The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall Tuesday of 20 models of Dorel Asia cribs with both drop-sides and fixed front rails.

The cribs are being recalled because the drop side can detach from the crib, creating a space where a child can be trapped and suffocate or strangle.

For more information visit:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10114.html

Posted: January 20th, 2010 under Safety.
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It was our joy to talk with Scott Drzycimski from Alliant Energy today about how we can save money on our energy bills.

Scott Drzycimski Team Lead - Strategic Communications Interstate Power and Light Co., an Alliant Energy Company

TOPIC: PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTATS

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Do you remember those infomercials for some Ronco product, where they said, “Just set it…and forget it?  That’s exactly what you do with your programmable thermostat.  A lot of us have a set schedule – Church Sunday morning, kids to school, out the door for errands Monday through Friday, soccer games all day Saturday – so basically, what you do is to program the thermostat to match your life. You pick a comfortable temperature – and set the thermostat to be at that temperature when you’re normally at home and, when you’re not, you let it get colder during the winter and warmer during the summer.  That way, you’re not using the furnace to heat (or AC to cool) an empty house. Best of all, you don’t have to remember to turn the thermostat up or down when you leave the house and you can set it so you never notice that it got cold (or warm in summer) in your house while you were gone.

Don’t forget to check rebates and incentives offered by your energy provider.  For example Alliant Energy will reward your purchase with a $25 incentive check.  And, your expected savings, if installed and programmed properly, will pay you back for your purchase in a year or so.

WEB LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION:

Alliant Energy PowerHouse TV’s information about programmable thermostats.

Alliant Energy’s Energy Efficiency Rewards/Rebates.

Posted: January 19th, 2010 under Energy Efficiency, Saving Money, Uncategorized.
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From our conversation on the morning show, here are the details from Bebo Norman auctioning off one of his personal guitars in support of the relief effort in Haiti…

Click Here to View the Guitar on Ebay

“In response to the tragic events in Haiti, I am auctioning off a guitar from my personal collection. ALL PROCEEDS will be donated to the Haiti relief effort through Compassion International. To find out more about Compassion’s efforts in Haiti, go to http://www.compassion.com/. This is an incredible opportunity to own a beautiful guitar, but more importantly, to give to the people in Haiti who are so desperately in need.

This hand-made Everett Laurel Guitar is THE very first production guitar (Number 00-01) in the Laurel Series and was given to me as a personal gift from the builder himself, Kent Everett (Atlanta, GA). I honestly can’t place a value on this guitar since it is again, Number 00-01 in a very limited production (only 128 ever made) and has been in my personal guitar collection as one of my primary “songwriting guitars” for 10 years. I do know that this Laurel First Edition is solid Sitka topped with Rosewood back and sides, highly flamed Maple bindings, Maple rosette, and Rosewood fingerboard and bridge. This guitar has been the source of quite a few of my songs (“Nothing Without You,” “Try,” and “Borrow Mine”), spent one year on tour with me, and is in absolutely amazing condition. This guitar is priceless as far as I’m concerned. I have autographed the custom interior label next to the production number and Kent Everett’s custom wax seal that ensures authenticity. The only way I would even DREAM of letting this guitar go is for a cause as important as serving the people of Haiti and meeting them in their time of crisis.”

Also included:

- TKL hard case for the guitar

- 4 packs of Elixir Medium Guage Nanoweb guitar strings

- The ENTIRE Bebo Norman discography, autographed. Includes The Fabric of Verse (1996, Out of Print), Ten Thousand Days (1999), Big Blue Sky (2000), Myself When I Am Real (2002), Try (2004), Between the Dreaming and the Coming True (2006), Christmas from the Realms of Glory (2007), and Bebo Norman (2008).

Posted: January 19th, 2010 under Bebo Norman, Life 101.9 Artists, Uncategorized.
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There probably aren’t too many of us who want to use more energy or want to pay more for electricity or natural gas.  And certainly, most of us would like to be more energy efficient, but we can struggle with where to start.

Insulation, programmable thermostats, weather stripping, compact fluorescent bulbs, there are just so many ways to become more energy efficient…but what’s the best thing to do – what will make the biggest impact.

Scott Drizymski from Alliant Energy suggest starting out with an assessment of your specific situation.  Many utilities – including Alliant Energy– have programs where, if a home qualifies, we’ll send a certified energy expert out for an inspection. The auditor will identify ways for you to reduce your energy usage and give you estimates on how much the upgrades will cost. The auditor may even install some smaller energy-saving measures on the spot at no cost.

The best part is there’s no cost to customers of Alliant Energy and/or MidAmerican Energy for this service…those served by other utilities should check with their supplier for similar programs that may be available.

For more energy saving information or to schedule your home audit visit the following helpful links from Alliant Energy:

My Home Comfort Checkup: www.alliantenergy.com/mhcc.

Alliant Energy’s Energy Efficiency Rewards/Rebates: www.alliantenergy.com/rewards.

Posted: January 15th, 2010 under Uncategorized.
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Agape Flights is an independent Christian organization dedicated to sharing the good news of Jesus by serving and supporting missionaries committed to fighting poverty, disease, and illiteracy.

Agape Flights accomplishes this by flying much needed supplies to missionaries in remote areas at no cost to the missionary.

As you can imagine,  Agape Flights has changed their plans drastically in light of the devastating earthquake in Haiti.  Now they are flying in medical supplies to these missionaries and the communities they serve.

You can help them serve with a donation today.

Posted: January 14th, 2010 under Helping Others.
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