My Daily Domestic Diigolet 02/29/2008

Like Merchant Ships: Laying down the skillettags: no_tagMidwifery World : New York Times: The Business of Being Borntags: birth, childbirth, midwifery, pregnancy4Real Forums: Liturgy of the Hourstags: catholic, prayerClassic Mama's Thoughts: Works for Me Wednesday: Organizationtags: homeschool, organizationOverwhelmed With Joy!tags: craftsHairbows for little girls. - post by mydomesticchurch Source

WiP Wednesday: Installation 31.0

Okay, I've tried and adding text just doesn't seem to be in the cards for me with producing videos. I'm still working on getting it right though!With that said, I bring you my attempt at trying on Juliet (with the 3 short rows worked in to the XS size) and the sock yarn that I'm currently knitting - very minimally - inbetween class after class after class. My apologies for saying "um" a lot. Lately, I don't know whether I'm coming or going so it takes a minute for me to remember what I'm talking about. ;-)  . With that said, my apologies once again for my producer-skillz-in-progress (and the Blair Witch Project style of filming, it's just been too cold to film outside the past week). I hope to be back with some real pictures after this nice long weekend. RIP Martin Luther King. No more movie reviews this week, unfortunately. Chemistry labs start next week. Oh. Joy. They - labs in general - give me the creeps because I'm scared I'm going to accidently hurt myself (for such a short person, I tend to be pretty clumsy). Me? Chemicals? They just don't mix. :-p Stay beautiful my peoples (and please let me know if the video doesn't play correctly, I'm still in the pilot phase!)!!!Source

Words Fitly Spoken: Part I

I confess. I'm a recovering political junky. It all started when I met Ronald and Nancy Reagan in 1979. Secret Service would not let Governor Reagan sign autographs but Nancy was kind enough to scrawl her name on my clipboard as we shared an umbrella. Ever since, I've been fascinated by politics, and gotten handshakes, photos, and autographs from all three Republican Presidents. But I have deliberately steered clear of the topic this primary season. (Okay. Okay... I did write one tongue-in-cheek movie review last November, and yes it was a thinly veiled op-ed on Hillary. Sorry if that was too harsh. But other than that essay, I've held off until now.)One of the reasons I enjoy reading comments at POI is that they come from a diverse gathering of "friends on the porch." There are friends who don't share my views but they don't mind my vision. There are those who don't share my faith, but they don't mind knowing I'm a follower of Christ. (By the way, my header mentions that as reminder to myself not an earned merit badge. I haven't arrived, I'm just trying to follow.) We come from across the continent and beyond—Canadian, American, white, black, Hispanic, Malaysian, Thai, etc. Old friends. New friends. People I see every week, and people I will never meet in this life. That's what I love about blogging..I'm saying this because politics can set people's teeth on edge, and I don't want to do that. Maybe it will help if I say up front that this 2-post series is not about issues. Not that issues aren't important—they are—but issues will always be with us. This primary season, however, has already officered something that comes along perhaps once in a generation. If I were teaching a "public speaking" class again, my students and I would be immersed in this discussion. I hope you find it equally interesting."A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver." Proverbs 25:11Words Fitly Spoken: Part I She Said He SaidOn a July evening in 2004, this Republican was watching the Democratic Convention when a young legislator from Illinois delivered the keynote address. I did not know his name, but after months of listening to John Kerry's haughty air, I turned to my wife and said, "Now here's a Democrat who's going to be President someday." It wasn't that I agreed with everything he was saying, but I was very impressed with his ability to say it.Four months later Barack Obama was sworn in as a U.S. Senator, and four years later we all know his name. I still disagree with him on some very important issues, but I agree with the way he disagrees with me. His disarming tone is a force all its own. He's like Reagan in that regard, but his words soar above those of "the great communicator." He has MLK's gift of rhetorical rhythms and themes.I don't mean for this reality check to dash Hillary's loyal entourage or McCain's reluctant mutineers or Huckabee's faithful few. This is not an endorsement; nor is it a prediction; it's simply a "hat tip" to one of the best public orators since... well, since the men he was falsely accused of plagiarizing this past week.This past week Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton engaged not in a war of words but in a war about words--about their value compared to actions, their power to persuade, and their source when borrowed. Evidently Hillary knew she was no match for Obama as a public speaker so she began belittling the importance of "good speeches" a few weeks ago. To counter that attack, Barack added a short string of famous political quotations followed by "Just words?" He barrowed the device from a his friend, Deval Patrick, who used very similar lines two years ago. See the comparison here. But keep in mind the lines themselves were iconic quotations, literary allusions if you will.So it seemed petty indeed when during Thursday night's debate Hillary accused Obama of stealing that part of his speech. Obama was speechless--no pun intended--but he eventually muttered, "The notion that I had plagiarized from someone who is one of my national co-chairs. This is where we start getting into silly season in politics"Hillary had this rehearsed line up her sleeve (we'll assume she wrote it herself): "Lifting whole passages from someone else's speeches is not change you can believe in. It's change you can Xerox."Here's why I say it's petty: One of the lines Obama "lifted" from Deval Patrick's speech was the quotation attributed to JFK, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." BUT WAIT, perhaps Hillary should also debunk Kennedy for "lifting" those words from Khalil Gibran who said in his 1925 published work, "The New Frontier" (36 years before Kennedy's Inaugural), "Are you a politician asking what your country can do for you or a zealous one asking what you can do for your country? If you are the first, then you are a parasite; if the second, then you are an oasis in a desert." BUT WAIT... maybe she should also question Gibran's originality since Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, in a Memorial Day address is 1884 stated: "It is now the moment when by common consent we pause to ... recall what our country has done for each of us, and to ask ourselves what we can do for our country in return."See what I mean? In the world of politics, a quotation often gets attributed to the person who said it best not first.By the end of the Thursday's debate, Hillary was temporarily in a much better mood, as you can see in the first part of this youtube clip. Then two days later in Ohio (Saturday) she was mad again and pretended to challenge Obama to a "bring it on" debate that we all know has been scheduled for weeks.I'll post the second part of this post Wednesday (after Tuesday's debate). In the meantime, if you haven't seen the following two videos, they will underscore what I'm saying about Obama's disarming gift with words fitly spoken.The first is his Yes We Can speech delivered in New Hampshire. The second is the Yes We Can music video that was presumably conceived of after the words were uttered.Now do you see what Obama means when he insists that there is a difference between momentum in a race an A MOMENT in history. This is not an endorsement. It is a study in extremely effective rhetoric that Hillary will find hard to top and stop. Sore words cannot trump words that soar. Likewise, McCain (no matter how many "my friends" he inserts into his speeches) will have difficulty overcoming the face-to-face charisma of this young senator with the name that sounds more American with each passing day.Source

