Chinese Product Rant.

I am lying on the couch with a stomach ache and thinking about China... and about baking a cake.

Soy sauce made from unclean human hair from hospitals and barbershop floors? 110 people DEAD in Panama from tainted cough syrup? Tainted pet food that killed dogs and cats all across America? Lead in children's toys? Not to mention all sorts of carcinogens.. Liver-damaging chemicals in toothpaste (some used as mini-versions in fancy hotels in the U.S.)? Fake drugs and medical products that led to the leader of China's version of the FDA to be executed for his crimes? Did you know that "at least 300 million Chinese citizens—roughly the same number as the entire U.S. population—suffer from food-borne diseases annually, according to a recent report by the Asian Development Bank and World Health Organization"??? DO YOUR RESEARCH, PEOPLE. Amanda's Rant: Need I tell you to stop shopping at Wal-Mart and other big-box stores? Stay away from Made-In-China products as much as you possibly can! Pay a little more and buy quality materials that will last you a long time. Our throwaway society is destroying the planet and ourselves. Read up on our reliance on Chinese products and the lack of human rights, environmental and quality standards with Chinese manufacturing. Then, take your shock and vote with your dollars. Think about who you are supporting and where you are giving your money. Shop locally wherever possible! Think about whether or not you need the new piece of crap you think you do... you will probably be pleasantly surprised. Us humans don't need so much. Stop consuming so much. Think. Think. Think. Pretty please. It is past the tipping point. We cannot turn this around, but we can make our own impact by changing the way we live. 1. Newsweek article on this mess: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19650857/site/newsweek/ 2. List of this years' recalls from Chinese products: http://www.who-sucks.com/business/made-in-china-2007-danger-timeline