Ergo November 20

A BYTE OF LIFE

Thursday, November 20, 2008

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A VILLAIN AND A GENTLEMAN Tamil cinema passes away FREE CIRCULATION

Vol. 2

legend

03 Boy Wonders Two 21-year-olds from IIT are inventors and entrepreneurs

No. 221

LIFE CYCLE What better way to start a fitness regime than hitting the road on a cycle? Ergo features some of the trendiest, costliest bicycles in town. » PAGE 8 & 9

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Thursday, November 20, 2008

Thai special The Raintree Hotel is organising a South East Asian Food Festival from November 21 to 30 at Lemongrass, their Chinese restaurant. Chef Kroongthana from Thailand will prepare delicacies from Thai, Indonesian, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore. The food festival is on for buffet dinner. For reservations call 42252525.

Pets In Waiting Poppy punk rock with German lyrics

Snapshots of the city’s most adorable pups and a kitten, available for free adoption

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ascinated by Germany – its culture, tradition and people? Here’s a young group that promises to entertain you with their music. The Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan will play host to ‘Nulltarif’ – a young and upcoming rock band from the Stuttgart area. The group describe their music as ‘poppy punk rock with German lyrics’. The four musicians have already played at over 200 concerts in Germany and abroad. They have received numerous awards for their music. Sometimes melancholic, on other times humorous or with a pinch of self-irony, Nulltarif promises to set the stage on fire. The four musicians include: Jules (vocals, guitar), Danny (vocals, guitar), Denis (vocals, bass) Tobi (drums). The group is visiting Chennai as part of the ‘Schools: Partners for the Future’, a global initiative of the German Foreign Ministry aiming at building and developing a network of at least 1000 partner schools worldwide. The project aims to promote young people’s interest in and enthusiasm for modern day Germany and Germany society.

When, when, where Event: German rock band When: November 22; 6.30 p.m. Where: Museum Theatre, Egmore Entry is free

SRIYA NARAYANAN

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Panda With a melancholic face and an uncanny resemblance to the giant panda (except for his size), this soft-spoken male puppy is one month old.

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Shadow He’s got a gorgeous coat of black, glowing fur, hence the name. And needless to add, he really will follow you wherever you go. A month-old, he is more than ready to come home with you.

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Cookie This chocolate chip coloured beauty with deep, piercing eyes is a female, around one month old. She’s very friendly and loves being played with constantly.

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Honey With a golden coat, this kitten prefers to spend sleepy Monday afternoons lost in thought with his eyes closed. He’s three weeks old but appears to have acquired a lot of wisdom already.

Snow White She’s pure white, except for a distinguishing brown spot on her chubby forehead. Her rescuers think it’s the right time for her fairy tale to have a happy ending.

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Drop in at the Animal Welfare and Protection trust (AWPT) at #3/ 140, Kalaignar Karunanidhi Street, Santhoshapuram, Velachery Tambaram Main Road. Call 22781381 if you need directions. When you’re free, log on to www.AWPTShelter.org. There are many more lovable pups and kittens available for adoption, completely free of cost.

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Animated Social Shorts, an animated film with 12 short stories based on social issues that take place in the military world, birds world, orchestra, school and factory will be screened today. The films are being screened everyday at 6.30 p.m. as part of the animation festival at Alliance Francaise. For details call 2827 9803/ 2827 1477

Inventors Inc At a ripe old age of 21 years, two students of IITMadras are juggling their time between inventing tools for the physically-handicapped and running their own mobile solutions firm ANUSHA PARTHASARTHY

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f you thought inventing something involved glassy eyes huddled close to test tubes with garish coloured substances, then you’ve watched Dexter’s laboratory way too much. Vikas Shenoy and T Balaji are inventors too but look more the average boy-next-door. What sets them apart are their students’ project for the department of Engineering Design and their mobile software solutions firm. The 21-year-old students of Engineering Design, Madras have invented a page flipper – ‘AUTOFiLIP’ – that helps the physically-

challenged to flip through books. The students of Engineering Design from IIT Madras, came up with the idea of designing a page flipper with the help of their Professor. The idea was to help the paraplegic people and those with arthritis to flip pages without difficulty. “It was a summer project that Balaji and I took up with the help of our professor,” recalls Vikas. “Our department is very enthusiastic about making disabilityfriendly products and when our professor gave us the problem statement - ‘There are so many

VIKAS AND BALAJI (inset): VIKAS AND HIS TEAM OF DEVELOPERS WORKING OUT SOLUTIONS FOR MOBILE

people who want to read but can’t because of their disability’we came up with a design to aid disabled people read.” They had a month to come up with the invention, and spent the first 12 days ideating and conceptualizing. When they hit upon a conceivable idea, they spent the rest of the days hunting around the city in search of materials. In the end they opted for Perspex sheet on which a metal flipper would be fixed. At the press of a button, this flipper would turn the page. (We asked for an image of the AUTOFiLIP but they did not want to disclose the design before they got their patent registered.) “It works like this. You place the book on the device and press the button. The flipper turns the page and clamps it on the other side. And it only turns one page at a time. We finished the prototype in the

first week of June,” Vikas added. Following the prototype, they have been granted provisional patent by the IPR office and with the permission of their institute; they hope the product hits the market sometime next year. “Its user-friendly since it involves only pushing a button, and we’re hoping it’ll help people solve reading problems considerably”. These two have represented India in an International Design Show in London to showcase this prototype and have been approached by others to sell the design commercially, but have decided to stick to their own means of doing so. “After the show, a few people, including a government run hospital there, approached us to see if we could work things out. We decided to develop it and scale it up later” When they are not busy thinking up inventions, Vikas also runs a mobile software solutions firm online with 3 other fellow IITians and one PICT, Pune student, called ‘Lypas’. The firm develops software for mobiles that broadens the use of GPRS. They have education tools where one can prepare for CAT/GRE on their mobile and also collaboration tools which allow people to network in a closed group. “We are soon planning to launch college applications for campuses. It’ll help you stay in touch with your friends, see what they are up to and plan things with them, in the broader sense”. And some say that youngsters these days don’t do much! ■

04 VILLAGE

ERGO Thursday, November 20, 2008

Pumpkin seed Viagra An Austrian pumpkin seed oil producer faces possible legal action by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, the producer of Viagra, over his “Styriagra” chocolate-coated pumpkin seeds as they look too similar to the little blue pills.

British Asians get richer Led by billionaire steel magnate Swaraj Paul, wealthy Indian-origin businessmen in Britain have increased their wealth despite the global financial crisis, according to a list published on Wednesday. Caparo founder and chairman Paul is among Britain’s richest Asians who have increased their wealth by more than a third in the past year, the list published by Eastern Eye magazine revealed. The weekly will also publish ‘Britain’s Richest Asians’ list - an annual audit of wealth for the richest 30 Asians in Britain. The list shows that the combined wealth of the top 20 British Asians was up 35 per cent from a year ago, led by Swaraj Paul and Mike Jatania, head of Lornamead, which manufactures personal care products. IANS

Google putting LIFE photo archive

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ime Inc. announced on Tuesday that Google was putting online the entire collection of photos from the legendary but now the defunct LIFE magazine including some of the most iconic images of the 20th century. Time said access to LIFE’s photo archive, a total of more than 10 million images, would be available on a new hosted service from the Internet search giant at images.google.com/hosted/life. The images from LIFE, a Time subsidiary, can also be found by conducting a search on Google.com or through Google Image Search. R.J. Pittman, director of product management at Google, said “bringing millions of never-before-seen offline images online aligns with Google’s mission to organise all the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” A 1966 photo of boxer Time said the photos are Muhammad Ali by available for free for personal photographer Gordon and research purposes. The Parks. Parks was the first copyright and ownership of black American photo all images remains with Time. journalist for Life AFP magazine.

Arab sheikh hoped to rebuild Jackson’s career The Arab prince, who has sued Michael Jackson accusing him of reneging on a recording deal, hoped to help resurrect the pop star’s sagging career hit by allegations of child molestation, his lawyer said. Jackson is being sued for USD 7 million by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Hamad Bin Isa Khalifa, who accused the singer of going back on a major music deal after accepting huge sums of money to sing tracks composed by him, a charge denied by the singing sensation. Abdullah’s lawyer said his client wanted to help Jackson rebuild his career and spent millions moving the pop superstar, his children and entourage to the island. “The costs included the expenses of bringing out Mr Jackson’s hairdresser,” Bankim Thanki QC, representing the Sheikh, told the High Court on Tuesday. Jackson has denied all the claims and his lawyers insist the money given to him was a gift, the Gulf Daily News said. PTI

Nepal SC approves same-sex marriage In a landmark verdict, the apex court in Nepal has given its consent to same-sex marriages, a move that beats the social taboos in the conservative valley. The apex court on Monday directed the Maoist-led government in Nepal to formulate necessary laws to guarantee full rights to gays, including right to same-sex marriage. “The court has instructed the government against making any discrimination on the basis of sex. This is a landmark decision for the sexual minorities and we welcome it,” Sunil Babu Panta, a leading gay activist in South Asia and Nepal’s only lawmaker in the Constituent Assembly representing the community, said. Same sex marriage are prevalent in South Africa, South Korea, Canada, UK, Spain, France and other European countries, he said. However, there is no such law in India, he added. PTI

No laughing matter Wednesday was World Toilet Day; Initiated to make sanitation a global issue

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Singapore-based nonprofit organisation proclaimed World Toilet Day on Wednesday, but said it was no laughing matter. The World Toilet Organisation, founded in 2001, aims to make sanitation a key global issue. “Each year lack of toilets causes 200 million tons of human waste to go uncollected and untreated around the world, fouling the environment and exposing millions

of people to diseases,” the organisation said on its website. “November 19th is World Toilet Day, a day on which we can remind others the importance of better sanitation for everyone.” The group, known by its initials “WTO”, says it is a global network of 151 toilet and sanitation organisations in 53 countries. World Toilet Day “is now being celebrated by members all over the world,” the website said.

