Ergo September 5

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Friday, September 5, 2008A BYTE OF LIFE

POCKET FRIENDLYNow pockets even come onevening gowns

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 172

SPOT THE DIFFERENCEPulsar to Hayabusa, almost

0912

WALL-E

Page 04

Page 19Review


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Union Minister for Science and Technology and Earth SciencesKapil Sibal, and Kanimozhi MP. and Poet PHOTO S_THANTHONI

I t resulted out of bore-dom. Theres only somuch you can do on aight. Kapil Sibal, Union

Minister for Science and Tech-nology and Minister of Earth Sci-ences, was speaking on I Witness:Partial Observations , a collectionof poems the history teacher-turned-lawyer-turned-politiciantyped on his mobile phone. Par-tial, because the minister admitsthat the views expressed are sole-ly his own and not universaltruths.

At a book-reading session heldat Landmark, Nungambakkam,on Tuesday, Kapil Sibal read po-

ems from his anthology, the oneon the tsunami kick-starting theevening. MP Kanimozhi was alsopresent.

I wrote these poems mostly for self-entertainment. In May 2008, I was reading these poemsto a small gathering, when a jour-nalist suggested that I publishthem. At that point of time I hadonly 15-20 poems ready. By June Ihad 30-35. Then KhushwantSingh told me to publish themThe publisher of Roli Books askedme to send 100 by the end of Ju-ly, recalled Sibal.

On Kanimozhis query on how it felt to be a poet, Sibal said, Idont consider myself a poet. Si-bal calls his anthology a satireon India and covers topics like

politics, architecture, feminism,terrorism and love.

A few of the poems that theminister read to the gathering in-cluded Live Memories (on theimportance of a hand-pennedlove letter over an SMS), Left MeMidway (on his late wife) andSunday (an observation of therituals that an average family goes through on Sunday).

Universal Mom and My Very Own Journey are about the needfor parents to let go of theirchilds hand. Theres even one onnanotechnology! Dening Mo-ments is his dig on politicians,lawyers and journalists.

Looking at things from afar isessential to preserve the beauty of things, he said.

Long plane journeys resulted in I Witness: Partial Observations, Kapil Sibalscollection of poemsERGO [email protected]

The observers chronicles

Friday, September 5, 2008

Recalling those good timesIIT-Madras Alumni Association to host alumni conclaveERGO [email protected]

There is over two months be-fore IIT-Madras plays hoststo the PanIIT 2008, but be-fore that if you are longing

to catch up with you old collegemates then the IIT Madras Alum-ni Association get-together ishere. The old students of IIT-Ma-dras will play host to the rstalumni-student conclave on Sep-tember 6, where it hopes to dee-

pen the strength between itsalumni and students.Over 700 alumni and 500 stu-

dents are expected to take part inthe meet which will also see arange of fun events. The conclavepromises to be a great place tonetwork especially if you are abudding entrepreneur.

A panel discussion on Entre-preneurship with Subroto Bag-chi of Mindtree and SriniNageshwar, founder of medicaltechnology start-up, DyAnsys,will be held in the rst half of theday. The meet will also showcasesome of the initiatives of the as-sociation to foster and supportentrepreneurship amongst itsalumni and students.

A number of projects to be un-

dertaken by the alumni as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrationsof IIT Madras will be other high-light of the day-long meet. Pro- jects to be highlighted at theevent include: a water resourcemanagement programme, aneducation programme for help-ing rural schools, a seminar seriesconducted by the alumnithroughout the year and a book documenting the 50-year history of IIT Madras. The event is opento alumni from all the seven IITs,

and is a prelude to the three-day PanIIT 2008.

17 events, 68 categories, your chanceto win some medals for your company

When, Where, What When: September 6; 9 a.m. Where: IIT Campus Where: Alumni meetContact: 22578391 or [email protected]

A registration fee of Rs.250 and Rs. 300 (on-the-spot registration) will becharged.


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They all occupy different seats of

power, yet these executiveslook back up to their teachers for lessons in life. Ergo spoke to sometop guns of the city who recall their favourite classroom moments.

A toast to teachers

ERGO Friday, September 5, 2008

Big Story04

Give a man a sh and you feed him for a day; teach a man howto sh and you feed him for a lifetime. Thats exactly what a

teacher has done for us and we celebrate this joyous occasion inremembrance of the greatest teachers of India on his birthday.

Dr. S. Radhakrishn

How Maths becamemy favourite

Each morning, what I look for-ward most is the hour when I

would be in front of my class. As ateacher, one has an opportunity to shape young minds. The big-gest joy is therefore when onesees a twinkle in eyes of the stu-

dents as one tries to get across adifcult concept. One feels thatone has done the days work well.

Shaping the minds is exactly what my teachers did when I wasyoung. I remember my Hindi

teacher, L.V. Singh distinctly. Hewould teach us Hindi literature

and convey to us how literature isreection of the society of theday. It is he who introduced meto Premchand and therefore torural India. Through SubhadraKumari Chauhan, he taught usthe concept of karma andthrough Jayashankar Prasad hetaught us the ups and downs of life.

My English teacher, Father

Carlson, taught us to take respon-sibility of ones action. My sportsteacher, Lawrence, impressedupon us to work as a team andtaught us that alone one canachieve so little, even in individu-al sports. And I can not forgetmy uncle who taught me Mathe-matics, when I was barely ve mathematical techniques which Inever knew that I would not learnduring my formal training, andsomething which will makemathematics my favourite sub-ject. Today all I can say is that my teachers not only shaped my mind, but also my life.

Jhunjhunwala, Professor, IIT- Madras

Rock climbing andchanting in class

I studied at Rishi Valley Schooland my favourite teacher was Venks Sir (Mr.Venkatachalam)our Physics teacher. He not only taught us Physics but also took ushiking, rock climbing and taughtus chanting. He would organisethe reworks at Diwali and with-out a doubt the cleaning up after.He is one of the most versatilepeople I have met. He not only made physics fun, but also taughtme to look at life positively andalso brought in me a CAN DOattitude. To sum up he was always cheerful and full of life.

