Surta Mehta

useful links for assignments

2010-01-31T00:53:00.006+05:30

Links to Economics Resources:

• Online resources for the third edition of Principles of Economics by Greg Mankiw - http://www.swlearning.com/economics/mankiw/mankiw3e/mankiw3e.html

• Greg Mankiw’s Blog - http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com

• Global Economy Matters – a blog by Edward Hugh - http://globaleconomydoesmatter.blogspot.com

• A blog by Jodi Beggs - http://www.economistsdoitwithmodels.com

• American Economist Paul Krugman blogs on New York Times - http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com

• Paul Krugman’s page at MIT - http://web.mit.edu/krugman/www

• The Unofficial Paul Krugman Archive - http://www.pkarchive.org

• Schools of Thought - http://homepage.newschool.edu/het/thought.htm

• MIT OpenCourseWare - Economics - http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/

• “Economics” – an open source journal (you need to register first to get a login id) - http://www.economics-ejournal.org

• Resources for Economists - http://rfe.org

• AEAweb -- information for economists -- provided by the American Economic Association - http://www.aeaweb.org

• Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development - http://www.oecd.org

• Library of Economics - http://www.econlib.org/

• India Brand Equity Foundation - http://ibef.org/

• Office of the Economic Adviser to the Government of India, Ministry of Commerce and Industry - http://eaindustry.nic.in

• Economic Advisory Council to The Prime Minister, Government of India - http://eac.gov.in

• Planning Commission of India - http://planningcommission.gov.in

• Ministry of Finance, Department of Economic Affairs. Economic Division - http://finmin.nic.in

• Reserve Bank of India - http://www.rbi.org.in

• Business Portal of India - http://business.gov.in

• Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Pvt. Ltd. - http://www.cmie.com

• National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) - http://www.ncaer.org

• Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India - http://www.mospi.nic.in

• Economic and Political Weekly – some material might be free - http://www.epw.in

• Seminar – past issues are free - http://www.india-seminar.com/

• The Economist magazine - http://www.economist.com/

• India Policy Institute - http://www.indiapolicy.org

• The Indian Economy Blog - http://indianeconomy.org/

• The Economic Times - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

• An online publication devoted to coverage of public affairs, policy, and development in India - http://Indiatogether.org

Links to Management Education Resources:

• MIT OpenCourseWare - http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

• Corporate Law in India - http://thefirm.moneycontrol.com

• Online Financial Portal - http://www.moneycontrol.com/

• Extensive resource guide on advertising, media and marketing in India - http://www.afaqs.com

• Marketing Teacher's free lesson store - http://marketingteacher.com

• Association for Consumer Research - http://www.acrwebsite.org

• Some free resource from Internet Center for Management and Business Administration - http://www.netmba.com

• Multimedia Educational Resource - http://www.merlot.org

• The Free MBA Resources - http://www.freemba.in

Links to Mathematics Education Resources:

• Basic Mathematics Tutorials - http://cstl.syr.edu/fipse

• Basic Algebra - http://www.algebasics.com

• An online algebra text by James W. Brennan - http://jamesbrennan.org/algebra

Links to Other Knowledge Resources:

• For those who are scared of English language - LearnEnglish Kids http://www.britishcouncil.org/kids.htm

• The Science Multimedia Center - http://www.sciencemag.org

• Learn about Mind Mapping - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map

• World Civilizations - http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/WORLD.HTM

• Website of Massachusetts Institute of Technology / MIT Museum - http://web.mit.edu/museum/

• Paulo Coelho’s Blog - http://paulocoelhoblog.com

• Universal Access to Human Knowledge - http://www.archive.org

• Free Books at World Wide School - http://www.worldwideschool.org/

Bhagat Singh

2009-09-19T13:29:00.003+05:30

'Revolution does not necessarily involve sanguinary strife, nor is there any place in it for individual vendetta. It is not the cult of the bomb and the pistol. By Revolution we mean that the present order of things, which is based on manifest injustice, must change. Producers or labourers, in spite of being the most necessary element of society, are robbed by their exploiters of their labour and deprived of their elementary rights. The peasant who grows corn for all, starves with his family; the weaver who supplies the world market with textile fabrics, has not enough to cover his own and his children’s bodies; masons, smiths and carpenters who raise magnificent palaces, live like pariahs in the slums. The capitalists and exploiters, the parasites of society, squander millions on their whims. These terrible inequalities and forced disparity of chances are bound to lead to chaos. This state of affairs cannot last long, and it is obvious, that the present order of society in merry-making is on the brink of a volcano.

