Ergo September 29

A BYTE OF LIFE

Monday, September 29, 2008

10 PAUL NEWMAN End of an era FREE CIRCULATION

Vol. 2

No. 188

You are the news So far so good but we are pushing the envelope on reader interactivity

04 FIRST INNINGS The out-of-the-box specialist

02 NAMMA CHENNAI

ERGO Monday, September 29, 2008

The doctor cop An assistant commissioner attached to the Central Crime Branch (CCB) of the city police is the only medical practitioner in the force. Some of his juniors, who aren’t aware of his background, get into a fix when they apply for leave citing medical reason. The cop-doc checks them and usually finds the reason for leave to be a lie. The result – the baffled juniors get no leave.

A lady reporter recently reported on the plight of a family that suffered harassment at a suburban police station they had approached with a complaint. But she went into the bad books of a top IPS officer at the suburban Commissionerate. Reliable khakis said that the officer personally warned the lady scribe on filing negative reports on his men and even said she won’t be let into the Commissionerate if she repeated the reports.

Sulking cop A senior IPS officer, who was in Tirunelveli for many years, is a sad man after being recently transferred to a menial post in the city. The reason is that the officer is known to have led a ‘lucrative life’ for a few years through the Video Piracy Cell in his previous posting. The matter reached the top brass and the result of which is this transfer to Chennai.

Good after long wait A police officer, who was formerly with the Railways, is delighted after being posted as Deputy Commissioner in the city. The efficient khaki, who had a rough past in terms of postings and a suspensions, is known to made a special prayer at a city temple immediately after the orders arrived. The posting has come after a long gap and the man hopes to climb the success ladder hereafter.

PHOTO: S.R.RAGHUNATHAN

Khaki in trouble

Routine check lands smugglers in a soup PETLEE PETER [email protected]

A

routine police check on Anna Salai in the wee hours of Sunday helped police crack a smuggling racket. They intercepted an SUV, and confiscated 54 Korean-made mobile phones, 11 iPods, several memory cards and foreign currencies without proper accounting for.

Two men have been arrested. Police identified the arrested as Jahubar (45) of Arumugam Street in Triplicane and his friend Jamal Moideen (43) of Nungambakkam. The Scorpio the duo was travelling was intercepted at around 3.00 a.m. by a police team near Anna Statue on Anna Salai. After the car didn’t stop, the police gave a hot pursuit and boxed in the vehicle. The two men inside were caught and an

inspection of the vehicle revealed the seizure which also included US, Hong Kong, Singapore, Sri Lankan and Indian currency notes. According to S Lakshmi, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Triplicane), the goods belonged to Jahubar, who didn’t possess any valid documents on the purchase of the goods. An investigation is underway to ascertain the origin of the seized goods. ■

Lizard trouble ERGO CORRESPONDENT [email protected]

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t was high drama at a hotel on Purasawalkam High Road on Saturday afternoon after a lady customer alleged that she consumed food that had a dead lizard. She was rushed to a hospital and a group of lawyers, who were also present in the hotel, ransacked the place citing ‘bad customer service.’ Reliable sources

reveal that it was all a drama to tarnish the image of the hotel owner as there is a longstanding land dispute between him and another man. The drama unfolded at around 1.15 p.m. at Sandhya Restaurant on Purasawalkam High Road near Witco. Hotel sources say that the lady customer named Sudha (29) of Pulianthope had brought a dead lizard in her bag and had deliberately dropped it into the food.

“The incident was pre-planned and executed in order to get us into trouble,” asserted a hotel representative. Whereas police said that Sudha was admitted to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital after consuming food from the hotel. A case under IPC section 284 (Negligent conduct with respect to poisonous substance) has been registered against the hotel authorities following a complaint by Sudha. ■

03

Monday, September 29, 2008

Diyas, pooja thalis on sale In connection with the festival season, an exhibition cum sale of handicrafts products is held from 28th September to 9th October at Archana’s Exclusifs’, 306, Pammal Court, #8, Raja Anamalai Road, Purasawalkam, Chennai-84. Dial 093812-02785 for details.

Garba, Dandiya,

CHENNAI ISHTYLE

PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

Kollywood numbers, Gujarati folk songs and 250 guests made for a perfect ‘Dandiya Garba Raas’

VIPASHA SINHA V. LOKPRIA

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ou have seen Rajinikanth and Dhanush shake a leg to “Engeyum Epothum”. Imagine garba on the same; sounds funny but it’s true. Namma Chennai’s Gujaratis enthusiastically danced to Tamil numbers along with their traditional folk songs on Saturday evening at Taj Connemara. The Rotary Club of Madras

organised ‘Dandiya Garba Raas’, a celebration to mark Navaratri cum a fundraiser for community services. Around 250 people participated in this fun-filled night. Men and women, not to leave out the children, came in their flashy outfits competing for the various titles. The titles King and Queen were given away to the best dancers who danced through the night. The event presented an electri-

fying atmosphere with a live band dishing out traditional and catchy numbers. Moving in a huge circle with uniform steps, the participants performed the garba, while the tiny ones enjoyed themselves in the middle of the circle, creating their own steps. A short break was followed by the dandiya round. The few regulars played the perfect moves, while others swayed away to the music. This round

brought the spectators to the floor, too. It was interesting to see dandiya experts teaching the hip-hopper look-like the basics of the dance. “The crowd is cosmopolitan and these kinds of events are organised to revive culture, have fun and make new friends,” said Parul, one of the organisers of the event. Authentic Gujarati cuisine added to the ambience. “I have won a lot of prizes

and I am sure I will win this one, too,” said Dr. Pooja Nichani, and she was correct at that. Pooja was crowned Queen of the night and Harshad Shah was announced King. In the garba round, Kajal Patel won in the above-20 category and Khyati Patel was adjudged the best teenage garba dancer. Utsav Shah won in the male category. The prize for unique costume went to Pankti Gadda. ■

