“I’m glad that this time we did not cause it.”
Guillermo Ortiz, governor of the Mexican Central Bank,
(recalling the last financial cris set off by Mexican defaults and devaluations.)
“What you see is what you get. If you don’t see it, it will get you.”
Jacob Frenkel, vice chairman of AIG,
(on the current credit crisis and urging a reform of rules that allow banks to keep assets off their balance sheets.)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
120th on the Environmental Scorecard
Yes Sir-ee, EPI scores are out and we are at 120 out of the 149 countries tabulated.
That by the way puts us in the bottom pile of environmentally responsible nations.
However, Sri Lanka our next door neighbour is at 50.
Which is damn good! I mean I hear more bombings on news than anything else, god knows when they get time to be all clean and dainty.
However the moot point on these ranking was that wealth is a major determinant of environmental success; which simply put means if you are wealthy then there is a greater probablity of you being sensitive to the environment.
This year Switzerland topped the list. Yes thats right, all those swiss accounts of billionaires and millionaires must be in clean rooms. It retains the top slot on luxury, it retains its top slot on the number of banks too. They need money, the folks there are rich and now they have been glorified with the environment friendly tag.
So maybe the way to be environmental friendly is to get rich; which is what the EPI studies suggest.
If we get rich then there is a higher probablity that we will be environmentally friendly.
Well thats what we developing countries have been saying at all WTO meets(World Trade Organisation), and we have been saying the same thing since the past decade.
Let us get rich just like you did at our expense 100 years ago, well we will be kind just give us 50 years.
I don't know if they will grant us our importunity but its good to know that the EPI rankings at WEF(World Economic Forum) agree with what we have been saying repetitively at WTO meets, irrespective we will be stalled at all future WTO meets.
So whats the point, well when it looks good on you, come up with the EPI rankings.
To avoid looking like a sucker, come up with the WTO meets.
Nothing like a 'meeting' to disagree.
That by the way puts us in the bottom pile of environmentally responsible nations.
However, Sri Lanka our next door neighbour is at 50.
Which is damn good! I mean I hear more bombings on news than anything else, god knows when they get time to be all clean and dainty.
However the moot point on these ranking was that wealth is a major determinant of environmental success; which simply put means if you are wealthy then there is a greater probablity of you being sensitive to the environment.
This year Switzerland topped the list. Yes thats right, all those swiss accounts of billionaires and millionaires must be in clean rooms. It retains the top slot on luxury, it retains its top slot on the number of banks too. They need money, the folks there are rich and now they have been glorified with the environment friendly tag.
So maybe the way to be environmental friendly is to get rich; which is what the EPI studies suggest.
If we get rich then there is a higher probablity that we will be environmentally friendly.
Well thats what we developing countries have been saying at all WTO meets(World Trade Organisation), and we have been saying the same thing since the past decade.
Let us get rich just like you did at our expense 100 years ago, well we will be kind just give us 50 years.
I don't know if they will grant us our importunity but its good to know that the EPI rankings at WEF(World Economic Forum) agree with what we have been saying repetitively at WTO meets, irrespective we will be stalled at all future WTO meets.
So whats the point, well when it looks good on you, come up with the EPI rankings.
To avoid looking like a sucker, come up with the WTO meets.
Nothing like a 'meeting' to disagree.
Monday, January 28, 2008
cross continental
Well they've got cross continental direct rail services between China and Germany.
We still have got to get our states connected by the Golden Quadrilateral, here the Chinese have gone cross continental on rail. They have managed to traverse 6 countries.
But then, I think the 2 things China has in its favour is the neighbourhood and religion.
Somehow I don't know why, but some twist of fate I guess, we have countries in our neighbourhood that are somewhere in between infidels and terrorists. Ironically these countries speak of democracy as though, oh yeah we've got McDonalds too.
The funny thing is India does not sell arms to private entities only governments, China as a matter of fact is a prominent arms dealing nation - private and government. So why is it that we have the infidels and terrorists in our backyard. Frankly I don't know, like I said bizarre twist of fate.
For that matter the 5 permanent member nations on the UN Security Council, are the largest arms dealing nations of the World: US, Russia, France, China and UK.
Is it coincidence that these countries are also the permanent members of the UN Security Council. I don't know, the fate thingies in play, again.
On religion, we in India can be as communal as we can get. We've got them all. Which becomes kind of a problem, I mean we Indians at times suffer from an identity crisis. What is our makeup, when you come to religion, I think the west would say: Man, they are a hodge-podge, I guess we have it all and we are lost. This becomes one hell of a problem with our neighbouring infidels and/or terrorists.
Everytime we stretch our hands out in fraternity and humanity, they throw religion at us.
However what is the religion of China, I wouldn't be surprised if I hear you say Chinese! I guess it makes more sense to just have one religion preferably the same as the neighbourhood or have none at all.
We still have got to get our states connected by the Golden Quadrilateral, here the Chinese have gone cross continental on rail. They have managed to traverse 6 countries.
But then, I think the 2 things China has in its favour is the neighbourhood and religion.
Somehow I don't know why, but some twist of fate I guess, we have countries in our neighbourhood that are somewhere in between infidels and terrorists. Ironically these countries speak of democracy as though, oh yeah we've got McDonalds too.
The funny thing is India does not sell arms to private entities only governments, China as a matter of fact is a prominent arms dealing nation - private and government. So why is it that we have the infidels and terrorists in our backyard. Frankly I don't know, like I said bizarre twist of fate.
For that matter the 5 permanent member nations on the UN Security Council, are the largest arms dealing nations of the World: US, Russia, France, China and UK.
Is it coincidence that these countries are also the permanent members of the UN Security Council. I don't know, the fate thingies in play, again.
On religion, we in India can be as communal as we can get. We've got them all. Which becomes kind of a problem, I mean we Indians at times suffer from an identity crisis. What is our makeup, when you come to religion, I think the west would say: Man, they are a hodge-podge, I guess we have it all and we are lost. This becomes one hell of a problem with our neighbouring infidels and/or terrorists.
Everytime we stretch our hands out in fraternity and humanity, they throw religion at us.
However what is the religion of China, I wouldn't be surprised if I hear you say Chinese! I guess it makes more sense to just have one religion preferably the same as the neighbourhood or have none at all.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
How much of what we are is innate?
How much of what we are is innate?
Maybe a lot, and it takes a great deal to change from what is innate.
At times what is innate can be interpreted as fatalistic.
At first it is unclear if there is any such correlation, the two seem independent.
The inter-relation though is very subtle.
Some men have a preponderance in their constitution to be confident or timorous, others modest or tractable and a million other such propositions. Some men would like to believe that they have trained themselves to be valourous or equable, but that would mean one attributes much confidence in ones ability to be something or somebody.
There is folklore about a character called Karna.
He was begotten to a maiden Kunti by the sun-god.
Kunti abandons Karna as she is still unmarried and is fostered by a Charioteer.
Karna is trained in the art of war under Parashurama, who was known to teach Bramhins alone. Karna's identity is concealed from others and is reckoned as a Charioteer's son.
Parashurama trains Karna to the point where Parashurama declares Karna to have surpassed him in the arts of war.
However, as Karna's training is completed, Parashurama learns the truth about Karna's origin as a non-Brahmin. One afternoon, he requests Karna to bring a pillow for him to sleep outside in the shade. Karna instead offers him his lap as a pillow. While Parashurama was asleep, an insect comes by and alighting on Karna's thigh, bites him. Despite the pain, Karna does not move as it would disturb his Guru. The insect's bite causes blood to flow out, the warmth and feel of which wakes up Parashurama. He deduces at once that Karna is a Kshatriya as only a warrior could withstand such pain without flinching.
He curses Karna, stating that when he requires his 'art of war' the most, he would be unable to recall it.
Karna pleads with Parashurama and tells him he is not a kshatriya and his act of stoicism would have been the act of any student towards his guru. Parashurama hears his plea but states that his curse is irrevocable & gifts him the Vijaya, Parashurama's personal bow, and that in the end, Karna would achieve what he wanted the most, everlasting honor.
Karna is finally killed by Arjun in the battle of Mahabharat as Karna loses his art at that crucial moment when battling Arjun. He loses his training when he solicits it the most.
The folklore is a startling insight into the human mind and behaviour perhaps it does get one to recognise that we resign to innate behaviour when our training escapes us. In a manner we end up just being or doing what we are at that decisive moment.
So the question, why train then if we are going to lose it all, well because we will never know when is that time of utmost need, as the training fails only when we need it the most.
Which should get us to concede that nothing here is of the utmost need, in other words what would be so acute that it lapses us to lose what we have been trained for.
Maybe a lot, and it takes a great deal to change from what is innate.
At times what is innate can be interpreted as fatalistic.
At first it is unclear if there is any such correlation, the two seem independent.
The inter-relation though is very subtle.
Some men have a preponderance in their constitution to be confident or timorous, others modest or tractable and a million other such propositions. Some men would like to believe that they have trained themselves to be valourous or equable, but that would mean one attributes much confidence in ones ability to be something or somebody.
There is folklore about a character called Karna.
He was begotten to a maiden Kunti by the sun-god.
Kunti abandons Karna as she is still unmarried and is fostered by a Charioteer.
Karna is trained in the art of war under Parashurama, who was known to teach Bramhins alone. Karna's identity is concealed from others and is reckoned as a Charioteer's son.
Parashurama trains Karna to the point where Parashurama declares Karna to have surpassed him in the arts of war.
However, as Karna's training is completed, Parashurama learns the truth about Karna's origin as a non-Brahmin. One afternoon, he requests Karna to bring a pillow for him to sleep outside in the shade. Karna instead offers him his lap as a pillow. While Parashurama was asleep, an insect comes by and alighting on Karna's thigh, bites him. Despite the pain, Karna does not move as it would disturb his Guru. The insect's bite causes blood to flow out, the warmth and feel of which wakes up Parashurama. He deduces at once that Karna is a Kshatriya as only a warrior could withstand such pain without flinching.
He curses Karna, stating that when he requires his 'art of war' the most, he would be unable to recall it.
Karna pleads with Parashurama and tells him he is not a kshatriya and his act of stoicism would have been the act of any student towards his guru. Parashurama hears his plea but states that his curse is irrevocable & gifts him the Vijaya, Parashurama's personal bow, and that in the end, Karna would achieve what he wanted the most, everlasting honor.
Karna is finally killed by Arjun in the battle of Mahabharat as Karna loses his art at that crucial moment when battling Arjun. He loses his training when he solicits it the most.
The folklore is a startling insight into the human mind and behaviour perhaps it does get one to recognise that we resign to innate behaviour when our training escapes us. In a manner we end up just being or doing what we are at that decisive moment.
So the question, why train then if we are going to lose it all, well because we will never know when is that time of utmost need, as the training fails only when we need it the most.
Which should get us to concede that nothing here is of the utmost need, in other words what would be so acute that it lapses us to lose what we have been trained for.
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