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Friday, October 17, 2008A BYTE OF LIFE

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No.

HOME

TRUTHSA relative peek into the pros andcons of hostels, rented flats andpaying guest accommodations

INDIAN

FASHION

WEEKS

DEMYSTIFIED Page 4 & 5

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ERGO Friday, October 17, 2008

Namma Chennai

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Top 10 fiction1. Sea of Poppies Amitav Ghosh. Rs. 5992. One Night @ Call Centre ChetanBhagat. Rs. 953. Brida Paulo Coelho. Rs.2954. The 3 Mistakes of my Life ChetanBhagat. Rs.955. A Thousand Splendid Suns KhaledHosseini. Rs.3956. Unaccustomed Earth Jhumpa Lahiri.Rs.4507. The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini. Rs.3158. A Prisoner of Birth Jeffery Archer. Rs.2709. You Are Here Meenakshi Reddy

Madhavan. Rs. 19910. Five Point Someone Chetan Bhagat.Rs. 95

Top 10 non-fiction1. The Secret Rhonda Byrne. Rs.5502. The Snowball: Warren Buffett and theBusiness of Life Alice Schroeder. Rs.9953. Stay Hungry Stay Foolish Rashmi Bansal.Rs.1254. The Last Lecture Randy Pausch. Rs.2955. Hot Flat & Crowded Thomas Friedman.Rs. 5956. Business Striped Bare Richard Branson.Rs.5157. Execution Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan.Rs.6958. Go Kiss The World Subroto Bagchi. Rs.3999. Empires of the Indus Alice Albinia.Rs.55010. Guinness World Records. Rs.1460

Courtesy: Crossword

Bookworms Corner

Hello!A comprehensive voice training workshop will beheld on October 18 and 19 at Parnasus, 192,Poonamallee High Road, Kilpauk. For details, call98401 27103 / 42858848

Kebab factoryHeres a great way to indulge in sumptuousvarieties of kebabs, both vegetarian andnon-vegetarian. These Mughal dishes areserved with an array of accompaniments.When: October 13 to 31Where: Pergola, The Accord MetropolitanFor reservations, call 2816 1000

FilmyThe Embassy of thePeoples Republic ofChina, New Delhi, andThe Madras FilmSociety are hosting afestival ofChinese films.When: October 19, 21,22, 23 and 24Where: The FilmChamber TheatreFor details, call 24958691

On the shelvesWills Lifestyle has brought out anexquisite collection for the Autumn-

Winter. Signaturedesigner wear,Wills classicformal wear, Willssport relaxedwear, Willsclublife eveningwear... there is alot to choosefrom.Where: Across allWills Lifestylestores

Madhuris biographyShe is Bollywoods beautiful and charmingstar. You cannot stop watching her jhatkasand matkas. Yes?Find out more about Madhuri Dixits family

and friends fromthe film industryand what othershave to say abouther.When: October 17;8.30 p.m.Where: Zoom;BollywoodBiographies

Thats realityToo busy to catch up with anyentertainment in the evenings? Then, heresa play that opens even in the night.Theatre Y makes it debut with realitY its

first public production. The play is anadaptation ofplaywrightManjulaPadmanabhansbook, Hidden FiresWhen: October 17,18, 19; 1 p.m., 4p.m. 7 p.m. and 10p.m.Where: AllianceFrancaiseFor tickets call98840 70796/ 97

Rock OnIf you are a fan of this fusion rock band,make sure you dont miss their performancein the city. Indian Ocean promise to rockChennai with their concert performed for acause.When: October 19Where: Lady Andal School AuditoriumFor bookings call Vijay at 98410 15861/98404 10462

Music

Food

ShowbizSale

Cinema

Theatre


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4/24


Big Story04

Ahome away from home is a myth. But most of us try

to make the myth a truth by living within thehorrible conditions of strict curfew hours, landlordsfrom hell and cockroaches in food. There are some

memories, both good and bad, that we all cherish from ourdays in hostels, paying guest accommodations or rentedapartments. For some, hostel life is heaven. They will gulp

down atrocious mass-cooked food without worrying about how it tastes and wont disturbanyone. Others love living in rented apartments. Theyll joinhands with many and are always proud of livingindependently. Paying guest accommodation is

also voted by many for the cosiness it offers.Its cool, comfortable and secure, theyll say.

Heres to the pros and cons of each:

PG accommodationThere are a lot of good things about paying

guest accommodations. The first thing is guestswill get homemade food.

There is only a remote probability that a PGaccommodation will be overcrowded.

The security will be good as there is a family totake care of you. Bonus points if there is TV to

watch.But there are irritants, too you cant be out till

midnight.If you want to be self-sufficient, PG accommo-

dation is not a wise decision. But there is a familyto take care of you. It is like home away fromhome, says Teena.

People who want to live their own way cannot

adjust in a PG accommodation, especially if thehouse owner is not flexible, she says.Kokila S., accounts service executive with Ala-

my Images India Pvt Ltd, has a different opinionabout the food and security in a PG accommoda-tion.

I was doing nightshifts and the house ownernot even bothered giving me a spare key. Otherinmates were staying upstairs and the rooms

were not be locked from inside, so anyone couldenter the rooms. Food was worse, she says.

For girls if security is an issue, the concern ofguys is roommates.

Anu Warrior says, PG accommodation is goodif other inmates are good and the worst if othersare bad.

VERDICT: Good if other inmates and houseowner are good. Good for security-lovers.

HostelHostel life is good till you reach

a certain age, says Teena, who works as team leader with ClubMahindra.

The good thing about a hostelis that security will be good. Forstudents, the best option is a hos-tel, but it can become difficult if

working women and students areput together in one room.

The food in most hostels is ter-

rible. But if there is an option toget outside food, a hostel is agood option for guys, says Anu

Warrior, who works as principalcorrespondent with The SundayIndian magazine.

The first lessons of adjustmentare learned from a hostel how toshare a cot between two, how totake a shower in three minutesand how to gulp food withoutbothering what it is.

A hostel is preferable for people who dont want to take respon-sibility at all.

VERDICT: Best place to learnabout adjustments. Forget about your taste buds.

The relative ups and downs ofhostels, rented flats and payingguest accommodationsMY KINDA PLACE

Rented apartmentThere are many good things about a rented apart-

ment, like, you can cook your own food, there is nocurfew, etc. Girls who are bold enough to handle issues

will feel safe in a rented apartment even if there are nospecial security arrangements.

But not everyone can opt for it. It is better that super-sensitive people keep away from the idea, says Teena.

And for Soumya, who was working with Yahoo India,life in a rented apartment with three other girls contin-ues to be a nightmare.

No one was willing to take up responsibility and oneof the roommates brought a guy (whom she claimed washer cousin) to the apartment. My roommates were neverconcerned about the others and disturbed everyone atmidnight by playing music on high volume, she said.

I wont opt for a rented home anymore. I prefer ahostel, she says.

Money is another issue in rented apartments. Prob-

lems may rise about advance deposit, monthly rent, oth-er bills, money pooled for groceries, etc. And, in mostcases, it is a tiresome job to get back the advanceamount from the house owner while vacating.

But there are many positive aspects, too. There is nocurfew in a rented apartment and you can live accordingto your will.

Guys also see rented apartments as a good option,especially freedom-lovers like Anu. You cant comparea rented apartment with the other two. It is heaven,says Anu. But there should be a rapport with otherroommates, or life can just turn hell.

You cant blame anyone for bad food, dirty bath-rooms or blocked washbasins, as everything is the re-sponsibility of the inmates. So, you will make it a pointto keep everything clean, says Teena.

VERDICT: You are the king here. Super-sensitivepeople, please stay away.


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It was nearly 15 years agothat I moved to Chennai after

getting my first job. I was huntingfor hostels with my friend when wegot a surprise invite to stay as payingguests from an elderly couple whowere distantly related to some of my

relatives.The mami, as we called the lady,took care of me and my friend likeher own daughters. We were bothemployed in different organisationsand, hence, had different workinghours, sometimes even night shifts.The affection the couple showedwas something really great. We areindebted to them forever. Mamiused to cook fresh food for us at6.30 a.m. if we are going on morn-ing shifts, prepare hot rotis at 10p.m. if we are returning late.She or her husband would be wait-ing at the bus stop if we are late, noteven knowing when we wouldcome those were the non-mobiledays. When we fell sick they would

preparespecial food

for us, ensurethat our

clothes arewashed by the maid.

They were also friendly and jovialand we could discuss anything fromoffice love stories to movie reviewsto the latest fashions. In fact, mamiwas friendly with most of our col-leagues and used to pack additional

snack boxes for them.We occupied a small room with awardrobe and there was not even acot for us to sleep. But the kind ofaffection and care that was sho-wered on us gave us the cosinessand comfort which we didnt evenget in our own house.When I got married, I had to leavethat paying guest accommodationbut mami and mama ensured thatwe were present in all their familyfunctions, and vice-versa. Neela ma-mi, that second mother of ours, leftfor her heavenly abode 3-4 yearsago, but will be fondly rememberedby us forever.

Sudha S,Hexaware Technologies Limited

Friday, October 17, 2008

Cricket matches and hostelMy vote is for the hostel. It is the place where we are sur-

rounded with good and bad people. The first lesson of financialmanagement is learnt from a hostel.

When we reached the final year of BE, we were the kings inthe hostel. Our word was final. So, during the 2003 cricketWorld Cup we enjoyed all the matches without any interrup-tion. India reached the final but Australia won the World Cup.Our college life was also coming to an end within a month.

Enjoying the event you like most with your friends is the bestmoment of your life.

Bala Kumaran, Sella Synergy

Faceless silhouetteMy hostel room was on the top floor of the building and I wassharing it with three other roommates.At night, when we would step out of the room, we could see thestars and if we looked down we could see rows of dotted lights ofhouses that look like glittering fireflies. It was almost like living in apenthouse. Being on the terrace, it was also the hottest room.One day we noticed something that made us scream and rush intothe room. In the opposite building, there was a faceless silhouettehidden amidst the pillars, watching us. But by the time thewatchman came, it had disappeared. This became a regular featureand, finally, the silhouette became a joke.We would taunt him, make catcalls, and nobody cared the least. Thenext day, the stars were still there, the dotted houses still looked thesame, but amidst the pillars of the opposite building there was notormenting silhouette. He lost interest when he found out that we

knew about his presence and we finally got our freedom.Namitha Jayanarayanan

Open terrace welcomed meThree of us (Saran, Radha and myself) from different parts of thestate met during the Sutherland induction programme. We joinedhands with a few other friends and took a flat on rent atKotturpuram.Just like the lyrics men may come, men may go, our house had newresidents coming in and going out. We had enthusiastic people, lazypeople, cheating people, hyper people and superstitious people. But,above all, we all felt like it was home.Each day has given us something to remember and cherish for alifetime. I will share an incident where I was left alone. Every dayRadha and I would return from the shift at around 3:30 a.m. On thatparticular day, Radha left for her hometown for the weekend.So, I returned home all alone. I knocked at the door. But myroommates never heard me as the bedroom door had shut somehow.I tried calling them on their mobile phones. Unlike other days, anetwork problem appeared. My phone battery died out. At last, onlythe open terrace gave me accommodation and my dupatta become

my carpet on that cold morning. Suder

We are oneHaving experienced all three hostel, rented flat and PG I found PGaccommodation the best. We were seven in the PG three from Tamil Nadu, twofrom Kerala, one each from Goa and Bangalore. My PG was in a nice location. I usedto enjoy my mornings gazing at a brown tree full of green leaves studded withyellow flowers in the back ground of a red roof from my cot. The food providedwas not that good, but we used to cook on weekends. Be it a tea, or rasam,everything tasted good when we cooked together. If one of us was late, we wouldget calls from others to check where we were. Every Friday night, we would gatheron one cot and talk till midnight. The best moment was my birthday celebrationand, for the first time, I celebrated my birthday with a birthday cake. Missing you,my dear PG, my dearest friends.

Rashmi, TCS

Remote control smugglersI am sharing my cherished memories of the PG accommodation where I stayed withmy friend in Bangalore.Along with us there lived two people from Karnataka, one from Andhra, one fromOrissa and one from Bengal. A little India, you may call it. The place had a DTHservice with a 14-inch, all-dots-no-picture TV.The Karnataka guys always wanted the Kannada songs, the Andhra guy loved to seethe power star fight, the Orissa guy liked to wind up with Hindi songs, the Bengalipreferred to watch English movies, and we demanded some Tamil comedy all atthe same time. The remote control became a prized possession and we evensmuggled it once at midnight.Then came a day when the battle for owning the remote control finally ended. Itwas the India-West Indies One Day tournament and all of us were glued to the

sports channel. Glued indeed, beyond all regional differences.Rams, iNautix Technologies

Neela mami,our secondmother


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Village06

Pollution kills more than AIDSA study released on Wednesday by the Sao PauloUniversitys (USP) Air Pollution Lab said air pollution is morelethal than AIDS and traffic accidents. The study saiddiseases caused by pollution results in about nine deaths aday in Sao Paulo, or 3,500 deaths a year, while AIDS andtraffic accidents together caused 1,624 deaths in 2007. Thestudy estimates that the Sao Paulo metropolitan areasgovernment spends 1.5 billion U.S. dollars on pollution-caused diseases.The six million vehicles in the city are mainly to be blamedfor the air pollution in Sal Paulo.

Xinhua

Madonna hails ObamaPop diva Madonna relished in the wild cheers of 20,000fans at the Wednesday nights concert in Boston, nevermentioning her impending divorce but urging Americans tovote for Democrat Barack Obama.Hello Boston! the 50-year-old called to out to the hordesof young and some not so young fans who ventured out tosee her perform hits from Borderline to Beat Goes Onon her Sticky and Sweet World Tour.Madonna ended the show on a political note, departingbackstage while a video showed images of Republican

White House hopefulJohn McCainaccompanied by thewords: Dont bestupid, followed by apicture of a grinningObama, his arms liftedin victory. Are you

registered to vote?Madonna asked thecrowd when shereturned for the finalovation. Come onmother*******, justvote for Obama! Nomore Sarah Palin, sheyelled.

AFP

Madrid Olympic bid haunted

by racismMadrids Olympic bidchief is worrying thatanother racist incidentin Spanish sports couldaffect the cityschances of bidding forthe 2016 Games. Thebid is preoccupiedabout something thatcan affect us, Madrid2016 bid chiefMercedes Coghen saidon Wednesday.

Coghen was reactingto UEFAs decision onTuesday to orderAtletico Madrid to playits next twoChampions League home games at a neutral venuebecause of violent and racist behaviour by the clubs fansduring a match against Marseille earlier this month.Madrid is bidding against Tokyo, Chicago, and Rio deJaneiro, Brazil, for the right to host the 2016 Olympics. Adecision will be made in Copenhagen, Denmark, inNovember 2009.

AFP

The star of Wednesdays finalpresidential debate? JohnMcCain? Barack Obama?No, Joe the Plumber.

The final face-to-face clash be-tween the two fierce White Houserivals granted an unexpected 15minutes of fame to Joe Wurzel-bacher.

Until Sunday, when hebumped into Obama while theDemocratic presidential candi-date was doing some door-to-door canvassing, Wurzelbacherwas living a normal life, unknownto most of his fellow Americans.But his encounter with Obama inToledo, Ohio, and a spirited de-

bate about the front-runningDemocrats tax policy, turnedhim into a media star.

Both candidates spoke directlyto Wurzelbacher, turning him in-to a real life version of Joe SixPack, the ordinary guy chasingthe American dream, as theyfaced off in their third and finaldebate. Joe wants to buy thebusiness that hes been in for allthese years, McCain said, usingObamas encounter with theplumber to flay his rival over a taxplan he maintains would shacklesmall businesses.

Obama says his tax plan willactually mean lower taxes for

those earning less than a quarterof a million dollars a year, and hitback with his version of his chat

with Joe. What I essentially saidto him was, five years ago, when

you were in the position to buy your business, you needed a taxcut then. And what I want to do isto make sure that the plumber,the nurse, the fire-fighter, theteacher, the young entrepreneur

who doesnt yet have money, I want to give them a tax breaknow.

Not to be outdone by the can-didates, Plumber Joe got in on theact himself, granting an interviewto CBS news queen Katie Couric.

Wurzelbacher said McCain did afine job and said Obama did

well too, though added talk istalk. And he said Obama haddodged around his question

about taxes when they measked the question, but I stila tap dance ... almost as gooSammy Davis Junior.

Plumber stars in US Presidential debate

US Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama(left) speaks to Joe Wurzelbacher as he canvasses in aneighbourhood in Holland, Ohio. AFP PHOTO

Joe steals the show

Top text-message sendersPhone users in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are Asias mostenthusiastic senders of text messages, according to a survey

released on Thursday. More than 97 per cent of mobile phoneusers in Singapore have sent text messages in the past month,followed by 96 per cent in Kuala Lumpur and 94 per cent inSeoul. More than 87 per cent of people in Melbourne andSydney said they had sent texts in the past month while theregions lowest rate of text messaging was recorded by Bangkok(69 per cent). The survey was conducted by the market researchcompany Synovate, which studied the habits of more than 5,000mobile phone users in seven Asian-Pacific markets.

DPA

Websites of the dayA popular site nominates its 100 most annoying things of theyear just passed http://www.retrocrush.com/archive2007/annoying/Which Trainspotting character are you? http://members.aol.cogroovydougie/quizzes/trainspotting.htm


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The last remaining survivorof the Titanic disaster isauctioning mementoesfrom the doomed liner to

pay for her hursing home fees, anewspaper said Thursday.

Millvina DeanShe was only two months old

when the Titanic struck an iceb-

erg on its maiden voyage andsank in 1912, but now at the ageof 96 she is struggling to makeends meet and hopes to make3,000 pounds (3,845 euros, 5,171dollars) from the sale.

Personal items going under thehammer include a 100-year-oldsuitcase filled with clothes givento her family by the people ofNew York after they arrived therefollowing the catastrophe.

Dean has lived in a nursinghome for the last two years.

Nursing home woesI was hoping to be here for

two weeks after breaking my hipbut I developed an infection and

have been here for two years. Iam not able to live in my homeany more, she told the SouthernDaily Echo newspaper.

I am selling it all now because

I have to pay these nursing hfees and am selling anythingI think might fetch some monshe added. The fees are qexpensive. The more moncan get from the auction better.

Some 1,500 passengers crew aboard the Titanic

when the White Star Line lu

ship sank in the frigid nort Atlantic ocean on its way Southampton to New York.

Deans family were emigrato Kansas aboard the dooliner. She was the youngest suvor, rescued along with her bbrother and mother Eva,though her father died.

Last of survivorsIn all, some 700 people

vived the sinking, one of worst maritime disasters Their numbers have dwinover the decades, leaving Dean left after fellow Briton bara Joyce Dainton died last y

The auction of her belong

will be held on Saturday at H Aldridge and Son auctioneethe town of Devizes, southEngland.

I am selling it all now because Ihave to pay these nursing homefees and am selling anything thatI think might fetch some money

Titanic remnants vs.nursing home fees

British intelligence sleuths willuse new snooping laws to logon to phone and computer rec-ords of all citizens in the country.They will track and store detailsof every call, email, text and webvisit, reports The Sun.

Home Secretary Jacqui Smithunveiled the plan on Wednesday,promising cops and MI5 morepower to gather data.

She warned failure to act wouldgive terrorists a free rein and leadto more unsolved murders, rob-beries and kidnaps.

Massive growth in phone andcomputer networks has made itharder to check who calls who.Many firms offer free calls or ac-cess and have no need to storebilling data.

The governments movesparked accusations of expansion

of Big Brother tactics.Anti-terror watchdog Lord Car-

lile branded the idea of a data-base awful.But Ms Smith said it was vital

and details of what people dis-cuss will not be held.

The laws will be included in aCommunications Data Bill innext months Queens Speech.

Police and intelligence chiefs welcomed the step but Toriescalled for a proper debate.

ANI

Home Secretary JacquiSmith unveiled theplan on Wednesday,promising cops andMI5 more power to

gather data

Snooping laws tochange

A Lebanese archaeologist works at a Roman archaeological site in Ashrafiyeh, inthe eastern suburbs of Beirut. Ancient history is getting in the way ofconstruction in Beiruts building boom as new archaeological discoveries delay

the springing up of long-planned high rises. AFP PHOTO

For the sake of old times

Cure for swollen handsUkranian boxing champion VitaliKlitschko says he uses his sons wetnappies to keep his fists fromswelling up.

This day, that yearIt was on October 17, 1979that Mother Teresa won theNobel Peace Prize.

Every call, text and web visit will be monitoredby British intelligence


8/24


Technorama

08

Enthusiastic sendersMobile phone users in Singapore anKuala Lumpur are Asias mostenthusiastic senders of text messageaccording to a survey conducted bymarket research company Synovate.

We want oneiPhone 3G cowers in a corner as the one wowsThose "enthusiasts" who queued for hours for aniPhone 3G will probably feel a little silly now. The 01 isa 5-megapixel, 32GB, music playing, web-surfing, GPS-toting titan that leaves the 3G looking like number two.The cherries on this cellular sundae are a slide outpanel, fully loaded with music playback controls, and alaser keyboard that makes the iPhones finnicky on-screen keypad look as cutting-edge as wrought iron. Sowhen will we be getting our grubby mitts on one?Well, sadly thats a mystery since this is currently just aconcept. Petition your MP: we need The 01 by the New

Year.TBC, www.the01phone.com

Flippin overBlackBerry gets the fashion bluesHeres a bit of news that could beboth good and bad for business

users looking to make a stylestatement. Good, becauseBlackBerrys just announced astylish flip phone, a first fromtheir stable and bad becauseyou guys will be spoilt forchoice. After creating rippleswith their recent boldmoves, RIM hopes to getfirmly enconsced in thelifestyle segment with itsPearl Flip 8220. This flipphone comes with twolight-sensing screens, aQWERTY keyboard, a2-meg snapper and amicroSD expansion slot.EDGE and WiFi promise

to deliver your emailBlackBerry style, and you

can edit your documents on themove. Time to flip out, we say!

www.blackberry.com.

Mobiles: The rivals

Master blaster No compromise here, says LG

It doesnt quite yell "Aiiela", but LGs new ultra-slim ullight LED Notebook P300 sounds like a lappy that MrTendulkar would be proud of. A 13.3 inch notebook, itweighs only 1.6kg and is 21mm in thickness. It boasts oNvidia Geforce 8400M graphics, 4GB memory, a 250GBhard disk drive and a 2.1GHz Intel Core2 Duo Process

The LED backlit LCD makes its intentions clear f3D gaming, video and picture viewing owi

to enhanced brightness and contrast ratWith its realistic sound reproducing

Surround System (SRS), high output stereospeakers and a 1.3-mega pixel webcam, the

notebook is the perfect mobile entertainment machMind blowing indeed?

Rs 75,000 + taxes www.in.lge

Mini packerThis memory will serve you wellA debutante from Buffalo Inc, the dualdrive LinkStation Mini struts its 1TBmemory in a sleek, compact formfactor. Touted as a perfect space-savingsolution for storing and sharing largeamounts of digital content, it comeswith a DLNA server, built-in WebAccess Features and a Remote PowerFeature, which can power the unitremotely with the included Navigatorsoftware. Plus it has an extra USB port.

Some stud!Rs 50,000 www.buffalo-asia.com

Project wellPower playersWant to make a big impression at the powermeeting? Get the networkable projectorNP3150 from NEC. Supporting Windows VistaCinematic video powered by HQV, it comescomplete with high brightness, LAN capabilityand picture-in-picture function. That apart, ithas a manual lens shift and multiple input/output terminals. Also, a variety of functionscan be added by updating the firmware. Thereyou go!

Rs 2,95,000 + taxes www.necindia.in

Samsung TouchwizWeb is super-fast butnot quite fast enough

Apple iPhone 3G2-meg just doesntcut it anymore, Apple

Nokia N825-meg cam butweak on its features

LG SecretIts pretty butdoes it have a laserkeyboard?

Sony Ericsson W890iSounds awesome butjust 4GB tops! No dice

How the current crop measure up

SNIPPETS

SOURCED

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18 LIMITED


9/24


In a breakthrough study, Euro-

pean physicists have devel-oped a unique computercircuit that can build itself - a

development that can lead toself-assembling computers.

The work, appearing in Nature,international weekly journal ofscience, is an important step to-

wards its ultimate goal - a self-assembling computer.

Currently, computer chips aremade by etching patterns ontosemi-conducting wafers using acombination of light and photo-sensitive chemicals.

In the new study, thescientists took a long orga-nic molecule with mobileelectrons, called quin-

quethiophene that actslike a semiconductor andattached it to a long car-bon chain with a silicongroup at the end, whichacts as an anchor.

They later soaked thecircuit board with pre-printedelectrodes into a solution of theirnew molecules.

The experiment showed thatthe molecules got attached to aninsulating layer between the elec-trodes, forming bridges from oneelectrode to the next.

We dump it in a beaker with asolution of the molecules, wetake it out, we wash it, and it

works, Nature quoted Dago de

Leeuw, researcher at Philips Re-search Laboratories in Eindho-ven, the Netherlands, as saying.

The nicest example is DNA

Our genetic code provides a set oinstructions that can be used tmarshal molecules into an entirperson, and researchers woullike to come up with a similar seof compounds able to organiseach other into circuits, he said

De Leeuw also said that the circuit is truly self-assembling.

Another researcher at PhilipEdsger Smits said that the different molecules are like littlbricks. Frankly it worked mucbetter than we expected, he said

Hagen Klauk, an electrical engineer at the MaPlanck Institute foSolid State Research iStuttgart, German

found the new technique impressive busaid that it still needimprovements.

Self-assembly annanotechnology is cetainly cool, but the on

thing missing is higher perfomance, he added.

He also said that the movement of electrons through the cicuit would make for a very slowcomputer.

Klauk hopes that improving thcharacteristics of the moleculeand tweaking the technique wieventually lead to self-assembling circuits that out-performexisting technologies, which us

thick films of organmolecules.AN

Improving the characteristics of the molecules and tweakingthe technique will eventually lead to self-assembling circuits

that out-perform existing technologies, which use thick filmsof organic molecules

Frankly, itworked

muchbetter thanweexpected

Self-assemblingcomputers comecloser to reality

Tired of your iPod running outof power? A Japanese companysays it has found a way to charge

portable gadgets just by walking.Telecoms giant NTT of Japan isdeveloping shoes that generateelectricity as you walk.

The shoes have a small gener-ator attached to water-filledsoles. Each step puts pressure onthe soles, causing the water tospin a small turbine and generatepower, NTT said.

The futuristic shoes currentlygenerate 1.2 watts of electricity,a level sufficient to run an iPodmobile music player forever, aslong as the wearer keeps walk-ing, said Hideomi Tenma,spokesman of NTT.

The company is trying to im-prove the power-generating ca-pacity to 3 watts, which is theamount of electricity to power a

mobile phone, he said.The shoes do not have a pow-

er-storage function, but youwould be able to charge a mobilephone automatically or talk on itforever as long as you connect the

phone to your shoes and keep walking."

NTT hopes to put the generinto actual products as earl2010.

The futuristic shoes currently generate 1.2 watts ofelectricity, a level sufficient to run an iPod

The special shoe that can generate electricity. AFP PHOTO

Shoes to power gadgets

Noiseless AmplifierAmerican researchers have developed the first tunable "noiseless" amplifier, whichcan boost the speed and precision of quantum computing and communicationssystems. According to the research team, the amplifier can enable faster and moreprecise measurements in certain types of quantum computers, which can solve someof the problems that are presently considered to be intractable.

Click and shoot

Hidehiko Tanaka,MD, Nikon India,unveiled the newNikon D90 camera

in Chennai onThursday. Thedigital SLR cameraalso comes with avideo shoot mode.It also features aGPS powered bysoftware ViewNX 1.2.D90, priced Rs.81,900, is availablein the market. Formore details visitwww.nikon.co.in.

PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN


10/24


BackPackers

10

Our recent trip to Wayanad was amemorable one. We started fromBangalore around 6.30 a.m. in aScorpio and reached Matunga

Wildlife Sanctuary in Wayanad by 11 a.m.The route was Mysore-Gundlupet-NH 212via Bandipura Reserve Forest.

Our first two stops were disappointing,but from the Edakkal Caves started thereal adventure. The place mainly has giantrocks positioned such that it looks like acave having ancient markings and sym-bols. Later, we started climbing the hill

where the view got more exciting as we went up. Though it appeared steep anddifficult, we were at ease reaching EdakkalHill where we took rest and clicked lots ofpictures. The 360-degree view was mes-merising, showing Kerala, Tamil Naduand Karnataka.

Our climb downhill was equally chal-lenging. We stopped for butter milk, fedsome monkeys with groundnuts, and alsohad a simple but wholesome meal com-prising boiled rice, sambar, butter milkand pickle. We stopped by to visit the

small museum on the way showcasing ar-tefacts made by villagers. Later, we head-ed to Soojippara waterfalls, which was

quite refreshing due to its force. The drivethrough lush tea plantation was also re-

juvenating. Though our original intentionwas to camp at some good home stay, wechanged plans as it was quite dark and wecouldnt locate a place. Instead, we settledfor Hotel Woodlands.

Day TwoEarly morning we went to Lakkidi. The

view of the valley was breathtaking. Wedrove a few kilometres clearing hairpinturns and then opted to return. Our stopat Pookud Lake and Banasura Dam wasfun.

Our last stop was at Kuruva Island, afterstopping at Manthanavadi for lunch,

which is an ideal picnic spot because ofthe dense forest with the Kabini river flow-ing.

We entered Karnataka border, neaNagarahole forest from a non-existentroad. Luckily, our Scorpio could clear thistough road with ease to reach Mysore bydinner time. The fully-illuminated MysorePalace looked pretty. As I was too sleepy todrive, I pulled over near Mandya, slept fortwo hours, and then cruised the remain-ing distance to reach Bangalore by 2 a.m.,

marking the end our trip. (The writer is a Business Analyst with

Satyam Computer Services)

Hairpin curves, drive through teaplantations, feeding monkeyswhat can bea better way to unwind with friends along!

SHRINIDHI [email protected]

Weekend on a Scorpio

Afew months ago I went to Da-

nushkodi with my family andmy grandmother, who was aresident of the place before

1964.Dhanushkodi is situated in the

south-east of Pamban. It was de-stroyed in the 1964 cyclone from thePamban Station and a train load ofpassengers were washed into the sea.Though the railway line was con-structed between Rameswaram andDhanushkodi, in course of time ithad to be covered by six sand dunes.One can reach Dhanushkodi only onfoot or a jeep or on fish carts.

Interestingly, the place is about 18miles West of Talaimannar in Jaffna,Ceylon. Dhanushkodi shares landborder between India and Ceylon,

which is one of the smallest in the world, just 50 yards in length on a

sand dune in Palk Strait.

The only landmarkFor people who stayed in this city

before 1964, it is the church whichserves as the best landmark. Theroofless shattered building, resem-bling a church, was built during theBritish era. Inside you see a pedestal,

which could have been the altar. Youcan almost visualise the pews (An en-closed compartment in a church thatprovides seating for a number of peo-ple) packed with choir singers andthe voice of the pastor resonating.

The Pamban Palam was built bythe British in 1914, which connectsRameswaram to mainland India. It isthe longest sea bridge in India andextends to about 2.3 km.

(The writer is an employee of WiproTechnologies)

KRISHNAMOORTHY [email protected]

An ode to my grandmothers home

The Pamban Palam bridge and Danushkodi church.PHOTOS: KRISHNAMOORTHY BALAKRISHNAN

High Four!:Shrinidhi, Raviraj,Raveesh andJayasimha


11/24


All BlacksThe All Blacks are New Zealands national teamin Rugby Union, the countrys national sport.The All Blacks are a respected and formidableforce in international rugby and have a winningrecord against every international rugby team

Untold ages ago, the moon

was not well and fell ill.Then it bathed in Roto-ruas curative waters and

regained strength. Many places inNew Zealand, especially betweenRotorua and Taupo on the NorthIsland, are associated with simi-lar myths of the Maori, a Polyne-sian people that settled in NewZealand long before the Euro-

peans came. New Zealand isyoung and dynamic in every re-spect, including geologically. TheNorth Island in particular is a tec-tonic cauldron. Beneath NewZealand, the Pacific Plate sub-ducts under the Australian Plate,continually causing earthquakesand volcanic eruptions.

Thermal showTravelling from the city of Ro-

torua to Tongariro National Park,you not only see volcanic conesbut also numerous geysers, boil-ing mud pools and hot springs.The road linking Rotorua andTongariro is part of what is calledthe Thermal Explorer Highway. Itcould also be dubbed the High-way to Hell because 12 kilo-

metres northeast of Rotorua liesHells Gate, a thermal area cov-ering four hectares that is one ofthe regions largest. Literallybreathtaking is the town of Tau-po, between Rotorua and Tonga-riro. The air there reeks ofsulphur, clouds of smoke obscurevisibility, and steam-spewing fu-maroles hiss right beside themain street. One of the mostbeautiful thermal areas on NorthIsland is Orakei Korako, also

known as the Hidden Valley, which is about 70 kilometressouth of Rotorua.

It can be reached via a by-roadthat branches off from StateHighway 5 near Golden Springs.The road ends at the shore ofLake Ohakuri, and a five-minuteboat ride takes visitors to thethermal area. Orakei Korakomeans place of adorning in theMaori language. The colourful,mineral-bearing pools used to bethe equivalent of a wellness cen-tre and make-up room for Maorichieftains. Tourists taking a two-hour hike over the extensive net-

work of footbridges and paths areamazed at the gurgling mudpools and silica deposits thatshine in the colours of the rain-

bow. There are also bubblychampagne pools and whitesinter terraces. All of this is set ina lush green valley with huge sil-ver ferns, the plant most associat-ed with New Zealand. Visitorsmay explore Orakei Korako with-out a guide but should keep tothe paths and heed the warningsigns. Hot thermal waters areeverywhere, and people who arecareless are likely to be scalded.The Diamond Geyser, for in-

stance, ejects boiling water up toeight metres into the air, some-times every minute, sometimesin intervals of several hours. The

water disperses into tiny dropletsthat glitter like diamonds.

Hospitality Aside from its natural beauty,

New Zealand is worth visiting be-cause of its likable people. The is-landers are known to invitetourists into their homes, where aconvivial evening with good foodand plenty of wine is guaranteed.They are very interested in Euro-peans who fly halfway across the

globe to see Kiwi Country. NewZealanders brave their storms,floods, and earthquakes with dryhumour, and they enjoy outdoorlife and being with their families.

One consequence of this is thatmany shopkeepers close theirdoors as early as 5pm so that theycan slip into their boots andspend the evening fly-fishing on ariver. Every year on Lake Taupo,fishermen pull in more than100,000 trout. Many a catch is sobig the locals are wont to say

with a bit of exaggeration thatthe water level drops. Lake Taupois, in fact, the largest lake in NewZealand and third-largest in thesouthern hemisphere. It was cre-ated by a tectonic catastrophemore than 20,000 years ago: the

explosion of a super-volcwhich left a huge caldera thaer filled with water. Tourists ing to dance on an active volccan visit White Island. Situatethe Bay of Plenty some 50 metres northeast of the tow

Whakatane, it is New Zealaonly active marine volcano.

The island, which lacks vegtion, is covered with bubbmud pools, yellow mounds ofphur, and a dazzling crater fi

with boiling, garish-green wBleak and forbidding, Whitland is a fascinating place thafers insight into the Earths egeologic history. The volcanospit out ash, pumice, or lavany moment, and a plumsmoke constantly hangs overisland. Hundreds of earthqushake it each day, usually sonor that only seismographstect them. Nevertheless, toucan book a day trip by boa

White Island in Whakatanefore they are allowed on thland, however, they are givrespiratory mask and have toon a protective helmet. Thebig eruption was seven years but you never know.

GEORG ALEXANDER

Young,dynamic,volcanic and likeable

Information

New Zealand HighCommission

Sir Edmund Hillary Marg,Chanakyapuri. New Delhi 110021.Phone: 011-2688 3170 Honorary Consul for New

Zealand

L GaneshRane Engine Valves Ltd,Maithri, 132 CathedralRoad.Chennai 600 086.

Phone: 044-2811 2472 ext 21

Young,dynamic,volcanic and likeableA visit to enchanting New Zealand

Bonus nightSingapore Tourism Board has launched the 2+1 Bonus Night. This offevisitors one additional night stay free to their two-night weekend staySingapore. Bundled with the free night stay, the offer also includes twdays of complementary visit to HiPPO City and river tour. Log on tovisitsingapore.com/weekends to know more. The offer is valid foraccommodation till November 14.


12/24


13/24

Too manycooks spoilthe dough?


Palin specs spark

fashion waveRepublican Vice Presidential CandidateSarah Palin is doing more than justrocking the political world. Shes isfinding her niche in the fashion industrywith her glasses.Thousands of women around the worldare rushing to their local opticiandemanding a pair of Palins KazuoKawasaki MP-704 rimless glasses. Thespectacles are flying off the shelves so

fast that the manufacturer, MasunagaOptical Manufacturing Co Ltd, based inFukui, Japan, has stopped producingother Kazuo Kawasaki models to focuson The Palin.

ANI

Marimekko, D&Gsettle over

flower patternFinnish textile designcompany Marimekko said

had reached an agreement with Italianfashion house Dolce & Gabbana to endtheir spat over its trademarked poppyflower pattern Unikko.The parties have agreed on the handlingof already manufactured products and onthe fee to be paid to Marimekko, and willboth withdraw all the legal proceedingsconcerning the Unikko trademark, theFinnish firm said in a statement.The dispute started when Marimekkodiscovered that the Italian fashion househad been using a red flower pattern similato Unikko without permission.

AF

Queensdressmaker indire straitsHardy Amies, the fashionhouse which dressedQueen Elizabeth II formore than half a century,announced that it had

filed for administration after funding talksfailed. The firm, founded in 1946 by thelate (Sir) Hardy Amies, who died in 2003,had been suffering losses for several yearsand warned in June that poor womensweasales would see losses accelerate in the firsthalf of this year and would continue into2009. The group, which still has itsheadquarters in Savile Row, the Londonstreet famous for bespoke tailoring, has anumber of outlets across Britain andlicences around the globe.

DP

BULLETIN

Lakme Fashion WeekWhen: October 20 24Where: National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA),

MumbaiOrganiser: Lakme and IMGThis year: The Menswear Day will see an entire day

dedicated to menswear. Another addition is the Group Ac-cessory Designer Show. Testimony to the growing interde-pendence between art and fashion, ArtStudio will feature

works of 20 artists, to be displayed at the fashion weekvenue.

Leading designers: Nikhil & Shantanu, Shane & FalguniPeacock, Narendra Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, Lecoanet He-mant, Raghavendra Rathore, Vikram Phadnis

Chennai presence: Vivek Karunakaran for Westside,Chaitanya Rao

Grand finale: Sabyasachi Mukherjee

Delhi Fashion WeekVenue: Emporio Mall, New DelhiWhen: October 14 18Organiser: Prodigy Fashion. The Delhi Fashion Week is

endorsed by Fashion Foundation of India. Sumeet Nair, a

founding member of Fashion Foundation of India, was theformer Executive Director of FDCI, which backs rival WillsLifestyle India Fashion Week.

This year: The Delhi Fashion Week claims to be a plat-form for talented designers who have been handpicked byan eminent jury. Tarun Tahilianis defection from WillsLifestyle India Fashion Week is the hot topic.

Buyers: DFW expects the number of buyers to touch 175.International buyers include ISETAN of Japan, SEIBU ofHong Kong and Paris-based Showroom Romeo.

Leading designers:A total of 33 designers are participa-ting. Vineet Bahl, Lecoanet Hemant, Raghavendra Rathore,

Sonam Dubal, Tarun Tahiliani, Meera & Muzaffar Ali,Rohit Bal, Gaurav Gupta, Malini Ramani and AnamikaKhanna are the prominent names.

Chennai presence: Its still early daysGrand finale: Anamika Khanna

Inputs from agencies03

02


14/24


Wellness

14

The nature of the mind is al-

ways to accumulate.When it is gross, it wants

to accumulate things; whenit becomes a little more evolved,it wants to accumulate knowl-edge. When emotion becomesdominant, it wants to accumulate

people. But the basic nature is: itwants to accumulate. Mind is agatherer - always wanting togather something.

When a person starts thinkingor believing that he is on a spiri-tual path, then he starts accum-ulating the so-called spiritualwisdom; maybe he starts gather-ing the Gurus words. One has togo beyond the need to accumu-late - whether it is food, or things,or people, or knowledge, or wis-dom. It does not matter what youaccumulate. The need to accum-ulate means there is an insuffi-ciency. And the insufficiency, thefeeling of being insufficient hasentered into this unbounded be-ing only because somewhere yougot identified with limited thingsthat you are not. If one brings suf-ficient awareness and above all, aconstant sadhana (yogic practic-es) into his life, slowly the vesselbecomes totally empty.

Awareness empties the vessel.Sadhana cleanses the vessel.

When these two aspects are sus-tained - awareness and sadhanaare sustained for a sufficientlylong period - then your vessel be-comes empty.

Only when this emptinessarises, Grace descends upon you.

Without Grace nobody really gets

anywhere. If you need to experi-ence the Grace, you have to be-come empty or your vessel has tobecome totally empty. If you areliving with a Guru just to gatherhis words, your life has beenmore wasteful than the ant whichgathers food for the winter orrainy season. If you do not experi-ence the Grace, if you do notmake yourself receptive for theGrace, if you do not empty your-self to bear the Grace, then spiri-tual path is something that needsto be pursued for many, many lifetimes.

But if you become emptyenough for the Grace to descend,then the ultimate nature is not faraway. It is here to be experienced.It is here to be realized. It is goingbeyond all dimensions of exis-tence, into the exalted state. It isnot tomorrow, not another life-time. It becomes a living reality.

SADHGURU JAGGI VASUDEV

Grace descends upon you

Its official: mobile phones do raise the risk ofbrain cancer, claim boffins. According to theexperts, the chances of developing amalignant tumour are significantly

increased for people who use a mobile forten years. The shocking finding is the result ofthe biggest ever study by the InternationalAgency for Research on Cancer, part of theWorld Health Organisation. The experts founda type of brain tumour called glioma is morelikely in long-term mobile users. Frenchexperts analysed data from 13 countries,including Britain. Although researchers admitthe cause is unknown, but according to themradiation from handsets could be the trigger.To underestimate the risk would be acomplete disaster, the Sun quoted studychief Professor Elisabeth Cardis, as saying.However, a British expert insisted mobiles arenot dangerous. Professor Patricia McKinney ofthe University of Leeds said: Reasonable useis unlikely to increase the risk of tumours.

ANI

Bean factFrom the royal tombs of ancient Egypt to the Old Testam

cultivation, preparation, and consumption of beans are renized. In some Eastern cultures, legumes were a basic diestaple that can be traced back more than 20,000 years.

Mobile phones do up brain cancer risk Forget troubles andkeep heart healthyForgetting troubles might help you keep your hearthealthy, suggests a new study, which has found thatfailing memory in Alzheimers helps reduce high bloodpressure. Previous studies have put cognitive problems

suffered by some Alzheimers patients to low bloodpressure (arterial hypotension). However, the new studyled by researchers from Osijek Medical Faculty in Croatisuggests that as the patients memory fails, they forgetthe causes of anxiety and worry that was causing highblood pressure: failing memory causes hypotension. It

also suggests that heart disease couldbe substantially reduced in old

people simply by making themhappier about themselves andtheir lives. The study proposesthat some people suffering fromAlzheimers disease experience areduction in their high blood

pressure because of cognitivedecline. The study is published in

Bioscience Hypotheses.ANI


15/24


16/24

Kirsten batsfor skipper


Sport16

Indo-Pak clash in

Hong KongIndia and Pakistan have been included in thesame group of the Hong Kong Cricket Sixesevent, and the arch-rivals will clash on dayone of the event, beginning at the KowloonCricket Club in Hong Kong on November 8.The Asian giants will bring the curtains downon the first days action when they face off ina crucial Group encounter. Eight teams havebeen divided into two groups of four and onlytwo teams from each group would advance tothe next stage. Apart from India and Pakistan,the Bradman Group comprises England andSouth Africa. Any game between India andPakistan is to be savoured. But what makesthis clash even more mouth-watering is thatthere is every chance a place in the Cup willbe at stake, said tournament director MarkBurns. If either team has the opportunity toknock the other out of the Cup, then wereally can expect some fireworks, Burnsadded.Players who have taken part over the past 16years include Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar,Steve and Mark Waugh, Vivian Richards,Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist and WasimAkram.

PTI

Pak skipper and coachhits out at selectorsThe skipper and the coach of thePakistan cricket team have revealedthat the squad selected for the four-nation Twenty20 tournament inToronto was not of their choice.Pakistan lost the final match of thetournament to Sri Lanka early thisweek. Shoaib Malik and GeoffLawson interacted with media afterreaching Lahore from Toronto on Wednesdaynight. The team that went to Canada wasdifferent from the one the selectors, Shoaib andI discussed. The selectors picked that team andit is their responsibility. Their Chairman hasresigned so you should ask the selectors whathappened between them, Lawson said.

Chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed had resignedbefore the tournament in protest to a changemade in the selected squad without the consentof the selectors. The selectors had picked offspinner Saeed Ajmal in the squad but he wasreplaced by the rookie batsman Shoaib Khan inthe last minute change. The batsman fromQuetta played in all four games in Toronto andflopped in three including the final. I wasthere when we discussed the team but wedidnt discuss who to take and who to drop.Certainly the team that went to Toronto wasnot the one I had in mind, Malik said.

PTI

Embattled India skipper AnilKumble has received aringing endorsement fromcoach Gary Kirsten as he

struggles with his form and fit-ness ahead of the second Testagainst Australia. Nursing a soreshoulder, the 37-year-old leg-spinner failed to bag a singlewicket in the drawn first test atBangalore. It was only the thirdtime in his career and the firsttime ever in front of a homecrowd he has walked away emp-

ty-handed. He also dropped twocatches off his own bowling tocap a miserable outing and trig-ger a debate as to whether hewas fit enough to lead the Indi-an side.

However, Kirsten reaffirmedhis faith in Kumble and warnedAustralians of a comeback fromthe stalwart in the second Test,which begins in Mohali on Fri-day. Kumble is a warrior, Kir-sten said on Wednesday. He isalright at the moment. He has alittle bit of pain but he is verykeen to play. I am sure that re-gardless of how he is physically,he would be ready to representhis country. We dont look at

form in one Test but over a longperiod of time. He is one of thegreatest Indian players ever.Any champion player who strug-gles comes back stronger. He isgoing to come back more deter-mined than before to put in amatch-winning performance. Hehas been doing this for the last17 years.

Confident

The former South Africanopener also spoke about the up-

beat mood in the Indian campfollowing their match-saving he-roics in Bangalore. As a coachor even when I was playingagainst them, I have never seensuch strong team unity and to-getherness. They are very eagerto win this Test series. They havethe belief that they can beatAustralia. The greatest catalysthas been the fact that we are upagainst the number one team inthe world.

No one is talking about indi-vidual records but what we cando as a team.

Kirsten did not rule out play-ing an extra fast bowler at theexpense of a spinner, consider-

ing the success his seamers enjoyed in difficult conditions inthe previous Test. These are ex-citing times in Indian cricket.Seamers are making a contribu-tion and affecting the course ofa match and that too on anykind of wicket. The skills thatour fast bowlers showed in Ban-galore have given them a lot ofbelief, so we are looking at dif-ferent options and will decideon the final bowling combina-tion after having another look at

the Mohali wicket.

Fast and furious

The Indian fast bowlers, led byleft-arm paceman Zaheer Khan,gave the team crucial break-throughs and picked 13 of the 16Aussie wickets to fall in Banga-lore. Kirsten heaped praise onZaheer, who finished the matchwith six wickets. Zaheer has atremendous belief in himself, heis intelligent and understandshow he must bowl in differentconditions. He has great varia-tions which come from experi-ence. He is a highly skilledbowler.

AFP

Team

India

coach

defends

erratic

KumblePHOTO:PTI

Young GunAsher Gusti Noria not only shot a double trap gold for India at the CommonwealtYouth Games on Wednesday but in the process he bettered Athens silver medallisRajyavardhan Singh Rathores score by one bird. The 16-year-old, who picked upshooting four years ago under his father Gusti Jall Noria, a former national doubltrap specialist, shot a total of 180 en route to the gold.


17/24


18/24

Cameron Diaz givesacting tips

Cameron Diaz has turned into areal-life teacher for the sake of love- the stunner is giving her Britishboyfriend Paul Sculfor a few acting

tips.The British model, who hasdated Jennifer Aniston, said thathe turns to his stunning girlfriendwhen he needs to rehearse ascene or when hes havingtrouble with it.

If I need to go over a scene orsomething, then we help each otherout, the Daily Express quoted him astelling New! Magazine.

The 37-year-old further said thatdespite their common acting interests,the duo had not drawn any plans towork together.

We have no plans to act togetherbut who knows about the future?he added.

ANI


Flick

18

Hollywood actress Lindsay Lohan may soon be seen rec-ording a duet with Madonna, as the actress has got anod from the Queen of Pop herself.

The Mean Girls star expressed her desire to workwith Madonna, saying, That would be incredible.

That would be beyond...And the Material Girl seems to be up for the idea, when

she agreed to work with the 22-year-old actress/ singer.Yeah, sure. Why not? Contactmusic quoted Madonna as

telling U.S. news show Extra, on being asked about the idea.ANI

Lindsay Lohan might record albumwith the Queen of Pop

Birthday bumps!On this day in 1972, Eminem alsoknown as Marshall Bruce Mathers IIwas born in Kansas city, Missouri.

Lens perfect: Lindsayand Madonna

THAT WOULD BE INCREDIBLE. THAT WOULD BE BEYOND...

Hugh Hefners former No. 1 girlfriendHolly Madison is not moving out of thePlayboy Mansion any time soon, for she

doesnt have time to pack her stuff.The busty blonde had recentlyannounced her split with the Playboymogul, but is still staying as a guest inhis house. Apparently, Madison islending a helping hand to Hefnersnew 19-year-old twin gal pals, Kristinaand Karissa Shannon, in moving in.

I dont have time to pack. Nobodycan pack for me. Nobody knows what Ineed to keep or what goes intostorage. I have to do it myself,Contactmusic quoted Madison, astelling HollyScoop.com,

She added, Im making myself useful- I worked with the twins this summeron their playmate layout. I directedtheir pictorial. I just want Hef to behappy and have fun (with them).

ANI

Playboy mansionneeds playgirls


19/24


20/24


Thursdays Question:

What is the one song youwould like to sing to yourboss, so that he gets thehint? Naan oru muttaalunga;romba nallapadichavanga 4 per(am de 1 among them)sonnnga naan oru muttalunga!"

Mani

CCSL

Who let the boss out....? who who who?who let the boss out? who whom who?:)

Ezhilan Vikraman,

PEROT SYSTEMS

Vetri meethu vetri vanthu unnaiserum,athai vangi thantha perumai ellamennai serum;)

Lakshmi Rajendran,

PEROT SYSTEMS

Poda Poda punnakku podatha thappukanaku

Bala,

PEROT SYSTEMS

Thoongaadhe thambi thoongaadhe neesomberi endra peyar vaangaadhe.. Guess

its explicit, il sing it while he is asleep inhis cabin.. :-)

Bragadeesh, VDSI

Enge sellum indha paathai.... Yaro yaroarivaro...

Dominic xavier.

Cgsl.

Sodhanai mel sodhanai pothumadasaami. Sodhanaithan valkai endralthaangathu boomi

Elaiyaraja, ALLSEC

Thenpandi seemaiila therodumveedhiyila maanpola vandhavane yaaradicharoo yaar adicharoo

Suresh, ALLSEC

enkite mothathe na rajathi rajana da...Sridher,Miva,PEROT SYSTEMS

If my boss is girl, my song is unakkaagathaney intha uyir ullathu unthuyaramthaanga en thool ullathu.

9884016663

My Boss is a nice man. Ill sing ejamankaaladi manneduthu nethiyila pottuveppom

Vijay, CGSL

Treking in a hill station with your bosssinging vaaraai ne vaaraai , poogum edamveygu thooram illai , ne vaaraai....

SAM - Athena Timber Wolves,

PEROT SYSTEMS

Unkuthama...enkuthama...

9884373581

I would sing ushar aiya ushar song.Babloo, ALLSEC

"Andha vanathai pola manam padaichamannavaray..

Rajasekar, TCS

To remind my boss about salary hike, I llwill sing "Varavu ettana, selavu pathana,so pls put ettana more"

Abul, TCS.

Nan poladhan poi solathavan kai kativaimudi yar munbum nan nindru athayamthadathavan nan polathavan

9790853362

Yen kadhai mudiyum neramidhu....Dilipkumar, INFOSYS

Aadatha aatamelam potavangamanukulae pora katha unaku theriyuma .?

9894369726

After good appraisal manithan enbavantheyvamagalam vari vari kodukumbothuvalal agalam

Latha, TCS

engirundhu vandhay ada ennai paadupaduththa, nee ennai paadu padhuththa...

JS

"Budhi ulla manidan ellam vetrikanbadillai... Vetri petra manidan elambudhisali illai"

Padma Gopal,CTS

Yenga yeria ula varadhae. .Sundararajan, Interglobe

Mujhko bhi to lift kara deVipin Mittal, TCS

Unakenna maele ninraay.. Onandhalaalaa

G.R, TCS

Olimayamana edhirkalam en ullathiltherigiradhu....

Vijayakannan.S, HCL Tech

rum bum bum arambum , rumbumbum perum thunbum

9710918871

Yaen pirandhai maganey yaenpirandhayo...

9841624060

Gangai karai thottam kanni pengalkootam kannan naduviniley oh kannannaduviniley.

Anand.k

Todays Question:What would your reactionbe if your blind dateturned out to be 10 years

elder to you?

Manomani J of HCL Technologies nominates her team membeas Partners in Crime. They clicked this pic at V.G.P Resorts.

Meenakshi of Infosys clicked this picture of her Partners in Crimon their project trip to Wayanad.

Rashmi Nandita from Satyam Computers sent this picture of hPartners in Crime


21/24


One thief is praying before the photo of Arcot Veeraswamy, EBMinister,

Swamy thozhiluku poraen, tayavu senju current varama pathu-ka swamy

- Marie,

CTSA sardar proposed to a girl..Girl :I am a year older to you"Sardar: Okay, I will marry you next year

- Suganthi,

CTS

Dearest Janu,"Happy Anniv"The past one year has made a lot ofdifference to my Life. Thank you forbeing my "Sweetheart". I will always bethere for you.

lotss of LoveDeepu 9962212223

Hey Criminal!Wishing you a very Happy Birthday! Mayall your dreams come true.Enjoy!!!

Cheers, Cheeku ;)

Hi ALCATEL Guys,Happy Journey to the Gang going for

"Kodaikanal" this Weekend.Njoy the days & Have fun !!!!! Happy Journey !!

Thanks, Vijayasankar

Dear Pooja (O3),I know, Its a bit early, but i will be thefirst one to wish you Happy Bday.May GOD bless you n have asweet,special and rocking day on 19th.Chalo Chaa peen Chaleye !!!Pakore Khaeye !!!

Yours Lovingly,

Manpreet Verma (KD) Dear Kavitha,Happy Birthday(Oct 17th)...Many moreHappy Returns of the day...

From,

Indu, Dhanashri, Apoorva, Bharath, Suresh,Pandi, Rajan, Ashok & Sheshu

Hi Priya,Wish you many more happy returns ofthe day.. This is a special day as specialas you. May God bless you and let thisnew year bring you all success andhappiness in your life.

Regards,

Mohan(YFC President)

Ramco Systems

Dear Ravi Sir,Heres wishing you a very HAPPYBIRTHDAY. Wishing you all success andhappiness in all your future endeavours.Thanks for all your support,moralboost,confidence and many more thatyou instilled in us to make our lives abetter one.Thanks for being there for us.

Regards,FDC Oracle DBA Team,

Wipro Technologies.

HI Prakash(Kutty Mani)Wish you a Happy Birthday.We wish u allsuccess in life and may all ur dreams willcome true.

with love,

R.Deivendran(InterGlobe Technologies)

R.Suresh Kumar(TCS)K.Senthil Kumar(Mobious)

C.RajKumar(HOV services)

Hi GoutamBelated Bday wishes to u man.

FromSandy , Surya , Pramit , Jhinku and Rash.

Hexaware Technologies

Dear Krishnan,It is probably first time for us at workplace to see one in our team, completing

25 years of service in an organization.At this time, we learn from you, thededication you have towards the job.We wish you good Health, happiness,Cheer, Love, Laughs, Good times andmany more Success this year and in yeato come.

Happy Silver Jubilee Anniversa

Cheers, SVT Team, Amb

HCL Technologi

Dear ChinnariWish u a very sweet n warm birhday.May god bless you and have a rockingyear ahead.

With Lov

Nanna,Amma,Bul Hi Aunty(Akhi),Wish u many more Happy returns of dday :-)Have a Blast.Waiting 4 ur treat ;)

By GO

Dear Himachal (FSS),Wish You Happy Birthday (Pirantha naanalvazhthukal). We wishing you allsuccess in your life, may all your desirescome true Have a great year ahead

With lot of lov

Ganapathi, Kuhan, Sandhiya, Uma, GayathSampath, Gnana Prakash, Sathya, Shoaib, F

Hi Sangeetha (Admin - ETA)Wish you many more happy returns ofthe day.Have a great day and wonderful yearahead.

Shan Adm Dear Krish,On your birthday, special one,We wish that all your dreams come trueMay your day be filled with joy,Wonderful gifts and goodies, too.On your day we wish for youFavorite people to embrace,Loving smiles and caring looksThat earthly gifts cannot replace.Happy Birthday Krish!!!

Best Regard

Route No. 4 Friends, Scope Internationa

Hey Pooja,Advance Birthday Wishes !!Let all your dreams come true & mayyou have a lovely and blessed life ahead~~~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY ~~~

Hearty Wishes, Ashish (Wipr

Chweet ANIMAL PLANET(Divya),Athaadiku Iniya Piranthanaal

Nalvazhthukkal.. JItha Padicha udanae un pallakadikkatha.. J Adi paadavathigala nuthitatha.. JMay God Bless You with love, happinesand success all through your way JWish all your dreams come true (May ubro get you your favourite mobile) JInaikavathu unnoda new dresses la onnpodu..Marakkama Le Royal Meridian la treakudu J Already Taj la 3 treat baaki irukma kannu..Ithellam padichitu un favourite dialogu( Eruma Maadaeeee.) nu sollatha

LovUrs favourite Manidha Thozhig

Uma, Sangee, Raji, Jay

HiErgo is a really good newspaper. This is my small suggestion. Can

you please allocate a separate column for Health Tips for the Day?Thanks & Regards

Ramya R.Congruent Solutions, Guindy

Hi ,I really like the U-Turn section of Ergo and the Doodle corner

initiative is really commendable. Ergo has become a part of our dailydose of refreshment and we eagerly wait for it while travelling fromECR to OMR.

All the very best for your novel effort.With regards

Rupesh DubeyCognizant Technology solutions

Sunder from CognizantTechnologies doodled this.


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Traffic Jam

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TEAM

Editor: Karthik [email protected]

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

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

Head of Advertising:Sriya [email protected]

Head of Circulation:M.G.M. Sharief

[email protected]

SNAIL MAIL

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

FAX 2857 6691

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIESCall ourAdvertisement Managerat 2857 6695.email: [email protected]: www.goergo.in

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf ofKASTURI & 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 underthe PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553

sudoku

KAKURO

Poisonous hazelnutsThieves who stole 300kg of hazelnuin Germany have been urgently warnot to eat them - because theyrepoisonous.

So you think you would make a terrific photog-rapher but never really had the p latform? Mail usyour best work and well publish it in this space,with credit.E-mail: [email protected]

Vinoth Kumar P of ZylogSystems Ltd. clicked thispicture in the Masinagudiforest. Hobbies: Playing TT,roaming on his bike


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B.C

BORN LOSER

FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT

PREVIOUS

ISSUES

SOLUTIONS

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20

Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pa

Today, you have scope of getting some goodfinancial rewards of your work. This doesnt neebe in the physical form but whatever you do maadd positive points to appraisal in future. You mexchange sweet words with your life partner.

Your basic qualities are highlighted today so it ispower day for you. At office, you can finish offyour work as per the schedule. In personal life, you are not careful your relations with your spoumay get sour. Handle everything diplomatically.

Hard work is on the cards but ensure that nothin

goes in vain! Ganesha foresees you working inwrong direction today. Colleagues may try to taryour image. You may try to woo someone. If youare married, you may be attracted to your partne

Its a perfect day to organise regular group activlike meetings. Your diligence and commitment towork will prove beneficial to you in the longer rLove life or married life may remain stress freewhich will make you feel better, emotionally.

This is a perfect day to handle creative part of y job. Slogging alone may not work but you mayneed to use your imagination. Your relations witbosses may need to be handled carefully. You mnot be able to pay much attention to love life.

Ganesha foresees you in a very practical mood awork. This will help you finish off your job in tim

You may plan for a trip with your family or belovone. Travelling is not on the cards but planning surely foreseen.

Whatever you have learnt from seniors andsuperiors may be useful in your job. You can betrying to solve complex issues at workplace. In llife, you may enjoy very high-quality private timewith your beloved one.

You may not be in a mood to put in more effortat office. Even if you wish, you may not be ablestay back at work till late evening. Health requirattention. In personal life, you may receive positresponse from beloved one or life partner.

Complimentary day for you, predicts Ganesha. Yomay not sit relaxed for a moment and utilize youtime at office. Take rest and maintain good heal

Love life may require attention but you may not able to devote time to it because of busy schedu

Your professional life may offer you plethora ofopportunities today. If you work hard, you may ggood incentives. Love life may blossom as you alikely to express your emotions very creatively towoo your beloved one or life partner.

It is high time you think about your ownshortcomings in routine office work. Ganesha finyou contemplating over some matters related towork. You may wish to reach home early to spenmore time with family members.

Your creative talents may be boosted. You maychange your modus operandi which will help youhandle work easily. In love life, you will be almounpredictable and may leave your partner puzzleabout what you actually expect from him or her!

Words worth"Decemnovenarianize" (di-sem-no-vi-na-ree-uh-nize) to act like a person of the nineteenth century(a decemnovenarian).

Musical surgeryA veteran bluegrass legend playedbanjo while surgeons operated on hisbrain.


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Rabbit invasionshuts MandelamuseumSouth Africans Robben Islandmuseum will be closed whileauthorities cull a colony of rabthat has invaded the site wherNelson Mandela was jailed.Authorities said on Tuesday thmuseum, popular with touristswanting to see the formerpresidents cell, would betemporarily closed while therabbits were killed to protectplant life and historical buildinat the World Heritage site.

Re

Early welcome to Santa ClaA Gloucestershire, England, town has alreadput up its Christmas decorations - with 73 dto go.

I

f you had a time machine that couldtake you back fifty years, not onlywould you land up in the late 50s orearly 60s, when your fathers and

mothers were running around playingringa-ringa roses, you would also findmany customs and beliefs very unique toChennaiites. But how did they come up with them?

Here are likely reasons why those be-liefs were created.

Disclaimer: All sentences written beloware subject to the writers opinion!

Home Rules

Thou shalt not accept anything thatdoes not taste sweet like bitter gourd. It isbad for not only thy health but also thehome, in general.

Let us look at this objectively. Either ways, bitter gourd is cheap and its notmuch of a gift. Imagine yourself celebrat-ing your birthday

and your uncle gives you a bitter gourdsaying Happy birth-day! Wouldnt thatbe a spoiler?Thou shalt not

question thy rela-tives about theiragenda, just as theyare about to leave.

The basic rule be-hind this is not toask too many ques-tions. Suppose youruncle wants to go tothe loo and just as hegets up from hischair, you jump upasking Where are you going? what kind

of reaction would you except.Thou shalt not clip nails after sun-

down in order to prevent bad health.Nail cutters are not exactly what you

think they are (Shh!!). Ill let you in on asecret. As soon as the sun goes down, theyturn into Dracula! They suck your bloodand drain you dry, which is why mostpeople advise you not to cut your nailsafter sundown. Scary huh?Thou shalt not confuse ull patharam

(in vessels) with veli patharam (outvessels)

There is this card game called Man-gatha where one has to choose a cardand also if it is ulle (in) and veliye (out).If the card comes in the set that youve

where that came from.Thou shalt not sleep at the entrance of

thy house.There is a very logical reason for this

one. Anyone entering the house willstamp your head on their way in. If thou hurts thy leg on a piece of

furniture, then thou hath done someth-ing wrong for which thou are being puni-shed by Him.

You are most probably blind if you hit yourself repeatedly on pieces of furni-ture. But, according to reverse psycholo-gy, people mostly get hit by furniture when they are moved by others and notin their original place.

Rules for communication

Thou shalt not swear on Fridays

Even in olden days, people used toswear. The wise old men, who I men-tioned earlier, wanted to give those poorswear words a holiday as they were being

misused. Henceforth,

Friday was called non-swearing day. If thou choke on

anything, someone isthinking of you!

Well, I dont reallyknow why people saythis but if someonesthinking of you and you choke then itskind of bad. Eitherthey have telekineticpowers like StephenKings Carrie or they would love to chokethe life out of you andare thinking of doingso that very instant.

Does that sound pleasant?

Thou shalt begin any new venture bybreaking a pumpkin.

When people usually smash pumpkinson the roads after they start a business,theres an ulterior motive. Just as theysmash it, they would be thinking Ohlord, please make sure my rivals all comethis way today and slip and fall on thispumpkin and injure themselves!. Nicetactic, eh? Thou shalt start each new page in a

notebook with a Pillaiyar suzhiThis is very useful for students. You re-

member how your teachers always com-plained that there is nothing in yourpaper? Well, the next time you (or yourkids) can point to the suzhi and say

It is considered unlucky to do anything goodwith ones left hand. In tune with this, thearticle has been typed only with the right hand,to adhere to social custom. Sounds familiar?ANUSHA PARTHASARATHY

Beliefs gone Batty

Ergo October 17

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