Article

2007-11-28 Great White North

File under "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished, Part Two"

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Posted by Seafarious 2007-11-28 02:46|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 Comments remind me of home. Why are we wasting money on - fill in the blank - when there are so many needy people at home. Obviously this is proof that the - government, President, Prime Minister, World-at-Large - doesn't really care about anyone else.

Basically, I don't understand it, and (therefore)everybody else is an idiot. Some things are universal.

Posted by Bobby 2007-11-28 06:52|| 2007-11-28 06:52|| Front Page Top

#2 Bobby: People are perfectly capable of understanding $60m for museum building in Mongolia is a waste of money. Your comment reminds me of home. There are plenty of people in Canada who are ready to sneer if the mere people complain their money is being pissed away.

Posted by Excalibur 2007-11-28 09:24|| 2007-11-28 09:24|| Front Page Top

#3 Excalibur, I just read the article.

The museum in question isn't in Mongolia. It's in "Inner Mongolia," which is part of China.

Posted by Abdominal Snowman 2007-11-28 11:02|| 2007-11-28 11:02|| Front Page Top

#4 It also goes to show that the concept of "one step improvement" was missed. This is the idea that if you wish to assist a backwards people, the best aid you can give them is an idea, simple and easy for them to understand, that will improve their lot.

An excellent example of this was in rural India, where people made pottery with *hand* turned spinning wheels. As "aid", all they needed was to be shown a *foot* turned spinning wheel.

It was a flash of inspiration that every one of them instantly grasped as a better way of making pottery. From that moment, every pottery maker in the village immediately set to make his own foot turned spinning wheel. Their productivity tripled overnight. As did their income and prosperity.

With $60M, the Canadians could have slowly introduced dozens of such improvements to the area, that the locals would understand completely at first glance, and would quickly become essential technology to them. Once discovered, there would be no reason to do things the old way.

But one step at a time.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-11-28 11:05|| 2007-11-28 11:05|| Front Page Top

23:54 Texhooey
23:52 Seafarious
23:41 Zenster
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