“A Passage to India” on Its 100th Birthday
THIS YEAR marks the 100th anniversary of the publication of E. M. Forster’s A Passage to India. I’ve never loved the novel, nor have I been able to let go of
Afghanistan: Broad Strokes and Canvases
Irshad Salim: Over the years, paints, brushes, the pellet knife and canvases substituted my textual thoughts as I looked out my window at the never-ending war in Afghanistan–broad strokes of
How I Lost and Found My Scientific Creativity
In my new job, I tried to heed this epiphany. I made a point to think and write a little bit at home each morning, in a room overlooking the
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The Theory of Mind That Says Artificial Intelligence is Possible
by Tim Sommers in 3 Quarks Daily: Does your dog feel pain? Or your cat? Surely, nonhuman great apes do. Dolphins feel pain, right? What about octopuses? (That’s right, “octopuses”
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Scientists Will Never Find a Copy of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in the Brain
Because your brain does not process information, retrieve knowledge or store memories. In short: your brain is not a computer. Robert Epstein’s essay in Aeon: No matter how hard they
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US Media Is Collapsing, Here’s How to Save It
Mass layoffs are tearing through US media. To preserve a functioning media ecosystem, we need three things: immediate aid to struggling journalists, public subsidies to smaller news outlets, and eventually
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“India is (not) going back into the background anymore. It has arrived.”
Modi’s economy also offers a ‘real alternative’ to China Excerpt of analysis by Diksha Madhok in CNN: India is said to be a prime candidate to benefit from the ‘friend-shoring’
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The G20 Looks South
Bruno De Conti , Pedro Rossi, Arthur Welle, and Clara Saliba in Phenomenal World: In December 2023, Brazil began presiding over the G20. The one-year presidency, which will culminate in
Geopolitics and the Geometry of Global Trade
McKinsey’s Global Economics Intelligence executive summary, January 2024) includes analysis of the changing geometry of global goods trade using four measures, each of which has its own limitations: trade intensity,
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Note From Quetta: Remembering Amin Sayani of Binaca Geet Mala
By Engr. Habib Khan: Amin Sayani, 91, the popular announcer of Binaca Geet Mala passed away last week on the 20th. I heard the news from the morning program of
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A Zen Buddhist Priest Voices the Deep Matters he Usually Ponders in Silence
Directed by Chris Santiago; Produced by Daryl Hefti – Born into a wealthy Austrian family, the life of Vanja Palmers changed course dramatically in 1972 after a psychedelic experience. Abandoning
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What’s a Group of Ravens Called?
These super-smart birds recognize other friendly birds, as well as human faces. By the way, the only bird that dares to peck an eagle is the raven. How an eagle