"If publishing history repeats itself," Slate writes, "the financial crisis of 2008 will probably produce a new crop of poverty lit for kids." We agree, and below we offer some ideas for you opportunistic writers out there.

Finger Food
A poor small town banks its future on a severed fingertip that young Elba Franklin finds in a can of beans. Before they can collect the hush money, though, opportunists from all over the country get involved, including newscasters, attorneys, bloggers, and the crotchety old man who wants his finger back no matter what it costs the town.

Rich on Paper
Micah "Crayon" Ponokie says his family is richer than god, and he can prove it by the mounds and mounds of cash they've got stashed all over the house. In this delightful picture book, Crayon and his younger brothers use the bills for everything from paper mache ninjas to flower bouquets for their unemployed mom—because it turns out paper money is worthless in Crayon's world. On the last few pages, Crayon and his brothers moan because they discover mom's making Dollar Bill Pizza again tonight.

Luv in SuvTown
Shades of S.E. Hinton color this YA novel, where Sara Elizardo and her cousins live with other homeless families in a "suvtown"—a collection of SUVs that have been abandoned because they're too expensive to drive—at the edge of a former Super Walmart parking lot somewhere in the Midwest. These modern day "stationary gypsies" have wild adventures with the law, usually involving being accused of loitering at the nearby Jack-in-the-Box, and they spend their nights sneaking through the abandoned big box store and pretending to sell each other cheap electronics and household goods. When a strange young man shows up with his unhappy, hostile parents, Sara sees a kindred spirit who might be the one to help her co-sign on a by-the-week apartment. Depressing and pathos-riddled, yes, but don't you remember those S.E. Hinton books?

Mommy's Dollhouses
Five-year-old Gertie Prentice loves going to work with her mommy. Her mommy is a cleaner—she goes into recently-foreclosed houses and makes them look good as new so they can be put back on the market, and she sneaks Gertie in with her because daycare is too expensive. Gertie goes through the forgotten toys and left-behind dishware in each house and makes up fantasies about the people who used to live there, and she wonders why the people would leave such nice houses behind. (This could be a tie-in to the YA novel above, if you're a smart publisher.)

"Mom, What's a Credit Default Swap?" [Slate]
(Images: Finger Food, Madamoiselle Green; Rich on Paper, labasta, Getty Images; Luv in SuvTown, stephentrepreneur; Mommy's Doll Houses, lumaxart, Todd Baker << technowannabe)

"Parents should know that there is less evidence than ever to support the use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for young children," said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore's health commissioner. "There is nothing that is holding the FDA back from asking for a voluntary recall now of products marketed to kids under 6."

"FDA urged to recall cold medicines for youngsters" [Associated Press]
(Photo: Getty Images)

Airblown Inflatable Light Show Scene [Walmart] (Thanks to Paul!)

Here's the video. One passenger is heard telling a woman and a child to get the hell out of his seating area, and the woman says that he should go to sleep and take a sleeping pill. The man also asks why the woman can't control her child, blah, blah, blah.

Christopher Elliott says JetBlue could have handled this differently, and we have to agree. He's his take on it:

I think JetBlue could have handled this differently. Rather than sending a lengthy, defensive letter to the customer, the airline could have tried to patch things up. It’s obvious that she wasn’t taping the flight deck for nefarious purposes. Arguments between passengers such as the one she taped are pretty common these days.

The crew overreacted and the company overreacted. Its letter to Parver has just reopened old wounds.

Here’s the video that got grandmother detained on JetBlue flight [Elliott]

I'm all in favor of buying generic over the counter medications; however, this morning when my child was sick, I went for the acetaminophen, and almost ended up giving him allergy medication.

Is it just me, or should Target make the bottles just a bit different, as to not confuse those of us who wake at 4am to a crying toddler?

(Thanks to Circadian Swing!)

Bed, Bath & Beyond refused to let some customers use the phone to call 911 after they saw a toddler locked in a hot car in the store's parking lot. The witnesses told the local news that the employees told them, "...You cannot call no one, what goes on in the parking lot is not our concern."

"I said, lady, there is a child out there in a hot car and it's locked and it needs help. And I said, will you let us use your phone and call and she said no, we will not get involved."

The Lexington police arrived, smashed the car window and gave the 3-year-old some water. The mother was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment. Meanwhile, Bed, Bath & Beyond has issued a statement about the incident.

"The customer did ask the store to contact the authorities, the store suggested that the customer, who had witnessed the situation, contact 911. We are pleased that the manner was addressed in a timely manner and will use this incident as a training opportunity."

Police: Toddler In Hot Van For 45 Min. [LEX 18 News] (Thanks, Doug!)
(Photo: Morton Fox )

"The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is urging parents and caregivers to stop using convertible “close-sleeper/bedside sleeper” bassinets manufactured by Simplicity Inc., of Reading, Pa. CPSC has learned that on August 21, 2008, a 5-month-old girl from Shawnee, Kan. was strangled to death when she became entrapped between the bassinet’s metal bars. This is the second strangulation death CPSC has learned of in the co-sleeper bassinets. On September 29, 2007, a 4-month-old girl from Noel, Mo. became entrapped in the metal bars of the bassinet and died.

