tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13888252102838130092024-03-13T23:37:33.745+05:30HyperActiveX's (Post)Posterous PostsA mini-blog for posts that are too large to be micro-blogged at http://twitter.com/hyperactivex and too small to be mainframed at http://hyperactivexs.blogspot.com
(Original posts at http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com are replicated here automatically)HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comBlogger94125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-33666845446160614352012-12-12T14:09:00.001+05:302012-12-12T14:09:23.014+05:30Minor Observation #11<div class='posterous_autopost'>Every simple question has a whole bunch of complicated questions trapped inside it, waiting to get out <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/minor-observation-11">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-48282433815368396802012-10-05T15:56:00.001+05:302012-10-05T15:56:14.008+05:30Waiting for all the brilliant insight<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>When you first read a post by Seth Godin, you're struck by the brilliant insight. And then you pause and reflect a bit, and see the banality through the epiphany. </div><p /><div>Here, for instance, is his latest ... <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/10/waiting-for-all-the-facts.html">http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2012/10/waiting-for-all-the-facts.html</a> </div> <p /><div>Usually, when someone says (and I quote from his post)</div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204,204,204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"> "I'm just going to wait until all the facts are in" </blockquote><div>it's just a casual way of saying (and I paraphrase slightly from his post)</div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204,204,204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"> "I don't know enough at this time to make a useful decision"</blockquote><div>or even</div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204,204,204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"> "I don't know enough at this time to know what else I need to know to make a useful decision"</blockquote><p /><div>Either that or it's a tactful way of saying</div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204,204,204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"> "I choose not to respond now"</blockquote><p /><div>In such situations, people won't come out and say what exactly they're waiting for, because then they'd be pressed further on that count. Simple, mundane stuff, when you think about it. But to Godin it's a big deal.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/waiting-for-all-the-brilliant-insight">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-90766968393572962832012-09-12T13:17:00.001+05:302012-09-12T13:17:41.093+05:30Minor Observation #10<div class='posterous_autopost'>An optimist considers the possibility that things could get worse than they are at present, but eventually believes that they won't. A pessimist considers the possibility that things could get better than they are at present, but eventually believes that they won't. <p /><div>It follows then that optimists believe things are so bad that they can only get better, and pessimists that things are so good that they just couldn't get any better.</div><p /><div>So who has a more positive attitude in dealing with the present?</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/minor-observation-10">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-3586748610229845772012-09-09T17:33:00.001+05:302012-09-09T17:33:55.840+05:30A tale of two quotes<div class='posterous_autopost'>A friend posted this quote on Facebook earlier today:<p /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204,204,204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"> "Don't walk behind me; I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." - Albert Camus</blockquote><p /><div>And I was immediately reminded of this quote:</div> <p /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204,204,204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;">"Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way." - George S Patton</blockquote> <p /><div>To my mind, this sums up the main difference between an egalitarian/ libertarian culture (of the type found in a network of peers) and a patriarchal/ authoritarian one (of the type found in a hierarchy based on power). The question is not about good or bad, or right or wrong - these are moral judgments rooted in the culture one belongs to, and will only affirm the "home" culture. </div> <p /><div>Both cultures are equally capable of providing the foundations to build a harmonious society, if all members of that society were to be of the same disposition. Given such homogeneity, even if the economic and political outlook of individuals were to be different, the method of resolving such differences would be clear to all - in one case based on evolution of a consensus (failing which, a majority opinion) through discourse, and in the other, based on the dictates of those who wield power.</div> <p /><div>However, in our real world both cultures co-exist in space and time (as I'd observed in <a href="http://hyperactivexs.blogspot.in/2009/08/notes-on-leadfollow-models.html">an old post</a>), albeit in different proportions in different spaces and different times. And that is why we will always have deep divisions arising out of these two very different cultures. Our best bet would be to look at the direction in which the resultant vector (weighted by the population of each of these two cultures) points at a given time, within a given society. And that means periodic negotiations leading to a moderation of conflicting views, on a continuous basis. </div> <p /><div>Tough work but such is life.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/a-tale-of-two-quotes">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-12270334221744860432012-08-05T10:22:00.001+05:302012-08-05T10:22:09.499+05:30Grammar of Kakistocracy<div class='posterous_autopost'>With Anna Hazare and co. "joining politics", a major debate appears to have been settled. <p /><div><div>Over the last year or so, conniving politicians have tried every trick in the book, at all possible levels and from all possible quarters, ranging from the basest brute force attacks to the most sophisticated intellectual criticism, to derail "team Anna" and their agenda. This alone is an indication of the kind of threat Hazare et al. posed to the smug kakistocracy that controls this country. And this in turn is a vindication of the vital role of protests in a vibrant democracy. Hazare and co.'s movement was always political - all protests are - but because of their naivete, they have been manipulated into turning partisan. Their critics are now jumping with glee, falling all over themselves with "See? We told you so" messages and wisecracks. </div> <p /><div><div>There's a place for protest in every democracy, and Anna and his network were doing a fine job. Though I did not agree with everything they said, they enjoyed my support for their central cause - of fighting corruption through peaceful protests. Would I support the political party they are going to form? I doubt it. Their core competency was protest, not governance. I won't be surprised if they were to suffer a massive defeat at the hustings (they may even lose their deposit) and from then on be relegated to a footnote in history. What started with a bang last April, I am quite certain, will end with a whimper. </div> </div><p /><div>Corrupt politicians and bureaucrats are already rejoicing, because they've managed to neutralize the single major threat to their control over the status-quo. They can now return to business as usual and continue with their rent-seeking <i>modus operandi</i>, unencumbered by protests. Think-tankers and policy wonks, funded or supported by the powers that be in some way or other, are already thrilled that they've managed to "expose the hidden fascist agenda" of these humble protesters. (Remember the "Grammar of Anarchy" argument?) They can now return to their echo chambers and continue their cerebral masturbation, undistracted by the challenge of finding fault with the reform proposals put forward by a bunch of rubes who dared to challenge their brahminical authority as problem-solvers to the country.</div> <p /><div>Meanwhile the nation suffers a huge loss. Kakistocracy wins. Again.</div><p /></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/grammar-of-kakistocracy">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-14092413689020065962012-07-13T20:47:00.001+05:302012-07-13T20:47:34.595+05:30Liberty, Equality and Free Markets<div class='posterous_autopost'>Is Liberty more important than Equality? Or is it the other way around? There seem to be many debates lately that eventually boil down to having to choose one over the other. To my mind, this is a false choice. Agreed, Liberty is a great concept. But should it be enjoyed only by those who demand it most vociferously? Or by everybody? <p /><div>To anyone who understands and embraces the idea of Liberty, it should be obvious that it is inclusive in nature, that it applies to all in equal measure. Equality is implicit in Liberty. Any interpretation to the effect that some (do, or should) enjoy more or greater freedoms than others is a fallacy. People who (claim to) champion Liberty -- who quote Patrick Henry's "Give me liberty or give me death" at the drop of a hat -- but see Equality as a threat to Liberty, are the ones who want Liberty exclusively for themselves and their kind. And are therefore not true to the very ideal they cherish, the very cause they uphold. True believers in Liberty should therefore strive for greater Equality.</div> <p /><div>To strident advocates of Free Markets, who (ostensibly) understand and embrace its core principles, it should be obvious that Free Markets are inclusive in nature: the more the players the freer the markets. Exclusive markets are not free, and Free Markets are not exclusive. Where there is unequal access to markets, there will be less participants -- such markets will be less liquid, price discovery will be less efficient, transaction costs will be higher. By not removing entry barriers (or worse still, by erecting artificial entry barriers) to markets, they betray the very ideal they cherish, the very cause they uphold. True believers in Free Markets should therefore strive for equal access opportunity for all.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/liberty-equality-and-free-markets">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-32159714735695561052012-07-13T15:02:00.001+05:302012-07-13T15:02:58.986+05:30Post Script to Minor Observation #9<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>Apropos of my <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/minor-observation-9">previous post</a>, here're a couple of things I'd like to add:</div><p />First, to off-post/ off-line questions about why "A level playing field ...[blah]... is the only true path to progress", I have this to say: consider the impact on science, commerce and the arts, if the human capital of a couple of billion people were to be unleashed - a potential energy (which is currently locked up and underdeveloped due to malnutrition/ poor health and lack of access to a decent education and basic infrastructure) going kinetic. Just think about it. That's all.<br /> <p /><div>Second, as an afterthought, I'd like to add a fourth reason to the three I listed: </div><p /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204,204,204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"> 4. Belief (that "it is what it is", and attempting to change it is either a travesty or just plain futile). </blockquote><p /><div>The belief that it is a travesty is an extension of Puritanical thought, but is not limited to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puritan">Puritans</a> alone. There are many in the Eastern hemisphere whose upbringing might have had nothing to do with Puritanism (i.e. the religious denomination) <i>per se</i> but who are Puritans all the same. </div> <p /><div>Regardless, there is a belief that the right approach is to <i>not</i> level the playing field, but instead, to "make good" through eleemosynary acts. Quite often, this turns out to be insidious as reason #3 (Deliberation) albeit for different reasons. Except in cases where all that caritas manifests in the form of building institutions that work towards long term improvements in infrastructure, education, health-care etc. and towards putting all that within reach of those that don't have access to it presently.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/post-script-to-minor-observation-9">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-72814955180950470882012-07-13T11:07:00.001+05:302012-07-13T11:07:46.333+05:30Minor Observation #9<div class='posterous_autopost'>Most people in privileged positions are not inclined to be in favor of what is commonly referred to as a "level playing field". (Yeah, I know, sounds clichéd, but my other option is to indulge in some form of sesquipedalianism.)<p /><div>This could be because of:<div>1. Ignorance (not knowing exactly how uneven the playing field is)</div><div>2. Apathy (not caring how uneven the playing field is)</div><div>3. Deliberation (specifically wanting to keep it uneven)</div> <p /><div>Of these, the third is the most pernicious. It arises from the insecurity that such people have -- that they may not actually deserve the position of privilege they currently enjoy. If they were secure in the knowledge that they did, then they should be confident enough to face the competition brought on by a level playing field. In fact they ought to welcome it.</div> <p /><div>A level playing field is important not because it is the morally correct thing to have (which it may well be), but because it is the only true path to progress. </div><p /><p /></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/minor-observation-9">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-37537488619396434572012-04-28T19:16:00.001+05:302012-04-28T19:16:35.787+05:30Scientists and Philosophers - what's the fighting all about?<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>My last blog entry here dealt with philosophers and their "science envy". A few weeks later, I posted an article by Lawrence Krauss - "<a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-krauss-cosmology-design-universe-20120401,0,4136597.story">A universe without purpose</a>" - on my facebook page, commenting on my discomfort with Krauss's casual treatment of "nothingness", and also about how his title and opening line promise far more than what the content offers (which is very little, by way of clarity).</div> <br />Today, I came across <a href="http://rationallyspeaking.blogspot.in/2012/04/lawrence-krauss-another-physicist-with.html">a more systematic critique</a> of Lawrence Krauss and his views, by a more learned gentleman and a certified philosopher to boot (he's a professor at CUNY). His <i>en passant</i> swipe at Richard Dawkins is particularly amusing, and confirms what I'd suspected back then, when I posted Krauss's article on facebook - Krauss and Dawkins are mutual shills. Hawking is not spared either. If philosophers suffer from penis envy, there's another Freudian metaphor for what scientists suffer from, according to the author:<p /><div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204,204,204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"> <span style="background-color: rgb(255,255,255); color: rgb(102,102,102); font-family: Trebuchet MS,Trebuchet,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Okay, others can play the same game too, so I’m going to put forth the hypothesis that </span><span style="color: rgb(102,102,102); font-family: Trebuchet MS,Trebuchet,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; background-color: rgb(255,255,255);">the reason physicists such as Weinberg, Hawking and Krauss keep bashing philosophy is because they suffer from an intellectual version of the Oedipus Complex (you know, philosophy was the mother of science and all that... you can work out the details of the inherent sexual frustrations from there)</span> </blockquote> <p /><div>Interesting side story: my last blog entry post referred to a popular saying about ducks, and a comment by a reader here says: </div><p /><div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204,204,204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"> <span style="color: rgb(102,102,102); font-family: Trebuchet MS,Trebuchet,Verdana,sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; text-align: justify; background-color: rgb(255,255,255);">Accept that the philosophy of science is as much use to a scientist as ornithology is to a duck. Ornithologists do know a lot about ducks, but ducks know nothing at all about ornithologists</span></blockquote> <br />Indeed. </div><p /><div>Reinforces a view I've often voiced - that scientists would do well to either completely stay away from philosophy, or embrace it without prejudice and understand it fully. Unfortunately, may of them wander into philosophy's wide open pastures, and, encouraged by their success as scientists, display their ignorance with hubris. Which is all very well, as long as they don't make gross errors in methodology. For example, concluding that all swans are white simply because the global scientific community has heaps and heaps of evidence to that effect and none to the contrary. And therefore elevating the status of that hypothesis