Last posts on jouet

Ce n'était pas le pays des épées autrefois, la France ?

2012-05-20T10:40:00+02:00

J'ai souvent pesté contre la camelote que l'on sert en jouets à nos enfants, à 90% issue des ateliers chinois alors quand je peux éviter de leur acheter de la m... j'évite. Tout récemment, comme je joue souvent avec mes petits, je me suis mis en tête de leur acheter des épées. Pas des saletés en plastique qui se tordent et se déchirent en moins de trois semaines, ni les sal...eries en mousse souple sans doute utiles comme marque-pages mais totalement inconséquentes pour se poursuivre en poussant des cris de guerre, mais quelque chose de fiable et de testé.

Trouver une épée non-léthale de combat pour les enfants ? Eh bien il suffit de consulter les spécialistes : les joueurs de jeu de rôle Grandeur Nature ! Leurs boutiques mettent en vente des modèles de toute beauté, et on en trouve pour tous les goûts, même les plus improbables. Un petit tour sur le site de l'Atelier du GN, donc. A tout hasard, un oeil chez Armae.com (Attention, ils arrêtent les armes de GN et leur catalogue n'est pas à jour) et hop, me voilà avec des modèles financièrement accessibles.

Dommage pour Armae : leurs premières armes de mousse/pvc étaient à 20 euros seulement. Entre-temps, j'ai reçu la marchandise et j'ai testé : exceptionnel ! On peut vraiment bien rire et s'amuser avec sa petite famille, avec ces trucs-là :-)

Même quand on ne peut investir plus, faire le compte est aisé : les saletés de foire qui coûtent entre 5 et 10 euros voire plus, on a vite fait d'en acheter à la pelle au fil du temps.

Mes lecteurs le savent, quand je le peux, j'essaie d'acheter français. J'espérais donc trouver des armes de GN françaises. Raté. Enfin, pendant un certain temps du moins...Alors autant acheter de la qualité une fois et la garder !

Quand je pense que l'épée mérovingienne puis l'épée carolingienne ont été les modèles émérites de toutes les épées au haut Moyen-Âge...Ah, au moins, on savait produire français à l'époque...

Résultat des courses, ce sont bien des cousins de la France qui font encore les meilleures armes de ce type, mais ce sont ceux qui ont émigré au Canada, nos cousins Québecois. Callimacil, Némésis et sinon...les Danois ! Palnatoke a eu la riche idée, d'ailleurs, de concevoir une épée de GN pour enfant. Ils pensent à tout les Danois. Merci Hamlet ! On pense à tout au pays du lego. On trouve également là-bas Iron Fortress, nettement moins connu, toutefois. Cela aurait été surprenant de ne pas retrouver les Allemands : ils sont sur le marché avec Forgotten Dreams.

En farfouillant, j'ai tout de même trouvé quelques artisans français, mais surtout pour les armures : Karbanog, par exemple.

Il y a une boutique française, GN Boutyk, avec des prix compétitifs, de surcroît, mais je ne sais pas en termes de qualité ce que valent les armes ni même si elles sont vraiment de fabrication française. Pas de mention claire à ce sujet.

Mais, par chance, j'ai enfin trouvé un fabricant français : un amateur passionné qui réalise des productions de toute beauté : le Gonpat. Et en plus il fait des promotions. Là, je viens d'acheter une épée bâtarde magnifique en promotion.

Mais bon sang ! On a un fabricant en France, il n'est pas plus cher (même moins) que les Québecois, les Danois, les Allemands et pourtant, il m'a fallu pas moins de dix recherches sur les mot-clefs associés pour tomber dessus, par hasard et pas de manière directe. J'ai récupéré l'adresse en visitant un site spécialisé sur le GN. C'est dire son positionnement sur Internet. Il ne risque pas de trouver des clients...

Et on retombe sur le problème du Made in France : on trouve des produits en France, mais personne ou presque n'est au courant, et, en règle générale, les revendeurs privilégient des produits qui ont pignon sur rue. Que je tape épée en mousse et je tombe presque toujours en priorité sur Calimacil (il faut toutefois reconnaître que leur travail est extraordinaire).

Frédéric Gonzalez est le jeune créateur/artisan qui réalise les armes de GN de Gonpat. A sa place, je commencerais par me faire référencer chez madeinfrance dans la catégorie jouet/loisirs, ce serait un bon début. Même chose chez Hexaconso, la Fabrique hexagonale et France référence.

Bon, heureusement, je suis persévérant, mais entre-temps, j'ai passé 4 commandes : si j'avais localisé tout de suite Gonpat, c'est sans doute à lui que je me serais adressé d'emblée...

Consolation, nous avons de quoi bien nous amuser les dimanche et l'été ma petite famille et moi et nous avons tout de même réussi à récupérer une arme française sur les 6 commandées en un mois...

coffre à jouet

2012-04-24T09:31:39+02:00

Bien le bonjour à toi ami visiteur,

comme tu vas le découvrir dans les photos qui suivent, même lorsque je ne suis pas au travail: ben je continue mes f'olies...

Le dessert du jour est un "croquembouche", on le nomme aussi "choux montés":

le thème est un coffre à jouet.

Et pour ce faire j'ai pu compté sur l'aide précieuse de mon commis préféré: mon fiston!

Un peu de déco pour embélir ce coffre.....

Et hop!

Le coffre est prêt à être dévorer!

Bonne journée gourmande!!!

Papou

Imagination

2012-03-07T01:23:30+01:00

Pour la grand-mère que je suis, choisir un jouet dans une boutique spécialisée aujourd’hui est un véritable casse-tête. Aux jouets traditionnels se sont ajoutés tant de gadgets statiques, mécaniques, électriques, électroniques, informatiques et autres que j’en ai le vertige. Je m’y perds et m’interroge.

Avec quoi jouions-nous autrefois?

C’était plus simple. Peu de jouets, plus d’imagination.

Envie d’une balançoire? Un pieux plat placé transversalement sur la clôture de cèdre faisait l’affaire. Des bateaux en papier sur le ruisseau nous amenaient sur des mers lointaines. Créer allait de soi.

Il y avait bien sûr les classiques comme jouer à la madame, à l’école, à la cachette, à l’ours, à la biche, sans oublier les jeux de cartes, de billes, de dames, de parchésie, de serpents et échelles, de monopoly.

Les saisons favorisaient l’imagination.

L’hiver nous construisions des forts et des tunnels dans les hautes falaises de neige autour de la maison. Certaines années ces constructions devenaient de véritables habitacles munis de toits, de fenêtres et de mobiliers en neige pressée.

En été, à l’époque des foins, mes sœurs et moi avions inventé un jeu de devinette autour de la faucheuse. Cette machine était munie de nombreux clapets (que nous appelions petites portes) qui fermaient l’accès à des engrenages.

Une meneuse cachait un caillou sous une porte et les autres devaient deviner où il se trouvait. La joueuse gagnante méritait l’honneur de devenir meneuse à son tour et de s’asseoir sur le siège du conducteur.

Tout compte fait, il n’était pas nécessaire d’avoir une abondance de jouets pour s’amuser. Il s’agissait d’avoir de l’imagination.

Compile Face-Bouquienne # 2

2012-01-30T06:51:00+01:00

Frédérick Houdaer

aime Leslie Grange. / a rêvé que le jeune Lulu Gainsbourg était mort, mais son père bien vivant. A rêvé que le père rendait hommage au fils. / Ames sensibles, s'abstenir ! / Faut-il en finir avec les maisons d'édition ? / Un retour sur la-notre lecture de vendredi dernier. / sait ce qu'il doit, littérairement parlant, à Mattel :

Vente directe - Jouet bio

2011-12-07T11:36:41+01:00

Ce week-end, nous avons reçu une distributrice de la marque Tribu Nature.

Pour l'occassion, j'avais réuni à la maison toutes les filles de mon entourage qui ont des enfants en bas-âge car ce que vend Tribu Nature, ce sont les jouets bio ! On a de tout comme jouet en fait : Les doudous bio, c'est génial car les gamins les mettent tout le temps à la bouche et les traîne partout. Si ca peut éviter qu'il digère des saloperies chimiques, c'est génial. Pareil avec les peluches bio : celles de mon gamin sont dans son lit donc à quelques centimètres de lui quand il dort. J'ai pas envie que les peluches exhaltent des vapeurs novices dans les poumons de mon bébé !! Bref, le jouet bio, c'est une super idée. Et en plus, c'est pas plus cher bizzarement : comme il y a que Tribu Nature comme intermédiaire, ben ca leur coute pas grand chose ... ca doit jouer sur le prix d'un jouet bio, enfin je crois !

La distributrice a proposé aux copines d'organiser des ventes chez elles aussi, avec leurs copines à elles. Bizzare comme système mais ca a l'air courant dans la vente à domicile. Ca s'appelle VDI : Vendeur à domicile indépendant, en jouet bio en l'occurence. Elle n'a pas de salaire fixe mais uniquement du variable sur les ventes qu'elle réalise ! Pas mal ce principe de vente directe !

A priori, elles peuvent cumuler plusieurs fournisseurs en même temps lors d'une vente directe de jouet bio. Du coup, elles ont un catalogue plus étoffé et la réunion est plus profitable pour tout le monde. En plus, en tant que vendeur à domicile indépendant, ils peuvent s'organiser comme ils veulent vu qu'ils sont au variable seul. Si t'as pas envie de bosser, tu bosses pas : mais tu touches pas d'argent. C'est Sarko qui doit être content hi hi hi

Le jouet d'occasion n'est plus un tabou, même à Noël

2011-11-22T14:39:47+01:00

Les spécialistes, King Jouet et autres Toys'R'Us, étudient, eux aussi, la question. Quelque 69,6 % des Français ne sont pas choqués à l'idée de recevoir des jouets d'occasion s'ils sont en bon état. Même pour Noël, le tabou est tombé. Et 35,9 % déclarent en acheter autant, voire plus souvent que des neufs. Tels sont les résultats d'un sondage réalisé par Priceminister.com auprès des internautes, qui a été publié jeudi 17 novembre. Le e-commerçant, initialement spécialisé dans les biens culturels d'occasion, a étendu son offre aux jouets de seconde main en 2004, constatant le succès croissant de ces articles dans les brocantes et les vide-greniers.extraits lemonde

25 septembre - Somnambulisme

2011-09-25T08:04:00+02:00

Une fois de plus, TiBiscuit accusait Chupa de lui avoir piqué des jouets dans sa chambre ... Le ton montait. Chupa affirmait ne pas avoir été dans la chambre de TiBiscuit... Puis elle finit, pour finir de le convaincre de sa bonne foi, par déclarer :

"Je ne me lève pas la nuit pour aller dans ta chambre comme une momie!"

