Democrats have to INTROSPECT instead of sticking to CONSPIRACY theories

It's high time the Dem's realized that Hillary Clinton completely ignored the Rust Belt in the campaigning.She did not have a clean image unlike Obama who despite being criticized on several policy failures did not have a stain on personal integrity and corruption.The Dem's might also want to introspect if the results would have turned out differently if Bernie Sanders was the Dem nominee.

The well oiled Clinton machinery which included the so called "liberal & progressive" media was in for a rude shock on Election night.Russian hacks into the DNC is the latest excuse of the Dems.Even if the Russian's managed to hack into the DNC, the Russians did not install Trump in Washington.They DEM's and the liberal media keep saying that the Russians hacked the election.Read b/w the lines and you realize that the alleged hack was on the DNC and not on the actual outcome of the election.

After November 8th,the DEM reactions have varied from street protests to arguing on scrapping the Electoral College.Hillary went onto say that the FBI re-opening the investigation into her email prior to the election hurt her prospects badly.

The Russian obsession is a clear strategy of the Clinton machinery ,which wants to keep projecting Russia as the enemy.Its clear that Putin outsmarted Obama in Syria.Despite all the US efforts in keeping Assad out ,Russia prevailed with its clearly stated objective of keeping Assad in power.Trump has clearly taken a diabolical view to the Clinton machinery & has openly praised Putin on twitter.Trump considers China a bigger threat to the US rather than Russia.The drastic change in his views have again come out as a jolt to the Clinton News Network and other liberal(?) media network who have been chanting "Russia..Russia" over several weeks.Trump has decided to take to social media to vent out his thoughts thereby bypassing the media giants and their established views.

The DEMS would do well to introspect and look forward.There is no sign of that atleast for now...

Hypocrisy of the US media

Donald Trump swept the polls and the United States turned primarily red to the shock of the "liberals" .The margin of the Trump victory went onto prove on the level of disconnect that the mainstream media has with reality.CNN-IBN , NY Times,the Washington Post and all the other bigwigs got the polls wrong by a huge margin which begs the question on the accountability of the media.Should there be a penalty or a public admonition of the media if they repeatedly get their predictions incorrect.Even though this might sound like a far cry, media seemed to have taken a high moral ground against Trump.It's no big secret that Trump had made denigrating comments on Mexicans,passed inappropriate comments on women besides a host of other things which are not expected of a Presidential candidate.There should be no love lost for Trump.However the media by taking a high moral pedestal failed to have its ears to the ground and failed to understand the brewing anger in the country.They seemed to have forgotten that Flint,Michigan and Cleveland,Ohio are as much part of the nation as a New York or a San Francisco.

The frown and hypocrisy of the media got even worse on November 8th as it became clear that Trump emerged the clear winner and that too by a huge margin.Question's started emerging as to "What will I tell my 5 year old daughter " to "What has happened to our great nation " ?

The media focussed on Trump rather than understanding " What led to Trump " .Donald Trump was just a manifestation of the brewing discontent with the way politics has been carried on in Washington for many decades.Inspite of all his shortcomings,people voted in droves for Trump as they saw him as an outsider who could take on the status quo.Trump understood the pulse of the nation better than all the seasoned pros in the game.He called a spade a spade by talking about "radical Islam" which is clearly a threat to humanity.On the other hand,we had Hillary Clinton even refusing to talk about it.How would she , when 20% of her funding came from Saudi Arabia and her closest aide is Huma Abedin.Trump campaigned vigorously in the rust belt which Hillary ignored. Ofcourse ,Trump is treading on a dangerous path when he chooses to ignore climate change.There are a lot of other flaws in the Donald.But one thing he doesn't have is the hypocrisy of the Clinton camp.No matter how much she smiled,Hillary couldn't get over her emails.The Bernie supporters in hindsight feel cheated as Bernie would have emerged a sure shot winner against Trump.

Proferssor Alan Lichtman had correctly predicted using a 13 point system that Trump would emerge the winner.No one believed him then.

Professor Lichtman has gone onto predict that Trump would be impeached.Exciting days ahead.

What makes Donald Trump tick ?

The last 6 months has seen the rise and rise of Donald Trump from a political pariah to being the Republican party's nominee for the US presidential elections.You can hate him but time has proved that you surely cannot ignore him.So what makes him tick ?

1)Tap into the fears of people

Over the last 1 year,Trump has repeatedly trumpeted "fear" into the American consciousness.He stoked controversy by proposing a plan to ban "Muslim Immigrants" to US until they "figure out what's going on".Sounds easy to the ear but this is a complex problem which cannot be solved by one man or nation over a decade.

The liberals caught onto this and Trump had to face the heat on social media and from leaders world wide,especially the Arab world.However,Trump has stuck to his views and the primaries in the Southern states paid him rich dividents. Apart from Texas,Ted Cruz who was supposed to be the blue eyed boy of the evangelicals switched their allegiance to the Trump camp.

Was this his genuine view or a well thought out statement to get votes ?  Trump alone knows!

2)White supremacy & Utopia

The conservatives view Trump as having a lot of qualities that they would like to live with.Rich,white man with a beautiful wife running a successful business running around with a slogan of "Make America Great Again".

Trump constantly talks of China and Asia stealing the jobs away.Globalization is a reality and the sensible Americans have realized that globalization and offshoring is an irreversible phenomenon.The slogan of "Make American Great Again" has caught on with the conservatives whou would love to see their country retain the growth of the 70's and 80's.Again an impossible proposition.

Apart from criticizing of outsourcing and slogan monkering, Trump is yet to come out with solid bullet point steps that the US needs to take up to make his statement come true.

3)Being unpredictable and grab the media's attention

The media just loves Donald Trump because the man is unpredictable & can say anything anytime unlike the pre-determined responses of a Hillary Clinton or Obama.Watching CNN and Fox over the last year has been an incredibly boring affair with spotlights constantly on Trump's shenanigans.Trump has so far not outlined any specific steps on fixing the US debt or healthcare.Much of the earlier campaign was mud sliging at Rubio and Cruz.Trump has patted himself on the back repeatedly for his business acumen of knowing when to enter and exit a business.However it remains to be seen if business acumen can ever translate to good foreign policy.

It would be a fascinating election in November to see Trump take on the Democrats.It would be even more fascinating to see President Donald Trump in action.Meanwhile latest polls suggest that Bernie might do better against Trump rather than a Hillary.Hillary for all her experience certainly misses the charisma of an Obama.The email server and Bengazhi has been a thorn for her team throughout the campaign trail.

Interesting days ahead !!

Would taking acting lessons help make you a better executive ?

Taking acting lessons might be a good way for executives to be better at their job.The skill set requirements for an actor and executives find a lot of meeting points,some of which are discussed below.

1)Being in the moment 

One of the main qualities that a good actor needs to imbibe is to be constantly be in the present moment.Acting is a form of meditation where the actor has to leave his personal problems aside and get into the heart and mind of the character being portrayed.Executives often have trouble being present with distractions and stresses in the personal life to issues with multi-tasking.Research has proved time and again that the mind by nature functions best when it is focused on one particular activity.

Great actors like Robert Deniro,Al Pacino,Marlon Brando & Mohanlal have an uncanny ability to be completely immersed in their present and react to the ongoing situation in a calm and relaxed way.Being present in the moment also leads one into a zone where the mind can function from a higher intelligence.

2)Understanding different perspectives

A good actor is always aware of the emotion that is conveyed in every situation.A good actor also understands the script and story in whole and is not just bothered about his or her part in the plot.Likewise,an executive cannot function as an island without understanding the broader vision of the organization and needs to work in a selfless manner to get the respect of his team mates.

3)Being authentic

Actors have to portray broad range of emotions in a short span of time and have to be authentic throughout.Audience would be able to tell in a whisker between a genuine actor and a struggling actor who tries to be too hard.

4)Being a good listener

Good actors have to not only act but also react efficiently to other co-actors.Likewise,executives should not focus only on their side of the story or try to push their agenda on their reportees. The corporate world has a big share of managers and leaders who might achieve their targets but keep the employees disgruntled leading to higher attrition rates.To be a good listener,one would need to keep out their personal biases out and listen in a completely non judgmental way.

5)Timing 

Timing is a key factor which distinguishes a good actor from a mediocre one.Actors have to appear on the scene and move out at the right time.They also have to constantly react to the changes.Executives would need to imbibe the same qualities to stay afloat and shine in the constantly changing market place.They would need remain abreast of the latest innovations and technology.