CPSC is issuing this safety alert because SFCA Inc., the company which purchased all of Simplicity Inc.’s assets at public auction in April 2008, has refused to cooperate with the government and recall the products. SFCA maintains that it is not responsible for products previously manufactured by Simplicity Inc.

The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 convertible bassinets contain metal bars spaced farther apart than 2 3/8 inches, which is the maximum distance allowed under the federal crib safety standard. The metal bars are covered by an adjustable fabric flap which is attached by velcro. The fabric is folded down when the bassinet is converted into a bed-side co-sleeping position. If the velcro is not properly re-secured when the flap is adjusted, an infant can slip through the opening and become entrapped in the metal bars and suffocate.

Infants Strangled to Death in Simplicity Bassinets: CPSC Urges Consumers To Stop Using Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1 Convertible “Close-Sleeper” Models [CPSC]

As MSNBC puts it, "It kind of makes us pine for that irritating, but light-hearted, Energizer bunny." Plus, you can use the bunny to point out where the bad man touched you.

"Trust Duracell to Scare the *$#%! Out of You" [MSNBC]

Kiplinger's has put together a list of 6 back-to-school money lessons for every stage of your child's development. Does it work? Well, my parents did this stuff with me and I don't live under a bridge or anything, so it certainly can't hurt.

Remember: teaching your kids about how the financial world works is more valuable to them than just giving them money. They'll thank you when they're 25 and don't have credit card debt!

Kiplinger's Back-To-School Money Lessons:

• Ages 3-5: Big-Picture Years. Keep things simple and don't expect too much. Encourage kids to put coins in a vending machine or pay the ice-cream man. They can play with fun savings banks, learn the difference between pennies, nickels and dimes, or collect state quarters. The more hands-on the activity, the better.

• Ages 6-7: Time to Start an Allowance. How much to give? Start with a basic weekly allowance equal to half the child's age. Tie the allowance to "financial chores"—spending responsibilities that the kids take over from you. To make the connection between work and pay, give your children the opportunity to earn money by doing extra jobs such as vacuuming or raking leaves.
• Ages 8-10: Bank on It. Help your kids open their own savings account. Should you require your kids to save? Not necessarily—but you can have them divvy up their allowance into pots of money for spending, saving, charitable giving, even investing. Have your children save toward a goal, whether it's a toy or a new baseball glove. And you can always encourage kids to save by matching what they put aside—for your very own family 401(k).
• Ages 11-13: Parent Power. As you head into the difficult 'tween years, remember that parents have power. Kids will listen to you if you have a clear message and deliver it consistently. Expand their allowance money to include more discretionary purchases such as video games and movie tickets. Kids shouldn't hit you up for 20 bucks every time they head to the mall. Having to chip in their own money puts a natural brake on spending. If you're an investor, introduce them to the stock market with small purchases of stock through sites such as www.ShareBuilder.com and www.MyStockDirect.com.
• Ages 14-15: Stick With Cash. Parents should decline prepaid debit cards which banks aim squarely at this age group. Stick with cash. Even at this age, plastic of any kind isn't as real to kids as money they can see and feel. Expand their allowance to include clothing, concerts and other high-school entertainment. Encourage them to get a job—at least over the summer.
• Ages 16-18 and Into College: Hold the Plastic. Teens don't realize that a credit card is not free money. They need to know that when you use a card, you're borrowing from the card issuer, which will charge you a high rate of interest. Cash is still king. Help your kids open a checking account (and get a debit card) so they can learn how to balance a checkbook—either by using a check register or online entry—before they head off to college.

The only thing we'd add is that you should custom tailor this list to suit your child. Janet Bodnar, who wrote the article summarized here, strongly believes that no one should have a credit card until they're a senior in college, and based on the statistics we read about college students it's almost impossible to argue. However, if you take the time to really and truly educate your child about the benefits of using a credit card wisely (as in, not ever, ever, ever carrying a balance, etc.) then we think you as parents could consider adding your college student as an authorized user on your credit card so you can monitor their expenses and offer guidance. Maybe even consider a charge card where the balance must be paid in full each month.

Again, you know your kid better than a list does, and if you are a kid and you're reading this list... Congratulations. Maybe you can use this list to teach your parents about money!

The Last Word on Kids and Cash [Kiplingers]
(Photo: Sa_Steve )

So far, the mother isn't talking lawsuits or anything:

Pancaro, who bought the toy on Aug. 2, said she sent a letter to Fisher-Price, urging it to either fix the toy so it wouldn’t pick up CB chatter or pull the product from the shelves.

Fisher-Price told the Associated Press they've tried twice to contact her but have been unsuccessful.

You can still buy the magic trucker-talkies from Walmart, but your odds of picking up drive-by chatter are probably slim. It's more likely the truckers were using (illegal?) transmitters to boost their range, or sunspot activity jazzed up the ionosphere and made the signals bounce further.

