Christoph Waltz to Play Gorbachev in Cold War Drama

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/christoph-waltz-play-gorbachev-cold-war-drama-222423896.html

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In Time For The Holiday Shopping Rush, Etsy Launches Gift Cards

Etsy - Gift CardsIn August, Etsy, the popular online marketplace for all things handmade, announced it would be launching the ability to give friends and family gift cards to the marketplace. Today, Etsy is debuting the new feature, allowing you to purchase gift cards online here.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gRE1QrRqGlY/

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Capture Your Grief Day 15: Wave Of Light ? Myself When I Am Real

Day 15: Wave Of Light

October 15th was designated in 1988 by Ronald Reagan as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. For today?s post, we were invited to light our candles for the Wave Of Light ceremony and then photograph them. If someone in each time zone lights a candle and lets it burn for one hour, there will be a continuous Wave Of Light spanning 24 hours and encircling the globe.

As I prepared to light my candles (one for Skye and another for the tiny baby I miscarried in July, 2011) I thought about the items I wanted in my display. I chose the ones that are the very dearest to me. I would have put out Skye?s pictures in their frames, but those are still packed away in a box awaiting a house and furniture to set them on, a more permanent place. The items I did choose, however, are among my few earthly treasures.

The 3 largest sculptures were painted by my sisters and given to me in 2009 for what would have been Skye?s 1 year birthday. There is an angel sculpture that came in one of the plants from her funeral, a plant I no longer have because some very depraved person came onto my fenced in porch and stole it from me. They may never know how my heart broke that day and I cried over losing my 2 plants, the only remaining living things I had instead of a baby to care for. There is a Willow tree angel I got at her funeral also, a Beauty From A Broken Heart sculpture I made this summer that bears her name and birthday, and 2 sculptures from The Midnight Orange, one a birthday gift this year from my mom and a one of a kind collaboration piece featuring a hand painted pebble from Casey Doiron, the other a sculpture I had custom-made to memorialize what Skye Blue has blossomed into this year, with my baby girl as my inspiration.

The lights themselves are simple, Skye has her name on one, and the other is smaller and nameless, like the early miscarriage I experienced. The flood of emotion that came hurdling up my throat when I viewed the finished display, however, that was far from simple. As I write this I am about 20 minutes into my hour of remembering. My 3-year-old daughter can be heard playing happily and innocently in the next room and my son, due to be born in just 9 weeks, is moving gently in my belly and those are complicated emotions too.

Today, 4 years ago, I attended the first funeral for Skye in Central Kentucky, then we tenderly and broken heartedly loaded her tiny coffin into the back seat of our humble Kia and drove 3 hours west, ready to lay her body to rest for good the following morning. It was not at all how we had planned taking our baby to that part of the state to meet many family members for the first time. She was not wrapped in a blanket, secure in her car seat, rosy with life. We were not smiling very much. The day was just as beautiful then as it has been today, though, clear blue sky and colored leaves and balmy weather. But our baby was in a box, at least her body was, and after we handed her box over to the funeral home there in Salem, we would never hold her again.

It was October 15th, 2008.

8 PM CST
Columbia Tennessee, USA
October 15th 2012

Source: http://natasiachampion.wordpress.com/2012/10/15/capture-your-grief-day-15-wave-of-light/

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Historic Steam Engine Visits KC?s Union Station

KANSAS CITY, Mo. ? A piece of American history pulled up on the tracks outside Union Station this weekend.

One of the nation?s only remaining steam locomotives is on a 13 ,000 mile tour across the country. It?s part of Union Pacific?s 150-year anniversary.

It?s known to thousands only by its number: the 844.? Union Pacific?s iconic steam engine speaks of America?s history, and draws wide-eyed children and their parents trackside in wonder.

?Last time we came and looked at it, and I thought I was a little bit bigger than the tires,? young Hallie Stamper said. ?But now that i came again, I am wrong.?

