Archive for May, 2007
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Page 3: Madhur Bandarkar & Konkona Sen scintillate
Posted on May 26, 2007 | 1 CommentPage 3 IMDB Year: 2005 Director: Madhur Bhandarkar Category: Drama Rating: 5 out of 5 A fantastic out of the box movie from India ‘Page 3’ by Madhur Bhandarkar is one of the nicest Indian movies I have seen in the last five years or so. The plot of page 3 is available in many sites, and I will not write about it here. I shall concentrate instead on some aspects that liked most in the movie. Unique story line The story, to begin with, is refreshingly different, and is a drastic shift from the typical formula-based movies. This does... -
Collected works on Anthropology and institutional economics
Posted on May 20, 2007 | No CommentsAnthropology and institutional economics Rating: 3 out of 5 Editor: James M. Acheson Year: 1994 Category: Anthropology, economics, institutional economics Publisher: University Press of America ISBN: 0819195952 This volume is one of the rare collection of papers I found looking at Anthropology and institutional economics. Surprisingly, though the two have a large scope for collaboration, there is very little work happening between these two disciplines, to my knowledge. This volume provides a useful introduction. The book starts with an introduction about Anthropology and Institutional economics by James Acheson. This is followed by an essay on New Institutionalism by Robert Bates.... -
Right to information call centre in Bihar: Video clip
Posted on May 19, 2007 | No CommentsIt looks like Government of Bihar has launched a Right to information call centre. Personally, I think this is a great idea, though I dont know how it works at this point. If found a video about it in You Tube that has been widely televised. This is a eight minute clip about that appeals to different groups of people to use it, and gives an idea about how it could be done. -
Legacy of Robert Moses: Webcast of Discussion
Posted on May 8, 2007 | No CommentsRobert Moses was the most prolific builder of public projects in New York City leaving behind a contested legacy I chanced across a debate on the legacy of Robert Moses that was held at Museum of the City of New York. The webcast of the discussion includes a 20 minute presentation by the Dy. Mayor of New York, Daniel Dotoroff and it is followed by a powerful presentation by Majora Carter of Sustainable South Bronx. Daniel gives a brief overview of Robert Moses’ life and work and draws an analogy to the work he is involved with currently. Robert Moses... -
Finally a good book to read
Posted on May 7, 2007 | No CommentsI had almost become tierd of reading the last few months. Books were becoming repetitive, and arguments were being recycled at an alarming rate. Finally, I landed on a brilliantly written book by Jane Jacobs. I have by now heard a lot about her seminal book, Death and life of great American cities, and I saw some webcasts of her interviews. Finally, I decided that I want to read some good stuff and laid my hands on this book. Jane Jacob’s presentation is lucid and she has a highly engaging style. The content is very original and challenging, and on...