faboo mama

I just got an email from ePluribus Media that they’re moving to a new address. I’m glad to see that, as I would have been bummed if one of the best investigative blogs on the internet shut down. From the email:

We are moving!

The addresses are the same and we’ve boxed up all the old stuff to bring with us, but Roxy’s wonderful tech team has given us a unified look and feel to our different sites and components. Come on in through the new front door: www.epluribusmedia.net

New features! Cleaner functions! You can create your own blog right within the ePluribus Media Community! Investigates is more dynamic and more receptive to searches!

Everything goes live on December 1, 2007, so come over and get acquainted.

And you know I will…

Metroblogging LA has turned 4 today, so why don’t you go on over and give them some birthday wishes. I’m forever grateful for the site that teaches me more about the city I live in and celebrates its quirks and idiosyncrasies.

In the past week, I’ve been hit up by several people for wish lists for my kids. Nothing has changed since they were born, the list is simple: Educational (non-electronic) toys as long as they’re not tied to a trademarked character or gift cards to places I get them clothes (Gap, Gymboree, Target, etc). Every year, those wishes are ignored and I’m faced with returning or tossing toys manufactured in China or Mexico (great sources of lead which has finally been sensationalized publicized this year), toys with Dora or Spiderman and gadgets that make too much noise. This year, I’ve decided to educate and assist friends and family with giving them links to stores and/or products that are educational, low-tech and evironmentally sound.

My first link given is always to Co-op America’s Green Toy idea list. The list has 10 gifts that ideal for small children. They’re pretty basic toys, but with big box toy stores, it’s easy to lose sight, when faced with wall to wall plastic, seeing kids of the same age screeching for certain items. Co-op America also has some tips on shopping green:

1. Buy Green and Fair Trade Toys. Search the National Green Pages™.

2. Find the Best Toys for Your Tots. By being mindful about the toys you choose, you’ll save money, keep toxins out of the playroom, and help workers around the world. Read more.

3. Buy Used Toys and Games. Check out your local consignment shop for gently used toys and games. As with any toy purchase, make sure to look for age appropriate items that do not pose choking hazards or other possible injuries.

4. Encourage Children to Play Outdoors and Use Their Imaginations. Research from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that children ages 8-18 spend a little over 6 hours per day using electronic media including TV, music, computers, and video games. Work to ensure that your children spend time reading, playing outdoors, drawing, painting, making music, or engaging in some other form of self expression.

5. Educate Yourself and Others About Toys and Violence. The Lion and the Lamb Project works to stop the marketing of violence to children. Check out their web site for a list of toys to avoid.

All of that is a no-brainer for me, which is why I am so particular about what comes into my house. If the purpose of the toy is vanity, enforcing a trademarked character’s brand, or just simply making noise, it goes into the trash. Packaging is also a big thing for me. Some of the toys are so overpackaged nowadays that it’s a workout just to get them out of all that cardboard, plastic and those evil, indestructible twist ties. Most green toys, if they’re packaged at all are in simply recycled cardboard. I know of a few companies that even use recyclable plastic to package the toy, with a simple sticker made of recycled paper printed with vegetable inks. Can you get more green than that?

My second link is to the Lazy Environmentalist interviews. These interviews with Ted McGuire and Serah Chae give you tips on new toys and what to look for when buying. You can also check out Treehugger blog for tips on green toys and shopping.

I understand that time is short for everyone these days. Many of my friends and relatives work two jobs to make ends meet. Most of them refuse to purchase anything online and find it easier just to walk into Target or Toys R Us and buy whatever gender-reinforcing toy they run into. Which is why I also provide a list of links to stores that not only sell green toys, but may also generate a list of where you can buy those toys. And yes, you can find green toys in Target and Toys R Us, but it would be preferable if you bought locally. That means seeking out little storefront toy stores in your neighborhood. Maybe there is one next to a little cafe you’ve been dying to try or one across the street from your favorite shoe store.

