I caught the gardening bug when I helped tend the family vegetable garden during my early teenage years. The bug never left me; for the past 20 years, I have enjoyed cultivating a 350-square-foot vegetable patch. Vegetable gardening has for long had an uncool image. However, topical issues such as sustainability, climate change, and organic […]
Isolate Russia at Your Peril
Many of us have a favorable perception of Russian vodka. And of Swiss chocolates, French wines, and the like. We often believe some specific product (vodka) is likely of good quality if it originates from a particular country (Russia). We also hold broad-based country-of-origin quality beliefs. For instance, I respond very favorably to “Made in […]
Spring is in the Air. It is Time to Read, Reread, The Wind in the Willows
I was motivated to write this post following a recent interaction with my wife’s nephew, who, last fall, moved to nearby New Haven from Noida, India. He is a college freshman and an avid reader. During a post-lunch walk, we discussed cricket, movies, and books. I love Hindi movies; I listed my favorites, but he […]