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Self Portrait Challenge
If everyone in your neighborhood was mowing at the same time with a quiet electric mower, it would probably be quieter than if just one person in your neighborhood was using a typical gas-powered mower.There's a great link over there to a Washington Post article. Get this:
According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 10 million Americans already suffer permanent noise-induced hearing loss. A typical gas-powered mower offers prolonged exposure to 90 decibels. Sounds in excess of 85 decibels can damage hearing, but noise at only 65 to 75 decibels can cause hypertension, stress, heart damage and depression.So to all of the lawn jockeys, if you must have pristine, perfectly angled turf, please do us all a favor and go for something quiet like a push mower or electric mowers, edgers and blowers.
Holly Hobbie greets a new generation
The gingham-and-calico girl is back with a new style, still full of the love that made great-grandma famous
There is a certain demographic of woman -- mid- to late 30s, first tooth cavity the result of Pop Rocks -- who will soon be able to revel in an odd juxtaposition of pop-culture resurgence.
Brace yourselves, ladies. Marie Osmond is bringing back Holly Hobbie!For those of us who once played with our Donnie and Marie dolls while lounging on our Holly Hobbie bedspreads, it's a lot to wrap the mind around: One great 1970s icon helping bring another back from the halls of has-been.
Next week, Osmond will appear on QVC shopping channel to sell her interpretation of the beloved American Greetings classic, "Holly Hobbie." The 19-inch porcelain dolls will go for $49.95 each.God, I’m going to end the direct quoting here and now. I just can’t take it anymore. My beloved Holly Hobbie is being co-opted by Marie Osmond. Marie Osmond people! She’s a little bit more than country.
How did this happen?
Well, Marie is a little bit country. So is Holly Hobbie.
Seriously, though.
A couple years ago, Osmond said she heard that Cleveland-based American Greetings Corp. was hoping that the gingham-and-calico girl in the blue bonnet it first introduced almost 40 years ago as a character design on a few greeting cards might still have some marketing mileage.
After all, the Care Bears were back with a vengeance. Strawberry Shortcake dolls were once again flying off the shelves. The Smurfs were hot, hot, hot.
As American Greetings worked out marketing deals with Nickelodeon and Mattel to re-release the character in a new, updated form, Osmond sought licensing rights to create a collectible doll based on the classic original.
"I have always loved Holly Hobbie," Osmond said during a recent interview. "So when I heard that American Greetings was bringing her back, I wanted to be a part of it."
Holly Hobbie debuted in 1967 and by the early 1980s was emblazoned on everything from underwear to coffee mugs. The doll was popular around the same time as the Donnie and Marie Osmond dolls -- with their matching purple and pink outfits.