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Living in Russia without Chinese made goods
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Posted by: BluesTraveler

A Russian reporter tries to live without Chinese made goods.

http://www.kp.ru/daily/24086/318892/

And then she tries to eat only Russian made food.

http://www.kp.ru/daily/24091/322161/

Some very surprising insights on how China has invaded Russia, without the Russians even realizing it. I lover her comment on American chickens.

Posted by: Chillidog

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluesTraveler

A Russian reporter tries to live without Chinese made goods.

http://www.kp.ru/daily/24086/318892/

And then she tries to eat only Russian made food.

http://www.kp.ru/daily/24091/322161/

Some very surprising insights on how China has invaded Russia, without the Russians even realizing it. I lover her comment on American chickens.

When I was in Moscow last July, the lady I met and her friends were all very upset (maybe upset is too strong of a word) with how it seemed everything was 'made in China' now in Russia. From my experience the Russian people are opinionated (I do not think this is necessarly a bad thing), there was a fire in the hotel I stayed at and their comments were that it was probably caused by something made from China, that Chinese products are cheap and not up to Russian standards. They also commented (much like we do in America) about the Chinese tourists and all of their cameras, they also stated that it seemed to them that the only tourists they see are the Chinese travelling in large groups. I asked them what about me I am a tourist? and they did admit that people like me (caucasian-1/2 slavic ancestory) that I do not stand out even if I was in a large tourist group the same as the Chinese do. So even though they are neighbors and appear government wise to have good relations, the average Russian person (in my experience) is not all that happy with the infusion of Chinese products.

Posted by: blucatz

But, We, just like the Russians, can b*tch all we want about Chinese goods, bottom line is that we just keep buying them and they keep sending the stuff to us. The thing is that we demand a high quality product a dirt cheap prices, can't have both, at least not American made goods.

Posted by: OzGuyLooking

Quote:

Originally Posted by blucatz

But, We, just like the Russians, can b*tch all we want about Chinese goods, bottom line is that we just keep buying them and they keep sending the stuff to us. The thing is that we demand a high quality product a dirt cheap prices, can't have both, at least not American made goods.

That's exactly it. So much for self sufficiency hey.

Posted by: Chillidog

Quote:

Originally Posted by blucatz

Yes, agreed. What was interesting was the lady I was with was 39 then, will be 40 this year. So she was in her early 20's when the Soviet Union fell, a very difficult time for all. So she remembers Soviet Russia, and though she is very happy for the freedoms she has now, she would rather pay more for a Russian made product (she has a low salary in Russian standards) then buy something made in China, so they as a people and a country are also facing some of the exact problems we are.
What I also found very interesting was I asked on many occasions that I wanted to eat native Russian food, her comment was if you want what an 'outsider would consider native Russian food' (Borsch or things like this) we would need to travel to the Ukraine or other CIS countries, she said, "we do not have a native Russian food, we have borrowed them from our sisters"

Posted by: sidney

A few years ago a major cause of house fires in russia was from tv set. Not sure of where they were made but they were a problem.
Sid

Posted by: Chillidog

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidney

A few years ago a major cause of house fires in russia was from tv set. Not sure of where they were made but they were a problem.
Sid

being an electrician, and having made 2 trips so far to different parts of Russia, I would say it is faulty electrical wiring, maybe not by as 'so called professional' but in the apartment flats I experienced that my friends lived in this was a big concern for me in that things like this I pay a great attention to. They the average Russian would probaly tell you it was the device that caused it (hence cheap Chinse products) in particular the fire at my hotel the lady and friends thought it was probably a cheap Chinese made plug-in misquito (sp?) repellent device that they said is prevelant now in Russia and is the cause of many fires.
Again being an electrician I would say faulting wiring and or overloaded circuits.

In this particular case though I do not have proof I would say the person fell asleep while smoking. There was absolutly no smoke detectors and emergancy lighting or horns in this hotel.

Hey Blu
aren't you happy now that you did not decide to stay in the same hotel I did?

Posted by: blucatz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chillidog

Hey Blu
aren't you happy now that you did not decide to stay in the same hotel I did?

Uh, you failed to mention the fire there when you recommended the place

Only fire I want to see on my trip is the one under the sheets....LOL

Posted by: Chillidog

Quote:

Originally Posted by blucatz

Uh, you failed to mention the fire there when you recommended the place

Only fire I want to see on my trip is the one under the sheets....LOL

Now, now, getting a 'little head' of the game aren't we?

