Small article = Very Important

I have known for several months now that I need a bulletin board. It doesn't have to be a big one. Just a small rectangle to hang outside my kitchen. On it will be a scrap of paper that reads "BLOG" in cartoon handwriting. Maybe then I won't forget about my dear friend Blog!

I don't get the newspaper. Physically, I mean. ;) That being said, my mom has taken up the task of scanning the Asheville Citizen-Times and USA Today for any key buzzwords that may pertain to our boycott. FYI, next time you're flipping through a newspaper, zero in on the tiny articles. I'm finding that they're the important ones. She dropped these two landmines into my lap the other day. I'll be the first to admit that if I saw articles posted on a blog, I would be very tempted to skim them. But keep in mind, folks, 1. these babies are tiny and 2. they're very interesting. I promise!


TARGET PULLS VALENTINE BEARS OVER LEAD CONCERNS
The Associated Press
OAKLAND, CALIF. - Target Corp. said Tuesday it was pulling its Valentine's Day "Message Bears" from the shelves after California's attorney general, Jerry Brown, said tests found levels of lead that violate federal law.

The products were identified as two of Target's "Message Bears."

One is a pink stuffed bear with "XOXO" across the chest. The other is a brown stuffed bear with "I Love U" across the chest, with "love" represented by a heart.

Investigators found that the bears' inflated vinyl letters contained well over the federal limits for lead in products for children younger than 12.

The bears were made in China.

But you already guessed that, didn't you? This second one isn't specifically about China. But for all we know, these wind turbines are being manufactured in said country. And yes, I typed the first word as it was printed. Editing mistake, there.

Fto a report from ABC News showing that stimulus funds for green jobs are creating them - overseas. According to the report, "nearly $2 billion in money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been spent on wind power, funding the creation of enough new wind farms to power 2.4 million homes over the past year. But the study found that nearly 80 percent of that money has gone to foreign manufacturers of wind turbines." Russ Choma at the Investigative Reporting Workshop told ABC, "Most of the jobs are going overseas. According to our estimates, about 6,000 jobs have been created overseas, and maybe a couple of hundred have been created in the U.S." The goal is laudable. The approach is completely wrong and should be fixed immediately.

So this is what our government's stimulus money is going to. To all those who say, "But we're saving money on labor and parts! Look how many homes we're able to powers because of it," I'll respond with, "I thought the point of a stimulus package was to actually stimulate our economy - not someone else's."