Month: September 2019

India: Links for 30th September, 2019

  1. Ferry Crossing: Short Stories from Goa
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  2. Goa: A Daughter’s Story.
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  3. “There was also a section of the local upper class, who mingled and partied with the higher echelons of the Portuguese and shared our culture and food with them whilst at the same time absorbed and learnt the finer nuances of their cuisine. The Goan upper classes, who had the advantage of closeness with the Portuguese, influenced Goan cuisine to a large extent, especially in the variety of ways of usage of the prime product – coconut. The locals, poor as they were, generally used the grated coconut in their preparations as ‘Soimirem’, but the upper classes taught them how to use the extract, thus upgrading the product quality.”
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    On the influence of the two dominant cultures of Goa on Goan cuisine. Nostalgia is well worth a visit, in Madgaon.
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  4. I have not read this one yet, but have ordered it. On Portugese forts in Goa (and other places besides)
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  5. The things they do in Goa.

Yes, I am very much in Goa (well, ought to be. These posts are being scheduled in advance) , as you might have guessed. Recommendations most welcome.

Video for 29th September, 2019

Tweets for 28th September, 2019

 

Etc: Links for 27th September, 2019

  1. Inside the lives of food delivery riders.
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  2. “Michael Shermer, who advances the case for moral behaviour determined by science and reason in The Moral Arc, argues that the arc of our moral universe is expanding and over history, “we have been steadily—albeit at times haltingly—expanding the moral sphere to include more members of our species (and now even other species) as legitimate participants in the moral community.” ”
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    I look forward to this day. I have a six year old daughter.
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  3. Do you like bananas?
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  4. Speaking of which, I enjoyed listening to this podcast a couple of years ago. Vikram Doctor on bananas.
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  5. “Musk’s believers argue that the details of his ventures don’t matter: It’s the grand vision that counts. “The guy has a will to make stuff happen that is extraordinary,” says someone who worked closely with Musk. “He willed Tesla to happen. And in willing a reality into existence, he might not stick to the facts.” But in the case of SolarCity, Musk’s penchant for making promises he can’t deliver on turned out to matter a great deal—and could even pose a threat to his entire empire.”
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    An update on Mr. Musk and his endeavors.

EC101: Links for 26th September, 2019

Five links about Martin Weitzman, who passed away recently.

  1. Notes from a seminar held in his honor when he retired, just over a year or so ago.
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  2. His reading list for the theory of central planning course that he used to teach at MIT
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  3. An appreciation of Martin Weitzman, by Ben Groom.
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  4. Alex Tabarrok on the Noah’s Ark problem.
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  5. The NYT obituary. I felt extraordinarily depressed upon reading it.

RoW: Links for 25th September, 2019

Five articles about East Asia today, all interesting in their own right.

  1. Reading this article reminded me (of all the things in the world!) of the conversation that Aakash has with his dad in Dil Chahta Hai, where Aakash’s dad asks him to find out the vajah. Weird? Yes. Relevant? You be the judge!
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    “Without really knowing what the North is about, it has been hard to be certain about what they really want: relief from the economic pressure of sanctions and the need to circumvent them so that the Kim dynasty can continue in not-so-splendid isolation, or economic and political engagement with the international community and a route to becoming a normal state without hostile relations with the US.”
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  2. Speaking of North Korea…
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  3. Part II of a two part series on energy (well, electricity)  in North Korea. Read both, though.
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  4. Hong Kong as a Shakespearean tragedy.
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  5. “There was no criteria except availability in English. Yes, this was more mad than methodical — but we’re proud of the result.”
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    A very useful list indeed: 100 books about China. I have read, I am happy to say, only six out of these. I am also slightly surprised to see that China Airborne didn’t make it to the list. And Taipan, maybe.

Tech: Links for 24th September, 2019

  1. Have you considered paying for YouTube?
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  2. Or for Google One?
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  3. Or for your own personalized Gmail address?
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  4. Or, soon enough, for Google’s answer to Apple Arcade?
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  5. Why am I asking these questions? Two reasons: one, I already pay for the first three – and the only reason I do not pay for the fourth is because it is isn’t available yet. Second, I am not sure why Google doesn’t just round up the folks who pay for these services, and offer them a pay one price for everything offer, and include hardware in it as well. I mean, the sooner the better, no?

India: Links for 23rd September, 2019

  1. Income tax reforms: in my opinion, an urgent necessity.
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  2. ““If we wake up a little late after there is daylight, and go to defecate in the open, the railway authorities pelt us with stones or beat us with big sticks,” said Sumanben, a migrant Adivasi woman who lives on public land near a railway track. “Sometimes there is a watchman at night. If he is there then we cannot defecate that day.”.”
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    Indiaspend, ostensibly, on the Minimum Wage stipulations – but it is about more than that.
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  3. “We must therefore recall that if the India story plays out well in the world’s capitals, boardrooms, think tanks and editorial offices today, it is because of three developments: the development of a nuclear arsenal with a no-first use doctrine, the revulsion against international terrorism after 9/11, and India’s emergence as a high-growth economy with several globally competitive sectors. In the past two decades, India has come to be seen as an engine of global economic growth, a potential counter-weight to China, and a country that has taken a liberal democratic path to prosperity. It is high economic growth that created the conditions for India to tango with the US, be taken with grudging seriousness by China, and clear the way for better relations with East Asia, Australia and Europe.”
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    High growth matters: the geopolitical argument.
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  4. Amol Agarwal reports on the proceedings of ‘The International Conference on Indian Business and Economic History’. This deserves to be widely read, and widely shared.
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  5. “What is needed is a change in the policy regime in many cross-cutting systemic issues, such as the role of politicians, stability of tenure, size and nature of Indian bureaucracy, accountability, monitoring of programmes, and civil service reforms, which will transform the individual competence of IAS officers into better collective outcomes.”
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    In a sense, a frustrating article to read, because more than the what, which is clear to all, it is the how that is important – and that is missing.

Video for 22nd September, 2019

Tweets for 21st September, 2019