This month, Bwog staffer Armin Rosen finds himself in Bangalore, which is not as unlike Manhattan as you might think.

Up until this weekend, my lone experience with south Asia's IT boomtown was crossing the street between its central bus and train stations. Simple enough in theory—but, owing to the city's notorious Friday-night traffic and fenced median strips, terrifying in practice. After hopping a couple of barriers and reaching the other side of the median, I found myself stranded with a small group of prospective street-crossers. And although my only words of Kannada are illa (no), and bedda (fuck off), I didn't need the lingo: their faces communicated "what the fuck?" as well as speech.

Bangalore is one "what the fuck?" after another. Most of them have to do with the fact that, like India itself, Bangalore is both thriving and struggling horribly. The doctor in charge of the NGO where I'm interning lamented that the city's pollution and uncontrollable growth rate have turned his once-pleasant hometown into a gridlocked basket case—but he added that it has everything you'd expect to find in the nicest parts of most western cities.

The great Bangalorean paradox of simultaneous prosperity and ruin is on display on Commercial Street, one of the city's major shopping arteries. On the prosperity front, the street's upscale Indian-style clothing stores attract tourists, expats and upwardly-mobile middle-class Indians. On the ruin front, Commercial Street feels like a place subverted by its own incredible success, and subsequently has almost no character of its own. Bangalore boasts none of India's architectural wonders (with the possible exception of the spectacular Karnataka state assembly building--although it does have IT, out-of-control growth, consumer decadence, and general aesthetic blight. Jam-packed Commercial Street has elements of all four, although, I did find a pretty delicious "New York Style" chicken dog. While not exactly a dead ringer for Grey's, the presence of spicy, Indian-style ketchup atop classic American street food gave me heart.

A few gems from the Columbia College Student Council meeting Sunday night.

"The theme for Safer Sex Week... well, it has to do with hot dogs and tacos." -Sophomore President George Krebs, announcing a planned Safer Sex Week study break.

"We're making Valentines for old lonely people." -Junior President Neda Navab, showing compassion for the elderly in planning a charity event.

And finally, a tidbit that may actually have bearing on the election: Marcus Johnson, a graduating University Senator, publicly encouraged Academic Affairs Rep Alidad Damooei '09 or Krebs to run for his seat, to much laughter and applause from their colleagues.

Damooei's LSAT proposal passed (after losing a clause that would have compelled the CCSC officers to serve as unpaid LSAT proctors), so he may have political capital within CCSC at the moment. He and Krebs - like all prospective candidates - must register for whatever position they choose by February 19.

-DPD

Bwog tipster Christopher Morris-Lent sent in the first--but certainly not the last--gem of the year from Sunil Gulati's Principles class: