Shopping made easy

Gone are the days when we had to take a leave or wait for the weekend to do the shopping. The ‘in’ thing is the stay-at-home shopping. Online shopping means you can go ‘buy buy’ within the very comfortable environs of your home or your office and say bye-bye to the hustle and bustle of traffic, parking slot, queue system etc. you have the added advantage of staying at your home in your night dress and watching TV while doing the shopping. The trend is fast catching up with the young and old alike. And why not, when you can save on petrol bills and parking charges, taxi fare or whatever mode of transport you otherwise depend.

However, like any coin, this one also doesn’t come with the other side. When you have several advantages of on line shopping, it can also leave huge dent in your bank balance if you are a little relaxed about the whole afire of staying at home. the leisure at home may leave you a little sluggish to watch before you click the mouse button. Yes, don’t forget with just a click you have it purchased and the bill is made. Secondly, you don’t get to have a firsthand look at the commodity you want to purchase. The picture or images or whatever you view are there for promotion and to keep the hype among the shoppers. Perhaps the most crucial drawback of such a system could be nothing but the fact that you stay at home. a weekend at a mall or market maybe the little time you or more importantly your children may get to unwind and feel free of other tensions and mingle with people out there.

In any case, don’t be surprised if we have less people crowding to malls and market squares.

 

 

Johnson magic at Ashes

The match-winning performance Johnson not steadies his confidence but is the apt and perfect response to critics who had questioned his place in the side. A few days back he was not in the playing eleven thanks to his pathetic performance in the first test.

Australia limped into Perth with an under-fire attack that had been blasted for 1,137 runs for only six wickets in their previous two innings, but their quartet of pace bowlers led by the talismanic Johnson destroyed England’s top order twice in Perth.

Man-of-the-match Johnson was particularly devastating, firstly with the bat when he slogged a top-scoring 62 to help the hosts cobble a defendable first innings total of 268.He then cut through the English batsmen claiming a six-wicket haul that fired up his fellow seamers to skittle the tourists for 187.

Now the Ashes is evenly poised and if there is one side that has an edge thats a bad news for you if you are an English follower.

Bus Day

Today cochin is celebrating Bus Day. It is no protest nor is it for any publicity. But celebration of Bus day is to encourage people to travel in our public transportation system. New vehicles hitting our roads swell day by day, rather hour by hour. owning a private vehicle is not illegal or a crime but  the vehicles pouring into the road which increases Air pollution, Sound pollution add incurable wounds to the environment not to forget the extra usage of fuel. when each of us take our cars and bikes to go places, we only look for comfort and pleasure and put to rest many other factors for which everyone has to pay dearly sooner or later.

To forgo the easy, plushy, air conditioned drive up and down the office becomes a hard task when you have to substitute it with bumpy, congested, less comfortable drive in a public transport. However, when you calculate the less fuel used, fewer vehicles at traffic and less emission of polluted air, we have reason to smile. The world will be a better and greener place for your kids to live in. And they are going to thank you for thoughtfulness and efforts. Maybe that will work. Don’t you think it is a good idea to have more and more Bus Day?

 

 

running out of fuel

Another hike in fuel prices is on the cards, the news comes after the recent hike in petrol price. This maybe the last thing you will want to hear as we are getting ready to celebrate Christmas and New Year.

Whether it is imperative or not, the petrol price has already gone up by not less than rs 2 and the diesel vehicle owners too won’t be too happy with the news doing its rounds.The most agitated group however is the private bus owners in Kerala. And why not, they have reason, valid reason to be angry not just because there s no hike in ticket rate as the fuel rate goes up but the students concession issue. Students are a privileged lot at least as far as traveling by private buses in Kerala is concerned. Perhaps nowhere else they get so much concession when the rest of the travelers have to pay normal fare and are subjected to price hike. Of course, students have no income of their own and their being educated is the need of the hour.

Well, if the government is so much concerned about their issue, let government services run for them. Why burdening the bus fellas. Majority of the passengers at the peak hour are students. Once the bus is full of these privileged group there will be a significant drop in their income. Now explains why they show rude face towards students.

