Posted on 07/24/2009 3:37:21 AM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Weekly Roundup - Living On Nothing Edition Category: Roundups | Comments(15)
Did you hear about the guy that lives on nothing? No seriously, he lives on zero dollars a day. Meet Daniel Suelo, who lives in a cave outside Moab, Utah. Suelo has no mortgage, no car payment, no debt of any kind. He also has no home, no car, no television, and absolutely no “creature comforts.” But he does have a lot of creatures, as in the mice and bugs that scurry about the cave floor he’s called home for the last three years.
To us, Suelo probably sounds a little extreme. Actually, he probably sounds very extreme. After all, I suspect most of you reading this are doing so under the protection of some sort of man-made shelter, and with some amount of money on your person, and probably a few needs for money, too. And who doesn’t need money unless they have completely unplugged from the grid? Still, it’s an amusing story about a guy who rejects all forms of consumerism as we know it.
The Frugal Roundup
How to Brew Your Own Beer and Maybe Save Some Money. A fantastic introduction to home brewing, something I’ve never done myself, but always been interested in trying. (@Generation X Finance)
Contentment: A Great Financial Principle. If I had to name one required emotion for living a frugal lifestyle it would be contentment. Once you are content with your belongings and your lot in life you can ignore forces attempting to separate you from your money. (@Personal Finance by the Book)
Use Energy Star Appliances to Save On Utility Costs. I enjoyed this post because it included actual numbers, and actual total savings, from someone who upgraded to new, energy star appliances. (@The Digerati Life)
Over-Saving for Retirement? Is it possible to “over-save” for retirement? Yes, I think so. At some point I like the idea of putting some money aside in taxable investments outside of retirement funds, to be accessed prior to traditional retirement age. (@The Simple Dollar)
40 Things to Teach My Kids Before They Leave Home. A great list of both practical and philosophical lessons to teach your kids before they reach the age where they know everything. I think that now happens around 13 years-old. (@My Supercharged Life)
Index Fund Investing Overview. If you are looking for a place to invest with high diversification and relatively low fees (for broader index funds with low turnover), index funds are a great place to start. (@Money Smart Life)
5 Reasons To Line Dry Your Laundry. My wife and I may soon be installing a clothesline in our backyard. In many neighborhoods they are frowned upon - one of the reasons I don’t like living in a neighborhood. I digress. One of our neighbors recently put up a clothesline, and we might just follow his lead. (@Simple Mom)
A Few Others I Enjoyed
* 4 Quick Tips for Getting Out of a Rut * Young and Cash Rich * Embracing Simple Style * First Trading Experience With OptionsHouse * The Exponential Power of Delayed Consumption * How Much Emergency Fund is Enough? * 50 Questions that Will Free Your Mind * Save Money On Car Insurance
FDA Patient Safety News (PSN) is a monthly video news show for healthcare professionals. It covers significant safety alerts, recalls, new product approvals, and offers important tips on protecting patients. Read the complete stories and watch or download the video program at www.fda.gov/psn. You may have already received notification of some of these safety issues through the MedWatch E-list. However, many of these PSN stories contain video footage and demonstrations that may be especially useful to clinicians and educators in healthcare facilities and academic institutions.
Stories in the March 2010 edition include:
Recall and Safety Precautions for Huber Needles
Precautions when using Huber needles to access implanted ports…
Don’t Use Thermoflect Products with MRI
Maker of Thermoflect blankets, apparel, etc. advises against using these antihypothermia products with MRI…
Valproate Sodium and Birth Defects
Used to treat epilepsy, valproate products (such as Depacon, Depakene, Stavzor, and Depakote) have been associated with neural tube defects, craniofacial defects, and other malformations…
Kidney Impairment with Byetta
Byetta (exenatide) should not be used in patients with severe renal impairment or end-stage renal disease…
Cleviprex Recalled due to Particulates
Certain lots of the injectable antihypertensive Cleviprex recalled…
Warning on Counterfeit Alli
The counterfeit Alli contains the stimulant drug sibutramine; ways to identify possible counterfeits…
Medical Errors from Misreading Letters and Numbers
ISMP points out that mistakes are easy to make because some of the alphanumeric symbols look so similar…
Cautions about Sexual Enhancement Products
“All natural” supplements may contain ingredients that could pose a serious health risk…
You are encouraged to report all serious adverse events and product quality problems to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
http://www.fda.gov/Food/LabelingNutrition/ucm202726.htm
New Front-of-Package Labeling Initiative
Under the leadership of Commissioner of Food and Drugs Margaret Hamburg, M.D., reliable nutrition labeling of food products is a top priority for the Food and Drug Administration. In a statement issued October 2009, Dr. Hamburg encouraged food companies to review their labeling to ensure that they were in compliance with FDA regulations. In addition, FDA soon will propose guidance for the industry regarding nutrition labeling on the front of food packages, and plans to work collaboratively with the food industry to design and implement innovative approaches to front-of-package labeling that can help consumers choose healthy diets.
