Saturday, October 25, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I hate to say I told you so ...
This article on the New York Times ends with a very interesting set of paragraphs:
"For now, the preparation for the debate and the sessions with Mr. Gibson are one and the same. Aides have developed a set of presumed questions and answers that they are walking Ms. Palin through.
Aides traveling with Ms. Palin have reported back to associates that she is a fast study — asking few questions of her policy briefers but quickly repeating back their main points — who already has considerable ease and experience before cameras.
A former aide in Alaska who had helped prepare Ms. Palin for her campaign debates there said she had a talent for distilling information into digestible sound bites. The aide said she generally prefers light preparatory materials to heavy briefing books, and prefers walking through potential questions and answers with aides to holding mock sessions."
Will she be able to play the part after three weeks plus of practice? Yes. Will Biden annhilate her? No. Will the Republicans declare she is qualified? Yes. Is this proof she is qualified? Not unless acting was high on the list of Presidential or Vice Presidential pre-requisite qualifications.
I hate to say it ... but I told you so.
"For now, the preparation for the debate and the sessions with Mr. Gibson are one and the same. Aides have developed a set of presumed questions and answers that they are walking Ms. Palin through.
Aides traveling with Ms. Palin have reported back to associates that she is a fast study — asking few questions of her policy briefers but quickly repeating back their main points — who already has considerable ease and experience before cameras.
A former aide in Alaska who had helped prepare Ms. Palin for her campaign debates there said she had a talent for distilling information into digestible sound bites. The aide said she generally prefers light preparatory materials to heavy briefing books, and prefers walking through potential questions and answers with aides to holding mock sessions."
Will she be able to play the part after three weeks plus of practice? Yes. Will Biden annhilate her? No. Will the Republicans declare she is qualified? Yes. Is this proof she is qualified? Not unless acting was high on the list of Presidential or Vice Presidential pre-requisite qualifications.
I hate to say it ... but I told you so.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Why blame Nero?
The surreal dissonance of the media in the US is not very far from the tales of Nero fiddling while Rome burned. And, unlike the tales of Nero, this one is actually true.
Let me first of all apologize for repeating the inaccurate story about Nero. He couldn't possibly have fiddled in the great fire in Rome. First of all, the fiddle hadn't been invented. Also, accounts by historians alive at the time suggest that his palace burned down and that he took people in after the fire and gave them aid and comfort. The distortion was probably an effort to sully the historical record of Emperor Nero
What is happening currently in the US is, on the hand, is flabbergasting. We are now discussing Lippygate, Bristol Palin and bridges to nowhere. You'd think that we were in a daytime soap opera or a bad Lifetime movie. If you listened to the news you'd never guess the magnitude of the challenges that confront the US. Let me try running through a few:
Is America so enamored by the near mythical version of Rome so admired by its founding fathers, that it has decided to blindly emulate the callousness that Nero was so egregiously accused of?
Let me first of all apologize for repeating the inaccurate story about Nero. He couldn't possibly have fiddled in the great fire in Rome. First of all, the fiddle hadn't been invented. Also, accounts by historians alive at the time suggest that his palace burned down and that he took people in after the fire and gave them aid and comfort. The distortion was probably an effort to sully the historical record of Emperor Nero
What is happening currently in the US is, on the hand, is flabbergasting. We are now discussing Lippygate, Bristol Palin and bridges to nowhere. You'd think that we were in a daytime soap opera or a bad Lifetime movie. If you listened to the news you'd never guess the magnitude of the challenges that confront the US. Let me try running through a few:
- The US just narrowly avoided a financial meltdown largely by getting the already overextended US government taking on $5 Trillion in mortgage debt. However, this is not the end. The crisis has already forced Citibank to cede a huge part of its capital to Arabs, forced the closure/sale of Bear Sterns, Countrywide and Indymac, is forcing massive asset divestment by a bunch of banks (Lehman being the latest), and its far from done. The US government is not made of money. How much further will it go? How much worse will it get?
- Meanwhile, US unemployment just crossed the threshold of the theoretical full employment and the psychological barrier of 6%, and it shows no signs of reducing. Some economists point out that this is among the softest slowdowns in US history. The problem is that the slowdown hasn't really peaked. In fact, its only just starting. And, by the looks of things, the government and the Fed have few fiscal and monetary options left. What now?
- The international situation is creating a whole new set of issues. Russia's dominance is of concern as is China's growing power. Meanwhile, other problems are brewing. The melting Arctic is fast becoming a disputed area between great powers over oil and key trading routes, Pakistan is increasingly a terrorist haven leaving the US with no good options, North Korea might shortly change guard, Russia just sent a couple of bombers to Venezuela on training (reminds of you something?), India just arrested a bunch of smugglers with Uranium yellow cake (where was it headed?) and the old issues like Palestine and Africa still linger.
- The ice caps are melting, and whether we agree on the nature of global warming, we need to find some radical solutions as our current infrastructure and agricultural approach won't sustain the world's energy and food demands post such warming.
