Made in China

The chances are that at least one of your, or your children's, Christmas presents were manufactured in China. Maybe even all of them!

And in buying products such as ipods, computer games, toys and shoes from that nation - whether or not you knew it - you've helped make it the world's largest exporter, overtaking the mighty Germany, who'd been top dog for most of the last decade.

The rise has been almost overnight for China. After a 13-month decline in trade, they had a brilliant December, with an increase in exports of 17 per cent. Many are praising China's manufacturers for their resilience in the face of the economic downturn, but others, especially China's competitors such as the US, claim their success is only because of their undervalued currency - the government has deliberately weakened the Yuan to make its goods cheaper.

Well, it may be dirty tactics on China's part but it's certainly worked. This news is significant but is hardly a surprise. The rest of the world has been buying products from earth's most-populated nation for some time and their influence has also been growing in Africa in recent years too.

My concern about all of this is people's desire to buy dirt-cheap stuff from China on a whim without thinking about the consequences. Our craving for a bargain, and for the latest technology, takes priority over considering the impact on other people,resources and the environment.

We have questions to answer. Has our product from China been made by people who are being underpaid and overworked in a 'sweatshop' environment? Is it fairly traded and correctly sourced? How much pollution was created in making it? Could we have bought something similar from our own country? And, probably the biggest question of all: 'Do we really need this product?'

Sadly, I believe China's rise to the top is a clear indicator of humankind's greedy, selfish and materialistic nature and, whilst there's no denying their power in world economics (it's not all about the West anymore!), some caution is required. China's success, unlike their products, comes at a price.

(Photo credit: James Sann)

It doesn't rain - it snows! After my previous post about the wintry weather in the north, the heavy snow made its way down to my neck of the woods - Oxfordshire. This time of year is usually rainy, windy and relatively mild, so the 20cms snowfall in 24 hours here last Tuesday and Wednesday was a bit of a shock to the system.

What's irritated me though has been the hype and how 'newsworthy' of it all. There's been too much of a focus on health and safety, meaning schools stayed closed longer than they should have done and sporting fixtures were unnecessarily called off. The idea of panic buying makes me mad too - but that's because of the media frenzy. Let's just get on with life, even if it's slightly harder work!

Finally, a couple of positives. The way the rail network has responded has been a pleasant surprise. Without making a fuss, the majority of trains in most parts have been running. I've been grateful for that. Plus, we've had our milk delivered, so praise to that service too.