Continuing this initiative, Dr. Hamburg today issued an open letter to industry on the importance of accurate nutrition labeling of food products, and, the agency issued Warning Letters to 17 manufacturers informing the firms that the labeling for 22 of their food products violate provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act that require labels to be truthful and not misleading.
“Today, ready access to reliable information about the calorie and nutrient content of food is even more important, given the prevalence of obesity and diet-related diseases in the United States,” Dr. Hamburg said in the letter to industry. She also expressed her hope that the Warning Letters would clarify the FDA’s expectations for food manufacturers as they review their current labeling.
The violations cited in the Warning Letters include unauthorized health claims, unauthorized nutrient content claims, and the unauthorized use of terms such as “healthy,” and others that have strict, regulatory definitions. Companies that received Warning Letters have 15 business days to inform the FDA of the steps they will take to correct their labeling.
Current Information
* Press Release1
* Open Letter to Industry from Dr. Hamburg2
* Questions & Answers3
* Understanding Front-of-Package Violations: Why Warning Letters Are Sent to Industry4
* Warning Letters5
Other Front-of-Package Material
* Call Transcript for FDA’s Media Briefing on Front-of-Pack Labeling6 October 20, 2009
* Call Audio 7for FDA’s Media Briefing on Front-of-Pack Labeling8 October 20, 2009
* Background Information on Point of Purchase Labeling9 October 2009
* Guidance for Industry: Letter Regarding Point of Purchase Food Labeling10 October 2009
* FDA Response to Representative DeLauro11 October 19, 2009
* Letter to the Smart Choices Program12 August 19, 2009
[Can the liberals really be too dumb to rotate a can and read the label on the other side?
granny]
Audience: Nephrology healthcare professionals, patients
FDA and Baxter notified healthcare professionals of a Class I recall of the HomeChoice and HomeChoice PRO Automated Peritoneal Dialysis Systems, which are prescription medical devices used to treat pediatric and adult patients with kidney failure. Reports of serious injuries and at least one death have been associated with increased Intraperitoneal Volume (IIPV), also known as overfill of the abdominal cavity. IIPV may result in serious injury or death from conditions including but not limited to: abdominal wall and/or diaphragmatic hernias, hydrothorax, heart failure, acute hypertension, pulmonary edema, decreased pulmonary function, pericardial effusion, and peritonitis.
Children and non-verbal patients may be at increased risk because of their smaller size or inability to communicate. Increased monitoring of these patients is recommended. Other vulnerable populations include critically ill patients and patients with pulmonary and hemodynamic instability.
Patients and caregivers should watch for the potential signs of IIPV. If patients or caregivers notice any of the signs of IIPV, stop the device, initiate manual drain, and contact your doctor immediately. Clinicians should weigh the risks and benefits to continued use of these devices by their patients versus other forms of dialysis therapy. Clinicians should also review the prescription settings for patients who continue to use these devices. See the Recall Notice for a listing of affected models/product code numbers.
