CHINA

[Lowland1]

They may have invested large sums in Africa, just as we did, but they will get a far harder kicking as our Investment was private. China‘s investment Has been state and the result will be the same.
corruption can be sorted in your own country but as soon as you start jailing people in far distant lands youwill have major problems

Bubonic plague is a thing and has been going at very low levels in some countries for decades. The USA gets a few cases a year. Weird disease.

When I was in China in 1991 we were in a place called Kunming in the south walking down the street when a procession of army trucks went down the street everyone stopped to watch them pass and then got on with their business. The next day we were at the train station and were looking at the daily newspaper which they pinned to the wall so everyone got to see what was going on. Those trucks were full of corrupt local government officials who were then taken to the local football stadium put in the centre circle and dispatched in front of a crowd with a bullet to the back of the head luckily there were pictures as my chinese is n't so good as to be able to work all this out without them. But I am pretty sure that the average Chinese in the street is very happy with the leadership that has moved them from poverty to a fair standard of living over the last two decades.
Bubonic Plague yep I was at a Lunch on Saturday where a lady announced that they had had it last year on their farm but it was n't anything to worry about.

 

[Ashtree]

True story, many years ago I bought a cheap £15 kettle from Tesco.

One morning I entered the kitchen and was hit by a tropical heatwave. The bloody thing had stayed on all night, boiled dry and had become an impromptu space heater. I turned it off, let it cool and smashed it up before placing it in the trash. I will never buy dirt cheap consumer goods again after that.

Trouble is the most expensive consumer goods are half Chinese at a minimum when you go into the component level.
Run of the mill mid range white goods in this house. Then dish washer blew, so we bought the top end Siemens model.
One week later wouldn’t empty. Service man turns up, farts about for two hours, and declares main controller board is kaput.
Came back two days later, popped out the old and in the new. All is good. I picked up the old, to see made in China.
You can’t decide to avoid Chinese products I’m afraid. Their parts, are deep in the heart of everything we buy and use. Including equipment and comms stuff, used at the heart of governments, security services, military, medical, power, etc,. .....

 

[stewart]

When I was in China in 1991 we were in a place called Kunming in the south walking down the street when a procession of army trucks went down the street everyone stopped to watch them pass and then got on with their business. The next day we were at the train station and were looking at the daily newspaper which they pinned to the wall so everyone got to see what was going on. Those trucks were full of corrupt local government officials who were then taken to the local football stadium put in the centre circle and dispatched in front of a crowd with a bullet to the back of the head luckily there were pictures as my chinese is n't so good as to be able to work all this out without them. But I am pretty sure that the average Chinese in the street is very happy with the leadership that has moved them from poverty to a fair standard of living over the last two decades.
Bubonic Plague yep I was at a Lunch on Saturday where a lady announced that they had had it last year on their farm but it was n't anything to worry about.

I went to China a couple of years ago, we really weren't sure what to expect as in some circles China is reported as a backward country where everything is built on the cheap, I had time to contemplate this as we were taken from the airport to the city on the maglev train, although I did not have too much time as travelling at 380kms hour through a city doesn't give you too long for contemplation.
Everywhere we went the people were friendly, and the streets were free of litter, food was amazing (although we did keep away from the rabbits heads, frogs and bats). I would not hesitate to go back, fantastic country.

 

[arcobob]

Trouble is the most expensive consumer goods are half Chinese at a minimum when you go into the component level.
Run of the mill mid range white goods in this house. Then dish washer blew, so we bought the top end Siemens model.
One week later wouldn’t empty. Service man turns up, farts about for two hours, and declares main controller board is kaput.
Came back two days later, popped out the old and in the new. All is good. I picked up the old, to see made in China.
You can’t decide to avoid Chinese products I’m afraid. Their parts, are deep in the heart of everything we buy and use. Including equipment and comms stuff, used at the heart of governments, security services, military, medical, power, etc,. .....

That is precisely the problem. Leading manufacturers throughout the world have been driven by consumer demand for cheap goods that they have succumbed to cheating the public and the industry standards watchdogs have allowed it to happen. “Made in ......” no longer means what it says. So much for trading standards

 

[ollie989898]

Here you are.

 

[oil barron]

Here you are.

View attachment 893341

No deaths since Donald took the healm



Joke - Calm down. I don’t actually think Big Don solved the plague.

 

[stewart]

No deaths since Donald took the healm



Joke - Calm down. I don’t actually think Big Don solved the plague.

Surely he did? He has done everything else, Split the atom, Gave the World the internet, Won two World wars, Americas list of achievements is endless.

