tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77316482011-12-14T18:56:57.649-08:00Niti in Sanskrit means policy/strategy/vision. This blog hosts my political views, along with news and commentary. <strong>This blog has moved <a href="http://ashish.typepad.com/ashishs_niti/">here</a></strong>.Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comBlogger1591100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1113955155889778222005-04-19T16:57:00.000-07:002005-04-27T21:13:20.956-07:00

This blog has now moved here. I will still use this as site as my backup or to post more quick posts. Please update your bookmarks. Also, those subscribing to atom feed for this blog should switch to using the feed for the new blog.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112981420702119362005-04-08T10:30:00.000-07:002005-04-10T13:53:56.840-07:00

During Condoleezza Rice's visit to India, US and India unveilled a strategic partnership at a whole new level.The United States unveiled plans Friday to help India become a "major world power in the 21st century" even as it announced moves to beef up the military of Pakistan.Under the plans, Washington offered to step up a strategic dialogue with India to boost missile defense and other security

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112893545029570122005-04-07T10:05:00.000-07:002005-04-07T10:06:12.156-07:00

Varnam, points to the Aravind Lavakare's article at Rediff on Jammu and Kashmir's accession to India: Even after its accession to the Indian Dominion, J&K's internal administration was governed, not by a diktat of New Delhi, but by the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution Act, 1939. It was under this Act that Maharaja Hari Singh appointed his former adversary, Sheikh Abdullah, as the emergency

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112892269609005152005-04-07T09:44:00.000-07:002005-04-07T09:45:03.980-07:00

I found Bruce Benson's working paper, "The Spontaneous Evolution of Cyber Law: Norms, Property Rights, Contracting, Dispute Resolution and Enforcement Without the State" via Mises Blog. Well, the title of the paper says it all!

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112891670926986102005-04-07T09:34:00.000-07:002005-04-07T09:35:09.996-07:00

There is a good debate going on whether we need time-preference to explain positive interest rates. I think diminishing marginal utility is not sufficient to explain positive interest rates. If present and future are equally well-endowed (thus additional unit of consumption have the same marginal utility today and tomorrow) then time-preference comes into picture. The reason is very simple. You

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112835389137223922005-04-06T17:56:00.000-07:002005-04-06T18:00:58.466-07:00

Researchers from MIT has developed a tool that turns English to code . The tool is called Metafor and it converts an English language description of a program into a skeleton code in programming language, such as Python. It exploits the inherent structure of English -- parts of speed, syntax, and subject-verb-object roles -- into classes, their properties, methods and if-then rules.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112648009232974372005-04-04T13:53:00.000-07:002005-04-04T13:56:12.850-07:00

I am not a Christian but the concept of free will in Christianity has always fascinated me. Pope John Paul II will definitely be remembered for his role in opposing Commuism and his support for freedom.Here are just a few quotes from the Pontiff:Socialism considers the individual person simply as an element, a molecule within the social organism, so that the good of the individual is completely

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112376895302227942005-04-01T09:34:00.000-08:002005-04-01T09:34:55.303-08:00

Robert Murphy at Mises Economics Blog, attempts to clear the confusion surrounding anarchism.One of the greatest proponent of anarchism, Roy Childs Jr., changed his mind about anarchism.I believe that anarchism is unstable in practice.Why haven't even one private defense agency has arisen to protect those believing in an anarcho-capitalist system? You can't "blame" the existing governments for

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112307322142298972005-03-31T14:15:00.000-08:002005-04-03T23:07:45.346-07:00

Via EconLog, this interview of Dr. Ray Kurzweil is really fascinating! The super-inventor discusses nanotechnology, nanofood, non-biological intelligence, and other advanced technologies and how they will impact ageing, birth, and death. It is a must read!

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112297546396671562005-03-31T11:32:00.000-08:002005-03-31T11:32:26.396-08:00

Via Mises Economics Blog: A Bank That Isn't, Zopa is an online lending exchange for dealing with micro-credit. It deals with risk of default by spreading risk among a group of fifty borrowers and fifty lenders. Right now, this is only available for residents of UK. The Washington Mutual, a major bank, had started using eBay auction to set interest rates for its CDs (certificate of deposit or

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1112222329271048812005-03-30T14:38:00.000-08:002005-03-31T12:43:18.356-08:00

Karlsson answers the question on Trade Deficit in a very clear and illuminating way.Also, see John Tammy's other articles, More Current-Account Confusion and Trade Charade. He also addresses Buffetts worries about trade deficits. According to me, Buffett was more worried about impact of trade deficit on US dollar than on the US economy.I had a good discussion with Mr. Tammy on this. He convinced

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1111766692025697232005-03-25T08:04:00.000-08:002005-03-25T08:04:52.026-08:00

I can echo the sentiments of the Opinion Journal article, Why Simon Is Still Our Dawg. In fact, were it not for the sharp and witty judgemental putdowns of Mr. Simon, I wouldn't have watched 'American Idol' this far! Because he is a honest and a plain speaker, on those rare occasions when he praises the performer, it really means something!

