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Eggplant parm concepts

I’ve been thinking about these for the past couple of hours, nothing is concrete but i think they will all work

Eggplant Parm Sandwich

Marinade:

• 4 Cloves Garlic
• 1tsp Red Chili Flake
• 1/4 cup olive oil

Take 1 Large Eggplant and slice into 1/2inch rounds

Soak the eggplant in the marinade for atleast 4 hours

Grill side one of the eggplant till it’s nice and crispy and then flip over

Then lightly sprinkle on Pepper Jack Cheese on top

When the bottom is nice and crispy remove from grill; top off with tomato sauce if desired

Place inside of hamburger bun

Life is what happens when your busy making plans

I haven’t written a post in forever I could give you a reason but there really isn’t a good one. The rest of the summer went by with no real big things going on, besides a badass trip to AC. I went with 3 friends and had a ball I think if it wasn’t for that trip or the Boston trip my entire summer would have been a waste.

 I finally took the GRE in the middle of the summer like I had planned, and it didn’t go as I had planned so I decided to just re-take the exam in the middle of November. My plan is still to go to policy school right after I finish Temple which draws closer and closer. According to the countdown thing on my FB profile there are only 266 days till graduation; this scares me and makes me unbelievably happy. It scares the shit out of me because come graduation I’ll be in the real world, not to say that I haven’t been in the real world, but after graduation nothing is guaranteed. It excites me also simple because it will be a day of true accomplishment, I’ve become a college graduate, something that not everyone is able to do, plus I’ve done it in 4 years something only 30% of students nationally are able to achieve.

My housing situation has become considerably better. I’m still living in the same place as last year but my new roommates are actually nice guys, and not huge assholes so it makes me happy. The only downside is that I’ll have to find someone to cover the rent during the summer or I’ll just have to eat it.

Work has been going ok, I really think I shouldn’t have worked for the full summer; I should have taken some time off so that I could step away from everything but I didn’t. I’ve got crappy hours for the fall though, but it’s my fault due to the fact that I changed my classes’ last minute. But on the upshot I’m usually always giving a tour not stuck doing office work which is a plus.

Classes are good this semester, I like all my professors which is not a usual occurrence. My Modern Britain class is a bit too early in the morning but it’s a very interesting topic. My international organizations class has a very animated professor which makes the subject matter more engaging. My business and public policy class is truly one of my favorites the professor is brilliant and the subject is something that I actually plan to use. My final class is the reason I changed my schedule; it’s called “A Semester in Urban State and Local Politics or as my roster says “Sem; Urb. St. &Loc. Pol”. The real point of the course is the understand state and local politics and how public policy is created and maintained at the state level, additionally what the course really teaches is a method in coding for a database which the professor is creating. Which to most people sounds boring, and in practice is mind numbingly boring, but as a concept is really cool; the work I’ll be doing will help policy creators and legislators in PA create policy. Hopefully they plan to roll this system out nationwide and maybe I’ll be able to work with another state to help develop the database for that country.

Lack of Updates

my lack of updates is due to a simple cause: lazyness. the summer has caused me to develop a simple pattern to my days and weeks. Mon-Thurs Wake up, go to work, get dinner on the way home, eat, watch tv, do some gre work (LOL), go to bed, start over. on friday i go home (NJ) hang out with ppl and sunday i’m back to Philly to begin me week all over again. i got to say i’ve become pretty happy with this routine, but as summer ends i look forward to the next phase of my life, the real life part. in the fall i’ll be taking the GRE and applying to Grad programs; hopefully i’ll get into some so that i’ll be able to delay my true reality for a while, if not then i’m fucked.

 Work has become more of a chore than entertainment. at the start of the summer i would look forward to giving tours and hanging out in the office. Now i’ve given so many tours that i could give it backwards, blindfolded, with both hands tied behind my back, additonally the atmosphere in the office has gone from fun and lite to a bit on the darker side.

I like most other people did finish the Harry Potter book within the first weekend (1.5 Days, I paced myself). I thought it was well done but hoped that the final chapter included more information on what happens afterwards. I like the interviews that JK (not you the author) has been doing so that fans learn what does eventually happen.

