Ifi crushed by cheap Chinese gear

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, Shadders said:

Hi,

I buy garlic as a large bag - about 14 bulbs per pack.

What i am surprised at, is that there was a spate of when the garlic was sourced from China. I mean, for something as simple as garlic, Tesco had to import from half way around the world. I cannot believe that European garlic was so expensive that you had to go to China.

Or is it profit at any cost ?.

Are people being greedy when they use China to make their products ?, or are our products that we purchase so low cost we cannot make a profit if it is made locally ?

In addition, products are made to a specification - so if it is crap and the product is an American or European brand - then it was specified to be crap.

Regards,

Shadders.

 

Chinese garlic tastes wrong. We have it too, but I prefer to buy local even if it would not be available at the end of winter - early spring.

[AnotherSpin]

2 minutes ago, mansr said:

The Chinese government is many things, but communist is not one of them.

 

I do not know any government one may call communist, now or then.

[AnotherSpin]

1 minute ago, mansr said:

The early Soviet years may have come close. Attempts at communism do seem to turn into plain old despotism rather quickly.

 

The early Soviet years were the time of mass terror and killings, ruin and disorder. If this is communism, than maybe.

[AnotherSpin]

5 hours ago, firedog said:

You guys are confusing 2 different things: Communism and communism.

The first did and does exist, and is maintained by force, including in China. 

The second also exists, and is maintained by choice among the people who are communing. 

 

We were talking not about communism, but about "communist governments". 

[AnotherSpin]

2 hours ago, mav52 said:

Well you still have Laos, Vietnam , the Republic of Cuba and the Communist Party of China all still are recognized supporting a communist government.   

 

One may want to see the difference between the name or slogan and the reality of life in a country. Pure and clean communism is and was an idea or ideal only, never practically achieved. If you proclaim your country communist and kill a large part of your people it doesn't mean your country' government is communist. As good as it may sound the principle of communal ownership and distribution was never actualized in reality. Some people are more equal then other people each time.

[AnotherSpin]

20 minutes ago, firedog said:

Communal living works on a small scale, when the participants are all willing to live that way and choose that lifestyle. It can't work on a large scale, for 2 reasons: a)non-market/non-money  based distribution becomes very complicated and can't be done efficiently or equitably; b) even in a situation where non-market based distribution can be achieved, a communal setup can't work if people are forced into it. It requires willing participants who have a positive desire to have it succeed. 

What we call "Communism" is more accurately called "Bolshevism"; but we're stuck with the name we have, it appears. 

 

Again, we talk about governments. In a small scale communism is more than viable, of course. Every survived family or even single organism exist on the same principle.

[AnotherSpin]

1 hour ago, mav52 said:

Just google these countries and read about their ruling government 

 

Nice recommendation, much appreciated. Even despite a fact I was born and have been living most of my life in USSR.

[AnotherSpin]

55 minutes ago, Nordkapp said:

My condolences.

 

Am I right – you directed your comment to me? If so, thank you. But, you miss the point. The life in USSR had its very clear advantages. To make it simple, one would never worry about tomorrow. The future was insured much above funds level. Nobody was afraid and nobody cared. No variety at all, but basic necessities were cheap as air. I am not sorry in any way I lived there and I am quite happy now as well. At least I could compare, could you?

[AnotherSpin]

34 minutes ago, mansr said:

Unless, of course, you dared disagree with the wrong people.

 

Oh, well. Wrong people didn't care about you too. And, all of them lived im Moscow. I lived in Odessa on a Black Sea, the town of most beautiful girls in the world, gorgeous food and cheap wine.

[AnotherSpin]

22 minutes ago, pkane2001 said:

 

Basic necessities were cheap, as long as you don’t include clothing and food in that category. Maybe cigarettes were cheap and plentiful, that’s about it. Don’t know what you mean by ‘nobody was afraid and nobody cared’. Anyone with a little intelligence saw the terrible living conditions, the constant oppression by the communist party, lack of freedom and lack of opportunities. Not caring is not the same as not being able to say aloud that you care.

