The Dharma Initiative

Recession 2011: How US political class dysfunction differs from India

Even its most ardent admirer must now be questioning America's political process. Why was it necessary to take the debt limit extension issue all the way to the very edge of a vertiginous precipice? Countries have gone back on their financial obligations on different occasions.

The Confederacy reneged on its debt when it lost the American Civil War as did Czarist Russia when it was brought down by a revolution and so on. In the 20th century many Latin American countries even made a habit of sticking it to their creditors every now and then. But for the longest continuously functioning constitutional republic of recent times to actually contemplate a financial hara-kiri is breathtaking both in the audacity of what was actually being wished for by maverick Tea Party fanatics and in the utter irresponsibility of the lunatic posturing.

The present episode was in marked contrast to the sober approach adopted by both John McCain and Barack Obama during the presidential campaign when they changed their busy schedules, flew into Washington DC, dropped their acrimony for a while and supported a lame-duck president's efforts to prevent the collapse of the American banking system. That action almost certainly prevented a global depression. Those who are upset with the present state of affairs should thank their stars that the US has not experienced 30% unemployment levels and the rest of us have not been faced with a complete collapse of markets.

We can derive some consolation from the fact that the US did in fact pull back from the brink this time. But the fact that elected legislators who are supposed to defend and protect the constitution could think of playing with the foundations of the political dispensation and the economic edifice of not just their country, but of the world at large has left a bad taste in the mouth.

When ancient Rome lost its aura of sobriety and invincibility it wasn't just Rome's enemies who derived lessons; Roman subjects too started wondering and taking out insurance policies thus leading to the self-fulfilling prophecy of the decline of the greatest empire of antiquity. We breathe a little easily for now and contemplate the possibility of American decline — something that is hardly in our interests as Indians; would we rather be at the mercy of a Sinic hegemon or the ummah of a global caliphate?

DHARMA Initiative Style Labeling Could Prevent Obesity and Type 2 ...

I took my sons for routine blood tests this week, and given that they are the offspring of two type 1 diabetics , you can imagine the fears in the back of my mind.  Their fasting blood glucose levels came back normal (thankfully), but what I found myself thinking about -surprisingly- when I looked over their results was – what if they had type 2 diabetes?  I always have type 1 diabetes on my mind because I know they may have a genetic predisposition to it.  But I don’t think it’s much of stretch to say that all of us eating a Western diet are predisposed to type 2 diabetes.

I do make an effort to keep my sons away from processed foods, soda, and junk food in general. I’m far from a tyrant about it, though.  And whenever they (or I) eat junk, I wish we weren’t eating it. But it’s everywhere, and sometimes -no matter how strong your will – it’s unavoidable.  So the question is, what will deter us from eating garbage food?  What can I do to keep my sons from wanting the food products that increase their risk for obesity and/or type 2 diabetes?

I touched on this subject in a post about whether Ronald McDonald should be forced into retirement.  And I’ve written before about why I’m not a fan of soda tax .  I think that America’s obesity (and diabetes) problem runs so deep that pointing a finger here or there isn’t going to solve anything. Soda is junk, but so is sugary cereal.  So are a thousand other products.  I don’t see small tax increases in these products, like 12 cents on a can of soda, as a real solution.  When it comes to a cigarette tax, however, I find myself feeling differently.

Recently I’ve been reading about Australia’s 25% tax increase on cigarettes .  This tax hike raised the price of cigarettes by $2 a box, which is enough, I believe to curb some cigarette purchases.  And moreover, as of July 1, 2012, cigarette packs in Australia will have no logos, color or font variation.  Each pack will bear the brand name and a graphic photo depicting the gruesome consequences of smoking like images of fat oozing out of blocked aortas, or rotting gums, or cancerous lungs.

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