A BYTE OF LIFE Thursday, December 18, 2008

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 241

CRACKS IN
THE WALL
His bad run continues. But Ayon Sengupta argues
that it is not yet time to give up on Rahul Dravid
» PAGE 07

08
PAINT JOB
Give your car the ultimate new
look with pearlescent paints

10SEQUEL CHASER
Will Smith is game for sequels
of his hits and duds
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Thursday, December 18, 2008

Filmy
World Cinema Flowers of the sky/ Asasa Kusum (5.30 p.m.) and Same Old
Song (7.30 p.m.) will be screened today as part of the 6th Chennai
International Film Festival at Woodlands Theatre.
Log on to www.chennaifilmfest.org or call 98401 51956 for more details.

Poets and poetry

25 eminent poets are
taking part in ‘Poetry
with Prakriti’ festival
D ecember is not only about music and dance in
Your small change
can feed this dog
Chennai, if you thought so. The Prakriti
Foundation is hosting ‘Poetry with Prakriti’
festival from December 16 to 30. The two-week
long festival will feature 25 eminent poets, each
of whom will present different readings of their
poems to a small and intimate audience at
different venues in the city.
Poets taking part include: French poet Yusuf
Kadel, Spanish rapper Jorge Figuera, Tamil poet
Salma, Marathi and English poet and artist Dilip
Chitre, musician poets Vedant, Roopa Mahadevan
and Anand Thakore.
English poets include Robin Ngangom, Meena
Alexander, Anindita Sen Gupta, C.P. Surendran,
Michael Creighton, Baiju Natarajan, Rumjhum
Biswas, Rukmini Bhaya Nair, Prabhanjan Mishra,
Bhoopathy, Monica Mody, S.S.Prasad, Gopikrishna
Kottoor, Anupama Raju, T.P.Sabitha,

PHOTO: JOHN IMMANUAL

K.Sachithanandan, journalist and poet Shruthi
Ravindran and author Vasantha Surya.

Venues
The session will be held at Oxford Book Store,
AMM School, Kalakshetra Foundation, Vel’s
Academy, Goethe Institute, MGR Janaki College,
Meena Muthiah College, Loyola College, Madras
University’s English Department, The Park,
Apparao Galleries, The School KFI, Womens’
Christian College, Vastrakala, Shilpi, FabIndia
stores, Prana, Sundari Silks, Subway, Chamiers,
Padma Sheshadri Bal Bhavan School, Gallery
Sumukha, Evoluzione, Cholamandal Artists’
Village, Forum Art Gallery and Madras Terrance Make a big impact with little or no money because in
House.
For details log on to www.poetrywithprakriti.in charity, small things go a long way
SRIYA NARAYANAN
pets@goergo.in walk out knowing that an affec- Child. Like the concept? Spam
tionate shelter dog won’t go hun- your friends and colleagues for
gry today. If you’re short of they’ll want in on this too.

W
hile donating your small
change on international
flights, have you ever
wondered if it really
makes a difference to the bene-
ficiary? It sure does. Here’s how
you can get the satisfaction of
changing a life simply by empty-
ing the bulky coins out of your
wallet the next time you’re in a
shopping mall or taking a few
seconds to change your status on
Facebook or Google Talk.
Magic Number 15
The Rs. 15 can buy you one-
third of a chocolate smoothie at
the café down the street, three-
fourth of a fruit and nut candy
bar or a small can of aerated
drinks.
It’s also powerful enough to
feed a dog for one day. The next
time you see a donation box for
an animal shelter, make a gener-
ous donation of 15 rupees and
change or would rather like to get
it over with at one go, send a
cheque for Rs. 450 and indicate in
a letter that you’d like the money
go towards feeding a dog for one
month. If you’d like pictures of
the dog you’re sponsoring, re-
quest the NGO to send a few.
Write to awptshelter@gmail.com
for more info.
Go Social
If you’re a social person who
loves hanging out in the virtual
world, check out socialvibe.com.
By getting sponsored by your fa-
vourite brands on your Facebook
or Orkut profiles, you can raise
funds for your favourite charities
without spending any of your
own money. There’s a long list of
causes to choose from including
World Wildlife Fund (WWF),
Stand Up to Cancer, People for
the Ethical Treatment of Animals
(PETA) and One Laptop per
Save the birds. Update your
status message
This month, change your status
on Google Talk/Orkut/Facebook
to vipulramanuj.blogspot.com.
The blog, run by a volunteer from
Ahmedabad’s Animal Help Foun-
dation (AHF) educates the public
about the large number of beauti-
ful birds, including migratory
flocks and endangered species
that become victims of the yearly
kite-flying festival in Gujarat (Ut-
tarayan).
It’s quite literally a ‘cut-throat’
event, says the blogger who
hopes that people will choose to
keep the skies peaceful and pre-
vent dozens of tragic injuries and
deaths.
It’s the season of giving, so
write to us if you have any ideas
along these lines. We’ll feature
them here with credit. Merry
Christmas! ■
 Thursday, December 18, 2008
03

Woman gangster murdered

The deceased Parameshwari of Elephant Gates
was a small-time gangster in the area and
was involved in various crimes, including
extortion, and even ran a prostitution ring
ERGO CORRESPONDENT Parameshwari was found dead on
feedback@goergo.in the pavement on Adiappanayakan
Street, where she usually spent the

