AURGH!!! I already bought it for my daughter for xmas. I'm not worried that she will swallow a piece of it, but that our stupid cat might. Does anyone know if the chemical reaction the toy has in the human system might also be the same chemical reaction to an animal?

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/11/08/toy.recall/index.html

NEW YORK (CNN) -- U.S. safety officials have recalled about 4.2 million Chinese-made Aqua Dots bead toys that contain a chemical that has caused some children to vomit and become comatose after swallowing them.

Bindeez, which were named Australia's toy of the year, contain a chemical that converts into a "date rape" drug.

Scientists have found the popular toy's coating contains a chemical that, once metabolized, converts into the toxic "date rape" drug GHB, or gamma-hydroxy butyrate, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission spokesman Scott Wolfson told CNN.

"GHB is this drug that in low doses actually causes euphoria," said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN's chief medical correspondent. "In higher doses, it can cause people to go into a coma. It can cause seizures. It can cause something known as hypotonia, where all your muscles just become very flaccid.

"And it can cause people to become amnestic, meaning they forget everything that's about to happen to them, which is why it became a date-rape drug," Gupta said.

"So this is nasty stuff, and it appears that the chemical is actually converting into it in the body."...

Take it back. DO NOT USE IT. And NEVER buy anything from China again. EVER. I'm as serious as a heart attack here. Boycott China. They are sending us deadly cr@p. :(

They tried to kill us with toothpaste. It didn't work.

They killed hundreds of our pets.

They have sent us hundreds of deadly things.

BOYCOTT CHINA. :(

Back on topic: don't take any chances with the toy. It's not worth it. :(

p.s. At least 5 American and Australian kids have been sickened by this. I'm guessing it could kill a smaller pet.

your drinks, ladies

/bow

It's made in China, not invented there. The coating on the beads allows them to stick together when wet. Unfortunately the coating metabolizes into GHB when in the human body. The only way they could have forseen this was to feed this plastic pellets to people.

Does anyone know if the chemical reaction the toy has in the human system might also be the same chemical reaction to an animal?The only way to find out would be to test it on an animal and then you'd get the ARFs on your case. But in general cat biochemistry has a lot of similarity to human biochemistry. (Much more than dogs but of course not as close as rats.) It's sensible to assume that anything that's harmful to humans would be harmful to cats. Even if you're only right 25% of the time that's a huge risk to take with a pet.

The article in the Washington Post implied that this toy was invented in Australia. Is that correct? They don't need date-rape drugs, they have those gigantic cans of Foster's. :)

Take it back. DO NOT USE IT. And NEVER buy anything from China again. EVER. I'm as serious as a heart attack here. Boycott China. They are sending us deadly cr@p. :(

They tried to kill us with toothpaste. It didn't work.

They killed hundreds of our pets.

They have sent us hundreds of deadly things.

BOYCOTT CHINA. :(

Back on topic: don't take any chances with the toy. It's not worth it. :(

p.s. At least 5 American and Australian kids have been sickened by this. I'm guessing it could kill a smaller pet.


But how are we supposed to advocate freed trade if we boycott all the countries with cheaper labor?

...It's sensible to assume that anything that's harmful to humans would be harmful to cats. ....

Crap!!! Well, I guess I'm calling the number and getting a refund. :mad:

Oh, and its not the Fosters. its the accent. ;)

So Sandy, do I boycott Australia as well, or still just China? :shrug:

Aqua dots huh.

I know what I'm buying soon :D

GHB used to be sold in the 80's and early 90's as a bodybuilding supplement to help promote sleep and to help the body produce HGH.

I've been told the effect are similar to taking a low dose of ecstasy and getting drunk.

Sandy, I apologize. You were right.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071109/ap_on_re_au_an/australia_toys_date_rape_drug;_ylt=Ah5e7iYmcvPpHHQ mlyN.wEtI2ocA

...Peter Mahon, a spokesman for Moose Enterprises, said the company was conducting an internal investigation to determine how the chemical came to be included in the beads, which are made at a factory in Shenzhen in China's Guangdong province.

