Caveat emptor goes global.

"Some Coats May Have Fur From Dogs." I have to admit that when I saw that headline, one word sprang to mind: China. And sure enough:

An animal advocacy group says its investigation has turned up coats some with designer labels, some at higher-end retailers with fur from man's best friend. Some retailers were set scrambling to pull the coats from shelves, take them off Web sites and even offer refunds to consumers.

The Humane Society of the United States said it purchased coats from reputable outlets, such as upscale Nordstrom, with designer labels Andrew Marc, Tommy Hilfiger, for example and found them trimmed with fur from domestic dogs, even though the fur was advertised as fake.

The appalling working conditions that mean big savings for giants like Nike or Tommy Hilfiger (which they don't pass on to you) occasionally cause a stir in the domestic press, a la Kathy Lee Gifford's line of clothes. But not enough to keep GOP stalwarts like Tom DeLay from lobbying for those conditions.

Maybe stories like this will make a difference-- this issue is tougher to forget when "out of sight, out of mind" becomes "on your mind, as in sitting on your head."