Biker15k FF Member's blog: "~ things you should know about ~"

Chinese-made products recalled for lead By NATASHA T. METZLER, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 54 minutes ago More than a half-million Chinese-made products were recalled Thursday, including "Pirates of the Caribbean" and Baby Einstein toys, because they contain dangerous levels of lead. Coin-shaped "Pirates of the Caribbean" flashlights and soft, textured Baby Einstein blocks were among the 544,000 products recalled, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. The recall also includes Totally Me! Funky Room Decor Set decorating kits imported and sold by Toys "R" Us Inc. and a variety of wooden toys imported and sold by KB Toys Inc. The flashlight's leather strap, the back of the decorating kit's mirror, the blue Baby Einstein block and the wooden toys have surface paint that contains high levels of lead, which is toxic if ingested by young children. Under current regulations, children's products found to have more than .06 percent lead accessible to users are subject to a recall. CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese noted that the effects of lead are cumulative. "A lot of what is being recalled is because it violates the law, not that there is an imminent health risk," she said. The recall also included cups shaped like Frankenstein's head with high levels of lead in their surface paint. Other products not necessarily for children were: key chains containing high levels of lead, as well as bookmarks and journals with lead-tainted surface paint. "There will be more recalls because of lead violations, but we also anticipate that we will begin to see fewer and fewer of them as a big portion of the marketplace will have been tested," Vallese said. "What you're seeing now is the result of a systematic approach to going through inventories." The recalls include: • About 35,000 Baby Einstein Discover & Play Color Blocks, distributed by Kids II Inc. The blocks were sold around the country between June and September. For more information, or to arrange for a free replacement block, call 866-203-6788 or visit http://www.kidsii.com. • About 79,000 "Pirates of the Caribbean" medallion squeeze lights, imported by the Eveready Battery Co., a brand of Energizer Holdings, Inc. The flashlights were sold nationwide and online between September 2006 and October 2007. For more information, or to receive a voucher for another Eveready product, call 800-925-0628 or visit http://www.Energizer.com. • About 15,000 Totally Me! Funky Room Decor Sets, manufactured by Hong Kong-based CKI Toys and imported by Toys "R" Us Inc. The kits were sold at Toys "R" Us stores around the country and on the company's Web site between May and September 2007. Return the sets to any Toys "R" Us store in exchange for store credit. For more information, call 800-869-7787 or visit http://www.toysrus.com. • About 10,000 wooden Pull-Along Alphabet & Math Blocks wagons, Pull-Along Learning Blocks wagons, 10-in-1 Activity Learning Carts and Flip-Flop alphabet blocks, imported by KB Toys Inc. The toys were sold at KB Toys stores around the country between August 2005 and September 2007. Return the toys to any KB Toys store in exchange for store credit. For more information call 888-843-9520 or visit http://www.recall.kbtinfo.com. • About 63,000 green, plastic cups shaped like Frankenstein's head, imported by Dollar General Merchandising Inc. The cups were sold at Dollar general stores around the country in September. For a refund or replacement product, return the key chains to the place of purchase. For more information, call 800-678-9258 or visit http://www.dollargeneral.com. • About 192,000 key chains imported by Dollar General Merchandising Inc. The key chains feature a metal charm engraved with "wisdom," "truth," "believe," "love," "hope" or "dream." They were sold at Dollar General stores around the country between June 2005 and August 2007. For a refund or replacement product, return the key chains to the place of purchase. For more information, call 800-678-9258 or visit http://www.dollargeneral.com. • About 150,000 bookmarks and journals, imported by Antioch Publishing. The products feature a variety of decorations including breast cancer awareness and Winnie the Pooh. The bookmarks and journals were sold at book, card and gift stores around the country between March 2005 and October 2007. Some of the bookmarks were sold with bracelets. For more information, or to arrange for a refund, call 800-543-1515 or visit http://www.antioch.com.

