The John Tesh Blog

Ladies- when you should fight off an attacker, and tips to keep you safe when you're driving

All motorists need to be careful on the highway, but female drivers of all ages, unfortunately, have to be doubly vigilant to avoid becoming victims of crimes while driving, including carjacking, sexual assault, robbery and worse. The following are some tips to help keep women safe while getting from here to there, from AOL Autos.

Got a beef with a roadhog?  Let it be.
"For road ragers, don't engage," says NYC cabbie Mellisa Plaut, author of "Hack", an account of her driving adventures. "Don't even look at someone who's trying to get your attention in an angry way. Just drive on, or turn. The worst thing you can do is get into a

fight. It never leads to anything good. Don't get your ego involved."

Pay attention.
Keep your sound system at a reasonable volume when driving in cities and neighborhoods, and don't space out or check your text messages at every stoplight. In fact, try to avoid getting distracted at all by your cell phone. Carjackers and robbers rely on the element of surprise, so if you're keeping eyes and ears alert to what's going on outside your vehicle, bad guys don't have a chance to sneak up on you.

Secure your car as you would your home.

You wouldn't leave your front door unlocked and your windows open at home, so get in the habit of securing your car the same way. Keep doors locked when you're driving, and windows raised. If anyone approaches your window asking for directions or money in slow or stopped traffic, take a quick glance around your vehicle to make sure you're not being distracted by one half of a team. Crack the window an inch or two instead of opening it all the way if you decide to speak to a stranger.

Be vigilant in parking lots- whether day or night.

When shopping, put your money away at the cash register, walk with purpose to your car and don't accept "help" from strangers. Have your keys out and be ready to open your vehicle and secure packages, get in the car, close and lock the door and drive away. "Don't approach your vehicle if a van or other large vehicle that wasn't there before is parked next to it," says Road and Travel's Jessica Howell. "Find a security guard to walk you to your car. If a security guard isn't available, look for a nearby couple and ask for an escort. Most people will be happy to lend a moment and ensure your safety."

Don't assume an unmarked car with a flashing light is a police officer.

If the car attempting to pull you over doesn't look like an official vehicle, keep driving, turn your inside light on and pull over only in a well-lit, populated area. Do not get out of your car, and angle the vehicle so you can drive away quickly if need be. Crack the window, ask to see the officer's ID and pay close attention to his clothes---are they worn? Do they match? If not, put up your window, drive away and call 911.

Now it’s time to focus on your safety for a minute, ladies, with some answers to some important questions when it comes to dealing with muggers and attackers. Hopefully you won’t need this information, but it’s better to be prepared with help from researchers at Health magazine.

• Are there times when a woman shouldn’t fight back? Lori Hartman Gervasi is the author of Fight Like a Girl– and Win: Defense Decisions for Women. She’s also a black belt self-defense expert trained in Karate. She says if someone’s grabbing your purse, or trying to take your car – let them have it. You risk your safety unnecessarily by challenging the person – these things are only material goods.
• So, when should you fight back? If an attacker is trying to get you into a car, Gervasi says fight back loudly and with every bit of strength and courage you have. The odds of surviving go way down once you’re in a car or a secluded location. Use whatever you have to fight back – your purse, shoes, rings on your fingers. If you’re kicking, go low and hard rather than trying for the groin. It’s hard to hit that region, and you might either lose your balance or give the attacker your foot to grab onto. When you make a fist to punch him, don’t tuck your thumb. Resting it just below the knuckles can inflict more damage. The bottom line is that most attackers are looking for an easy victim - and the more you fight back, the more likely it is that he’ll give up and run away.
• Should you carry pepper spray?

  

  Gervasi likes pepper spray because it provides a way to fight back without getting too close, but it’s useless if it’s buried in your purse. She recommends carrying your keys in one hand, pepper spray in the other – and your cell phone in an easy-to-reach pocket. That way, if a threatening person comes too close, you can quickly get your pepper spray into the “on” position, aim, and spray the attacker in the face. Then get a safe distance away and call the police.

I know it's heavy stuff to even think about it, but we all do, especially if you're a woman.  If you're a man, it's likely you have a wife, a sister, mother, or daughter you love- share this today!

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Speed Clean the Healthy Way

Who isn't interested in having a clean, tidy, fresh-smelling house?  But hearing that the wrong cleaning methods can exacerbate allergies (even cause them) or asthma, or possibly spread disease-causing toxins through your home, suddenly a little mess doesn't seem so bad. Paige Greenfield, a contributor to Prevention magazine, led the way to quiz leading immunologists, microbiologists, and cleaning experts to find the healthiest ways to tidy up.

Surprise! The safest ways to clean can also be the quickest- yay, because here's the weekend! Even better: It's okay to leave behind a little grime! See if you can answer the same quiz- which is healthier?

Which is healthier: Deodorizing with a scented candle or an air freshener?

Answer: Neither. "You're just masking a foul odor by introducing a stronger one," says James Sublett, MD, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at the University of Louisville School of Medicine. Worse, candles release particles of soot, and candles and air fresheners give off synthetic fragrances--all of which can exacerbate allergy and asthma symptoms. If you love the look of candles, don't despair--try unscented beeswax candles, which have a light honey fragrance that won't worsen symptoms. (They also produce much less soot than paraffin.) But the healthiest way to get rid of an odor is to crack open a window and turn on a fan to circulate air.

Which is healthier: Sponge mop or rag mop?

Answer: Sponge mop. Even after rinsing, more dirt and bacteria sticks to the strands of a rag mop than to the sponge. Besides, the sponge's flat surface cleans more effectively. Use a solution of 1 ounce of bleach per quart of water, plus some soap, to clean floors. When you're done, rinse the mop with a fresh batch of the solution, says Philip M. Tierno Jr., PhD, director of clinical microbiology at New York University Medical Center. Stand the mop up in the shower to dry to keep germs from multiplying.

Which is healthier: Dropping a tablet into the tank or using a toilet brush?

Answer: Toilet brush. Though tablets release cleansers with each flush, you still need to scrub to get rid of dirt, says Tierno. Try pouring 1 cup of bleach into the toilet before going to bed. The bleach breaks down bacteria and fungus overnight, making your job easier.  (Just make sure to leave the lid down in case you've got a canine friend who enjoys a good slurp out of the toilet...don't worry- your isn't the only one!)

Which is healthier: The oven's self-cleaning feature or elbow grease?
Answer: Clean it yourself. A "self-cleaning" appliance may seem convenient, but it can create a toxic home environment, says Jeff May, a certified indoor air quality investigator and author of Jeff May's Healthy Home Tips. The feature heats the oven as high as 900°F and burns off everything inside. Even if the oven is sealed tightly, it'll release smoke, fumes, and carbon monoxide, he says. Instead, sprinkle baking soda in a quarter-inch layer. Spritz the baking soda with water until damp, says Annie Bond, author of Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living. Let it sit overnight--the grime should lift right off the next day.

Which is healthier: Cleaning a humidifier once a week or not using one?

Answer: Not using one. Dry air parches nasal passages, making you more vulnerable to catching a virus. But a humidifier does more harm than good because it encourages mold growth, which can aggravate asthma and allergy symptoms, Sublett explains. Measure the relative humidity in your home with a hygrometer (such as Honeywell's digital wireless one, $25, amazon.com), and make sure it falls between 35 and 65%, says May. Too low? Float some blossoms in bowls of water throughout the house; as the water evaporates, the humidity will rise.

Which is healthier: Bleach or ammonia?

Answer: Bleach. Ammonia fumes are more irritating to the skin, eyes, nose, and lungs, Tierno says. Bleach is better at cutting dirt and killing germs. But a little goes a long way: One ounce of bleach per quart of water will remove the toughest mold from the tightest spots. Whatever you do, don't mix bleach and ammonia. The combination creates chloramine, a gas that can damage your airways.

