A BYTE OF LIFE Thursday, June 18, 2009

03
YOCEE
A monthly newsletter by and for the
children

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 113

Three from TN
Badrinath, Dinesh Kaarthick and Murali
Vijay in; Tendulkar, Zaheer rested

L
eft-arm seamer Asish Nehra has clawed his
way back to the Indian side for the four-match
One Day International tour to the West Indies.
Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar and pace
spearhead Zaheer Khan have been rested tough
for the tour, starting on June 26. Also missing the
bus was Suresh Raina due to a hairline fracture on
his thumb.
Nehra’s impressive performances for the Delhi
Daredevils in this year’s IPL made him an automatic
choice to replace Zaheer, while the big-hitting
Mumbai all-rounder Abhishek Nayar gets his maid-
en call-up to the national squad.
Meanwhile, three players from Tamil Nadu made
it to the squad.

Squad
M.S. Dhoni (capt/wk), Yuvraj Singh, Gautam
Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Pragyan
Ojha, Yusuf Pathan, Murali Vijay, S. Badrinath, R.P.
Singh, Praveen Kumar, Ishant Sharma, Abhishek
Nayar, Ashish Nehra, Ravindra Jadeja, Dinesh Kaar-
thick. ■
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Thursday, June 18, 2009

Take me home!
Playful Whiskers and her siblings are
identical and adorable. They’re healthy
and tend to bea handful when they’re
playing. For adoptions, contact Ananya
Ashok at 952040339.

A bouquet of
Hindi films
Calling all tech
A bouquet of Hindi films

T he Alliance Francaise of Madras in

association with UTV and ICAF will
present a festival of Indian movies.
The selected films will be screened from
professionals
June 22 to 26 at AFM Auditorium at Your knowledge of technology will change hundreds of lives
6.30 p.m. The festival starts with the
screening of Life in a... Metro, directed
by Anurag Basu. The film narrates the
individual lives of seven people living in
Mumbai, and deals with topics like
extramarital affairs, sanctity of marriage
and love.
Award-winning film Bombay, directed
by Mani Ratnam, will be screened on
June 23.
Actor Revathi’s directorial debut Mitr,
which won the Best English Film of the
Year award at
the 49th
National Film
Awards, will be
screened on
June 24.
Shyam
Benegal’s
Zubeidaa and
Santosh Sivan’s
The Terrorist
will be
screened on
June 25 and 26
respectively.
For details call
2827 9803/
2827 1477.

Padmavathy of the Animal Welfare and Protection Trust surrounded by abandoned dogs at
the shelter run by the trust at Santhoshapuram. PHOTO : A. MURALITHARAN

MAHALAKSHMI nation camps. web designing, your skills in

PARTHASARATHY Recently, in the wake of layoffs, completely revamping their web-
salary cuts and uncertainty, their site will be of great help. Better

P
admavathy and Narasim-
hamoorthy are senior citi-
zens, grappling with the
task of running a non-prof-
it organisation in an age where
technology makes all the differ-
ence. Until recently, they did not
know how to use email. Their
young volunteers connected
them to an email account and
showed them the basics.
Over a decade ago, the aged
couple founded the Animal Wel-
fare and Protection Trust (AWPT)
that is now a familiar name in
Chennai. The organisation has
made thousands of rescues, ster-
ilised large number of street ani-
mals in many areas in and
around the city to bring down the
population and conducted vacci-
donations have plummeted.
Their new plan is to appeal to
large corporate organisations
that could assist them as part of
their Corporate Social Responsi-
bility (CSR) initiatives, thereby re-
ducing their dependence on
individual contributions.
When companies are contact-
ed, they usually expect to see a
full-fledged website, a logo and a
slogan. While the Trustees do
have an online presence (awp-
trust.co.cc), a professionally
maintained image in the virtual
world will make a better impact
when they’re appealing to large
corporate houses for help.
Can you help them?
(a) If you have a passion for
navigation and clarity are the top
goals, but any other inputs you
might have will be welcome dur-
ing the redesigning process. All
the content is ready and will be
provided by their volunteers.
(b) If you’re a graphic designer
or simply someone who has an
artistic side, you can create a logo
for AWPT that symbolises their
compassion.
The Trustees are not in a posi-
tion to pay for these services so
they seek your help. Please come
through for them once again with
your thinking hats and your tech-
nological expertise. Rest assured,
it will make all the difference. ■
Buzz Mahalakshmi at
9940026283 or email mahaapar-
thasarathy@gmail.com
 Thursday, June 18, 2009
03

You see
YOCee?
A banker who quit her job to be with her son
started a scribble magazine to engage him,
herself and neighbourhood kids.
In Chennai, it took form as YOCee, which displayed poems, riddles Class V enrolled as reporter. They have
a website-cum-newsletter for and anything original penned by
children.”
their visiting cards and a ‘Reporter’s
Handbook’.
Chennai kids, with reports by The makeshift notice board became
a hit and soon a scribble magazine Kids
“They are free to write whatever they
want, but not about students who se-
school students on activities Magic was started, circulated only for
the apartment inmates. The run con-
cure 490 marks… I ask for inspirational
stories,” says Revathi about the liberty
concerning children tinued for 11 months until Revathi’s
family moved out from the quarters on
the cub reporters get.
However, running YOCee has been a
transfer. “Some decided to keep it go- challenge. “This time I received around
LIFFY THOMAS that are fre- ing online through Google pages and 90 applicants for the student reporters’
liffythomas@goergo.in quented by children. Orkut. But, the last I heard was some post. It is a tough exercise filtering
This also includes the copies of the kids are still running Kids Magic in a them down. Some show the initial en-
YOCee, New No 15B, newsletter each of the writers (student small way in the apartment,” she ex- thusiasm but later drop out. Between
Karpagam Garden, reporters) distribute in their school and claims. unit tests and examinations, I some-
1 Main Road, Adyar neighbourhood. times have to make a reminder call on

