Barclays Corporate rap sheet

Barclays

Rap sheet from Corp-research website

 

By Philip Mattera
Barclays was riding high a few years ago, after it emerged largely unscathed from the financial meltdown. But starting in 2010 the UK bank has been enmeshed in a series of legal and regulatory scandals involving violations of economic sanctions against countries such as Iran and illegal manipulation of the LIBOR interest rate index. In 2015 it pleaded guilty to a U.S. criminal charge of currency market manipulation but was allowed to continue business as usual.

Quaker Roots
Barclays, which dates back to a Quaker goldsmithing and banking firm founded in 1728, became a significant force in 1896, when 20 banks merged to form Barclay and Company. A series of additional mergers in the early 20^th Century made Barclays one of the largest banks in Great Britain. During this period it also built an extensive international banking network. Decades later, that network reached the United States, where Barclays formed a bank in California in 1965 and one in New York in 1971.
It had also reached South Africa, but in 1986 Barclays gave in to pressure from the anti-apartheid movement and sold its operations in the country, the first British company to do so. (In 2002 Barclays was among a group of large companies sued for reparations by apartheid victims under the U.S. Alien Tort Claims Act; the case has dragged on for more than a decade.)
Barclays began the 1990s in expansionist mode, but its rising losses from bad loans forced it to retrench by divesting assets such as its U.S. retail banking network and eliminating some 18,000 jobs, mostly in the UK. It also sold off much of its investment banking business.

Losing a Takeover Battle Pays Off
In 2007 Barclays sought to grow once again by making an aggressive bid to take over the Dutch bank ABN AMRO. Yet it was outbid by a consortium led by the Royal Bank of Scotland. Losing that battle turned out to be a godsend, since it allowed Barclays to better survive the ensuing financial crisis. While the over-extended RBS had to be bailed out by the British government, Barclays avoided that stigma and was in a position to purchase the core capital markets businesses of Lehman Brothers for a fire sale price. Barclays did, however, benefit indirectly from the bailout of AIG by the U.S. government, which allowed the insurance firm to pay fully pay off obligations such as the $8.5 billion owed to Barclays.
Barclays ended up doing less well on the regulatory and legal fronts. In 2007 the bank had to pay $10.9 million to settle insider trading charges relating to the sale of distressed bonds. In 2009 the UK Financial Services Authority fined Barclays £2.45 million for failing to submit accurate transaction reports. That same year, the estate of the bankrupt Lehman Brothers filed suit against Barclays, alleging that it received a windfall in the purchase and seeking $10 billion in damages. (The suit was later dropped.)
In 2010 Barclays had to agree to pay $298 million to the U.S. government and New York State to settle charges that it violated the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Trading with the Enemy Act in its transactions with sanctioned countries such as Iran and Sudan. Barclays admitted responsibility for its criminal actions—which were said to involve transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars—but was offered a deferred prosecution agreement. The judge in the case was not impressed by the size of the settlement, calling it a “sweetheart deal,” but he ended up approving it.
In January 2011 Barclays chief executive Robert Diamond called for an end to criticism of the banking industry, telling a parliamentary committee: “There was a period for remorse of banks but I think this period is over. The question for us is how do we put some of the blame game behind us.” A week later the Financial Services Authority fined Barclays £7.7 million and ordered it to pay about £60 million to customers for numerous abuses in the sale of high-risk investment funds. Shortly thereafter, the FSA fined Barclays another £1.12 million for failing to protect and segregate money market customer funds.
In May 2011 Barclays and other British banks said they would not challenge a court ruling requiring them to compensate customers who had received improper advice when purchasing payments protection insurance, which was supposed to cover debt repayment in the event of illness or unemployment. Barclays said it would put aside £1 billion to cover compensation costs. In September 2011 the Federal Housing Finance Agency sued Barclays and 16 other financial institutions for violations of federal securities law in the sale of mortgaged-backed securities to housing finance agencies Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The case is pending.
In October 2011 Barclays agreed to pay $23.7 million to settle a shareholder lawsuit charging that it mismanaged the leveraged buyout of Del Monte Foods, which agreed to pay $65.7 million to the plaintiffs. In December 2011 Barclays was sued for €82 million for allegedly using confidential information from a potential client to complete the 2010 takeover of the Swedish carbon trading company Tricorona. Barclays later sold Tricorona, but the case continues.  That same month, the U.S. industry regulator FINRA fined Barclays Capital $3 million for misrepresenting delinquency data and exercising inadequate supervision in connection with the issuance of residential subprime mortgage securities in the period from 2007 to 2010.
In February 2012 UK Treasury officials blocked Barclays from implementing what they called “highly abusive” tax avoidance schemes that could have resulted in the loss of some £500 million in public revenue. (Barclays had earlier come under criticism for paying only £113 million in UK corporation tax in 2009, a year in which it posted £11.6 billion in profits.)
In April 2012 Barclays was sued in a U.S. court by Germany’s HSH Nordbank, which accused it of defrauding investors by failing to disclose that the underlying loans in three mortgage-backed securities had not been properly transferred to investment trusts. The case, in which HSH and the other plaintiffs asked for $46 million in damages, is pending.

