Final Word from Thursday, November 22, 2007
It'll be another Chinese Christmas in the Czech Republic and around the world, unless parents make a conscious effort to change their buying habits. Almost all toys bought last Christmas, according to one expert, were made in China, and most people didn't even notice it. This year, with all the product recalls and warnings, the Made in China label has been blemished. Many people are realizing that much of the Chinese stuff they've been accumulating - almost all of which is molded out of plastic - shouldn't have ever even been made, much less bought. What better time to return to the basics and support Bohemian and Moravian products made of natural, renewable resources, such as hand-crafted wooden toys, books (remember them?) and - for the older crowd - fine wines and spirits? We'd probably all lapse back into our old habits in Jan., but it would be useful and fun to give China Inc. a good balance-of-payments scare for at least one month out of the year.