dave re: fidels' birthday
Dave, you wrote "On my recent journey through the back blocks of SE Asia I found happier poverty stricken people than many whinging, complaining comparatively wealthy yet unhappy Australians."
Dave, I agree with you. For many it is not what they have now that satisfies them, but the knowledge that they are moving forward. Many look at progress in terms of generations, comparing their lives to their parents and in turn what their childrens lives might be like. Despite various ups and downs most Asians have seen remarkable improvements within their own lifetimes, relatively, perhaps more than what we have seen here. Many there say that if you are not moving ahead, then you are going backwards. The law of diminishing returns makes it increasingly difficult for many here to keep moving ahead, more so than for those in Asia.