In its Toilet Day message, the WTO said 2.5 billion people in the world lack access to proper toilet facilities. The WTO was founded by Singaporean entrepreneur Jack Sim, who has described himself as “something like an evangelist” when it comes to toilets. WTO has also organised World Toilet Summits for academics and other experts to discuss toilet-related issues. Sim is also director of the World Toilet College, which offers training in toilet maintenance and related matters. ■ AFP

Guests sit on ceramic toilets as they attend a press conference in front of Berlin’s central railway station on Wednesday. AFP

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Websites of the day Advice for lovers in long-distance relationships http://www.lovingyou.com/content/advice/ldr/ The ultimate papier-mache resource for tutorials, articles, books, galleries plus discussion forums. www.papiermache.co.uk/

The immortal Mouse turns 80 Mickey in comics, Mickey on Playhouse Disney, Mickey in films… the famous rodent continues to amuse people

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ighty years ago, one of the world’s most beloved stars was born as Mickey Mouse whistled his way onto the silver screen with the cinema debut of Steamboat Willie at the Colony Theater in New York. That day, November 18, 1928, is widely considered the iconic mouse’s official birthday. But months before, Walt Disney had dreamt up the cartoon character and featured it in the short animated film Plane Crazy. “Steamboat Willie is the most famous of the early Mickey Mouse films because it has a soundtrack,” Eric Smoodin, a professor of film studies at the University of California, Davis, told AFP. “Mickey Mouse, within a year or two after Steamboat Willie, becomes the biggest star in the world,” Smoodin said. “So even though it’s not the first Mickey Mouse film, it really was the beginning of his great celebrity,” he added, speculating that in the 1930s, only Charlie Chaplin came close to Mickey Mouse in terms of global superstardom.

Star attraction

Only Charlie Chaplin came close to Mickey Mouse in terms of global super-stardom

An undated file photo, shows Walt Disney holding Mickey Mouse dolls, designed in the 1930’s by Charlotte Clark. AFP PHOTO

Cartoon to drawings Mickey Mouse was created almost by accident: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was Walt Disney’s first cartoon character, but when Disney lost the rights to Oswald in 1927, he returned to the draw-

Endeavour astronaut loses tools in space

ing board. He came up with ‘Mortimer the Mouse’. Popular legend has it that his wife preferred the name Mickey, and Walt Disney deferred to her choice. Steamboat Willie has a flimsy, politically incorrect storyline and

features little, if any, comprehensible dialogue. But the cartoon marked an animation landmark with its synchronised sound track where Mickey whistles and blows raspberries at the irascible ship’s captain, a large tobacco-chewing cat called Captain Pete.

“Mickey Mouse was both a great star of Hollywood and the world and a symbol of Disney’ technological innovation,” said Smoodin. Walt Disney recorded the Steamboat Willie soundtrack with “the bootleg Powers Cinephone process using a 15-piece band and his own squeaks for Mickey,” according to the Disney website. “It was an early sound film when there weren’t that many sound films being made. Disney committed to making only sound films after that,” explained Smoodin. He made it into the Sunday comics on January 10, 1932, the same year that Walt Disney won a special Academy Award for creating the friendly rodent. Mickey Mouse has gone on to star in over 120 different cartoons and got his own television show, “The Mickey Mouse Club,” in the 1950s. The show’s theme song engraved in the minds of a generation of Americans how to spell M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E. ■

Freestyle footballers

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n astronaut from the space shuttle Endeavour let slip her tool bag during a spacewalk on Tuesday and watched helplessly as it floated off into the void of space, NASA said. Astronaut Heide StefanyshynPiper, who took part in the first of the mission’s four planned spacewalks, had just started working on a jammed joint on a solar panel of the International Space Station (ISS) when the accident occurred. NASA Television transmitted live images showing the tool bag, with all the tools inside, slipping away, after Stefanyshyn-Piper removed grease that had leaked out of a grease gun onto the bag’s contents. “Oh, great!” she exclaimed. Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston however said the mission to work on the ISS’s solar antenna rotation sys-

NASA handout of the US space shuttle Endeavour. PHOTO: AFP

tem would continue. Stefanyshyn-Piper borrowed tools from her companion spacewalker Steve Bowen, who carried the same contents in his bag, and she resumed work on the rotation system ball bearings around 2033 GMT Tuesday. Apart from the lost bag mishap, the spacewalk conducted its work as planned. ■ AFP

쒀 Yosuke Yokota (L) of Japan competes as Arnaud Garnier (R) of France looks on during the final one-on-one battle in the Red Bull Street Style World Finals at Pecembau Stadium in Sao Paulo, Brazil. After 138 national qualification tournaments in 44 countries, the top 44 of the world’s best "freestyle footballers" gathered in Sao Paulo where they found the eventual winner, Arnaud Garnier of France. PHOTO: AFP

AFP

06 SPORT

ERGO Thursday, November 20, 2008

Holyfield aims high Evander Holyfield has no intention of quitting the ring if he wins the World Boxing Association (WBA) crown against Russian champion Nikolai Valuev next month. “(My) goal is to be undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and not just one title,’’ he has said.