I did see the Simpsons’s movie, it was good, not great but definatly entertaining and not a disappointment. I also collected all the Simpsons’ collectable Squishee cups from 7-11.

This past weekend I drove up to Syracuse with my dad, this is the most time we’ve spent alone together since our 2005 trip to India. The drive up was OK, moving my cousin out was a pain, but it was cool to see some of my dad’s old grad school friends. Unfortunatly I got stuck doing the whole drive back to NJ all by my self.

I have become addicted to the following shows:

• weeds
• entourage
• top chef
• the 4400
• Justice League
• Big Love

also my dad just got us a new HD TV because our old tv broke, i’m now addicted to HD tv, i will watch anything as long as it is in HD.

Bullet Points

Since it is the summer time and I am too lazy to write I am just going to post in bullet form, so here goes:

• Work has been going pretty well, I have gotten this odd foot tan from wearing my sandals out on tour. In addition, we just got new shirts so that is pretty awesome.

• Boston

o    The drive up was pretty easy

o   The hotel was crazy badass we paid almost half of the actual cost of the room

o   MIT is HUGE

o   The T is super easy to use

o   Tons of good food

o   The Sam Adam’s brewery is the happiest place on Earth

o   The freedom trail is pretty cool

o   Boston loves their Au Bon Pain

o   I’m now in love with UMass Boston

• My grandfather died Saturday June 30. I do not want to talk about it, if I do I will find some and talk to them. So do not ask, when I want to talk I will

• Transformers was a good movie, not great. There was too much fucking product placement in the movie

 

Life or something like that

this summer has been kind of a let down. i had planned to spend my days working my afternoons studying and my nights trapising around the city. while i’ve done all of those things i have yet to do any of them to any true end. my days working are actually days spent milling around the office looking for work (it’s currently the calm before the storm, or so i’ve been told by those who’ve worked summers before this one), my afternoon’s are spent wasting time and sometimes opening my gre book and my nights are spent sleeping or watching tv. i’ve made some head way with my plans of going to graduate school by planning a trip up to boston where i’m going to check out UMass. i’ve told everyone the point of the trip is to check out the school and see if i’d really want to go there, but in actualicity it’s mostly a reason for me to leave my apartment/philly and not be home or a work for a couple of days. plus i’ve always wanted to see the city.

i have recently started a new photo project called Project 365; which in it’s simplest terms is me taking a photo of my self every day for a year. Check out my flickr page to see the photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rahulg/sets/72157600321811640/

Good food, Good friends, Good wine = Good Times

Tonight I went out to dinner with a group of co-workers whom I rarely get to hang out with outside of work and I had an amazing time. We ended up going to dinner at this tiny Persian restaurant in Old City (Philadelphia) called Aromatic House of Kabob (http://www.gokabob.com). I was first introduced to this place sometime during freshmen year at Temple and I have been religiously returning back to it every time I have friends or family in town. The food is authentic, homemade and inexpensive. An average plate runs between $12-16 and it is a BYOB with a liquor store a block away so you do not have to remember the wine just pick it up on your walk from the subway to the restaurant.  Along with the amazing food the loveable owner/manager/cook Helen is warm and welcoming she can be found either helping the food being made, showing customers to their seats or more likely sitting with a group of patrons telling tales.  Besides the great food and atmosphere, Aromatic has hookah with a wide selection of flavors, if you are a newcomer to hookah Helen can guide you in what flavors to choose and how to smoke.

Over the course of the evening, we smoked two hookahs (butterscotch and banana) a great bottle of wine (yellow tail pinot grigio) and amazing food. We also had a great conversation about everything. I have realized this before but now I know it is the truth: the best thing in life is going out to dinner with friends and having a great meal and an even better conversation. The food does not have to be fancy or expensive just good along with the company.

Summer time

Well another summer has begun and before I know it, the summer will be over.  I was taking an online class but I decided to drop it since I am seriously thinking of dropping my minor. I have yet to finalize my graduate school list, which isn’t really good because it’s getting close to application time. Against my usual style, I have not signed up for my GRE. It’s funny I’m usually super organized with these things but for some reason I haven’t set the date yet on the exam.

