Dear Friends:

http://www.chrismartenson.com/future_shock Chapter 19.

PLUS:::::I had an extraordinary opportunity to spend some time with a former government employee:

The conversation was mainly around China as he has been involved with the olympics ... Here is some snippets of the discussion that really stuck with me:
(1) The US is a pacific rim country-- look at the map.
(2) Taiwan now has a government that the Chinese feel is predictable. Predictability leads to peace.
(3) The success of the US is inextricably tied to the success of China and vice versa. Neither can fail.
(4) China is buying up the mineral rights in Africa with cheap loans, outright gifts and chinese technology and labor. US debt and US assets are being bought by China.
(5) The Chinese military is more formidable than anyone thinks and it has little to do with technology. They can muster a fighting force equal to the size of the entire US population.
(6) The Chinese are extremely proud of their country -- a feeling that is falling out of fashion in the US.
(7) The Bejing olympics must be successful (I spoke to him in July '08).
(8) The Chinese government are unelected communists. For them to stay in power, they must keep their population happy. This they will do at all costs.
(9) The largest problems (in priority order) for the Chinese government is Pollution, Water and Food. "You are dead if lack 3 minutes of air, 3 days of water, 3 weeks without food".

I asked him about the China judicial system, property rights and the educational system. My sense was that people's rights, like those in the US, are not top of mind because the needs of the population are so basic. However, the educational system is highly advanced and focuses on specialization rather than broad learning (like the US). What this means is that parents or the government predetermine what a child will be when they grow up and then send them away to the appropriate school.

There was a woman from Hong Kong in the conversation circle and she said; "China and the US are like husband and wife. Both sleeping in the same bed but dreaming different dreams." I don't know exactly what she meant; but I sure wish I could think of cool things like this to say.