Rumi Nations

October 15: We inch towards (or gallop towards -> depending on how you feel about this year) the closing of 2012. I don't know if the present month of October has been more frenetic than the rest of the months. But it feels to me as if it has been. So I am inclined to do a running summary of the month as a diary entry for future reference. Among the many October surprises have been the *win* attributed to Romney in the first Presidential debate as we approach the quadrennial presidential election in the U.S. Felix Baumgartner jumped from 40 kms up in the atmosphere and thanks to the magic of TV, perhaps billions of human beings -- sitting in their drawing rooms, waiting at the airport lounge, drinking beer in the bar or elsewhere -- were witness to the successful accomplishment of this feat of superhuman dare-devilry. There are not many records to be made left to make - this was one of the last for the forseeable future and the door is now closed on this one as well. U...

Paul Krugman advocates taking a strong stand against China's monetary policy that has long kept its currency artificially undervalued. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/opinion/15krugman.html Taking on China quite paradoxically would also involve taking on the American consumer in some way. Or, the American consumer mindset. China is almost single handedly responsible for the Wall mart economy that Americans are so in love with. Putting surcharges on Chinese imports would raise the prices of all those 'toys' Americans love so much ... everything is Made in China, right? From children's toys to digicams to plasma TVs and much else ... perhaps, except cars and houses and fast food. I wonder what the prophet of the 'flat world' would have to say about this punitive course of action ...

Paul Krugman had some harsh words for climate change deniers in his recent New York Times column: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/opinion/29krugman.html?_r=1&em With his customary clear-thinking, he has wondered about the implications of the narrow margin with which the Waxman Markey bill passed in the House. The scary part about all this is if legislators in advanced nations find it hard to come to a consensus about climate change, what would be the fate of similar bills in legislatures in less developed nations such as China and India ... Will people realize the gravity of the issue only when the dire consequences predicted by scientists become real and people start dying ? When hurricanes with the ferocity of Katrina become annual events rather than unusual anomalies and droughts become commonplace around the world, perhaps people will begin to realize that we can't go on burning fossil fuel without suffering consequences.

Sometimes knowledgeable people have the tendency to show off their knowledge too much by intentionally complicating their message. Then there are others who make it their business to communicate complicated ideas to the general public using language that everyone can understand. In the sphere of science, no one comes close to Carl Sagan when it comes to explaining science to everyone using spectacularly passionate language. Paul Krugman 's columns are similar — bereft of economic technobabble and illuminating. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/01/opinion/01krugman.html His latest column in the New York Times makes interesting reading — if nothing else, it was good to see someone criticizing Reagan. I've been watching with some skepticism all the praise that has been praised on President Reagan — particularly since his death(?). Apart from all the logical historical analysis, it seems somewhat implausible that a minor Hollywood actor would necessarily have the qualities required t...