"What Recession ?" you might say, judging by the way the non-essential spending goes on in the USA. Or is it that the Recession hits different people in different ways ? I thought the only Recession-proof industries must be the Alcoholand Tobaccoones, even though the figures stated that more people had quit smoking after the new Tobacco Tax hike. That new hike didn't quite impact the latest crop of graduates who are finding fewer jobs awaiting them out there and have taken to smoking and drinking as they are officially 'legal'. A whole new generation of smokers and drinkers enter society and the endless cycle continues. I know this to be true because part of my daily routine involves verifying the age of Tobacco product buyers. Those are the real facts, the prices are up and so are the sales, especially when the pitch now is 'Buy Two and Save'.
Alcohol remains untouched, a big seller as increasing numbers bemoan the sorry State of the Nation while sharing a bottle of cheaper Wine than what they were used to. Judging from the folks in the path of last year'sHurricane Ike in Texas, that's exactly what took place, as area Supermarkets found their sales figures for Wine surpassed all previous records. Their Liquorstocks were the first ones that were depleted during those dismal days of shortages, curfews and long lines. Some literally drowned while others just 'downed'
Yes, big Corporations may be in Bankruptcy but against all odds there some who are not buckling, but booming. The video below
As Indian women increasingly become independent, financially and otherwise, and begin asserting their spending power, wine drinking is becoming the rage. -The Global Post, May 2009
Well, Indian women have been drinking as long as the world's oldest profession has been in existence.That's nothing new. But The ancient Indian Religious Scriptures have always forced Indian women to higher standards of public conduct than their Western counterparts. The only 'Ladies' Night' that could be envisioned would be the Palace dancers and courtesans who were 'on call' at the whim of the Royals. Dancing girls in the courts of the Mughal rulers being more desirable or successful meant their acceptances of drinks, 'tips' and amorous advances as the precursors to giving themselves up to their 'patrons'. Those early versions of 'Bar Girls' were the bad side of the picture for serious drinking aficianados of the time - the gourmands.
For centuries the acquisition of wine fines remained dependent on visits by the Greek conquerors, followed by the Portuguese, Dutch and British traders and missionaries, who used their mastery of producing fine wines to further their imperialist ideals. Displaying their vast array of continental wine flavors.they offered a taste of what constituted greater wealth and power in the outside world.
Following the occupation and rule by the British, the men in the new armed forces had the great good fortune to discover gourmet Indian cuisine alnd so began the evolution of fine wining and dining for those not in the elite. Those soldiers also paved the way for greater enhancement of the local palates by trading their Rations of alcohol, chocolates and other Western goodiesfor Gemstones, Jewelry, Cash and anything else they could lay their hands on. Many female servants, known as 'Ayahs' or Nannies rose above their domestic positions to become Liasons, Escorts and even wives to their masters. And so new business and social circles were born, where the most powerful were wined and dined by the locals with the most to gain from such new alliances. Which leads to the party days of the Indian Military bases.....
I grew up enjoying the sights and sounds of Indian Army Galas and Fetes, at a time when being the friend of Military personnel meant not just sharing in their festivities but also gaining a 'Passport' to their imported Scotch and 'Army strength' Rum quotas. As a Musician performing at these festivities I witnessed many a 'respectable' Army wife loosening up on thedance floor and enjoying herself after a few 'Army pegs' The same highly-respected ladies who were pillars of the community, who had to be discreet and order 'Sherry', the standard 'Ladies' Drink' when it came to drinking in public.Fresh out of schooland into College, I highly approved of this camaraderie and enjoyed this form of hospitalityfor years.......but those were the old days.
Now, all that unnecessary shameand stigma of women drinking in public has disappeared as India's business attitude has rapidly evolvedinto one of the world's most open. The lifting of Tariff restrictions on imported goods like Liquor has resulted not only in a wider varietyof imports but also created a mass market in India for Wines from abroad. Much of all this sophistication has been spearheadedby the new elite who get their ideas either first-hand via shopping trips to Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, or from good old Bollywood which brings the latest trends to them at a breakneck pace. They are thus on the fast track to keeping up with, and overtaking the Joneses...and the Joshis. Even local entrepreneurs who areless-traveled and far from 'hip' are now quickly boning up on Wine Connoisseurship.
All this bodes good for the status of Indian women as consumers and more: they nowhave a whole new world of social and business inter- action to tap into,research and explore.And to spend more, which is of course the bottom line. The new society lady is a Renaissance lady, a Merchandiser's dream, who bravely trades jibes with local Community Leaders Restauranteurs, and Media Gurus all in the space of one day,
grabbing their attention and swaying their devotion.
All this is neatly documented by the folks in the video above, the folks of The Pune Gourmet Clubwho are determined to party in style, and often. Visit their blog and tell them an old Punekarsent you. Then read almost all about the world of Indian women according to Wiki
'Forget about the brotherly and otherly love - Motherly love is just the thing for you you know your Mother's gonna love you till you don't know what to do '
Gotta love those daily commuter trains at CST in Mumbai ! Here's a French tourist's capture from 2007 that shows some things never change even if it's 30 years later. Sure, it's a whole lot cleaner, modern, organized, digitally sync'ed and catered to make the ride a lot more bearable....but as long as the nation's population remains unchecked, the seating stays up for grabs even with a monthly pass. Thank goodness they have all that 'spare' seating on top of the trains !