Tout en mimant un zombie ...

19 août - Pas un jouet!

2011-08-19T08:08:00+02:00

En sortant ma fille qui avait à l'époque 3 ans de la voiture ...

"Allez, viens mon little pet shop!"
"Je ne suis pas un little ketchup!"
"Mais si! Parce que tu es trop trop A-DO-RA-BLE !"
"Mèèèèèè euh! Je ne suis pas un jouet!"

17 août - Les temps changent ...

2011-08-17T08:14:00+02:00

Lors d'une discussion sur le passage de la petite souris, je dis :

"Quand je pense qu'à mon époque, une petite dent de lait, c'était 5 francs sous l'oreiller ... Maintenant, c'est 5 € ou un jouet! Sacrée inflation ! " [Ouf! J'ai trouvé des beyblades à 5€]

Là mon fils réagit et dit :

"C'est quoi des "francs"???"

Funk heads a list of dreamers at US Open

2011-06-17T07:51:44+02:00

Fred Funk felt as if he had won the U.S. Open, his voice cracking when he tried to speak, the tears flowing moments later. He didn't earn a trophy that day, only a tee time.

That's how much this major championship means to him. That's why he made the effort to go through 36 holes of qualifying when there are plenty of signs that he should sit this one out.

Funk turns 55 on Tuesday. He had knee replacement surgery more than a year ago, and now is dealing with tissue that connects the hip to the knee and is causing him great pain. That explains why he hasn't made it to the final two rounds in any of the six PGA Tour events he has played this year, and why he only had two top 10s on the 50-and-older Champions Tour.

So why punish himself in a U.S. Open qualifier against kids half his age?

For starters, Funk grew up not far from Congressional, a course that at one time in life he could only dream of playing. He was the college golf coach at Maryland. He wound up playing his first PGA Tour event at Congressional. And this surely would have been his last chance playing in the U.S. Open before a hometown crowd.

That explains his reaction when he narrowly qualified.

"The first question I get is, 'What does this mean to you?' And I broke down," Funk said. "I didn't really expect that because I didn't know I had that kind of feelings, or emotion, in me for that. But I think it was a combination of things — how I've been playing the last few months, and then making it here, my hometown.

"It meant a lot to me because it's my hometown, and Congressional is a very special spot. It's pretty neat."

No other major has so many dreamers, from the 13 amateurs in the 156-man field to the 28 players who had to go through 18-hole local and 36-hole sectional qualifying. The last player to win the U.S. Open after going through both stages of qualifying was Orville Moody in 1969 in Houston.

Despite a career that features The Players Championship among his eight PGA Tour victories, Funk could fall into that category.

He is the oldest player at Congressional this week. On a course that measures 7,574 yards on the scorecard, Funk was among the shortest (albeit straightest) off the tee even when he was young. And he has nearly 10 years on the oldest U.S. Open champion in history; Hale Irwin was 45 when he won at Medinah in 1990.

A dreamer? Funk isn't buying that.

He found something at that qualifier last week. Instead of worrying about his mechanics, he went back to enjoying himself. And with his 15-year-old son Taylor on the bag — he will also caddie at Congressional — Funk played like he was back in his prime. After getting into the U.S. Open, he closed with a 62 on Sunday in a Champions Tour event to finish in a tie for third.

"Nobody knows how good they're going to play, but I still have high expectations," Funk said. "I'm not here just to walk two rounds or four rounds and just show up. I want to be able to be competitive, and I truly believe I can still be competitive when I'm playing well and feeling good."

Funk played the U.S. Open last year as the reigning U.S. Senior Open champion and he tied for 70th. The year before, on what many consider one of the strongest U.S. Open courses at Bethpage Black, he still went through qualifying. Funk made the cut and wound up in a tie for 60th, better than expected from a 53-year-old on a beast of a course.

Then again, Funk has been defying odds for nearly as long as he has been playing.

He didn't make the golf team at Maryland as a freshman, so he transferred to a junior college until he was good enough to play for the Terps. He tried the mini-tours out of college until he ran out of money, then took over as Maryland coach and kept working on his game until he realized he wasn't far off from the big leagues.

He qualified for his first PGA Tour event in the 1982 Kemper Open. It was held at Congressional, and Funk tied for 51st to earn a check of a whopping $947.20.

"I don't know why I made it," he said. "I was just a very hard worker, tenacious, and somewhere along that line I started believing in myself. I look back and I just go, 'Man, I did all right.'"

Only now is not the time to look back.

"I still expect to achieve a lot more," Funk said.

He'll have the crowd on his side, not only from being a hometown favorite but as an inspiration as a guy who wouldn't quit. He'll need much more than that on a Congressional course with greens that already are getting firm under warm sunshine, and in a major which only twice in the last five years has yielded a winning score under par.

Monday was the first full day of practice. The range was filled with mostly amateurs and local qualifiers wanting to soak up the experience. Others spent the day chipping and putting, hitting balls, perhaps getting in nine holes of practice, knowing to pace themselves for what figures to be a long week.

Ten players have won the last 10 majors, suggesting parity is greater than ever in golf, especially with Tiger Woods no longer on top of his game — and not even at Congressional for the U.S. Open as he tries to mend his left leg.

Even so, PGA champion Martin Kaymer figures only 30 or 40 players have a realistic chance of winning. He didn't mention names, although Funk was probably not on that short list.

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Poll shows Weiner may survive online misbehavior

2011-06-11T07:07:35+02:00

Anna Wisniewska may not like Rep. Anthony Weiner's raunchy online behavior, but she thinks he should keep his job.

"You cannot judge anyone," said Wisniewska, 35, who was born in Poland, but is now a U.S. citizen and lives in the congressman's district. "He did what he did and he apologized. It's only between him and his wife."

Weiner told a newspaper Thursday he would not resign, but instead would focus on getting work done and would "try to make amends" with his constituents and family. Now, there are indications in his home district that he may survive: A new NY1-Marist Poll showed the congressman continues to have strong backing from his constituents in the 9th congressional district.

It is a bit of positive news for the seven-term lawmaker from New York, who faces calls from his colleagues in both parties to leave office after he admitted sending sexually explicit photos and messages over the Internet to a half-dozen women over the past three years.

According to the poll, 56 percent of registered voters polled in Weiner's district think he should stay on the job. Thirty-three percent think he should go, while 12 percent are unsure.

The survey of 512 adults on June 8, which included 411 registered voters, had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percent. It was performed by the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion.

Aides say Weiner was heartened by the polls showing no clamor for his resignation and is talking regularly with his wife, Huma Abedin, who is overseas with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The 46-year-old Democrat, who came and went from his Queens co-op on Thursday, planned to work out of his Queens office on Friday.

In private phone calls, Democrats have made clear to Weiner that staying would be tough on him and his wife of a year, who is pregnant with the couple's first child.

On Wednesday, Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., became the first of a half-dozen Democrats to say he should leave office. Meanwhile, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California has said in a statement that she's "disappointed" in Weiner and called for an ethics committee investigation.

There is also a chance, emphasized by Democrats this week, that he could be redistricted out of Congress when new political lines are drawn for 2012.

Douglas Sherman, 50, who lives in the Kew Gardens section of Queens that Weiner represents, was saddened by the lawmaker's misfortunes.

"I voted for him, I think he was a good representative. He fights for liberal causes. I think he's a strong voice for those issues," he said, adding that he had mixed feelings about whether Weiner had to go.

"It's really unfortunate that we would lose someone like this, with his talent in politics," Sherman said.

But in Brighton Beach, a seaside section of Brooklyn nicknamed "Little Odessa" for its large population of expatriate Ukrainian and Russian Jews, resident George Nogueras said Weiner "has got to go."

"He should resign if there are nude pictures of him floating around," said Nogueras, 52.

Nogueras said he is a registered Democrat and voted for Weiner in the last election, but at this point he said there is nothing the congressman could do to win his vote back.

Frank Alberti, 68, who goes to a senior center in the same building as Weiner's district office, said he liked the congressman. "He comes and visits us," Alberti said. "He keeps us informed. He's approachable."

He said the scandal surrounding Weiner would not necessarily influence his vote. "It's an embarrassment, but I vote for someone on his record," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Beth Fouhy, Carolyn Thompson in Amherst, N.Y., and Laurie Kellman and Kimberly Hefling in Washington contributed to this report.

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Peter Diamond Withdraws Fed Nomination Over GOP Block

2011-06-11T01:36:32+02:00

s tough to decide whether the tone of Peter Diamond's Monday op-ed in The New York Times is marked more by scorn or disbelief. In a certain way, thefrom the Sisyphean confirmation process for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board reads like an explainer. Over a year ago, President Obama nominated Diamond to serve as one of the seven governors of the Fed. Everyone agreed that the choice made great sense. Diamond might understand structural unemployment better than anyone in the world, and in December, the Nobel committee honored the MIT professor's groundbreaking research in the field with the 2010 Prize in Economics. So why did Senate Republicans repeatedly block the nomination? Diamond explains in The Times:

The easy answer is to point to shortcomings in our confirmation process and to partisan polarization in Washington. The more troubling answer, though, points to a fundamental misunderstanding: a failure to recognize that analysis of unemployment is crucial to conducting monetary policy…In my Nobel acceptance speech in December, I discussed in detail the patterns of hiring in the American economy, and concluded that structural unemployment and issues of mismatch were not important in the slow recovery we have been experiencing, and thus not a reason to stop an accommodative monetary policy — a policy of keeping short-term interest rates exceptionally low and buying Treasury securities to keep long-term rates down. Analysis of the labor market is in fact central to monetary policy.

Diamond's quick explainer linking monetary policy and labor markets are direct rebuttals to arguments from Sen. Richard Shelby, the ring leader of the GOP skepticism over his nomination. Shelby's quest to block the nomination has beenfor the past year, and unfazed by Diamond's Nobel prize, the senator from Alabama has argued consistently, "Does Dr. Diamond have any experience in conducting monetary policy? No, his academic work has been on pensions and labor market theory.” Diamond almost ruefully explains the connection--hoping to skirt around the tawdry politics of the Senate approval process somewhat and clarify the role of monetary policy in capping rising unemployment and preventing future crises. But others agree, the process is pretty bankrupt.

