I reckon...

The hazards of A. Hazare (movement)

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 17:06:00 +0000

I acknowledge that corruption is an endemic crisis that plagues the institutions of India. That strong political activism and leadership are essential to rid this vicious problem. I also acknowledge that given the poor caliber of many politicians in India, strong consistent public pressure might be one of the most effective ways to instrument change rather than the futile efforts of electing better leaders. If you agreed with the previous statement then you don’t seem to hold much faith in a democracy, do you?

I see two hazards in the Hazare campaign. One is the bill itself. While certain provisions such as the inclusion of the Prime Minister and extended sentences are healthy, others I find are not. Chief amongst them is the Lokpals police powers and ability to register FIR’s. I can understand the need to give the Lokpal power to initiate proceedings in trial but to give it police power is to give it exemplary authority over individual freedom. Detainment and questioning are police powers that infringe on individual liberty. Also, it would be wise to remember that the Lokpal as the activists want it would be an organization that permeates deep into society. It would work at the grass roots. To involve the CBI directly with such an organization threatens to bring close government scrutiny into our personal lives. That might be ideal to stop corruption, but also opens a Pandoras box of problems.

The second pair of hazards that I worry about is the very manner in which the Lokpal might be brought to existence. In the early 1900’s we instituted protests similar to this against the British to demand independence. India is now a free sovereign democracy. To demand independence just as Mr. Hazare did or to threaten the government to either accept the bill or leave is unacceptable and a stain on our democracy. We elected this government to work with us the people, not to let individuals issue ultimatums to it. It would be also important to mention that a reason why the Indian protest has been largely non-disruptive, unlike the Arab spring is because of the democratic environment that exists. It allows a vent to social tensions. To undermine that democracy would be to threaten the existence of the Indian union. This is not a game to play who’ll blink first with. It would be wiser on the governments’ part to institute a referendum if one is possible. It would be wiser on Mr. Hazares’ part to stop making threats on my government and instead work with the parliament to get his version of the bill also introduced for a fair debate. Force to unilaterally accept the bill will ensure the failure of democracies safety mechanisms: deliberation with multiple views and addressing the threats I have mentioned in the prior paragraph.

It is amazing to see the vitality of activism in India. It is disheartening to see how many treat the constitution. The constitution was created by us the people and empowers our government to make laws, not individuals or civil society groups. They can maintain pressure but not so as much to undermine the functioning of democracy and working of the constitution. I realize the constraints in India, notably the lack of character in many politicians. I hope the civil society walks a tempered path realizing that their actions will have an impact on a whole generation who are beginning to treat the government as not their own. Crucially, play by the rules! The government is not a slave, it’s a servant. If you want to change it: Join it. Bring better blood in and destroy the hierarchy and political cloud that exists. In our efforts to get the best of both worlds (not being a political leader but demanding better politics), I hope we do not fall folly to the age old plagues of India. Seeking shortcuts, greed and hunger for power. It cost us in colonialism let it not cost us our democracy.

What America taught me.

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:17:00 +0000

Always be polite.

Learn to cook.

Assemble your own bike.

Love the outdoors.

Jaywalking won’t kill you.

Dreams are realities that need effort to materialize. So dream big but work your ass off.

People are and can be fiercely independent lacking some elements of social conformity. Respecting this individuality is crucial.

The best competition is with self

Never try burrito noches after 8 pm.

To be critical of self, occasionally. Success can’t get to your head.
Partying (any fun) is essential. Otherwise you will be a very boring and socially stunted person.

Biking is amazing, especially when you have trails like the Olentangy River trail. Best thing is traffic isn’t trying to kill you, unlike most of London.
Be the best you can be. Love this challenge unconditionally and without disdain or hurting fellowship.

Play fair.

If you are drunk (hung-over), on west campus and thirsty without anything more than a bike: head for the campus police department at Blankenship Hall. They have amazing water fountains, are open all night and officers on duty give you free hangover pills. Apparently they don’t take action against you because of the threat of Jeopardy. Plus they’re nice.

Condoms are disproportionately expensive.

Go slow on life but go strong.

Talk like you mean it and talk well.

You can sell/buy anything.

Do everything (within limits) you can do and want to. Unlike elsewhere fighting for your own is not the best way forward. Presenting and proving yourself is.

Trial by fire is the best way to learn. God knows it hurts to get burnt. But you learn faster and better than you would any other way.

Take time off for yourself. You will have issues and questions if your plans here go farther than college. Groping your way out is the only way forward but thinking makes the groping easier.

Keep learning, always.

Dancing the way americans do (imposed censorship) is not that bad. Lacking in taste but fun.

Rock climbing rocks!

*From personal experience or corollary learning and still learning...

Is the United States a divided house or wanting in presidency?

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 00:54:00 +0000

Some are born great (like Harry Potter). Others have greatness thrust upon them. It seems that President Obama is falling into the latter category. He probably knew something of this sort was coming when he ran for the Presidency. He might not have accounted for how much he would need to rise to meet the challenge. The title of the blog suggests a question which I am in no position to answer. So I’d rather illustrate why the question seems important.

I’ve seen politics in the UK and India but nowhere has it been as polarized as in the US; at least when it comes to serious things. That the tea party, with vocal supporters of default can actually exert considerable influence in the decision making is alarming. While its most likely that default will be averted in the eleventh hour, the very fact that it took that much of give and take to reach a consensus pushes me to ask the question I did. Democracies are strong because they involve people. Any policy made is the result of a consensus and hybridizes ideas of different parties. Yet when faced with obstinate parties and unwavering ideologies: the core of any consensus, “compromise” is lost. That is a divided house. It’s a place where people start caring more about their beliefs and ideologies. Not about the house and the nation.

On the other hand there is the President. He is the elected representative, indirectly chosen by the people to lead them. To prevent concentration of power he is subject to the legislators on Capitol Hill. At times, he has the luxury of exemplary support in both houses. Else he executes the policies of the Federal government by engaging with the hill. His personality, charisma and power are crucial to the enabling of consensus. Several American presidents’ present precedents on this matter, including Dwight Eisenhower (often poor relations with Congress) and Ronald Reagan (exhausted the Soviets). In this case however, President Obama clearly is not able to break deadlock. He might be able to cajole his own party to accept cuts in social policies. He cannot get the G.O.P house speaker, John Boehner to accept closure of tax loopholes, let alone rises. Boehner in turn is under pressure from the conservative right to concede not an inch of ground. The democrats too refuse to concede deep cuts in a bloated and inefficient social service. Clearly if every party is to have their way a default is inevitable. A default will be terrible. It will spark partial government shutdown, quickly depreciate the dollar, increase cost of borrowing, and bump up actual cost of living. It will jeopardize the American and Global economy. Eventually as the American people get affected Congress will undoubtedly act. It would then be too little too late.

