Move Over Sholay

Or loss of innocence

Moment of creativity

I was sore for a long time after the bastards stole my brilliant idea. However being generous type, I have two more ideas for bollywood

First is prequel to Sholay, where Gabbar Singh is a good guy from Army, who is sucked into a violent family feud involving property and honour, ending with his going over to the dark side. The opening sequence will be of a train robbery which is foiled by Gabbar Singh, sort of ironic counterpoint of the things to come. Oh, and Hrithik Roshan will play Gabbar Singh.The movie is tentatively titled as Angarey.

Second is using Ramayana. Now the problem is Ramayana is an epic and therefore not the best material for three hour movie format, unless one can tolerate Troy. However it is still possible to create a decent film by developing one of the several stories which are part of the highly complex and interwoven narrative. Perhaps they can start with Sangram between Devas and Asuras in which Dasaratha and Kaikeyi took part.
Of course the story will need to be polished with Kaikeyi as a warrior who defends an injured Dasaratha. The movie will begin with marriage of Kaikeyi and Dasaratha more to do with political alliance between two powerful kingdoms but as the movie proceeds they find love and affection on more personal terms. For layer of historicity the backdrop will be emergence of Kingdoms of plains as balancing power in conflict between Devas and Asuras the traditional powers of the classical era. Later on they can spin-off franchise with trilogy and even animation.

Now go ahead, plagiarize me. Please, Puhleez, Puleeeeeeeeeeez.

This season Coase is black *

*

Update 1: One of the best retort I have heard this year.

"Executing the murderer means giving you the safety. Executing the vermiscripter means giving you the cash. You'd rather have the cash than the safety. Ergo, executing the vermiscripter is better policy"

I would rather have lesser number of such coloumns than either safety or cash. Does it mean that executing the author is better policy?

Awesome !

Update 2: If you want to learn about property rights watch western. OK that is BS, but If I can expand into a 500 word essay, I have a shot at getting it published in livemint. Speaking of westerns, do you know any ? That is except the dollar series, Once upon a time in the west, Shane, High plains drifter, Unforgiven etc. I have seem 'em all.

Dhimmi defined

Anyone who was born a Hindu and still remain culturally Hindu, when he says "Hindu rate of growth", without any hesitation or discomfort, or even when he can listen to the phrase without so much as flinching, that my dear friends is a dhimmi, and make no mistake, they may call themselves liberal, libertarian or whatever is the abiding fashion, but they are cowards. Cowards not because they are physically intimidated, but because they will not own, forget defend what is theirs for fear of peer disapproval.

PS. Arun Shourie writes

RIP ...

Democracy.

Update 1: RIP moderate Islam ? I am sure they didn't mean it. Oh, and for what it is worth, please remember this lady supported terrorism in Kashmir. Of course this will not stop Indians from getting all sentimental and teary-eyed. After all we are a nation without a sense of what is a nation.

Update 2: The puppet speaks. It is same calamity that befell upon both of us. Wait! I have heard this before. In fact I am sure there is a movie ! Or may be even two !*

Update 3: It was a shotgun marriage.

Update 4: What now ? (courtesy Hot Air)

Update 5: Someone gets it, unfortunately he is not an Indian. Because India is mourning. For the record I am not mourning, but then I am a heartless bastard, anyway tears like compassion is a a scarce commodity.

Update 6: Hitchens.

Update 7: On popular demand (of one). Jagadguru being his usual nutty self.

* My hero was Raghavan

Update 8: Also, for the record, I don't believe that Americans have secured Pakistani nukes. Which means buying property in Delhi or Mumbai may not be such a good idea.

PS. This is probably not the best moment, but may I remind people that as far as India is concerned, perhaps democracy in land of pure is not such a good option. Also may be Pakistanis do not really like us Kaffirs.

PPS. At this moment my only prayer to God is that let Pakistan disintegrate with minimum of destruction, that, and American have secured the nukes.

Revisiting Modi - I

Previous Posts [1], [2]

Prasannaji revisited his earlier post on Narendra Modi, which is the motive behind this post. To reiterate what I have said earlier, here is my stand on Modi. I support any verdict arrived by due legal process, however knowing the state of judiciary, I doubt that any verdict will be arrived. Further while I doubt that Mr Modi is complicit in any act of commission or omission, I am more or less sure that there must have political involvement at local level. This is no insightful revelation, it is how riots have always happened in India. Lastly I do find Mr Modi guilty of not following his Dharma, of not doing his best in order to prevent riots, in short a failure of morality.

This will also explain why I oppose a national role for him.

First, he will be a liability to any allies during elections, as while BJP may not be dependent on Muslims votes its allies are, and any consolidation of Muslim votes against Modi will harm their prospects.