 I am really looking forward to my trip to Boston with Nik though, we’re going to drive up on the 29^th of June and stay in Cambridge until July 2. The point of the trip is twofold, first to finally see Boston, this city has been my white whale for quite a long time, the other reason is to check out Umass Boston.

Work has been going pretty well so far. It’s been hard getting used to being there all day. Usually I only work for a couple of hours a day 2-3 days a week and then I’m back to class or doing something else. I didn’t think it would be as hard as it is and I’m surprisingly tired at the end of the day. Waking up early is possibly the crappiest part of working. However on the bright side we are going to visit another school to check out how they do stuff and I’m finally going to get to see Ambler.

The main downside of being in Philly for the summer is the lack of cooking. During the summer, I would make dinner 4-5 times a week. Mostly grilling stuff but other things also, unfortunately my apartment lacks a true kitchen. However, I was finally able to set up a pseudo smoker using my coal grill. I made smoked Cornish game hen; which came out super tender. I also finally got a hold of some real charcoal rather than using the regular coal briquettes. Sadly though I accidently purchased some match light briquettes which are a pain in the ass to deal with. They light easily but I prefer to use my chimney lighter, which lights the coals extremely fast and doesn’t require fluid which causes the food to have a slightly off flavor.

Summer Lovin’

Ahh summer time when a young man’s thoughts turn to work and graduate school. well this summer i’m at the ole TU all summer long so the following is a list of things that are good / entertaining about the summer time:

• Hoby Sweat Shop labor
• great shirts from Threadless
• JH finally being open
• affirmation circles
• WWTRD? / WWDHD?
  
• having a cold 40 after work
• not closing conhΣll
• hopefully getting paid
• nice weather
• hookah fun
• getting stuck riding septa every weekend
• my impending trip to Boston
  
• Ice Coffee
• mangoes
  
• charcoal grilling
• jersey sweet corn
• my quiet apartment

Things I’ve learned in College

My inability to fall asleep has caused me to write this list so please don’t laugh or taunt me.
Things I’ve learned in college:
 
1.       Campus Cash is not free money. Every student falls into the trap of using up their campus cash as soon as they get to campus. Even though they all have fun names like Diamond Dollars or JPoints, they are real legal tender so spend them wisely. They come in especially helpful at the end of the semester when you are running low on regular cash.
2.       Never lie to the professor; it will always come to bite you in the ass.
3.       If you are going to miss a class email the professor, it is simple curtsey. Even if the class does not have a formal attendance policy, it makes the professor know you thought about the class.
4.       Never ever, go to class drunk. EVER! It makes you look like a jackass and you are just wasting everyone’s time. No one is forcing you to be in class so do not go loaded.
5.       Never fall asleep in class, it is just bad form. As with the previous statement no one is making you go, so you would rather sleep in your bed, rest up and read the chapter you missed.
6.       Always turn your cell phone to silent before entering a class. Everyone gets annoyed when it goes off, and turns to look at you. Vibrate does not work, it is still loud. Unless you are expecting an important call just put it on silent.
    a.       Also don’t text in class, you’re not so important that you need to be in contact with     everyone all the time.
7.       Never Cheat on an exam, you would rather fail then get caught cheating. By being caught you will screw your academic career much more than messing up on an exam.  Never ever look at your phone during an exam; it’s implied that you’re cheating even if you’re not. If you need to check the time during an exam make sure that you sit where you can see the clock. If that is not possible, ask the proctor to write the time left on the board.
8.       Budget.  You will never have enough cash, so set your budget and do not go over it. Drinks destroy most budgets, be them alcoholic or non. Save the cash and drink less beer or buy soda/ juice in bulk.
9.       If you think you’ll need an extension on a paper you must email/meet with the professor at least 2 days in advance. Waiting till the night before means that you waited till the last minute and couldn’t pull it off.
10.   If you are going to be late to class then sit in the first open seat, you don’t have the luxury of sitting wherever you want, your late tough luck.

