It’s Recall-arama Monday! Here are three recalls worthy of note. I’m sure there are hundreds more out there, but we must address the kitties, the blinds and the Chinese washing machines that will kill you. Yes, kill you! Whether or not you’re a monk, dressed in an orange robe, or a pesky democracy demonstrator. Just be an American washing your clothes and you might get nailed.
1) GE recalls China-manufactured washing machines over safety fears
GE has launched a US recall of China-manufactured washing machines amid fears that certain appliances can catch fire and electrocute consumers.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with GE, announced a voluntary recall of around 181,000 of its GE Front-Load Washing Machines. It is believed that a wire can break in the machines and make contact with a metal part on the washtub while the machine is operating, posing fire and shock hazards to consumers.
The appliances, which were manufactured in China, were sold at department and various retail stores across the US from December 2006 through May 2010 for about $700.
Consumers are advised to immediately stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.
2) Ikea Recalls 3.36 Million Blinds Over Strangulation Risk
After receiving a report that a 1-1/2 year old child nearly strangled to death on a loose cord, Ikea — along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada — has issued a recall on all Roman and Roll-up blinds, as well as roller blinds that do not have a tension device attached to the bead chain, sold between Jan. 1998 and June 2009.
3) FDA Announces Cat Food Recall!
The FDA has announced that Proctor & Gamble is recalling a number of canned cat foods due to low levels of Thiamine. Iams Proactive Health canned Cat & Kitten food, which is found in most pet stores here at the Jersey Shore, is the food being recalled. The recalled cans come in two sizes: 3 ounce and the 5.5 ounce w/the dates of 9/2011-6/2012. The date can be found on the bottom of the cans.
As a former sears appliance salesman I say buy Kenmore!!! The G.E washers we sold were crap and the fridges G.E made were the most energy inefficient.
A child’s death is beyond words, however, I do not feel IKEA should take the blame for this one. What parent in the 21st century doesn’t understand that children can be strangled by loose cords?
Parents are the only protection children have against the many dangers in our world. Part of the stress modern parents have, especially with babies and toddlers, comes from trying to child-proof everything in sight. I don’t know how a baby was able to find that blind cord, but tragic as it is, the child’s caretaker must share in the responsibility. Why was the child left unattended for a period long enough to strangle? Or are we to forbid the use of spoons and forks for everyone because a careless parent allows a child to use one to poke out an eye? Being a parent means being ever vigilant. This summer has not yet begun, and already we have cases of young children drowning in family swimming pools. How many will die this year?
Accidents do happen, inspite our our best efforts, but when they do we need to take a breath and not think we can always prevent them by banning everything in sight. We must always be vigilant, at the same time teaching our children how to be responsible, and we need to discern how much personal responsbility a child of a certain age is capable of handling.
Recently a 16 year old tried to sail around the world by herself. Her father had done it. Her brother had done it. She grew up with the skills that convinced her parents she was capable of doing it as well. I think had she been a he, we would have not heard as many negative comments, but rather praise for the efforts. I have to assume that her parents were confident she could do it, and with a bit more luck, she might have. They raised her to to be a responsible person, aware of danger, but not intimidated by it. Shall we pass a law that forbids anyone from attempting her trip because next time a possible rescue might not be successful?
When you look at a newborn child and begin to see in your mind what the future has in store, it is terrifying. You can almost see those first steps, the first bruised knee, the lanky teenager, and you wonder how you will manage all that is to come. It is overwhelming to be a parent, and realizing that a young life is entirely dependent upon you should also make you realize that nothing else in the world is as important as raising that child with constant attention and care. And hopefully, with a bit of luck, they grow up and make you proud.
Banning cords is not going to do anything to remove the grief the family of that child is suffering, nor is it going to end accidental deaths in toddlers.
i still refuse to buy IAMS because it was high on the list of recalled items in the big pet food recall of a few years ago. not that i ever bought it mind you. it’s over priced crap that isn’t any better for your pet than other brand names- the company just gives things to vets to sell and promote it. IAMS was perhaps still is also involved in animal testing- the bad unnecessary cruel kind.
any string on just about any set of blinds can strangle a child or pet- that’s why you being the responsible adult pull them up and out of reach.
all this crap is such cheap crap because its such cheap crap produced by slaves and made to fall apart and be replaced by more cheap crap. people just won’t pay more for stuff and have no understanding that something better made and more expensive might be more cost effective and last longer in the end. i had my previous tv for over 20 years with not one problem. i just had to take apart the 4 year old one and replace several hundred dollars worth of parts- and i got exceptional mileage out of the unit compared to other people. if i didn’t know how to fix it myself i could have bought a brand new up to date model for what it would have cost to have someone else do it. we live like czars compared to other people and previous generations-czars surrounded by mountains of cheap but still amazing technology and we still can’t plug the damn hole or make freakin’ pet food that doesn’t kill.
How much do you want to bet that the McDonald’s Shrek glasses were made in China too, and only IMPORTED by this New Jersey company? No one is wanting to say where they were made.
go buy one. the country of origin is stamped on the bottom (unless they removed it). China.
See, this is a problem MUCH bigger than anyone realizes. You can’t even buy friggin’ TRASH BAGS that aren’t made in China. Seriously, go somewhere and check.
Hmmm…unemployment at an all-time high, we owe more money to China than we’ll EVER be able to repay, China is trying to KILL US with their sub-standard life-threatening CRAP, and our “leader” won’t fly the American flag at a damned press conference while he’s swearing at us.
(1) Give tax breaks to U.S. companies that operate HERE, thereby…
(2) Create jobs, thereby…
(3) Stop China from owning the United States, thereby…
(4) Create happy U.S. consumers that aren’t afraid to use their damned coffee makers (etc.)…
(5) YOU DUMB BASTARD
God forbid we have ONE MORE “9/11” event while this jack-of-all-asses is in office, the Chinese flag is gonna be flying over the damned White House. At the rate he’s going it might end up there before 2012 regardless of sh*t happening…
Only the teleprompter knows for sure…
Not just all of this, but our “leaders” are borrowing all kinds of money from China to pay for “stimulus”, “cash for clunkers”, etc.
My wife is from Malaysia, of Chinese ancestry. She’s the only “Chinese product” I have that I really love.
Can I ask a stupid question? Why do we have pet food imported from China to begin with?
What is this where everything we have is not manufactured in America?
For crying out loud look at what the Greatest Generation produced during World War II and now 60 years later we cannot produce food for a kitten? I mean ok they probably got food scraps then, but come on now, we need to start manufacturing big time in this country and dump the China products, maybe that would plug up the hole
in most cases it’s the vitamin components of the food that are made in china- not the food itself. most of the food in the last recall was manufactured here in the US. there is not one company in the USA that makes these components and additives- even for human consumption in our own foods and in our human supplemental vitamins. these chemicals are all universally made in china. we no longer have the factories that manufacture them.
Well then we need to start building the factories to manufacture them, there are the American jobs. This is ASININE!! How is it that we do no longer have the factories??? Please don’t tell me it is due to outsourcing….
As I understand it, we no longer have factories because of labor laws, including minimum wage laws. It doesn’t take much brain power to stand in an assembly line and do one skill over and over. We used to have children and teenagers doing it, but then unions got involved and decided that people doing factory work needed a “living wage.” So because of the subsequent government regulation, companies took their businesses to places where people were grateful to work for a fraction of the cost. The proposed solution? More government regulation in the form of tariffs or penalties for companies who outsource, which will only make our consumer products more expensive. The same people who were indignant over “child labor” and wages are now the ones who want to turn their noses up at products from China. That’s what liberalism gives you.