"Mom says child’s toy had a mouth like a trucker" [MSNBC via The Business Sheet] (Thanks to Hilary!)
(Photo: igb)

For children between 4 and 8 years of age, the recommended amount of calories per meal, assuming three meals a day, is 430. If the child is active, the amount goes up to 565. Using these numbers as a guide, the CSPI looked at the biggest restaurant chains in the country, then whittled their list down to the ones that offer dedicated kids' menus and provide nutritional info. This meant the following were left out of the study because they won't provide nutritional info:

We don't need no stinkin' nutrition
• Applebee's
• T.G.I. Friday's
• Outback Steakhouse
• Olive Garden
• Red Lobster
• IHOP

Here's what the CSPI has to say about those restaurants that do provide nutritional info:

Chili's has 700 possible kids’ meal combinations, but 658, or 94 percent, of those are too high in calories, including one comprised of country-fried chicken crispers, cinnamon apples, and chocolate milk (1,020 calories) and another comprised of cheese pizza, homestyle fries, and lemonade (1,000 calories).

Burger King has a “Big Kids” meal with a double cheeseburger, fries, and chocolate milk (910 calories)

Sonic has a “Wacky Pack” with 830 calories worth of grilled cheese, fries, and a slushie.

KFC has a wide variety of side items, but there are few meal combinations that keep a reasonable ceiling on calories, according to the study. One example of a high-cal combo KFC kid’s meal (the chain calls them “Laptop Meals”) has popcorn chicken, baked beans, biscuit, Teddy Grahams, and fruit punch, which has 940 calories. (KFC has since dropped Baked Cheetos from its kids’ meals, and some outlets vary the number of chicken strips or sides.)

Most of the kids’meals (93 percent) at McDonald’s and Wendy’s are too high in calories, as are the possibilities at Burger King (92 percent), Dairy Queen (89 percent), Arby’s (69 percent), and Denny’s (60 percent—though its kids’ meals don’t include drinks). (Since CSPI’s study was completed, Burger King has introduced one new children’s meal with macaroni and cheese, apple “fries,” and 1 percent milk, which has a reasonable 420 calories.)

Subway’s kids’ meals came out on top. Only a third of its Fresh Fit for Kids meals, which include a mini-sub, juice box, and one of several healthful side items (apple slices, raisins, or yogurt), exceed the 430-calorie threshold. Subway is the only chain that doesn’t offer soft drinks with kids’ meals.

So how do you improve the nutrition of your kid's meal the next time you eat at a restaurant? A spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association gave the following advice:

"Don't be too alarmed even when [studies] come out and seem hopeless," said Dawn Jackson Blatner, an American Dietetic Ass>ociation spokeswoman. "With a few swaps and switches, people really can make healthier choices at these fast-food joints, especially when the decisions are made before going in.

"Many of these restaurants have the nutrition information online that you can print out and go over with your kids even before you go, so that everybody is on the same page before they pull up to the drive-through or [head] to the counter," Blatner said.

She also suggested that "instead of getting the fries, go with the apple slices. Many [restaurants] offer carrot sticks or apple slices or no-sugar-added applesauce or oranges, which make a big difference over deep-fried fries."

And pay attention to how food is cooked. "Instead of the deep-fried nuggets, go for something like the grilled chicken, and you will save fat grams and calories," Blatner said. You'll also save calories by switching the soda, she added: "You can't go wrong with unsweetened iced tea, water or a skim milk."

As for the restaurants that refuse to provide nutritional info, maybe you should just eat elsewhere.

Click here for some specific replacement suggestions from the Chicago Tribune.

You can download a copy of the full CSPI report here.
(Photo: Getty)

The eight states are the usual southern bastions of education:

• Alabama - up to $50
• Georgia - up to $20
• Missouri - up to $50
• New Mexico - up to $15
• North Carolina - up to $100
• South Carolina - unlimited savings!
• Tennessee - up to $100
• Virginia - up to $20
• Washington D.C. - up to $100 through August 10

2008 State Sales Tax Holidays [Federation of Tax Administrators]
Do your homework before buying school supplies [The Chicago Tribune]

Leslie cc'd us on her letter to Carnival:

This letter is in reference to booking number 6K80R9. My name is Leslie. My husband, Stacey, and I have been trying to sail with Carnival for close to 3 years now. On our first attempt in October 2005, our port was obliterated by Hurricane Katrina. On our second attempt in September 2006, I had an emergent medical condition upon arriving to the airport related to my complicated pregnancy, thus I was unable to board the plane. I am very happy to say I did give birth in March 2007, and with a recent newborn, we have been unable to attempt to cruise until this year. We have been given the opportunity to take a space available cruise until September 2008.

My husband and I have tried on 2 separate occasions to sail according to the space available rules. Unfortunately on both occasions, Carnival was unable to confirm our cabins. We were previously informed that we would know, 2 weeks at the latest, prior to the sailing whether or not we will be confirmed. On both occasions (in February and June), they were unable to tell us "yes or no" until about 3 days before the sailing, making it EXTREMELY difficult and stressful for us. On both occasions, the answer was "no".

