A BYTE OF LIFE Friday, October 3, 2008

03 12
TEAM SPIRIT TREND SPOTTING
Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu audio launch A look at fashion week eye-catchers

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 191

LOVE @CTUALLY
Internet brokers on the rise? Read on to see how Facebook
and Orkut have helped to bring two people together
» PAGE 04 & 05
02 ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008

Namma Chennai
SALE SALE

Age-old
FOOD
weaves
Arabian Magic
Experience the mystique
of Arabian cuisine with a
varied range of delicacies.
Menu includes: Arabic
Chocolates
bread, Baklawa, cooked
dish of pasta, rice and len-
thils.
for all
Chocolates are something that tempt every
When: Till October 11; 7 age and you don’t need an occasion to have
p.m. to 11 p.m. them. Jyoti is accepting orders this festive
Where: Cilantro, Le season, where she even takes care of the
Royal Meridien packing, done to suit ones budget and taste.
For reservation, call Contact: 98403 94354
2231 4343

EXHIBITION
ACTIVITY

Wild adventure Shop from Anuradha Vakil’s shim-

The Wildlife Week is on
and Madras Crocodile
Bank has a night safari this
Saturday and Sunday.
Make sure you register in
advance at 2747 2447.
When: Till October 7; 7
to 8 p.m.
Where: Madras Croco-
dile Bank, ECR
LIFESTYLE
Get pampered
The luxury spa at The Park
has introduced three spe-
cial packages – Sugary De-
light, Milky Way and
Delicious Honey – for the
season.
When: Till October end
Where: Aura, The Park
Contact Megha @
4267 6000
mering gota, sensuous silhouettes
and age-old weaves blended in a
contemporary language.
When: October 4 to 21; 11 a.m.
to 6 p.m.
Where: Amethyst, No 14/30,
Doll games Padmavathi Road, Jeypore Colony,
Gopalapuram
WWF India has displayed golu on the theme
‘Wildlife’. Diversified toys from children in
the neighbourhood have helped in building
the golu.
FOOD
Where: WWF-India, No.2, Subramanya
Avenue,Valmiki Nagar, Thiruvanmiyur
Contact: 42110690 Cheers!
EXPO
Nothing fishy
If ornamental fish, aquarium plants, aquar-
ium accessories or anything to do with start- Experience true German culture
ing a hobby on the same interests you, then with traditional food, beer and a
you must go to the Chennai Aqua Show. Over Bavarian band.
80 stalls are on display showing different When: October 3; 7 p.m.
products to help you boost your hobby. Where: Poolside,
When: Till October 5 Taj Coromandel
Where: Valluvar Kottam
 Friday, October 3, 2008
03

(from left) Directors Susindran and Gowtham Menon, IGP Ramesh Kudwala, actor Viishnu,
music directors V.Selvaganesh , A.R.Rahman, Tamil Nadu Film Producers Assn President
Ramanarayanan, actor Vikram and producer Anand Chakravarthy. PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN

Docker Rocker
Dockers has launched a
new range of timewear,
eyewear and fragrances
for men and its Fall/
Holiday ’08 collection.
Timewear is classified into
three categories – Khakis,
Mobile and Collection.
The range is priced

Team spirit
between Rs. 3999 and Rs.
6999.
The Fall/ Holiday ’08 collection delivers an overall
look of classic casual style. The Dockers Mobile is
infused with innovative features that guarantee
utmost comfort, practicality and durability including
the Never Iron technology, anti-bacterial quality,
A host of debutants and their respective fathers, extra secure/hidden pockets and even embroidered
eyelet at armpit for better ventilation. The range
along with celebs like ‘Chiyaan’ Vikram, marked the for apparel starts from Rs.899. The Dockers women’s
line comes in two categories – Essential and Liberty
audio launch of Vennila Kabaddi Kuzhu and includes a complete wardrobe of woven and
knitted tops, denim and non-denim bottoms. The
V.HARIPRIYA film also has V. Selvaganesh, son of Kumar are marking their debut with range is priced between Rs. 399 and Rs 3,999.
haripriya@goergo.in ghatam maestro Vikku Vinayakram, this movie.
making his debut as music director. The lyrics for the songs are written

W
hen two techies join hands,
what can they do? Coding,
testing and debugging? For a
change, these techies turned
to films and they released the audio
of their debut movie at Sathyam Cin-
emas on Thursday.
Anand Chakravarthy, a post gradu-
ate in Management Information Sys-
tems, and Viishnu, a software
Engineer from namma Chennai,
make their entry into tinsel town
with Vennila Kabbadi Kuzhu, a film
set against a rural background. The
The audio launch saw the fathers
of the producer, hero, music director,
cinematographer and director re-
spectively receiving the copies of the
CD from the chief guests. The pro-
ducer, Anand, who said that he owes
everything to his parents, wanted his
father to collect the audio CD. Others
followed suit.
The film has Yaaradi Nee Mohini
fame Saranya Mohan playing the fe-
male lead. Apart from 43 new faces
onscreen, even the director Susin-
dran and cinematographer J. Laxman
by Na. Muthukumar, Snehan, deb-
utants J. Francis Kriba and Karthik
Netha.
The songs are sung by Shankar
Mahadevan, Karthik, Haricharan and
Chinmayi. The film is nearing com-
pletion and will hit theatres by
December.
Prominent faces like A.R. Rahman,
‘Chiyaan’ Vikram, director Gowtham
Menon, Vikku Vinayakram, Rama
Narayanan and director Ezhil made
their presence felt at the audio
launch. ■
04
Big Story
Crushtimes
in the
Internet
“W
hen Cupid strikes,
never let the arrow
show,” or so some
cubicle romantic
had written. Expressing feelings
for a person face-to-face has al-
ways been a scary endeavour,
but some swear by Facebook,
Orkut, MSN Messenger and oth-
er online mediums to flirt subtly,
without fearing rejection.
Facebook and its numerous
applications, of course, provide
a platform for pending love.
Manpreet Kaur, a foreign lan-
guage services consultant, says,
“A friend of mine had a butterfly
tattoo on her shoulder and she
would often wear halter necks
to show them off. She liked this
guy who used to go to a partic-
of
ular Subway out-
let almost every day. I was his
housemate at the time and he
called me excitedly one day to
show me his graffiti wall – she
had drawn a Subway sandwich
with a butterfly fluttering
above. They went out for a few
months after that.”
In some ways, Karthik M. is
similar, except he used iLike. The
application allows Facebook us-
ers to add music clips to their
profiles and also send favourite
songs to friends. “Very stupidly I
used to send this girl I liked very
‘direct’ songs. Once I sent her
N’Sync’s ‘Girlfriend’ and she re-
plied with Jennifer Paige’s
‘Crush’ which basically says I
should not over-analyse her
actions.”
Dictionary.com says
Crush /kruhsh/
(formal): to smooth or flatten
‘‘
The Internet is like alcohol in some sense. It
accentuates what you would do anyway. If
you want to be a loner, you can be more alone. If
you want to connect, it makes it easier to connect.
by pressure;
(informal): an
intense but usually
short-lived
infatuation.
Delhi-based lecturer Su-
san Thomas says the two
synonyms are connected. “I
have a brainwasher for a col-
league who would bombard her
crush with forwards everyday,
so that he would remember her
name. Her methods were a little
‘forward’ but mine were a little
more oblique. In my blog I made
vague references to a man I liked
in the possibility he would read
it. He did read it, but never com-
mented, although my friends
were shocked and asked me to
remove the particular posts.”
Drinking buddies
When gifts are too expensive
to send across states, resort to
free gifts – online. Dhanya K.
says, “My ex-boyfriend used to
ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008
Esther Dyson
Paint some graffiti, dedicate
a song, send over a
drink…all while hiding
behind a computer screen.
Who says expressing interest
is difficult?
send
me virtual
drinks on Face-
book. He once sent me a Teddy He called me
Bear with ‘Be Mine’ written on a
heart, and then kittens, deliber- excitedly one
ately, because he knew how day to show me
much I disliked cats. This was all
when we were still friends. Also,
his graffiti wall –
once we broke up, I remember the girl had
changing my status message on drawn a Subway
Orkut to show I was nonchalant
sandwich with a
about the break-up – like mine
would read ‘Dhanya K is smiling butterfly
again after a very long time’ or
something.
fluttering above
 Friday, October 3, 2008
05
We had mentioned this week’s Big Story topic as ‘Internet love’. However, before that the topic had been
published as ‘A crush you would like to forget’. Since our contributors have been heart-warmingly honest
with the latter topic, we have decided to print the responses to both. Thanks again for keeping it real.

T
hanks for giving us this topic at the right time, as
Ammu and Sandy will be celebrating their first love
anniversary on October 2.
September 2007 was the time when Ammu got
free access to browse and surf the Web during her office
hours. Generally a person’s first online crush happens
through Facebook or Orkut but for Ammu it was Netlog.

