The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced yet another recall of remote controlled helicopters due to faulty batteries. This time, it's about 685,000 "Sky Scrambler" and "The Sharper Image" Wireless Indoor Helicopters. The rechargeable lithium ion battery inside the helicopters can overheat, catch fire, and well, you can see where this is going.

The distributor of the helicopters, Innovage LLC, has received two reports of incidents involving the toy helicopters igniting, including one where a fingertip was burned.

The recalled helicopters have yellow, red or blue decals. "BH26047" is printed on the Sky Scrambler's tail and "The Sharper Image" is printed on the tail of The Sharper Image helicopters. More photos of the recalled toy helicopters can be found here.

These were sold at mass merchandisers, department stores, drug stores, and other retail stores nationwide, and on the Web from June 2007 through May 2008 for about $20 each.

If you have one the recalled helicopters, you should immediately stop playing with it and contact Innovage for a full refund. You can reach them be calling (866) 672-2630 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, by visiting either of their Web sites, or by emailing them at returns@copterrecall.org.

Source

While it's not standard operating procedure, it's not uncommon for an older gentleman who is done having kids to get a vasectomy. When it comes to having sex, I imagine it is a much more convenient and efficient method of birth control than using a condom. These days, however, it's not just granddads who are taking advantage of that convenience.

According to this article, younger men are opting to take control of the contraception situation themselves -- and permanently. Or at least semi-permanently, since vasectomies are, in theory, reversible. When the vasectomy is done at an early age and the reversal much later, however, the likelihood of restoring fertility is much lower than when the initial cut is made later and the reversal done sooner thereafter.

So why would a guy take such a chance with his potential fatherhood? Well, actually, it's because they don't want to take a chance on fatherhood. After half a dozen near-misses with an unwanted pregnancy, Tim Vass got snipped. Afterwards, he says, the sex was much better -- "It's like eating junk food and knowing you're not going to get fat."

Personally, I'm not in favor of any surgery, no matter how minor, that's not absolutely necessary. Of course, I've got the most reliable form of contraception -- kids. Still, even though I'm done having kids, I think I would rather use a condom than get snipped. But if I were young, and single, and had any chance of getting lucky, I could see how a vasectomy would be a tempting alternative to carrying a bunch of condoms around with me.

Source

Usually the stories we hear of children being attacked by animals do not end well. This is not one of those.

An 11-year-old Brazilian boy named Gabriel Almeida has become of bit of a local celebrity not just for surviving a dog attack, but for the way he did it. He was playing in his uncle's back yard in the city of Belo Horizonte when a pit bull named Tita lunged at him and bit his arm. Almeida fought back with his only weapon: his teeth. He bit that dog right back, clamping down on its neck so hard he broke his own canine tooth.

"I grabbed him by the neck and bit," he says. "It's no big deal. It's better to lose a tooth than to lose your life."

After some nearby workers chased the dog away, Almeida went to the hospital for a couple of stitches. He's doing fine, but Tita, not so much. He was captured and is now living in the pound facing a possible death sentence.

Source

For better or worse, parents are a child's first and most influential teacher of life. It was a job that professor Randy Pausch took seriously.

Dr. Pausch's participation in the "Last Lecture" series at Carnegie Mellon University in 2007 was more than a life changing event for people all over the world, it was a message to his young children on how (and that they could, most definitely!) achieve their dreams.

The hour-long lecture had a bittersweet poignancy because, unlike other speakers who imparted wisdom based on a hypothetical last lecture, Pausch had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Rather than bemoan the fact or feel sorry for himself, ("We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.") the husband and father of three inspired millions (the Youtube version alone has been viewed nearly 4 million times) to live their lives to the fullest.

Wall Street Journal columnist, Jeffery Zaslow was in attendance for Pausch's lecture and the two worked together to share Pausch's thoughts in written form. Pausch was committed to spending every moment he could with his family, but used his hour alone while biking (exercise was crucial to maintaining his health) to speak to Zaslow via cellphone headset, which is how the bestselling The Last Lecture book came to be.

Through the book, and his numerous lectures and television appearances, Randy Pausch gave everyone a blueprint on how to make the most out of life ("Earnest is better than hip") and how face death with dignity.

Randy Pausch died yesterday at the age of 47. He is survived by his wife Jai,and their children Dylan, 6, Logan, 3, and Chloe, 2.

"I want the kids to know what I've always believed in," Pausch had told Zaslow in May, "and all the ways in which I've come to love them."

I don't think Dr. Pausch could have done a better job of letting them know.

Source

After two attempts at IVF failed, Darla Pritchard's twin sister Dana wasn't leaving anything to chance. She offered to improve her sister's odds at a successful pregnancy by being a gestational carrier (commonly called a surrogate). Darla and her husband Mark agreed, so during the next IVF cycle, doctors placed embryos inside both Darla and Dana.

Darla and Mark got their wish of becoming parents... times 3. Darla and Dana both became pregnant, Darla carrying two of the babies and Dana carrying one. Darla gave birth in February, while Dana gave birth six weeks later, so while the children -- all biological children of Darla and Mark -- are considered triplets, they'll have different birth dates.