It?s steel wheels are as immense as its whistle is loud.

?Since I was two, and first saw a train, I just loved them,? Nathan Greer said.

Ed Dickens was once a train-loving, striped hat-wearing boy with one dream: to become an engineer on a train like the 844.

?We come into town and see little kids dressed up like train conductors and engineers,? Dickens said. ?In some communities, they become our regulars. It?s neat to watch them grow up. and a lot of us on the crew were the same way.?

As the 844, whistles and chugs its way through cities across America, it relives a rich time in our history. The museum car tells of President Abraham Lincoln signing the Pacific Railway Act 150 years ago, which gave birth to Union Pacific.

This car also contains a replica of the golden spike used to connect the Transcontinental Railroad. Many of our nation?s cities exist because of that rail line.

?You go through towns, and there will be families tailgating with a little blanket set up and a little picnic lunch,? Dickens said. ?It?s an important part of not only our company?s heritage, but our country?s heritage as well.?

?

Source: http://southjohnsoncounty.fox4kc.com/news/news/102670-historic-steam-engine-visits-kcs-union-station

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Study: Average Display Size Climbing On All Devices Except For Mobile PCs

samsung galaxy note 2A new study from NPD DisplaySearch today shows that on average, the diagonal size of LCD and other displays on electronic devices and public signboards is on the rise, with the notable exception of mobile PCs. In some areas, NPD is showing huge growth, like the whopping 38 percent projected increase in mobile phone screen size between 2010 and 2013.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/iTkhLlMT7hw/

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DRIVEN: Toyota Camry 2.5V Test Drive Report

The Toyota Camry is a car ?enthusiasts? love to hate. It?s an uncle car, big and boring, overpriced and underspecced, they say. Rubbish, some might add. For an online reviewer to say that it?s decent would be akin to running across a firing line. Online? Without the scrutiny of active feedback from you, dear readers, papers and car mags can get away with almost anything.

Anyway, we believe there?s a car for everyone, and one that?s not to your personal taste doesn?t make it a bad car. After drving this XV50 Camry 2.5V for few days, not only am I quite fond of it, I now fully understand why the Camry is such a popular car, the default big sedan that racks up sales Koreans dream about in our part of the world.

First, let?s get some niggles out of the way. There?s no Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) available, even on our range topping RM180,900 2.5V. This is either very stingy or a big oversight on Toyota?s part, especially when the previous Camry had it. Needs to be rectified for the facelift, if not sooner.

Looks wise, I prefer the quiet elegance of the previous model (pre-facelift was even smoother) than the sharper ?more dynamic? lines of this Camry. Could be just me, but it looks a little forced. Perhaps they wanted to incorporate ?more Lexus? into the image, but those who prioritise eye-catching design won?t be looking this way, not with the Sonata and Optima in town.

The chiselled new face, dominated by that huge chromed grille, is bolder but a bit fussy, and those LED strips below the fog lamps can?t be anything but an afterthought. There?s more adventure then you?d expect from Toyota?s designers though ? there?s an arc that rises from the headlamps, diving down to meet the rising belt line for a signature character stroke.

Another unique cue is the way the car?s sides don?t meld into the front and rear surfaces, and are instead ?cut off? quite severely. Toyota calls this ?aero corner design? and it helps simplify air flow, aiding aerodynamics along with the discreet ?aero stabilising fin? behind the wing mirrors and under-floor covers.

Moving inside, I like the simplicity of this new dashboard. Same amount of functions, via less buttons ? a completely opposite approach from the Honda Accord.

Another plus point for me is the rich meter panel, now incorporating a fuel-consumption section (needle for average FC, light bar for instantaneous) and a two-tier trip meter. When the latter shows average FC and range, I rarely need to jog it via the steering buttons. And like most new cars, an ECO light is included to coach your right foot.

It has to be said though that the more spartan feel (?feel? because there are no less functions than before) and plain black plastic on the centre stack do little to add to the impression of luxury, something that the previous car did better. Points are clawed back with the stitched dashboard, stereo knobs with fine cut surfacing and a richly-lined handphone slot below the AC panel.

If wood is a must, then they?ve done all they can to make the cabin look ?younger? compared to the previous Camry and the Nissan Teana. The black-beige colour combo is right for me, especially in a car like this. The lighter hue provides an expansive feel, while the contrasting black (dashboard, steering, door caps) adds dynamism. Better than the Teana?s different shades of beige theme, I think.

Let?s not forget the Camry specials. Things like a powered rear blind, manual rear window blinds and shoulder switches give the Camry a touch of limo appeal. The latter is located on the side of the front passenger seat, allowing the driver to adjust that seat electrically without bending over and stretching. Ferrying the family over the weekend, I used it often.

Speaking of limo appeal, rear occupants can really sit back and relax, like a boss. Besides the features above, the Camry?s front passenger headrest can be folded down for a better view.

The rear bench seating position is good (base not too low, seat back angle not too reclined) and there?s plenty of knee and legroom, more than before thanks to reshaped front seat backs and centre console, which houses air vents. The Camry?s exterior dimensions, 2,775 mm wheelbase included, are unchanged, but packaging has been improved to realise better cabin space.

Kit wise, our 2.5V came with niceties like HID projectors (across the range), eight-way powered seats with electric lumbar for the driver, touch-screen DVD-AVN system with USB, AUX, Bluetooth and reverse camera, front and side airbags, plus keyless entry with push start button.

Good stuff, but for the money, I would have liked an anti-glare rear view mirror (current one is a thin, cheap looking unit) and wing mirrors that auto fold along with the keyless entry. There?s also no auto headlamps and wipers.

Much has been said about the rise of the Koreans, who are doing a great job, but this new Camry is proof (or rather reminder) that Toyota really knows how to make a big sedan work. No edgy design or fancy glass roof here, just a very comfortable and effortless cruiser.

The 2AR-FE 2.5-litre engine (Dual VVTi, 181 PS, 231 Nm) is very well insulated and smooth revving, and the way it picks up speed with that strong mid range is impressive.

Same goes for the silky six-speed auto gearbox, which is a good balance between smoothness and speed ? changing gears is not so sharp till you feel it, but it does not overlap and slur its way around either. Judgement and perception is very good, which is why I never felt the need to use manual mode.

There?s a slickness and effortlessness to this drivetrain that?s missing in say, a Hyundai Sonata, which is more rough around the edges, and the hushed way the Camry goes about its business should appeal to more in this segment than charismatic nemesis Honda Accord.

The Camry is a smooth operator, which is why I was surprised at the higher than expected vibration at idle, which isn?t in character. Could be an isolated case, but even if not, I reckon that it?s not something that many would notice, only because we?re serial testers.

Some might say that the Camry has always been smooth. True, but it has never been this competent when hustled. The big Toyota is still not a driver?s car, or even as nice to drive hard down a B-road than an Accord, but it doesn?t feel as uncomfortable as before should you insist.

The steering has surprising weight to it, too. Not much feel, but its precision and weight alone makes the Camry a sharper tool than before. Trunk road driving is not a nightmare as many keen drivers would expect ? tyres squeal very early on, and there?s quite a bit of roll, but body control is decent.

Ride comfort is good, and the primary high-speed ride isn?t disconcertingly floaty. Road and wind noise are very well insulated, adding to the XV50?s mile munching cruiser appeal. The Camry has always been a smooth operator, but this time around, the dynamics have caught up a little.

Living with it for a few days, I can understand why the Camry is so popular with the conservative buyer. It?s not the most exciting player around (far from it), there are spec (too low) and price (too high) issues, and there?s that image problem with younger folks; but Toyota understands what the bulk of D-segment buyers want, and executes the plan well, on the 2.5V at least.