Bharat Petroleum Corporation (BPCL)has raised petrol price by Rs 2.95 per litre effective Wednesday, while Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) will follow suit with an increase of Rs 2.96 per litre a day later. This is the highest price hike after government freed petrol prices from its control in June this year.

If the cost price of petrol per litre is Rs 58.90, following is the break up of cost calculated by the government.

Basic Price: Rs 28.93
Excise duty: Rs 14.35
Education Tax: Rs 0.43
Dealer commission: Rs 1.05
VAT: Rs 5.5
Crude Oil Custom duty: Rs 1.1
Petrol Custom: Rs 1.54
Transportation Charge: Rs 6.00
Total price: Rs 58.90

Further, the government is likely to take a call on diesel price hike next week. well, not a happy New Year ahead

Cricket fever

With their biggest Ashes victory, England have seized control over the series and put their hands on the coveted cup already.  The first test ended up in a tame draw; however, England had shown their supremacy over the hosts. In Adelaide, the visitors tightened their grips and the kangaroos were outplayed in all departments.

Before the third test at Perth, Ponting and co have a lot of things to sort out. As for the skipper, Perth test would mean a big deal. He would not only look forward  to nothing less than a win, but some runs to his name. if he fails as a batsman yet again, it will be an added blow at a time when the critics are calling for his blood.

India on the other hand have completely outwitted the visiting kiwis. It has been a splendid show from the young Indian team which is led by stand in captain Gambir. One more win in Chennai would mean, Gambir’s installation as captain a 100% success as India lead the series 4-0.

 

Backward progress of India

India’s economic history can be broadly divided into three eras, beginning with the pre-colonial period lasting up to the 18th century. The advent of British colonisation started the colonial period in the early 19th century, which ended with independence in 1947. The third period stretches from independence in 1947 until now.

 

Corruption has been one of the pervasive problems affecting India. The economic reforms of 1991 reduced the red tape, bureaucracy and the Licence Raj that had strangled private enterprise and was blamed by Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari for the corruption and inefficiencies. Yet, a 2005 study by Transparency International (TI) India found that more than half of those surveyed had firsthand experience of paying bribe or peddling influence to get a job done in a public office.

 

India has a number of anti-corruption watchdogs, including Central Vigilance Commission, Comptroller and Auditor-General of India, the CBI, anti-corruption agencies, Intelligence Bureau, Economic Intelligence Bureau, Serious Fraud Office, Securities and Exchange Board of India, Reserve Bank of India, Defence Intelligence Agency and National Security Board besides Parliamentary Standing Committees and a ridiculously excessive number of regulators in addition to State-level agencies.

 

Here is a list of Indian scandals, which are either real or alleged.

 

In 1900s

 

Telecom scam (Sukh Ram)

HDW Submarine

Bitumen scam

Tansi land deal

JMM Bribery Scandal

St Kitts case

Urea scam

Anantnag transport subsidy scam

1971 Nagarwala scandal

Fodder scam

1975: Declaration of Emergency

Churhat lottery scam

In 1990s

• Bofors Scandal

• Animal Husbandry Case (1990)

• Bombay Stock Exchange Manipulation & Fraud by Harshad Mehta (1992)

• Hawala scandal (1993)

• Sukh Ram (1996)

• Fodder Scam in Bihar (1996)

• Kerala SNC Lavalin power scandal (1997)

 

In 2000s

• Ketan Parekh Scandal (2001)

• Barak Missile Deal Scandal (2001)

• Tehelka Scandal (2001)

• Taj corridor case (2002-2003)

• Telgi scandal (2003)

• Nitish Katara Murder Case (2004)

• Oil for food programme scam (Natwar Singh) (2005)

• Jessica Lal case (2006)

• Human Trafficking Scam involving Babubhai Katara

• Gujarat Fake Encounter Controversy (2007)

• Cash-for-vote scandal in the federal parliament (2008)

• Satyam Scandal (2009)-

• HOUSING SCAM (2010)

• COMMONWEALTH GAMES(2010)

• TELECOMS LICENCE ROW(2010)

• LOAN BRIBERY CASE(2010)

 

India may not have been looted so much by the occupants our country prior to independence.

Year after year, the country only seems to progress backwardly despite the claims of progress and growth!