Oil Prices:Price Hike in India

The price of oil around the world has more than doubled in the last 12 months. In India we have largely been unaffected by it but that is all about to change. Petrol prices could go by RS 3.50 to about RS 10 in the coming days. Petrol prices going up will further push inflation in India. This petrol price rise may be the first of many to come in the future.

The price of oil stands above the 130$ mark and analyst it may reach the 200$ mark in the future. No one in the world had seen this coming and its timing could not be worse. Most of the nations in the world are already experiencing a sharp rise in inflation and this sudden rise in oil prices has further deteriorated the situation.

In India we have already begun to feel the pinch of inflation with rise food prices and now the oil price rise is going to hit us hard. The government is trying very hard not to hike petrol & diesel prices with elections due in a year. But losses that are being inflicted upon the public sector oil companies such as Indian oil, Hindustan petroleum and Bharat petroleum have forced the government to act.

The government recently conceded that a hike in the price of petrol and diesel was imminent. The question now is by how much ? The finance minister is reluctant to reduce the taxes imposed on the oil as it would drastically increase the annual fiscal deficit. But to impose the burden on the common man would be some thing unreasonable.

So now the question is when the price rise comes, how much will it be? I believe the it will depend on how much the finance minister is willing to compromise and how much the allies are willing to risk by passing the buck on to the common man.

We in India cannot shy away from this rise in oil prices, one way or the other we are going to pay more for petrol and diesel. To blame the government for it in my opinion is stupid and unreasonable. As this is a global phenomenon and it is beyond the control of our government.

And as far as the white house is concerned, I have only one thing to say in response to the statement "Many developing nations like India or China are having greatly increased demand, which obviously is having an impact on price"

Guys grow up and stop cribbing, first the food and now this too. Does competition make you uncomfortable??

But million dollar question is by how much? So lets wait and see what the wise men of India decide.

HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN

The end of this season saw many a big name flatter to deceive. The likes of Liverpool, AC Milan & Barcelona all have ended with disappointing seasons. Many would argue that Arsenal should be on the list but I would disagree.


Arsenal are young team, that are slowly finding their feet. I guess it is a case of you need ton learn to walk before you run and fall a little in the process. Fabregas has been a revelation this season and has shown that he is their crisis man.


Adebayor and Walcottt seem to be settling into the system well. The loss Hleb and Flamini will hurt Arsenal but trust Wenger to find able young replacements for them. I would say watch out for them next season.



Liverpool have as usual turned in a Jekyll and Hyde performance, going great guns in Europe but lack luster in the league. The squabble among the owners has not helped also. I still feel that if Benitez would not chop and change so much, they would not be so inconsistent.

In Europe Liverpool seem to be in their element. Here is food for thought where would Liverpool be without the goals from Fernanado Torres. It is time the domestic championship in England becomes more than 3 horse race.

Barcelona they have been a Greek tragedy this season. The signs were there for all to season last season itself when they gifted the league to their rivals Real Madrid.

Everything that could have gone wrong has wrong at the Camp Nou this season. An overweight and out form Ronaldinho, a Messi who was injured for most of the season, A Henry who seems to be a poor shadow of himself in comparison to his Arsenal days. The list just goes on and on.

So it was only eventual that a massive shake up was to take place at the end of the season. Deco , Ronnie, Etoo, Zambrotta and many more will be leaving the Camp Nou.


AC Milan the European Champions have also had a similar season. Finishing fifth in their league has meant that they have also had a quite miserable season. An aging defense and strikers who are bereft are goals have been at the center of their woes.

A major influx of players is expected for the next season at the San Siro . Having been knocked out of the champions league in the pre-quaterfinal stage by Arsenal did not help either.

EUROPEAN TRANSFERS : FC BARCELONA

With the curtain going down on the 2007-08 season, its time for the transfer speculation to begin. The summer European transfer season has in the past thrown up many a surprise. This Transfer window has many a big name on the move. The likes Drogba, Ronaldinho, Deco & Etoo will mostly be wearing new team colors.