He said "ingredients were switched at the point of manufacture without Moose's knowledge." He declined to give the name of the factory, saying it was "not appropriate" at this time.

"Really the main thing we're doing is concentrating our efforts on making people aware that children shouldn't be playing with these products and getting them back," Mahon said in a telephone interview....

...The toys were supposed to be made using 1,5-pentanediol, a nontoxic compound found in glue, but instead contained the harmful 1,4-butanediol, which is widely used in cleaners and plastics.

The Food and Drug Administration in 1999 declared the chemical a Class I Health Hazard, meaning it can cause life-threatening harm.

Both chemicals are manufactured in China and elsewhere, including by major multinational companies, and are also marketed over the Internet.

It's not clear why 1,4-butanediol was substituted, though there is a significant price difference. The Chinese online trading platform ChemNet China lists the price of 1,4-butanediol at between about $1,350-$2,800 per metric ton, while the price for 1,5-pentanediol is about $9,700 per metric ton.

I honestly think this whole story is just STUPID. Not for you, Orleander, because you have a cat and the cat CAN eat the things....

But... whatever happened to not giving chocking toys to little kids!?!?!? I mean... are we talking about 12 year olds eating those things or what!? Why would an older child eat them? Seriously.... only children under 3 (or possibly a few do it till around 4) put stuff in the mouth. Older children, as far as I know, don't do that. Unless our population is becoming retarded!?!? :bugeye:

Still, despite the above, children's toys should not be made with toxic substances, specially if it can be toxic simply by touching it or smelling it. As far as eating it goes.... I don't see why a grown up child would eat the toy.

I honestly think this whole story is just STUPID. Not for you, Orleander, because you have a cat and the cat CAN eat the things....

But... whatever happened to not giving chocking toys to little kids!?!?!? I mean... are we talking about 12 year olds eating those things or what!? Why would an older child eat them? Seriously.... only children under 3 (or possibly a few do it till around 4) put stuff in the mouth. Older children, as far as I know, don't do that. Unless our population is becoming retarded!?!? :bugeye:

Funny you said that, because I was thinking the exact thing!!
My kids stopped putting things in their mouths at maybe 2. I taught them that very early. Some of the recalls on toys are for older kids you are right Truth. You would think that kids wouldn't be sucking on them or swallowing them......or even putting them in their mouths!

Their older siblings had the toy and some of the beads got dropped on the floor. The toddler came along and swallowed some of them.
And older kids pick up plastic things all the time to chew on them. Just because a person teaches them not to put things in their mouth, doesn't mean they won't.
They stick together with water. I can see a kid wanting to see if they will stick to their tongue. Kids!

I would be more worried about loosers who will buy the toy just to get the beads to put into unsuspecting women's drinks. Easier to obtain than GHB. The toy is still being advertised on TV here.

But how are we supposed to advocate freed trade if we boycott all the countries with cheaper labor?

Why should we advocate free trade by default?

Cheaper labor abroad means NO labor here, which means more people on welfare, more crime, more poverty, a bigger strain on the already-taxed medicaid system, etc., etc., etc.

I'm with her (but not necessarily for the same reasons): boycott China. That IS free trade, that is free citizens making the choice not to buy certain products versus being forced to buy others because a handful of corporations (who may take their fortunes oversees) decide what we should have available.

Boycott Wal-Mart, too. And if you play music, then Guitar Center is the absolute worst place to buy an instrument.

Now is the time to EMBRACE free trade by exercising it. Buy the products that are good for you and your family, and those that are good for your country (whether it's the US or elsewhere), and those which are best for our planet.

We must do a bit of research to practice free trade because it is ubiquitous in our economy for the corporations to crowd out choice. We do not live in a free market if we allow it to become a Corporatocracy.

