Month: March 2006

The Bloggers’ New Clothes

This is a blog. Schizophrenic though it may be, but I am fundamentally against blogging. I believe that there is a humongous mountain of absolutely wonderfully written totally worthwhile news, views, and analysis out there, and most of it is available to you via the wonder that is the Internet and the WWW, and so there is absolutely no need for anyone to waste time reading blogs. Go read a book, instead.
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Keynes on the Power of Ideas

” . . . the ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influences, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back. I am sure that the power of vested interests is vastly exaggerated compared with the gradual encroachment of ideas. Not, indeed, immediately, but after a certain interval; for in the field of economic and political philosophy there are not many who are influenced by new theories after they are twenty-five or thirty years of age, so that the ideas which civil servants and politicians and even agitators apply to current events are not likely to be the newest. But, soon or late, it is ideas, not vested interests, which are dangerous for good or evil.”

The last half of the last paragraph in John Maynard Keynes’s book General Theory of Employment Interest and Money. That quote has to be read and re-read slowly, reflectively, savoring the language, and the thoughts. Just read this: “Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.” Pure delight, like a sip of very fine cognac.

Fragments – 5

BBC reports that the US has done a U-turn and is not opposed to the Iran-India LNG pipeline through Pakistan. I suppose that the US has finally figured out that the pipeline would make India vulnerable to even more Pakistani blackmail and all in all, it would be a bonus for the US. Normally the US puts the screws on India by merely arming Pakistan to the teeth. This time the dumb Indians are obliging the US by voluntarily bending over for Pakistan with no help from the US.

The Iran Pipe-bomb is on its way.

If you pay for the cost of the instrument that will be used to screw you over, you might be a third world country.

Fragments – 4

Officials in Massachusetts are debating whether to become the first U.S. state to ban hospitals from handing out free samples of infant formula, provided by formula companies, to new mothers. (Reuters Feb 22, 2006)

Formula for Milking the Digital Divide.

On the Handling of Books

From Keith Hudson to “Daily Wisdom” subscribers:

“As I promised myself last week, I am pensioning-off Milsted’s Dictionary of Regrettable Quotations and have bought myself the Oxford Dictionary of Humorous Quotations with a jester’s hat on the dustcover for Saturday’s random dip. The book is still so new and the binding so tight that the random page 121 (subject “Fashion”) threatens to snap shut like a mousetrap unless I place a Reebok trainer upon it to hold it open while I type from it. … ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To: Keith Hudson

Keith,

Thanks for the daily wisdom. You are really very wise and the way you express that wisdom is a joy to read.

One question connected with today’s words: did you actually use a shoe to keep the book open?

Regards,
Atanu

Continue reading “On the Handling of Books”

Writers’ Warning

The cartoon row has prompted a bunch of writers to issue a statement warning against Islamism, the new totalitarian threat, BBC reports. Three of the writers are from the Indian subcontinent; three are from Iran; three from France.

The full text of the statement follows.
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The Theatre of the Absurd

As you may have heard, George W Bush is in India briefly and will be in Pakistan as well. I am sure that there is much rejoicing going all around among the movers and shakers in India about how wonderful the visit by an American president is. Lavish dinners and a lot of hoopla can be distracting. Who cares who the person is. We are really interested in what is in it for us. (The “us” is not people of India at large but the movers and shakers.)
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Fragments – 2

The Missing Middle

“Often in Indian you can find a very fancy Rs 12,000 a night hotel room, and you can find a flea-ridden Rs 700 a night hotel room. Why can’t you find a good clean comfortable Rs 2,000 a night room? What is with this missing middle?”

“Hey, same as in food. I can go and get high-priced medicore food at a fancy restaurant at a fancy hotel and get low-priced low-quality food at a hole in the wall. But it is hard to find a reasonably priced restaurant serving reasonably appetizing food. Again, the missing middle.”

“How about eduation? High priced and fancy, or almost free and totally worthless. How about decent education at reasonable prices?”

Why the excluded middle?