Indian media's obesession with twin murders in Noida

It looks like Indian media these days is obsessed by the twin murders of the teenage girl and her servant happened in Noida. Talwar family is being followed everywhere and their family videos are being shown on news channels very much like the western media.
Time magazine is calling it India's JonBenet Ramsey Case.

But as per this interesting story in Hindustan Times this looks like an open and shut case to me.Here is the link.

Bobby Jindal for Vice President

There have been reports in media recently that John McCain might choose Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal as his running mate. Radio show host Rush Limbaugh has pitched for Jindal calling him the only True Conservative Republican Politician. I am not sure how many people outside Louisiana have heard about Bobby Jindal but I do know Rush Limbaugh is a very popular Radio talk host and lot of people listen to him.

Bobby Jindal can help McCain get he much needed conservative votes and also counter his age factor. In many ways I see lot of similarities between Bobby Jindal and Barack obama. Both are young, colored, Intelligent, hardworking, shrewd and very cunning politicians. Both of them knew right from the day 1 they enter Politics that some day they are going to run for President. So every public appearance, every statement and every Congress/Senate Vote for them was a calculated move for their Presidential goal. That’s why their rivals will always find it very difficult to challenge their clean political record.

Even if Jindal becomes the Vice-President there is nothing for India to cheer about. Apart from his desi roots there is nothing desi about him. He was born as a Hindu in Los Angeles but converted to Evangelical born-again Christianity. His voting record in congress suggests an Anti-India bias.

Netflix's Roku device is finally here

Netflix's Roku device is finally out. This is something I was eagerly waiting for. You can use this device to watch Movies and Televison shows from the Netflix's Online collection of 10,000 titles directly on your TV without using any computer or laptop.
Now this is one solid reason for me to get rid of money eating Comcast cable connection. I usually watch Local channels and Movies on Comcast. Since Local channel are anyway available for free and this device will let me watch Unlimited Movies for just $10 a month so who will need Comcast now.

Can Carl Icahn save Microsoft Yahoo Deal

Finally some good news for the prospect of a Microsoft Yahoo deal. Carl Icahn has got involved and he disclosed yesterday that he has been buying stake in Yahoo. He aims to get into a Proxy fight with the Yahoo Board and force Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang to get onto the negotiation table with Microsoft. This is certainly a good news for deal because If Carl Icahn wants something then generally he gets it.

If you are wondering who the hell is Carl Icahn then keep on reading. Carl Icahn is a billionaire investor just like legendary Warren Buffet. However his modus operandi is opposite of Buffet. Buffet invest in good fundamental companies with sound management team while Icahn invest in companies that are not doing good and have lousy management. Icahn buy enough stake in these companies to put his own men into the Board of Directors of these companies. Then he force the management to change policies, cut costs, lay-off employees and if the management doesn't oblige him he gets rid of the CEO and place his own man in his position. By the time he sells his stake in the company, stock price is already 2 times or 3 times, creating wealth for shareholders and for him in the process.

Carl Ichan is one of the most feared men on Walls Street, the CEOs are scared of him. Once he gets into fight with any management he generally gets his way in by one way or another. He might be bad for the Management and employees of the companies but he is very good news for the shareholders. The moment he discloses he has acquired stake in a company, gives its stock a lift what they on Walls Street calls ‘The Carl Icahn Lift’. He has created more wealth for shareholders than Warren Buffet.
He always reminds me of the character that Michael Douglas played in the Hollywood movie ‘Walls Street’.

Which teams will make to the IPL semifinals

I will put my money on Rajasthan Royals, King’s XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings to reach semi finals for sure in that order. Delhi Dare Devils, Mumbai Indians and Kolkatta Knight Riders will have to fight it out for the 4th place. Others I don’t think have any chance to make to the semi finals.

Who is to be blamed for Global Food Crisis US or India

US president George Bush recently blamed India for the Global Food Crisis, citing that Indian Middle class is getting more affluent and is consuming lot more food causing the food shortage globally.
But is it really true. Actually George Bush’s push for Ethanol and his subsisdies to bio-fuels is causing the global food shortage The United States uses — or throws away — 3,770 calories a person each day, according to data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization collected in 2001-3, compared with 2,440 calories per person in India.

Asian Age an Indian newspaper, argued in an editorial last week that Mr. Bush’s “ignorance on most matters is widely known and openly acknowledged by his own countrymen,” and that he must not be allowed to “get away” with an effort to “divert global attention from the truth by passing the buck on to India.”

Here is data from New York Times on who is consuming what and how much. See for yourself.

Has Sensex slipped into Bear territory yet again

The short but smart Bull run in the Indian Stock Market is over and Sensex closed yet again under 17,000 this Friday. This brings out the question is Indian Stock Market is under the control of Bears and if yes how long is this Bear run going to last.

Well someone has said that Stock market is nothing but a glorified casino and its always hard to predict which way the market is going to go but it doesn’t deter people like us to test the waters and make our own predictions one way or the other, does it.

Here is what I think, In the long term while the Indian story is still intact but in the short run I won’t be surprised to see Sensex under 16,000 or touching 15,000 for that matter by next month. The US economy isn’t going to get any better and we are heading towards Dow Jones touching 12,000 by this month end. Inflation in India is at multi year high and elections are coming next year, so one can expect some slowdown in Indian economy as well.
I would expect Sensex to remain range bound between 16,000 to 18,000 in coming few months.

Can IPL be as big as NFL Super Ball

SO Indian Premier League (IPL) in its inaugural run has become a big hit in India. IPL has achieved what it set for Full capacity crowd in every match, high TRP Ratings and advertisement money flowing in from all direction. IPL is perhaps the smartest thing that BCCI bosses have ever done. They made some right decisions like Franchise Team formats, multi million dollar auction of players , Adding Bollywood spice (read Sharukh Khan) to mix, Prime time Match schedule, American Cheer leaders etc. Looks like Lalit Modi can not do anything wrong these days.

But questions is how big IPL can really become. Can it become as big as American league based sports like NFL, NBA etc. Lalit Modi is saying IPL will make Cricketers richer than any other Sports players in the world. He is talking about 15-20 million$ contract for players.

Well considering the large middle class Indian population and the buying power that they have these days anything is possible. Perhaps you can expect people in India lining outside the stores to buy 50 inch HD TVs before the start of the IPL tournament to watch their favorite league, something which is common before NFL Super Ball in America. You can expect to see people wearing IPL League T Shirts and Caps everywhere you go on buses, trains etc. something similar to Chicago Bulls, Patriots, Astros, SF Giants etc. in America. And you can expect a Bilion $ valuation for the Delhi Dare devils or Kings XI Punjab clubs and IPO of Knight Riders and a super duper listing at the Bombay Stock Exchange

I will say all this is very much possible in coming years.