The whole edifice of this civilisation, if not saved in time, shall crumble. A radical change, therefore, is necessary and it is the duty of those who realise it to reorganise society on the socialistic basis. Unless this thing is done and the exploitation of man by man and of nations by nations is brought to an end, suffering and carnage with which humanity is threatened today, cannot be prevented. All talk of ending war and ushering in an era of universal peace is undisguised hypocrisy.

By Revolution, we mean the ultimate establishment of an order of society which may not be threatened by such break-down, and in which the sovereignty of the proletariat should be recognised and a world federation should redeem humanity from the bondage of capitalism and misery of imperial wars.'

— From the statement of Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt in Assembly Bomb Case, read out by Asaf Ali in the sessions court, Delhi on June 6, 1929.

future of education

2009-09-15T14:00:00.000+05:30

10 Best Business Movies

2009-09-14T11:32:00.001+05:30

10 Best Business Movies

by David Robinson — last modified Tuesday, November 21, 2006

When THE AMERICAN set out to choose the ten best business movies of all time, we looked for three qualities: (1) a great movie, (2) a relatively realistic picture of business, and (3) an attitude not openly hostile to capitalism as we know and love it.

It wasn't easy to find films that met all the requirements. Hollywood tends to take a jaundiced or actively antagonistic view of business. In fact, business is one of Hollywood's favorite villains. Look at the bad guys in "Syriana" (oil companies), "The Constant Gardener" and "Mission: Impossible II" (drug companies), and "The Manchurian Candidate" (a Halliburton-like colossus). Edward Jay Epstein wrote last year in Slate that Hollywood uses "lily-white, impeccably dressed American corporate executives" as villains in an effort to avoid offending other groups, especially Muslims. But a negative view of business predates 9/11. Consider "Modern Times," "Erin Brockovich," and "Wall Street," plus such James Bond movies as "A View to a Kill" and "Goldfinger." We kept fine old films like "Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambersons" off the list because their attitude toward capitalism and economic growth is cynical, even hateful.

Even stranger is the fact that so few movies make business a primary subject (as opposed to, say, the Mafia, boxing, or Hollywood itself )। Of all the winners of the Oscar for Best Picture since 1927, only one—"The Apartment" (1960)—is even vaguely about business. And talk about cynical! In the film, Jack Lemmon tries to advance his career at an insurance company by lending executives the key to his apartment for their extramarital affairs. We persevered, however, and came up with ten wonderful movies, fashioned by superb directors, all available on DVD.

Barcelona

(Whit Stillman, director, 1994)

Two young Americans—a Navy officer and a sales executive for an Illinois company that makes motors—grapple with the sexual revolution and anti-Americanism in Spain. Ted Boynton (Taylor Nichols) just loves his job: "Like everyone, I'd seen Arthur Miller's play ['Death of a Salesman'], and, as a youth, had the usual deprecating attitude to business and sales. That changed when Professor Thompson's business course convinced us that even the mundane world of business had its romance."

Jerry Maguire

(Cameron Crowe, 1996)

Tom Cruise plays a sports agent who goes out on his own after being fired from his job at a big, corner-cutting firm. Cruise conveys an immense enthusiasm for his profession while risking everything to maintain the principle that he owes his all to his client.

Lost in Translation

(Sofia Coppola, 2003)

Here is a haunting evocation of a mandatory business chore, even in the Internet age—life on the road. Bill Murray, as a stranger in a strange land, goes to Tokyo to shoot a whiskey commercial and meets Scarlett Johansson. Runner-up in the road-warrior category: the Steve Martin-John Candy comedy, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" (John Hughes, 1987).

Once Upon a Time in the West

(Sergio Leone, 1968)

In this operatic Western, Henry Fonda is one of the all-time worst bad guys—working, of course, for an evil railroad. But we'll tolerate a business villain, in this case for the redeeming value of gorgeous Claudia Cardinale as a real estate developer. The last shot, as the camera pulls back to reveal a new town being built with American excitement and hard work, is inspiring.

The Shop Around the Corner

(Ernst Lubitsch, 1940)

In this classic romantic comedy set in Budapest, Jimmy Stewart and the great Margaret Sullavan fall in love by mail, not realizing that they are co-workers in a gift shop. Re-made in 1998 by Nora Ephron as "You've Got Mail."