Bah

it’s been a couple of weeks since i’ve really written anything, and i could claim it’s because i’ve been to busy working or that i don’t have the time. but that’s all bullshit. really i’ve been doing both plus i’ve been lazy. so here is an update on what’s been going on. school has been going pretty well, the only thing standing between me and my final year of college, which i am dreading, is 1 term paper and 3 finals. my plan for the summer is going to be work during the day and study like a madman for the GRE at night. at some point i’ll be going to NYC, Boston, AC and DC. the next two weeks will be pretty nutty too mostly because i’ll be shuttling to and from NJ and Philly.

Micro Blogging and a Paper

recently thanks to the guys over at Podflix and Twit I’ve become hooked onto the site Twitter.com  Twitter is a website where users are able to put up messages/blog posts up to 140 characters. Some people call it Micro Blogging while others including my self call it Away messages for life. The site allows users to add their friend’s to their twitter page and see what they are up to and send direct messages. what’s great about the service is that you can update via IM, TXT/SMS, or right on their website. while it is not as robust as other social networking sites it has its own very specific appeal. thus instead of writing on my trusty blog i’ve been micro blogging instead. i have added my Twitter Feed via ATOM to the sidebar of this page, so that you can see what i’m up to; my full twitter page is www.twitter.com/rahulg86

to continue with my lazyness streak here is another paper that i have written for my class on the American Presidency

Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt: A Presidential Analysis

When one thinks of one of the most successful president’s in American history the name Franklin Delano Roosevelt immediately comes to mind, in contrast when one thinks of one of the most failed presidents Herbert Hoover’s name comes to mind. Both of these men were capable public servant’s who rose to the rank of presidency and faced America’s worst economic depression. In looking at their presidencies one needs to focus on three main areas in order to truly evaluate them as leaders. The first of these three categories is public communication. The ability of a president to communicate with the American public is crucial to their role as the leader of the country. While being able to communicate is crucial these men also need a vision that is the basis for their speeches. In order to have their vision turn into reality the presidents need to have political skill to carry their vision out into policy.

Herbert Hoover’s ability to communicate to the public was weak at best. While running for president he used local Hoover clubs to promote his message as the Wonder Boy of the Coolidge administration. But as president he was unable to properly articulate what he was trying to do to the American people. Hoover felt that the best way to show that he was working on the problems of the depression was to hold public meetings with business leaders. While these meetings created some fruitful ideas the general public felt that they did little to help the situation. In addition Hoover’s poor use of language did not help the situation. “Hoover’s use of the term “reconstruction.” A key word in his political vocabulary, it seems calculated to evoke a parallel between the scale of the postwar adjustments he contemplated in the 1920s and the scale of the postwar adjustments Republicans had contemplated in the latter half of the 1860s.”¹ While Hoover may have been trying to deflect the blame onto the Democrats he just made the situation appear worst than it was.

Franklin Roosevelt’s communication skills are some of the best of any president in history. “Future presidents are unlikely to equal FDR’s eloquence, but they could scarcely do better than to immerse themselves in his record, reading his addresses, listening to recordings of them, and studying his public presentation of self.”² He connected to the public in such a way that they felt at ease with him and felt that he was their equal. Even though Roosevelt came from a wealthy background and was educated at Harvard, he used simple words and phrases so that when he spoke every American was able to understand him. He also used very strong language such as “New Deal” to make sure that the public knew that he felt strongly about the problems that he faced. In addition to traditional mediums of communication such as newspaper and magazine articles Roosevelt made use of the radio in a truly innovative way. His fireside chats enabled him to explain why things were going so poorly in the economy and how he was going to solve the problem.

Even though Hoover was unable to properly articulate what he wanted to do to solve the depression he was not without vision. Hoover felt that the American people did not want to change their fundamental way of life. He did however have an overarching vision for change in America, he called this vision: A New Day. “Hoover’s New Day platform included shorter working hours for labor, addition public works and a Federal Farm Board to assist hard pressed farmers.”³ As a progressive Hoover wanted to reform the banking system but being a republican he wanted the banking community to be in charge of changing the system rather than have the government be the agent of change. Unfortunately this was not possible since the banking community preferred that it be regulated by an external force.

