Whats on the Net

Some interesting articles that I have read over the last couple of days

1. Breaking American addiction of Fast Food in one of the most un-healthiest regions in American by cooking food British Style
2. If you followed the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the US Supreme Court, you will remember the controversy surrounding the "Wise Latina" comment. Ever wondered how this obscure comment made by the now Supreme Court justice become the focal point in her confirmation hearings. Mark Bowden in an excellent article for The Atlantic magazine explains.
3. I have heard alcohol addiction, drug addiction, even gambling addiction. But Internet Addiction, this is news to me.

With that thought, I will end my post as I don't want to be addicted to the internet.

About Soulmates and Jobs

Searching for a soulmate is like searching for a job. Just as when you look for a job, you weigh the good and bad things about it and settle for a middle ground, same is true when you are looking for a soulmate. Atleast that's what Betsey Stevenson believes. In a commentary for Marketplace she writes:

Economists simply can't believe in one soulmate. There are too many people in the world and the odds of finding that one person in five billion are, well, you can do the math.

So if economists don't believe in soulmates, why do we think people get married?

Searching for a spouse is very similar to searching for a job. There is not one perfect job for each of us, but there are clearly better and worse jobs. So we hunt, for a spouse and a job. When do we stop? When the offer in the hand is better than the likely offer in the bush.

Why Indians are the Way They Are?

This topic comes timely. We were having this discussion just a few days ago. Why is it that we as Indians do not obey the rules be it in traffic, are averse to general cleanliness in the public place when we keep our houses clean, do not think twice before relieving oneself in a public place. When the same Indians go abroad, they follow the rules to the hilt. We are one of the most law abiding citizens when we go abroad even though we may not be so back home. Why is that?

In response to a column by Aakar Patel in the magazine Mint, Amit Varma writes:

It’s a human characteristic, not an Indian one. How much we follow rules depends on the incentives offered. Abroad, as in Singapore, the laws of littering may be strict; or your peers may frown upon loutish behaviour, which is disincentive enough. In India, laws, where they exist, aren’t implemented; and littering and jumping lanes in traffic is normal, not deviant, behaviour.