Trading Places

(John Landis, 1983)

Dan Aykroyd plays a broker who switches roles with a con man (Eddie Murphy) in a terrific comedy about—if you can believe it—commodity futures trading: "The good part is that no matter whether our clients make money, or lose money, Duke & Duke get the commissions."

One, Two, Three

(Billy Wilder, 1961)

James Cagney plays the Coca-Cola Company's man in Berlin, and we get a delightful view of an American businessman coping in alien territory and trying, in this case, to prevent the daughter of his Atlanta boss from marrying a communist.

Mildred Pierce

(Michael Curtiz, 1945)

In this deeply engaging murder mystery by the director of "Casablanca," Joan Crawford plays an unusual role for the '40s: a successful woman entrepreneur. She's a divorcée who starts a small restaurant and builds it into a prosperous chain—but can never win the love of her daughter Veda, played by the deliciously nasty Ann Blyth.

Working Girl

(Mike Nichols, 1988)

In this Wall Street comedy, Melanie Griffith plays a secretary whose big idea is stolen by her evil boss, Sigourney Weaver. With Harrison Ford as the sexy investment banker. The opening scene features Staten Island ferry unloading workers in lower Manhattan with Carly Simon's "Let the River Run" (the song itself an Academy Award winner) in the background.

Glengarry Glen Ross

(James Foley, 1992)

Based on David Mamet's gritty play, this film is such a powerful depiction of the pressures to sell (in this case, overpriced real estate) that it qualifies for our list even though the view of business is hardly benign. Great performances by Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin, Kevin Spacey, Ed Harris, Alec Baldwin.

Source: http://www.american.com/archive/2006/november/10-best-business-movies

Who are we fighting against?

2008-12-05T11:45:00.000+05:30

This was written after reading an email forwarded from my dear friend Sudhakaran Nair. His email is attached at the end.

"Hate Indian politicians" is the latest trend that seems to have
emerged out of Mumbai Terror attacks.
These are the people who were elected and selected through our votes. By running a campaign against them we are insulting our great democratic tradition and allowing Pakistanis scoundrels to smile, as they have never been able to embrace and live in a genuine democracy.
We all agree that the people who are in charge of our nation have made grave mistakes. Politicians, government officers, intelligence officers, even defense services, have failed somewhat and now they all are accepting their mistakes.
Some of them might be corrupt, power-hungry and inefficient.
The people who govern and control India are DEFINITELY RESPONSIBLE for what has happened.
But I DO NOT DOUBT THEIR LOVE AND LOYALTY FOR INDIA.
Let us stop looking ridiculous in front of the world, by organizing rallies and processions against our authorities.
Let us not project them as traitors.
If we do not like these people, we can vote in elections and appoint new people in future.
This is the time to support them, guide them, and strengthen them by fulfilling our duties as responsible citizens.
As far as the emerging religious divide is concerned, let me reiterate my point of view.
I am proud of my Hindu (Indus Valley) civilization. I respect all religions of the world. As a student, I used to visit Saint Patrick's Cathedral - The Catholic Church of New York City very often and I was a regular visitor to Ajmer Sharif, as these sacred places enlightened me.
However, over the past few years, I have become more curious about the cultural and spiritual roots of Hindutva.
Islamic architecture of Ahmedabad is considered to be the most beautiful in Asia according to some experts and as an Indian I am proud of my 'Ganga-Jamni' tehzeeb or culture.
As a Hindu, I do not want innocent people, of any religion or sect, killed in my country.
And being a Hindu, I must always be able to control my emotions and reactions and stay away from violent actions against fellow countrymen.
If we want to move on and progress, we must forget and forgive the past.
As far as the Marathi-non Marathi dispute is concerned, it was related to the federal structure of India and the rights and duties of various states and its people. Such disputes are likely to occur in every federal structure and Indians stand united today.
Soldiers and officers from entire nation saved Mumbai.
However, the bravery and fighting spirit of Mumbai and Maharashtra Police has been incredible. When I see the faces of martyrs, I feel my brothers have been killed.
After 26th of November, every night many of us go to sleep crying; thinking that many of these brave men did not have the resources to fight against those monsters. Their only weapon was their courage.
I salute the Marathi tradition of defending our great nation depicted by Maratha Light Infantry and Mahar Regiment. As we all know, in Indian army a Bihari can be part of Mahar regiment and a Marathi can be part of Punjab regiment.
THERE IS NO GUJARAT REGIMENT IN INDIAN ARMY AT PRESENT.
And yes, I do feel sad for the 13 year old boy who got badly hurt in a grenade attack at CST and is crying for his parents, not knowing that his parents can't hug him anymore as they are dead.
I also feel sad for little Moshe, who lost his parents at Nariman House. His mother was six months pregnant.
As stated beautifully by the new Union Home Minister, P. Chidambaram, the terror strikes in Mumbai were an attack on the "very soul and idea of India that we love which is secular, pluralist, tolerant and open and the idea of India will triumph with the help and support of the people of India."
Security of this idea of India should be more important to us Indians than our individual security. Terror attacks can come from anywhere. None of us is immortal, but India is for eternity.