Read the MedWatch safety summary, including a link to the Recall Notice, at:
You are encouraged to report all serious adverse events and product quality problems to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch/report.htm
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2464574/posts
Popular Science Posts It’s Entire 137 Year Archive Online For Free
PopSci ^ | 3/3/2010 | PopSci
Posted on Thursday, March 04, 2010 10:55:43 PM by Dallas59
How the world really works:
Cuban Government Acknowledges Food Shortages
Posted on March 04, 2010 at 10:27 AM
State-run food markets in the Cuban capital received only 60 percent of expected deliveries in January and just 64 percent in February, Communist Party daily Granma said Wednesday, adding that the agricultural reforms implemented by President Raul Castro have not yet yielded results.
Full Story
http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=353160&CategoryId=14510
snippet...
Granma went on to say that supply shortages are “difficult to understand” given the strategic measures adopted by the government of Gen. Castro, who since formally succeeding ailing older brother Fidel two years ago said food production is a matter of “national security.”
snippet....
Among the causes of the food shortages, Granma mentioned that the smallholders and cooperatives that produce 70 percent of the food sold to state-run markets “did not receive fertilizers and chemical products to protect their crops in the final quarter of 2009.
Layered Lemon Pie
Posted by: “mamacheese2004”
Layered Lemon Pie
Serves: 8
Source: Quick Cooking
“This is a great ending for almost any meal that kids and adults all enjoy,” Elizabeth promises from Belcourt, North Dakota. “The creamy lemon filling is always a hit with my husband.”
Ingredients:
1 package Cream cheese, softened (8 ounces)
1/2 cup sugar
1 can (15-3/4 ounces) lemon pie filling
1 carton Frozen whipped topping, thawed (8 ounces)
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
Instructions:
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in half of the pie filling. Fold in the whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Spread remaining pie filling over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or until serving. Refrigerate leftovers.
Yield: 8 servings.
________________________________________________
2. Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake
Posted by: “mamacheese2004”
Pumpkin Spice Layer Cake
Serves: 10-12
Source: Simple & Delicious
No one will guess this showstopper dessert with luscious cinnamon frosting starts with a mix! It’s a year-round favorite with Linda Murray in Allenstown, New Hampshire.
Ingredients:
1 package Yellow Cake Mix (18-1/4 ounces)
3 eggs
1 cup water
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 -3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon divided
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 -1/2 cups vanilla frosting
1 -1/4 cups chopped walnuts
Instructions:
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, water, pumpkin, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds; beat on medium for 2 minutes.
Pour into two well-greased and floured 9-in. round baking pans. Bake at 375° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the centers comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
Combine frosting and remaining cinnamon; spread between layers and over top and sides of cake. Press walnuts lightly into frosting on sides of cake.
Yield: 10-12 servings.
To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/all-simple-recipes/
http://thespicedlife.blogspot.com/
My favorite sugar cookies are those thick, chewy ones that are not decorated but rather only dusted with coarse sugar, or, sometimes sprinkles. I have a go to recipe I have used for years that I love, but each cookie needs to be flattened, egg washed, sprinkled... and I am still fighting this virus. I just wanted the cookie, darn it. So I decided to bake them in bar form to see what would happen.
They are awesome. They were a tad thicker than I would like, but this was a perfectionist complaint; my husband thought I was crazy. Next time I might use my 8X8 and 9X9 pans to get the bars just a tad skinnier. And, as I mentioned above, lightly brush the cookies with egg wash (Walter calls for heavy washing but that did not work on these bars, the sugar just melted into it) and use the coarsest sugar possible.
Sparkly Sugar Bars
Adapted from Carole Walter’s Great Cookies
3 cups (378 g) AP flour
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t cream of tartar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups superfine sugar
2 large eggs, separated—reserve 1 white for the next sugar cookie recipe, you only need one for this)
2 t vanilla
2 T milk (I used a dribble of cream plus 1% milk)
2 t water
1/3 cup coarse sugar or sprinkles or combo (I dislike sprinkles but always do part sprinkles for the kids)
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Place a rack on the middle shelf. Line a 9X13 or 2 8X8 or 9X9 pans (see notes above) with parchment paper. It can help to spray the pan with oil first. Make sure the parchment overhangs the edges of the pan—you’ll use it to remove the bars to slice.
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Set aside.