04 KALEIDOSCOPE

ERGO Monday, September 29, 2008

‘‘

When the Nobel award came my way, it also gave me an opportunity to do something immediate and practical about my old obsessions, including literacy, basic health care and gender equity, aimed specifically at India and Bangladesh. Amartya Sen

ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY [email protected]

Wishbox emphasises on thinking out-of-the-box and fulfilling the client’s wishes ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY [email protected]

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f you thought you were young and inexperienced to run an advertising firm and ever persuaded someone out of it, quoting “It’s a jungle out there!” you are wrong, yet again. Take Khushbu Sanghi, for instance. The 24-year-old Fine Arts graduate from Stella MarisCollege has been in the business for over a year. Today, she is reaping the fruits of imagination and out-of-the-box thinking – that’s Wishbox’s motto. Wishbox, which is Khushbu’s brainchild, is a service-provider catering to the branding and advertising needs of corporate clients. The company has only been in business since March 2007 and is grossing Rs. 12 lakh per annum.

vertising for corporates, Wishbox is going strong with its Kollywood projects, too. It makes print ads and posters for movies, which are outsourced to them from other companies. Recently, the firm also agreed to brand and promote S.P.B. Charan’s Capital Film Works. With notable names like Butterfly products, Sugan uniforms, First Gear and Humx Electronics under their belt, they ideate to the maximum with brainstorming sessions to come up with new designs. Their brainstorming sessions involve the entire team coming up with various numbers, symbols, digits, books and websites individually, and putting them all together to form an idea. These are then crossed off or accepted and made into a complete package to serve clients.

A childhood dream “It has been a dream of mine from school to start a firm,” she explains. “After my graduation, I completed Visual Communication from Artlabs and also did a multimedia course from Image. I wanted to gain enough experience to start my own venture, so worked in an advertising company for a few months. When I had learnt enough I moved on.”

Designs for all Apart from branding and ad-

Looking ahead This team of five, consisting of two personnel managing officials and three designers, all in their early 20s, is proud of what they have achieved and are planning to start a branch in Nagpur soon. Khushbu is the only girl in the team. “I come from a conventional background and my family was not too supportive of me starting my own business,” says Khushbu, adding, “I started from my broth-

er’s office, which was a BPO, taking over a small space for my work. Later, I moved out and started it with two people. With some difficulty, we got others to join and now we are a full-fledged company. It was tough but we made it through the initial rough patches.” One unique feature about Wishbox is that they have never advertised or promoted their company. Most of their clients are referred by word-of-mouth. But they feel that though Chennai has a booming advertising market, almost coming third in the entire country, the talent here is yet to be utilised to its optimum efficiency. There are some things you can think of, for everything else there’s Wishbox! (If you are an entrepreneur with a successful business model or know one, write to us at [email protected])

In a minute Company: Wishbox Started: March 2007 Founder: Khushbu Sanghi Team: 5 Focus: Service provider Contact: Khushbu at 98401 19919 Email: [email protected]

(From left) Guru, Tuney and Manish. (Top) Khushbu Sanghi

05

Monday, September 29, 2008

US $ Pound Euro 100 Yen

Check out politicians ’unique claims’ on this satirical website: http://lonelycandidate.com/ Find out what your shoes says about you: http:// www.twentyonepictures.com/gallery/shoeproject/index.html

46.43 85.38 67.95 43.85

SOURCE: RBI

Websites of the day

Looking for a loan? TRY SOCIAL LENDING NETWORK The current financial crisis has forced many Americans to rely on peer-to-peer sites for help

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addled by student loans and credit card debt, Ryan Little was looking for relief. Like many, the 30-year-old insurance agent turned towards banks for a loan but he ended up finding a much better deal elsewhere, on the Internet, through a website called Lending Club (lendingclub.com). Little eventually borrowed 10,000 dollars from 30 people he didn’t know and had never met through Lending Club, a “peerto-peer” or social lending network. “The rates between the banks that I’ve looked at are anywhere from five to seven per cent more than it is with Lending Club,” Little said. “It ends up being quite a significant amount of money depending on how much you are looking to get per year,” he said. “I would say overall in three years it’s

probably going to save me about 3,000 dollars in interest payments alone.” The Sunnyvale, Californiabased Lending Club, which began as a Facebook application in May 2007, is one of the many peer-to-peer (P2P) lending operations operating on the Internet.

dollars years.

over

three

Keeping tab

Lending sites pay a much better deal than banks.

PHOTO: AFP

Online auctioning They work somewhat like an online auction site; people looking for a loan set the maximum interest rate they are willing to pay and lenders bid against one another to make the best offer. Little got a three-year loan at an interest rate of 12.6 per cent. He pays back 330 dollars a month

repayable

to Lending Club which redistributes the money among his backers and earns its money through transaction fees. Elizabeth Colglazier, a lawyer and mother of two, has loaned more than 3,300 dollars to 41 people through the San Francisco-based peer-to-peer firm Pros-

You have to treat this as a speculative environment where the chance of default is somewhat high

Flying saucer 쑸 An employee of Japan’s toy giant, Tomy, displays the world’s smallest infrared remotecontrolled flying toy QFO, measuring 65 x 65 43 mm and weighing only 9 g, in Tokyo on Sunday. The QFO, equipped with a roter underneath of the toy, flies like a flying saucer. AFP PHOTO

per (prosper.com). “That’s the first I ever bid on,” she said. “I picked this one out because it’s a family who started their own business geared towards children and it sounded like they had a good business plan and it was going to work out.” To help them decide who to lend money to, lenders are supplied with a photo of the borrower, their financial records and the reasons they need the money. The maximum loan is 25,000

The companies that run the P2P sites verify the identities and solvency of the borrowers but they do not offer any recourse in case of default. “That’s the key,” said Chris Larsen, chief executive of Prosper. “It’s up to people to decide whether to accept to lend money to borrowers.” Late payments are penalised and the identities of deadbeat borrowers are passed on to the companies which assign all-important credit scores. “You have to treat this as a speculative environment where the chance of default is somewhat high,” said John Vyge, a financial planner for Hillebrand Financial Planning. Until recently, Americans had become used to easily obtaining money at low interest rates, he said. But the credit crunch and current financial crisis have changed all that and they’re now looking for other sources. ■ AFP

06 VILLAGE

ERGO Monday, September 29, 2008

Man fined over cat ban A man has been fined US$ 740 for throwing his wife’s cat out of the house for urinating in his briefcase. Laura Marchesi set animal rights campaigners on husband Allessandro for putting her cat Ivano out on the balcony.