Here is my difficulty with attempting to cruise with this restriction. My husband and I are both hard working, full time employees. We now have a 16 month old child. We also live in the Midwest (Chicago, IL), where we are in no way close to any ports. We originally chose Carnival because it was highly recommended by friends and family and also due to the fact that it was very affordable for us. Of course we did not know we would not be able to make the departure based on my medical status at the time of our initial cruise. Unfortunately for us, we do not have the liberty of taking vacation at a 1-2 week or less notice. Our jobs require us to give ample notice prior to vacationing. This also entails finding childcare for our daughter, finding flights and possible hotels close to port the night prior to sailing. I don't know if you have ever tried to make arrangements this close to vacation time, but the costs are ridiculous without a 21 day advance notice. We have no family near us; therefore a relative from out of state must also make arrangements to watch our child in Chicago. This involves a lot of planning, time and energy, all of which we cannot afford. We are not retired and do not have the luxury of leaving for vacation on a moment's notice. Also as mentioned, we must fly to any port you sail out of because we are landlocked from the ocean in the Midwest. Taking all this into consideration, the cost of making last minute travel arrangements alone will greatly exceed the cost of what he have already paid for the cruise, thus now making it unaffordable for us.

I hope that you can understand our predicament. With the restrictions set forth for the space available cruise, it does not seem likely that we would ever be able to take this cruise, especially not by September of this year. Because we work very hard and now have a family to support, we do not want to lose the money we have paid either.

I am hoping that your company can help us out with this matter. I would like to again request a refund for our fully paid trip. If this is not possible, I urge you to please consider giving us a credit of the full amount that of our cruise that does not expire. We would like to request a credit $518 (we have already been refunded the $83.16 for taxes/fees). We also paid a $25 one-way transfer fee from Port Canaveral to Orlando airport which we obviously never used ($50 total for my husband and I). If given a credit that does not expire, this will allow us to rebook a cruise with ample time, and for us to make the appropriate flight and travel arrangements, and also to arrange for time off of work and childcare issues. In short, it will allow us to appropriately PLAN for a vacation. It has really been a struggle to utilize this vacation that we have already paid for. And on both attempts, where multiple arrangements were made in hopes of you having space for us, you were unable to confirm us. I don't feel that I am asking too much, as this is money that WE have already paid for.

I do understand the policies with missing cruises. It saddened us that we were not able to make that trip back in September 2006 however, such is life, where unexpected things occur. I really hope that we shouldn't have to be penalized for it (losing all the money for our vacation) simply due to an unexpected medical condition. Please reconsider this. I have spoken to multiple supervisors and company representatives over the past several years, but it does not seem that anyone can understand our difficulties.

Please contact me with any questions you may have.

Sincerely,

Leslie

Three years is a long time to wait for a vacation. A usable credit that doesn't expire isn't too much to ask.

(Photo: FredoAlvarez)

She writes:

I don't know if this is something you can help me with over the holiday weekend, but my husband and I are currently experiencing an issue with Jet Blue. In March, my mother in law paid for and I booked two tickets through the JetBlue website (at the total price of 798.00) to fly our two older children ( we have 4, two of whom are old enough to fly alone) to Boston direct from Austin for a two week vacation. The day we booked the tickets, my husband called to verify that A) the unaccompanied minor fee was included in the fare just paid (798.00) and B) the information needed for the drop off and pick up people.

He spoke with a woman named Jackie, who told him the fee WAS included, took the names of the adults and we thought all was well.

I called 20 minutes ago to verify that Jet Blue had all the adults information correct and make sure all was a go for the flight, and Jet Blue proceeded to tell us that the fee WAS not included and still needed to be paid. I handed the phone to my husband, who had verified it was included in the fare months ago, and at this point he escalated the call to the agents supervisor Laura, who completely stonewalled my husband, even after admitting that Jackie had made a mistake in informing us that the fee was included. Since we had been told that the fee was paid, we were not prepared to tell our kids grandmother that she is going to have to shell out another 200.00 for the kids to even get on the plane. (50 per kid, per way) Laura would only give us a first name for her supervisor ( Janet) and would not give us a number to reach her directly, at which point my husband asked how he was supposed to call a company as large as jetblue, as for Janet and get the RIGHT person. Laura simply said, she wasn't authorized to give out any info, so we got nowhere. We weren't even asking for the fee to be waived at that point, just what could be done to rectify the mistake, but Laura told him that only SHE could waive the fee and she wouldn't and she was not going to do anything else to help us. I REALLY hope JetBlue recorded that call. It's not like we can cancel the kids vacation, but he did manage to ask them if this is how they treat all their customers. and that he was sorely disappointed in thier customer service, and he would be sending all his business to another airline. Not that they care.

I just feel entirely swindled and almost like Jet blue pulled some kind of new bait and switch routine on us.

Is there anything we can do at this point, we really don't want to have to pay for Jetblues customer service mistake, especially since we were told the fee was paid in full when the tickets were booked (the site even asked if they would be flying alone when it was booked). I know in the short term we will have to pay it since they leave on saturday, but I will never hear the end of it from my Mother in Law ( :) ) if we don't fight what they did to us.

Catie

Considering that the website asked if the children were traveling alone, and your husband verified that the charge was included, it's not unreasonable for JetBlue to waive the fee.

