The Congested-shortage Economy

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The drive to the airport last week in Mumbai was no different from most drives in Mumbai. It was congested and progress was excruciatingly slow much of the way. The line at the security check was long. Only two of the five machines scanning the carry-on bags were working and progress was slow. That was the cause of the congestion at the security check. When the boarding time came — and went — I asked at the gate when will boarding start. At the check-in counter, I had been told that the flight was on time. Now I was told that the flight had not landed and was circling overhead — because of congestion at the airport. It’s a repeating pattern and it tells an interesting story. Continue reading “The Congested-shortage Economy”

Sir Walter Scott: “Breathes there the man …”

Today I am reminded of a fragment of a poem that I had learned in high school. It is by the Scottish poet — Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832). It is from his narrative poem, “The Lay of the Last Minstrel” (1805). It is worth memorizing. Here it is: Continue reading “Sir Walter Scott: “Breathes there the man …””

Random Quotes — Best Sellers

A lot of the people who read a bestselling novel, for example, do not read much other fiction. By contrast, the audience for an obscure novel is largely composed of people who read a lot. That means the least popular books are judged by people who have the highest standards, while the most popular are judged by people who literally do not know any better. An American who read just one book this year was disproportionately likely to have read ‘The Lost Symbol’, by Dan Brown. He almost certainly liked it.

— The Economist

“Are Most investments in technology for schools wasted?”

I believe the answer is yes. This may surprise some of my readers. I am speaking FOR the motion that “Most investments in technology for schools are wasted” at an Oxford style Education Technology debate in Delhi on 21st of April. The debate is under the aegis of Infodev of the World Bank. Details below. Continue reading ““Are Most investments in technology for schools wasted?””

Open Thread — Say what you will

Sorry people, I have been distracted with things — traveling places, meeting important people, thinking deep thoughts — you know the drill 🙂 So do write what’s on your mind in the comments. It’s been a while since the last open thread. Say what you will. Also, here are a few random things that I have come across recently. Continue reading “Open Thread — Say what you will”

The Unbearably Sad Reality of India

Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal reported how the US is pressuring India to (what effectively is) surrender its interests to Pakistan’s whims. “U.S. Aims to Ease India-Pakistan Tension“. Why? Because Pakistan presented to the US administration “a litany of accusations against the Indian government,” and suggested “the U.S. intercede on Pakistan’s behalf.” Which the US is in essence doing. Continue reading “The Unbearably Sad Reality of India”

Philip Pullman on Being Offended and Free Speech

Happy Birthday, April Fools! And for the birthday cake, we have a short YouTube video of Philip Pullman, author of the the novel The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ. On March 28th, he was addressing an audience in Oxford. Here’s how Mr Pullman replied to one person’s charge that the title of the book to an ordinary Christian was offensive. Continue reading “Philip Pullman on Being Offended and Free Speech”

GDP is Not a Measure of Happiness

The recent Princeton University Press book by former Harvard president Derek Bok titled “The Politics of Happiness: What Government Can Learn from the New Research on Well-Being” got some reviewers unhappy, as this article in the Atlanticwire.com reports. I have only read that article and the reviews of the book quoted by the publisher, not the book itself. Here I want to focus on the concept of “Gross National Happiness” which crops up in discussions of this nature. Continue reading “GDP is Not a Measure of Happiness”