Blu,
your woman is from Russia (Omsk) correct?
I am curious regarding 'native Russian' food if your woman has the same thoughts as the woman I met last July (see my prevoius post).
In my first trip, this lady always cooked me a meal in her flat, we only went out to eat once. So on this trip I never asked to eat native Russian food, because of course I was having it cooked for me by a Russian. This last trip the lady lived in a suburb of Moscow (first trip was to Severodvinsk) so it was not convient for her to cook (though I am sure she would have been happy to do it for me), you will see in Moscow it is like every big city with resturants of all different nationalities and that is why this question came up on this trip.

P.S. I would have informed you of the fire prior to your booking, but in truth this could have happened in any hotel regardless of the cost of the rooms.

Posted by: blucatz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chillidog

Now, now, getting a 'little head' of the game aren't we?

Her exact words to me "I'm gonna wear you out"

Posted by: Chillidog

Quote:

Originally Posted by blucatz

Her exact words to me "I'm gonna wear you out"

she's talking about walking!!!!

they walk much more than us and you will be worn out from this

Posted by: blucatz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chillidog

she's talking about walking!!!!

they walk much more than us and you will be worn out from this

I don't think thats what she meant. She made that statement while we were talking about a certain subject....LOL

Posted by: sidney

Chili I'm no electrician but even I see so many potential electrical problems. Even at the airport I saw bare wires coming out of the wall. I wasn't gonna check to see if they were hot.
The hotel we stayed at by the black sea was old with overloaded wiring. Had it that overloaded that you could smell the hot wires before the circut blew. Even the switches looked like WW2 era. So we take a look around before booking a room. Looking at wiring from a professional point of view must have you shaking your head. I guess they don't have osha in russia.
Sid

Posted by: Chillidog

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidney

Chili I'm no electrician but even I see so many potential electrical problems. Even at the airport I saw bare wires coming out of the wall. I wasn't gonna check to see if they were hot.
The hotel we stayed at by the black sea was old with overloaded wiring. Had it that overloaded that you could smell the hot wires before the circut blew. Even the switches looked like WW2 era. So we take a look around before booking a room. Looking at wiring from a professional point of view must have you shaking your head. I guess they don't have osha in russia.
Sid

Yea, it does not take an expert to see some potential hazards. This does not just hold true for Russia, but ther have been more than a 'few' I have seen here in the states as well. Thinking of them reminds me of "Christmas Vacation" with the Grisswolds

Posted by: Stirlitz

Quote:

Originally Posted by blucatz

The thing is that we demand a high quality product a dirt cheap prices

That�s the key. Most people are obsessed with low prices. Cheap, cheap and cheap again is what they think of in the first and only place. Stop being cheap and things will change!

Posted by: Pin Boy

sid, i thought that about osha on my first trip to ukraine 5 years ago. the injury lawyers would have a ball too.

i was in a friend's apartment and she had so many things plugged into one outlet i was just waiting for the fire. this plugged into that cheater, and that plugged into this adapter and everything plugged into another and so on...this being on the 12th floor with no fire alarms, smoke detectors, sprinklers...i have an aversion to fire since i was involved in one once.

she also was allowing her 1 year old to play with a plastic shopping bag in her playpen. she couldn't understand why it could be dangerous even after i explained it. amazing!

last summer i was walking on a sidewalk in front of a newly constructed multi level building. was lost in my thoughts and figuring out where i was going, but noticed i was walking within inches of a guy on the sidewalk holding a rope and looking up. i looked up and directly about my head was a large pallet filled with construction material. no blocking the sidewalk, no warning....very typical of many other things i see often in ukraine.

pb

Posted by: sidney

Yes, pin boy it makes you shake your head in wonder. This should be a warning to anyone traveling there to be aware of your surroundings. You never know what may be around the next corner.
Sid

Posted by: blucatz

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pin Boy

i was in a friend's apartment and she had so many things plugged into one outlet i was just waiting for the fire. this plugged into that cheater, and that plugged into this adapter and everything plugged into another and so on...this being on the 12th floor with no fire alarms, smoke detectors, sprinklers...i have an aversion to fire since i was involved in one once.

last summer i was walking on a sidewalk in front of a newly constructed multi level building. was lost in my thoughts and figuring out where i was going, but noticed i was walking within inches of a guy on the sidewalk holding a rope and looking up. i looked up and directly about my head was a large pallet filled with construction material. no blocking the sidewalk, no warning....very typical of many other things i see often in ukraine.

pb

Sounds like the way it was here in the states back in the 50's. Makes me think of the scene in the movie "A Christmas Story" plugging all those tree lights into one outlet.

