A few months ago HerBusyLife published a story about the effects that Brazilian Blowout hair straighteners were having on the health of clients and employees of salons across the country because of the use of formaldehyde in their product.  Read the article here.

According to the New York Times, a class action settlement has been enforced and Brazilian Blowout will have to pay out about $4.5 million. Customers who claimed they were harmed will get $35 per hair-straightening session, a fraction of the $250 to $600 salons typically charge for the treatment. They will be compensated for up to three sessions, or a maximum of $105. Salon workers will get $75 for each bottle of the product they bought.

As a result of the settlement, Brazilian Blowout products now must display a “CAUTION” sticker. The company agreed to refrain from misleading consumers about the risks associated with its formaldehyde-releasing products and pay $600,000 in fines and litigation fees.   “While the company now acknowledges that formaldehyde is in its product, that does not mean the product is safe to use.” said David Andrews, PhD, senior scientist with the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

EWG is still awaiting action from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in response to a citizen petition filed last April, asking the agency to investigate and review the safety of formaldehyde-laced hair straighteners. Under current law, the FDA has no authority to order a recall of products, even when they have been shown to harm people.

Brazilian Blowout is the best known hair straightener that contains formaldehyde, but an EWG investigation found 16 companies include formaldehyde in their hair smoothing products.

The American Booksellers Association announced on March 1 the finalists for the 2011 Indies Choice Book Awards, now including the E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards. The winners will be chosen by the owners and staff at ABA member stores in balloting throughout the month of March.

The Indies Choice Book Awards finalists in six categories – Adult Fiction, Adult Nonfiction, Adult Debut, Young Adult, Picture Book Hall of Fame, and Most Engaging Author – were selected by a jury of independent booksellers from the 2010 Indie Next List Great Reads and additional bookseller recommendations. Each is representative of the types of books that indie booksellers champion best.

Here are the finalists in each category:

BOOK OF THE YEAR – ADULT FICTION

Great House, by Nicole Krauss (W.W. Norton)
How to Read the Air, by Dinaw Mengestu (Riverhead)
Room, by Emma Donoghue (Little, Brown)
The Surrendered, by Chang-rae Lee (Riverhead)
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, by David Mitchell (Random House)
A Visit From the Goon Squad, by Jennifer Egan (Knopf)

BOOK OF THE YEAR – ADULT NONFICTION

At Home, by Bill Bryson (Doubleday)
Cleopatra: A Life, by Stacy Schiff (Little, Brown)
Let’s Take the Long Way Home, by Gail Caldwell (Random House)
The Tiger, by John Vaillant (Knopf)
Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (Random House)
The Wave, by Susan Casey (Doubleday)

BOOK OF THE YEAR – ADULT DEBUT

Beneath the Lion’s Gaze, by Maaza Mengiste (W.W. Norton)
The Emperor of All Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee (Scribner)
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, by Helen Simonson (Random House)
Matterhorn, by Karl Marlantes (Atlantic Monthly Press and El León Literary Arts)
The Quickening, by Michelle Hoover (Other Press)
The Wake of Forgiveness, by Bruce Machart (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

BOOK OF THE YEAR – YOUNG ADULT

Bamboo People, by Mitali Perkins (Charlesbridge)
Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver (HarperCollins)
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares, by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (Knopf Books for Young Readers)
Out of My Mind, by Sharon M. Draper (Atheneum)
Revolution, by Jennifer Donnelly (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
Will Grayson, Will Grayson, by John Green and David Levithan (Dutton Juvenile)

E.B. WHITE READ-ALOUD AWARD – MIDDLE READER

Because of Mr. Terupt, by Rob Buyea (Delacorte Books for Young Readers)
The Familiars, by Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson (HarperCollins)
Penny Dreadful, by Laurel Snyder, Abigail Halpin (Illus.) (Random House Books for Young Readers)
The Sixty-Eight Rooms, by Marianne Malone, Greg Call (Illus.) (Random House Books for Young Readers)
The Strange Case of Origami Yoda, by Tom Angleberger (Amulet Books)
A Tale of Dark and Grimm, by Adam Gidwitz (Dutton Juvenile)

E.B. WHITE READ-ALOUD AWARD – PICTURE BOOK

Bedtime for Bear, by Brett Helquist (HarperCollins)
Chicken Big, by Keith Graves (Chronicle Books)
Children Make Terrible Pets, by Peter Brown (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes, by Eric Litwin, James Dean (Illus.) (HarperCollins)
A Pig Parade Is a Terrible Idea, by Michael Ian Black, Kevin Hawkes (Illus.) (Simon & Shuster)
The Quiet Book, by Deborah Underwood, Renata Liwska (Illus.) (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)