- The aggregate US debt is an eye popping $9 trillion dollars. It rises by $1.6 billion a day. This does not include the unfunded social security and other social commitments. It doesn't include the $5 trillion the US government has taken on through Fannie and Freddie. Even with these exclusions, the national debt is about to hit a 50 year high by 2010. The government will owe roughly $90K per household. How is the US going to meet this?
Is America so enamored by the near mythical version of Rome so admired by its founding fathers, that it has decided to blindly emulate the callousness that Nero was so egregiously accused of?
Saturday, September 6, 2008
I predict!
In recent media coverage, there has been suggestion that Palin's weaknesses could be exposed in the upcoming days in interviews. It seems from this report that the McCain camp realizes that the media have smelt blood and are keeping her under wraps.
Others in media suggest that Biden will rip her to shreds. Let me make a prediction - he won't! And, the more the media hypes that Biden will annhilate Palin, the more likely it is that after the VP debates, McCain will get a huge bump.
So, why do I disagree with the media?
The issue is that the debates are not really debates. They are just an espousing of talking points juxtaposed against one another. There are about 20 topics of national importance ranging from economic issues, social issues and national defense issues. or controversies surrounding the candidates. Each speaker gets to speak for between 2 to 5 minutes on these. You can choose to speak less. That means you need to memorize about 5 points per issue, about 3 attack points refuting your opponent and about 3 to 5 memorable lines. All these are crafted in advance, and you just have to deliver them.
Its very tough to do this if you are in the primaries. The reason is that you have to come up with the policies with your team in a way that will be consistent with your views, consistent with the party base, and yet separate you from the pack. Most importantly, in the primaries, the candidate has to make these calls.
In Sarah Palin's case, she doesn't have to make a single call. All the points she has to parrot are already developed as part of McCain's platform. She has almost no record to speak of, so there are no inconsistencies to explain. Biden has a much harder task. Also, with no pronouncements of her own, she has only to defend McCain, whereas Biden has to defend himself and his record as well as Obama's.
So, the question is, can Sarah Palin memorize about 100 minutes of content in three weeks? If she can, then the only chance the media has to throw her off is by intimidating her,by asking a question that the Rove camp has calculated would never be asked, that is, the media person should ask her a question like, "Ms. Palin, you say your ticket is for family values, but McCain is a former divorcee who had an affair while still married, and now there are revelations and rumors about your own infidelities." The commentator would be crucified as inappropriate, but the net impact would be devastating for Palin. My guess, the media won't go there, so be prepared for Palin to be hailed as a hero.
Others in media suggest that Biden will rip her to shreds. Let me make a prediction - he won't! And, the more the media hypes that Biden will annhilate Palin, the more likely it is that after the VP debates, McCain will get a huge bump.
So, why do I disagree with the media?
The issue is that the debates are not really debates. They are just an espousing of talking points juxtaposed against one another. There are about 20 topics of national importance ranging from economic issues, social issues and national defense issues. or controversies surrounding the candidates. Each speaker gets to speak for between 2 to 5 minutes on these. You can choose to speak less. That means you need to memorize about 5 points per issue, about 3 attack points refuting your opponent and about 3 to 5 memorable lines. All these are crafted in advance, and you just have to deliver them.
Its very tough to do this if you are in the primaries. The reason is that you have to come up with the policies with your team in a way that will be consistent with your views, consistent with the party base, and yet separate you from the pack. Most importantly, in the primaries, the candidate has to make these calls.
In Sarah Palin's case, she doesn't have to make a single call. All the points she has to parrot are already developed as part of McCain's platform. She has almost no record to speak of, so there are no inconsistencies to explain. Biden has a much harder task. Also, with no pronouncements of her own, she has only to defend McCain, whereas Biden has to defend himself and his record as well as Obama's.
So, the question is, can Sarah Palin memorize about 100 minutes of content in three weeks? If she can, then the only chance the media has to throw her off is by intimidating her,by asking a question that the Rove camp has calculated would never be asked, that is, the media person should ask her a question like, "Ms. Palin, you say your ticket is for family values, but McCain is a former divorcee who had an affair while still married, and now there are revelations and rumors about your own infidelities." The commentator would be crucified as inappropriate, but the net impact would be devastating for Palin. My guess, the media won't go there, so be prepared for Palin to be hailed as a hero.
Rumors abound ...
There seems to be a lot of rumors about the new VP pick and the right wing darling. There are two just released on the net which, if true, could turn out to be more explosive than some of the ones that have already been revealed.
The first alleges that despite her husband being part Eskimo, Palin is actually quite racist and extremely vindictive. The vindictive bit seems very believable. In fact, UK blogs are drawing comparisons to Margaret Thatcher. The difference being that Thatcher was definitely an elite aristocrat, whereas Palin is unashamedly 'of the people', and seems to have the same disdain for knowledge that Bush seems to exhibit.
Another rumor is that Palin had an affair with her husband's business partner. The newspaper doing the reporting in the latter case is the National Enquirer, which would have made it completely unbelievable, except that they did get the Edwards allegation right.