Bolt

Ronaldo considering retirement A serious knee injury could force him to retire, Brazilian striker Ronaldo said on Wednesday. The 32-year-old ruptured a tendon in his left knee playing for AC Milan in February and took to the field for all of 22 minutes in a charity match in Morocco earlier this week. His Milan contract ran out in the close season and offers from big clubs have failed to materialise for the Brazilian, who has turned down an approach from Serie A mid-table side Siena. “I thank them but I really don’t know what the future holds for me,” Ronaldo told Gazzetta dello Sport. “I don’t know if I will continue playing or retire. I still haven’t taken a decision. There is no rush. I want to complete my recuperation. I could decide tomorrow or in a month. I really don’t know.” ■

not yet the greatest, says coach

Reuters

‘Afridi is Malik’s next victim’ Mohammad Yousuf has accused Pakistan skipper Shoaib Malik of engineering his and Abdul Razzaq’s ouster from the national team and said that allrounder Shahid Afridi would be the next victim. Speaking on a television talk show, Yousuf claimed Malik was working on a policy of ousting senior players in the team as he didn’t want any challenge remaining to his captaincy or place in the side. “He created conditions with the assistance of the selectors for Razzaq and me to join the Indian Cricket League as he didn’t want us in the team. His next target is now Shahid Afridi,” Yousuf said. “I was the senior most player and deserved a shot at the captaincy. But the Board didn’t even take senior players into confidence before appointing Malik as captain,” Yousuf said. He said it was unfortunate that the Board ignored his credentials while giving Malik this honour although his place in the team was not confirmed.

GETTY IMAGES

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he coach of triple Olympic gold medallist Usain Bolt is prepared to wait a while longer before declaring the Jamaican the world’s greatest ever sprinter. Glen Mills, who guided Bolt to victory in the 100 and 200 metres in world record times at this year’s Beijing Games, believes his charge has plenty more to prove. “His performance as a sprinter at the Beijing Olympics is the greatest ever in terms of quality,” Mills told Reuters in an interview. “However, that’s one performance. I would like to see him back that up with other outstanding performances before he can be called the world’s greatest ever. I want some more from him, because right now it is even difficult to compare other athletes and eras with him.’’ Bolt, 22, is favourite to win the sport’s top two annual awards in Monaco on Saturday. After elaborate post-Beijing celebrations which Mills said disrupted his training regime, the lanky sprinter has begun training for the 2009 season, highlighted by the world championships in

Berlin. ‘‘Training has just started but we are constantly interrupted with his numerous engagements. Hopefully, after Monaco we will be able to sit down and map out something in terms of his training so that we can be competitive,” Mills said. Bolt will not be running any 400 metres races in 2009 and will not compete on the indoor circuit because the risk of injuries is too great.

Call for consistency Breaking more records is high on Mills’s agenda for 2009, although consistency from a man he regards as a son and friend is a more important goal. Criticised by Mills for celebrating 25 metres from the end of the 100 metres final in Beijing, a move Mills believes denied Bolt a time of 9.50 rather than the 9.69 he clocked, the sprinter will receive stricter instructions next year. “We earmark the big events, with the Olympics being number one and the world championship number two in terms of importance,” Mills said. Mills puts Bolt’s transforma-

tion from an athlete who could only manage moderate times and performances until last year down to his training programme. “He has now developed his talent to the level that he can perform to the potential that he showed in earlier years,” Mills said. “He started as a junior, suffered some setbacks which put him out of action for a couple of seasons and it took a few more seasons for him to make that reconnection that was needed. “Those of us who were involved with him knew how hard it was to take him to the highest level,” Mills said. Mills is aware that Bolt will face serious competition. ‘‘Every athlete will be gunning for him next year. I expect that (fellow Jamaican) Asafa Powell, (American) Tyson Gay, the new star on the block Richard Thompson of Trinidad & Tobago, and Americans Walter Dix and Wallace Spearmon will emerge to challenge him. “He will do very well again next year and I know that because we share a relationship that goes beyond coaching,” Mills said. ■

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I still have a vivid image of Sunil Gavaskar angrily trying to take his opening partner off the MCG with him in 1981 when he was given out lbw in a Test match, but to hear him today you’d think he was positively angelic when he was the best opening batsman in the world RICKY PONTING IN ‘CAPTAIN’S DIARY 2008’

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Swann hopes to be

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evin Pietersen’s men are distinctly unlucky to come in Yuvraj Singh’s line of fire and the visitors would try every trick in the book tomorrow to send him back as early as possible, said England offspinner Graeme Swann on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, Swann, who broke into the 12-man England team for the third ODI, said it was a matter of bad luck that Yuvraj chose England to announce his return to form. “As a side, we were a little unlucky. When the tour started, Yuvraj was down in form but he bounced back in the first two matches of the series and is looking hungry for more,” Swann said. Yuvraj has been in sensational form against England, hitting a 78-ball 138 in Rajkot and following it up with another century and a four-wicket haul in Indore. Swann, however, oozed confidence that captain Kevin Pietersen and talismanic allrounder Andrew Flintoff would step up to match Yuvraj shot for shot. “We also got two very good hitters in Pietersen and Flintoff and though they have not fired on all cylinders, I hope tomorrow they would and we’ll win the match,” he said. If I get to play tomorrow, I hope there will be some turn in the wicket," said the offie. Swann said England would love to bat first here but also made it clear that irrespective of the outcome of toss, England, trailing the seven-match series 0-2, would have to win the match to stay afloat in the series. “Any team that wins the toss would love to bat first here. It happens so in most of the ODIs. But either way, we have to win this match, irrespective of whether we bat first or bowl first,” he said. “I’m not sure but after the last two games, we are looking at where we can make improvements. If there are areas where we can really improve, I’m sure we’ll do that,” said the youngster. Swann, however, dismissed notions that IPL had become a thorny issue in the dressing room as well. “Look, I have not been approached (to play in IPL),” he quipped. “I guess one or two players in the team want to play and it’s fair enough considering the money involved. I think they are talking to their agent, IPL and the board to sort things out. It’s not an issue in the dressing room,” he said. PTI

AFP PHOTO/SAJJAD HUSSAIN

08 ROADSTER

ERGO Thursday, November 20, 2008

Skipper’s surprise gift Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was overjoyed to accept a Yamaha RD 350 motorcycle from his relatives in Ujjain when he had recently visited them.

