Monthly Archives: January 2008

Suharto and IMF: It’s different now

Posted on Tuesday, January 29, 2008 by Abhijit

Former Indonesian president Suharto (photo Washington Post) died two days ago, less than a month after Citgroup was bailed out by the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) and other sovereign wealth funds. It’s a reflection of how the world … Continue reading →

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India: A partial story

Posted on Sunday, January 27, 2008 by Abhijit

Temptations Of The West by Pankaj Mishra A young man at an Indian university library chanced upon a book that changed his whole life. He wanted to read everything by the author and all the things he had written about. … Continue reading →

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Republic Day

Posted on Saturday, January 26, 2008 by Abhijit

My son was watching the cricket match between India and Australia on his computer  when I called him at his college in America at noon today (here in Singapore; it was close to midnight for him). Then, about an hour … Continue reading →

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Hillary for the Times!

Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 by Abhijit

Hurrah! The New York Times has come out in support of Hillary Clinton and John McCain! They certainly have the strength and resilience to provide the kind of leadership America needs today. I admire Barack Obama and John Edwards as … Continue reading →

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What a US recession means for Singapore

Posted on Friday, January 25, 2008 by Abhijit

The Economist as usual has figures to show how Singapore could be hit by a US recession. It says: Some Asian economies are more vulnerable than others: Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia have exports to America equivalent to 20 percent  … Continue reading →

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Singapore looks to India and China

Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008 by Abhijit

Singapore will have to depend on India and China if the US is hit by a recession, says Singapore’s Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. But that’s a fact downplayed by Singapore’s main newspaper, The Straits Times. Why? Usually it highlights … Continue reading →

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"Not factually accurate"

Posted on Tuesday, January 22, 2008 by Abhijit

I missed the Democrats’ debate yesterday, but it looks like Obama was guilty of a pleonasm. He said: “There was a set of assertions made by Senator Clinton as well as her husband that are not factually accurate.” Pray, sir, … Continue reading →

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Sex and children: Two poems

Posted on Monday, January 21, 2008 by Abhijit

One of these is a famous poem by one of the finest 20th century English poets, the other written by a contemporary American poet. Here are the opening lines from both poems. Guess which one is English, which one American. … Continue reading →

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Hillary, Obama and Mac

Posted on Sunday, January 20, 2008 by Abhijit

Hillary (AP photo) wins again! This time in Nevada! But Obama gets one more delegate than Hillary. Whoever wins the nomination will be a great candidate, but I know where my heart lies. Read Maya Angelou’s poem on Hillary in … Continue reading →

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Ministers worth more than search engines

Posted on Sunday, January 20, 2008 by Abhijit

I am glad to see Singapore still prizes human intelligence more than artificial intelligence. Singapore’s Agency for Science,Technology and Research (A*STAR) is offering $100,000 to the winner of a contest to build the next-generation search engine. That’s a fraction of … Continue reading →

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