Trump tries to give US credit for splitting atom

US President Donald Trump has continued his streak of false claims - this time trying to take credit for one of New Zealand's achievements, which...

www.odt.co.nz

 

[Lowland1]

I went to China a couple of years ago, we really weren't sure what to expect as in some circles China is reported as a backward country where everything is built on the cheap, I had time to contemplate this as we were taken from the airport to the city on the maglev train, although I did not have too much time as travelling at 380kms hour through a city doesn't give you too long for contemplation.
Everywhere we went the people were friendly, and the streets were free of litter, food was amazing (although we did keep away from the rabbits heads, frogs and bats). I would not hesitate to go back, fantastic country.

I had three months there just after it opened up to the West. It was literally a once in a lifetime experience. By that I mean never again. The only time we travelled at 380 kph was when the bus driver knocked it out of gear heading down a mountain pass to save fuel. God knows what we ate and the places we stayed were not good so I am personally glad that things have changed for the better. China gets all the blame but really it's all down to corporate greed. How much more would an iPhone cost if made in Leicester rather than China probably not a lot more because the labour component is minimal but if you are knocking out millions it's a nice bit extra to have. But more importantly you can use cheap coal to generate power. Can't use it in Australia because of pollution no worries ship it to China they don't care same with any other nasty pollutants. Somebody said it's because we all want it cheap possibly but it's more likely because the Corporate world saw a regime looking for cash and with a lot lower labour and environmental standards. The hyprocasy of large companies is terrible . You can't open a Jaguar door because key fobs are made in China. JCB had to stop because bits come from China they never tell us that when imploring us to buy British. Yep we've all helped to build China by stealth. Now we have the virus apparently another bad thing from the Chinese unfortunately it looks like they are a lot tougher than us as it hasn't wiped them out just messed up their markets as we've all gone into hiding.

 

[Exfarmer]

Bubonic plague is a thing and has been going at very low levels in some countries for decades. The USA gets a few cases a year. Weird disease.

Carried by groundhogs ( marmots ) isn’t it

 

[ollie989898]

Carried by groundhogs ( marmots ) isn’t it

I was under the impression it had a natural wildlife reservoir but didn't know what it was.

 

[Bald Rick]

Looks like plucky old Britain is going to tweak the dragons beard.

First we have told Heuwei to sling its hook re 5G

And now I read we are sending our aircraft carrier to the South China Sea in a “show of strength”

Good grief

 

[arcobob]

If Huawei or whoever they are are not a threat to our security I would be very surprised. The Chinese will have to learn that they are not to be trusted and when they change their ways and then, and only then, they can expect that trust.

 

[Bald Rick]

If Huawei or whoever they are are not a threat to our security I would be very surprised. The Chinese will have to learn that they are not to be trusted and when they change their ways and then, and only then, they can expect that trust.

Don’t doubt that they are a threat but is Yankee tech any better? Bet they implant backdoors too

Doomed we are

 

[arcobob]

Don’t doubt that they are a threat but is Yankee tech any better? Bet they implant backdoors too

Doomed we are

I would trust the yanks way before the Chinese. They are not faultless but when push comes to shove we have far more influence in the US than ever we do in China.

 

[Bald Rick]

I would trust the yanks way before the Chinese. They are not faultless but when push comes to shove we have far more influence in the US than ever we do in China.

Guess so but with that loony Trump in power ...

 

[Martin Holden]

Guess so but with that loony Trump in power ...

Only for another 4 years max, then he’ll be gone.

 

[Ashtree]

Only for another 4 years max, then he’ll be gone.

He has changed America forever. And not in a good way. The old standard “western alliance”, is no more and won’t be again. Under no possible circumstances can Europe ever again, think it ok to rely on such an ally! Their political model is now so completely fkkuked up, that another Trump or worse could get to the Whitehouse.
You just have to hand it to Putin. Master stroke! And the game has barely begun.

 

[Martin Holden]

He has changed America forever. And not in a good way. The old standard “western alliance”, is no more and won’t be again. Under no possible circumstances can Europe ever again, think it ok to rely on such an ally! Their political model is now so completely fkkuked up, that another Trump or worse could get to the Whitehouse.
You just have to hand it to Putin. Master stroke! And the game has barely begun.

I think the next 2/3 decades will see the world become a much more selfish place as economies bid for protection and power all at the same time.

 

[Hindsight]

Looks like plucky old Britain is going to tweak the dragons beard.

First we have told Heuwei to sling its hook re 5G

And now I read we are sending our aircraft carrier to the South China Sea in a “show of strength”

Good grief

We have hitched our wagon to the USA horse team. Signaled and now undertaken the initiation ceremony. Just need to sort the Chlorinated chicken and GM Maize to finalise the initiation process. So that is done and for the next coming decades we are the 51st state - well more like Peurto Rico than a true state. Hey ho.

 

[Hindsight]

I think the next 2/3 decades will see the world become a much more selfish place as economies bid for protection and power all at the same time.

George Orwell 1984 in which there were three power blocks in the world. We are there again. Today was the initiation ceremony completed. Today the UK officially left EU and Europe and hitched its future to the USA.