An International Paper (NYSE: IP) press release announced today that the company is intending to purchase the Containerboard, Packaging and Recycling (CBPR) businesses of Weyerhaeuser (NYSE:WY)for $6 billion in cash. The deal is expected to close in Q3 2008, subject to regulatory approval and financing.

Due to the realization of tax benefits based upon International Papers purchase of Weyerhaeuser assets rather than stock, IP shall realize tax benefits in the amount of approximately $1.4 billion, making the actual purchase price closer to $4.6 billion.

International Paper Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Faraci is quoted in the press release as stating: "This deal represents a compelling opportunity for International Paper and our share owners at a very attractive valuation... integrating Weyerhaeuser's CBPR business into our North American packaging platform fits very well with our strategy to improve our earnings, cash flow and returns by strengthening existing businesses. We expect the combined packaging business will generate stronger cash flow and higher EBITDA margins than either standalone business."

Even though International Paper sees considerable upside potential in this acquisition, as of this writing, shares of International Paper have lost nearly 8.5 percent on the day. This may signal a good near term opportunity to buy into company shares when considering that the company indicates this deal holds income increase potential of as much as $400 million annually. The company sees this acquisition improving profitability over a three year period of assimilation, with approximately 40% of that improvement to be realized within the first 12 months of closing the deal.

Laundry detergent manufacturers have done it again; doubling the potency of detergent while cutting the bottle size in half. The Wall Street Journal talks about the marketing challenge that Procter & Gamble Co. (NYSE: PG), Unilever (NYSE: UL) and their competitors are about to face. The impetus for this move is not a greener earth or a more useful product, but instead, pressure from retailers like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) to squeeze more product into the same shelf space. You will be able to do just as many loads with half as much detergent, and the price will be the same per bottle. The problem is getting people to realize that and, more importantly, convince them that they aren't somehow getting ripped off.

As the Journal says, "Retailers are pushing the big shrink in detergent bottles because when their shelves are full with smaller bottles, they lose fewer sales to products being out of stock and less employee time is spent replenishing product. Retailers also save on transportation costs because more of the smaller bottles can fit on a truck. Meanwhile, manufacturers, which over the past two years have been hit hard by high oil prices, save on the petroleum-based plastic packaging as well as the costs of shipping to retailers."

Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott's strategy of promoting the products as green-friendly makes sense, given how in vogue that is right now -- less plastic, less transportation -- it actually is environmentally friendly. But there's still the emotional, less rational problem: How do you convince someone to pay the same amount for 50 ounces as they used to pay for 100? And what's more, why do the retailers and manufacturers get all the benefits?

A few weeks ago, I ranted and raved about the danger in which I put myself and my children when I struggle to open their toys' packages. I received a lot of comments from like-minded individuals. My favorite: "I am a service tech (HVAC)and a father of three, and the first thing I do when it is time to open the holiday gifts is make my way out to my service van and grab my tool bag ... The best tool for you to have is a set of wire cutters, linemans pliers, needle nose pliers, dikes or some form of plier with a wire cutter on it." Great! So all we need is a fully-equipped industrial-strength tool box.

My children, as they're quite cute and I can't resist them, received several new toys this year, nearly all from Mattel, Inc. (NYSE:MAT)'s Fisher Price unit. I thought I was exaggerating, just a little bit, when I mentioned hunting knives and threat of bodily harm when I wrote my original piece. But no.

One package, that holding the Diego Talking Rescue 4x4 (for which I paid $15.99 at Fred Meyer), took three adults about 15 minutes to open. One metal-reinforced twisty in particular was so well-wrapped that both my dad and I worked on it. Dad got out his new utility hunting knife, bought at Baker's General Store by my mom for a stocking stuffer. The twisty tie broke his knife. To quote Dave Barry, I am not making this up.

Another toy, the Little People Lil' Movers Dump Trucks (suggested ages: one year old), took me over 20 minutes to untwist from its packaging. It only has three pieces, but yet it must have had six or eight twisties, all tied and bent and threaded so securely that I almost gave up and returned the darned thing.

Mattel! What are you thinking? What good could possibly come of this ultra-secure packaging?

I remember how innocent I was, long before I was a parent. Do you remember that time? When you were young, perhaps it was the 80s, or the early 90s. You imagined bringing a baby into your home one day, certainly, it was far off in the future but the image was clear, if a bit soft-focused around the edges: all was fuzzy, wuzzy, warm, soft, and gentle. If you imagined your home with a kitchen, in fact, the knives were all tucked safely away in a hand-oiled maple block somewhere, way, way back on the counter.

[Big sound of brakes squeaking, wheels skidding, cars smashing into walls, screams...]

And then, I became a parent in the new millennium. And my world was filled with the most fearsome, warlike cutting implements. Industrial-strength scissors that came apart at the hinge so you could sharpen them daily. Hunting knives with a whetting stone, glistening next to the sink (where I keep my gentle organic hand soap). A typical day in my first child's infancy might find my knuckles raw, my fingers calloused, battle wounds all over my fingers.

I'd been faced with my children's toy packaging.