There Will Be Blood

 RATE THE MOVIE There Will Be Blood (TWB) Rating: ***1/2 It takes 11 and a half minutes of the film to come up with its first dialogue: `There she is!' Our protagonist Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) who has been assiduously digging into the bowels of the earth finds his hidden treasure: silver. That seems to set the note of this art house investigation into America's twin towers: oil and religion. It's reticent and diligent and grows on you. Although a turn-of-the-century account of a miner's growing fortunes as he taps the oil-rich Californian reserves and comes in conflict with the local godman, the film is relevant even today. Simply because America hasn't abandoned its obsession -- with oil and God -- till now. It's an epical portrayal of a not-so-nice man who grows into the archetypal capitalist, buying up all the land without bothering about the people who inhabit it. So much so, he even loses interest in his son after the kid is injured in an accident and ends up a tortured, mangled soul, instead of the astute business partner he was grooming him to be. Plainview plainly lacks humanism and is powered only by an unlimited greed for money as he bleeds the community of Little Boston dry. He dreams big and hopes to set up a pipeline to transmit his abundant supplies of oil without sharing his profits with the shipping companies, but dreams don't always come true. Specially when there is the local godman who wants a share in the oil money to augment the power of the church. So what if he's transforming religion into drama too, with his hysterical exorcisms and healing rituals....It's a disturbing picture of America's rise to power. Because if people like Daniel Plainview powered it to superpower status, the nation doesn't really have a happy past to reflect upon. Watch it for Anderson's eye for detail and for Daniel Day-Lewis who lends grandeur a period charm to Plainview despite his questionable motives. Do you agree with our film critic? Nikhat Kazmi, Film critic, The Times of India Rating Scale: *Poor, **Average, ***Good, ****Very Good, *****Outstanding PS: You may also SMS or email your views. Mail us on mytimesmyvoice@timesgroup.com with with short code for the movie name' mentioned in the subject line. To SMS, type MTMVREV, leave a space, type short code of the movie, leave a space, your rating 1/1.5/2/2.5/3/3.5/4/4.5/5. Add your name and comments, if any, and sms to 58888. Example: If you feel a movie is above 'Average' but not 'Good', rate it as 2.5Source

DAMAGED Plugs: Louis in PARACINEMA #1!!!

I can't believe what a forgetful dolt I am. I was sent the first issue of PARACINEMA a month or two ago and read it cover to cover, leaving it on the desk to make a blog posting about it. But soon, it was covered with DVDs and CDs and comics that were also on my to-do pile, and, now, fianlly cleaned, I rediscover this reading treasure.Boasting that they don't run "movie reviews, music reviews, toy or action figure news, book reviews or only horror content", instead PARACINEMA's goal is to provide "in-depth analytical pieces, interviews, informative articles about movie "classics", amazing, original, film inspired art and peeks into the future of cult film making." It was this difference that got me interested in this magazine, because it seemed so different than everything else out there--and it is!The first issue features my interview with PHANTASM director Don Coscarelli and I am actually pretty proud to be featured in an original mag like this. Other features include a short history of Italian cannibal flicks; a contrast and comparison of the Ruby character of both HILL HAVE EYES; a piece on, of all things KRULL (yes!!!); and a thoughful take on the sexual politics of BLUE VELVET. It's the thinking man's cult movie mag, and, as an added bonus, they don't feel the need to weigh it down with unnessicary photos of wannabe pin-up girls or trashy scream queens. Thanks God.So pick up a copy ASAP from their website. Support indie publishing that tries to be different, and, more importantly, support stuff I do.Source

Overall Top Articles on this Blog

Below are 24 posts which have attracted many visitors from time of formation of this blog. Though, there others posts available in blog which may be better than these posts, however, this posts are able to attract more attention. These posts are not in serial order because of non availability of any accurate data which is available from Oct 2007 onwards still most of these posts are visited by thousands of visitors in recent past and even crossed lakhs like "My first Love My Teacher". Hope these articles will remain entertaining people in future also.1) My First Love My Teacher2) Aishwarya's 34th birthday update3) How difficult it to be like a woman?4) Latest on Abhishek and Aishwarya5) Hidden story of Begging Business in India6) Book review- "Wings of Fire"7) Example of Extreme brutality against women (Watch)9) Controversy of Shilpa Shetty and Richard Gere10) Happiness Formula11) Individualism killing joint family tradition in India12) Kalpna Chawla- Other Face of Indian Women13) Orkut.com and dummy Profile14) Woman still a inferior sex15) India is First 20-20 cricket world champion16) How to become a successful writer-217) Shahrukh Khan turn 42 (birthday update)18) Reviews of Indian/International Movies/Books19) A smile20) My first successful Article21) How to become a successful writer-222) Where Punjab is going?23) Jalianwala Bagh and Indian Freedom Struggle24) About-www.reliancecommunications.co.inAlso visit-Read Top and Most read posts on this blogArvindKatochkgw.arvindkatoch.com Source

