The World Is Learning About Dalian 4 Months, 1 Week ago
This letter to the editor of the Rutland (VT) Herald shows how Dalian is growing in both name recognition and prominence. I too had never heard of Dalian until I visited here in 2006 as a part of a delegation from Indiana. Of Course, Tom Friedman has been a cheerleader for Dalian for some years now.
Time to look at local needs
August 29, 2008
As the national drama of the election cycle peaks, and hopefully gives us some peace in the weeks before the actual presidential election, it is time to think locally. National and international issues are beginning to suck the lifeblood from our communities' resources.
Thomas Friedman's New York Times column of Aug. 27, "A Biblical Seven Years," contrasts what has happened since 2001 in China vs. America. China has had seven years of planning. In that time they built architecture, highways, magnetic trains — a dazzling splendor in Beijing, Shanghai. Dalian — (Dalian? I never heard of it before today, and now it's one of the world's premier cities.)
Friedman points out that while "China was building stadiums, subways, roads, and parks, America was building better metal detectors, armored Humvees, and pilotless drones."
With that reminder, it's time for us to look locally, to our planning and budgeting cycles. We should favor schools, roads, and bridges over more prisons and more police doing marijuana arrests. It's time to look towards the positive needs of our society and let go of the bogeyman. We'll have to sacrifice something, but then, after a time, we will have something more than rusted bridges and Humvees to look at.
LARRY COOKE
Sudbury
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Re:The World Is Learning About Dalian 4 Months, 1 Week ago
Coltsfan wrote:
QUOTE: This letter to the editor of the Rutland (VT) Herald shows how Dalian is growing in both name recognition and prominence. I too had never heard of Dalian until I visited here in 2006 as a part of a delegation from Indiana. Of Course, Tom Friedman has been a cheerleader for Dalian for some years now.
Time to look at local needs
August 29, 2008
As the national drama of the election cycle peaks, and hopefully gives us some peace in the weeks before the actual presidential election, it is time to think locally. National and international issues are beginning to suck the lifeblood from our communities' resources.
Thomas Friedman's New York Times column of Aug. 27, "A Biblical Seven Years," contrasts what has happened since 2001 in China vs. America. China has had seven years of planning. In that time they built architecture, highways, magnetic trains — a dazzling splendor in Beijing, Shanghai. Dalian — (Dalian? I never heard of it before today, and now it's one of the world's premier cities.)
Friedman points out that while "China was building stadiums, subways, roads, and parks, America was building better metal detectors, armored Humvees, and pilotless drones."
With that reminder, it's time for us to look locally, to our planning and budgeting cycles. We should favor schools, roads, and bridges over more prisons and more police doing marijuana arrests. It's time to look towards the positive needs of our society and let go of the bogeyman. We'll have to sacrifice something, but then, after a time, we will have something more than rusted bridges and Humvees to look at.
LARRY COOKE
Sudbury
Goldman wrote:
QUOTE: . "While I Was Asleep" is the introductory chapter of Thomas L. Friedman(*)'s best seller "The World Is Flat". Friedman reports his conversation over dinner with Xia De Ren, Mayor of Dalian:
QUOTE: "(...)In manufacturing, Chinese people first were the employees and working for the big foreign manufacturers, and after several years, after we have learned all the processes and steps, we can start our own firms. Software will go down the same road... First we will have our young people employed by the foreigners, and then we will start our own companies. It is like building a building. Today, the U.S., you are the designers, the architects, and the developing countries are the bricklayers for the buildings. But one day I hope we will be the architects."
Suddenly, I pause and think:After I have invested big time and trained my staff, then they will start their own companies?Does it sound like an official alarm bell in the distance? We have been warned and had better not "fall asleep"... as Friedman did!
(*)Thomas L. Friedman - Notorious delusional, NY Times editorialist, world improver and Empire reporter.
So Friedman's mantra has not changed since 2003! - America is asleep while China is building.
If all Larry Cook uses as a source of inspiration is the infamous world do-gooder and American delusionist Thomas L. Friedman, we are all in deep trouble and had better find better sources to nourish our reflection, fast!
Poor America!! as if the credit crisis, 8 years of Bush and the prospects of a clone of Bush or a Black demagogue soon to be in the White House were not enough, Friedman now proposes that Americans should use the recently gained experience in the desert of the Middle East and Central Asia to "Nation Build" AT HOME...
Thomas L. Friedman wrote:
QUOTE: (...)Obama is more right than he knows when he proclaims that this is “our” moment, this is “our” time. But it is our time to get back to work on the only home we have, our time for nation-building in America. I never want to tell my girls — and I’m sure Obama feels the same about his — that they have to go to China to see the future.
Re:The World Is Learning About Dalian 4 Months, 1 Week ago
Louis The 14th wrote:
QUOTE: Thomas L. Friedman wrote:
QUOTE: (...)Obama is more right than he knows when he proclaims that this is “our” moment, this is “our” time. But it is our time to get back to work on the only home we have, our time for nation-building in America. I never want to tell my girls — and I’m sure Obama feels the same about his — that they have to go to China to see the future.
But wouldn't it be honest for China (if this view can be applied) to receive all this "processes know-how" and other intellectual property in reward for the low cost production and pollution? Everything should be balanced.
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