A BYTE OF LIFE Thursday, July 10, 2008

10 06
WANTED: SANITY A hit on YouTube!
’Wanted’ fails depite stellar cast Union Minister Lalu’s charm
spreads to the web

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 134

Turn to Page 3
to know more about
the new anti-smoking
electronic cigarette
Calling all ‘IT Environmentalists’
Exnora International will launch ‘IT
Exnora’ this Sunday in a bid to spread
awareness among IT professionals.
For details, call Siddhart Shankar,
coordinator from Infosys Technologies, on his
mobile 9884077037.
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Thursday, July 10, 2008

City’s first lighthouse

The first lighthouse of Chennai
functioned between 1796 and 1841 at
the building in Fort St George where
the Fort Museum is now located.

Urge the
Lollu Sabba crew Railway
panic-struck by Ministry
fake parcel bomb to stop
Hours after comedian
Swaminthan of Lollu Sabba fame received a
the needless
parcel containing a fake bomb through
courier from an anonymous prankster (as
killing of
reported by Ergo on Wednesday), a co-actor
and the director of the spoof show also
elephants
received similar parcels on Wednesday
evening.
on railway
According to police, actor Manohar, who
resides in Royapuram, and director
tracks
Rambala, both attached to the comedy
show on Vijay TV, also received fake bomb
parcels. A parcel was also delivered to the
Vijay TV office in Nungambakkam the same
evening, spreading panic on the premises.
Police confiscated the four parcels and are
probing the matter.

Youth dies after wall

collapses on him
No more blood
on the tracks
A 20-year-old died construction worker died
after a wall he was breaking down
collapsed on him.
Choolaimedu police identified the deceased
as Arun of Thiruvannamalai, who was
employed for construction work at the
JAYASIMHA N.G.
house of one Selvam, a DMK functionary
jayasimhang@petaindia.org
residing on Vanniar Street, Choolaimedu. At
dav
around 11.30 a.m. on Wednesday, the rasad Ya n
To o u ra b le Lalu P to th e Unio

R
victim was trying to knock down a brick ecently I read an article by n
The Ho Memorandum
wall, which accidentally collapsed on him. Mr.K.A Shaji, Senior Corre- Subject: t People
Arun was crushed to death instantly under spondent of Tehelka Maga- in is te r m m y friends a ls India
o
M arned fr f Anima
the debris, police added. zine about how a proposed I have le al Treatment o t was hit and
E th ic h a n
rail line would cause irreparable for the er elep n 20 April. This
th a t anoth in o -
damage to the biodiversity and the (PET A ) by a tr a e of dis
wildlife of Sathyamangalam, a biodi- e re ly injured in a long lin ts who
se v te st a n
is the la involving eleph s.
versity reserve. tragedy c id e nts b y tr ain
in le d it by a
On 20 April, a speeding train hit an tressing injured
or kil
a nt was h into
elephant in Assam’s Dhansiri reserve e b e e n e le p h
hav ry, a ba
by and torn
forest. Thrown off a ridge into a mud In Janua ed 900 metres crossing in Ra-
ra g g ain -
pit 30 feet below, the severely injured train, d r the Shikari tr e elephants, in
ea re y
elephant cried out in agony for four pieces n wa. Another th were crushed b
a , g
days before forest department officials jabhatkh pregnant female ruary. Accordin
were dispatched in an attempt to res- cluding
a
to re in Feb 2 0 0 4 , 10
Coimba ph, sinc e
s
cue her. In January, a baby elephant a train in in The Telegra eing hit by train
was hit by a train, dragged 900 metres p o rt ft be r
to a re d ie d a ri li n e .
ts have n-Siligu
and torn into pieces near the Shikari elephan purduar Junctio es to emphasise
train crossing in Rajabhatkhawa. Ac- e A li ed y se rv ss ele-
on th pril trag acks acro
cording to The Telegraph, since 2004, 10 The 20 A laying railway tr of railways in
of nce s
elephants have died after being hit by the folly idors. The prese e country ha
trains on the Alipurduar Junction-Siliguri h a n t c o rr c ro ss th p h a n ts ,
p areas a wild ele
line. c te d a th s o f p ro -
prote t de ps to
e violen take ste
Elephants – who are sensitive, altruistic, caused th inistry refuses to
m
family-oriented animals – follow tradition- yet your animals. needless
se that this imme-
al migration routes that have been used for tect the with y o u r h e lp
ase ta e k
centuries. The presence of railways in pro- It is only e prevented. Ple trains through
an b ing
tected areas has caused the violent deaths killing c op runn
of wild elephants, but no suitable steps are te a c ti on to st
dia ries.
t territo t
being taken to protect these animals. You elephan me available
online a
can help by writing to the Ministry of Rail- Your n a w il l b e o e rg o .i n
tion www.g
ways to stop running trains through elephant The peti
territories. Send your letters to me at jayasim-
hang@petaindia.org so they can be passed on
to our Union Minister. Don’t forget to mention
your full name and city. ■
 Thursday, July 10, 2008
The anti-smoking
CIGARETTE
SHALINI SHAH
shalinishah@goergo.in
W
hat if someone introduc-
es you to a cigarette that
is supposed to help you
kick the habit? Scepti-
cism is natural but this one
claims to have all the answers.
The electronic cigarette, intro-
duced in Chennai by SPK, a Ko-
lathur-based company, is the
latest in the list of anti-smoking
aids.
Launched in Chennai on World
No Tobacco Day last month, the
electronic cigarette comprises a
silicon chip, air-flow sensor, in-
tegrated circuits, high-frequency
03
forced
co u n tr ie s have en
Some le
rry possib
laws to ca ’ photos on the
ect
’after-eff garette packs.
v e r o f ci
co DRAN
RAVIN
PHOTO: R.
THE USER GETS THE NICOTINE KICK THAT HE
DERIVES FROM A REGULAR CIGARETTE, BECAUSE
THE ATOMISER CHAMBER CONVERTS THE DILUTED
NICOTINE INTO VAPOUR. HOWEVER, IN THE
PROCESS, HE ESCAPES INHALING 4,000 OTHER
CHEMICALS THAT HE WOULD HAVE IN CASE OF A
REGULAR CIGARETTE.
ultrasonic generator, atomizing concentration over a period of
chamber, rechargeable lithium time, 90 days on an average,
batteries and micro-electric com- one’s nicotine dependence can
ponents. be reduced.
The user gets the nicotine kick According to Sunil Kumar, pro-
that he derives from a regular cig- prietor, SPK, “We have been get-
arette, because the atomiser ting orders from about six
chamber converts the diluted countries. The electronic ciga-
nicotine into vapour. However, in rettes are mostly imported from
the process, he escapes inhaling Hong Kong.”
4,000 other chemicals that he The ‘Quit Pack’, the equivalent
would have in case of a regular of 900 cigarettes, comes for Rs.
cigarette. 3,600.
NRT Safety
The electronic cigarette uses Answering queries on the safe-
Nicotine Replacement Therapy ty aspect, Sunil Kumar says, “The
to wean away users from smok- electronic cigarette is approved
ing. By reducing the nicotine by the FDA (Food
and Drug Adminis-
tration) and com-
plies with the ROHS
(Restriction of Haz-
ardous Substances)
directive. The car-
tridges are also tested
for toxicology.”
He adds, “We have
mostly been ap-
proached by long-
time smokers.
And we do not sell
it to school-going
children.”
For more informa-
tion, log on to
www.electronicciga-
rette.in ■
04 KALEIDOSCOPE ERGO Thursday, July 10, 2008

On board Citi!
India-born chief executive Vikram Pandit-led
world’s biggest bank Citigroup is close to
announcing that Harvard Business School Dean Jay
O Light will join the company’s board.

Game on

A world of my own
Google allows browsers create custom virtual realms

쒀 Bollywood actor Neetu Chandra
strikes a pose with the new gaming
CD (Neetu—The Alien Killer)
launched in Hyderabad on
Wednesday. PHOTO: P.V. SIVAKUMAR
Cow urine for better
rearing of honeybees
Scientists in Uttarakhand are making use of
cow urine to save bees from contacting
microbial diseases during the rearing
process.
Researchers at the Govind Ballabh Pant
University of Agriculture and Technology in
Pantnagar city in the State have explored
the goodness of the cow urine and are
G
oogle on Tuesday rolled
out a challenge to
virtual world giant
Second Life with free
software that lets people
create their own online 3D
worlds that can be embedded
on websites and melded with
other online functions. Lively
by Google lets
The offering is a people place virtual
“rooms” on
challenge to websites, customise
Second Life and “avatars” to be
other animated online proxies, and
decorate their Now, socialise on Google’s new software Lively
online worlds fantasy worlds with
that require photos or streaming Google is anticipating the next “If you enter a Lively room
videos from wave on the Internet. We are embedded on your favourite
memberships YouTube, Picasa or not in the place where 3D is blog or website, you can
and don’t let other online the way to render web pages, immediately get a sense of the
sources. but we are heading there.” room creator’s interests, just
people take The offering is a by looking at the furniture
their creations challenge to Second Creativity unlimited! and environment they chose,”
Life and other With Lively, a user can adapt Wang wrote in an online
elsewhere on
animated online his personal online realm to posting. “You can also express
the Internet worlds that require his own imagination. Examples your own personality by
memberships and shown include hip flats, customising your avatar’s look,
don’t let people take their sprawling ranches, and showing people who you are
creations elsewhere on the rooftops backed by cityscapes. without having to say a
Internet. “I’m wondering if Lively users can invite friends’ word.” Lively code is available
this isn’t a bridge too far,” avatars over for visits by at www.lively.com and an
analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle sending them online room application has been
Group said of Google addresses via email or instant customised for the social-
expanding into virtual worlds. messages, according to Google networking website Facebook.
“They are facing an awful lot engineering manager Niniane ■
of competition. It could be Wang. AFP

Read about the steamy,

using it extensively while breeding
honeybees.
“After the urine is sprayed on them, the
workers start working more efficiently and
then take out unhealthy larva from the
eggshells. The queen bee then lays eggs in
the shells and then we again spray the
urine on the eggs. This way the eggs
remain healthy,” she added.
The medicines used for killing the microbes
have had a bad affect on the production of
larvae but cow urine surpasses such effects.
ANI
STOCKTRACK
13964.26 4157.10
614.6 168.55
SENSEX NIFTY
fictional Mrs. Bush
T hroughout the nearly eight
years of George W. Bush’s Pres-
idency, his demure and perfectly
mannered wife Laura has acted
as a counterweight to his bum-
bling, rash and often thoughtless
style.
But her image as the perfect
first lady could soon take a bat-
tering from a fictional novel
based on her life that is due on
the shelves in early September,
just as the Republican National
Convention gets under way.
American Wife is the third novel
by best-selling writer Curtis Sit-
tenfeld, whose previous works in-
clude Prep, and The Man of My
Dreams.
The first details of the contro-
versial tome were released on
A fictional book on Laura
Bush will soon be in stores.
AFP PHOTO
Tuesday by the pop-culture mag-
azine Radar. Like Laura Bush, the
novel’s main character, Alice
Blackwell, is a single child who
kills a classmate in a traffic acci-
dent while still at high school and
pursues a career as a librarian.
The book departs from the
known facts about Laura Bush
with a series of explicit sex
scenes, her discovery that her
grandma had a lesbian relation-
ship and the contention that she
privately disagreed with many of
her husband’s policies while
keeping silent out of a sense of
loyalty and love.
“As Charlie’s tumultuous and
controversial second term in the
White House wears on, Alice
must face contradictions years in
the making,” says the book’s
blurb.
■
DPA
 Thursday, July 10, 2008
05
Websites of the day
Personalise your t-shirt: US $ 43.13