Which is healthier: Cleaning pet accidents with baking soda or vinegar?
Answer: Vinegar. Animal excrement is full of bacteria and possibly parasites. The most important thing to do is to break up the enzymes in the urine or stool, says Sarah Hodgson, author of Puppies for Dummies, because the enzymes are what encourage your animal to mark in the same spot again. Fill a spray bottle with a half-and-half mixture of vinegar (apple cider or white) and water. Saturate the area with the solution and pat it dry with a paper towel; repeat and let dry.

Next time you're dishing the dirt- literally?  Try some natural solutions for the dirt, with these very effective, and very gentle, products next time you've got a mess to deal with:

For Stains: Use baking soda Sprinkle it on the stain until completely covered; spray with water. When baking soda is absorbed, wipe clean with a cloth.

For Mold, bacteria, and grease: Use vinegar Fill a spray bottle with distilled white vinegar. Saturate the affected area and then simply let the vinegar evaporate.

For Soot, wax, and oil: Use washing soda (sodium carbonate) on stone or glass. A cousin to baking soda, it can be found in the detergent aisle. Make a thick paste with 1 4 cup of soda and water. Cover stain and let it set for an hour; scrub.

Weekend's here.  No one really wants to spend it cleaning the house, so it seems like a pretty good idea to do it the best way, the safest way, the fastest way, the first time!

Finally, today, we lift our hearts in memory of the victims of 9/11, and love for their families. You are never forgotten.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Prescription Drug Abuse Has Become A Huge Problem Among Teens

Parents- here's a wake-up call for being on the alert, when it comes to your teen.  There’s a potentially deadly drug in your medicine cabinet, though you may have obtained it legally. The problem is prescription drugs, and according to NBC News, they’ve fast become a huge problem. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says nearly 7 million Americans currently abuse prescription drugs. That’s more than the number who are abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, ecstasy, and inhalants combined. This isn’t just a problem among adults: Almost one in five teenagers abuses prescription drugs. Although parents might warn their kids about pot or alcohol – they’re least likely to warn their kids about abusing prescription drugs.

Although prescription drug abuse is a problem in every state and province, it’s a really big problem in Kentucky. Kentucky led the nation in the use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes last year, and almost 500 people died in Kentucky from prescription drug overdoses. Law enforcement officials in Kentucky say prescription drug abuse is an epidemic among teens because they’re highly addictive. It starts out as a party drug, then kids start doing it every day, and it takes compete control of their life. At the height of addiction, people will pop 50 pills a day.  Your state, likely, has its share of the problem as well.

So how are people getting the prescription drugs? People are buying pills over the internet, kids are stealing them from their parents and grandparents, they’re getting them from street dealers, trading them in school, and three million doses are stolen from pharmacies annually! It turns out, Florida has become notorious as a destination for addicts and drug dealers from around the country. They’re drawn to the many pain clinics in Florida – some of which dispense hundreds of painkillers at a time after only a hasty medical exam. If YOU think someone you know is abusing prescription drugs, they need to get help. Addictive behaviors are things like lying, hiding pills, obsessively counting them, making unnecessary emergency room visits and constantly “doctor shopping.” Parents, make sure your kids DO NOT have access to your prescriptions. If you – or someone you know – needs help, go to the website for substance abuse samhsa.gov. 

This is such a sobering set of thoughts to put here on this page- prescription drug use, sadly, has taken a place alongside so many other issues that parents and mentors alike must look at, and behave, proactively- or immediately be reactive if the situation calls for it.  I wish it wasn't the case, but I hope that if there is a family dealing with prescription drug abuse, hearts are courageous, and minds are open to the difficult steps that must be taken to stop this problem in its tracks.  Thanks for reading-

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

It appears that someone stole your identity. It's a mess, yes, but here's your mess-kit.

So you may have thought to yourself over some time, "Why, if anyone wants to take my identity- go ahead!  There's nothing there!"  But, oh, oh... You've got PLENTY that a would-be identity thief would want, and it could very well be your so-called 'nothing', which translates to a hacker as a good place to hide!

If you suspect your identity may be compromised, place a fraud alert with the three credit bureaus. When you place an alert, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report. After that, take advantage of the free annual reports the bureaus are required to give all consumers. Stagger your requests so that you get a report every four months. Beware: A fraud alert applies only when someone tries to open a new line of credit. It won’t keep someone from using existing accounts.

