Monday June 3, 2002
My Donor, My Dad
In the past, sperm donors remained anonymous, but now sperm banks are finding ways to get genetic dads and kids together. The New York Times (5-21-02) and the Los Angeles Times (5-3-02) both looked at this issue recently. There are international developments on this story too. And a directory of sperm banks by state.
Fire Resistant Paint
KMOV in St. Louis conducted an interesting test of a “fire-resistant paint” called Firefree 88 (www.firefree.com). The station asked students at the students at Ranken Technical College in north St. Louis to build two structures using the company’s blueprints.
“All the materials we use are used throughout the construction industry — just regular construction grade two-by-fours and some plywood panels,” explains Alex Gromada of Ranken’s carpentry program.
One of the buildings was built with Firefree and the other with plain paint, then the testers set the houses on fire. Watch the story.
The manufacturer says Ff88 contains a synthetic component consisting of specially milled refractory ceramic fiber which, when heated, expands and reflects heat away from the structure, forming a protective blanket.
The company says its paint can be used in apartments, schools, hospitals, churches and historical buildings. A spokesperson says right now the company is exploring, but not really pushing too hard, in the residential market. Here are some ways the product is already being used around the country.
Bank Cuts Fees
Can you believe it? A bank actually is cutting fees! KDKA reports, “PNC Bank, which does business in five states, is doing away with its $2 fee to talk to a teller — as well as its assisted call fee and monthly service charge on four different checking accounts. In fact, the bank is promising to cut fees for customers in five states by $4 million.
“PNC’s John Rees says it’s all part of a continuing plan. ‘We’ve eliminated ATM statement fees in the past. We’ve enabled our customers to have access to money faster. We’ve introduced free checking — this is really a continuation of what we’ve been trying to do which is make life simpler for our customers.'”
Story idea: What do banks charge for, and how much? For example, Every time you use another bank’s ATM, you’re warned that you’ll be charged for the transaction. What you aren’t warned about — at least not on a regular basis — is that your own bank is also going to charge you for that transaction. CNN says, “Eighty-six percent of institutions will charge you for using a different bank’s ATM,” said Greg McBride, an analyst for Bankrate.com. Considering that the average bank charges its customers almost $1.50, you’re likely to be paying $3 for the convenience of using another bank’s machine. It adds up. Consumers now pay $2.2 billion in ATM charges.
Resources:
Learn about bank fees
Charging to see a live teller? From 2001
American Bankers Association Survey on ATM fees
Is Prison Rape Funny?
Slate reports, “An ad has kicked up a small fuss, and in fact the spot is apparently no longer appearing on television. But for the moment at least, you can still see it at 7 UP’s Web site.” The ad features a young man selling soft drinks in a prison and there are numerous inferences that he will be raped. For the first time in its 73-year history, the makers of the 7 Up soft drink have pulled a TV commercial off the air based on criticisms that it contained objectionable content, reports Reuters.
The decision to yank the commercial came after complaints sprouted up from a convicts rights group which disliked the spot’s allusions to jail rape.
The cancelled commercial is set in prison and features the drink’s spokesman Godfrey pitching the drink to inmates. At one point, Godfrey walks down a row of cells and hands a can of the drink to each prisoner. When he accidentally drops one though, he remarks, “I’m not picking that up.”
In the spot’s final shot, Godfrey is shown inside a cell with a burly-looking inmate who has his arm draped around him.
“When you drink 7 Up, everyone is your friend,” says Godrey, which prompts the inmate to tighten his grip.
“OK, that’s enough being friends,” says the comedian.
Resources:
Stop Prison Rape website
A prison rape resources webpage
