Saturday, January 13, 2007

Thomas Malthus, eat my shorts

Artist : Peter Arno Publication: The New Yorker 17 Oct 1936

World 6,569,534,871 @ 13:41 GMT (EST+5) on Jan 13, 2007 and counting!

courtesy: http://www.census.gov/main/www/popclock.html

What Should a Billionaire Give – and What Should You?


Artist : Richard Decker Publication : The New Yorker 26 Dec 1936

On December 17, 2006 for NYT, Peter Singer has written thought provoking "What Should a Billionaire Give – and What Should You?"

He says: “The Nobel Prize-winning economist and social scientist Herbert Simon estimated that “social capital” is responsible for at least 90 percent of what people earn in wealthy societies like those of the United States or northwestern Europe. By social capital Simon meant not only natural resources but, more important, the technology and organizational skills in the community, and the presence of good government. These are the foundation on which the rich can begin their work. “On moral grounds,” Simon added, “we could argue for a flat income tax of 90 percent.” Simon was not, of course, advocating so steep a rate of tax, for he was well aware of disincentive effects. But his estimate does undermine the argument that the rich are entitled to keep their wealth because it is all a result of their hard work. If Simon is right, that is true of at most 10 percent of it.”

Singer's Answer:

In India and other similar countries, people like me who enjoyed huge public subsidies in higher education should remember this all the time.

Not intent on arriving

Lao Tzu : A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.

I like to move absolutely aimlessly. Just watching life. Other than air travel done for business, once begun I have enjoyed almost every journey in my life. Even when I was going away from my mother.

Although I agree with Walter de la Mare when he says:
"No, No, Why further should we roam
Since every road man Journeys by,
Ends on a hillside far from Home
Under an alien sky", I want to see that sky.

I will be renting the trailer below.

Artist : Richard Decker Publication : The New Yorker 18 Jul 1936