She had received many friend requests and two out of
the many became her close friends. Out of that, this one
guy was very impressive. You know why?
First, Ammu shot a message to him, asking for a good
reason to accept him as a friend, to which he had a cute
reply.
The next reason is that because his hometown is Sa-
lem, which is Ammu’s favourite place in the whole
world. The guy, Sandy, was in Trivandrum then, working
as a software professional, while Ammu was in Chennai
employed in a software concern. Initially, they started
off as friends and then they became best friends. It was
at this time she hesitated because anything further than
this relationship was going to be a commitment. All she
could ponder on was, “How will Sandy react if I told him
how I felt since we have known each other for not more
than 45 days.” She did not want to make a snap decision,
yet she decided to open up to him in the blind faith that
he would not step away from a commitment.
And on October 2, they celebrated the day they put
aside their tantrums for love. It has been exactly a year.
They still have their fights, but nothing serious, and fun-
filled always. On this first anniversary, they decided to
open up to their parents about each other.
I wish them all success and dedicate this arti-
cle to all those wonderful and lively couples out
there.
Vidya Mohan
I
had about three crushes during my school
days. All were very silly and interesting
when I think about it. I keep wondering how
I could have been so stupid. Although these
days, I can laugh it off, they are still memorable
incidents in my life.
The worst crush was during my school days
when I was in standard 12. My story falls in the
times I used to go for tuition classes. I liked a
boy who was very calm and quiet but was not
academically inclined. Enthusiastically, I used
to look out for him, amongst 50 students. I
would break out into a beaming smile whenev-
er I saw him.
I still don’t know what I saw in him. However,
one of my close friends said she would get me
his phone number through her friend in the
school the guy studied in. When we did get his
number, we devised a game plan to approach
this guy. My friend then called him and narrat-
ed a false story that even a small kid would not
have believed.
The story was that, my friend was being rag-
ged by her friends to pick up a random number
and make conversation with whoever picked
up the call. She introduced herself as a student
doing her B.Sc final year.
That guy also believed it and they both start-
ed to talk on the phone often. They became
good friends, and she even started introduced
me to him, but I never had the guts to converse
freely. My friend started to talk a little more
about me to him so that he would show some
interest. One fine day he woke up and under-
stood the game both of us had been playing,
which he would have guessed earlier if he had
been using his brain.
Then this guy managed to find out my
friend’s residential address using her phone
number, which was disturbing to say the least.
Thank god, all these conversations were tele-
phonic. That was the last call made by my
friend to that guy. My friend and I never forgot
that incident. We were very frightened that he
would come to both of our houses and threaten
us in front of our parents and tuition teachers.
Thank god he showed some mercy because
after that we stopped all our games. To explain,
it had become a little ugly and made me feel
indecent. I felt bad that I had both-
ered a person who was not at all
interested in me. I hope I will nev-
er see him during my life time.
Chitra Subramanian

I
smiled at her. Before she could reciprocate,
her husband came out of nowhere – in a nut-
shell, this describes my feelings for a partic-
ular girl.
It started in school and memories keep flashing
as I pen this down. She and I had known each
other since kindergarten. The bond that we as
children developed became weaker as we grew
up, and she became conscious of how people
spoke about us. No one in my class would call her
an angel, save me. She had such a homely face,
her little forehead almost hidden behind a huge
bindhi. She was one of my strongest competitors
in studies. It was her, along with another girl who
consistently gave me a run for the first rank.
When she did beat me to the first rank, I did not
mind as it gave me an opportunity to congratulate
her.
There was never a dearth of cute girls in class,
but I could never take my eyes of this particular
girl. When a teacher lifted his hand to beat me
(any boy for that matter) she would close her eye
and make a ‘ssss’ sound as if the blow had landed
on her. Her handwriting was the most beautiful
and she was talented, perhaps weaker than me in
Maths but generally good. Her voice was soft. You
cannot imagine such a girl scolding anyone. In
fact she never did. She was silent, and my hap-
piest moment was when she wished me all the
best for my Physics public exam. I got a centum
and afterwards returned to my town. After getting
busy with preparations for college, I lost track of
her. A friend called me once to inform she was
married right after school. Her education was cut
off and she became the typical household village
wife. That was how I saw her when her husband
came between us. She did not speak. As she
crossed me, she turned to me and smiled. That
had never changed – the warmth we shared since
childhood. I still cherish that. But life went on and
I had forgotten this, before Ergo brought
this out - my first and last
‘crushed’ crush.
Snehnath S (name changed)
06
Village
World’s fattest
man to wed after
massive diet
M
exican Manuel Uribe, the
world’s fattest man in the
2007 Guinness Book of
Records, said on
Wednesday that he would wed
this month, after losing nearly
half his original weight.
“It will be a hefty wedding, on a
large scale, but with a low-calorie
banquet,” the 43-year-old said.
Uribe, who lives in his bed, in
February said he had dropped
230 kilograms (570 pounds) from
Manuel dropped 230
kilograms (570 pounds)
from 590 kilograms
(1,300 pounds) after
massive diet
ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008
Pig banned
Children’s programme The
Muppet Show was banned from
TV in Saudi Arabia because one
of its stars was a pig.
German pensioner swings
machete in parking row
A German pensioner became so angry in a row with a taxi
driver over parking that he struck him on the head with a
machete and chopped off the man’s finger. The 70-year-old
man stormed off after remonstrating with the cab driver
about his parking early on Wednesday morning, said police
in Limburg-Weilburg in western Germany. Soon afterwards,
the pensioner reappeared at the driver’s office armed with
a 60-cm (24-inch) machete and attacked the 60-year-old,
590 kilograms (1,300 pounds). who was taken to hospital with head injuries. The assailant
He said he would marry a wid- fled the scene, but later gave himself up. He is likely to be
ow named Claudia, to whom he charged with attempted homicide, police said.
has been engaged for two years, Reuters
on October 26 at home in Mon-
terrey, northern Mexico.
The media-friendly Mexican
expanded his wedding plans after Head-shrinking belts:
offers of sponsorship from inter-
national magazines, television
stations and local mayors who of-
Japanese women’s latest fad!
Fashion conscious women in Japan are increasingly
fered a cake for 400 guests. taking to cosmetic belts to shrink their heads. The
Uribe has also asked a Mexican five-pound belt can be worn around the head
band called ‘Pesado,’ or ‘Heavy,’ while sleeping. The makers of the ‘Small Face Make
to provide the music. Belt’, called as the Kogao Meiku Beruto, claim that
He thanked God for the “mira- it will help in shrinking the size of the heads over
cles he gave to a man who was on time. Meanwhile, the men have also opted to go
the edge of suicide and who to- for a shrinking change and have been buying a
day knows love.” ■ gadget to make their mouths smaller. The machine,
AFP which costs 4 pounds and is called a Tex Mex Slim
Mouth, looks like an extendable gum shield. The
machine is said to train mouth muscles if used for
three minutes a day.
ANI
Woman slapped with fine for
taking too long to eat at KFC!
A British woman was left dumfounded when she was
hit with a 150 pound fine for taking too long to eat at
fast food giant KFC. A regular at KFC, Natalie Jackson
had ordered a huge family bucket, which contained 14
chicken pieces, 6 French fry bags and large cokes.
Jackson and a pal took an hour to scoff the 5,456-
calorie feast. Days later Jackson was fined for breaking
KFC’s 75-minute car parking limit. “I spend a lot of
money in there. Now I’m never going back,” said
Jackson. Natalie - who eats at KFC three times a week -
complained that she was unaware of signs warning of
the time limit in Huddersfield, West Yorks.
ANI
Mexican thieves steal
five small planes
Armed men stole five small planes from a private
airstrip in the northwestern Mexican state of Sinaloa
on Tuesday by overpowering a police officer and
flying away, security forces said. The group of around
20 men stormed the small airstrip at dawn, seized the
officer’s gun, tied him up, filled the planes with fuel
and flew off, said Emma Quiroz, spokeswoman for the
government’s anti-organised crime operations in
Sinaloa. It was not clear if there was a link to drug
gangs who use small aircraft to spirit cocaine through
northern Mexico toward the United States. Quiroz’s
office said it was investigating whether any authorities
had been complicit in the theft.
Reuters
 Friday, October 3, 2008
07
Opera stop This day, that year
Stars of the Zurich Opera in Switzerland
have put on a show in a train station in a It was in October 3, 1977 that
bid to connect with a wider audience. former Prime Minister Indira
Travellers looked on during a rehearsal as Gandhi was arrested on
the singers went up and down escalators. corruption charges.