7)Body language & Voice modulation

Good actors have to modulate their tone as per the scene.Similarly managers would need to wear different hats on any given day.There will be situations where one would need to be come affirmative in his/her actions ,words and others where an empathetic tone would do the work.

A person who has no self awareness would not be able to manage his thoughts and emotions.An executive just like a good actor would need to display heightened sense of sensitivity to situations and events around him/her.

All in all,taking acting classes and being part of dramas and films might provide a sense of direction and drive to executives who are looking to advance in their professional life's.

Minneapolis - A shining example for other metros to emulate

Having lived in Los Angeles,Dallas and Minneapolis,I can vouch for the fact that the Greater Metro Area of Minneapolis beats LA and Dallas hands down.

Minneapolis stands apart as a shining example for other metros in the US and even the world to emulate.

Key selling points of the Twin Cities(Minneapolis-StPaul) are :

1.Fiscal equalization:

Unlike other metros Minneapolis has religiously stuck to the fiscal equalization policy whereby the rich are taxed and the funds sprinkled to the lesser developed parts of the city.This has resulted in almost zero ghettos in the Greater Minneapolis-St Paul metro area & almost equal quality of life throughout the metro area.This phenomenon is in strange contrast to the picture in cities like Los Angeles,New York or Dallas where the economic divide is clearly visible geographically.Sticking to this policy has ensured that the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St Paul has plenty of well maintained parks,schools,biking trails,roads and other amenities.

The rich in places like San Francisco get into a shell and ensure that the middle income and lower sections of the society are pushed out of the metro limits thereby leading to a feeling of isolation and crime.If you earn 100 000$ in Minneapolis,you would need double that to maintain the same quality of lifestyle in a place like San Francisco.It remains to be seen on how long the real estate bubble in a city like San Fran can sustain where it has virtually impossible for a family earning 60 000$ per year to survive.

2.Blend of the urban and the rural

Minneapolis–St. Paul is the headquarters for 19 Fortune 500 companies—more than any other metro its size—spanning retail (Target), health care (UnitedHealth), and food (General Mills). In the past 60 years, 40 Minneapolis-based businesses have made it onto Fortune’s list.

If you drive an hour from the twin cities,soy and corn farmlands greet you with open arms.The twin cities offer a perfect blend of nature with its lakes,beautifully preserved parks,corporates and farms.

Minneapolis stands out as a shining example for the metros in the developing world on how to strike a balance between growing prosperity and respecting nature.To the credit of the legislators,the parks and lakes are preserved in all its natural elegance.It is no surprise that Minnesota has the 2nd highest lifespan in the US after Hawaii.Minnesotans' take advantage of the biking trails and parks to the hilt and keep themselves in shape.

3.Highest employment rate for the millennials in US

Most impressive of all, the Twin Cities have the highest employment rate for 18-to-34-year-olds in the country.If you are a student,a single bed room apartment is available starting from 800 $ to 1300 $.Student's find it easier to start with part time jobs as they work their way up the career.3 bed ,4 bath homes are available in the range of 250 000$ to 340 000 $ in plenty in great schooling districts all over the metro area.If you are ready to work hard,opportunities are plenty in the Twin cities.

4.Workforce 

The saying in the metro area is that it is very difficult to get someone to move to Minneapolis and it is even more difficult to get someone to leave Minneapolis.People fear the winter and refrain from moving but once they move in,they swear to never move out.Most of the corporate sector has managers in the 30's and 40's who were born in Minnesota and passed out of its colleges.They never care to move out of state.This ensures that the Twin cities has a rich talented workforce.

All in all, a great place to live and raise a family !!

Does the big US banks needs to be broken up?

With the US Presidential elections looming,the question on whether "The Big US banks needs to be broken down " becomes relevant again.

Here are the top six and their total assets:

1. Bank of America Corp., $2.264 trillion
2. J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., $2.246 trillion
3. Citigroup Inc., $1.957 trillion
4. Wells Fargo & Co., $1.260 trillion
5. Goldman Sachs Group Inc., $937 billion
6. Morgan Stanley, $831 billion

After the 2008 financial recession,the Obama administration introduced the Dodd Frank legislation,which is a massive piece of financial reform legislation as a response  The act's numerous provisions, spelled out over thousands of pages, are scheduled to be implemented over a period of several years and are intended to decrease various risks in the U.S. financial system.

