posted on November 8, 2007 05:06:07 AM new
This is important for anyone thinking about getting this toy for Christmas. There is a chemical in the beads that turns to GHB when ingested. Distributed by a Canadian company but manufactured in. . .can you guess? CHINA.
posted on November 8, 2007 06:20:48 AM new
SHOCKING! Another fine product from China. The old saying "You get what you pay for" applies here. You pay cheap expect cheap crap. I tried to buy canned mushrooms every one of them was a Produt of China. Even our food is coming from there. If you have ever been to Asia you know their sanitary conditions are horrible not to mention the total disregard for product safety and the environment. I have been trying to steer away from cheap crap from China. Difficult yes, but not impossible.
posted on November 8, 2007 07:21:49 AM new
I don't know if this also applies to the US, but we had a television program here in Canada about the dangers of food from China, especially fish products which can contain something called malachite green. They use it as an antibacterial in the fish hatcheries, it is banned for use in N. America, but turns up in the imported fish. Apparently, very few frozen shrimp etc. are from anywhere except China. Also, something that we found appaliing is that if a company buys a bulk product from China, like frozen apple juice, and the packaging costs more than the product inside, they can put "Product of Canada" on the label. We check every label, but now we don't even know if we can trust the labels.
Do you also know that even the BIG cereal manufacturers get some of their ingredients from China, but you would never know that.
They showed pictures of noodles hanging over open sewers, and they were covered with flies. I wonder how many end up on North American store shelves?
Something else that shocked us what the China has the market on Vitamin C pills. Apart from them, only one small company in Scotland makes them.
posted on November 8, 2007 07:43:58 AM new
Amber, I saw a report about fish too. In the U.S., all fish packages are supposed to be marked with the country of origin. The report (it was on Good Morning America), suggests if the country of origin isn't the U.S. - don't buy the fish.
Evidently the fish is only rarely checked, but when it is, about 50 to 60% of it fails inspections. The inspectors labeled most of the rejected fish poisonous and/or filthy.
posted on November 8, 2007 08:45:25 AM new
I didn't realize how popular Aquadots are- just heard on the radio they are on Walmart's most popular toys list, and the coating turns into the date rape drug when ingested.
posted on November 8, 2007 09:17:32 AM new
So now do we have to worry about drug dealers selling Aquadots on street corners? I know you can't get them in stores anymore, but how many people who have them would be willing to sell them to someone for a hefty profit? There are some very unscrupulous people out there.
posted on November 8, 2007 09:44:55 AM new
Yeah - tell your daughters and their friends to be aware of any boys or men asking them to eat a child's toy -- it might be an attempt to make them unconscious so they can do what they want!
Okay - Darwin must be laughing at what's going on now. How true his hypothesis on survival of the fittest.
Don't get me wrong, because our children need protection because so many parents aren't able or equipped to do it on their own any more...
Let's not continue to foster inccorect information though. I heard the report that many hear mentioned - and heard it from other sources as well. There's a big difference between "it becomes GHB" and "it results in the same symptoms derived from GHB" -- I don't think any of the reports said anything about the material "containing" GHB.
If you heard that, I would check the accuracy of other things you hear from that news source as well.
posted on November 8, 2007 10:34:17 AM new
My comments about drug dealers was made in jest. Gesh, I'm not an idiot.
The fact still remains that a Chinese company chose to use a toxic glue that was far cheaper than the non-toxic glue they were supposed to be using. I'm willing to bet they charged the Canadian company for the more expensive glue and pocketed the rest.
posted on November 8, 2007 11:48:18 AM new
Cheryl,
I totally understand the jest - and my comment was intended the same way.
I think your comment is indicative of what we're all experiencing and I'd like to suggest we all take a step back - spin around in your chair (hold on tight) and realize that we are wrapped tightly and need to smile a little more - and not take every comment as an affront on our good nature.
My new sig line should be:
"Sometimes, we have to realize that we're but spectators in this circus of a world - or we'll end up with the clowns in the center ring."
(edited because I couldn't get this damn board to show italic text... After seeing the confirmation that I was doing most of it correctly, I tried capitalizing the "I" and that worked just fine. Go figure. Would have thought that it would have worked in lower case as well..)
[ edited by TheFamilyBiz on Nov 8, 2007 03:50 PM ]
posted on November 8, 2007 12:13:12 PM new
Somewhat OT:
GHB is a victim of mass hysteria and misinformation. It can be a very useful supplement, and was until a decade ago sold in vitamin stores. I personally used it for a while, years ago, before the ban, when I had insomnia.
From http://www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/ghb_01.htm:
In Europe, GHB has been used as an anaesthetic and experimentally to treat alcohol withdrawal (Gallimberti, 1989).
GHB has been marketed in England as an anti-aging medicine which allegedly increases the libido, decreases body fat, aids alcohol withdrawal, and induces sleep.