And that, friends, is what this economy and in a way the United States (and others) is threatening to become.

I would be more worried about loosers who will buy the toy just to get the beads to put into unsuspecting women's drinks. Easier to obtain than GHB. The toy is still being advertised on TV here.

I'm worried about that, too, and also teens wanting a cheap fix.

Their older siblings had the toy and some of the beads got dropped on the floor. The toddler came along and swallowed some of them.
I think every parent considers that regardless of whether they know the thing is GHB or not!

And older kids pick up plastic things all the time to chew on them. Just because a person teaches them not to put things in their mouth, doesn't mean they won't.
Older kids don't do that, unless they are kinda "retarded" or their parents never taught them nothing.

...Older kids don't do that, unless they are kinda "retarded" or their parents never taught them nothing.

Ugh! You're right. Children have no free will and do everything their parents teach them to do or else they are retarded.
They never try to fit a fist in their mouth, jump a bike over 5 of their friends, fit 15 marshmallows in their mouth, drink a gallon of milk in 10 minutes, etc.

Yep, kids are smart and listen. :rolleyes:

And older kids pick up plastic things all the time to chew on them. Just because a person teaches them not to put things in their mouth, doesn't mean they won't.


When you say older kids how old are you talking about?

When you say older kids how old are you talking about?

birth - 18

birth - 18

Thats a big range! But I can tell you I haven't caught my kids 6 and 11 picking up and chewing plastic things as you say.........for many yrs.

LOL, well of course not!!
Everyone knows your kids are perfect. You're so lucky.

I never said that. But when I read some of the things you are saying I haven't witnessed it with my kids.

Thats a big range! But I can tell you I haven't caught my kids 6 and 11 picking up and chewing plastic things as you say.........for many yrs.

Would you trust them with this toy? Would you let them play with it and know they would not be tempted to give the colourful little beads a taste?

Older kids don't do that, unless they are kinda "retarded" or their parents never taught them nothing.
You're kidding right? How many people chew their pens? Finger nails? I'm sure they were taught to not put things in their mouths as well.

You are missing the point entirely. This toy is toxic and should not be on the market. And if you have them in your house, they should be disposed of immediately, regardless of whether your child is old enough to know better.

I wasn't really talking about this toy specifically. No if I bought it and heard about this I would take it back.

BOYCOTT CHINA
What a joke.

I think this will work out in favor of the toy company, with all this free publicity. Now I want to try it. It looks fun. How long before someone names their band The Aquadots!

How long before someone names their band The Aquadots!Sounds like the next teenybopper rock band.

Ugh! You're right. Children have no free will and do everything their parents teach them to do or else they are retarded.
They never try to fit a fist in their mouth, jump a bike over 5 of their friends, fit 15 marshmallows in their mouth, drink a gallon of milk in 10 minutes, etc.

Yep, kids are smart and listen. :rolleyes:
That's not what I said. This discussion is about kids who put stuff in their mouths. I've never read about, heard of nor seen a bigger kid put innapropriate stuff in their mouths. All books I've read and all parents I've talked to say that kids only do that until they are around 3 years old. SOme may do for an extra year, who knows, but generally, that's when they completely lose interest in doing that and become aware that you are not supposed to put whatever in their mouths.

I mean... an 18 year old putting something in their mouths that they know might be toxic? Give me a break! :rolleyes:

You're kidding right? How many people chew their pens? Finger nails? I'm sure they were taught to not put things in their mouths as well.
That's conpletely different. Those actions are nearly completely subconscious habits. Nobody on their right mind would eat beads. God! What do you think, that I will start eating screws now? Geeeezz... :rolleyes:

You are missing the point entirely. This toy is toxic and should not be on the market. And if you have them in your house, they should be disposed of immediately, regardless of whether your child is old enough to know better.
No, you missed my point. No grown up kid would put a toy in their mouth. Whether it should be disposed of or not that's a completely different story.

