Open Thread – That’s Just Wrong
I want to know who came up with this one – child-resistant lighters shaped like puppy dogs. They’re just begging for vigorous product testing. What could go wrong?
November 17, 2024
Thursday, August 3, 2023
The Quitter Returns! -Monday, March 21, 2022
Putting the goober in gubernatorial -Friday, January 28, 2022
I want to know who came up with this one – child-resistant lighters shaped like puppy dogs. They’re just begging for vigorous product testing. What could go wrong?
ok.. I’ve posted the write up of the Juneau portion of visiting Alaska on the forum – mudpups vistig Alaska.. to go with the pics I posted…
Wanna go back and see more !
Have any of the faithful heard of a Chad Elliot? Supposed to be folk-rock singer and writer with several albums released. He keeps popping up around Northwest Ioway and I can find virtually nada about him or his career.As per usual all info will be held in the strictest of confidence until I see it and start blowing smoke. Much appreciated,too still yet.
Wa-Hoo !!! With some guidance from Lani, I’ve posted SOME pics from my Alaska trip on the forum… mudpups visiting alaska… now if I can figure out how to do the vids… ice falling from glacier mo’ betta that way, bra’ !
While we’re on the topics of “wrong” and “puppies,” can anyone tell me why Carrs and Walmart sell Iams “mini-chinks,” presumably for small dogs with little mouths, in 40 pound bags, but I can only get Iams “large breed” food in 17.5 pound bags. My dog can eat a 17.5 pound bag plus a small dog in one sitting. 🙂
I’d like to see that!
…can;t resist….by at the risk of being reported to PETA…..
Sounds like you should get a 40 lb bag of small dogs…..
and Ben runs for the hills…
I knew W-M got a lot of its goods from China, but “mini-chinks” for puppies? 😉 beth.
Thanks Bubbles. But the one that I was trying to post was a different one.
This is my LAST try——here it goes.
LL,
I feel your pain.
I give up!
Lacy Lady, too cute. here is a gift just for you. hugs and thanks for the belly laugh
http://www.wimp.com/breathtakinglandscapes/
That was amazing, bubbles. Thanks so much for posting. Of course, if certain legislators who will remain nameless had their way, we wouldn’t be able to see any skies like that. They see only “wasted” opportunities for mining/drilling/clear cutting where we see timeless beauty.
damm computers!
Here is a mural that will knock your socks offl
[9:12:31 AM] Amanda: http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/070109air.html
All of us who are against dirty coal (mining and burning) need to start following what is happening in China.
One disclaimer: the pollution levels are made even worse by the 1,200 cars that are added to the streets of Beijing each and every day, but the overall pollution is dangerous because of coal.
Here are the latest updates from our daughter:
“Last week it was merely “very unhealthy, but for the past four days it has been hazardous. They say that fine particulate is bad because it can go into the bloodstream.”
She also sent a link to this article:
http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2010/11/19/us_embassy_beijing_air_quality_is_crazy_bad/?p1=Well_MostPop_Emailed4
Plus, she checks the U.S. Embassy ratings each day:
Look to the right-hand column at:
http://beijing.usembassy-china.org.cn/070109air.html
At least the schools in Beijing shut down outside activity during the worst of it and cancel athletic events.
As our daughter says: “If the fine particulate matter measure is above 240, schools cancel games or move indoors. today it is 374. Today it was over 500.”
In addition, they do not require U-traps in plumbing. Her shower just has a straight drain pipe with a cap that flips up to let the water drain. She had to clean it out by hand because when she awoke her entire apartment smelt of sewer gas. The cap is supposed to shut out the sewer gas. Then when she went outside, she discovered that the entire neighborhood smelt of sewer gas. She asked the Chinese residents and business owners about it, and they said there was nothing they could do about it because the government does not want to invest in infrastructure nor does it want to impede factory development. Sigh. Why does that sound so familiar???
I will relax only after our daughter gets back home next summer and is checked out for a clean bill of health though I fear some of this exposure may not show up as health issues until years later though I hope I am only being an overly-protective parent.
I post this because, if the GOP and TP get their way to deregulate industry and do away with the EPA, we could very well see our air quality degrade into this. We cannot let this happen, can we? I hope we all stay on top of this and stop them from deregulating and degrading air and water standards.
Beijing’s problems could become ours if we do not fight for the health of our environment and effective regulation. Greed will make us down and dirty in a very tangible way otherwise.