Racism is not really news. In fact, the implicit association test suggests that most Americans harbor a certain degree of racism, which even hundreds of attempts to rectify doesn't eliminate. The only confirmed way of reducing racism is having positive stereotypes (the unintended consequence of a potential Barack Obama presidency?) Nor does her sexual peccadilloes have any bearing on effectiveness as a President. After all, Bill Clinton, Johnson and Kennedy were notorious womanizers. However, if these prove to have a semblance of truth, watch the MSM go crazy.
The first alleges that despite her husband being part Eskimo, Palin is actually quite racist and extremely vindictive. The vindictive bit seems very believable. In fact, UK blogs are drawing comparisons to Margaret Thatcher. The difference being that Thatcher was definitely an elite aristocrat, whereas Palin is unashamedly 'of the people', and seems to have the same disdain for knowledge that Bush seems to exhibit.
Another rumor is that Palin had an affair with her husband's business partner. The newspaper doing the reporting in the latter case is the National Enquirer, which would have made it completely unbelievable, except that they did get the Edwards allegation right.
Racism is not really news. In fact, the implicit association test suggests that most Americans harbor a certain degree of racism, which even hundreds of attempts to rectify doesn't eliminate. The only confirmed way of reducing racism is having positive stereotypes (the unintended consequence of a potential Barack Obama presidency?) Nor does her sexual peccadilloes have any bearing on effectiveness as a President. After all, Bill Clinton, Johnson and Kennedy were notorious womanizers. However, if these prove to have a semblance of truth, watch the MSM go crazy.
Hilarity on youtube ...
Youtube videos can be quite crass. These are some old ones (NSFW), but very funny. Enjoy.
This is a prank caller on QVC. He may have helped sales.
TV personalities losing their cool.
Prabhudeva making a spalsh on youtube.
This is a prank caller on QVC. He may have helped sales.
TV personalities losing their cool.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Sarah Palin is a good debater
Here she is at the debates for her run for Governor. She's a good debater. The format suited her, given that she is a former beauty queen and should be used to providing quick soundbites.
Photos of potential future VP and family
This is an old dorm room photo of Sarah Palin.
The text on the T-shirt reads, "I May Be Broke, But I Am Not Flat Busted" - very amusing :)
The text on the T-shirt reads, "I May Be Broke, But I Am Not Flat Busted" - very amusing :)
Sarah and Todd Palin with some Trig
Sarah Palin in Vogue
Sarah Palin and her now husband, Todd.
Sarah Palin loves hunting. Not sure if she shot the bear.
Sarah Palin loves hunting. Not sure if she shot the bear.
Sarah Palin
Photo of Sarah Palin at the Miss Wasilla competition, 1984
This is Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin's daughter, with the man who reportedly fathered her child
Sarah Palin on the State Championship winning basketball team
Sarah Palin at the Miss Wasilla competition, 1984
Friday, August 29, 2008
Ahhh ... it gets more interesting
Here's her acceptance speech.
Let's see. She's a mother of five. Has a a few month old child with Down's syndrome, and one old enough to be serving in military. Her introduction of her family took longer than her introduction of herself and her resume. She has cut a lot of spend, but then again, Alaska has one of the most corrupt systems and the highest per capita government spending in the country. Her qualification, a bachelor's degree in Journalism. She mispronounces "nuclear". She says McCain is the only candidate who has ever fought for the country, which seems to be her assigned line of attack in the campaign - to emphasize and hero worship McCain.
The blogs are alive with speculation. Women seem torn and many are reflexively changing sides. Many conservatives are very happy and are falling in line.
Here's an interesting perspective on her experience.
Let's see. She's a mother of five. Has a a few month old child with Down's syndrome, and one old enough to be serving in military. Her introduction of her family took longer than her introduction of herself and her resume. She has cut a lot of spend, but then again, Alaska has one of the most corrupt systems and the highest per capita government spending in the country. Her qualification, a bachelor's degree in Journalism. She mispronounces "nuclear". She says McCain is the only candidate who has ever fought for the country, which seems to be her assigned line of attack in the campaign - to emphasize and hero worship McCain.
The blogs are alive with speculation. Women seem torn and many are reflexively changing sides. Many conservatives are very happy and are falling in line.
Here's an interesting perspective on her experience.
A day in politics is a long time ...
How much can change in a few hours in politics.
Last night, with soaring speeches from Obama and after the full throated support from Hillary, Bill and Gore over the last few days, Obama seemed on his way to garnering support from a united Democratic party. McCain's brilliant move of selecting Sarah Palin has completely changes the picture.
Sarah Palin not only undercuts the historic nature of Obama's candidacy, by offering an alternate history making ticket, but also goes directly after the disgruntled Hillary voters. Even non disgruntled women may now be torn between a charismatic woman and Obama, and many may reconsider their allegiances.