Of course, there?s also the strong resale value and service network the brand commands, things that are high up the priority list of many car buyers.

I?m pleasantly surprised. The uncle never had it this good.

?

Source: http://paultan.org/2012/10/15/driven-toyota-camry-2-5v-test-drive-report/

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Blocked emails - UK Business Forums

I have recently sent an email to our customers informing of our new bank details. There were approx 500 email addresses I sent this email to, using Outlook Express and the Bcc function (undisclosed recipients).

Since doing this some of our customers and suppliers have incorrectly blocked our emails, so I am getting message failed every time I send them an email. Some of these I didn't even send the "bank details" email to in the first place.

Can anyone suggest anything I can do to prevent this happening?

Many thanks!

Source: http://www.ukbusinessforums.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=274372

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AP Impact: Feds muff kid jewelry cadmium crackdown

This Oct. 10, 2012, photo shows jewelry containing high levels of the toxic metal cadmium purchased by The Associated Press at small shops in Los Angeles during a 19-month period ending in March 2012. Federal regulators failed to pursue recalls after they found cadmium-tainted jewelry on store shelves, despite their vow to keep such toxic trinkets out of children's hands, an AP investigation shows. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

This Oct. 10, 2012, photo shows jewelry containing high levels of the toxic metal cadmium purchased by The Associated Press at small shops in Los Angeles during a 19-month period ending in March 2012. Federal regulators failed to pursue recalls after they found cadmium-tainted jewelry on store shelves, despite their vow to keep such toxic trinkets out of children's hands, an AP investigation shows. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010, file photo, Inez Moore Tenenbaum, chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, appears during a joint news conference following the second China-EU-US high-level Trilateral Summit on Product Safety in Shanghai, China. Federal regulators failed to pursue recalls after they found cadmium-tainted jewelry on store shelves, despite their vow to keep such toxic trinkets out of children's hands, an Associated Press investigation shows. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

This Oct. 10, 2012, photo shows jewelry containing high levels of the toxic metal cadmium purchased by The Associated Press at small shops in Los Angeles during a 19-month period ending in March 2012. Federal regulators failed to pursue recalls after they found cadmium-tainted jewelry on store shelves, despite their vow to keep such toxic trinkets out of children's hands, an AP investigation shows. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

(AP) ? Federal regulators failed to pursue recalls after they found cadmium-tainted jewelry on store shelves, despite their vow to keep the toxic trinkets out of children's hands, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Officials at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission also have not warned parents about the contaminated items already in their homes.

More than two years after the AP revealed that some Chinese factories were substituting cadmium for banned lead, the CPSC still hasn't determined the extent of the contamination.

Contaminated jewelry is surely less prevalent in the U.S. than before its widespread presence was first documented. However, rings, bracelets and pendants containing cadmium and marketed for preteen girls were purchased over the last year. The AP and representatives of two consumer groups were able to buy the items in Los Angeles, suburban San Francisco, central Ohio and upstate New York.

Despite touting its work as a model of proactive regulation, the agency tasked with protecting Americans from dangerous everyday products often has been reactive ? or inactive.

Take a "children's jewelry sweep" the CPSC conducted at stores nationwide. Testing showed that six different items on shelves ? including one referred to as a "baby bracelet" ? were hazardous by the agency's guidelines. Yet the agency neither pursued recalls nor warned the public about the items, records and interviews show.

In addition, the CPSC allowed Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Meijer, a smaller Midwest chain, to pull from shelves jewelry that flunked safety testing without telling parents who had previously purchased such items. And it did not follow through on evidence it developed that cadmium jewelry remains on sale in local shops.

Agency staffers have consistently sided with firms that argued their high-cadmium items shouldn't be recalled ? not because they were safe in the hands of kids, but because they were deemed not to meet the legal definition of a "children's product." Also, the CPSC trusted retailers and jewelry importers to self-police their inventories for cadmium, but did not check whether they had done so for at least a year.