Glass sandwiches shatter marriage

Man offers Lamborghini to sell 1.1million-pound home

An Australian woman has admitted grinding up glass and putting it in her husband’s sandwiches in anger over an affair that broke up their 20-year marriage. The husband found out and kept his lunches in a freezer to be used in evidence against her, the court in Hobart, was told. The prosecution is pushing for the woman to face a charge of domestic violence, arguing that doctoring the lunches her husband took to work could have had fatal consequences.

Room with a view no longer applies to home sellers, as a businessman who hopes to sell off his 1.1million-pound home offers to throw in his Lamborghini as part of the deal. Internet tycoon Rick Hill, 30, hopes that his 152,000-pound car will attract prospective buyers, and help him sell off his luxurious sixbedroom house. “It is a bit of a novelty but I am offering the ultimate lifestyle package. It’s a dream home,” the Daily Star quoted him as saying. “I want to retire and am looking for a simpler life. I feel I have been there and done it with the big house and the cars. It is time to move on and let someone else enjoy them,” he said. The house in Hockley, near Southend, Essex, has a pool, gym and games rooms, conservatory and two bathrooms.

DPA

Londoners turn gorillas for a day to raise money! Hundreds of people in London dressed themselves in gorilla outfits to raise money for charity. Approximately 750 runners participated in the ‘2008 Great Gorilla Charity Run’ setting a world-record for the largest-ever gathering of people wearing gorilla costumes. The 7km event that took place in London on September 27 had been organised by ‘The Gorilla Organisation’ - a charity based to protect Central African gorillas from becoming extinct. Hoping to raise 200,000 pounds, Jillian Miller, the charity director claimed that the event was becoming more successful with every passing year. “The event has got better every year and the atmosphere among the runners and spectators is incredible,” Telegraph quoted him as saying.

ANI

Pensioner ordered to knit pullovers An 89-year-old woman has been told to take up knitting in order to avoid prosecution for slashing more than 50 car tyres, justice officials said. “We’ll drop the case if she knits a few pullovers,” prosecutor Helmut Bleh said. “We can’t send her to prison, and she doesn’t have the money to pay a fine.” He said there was no longer a danger of the pensioner becoming a repeat offender because she had now been moved to a retirement home.

ANI

DPA

Donald Duck to enter academic world

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omic characters Donald Duck, Wonder Woman, Batman are set to enter the academic curriculum of Dalhousie University next year. The University is set to introduce a new course Comics and Cartoons that will trace the history of cartoons and comics, from 18th- and 19th-century political propaganda to the golden age of Marvel and DC. “The department was looking for this kind of a course for a while, since before I came here,” said Anthony Enns, cultural theorist and Dalhousie professor. “There are many different ways to teach (this course),” said Prof. Enns. “One obvious (way) would be to take a strict literary approach-

read more highbrow comic books and make an argument for comic books as literature... If you were going to teach the course that way, I think you would probably not bother to teach superheroes. I think that would be a mistake,” “So much of graphic material is made up of the superhero genre. It would be wrong to just ignore it,” he added. Talking about the teaching pat-

Dalhousie University is set to introduce a new course Comics and Cartoons that will trace the history of cartoons and comics

tern he said, “I was thinking I was going to do a unit on Wonder Woman. Is Wonder Woman a strong feminist figure, or is she a kind of a sex kitten? ... (William Moulton) Marston, the creator, was really into S and M, he loved being tied up ... there’s some aspect of sexual titillation to the Wonder Woman character.” “For Batman, I’m going to do homosexuality ... There are some articles championing Batman as a sort of queer hero.” “(Frank) Miller’s Dark Knight Returns turns Robin into a woman... (Miller) really tries to avoid the whole Batman/Robin relationship.” A possible unit on Donald Duck will present the imperialist ideology. ■ ANI

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Monday, September 29, 2008

Town named after Obama

This day, that year

U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama is so popular in one American town that he’s had an area named after him. Olema can be found in Marin County, but local B+B owner Kelly Emery produced a new sign changing it to Obama and placed it on her property which is situated at the start of the area.

It was in September, 29, 1986 that Mary Lou Retton, who in the 1984 Olympics stunned audiences with perfect 10 scores, retired from the world of gymnastics.

Child marriage in UK? Brit children as young as nine are compelled into wedlock by families, according to official figures

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t’s shocking, but true! British children as young as nine “are being compelled into wedlock by their families” against their will. This revelation came as official figures disclosed that nearly 60 children, all aged 15 or under, were rescued by the British government’s Forced Marriage Unit in the past four years. The cases fuel concerns, initially raised earlier this year, that a number of children are disappearing from British schools to be forced into marriage overseas, leading newspaper ‘The Sunday Telegraph’ reported. A charity which runs a national helpline on forced marriage, Karma Nirvana, has revealed that in one incident a nine-yearold girl from a Pakistani family in east Midlands was taken into care after her parents told her she was to wed. Jasvinder Sanghera, the Director of Karma Nirvana, said that on average four children a month aged under 16 have con-

