Travelling around the world
So I've been reading this book by Jim Rogers
his second guiness world record-breaking trip round the world
on this super-modified one-&-only mercedes roadster..
As a successful economist, he gave such open, n straight views
of every single country he drove thru,
their bureaucracy, governing sectors, financial situations etc...
Ive been reading it for a while
n following him on his adventure as he drove thru war zones, deserts, jungles, epidemics
he's had many narrow escapes from earthquakes, civil wars
he had to deal with the severely strict customs esp in Pakistan, India
he's concluded the 21st century belongs to China
and that the Euro is doomed to fail
and India, like many other nations, will break into several countries.
(North, south India do not care or bother abt wat they each other do,
neither do their government)...
'Japan is the richest country in the world, a country supposedly technologically ahead of every other, yet travelling its motorways, driving its toll roads, you will discover that in the gas stations, the use of credit cards is encouraged - only those drawn on Japanese banks are accepted..'
'I am convinced that the Japanese economy has hit a bottom. the suicide rate is the highest in recorded history, the birthrate is lowest. People are refraining from having children becos they are economically fearful. If the trend continues, its population will be reduced half well before the end of the century. The country has one of the world's highest internal debt, continues to grow while the number of people necessary to pay it off continues to shrink. The same demographic prevails in Europe, bt of course the Europeans have nothing on the Japanese when it comes to discouraging immigration.'
'The penalties of alcohol possession in Saudi Arabia are imprisonment, exile or flogging, 80 lashes being what is actually specified in strict Muslim countries.(the penalty of drug trafficking is beheading.No questions, they just chop it off without even notifying your ambassador.)
'There are now something like 20,000 princes in the royal family of Saudi Arabia. Polygamy is customary, n havng numerous children is the norm. (Osama bin laden's father had more than 50 children WOHO~~hahahahhaha). The saudi govt funds all of these princes with 6-fig annual salaries. '
'With an enormously high living standard, Singapore is perhaps the greatest success story of the developed world in the past 40 years. You will not find another city in the world that is as rich and safe as Singapore. We all know the horror stories about Singapore, how you have a particular haircut (?!!!), how you cannot spit on the sidewalk, how chewing gum n smoking are seriously discouraged, n how you can be caned for minor offenses. We can debate what many see as the Prime Minister's horribly repressive approach to govt. But no matter how horrible you think he might be, there a lot of dictatios around the world far more repressive than he and who do not have anything to show for it. '
'Singapore has the highest savings and investment rate of any country in the world (the U.S., by contrast, had a negative savings rate once) Lee spent huge amt on eudcation. With an educated workforce, the best educated in the region and perhaps the world , the country was able to ascend to a position of power in Asia. Singapore has the 3rd highest foreign currency reserves in the world, nxt to Japan and China, with huge populations.'
'While the Irish were making sure everyone learned to speak Gaelic and Iceland was mandating that its schoolchildren learn Danish, Lee was insisting that everyone speak Chinese and English. '
It fascinates me how he looks at the whole
from an economic perspective
I've never been a practical person
I love to see the world from a natural point of view
but well, it sure astonishes me...
posted by Nell at 12:35 PM
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