Sunday, March 21, 2004

New dimensions of problems


It is not just that being in America is all about technology, glamour, money and developement - though it is so too - but to problems which are too different than what we in India have. Things are different here, more because of people, culture and attitude, but also because issue they deal with are too different. For example recently ministry of food here have issued notices to all restaurent too include calorie content in menus. Reason being that they recognize that second most curable deadly disease facing americans is obesity. Wonder when out health ministry is fighting with basic hospitalizations and epidemics like polio, issue like obesity come too far when people are even struggling for feeding themselves. One thing is sure I have noticed that these people are obcessed with with health issues. Perhaps the reson is that when people are well fed and have enough money, they digress to unimportant issues. Not that I say health is irrelevent, but the approach here seems very ridiculous to me. They prefer eating tablets and injections but not basic exersise, running or daily hard work. And be whatever the stage, only benefit anybody seems to get are these corporations. Funny that advertisement, products tune themselve to lure people for whatever they are worth. May be because economy is capitalism here, but it seems to be the trend that will govern human concerns all along. Recently I heard the news the prision industry in america is privatised. Hmm, "prison industry". Actually US imprisionment rate is highest of 7 inmated per 1000 residents - though crime is falling, perception of crime is becoming less tolerent, and also not to say that most of criminals do get punished. So whatever, corporations have found a new way to cut costs. Packing, manufacturing, and all that cheap labour work is contracted to these private prisions, at pittance of rate of normal wage. Idea is simple, inmates are not organised, no over time, no compensation, no vacations, no sick leave.....and what more Guards ensures productivity and hard-work. And managers of these corporations have control over their punishment..isn't it strange?

Book Review - Music of the Primes by Marcus du Sautoy (2003)

I can say, with some modesty, that I am familiar with the subject of mathematics more than an average person is. Despite that I hadn’t ever ...