"50 Economics Ideas you really need to know" by Edmund Conway

Economics has of late become a popular topic for discussion, thanks to a series of apocalyptic crashes and news flows dominating our daily lives from crude oil to subsidies to budget, TARP, warts and all.In this book, m       Edmund Conway, economics editor of the Daily Telegraph, introduces and explains the central concepts of economics in a series of 50 accessible and engaging essays. The essays range from discussion on theories such as Adam Smith's "invisible hand" and the law of supply and demand, linkages between wealth and happiness and the shape of current thinking on economics. It takes some interesting topics and gives a crystalline glimpse on topics that influence every aspect of our lives from buying a house to what you ate for breakfast this morning - Which country will be the world's leading economy in 10 years' time? What exactly is a credit crunch? Irrespective of what you do for a living, this is one book that's sure to come handy when you are set among people conversing on the land prices, international airports, entertainment economy, or why subsidies won't go away.

Book Review: Tales From the Bench and the Bar by Vicaji J.Taraporevala

There are over 47,000 pending cases in Supreme Court, over 3.7 million in High Court and around 26.3 million in subordinate judiciary. Amidst all this insurmountable volume of work, black dress, uniform, countless PILs (Public Interest Litigation)  being filed every day, and cases for bringing lawyers' assets to book under Right To Information Act, one wonders whether a lawyer's life is all about serious stuff! Not so, according to the book - Tales from the Bench and the Bar by Vicaji J Taraporevala. Its a delightful insider's account of life on the Bench and the Bar giving some refreshingly light moments that liven up the often stern and forbidding proceedings in our courts. The author himself is a senior advocate in the Bombay High Court and has been practising for sixty two years. He gives some glimpses of sharp wit and humor, of legendary lawyers like Nani Palkhivala, Sir Pherozeshah Mehta, M R Jayakar. The book is a good read and I have been distributing to a few lawyer friends and wannabe lawyers since.

Here's a sample: "A member of the Bar carrying a number of law books was greeted in court by his client with the words. "I thought you lawyers knew all the law." "Yes, we do", said the lawyer. After a pause, he continued: "Oh, these books  - they are for the judges."