A
woman gangster from North night. Passers-by who noticed her
Chennai was brutally mur- dead body with cuts and stab wound
dered outside her house in Ele- on the face, hands and chest in-
phant Gates on Wednesday formed the police, who later reco-
morning by unidentified persons. vered the corpse and conducted
Police say a gang rivalry had led to preliminary investigations.
the killing. Police sources say she had a long-
The deceased was standing rivalry with
identified as Paramesh- A total of 18 another gang from the
wari alias Paramu alias Mulakothalam area. A
Mundakanni (40) of cases for various few days before the
Adiappanayakan Street have been murder, a minor clash
in Elephant Gates. Police had broken out be-
say Parameshwari was a registered tween Parameshwari’s
small-time gangster in against her at gang and her rivals,
the area and was in- the Elephant police add.
volved in various crimes, There was wides-
including extortion and Gates police pread panic across
even running a prostitu- station Adiappanayakan Street
tion ring. A total of 18 and adjoining areas on
cases for various crimes Wednesday morning
including attempt to murder have and shops remained closed.
been registered against her at the A special police team has been
Elephant Gates police station. Her formed to investigate the matter and
gang played a key role in managing it is known that police are on the loo-
load workers in the area and also in kout for three key members of the
some drug trade, leading to frequent Mulakothalam gang, who are sus-
quarrels with rival gangs. pected to have committed the mur-
On the morning of the incident, der. ■

Margazhi
Raagam to
debut today
ERGO CORRESPONDENT
feedback@goergo.in

Margazhi Raagam, the innova-

tive ‘on-screen’ Carnatic music
concert, will premiere at Sath-
yam Cinemas on Thursday
evening.
The first kutcheri to be
screened at the Seasons screen
of Sathyam Cinemas will feature
T.M. Krishna and Bombay
Jayashri. ‘Margazhi Raagam’ is
the brainchild of advertisement
film maker Jayendra Panchapa-
kesan who wanted to take the
famous Carnatic music season
kutcheries to the ‘next level’ of
entertainment. The concert film
has been filmed using high-defi-
nition Red cameras and will be
presented in digital sound.
So, if you are Carnatic music
lover or just plain music buff,
grab your popcorn and get the
best seats. ■
04 VILLAGE
Court to the rescue
of dog, allows
access to lift
E
very dog has its day and
this has literally come true
for an aged canine in
Mumbai.
A 12-year-old Labrador Re-
triever weighing 35 kgs has
been allowed to use the lift of a
building after his owner won a
case in the consumer court
against his own residential so-
ciety which denied the facility
to the dog that was suffering
from osteoartiritis.
Ajay Marathe, a resident of
Navi Mumbai, took the case to
the consumer court after feeling
helpless at the attitude of the
society’s office bearers.
Marathe, who resides in the
fifth floor, used to take 12-year-
old Shimu once in the morning
and once at night for a stroll.
“My dog has grown old and
ERGO Thursday, December 18, 2008
Nude opera
A photographer is causing a
sensation in China with a new
exhibition combining nudity
and opera.
Man who snatched wig will
have toupee
A man was detained in Taiwan after snatching the
wig of a member of parliament who had
complained against the former president Chen
Shui-bian’s release from jail, officials said on
Tuesday. Chiu Yi, a ruling Nationalist Party law-
since the past three years he is maker who has become a household name for his
suffering from osteroarthritis media-friendly offensives against the political
and cannot climb down or up opposition, lost his wig on Monday outside the
the stairs. I am too old to carry Control Yuan, a government watchdog for state
my 35-kg weighing labrador up worker conduct.
and down the fifth floor every- Reuters
day,” he said.
Finding no solution to his
problem, Marathe filed a case
with the consumer court in
Mumbai on September 26. The The Queen calls ‘lights out at
consumer court at CBD Kokan
Bhuvan Navi Mumbai allowed Buckingham Palace’
Marathe to take the dog along Queen Elizabeth has reportedly set yet another example to
with him in the lift. beat the economic slump by asking her staff to turn off the
“The court has also asked my lights in empty rooms of the Buckingham Palace. According
society to pay a compensation to British news outlets, the monarch is to continue her
of Rs 5,000,” he said. According efforts to show support through recession and had allegedly
to Marathe, his woes began ordered chefs to reuse leftovers from banquets. The Royal
when he started filing RTI had previously urged her grandsons to avoid any public
queries seeking details of the displays of extravagance amid growing unemployment and
functioning of the society. ■ economic strife, reports the New York Post. The Queen had
PTI herself set mindful examples by cutting down her trip costs,
recycling old clothing items rather than investing in a new
wardrobe and meeting and helping those affected by the
hard-hitting credit crunch.
ANI
Burger King releases meat-
scented perfume!
American fast-food chain Burger King has rolled out
‘Flame,’ a new men’s body spray billed as ‘the scent of
seduction with a hint of flame-broiled meat.’ Not
recommended for vegetarians, the barbecue-scented
cologne has been introduced just in time for the festive
season, reports the Telegraph. The perfume is on sale
for the credit crunch-busting sum of just 2.65 pounds,
suggesting the Burger King promotions department has
realised their contribution to the fragrance market
might work best as a novelty stocking-filler. Flame was
launched this week online and in a selection of US
stores - it is sadly no available in the UK.
ANI
No birthday cake for ‘Adolf
Hitler’!
A couple from New Jersey, who wanted to get a
birthday cake for their 3-year-old son, were told by a
store that it would not inscribe on it the kid’s name,
Adolf Hitler. Deborah Campbell and her husband
Heath Campbell were furious over the refusal of the
ShopRite at a supermarket in Greenwich, New Jersey,
to put in ‘Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler’ on the cake.
When the 25-year-old mother called up and told the
bakery department she wanted her son’s name spelled
out, she was told to talk to a supervisor, who denied
the request. A spokeswoman for the store said that
they considered Campbell’s request inappropriate.
ANI
 Thursday, December 18, 2008
90% of emails received are spam
Watchdog slams ad in London
station hit by shooting
B ritain’s advertising watchdog
on Wednesday slammed a
movie poster claiming there was
‘nothing wrong with a little
shooting’ in the London station
where police shot dead an inno-
cent Brazilian.
The poster for ‘Righteous Kill,’
starring Robert De Niro and Al
Pacino, was still stuck up in
Stockwell underground station in
south London during a visit in
September by the jury hearing an
inquest into the 2005 death of
Jean Charles de Menezes.
The Advertising Standards Au-
thority (ASA) said the poster –
which included the line “There’s
nothing wrong with a little shoot-
ing as long as the right people get
shot” – could have caused seri-
ous and widespread offence.
“We understood the siting of
the poster at the station was un-
intentional but nevertheless con-
sidered that the text had the
Man dies in party stunt
A 60-year-old Japanese man who was thrown
into the air in celebration at his retirement party
died after his colleagues failed to catch him and
he fell to the floor.
potential to cause serious offence
in that location,” said the ASA.
The film, also starring US rap-
per 50 Cent, tells the story of two
New York policemen probing a
string of murders by a serial kill-
er.
De Menezes was shot seven
times in the head at Stockwell
station on July 22, 2005, the day
after a failed attempt to replicate
the attacks of July 7 when four
suicide bombers killed 52 people.
Police had followed the 27-
year-old electrician onto a train
in the mistaken belief that he was
failed suicide bomber Hussain
Osman, who lived in the same
block of flats.
Jurors at the inquest into the
death of De Menezes recorded an
‘open verdict’ on Friday, mean-
ing they rejected the chance to
label it a ‘lawful killing’ by Lon-
don’s Metropolitan Police. ■
AFP
This day, that year
It was on December 18, 1865 that
slavery was abolished throughout the
United States with the ratification of
the 13th amendment.
A
recent survey has found
that 90 percent of the
emails sent to a person’s
inbox are usually spam.
The survey report suggests that
more and more hackers are de-
vising new ways to send in spam
emails, reports the China Daily.
It further states that virus-in-
fected computers are
woven into ‘botnets’ used
to attack more machines,
Weak
and to send sales pitches to
passwords e-mail addresses in low-
consist of cost quests to bilk readers
family names, out of cash.
birthdays, “Every year we see
home threats evolve as criminals
addresses or discover new ways to ex-
other terms ploit people, networks and
considered the Internet,” Cisco chief
relatively easy security researcher Patrick
Peterson, who was involved
to deduce
in drafting the report, said.
According to the Cisco
Annual Security Report,
junk e-mail make up for nearly
200 billion messages daily, ap-
proximately 90 per cent of email
worldwide.
As per the survey, the US is the
biggest source of spam, account-
ing for 17.2 per cent messages.
Turkey and Russia ranked sec-
Christmas for a cause
쒀 South Korean children in Santa Claus outfits perform with hand-bells during a
charity event to raise funds for the needy at a subway station in Seoul on
Wednesday. AFP PHOTO
05
ond and third, accounting for 9.2
per cent and 8 per cent spam re-
spectively, according to Cisco.
This year, botnets were used to
inject an array of legitimate web-
sites with an IFrames malicious
code that reroutes visitors to
websites that download comput-
er viruses into their machines.
“The botnet is, in many cases,
ground-zero for online criminal
threats,” Peterson said.
“Using malware to infect so-
meone’s computers is an incred-
ibly common mechanism and
harnessing them all together is a
way they do their click fraud,
spam emails, and data stealing,”
he added. Online criminals are
turning botnets on web-based e-
mail accounts. Hackers are “rep-
utation hijacking” by using bot-
nets to figure out weak passwords
protecting web-based e-mail ac-
counts, according to Peterson.
Weak passwords consist of
family names, birthdays, home
addresses or other terms consi-
dered relatively easy to deduce.
Once access is gained to legiti-
mate e-mail accounts, a plethora
of spam messages are sent in the
owners’ names. ■
ANI
06 SPORT ERGO Thursday, December 18, 2008

Pele set to dazzle again

Pele is set to return to the field again, this time in an animation film to be made
by an Indian company around the Brazilian soccer legend. Compact Disc India Ltd.,
have also acquired the rights to develop games and merchandising around the
triple World Cup winner, according to a notice filed with the Bombay Stock
Exchange.

Stanford set to walk away

from cricket
Texan billionaire Allen Stanford is set to turn
his back on cricket after losing 40 million
BOLT EYEING MORE WORLD RECORDS
dollars on his million-dollar-a-man series, a
report said on Wednesday. The Daily Mail
newspaper said Stanford was poised to end
his five-year-deal with the England and
Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after just a year.
A similar deal with West Indies cricket
authorities would also be terminated, the
report said.
The report said Stanford had made heavy
losses after paying his victorious Stanford
Superstars team 20 million dollars for the
Twenty20 showdown against England in
Antigua last month, while another 20
million dollars went on television and
sponsorship deals connected to the event.
Stanford was expected to fund the
competition for a further four years, while
he was also expected to bankroll the
England Premier League Twenty20
tournament from 2009. The report said
Stanford axed his board of ambassadors for
the event, including West Indies great Viv
Richards, on Tuesday. The withdrawal of his
high-profile investment would be a severe
blow to West Indies cricket, which received
millions of dollars from the billionaire in a
bid to revive its flagging fortunes.
AFP

Cricketers to figure in
Harmony Cup
A number of Indian cricketers from past and
present including Murali Kartik, Nikhil
Chopra, Saba Karim and Kirti Azad will be
seen in action when alumni from city’s two PHOTO: AFP
most prestigious colleges – Hindu and St
Stephens – lock horns at the Ferozeshah
Kotla ground in Delhi on Saturday.
Harmony Cup, which claims to be
the country’s first Twenty20

championship, is being organised as
part of the year-long golden jubilee
celebration of Hindu College. The
trophy made of crystal was unveiled
at a function. “Both the colleges
have produced a number of great
cricketers who have represented
India in different times. This
initiative would certainly rekindle the spirit
of sporting rivalry between the
institutions,” former Delhi cricketer Vinay
Lamba, who would lead the Hindu alumni
side, said. Among other former India
cricketers, Surinder Khanna, Rahul Sanghvi
and Gagan Khoda are expected to turn up
for the friendly match, proceedings from
which would be utilised to establish a
Braille library at the Hindu College. Former
St Stephens student, Kirti Azad would lead
the other side.
PTI
T
riple Olympic champion Usain
Bolt believes he could eventually
duck under 19 seconds for the
200 metres. Speaking to L’Equipe
sports daily the 22-year-old Jamaican,
who holds the world record for the
distance at 19.30 secs, said that despite
also winning the 100 metres gold at
the Beijing Olympics, he still preferred
running in the 200 metres. “I feel more
nervous on the blocks at the start of
200 metres because I expect a lot of
myself and others expect a lot of me as
well,” he said.
“That’s my thing. I know that a lot
of people will find that strange and
that most sprinters prefer the 100
metres, but not me. My coach has told
me that I have another two years of
progress in front of me and that I have
room for improvement. He thinks I can
run (200 metres) in under 19 seconds
and I have every confidence in him.”
Bolt, who was named as L’Equipe’s
“Champion of Champions for 2008”
also said that he felt he could better
his 100 metres world record of 9.69
secs and confirmed that he is consider-
ing targeting Michael Johnson’s nine-
year-old 400 metres record of 43.18
secs in 2010.
“When I was at school, I ran 45.35
secs – that’s not bad. Although the in-
tensive training you need for the 400
metres worries me.” ■
AFP
 Thursday, December 18, 2008
07

‘‘
Even though Harbhajan was in form, bowling at a ground he knows well and at
batsmen short of match practice, he made little impression. I am not entirely
sure that Harbhajan is the bowler he used to be, now that an overextended use of the
doosra has affected his ability to drift and spin his stock ball, the off spinner.
Former England skipper Mike Atherton

HOW TO
HOW TO MEND
MEND
THE CRACK
THE CRACK
Although Dravid has struggled throughout 2008
it’s too early to call for his head

AYON SENGUPTA
ayon@goergo.in

A
s Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads his Indian side into
the second Test at Mohali from Friday, all eyes will be
on Rahul Dravid who has been suffering from an ev-
er-lasting loss of form. While a win at Mohali will
catapult the Indians to second spot on the ICC Test rank-
ings, cricket lovers will most definitely be more interested
in seeing a brave resurgence from Dravid who has passed
many a testing times.
Mainstay of the Indian middle-order for the larger part of
his 12-year-long international career, he has just amassed
453 runs in 11 Test matches since India’s tour to Australia
earlier this year. His average has fallen down to 27.87 in this
calendar year, way below his career average of 52.12. His
highest score of 111 against South Africa in Chennai came
19 innings ago. Dravid is truly fishing for his form and his
jittery stay and tentative pushes while at the crease betray
an uncanny nervousness which was unthinkable even a
year ago.
With alarm bells ringing from all sides and every veteran
cricketer calling for his head, the pressure is mounting and
time is running out for India’s most technically equipped
batsman. While former chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar has
already sent him to the backbenches and wants him to toil
it out in the domestic circuit, Sunil Gavaskar is a bit more
lenient and feels that Dravid should go down the order to
three down from his one-down slot to find some elusive
form. “I would have him bat at number five. I will make him
swap places with V.V.S. Laxman and I will pick him for
Mohali,” Sunil Gavaskar told a private television channel.
Dravid must also be feeling the heat but with backing
from his skipper and also a new central contract he may
walk into Mohali in a more relaxed state. Determined and
working hard as usual in the nets, Dravid is one of the fittest
of India’s “Fab Five” and with Anil Kumble and Sourav
Ganguly already out of the equation post their retirement,
India may well ill-afford to lose Dravid at this stage. With
India unlikely to tour Pakistan after the recent escalation of
tension, Dravid will have time to introspect and work on his
game after the Mohali Test. India next goes for a Test series
to New Zealand and the last time the Men in Blue were in
Kiwi land in 2002-03, Dravid was one of the few batsmen
who held themselves together in the cold and wintry island
nation. He scored 131 runs in four innings and had an
average of 32.75, the best among the Indian batsmen. ■
08 ROADSTER ERGO Thursday, December 18, 2008

Feeling the crunch

Nissan Motor Co. said on Wednesday it would
cut its domestic production by 78,000 cars
beginning January amid declining global auto
sales. Five hundred temporary workers are also
to be laid off, Tokyo-based Nissan said.

One for the shade,

one for sunlight

Give your car that pearlescent paint job and watch it turn into a chameleon

whose car still looks clean and
new inside after many years of
driving. How he did that, you may
wonder. If you really want to
know, you need six different
types of soft fabric, wax polish
from a bunch of hooligans who
apply their creative skills to leave
a scratch on our car aren’t really
conducive to a shiny car. So here
you are, unable to tolerate the
dull look of your car and making
paintjob done?
It is a special paint where col-
our changes shade under differ-
ent lighting conditions. To make
it more comprehensible, what
you see is a metallic-satin finish,
case of a touch-up.
Here is a brief explanation of
the three-stage process for a
pearlescent paint job:
Stage I: Base Coat – It’s a solid
colour coat which gives the final

Y
ou buy a car, drive it out of
the showroom with all the
glitter of a fresh paintjob
and the nice, new smell in
the interiors of the car that all of
us try to maintain for years to
come with little success. Our des-
perate attempts to keep the car
fresh and new never end. Noth-
ing is impossible; I know a friend
and three hours of your time ev-
ery Sunday.
I don’t think I need to run a
survey through everyone to de-
termine if we have the time and
patience to do the same, as the
obvious answer would be a big
NO.
Let’s face it – the dusty condi-
tions, the heat and some help
up your mind to change the paint
and give the car that fresh new
look and relive the excitement of
driving a new car.
Now that you have decided to
paint the car, the first thing that
comes to mind is the budget. Af-
ter a decision is made to change
the colour, why not spend a little
more and get that pearlescent
where under bright sunlight you
see a nice velvet fabric effect.
Getting this effect involves a
three-stage paint process. Select
pre-defined colours that the
manufacturers offer on their col-
our palette. Do not experiment
with your unique colour combi-
nation as it would be very difficult
to mix and get the same shade in
hue which you normally see
when the car is in the shade.
Stage II: Ground Coat - This is
the coat with the pearlescent tint
in it which is responsible for the
shifting effect. (The coat is avail-
able in colours like red, green,
gold and other bright shades.)
Stage III: Top Coat - The clear
coat. ■
 Thursday, December 18, 2008
Now, a car parts incubator
The new kind of incubator costs 40 times lesser than the
regular one, and is made out of car spares
T
he heat source is a pair of
headlights. A car door alarm
signals emergencies. An au-
to air filter and fan provide
climate control.
But this contraption has noth-
ing to do with transportation. It is
a sturdy, low-cost incubator, de-
signed to keep vulnerable new-
borns warm during the first
fragile days of life.
Unlike the notoriously high-
maintenance incubators found in
neonatal intensive care units in
the United States, it is easily re-
paired, because all of its oper-
ational parts come from cars.
And while incubators can cost
$40,000 or more, this one can be
built for less than $1,000.
The creators of the car parts in-
cubator – a project being promot-
ed by the Global Health Initiative
at the Center for Integration of
New infotainment for VW Phaeton
Volkswagen’s luxury flagship, the Phaeton, will be fitted with a new
infotainment generation and more fuel-efficient engines for the 2009 model
year, the car maker has announced. The RCD 810 and RNS 810 infotainment
systems were redesigned for the Phaeton with high-resolution 8-inch touchscreen.
Medicine and Innovative Tech-
nology, or Cimit, a nonprofit con-
sortium of Boston teaching
hospitals and engineering
schools – say it could prevent mil-
lions of newborn deaths in the
developing world.
Cimit hired Design That Mat-
ters, a non-profit firm in Cam-
bridge, Mass., to design the
machine. “The idea was to start
with a 4Runner,” said Timothy
Prestero, the firm’s founder and
chief executive, “and take away
all the parts that weren’t an in-
cubator.”
What resulted was a serious-
looking gray-blue device that
conjures up a cyborg baby buggy,
but fits comfortably in hospitals
and clinics with few resources.
For one thing, the supply of re-
placement parts is virtually limit-
less, because the modular
prototype can be adapted to any
make or model of car.
“Junkyards are great sources
for parts,” said Robert Malkin, di-
rector of Engineering World
Health, a program based at Duke
University, who is not affiliated
with the incubator project. “We
have designs for pumps and a
surgical aspirator that are based
on car parts.”
And the repair people will be
right on the scene. “The future
medical technologists in the de-
veloping world,” Malkin said,
“are the current car mechanics,
HVAC repairmen, bicycle shop
repairmen.
There is no other good source
of technology-savvy individuals
to take up the future of medical
device repair and maintenance.”
■ AFP PHOTO
NYT News Service
09
SNIPPET
F
iat is set to revive another old name, the Topolino
or “Little Mouse,” which it is planning to launch
as a new mini car in 2010, Germany’s auto-motor-
sport magazine reports.
The Topolino, built between 1936 and 1955, is
considered the predecessor to the Fiat 500 - another
name which the Italian company has revived with the
new retro-look Fiat 500.
Car artist Mark Stehrenberger, who has given a preview
of motoring future for auto-motor-sport for the past
three decades, showed a design of the Topolino with
the typical “mouse” front married to a wedge-shaped
body with large windows.
The Fiat Topolino would compete in an already tight
minicar market long dominated by the Smart ForTwo.
Beginning in early 2009, Toyota will sell its iQ and VW
is planning to launch its new mini car family the Up! in
2011. BMW is believed to be mulling plans to revive the
Isetta name with an ultra-small city car, reports said. ■
DPA
Santa’s new ride
쒀 Santa Claus performer Frank Knorre rides his
motorcycle after a press conference where the
so-called "Santa Claus Code of Honor", to
guarantee the quality standard for traditional
Christmas celebrations, was presented in Berlin.
10 FLICK ERGO Thursday, December 18, 2008

Citizen Kane
Screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz wrote the
balance of the screenplay for Citizen Kane (1941)
from a hospital bed recovering from illness.

Primetime ‘crime’
NICOLE KIDMAN UPSETS ABORIGINAL GROUPS BY PLAYING DIDGERIDOO

N
icole Kidman has angered Aboriginal groups
by attempting to play a didgeridoo while pro-
moting her new film, Australia, on a German
television programme.
The stunt flouts an Aboriginal custom that dictates
women are forbidden to play the instrument.
Kidman made the faux pas on the weekend during
Wetten Das...?, a popular chat show.
Kidman’s performance has been criticised by
Aboriginal leaders, who said she should know
better.
Allen Madden, cultural and educational of-
ficer at Sydney’s Aboriginal Land Council,
said the film’s director Baz Luhrmann
should have educated his cast about Abo-
riginal traditions.
“I presume she doesn’t know, other-
wise she wouldn’t be playing it. But (I
would have thought) the women on
that set would have told her,” the
NZPA quoted Madden, as saying.
“Baz should know something
about it, after working with those
traditional fellas on the film,” Mad-
den added.
Richard Green, an award-winning actor,
screenwriter and Dharug language teacher,
said he was disgusted.
The didgeridoo, or yirdaki, is said by some to
make women infertile, and Green said he feared
other women would imitate Kidman without real-
ising its dangers. ■
ANI

German TV host Thomas Gottschalk (R) assists

Australian actress Nicole Kidman as she plays
the didgeridoo on German television show
‘Wetten Dass’ in the southern German city of
Stuttgart on December 13. AFP PHOTO

Will Smith eyes Hancock, Jessica Biel slams ‘album with

I Am Legend sequels
W ill Smith is reportedly planning sequels of his hit
movies Hancock and I Am Legend.
While a rep for the Men in Black actor confirmed
“there have been talks about both of these
projects,” an insider revealed that details had
already been worked out. “He is ready to do
both. Producers are just trying to get
Charlize Theron to sign on for the
Hancock sequel,” the New York Post
quoted a source as saying.
“As for I Am Legend, it will be more
of a prequel as Smith’s character
died at the end of the zombies-
take-Manhattan movie. It will be
about how the disease spreads
and the fall of the last great
American city. It will also develop
the relationship between Will’s
character and his wife,” the source added. ■
ANI
Justin Timberlake’ rumours
J essica Biel has slammed rumours claiming that
she would be recording an album with beau
Justin Timberlake.
“I’ve heard all these rumours that we (Biel and
beau Justin Timberlake) are doing an album
together but it’s completely untrue,” Fox News
quoted her as telling Tarts.
Speaking of her charity work, the 7th Heaven
star expressed her feelings behind the moral
responsibility to contribute in the making of a
constructive society.
She said: “It’s an obligation as a human being,
as a citizen of this country where we are in the
climate of this world, with our new president and
his initiative on community service and giving
back, its just part of life.
“It makes you feel incredible, if you haven’t
volunteered or given of your time it’s really an
incredible feeling and it’s made my life very full.”
ANI
Thursday, December 18, 2008
11
Artist’s touch Enemy lines
Paul Newman, who starred in Cool
Artist Pablo Picasso appeared in a Hand Luke, was one of the celebrities
crowd scene in Jean Cocteau’s 1962 on the ‘Enemies List’ kept by Richard
film, The Testament of Orpheus. Nixon during the Watergate scandal.

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF A

65-YEAR-OLD ROLLING STONE
ROLLING STONES’ RICHARDS TURNS 65

F
amously drug-addled Rolling Stone Keith Richards turns 65 chards said the song’s signature guitar riff came to him in the
this week, but he remains tight-lipped about any wild party middle of the night.
plans he might have to celebrate becoming a pensioner. With the talent came turmoil, however. As the Stones’ success
The legendary guitarist, songwriter and archetypal wild grew, so did their reputation as hell-raisers, with riots breaking
rocker will reach the landmark age – more usually associated out at many gigs as well as numerous drugs episodes
with gardening and cardigans – only a few months after Stones involving Richards and Jones, who died in 1969.
frontman Mick Jagger, who turned 65 in July. Speaking to Esquire magazine earlier this year, Ri-
“He wants to keep it very private,” was all a spokesman for chards was asked about his intake of cocaine, to which he
Richards would say when asked how the musician would mark replied: “After the first maniac year of taking it, my intake
his birthday on Thursday. of cocaine was, yeah, once after a meal.”
Named by Rolling Stone magazine as the tenth best guita- In 1967, a now legendary drugs bust at Richards’ Re-
rist in the world, the shaggy-haired star has proved remarka- dlands home saw both him and Jagger given jail terms,
bly resilient to a lifetime of substance abuse, explained by his although the guitarist’s sentence was quashed on appeal and
view that his body was a “laboratory”. Jagger’s was reduced to a conditional discharge.
Richards toured the world with the Stones last year, and con- For Richards, this marked only the beginning of his close rela-
tinues to release music, although his image as a hell- tionship with drugs, epitomised by his remark: “My body was
raiser was nuanced by his recent appearance sort of a laboratory. I wanted to see what I could do with it.”
in an advert for upmarket luggage-maker His partner in much of this was Anita Pallenberg, the
Louis Vuitton. ex-girlfriend of Brian Jones with whom Richards had
But the myth surrounding him remains three children, although one died as an infant. He
strong, reinforced by tales of him falling had two others with Patti Hansen, who he married
out of a coconut tree in Fiji in 2006, on his 40th birthday in 1983.
reports that he snorted his father’s In 1977, Richards was arrested for possession of
ashes with cocaine and, for younger heroin in Toronto, Canada, and in return for cle-
fans, his reincarnation as the father mency, he and Pallenberg entered rehabilitation.
of Johnny Depp’s character Cap- But the respite was brief, with Richards later
tain Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of remarking: “I’ve never had a problem with drugs.
the Caribbean films. I’ve had problems with the police.”
Born December 18, 1943 in After the Canadian episode, the Stones re-
Dartford, east of London, Ri- turned in 1978 with what many considered their
chards was initiated into the best album so far, Some Girls. But in the early
world of the blues by his moth- 1980s, Jagger moved the group towards a more
er. modern pop sound, which Richards opposed.
In 1960, he met up with Jag- The future of the Stones seemed rocky when,
ger, an old primary school in 1985, Jagger launched a solo career. Three
classmate, and with Brian years later Richards released his own solo al-
Jones they formed Rolling bum, the well-received Talk is Cheap, although
Stones, named after the this was not his first venture on his own – he
Muddy Waters song. released a version of Chuck Berry’s Run Ru-
Having built up a dedi- dolph Run in 1978.
cated following, the band But talk of a break-up proved premature,
rose to prominence with and the Stones returned with a new album,
the release of ‘(I can’t get Steel Wheels, in 1989, which kicked off a
no) Satisfaction’ – Ri- massive world tour. Through to the
mid-2000s they continued to produce new
music and kept playing live.
There were Richards has since released several
songs from his back catalogue and it has
plenty of times even been suggested that he is planning
I could’ve given an easy listening album.
Asked in an interview with GQ maga-
up the ghost. zine in 2008 about his dances with death,
But it just Richards noted: “There were plenty of
seemed like such times I could’ve given up the ghost. But it
just seemed like such a cheap way out.” ■
a cheap way out AFP
12 ERGO Thursday, December 18, 2008

who are pastry lovers

Wednesday’s Query: Serena D’souza,
Allsec Technologies
You wake up in the
■ I will sit inside my boyfriend’s
morning and see pocket and will spy on him
Kavitha Priyadharsini,
yourself shrunk to Cognizant

the size of a ■ I will call and introduce

myself to Vijay TV and will
walnut. How would participate in Kutram
Natanthathu Enna
you react what Hema Indus
RSystems
would you do?
■ I will be shell shocked at first.
■ First of all, I won’t be visible Then I will hop all the way to
for my dear mom. Escaped the Parliament to understand
from morning scolding for its proceedings
getting up late Vignesh C,
Arunkumar Raja Cognizant Vignesh of TCS has nominated his team TCS Night Riders as Partners in
CGSL Crime. They clicked this pic at Kerala.
■ I will ask my friends to take
■ I will be very happy and I’ll me out and we will have fun
travel anywhere in the world playing pranks and scaring
without any cost others! And at the end of the
Alamu, Bhanupriya - CGSL, day, my bed time prayer would
Ashiq - TCS, be to transform me back to my
Balaji - Perot Systems, form
Prabhu - HCL Divya V,
Polaris
■ I feel immensely happy as no
credit card collection agents ■ I would sneak into rats house
can identify me and I will teach rats to defeat
Joe, cat
Perot Systems Ram,
Sutherland
■ I’ll call up my girlfriend & ask
her 2 hang me in her chain as ■ I feel so excited and ask
a pendant so that I’ll stay close Manirathnam to take a movie
2 her heart Anjali part 2
Kalyan V, Rajee Anand,
Infosys Coastal Training
Technologies
■ Naan apadiyae shock John Sebastian of Infosys has nominated his team as Partners in crime.
aagitaen ■ I would try to make some They clicked this pic at Ooty
Lokia, friends in the insect species as I
Ford don’t have dear one’s from
them
■ I’ll follow the tiny species Mukund,
like ant and beetles and Standard Chartered
discover their life structure
Satish, ■ I will pray that I should be
Ramco eaten by Nayanthara or Asin.
Systems Pora edathula punniyam
theduvaen
■ I would wear a lens before Arun Gopal J,
me as others would notice me Infosys
and leave me without stamped
Praveen,
CGSL
Today’s Query:
■ I would break the mirror and
Following Sania
shout "ennai yen alagai
padaicha andava"
Mirza, which Sports
Thara K,
Wipro
person do you think
■ I would be happy because I
should get a Narasimhabala of HCL has nominated his team as Partners in Crime. They
would be relished by people Doctorate? clicked this pic at Mahabalipuram.
 Thursday, December 18, 2008
Thirumalai of TCS has been nominated as ■ Hi Ramya Bhaskaran,
Office Angel by Viswanath P R and Sripriya G. Although these birthday
Thirumalai a.k.a Thiru stands out for his wishes
hard work and sincerety. Very dependable & Will arrive a little late
trustful person, he’s one of those people who You’re always wished
always sports a smile. Much happiness
No matter what the date is.
With Love&Care,
Wipro friends,
■ Dear Keerthana.C,
Fly free and happy beyond
birthdays and across
forever,
and we’ll meet now and
then when we wish in the
midst of the one
celebration that never can
end.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
With love,
Sathya,
Tamalika,
Moutusi
Poorani,
Karthika.
■ Dear Vishnu Praveen
Today Is Your Day To
Celebrate
Your Day To Be The Star
So Let The Ones You Love
All Cheer
And Say How Special You
Are :-))
We all Wish you a Very
Happy Birthday !!!
With loads of luv,
"IgNiTe GaNgStErS"
(TCS)
■ Dear Nirmala,
Magesh from Verizon This is a special birthday
doodled this. wish that comes with love
to you. wish you
many more happy returns
of the day and happy
married life.
May god bless you.
with love,
Mohanraj K E,
sridevi G,
Citi group
global service.
■ Hi Gokila,
You think you’re special
because its your birthday
today. That’s complete
nonsense... you’re special
every day....
In this world, where
everything seems uncertain,
only one thing is definite.
Kovil maniya namma adicha saththam varum... aana kovil mani nammala adicha raththam You’ll always be our friend,
varum.... beyond words, beyond time
Rajee Anand, Coastal Training and beyond distance. ....
May today be filled with
Patient : Dr. Intha bucket ottai aagiruchu.. enna pannalam? sunshine and smiles,
Doctor : Yov itha en en kitta vanthu ketkura? laughter and love......
Patient : plastic surgery la neenga than famous nu sonnanga. athan unga kitta vanthen.. Many Many More Happy
Jubair,Cognizant
13
Returns of the Day......
With Love & Regards
FTP GT 2007,
Hexaware Technologies
.
■ Hi Kokila (@kuyil),
You are a little hyper. You
will have psychic gifts. You
have the ability to
masteranything in life. Ur
wise decisions will take you
to newer heights in career
as well as personal life. You
will prove to b beneficial.
Wish You Many more
Happy Returns of the Day!!!
(Kuyiluku Iniya Piranthanal
Vazthukkal...)
With Luv friends
Sabarinathan.K,
Ashok,
Akilan, Sada,
Sethuraman,
Balaji,
Mani,
Raja md...
and friends...
Perot Systems.
■ Dear Ganguly !!!
Happy Happy birthday to u
!!!!! Have a blast !!!! Let ur
life be filled with happiness
and gods blessings always
!!!
You deserve all the love and
admiration that I have for
you Because you’re the kind
of person
That I can turn to :))))
With loads of love,
Priya
■ Hi RIA,
MANY MORE HAPPY
RETURNS OF THE DAY!!!!!!
ENJOY U R LIFE,AND DANCE
OF LIFE !!!!
KEEP ON SHINING LIKE THE
SUN ,
SPREAD THE PLEASURES
LIKE MOON LIGHT…..
WISH U SUCCESS FOR U R
LIFE !!!!!
BY,
N.DOUGLAS HENRY
■ Dear Subhransu,
Many More happy returns
for your birthday.
Hope your Birthday gently
breezes into your life all the
choicest things and all that
your heart holds.
Have a fun filled birthday.
With love,
Poornima,
Viju,
Purna,
Vaibhav
Hexaware Technologies
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Thursday, December 18, 2008

Expensive umbrella
A British woman almost gave away an
old umbrella, until she was told it was
made by Faberge and was worth
($30,000) GBP20,000.

sudoku

Anil Jacob
Thomas of
Capgemini
India clicked
this picture in
Switzerland. It
shows Alps and
Lake Lucerne.

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

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the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Thursday, December 18, 2008
15
Scouts capsized Word’s worth
Three British scout leaders were forced to "Trypall" (trye-pahl) a tall,
trek through a jungle in Guinea for five days lanky, slovenly person. See
after a hippopotamus capsized their canoe. gammerstand.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Even though the day might begin on low note,
there will be an augment in your energy as the day
proceeds. With Ganesha’s grace the day will end on
a positive note. You will share lovely moments like
a romantic chat with your beloved one.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

As the day begins there might be some unpleasant
circumstances obstructing your progress. However in
the second part of the day you will regain your
confidence. In the later part of the day you will
have share intense love with your loved one.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

With the advent of the day, you might feel you are
BORN LOSER heading in the wrong direction but do not worry
you will find the right direction later. You will be
target-oriented in meetings. On romantic front, your
sole attention will be on your beloved.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Sentiments might exhaust you in the morning,
regardless of what you are dealing with. The noon
may appear with a paradox. Ganesha says later
during the day you will be more practical towards
your final goal. Love life may be secondary.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
At the beginning of the day, you might not be
convivial at meetings and with superiors or
colleagues. As the day progresses, you may change
your views. Later during the day you will serve as a
motivating source of inspiration for someone.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
Today at work, you may lack fluency. However,
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT lunch might just pump you up to get into the ‘daily
businesses’ again. In the evening you may stay
home at peace with your family. If you are in love,
you might have a philosophical discussion.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
At work, you will be raring to shoot the bulls-eye.
However, routine communications might consume
most of your pre-lunch time. In the later part of the
day, you will witness success at your doors. Love
life will be full of jovial and happening.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
In the first half of the day, you might attempt to
gain attention. In the later part of the day you will
be successful in your attempt and be in the
spotlight due to your proficiency. In you personal
life you might try to woo someone today.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
At the beginning of the day, you are likely to feel
stressed out due to work load. However, your point
of view might change post-lunch. Love life may
experience a positive turning point. Ganesha feels
you and partner would share a good understanding.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
The day will start on a positive note, however later
you might feel your work was not in the right
direction. Ganesha suggests that it is best to rectify
mistakes as soon as possible. . By evening, you
might burst out your stress with your beloved.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Tedious work will occupy you till lunch. But
Ganesha finds you focussing only on fixed goals. It
ISSUE’S is recommended that you remain patient and
completely concentrate on work. Evening will
SOLUTIONS accompany pleasant time with friends.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
You seem to be emotional about domestic issues in
the morning. Fortunately, your mind will be
preoccupied with. The upshot will be positive says
Ganesha. In your love life, you will have a good
moral support from your partner.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Thursday, December 18, 2008

One look is all it takes

NEWS AND NEWSMAKERS IN PICTURES

Quote of the day

We do exchange gifts,
although we don’t
feel any pressure to
make them big or
expensive gifts. The
kids don’t ask for big
gifts for the reason
that they don’t see a
lot of the American
Actress Jennifer Connelly attends the ’The
cartoon television”
ANGELINA JOLIE AND BRAD
Day The Earth Stood Still’ press conference PITT’S WORDS ABOUT
at Grand Hyatt Tokyo on Wednesday in CHRISTMAS GIFT
Tokyo, Japan. GETTY IMAGES
.
Hema Malini performs classical
dance at the ’Science Conclave-
2008’ at Indian Institute of
Information Technology in
Allahabad on Tuesday night.
PTI PHOTO

Actresses Nandita Das and Shahana Goswani

attend the ’The Song of Sparrows’ premiere
during day six of the 5th Dubai International
Film Festival held at the Madinat Jumeriah
Complex on Tuesday in Dubai, United Arab
Emirates. GETTY IMAGES