Japanese hooked to Indian

‘CURRY AND NAAN’
I
n Japan, India is virtually synonymous years ago. There are others like the Mah-
with ‘curry’. araja which has 25 restaurants, Khana (3),
Indian food has now got the Japa- Sapla (1), Great India, Bombay, Ali Baba,
nese hooked and is gradually replac- Jantar Mantar and Agra.
ing Chinese and Thai, their other There is also a restaurant named
favourites, with hundreds of restaurants ‘Gandhi’ in Washington Hotel in Shinzu-
mushrooming across its is- ku that was set up 25 years
lands and an unpreceden- ago by a Japanese.
ted rise in food imports Potahar, in Shinzuku, To-
from the country. Restaurants kyo, is owned by a Pakistani
In fact, the Japanese are owned by but the Indian flag hangs
so fascinated with the ‘Indi- Pakistanis, outside. A small eatery with
an’ food that even restau- hardly a sitting place for a
rants owned by Pakistanis, Bangladeshis dozen people, it caters to
Bangladeshis and Sri Lan- and Sri over 100 people, mostly Ja-
kans display the Indian tri- panese, who queue up for
colour and add the prefix Lankans ‘curry and naan’ in just two
‘Indian’ to the names of the display the hours during lunch time.
eateries. Indian tricolour areThe Indian restaurants
So you have restaurant thriving on Japanese cli-
chains like the Siddique’s and add the ents as only a minuscule
‘Indian Pakistani’, which prefix ‘Indian’ 30,000 Indians stay in the
has over 20 outlets and ‘In- country. Indian food is now
dian Sri Lankan’. to the names almost figuring regularly at
“The Japanese identify of the eateries parties.
‘Indian’ with good and deli- Despite the numerous re-
cious food. If a restaurant strictions and stiff stan-
serving any South Asian dards, major importers of
fare does not have the Indian tag, the Ja- Indian food products say they are wit-
panese will not go to it,” says Mohammad nessing an annual growth of 10 to 25 per
Sageer, a chef working for Potahar who cent per annum. ■
came from Islamabad, Pakistan, eight PTI

Your mop vs mine

Financial crisis hits
‘Words of the Year’
I t seems that the global financial longer make payments on their
crisis has been finally been house, are also a sign of the
brought to book. times, according to Susie Dent
Yes, the credit crunch has pro- who compiled the book.
pelled popular business jargon However, the ‘Words of the
like stagflation, ninja loans and Year’ book also includes phrases
even funt onto a list of 100 new like nomophobia, the fear of be-
terms and phrases compiled in ing out of mobile phone contact;
the latest edition of the ‘Words of nonebrity, a person who enjoys
the Year’ book. status without anyone really un-
Stagflation is the economic derstanding why; and social net-
term for stagnant growth and ris- working to describe using
ing inflation, Ninja websites such as Face-
loans comes from the book.
abbreviation of No In- Ninja loans Boytox is a way to
come, No Job, No As- comes from for describe cosmetic sur-
sets, and Funt means abbreviation of gery for men and
the financially un- momnesia is the term
touchable. No Income, No for a pattern of mental
Other phrases such Job, No Assets confusion and forget-
쒀 Italian 250cc rider Marco Simoncelli gets up close with a highland cow during a
as jingle mail, which fulness ‘that charac-
means sending back and funt is
visit by riders to the Churchill Island historical farm on Phillip Island some 150
terises a mother’s first
kilometres south-east of Melbourne on Thursday. Riders are arriving on Phillip
the keys to the mort- financially year after giving birth’,
Island in preparation for the Australian MotoGP to be run Sunday. AFP PHOTO
gage company when untouchable the book says. ■
the occupants can no PTI
08 ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008

Happiness index

Technorama
Sex and Internet surfing tops the list of
Australian men in their happiness
index, while women enjoy when dining
with friends and petting their pooches,
according to Australian Happiness Index
2008.

Snippets sourced
from T3 Magazine
of Infomedia
Group

Wired, yet free

No need to get tangled in the cords
Desperately need to clear your desk of clutter? Turn to BlueLounge SpaceStation - an
extended desk organiser for laptop users. It comes with internal coiling pins to conceal all
the cords that usually sprawl over the desk. An internal 4-port USB 2.0 hub keeps all
peripherals connected. You can place the laptop on the rubber pad, raising the back to
create an ergonomic keyboard angle and allowing air flow underneath. The pad can also
be used to rest your mobile phone and daily accessories for easy access. A rear accessory rail
The ZZ watch
acts as a great business card slot and sports a handy page holder to keep all the paper you IWC’s time-teller in honour of Zinedine
want standing upright next to your laptop for easy reference. Isn’t that something now? Zidane
Rs 5,500, www.bluelounge.com, www.jseindia.com
The Ingenieur Automatic Edition
Zinédine Zidane, in short, the
Ingenieur timepiece, sports an
engraved portrait and the
autograph of the sportsman
on its solid stainless steel
Pressing charges back. Available in a globally
limited edition comprising
Rising to the need of the hour 1000 watches, this IWC
Most of the business users are constantly looking out for means to recharge. Schaffhausen has the French
Their gadgetry, we mean. So the Uniross Li-ion Power Pack could be a good bet national colours on the dial and
to invest in. It charges portable digital devices and is light and portable. You can a blue crocodile leather strap with
charge mobile phones, iPods, PDAs and portable game devices. Its power and red decorative stitching. The Arabic
capacity light show the charging status and battery condition, so you know numeral 10 - regarded as a magical
exactly when to pull the plug and get going. number by footballers - is highlighted in
Rs 1,695, www.uniross.com red. The watch has an antireflective glass
and is water-resistant up to 12 bar. Your
very own ZZ security then.
Price on request, www.iwc.com

ret
Wheels: Green.
e p a sec g

c ure s can
k e
roce
drive mation P le in 2GB ckBox
ssi n
, 4GB Price: Steep
r s e B
Supe
U S r b la Scoot arahhhnd for less than a lakh
new l Info vaila ler B e-
g s t on’s , Federa ed and a ataTrave hardwar Electric scooters have been great for
Kin bl a c k li d a t o n D b i t , 14 0 - 2
s. Mother Nature and fun for Uncle Bank-
t’re S) va ingst 256- FIPS ture
Wha ard (FIP cities? K rse. The es with urity fea crypts Balance as well. This, the “tad” expensive
d u c
Stan GB capa es of co rive com other se essor en cally eco-friendly scooter, changes the rules.
8 v c i
and lash dri crypted dincludes ted pro automat The Ego Street Scoota is chargeable from
S B F e n l s o d i c a i v e o r d
U S a e r ss the mains, so no nasty petrol fumes to
d AE and aad he d assw acce
base cation, ption vi he fly. T failed p horised n use make bunnies cough. With a top speed
fi y t e t a
certi ES encr data on nsecutiv nt unau o you c don’t of 30mph and about 40-mins run-time
h e A p t s 0 c o r e v e e d . S w e
T y 1 to p
decr fter splac that s between recharges you’re not going
and down a s helping en or mi data (by about it sec. It to be travelling too far too fast, but
o c k s t h u s t o l t i v e s l e d M B /
l
t e m pts, is lost, e sensi ing has p to 24 nium- it’s perfect for urbanites.
at ve or be s are u ta
e dri to st out ed ti case Rs 82,000*, www.firebox.com
if th rive for rn) with sfer rate a rugg that, in sks.
n e i
the d mean po ata tran comes i t despit desque r twice.
d
only ity. The roof and asing. Bu e in Bon ter think 9 (8GB)
r t
secu o waterp ss steel c to engag you be ), Rs 11,1 m/india
9
a l s n l e c e s a y G B n o
. c
is ai an We’d Rs 6,999 w.kingsto
(4
ed st a ch
coat comes (2GB
) , w w
e
ther Rs 4,
999
 Friday, October 3, 2008
Stealth mode for Web surfers
The private
browsing
feature helps
you erase
your history
files
H
ow is using a private
browsing mode in a Web
browser any different than
just clearing out the tem-
porary Internet files in a
computer?
Certain Web browsers – includ-
ing Apple’s Safari and Microsoft’s
coming Internet Explorer 8 – have
a private browsing feature that is
intended to let you surf the In-
ternet without leaving any evi-
dence of your travels on the
computer. Although it has al-
ready been nicknamed “porn
mode” by some, using the private
browsing feature can help protect
your personal information when,
say, checking Web mail at a pub-
Game on
쒀 Japanese video game giant Nintendo unveils the
company’s new software "Wii Music" for the
company’s video game console "Wii" in Tokyo on
Thursday. The new software allows users to play
music in the video game with a remote control
and plans to compete with other music
performance games like Rock Band 2 and Guitar
Hero. Nintendo will put it on the market on
October 16. AFP PHOTO
Working in multiple time zones?
Windows Vista can display up to three different clocks when the
taskbar time is clicked. Go to the Start menu to Control Panel, open
the Date and Time control panel and click on the Additional Clocks tab.
Pick out the desired time zones and check the box to show each new
clock, then click the OK button.
lic computer.
Typically, when this feature is
turned on, visited Web pages are
not added to the browser’s histo-
ry file, text from auto filled forms
is not retained and keywords are
wiped from the menu in the
browser’s search box. Cookies
and passwords are erased as well.
With Safari, you have to
A car computer for you
The Clarion mini PC
has an 800-
megahertz Intel
Atom processor
and 512 megabytes
of memory
W here haven’t PCs gone?
They’re common in dens and
living rooms and are even creep-
ing into beds and onto park
benches. But until the Clarion-
Mind from Clarion, they have
never colonised the automobile.
The Clarion mini PC has an
800-megahertz Intel Atom proc-
essor and 512 megabytes of
memory.
It has a 5-inch touch screen
and 4 gigabytes of storage for
programs and media. The device
can be connected to the Internet
It has
already been
nicknamed
“porn mode”
by some
manually turn on the private
browsing mode under the Safari
or Edit menu and click through a
warning box each time you start
it. (A quick tip for Mac OS X 10.5
via Wi-Fi or by pairing it with a
compatible cell phone over Blue-
tooth. The device uses a special
version of Linux and includes
software for Global Positioning
System mapping, along with a Fi-
refox-based browser for visiting
Web sites on the go.
The Mind can play audio and
offer driving directions over the
car’s speaker system. Video and
09
users: Hold down the Option key
when selecting private browsing
to bypass the warning box.)
Private browsing takes care of
dumping these Internet files for
you – or it doesn’t save the in-
formation to begin with. Manual-
ly dumping the browser’s cache,
cookies and other data clears out
much of the same material, but
you have to remember to do it.
You can also configure your
browser to do it for you when you
close the program.
These settings can usually be
configured in the browser’s
options or preferences ar-
ea. For example, Firefox
has a Clear Private Da-
ta item under its Tools
menu. You select the
items you wish to
erase in the pro-
gram’s privacy
settings.
One thing to remem-
ber if you’re really fo-
cused on privacy: In theory,
if the Web page bits and other da-
ta are downloaded to the com-
puter in the first place, it could be
possible for someone to snag the
information using a file recovery
program – even if the temporary
Internet files have been deleted.■
NYT News Service
music can be stored on a mi-
croSD card, and quick keys allow
instant access to MySpace and
YouTube. Clarion has not an-
nounced a price but the device
should be available next month.
Obviously the ClarionMind’s
more complex functions are best
suited for passenger – not driver –
entertainment.■
NYT News Service
10
BackPackers
F ANTASY
LIGHTS OF
A two-hour drive from Chennai leads to a paradise for visitors, winged and otherwise
AYON SENGUPTA
ayon@goergo.in
T
he Vedanthangal bird sanc-
tuary was an out-of-the-
world experience. A rich
land of 73 acres under the
Wildlife Board of Chennai. I
knew at once I was somewhere I
had never been before and real-
ised that a place so close to a
metropolis could be so different.
With the dimming light of the
setting sun we saw across a short
expanse of green water, small
clumps of grass and rows of
green trees. There were herons,
grey blue with long pink legs,
bunched together in some of the
nearer trees, and flocks of white-
winged, long-necked storks in
the trees a little further. There
were also egrets, ibis and other
varieties of heron and stork
turning the trees almost white
under the pure numbers of them
in some places. Near the banks
one could see small brown-
backed paddy or pond herons.
Fishing or standing very still and
watching for any faint move-
ment. Standing on a concrete
ledge we spotted a smirking frog,
head barely out of the water, not
moving at all, with one radiant
yellow eye in a brilliant green
head gazing up – another watch-
er and waiter. We saw one bird
of prey, a fish hawk of some
kind, soaring through the sky,
and small coveys of ducks dab-
bling.
I had great trouble at first see-
ing the birds even though they
PHOTOS: S.R. RAGHUNATHAN
were not far away.
Nevertheless, I was dreaming
about coming back, with my
own binoculars, and staying at
the nearby hotel so as to be able
to come out to the watch towers
early morning and again at sun-
set.
Knowing what I now know of
South India’s sunrises and sun-
sets, I am sure the sight of birds
coming in and out of the roost-
ing places at the break and close
of day would be spectacular. The
place is well looked after by two
forest officials and eight labour-
ers from the nearby village.
The labourers earn a paltry
sum of less than Rs. 50 per day
for all the hard work they put up.
On the other side of the “land
of the birds” the plain land was
ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008
divided into small moderately
regular rectangles for paddy cul-
tivation. I am told they can do
two harvests a year, so presum-
ably the men I saw ploughing
were preparing a harvested pad-
dy for a second crop.
Running across the grid of
small fields were the main irriga-
tion ditches. Water was let in as
needed from the sanctuary side,
which, the labourers in the for-
est explained, was made so rich
by the bird droppings that no
other fertilizer is needed. The
farmers, understanding this,
have refrained from the usual
practice of killing birds, and
have actually promoted and
supported the sanctuary. Noth-
ing like enlightened self-interest.
■ a few private hotels near
How to get there
It is about a 100-km drive
from Chennai, most of it on
the well-maintained
National Highway 45. The
nearest railhead is
Chengalpattu (26 km).
●
When to visit
The best season to visit is
from November to January.
Where to stay
Accommodation is available
at the Forest Department
Rest House or Hotel Tamil
Nadu of the Tamil Nadu
Tourism Development
Corporation. Reservations
for the latter could be
made at the Chennai office,
through money order or
bank drafts. There are also
the sanctuary.
 Friday, October 3, 2008
11