Sarah Palin is a former beauty pageant winner, and was runners up in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant. She has five children, including one with Down's syndrome, born just a few months ago. Her positions are staunchly conservative, which makes matters even more interesting, particularly with respect to women's right to choose.
On the other hand, this is a pick that is blatantly designed to win the election and not to govern. Given McCain's age, there is a higher than usual chance that Sarah will land up in the Presidential spot. However, Palin has little experience, little record on giving thought to national issues. and is almost completely unvetted, all of which undercuts McCain's argument that Obama is not qualified. Moreover, she's a relative newcomer, which is a good thing in some ways but may mean a lot of skeletons which the electorate may not be familiar with.
The one mistake that the Democrats might make is in understimating her. Especially, assuming that Biden could rip her in the debates might be a mistake. Biden has to tread lightly. There are accounts of her being a formidable opponent. And, even if she isn't, no one likes to see an old man beating up on an attractive woman. He has to make her look incompetent, not come across as a "bad man".
Another potential issue by McCain is that this pick is likely to divert conversation about Obama's qualifications to McCain's judgment and Sarah Palin's qualification. As long as there was a laser focus on Obama's qualification, Obama kept slipping in the polls. With questions on both sides, there may be more reason to consider actual positions, and on issues, the Democrats lead handily. McCain is probably hoping that the Democrats and media go overboard in their attacks against Sarah Palin, causing women to rally behind her because of allegations of misogyny, helping him split the women's vote. If that's what he's calculated, he may not have factored in the Clintons. Sarah Palin as VP undercuts Hillary's achievement, and should she run for President in 2012, it would reduce Hillary's of ever becoming President. So much so, that Hillary may now actually be tempted to campaign for Obama and mean it. After all, Hillary would be younger than McCain is today after eight years.
All in all, this is now a toss up. I had given Obama less than 33% chance of winning. This decision makes such discussions of odds difficult. It all depends on how Sarah Palin does. If she's incompetent, she can do serious damage to McCain. If she's a good campaigner, she'll be a huge asset. I still give McCain the edge, but frankly, its hard to know what will happen at this stage. Its getting interesting :)
Last night, with soaring speeches from Obama and after the full throated support from Hillary, Bill and Gore over the last few days, Obama seemed on his way to garnering support from a united Democratic party. McCain's brilliant move of selecting Sarah Palin has completely changes the picture.
Sarah Palin not only undercuts the historic nature of Obama's candidacy, by offering an alternate history making ticket, but also goes directly after the disgruntled Hillary voters. Even non disgruntled women may now be torn between a charismatic woman and Obama, and many may reconsider their allegiances.
Sarah Palin is a former beauty pageant winner, and was runners up in the Miss Alaska beauty pageant. She has five children, including one with Down's syndrome, born just a few months ago. Her positions are staunchly conservative, which makes matters even more interesting, particularly with respect to women's right to choose.
On the other hand, this is a pick that is blatantly designed to win the election and not to govern. Given McCain's age, there is a higher than usual chance that Sarah will land up in the Presidential spot. However, Palin has little experience, little record on giving thought to national issues. and is almost completely unvetted, all of which undercuts McCain's argument that Obama is not qualified. Moreover, she's a relative newcomer, which is a good thing in some ways but may mean a lot of skeletons which the electorate may not be familiar with.
The one mistake that the Democrats might make is in understimating her. Especially, assuming that Biden could rip her in the debates might be a mistake. Biden has to tread lightly. There are accounts of her being a formidable opponent. And, even if she isn't, no one likes to see an old man beating up on an attractive woman. He has to make her look incompetent, not come across as a "bad man".
Another potential issue by McCain is that this pick is likely to divert conversation about Obama's qualifications to McCain's judgment and Sarah Palin's qualification. As long as there was a laser focus on Obama's qualification, Obama kept slipping in the polls. With questions on both sides, there may be more reason to consider actual positions, and on issues, the Democrats lead handily. McCain is probably hoping that the Democrats and media go overboard in their attacks against Sarah Palin, causing women to rally behind her because of allegations of misogyny, helping him split the women's vote. If that's what he's calculated, he may not have factored in the Clintons. Sarah Palin as VP undercuts Hillary's achievement, and should she run for President in 2012, it would reduce Hillary's of ever becoming President. So much so, that Hillary may now actually be tempted to campaign for Obama and mean it. After all, Hillary would be younger than McCain is today after eight years.
All in all, this is now a toss up. I had given Obama less than 33% chance of winning. This decision makes such discussions of odds difficult. It all depends on how Sarah Palin does. If she's incompetent, she can do serious damage to McCain. If she's a good campaigner, she'll be a huge asset. I still give McCain the edge, but frankly, its hard to know what will happen at this stage. Its getting interesting :)
Friday, August 15, 2008
Fraud through Craigs list ...
Recently, a relative of mine was selling their entertainment system on Craig's list. They listed it for $1500. Almost immediately, they received an offer for it. The buyer offered $1500, and said they'd send a check for $2800, the balance being delivery charges. The buyer suggested that once the check deposits in their account, they should pay $1300 to the shipping agent and have their entertainment system shipped.
