The (im)maturity of the free market

A casual search of any news website suggests at least 100 articles on job cuts over the last 3 months. While this may seem logical in times of a recession, how will it help emerging out of it? As more people lose their steady income, their spending will be drastically cut. That in turn will further exacerbate the downturn leading to more businesses laying off or folding up. Where does that end? In that context, perhaps, bail outs such as the one for Wall Street and that being approved for GM, Ford and Chrysler (primarily to contain job losses) do make sense, Considering that these decisions are being taken by the most conservative (laissez faire) of American administrations, this may well be the New Deal of the 21st century.

Do we need this Test series?

The England Test cricket team is back in India after great persuasion. But frankly, do we Indians need a cricket tour, by anyone for that matter, at this time? Police and security forces will have to be mobilized (300 commandos, 1000 policemen!!!) just for cricketers' protection while that of ordinary citizens remains compromised. Of course, the fans will get even more shabbier treatment in the name of security. We could have done without this tour, much as England's decision deserves applause. It is a needless diversion when real serious issues have to be tackled.

Cricket, Inequity and Obama

Ian Chappell, former Aussie cricket captain and journalist, comments upon the post-Mumbai situation in world cricket. He sums the cricket world's dependence on India's huge market and the consequences as :

'Test cricket is shaping up as a mirror image of an Indian society that is often described as being made up of the have lots and the have nots.'

'The one big difference between the world situation and that of cricket is the lack of any leader with the potential and charisma of an Obama looming on the horizon in cricket.'

Perhaps, this is the moment to re-organize the lopsided priorities of all cricket playing nations who cannot manage a sport played by less than a dozen nations at the highest level.

From Minnesota to Jaisalmer

If there is one area where India does way better than even the world's most powerful country, it is counting votes. There are elections virtually every year (including 5 state assembly polls in the last 10 days) but thanks to vote machine technology, the results are out barely in a few hours. The same will happen on Monday when the next set of results come in. This in a country with big diversity in terrain, education, language and its people. Contrast this with the situation in two single seat congressional elections in the USA:

'Franken Camp's Claim: The Hand Count Is Over -- And We're Up By Four Votes!' and 'Ballot ruling favors Stivers'.

Can someone help!?

While trying to figure that out, go through Jaisalmer.

America's most important ally

Christopher Hitchens, famous agnostic, author of a highly critical book on Mother Teresa, comes out in support of Mumbai.

Acqua alta

Venice was deluged by sea water as the levels rose to their highest in more than 20 years. Take a look at the pictures and if any of you did visit La Serenissima during these days, hope you are dry!

To do list

A national security expert has listed 26 action items. All of them deal with issues within the country and the complexity of policing and securing it. A good place to start and if the Prime Minister's announcement of stationing a battalion of NSG commandos in the 5 major cities is followed up with immediate action, one item can be ticked off right away. 'Mumbai 26/11' should be treated as 'New York 11/9' and the response should be equally bold and decisive.

The plot

Magazines and news channels are already beginning to piece the conspiracy that led to the carnage in Mumbai. Read, it will keep the blood boiling. The Home Minister has resigned. The country needs the right people at the right place.

Question time

Hostage crisis over, time for straightforward questions:

1. Is Mumbai so unimportant that a NSG squad cannot be posted there permanently?

2. Is there no repository office where defence forces can get access to maps and layouts of buildings such as the Taj hotel instead of having to go in there and find their way amidst a shower of bullets and grenades?

3. Do situations like these have to wait for state Cabinet meetings to sit in emergency sessions and then call in commandos while people are getting killed all that time?

4. Is there a list of soft targets for each city or do bloggers need to supply that?

5. External forces may have planned this attack but is there recognition that more may be in the offing and measures -laws,arms,intelligence- have to put be put in place now and not after a parliamentary committee submits a report?

Cyberworld on Mumbai

There is more in the globosphere on Mumbai. As the nightmare shows signs of ending, can the authorities move on matters of policy and enforcement?A strong anti-terror law, more equipment and training for security personnel and 'Intelligence' collection that means precisely what it is. If the present UPA government could do this before its term ends, it will be remembered in history, else it may just become history.

Battling Bombay

Television made for difficult viewing as the scale of the war on Mumbai became apparent. Security forces rescued hostages and had to clear hotel rooms one by one and a long night continues into the morning. Meanwhile, bloggers on the web and Twitter updated the world on their experiences. Could this be a double edged sword - is too much information getting out on TV channels and websites, news that they are better off not communicating?

Wake up at least now!

It is yesterday once more in Mumbai and India, but more brutal and more psychologically damaging than ever before. Where is the Intelligence, National Security or even a co-ordinated response to a deadly terrorist attack on a high risk location? This post sums up a Mumbaikar's utter frustration.

'The ‘spirit of the Mumbaikar’ meme be damned, the state needs to recognize this for what it is: helplessness. We go to work come hell or high water [where Bombay is concerned, hell and high water, literally so] because as long as we are alive [over 80 of our fellows, going about their usual business 12 hours ago, are no longer alive—spare them a thought, a prayer], there is nothing else to do; nothing else we can do.'

National security is not (only) about managing nuclear weapons. It is about managing our huge cities, controlling crime and vigilance. For a start, does the traffic cop or the constable at a railway station know what suspicious behaviour is? At least now, let us honour the innocents killed and get serious on security. Enough hubris about our economy and our talented people. Protect them.

Reporting

Shaping up!

Some recent headlines:

EU reshapes fruit , vegetable rules - Boston Globe

EU scraps regulations on forbidden fruit - Foodnavigator.com

EU relents and lets a banana be a banana - Intl.Herald Tribune

Bendy cucumbers make a comeback - The Scotsman

All these are about the recent decision by the EU to repeal shape regulations on 26 fruits and vegetables. In other words, forked carrots, curvy cucumbers and apples weighing less than 70g can now be sold. Every year, tons of produce is thrown as it does not measure up to the exacting standards of the EU. For instance, Class I cucumbers must "be reasonably well shaped and practically straight (maximum height of the arc: 10 mm per 10 cm of the length of cucumber)". Thankfully, in these times of hardship, sense has prevailed.

Brain circulation

'Countries like India once fretted about a brain drain.We are learning now that brain circulation, may be more apt.'

So says this columnist in the New York Times, given the way how the Indian economy has begun integrating with the global one.

With Citibank now in line for a bailout, Friedman wryly hits home in his column:

'As one banker remarked to me: “We finally found the W.M.D.” They were buried in our own backyard — subprime mortgages and all the derivatives attached to them. '

Europeana - up yesterday and down today!

Europe's digital diary, Europeana, went online yesterday. It is a portal to search and browse the major art and culture collections. Unfortunately, as the site says today , its 'popularity has brought it down' and it needs tinkering to serve the millions of users it targeted. Did the developers under-estimate the sheer volume of interest the site would generate not just in Europe but across the world? In the meantime, the current site is in development mode and in English only. Bookmark it and check on it sometime later.

Battling piracy on the high seas

The recent hijacking of a oil super tanker by pirates of the coast of Somalia triggered off alarm bells for all traffic in that area. Yesterday, an Indian Navy ship sunk a pirate mother ship in the Gulf of Aden, an act that has elicited praise from all quarters. Alongwith its financial muscle, India has finally begun to flex its military strengths particularly in urgently required areas.

Another step forward for stem cells

Tuberculosis has been a scourge and continues to afflict people in the 21st century. Now comes this extraordinary report (news and science) of transplant of a stem-cell derived windpipe to a patient. This is yet another demonstration of how stem cell therapy could have a profound impact in human medicine.One of the big hopes that the scientific community has from the incoming President Obama is that he will remove obstacles to stem cell research in the USA. This report should bolster their chances.

Rip offs!

Whenever one travels to a new destination, rip offs are inevitable. But this one takes the cake or rather the samosa.

Misleading but good news!

On 14 November, line that appeared on the ticker of a cable news channel said 'Indian probe crashlands on the moon'. Turns out that it was a controlled plunge and landing of the Moon Impact Probe (MIP) on the lunar surface. The Indian moon mission is well and truly on its way. For more information visit the Chandrayaan website.

A big step forward

Researchers at Washington University have sequenced the DNA of a cancer patient and pinpointed the mutations or defects that contributed to the disease. It is a remarkable study that for the first time shows how genetics contributes to cancer. Fortunately, it raises the possibility of using this technique to develop a range of drugs to counter the disease.

The face on all newspapers today

Visit Newseum today and check out the frontpages of newspapers around the world.

Yes,we can!

There is tons to read on the Web today after the epochal election of Barack Obama last night. Thomas Friedman puts it in his typical succint style:

'A civil war that, in many ways, began at Bull Run, Virginia, on July 21, 1861, ended 147 years later via a ballot box in the very same state.'

and then this interesting take on what many had feared but did not happen:

'........something of a “Buffett effect” that countered the supposed “Bradley effect” — white voters telling pollsters they’d vote for Obama but then voting for the white guy. The Buffett effect was just the opposite. It was white conservatives telling the guys in the men’s grill at the country club that they were voting for John McCain, but then quietly going into the booth and voting for Obama, even though they knew it would mean higher taxes.'

Lots to read here, here and here. Most of us will probably not visit these sites again till 2012!

How many ways can you follow an election?

One more day and a historic US election that has hogged headlines on every news channel, webpage and blog will be over. On this page, there is a load of links to follow through the night, state by state, county by county. Enjoy!

Looking for a painting?

Do you often have to hunt high and low for good art? Here is a new online gallery that promises authenticity and variety.