PICTURE BOOK HALL OF FAME

Bread and Jam for Frances, by Russell Hoban, Lillian Hoban (Illus.) (HarperCollins)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle (Henry Holt & Co.)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault, Lois Ehlert (Illus.) (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers)
Corduroy, by Don Freeman (Viking)
Curious George, by H.A. Rey (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
Goodnight Gorilla, by Peggy Rathmann (Putnam)
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow)
The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper (Grosset & Dunlap / Philomel)
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, by Virginia Lee Burton (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Napping House, by Audrey Wood, Don Wood (Illus.) (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats (Viking)
Stellaluna, by Janelle Cannon (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle (Philomel)

MOST ENGAGING AUTHOR

(The author who is an in-store star with a strong sense of the importance of indie booksellers to the community.

Laurie Halse Anderson
Jonathan Evison
Kevin Henkes
Mitali Perkins
Richard Russo
Terry Tempest Williams

All booksellers at ABA member bookstores in good standing are encouraged to vote; only one ballot per person will be accepted. Voting, which is via an electronic ballot on BookWeb.org, is open until March 31. The winners will be announced on April 7.

This year’s winners and finalists will be honored at ABA’s Celebration of Bookselling Author Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, May 24, at BookExpo America 2011.

About American Booksellers Association

Founded in 1900, the American Booksellers Association is a not-for-profit trade organization devoted to meeting the needs of its core members — independently owned bookstores with storefront locations — through education, information dissemination, business products and services, and advocacy. ABA exists to protect and promote the interests of independent retail book businesses, as well as to protect the First Amendment rights of every American. The association actively supports free speech, literacy, and programs that support local and independent retail shops. A board of nine booksellers, representing thousands of members, governs the Association. ABA is headquartered in Tarrytown, New York.

Now, looking and feeling younger is that much easier with FoodTrients: Age-Defying Recipes for a Sustainable Life, a new cookbook that foodies are raving about! With 66 beautifully illustrated recipes, chef, restaurateur, and senior living executive Grace O brings healthy aging out of the science lab and into the kitchen.

Combining delicious foods with the latest research in rejuvenating nutrients, Grace O’s age-defying strategy features FoodTrients–vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, anti-inflammatories, and a host of other beneficial compounds–to enhance your well-being and help keep you young, inside and out.

The book also includes a full-colored guide to the 26 nutrients that make up our age-defying nutrients.

By signing up for the free FoodTrients newsletter, you are automatically enabled to win the FoodTrients Cookbook and an apron every month!

“Like us” on Facebook and get 2 chances to win!

About The Apron:

This practical and stylish apron comes in khaki with our colorful FoodTrients logo beautifully embroidered on the front. It is a 65% polyester/35% cotton twill blend that won’t shrink when you wash it. The 1/2-inch wide extra-long tunnel-tie permits maximum adjustability of the neck loop. The apron comes with a center-divided patch pocket, with a pencil-pocket on wearer’s right. The perfect accessory  for the cook around your house!

The Foodtrients cookbook has already received positive reviews from the Today Show’s Bites on Today website food writer Michelle Hainer:

“A new cookbook, Foodtrients: Age Defying Recipes for a Sustainable Life, by Grace O hit shelves this week and is full of delicious preparations using good for you ingredients such as tumeric, flax seed, green tea and buckwheat. The book is loaded with gorgeous photographs and makes a fabulous holiday gift for the foodies in your life.”

And from the Philadephia Inquirer’s Dianna Marder:
“From Foodtrients: Age-Defying Recipes for a Sustainable Life — In Southeast Asia, where her mother’s side of the family ran a cooking school, Grace O cooked and baked professionally. Now in California, O, the daughter of a physician, operates skilled nursing facilities and continues her culinary passions. Small wonder her new cookbook focuses on food’s naturally occurring nutrients.”

From Anti-Aging expert, Mark A. Rosenberg, MD, Medical Director of The Institute for Healthy Aging:

“Getting older is inevitable. However, aging doesn’t have to be. Growing older gracefully is what you want to strive for—staying vital and active and able to participate in every aspect of your life with each passing year. . . . Grace O’s FoodTrients is a new anti-aging cookbook that makes an important contribution to this discussion.”

From Monica Reinagel, MS, LN, CNS, author of Nutrition Diva’s Secrets for a Healthy Diet:

“I love the FoodTrient concept and Grace O’s approach to fresh, wholesome foods as the basis for health and longevity. The recipes are interesting, unusual, and appealing—it’s really a fresh take on the topic!”

