Loving it in la-la land

Number of words – 745 When White House press secretary Sean Spicer lied about how many people attended US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the counselor to the president, Kellyanne Conway, defended him, saying the made-up numbers were an “alternative fact”. I am delighted to report that we too now have a Kellyanne in our midst, … Read more

Do wolves help in reforestation?

Number of words – 290 At Yellowstone, despite the re-introduction of wolves, the willows are not actually recovering as well as was hoped. One reason, Marris found, may be that wolves don’t actually scare elk away from their preferred feeding areas, as earlier research suggested they might. “When elk are really hungry, they’re going to … Read more

Bulldoze the business school

Number of words – 3,442 Visit the average university campus and it is likely that the newest and most ostentatious building will be occupied by the business school. The business school has the best building because it makes the biggest profits (or, euphemistically, “contribution” or “surplus”) – as you might expect, from a form of … Read more

The Long Tail.

Number of words – 849 Decision making is such a vital element in making progress. Availability of choice or the dearth of it is in turn the most important factor in decision making. Maria Konnikova the American-Russian writer feels choices are bad to have, especially in the same value-zone. According to her, even after making … Read more

Power causes brain damage

Number of words – 1,848 If power were a prescription drug, it would come with a long list of known side effects. It can intoxicate. It can corrupt. It can even make Henry Kissinger believe that he’s sexually magnetic. But can it cause brain damage? When various lawmakers lit into John Stumpf at a congressional … Read more