• "Phishing" refers to a person or a group of cyber-criminals who create an imitation or copy of an existing legitimate Web page to trick users into providing sensitive personal information. Responding to "phishing" emails put your accounts at risk.

  Usually a phishing-attack is done in combination with email spam. Spamming is simply to send millions of emails with one mouse click. This way phishers can reach a huge target population very fast. Hence it’s name, “fishing” from the big internet ocean.

  If you've been phished, contact the real bank or other company named in the fraudulent e-mail. You also may want to notify the Internet Crime Complaint Center and forward the e-mail to spam@uce.gov.

If you are the victim of identity theft, MSN Money suggests the following 8 steps:

• Make an identity-theft report to the police. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. Also, contact the office of your state's attorney general; you may be able to file a report there. Get copies of all this paperwork and keep them in a safe place.

• Close accounts that have been tampered with. Contact each company by phone and again by certified letter. Make sure the company notifies you in writing that the disputed charges have been erased. Document each conversation and keep all records.

• Place a seven-year fraud alert or a "freeze" on your credit reports. Liz Pulliam Weston lists the steps to take:  

  A credit freeze, for those who don't know, is a way to block your credit reports to make it a lot tougher for an identity thief to get a loan or open a credit account in your name. That's because while a freeze is in place, no one, not even you, can open an account in your name. Lenders, insurers and even employers doing background checks are not able to access your credit file.

  You can have the freeze lifted, or "thawed," if you need to get new credit, but you have to give the bureaus a specially issued personal identification number and a few days' notice to do so.

• Begin the process of having the fraudulent information removed from your credit reports. Do not let credit report errors fester- you must be very quickly reactive to trouble you find.

• Consider purchasing identity theft insurance. It cannot protect you from becoming a victim of identity theft, but it can help you pay the cost of reclaiming your financial identity. Be wary of identity theft protection services; the Consumer Federation of America has found they may not be worth the cost.


• Find victim support at the Identity Theft Resource Center, a non-profit organization.

I hope- most sincerely- that you've not been a victim of identity theft! If so- use this list to be sure you've covered all the bases you need to.  If you haven't- YES, consider this as preventive measures!  Have a super Monday-

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Got the itch? What you need to get RID of it!

Summertime- camping and hiking- getting in touch with the great outdoors!  But who wants to get in touch with some of the poisonous plants in such abundance?  No way!   Here's the quick rundown to keep your family and yourself, itch free this summer.

No doubt about it- you created many great family memories on your last camping trip, but seems like you brought back more than some muddy boots from that last hiking trail.  You know how it goes: first, the itching, swelling, and maybe a red rash- then the blisters.  Could be the classic signs of an unfortunate encounter with poison ivy, poison oak or poison sumac.

Symptoms occur in susceptible people when urushiol, an oil found on the leaves of these plants, comes in contact with skin. 

Here's what to do:

• If you think you've touched one of these plants, wash the area as soon as possible using cool water to help remove the oil from your skin, so you can prevent further spread of the contamination.  You can use any kind of soap to remove the plant's oil- that's the most important fact here, my friend- get rid of that oil!
• Don't forget to scrub under you fingernails and wash any and all clothing that you were wearing- yes, that means your socks, too!  But after this, if your symptoms are developing, try these tips for relief:
• Apply wet compresses, such as cloth soaked in cool water, as you need.
• Use an over-the-counter calamine lotion or hydro-cortisone cream; applying as directed and needed.  Don't apply this to your skin that may have open wounds or broken blisters.
• Soak in a finely ground oatmeal bath to soothe itchiness.  Check with your local pharmacy for some ready-to-use options.
• You may find great relief with an oral antihistamine.  Talk with your doc if you have any conditions that may require a further professional opinion, and keep in mind signs of a serious reaction, which may include severe coughing or trouble breathing:

•             Fever over 100 degrees F
•             Severe swelling
•             Blisters or a rash on the face, genital area, or trunk
•             A rash that covers more than a quarter of your skin's surface

Got these symptoms?  Call 911, or your closest medical professional.  You see- this is the time to make long-lasting family memories- really; there's no room in the family scrapbook for pics detailing your son's widespread case of rash and itch in the family album!