Why should we advocate free trade by default?

Cheaper labor abroad means NO labor here, which means more people on welfare, more crime, more poverty, a bigger strain on the already-taxed medicaid system, etc., etc., etc.

I'm with her (but not necessarily for the same reasons): boycott China. That IS free trade, that is free citizens making the choice not to buy certain products versus being forced to buy others because a handful of corporations (who may take their fortunes oversees) decide what we should have available.

Boycott Wal-Mart, too. And if you play music, then Guitar Center is the absolute worst place to buy an instrument.

Now is the time to EMBRACE free trade by exercising it. Buy the products that are good for you and your family, and those that are good for your country (whether it's the US or elsewhere), and those which are best for our planet.

We must do a bit of research to practice free trade because it is ubiquitous in our economy for the corporations to crowd out choice. We do not live in a free market if we allow it to become a Corporatocracy.

And that, friends, is what this economy and in a way the United States (and others) is threatening to become.



I'm worried about that, too, and also teens wanting a cheap fix.

Actually, I wish the trend would eventually move in that direction because it's ruining the environment and the health of the people in china.

What's funny is you wish for americans to have the manufacturing jobs and they suck big time. LMAO.

I can just imagine a number of people opening up 'Toy Warehouses' to equal that of Crackdens, where the Toys are all boiled and cooked to get at their deadly toxin haul, just so someone can get a fix.

Of course a police raid would look kind of odd bagging up loads of 'Evidence' in the form of certain popular fad toys.

...I mean... an 18 year old putting something in their mouths that they know might be toxic? Give me a break! :rolleyes:

are you serious!?

AURGH!!! I already bought it for my daughter for xmas. I'm not worried that she will swallow a piece of it, but that our stupid cat might. Does anyone know if the chemical reaction the toy has in the human system might also be the same chemical reaction to an animal?


I cant say whether the cat will have the same reaction to this product, but cats are notorious for being hypersensitive to many medications. I personally would not risk a chemical reaction via the cats system converting this product into something deadly to the cat.

What a joke.

I think this will work out in favor of the toy company, with all this free publicity. Now I want to try it. It looks fun. How long before someone names their band The Aquadots!

I was serious as a heart attack. How much longer should we continue to import their cr@p? How many more people/pets have to die? :confused:

If THEY don't start some quality control they should be punished. Financially.

What if it was YOUR baby that was crushed by its playpen/high chair/car seat/whatever? How would YOU feel? ONE death is one too many.:(

I was serious as a heart attack. How much longer should we continue to import their cr@p? How many more people/pets have to die? :confused:

If THEY don't start some quality control they should be punished. Financially.

What if it was YOUR baby that was crushed by its playpen/high chair/car seat/whatever? How would YOU feel? ONE death is one too many.:(

Now you must be joking. One death is one too many? People are dropping like flies for all kinds of mistakes that can be attributed to all types of faulty things that can be traced back and blamed on someone or many. Jesus Christ, sometimes seat belts become faulty.

You are being too ridiculous.

No. I'm being serious. This crap is PREVENTABLE. The Chinese involved in producing the cr@p are just too lazy/corrupt and don't care about quality control. It's all about money, greed etc with NO concern for our health/safety.:mad:

Would you feel the same way if it was YOUR pet or child killed by something Chinese?:confused:

No. I'm being serious. This crap is PREVENTABLE. The Chinese involved in producing the cr@p are just too lazy/corrupt and don't care about quality control. It's all about money, greed etc with NO concern for our health/safety.:mad:

Would you feel the same way if it was YOUR pet or child killed by something Chinese?:confused:

My point is you are exaggerating and not all products are unsafe, the majority of them are very safe.

Also people are dying because of many mistakes and negligence which don't always have anything to do with chinese products. It's unfortunate.

The positive thing is the heat the chinese government is receiving is pushing them to really crack down. So of course, I sympathize with those who have been hurt but it's not all chinese or all chinese companies. It seems you are demonizng all of them.