Lets us start with the Catalan club FC BARCELONA, after two seasons of no silverware and mercurial form. The time has come to break the team up and rebuild the entire team. It has been made clear that the club will part ways with star Ronaldinho so as to make fresh beginning.

Coach Frank Rijkaard has also decided to leave, the club let him exit gracefully by letting finish the season. Despite poor performances during the season. Edmilson has also parted ways with club moving to Villareal. Other people rumored to be on their way out are the likes of Etoo, Deco, Zambrotta and my personal opinion is Henry will also leave.

Manchester United's Gerard Pique is mostly on his way to the Nou Camp. The youngster who was taken from the Barcelona academy is relishing the possibility of a return to his home.
Sevilla's Danny Alves is also suspected to be on his to joining the Catalans. The Brazilian has made no secret of the fact he wants to move to greener pastures, it increasingly appears he will be moving to Barcelona.

I also believe come next season Drogba will be wearing a Barcelona jersey. After the Moscow fiasco in is very clear that he will not be a Chelsea man come next season. If the deal does materialize, you heard it here first.

Halfway between the gutter and the stars
Stands the air, thin and weak,
Around my dreams floating, half-asleep,
With the silent smoke of dead cars.
They fall to the trodden ground and writhe
As reality strides on with thorny feet,
But in the dark hours of night so sweet
They see the cold stars and rise.
A breath of life, a breath of hope,
A little cheer and a little blindness,
Some laughter and a lot of kindness...
That's all my dreams need to cope

LIFE AT VIT UNIVERSITY : VELLORE

This is a follow up on my previous post VIT University. As VITEE results were announced it would help a lot of students looking for information on VIT University. General information has been posted in previous post on VIT University CLICK HERE. Ranked 10 th on India today's list of top engineering colleges

In my last my post I was very civil in my description about VIT University, so this time I have decided to describe everything from a different perspective


LIFE AT VIT UNIVERSITY

As far as academics is concerned VIT University is more than respectable. It offers opportunities for you to push those big ideas through but beware of those try to hitch a ride on your shoulders.

As in most colleges the assignments completed as a group task. VIT University follows a semester system, the odd semester feel really long and even semester gets over before you know it.

One thing that one should be careful about is the attendance. They are very strict about it, 75% or else bye bye. There is always a way out of every thing in VIT, the path generally hurts your pocket.

Some good news for freshers is that ragging is an offense which is taken very seriously.

Attractions of Main Campus


The VIT University campus is huge, but thankfully there are shaded walkways to shade you from the ever present blazing Vellore sun. The weather is rarely pleasant.



There are 3 places to eat on Campus. The VIT University food court near Technology Tower, Canteen & Quick bytes. In the VIT food court you get almost all varieties of food, but be warned looks can be deceiving. Canteen is purely vegetarian here I suggest the lunch meal, it is a sumptuous south Indian thali. Quick bytes is the place to go for fast food I suggest the barbeque roll and cakes such as black forest . Note all these palaces get extremely crowded during lunch.

My favorite place on the campus is the main basketball court, right behind the Anna auditorium. It is the number one hang out spot on campus, also one of the most picturesque courts you will ever see. It is the only sport played in the main campus.

Other sports facilities in VIT University include football field, cricket field, Olympic size swimming pool, a large number of badminton courts, floodlit basketball & volleyball courts and floodlit tennis courts.


10 NOT KNOWN FACTS ABOUT VIT UNIVERSITY

1. You can be suspended and fined for being present at the site of ragging or for not doing anything to stop ragging.
2. You can not sit anywhere on campus
3. A boy and girl cannot site together on any of the benches near the basketball court.
4. A large percentage of the people playing basketball on campus do it because it is a shortcut to fame at VIT University
5. There is no such thing as O D in VIT University ( subject to department)
6. There is no internet connection or LAN provided by the college in the hostels (private LAN wires are considered illegal)
7. There is a helipad in the middle of the stadium (concrete)
8. The field used for cricket and football is the same.
9. Concerts in VIT University are held with barriers that separate boys and girls
10. TASMAC is the place most visited by VIT students (go to VIT and find out what I mean)
    

POLITICS OF DIVISION: A STATE CALLED TELANGANA?

