> Very interesting to put things in perspective.  If California 
> were a separate country, it would have the 8th largest GDP in 
> the world, which is comparable to France:
> 
> http://strangemaps.wordpress.com/2007/06/10/131-us-states-rena
med-for-countries-with-similar-gdps/
> 

Be wary of the figures, France is 6th in the world by some other
estimations, not 8th and I'm sure NY is more of a power house than that map
would lead one to believe. 

In general, it's an interesting visualization, and I can see parallels
between Hawaii and Nigeria for example in terms of the economic state of the
peoples, but the thing to take from it, in my opinion, is that the USA has a
"noblesse oblige" to wield our power well. E.g. not being a bull in the
china shop or setting a good lifestyle example for the rest of the world.

The other day I read about a professor of engineering who asks his PhD
students what the most pressing engineering problems facing the world are
today. After getting the list they submitted, which always includes things
like automating farming to feed the world and more efficient and sustainable
power trains for cars, he then asks them why they are not working on those
problems? For they never are, you see: Chivalry is dead.

Life in California is not life in France. Both have wine, women and song,
but all French have access to healthcare, and poor Californian farm workers
inadvertently infect the food of the rich because the rich do not wish to
provide healthcare for the poor and have forgotten where the food comes
from.

No I'm not saying that France is better or that the USA sucks or any of
that. I'm just encouraging people who are doing well to remember where they
came from, and where they may end up and to have a heart.

What percentage of pro-bono work does the average engineer do? Here on this
list, we answer questions from hobbyists, students, and often from other
countries. We help and I think that is one thing the PICList can be very
proud of: Giving back from the wealth we enjoy.

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