Conditions in Chinese factories and their supply chains

Last week, BBC's Panorama programme did a frightening documentary on factories used by Apple in China and on their tin supply chain in Indonesia. If such poor conditions are used by Apple, many other products will be produced in even worse conditions. As a user of Apple products I am appalled.

See Panorama, Apple's Broken Promises .

Of course, we in the West milk the low costs that such poor working procedures/conditions permit. With time, conditions will improve and the West will look to other low cost manufacturing areas for our low cost products. Sadly, our greed feeds this process.

Frighteningly, other products we buy are probably made in places that are far worse. By buying these products - most consumer goods in the West are now made in China - we are complicit. Slowly things will get better in China. Then we'll seek out other low cost areas of the world to do our dirty work.

In the past we have blamed China for pollution but at the same time we expect it to make goods we want at ridiculous prices. It s our wish for more and more consumer goods at stupid prices that encourages the Chinese to slash wage costs and make workers work like slaves. In the West we would not allow it.

Sony film hack - how will the USA strike back?

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-30555997.

USA President Obama has vowed to strike back at North Korea for its alleged hack of the Sony Film Studios. I wonder what action he has in mind?

The USA allegedly does far worse with regard to cyber-crime. It would not surprise me if, as we talk, the USA is busy trying to tap into Russian, Chinese and North Korean systems, amongst others.  The difference is the North Koreans were caught in the act, allegedly.

In the dirty game of cyber-crime the golden rule seems to be, "don't get caught in the act".

Lighter evenings again

It seems no time at all since the summer when it was light until well past 9pm here. Well, the good news is that from yesterday here in Burwell, Cambs, the evenings are now once again getting lighter, although the mornings get darker until early January. At first, the evenings get lighter by about just 1 minute a day, but this speeds up as the winter progresses. By the end of February, the evenings will be very noticeably better.

See http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/uk/cambridge .

FTSE 100 index - up again.

Following a jump of 2% in the main USA markets yesterday following hints by the Fed that rates will be pegged for some time to come, the FTSE 100  share index  here in the UK is around 1.8% higher, although it has some way to go to make up for earlier losses.  I don't think it will end the year higher than at the start of the year.

UPDATE 1716z:  The FTSE 100 ended 2.04% up on the day.

Being fat a disability?

The highest court in Europe has made some strange rulings. It is no wonder the UK is seeking to be excused from its rulings. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-30529791 .

The latest nonsense from the European Count of Justice seems to be a ruling that, in some circumstances, being obese counts as a disability. Sorry, twaddle.

Collapsing North Sea Oil?

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-30525539 .

If the continuing fall in oil prices results in a shift to carbon-neutral fuels, then this may be a blessing in disguise: for far too long we have subsidised fossil fuels whereas our focus needs to be on renewables.  I hope any who lose jobs in oil in the North Sea oil industry find alternative jobs fast in the renewables sector instead.

Boko Haram

See http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2014/12/boko-haram-kills-dozens-northeast-nigeria-201412188392926487.html . Yet again, the news is of senseless killings and captures by Boko Haram in Nigeria. Violence is not the way to win support for any cause: all it does is alienate innocent people. This is true everywhere: in Nigeria, Syria, USA, everywhere. All societies need to be fair to all.