Posted by: GentleGiant

Ria was walking through the bus station in Kostroma a few months ago when a big sign fell off of the roof and crushed a man walking a few metres in front of her.

Posted by: Chrismc

I asked my wife why they have BIG holes in the roads and they never get repaired, and it would never happen here, she told me if people drive down them it is because they are stupid, and you can see examples of this and worse all over her city, big holes in pavements, broken sign posts sticking up out of the ground, building sites spilling over onto the streets, electric cables sticking out of walls, dozens of plugs into one socket

yes you see those in every home etc etc

I think the unique concept of Health and Safety is lost on them

Posted by: sidney

Quote:

Sounds like the way it was here in the states back in the 50's. Makes me think of the scene in the move "A Christmas Story" plugging all those tree lights into one outlet.

I was thinking the same but didn't want to show my age.
Sid

Posted by: weather-7

Quote:

Originally Posted by BluesTraveler

Some very surprising insights on how China has invaded Russia, without the Russians even realizing it. I lover her comment on American chickens.

China has invaded the whole world, and you guys haven't noticed it

All souvenirs for all countries are made in China and other stuff.
And actually I found more chinese sfuff in Canada, than in Belarus, though our president sort of in a good friendship with China

Posted by: GentleGiant

Did you hear recently, a Chinese factory was found making "Free Tibet" banners for the Olympic Protesters?? The workers informed the local government who sent in the Police to confiscate and burn all of the offending banners.

Posted by: Ade

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrismc

I asked my wife why they have BIG holes in the roads and they never get repaired, and it would never happen here, she told me if people drive down them it is because they are stupid, and you can see examples of this and worse all over her city, big holes in pavements, broken sign posts sticking up out of the ground, building sites spilling over onto the streets, electric cables sticking out of walls, dozens of plugs into one socket

yes you see those in every home etc etc

I think the unique concept of Health and Safety is lost on them

Come to Sheffield Chris, our roads are terrible. Really. Far worse than anything I saw in Russia.

Ade

Posted by: OzGuyLooking

My local council is in the stupid habit of resealing roads that have nothing wrong with them yet the ones with pot-holes everywhere are left for people to damage their vehicles on.

Posted by: Chrismc

Ade

I could show you some pictures of roads in Chernivsti that a tank would have to have a second or third attempt at getting down, they are terrible, but on top of that they seem to take years (literally) to repair them, one I know of I am told has been on going 3 years already and they seem to work on it every day, but get nowhere

Posted by: blucatz

Quote:

Originally Posted by OzGuyLooking

My local council is in the stupid habit of resealing roads that have nothing wrong with them yet the ones with pot-holes everywhere are left for people to damage their vehicles on.

Wow, I think either your local council gets around or ours does, cause our council here does the same thing. Spend millions of dollars to supposedly fix a road that needs no repair and leaves the ones that will eat a small car or at least send your hub caps flying.

Posted by: Chillidog

Quote:

Originally Posted by sidney

Hey Sid,
actually the electrical wiring standards are inforced by the 'NEC' National Electric Code, Osha does have members on this board and helps contribute to these standards, but in all "OSHA" main job title is along of "Personal Safety" smoke dectectors, horns/sirens. Making sure extension cords are not frayed or cracked. using ladders properly (not standing on the top) or extension ladders properly secured, just a few of the very many. As many have pointed out just walking down a main city in Ukraine/Russia like Moscow and seeing all of the scaffolding erected to make repairs to older building and nowhere in site any type of fencing to stop people from walking under or near this scaffolding, where something might fall and injure or kill someone is amazing.
Yea as far as OSHA being in a CIS country you can pretty much count that out, it appears that it is left up to the common sense of the person, and if they stupidly get hurt while being too near these dangers it is their own fault.

But maybe the CIS countries have it correct wouldn't the intelligence of the gene pool increase if more of the stupid people walked under these open scaffolding or drove their cars down these roads that would swallow an elephant? as Chrismc's wife said it is there choice if they want to be stupid or not.