R. Ramaraj, Senior Advisor SequoiaCapital, India

That Anglo-Indianteacher

I still recall my Anglo-Indianteacher who taught me at T.R.V.Middle School, Royapuram inClass III. Today, though theschool does not exist, her wordsstill linger in my ears. Miss Rose-line used to tell us that the great-est satisfaction she prides as ateacher was to hear that her for-mer students occupy respectablepositions. That kind of got intomy head and thats probably my greatest inspiration.

J. Murugavel, Founder and CEO,Consim Info Pvt. Ltd

Breathing life intoEconomics

What is missing in todaysteachers is patience, that skill toimpart knowledge in an inspiring way. One of my English teachersin H.S.S Muthugapatti, Namakkaldistrict was Mr. Reddiar whotaught us that the right way tolearn English was to understand

its grammar, pronunciation andhandwriting everything thatgoes into appreciating the lan-guage. He used to even make us write on sand so that we wroteeach letter clearly.

My two favourites in St. Jo-sephs College, Tiruchy were Rev Father Dr. Sequiera and ProfessorThomas Srinivasan. The formertaught me English and his read-ing of Shakespeares TwelfthNight is still alive in my mind, al-though he never did repeat theperformance. And as for Profes-sor Srinivasan, it is because of him that I learnt Economics andbecame a University rank holder.

But my academic interest in

Economics was solely because of Professor Velayudam at Presiden-cy College. It was here that thesubject started to excite me, after which I moved on to complete aPhD at the University of Pitts-burgh under the guidance of Dr.Mark Pearlman and Dr. Marina Whitman.

My only problem with some of the teachers today is that they donot know how to transfer theirknowledge. It is all about generat-ing the highest marks and gearing children towards examinations, which is just marginally impor-tant.

Dr. Palani G. Periasamy,Chairman, PGP Group

The decisionmaker

G. Swaminathan was my Headmaster at SBKV HigherSecondary School, Coimba-tore. He is one person whom Iconsult in all the decisionsthat impact my life bothpersonal and ofcial. He wasresponsible for shaping my growing-up years and in kick-starting my professional ca-reer.

Vaidyanathan P, HR-Head,California Software Co. Ltd

(As told to Liffy Thomas and Mithra Suresh

Lessons for alifetime

Two of my teachers have lefan indelible impression on me.Dr. C. R. Muthukrishnan wasmy Computer Science professorsome 25 years ago at IIT-Madras.

One of the most intelligenpersons I have interacted with.He taught me programmingand his teaching was so uniquethat I never heard anybody elseteach as effectively as him.

Second is A.S. Lakshman Raomy history teacher at Sharada Vilas High School, Mysore. History became so alive with histeaching that it instilled patriot-ism in me.

B. Suresh Kamath, ManaginDirector, Laser Soft Infosystem


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Honouring teachersThe origins of Teacher Day are murky. Around 1944 Arkansas teacherMattye Whyte Woodridge began corresponding with political andeducation leaders about the need for a national day to honourteachers. Woodbridge wrote to Eleanor Roosevelt who in 1953persuaded the 81st Congress to proclaim a National Teacher Day.

GRAPHICS: R.PRATHAP


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For the tens of thousands of commu-ters who rely on Berlins crowdedsuburban trains the days of un-pleasant early-morning smells -from stale alcohol through reminders of last nights dinner to overpowering per-fumes - may soon be over, transport au-thorities said Thursday.

S-Bahn Berlin, the citys metropolitantransport company, aimed to tackle thesmells by introducing a special scent forthe trains.

Plans for the perfume are still in theinitial stage, with aroma tests planned forNovember. The idea surfaced in an in-house ideas competition, S-Bahnspokesman Burkhard Ahlert said. "It re-mains to be seen if we will also inviteexternal test sniffers to select ourfragrance."

The Paris transport system, the Metro,has had its own scent since 1999, whenMadeleine, smelling of lemons, orangesand lavender, was introduced.

Some 1.5 tons of Madeleine, named af-ter one of the stations and also a Frenchpastry, are mixed into cleaning uids andspread on station oors every month.

DPA

The Paris transport system, the Metro, has had its own scent since 1999

Berlins suburban trains to gettheir own fragrance

Four-year-old male elephant, Xiguang, became addicted todrugs in March 2005, after eating a banana smeared with heroin.

According to the China Daily,he was among six elephants

lured by animal smugglers along the Sino-Myanmar border.The report reveals that the

smugglers used the bananas asbait for the animals, which werebeing brought into Chinas De-hong Autonomous Prefecture of Dai and Jingpo nationalities.

The newspaper further saidthat the police captured the ele-phants in May the same year,and Xiguang was sent to a wildanimal protection centre in Hai-nan three months later, after he was conrmed to be suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

For a year, rehabilitation ex-perts gave Xiguang injections of methadone, at ve times humandoses, and the elephant has now

fully recovered. Xiguang is expected to arrive

at the Yunnan Wild Animal Park on Saturday after a 1,500-km journey home.

ANI

Jumbo kicks heroinaddiction after 3 yr rehab

An Afghan Muslim reads the Koran in a mosque in Kabul on September 4, 2008,during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Muslims all over the world aresupposed to go without food, drink, smoke and sex from sunrise to sunset duringthe month of Ramadan in order to purify themselves and concentrate their mind onIslamic teachings. AFP PHOTO/SHAH MARAI

Holy reading

Brit woman in skydive rstA British woman plans to make a parachute

jump over Mount Everest hoping to becomethe rst woman ever to skydive over theworlds highest peak.

This day that yearIt was on September 5, 1905 theTreaty of Portsmouth was signed byRussia and Japan to end the Russo-Japanese War.


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Technorama08

Full-featured, low-fat blowerdisrobes

The new Aliph Jawbone is half thesize of the previous model, and fea-tures even better noise cancellationtechnology, so youll be able to hear

those riders on the storm, evenduring particularly inclement weath-er. As an added bonus, its also oneof the relatively few hands-free setsthat wont make you look like you work in a drive-thru burger bar.

Rs 7,000*, www.jawbone.comGroove on wheels

Comic book launchTrust Google to do things the quirky way. For their much-talked aboutlaunch of the Chrome Internet Browser, Google opted to narrate thedevelopment in comic-book style. Just check out http://www.google.com/ chrome to see the 38-page comic book.

