Quotes from recent readings

“The word ‘bankrupt’ originally came from Italy, deriving from banca rotta, or broken bench. When a medieval money lender could not pay his debts, his bench was broken in two, sometimes over his head.” (The Economist, Jan. 3, 2009, pg 45.)

“Money and religion tend to drive human behavior more than any other factors – with the possible exception of love – which is why the Middle East, with its oil and its central role in the story of the people who trace their origins to the God of Abraham, remains a perennial question.” (Jon Meacham, editor, Newsweek, Jan. 12, 2009, pg. 6.)

“For those who have lived through religious terror, it is never, never escaped. It did not end with my displacement from Kashmir 18 years ago. It did not end with my migration to the (United) States two and a half years ago. Terror, once experienced, transcends all real and unreal boundaries.” (Aarti Tikoo Singh, My Turn, Newsweek, Jan. 12, 2009, pg 20.)