Merck has been selling Children's Claritin using characters from Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted on the packaging. And you can get "five free stickers" inside, because allergy medicine is so collectible. Merck even has the stones to claim they're aiming their marketing at adults, which would only be true if all parents gave in to toddlers demanding a certain allergy medicine because it has King Julien on the box. As it happens, I've watched enough The Penguins of Madagascar to have a positive opinion of it, but that doesn't mean I want marketing campaigns for medicine that resemble marketing campaigns for candy or bad breakfast cereal. At least with a slab of sugary evil, a parent can say, see? They're desperate to get you to eat it because they know it isn't good for you and I might not let you have it! So the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood helps you tell the FTC to investigate Merck's marketing.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia-area residents, take note: the EPA will come to town to solicit public comments about their proposed soot standard on Tuesday, July 17, from 9 am to 9 pm at the William J. Green Building on 600 Arch Street in Philadelphia. You can come anytime you like between those hours -- folks will be coming and going all day, and you'll be needed to counter the fossil fuel corporate-types who'll no doubt be there in force. Coal and oil corporations hate the standard because JOBZ!!!!!, by which they mean "the CEO's God-given right to a 7th vacation home," while we prefer having cleaner air and therefore less asthma and less heart disease and therefore lower health care costs. If you want a reserve a five-minute speaking slot, you can contact Alan Rush at the EPA (202.564.1658 or rush dot alan at epa dot gov) to reserve that slot, and then email josh at credoaction dot com if you're stuck on what you might say. Don't be nervous, though. It's their damn job to listen.
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