SOURCE: RBI
www.tshirtpatisserie.co.uk.
Join the campaigning to remove cliches: Pound 85.02
www.defectiveyeti.com Euro 67.77
100 Yen 40.21

MITHRA SURESH jewellery to tablecloths.” There were de-

mithra@goergo.in signers from other states, such as Molly

I f you’re eyeing the wardrobe of a Page 3

celebrity, look no further than these
names – Saaz, Ruceru, Sharrmilla Bajo-
ria, Smock Talk and 23 other brands that
came together to celebrate Raksha Band-
han and Diwali.
The event, aptly titled Fashion Fiesta,
was held at Hotel Chola Sheraton on
Tuesday and showcased a wide variety of
ethnic wear. Anupama Khemka of Span
Events, who organised the exhibition,
says that women need look no further
when it comes to shopping for festival
attire. “We have a number of stalls stock-
ing anything from saris to handbags to
PHOTOS: S.S.KUMAR
Designs from Mumbai, who stocked cot-
ton kurtis, bright patialas and other eth-
nic wear. From Kolkata was Vani Goenka,
whose table mats and runners drew quite
a crowd.Tina Jain, one of the consumers
at the stall said, “I hadn’t seen table mats
like those before, so of the 27 stalls there,
I would say Vani Goenka and Molly De-
signs stood out the most.”
Almost 2000 people turned up for the
exhibition – in the midst of all the stalls
was a contest, ‘Guess the price’ where
contestants had to guess the price of a
pendant, provided by the Delhi-based
Shrians. ■

Media mogul Ask.com gets wordy Half of online users at

summer camp
For five days, starting July 8, several
hundred media moguls will gather to dis-
cuss everything from Iraq to the econo-
my to Google. Last year’s
main topic was ‘Content
is King’ and this year top-
ics being discusses are
not being disclosed. The
event is planned by fin-
ancier Herb Allen and
will take place at Sun Val-
ley Resort in Idaho.
Media giants expected to
be in attendance are
Rupert Murdoch, Sum-
ner Redstone, Warren
Buffett, Henry Kravis,
Jerry Wang and Richard
Parsons, among many
others.
Ask.com is officially the new owner of
popular reference sites Dictionary.com
and Thesaurus.com. Ask.com is the web
search tool owned by IAC/InterActive-
Corp and has closed an all-cash deal with
Lexico Publishing Group LLC which
owns the reference sites. Lexico of Long
Beach, Calif., was founded in 1995 and
started with Dictionary.com and a year
later came up with Thesaurus.com. Then
in 2002, the company created Reference-
.com, which is a sort of backwards dic-
tionary that allows users to type what
they mean to say, but can’t think of the
word.
Ask.com has disclosed that the new
deal will expand their monthly audience
from around 15 million to 145 million, a
11 per cent increase. The jump in viewer-
ship would make Ask.com the ninth lar-
gest web property globally. Terms of the
merger were not disclosed.
risk
A new study has found that almost one
half of online users are at risk because
they have not installed the necessary se-
curity updates to their browsers. The
Swiss Institute of Technology, Google,
and IBM conducted the study and found-
that 600 million people have not properly
updated their browsers. This puts online
users at risk, and researchers have called
it, ‘a recipe for disaster.’ Authors of the
report are saying that a ‘best before’ date
should be applied to browsers, similar to
what is used on food, so that people
know they need to refresh their browsers.
Browsers are often ‘patched’ by software
providers, and hackers are able to find
these patches and hijack information.
Updating browsers help avoid these
problems.
WENN
06 VILLAGE ERGO Thursday, July 10, 2008

Barbie’s car
The Barbie doll got her first car in
1962. It was a coral coloured Austin
Healy manufactured by the Irwin
Corporation for Mattel.

Lalu magic in YouTube

A
clip showing Union Railways Minis-
ter Lalu Prasad Yadav translating a
Hindi poem into English while pre-
senting the railway budget in Febru-
ary has become a huge hit on YouTube.
During the speech, Yadav recites a Hindi
poem in which he seeks to convey his
achievements in the Ministry of Railways.
The clip dated 26 February 2008 has at-
tracted over 3.5 lakh hits from across the
globe.
As he recites the poem, he is interrupted
by MPs, asking him to translate it into En-
glish. Yadav stops, and says in English: “I
will try to translate myself in English here.”
He then goes on recite the poem in full in
Hindi, and to peals of laughter, tries to
translate it in English.
The Lok Sabha speaker, Somnath Chat-
terjee, is seen covering his mouth as he
tries to suppress his laughter at Yadav’s
inimitable attempts to translate the poem
into English.
Yadav says: “Everybody is appreciating,
ki I have done a tremendous work. Each
and every year, I have earned crores and
crores every day. And they are saying, Lalu
Yadav has planted a fruit tree, and every
A clip showing the Minister year, it is duty of my, to grow fruit tree,” To
much mirth in the House, Chatterjee
translating a Hindi poem to quips: “After this, the railways will not face
English is a hit in YouTube any problems.” ■
PTI