However statistics reveal that the despite the legislation,these banks have continued to get bigger.

Failure of these banks could take down 50% of the US economy along with it.

These banks have often indulged in blatant misuse of power they have gained by monopoly in the market. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has fined 10 firms a total of $43.5 million for allowing their equity research analysts to solicit investment banking business and for offering favorable research coverage in connection with the 2010 planned initial public offering of Toys"R"Us.

FINRA fined the following firms.

Barclays Capital Inc. – $5 million
Citigroup Global Markets Inc. – $5 million
Credit Suisse Securities (USA), LLC – $5 million
Goldman, Sachs & Co. – $5 million
JP Morgan Securities LLC – $5 million
Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. – $4 million
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc. – $4 million
Morgan Stanley & Co., LLC – $4 million
Wells Fargo Securities, LLC – $4 million
Needham & Company LLC – $2.5 million

We haven't seen any of the executives of these banks being forced to face the law.Due to their size, these banks often get away by paying the million dollar fines and still reap rich profits.

The US election campaigning mechanism doesn't help the process either with Super PAC's financing the candidates they prefer.It's an indirect way of ensuring their sustenance.

Any one having a decent credit score can purchase a house in the US by putting down a down payment of 3-5% of the total value of the house.This system works as long as the economy does well.However in case of a recession,when people lose jobs ,they end up being homeless in a short span of time.Lack of a strong family system in many cases leads to depression and suicides.

Those in favor of the big banks argue that the banks reflect the state of the economy.Bigger the companies in the economy,its only natural that the banks would be huge in size.They also argue that breaking down the banks will not increase the quality of service or security of data.

 It would be interesting to see if the next President of the US follows up on the Dodd Frank Act and ensure that it gets implemented as scheduled.At present,the intent is only being shown by Bernie Sanders.

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Ramifications of falling oil prices

The world is on a turning point with the plummeting oil prices. This has multiple ramifications across the economic & political scenario around the world.

1.China&India

With the Chinese economy slowing down, the consumption of oil has slowed down over the last 2 years. With the Chinese stock market going on a tailspin over the last few months, the FDI to the Chinese market is bound to decline.

With the other big weight India opting for nuclear energy and solar energy to replace its dependency on fossil fuels, the import of oil in these two guzzlers is further going to reduce in the coming decades.

2.Fracking technology

The US has successfully employed fracking technology to tap into its reserves in Texas and North Dakota to reduce its dependency on oil from OPEC. This has pushed in excess of oil into the market. Saudi Arabia has increased the production of oil into the market as a counter strategy to US to make it unprofitable for US companies like BP to remain profitable.However,US has so far shown no inclination to reduce production using fracking.

3.Iran back in business

The recent lifting of sanctions on Iran has allowed it further pump in crude oil to the market. The straining of relations between Iran and Saudi after the recent execution of a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia has made Iran go on a fight mode with the Saudi’s. Reports suggest that Iran is willing to sell oil at even a loss so as to make Saudi go  off the radar completely.

4.Falling hegemony of Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia is expected to run out of money if oil were to stay at around the 25 $ per barrel mark for another  5 years. At present Saudi has a healthy forex reserve of more than 700 billion dollars. The Saudi government has started cutting down on austerities and subsidies offered to its public with the fall in oil prices. They would like the oil price to remain around the $100 per barrel. However this looks highly unlikely and oil prices are expected to remain in the range of 45 – 55 $ per barrel over the next decade. It has become increasingly clear that the Saudi hegemony is going to continually decrease in the coming years.

 War in the Middle East

Latest reports prove that with Russia and Iran’s support, Assad has been able to gain ground in Syria. The Americans did not expect Putin to jump into this game. However Putin has played a masterstroke here from being a political pariah to stealing the carpet under Obama.

Saudi Arabia has been reluctant to send in its army with it already being involved in a war with Yemen. However it’s a well-known secret that the biggest financiers of ISIS has been Saudi.The US foreign policy of supplying arms to Saudi has been the biggest hypocrisy of the 21st century. Next time ,the US goes on a foreign invasion,you can bet that it would face stiff opposition from Iran,Russia,China and South America.

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