Don't waste time fighting with frontline customer service representatives. Instead, call JetBlue's headquarters at (718) 709-3026 and ask someone in the CEO's office to help solve your problem.

(Photo: mil8)

She sent us her polite letter to Brooks Brother's CEO:

Dear Mr Del Vecchio -

Today, I received a Brooks Brothers catalog in the mail, addressed to Benjamin James Tate-Booth (sic). Benjamin Tate-Boothe is my three-week old infant son. I assure you that he has no need of Brooks Brothers suits at this time, especially as he tends to soil garments quickly.

I am concerned at how your company gained my son's name and address in order to address an unsolicited catalog to him. The customer number present on the envelope is #004388918, and the accompanying letter states that a request for this catalog was placed. Brooks Brothers may have purchased his name from another mailing list, because I doubt Ben is signing up for clothing catalogs at such a tender age.

I am addressing this to your attention as your name is on the letter accompanying this catalog. I am hoping you will look into the source of Ben's catalog request, and stop any further unsolicited mail going to our address.

Sincerely,

Jillian

Who says this is a mistake? Stain-resistant ties! Maybe they come with matching bibs. Benjamin could charge them to his brand new American Express card, you know, once as he learns to scribble his name.

Neiman Marcus immediately offered to take back the stroller and issue a credit, which should have resolved the problem. But one Neiman Marcus manager, Mia Beasley, tried to go the extra mile and ended up making things far worse. Mia promised Steven that she would find him a new stroller and, if necessary, eat the difference in cost.

Mia couldn't find a new stroller, and when Steven pressed for action, she disappeared entirely.

Steven cc'd us on his letter to Neiman Marcus:

Dear Mr. Tansky,

I am writing today to inform you of an experience I recently had purchasing a stroller online at Neiman Marcus. The lack of customer service and quality of the product was surprising, to say the least, considering your company’s extraordinary reputation.

On May 23, 2008 my wife and I purchased a Bugaboo stroller from the Neiman Marcus online store. We are expecting our first child in November 2008 and thought Neiman Marcus would be a great place to purchase our first item for our child. The stroller was purchased at an excellent discounted price of $682, including shipping.

We received the stroller on May 30, 2008 and to our disappointment the item appeared used. The wheels were worn out on the front, the wheel axel had human hair covering it, and some of the handles were worn out. The item was also not in its original packaging; it appeared to be thrown in a big box and sent out. My wife and I were thoroughly disappointed.

On May 31, 2008 I placed a call to a customer service agent explaining the situation and he offered to give us a credit for the purchase and to pick up the item. I explained to him that we were unable to find the stroller anywhere else at such a great price. I also asked if there was anything else he could do for us besides giving us the credit. He then put me through to his manager, Mia Beasley. Mia was very helpful on that day and told me that she would give us the credit immediately and order us a new stroller from one of the stores as soon as the funds cleared in our account. She also stated that they would eat the cost difference of the new stroller given the unsatisfactory condition our stroller had been received in. I was very pleased at that moment, but this is where the customer satisfaction ended.

The funds were released to our bank account on June 4, 2008. My wife and I called Mia Beasley on June 5, 2008 and left a message stating that our funds had been released. Mia Beasley called us on June 10, 2008 and asked if we were still interested in the new stroller, my wife answered “of course, we have been waiting anxiously for you to call us back.” Mia stated that Stephany Patrina would be in contact with us that same day to place the order. Mia once again told my wife that Neiman Marcus would assume the cost difference between the new stroller and the discounted stroller we had purchased. Stephany Patrina never called us. My wife attempted to call Mia Beasley on June 11th, 12th, 13th, and 17th without success. Several voice messages were left on those days.

Mia finally returned our call on June 17, 2008 after a fourth message was left for her dating back to June 11th. When Mia spoke to my wife she explained that they were having difficulty locating the stroller at one of the stores and were unable to provide us with a new item. Mia Beasley also told my wife “to Google the item and try and find it at another store”. I, at this point, was very upset with the lack of customer support and urgency to get this matter resolved by Mia Beasley. I called her back and left a message expressing my unhappiness with the results thus far, and threatened to go above her to another manager, director, or directly to the CEO. I expressed an interest in getting the matter resolved within twenty four hours. Mia angrily returned my call stating that she was “very disturbed by my message”. I guess she was disturbed by the fact that I wanted to get the matter resolved and I was threatening to go above her authority to get it done. I was at wits end with the process by this point. I then told Mia that she should not have made my wife and I a promise that she couldn’t keep. Mia then claimed that she had never told us that she would replace our purchase with a new stroller and also claimed that she never told my wife or I that they would eat the cost difference.

At this point I was quite aggravated with Mia and the customer service, or lack thereof, that I had received. Not only was Mia totally reversing what she had said, but now she was calling my wife and I liars. I then told Mia that I was going to have to take this above her to her manager and possibly the CEO of Neiman Marcus. Mia then told me that she didn’t care and that I could take it to whomever I needed to.