Well, it sounded suspicious. However, in due course the check arrived, and sure enough, $2800 was deposited in my relatives account. Still suspicious, they called up the bank. The banker said that the bank's policy was to encash outstation checks in anticipation of them clearing, but that if the check didn't clear they would deduct the money. When they heard what the situation was, they advised them to wait a few days.
Five days later, the bank assured them that there was nothing wrong, because they said they had not received any indication that the check would bounce. However, due to some mix-up, they were unable to ship the entertainment system that day. The next day, the check bounced.
Meanwhile, the frantic buyer had been calling every second day to confirm whether the system had been shipped. When he was told his check bounced the line went dead. That was the last they heard from the buyer.
Interesting how a bank's rules can be used to deceive unsuspecting people. This have duped me.
Well, it sounded suspicious. However, in due course the check arrived, and sure enough, $2800 was deposited in my relatives account. Still suspicious, they called up the bank. The banker said that the bank's policy was to encash outstation checks in anticipation of them clearing, but that if the check didn't clear they would deduct the money. When they heard what the situation was, they advised them to wait a few days.
Five days later, the bank assured them that there was nothing wrong, because they said they had not received any indication that the check would bounce. However, due to some mix-up, they were unable to ship the entertainment system that day. The next day, the check bounced.
Meanwhile, the frantic buyer had been calling every second day to confirm whether the system had been shipped. When he was told his check bounced the line went dead. That was the last they heard from the buyer.
Interesting how a bank's rules can be used to deceive unsuspecting people. This have duped me.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Fun stuff
This is one of the funniest pranks I have every heard. I wish I had thought of it.
The interesting thing about this rap is what it says about what Indians believe life in America is like. Very amusing!
The interesting thing about this rap is what it says about what Indians believe life in America is like. Very amusing!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Want that Phelps physique? Then eat like a pig.
Well I conveniently left out the matter of working your ass off after that. The guy consumes 12,000 calories a day. The recommended average for an adult male is 2000 a day.
Though I would have to caveat that this is probably abnormally high even for him, given he's competing in so many events during the Olympics. His usual is probably only 2/3rds that ;)
Though I would have to caveat that this is probably abnormally high even for him, given he's competing in so many events during the Olympics. His usual is probably only 2/3rds that ;)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Clinton's slow march to defeat ...
Atlantic has a fascinating piece of investigative journalism that recaps, through a history of correspondence within the campaign, how Hillary Clinton lost the primaries.
One of the undercurrents highlighted by the article is Hillary's reluctance to get down and dirty. In some of these memos, her advisers were asking her to tear Obama down, and while she never disavowed it as a strategy, she doesn't appear to have been entirely comfortable with it either, leading to confusion.
There are two interesting insights for me.
One is that this highlights for me why very smart people often make poor leaders. Hillary could foresee the downsides to every option, and suffered from analysis paralysis. The campaign lurched from one strategy to another. In the end though, the one that really worked was the one Mark Penn had laid out.
The other was that a lot of the infighting was basically not just about strategy, but about who Hillary should be or should appear to be. This is the second campaign in this round of elections, where a campaign's attempt to reinvent a candidate has proved its Achilles heel, the other being Mitt Romney. In this case, her indecision between the Howard Ickes' strategy and the Mark Penn's strategy, suggests a lack of comfort with her own view of herself, almost as if she didn't know who she was, or she knew what she had to appear to be and wasn't really comfortable with it. If she had been entirely comfortable with who she believed she was or needed to be, she could have asserted that view on the campaign. Ultimately, she may have been defeated by moral qualms, which seems a bit weird for a Clinton, but oddly, makes her more likable.
One of the undercurrents highlighted by the article is Hillary's reluctance to get down and dirty. In some of these memos, her advisers were asking her to tear Obama down, and while she never disavowed it as a strategy, she doesn't appear to have been entirely comfortable with it either, leading to confusion.
There are two interesting insights for me.
One is that this highlights for me why very smart people often make poor leaders. Hillary could foresee the downsides to every option, and suffered from analysis paralysis. The campaign lurched from one strategy to another. In the end though, the one that really worked was the one Mark Penn had laid out.
The other was that a lot of the infighting was basically not just about strategy, but about who Hillary should be or should appear to be. This is the second campaign in this round of elections, where a campaign's attempt to reinvent a candidate has proved its Achilles heel, the other being Mitt Romney. In this case, her indecision between the Howard Ickes' strategy and the Mark Penn's strategy, suggests a lack of comfort with her own view of herself, almost as if she didn't know who she was, or she knew what she had to appear to be and wasn't really comfortable with it. If she had been entirely comfortable with who she believed she was or needed to be, she could have asserted that view on the campaign. Ultimately, she may have been defeated by moral qualms, which seems a bit weird for a Clinton, but oddly, makes her more likable.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Elections get funnier ...
I don't know what's up with the election campaign, but the ads are getting funnier and funnier.
