Today's Notes from Underground.

-First we start with a poll. Should I post a picture of me into my profile or not. So many bloggers seem to do so, but I have hesitated. So, vote on it. Yes or no?

-As an update to my two sock posts. Mr. Teacher found this for us. Its the BUREAU OF MISSING SOCKS. Perhaps some of the deeper, darker, existentialist sock questions can now finally be answered.

-An interesting story about China. As you know China is in the news all the time now in regard to its economic miracle of the last decade. Stories about its dynamism and rise to the top of the world's most influential countries abound. Well, my business is in China. I travel there 4-5 times per year and have fallen in love with the country, culture, people, food and its amazing rate of change. It's truly the most fascinating place on the planet today.

A case in point. One of the biggest cities in China didn't exist 22 years ago. The city of Shenzhen (just across the border from Hong Kong) was a fishing village of 10,000 souls in 1982, when it was designated as a "Special Economic Zone" (China's first attempt at Market Economics) by Beijing. Well, it was a rousing success.

Today, Shenzhen is a city of 7 million people, its extremely wealthy and is a powerhouse in world trade. Imagine the scale here. From 10,000 to 7 million in 22 years.

It took New York 300 years to achieve that. If you are not in play in China today you are not in play.