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1111633088119187472005-03-23T18:58:00.000-08:002005-04-10T11:33:48.546-07:00

Nicholas Kristof has a great article, A Morsel of Goat Meat, in New York Times!When a white racist government was oppressing Zimbabwe, the international community united to demand change. These days, a black racist government is harming the people of Zimbabwe more than ever, and the international community is letting Mr. Mugabe get away with it. Our hypocrisy is costing hundreds of Zimbabwean

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1111523869786365242005-03-22T12:37:00.000-08:002005-03-22T12:37:49.786-08:00

I started giving Gmail a try few months back after using Yahoo! mail. So far, Gmail looks impressive, especially its search and label features and of course, its 2GB size. It is fast too! However, what clinched the deal in favor of Gmail was its anti-phishing feature. I had received an email from "Paypal Member Services" asking me to verify my Paypal account to my Yahoo! as well as Gmail account.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1111521999730665102005-03-22T12:06:00.000-08:002005-03-22T12:12:56.266-08:00

Arnold Kling argues, in an superb article The Myth of Massive Health Care Waste, that Americans are getting better health care compared to other developed countries. The article is full of gems like this:Instead, I am prepared to make the following bet: ten years from now, it will be objectively clear that the United States provided significantly better health care to its citizens between 1990

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1111477006784806772005-03-21T23:36:00.000-08:002005-03-22T13:56:23.876-08:00

I am test driving the TypePad. I have already started liking it and I am very tempted to switch to TypePad at the end of the 30-day trial period. But the Basic account costs $4.95 per month, so I will have to think about it. Any suggestions, thoughts, and comments are welcome to how, why, or why not switch to TypePad are welcome!Here's my first post at TypePad, "US Trade Deficit and inevitable

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1111251292918313032005-03-19T08:54:00.000-08:002005-03-19T21:58:44.463-08:00

Predictably, there is a hue and cry over denial of visa by US to Narendra Modi. Modi and BJP are saying that denial of visa is an insult to the Constitution. As usual US was charged with hypocrisy: In 1984, after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi, thousands of Sikhs were killed in Delhi and elsewhere. But the same USA accorded her son Rajiv Gandhi a red carpet welcome six

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1110902567757658982005-03-15T08:02:00.000-08:002005-03-16T09:36:58.653-08:00

Via Selective Amnesia, India's largest media group, Times of India Group, serves a legal notice on the Mediaah blog for allegedly defaming the Times of India publications. The notice asks the author to delete the "offending" 19 posts and refrain from writing anything similar and "defamatory". The owner, Pradyuman Maheshwari, has decided to cease the publication because he doesn't have the time,

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1110823011122500612005-03-14T09:56:00.000-08:002005-03-14T10:34:38.300-08:00

Coyote Blog has tips on How to Spot a Dictatorship: 1. Michael Moore portrays the country as a kite-flying paradise 2. Jimmy Carter sanctioned their last election 3. The UN certifies that there is no genocide 4. They sign friendship pacts with other dictatorships (also here and here and here too) 5. They are a member of the UN Human Rights commission (not 100% foolproof but getting

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1110737840980500382005-03-13T10:17:00.000-08:002005-03-15T14:54:47.280-08:00

Via, Mises Blog, Nestle chief rejects the need to `give back' to communities. Finally, somebody with the guts to speak the truth! And why is that only successful people (or companies) are called upon to 'give back'! What about unsuccessful ones? Oh, that's right, they don't need to 'give back' but instead are entitlted to a portion of what successful 'give back' to the community!

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1110512217138240592005-03-10T19:36:00.000-08:002005-03-10T19:36:57.136-08:00

Always wanted to ask a technical question but didn't know how to phrase? I found this guide, How To Ask Questions The Smart Way, as I was researching a technical issue on the Web.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1109607431430901252005-02-28T08:17:00.000-08:002005-02-28T08:17:11.430-08:00

Lawrence Kudlow, a host of CNBC's "Kudlow & Company", on Bush's Europe tour.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1109605870064070042005-02-28T07:51:00.000-08:002005-02-28T08:11:14.813-08:00

OpinionJournal, a Wall Street Journal's editorial page, features an article on how many former communists countries are adopting and implementing the idea of flat tax. Surprisingly even China is toying with the idea:Mr. Rabushka's book "The Flat Tax" has just been published in Chinese, with a preface by Lou Jiwei, the vice minister of finance. If China were to climb on board the flat-tax train,

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1109317467022990542005-02-24T23:44:00.000-08:002005-02-24T23:52:54.633-08:00