THIS particular thread is about Chinese cr@p. American cr@p has been flamed before too.

The ONLY way to make China behave is to boycott. They ignore warnings. :(

I have no use for ANY aspect of China. I'll do you all a favor and save my rant for another time. :)

THIS particular thread is about Chinese cr@p. American cr@p has been flamed before too.

The ONLY way to make China behave is to boycott. They ignore warnings. :(

I have no use for ANY aspect of China. I'll do you all a favor and save my rant for another time. :)

Those products are not chinese. LOL

You are ridiculous, you think they are infused with some 'chineseness'. They are inanimate objects and the designs are not chinese. LOL

The Chinese use short cuts to save time and money. They knowingly use poisonous ingredients and don't care. They get away with billions and get caught only a few times.

When they get caught, some guy commits suicide and the fury quiets for a while. Then they kill more of our people/animals, and the fury starts up again.

Why not just call for the Chinese to be responsible? To be decent business people with ETHICS? :confused:

You go ahead and consume/use Chinese cr@p. I'm not supporting their evil way of doing business. :(

The Chinese use short cuts to save time and money. They knowingly use poisonous ingredients and don't care. They get away with billions and get caught only a few times.

When they get caught, some guy commits suicide and the fury quiets for a while. Then they kill more of our people/animals, and the fury starts up again.

Why not just call for the Chinese to be responsible? To be decent business people with ETHICS? :confused:

You go ahead and consume/use Chinese cr@p. I'm not supporting their evil way of doing business. :(

What evil way of doing business?????? You mean how american companies exploit sweatshops and don't have a problem with it as long as it doesn't hit home???? You mean how as long as out of sight, out of mind it's okay???? As long as some unknown person out there in another country gets hurt it's okay??????????

Shut up please...

...The ONLY way to make China behave is to boycott. They ignore warnings. :(..

Yeah, I'm starting to see your side in all this.
After it was found out that some of the toy companies (http://www.parents.com/parents/slideshow/slideShow.jsp?slideid=/templatedata/parents/slideshow/data/1189784528834.xml&page=1) had lead based paint on their items, people called for a boycott of those companies.

Why is is odd to call a boycott on Chinese made items? I'm starting to wonder what else is coming in 'under the radar'.

Yeah, I'm starting to see your side in all this.
After it was found out that some of the toy companies (http://www.parents.com/parents/slideshow/slideShow.jsp?slideid=/templatedata/parents/slideshow/data/1189784528834.xml&page=1) had lead based paint on their items, people called for a boycott of those companies.

Why is is odd to call a boycott on Chinese made items? I'm starting to wonder what else is coming in 'under the radar'.

Yeah, maybe you need to start making your own products and paying decent wages.

There is going to be uproar and many ruffled feathers when reality sets in and their comfort zones rearranged. LMFAO

What goes around does come around after all. The effects of exploitation and unfairness have a way of showing itself, it's inevitable.

Yeah, maybe you need to start making your own products and paying decent wages. ....

I think you mean 'we'.

I think you mean 'we'.

Of course. I don't think america would like to backstep and take on these hard, lowly manufacuring jobs. I also don't think they want to pay decent wages as that would hike the price of items.

The reason why the chinese cut corners is because of the demand for cheaper products. America pays them slave wages.

I'd like to see america produce thier own products and they will see where the root of their greed and unfairness really came from, themselves wanting to live the high life at others expense. LMAO

Peta, you are very right. But those savings the Chinese are making are not going to their employees. Its going to the bosses.

slave labor (http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/06/08/slave_labor_found_at_china_brick_factory/3300/)

Wasn't there a news story a while back about children in China being kidnapped off the streets and forced into slave labor?

Peta, you are very right. But those savings the Chinese are making are not going to their employees. Its going to the bosses.

slave labor (http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/06/08/slave_labor_found_at_china_brick_factory/3300/)

Yeah, it's horrible. But it's the same in the states. The sad thing is the products you buy at the store cost very little to produce because they use slave or near slave labor and they charge you at least three or more times the cost of the item and pocket the profit for themselves and make you think you are saving when in reality they are just exploiting further the bottom of the barrel. The unseen greedy monsters are making the money.

Everyone is being screwed through a tier.

If an American company knowingly killed its citizens and/or their pets, we damn well would boycott them too. And we'd close them down. That's the only way to send a message and get things done. Warnings don't work. Threats don't either. :(

Anyone who wants to buy Chinese cr@p does so at their own risk. Most Chinese stuff is garbage. :(

If an American company knowingly killed its citizens and/or their pets, we damn well would boycott them too. And we'd close them down. That's the only way to send a message and get things done. Warnings don't work. Threats don't either. :(

Anyone who wants to buy Chinese cr@p does so at their own risk. Most Chinese stuff is garbage. :(

Well, I think your motives are unethical but it could work to be a positive force in outcome. The exploitation of workers and cutting corners needs to stop.

My motives are unethical? My motives are to keep people alive.

My motives are unethical? My motives are to keep people alive.

You never once expressed concern anyone was being exploited or hurt except for "americans." You must be pretending as you can't be that obtuse.

As a matter of fact, for all your christianity you never, ever expressed concern at all that anyone else was being hurt except "americans." So according to your complaints, if the chinese were using slave labor or exploiting children or america was paying slave wages it would not matter to you at all unless your dear 'americans' were affected negatively.

You are a horrible person.

are you serious!?
Well.... aside from drugs, of course. LOL!!!! :D:D

So what? You think that all the kids and young adults willl go buy the toy so that they can get high on GHB?

*slowly leaves the room.....*

You never once expressed concern anyone was being exploited or hurt except for "americans." You must be pretending as you can't be that obtuse.

As a matter of fact, for all your christianity you never, ever expressed concern at all that anyone else was being hurt except "americans." So according to your complaints, if the chinese were using slave labor or exploiting children or america was paying slave wages it would not matter to you at all unless your dear 'americans' were affected negatively.

You are a horrible person.
That's exactly why I've hated her behaviour. Right on target.... :shrug:

The Chinese use short cuts to save time and money. They knowingly use poisonous ingredients and don't care. They get away with billions and get caught only a few times.

When they get caught, some guy commits suicide and the fury quiets for a while. Then they kill more of our people/animals, and the fury starts up again.

Why not just call for the Chinese to be responsible? To be decent business people with ETHICS?

You go ahead and consume/use Chinese cr@p. I'm not supporting their evil way of doing business.
You won't even eat at a Chinese restaurant or have Chinese take out?:eek: Never eating Chinese food again would be the death of me.:(

You won't even eat at a Chinese restaurant or have Chinese take out?:eek: Never eating Chinese food again would be the death of me.:(

Chinese food in america is not chinese, it's american. I only eat gourmet chinese food, and it's awesome.

The Chinese use short cuts to save time and money. They knowingly use poisonous ingredients and don't care. They get away with billions and get caught only a few times.
OH! So the americans never done that, eh? :rolleyes:
NO!!! NO WAY!!! And cancer don't exist either!!! It's a conspiracy!!!!

When they get caught, some guy commits suicide and the fury quiets for a while. Then they kill more of our people/animals, and the fury starts up again.
So... americans NEVER kill people or animals, right? NO! NO WAY!!!!

