the road to future of the america begins in undecided Iowa

As the national primaries kick-off today in Iowa, many Iowans are undecided as is the story of millions of other Americans. But what is concerning is that this indecisiveness will lead to impulse voting and that may not be good as the road to next 4 years of our progress depends on today.

Why you ask? As history has shown us many times, Iowa sets the tone and can propel a candidate to ride that land them straight in the White House. Many people will be voting based on what is on their minds based on last minute fliers, commercials, conversations, etc. and we know that impulse votes belong to candidates with most dollars to spend on these last minute campaigns.

With Clinton and Trump ahead with slight advantage as well as more money for last minute campaigns, I would be very surprised if Sanders and Cruz pull off a win. One can only hope that Iowans today and Americans to follow are casting votes based on policy stance, eligibility and capability to lead a great nation vs. who got the most time on television and radio.

401(K) - the good, the bad and the ugly truth! - part 1

For years, we may all have been counting on the most corrupt tool of investment for our retirement - the 401 (K). While I am not financial planner, analyst, etc., I have recently been looking at what I have put into my 401 (K) vs. where I am given the ups and downs in the market. I have found really surprising facts that I encourage you all to look at and do you own detailed research.

I am also sharing the segment 60 minutes did on this topics which will definitely fuel you curiosity. 

When you do your own research, look at the following when investigating this investment vehicle -

• Fees (there are so may, if you can make sense of them, please drop me a note to explain)
• Net Expense Ration
• Return Rates
• Taxes and Tax Brackets when you retire (depending on when you retire)

Good luck!

the guy who predicted bursting of the oil bubble!

A lot of people did not know Jesse Colombo till one of the biggest and most accurate predictions of all time came true - bursting of the oil bubble. Jesse Colombo was spot on!

Here are just a couple of reasons why he is one of the best analysts around and examples of how he has always been ahead of the pack -

1. His biggest and most accurate prediction back in Summer of 2014 about oils prices heading to a bust when other analysts were laughing, disapproving or even calling him out. Reach his articlet on Forbes that he published on June 9, 2014 - 9 Reasons Why Oil Prices May Be Headed For A Bust. 
2. He was one of the first ones to connect the dots between commodities such as copper to drop and China's economy. Read his article on Forbes that he published on November 30, 2014 - Is Copper The Next Commodity Shoe To Drop?.

How he does it? Great question. Go follow him on Forbes @ Jesse Colombo or Twitter @TheBubbleBubble and ask him yourself. 

live streaming broadcast of the icc cricket world cup 2015

As millions of cricket fans wait with bated breath for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 in Australia to kick-off, we thought we should start a poll on who will win and provide current list of television and radio broadcasters in each county. For a detailed day by day schedule, you can visit - Cricinfo.

Television
• Afghanistan: Ariana Television Network: Lemar TV
• Australia: Nine Network, Fox Sports
• Africa: South African Broadcasting Corporation
• Bangladesh: Bangladesh Television
• Singapore: Star Cricket
• West Indies: Caribbean Media Corporation
• Canada: Asian Television Network
• Europe (Except UK & Ireland): Eurosport2
• China: Star Sports
• India: Star Sports 1 Star Sports 3 (Hindi), DD National (mostly India matches)
• Jamaica: Television Jamaica
• Middle East: Arab Radio and Television Network
• Nepal: Star Sports 1, Star Sports 2
• Fiji: Fiji TV


Radio
• Australia: ABC Local Radio
• India: All India Radio (FM 106.4)
• West Indies: Caribbean Media Corporation
• Bangladesh: Bangladesh Betar
• Canada: EchoStar
• Central America: EchoStar
• United Kingdom: BBC Radio
• Ireland:BBC Radio
• Pakistan: Hum FM
• United Arab Emirates: Hum FM

Please check here for any future updates and may the best team win!!

live broadcast of cricket t20 world cup from bangladesh - update for USA

As the next edition of T20 World Cup 2014 approached, cricket fever is at its peak. Fans around the world are waiting anxiously for 3 weeks of ups and downs as 16 countries compete in one of the most fast-paced and exciting sports in the world.

This edition of T20 World Cup 2014 brings test cricket playing nations such as Australia, Bangladesh, England, India, New Zeland, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and West Indies together with rising nations such as Afghanistan, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Nepal and United Arab Emirates. The popularity of cricket is surging in these non test playing nations as the compete on world stage. It is going to be a very exciting world cup as non of the test playing nations are clear front runners based on the last twelve to eighteen months of T20 cricket.

The live broadcast of cricket T20 World Cup 2014 will most probably be on the following channels (till a more confirmed or official listing is made available) -

• Star Sports in India for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014
• PTV Sports in Pakistan for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014
• BTV in Bangladesh for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014
• Sky Sports in UK for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014
• Fox Sports in Australia for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014
• Super Sports in South Africa for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014
• Sports Max in the Carribians for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014
• ESPN in USA for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014
• Eurosports in major Eurpeans Counteries for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014
• SLBC in Sri Lanka for live broadcast of Cricket T20 World Cup 2014

On days of critical matches, it will not be nations with the best players but nations with players who can keep their nerves calm under pressure that will prevail. May the best team win. Till then, vote for your favorite team and let the competition begin. 

the hypocrisy of democracy

They say India is the world's largest democracy. But the 'they' in this case are definitely pundits who do not  understand the Indian political infrastructure and ecosystem but leverage the classic dictionary definition to draw conclusions. 

While India is a democracy, there is hardly anything democratic about the actual election people in highest offices such as a prime minister (national level) or a chief minister (state level). From media to free speech, everything is driven by power and money. For example, if a new political party were to start from scratch to try and compete in the general elections, it would take years if not decades before the media would even mention them at a national level. There are very few people that have the power and money to keep their political interests alive and ensure that their agenda are a top priorities come elections. Once could easily compare it to an oligarchy vs. democracy. 

Rahul Gandhi (raga), the almost certain candidate from the Indian National Congress for the position of being a prime minister comes from the famous Nehru-Gandhi family. His family has been an very influential part of Indian National Congress and Indian politics since the day in 1947 when India became a free nation. While his view points are certainly more modern than the Gandhi generation before him, the fact that he is able to contest for the highest position in India (on paper of course) is a classic example of the hypocritical nature of the system. His qualification and resume would not have made him a candidate worthy of the highest position in the world's largest democracy if he did not come from the Gandhi family. 

Narendra Modi (namo), the official prime ministerial candidate from the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) lead National Democratic Alliance. While he does not belong to any famous political dynasty, he has been a part of the national political scene since he became the Chief Minister of the state of Gujarat in 2001. He has lead Gujarat to an economic renaissance since then and the state has flourished under his leadership in every segment. The question about scalability of his revolutionary model to a national level is a legitimate one but is a proven achievement on his resume. His power along withe the backing of BJP do ensure that media does not ask a lot of tough questions which is counter to what should be the case in a real democratic election. 

Each of the lead prime ministerial candidates should be asked to respond with a comprehensive plan of action to take on the top challenges facing India on the road to India 2020 and India 2025. Each should provide full detail on how under their leadership India will respond to and overcome challenges such as - 

• Education Reform
• Economy 
• Infrastructure
• Corruption 
• National Security
• Vision for India 2020 and India 2025

Instead of focusing on a strategic vision including agenda items such as key topics above, media is always focusing on the sound bites between candidates, their meetings, their popularity, ability to interview on TV, etc. Why not focus on the candidates ability to put forth a plan that the whole nation can read (this is where media can help by focusing on topics such as above and asking relevant questions) and decide who has the best vision and supporting plan for the years ahead.

This is where the lines between democracy and oligarchy start getting blurred to the extent that the word democracy often feels hypocritical in context of Indian general elections. 

the road to india 2020, begins in 2014

Many pundits have talked about India in 2020 and what it would be like, what it would have overcome and how it will fare against it's peers?

I believe, and almost everyone else who is familiar with the Indian political climate knows, the answers to questions above are very closely tied to what happens in General Elections 2014. Will Congress be able to continue and pursue it's current agenda for 5 more years, or will BJP take over and paint a completely different India in 2020?