Fropper.com offers 'ezMoney' to Bloggers using Google Adsense

In yet another unique initiative, India’s first and very own social networking website Fropper.com is leveraging Google’s Adsense platform to reward its ezbloggers with the launch of ezMoney. Fropper’s ezMoney program enables bloggers on its website to make money while expressing their creativity and writing skills.ezMoney is an innovative service offered by Fropper.com to its ezBlog members. Once blogs are posted, Google AdSense automatically places relevant ads on ezBlog pages. Ad revenues generated from these pages is shared with ezBloggers.To avail the benefits of this innovative service, bloggers just need to create a Google AdSense account by entering their email address in the ‘Register’ with Google AdSense text box and link it to their ezBlog or alternatively link their existing Google AdSense account with ezMoney. Google AdSense automatically displays relevant ads on the ezBlog posts, for e.g. along with a youth centric blog, relevant youth based advertisement will be published to attract the right target audience. Speaking on the launch of this service, Mr. Navin Mittal, Business Head, Fropper.com said " The Internet user base in the country is only growing and Web2.0 sites like Fropper.com are also attracting a lot of surfers to blogging, photos sharing, video upload and other such fun features. We at Fropper.com always aim at making networking more creative and time worthy. Using Google’s Adsense platform, ezMoney will allow bloggers to monetize and further enhance their writing and expressions skills.”Netizens in India have really taken to blogging ever since its inception and with only 40 million odd internet users in the country, there is still a lot of scope for growth specially with the advent of such initiatives by websites like Fropper.com. User-generated and personalization of content being a part of Web2.0, are the latest that the web offers its users. Posting their views and opinions on the web and making them available to the world is making more and more people log on to the net and take up blogging. Getting rewards and appreciation for the same will be an added advantage. EZBlog is a unique spin on blogging that tempts Fropper members to write via clearly thought out ready templates. To post to a blog, members can use one of the many pre-existing templates. For example, members could choose to review a movie and the ‘;movie review’ template will ask you to enter the movie name, the actors, the genre, your review & finally a rating. There are many other templates like book reviews, restaurant/bars reviews, news articles, and recipes etc., which add to the fun. Source

