adorama flogging facemasks

In article ,
RichA wrote:

https://www.adorama.com/gxrsakn95.ht...ce=rflaid67085

Beware ANYTHING made in China. Canada's recent shipment found 60% defective/unfit.

I don't disagree, but IMHO it's not always (even usually) the Chinese
"fault". I have bit of knowledge about having product manufactured in
China.

If you ask an American factory to cut the wholesale on something by $5,
it generally means you're asking them to accept $5 less profit. Ash the
same question in China, and the assumption is to find a way to
manufacture it for less.

My friend was having parrot cages made for USA sale. First batch was
fine. "Great, now can you do it for $30 less?"

Next batch had cheaper latches, and only one coat of paint. The factory
rep was confused; to him, they'd done exactly as asked.

They'll happily make you a $5 face mask or a 50¢ face mask. Just don't
expect them to be the same.

On Wed, 6 May 2020 08:08:03 -0700 (PDT), RichA
wrote:

On Tuesday, 5 May 2020 18:43:58 UTC-4, Scott Schuckert wrote:
In article ,
RichA wrote:

https://www.adorama.com/gxrsakn95.ht...ce=rflaid67085

Beware ANYTHING made in China. Canada's recent shipment found 60% defective/unfit.

I don't disagree, but IMHO it's not always (even usually) the Chinese
"fault". I have bit of knowledge about having product manufactured in
China.

I remember one company in Toronto had medical tape made in China. They shipped it out only to have it returned because it contained insects stuck to it.
There is also evidence now that farming out even low-end or low-intellectual end products is having a negative impact on the development of cutting-edge technology products in North American and Europe.

Heh. Who are the "running dogs" of capitalism now?

On Wed, 06 May 2020 11:21:40 -0500, Bill W
wrote:

On Wed, 6 May 2020 08:08:03 -0700 (PDT), RichA
wrote:

On Tuesday, 5 May 2020 18:43:58 UTC-4, Scott Schuckert wrote:
In article ,
RichA wrote:

https://www.adorama.com/gxrsakn95.ht...ce=rflaid67085

Beware ANYTHING made in China. Canada's recent shipment found 60% defective/unfit.

I don't disagree, but IMHO it's not always (even usually) the Chinese
"fault". I have bit of knowledge about having product manufactured in
China.

I remember one company in Toronto had medical tape made in China. They shipped it out only to have it returned because it contained insects stuck to it.
There is also evidence now that farming out even low-end or low-intellectual end products is having a negative impact on the development of cutting-edge technology products in North American and Europe.

Heh. Who are the "running dogs" of capitalism now?

I went to Cuba in 1979 as part of a government-sponsored program to
get the opinion of business owners on whether or not we should open
trade with Cuba.

We were assigned a young female guide who provided a tour of Havana.
During her running commentary on the sights from the bus, she actually
used the phrase "Running dog capitalists" to describe Americans.

We went by some apartment buildings and she made a point that, in
Cuba, they had free elections and everyone voted. Unlike America, she
said, there was 100% turn-out for elections.

I later walked up to one of the apartments and noticed that the
election results were posted outside of the building. Every resident
of the apartment building was listed, and the columns indicated which
candidate that person voted for. There was an unbroken column of
checkmarks for one of the candidates. Free election, but everyone
could see who voted for whom.

Towards the end of the bus tour I asked the guide if I could get off
the bus and walk around Havana by myself. She said I could, but it
was not recommended and discouraged me from doing so. I insisted, she
continued to say that I could go off on my own, but that it was not
recommended.

I did get off, and walked around by myself for a couple of hours. The
people I ran into were very pleasant and friendly. They all sensed I
was American...probably by my clothes. The only problem I encountered
was that several people wanted to buy my watch or asked if I had
clothes I wanted to sell. All that was available to them were East
European goods that were mostly of inferior quality.

One of the members of my group had been born in Cuba, but had been
able to emigrate to the US several years before. His brother and
family remained in Cuba.

When we left to return to the states, several of us gave the Cuban
member our unwashed laundry items...shirts, underwear, and socks. He
gave the items to his brother before we left. It seemed strange to
give away unlaundered items, but he said his brother would be glad to
have them. He was especially pleased that I donated a leather belt.
His brother was wearing a belt made out of some pressed paper stuff
that was taped up in several places.

On arriving, we had to purchase $100 in Cuban currency. We could not
exchange any Cuban currency back to US currency, and anything we had
left had to be spent in the airport shop or taken back home.

Except for ice cream sold in a square in Havana, there was little of
interest to spend money on while were there, so most of us had most of
the $100 left. One peso was US $1.00 at the government exchange, but
Cubans would offer up to 5 pesos for an American dollar. It was
illegal to do that, though, and I never did.

















--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

On May 6, 2020, Tony Cooper wrote
(in ):



On arriving, we had to purchase $100 in Cuban currency. We could not
exchange any Cuban currency back to US currency, and anything we had
left had to be spent in the airport shop or taken back home.

Except for ice cream sold in a square in Havana, there was little of
interest to spend money on while were there, so most of us had most of
the $100 left. One peso was US $1.00 at the government exchange, but
Cubans would offer up to 5 pesos for an American dollar. It was
illegal to do that, though, and I never did.