to a "fact". </div> <p /></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/scientists-and-philosophers-whats-the-fightin">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-56248363786328174022012-03-18T20:41:00.001+05:302012-03-18T20:41:48.243+05:30Science, Philosophy and Taxonomy<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>Is philosophy a scientific discipline? Or is science a school of philosophy? </div><div><div><br />Here's a view, along the lines of "If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck ..." <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/philosophy-by-another-name/" target="_blank">http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/04/philosophy-by-another-name/</a> </div> <p /><div>Here's another, along the lines of "Lipstick on a pig ..." <a href="http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2012/03/05/dear-philosophers-please-get-over-your-science-envy-now/" target="_blank">http://www.partiallyexaminedlife.com/2012/03/05/dear-philosophers-please-get-over-your-science-envy-now/</a></div> </div><p /><div>Why would philosophers want to make Philosophy sexy and easy to sell as a hot subject? The next thing you know they'll be making sitcoms featuring philosophers, along the lines of 'Big Bang Theory'. Tchah! I'd say Philosophy is better off being vague, amorphous, protean in its scope (as perceived by those who don't get it) - an esoteric indulgence of "intellectuals" (in quotes, as those who don't get it would rather put it) with nothing better to do, and, in the final analysis, of no great significance in that it creates no "real" wealth. (Or does it?)</div> <div><div><br />Parting thought: Philosophers suffering from penis envy of Science should note that Technology dangles a bigger dongle. (Unless you're a physicist who's made a career as a hedge fund manager. In which case, you rule, dude!)</div> <br /></div><div>[Modified version of my facebook posting earlier this week.]</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/science-philosophy-and-taxonomy">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-89930632570522600372012-03-04T15:07:00.001+05:302012-03-04T16:23:06.936+05:30Dilbertian Wisdom Losing Its Bite<div class="posterous_autopost">
I used to be a big fan of Scott Adams' blog, and even now go there once in a while. But these days it is when I really have nothing better to do, as opposed to going there routinely and expecting to find something really witty, wise and hilarious.<br />
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Scott Adams, IMO, is running out of steam. He's at a stage when he should either do humor or wisdom, because his unique style of blending both, which made him famous, is getting seriously unfunny. Some time back he posted something about fairness being a mythical concept. Wanted to ask him if he would continue to think that if I bopped him on the head and took away all his money. I think it was in the context of the Occupy protest, if memory serves, when it was fashionable to be a liberal who takes a contrarian view. Anyway.</div>
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Now he goes and <a href="http://dilbert.com/blog/entry/is_economics_a_real_thing/">asks whether economics is a real thing</a>. Seriously? I'm no economist and, frankly, I enjoy almost all digs at economists that I come across. But hey, when ridiculing something, try and pick the right things about it to ridicule, will you? Otherwise all you're doing is exposing your own shallowness and ignorance. (Do check out comments by "B+")</div>
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No, Scott. Fairness is a not a myth. Economics is not unreal. And if predictions are what you want, go consult an astrologer.<br />
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<a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/dilbertian-wisdom-losing-its-bite">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-36687525334518011222011-12-05T13:23:00.001+05:302011-12-05T13:23:37.336+05:30FDI in Retail vs. Reduce Reuse Recycle<div class='posterous_autopost'>Everybody and their aunt is now an expert on the Venn diagram of economics, foreign direct investment in India, and the Indian retail industry. In the wake of the <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/FDI-in-retail-Mamata-says-decision-on-hold-Pawars-party-happy/articleshow/10972589.cms">recent controversy</a> regarding the Government's proposed policy changes that will open up the retail sector in India to more foreign investment, there's been a bunch of op-eds and blog posts by self-styled pundits on why India "needs" FDI in retail. <p /><div>Yes, opening up of markets is always a good thing. Yes, a more efficient supply chain for consumer goods in India would be a good thing. And yes, professionalism in managing the workforce engaged in logistics and distribution, which remains an unorganized sector even today, would be a good thing. Surely, FDI in retail will positively impact the Indian scenario in all those areas. But does this mean we should blindly push our already fairly strong consumerist culture (and our typical middle-class hunger for more "things", arising from many years of scarcity) into overdrive? <div> <p /><div>Take the issue of infrastructure, which some of our distinguished pundits just about recognize as a concern. The opening up of the automobile industry has given us a wide variety of cars to choose from (which is great) but did we spare a thought for road space or quality of roads or parking space or any other infrastructural prerequisites before we opened it out? Nope, we just plunged into it, probably thinking that growth in traffic would bring pressure on the concerned authorities to improve infrastructure. Clearly, that logic has not worked, and we don't seem to have learned this very important lesson.</div> <p /><div>We continue to struggle with strong urbanization trends, but we are clueless about how to handle the problems that come with them. Meanwhile, given the poverty in rural India, large scale migration to metros and larger cities continues to grow, resulting in more squatters and pavement dwellers, more shanty-towns and slums. Our cities and towns continue to be plagued by poor waste management and sanitation, not to mention pilferage and contamination. We are yet to integrate <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waste_hierarchy">good practices of waste management</a> into a culture which has gradually replaced civic sense with instant gratification and narrow self-interest. How are we going to cope with a dramatic increase in consumption levels, which FDI in retail is sure to bring about? I shudder to think how high a mountain that small but stubborn pile of garbage heaped outside my housing complex will grow into, after the "Big Boxes" of global retail arrive.</div> <p /><div>None of our erudite pundits makes even a passing mention of concerns related to <a href="http://www.iisd.org/sd/">sustainable development</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethical_consumerism">responsible consumption</a>. Which, according to me, should be our most important concerns. Not whether the local <i>bania's</i> business is threatened (which it may well be) or whether transnational giants will siphon profits out of India (which they certainly will). These are the same old arguments, tired and worn-out from repetition in the post-cold war socialism-versus-free-market debates. Many of our pundits, however, are still fighting those cliched battles of the old world.</div> <p /><div>The polemics of the new world are not going to be about leftism and rightism; they will be about how to deal with ecological imbalance and social disharmony, about how to plan for sustainable growth. In the mad frenzy for downloading -- to borrow Niall Ferguson's metaphor -- the <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/niall_ferguson_the_6_killer_apps_of_prosperity.html">6 "killer apps" of the West</a> (of which, incidentally, the culture of consumerism is killer app #5), we are rushing headlong towards irresponsible consumerism that has raised alarm bells in the West. India is lucky to be presented with an opportunity to circumvent <a href="http://www.worldwatch.org/node/810#5">the pitfalls of hyper-consumption</a>, and lead other developing economies on the <a href="http://blogs.worldwatch.org/transformingcultures/videos/">path to sustainability</a>. But will India seize the moment? Or is this too much to ask for by way of a vision for India? Perhaps it is, I find myself compelled to say in spite of my generally optimistic disposition. </div> <p /><div>Is it also too much to ask of Indian intelligentsia that the debate on FDI in retail be informed by sustainability considerations? Certainly not! </div><p /><p /></div></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/fdi-in-retail-vs-reduce-reuse-recycle">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-51581036676448865562011-11-12T10:38:00.001+05:302011-11-12T10:38:40.595+05:30Reform and Rectitude<div class='posterous_autopost'>There's usually a cloud of confusion hanging over any criticism of wrongdoing, as are witnessing in the commentary on the many recent public protests in India, the US and elsewhere. Some of this confusion arises out of lack of clarity in what is being said, but even when that clarity is found, there are questions on who has the moral right to say it. Accusations of sanctimoniousness and hypocrisy are flung around indiscriminately, and everyone starts finding fault with everyone else. It is easy to see that a lot of this is politically motivated - the work of those with vested interests in the status-quo, for whom this confusion essentially forms the smokescreen of expedience. But what about the others, who get swept away by this political rhetoric of obfuscation? Why should they let themselves be distracted by such machinations?