Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
Holding a Mirror to the American People
One of the canards used often by politicians in the US is attribution of everything glorious to ‘the American people’. During the run-up to the presidential elections last year, anytime someone stumped, clouds cheered wildly whenever the speaker invoked the ‘American people’. This same set of people appears in many avatars in the speeches – as wronged, as hardworking, as honest, as ’waiting for change’ and above all, as patriotic. In a democracy, it is a safe bet to start with the axiom that people are virtuous and nice. The anonymous mass of 300 million people is like a massive shock-absorber and it is alright to ignore that the most devious are also part of the same mass. But, what happens when a lot of people err seriously – when they either become ignoramuses or when they put self before country in the most outrageous ways?
Predicting Flu, Recession and More….
Today, I spoke with Nitesh, an old friend, after a long time. When New York catches a cold, Bangalore is one of the first cities to sneeze. So, being based there, Nitesh is witnessing the unraveling of the global economy from close quarters. As we got talking, one of the outrages that we shared was why nobody was able to predict its onslaught. While some players in the economy have a vested interest in not blowing the whistle, the same is not true of the numerous state and non-state agencies (starting with Uncle Ben) whose professed goal is to tell as they see it. Even Alan Greenspan seemed befuddled recently with his own lack of clairvoyance. Beyond what we have already heard and read, I do not have any insights into why the wise folks did not see this coming. Rather, I want to point out how Google has shown us an interesting way of doing what armies of analysts failed to do i.e. predicting recession.
That’s like getting 11 issues FREE!
Today, for the umpteenth time, I received another irresistible subscription offer. If I renew my NatGeo Traveler now, I will pay $24.95 although the cover price is $79.84, which represents a savings of $54.89. The ‘Subscription Savings Voucher’ makes the decision very easy for me – it analyses its own offer penetratingly, it says, “That’s like getting 11 issues FREE! Plus, get 2 FREE GIFTS.” Read the rest of this entry »