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

           

Got the flu? Think twice before you drive!

Here's what's making news across the pond- from the UK Telegraph. A new British study discovers that driving while suffering from the flu increases the risk of an accident- as much as two glasses of whiskey!

Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent for the UK Telegraph, reports that using a driving simulator, researchers found that people who drove with heavy colds or the flu took 10% longer to react than healthy drivers, causing them to travel up to six and a half feet more at 60 mph before they started to break. 

The drivers "under the influenza" were also less aware of hazards on the road if they were feeling ill, the study found, and that the effects of having the flu can be magnified by over the counter cold and flu medicines, which can cause drowsiness. 

The study compared the reaction times of 60 volunteers suffering from a cold or the flu with those of 50 healthy drivers. 

If you're not well enough to be driving, you could be putting yourself, and others, at risk.  So stay at home, and rest (which is what you should be doing!) or ask a friend to drive you where you need to go- until you can get home to rest (which is what you should be doing!)

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Winter is here, and so is the snow!

Winter-time snowfall isn't a typical issue for me to deal with anymore, living in California, but when I was growing up in Garden City, New York, I remember very well how hard and tiring it can be to shovel snow!  Many parts of the country have recently been hit pretty hard with a lot of snow, and you probably have more to come before Spring!  If you're struggling with an aching back, or need to get out there to clear the drive, remember these tips from Spine Universe:

The Basics
Snow shoveling can be compared to weight lifting, and in some cases, the aerobic aspect of this activity is similar to a workout on a treadmill! So … to help your body function on demand consider the following tips:

• Be heart smart! Don’t eat or smoke before shoveling snow. Avoid caffeinated beverages. These are stimulants and may increase heart rate and cause blood vessels to constrict.
  
• If you experience pain of any kind, stop immediately and seek assistance.
  
• Pace yourself during shoveling activities. Take frequent breaks and drink plenty of water. Snow shoveling is hard work; you need to re-hydrate your body often.
  
• If the ground is icy or slick, spread sand or salt over the area to help create foot traction.

Dress for Success!

• Consider the weather when choosing outerwear. Dress in layers. Wear clothing that is easy to move in.
• Wear a hat—a great deal of body heat is lost through the head.
• Proper boots are essential for keeping feet warm and dry while appropriate soles provide traction. Good boots can help you maintain your balance!
• Choose gloves that will keep your hands warm, dry, and blister free—consider thicker gloves, which allow for a good grip on the shovel’s handle.

Select a Shovel That's Right for You

• Choose a shovel that is ergonomically correct—a shovel with a curved handle. Many hardware stores and home centers stock ergonomically designed snow shovels, which can help you to keep your back straighter reducing spinal stress.
• Sometimes a smaller blade is better. You will not be able to shovel as much snow per shovel load, but the load will weigh less, which puts less strain on the spine.
• Get a shovel made to push snow. It is far easier to push snow than to lift it. There are shovels made expressly for pushing snow. See what is available at your hardware or home center store.

Once you have your shovel, you might want to consider spraying a bit of silicon lubricant on the blade. This can help keep the snow from sticking to the shovel, and it instead will slide off the shovel blade.

Technique. Technique. Technique

• Warm muscles work better.  Take some time to stretch your body.
• Think about good posture and maintaining the natural curve of your spine.
• Address your task directly. Stand with your feet about shoulder width apart to maintain balance. Try to keep the shovel close to your body. Bend at the knees—not the waist or back. Tighten your stomach muscles as you lift the snow. Lift with your legs—not your back. Do not twist your body. Dump the snow in front of you. If you need to move the snow to the side, move your feet—do not twist!

  Never remove deep snow all at once; do it piecemeal. Shovel and inch or two; then take another inch off. Rest and repeat if necessary.”

• Fresh snow is lighter in weight—so clear snow as soon as it has fallen.  Wet snow is very heavy. One shovelful can weigh 20 pounds or more!
• Pace yourself. Take frequent breaks to stretch your back and extremities.

