#4249: Cotton economics (fwd)

[Robert Corbett <bcorbett@netcom.com>]

From:NLaleau@aol.com

Dear Richard,

You are way ahead of just about everyone else on the list. (I, of course, 
think I am too...) The cotton issue is a case in point... I don't have any 
problem with reviving Haitian cotton, per se, as a nice folkloric sideline to 
more productive endeavors, like... computer literacy??? (I've brought this up 
on the List a number of times but nobody has yet responded to it...) I think 
people are saddled with linear thinking about what it would take to bring 
Haiti into the 21st century -- many folks seem to think that first Haitians 
have to move on up through the stone age, bronze age, etc., etc., to 
feudalism, monarchy, etc., etc., and perhaps in the year 3000 they might 
approach the 20th century. 

Although Haiti is indeed a remarkable melange of forms of thinking and 
world-views, the common denominator, I think, is amazing mental flexibility, 
creativity, ability to improvise, curiosity and willingness to entertain any 
concept that could produce something profitable and/or interesting. I think 
these traits are very consistent with the basic make-up of an excellent 
computer programmer or software designer... Why doesn't anyone else notice 
that? 

Nancy