Second, I don't know how many people remember how BJP carefully created an image of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as the leader who could be PM and lead India. This was done with the help of media. In order to create enough buzz all over India, a defining campaign is required, again with the help of media, which at present his candidacy is not capable of.

Third, and one which concerns me most is that to promote Narendra Modi means promoting demagoguery, one which cultural nationalism can do without. This is not because I have suddenly found a conscience. I still remain the same Hindu fascist, but point that I want to emphasize is that while Modi and Togadia are useful in combating a Hinduphobic intelligentsia, there is no advantage in making a virtue of compulsion.

Question

How is life after 38'' waist ? Fat people please answer.

I blame ...

So the verdict is out, and as it turns out the predictions were little off the mark. Now before the dreaded cabal of Hindutva Fascists start blaming our courageous media, I must stand and parry their thrusts. Yes the exit polls were wrong but that is not because our journalists are dishonest and disingenuous hacks who manipulate public to further their agenda. They conducted the coverage of elections with the best of intentions, but their efforts were thwarted by, well, global warming. High time we do something about it.

PS I always suspected that Tehelka was a stooge of Modi. He is like some kind of evil genius !

Update 1: Oooh guilt trip.

Update 2: It is hurting Prannoy Roy, isn't it ! Plus, he has erased the past ! He is like that VoldWhatsHisName guy !

Update 3: A head, a head to roll! It's good to be Queen *

Update 4: The takeaway. Modi won, BJP lost.

Update 5: Jagadguru in & as Unhinged

PPS Can someone please stop his eminence from writing nonsense about science and evolution. You know what you have to do, just ask him for more cows.

Sunset @ Beach

I just want to say...

That pro-abortion people are idiot. Actually I think even anti-abortion people are idiot, but I can live with that kind of idiocy.

Update : When Desi John Galt finally grows up, I imagine he will be even more annoying.

My brilliant plan for Improvement of Pune

Pune had WMD.

Too big a tent

Cārvākas are not Hindus, mostly because that branch is dead, died out long back, and frankly was never a major force in terms of popularity.

Burke is teh suck

So that's how they flamed in 18th century Britain. How quaint !

I, Pencil

As I have mentioned earlier (can't find the link) I am not fond of I, Pencil *. Reading the essay is basically like reading the worst parts of IndiaUncut, . Thinking it over there problem with the essay may go beyond over tedious rhetoric. Now whether I am right needs verification by someone who knows his economics**, but isn't the main point of contention between free market economics and socialism/Keynesian economics about efficiency of the system. So even if, as the essay goes, pencil is being manufactured, the efficiency is a question.

Now I like to think that free markets are more efficient, with two caveats, one my belief is less due to do study than due to the fact that I have lived in India before and after 1991. Second I am not clear to what degree efficiency is similar to social utility. If by efficiency, we are concerned only with material goods, therefore maximizing efficiency would dictate eliminating any causes for inefficiency. This is problematic as social utility is not limited to material goods, including creation and upkeep of social institutions, maintaining a civic identity, and fostering intellectualism. Much of these aims are intangibles and their assessment in objective economical terms is not possible. Ultimately utility function are context determined, driven by history.

The best that suggests to me at the moment economic efficiency must be fine-tuned with the social goals, which will mean that economic efficiency may not be maximized. Also the balance should be determined by individuals and social institutions, role of state in form of massive bureaucracy should be discouraged.

* Considering the essay is so acclaimed, I must be an idiot.

**As opposed to people who accuse this blog of being peach/pink. Let me make it clear, this blog is not pink . It is horrible and in its horrendousity (is this even a word ?) reflects my inner goober.

Intervention

I know I may be little late, but please read Jonah Goldberg. Reading the American journalists makes one wonder why do we have such pathetic journalists.

Update: For a flavour, read Tradition matters

Christmas is ...

... well about birth of Christ, just because Christmas is intrinsic part of western culture which has transcended sectarians boundaries doesn't take away it from its religious underpinning. I find it objectionable same way as I would find, if someone were trying to secularize Holi or Deepawali. If secularists want to party without being burdened with as little as nod to religious mooring of culture, they can always go to discotheque.

Mark Steyn is right, as is Bryan for pointing out that "War On Christmas"is not a good way to counter the man from Hope.

PS: Sacrilege ! Look what did they do to Theodore Roosevelt.

What makes me happy...

Misery, wretchedness, destruction. I am Galactus, devourer of worlds.

PS. Jessica Alba ? Ioan Gruffudd ??

Update 1 :Important News Alert !

Update 2: OMG Sriram ! What did you do !

Update 3: Retributions was offline today. I think it just goes on to show why people should not be messing with me, because when I am annoyed I can inflict a lot of hurt. Soon I will annihilate
streetcar and all the idiots who comment there. I am Galactus ...

