Made in China. No thank you!

It has been a busy month and with Christmas fast approaching it does not appear to me that it will slow down. However, I always manage to balance my life and being content like a Persian cat is my motto. I am looking forward to hosting an annual cousins Christmas get together. Did I mention I love parties and gatherings? I tried to see if I could get a vegetarian platter at Costco’s - no such luck. They would remove the meat, they said, but I did not actually want meat removed. A friend of mine, a very proud Jew, who after her last celebration told me how she finally found someone who could cater wonderfully, invited me the day after to help her eat some of the left overs. She also gave me a doggy bag to bring home and I will return the favour some day. Maybe it will be after my own celebration of having some family. Maybe I will ask for the phone number of her service. Maybe I will just breakdown and make a tea like event by buying loads of bread, cutting the edges and slicing them into squares. First I will magically produce an array of cream and cucumbers, tuna, salmon (I still eat some fish if it does not look at me). I love high tea and so why not? Of course there will be cheese, fruit, wine etc……..I love life. Now back to China. But first I want to let you know that I have attended more conferences and have one more this month which will stretch to two days and then of course after all that networking, getting up to date with my professional development, I will head off to my favourite place in Ontario, Niagara Falls to catch the Ice Show, buy some home grown wine and just enjoy life in my free country. Now back to China. Oh yes, I will talk about my conferences. There was some actual research done concerning psychotherapy and spirituality right here in my home town. I personally thought it was a very small sample and could of been done better but it is a start and some research is better than no research. Now back to China. Oh, before I begin with China, there is a group of people really upset about the College of Psychotherapy, who I am still waiting patiently to open office, even if it is going to take more money from my pocket. If you are not qualified, no more taking money from people who have no clue what qualifications are required to provide psychotherapy. I am excited that the government has awaken and become concerned that people are in practice with no qualifications. So, I don’t know why I keep getting emails from organizations who think they can continue this, because I support protecting the public. Sorry, Guys. I am on the side of protecting people; that is why I chose my professions. Back to school for you, so you can earn those big bucks. Now back to China. Oooops, did I mention that I will be bringing you up to date with what I have been learning? I will in due time. Now, really, back to China. I was watching the news (as I normally do) where my Prime Minister was in China making deals with China. Now they can work out finances in Chinese currency. I think they have some sort of billion or billions Chinese deal. In the same news cast, the reporters (this is the kind of reporting I like) were filming crosses from buildings being toppled (of course it is because they are not up to code. (Is a cross ever up to code in China?) You could tell the Prime Minister wasn’t happy about this but is very polite about it because we are a polite society. Then the film continues with a large group of people standing on what appears to be a massive Church. They are on the front steps protecting their Church. The next frame is the entire destruction of the Church. It is in shambles. You have to love those communist countries who think we are so stupid. I guess the Church wasn’t built to code either. Then reporters, being the inquisitive creatures that they are at stirring the pot, ask their questions, but you can only hear the answer and a business man who is probably there with our Prime Minister to make deals and shake hands with the ……….tells us all, that it is their country and they should be able to do what they want in their own country. Now, there was a caption with a name for everyone else talking but not this arrogant business man. Why is that? I am very disappointed about that because I would certainly buy no product from who ever he is representing. I am normally the first to have my Christmas decorations up. After Hallowe’en I begin slowly. Last year I realized I needed more lights for the outside. I was slowly building up a nice glow outside and enjoyed it when people would stop to look. However, last year I realized that my front lawn needed much more and had planned to buy more. It got so cold that I decided to wait. So this year, I have my tree up and realize that I would like a much bigger and wider tree, however, this is all that would fit in my car and that was no easy task. The salesman from Rona actually shoved it in my passenger seat. I don’t have a big car. I have a very very little car who is old enough to vote. Do they vote in China? So, while my car is still alive or until I make more money my little car and little tree will have to do. However, I need the lights, so I drove off to Costco in my little car who is rusting away as I drive him. I visit the Christmas lights section and I notice it is all made in China. All I see, is crosses being toppled and one big church being toppled and hey did I mention the Canadians they arrested for being spies. What did they do, pay for a cross???? Hey, maybe they had a cross in the coffee shop? Hey, maybe they are Jews or Christians or whatever and that makes them spies? Anyhow, I put the Christmas lights back on the counter. What saved Costco was that they were selling stuff made in Italy, Portugal and my neighbours USA. So, I bought a nice towel made in the USA. At least that feeds some Americans that are provided with work. I ask a man who looks important because he is talking at a group of employees if they have anything in the Christmas bulbs department not made in China. Nope, he does not. So, I have made my point. I buy my Italian coffee which is 6.00 cheaper there and that alone covers my member ship fees. And I buy more stuff that I need but apparently cannot recall what that is, because it is two whole days ago, and I go to the check out. There is a Costco employee around who I have a conversation with. I tell him about my disappointment about not being able to buy Christmas lights which was my motive for going there. I will now have to look more. “Good luck with that. I bought a Canadian flag as a souvenir for someone and it is made in Taiwan. Can you believe that?” I respond, “I thought they were going to stop that?” Now as I type away, I remember that the flag outside my pole is made in China. I nod at the guy and remember that I too had picked a colourful souvenir which I thought was cute. However, when I saw where it was made, I put it back on the shelf. So, after I get sorted out today, I will go to Home Depot and look for Christmas lights and this time, I will have to buy them regardless of where they are made, because if I cannot find any not made in China, anywhere than it is only China or nothing shining outside. “ Hey, didn’t Canada make a deal with China worth billions?” the Canadian man at Costco continued. I nodded. “If we can’t find anything made in Canada now, what will this mean?” I hum in agreement. “Look at the people out east. They have no jobs.” I agree, “I know and they come here to find work, and they can’t.” I leave Costco feeling concerned that our own people have no work, while people in Communist countries or exploited countries are working cheap with cheap products. I am concerned that big corporation representatives think it is oky that countries have the right to hurt their people because it provides them with more money that they will ever need. I see Churches being destroyed and people being arrested for little reason. I see Corporations merging and becoming more powerful and I become concerned that perhaps our own politicians will be replaced or owned by Corporations. However, I see hope in our future. I see youth with a social conscious. I see a youth with a growing concern for humanity. I see a promise to make our global village more habitual for everyone. I see a world where people are free to choose if they want to believe in a God or not. I see people who can once again breathe fresh air. I see a world where there is no starvation. I see a world where people are accountable for their actions. I see a world where dictatorship belongs only in history. When I see a fresh young face, I see hope. What do you think?