<p /><div>Brainstorming events, such as the recent Goa <a href="http://goathinkfest.com/">Think Festival</a> represent the few opportunities we get to promote healthy public discourse (a vital foundation for a vibrant democracy) on key issues impacting our present condition. But even those have <a href="http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/high-ideals-and-corruption-dominate-think-festival-agenda/">come under criticism</a> for "sleeping with the enemy" or being otherwise impure, just as leaders of India's fight against corruption have been <a href="http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Citycitybangbang/entry/democracy-without-dissent">pilloried for alleged misdemeanours</a> in their past lives. We tend to take this business of "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone" a bit too seriously. We forget that none of us is without sin. We forget that it's not about casting stones. We forget that it is about systemic failures, and that any citizen has a right to demand reform to correct them. The point is, if we can't get everyone to the table, we can't have dialogue. And if we can't have dialogue, issues will remain deadlocked, and the status will remain quo, and history will repeat itself.</div> <div><p /><div>We need to remember a few simple and straightforward points, if we are to get this right and make some headway: </div><div>(1) You don't have to be a saint to criticize wrongdoing - the first step to reform is to recognize what's going wrong and confront it, without being confrontational.</div> <div>(2) The scope of wrongdoing may extends beyond mere legalities and may even charge that the justice system is rigged - it is easy to confuse the illegal with the illegitimate.</div><div>(2) Protests are visceral reactions of a mass of people to unresolved issues, not necessarily about specific people or corporations (who in some sense are considered "people" in some parts of the world) though they may manifest that way.</div> <div>(3) Even when they are about people (or corporations) the focus should be on what they DID and not who they ARE - we must punish bad behaviour, not persons, and we must punish it not so much for the sake of retribution as much for the sake of restoration and prevention.</div> <div>(4) In those exceptional cases where people (or corporations) appear intrinsically "evil" (assuming there is such a thing), we need to figure out a way to correct them - everyone has a right to another chance; a right to redeem themselves.</div> <p /><div>There's an old saying that goes - every saint has a past and every sinner a future. Let's remember that each of us has elements of both. It's "normal". It's what makes us human. Reform should be about fixing what's broken and straightening out what's crooked. Not a competition to qualify for entry through the Pearly Gates.</div> <p /></div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/reform-and-rectitude">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-67424040116270268192011-10-28T21:13:00.001+05:302011-10-29T13:01:22.703+05:30New Rules for Fools - Fairness and Equality<div class="posterous_autopost">
In all these criticisms of the Occupy protests, I see a common trend: critics pick words like "fairness" and "equality" and extrapolate absurd arguments from these words so as to make protesters' outcries look ridiculous. This type of specious argumentation is called "attacking a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straw_man" target="_blank">straw man</a>". It is not as though such people don't understand what those words actually mean. They do. And you can tell that they do because they go to great lengths to misinterpret those words in every ludicrous way possible, carefully avoiding the most obvious, simple and straightforward representation. All just to obfuscate real issues and vitiate the spirit of public discourse by throwing around such red herrings as the suggestion that protesters' messages all boil down to the Marxist principle - "from each according to his ability to each according to his need". Do they, really?<br />
<br />
<div>
Equal rights. Equal access to opportunity. Fair play. Rule of law. Equality of all citizens under the law. Justice for all. Not difficult concepts to understand, are they? Or maybe they are, for some of those critics. Maybe not all critics are attacking a straw man on purpose - maybe their very understanding of these concepts is nebulous. So here's a new rule that should clarify some of this.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<div>
Purpose of New Rule: This rule is meant as a guide for those who don't understand the meaning of fairness and equality, or why it is important for the health of capitalism to preserve and protect such ideals.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Description of New Rule: Think back to when you last took an exam (assuming, at the very least, that you went to school, if not college). Equality means all students answer the question paper under the same set of rules, within the same time period, under the same watchful eyes of the same invigilator. Fairness means that all students are given access to the same learning material and teachers, and in general, the same opportunities to prepare for their exams. Some students have a better grasp of the subject and/ or take the pains to be better prepared, and as a consequence, fare better than other students. That's fair. What would be unfair is if a select few were given an opportunity to be better prepared by "leaking" the questions to them ahead of the exam, or given opportunities to plagiarize, or given extra time to complete their answers. Not all students score the same marks. That's not what equality means! Nor does it mean that students who are less capable but "need" to do well in their exams should score higher marks. Assuming a "normal" distribution, some students will top the class, most will be somewhere in the middle while others will remain stragglers. As long as they used fair means to achieve their distinction, a merit-based outcome is not only an acceptable outcome but the inevitable outcome of a fair and just evaluation system. This is exactly how it works with capitalism. Given a normal distribution and a level playing field, some people will make more money than others. As long as they used fair means to make money, it is not only acceptable but inevitable that their abilities, ambition and industriousness merit their economic rewards. What is unacceptable is when a few people use unfair means to make disproportionately large sums of money. Unfair means such as <a href="http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/taleb1/English" target="_blank">gaming the system or bending the rules</a>. Or even <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bruce-judson/occupy-arrests_b_1034907.html" target="_blank">breaking the rules and leveraging powerful connections to get away with it</a>.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
Protesters of the Occupy movement are not against meritocracy. On the contrary, that is exactly what they are asking for - the restoration of true meritocracy. They are decrying the perversion of meritocracy by the few, for the few. Criticism of these protests can only come from those who are so foolish that they just can't get this, or from those who are so <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/10/opinion/panic-of-the-plutocrats.html" target="_blank">guilty (of the perversion of meritocracy) that they just won't get this</a>. Can't or won't, you know who you are.<br />
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<u>Post Script, Oct 29 </u><br />
<br />
Having quoted Karl Marx in this post last night, and having come across this other quote from another Marx (Groucho) this morning, I think this says it best: "The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made."<br />