Update 4: When I am dictator, his eminence will not be writing any articles, nor live mint will be published. I will nuke wall street and throw his eminence into jail (that seems to his recurring fantasy, if you ask me he likes pain, perhaps Ritwik can throw some light, having spent an intimate evening with his eminence ). Any way the moral is state religion has a meaning, don't try to be clever by looking for hidden meanings, because that is just stupid.

Update 5: No, I am not getting rid of this template. This template is annoying to people and I hate people, especially who dare to raise their voice against me. Hence, I approve of the layout. Repent, lest I strike upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger.

Update 6: No, Desi John Galt, you are wrong (or so I think).

Okkk

I didn't change. I evolved, which is different

Whatever.

Good News

BJP names Advani as Prime Ministerial candidate

Why Bloggers Blog

a) They are dolts

b) They have low self esteem.

c) People hate them.

d) They are pursuing Phds in dead end subjects But I repeat myself.

PS Now excuse me while I watch The Enforcer.

World Of Pain....

Crazy, hilarious.

The Dude: Walter, ya know, it's Smokey, so his toe slipped over the line a little, big deal. It's just a game, man.
Walter Sobchak: Dude, this is a league game, this determines who enters the next round robin. Am I wrong? Am I wrong?
Smokey: Yeah, but I wasn't over. Gimme the marker Dude, I'm marking it 8.
Walter Sobchak: [pulls out a gun] Smokey, my friend, you are entering a world of pain.
The Dude: Walter...
Walter Sobchak: You mark that frame an 8, and you're entering a world of pain.
Smokey: I'm not...
Walter Sobchak: A world of pain.
Smokey: Dude, he's your partner...
Walter Sobchak: [shouting] Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules? Mark it zero!
The Dude: They're calling the cops, put the piece away.
Walter Sobchak: Mark it zero!
[points gun in Smokey's face]
The Dude: Walter...
Walter Sobchak: [shouting] You think I'm fucking around here? Mark it zero!
Smokey: All right, it's fucking zero. Are you happy, you crazy fuck?
Walter Sobchak: ...It's a league game, Smokey.

Go. Watch. Waste your weekend.

PS. Dear Nicolas Cage. You suck.

The sleight of definition

In an earlier post I had wondered whether something like "market can address market failures" made any sense. Ritwik replied here. The gist of his argument (or rather his summary of the libertarian argument), if I understand correctly is, the situations that are deemed to be market failures (owing to not being,I believe the term is, pareto optimal ) are not due to insufficiency of theoretical framework, but either incorrect application of fundamental market concepts (such as the property right*) or the instrument to enforce market don't function as expected. Further, this situation will be resolved once suitable instruments/technologies evolve.

I have two objections to this.

1. The premise that technologies which resolve market failure emerge from market is not historically accurate. Technologies have developed due to war, or where state (or someone other who is not a market agent acting on market impulse) has intervened. Now one can argue that market is the most efficient way for emergence of technology, a line which I am more favorably disposed towards. Nevertheless this argument must be backed by data.

2. The market failure is a concern for policy makers when it effects the public welfare, and therefore the situation must be rectified not at a later date **. To give one example, the pollution is case of externalities, which greatly affects public welfare. Now it is possible that in future new technologies may help resolve this problem, but until that happens it is sensible if state intervenes by creating policies to counter pollution.

* I don't recall specifics, but someone (probably from cartel) argued that water pollution (or something related) can be resolved without state intervention. I am not knowledgeable enough on economics, but I felt that daal mein kuch kaala hai.

** There is a problem that I have observed in libertarian (esp. in cartel) circle among India. This morbid obsession with theory. Now don't get me wrong. Far be from me to dismiss importance of theory, but ultimately market has utility only as long as it addresses the issue. Surely, making a fetish of market is going too far. In fact if it were not for the fact that Jagadguru has copyrighted the term, I would have used free market fundamentalists.

The problem with Federalism

is that that it is, well you know, problematic. (I have ran out of profound things to say)

To illustrate let us take example of USA, which arguably has the most robust tradition of federalism, where Fred Thompson is running as the federalist candidate. Now I do not exaggerate when I say that there is no issue that Thompson would not rather be decided by state. Whether that is gay marriage or abortion, while he professes conservative position, nevertheless his argument is that it is the states which should be deciding upon the issue.

Earlier I believed that this was a cop out, however I have reasons to believe that he might be sincere in his position. Sincerity notwithstanding there is problem with this strict Constitutionalism which is basically position of Fred Thompson.

Given a certain moral, (and social) context the governance is dependent on the soundness of the constitution, therefore strict adherence to constitution makes sense. However the moral considerations and assumptions, on which constitution stands and hence can be said to act as an instrument to achieve the goal implicit in the moral context, are far from settled, in fact, evolving over a period.