What the president must remember is that while Congress will be to blame, it is a body of 535 people. Eventually, they are responsible to their constituent which consists of a couple of million; at most. The president on the other hand is an individual directly responsible to the nation; vested with enormous authority to act in its interest. Congress might be paralyzed by the powerful weakness of democracies: indecision. That is why the executive exists. It is time for the president to do something truly presidential, if he can.

Buckeye, the international way + its Summer!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 08:58:00 +0000

So what does it feel like to come to Buckeye-land as a complete stranger? The reader really doesn’t have to care about any of this. This article is shaped by my opinions and experiences. Yet if you are curious a little, maybe; read on.

The first thing that strikes most international students is: Freedom! Just like any other freshman, this is one of the first real tastes of freedom. Yet for us it’s far more; we are freed from more than just sweet but omnipresent parents. We have a fresh start in a new world where we can be who we want to be. It’s a time for adventure and exploration and much like dogs in a new home we set about sniffing our way around (sometimes literally!). We try to make new friends with all the people we meet and grapple with the challenge of overcoming, sometimes significant cultural barriers. For now (the first few months) most internationals have this much in common. Yet we are people too and we each have different reasons and expectations to be here. So as the going gets tough and the novelty wears out, we crave to go back at least in a sense to the life we knew. I mean, it can get pretty crazy if you hear soccer and have to picture football and while wanting to say football, make a conscientious effort to say soccer. More importantly people miss their own languages, cultures, slangs and social conditioning. We do the obvious, we group up. It does save a lot of the pain; think about it. You can go around being a normal OSU student, talking with classmates and stuff. When you need to unwind, you can do it the way you want to and have always done at home.

Some come here to get a good education, grades and a job back home. Then well, the socializing time isn’t really a needed thing anyways. It’s so much easier to make a nice homely bubble, filled with food, friends and a life reminiscent of home. The rest of the time is better spent in the labs or the library while you race yourself to success. Yet, this is the story of the majority. What happens to those who do try to come out, and why do they try if there is an easy way out? I’ve got to add here, that I make it a point to not over express the dynamics (emotional or psychological) even to my closest friends. Yet once in a while, when I get the time to think about it, and home I do wonder. What the hell am I doing here (Columbus, OH) instead of a sweet summer back home? Sure the place is great and the weather was great, but home’s home, right?

I think the biggest reason (for being where I am) comes not from reasoning or need but from a character trait. As there are people who refuse to consider living outside Ohio, some live to explore the unknown. Call it the explorer gene; I love making it sound foolishly romantic, but hey! Makes me feel good! It’s a gene that can do wonderful things to you: It can make you an extrovert, let you have fun doing different things. It can lower inhibition, make you try baseball and even rock climb and watch soccer game with people who’re devoted to football. It can also keep you at the SEL at 4 AM while doing astrophysics, drinking Starbucks and writing a blog. However, it can also put you in difficult situations and ask difficult questions. Understanding the American bubble system, the social norms, relationships and culture are a few (and trust me, you make so many mistakes and slip so many times as you try to understand). I’ve actually had to consciously try to get savvy on basketball (well, I like it) and tried to on football but decided against that. MLS is a definite yes, but still something new to learn. The biggest problem though, is not the new things you’ve got to get used to. It’s the old things that you miss and families definitely on that list.

For those who make the bubble of home or go back every year, they get a reprieve. It’s not just the people but also the physical home and its surroundings that help. Like, during summer most of us are bored. Friends visit and we do hang out but it’s not like college. Yet the when you’re home a vast amount of your time is distracted in doing family stuff. From talking with the people, to going around the house to playing video games; normal stuff which we take for granted. The sheer familiarity of the whole setting gives a relief and keeps us occupied just like a Harry Potter or paperback novels. So an international student could actually have a far more interesting and in fact exciting summer than most but it’s going to feel pretty empty and hollow sometimes (like reading Macbeth for the first time).

So why am I here? Well, I want to be. It’s hard sometimes but it’s also fun. You push your ingenuity to discover more things to do to make your life richer by the day. You bike, climb, write posts, do research or just sit on the oval with Pandora on. Pulling an occasional all-nighter, counts; you’ll be judged. I trust if I can embrace the challenge then the strength of character and mind gained will be worth it. On the flip side, it will put a question mark on what’s home for the next few years. I’m afraid it’s going to make me less caring person.

Nearly done!

When I came to America, I had expectations and dreams that were bursting to be realized. I recognize I’m a dreamer and a naïve one at that; so the results weren’t too surprising… or disappointing. As far as it goes, I definitely have no regrets when school is in session. When it isn’t, I guess I have to toughen up and make C-bus as homely as possible. After all, I can still do whatever I want to and no one knows. Mischief managed!

Go Bucks! (42 days left)

Dont stop at the Debt limit

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 01:11:00 +0000

Defenitions:

Rich-top 20%

Middle-40-60%

Poor- bottom 20%

This post closely follows my last post, both in chronology and essence. Right now D.C is fighting a sharply divisive battle to extend the Federal debt limit. Failure to do so will mean partial U.S default, a drop in confidence in the US dollar and bonds. Bad news for America! The crux of the issue is the means to decrease government deficit to prevent further escalation of the debt limit. De-escalation of the wars and reduced spending on the US military is a partial given. I mean you could squabble on whether to keep one extra aircraft carrier or not but that’s just about it. The military spending of the United States as a percent of GDP is the same as that of a China. So ideally unless China is secretly going bankrupt, this spending seen disjointed from the whole problem should not be of major concern.

Social services are a different ball game. The entire healthcare system accounts for 38%-45% of the entire government spending and 16% of GDP. Private audits as well as most senators would agree that the system lacks in efficiency. During the general economic growth of the US, it would seem money was merely pumped into the system without any concerted effort to increase efficiency. So your doctor gets paid so much more than doctors elsewhere. On the flip side despite being the wealthiest country in the world, the United States suffers from one of the most inequitable distribution of wealth. The GINI coefficient which is a measure of income inequality paints a sad picture. Inequality in the states is worse than most of Asia, Africa and far worse than most of Europe. So when you cap the tax for the richer sections of the society you get far less revenue from taxation than you would in a country with a better wealth distribution. The logical argument has been that giving this financial freedom to the wealthy allows them to reinvest in the economy. This ensures prudent investment, better management of wealth and smaller/efficient government. Something’s going wrong though. This is a theory.