Cream the butter until lightened in color, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar slowly, taking about 2 minutes, and then cream for an additional 2 minutes. Add the egg yolks and the vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, and beat until well combined.
On the lowest speed, add half of the flour mixture, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary, and then add the milk. Finish with the other half of the flour mixture. Dump the dough into your prepared pan/s and press it evenly into the pan/s.
Whisk the water lightly with single egg white. Brush it lightly over the pressed cookie dough and generously sprinkle the dough with sugar and/or sprinkles. Bake for about 25 minutes (it may take less time with 2 pans), until the edges of the bars are turning golden and the dough has set . When you press it, it should feel like a baked cookie, not dough. Remove and let the cookies cool completely in the pan on a cooling rack. Remove from the pan by the parchment paper and slice to desired size.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Sugar Cookies, Revamped: Part 2 (Biscotti)
You all might be wondering where this barrage of sugar cookies is coming from. It is because I am sick. When I have a cold, I crave sweet vanilla baked goods with a vengeance. I don’t want cinnamon (gasp!), I don’t want chocolate (double gasp), I don’t even want ice cream (triple grasp!). For me normally simple means bland, but when I am sick, bland suddenly becomes elegantly simple and satisfying.
But you know me and you know I’d be bored baking the same sugar cookies day in and day out.
So last weekend, I made the bars, and when we ran out of those, I decided to try biscotti. Now biscotti and I have a contentious relationship. I love my Espresso Mandelbrot, but you will notice a key ingredient lacking in them (key for mandelbrot or biscotti). Nuts. I am just not crazy about nuts in cookies, even finely ground nuts. They don’t do much for me, and when paired with chocolate they tend to actually interfere with the chocolate flavor. You will also notice the espresso mandelbrot have a hefty dose of fat. I don’t dunk cookies—ever, in anything—so the rock hard varieties do nothing but break my teeth. I guess the point is that I do not bake much biscotti and I have trouble finding recipes that attract me.
On a whim I opened up my King Arthur Arthur Flour Cookie Companion—and realized they have a base recipe for American style (i.e., more tender crunchy crumbly than rock hard) biscotti. Now that was something I could work with. So I tweaked a little and came up with this cookie—and I think you will agree it is gorgeous and tasty.
Sparkly Sugar Biscotti
Adapted from The King Arthur Cookie Companion
6 T (3/4 stick, 3 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup + 1 T sugar
1/4 t salt
2 t vanilla
1 1/2 t baking powder
2 large eggs
2 T full fat sour cream
8 3/4 oz flour (KA called for 2 cups or 8 1/2 oz, but I added 1/4 oz as part of my changes—probably around 1 T)
1 large egg white
2 T water
Very coarse, sparkly sugar (I normally prefer clear, but all I had was colored)
Preheat the oven 350 F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat—if you have an extra large (18 inches long) baking sheet, use it, but I did ok with a standard rimless cookie sheet. Set aside.
Cream the butter, salt, sugar, baking powder and vanilla together until smooth and creamy. Beat in the eggs; the batter may look slightly curdles, which is ok. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. On the lowest speed add half of the flour. Scrape the sides and then add the sour cream. Finish with the remaining flour, scraping down the sides of the bowl. This dough will be rather wet and sticky.
Dump the dough into as oblong of a shape as possible on your baking sheet—if you are using a standard size cookie sheet, angle the oblong diagonally. Using wet hands, shape the dough into a log 14 inches long and 2 1/2 inches wide. Use a dough scraper to scrape any dough left on the sheet into the log. Smooth the top with your wet hands as best as possible—don’t be picky.
Bake for 25 minutes (if you are baking log diagonally, you might want to reverse the sheet from front to back halfway through). Remove the baked log from the oven and let it cool from 5-25 minutes (just fit it into what you are doing). 5 minutes before you are ready to slice the dough, use the largest turners you have to gently move the log onto a cutting board. Change the parchment paper or silicone mat if it is too dirty. Spray the log lightly all over with water and let it sit 5 minutes.
Lightly beat the egg white and water together. Get a pastry brush and set it beside your cutting board with the egg mixture. Pile your sugar in an oblong pile near the log on the cutting board. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F.