Wow! I touched the dolphin!: Ankith’s day out We are a happy family: At Jurong Bird Park

Whale of a time
N.V. Yogesh Gupta recalls an unforgettable trip to Singapore with his family

T
here was excitement in our
house and it was dominat-
ed by Ankith, my five-year-
old son, about our trip to
Singapore. We were welcomed
at the airport by the beauty and
cleanliness of the city.
We started our tour the next
morning. Our first stop was the
Singapore Flyer, which is the
largest observation wheel in the
world. This was followed by
Duck Tour, an amphibious veh-
icle used during World War II,
which is used on the river and
road. In fact, it is also the race
track for ‘first night F1 race’.
Post-lunch we proceeded to
the zoo, which is also one of the
best night safaris in the world.
Ankith was thrilled seeing the
animals this close. The day end-
ed with a shopping spree.
Jurong Bird Park (the world’s
tallest manmade waterfall) and
an evening in China Town were
equally memorable.
Our trip to Sentosa Island in
the cable car was thrilling – 4D
Magix, Luge Ride, Dolphin La-
goon, Under Water World and
the magnificent Songs of the
Sea.
Ankith was thrilled and got concluded with a chilling expe-
the chance of his life to touch rience at Snow City. ■
and take snaps with a dolphin (The writer is an employee of
and penguin. Later, we stopped Financial Software Systems,
at Clark Quay to view the night Tidel Park)
life.
Our last day in the city started
with a visit to the Singapore Sci-
ence Centre, where the most
memorable part was to see the
space and F1 exhibits. Our trip

On a sensual treat of Kerala

ARCHANA MURUGESH festival.
Disappointed, we drove back to the resort late

I
set out on my trip to Kerala with a lot of excite- noon, only to be greeted by waiters clad in dhotis.
ment and expectations, as I was looking forward They served us the traditional sadhya in banana
to the long weekend before Onam. Work had leaf. After lunch we headed to the wildlife sanctuary
taken a good toil of me the past couple of weeks in Thekkadi. We rushed just in time for the last
and this outing seemed just the perfect boating tour for the day in the lake wa-
getaway. ters which are surrounded by forest ar-
My first destination was Kumili, We enjoyed the ea. We were not lucky to catch the
where we checked into Cardamon glimpse of many animals, only bison
County at night. It was Onam the next two-hour boat ride and deer. We enjoyed the two-hour
day and we decided to start our holi-
day on a religious note. So we skipped
more for the boat ride more for the pleasant weath-
er and chill breeze which was a tem-
the complimentary breakfast at the re- pleasant weather, porary relief from the sweltering
sort and headed to Mahadevan Shak-
thra Temple in Changanur. It was a chill breeze which weather of Chennai. Not to mention
the beauty of the greenery, sun set and
two-and-half-hour drive from Kumili. was a temporary still waters, which was an absolute
Quite content that we paid darshan treat to the eyes and in a way to the
at a temple in Kerala, we were antici- relief from the inner senses as well.
pating an authentic breakfast and
looked for roadside eat-outs. To our
sweltering weather stay The sensual treat of Kerala is sure to
in my mind. ■
dismay, all shops were closed for the of Chennai (The writer is an employee of Infosys)

Animal spotting at Thekkadi. PHOTOS: ARCHANA MURUGESH

12 ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008

Portfolio
The n
Mariella
Burani
Origami
with
fabric

BI
Strategic tucks
and folds, as
opposed to
straight stitches,
were something
several fashion
houses resorted to.
Tommaso Aquilano and
Roberto Rimondi made a
striking debut for Gianfranco
Ferre at the ready-to-wear
Vivienne Westwood Ferre fashion week in Milan. Calvin

THIN
Klein, during the New York
Fashion Week, made
Karl
Lips don’t lie use of clever folds
and tucks. So did Lagerfeld
Black lips and a shade of maroon that’s almost black Mila Schon as part
made a regular appearance, be it at the ready-to-wear of the women’s
Spring/ Summer 2009 show by Italian stylist Mariella Spring/Summer
Burani in Milan or British designer Vivienne Westwood’s 2009 ready-to-wear
show in Paris. Sometime goth, sometimes punk, dark lips collections of the
are making a statement. fashion week in The Spring/ Summer 2009 show
Milan. Karl Lagerfeld, too,
belted the folds together.
London to Milan and Paris, saw
pick out what we thought will
it Jean-Paul Gaultier’s versatile
Mila Schon fabric origami at Calvin Klein a
colour overkill at Manish Arora
Jean-Paul Gaultier
Roberto Cavalli
Swimsuit
sursrise
The ramps also saw an
unlikely multi-tasker –
the swimsuit. Jean-Paul
Gaultier, at his dance-
inspired ready-to-wear
show in Paris, paired
the swimsuit with
yards of chiffon which
transformed it into a
jersey dress.
Earlier, Duyos did the
same at the Spring
Summer 2009
collection show at Rule of the
Cibeles Madrid
Fashion Week in jungle
Madrid. Animal prints roared. Be it
Julien MacDonald’s safari-
inspired collection that
showcased at the Spring
Summer 2009 fashion
week in London or
Roberto Cavalli’s
trademark animal
prints and Krizia’s
tiger-striped dress
that showed at the
Spring/Summer
2009 ready-to-
wear section in
Milan, it was the
rule of the
jungle.

