Bring It Home

I got up this morning and I do my usual routine of which is to check out Newzjunky for news from back home. It not only has alot of local news and happenings from the area back home in NY but state, national and world news....Newzjunky. I am the sort of person that if the info is available I want it now!!

So I am scrolling down the page and yes I see the story about the bridge collapse in Minn. but I saw that last night on CNN before I went to bed at 10 or so. I then saw the headline Fisher "Price to Recall Nearly 1 Million Toys" and I am thinking to myself that this has got to have something to do with China. I click onto the link and wouldn't you know it....those dang Chinese are cutting corners yet again just like I thought.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/02/business/02toy.html?ei=5090&en=1f7a68aea860bd6e&ex=1343707200&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1186054661-bJvBWKMfkUL0+dekpnIenQ

Lead Paint Prompts Mattel to Recall 967,000 Toys

Mattel, the maker of Barbie dolls and Hot Wheels cars, is recalling nearly one million toys in the United States today because the products are covered in lead paint.

According to Mattel, all the toys were made by a contract manufacturer in China.

The recall, the second biggest this year involving toys, covers 83 products made from April 19 to July 6. Many of them feature Sesame Street and Nickelodeon characters — including the Elmo Tub Sub, the Dora the Explorer Backpack, and the Giggle Gabber, a toy shaped like Elmo or Cookie Monster that toddlers shake to hear giggles and funny noises.

Mattel says it prevented more than two-thirds of the 967,000 affected toys from reaching consumers by stopping the products in its distribution centers and contacting retailers, like Wal-Mart, Target and Toys ‘R’ Us, late last week. But more than 300,000 of the tainted toys have been bought by consumers in the United States. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the toys may have a date code from 109-7LF to 187-7LF on the product or packaging.

When is this going to stop? Years ago, in an attempt to save $$ on the cost of manufacturing consumer goods they were made in Japan. Then they were made in Taiwan, then Mexico, now China. This is because the chinese workers are paid far less thanh even one dollar an hour. This is a country whose enviromental standards are back in the 19th century!

To a degree we can blame WalMart for this.

But this isn't about WalMart this is about China and the tainted consumer products they are sending us. When are we going to learn? Luckily we haven't had a rash of deaths as a result of tainted toothpaste or other food products. No, in the US no human have died, just our pets.

For those in the people republic of china reading this....

diethylene glycol in food ----- BAD
lead paint on child toys ------ BAD

get the point.

In an article I have seen today it stated that China has now banned diethylene glycol (found in antifreeze) in the making of toothpaste.

This was previously ok???

Did a government bureaucrat suddenly have an epithany and feel that a chemical you put in your auto may not be so good in your mouth? Christ, had they asked us we would have told them. It's not like its a state secret of ours. I know Kissenger and Nixon didn't go to China in the early 70's to open trade relations to sit at one of those HUGE confrence tables and say..."ya know Mr Chairman (Mao), lead paint and diethylene glycol in tooth paste may not be such a good idea."

When will it stop?

Do we need to actually have people die here in the US this cycle of stupidity ceases? Raise your hand if you really think somewhere in China they actually do make cardboard dumplings?? I know mine is up...at least I wouldn't put it past them. Do we as a county, as a people so really need stuff that is so inexpensive that we don't mind playing russian roulette with hazardously tainted products? If those same toys, dog food, tootpaste and whatever is next to be recalled (I forgot about the tires) were made here in the US certainly they would be more expensive.

Bring home the manufacturing jobs if anything just for the piece of mind.

For now this is nothing more than pie in the sky dreaming but some day there just might be a backlash and that is when we can bring it home.

Pizza Hut School Of Nutrition

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/08/01/the_skinny/main3122295.shtml

USA Today reports that a university is considering putting a corporate name on its diplomas.

"The University of Iowa is mulling whether to rename its College of Public Health after Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield's foundation in exchange for a $15 milion gift from the company's philanthropic arm," the newspaper reports.

"We're close to the tip of the sword for an AT&T School of Business or a Kodak School of Digital Communication. I can see that as not so far off," said Terry Burton, a naming-rights consultant.

The idea has ignited debate.

As Randa Safady, vice chancellor at the University of Texas, put it, "It's important that the public and we don’t equate the generosity of corporations with selling out."



I for one don't see what the problem is. There are a number of philanthropic gifts to universities which in turn have created a learning center in the name of the grantor.

One specific gift that comes to mind is the Newhouse School Of Public Communications at Syracuse University. The endowment today of some 20 million and an annual budget of 10 million.

Of course if the grantor was in the same league as the example used in the article "Pizza Hut School Of Nutrition" then there would obviously be no comparison.

There are many pillars of American Industry that are certainly worthy of having their name associated with an institute of higher learning.

Just A Smokin'

Zachary and I went to see The Simpons Movie yesturday afternoon. I thought yesturday would be a good day since it was suppose to be in the 90's and I didn't really feel like going down to the pool. It's been one of those weeks so far. There are times, right out of the blue when suddenly it seems like every joint in my body aches. Talk about getting old. lol Nausea has been kicking in late afternoon for a bit too. Christ, you'd think I was doing chemo.

I can't take anything during the day or I end up wasting it on the couch so I take the meds at bedtime and for the most part they work. Although I like to stay functional during the day at least I haven't needed to go to the ER.

Anyway. The movie was good....if you like The Simpsons. I used to watch it every weekend when it first came out...well, what? 18 years ago. Zachary never saw an episode until yesturday morning when we recorded the show from the night before. I admit it's still funny but alot of it a younger child (Zachary included) won't get cause alot of the comedy is from popular culture.

So today I was up at 7am so I could get the charcoal going in the smoker. I think the meat has been on about an hour now. I bought two whole sirloin tips from a local store (2.44 per lbs) and cut them down to reasonably smaller pieces to go onto the smoker. I love to smoke meat and I prefer Mesquite over Hickory wood. I am thinking I should be done some where around 1 and maybe we will go swimming this afternoon.

So, 20 lbs of beef are in the smoker and when done they will go into two crock pots with BBQ sauce. One will be Bulls Eye Original and the other will be Dinosaur BBQ sauce and maybe a bottle of Dinosaur Wango Tango sauce to boot and then will cook it till Saturday. Saturday we're having the neighbors over...well, anyone who would like a nice slow smoked, fork pulled BBQ and a cold beverage.

I live on a corner of two dead end streets and most of the nieghbors live across the street on one of those dead ends. Ever once in a while the wind will shift and send a plume of mesquite flavored smoke their way. Gotta Love it.