Why not just call for the Chinese to be responsible? To be decent business people with ETHICS?
OH YEAH!!! The americans have TONS of business ethics!!! It's ethical to test drugs on soldier, in the Vietnam war! It's ethical to dump toxic waste from paper mills in the rivers!! It's ethical to dump toxical chemicals from oil refinaries in teh backyards of poor people who are dying from cancer!! It's ethical to kill people in Iraq to get more oil!!!! It's ethical to put drugs in the cows who produce the milk our children drink!!! It's ethical to give formula for free to poor african mothers, and when their milk dries out start charging for the formula, despite the fact that all the children will die because their mothers won't be able to afford!! It's ethical to pay foreigner slave wages!!! They are not humans, because they are not americans, RIGHT!?!? It's ethical to pay immigrants a lot less, because after all, they are not humans because they are not american, right!?!?!? It's ethical to fill our vegetables with pesticides, and fill our food supply with GMOs even though we have no idea what kind of effect those might have on our population!!!!!


MY HOLY GOD! AMERICAN BUSINESSESS ARE SUCH A BEACON OF ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR!!!!!!
*american national anthem on background*
http://www.e2cweb.com/images_art/american%20flag.jpg


You go ahead and consume/use Chinese cr@p. I'm not supporting their evil way of doing business.
BOYCOTT AMERICA!!!!!!!!! GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!

Chinese food in america is not chinese, it's american. I only eat gourmet chinese food, and it's awesome.


Im eating some take-out right now. It's good, but I'm a little suspicious of the plastic dish it came in.

And concerning Chinese business practices, this wouldn't a problem if American companies were more willing to use American labor and materials, even if there is less profit in that.
Maybe if the dollar keeps going down the Americans will be soon be the cheap labor! LOL

Chinese food in america is not chinese, it's american. I only eat gourmet chinese food, and it's awesome.
We have several authentic Chinese restaurants where I live. The chefs have access to all the spices and traditional vegetables that they require for the dishes. It doesn't have to be prepared in china to be chinese food.

Im eating some take-out right now. It's good, but I'm a little suspicious of the plastic dish it came in.

And concerning Chinese business practices, this wouldn't a problem if American companies were more willing to use American labor and materials, even if there is less profit in that.
Maybe if the dollar keeps going down the Americans will be soon be the cheap labor! LOL

The Stress factor is way better in other countries. You don't have to worry about being shut down by huge fines by OSHA.

Guess how much a Grinder with rounded edges will get you? $7,000 citation.

I know OSHA is needed but they will fine you for anything accident or not.

We have several authentic Chinese restaurants where I live. The chefs have access to all the spices and traditional vegetables that they require for the dishes. It doesn't have to be prepared in china to be chinese food.

No duh.

The Chinese food here isn't actually Traditional Chinese food.

Chinese food in america is not Chinese, it's American. I only eat gourmet Chinese food, and it's awesome.It's true that a lot of the Cantonese-style food served in America (and even in Hong Kong) was invented to appeal to foreign tastes. Chop suey: literally "water with things in it which should never be mixed together." Chicago chow mein: those nasty little crispy dry noodles that look and taste like they came out of a can. But since the huge wave of immigration from northern and central China, there are lots of restaurants in America that serve authentic Chinese food from a number of regions to authentic Chinese people from a number of regions.And concerning Chinese business practices, this wouldn't a problem if American companies were more willing to use American labor and materials, even if there is less profit in that.This is a common fallacy. Sure, we could make a few products like bicycles and just raise the prices a little to pay American wages and still make a fair profit. But you can't do that with the tschotschkes they sell at Wal-Mart. If those were made by American workers the cost of producing them would be two or three times the selling price. Just to break even and cover their expenses without making a profit, they would have to double or triple the prices, and nobody in America would buy them.

A. You have to understand the magnitude of the wage gap between China and America.
B. You have to understand the law of supply and demand. People only buy this stuff because it's dirt cheap and it's dirt cheap because it's made in China.

yeah, my son and his friends are already talking about it. My son told them I got his sister some for Xmas and they wanted to know if he could 'hook them up'.
He thought they were joking and laughed when he told me about it.
I wonder.....

I was serious as a heart attack. How much longer should we continue to import their cr@p? How many more people/pets have to die? :confused:

If THEY don't start some quality control they should be punished. Financially.