China astronauts return after historic mission

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hree astronauts who conducted China’s first-ever space walk landed safely back on Chinese soil on Sunday, state media reported. The descent capsule of the Shenzhou VII spacecraft was seen drifting down onto a landing in northern China’s Inner Mongolia region in footage broadcast live on state-run CCTV. All three men were all in good health after the landing on the region’s open plains, China’s offi-

cial Xinhua news agency said. Their return came a day after commander Zhai Zhigang made China just the third country to conduct a spacewalk, after the United States and the former Soviet Union four decades ago. The astronauts’ apparently flawless return brings a successful conclusion to a mission that has been hailed in China as a landmark in the country’s quest to become a space power. ■ AFP

tacted its helpline since it launched in April. “The youngest child we have dealt with was nine years old. The girl told her teacher she was going to be forced to marry someone and initially she was not believed. Ultimately, with the help of the Forced Marriage Unit, she was dealt with through child protection procedures. “You don’t just get forced into a marriage at 16 or 17; this is happening to very young children. We certainly have had cases of minors being sexually abused. If you are forced into marriage as a minor you will be multiple-raped, because as a child you are legally unable to give consent,” she was quoted as saying. In fact, the Forced Marriage Unit has helped rescue 58 underage children since it’s set up in January 2005, including 11 under-16s so far this year. The youngest victim this year was 13, one was 14 and nine were 15. ■

Leisure time

쒀 A Royal Bengal tiger cub plays with its mother at Assam State Zoo in Guwahati on Saturday. PTI PHOTO

PTI

08 SPORT

ERGO Monday, September 29, 2008

Atwal signs off tied 36th Arjun Atwal turned in his worst card of the week – a three-over 73 in the final round – to sign off tied 36th at the Asian and Japan Tour co-sanctioned Asia-Pacific Panasonic Open on Sunday. The Orlando-based Indian golfer ended his campaign with a total of two-under 278 at the Ibaraki Country Club.

Queensland rout Knight Riders Out-of-favour Australian allrounder Andrew Symonds made very little impact as Queensland defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by seven-wicket in the Twenty20 double header in Brisbane. Making a comeback on Saturday after the infamous “gone fishing” episode, Symonds had figures of (0/8) off four overs with the ball, but failed miserably with the bat, scoring just two. Meanwhile, in the match, batting first the Knight Riders were restricted to 79 for eight off their 20 overs, with the Kolkata side’s coach John Buchanan’s son, Michael top scoring with 16. Disappointingly, only four Knight Riders batsmen managed to reach double figures. Chasing the modest target, Queensland had no hiccups as Clinton Perren cracked an unbeaten 50 to see his side through by the eighth over. PTI

I have no plans to retire from ODIs: Hayden Dismissing suggestions that he has become a spent force in one-day cricket, Australian opener Matthew Hayden has said he has no plans to retire from the shorter version of the game although national selectors are in jeopardy about his future. “The big thing is I haven’t lost my passion for one-day cricket and while I’m performing there, I’ll keep playing it,” Hayden was quoted as saying by the Herald Sun. “The significant part of my decision is whether Matthew Hayden is affecting the team negatively in the run to the World Cup? I don’t see that being a consideration yet. I’m as motivated now as I’ve ever been. That’s really driving my insatiable appetite for runs,” he added. Recently Hayden’s tenure in Australian team has come under scanner with both Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson knocking the doors of the selectors for the opening slot in the run to the 2011 World Cup. PTI

Gebrselassie sets new marathon record Ethiopia’s Haile Gebrselassie shattered his own world marathon record in Berlin on Sunday when he became the first man to run under two hours four minutes. Gebrselassie clocked an official time of two hours three minutes 59 seconds to beat the time of 2:04:26 he set in Berlin 12 months ago, when he took the world record from Paul Tergat. Gebrselassie, who opted not to run the marathon at last month’s Beijing Olympics because of concerns about the pollution, dropped the last of his challengers with around six kilometres left and his victory was never in doubt. Reuters

DOCTOR

wins again Rossi wins sixth world title with Japan GP win

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talian Yamaha ace Valentino Rossi won his sixth world premier-class title here Sunday when he beat defending champion Casey Stoner in the Japanese Grand Prix. Rossi overtook the Australian Ducati rider on the 14th of 24 laps and never looked back, taking the title with his eighth MotoGP win of the season in 43min 09.599sec with Stoner 1.943 sec behind. Honda rider Dani Pedrosa of Spain finished third 2.923 sec further back. It was Rossi’s fifth straight GP win and his first MotoGP title in three years, after missing out to

American Honda rider Nicky Hayden in 2006 and Stoner last year. Rossi put a lock on the title with an unbeatable 92 point lead over Stoner with three races left in the season. A win is worth 25 points. The 29-year-old, nicknamed “Doctor” for his meticulous planning and racing, won his first premier-class title, then the 500cc, riding for Honda in 2001. He successfully defended his crown four straight times after the category was changed to the four-stroke MotoGP in 2002. He moved to Yamaha in 2004. Stoner jumped from the second

spot on the front row to go first around the bend on the 4.8-kilometre (three-mile) stop-and-go Twin Ring Motegi track under overcast skies. But Pedrosa overtook him on the second lap, with Rossi trailing in their slipstream. Then Stoner, who has won four GPs so far this year but missed the podium in the last three races, grabbed back the lead with Rossi in second on the sixth lap. Rossi made the race his on lap 14, passing Stoner around the first corner and holding on to take the chequered flag and the title. ■

Valentino Rossi celebrates after winning the MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix at the Motegi Circuit. AFP

AFP

09

Monday, September 29, 2008

‘‘Real,

When I was given the vice-captaincy, I knew part of that role was making sure you put the team first. The one thing that has probably been misinterpreted is that I didn’t make the decision to send Andrew Symonds home on my own, it was the leadership group. We believed and still believe it was best for the team and best for Symmo as well. Australian vice-captain Michael Clarke