Imations portable has landed

Imations new Apollo Portable HardDrive comes with a midnight black-brushed surface. Weighing a merehalf a pound, it can pack all yourdata in its ultra-slim design.Featuring Total Media Back-

up software, the drive offersbackup, schedule, syn-chronise and restorefunctions with just aclick of the mouse.

Rs 4,500 onwards,www.imation-

southasia.com

Worlds slimmestsmartphone

Full-featured, low-fatblower disrobes

Think business-mindedsmart phones are duller thandry toast? Think again:Samsungs new i200 is asstylish as it is spreadsheet-friendly. Its 11.8mm depth makesit the skinniest Windows Mobile6.1 smartphone on the planet. Itsfriendly with Microsofts Ofcesoftware - thats Word, Excel,Powerpoint and Outlook - and

theres HSDPA to keep yourinternet connection nice n

speedy when youre on theroad. Finally, a light

sensor dims the2.3inch screensbacklight where

possible, minimising power consumption,

thereby appeasing eco-nazis.

Rs 17,000*,www.samsung.com

2 ask, 2 furious

Secrets in a ash, on a ask

No, thats not a hip ask, itsIomegas eGoT Leather PortableHard Drive. With its luxury leather casing it makes its low-rent, so-called rivals look aboutas exciting as, well, an externalhard drive. With 250GB of space, you can cram on a shedload of music and movies, as well as work les, if you must. Just donttry putting Scotch in it.

Rs 8,500*, www.iomega.com Jaw-jaw: Phwoar

Bling it on...

Blingy yet chic and on an attrac-tive metal chain, Transcend Jet-Flash V90P is the inultra-compact USB ash drive. With its 4GB memory capac-ity, stylish metal body andgolden faceplate with em-bossed pattern, itll give any fashion accessory a techcompetition. 50 Cents placed a bulk order, we reckon.

2GB, Rs. 700; 4GB, Rs 1,100, www.transcendusa.comLightning speed

First plug and play. Then sing and swing

Want to mix calling and music with driving? Get the Sony

MEXBT 3600U, a new Bluetooth and USB In-car CD tuner. You can plug in your USBpen drive in the front panelport and browse music lesvia an LCD interface, or youcan enjoy high-quality ster-eo audio via a Bluetoothcompatible Walkman ormobile phone with no con-necting wires. It even makeshands-free calling safe. Mu-sic is paused automatically when a call is accepted andmusic resumes when thecall is ended. Sing and drivesafely then...

Rs. 9,990, www.sony.co.inFlashy deal

Technology snippets rstappered in T3 magazine ofInfomedia Group

GADGETWATCH


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Suzuki Hayabusa, Yamaha R1,Honda CBR and Ducati Monsterare some of the fastest motor-cycles in the world. To own one

of these state-of-the-art speed andstyle monsters is a sports bike loversultimate dream. These machinescome with hefty price tags and,hence, remain a forbidden fruit formany in India. What if you are an en-thusiast and do not have the big bucks to get your dream machine?The answer could be customising ormodifying them.

Pulsars, Karizmas and CBZs takeshape into replicas of Hayabusas, R1sand CBRs in namma Chennai, thanksto some skilful custom motorcyclebuilders spread around the city.These men can turn your conven-tional two-wheeler into a look-alikeof your dream machine. The only catch in the conversion is the factthat the engine will remain more orless the same. The body, though,takes a shape beyond recognition.

Mohammad Jaffer Sha of Pudupetis one such replica bike builder, whohas converted more than 20 motor-cycles for his clients. He says hisclients come to him withtheir regular motorcyclesand demand it to beconverted into fancy look-alike superbikes of their

choice. The bike is completely dis-mantled, barring the engine, and theentire body is custom-made to matchthe original super bike as much aspossible, Jaffer adds.

The customisation process in-volves several stages. The bikesframe (chassis) is cut and widened toincrease the length of the vehicle . Im-ported forks, a wider swing arm,mono shock absorbers, imported al-loy wheels and wide tyres with frontdouble disc brakes and back singledisc brakes are tted. The bre fueltank and fairing (a stylish engineshield), which are usually mouldsreplicated after the original, are alsomounted on to the vehicle to give itthe nal touch. Both are given a fancy paint job and stickering.

The front meter panel of Karizma isusually preferred for the custom bikeas the panel is wider compared toother Indian bikes. Finally, twin cus-tom-made silencers are added (inmost cases the left one remains ashowpiece).

The customising could bring downthe fuel economy of your vehicle, butif it is looks that count for you thiscould be your resort.

If you have any specic queries oncustomising motorcycles, ping us at

[email protected]

When my Pulsar grew

up to be a Hayabusa

Dream of 1,300 cc bikes yet stuck with a 150cc decorative piece? Ergo proles the trend of moding the bikes to

make them look like the kick ass monsters

Original

Modied Pulsar


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to the butteries natural habitatas possible.

Apart from the aesthetics andrelaxing aspects of the garden,there are features that showcasethese winged beauties completelife cycle at designated areasaround the garden. They includeinformative panels of fascinating facts about butteries at the edu-cation corners, and feeding cor-ners where butteries can beobserved at a close range. Visitorscan also view caterpillars feeding at the breeding corner, and take apeek at the Emergence Enclo-sure, where adult butteriesemerge from their pupae.

A welcoming tropical sanc-

tuary right in the heart of Terminal 3 at the Changi Airport (Singapore) ofcial-

ly launched its new facility theButtery Garden in the heart of Terminal 3s Departure/TransitMall. The 330 square metre gar-den, designed as a tropical natureretreat, is home to more than1,000 free roaming butteries.One of the fascinating aspects of this garden is the opportunity forpassengers to observe the life cy-cle of butteries at close range.

The two-storey open-air andnon-smoking garden is fully en-closed by a curvilinear shaped

roof in stainless steel mesh andglass panels. They serve to keepthe butteries in, maintain ex-change of wind and natural air which is vital to the survival of butteries and maximise the but-teries ight activity. The timber walkway allows visitors to experi-ence the garden while the incor-porated waterfall feature helpskeep the garden cool.