The number of obese American adults outweighs the number of those who are merely overweight, according to the latest statistics from the federal government, and nearly one in three children in America is overweight or obese. Adults have the freedom to choose to choose what they eat, but children’s meals are provided by adults. It clear that as a nation, we need to make better choices for ourselves and for our kids.

The new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) rules aim to boost the nutritional quality of the federally subsidized meals consumed by roughly 32 million U.S. schoolchildren daily. Accustomed to a steady diet of pizza and French fries, students will now find more fruits, vegetables and whole grains on their cafeteria trays under new government school lunch rules. For example, a new meal for an elementary school lunch might consist of whole-wheat spaghetti with meat sauce and a whole-wheat roll, a vegetable mix of green beans, broccoli and cauliflower, plus sliced kiwi, low-fat milk, low-fat ranch dip and soft margarine.

That lunch would replace a meal of a hot dog on a bun with ketchup, canned pears, raw celery and carrots with ranch dressing, and low-fat chocolate milk.

The overhaul comes just months after U.S. lawmakers acted to maintain pizza’s status as a vegetable and killed proposed limits on weekly servings of starchy foods like potatoes. Trade groups representing frozen-pizza sellers like ConAgra Foods, Inc. and Schwan Food Co., as well as French fry distributors McCain Foods Ltd. and J.R. Simplot Co., were instrumental in blocking rule changes affecting those items.

The new standards will be largely phased in, starting in the 2012-13 school year. They are expected to cost roughly $3.2 billion to implement over the first five years. The USDA gives school districts money for student lunches and breakfasts through its $18 billion school meals program. Some school districts already have moved in the direction of the new rules. Results have been mixed. Julia Bauscher, director of school nutrition services for Jefferson County Public Schools in Louisville, Kentucky, said her district already is serving whole-grain breads and greens like spinach, kale and romaine lettuce. Bauscher acknowledged that children complained when the district started serving fewer potatoes to the 100,000 students in the meals program.

“School meals can help children develop lifelong healthy eating habits—or they can prime them for a life filled with unnecessary suffering,” said Dawn Undurraga, staff nutritionist with Environmental Working Group. “It’s time we created healthier food environments for our kids, both at home and in the school cafeteria.”

For more on this topic, check out the article on the Reuters website.

Kathryn Schulz is a journalist, author, and public speaker with a credible (if not necessarily enviable) claim to being the world’s leading “wrongologist.”  She is the author of Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error, and writes “The Wrong Stuff,” a Slate series featuring interviews with high-profile people about how they think and feel about being wrong. She was a 2004 recipient of the Pew Fellowship in International Journalism (now the International Reporting Project), and has reported from throughout Central and South America, Japan, and, most recently, the Middle East.

Ms. Schulz’s book is a funny and philosophical meditation on why error is mostly a humane, courageous and extremely desirable human trait. She flies high in the intellectual skies, leaving beautiful sunlit contrails. She argues in “Being Wrong” that, of all the things we’re wrong about, our ideas about error are probably our “meta-mistake: we are wrong about what it means to be wrong.” She continues, “Far from being a sign of intellectual inferiority, the capacity to err is crucial to human cognition.”

In this special year-end collaboration, TED and The Huffington Post are excited to count down 18 great ideas of 2011, featuring the full TEDTalk with original blog posts that we think will shape 2012.  Watch international journalist Kathryn Schulz’s TEDTalk and then explore her thoughts in this companion essay.

Ms. Schulz’s Being Wrong is news you may think you can’t use, but maybe there’s a lot that’s right about being wrong.

Let’s face it: death is a difficult subject. Most of us like to put into the “let’s not think about” folder in our brains. But knowing the most likely causes of death may just help you avoid them and, therefore, live a longer, healthier life. Some enlightening new research has been done on the subject and the results are quite surprising.

A list of the top 15 causes of death was recently complied from records of deaths, which were received from state vital statistics offices and processed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The top 2 leading causes didn’t come as a shock, diseases of the heart (mainly heart attack) and cancer, but the influence tobacco has on this list is a bit of a plot twist.

According to the World Health Organization, tobacco use is a major cause of many of the world’s top killer diseases – including cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive lung disease and lung cancer. In total, tobacco use is responsible for the death of almost one in 10 adults worldwide. Smoking is often the hidden cause of the disease recorded as responsible for death.

When looking at lists broken down by age, the causes differ: in general, youth is more vulnerable to violent death (accidents and homicide); middle age is more vulnerable to disease conditions affecting high risk individuals (cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.); and old age is more vulnerable to diseases related to general debility (infection, dementia, chronic disease and accidental falls).