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<a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/new-rules-for-fools-fairness-and-equality">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </div>
</div>
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-62565865661725146932011-10-23T18:35:00.001+05:302011-10-23T18:35:29.284+05:30No More Missed Calls for Change<div class='posterous_autopost'>Two recent articles in popular news magazines caught my eye this weekend.<p /><div>The Economist ran <a href="http://www.economist.com/node/21533360" target="_blank">a story on climate change</a> dealing with new evidence on global warming. Hopefully this should put to rest the furious debates triggered by the "climategate" scandal couple of years ago. In hindsight, that scandal was probably a good thing, inasmuch as it cleaned up the scientific research on the subject and served to keep climate change researchers honest. Scientists are, after all, human beings, and like all other specimens of our species, equally fallible and equally prone to fudging data to prove their hypotheses. They may not be as dishonest as an aspiring entrepreneur approaching a Venture Capitalist with a sexed-up business plan, but surely, they're prone to a little bit of disingenuousness here and there. But here's the fresh evidence now, from a squeaky clean team, led by a mild skeptic. Clearly, the "heat is on", to quote The Economist (and the first line from an old song).</div> <p /><div>The more interesting story was the <a href="http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228354.500-revealed--the-capitalist-network-that-runs-the-world.html" target="_blank">one in the New Scientist</a> a few days ago. It was about how a group of researchers had <a href="http://arxiv.org/PS_cache/arxiv/pdf/1107/1107.5728v2.pdf">analyzed</a> the complex network of relationships between over 43,000 transnational corporations (TNCs) and found that a relatively small number of them (mostly banks) wielded disproportionate power over the global economy. Here's an excerpt:</div> <p /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0.8ex; border-left-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-left-style: solid; padding-left: 1ex;"> <span style="line-height: 18px;">The work ... revealed a core of 1318 companies with interlocking ownerships. Each of the 1318 had ties to two or more other companies, and on average they were connected to 20. What's more, although they represented 20 per cent of global operating revenues, the 1318 appeared to collectively own through their shares the majority of the world's large blue chip and manufacturing firms - the "real" economy - representing a further 60 per cent of global revenues.</span></blockquote> <p /><div>Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protesters would probably say "not surprising, we've known this all along", but now there's some hard evidence. While economists have already noted the <a href="http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/05/top-one-percent-201105">increasingly widening gap in the distribution of income</a> in America, and observers have already commented that "<a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/11/29/101129fa_fact_cassidy?currentPage=all">much of what investment bankers do is socially worthless</a>", this is the first study that establishes the nexus of global dominance by TNCs including some big Wall Street players. </div> <p /><div>Hopefully this should help establish a clearer perspective on the OWS protests, which have been criticized and supported for all the wrong reasons. And that clarity should help us look past the hype and hysteria, to recognize three simple truths at the heart of the pan-American Occupy protests: (a) It's all about <i>fairness</i>, and not really about <i>equality</i> (b) It's all about <i>redefining</i> capitalism, not about <i>rejecting</i> capitalism (and bringing in communism) (c) It's a "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/16/opinion/sunday/kristof-americas-primal-scream.html?_r=1">primal scream</a>" of anguished masses, that doesn't require a structured manifesto to be morally valid. Dismissing the Occupy protests as a confused incoherent anti-establishment rant by a loose, louche lot of lazy leftist losers who blame the rich for their misery and who have no concrete solutions to offer, while convenient, would be a big mistake - one that may lead to worse consequences.</div> <p /><div>To any rational person with an open mind, the common thread that resonates in these two stories is the revelation that we are now at an important cusp of history - a point in time when we seriously need to rework our socioeconomic models to foster a kind of prosperity that will enable future generations to flourish. A global prosperity that will enhance rather than erode social and political harmony around the world, and that will maintain rather than destroy the planet's delicate ecological balance.</div> <p /><div>These are strong calls for change, backed by hard facts. We've been missing these calls in the past, under some pretext or other. But now it's high time the denial and the deception and the dithering stopped. Let's not keep missing these calls till it is too late to give our children a better future.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/no-more-missed-calls-for-change">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-17767553813954174552011-10-03T10:50:00.001+05:302011-10-03T10:55:30.528+05:30At times the pigeon, at times the statue<div class="posterous_autopost">
Thanks to Internet banking and the privilege of having a Relationship <br />
Manager designated to me by my primary banker, I rarely need to visit <br />
any brick-and-mortar bank branch. The other day was one such rare <br />
occasion, when I needed to transact a certain kind of business that <br />
could only be executed at a certain branch of a certain bank. <br />
<br />
It took me a while to navigate to the desk of the customer service <br />
officer to whom I was directed, and I got there only to find her seat <br />
vacant. I looked around for a bit and everybody around seemed <br />
extremely busy. At another desk nearby an important-looking officer <br />
was going through a whole bunch of important-looking documents. She <br />
didn't have any customers seated opposite her and I could tell that <br />
she was aware of my presence, but she did her best to avoid <br />
eye-contact. Lest I should bring her more work, I guess. Anyway, since <br />
I was not in a tearing hurry I decided to hang around and look <br />
helpless, hoping someone would notice. I was relieved when at last the <br />
officer I was waiting for showed up. However, she scarcely registered <br />
by presence, and instead immediately started talking to her colleagues <br />
across her carrel partition. Yet another reminder that I have neither <br />
a commanding presence nor a charming personality. <br />
<br />
As I was waiting for her to turn her attention to me, I couldn't help <br />
overhearing her complaining to her important-looking colleague (who <br />
suddenly found time to listen to her), about the poor service she got <br />
from her mobile provider's customer support staff. My patience was <br />
rewarded when she finally turned to me, still in an unpleasant mood. <br />
No smile, no warm friendly greeting, no "How can I help you?" - <br />
instead, just a "Yes?" that barely managed to be polite. Before I <br />
could complete my first sentence the telephone at her desk rang and <br />
she answered it with a shudder of exasperation. By the time she was <br />
done with that call and turned to me again, an apparently junior <br />
colleague of hers came to her desk with some papers in her hand, <br />
seeking advice on some other customer's transaction. Long story short, <br />
it took me all of 30 minutes to complete my transaction, which <br />
according to me should have taken not more than 5. Or maybe 10 <br />
minutes, at most. <br />
<br />
As I was leaving I made a brief comment to her, with a smile - "When <br />
we complain about poor service, as customers, it's a good idea to <br />
introspect a bit about the quality of service we provide to our own <br />
customers, when we act as service providers. After all, we all play <br />
both those roles, don't we?" She was smart enough to get that, and <br />
only then apologized. And even in that, showing herself to be an <br />
efficient but helpless cog-in-the-wheel of a large, chaotic system. I <br />
wanted to quote a line from Bob Dylan's song - "It may be the devil or <br />
it may be the lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody". But <br />
somehow it didn't seem appropriate. For one thing I didn't think she'd <br />
