UPDATE: TTC board chair defends public transit safety

There has been an update made to the posting originally posted 01-23-09 at 10:50AM

A new surveillance video has been released of the shooting suspect wanted by Police, Thank you to Sympatico.

White House website instantly reflects new President

The White House website has undergone significant changes to reflect the "open and transparent" nature of the administration of newly sworn-in President Barack Obama.

The 'new' WhiteHouse.gov

was updated at 12:01 p.m.
ET on Tuesday to reflect
new President Barack Obama.

Although Barack Obama had not yet finished his inaugural speech, at exactly 12:01 p.m. EST Tuesday, the White House website was updated with information about the new president, his proposed initiatives and policies, and his cabinet.

The site includes a number of new features, including a blog. The first post, entitled "Change has come to WhiteHouse.gov," calls the site "a place for the President and his administration to connect with the rest of the nation and the world."

A new feature that will garner a great deal of attention in the coming days is the page on which Obama's executive orders will be published.

The president is expected to issue a number of executive orders early on to set the tone for his administration. One of his first orders could be the closure of the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

According to the blog, written by White House director of new media Macon Phillips, visitors to the website will also be able to:

- Sign up for email updates to stay on top of major presidential announcements and decisions.

- Read and comment on all non-emergency legislation, which will be posted for five days.

- View photo galleries of the president's first days in office, as well as the president's weekly video address.

"President Obama has committed to making his administration the most open and transparent in history, and WhiteHouse.gov will play a major role in delivering on that promise," Phillips writes. "The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that's just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government."

Classic Radio Flyer wagon gets a new look

Maybe you had one when you were a kid, or you knew someone who did.

It's the iconic little red wagon with the Radio Flyer logo.

If so, you might not recognize the newest product dreamed up by the brain trust at Radio Flyer's Chicago, Illinois, headquarters.

This wagon, called the Cloud 9, is equipped with enough high-tech bells and whistles to make the family minivan jealous.

"We approached this product much like an automotive company might with a concept car," said Mark Johnson, Radio Flyer's product development manager.

Outfitted with 5-point safety harnesses, padded seats, cup holders, foot brakes and fold-out storage containers, the sleek, curved Cloud 9 has every family covered for a ride through the park. But that's just for starters.

There's a digital handle that tracks temperature, time, distance and speed -- just in case energetic parents want to track their split times around the playground. And there's a slot for an MP3 player, complete with speakers, for some cruising tunes.

That's right: The little red wagon we all remember, know and love has gone 2.0.

"Music is such an important part of kids' and families' lives, we thought it would be great to have a speaker system built in the wagon," said Tom Schlegel, vice president of product development.

The Cloud 9 is still a prototype, but it wasn't developed on a whim. The company did extensive market research beforehand, then tested it out on the real experts at home.

"We sit down [and] observe how moms and kids are using our products," said Schlegel. "That's where our new ideas come from."

Radio Flyer's blend of cutting-edge design and old-fashioned products appears to be a successful recipe. In an economy where businesses and families alike are tightening their belts, the company is still going strong.

"Radio Flyer survived the Great Depression, and this year has been a difficult year for a lot of companies," Schlegel says, "But Radio Flyer is actually growing this year. We're actually looking for engineers and designers in our product development group to keep up with the growth of the company."

That's quite a testament for a company nearly 90 years old.

Theirs is an American success story that started when Italian immigrant Antonio Pasin started building wooden toy wagons in 1917. He had limited success but was encouraged enough to start the Liberty Coaster Company in 1923.

The company changed names seven years later, becoming Radio Steel & Manufacturing. The world was introduced that same year to the first steel wagon, called the Radio Flyer. Since then, Radio Flyer has become perhaps the world's most famous maker of wagons, tricycles and other toys.

The company's best-known product even inspired a 1992 movie, "Radio Flyer," about a boy who imagines converting his red wagon into a flying machine to help his little brother flee an abusive stepdad.

Whether you grew up on Rock-'em Sock-'em Robots or Xbox, the little red wagon has remained a mainstay of child's play. It's certainly evolved over the years, though -- the rusty metal has been replaced with plastic.

But the spirit of Radio Flyer, which conjures memories of a simpler time, remains intact. "One of the most important things about Radio Flyer products is that they really help [keep kids active outdoors]," Schlegel said. "So when we're designing our products, we're really looking at how can we get kids outside and playing, away from the video games and TV screens and computer screens."