A variety of 47 buttery speciesthat are native to Singapore andMalaysia were specially selectedfor the Buttery Garden. Thesefarm-bred butteries are friendly and receptive to human pres-ence. The garden is kept as close

Buttery garden PHOTO: AFP

Butteries to touristsButtery Garden in Singapore airport


A modern wonderThe echo of enlightenment, the thunder of nature andthe wonder of modern engineering, Nagarjunasagaris indeed a temple of modern India.

Located at a distance of 150 km from Hyderabad, isone of the most prominent Buddhist centres and a pop-ular tourist destination for anybody visiting Andhra Pra-desh. Known as Vijayapuri in earlier times, ,Nagarjunasagar takes its present name from Nagarjuna,one of the most revered Buddhist monks, who governedthe sangha or the area for nearly 60 years during the 2ndcentury AD. It is an archaeological treasure trove andvarious excavations carried out by the ArchaeologicalSurvey of India shows it as one of the main centres of Buddhist learning in the Deccan.

The Nagarjuna dam, completed in 1966, is 124 metreshigh and one km long and has 26 crest gates. The lake isthe third largest manmade lake in the world. One of theearliest hydro-electric projects of India, the Nagarjuna-sagar Dam is a symbol of modern Indias architecturaland technological triumphs over nature.

It is a great weekend destination from Hyderabad anda lot of resorts have cropped up in the vicinity providing great facilities.

An island called Nagarjuna konda is situated at themiddle of the reservoir and hosts a Buddhist museum.One can also visit the Ethipothala water falls locatednearly 15 km away from Nagarjuna Sagar en route toMacherla.

The writer works for IBS

N.JOSEPH NISHANTH

Gearing upSingapore is giving workers in the tourism sector a tune-up before tens of thousands ofauto racing fans descend on the city-state for the worlds rst Formula One Grand Prixnight race.Up to 2,000 supervisors who work in shops, bars, restaurants and tourist attractions willreceive the four-hour training.

Backpackers

How to go: Air: The nearest airport is Hyderabad at a distance of 149 kmRail: The nearest railhead is Macherla, on the Hyderabad-Guntur-Vijaywada railway line. From Macherala it is only 22km by road.Places to see: Nagarjunasagar Dam Nagarjunakonda Anupa (Buddhist University and stadium) Ethipothala WaterfallsPlaces to stay: Punnami Vijay Vihar Tel: 08680-277362/277363; Punnami Hill Colony Tel: 08680-276540; Pongal-Ethi-pothala Punnami Vihar Tel: 08680-277361


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Investors and conservationists have dreamt up aninnovative business plan to save Kenyas iconicMaasai Mara, a wildlife haven threatened by over-grazing, farming and mass tourism. Around August each year, swarms of wildebeests

come stampeding from neighbouring Tanzanias Se-rengeti plains to nd pasture in the Maasai Mara, in agreat migration recently dubbed the worlds eighth wonder.

Twelve years ago, there were 1.2 million wilde-beests, last year we had only 300,000. If nothing isdone, it could put pay to the migration forever, saysRon Beaton, a leading Kenyan conservationist.

Having lived in the Maasai Mara for the past 34 years, farming wheat before launching a high-endlodge, Ron Beaton knows better than most the dan-gers looming over the crown jewel of Kenyas tourismindustry. We could be looking at a repetition of thebison and buffalo disappearance in North America,he warns.

Beaton was one of the masterminds of an idea thatcame up two years ago and is aimed at making conser-vation a viable alternative for the Maasais, the maincustodians of the countrys wildlife treasure. The Maa-

sai Mara national park is a protected area, but theecosystem around it which is four times larger isprivately owned. In 2000, the Kenyan authorities start-ed subdividing the land into small plots for Maasaifamilies.

In a pastoralist culture where land had always beenconsidered as God-given, the newly-acquired notionof ownership soon led to tensions between neigh-bours trespassing to nd pasture for their livestock.Cramped for grazing in their shrivelled estates, many Maasais opted for wheat farming or simply sold theirplots to developers.

In 2006, dozens of Maasai landowners in the imme-diate surroundings of the Mara reserve and privatetourism investors teamed up to create the Olare Orok conservancy.

The new arrangement is that having wildlife earns you money, whether there are tourists or not, saysKaelo.

Using a completely new approach to gene rating andsharing tourism revenue, Olare Orok hosts four luxury tourist lodges to form a conservancy of more than20,000 acres bordering the national reserve.

The conservancy brings together the 150-acre plotsof some 150 Maasai landowners, who lease the land tothe tourism partners in exchange for a xed rent pro-viding better income than what they could achieve with farming.

Upon signing the ve-year lease, landowners moveout their huts and allow wildlife to roam freely in theconservancy, which is run by a management company itself operating under a foundation.

Conservationists argue that Kenyas new conser-vancy model can also help the Maasais prone tosocial woes such as drinking when thrust into an ur-ban environment preserve their identity by reclaim-ing their original lifestyle.

AFP

Pioneering conservancies struggle to save Kenyaswildlife jewel

At the Olare Orok conservancywithin the Masai Mara ecosystem AFP

Eighth wonder of the world


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Portfolio12

Pockets have usually been asymbol of utility paired with a little quirkiness.Trousers, jackets, coats or

even baby-doll dresses carry them off with ease.The gowns, on the other hand,

stands for elegance (sometimesfar removed from mundane prac-ticality). Its for the lady whose li-mo can contain everything except that little cake of com-pressed powder to touch up a shi-ny nose, which ts snugly in themini clutch that she carries.Pockets, actually, dont belong here. Or do they?

Recent shows, such as J.J. Va-layas opening show at the LakmeFashion Week in Mumbai or evenNitin Bal Chauhans at the WillsLifestyle India Fashion Week, area growing testament to how

pockets have started occupying pride of the place on things morepretty, or lets say feminine andnon-pocket-friendly.

Even on international ramps,pockets on dresses are gaining popularity, examples being theCape Town Fashion Week (whereGoat clothing showcased modelstucking their hands into thepockets of elegant gowns) or theMikio Sakabe 2009 spring/sum-mer collection of Mikio Sakabeand Shueh Jen-Fang of Taiwan in

Tokyo. The Liz Claiborne spring/summer 2008 show also saw pockets on dresses.

