It seems that we think about China in brief spurts. It generally happens when the news cycle includes another food product safety concern, or the increased economic threat of a dominant China. There are so many different perceived threats that we have trouble keeping up with the latest problem. And yet, nothing changes, or rather, it just gets worse.
Recently I began to think about the responsibility that we as consumers have with regard to our own safety, health, and general wellness. I would like to first recap some of the most recent items of interest with regard to our relationship with China. This alliance is sometimes referred to as "China,our trading partner". Nothing could be further from the truth. There is an implied equity in any partnership and that does not exist with this trading country. The fact is that China exports many times what we export to them. And, we all know that it is about cost. The real question is whether the cost/benefit ratio is really worth the risk. And, not only to us as consumers, but to the average Chinese worker as well.
Foxconn is a major manufacturing company located in Longhua, Shenzhen,  a major city in the south of  Guangdong Province. It is where the iPhone, iPad, Kindle, and Wii are made, among other products bound for the US market. The facility is a sprawling, small city, with multi- story factories. The work day is 12 hours, and it is a 6  day week. Much of the assembly is still done by hand as it is cheaper than going to a machine process. The workers are young, and they are plentiful with over-population and poverty in the rural areas. But their "happiness quotient" must be fairly low as the company had to install massive netting around the lower parts of the buildings to stop workers from jumping to their death.
As far as imports go, China sends us the very worst of goods. Tainted toothpaste, lead in children's toys, fish loaded with antibiotics grown in polluted water, poisoned pet food, and more. A recent glance at the world news sites shows that pharmaceutical manufacturers are receiving ingredients that are contaminated. Much of our vitamin C, and B, are being produced with virtually no quality standards. Again cost is the driving factor. Vitamin C used to be manufactured here at a cost of $15/Kilo. Now, from China, it is $3.50/Kilo. Now comes the bad news and trends.
In the US, if we are harmed by a product we have legal recourse, and can hold manufacturers culpable. But, if the product comes from China, that option is not available. Even if there is a legal judgement here, the Chinese just disregard any claims. It is much like intellectual property protection and piracy. The only exceptions are applicable if the Chinese company has interests in the US or a country that has an agreement with our country to hold them responsible. But, it is even more difficult than simply taking a company to court. Frequently we don't even know where in China some materials are being produced. It is like a giant shell game.
So what is the answer? Ban all chemicals, ingredients for human consumption, and potential threats to our safety. China banned all beef coming from the US in 2003 during the mad cow problem. And, they never lifted the ban! It is still in effect. But to effectively ban materials coming from another country would take an active Congress that was engaged in our safety. This, as the size of the FDA inspection personnel shrinks, is really unlikely. The trend is for increased contaminated  materials and total disregard for their impact on the welfare of our population. My fear is that it will take a major poisoning of America before there is any action. And then, someone will ask what went wrong? How many red flags does it take?

There was a lot of Twitter traffic yesterday regarding the bill in the House of Representatives known as the Stop Online Piracy Act. Actually, there were 2 1/2 million tweets with the #SOPA hashtag and others as well.  Some sites like Wikipedia went dark in protest and other had scathing comments about the bill that will "ruin the Internet forever". The lobby from the music industry, video content originator's, pharmaceuticals, and other interests want the online piracy of their material stopped. As in any controversy, there are multiple sides. This post is not about the pros and cons of the bill; there are thousands of pages on the content of the bill.
This post is about the bill itself and the complete lack of knowledge that many comments contained. It was clear from reading a lot of tweets and other active sites, that there were a lot of thoughts that were simply parroting what has been said by others. And, several sites had links to send petitions to the House. And I am sure that some people signed on the dotted line and hoped that the Internet will still be the same forever. But I took the time to find the bill and read a good amount of the 77 pages in that document. From the comments that I read online, I would guess that most commentator's could not even find the bill,or have an intelligent debate, but would rather  jump on the lemming bandwagon.
The potential power of the social media is great, as evidenced by the Arab Spring. But without organization and considered thought, it is pissing in the wind. Consider for a moment what could be done to tell Congress that we are sick and tired of ideology and personal greed and individual power aggregation. With a 12 % approval rating, they should all be replaced and term limits be a change in the "business as usual" commentary. I am for net neutrality and First Amendment rights, but not theft! If you want to see what the bill is all about, check here.
We can all be influenced by hype and apathy, but at times we need to find out how to have an impact on our world. It is sometimes and ill wind... Typo fixed. Thanks Ken.

I believe that the package deception at local supermarkets began in the late 1980's. At that time you could go to the store and among other items, pick up a "pound of coffee" that weighed 16 ounces. Seemed fair that we knew the weight and the price. But then, all of a sudden, the weight went to 14.5 ounces and the price remained the same. And now, the latest Maxwell House is 11 ounces and still costs more than the original pound. And now when I last picked up some Chicken of the Sea tuna, it had gone from 6 ounces to 5 ounces. And  it is just the beginning and I can see where it is going.
Most of the usual grocery items are getting smaller and cost is the same or more. The manufactures were saying that it was due to the increased cost of packaging but the package size remains the same with just lower content. Now, I can understand increased cost of manufacture, but I don't understand deception. Re-designing a package to look the same size or to  say that the package is now "green" is clearly deception. And the trend is to continue, even in a weak economy. The need to satisfy investors is more important than making it fair for consumers. Here is a link in the New York Times. If it looks like a duck...