Archive for October, 2006
Should Homosexuals Marry?
I returned today from a weekend in Paris to find this interesting question in my inbox, by way of Desicritics. The ensuing discussion on our mailing list, that consitutes the author’s circle, was both colorful and personal.
This question has been posed with increasing urgency in the United States, where socially liberal states and cities have [...]
A Tale of Two Countries - America and India
Newsweek’s old assertion that emerging India shares much in common with America is spot on.
Late last week the New York Times reported of a growing trend of American’s coming to India to work. This, following a report of a growing local talent shortage (Skills Gap Hurts Technology Boom in India). And it is not only [...]
Those Damn Foreigners - Immigration to Europe
Scribbled on a wall in Geneva:
Etrangers, ne nous laissez pas seuls avec les suisses.
Translation:
Foreigners, don’t leave us alone with the Swiss!
What’s all the fuss about? A recent referendum here that tightened Switzerland’s immigration laws, making them among the harshest in Europe according to the UNHCR. Odd then than a country that prides itself as a [...]
Microfinance wins the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize
Q. What is more dangerous than a celebrity with a cause?
A. A celebrity with a cause and a nobel peace prize (see reason 34 for why).
Thank god then that the the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank - someone that actually deserved it, not someone that was simply [...]
The Spread of Drug Resistant Tuberculosis
The developed world is getting worried about Tuberculosis. About time.
TB killed an estimated 1.7 million people in 2004 (see WHO factsheet). An estimated third of the world’s population is suspected to be currently infected, with new infections every second. But if the numbers weren’t worrying enough, the fact that medicines no longer are working should [...]
Afzal, Kashmir, and India
To hang, or not to hang, that seems to be the question. The debate and protests over what to do with Muhammad Afzal are at fever pitch - even reaching the New York Times. A clemency appeal has been filed with the President and perhaps the only silver lining is that he is a highly [...]
US Pharma Industry Report
Greg Mankiw’s blog alerted me to a report by the US Congressional Budget Office on the Pharmaceutical Industry.
It is certainly worth a read, and tries really hard to appear unbiased, presenting facts from both the supporters and critics of the industry. Every now and then, however, it dismisses the criticisms too quickly.
Regardless, I like how [...]