Be careful out there, and reward yourself for a good job with a steaming hot cup of cocoa when you're done!

Dry or Wet Cleaning: Which Is Safer?

You and I hardly even consider what takes place when we drop off our clothing at the cleaners.  We're only interested in having them professionally cleaned and pressed at a reasonable price and within a short span of time.

Well, dry cleaning may not be the best choice, according to a recent Reader's Digest article. In fact, sometimes you pay for an article of clothing to be dry cleaned, but it ends up being washed in plain old water.  One dry cleaner establishment admitted that perspiration does not come out with dry cleaning solvents, so they turn to water to remove the stain.

Women's clothes - especially silk, special trims and buttons - are harder to clean with dry cleaning methods than men's.  It takes additional work to clean women's clothes and ends up costing more as well.

There are more important issues to consider before you pay your next visit to the dry cleaners:

•Dry cleaners use perchloroethylene (perc) as a solvent to clean clothes.  More than 80 percent of commercial dry cleaners use the chemical for cleaning purposes. 

What exactly is perc?  The Tree Hugging Family website explains this is a "chlorinated hydrocarbon that can contaminate soil and groundwater, and it’s been shown to cause cancer in lab rats."  Even the EPA classifies perc as cancerous.  Regardless, 85 percent of dry cleaners still use it to make your clothes clean and fresh. That means that dry cleaners are releasing a lot of perc-laden waste into our environment. 

Reader's Digest reports perc is a carcinogen. According to a University of Michigan study, perc has been shown to be toxic to humans - linked to leukemia and cancers of the bladder, intestines, pancreas and esophagus. 

In addition, you should not be able to smell perc on your clothes.  If you do, then your garments were not properly cleaned. The solvent is supposed to be removed in the cleaning process.  Of course, that brings up the important question of over-exposure to this toxic chemical by people working at a dry cleaners.

•Green cleaners are not always effective in getting clothes clean.  It's true that green cleaners are safer and friendlier to our environment.  However, according to clothingdoctor.com the silicone-based cleaners are not always able to remove the stains that hydrocarbon and perc do.

Clothes that are soiled with oil, greases, fats and waxes do not easily dissolve with wet cleaning. While water based cleaning cannot remove the majority of clothing stains, it's still better for our environment. What're a few stubborn stains compared to our overall health?

Some researchers are also concerned with the amount of waste water and water-usage costs linked with wet-cleaning.  However, the amount of water waste can be reduced through the use of recycling, according to University of Michigan researchers.

Experts conclude, "When these disposal costs are included in the cost of perc usage, the cleaning agents for wet-cleaning are less expensive than those for dry cleaners."

•The use of green and non-chlorinated spotting agents can potentially remove stubborn stains.  Most consumers admit that wet cleaning appears to wash clothes just as effectively as dry cleaning.  Isn't it worth the extra effort and scrubbing to remove tough stains using a green cleaner than to employ toxic chemicals to get our clothes clean?

Another alternative is to take the traditional route and use your trusty home-based washer and dryer.  Consult websites like PlanetGreen to purchase safe and effective detergents and spotting agents and do it yourself.  You'll save money, have cleaner clothes and do your share in keeping yourself and our planet healthier.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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Toy Shopping Tips for a Safer Holiday

Some toys sitting wrapped under your Christmas tree may be unsafe for your child. Ever since a 4-year-old boy died of lead poisoning in 2006 after swallowing a small heart-shaped locket, children's toys remain near the head of the list of consumer safety concerns.

According to Forbes magazine, one of every three toys tested in a study of 1,500 popular children's toys contained potentially harmful levels of lead, arsenic, mercury and other toxic chemicals.

Based on the exposure a child has had to a dangerous chemical, all of the chemicals studied have been linked with serious health issues.  Arsenic is linked with cancer, blood disorders and damage to fetal development.  Cadmium can cause serious harm to the kidneys and lungs.  Bromine, a chemical used mostly in flame retardants has been linked to birth defects and reproductive problems.