First there were the McCain ads painting Obama as 'The One'
... and drawing comparisons with Paris and Britney, which were some really slick advertising.
Then there was Paris' hilarious response.
Now there is Obama's response.
I loved the Obama ad's reference to "Lurching to the right, then the left"
First there were the McCain ads painting Obama as 'The One'
... and drawing comparisons with Paris and Britney, which were some really slick advertising.
Then there was Paris' hilarious response.
Now there is Obama's response.
I loved the Obama ad's reference to "Lurching to the right, then the left"
The Russians are coming!!
The dubious record for the most expensive real estate sale ever used to be held by Lakshmi Mittal. It seems though, that the Russian love of the French Riviera has changed that. This house was just sold for $750 MM, smashing the 57 million pounds that Mr. Mittal paid for his. The article describes the villa as 'sumptuous', which it clearly is, but my guess is that this has less to do with the value of the villa and more to do with the statement it makes ...
India get golden ... hey! It's better than going home with nothing.
Abhinav Bindra gets India it's first gold medal of the 2008 games. Kudos to the man. The event was the 10m air rifle shooting. Nice article on him at the BBC website.
The other person, of Indian origin, spotted recently on TV was Raj Bhavsar - he is on the US gymnastics team.
cheers
dhakks
The other person, of Indian origin, spotted recently on TV was Raj Bhavsar - he is on the US gymnastics team.
cheers
dhakks
Okay ... now that was an Opening Ceremony !!!
Am i glad i DVR'd the opening ceremony! Can I just state for the record, that the 2008 Olympics Opening ceremony was just Fabulous. In all honesty I don't think any other country could have pulled this off. No, not any. Sure, some could have achieved the scale and some the grandeur. I seriously doubt they could have done both.
Some spectacular photos here. How I wish all those superlatives that are now cliche had been left over for something like this.
And what's with the commentary NBC? Drop the condescending tone. And please, please don't give gyan on sports you don't fully understand.
cheers
dhakks
Some spectacular photos here. How I wish all those superlatives that are now cliche had been left over for something like this.
And what's with the commentary NBC? Drop the condescending tone. And please, please don't give gyan on sports you don't fully understand.
cheers
dhakks
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
You can fool most of the people most of the time ...
This is an absolutely fascinating account of the life of Frédéric Bourdin, a person who spent years impersonating teenagers, including some missing children. The story makes better reading than most novels and the fact that its all true makes it all the more extraordinary. What's disturbing is how many people he managed to fool and how easily. I was blown away by how, at least one family, accepted him as their son, despite the wrong hair color and eye color. The author makes pretty damning insinuations that there may have been even murkier motives (read murder) for some of his family's acceptance of him, but it would still not explain how he convinced the other siblings and friends.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Apparently we just need to host the damn Olympics ...
Just kidding. Take a look at this interesting view of medal tallies by country over time. Play with the slider and you'll notice several things. At first blush ...
(1) Where the games were held has a huge impact on host country (and neighbors, geographically or politically). I was expecting some of it. Not this much. This was even more true in the early history, when I presume, transporting a team to another country or continent was a very non-trivial cost/expedition. And it probably lacked the prestige or "must attend factor" back then.
(2) The former Soviet Union was a sports machine ('56- '88)- not so much after the break-up, even adding up the individual countries. Figures.
(3) Asia has risen from near zero presence to a good share. Primarily China has been doing some things right here. Helps when you can tell people that "the balance-beam is your chosen career." :) But that is a little simplistic. There are other things they get right. India ... well .. we all know it.
(4) The other continent that slowly emerges is Africa. And it's Kenya's long distance abilities that perhaps keep it ahead of South Africa in the tally.
I say we host it, disable the competition with our cuisine, and sweep the medals.
btw - the dots stay the same per country - watch India as you slide the timeline, our best showing was 1952 with 2 medals.
(1) Where the games were held has a huge impact on host country (and neighbors, geographically or politically). I was expecting some of it. Not this much. This was even more true in the early history, when I presume, transporting a team to another country or continent was a very non-trivial cost/expedition. And it probably lacked the prestige or "must attend factor" back then.
(2) The former Soviet Union was a sports machine ('56- '88)- not so much after the break-up, even adding up the individual countries. Figures.
(3) Asia has risen from near zero presence to a good share. Primarily China has been doing some things right here. Helps when you can tell people that "the balance-beam is your chosen career." :) But that is a little simplistic. There are other things they get right. India ... well .. we all know it.
(4) The other continent that slowly emerges is Africa. And it's Kenya's long distance abilities that perhaps keep it ahead of South Africa in the tally.
I say we host it, disable the competition with our cuisine, and sweep the medals.
btw - the dots stay the same per country - watch India as you slide the timeline, our best showing was 1952 with 2 medals.
Discovery vs. invention
Fascinating stuff on Tiger Woods vs. Jack Nicklaus. A comparison of statistics, as dhakks points out, does not tell the whole story. In golf modern equipment is different, the balls are different, the level of training is different, the level of competition is different and, in many cases, the courses are designed differently.