T
his may be just another address
for those who frequent this calm
street on the way to Besant Nagar.
But not for the many children who
love writing and seeing their name in
print. The lumber room in the cellar of
this four-flat residential apartment is
home to a children’s magazine.
It’s here that eight colourful pages of
content, written entirely by children,
are collated, edited and designed on
Pagemaker, to finally release YOCee
(‘think’ in Tamil). It’s also here that the
young team meets up a week before
every issue.
Besides its online presence (www.yo-
cee.in), around 2,500 free copies of YO-
Cee get circulated every month at eight
different hotspots in namma Chennai
Once upon a time…
Giving wing to these young minds is
R. Revathi, who is running the newslet-
ter in Chennai since 2006 and earlier in
Mumbai.
Revathi quit her job with Canara
Bank when in Mumbai to spend time
with her growing son. “I realised I had
to make use of my free time in a more
creative way as well as engage my son
in the process,” Revathi recalls. “Ours
was a 17-floor staff quarters with 80-90
children in the apartment. I observed
that kids love to talk about all that hap-
pens in school.
My first exercise towards that was
through a notice board made from an
old carton that I hung next to the lift,
Calling writers
Revathi’s son has grown up – Prasan-
na is now pursuing his Engineering at
IIT-Madras. Her husband’s transfer-
able job means she might yet have to
move to another city, but her passion
to “get the children out to have their
own space for news, events and other
happenings” doesn’t stop.
She decided to launch a similar ini-
tiative in Chennai when she came here
on transfer.
Every year the director (as she calls
herself) recruits a team of children as
student reporters who are assigned the
task of gathering reports for YOCee. The
children are from different schools and
from Class VI and above, though this
time she has an enthusiastic girl from
the assignment report that is pending
with them.”
YOCee weekly?
The former banker has many more
plans. “I want to start paying them for
their reports, form an editorial team,
extend it as a weekly tabloid, register
with the Newspapers Society of India,
look if somebody can replicate the
same model in a different city… ,” she
lists outs her many plans.
It is a task, Revathi says, that will
pave the way if she looks at YOCee with
a commercial bent of mind. The new-
sletter’s ad rates per sq cm start from
Rs. 500, and its revenue picks up during
summer camp time, which helps her
cover the expense for the year. ■

This time I received around 90

applicants for the student
reporters’ post. It is a tough
exercise narrowing them down.
Some show the initial enthusiasm
but later drop out. Between unit
tests and examinations, I
sometimes have to make a
reminder call on the assignment
report that is pending with them

The annual Reporters Meet was recently held at

Children’s Club, Mylapore. Their are 30 enrolled
as student reporters for 2009. (Below) Revathi
and the YOCee badge. PHOTOS: M. KARUNAKARAN
04 VILLAGE ERGO Thursday, June 18, 2009

Grandpa graduates
A 96-year-old man has graduated on the same day as
his grandson after earning a master’s degree to set an
example for the youngster.

Bruni to sing on Mandela’s birthday Jobless man steals for

French First Lady Carla Bruni will lend her voice at
the upcoming Nelson Mandela Day tribute in New free prison lunch
York. A jobless Taiwan
Bruni will sing a duet with pop star Dave Stwart, man released from
who is the man behind the first Mandela Day prison stole a box
concert in South Africa, reports contactmusic.com of cotton swabs just
Celebrities like Aretha Franklin, Queen Latifah, Cyndi to get arrested
Lauper, Jesse McCartney, Josh Groban and Wyclef again because he
Jean will also appear at the former South African “could not forget
President’s birthday tribute - to be held on July 18 at the police
Madison Square Garden. department boxed
IANS lunches,” officers
and local media
said.
The homeless man
US urged Twitter to keep running in Taipei first stole
a pair of shoes on
during Iran poll Sunday, was
The US State Department urged the social networking detained and released, the Liberty Times said. He then
website Twitter to delay scheduled maintenance that resorted to stealing again the next day just to get back
would have cut off access for Iranians as protests were inside and be fed for free.
erupting over the presidential election, an official said. “If someone’s not doing well and comes in around meal
The State Department was concerned the Iranians would time, we’ll definitely prepare food,” said an officer,
not be able to communicate the rapidly unfolding events surnamed Wang, at the Hsinyi District police station, which
in the country if Twitter went down for the maintenance. handled the case but again released the suspect, Tsou
“We highlighted to them that this was an important form Hao-lan.
of communication,” a senior official said, according to the Reuters
Washington Times. “One of the areas where people are
able to get out the word is through Twitter. They
announced they were
going to shut down
their system for Jet Li takes Singapore citizenship
maintenance and we Chinese action star Jet Li has taken up Singapore
asked them not to.” citizenship and bought a property in the city state worth
US State Department nearly 20 million Singapore dollars, according to a media
spokesman Ian Kelly report.
confirmed that the State The Business Times did not say when the Beijing-born star
Department had been in took up his new nationality or bought the upmarket
contact “all weekend” property. It did not give its source.
with Twitter but did not Li is the latest Chinese star to have taken up Singapore
say whether it was citizenship, following in the footsteps of leading actress
directly related to the Gong Li, who shot to fame with her roles in Farewell My
election in Iran. Concubine and later Memoirs of a Geisha.
DPA AFP