Slice the log—because there are no nuts or dried fruit to work around you will get fairly thin, smooth slices. I sliced several cookies in a row, and then take each cookie, one by one, and, working quickly, I brush it on one side with the egg wash and then dip that side of the biscotti into the coarse sugar. Then carefully place the biscotti upright on the cookie sheet. Repeat until finished.
Return the biscotti to the oven and bake at the lower temperature for an additional 25 minutes. If they get too dark, reduce the oven temperature by 15 degrees or so. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet on a cooling rack.
Thursday
How to Make a Rain Barrel for Your Herb Garden
Water DropsMaking a rain barrel can help you spare the environment and provide a refreshing drink for the plants in your herb garden without it costing you an arm and a leg. Harvesting rainwater is like getting free water. All you have to do is come up with a strategy that will let you get a good quantity of water, even in a light rain, and store it safely.
Happily, your home’s roof is an ideal bit of real estate for harvesting rainwater, and the lowly downspout you’ve been ignoring all these years, is a perfect place to catch it all.
Here’s How to Make a Rain Barrel
Downspout extenders divert water into a container. You can either buy a rain barrel kit that has an extender supplied with it, or build a rain barrel yourself and get an inexpensive extender at your local home supply store. Any container you choose should be made of a food-grade material, like plastic, if you plan on using the water for veggies or herbs. It should also have a tight fitting or sealed lid and be rust resistant. A 50 gallon food-grade container would be perfect.
To re-fit a container, you need to do four things:
* Cut a hole in the top to let the water in. This should be covered with a screen to keep debris and bugs out.
* Add a spigot at the bottom to harvest water through. You can get threaded spigot kits at your local plumbing or hardware store that are easy to install.
* Cut an opening toward the top of the barrel and add a fitting that will allow you to attach a large diameter hose. This is for overflow when the barrel’s full. Run the hose away from the foundation of your house.
* Install a pad, or excavate a flat spot in your flowerbed next to the downspout for the barrel.
How to Install a Bucket of RainHomemade Rain Barrel
The steps are pretty simple.
Prepare a level spot for the barrel (once a barrel is full, it can weigh 300 pounds or more, so you don’t want it falling over.
Modify the barrel or buy one ready-made.
Cut or replace your existing downspout and add an extender. (Segmented downspouts are the easiest to work with.)
Now you’re ready for it to rain.
Rain Barrel Installation Tips and Tricks
Check your barrel often to make sure it isn’t overflowing and dumping water next to your home’s foundation. A steady rain on a 1,000 square foot roof can easily fill a 50 gallon barrel in minutes.
Watch the barrel for algae growth and mosquitoes.
If you want to buy a rain barrel kit, there are lots to choose from. Some of the bells and whistles are nifty too. From anti-bacterial lights to pumps that make it easier to water your flower beds via a hose setup, high tech has come to rain barrels. One of the best options, in my opinion, is a diverter that’s keeps rain out of the barrel for the first few minutes of rainfall to allow the gunk in the air and dust on your roof to wash off first. It uses the weight of a volume of water to determine when it’s okay to divert the flow into the barrel.
Be sure to empty your barrel if you experience hard freezes in winter.
If you want more water than a single barrel can supply, hook barrels together and have the overflow from the first barrel feed into the next and so on.
Check with your local water utility. There may be some cash incentives for installing a rain barrel on your property.
Just a Little Environmental Note Here
Rain barrels are convenient and they can save you money. They’re also an environmentally friendly choice. The water that washes into storm drains after a rain is often shunted directly into brooks and streams with its cargo of oils and chemicals, like antifreeze. When you use recycled water, you help to keep the water in surrounding ecosystems cleaner by using that rain in your garden where it will be filtered naturally through your soil and finally make its way to an aquifer near you, cleaner and more wholesome.
There’s a neat YouTube video that will show you the basic steps: Building a Rain Barrel
http://theherbgardener.blogspot.com/2010/03/straw-bale-gardening-with-herbs.html
Tuesday
Straw Bale Gardening With Herbs
Straw Bale Garden Photo
If you want a nice raised bed but don’t have the time, resources or energy to invest in cultivating it, there may be a fast, fun solution that can help. If you’re having back problems that are keeping you from enjoying your garden plot, then getting some easy elevation on the problem may be just what you need too.
Straw bale gardening is a version of hydroponic gardening for outdoors. It uses bales of mixed grasses, stray or hay as a growing medium. Add water to speed in decomposition, high nitrogen fertilizer and some time, and you’ve got a perfect spot for herbs, vegetables and annual flowers. Just choose low growing species to keep things from getting out of hand.
If you think the setup will look ugly, there are worse things to be cluttering up the garden. If you want to cover the sides of the straw, choose herb groundcovers like thyme or woodruff or annual flowers.
You can grow two tomato or sage plants, or three, cucumber, basil or squash plants per bale. You can even bales to plant from seed.
How to Start a Straw Bale Herb Garden
Here’s how it works:
Lay out bales in a geometric configuration that will allow you to move along or in between them. Once in place, saturate the bales with water for a few days. A week isn’t too long, but even three days will work. Add a high nitrogen fertilizer in three applications over the next week, watering in between. Although fertilizers vary and you can use many types, as a rule of thumb, use a half cup of ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, or organic fertilizer (yes, you can go organic) on a bale for each application. Oh, you can also use blood meal.
The bales will heat up, which is a good thing and tells you the process is working. Once the temperature starts to drop, you know they’re almost ready to go. The whole process will take 10 days to two weeks.
When the temperature drops to something close to the soil temperature, top dress the bales with potting or tops soil and you’re ready to plant. Just rough up the tops of the bales, or make wells in the surface to give plant roots a jump-start.
Over the course of the season, worms will work the soil under the bales, making it a better growing medium for next year, and your plants will have a bacteria free and naturally elevated substrate to grow on. It’s a tidy solution. If you must, you can even place bales on top of concrete or brick.
Tips and Tricks for Herb Gardening with Straw Bales
Don’t wet bales and then try to move them. They get very, very heavy.
If you use hay particularly, you’ll have to invest some time in removing sprouting hay seeds. It’s part of the process, but goes quickly.
Make sure the temperature in the bales has dropped before you proceed with the planting process.
Because the plants get their nutrition from what you put in the bale and not the straw itself, keep the setup uniformly moist throughout the season.
The conditions your herbs or vegetables would like ordinarily is what they’ll want when they’re planted in straw. If they like sun, then situate the bale in good light. If they like shade . . . likewise.
After a couple of seasons, the bale will break down naturally and become part of the garden.
Great Plants for a Straw Bale Garden:
Vegetables for a Straw Bale Garden:
Peppers
Tomatoes
Squash
Eggplant
Cucumber
Lettuce
Kale
Some Easy Herbs for a Straw Bale Garden:
Basil
Sage
Thyme
Lavender
Cilantro
Catnip
Marjoram
Oregano
Chives
Nice Herbs to Grow Along the Sides of a Straw Bale:
Mint
Creeping Thyme
Marigold
Sweet Woodruff
Photo courtesy of Make Me Smile. Visit her straw bale gardening and other projects at her flicker page.
comments:
Tina said...
We grew toms, peppers, watermelon, cantaloupe and zukes in bales last year - worked a peach! The one thing we did figure out was that we had to wrap them in plastic or they dried out waaaay too fast from all our summer heat and wind.
05 March, 2010 09:58
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 4, 2010
Release #10-156
Firm’s Recall Hotline: (888) 339-9398
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
Risk of Strangulation Prompts Recall to Repair Roman Shades by Ethan Allen
Ethan Allen has added its name to the retailers joining the voluntary recall announced in December 2009 of ALL Roman shades and roll-up blinds.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
Name of Product: Roman Shades
Units: About 163,000
Wholesaler: Ethan Allen Global Inc., of Danbury, Conn.
Hazard: Strangulation can occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the shade or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck. Also, strangulation can occur when a child’s neck become entangled on the free-standing loop.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: This recall involves all styles and sizes of Roman shades sold under the Ethan Allen brand name. These custom-ordered, made-to-order shades were sold in a variety of colors, fabrics, and sizes. The shades have no labels or markings making reference to the Ethan Allen brand.