A Forbes survey (1) actually does a pretty good job of highlighting how Americans make and spend their money. Crucially you’ll observe that rich Americans do not spend the highest as a percent of their income on most things. Where they do the difference is only marginal. True, even a small percentage will have high value but so will the difference of the saving they have, compared to the poor and middle class. The question is what happens with these savings. Unsurprisingly a lot is in investment but where? In nations like India and China, banks offer a far higher rate of interest and then use the public money to do the investing. This has an advantage of ensuring the money is invested in the domestic market. Banks have an incentive to stimulate local markets to ensure their own growth. America however seems to be suffering from a flight of capital. High net value individuals seem to be investing more and more in better appreciating economies. Often even if the investment is directed to American companies, the investment is eventually pumped overseas. The fact is that as economic polarization continues (and that is irrefutable) a vast amount of the investment being made is offshore restricting US job growth, further polarizing wealth. A vicious cycle.

Another significant investment the rich in America make is in the luxury market. This can cover anything from Gulfstream jets to Mansions. The market value of these products may be high, but the positive economic impact is far less; depth wise. Simply, if the money was split and invested in other development ventures more people would've been helped. The problem maybe, that America is getting too successful. At least a section is. They chose to fund the lives and the activity of the many others. Doing so they have created a complacent workforce on a global back foot. Now as the rich choose to shrug of this responsibility and the political guns go off like loose cannons, careful planning is again ignored. Question I want to ask is how do you make sure Americans invest in their country again? How do you improve the competitiveness of existing industry and spawn new ventures to attract new investment. For now, the grand bargain is essential. No single avenue can generate enough saving to create a definite impact on debt. So increase taxes for now and look for investment patterns amongst the rich before relaxing them again. As for Medicare/aid well really you cant do much because of the insurance companies.

Thing is you can solve this problem multiple ways with strong leadership. The best way may be to incentivize the rich to invest locally. Use a part of that to modify healthcare and spawn new industry via research. Play forces of corporate insurance payers against insurance companies. Play inventors and entrepreneurs against overseas investment. Importantly try to hasten the global flattening. Promote a more equitable economy by selective reduction of social services. Divert the savings to tertiary education and saving. Promote STEM, making graduates valuable to industry as well as research. Essentially: force skill into the workforce by denying benefits to the uncompetitive but providing support to ensure upward mobility. I accept the fact that eventually India and China will become as rich as the United States, maybe even per capita wise; someday. What I cannot agree with is that the American economy must fall for them to rise.

(1) http://www.forbes.com/2006/07/19/cx_de_americanspending_11.html?thisSpeed=35000

Bringing America up to speed.

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 23:41:00 +0000

This blog has been long in the writing. Life’s actually getting very busy and challenging for me, in the serene city of Columbus, OH. The story starts though in a far more tropical and bustling metropolis of Bangalore, India. It was summer and keeping with Indian summers I was perspiring like crazy as I walked around with Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of Infosys in their Bangalore corporate campus. To the uninformed, Infosys along with corporations like TCS and Wipro accept 3.32 million jobs(1) outsourced and off-shored from the United States alone. Mr. Nilekani described Infosys as a catalyst of efficiency streamlining business processes and generating huge profits for American businesses and shareholders. He also said, given the relative lower labor costs and high technical proficiency in India and some other places, outsourcing is here to stay. I’ll take his word on that. For one thing, outsourcing strengthens globalization and enhances equitable distribution of wealth. Both of these are progressive traits that have only got stronger over vast swathes of commercial history. To counter these forces would be regressive and defeatist considering a comprehensive global economy is fast becoming a reality and maybe even a necessity. Now why are most countries benefiting while a few losing out a lot? Why do the streets of Greece resemble a third world nation while the world’s only superpower talks about default? (If you already know a lot about the recent depression just skip to the fourth paragraph)

Post World War 2, America experienced an economic boom fueled by demand, industrial growth and innovation. A lot of these were a fall out of post war reconstruction and emergence of new markets in former colonies. Despite intermittent recessions, American economy flourished and innovators across fields created new products and services; IT was one of them. Outsourcing and off shoring became business practices and American corporations found a new competitive edge and profit generator: low cost! As both India and America enjoyed the mutual benefits of the IT miracle people were missing the obvious. It’s a simple question that comes from an equally simple observation. India and America are so differently placed economically. Americans enjoy a far higher standard of life than what most Indians could hope for. Why?

Maybe it’s the fact that America is rich in oil, gold and all those precious stuff under the ground. Think again; the last time mining was economically significant well.. was a long time ago. Manufacturing has remained stable value wise but jobs just haven’t grown a lot (I’ll blame China and better productivity technology for that). So maybe Americans were going to college studying hard and coming out with specialized technical degrees? And if that were not true then America really has no reason to remain where it is and will lose wealth to others. It’s as simple as that: you have money as long as you have something I want to buy. Now say if you really don’t have the cash but still want to live the American dream of a nice house and car and stuff. Well if you’re the only one that’s cool with the USA. But say there are millions like you and people who’ll bend the rules to get you what you want but can’t afford. The rest is the story of the 2008 Economic Depression. The scary part of this depression was that it redefined outsourcing and off-shoring. As companies started losing money they cut back on jobs like they always do. They also moved jobs to cheaper places. Companies actually used their own offices and employees in India and Philippines to do the same stuff well educated Americans would do but for more than triple the cost.

A college degree was no longer a safeguard against outsourcing. To illustrate, imagine someone had upped the ante on what constituted ‘outsourcable’. The result is a pool of qualified young people as well as non-collegiate workforce without jobs in the time of a recession. While the American economy will be able to accommodate many of the qualified ones the problem is far deeper. In the next five years, if more people go to college and get technical degrees and outsourcing continues (which it will) then the existing industries would still be unable to hire a large number of these people. The reason comes back to my argument (para 3). If America does not do things differently from the rest of the world it will continue to lose wealth. Guess how many Indians, Asians, Latin Americans, East Europeans and Africans are going to college to get the technical degrees you’re trying to get? True a lot of their colleges aren’t nearly as good as yours but as the average job description of specialists goes for now: their colleges are good enough. So unless you are something different (smart researcher or inventor often called niche employee) you’re in for a race just like the kids in Asia. If you don’t care and look forward to the social security check you’re fine as long as you’re the only one with that brainwave. But you won’t be. 

All’s lost? Well not really because economics has a nice law that comes as an analogue to Murphy’s Law. It goes like this: If you really work hard for something opportunity will present itself. Essentially as a corollary to my argument if Americans do something differently that can make a difference. So say a new industry is created in the United States much like IT and computers were, it will need human resource. This is the question that is of so much focus in certain circles of this country. Will there be a new Bill Gates or Steve Jobs who can create a new industry. More importantly will it happen in America because even as I type I know of at least five other countries in a race technologically to research and create those industries? The winner gets the patents and the chance to build the industry with their own people tandem to American economic interests.