Roosevelt was a man who had a vision and made it very well known. His plan to bring the American economy out of the depression was based on his New Deal. The New Deal was a number of social and economic programs that would help America; some of these programs were Social Security, the Agricultural Adjustment Act, Civilian Conservation Corps and Tennessee Valley Authority. One of the first initiatives that FDR proposed was a bank holiday that would extend until the banks were able to produce enough currency needed for daily transactions. In addition to the bank holiday he took credit for the FDIC system, which was insurance on every savings and checking account valued up to $100,000. This would ensure that even if the bank went bust customers were able to access some of their funds. One of his biggest feats was his 100 days policy in which he proposed a new piece of legislation or program every day for the first 100 days of his presidency. These programs and policies were created by among others his Brain Trust; they were a group of economists, policy experts and college professors. In addition to the domestic problems America faced FDR also proposed aiding our foreign allies during WWII by creating the lend lease act which allowed the United States to give the British arms and ammunition but have the British pay for the weapons at a later date or simply return the weapons.

President Hoover lack of political skill did not help his public image. He was unable to muster up any political support from the rest of the Republican Party during his term. “Hoover’s awkward relations with Republican party regulars are but the last of many ambivalent relationships underlying his leadership”⁴ When he tried to get congress to pass legislation regarding his farm program they passed part of it but did not give him the power to change tariff rates like he wanted. Hoover was also unable to have the support of his own followers. The lack of support can be seen in the events surrounding Hoover’s plan to solve unemployment: “With the head of his own Emergency Committee on Unemployment favoring the Wagner scheme”⁵

A president is powerless unless they have the political skill to make their vision a reality. FDR had considerable political skill, which was most easily seen during his first 100 days. During the 100 days he was able to pass most of the legislation he proposed with little to no opposition from Congress. Not only did he take credit for his success but also for thing that others did such as the FDIC program. In international affairs he was able to align the United States with other western democracies and his lend lease program helped keep Britain in the war.⁶

The ability to communicate with the public, a strong vision and political skill are three of the most important skills a president needs in order to be successful. Hoover’s lack of communication skills made the Depression seem much worst than it was, while FDR’s ability to inform the public about what he would do to solve the problems America faced along with his ability calm the public down helped the public believe that there was a better future ahead of them. Sadly Hoover’s inability to communicate with the public made his minimal vision seem nonsexist and impossible. While Hoover did have a vision it most included having America pick it’s self up by the proverbial bootstraps. FDR however had a clear vision for solving the great depression and made it well known what he planned to do. Roosevelt also possessed the political skill to make his vision a reality. During his 100 days program FDR passed a number of key pieces of legislation that helped turn the American economy around. Hoover on the other hand was unable to even bring together members of his own party to support his programs. These key skills are needed in order to be a successful president as seen through the analysis of the presidencies of Herbert Hoover and Franklin Roosevelt.

1 Stephen Skowronek, The Politics Presidents Make Leadership from John Adams to Bill Clinton (Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1997), 267.

2 Fred Greenstein, The Presidential Difference Leadership style from FDR to George W. Bush (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000), 22.

3 Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. “East Side versus West Branch”. http://hoover.archives.gov/exhibits/Hooverstory/gallery05/gallery05.html.

4 Stephen Skowronek, The Politics Presidents Make Leadership from John Adams to Bill Clinton (Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1997), 269.

5 Ibid., 278.

6 Fred Greenstein, The Presidential Difference Leadership style from FDR to George W. Bush (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000), 23.

Lazyness

Since I’ve become a lazy bastard/ I’m writing so much for class I don’t have the time to write anything interesting or do anything interesting I’ve decided to post some of my academic papers. Now please remember I am a crappy crappy writer so be kind. Also if you feel the need to take portions of my paper please cite them, if you need help on a citation please email me and i will gladly help.

Indian History: a look into the past

Rahul Gaitonde

 

Throughout the history of India, the country has gone through numerous changes. The best way to observe these changes is to focus on four major areas that have evolved through the years. The most obvious of these areas is the economy of India. When the British first began trading with India, they simply purchased raw materials from the Indians and the Indians purchased finished goods from the British. Yet as time went on Indians substantially expanded their own internal industry so that they were no longer reliant on the British for all of their finished goods. Along with economic improvements the political situation of the country went from being a colony of the British Empire to the being the world’s largest democracy. In developing its economic and political condition, it also modified its views on foreign policy.