What if it was YOUR baby that was crushed by its playpen/high chair/car seat/whatever? How would YOU feel? ONE death is one too many.:(

I don't question the sentiment, but it's unrealistic.

Great thread title.
(admire)

Great thread title.
(admire)

:thankyou: thank you, thank you very much

All the stuff in the media about GHB being a "date rape drug" is mostly just stupid hype. GHB is a dangerous illegal drug, yeah, but it's mostly used recreationally by ravers and idiot frat-boys. It would be very difficult to "spike" someone's drink with GHB, since it has a very strong, bad taste - sort of like eating powdered soap with a ton of salt sprinkled on it. Most GHB users will agree that they can usually barely stand to drink a large enough dose to get high, because it tastes so bad. The idea that you might be able to slip it into someone's drink undetected is laughable.

Obviously it's still terrible that it ended up in toys, but the media's retarded "Ooooh, let's call it a 'date rape drug' - that's way scarier than simply calling it an illegal narcotic" is really irritating.

Edit - I've never actually used it, but I had some pretty stupid friends in college...

that's way scarier than simply calling it an illegal narcotic"

Or more so than calling it a secondary metabolite.

All the stuff in the media about GHB being a "date rape drug" is mostly just stupid hype. GHB is a dangerous illegal drug, yeah, but it's mostly used recreationally by ravers and idiot frat-boys. It would be very difficult to "spike" someone's drink with GHB, since it has a very strong, bad taste - sort of like eating powdered soap with a ton of salt sprinkled on it.
Hey, if you are drunk enough...... :D

Obviously it's still terrible that it ended up in toys, but the media's retarded "Ooooh, let's call it a 'date rape drug' - that's way scarier than simply calling it an illegal narcotic" is really irritating.
Hey, that's what the media do! :shrug: :D

Cheaper labor abroad means NO labor here, which means more people on welfare, more crime, more poverty, a bigger strain on the already-taxed medicaid system, etc., etc., etc.

I do some volunteer work at the state family services place. What I found out that over the last 3 months, the welfare cases is going up exponentially. I wonder if this has something to do with manufacturing moving to China?

The company people feel that they can make more money by using foreign labor. Then they and the shareholders can pay more taxes which in turn can go to the welfare. If they lose market share in USA, they will move to India and China with large middle class rising.

...What I found out that over the last 3 months, the welfare cases is going up exponentially. I wonder if this has something to do with manufacturing moving to China?....

absolutely. Business are laying off and shutting down here. Lots of automotive jobs going to China.

Take it back. DO NOT USE IT. And NEVER buy anything from China again. EVER. I'm as serious as a heart attack here. Boycott China. They are sending us deadly cr@p. :(

They tried to kill us with toothpaste. It didn't work.

They killed hundreds of our pets.

They have sent us hundreds of deadly things.

BOYCOTT CHINA. :(

Back on topic: don't take any chances with the toy. It's not worth it. :(

p.s. At least 5 American and Australian kids have been sickened by this. I'm guessing it could kill a smaller pet.

That's so true. We need to boycott China. Not just because it sends us cheaply made, un-checked, usually fraud items, but it uses sweat shops to make them. They get people to find out whats 'all the rage' in America, and to make look alikes of it, in hopes that 'those stupid Americans' buy the cheaply-made look-alikes thats production cost is half what it is for other countries to make it, and they buy it at the same price, because it looks to be brand-name. Nike has sweat shops over there too. It's horrible really, they pack loads of people into this tiny, dark, area with some sewing machines, or something else and tell them to work under these horrible conditions for, most of the time, under a dollar a day.

Nike has sweat shops over there too. It's horrible really, they pack loads of people into this tiny, dark, area with some sewing machines, or something else and tell them to work under these horrible conditions for, most of the time, under a dollar a day.

How do you know? If people are working in the dark, then there will be a lot of defects in the products. That would not benefit Nike, would it?:confused: