happy new year

Happy New Year, world.

Oil's going strong at a hundred bucks a barrel, and the government is finally considering if its okay to raise the oil prices now. The oil companies have already taken a hit of thousands of crores of rupees and are under the threat of going belly up, but hey, the common man must not suffer. The government is planning to issue oil bonds to the oil companies for taking such a heavy hit, but these bonds will not cover their losses, and are only adding to the government's own fiscal deficit. Their unwillingness to raise prices is very dangerous.

I am watching the PHL on tv, and while I love the games, its really unfortunate that even after 4 seasons, the IHF does not seem to be doing anything to make it grow further. I do it a favor by calling it a season. While it is called a league, it is run exactly like a tournament. It lasts only 4 weeks, and thats just not enough time for it to settle down into the people's psyche. People need to be exposed to an idea or an activity for way longer than a month for any hope of it making a lasting impression on their minds. I mean, the next season is 11 months away, and all the fun and excitement of this season will probably be forgotten by all.

Bollywood has clouded everything else in the national media today. Hindi media seems to be stuck in a rut of substandard, tabloid-style journalism which they can't, or don't want to, get out of. Its just painful to see them spend hours following a Bollywood actor or spend their primetime news on what transpired between which warring actors. They have taken an additional liking to delving into other people's personal lives. I think there is a huge difference between something immoral and something that is somebody's private matter. The Hindi media makes no distinction. I hope this new year will show them the light and bring them back.