19.06.2008

• On dual fuel pricing policy
• You might have read what we noted on 16^th June about the government’s move to authorise sale of only branded fuels for commercial establishments and urban areas.
• Take a look at a scathing criticism of this move in today’s ET editorial. Worth a read. Shouldn’t miss such pieces. It is here.
• I am fully in agreement with the criticism. I am sure any economist also would be. Not that any political party is unaware of the solution being suggested by the editorial, but the million dollar question is - how can you make it politically palatable? Any ideas?
• On NREGS
• This is another editorial that is singing praises for the NREG scheme of the government. While I am in agreement with the larger outcome – that of raising the income of farmhands, because of its introduction – I am of the view that there is a danger that it will also degenerate into another kind of economic sop, if corrective action is not taken immediately.
• I have noticed –in my village – that farmhands see it as an easy way to earn Rs. 100 to 150 per day for just a couple of hours work. There is a problem with this. They are happy that they got their day’s earnings. They prefer to waste the rest of their time in the day, by pursuing leisure activities. They prefer to while away their time rather than working and earning more on the farms. This has created a kind of artificial shortage of farmhands in the rural areas. If this continues, farmers will find that they cannot continue with farming at some point in time in the future. Such conclusions will have drastic consequences for the country. Therefore there is an urgent need for the government to also ease the restrictions on the landholding pattern and encourage corporate farming and/or economically viable landholding patterns which are amenable for mechanized farming.
• On Heisenberg’s principle of uncertainty
• I came across this excellent explanation of this principle in an essay today.
• Werner Heisenberg stated a principle of uncertainty in physics which won him the Nobel in 1932, that is, you cannot simultaneously assess the location as well as the future movement of an atomic particle; to do so, you have to hit it with another atomic particle and that act changes both the position and momentum of the target particle.
• India’s performance at Cannes
• Look at this pic which depicts the spectacular performance put up by India’s ad agencies at the Cannes awards.
• Vasundhara Raje’s solution to the Gurjar aspirations
• The Rajasthan government has succeeded in containing the Gurjar ire by announcing a 5% reservation for the community in the state. In an election year masterstroke, chief minister Vasundara Raje also announced 14% reservation for economically backward class among the general category which includes castes like Brahmin, Baniya, Rajput, Kayastha etc.
• The only question that remains is whether these measures go against the Supreme Court ruling on the ceiling of reservation. Once the two quotas are implemented, the total reservation would be 68%, which could lead to litigation as it crosses the reservation ceiling of 50% ruled by the Supreme Court. A legal expert, Abhinav Sharma, however claimed, “in the SC judgement on Indira Sawhney case, a nine-judge bench said that in special case the reservation can go beyond 50%.”
• Is it a case of opening the pandora’s box of reservations among the forward castes? Let’s wait and watch as to how this evolves.
• If you are working long hours before the computers, beware of the ‘computer vision syndrome’
• An article in today’s paper highlights the problems associated with long hours of working before computers.
• Computer vision syndrome is associated with multiple symptoms like pain, watering and redness of eyes, blurred vision, eye strain, burning sensation and headache. A person can also experience effects like colour fringes and after images when looking away from the computer screen. Some people develop eye dryness and untreated complications can lead to chronic eye dryness.
• The eye blinking rate reduces when a person works on a computer. While the normal blink rate is reported to be 12-15 times a minute, blinking reduces to 2-3 times a minute when working on a computer.
• Taking frequent breaks – every 30 minutes – while working for long hours before the computers is suggested by doctors.
• Seedings at Wimbledon
• The grand party of Tennis is about to begin on 23^rd June.
• Roger Federer and Ana Ivanovich were given the top seedings for men and women respectively. India’s Sania Mirza is placed 32rd. Wimbledon seeds only 32 players in men and women singles and 16 teams in doubles.
• For a complete list of the seedings look at this.
• The winners will take home ₤750,000 as prize money.