My sister was in Beijing for a short time a few years ago. She said the sky was yellow (from the high sulphur content of the coal), and that “everyone always has a cold.” It sounds worse now (there’s a lot more industry not far away, and there are, as you point out, many more drivers giving up their bicycles for cars).
I would recommend that when your scholar daughter returns to the US, she pay a visit to a good holistic health practitioner who can advise her on a safe, effective detox protocol. It will probably involve a few days of vegetable juice fasting, combined with supplements and homeopathics to help remove the heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, etc.) she has ingested, and/or chelation, and/or exposure to ultraviolet light (safe tanning bed) to speed the garbage out of her system before it has a chance to wreak havoc.
Health and peace to her, and to you.
I spent almost a week in Beijing back in 1993, as part of a librarian tour group. All of us were coughing up gray/black phlegm by the second day there. The air quality was horrible. It doesn’t seem to have improved in the years since then.
I suspect these lighters were made in China. Our daughter, who is in Beijing, says that the little store near her apartments sells lighters in the form of Disney princesses and characters. Going from bad (puppies) to worse, huh?
Statistics compiled from 2002-the latest year available show(according to National Fire Protection Assn-NFPA) intentionally set fires continue to be the major cause of monetary loss and fire deaths in the U.S.. NFPA estimates 323 thousand intentionally set fires by juveniles in 2002. 13,900 child playing structure fires with associated 210 civilian deaths and 1250 injuries. Median age for non-fatal fire injuries-late teens. Median age for children who start reported fires by playing -5 years old. Median age for children who die from reported fire is 4 years old. Maine banned the sale of such novelty lighters in 2007. Some states have community bans,others like Iowa and Virginia failed to pass bans in 2007. NFPA says that even 2 and 3 year olds can operate novelty lighters. Parties that sell novelty lighters claim government intervention is not warranted as products have been safety teated and approved.
I agree with you – the Tea Baggers and Libertarians and some in the trad. GOP would see regulation against this insanity as being against the free market, against individual freedoms. They have no common sense or compassion.
BTW, Mike, love the cute typo – “teated” and approved. Started my day off with a giggle.
Sometimes though, it’s not even the fire starter that is really the problem but the adults who are supposed to be watching the 5 year olds. Years ago I saw my neighbor’s five year old son standing in the middle of the street lighting matches. It was the day after the Fourth of July so I guess that’s where he got the idea. I got the kid out of the street, took away the matches and took him home. The baby sitter didn’t seem concerned at all – in fact, he seemed annoyed that I had done anything at all. I think I tried to talk to the dad later (mom had left under odd circumstances), but that didn’t go well either. I was quite pleased when that family moved out – actually, the dad was evicted for not paying the mortgage, and when the police showed up it turned out he had a really odd life style. Clearly, not some place either of the children should have been living. Let’s just say the baby sitter was more than a baby sitter – which is probably the reason he didn’t care what the five year old was doing with the matches.
Notice that the sign on the box with the puppy lighters says “child resistant” not “child-proof.” Wonder where these lighters were made and wonder where they are for sale! Hopefully most stores would take a look and immediately reject them for fear of the lawsuit that would follow after some clever five-year-old sets fire to his/her house. Mindbendingly stupid idea!
Or worse, his/her self.
When we’re out on the road and seeing the hundreds of container trucks heading each way, my husband always makes the claim that they are all filled to the roof with the junk and ephemera sold on convenience store counters and stand-up displays. He may be right.
Consider the concept those containers may be filled with human beings.
Gotta give your head a shake of that one. I can just imagine the person who promoted the idea of manufacturing those lighters.
The UK watches the Palin spectacle:
http://politico-junkie.blogspot.com/2011/10/uk-poor-palin.html
NOT a kind take-down of our Quitter Queen, although far more accurate than I’ve seen on this side of the pond!
Why has the British media been able to see through her smoke and mirrors so easily while large swaths of the American media is still hanging on her every word?
Oh, let me think. Because Roger Ailes thinks she’s hot and good for ratings, and the MSM follow suit, jumping aboard whatever bandwagon is the flavor of the day? The GILF factor (gagging)? The slutty stewardessness of the Palin “brand?” The oh-so-tired and (at least according to all the authors who aren’t Lynn Vincent) oh-so-untrue Family First meme? The utter contempt of American media for their readers/viewers/listeners?
OTOH, I’m pleased to see the MSM at last paying some more-than-cursory attention to the Occupy movement, and more pleased to report that, at least in the NY market, it’s no longer about finding some bozo to say, “they should just get a job,” the impossibility of which is a chief complaint of many of the protestors, despite their having attained university degrees.
But..but…but…the media, except for Fair and (Un)balanced Fox of course, is full of those lefty, librul, commie soshalists, isn’t it??????
Loved that article. It is indeed an indictment of our media. Palin isn’t the only intellectually lazy figure in this. Though I think I am sometimes prone to evaluating most of our media as intellectually dishonest, not just lazy.
Yes, I noticed that our media didn’t fare too well in that fairly accurate piece. I think I found a mistake though – his reference to the information coming out about the big Palin shopping spree. He said January 2008 – shouldn’t that be January 2009? Minor detail though – it’s the point of it that matters.
the objectivity expressed in this article
is something our media could learn a lesson from…….
Priceless! The catch, not the lighter design. Somebody went to school to learn to design crap like that. Not only is it faulty design – it passed inspections along the way also, too!
(and marketing…and purchasing…and…)
When does this stop? Product inspection ? Who cares ?
Oh! I know that answer! I do!
Lots. Of. Things.
Bunch of eejuts.
Children and spouses home last weekend to help Miss Suzie move to Assisted Living. It was actually fun, in a sick-at-heart kind of way. She loves it there, and is settling right in. What kind people work there! So nice!
Children took home furniture and things from the house in trailers and trucks. I brought home some things and fit them in. Left with a charity pick-up today at one. Then, the cleaners come, and we are finished. Bought her car for a dollar (1990 Taurus with 40K miles) because she can no longer manage to get in my truck.
Tonight we put together the Vice-President’s bed. See, Alben Barkley was a croney of my paternal grandfather, and always stayed in the same guest room. So, that bed got a name as a joke that pretty much stuck.
Been reading, but not commenting much. Too much of everything going on. I think we are as settled as we will be for a while. I have missed commenting.
Welcome back, Jimsmum! You are so fortunate that Miss Suzie is happy in her new home. She must be one of those wonderful folks that accept change graciously. You are lucky. And she is lucky, too, to have a family that hauls off her “stuff” to be appreciated in their own homes. Keep us informed how she is doing!
thoughts are with you during this tough time….but what a relief it must be knowing she’ll be cared for 24/7.
I am glad everything went well. We have missed your comments.
Glad to hear that Miss Suzie is handling the transition well. I’m sure she’ll be very happy in her new home, surrounded by interesting new people to meet and keep her company. Just having all that new stimulation and social interaction should be wonderful for her.
Transitions like that are sometimes hardest on the ones who are NOT making the change. You seem to have a lot of family support so I’m sure all of you will settle into your new lives and homes just beautifully, especially with the knowledge that she is safe and being well taken care of .
Am so glad to hear Miss Suzie is making the transition well!
Chores like closing up her home are so very much more than divvying up stuff and cleaning out closets.
Take good care of yourself.
We’re all here wishing you and yours all the best as you work your way through all this.
Glad things have gone smoothly thus far. Be kind to yourself. Hug Miss Suzy for us, but ask someone to hug you, too. You need it more than you know. It’s relatively easy to get through the initial phases of this transition because “there is so much to do,” but when things settle out, emotions finally break through. Take care. Blessings be to all of you involved in this transition. You are a good daughter and friend to your mother, and are setting a fine example for your own children. They are all blessed to have you in their lives.
We’ve missed your presence, too, jimzmum.
{{{{{{{{ jimzmum, Miss Suzie, and family/friends }}}}}}}} Looks like you found Miss Suzie a perfect place to live.
My inert, irresponsible elder sister (abetted and enabled by younger sister) is still living surrounded by our mother’s lifetime accumulation of crap, seven years after said mother’s death, and apparently plans to live thus until she joins her in the great beyond. As a 1/3 heir, I’ve rebelled, and hired an attorney to get my sisters to buy me out (which, considering what’s happened to housing prices, they could do more cheaply than ever). Nice to read of a family handling things to everyone’s mutual advantage.
jimzmum, take care. It is hard to make changes but sometimes they are for the best. I’m glad you were able to find some place that Miss Suzie likes – that’s really important for her and for your peace of mind.
Take care, and it’s good to see you back commenting.