DVD Review: An Inconvenient Truth

Here’s another Guest film Review by Dan Schneider, who has this heavily-visited website and whose reviews for TMV have been highly popular.DVD Review Of An Inconvenient TruthReview Copyright 2008 © by Dan Schneider Let me state, up front, I have never been a fan of former Vice President Al Gore. He was a right of center Democrat who worked in an administration whose environmental record was considered, by most ecological groups, worse than the two Republican administrations that preceded his, and held that office at a time when the earliest stages of global warming, which he now decries, were first becoming known. As the second most visible politician in the country, did he sound the alarums then? Well, no. He wrote a book or two, but did nothing of any real consequence with the power he had. However, his Johnny Come lately status as an environmentalist, which led to his winning of the Nobel Peace Prize, as well as an Oscar for the 94 minute 2006 documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, has nothing to do why it’s a bad film. That’s due solely to the film’s director Davis Guggenheim, most noted as a network television director. Of course, if one Googles the film at such sites like Amazon or IMDB, there will be plenty of negative reviews of the film. Almost all of them will be unveiled ad hominem against Gore or simply blatant pro-global warming propaganda. I did not find a single negative review based solely on the film’s art. On the other hand, many of the film’s staunchest defenders praise the film solely because they are pro-green. Even the Chicago Sun-Times’ venerable film critic, Roger Ebert, seems to feel that bending down on two knees is not enough praise for the Buddha Gore, writing: I want to write this review so every reader will begin it and finish it. I am a liberal, but I do not intend this as a review reflecting any kind of politics. It reflects the truth as I understand it, and it represents, I believe, agreement among the world’s experts….He provides statistics: The 10 warmest years in history were in the last 14 years. Last year South America experienced its first hurricane. Japan and the Pacific are setting records for typhoons. Hurricane Katrina passed over Florida, doubled back over the Gulf, picked up strength from unusually warm Gulf waters, and went from Category 3 to Category 5. There are changes in the Gulf Stream and the jet stream. Cores of polar ice show that carbon dioxide is much, much higher than ever before in a quarter of a million years. It was once thought that such things went in cycles. Gore stands in front of a graph showing the ups and downs of carbon dioxide over the centuries. Yes, there is a cyclical pattern. Then, in recent years, the graph turns up and keeps going up, higher and higher, off the chart….In England, Sir James Lovelock, the scientist who proposed the Gaia hypothesis (that the planet functions like a living organism), has published a new book saying that in 100 years mankind will be reduced to “a few breeding couples at the Poles.” Gore thinks “that’s too pessimistic….In 39 years, I have never written these words in a movie review, but here they are: You owe it to yourself to see this film. If you do not, and you have grandchildren, you should explain to them why you decided not to….Am I acting as an advocate in this review? Yes, I am. I believe that to be “impartial” and “balanced” on global warming means one must take a position like Gore’s. There is no other view that can be defended….What is the look? It’s the look of no fear…. To say that there is not a critical (in any sense of the term) thing in the whole review, is manifest. But, even though I did not want to quote as much of the review as I did, this needs to be known. As bad and uncritical as Ebert’s review is, the film is manifold worse in hagiographizing St. Al. And that is its chief flaw, artistically. Whereas Michael Moore sticks his ugly mug into his agitprop films every three minutes or so, I don’t think that there’s a single three minute span in this agitprop film that we do not see Gore, up close, and too close, so that his every pore is seen, that his nostrils are not heaving with passion.The film opens with some gorgeous cinematography of a sunrise morning over a river on the Gore family’s Tennessee farm. It’s a shot that belongs in a film by Andrei Tarkovsky. It is gorgeous, rapturous. Then comes the bad part- the start of the film-long narration by Gore, larded with pseudo-poesy and even worse faux insight. Here is the opening salvo: ‘You look at that river gently flowing by. You notice the leaves rustling with the wind. You hear the birds; you hear the tree frogs. In the distance you hear a cow. You feel the grass. The mud gives a little bit on the riverbank. It’s quiet, it’s peaceful. And all of a sudden, it’s a gear shift inside you. And it’s like taking a deep breath and going, ‘Oh yeah, I forgot about this.” And it only gets worse from there. And I do not mean the science. In the main, Gore is in the right. The warming of the globe is driven by man-made pollutants, which will have dire effects, even if sometimes Gore exaggerates a bit, such as showing the natural calving of glaciers into the sea, which have gone on since time immemorial. as if that act, alone, is caused by glacial warming. Also, while humans have sped up specific extinctions, extinctions are always followed by a flowering of new species, which adapt to the newer conditions. But, he is far closer to the truth than assorted website which take potshots at him and the film, like http://www.aconvenientfiction.com/inconvenient3.html or the even worse http://scienceandpublicpolicy.org/monckton/goreerrors.html, a Right Wing propaganda site, which purports to list 35 big errors made in the film, yet the vast majority of the 35 things are things that the film, nor Gore ever claimed. I state this because I want to be clear that I am not doing a hatchet job on Gore nor this film, just giving a straight down the line assessment in the negative. The film is basically two thirds of Gore preaching to the public about global warming by giving a slide show with some neat graphics. Again, the vast majority of what he states is incontrovertible, anmd the few areas where he exaggerates are minor disagreements between the scientific community where he chooses the worst scenario for dramatic effect. This is forgivable on Gore’s part, and even the filmmaker’s. It is also quite effective. But, where the film tanks, and also goes way beyond any reasonable standard for calling itself a documentary, is in the interspersed other third of the film, where we get the fetishistic close-ups of Gore as saint aborning, and in the hamhanded voiceovers. Putting aside the fact that the writing of the voiceovers is cringe-inducing (see above), Guggenheim could have at least put on a patina of objectivity by having the voiceovers done by someone else- perhaps another Left Winger like Tim Robbins. Instead, we are left with the unseemly deification of Al Gore….by Al Gore! Even worse we get a parade of Oprah Winfrey-level sob stories about how tough a life Al Gore has- being born with a silver spoon, political power, and the disappointment of being out-scioned by George W. Bush for the Presidency. There are some genuine bad things that the film inexplicably digresses to, such as his sister’s death from lung cancer and his son’s near-fatal car crash. So? I mean, what is the point of the film- to act as a documentary about the global warming crisis, or about Al Gore’s ‘indomitable courage’? Such courage which propels him to ‘walk alone’ in airports- as if he’s just a ‘regular person.’ Or to spend hours on his laptop computer monkeying with graphs. Ooh, he’s deep. Yup. Yes he is. Yessirreebob! But, if Guggenheim could only stop with the up the nostrils viewpoint so many of his shots have. I mean, even if Al Gore is the greatest man in the history of our species, do we really need to be able to count his nose hairs? The DVD, by Paramount, is shown in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, and has an update by Al Gore, which features well known information, and a making of featurette. There is a music video of the atrocious Melissa Etheridge song I Need To Wake Up. Whether the melody or the cringe-worthy PC lyrics are worse is up for debate. The audio commentary by Guggenheim is actually fairly good. Yes, he’s a bit too fellatric re: Gore the superhero man of action, but the backstory and technical aspects of the making of the film are interesting. The producers’ commentary has some moments, but offers not much more than is learnt in Guggenheim’s commentary. Overall, An Inconvenient Truth has important ideas, but is a bad film precisely because those ideas are made secondary to the ego of Al Gore. That is not Gore’s fault, but Guggenheim’s, yet is precisely why An Inconvenient Truth is a bad film, and not even remotely a ‘documentary.’ Source