Here's an Indian blog that mentions an Indian entrepreneur who came up with the ingenious idea of providing insurance for getting caught traveling without ticket. Which is not quite the same as ticketless travel insurance....
On September 26, 2005, England was convicted of one count of conspiracy, four counts of maltreating detainees and one count of committing an indecent act. She was acquitted on a second conspiracy count.[citation needed] She was sentenced to three years in a military prison for her crimes.wikipedia.org
It was on a hot day in the last week of September 2005 that Lynndie England faced Court-Martial at Fort Hood Army Base, Texas. On that very same day at the same time, I was in the area of Fort Hood, returning from mandatory Evacuation due to Hurricane Rita. Somehow I knew I would remember that day for years to come, maybe forever. Suppressing an overwhelming urge to sneak up around the Army Base, I promised myself that I would put down my thoughts about the unusual events of the day in a Blogpost when I returned to Friendswood, TX. As it turns out I did, but inexplicably I left out all mention of the England case. So now, thanks to the release of the Torture Memos, and, come May 28th, the images related to those Documents, my thoughts on Lynndie England are being re-examined and shared online. Three and a half years later........ The Abu Ghraib leaked pictures and subsequent international media coverage remain forever an important part of U.S. history that will be analyzed, written and re-written about. We expect that to happen. And now, perhaps those of us who were shocked, disgusted and dismayed by our soldiers' behaviour at Abu Ghraib and other US-controlled prisons will find our perceptions altered. Just like my perceptions,The Huffington Post's Tina Dupuy and mine have been altered.
I have always wondered what would drive a twenty-year-old female who grew up in a mobile home in tiny Fort Ashby, WV to wind up as a soldier in a harsh environment like Abu Ghraib. Even Mick Jagger expressed his feeling about her in the 2005 album, 'Bigger Bang' in a song called 'Dangerous Beauty' Whatever the reason, she wound up in Iraq at age 20, fell madly in love with her Boss, Sergeant Charles Graner and got pregnant. Young, ambitious and full of hope for a life with Graner and the baby after their tour of duty, Lynndie was determined to do whatever was necessary to make her dream a reality. Even if it meant committing despicable acts that she questioned inwardly, outwardly she was being all that she could be, a good soldier serving her country in the time of need. And so she evolved into one of the most hated females in the world after the photos of her at Abu Ghraib prison somehow leaked out. There were other soldiers present as Sgt. Graner supervised the proceedings, creating some atrocious photoshoots that he declared would serve as official Documents on the Army's use of Interrogation Methods, a.k.a.PSYOPS.
Why did she let Graner take all those pictures? Wasn't she afraid he'd show them to people?
"I didn't want him to take the pictures," England tells me. "But he took pictures of everything. He kept a camera in his cargo pocket. He was always taking his camera out. Sometimes he took the pictures for himself. Sometimes he took them for documentation."
According to Staff Sergeant Ivan L. Frederick II, who was deposed during the military trial, "[Graner] always talked about being in Desert Storm, and the things he saw and did, and he had no way to prove these things happened. So this time around, he said he was going to take pictures to take back home as proof." from (A Soldier's Tale: Lynndie England byTara McKilvey for Marie Claire)
One person who is ready for a new battle for justice is the prison commander at the time, Janis Karpinski. When the Abu Ghraib prison scandal broke in 2004, it was soldiers and officers who took the blame including Karpinski who was demoted from Brigadier General to the rank of Colonel. Speaking with CNN's John Roberts last Thursday she says of Lynndie :
"You have to understand that it builds into a crescendo," says Karpinski. "Lynndie is away from the flagpole, in Abu Ghraib — the most terrible place. You're being mortared every night. You are breathing dust and broken concrete. It's hot. You feel dehumanized. You're drained of every bit of compassion that you have. She did it because she wanted to come back from this godforsaken war and be able to say, 'We did this for the government.' She was made to believe that this was of such importance to national security. It was, you know, 'You stick with me, kid, and you might even win a medal.'"
"Graner was her protector," Karpinski continues. "She wanted to please him, and she'd do anything he told her to do. She's thinking, 'Graner would never tell me the wrong thing. I'm sleeping with him. I trust him.'' http://tinyurl.com/dk4d8t
Sgt.Graner, who is still serving time in prison has no contact with Lynndie or their son; Lynndie wants nothing to do with the person who denied being the father and instead was instrumental to her imprisonment and dishonorable discharge. At least eleven lower- ranked persons were nudged and judged and served time, but what lies ahead will have them and a lot of others related to the events on tenterhooks in the days ahead. For, in addition to seeing justice duly served on the superiors who were never affected during all this, this will be their chance to watch the courts clear their names, and the world to finally acknowledge they were the 'fall guys'. Karpinski is also ready to go the distance to see that justice is finally served and even believes a Presidential Pardon should be forthcoming.
Roberts:Do they deserve a presidential pardon? Karpinski:They do. And they deserve to have all of the convictions overturned. They deserve certainly to have their discharges dishonorable or bad conduct discharges overturned.
:-)
