Possible Changes at The Pond

Posted on May 21, 2008 by Heather

I’m sure that my few remaining readers have noticed that there haven’t been many posts on Reflections in the Pond lately. And those posts that have appeared don’t really fit my previous theme of my spiritual journey. Honestly, it is very difficult to find time for myself because of Baby C. At 17 weeks, he still demands nearly every waking moment. Occasionally I can steal a few minutes for myself, like when he has a nap (which are usually very short) or when he falls asleep early (which only means that he will wake up earlier in the morning). Sadly, not only is my blog on hold, but so is my main site, and most of my life.

With the silentblue.net expiring in July, there may be some changes happening around here. Things may continue as is, or the Pond may move to a new URL, or the Pond may just dry up. Right now, the focus is on Baby C and the rest of my family. This blog and my main site have been, and hopefully will continue to be, an excellent outlet for me. We shall see how things develop.

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DMC Not Safe… Maybe

Posted on May 10, 2008 by Heather

So, contrary to my last post (DMC Safe), DMC’s French mother company has gone into receivership. The needlework division been placed under the administration of two Recovery Administrators, and have been given a six month probation period to see how they do financially. This was announced shortly after I made my post. (Updates are slow here at the Pond, thanks to Baby C.)

This sounds all well and good, right? DMC USA has released a press release thats says they are fine, and will continue to sell floss. (This is not a rumour I am starting, this is what the DMC USA press release says.) However, there is one small problem… DMC’s factory is in France. Pull out some of your floss and take a look at the packaging. So, now I am very curious as to how DMC USA will continue to sell floss if the factory in France is closed.

For more info about DMC France’s situation, check out these news stories:
– DMC place en redressement judicaire (May 5, 2008)
– Le destin de DMC retenu a un fil (May 6, 2008)
– DMC France Press Release (May 8, 2008, significantly later than the DMC USA one)

(I suggest using Bablefish to translate them.)

So, good thoughts ladies, until DMC USA sends out another press release, or until the probation period is up for DMC France and we find out some concrete news re. our favourite floss. And for the record, DMC, I think I would rather see you go out of business than start producing sub-par floss.

Comments Off on DMC Not Safe… Maybe | Posted in Cross Stitch |

DMC Safe

Posted on May 1, 2008 by Heather

For the past week or so, the needlework world has been in a bit of a tizzy. Through partially translated newspaper reports and press releases, we learned that DMC Corp. in France was declaring bankruptcy. This, naturally, lead to much wailing and gnashing on teeth. If there is one thing needleworks are, it is loyal to a particular brand of thread. With DMC, arguably the most popular brand of floss, seemingly disappearing, panic set in as stitchers realized they would have to spent precious time converting charts into other floss types.

Well, today DMC USA finally addressed the situation, in English. It seems that only two divisions of DMC are filing for bankruptcy: the sportswear division, and the craft shop division. Our beloved floss is safe. You can read more here: PRESS RELEASE: DMC to continue selling the best quality and most recommended Embroidery Floss for another 262 years!

Now, I do have some advice for DMC. Firstly, when these rumours start due to press releases and news stories only being available in French, put out an English translation right away to stave off panic. Also, please, please, please concentrate on you core business. Fancy flosses and craft stores are nice, but we want you to keep making the plain, old cotton floss we love for at least another 262 years! Oh, and please ship to Canada from your U.S. online store. We aren’t that far away, you know, and you are loosing out on business.

To add to the crafting theme of this entry, below is my lastest cross stitch finish: Cleopatra Embroidered Paper Doll by Lynne Nicoletti.


Cleopatra Paper Doll, Lynne Nicoletti, 2008 - Cleopatra

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Drinking in Cancer with His Milk

Posted on April 19, 2008 by Heather

Health Canada has finally announced that they are going to ban baby bottles that contain bisphenol A. (Government of Canada Takes Action on Another Chemical of Concern: Bisphenol A) We have been using Avent bottles for Baby C, and, of course, they are some of the effected bottles. We do have a few glass bottles, and we will be getting more today.

It is a difficult thing, raising children. I suspect that in the future, maybe decades from now, we will find out that something else we are doing is linked to cancer or something equally as bad. All we can do is our best, weighing the risks based on the information we have.

So, this weekend will be spent scouring the cupboards for plastic containing bisphenol A–my favourite water bottle, Baby C’s bottles (including the “novelty” ones), and goodness knows what else. Apparently soup cans are lined with a plastic that contains bisphenol A. *sigh* And so are the cans of liquid formula that I bought for emergencies.

If you are interested in clearing it out of your home, look for items with the 7 recycle symbol. You can read more here: Bisphenol A Fact Sheet.

Comments Off on Drinking in Cancer with His Milk | Posted in Baby, Media & Politics |

Protesting the Olympics

Posted on April 14, 2008 by Heather

Although I don’t often talk about politics on my blog, I thought that I would share some of what I am feeling about the recent protests against China that have been plaguing the Olympic Torch relay.

During the ancient Olympics, it is believed that all wars and conflicts were halted during the games so that athletes and spectators could be assured of their safety. In modern times, conflicts actually take place during the games. Case in point, the Munich massacre that happened during the 1972 Summer Olympics.

This sorry tradition continues today, with protesters the world over doing their best to disrupt or even cancel the 2008 Olympics in China.

Yes, I am completely aware of China’s human rights abuses. Yes, I am aware that they are occupying Tibet. Yes, I am aware that Chinese workers are exploited (often by American companies, but I digress). However, I feel strongly that the Olympics are a time when we should be focusing on the atheletes taking part. They have worked thier whole lives for a chance to compete in front of the world, and their dreams are soured by what is happening.

I’m not so sure that dowsing the Olympic Torch in France is the way to get China to change its internal policies. I don’t think that hits close enough to home for the government. Economic sanctions, like a company-level (rather than personal-level) refusal to buy products manufactured in China is a good start. But, of course, since so many goods sold worldwide come from China (your iPod, for one, comes from China), that isn’t likely to ever happen.

But, as a Canadian, I’m not sure I can really say too much about this. There is an exceptionally good chance that Canada, and much of North America, is going to witness some very severe protests by First Nations people as the 2010 Olympics approach. Sadly, I think that hijacking the Olympics to publicize conflicts with governments is going to be the new reality. Athletes will soon be taking a backseat to protesters.

Comments Off on Protesting the Olympics | Posted in Media & Politics |

Earth Hour and the End of the World

Posted on March 31, 2008 by Heather

Earth Hour has come and gone, and it was a success… sort of. Here at the Pond, we enjoyed an hour of darkness sans TV and computers. (quanta cheated and surfed the Internet for a little while on his Blackberry. Really, a man can only be away from technology and information for so long.) Baby C enjoyed his first candlelight meal, and got his diaper changed in the dark twice. Fun for all involved.

Around Ontario, power usage fell by more than 5% (which is what was expected). In Toronto, power usage dropped by 8.7%. Sure, it is all hype. An hour of reduced power usage isn’t going to change the world, but at least it (hopefully) got people thinking about just how much power they do use.

Blog TO review’s Toronto’s participation in Earth Hour: Earth Hour Toronto 2008: Pass or Fail. The videos on this page are worth watching just to see the huge (and ugly) sign at the corner of Younge and Dundas go out.

The Torontist (a great blog about TO), has a photo gallery of Toronto during Earth Hour here. Stunning!

In other news, the world may end this summer so there is no reason to conserve energy or worry about the environment. Yay! According to two men in Hawaii, Walter L. Wagner and Luis Sanchon, when the CERN Large Hadron Collider is powered up, it will create a black hole what will devour the Earth… or it may create stangelets that will lead to a change reaction changing all matter into stangelets… or it may create particles with only one magnetic pole, leading to a reaction where atoms are converted into other forms of matter. (Am I the only one imaging my desk turning into pudding?) I’m glad they’ve got their story straight.

You can read more about this here: CERN Experiment May Violate NEPA, Destroy Universe

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Earth Hour 2008

Posted on March 26, 2008 by Heather

Keeping with yesterday’s green theme, I thought that today I would write a little bit about Earth Hour. On March 29th at 8pm local time, everyone around the world has been asked to turn off their lights and other unnecessary electronics for an hour. (Yes, that includes the computer, TV, and video game console.)

quanta and I have decided to take part. And believe me, turning off a computer around here when we are still awake is a major feat. It has also been really nice to see posters around our condo building promoting the event. I hope all of our neighbours will also decide to take part.

If you are interested in learning more about Earth Hour, go to EarthHour.org. Hopefully you will decide to take part in this simple, yet very powerful event.

And, while you are thinking green, why not calculate your carbon footprint here. Mine rates at about 6.44, below the Canadian average. Where do you rate?

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