On June 17th at 5:00 pm EST, I gave it one more shot. I called Mia’s manager Maggie Barker and left a message to call me back immediately regarding this situation. I still haven’t heard back from Maggie as of the date of this letter. Not exactly the world class customer service I expected from Neiman Marcus.

You will be happy to know that my wife and I did get our Bugaboo Stroller for $700, only $18 more than what we would have paid at Neiman Marcus. The difference was a lot less aggravation and a positive experience. It was purchased from an unknown company called mystrollers.com. They might not have the world class name that Neiman Marcus possesses but the customer service and the product was delivered in a world class manner. We received the item only twenty four hours after placing the order. The product was new, in its original packaging, and the shipping was free. I hope that Neiman Marcus is proud of the fact that they were outclassed by an online start-up company. I feel as if Neiman Marcus owes my wife and I some sort of apology. I am not sure, however, that anything can change the experience that cost your company this purchase, and may have cost Neiman Marcus customers for life.

Sincerely,

Steven

(Photo: Getty)

One page illustrates the difference between standard definition 480p and HD 1080p by asking the reader to "take your crayon and draw 480 dots inside this TV," then "take a different color crayon and draw 1,080 dots inside this HDTV." Aha! Also included is a Blu-Ray maze; it took us a few tries to complete it, but we feel like we now have a better understanding of HDTV, 1080p versus 1080i, and upconverting.

Free Coloring Book - HD for Kids! [NonToxicReviews]

(Photo: Getty)

Other tips are a little more traditional, like have your kid write down everything he spends money on, or save his allowance for a special purchase, or—and this is probably the biggest stumbling block—lead by example:

Parents can help with the basics, but a lot of them also lack financial education, Levine said. She added that where parents can be very helpful is in giving their kids their first lesson about money.
 
There are concerns that parents aren't setting a good example for kids. The national savings rate has declined since 2001.
 
"Today's kids, just like their parents, are coming up in a spending culture," Levine said.
 
The most important thing for a parent is to make sure that their child's first savings experience is a successful one, she said. Too many people try to get their kids to save for things that are too far into the future or too big. For a young child, saving for next year is an eternity, she said. If the goal is intangible, the money will seem lost to the child.

Two years ago I purchased items for my grandchildren at KidsStuff.com. This month (March 2008) I found an $18.00 charge from them on my American Express card. I phoned the accounting department and asked what the charge was for. I was told that it was an "automatic" charge for "joining" the KidsStuff "club." Of course, I never placed an order to join any such club. The accounting department offered to reverse the charge to be effective in five days. I demanded a reversal show up by tomorrow and promised to advertise their automatic charges everywhere I could. Believe me, I am a big internet purchaser and this sort of rip-off shouldn't happen, especially after not having been on the site for over two years. The obvious lesson is to be sure you always go over every single charge on those credit cards. Those small $18 charges can add up to big money for unscrupulous companies.

C, we suggest you take a look at your AmEx statement from a year ago and see whether or not there's an $18 charge then, too. According to the KidsStuff.com website, you'll get a "free" three month trial with your first order, and then get charged $18 a year—so you may have been unwittingly paying for this "membership" for a while now.

Q: How Can I join?
A: When you place your first order, sign up for your FREE Three Month trial. You'll get the reduced club prices for every item on your first order and for every order you place for the next three months.

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"The fact is, my kid has leukemia, and if he doesn't get this treatment, he will die," Robert Mitchell said. "The way they made me feel was that they were pressuring us to take him home and let him die. We'll try anything that has a chance of succeeding, and I will not give up fighting for it to be covered.

"Go to their Web site, and their mission statement says they treat each person with compassion," he said. "I think that's a bunch of hoopla."

Paul Tate, a spokesman for Primary Physician Care, said the company is not authorized to discuss Paxten's case.

(Thanks to Adam!)

"Insurance won't cover child's critical leukemia treatment" [Asheville Citizen-Times]

RELATED
www.primaryphysiciancare.com
(Photo of Paxton Mitchell: Citizen-Times)

Research has shown a link between sexualized images of teens in the media and mental health problems in girls, including eating disorders, low self-esteem, anxiety and depression, according to the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.

(Thanks to Darkwing Duck!)

"Group: Hospital should nix retailer name" [BusinessWeek/AP]
(Original photo before it got corrupted: D'Arcy Norman)

Consumers should stop using the cribs and contact the manufacturer for a replacement set of brackets that will fix the problem.

Here's the info:

The recalled cribs include: Majestic Curved Top cribs with model number 9500; Majestic Flat Top cribs with model number 9000; Essex cribs with model number 7100; Brighton/Sussex cribs with model number 9100 and Captiva cribs with model number 5100. Only cribs with manufacture dates between November 1, 2005 and November 1, 2007 are included in the recall. The crib model number is printed on the white label on the bottom inside of the right side rail. The crib manufacture date is printed on either the white label near the model number or on the white label located on the bottom of the headboard. Cribs with a green sticker on the mattress frame are not included in the recall.

Sold at: Specialty juvenile product stores nationwide from November 2005 through November 2007 for between $400 and $600.

