Archive for » March, 2009 «

Saving Handmade Toys

Save Handmade Toys

I’ve been noticing this issue about handmade toys floating around the blogosphere and I finally figured out what it is: The Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA). Apparently this bill was written with the issues about lead in toys from China in mind, but what it does is force anyone selling a toy to have it tested by a third-party testing company.

/sigh.

Sometimes I wish that our representatives would think things through. Does this bill specify toys made in other countries? No. Does it exclude hand-made toys little grandmas make and sell on Etsy? No. Does it exempt small businesses? No. So the issue is that, under this law, if either of my lovely sisters-in-law made and sold one of the many beautiful things they knit/sew to a consumer as a toy, they would be in danger of a lawsuit from the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

So, click on the teddy bear to write a letter to your congressperson. I didn’t like the “sample” letter they wrote, so mine is pasted below. And, I guess, make/buy/sell as many handmade toys as you can before the cutoff date, which is February 9, 2010, and let’s all groan together about ridiculous law-making.  Click the link below to see the letter I sent.
more »

Share

Stuff White People Like: YouTube Video

This is a great speech from Christian Lander, author of Stuff White People Like, a disconcertingly on-the-mark blog about…yes, you guessed it, what White People Like. Julie — FYI, this blog totally pegs you

Share

Happy Pi Day!

03/14/2009
3.14159265

Marti's Pumpkin Pi...nerd

Marti's Pumpkin Pi...what a nerd

Share
Category: Links  Tags:  3 Comments

The Plague

No, not a book by Albert Camus, this is merely a slight exaggeration about my recent case of the flu. I have the flu and some sort of secondary infection, so I am nauseated and unable to eat much, plus I’m continually coughing up a lung (and other, shall we say, less pink items). Needless to say, I haven’t been doing much — posting or otherwise.

In other news, we still haven’t found jobs for the near-term, and spending 3 weeks with my back out of commission closely followed by an epic case of the flu has me wondering if I shouldn’t just book a room in chateau de la infirmier and drool quietly between sheets for the rest of my life.

Nevertheless, we are still casting our net for jobs, I’m still worrying about the foreign service exam and Marti interviews for a place in Massachusetts this afternoon (I only recently learned the correct spelling — two ss’s, two tt’s — being a West Coast girl at heart). I know we should be rounding on this evil satellite company headquartered in beautiful Carlsbad, California with an accusatory finger and a resounding “no!” for taunting us with a position with them — across the country in extremely cold Massachussetts — but mostly we’re curious what they might offer and what carrots they might be hiding (such as the “we’ll move you to Carlsbad in a year” carrot, for example. All expenses paid.) Ah well, we’ll see, eh?

Meanwhile, I’m going to lie here and dream pleasant Nyquil dreams. Until next time…

Share