Manhattan finally busts Canal Street counterfeiters

Very pleased to see in the papers today that Mayor Bloomberg ordered a crackdown on the sale of counterfeit goods in Manhattan's Chinatown. I'm always disgusted by the number of thoughless, sheep-like tourists for whom this seedy section of downtown is a Mecca. There is nothing clever about buying ridiculous aspirational fake goods, the profits of which go to fund organised crime, drug trafficking, prositution, child labour and sweatshops.

The massive pre-dawn raid on the three-building strip along Canal Street resulted in the seizure of about $1 million worth of fake brand-name items, including sunglasses, watches and handbags with imitation Coach, Prada and Rolex labels from 32stores in what Mayor Bloomberg called "one of the most notorious knock-off shopping malls in the five boroughs."