S

Barca grab late winners

But Villareal lead points table

panish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid grabbed last-gasp 2-1 victories after a rash of red cards and crowd trouble in the Primera Liga on Saturday. Barcelona came from behind to beat Espanyol with a Lionel Messi penalty at the Montjuic stadium. The game turned around after crowd disturbances forced the referee to take the players off the pitch for almost 10 minutes. Ruud van Nistelrooy gave Real Madrid the points at Real Betis, where each team had a player sent off, to keep the champions a point behind leaders Villarreal who won 1-0 at promoted Sporting Gijon thanks to striker Giuseppe Rossi. Villarreal have 13 points from five games but, with the bulk of the weekend matches being played on Sunday, Valencia could regain top spot if they win at home to Deportivo Coruna. Barcelona, who face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions league on Wednesday, are in third place two points behind Real Madrid. They were losing 0-1 at Espanyol when television pictures showed a flare being lobbed from the upper stand towards the fans below, leading referee Medina Cantalejo to stop the match. Thierry Henry equalised after the game restarted when he picked up a long Xavi pass. Espanyol’s Cameroon goalkeeper Carlos Kameni denied the France striker from close range but the ball rebounded off Daniel Jarque to land at Henry’s feet. Messi scored from the spot in the fifth minute of stoppage time after striker Samuel Eto’o was brought down. Barca keeper Victor Valdes had gifted Espanyol the lead in the 20th minute when he

Real Madrid’s Heinze (left) celebrates with teammate Diarra (right) and Raul (centre) after scoring a goal during their Spanish league match at the Ruiz de Lopera’s stadium in Sevilla. AFP

palmed the ball to Ferran Corominas.

Red cards Real, who visit UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League on Tuesday, had a hard time collecting the points in Seville after a convincing first half performance. Their Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a close-range header that flew inside the far post after a free kick from the left by Ruben de la Red. Betis equalised early in the second period when Madrid’s Brazilian defender Marcelo conceded a penalty and was sent off after a reckless challenge from behind on Damia Abella. Casillas got a hand to Sergio Garcia’s spot kick but the Betis striker slammed the rebound into the net. Garcia was then sent off after being shown a second yellow card in the 82nd minute for a tackle on substitute midfielder Royston Drenthe. In stoppage time, Van Nistelrooy beat his marker Juanito with a powerful run down the right and fired a low cross shot past Castro Espinosa to secure the points for the visitors. Villarreal, who host Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday, had to wait until the second half before opening the score at Gijon when Italian Rossi picked up a loose ball in the area and gave Sporting goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar no chance. It was a frustrating night for Sporting whose Croatian striker Mate Bilic spurned several chances. They are rooted to the bottom without a point, having already conceded 20 goals. ■ Reuters

10 FLICK

ERGO Monday, September 29, 2008

Wit of Newman Paul Newman on death: “I picture my epitaph: ‘Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown.’”

The true blue-eyed boy

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aul Newman, a Hollywood legend beloved for his piercing blue eyes and roguish charm, has died after losing his fight with cancer. He was 83. Newman played youthful rebels, charming rogues, goldenhearted drunks and amoral opportunists in a career that encompassed more than 50 movies. He was one of the most popular and consistently bankable Hollywood stars in the second half of the 20th century. Newman was also a philanthropist, a health food mogul – he once quipped that his salad dressing was making more money than his movies – a race car enthusiast and a leftist political activist. Newman won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1987, late in his career, for his role as a pool shark named ‘Fast Eddie’ in Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money, co-starring Tom Cruise. Many critics at the time said he was really being awarded the Oscar belatedly for his original

Robert Redford (L) and Paul Newman in a scene from ’Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ performance of the same smarmy character in the 1961 movie The Hustler. Born Paul Leonard Newman on January 26, 1925 in Shaker Heights, Ohio into a comfortable middle-class family – his father ran a successful sporting goods chain – Newman acted in school plays as a youth. He joined the navy in World War II wanting to be a pilot, but tests showed that he was colourblind. Instead he served as a rearseat radioman and tail gunner aboard Avenger torpedo bombers in the Pacific theatre.

Newman’s film career almost ended with his first movie – he considered his performance in the sword-and-sandal 1954 drama The Chalice so mediocre he paid for a page-size ad in a Hollywood trade publication to apologise. Newman redeemed himself in his next movie, Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), a portrayal of boxer Rocky Graziano, and by 1958 was nominated for an Oscar with a smouldering performance in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, starring alongside Elizabeth Taylor. A committed liberal, Newman openly campaigned for several Democratic Party candidates – which got him onto Republican president Richard Nixon’s famous list of enemies in the 1970s, something he described as “the highest single honor I’ve ever received.” Newman had six children, three from an early marriage that ended in divorce and three with actress Joanne Woodward, whom he married in 1958. He had five daughters and one son, Scott, who died of a drug overdose in 1978. Had he ever been tempted to stray during his long marriage? “Why fool around with hamburger when you have steak at home?” he told an interviewer. Newman became interested in auto racing while filming the movie Winning in 1968, and quickly became a race car enthusiast. Over the years he won four Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) championships and competed in the famous Le Mans 24 Hour race. Newman retired from movie acting in 2007, at the age of 82. “You start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your invention. So I think that’s pretty much a closed book for me,” Newman told ABC News in an interview, referring to his acting career. ■ AFP

Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor in ‘Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’

Paul Newman dead at 83; industry pays tribute

‘‘ ‘‘ ‘‘ ‘‘

He was my hero. Julia Roberts

Earlier, I read a quote from him which I find to be really amusing. It speaks so much to who he is. He said that regardless of his status, he was always a character actor – he just looked like Little Red Riding Hood. Russell Crowe

There is a point where feelings go beyond words. I have lost a real friend. My life – and this country – is better for his being in it. Robert Redford

The ultimate cool guy, who men wanted to be like and women adored… He was an American icon, a brilliant actor, a Renaissance man and a generous but modest philanthropist. Arnold Schwarzenegger

