Category: Random Draws

Babysitting the US economy

Krugman is always good for a nice read. His June 14th NT Times op-ed, “Stay the Course“, does not disappoint. He writes, “For this is the third time in history that a major economy has found itself in a liquidity trap, a situation in which interest-rate cuts, the conventional way to perk up the economy, have reached their limit. When this happens, unconventional measures are the only way to fight recession.”
Continue reading “Babysitting the US economy”

Rajan Parrikar’s Photo Blog

My friend Rajan Parrikar has a photo blog which you must visit. Rajan’s photography site has breathtaking pictures of Goa, India, and California. Awesome. I particularly like his Death Valley National Park pictures.

The Lesson that the BJP needs to learn

“What exactly is ‘Hindu nationalist’ about the BJP?” asks T V R Shenoy in an excellent piece in rediff.com news.
Continue reading “The Lesson that the BJP needs to learn”

Rajeev Motwani has Passed on

I didn’t know who Rajeev Motwani was. It’s only when I heard of his passing from my friend Rajan in the San Francisco bay that I got to know of him. Rajan wrote, “To me, he is important because he was one of the few truly great Indians in the Valley (as opposed to the many Indians in the Valley who think they are great).”

Here’s Google founder Sergey Brin’s tribute to Rajeev Motwani.

Weekend Readings: Renaissance of India

Here are a few links. The first one is on Sri Aurobindo, a giant of a renaissance man. Then a few on education.
Continue reading “Weekend Readings: Renaissance of India”

BBC and the Attack of the ASSes

Attack of the Advanced Self-propelled Screwdrivers

BBC News reports that, “In one of the recent attacks in Melbourne, a student was critically injured by a screwdriver.” Wonders of this modern world, don’t you know. Automatic self-willed screwdrivers on a rampage. The student was injured by a screwdriver, and not “A student was attacked by someone with a screwdriver.”
Continue reading “BBC and the Attack of the ASSes”

Rajeev Mantri on India’s Technological Potential

Rajeev Mantri, executive director of Navam Capital, a Kolkata-based venture capital firm, writes in his piece in today’s Wall Street Journal on “Harnessing India’s Technological Potential” that “VCs typically consider India to be just a technology deployment market. That view is too narrow: India has not just the entrepreneurial competence but also the scientific talent to invent and lead in science-driven innovation.”
Continue reading “Rajeev Mantri on India’s Technological Potential”

Missing Friedman, Missing Markets

Stephen Moore of the Wall Street Journal has an article today, “Missing Milton: Who Will Speak for Free Markets“, which makes me despair for India. Milton Friedman was arguably one of the greatest proponents of freedom, and naturally therefore, an advocate of free markets. Trading is a uniquely human activity and humans engage in trade spontaneously and therefore human freedom must necessarily imply the freedom to trade. Human freedom without free markets is a fairly vacuous and meaningless idea. Prohibiting free markets is a necessary and often sufficient for guaranteeing poverty. That’s what all oppressors do — whether they are colonial powers or homegrown communists or socialists.
Continue reading “Missing Friedman, Missing Markets”