I was going through some of the exchanges I had on IndiaPolicy discussion group. I found very interesting exchange about India being a socialist country by choice.In response to the demand that "socialist" word be removed from preamble to our constitution, Ram Karan claimed,The people of India choose to adopt socialist pattern of economic development.Can people really choose socialism? I don't

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1109266311390497752005-02-24T09:31:00.000-08:002005-02-24T23:56:02.750-08:00

Daniel Drezner asks, "How stable is Bretton Woods 2"? Economists are labelling the current monetary arrangements as Bretton Woods 2. Under this system, the U.S. is running massive current account deficits to be the source of export-led growth for other countries. To fund this deficit, central banks, particularly those on the Pacific Rim, are buying up dollars and dollar-denominated assets.Why do

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1109181791987198912005-02-23T10:03:00.000-08:002005-02-24T23:58:31.940-08:00

Daniel Drezner analyzes the impact of offshore outsourcing on tech jobs in How offshore outsourcing has devastated the high tech sector. Conclusion? Tech jobs and wages have increased inspite of offshore outsourcing!Technorati Tags: Offshore Outsourcing, jobs, economy, tech

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1108792099106004002005-02-18T21:48:00.000-08:002005-02-18T21:48:19.106-08:00

I am testing the Technorati tags system using the technorati tag bookmarklet.Technorati Tags: technorati, tags, bookmark, test

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1108680607630656742005-02-17T14:50:00.000-08:002005-02-18T13:49:38.163-08:00

Don Boudreaux's first column, On Capitalism & Slavery is very interesting!Update: Brad DeLong has a nice piece analysing who profitted from the North American slavery.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1108434369583975582005-02-14T18:26:00.000-08:002005-02-14T18:26:09.583-08:00

This post at Coyote Blog puts things in the perspective: Anyway, I mention it here because whether his comments were "off the record" seems to be an important part of the controversy. I can't think of any ethical justification for this distinction. I can understand when comments are "private" (say with my family around my house) or "confidential" (say with my managers about what we are paying

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1108408391983978942005-02-14T11:13:00.000-08:002005-02-14T11:13:11.983-08:00

Reason Magazine on St. ValentineAround 270 A.D.—according to one tradition, at least—St. Valentine, a Roman cleric, was imprisoned for his opposition to Emperor Claudius' decree that young men (his potential crop of soldiers) could no longer marry. Valentine performed their ceremonies anyway and was thrown in jail for his obstinacy. His belief was that marriage is too sacred a rite to relegate to

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1108053726000630992005-02-10T08:42:00.000-08:002005-02-10T08:42:06.000-08:00

Via Cafe Hayek, Government mandates group health insurance plan to cover certain items whether individual employees want it or not. Guess who pays for these non-sense!

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1107546287913669502005-02-04T11:44:00.000-08:002005-02-04T13:46:46.183-08:00

Hey! Now you can download Indian songs. The price is reasonable: 99c for each item, 69c each if you purchase 10 items. It's about time! The service looks similar to Apple's iTunes and other online music stores. You can download to your portable music player as long as it is Windows Media Compatible and supports protected WMA files. That rules out Apple's iPod! Sigh!Till now I was holding off on

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1107526952937542822005-02-04T06:22:00.000-08:002005-02-04T06:22:32.936-08:00

Political Theory Daily Review is a portal weblog on political theory and philosophy, and is updated every weekday. It has tons of links to articles, essays and weblogs. An extremely useful website.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1107396406240025132005-02-02T18:06:00.000-08:002005-02-03T06:30:19.806-08:00

Andrew Chamberlain has a very fascinating post proving that punctuality is inefficient.Update: I have a doubt about the analysis presented there.Based on his analysis, if people decided to be deliberately late by starting late then would the distribution curve shift to the right? That is, if the meeting is at 5:00 PM and it takes around 10 minutes (most likely time) to reach the place, then a

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1107265610888454512005-02-01T05:46:00.000-08:002005-02-01T11:14:58.586-08:00

It was really great to read the reports of record voting in the Iraqi election and see people dancing in the streets showing off their ink-stained finger! The Iraqi people and those in charge of the security in Iraq proved naysayers completely wrong! In fact, if you think of it, Iraqi people just gave a huge vote of confidence to American and Iraqi security forces (trained by Americans)! Somehow

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1107191457763258542005-01-31T09:10:00.000-08:002005-01-31T18:38:38.360-08:00

Welcome to this week's edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists. Abnu feels that It's a sign of the times that Brett Yormark's responsiblities as the chief executive officer are based on a track record in sports marketing. Rob Thrasher has a interesting post on how he reverse engineered their new brand, New Millennium Minds, using Google and a series of blog tools. Enviropundit discusses

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1107099101299817302005-01-30T07:31:00.000-08:002005-01-30T07:31:41.300-08:00

Power Line notes that Iraqis living in Syria can vote in Iraqi elections. This will definitely influence Syrians who do not have the same priviledge. Now that the Iraqi elections are a success (72% voter turnout), pressure will be on despots in the Middle East to explain to their people why the same cannot happen in their countries. In fact, President Bush has turned the table by forcing Middle

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1106991154097801232005-01-29T01:32:00.000-08:002005-01-29T01:39:33.870-08:00

AnarCapLib has a very good post on Libertarian belief of total self-ownership. The post points out potential of allowing unrestricted sale of body organs for eradicating the poverty: The collateral one – any reader of economics knows that the presence of collateral reduces interest rates for everyone. The legalization of sale of body organs provides every human being an instant collateral worth (

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1106815311857244322005-01-27T00:41:00.000-08:002005-01-27T00:41:51.856-08:00

I recently visited India after a gap of 2 1/2 years. Even though I have been hearing from friends and relatives about changes in India, I have to admit changes in India took me by surprise, albeit a pleasant one. Mumbai airport was much better than last time. Immigration counters were especially improved and officers were polite. Travel on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway was very delightful and

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1106791324150103542005-01-26T18:02:00.000-08:002005-01-26T18:02:04.150-08:00

JOHNNY DOLLAR puts his Tivo to work and tears apart the criticism that Fox News has a pro-Bush bias. A must read for those interested in media bias debate!

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1106776081878400892005-01-26T13:47:00.000-08:002005-01-26T13:48:01.880-08:00

I will also be contributing at Indian Liberals group blog. This is a first for me, so let's see how it goes.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1106767153341740862005-01-26T11:19:00.000-08:002005-01-26T11:20:18.730-08:00

Via India Uncut, RK Chadda points out that it is shoddy buildings that cause the disaster. I agree. However, whose blame it is when environmentally sound building codes are violated to avoid increased construction costs? Aren't the building owners responsible for deciding what kind of building they are ready to pay for?

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1106626544264318822005-01-24T20:15:00.000-08:002005-01-24T20:15:44.263-08:00

I was on a social visit to India for the last month and hence could not post. India visit is always hectic. I will post on my India visit shortly.Meanwhile, this week's Carnival of the Capitalists is up at Business Opportunities Weblog. I will be hosting Carnival of the Capitalists next week. Please follow the guidelines for sending entries.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1106626311491878272005-01-24T20:11:00.000-08:002005-01-24T20:11:51.490-08:00

I was on a social visit to India for the last month and hence could not post. India visit is always hectic. I will post on my India visit shortly.Meanwhile, this week's Carnival of the Capitalists is up at Business Opportunities Weblog. I will be hosting Carnival of the Capitalists next week. Please follow the guidelines for sending entries.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1103644739559831922004-12-21T07:58:00.000-08:002004-12-21T08:11:38.986-08:00

I disagree with this post by Primary Red defending arrest of CEO of the Bazee.com. He compares the case with that of Napster. However, they are different in many ways than one. One of the normal usage of Napster was directly based on copyright infrigment. Napster was shut-down while Bazee.com's CEO is being arrested for a criminal act.If Indian Govt. needs to detain Bazee.com's CEO, they can

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1103495286053884872004-12-19T14:28:00.000-08:002004-12-19T14:41:08.683-08:00

Yesterday, we went to buy a digital camera. We had done our homework online and narrowed down to few choices. However, once at a goodguys store we changed our opinion based on such tangible qualities as size, grip, weight and egonomics. The salesman was friendly and he showed us a few models that we liked. However, since those models were not in our initial shortlist, we asked to see the specs.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1103406183012097832004-12-18T13:43:00.000-08:002004-12-18T13:51:49.570-08:00

I was shocked to read this article at rediff, Man held for insulting national anthem 32 yrs ago. The man was arrested for refusing to stand up when the National Anthem was being played at a cinema hall in Akola. Why should cinema hall owners be forced to play the National Anthem before movies? Why should somebody be forced to pay respect to the National Anthem? Doesn't Govt. have anything else to

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1103301038776504032004-12-17T08:30:00.000-08:002004-12-17T16:20:52.040-08:00

I and few others are engaged in a fierce debate at Vantage point: Keep going guys!. I am in favor on opening up India's agri-imports so that we can take advantage of cheaper (and subsidized) agri-produce from developed countries. My earlier post on agricultural subsidies also argues in favor on removing restrictions and tariffs on imports.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1103240998288525612004-12-16T15:49:00.000-08:002004-12-16T16:06:37.483-08:00

This post is meant for those who are already subscribing to the ATOM feed from my site (http://ashishniti.blogspot.com/atom.xml) or are interested in doing so. Using Feedburner service I have "burned" a smart feed. So, you want to change your subscribtion to this new address. The feed adopts to the reader or browser trying to access it. The service knows various types of readers and browsers

