Thanks, But No Thanks for Your Advice

After my second son, Jonathan, was born, I received lots of presents for him. Never mind that he will be wearing and playing with his older brother's hand-me-downs. (Don't take it personally, Jonathan. We registered with Handmedowns R Us before your brother was born.) As I was snipping off the tags from the clothes, I noticed this from a garment made for Little Me Essentials:

Welcome Baby Home with:

• 10 bodysuits
• 2 bodysuit/pant sets
• 10 footies
• 2 bib and burp cloth sets
• 2 take me home sets
• 4 sleep gowns
• 4 receiving blankets
• 1 plush stroller blanket
• 2 towel and mitt sets
• 6 pairs of socks

Who came up with that? A man or a woman with a nanny? I do laundry at least five days a week and the most popular items that get washed are bibs. Every time I feed Jonathan, I need another bib. I use the bib to wipe his lips and chin and then toss it in the laundry chute. Hello! The smell of formula is vile and bacteria grows on the wet bib. No, I'm not being paranoid. The instructions on the formula container warn parents and caregivers to discard any formula that remains in the bottle after one hour.

Not to be picky, but the suggestion about body suits isn't that great. Most of the bodysuits I've seen have short sleeves and end at the thighs. They are just cute underwear for winter babies.

By the way, I don't know about other people who do laundry, but I have a tendency to lose socks. Especially tiny ones. Six pairs is simply not enough.

Thanks, but no thanks to the advice dispensed by the people at Little Me.

The Plain Truth About Apple

There is no denying it. Apple is the most innovative company in the world. Yes, Steve Jobs, who was almost beatified until just days after his death, made people want to spend a fortune on Apple products. Even when people admitted he wasn't such a nice person, they couldn't resist the seductive design and brilliant uses of Apple products. But here is something that everyone who even thinks about buying an iPad or iPhone should think about seriously.

Apple, like every American company that has manufacturing overseas, exploits people. It isn't just about the low wages. If the going rate is $1.00 a day or whatever, there isn't much to argue about. However, when Steve Jobs demanded a superior screen for the iPhone, the manufacturer he used with in China pulled people from the dorms and gave them a biscuit and a cup of tea before they started a 12 hour work shift. That is sheer exploitation. It is a step above slave labor. How stunning does that tablet or smartphone look now?

The irony is that Americans consider China a Communist country and the exploitation of labor was the whole point of a country's choosing Communism.

Steve Jobs, you died with blood on your hands. And those in your company who went along with what you said and did are also guilty.

Bradshaw Smith, RIP

Bradshaw Smith, producer of Broadway Beat, died Monday, January 16 of a massive stroke. He was 57.

Born on April 14, 1954 in Derby, Bradshaw attended Ansonia High School and Western Connecticut State University. He moved to New York in the mid-1970s and did cabaret at Don't Tell Mama. He received the first MAC award for Best Male Vocalist and the Backstage Bistro award.

Bradshaw also thrived behind the scenes with his award winning cable television show, Cabaret Beat and later with Broadway Beat, which documented thousands of theatre professionals during rehearsals, performance, interviews and fundraisers. Funeral services are private and a memorial is being planned. Contributions may be made in his memory to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.