Manufactured in: Indonesia

Remedy: Consumers should stop using the recalled cribs and contact Munire Furniture to receive replacement spring brackets.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Munire Furniture Inc. at (866) 586-9639 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET or visit the firm's Web site at www.munirefurniture.com

Munire Furniture Recalls Cribs Due to Fall Hazard [CPSC]

David writes, "I'd be interested to hear if Babies R Us and other retailers (or the bottle companies) would offer an exchange to concerned parents." Somehow we doubt that will happen unless there's an official plastic bottle recall in the future.

"Plastic baby bottles may pose danger" [MarketWatch]

RELATED
Press Release: "Dr. Brown's New Glass, Polypropylene Bottles Provide More Options For Parents" [Dr. Brown's]
"Chemicals In Baby Products May Be Dangerous"
(Really cute baby photo: pfly)

The South Carolina Board of Education approved the plan last month, and appears to be moving forward with it.

"I never thought [advertising inside school buses] was a good idea to start with," said Donald Tudor, South Carolina's DOE School Transportation Director, "but when you run a state program and districts request this be set in motion, you do it so they can make a choice. Ultimately, I couldn't think of a good reason why they shouldn't have the option."

For its part, SAC promises the ads will be age-appropriate, promote a healthy and productive life, and are directly approved by district appointed personnel. Ads sold thus far are from local businesses.

"School Buses Latest Victim of Ad Creep" [BrandWeek]
(Photo: Getty)

The spokesman continued, "We will be talking to the supplier with regard to how the branding came about.

"Shop pulls "Lolita" bed for young girls" [Reuters]
(Photo elements: Getty)

We encourage you to review your pledge and act accordingly by recalling the red blood pressure cuff. Furthermore, we challenge you to live up to your words and set a standard for the entire industry by completely eliminating the use of lead in all of the children's products manufactured by Mattel. When parents purchase a product from your company, they are not just purchasing a toy—they are putting their trust in an established brand that has historically been believed to provide merchandise that is safe for their children. We urge you to live up to this reputation.

Representative Elijah E. Cummings, Democrat of Maryland, wrote Mr. Eckert in December asking it to stop using lead in its products. He said that Mattel's reply, which arrived last week, and its action on the toy were inadequate and that the company should issue a nationwide recall.

Mr. Cummings said in an interview that if Mr. Eckert "knew his child had one of these toys with this kind of lead in it, I know he would not allow his child to be having such a toy."

Lawmakers Say Mattel Broke Word on Lead [NYT]
Cummings, DeLauro to Mattel: 'Stop Selling Toxic Toys' [Congressman Elijah Cummings]
PREVIOUSLY: Consumer Reports Finds "Troubling" Levels Of Lead In Unrecalled Fisher-Price Toy
Fisher-Price Pulls Lead Tainted Toy In Illinois Only
Fisher-Price Pulls Another Lead-Tainted Product In Illinois Only
(Photo: Getty Images)

Maker of Thomas toys settles suit on lead paint [Chicago Tribune]

Toymaker fights state recall [Chicago Tribune]

1. Open a custodial account using your state's Uniform Gift to Minors Act (UGMA) or Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA).
2. Put some dollars in it.
3. Contribute a certain amount in lieu of gifts.
4. Sit down and explain the basics—you need to understand what a share is, why dividends are paid, what unrealized and realized gains and losses are. If you don't understand these terms, study.
5. Don't just buy a "how to" book, though—read about investing, not "how to" invest.
6. Choose investments together; involve them.
7. Go over it every month or quarter or year to review what went right and wrong.
8. If your teen makes some money, ask them to reinvest at least 10% of it, even it's a single dollar.
9. Teach them not to touch principal.
10. Consider alternative ways of investing.

From Lower Hudson Online:

The Yorktown preschooler has a condition called eosinophilic esophagitis, a severe food allergy that causes a type of white blood cell to congregate in the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach, damaging the tissue when she eats.

A doctor-prescribed formula has allowed Hannah to grow to a robust 40 pounds, a normal weight for a child her age. Without it, Hannah could wind up with a feeding tube.

But the insurance program that covers her family through her father's job as a New York City police lieutenant has stopped paying for the formula, which costs $1,200 a month. Food supplements and other over-the-counter items are not covered under the family's insurance, the prescription plan administrator said.

Yorktown girl can eat only one thing: costly formula that insurance won't cover [Lower Hudson Online via Fark]
(Photo:Stuart Bayer/The Journal News)

From Consumer Reports:

You may recall that the state's action with the first blood pressure cuff was prompted by Consumer Reports' December investigation "New worries over lead" in which we reported finding high lead levels when we tested samples of the red Fisher-Price toy blood pressure cuff, among other items. Our findings prompted Madigan's office to begin an independent investigation that led to Fisher-Price's decision to pull the product out of the state's stores. The reason: Illinois bans the sale of toys, clothing, jewelry or other children's products that contain lead in excess of 600 parts per million. It is one of the strongest lead laws in the country and more stringent than federal regulations, which place limits on only paint and surface coatings. There are no federal limits on lead in plastics such as PVC.

