10 products to avoid in 2011

It's the end of the year—time to reflect on our hits and misses. Consumers Union, publisher of ShopSmart, did this with more than 3,000 products and services for their January 2011 issue, to see how the items held up in lab settings and in real life. This year's list of 54 winners and 22 losers has several things we'd had our eye on, like the new ales and lagers from Costco's Kirkland brand ($18 for 24), tummy-flattening Levi Strauss & Co. Perfectly Slimming Jeans 512 ($44), and the expensive-but-gorgeous looking Dyson Air Multiplier fan ($300) all of which were on the "good buy" list. But these 10 products, including many as-seen-on-TV bargains, didn't make the cut.

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Washing Machine Accident

An Oregon family is devastated after a tragic accident took the life of their toddler. Tiffany Hebb was doing laundry, while her 21-month-old Ollie kept her company. When she left the room briefly, he crawled into the washing machine and drowned. A frantic Hebb found her son minutes later trapped in the water-filled basin and tried desperately to resuscitate him. After suffering severe brain damage, he died the following day in the hospital. "It was the worst day of my life," the grieving mother told a local Fox affiliate through tears. Now Tiffany and her husband Chris are on a mission to educate parents about the dangers of the seemingly innocuous household appliance. "I want to make mothers and fathers aware that it's a possibility," she said. Read more: Toddler's trauma highlights laundry room dangers Between 2005 and 2009, two children under the age of five lost their lives in laundry room accidents , according to a report by the Consu...

China Gas Truck Explosion

BEIJING: At least 20 people were killed and 14 others injured on Friday in an explosion caused by a leak of an oil tank truck in south China s Guangdong province.'The explosion, which sparked a massive fire, took place on an expressway in the provincial capital of Guangzhou around 5.15am local time, a spokesman with the city s public security bureau said.He said 20 people were killed in the explosion.State-run Xinhua news agency reported that the 14 others who were injured in the incident have been hospitalised.The fire caused by the blast was brought under control around 8.30am local time, according to firefighters.

Plane Crew Thwart Hijack China

BEIJING: Crew and passengers traveling on a plane that had just taken off from a restive city in China s far-western Xinjiang region on Friday thwarted a hijack attempt by six people, authorities said.The plane returned safely to the airport and the six have been detained, a brief statement on the Xinjiang government s news website said, without detailing who the hijackers were.

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