The LIBOR Fiasco
The biggest blow to the reputation of Barclays came in June 2012, when it had to agree to pay $450 million to UK and U.S. regulators to resolve allegations that it was involved in the illegal manipulation of the LIBOR and Euribor interest rate indices. The settlements included a $200 million penalty payment to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the largest in the agency’s history);  a $160 million penalty payment to the U.S. Justice Department, which agreed to a non-prosecution agreement; and a fine of £59.5 million imposed by the Financial Services Authority, which put out a statement saying that “Barclays’ misconduct was serious, widespread and extended over a number of years.”
In the wake of the case, Barclays CEO Bob Diamond resigned, but in a subsequent appearance before a parliamentary committee he denied “personal culpability” and sought to cast blame for the LIBOR fiasco on regulators. In their testimony, officials from the Financial Services Authority accused Barclays of “gaming us.” Diamond was forced to forgo up to $31 million in stock bonuses. A parliamentary report issued in August 2012 questioned the accuracy and completeness of Diamond’s testimony.
During this time Barclays confirmed reports that it was being investigated by the UK Serious Fraud Office in connection with fees that were paid by the bank when it turned to Middle East sources such as the Qatar Holding sovereign fund for capital infusions during the financial crisis of 2008. Barclays later disclosed that the U.S. Justice Department and the SEC were investigating possible violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in connection with the payments. And yet later, it was reported that Barclays had lent money to Qatar to invest in the bank so that it could avoid an embarrassing government bailout.
In November 2012 the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accused Barclays traders of manipulating electricity prices in the period from late 2006 to the end of 2008 and proposed a civil penalty of $435 million plus $35 million in disgorgement. Barclays has been disputing the charge.
Faced with these problems, the new Barclays CEO, Antony Jenkins, told his staff in early 2013 that those who were not willing to help clean up the bank’s image should leave the bank. “My message to those people is simple,” Jenkins said. “Barclays is not the place for you. The rules have changed.” In another sign of change, Jenkins shut down the bank’s controversial structured capital markets unit, which had been accused of promoting large-scale tax avoidance.
In February 2013 Barclays recouped some £300 million in promised bonuses to staffers, but a couple of weeks later it came to light that more than 400 of its employees had each been paid £1 million or more in 2012. Subsequently, the bank announced that it had made a large stock distribution to top executives, including more than £40 million to Jenkins.
In April 2013 an independent review requested by the board of Barclays concluded that its evolution into an aggressive global investment bank had created a culture that put profit before customers.
In July 2013 the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ordered Barclays and four of its traders to pay $453 million in civil penalties for manipulating electricity prices in California and other western U.S. markets during a two-year period beginning in late 2006. Barclays vowed to fight the fine in court.
In May 2014 the Financial Conduct Authority fined Barclays £26 million for failing to monitor conflicts of interest between itself and customers. The agency also fined a trader at the bank for improperly influencing gold prices at the expense of a client.
In July 2014 the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations accused Barclays and Deutsche Bank of helping hedge funds use dubious financial products to avoid paying more than $6 billion in taxes.
In December 2014 the Financial Industry Regulatory Association fined Barclays Capital $5 million as part of a case against ten investment banks for allowing their stock analysts to solicit business and offer favorable research coverage in connection with a planned initial public offering of Toys R Us in 2010.
In May 2015 the U.S. Justice Department announced that Barclays was one of a group of banks pleading guilty to criminal charges of conspiring to fix foreign currency rates. Barclays was fined $650 million (and another $342 million by the Federal Reserve) and put on probation for three years. The SEC gave it a waiver from a rule that would have barred it from remaining in the securities business.
That same month, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission fined Barclays $115 million for attempting to manipulate a benchmark interest rate used in swaps and derivatives.

Food Speculation
In 2012 the UK group World Development Movement Barclays stepped up its criticism of Barclays for speculating on food commodities, thereby driving food costs to prohibitive levels for the world’s poorest people. In February 2013 Barclays vowed to pull out of food speculation.

Aravindswamy - Bosskey Interview

It was a delightful experience to see Aravindswamy in such a casual interview with Bosskey. This looks like a conversation between two friends and surprised by Aravind's sense of humor esp at the end. Such a classy guy, reminds me of Ajith. 

