Going back to Year Zero

Can reverting to the past solve today's problems? Many politicians seem to think so -- since they have often painted a rosy picture of how good things were in the past and used it as a lure to paint an equally rosy picture of how things can be in the future -- all for their own gains. So, is it fair to say that the Year Zero is actually a great political tool?

Click here to read about this ongoing debate.

The old gold standard

Old is gold, they say. A few countries like China and Russia seem to agree. Recently, Russia advocated a partial restoration of the gold standard -- the old system of anchoring a country’s currency with a specific amount of gold -- to inculcate more stability in the world monetary system. China has been pressing for the need to replace the dollar with Special Drawing Rights (SDR) as the world's main reserve currency. The Chinese contention is that a super-sovereign reserve currency not only eliminates the risks inherent in a credit-based currency such as the dollar -- in contrast to one backed by gold -- but also makes it possible to manage global liquidity better. So, is it a good idea to revert to the gold standard of old as a solution to the world’s economic woes?

Click here to find out whether we should follow the yellow brick road?

No space to be buried

There's a space crunch everywhere and it's hitting everyone -- those who are alive and even those who're not. Yes, it's a grim reality that there is acute shortage of space for burials across the country -- as I found out when I spoke with representatives of Christians, Muslims and Jews in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai. Interestingly, while the lack of space for burials, remains a grim problem, it has also thrown up some innovative solutions.

Click here to read what these solutions are.