A few months ago, Paul KrugmanDiamond's struggle with Senate Republicans to unproductive partisanship. Krugman is not shy about his feelings on the matter:

: Senate Republicans holding up Peter Diamond’s nomination to the Federal Reserve Board on the grounds that he may not be qualified to make monetary policy. Aside from the fact that the same Senators cheerfully confirmed Bush nominees who didn’t know much about economics of any kind, this is especially stupid right now. … [O]ne of the hot topics is whether the apparent shift in the Beveridge curve signals a rise in structural unemployment--and Diamond wrote the seminal paper on the whole subject.

After Diamond's withdrawl, Ezra KleinKrugman:

What Shelby can't say is that he's blocking Diamond as payback for a Fed nomination that Bush made in 2007 and Democrats refused to act on until the 2008 election was decided. And that's politics, I guess. But it's remarkable that what Shelby thinks he can say is that Diamond is unqualified because his expertise lies in labor-market analysis. Unemployment is above 9 percent. Almost half of the 15 million workers who're looking for jobs and can't find them have been unemployed for six months or longer. We've got a jobs crisis is this country. And yet Shelby thinks it's self-evident that knowledge about the labor market isn't the sort of expertise that monetary policymakers need right now. If you wanted further evidence that Washington has stopped caring about jobs, there it is.

Diamond says he'll be fine. He'll keep teaching at MIT, doing the things that Nobel laureates do, and in a way, will allow the commentators to be scornful for him. He can't believe the process drove him from helping fix a problem he seemed so qualified to fix. Good luck to the runner-up, though. Diamond's parting words on the issue sound downright conciliatory: "I had hoped to bring some of my own expertise and experience to the Fed. Now I hope someone else can."

Want to add to this story? .

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NACD Files Comments on Cargo Tank Motor Vehicle Loading and Unloading Operations Proposal

2011-06-10T17:56:54+02:00

ARLINGTON, Va., June 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday, NACD filed comments with U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) expressing concerns about proposed rule HM-247 to require persons involved in the loading and unloading of cargo tank motor vehicles to conduct risk assessments and implement specific operating procedures.

(Logo: )

"While NACD supports the concept of including reasonable standards to address loading and unloading operations in the Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR), the measures included in HM-247 are far too extensive and prescriptive," wrote NACD Government Affairs Vice President Jennifer Gibson.

Much of NACD's comments focused on PHMSA's underestimation of the resources and effort it would take for facilities to conduct the risk assessments and implement the operating procedures. "One specific measure that would result in new obligations and compliance costs is the annual employee training and certification, including annual observation and evaluation of each covered employee's performance of covered tasks. Another major example is the risk assessment requirement. This would be doable for a general type delivery. However, the rule could be interpreted that a detailed risk assessment would have to be done for every type of delivery and every type of site condition. A typical chemical distributor has thousands of customers, and many of these companies deliver products to their customers themselves. Completing detailed assessments for every type of site condition would be an impossible task," wrote Gibson.

NACD's comments also provided suggestions to PHMSA for more reasonable approaches to address loading and unloading safety concerns. "Much of HM-247 has merit. For example, a general requirement that the carriers and receivers have documented SOPs, or a simple checklist, would be reasonable. Also a basic, flexible risk assessment requirement would be reasonable. It is unreasonable to require a carrier to perform a detailed risk assessment to address each delivery site," said Gibson.

In addition, NACD stated that the training requirements should be consistent with those already in place in the HMR and specifically made the point that it is critical for PHMSA to clearly delineate responsibilities between receiving facilities and delivering carriers.

For a copy of NACD's comments, go to . For a copy of the proposed rule, go to .

NACD and its 390 member companies are vital to the chemical supply chain providing products to over 750,000 end users. They make a delivery every five seconds while maintaining a safety record that is more than twice as good as the safety standards set by DOT. NACD members are leaders in health, safety, security, and environmental performance through implementation of Responsible Distribution, established in 1991 as a condition of membership and is a third-party verified management practice. For additional information on our members, their safety record or NACD, visit .

SOURCENational Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD)

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Tom Coburn Takes on Adult Babies

2011-05-30T11:43:04+02:00

Stanley Thornton, an "adult baby" whose curious lifestyle was recently featured on an episode of .

Opening Serve: Coburn, not unlike (we hope) the rest of America, was disturbed to discover that there is apparently a subculture of adults, mostly men, who enjoy spending their free time dressing, eating, and even defecating like a baby. But more disturbing than the fact that Stanley Thornton, 30, spends his days rolling around on the floor in an XXL onesie and diaper, eating meals in an over sized highchair, and being taken care of by an ex-nurse who pretends to be his mother, is the fact that Thornton is doing all of this on the government's dime! An outraged Coburnto the Social Security Administration urging an investigation of the adult baby's disability benefits, allowing him to forgo working for full-time role play.

Coburn petitioned Inspector General Patrick O'Carroll, insisting, "Given that Mr. Thornton is able to determine what is appropriate attire and actions in public, drive himself to complete errands, design and custom make baby furniture to support a 350-pound adult and run an Internet support group, it is possible that he has been improperly collecting disability benefits for a period of time."

Return Volley:got its hands on Coburn's letter and reached out to Thornton for a response. In addition to insisting that "the television episode showing him doing woodwork oversold his abilities," Thornton "threatened to kill himself if his Social Security payments are taken away." He tells the paper, via email:

You wanna test how damn serious I am about leaving this world, screw with my check that pays for this apartment and food. Try it. See how serious I am. I don’t care. I have no problem killing myself. Take away the last thing keeping me here, and see what happens. Next time you see me on the news, it will be me in a body bag.

What They Say the Fight's About: Coburn is suspicious of Thornton's disability claims and wants to make sure that his Supplemental Security Income benefits are warranted before allowing the government to continue funding his adult baby lifestyle. Thornton argues that the NatGeo special was misleading and that he really deserves the funds he's receiving.What the Fight's Really About: Coburn may be using Thornton's public exposure as a vehicle through which to argue his own ideas about Social Security benefits. However, according to Stanley's biography on his , Stanley attributes his lifestyle, as well as his inability to work, to a heart condition caused by post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from years of childhood abuse. This fight may also be about just how weird many non-adult babies find the adult baby phenomenon.

Who's Winning Now: Only time will tell. It remains to be seen whether Coburn's request to investigate Thorton's health will be granted and, if so, what it will reveal. In the meantime, we'll have to take Thornton at his word, and try to overlook his infantile tendencies in determining whether he is deserving of disability benefits--difficult as that may be.

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After 4 years, Egypt reopens its border with Gaza

2011-05-30T08:12:25+02:00

Egypt lifted a 4-year-old blockade of the Gaza Strip on Saturday, greatly easing travel restrictions on the 1.5 million residents of the Palestinian territory in a move that bolstered the Hamas government while dealing a setback to Israel's attempts to isolate the militant group.

The sense of relief was palpable as buses piled high with luggage crossed the Rafah border terminal and hundreds of people traveled abroad for overdue medical appointments, business dealings and family affairs. In Israel, fears were heightened that militants and weapons will soon pour into the territory.

"I was so happy to hear that the Egyptian border is opening so I can finally travel for treatment," said Mohammad Zoarob, a 66-year-old suffering from chronic kidney disease.

He said he had been waiting for a medical permit from the Palestinian health ministry for five years so he could go to Egypt for treatment. When Palestinian officials coincidentally approved the permit on Saturday, he kissed his family goodbye, rushed to the border and was quickly whisked across.

"They put me in an ambulance and in five minutes I reached the Egyptian side of the crossing," he said.

Saturday's expansion of the Rafah crossing was a tangible benefit of the popular unrest sweeping through the Arab world. The blockade, which has fueled an economic crisis in Gaza, is deeply unpopular among Arabs, and Egypt's caretaker leaders had promised to end it since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after the Islamic militant Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007. The closure aimed to weaken Hamas. But the Iranian-backed group remains firmly in power, operating the border crossing even at a time when it is supposed to be reconciling with the rival Fatah movement.

Until Saturday, the Rafah border terminal had functioned at a limited capacity. Only certain classes of people, such as students, businessmen or medical patients, were eligible to travel and the crossing was often subject to closures, leading to huge backlogs that forced people to wait for months.

Under the new system, virtually anyone can travel, and a much larger number of Palestinians are expected to be able to cross each day.

Hundreds of Gazans gathered early Saturday as the first bus load of passengers crossed the border at 9 a.m. Two Egyptian officers stood guard next to a large Egyptian flag atop the border gate as the vehicle rumbled through. One after another buses crossed Rafah, pulling blue carts behind them with luggage piled high.

"All we need is to travel like humans, be treated with dignity and feel like any other citizens of the world who can travel in and out freely," said Rami Arafat, 52, who hoped to catch a flight out of Cairo on Sunday to attend his daughter's wedding in Algeria.

Nearby, 28-year-old Khaled Halaweh said he was headed to Egypt to study for a master's degree in engineering at Alexandria University.

"The closure did not affect only the travel of passengers or the flowing of goods. Our brains and our thoughts were under blockade," said Halaweh, who said he hadn't been out of Gaza for seven years.

Inside the border terminal Saturday, the atmosphere was orderly, as Hamas police called passengers one by one to register their travel documents.

By the close of operation at 5 p.m., 410 people had crossed into Egypt, said Salama Baraka, head of police at the Rafah terminal, well above the daily average of about 300 in recent months.

Thirty-nine were turned back because they did not have the proper visas or travel documents, Baraka said. Israeli media quoted Egyptian officials as saying some were also on Egyptian "terror lists." In the past, Egypt had rejected passengers found to be on "blacklists." An additional 150 people crossed from Egypt into Gaza.

With the crossing now operating six days a week, officials hope to raise the daily number of travelers to 1,000. Baraka said ten thousand people are registered to travel between June and August 25.

"Today is a cornerstone for a new era that we hope will pave the road to ending the siege and blockade on Gaza," said Hatem Awideh, director general of the Hamas border authority in Gaza. "We hope this facilitation by our Egyptian brothers will improve travel and will allow everyone to leave Gaza."

About 100 Hamas supporters marched with Palestinian and Egyptian flags outside the border terminal in a gesture of gratitude to Egypt.

"This courageous step by Egypt reflects the deep historic relations between the Palestinian and Egyptian nations," said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri.

The new system will not resolve Gazans' travel woes completely, though.

Men between the ages of 18 and 40 still will have to obtain Egyptian visas, a process that can take months. Women, children and older men must get travel permits, which can be obtained in several days.

Israel, which controls Gaza's cargo crossings, allows most consumer goods into Gaza, but still restricts exports as well as the entry of much-needed construction materials, saying they could be used by militants. Israel also enforces a naval blockade aimed at weapons smuggling.

Israeli and American officials have expressed concerns that Hamas will exploit the opening to bring weapons and fighters into Gaza. In January 2008, masked militants blew open the Rafah border wall, allowing thousands of people to pour in and out of Egypt.

Egyptian officials say they have security measures in place to keep weapons from crossing through Rafah.

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said the Rafah opening puts "additional responsibility on the Egyptians about what happens in Gaza."

"Both Israel and Egypt have mutual interests against global Jihad terror and against Hamas terror and I expect that cooperation will continue for the benefit of both sides," Ayalon said on Channel 10 TV.

Opposition lawmaker Nachman Shai blamed the Israeli government for failing to prevent the opening of Rafah. Israeli officials had lobbied Egypt to leave the restrictions in place.

"Mubarak is gone, there is a new government and we already see how Israel-Egypt relations are substantially deteriorating," he said. "A significant security breach was created today under our noses.

Hamas has long used tunnels to get arms into Gaza. Gaza militants now have military-grade rockets that have hit cities in southern Israel. Israeli military officials believe that Iranian experts are already in Gaza training Hamas. The fear is that it will now become even easier for them to get into the territory.

"One trainer who tells them how to set up the rockets and how to use them is equal to a large quantity of weapons," Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli Defense Ministry official who works closely with Egypt, told Channel 2 TV.

The border opening comes on the heels of an Egyptian-mediated unity deal between the rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah.

Hamas has governed Gaza since routing Fatah forces in 2007, leaving the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in control only of the West Bank.

Earlier this month, the sides signed a reconciliation deal in Cairo. But details are still being worked out, and Hamas will be in charge of the Palestinian side of Rafah.

Both Egypt and Fatah officials played down any significance, describing the expanded operations of Rafah a victory for all Palestinians. Nabil Shaath, a senior Fatah official, said he considered the border opening a fruit of the unity deal.

(This version CORRECTS Corrects that crossing is open six days a week. AP Video.)

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Joie de Vivre Hotels Announces "Singing for an Upgrade" Initiative at Southern California Properties

2011-05-28T08:40:18+02:00

M.O.,” Joie de Vivre Hotels is now encouraging guests to celebrate the joy of life through song. Much like a certain hugely popular show on TV currently starring “Jenny from the Block” and an iconic, loose-lipped rocker, Joie de Vivre is rewarding the vocal talents of its Southern California hotel guests, but instead of hearing, “You’re going to Hollywood,” they’ll hear, “You’re getting an upgrade.”

Starting May 16, Shorebreak Hotel in Huntington Beach, Pacific Edge Hotel on Laguna Beach, Hotel Erwin in Venice Beach, and Hotel Angeleno in Los Angeles began giving away one upgrade per day by providing willing guests the opportunity to perform live upon check-in.Each hotel will offer a variety of songs – from “California Gurls” by Katy Perry to “Hotel California” by The Eagles – selected to reflect the personality of the property for guests to sing. The first guest to sing a song will get the prize for the day, and their performance will be captured on video and uploaded to YouTube and Facebook for the chance to win a two-night stay at each Southern California hotel, based on the number of votes the video gets.If the upgrade has already been redeemed for the day, guests will still be eligible to enter the video contest by singing and will have the chance to win the grand prize, which will be awarded in October. For more information on the promotion, which ends Sept. 30, visit .

Joie de Vivre’s newest Southern California property – Custom Hotel at Los Angeles Airport – will begin participating in the “Singing for an Upgrade” initiative this summer after it joins the collection upon completion of its refresh.

About Joie de Vivre Hospitality, LLCFounded in 1987 by entrepreneur Chip Conley, San Francisco-based Joie de Vivre is known for creating some of the most innovative hospitality services and products and designing one-of-a-kind boutique hotels, restaurants and spas. Geolo Capital, a private equity firm controlled by the family office of John Pritzker, acquired a majority interest in Joie de Vivre in 2010. The firm specializes in hospitality investments and is capitalizing the boutique hotel company’s national expansion. Joie de Vivre currently operates more than 30 boutique hotels.

MEDIA CONTACTS:BLINK LAJennifer Sides, Jen(at)BlinkLosAngeles(dot)com

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LoriLincolnJoie de Vivre Hotels(415) 773-1067Email Information

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Can Hollywood Afford to Make Films China Doesn't Like?

2011-05-27T23:11:09+02:00

based company $3.7 billion to build.

Though China's irritation with Hollywood over films like Seven Years in Tibetand Kundun has subsided as Hollywood has steered clear of pro-Tibetan subject matter, the Communist Party's policy toward films and high-profile figures perceived as anti-Chinese remains very much the same. When Kung Fu Panda, a DreamWorks production, opened in Chinese theaters in 2008, it faced heavy criticism and nationwide boycott calls - not for its portrayal of a beloved national symbol but for the actions of DreamWorks' co-founder Steven Spielberg. Months earlier, Spielberg had dropped out as an artistic adviser to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing after unsuccessfully lobbying Hu Jintao to help bring an end Sudan's attack on Darfur. Hu did little to pressure Sudan despite the strong relationship between the two countries, and Spielberg withdrew his involvement from the Games. That same year, actress Sharon Stone insensitively remarked that the Sichuan earthquake, which killed tens of thousands of people, was China's "karma" for handling the 2008 Tibetan riots poorly. The comment sparked national outrage: advertising spots featuring the actress were promptly pulled, and all Stone movies are still banned from major theater chains.

Given China's position in the market, studios are making an effort to be more careful. Recently, MGM chose to remake a 1984 Cold War film entitled Red Dawn, for release later this year. The original story, which revolves around several American kids fighting a Soviet invasion, no longer made sense with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Originally, the studio chose China as the new threat, but potential distributors expressed concerns about taking the project on with China cast as villain. Instead of shelving the finished film, MGM digitally altered references to China, changing the perpetrator to North Korea. Tripp Vinson, one of the film's producers, told the Los Angeles Times: "We were initially very reluctant to make any changes. But after careful consideration we constructed a way to make a ... more dangerous Red Dawn that we believe improves the movie." Rance Pow, president of Artisan Gateway, says a lot of factors contribute to why Hollywood makes the movies it does, but acknowledges that studios "will be a bit selective in its slate submitted for the China market."

At the same time, Hollywood has been trying to market itself to Chinese tastes. The Green Hornet, which was released earlier this year, features Canadian funnyman Seth Rogen as the bumbling Green Hornet and Taiwan-born pop star Jay Chou as Kato, his capable sidekick. Chou, a colossal figure in the Asian music industry for well over a decade, is one of Asia's most popular performers. Unsurprisingly, given Chou's regional appeal, The Green Hornet was selected as one of the foreign films to be shown within Chinese theaters.

China's influence over Hollywood may increase drastically within the next few years. A World Trade Organization ruling recently found that China's 20-film quota violates international trade laws. China has agreed to lift the limit, and when it does, it has the potential to become an even bigger force than it already is. "How quickly China becomes the number two global market, and eventually number one, is strictly up to the government," says Ochs. But even when the quota is gone, China's policy on censorship is not likely to change - a fact that will encourage Hollywood to continue catering to its policies. As China makes its own movie market more open, the space for making films critical of the Asian powerhouse may continue to shrink.

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BBC and TMZ: Separated at Tweet

2011-05-11T02:30:26+02:00

re talking about. So after a day of staring at Twitter, we're sharing our favorite head-scratchers. Today, the selections come from two of our favorite feeds:and . They seldom match up when it comes to subject or tone, but both have an uncanny ability to produce the same reaction.

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Greek sprinters guilty of perjuryviaBBCNews

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Jon Huntsman mulls White House run

2011-05-03T01:35:20+02:00

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, after not quite two years as US President Barack Obama's ambassador to China, has returned home to weigh whether to seek the White House for himself in 2012.

But analysts warn that the 51-year-old former diplomat will likely struggle to win over fellow Republicans, notably the right-wing "Tea Party" movement built on anger at Obama and therefore suspicious of Huntsman's conservative credentials.

"It's an uphill battle," said Matt Dickinson, a political science professor at elite Middlebury College in Vermont.

Dickinson said Huntsman's service as the top US diplomat in Beijing -- a critical diplomatic post held by at least one future president, George Bush -- would be a "big handicap" in primaries dominated by core Republican voters.

Huntsman may say "I held my nose, I did it for the good of the country, particularly because so much our economic well-being is tied up in our relationship with China," the professor said.

"Some people will buy it, I suspect a lot of people will not," he said.

Obama has repeatedly spotlighted their relationship, vowing recently "to make sure that every primary voter knows it" and joking at Huntsman's expense during Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Washington in January.

"I'm sure he will be very successful in whatever endeavors he chooses in the future, and I'm sure that him having worked so well with me will be a great asset in any Republican primary," Obama quipped.

Huntsman, whose resignation is effective Saturday, is expected to decide in the next two months whether to run, but already a group of political operatives in Washington, many of them veterans of Republican John McCain's White House bids, has done some of the organizational spadework to facilitate one.

They have started a political action committee -- HORIZON PAC, with the motto "Maybe Someday" -- that will cultivate local politicians and is expected ultimately to provide a campaign framework should Huntsman decide to run.

Huntsman plans to give a university graduation speech on May 21 in New Hampshire, which traditionally holds the first presidential primary, and will likely also hold low-key but campaign-style events, a supporter said.

"They will be a chance for him to meet some New Hampshire people, and for New Hampshire people to meet him," said Peter Spaulding, who chaired McCain's campaign in the state in the 2000 and 2008 White House contests.

"I think that he's a fresh, new, conservative Republican face in the race," Spaulding told AFP by telephone, before dismissing the notion that Huntsman's ambassadorship could hurt him.

"I don't think that's a major problem," said Spaulding. "In these types of non-partisan posts, you're serving the country, regardless of your political leanings."

Huntsman is well regarded in China, due to his fluent Mandarin and the fact that one of his seven children is a girl adopted from China. He is also known for preferring his bicycle to chauffeur-driven armored vehicles.