The current action with the green cuffs was initiated by Fisher-Price, which tested the product and then reported it to Illinois. Fisher-Price spokeswoman Juliette Reashor explained: "Through research, we identified a similar instance with the green cuff, which revealed levels of lead that, though fully compliant with all federal and international standards, exceeded the Illinois statute. We proactively reached out to the State of Illinois to inform them of our findings."

"I am pleased that Fisher-Price took the initiative to test its products, self-report a violation, quickly remove the affected blood pressure cuffs from store shelves, and offer replacements to consumers," Madigan said. "I continue to urge manufacturers and retailers to review and tighten up their quality control procedures so consumers can be confident that the items on store shelves are safe for their children."

Fisher-Price pulls second lead-tainted blood-pressure cuff off shelves in Illinois [Consumer Reports]

PREVIOUSLY: Fisher-Price Pulls Lead Tainted Toy In Illinois Only
Amazon Pulls Fisher-Price Medical Kit After CR Lead Report
Consumer Reports Finds "Troubling" Levels Of Lead In Unrecalled Fisher-Price Toy

The Ottawa Citizen said at least 10 nasty letters had been delivered to little girls and boys in Ottawa who wrote to Santa this year care of the North Pole, which has a special H0H 0H0 Canadian postal code. Return letters from Santa are in fact written by an 11,000-strong army of Canada Post employees and volunteers.

"We firmly believe there is just one rogue elf out there," a Canada Post spokeswoman told the paper.

Consumer Reports analyzed the full CPSC report:

• Non-motorized scooters: Three deaths occurred when children either hit or were hit by an automobile. The children ranged in age from six to 13 years.
• Toy nails and pegs: Three children died when they choked on or aspirated plastic nails or pegs. One 19-month-old boy died after choking on an oversized plastic nail from a toy workbench. A second boy, 2, died when he fell while running with a toy nail; the nail got wedged in the back of his throat. Another two-year-old suddenly started coughing and stopped breathing. He died at the hospital where an autopsy showed a plastic peg from a toy had become lodged in his left bronchus.
• Rubber balls: Three children died when they either aspirated or choked on small rubber balls. Two of the children who choked on small rubber balls were about one year old while the third child was an autistic eight-year-old who aspirated a rubber ball.
• Powered riding toys: There were three fatalities. A boy, 3, was riding a battery-powered toy four-wheeler unsupervised and fell into a pond. A girl, 2, was riding her battery-powered toy truck as her family walked along on a sidewalk; a speeding car hit and killed her. A 6-year-old died when the cape of his costume became entangled in the axle of the gasoline-powered ATV he was riding and strangled him.
• Tricycles: There were two fatalities. In separate incidents, a three-year-old female and a three-year-old male fell into the family in-ground swimming pool while riding a tricycle and drowned.
• Stuffed toys: There were two deaths associated with stuffed toys . A six-month-old fell off the parents' bed into a pile of stuffed animals and suffocated A three-month-old fell off a bed into a container of stuffed toys and suffocated.
• Other balls: There were two deaths from unspecified types of balls. One struck a girl, 10, while she was playing at school; she died of inter-cerebral hemorrhage. A 17-month-old was run over when he followed the ball with which he was playing as it rolled behind a truck.
• Balloons: A nine-month-old female died of upper airway obstruction caused by an uninflated balloon.
• Rubber darts: A 10-year-old boy died from aspirating a rubber dart. He had been chewing on a toy gun dart when he had trouble breathing and collapsed. At the ER, he was found to have a rubber dart in his right lung.
• Toy organizer: A nine-month-old, found underneath a wooden toy organizer, died of neck compression.
• Unspecified: A seven-year-old boy was chewing on a plastic toy when a small part of the toy broke off and became lodged in his throat. He died of asphyxia.

The CPSC cautions that toys were associated with these incidents, but not necessarily their cause.

Toy-Related Deaths and Injuries, Calendar Year 2006 (pdf) [CPSC]
CPSC: 22 children died in toy-related deaths in 2006 [Consumer Reports]
(Photo: Getty)

Young Children

• It's a Habit, Sammy Rabbit!
• Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday
• The Money Savvy Pig (not a book, but highly recommended)

• Growing Money: A Complete Investing Guide for Kids
• The Totally Awesome Money Book for Kids
• What Color is Your Piggy Bank? Entrepreneurial Ideas for Self-Starting Kids

• The Motley Fool Investment Guide for Teens: 8 Steps to Having More Money Than Your Parents Ever Dreamed Of
• Street Wise: A Guide for Teen Investors
• Cash Cache

• Debt is Slavery (his favorite)
• The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke
• Saving for Retirement without Living Like a Pauper or Winning the Lottery
• Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties
• You, Inc. - The Art of Selling Yourself

• Your Money or Your Life
• The Total Money Makeover
• The Complete Tightwad Gazette
• The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing

"Ask the Readers: Personal Finance Books as Gifts?" [GetRichSlowly]

Certain toys had more than five times the standard safety level, including a Hannah Montana card-game case, which had a lead level of 3,056 parts per million, the Journal said.

"Many toys in test have dangerous chemicals: WSJ" [Reuters]
(Photo: chefjancris)