In a twist that makes this tangled family tree even more interesting, by Missouri law, Dana is actually the mother of Mattie, the child that she carried for her sister. So Darla and Mark will have to actually adopt their own child before she is legally theirs. Hopefully these triplets will grow to be as devoted to each other as these sisters are!

Source

If you have ever burnt a batch of popcorn, then you know the smell can be pretty intense. To me, it smells a little worse than burnt milk, but not quite as bad as scorched beans.

To the kids staying in a University of Texas dorm, burnt popcorn smells like something requiring evacuation and a hazmat team. Which is exactly what they got after somebody called the fire department to report a strong odor in the building.

Everyone in the building was sent outside while the brave members of the Austin Fire Department tracked down the source. "What we found was burnt popcorn. It was popcorn burnt on the fourth floor, and it had a pretty bad odor and it spooked a lot of folks," an AFD spokesperson said.

By "spooked", he means "caused imaginary respiratory distress", with about 45 people complaining of feeling sick and having trouble breathing. Can the smell of burnt popcorn really make you sick? The fire department says no and blames the high number of patients on a "sympathetic reaction."

Source

"Where's your grandpa?" my three-year-old asked me one day, looking at a picture of my grandfather, who passed a way a couple of years before she was born. I could see that my five-year-old was looking at me intently. We've had this discussion before; she knew what my answer would be. But because she hasn't quite processed the information, she listens closely whenever we talk about a family member who's deceased.

Teaching children about death is a lesson that many parents put off for as long as possible. But even children who have never experienced loss eventually notice that living things die. They may notice dead bugs on the sidewalk, a bird in their yard. Or they may notice that family members are missing. And eventually, they start asking questions. It's a really hard bubble to burst, and parents often feel uncomfortable introducing their children to such a difficult topic.

Source

Most parents know that, in order to protect their kids' eyes, kids should wear sunglasses when they're out in the sun. Yes, even eyeballs can get sunburned. In fact, ultraviolet (UV) light can do much worse than just cause a corneal sunburn -- long term exposure can lead to cataracts and retinal and macular degeneration. So, just as you slather your kids in suntan lotion to protect their skin from sunburn, so too should they wear sunglasses to protect their eyes.

The problem is, not all sunglasses are created equally. Even shades that claim to block 100% of UV light may not; non-prescription sunglasses are barely regulated and mislabeling results in a harsh letter from the FDA and... well... that's about it. Ooh, but that letter will be strongly worded. And if a company uses non-specific wording such as "blocks most UV light", they can avoid that unpleasant letter.

Unfortunately, cheap sunglasses that don't actually block UV are actually worse than wearing no sunglasses at all. Because they block visible light, cheap shades cause your eyes to dilate, letting even more UV light in to wreak havoc. That's a bad thing. Full UV protection is very important, but how do you make sure that your kids' sunglasses really do offer the protection they say they do?

One way is to stick with name brands that are more likely to offer the protection they claim. Avoid the cheap, no-name, flea market glasses, even if they say they block UV light. Established brands are probably more interested in protecting their reputation than your kids' eyes, but the result likely the same. Another option is to buy sunglasses from Europe or Australia where they are more closely regulated. In any case, protect those eyes -- you can't get replacements.

Source

Good news for the manicure deprived mothers of the world! According to the New York Times, chipped nail polish is no longer evidence that you've just given up and let yourself go.

Instead, beat up nail color now says "I don't want to be too perfect" which is a message most mothers are able to convey quite convincingly without assistance, thanks to being forced to function on only 24 total minutes of sleep night after night after night.

Of course, fashion is never easy or everyone would be considered fabulous. The caveat with chipped nails is that they are only considered cutting edge when accenting an expensive handbag, designer outfit, and worn by someone clad in Sex and the City-esque shoes. Bearing beat up nails when wearing a stained t-shirt and yoga pants that haven't been washed in a week with a shrieking baby slung over your shoulder may not have the same artistic wallop noted by the NY Times, but it's a chance I'm willing to take until I have time for a touch up.

Source

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced the recall of about 19,000 Bright Starts Infant Rattles. The tip of the rattle's antenna (attached to a bee figure) can detach and pose a choking hazard to small children. The distributor of this rattle, Kids II, Inc., has received two reports of this happening, including one where the tip of the antenna ended up in a baby's mouth. No injuries have been reported.

The recalled rattle is a soft bee with a yellow head, ring-shaped green body and blue/green wings with purple/red antennas. You can find the model number 8534 and date code PA8 printed on a sewn-in label on the bee's head.

These were made in China and sold at toy stores, mass merchandisers, and other retail stores nationwide from January 2008 through June 2008 for about $2-3 each.

If you have one of these rattles, you should immediately take it away from your child and contact Kids II to receive a free replacement rattle. You can reach them by calling (877) 325-7056 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or by visiting their Web site.

Source