On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 4:22 PM, sudhakaran C K Nair wrote:

READ THIS MAIL CAREFULLY WITH ALL YOUR HEART, IF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF TO BE AN INDIAN.
I used to see in early 90s Bollywood action movies, a running car's door would smash open in the middle of a crowded road and gunmen would open fire at innocent strangers. I used to laugh and think of it as bad imagination of a bored screenwriter. Little had I known then, that this could be a well-planned attack by real villains of this world.
What began on November 26 was horrific. Who ever they were, Deccan Mujahideen, Indian Mujahideen, Alquaida, Lashkar-e-Toiba or unknown, they have only one religion-Terrorism. With 183 people dead so far, one thing is clear, people's lives have no value. This makes me sad. But more than sad, this has made me angry and ashamed.
I'm angry at the bloddy politicians for not taking the actions they can at their level, but instead making it an election issue. How could BJP think of votes at such a terrible time? LK Advani is at an age where hospital visits are as common as morning tea, but he still has the nerve to promote his party to people who only need security and not his words of wisdom. Vilas Rao Deshmukh, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra was not in the state. The top leaders have given apalling statements including, "ye sab to chalta rehta hai".
I'm angry at the lax of security. A five star heritage hotel had terrorists as guests loaded with arms. Where were the security checks??? Why do we continue to live carelessly like this???? Why can't we as citizens be more aware, more alert? CHECK PEOPLE BEFORE YOU HIRE THEM. Check your tenant's background, register your servant's photo ID in police stations, have strict security at all places, bomb blats or no bomb blasts.
I'm ashamed at the attitude of the media. To cover the story, to get a byte, to have the best photos, to have the highest TRP, journos made pornography of this tragedy. Why were they allowed to go so close to the Taj and all cruicial places, when the strikes were still on??? Why could a CNN reporter walk straight into the Lobby without being asked for ID?? Why were the top media releasing confidential information about the plan of action????? Why were journos asking relatives who had lost dear ones , "how do you feel'??....how would one feel?? Instead of this emotional TRP drama, why didnt journos run after those sick politicians and top officials for some important answers???
I'm ashamed at what the world thinks of us Indians. They know we are divided. They know we are not one. At this time, somene should have come out, someone in the position of power and awe and inspired the nation like Obama has inspired America. Someone like Amitabh Bachchan or Shahrukh Khan or Rahul Gandhi or Sachin Tendulkar or Aishwariya Bachchan or Leandar Paes or Priyanka Gandhi or Scindia junior or the President or anyone who this country listens to. Why didnt they come out and beg people to unite, inspire people to fight and encourage people to keep their calm. Why didnt they come out and request people to stay indoors, get away from the blast site, not make it a political issue, not make it a TRP issue????
I wasn't sure what I can do. How I can prevent such attacks living in a country far away from homeland but I knew I wanted to do something. So I wrote and wrote and wrote. There is still a lot more anger to pour out but it is not enough.. We need to do more. Be alert, be vigilant, be proactive, be selfless. Everytime you think about yourself first, think about the 13 year old boy who got badly hurt in a grenade attack and is crying for his parents, not knowing that his parents can't hug him anymore. They are dead.
It could have been you. It can be your son, mother, father, wife, brother, husband, sister or friend next time. Do whatever you can to stop this.
Start by not skipping the traffic light. Start by not bribing a police officer when you get caught. Start by reporting anything you see suspicious. Start by calling yourself an Indian not a Delhiite or Mumbaiker or Punjabi or Gujrati or North Indian or South Indian. Start somewhere.