Sold at: Ethan Allen Design Centers since at least 1999 through December 2009. Most are priced between $400 and $1,000.
Manufactured in: United States
Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled Roman shades immediately and contact their local Ethan Allen Design Center for a free repair kit.
Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Ethan Allen toll-free at (888) 339-9398 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, contact the local Ethan Allen Design Center, or visit the firm’s web site at www.ethanallen.com
Note: Examine all shades and blinds in your home. Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, or back of the product. CPSC recommends the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.
To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10156.html
********************************************************
‘CPSC 2.0’ Launches Product Safety Agency into Social Media — Learn more at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09346.html
* Visit our new blog, OnSafety at www.cpsc.gov/onsafety
* See our videos on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/uscpsc
* Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/OnSafety
* See our photos on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/uscpsc
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm203294.htm
Concord Foods Recalls Concord Foods Seasonings Mixes because of Possible Health Risk
Media Contact:
Jeannie DaRosa
Tel: 508-580-1700, ext 319
jdarosa@concordfoods.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 5, 2010 - Brockton, MA-Concord Foods Inc is voluntarily recalling certain production codes of Concord Foods Vegetable Dip Seasoning mix that is generally sold in the produce department of supermarkets because they have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella, an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as arterial infections (i.e., infected aneurysms), endocarditis and arthritis.
Concord Foods was notified by its supplier that an ingredient used in these products and produced by Basic Food Flavors Inc is the subject of a voluntary recall due to potential Salmonella contamination.
The product subject to this recall that was distributed nationwide in the United States under the Concord Foods brand in foil pouches and sold in the produce section of the supermarket is:
(Note: The best by date code is embossed on the left edge of the back panel).
Concord Foods Vegetable Dip Seasoning - Homestyle (Best By: 07/27/12).
UPC Code: 041409002066 Net weight 1.5 oz (43 g)
To date no known illnesses have been associated with this product and no other types, varieties or different date codes have been affected by this recall. However, since customer safety is our top priority, Concord Foods has voluntarily recalled this product. Concord Foods is working with Food and Drug Administration to conduct this voluntary recall.
Consumers with products carrying this date code should destroy or return them to the store for a full refund.
Consumers with questions should contact Concord Foods at 1-800-924-5775 (Monday - Friday from 9:00 am-4:30 pm EST).
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Photo: Product Labels1
RSS Feed for FDA Recalls Information2 [what’s this?3]
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Links on this page:
1. http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm203297.htm
2. http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/ContactFDA/StayInformed/RSSFeeds/Recalls/rss.xml
3. http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/ContactFDA/StayInformed/RSSFeeds/default.htm
Page Last Updated: 03/05/2010
Well, maybe - just maybe, the snow cover on the garden will vanish this weekend. Ground hasn’t seen sunlight since early January.
I have been working at clearing out hundreds of broken tree limbs from a wind-screen of white pines... Limbs up to 14-15” in diameter. So there is lots going on.
Peas are already a week behind on getting planted - along with kale, spinach and others. Potato planting should begin around March 15, but doesn’t look like it will happen on time this year.
This is starting out to be one of those years - all the best plans go out the window and you garden by the seat of your pants.
Hope all is going well for everyone else.
What is Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome?
Post-diarrheal Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (D+HUS) is a severe, life-threatening complication that occurs in about 10% of those infected with E. coli O157:H7 or other Shiga toxin (Stx) producing E. coli. D+HUS was first described in 1955, but was not known to be secondary to E. coli infections until 1982. It is now recognized as the most common cause of acute kidney failure in infants and young children. Adolescents and adults are also susceptible, as are the elderly who often succumb to the disease.
How did these otherwise harmless E. coli become such killers? It seems likely that DNA from a Shiga toxin producing bacterium known as Shigella dysenteriae type 1 was transferred by a bacteriophage (bacteria infected with a virus) to harmless E. coli bacteria, thereby providing them with the genes to produce one of the most potent toxins known to man. So potent, that the Department of Homeland Security lists it as a potential bioterrorist agent. Although E. coli O157:H7 are responsible for the majority of cases in America, there are many additional Stx producing E. coli that can cause D+ HUS.