Daly backs move to ground Blue Angels show by Joshua Sabatini, The Examiner The annual Fleet Week event includes an air show by the Blue Angels, a parade of military ships and tours of United States Navy vessels. SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - The annual aerial show by the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels — a San Francisco tradition dating back to 1981 that pumps millions into the local economy — is running into opposition from three local peace advocacy groups that are calling for a permanent halt to the popular Fleet Week flyover. CodePink, Global Exchange and Veterans for Peace, Chapter 69, are working with Supervisor Chris Daly on a Board of Supervisors resolution to address concerns over the Blue Angels. Daly acknowledged he is considering a call to halt the flyovers because, he said, “they seem dangerous and unnecessary.” Daly said he plans on introducing the resolution as early as Tuesday, but is still drafting the language. A resolution is not legally binding, but states a board position. The Blue Angels, a team of navy fighter pilots, fly over San Francisco during Fleet Week, which this year is scheduled for Oct. 4 through Oct. 9. For four of the six days, the flashy blue- and yellow-striped planes soar through the skies over the northern waterfront at speeds reaching 700 miles per hour, and perform such maneuvers as vertical rolls. As part of the show, six planes group together in tight formation to perform deft maneuvers. The Blue Angels have 35 air shows scheduled in 2007 in various U.S. locations. Last year, more than 15 million people watched the fighter pilots. (Watch a short video of the 2006 air show in San Francisco.) Veterans for Peace takes issue with the pro-military message and the recruiting efforts that come along with the annual visit as well as what it refers to as the “noise pollution.” The group calls the event a public safety risk, pointing to the April crash of a Blue Angels plane during an air show in Beaufort, S.C. Just a slight miscalculation or a mechanical failure can cause a plane to “go barreling into the Golden Gate Bridge or a high-rise and cause a significant amount of damage,” said Paul Cox, a Vietnam veteran and member of the Veterans for Peace. Edward Leonard, chairman of the San Francisco Fleet Week Committee, said that since the April plane crash, the Blue Angels are back flying and “we think it’s safe.” He added that the planes’ maneuvers require approval by the Federal Aviation Administration, the more challenging maneuvers are conducted over the Bay waters and that “commercial airlines fly over The City all the time.” Fleet Week attracts about 1 million people to The City’s waterfront and sinks about $4 million into The City’s economy, according to Leonard. When the Blue Angels did not fly over San Francisco in 2004, attendance and revenue dropped by more than 50 percent, he said. Leonard said Fleet Week comes with a variety of benefits, from boosting the local economy to providing people “a chance to say thanks for the people serving in the military now.” CodePink has launched an online petition, signed by more than 500 people to date, calling on leaders to end the flyovers for reasons of public safety, air pollution and fuel waste. Cox said the resolution would establish that city leaders and the public are not in support of having the Blue Angels. “We can then take the next steps we have to legally stop them,” he said. http://www.examiner.com/a-768103~Daly_backs_move_to_ground_Blue_Angels_show.html

Marines Denied Permission To Film Commercial On The Streets Of San Francisco KGO By Dan Noyes SAN FRANCISCO, Sep. 24, 2007 (KGO) - New York said "yes," but we said "no." Why were the U.S. Marines denied permission to film a recruiting commercial on the streets of San Francisco? San Francisco is, once again, the center of a controversy over how city leaders treat the U.S. military. This time, it involves an elite group of Marines who wanted to film a recruitment commercial in San Francisco on the anniversary of 9/11. The tension has been building in the two weeks since the city turned away members of the Silent Drill Platoon, and it boiled over Monday afternoon at a meeting of the San Francisco Film Commission. The U.S. Marine Silent Drill Platoon performed Monday morning in New York's Times Square. They filmed part of a recruitment commercial through the start of the morning rush hour -- something they could not do in San Francisco on the anniversary of 9/11. "It's insulting, it's demeaning. This woman is going to insult these young heroes by just arbitrarily saying, 'no, you're not going to film any Marines on California Street," said Captain Greg Corrales of the SFPD Traffic Bureau. Captain Greg Corrales commands the police traffic bureau that works with crews shooting commercials, TV shows and movies in the city. He's also a Marine veteran and his son is serving his third tour of duty in Iraq. He says Film Commission Executive Director Stefanie Coyote would only allow the Marine's production crew to film on California Street if there were no Marines in the picture. They wound up filming the empty street and will have to superimpose the Marines later. "Ms. Coyote's politics blinded her to her duty as the director of the Film Commission and as a responsible citizen," said Captain Corrales. We asked Stefanie Coyote why they're not allowing