The British East India was founded in 1600 as a means by which the British could regulate trade in Asia. In order to trade with the Indians the ambassador of King James I of England sent a letter to the Mughal court in which the English asked to be able to setup areas of trade with the locals. The Mughals agreed to this since it allowed them to gain valuable resources from the west while also finding buyers for local raw materials. “By 1913 India had become the chief export market for British goods, including textiles iron and steel goods, machinery and other products reflecting Britain’s industrial strength.”(p125) The British were adapt at the colonial system; they made sure that they never produced anything in India they simply purchased materials and sold them ready-made goods. This made the colony fully dependent on the mother country for manufacturing while the locals toiled to produce raw goods. After World War I, the global depression hit India’s economy in a truly destructive manor. The price of their agricultural products drastically dropped while the taxes they paid for their land stayed at pre-depression levels. This caused many farmers to go bankrupt or simply stop working the land.

By 1912 the Tata Company, which was founded by a Parsi family, built the first steel mill that allowed others in the country to be able to obtain the metal necessary in order to build factories and other industrial operations. By this time the country had began to break away from the British monopoly on textiles. “Textile imports which had crested at 2,400 million yards of cloth in 1913… by the late 1930s Indian mills had secured up two-thirds of the domestic market” (p196) During this time a number of new industries sprung up and the government of India began to slowly remove its self from full European control. By focusing on the internal economy of the country, India would become less dependent on the rest of the world. This focus on the internal economy was a double-edged sword; while they were able to develop their own technologies and protect internal businesses, they lacked in overall technological advances in comparison to the rest of the world. This view of economic isolation lasted until the late 1980s at which point India began to not only look in but outwards for business and technology.

The political situation of India is a truly unique one. The British did not conquer India in the traditional manner as they did with other lands. The British East India Company controlled the country until 1858 when the British government formally took over control and made Queen Victoria the Empress of India. While the country was ruled by the British East India Company in a direct manor in some parts of the country in others, the company enlisted the help of local princes to rule the land. In order to best rule the country and appease the Indians the British allowed some localized control. “The Municipals Council Act of 1882 had given responsibility for such areas as education, sanitation and public health to local bodies, along with the right to levy and be blamed for local taxes. The Indian Councils Act of 1892 introduced the principal of limited election for legislative councils and opened up the provincial councils to discussion of the annual of budget.” (p135) This act gave the Indians minimal control of their politics but it mostly gave them the blame for the taxes. However, the taxes that these councils collected was not kept by the local councils but rather simply handed over to the British government. During the late 1800s the Indian National Congress, which was made up of Indian intellectuals and elites, met to discuss the concept of home rule. While the people of India did want to rule their own land they felt that since the British were doing the job well and not truly negatively affecting their daily lives that they should negotiate with the British to obtain self rule rather than fight with them.

During the First World War, some Indian nationals wanted to fight the British for independence since they were stretched too thin yet many others felt it was ungentlemanly to fight while the British were already in a war. By the early 1900’s the British felt that India should have self rule; “Edwin Montague announced that the objective of British rule in India would be the gradual development of self governing institutions with a view to the progressive realization of responsible government in India as an integral part of the British Empire” (p165). Part of this was self governing was the creation of a Chamber of Princes, which was composed of the feudal princes; the chamber would act as a representatives of their people and would report to the British. The next evolution of self-governance came with the Government of India Act of 1935; which created ministers who were responsible to their local legislatures, which had control of the local governments. “In June 1945 the viceroy Lord Wavell brought together in the summer capital of Silma, (Mohandas) Gandhi, (Jawaharlal) Nehru, and (M.A.)  Jinnah and the congress leadership”(p107) this meeting took place in order to discuss the final steps to self rule by the Indians. While the nations (India and Pakistan) would remain part of the commonwealth in order to provide for a smoother transition they would be ruled by their own elected leaders. The date of independence was set as August 15, 1947; on that day Nehru, who was elected prime minister, took power at midnight. On that night, he said the following unforgettable words “At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will wake to life and freedom” (p216).