Duyos Krizia Julien MacDonald

 Friday, October 3, 2008
13

William Matthewson

next DKNY John Galliano

Pocket this
Yes, we have spoken
about pockets on
dresses in these

IG
columns. Just that later
shows have reinforced
Bootie-licious! our belief that the chic
We’ve also noticed some pretty interesting sole partners. pocket is here to stay. Ask
While the bootie, the season’s new must-have, got a sporty Versace, Matthew
twist at DKNY during the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in
New York, at Emilio Pucci netted booties strutted the ramp in
Milan.
On the other hand, super-high gold-edged platforms ruled at
Dolce & Gabbana.
John Galliano, as always, surprised us with heels that looked
like sculpted porcelain dolls at the ready-to-wear section in

NGS
Milan.

ws, from New York to

w a host of surprises. We
be big the next season, be
e swimsuits, the clever
and Gianfranco Ferre or the D&G Etro
Emilio Pucci
a’s circus-inspired collection. Williamson and
Versace Etro.

Colour, colour, what colour?

Spring/Summer 2009 will be colourful, sometimes AFP PHOTO
eye-hurting colourful, if the fashion weeks are
anything to go by. While at Marni fluorescents Jean-Paul Gaultier
ruled, our Manish Arora recreated the circus in
Paris. British designer John Galliano for Christian
Dior played with colour and transparency.

John Galliano

Manish Arora
Suspender
surrender
The quirky Jean-Paul
Gaultier, at the ready-
to-wear fashion week
in Paris, brought back
the men’s suspenders
on women’s wear.
Way to go!
Compiled by Shalini Shah
Marni with inputs from Agencies
14 ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008

Obese Kids

Wellness
South Korea plans to help obese
children pay for health club
membership and other activities
that can help them lose weight.

Stop Dreaming,
Start Living
SADHGURU JAGGI VASUDEV dreams that happen at a different level
that could be intuitive. There could be

A
ll dreams come from your mind. To-
day, much importance has been giv-
en to dreams. In the West, especially
in the process of psychoanalysis,
Freud and Jung gave too much impor-
tance to dreams. In the East, the enlight-
ened have always ignored dreams because
they are just another outcome of the mad-
ness that you call “mind.”
Your mind is just a garbage bin that
gathers things from people around you.
This mind is of appropriate significance as
a good survival tool. That is all. To survive
in the world, you need this stuff, but in
terms of life itself, it is of no real signif-
icance. Generally, most people live their
lives like in a dream and they even have
investments in their dreams.
All your dreams originate from your
mind. So it doesn’t matter what kind of
dreams you have. Whether you see a god
or you see a demon in your dream, it
doesn’t matter.
Whatever stuff is utmost in your con-
sciousness reflects itself. Generally, 90 per
cent of dreams are just an expression of
unfulfilled desire. There are certain other
some amount of intuitiveness in your
dreams.
In dream states, accidentally some-
times, you can touch your subconscious
mind. When you touch your subconscious
mind, you transcend the limitations of
both time and space. Time and space are
creations of your conscious mind.
When you transcend these, maybe you
have a dream like this: it is early in the
morning and you just saw yourself sitting
in a garden, your friend came and said
something to you, he just said something,
just an ordinary situation.
Tomorrow morning you were sitting in
the garden and the same friend comes by
and says the same thing to you - things
like this happen. You dreamt something
and then it happened.
These things happen simply because
you have transcended the limitations of
time and space when you touch the sub-
conscious.
It has got nothing to do with the deeper
dimensions of who you are. Do not attach
too much importance to a dream. Stop
dreaming and start living. It is time!■

Kids who spend time with

their dads have higher IQs
K ids whose fathers spend more
time with them have a higher
IQ and are more socially mobile,
than children who receive little
attention, according to a new re-
search. The research shows that
strong fatherly involvement in
children’s early life can improve
their child’s future career pro-
spects. The study was carried out
by academics at the University of
Newcastle. The scientists also
found that men tended to pay
more attention to their sons than
their daughters.
The researchers warned that it
was not enough for parents to live
together, but that a father should
be actively involved in a child’s
life to benefit their development.
The study looked at more than
11,000 British men and women,
born in 1958.
The scientists asked their
mothers how often the father of
their child took part in activities
with them, including reading, or-
ganising outings and general
“quality time”.
The study has been published
in the journal Evolution and Hu-
man Behaviour.
The analysis revealed that
those children whose fathers
More than the parents
staying together, a
father should be
actively involved
in a child’s life to
benefit their
development
spent more time with them had a
higher IQ and were more socially
mobile than those who had re-
ceived little attention. The differ-
ences were still detectable by the
age of 42.
“What was surprising about
this research was the real sizeable
difference in the progress of chil-
dren who benefited from pater-
nal interest and how thirty years
later, people whose dads were in-
volved are more upwardly mo-
bile,” Telegraph quoted Dr
Daniel Nettle, who led the re-
search, as saying.
“The data suggest that having a
second adult involved during
childhood produces benefits in
terms of skills and abilities that
endure throughout adult life,” he
added. ■
ANI
 Friday, October 3, 2008
15
Cancer and baby’s birth weight
Birth size, or the birth length, of a person can act as
an indicator of subsequent risk of breast cancer in
adulthood, cites a new study by researchers at the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Available,
NOT BUSY
Status messages tend to
play relationship brokers
MITHRA SURESH out being overt.
mithra@goergo.in Ramya Jayachandran, a well-
spoken supporter of web-based

I recently wrote, ‘I am not in love,

I am in lurve or luff!’ as my status
message. It made the right man
respond, and query the identity of
this mysterious lover, who may or
may not exist.
Status messages tend to play re-
lationship brokers. What you may
not be able to convey directly, for
example by saying or doing, can
be effectively communicated
through these online teasers.
What Bindya Mahesh, a space
advertiser, said about her experi-
ence is that she used to tease a
man she liked with little hints
about her personality. “We
worked in the same office, so my
status messages read, ‘Even
though I don’t pray, give me a
sign’ or ‘Guess who decided to
wear a tie in this weather’ or some
such thing.” What it helped to say
in Bindya’s case is that she could
be flirtatious and naughty, with-
relationships says, “Many a time,
even potentially disastrous alli-
ances can be averted through our
very own gTalk or the yesteryear’s
Yahoo! Messenger. Parents these
days want their ‘marriageable’
daughters to hold elaborate dis-
cussions with likely grooms. Sta-
tus messages not only elicit
responses, they also help in pre-
liminary elimination of unsavoury
candidates. Plus, there is no need
for a broker to convey the rejec-
tion; just a simple click on ‘block
this person’.”
For me, status messages always
carry YouTube or Last.Fm links of
music tracks that my friends or a
particular person might enjoy.
When it comes to guessing games,
there is no end to innovation.
Readers, if you have any witty or
inventive status messages, mail
them to me and we will carry a
ticker tape of the ones we like. ■

Indian couple still shy to

openly discuss sex: survey
N oting that Indians still find sex
a behind-the-doors topic, a
new survey shows that one out of
two men in the country do not
have optimal erection hardness
and over 60 per cent of women
feel their partner’s erections are
inadequate.
According to the ‘Asia Pacific
Sexual Health and Overall Well-
being study’, two-thirds of men
over 40 are unhappy with their
erections.
The study revealed that in In-
dia, discussions about sexual ex-
perience is still a major concern
among couples. Sex ranks sev-
enth out of the 17 life priorities
for men, while for women it ranks
near the bottom 14.
Sex ranks seventh
out of the 17 life
priorities for men,
while for women
it ranks near the
bottom 14
Family life is clearly the most
important aspect of life for both
men and women. Other life pri-
orities include being a spouse,
work or career, being a parent, fi-
nancial well-being and physical
health.
The same priorities appear on
top of the women’s list. The sur-
vey revealed that sexual satisfac-
tion is strongly associated with
satisfaction in overall physical
health, love and romance.
“In India, the survey showed
that adults who are less than sat-
isfied with sex are less likely to be
satisfied with life overall,” said
Rupin Shah, andrologist at Mum-
bai’s Lilawati hospital.
There is also a clear link be-
tween satisfaction with erection
hardness and satisfaction with
sex for people in India. The sam-
ple size for the survey was 400
which concentrated mostly in ur-
ban areas. ■
PTI
16 ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008

Irked captian

Sport
India’s Test captain Anil Kumble on Thursday
lashed out at the media for speculation about an
“honourable exit” being worked out for the
seniors. “You need to be a bit more respectful.
When people discuss cricketers, they need to be
handled respectfully,” said an angry skipper.

