Be Aware - Recent Child Predator Activities in the News

Yesterday the news was shocking.  A convicted child predator was caught on tape at a Borders bookstore in Arcadia, stalking a 5 year old girl and attempting to touch her and inappropriately rub up against her in full view of other shoppers.  The girl's father caught on and the whole scene is caught on tape (click here for a CBS video report and crime scene video footage).

Closer to home, on Thursday it was announced that a maintenance worker at Oaks Christian School in Thousand Oaks was arrested for allegedly videotaping girls in the locker room. Click here for the Ventura County Star story.

Two weeks ago a Moorpark bus driver was arrested for suspicion of molesting a boy with autism.

Last month a former Ventura elementary school teacher was sent to jail for molesting an 8 year old boy for 2 years.

Always be aware of your surroundings and where your kids are and who are with your kids.  Here are a couple of websites that provide a database of sex offenders by area (one of these sites was used by the father seen in the Arcadia video going after the sex offender after he realized what was happening to his daughter, which led to the arrest of the pervert).

www.FamilyWatchdog.us

www.meganslaw.ca.gov/

Save for College Tax Free

Anyone with kids who has not opened a Section 529 College Savings Plan take note.  A 529 plan allows anyone age 18 or older to open a savings account for future college costs (such as tuition, books, room and board, supplies, etc.).  The California ScholarShare plan (www.ScholarShare.com) allows California residents to save for college and any earnings are TAX FREE as long as withdrawals are used for college costs.

There are a number of other nice features about these plans:

• If your child doesn't attend college, you can use the funds for another child or even use them for yourself.  Or grandkids, siblings, nieces, nephews, (fill-in-the-blank)-in-laws and spouses of any of these individuals.
• Funds can be used at any 2 or 4 year college, university or vocational school.
• There's a very low $50 minimum initial investment and no annual account fees.
• Fidelity has 10 different investment options, including several "age-based" plans that automatically invest more conservatively as your child nears college age.
• If you are leery of the stock market, there are conservative investment options like money market and treasury bond funds.
• You as the account holder control the account, not your kid! 

These plans are pretty much a no brainer if you know someone in your family will be attending college and you will be paying for it.  Sign up now to start saving for college while cutting your taxes!

How Belching Cows Contribute to Global Warming

Earth Day was April 22nd and the L.A. Times featured a front page article with a diagram showing how nearly a third of greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming derive from the ingredients and energy to produce food.  And the U.N. reports that livestock contributes towards 18% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Those poor belching cows.  An average cow burps up 145 pounds of methane per year.  Methane has 23 times the warming potential of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂).  So effectively cows let loose 3,330 lbs per year of CO₂.  That equates to over 3000 miles driven in a car that gets 20 miles per gallon (check out the U.S. Environment Protection Agency Personal Emissions Calculator by clicking here).

Let's break this down differently.  Bringing a 6 oz. beef steak to your dinner plate generates 16 lbs of CO₂ emissions.  That equates to about 23 miles of driving at 20 MPG.  So if you're gonna have a good steak, the least you could do is not drive too far for it!  (On that note, check out Mastro's in Thousand Oaks.)

An even better alternative?  Try chicken.  A 6 oz chicken breast generates less than 2 lbs. of greenhouse gas to arrive at your dinner plate. 

To learn how to eat in way that minimizes the impact on global warming, visit the Bon Appetit Management Company's online carbon calculator at www.EatLowCarbon.org. 

Back to the hungry, gassy cows again.  Cow manure generates both methane and nitrous oxide (a.k.a. "laughing gas") (now why is it I'm not laughing when I smell cow manure?).  Nitrous oxide has 296 times the warming potential of CO₂.  So think about not only the meat you eat, but how you fertilize your garden.

Some final parting carbon-conscious tips that come from the L.A. Times article:

• Reduce your beef and cheese consumption
• Don't waste food as it ends up in a landfill producing methane
• Compost fruit and veggie scraps
• Buy locally grown food as much as possible
• Eat lower on the food chain; producing crops for livestock adds to warming
• Drink tap water rather than bottled; or if it must be bottled, drink from local sources

Lastly, if you have to belch, watch out.  Someone may be counting your carbon equivalents.

Blu-ray You Say?

Blu-ray Disc (or BD) players were first launched in June 2006 as an alternative to HD (High Definition) DVD players.  Later that year Sony included Blu-ray technology in its new PlayStation 3 players and since then have sold over 10 million.  In February 2008, HD DVD maker Toshiba announced "game over" to HD DVD.  And thus Blu-ray has become the high-def format of choice.

This was Sony's revenge I suppose for the Betamax format losing out to JVC's VHS video recording format in the mid 1980s.  For the million or so HD DVD purchasers, you were brave!  But good luck finding DVDs in this now obsolete format.

What is Blu-ray?  Blu-ray is a high-definition technology that uses a blue laser to read the disc (DVD players use a red laser).  Blu-ray screen resolution is 1,080 horizontal lines versus 480 for DVDs.  That added resolution can make for a stunning picture.  But you need a high-def TV to enjoy it!  BDs have 6 times the storage capacity of DVDs.

Will BD make DVD go obsolete soon?  My personal opinion is no, given the fact that hundreds of millions of DVD players are in use and continue being sold.  But BD will gradually creep into the DVD market.  I would imagine that BDs will grow in popularity at similar rate to the growth in high-definition TVs vs analog TVs.

Should I buy one?  If you own a PlayStation 3, perhaps use that to play BDs until BD player prices start falling from their current $400 price tag.  Heck you can buy a PS3 for $400 today.  But if you enjoy being an early adopter and don't mind the fact the prices may drop towards Christmas, go for it!  One thing to make sure though is that your BD player is "backwards compatible" with DVDs.  Most are but make sure to check.

Blu-ray Discs also cost slightly more to rent today, but not that much more.  A local Newbury Park Blockbuster rents BDs for about $1 more than DVDs. 

Airborne Product Settlement and Refund

Popular vitamin supplement maker Airborne Health has agreed to a $23 million settlement for false advertising (such as claiming Airborne products could cure or prevent the common cold).  Final approval of the settlement is expected in June. 

If you purchased certain Airborne products between 5/1/01 and 11/29/07, you can file a claim for a refund.  Visit www.airbornehealthsettlement.com or call 888.952.9080 for more information.  Here are some highlights:

1. You can file a claim for the full purchase price of products purchased, excluding sales tax, assuming you can find proof of purchase (yeah right, like I'm gonna find an old receipt for Airborne purchased at Trader Joe's on June 23, 2001).

2. More realistically, you can file a claim for up to 6 purchases with proof of purchase.  The refund will based on the average retail price of the products.  You still need to provide an approximate purchase date and purchase location.

3. You can file claims online or by mail.  If you have receipts, you can either scan and submit them online or mail them in.

4. You have until 9/15/08 to file your claim.  If the final approval of the refund, is appealed, it may take awhile for you to get your refund (if at all).

5. If total refund claims exceed the "settlement fund" ($23 million less attorneys fees and other expenses), then refunds will be reduced proportionately.

Will this $23 million settlement hurt Airborne?  Nah, probably not.  Last year they were No. 149 on the Inc magazine list of fastest growing private companies, with 2006 revenues of $145 million (up from $10 million in 2003).  And with only 22 employees!