Come may 29th the question of whether or not the state of Telangana will be or can be formed will be decided on. A referendum of sorts will take place as the Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) resigned from its 18 assembly and 9 lok sabha seats.

The by-election for these seats are going to indicate as to how strong is the want for statehood is. The Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) gave up all these seats, to protest the lack of support for statehood from ruling congress party in the state and center. As the congress had become hesitant to support the cause despite the issue being a part of the common minimum program between the two during the 2004 state elections in which they were allies.

Now that is as far the politics of the issue goes, now let us look at the practicality of it. The Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) by resigning their seats a year before the actual scheduled elections are not proving anything.

All they have achieved to do is, to reaffirm our faith that politicians really do not think much about the country, state or people. Not only have resigned but also have decided to contest the same seats again. What are they trying to prove???

Election costs run in to crore's and in today's time of rising prices, one is forced to wonder if it is required. Further, gimmicks like the leader of Telangana Rashtriya Samithi (TRS) mr K C Rao sleeping in an tribal hamlet, taking bath in a canal etc. Point to nothing but desperation on part of the politicians.

The reasons for statehood may be genuine but the actions to acquire are certainly not. I fear to think what Mr Sardar Patel would say if he saw his work of putting together a united India from 565 princely being undone by his fellow Indians.

SHOAIB AKTHAR RUNS THROUGH THE DAREDEVILS : KOLKATA PULLS A RABBIT OF THE BAG

Shoaib Akthar destroyed the Daredevils with a battering ram of a spell taking 4-11. Shoaib Akthar accounted for Sehwag , Gambhir, De villiers and Tiwari in his opening spell to help the Knight Riders defend a paltry 136. Shoaib Akthar was declared man of the match. L R Shukla also joined the party taking 3 wickets.

Kolkata won the toss and elected to bat with Akash Chopra and Salman Butt opening the batting. The Knight Riders were off to a cautious start with Butt being the more aggressive of the two openers.

After the slow start the Knight Riders found themselves in further trouble losing the wickets of Sourav and Chopra, stuttering at 48-2 after 7 overs. After which the process rebuilding was taken on by Kolkata's Mr. Dependable, David Hussey, and Butt.

Just as things were beginning to look good, Butt lost his wicket trying to push the tempo. They were at 91-3, which was followed by a miniature batting collapse brought about by some good tight bowling by the Daredevil bowlers like Maharoof, Sangwan & Mishra.

Hussey stood tall amidst the carnage giving the Knight Riders' total a measure of respectability by reaching 133-6.

Delhi, starting with Sehwag and Gambhir, must have been supremely confident of wrapping the match up. But the Rawalpindi Express, Shoaib Akthar, had other ideas, opening the bowling for the Knight Riders. Shoaib Akthar was breathing fire from ball one, bowling at 150 kmph.

Shoaib Akthar blitzed through the top order, accounting for Sehwag , Gambhir, De villiers and Tiwari with some good old-fashioned fast bowling. Delhi was reeling at 28-4, attempts for revival brushed aside as Delhi kept losing wickets at regular intervals owing to some tight bowling and fielding by Kolkata. Delhi found itself at 73-6.

Maharoof and Mishra staged a mini comeback, only to be nipped at the bud by a brilliant piece of fielding by Dinda to run Maharoof out. This was followed by a remarkable over by L R Shukla in which he took 3 wickets in 5 balls. Delhi was all out for 110.

With this victory the Knight Riders are back in the hunt for a semi-final berth. Delhi seems to be losing form just when it matters. Will they make it ?? only time will tell.

IPL : TOP 5 PERFORMERS

If one were to look at the performances IPL( Indian Premier League) at the half way stage, there have been few outstanding performances . Here are my top 5 heroes.

let us start with the top 5 Indian players in league.

1. M S Dhoni ( Chennai Super Kings)
   
2. V. Shewag (Delhi Daredevils) & I.pathan (Kings XI Punjab)
3. Y. Pathan (Rajasthan Royals) & G. Gambhir (Delhi Daredevils)
4. S. Ganguly (Kolkata Knight Riders) & P. Chawla (Kings XI Punjab)
5. R. Sharma ( Deccan Chargers) & R.Uthappa (Mumbai Indians)

Dhoni is at the top of the list, as his performance with the bat and as captain have been exemplary. By ensuring he is there at end for the final surge.

