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Sorry to repeat what everybody else is saying, but Thomas Friedman is a total loser. Why he is famous is beyond me. 3/5 cheap rhetoric, 1/5 bragging about some

Sorry to repeat what everybody else is saying, but Thomas Friedman is a total loser. Why he is famous is beyond me. 3/5 cheap rhetoric, 1/5 bragging about some "exotic" place he has been, 1/5 self evident observation equals one Thomas Friedman column. Dear NYT. Fire this man already! Oh, wait. NYT is the newspaper who thinks it is a good idea to employ Ben Stein too. They will not see the incompetence of Friedman if they are blind to the insanity of Ben Stein (search google for Ben Stein Watch)....

delackner 18y ago
"1/5 bragging about some "exotic" place he has been" I'm curious, what G7 nation's major city have you been to that had trains as terrible as New York?
- Tichy 18y ago
  It is well known outside of America that the American trains are bad. I suppose Americans just go by car or airplane, so it doesn't matter much. I really disliked the article, too. So Hongkong airport is impressive. Hm, maybe some dictatorship has shelled out serious money to make an impression? Somehow it reminds me of the dot com boom - the companies who spent the most were to first to go bankrupt...
  - someremains 18y ago
    Be careful, it wasn't the current Chinese regime that executed the rash of infrastructure improvement projects in Hong Kong in the 90's. In fact, the vast majority of the projects were initiated and executed by large British engineering and architectural firms to milk as much money out of building projects prior to the turn over to Chinese rule in 1999.
    - Tichy 18y ago
      I didn't even want to make any claims about China. Maybe the super airport makes business sense. Just saying that a pretty appearance doesn't prove that a great economy is behind it.
potatolicious 18y ago
I'm not sure his observations are so self-evident, which may be why he's emphasizing the fact that he has been to these "exotic" places. I don't like the folksey tone either, but it sells papers and gets attention. Believe it or not, there are many Americans who still believe that they are the top of the world, that in Asia people are still wallowing in shantytowns and mud-brick houses. When my mother first came to Canada, someone actually asked her if we had running water and electricity. The "USA No. 1" mentality that many people still seem to have is the main reason why the US cannot proceed to fixing itself - most people have never traveled outside of the USA, least of all to Asia, and the media doesn't cover this nearly enough - Asia is advancing rapidly, its wealth and quality of life is rapidly approaching that of the US, and unless you act now your supremacy in the world will be lost forever. Until more people realize how advanced Asia has become, I think Thomas Friedman's message is entirely appropriate and welcome.
- dangoldin 18y ago
  I think you hit the nail on the head there. You need to be the underdog to keep you motivated and innovative.

delackner 18y ago

"1/5 bragging about some "exotic" place he has been" I'm curious, what G7 nation's major city have you been to that had trains as terrible as New York?

Tichy 18y ago
It is well known outside of America that the American trains are bad. I suppose Americans just go by car or airplane, so it doesn't matter much. I really disliked the article, too. So Hongkong airport is impressive. Hm, maybe some dictatorship has shelled out serious money to make an impression? Somehow it reminds me of the dot com boom - the companies who spent the most were to first to go bankrupt...
- someremains 18y ago
  Be careful, it wasn't the current Chinese regime that executed the rash of infrastructure improvement projects in Hong Kong in the 90's. In fact, the vast majority of the projects were initiated and executed by large British engineering and architectural firms to milk as much money out of building projects prior to the turn over to Chinese rule in 1999.
  - Tichy 18y ago
    I didn't even want to make any claims about China. Maybe the super airport makes business sense. Just saying that a pretty appearance doesn't prove that a great economy is behind it.

potatolicious 18y ago

I'm not sure his observations are so self-evident, which may be why he's emphasizing the fact that he has been to these "exotic" places. I don't like the folksey tone either, but it sells papers and gets attention. Believe it or not, there are many Americans who still believe that they are the top of the world, that in Asia people are still wallowing in shantytowns and mud-brick houses. When my mother first came to Canada, someone actually asked her if we had running water and electricity. The "USA No. 1" mentality that many people still seem to have is the main reason why the US cannot proceed to fixing itself - most people have never traveled outside of the USA, least of all to Asia, and the media doesn't cover this nearly enough - Asia is advancing rapidly, its wealth and quality of life is rapidly approaching that of the US, and unless you act now your supremacy in the world will be lost forever. Until more people realize how advanced Asia has become, I think Thomas Friedman's message is entirely appropriate and welcome.

dangoldin 18y ago
I think you hit the nail on the head there. You need to be the underdog to keep you motivated and innovative.