In response to AP's reporting, the CPSC said it did all it could given limited resources. A spokesman credited the agency's focus on intercepting jewelry before it got onto shelves as the reason that cadmium did not become the widespread scourge that lead was several years ago.

To be sure, the CPSC does have challenges.

Though the agency's resources have been growing, by federal standards the CPSC is a minnow ? a $115 million budget supports just 545 full-time employees responsible for regulating thousands of products.

And, under agency rules, it is difficult to mandate that a firm recall an item.

While CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum has claimed credit for reducing the presence of cadmium in children's jewelry, in fact, faster and more forceful efforts have come from elsewhere.

For example, major retailers including Wal-Mart and Target Corp. began requiring safety testing ? not the CPSC.

And new laws in six states and national legal settlements ? not the CPSC ? created strict, binding limits on cadmium in jewelry.

There are no known injuries or deaths due to cadmium in children's jewelry, but contaminated jewelry can poison in two ways: slow and steady through habitual licking and biting, or acutely through swallowing. The CPSC estimates that several thousand kids are treated annually at U.S. emergency rooms for accidentally ingesting jewelry.

Once in the body, cadmium stays for decades. If enough accumulates, it can cripple kidneys and bones ? and cause cancer.

___

To examine the agency's performance on the cadmium issue, the AP conducted three rounds of testing, analyzed hundreds of agency test results and reviewed hundreds of pages of internal documents obtained under the federal Freedom of Information Act. Dozens of regulators, scientists, members of industry, or consumer advocates were interviewed.

National chain stores ? which closely manage their public images and invest in product testing ? appear to have cleaned up their inventories. Shops that sell discount jewelry are a different story.

The AP made three visits to a dozen small shops in Los Angeles' jewelry district during a 19-month period ending in March. A reporter bought bracelets, necklaces and charm bracelets that salespeople said would make a good gift for a kindergartner.

Twenty of 64 items purchased were at least 5 percent cadmium, and often much higher, according to tests using an Olympus Innov-X X-ray fluorescence gun that estimates what metals are in jewelry. Subsequent lab testing showed that several pendants were hazardous based on CPSC guidelines. One was 85 percent cadmium.

Additional proof that cadmium jewelry was being sold comes from testing by two advocacy groups, the California-based Center for Environmental Health and Michigan-based Ecology Center. Lab results indicated that trinkets bought at Halloween costume stores last fall in the San Francisco Bay area and discounters in New York and Ohio over the winter were between 20 and 30 percent cadmium.

While the items would appeal to kids, they weren't recalled, apparently because the CPSC did not consider them children's products. If jewelry isn't "primarily intended" for kids 12 and under, it's an adult product ? and adult products have no cadmium restrictions.

Results of the testing by AP and the advocacy groups reinforce ongoing reporting on the larger question ? whether the CPSC has kept its word on taking the strongest steps possible to clean up store shelves and children's jewelry boxes.

In fact, the CPSC has been aware that cadmium jewelry was being sold in some discount shops since at least September 2010. That's when the agency's lab reported hazardous readings from a children's pendant bought at a small shop in New York City. As with jewelry AP bought in Los Angeles, there were no manufacturer markings on the packaging ? and that made it difficult to track the pendant to its source.

The agency's investigator bought all the samples at the shop, but didn't look to see whether the pendant was sold elsewhere, CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said.

"We've got to make some tough decisions with our investigators in terms of when they stay on the trail," Wolfson said. "There needs to be a rationale for it."

___

In January 2010, Tenenbaum mobilized her agency in reaction to AP's initial investigation. She told parents to toss cheap metal trinkets and promised to investigate all high-cadmium jewelry the agency learned about.

While five jewelry recalls followed, none began at the agency's initiative. The first three covered products AP highlighted; the last two came after companies approached the CPSC. All the recalls were voluntary.