the Marines to shoot on California Street. She wouldn't answer our questions. At today's Film Commission meeting, she said she wouldn't let the Marines film because of rush hour. "Traffic control was the issue," explained Stefanie Coyote. However, the Marines would have just shut down one lane of California Street for a few minutes at a time, and Captain Corrales points out the Film Commission often approves shoots for rush hour. "If they want to get the job done, they find a way to get it done," said Captain Corrales. The city's treatment of the Marines is making many people angry, from local conservatives like Christine Hughes with the San Francisco Republican Party who told us, "it's an embarrassment. I'm a fourth generation San Franciscan and I don't even recognize my city right now." To current and former Marines like Vince Rios, a Vietnam veteran. "I'd like to say, 'does your mother know you're doing this? And if so, is she proud of you for that?'" said Vince Rios. "The city of San Francisco made a statement saying, 'we don't like the war' by shutting down the troops. I don't think that was the right thing to do," explained Eric Snyder, a U.S. Marine. "I wish to hell she would leave her politics at home and take care of the city business and the bridge business on an even keel basis," said Mike Paige, a Korea veteran. The Marines also applied for permits to shoot on the Golden Gate Bridge that same morning, but were turned down because of similar traffic concerns. The end result -- the crew didn't film the Marines in San Francisco at all. They had to go to the National Park Service for permission to shoot in Marin overlooking the bridge and at Kirby Cove. "Golden Gate National Recreation Area is steeped in military tradition and we're honored to be a part of their continued military traditions so we're glad that we could accommodate the shoot," said Amy Brees with the National Park Service. Captain Corrales and several other Marine veterans came to the Film Commission Monday afternoon. They see this as just the latest insult along with the city blocking the USS Iowa from docking here, banning the junior ROTC from high schools, and trying to ban the yearly Blue Angels air show. "This -- a slap in the face of every veteran and every parent of men and women who are doing their duty -- is shameful," said Captain Corrales. The Marines we spoke with also make the point that the city allows street demonstrations, anti-war protests and other events which snarl traffic, such as Critical Mass. They still don't understand why the Marines got turned away. ABC7 Video Extra Watch raw video of the Silent Drill Platoon from Times Square Monday morning below. http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=i_team&id=5673526

Mom takes action after finding sons pics on pedo site 9/22/07 Winnipeg Flickr photo share site is scalped for childrens images.As long as they are not pornographic it is legal.

It is Never gonna end. Illegal immigrants to be granted drivers license in New York 9/23/07 (AP) - New York will allow illegal immigrants who have a valid foreign passport to get a driver's license, with a goal of bringing "people out of the shadows" into American society, Gov. Eliot Spitzer said Friday. New York has between 500,000 and 1 million undocumented immigrants, many of whom are driving without a license and car insurance or with fake driver's licenses, Spitzer said at a news conference announcing the executive order. "They no longer need to hide and pretend they are not here," said Spitzer. "We will not become part of what is propagated on the federal level that if we don't admit they are here then we can somehow not provide services. That is bad policy." Under the new policy, immigrants - regardless of their status - will be permitted to provide a current, verifiable foreign passport in applying for a license. The policy will be phased in over time beginning in December 2007. Similar policies have been adopted in Utah, New Mexico and other states. The change drew the scorn of some Republican lawmakers from New York. Rep. Randy Kuhl, a Republican, said the new policy "undermines the preventive measures that protect our country from national security threats. The September 11, 2001, hijackers had at least 35 licenses, which helped them to rent cars and open bank accounts." "This policy encourages people to flood New York State and wreck havoc on our social services, schools, and hospitals," he added. The shift in policy is geared toward enhanced security, safer streets and a reduction in insurance premiums for all New York drivers by an anticipated $120 million a year, said David Swarts, New York's Motor Vehicles Commissioner. AAA found that unlicensed drivers are more than five times likely to be involved in car accidents, Swarts noted. Michael Balboni, New York's homeland security head, said that the new system actually improves security because it creates public records that can be accessed by law enforcement and others to ensure true identities. "What we are driving towards is the crucial concept in security: One person, one license," Balboni said. Chung-Wha Hong, executive director of the New York Immigration Coalition, called the new policy a victory for the immigrant community. She noted that immigrant New Yorkers who did not have access to a license had a difficult time making it to work and getting their children to school.

I am Sorry we do not do these things for any other Religion and i do not think we should start now!!!!! Foot Washing Basins In Muslim Taxi Cab Rank Triggers Uproar. - Post Media Reply INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- A proposal to install special foot washing basins for Muslim taxi cab drivers at the new Indianapolis airport is angering one local pastor. An airport project spokesman says the idea is out of concern for the health and safety of the drivers, but a pastor sees it as state-sponsored religion. During the Sunday sermon at Hope Baptist Church, Pastor Jerry Hillenburg blasted what he described as a secular government "that is condemning Christianity, lifting its support on the government's dime to the religion of Islam. " At issue is a wash room which is designed specifically for Muslims to sit down and wash their feet before they pray. A proposal calls for such a facility to be built in the taxi drivers' lounge at the new Indianapolis International airport, since 80 percent of cabbies are Muslims. Providing the ablution room, as it's called, goes beyond religious tolerance, said Hillenburg. "It is the establishment of a religion to take taxpayers' dollars on taxpayers' property and build a building that will support that religious entity during its times of prayer and has simply no other purpose," Hillenburg said. "I think this is about a dislike for Islam, it's about a distrust for Islam, a belief that American Muslims that are here are foreign, " said Shariq Siddiqui, who heads the Muslim Alliance of Indiana. He said Muslim groups never asked for the wash room, but he added it makes sense to have a place to get cleaned up. Hillenburg, whose son died fighting in Iraq, believes Americans are "caving in to Islam. It is absolutely unconstitutional and positively discriminatory," Hillenburg said. Siddiqui countered, "The real issue here is Islamophobia; it's not about the Constitution." Both sides agree about one thing: religion in America, they say, is under attack. An airport spokesman says taxpayer money would not be used to build the drivers' lounge. The money, they say, comes from airport usage fees. There is no timeline for deciding whether or not to build the basins.

I am a label shopper. I may only have a few things that i know of (you never know what is in what you by. You can have a Made in USA product with china components) But i really wondering if it is not time for everyone to really look at the labels. These are the things our children play with, Our loved ones Drive on, things we use every day. But something to remember and it really , really pisses me off. I by alot of Mattel and Fisher Price for my grandkids. Why am i paying Fisher Price Prices (your know what i am talking about) for stuff made in China that has oh so low wages? Anyway here is the story below. Brand China struggles under the weight of product recalls China is struggling to protect its brand; the country has been hit repeatedly over the last several months with product recalls that would make Ford blush. First it was the diethylene glycol as glycerin problems in Panama that can only be described as tragic - Beijing’s assertion that the blame fell to the Panamanians, a sad indication that they hoped the problem would just go away. What followed was a cavalcade of tainted products; toothpaste, fish, tires, toys, the list keeps growing. The New York Times said on Tuesday that baby bibs made in China and sold at the U.S. toy outlet Toys”R”Us have been found to be contaminated with lead paint. The hits keep coming. China has been caught up in a vicious news cycle, and it looks like it will continue for some time as Beijing appears incapable of shifting the story. A lack of qualified spinmeisters in the Chinese government doesn’t help either. The most