Re: Career questions: databases

"Bob Badour" <bbadour_at_pei.sympatico.ca> wrote in message news:4689b480$0$4318$9a566e8b_at_news.aliant.net...
> Bruce C. Baker wrote:
>
>> "Bob Badour" <bbadour_at_pei.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
>> news:4689a98c$0$4336$9a566e8b_at_news.aliant.net...
>>
>>>Bruce C. Baker wrote:
>>>
>>>>"Bob Badour" <bbadour_at_pei.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
>>>>news:46899de5$0$4325$9a566e8b_at_news.aliant.net...
>>>>
>>>>>Bruce C. Baker wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>><snip>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>And two, Brits don't know nothing. If they did, then they wouldn't
>>>>>>>>have lost
>>>>>>>>their world empire, and wouldn't have needed us to bail them out in
>>>>>>>>WWII.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Let's take that discussion further.
>>>>>>>Wherever the white man goes, everything is left is ruins. Starting
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>from the colonial times and following to the present day, consider
>>>>>>>reading the histories of the Indian subcontinent, South America,
>>>>>>>Africa, the Middle East, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, with perhaps
>>>>>>>Iran
>>>>>>>and Venezuela to follow. And let's not even talk about the Red
>>>>>>>Indians.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Sorry, old boy, but actually it's "Wherever the white man has
>>>>>>/departed/, everything is in ruins." Seems that while the natives are
>>>>>>capable of enjoying the fruits of civilization, they aren't quite
>>>>>>capable of maintaining it. Pity, really.
>>>>>>
>>>>>><snip>
>>>>>
>>>>>Even that isn't necessarily true: see Japan.
>>>>
>>>>Quite right, Bob; I forgot Japan. BUT, can you name another non-European
>>>>country that has adopted western ways so well?
>>>
>>>China now that Mao's stupidity is over.
>>
>> They're on the right path economically; Politically, they haven't even
>> /found/ the path.,
>
> We have plenty of examples to show us that western democracy is not
> required for making successful societies who can cooperate on a massive
> scale and for mutual benefit.

Not /required/, but democracy certainly helps. Capitalism seems to trump state-directed economies, and it seems to work best when _individuals_ stand to benefit.

>
> The ruins of the world have cultures that conflict with creating fully
> functioning nation states. See, um, what's his face on consanguineous
> marriage... Stanley, um, Kurtz is it?

Sorry, Bob; that ref was way over my head! :-)

>
> Tribal affiliation interferes with any sense of civic duty or national
> pride.

We've gotten /way/ OT here. I wouldn't have responded to the OP's post at all had he not dissed /my/ tribe. It's a little disingenuous to bash the "white man" while simultaneously enjoying the benefits of western European medicine, technology, political traditions, etc.! Received on Tue Jul 03 2007 - 04:46:11 CEST