Where you can buy green toys:

Green Baby: This company has everything for prenatal to postnatal women, babies and kids.
Northwest Nature Shop: Has cool science type toys that any inquisitive person would love. We like them because we like learning, the little girl thinks that everything in nature (except bugs) is just amazing.
Green Toy Co.: Has products listed by age, gender and by activity. The company also sells a nice variety of Fair Trade toys.
KidBean: A Co-op Approved site, sells vegan items for you and baby. They now offer a list of the items they sell that are USA made.
Under the Green Roof: Lots of too-cute-for-words wooden toys. All the animals shapes are adorable and everything is painted using non-toxic paints.
Miyim: Organic, high-end toys and such. I wouldn’t personally buy their items (being broke and all), but I do like to look at the site. They give you a store locator where you can purchase items locally.
Imaginarium: It’s a shame that Toys R Us closed all these stores. It was the only store in the mall that we could all enjoy. You can still by Imaginarium products at Toys R Us, but it’s not the same.
Ten Thousand Villages: A Fair Trade company that sells probably the coolest items ever, and has a section of toys that are just amazing. Everything here looks like artwork and collectibles. Incredible.
Under The Nile: Certified with the National Organic Program Standards and with Demeter, this store sells clothing and toys made with organic cotton.
Kip’s Toyland: I live in Los Angeles and it wouldn’t be fair for me to not mention this family favorite. Set on the north side of historic Farmers Market, the toy store was always a must visit for me and my husband before we had kids. Needless to say, it’s a family favorite.

There are many other stores, especially in the UK and Australia, so take a look around. When you’re out, check to see if there’s a little toy shop tucked away somewhere. Good luck with your shopping and remember to think ‘green’.

Same reason Rev. Jesse Jackson and Rev. Al Sharpton should never be president. We have a separation of church and state in our Constitution. We do not have a religious requirement for a person to become president. We should never entertain the thought of a religious leader, no matter the religion, to become president. This means that several of my family members and friends should never be allowed to be president.

I’m okay with that.

I just want those people who feel that Huckabee is a good idea for a president because he’s a minister to think about their hypocritical feelings if Huckabee was a rabbi or an imam. Think of all those idiot Republicans and GOP media types who make a big deal of Senator Obama attending a Muslim school as a child, in a Muslim country and the lies and idiocies they spread about the Christian Senator wanting to turn this secular country Muslim. Not just your average run-of-the-mill Muslim, but a psychotic-beheading-jailing-the-rape-victim sort (I had to throw in the beheading so you won’t think I was talking about, Bill O’Reilly). Then think about how you feel when I say: Huckabee as president is dangerous because he is a Baptist minister and would turn this country into something out of A Handmaid’s Tale. Or worse.

I read yesterday on Metroblogging LA, a post about Christmas in LA. Specifically, it was about the severe lack of civic pride when it comes to Christmas displays. I’ve got to say, I totally agree. Jason Burns writes:

I drove to San Francisco the day after Thanksgiving because I wanted that Christmas feeling. You know, the one you see on TV with downtown streets covered in lights and smiling shoppers. We don’t have that here. We have people in cars, honking their way to a Best Buy, or Target, in places like Burbank, or Santa Monica. Decorations consist of paper stars hanging from light poles on Ventura Boulevard.

I had to laugh at that. I know exactly what he’s talking about. Anyone who knows me know how I feel about this Christmasness. I hate it. It’s a glittery distraction that just annoys me to no end. In my heart, I’m kinda glad that LA doesn’t do Big Christmas. Could you imagine navigating traffic with the current nimrods and out of town nimrods gawking? Still, considering how much money this city has, you’d think that somewhere along the line, some mayor would have thought, “Hey, we should have a major Christmas thingy. This is LA!”. But apparently all of our mayors have super sucked and think that lame Festival of Lights the DWP does is good enough.

I was in San Francisco the week before Christmas last year. We stayed a couple of blocks south of Union Square. The kids and my husband LOVED it. All those lights, the windows at the Macy’s, the ice skating. It was festive and I knew it. Hell, even I was happycrazygiddy by the time we walked back up the mountain hill to our hotel.

It reminded me of my youth in Kansas City. Thanksgiving evening everyone headed to the Plaza or at least watched on TV, the Lighting of the Plaza. Nothing was more spectacular than watching all the lights go on, then driving up and down the streets. The houses nearby were usually decorated in time and they offered more glittery delights.

But we don’t live in Kansas City or San Francisco (which is remarkably a lot like Kansas City in several more ways), we live in LA. The City That Doesn’t Try. Remember what our fireworks show looked like in 2000 compared to the rest of the world? I’ve seen backyard fireworks that had more oomph. We rest on our laurels, we depend on an undeserved reputation. We pretend we don’t care what the rest of the world is doing, yet we yearn to go elsewhere to get the Christmas spirit.

Know why The Grove is such a hit in December? They packaged that Christmas stuff up and sold it. The got the snow, the obnoxiously huge tree. The only thing they’re missing is an ice skating rink and I’m sure they’ll figure out a way to get one over the pond soon.

But one of the biggest problems is location. Where should the tree be? Ideally, near City Hall, but could you imagine parking? It would be $30 per car like the Lakers were actually vying for a title or something. Public transportation could work…provided you live or work near a line that’s still running on a weekend or after 5pm. The Grove already has it’s televised thing going on, besides traffic over there on a regular day sucks balls. Griffith Park Observatory would be cool, something that overlooks the city, but then all those cars going up there…or even worse, those horrid shuttles they used this past year.

My suggestion: A huge CGI created extravaganza that will make LA look like Christmas in Paradise, but without all the fuss of actually involving people.

I just found out about this via NaBloPoMo. The site is called Holidailies and guess what you have to do? That’s write (pun intended)…you have to blog daily during the month of December. It wouldn’t be too hard for me to do, but the question is… Do I want to?

Yeah, you know I signed up for it anyway.

Chagrined.

I’m more than a little curious why the site was taken down by the owner. It’s 20 to 7pm here on the West Coast and I’m sure there are people here and in Hawaii who still had their last posts to put up tonight. The site’s been offline since about 3pm my time and I wasn’t even able to get my NaBloPoMo finished badge from them. I had to snag from another website.

I don’t know…it’s weird. The groups that were created, conversations that were cut off, strange…I hope they decide to reinstate the site. There were tons of blogs I discovered through the site that I managed not to bookmark, thinking I could hit them up in December. Not if the site is down.

You know how the media is when these things happen. There’s a lot of repeat info and nothing new, then a lot of rumors are spread hysterically, then downplayed like some crazed person said it. So I waited to blog on this until facts settled down.

According to MSNBC, the situation is over and the person responsible has been apprehended by the police.

The man walked into the campaign office shortly before 1 p.m. and took several hostages, police and witnesses said. He let a woman with an infant go immediately and at least one other woman got out about two hours later.

[snip]

The suspect — clad in gray slacks, white dress shirt and a red tie — was put on the ground, handcuffed and taken two blocks to the police office in the back of a tactical response vehicle.

In reading reports, I’m glad to see that no one was hurt. Apparently he had a bomb, according to eyewitnesses and according to MSNBC, the suspect has a history of mental illness. Clinton still cancelled a planned speech today and commended her staff:

Clinton commended her volunteers for showing “extraordinary courage” under difficult circumstances. “I could not be prouder of the people in my campaign,” she said. “I am so grateful this day has ended well.”

She canceled all appearances, as did her husband, and the security around her was increased as a precaution.

So, that’s all over and done with. I can only imagine what cable news was like today.

I just realized that today is the last day of NaBloPoMo. Wow…what a month it’s been. With this post include, I”ve done 125 posts. Not bad. To do it, I’ve sort of had to ignore posting on other blogs for the month and I definitely neglected my other 4 blogs that I own. It’s been an interesting experience. I’ve “met” some interesting people that’s for sure. I know that I won’t keep posting every day after this month, but I’ll consider doing this exercise next year.

It’s raining. The paper said there was a 30% chance of rain, so naturally it rained. If it said 65% chance of rain, it would have just been cloudy. So, now that I’m feeling a little better, I can take the kids out the house, and it starts raining. That means we’re kinda stuck in the house, for there is no drama greater than rain-induced Iliadrama. The little girl must accessorize to death just to get into the car. If I make her leave one piece of crap at home, she screams, so forlorn, like the love of her life has sailed away forever. Don’t even get me started on the umbrella and the boot episodes.

I had plans to take the kids ice skating this morning, but that’s not happening so long as water is falling from the sky. Maybe I’ll finally tackle that Hello Kitty doll.