common reaction has been to first deny the problem, when that tactic become untenable, blame the foreign media for blowing this out of proportion. It is only after several weeks of continued pressure from external (Western media, governments, NGOs) and internal (consumers, bloggers, an increasingly outspoken media) that Beijing has been forced to announce remedies, solutions, or when all else fails, a pre-selected scapegoat to take the fall for the system. But by the time the announcements are being made that Zheng Xiaoyu was sentenced to death or a new regulatory body would be established to monitor overseas food shipments, the damage had been done. It all sounds a bit too familiar. Critics argue that Beijing’s handling of SARS allowed the virus to spread worldwide. And it’s China’s lack of transparency that is raising global concern over bird flu and what appears to be a particularly virulent strain of blue-ear pig disease. Beijing has recognized that no longer can it simply report what it wants, and expect the media to toe the line. Imagethief commented last month on China’s commitment to change, saying that he was grateful to see that CCP was finally taking PR seriously. Imagethief firmly believes a more contemporary approach to public relations and media management will benefit the party, which remains rather mired in the “shut up and do what I tell you” tradition of media management. As a PR man I can appreciate the attractiveness and elegance of this model, but I must also concede that it is less effective than it may once have been. I’m pretty sure if I tried “shut up and do what I tell you” on the Wall Street Journal I’d get a steno pad crammed up my nose. The efforts to save the brand are showing some positive results. New regulations are being put in place, enforcement, long a difficult proposition in places where they still say “Heaven is high and the emperor is far away,” has been stepped up, and China is finally learning that avoiding news deemed to be a problem doesn’t always result in that problem going away. The Made in China brand will bounce back, too much of the world is using it for there to be a significant backlash, but toy sales in the United States and Europe in the coming holiday season will no doubt be lower for products made in the Middle Kingdom. http://www.china-briefing.com/blog/2007/08/16/brand-china-struggles-under-the-weight-of-product-recalls.html

Mattel Product Recalls Date Description Product # 09/4/2007 Barbie® Accessory Sets Lead Paint Hazard Recall K8609 K8608 K8607 K8606 K8613 J9485 J9486 09/4/2007 GeoTrax™ Engine Lead Paint Hazard Recall H5705 K3013 09/4/2007 It's a Big Big World™ Lead Paint Hazard Recall K9343 08/14/2007 Mattel Playsets with Magnet Hazard Recall J1944 J1946 J4142 J5114 J5115 G4457 G4458 G4459 G4460 G4461 G4462 G4464 G9703 H1530 H1532 H1533 B7124 B2632 B3158 B3201 B3203 B3204 B3207 B3209 B3210 B3211 B3396 B7078 B7082 B7118 B7125 B7127 B7129 B8478 B9521 B9522 B9523 B9525 B9578 B9929 C0504 C0505 C1341 C1342 G8602 G8605 G8612 G8614 G8615 H1537 H1538 H1553 H1554 H3211 J1659 J1661 J1662 J1670 J1681 J1687 J1695 J4169 J4170 J4171 J4172 J9305 J9306 J9648 J9965 J9966 K3460 08/14/2007 Barbie® Doll and Tanner™ Magnet Hazard Recall J9472 J9560 08/14/2007 Pixar Cars Sarge Lead Paint Hazard Recall H6414 M1253 K5925 L6294 L4051 08/01/2007 Fisher-Price Toys with Lead Paint Hazard Recall H5570 J6763 L5202 L3507 B7888 90267 90267 H3344 H5569 J6765 L5813 93107 G9717 93492 J0338 H9124 K3580 H4628 K3571 J0346 93493 J6537 H9125 K0617 H8236 34658 33662 93615 J0343 H9186 L3194 H8237 90614 33664 B7554 J0344 H9188 H4187 H8238 87946 90611 B7989 J0345 H2943 L3215 M0524 93780 C6908 H9203 K4139 L0305 M0527 90609 93308 90745 C6911 J9518 K4140 M0351 M2051 90613 93307 C6909 C6910 J9692 M0352 M2052 90612 39054 B7987 B9620 K3414 J5935 G5112 J7983 93068 39038 J6762 J5936 J2248 M0732 G3825 33663 H3343 Sold in Canada H6859 J1136 J9451 K9287 L5342 H4650 H4649 K0730 K2448 05/30/2007 Rainforest™ Open Top Take-Along Swing™ Recall K7203 02/15/2007 Laugh & Learn™ Learning Bunny™ Recall K0468 K5862 K6898 K7884 L0327 11/20/2006 Polly Pocket!