Why arent Indians investing in Indian startups

If we look at all the recent successful Indian startups in the past decade. We could see that almost all are funded by non indian funding. Look at some of the few here

FLIPKART
 

Tiger Global Hedge fund - (USA) - 10 Million
USD Dragoneer Investment group including Sofina (Belgium) &am; Morgan Stanley Wealth Management - 160 Million USD
1 Billion USD - Tiger global management LLC including GIC (Government of Singapore Investment Corporation Limited)  

SNAPDEAL
 

Bessemer Venture Partners - 45 Million USD
EBAY - 50 Million USD
 EBAY and BVP again - 133 million USD including the now Indian Kalaari Capital
SoftBank (Japan) - 627 million USD which made Soft Bank the largest investor
Additional funding of 500 Million USD which included Alibaba Group (China)  
Redbus.in
 

Acquired by the renowned Naspers Group (South Africa) which owns other major e-commerce sites like Ibibo, OLX etc.

And the list goes on .........

Most of these companies are now valued at around billions of dollars and it is really a disgrace that none of the above had significant indian investment.

The Indian middle class saves around 20% of their income but dont invest in any viable startups.Even some of our Corporates are sitting on huge stock pile of Cash and none of them seems to have the business acumen to provide seed funding to any seemingly commercially viable ventures like above. What are the constraints which Indians seem to believe in where reputed international PE firms do not. 

I believe it is in the Indian psyche to be risk averse and it is acting as a deterrent for Indian entrepreneurship. We all agree that flipkart is a good idea but when they require funding, none of us was ready to put money in it. I didnt know that Government of Singapore was investing in Indian startups until I did research on it. Infact they revised their investment framework recently in 2013 which states and I quote "investments that may be riskier in the short term but would generate returns in the long-term" How does it feel that a foreign government has invested in Indian startups whereas the Indian government is still trying to remove roadblocks in starting business ventures here in India.

While Im glad that foreign investment is driving innovation and strategic thinking in India but I'm disappointed that the excess cash savings of the Indian middle class is foolishly being invested in Real estate, Gold and Fixed deposits which are non liquid and infact not even profitable.

Almost all the above firms are going to come out of the indian market once it goes public or acquired by another entity and are probably going to end up with hundreds of millions or even billions in profits. Good for them.... for believing in Indian entrepreneurship in a way we Indians never had.

A 360 view video amazing

Conan has always been on the forefront of some edgy comedic stuff but this is amazing. He has stumbled upon something revolutionary here. Imagine seeing a standup special or a theatrical performance like this.What could i give to watch a Broadway play or a Chris Rock standup special like this

It is time for the playoff again!!

It is time for the NBA playoffs and me getting up early for watching the live matches.On the ongoing series 2 of them are interesting, Grizzlies Vs Warriors and Bulls Vs Cavaliers.

Here is an article from SBNation's Tim CaTO on a pivotal Game 3 at Memphis

That the Golden State Warriors would make a fourth-quarter comeback and narrow a 20-point lead to just a few was inevitable. The only question was if the Memphis Grizzlies could weather the storm.

They did. The Warriors cut what was once a 19-point deficit to four thanks to a parade to the free throw line, but Memphis never gave up the lead on its way to a 99-89 win on Saturday. With another game in Memphis looming on Monday, it's the Grizzlies who hold a surprising 2-1 lead over the NBA's best regular season team.

It was a tough night for the Warriors shooters, who missed both open and contested shots without discretion. Golden State is renowned for its ability to make shots this season, but 43 percent from the floor and just 25 percent from behind the arc through three quarters wasn't enough, not for the quality of looks the Warriors



The Warriors will blame themselves for missing those looks, but it was also clear they were rattled. Arriving in the Grindhouse in the raucous Memphis arena, and facing Tony Allen and Marc Gasol defensively, the Warriors had to work for everything. Memphis' identity isn't rooted in transition three-pointers or superb athleticism, but grit and toughness. Their goal is to make opposing teams feel it for 48 minutes and it took most of the game for the Warriors to react appropriately.

Let's say the Warriors felt it for at least 40, since they did make that fourth-quarter comeback. After pushing Memphis into the penalty, they closed the gap at the free throw line and found some easy shots inside. Down 91-85 with 2:05 to play, Golden State played great defense and forced a Gasol back-breaking prayer.

Here are three things we learned. 1. There is no one tougher than Mike Conley It wasn't a great offensive night, but it didn't matter. Conley's main impact came from relentless, physical defense on Stephen Curry throughout the game, bothering him around every screen and on every screen. He knew exactly what he could get away with from the refs on his home court, and he faced up and took a charge even with his face injury. Without Conley, the Grizzlies wouldn't have a 2-1 series lead, and in true Memphis fashion, he's fighting through the pain when he team needs it most.

2. You have to make shots to win The best three-point shooting team hit 6-of-26 from deep. There are surely technical adjustments for Steve Kerr to make, but the main thing for Golden State is simply to hit some shots going forward. Curry was just 2-of-10 while taking the same mix of pull-ups that he does every game. Taking nothing away from the Grizzlies, the Warriors just aren't playing like themselves.

