I saw a talk-show recently about the dangers of venetian blind chords to infants, and when my husband and I purchased some recently, a package insert also included warnings about pets getting tangled and killed by them. I thought I would offer our solution to others who may have this potential hazard hanging around. First, we cut off several inches of excess string, then we braided the rest so that it can't form any loops. Please take this problem seriously--I understand that far too many children and pets have died by hanging themselves in these things. Adrienne Wells [Posted in FML issue 1453]