Michelle’s
inaugural outfit in NY exhibit
T
he ensemble worn by Mi-
chelle Obama on Inaugura-
tion Day goes on display on
Wednesday, allowing the
public a first close-up look at the
design that helped earn the First
Lady praise for her fashion sense.
The sheath dress and matching
coat appear in a retrospective of
designs by Cuban-born Isabel Tole-
do, who held her first show in
1985 but was largely unknown
outside the fashion world until
Obama wore the outfit on January
20, 2009.
“This is now one of the most fa-
mous dresses in the world,” said
Valerie Steele, chief curator at The
Museum at the Fashion Institute of
Technology, which is hosting the
exhibit. “It’s become a piece of
history.”
“Even people who have little or
no interest in fashion will be really
interested to see this,” Steele said.
The wife of President Barack
Obama has won acclaim for her
fashion style, particularly for mix-
ing high and low-end pieces and
choosing little-known designers
over industry stalwarts.
Even her choice of colours - the
Toledo dress is a muted yellow
“lemongrass” - is distinctive com-
pared with most First Ladies who
largely wore red and blue, experts
note.
“She’s been able to balance a ve-
ry precarious thing,” said Patricia
Mears, the FIT museum’s deputy
director. “On the one hand she has
to look like a First Lady.
You’ve got to have a conserva-
tive but also powerful presence.
At the same time I think she has
very much understood she is a pio-
neer.” ■
Reuters
Thursday, June 18, 2009
05
Paris Websites of the day
The perfect site for all you banana fanatics.
http://www.banana.com/
Welcome to the home of tea
http://www.twinings.com/home.php

VOTED WORLD’S BEST CITY

400 Koreans in
S
ydney was voted the city with and opinions that drive business to-
the friendliest people, the best ward and away from these cities.”
quality of life, climate and Respondents were asked to rank
views in a global survey, but
was beaten to the top spot by Paris,
which was seen as being more
interesting.
the 50 cities according to six cate-
gories that include “presence” or
knowledge of the city and its global
contribution; “place” or cleanliness
race to marry
The 2009 Anholt-GfK Roper City
Brands IndexSM (CBI), based on a
survey of some 10,000 people
across 20 countries, likens cities to
and climate; “pulse” or interesting
lifestyles and “potential” or per-
ception as good place to do busi-
ness, to find a job and go to school.
millionairess
A
“brands” and measures consumer “While Sydney lands in first place lmost 400 South Koreans vertisement.
perception of the image and rep- in three of the six categories, it is have applied to marry a “As a business operator, she
utation of 50 major cities Paris’ big lead over Sydney in the millionairess who adver- was too busy to find her husband
worldwide. Presence and Pulse dimensions that tised for a soulmate but on- herself,” the spokeswoman said.
Paris ranks as the top overall city push it into the top position over- ly eight “serious-minded” The woman picked eight of the
brand, followed by Sydney, Lon- all,” said Xiaoyan Zhao, director of applicants will make the final cut, men for interviews and is expect-
don, Rome and New York. the CBI study at GfK Roper Public a matchmaking agency said on ed to meet two or three of them
“The index measures the world’s Affairs & Media. Wednesday. per month over the next three
perception of each city, which in- “Similarly, there are cities with The 49-year-old months.
fluences people’s choices on notable strengths in some areas woman who is re- They are aged
where to live, work and vacation,” but are pulled down by their poor portedly worth 18 between 37 and 49
CBI founder Simon Anholt said in a showings in others.” million dollars has and include com-
statement. London, in the number 3 spot been seeking a hus- pany employees,
“Particularly in the face of to- overall, was the best-known city band through an teachers and bank
day’s uncertain economic climate, and the one most people see as online advertise- workers.
it’s vital to understand the forces having business opportunities. ■ ment since May 20, “The bride pre-
Reuters a spokeswoman for fers average but se-
Sunoo matchmak- rious persons to
ing agency said. high-flying profes-
Some 394 men - sionals,” the spo-
including doctors, keswoman said.
lawyers, accoun- “She wants a
tants, soldiers and soulmate with a
government em- passion for life,
ployees and rang- who will share the
ing in age from 26 ups and downs of
to 49 years - re- life with her.” ■
sponded to the ad- AFP

Clouds of uncertainty

쒀
Low clouds are illuminated above the US space
shuttle Endeavour at Kennedy Space Centre in
Florida. Lift-off was delayed by four days for repairs
to a hydrogen gas vent valve. AFP PHOTO / STAN HONDA
06 SPORT ERGO Thursday, June 18, 2009

‘ICL: low standard cricket’

Back in the national side after snapping ties with the ICL, Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq said
he had a torrid time adjusting to mainstream cricket after playing in the “low standard" rebel
League. “It wasn’t easy getting back into international cricket after a long absence. This is the
highest standards of cricket being played in the world and playing in the ICL and its low standards
of cricket, it needs a great deal of mental adjustment,” Razzaq said.

Final countdown
Sri Lanka and South Africa favourites for final

Eves on track
On a roll with consecutive wins in their last two
matches, Indian eves will face an uphill task of
disrupting the applecart of an unbeaten New
Zealand when the two teams lock horns in the
first semi-final of the women’s Twenty20 World
Cup in Nottingham on Thursday.
Shrugging off the opening match disappointment
against England, India bounced back with two
successive wins against Pakistan and Sri Lanka to
seal their place in the semi-finals and skipper
Jhulan Goswami hopes that her girls keep the
momentum going.
India’s opening pair of Punam Raut and Anjum
Chopra has not been able to give them a rollicking
start. Although Anjum stood as a wall playing
some good knocks, Raut struggled in her first
match against England, scoring only four runs.
But the left-handed teen will take some
confidence from her 41-ball 30-run knock in the
last outing against Sri Lanka, which set the tone
for India’s five-wicket win.
The middle order also looks a bit shaky with
batters crumbling under pressure while chasing
paltry targets. Even in their last match against Sri
Lanka, the middle-order fall like a house of cards Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis (centre) celebrates with teammates after the fall of a New
before Mithali Raj saved India the blushes with a Zealand wicket during their ICC World Twenty20 super eight match at Trent Bridge in
22-ball 32 which eventually sealed their semi-final Nottingham. PHOTO: AFP
berth.
PTI

ICC to help Associates
With the 2011 World Cup just over 20 months
away, the International Cricket Council is eager to
see that the four Associate members who have
qualified for it do not feel like “babes in the
woods” in the company of cricket’s elite nations.
The ICC is anxious to utilise the intervening period
to help its Associate qualifiers Ireland, Canada,
the Netherlands and Kenya to gear up for the
50-over mega event to be held in March-April
2011 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. ICC’s
High Performance Programme has been entrusted
with this important task “to ensure that the top
Associate teams are as well prepared as possible
to take on and compete with the 10 Full Members
at the next World Cup”, according to its manager
Richard Done.
Penning his thoughts on the onerous job in the
June edition of the ICC’s official newsletter, Done
says that improving their performance to narrow
down the wide gap with the top teams is the
High Performance Programme’s top priority. The
first push for this largely amateur lot of players is
to provide them with extra funding to the tune
of US$ 3,00,000 annually, according to Done, who
sees regular matches between these nations and
the higher ranked teams as another “vital” factor
towards achieving this aim.
PTI
I
n keeping with a captivating
tournament where sustained
excellence has been consis-
tently rewarded the Twenty20
World Cup semi-finalists have
been the best teams in the com-
petition. South Africa meet Pakis-
tan in Nottingham on Thursday
followed by Sri Lanka against
West Indies at the Oval on Friday.
The final will be staged at
Lord’s on Sunday (1300). A Sri
Lanka-Pakistan final would pro-
vide an emotional climax to the
tournament following the armed
attack on the Sri Lanka team in
Lahore in March. Captain Kumar
Sangakkara was one of six Sri
Lanka players wounded by a
small group of heavily armed
men who killed six Pakistani po-
licemen and the driver of the bus
carrying the match officials.
The more likely outcome is an
enticing clash of cultures and
styles between the innovative
and intelligent Sri Lankans and
the rigorously drilled and athletic
South Africans. After grinding
their way to a narrow victory over
New Zealand in the first round,
South Africa have gone from
strength to strength. They cover
all bases in attack and defence
with high pace from Dale Steyn
and Wayne Parnell, effective spin
from Johan Botha and Roelof van
der Merwe, sharp fielding and
lengthy batting headed by
Graeme Smith and Jacques Kallis.
Kallis epitomises the team’s
ambition and spirit. Derided as
too conservative for one-day
cricket, he has proven an effec-
tive opening partner for captain
Smith and at 34 he is bowling
with the zest of a man 10 years
younger. Sri Lanka, as they did in
the 50-over game at the 1996
World Cup, are setting the pace in
Twenty20 cricket.
Bewildering variety
Lacking power hitters, once
thought essential, they have com-
pensated with artistry and inven-
tion. Leading the charge are
Tiilakaratne Dilshan with the
scoop shot over his head and Ma-
hela Jayawardena, who has dis-
covered a bewildering variety of
ways to score runs including a re-
verse sweep with the back of his
bat. Their bowling is equally ef-
fective. Lasith Malinga has dem-
onstrated a masterly command of
bouncers, yorkers and change of
pace and Muttiah Muralitharan
and Ajantha Mendis both contain
and attack with their unorthodox
spin.
Underdogs
Pakistan, the most mercurial
team in world cricket, have im-
proved dramatically since losing
to England in the first round.
Their strength lies in the bowl-
ing where Umar Gul destroyed
New Zealand with reverse swing.
Shahid Afridi’s batting has fallen
off but his brisk leg-spin has been
a constant danger backed up by
off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and his
dangerous doosra. West Indies
look the most fallible of the semi-
finalists but, after losing two tests
and two one-day internationals
to England last month, they feel
they have the most to prove. If
the sun shines and their suppor-
ters continue to turn out in force
they have the talent in Chris
Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Fidel
Edwards to emulate their heady
Lord’s triumphs of 1975 and 1979
in the first two one-day World
Cups. ■
Reuters
 Thursday, June 18, 2009
‘‘
Pressure is always there. I prefer to block it rather than let it play on my mind. And it is always difficult to retain
than winning a tournament. I remember before the World Championship at Bonn, I isolated myself with the chess,
so that I am not affected by the pressure. I am almost paranoid about it and I guess it worked for me. I feel the Indian
cricket team had a good chance but every new format throws a new winner. I feel they had a good chance but I guess
you need a bit of luck as well.
E
lena Dementieva raised eyebrows in Pa-
ris last month when she predicted a fall
for Rafael Nadal the day before the clay
king was dethroned, but the Russian is
not planning on swapping her racquet for a
crystal ball just yet. Dementieva’s insightful
prediction of the world number one’s prema-
ture demise was pretty much the only high
point for the 27-year-old Olympic champion
at Roland Garros after a third-round defeat by
Australia’s Sam Stosur.
The elegant Muscovite saw world-weariness
in the previously unbeatable Nadal that prac- Dementieva has
tically no-one else spotted, and journalists’
eyes rolled when she made her claim that his no plans to
days as Paris champion were numbered. But a
day later the four-time Spanish champion was change her
knocked out in the fourth round by Swede
Robin Soderling in one of the biggest shocks racquet for crystal
ever seen at the French Open and Dementieva
won bragging rights for weeks to come. balls
“It was so strange because he was winning,
first round, second round, but when I was
watching him I didn’t see happiness in his eyes
when he had finished a match,” Dementieva
said at the Wimbledon tune-up event at East-
bourne.
Elena Dementieva of Russia during her first round match against Maria Kirilenko of Russia at
the Aegon International Tennis Championships at Devonshire Park in Eastbourne. PHOTO: AFP
No future in
fortune-telling
07
Viswanathan Anand
Mixed blessing
“I was thinking he must be so tired, playing
so many matches. It’s very physical the way
he’s playing. I didn’t want him to lose. I think
he’s a very nice guy and he was desperately
looking for this title but when it’s enough, it’s
enough. He needs to have a break.”
So could she predict who would win the
men’s title at Wimbledon? The Russian
laughed. “Don’t ask me. That was the only
time I was right.” Losing unexpectedly early in
Paris could turn out to be a blessing in dis-
guise though for Dementieva, a Wimbledon
semi-finalist last year.
Many players complain that there is too lit-
tle time to adjust from the slow, red clay of
Roland Garros to the fast, green grass of Wim-
bledon with two weeks between the two
grand slams. The trick, Dementieva feels, is
not to get too anxious about making the
switch. “I think it’s such a short period of time
when it comes to the grass so you have to be
very positive,” she said. “It is an unpredictable
surface. You have to enjoy it... like I did last
time when I was playing Wimbledon, I really
enjoy my time there and I was trying just to be
focused on my game and trying to do as well
as I could and trying not to get crazy with the
bounces and so on.”
Tough challenge
Dementieva’s sense of enjoyment came
through as she sailed into the semi-finals at
last year’s Wimbledon, before losing to even-
tual champion Venus Williams. “I don’t want
to think about my chances,” she said after
winning her first match of the year on grass at
the Eastbourne International. “I know it is go-
ing to be a tough challenge. I know everyone
is ready and it’s going to be a tough battle
from the beginning so I just want to take one
match at a time and get my focus.”
She is looking forward to the next fort-
night. “It is one of the very special events for
all the players, absolutely unique atmo-
sphere,” she said of Wimbledon. “I think the
crowd makes it very special every time we
come there. You can see such long lines of
people trying to get into the stadium and you
realise just how special it is for everyone. It’s a
great social event and it’s where we smell the
history as a player and it is just an honour to
play there.”
Does she have a prediction for this year? “I
would say that Venus Williams is definitely
the favourite to win the title. She won it five
times already and she is looking for another
one and she really looks very strong when it
comes to Wimbledon.”
You can almost hear the bookmakers run-
ning for cover. ■
Reuters
08 ROADSTER ERGO Thursday, June 18, 2009

Camber adjustment for a

Adjusting camber angle of wheels prevents wear and tear and, thus, improves handling of your car
 Thursday, June 18, 2009
09

alignment Fiat
launches Grande Punto
The small car’s petrol variants is priced Rs 3.99 to 5.61 lakh,
while the diesel ones start from Rs 4.85 to 6.11 lakh

I
always wanted to lower my
car by installing lowering
springs and upgrade dampen-
ing system as well to comple-
ment the springs to perform
some amount of shock absorp-
tion for a comfortable ride. While
doing such a mod, the camber
angle of the wheels changes and
this leads to greater wear and tear
and more stress on the tyres, di-
rectly affecting the handling of
the car. So in case you want bet-
ter handling, you might not want
to lower the car at all unless you
want just style.
Camber adjustment kits alter
the angle of the vertical axis of the
wheels. What does this contrap-
tion do to a car, you might won-
der? The camber assists and
improves handling of a car with
better traction and road-holding
capabilities of the wheels. The
camber angles are of two types –
negative camber and positive
camber. It’s like this; when you
look at the wheels facing the front Silverio Bonfiglioli (left), Chief Operating Officer, Fiat India and Rajeev Kapoor, Chief
side of the car and if you see the Executive Officer, at the launch of ’Grande Punto hatchback car in New Delhi on June 17,
bottom part of the wheel angled 2009. PHOTO: S_SUBRAMANIUM
to be pushed out further than the
top point of the wheel, it’s nega-
tive camber. It’s a positive cam-
ber when the top portion of the
tyre is pushed out.
If you drive a car on a track or

hill where there are more right
turns, it’s ideal to have a camber
specification configured to han-
dle the right turns effortlessly
with less body roll and very good
road handling.
The camber adjustment is
measured in metrics calculated
in degrees. So instead of having
the entire rubber make contact of
the road, the car will ride on the
edge of the tyres with appropriate
adjustment and the end result is
very responsive handling of the
car on corners at high speed.
When the car requires more
straight-line speed, better trac-
tion is achieved when the tyres
are a perfect 0 degree shift – that
is a perfect 90 degree angle of the
tyre with complete usage of all
the flat area of the tyres. ■
I
talian car major Fiat today
launched its much-awaited
premium small car Grande
Punto in both petrol and
diesel variants in the Indian
market, priced between Rs 3.99
lakh and Rs 6.11 lakh (ex-show-
room, Delhi).
“The launch of Grande Pun-
to marks a new milestone for
Fiat in India as we bring the
quintessentially Italian designs
to Indian shores,” Fiat India
Automobiles Ltd (FIAL) Chief
Executive Officer Rajeev Ka-
poor told reporters in New
Delhi.
The company believes that
the small-car segment is un-
der-tapped and customers are
increasingly looking forward to
international brands on Indian
roads, he added.
Grande Punto, which was
first launched in the European
market in 2005, would be
rolled out from the company’s
plant at Ranjangaon in Maha-
rashtra in four variants each in
both petrol (1.2 litre an 1.4
litre) and diesel modes (1.3
litre).
The petrol variants would
cost Rs 3.99-5.61 lakh, while
the diesel cars would be of-
fered at Rs 4.85-6.11 lakh.
FIAL, a 50:50 joint venture
between Italy-based Fiat SpA
and domestic auto major Tata
Motors, plans to position the
car in the premium hatchback
segment along with Maruti Su-
zuki’s Ritz, Hyundai’s i20, Sko-
da’s Fabia and Honda Siel’s
Jazz.
The company said Grande
Punto would be retailed
through over 100 Tata-Fiat
dealers network across the
country.
The company’s Ranjangaon
facility has a production ca-
pacity of two lakh cars and
three lakh engines per annum.
It produces Palio Stile and Lin-
ea from the plant.
PTI

"The launch of Grande Punto marks a new milestone for Fiat in India
as we bring the quintessentially Italian designs to Indian shores"
10 FLICK
‘I love the way Aishwarya
carries herself’
SUBHASH K. JHA
M
um is the word for Ka-
reena Kapoor and the
actress would go any
length to keep her
mother happy. So she has decid-
ed to stay away from bikini
scenes in future.
“No more bikini shots for me. I
mean I’m very happy with the
kind of attention and adulation I
got for getting into a bikini in
Tashan. And I wasn’t uncomfor-
table wearing it. Why should I
be? I’ve the physique to carry it
off. But that’s it. My mother
didn’t like me in a bikini. Also
the kind of work that I’m doing
now in 3 Idiots or Rensil D’Silva’s
film doesn’t require that kind of
exposure,” says Kareena.
With Kareena being extremely
busy with her career and beau
Saif Ali Khan, mom Babita has a
lot of time on hand.
“She now does a lot of charity
work with charitable institutions
like the Mount Mary Old Age
Home in Bandra and other plac-
es. She’s a very giving woman. I
should know. She sacrificed her
own career and joys to bring up
my sister and me,” says the ac-
tress.
Surprisingly, the actress is full
of praise for her supposed ar-
chrival Priyanka Chopra.
“I don’t know why so much is
made of our rivalry. We are in
totally different spaces. She does
her own films. I do mine. Whe-
never we meet, she’s really
sweet to me. I don’t understand
why we’re made out to be two
squabbling sirens. Please, we’re
grown up women,” says Karee-
na, who has also kissed and
made up with Aishwarya Rai. As
far as conducting a career goes,
Kareena’s role model is Aish-
warya.
“I love the way she carries her-
self and the roles she’s choosing
after marriage. I’d like to follow
We (Priyanka Chopra and I) are in totally different spaces. She does
her own films. I do mine. Whenever we meet, she’s really sweet to me.
I don’t understand why we’re made out to be two squabbling sirens.
Please, we’re grown up women
ERGO Thursday, June 18, 2009
Kareena Kapoor on surprising role models, supposed
archrivals and why the bikini scene in Tashan is her last
that pattern when I get mar-
ried,” she says.
But that’s a long way off. At
the moment Kareena is just hap-
py being with Saif.
“He may appear to be very vol-
atile and undecided, just like me.
But actually he takes all the right
decisions on my behalf. He’s to-
tally into his books while I love
films. I keep him clued in to
what’s happening in the indus-
try. We’re both Aamir (Khan)
fans. After Ghajini, I think the
next film Saif will see will be my 3
Idiots. And this time it won’t be
for Aamir.”
Kareena, whose next release is
the much-hyped Kambakkht
Ishq, is also reading some scripts.
“I’m definitely going to read
some scripts and select the right
films to do after 3 Idiots and Ren-
sil’s film. I’ve to find films that
justify my presence.”
The actress has also bought a
new apartment for herself in a
building called Queen.
“Of course, my mother is mov-
ing with me. I can’t live, breathe
or take one step without my
mother. The only difference is
she’ll now have a separate apart-
ment. But we’re still on the same
floor,” she says.
As for the home that Saif is
preparing for the two of them,
Kareena says: “That won’t be
ready for another two years.
That’s how long it’s going to be
before we get married anyway.
Right now my diary is filled up
till 2010. There’s no space for
even a runaway marriage.” ■
IANS
 Thursday, June 18, 2009
11
LaBeouf confirms Indiana Jones 5
That thin line between Shia LaBeouf has confirmed that Indiana Jones is
coming back for a fifth time, reports The Daily Express.
LaBeouf, who played the history hero’s son and sidekick

‘stole’ and ‘sample’ Mutt, confirmed director Steven Spielberg planned to

continue the franchise without Ford.

Cine City
P
op star Nelly Furtado and produc-
er Timbaland have been sued by
a record label in Finland for pla-
giarism.
The music label claims that the two
borrowed segments of someone else’s
song to create the track ‘Do it’.
Furtado and Timbaland were first ac-
cused of plagiarism in relation to the
hit song in 2007, after the track ap-
peared on the singer’s 2006 album
Loose, reports contactmusic.com.
Timbaland had denied that he had
“stolen” extracts from 2000 song ‘Acid-
jazzed evening’ by artist Janne Suni or
the remixed 2002 version by Norwe-
gian musician Glenn Rune Gallefoss.
“Sample and stole is two different
things. Stole is like I walked in your
house, watched you make it... went to
my house and told Nelly, ‘Hey, I got a
great song for you.’ Sample is like you
heard it somewhere, and you just sam- Twenty 20 to be
pled. Maybe you didn’t know who it
was by because it don’t have the credits remade in Tamil
listed,” said the producer. Blockbuster Malayalam movie Twenty 20 is being
The fighting musicians are claiming remade in Tamil. The remake rights have been
copyright infringement and request an bagged by Murali of Classic Creators. The film has
injunction prohibiting the further re- been tentatively titled Irubadhu Irubhadu. The
lease, reprinting, performance and sale original had Malayalam superstars Mohanlal,
of the song ‘Do it’. ■ Mammootty, Jayaram, Suresh Gopi, Dileep and
IANS Bhavana in prominent roles. Sources say that
leading stars have been approached to act in the
film. The recent Malayalam movies remade are
Kadha Parayumbol (Kuselan) and Classmates
(Ninaithale Inikkum), which is under production
GETTY IMAGES FOR MTV now. Murali had earlier produced Avvai
Shanmughi, and his upcoming flick Jagan Mohini
starring Namitha is under production.

Michael Sheen may

play Bond VILLIAN
I f reports are to be believed, British actor Michael
Sheen will play legendary villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld
in the next James Bond movie.
The Frost/Nixon star is said to be in the process of
signing up for the superspy flick.
Blofeld is a legendary character seen in six Bond
films previously, including From Russia with Love, You
Only Live Twice and For Your Eyes Only.
If Sheen grabs the role he will be facing off with
Daniel Craig in reel life, who is the present day James
Bond. Dhanush croons for Arya
“Michael is hot property right now and it’s felt he’s Actor Dhanush made his singing talent public by
the right man to bring Blofeld back to life. Michael was crooning at the audio launch of his brother
a Bond fan in his youth so this would be a dream role Selvaraghavan’s upcoming flick, Aayirathil Oruvan.
for him,” Contactmusic quoted a source, as telling the He along with his wife Aishwarya and actor
Daily Express. Andrea Jeremiah have sung the song ‘Un Mela
The super-villain has been played by actors includ- Aasadhaan’ in the flick. Now what we hear is that
ing late Kojak star Telly Savalas, who appeared in the actor has sung for actor Arya in
1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. ■ Madarasapattinam. Sources say Dhanush has sung
ANI the song along with Mellisai Mannar M.S.
Viswanathan.
12 ERGO Thursday, June 18, 2009

Wednesday’s Query:
Imagine you are chosen as
the cover girl/ boy of an
international magazine. Now,
tell your colleagues why you
were chosen, just for a few
laughs.
■ Naanum periya rowdy thaan. Naan
magazine la varaporan, sir sinam konda
singatha paper la pota adhu magazine ye
azichidum paravaliyaa S. Ganeshkumar from Infosys has nominated his schoolmates as Partners in Crime.
Saranya.M, Cognizant This picture was taken during their bike trip to Tada Falls.

■ Just because of my romantic look and smile

Vasanth Softeon
Nideesh Allsec

■ It’s obvious that famous personality’s

pictures will be selected for the cover page
G.Sudha, Cognizant

■ I would tell, I was chosen for working with a

bunch of duffers like you
Vinitha, HCL

■ I promised the editor quarter and koli

biriyani so he chose me
Aisha, Pentamedia Tech

■ For working without sleeping in office

Francis, Raj Perotsystems

■ Bcos I’m the no 1 among most powerful

people in the world and also no 1 in the top
100 Forbes celeb list Suresh Kumar.D from Tata Consultancy Services has nominated his team members as
Raghav, TCS Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked during their team lunch at a Restaurant near
OMR Road.
■ I would say that, it’s for international horror
magazine
CS.Shankar, CSS

■ I’m chosen for my big smile

N.Deepan, TCS

Ergo’s pick
■ Bcoz of my 10 pack body (even Arnold
Schwarzenegger is wondering)
Kartik, Hewitt Associates

Today’s Query:
Your favourite vehicle on
which you like to take your
partner on a long ride?
U. Vasanth Kumar from Allsec Technologies has nominated his friends as Partners in
Crime. This pic was at Kodaikanal.
 Thursday, June 18, 2009
13

■ Hi Priya, could never be left unwished,

Many More Happy Returns of the HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO U !!!
Ramesh from Ford, Ti- Day!! Have a great Day! Best wishes,
del Park has been nom- Regards, Treattukku wait pannum unn uiyr
inated as Office Angel Subhashini, Infosys. thozhigal :-)
by his team members.
■ Hi Sivasankari, ■ Dear SRINI
Ramesh is committed, Wishing you a very happy birthday. (Smart Robust Intelligent Nasty
hardworking & Let this day bring you lots of Intellect)
enthusiastic guy with happiness and success in future. Don’t think of it as getting older;
high helping tendency. All the very best to you think of it as becoming a classic.
He is very jovial and Best Wishes, An old age is as good as a new one.
sweat hearted person. Bhagya, You age like cheese...
You just keep getting smellier!
■ Dear Daddy (Balaji), The younger you try to look;
Wish you many more happy returns the older you actually are.
of this day. Wishing you success in all You’re another year older and
your endeavors!!!! another year wiser
With lots of love and kisses from So put your brain to work
your daughters, And figure out there ain’t
Sai Niharika(Pinku) no gift for you.
and Sai Pravallika Two tips on your birthday:
Hexaware Technologies Forget the past,
you can’t change it.
■ Dear Sangeetha, Forget the present,
We wish many more happy returns of I didn’t get you one.
the day. May you acquire all Some words of wisdom for your
that you desire and each passing year birthday,
be filled with joy. "Smile while you still have teeth!"
Good people are hard to find, Count your blessings, not your
difficult to depart and impossible to wrinkles.
forget. You are not only, Happy Birthday you old Man
one among them. But you are the Another year,
best among them.... One more year of existence down the
Keep rocking.... drain.
Have a wonderful year ahead..... Happy Birthday!
When is the treat????????? The only reason you hate your
Best Wishes from birthday is because people give you
Shared Services Team odd gifts, scary cards with weird
TCS messages in them, and because
you’re getting older.
■ Hi Madhi, Anyway, Happy Birthday!
Maria Rajiv A. from TCS All of us are joining in to say, that With age comes wisdom.
E-Serve doodled this. May the year which your birthday (You’re one of the wisest people I
begins, brings all the special things, know!)
that mean the most to you! I was trying to think of what to get
Wishing you a very Happy Birthday!!! you for your birthday but nothing
Best wishes from, came to mind.
Ramah, Navanee, Ravi, Suresh Anyway
Many more Happy Returns of the day
■ Hai Saira Varghese, With Luv,
Wish you a Happy Birthday. Akila
May all your wishes fulfil n live
happy for years to come. ■ Sagar,
Vikram Chand M.S. A special day thats sunchine bright
Infosys A happy heart thats warm & light
May every bday wish come true.
■ Dear Arul.T, These things r wished just 4 U..
Tons and tons of birthday wishes to Happy Birthday ra Modhu :-)
you... Cheers,
1) Leo Coffee ya yen Kalyanam Pannikka Mudiyaathu
Tons of lov, Sirisha
Enna Adhu "Manamaana Coffee"
Ecnet,
2) What is the Similarity between Krishna Jayanthi and
R systems
Belated Wishes
Communism
■ Dear Tharani S P, Hi Ramakrishan P
"Kaal Marks"
Some things r left undone, Wish you a many more happy returns
Some words r left unsaid, of the day !!!!
3)Tea Kadaikaarar Kabbadi Vilaiyadina Eppadi Vilayaduvaaru
Some feelings are left unexpressed, Your Friend
Cup -tea Cup tea Cup-tea
but Some ones as nice as you Adventnet
Jayaraman V.
HCL Technologies Ltd
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Thursday, June 18, 2009

Tough stuff
Bosses at car firm Land Rover have debuted what
they claim is the world’s toughest phone - it is
dirtproof, waterproof and shockproof.

sudoku

Zahufar Sadiq S. from Pe-

rot Systems has shot this
picture at Alagarkovil
(Madurai) using Sony
Ericsson W810i
camera mobile.
Hobbies : Photography,
script writing and
travelling.

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
KAKURO

TEAM
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karthik@goergo.in

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar

Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan
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Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Thursday, June 18, 2009
Seeing stars
A Belgian woman is suing a tattooist after she
woke up and found 56 stars inked on her face.
The 18-year-old claims she fell asleep in the
parlour - and the artist misunderstood her
request for only three stars
15
Word’s worth
Winebibber (wine-bib-er), a person who habitually drinks a lot of
alcohol. The word was coined by Miles Coverdale (1488 - 1568) in his
translation of the first complete printed English Bible: “Keep no company
with wyne bebbers and ryotous eaters of flesh” (Proverbs 23:20). It is
rarely used today except for humorous effect.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

You will be brilliant with your thinking today.
Ganesha feels that your brilliance will give a
considerable push to your career. You will leave
your partner ecstatic with the intensity of your love
and your beloved will respond likewise.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Work will a drag and you will stick to only routine
stuff, avoiding anything that requires more than a
casual attention. Love life, on the other hand, will
blossom. You will want to spend as much time as
possible with your beloved.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You will be convinced that you are right on a
BORN LOSER particular issue which is under debate. Try to
present your point of view as clearly as possible to
avoid conflicts. Also, you will try to apprise your
beloved about your work and future plans.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
Today promises good time at work and with your
partner. At work, you will efficiently spearhead all
the responsibilities given to you. Your love life will
be smooth, but Ganesha suggests that don’t try to
prevail upon your beloved.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Today will be the beginning or end of a very
important project. You will be very pleased with
yourself to have achieved what you have. You may
also try to use this as an oppurtunity to impress
your superiors.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
Today, planets are heavily stacked against any task
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT you take up, even the most insignificant one. So
relax and avoid taking up anything significantly
important. In fact, direct all that energy to your love
life, Ganesha says.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
A good day at work will lead to a great day in your
love life. Today is when you should be arranging
that tricky group discussion or meeting as you will
be at the best of your game. Romance will be back
to the top of your priority list.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
To do well in your career will be of the foremost
priority today. Towards the end of the day, you will
draw great pride and satisfaction in whatever you
have achieved. Romance, however, will take a
beating.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
If there is anything wrong or out of place, today is
the day to set it all right. This will have a positive
effect on your career. Going on a long drive with
your beloved will be your way of expressing love,
Ganesha adds.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
A day to think out the goings-on at workplace, says
Ganesha. You will be thinking getting a bit more
organised. But, this needs to be done rather
diplomatically. You will try hard to ensure smoother
sailing on the emotional front.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Avoid getting into negotiations inside or outside
work. During negotiations, you may have to
ISSUE’S compromise on some counts. Today, you will let
your beloved call the shots, which will make him/
SOLUTIONS her feel special.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
Today is a long day for you. You may have to
stretch for longer hours in order to finish your work.
Ganesha strongly suggests that you should give
enough time to your personal life and make sure
it’s not side-tracked because of work.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Thursday, June 18, 2009

A model displays a pure gold made beer

mug as Japan’s Tanaka Kikinzoku
Jewellery unveiled its summer collection in
Tokyo. The beer mug is 10 cm in diameter,
13.5 cm in tall, weighs 850g and is priced
at 50,000 USD. PHOTO: AFP

Italian defender Fabio Cannavaro plays with

a lion cub during a visit at the Lion Park in
Randburg. PHOTO: AFP

Circus Oz strongwoman Mel Fyfe (bottom)

Colombian cliff diver Orlando Duque leaps 20 metres from a helicopter holds up seven members of the circus band
near some windmills in preparation for round two of the Red Bull Cliff as they prepare for their opening night in
Diving Series in Zaanse Schans, The Netherlands. PHOTO: AFP Melbourne. PHOTO: AFP