Shewag and Irfan have been performing with the bat and ball respectively ensuring their teams succes.


Yusuf Pathan has been revelation of sorts at the top of the Rajasthan Royals top order. He has been a critical player in his teams surge to the top. Gambhir is one of the very few players who appears to be in total control in this format with his attacking brand of batting

Dada Ganguly appears to be a man on mission, as he turning heads with his bowling and steadily finding his touch with the bat. Chawla appears to have come of age as bowler, recovering from a bad start in tournament to a wicket taking bowler.

Rohit Sharma has been one of the lone bright points of an under performing Deccan chargers side. Robin Uthappa seems to have found the responsibility in his batting that appeared to be lacking in Australia.

The other people who deserve a mention are Zaheer, Nehra, Balaji and Munaf patel. All seem to be hitting some good form after injury layoffs.

All in all the future of Indian cricket looks good shape.

Top 5 foreign players

1. S. Watson (Rajasthan Royals)
2. G. Mcgrath (Delhi Daredevils) & S. Warne (Rajasthan Royals)
3. D. Hussey (Kolkata Knight Riders) & S. Marsh (Kings XI Punjab)
4. M. Hayden (Chennai Super Kings)& M. Hussey (Chennai Super Kings)
5. S. Pollock (Mumbai Indians) & D. Steyn (Bangalore Royal Challengers)

Shane Watson has been the talk of the Indian Premier league. A player bought at throw away price of 125,000$. He has been setting the tournament on fire with sizzling batting and consistent bowling.

Age seems to have no effect on the bowling machine called Glen Mcgrath. He is still as effective as ever, bought for 350,000$ he is worth every single penny. Shane Warne has shown why he was called the best player not to captain Australia. His bowling just like the Mcgrath seems to have remained unchanged.

The younger Hussey ,David has become Mr. dependable of the Kolkata, He is the main reason for their batting line up to perform so consistently. His price tag 625,000 appears justified. Shaun Marsh has been the surprise package of the tournament. He with his elegant strokes has been at the center of the Punjab revival. He averages an incredible 91 in the tournament.

The Chennai who started so well seem to be faltering off late, due to the depature of their pillars in batting Hayden and Hussey. Both of these Australians have been well worth their price tag, with an average of nearly 50.

The performance of the old warhorse Shaun Pollock makes you wonder, how he was dropped from the South African team? His batting and bowling has been performance has been extraordinary. Dale Steyn has been the only bright spot in an otherwise lack luster Bangalore team. His fiery bowling has ensured some amount of respectability for Bangalore.

Top 5 Indian Youngsters

1. A. Nayar (Mumbai Indians)& S.Trivedi (Rajasthan Royals)
2. R. Jadeja (Rajasthan Royals)
3. A. Binda (Kolkata Knight Riders)
4. D. Kulkarni (Mumbai Indians)
5. S. Badrinath (Chennai Super Kings)

Nayar appears to be one for the future as an all rounder. His bowling coupled with his explosive batting makes him one to watch in the future. My other choice for number 1 is a bowler for the Rajasthan Royals Trivedi, has been one of the most consistent bowlers in tournament. His economy rates is one of the lowest in the tournament.



R. Jadeja is my pick for an India cap in the next year or so. An aggressive middle order batsman with all the strokes in the book. His agile fielding is also an added advantage.

Ashok Binda, the opening bowler for for the Knight Riders has been very impressive in his role. He his nippy and very accurate and has been a consistent performer for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Dhawal Kulkarni is another promising bowler from the Mumbai Indians. A first change bowler he has consistent and accurate. He appears to be thinking bowler something not common to most young upcoming bowlers.

My last of the top 5 S. Badrinath, is one I am sure will play for India before the year is done. The swashbuckling batsman has been scoring runs in the domestic league by the dozen. He was off to slow start in IPL but slowly seems to be settling in. His passion and enthusiasm is there for every one to see.

