Olympics

Our countries’ lifestyle of wanting cheap goods, but strict environmental and labor standards has come at a price. We have been a major contributer to the smog problem facing the Olympics. We made policies, we passed laws and we pushed the factories halfway around the world so we wouldn’t see the environmental impacts. Out of site, out of mind… until now. Now we are sending the worlds greatest athletes to the “out of sight, out of mind” place.

While much of the major media outlets are loving this chance to complain about it being China’s problem, I’d like to take a moment and thank our government policies for working so well. The laws and regulations have worked to protect us from experiencing a dirty and polluted environment, by moving it far away and encouraging cheap imports. Oh wait, those our our citizens visiting that place we pushed all the filth to?

Doh!
Karma sucks. 

Solution you ask? “American Made” will comes at a new price: not cheap. Quality goods made in factories with a strong respect for the environment and labor won’t be found in China. Said factories will equate to higher costs for the goods to be produced. If we decided to start paying, then we will see a change that we can actually believe in. Yes, thats right a “change.” (I’m not the only one who can talk about change.)

Otherwise cheap goods will lead to more crazy rules from governments as global warming climate change is on everyone’s mind. Who would want to live under such strong and confusing rules about when you can just drive your automobile? Especially when the pollution at this point is mostly coming from factories, not automobiles. Citizens of China are paying for the price of factories to produce our cheap crap - and now we are too.

“The plan unveiled Thursday is not so severe; it maintains the odd-even restrictions but adds a new prohibition that bans driving on days that match the last number on a motorist’s license plate. (Anyone with a plate ending in 9 could not drive on Aug. 9 or Aug. 19, while other motorists with odd-numbered plates could still do so.) “ 

We are going into their culture… why should they adapt to appease us? When in Rome, do as the Romans do… I guess “When in Beijing” doesn’t apply?

“Concerned that canine dishes might offend animal rights groups and Western visitors, Beijing said restaurants expected to be popular among foreign visitors must stop serving dog meat ‘to respect the dining customs of different countries.’ ” Yahoo Article Link

It would suck to live in a society where a government can dictate your restaurant’s menu. Personally, I am a vegetarian… so to me a dead animal is a dead animal. No difference between eating a dog, cow, donkey, horse, pig, cat or chicken - it’s all dead animal. So what’s the difference? Even though I don’t eat meat, I would not change my menu to appease some people in another culture.

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In other world news…
Looks like Englanders are upset over google mapping their streets over “privacy” concerns. Seems to me, from a country that is always busy taking away more rights from it’s citizens… that everyone would be up-in-arms over more important matters. So someone mapped your street… big deal!

Privacy? What privacy do you have now? Your government does more spying on it’s own people through wire tapping, internet spying and CCTV; a google map of your street is the least of your concerns.

Stick to it Google!

The Olympic Boycotts (or those ideas of such)