BSA and Hercules models from TI cycles on display. PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN.

Hercules Ryders ACT 105.

Want fun and fitness? Ch

Apart from well-known Indian brands like BSA, Hercules and Hero, some cycle shops in Chennai also sell im

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hen is the last time you rode a bicycle? Was it back in school or when you borrowed your little neighbour’s bike for a short fun ride? And if you are someone who spends most of the time in front of the computer and dying for some physical activity, cycling could be a fun and easy way out to flatten your tummy and stay fit. Ergo decided to line up some state-of-the-art, high-end bicycles now available in Chennai market. Broadway in our city is the hub of bicycles where you can pick a ride in varied prices according to your taste, riding comfort and

conditions. Apart from wellknown Indian brands like BSA, Hercules and Hero, some cycle shops in Broadway also deal with imported bicycles that usually come at a fat price tag. Brands BSA and Hercules, which are leaders in market are products from the country’s renowned cycle makers TI Cycles of India. Starting from over Rs 1,500, Hercules has bicycles that cost upto Rs 5,000. The best of lot is the Hercules Ryders ACT 105, is priced Rs 5,525. With a full aluminium body, single shock absorbers in front, sporty mudguards and over all killer looks, the bike could be your best ride for weekends as its lightweight, big tyres, comfy handle, Shimano gears (with 18 speed) and seating is sure to make cycling a delight. Hercules also flaunts other models like Ryders ACT 103 and

ACT 104, where the former features 6 speeds and single shocks absorbers and the later come with double shocks of which one is mono suspension. The ACT 103 and 104 are priced Rs 4,533 and 5,158 respectively.

One can also opt for the Mach 22 (a well-known racing model), AXN Dx, Thriller or a Flash from BSA if you are looking for a slightly lesser price range. There is also an avalanche of bicycle models from brand Hero. The conven-

WHERE YOU CAN RIDE If you are bored to ride along and need some camaraderie, there are a few cycle clubs in the city that organises frequent rides. All you need is a bicycle and safety gear (including the helmet) and you can peddle away in style.

Madras Bike Hash Started in 2005, the members of Madras Bike Hash meet twice a week and bike to a pre-planned location. To enrol in the group log on to [email protected].

Radsport Radsport, a cycle club primarily for fitness enthusiasts of our city, was started six months ago. Today with 12 members, the club meets for regular rides on Harrington Road in Chetpet. Write in to [email protected] to be part of the club.

tional Hero Hawk is now Hawk Nu-Age with innovative features and new looks. The company has come up with new bicycles models through its F1 series, Fast & Furious line and MTB/ATB range. New entry models like Acrobat 26T, Octane NV and X Sport MS are the ones to look out for. Earlier models like the Thunder, Ranger Swing and Devil DX could also quench your riding thirst. Models like Pro-VX, Moon Raker 26, Scud Shox, Columbus SR, Stealth Series and Dominator adorn the Atlas brand of bicyles. Whereas some innovative bicycle models like the Moto Bike (shaped like a motorcycle), Carry Me, Overdrive and Gipsy come from the Avon Cycles. If you are particular about an imported bicycle, there are number of models starting from price range of Rs 7000 to Rs 12,000 which are available through various dealers in the city. ■

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Maruti A-Star launched Priced in the Rs.3,47,000 - Rs.4,12,000 range, the car is touted to give a mileage of 19.59 km per litre of petrol.

oose cycling

Auto major Maruti Suzuki on Tuesday launched a new car targeted at the mid-priced segment, and said it hoped to export it to over 150 countries. Priced in the Rs.3,47,000 - Rs.4,12,000 range, the car called A-star - will be made in over 200 variants and is touted to give a mileage of 19.59 km per litre of petrol. A-star is Maruti Suzuki’s eighth vehicle launched in a little over three years. “A-star will be exported mainly to European markets and we expect it to account for a major part of our total exports,” company chairman R.C. Bhargava said at the vehicle’s launch in New Delhi. The company exported around 50,000 cars last year and expects to export more this year. Incidentally, A-star has been designed keeping the European market in mind, and will be rolled out of the company’s facility at Manesar near Delhi. IANS

mported bicycles starting from Rs 7000 to Rs 12,000.