Besides, Oscar de la Renta ,

Catherine Malandrino andProenza Schouler have also beenfans of the pocket on girly cloth-ing. Red-carpeters like EvaMendes, Jennifer Aniston and Te-ri Hatcher are fans, too.

The pocket dress, however, isanother example of what goesaround comes around. Almost adecade ago, labels like St. Pucchi,Catherine Regehr and Bill Blassput the pocket on the wedding dress, probably to let the bridehide twitching ngers and sometissue for those tear-inducing moments.

Sceptics have drawn out theirswords. Many claim that adding pockets on something as elegant

as an evening or wedding gown isnothing short of blasphemy, aninvention of those who substituteclass with misplaced enthusiasm.Fashion has always beensubjective.

If you want a pocket on yourgown, go ahead. With your handstucked in, you can even get thatmodels gait. One word of cautionthough just because your dresshas a pocket, try not to stuff your world into it. Leave that for theBirkin.

M o v e a w a y

t r o u s e r s ; n

o w

g o w n s a n d

d r e s s e s

w i l l a u n t p o

c k e t s

Liz Claibornes spring/summer 2008and ( below ) an Indonesian modeldisplays an outt created byIndonesian designer PriyoOktaviano during Jakarta FashionWeek 2008

A Nitin Bal Chauhan creationfor Wills Lifestyle IndiaFashion Week in March 2008.


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PERFUMES DURING PREGNANCY MIGHT BE DANGEROUS

Pregnant women who use perfumesor scented creams may increase therisk of unborn boys developing infer-tility in later life, a new research byEdinburgh University scientists sug-gests.

The research team reckons that ex-posure to chemicals found in cosmet-ics during the pregnancy period ofeight and 12 weeks may affect latersperm production. But they stressedthere was not yet conclusive proof thiswas the case.

The research team was led by Pro-fessor Richard Sharpe of the MedicalResearch Councils Human Reproduc-tive Sciences Unit, based in Edinburgh.

During tests on rats, they blockedthe action of androgens, which in-

clude male sex hormones such as tes-tosterone. The experiments conrmedthat if the hormones are blocked, theanimals suffered fertility problems.

Some of the chemicals which canblock the hormones are widely used inthe production of items such as cos-metics, household fabrics and plastics.Prof Sharpe said the chemicals may al-so increase the risk of baby boys de-veloping other reproductiveconditions in later life, including tes-ticular cancer.

He added that women planning onbecoming pregnant should avoid put-ting any cosmetic products on theirskin which could then be absorbed in-to their bodies.

If you are planning to become

pregnant you should change your lif-estyle. Those lifestyle things dontnecessarily mean that you are going tocause terrible harm to your baby, butby avoiding them you are going tohave a positive effect. Prof Ri-chard Sharpe said.

ANI

Women planning tobecome pregnantshould avoid puttingany cosmetic productson their skin whichcould then be absorbedinto their bodies


Wellness14

K arma means action. Ac-tion means we are talking about your action. Onceagain when it comes to

action, you perform action infour different ways. You can doaction with your body; you cando mental action, emotional ac-tion and energy action. In allthese four levels, action is con-stantly happening.

Some of it you are conscious-ly doing, a large part of it un-consciously happening, isnt it?

Every action that you performin these four dimensions, theimprint of these actions is always left within you as a resid-ue. So these imprints gatherover a period of time and they develop their own tendencies.

This is like the software, un-

consciously you write your ownsoftware depending upon thetype of the actions that you per-form in your mind, in youremotion, in your body and in

your energy. Accordingly you write your software.

Whichever kind of software you wrote, now after sometimethat is how this whole mecha-nism functions now. Once you write a certain type of softwarenow this whole system func-tions only that way, isnt it? It isnot written by some other di-mension or force, it is writtenby you but because you didmost of it unconsciously, youcant believe you did it.

You went up a mountain, andas you were walking down you just dislodged one small peb-ble. This pebble rolled downand slowly became a huge ava-lanche and wiped out a wholevillage.

Now you cant believe youdid it, isnt it? You cant believe you did it, because you just dis-lodged a single pebble, but ithas picked up momentum.Similarly what happens to younow is only a consequence of your own past imprints.

To learn more about Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev and Isha Yoga, visit www.ishafoundation.org. Call

Isha Yoga Centre in Chennai at 2433 3185.

SADHGURU JAGGI VASUDEV

Gene therapy to restore hearinA new study by U.S. researchers has revealed thatgene therapy has the potential to restore hearingin mice, offering hope for humans too.

A SINGLE PEBBLE CAN WIPE OUT A VILLA


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Jessica Rabbits legs or Alad-dins six-pack, there was atime when as kids we nursedsecret crushes on cartoon

characters. And now it is time tolook at ction, where the charac-ters do not have faces but arepacked with personality.

I, for example, had a crush onFitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice and then, later on incollege, Howard Roark of Foun-tainhead and Edward Rochesterfrom Jane Eyre . Of course, theirpersonality traits were somewhatsimilar arrogant, aloof and sar-castic. And it is sarcasm that mostwomen are attracted to in a man.

A friend, Devika, said that shefound the character Foaly theCentaur, from the Artemis Fowl series, attractive for this precisereason. I liked Foaly for hissmartness, cynicism and sar-casm. In our early years we look for men who can impress us. And

when real life does not satisfy,our books are all we have! shesays. However, in the dating sce-nario for men, visual stimulationworks. One of my male friends,

Dhruv, said that Jem Scout Finchfrom To Kill a Mockingbird andPhoebe Cauleld from The Catcher in the Rye were particu-larly strong characters whom he would have liked to have met inreal life. They were almost 10 years old in the books, so it wouldbe very wrong to date them. ButModesty Blaise, who was any-thing but modest, is top on my list. And then he adds that mendo not drool for textual women,unless they are Batgirl or Wonder Woman.

And then some people like toimagine the darker side of attrac-tion, thanks to books like Perfume and American Psycho . Preeti Jha, who watched Christian Bale inthe movie adaptation of Ameri-can Psycho, says that her attrac-tion towards the self-destructiveprotagonist, Patrick Bateman, be-gan with the book. I could relateto his boredom and blunt man-ner of speech, she says. For Gee-tanjali Dutta, the characterJean-Baptiste Grenouille in Per-

fume impressed her. That driveto make a perfect perfume, toown the expertise to create asmell that can seduce is to havegreat power.