know who Bob Dylan was, and who knows, she might have even found the <br />
quote egregious. <br />
<br />
But for you, here's the song. Enjoy! And do remember this little <br />
anecdote .. as much when you're the pigeon dumping on the statue, as <br />
when you're the statue taking crap from the pigeon. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/FavBDpg91gA" width="420"></iframe>
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<div style="font-size: 10px;">
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<a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/at-times-the-pigeon-at-times-the-statue">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-9366230728197114382011-08-20T12:47:00.001+05:302011-08-20T12:47:11.990+05:30Reflection on Self-righteousness and Reflexivity<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>Every time I come across someone accusing someone else of being self-righteous I am reminded of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach">Gödel Escher Bach</a> and self-referential logic.</div><p /><div>If you break it down to basics, this is how it goes:</div><div>1. It is wrong to be self-righteous (unstated premise, based on moral values)</div><div>2. You are self-righteous (observation)</div><div>3. You are therefore wrong (derived from #1 and #2)</div> <div>4. I am not self-righteous (implicit in #2 -- since I am calling you out on this)</div><div>5. I am therefore right (derived from #1 and #4)</div><div>6. I am more righteous than you (inferred from #3 and #5) </div> <p /><div>Who is being self-righteous now? (wink wink nudge nudge)</div><p /><div>The accusation of hypocrisy, on the other hand, is free from reflexive contradiction. But I will let you reflect on that.</div> <p /><div>In any case, it pays to be a little circumspect when taking moral positions.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/reflection-on-self-righteousness-and-reflexiv">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-37306508486146697682011-08-11T18:04:00.001+05:302011-08-11T18:04:18.393+05:30Snapshot of Civilization circa 2011<div class='posterous_autopost'>If an alien spaceship were to land on earth today and do a mashup of global news headlines, this is how it would look: <p /><div>Civil War in Libya, Civil Disturbances in Britain, Civil Unrest in Bahrain, Civil Uprising in Syria, Civil Society Protests in India, Civil Rights Agitation in Myanmar, Denial of Civil Liberties in Tibet, Civilian Casualties in Afghanistan ...</div> <p /><div>About time we put the 'civil' back in civilization!</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/snapshot-of-civilization-circa-2011">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-21541665551449576532011-07-30T12:05:00.002+05:302011-07-30T12:21:59.108+05:30Defining Excessive Greed<div class="posterous_autopost">
The New York Times carried an article the other day, whose headline "<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/27/world/asia/27tycoon.html">Billionaires’ Rise Aids India, and the Favor Is Returned</a>" promised coverage of, say, the top 10 Indians in the Forbes list. However, the article focused on just one of them (save for passing references to a few others) and in doing so read like a PR job for Gautam Adani. By an uncanny coincidence, a day or two later, the Lokayukta of Karnataka submitted a report <a href="http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/indl-goods-/-svs/metals-mining/karnataka-yeddyurappa-scam-lokayukta-santosh-hegdes-report-indicts-nmdc-adani-enterprises-jsw-steel-in-illiegal-mining-scandal/articleshow/9401955.cms">indicting Adani and others</a> in what appears to be a massive scam relating to illegal mining in that state. More <a href="http://www.livemint.com/2011/07/29225209/Lokayukta-report-names-Adani.html?atype=tp">details emerged today</a> suggesting that we have barely seen the tip of the proverbial iceberg up until now. No doubt, the future will bring us even more gory details. And no doubt all parties indicted are innocent till prosecuted in a court of law and found guilty.<br />
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<div>
That said, this episode reminded me of a conversation I had with a friend around the time the global financial crisis first revealed its enormity, about capitalism and excessive greed and such -- pretty common topic given the context. My friend's thesis, in short, was that capitalism is based on ambition and greed and that there is no such thing as excessive greed because it is impossible to calibrate that scale. So we just have to man-up and learn to deal with it. </div>
<div>
<br />
I had a different view. In my opinion, other than psychopaths, everybody has a sense of right and wrong. While this sense of right and wrong may be subjective and may vary from person to person based on culture, religion and various other factors, there exists a common objective notion of business ethics and civic propriety that we all understand. This comes from a secular morality that transcends religion and is based on the self-evident principles of sustainability. It forms the foundation for the legal and regulatory framework of nations. Many of these legal and regulatory frameworks suffer from any or all of the following maladies: they are obsolete/ full of inconsistencies due to constant patching with changes or new laws/ inhibit economic growth by constraining enterprise/ draconian and convoluted enough to promote corruption. The need for reforms in such cases is urgent and there is no disputing this fact -- as times change, we need to change with them. However, the argument that existing laws are not in the best interests of promoting economic growth should not become a ready refuge for the excessively greedy to bend or break rules. </div>
<div>
<br />
Which leads us to my proposed definition: excessive greed is when one's ambition overcomes one's values and principles. As long as greed remains within those boundaries, it remains a legitimate driving force to entrepreneurship and economic growth.</div>
<div>
<br />
Yes, it is that simple. You know it, better than anyone else, when you're making excuses to circumvent your own value system. All you have to do is to look within. Unless, of course, you're a psychopath.<br />
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<div style="font-size: 10px;">
<a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/defining-excessive-greed">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-48630499567961828922011-07-02T18:24:00.001+05:302011-07-02T18:24:51.483+05:30Minor Observation #8<div class='posterous_autopost'>Contrarians can't stand other contrarians whose contrariety is contrary to their own, just like non-conformists can't stand other non-conformists who don't conform to their style of non-conformism. <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/minor-observation-8">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-41363719834750598252011-06-10T14:40:00.001+05:302011-06-10T14:40:47.997+05:30Crowdsourcing Governance Reform<div class='posterous_autopost'><div>I just came upon this article in PopSci proclaiming that "<a href="http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-06/iceland-crowdsourcing-suggestions-its-new-constitution-web" target="_blank">Iceland's Citizens Are Writing Its New Constitution Online</a>" thanks to a <a href="http://www.digeratus.com/">friend</a> who shared the link on Facebook.</div> <p /><div>Without getting into the whole issue all over again, of <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/the-fast-and-the-furious" target="_blank">Anna Hazare's fast</a> demanding active participation of the civil society in drafting the Lok Pal Bill, I just want to make a point here in this post: in a democracy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereignty" target="_blank">sovereignty</a> ultimately lies with the People -- beyond the Constitution or Parliament. Iceland's bold experiment is testimony to this simple fact. And this point begs to be made, flying as it does in the face of <a href="http://hyperactivexs.blogspot.com/2011/04/how-to-write-blog-post-criticizing-anna.html" target="_blank">criticism</a> to the effect that citizens' active (and "official") participation in changing the law of the land: (a) is unconstitutional (b) subverts Parliamentary processes (c) undermines our democratic institutions.