Court convicts man who says he can Malta ends

raise dead hearse cartel
A Moscow court convicted a man The cost of living is rising
of fraud on Monday for preying in Malta, but the cost of
on people mourning loved ones dying may be about to
by saying he could resurrect the drop. The Maltese
dead. Grigory Grabovoy stood Transport Ministry
passively inside an iron cage as announced on Monday
he was sentenced to 11 years in that the government had
Guest talks too much, German prison working hard labor in a decided to liberalise the
case which has grabbed headlines around Russia. In one case a granting of licenses for
woman calls police man paid Grabovoy US$ 1,700 to attempt to cure his dying hearses. No licenses have
A desperate German woman parents and in another case a woman paid him 118,000 roubles been issued for 36 years,
finally called emergency to try to resurrect her two dead sons. leaving only 11 owners of
services to rescue her after a Reuters hearses and, in the
friend visiting her at her ministry’s words, ‘creating
apartment talked for 30 hours the conditions for a cartel.’
straight, authorities said on Woman overpowers thief with tea “The people have been
Tuesday. A police spokesman A Japanese woman and her six-month-old baby escaped unhurt denied freedom of choice
in the western city of Speyer from a knife-wielding thief after the mother calmed him down and the benefits of
confirmed reports about the with a cup of tea and a chat. The 30-year-old Tokyo woman was competition” the ministry
case, in which the guest walking along a corridor when a man brandishing a knife said.
rambled on about personal demanded money. Hoping to calm him, the woman made the Reuters
problems and became thief a cup of tea, whereupon he put
increasingly intoxicated until his knife away and began a 20-
the 48-year-old dialled the minute monologue about his life. The
emergency hotline. “After an unbelievable 30 hours and woman then gave the man US$ 93.34
failed attempts to encourage the guest to leave last Saturday, and ran outside to call the police
the woman did not know what else to do but to call an from a pay phone, the report said.
ambulance,” the police said. When the paramedics refused to Police rushed to the scene, but the
carry the guest out of the apartment, the woman called the thief had fled and is still being
police, who picked up the friend and drove her home. The sought.
spokesman said the guest would face no criminal charges. Reuters
AFP
 Thursday, July 10, 2008
07
Killer lion This day, that year
A lion in the wild usually It was in July 10, 1929 that the
makes no more than 20 United States government began
kills a year. issuing paper money that was the
small size we carry today.

For us, colour matters

When it comes to food habits Indians look for the colour of the food

A
dapting to globalisation
when it comes to their eat-
ing habits, Indians, howev-
er, still would look for the
colour of food believing firmly
that if the colour is attractive the
food should be good, say experts.
“Indians first go with the col-
our of the food and have a tend-
ency to believe that if the colour
is good then the taste would au-
tomatically be great,” says master
Chef Irshad Ahmed Qureshi of In-
ter-Continental.
“I have been to China, Japan,
Malaysia, England and the Mid-
dle East where chefs give priority
to presentation of dishes and col-
our doesn’t matter for them. But
in India, especially for seasoned
Indian dishes, colour with the use
of different spices does matter to
make it look more attractive,” he
adds.
Taste and ambinace
Rajesh Wadhwa, Executive
Chef, Taj Hotel, says that Indians
also care more for the taste and
the ambiance of the place. “Now-
a-days, an Indian foodie would
also ask for the cooking medium
used but the queries on the sub-
ject are higher from foreigners.”
Ritu Dalmia, who owns the Ita-
lian restaurant ’Diva’ in the cap-
ital, however, says that gone are
the days when Indians used to
look for colours. “That is certainly
not true. Taste is always the pri-
ority.”
Global view
Now that Indians are adapting
their palates to global tastes, is
Indian food a hit with the rest of
the world?
Rajesh Mishra, Former Chair-
man, Federation of Restaurant
and Hotels Association of India
(FHRAI) is of the opinion that In-
dian food is being recognised
abroad because of its unique
In China, Japan,
Malaysia, England
and the Middle
East chefs give
priority to
presentation of
dishes
preparation.
“It is not only North Indian dis-
hes which are popular. Authentic
South Indian food like Idli, Dosa
and Uththpam are also finding a
place in tourists wish list. We
have a different food culture here
and the presentation style of all
the dishes are different from each
other. In China or Japan, sea food
needs to be decorated in that
manner,” he says.
Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor
says authenticity changes over a
period of time adding, "Around
400 years ago we did not have
chillies, tomatoes or potatoes.
Today can we imagine Indian
food without all these? Indians
are now displaying a global per-
spective and are becoming in-
creasingly health conscious."■
PTI

One pound Play in mud

for a bungalow!
A couple hoping to cash their
seaside bungalow for at least
80,000 pounds were left shattered
on learning that its true worth is
just 1 pound.
Jane Archer, 49, and partner
Chris Cutting, 45, were told that
their bungalow was worthless be-
cause the house, perched on an
eroding cliff, will soon tumble in-
to the sea.
When the couple paid 20,000
pounds for the bungalow in 1987,
it stood 400m from the water, but
now it stands just 60 metres away
after much of the 25m cliff has
been washed away due to cut-
backs on sea-defence spending.
The couple said that NatWest
told them it was worthless due to
’chronic erosion’, though a near-
by home sold for 89,000 pounds.
“It is shocking that our home is
The bungalow is worthless as it would soon
tumble into the sea
worth less than a loaf. It shows
how desperate the situation has
become,” the Mirror quoted
Archer, as saying.
She called on the Government
to compensate people losing
homes due to sea defences being
abandoned.
The village, Happisburgh, in
Norfolk. has seen more than 20
homes crumble after the Govern-
ment decided on a policy of man-
aged retreat - surrendering some
buildings to the sea.
Phil Woolas, Environment
minister, visited Norfolk and
Archer said he seemed sympa-
thetic.
Woolas said that spending on
coastal erosion will reach 800
million pounds by 2011.
■
ANI
쒀 Kids relax in a giant lake of mud at the annual Mud Day celebration on Tuesday
in Westland, Michigan. For the event 200 tons of topsoil is mixed with 20,000
gallons of water. AFP PHOTO
08 SPORT ERGO Thursday, July 10, 2008

Mendis promoted
His exploits with the ball has earned him not only accolades but
also a promotion in the Sri Lankan Army. Ajantha Mendis, the new
spin star on the cricketing horizon, has been promoted as Second
Lieutenant by the Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is
also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