As this article astutely observes, while people have a natural talent and their skills are "discovered", what skill dominates a sport (or for that matter, any profession), is as much a function of the rules of the game as the talents of the individual.
I was in an interesting discussion recently with someone who pointed out that the reason the US has performed so poorly in Basketball at the Olympics, despite having all the NBA superstars on the team is that the rules of Olympic basketball are different. For instance, in the Olympics, referees are much more likely to call carrying. Also, a slight difference in the rules favors the three point shooters, which the US rules do not. So, people who are superstars in one version of the sport, struggle to compete effectively against 'lesser' teams with a slight rules change. Another example is in sprinting, where a change in the distance to be run completely changes who dominates.
We love to ask the question who is the best, but the answer may not be quite as simple as we like.
PS: Completely agree on the cartoon - its hypocrisy at its
best! Thankfully, it seems quite a lot of the French realize it
too.
As this article astutely observes, while people have a natural talent and their skills are "discovered", what skill dominates a sport (or for that matter, any profession), is as much a function of the rules of the game as the talents of the individual.
I was in an interesting discussion recently with someone who pointed out that the reason the US has performed so poorly in Basketball at the Olympics, despite having all the NBA superstars on the team is that the rules of Olympic basketball are different. For instance, in the Olympics, referees are much more likely to call carrying. Also, a slight difference in the rules favors the three point shooters, which the US rules do not. So, people who are superstars in one version of the sport, struggle to compete effectively against 'lesser' teams with a slight rules change. Another example is in sprinting, where a change in the distance to be run completely changes who dominates.
We love to ask the question who is the best, but the answer may not be quite as simple as we like.
PS: Completely agree on the cartoon - its hypocrisy at its
best! Thankfully, it seems quite a lot of the French realize it
too.
Monday, August 4, 2008
On errors in forecasting ...
In February of this year, the Bush administration projected a $407 BN dollar budget deficit. Now, six months later, they project a $490 BN dollar budget deficit. That's equivalent to a company missing its earnings estimate by 20% in just six months! To put this estimation error in perspective, they missed the number by $83,000,000,000, and, that too, after failing to include the roughly $120 BN - $150 BN that's the likely 2008 bill for the Iraq war. Where's the accountability? Meanwhile, you have presidential candidates promising tax cuts??? Do you believe them?
FORE! Oye Cartoon! Daru!
Vijay Singh notches up another win at the WGC. It ended a long drought of going winless (0-34) since playing in Arnold's Invitational way back in March of 2007. What's amazing is the age at which he's doing it. The guys holds the record for the most number of wins in the 40s (interesting records here), with 21 titles. The next person on that list is Sam Snead with 17 wins.
I'm curious to see how Tiger does in his "waning" years. Knowing Tiger the challenges won't be mental. But there's only so much abuse a knee can take. You have to see him live at a golf course to realize how hard he swings and how much stress that puts on the legs. I guess we'll just have to wait and watch.
And while I think it's fundamentally incorrect to compare players across generations, especially in sports that have undergone fundamental changes (such as equipment, access, popularity and therefore competition), it's interesting to ponder some stats on Tiger and Jack. Someone I played a round with over the weekend remarked that while most people are aware that Jack has 18 major titles, a lesser known fact is that he came in 2nd 19 times! That's impressive. I know some of you think finishing second doesn't count. Tell that to the runners-up on the PGA tour who pocket anything between $500K-$800K for their "first loser" efforts. Mathematically speaking, ranks other than 1st should matter, albeit in some weighted sense. Well, I asked, what's the comparable number for Tiger. He didn't know it, so I researched it once I got back. Purely for contemplation, here are some stats, not canvassing one conclusion vs. another ...
Stats are shown Jack / Tiger ...
Take a look at Jack in his prime ... 1970s ... mind boggling
In other news, I find it striking (ironic, strange, funny, stupid, essentially human) that the French are all up in arms about another cartoon, and are now arguing against absolute free speech. At least some of them are. Would love to hear people's comments on this one.
Currently reading this book on modern India by Edward Luce (first spotted the book at kk's lair; Luce used to be a FT bureau chief in India). Several "new" anecdotes for me at least. One relevant to the bewdaas on this blog. I didn't know that Ambedkar is largely responsible for our ability to freely purchase alcohol in most parts of India. Apparently, our founders wanted a prohibition of alchohol enshrined into our "core" constitution. He, for good or bad reasons (I'm thinking certain livelihoods), had it demoted to the "directive principles" where it ended up akin to being on a wish list.
cheers
dhakks
I'm curious to see how Tiger does in his "waning" years. Knowing Tiger the challenges won't be mental. But there's only so much abuse a knee can take. You have to see him live at a golf course to realize how hard he swings and how much stress that puts on the legs. I guess we'll just have to wait and watch.