He set the bar too high for the rest of us. Not just actors, but all of us. George Clooney

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Monday, September 29, 2008

Who needs this painting? A self-portrait by Kate Moss, drawn with lipstick and marked with her lip prints, failed to sell at auction on Saturday, said the auction house Lyon & Turnbull, with the highest bid of 25,000 pounds falling way below the reserve price. The canvas portrait also features stains of blood belonging to rocker Doherty, who in addition has inscribed the words: “Who needs blood when you’ve got lipstick?” AFP

Cine City

With love, from Dad Heath Ledger’s estate to go to daughter

H

ANI

Illayaraja to croon for Simbu The latest news about Silambattam is that Illayaraja would lend his voice for Silambarasan in the movie. Singing along with him is Shreya Ghosal. The song will be picturised on Silambarasan and Sneha. Sources close to the team say that the melodious song “Konduputta konduputta” has come out very well and is sure to top the charts. The movie has raised the expectation levels of Simbu fans following the star’s decision to showcase three songs on popular websites.

Ash sizzles in Vogue Falling in line with Bipasha Basu, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Podukone and Preity Zinta, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is appearing on the cover of Vogue India. Ash has been photographed by ace lensman Farrokh Chothia for the October issue of the magazine. The shoot was done in London. The actress’ make-up was done by Denise Rabor with hairstylist Josh Wood. www.cinesnacks.com GETTY IMAGES

eath Ledger’s two-year-old daughter Matilda Rose will inherit the late Australian actor’s entire estate, estimated to be worth 20 million dollars (16.6 million US), a report said on Sunday. The 28-year-old actor, who died in New York in January from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs, had named his parents and sisters as the beneficiaries in his will, Perth’s Sunday Times reported. The will, which has been probated behind closed doors at the Supreme Court in Perth, was made before Matilda was born, and there had been speculation that the child’s mother, actress Michelle Williams, would lodge a claim. But Ledger’s father Kim has put an end to such speculation, revealing that Matilda will inherit the lot. “There is no claim. Our family has gifted everything to Matilda,” he told the News Ltd paper. Ledger’s will listed just 145,000 Australian dollars in assets and cash when it was drawn up in 2003, but the Hollywood star’s estate is now believed to be worth more than 20 million dollars, the Sunday Times said. ■

12 SCAN

ERGO Monday, September 29, 2008

Friday’s question: If Superstar was a software engineer, what would be his punch dialogue? You can find key in key board but you cannot find mother in mother board Prasannaraj

"I am MR java one punch you will fall in the kava" ha ha.

"En uyir vazha naan ezhudraen software ... En uyir kaaka nan poduvaen hardware (helmet) ... if super star wanted to spread awareness of wearing helmet 9840127567

kanna having domain knowledge without technical and technical knowledge without domain is jujubi in this software industry. samshodh i nautix.

PM, Jis school mai tumne java sikhi hai, hum us school ke head master reh chuke hai.

Carl ,ALLSEC

Naa Offìce ku late ta vandhalun latest software oda varuven! Sarah Allsec

Bugs are like gals we don’t know when it comes, where it comes, why it comes but the fix is like boys it can be solved wherever it comes whenever it comes by whoever it comes

Padmavijayan.S, HCL

Program execute panna varum Output(u)... Daily aguthu power cut(u)... Robo vantha padam Super Hit(u) Baskar, Cybernet Slash Support

Super star says to boss, i can walk with java, sleep with java, talk with java, but i wont code with java, because my son in law has already acted that part. 9894369726

Adhigama bug podura tester um, alavukku adhigama fix pannura developer um appraisal la 3 ku mela vaanginadhaa sarithiram illa. Idhu eppadi irukku. Nataraj, Changepond Tech

Kanna.. Coding azhuthuna varum Error. Nan kova patta varum fire.

Magesh

9003028708

Developer who stays late night and project manager who comes earlier to the office will never lead a good life surya selvaraj, wipro technologies

Dialogue. U can find bugs in my code, but u can’t find thugs (rowdies) in my ode (area) Aizy.,TCS

My code... Private code... You can’t cut and paste

Ranjani Infosys

"Highly tensioned Project Manager or a lengthy coding Programmer can never complete a Project successfully" 9884093005

Kanna oduradu hardware analum oturadu software than. 9884098915

Benefit ilatha project um system munadi utkanthu scene podra software engineer um nalla iruntha sarithiramey ila M.Nithya FBSC

Panniga thaan kootama code adippange singam singam singlaa adippange ARUN TITTO TCS

Keys dan panninga madri kootama irukum, mouse singam madri single ah dan irukum Radhika Santhanam

"Kanna Virus than kootama varum, Anti virus single la than varum".... Idhu Eppudi irukku? Scientist, TCS

En code - buggy code! Clone pannadhe ! Ram NJ, Hexaware

Srisangeetha Santhanam, Spartan, RR DONNELLEY

A mechanical engineer can become a mechanic but a software engineer cannot become a software! 9962158257

Alavukku adhikama code pannara programmerum, Alavukku adhikama defect raise pannara testerum, nalla vanzhthatha sarithiramme illai. Abhishek

Kanna, Nan TL-ah(Team Leader) Pathu work Pandravan illa Nan DL-ah (Dead Line) pathu work panravan Senthyl Ergo Pick

"Naa paakathan hardware maathri irrupaen aana en manasu software. edhu eppadi irruku!"

Murugakumar, FSS

Hi buddy, Extremely code writing Developer and Extremely bug posting Tester never had a peaceful life in history !!! (How is it? ) sunitha.. Changepond Tech

Log on and register at goergo.ning.com

Thirumalaiselvi Nambivel

D- Padma Gopal, CTS

Adhigama leave podra employee um adhigama vela kudukara supervisor um oththumaya vaazhndhadha sarithrame illa!

Group alert: “My Favourite Movie”, created by Raja.