He has helped Washington navigate a particularly thorny time in relations between the world's top two economies, during which they have battled over everything from the yuan and trade to Taiwan and Internet freedom.

Among Republican voters, however, he is not well known.

A mid-April poll by the respected Gallup organization found that just 21 percent of them knew his name -- against 82 percent for possible rival and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney.

University of Utah political science professor Matthew Burbank told AFP that "the problem that Huntsman has this time around" is that Romney, who like Huntsman is a Mormon, is a "more established" candidate with a similar profile.

When it comes to Mormon fundraisers and organizers, "Romney's pretty well got them lined up," depriving Huntsman of potentially important backers, Burbank told AFP.

In Utah, Huntsman cruised to election and then reelection as governor and won strong reviews for his careful husbanding of the state's finances.

"He proved himself to be a very capable governor," said Burbank.

But he also praised Obama's economic stimulus package backed civil unions for gay couples, and supported a "cap-and-trade" plan to curb greenhouse gases blamed for global warming -- all targets of Republican scorn.

And some commentators say his Mormon faith could irk evangelical Christian voters who comprise a key part of the Republican party base vote.

Huntsman, the motorcycle-riding son of a chemical billionaire, could inject his own cash into an effort to explore his prospects in the crowded field of presumed Republican contenders for the presidential nomination.

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Obama seeks end to oil industry tax breaks

2011-05-01T16:34:29+02:00

President Barack Obama on Saturday kept pressure on the Congress to end tax breaks for oil and gas companies, saying they were enjoying huge profits, as he sought to limit political fallout from rising gasoline prices.

With public anger over costs at the pump hitting Obama's popularity as he revs up his 2012 re-election bid, he pressed his call for rolling back $4 billion in "unwarranted tax subsidies" at a time of budget belt-tightening in Washington.

But opposition Republicans continued their efforts to cast blame on the Democratic president for a surge in gas prices that is straining Americans' pocketbooks at a time of stubbornly high unemployment and sluggish economic recovery.

"When oil companies are making huge profits and you're struggling at the pump, and we're scouring the federal budget for spending we can afford to do without, these tax giveaways aren't right," Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address. "They aren't smart. And we need to end them."

Oil companies posted sharply higher first-quarter earnings this week with oil prices above $100 a barrel on unrest in the Middle East and growing global demand for energy.

Leading the way, Exxon Mobil, the world's most valuable publicly listed company, beat analysts' forecasts by posting a 69 percent rise in earnings to $10.65 billion, its biggest profit since the third quarter of 2008.

Obama insisted he remained committed to "safe and responsible oil production here at home" but said the money from oil industry tax subsidies would be better invested in developing alternative energy sources.

REPUBLICAN REBUTTAL

Delivering the Republicans' response, Congressman James Lankford of Oklahoma, an oil state, said Americans were looking for leadership in tackling gas prices but that Obama "has only offered a tax increase on energy and the prospect of reduced supply" and had smothered the industry in new regulations.

He said Obama's proposal to revoke oil industry tax breaks would be counterproductive, and vowed that Republicans in the House of Representatives would try to pass their own job-creating energy initiative next week.

"The president may think he's punishing CEOs of big companies, but his plan will hurt the everyday consumer of energy and imperil the jobs of millions of hard-working people in American-based companies," Lankford said.

But the Republican stance is far from uniform. House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan said on Thursday he supports cutting tax breaks for the oil industry in the search for ways to battle rising gasoline prices and close corporate tax loopholes.

Gasoline prices have become a highly charged political issue after pushing toward $4 a gallon nationally, and Republicans see it as a weak point for Obama in their efforts to defeat him in the 2012 election.

In a Washington Post-ABC News poll published on Tuesday, 71 percent of those surveyed said gasoline prices were causing them serious financial hardship, while 55 percent disapproved of the way Obama was handling his job as president.

Obama has insisted there is no "magic bullet" for bringing down gas prices. But the White House is worried that if gas prices continue rising, the issue could drown out the economic recovery message at the heart of his re-election strategy.

(Editing by Mohammad Zargham)

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Retour sur... une bouteille de Badoit en guise de jouet.

2011-04-23T07:00:00+02:00

Le samedi c'est "retour sur..." une note mais il y a un an. Il me fallait piocher dans une note du 17 au 23 avril 2010.

Durant cette semaine j'ai raconté la technique "anti-dodo" de ma fille, j'ai découvert une pieuvre voleuse et j'ai surtout découvert que la crise financière n'était qu'un mensonge.

Cependant je m'arrête sur une note du 18 avril 2010 ou j'ai découvert des photos très sympathiques dans l'appareil photo de ma fille. Une bouteille rien de mieux pour amuser un enfant. La note d'origine.

Mark Zuckerberg Is Mad Magazine's Latest Coverboy [PIC]

2011-04-12T20:09:48+02:00

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will grace the cover of Mad Magazine in about a week, in an issue whose cover story is entitled "The 50 Worst Things About Facebook."

Zuckerberg is on a roll. After(whose face has also been on the cover of Mad), , interviewing , being the subject of an , having his likeness replicated inand , and even , you might say that Zuckerberg's circle of fame is complete. Not bad for the .

Whenaskededitor John Ficarra why Mark was on the cover of his humorous periodical, Ficarra replied, "It was a pure business decision. We got a cool $2 mil from the Winklevoss twins to 'poke' him a new one."

In anticipation of Zuckerberg's debut on the cover of this hilarious mag (which we've loved for years), let's try to figure out what the article will cite as some of the 50 worst things about Facebook. What do you think, commenters?

Image courtesy

UN: Families trapped in Ivory Coast church

2011-03-04T20:37:04+01:00

The U.N. said armed men blocked some 60 families without food or water from leaving a church Tuesday, as one man who escaped the violence-plagued neighborhood described "fleeing the smell of the dead."

The U.N.'s refugee agency expressed alarm about the dire conditions facing people trying to get out of the Abobo district of Abidjan after days of violence there.

"There are reports of many dead bodies, buses burned and shops looted, and of young militiamen attacking people inside their homes," the agency said in a statement.

One man, Jean Bleou, said Abobo was quickly becoming uninhabitable. Several dozen people have been killed over the past week in bloody clashes.

"I saw at least seven bodies on my way out," he said. "We were fleeing the smell of the dead."

Sitting president Laurent Gbagbo has refused to cede power three months after the U.N. said Alassane Ouattara won the election.

The standoff already has claimed the lives of hundreds of Ouattara supporters, victims of targeted assassinations and "disappearances" carried out at night by security forces loyal to Gbagbo. The conflict has reached a new level of intensity as commandos allied with Ouattara infiltrated Abobo.

They struck back, killing police and transforming the nature of the conflict from one pitting the police against unarmed demonstrators to one between two armed forces.

On Tuesday, hundreds of government employees lined up in front of local banks in Abidjan to receive their paychecks.

Teacher Marcelin Gnahe said he received his full pay of about $500 but was worried about the future.

"It's like someone has put a bag over your head and sealed it," he said.

The regional central bank headquartered in Senegal has frozen Gbagbo's access to state accounts, threatening his ability to continue paying civil servants. Major international banks have shuttered their operations in Ivory Coast amid the uncertainty, prompting panic among customers.

Multiple delegations of African leaders have come through Abidjan, Ivory Coast's commercial hub, in an attempt to persuade Gbagbo to leave office. Gbagbo has rejected all their proposals, including offers of amnesty and a comfortable exile abroad.

Opponents are trying to strangle his administration financially, and the European Union has prohibited European ships from docking in its port.

Meanwhile, the government said Tuesday it is banning residents from filling jerrycans with gas as fears of a shortage grow. Motorists in Abidjan rushed to fill up their car's tanks, then went home to siphon the gas into a jerrycan, in an effort to stockpile. Some gas stations have already run out of supplies and closed.

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Pierre Abbou et l'histoire de la poupée Gégé

2011-03-01T12:31:33+01:00

L'entreprise Soclaine a racheté les précieux moules permettant de fondre Clara, Laura, Inès, Elisa ou Gladis, fait plutôt figure de novice au rayon des poupées. Sa vocation première, c'est le modèle réduit, la maquette de bateau. Créée en 1978 par Pierre Abbou, la société s'est lancée dans la fabrication, à Bapeaume et en différents autres sites, de quatre modèles originaux de bateaux en bois facilement réalisables. Et petit à petit, elle a fait son nid dans le marché impitoyable du jouet. La poupée gégé résiste aux attaques des consoles vidéo - 23 décembre 1992

Trump grades Obama C or lower, says he supports Gov. Walker

2011-02-24T17:57:43+01:00

The poll came out, and we’re in a virtual tie and I haven’t campaigned,” Trump said in .”I’m not really, despite that, that surprised, because it’s a message of common sense. We can have a great country again, the problem is we don’t have the right leadership.”

Trump then answered a series of questions that he said people had asked him.The first question: How would he grade President Obama as a CEO?

“I’d have to give him probably a C, maybe a D+,” Trump said.In answering the question, Trump said that the Obama administration was quiet on the Middle East protests due to a lack of respect for America abroad.

He also wondered aloud about what was next for the Middle East.“Who is going to be taking over those countries after these dictators that have stolen all of this money, and that are worth 40 or 50 billion dollars with five houses all over the world.This is money that we gave, as an example, to Egypt, and the money is now in somebody’s pocket, hopefully it won’t be there for very long.”

Trump praised the effort by Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker to reduce the power of public sector employee unions.“I’ve been very impressed by him and his stance.I really think he’s doing the right thing for his state,” said Trump.

Support for Walker was joined with kind words for unions that Trump has worked with.

“New York is very heavily union, I’ve had great relationships with the unions over the years,” Trump said, “But at the same time, I fully understand the governor of Wisconsin, what he’s trying to do.He’s trying to fix a very, very serious problem, and probably he will be victorious.”

Trump repeated that he will not decide on whether to run for president until June.

First U.S. drone attack in Pakistan in weeks kills 7

2011-02-23T10:57:41+01:00

A U.S. drone strike killed at least seven people on Monday in a tribal region along Pakistan's western border, local officials said, the first such attack in a month as a diplomatic feud strains U.S.-Pakistani ties.

At least four missiles were fired from the unmanned aircraft at a suspected militant training center in Azam Warsak, just west of Wana, the main town in the South Waziristan tribal agency, intelligence officials in South Waziristan said.

"According to initial reports there were foreigners among the dead," one of the officials said.

A second official said the foreign nationals killed included three people from Turkmenistan and two Arab nationals.

It is the first time since January 23 that intelligence officials have reported a U.S. drone attack, marking a resumption of a campaign that has become the centerpiece of U.S. efforts to halt militants launching attacks on its soldiers in Afghanistan.

Many analysts believe Washington halted the attacks for weeks to avoid further inflaming anti-American fury in Pakistan just as it pressures Islamabad to release Raymond Davis, a U.S.consulate employee imprisoned after shooting two Pakistanis last month in what he said was an attempted robbery.

Others speculate the pause was due to poor weather or an inability to find reliable targets as militants hunt down Pakistanis they believe are feeding intelligence information.

Washington, which provides Pakistan with billions of dollars a year in military and civilian aid, is leaning hard on the government of President Asif Ali Zardari to release Davis on grounds the U.S. national is shielded by diplomatic immunity.

RISK, NECESSITY FOR PAKISTAN

Yet neither can the government afford to unleash popular fury in a case that has galvanized anti-American sentiment in Pakistan. Protesters have burned U.S. flags and demanded the Davis be tried for murder in local courts.

Davis, whose precise connection to the U.S. government has not been specified, is locked in a jail in the city of Lahore after a hearing on his immunity was delayed until March 14.

Talat Masood, a retired Pakistani general and military analyst, said the United States may have resumed the raids in a recognition that the case may drag out for some time.

The drone strikes, which are not publicly acknowledged by either country, are another delicate situation for the vulnerable Zardari government, battling an insurgency of its own and struggling to hold together a fragile coalition.

The attacks are seen as a risk and a necessity for Pakistan, under pressure from its chief ally in the West to do against militants but also facing mounting resentment from Pakistanis who decry the government for bowing to U.S. wishes.

There is also growing debate over the effectiveness of the strikes, which have killed al Qaeda and Taliban figures but have been unable to reach senior militants living in cities like Quetta and Karachi that Pakistan has made off-limits to strikes.

According to a new report in the Washington Post, only two of the drone attacks in Pakistan last year killed militants who were senior enough to appear on a U.S. most-wanted list.

Citing data from government and independent sources, the Post said that despite an escalation in the attacks the number of high-ranking militants killed was modest and may have slipped.

(Additional reporting by Augustine Anthony in ISLAMABAD;writing by Missy Ryan; Editing by Chris Allbritton and Sanjeev Miglani)

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Lehmann & Lehmann Communications Announces the Third Season of "The Law as Seen Through Film"

2011-02-22T17:57:27+01:00

After Innocence (2005).” Following the free movie in an open forum, Alexandra Lehmann encourages audience participation in a discussion about DNA evidence.

Ossining, NY (PRWEB) February 22, 2011

The Law as Seen Through Film Series continues on February 24, 2011 at 6:30 p.m. at the Ossining Public Library with the award winning documentary “After Innocence (2005).” Following the free movie in an open forum, Alexandra Lehmann encourages audience participation in a discussion about DNA evidence.

Last month Dallas’ “Conviction Integrity Unit” released an innocent man who spent thirty years in prison for a crime he did not commit. According to the Innocence Project, a legal center specializing in helping to free those wrongfully imprisoned, New York, Texas and Illinois lead the nation in DNA exonerations. With the emergence of this kind of evidence, the criminal justice system is seeing a wave of reversed convictions.

“After Innocence” is compelling, says Alexandra Lehmann, because it shows through interviews of men who have been set free that anger at the system is not the right form of revenge. In a particularly moving scene, a just released prisoner bravely forgives one of the prosecutors who falsely accused him.

“Chilling” writes Stephen Holden of The New York Times. “Leaves you feeling that a new civil rights movement is urgently needed.”

“The Law as Seen Through Film Series” raises awareness about legal rights and remedies through great films, past and present. After watching a well-selected movie about a relevant legal issue or rule of law, a moderator opens a discussion on how it pertains to our lives today.The audience is encouraged to ask questions and voice their opinions. At the end of the evening, a poll is conducted as to how people fall on a particular legal question. The purpose of the event is to incite and inspire the community to think more closely about civil and criminal law.

On March 17, 2011, the series continues with “Erin Brockovich” and a conversation about the legal implications of the BP oil spill. Into the third season, please visitfor more information on past movies and their corresponding legal discussions.

Westchester, New York and Fairfield County, Connecticut law firms outsource Lehmann & Lehmann Legal Communications as their public relations and marketing consultants. L&L LC helps professional services firms to develop client relationships by designing, implementing and evaluating creative marketing strategies.Their services include online marketing campaigns measured by Google Analytics and building strategic alliances as referral sources for their clients. For more information, call (914) 450-9598.

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Alexandra LehmannLehmann & Lehmann Legal Communications(914) 450-9598Email Information

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After 67 Percent Tax Hike Last Month, Ill. Governor Wants to Borrow $8.75 Billion

2011-02-17T02:48:13+01:00

COMMENTARY | Just a few days agoIll. Governor Pat Quinn was trading potshots with N.J. Governor Chris Christie over which state was in worse financial condition.New Jersey's bonds were downgraded recently, and just last month Quinn pushed through a 67 percent tax increase that affects both individuals and corporations.

Now, however, thehas reported that Quinn has admitted that even with the expected influx of income taxes, which is already being withheld from paychecks across the state, he still needs a loan of $8.75 billion to pay 36,000 vendors.Sounding a bit like a political Madoff peddling a pyramid scheme, Quinn plans to pay back the loan with the money raised by the income tax hike.

More disturbing?Quinn and his staff have declined to say just how far off from their annual budget his administration is.It could be $3 billion, which means that with the $8.7 billion the total deficit between income taxes raised and expenses is a whopping $12 billion.

Rumor also has it that Quinn wants to try to raise cigarette taxes as well.The governor also has his staff working on ways to slash human services funding and state employees.

Illinois's financial situation is so bleak that House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) has even suggested cutting pension benefits for current state employees, which may be unconstitutional in addition to radical.

Although Illinois residents are currently tightening their belts thanks to the recent income tax rate increase for individuals from 3% to 5%, the law that put that rate increase in place came with a cap that limits how much the state can spend in each of the next three years.

Chicago's localaffiliate has speculated that while the cap on spending this year has left the state with enough room to spend the $7 billion expected to be raised, future years could be problematic.Expenses may increase to the point where discretionary spending must be cut.

Despite the over the top theatrics from Quinn, a clear plan to keep the state of Illinois from devolving into a similar financial disaster in the future is yet to be announced.Without a change in the way that Illinois allocates its funding to different state agencies, it is impossible to know where all these billions of dollars that Quinn is requesting will go - or where so many billions have already gone.

Chrysler's 'embarrassing' decision to spend $9 million on a Super Bowl ad

2011-02-09T20:57:24+01:00

New York – Many critics were inspired by the car company's two-minute defense of Detroit. Others argue that the price is inappropriately high for a company in debt

Chrysler broadcast an epic two-minute commercial during the Super Bowl that was less a traditional car ad than a tribute to Detroit. (See video below.) The commercial — the longest in Super Bowl history — proved a , who connected with its stirring imagery and hopeful message about the struggling city's future. But not everyone was left inspired by Chrysler's paean to the Motor City. A Republican congressman and other conservativesthat Chrysler still owes the government $5.8 billion in bailout money, and that spending millions on an ad is problematic for a beleaguered company in debt. (Chrysler's CEO says the ad cost less than $9 million.) Was the car maker right to splurge on its buzzworthy spot?

The ad was too expensive and misleading: "Chrysler took $15 billion from taxpayers, to which it wasn't entitled," , and made a commercial full of falsehoods. For instance, Chrysler did not "go through the hottest fires," as the ad suggests — unless "hottest fires" means "skipping bankruptcy and asking for a handout toprotect union pensions." This hypocritical ad just goes to show "howthe federal government picks winners and losers. Guess which part thetaxpayers play?"

The commercial was insulting, too: It's bad enough that the U.S. spent billions to rescue Chrysler afterdecades of poor decisions, . Now this ad, coupled with recent complaints from Chrysler's CEO that the government was charging his company outrageousinterest rates, really puts things over the top. This commercial was truly "the most embarrassing gaffe" of the Super Bowl.

The pay-off has been worth it: Despite "advance criticism of Chrysler for making a $9 million commitment," , this ad has made an almost unprecedented impact. It continues to "live large on the internet." More than 2,000 news organizations have mentioned it, generating more than 200 million web hits. On YouTube, "the video has been viewed more 1.2 million times in less than 24 hours." And the "ad is already proving its value." Web-traffic to the Chrysler 200 site increased more than 1,600 percent in the hours after the ad aired.

Playwrights Anne Washburn, Lisa D'Amour, Lisa Kron and Katori Hall Among Ten Blackburn Prize Finalists

2011-02-03T17:48:31+01:00

The ten finalists for the 2011 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, honoring female playwrights and chosen from over 100 nominated plays, were announced on Feb. 1.

The Broadway-bound play, Detroit, by Lisa D'Amour, is on the list of finalists for the 33rd annual awards. Lisa Kron's In the Wake, seen on the West Coast and at The Public Theater, was also named. Katori Hall, whose The Mountaintop is Broadway-bound, was recognized for her play Hurt Village.

The finalists and their nominating theatres are:

Lisa D'Amour — Detroit, Steppenwolf Theatre Company (U.S.)

Sam Burns — Not the Worst Place, Paines Plough (U.K.)

Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig — Lidless, Marin Theatre Company (U.S.)

Georgia Fitch — Satellite Faith, The Royal Shakespeare Company (U.K.)

Katori Hall — Hurt Village, Signature Theatre Company (U.S)

Lisa Kron — In the Wake, Berkeley Repertory Theatre (U.S.)

Tamsin Oglesby — Really Old, Like 45, The Royal National Theatre (U.K.)

Anne Washburn — Mr. Burns: A Post-Electric Play, Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (U.S)

Joy Wilkinson — The Golden Age, Everyman Playhouse Liverpool (U.K.)

Alex Wood — The Andes, Out of Joint (U.K.)

The 2011 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize winner will be awarded $20,000, and will also receive a signed print by renowned artist Willem de Kooning, created especially for the Prize. Each of the additional Finalists will receive $1,000. A Special Commendation of $5,000 may be given at the discretion of the Judges.

A ceremony honoring all finalists and announcing the winner will take place in New York City on Feb. 28.

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize annually honors outstanding new English-language plays by women. For over three decades, the prize has honored and encouraged women playwrights, and raised the visibility of notable new works.

Julia Cho won the 2010 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her play The Language Archive, which recently completed a limited engagement at Roundabout Theatre Company in New York. Other recipients of the Prize include Chloe Moss' This Wide Night, Judith Thompson's Palace of the End, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's Behzti (Dishonour), Sarah Ruhl's The Clean House, Dael Orlandersmith's Yellowman, Susan Miller's A Map of Doubt and Rescue, Gina Gionfriddo's U.S. Drag, Bridget Carpenter's Fall, Charlotte Jones' Humble Boy, Naomi Wallace's One Flea Spare, Jessica Goldberg's Refuge, Paula Vogel's How I Learned to Drive, Moira Buffini's Silence and Caryl Churchill’s Serious Money.

The international panel of six judges for the 33rd annual Susan Smith Blackburn Prize includes three from the U.K. and three from the U.S.: Jim Simpson, founder and artistic director of the Flea Theatre in Manhattan; Tony Award-winning American stage and film actress and director Judith Ivey; Obie Award-winning director Anne Kauffman; celebrated English actress Helen McCrory; noted British critic and author Georgina Brown; and Stephen Unwin, artistic director of Britain's The Rose Theatre.

The Susan Smith Blackburn Prize reflects the values and interests of Susan Smith Blackburn, an American actress and writer who lived in London during the last 15 years of her life. She died in 1977 at the age of 42. Over 300 plays have been chosen as finalists since the prize was founded in 1977. Over 60 of them are frequently produced in the United States today. Seven Blackburn finalist plays have gone on to win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama. The authors of those plays, Margaret Edson, Beth Henley, Marsha Norman, Lynn Nottage, Suzan-Lori Parks, Paula Vogel and Wendy Wasserstein, are the only women to have won the Pulitzer since the Blackburn Prize was first established.

Each year artistic directors and prominent professionals in the theatre throughout the English-speaking world are invited to nominate plays. Plays are eligible whether or not they have been produced, but any premiere production must have occurred within the preceding year. Each script receives multiple readings by members of an international reading committee that then selects ten finalists. All six judges read each finalist's play.

For more information, visit www.blackburnprize.org.

Dinette !

2010-12-19T05:36:00+01:00

A Florence,

Je lis aussi les catalogues publicitaires. Une année, j’avais gardé dans une malle tout ce qu’on mettait dans ma boîte pendant un an pour le peser et regarder la proposition que l’on nous fait. On fait de nous des mangeurs de tranches de jambon, c’est évident. Depuis bien longtemps maintenant, je lis aussi les catalogues de jouets avec une grande attention. C’était d’abord enfant, une passion. C’est maintenant une curiosité. Je me demandais cette année où en était la dinette que je piquais autrefois à mes sœurs. Quels jeux l’on propose aux enfants en cuisine ? Je trouve cette année des paquets de tagliatelles en tissu assez réalistes. Des œufs en bois et des œufs aux plats en tissu qui sortent de l’œuf. C’est incroyable. Les enfants peuvent aussi jouer au grill, au barbecue en bois et au plateau apéro. Les verres sont faussement funky, pour le grill, poulet et bœuf se distinguent par leurs couleurs sur la fausse brochette. Ils peuvent aussi découper des fruits en bois à scratch et il existe des sandwichs en tissu ou aimantés. Côté cuisine, les mini-cuisines sont vraiment balaises. On ne recule devant aucune dépense et souci de réalisme, j’ai même vu un poulet en tissu dont les pilons sont détachables. Ils feront bientôt tout comme nous, pauvres petits…

Puzzle pour enfant

2010-12-03T00:54:22+01:00

C'est vrai quoi, c'est important de savoir distinguer un glock d'un beretta dès tout petit. En plus, c'est un jouet en bois, c'est chic!

via

Mais qu'est-ce que j'ai avec les playmobils, moi ?

2010-12-02T07:01:00+01:00

Je ne sais pas si c'est ebay ou les playmobils, en fait, mais en ce moment, je ne cesse de faire des enchères sur ces sympathiques jouets. Indémodables, ces trucs. J'enchéris et surenchéris à tour de bras. Ah, une frustration de l'enfance. C'est pour mes petits, au fait, pas pour moi.

Il faut dire que c'est incroyable tout ce que ce fabricant de jouets à pu mettre au point comme univers. Par exemple, tout récemment, je me suis rendu compte qu'ils avaient créé un set maya : pyramide, homme-jaguar et tutti quanti.

Je pensais que playmobil n'avait jamais habillé ses petites figurines des atours grecs ? erreur, nom de Zeus ? Pas tout à fait : il y a des astucieux qui "customisent", comme ils disent. Bref, qui font eux-mêmes leurs propres univers. Chapeau pour cette maman qui s'est décarcassée pour offrir une Méduse et un Minotaure playmobil à ses petits. J'ai même vu sur e-bay un autre doué qui avait réalisé un guerrier spartiate de toute beauté.

Encore mieux, j'ai vu une animation d'un exploit d'Hercule : le Lion de Némée. Le texte est truffé de fautes d'orthographe, mais l'idée est originale et amusante.

Il faut dire que la fabrication des playmobils, c'est toute une aventure ! :-) Tout est fabriqué dans 4 usines européennes (Espagne, Malte, Allemagne, République Tchèque), à l'exception de petites pièces nécessitant de nombreuses étapes manuelles, qui elles sont fabriquées en Chine. Elles ne représentent toutefois que 1% de la production.

Mieux que ça, en fait : Playmobil exporte en Chine ! Très prudente, l'entreprise se garde bien de viser une introduction en bourse, tant elle tient à son indépendance. Bref, des jouets qu'on peut acheter pour sa petite famille à Noël, d'autant que les possibilités de scénarisation sont infinies avec un tel matériel.

Et au fait : non, je n'ai pas d'actions chez Playmobil, de toutes façons, la société n'est pas cotée en bourse...

Joies du magasinage de Noël

2010-11-29T02:05:00+01:00

Comme je vis au Québec, mais que je passe les fêtes en France, j'use et j'abuse de la vente en ligne. Tiens, Amazon par exemple. Et parfois, je dois dire que c'est plein de surprises! Tenez, je navigais dans la catégorie "jeux et jouets 12 à 15 ans", quand je tombe sur cette page (cliquez pour voir en grand):

Et oui, chez Amazon, ceci peut faire partie de la catégorie "jeux et jouets 12-15 ans". Mais que fait le ministère de la santé? :D

Ceci étant, je m'en tape un peu. J'étais de celles qui achetaient des cigarettes en chocolat quand j'étais naine, et je ne fume pas à l'âge adulte, alors que des pré-ados imitent leurs ainés en taffant sur un truc avec une diode rouge au bout...

Un brevet pour Hasbro.

2010-11-07T08:00:00+01:00

Pour égayer ton dimanche après-midi "pluvieux" avec tes bambins, et surtout si t'as des filles, et surtout des Petshops, tu files prendre un bâton, un bout de ficelle, une cuillère...que tu vas attacher à la ficelle, en bref tu vas créer une pêche à la ligne pour les Petshops. Etant donné que les Petshomachins sont aimentés, tu vas les balancer sur la table et celui qui gagne sera celui qui vas en récuperer le plus. Tu vas t'éclater... enfin ils vont s'éclater... les bambins.

Dans la série ”montrons aux filles qu'elles ont un avenir”

2010-09-30T02:30:00+02:00

J'aime bien les créateurs de jouets pour enfants. Des gens dont le travail consiste à éveiller les cerveaux de votre progéniture, tout en leur permettant de développer leur imagination, de s'ouvrir au monde, bref, de grandir. Tenez, par exemple, le type (ou la nana, soyons fous!) qui a pondu ça:

via

On sent bien qu'il ou elle s'est dit que c'était un jouet à offrir à sa fille. Un vrai chariot avec tout ce qu'il faut, pour la préparer sans doute à une carrière de technicienne de surface ou bien lui enfoncer dans le crâne que c'est son boulot de récurer la cuvette des WC (si, regardez bien, y a la brosse à WC dans le lot!).

Alors rien que ça, ça m'énerve. Mais vous savez ce qui est encore plus énervant? Les parents qui achètent ça pour leur gamine! Crétins des alpes!

Beau comme un camion

2010-09-08T16:37:08+02:00

Pour les amateurs: Référence 32D. Modèle 1939. Dinky Toys Voiture de pompiers Delahaye Fabriqué en France par Meccano.

J'ai du mal à imaginer que mon père a joué avec!

Kiki va être content...

2010-08-04T00:10:00+02:00

Quand vous lui offrirez ce magnifique jouet pour chien qui fait pouët pouët. Pis avec un peu de chance, vous lui apprendrez par la même occasion à chaparder les capotes. De quoi mettre l'ambiance!

via

Retour sur... les 101 Petshops.

2010-06-12T07:00:00+02:00

Le samedi c'est "retour sur..." une note de la semaine mais il y a un an. Une note à faire découvrir, à faire évoluer.

Il me fallait piocher dans une note du 6 au 12 juin 2009. Mon choix c'est arrêté sur une photo. Etrangement cette image témoigne de la jeunesse de ma fille qui m'échappe petit à petit. Lou aime jouer encore avec les Petshops mais c'est de moins en moins. Mais surtout la chose qui me parle le plus c'est son pyjama. Si aujourd'hui elle devait le mettre je pense qu'elle ne pourrait même pas rentrer une cuisse dedans. Doucement ma princesse, reste encore petite, j'ai la nostalgie de ton enfance qui passe même si t'es encore une petite fille de 7 ans.

La note d'origine.

Louez ou échangez des jouets pour vos enfants

2010-04-22T06:25:00+02:00

Communiqué :

En tant que parents nous aimons varier les jouets de notre enfant pour favoriser son éveil et surtout pour lui faire plaisir.
Acheter régulièrement des nouveaux jouets et les revendre quand l'enfant s'en est lassé prend du temps et finit par coûter cher.
C'est pour faciliter la vie aux parents modernes mais économes que nous avons imaginé et créé notre service de location.
Avec notre service de location, vous pouvez gratuitement échanger les jouets quand votre enfant s'en est lassé. Les jouets qui ne servent plus n'encombrent pas votre maison et vous disposez toujours de jouets adaptés à l'âge de votre enfant.

voir le site en cliquant ici

Une bouteille de Badoit en guise de jouet.