</div> <p /><div>Perhaps it is time to recognize that in today's day and age (relevant <i>zeitgeist</i>: increasing empowerment of common citizens) a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Representative_democracy">purely representative democracy</a> is unsustainable if it does not conflate at least some elements of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participatory_democracy">participatory democracy</a>. Some burning issues just cannot wait till the next elections, especially if the average citizen strongly feels that the establishment and its political processes have failed to deliver clean governance. Clearly, such is the case when it comes to the twin issues of graft and capital flight in the Indian context -- the Government in office has failed to check these chronic maladies over the years (even worse, its officials are suspected to be perpetrators of the same crimes themselves) and the main Opposition party has failed to correct that failure (even worse, is suspected to more or less equally guilty).</div> <p /><div>I sincerely hope our Indian think-tanks (who are wont to quote Dr. Ambedkar's quip about the "Grammar of Anarchy" at the drop of a hat these days) sit up and take note of the precedent set by Iceland, without bringing up feckless counter-arguments like: "Oh but you can't do that here because only the elite in India have access to the Internet" or "Oh but you can't do that here because the Indian public lacks maturity". We can definitely replicate Iceland's experiment in India (especially considering the urgency of the need to reform our antiquated and obsolete legal and regulatory framework). We have the technology, we have the intellectual capital (what the heck -- we export that stuff!) and we have the maturity too. We can do it, and we must do it. I just hope we will!</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/crowdsourcing-governance-reform">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-83765165279987137942011-06-09T13:35:00.001+05:302011-06-09T13:35:33.702+05:30Minor Observation #7<div class='posterous_autopost'>The kerfuffle caused by a certain "Swami" (a.k.a."Baba") <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swami_Ramdev" target="_blank">Ramdev</a> and his followers recently, inspired me to explore the many meanings and applications of the word "Capital". Here are a few:<p /><div>Capital Flight: The siphoning out of ill-begotten wealth from the mainstream economy, and then stashing it away secret bank accounts overseas. This forms the main thrust and focal point of <a href="http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-04/india/29620234_1_baba-ramdev-yoga-guru-yoga-session" target="_blank">Ramdev's crusade</a>: to bring pressure on the Government to "bring back" that wealth and declare it as a national asset.</div> <p /><div>National Capital: New Delhi, the place where Ramdev was<a href="http://ibnlive.in.com/news/nervous-upa-gives-ramdev-a-vip-treatment/156015-3.html" target="_blank"> received like a VIP</a> on arrival, and from where he was unceremoniously <a href="http://www.onenewspage.in/news/Asia-Pacific/20110605/22915558/Ramdev-booted-out-PM-Sonia-kill-democracy-says.htm" target="_blank">booted out</a> a few days later, after he earned the wrath of the high and mighty.</div> <p /><div>Capital Punishment: What Ramdev thinks the corrupt deserve: the <a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-05-04/news/29509113_1_baba-ramdev-fast-unto-death-death-penalty" target="_blank">death penalty</a> (he seems to have settled for life imprisonment, in later interviews).</div> <p /><div>Human Capital: Ramdev's flock -- the several thousands of followers who had gathered for satyagraha at the <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2071701.ece" target="_blank">Ramlila grounds</a>, who a day or two later were <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43277409/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/" target="_blank">gassed, caned and evicted</a> in the dead of the night, some of whom have sustained serious injury.</div> <p /><div>Intellectual Capital: The one thing that is conspicuously absent in almost everything that almost everybody has uttered on this subject on national television and newspapers.</div><p /> <div>Capitalizing on Opportunity: What the national political parties are doing against this backdrop, each to further their own political agenda.</div> <p /> <div>Capital 'F' for Failure: Failure of the Government (to check graft and bring the guilty to book); Failure of the Opposition (to ensure that the Government does its job); Failure of Civil Society (to remain civil and shoulder civic responsibilities while protesting against the aforementioned failures); Failure of the Intelligentsia (to develop meaningful solutions before the public at large acts out of sheer outrage); Failure of the Common Citizen (to eschew all forms of corruption in daily life; to stick to the straight and narrow path despite its inconveniences).</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/minor-observation-7">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-7087563835362832642011-04-09T15:37:00.003+05:302011-04-09T16:39:11.031+05:30The Fast and the Furious<div class="posterous_autopost">When I logged on this morning I found that my opinion on the Lok Pal Bill and Anna Hazare's fast unto death, and the furious debate over the last few days among the Indian intelligentsia, had already been articulated in my friend Raj Jayaram's <a href="http://midlifepopcorn.blogspot.com/2011/04/great-anna-debate.html">blog post</a> -- and that too with a degree of precision that is astonishing, if not scary. With me in Mumbai and him sitting far away in Singapore, without us exchanging a word on this subject, it seemed as though we were both reading each other's thoughts. It wouldn't have worked better if I had hired an amanuensis. And this is really strange because rarely have Raj and I agreed on something so wholeheartedly, in the many interesting debates we've had on many interesting topics. In fact, more often than not, we end up "agreeing to disagree", and switch to less controversial topics of mutual interest.<br />
<br />
So, instead of repeating all that here (per my resolve last night to write out a blog post on Saturday morning regarding this whole business), all I will do here, other than point you to Raj's post, is to reproduce some of my own tweets on the subject. Since I have not mastered the craft of extracting relevant tweets from my twitter timeline and pasting them here, I am reproducing them verbatim in plain text, with links to the originals. A couple of facebook status messages also appear, though without links, since my privacy settings would not permit all to view them.<br />
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<div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HyperActiveX/status/56229128399097856">Hundreds of critiques, hazaar criticisms, but not a single workable option to either Hazare's Yantra or his Mantra #IndianIntellectualElite</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HyperActiveX/status/56229997815398401">If we don't get this less-than-perfect soln., fraught with risks & anxieties as it may be, we deserve the rotten quagmire we are sinking in!</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HyperActiveX/status/56580656603467776">Rather than worry about possible subversion of democracy in the future I worry about bringing to book proven abuse of power in the past.</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HyperActiveX/status/56582289869651968">It is heartening to vindicate the fact that supreme sovereignty in a democratic republic lies with the people, not the parliament or const.</a> </span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"></span>Expanded on facebook: <span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 14px;">It is most heartening to see vindicated the fact that supreme sovereignty in a democratic republic lies with the people, not the parliament or the constitution - these are mechanisms and tools the people set up to enable governance. And they can change. They <i>will</i> change, over time. It is inevitable.</span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HyperActiveX/status/56593850621374464">Words I watch out for: "misguided" and "self-righteous". People who use them at the drop of a hat usually are both.</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HyperActiveX/status/56594810018070529">I am so glad we moved things along. Dystopia is what happens while we slowly and patiently build Utopia. Vice is more impatient than Virtue.</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HyperActiveX/status/56601259901321218">And now that we are where we are I earnestly hope that the voices of dissent will come forward with constructive feedback instead of sulking</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HyperActiveX/status/56609594214060032">@BDUTT One of the reasons that engagement doesn't happen is cynicism. And one of the reasons behind cynicism is corruption.</a></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 36px;"><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/HyperActiveX/status/56631008136671232">@vikramchandra Gandhian methods may or may not be the best, or "perfect", but proved to be most effective, since nothing else has worked</a></span></div><div>And the last one, on facebook: </div><div><span style="line-height: 14px;">Coercion subversion diversion conversion - pick your version. But I am amazed that a 72 y.o. can fast for so long and still be cool. Me? I turn into a beast if I miss breakfast. You rock, Anna!</span></div><div><br />