The ethnicity factor is also interesting when determining which group of people are affected more by certain factors. The National Vital Statistics Report released the following pie charts detailing the death factors among select ethnicities:

Top 15 Causes of Death

The final results for 2007 were just published, the causes here are the preliminary numbers for deaths in the United States for 2009. The preliminary number of deaths for the year was 2,436,68–here is how the numbers are represented:

15. Assault (homicide): 16,591

14. Parkinson’s disease: 20,552

13. Essential hypertension and hypertensive renal disease (high blood pressure, kidney failure caused by high blood pressure): 25,651

12. Chronic liver disease and cirrhosis: 30, 444

11. Septicemia (systemic infection): 35,587

10. Intentional self-harm (suicide): 36,547

9. Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis (kidney disease): 48,714

8. Influenza and pneumonia: 53,582

7. Diabetes mellitus (diabetes): 68,504

6. Alzheimer’s disease: 78,889

5. Accidents (unintentional injuries): 117,176

4. Cerebrovascular diseases (stroke): 128,603

3. Chronic lower respiratory diseases (emphysema, chronic bronchitis): 137,082

2. Malignant neoplasms (cancer): 568,668

1. Diseases of heart (mainly heart attack): 598,607
Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-15-causes-of-death.html#ixzz1Wj61a5LI

We started with great gifts for under $20, now we’re upping the budget to super ideas for under $35. Ready. Set. Shop!

Aerolatte with stainless steel stand. The Aerolatte froths milk in as little as 10 seconds. Make cappuccino, hot chocolate, or milkshakes. You can even use it to whip eggs! $29.99 Buy Here

Topsy’s Popcorn. It’s a Kansas City tradition. Topsy’s delicious, gourmet popcorn is available in a variety of savory flavors, including: buttered popcorn, rich caramel, spicy cinnamon, tangy cheese, and decadent caramel with pecans or peanuts. Decorative gift tins are available in styles to suit any holiday occasion. $34.95 Buy Here

Animal Sound Alarm Clock. The children of St. Jude’s designed these fun animal sound clocks to start your day off with a hoot. Or a dog pur or even a frog croak. Three fun animal sound clocks for you to choose from. Proceeds from each sale benefit the hospital. $22 for each or 2 for $40 Buy Here

Glass Garden Globe Plant. The air plant derives all its nutrients from the air and needs no soil to thrive – giving it a somewhat miraculous, ethereal quality. Whether displayed alone or in multiples, their modern textures and pops of green make the globes intriguing pieces of living sculpture. Includes all the elements needed to make a living ornament. $29.95 Buy Here

Air Swimmer Remote Control Inflatable Flying Shark. One of the coolest gadgets around and great fun for family get togethers, office laughs, and kids parties. Once filled with helium, the remote controlled Air Swimmer swims through the air with incredibly smooth and lifelike motion. The infra red remote control unit provides up, down, and tail fin control for moving right and left. The remote control works up to 40 feet. $29 Buy Here

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For that special person (or persons) in your life who deserves an extra-special gift, we’ve got quite a list for you.  Here are some fabulous gift ideas that are over $100. We can dream, can’t we?

Single-Serve Coffee Brewing System. Enjoy this perfect all-in-one brewing system from Cuisinart® that delivers true technology to the timeless tradition of making coffee. Brew coffee, tea and even cocoa in less than a minute, and there’s an option for iced beverages. Plus, it includes a rinse control for truer taste, and its extra-large water reservoir eliminates the need for frequent refills. $199 Find Here

7-Day Weather Forecaster. The 150-city 7-Day Weather Forecaster features a color-changing backlight, textual summaries of the daily weather forecast, wind speed, wind direction, today’s forecasted UV index, high pollen count and more. The backlight on the weather forecaster changes color throughout the day to reflect the current temperature. $129  Find Here

HD Video Camera Ski Goggles. Grab dramatic photos or videos of the skiing action or breathtaking shots of the beautiful scenery as you’re experiencing it with The HD Video Camera Ski Goggles. It operates, hands-free, with a 12.0 megapixel interpolated camera and video mode that records in regular and high def, yet is virtually undetectable within the frame of these sleek goggles. $399 Find Here

Dinner and Lunch Cruises. Enjoy a romantic dinner or lunch cruise on the bay or harbor of your choice and experience an evening filled to the brim with wonderful cuisine, live music and dancing under a canopy of stars. Celebrate your next special occasion surrounded by spectacular views on a dinner cruise you won’t soon to forget! Price Varies. Find Here

Sony Wi-Fi-Enabled 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Featuring Google TV. Watch TV, browse the Internet, or do both at the same time on the same screen. Plus, finding your favorite content is a breeze thanks to the included, intuitive handheld keypad with mouse. Now you can watch the game while tracking your fantasy team, tweet about the TV show you’re watching, or update your Facebook status while viewing TV. Not to mention play back all those Blu-ray Discs and DVDs. $199 Find Here

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Today, our Holiday Gift Guide delivers a variety of incredible gift ideas for under $100.

