Just when you thought you'd heard it all the Globe & Mail writes another story on fake and substandard building materials and forgeries.
The newest story tells of fake fly ash being used in concrete destined for their new high speed rail link. Imagine a 350 kph train barreling along on a concrete rail bed or across a bridge where the concrete is not up to standards, this is an accident waiting to happen.
What else have they missed, fake switch relays, traffic barriers that don't lower, rails with bubbles in the steel?(quite believable as I've torn the head of of a Chinese wrench because of a bubble in the casting)
Also thrown in was a tale of fake cell phone batteries labeled Motorola, a welder who was likely in a very hot working situation was killed when the batteries exploded breaking ribs and sending shrapnel into his heart. Many batteries are sensitive to heat but should not explode at a temperature a human can endure. Pace makers are the perfect example, if they are not removed before cremation they can do severe damage to a crematorium oven, but that of course is an open flame not just a hot working environment.
Finally China has closed 180 factories caught using formaldehyde, industrial dyes and paraffin wax all in food products, mmmm yummy!!!
What started off with me being pissed off at lead tainted toys is turning into a full time hobby. Every day it seems there are more stories and more reasons to avoid their products and now it looks like it's not even safe to go there since they have no qualms about poisoning/killing/cheating their own or making unsafe transportation systems.
China is simply not fit to trade with or visit and considering our Government claims that Chinese students come to Canada for an education with the express instructions to engage in industrial espionage while doing research work, they are not a country fit to accept students from.
I expect I'll have more horror stories for you within a week.Recommend this Post
Saturday, July 7, 2007
China, unsafe at any speed!
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10 comments:
Wow.
I'm just waiting with baited breath for the words "yellow horde" to appear.
Todd
At no point have I made this racial, this is about corruption, greed, mismanagement, incompetance and in some cases just plain evilness on the part of Chinese business.
Am I mad yes, I'm mad they have sold my kids lead tainted toys.
I'm mad they sell toothpaste that is poison. I'm mad that Canadian jobs are being lost to a country that uses slave labour. I'm mad that my investments make lower returns than they should because companies patents are commonly stolen by China. I'm mad that they've allowed that sale of fake malarial and HIV drugs to Africa I'm equaly mad that our government does nothing about it..
Am I mad that they are Asians No! (which I must assume you were implying with the "yellow horde" comment)
I have much better reasons to be pissed off and if this crap was being sold to us by France or England I'd be just as mad. If it was a Canadian company I'd expect the entire board of directors to be jailed and the company fined out of business.
They need to earn the right to sell us goods by producing safe, ethically produced goods that respect the intellectual property rights of all nations and peoples.
I'm all for free market and suceeding by building the better mouse trap, however building a mousetrap who's design you stole, that kills people instead of mice, that used child labour is not a valid path to success.
Are you not bothered by this?
You said:
"At no point have I made this racial, this is about corruption, greed, mismanagement, incompetance and in some cases just plain evilness on the part of Chinese business."
If it were "about corruption, greed, mismanagement, incompetance and in some cases just plain evilness on the part of Chinese business" then why bother with the fact that the businesses who broke those laws are Chinese? If that happenened in Canada (and such things probably did before the passing of various laws to prohibit that nonsense), would you be so quick to smear _all_ Canadian business with the evil done by some of them? How about that bit impugning students as industrial spies?
There are other ways to talk about what's been happening and why without using the words you did. The fact that you did says something about you and the society that produces you.
Racism isn't just about hurling racial slurs. Those particular gestures are just the tip of a much bigger (and better hidden) iceberg.
Todd, I think you're misinterpreting GAB's anger for racism. What he says about Chinese manufacturing practices happens to be true. You can't deny that. So focus on the valid points made in the post and don't get hung up on perceived racial slurs. The Chinese should be brought to task!
Thanks Anna Marie, I went back over my post and could not see the issue.
Apparently it's not ok to be mad at anyone who is perceived different than you, no matter how much you can prove about their wrong doings.
Of course Todd is assuming he knows who or what I am. Being Black, white, red, man, women, manbearpig or alien does not change the facts or my right to be annoyed by them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manbearpig
A little research would show that most of the groups calling for Chinese boycotts are made up of Chinese ex-pats who've seen the abuse up close and personal.
Annamarie and GABby:
As I've said before (and you apparently failed to notice), I'm simply taking GABby to task for the racist manner in which s/he's framing this issue. That's it. I haven't said word one about whether s/he's right about the facts or justified about the anger. I'm calling him/her on the MANNER in which the anger is coming out, the specific words GABby is using. That matters.
If you haven't figured this out by now, you probably won't until something slaps you upside the head harder than I have and makes you pay attention (and doing that's not my guilty pleasure).
You missed a story. Yesterday an ariticle mentioned unclean water from municipal pipes being put into water bottles labeled with legitimate water company names.
The same piece says over 50 died in Brazil (I believe) because of Glycol in cought syrup.
""""If it were "about corruption, greed, mismanagement, incompetance and in some cases just plain evilness on the part of Chinese business" then why bother with the fact that the businesses who broke those laws are Chinese? If that happenened in Canada (and such things probably did before the passing of various laws to prohibit that nonsense), would you be so quick to smear _all_ Canadian business with the evil done by some of them? How about that bit impugning students as industrial spies?"""""
How is that going to educate and warn Candians to be warry of what they buy it I can't name the country?
Many chinese goods are poorly labeled, having names of shell companies, numbered companies or something slapped on them at this side with no information. Where they are made is important which is why laws insist on "made in xxxx" labels. Even if they did specify a company name those names would be unknown to Canadians and mean little, the next batch of tainted product would just arrive labeled different!
How do you identify a product as unsafe when they use counterfeit packaging like the fake anti freeze laced toothpaste marked Colgate?
How does the average person know DVDs, software, high end clothing, or auto parts are fake when the look the same externally because of false packaging and labeling.
In China the problem is not an exception but rather endemic, it is a symptom of a broken or non existent system in place to protect the environment, it's citizens and it's customers. By failing to set laws, inspect products to reasonable standards or enforce the laws they do have the Chinese Govenment is is as guilty as the companies. By allowing patent, IP and rights abuses the Gov is guilty, therefore it's more than fair game to attack the country as a whole.
China as a whole must fix it's system and earn their right(not priveledge)to sell to us. As the end comsumer we have the right to know, the right to bitch and the right to boycott. Our government has the right and should have the balls to ban their products.
As for the students, I'm sure most are not spys but CSIS states China is the country most guilty of industrial espionage in Canada with rate of 1 billion losses a month for Canada. Students, trade delegations, scientists were all targeted to be spys for China. These are our guests and should behave themselves and we are more than justified in saying "behave youselfs or we will ban the lot of you!"
I can't find any racism in GAB's commentary. Unsafe products labelled "Made in China" must be exposed. Unsatisfactory inspection of Chinese goods must be exposed. Dreadful working conditions, careless disregard for the environment, use of prison labour and repression of political dissent in China should also be exposed.
It is not racist to criticize poor safety practices by Chinese industry. Especially, when those practices are responsible for death and injury in the rest of the world.
JB
Trace his Ip I bet it goes back to the Embassy
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