No points but Fisichella happy

with Singapore GP
He couldn’t get the elusive first points for Force
India yet again despite

Once
running as high as second at
one stage but far from being
disappointed, Giancarlo
Fisichella says he is thrilled to
have at least made a mark at
the Formula One’s first-ever
night race – the Singapore

beaten,
Grand Prix. “It was good to be
third, especially starting from
the pit-lane. I was able to keep guys who were
much quicker than me behind me. We were a
little better than we showed in the qualifying
session,” Fisichella said.

twice try
“I was quite confident; I was pushing like crazy to
do my best. It was good, so I’m happy about how
it went,”’ he added. After his single planned stop
he dropped down the order, but the anticipated
break with another safety car didn’t come in the
chaotic race that saw was marred by a couple of
crashes. By the time it did – ironically after
teammate Adrian Sutil crashed the other Force
India – other drivers had pitted and felled to the
flag, so there was no benefit for Fisichella. He also
Come November, at the Rotax
struggled with low tyre temperatures after the
restart, which cost some time, and eventually
Max World finals in Italy,
crossed the line in 14th place.
PTI
Raymond Banaji hopes to erase
the memory of his first world
championship
Bhajji ineligible to play for Oz
T20 team in Champions AYON SENGUPTA than his unforgettable first expe- sponsors I can get on board.”
League ayon@goergo.in rience in 2004. “Another driver
bumped into me very early in the
Banaji feels the system in India
is not suited to produce quality
Indian off spinner Harbhajan Singh, who was

interested in playing for one of the two
Australian sides that will take part in the
inaugural Twenty20 Champions League later this
year, will be ineligible to play under the
competition’s rules.
India’s leading off-spinner, with 291 Test wickets,
was keen to play for Western Australia or
Victoria in the eight-team competition to be
staged in India in the first week of December,
Fox Sports News reported.
But Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday ruled out
that prospect, saying he was ineligible to play for
either state under the competition’s rules.
The fact that Harbhajan had not played for either
side during last summer’s Australian domestic
Twenty20 competition, when the Bushrangers
and Warriors qualified for the tournament in
India, meant he could not now be included.
“It’s an interesting prospect when you think
about it because he’s a champion player, but it’s
my understanding from the management here
that he would not be eligible,” a CA spokesman
said.
Victorian batsman David Hussey said despite
Harbhajan’s history of volatility, he could have
fitted in with the Bushrangers side.
“I’ve actually met him and he’s a really nice guy
one-on-one. He’s a great cricketer and a great
bloke to just talk cricket with,” Hussey said.
But he said the Bushrangers were confident of
their chances in the 6 million dollar event with
the players that have won them all three
domestic Twenty20 competitions staged in
Australia.
ANI
R
aymond Banaji will spear-
head the Indian challenge
at the Rotax Max World fi-
nals in Italy this November.
Banaji, who topped the senior
category in the national karting
championship, will be vying for
the top honours against 160-plus
kart drivers from 37 countries.
“The competition is going to be
very tough. You have to go
through a series of heats to qual-
ify for the main round. Only 34
drivers will race in the final and
my immediate goal is to be one
amongst those 34,” Banaji says.
This will be Banaji’s sec-
ond world champion-
ship and he hopes
to do better
first heat and I broke my steering drivers. But with the recent suc-
wheel and there was also some cess in A1 GP and also Vijay Mal-
damage to the oil compartment. I lya’s involvement with F1, he
felt miserable but fortunately I feels things are looking much
got over it quickly. I have honed brighter. “Our drivers have
my skills in the last four years and proved their mettle in the tough-
I hope the experience is much est of conditions. And with an In-
better this time,” he says. “It dian Formula One team in the
would have grid we can only look into the
been very positives. The top four or five In-
helpful if I dian drivers in the karting circuit
had a few are good but then the competi-
days’ tion just falls flat. But in Europe
training in and Asia you will find the top 20
Europe to 30 drivers very competitive. We
but it de- just need more exposure and for
pends on that we need more money,” the
how two-time national champion
many says.
Parth Ghorpade from Kolhapur
will be the other Indian in fray in
Italy. ■
 Friday, October 3, 2008
‘‘
He (Lalit Modi) told me the other night he wants me to play. Lalit was say-
ing there was another auction coming up. I have always said I definitely
want to be part of the IPL. "It’s just about timing for me. I think we have some one-
dayers in Pakistan, but the following year we are available for the whole time.
F1
targets costs as credit crunch bites
F
ormula One looked in fine
fettle at Sunday’s stunning
night-time grand prix in
Singapore but the worry
lines are always more apparent
in the cold light of day.
Money is the lifeblood of the
billion-dollar sport and, with
the credit crunch biting deep in-
to the global economy, those in-
volved know they cannot
continue to spend like there is
no tomorrow.
“Formula One is in rude good
health...and I think that it can
stay in great health provided
that we take action,” said Wil-
liams team chief executive
Adam Parr.
“Formula One is marketing it-
self very well in terms of estab-
lishing new races in key areas
but we need to do more.
"Costs have grown exponen-
tially in the last 10 years and it’s
time to put an end to that.”
International Automobile
Federation (FIA) president Max
Mosley warned in July that For-
mula One was “becoming un-
sustainable” and the global
economic climate has only de-
teriorated since then.
Honda-backed Super Aguri
folded in May, leaving Formula
One with 10 teams and no pros-
pect of anyone new coming in.
Some insiders fear others could
also head for the exit unless
changes are made.
Toro Rosso, co-owned by Red
Bull energy drink billionaire
Dietrich Mateschitz, have a
guaranteed budget for 2009 but
their future remains uncertain
beyond that.
Red Bull Technology current-
ly design the cars for both Toro
Rosso and Red Bull Racing but
in 2010 each team will be re-
quired to design and make their
own, a huge burden for the
smaller, Italy-based outfit.
“I would struggle to carry on
alone,” Toro Rosso co-owner
Gerhard Berger told Italy’s Gaz-
zetta dello Sport last month. “I
need the backing of a car manu-
facturer. Which isn’t there.”
Dwindling sales
Red Bull use their two teams
to promote and sell their prod-
uct while Force India are bank-
rolled by aviation and drinks
billionaire Vijay Mallya, who
says he is in for the long haul.
Williams, the only team with-
out a manufacturer or billio-
naire behind them, reported
losses of 21.4 million pounds
($38.17 million) for 2007 on
Tuesday but said they were
well-funded for the future.
In a sport where sponsorship
contracts are generally nego-
tiated to run for three and so-
metimes five years, and spaced
out to ensure they do not all ex-
pire at once, the former cham-
pions can expect to weather the
immediate storm.
However big-spending man-
ufacturer teams may be more
vulnerable to the parent com-
pany’s board looking at the bot-
tom line and deciding enough is
enough.
“It’s a lot of money that can
be addressed with one swish of
the red pen,” said Parr.
BMW, Fiat (Ferrari), Honda,
Mercedes (McLaren), Renault
and Toyota all either wholly or
part own teams – some with
budgets of more than $400 mil-
lion a year – against a backdrop
of dwindling sales and sinking
share prices.
Some, such as Toyota, have
pumped billions of dollars into
the sport with little to show for
their investment. Honda, whose
car promotes environmental
awareness rather than any ma-
Michael Clarke
Looks like the global
economic crisis has
cast a shadow on
Formula One, too
jor external sponsor, have also
spent hugely.
More pressure
“Those teams that are very
dependent on car manufactur-
ers for funding and don’t have
commercial sponsors might be
under more pressure," said for-
mer Benetton and BAR team
boss David Richards.
“But there is unlikely to be
any knee-jerk reaction. It (with-
drawal) is such a high-profile
decision to make.”
To try to bring down the
costs, the teams have formed an
association to work with the FIA
and commercial rights holders.
“I think it is absolutely ur-
gent,” Parr said of the need for
cost-cutting. “Whatever mea-
sures we take must be in place
for 2010. Anything beyond that
is too late, both the teams and
the FIA recognise that.”
“The car manufacturers could
halve their spending in Formula
One tomorrow,” he added. “I
know that because, guess what,
I know what we are spending.
Why does anyone have to spend
more than Williams spend on
going racing?
“If the board of another team
17
says we want to stay in F1 be-
cause it’s a fantastic platform
for our business but we are only
prepared to spend what Wil-
liams spends – is that the end of
the world?
“Some of these teams could
save 100 or 200 million euros by
doing that.”
On the plus side, the money is
pouring in from new venues
such as Singapore and Abu
Dhabi, which will make its de-
but in 2009, and there is no im-
mediate sign of sponsors
running for cover.
“I think we had 900 guests
over the Singapore weekend.
Our sponsors were enormously
active,” said Parr, who added
that three or four partners had
renewed or extended contracts
in the last few weeks.
“Businesses still have to
achieve their key objective and
Formula One is still a unique
platform for doing that,” he
said.
“For a company worth let’s
say 40 billion pounds, to invest
20 million a year in a Formula
One partnership is not a major
undertaking. It’s significant but
not major.” ■
Reuters
18
Flick
‘I found my debut
project myself’
After his debut in Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na,
Imran Khan has become the new icon of
Gen Y. Moving from the former’s
chocolate boy image, the 24-year-old
plays the bad man in his second film,
‘Kidnap’. An interview:
SREYA BASU
Are you all set to be seen as the
angry bad young man in Kidnap?
Yes. Bollywood is maturing…now we
have refreshing storylines as well as experi-
ment-loving producers who are ready to
risk new subjects with newcomers.
But can you deny that being Aamir
Khan’s nephew has made things
easier for you?
Let me make an honest confession. I
found my debut project myself. Abbas Ty-
rewala, the director of Jaane Tu… saw me
in a party and we jelled well. He narrated
me the script of his new film that Jhamu
Sughand was supposed to produce. I said I
was interested in doing the film and was
selected at the screen test. But, for some
reason, Sughand backed out. Aamir Khan
was looking for a good film to invest his
money. He liked the script and produced
the film. But, of course, I will always re-
main grateful to him for my break.
Did you always want to be a part of
Bollywood?
I wanted to make my career in Bolly-
wood, but not as an actor. I wanted to be a
filmmaker. I am trained in script-writing
and film direction from New York Film A-
cademy. In fact, my family even said Aamir
ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008
Spike Lee film angers Italy’s surviving partisans
Film director Spike Lee has set off a storm in Italy with a movie about black American soldiers
fighting alongside Italian partisans in World War Two. Surviving members of the resistance to the
Nazi occupation of Italy have taken issue with Miracle at St. Anna ahead of the film’s Italian
release on Friday, distributing protest flyers and accusing Lee of distorting history.
was wasting his money on the Kidnap. True?
film because Imran can’t Yes, and the full credit goes to
act. director Sanjay Gadhvi. There was
an entire list of actors suggested
Tell us something for the role by the producers at
about your character in Ashtavinayak Films. But I was
your second film, Kidnap. Gadhvi’s choice and after a few
As you said in the begin- meetings with the producers I
ning of the interview, I play became their choice, too.
the ‘angry bad young man’
with an edgy look. In fact, You seem to be quite open to
my character in the film is discuss your girlfriend
not as grey as it looks…after Avantika Malik. Is it a new
all, I am the hero! trend of neo-Bollywood?
During the promotion of Jaane
There is a rumour that Tu… a journalist in Mumbai asked
after Jaane Tu… your me that since Aamir Khan hid his
signing amount has hiked marriage during his debut in Qaya-
to Rs. 7 crore, which mat Se Qayamat Tak, do I too have
makes you the highest- such plans. I gave her a detailed his-
paid newcomer in tory of my six-year relationship
Bollywood. Is that true? with Avantika and said that
I don’t know about the if my personal life is the
‘highest paid newcomer’ tag yardstick that determines
because I don’t have time the success of my profes-
for a market survey. If so- sional life, I won’t have to
meone is making a good showcase my talent. The
small-budget film, I will film would sell like hot-
definitely ask for a small cakes anyway since I am a
amount. bachelor. As in mamu’s
(Aamir) case, there were
It is also said that you reasons behind his deci-
were not the sion. ■
producers’ choice for Trans World Features
 Friday, October 3, 2008
19
Come again!
Madonna once said: “I want to be like Gandhi and Martin Luther King and John Lennon... but
I want to stay alive.” Beyonce Knowles said: “When people find out that I’m just a human
being I guess I disappoint them.” These are some of A-listers’ famous ludicrous utterings,
which have now been compiled in a new book, Dim Wit: The Funniest, Stupidest Things Ever
Said, by Rosemarie Jarski, reports the Daily Star.