Toxins are five times as likely to be found in jewelry than in any other category of children's products.  The Ecology Center, a consumer safety organization, reports that fifteen percent of the jewelry tested had lead levels above 600 parts per million.  One toy containing high amounts of lead is Disney's Hannah Montana two-heart necklace.

In 2007 the toy manufacturer Mattel Inc., had to recall more than 18 million toys made in China because they contained small magnets, which can harm a child’s digestive tract if swallowed, and lead paint.  High levels of lead paint contributed to the recall of 45 million toys and children's items during that year as well.  According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission roughly 80% of toys imported into the U.S. are from China.

Impending US laws will be setting limits on the amount of lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and other unsafe chemicals allowed in children's toys. Some laws take affect in 2009.  On a positive note Forbes Magazine reports that roughly 21 percent of all the toys tested in a consumer product safety study did not contain unsafe chemicals.

Still, according to Finding Non-Toxic Toys, government regulations are outdated and weak when it comes to the growing world of chemicals and their use in consumer products. You'll need to take matters in your own hands for the safety of your children. Check out two  helpful resources for finding out what harmful chemicals a toy may contain:  HealthyToys.org and MomsRising.org. 

Whether you're out doing last minute Christmas shopping or purchasing a toy for a nephew's birthday party, here are some toy shopping tips from Consumer Reports:

•Do not buy metal jewelry.  Stay away from the cheap metal jewelry marketed for children.  About 20 percent of children's metal jewelry has high levels of lead hiding beneath the surface.  

•Be careful of toys with magnets.   Many small toys include small magnets that can fall out and if swallowed can lead to serious health problems.  

•Try to stick with American made toys. Even though US government regulations are not perfect, there is some protection provided to the American consumer.

•Avoid no-name products and be cautious with toys bought at dollar stores despite the great deals you're getting.  The same is true for toys bought at street fairs and vending machines. 

•When buying arts and crafts materials, stay away from permanent paints and markers.   Use water-based glues and paints.

•Follow the age appropriate grading on the packaging. The age grade not only relates to play value but also to safety.

•Before you shop for toys, check recent toy recalls at www.recalls.gov and at www.notinmycart.gov.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

Check out the new John Tesh Social Network. You can connect with new friends, post your own blog, visit various forums, upload your favorite John Tesh music and share your photos.  To learn more about how to join, click here.

Keep Your Car From Being Stolen

Now a camera has the capability of stealing your vehicle keys and eventually your car.  According to MSNBC a photo of your keys can be all a thief needs to duplicate them.

Scientists in California have developed a software algorithm that automatically creates a physical key based solely on a picture of one. The California project called Sneakey was meant to warn people about haphazardly placing their keys out in the open or posting photos of them online. You could even leave your keys on a table in a restaurant and another customer could snap a shot of them without you knowing.

Just for an experiment, researchers set up a camera with a zoom lens 200 feet away. With the photos at that distance, they were able to make a working key 80 percent of them on their first try.  With three attempts they opened every lock. The hardest part of the process is the time involved in cutting the key. It may take as long as two days. 

So here are some lessons on what you can do to keep your and keys and your car safe:

•Only take your keys out if you're going to use them. Don't go flashing your keys around to give one of these "key thieves" an opportunity to photograph your key and in two days have a duplicate of the complete set of your keys.

•Never leave your keys in the car when you're not in the immediate area of your car. We assume we can drop off a DVD at Blockbuster and leave our car running in ther parking lot.  It will only take a second. What can happen?   Yet many car thefts occur when people leave their car running in the driveway or a parking lot, which is a blatant advertisement for car thieves to take what they want.

•Be aware of the location where you park your car.  If you park your car behind a gate or in  a garage where it is shrouded from roving eyes, you're pretty safe.  If you need to park on the street, try to park in a well lit residential area.  Parking under a street lamp is a great place to leave your car. 

•A great practice is to always have a copy of your vehicle registration and titles at home somewhere secure. If your vehicle is ever stolen, and the only registration is in your glove compartment, authorities will not have a clue what they're looking for.  You need to be able to provide them your license plate numbers and other pertinent information.

John

Email John:  johnsblog@teshmedia.com

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