April? The World is Flat....
Thomas Friedman- New York Times correspondent- just published a new book, The World is Flat. Friedman says he had an epiphany that the capabilities of the billions of people in second and third world countries are no longer constrained by the traditional things like lack of industrial infrastructure. Those billions of people are cellphoned, computerized, and connected. And because they're connected, they are increasingly able to leapfrog in capacities. If there are nearly two billion people in China how many of them are smart, educated, ambitious, and entrepreneurial? One percent would be 20 million.
Can we just blithely continue on as if our economy and our cultural dominance are a given? I haven't read the book yet, but I understand that's the gist of his case. And the consequences are immense for us.
Just an observation, but the policymakers in this country do not get this. Their priorities are totally whacked.
How does it feel to pay 2.36 a gallon for gas? Well, it's likely to be great compared to future prices. Just read an article reminding me that oil exploration geologists largely believe that this year sometime the world's production of oil will peak and that no amount of opening ANWR kinds of action will bump it back to previous levels. Well, you might say, not a big deal 'cause our production levels right now are fine and that curve has a long way to go down. Back to the Chinese and the Indians and the Brazilians and....well, everyone. How many gas guzzling cars can we add to the world's fleet? The newly rich in all those other countries are going to want a car to go with their cell phones. World consumption of oil is booming! Partly because of the hot Chinese economy which is producing 'cheap stuff' at a faster and faster pace.
I think I said it somewhile ago. If push comes to shove and the Chinese need oil and we need oil and there's not enough, how do you suppose that's going to be resolved?
Well. Enough. It's an April Saturday and a squall is darkening the sky to the south. Lucky I got the lawn whacked earlier. Time to go on to the next chore. Oh, and to make a note about getting Friedman's book.
Can we just blithely continue on as if our economy and our cultural dominance are a given? I haven't read the book yet, but I understand that's the gist of his case. And the consequences are immense for us.
Just an observation, but the policymakers in this country do not get this. Their priorities are totally whacked.
How does it feel to pay 2.36 a gallon for gas? Well, it's likely to be great compared to future prices. Just read an article reminding me that oil exploration geologists largely believe that this year sometime the world's production of oil will peak and that no amount of opening ANWR kinds of action will bump it back to previous levels. Well, you might say, not a big deal 'cause our production levels right now are fine and that curve has a long way to go down. Back to the Chinese and the Indians and the Brazilians and....well, everyone. How many gas guzzling cars can we add to the world's fleet? The newly rich in all those other countries are going to want a car to go with their cell phones. World consumption of oil is booming! Partly because of the hot Chinese economy which is producing 'cheap stuff' at a faster and faster pace.
I think I said it somewhile ago. If push comes to shove and the Chinese need oil and we need oil and there's not enough, how do you suppose that's going to be resolved?
Well. Enough. It's an April Saturday and a squall is darkening the sky to the south. Lucky I got the lawn whacked earlier. Time to go on to the next chore. Oh, and to make a note about getting Friedman's book.
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