CPSIA Laws

As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.

Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.

The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:
Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:
Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.
Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:
Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:
Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:
Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:
Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:
Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:
Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:
Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.

If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.html

And for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Law
http://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.




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I know I'm Australian, and my friend is British. But this will affect a lot of my hobbies, a lot of my international friends, will affect possibly what items I can sell on Etsy or Ebay to raise money (they won't be for children, but they might be considered 'for children' by idiots because they're dolls).

Questions About Australia

Got any questions about Australia? Leave them here, and I'll try to answer them as a blog post.

Adelaide...

Love it or hate it? And why?

I love it. Why? Well there's my friends of course- they're hugely entertaining and creative, and we never run out of stuff to do. I don't think I've ever been bored in Adelaide. Adelaide itself has some great events on. I don't care about pubs or clubs, but if I wanted to go, there's enough to keep me entertained, though not hundreds like in Sydney- but why does that matter? The city is not bad looking, I like that it feels safe, I like the feel of the community. I love that we have Fringe- my friends and I are going to it again this year of course. Except My Friend. :( I'm really looking forward to that! The comedians seem to enjoy Adelaide.

The things that people dislike Adelaide for, do not affect me at all and in some cases I actually consider them advantages.

So... how about you?

Discountasp.net
Anyone got any thoughts on it as a host?

Twitter

I just discovered twitter. If anyone would like to follow me
Feel Free.

ARGH

I need a vent post. I have that giant list of things to do, see below.
I'm looking up webhosting, and trying my best to concentrate. While my brother is whispering and making his girlfriend giggle behind me. Does he think I'm deaf? I can't concentrate on ASP.Net when I can hear annoying noises!
Then, Google decided ...


That my query looks similar to automated requests from a computer virus or spyware application. This was after me searching for 12 pages already, for "ASP.Net 3.5 Webhosts Australia"

... how am I supposed to find a webhost now?

... and now my brother and his girlfriend are playing some sort of game on the tv riiiight next to my computer.
Oh yes I can see I'm going to get a lot done today.

Either that or I should go and get my dad's earmuff things that he wears when mowing the lawn or using the bandsaw.

I should go do some meditation or something, I can feel a crease in my forehead that's been there the past half hour.

Stuff I Have To Do

I am totally run off my feet right now.

Here are things that I have to do. And you could help me if you wanted!

I have to test how our website looks in ie6. If anyone could tell me, I'd LOVE that, because I don't have IE6, and according to my friend, no one should. :P But they do, and they complain when websites are completely wonky, how dare they! http://notnegativenews.uranium238.co.uk/

I have to write a description for in the metatags, that'll show up when it's looked up in a search engine.

I have to edit the FAQ, to shorten it and clarify things, and fix links

I have to help write the terms of use.

I want to think of a promotional thing for our website launch

I need to organise the banner, and also the icons a little more.

The big one- finding a webhost. We are dying of stress from that one. We need... (copied and pasted from my word document I have... since I don't know this stuff instinctively)

We need:

Microsoft Windows based hosting, ASP.net 3.5, IIS7 a Microsoft SQL server database, version 2005 or 2008, ability to use Microsoft URL rewrite Module for IIS7, and multiple application hosting. For as cheap as possible.

I have no idea what I'm doing.


And that's just the 'our News Website' related things! I also need to add content to my miniatures blog's website (for finding miniaturist penfriends), so that I'm able to put ads on it.

I need to finalise a prize for a forum I run, which is having a competition (and daily, add up the scores)

I have about three people I'm supposed to be phoning about various things.

I have to work out selling my friend's desk

I have a very very messy bedroom right now because I'm cleaning it and I pulled everything out to do so.

I have to go to Ikea to get a new book case

I'm going out tonight.

I have to print out photos for my mother.

I have to create a list of people for another project I'm doing.

I have to burn a dvd- note to self, learn how to burn dvds

I'd like to make youtube promotional videos for at least three websites

I have to organise tickets for the Fringe Festival (totally awesome thing that Adelaide and a few other cities do)

I was intending to start a Zine

And I have to back up a community.


... I don't know how to handle all this stuff. Meep.

Oh and somewhere, I have to eat and sleep and do stuff for Mum.


I love how my Mum thinks I'm not doing anything.

PayingPost.com

As you know, I’m always looking for new ways to make money online, partially on this blog, partially with advertising, partially with selling things online, and soon, through websites. I do have many thousands of dollars to raise after all! Yesterday as a result of surfing around for ‘How to make your blog popular’, I came across a site called “Payingpost”. It’s new (and apparently has an updated new layout), and it actually looks like a really good idea! And no, I’m not just saying that because they’ll be paying me for blogging occasionally from now on. Someone else had recommended it as a way to make some ‘easy’ money online, but not by jumping through dozens of hoops like you have to do for say, paid surveys (which I’ve never actually been paid for by the way. Hmn.)

I’d vaguely heard whisperings of this sort of thing on the grapevine, but never really paid that much attention to it. I’m not entirely sure why. I think I just thought ‘pay per post’ and thought of it from an Admin point of view- like people were paying their forum members to post on their forums. I thought that was probably a reckless thing to do from an Admin perspective, and I’d never seen it happen on forums, so, I didn’t think much more of it.

