Good Weight

General Mills is offering free samples of two of Fiber One products.

Complete an online form and receive samples of Fiber One Honey Clusters and Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bars plus $5 worth of coupons.

Fiber One Honey Clusters Ingredients
Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Bran, Wheat Bran, Inulin, Sugar, Whole Grain Oats, Crisp Oats (Rice Flour, Whole Grain Oats, Sugar, Malt Extract, Salt, Bht [Preservative]), Brown Sugar, Corn Syrup, Toasted Oats (Whole Grain Oats, Sugar, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Soybean Oil, Honey, Brown Sugar Molasses), Salt, Wheat Bits (Whole Grain Wheat, Corn Starch, Corn Flour, Sugar, Salt, Trisodium Phosphate, Baking Soda, Color Added), Barley Malt Extract, Honey, Modified Corn Starch, Malt Syrup, Tripotassium Phosphate, Color Added, Cinnamon, Natural and Artificial Flavor, Sucralose, Walnut Meal, Almond Meal, Nonfat Milk, Vitamin E (Mixed Tocopherols) and Bht Added to Preserve Freshness. Vitamins and Minerals: Calcium Carbonate, Zinc and Iron (Mineral Nutrients), Vitamin C (Sodium Ascorbate), A B Vitamin (Niacinamide), Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine Hydrochloride), Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin), Vitamin B1 (Thiamin Mononitrate), A B Vitamin (Folic Acid), Vitamin B12.

Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bars Ingredients
Chicory Root Extract, Chocolate Chips With Confectioners Shellac (Chocolate Chips [Sugar, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Dextrose, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin], Ethanol, Shellac, Hydrogenated Coconut Oil), Rolled Oats, Crisp Rice (Rice Flour, Sugar, Malt, Salt), Barley Flakes, High Maltose Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Sugar, Canola Oil, Honey, Glycerin, Maltodextrin, Palm Kernel Oil, Tricalcium Phosphate, Soy Lecithin, Salt, Nonfat Milk, Peanut Oil, Cocoa Processed With Alkali, Natural Flavor, Baking Soda, Color Added, Almond Flour, Peanut Flour, Sunflower Meal, Wheat Flour. Mixed Tocopherols Added to Retain Freshness.

• Fiber One Honey Clusters
• Fiber One Oats & Chocolate Bars
• Good Weight
• Here’s How To… Coupon

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Kolcraft Enterprises, announced a voluntary recall of Kolcraft, Carter’s, Sesame Street, Jeep, Contours, Care Bear and Eric Carle Play Yards.

About 1 million play yards are being recalled because the play yard’s side rail can fail to latch properly and when a child pushes against the rail it can unlatch unexpectedly, posing a fall hazard to children.

Kolcraft has received 347 reports of sides of the play yard
collapsing unexpectedly, resulting in 21 injuries to young children, including bumps, scrapes, bruises and one concussion.

Dove is offering free samples of its Heat Defense Therapy Shampoo for Frequently Heat Styled Hair and its Dove Intense Damage Therapy Shampoo.

Dove Intense Damage Therapy Shampoo contains a “repairing serum” to reduce split ends and breakage. This shampoo strengthens each hair strand, reducing hair breakage and split ends. Leaving hair healthy and strong from root to tip.

Dove Heat Defense Therapy Shampoo for Frequently Heat Styled Hair removes product build up and styling residues to protect and strengthen hair from damage caused by frequent heat styling.

To request samples, follow the link on the Dove website.

As seen on TV: ShamWow! towels are touted in advertising and infomercials as a super absorbent and long-lasting alternative to sponges and paper towels.

Consumer Reports recently pitted a ShamWow! costing more than $2 against a 14-cent sponge in a series of tests and found that the sponge was just as absorbent and effective at mopping up spills.

The biggest advantages of ShamWow! were its lifespan — estimated at 10 years by the manufacturer — and its machine washability.

“Contrary to what the infomercial suggests, sponges can be washed, too. And while they won’t last 10 years, they do cost a lot less,” Consumer Reports concluded.

• Housewares

Free samples of bodycology hand soap, lotion and mist in either Coconut Lime or Brown Sugar Vanilla are available online by filling out a short form.

The Coconut Lime has a sweet scent of coconut that mingles with refreshing lime to help relieve stress and tension ~ like a tropical island getaway.

