Recipe for restaurant survival in a pandemic
by Rashmee
Posted on May 24, 2020
Tony Cecchini, who owns two bar-restaurants in Brooklyn, NY (and is incidentally credited with having invented the Cosmopolitan), says social distancing will be “a death sentence” to his business. “That would give me four lonely seats across the entire run of each of my bars, with guests dotted here and there slipping their masks down … Continue reading “Recipe for restaurant survival in a pandemic”
Read MorePeople on the UK’s coronavirus furlough scheme should be put to work to help the country out of the crisis
by Rashmee
Posted on May 19, 2020 / The Focus
At the moment, 7.5 million jobs in the UK are covered by the government’s furlough scheme, that’s an awful lot of people out of work. They say there are always lessons we can learn from history. In that case, it’s worth examining an 18th century proto-Keynesian state intervention in north India that proved successful. It … Continue reading “People on the UK’s coronavirus furlough scheme should be put to work to help the country out of the crisis”
Read MoreUK furlough scheme could learn from 18th century proto-Keynesian state intervention in India
by Rashmee
Posted on May 17, 2020
With 7.5 million jobs in Britain now covered by the government’s furlough scheme, right through to October, there’s much to learn from an 18th century proto-Keynesian successful state intervention from north India. It was launched by the Nawab of Awadh, Asaf-ud Daula in 1784, when famine hit the region. Awadh was a wealthy kingdom in … Continue reading “UK furlough scheme could learn from 18th century proto-Keynesian state intervention in India”
Read MoreA world of Zoombies: What it means, really
by Rashmee
Posted on May 16, 2020
In the past 24 hours, I have been on three Zoom calls. The first on Friday night was with good friends, calling with birthday wishes. The second and third, on Saturday, were with disparate groups of family members, similarly reaching out across the lockdown with loving virtual hugs and kisses. The Friday night call ran … Continue reading “A world of Zoombies: What it means, really”
Read More‘Sell city, buy country’? The pandemic won’t empty London, NYC
by Rashmee
Posted on May 14, 2020
Some very clever people are writing off cities. Not altogether, but quite substantially. Consider a new piece in Politico magazine by Parag Khanna, bestselling author and managing partner of the data and scenario-based strategic global advisory firm FutureMap. The pandemic “may cause fundamental shifts in our human geography,” Mr Khanna writes. “Why choose to stay in a … Continue reading “‘Sell city, buy country’? The pandemic won’t empty London, NYC”
Read MoreHow the bubble might be a healthful strategy in a pandemic
by Rashmee
Posted on May 11, 2020
With no vaccine or cure in sight for this coronavirus, the “bubble” is increasingly seen as a viable health strategy. New Zealand put it out as a model, with the single bubble comprising a single household. Parts of Canada are pioneering the double bubble, which allows a household to join with one other household in … Continue reading “How the bubble might be a healthful strategy in a pandemic”
Read MoreO brave new world. It’s the week it opens the door and gingerly peers out
by Rashmee
Posted on May 10, 2020
This is the week the world tries to recover its nerve even though we remain months away from a vaccine for Covid-19 and still have no cure. As 15-year-old Miranda said in Act V of The Tempest: “How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world That has such people in’t!” Indeed, rather a brave attempt … Continue reading “O brave new world. It’s the week it opens the door and gingerly peers out”
Read MoreIn a world hit by a pandemic, does Brexit even matter anymore?
by Rashmee
Posted on May 9, 2020
Britain will leave the European Union’s (EU) single market at the end of its post-Brexit transition period, which is to say January 1, 2021 will be the start of a whole new phase in the life of the United Kingdom. Will this matter in a world hit by a pandemic? More to the point, does … Continue reading “In a world hit by a pandemic, does Brexit even matter anymore?”
Read MoreA photo journal of a plague month (-and-a-half)
by Rashmee
Posted on May 7, 2020
Britain went into lockdown, reluctantly and rather later than much of the world, on March 23. In the past six weeks, here’s a snapshot of the small but significant changes to the way we live now. I see masks everywhere. Not as many as are being worn in other countries because the British are apparently … Continue reading “A photo journal of a plague month (-and-a-half)”
Read MoreWhy a 1000-year-old English flour mill should be a case study for Harvard Business School
by Rashmee
Posted on May 3, 2020
When this is all over, Sturminster Newton flour mill in Dorset, England, should be a case study for Harvard Business School. The mill, which originally predated the 1066 Norman Conquest and was rebuilt in the 16th century, ceased commercial milling half-a-century ago and become a museum piece. But now it is back to commercial production … Continue reading “Why a 1000-year-old English flour mill should be a case study for Harvard Business School”
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Rashmee has lived and worked in several countries in the past decade, including Afghanistan, India, Haiti, Tunisia, the UAE, US and UK