Personal GPS Homing Device. You’ll never get lost again with the Backtrack Personal GPS – it takes you back to your location, whether it’s to your car in a crowded parking lot, or to your campsite after a long hike in the forest. Go ahead and explore! Sun going down fast? No problem – this GPS locator has backlit LCD screen for viewing in the darkness or low light. $79 Find Here

Iceless Wine Chiller. Electronic wine chiller is a must-have for wine enthusiasts! Using advanced Peltier thermoelectric technology, our tabletop wine chiller cools or warms wine to the optimal temperature. It’s like having a sommelier in your kitchen! Simply select your wine from the database of 40 wines and our chiller automatically brings your bottle to the recommended temperature to bring out the best possible palette, bouquet, and wine-drinking experience. $99 Find Here

NOOK: The Simple Touch Reader. Easiest to use 6” touchscreen. Most advanced E-Ink® display, crisp text, even in bright sun. Longest battery life. Read up to 2 months on just 1 charge. Ultra-light and thin. Under 8 ounces. Largest bookstore with more than 2 million titles. Get books in seconds. Expert recommendations & fun social features. The most advanced E Ink Pearl technology on the high-contrast 6” display. $99 Find Here

Brookstone Crosley Tech Record Player. This sharp-looking yet user-friendly Crosley Tech Record Player plays 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm records and even boasts an analog AM/FM radio. Built-in stereo speakers make listening simple, right out of the box. Youll love the retro feel this throwback Crosley record player brings to any room…from its mirror face plate and funky wood-grain styling, to its 1970s-era dust cover. $80 Find Here

Energy Saving Slow Cooker. Succulent pot roast and tender pork loin to hearty vegetable soup and savory wild rice pilaf — your menu choices are endless with this Cuisinart programmable slow cooker. LCD 24-hour countdown timer and easy-to-read display ensures that nothing overcooks or undercooks. Designed for worry-free cooking, compact countertop cooker features adjustable high, low and simmer temperature settings and automatically shifts to warm to maintain the ideal serving temperature. Removable round ceramic cooking pot doubles as a serving dish and fits a whole chicken with all the vegetables or makes stocks for homemade soups and sauces. $99 Find Here

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If your budget allows for gifts over $50, we’ve got a few gift tricks up our sleeves. Today, our Holiday Gift Guide delivers ideas for under $75. Let the gift giving begin!

Animal Striped Ear Hat with Scarf. Transform a gloomy winter day into a fun and fashionable adventure with this toasty-warm animal ear hat and scarf duo. Its unique design fuses together the hat and scarf, making it super practical since you’ll never be without one or the other. Features a handy compartment on the end of each side of the scarf for a phone or small accessories. $54 Find Here

All Natural Eco-Friendly Watch. Made with 86% eco-friendly material, this timepiece is both biodegradable and fashionable. Six naturally sparkling diamonds accentuate the champagne mother of pearl dial. The textured scale motif enhances the stylish band. Looks like sophistication and economical just tied the knot. $65 Find Here

Frozen Treat Maker. This amazing kitchen appliance, is more than a banana ice cream maker! It creates delicious, healthy recipes that taste rich and decadent. The frozen treat maker takes on the flavor of ingredients you mix in. Simply add frozen strawberries, high antioxidant blueberries, or dark chocolate and create a creamy, frozen treat that tastes like strawberry, blueberry, or chocolate chip dairy-free ice cream. $69.99 Find Here

Christmas Promotion Train Crystal. Deck the halls with boughs and crystals. You’ll be creating lasting Christmas memories with these classically elegant, laser etched crystals. Begin a family tradition of heirloom giving that can be enjoyed from one generation to the next. Whether it is a reproduction of your favorite Christmas story or a photo crystal family portrait, the gift giving possibilities are endless. $69 Find Here

Spa Sonic Skin Care System Face & Body Polisher, 7pc Pro Kit A waterproof device ideal for use in the shower, bath and sink. It operates with four attachments: a big brush for the body, a small brush for the face, a pumice for rough areas and a facial sponge for microdermabrasion.  Give your skin a luxurious spa treatment with this sonic skin-care system. The battery-operated unit includes several attachments to let you customize your skin-improvement experience, and the kit is suitable for use on your face and body. $65 Find Here

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