, parents also should reduce background noises and look at children as they speak to them.”

Sited Links;
Science Daily | Young Toddlers Think In Terms Of Whole Object Rather Than Parts

Related Links;
Science Daily | Kids Learn Words Best By Working Out Meaning
Science Daily | Why Do Children Experience Vocabulary Explosion By 18 Months of Age?

   

(You Grow Girl Schwagg Vis A Vis SUPERfantastico!)