SNAPSHOT There are a few cycle clubs in the city that organises frequent rides for its members

This two wheeler rider finds an effective way to transport plastic drums. A click on P.H. Road in Chennai recently. PHOTO: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM

10 FLICK

ERGO Thursday, November 20, 2008

A villain and a gentleman Veteran actor M.N. Nambiar passes away at 89

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is manic laughter was only for the screen. Many who knew M.N.Nambiar, the veteran Kollywood villain and stage artist who died on Wednesday after a brief illness, will remember him as a true gentleman off the screen. Manjeri Narayan Nambiar, 89, was suffering from age-related ailments for the past four months and breathed his last at his residence here, family sources said. He is survived by wife, son Sukumaran Nambiar, a senior BJP leader, and a daughter. Born on March 7, 1919 in a Nambiar family of Kannur, Kerala, Nambiar joined the famous Nawab Rajamanikam’s troupe as a stage artist at the age of 13. His first movie debut was in Bhaktha Ramadoss

(1935) shot in Tamil and Hindi. His stint as a hero did not last long – just two films ‘Kalyani’ and ‘Kavitha,’ both produced by Modern Theatres. His transition into a villain role was smooth and easy, and his roles essayed against M.G.Ramachandran and Sivaji Ganesan are sure to stand the test of time. In all, Nambiar went on to act in more than 1,000 films in Tamil apart from acting in Telugu, Malayalam and Hindi, besides an English film ‘Jungle’ in which he appeared in a few scenes. In the movie Thigambarasamiyar, Nambiar has donned 11 roles. His favourite films remain Aayirathil Oruvan and Enga Veetu Pillai with MGR, Ambikapathi and Thillana Mohanambal opposite Sivaji Ganesan, Missiyamma with Gemini Ganesan, Nenjam Marappathillai directed by Sridhar and Thooral Ninu Pochu with Bhagyaraj. M.N. Nambiar was an ardent devotee of Sabarimala Sri Ayyappan. He has had a long association with the temple, and visited the shrine more than 65 years over the last half a century; this has led to him being called Maha Guruswamy. ■

Actors Manorama, Radharavi, Srikanth and K.R.Vijaya arriving at M.N.Nambiar’s residence to pay condolence on Wednesday. PHOTOS: V.GANESAN

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Thursday, November 20, 2008

Nicole wants to have more kids Actress Nicole Kidman said on Tuesday she was unsure of her future as an actor as there were others things she wanted to do, such as possibly having more children.

Cine City Kamalini is back Kamalini Mukherjee of Vettaiyadu Vilayaadu fame is confident to make a strong comeback in Tamil cinema. After the movie with Kamal Haasan, she ventured into Telugu filmdom and did a handful of films there. After a brief interval, she is coming back to Kollywood. Playing the female lead in Kadhal Na Summa Illai, a remake of the Telugu hit movie Ghamyam, the actress hopes that the Tamil version will also be a hit.

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amil superstar Rajinikanth has decided to head his own fan club association, its current head Sudhakar said here on Tuesday. “Vested interests have spread false rumours about Satyanarayana, that the former personal assistant of Thalaivar (boss) has been sacked following criticism expressed by fans during an interactive session here,” Sudhakar, the current in-charge of the All India Rajinikanth Fans Association, told IANS. “Actually, due to the long sickness of his parents - his mother passed away recently - Satyanarayana could not attend to the work and requested for a break. Left with no option, Rajinikanth himself decided to run the organisation,” Sudhakar added.

Satyanarayana separately said: “Every day I was supposed to attend at least 10 intense meetings and could not do so for over 20 days due to personal and family pre-occupations. It was my leader who advised me against straining myself mentally and physically.” Several fans had argued that the movie icon’s latest movie Kuselan did not fare well at the box office due to the disorganised state of the fan clubs as their functionaries were weaned away by other actor-turned-politicians like Sarath Kumar and Vijayakanth. Kuselan bombed at the box office two months ago, triggering a minor crisis in the south Indian film industry. ■ IANS

" Satyanarayana requested for a break. Left with no option, Rajinikanth himself decided to run the organisation" PHOTO: S. S. KUMAR

Jackie Shroff to act in Tamil film Noted Bollywood actor Jackie Shroff is venturing into Tamil film industry. The actor will play the lead role in a movie titled Aaranya Kandam, to be produced by Capital Film Works. Kumara Raja, who has worked as an associate to Rajeev Menon and PushkarGayathri of Oram Po, is directing the film. The movie has Sampath Raj and Ravikrishna playing prominent roles.

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ERGO Thursday, November 20, 2008

Wednesday’s Question: If you are gifted wings, where would you like to fly and why? ■ Over the Bermuda Triangle so that I will get struck in time dimension and never return back.

Pradeepa S, TCS

■ Would love to go for a race with the world’s fastest flight Blackbird and after winning it will use my feathers for my daily commuting to office to cut down my petrol expenses. Prabhakaran Kuthalingam, Wipro

■ I will probably fly to the nearest airport, hop onto the wings of the flight I need. It’s much less work that way! Sridhar R, STG

■ To my office and back home, to be punctual at both places by beating the Chennai traffic. K.S.Rajan(Andhra Bank), Maheswar Aitha(TCS), Sundar Narayan(Polaris), Sangameshwaran T S (CGSL), Premkumar CS (Perot Systems) Ergo Pick

■ Over the Swiss Alps for its immense beauty & scenic nature. Jude, Infosys

■ I would like to fly to moon to enjoy its features; and want to now how earth looks from there. Jaya(Perot Systems), Rakshita Sreenivasan(Wipro)

■ I will help all the people “who are in trouble, like Spiderman, Superman etc... and my name will be Birdman.” Loganathan, Perot Systems

■ I will fly to moon with my chick and spend a vacation there. Jagan, Capgemini

■ I will take my friend and fly all over the world. Murugasaravanan (Ramco Systems), Suresh Kumar (CGSL)

■ I will fly to moon with my figure, inum Theditu irukean because angadhan water, pollution, traffic, terrorisim, rent, yen current problem kooda irukaadhu. Nan summa jammunu life a enjoy pannuvean. Ranjith K, Perot System

■ I would like to fly to the heaven to meet my mom. Pravin. S, L&D, TCS-RTSC

■ I would like to fly to Kashmir to see the beautiful snowfall. Vinoth Kumar, Allsec

■ I would like to fly to Himalayas and become a monk.

Rajesh, Wipro

■ I would like to fly throughout the world for finding the best place. And there I want to be with my life partner for a month. Dhanabal, TCS

■ I would keep flying to our God’s own country Kerala. Robin, Wipro

■ I would fly with my lover for a candle dinner. In a peaceful and lonely place in Kashmir valley. Shijiu, CGSL

■ I would fly to Pondicherry everyday after my work because my sweetest wife is there now. Viswa, TCS

■ I would fly Switzerland: the playground of Europe. I like that place very much.

Krishnamoorthy of AIG Systems Solutions has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at Kodaikanal.

Satish, Ramco Systems

■ I will go and visit heaven to get to know how the living space available. Hema, RRD

■ I will fly to California to get a photo and autograph with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sasi Subbaraman, Perot Systems

■ I would fly to the top of clouds and photograph myself. I will be happy to show to everyone that I am really on cloud nine… Praveen, CGSL

■ Daily I will go to my hometown and come to office. Rajalakshmi (TCS), Rohit (Bell Canada)

■ I would prefer flying to White House to wish Obama to form a government supporting India greatly. Sangeetha Asokan (Wipro), Rekha (TCS)

Chinthan Packiam of HCL has nominated his friends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at Tirunelveli.

■ I would like to fly to the island where Tom Hanks was stranded in Cast Away. Vinay Mandaville, Verizon

■ I would like to fly above Bermuda Triangle to check its mystery Karthikeyan G, HCL

Today’s Query: Which comedy dialogue of Vadivelu you think is best and makes us laugh anytime ? by Sasi Subbaraman, Perot Systems Send in your mobile query suggestions to [email protected] with the subject line: Mobile Query

Arunkumar of Sathyam has nominated his team as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at M.G.M Resorts.

13

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Ramasubramanian R, Team Leader, AIG Systems Solutions has been nominated as Office Angel by Subramanian K and his team. He is our Team Leader for the past two years and now leaving to another project. He is humble and a jovial person. His humour sense is so much that even during difficult situations he cracks a timely joke to make the team feel very comfortable in working. We will never forget his attitude, sound knowledge in business and way of working and leading the team.

■ Dear Gayathri, Belated Happy birthday yaar…Wish you may more happy returns of the day. May all your dreams come true. Wish you all success. Frndz 4 ever Ranjani k, Lavanya E. Calsoft.

■ Dear Chattpiti Kankana (guys don’t get confused its ‘Chatterjee’ not ‘Sen Sharma’) How do you expect us to remember your birthday, when you never look any older? May you grow to be toothless. Lets enjoy your birthday to the max because your birthday is a special time to celebrate the gift of you to the world. Sending birthday blessings filled with love and peace and joy wishing sweetest things happen right before your eyes. Surprisals awaiting…. Raj, Preeti, Chinu di, Aashoo, Naim & Anup. Accenture Services Pvt Ltd

■ Dear Maha Iniya pirandha naal vazhthukal :-) Belated many more happy returns of the day. Have a colorful n fun filled year ahead !!! Urs, Mani, Saras n Swathi Infosys

Anees BM of TCS doodled this

■ Dear Sounds Wish u many more happy returns of the day dear!!! May god bless you in all endeavours of life. Have fun:) Urs ever-loving friends, Nithu, Sudha, Saran, Ani, Raju Infosys

■ Dear Sureet You are young as your faith, as old as your doubt, as young as confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair. Lovely friend! Wishing you many many returns of the day. With blessing and good wishes from Rohit, Manpreet, Bhaskar, Arghya, Vaibhav UST-Global

If Superstar was a software engineer, what would be his punch dialogues? 1. "I am MR.Java one punch you will fall in Kava" 2. Naa office ku late vandhalum latest software oda varuven! 3. "J to the A to the V to the A:- Java" 4. Kanna Virus dhan kootama varum, anti-virus single ladhan varum. 5. ’C’ ku aparam ’C++, Ennaku aparam no++" 6. Naa paakathan hardware maathri irrupaen aana en mansu software..... idhu epdi irukku.... Devendiran.M, Caliber Point Business Solutions Ltd

■ Dear Kiruku Kirthi... Wishing you a very happy birthday in advance... May God bless you with his numerous blessings... Take a new resolution on this birthday that “you listen to others” Yendrum Natupan... Karthi, Nisha, Prem, Bala, Mythili, Santhosh, Ravi, Natu, Menaka, Koms, Priya RR Donnelley

■ Dear Captain (Arun S) Cricketle than run edukkamal emathunega, innaikavathu yemathamal treat thaanga. Vera yenna panrathu, palagi

tholanchitinga, “Wish you a many more happy returns of the day”. May all your dreams come true on this occassion. With Love, Sethuraj, Nithyaraj, Dinesh, Karthick & Financial Sofware Solutions Non Tandem Cricket Team

■ Dear Arun S (Sanji Ramasami) We wish you happy birthday, Let all your dreams come true. Yendrum Anbudan.., SDMS Team,Billpay Team & PG Team, Financial Software Solutions

■ Dear Viji May your path be strewn with flowers, memories, friends and happy hours. May Blessings come from heaven above, and fill your life with Peace and Love. Many more Happy Returns of the day. MAG CORP CMR Satyam Computers

■ Hi Soundhria... Many Many Happy returns of the day… May God bless you abundantly and let all your dreams come true... From, Level 3 friends, Wipro Technologies.

