A Must Read for Pet Owners - Industry Responds to Reports of Lead in Wal-Mart Pet Toys

This article is from ConsumerAffairs.com. They recently tested a number of pet toys from Wal-Mart and, you guessed it, found elevated numbers of heavy metals in them. This is, of course, bad for the pets, but if you also have children, those same children also play with the pet toys, too. So it's a concern.

An interesting thing is Wal-mart's response; expected, but interesting nonetheless. Read on...

Industry Responds to Reports of Lead in Wal-Mart Pet Toys:
"“Our Boston Terrier kept throwing up and we finally narrowed it down to the toy squirrel we had purchased for her. After looking at the label and noting it was ‘Made in China’ we then looked at all the other pet toys we've purchased. Every single one said ‘Made in China.’

“Once we took the toy squirrel away from her toy box, she stopped throwing up,” Kathy added. “We tried giving it back to her and she started throwing up again . . . pet toys from China are harming and perhaps killing our pets.”"

IBM Licenses 45nm Technology To Chinese Foundry | Tom's Hardware

IBM Licenses 45nm Technology To Chinese Foundry | Tom's Hardware: "Some concerns have been raised over exporting 45nm technology to a Chinese company as there are several export laws limiting the transfer of advancement technologies and processes to China.

China Link Suspected in Lab Hacking - New York Times

China Link Suspected in Lab Hacking - New York Times:
"SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 8 — A cyber attack reported last week by one of the federal government’s nuclear weapons laboratories may have originated in China, according to a confidential memorandum distributed Wednesday to public and private security officials by the Department of Homeland Security."

Get ready for more of this as US companies send orders to China

Detroit stamping company goes under, converts to Chapter 7:
"Solar Stamping asked the court to convert the case to Chapter 7 earlier this month because GM was finalizing its plans to obtain parts from another supplier and because its financing was set to expire."

See story below for GM's plans to build in China.

There may be an upside to the Chinese toy debacle

Parents shy away from Chinese toys:

"Instead of a small mountain of toys under the Christmas tree, the Donais family of Windsor is opting for fewer presents, quality time with family and gifts that spur the imagination of their three-year-old daughter. And the shift is largely due to concerns over the safety of Chinese-made toys."

Any time personal interaction is substituted for consumerism, it's a good thing. Let's keep it up.

Chinese-made miter saws are recalled : Science Technology

Chinese-made miter saws are recalled : Science Technology: "The WMH Tool Group Inc. of Elgin, Ill., initiated the recall when it was determined the Chinese-made saws' handle switch can fail, causing the saw to smoke, spark and trip circuit breakers, thereby disabling the safety brake. The saw also can keep operating unless the unit is unplugged, posing a laceration hazard to consumers."

Laceration hazard? I know a (former) guitarist who cut off all four fingers of his left hand with a properly functioning saw. What happens with one that doesn't turn off?

Just when cars were starting to get pretty good...

GM plans Chinese-made hybrid cars -- china.org.cn: "

General Motors Corp will build hybrid cars in China from 2008 in time for the Beijing Olympics next August, Automotive News said, citing Martin Murray, the car maker's manager of Asia-Pacific hybrid engineering.

The cars will have GM's four-cylinder Ecotec engine, which is made in China, the report said. The auto maker hasn't said which models it will make in the country and when they will go on sale, Auto News added. Murray wouldn't specify how many vehicles will be built, it said.

Toyota Motor Corp's Prius, the only hybrid assembled in China, went into production in December 2005. Hybrids use gasoline or diesel engines and electric motors to power the wheels, Auto News said.