Then the recalls stopped, though not because the CPSC thought cadmium was gone from the marketplace.

Instead of clearing contaminated products from store shelves, the agency focused on a policy of restricting future flow. At first, that meant warning Asian manufacturers to stop substituting cadmium for lead. Later, the agency started scattered cargo checks at U.S. ports and pressed a private-sector group led by the jewelry industry to adopt voluntary cadmium limits.

It took nearly two years for those standards to be enacted. And while several cadmium jewelry shipments were intercepted, with just 19 inspectors at 15 ports, the agency touches a minuscule fraction of the billions of consumer goods that enter the U.S. each year.

At a product safety conference in March, Tenenbaum claimed victory: "The proactive steps we have taken in China, at the ports, and in the standards environment have stopped cadmium from being the next lead."

But it wasn't until early 2011, a full year after AP's original report, that the agency had began seriously checking children's jewelry on store shelves. Even then, the scale of sampling was not great enough to draw broad conclusions.

Tenenbaum said in an interview that inspectors didn't check store shelves earlier because agency scientists had not decided what cadmium levels would qualify a piece of jewelry as hazardous. And they haven't checked more since 2011 due to other priorities, particularly items that children have died using, such as faulty cribs and ATVs.

___

Before 2010, the consumer agency ignored scattered reports of cadmium-contaminated jewelry. Emails obtained under FOIA show an agency working in the days immediately following AP's initial report to turn revelations about past indifference into a success story. But a reconstruction of the ensuing events suggests an agency that started out strong soon began to back off.

Just six months in office in early 2010, Tenenbaum found in cadmium an opportunity to contrast herself with her predecessor, who was cast as weak and ineffective during the 2007-08 Chinese product scares.

"These are a priority for the Chairman, so they are to be given priority," a senior official in CPSC's compliance division emailed testing lab colleagues about samples of bracelet charms on Jan. 14, 2010.

Two weeks later, the agency announced the first-ever cadmium-related recall ? 55,000 "The Princess and The Frog" movie-themed pendants sold at Walmarts.

Almost immediately, Tenenbaum was shaping the narrative the agency would tell and retell ? that fast action allowed it to "get ahead" of the cadmium problem.

By early 2011, the CPSC had finally done a national "children's jewelry sweep" to gauge what was on store shelves. That February, CPSC chemists reported a troubling analysis of three jewelry samples bought by agency inspectors. Testing showed that hazardous amounts of cadmium would dissolve into the stomach acid of a child who swallowed the jewelry.

Over the next few weeks, three more items failed the test, including the baby bracelet.

While the number of jewelry pieces with hazardous readings was not great ? 711 samples were screened ? some of the six items had even more alarming cadmium readings than jewelry that had been recalled. One was 27 times higher than the agency's acceptable limit.

Yet the CPSC neither informed consumers nor initiated recall efforts. Instead, the agency asked a distributor where two of the items were found to destroy its inventory. For another item, the inspector only rounded up all samples in the store.

Spokesman Wolfson gave several reasons why the agency took no further action. Two of the items were discontinued in 2005, according to the distributor, which meant "a recall was not warranted" ? despite the 2011 purchase. One had packaging that didn't identify the manufacturer or distributor. And in the three other cases, field inspectors had picked up jewelry that they thought was for children but that agency headquarters decided was actually for adults.

"We firmly believe that we took the right action based upon the work we did and the information we gathered," Wolfson said.

Because there were no recalls, the agency can't reveal what the products were or where they were bought.

Aside from the jewelry sweep, in at least two cases the agency let major retailers avoid informing the public that they had pulled jewelry after their testing turned up cadmium.

In May 2010, Wal-Mart announced it had removed "the few products" that failed checks it started doing on children's jewelry; it did not identify the items. The retailing giant had started running a European Union safety test that was similar to the stomach-acid test the CPSC used.

Wal-Mart spokesman Lorenzo Lopez said that despite failing a safety test, the items were not dangerous. He would not share the results.

"We're talking about components within these items that just didn't rise to the level where it posed a safety risk," he said.

Because Wal-Mart unilaterally yanked the products, no public notification was required by CPSC ? and Wal-Mart gave none.

The agency never pressed for a recall of items that had already been sold.

A similar scenario occurred at the Midwest retailer Meijer.

The CPSC learned of jewelry with hazardous test readings but, despite a pledge to follow any leads about cadmium jewelry, didn't open an investigation until AP began asking about the items six months later.

The agency never pressed for a recall because it decided the jewelry was primarily intended for teens or adults, not children.

Yet on the sales receipt, the items were listed as "girls jewelry" and "girls accessories" and a Meijer spokesman described them as "children's jewelry." He said they were briefly removed from store shelves, then returned, then pulled again when AP began inquiring.

Nowhere were the agency's conclusions more curious than the biggest recall of 2010 ? 12 million drinking glasses sold by McDonald's to promote the animated movie "Shrek Forever After." Cadmium used in red decorations on the glass could rub onto a child's hand, and eventually get into the mouth.

Months after the recall, the agency said the glasses shouldn't have been pulled because they were not mainly for kids.

And then there was the agency's assessment of brightly colored bracelet charms shaped like flip flops. Sold exclusively by Wal-Mart, the charms were 90 percent cadmium.

"Before you decide for certain that you want to recall the Flip Flop Charms, take a look at the image of the product in the attached email," Wal-Mart's then-director of product safety and compliance, Kyle Holifield, wrote the CPSC in January 2010. "There just isn't anything about the product itself or its packaging to indicate that it was designed or intended primarily for use by children."

Holifield's email only included the front of the packaging. The back of the packaging says the charms are "For ages 3 and over."

According to guidelines drafted by Wal-Mart's own product safety staff and endorsed by the jewelry industry, such labeling statements make jewelry a children's product.

That should have made the charms subject to cadmium limits ? and eligible for a recall.

In a written statement, Wal-Mart said: "When CPSC asked us about this item, we considered it an adult jewelry item because it was displayed alongside other adult jewelry-making items, and not intended for use by children."

Even CPSC field investigators who collected items for sale during the "children's jewelry sweep" were confused by what qualifies as children's jewelry under agency guidelines. At headquarters, CPSC experts decided some of the products were not for children after all.

___

Click on an interactive that allows readers to determine whether everyday items are considered "children's products" under U.S. law: http://hosted.ap.org/interactives/2012/cadmium/

___

Associated Press researcher Julie Reed in Charlotte, N.C., contributed to this report.

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The Associated Press National Investigative Team can be reached at investigate(at)ap.org

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Contact Justin Pritchard at http://twitter.com/lalanewsman

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Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-14-Cadmium%20Jewelry-CPSC/id-6b4453abe799461492fcd6f0f84127cd

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How can I trade foreign stocks? - The Help Desk - Personal Finance ...

Can I open an account with a U.S. broker to buy stocks and bonds that trade in other countries?

?Ric

Yes. Two brokerages that make it especially easy are Fidelity and E*Trade. At Fidelity, for example, you can trade on exchanges in 17 countries, from Belgium to Singapore. Buying local, though, has drawbacks. Commissions in some places are high, and you could also face currency-conversion fees of up to 1%. Foreign companies aren't subject to U.S. financial disclosure rules, and local taxes on foreign-paid dividends can be a hassle.

A simpler alternative is to buy one of the 400 or so American depositary receipts that trade on U.S. exchanges. ADRs hold shares of foreign firms, and you can buy and sell (and collect dividends) in dollars.

? Donovan X. Ramsey

Got a question for the Help Desk? Send it to?helpdesk@cnnmoney.com.

Source: http://helpdesk.blogs.money.cnn.com/2012/10/15/how-to-trade-foreign-stocks/

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