It’s always amusing when a kid is good at an activity usually reserved for grown-ups, such as shooting pool or trading stocks.
Well, maybe not always. Last month, air traffic controllers at JFK airport allowed a child to make transmissions to pilots. But what started as fun-and-games has quickly turned into a serious investigation. Click here for the AP story via Yahoo.
A new optional feature on YouTube allows parents to browse the site a little more comfortably–safety mode filters content, searches, and inappropriate language on comments. See how it works in this YouTube video:
I hate to be a Debbie Downer and post two recall notices in a row–but this one is apparently one of the largest crib recalls of all time, and seems very important.
Drop-side cribs branded Stork Craft (sold Jan. 1993 – Oct. 2009) Fisher-Price (sold Oct. 1997 – Dec. 2004) have been voluntarily recalled due to the possibility of the drop-side become detached and the infant entrapped.
Please check the recall notice to see if your crib is affected (cribs with fixed sides are not included in the recall), and contact Stork Craft for a repair kit.
Just a quick reminder to keep little hands and fingers away from any folding product or hinge (doors, cabinets, playpens, etc.).
Maclaren is voluntarily recalling strollers after 12 reports of kids getting their fingers caught in the folding mechanism while the stroller is being unfolded. If you own a Maclaren, contact the company at their website here to obtain a free repair kit to fix the problem. See the full recall notice here.
The Department of Health and Human Services is trying to go viral in its efforts to prevent the spread of swine flu. Check out a great PSA from HHS and Elmo below, where imparts a very simple lesson even kids can learn–sneeze into your elbow or shirt sleeve rather than into your hands (or into the air). That way, you won’t wipe all your germs over some unsuspecting handrail or piece of furniture. For more from the HHS, including a contest-winning swine flu rap, see their YouTube channel here
Every adult should know everything on foodsafety.gov, but a lot of us don’t–it’s a one-stop site for information on food shelf-life, tips on checking for cooking doneness, news about food recalls, as well as basic food handling rules (i.e., separating cooked and raw foods, how to safely pack a school lunch, etc.).
Mark your calendars–this Labor Day, Monday, 9/7, our friends at PBS KIDS and the Jim Henson Company are launching a brand new show!
Dinosaur Train is about an orphaned toddler T-Rex named Buddy who is taken in by a family of Pteranodons. Buddy and his newfound family ride the Dinosaur Train to different prehistoric eras where they learn about their dinosaur heritage. This great new show will center on themes of family, tolerance, history, and of course, plenty of dinosaurs and trains!
If you’ve been to Speakaboos.com this week you’ve seen all the new dinosaur-related activities we’re rolling out to celebrate, including:
- A sneak preview of Dinosaur Train
- “What Dinosaur Are You?” interactive game widget
- Dinosaur “Memory Match” game
- Dinosaur “Quiz Whiz” trivia game
- Make your own dinosaur mask print-out (pdf download)
Fox News is running a “no, duh” photo essay of ways to avoid swine flu that is so obvious, it almost feels exploitative. Still, it’s definitely important to remember these basic health tenets that, swine flu or no swine flu, will help you avoid illness:
- Wash hands often for at least 20 seconds
- Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing
- Avoid touching your face or eyes unless your hands have been washed
- Clean household and office surfaces often
- Eat a balanced diet and foods with vitamin C
- Stay home and contact your doctor if you are feeling ill
- Remind your children to maintain healthy habits
Simple, right? If you still feel compelled to see the photo essay click here.
Kolcraft is recalling their Travelin’ Tot play yard series, as well as yards sold under the brands Carter’s, Sesame Beginnings, Jeep, Care Bear, Contours and Eric Carle. The play yard’s side rail can fail to latch properly, causing the yard to collapse unexpectedly. See the recall notice here to check if your model is affected, and contact Kolcraft at www.kolcraft.com for a free repair kit.
A new student loan repayment plan for federal student loans called Income Based Repayment (IBR) went into effect this month. To sum up, the plan, instituted by the federal government, will help some borrowers by reducing their required monthly payments to under 15% of their income.
So if you currently have a student loan payment that is higher than you can afford to pay with your income, this plan will help you. However, IBR doesn’t reduce the amount of interest you owe, so the longer you take to repay your loan, the more interest you will accrue. If you are already comfortably able to make your loan payments, it is probably a good idea to continue paying as much as you can–the faster you pay off your loan, the less interest you will be charged.
One interesting part about IBR is if you make IBR payments for 25 years, your remaining debt (most of which would be due to interest at this point) will be forgiven. And if you work in a public service or non-profit job, you only have to pay for 10 years. However, this plan only applies to federal loans and you’ll have to do extra paperwork, not to mention it’s still a LONG time to be making payments.
For more details and information see this website, and contact your lender to sign up for the plan.