To revisit our example , American Constitution is certainly one of the most enlightened document in history. But its writers who proclaimed that freedom of the man is to be derived from God and not the king, had no problem with slavery. A consequence of this was slavery was a state subject. However with the advent of 19th century Industrial North, which was more populous than Agrarian South, took a turn towards strong abolitionism, and demand to abolish institution of slavery became more vociferous .This was resented by South which took it for cultural assault by North using federal government (along with the little matter of protectionist tariff). Ultimately there was a constitutional breakdown and it took a civil war to settle the issue that whether US as a nation could allow slavery.

Here it must be noted that although there are provisions to amend American constitution, the requirements are so stringent that it was impossible to resolve the issue within constitutional framework of the division of rights between federal government and states in view of power dynamics of that time.

Now cut to the present, I am all right if it is state which legislate on issue of gun control, or abortion, or gay marriage*. However to others these issues may present with same moral standing as slavery did to Americans of earlier period. If percentage who is particularly passionate about some issue becomes significant enough, politics may be subjected to same stress.

How federalism can take account of evolution of morality, and even more pertinent how closely national identity is bound to moral assumption is not clear to me.

*There is one line of argument. If abortion or gay marriage is subject to state, than it may create a problem when, for example, some gay couple moves from a state which recognizes gay marriage to one which doesn't. Similarly it is possible for a woman who resides in a state which disallows abortion to abort child in a state which allows abortion. I think it is possible that interstate commerce clause comes into the picture. (Update: Of course there is no love lost for this clause. Is there any community in Orkut, "I hate interstate commerce clause", hmmm)

Update: Jefferson's view on constitution is instructive

"The earth belongs in usufruct to the living," (4) Jefferson wrote to Madison in 1789. "[T]he question Whether one generation of men has a right to bind another, seems never to have been started either on this or our side of the water," even though "it is a question of such consequences as ... [to] place ... among the fundamental principles of every government." (5) Jefferson's answer to the question was no: "We seem not to have perceived that, by the law of nature, one generation is to another as one independent nation to another." (6) Therefore, Jefferson said, "[e]very constitution ... and every law" should "naturally expire[] at the end of 19 years." (7) (Jefferson elaborately calculated, on the basis of life expectancies at the time, that a majority of people twenty-one and older would die within nineteen years and concluded that was the best measure of a generation's life span.) (8) If any law "be enforced longer, it is an act of force, and not of right." (9)

Believing

Strictly speaking those who profess faith in rationalism are no different from the ancient who professed faith in Titans, or Odin. The only difference that can be observed is in results between belief system, and that too is not clear.

Dear Cyber Coolies & Radio Mirchi

It is bill, not cheque. Only Americans call bill, cheque. That is because they are crazy.

ManBearPig Cult*

Carbon Credit == Indulgence

*

Ghor Kalyug

Earlier today, I came to know (via chief heretic) that certain charlatans are trying to deceive the faithful by posing as Jagadguru. As you can well imagine, the news was devastating . However that was not the end of it, using Google I discovered an even bigger conspiracy is afoot.An evil cabal of Jagadguru haters have pushed the real Jagadguru from number one position. This is clearly unacceptable. Hence the believers are requested to take all the steps to restore Jagadguru to his rightful place.

Dear Tamizhan(s)

Apropos this, Gujarat is West India, not North India. At least get the geography right. *

By the way I had a profound thought. Supposing if Sriram is blessed with a male child, and his name, according to Janam Patrika, turns out to be Jai, then his full name, again according to Tamizh convention, will be Jai Sri Ram.

* Yes I know there is a strong conviction that any place north of tirupati is North India. This must be changed.

Aphorism: Nihilist

The nihilist is doomed, for he places too much faith in abyss.

Dead Poet's Society

That the society is beholden to dead economists is a mistaken notion, to say the least. Neither it is philosopher who holds the leash of multitudes. Truth lost in din of reason is plain enough. Reality as present is dream of poets long gone. Society, for good or for bad, is molded in crucible of verse, resonating with meter. When the man is dead, and even the thought has been consigned to  places inaccessible to all, it is the song which survives,  infusing even the most humble prose with life.

Let's write a new song.

Heaven

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp - or what's a heaven for? - Robert Browning

Aphorism: Revolutionary

Revolutionary, of any hue imaginable, has an inner narcissus.
The presumption that one could change his environment, that man drives the context, and not otherwise, is audacious, an outrage against reason.
The rabble rouser is afflicted with inner gaze which dismisses the consensus, and treats with contempt common wisdom.
Look carefully ! The hand that rocks the cradle of civilization belongs to conceit.

Aphorism: Compassion & Guilt

Compassion is economic good, guilt is free.

PS: By the way what does this comment mean. I suspect not very nice.