 

Wow, sounds terrible. Now I do not know how I survived that constant oppression and lack of freedom. My guess it was preoccupation with girls and listening Zappa, Weather Report and Mahler. 

[AnotherSpin]

26 minutes ago, pkane2001 said:

 

Curious where you got Zappa recordings, as I recall nearly everything produced in the West was expressly forbidden and had to be smuggled into the country.  Heck, you had to risk your freedom just to buy a pair of jeans.

 

Ok, Odessa was a home port of the largest shipping company in the world. 30% of town families or about that were connected with sea jobs. And this was a source of many things, from Zappa recordings to Levi's jeans. BTW I was wearing original Levi's or Lee jeans living in Soviet Union. Not any more now, you should buy real raw denim selvege jeans from Japan...)))

[AnotherSpin]

22 minutes ago, pkane2001 said:

 

Ах, Одесса, жемчужина у моря!

 

 

Still is

[AnotherSpin]

22 minutes ago, pkane2001 said:

 

I agree, although I’m less optimistic than maybe just hopeful that this grand experiment will survive this particular stress test.

 

Let's see how democracy survives a robbery an assault of a sovereign country in a mid of an Europe. As per now I see only an attempt to pacify robbers, but not a protection of justice and order. 

[AnotherSpin]

36 minutes ago, pkane2001 said:

 

Ignoring conflict, aggression, and even atrocities on foreign soil is par for the course for most countries, as long as their self interests are not directly threatened by the action.

True

[AnotherSpin]

3 minutes ago, Nordkapp said:

You are now who I was 9 years ago. It's all cyclical. 

Stupid

[AnotherSpin]

18 minutes ago, Nordkapp said:

GFYS Commie.

 

That was profound. Dare to repeat? Ok, once more!

[AnotherSpin]

8 minutes ago, Teresa said:

 

 

Agreed.

 

 

 

I promise to think it all over

[AnotherSpin]

Communism is derived from the Sermon of the Mount. As good as it is it never happened in reality. Just look on the guys who claim they did. They never learn New Testament.

[AnotherSpin]

1 minute ago, Nordkapp said:

Stupid

You are original, I should admit. Anything else?

[AnotherSpin]

1 minute ago, Nordkapp said:

For grave fear of being forever banned from C.A, no. I'm out. You and your grandiose ideas win. 

 

It was nice. You are pretty.

[AnotherSpin]

7 minutes ago, mansr said:

I thought it was derived from the writings of Marx and Engels.

 

Communism existed long before those German guys you mention were born.

[AnotherSpin]

My mac book air is made in China. Any ideas for alternatives? I am all ears.

[AnotherSpin]

31 minutes ago, Audiophile Neuroscience said:

 

 

I think Teresa is challenging those Google articles as to the true meaning of communism.

 

Teresa should know better, I guess. As someone who never lived under communism. Ideas looks better from some distance. Again, I take a liberty to repeat, the life in a communist country may be very nice if you pay no attention and do not care much. As I did.

[AnotherSpin]

24 minutes ago, mansr said:

Depends on which (nominally) communist country. The USSR probably wasn't so bad, all things considered. At the other extreme, North Korea seems quite miserable indeed.

 

It doesn't make sense to evaluate from outside. How people feel is the only measure. One may say they are brainwashed. Well, who aren't? Clean and empty brain wouldn't hurt anyway.

[AnotherSpin]

44 minutes ago, pkane2001 said:

 

Yes, a life in a cage or a prison or on a slave plantation may be  ok if “you pay no  attention or care too much” or know any better. What does that prove? That being a slave is a nice place to be or that we humans are adaptable? 

 

Funny thing the life of wealth and so-called freedom would be a cage too. The conditions of existence never important to those who "are".