But that’s not what it is at all!

What it is, is a way for advertisers (of companies, websites, products, whatever really) to pay bloggers to mention them, or feature them, on their blog. Bloggers get a lot of views, and they write about things so individually. The advertisers can choose what level of content they require from the blogger, and also how much they are willing to pay.

When you sign up and get approved, you go to the “Open Opportunities” page, and reserve the blogging opportunity you want. You then have six hours to write it and post the link to the entry up, or you lose your reservation. It seems pretty easy so far.

The idea is, bloggers like writing. So why not get paid to do what they like to do anyway? I’m definitely up for that.

How does it help the blogger? Well, we get paid. $5, $20, whatever the advertiser decides to pay you- (The payments are via paypal) and you only take the offers you’re willing to do. If you’re talking about a product, your blog would come up in searches for that product as well.

My ethics on it: I’m not going to write about things I completely disagree with just for the money. That’s a choice you can make with PayingPost- it’s entirely up to you.

This site is also going to help me, because I want to sign up as an advertiser as well. I’d happily pay people to blog about my friend and my websites that are coming up!

So, if you’re reading this blog to find out a) how I’m going to make additional money, b) how I’m going to advertise my websites c) how you can make money… PayingPost seems like a good option.


advertise on blogs

Websites

My job today and tomorrow is to look up hosting services, according to a list of our requirements.

Guess what that means? That our first team website is coming! It should be up with in the next few weeks! We're incredibly excited about this, (and we already have plans for the next one!)

What would you like to know about the process?

You Know You're Australian When

1. You know the meaning of the word "girt".

2. You believe that stubbies can be either drunk or worn.

3. You think it's normal to have a leader called Kevin.

4. You waddle when you walk due to the 53 expired petrol discount vouchers stuffed in your wallet or purse.

5. You've made a bong out of your garden hose rather than use it for something illegal such as watering the garden.

6. You believe it is appropriate to put a rubber in your son's pencil case when he first attends school.

7. When you hear that an American "roots for his team" you wonder how often and with whom.

8. You understand that the phrase "a group of women wearing black thongs" refers to footwear and may be less alluring than it sounds.

9. You pronounce Melbourne as "Mel-bin".

10. You pronounce Penrith as "Pen-riff".

11. You believe the "l" in the word " Australia " is optional.

12. You can translate: "Dazza and Shazza played Acca Dacca on the way to Maccas.."

13. You believe it makes perfect sense for a nation to decorate its highways with large fibreglass bananas, prawns and sheep.

14. You call your best friend "a total bastard" but someone you really, truly despise is just "a bit of a bastard".

15. You think "Woolloomooloo" is a perfectly reasonable name for a place.

16. You're secretly proud of our killer wildlife.

17. You believe it makes sense for a country to have a $1 coin that's twice as big as its $2 coin.

18. You understand that "Wagga Wagga" can be abbreviated to "Wagga" but "Woy Woy" can't be called "Woy".

19. You believe that cooked-down axlegrease makes a good breakfast spread.

20. You believe all famous Kiwis are actually Australian, until they stuff up, at which point they again become Kiwis.

21. Hamburger Beetroot. Of course.

22. You know that certain words must, by law, be shouted out during any rendition of the Angels' song Am I Ever Gonna See Your Face Again.

23. You believe, as an article of faith, that the confectionary known as the Wagon Wheel has become smaller with every passing year.

24. You still don't get why the "Labor" in "Australian Labor Party" is not spelt with a "u".

25. You wear ugg boots outside the house and not as a fashion item, and are angry at Americans for stealing them.

26. You believe, as an article of faith, that every important discovery in the world was made by an Australian but then sold off to the Yanks for a pittance.

27. You believe that the more you shorten someone's name the more you like them.

28. Whatever your linguistic skills, you find yourself able to order takeaway fluently in every Asian language.

29. You understand that "excuse me" can sound rude, while "scuse me" is always polite.

30. You know what it's like to swallow a fly, on occasion via your nose.

31. You understand that "you" has a plural and that it's "youse".

32. You know it's not summer until the steering wheel is too hot to handle.

33. Your biggest family argument over the summer concerned the rules for beach cricket.

34. You shake your head in horror when companies try to market what they call "Anzac cookies".

35. You still think of Kylie as "that girl off Neighbours".

36. When returning home from overseas, you expect to be brutally strip-searched by Customs - just in case you're trying to sneak in fruit.

37. You know people who believe the phrase "smart casual" refers to a pair of black tracky-daks, suitably laundered.

38. You understand that all train timetables are works of fiction.

39. When working on a bar, you understand male customers will feel the need to offer an excuse whenever they order low-alcohol beer.

40. You get choked up with emotion by the first verse of the national anthem and then have trouble remembering the second.

41. You find yourself ignorant of nearly all the facts deemed essential in the government's new test for migrants.

42. You know, whatever the tourist books say, that no one says "cobber".

43. And you will immediately forward this list to other Australians, here and overseas, realising that only they will understand.