™ Assortments B2632 B3201 B3158 G8605 H3211 H1538 H1537 B7118 1/18/2006 Laugh & Learn™ Musical Learning Chair™ Recall H4609 H7168 6/14/2005 Power Wheels Lightning PAC™ Tire Recall 73530 6/14/2005 Power Wheels MX3™ Mini Bike Tire Recall 73535 5/10/2005 Grow-To-Pro® Recall 73386 77356 5/10/2005 Lil' Wagster Dragster™ B0335 4/14/2004 BATMAN™ BATMOBILE™ Vehicle B4944 11/13/2003 Power Wheels MX3 Mini Bike 73535 B2222 11/13/2003 Power Wheels Lightning PAC™ 73530 6/19/2003 Sparkling Symphony™ Mobile 71985 4/23/2003 Little People® Animal Sounds Farm™ 77973 77746 4/10/2002 Smart Response™ Swing 79645 79647 79644 7/31/2001 Bassinet 79336 79338 79334 7/31/2001 Grow to Pro® Basketball 72408 3/29/2001 Intelli-Table 77148 8/31/2000 Power Wheels Harley-Davidson® Motorcycle 74290 74293 74298 8/23/2000 Get Up And Go Walker 71207 8/23/2000 Lock & Lift Swing 75970 75980 75973 72092 75960 7/21/2000 Big Action™ Construction 72028 7/21/2000 Hop Skip Jumper 79144 79146 4/7/2000 3-in-1 Cradle Swing 79322 79321 4/7/2000 Bounce 'n Play Activity Dome™ 79534 12/31/1998 Grow to Pro® Basketball 72275 10/22/1998 Power Wheels 8/4/1998 Safe Embrace™ Convertible Car Seat 79700 Still Have Questions? www.recalls.gov.

This fight will not go away. In Iraq tomorrow or Out of Iraq Tomorrow. Islamic Fundamentalist MUST me routed out and stopped. BERLIN -- A senior State Department official said German investigators have determined that the Frankfurt International Airport and the nearby U.S. Ramstein Air Base were the primary targets of a plot by three suspected Islamic terrorists. The State Department official said those arrested may have also been planning strikes on other sites, particularly facilities associated with the United States. The official says the threat had been a major reason the U.S. Embassy in Berlin had boosted security and issued two warnings in April and May about possible impending terrorist attacks. A judge has ordered that three suspects accused of plotting massive bomb attacks on U.S. facilities in Germany be held pending trial. Prosecutors said the three suspected Islamic terrorists are from an al-Qaida-influenced group that had "profound hatred" of U.S. citizens. Prosecutors said the three, two of whom are German converts to Islam, had trained at camps in Pakistan run by the Islamic Jihad Union, a group based in Central Asia. They said they had obtained some 1,500 pounds of hydrogen peroxide for making explosives. German defense minister Franz Josef Jung told German broadcaster ARD that there was an "imminent threat." A German public broadcast station said the suspects were picked up Tuesday night and were close to carrying out attacks. A spokesman for the National Security Council said President George W. Bush has been briefed on the arrests and that he's "pleased a potential attack was thwarted." Ramstein serves as a major transport hub for U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. A spokesman for the Germany-based U.S. European Command said it has been notified but doesn't have any information on the specific nature of the plot. Authorities had apparently been keeping an eye on them since they were spotted observing a U.S. military facility last year. The head of Germany's Federal Crime Office said the bombs could have been more powerful than the bombs that killed scores of people in London and Madrid. As for the timing, one German lawmaker notes next Tuesday is the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. http://www.wapt.com/news/14046794/detail.html