Ken's Review: In Bruges - The Only Place to Visit This Weekend - SendMeRSS

Ken's Review: In Bruges - The Only Place to Visit This WeekendOne of my favorite films from 2007 was Black Snake Moan. While I didn't think it was Oscar worthy, it was still extremely enjoyable and underrated. I loved the characters and issues that it dealt with and still find myself recommending it to anyone that asks my opinion of last year's films. I mention that movie because In Bruges is probably going to turn out the same way. It's an extremely enjoyable film that will get overlooked and forgotten later in the year. Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) work for Harry (Ralph Fiennes) as hitmen. After one of their hits takes a turn for the worse, Harry sends them both to Bruges, Belgium to hideout for a while and wait for his call. Bruges turns out to be a small town with not much to do other then sightsee or hang out at the local pub. Ken takes a liking to the village right away while Ray, still dealing with the failed hit, struggles with being stuck in such a small place with nothing to do. Finally, they receive the call from Harry with instructions that they aren't actually in Bruges hiding out but were sent there for other reasons entirely. Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes look out over the city from the bell tower in In Bruges. I have to give Colin Farrell props for his performance in this film. Looking at other movies he has been in I couldn't find one where I liked him that much. This was a huge surprise because I didn't just like his role in In Bruges, I loved it. He played a goofy, dim-witted, rude, loud-mouth hitman perfectly. At first he seems simple and shallow, but we quickly learn more about him and grow to care about the struggles he is dealing with. Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson are so perfect for this movie. Gleeson has that quiet demeanor but can definitely come across as ruthless and dangerous. Ralph Fiennes is always good and is absolutely insane in this film. These two meet up around the end of the film and make for some great scenes together. They have a chemistry that makes even their wacky conversations seem realistic and plausible. This is by no means an action film although there is a bit of action, especially near the end. This is more along the lines of Snatch or Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. In Bruges is filled with witty dialogue and hilarious situations. I definitely wasn't expecting to laugh as much as I did, but laughing is what I did for most of the film. The discussions back and forth between Ray and Ken were extremely funny. The scenes with Ray and the dwarf had me almost in tears. It was such a pleasant surprise to see a film that is alike in many ways to a Guy Ritchie film but isn't a copycat movie and actually holds its own. Colin Farrell enjoys some beers in the company of Clémence Poésy and Jordan Prentice in In Bruges. The problem that most people will have with In Bruges is the jumping back and forth between comedy and more serious drama. Although the majority of the film is filled with clever dialogue and mixed with funny situations, there is also a serious side that adds depth to the characters and the story. In particular, there is an inner struggle that Farrell's character is going through. That struggle combined with some gruesome deaths might make mixing the comedy with death a bit awkward for some viewers. It never felt awkward to me, but I definitely see how some people might look at it that way. This is my favorite film of the year so far. Not a perfect movie by any means but extremely enjoyable. I gave Cloverfield a higher rating because of the difficulty and immense amount of work that you could tell that was put into it. In Bruges, while not as technically outstanding as Cloverfield, is the type of movie I could watch over and over again. This is definitely the film to see this coming weekend. Discover More: Link - Comments - Ken Evans - Mon, 04 Feb 2008 13:38:20 GMT - Feed (2 subs) By: ConradI've been eyeing this one for a while now ever since I first saw coverage on this a few weeks ago... I am getting this going to be a very artsy type of satire involving hitmen which sounds very very good! Its difficult to find films these days that clasp art, violence, good screen writing and of course, proper acting into a film in theatres nowadays. Thanks for the review Ken!Visit here to subscribe to comments Sent using SendMeRss.com. Visit here to unsubscribe from FirstShowing.net. Recommended Feeds/Actions Subscribe MSNBC.com: Music Source

Consumer Reports - High Chairs

You'll want a stable, sturdy model that can stand up to spilling, kicking, and regular cleaning for at least a year (some babies can't bear to sit in a high chair after that). A chair with a tray that can be released with one hand is also a plus. Picture your baby occupying your other arm while you're opening and closing the tray; it's just one of the many physical feats you'll be asked to master as a parent. A high chair usually consists of a frame of molded plastic or metal tubing and an attached seat with a safety belt and a footrest. There are still a few old-fashioned wooden high chairs out there with a removable tray or arms that lift the tray over a baby's head, although they aren't always as comfortable for babies as the modern, form-fitting models on the market now, and most of them aren't certified as meeting the latest safety standards. You'll also find a few hybrid units, which can double as a swing or convert into other types of gear, such as a chair for an older child or a play table. SHOPPING SECRETS Look for a chair that has a waist strap and a strap that runs between the legs. If a tray is used, there should be a passive restraint, such as a crotch post, used in conjunction with the harness straps. A high chair, like a car seat or a stroller, is one of those shake-rattle-and-roll buying experiences. We suggest visiting the baby store near you with the broadest selection. Then do the following: Open and close the fastener on the seat's safety harness (try it one-handed) to make sure it's easy to use. If it's not, you might be tempted not to use it every time your child is in the seat, although that's imperative. Adjust the seat height to see how well that mechanism works. Some seats come with as many as seven possible heights. You may only use one or two, but you can't know for sure at this point. Assess the seat cover. Look for a chair with upholstery made to last. It should feel substantial, not flimsy. Make sure upholstery seams won't scratch your baby's legs. Make sure wheels can be locked (if you're buying a model with wheels) or that they become immobilized when there is weight (like a baby) in the seat. Watch out for rough edges. Examine the underside of the feeding tray to make sure it's free of anything sharp that could scratch your baby. Also look for small holes or hinges that could capture little fingers. Check for the absence of small parts. Make sure the caps or plugs that cover the ends of metal tubing are well secured. Parts small enough for a child to swallow or inhale are a choking hazard. Know when to fold 'em. If you plan to fold up your high chair as often as every day, practice in the store. Some chairs that claim to be foldable can have stiff folding mechanisms. Technically they may be foldable, but they're not user-friendly. WHAT'S AVAILABLE Major brands of high chairs include, in alphabetical order: Baby Trend, Chicco USA, Dorel Juvenile Group (Cosco), Evenflo, Fisher-Price, Graco, J. Mason, Kolcraft, Peg Perego, and Scandinavian Child. There are three general price ranges: Basic high chairs High chairs at this end of the price range (under $70) are simple, compact, and generally work quite well. Essentially plastic seats on plastic or steel-tubing legs, such models may or may not have tray and height adjustments and tend to lack bells and whistles, such as wheels, foldability for storage, one-handed tray removal, or the capacity to recline, which you may not use anyway unless you're bottle-feeding. The seat is usually upholstered with a vinyl covering or bare plastic, and the pad may be removable and washable. The tray is typically kept in place with pins that fit into holes in the tubing. Pros: For the money, a basic high chair can serve you and your baby well. But it pays to comparison shop, as some brands may be more suitable to your needs than others. Cons: Watch for chairs in this price range with grooves in the seat's molded plastic (a gunk trap); cotton seat pads rather than vinyl, which tend not to hold up as well over time; and trays with side release buttons that are accessible to your baby. Some parents report that their babies can remove such trays--food and all--as early as 9 months of age. Midpriced high chairs In this price range ($70 to $150), you'll find many of the features of higher-end chairs, which include multiple tray and chair-height positions; casters for mobility, with a locking feature for safe parking; a reclining seat for infant feeding; one-hand removable tray; foldability for storage; and a three- or five-point harness plus a passive restraint when used with the tray. Most have cushioned, vinyl seat pads that can be removed for washing, although you'll also still see models with cloth covers in this price range; those are a challenge to keep clean. Frames and seats are typically made of molded, rigid plastic or steel. Pros: This price range generally offers sturdier chairs with more usable features, although, depending on the model, price isn't always aligned with quality. Cons: Some models are bulky and can eat up space in a small kitchen, although a large footprint provides greater stability. Just watch out that you don't trip on the protruding legs. High-end high chairs In this price range ($150 and up), you'll find European imports and traditional solid-wood high chairs. Chairs at this end of the market tend to have thick, tubular frames topped by densely padded seats upholstered in vinyl. As a result, they may have a more solid feel and cushier digs for baby. Some models come with add-on fabric covers that are removable for laundering. These chairs can be adjusted to many different heights and reclining positions with a simple squeeze-release mechanism. Some have folding "A"-shaped frames to make them easy to store. Pros: You'll get extra features, such as seven height positions instead of five, and often better quality, which is important to consider if you want the chair to last through another baby or more. Another bonus: Many parents report that companies that sell higher-end chairs tend to have responsive customer service, which helps if you have a problem. Cons: Chairs in this range can be bulky because they tend to have a wider base for stability. That's good because it reduces the risk of tipping. However, you'll need more space to accommodate the footprint, which tends to be more like that of a baby swing. FEATURES TO CONSIDER Crotch post. To help prevent a baby from slipping out under the tray and getting his or her head caught, high chairs now typically have a center crotch post attached to the tray or to the seat. It's not meant to replace the safety belt, though. A center post that attaches to the chair rather than to the tray is better because it enables you to push your child up to the table without the tray but still have that center-post support. Foldability. Some high chairs fold for storage. If that's important to you, make sure there's a secure locking system to prevent accidental folding while your child is in the chair or being put into it. Such a system should automatically engage when you open the chair. Safety belt. As we mentioned, this is an important feature. When buying a high chair, examine the restraining straps to make sure the waist belt has a buckle that can't be fastened unless the crotch strap is also used. Safety belts should hold your baby securely in place, with no leeway for standing up or climbing out. Some high chairs offer an adjustable three-point harness--two adjustable shoulder straps and a lock between the child's legs--or an adjustable five-point harness--two straps over the shoulders, two for the thighs, and a crotch strap, which is ideal. Seat adjustment. Seats can move up or down to as many as seven height positions on some chairs. They may also recline (in case your baby falls asleep right after eating). However, except for bottle feeding, don't use a seat in the reclining position while feeding your baby--that's a choking hazard. With a height-adjusting chair, the seat slides along the chair frame, locking into various positions. Height options range from nearly floor level to standard high-chair level, with the middle height low enough to allow the seat (with the tray removed) to be pushed up to a dining-room table. Toys. Some high chairs have toys that attach to the tray, an option your baby will likely enjoy, although you can certainly buy toys separately that fasten to high-chair trays. But avoid strings when attaching them. Tray. In general, you'll want a lightweight tray you can take off with one hand or that swings to the side when not in use. Certain designs help contain spills: a tray that surrounds baby on all sides, a tray angle that channels liquids away from baby, or a tall rim all around the tray. Some chairs have two trays: a big tray with a deep rim for feeding and a smaller one for snacking or playing. Don't be lured by a claim that the tray is "dishwasher safe"--most trays are too large to fit in a dishwasher. Upholstery. Many models have seat coverings--or entire seat panels--that come off for easier cleaning. Be sure fasteners won't cause upholstery to tear as you pull off the seat or coverings. Opt for a seat cover with a pattern rather than a solid color; patterns are better at concealing spills. Some covers look like cloth but are really vinyl, which is easier to spot clean than cloth. Wheels. Wheels may make it easier to move the high chair around, which is important if you'll frequently be hauling your high chair from, say, the kitchen to the dining room. On the other hand, wheels can also be a nuisance because they may allow the chair to move as you're trying to pull a tray off, or as you put your baby in. Older children may be tempted to take the baby for a joyride when you turn your back. Wheels on some models appear to make the chair less stable. If you decide on a wheeled model, look for locks on the wheels, preferably on all four. Some models come with locking casters. Still others have just two wheels and stay in place unless you tilt them on their wheels for rolling around. RECOMMENDATIONS There are pluses and minuses with every price range of chair. All can be tough to clean because, let's face it, baby food has a way of getting into every possible nook and cranny (and most seats have them somewhere). High-end models offer flexible positioning, extra-thick seat padding, and attractive upholstery. Mid priced models generally represent the best value. And, like high-end models, they usually have an easy-to-remove tray, a sturdy safety belt, a tip-resistant frame, and a crotch post. But even some basic chairs can compete with higher-end models in terms of safety and other features. No matter what your budget, buy a chair of recent production that's certified so you can be sure it meets the current voluntary safety standard. Copyright ? 2002-2006 Consumers Union of U.S., Inc. For the latest information on this and many other products and services, visit www.ConsumerReports.org. 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