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CPSC Chief Inez Tenenbaum Says China Has 'Gotten The Message'

Safety, In The News, Shopping, Alerts & Recalls


CPSC Chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum. Credit: Robert Giroux/MCT



























"Made in China."

It's the calling card of a staggering percentage of products that Americans buy. And what does that phrase conjure for you? Poorly made? Dangerous?
Ask America's top product safety official about Chinese-made products and you're going to get a different answer. She said change is already here -- asserting there's a new awareness among Chinese government officials and manufacturers that has led to a noticeable difference in imports from that country meeting U.S. standards.

In an interview with the Consumer Ally on our sister site WalletPop.com, Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairwoman Inez Tenenbaum said recent law changes in the U.S. and a constant dialogue with the Chinese government is yielding results that should end up with American consumers feeling better about Chinese products.

"They have gotten the message," Tenenbaum said. "And it's very important to the Chinese that the brand 'Made in China' have a positive meaning to Americans, since we are probably the largest consuming nation of Chinese products... Our economies are tied, but we do not jeopardize safety for trade issues."

She said the Chinese have closed some factories that violated U.S. safety laws.

To watch the interview, see the rest of the story, please visit WalletPop.com/consumer-ally.

Amy Poehler and Will Arnett Expecting Baby #2

Bump Watch, Celeb Parenting, In The News

Funny parents-to-be. Redux. Credit: Jason Merritt, Getty Images


Ridiculously hilarious couple Amy Poehler and Will Arnett are going to be parents again.

Poehler confirmed to E! Online that she's expecting a sister or brother for the couple's first child, 16-month-old son Archie Arnett.

Her pregnancy isn't expected to interfere with her NBC show, "Parks and Recreation."

An NBC rep tells E!, "We'll continue production of season three as soon as production of season two concludes. And we'll be back next season with new episodes."

As for Will Arnett, the "Arrested Development" alum is slated to shoot the new Fox pilot, "Wilde Kingdom," which costars Keri Russell. We have no idea how Fox is getting away with riffing a name from the famed NBC show of the '60s, but we'll just wait and see.

In the meantime, here's a look back at a very-pregnant Poehler rapping with Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live in 2008:




Related:
Will Arnett Talks Baby Helmets, 'Arrested' Secrets and Loving Conan

Girl Scouts Distribute Planned Parenthood Sex Guide at United Nations Meeting

Education, Sex

The Planned Parenthood brochure encourages young people to explore their bodies.

The World Association of Girl Scouts and Girl Guides hosted a "no-adults-welcome panel" at the United Nations this week where Planned Parenthood was allowed to distribute a sex guide during the annual UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The "Happy, Healthy and Hot" (PDF) brochure is geared towards young people living with HIV and encourages them to explore their sexuality: "Masturbation is a great way to find out more about your body and what you find sexually stimulating." The guide also encourages young people to "Talk about or act out your fantasies. Talk dirty to them."

The brochure says national laws requiring HIV-positive people to reveal their status to their partner(s) "violate the rights of people living with HIV" and calls for advocacy to "change laws that violate your rights," C-FAM reports.

Opinion: Tenn. Legislator Who Wants Divorced Parents to Always Get Equal Parenting Time Has No Idea What He's Talking About

Divorce & Custody, In The News, Opinions


sad girl and father

Divorce is hard on kids, and a new law forcing parents to split custody down the middle would make it even harder. Credit: Getty Images

A new bill under consideration by the Tennessee State Legislature would evenly split custody between divorcing parents with exceptions only being made when one parent can prove the other is completely unfit.

The bill, which is in committee, is drawing standing room-only crowds and appears to be dividing parents right across gender lines, the Tennessean reports. Mothers are protesting what they see as a law that could force women to stay in abusive relationships, and some fathers are lauding the bill, saying current divorce laws in the state prevent many dads from having meaningful relationships with their children.

If the bill makes it through the Tennessee House and Senate, that state would become the only one with a so-called gender-neutral custody policy.

Proponents of the bill say it would eliminate nasty custody battles and, in the end, give kids what they need: Equal time with both parents, not a custody arrangement that makes sense for the parents' logistics. In theory, they're right. Divorce is disruptive enough without the added emotional distress of, in some cases, drastically reducing the time children spend with one particular parent.

Bamboo at its Best

Kid Decor & Style, Shopping

Petit Collage Forest Friends mobile

Go wild. Credit: Petit Collage


Cutest. Mobile. Ever.

With adorable animals laser cut from sustainably-harvested bamboo plywood, the Forest Friends design by Petit Collage will win fans in mom and baby alike. It strikes the perfect balance between sweet and modern, and, like a great pair of blue jeans, goes with everything.

