<did my swim in the cold ocean. The water was actually not that cold, say 22 degrees on the C scale.>
Crikey Jay, if you think that's cold, you should try swimming in our oceans at the annual maximum temperature. 17 degrees Celsius would be a great day in the height of summer. I've got to get out of this semi-Antarctic place next winter and enjoy a real summer in the northern hemisphere. I suppose I could go to Fiji, but San Diego and the western USA is so much more interesting.
I checked Hong Kong temperatures a couple of days ago and it's an ideal climate. I like heat and lots of it. Beijing is pretty cool in winter though.
A similar process as described has happened to New Zealand. 40 years ago, we were third richest on the planet and combined with natural environment and quality of life, rumour has it best place on Earth. 30 years ago, Kiwis would fly to Hong Kong and Singapore, buying up large, paying for the trip with the savings. 20 years ago, Hong Kong was no longer an amazing bargain. 10 years ago, Kiwis couldn't afford to go to Hong Kong. Now Hong Kongers come here and are our neighbours and we are all selling out, going to live somewhere cheaper. We make their beds in the hotels, fix their Lexus, serve food in the aircraft and generally try to ingratiate ourselves. Singapore owns a good chunk of NZ.
They say it's normally rags to riches to rags over three generations in a family. The cycle is a little longer for whole countries, but seems to follow a similar attitudinal shift. Once the country is rich, they adopt foolish political positions which drain them. They kick back and think the world owes them a living. Which, in way, they do. The grandchildren think they are entitled.
It's funny watching Yiwu developing, already, a sense of innate superiority. The Americans still have it. The British have long since got over the loss of Empire [certainly the young ones have]. The Japanese are still superior, but a decade of comedown has modulated the worst excesses.
Mqurice |