Today there are two rates for the Cuban Peso, Normal, or Cuban Convertible Peso:

Normal Cuban Peso: CUP1= US $0.039 / $1= CUP25.75

Cuban Convertible Peso: CUC$1= US $1

So for you not too much has changed since 1979. I guess US tourists get special treatment.

--
Regards,
Savageduck

On Wed, 06 May 2020 13:29:03 -0700, Savageduck
wrote:

On May 6, 2020, Tony Cooper wrote
(in ):



On arriving, we had to purchase $100 in Cuban currency. We could not
exchange any Cuban currency back to US currency, and anything we had
left had to be spent in the airport shop or taken back home.

Except for ice cream sold in a square in Havana, there was little of
interest to spend money on while were there, so most of us had most of
the $100 left. One peso was US $1.00 at the government exchange, but
Cubans would offer up to 5 pesos for an American dollar. It was
illegal to do that, though, and I never did.

Today there are two rates for the Cuban Peso, Normal, or Cuban Convertible Peso:

Normal Cuban Peso: CUP1= US $0.039 / $1= CUP25.75

Cuban Convertible Peso: CUC$1= US $1

So for you not too much has changed since 1979. I guess US tourists get special treatment.

We did then. We were in a hotel in Havana that was exclusively for
visitors from other countries. Cuban residents were not allowed above
the lobby, and could not eat in the dining room.

Most of the other guests in the hotel were either Russians or people
from some other Eastern European state. A few from somewhere in
Africa.

The Russians would not ride in the elevator with an American. They
would either get out of the elevator if we started to get in, or
decline to get in if an American was already in.

One day we were taken a shop where American and (Western) European
clothing and other items were sold. Very pricey designer stuff. The
shop would only accept American currency or credit cards. I was told
that Party officials and Russians could shop there, but I don't know
what currency they used.

--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

[lots snipped including attribs. Sorry...]

Except for ice cream sold in a square in Havana, there was little of
interest to spend money on while were there, so most of us had most of
the $100 left. One peso was US $1.00 at the government exchange, but
Cubans would offer up to 5 pesos for an American dollar. It was
illegal to do that, though, and I never did.

Today there are two rates for the Cuban Peso, Normal, or Cuban Convertible Peso:

Normal Cuban Peso: CUP1= US $0.039 / $1= CUP25.75

Cuban Convertible Peso: CUC$1= US $1

Back in the 1960s/70s, there were two official
exchange rates for US dollars to Israeli Lira.

One was the standard conversion used, for example,
if an American tourist was paying for a hotel room.

The other was the "investment rate", that is, if
an American or Brit, etc., was building a textile
factory in Dimona, Israel, they'd get a better one.

For the sake of illustration, the standard rate
might have been 5 Lira per dollar, while the investment
rate was 20...

And then..... there was the black market rate which you
(as a tourist) could get both in alleys and... in
plenty of brick and mortar real stores. Or, for that
matter, in your hotel lobby.

What was fascinating back then was that the Jerusalem
Post (the primary English language daily in Israel
with copies avialble in NYC...) had a listing for
all three. Yes, including the black market number...



--
__________________________________________________ ___
Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key

[to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]

On Wed, 6 May 2020 21:40:14 +0000 (UTC), danny burstein
wrote:

[lots snipped including attribs. Sorry...]

Except for ice cream sold in a square in Havana, there was little of
interest to spend money on while were there, so most of us had most of
the $100 left. One peso was US $1.00 at the government exchange, but
Cubans would offer up to 5 pesos for an American dollar. It was
illegal to do that, though, and I never did.

Today there are two rates for the Cuban Peso, Normal, or Cuban Convertible Peso:

Normal Cuban Peso: CUP1= US $0.039 / $1= CUP25.75

Cuban Convertible Peso: CUC$1= US $1

Back in the 1960s/70s, there were two official
exchange rates for US dollars to Israeli Lira.

One was the standard conversion used, for example,
if an American tourist was paying for a hotel room.

The other was the "investment rate", that is, if
an American or Brit, etc., was building a textile
factory in Dimona, Israel, they'd get a better one.

For the sake of illustration, the standard rate
might have been 5 Lira per dollar, while the investment
rate was 20...

And then..... there was the black market rate which you
(as a tourist) could get both in alleys and... in
plenty of brick and mortar real stores. Or, for that
matter, in your hotel lobby.

What was fascinating back then was that the Jerusalem
Post (the primary English language daily in Israel
with copies avialble in NYC...) had a listing for
all three. Yes, including the black market number...

In 1988 my wife and I went to Kenya. We'd booked a game park tour,
and the tour guide drove us around Nairobi the first day we were
there. We witnessed a policeman beating the **** out of some guy. The
tour guide shrugged it off and said the guy had probably stolen
something, and local justice was swift.

One of the things we had been advised about was that it was illegal in
Kenya to exchange American dollars anywhere except in an approved
currency exchange.

Walking around Nairobi later that night, several men approached us
asking if we had American dollars and offering large amounts of Kenyan
shillings (about 6 cents, then) for US$s. Remembering that policeman
and the local swift justice, we backed away quickly.



--
Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida