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POSTED BY Buzz
ON Jan 12, 2012 AT 23:56 IST
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Edited At: Jan 11, 2012 23:56 IST
Two diametrically opposing views on the prime minister.
In Mint, Aakar Patel dismisses "the shallow middle-class contempt for Singh", joining issue with Ramachandra Guha's evaluation of Manmohan Singh, and concludes that we should look at the parliamentary minority numbers he had to work with and "given the poor hand that Indian voters have dealt him, he has played well, even brilliantly": 
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POSTED BY Buzz
ON Jan 12, 2012 AT 23:56 IST, Edited At: Jan 11, 2012 23:56 IST
POSTED BY Sundeep
ON Jun 17, 2010 AT 22:40 IST
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Edited At: Jun 18, 2010 00:40 IST
For those who care for such things, the 22-nation Pew Global Attitudes Survey is out for 2010 and has some interesting findings and very, very hurried comments --
Kenyans think more highly of the USA than Americans themselves, but there are very few other countries who have that good an opinion of the USA - and this when we are down by as much as 10%, which could be attributed to the Obama/Afghanistan effect. If the poll had been done after June 7 Bhopal judgement, it is anybody's guess what the figures would have been like.
And here, again, is a whopping 17% decline in US ratings -- blame it largely on the David Headley and the US Af-Pak policy.
We are down, and gloomier, but this is still #4 optimistic reading in the world, after China 87%, Brazil 50% and Poland 47%. Pakistanis rate thier country at 14%, which is up from 9% last year. But, then, that might well be because the poll this time excludes FATA, erstwhile NWFP, AJK and Balochistan.
This is actually the third best optimistic reading of one's country's economic situation, after China 91% and Brazil 62%. Only 18% of Pakistanis, for example, think similarly about their economy, as compared to 24% last year.
Only Germany (30%), Japan 26% and Turkey (20%) have a more unfavourable opinion of China. 85% in Pakistan have a favourable opinion.
More interactive stuff here
- Another interesting sidelight is people's image of their country in the world: After Indonesians, 92% of whom say Indonesia is generally liked by people in other nations, there are as many as 87% Indians who think that about India, followed by Jordan (85%), China (80%) and Brazil (80%). Only 40% Pakistanis and 35 Americans have that view of their countries
- Another interesting finding is the use of military force: In Asia, majorities consistently agree that military force can sometimes be necessary. Gandhi would perhaps not be happy to learn that India leads the pack at a surprising 92%, although most in Pakistan (73%), Indonesia (72%), China (60%) and Japan (57%) also agree with this position. In South Korea, more now (56%) hold this view than did so in 2007 (43%).
- And, of course, 19% Indians also believe that Brazil will win the FIFA World Cup, with Australia a close second at 14%
- Read the full report
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POSTED BY Sundeep
ON Jun 17, 2010 AT 22:40 IST, Edited At: Jun 18, 2010 00:40 IST
POSTED BY Sundeep
ON May 29, 2009 AT 01:12 IST
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Edited At: May 29, 2009 01:14 IST
Rahul Gandhi's father had said that out of every rupee of government money spent in the name of poor and on development, only 15 paise reaches the intended target. Rahul Gandhi himself brought the figure down to 10 paise during his election campaigns. Leaving aside the developmental work, the same leakages are present in various anti-poverty programmes. Economists have often argued that instead of schemes that make leakages possible, direct cash transfers might actually be the best way to tackle poverty. Writing in the Indian Express, Bibek Debroy revisits the theme:
Studies by assorted economists show that if subsidies are replaced by direct cash transfers, there shouldn’t be any BPL (below poverty line) households left, an argument that becomes stronger if all anti-poverty expenditure is included, not just subsidies. The transfers are revenue neutral. They are also efficient because they don’t distort market prices. Technology now permits direct electronic transfers to bank accounts and all NREGA beneficiaries now have accounts with post offices or banks. This reduces administrative costs of delivery too, other than making subsidies transparent, more amendable to third-party and public scrutiny.
He goes on to list and counter the strange arguments that are trotted out in response whenever cash-transfers are mentioned and makes a strong case for identifying the non-poor if UPA II is serious about helping the poor:
The problem is elsewhere. Accepting cash transfers is equivalent to recognising the non-poor won’t receive subsidies. It requires pinning down the “aam aadmi”....
...With 300 crorepatis in the Lok Sabha, how about giving them MNICs [multi-purpose national identity cards] and accepting they are non-poor? If we are serious, we begin somewhere. And if we aren’t, we muddle along, with all the fiscal consequences
Read the full article: Who's The Aam Aadmi?
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POSTED BY Sundeep
ON May 29, 2009 AT 01:12 IST, Edited At: May 29, 2009 01:14 IST
POSTED BY Sundeep
ON May 01, 2009 AT 00:35 IST
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Edited At: May 01, 2009 06:37 IST
POSTED BY Sundeep
ON May 01, 2009 AT 00:35 IST, Edited At: May 01, 2009 06:37 IST
POSTED BY Sundeep
ON Apr 13, 2009 AT 02:50 IST
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Edited At: Apr 13, 2009 03:23 IST
In romance, and in finance, a seduction that relies on logic could be a play, shows John Allen Paulos in abcnews.com
Suppose a man flirts with a woman and then asks her, "Will you solemnly promise to give me right now your telephone number if I make a true statement and, conversely, not give me your number if I make a false statement?" ...
The man then makes his statement: "You will neither give me your telephone number now nor will you sleep with me tonight."
What's the trick? Note that she can't give him her number since, if she were to do so, his statement would be made false, and so she would have broken her promise to give him her number only if he made a true statement. (This is the crux of it.) Therefore, she must not give him her number under any circumstances.
But if she also refuses to sleep with him, his statement becomes true, and this would require her to give him her number.
The only way she can keep her promise is to sleep with him so that his statement becomes false. The woman's seemingly innocuous promise ensnares her...
More here
HT: Kajal Chakravarti
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POSTED BY Sundeep
ON Apr 13, 2009 AT 02:50 IST, Edited At: Apr 13, 2009 03:23 IST
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