Rebecca's Pocket

And this after the most pleasant twos

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:30:39 -0800

Lately it's often about food choices. Sometimes about clothing choices. Last night it was, briefly, because it was getting dark. 46 Reasons My Three Year Old Might be Freaking Out. Funny because it's true. (thanks, jjg!)

75th Anniversary of the Hindenburg

Thu, 29 Nov 2012 11:40:38 -0800

Last May was the anniversary of the Hindenburg Disaster. Here is the amazing Atlantic spread commemorating the day. Image 14 is the very essence of the 1930s-future.

Job disparity starts at the beginning of women's careers

Fri, 16 Nov 2012 13:45:15 -0800

WSJ: Men Get the Jobs That Get Them Ahead, Study Finds. I've tended to believe that a lot of pay disparity is based on women's inability or unwillingness to negotiate as aggressively as men - your starting pay is the basis for all of your raises throughout your time at any company. When you start lower, you will stay lower, even if you and your male colleagues receive identical pay raises.

But this article suggests that women simply are not given the same opportunities, no matter what their title, that are given to men. Pure and simple.

Obama's data-crunchers

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 14:26:10 -0800

The day of the election, I heard a Political Science professor say that the Obama campaign had an unbelievable amount of information about voters. What they were doing put Nate Silver in the shade, he said. Here's a glimpse of that data machine and how they did it.

Details are sparse, but intriguing. Past voting records and consumer information played a role. I have to wonder what data they were buying. Credit card records would seem to offer the broadest picture into people's spending habits. And does this attention to behavioral data explain why I got so few robo-calls this year?

2012 Halloween Costume Winner

Thu, 01 Nov 2012 10:34:03 -0800

Seriously, the most awesome Hallowe'en costume ever. (thanks, jjg!)

The Aftermath of Sandy

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:35:12 -0800

Incredible images from the Atlantic of the landfall and aftermath of Sandy. The Red Cross could use your donation right now to help people affected by the storm rebuild their lives. Donate online or send $10 to the Disaster Relief fund by texting REDCROSS to 90999.

Trick or Treat Cookies

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 10:20:36 -0800

The Awesome: Trick or Treat Cookies for Hallowe'en.

Texting while watching is dangerous to your children

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 04:30:00 -0800

After declining for at least 40 years, injuries to children under age five rose 12% between 2007 and 2010. The possible cause? Mobile devices.

I'm sure it's true. I often see both parents and nannies lost in their smartphones while their very little children run, climb, and play at the park. What resonates most strongly with me is the section at the end of the article which paints an alarming picture of both the depth and length of distraction these devices provoke.

The Jack O'Lantern Tree

Thu, 04 Oct 2012 14:32:41 -0800

Halloween is coming. You wish you had a wonderful book for your children to celebrate the season. Now you do! The very talented Linda Stanek is making her latest e-book, The Jack O' Lantern Tree, available to everyone for free from October 4-8.

Please download it and read it to your kids (or your own inner child). It's available for download to Kindle or computer. If you're new to the Kindle universe, go here to learn how: http://www.amazon.com/gp/kindle/pc. Click "Free Reading Apps" in the menu bar if you have a Mac, iPad or Android.

Collecting Cookbooks

Wed, 03 Oct 2012 04:30:00 -0800

I could have written Speak, Recipe: Reading Cookbooks as Life Stories, so beautifully does it capture my attitude toward old cookbooks and the histories - both cultural and personal - they embody.

Food is such a revealing window into culture, history, commerce, and geography. Cookbooks freeze all of those facets in a specific place and time. Part proscriptive text, part aspirational literature, and sometimes part diary, for me cookbooks stand with film, television, advertising, and fashion as important, multi-layered, cultural documents.

New Report: Vinyl and PVC contain toxic chemicals

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:30:00 -0800

Another new report shows unsafe levels of toxic chemicals in many school supplies and outerwear. Avoid any product made with vinyl or PVC, especially for your children.

The report recommends that parents:

Always buy products that do not contain vinyl
Check for universal recycling symbol. If the product has been labeled as V or PVC, then avoid the product.
If you are unsure if the product has vinyl then email or call the 1-800 number of the manufacturer or the retailer and ask them about the material used in the product.

(via @KPbabydoctor)

New study shows 'worrisome' level of arsenic in rice

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 04:30:00 -0800

So, bad news on the rice - all types, brown, white, organic, conventional, crackers, etc.

The new findings from a Consumer Reports investigation show "significant" and "worrisome" amounts of inorganic arsenic in nearly every rice product tested.

We've been eating quite a bit less than we once did, but this is still terrible news. I agree with the call for the FDA to set limits on this.

National Drug Takeback Day

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 13:46:06 -0800

I remember, a few years ago when I was cleaning out the medicine cabinet, searching for a safe way to dispose of my expired drugs. The City of San Francisco website advised that they were working on a solution, and could everyone please just hang onto their drugs for a while longer. Sure! Glad to help!

No more. Tomorrow, Saturday September 29, is The 5th National Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Yes, it's that happy time of year when, from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, you can drop off your unwanted prescription drugs at designated collection sites, getting them out of your house and keeping them out of everyone's drinking water. Search for a nearby site, and finish up (or start) your Fall housecleaning with a bang.

Digital Estate Planning

Fri, 28 Sep 2012 04:30:00 -0800

When I die, what will happen to Rebecca's Pocket? To my photos on Flickr? To my Facebook page? What will happen to yours? Experts recommend that you name a "digital executor" and that you make a list of all your digital assets, along with logins and passwords. They also recommend that you clearly state your wishes: should your Facebook page be shut down, or would you prefer that it be left as memorial for your friends and family?

To simplify matters, you might also consider using a password management system so that your digital executor need only type in your master password to access all your online accounts. Then they need only consult your long list in the instance that your computer goes down in flames with you.

How to eat better for less money

Wed, 26 Sep 2012 04:30:00 -0800

Here's a terrific guide that reminds me of my own Eating Organic on a Food Stamp Budget project from 2007. It's called Good Food on a Tight Budget and it aims to give you the resources you need to eat healthily - and well - while keeping your food costs down. There are tools for meal planning, shopping guides, cost guides, recipes, and more.