2010-04-18T07:00:00+02:00

Dans une époque de consommation, ma fille ne joue qu'avec une bouteille de Badoit et l'appareil numérique de sa soeur. Je viens de découvrir les clichés dans l'APN de la grande. Et je dois dire que j'ai trouvé cela bien sympathique.

Depuis cette vie inside me...

2010-04-12T10:30:00+02:00

J'ai un doudou... et un nuage musical !

Je suis convaincue que, pour toute les futures mamans, le choix du 1er doudou est capital. Moi, j'ai trainé mes guêtres de grossesse durant de longs samedis après midi avant de trouver sur le bon, celui qui plairait à mon enfant. Je suis allée de magasins de déco à Merci en passant par Bon Ton, le Printemps bien sûr et tous ses doudous Kalou... Certains me faisaient de l'oeil mais non, ce n'était toujours pas le bon : trop gros, trop petit, trop dur, trop mou, trop poilu, trop ci, trop ça.

Jusqu'à ce que je tombe sur Ange Lapin au 6ème étage des Galeries Lafayettes. Ange Lapin est doux, Ange Lapin est petit, Ange Lapin est décalé juste ce qu'il faut avec ses petites ailes, son corps trop large, son sourire d'illuminé et ses longues oreilles qui sont les seules à le faire ressembler à un lapin. La version Liberty me regarde en coin (cf. ci-dessous) mais finalement, j'opterai pour le blanc immaculé (qui ne le restera pas longtemps une fois Sushi parmi nous mais pas plus que les body, la bavoirs ou les draps finalement... et les machines, c'est pas fait pour les kangourous).

Et depuis, je l'avoue, c'est avec mon Ange Lapin tout contre mon ventre que je m'endors le soir. Il faut dire que dans l'un de mes nombreux livres sur la grossesse, ils disaient que le bébé aimerait la peluche portant l'odeur de sa maman, que cela le calmerait et l'aiderait à s'endormir alors si cela peut m'économiser quelques heures de veillées angoissées à tenter d'apaiser ses cris (car cris il y aura... du moins, je crois), j'en suis.

Autre secret d'Anne Bacus (dans son guide de la maman débutante = moi), lui faire écouter de la musique alors qu'il baigne encore dans son doux cocon pour qu'une fois IRL, il la reconnaisse et se sente rassuré par les douces notes de la petite berceuse. Concrètement, cela se traduit pour nous par un petit nuage musical que j'appose tout contre la paroi de mon ventre au moment du coucher (et seulement s'il est réveillé car il doit comprendre que cela veut dire qu'il doit fermer ses petits yeux).

Ce petit nuage est signé Trousselier, la petite boite à musique est contenu dans le nuage et s'enclenche lorsque l'on tire sur le petit bonhomme qui chante sous la pluie. La mélodie est douce, resposante et... Je vous le promets, après 2 ou 3 fois, notre Sushi a rejoint le pays des songes (d'ailleurs, de quoi peut il bien rêver alors qu'il n'a encore rien connu ?).

Ce petit nuage, c'est aussi notre façon à nous de lui parler car finalement, on se sent un peu ridicules et idiot de parler à un ventre alors on le fait un peu mais pas trop. On préfère sentir ses petits coups de pieds qui battent la mesure... Chacun son truc !

Et vous, c'est quoi vos petits secrets pour communiquer avec bébé ?

Ndlb : plus d'info sur Trousselier ici (mais le site n'est pas terrible)

Ndlb2 : si vous ne trouvez pas de boutiques "réelles", il y a L'Oiseau de Paradis qui vend depuis peu les produits en ligne. C'est ici.

Ndlb3 : tout ce qui a changé d'autres depuis cette vie inside me là.

Japon - 20 novembre 2008

2010-01-14T01:39:00+01:00

Les japonais sont la principale source d'aide internationale auprès du Cambodge. Ils financent la majorité des infrastructures dans la capitale, et la restauration de beaucoup de temples à Siem Reap. On en voit beaucoup en groupes larges ou restreints visiter les ruines ; autre signe de leur présence, à Lo Lei, au pied d'une stèle en briques, à côté de la pagode moderne, à terre, parmi les herbes, il y a deux morceaux de plastique transparent, chacun porteur d'un pikachu souriant.

Jouet pour enfant

2010-01-10T00:17:00+01:00

see more Epic Fails

Et si on relocalisait les jouets ?

2010-01-02T01:23:00+01:00

Je lisais le dernier Canard, il y a peu, et ce-faisant, je suis tombé sur un article où le volatile se gaussait des entreprises revenues penaudes de l'étranger, contraintes de relocaliser leur production en France. Délais dépassés, malfaçons, la liste des désillusions est longue pour nos valeureux capitaines d'industrie. Former décemment de bons ouvriers, c'est long, cela demande du savoir-faire, et cela coûte cher... Si les standards de qualité ne sont pas respectés, cela peut finir par coûter cher.

Je juge symptomatique de cet état de fait l'industrie du jouet : on dit de la Chine qu'elle est le grenier à jouets du monde. Certes, mais je constate que les grandes marques produisent à tire-larigot des jouets toujours différents chaque année. Il n'existe quasiment aucun service après-vente dès que l'imprimatur "made in China" figure au verso de l'objet. De la même manière, il n'existe quasiment pas de gammes de qualité pour les jouets. De toutes façons, tout le monde s'en fout : ce qu'il faut, c'est consommer et surconsommer : offrir toujours plus, toujours plus nouveau, et peu importe que le jouet finisse cassé ou oublié dans les 48 heures. Et puis pour les gnards, pas la peine de se donner la peine de prévoir de la qualité. Dans 15 jours, ce sera à la poubelle, dans le fond du coffre, ou remplacé, alors...

Personnellement, j'aimerais bien acheter français ou européen, sans être contraint de me coltiner les traditionnels jouets en bois et autres loisirs "créatifs", mais pas moyen de trouver l'objet recherché. Il y a évidemment des listes, mais comment je fais, moi, si je veux mon sabre-laser Dark Vador made in France ? Ou ma super 607 peugeot en métal avec toutes les portes qui s'ouvrent made in France ?

Ouf, j'ai fini par trouver un site qui a l'air de détailler plusieurs produits, relativement variés, en principe produits en France. Tiens, à ce sujet, Kapla, outre le fait d'être français, fabriquerait ses planchettes de bois en France. Une confirmation d'un lecteur ? Ils n'ont tout de même pas du pin maritime, les Chinois ? C'est le bois utilisé pour produire les kaplas. Voyons voyons, on lit sous les boites de kaplas que la maison-mère se trouve à Saint-Louis de Montferrand, en Gironde. Ah, ça tombe bien, on trouve ces pins-là au bord de l'Atlantique, entre autres, et notamment dans la forêt de la Double ainsi que dans les Landes (là, ça tombe bien, c'est pour une large partie en Gironde !).

Tant mieux si c'est vrai, je viens d'en offrir deux boîtes colorées à mes petits à l'occasion des fêtes de fin d'année (oui, je sais, ce sont des jouets en bois...).

Une idée pour Hasbro.

2009-12-22T14:00:00+01:00

Pour le athé que je suis il n'est pas question que je mettre une crèche sous le sapin. C'était sans compter sur le passage d'une amie, qui heureusement a déposé une crèche, vide, une créche sans rien...bref il n'était pas question de mettre le petit Jésus dans la crèche (tu rigoles j'en suis certain !). Ainsi, dans ce vide, l'imagination de Lou au rendez-vous, qui vient d'inventer la crèche Petshop. Si Hasbro passe par ici j'ai déposé le brevet.

Attention aux substances toxiques dans les jouets

2009-12-12T00:55:00+01:00

Extrait : NOËL APPROCHE et les choix se dessinent pour savoir quels cadeaux seront déposés sous le sapin. Si les parents sont attentifs à faire plaisir à leurs enfants, ils doivent aussi être vigilants pour ne pas offrir des jouets contenant des substances toxiques. L'association 60 millions de consommateurs a testé soixante-six articles pour enfants. Trente ont été épinglés en raison de la présence de « substances chimiques à risque », indique le mensuel dans son numéro de décembre. Ainsi, sur 25 jouets en plastique étudiés, neuf contiennent du phtalate à des concentrations supérieures à 0,1 %.

Article publié le 08 Décembre 2009
Par Pascale Santi Source : LE MONDE

Commentaire : même les jouets en bois sont contaminés...On trouve du formaldéhyde dans certaines peintures et pâtes à modeler alors qu'ilest classé cancérigène. L'Institut des consommateurs américains (The Ecology Center) a rendu publique le 2 décembre que 32% des 700 jouets testés contenaient des métaux lourds ou des produits chimiques dangereux pour la santé comme du plomb ou de l'arsenic, voire du mercure....svp plus de cadeaux de noël empoisonnés.

LES VOLEURS DU PERE NOEL...

2009-12-09T20:29:00+01:00

http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuDet_-Nantes.-Vol-de-jouets-aux-Restos-du-C%C5%93ur_39382-1184360_actu.Htm

Jouet sonore HABITAT

2009-11-12T12:54:00+01:00

Jouet sonore signé Habitat, neuf avec étiquette.

7 euros + fdp

Opération Noël 2009

2009-10-26T12:00:00+01:00

L'operation Noël 2009 a débuté.

Nous récoltons les jouets pour les enfants defavorisés, malades, mais aussi du Foyer Notre Dame de Joie de Pontcalleck....

Alors regardez bien dans vos placards !

Nous recherchons particulièrement :

maquettes
jeux de construction
jeux de stratégie
boîtes à dessin
jeux de cartes
jeux de 7 familles
jeux de société
playmobil
Légo
Meccano
petites voitures
voitures de collection
jeux magnétiques
billes
jeux de soldats et de chevaliers
jeux individuels (genre solitaire...)
casse tête
cubes magiques
mikado
balles en mousse
balles rebondissantes
balles en caoutchouc...

Cela vous laisse beaucoup de choix....

Nous venons les chercher à domicile si vous le souhaitez.

Vous avez également la possibilité de nous adresser un don par chèque à l'ordre de l'Association Accorts (pour les coordonnées voir fin du message*) en indiquant que votre action est destinée à "L'opération Noël 2009".

N'hésitez pas à en parler autour de vous.

Nous souhaitons récupérer les jouets avant le 15 décembre.

Merci pour tout ce que vous ferez pour les enfants.

* pour les coordonnées, cliquez sur le lien suivant : http://accorts.hautetfort.com/nous_aider/