The chain of events leading to HUS begins with ingestion of Stx producing E. coli (e.g., E. coli O157: H7) in contaminated food, beverages or through person to person transmission. These E. coli rapidly multiply in the intestines causing colitis (diarrhea), and tightly bind to cells that line the large intestine. This snug attachment facilitates absorption of the toxin into the circulation where it becomes attached to weak receptors on white blood cells (WBC) thus allowing the toxin to “ride piggyback” to the kidneys where it is transferred to numerous avid (strong) Gb3 receptors that grasp and hold on to the toxin. Organ injury is primarily a function of Gb3 receptor location and density. Receptors are probably heterogeneously distributed in the major body organs, and this may explain why some patients develop injury in other organs (e.g., brain, pancreas).
Once Stx attaches to receptors, it moves into the cell’s cytoplasm where it shuts down the cells’ protein machinery resulting in cellular injury and/or death. This cellular injury activates blood platelets and the coagulation cascade which results in the formation of clots in the very small vessels of the kidney resulting in acute kidney injury and failure. The red blood cells are hemolyized (destroyed) by Stx and/or damaged as they attempt to pass through partially obstructed microvessels. Blood platelets (required for normal blood clotting), are trapped in the tiny blood clots or are damaged and destroyed by the spleen.
This page is full of articles on your food and the danger of eating it, the above article is about a half inch down the page.
An accidental google that I wound up on and it has all kinds of info, start on page one......LOL, I did.
Veterinary expertise in biosecurity
and biological risk assessment
Common Names: Brazilian peppertree, Peruvian peppertree, California peppertree, aroeira, aroeira salsa, escobilla, Peruvian mastic tree, mastic-tree, aguaribay, American pepper, anacahuita, castilla, false pepper, gualeguay, Jesuit’s balsam, molle del Peru, mulli, pepper tree, pimentero, pimientillo, pirul
Parts Used: Fruit, bark, leaf
[We had Pepper trees in San Diego, all kids climb them there, but I never had any idea of the many herbal uses they have, take a look at this page on them.
A new site to me, looks very useful for finding healing herbs.
granny]
RAINFOREST REMEDIES:
[Interesting list, several we grow here and call common garden plants]
http://www.rain-tree.com/article4.htm
Index of articles on healing with many plants:
http://www.rain-tree.com/articles.htm
San Jose Mercury News (CA) - June 3, 1992 - 6B Local
2 ARRESTED IN ADOBE CHIEF’S ABDUCTION ARE ARRAIGNED AND HELD WITHOUT BAIL
The two men arrested in the abduction of Adobe Systems executive Charles Geschke were arraigned Tuesday in Palo Alto Municipal Court on one count of kidnapping for ransom and four counts of making terrorist threats. Municipal Judge Ralph E. Brogdon noted the severity of the charges and agreed with the prosecutor that Ahmad Mohammed Sayeh, 25, of Campbell and Mouhannad Albukari, 26, of San Jose posed a flight risk. The judge ordered the men held without bail. Brogdon also ordered the...
>> Purchase complete article, of 325 words
[You might be right, I got lost checking your searches and ended up checking food articles.......LOL, granny]
Your timing is good, I was finding you on my mind off and on the last few days.
Still nothing from Eagle and Vickie, their mail goes into their boxes, so If I haven’t been able to jam them, they must be doing something on line.
It does not sound like the perfect gardening conditions, but it will change...any minute...looking for more rain here this weekend.
Anyway to jump start the potatoes in cups, ect?
Or maybe some cheap plastic painters tarps from Walmart, they worked the year that I moved a bunch of plants out on the front porch and made a a 3 ‘ high greenhouse, I had to crawl in on hands and knees, but it did the job.
Think of a 3’ high square clothes line, with plastic held on the wires with clothes pins and the legs kept falling off of it.
Those limbs sound like fire wood to me.
As long as you and the family are ok, all the rest is minor.
Granny goofed, tried to work on 2 threads at once.
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