Even though India was a major population center, its political situation forced it to remain neutral on most foreign policy issues. While the people of India were unable to voice their opinion officially yet if one looks into their willingness to comply with their British overlords one can see their true views. During World War I, the British recruited Indian soldiers in order to fight the Ottoman Empire. The Muslims in India did not approve of a non-Muslim in charge of the country since its leader was the sultan was the “khalifa of all Muslims” (p160). The Indians generally supported the British in their battle against the German Empire. It provided an increasing amount of revenue for the British so that they could fund their war. During the war when the British removed most of their troops from India, the people did not rise up or commit acts against the crown. This view of unconditional support did not hold true during the Second World War. While some Indians did join the army willing to fight on the side of the British against the Nazis most choose to not participate. While the size of the army was increased, the support that was given to the British during the First World War was not seen during this conflict. The Indian army did fight during the war but mostly they wanted to protect their homeland from Japanese encroachment.

In looking at the evolution of India one must take into account its unique history. While monarchs, elected leaders, military rulers or dictators, rule most countries India was ruled for a major portion of its history by a corporation. This caused the country to develop in a truly distinctive manner. The economy of the country was the foremost importance to the British East India Company; wisely, they kept out of the cultural and religious activities of the natives and simply controlled the business. Since they were efficient in ruling, they were able to keep control of the country and have the support of the people. Once the British government took over official control, they began to use their expertise in colonialism in order to maximize the use of the land. By limiting internal industrial improvements, they were able to maintain control over the economy of the country for a number of years. However once the Indians were able to produce their own goods they relied less and less on the British. The political situation of the nation was centered on the belief that the British were honest brokers and acted on their promises. This honesty and right action on the part of the British allowed them to prevent a mass rebellion as they faced in the American Revolution. Given that India was able to amicably separate from the British Empire allowed the two countries to remain politically and economically close in the post-Independence years.

{all page citations come from A Concise History of India By B. Metcalf and T. Metcalf (ISBN 0-521-63974-3), the book is surprisingly easy to read and I recommend it to all}

Spring Break WOOO?

Spring break was this past week and it was pretty fun. I picked up my mom from the airport during the first weekend and just hang around my house till Sunday night. I worked at the ole WC, that’s the welcome center to those of you who aren’t in the know. Most of the time the owls and I folded shirts, put ribbon on said shirts and than put those shirts into mini-backpacks to be given away at our upcoming events. While we did work the whole time we were there; it was pretty fun just talking and getting to know the other owls a little bit better, it was really great because 2 of the people who worked during the break were 2 of the new people who were just hired. My nights however were quite boring I most played my new Wii, which is super awesome but I need to get some more cash together so that I can actually get some decent games. My plan is to sign up for gamefly, which is like netflix only for games, find good games then buy them if I really like the game. I was in nj for the rest of the break and I did absolutely nothing which is good and bad. It’s good because I finally got a chance to just relax and not think about anything; it was bad because I have a ton of work to get done and I really should have done some of it.

LL Bean rocks my socks

Customer service is something that has been going down the crapper for a number of years. The first step in its demise was the automated answering services; these would have you press a button in order to help you find out what information you were looking for. The next step was the introduction of voice recognition software, which was supposed to help you even more by not requiring you to press the button; all you now have to do is say what/who you want and boom there it is for you. Then they realized they could outsource the business of people who need customer service. Now at first it was very helpful to finally get an actual person on the phone but more and more these people are less trained and less helpful.

Today however I was truly surprised. I got a stain on a pair of pants I got from LL Bean and the stain couldn’t be removed so I decided to call the company to see if this was covered under their return policy, when I called I expected to run into one of the three situations mentioned above. In the least I expected to get the “I’m sorry but all lines are currently busy please hold and someone will be with you shortly”; which doesn’t really bother me too much because I understand that you usually have more callers than people to answer the phone, but when I called I got none of the above someone actually answered the phone. Then they were actually helpful so I must say that even though I liked LL Bean before, now I’m defiantly more likely to buy products from them.