It is a contest unlike any other in recent Indian political history. It is not very often that you get to witness a race that is this close. It is NaMo vs. RaGa, Wisdom vs. Youth (remember, both can be dangerous and powerful in their own way). a nobody that has a proven track record vs. a dynast that has a legacy to maintain, it old school vs. grass roots and the list goes on.

As we start to follow this race closely, we will report topics for braintertainment.

Till then, let the race begin!

and the oscar goes to....

With the buzz gripping the country and one of the best races in almost a decade, here are my predictions (in gold, bold and italics) for the winners in key categories along with the nominees -

Best Picture	American Hustle Captain Phillips Dallas Buyers Club Gravity Her Nebraska Philomena 12 Years a Slave The Wolf of Wall Street
Best Actor in a Leading Role	Christian Bale (American Hustle) Bruce Dern (Nebraska) Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street) Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave) Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Actress in a Leading Role	Amy Adams (American Hustle) Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine) Sandra Bullock (Gravity) Judi Dench (Philomena) Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)
Best Actor in a Supporting Role	Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips) Bradley Cooper (American Hustle) Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave) Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street) Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)
Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine) Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle) Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave) Julia Roberts (August: Osage County) June Squibb (Nebraska)
Best Animated Feature	The Croods (Chris Sanders, Kirk DeMicco, Kristine Belson) Despicable Me 2 (Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, Chris Meledandri) Ernest & Celestine (Benjamin Renner, Didier Brunner) Frozen (Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho) The Wind Rises (Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki)
Best Cinematography	The Grandmaster (Philippe Le Sourd) Gravity (Emmanuel Lubezki) Inside Llewyn Davis (Bruno Delbonnel) Nebraska (Phedon Papamichael) Prisoners (Roger A. Deakins)
Best Costume Design	American Hustle (Michael Wilkinson) The Grandmaster (William Chang Suk Ping) The Great Gatsby (Catherine Martin) The Invisible Woman (Michael O'Connor) 12 Years a Slave (Patricia Norris)
Best Directing	American Hustle (David O. Russell) Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón) Nebraska (Alexander Payne) 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen) The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

Best Original Screenplay	American Hustle (Eric Warren Singer, David O. Russell) Blue Jasmine (Woody Allen) Dallas Buyers Club (Craig Borten, Melisa Wallack) Her (Spike Jonze) Nebraska (Bob Nelson)

Best Film Editing	American Hustle (Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers, Alan Baumgarten) Captain Phillips (Christopher Rouse) Dallas Buyers Club (John Mac McMurphy, Martin Pensa) Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger) 12 Years a Slave (Joe Walker)

NCAA 2013 - MARCH MADNESS - BRACKET PREDICTION

It is that time of the year again when millions share a common madness - MARCH MADNESS!! Here are my 3 brackets for this year. Go Louisville or Gators or Gonzaga :D !!!!

BRACKET 1 - GO LOUISVILLE

BRACKET 2 - GO FLORIDA

BRACKET 3 - GO GONZAGA

It is still romney's to loose

The citizens of New Hampshire vote today in the New Hampshire primary. I say that New Hampshire is till Romney's to loose because if we go by historical numbers - no statewide elected official from Massachusetts has ever lost the New Hampshire primary in an open field except Romney in 2008. Additionally, after spending millions over ad campaigns, far exceeding that spend by any other candidate in the race, there better be no upsets today.

After his fractional victory in Iowa and the amount of issues that he has to explain to the voters, it is going to be a good fight rather than an out right victory for Romney. This fight is also being fueled by the so called "Huntsman Surge" after a solid debate performance. Per CNN - 'He's an unapologetic fiscal conservative with an impressive executive accomplishment as governor of Utah. He's got unparalleled foreign policy experience as an ambassador in both Republican and Democratic administrations. And almost alone among these GOP candidates, he has refused to pander to the hyper-partisan tide polarizing American politics -- which makes him a strong general-election candidate.'

I feel Santorum is the underdog to watch out for today. How his campaign performs will be something that will pave the way for coming weeks. The other key things to watch out for are - how Ron Paul fares and who all will drop out after today's race. With record number of voters expected, may the best candidate win!