Meltdown fallout: some parents rethink toy-buying

RYAN'S NOTE: What do you all think about THIS? Do the parents have a point?

Meltdown fallout: some parents rethink toy-buying - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK – In a season that inspires earnest letters about toys, one notable batch is being sent not by kids to Santa's workshop but by parents to the executive suites of real-world toy makers.

The message: Please, in these days of economic angst, cut back on marketing your products directly to our children.

The letter-writing initiative was launched by the Boston-based Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which says roughly 1,400 of its members and supporters have contacted 24 leading toy companies and retailers to express concern about ads aimed at kids.

"Unfortunately, I will not be able to purchase many of the toys that my sons have asked for; we simply don't have the money," wrote Todd Helmkamp of Hudson, Ind. "By bombarding them with advertisements ... you are placing parents like me in the unenviable position of having to tell our children that we can't afford the toys you promote."

The Toy Industry Association has responded with a firm defense of current marketing practices, asserting that children "are a vital part of the gift selection process."

Ill. family thanks employees with surprise bonuses

Ill. family thanks employees with surprise bonuses

CHICAGO – Even though employees at the Peer Bearing Co. no longer work for the Spungen family that recently sold the Waukegan-based ball bearings maker, they still received a turkey each this Thanksgiving in keeping with tradition.

But even better was the gift that came in mid-September, when the Spungens threw a party to celebrate the company's acquisition by a Swedish company.

They gave away $6.6 million in year-end bonuses to Peer's 230 employees, decided by a formula based on each worker's years of service.

"My grandfather was always charitable," said Danny Spungen, grandson of Peer founder Nathan Spungen. He said Laurence and Florence Spungen and their four children decided on a bonus formula a year before the acquisition closed.

He said the decision was "a gamble that we would come out OK as well."

Family members signed two thank-you cards to each employee, one in Spanish and one in English, expressing gratitude for "the loyalty and hard work of our employees over the years."

"They treated us like extended family," said Maria Dima, who works at the company along with her husband, Valentin. "We won the lottery."

RYAN'S NOTE: What a nice "feel-good" story...during these very tough economic times, it's so nice to read a story like this one. Wish more companies would take note ;-)

A Historic Week Indeed!

Whatta week, huh? No matter how you voted last Tuesday, you must admit that we've entered a historical moment in time with our first African-American President, Barak Obama. I taped the news coverage from 5 PM to 11 PM that night and captured the moment Katie Curic announced that California, Oregon, and Washington threw Obama over the top to 290 or so delegates. WOW, whatta moment ;-)

In other news, I'm still broadcasting my show, NerdBoyTV. I found a really cool pen that records everything it hears and links it to the words you write down in the accompanying notebook. Checkout the show at NerdBoyTV.com. Be sure to subscribe to the broadcast while you're at it...gracias!

Maria's been working pretty hard lately, so we've had to coordinate our schedules a little bit better to make sure one of us is around the house. It's been a challenge, but having that second income after 13 or so years on one is VERY nice! ;-)

Can you believe that Thanksgiving's already here and Christmas is only weeks away at this point? Unbelievable...this year flew by in a flash. Hope you're all doing well and come back to RyanYee.net again soon. Post a comment here too if you'd like to...see ya.

P.S. This picture was taken about 5 minutes ago !