ODIs may get a shake-up

Afraid that one-day cricket might have
ceded at least part of its
charm to the game’s slam-
bang Twenty20 avatar, the
International Cricket
Council (ICC) is all set to
tinker with the 50-over
A Real dream
S
format. ICC General ports Minister M S Gill on happened was right),” he said
Manager of Cricket Dave Wednesday disclosed that about Nadal’s win.
Richardson says he is not
sure if the crowd, which
he was trying to bring Euro-
pean football giants Real
GILL LOOKS “Federer was more graceful but
I don’t think making records is
lapped up Twenty20, has Madrid to play in the country. that important. Federer could
the same appetite for ODIs TO BRING have gone on to win the sixth and
and he reckons the 50- Far from dead seventh and then eighth but how
over game may have to
pave way for 40-over
“Recently there was interna-
tional match in Kolkata which got
INDIAN does it matter. “Nadal has won
this time and Federer can win
matches or even two a very good response, so football again next year,’’ he added.
innings of 20 overs each. “The goal is to is still not dead in India,” Gill FOOTBALL
preserve all three formats. We have to said. “I was recently in London Whose priority is it anyway?
preserve Test cricket as the pinnacle of the
game. But are people willing to watch a
and met the Real Madrid boss
during the Wimbledon final. I am TO THE Gill also took a dig at his prede-
cessor Mani Shankar Aiyar for
50-over game when T20 promises more going to try to get them to come dropping hockey and football
action in less time? That is the challenge,”
Richardson said. “So we are looking at two
and play in Kolkata. I asked him if
they would come, he was very
HELM from the priority list. “I have
some understanding of sports
fresh options. We still feel broadcasters need keen,” the Minister said. and I have played sports at some
content for seven hours...We need to get Recalling the Wimbledon final level... When I came hockey and
balance right and tinker with the 50-over between Roger Federer and Ra- football were in some ‘other
format,” he said. Richardson said the 50-over fael Nadal, Gill said he was very sports’ category, it was wrong
game has evolved over the years and there lucky to be there to watch it and and I immediately corrected the
are new proposals on the table to termed it as the greatest match mistake. “These are the major
experiment with the format. ever. “If you look at the score- sports of India and they will re-
PTI board it was one to be captured main major sports. Just be-
on camera. The scores went like cause they are in lean phase
3-3 and deuce, 4-4 then deuce and other athletes in other
Lady luck smiling and it was going on like that. Fe-
derer had the last
games earning one gold medal
somewhere in the world, those
Having earned a recall to the Indian Test Championship sports don’t be-
team after four years, young wicketkeeper point, he could come major
Parthiv Patel feels it is the “Lady Luck” have taken that sports,” he
which has smiled on him and the left- but jo hua thik said.
hander is keen to cash in on the hua (Whatever PTI
opportunity to cement his place in the side.
With competition from the ODI skipper
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Tamil Nadu’s
Dinesh Karthik, a comeback for Patel, even
after a successful domestic last season, was
highly improbable.
“Had an exhausted Mahendra Singh Dhoni
not pulled out of the Sri Lanka series, I
might not have got a chance... So,
undoubtedly, there was a little bit of luck
involved in me getting selected... In fact on
Thursday, we (Avni and I) complete four
months,” Parthiv, who last played a Test in
2004 against Australia in Nagpur, said in a
candid conversation. Patel, who married an
Ahmedabad-based
fashion Avni in March,
insisted that despite
being ignored for a long
time, he knew he will
make it to the team.
PHOTO: SHANKER CHAKRAVARTY