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1103223749615771472004-12-16T11:02:00.000-08:002004-12-16T15:40:10.276-08:00

The phrase, "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch," is popularly cited by economists and classical liberals to make a point that there are no benefits without associated costs. Are there really no free lunches then? I think there are free lunches.Take for example, the solar energy. What does it cost an individual to receive the solar energy? Isn't it free, then? Oh, ya I forgot! There is an

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1102637471152501562004-12-09T16:11:00.000-08:002004-12-15T09:30:48.030-08:00

I decided to switch to Haloscan's commenting system as I had trouble with Blogger's commenting system. I was already using Haloscan's trackback feature, so this was a natural progression. Sorry, if you don't see old comments. I will try to import them into by Haloscan's account. So bear with me.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1102624968016054212004-12-09T12:42:00.000-08:002004-12-09T16:06:20.776-08:00

When I drove a car for the first time on a highway in India few years back, I was pleasantly surprised by the informal signs, signals and right-of-way rules used by drivers. Especially interesting was the way drivers co-operated among themselves during overtaking. To overtake a vehicle one had to use the oncoming traffic lane. The driver of the vehicle in the front has the better view of the

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1102439401684498712004-12-07T09:10:00.000-08:002004-12-07T09:10:01.683-08:00

I get this periodic impulses, whereby I simply try to read whatever comes to my mind. Usually there is some trigger involved, say a movie, a documentary or a new word, etc. So this time, I started reading about pre-Independence Indian history. I was intrigued by British East India company. One question that repeatedly came to my mind was, how come we never hear about shareholders of the John

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1102010945573296762004-12-02T10:09:00.000-08:002004-12-02T10:09:05.573-08:00

This one,New egometer unveiled, from Arvind is really hilarious.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1101903516447552932004-12-01T04:18:00.000-08:002004-12-01T18:49:31.816-08:00

Welcome to the 115th edition of the Carnival of the Vanities. I started this blog with great enthusiasm and desire to share my views with others. For almost a year I used to regularly take part in various Yahoo! groups related to politics, Indian affairs, economics etc. But many discussions turned into personal attacks as there is no accountability on discussion groups. Anybody with email can

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1101277048393066222004-11-23T22:03:00.000-08:002004-11-23T22:17:28.393-08:00

The 114th edition of the Carnival of the Vanities is up at Interested-Participant. I will be hosting the 115th edition of the Carnival of the Vanities here next week (Dec. 1st). Please send your nomination by email (ashish_hanwadikar-at-yahoo-dot-com) with subject as "COTV 115". You can also leave your nominations in the comments for this post. Submission should be received by mid-night of Nov.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1101172679903988122004-11-22T17:17:00.000-08:002004-11-22T17:17:59.903-08:00

One fine addition to the Indian Blogosphere: Secular-Right India.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1101154530649226792004-11-22T12:15:00.000-08:002004-11-22T12:15:30.650-08:00

Amid all the media sensationalism and politicisation of arrest of Shankaracharya by likes of VHP and BJP the Shobha Vasudevan's article, The Real Shankaracharya is a voice of sanity.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1101152801132810292004-11-22T11:46:00.000-08:002004-11-22T11:46:41.133-08:00

Via EconLog, Amar Bhide points out: India's financial difficulties stem from a badly designed and administered tax system. Rates and rules for personal and corporate income taxes appear reasonable by international standards. Nonetheless, India's government collects income taxes amounting to only about 3.7% of GDP, about half that in South Korea and the other Asian tigers. I think Indian Govt.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100925866089575482004-11-19T20:44:00.000-08:002004-11-19T20:44:26.090-08:00

I found this great tool, Copernic Desktop Search , via TruckandBarter. I am already liking it compared to Google Desktop search tool. It is incredibly fast and has a good support for search Outlook emails, and contacts. I urge you to definitely give it a try!

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100909155043490062004-11-19T16:05:00.000-08:002004-11-19T16:05:55.043-08:00

VIJAY KELKAR, in a very fine article, titled Globalisation involves us all, asserts that India is already an open economy and we should behave like one: In India, such conversations often begin with protests that India is a closed economy, and hence globalisation does not matter so much to us. This is an obsolete notion, given the dramatic changes which have taken place particularly in the last

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100903155384160012004-11-19T14:25:00.000-08:002004-11-19T14:30:47.093-08:00

The Bharteeya Blog Mela is up at Nerve Endings Firing Away.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100896641955777152004-11-19T12:37:00.000-08:002004-11-19T12:37:21.956-08:00

The Examined Life: Why are we instinctively socialist?: Sruthijith has a post asking why Indians are so instinctively socialist. He blames it on the fact that our universities and our academic institutions are seeped in leftist ideology. I do not agree with him on that. Soviet propaganda wasn't notably successful in the Soviet Union. When Russians saw that their lives were a sorry mess and

