melamine in US infant formulas

Here's the skinny: Melamine, that chemical that killed babies in China and dogs in the US, has now been found in US formulas. Not in amounts as high as in China, but in amounts higher than should be found if it were simply from processing. I got my information from this and this article. Enfamil, Similac and Nestle are the three brands that report finding it.

The problem is, the FDA had previously said no amount of melamine was safe. And now, without conducting any tests, they have decided that a certain small amount of it is safe.

How do they know?

And, would I be foolish to continue to feed our son formula? Is it worth the risk?

Family...it's about survival

I saw this Wiki How-to on my iGoogle the other day and thought it might be timely. You know, just in case you might be spending time with family over the holidays...

Warning:

* This is not a replacement for seeking help from a qualified mental health expert.

How to stay in the black for Black Friday (and the rest of the holidays)

A co-worker sent me a link to 101 ways to trim your budget along with your tree this holiday season.

Good luck and Happy Holidays!

This disturbs me

http://www.kptv.com/news/17951905/detail.html

Sorry, I'm not adept at posting links. Anyhow, the gist of the story is that a family went to visit grandparents and were sleeping in one room. The baby fell through the floorboards and was missing. The police were called in and they found the baby, safe and sound, although dirty from being trapped between the floorboards.

Social services removed the three children from the home of the grandparents and then the parents' home because both were too dirty.

Should Social Services remove children from dirty homes? Does that constitute abuse and neglect if the children are fed, clothed and loved?

Frankly, I feel torn. On one hand, I don't want children to suffer abuse or be neglected. In those cases, I support the decision of social workers to remove children from dangerous situations. But I have to question the wisdom of removing kids from a dirty home. Heaven knows, my home is not always clean. Does that mean I'm neglecting my kids and do I have reason to fear that my children will be taken from me? I'm concerned that Social Services has too much power and that there isn't a counterpoint or balance to their decisions. And its hard to trust that they are actually doing a good job when you read of kids dying because of abuse and neglect and then other children who aren't being abused but are removed from their homes.

What do you think?

Stocking Up

Don't you love the quirky local news stories where you live?

Across the country, gun sales are surging as some gun enthusiasts are concerned President-elect Barack Obama may change gun laws.

Some are concerned Obama will implement tougher laws when he takes office. As a result, there's been an enormous surge in firearm sales in New Hampshire, and nationwide.

Throughout the election, Obama made clear his support for the 2nd Amendment but said there should be room for "common-sense, effective safety measures."

My heart is breaking over some of the meanness and hatefulness I've been watching unfold in recent weeks. I can honestly say that among the people I know personally on both sides of this divisive issue, I have not witnessed any hate or bigotry. I have mostly seen love and compassion, conviction and passion.

I am not naive enough to believe that there hasn't been bigotry and intolerance elsewhere, but I don't understand why so much hate has been directed at people of my faith. The irony is almost overwhelming.

So this morning I really appreciated reading this statement from Bishop Weigand, Head of the Catholic Diocese.

"The ProtectMarriage coalition, which led the successful campaign to pass Proposition 8, was an historic alliance of people from every faith and ethnicity. LDS were included--but so were Catholics and Jews, Evangelicals and Orthodox, African-Americans and Latinos, Asians and Anglos.

Bigoted attacks on Mormons for the part they played in our coalition are shameful and ignore the reality that Mormon voters were only a small part of the groundswell that supported Proposition 8."

OK, I'll bite...back

Out of compassion and love for certain friends and family and because I myself have been so torn over the issue, I deliberately chose not to discuss Prop 8 online (although I did go on Facebook at least once to defend a courageous friend), but today I'm breaking my silence. I just saw the latest "anti" video that's going live today. I won't dignify it with a link or a rebuttal here, but if you haven't heard about it I will tell you it is mean and it's based on one great falsehood that has played prominently in one side of the campaigning.

I won't pretend to understand what it's all about, but I do know one thing:

Prop 8 is not about anyone taking away anyone else's rights. The rights are already in place by law. I know this because I took the time to read the California Family Code.

297.5. (a) Registered domestic partners shall have the same rights,
protections, and benefits, and shall be subject to the same
responsibilities, obligations, and duties under law, whether they
derive from statutes, administrative regulations, court rules,
government policies, common law, or any other provisions or sources
of law, as are granted to and imposed upon spouses.

Teens who watch Sex in the City more likely to get pregnant

the story

This is a "duh-- really?" sort of story. Kind of like when the breaking news cries "eating a bowlful of lard a day will make you fat!"

How do you restrict media content at your house?

Admittedly, I rarely have to say no because we don't have cable and my boys aren't all that interested in TV. But between The Office and DVDs (usually romantic comedies that I rent) my kids certainly see more sexually explicit content than I'd like.

What are your thoughts?