Free Republic

17:52 in: "To relieve the strain on our forces, my budget increases the number of our soldiers and marines. "And to keep the sacred trust with those we serve, we will raise their pay and give our veterans the expanded heath care and benefits that they have earned."

When Americans eat gummy bears, we blithely assume that “bear” is not actually an ingredient. But travel to Great Britain, and that’s not an assumption one should make. After all, Percy Pigs — a candy that debuted around World War I — gets its name not just from the smiling piggy face, but also from the pork gelatin that gives the candy its bulk. In fact, in many spots around the world, sweets are not always sweet. Sure, nothing says “I love you” like candy, but the translation can vary greatly, placing the mung bean, the chili pepper and even...

New York -- End war, forever. Make the planet greener. Please help my dad find work. Make it rain candy! Thousands of kids detailed their hopes and expectations for President Obama in letters and drawings as part of a "Dear Mr. President" project, with 150 chosen for publication in a free e-book being released today, on Presidents Day.

A suburban Detroit woman has decided to scare up the vote among neighborhood children by just offering treats to John McCain supporters. Shirley Nagel of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., handed out candy Friday only to those who shared her support for the Republican presidential candidate and his running mate Sarah Palin. Others were turned away empty-handed. TV station WJBK, Fox 2 News says a sign outside Nagel’s house warned: “No handouts for Obama supporters, liars, tricksters or kids of supporters.” Nagel calls Democrat Barack Obama “scary.” When asked about children who were turned away empty-handed and crying, she said: “Oh...

Video here

With so many American children struggling with obesity, you may not find joy in handing out globules of empty Halloween calories. The typical jack-o'-lantern bucket holds 250 small chocolate bars (about 9,000 calories), and 20 percent of kids eat every last piece they collect. If you don't want to be the neighborhood Scrooge who's giving out apples and dental floss—or worse, pulling toilet paper from your trees the next day—try these tricks to treat their sweet tooths without expanding their waistlines.

In the days leading up to Halloween, a "Made in China" stamp on a bag of candy can give some parents a bigger fright than the most ghoulish of costumes. Fears about contamination, specifically from the toxic chemical compound melamine, have prompted some parents to take a closer look at where candies are coming from. "I am absolutely worried about what my kids are going to bring home this Halloween," said Megan Zandstra, mother to three young children. Zandstra says she has been receiving e-mails from friends who have been spreading the word about melamine, and specifically about the news...

The 10 Most Disappointing Treats for Trick-or-Treaters On Halloween night, some houses struggle with the idea of candy. There are good houses, and there are bad houses. The best trick-or-treaters know to avoid the latter. At the food site Serious Eats, we all love Halloween, but wish certain homes would just stop handing out the classically bad "treats." They weren't good last year, the year before that, or now. Our own Erin Zimmer put together this list of our top 10 Halloween treats that nobody wants... Toothbrushes Dentists and orthodontists should not be allowed to celebrate Halloween if they're going...

A Burlingame company is recalling a candy product after the California Department of Public Health warned consumers Friday of a harmful chemical compound detected in some candies. White Rabbit Candy, sold by the Burlingame-based Queensway Foods Company, is being recalled after testing detected the presence of melamine in some candies at levels up to 520 parts per million, according to the department of public health. The candy was produced by China, which has been associated with contaminated infant formula and other milk protein products containing melamine. The harmful compound has also been associated with a large recall of pet food,...

Australia and New Zealand issued recalls Thursday for an imported Chinese candy that was found to contain the industrial chemical melamine. New Zealand Food Safety Authority spokesman Geoff Allen said Thursday morning that he expected the White Rabbit Creamy Candies to be off shelves within 24 hours. "This product contains sufficiently high levels of melamine which may, in some individuals, cause health problems such as kidney stones," deputy chief executive Sandra Daly said in a statement posted Wednesday on the agency's Web site. "The levels we have found in these products are unacceptable."

AP story via Fox News. Link only Link

Parents seek to stop candy throwing at parades Some British Columbia in are trying to end the practice of throwing candy from floats during parades.   DAWSON CREEK, B.C. — Some British Columbia in are trying to end the practice of throwing candy from floats during parades.The campaign in Dawson Creek is the latest effort by people concerned about children bolting into the parade to scoop up the sweets. Efforts to end candy tossing have been adopted in Kamloops, Prince George and Fort St. John.A Fort St. John town council member and parade marshal, Larry Evans, says float drivers...

CHICAGO (AP) — Snickers and M&Ms candy maker Mars Inc. is buying Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., which makes Juicy Fruit and Doublemint gum and Life Savers, for about $23 billion in cash.

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut (AP) -- School officials have decided to go light on an eighth-grader caught with contraband candy in New Haven, Connecticut. Michael Sheridan, an eighth-grade honors student who was suspended for a day, barred from attending an honors dinner and stripped of his title as class vice president after he was caught with a bag of Skittles candy in school will get his student council post back, school officials said. Superintendent Reginald Mayo said in a statement late Wednesday that he and principal Eleanor Turner met with student Michael's parents and that Turner decided to clear the boy's...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) -- Contraband candy has led to big trouble for an eighth-grade honors student. Michael Sheridan was stripped of his title as class vice president, barred from attending an honors student dinner and suspended for a day after buying a bag of Skittles from a classmate. The New Haven school system banned candy sales in 2003 as part of a district-wide school wellness policy, said school spokeswoman Catherine Sullivan-DeCarlo. Shelli Sheridan, Michael's mother, said he is a top student with no previous disciplinary problems. "It's too much. It's too unfair," she said. "He's never even had a...

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Just before Valentine's Day, See's Candies has announced it is recalling 16-ounce bags of its Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips. The company said the candies may contain undeclared traces of milk. People with severe milk allergies are warned that eating the candies can result in serious or life-threatening allergic reactions. Concerned consumers who bought the product should return them to the shops where they were purchased for a full refund.

Strip's residents treated to flowers, candy following news of Dimona bombing. Hamas members: Palestinian organizations can still strike back at Israel in spite of war waged against them Ali Waked Published: 02.04.08, 15:23 / Israel News As word of the suicide bombing in Dimona spread Monday, Gaza residents were treated to celebratory wreaths of flowers as well as sweets that were handed to drivers and passers-by. Gaza motorists receiving the treats and sweets also honked their horns in triumph and celebration. The "party" was somewhat marred when word spread that Abu Sa'ad, a senior member and spokesman for the Salah...

My boss's Sister In Law put this on eBay.

ISE, Japan, Oct. 26 — It was supposed to be a celebratory year for Akafuku, a confectioner that had been selling bean-jam sweets here since 1707. On its 300th anniversary, its top-selling sweets were still indispensable gifts to bring back home or to the office after a trip to Ise Shrine here, Japan's holiest religious site. Instead, Akafuku has become the latest Japanese food company to be exposed for lying about the contents of its products, tampering with expiration-date labels and recycling ingredients. For only the second time in its history, Akafuku, which was forced to halt production during World...

Filipino children hospitalised after eating Chinese candy AFP - Friday, October 5MANILA, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) - Twenty-three children in the Philippines were hospitalised after eating sweets made in China, officials said Friday. The pupils, aged nine and 10, were rushed to hospital on Thursday suffering from stomache aches, vomiting and dizziness after eating candy given out at a birthday party on Bantayan Island near Cebu. Romelo Mates, an adviser at an elementary school in the town of Madridejos, said that according to its wrapper, the Ube Milk Candy was made in Guandong, China. Mates told local media the children...