Other notable performances have come from Manpreet Gony (Chennai Super Kings), Amit Mishra (Delhi Daredevils) & Yo Mahesh (Delhi Daredevils).

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE: HALFWAY STAGE

The IPL (Indian Premier League) has reached the halfway stage. It is pretty clear the IPL (Indian Premier League) is giving the saans bahu serials of Ekta Kapoor a run for its money. With its fair share drama and controversies theIPL (Indian Premier League) is the fast becoming a must watch for a cricket crazy nation.

The advent of the IPL (Indian Premier League), has surely killed off the possibility of any other sport coming to prominence in this one sport nation. Mr Lalit Modi has sadly given this country the one thing it can never get tired off, cricket.

I am not some one who hates cricket but I would like to see other sports in India gain prominence. At this juncture I would like draw attention to the so called "the spirit of game " in the IPL (Indian Premier League).

The incidents such as the verbal spat between Ganguly and Warne, the now infamous slapgate between Sreesanth and Harbahajan make, you wonder where the feeling of sportsmanship has gone??

I mean one has to spare a thought for the ICL(Indian Cricket League), because of whom the IPL(Indian Premier League) came into existence. I would also like to point out that matches in ICL(Indian Cricket League) were not ones where the bowlers massacred, totals were more in the range 140-160. I would disagree with any one who says that the level of cricket was anything below par.

But the stand out feature of this IPL (Indian Premier League) has the been performance of the local talent. Contrary to popular belief the fortunes of the teams have depended on these unsung heroes . For example The Rajasthan Royals are a team with no real big names other than Shane Warne but they have been the team to beat so far in this IPL(Indian Premier League). All because of their local talent such as Siddarth Diwedi Jadeja etc.

The Deccan Chargers are prime example of what can happen when there is no real local talent around, having lost its best to the ICL (Indian Cricket League)with in likes of Rayadu, I S Reddy etc. They have one the very best set of foreign players but with a lack of support cast find themselves as one of the bottom dwellers in IPL(Indian Premier League).

All in all the Ipl (Indian Premier League) has been able to keep the interest in the public going. With even teams performing poorly such Deccan chargers and Bangalore playing to packed stadiums. Will these fans be back year after year?? only time will tell.

CHINESE ATTACK INDIAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITES

The ministry of external affairs has revealed that Indian systems in the embassy in China have been compromised. The Chinese have been constantly trying to hack in to Indian government websites.

This is was brought to my notice the other day,when I was watching the news. "Indi-Chini Bhai Bhai" well the Chinese have done to us again.

The Chinese have been trying for some time get their hand on sensitive Indian information. The information which deals with matters of national security, like designs for new weapons military protocol etc.

What is further baffling is that, these actions of hacking are government backed and sponsored. The Chinese government has an organized system and divisions to carry out such operations.

The irony of this whole issue is the fact that India leads the world in software development but we use Chinese software to protect our national securities.

Thus we have have given away our technological advantage on a platter. May be its time that we as Indians got our act together and take care of our country first.

INFLATION IN INDIA: RISING PRICES

Rising prices of essential commodities, volatile stock market and opposition parties protests that cause traffic jams are all due to rising inflation. Inflation appears to be the buzz word on the street.

The "common man" as the news channels put it appears to reeling from the effects of inflation. Food prices are on the rise. Officially the figure now stands at 7.52%.

The government is being held responsible for failing to act, I would like to step in at this juncture and make a few points that we need to keep in mind.

Firstly, the government has taken measures to curb inflation, with few changes in policy. But does it not take time for it to effect. This is not a problem with quick fix , so we need to be patient.

Secondly, this is a global phenomenon and every one all over the world is feeling the pinch. The inflation we are experiencing at this is a result of the action of market forces of supply and demand.

At the moment in India the production of food commodities has not increased much in the past few years but what has increased is the population, purchasing power and standard of living. In other words supply has remained stagnant but demand was increased exponentially.

Thirdly, it is true that steel prices have gone up drastically but contrary to common belief cement has not risen by any measure. The price of cement has actually fallen in certain states such as Andhra Pradesh over the last 6 months.

