Free Republic

SACRAMENTO — California Fish and Game commissioners signaled Monday they are leaning toward enacting a ban on lead ammunition in deer-hunting zones within the range of the 70 condors now flying free in the state. At the close of a daylong hearing, commissioners asked that the formal public comment period on the proposed ban be opened quickly so they can consider enacting the ban at their Nov. 1 meeting. "I'd like to see us take the lead on this," said Vice President Cindy Gustafson. "I'm very concerned that if, as a commission, we don't address this issue, others will address...

SACRAMENTO—State health officials issued a public warning Friday against eating certain candy from Mexico that appears tainted with high levels of lead. Department of Public Health Director Dr. Mark Horton warned consumers not to eat De La Rosa Pulparindo candy imported from Mexico. ......De La Rosa Pulparindo is a tamarind pulp candy that comes packed in 10-ounce boxes containing individually wrapped half-ounce candies. The boxes are bright red in color with the word "Pulparindo" boldly printed in black letters.......

About 220 Sleeping Beauty crown and Cinderella star earring sets, manufactured in China by Uncas Manufacturing Co., because the recalled metal earring sets contain high levels of lead, which is toxic if ingested by young children....... ......The products were sold at Wal-Mart stores in Florida from February to June 2007. Details: by phone at 800-776-0980; by Web at http://www.cpsc.gov.

Rudy Giuliani never misses an opportunity to remind people about his track record in fighting crime as mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. "I began with the city that was the crime capital of America," Giuliani, now a candidate for president, recently told Fox's Chris Wallace. "When I left, it was the safest large city in America. I reduced homicides by 67 percent. I reduced overall crime by 57 percent." While crime did fall dramatically in New York during Giuliani's tenure, a broad range of scientific research has emerged in recent years to show the mayor deserves...

One of the most-beloved toys in the world has joined the growing list of Chinese-made products to be pulled from store shelves for safety reasons. RC2 Corp., which sells Thomas the Tank Engine toys, warned parents Wednesday to stop their children from using 1.5 million Thomas & Friends wooden railway vehicles and set components because their surface paint contains lead, a toxin that's dangerous if swallowed. "Consumers should take the recalled toys away from young children immediately," the Consumer Product Safety Commission said in the recall notice. The company said this recall accounts for about 4 percent of the total...

WASHINGTON – In the wake of scandals involving tainted food and toothpaste from China comes word of a new concern from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission as well as the Food and Drug Administration – toys, makeup, glazed pottery and other products that contain significant amounts of lead. While lead poisoning among children was once mainly caused by old paint, U.S. manufacturers long ago banned the ingredient. Today, a new rash of high lead levels in the bloodstreams of American kids is being caused by foreign products – mainly from China. So serious is the resurgence of lead poisoning...

The lead that recently poisoned a San Joaquin County girl did not come from her house's paint, public health nurse Gale Heinrich said. It came from her tea parties. "She was drinking her juice in these," said Heinrich, holding a piece of glazed terra cotta pottery, imported from Mexico. The glaze contained lead, which leached into the child's drinks. Now the small cup is part of an educational display in Heinrich's north Stockton office. It sits among candies, home remedies, mineral supplements, cosmetics, vinyl mini blinds - all lead-tainted. San Joaquin County documents about 100 borderline and 20 full-blown cases...

WASHINGTON — A government regulatory agency has taken steps toward banning children's jewelry containing small amounts of lead, which was responsible for more than a dozen product recalls in the past two years. The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted unanimously to move forward in a process that could ultimately lead to a ban on children's jewelry containing more than .06 percent lead by weight. The commission currently has two members and one vacancy. "Our goal is not to continue to do recall after recall," CPSC spokesman Scott Wolfson said. "We've had upwards of 14 recalls since 2004." The commission's action...

A coalition of conservationist and health organizations has served notice that it will sue the state California Fish and Game Commission for continuing to allow lead ammunition to be used for hunting in California. The groups contend that lead bullets lodged in carcasses left by hunters are poisoning California condors that feed on them. "Lead poisoning from ammunition is the single greatest obstacle to the recovery of wild California condors," said Jeff Miller of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the organizations joining forces in the suit. Other parties include the Natural Resources Defense Council, Physicians for Social Responsibility...

Science Reporter Sophisticated new tests confirm that Ludwig van Beethoven suffered severe lead poisoning, which could explain his cranky personality. But lead poisoning probably is not the reason why the great composer lost his hearing, researchers announced Tuesday. In 2000, tests of Beethoven's hair at southwest suburban Argonne National Laboratory showed he had lead concentrations roughly 100 times higher than levels found in healthy adults today. But hair analysis is not scientifically conclusive. Moreover, skeptics said, hair samples used in the test could have been contaminated by, for example, hair powder, dirt or grease. But a new test at Argonne,...

Toxic waste sparks violent protest at China factoryMon Aug 22, 3:05 AM ET BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese protesters set fire to factory buildings and police cars in a clash sparked by toxic waste, police and residents said on Monday, the latest illustration of a growing wave of public dissent. Saturday's violence at the Tian Neng Battery Co. was also the third protest in the eastern province of Zhejiang in recent months caused by pollution, highlighting the environmental price of China's rise to become the world's seventh-largest economy. "It's very serious. There was a clash between protesters and the police. Some...

Federal and state regulators ruled yesterday that the drinking water delivered to 2.5 million customers in the Boston region has lead levels above the acceptable national standard, a decision prompted in part by lead problems in the District's water supply. Yesterday's ruling came after months of scrutiny by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Massachusetts regulators who reviewed every water test conducted last year by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA). All water utilities must perform annual lead analyses to comply with the national Safe Drinking Water Act.

Mexico's Minister of Health issued a statement this week, stating that the "dangerous amounts of lead" reportedly found in the Mexican imported candy bar, the "Chaca-Chaca, or Rielito," was an isolated incident, Health Department director Hector Gonzalez said Wednesday. Mexican candy circulating on this side of the border raised red flags of alarm this week, after city of Laredo health officials issued an advisory to stop the consumer consumption of the Mexican-imported salt and chili-based fruit pulp candy bar. A Health Department press release sent Monday stated that "recent analysis of Chaca Chaca by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...

Alert issued for Mexican candy bar containing high levels of lead (Undated-AP) -- The California Department of Health has issued an alert about a Mexican candy bar that officials say contains toxic levels of lead. The candy -- Chaca Chaca -- is made of apple pulp and chili powder, and comes wrapped in red and white cellophane picturing a train. State epidemiologist Gilberto Chavez says the candy poses a risk to anyone who eats it, particularly young children and pregnant women. He says tests by the state show the candy contains three to four times the recommended daily level...

...Freerepublic.com will collapse under the sheer weight of the stupidity generated there daily. It will be reborn as Fascists-R-Us.com....

Hi everybody! I'm new to Free Republic and I really love the site!! Its so refreshing to find like minded people on the internet. I am from rural Oregon. Anyway, I just want to say " I love Bush!" He is incredible. I can't wait to get my next tax cut in the mail... I only got 150 or so dollars back the first time, but its nice to know I'm getting money back AND we've got the BIGGEST military machine in the history of the planet! I am excited about the next six years. Hopefully we can end this...