Fortunately America remains the largest spender on research for now. If biomedical is to be the next thing then the National Institute of Health (NIH), the NSF and other agencies are doing their bit. American universities still manage to attract bright brains and sometimes keep them. The strategy must be to keep as much of this human talent and increase public and even private spending in these research which can stimulate new industry. Investment banks which have now slowly returned to profit must take startups seriously. Till (If) these solutions make a concrete impact on the economic scene this country needs to do as much as retooling of its people as possible. National debt needs to be addressed and social programs adjusted. Taxes as well must be put under the scanner as there is no one right way to address the deficit. In this mixed approach there will be bruised parties but that can be easily addressed with strong leadership. So strong leadership then.

Note: Statistics is limited however most sources are from the Federal Labor and Statistics bureau

India-China-America

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 03:09:00 +0000

The economies of Asia have seen a phenomenal resurgence since the 80s. Now, into the second decade of the new millennia, behemoths of the likes of China and India are challenging the powerful position of the west. In this respect I want to talk about the two of the countries that interest me the most.

India is growing fast, surpassed only by China in terms of growth rate. In fact, India’s story to preeminence has been vastly different from China’s. India liberalized much after the red nation, as late as 1990s (compared to China’s 1970’s). India’s growth has been one driven by private individuals and domestic consumption. China has succeeded due to government involvement and competitive export strength. This has spurred high infrastructure growth and enormous wealth creation. Yet China faces enormous problems too. The wealth created has one of the most unequal distributions amongst nations. Large Chinese corporations which were for so long government controlled have suffered losses and as a result their privatization has been far from equitable. The Chinese entrepreneurial environment is still lackluster at best. Companies pay thrice the wages they used to a decade ago to be “Made in China”. Crucially, China still lacks the ability to offer a networked IT-manufacturing combo; that will be vital to the next generation of logistics and networked pipeline manufacturing. India faces its share of gigantic problems but only a few post serious threats to its potential of growth.

Therefore if we shift focus to the “Indian condition” an intriguing picture comes up. In the urbanized centers of India the evidence of a globalized economy is vibrant. Most street literature is in English, malls abound and commerce conducted is both intensive and quick. Yet rural India is plagued by the most common problems that afflict nations like Somalia and Congo. The challenge therefore is to utilize this untapped potential as a strategic competitor to the Chinese manufacturing industry. India’s growth has been long driven by intrinsic growth, characterized by reliance on domestic market, domestic entrepreneurship and industry. When India first entered the global economy it was using the service of IT. Consequently, the country created an effective educated middle class who generated wealth, consumption and as a result spurred economic growth. Now, the inflated demand for products has put enormous stress on the supply chain over heating the economy. Bubble formation remains a relatively low possibility due to the tight fiscal policies in India. In this juncture spurring the manufacturing sector remains a lucrative option to not only address the supply demand deficit but also employ millions, reduce poverty and create vast numbers of new consumers. The average wage in India is still a third of China’s favoring this strategy. Poor infrastructure and labor laws remain a significant hindrance.

Enter, the United States. As the position of the west changes, the USA will seek better association with Asia for its own benefit and derivatives. The United States already has a deep economic relation with the PRC. The question that now remains to be answered, is can this relation be expanded further to other spheres. Culturally, there remains an extensive interaction through university education and yet has this interaction resulted in more open and trusty relations? The reality is that the United States cannot afford to be placid with China because it and quite correctly sees china as competition. So given a relatively status quo with China, where can America effect a dynamic relation? If it is to be India, why it and what are the implications of the relationship.

Ever since President Clinton feted the first meeting of the largest democracies, Indo-US relations have never looked back. A large part of it is strategic and economic. India’s recent deals with the Boeing Company will keep its C-17 plant operational for a year and feed 5000 American jobs. A lot of it is also cultural. As two democracies with significant diversity, both states find something common to build on. The economic reality is far different. While the United States is the richest, India is by capita one of the poorest. Yet faced with burgeoning economic power: a new dynamic finds India contesting American economic prowess. In this regard an important problem is how America reinvents itself to create employment for both its own people as well as new products to sell to rapidly developing markets. India and China are both coming to the stage where even hi-tech products can be produced by local companies in a local environment. If America is to implement a new technology, will it be able to beat the Indian and Chinese researchers to the race. Will America become a specialized zone for innovation and good creation, thus creating a niche in the global job market for its citizens? Or will America succumb to the pressure and speed of the growing east.

How will this triangle change with time?

Recent Democracy of India

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 22:34:00 +0000

In baby steps, since independence the Indian democracy has created history and evolved to better represent its 1.4 billion citizens. Not all these changes have been necessarily positive or beneficial to the country. Yet, true to the proverb, “Every failure is a stepping stone to success”, India’s multiple failures have evolved a bureaucratic resiliency which few understand. Imagine the headache that goes into governing a billion people, ethnically, linguistically and culturally as diverse as the African continent. The bureaucracy and civil society needed to sow the seeds of commonality and unity amongst their eclectic citizenry. And in turn with the cycle of time, these citizens recently banded together as a cohesive whole, to force their government to implement a popular change in a corruption bill. Anna Hazare, a gandhian(follower of Mahatma Gandhi) and soldier of the Indian army was just a leader. He was not an idea, or instrumental. The reaction of the people and their ability to see a common cause, their ability to coordinate with other Indians is what made the strike a success.

No success can ever be attributed to one party alone, and the Government of India deserves credit. Throughout history we have seen cases where democracies often repressed popular movements by force or just turned a blind eye. India today is not the India of the mahatma. The idea of an old man on a hunger strike could have been met as a publicity stunt. It could have been shunned. That did not happen, the people reacted and their leaders took notice. For whatever petty or magnanimous reason the government despite its initial stoic position, effected change. This is where the bureaucracy comes in. Rapid discussion between the protestors and government agencies resulted in a change of a drawn bill. All this happened in 92 hours. Quick decisions and reactions such as these indicate that despite the dreary bureaucracy in India, certain matters can be handled fast.

It also shows that the democracy is attuned to popular demand. Individual bills do not need just the support of the members of parliament but the people. The media ensured this (Anna Hazare) voice was heard by effectively spreading the idea and protest of a relatively small group, all over the nation. If I am to be pessimistic about India’s future role as a global power I will always add India’s democracy to its greatest strength. India is aiming for global power status not in the next twenty but in the next ten years. As the hyper economic growth of China, starts cooling and the median age of the Chinese worker starts rising, I expect China to overheat. From there, India will have an edge. India’s democracy should allow for the creation of positive policies and allow social tensions to be dispensed through the mechanisms of freedom and liberty. At this I’ll close with another analogy. China’s economic policies has largely emulated America’s leading to a lot of similar socio-economic problems. What has India done?