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100880708011071702004-11-19T08:11:00.000-08:002004-11-19T08:11:48.010-08:00

Waterless dishwasher wins top design award: According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the trio won a world-wide design competition held by electronic appliance giant Electrolux that asked students to design a product consumers might need in the year 2015. The Rockpool dishwasher, designed by Douglas Nash, Oystein Lie and Ross Nicholls, beat back competition from products developed by students

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100821559140512222004-11-18T15:45:00.000-08:002004-11-18T15:45:59.140-08:00

PM promises rehab plan for KPs: "'Your problems highlighted in the memorandum are genuine. We will soon set up an inter-ministerial team, which will come here and discuss with you your problems for the formulation of a comprehensive plan, including rehabilitation,' Singh told the community at the Muthi Camp in Jammu on Thursday evening. "

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100797367451511002004-11-18T09:02:00.000-08:002004-11-18T09:02:47.450-08:00

One of the best analysis I have seen of US election results is by Swami Aiyar: From Lincoln to Bush Not only do they control both Houses and the White House, the Republicans also hold 28 state governorships against 21 for the Democrats. Truly, the Republicans have displaced the Democrats as the natural party of rule. Why? The main reasons are: Trade unions, traditional Democratic supporters,

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100544892376423352004-11-15T10:54:00.000-08:002004-11-15T10:58:23.570-08:00

BuzzMachine... by Jeff Jarvis: "The shocking truth about the FCC: Censorship by the tyranny of the few : With not much original reporting, I discovered that the latest big fine by the FCC against a TV network -- a record $1.2 million against Fox for its 'sexually suggestive' Married by America -- was brought about by a mere three people who actually composed letters of complaint. Yes, just three

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100230892598347842004-11-11T19:41:00.000-08:002004-11-11T19:41:32.596-08:00

A very good article comparing Bush to Churchill.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100165127632142202004-11-11T01:25:00.000-08:002004-11-11T02:14:20.860-08:00

Harry's Place points to this outrageous editorial from Index on Censorship. Blaming the victim for the crime, Index on Censorship Associate Editor Rohan Jayasekera writes -- that Van Gogh was a "free speech fundamentalist on a martyrdom operation" and calls on us to "applaud Theo van Gogh's death as the marvellous piece of theatre itwas." The crescendo of this Index on Censorship editorial

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100029874751546472004-11-09T11:51:00.000-08:002004-11-09T12:20:39.816-08:00

Cost of drug development and health insurance premiums are both rising rapidly. Drug development requires huge upfront R&D costs while health insurance involves collecting premiums before claims are filed and have to be settled. What if HMOs invest in drug research and development? It can benefit both patients and HMOs. Since, premiums will cover the R&D portion of cost of drugs, patients

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100028042219119402004-11-09T11:20:00.000-08:002004-11-09T11:20:42.220-08:00

Many people complain that all US jobs will be outsourced to cheaper destinations, such as India. Jane Galt explains : Second, in the immortal words of the late economist Herb Stein, "If something can't go on forever, it will stop." If we really don't make anything worth buying in America, why will the Indians keep sending us software programmes and taking our support calls? Dollars aren't pretty

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1100023432207019272004-11-09T10:03:00.000-08:002004-11-09T10:03:52.206-08:00

A study done by Prof. Abadie says there is no link between poverty and terrorism. He however found a strong link between political freedom and terrorism. The high level of terrorism was especially visible in countries with medium level of political freedom. On the other hand: Like those with much political freedom, nations at the other extreme - with tightly controlled autocratic governments -

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1099692188925503402004-11-05T14:03:00.000-08:002004-11-05T14:03:08.926-08:00

Mike Overton got elected to the Springdale City Council without spending a dime or campagining. His opponent raised more than $12,000 and campaigned! Overton's name was on the ballots because they were printed after he said in October that he didn't have time to campaign or serve because of his business interests. Mike is going to accept the post.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1099557981747252012004-11-03T20:47:00.000-08:002004-11-04T00:46:21.746-08:00

Let the fun begin, this week's Bharateeya Blog Mela (भारतीय चिट्ठा मेला) is here! This is my first experience hosting an event of this kind. As I said earlier, Blog Mela helped me introduced me to a lot of Indian blogs including many Hindi ones. It is really nice to see so many Hindi blogs out there though I find them a bit difficult to read. Except for a personal post that I didn't find

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1099499186782765492004-11-03T08:19:00.000-08:002004-11-03T08:29:55.970-08:00

The mela should be up by tomorrow morning (US PST). So please get in your nominations as soon as you can. See the post below for the rules. P.S. Right now, blogger is having intermittent problems. Must be because of huge traffic on election related blogs.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1099273214136952922004-10-31T17:40:00.000-08:002004-10-31T17:51:43.396-08:00