Knowles knows best

GETTY IMAGES

Cine City
BEYONCE
CAN’T
Prithviraj, Srikanth
FINISH
NEW join hands
Prithviraj and Srikanth will be teaming up again
ALBUM for Idam Valam after Kana
Kandein. While Kamalini
IN TIME Mukherjee is paired with
Srikanth, Prithviraj will
romance Kanchana. Idam
Valam is said to revolve
around the differences of

B
eyonce Knowles’ new album was opinion between two
due at her label this week, but it police officers. The film is
looks as if the 27-year-old rhythm produced by Selva
and blues star won’t make her Chandru and directed
deadline to ensure a mid-November re- by Manmohan.
lease. “It’s not going to be completed,”
an inside source told the New York Daily
News. “She’s got to get it out early in the
fourth quarter, when there’s so much
competition among artistes.”
But Beyonce is not lazing around. Part
of the delay is due to the large number of
projects she’s working on. She spent
three months filming Cadillac Records,
where she plays gospel singer Etta
James, and is deep into the thriller Ob-
sessed. Another delay stems from a duet
with Justin Timberlake recorded for the
album. The two did not like the initial
outcome and kept reworking the song
until they got it right, the paper said. The
first two single releases will be ‘If I Were
a Boy’ and ‘Single Ladies’. ■
DPA

Veteran
actor
passes
away
Veteran actor
Poornam
Viswanathan
breathed his last
on Wednesday
afternoon around
3.30 p.m. at a city
hospital. The actor started off as a
newsreader for All India Radio before
stepping into films. Some of his best
performances were in movies like
Mahanadhi with Kamal Haasan and
Aasai with Prakash Raj and Ajith
Kumar. He was also well-known for
films like Anjali, Puthu Puthu
Arthangal, Keladi Kanmani,
Varumayin Niram Sivappu, Moondram
Pirai and Aann Paavam.
www.cinesnacks.com
20 ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008

Naresh from TCS

nominated ‘Team
Wednesday’s question: Enthu’ as partners in
crime. They clicked
this pic at Blue La-
Your Gandhigiri solution for goon resort.

workplace woes? Send us your favou-

■ PRINCIPLE-1: Be the change you want to see, rite clicks of your of-
so don’t wait to see your company’s appraisal fice colleagues/
Yashwanth from TCS gang and get it fea-
policies change, you better change to another nominated his
company. PRINCIPLE-2: An for an eye will only tured in my.ergo
friends as partners in pages. Email us at
leave the world blind, so next time while crime. They clicked
fighting with your boss, hit him anywhere but my.ergo@goergo.in
this pic at Valparai. with the subjectline:
his eyes.
Padma Vijayan.S,
"Partners in Crime"
HCL
■ Eat well, sleep well, expect appraisal
9600033396
■ Bring thadi (stick) to office in Gandhi’s style.
It will avoid others from interfering in your
work or overload you. Vasan from TCS
Maran. nominated his team
■ Keeping quiet or following ahimsa as our for partners in crime.
ji... They clicked this pic
9790609693 at Fairy Falls in
■ Late night work, follow sathyagraha! Heavy Kodaikanal.
work, follow ahimsa!
9840123368
■ If appraisal slaps you in one year, try
waiting till next year...
9884024133
■ Gold ornaments cannot be moulded without
beating and over heating. So, whenever we r
overheated in workplace, we are moulded so
that we shine like gold..
9940321321
■ Preach others by repeating the same trouble
what they gave you. Mahesh R of Perot Systems, Base
Raja Camp has made this Tanjore Braha-
■ Stay away from work (violence) deshwara Temple model with ther-
Surya, mocol. Apart from thermocol
TCS carving, he claims to be good at
■ Bole to workplace me sabko Jadu ki Jhhappi painting. He took two days to make
(hug) dene ka, pyar se samjhane ka aur bindas this model. In future he plans to
rehne ka. make models like these with a pro-
Ladki log thoda late se samajh ta hai, is liye tected glass cover and sell the same.
unko double jhhappi dene ka.. Samjha kya
mamu?
Subhransu,
Hexaware
■ Don’t look into the code, Don’t speak in the
client call, don’t listen to your lead’s word.
Sangeetha
■ U see dhushtan, u keep distance :-).
Poornima,
Infosys

Ergo pick
■ 1. If superiors scold you for one mistake in
coding, show the other mistake and ask them
to scold. 2. Don’t wear shirt in workplace..
9840338437
Sindhu T.V. of Wipro Tech-
Today’s Query: nologies doodled this to us.

