Scuffed Shoes Get Their Own Solution
Wait until you see what Kiwi’s got. The shoe polish company that migrated to the States from Down Under in 1948 has introduced the Kiwi Scuff Zapper, a clear liquid that removes scuff marks from shoes. In a second.
Unlike other products that just cover up unsightly marks on light-to-medium-colored shoes, this product removes scuffs without harming or discoloring the leather or vinyl. You just dab it on and wipe.
Scuff Zapper was designed for use on lighter shoes, handbags and accessories but works on darker colors as well. In a tryout on a pair of beige shoes, the liquid slightly dulled the finish, but a bit of neutral polish corrected that problem.
The Scuff Zapper, which comes in a purse-sized bottle (0.4 fluid ounce), also made quick work of those back-of-the heel marks women often get while driving. It removes rubber marks too.
Kiwi Scuff Zapper ($3.49) is available nationwide in shoe shops, department stores and drugstores. Locally, it is available at stores including Nordstrom, Shoe Wiz and the Manhattan Shoe Hospital in Manhattan Beach. If you can’t find it, call Kiwi Brands Inc. at (800) TRY-KIWI or (800) BUY-KIWI.
Weird Science Facts and a Skeleton in a Jar
Make no bones about it, the Bones & Skeleton Book from Workman Publishing is a terrific tool to help kids learn about their bodies. Included with the text is a plastic skeleton with movable joints they can put together and a clear plastic bell jar to keep it in.
The clever book is written by bone expert Stephen Cumbaa, associate director of collections and research at the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Ottawa. It’s filled with weird facts from science, as well as tons of information about the body--muscles, cartilage, circulatory and vascular systems--in terms children can understand.
Most adults probably don’t know half of this stuff: how bones grow, fit, fuse and sometimes break; how blood is made; how the brain accounts for only 2% of the body’s weight but saps 20% of its energy.
Children learn they’ll “lose” about 600 bones in their lifetime. “Before you were born, your skeleton contained more than 800 separate bones, many of which fused together so that you had about 450 at birth,” he writes. “By age 20, when your bones have finished growing and the separate parts have joined together, they’ll number only about 206.”
Aimed at ages 6 to 12, the book also contains many projects (how to make chicken bones bend like rubber) and experiments (cover your eyes, hold your nose and try to distinguish between the taste of a potato and an apple).
The Bones and Skeleton Book ($14.95) is available nationwide. Locally, you can find it at Waldenbooks, B. Dalton Bookseller and Crown. Also, Children’s Book and Music Center in Santa Monica, Children’s Bookshelf in Pacific Palisades, Book Soup in Los Angeles and Mrs. Nelson’s Toy and Book Shop in LaVerne. If you can’t find it, call Workman Publishing at (800) 722-7202.
Nutrition Now Comes Chocolate-Flavored
Edgebar is a high-energy, low-fat food bar recently developed for endurance athletes. But if you just want a quick pick-me-up during the day, it’s a lot healthier than a candy bar.
Developed by Nutritional N-ER-G Products in Richmond, Calif., the chocolate Edgebar tastes a lot better than most energy bars, almost too good to be healthy for you. But the 2.5 ounce bar is nutritional: less than 2 grams of fat, 234 calories, 10 grams of protein, 44 grams of carbohydrates, no cholesterol, 2.5 grams of fiber, 70 milligrams of sodium.
A citrus bar also will be available soon.
Edgebar ($1.69) is available nationwide in selected bike shops, sporting goods outlets and health food stores. Locally, you can find it at Tri-Motion in Los Angeles, I. Martin Imports in West Los Angeles, Pasadena Cyclery, Finn West in Woodland Hills, Cycle Connection in Torrance, Precision Cycles in West Long Beach, Open Road Bicycle Shop in San Gabriel and select General Nutrition Centers. If you can’t find it, call (800) 659-7654.
