Life, Liberty & The Pursuit of Happiness

Mocking Taliban

That Taliban needs to be defeated is not in dispute among the civilized folks. But beside the prologed war in Afghanistan and Pakistan, what other tactics could be effectively employed against a brutal, fanatical regime?  The Indian magazine Pragati suggests an intriguing answer: Mock them!

China Goes Brazilian

by AW

John Lee, author of Will China Fail? writes in his article Is China Really An East Asian Success Story

McKinsey & Co suggested that the average Total Factor Productivity of large state-owned and state-controlled industrial firms was half that of privately owned firms. Bear in mind that the 152 centrally managed state-owned-enterprises or SOEs are the most efficient of the state-owned and state-controlled entities. Even then, 80% of profits from all centrally managed SOEs come from fewer than a dozen firms such as China Mobile, Sinopec, and China National Petroleum Corporation—all operating in virtual monopoly environments.

In other words, the vast majority of even the centrally managed SOEs, despite easy credit and protected environments, are poor performers. Most of the approximately 120,000 provincial state-owned or state-controlled enterprises and collectives perform even worse. To put the situation in perspective, China’s overall use of capital is twice as inefficient as India’s when measured in terms of capital inputs used to produce additional output.

The absolute size of China means that even if its economy falters, China will continue to be a major presence in the region. However, given the weaknesses in its economic strategy and civil society, we need to consider the possibility that China is becoming more like an unbalanced South American giant such as Brazil than an East Asian success story such as Taiwan and South Korea.

Blessings Gadget

by AW

Have you blessed your brand new iPhone yet? Gadget Blessings from the Wired Magazine states:

Japan's Shinto religion holds that nearly every object in the world, animate or inanimate, has a spiritual essence. Therefore, anything can be blessed, from a newborn child to an automobile. Priests at the Kanda Shrine, which overlooks Akihabara—Tokyo's mecca for consumer electronics—offer prayers for the well-being of gadgets.

Hindus are not far behind their tech worship. Car worship (car puja) is practiced by many Hindus even in the U.S.

This step-by-step guide may come handy for the next Prius purchase.

I recall my mother tying black threads (parandees) to the muffler of our new Vespa scooter. The scooter was no worse for it. Though I still shake my head at the thought.

Pakistan's Islamic Education Myth

by AW

In a brilliant post, Asim Khwaja lays bare the Madrassa Myth of Pakistan. In post-9/11 era, there is media perception that Pakistan's madrassas (religious schools) are rising in prominence and are the hot bed of terror. This is a common myth that even NY Times ascribes to in the article Pakistan’s Islamic Schools Fill Void, but Fuel Militancy.

Climate Change Apostates Rising

by AW

Kimberley Strassel of WSJ notes in her column Climate Change Climate Change

Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe now counts more than 700 scientists who disagree with the U.N. -- 13 times the number who authored the U.N.'s 2007 climate summary for policymakers.

Double Double Speak: Socialism Is Capitalism Is Socialism

by AW

Long observed by the defenders of liberty, a common bi-partisan pattern among politicians is this: use free market rhetoric to practice socialist policies. More precisely, blaim market "failure" to put in place statist policies that increase government control of economic & social activities. Bush did it without apology (steel tariffs, no-child-left-behind, etc.) and Obama does it with impunity (GM takeover, saving favored banks, etc). 

In Memoriam: Rajeev Motwani, Guru + Mensch

by Anurag Wadehra

The first time I met Rajeev Motwani in 1999 to discuss my idea for a start up, he turned me down, "Don't tell me anything. I am advising another company in the same space, and I have a conflict of interest - and by the way," he added his enigmatic smile, "these guys may already be the leaders in the space." In the dotcom era of ruthlessness, this was a jolt: an adviser playing it straight while many a smooth-talking, Silicon Valley power broker would have trotted an NDA agreement even before shaking your hand. 

Eventually, I convinced Rajeev to listen to my idea. In fact, his wife Asha and he decided we were ahead of the pack and invested in the start up (Chingari) - but only after he had looked all the three founders in the eye. I believe we may well have been the first investment of his fund DotEdu. Years later when I asked him what made him invest, his take was refreshingly blunt - "I saw two smart guys and one tough gal; you had little idea of what you were up against, but my bet was you guys would figure out stuff faster than others."

As an adviser, Rajeev had an uncanny ability to ask the right questions in the right sequence. In the first few months, he helped us select the team, build the technology and raise money. After days of working endlessly on all fronts, we would share our progress with him over drinks. And, in soft, but firm voice, he'd size up the situation, put his finger on the biggest risk, and point to a few possible solutions - all before the pint was finished.

Rajeev was a cross between an Indian guru and a Yiddish mensch. When others thumped their chests, strutted their stuff from podiums and confused luck with success, Rajeev kept the entrepreneurs grounded in reality, wielded his influence with a feather's touch, and never lost sight of the winning play of the game. Even during the darkest hours, he stood by the entrepreneur. The day I shut down my start up, I heard from many "Monday morning experts" who pontificated on what could have, should have, would have been done. Rajeev called me late in the evening and simply said, "Go have a drink. You will have plenty of time to reflect later."

Over the years, even after he became a Valley phenom, Rajeev and I would meet at his favorite haunt (University Cafe) to riff on start up ideas, or more recently to discuss my passion for film making and screenwriting. He'd patiently listen to my story pitches and, sure enough, brain storm some Bollywood connection. Although a renowned giant in his field of computer science, Rajeev's true gift turned out to be this: he made you see possibilities in your ideas that even you had not seen. That is a rarest gift a mentor can give you.

The last time we met Rajeev and his family, Reena and I found him sharp witted, high spirited and full of life. He exhorted me to start a Sunday film-n-pizza club. We discussed many fun projects, since he had finished his quarter and was looking forward to his free months ahead. Later, Reena noted that Rajeev was "on fire" that evening. Sadly, the flame was extinguished too soon.

Wise Man: 1, Climate Journalist: 0

by AW

If you think that at age 85, Freeman Dyson is afraid to take on the scientific orthodoxy, think again: in his follow-up interview to his controversial New York Times Magazine article, Dyson still refuses to budge from his skepticism of global climate alarmists.  It is amusing to see how adroitly he handles the Climate Establishment journalist Michael Lemonick whose sole job is to communicate climate science to the public - breathlessly.

NY Times: Nails in Coffin?

by AW

Rarely does a single piece of analysis showcase the end game. This post by Michael Arrington of Techncrunch on the morality of process journalism nails the opinion-driven pieces of NYT shrouded as factual reporting. Arrington's view of NYT journalistic process:

Pretending that you’re writing one story when you’re really writing another, and then twisting what your sources tell you to fit whatever it is that your editor told you to write isn’t ethical journalism. It may check all the boxes that were laid out for you in journalism school, but it isn’t anything other than op-ed with nothing real to back it up.

Racism - Not always black & white!

by Reena Kapoor

Apparently women of color are immune to allegations of racism.  Stupid me for not knowing this after having suffered through "diversity" training at some of the leading coprorations of this country.  I don't know about you but that does not make me feel warm & fuzzy about the choice of Sotomayor as nominee for the supreme court! I don't know how competent this Latina is but she sure scares me with her glib attitude and penchant for judicial activism, NOT to mention her racist remarks. Yes, read this:

Yet speaking at Berkeley's Law School in 2001, Sotomayor asserted that "I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would \[as judge\] more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life." 

If you don't think that's racist, make her a white male in your mind and change the "Latina woman" to "White male" and vice-versa and see what you think.