Things I Hear in Class...

I hear things.  Some mindbogglingly insane things in my class.  Some, require documentation for posterity.  This is my attempt to do so... (no names are used to protect the identity of such genius, but these are 11th and 12th graders)

An answer in my last Economics test...
I believe that Mr. Maity is amazing teacher (A)
Awesome suits, looking classy everytime. (B)
I can sense that he is also an amazing pitcher (A)
Mr. Maity is like a lime. (B)
Sour at first, but becomes sweeter. (A)
I'll study a lot for the next test, I so sorry...

Student: Isn't Belgium in China?

An answer in my latest Economics exam...

"Since I do not know the answer, here is a short story about economy.

Once upon a time, there was a boy named Econ.  He was always sick and his body immune systems were poor because his blood cells, red blood cells lacked.  One day, blood cells in the chromosomes of his abdomen were hurting.  So he went to toilet to digest his blood cells.  The atom inside the electrons of his blood cells started neutralizing with hydrochloric acid that he by mistakely drank.  So when H20 and other nutrients and dirts were coming through his anus, it was so painful.  When they all came out, the was like "oh, my..." Later this story was pass through his friends and they called him "Econohmy" which later became one of the study subjects.  Therefore, Econohmy, as h tends to 1 limit = Economy. d(Econohmy)/dx = Economy. [sic]"  

True story

“If there is high debt the government cannot invest and the consumer confidence of the population is less, because there is a high chance of firms to go bank robbed [sic]”

Student: Won't increasing pornography increase the population?

Student: Sir, great news!

Me: What?

Student: We stopped farming and started paying taxes!

Me: So, anyone know why we celebrate Teachers' Day?

Student: Someone died, isn't it?

Me: Natural manure is a way of increasing soil fertility.

Student: Why are they using man-whores on fields?

Me: Anyone know who was responsible for the Bhopal Gas Tragedy?  I'll give you a hint they are a British company involved in the Olympics.

Student: Marks and Spencer?

Me: Anyone know who started the First Gulf War?

Student: Stalin?

(On receiving the test paper)

Student: Oh this is positively orgasmic!

Me: First Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Economics, anyone?

Student: Yao-Ming or someone like that?

A Round-Up Of Interesting Reads...

Continuing with my recent effort to raise awareness about climate change using scientific arguments and not hearsay and mumbo-jumbo, I bring you another great article from Time Magazine, emphasizing on the lesser understood and far reaching impacts of climate change.

And from the world of insanity and humanity, here is the brilliant story of a smuggling operation, very reminiscent of KIS.  I think this fellow would do great business here too!

For the geek in me, a book review about the coolest scientific minds, making the silliest blunders... "Brilliant Blunders".

And lastly, for all the budding wannabe bankers out there... Here's the truth. 

Some Get Away...

There are some stalwarts that get away with plagiarism.  Bollywood is a classic example.  But the one that always gets on my nerves for some reason is that brilliant fraud Anu Malik.  There are many others like Kumar Sanu et al, but Anuji, as he is reverently called, is in a class of his own.

Hear, Hear, Mr. Sandman...

Neil Gaiman's 2012 commencement speech at the University of Arts.  "Make good art" - my dear ladies and gentlemen, especially when the chips are down.  Make good art that makes you proud.

DFW FTW! Also Starring Randy Pausch

David Foster Wallace is one of my favorite authors.  Perhaps even one of my favorite philosophers or thought leaders, and it is ironic that I found so much solace in the words of a man so deeply disturbed that he could not find it bearable to live.

I wanted to share DFW commencement speech at Kenyon College in 2005.

It left a profound impact on my when I first heard it after DFW passed away in 2008, the year I graduated from college.

Recently, a group called "The Glossary" took an excerpt from the speech, a section called, "This is Water" and made a striking video.

Also, in the vein of great speeches is Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture" - which was truly a roller coaster ride of sorrow, inspiration, and joy.  

Enjoy, and be inspired.

The Big Picture...

Photographer and journalist Gabriel Galimberti's insightful use of photographs to tell us a bigger picture of perspectives...

"What the World Eats" and "Toys From Around The World" - the projects took over 18 months each to complete.

Brazilian economist, conservationist, and photographer, Sebastio Salgado gave a fantastic speech on human responsibility and the bigger picture using his lens as a tool at TED - "The Silent Drama of Photography".

Are Old People Poor?

A great read on the changing levels of income inequality (nay equity?) in the United States now that the baby boomer generation is beginning to retire. Also gives an interesting perspective of how manufactured inflation by the FED has destroyed the life savings of an entire generation.

Also in the theme of equity, recent studies showed that even Capuchian monkeys have the concept of cooperation and fairness, and do not take kindly to income inequity.

The first is an except from a TEDx talk about income inequity and monkeys - "Capuchian Monkeys Reject Unequal Pay".

The second video shows how Capuchian monkeys cooperate to beat the system - "Monkey Cooperation and Fairness".

The need for equity and fairness is not a human construct, but seems it might be an animal instinct.  But I suppose we humans are more selfish than monkeys.  Evolve much?

Click here for the entire TED talk.

A Curious Mind

Happy birthday Professor Richard P. Feynman.  Google might have forgotten you again, but the world hasn't.

The 95th birthday of one of the greatest scientific minds of the twentieth century.

Leonard Susskind's talk at TEDxCaltech celebrating Feynman.

If you want to know more about this remarkable man, pick up a copy of "Surely, You Must Be Joking Mr. Feynman".

Still Think Climate Change Is A Myth?

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recently announced that carbon di-oxide content in the atmosphere has crossed 400 particles per million in Hawaii.

To elucidate what this means, I recommend you watch this short graphical demonstration on the level of CO2 addition to the atmosphere since the ice-age.

Here is the Reuters article.

Brain Drain Hither

A great article in the Hindu by a foreign exchange student about his educational experience in the premier college in India.  Many of the reasons stated here are some of the reasons I left Stephen's and went off to Hamilton, so the story resonates with me...

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Perhaps the most underrated actor working in Bollywood today... 'nuff said.  It needed to be said.  So there.

The 2007 US Housing Bubble Explained

Disclaimer: I do not own this video.

The key thing to understand is the role of the Central Bank (The Federal Reserve) in allowing this fiasco.  Lack of foresight and greed combined to create a toxic business environment.  Not since the Enron scandal, have so few gutted so many...