“However, I had not lost

hope. And finally, I got
the opportunity. I don’t
have a specific target
now, however my sole
aim in Sri Lanka will be
to do well and cement my place in the
side,” Parthiv said. The Gujarat batsman
made his Test debut against England in
August 2002, at an age of 17 years and 153
days and became the youngest
wicketkeeper to play Tests.
PTI
Thursday, July 10, 2008
‘‘
We are hopeful... because cricket and
sports has never been the target of
terrorist attacks in Pakistan and players had
always been safe in Pakistan.
That’s Scolari for you
BIG PHIL WILL DEFINITELY ADD TO THE DRAMA IN EPL
L
uiz Felipe Scolari has warned
Chelsea’s rivals that he won’t
pull any punches in the Premier
League title fight. Scolari has
never been afraid to deliver a knock-
out blow on or off the pitch and the
Brazilian was quick to emphasise his
street-fighting credentials as he set
his sights on English football’s heavy-
weights. The 59-year-old is a shrewd
operator who knows exactly what
buttons to push to get the best out of
his players. But he also has a fiery
temperament that occasionally flares
in spectacular fashion.
Scolari’s most famous eruption
came during his time as Portugal
coach, when he punched Serbia’s Iv-
ica Dragutinovic following a tou-
chline clash in a Euro 2008 qualifier.
As a newcomer in the Premier
League, Scolari could have opted to
keep a low profile while he finds his
feet. But although he insists he has
the utmost respect for his opponents,
he won’t be standing on ceremony
when he goes head to head with Man-
chester United boss Sir Alex Fergu-
son, Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger
and Liverpool’s Rafa Benitez. “Am I
still a fighter? Maybe! I’ve been in-
volved in situations like other coach-
es. It’s normal,” Scolari said. “I fight
for my beliefs. But I respect other
people. The other coaches, the fans. I
respect them. I know some referees
make mistakes because everyone
makes mistakes. Sometimes these
mistakes are important but, after-
wards, there will be no problem. The
last time was difficult to explain. I’m
now friends with the boy we had the
fight with, Dragutinovic. But no, I’m
not friends with Javier Clemente (Ser-
bia coach).”
Inspiration
Scolari doesn’t suffer fools gladly
but his desire transmits to his players
with impressive effect. He command-
ed total respect from the Brazil squad
he led to 2002 World Cup glory, while
several of the Portugal team he took
09
Nasim Ashraf
to the Euro 2004 final regard him as a
father-figure. He is determined to fos-
ter the same kind of rapport among
the millionaire egos at Chelsea. “Until
now, everything I have fought for and
tried to achieve I have done. Even
when it was very difficult, I got there
and my team is the same,” he said.
“Maybe in this season we will have
many difficult moments. But we will
arrive there, sure.
I am determined to do that. I
coached in Saudi Arabia, at Gremio,
Palmeiras, it was the same. We ar-
rived where we wanted to be. It is im-
possible for me to say if we’ll win this
championship or that one because I
will try to say to the players, after to-
morrow, one year, we will play the
League Cup the same as we play the
Champions League.”
Jose Mourinho is cast from a simi-
liar mould to Scolari and his Chelsea
reign ended because couldn’t main-
tain a working relationship with Ro-
man Abramovich. Yet the Brazilian
has no intention of being a yes-man
for the the Blues owner either. “I am
the coach. It’s my job to say this
player is the best; this one isn’t the
best,” Scolari said. “I clarified with
Roman. He said that I have control of
the numbers. If somebody comes, so-
mebody has to go. They’re okay with
this.”
Changes
Scolari conceded there will be plen-
ty of changes as he trims Chelsea’s
over-sized 32-man squad down to no
more than 25 players. He insisted
Frank Lampard will stay for at least a
year, but several others including Di-
dier Drogba look set to leave. Those
remaining will come under the
watchful eye of psychologist Regina
Brandao, who Scolari uses to compile
profiles of his players.
Ten months after Mourinho de-
parted, it seems Stamford Bridge will
be top of the bill for touchline drama
again. ■
AFP
10 FLICK
THE MOVIE SHOULD HAVE BEEN CALLED ‘WASTED’
MITHRA SURESH
mithra@goergo.in
I
f mindless violence – no way con-
nected to improving the world – is up
your alley, then Wanted is the movie
to watch over the weekend.
Based on the comic miniseries by
Mark Millar and J.G. Jones, the plot fol-
lows the transformation of blue-collar
employee Wesley Gibson (James McA-
voy) into a stone cold assassin. He is
recruited into the Fraternity, a century-
old close-knit group of assassins who de-
cide the fate of bad men. So then, enter
the sultry Fox (Angelina Jolie) and the
omnipotent Sloan (Morgan Freeman)
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
who with the help of a loom decides the
next victim.
Take a deep breath and read on: Sloan
runs a textile factory, which is not a cov-
er-up for the Fraternity. In fact, they de-
pend on an all-important isolated loom
whose threads spin out a binary code,
which in fact spells out the name of the
dupe in order. This is exactly the point at
which the film begins to take the au-
dience for has-beens, when the question
on our lips is, “Are you really allowing a
loom to decide whom to assassinate?”
That done, Wesley’s role is to seek out
Cross, a breakaway Fraternity brother
who killed Wesley’s father, who used to
be a ‘good shot’. Naturally, Wesley’s in-
Film : Wanted Starring : Morgan Freeman, Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy
stinct is to avenge his father’s death and
all that, but in the process finds out that
Sloan has ulterior motives for chasing af-
ter Cross, who is actually Wesley’s real
dad. Now that we’re done with the te-
dious storyline, the interesting special
effects or motion capture animation is
centred on the bullets. Bullets colliding,
bending around an obstacle are some of
the pulp fiction fantasies that have made
it to the film. ‘Bending a bullet’ might
just become a popular phrase, thanks to
Wanted. It’s a talent to shoot from a
moving train, from any corner of our
shifting world and still find the target.
If the film intended to advertise killing
for the fun of it, it lacked the dark hu-
ERGO Thursday, July 10, 2008
Holiday blues
The interior sets for Amanda’s
(Cameron Diaz) house in The Holiday
were built on a sound stage and cost
approximately $1 million, without
exterior walls, a roof, plumbing,
heating and electricity. Lavish?
mour and cool intelligence of Mr. and
Mrs. Smith. Movies such as the Ocean’s
11, 12 and 13 made gambling and raiding
casinos look like fun. Wanted fails to
strike a decided note.
James McAvoy’s Wesley lends soul to a
withering plot, especially in the begin-
ning when he’s just a blue-collar worker
leading a routine life and is afraid or ado-
lescent-like when confronted with the
fearless Fox and Sloan. And what a waste
if Jolie does not unleash some of that
innate sexuality on the panting public?
And for more on stereotypes, look out for
the all-knowing, wise Morgan Freeman,
who forgot his white suit in Bruce Al-
mighty.
 Thursday, July 10, 2008
11
Green and envy
The green dress which Keira Knightley wore in Atonement has been named
“the best of all time” by InStyle magazine, exceeding some classics as Audrey
Hepburn’s little black dress in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Marilyn Monroe’s
white dress in The Seven Year Itch (1955) or Vivien Leigh’s red dress from
Gone With The Wind (1939)

M atthew McConaughey’s Brazi-

lian girlfriend has given birth
to a boy, People magazine report-
ed on its website on Tuesday. The
Cine City
child – the first for McConaughey
and model Camila Alves – was
born on Monday evening, the re-
port quoted the actor’s publicist
as saying.
Entertainment industry reports
said the couple’s child was born in
Los Angeles at 6:22 pm (0122
GMT) on Monday, weighing in at
7 lb 4 oz (3.28 kg).
The 38-year-old Texas-born star
confirmed in January that Alves
was pregnant. “We are stoked and
wowed by this miracle of creation
and this gift from God,” McCo-
naughey said at the time.
McConaughey, winner of Peo-
ple magazine’s ‘Sexiest Man Alive’
accolade in 2005, was most re-
cently seen in the treasure-hunt-
ing adventure comedy Fool’s Gold
opposite Kate Hudson.
His next film will be the Ben
Stiller war movie spoof Tropic
Thunder. ■
Agencies

Cheran’s next flick

With the film Raaman Thediya Seedhai close
on the heels of completion, director Cheran
has kick-started his next project, Pokkisham.
The film, supposed to launch last year, was
postponed due to financial constraints.
Padmapriya will play the leading lady in the
movie. Sabesh-Murali tunes the melodies to
the lyrics penned by Yugabharathi, while
Rajesh Yadav takes care of cinematography.

Touché
E va Mendes spoke out against a joke made on the problems of
substance abuse, slamming it as ‘tacky’.
Mendes, who had quietly admitted herself for treat-
ment at the Cirque Lodge in Utah in January, revealed
that she is still “sensitive on the subject” of substance
abuse problems.
When a reporter from Interview magazine had joked that
Alcoholics Anonymous would have to be changed to Alco-
holics Unanimous because of the prevalence of problems in
Hollywood, the actress lost her cool and snapped at him.
“I’m not making jokes, because people die from this stuff,”
USmagazine quoted her as saying in the interview, which hits
newsstands next week.
“So, honestly, I think it’s a bit tacky that you made a joke.
I’ve got to be honest,” she said.
“There are so many lies out there regarding my recent
trip to Cirque Lodge. But I don’t care what people think. I
Selvaraghavan B.E.
just don’t care. So I will neither confirm nor deny. I’m not a Director Selvaraghavan, an Engineering graduate,
spokesperson for any kind of substance-abuse organiza- turned to direction in order to assist his father
tion,” she adds. ■ Kasthuri Raja. However, now inspired by his real-
ANI life incidents, one of his associates, Paranthaman,
has geared up with a film titled Selvaraghavan B.E.
Director Paranthaman has roped in Gangai Amaran
to score the music for the film.
I’m not making jokes, because www.cinesnacks.com
people die from this stuff
12 SCAN
PICK OF THE DAY
Sony Pix
The Seventh Sign – 8 pm
Around the world, the signs of the
apocalypse as outlined in the Book
of Revelation seem to be coming to
pass in the wake of a mysterious
wanderer. Abby Quinn, a young
American woman, has reason to
fear they’re real and may spell
disaster for her unborn child.
H
e is a man who began his
career teaching communi-
cation skills to IT profes-
sionals at the age of 19
and has now become one of SS
Music’s most popular VJs. “I had
a blast teaching professionals. I
have high regard for guys work-
ing in call centres”, says Gibran.
Now, at 23, he claims that his ex-
posure to the IT crowds gave him
an edge over the other contes-
tants of the SS Music VJ Hunt in
terms of confidence, votes and
encouragement.
With a smile he confesses that
he still bumps into many of his
old students and has long chats
about the ‘good old days’. “Even
at Ergoblitz, one of my old stu-
dents came up to me and we had
a great time”.
Coincidentally, he plays the
role of an IT professional in his
forthcoming movie, directed by
Janaki Vishwanathan. He calls it
a ‘black comedy, abstract and an
offbeat film’. “I look forward to
challenging and out-of-the-box
ERGO Thursday, July 10, 2008
Royal Debut
According to tv.com Keira Knightley
began her acting career at the age of
seven, making her television debut in
Royal Celebration in 1993.
Star World Zee Cafe HBO
30 Rock – 9 pm The Big Bang Theory I - 10 Blood Work – 10-30 pm
In the second season of the award- pm A psychopath lures Oscar at winner
winning sitcom 30 Rock, TV writer When Leonard and Sheldon meet a Clint Eastwood into a game of cat
Liz Lemon continues to deal with 15-year-old physics prodigy, Sheldon and mouse.
her egotistical boss Jack and the is distraught that this boy genius is
unstable star of her sketch-comedy younger and smarter. In an attempt
show, Tracy. to restore a sense of purpose, they
come up with a solution to derail
the prodigy’s research.
roles in the future,” he adds.
“VJing just happened,” says Favourites: Actor: Robert De Niro
Gibran, with a mischievous Actress: Sushmita Sen
school boy smirk. “I was a B.Com Author: Jeffrey Archer, Sajid
graduate from Loyola and VJing Akbar Mirza
never really crossed my mind. Song: Jay Z, Alternate Rock
But when the opportunity came Holiday destination: Pondicherry
along, I went for it!”
When asked about his status SS Music VJ
as one of Chennai’s most eligible
bachelors, he laughs out loud. “I Gibran on a
looked like a ball when I was
young. Once, I fell into a gutter freewheeling
and from then on, my brothers
christened me ‘gutter ball’! I chat with
have reduced 30 kilos in the past
two years,” he says with pride. Vipasha Sinha
When asked what he would
have become if he hadn’t been a on his respect
VJ, he replied that he would
most probably been a part of his for call centre
family business.
Oh, by the way, Gibran is from employees and
a family of cat lovers and he has
a soft corner for them. “Cats also the
tend to give me an inferiority
complex”, he says, referring to nickname his
their complete lack of human re-
gard. “I like them anyway.” ■ brothers gave
 Thursday, July 10, 2008
13
Bush sewage
A California group wants to name a sewage plant
after U.S. president George W. Bush. The group
feels the name for the plant would be
appropriate, since Bushis leaving such a ’mess’
behind him at the White House.

Greetings Chennai and Indo Cine Appreciation

Foundation are organising a Festival
of Contemporary Korean Cinema.
Dear Karthik,
The movie ‘Highway Star’ will be
Many more happy returns of the
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Thinksoft
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Hi Sandy,
Chamber
Many more happy returns of the
Theatre, Anna Salai
day.
When: July 10, 8.00 p.m.
Wishing u success in all your
endeavours
Best wishes,
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Ramji and Srikrishna
A very best of luck for all your fu-
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From,
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Dear Saranya,
Many More Happy Returns of the
TOP 5 MOST EXPENSIVE CARS IN THE USA
day,
Ever lovingly,
D.Saravana Kumar, Bugatti Veyron $1,192,057 to top the most expensive car in a speed race. It is
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Send your greetings to
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14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Thursday, July 10, 2008

Non-existent girl
A 16-year-old girl is shocked to find that
she doesn’t exist. The girl has no birth
certificate or passport due to the fact
that she was born on a holiday in Spain.

sudoku

Muthumalla D
of Infosys
spotted this
bird atop US
Technologies,
ASV Sun Tech
Park. He shot
the picture
using his Sony
Ericsson
mobile. Muthu
has a horde lot
of hobbies and
can be mailed
at muma2u@
gmail.com.

KAKURO
So you think you would make a terrific photographer but never really had the platform?
Mail us your best work and we’ll publish it in this space, with credit.
E-mail: clickpick@goergo.in

TEAM
Editor: Karthik Subramanian
karthik@goergo.in

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar

Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan
Illustrator: R. Venugopal

Technical Support:
V.R. Vasudevan, K.G. Gurumurthy
N. Ravichandran, E. Baskar

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ads@goergo.in

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KASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7,
CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar,
Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin:
603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860,
Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Thursday, July 10, 2008
Hypnosis vs anaesthetic
A pensioner chose to undergo knee surgery while
hypnotised as opposed to traditional anaesthetic. The
woman, Bernadine Cody, 67, was wide awake during
the hour in which she had surgery that involved
drilling into her knee and sticking a camera in.
15
Word’s worth
’Tappen’ (Tap-uhn) the plug by which the rectum of a bear is closed during hibernation:
according to J.G. Wood in an 1865 volume of Illustrated Natural History, ’the tappen is
almost entirely composed of pine-leaves, and the various substances which the Bear
scratches out of the ants’ nests. There is no contemporary evidence of the word’s use
and no further information to be found regarding the composition of the plug!

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

It is day to compromise and adjust with others, to
keep harmonious relations. You will be able to solve
technical difficulties very easily with help of others.
Love life may remain very smooth and satisfactory,
by the Grace of Ganesha.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Ganesha finds you working in a very comfortable
environment. You may have cordial relations with
your colleagues. You may also desire to put in more
effort at office. In case of love life, you might have
to go an extra mile to convince your partner.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

Your logical-self is very active today so it is best day
BORN LOSER to design a software. Ganesha foresees you learning
new professional techniques and using them to your
and company’s advantage. You will receive lot of
warmth from lover, which will make you feel good.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
It may be slightly stressful day for you, specifically
because there may be conflict between intellect and
emotion. You are forced to take decisions tactfully
today. Handle everything diplomatically. Don’t argue
with superiors. You will be very kind with beloved.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
If you try to command, it may not work in your
favour. Ganesha suggests you to keep a balanced
approach to get the work done. Your lover may
expect assurance. Express your love dramatically in
sweet words then everything will be fine.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
Criticism is not going to work in your favour, it may
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT instead tarnish your image. Ganesha advises you to
utter every word with extra caution. In personal life,
you would be able to please your beloved by
appreciating his or her positive points.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
It is a favourable day to take up new projects. You
will remain calm at office and home, which will
make others feel good. Everyone will appreciate
your ability to maintain equilibrium. Lovers will be
able to add more charm to the relationship.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
You’ll desire to keep things in balance, but this may
go in vain. Don’t be vindictive about anything, or it
may boomerang and you will not be able to shield
your self. Day requires careful handling. Lovers have
to practice caution to maintain harmony.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
A perfect day to call for meetings. The day favours
initiation of team work. You will realise that
sometimes it is better to let the partner take the
command so that you don’t have to take the strain.
It’s best to give up sometimes, to be at peace.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
At office, you may wish to combine creativity and
technology. As the day favours you, you can surely
work on final designs. And the output will be
tremendous. Personal life may require attention but
Ganesha finds you giving lesser time to love life.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS It is perfect day to create fusion between two
softwaresor combine techniques. Your intelligence
ISSUE’S may play major role and you will receive due
appreciation for the same. Ganesha finds you taking
SOLUTIONS dips in the water of love in later part of the day.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Ganesha finds you little bothered about pending
activities. With little more effort and with someone’s
help you will be able to sort out everything. Take
good care of health and avoid mental stress. Love
life may be balanced by the Grace of Ganesha.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Thursday, July 10, 2008

VCR or piano?
The first VCR, or video cassette
recorder, was made in 1956 and was
the size of a piano.

(From right) George M. George, Executive Director of the Muthoot

Broadcasting Limited, M. G. George Muthoot, Chairman of the
Muthoot Group and Chennai City Police Commissioner, R. Sekar

A radio station for the intellectual

Chennai Live 104.8 FM promises to be talk-showesque

MITHRA SURESH
mithra@goergo.in

A
grand party followed the launch
of Chennai Live 104.8 FM, a brand new
Actress and
bilingual radio station from the Muthoot
entrepreneur
Group. Held at The Ballroom at Taj Coro-
Anu Hassan
mandel on Tuesday, the party was aimed at intro-
ducing the radio jockeys to the public.
Present at the unveiling were the chairman and ma-
naging directors of the Muthoot Group, Commis-
sioner of Police R. Sekar, comedian Chini jayanth,
playback singers Haricharan and Devan, ex-na-
tional team hockey player Riyaz Khan, Radio One
RJs, actor John Vijay, talk show host Anu Haasan
and Rebelz theatre group amongst others.
Station head, Prem Kumar cringed at the term radio jockey, “Our radio jockeys are called presenters.”
Much has to be said about this, since none of the presenters have prior radio experience. From micro-
biology to MBA, presenters like Soundarya and Bhavna say that Chennai Live will be more of a talk
station, for those who like ‘intellectual radio.’ Arjun Thomas, front man of Molotov Cocktail, is one of the
RJs to have joined the team.
The Raghu Dixit Project, who composed all the jingles for the station, also performed at the dinner
party, who were audibly annoyed at the lack of audience response. “You do not open the bar or buffet,
when there is a performance going on,” announced frontman Raghu Dixit to a large group that had
gathered near the hall doors. But to the two front rows that sat riveted to the performance, the usual
whispers doing the rounds were, ‘They are so good, I had never heard them before’. The band played
their popular numbers, ‘Hey Bhagwan’, ‘Mysore se Aayi’, Gudugudiya sedi nodo’ and
‘Khidki’. They were also dressed in their traditional stage attire – Sri Lankan
lungis, printed kurtas, ghungroos and metal jewellery.
Post performance though, even Raghu Dixit and band couldn’t resist the
extensive buffet. ■

The Raghu Dixit Project,

composed all the jingles
for the station