And while I think it's fundamentally incorrect to compare players across generations, especially in sports that have undergone fundamental changes (such as equipment, access, popularity and therefore competition), it's interesting to ponder some stats on Tiger and Jack. Someone I played a round with over the weekend remarked that while most people are aware that Jack has 18 major titles, a lesser known fact is that he came in 2nd 19 times! That's impressive. I know some of you think finishing second doesn't count. Tell that to the runners-up on the PGA tour who pocket anything between $500K-$800K for their "first loser" efforts. Mathematically speaking, ranks other than 1st should matter, albeit in some weighted sense. Well, I asked, what's the comparable number for Tiger. He didn't know it, so I researched it once I got back. Purely for contemplation, here are some stats, not canvassing one conclusion vs. another ...
Stats are shown Jack / Tiger ...
- Career Titles 73/65
- Career Win% .16/.30
- Majors 18/14
- Major 2nds 19/5
- Major Win% .11/.34
- Major 2nd% .12/.12
- Wins in 20s 30/46
- Wins in 30s 38/19
Take a look at Jack in his prime ... 1970s ... mind boggling
- He only missed one cut
- He finished outside the top ten only five times
- He won eight of his 18 majors
- He finished fifth or better in every British Open
- He only finished outside fourth in the Masters once
In other news, I find it striking (ironic, strange, funny, stupid, essentially human) that the French are all up in arms about another cartoon, and are now arguing against absolute free speech. At least some of them are. Would love to hear people's comments on this one.
Currently reading this book on modern India by Edward Luce (first spotted the book at kk's lair; Luce used to be a FT bureau chief in India). Several "new" anecdotes for me at least. One relevant to the bewdaas on this blog. I didn't know that Ambedkar is largely responsible for our ability to freely purchase alcohol in most parts of India. Apparently, our founders wanted a prohibition of alchohol enshrined into our "core" constitution. He, for good or bad reasons (I'm thinking certain livelihoods), had it demoted to the "directive principles" where it ended up akin to being on a wish list.
cheers
dhakks
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Starting things off ...
Let's get things started.
I just watched the 'Celeb' ad released by the McCain. Interesting stuff! Not sure what to make of it. It almost anoints Barack Obama as the incumbent President. I wasn't sure whether its point about taxes and oil was effective enough to offset making Obama seem so Presidential.
Some interesting things to note. Some commentators are alleging that the use of two blond celebrities is a subliminal racist suggestion, to make people scared of Obama. Not sure whether the people who would be so affected would vote for Obama any way. So, if that was the intention, which I doubt, seems like a pointless exercise.
Also, it seems strange that the media has focused on the ads style and not its content. The effective tax rate under Obama's proposal would be substantially lower for the vast majority of Americans (you can check out the details here). Also, while Obama has opposed offshore oil drilling, there are literally millions of acres of approved areas for exploration with known oil reserves which the oil companies have not explored (after lobbying heavily for them to be released) - so why this rush for even more unexplored places?
On an entirely different topic, Mark Erard, in his article captioned "How English Is Evolving Into a Language We May Not Even Understand", makes the point that most speakers of English are now non native speakers, and points to how the language is often used very differently by many of them. He states: "... [English is] mingling with so many more local languages than Latin ever did, that it's on a path toward a global tongue — what's coming to be known as Panglish. Soon, when Americans travel abroad, one of the languages they'll have to learn may be their own."
The underlying thesis is that 15% or less of English speakers worldwide are native speakers of the language. So, are Hinglish, Benglish, Chinglish, Singlish the new forms of English that will define the standard of the language in future?
Thoughts?
I just watched the 'Celeb' ad released by the McCain. Interesting stuff! Not sure what to make of it. It almost anoints Barack Obama as the incumbent President. I wasn't sure whether its point about taxes and oil was effective enough to offset making Obama seem so Presidential.
Some interesting things to note. Some commentators are alleging that the use of two blond celebrities is a subliminal racist suggestion, to make people scared of Obama. Not sure whether the people who would be so affected would vote for Obama any way. So, if that was the intention, which I doubt, seems like a pointless exercise.
Also, it seems strange that the media has focused on the ads style and not its content. The effective tax rate under Obama's proposal would be substantially lower for the vast majority of Americans (you can check out the details here). Also, while Obama has opposed offshore oil drilling, there are literally millions of acres of approved areas for exploration with known oil reserves which the oil companies have not explored (after lobbying heavily for them to be released) - so why this rush for even more unexplored places?
On an entirely different topic, Mark Erard, in his article captioned "How English Is Evolving Into a Language We May Not Even Understand", makes the point that most speakers of English are now non native speakers, and points to how the language is often used very differently by many of them. He states: "... [English is] mingling with so many more local languages than Latin ever did, that it's on a path toward a global tongue — what's coming to be known as Panglish. Soon, when Americans travel abroad, one of the languages they'll have to learn may be their own."
The underlying thesis is that 15% or less of English speakers worldwide are native speakers of the language. So, are Hinglish, Benglish, Chinglish, Singlish the new forms of English that will define the standard of the language in future?
Thoughts?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)