The genesis of amazing

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:39:00 +0000

Say you are a person granted certain amount of god given talent and intelligence. Say, you want to use it to make an impact on the world. How do you go from being just a college student to becoming a personality shrouded in glory and promise? How do you convince yourself to choose the road of extraordinary, when the well trodden path is so well lit, familiar and comforting? People have different ideas of success both qualitatively and quantitatively. To me, success is a lot like sex. Most, want it a lot when they have never had it and the desire burns out with age. Others never have the slightest inclination for it. A few, for better or worse are always addicted to it. There is nothing wrong with this diversity in people. Still, if someone wants to do better and yet does not out of some preconceived fear or idea, then there is something wrong.

There are many ways to emulate leadership but only one true way to actually be a leader; by example. On the other hand, there are many ways to actually inspire greatness. The best way I know is by drawing from the work of others. Inspiration in this way, works a lot when you really need to get something done but just don’t want to. Say you want to study and test out of Physics during spring break. You are also in Tennessee and really want to have a lot of fun with your friend and his family and friends. So during the day, you learn baseball, football, go hiking and travel to the museums, the Biltmore and enjoy some Deep South cuisine. During the night, you plan on work and some sleep. The long fun day tires you out and by the time you try to study, you just can’t.

Yet you must, but why? Just to test out of a class you can just as easily take and get an A? Why do you want to do so much more? Sure you have reasons but just then you really don’t give a damn. That’s where inspiration comes in. See I have some music which I keep just for these times. These were the music that I always listened when I had tough work to do that I eventually succeeded in completing. A little bit of Invictus (the movie) or a chapter from Letters from a Father to his Daughter, Long Walk to Freedom and The Freedom Writers Diary does the job just as well. The best part is the analysis I can do: what does all this brainwashing trigger in me? It reminds me of what I have done and what I have left to do. It pushes me forward by reminding me of the promises and possibilities of the future. Boundless optimism to just get the work done! This is the genesis of my amazing! And don’t get me wrong, I pretty clearly haven’t done anything amazing yet. The amazing thing is that someone can push themselves to try to do amazing things by just putting their thought in this perspective. Unlike getting an assignment done or studying for a final the night before, there is no inherent fear of risk behind this burst of effort. So is this a weird way to think? Maybe but I have to be a little weird to be where I am. Any takes? XD

End of the Quarter Personal Abstract of my Life (EPAL)

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 01:45:00 +0000

And its time that I get my blog to myself again. English 110 has taken its space but I do not consider writing another blog post as I have reached my quota. I plan on returning to my regular blogging, so if anyone feels obliged to remove themselves from my blog list please do so. I will not notice or take offense. That said my first blog will be about how this quarter seemed to be one of falling standards and bitter conflicts.

The first one unnaturally enough was incited by English 110. I have never taken a long term structured course and the anomalies of the same language in the United States presented challenges different from the ones I am used to. I must say that I am happy that the course is over, but also happy that it has imparted me with an appreciation of the writing style in this country. Standards also fell to an extent academically as I seem to be losing the idealism that had buoyed me in the beginning of my American Saga. The prospect that this “adventure” is growing old is frightening. The mistake I seem to be making is that I am failing to notice the wide range of change that happens to my life every day.

The positive of this quarter were primarily two folds. I have discovered a most luxurious retreat in “the Gutter”. To the uninformed it does live up to its name in the weekend mornings. Else time it hosts some of the more efficacious and engaging bunch in Taylor. The second positive is meeting a person of importance in my life. While our meeting was a windfall and has a rocky road I am confident that it will have a far longer and happier story. A certain unexpected addition at the end was meeting up with someone from the earlier quarter. I have grown to realize that we share more in common than I presumed last quarter. That too has an interesting journey ahead.

The failures this quarter were fewer but more substantial. The worst was certainly on Saturday, 12^th of November. I let myself be swept away by impulsiveness and made extremely stupid decisions. I find this embarrassing and troubling since I always try to set a high standard for myself. I am human and so I suppose the best I can do now is accept failures and make sure they never repeat themselves. I certainly hope others are more forgiving as I am to myself. That would be unrealistically awesome. I apparently must also:

1. 1. Stop Judging, prethinking and demeaning others at least directly and hurtfully

2. 2. Start consider just being myself instead of posturing to try to please certain people

The latter I do subconsciously but I can affect if I really want to.

As of now I will determine that the next quarter will be significantly better than this one. I will probably return to the personality I was at the beginning of this quarter. It reflected happiness, confidence, care and a dash of dare/ cockiness in a good measure. That is my quarterly resolve and this was my abstract for the winter.

Blog 68: Something that scares me

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sun, 13 Mar 2011 23:23:00 +0000

Every person has a shell. Without this shell, one cannot live. It protects us from the outside, the people, the environment and most importantly, the society we live in. But the shell is special. It covers us outside. It can protect us from anything we want. But the one thing that the shell can’t protect us from is the most dangerous of all of them. The shell can’t protect us from ourselves.

This shell appears when someone lies to themselves. It hides its feelings, torments itself and manages to cover their true form. The reasons for doing so are endless. Nonetheless, the shell begins to grow. Think of it like mould. The more something rots or goes bad, the more the mould grows. It’s the same with the shell. The lies and the secrets build up. As does the shell. But one needs to ask themselves this. How can one break out of their shell? Is it possible?

So my fear is pretty self evidentiary. I am afraid of not being myself. Throughout society we are asked to conform and do what is done everywhere. Yet it is our individual differences that make us worth more. Without our differences we do not bring in the fresh perspectives that make solutions and ideas more dynamic. I am always afraid of conforming to expectations set by others. Again there is a fine difference between adjusting to be not hurtful and adjusting to suit external stimuli. I hope I have enough judgment to distinguish between the two and do the former over the latter.

Blog 64: The biggest mistake I ever made

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 06:52:00 +0000

The biggest mistake I ever made was trusting someone too much. This is going to be a ranting room for the next 235 words so here we go. I am a happy person. I consider myself an optimist and a realist. I like to make people happy and it naturally helps to trust people. In this way I can create positive vibe and a fun surrounding which I adore.