Kanna! Life la punchu benchu thaana namala thedi varanum... Namma thedi pogakudadhu!

"C" ku aparam "C++" Rajini ku aparam no ++

Kanna, if you work hard it is pay slippu... If you hardly work... Then pink slippu .... Pink slippu na life slippu.... You Decide which slip you want.

Active Forum question: Government approach to Railways, posted by Srinivasan of Sify Technologies Limited “What other news would you like to see in our tabloid,” posted by S.Karthik

athigama projectla akkara eduthukara TL um, unmaiya projectla kasta pattu uzhaikira DEVELOPER um uruputtatha sarithirame illa.

Baskar, Cybernet Slash Support

If I reply in a "Single Binary" which is equivalent to "Infinitive GB"

Latest member: K.Amba from Ajuba

Aditya, Satyam computer

Satish Ramco Systems

J to the A to the V to the A- JAVA: "Kannaa, you only know I’m a master in Java, but question me on that and I’ll turn into a red-hot lava; b’coz, when I write 1 command, there’ll be 100 errors in it"

Updates from our Ning Network

Anitha CSS corp

Today’s query Your favourite sentence to put off tele-marketing calls …

Is there an angel in your office - ideally it could be a behind the scenes staff - an office attender or a cleaner. Some one who is there all the time, helping, but their presence is taken for granted. Feature them here, and give them their due. Send your emails to [email protected] with subject line: "Office Angel"

13

Monday, September 29, 2008

I regularly follow the ClickPick corner in Ergo. However, I’m dismayed by the choice of today’s (26, September) photo. I wonder, do we have such a dearth of good photographs or have I mis-understood the purpose of this corner? I hope ClickPick remains a “platform for people who think they can be terrific photographers” rather than degenerate into column featuring arbitrary pics (which have nothing to do with “photography”) and supposedly smart captions. Kaliyuga Easwarasamy V Irevna Research Services Hi Small Suggestion, can you allocate some separate column for Mokkai or Kaddi Jokes. Ramya.R (Your wish is our command, Ramya.) Hi, This is with regards to feedback on the daily ergo that I receive. On a personal note I would like to say that ERGO is doing a great job circulating the latest happenings in the city. I would just like to find out all the leading tennis coaching centers in Chennai. Uma.N. (We will publish it soon. Thanks) Hi, Few days back there was an article on YCAM (Carnatic Music Association). Can you please give me their contact detail? Priya (You can contact Ethirajan on 98402 11166 or Rithvik on 98842 34740) Thanks to everyone and keep the feedback rolling

Dear Ashok, Many more happy returns of the day. We wish all the best for your days ahead. Wishes from Pradeep, Sanjay and Prasad TCS

Dear Robin, Blowing out candles is good exercise for lungs" Wish U a Very Happy Birthday Child Wishes from Team RAP Wipro

Hi Thanjavur Rani, Iniya pirandha Naal nalvazhthugal Magarani.. Un kanavugal ellam vegu viraivil ninaivaga engal ullam kanindha nal vazhthugal. Regards, PPPP Gang Wipro Technologies

Dear Robin, May your birthday brings tremendous growth opportunities for your career. Wishing you progress and prosperity in every step of your life" Aman Dwivedy WIPRO Ltd.

Dear Uma! It’s a lovely and a special day today just because it’s your birthday. May every dream of yours come true. A warm birthday wishes from all of us! Chill Cheers Cognizant-Team LRAMDW

Hey Mr.DJ, Lovely wishes from team ESCS to our Fun @ Work Dhada Naveen. Happy Birthday Naveen… :-) Mothilal, Ramco systems

Be a talent scout for Ergo and identify talent within your office. Nominate a colleague and his special talent ... it could be singing, sketching, racing, etc ... send us his/her photo along with talent and suprise them by featuring on my.ergo. Emails can be sent to [email protected] with subject line "Talent Scout".

Dear Sridhar.R(Centrica project, Cognizant), I wish you a many more happy returns of the day, I wish u wonderful years going to come on ur way. With Love, Guess Meeeee!!!

Hi Dinesh, Many More Happppppppppy Returns of the day and May God Bless you on this lovely day. We are wishing you another year of laughter ,joy,fun,love ,surprises and happiness. We pray for your success and joy...!!!!!!!!! Have a blooming year ahead......:)

What is the opposite of “MAZHAIMEGAM” Mazhai may not come send in your mokkai to [email protected] with subjectline: Mokkai

With loads of love, Srujana, Navneetha,Srikanth, Suresh, Namratha,, TCS Chennai.

Dear Chandra, Wishing you a very ’Happy Birthday’ Let

this birthday bring all sort of joy and happiness in your life. With best wishes & Prayers, Sekhar

Dear HARI (THE ULTIMATE WARRIOR) Wish U Many More Happy Retuns Of The Day.Lets this birthday brings u all sort of happyness of your life. With Warm Wishes from 3B "BACK SEAT BOYS" Wipro Technologies.

Hi Terror (Rahul), You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt, As young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear, As young as your hope, as old as your despair. We wish u a belated happy birthday… With best wishes, Revathy, Shahoul, Anitha, Clara, Nirupa Remmi, Ram, Anita Reddy, Ashok, Gokila, Bharagavi Infosys Technologies Ltd.

Dear Sathya & Sukumar, Welcome back to start the second innings with love and fun:-) Happy married life... With Love, Lakshu, Ranju, Varshu, Kalai, Leka n Abi ( from: Ranjitha.R, Wipro Technologies)

Hi Sowmya , Belated Happy b’daY !!!! This day may brings u success without delay,loads of joy to stay and sufficient time to pray.. Have a great year ahead!!!!! All the very best for ur future endeavours!! With Best and Hearty wishes , UnikornZ Gang - HCL Technologies(CODC-2)

Hi Sudha My dear chocolate friend ’Happy Birth day’ wish u a day brings the best in life for u.May life lead u to great happiness and success. Have a lovely birthday MCSD TEAM, Caliber point business solution limited

Hi Divakar, Many More Happy returns of the day!!!!! Best wish for a great career ahead!!!!!!!!! Cheers NICE SPRF Team & NICE OM Team (Cognizant)

Dear Ashwin, PIRANDHA NAAL NAL VAZHTHUKAL, PUTTINA ROJU SUBHAKANKSHALU JANMADHIN MUBHAARAKH WISH U HAPPY BIRTHDAY Let this birthday brings you lot of happiness in your life Hearty wishes from Mani, Anandh, KiranmaiGoda,Neelima,Madhu TCS, KARAPAKKAM

14 TRAFFIC JAM

ERGO Monday, September 29, 2008

Lego obsessive An English man has amassed Britain’s biggest private collection of Lego - containing over two million bricks. Darren Smith, 32, started collecting the building blocks when he was given a set for Christmas when he was five.

sudoku

Sangeetha S of Cognizant has sent this picture of the Brihadeshwara Temple, Tanjore clicked by her fiancee, R. Arunkumar of Infosys. Arun’s hobbies include painting and photography. Click Pick is celebrating Wildlife Week from October 2 to 15. So make sure you send your best nature photographs for the coming issues. 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: [email protected]

TEAM Editor: Karthik Subramanian [email protected]

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 Head of Advertising: Sriya Narayanan [email protected]

Head of Circulation: M.G.M. Sharief [email protected]

SNAIL MAIL 859/860, Anna Salai, Chennai - 600 002 mail your feedback to [email protected]

FAX 2857 6691 ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES Call our Advertisement Manager at 2857 6695. email: [email protected] Website: www.goergo.in

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf of 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

KAKURO

15

Monday, September 29, 2008

Pet chews go political A pet food company has come up with a novel way of gauging the popularity of the country’s politicians ahead of a forthcoming election - by making rubber chew toys for dogs in their likeness. Owners will be able to see which candidate their pets prefer to knaw on.

Word’s worth

"Xenology" (zuh-nah-luh-jee) the scientific study of extra terrestrial phenomena. Mainly used in science fiction, the term comes from a Greek word meaning ’strange’: other English words that are based on this root include xenophobia, the intense or irrational dislike or fear of people from other countries, and xeno transplantation, the grafting or transplanting of organs or tissues between members of different species.

B.C ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20 If at all there is a situation where you feel confused, don’t hesitate in asking for help. Ganesha feels that your superiors will be more than happy to help you out. On the love front, you might have to sweet talk your beloved or get special gifts.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20 Your demonstrative speech will impress others in meetings. Ganesha feels these meetings might change your perception towards abilities of other people. You might have important or career related discussions with your beloved.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20 Ganesha feels that you should focus on communications at work today. Hence, try to avoid direct talk with colleagues. Similarly, in personal life try to avoid nagging. Handle professional and personal issues, with utmost care.

BORN LOSER

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20 The best way for luck to show up, is to have patience. Ganesha notes that if you become impatient you may to waste time. Also, do not force your views on others. Love life may witness a few rough moments. You are advised to take it easy.

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20 Sentiments might drench you in the morning. Interestingly, the noon may appear with a paradox. You will be practical towards your final objective later during the day. Love life may take a back seat, as now career growth is of prime importance.

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

FREE RANGE

WORKING IT OUT

You may feel like giving unwanted advises today, most of which will go in vain. You may not only feel philosophical, but will also focus on loss and gain at work. On the relationship front, you may wish to establish spiritual union with your partner.

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20 When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Focus on the solutions than the problems. Some sudden errors may pop up, but nothing to be bothered about. The evening will be splendid as Ganesha foresees you in company of good friends.

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20 A positive change in your work style! That is good news as you will be able to balance your personal and professional life. You have an uncanny ability of judging people but not be ‘black and white’ with people. Try to avoid arguments with your partner.

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20 You seem to be in an esoteric mood today. You might feel uninterested in taking up heavy or serious issues. Office might seem boring unless you take onus of doing something new. Romantic life may not witness any changes.

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20 Ganesha insists that you should focus more on long term plans. You might become more practical at work, but your relationship might face a serious contemplation. Ganesha thinks this be good to improve understanding between you and father.

PREVIOUS ISSUE’S SOLUTIONS

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20 Ganesha finds you full of life. You might get opportunities to learn new things at work. Ganesha finds you in a cheerful mood all day long. You may develop skills on the personal front to maintain harmonious relationships. A cheerful day ahead!

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20 You might have to put in a lot of efforts for arranging meetings. Post lunch important discussions with colleagues might keep you occupied. But never mind, evening will be pleasant. Your beloved and you will have a friendly give-and-take of ideas. Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni

16 !

ERGO Monday, September 29, 2008

Octogenarian bombarded with 220lb junk mail! An elderly woman was bombarded with 5000 letters weighing 220LB after she replied to a mail from a crooked company. The British woman in her eighties received about 5000 letters claiming she had won a lottery and other letters promised a cure for cancer, reports TimesOnline. The letters sent to the unnamed woman living in Verwood, Dorset hoarded eight bin bags full of letters, which were found by her carer after six months. The local trading standards department has seized the letters. ANI

Queen to spend £7m on private royal jet The Queen has decided to shell out 7 million pounds on her own private jet - the first of her 50-year reign. The move was made after the royal was fed up of sharing VIP jets with government and military officials. Her Majesty often had to wait in line after the official representatives, causing her and other royals to hire other planes at the last minute at immense public cost. The 7 million pound ‘Monarch Air’, which will be solely for the royal family and its pets, shall be her first privately owned jet in her 50-year reign. The 82-year old Queen has offered a tender to luxury aircraft makers for the royal design and shall personally finalise it by Christmas. “For the first time in her 50-year reign, Her Majesty has decided to buy her own plane,” the Sun quoted a source as saying. ANI