Health Canada, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (US CPSC) and Toys 'R' Us Canada have jointly recalled the above toy toaster with model number 5F60589 because the accompanying plastic toast may crack under pressure, posing a laceration or choking hazard.
While Health Canada has not received any reports of injuries, Toys 'R' Us Canada reported two incidents involving the toy, with no serious injuries.
Customers are advised to remove the toy immediately and contact Toys 'R' Us customer service via its toll-free number 1-800-869-7787 or via its website in order to obtain a refund.
From August 1, 2013 to August 5, 2014, approximately 6,146 of the toy toasters were sold at Toys 'R' Us in Canada and approximately 30,000 were distributed to the United States.
John Grisham is likely to find himself treading hot water after making controversial comments about child pornography in a recent interview. Although he wasn't condoning what he called "real" pedophilia, the bestselling American author of thrillers like The Firm and A Time to Kill claims white middle-aged guys—guys like him, actually—are wrongly being jailed for looking at child porn.
"But they got online one night and started surfing around, probably had too much to drink or whatever, and pushed the wrong buttons, went too far and got into child porn," said Grisham, referring to a buddy of his who went away for three years as part of a Canadian sting operation.
To my mind, viewing child porn isn't some passive "accident" that just kind of happens once you start drunk-Googling. Viewing images of children being sexually abused is a a criminal act in and of itself. Yes, there is a difference between looking and touching. Yes, prisons in the US are overflowing. That's not to say that those guilty of downloading or viewing child porn don't deserve to be convicted for their offense. Do they deserve to be listed as sex offenders? Damn straight.
Are sentences for those who watch child porn excessive? That's up to a judge to decide, but as a mother I have no problem with the courts taking a hard line on perps. Some may be content to "just look." Others may not stop there.
Do we sit back and take a 'wait and see' approach when it comes to child pornography? Hell no. Those who look and those who touch both deserve to feel the weight of the law, though clearly their sentencing should reflect their respective crimes.
You tell me: Does the law "excessively punish" those who view child porn?
Gee, it's another white middle-aged guy excusing pedophilia.
What do you do when faced with bullies? If you're Caitlin Prater-Haacke, you kill them with kindness, that's what. When the high school student from Alberta had her locker busted open and her iPad hijacked, the offenders posted a status urging Caitlin to, in so many words, die.
I can only imagine the sick feeling this kind of cyber-bullying would cause. And as a teen I would have, alternatively, a) curled up in a ball and refused to leave my room or b) begged my parents to let me transfer schools. But I wasn't the kind of young woman that Caitlin clearly is.
The teen met the taunts with unbridled positivity, penning various compliments on countless Post-It Notes and sticking them on the lockers of her peers. Probably, she even wrote one for the perps who broke into her locker and spewed hate.
Obviously, Caitlin took all that Turn The Other Cheek talk to heart. But instead of singing her praises, school administrators castigated her actions, which they perceived as little more than litter.
Fortunately, the message still got across, and the school set up a Post-It Day, whence all the students and staff get to spread some sticky note love. And Caitlin's message has spread even further—with workplaces trying out the same tradition.
Serious threats need serious (adult) intervention, but when schools consistently fail to protect and defend kids from bullying, sometimes teens are right to take matters into their own hands. I sincerely hope that the kid(s) involved have learned a thing or two from trying to mess with Caitlin.
You tell me: Is Caitlin's story a shining example of how to face up to bullies, or should she have let the authorities handle the matter?
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