If you had a crush on a ctional character, read on

MITHRA [email protected]

I liked Foaly for hissmartness, cynicismand sarcasm. In ourearly years we lookfor men who canimpress us

I love you, Harry Potter

Chewing gum can reduce stressand anxiety, according to anew research.

The study, to be presented atthe 2008 10th International Con-gress of Behavioural Medicine,found that chewing gum helped

relieve anxiety, improve alertnessand reduce stress among individ-uals in a laboratory setting.

The study examined whetherchewing gum is capable of reduc-ing induced anxiety and acutepsychological stress while partici-pants performed a battery of multi-tasking activities.

The use of chewing gum wasassociated with higher alertness,reduced anxiety and stress, andimprovement in overall perfor-mance on multi-tasking activ-ities.

Andrew Scholey, Ph.D., profes-sor of Behavioural and Brain Sci-ences, Swinburne University inMelbourne, Australia led the re-search study.

In the 40-person study of gum

chewers averaging an age of 22 years old, performed on the De-ned Intensity Stressor Simula-tion (DISS), a multi-tasking platform which reliably inducesstress and also includes perfor-mance measures, while chewing

and not chewing gum. Anxiety, alertness and stresslevels were measured before andafter participants completed theDISS.

Gum chewers showed a reduc-tion in anxiety as compared tonon-gum chewers by nearly 17percent during mild stress andnearly 10 percent in moderatestress.

Participants experienced grea-ter levels of alertness when they chewed gum.

Gum chewers showed im-provement in alertness over non-gum chewers by nearly 19 per-cent during mild stress and 8percent in moderate stress.

ANI

The use of chewinggum was associatedwith higher alertness,reduced anxiety andstress, andimprovement inoverall performanceon multi-tasking

activities.

Wanna de-stress, chew gum: New study

Fish and lemonIt has been traditional to serve sh with a sliceof lemon since the Middle Ages, when peoplebelieved that the fruits juice would dissolve anybones accidentally swallowed.

Avoid stress during pregnancWomen who undergo severe stress during orsoon before pregnancy may be at increased riskof having an underweight baby.


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Brusselsshowdown


Sport16

Olympic champion and world record holder UsainBolt takes on world cham-pion Tyson Gay and Jamai-can compatriot Asafa Powell in amouth-watering, rst-ever 100m

clash in Brussels on Friday. Bolt, who stunned the Beijing Olym-pics with gold medals and worldrecords in the 100m, 200m and4x100m relay, faces his two rivals who have plenty to prove at theGolden League meeting. Ameri-cas Gay, struggling with a hamstr-ing injury, never made the 100mnal in China while Powell, theformer world record holder, was adisappointing fth in Beijing.However, he illustrated he wasstill a sprinting force by running 9.72sec at Lausanne on Tuesday, just 0.03sec outside the world

mark that Bolt set at the Games on August 16. Its not a problem forme; it will make the race more ex-citing. I can only say I will do my best on Friday, said Bolt as he re-ected on Powells blistering time

in Switzerland. After Brussels I want to go back home. I haventbeen back to Jamaica since theGames and Im in a hurry. SinceBeijing, Bolt has shown no sign of slacking, running 9.83sec in Zur-ich and 19.63sec for the 200m inLausanne.

Competitors ready for the ght

Gay said he is looking forwardto it (Fridays race) but Im notat 100 percent yet. The American, who picked up his injury in the200m at the US Olympic trials in

June, had a victorious outing onSunday at 200m winning in a rainGateshead in 20.26sec. Bolt haonly ever once met Gay ov100m, the Jamaican beginning hicurrent period of ascendancy with

a 9.72sec world record in Ne York in May, ahead of Gay, wran 9.85sec. At 200m, the balancremains in Gays favour, the worlchampion having headed thBeijing winner in six of their eighmeetings at the longer sprint. Bolta newcomer to the 100m this season, has met the former world rec-ord holder Powell on just threoccasions in their careers. He haa 2-1 record, with Powell havintaken a narrow victory in Stockholm just prior to Beijing. Poweleads Gay over 100m by 5-1.

More T20Renowned cricketers like Yusaf Pathan, Mohammed Kaif, Khalid Basir and TaqOmar will be seen in action at Sirsa in Haryana, during the rst Jan Nayak ChaudharyDevi Lal National Cricket tournament, slated from September 5.

Tyson Gay (USA)Date of birth: 09/08/1982Personal Best Outdoor100m, 9.77sec; Eugene200m; 19.62sec; Indianapolis

Asafa Powell(Jamaica)Date of birth: 23/11/1982Personal Best Outdoor100m; 9.72sec; Lausanne200m; 19.90sec; Kingston Na-tional Stadium

Usain Bolt

(Jamaica)Date of birth: 21/08/1986Personal Best Outdoor100m; 9.69sec; BeijingNational Stadium200m; 19.30sec, BeijingNational Stadium400m, 45.28sec, KingstonNational Stadium

BOLT LEADS BATTLE OF THREE SPEEDSTERS

SPORT


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I still maintain that Laxman needs to be more aggressive on the eldand push his players. In Twenty20 cricket the captain pushes andmotivates the players it is such a short game. I just felt that Laxman shouldhave played a bit more on the front foot instead of the back foot.

Shahid Afridi

Bhajji row behind Symondsdiminishing commitment

A ndrew Symonds has not forgiven Cricket Australia (CA) for down-grading racism charges against Harbhajan Singh and his sagging commitment dates back to the infamous Monkey-gate scandal,

according to reports. Symonds, whose commitment is being questioned after he pre-ferred a shing trip to a compulsory team meeting, and Harbhajan gured prominently in the Sydney row where the Australian all-rounder accused the equally volatile Indianoff-spinner of racially abusing him. Eventually, the Australians were convinced by the CA to downgrade the charge, allowing Harbhajan to escape a ban and Symonds just couldnot digest that, reports The Age. To this day Symonds has not forgiven Cricket Austra-lia for what transpired in an Adelaide federal courtroom eight months ago, the reportsaid. Harbhajans reprieve infuriated Symonds, who felt abandoned by administratorshe believed were more interested in kow-towing to India than protecting their own, itadded. According to the report, Symonds subsequently refused all CA efforts to resolvethe issue and his discontent started affecting his commitment to the side. CA chief executive James Sutherland hinted time was running out for Symonds to make the Indiatour even though he promised all help from the board.