So I met this person once, a long time ago, who I thought was rather interesting. The more I got to know the person, the more I got a feeling that they were lost and needed good company. I failed quite a few times and I took that as my fault. I thought I could actually help someone and when I became emotionally attached those failures hurt. So I tried to detach myself and that worked partially but the emotion was always there. I did not realize that I was the person changing more than anyone else. I was becoming different to suit someone else. I was being mean to good people because I felt envious of them.

But the most important thing was that I trusted this person to use common sense; to not jump from one guy to another as quickly as Paris Hilton moving from Prada to Gucci. So when I realized that she had done the switch faster than Hilton ever could, I was more than a little shocked. I did the first good thing I could, I apologized to the people I was mean to. I do not think I am going to stop trusting people but I will have to change my understanding of certain types of people. I made a mistake but I can write about it. In times like this I am glad that I have the friends I can lean on. It makes mistakes so much easier to live with.

Blog 63: My best friend

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:58:00 +0000

My best friend was someone I met in the second grade. He was a pretty cool guy though a little on the introverted side. What probably drew me to him was that I being new to the school seemed attracted to the least intimidating person. He was just that and as I got to know him more than others I discovered something amazing about his personality. I figured the reason he was so withdrawn and different was that he was pretty mature for a nine year old. It was a little hard being his friend though. We were kids and in our immaturity we often demanded or had to make unreasonable demands of ourselves. Clearly, my other friends thought I was crazy for spending so much time with him and told me to either choose them or him.

I did not like this and I chose to do neither. I became less friendly with him but did not get completely gung ho with my others friends. In a way I was kinda trying to send them a message. The eventually realized I was serious and just let it drop. My friend did teach me some things that are important to me till date. Most important amongst them is to always try to be happy. Being positive is very important even and especially when everything seems to be going against you. He also taught me to take inspiration from others. The best example of this is how I always try to read about people and their achievements. I realize that if others can so can I.

Blog 61: Guess the right one

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 18:49:00 +0000

I am an international student from India who studies at the Ohio State University. I’m a computer science engineer with a love for robots. Unlike many computer geeks, I do not love robots more than human. That’s probably because as a kid I read a lot of Isaac Asimov novels. They taught me to appreciate human ingenuity and our emotions. I love robots because they are unswervingly loyal, but disloyalty is a human nature too and so I must accept it.

I was part of a delegation of students from my country to an international form in Japan. We got to meet heads of states and we were part of a grueling debate and presentation on the world food crisis. I love to fight and the debate provided me with a perfect opportunity to do just that. It was an extremely intense experience but my team pulled through. We also had a cultural presentation where we bagged the first place. All in all it was an amazing conference.

I love super smash bros. I have been playing it like forever and I absolutely adore Yoshi. I am pretty good at that game. Once when I played a girl I like she started hating me just for beating her on the game. So I decided to tone it down and fake losing. I don’t know if it was worth it because she seems unsure of what to do with relationships right now. I’ll give her some time to decide but she definitely owes me for not letting me win.

Blog 60: Word

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 19:14:00 +0000

The word eclectic is an amazing word because its use is so varied just as its description. Basically it means deriving ideas, styles and fashion from many different sources, regions and places. Eclectic is something I try to live by. Eclectic is awesome because it is unpredictable diverse and different every time. It challenges you to think differently accept realities that you would never have thought possible. A simple example of being eclectic is learning new languages, cultures and trying new foods. I love travel and meeting new people and learning about their different problems, ideas and lives. When you learn all this bring them together to one melting point and draw open the ideas from them as and when necessary.

Eclecticism isn’t something newly respected in the world. Diversity has been stressed in the work environment for a very long time. Eclectic adds an extra dimension to diversity by stressing that the diverse atmosphere should actually do something. Essentially, eclectic means putting diversity to work. Oxford defines eclectic as a form of ideating or philosophy that draws inspiration from multi sources. If you look at the world today you will find that this is a hard fact. Essentially eclecticism is the right way a world should work. There is never any one right way to do something. Most ideas need to come together in a fusion and form a cohesive action.

Eclectics understand and respect this. They do not close their minds but rather try to accept and understand all the options before making an informed decision.

Blog 58:Major

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:04:00 +0000

My major is computer science and engineering and I do love it. I know quite a few engineers who absolutely hate the math or science in their engineering class but I do not. I love learning and being able to do these hard problems because I just like them. I chose computer sciences because I like math and computers ever since I was a kid. Computers are used in every implementation in the modern world and demand for people in this major ig not going to reduce anytime soon.

Computer science evolves a lot of abstract visualizations which I adore. The classes though are largely mundane. Engineering is in itself very intense and computer science integrated with it makes it a very demanding course load. My primary focus of major will be artificial intelligence in computing. I believe computers can be made smart with a program. The computer science engineering course is significantly harder than the plain arts and sciences departments offering of CIS. I still like it because it makes me think considerably hard and improves my programming skill. I like solving difficult problems and that is exactly what I do in computer science.

Programming is fun because in a few short hours, I can create by myself something new that I can play with. Its one of those few things in life which are amazingly easy to make and play with for people of any age and at any place. Programs are my instructions to a super fast machine and once I am done with it, I just let the machine do all the work.

Blog 55: Amazing thing in nature

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 02:30:00 +0000

The phenomenon I find most interesting in nature is evolution. For some reason I find it amazing and maybe a little comforting to know that things will always change however slowly. Its almost like I find this to be a kind of promise for the future. It also means things never get boring because they keep on changing. Evolution is one of the slowest natural processes in existence. The wonderful thing about it is that despite its snail’s pace change it has some real impacts on our world. These changes build up rather slowly and in insignificant levels but eventually lead to phenomenal differences; like the one between a human and chimpanzee.

In this way whole societies and planet changes over time. The better part is that these changes aren’t just purely physical but more emotional and intellectual. Take the human race. We have existed for a million years and in that time we have evolved from crude primeval creatures to a sophisticated society able to effect lasting changes on our planet. Change is also heavily dependent on challenges. The bigger the challenge facing us the more impressive is the change necessitated from us.

So as the world faces the incredible challenges of global warming and global integration we find the next need for social evolution. Amazingly these new series of evolutions don’t seem to be driving us apart. Instead it seems to bring us together as people. The natural aspect of evolution seems to have gathered a very lasting aspect on our life.

Blog 53: A pet peeve

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 23:01:00 +0000

I don’t think I have too many pet peeves, I hope not. But a certain one is immaturity in conflict. By that I want to emphasize that I’m not against immaturity in general. I love pranks and surprises because most of the times I am the one playing them. I do however not like the ability of people to take things in their stride. So if I have an argument with someone and then fallout, I would still expect them to behave professionally. In case that argument was over something small I’d expect them to offer to make amends. I would do the same as soon as I realize that things have calmed down.

Sadly there are quite a few people who take things that are not inherently hurtful personally. The worst combination is a person who brings it upon himself but then acts the victim to antagonism. So put it this way, I really do not appreciate a person who is hurtful but cant take back what he dishes out. Beyond that it probably becomes an ego problem where the guy cant really accept his fault because he finds that demeaning. I really like the quote, “Do unto your friends what you would want done unto you”. Generally someone who does understand this concept probably does not because he or she is too immature to fathom it. Likewise someone who plays hardball but then does not accept defeat or an apology with grace is just being a sore loser.

Blog 51: The most famous person I want to meet

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:30:00 +0000

The most famous person I respect is Anwar El Sadat. He was the Egyptian president and the promoter Egypt Israeli peace. Sadat is relatively less known in the United States which is surprising considering he was responsible in bringing the largest Arab country into the U.S camp. He braved consider opposition from within his country to achieve a peace settlement with a nation viewed as the arch enemy by most of his people. He started a six day war against Israel but this change of heart occurred after his brother’s fighter plane was shot down.

Sadat took power after the death of the first president of the Egyptian republic, Gamal Nasser. Nasser was a strong man, a monolith in the Arab world. Walking into Nasser’s shoes was considered political suicide as the person would forever be judged and compared to an idealistic scale. In this moment of uncertainty Sadat chose to not follow Nasser but be himself. Nasser was a hard Zionist who strongly believed in the subjugation of Israel under Arab power. Sadat was a moderate whose primary interest was the well being of the Egyptian people.

Sadat stood for principles at considerable risk to himself. He fully understood the gravity of the situation he was putting himself him. The eventual price he paid for his ideals was death. It will be heartening to know however that the peace treaty he instituted stood after his death. Over time this treaty has led to a less radical society. With the coming wind of change through the Middle East democracy seems likely.

Blog 49 My Job

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 03:01:00 +0000

My first job was a camp counselor at a summer camp for tweens. It wasn’t the most well paying of work but it was pretty fun. The job required me to be trainer and a systems administrator for a single owner proprietorship. It was an awesome experience in more ways than one. In one part of my job I was taking care of kids, playing with them and having fun. In the other component I was laying down the Employee Resource and Customer Relations management software and network for my employer.

So in between being extremely geeky and a fun teacher I had to have fun over the summer. I discovered local restaurants nearby and eating out became a savvy pleasure. The sad part I had to do most of this with a fractured foot. That naturally meant a lot of my fun was limited but I was grateful enough for what I could do. Short of that I worked under tremendous pressure. I had to manage nine centers and communicate the distribution of resources between the centers. I had to manager vendors and that was the hard part. Getting people to do their work was harder than actually doing them yourself.

The most fun part of my job was probably organizing the end of summer party. I had to get the cake organized and order the food. Picking food was mostly fun because I got to eat a lot of free sample. Mostly the job ran through fine, I loved my kids and my employers were good people. Loved it.

Blog 47, Anything: Gandhi walking the streets of Gaza

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 22:03:00 +0000

I would give anything to see this happen.

The present Israel Palestine conflict and the larger antagonism between Israelis and Arabs is a quagmire. Eerily similar to the Kashmir issue, there can be no solution to the crisis as long as both parties remain so resolutely fixed on their viewpoint, demands and ideologies.

To the people of Israel their right to reside in the holy land stems from the words of God and legal transfer of power after the expiry of the British mandate in Palestine. To the Palestinians the Israelis are committing a simple act of robbing a nation. Even moderate Palestinians turn antagonistic towards Israel because of the policies of the state. Yet we cannot say the Israeli do not have reasons behind their actions.

The Israeli Jews are a population of five million surrounded by more than three hundred million Arab neighbors. Threatened, exposed and still healing from the decimation under Nazism the Israelis naturally take security seriously. As a result they go harshly against any entity they see as a threat to their existence. The Arabs didn’t make things any better for themselves by declaring war on a nascent country barely a day into its birth. This distrust sowed early has turned in to the feud we see today.

And yet the policies of discrimination, segregation, and violence carried out by the Government of Israel remind us of another horrific government. The Israelis suffered terribly under the Nazis, maybe more than any modern people can imagine. Yet this is no excuse to now turn oppressors and do unto others what was done unto them.

The Middle East needs a touch of Gandhi. The Palestinians are oppressed but the Israelis aren’t cruel hearted demonic monsters either. Zionism is an emotional concept that any rational man can empathize with.

Given that both sides are civilized and cultured people, non violence becomes an extremely viable measure to break down barriers. If Palestinians can get these non violent measures portrayed on the international media and sensationalized they can most certainly expect moral and material support from outside. Israelis too will be sensitized to the sufferings of people who have an inalienable right to the land. The killing must stop.

While we can give different solutions to the moderates on both sides, to the radicals, the inflexible, we can say but one thing. There is no difference between an Israeli radical and a Palestinian radical. The only mark on an inhuman creature is one who is willing to kill to achieve an end. As long as both parties remain human, reason will triumph. No man can watch intense suffering of another without an emotive moment. The idea that he might have perpetrated it can only strengthen the emotion. As enough of this emotion grows, change is affected. The ultimate duty to God is to serve for the benefit of all mankind.

Blog 46: Anything, Harry Potter

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 00:43:00 +0000

It began a little more than 13 years ago, and now as a whole generation we witness the genesis and finale of the boy who lived in the closet under the stairs, No. 4 Privet Drive. As his primary viewers have changed with time, so have the actors, the book and its contexts and contents. Without changing the core ideas Rowling has allowed the ideas to mature into different form in each successive books. The first book was undoubtedly for children, with magic fun and a bad guy. The final book was far sinister with deep attitudes on life.

The real joy in the Harry Potter story lies in the way how a magical and mythical world can show us so much about the realities of life. It does this in a steady progression of books that a child grows around, much like a creeper growing around a sturdy stick. In phases it covers pretty much a spectrum of an individual from childish inhibitions, to tantrums, rise of ideals to falling in lust and then love. Finally as the characters mature, they display control, good judgment and resilience. In this respect the fifth through seventh book are most alluring. While the fifth highlights the zest of young people in work and snogging, the sixth displays an air of caution and responsibility. The seventh book is where everything comes together and they work as a team taking tough calls while sparks of love and passion fly. The most obvious of changes in this respect can be found in Neville Longbottom who showed tremendous change between the fifth and seventh books.

Due to the similarities between the wizarding world of Rowling and our own we can visualize and imagine it to be anything we are familiar with. We can associate with it and sublimely believe it to be true.This is not to say the movies were without flaw (Why do they run hilly-nilly when the snatchers find them instead of fighting or disapparating) The basis of the book may be fantastical and amazing for some to reconsider if it merits closer inspection. The reason I re-look at Harry Potter is not because of its dubious plausibility of facts but because of its graceful evolution with time while still retaining a message.