Our favorite part? The baby bear cub, nestled under his mama.

Available for $68 at petitcollage.com.

Danish Artist Dresses Her Baby Like Hitler, Other Evil Dictators

In The News, Weird But True

A Danish artist dressed up her baby girl as Adolf Hitler and Saddam Hussein. Courtesy of Haaretz.com

Can you dress your baby like Hitler and call it art?

Danish-Norwegian artist Nina Maria Kleivan did. Plus Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Saddam Hussein, Ayatollah Khomeini, Chairman Mao, Idi Amin, Augusto Pinochet and Slobodan Milosevic.

But why?

"We all have evil within us. Even small children are evil towards each other," Kleivan tells Israeli newspaper Haartetz.

Kleivan embarked on the project when, after giving birth to her daughter, Faustina -- now 11 years old -- serious pelvic joint pain kept her hospitalized for two months and wheelchair-bound at home for an additional four months. Out of boredom, she started sewing costumes of dictators and dressing up and photographing her daughter.

45 Detroit Schools Slated for Closing Under Plan


DETROIT (AP) - Detroit Public Schools are considering closing 45 schools in the next five years because students are leaving the district.

The district's emergency financial manager Robert Bobb on Wednesday plans to release the possible closing dates. His $1 billion plan calls for closing the schools between 2010-2015, renovating some and consolidating others.

The district projects Detroit's full-time, pre-kindergarten through 12th grade enrollment will fall from nearly 88,000 to under 57,000 in five years.

Detroit also closed 35 buildings about three years ago. The Kansas City, Mo., school district announced plans last week to shut down nearly half that district's schools by the start of classes in the fall amid falling enrollment.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

Mom's Fight to Hang Her Laundry Outside Gets Dirty

In The News, Environment

It's not easy being green. Credit: NBC Philadelphia

A Philadelphia-area mom is letting it all hang out, and her neighbors don't like it.

Patty Pozeynot of Skippack Township, Pa., was fined $100 by her Hunter Ridge neighborhood association for hanging her laundry to dry on her back porch clothesline.

"I wanna hang out my laundry because I think it's better for our environment, it's the green thing to do," Pozeynot tells NBC Philadelphia.

How to Play: Find the Leprechaun's Pot of Gold

Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Fun & Activities, Holidays, Toys & Games, Kids' Games

Help Willy find his pot o' gold. Credit: jpmpinmontreal, Flickr

What you need: Construction paper, aluminum foil and/or chocolate coins.

How to play: Cut circles out of construction paper and decorate to look like coins -- you will need around five coins per player. Then, select two or three coins to be gold or silver. If you go with silver, just wrap these in aluminum foil to look shiny. You can also use chocolate coins for gold coins. Select an area or room in which to hide the coins for your game. Depending on age, it can be easy or difficult; however, you want to make your gold or silver coins the hardest to find.

The rules: Tell the players the story of Leprechaun Willy who was visiting this morning and shared a tale of woe. He was out the other day with his Pot of Gold when he was distracted by a rainbow. Leprechaun Willy wanted to see the rainbow, so he put his Pot of Gold down to get a better look. While Willy was away, some squirrels came upon his Pot of Gold and thought the coins in his pot were nuts, so they took the coins and hid them. When Willy returned, he was shocked to see someone took all his gold and silver coins. Willy has been searching for his coins all day, but has yet to find them. Ask the kids if they would like to help Willy find his coins, tell them that you remember seeing Willy in the room where you hid the coins, and that Willy mentioned he lost a lot of them -- a few were even gold (or silver). Willy is willing to give a prize to whoever finds the most coins.

How to win: The player who finds the gold or silver coins is the winner.

Related: How to Play: Leprechaun, Leprechaun, Where Is Your Shamrock?


How to Play: St. Patrick's Day Corners

Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Fun & Activities, Holidays, Toys & Games, Kids' Games

Print St. Patrick's Day-related images to play this game. Credit: SuperFantastic, Flickr


What you need: Music, a room with four corners, a hat or box and two copies of four St. Patrick's Day-themed images, such as an Irish flag, a leprechaun, a gold coin and a four leaf clover.

How to play: Place one St. Patrick's Day image in each of the four corners of the room. Then, let the players know that when the music plays, they can move around. However, once the music stops, they need to proceed to one of the four corners. Once the players have selected a corner, the music operator pulls out an image from a hat and those players standing in that corner are eliminated from the game. Then, start the music back up, mingle and repeat the process.

The rules: The St. Patrick's Day image you pulled from the hat is returned before the music starts again, so this game can have as many rounds as necessary.

How to win: The last player remaining is the winner.

Related: Celebrating St. Patrick's Day

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