PTI

Lee ready to returnfor India TestSidelined Australian paceman Brett Lee has declaredhimself available for the upcoming Test tour of In-dia. Lee withdrew from the current one-day seriesagainst Bangladesh following the collapse of his marriage, but caught up with his Australian team-mates on Thursday for a light training sessionand said he was ready to play again. The Australians are expected to nametheir squad for India next week and depart on September 21, with the rstof their four Tests starting on October 9. The 31-year-old admitted heconsidered skipping the tour, but said he was refreshed and looking for- ward to the tough Indian tour. India is a great place to tour; the culture,the food, the people, and the atmosphere (and) the crowds over there are just brilliant. Even though they may be cheering for the Indians, theyvestill got a love for Australians, he said. Its a tough place to play cricket,but also very enjoyable. Lee said it was only this week that he decided tomake himself available for India, where he is a huge star but is yet to play Test cricket.

AFP

Serena Williams felt as if she h ad just wona grand slam title after scraping past hersister Venus 7-6, 7-6 in the U.S. Openquarter-nals on Wednesday. The

American siblings enthralled a capacity crowd of 23,000 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium with the best match of the womens tourna-ment, a cut-and-thrust encounter which last-ed two hours 25 minutes. I feel like I shouldhave a trophy now, fourth seed Serena toldreporters after setting up a meeting withsixth-seeded Russian Dinara Sana in the lastfour. Unfortunately I dont and I got to go tothe next round. I think we played a greatmatch today. It just boiled down to one pointhere and there. It could have gone anywhere.I just think we were denitely playing the best(match of the tournament) so far. I feel like it was at least a semi or the nal, she saidabout the quality of the match. But its not,so Im hoping to play two more matches.Serena, who edged ahead of her older sister9-8 in overall meetings, ranked Wednesdayscontest as the second best played betweenthe siblings. I still think my Australian Opennal against Venus was an incredible match,she said, referring to her 7-6, 3-6, 6-4 victory in 2003.

Staying positiveI denitely managed my emotions a lot

better, the 26-year-old said. That was onething I really wanted to focus on going intothis match, was staying positive. I felt like Igot really negative at Wimbledon, and lostany chance I might have had. A high-quality battle between the Williams sisters seemed inthe ofng after their storming runs at this years Open. Venus, winner here in 2000 and2001, lost just 15 games on her way into thelast eight and Serena one fewer. We havebeen playing really with well in this tourna-ment, Serena said. I thought for sure wedbe in three sets. I thought, Im going to gochange my dress because Im really sweaty and put a new one on, said Serena, who didnot have to swap her red dress after all as thematch turned on some errors from Venus.And then I was like: Oh, maybe I wont haveto do that.

Reuters AFP

BATTLE OF THE SIBLINGSFELT LIKE FINAL FOR SERENAEpic

battle


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19/24


The sci- animation Wall-E is vi-sually stunning, and the storymanages to grip you despite thelack of dialogues until well into thesecond half.

The movie opens with a pano-ramic view of New York 700 yearsfrom now. The sight is not pretty.The skyscrapers are replaced bybales of crushed cans, the yoversare deserted and dusty and the onlylife forms are a waste-collecting ro-bot, Wall-E, and his pet cockroach.Life is routine for Wall-E, until aninvestigating robot, EVE, is sent toassess Earths life sustenance. Whatfollows after is a journey of love,sacrice, war, exodus and all thosethemes that epics are made of.

And Wall-E is really made on epiclevels. If the breathtaking beauty ofwater and the sea was encom-

passed in Finding Nemo , the samedirector, Andrew Stanton, has cap-tured the innity of space, th e was-teland of Earth, the self-destructiveexistence of mankind in details thatcan only be appreciated with a sec-ond watch.

Little did you knowWall-Es name is an acronym,

standing for Waste Allocation LoadLifter-Earth-class.

EVE stands for ExtraterrestialVegetation Evaluator

Epic animation:

Wall-E

Film: Wall-EDirector: Andrew StantonVoices: Ben Burrtt, Elissa

Knight

MITHRA [email protected]

Ameer likely to direct AjithIf the Internet buzz is to be believed, Ajith andAmeer are joining hands for a remake. DirectorAmeer, who gave us Paruthiveeran , has not doneany remakes so far. He has apparently told closefriends that he plans to remake yesteryear comicick Bale Pandiya , with Ajith playing the lead.Ajith has shown great interest in doing theproject. But nothing has been conrmedofcially.

www.cinesnacks.com

Black Hawk DownThe US Department of Defense gavethe producer a platoon of ArmyRangers who did the fast rope scenesfor war lm Black Hawk Down.

TitanicThe engine room scenes werepartially lmed aboard the WWII shipSS Jeremiah OBrien. Smaller railingsand catwalks were installed to makethe engines appear bigger.

Jai, LekhaWashingtonpair upLekha Washingtonsperformance in Jayam

Kondaan has beenfetching her rave reviewsas well as good offers.Pushkar-Gayathri, the

husband-wife duo, havenow roped Lekha forplaying the female lead

in their next project, titledRaakkoli . Jai ofSubramaniapuram fame

plays the male lead.

Cine City


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Scan20

PICK OF THE DAY - Saturday

PICK OF THE DAY - Friday

HBO

The Peacemaker 9 pmA pair of mismatched governmentoperatives set out to recover stolennuclear warheads from internationalterrorists. When missiles beingtransported on a Russian train aresupposedly destroyed, a brash armyspecialist is teamed with anambitious female executive.

NDTV Imagine

The Unforgettable TourDiaries 10 pmThe show brings together thegreatest icons of Indian Cinema -Amitabh Bachchan, AbhishekBachchan, Aishwarya Bachchan,Preity Zinta and Ritiesh Deshmukh,on one common platform, the showtravels to exotic destinations.

CNN IBN

Late Night Edition 11 pmFor those who are busy at work thewhole day, this is an opportunity to

catch up on all the major newsstories. .