The message to me today is as clear as it was nearly a decade ago when I after much cajoling by mother, read the first book on my own. (She read the book but wouldn’t tell me the story only how awesome it was!!! and she kept the book always in plain sight. Curiosity killed my laziness). The values delivered are one of camaraderie, honesty, good values and purpose. A lot of books before and most certainly after will continue to tout these traits of character. The only difference will lie in how they present them. For me, it was a privilege to grow up in time pacing myself with Mr. Potter. I did read all the books since the third in closely the same ages the characters in the book were. It would be a shame if those after me could enjoy only the movies and not the pleasure of reading. It would be an even bigger shame if they choose to not observe their self evolution with each series and redefine the similar concept of each book in a new perspective that ageing with time provides.

Much like Enid Blyton, J.K Rowling has for sometime at least spurred on younger kids to read novels. I was one of them. I do hope that with time other series come out to replace the stories of Platform 9 ¾. I do certainly hope that when that happens it remains as largely in the history of the English language, a Briton that scripts history. For most of us in my generation, the novels of Harry Potter might remain an irreplaceable kind of series. A magical story of an almost real world.

Blog 45: Anything, Chocolate

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 11:05:00 +0000

The etymology of Chocolate spawns from an Aztec drink discovered by the Spanish and called Xocolatl. The drink was a raw brew of bitter cocoa. To make it palatable to the sweeter European tastes, the Spanish added milk and sugar creating the world’s first hot cocoa drink. Since then the industry and the people who drove it have created names like Nestle, Cadbury Schweppes and Ferrero SpA. This blog will identify the tastes of chocolate, the amazing new kinds being made and the chemistry that compels most of us to fall inexorably in love with the confection.

The year is 1860 and revolutions are gripping Germany and the Ottoman Empire. The civil wars are ripping America and rebellion ferments in India. Far removed from these tragedies of life a little man with lots of spunk tries to make the world a sweeter place to be. He was a Swiss and gifted with the rocky resilience and determination they are known for, Henri Nestle starts shop of Nestle & Co. The initial chocolates favored the Swiss taste of strong and bitter. Dark chocolates gripped the Swiss nation and overflowed to neighboring Germany. A year later the German revolution was over. It wasn’t till the taste of amour crossed the English Channel did it face resistance from the peaceful but sweet loving Britons. This allowed the entry of a new player, Cadburys which revolutionized the brown chocolate market. As candy and other derivatives of chocolates took hold, the centre of the confection world shifted west across the Atlantic to the city of Chicago.

Chocolate in essence can only be of two types, Black or White. The other variations depend purely on the amount of cocoa. What makes the industry really fun is the diversity it allows by experimenting with flavors, additives and ratios. I’ve TRIED to make mint chocolate once. The main ingredients were grounded cocoa with milk, sugar pepper and essence of mint. I wasn’t like 100% successful, though the result was perfectly edible and tasted of mint. The curious things I learnt from this experiment included but not limited to: Pepper and sugar are flavor enhancers; you dilute chocolate with vegetable oil and not water. Then there are the moulds which you can use to allow fillings of honey, mildew, nutmeg and raisins. Shapes also play an important role in justifying the chocolate. Dark chocolate is a better binder than white chocolate and as a result can support much more exquisite shapes.

So why does chocolates remain a delicacy for mankind. Why does it retain its symbol of love and refinement? Arguably the first can be associated to the chemicals theobromine and phenylethyl amine. To a chem. E both these compounds are aromatic in nature possessing resonant structures and weak chemical bonds. As a result they can easily break bonds to release energy and spawn reactions that give pleasurable smells and products. An easy example is deodorants like AXE chocolate. The chemicals break up on your body to cover up your stink. Another historically perturbing question to men at least is DO woman really dig chocolates and why? At least that would mean one sure thing we’d know about the cuter sex. Billions of dollars of research later scientists could say this. Chocolates remain attractive to women for two primary reasons. The smell triggers the release of endorphins, (also called pleasure hormones) which satiates them.

43. Social Revolutions

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 06:34:00 +0000

Many of us know what’s going on in Egypt and the Middle East. University students like us have decided to get together in big groups to challenge a system that is incredibly powerful and daunting. They are doing this using a powerful weapon of their own and that is the social media network on the internet. Its pretty smart really, autocracies survive by suppressing the democratic tendency to discuss and share ideas freely. On the internet however, it becomes increasingly difficult for countries with limited resources to track dissent. These platforms then become rallying grounds that attempt to undermine the seeming integrity of the autocracy.

Essentially facebook becomes an Easter egg of revolutions; one inside another. The amazing part is that there is very little governments can do in terms of leverage. It would not be possible to directly move against these companies with servers in the United States. The option of shutting down the internet in a globalized economy is nearly unimaginable. Other factors such as television and media exacerbate the situation. Contextually the youth in countries with depressed employment and suppressed rights often resort to these networks to voice and vent frustration.

In any case, Egypt proved to be a text book example of this scenario. It might be amusing to consider that despite pressures from several interest groups and nations, both pro and against democracy; none of them achieved a large success. That could only be done by a social stimulus created by a social engineer in the United States.

Blog 41 Compelling

noreply@blogger.com (Kinshuk Mitra) — Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:56:00 +0000

So my article will be on how the changes in the Middle East affect us, people living halfway across the world; over the Atlantic. I’ll try to validate the argument at first by pathos, logos and ethos. By pathos, the idea is only personal because I have been to Egypt. It will be personal for most people living in the Middle East because they can identify what the Egyptians are going through. Any people living under autocracy can find the common ground. However it should be personal for young people like us because even though we have tons of stuff to do here, we should remember people; with lives just like us are doing amazing things right now, over there.

By Logos, the article is logical because it presents the established demands of a group of people. I am clearly on the side of restoration of democracy. This demand can be argued both from the side of prudence and moral. In either case, the logical conclusion is that the establishment of a proper democracy will lead to the enhanced betterment of the Egyptian people. Logically the only opposition would be the fear of a radical Islamic takeover. The counter to this would be caution, monitoring and trust in the Egyptian culture and heritage.

By Ethos, the idea is tantalizing. Egypt has often been seen as a cradle of civilization. With such sophistication it is often difficult to place this country in league with other Arab nations and rightly so. Egypt is special and it can be a catalyst of change in the Middle East. With their educated secular youth and relatively secular system, Egypt leans toward modernity without damaging its pan Arabic connections,