FWIW, the liquid version tasted so horrible that I always wondered how drunk someone had to be to have it slipped into their drink. There was no way to mistake its taste for any alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage, and the taste would cut right through anything. It would be like not noticing someone had emptied a salt shaker into your drink.
posted on November 8, 2007 12:18:14 PM new
What I heard is that when ingested, it becomes GHB and when metabolized, it becomes GHB. Neither scenario sounds good.
[ edited by pixiamom on Nov 8, 2007 12:18 PM ]
posted on November 8, 2007 12:26:54 PM new
Don't believe everything you read about GHB.
I'm not supportive of it being on a child's toy, or any of the other flagrant safety issues with imported items.
All I'm saying that I was not alone in being shocked at the hysteria around GHB when it was banned; many people took it safely and legally for years, and it worked for them. For me, it was the only sleep aid I've ever taken that didn't leave me groggy the next day (and since I don't drink alcohol, there was no danger of mixing the two, which is not recommended).
As it is, my insomnia is long gone, so it's purely an academic issue for me.
posted on November 8, 2007 02:12:18 PM newAll I'm saying that I was not alone in being shocked at the hysteria around GHB
I'm willing to bet all the women who were raped because of the drug weren't shocked, but were instead relieved. It may have had good uses, but so did opium at one time.
posted on November 9, 2007 05:22:21 AM new
I agree, GHB used for what is what intended is a useful drug, however, not to commit rape, and not for children and in an unspecified dose! I guess children have been having seizures. My little 6 year old granddaughter told my daughter that she only wanted one gift at Christmas, that was Aquadots. We have already had to take away some of her Polly Pockets. She might not put things in her mouth, but she has 2 little brothers. It's very sad, especially for the children who have been damaged by these toys. By the way, my granddaugter decided if she couldn't have Aquadots, she would have a Polly Pockets House, she told her Mum it was 3 books high, then my daughter realized it was 3 stories!
posted on November 9, 2007 05:32:20 AM new
"I'm willing to bet all the women who were raped because of the drug weren't shocked, but were instead relieved. It may have had good uses, but so did opium at one time."
... and so do alcohol and antibiotics and gambling and guns and duct tape. All abused and legal. Duct tape, from what I understand, is the #1 binding of choice for psychopaths; should we make it illegal?
I wish it were legal and I could ask you to take a small drop (1% of an adult dose) and put it on the tip of your tongue... and then tell me that you could have it "slipped" to you unawares. Rape is rape, and horrible no matter what the pre-rape situation was, but I honestly believe that the women had to knowingly ingest it. It doesn't excuse what happened later, and please remember that I'm the father of two daughters, but it tastes so awful that I can't believe anyone could take it without knowing it.
Edited to add: I hope it goes without saying that I don't condone or accept its presence in children's toys, or anywhere where its presence is non-medical.
[ edited by Cashinyourcloset on Nov 9, 2007 05:33 AM ]
posted on November 9, 2007 06:40:29 AM new
The problem with GHB is that they drop it into a woman's drink. If you're drinking a mixed drink, I'm sure you aren't going to notice the GHB. I drink vodka and soda and I doubt I'd taste the GHB, especially after I've had a few of them. LOL!
posted on November 9, 2007 10:32:19 AM new
Pixiamom,
I don't recommend this for everyone , but I cured both my insomnia and my bad back when my ex-wife and I decided to separate.
My chiropractor, a born-again very religious woman, told me shortly afterwards that as much as it pained her to say so, she was now working on an entirely different back.
The bad back was also helped tremendously by doing squats, something that most chiropractors actually discourage. If you do them with proper form, it will strengthen your core muscles. If you do them improperly, you will be in trouble. I worked my raggedy self up to squatting 350 pounds and never had another backache.
posted on November 9, 2007 10:33:55 AM new
PS Cheryl, there is no mixed drink in the world that can mask that flavor. Dump a salt shaker in a small glass of water, stir well, and take a sip. That's half as bad as GHB.
posted on November 9, 2007 10:47:58 AM new
Cash, I am amazed at people who can do squats. I remember trying them in the 3rd grade, kept falling forward - and it has been downhill ever since. My son, who has inherited his father's sense of balance and body type, frequently squats. I already got rid of the ex - maybe it's time to ditch espresso.
posted on November 9, 2007 11:35:19 AM new
pixiamom,
And just think, ditching espresso would actually SAVE you money! Getting out of a loveless marriage was great in terms of health and happiness, but it sure was expensive for me.
I also cut back on coffee, but I drink more than enough iced tea to make up for it. I'm really addicted to Diet Peach Snapple.
Regarding squats, the trick is to think that you're sitting down on a chair when you begin the motion, and to do it in a squat rack so that you don't worry about the consequences if you can't hold the weight. Alternatively, just do lots and lots of body weight squats; they're still good for you, and you really can't hurt yourself (if hurting your pride doesn't count).
, but I cured both my insomnia and my bad back when my ex-wife and I decided to separate.