Again, for a more detailed discourse please read Raj's <a href="http://midlifepopcorn.blogspot.com/2011/04/great-anna-debate.html">post</a>.<br />
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</div></div><div style="font-size: 10px;"><a href="http://posterous.com/">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/the-fast-and-the-furious">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-70939113396034063102011-03-31T11:43:00.001+05:302011-03-31T11:43:05.328+05:30Conversatility<div class='posterous_autopost'>This is not <div>A haiku poem. It is not</div><div>Even a poem. It is not</div><div>Anything.</div><p /><div>By not being </div><div>Anything</div><div>It sets itself free.</div> <p style="font-size: 10px;"> <a href="http://posterous.com">Posted via email</a> from <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/conversatility">HyperActiveX's (Pre)Posterous Posts</a> </p> </div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1388825210283813009.post-58377969734303732412011-03-23T18:57:00.003+05:302011-03-23T19:19:55.064+05:30"She Said He Said" -- The Empirical Method à la BJP<div>After lunch today I switched on the telly to watch the news. A live broadcast of the proceedings in Parliament was being aired and I settled down to watch it. A lady Parliamentarian was making a rather impassioned speech. She was referring to the cash-for-votes scam of July 2008, the fires of which were recently kindled by the winds of that notorious cyber anarchist operation WikiLeaks.</div><div></div>She said that a few days ago, the prominent newspaper -- "The Hindu" -- <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-india-cables/article1544204.ece?homepage=true">carried a story</a> based on information sourced by WikiLeaks from the US diplomatic cables from India containing a dispatch from the US Charge D'Affaires in India dated July 17, 2008 stating that an aide to a Congress leader said to a US embassy staff, in an aside, that a political party had been paid off for each of their four MPs to support the government in the no-trust motion regarding the nuclear deal.<br />
<div></div><div>So, essentially, she said that the newspaper said that WikiLeaks said that the US Charge D'Affaires said that a colleague said that an aide to a Congress leader, "in an aside", said that they were paying cash for votes. According to the lady MP making this speech, this constituted adequate evidence that the Prime Minister and his party were guilty of corruption. She went on to reprimand the PM for his earlier statement in Parliament that this allegation was "speculative, unverified and unverifiable." Apparently the Hon'ble lady believes that this allegation is indeed verifiable.<br />
<div></div><div>So I tried to imagine how such a verification might proceed. In my mind, I began asking direct questions to all concerned in this narrative chain, starting with the immediate source -- the good lady MP herself. This is how my imaginary investigation went:</div><div></div><div><strong>Question to aforementioned Lady MP:</strong> Ma'am, do you have evidence that the PM and the Congress party paid bribes to secure votes from other political parties in the no-trust motion back in July 2008?</div><div><strong>Aforementioned Lady MP:</strong> No, I don't, but you should read the report in The Hindu, which clearly points to such evidence.</div><div></div><div><strong>Question to The Hindu:</strong> Do you have evidence that the PM and the Congress paid bribes to secure votes from other political parties in the no-trust motion back in July 2008?</div><div><strong>The Hindu:</strong> No, we don't - we only published what came out of the WikiLeaks download.</div><div><strong>Question to WikiLeaks:</strong> Do you have evidence that the PM and the Congress paid bribes to secure votes from other political parties in the no-trust motion back in July 2008? </div><div><strong>WikiLeaks:</strong> No, we are not making any such claim. We merely accessed a bunch of diplomatic cables that captured communication from various US embassies and the government in Washington.</div><div><strong>Question to US Charge D'Affaires in India:</strong> Sir, do you have evidence that the PM and the Congress paid bribes to secure votes from other political parties in the no-trust motion back in July 2008? </div><div><strong>US Charge D'Affaires in India:</strong> No, I don't but a staff member in the embassy told me that there might have been some pay-offs.</div><div><strong>Question to US Embassy employee:</strong> Do you have evidence that the PM and the Congress paid bribes to secure votes from other political parties in the no-trust motion back in July 2008?</div><div><strong>US Embassy employee:</strong> I was told that the Congress is securing votes using various tactics, by an aide to a Congress leader, who showed me "<a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-india-cables/article1544916.ece">two chests containing cash and said that around Rupees 50-60 crore (about $25 million) was lying around the house for use as pay-offs.</a>"</div><div><strong>Follow-up question to US Embassy employee:</strong> You saw the chest containing cash, but did you see a Congress party member giving the cash to another political party member in return for a commitment to support the UPA government in the no-trust motion in Parliament the next day?</div><div><strong>US Embassy employee:</strong> I didn't say that did I? If I'd been witness to something like that, then that's what I would have said, instead of what I actually said.</div><div><strong>Question to aide to Congress leader:</strong> Did you pay said cash for said votes?</div><div><strong>Aide to Congress leader:</strong> "<a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1547805.ece">I do not know anything. I have not witnessed anything</a>"</div><div><strong>Question to the Congress leader</strong>: Sir, what do you have to say about the report that your aide showed chests of cash to a US embassy employee claiming it was meant as pay-off to buy votes?</div><div><strong>Congress leader:</strong> "<a href="http://www.rediff.com/news/report/satish-sharma-pleads-innocence-denies-knowing-nachiketa-kapur/20110318.htm">I do not know what the Hindu is talking about. I have never known this person. There is no question of him being my political aide.</a>"</div><div></div><div>OK, so some part of this Q&A (but not all) happened in my mind. But seriously, reality would be no different if someone were to actually go up to these <em>dramatis personae</em> (other than the ones who have already been approached for comment) and ask them those questions (other than the ones that have already been posed to them by journalists as per the corresponding links). And if you doubt that, go ahead and prove me wrong. </div><div></div><div>So much for verifiability. I think the BJP and other members of the opposition need a crash course in the methodology of empiricism and, particularly, need to be educated on what constitutes "verification" and "verifiability".</div><div></div><div>Speaking for myself, I have little doubt that the Congress is guilty -- in this instance, as much as most other such instance where strong doubts have been raised on their integrity. Probity is not one of their strong suits, as I've observed in an <a href="http://hyperactivexs.posterous.com/probes-and-probity-a-note-to-the-congress">earlier post</a>. But, that said, the BJP-led opposition needs to learn how to do its job in exposing such cases of corruption. They have wasted precious time in Parliament on shallow argumentation and sabre-rattling, when they should have done some mature "opposing" ... or else focused on so many other issues that urgently need deliberation. All they appear to be doing is baying for the incumbent government's blood at every given opportunity -- big or small, wanting to overthrow the UPA government and replace it with their own. This is their understanding of their role as opposition. Makes me wonder whose interests they have at heart. With opposition parties like these, who needs enemies? </div><div><div></div><div></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><a href="http://api.tweetmeme.com/share?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com&alias=http://u.nu/25g23&service=u.nu"><img width="51" src="http://api.tweetmeme.com/imagebutton.gif?url=http://hyperactivexs-mini.blogspot.com" height="61"/></a></div>HyperActiveXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17922690516716558779noreply@blogger.com