3. Zach Randolph just keeps going Once again, the big man led the Grizzlies with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting, plus eight rebounds and three steals. Memphis' style is to never adjust from its big-man heavy, grind it out lineups. There were questions whether they might have to against a killer small-ball Warriors team, but Randolph has more than held his own and punished Golden State at its own game all series.

The Americans Season 3

After an enthralling Season 2,I was eagerly awaiting for Feb 15 for the third season. Can TV Drama get any better???.This show has shown us that subtlety is not dead in TV. Hear that Gotham!!!

Here is the review by Ryan Sandoval of TV.Com

Well hell, we knew that Paige would have to be initiated into her parents' world sooner or later, and as most things Americans, the show handled her baptism into the Cold War with expert delicacy. Sure, she knew her folks had been keeping secrets, but she had no idea how big said secrets were. So the impromptu Conversation was less, “Hey, we're murder-spies,” and more, “Mommy and daddy are freedom fighters who could go to jail for a long time if you tell on us.” Series creator Joe Weisberg & Co. love diving head-first into new forms of suspense and by bringing the war home, “Stingers” added a welcome strain to an already gleefully tense universe. P.S. Holly Taylor killed it this episode!

My favorite part of seeing Philip and Elizabeth break the news to their daughter was how apologetic they both seemed. One more thing to unify the previously at-odds couple. They could see the distress their lies had caused (ain't nothing like a teenage meltdown); sure, there was parenting to administer, but at the same time, being forced to engage in such a sensitive discussion without warning meant treading lightly. They're still spies who are capable of being compromised. It's one thing to let your teen know she is cared for, but it's another to have her expose your whole operation.

That's not to say that I think Elizabeth and Philip were being deceitful about their emotions for Paige; their true love for their family has been key to The Americans' success since the beginning. I mean, probably the most heartbreaking line I've heard them utter all season was Elizabeth's “We love you very much,” delivered in Russian and translated by husband and father Philip. They are now in the difficult position of being unable to choose sides. Giving up their spy lives for the sake of their family would mean going to super-jail, and ignoring their home life in the name of Russia would spell the end of Philip and Elizabeth's humanity. Even though they're monitoring Paige so things don't get compromised, I'm willing to believe that the Jennings' main fear is not going to super-jail in and of itself, but losing their family.

Elsewhere in "Stingers," other stuff happened, but considering the gravitas of Paige's new knowledge, things like Stan being sad about his divorce, Nina making headway with Anton, or Zinaida's confirmed spy status provided more of a break from the juicy focus of the episode than serious competition. Not a complaint! I'm sure Elizabeth and Philip wish they could go back to simpler times, when life just meant slapping on some shoulder pads and prepping to cover a meeting with the CIA and some Muhajadeen (got to love Elizabeth's businesswoman look). Actually no, I take that back. I was into Stan spending time with Henry mostly because of how much Henry and Stan seem to bond. They both like football! They both like pirated VHS tapes! They both like Sandra! On a more wholesome level, I suppose I just like seeing some fatherly instincts answered for a man who's had a pretty rough time as of late.
And it wasn't the episode's first instance of adult-child relationship development: Pastor Tim coaching Paige, Phil and Kimmie, heck even Phil's son earned a shout-out. I'm also game for a thread where Philip becomes jealous of Stan for his connection with Henry. The Jennings dad could certainly give a crap about his son's spot-on Eddie Murphy impression from Mr. Robinson's neighborhood. Although Philip's mental spy-wheels grinding away over Paige probably drowned out all of Henry's hilarious goofs. There was always an element of subterfuge being applied to the Jennings children, evidenced by parental gems like “pressure in this situation is counterproductive.” That same sort of manipulation can still be used with Paige, because technically she's an enemy of the Cause. She's not someone Elizabeth or Philip can injure or threaten, but she's still an opponent who can be dealt with emotionally.

Like, how else do families fight? If I had a nickel for every guilt trip my parents laid on me I'd be a rich, rich man (if having $18.75 in nickels counted as being rich). Philip and Elizabeth's apology illustrated how sorry they felt for misleading her, but it also put them at Paige's mercy. I don't think the move was strategic on their part so much as it was a display of honest emotion, but it was smart nonetheless. Placing the power in your child's hand to send you “to jail for good” demonstrates a certain level of adult trust, while also implying, “Hey if you want to break up the family, by all means, go ahead.” I believe Paige and her parents love one another too much to fall apart, but for now the responsibility lies with Paige to keep everyone together.