One needs to understand that in countries such as China the food prices have gone up by 23%. Therefore in comparison we are actually doing pretty well.

If we are aiming for 8-9% or more every year, there are going to be consequences that we have contend with and may be higher prices may be one of them.

HYDERABAD UNPLUG

Hyderabad Unplug is an initiative by the people of Hyderabad to raise awareness about global warming. From 7.30pm to about 8.30pm the citizens of Hyderabad are urged to switch of all appliances.

Following on the heels of world earth day, where people carried out a similar gesture. This Hyderabad specific gesture hopefully meets with the same amount of success.

Just a recap for all you people, these extreme temperatures and changing weather patterns that we are experiencing is a result of global warming.

So let us please in our own little way help preserve mother earth. Because together we can definitely make a difference.

For further information on Global warming and its effects please use wikipedia(click on it) or watch the movie (click on it; a must watch) An inconvinient truth

MACHESTER UNITED vs CHELSEA : AN ALL ENGLISH CLASH IN MOSCOW

It will be an all English clash, come this may in Moscow. The Champions league finalists were the decide this past week, when Manchester united beat Barcelona 1-0 ( 1-0 Aggregate ) at Old trafford & Chelsea beat Liverpool 3-2 (4-3 Aggregate) at Stamford Bridge.

At old trafford the second leg of the clash between the two giants Manchester United and FC Barcelona unfolded. The tie played out as expected with home team piling on the early pressure. The pressure payed off with a fabulous strike from Paul Scholes.

Barcelona had chances off their own but as from the first leg the killer pass in the final third just seemed lacking. Messi played his socks off. Coming close a few times only to be denied by Van de Sar.

The second half was very similar to the one from the 1st leg. Barcelona pushed forward but just could not find a way through to the goal. They brought on Henry and then the teenage sensation Borjan to no avail.

Henry had a free header but put it straight at Van de Sar. Barcelona as expected had possession but what seems have become a recurring problem failed to capitalize on the advantage . Eventually the matched finished 1-0 and the reds were through to the final.

Chelsea on the other had played their favorite opponent on European nights Liverpool at Stamford bridge. Chelsea were confident as they had scored the crucial away goal and Liverpool knew that they needed one. As expected Chelsea went ahead with a goal from Drogba.

But Liverpool, the comeback kings of of European football equalized through El Nino (Torres). It is scary to think where Liverpool would be with out him.
Regulation ended 1-1 and extra time was needed. 8 min in to the extra time, who other than Mr Chelsea Frank Lampard scored through a penalty. Drogba sealed the deal with a strike in the 15 min. Babel got a late consolation for Liverpool but it was not enough to inspire them to another victory.

Thus Chelsea at long last were through to their 1st final. So now the blue's and red's will not only fight for the English crown but also the European one.

IRON MAN: THE REVIEW

Iron Man, another one in a long list of marvel comics to be made into a movie. An impressive cast in terms of pedigree with Robert Downey Jr in the lead, Gwyneth Paltrow as his leading lady and Jeff Bridges as the bad guy.

The plot of Iron Man revolves around Tony Stark( Robert) a wealthy know it all CEO of a weapons production company for the US military. Who gets kidnapped by terrorists, on his way back from a weapons demonstration in Afghanistan.

He then builds a suit of amour and gadgets to escape from captivity. Once back on US soil he decides to improve the suit( suit is red and gold in color) and with help of his trusted aide Jim Rhodes played by Terrence Howard. Also helped on the way by the beautiful Pepper Potts played by Gwyneth Platrow.

Now that all the introduction is done, Lets get down to what makes the movie tick?? Robert Downey Jr carries the movie all own his own. He excels as the cocky millionaire know it all but some how seems like a fish out of water during the scenes of moral enlightenment.

The movie has its fair share neat graphics and usual carnage associated with super hero flicks.
Personally I think it is a good time pass flick. I am just thankful that it was not as screwed up as Daredevil.

I would give it a 7 out 10.

So I would say if you are bored go watch Iron Man.