Trends for October 22, 2001

Lisa Ferguson

Monday, Oct. 22, 2001 | 8:18 a.m.

Never forget

Looking for a keepsake to remember (as though anyone could forget) the tragic events of Sept. 11? Or maybe you'd prefer to recall the World Trade Center towers as they once proudly stood.

A Maryland company called industcards produces color trading cards (stats and all) of power plants, dams, coal-fired generation stations and such from around the globe, for use in "public relations, marketing and educational applications." It recently introduced a set of cards depicting the World Trade Center.

The front of the card shows a view of the towers amid a twilit-New York skyline. On the flipside, it reads "Dedicated to the victims rest in peace," and features a slew of factoids about the buildings (the towers housed 50,000 office workers and received as many as 70,000 visitors per day).

Single cards are available free of charge by mailing a self-addressed, stamped envelope in care of industcards, 5605 Bent Branch Road, Bethesda, MD 20816.

A do-it-yourself project?

What was that? That hard, pointy, unidentifiable object that you just bit down on that's suddenly causing your tooth incredible pain.

Whatever it was, chances are very good that a trip to the dentist is in your not-so-distant future.

But maybe you're camping in the deep, dark woods. Or basking on a sandy beach near the equator. Where are you gonna find a board-certified dentist?

No problem, say the Missouri makers of the Emergency Dental Kit, designed to offer temporary relief for just such occasions.

The kit comes with the equipment temporary cement and filling material, dental wax, cotton, gauze, tweezers and an instruction manual should you decide to take your teeth into your own hands to relieve the pain of broken/lost fillings, broken dentures, loose crowns and bridges and minor toothaches.

Aren't some things best left to a professional, folks?

The kit, which costs $19.95 (plus $4.95 shipping and handling), can be ordered by calling (800) 803-4370.

The eyes have it

Halloween is more than a week away. We assume you already have an idea in mind for a costume. Whatever it is, it likely won't be complete or creepy enough or weird enough until you've popped in a pair of Wild Eyes contact lenses, by CIBA Vision Corp.

As the name suggests, the lenses come in some pretty out-there patterns: the "knockout" boasts a black "X" in the dead center of the eye; "ice fire" is a star-ish design; "hypnotic" is an endless swirl. Also available are the old-standby "cat eye," and an "alien" lens.

Available with or without vision correction, the lenses retail for about $99 per pair (that doesn't include fees for seeing a professional optometrist to fit them). For more information, visit wild-eyes.com.