Aside from being just an excellent standalone hour, "Stingers" made me remember my first knockdown drag-out teenage fight with my parents about how my religious beliefs differed from theirs, and upon reflection, I think really all it amounted to was my being afraid to see them as fellow helpless people. We have no reason to believe that Paige was experiencing something similar, but at the very least, she's angry and hurt by the betrayal. What else about her upbringing is a lie? Not everyone discovers their parents are international spies, but on a more general level, once you see your parents for who they really are, the protection of home life is involuntarily traded for the stark reality of the world at large. Every family fractures in some way. That's just part of growing up

FURTHER INTERROGATION

– Zinaida is WILLOW, and even the Rezidentura acknowledges that compartmentalizing things can screw stuff up.

– I felt the same kind of relief after this episode that you feel after getting a secret off your chest. No more dancing around Paige (in one way; now it's time to start dancing in another!).



– Nina and Anton have sort of a husband-wife thing going on.

– Paige's list of guesses about her parents identities were all less crazy than the real thing. I wouldn't have minded hearing a few more: “swingers, time-travelers...”

– Taffet is still being a creepy, bug-eyed dude.

– Elizabeth: "How's work, Stan?" Stan: "Today was one of those days I wish I was on vacation." Philip: "I hear ya."

– Pastor Tim inserting himself into the Jennings' home life is way more dangerous than he might imagine.

My views on the season

I thought it was time that Paige was involved in the spy ring with their parents. After the little bread crumbs through out Season 1 and 2, finally she confronts her parents on their occupations and surprisingly gets a straight forward answer....Oh yeah we are Soviet spys you know the evil organisation that the news talks about everyday... Paige seems to take it well .It was tough call for Philip to leave her daughter alone after the revelation knowing fully well that Pastor Tim instigated her and that Paige should have a conversation about it with the Pastor soon.Now the series looks to head for a bloody finale in Season 4.Have a feeling that it would be the final season cause I think it is difficult to maintain that Martha and Paige digesting the revelation that they are accomplices with the "enemy".
Also the fact that we are nearing the end of the Cold War, it looks to head into an action filled Season 4. I love the subtlety with the continuation of the dream sequence at the end of Season2,when he was asked whether he had any doubts over his co-workers of planting the bug on Gat, we see the next shot of him enquiring about the whereabouts of Martha.Stan subliminally knows Martha is involved,similarly he should guess that something is not right with Elizabeth/Phillip like why is Henry alone all the time.I hope that the showrunners ensure that there is a proper ending to the series i.e. the logical conclusion that both Elizabeth and Philip are caught/murdered/convicted or turned. Anyother conclusion would just be unacceptable like "Dexter"'.Apparently this show is struggling to get viewers, could this be another "The Wire" which was discovered after its TV run. I love this show especially since it deals with a complicated storyline with so much subtlety. I simply cannot believe the lack of dialogue in most of the important scenes, like when Elizabeth kills the grandmother,she standing 10 feet from her, making her realise that she is going to kill her without explicitly speaking or shouting or threatening or even physically moving toward her.Thats directing for you, Good job guys.

Did Beef save the Cow???

A small excerpt from Gregory Makiw - "Principles of Economics"
Thoughout history many species of animals have been threatened by extinction.When Europeans first arrived in North America, more than 60 million buffalo roamed the continent.Yet, buffalo hunting became so popular during the 19th century that the species population fell drastically to just 400 before the government stepped in to protect the species.

Beef Saved me !!!

The cow is a valuable source of food esp.. in the western world but no worries that the cow will soon be extinct.Indeed, the great demand for beef seems to ensure that the species will continue to thrive.
Why does the commercial value of ivory threaten the elephant, while the commercial value of beef protects the cow??
The reason is that the elephants are a common resource, whereas cows are a private good.Elephants roam freely without any owner.Each poacher has a strong incentive to kill as many elephants as he can find.By contrast cattle live on ranches that are privately owned.Each rancher makes great effort to maintain the cattle population on his ranch because he reaps the benefits of these efforts.
Private ownership and profit motive on their side seems to be an effective tool to save the extinction of any species rather than any regulation put forth by the government.

The Joker in "Gotham" Reactions MAshup

Introduction of Joker in Gotham

Television has never been good . this is indeed the Golden age of US Television and Im lucky to have watched most of it live. I never got into comic heroes in my teens but now Nolan has really got me hooked onto Batman. The Video game series and now the TV Series "Gotham" is really reminiscent of the tone that Nolan created in his landmark trilogy.
Ever since I started watching Gotham I was really interested in the back story of all the villains of the series.There are two notables for me.
The Penguin - Robin Lord Taylor

I have never seen Penguin more than a Fat villain but now the creators of the series has succeeded in creating a multi layered character in the young Penguin and he has now basically taken over the series. Robin Lord Taylor is just piercing through the screen and looks everyday that he is born to play this role.
Joker - Cameron Monaghan

Where did they find this guy,I neevr thought anyone can even come closer to Heath Ledger version of Joker bu this kid albeit only for a few seconds in Episode 16 came really close to that performance. What is even more impressive is the fact that there was no clue that he was the joker earlier in the episode which makes his character really good at deception just like the Joker. We are really finding some great acting nowadays in Television which Hollywood seems to struggle to find but Television seems to be getting better every year.

And what happens in your fantasy??

Bill Maher you are the best

Deception Point - Dan Brown

I have always wanted to have the Dan Brown experience. A Best selling author of our times and I was yet to experience that in a book format. So , I took the recent one "The Deception Point" which is a thriller fast paced action novel based on the reviews and I pounced upon it.



The book sitting nicely on my sofa was bought from Flipkart and got the delivery within a day. Man are they fast or what. Just blitzed through the first 70 odd pages and true to the word, it was really fast paced and a lot has happened already.Introduced to a multitude of characters and the plot has already thickened.Can wait to finish the book.

Homeland : Long Time Coming

After an action packed 11 episodes in Islamabad, the season finale took an emotional turn and set the platform for the future. Here is the review by Cory Barker of TV.Com of season finale of Homeland.

For the second year in a row, Homeland went with a more epilogue-style finale that distanced itself a bit from the primary events of the season (in this case, the Pakistan story and setting). Although the minor jump forward in time meant that "Long Time Coming" didn't drop us right into some Carrie and Quinn versus Dar and Haqqani bloodbath—which might've been extremely thrilling—the hour was ultimately a more successful example of this "type" of episode than the Season 3 finale. Whereas at the end of last season it felt like Homeland wanted to give Brody one last send-off above all else, "Long Time Coming" offered a really strong mix of somber reflection and intrigue for the future. All told, I can't imagine many of us expected that this would be how Season 4 ended, but it was a fine change of pace after the more deliberately intense and deadly back half of the season.

While I certainly would've enjoyed yet another episode featuring Quinn doing his best Jack Bauer impression, perhaps joined by an impassioned Carrie, I wonder if showrunner Alex Gansa and the writer of this episode, Meredith Stiehm, were concerned about the law of diminishing returns with the action in Islamabad. By bringing Homeland's characters and story back to the United States, "Long Time Coming" put a stop to the explosions, but hustled to try to bring everyone's season-long arcs to some kind of new—or renewed—place, without completely stripping away the espionage. I'm betting that not everyone enjoyed this approach, but for the most part, it worked for me.

Stiehm's script was particularly well-constructed, creating a first half that made room for Carrie to say goodbye to her father and experience what life outside of the CIA could, in theory, be like. Whether you entirely buy the show's long-term handling of Carrie as a character (and I'm skeptical), I do buy the simple idea that the death of a family member can have nearly unlimited impact on a person, especially someone in Carrie's fragile position given everything that happened in Islamabad. As a result, the Carrie we saw here was more invested in being a mother to her baby, was generally warmer to her sister, and handled the 'big' stuff associated with her father's death (packing up boxes, delivering the eulogy, maneuvering around at the wake, etc.) without any troubled Carrie 'freak outs'. Obviously, the sudden reappearance of her mother threw Carrie for a loop, but even then, she made the effort to drive across the country to Missouri to figure out the truth of why this woman did what she did.

o many of those little moments just rang true for me. Carrie and Quinn share some kind of connection and she didn't know if/how he survived in Pakistan, so their reunion had the right level of surprise and relief. The brief moment with Lockhart slinking into the wake super late, armed with a crappy dish of his wife's lasagna, like the awkward dweeb he is, only to be welcomed to the Cool Kids table with Carrie, Quinn, and Saul so they could all have a "Pakistan, Am I Right?" moment, was just great. Odd, but great. Finally, the small series of scenes where the episode hit us over the head that Quinn and Carrie, those two crazy kids, might be able to make it in the real world if they just got out of the CIA worked well enough because Claire Danes and Rupert Friend sold the heck out of it, and because in that moment, the two of them have reached a point where getting out actually seems like a decent plan. It's not just like the Carrie-Brody ill-fated Romeo and Juliet nonsense; it's a slightly more rational, if still underdeveloped, connection that the show simply isn't going to let us ignore.

Plus, Carrie's struggles with her mother were, in some ways, more powerful because she walked out on her kid just as her mother did so many years ago. And while Carrie's mom eventually admitted that her mistakes were due to a level of infidelity that she couldn't control, those impulses are familiar to Carrie. Like her mother, she hasn't been able to stay still; instead of sexing up the chillest bro at the bar, she simply zooms off to a war-torn country to try to bring democracy and/or imperialism to any and all nations. It's not the same, but it's not entirely different either. Thus, Carrie feels like she's been the way she is because of what's been passed down from her dad's DNA, but these moments with her mother illustrated that she is her mother's daughter as well. And so, she was finally convinced that maybe she could escape the CIA, and maybe being bipolar wasn't a life sentence of being alone. Maybe she wouldn't screw it up with Quinn, or with the baby, or even with her sister. Again, having just watched the episode, I'm not 100 percent sure I can track this throughout all 12 episodes, but as a kicker here at the end of the season, this was a darn fine place to get with Carrie. Stiehm's the best at writing for Carrie and it's no surprise she took on this episode. In a vacuum, this was the best Carrie episode in...two years? Maybe longer.

While I'm less confident about the through-lines with Carrie, the show did nice work with both Quinn and Saul in this episode, pulling together tremendous moments that were basically in-line with what we've seen all season. In that regard, it wasn't surprising to see Quinn made a grand effort to support Carrie at the funeral and wake, to play with the baby, and even clean up the dishes. He was not only jonesing to have something more with Carrie, but the dude just wants to get out. We know that, we've seen it, and we've heard it. Even though he made these gestures at a wake, and even though Carrie is absolutely a mess, Quinn has been searching for someone to get him out, and keep him out. For Saul, the story was similarly simple, but effective—he wanted back in. Lockhart's politicking submarined him last season, the private sector sucked, and now that he's come out the other side of being the key hostage of one of the world's most dangerous men, he's ready to get back in the game. Unsurprisingly, Saul's desperation meant that he was willing to listen to Dar's big pitch about Haqqani—Dar agreed to take Haqqani off the kill list if he stopped harboring terrorists and was willing to get the video of Saul as a sign of good faith—and willing to undercut Carrie, and everything that happened in Islamabad just for the chance to take back the agency.

Best of all, all three of those arcs came together in the episode's final 10 minutes, with Carrie deciding she wanted to try with Quinn, only to learn that he'd already given up (again) and taken a mission with no end date to Syria and Iraq, and then her trying to blackmail Dar into getting her in touch with Quinn using the info that she saw him with Haqqani, and then discovering that Saul and taken Dar's bait and ultimately had no problem cutting a deal with Haqqani (by association, at least). Carrie made a real effort to at least try to change her life. Quinn wanted to, again, but wasn't patient enough, and didn't trust himself to stick it out. And Saul got exactly what he wanted all along, while setting himself up to save face with the powers that be, Carrie be damned. That's quite the turn of events, and one that produced an emotional gut-punch I wasn't ready for, particularly when Carrie and Saul came face to face on Dar's porch. Who would have guessed that the biggest moment of the season would take place there, after everything that has happened over the previous 11 hours?

Obviously, it's worth being at least somewhat skeptical regarding this turn of events. Maybe Carrie and Quinn aren't the kind of pair you can totally invest in. Maybe we've seen Saul screw Carrie over one too many times. Maybe Dar's 'plan' involving Haqqani seemed vague enough that the show can simply move on next season, not unlike how it handled the mess in Iran in Season 3. I hear that, and in some ways, I feel that way about what occurred in this finale. But I also really, really like that after a sometimes bumpy season that served as a soft reboot, this episode showed that Homeland can still deliver an emotional wallop without drones, missiles, shootouts, or manipulated prescriptions. It's not the time to say "Homeland is back!" or that's better than ever, or any of those superlatives—it's just nice to confirm that the show has something left in the tank, and that it's continued existence is beneficial for television.

NOTES

– Predictably, the jump back the U.S. didn't include a check-in with the Boyds. I guess Dennis is simply going to pay for his crimes and Martha will find another job? Those two were wrongfully lost in the shuffle over the past two episodes.

– No Aasar or Max this week either, but Tasneem made an appearance on TV, speaking out against American involvement in Pakistan. It will be interesting to see whether Homeland continues with that story at all in Season 5.

– I laughed at how quickly Saul ignored his wife now that he's back home, safe and sound. There she was, trying to make sure he was okay, and he just had to get to that meeting. He's a terrible husband.

– Now that we know the details, what do you make of Dar's plan? It seems to me that he wasn't involved with Haqqani from the jump, and more likely reached out after the siege on the embassy. Like I said up above, I'm not sure how much I really buy the idea that Dar, or Saul, could trust Haqqani, but I guess I'm willing to believe they're both selfish enough to think they can trust him as a means of gaining control of the intelligence community. Regardless, if it means more Mandy Patinkin–F. Murray Abraham diner scenes next season, I can be convinced.

– Amy Hargreaves did good work as Amy in this episode. She's always good, but it was nice to see the character do more than lecture Carrie. Victoria Clark was also solid as Carrie's mom; I'd love for her to stick around more next season.

– That was a great little tribute to James Rebhorn at the end of the episode. Man is he missed, everywhere.

finally I believe the following cast really added value to this season Not sure will they ever appear again but they still made resurrect the series.

Nimrat Kaur

Raza Jaffrey

Suraj Sharma

Robins Stoll/Laila Robins

Nazanin Boniadi

GoodBye Craig.An end of a great show

Farewell to Craig An unique show which always looked like completely improvised and never scripted. Thats the one thing will people leave from the show.

Rajon Rondo To Mavericks

I find it extremely ironic that only a few months back I bought the original NBA gear of Rondo No 9 Celtics jersey that the Celtics have traded him tot he Mavs. I always loved the Mavs and always choose them as my team whenever I play NBA Live. It was always easy to get Dirk on the post and score with his turnaround fadeaway. Anyways Im not disappointed for the Celtics as they are clearly on the rebuilding path and it doesn't make sense to hold on to a superstar like Rondo.

Now the Mavs seem to have all the elements now with a terrific point guard in Rajon , a dynamic SG in Monte, and the Chandlers in 3 and 5 and the ever reliable Dirk in 4.But in the very deep Western conference it is difficult for them to come out of the West. They need to beat Clips,GSW or the Spurs who i feel that are above them even with Rondo.Morover there is the chemistry question with Rondo and Ellis. How does that dynamic works is something which Rick Carlisle has to work out.Anyways seeing my favorite player in the NBA going to one of my favorite teams is great to watch

Homeland is heating up !!!

After a very disappointing Season 3 the thrill and excitement of Homeland petered out atleast for me. So i didnt have high expectations for Season 4 but still went back to it just to relive the homeland phenomena and wondering how they will take the story after the death of Brody. Thankfully the child of Carrie and Brody was not the crux of this season but instead the troubling region of Pakistan and ISI. So far these 10 episodes I have seen seems to be recreate the magic the series created in the first season. The addition of "Ayan" - the life of Pi character was a welcome addition to this season and he has portrayed his role well albeit his character getting killed too soon for the season.

The confusing world of Pakistan intelligence and their ever unreliable allegiances is the crux of this season. This season also seems to draw inspiration from real life incidents like the Prisoner swap program and Benghazhi Embassy siege.10 Episodes in ,I can wait to see how this season ends, after almost killing off Sal in numerous occasions he has returned to US safely now we have to see whether Quinn can survive the ordeal which he has put himself into. Good job by the writers to being that first season suspense and thrill back.

Wat does the Fox say

Getting ready for the NBA Season

Rocking the Rondo gear Lets Bleed Green!!!!. Got the original NBA gear from Jabong of one of my favorite Celtics Rajon Rondo. It is a shame that they would be tanking this year but still Rondo is the only true point guard left in the NBA

First images of Mars by Mangalyaan

Keep those coming ISRO!!! wat a day would it be if we do indeed find water or life on Mars

UFC Weekend : UFC 178

After I watched Cat Zingano fight Miesha Tate which is by far the best and bloodiest fight in female MMa. It was ridiculous to see how much can these two ladies take and when finally Tate got KO'd it was relief that the fight was over . But that match was by far the best fight in female MMA. Unfortunately since then Cat Zingano never fought due to a series of unfortunate events until today.

Cat Zingano - Miesha Tate

On her comeback match she had a tough matchup with Amanda nunes who is no mug. I was excited to see Cat - a mother to takeon an upcoming star like Nunes. The first round Nunes surprisingly was able to takedown Cat and even landed some blows but soon Cat recovered and there were a couple of submission attempts by Cat which immediately looked to finish the match. Soon afterwords Cat kind of got back to her standing game in Round 2 and showed her Muay Thai skills where she showed some impressive takedowns over her back. That was good to see and then she finished the match. It was the first fight on TV for UFC 178 and it was a good match.

Romero comeback win over Kennedy was the best thing I have ever seen in UFC.The way he looked completely out of it but saved by thee bell and then his corner stole some valuable seconds for him to recover by keeping the stool in even after the interval and recover he did by knocking out Kennedy immediately.That was good to watch Some of the UFC matches were boring but this was completely enjoyable and glad I got up early to watch these matches.

Hero (2014)

Being a huge fan of Kimura Takuya and after watching the very enjoyable Hero TV Series which aired first in 2001. I finished watching the series in 2012. Never felt more dismayed that it stopped after the first season but most japanese series do. Cause right when you thought that some kind of character development is going to happen between Amamiya and Kuryuu it stopped. Moreover it would have been great to see the back story of Kuryuu where he developed from being a juvenile delinquent to a prosecutor. But still the cast of Hero is what makes the series tick, some amazing actors in the first season

Hero 2001 Cast

Found from Facebook there is a reboot of the Hero series in 2014. So quickly found it online and watched the episode.

Was pleasantly surprised that Kimura takuya is still kuryuu amazing only in japan can a person reprise the same role almost 13 years late.Japanese never seem to age for some reason. Anyways there is a new amamiya and other new characters. What was amazing to note that the tone and feel of the show never changed. Either the producers of the show has done an impressive job or simply Japan is just more impervious to change.