■ Hi Vivek Kumar Dubey, Many Many More Happy returns of the day… Enjoy this day with lot of fun and happiness… Wishing u a very successful year ahead… Cheers Kotteswari & Friends, TCS

■ Hai Surendra Wish You a Very Happy Birthday!!! (Kolti). Have a Great Year ahead!!! At least today… Don’t speak Tamil… With Regards, Imthiyas Ahamed.A, Quscient Technologies Pvt Ltd.

■ Dear Soni, Happy Birthday Dear!!! May God’s grace enrich your life with joy,peace,happiness on your special day and always!!! Have a lovely Day dear :-) Love n wishes, Ur frnds and Ur Sis :-) TCS

■ Dear Appu Many More Happy Returns of the Day !!! Wish you luck and happiness today and every day throughout the year. Wishing you success in what ever U do. I will be missing you when u go to Pune. With Love, Janu.

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Thursday, November 20, 2008

‘Meh’ added to dictionary The word ‘meh’ has been added to the English dictionary. The word, which indicates boredom or lack of enthusiasm, will feature in the 30th anniversary edition Collins English Dictionary following a public vote.

sudoku

Lakshmi Prakash of HCL Technologies clicked this picture at Adyar Poonga in Chennai. Hobbies: Photography and listening to music

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KAKURO

15

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Sing and burn

Words’ worth

It’s been estimated that an opera singer burns an average of more than two calories per minute during a performance.

"Deesis" (dee-ee-sis) an invocation of, or address to, a supreme being.

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 Ganesha finds you highly creative and independent in your thinking today. Your abilities will help you shine well on the career front. Your life partner or beloved one may be very happy with your expression of love.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 Today your enthusiasm level may be low. You may wish to stick to routine work practice and may not desire to take up anything new, says Ganesha. In love life, there may not be any major issue, as you may be devoting due time to your beloved one.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 You may have firm views about a particular aspect related to work. Present it well in front of colleagues and superiors very nicely, else they may find you egoistic. You may be interested in sharing your ideas and visions with life partner or beloved.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 Ganesha finds you working very sincerely today. At office, you will do some value addition by handling your prime responsibilities very well. Love life may remain easygoing and smooth provided you avoid dominating your life partner or beloved one.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 You may begin or finish some important projects today. There will be delight and sense of satisfaction out of whatever you have done as your part of job. You may attempt hard to impress superiors. In love life, you may be romantic.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

Despite your hard work, you may not be able to finish a small task. This is because planets are not in your favour, so it’s better to avoid working on important projects. In love life, you may be more passionate and romantic, says Ganesha.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 It is best day to arrange group discussions, meetings and gatherings. Ganesha finds your creativity and presentation skills at best today. Romance may be shimmering back of your mind so you will be able to make your life partner or beloved feel the best.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 Except for career progress, nothing else is important for you today. There will be a great sense of satisfaction out of whatever you have done till now. In case of love life you may need to put in more efforts to handle the stress.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 If there was something out of track at workplace, today everything may streamline. This will help you perform better on the career front. You will be in a mood to romanticize with your beloved one and you may wish to go on a long drive.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 It’s a day of deep contemplation at workplace. You will be thinking about making your office work and routine activities more organized. You will try to fulfil your beloved one’s expectations in order to ensure smoother sailing on the emotional front.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 Ganesha suggests you not to go for any major negotiations within the organization or even outside the organization. In case of love life, you will just let your life partner be the decision maker, which will make him or her feel very glad and privileged.

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 You like it or not, it is a day to perform duties till late evening at office. If you do so, it will help your career progress directly or indirectly during the days to come. In personal life ensure that your loved ones do not feel ignored or sidelined. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 !

ERGO Thursday, November 20, 2008

One look is all it takes NEWS AND NEWSMAKERS IN PICTURE A fancy dressed dog is carried on a bike in old Havana on Tuesday in Havana. AFP PHOTO/ STR

Bollywood stars Salman Khan along with Katrina Kaif during the promotion of director Shubash Ghai’s forthcoming film Yuvaraj in Mumbai. PTI

(L-R) British actress Julia Ormond, US actors Susan Sarandon, Alicia Silverstone, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell pose for a picture during the opening of the 32nd Cairo International Film Festival in the Egyptian capital on Tuesday. Tens of Arab and International stars attended the opening of the CIFF, the oldest film festival in the Middle East, which will screen 150 films from 29 countries. AFP PHOTO

Actors Ben Stiller and Chris Rock attend the Madagascar Escape 2 Africa press conference at Shilla Hotel in Seoul, South Korea. The film will open on January 8, 2009 in South Korea. GETTY IMAGES