Here's a great article on how right to self-defence has been progressively taken away from English citizens . When, last Christmas, thousands of Radio 4's Today listeners called for legislation authorising them to protect their homes by any means necessary, the proposal was immediately denounced as a "ludicrous, brutal, unworkable, blood-stained piece of legislation". The authorities instead

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1099238554555771972004-10-31T08:02:00.000-08:002004-10-31T08:02:34.556-08:00

A nice article summarizing the procedures in 2004 US elections.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1099154961721603372004-10-30T09:35:00.000-07:002004-10-30T09:49:21.720-07:00

I will be hosting the next Bharateeya Blog Mela on Nov. 4th, 2004. Please send me nominations of your favorite posts. You can send them at ashish_hanwadikar - at - yahoo - dot - com or leave them in the comments. Rules are pretty simple: Posts should be preferrably dated between Oct. 29 to Nov. 4th.You can nominate your own posts or those authored by others.Posts must be related to India or

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1099065864899352692004-10-29T09:04:00.000-07:002004-10-29T09:04:24.900-07:00

I was shocked to read the rediff special: A life ruined for upholding the law. Prempal Singh and his family have bravely fought against police injustice. I cannot help but think that he and his family carried the burden for all of us. Without their efforts police would have been emboldened to harass others more! It could have been any one of us!

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1099063118144475952004-10-29T08:18:00.000-07:002004-10-29T11:38:36.316-07:00

Join the fun of Blog Mela at AnarCapLib! Next week, Blog Mela will be hosted by yours truly! I will soon post guidelines for submission. But meanwhile, please email me at ashish_hanwadikar @ yahoo.com (or leave it in the comments) any good posts you see! When I started reading blogs, various carnivals such as Carnival of the Vanities and Carnival of the Capitalists helped introduced me to many

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1098938834258925372004-10-27T21:26:00.000-07:002004-10-27T21:47:14.260-07:00

Yazad Jal at AnarCapLib compares Customs duty collection by Govt. to highway robbery! I lean heavily towards being a libertarian and hate ubiquitous Govt. However, this comparison really shocked me! At a minimum libertarians are supposed to believe in sanctity of property rights. Highway is a Govt. property and hence levying Customs duty is within Govt. rights. If the highway had been a private

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1098486582275360002004-10-22T16:09:00.000-07:002004-10-22T16:36:18.710-07:00

Via InstaPundit, SEBASTIAN MALLABY recounts how Western NGOs sometimes hurt the poor in their enthusiasm to fight for their own pet causes: The war against poverty is threatened by friendly fire. A swarm of media-savvy Western activists has descended upon aid agencies, staging protests to block projects that allegedly exploit the developing world. The protests serve professional agitators by

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1097762228725361752004-10-14T06:57:00.000-07:002004-10-14T07:14:58.206-07:00

Many are unfairly blaming India for supplying substandard indelible ink in Afghan elections. This post The Acorn � The case of the indelible ink clears up the confusion. Apparently, the election workers were mistakenly using the pens meant for marking the ballots as they were identical to the pens with indelible ink.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1097682684316704502004-10-13T08:41:00.000-07:002004-10-17T15:11:23.936-07:00

I was reviewing some historical economic data on GDP, Population and per-capita GDP for various countries in the World. I knew that India lags behind many Asian countries in terms of GDP and per-capita GDP. But the magnitude surprised me! I compared the figures for 1950 (when India became a Republic) and 2000 for various Asian countries. Here are the tabulated results (some of figures could have

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1097634481678432062004-10-12T19:18:00.000-07:002004-10-12T19:28:01.676-07:00

James Taranto points out this quotes by John Kerry from the first presidential debate: "I'll never give a veto to any country over our security. But . . ." "I believe in being strong and resolute and determined. And I will hunt down and kill the terrorists, wherever they are. But . . ." "We have to be steadfast and resolved, and I am. And I will succeed for those troops, now that

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1097542143668875342004-10-11T17:43:00.000-07:002004-10-12T19:34:41.963-07:00

John Kerry wants to deal with terrorism the way we have dealth with illegal gambling and prostitution! My wife brought a good point: prostitution and illegal gambling are mostly domestic problems. Therefore, law enforcement can deal with them effectively if they decide to make it a priority. We will never have to worry about invading other countries in order to stop gambling in our own country.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1097248587737128272004-10-08T08:16:00.000-07:002004-10-08T15:22:28.940-07:00

Robert Lawson takes a look at Korea then and now. From the barely subsisting agricultural economy in mid-1950s South Korea has managed to reach per capital income of $17,800 today. The description of South Korea in mid-1950s resembles that of Iraq and Afghanistan today. Let's hope both countries go the South Korea way. Update: Welcome InstaReaders! I hope you will take a look around my blog and

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1097245220599272842004-10-08T07:19:00.000-07:002004-10-08T07:20:20.600-07:00

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1097095287142308802004-10-06T13:41:00.000-07:002004-10-06T13:41:27.143-07:00

I always sensed that Sept. 11 changed many people in US. I know because I was one of those who changed! The TV scenes of the collapsing towers took my breath away. The speech delivered by Bush on Sept. 20th, 2001 had a tremendous impact on me. I developed a tremendous respect for him which continues to this day. I think he has a good long-term vision and patience and determination to carry

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1097077177603875542004-10-06T08:39:00.000-07:002004-10-06T08:40:54.646-07:00

Via Marginal Revolution: Making money from niche demand, Chris Anderson writes in the Wired Magazine: Forget squeezing millions from a few megahits at the top of the charts. The future of entertainment is in the millions of niche markets at the shallow end of the bitstream. The traditional channels like bookstores, retail stores (such as WalMart) meanwhile have high fixed costs and hence

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1097045652216464342004-10-05T23:34:00.000-07:002004-10-05T23:54:12.216-07:00

This post was sparked by a post on Madhoo's blog about India's involvement in Sudan's oil business. As usual, any mention of our unethical behavior has to somehow end-up with discussion on US hypocrisy! The US did actually support many dictators, both before and after the Cold War and even today it supports some! However, there is difference between support of dictators and actually opposing

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1096901841487919132004-10-04T07:57:00.000-07:002004-10-04T07:59:20.016-07:00

On the evening of October 1, 2004 - the first day of the 2005 fiscal year (FY2005) - U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) published a Press Release: USCIS Announces New H-1B Procedures - Reaches Cap. In the Press Release, USCIS announced that enough H-1B petitions have been received to meet the annual H-1B cap (65,000) for FY2005. Included in the 65,000 H-1B petitions allowed for

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1096839037188185992004-10-03T14:20:00.000-07:002004-10-03T14:32:39.453-07:00

Via Madhoo, Left-wing Facism Watch points to Arundhati Roy's defense of terrorism: Personally I’m not prepared to pick up arms now. But maybe I can afford not to, at whatever place I am in now. I think violence really marginalizes and brutalizes women. It depoliticizes things. It’s undemocratic in so many ways. But at the same time, when you look at the massive amount of violence that America

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1096830559663096052004-10-03T11:39:00.000-07:002004-10-04T10:45:09.420-07:00

In the first presidential debate on Thursday, John Kerry said that US must pass a global test before attempting a preemptive action against an enemy: Kerry: No president, through all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America. But if and when you do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1096429784303667152004-09-28T20:49:00.000-07:002004-10-09T02:34:49.270-07:00

Kerry Spot points to this excerpt from Fox New's "Special Report" of 9/27: The president is bracing for attacks from Senator Kerry and will be ready. And one aide said the president might raise the matter of Senator Kerry's shifting positions by asking as they did on a famous quiz show, 'Is that your final answer?' Here's how John Kerry will play Who wants to be the President?: Q: Do you think

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1096383137996433962004-09-28T07:52:00.000-07:002004-09-28T08:07:32.216-07:00

Arnold Kling has a great column, titled You Call This Health Insurance?, at TCS. He argues that a real health insurance scheme will allow sharing (or pooling) the risk of rare medical events (such as heart attack, major illness, etc. in people under age of 45) among the insured. And occurance of such a rare medical event will trigger a large one-time payment to cover (a major share) the entire

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1096127961169459692004-09-25T08:59:00.000-07:002004-09-25T12:40:54.803-07:00

From an Associated Press dispatch, Bush Twists Kerry's Words on Iraq: President Bush (news - web sites) opened several new scathing lines of attack against Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites), charges that twisted his rival's words on Iraq (news - web sites) and made Kerry seem supportive of deposed dictator Saddam Hussein (news - web sites).AP admits that Kerry has done the same thing in the

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1096041718679987352004-09-24T09:01:00.000-07:002004-09-24T09:14:15.256-07:00

Alex discusses how consumers can choose products with imperfect information.I think he misses the point that in a market sellers (or producers) have a lot invested than consumers. Producers might be able to sell a few bad products because consumers don't have all the information they need. However, once consumers realize and the word spreads around, sales will drop and it will be the producer who

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1095815385236078602004-09-21T17:45:00.000-07:002004-09-22T09:47:50.446-07:00

On one hand there are many anti-discrimination laws in US to prevent employers from discriminating employees on the basis of sex, religion, caste, nationality and so. On the other hand, US Govt. is shamefully trying to preserve affirmative action. Employers (and many others) have to make special arrangements, such as providing special parking space near the entrance, for disabled people because

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7731648.post-1095263915528228602004-09-15T08:58:00.000-07:002004-09-15T08:58:35.526-07:00

2nd Anniversary edition of The Carnival of the Vanities is up.

Ashishhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08192367682630402662noreply@blogger.com0