[Robert A Cook PE]

No, but why does the phrase "What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?" come to mind?

See, does that mean "Only the price of tea (at the London docks) matters, regardless of what you paid for it in China, so what you are asking is irrelevant to the big picture;

Or does it mean, "The British Empire runs on tea, and huge fortunes can be made if "I" can buy tea at the cheapest price (in China) and get it to market first (in London) at the highest price"

... Thus, the ONLY thing that matters is the "price of tea in China"?

[frithguild]

Well, that covers a lot of ground. Say, you cover a lot of ground yourself. You better beat it - I hear they're going to tear you down and put up an office building where you're standing. You can leave in a taxi. If you can't get a taxi, you can leave in a huff. If that's too soon, you can leave in a minute and a huff. You know, you haven't stopped talking since I came here? You must have been vaccinated with a phonograph needle.

[Vision]

The "Tea in China" only makes sense to me as a futures deal

[Cyber Liberty]

I'll have to ask my Chinese friend about the price of tea in China. She brought a lovely boxed package of it from there, for Miss Lippy and me.