February 21, 2004

South Korea, HaloScan, and Flames

Well, I've spent most of the last few days reading about the East Asian economic miracles - particularly South Korea's - fascinating stuff, suggestive and encouraging. I'll post something detailed about the lessons of the East Asian tigers sooner or later, but will try to wet your appetite with this tidbit:

45 years ago, Korea's per capita income was $200/year, the illiteracy rate was 75% and the country had virtually no middle class. Today - per capita income is over $15,000/year, illiteracy basically doesn't exist, and the country has virtually no poor people.

If they can do it, we can do it.

In other news, parts of the Comments feature started to get slightly out of hand with a series of really unacceptable flames and insults which, personally, I refuse to have on my site. So I upgraded my HaloScan account and I want to be very clear about this: flames, insults, and incitement will be erased. Please don't post them in the first place.

Venezuelans need to learn to respect one another even when (especially when) we really, really, really disagree. So please voice your disagreements as strongly as you like, but don't flame.