Star World

Seinfeld 7-30 pmElaine is humiliated when sheaccidentally shows a bit too muchon her Christmas card photo, thatshe has sent out to everyone sheknows

Band MembersAccording to IMdb, Writers, Carter Bays andCraig Thomas of How I Met your Motherare members of the band "The Solids," whichperforms the shows theme song "HeyBeautiful".

Channel V

Tony B Show 8-50 pmCeleb interviews by an anchor whoappears dumb about the guestsachievements or expertise. Masterof disaster and Prince of Faux pas,Tony B is constantly lost and makeshis guests lose their temper.

Star Vjay

Neeya Naana 9 pmPolarized sections of the societydebate on a topic that affects themthe most and they share their views,opinions and counter-arguments. Allof which will all be presented in astylized format.

The History Channel

Bollywood Bosses 10- 30pmThis series dedicates stand-aloneepisodes each to one A-listlmmaker drawing out insights intheir own words throughintrospection by themselves andtheir own colleagues

Star Movies

Casino Royale 9 pmSuperb spy action and a blisteringreturn for the new Bond: DanielCraig is the ruthless double 0 withorders to crush terrorist banker LeChiffre in a high-stakes poker game

Zoom

The Rakhi Sawant Showz 7-30 pmWatch all the spicy gossip about ourcolourful lm industry via the bold,brutally honest and much talkedabout host, Rakhi Sawant

AXN

Spider Man 2 8 pmWhen the scientist transformed intosuper villian after a failedexperiment threatens the well beingof his city, spider man is forced tobattle him. But can he battle hisinner demons rst?.

SS Music

Just In 10 pmThe show features music thats justin from all over the world, inbetween your favourite shows. So,if you want to be the rst to humthe latest tunes of your favouriteartists and from the latest movies,dont miss ` JUST IN.

Animal Planet

Way of the Warrior - 11 pmFrom the monstrous Great WhiteShark to the tiny army ant to thelethal pit viper these animals arebuilt to kill.

PICK OF THE DAY - Sunday


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22/24


Trafc Jam22

TEAMEditor:Karthik [email protected]

Sr Dy Chief Designer:J.A. Prem KumarDy Chief Designer:R. Ravi KannanIllustrator:R. Venugopal

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sudoku

KAKURO

No ush for Swiss goldshSwiss goldsh owners are not allowed to ushthem down the toilet alive since strict, newanimal protection laws have come into effect.

So you think you would make a terric photographer but never really had the platform? Mail us your best work and well publish it in this space, with credit.E-mail: [email protected]

John Thomas C.X.of Accenturespotted this raresh on the ECRBeach. Any guess,folks? Hobbies:Photography andswimming.Email:[email protected]

Prize sponsor for Clickpick this week is

the travel portal www.yatra.com .

Phone: 4210 5353


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B.C

BORN LOSER

FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT

PREVIOUS ISSUES SOLUTIONS

ARIESMARCH 21 - APRIL 20

TAURUSAPRIL 21 - MAY 20

GEMINIMAY 21 - JUNE 20

CANCERJUNE 21 - JULY 20

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20

VIRGOAUG 21 - SEPT 20

LIBRASEPT 21 - OCT 20

SCORPIOOCT 21 - NOV 20

SAGITTARIUSNOV 21 - DEC 20

CAPRICORNDEC 21 - JAN 20

AQUARIUSJAN 21 - FEB 20

PISCESFEB 21 - MARCH 20

Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattn

You may be little conscious and alert at ofand see to it that others respect you. If you take care of the schedule or routine, chancesfalling sick are very high. You may be verypassionate in case of love relationship.

Your energies are concentrated on others at wspecically if you are a team leader. Ensuryou are not taken on a ride by someone fromteam. If your beloved one tries to inuence likes and dislikes, you may not like it.

You may dedicate lot of time to work and trto match frequency with others at work, howmay be little difcult to strike perfect balanlove life seems uneventful but you may be sthinking about certain issues related to perso

You will have lot of food for thought even wyou are busy doing routine work at ofce. Tdue to your increased desire to progress andto a better level on the career front. Love lifbe full of emotional expressions.

You may remain inexible today. In importameetings at ofce, you may have very rm but express them with right words, else peoconsider it as your ego. Ensure that you try exible as you can in love life.

You may be in a mood to prove others wronmay end up criticising your colleagues for nreason. Ensure that others dont think you aracting too smart. Love life may remain demand you may end up confronting with life p

Although you believe in complete balance iand every area of life, today you may imbalyour relations by foul speech at ofce. You very straightforward yet sentimental while dwith your beloved.

You may be very assertive and demanding tsays Ganesha. At work, no one will come towith any weird request or proposal as you sbe serious in your behaviour. It is perfect timsolve burning issues of love life and start af

If you have determined to complete a projecthe process of completion may be stretched expectations. In love relationship, you may

interested in supercial expressions but maypassionate reaction from your mate.

Ganesha nds you addressing issues related group of people or a team today. You shoulddeal as nicely as possible with others in ordsort out problems. Today you may be very mconcerned about what your beloved thinks o

You will try your level best to achieve succthe career front. There will be a realisation tthere is no substitute to the hard work. Ganefeels that your love life may be sidelined toyour focus on vocation is much stronger.

Instead of wasting time behind fruitless pursyou may be working in right direction withogetting confused. Bond between your lover amay become stronger with help of some gifsweet conversation.

Words worth"Galimatias" (gal-uh-mat-ee-us) nonsense,meaningless talk. Of unknown origin, rst found inthe sixteenth century.

Condom lube for acne cure?A condom lubricant designed for sexworkers and gay men has become a popularacne cure among female Cambodians


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ERGO Friday, September 5, 2008!24

Flavours of Ganesha

Devotees offer darshanat the Instant VinayakaTemple (a make-shiftVinayaka assembled onthe spot) at VallalarStreet in Purasaiwalkam.

This 43-ft Ganesha, the tallest idol in Visakhapatnam,was installed by Vizag Defence AcademyPHOTO: K.R. DEEPAK

An idol of Ganesha held by another of Shirdi Saibabainstalled in Kandulavari Street in Vijayawada.Photo: CH. VIJAYA BHASKAR.

Ergo September 5

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Transcript of Ergo September 5