The warm scent of vanilla, brown sugar and sensual amber in Brown Sugar Vanilla inspires a cozy, comforting feel.

Limit of one sample per household. Samples are only available to consumers in the United States.

Free samples of Crest Whitening Strips are available online by filling out a short form and answering some questions.

Crest Whitening Strips are oated with a gel that contains hydrogen peroxide, the same enamel-safe ingredient dentists use for teeth whitening. Clinically proven, according to Crest, to give you whiter teeth for 12 months when worn just 30 minutes, twice a day.

Limit of one sample per household. Samples are only available to consumers in the United States.

Apple’s products earned top ranks in the latest assessment of top laptop computers by Consumer Reports, which judged currently available models on their performance, design, versatility, screen quality, and battery life. Grouped by screen size, the top 3 models in each category were as follows:

13 inch
1. unibody MacBook
2. MacBook Air
3. plastic MacBook

14-16 inchBlogger: Farmer’s Market Online - Create Post
1. MacBook Pro
2. Toshiba Satellite
3. Asus X83Vm

17-18 inch
1. MacBook Pro
2. Dell Studio 17
3. Lenovo IdeaPad Y730

• Consumer Reports

Automakers sold some 308,000 hybrid vehicles in the U.S. in 2008. Part gas motor, part electric motor, these vehicles are the source of some confusion. They are not electric cars, they do not plug in to electric outlets to recharge, and they are not a “new” invention. Fact is, hybrid vehicles have been around for over a century.

According to James L. Benson, author of “Hybrid Vehicles - What They Are, How They Work And Why You Should Buy One,” today’s modern hybrid began with Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, the designer of the original Volkswagen Beetle. In 1901, Porsche designed and created the “Mixte,” a car that powered a generator with a gasoline engine. The generator then powered a series of small electric motors, creating a battery pack.

The Mixte was based on an even older design of Porsche’s called the “System Lohner-Porsche.”

Later, in 1915, Woods Motor Vehicle created the “Dual Power,” a car that ran on an electric motor below 15 mph and gasoline above that. This car was in production until about 1918, but since few people actually had the money to purchase a car, let alone a hybrid car, and with the invention of the self-starting gasoline engine, the idea eventually fizzled out.

Inventors tinkered with hybrids throughout the 20th century, but no ideas stuck until the 1990s, when the Japanese car company Toyota launched their Toyota Prius. The Prius was the first hybrid car available to the masses, and it was the result of decades of research, starting with a 1977 prototype, the Toyota Sports 800 Gas Turbine.

In 2000, the Prius became available in the United States, after success in the Asian market and the successful of 1999 launch of the Honda Insight hybrid. Demand for hybrids has been exploding ever since, and car companies are struggling to keep up the supply without flooding the market.

Hybrids cost $3,000-6,000 more than comparable gas-only vehicles, but are less costly to maintain, according to Consumer Reports, which has been tracking their history for 9 years. Replacing battery packs in hybrids can cost up to $3,000, but may not be necessary. According to manufacturers, battery pack on hybrids are designed to last the life of the vehicle.

The miles-per-gallon difference between gas-powered cars and comparable hybrids is about 40 percent, or 26 mpg for a standard vehicle versus 44 mpg for the Toyota Prius, acording to Consumer Reports.

• Brave Products Reannounces Recall of Log Splitters; Additional Incidents Prompt Urgent Warning of Amputation Hazard
• Lakeshore Learning Materials Recalls Children’s Toy Boxes Due to Choking Hazard
• Gap Recalls Children’s Coats; Toggles Can Break and Detach Posing Choking Hazard
• Jardine Announces Second Recall Expansion of Cribs Sold by Babies’R'Us; Cribs Pose Entrapment and Strangulation Hazards
• Pumpkin Patch Recalls Hooded Girls’ Raincoats with Drawstrings Due to Strangulation Hazard
• Children’s Jewelry Craft Kits Recalled by Action Products International Due to Risk of Lead Exposure
• 
• Richard Abraham Herder KG Recalls Torque Wrenches Due to Risk of Injury
• Ambler Mountain Works Recalls Children’s Knitted Hats Due to Choking Hazard
• Wagner Spray Tech Recalls Paint Sprayers Due to Electrical Shock Hazard