What is the first thought on

your mind when you wake up
on a Monday morning ?
 Friday, October 3, 2008
Muthangam – Office assistant
has been nominated as Office
Angel by Vinod Philip of Change ■ Dear Usha,
Pond Technologies. Iniya Piranthanal NalValthukkal.
Muthangam is our office Indru Pol Endrum Nalamai Vazhga.
assistant. Whether it is a pin or Let All your wish come true. Have
pencil, a packed dinner, printer a wonderful year.
paper or potty (toilet) paper, he is Yendrum Anbudan,Annan(M.G.Muthu
our never failing store of provisions. Velayutham), Wipro Tech, Arun Kumar,
When it comes to fixes and Infosys Tech, Ram Kumar, LM Tech,
improvisations - electrical, Vijayalakshmi, Wipro Tech, Irfana
mechanical, plumbing, telephone Thasnim, Wipro Tech".
lines, bikes or such, he is always ■ Dear Vijai & Sasi,
there to get it fixed and does it with Many more happy returns of the
perfection. He is an M.A. in Tamil day. "The Lord bless you and keep
Literature and has a heart of gold. you; the Lord make his face shine
Very often, he’s the first one to come upon you; the Lord turn his face
to office and the last one to step toward you and give you peace."
out. With best wishes,PAE Mechanical, TCS
- Vinod Philip ■ Dear Swarna,
Wishes from each one of us for a
fantabulous and great year ahead.
Happy Birthday.
From: UST Global,
Chennai
■ Hi Vasu,
Is there an angel in your office - ideally it could be a behind the scenes staff - Wish you many more happy
an office attender or a cleaner. Some one who is there all the time, helping, but returns of the day. Belated
their presence is taken for granted. Feature them here, and give them their birthday wishes!
due. Send your emails to my.ergo@goergo.in with subject line: "Office Angel" Wishes from Harini, HCL
■ Dear Praveen,
May this day be the beginning of
another special year.Let this unfold
many joys and happy moments for
you to cherish!!!May the gift of
blessings fill your birthday and the
year ahead with everlasting joys!
Wishing you a day as special and
beautiful as you. Happy Bday!!!
Evening light a tiffin sapdanum na enna panna num? Belated B’day Wishes.
Electronic Stores ku poi tube-light vangi sapdanum!!! From,
Maran from Wipro
Sivakami(CTS),
Uthra & Rama
Why does blood come out when u prick someone with a pin? (Wipro Technologies)
Simple, to see who did that. ■ Dear Manish.G
Karthik Subramanian from Infosys
Many more Happy returns of the
day!!Mayeach hour and minute be
filled with delight and your
birthday be Perfect for you.Have a
Blast!! Dazzling Birthday.
Love,
Jennifer(Wipro)
■ Dear Kamraj,
Many many happy returns of the
Hi Ergo’ers, day. May all your wishes come true
First of all A big Kudos to you! this year. God bless you. "HAPPY
I have been reading ergo for the past 3 weeks. Wonderful. BIRTHDAY"
A short and snaggy which wins all hearts. With LUVTeam EDS,
I would like to give a small suggestion which will add a bit flavour to your Hexaware Technologies
newspaper. That is Can we have some IT professions talk about "Ergo". We can ■Dear Prabha,
send in some opinions what we feel about Ergo and you can put it in newspaper Count your life by smiles, not tears,
na?? Count your age by friends, not
Venkatesh, EDS years. Wishing you a very happy
(Sounds like a good idea) birthday dear.
With lots & lots of luv, SPARKLAS(TCS)
Hi, ■ Dear Pavan
My name is Nirupama and I’m a regular reader of your magazine Ergo. I’ve a Wishing you a very Happy
query. While all the other routes get the paper in their buses, the route which I Birthday.May God Bless you in all
come in does not get the paper. I travel by the 7A route which starts from your endeavours you’re such a
Anagaputtur and reaches our Sholinganallur office. Kindly look into this and special friend to me it’s pleasure to
make sure the paper is available to all of us. Otherwise you guys are doing a great remember you anytime especially
job. Please keep up the good work. on your birthday.
Nirupama, Wipro Regards,
(We will look into the matter) Shalini R
21
■ Dear Mohammed Gowdh,
Wish U many more happy returns
of the day.Lets this Birthdaymay
bringyou all sort ofhappiness and
joy in your life Insha Allah.
With Warm Regards,
Syed M FirdousofWipro Technologiesand
family.
■ Dear Sudarkodi,
It’s your birthday!Take it easy!
Relax!Just pretendyou’re at work!
Many more happy returns of the
day!!
Hearty wishes from
T-Hub team (BoA), TATA Consultancy
Services (Siruseri)
■ Dear Arvi,
Wish u a very “Happy Birthday”
dear. What lies behind us, and
what lies before us are tiny
matters compared to what lies
within us.
With lots of love,
Ammu,
Excelacom Technologies Pvt Ltd.,
■ Dear Sujatha,
On your birthday, like a garden of
flowers unfolding in the morning
sun… may your special day unfold
into happiness, joy and success.
Many more Happy Returns of the
day.
From: MAG CORP CMR,
Satyam computers
■ Hi Sridevi,
There can be only one soul that
cares for me. I mean that no one
can fill Ur space in my life. Wish u
very HAPPY & SPLENDID
BIRTHDAY. Long love with
peaceful life and sparkling smile.
This is the day to thank god for
giving a cute gift [U only] to the
earth. I give my words to be with
u forever...
With love & Care,
Muthaiah Mohanraj K.E.
CGSL, Chennai
■ Hi JHANANI MAMI,
U might have received
cards,emails,flowers and gifts as a
birthday greeting .But this special
greeting comes from special
lovable hearts wishing u very
happy birthday .. Get married this
year and have child(ren) next
birthday ...
advanced Birthday wishes
Wishing you always ...
T-50 FRIENDS, TCS
■ Dear Balakrishnan Rajagopal
Wishing you the best on a special
day. Have fun and enjoy your day.
Our wishes go with you.
CSS Corp
Business Development team.
■ Dear Revathy,
Wishing you a very joyful birthday
and have a wonderful year ahead
with lot of surprises!!!! J
Lots of Love,
YogaGayathri and Gayathry Devi
22 ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008

Fishy diet

Traffic Jam
Zoo keepers at a Japanese aquarium are
putting their dolphins on a diet after the
creatures became too heavy to perform water
tricks. The mammals eat too much mackerel,
which has high-fat content. They now eat fish
with less fat and less mackerel.

sudoku

R. Dharanidhar of
Kumaran Systems
spotted this deer
quenching thirst in
the chilling
temperature and
golden sunshine at
Bronx Zoo in New
York.

Click Pick is
celebrating
Wildlife Week till
October 15. Make
sure you send your
best nature
photographs for
the coming issues,
and also tell us
why the spotted
fauna is special.
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

TEAM
Editor: Karthik Subramanian
karthik@goergo.in

Sr Dy Chief Designer: J.A. Prem Kumar

Dy Chief Designer: R. Ravi Kannan
Illustrator: R. Venugopal

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

Head of Advertising:
Sriya Narayanan
ads@goergo.in

Head of Circulation:
M.G.M. Sharief
copies@goergo.in

SNAIL MAIL
859/860, Anna Salai,
Chennai - 600 002
mail your feedback to
feedback@goergo.in
FAX 2857 6691

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES
Call our
Advertisement Manager
at 2857 6695.
email: ads@goergo.in
Website: www.goergo.in

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf of

KASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7,
CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar,
Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin:
603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860,
Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik
(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Friday, October 3, 2008
23
Blinging bike Word’s worth
Designers Aurumania have created the Gold Bike Crystal
"Abnormous" (ab-nor-mus) a word that looks
Edition, a 24-carat gold-plated, blinged-up bike exclusively
recently and slangily made up, but was in fact
handcrafted with more than 600 dazzling Swarovski
slangily made up in about 1742. It means ’mis-
crystals. At US $1,11,000 a-piece, these dazzling rides are
shapen.’
believed to be the most expensive bikes ever made.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

The day may begin at a very dull note. However, as
the day progresses, you may start feeling charged
up and will participate in all routine work. Day may
end at a positive note. This includes a good news
or a sweet conversation with beloved one.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

At the beginning of the day, you may find many
adverse circumstances hampering your progress. In
the second half, you will be more targeted. Nothing
may bother you then after. You will spend a
wonderful time in the company of your spouse.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You may feel like heading in wrong direction. As
BORN LOSER the day progresses, you will find the right direction
to move on. Confusions will be sorted out. In
meetings, you may remain target-oriented. Ganesha
finds you paying more attention love relationship.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
At the beginning of the day, you may remain very
sentimental. In the second half, you may be less
sentimental and more practical. Love life may be
kept aside for the day, as you may be more
concerned about career progress, feels Ganesha.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
In the first half of the day, you can be little
inflexible in your views, specifically in meetings.
However, in the later half, you may change your
views and will be more motivating and mood to
inspire someone or even take responsibility.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
At the beginning of the day you may be feeling
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT little uncomfortable at workplace. However, post
lunch time, you will feel much at ease. Ganesha
doesn’t find you in mood to take up challenges.
You may spend quite time with family.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
You may be in search of success on the career
front. You will be able to accomplish everything
only in the second part of the day. Not be over-
confident. Love life may remain full of grace and
encouraging dialogues, and you will feel better.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
You will remain optimistic throughout the day. In
first half of the day, you may seek attention. In the
second half you will be in the limelight. You may
rush to meet your beloved with a surprise. If you
are not in love, you may try to woo someone.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
At the beginning of the day, you may feel that you
are slogging for some project or work, endlessly.
However, you will be able to look at things with a
different angle after the noon time. Love life may
see a positive turning point.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Even if the day begins very positively, later you may
realise that you were working in a wrong direction.
Ganesha’s foresight says that you might have to
depend a bit on others. Once office work is over,
you may wish to spend time with someone special.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You will be working very hard till noon. Ganesha
suggests you to practice patience at workplace and
ISSUE’S also remain fully focussed on work. Time may be
spent with group of friends or in company of
SOLUTIONS someone close to your heart, in the evening.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
You are sensitive and touchy throughout the day.
You may be more concerned about work and
related matters. Lovers can expect their partners to
understand their problems and stand by them. You
will get good moral support from your lover.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
24 ERGO Friday, October 3, 2008

!
Naked hold-up
A Florida teenager claims he was attacked and
mugged by four topless blonde women while riding
his bike to work. The 18-year-old was forced to hand
over US$ 100 to the criminals.

America, Here we go!

쑸
The Nissan Nuvu

LET’S ALL VOTE

concept vehicle
is presented
during a press
conference at the
Paris Motor Show
Google teams with actors to register U.S. voters on Thursday.
From Saturday
until October

F
ilm stars including Forest Whitak-
er, Leonardo DiCaprio and Dustin
Hoffman joined forces with Google
on Wednesday in a campaign to
get US citizens to vote in the coming
presidential election.
The celebrities make rapid-fire ap-
pearances in a “5 Friends” YouTube vid-
eo that warns people their rights and
futures are at stake and implores them
to wield power over the outcome by vot-
ing.
In keeping with the video title, the
movie stars urge people to send “5
Friends” so it spreads, as one actress
comically put it, “rampant like herpes
but for a positive.”
“If you’re not going to vote I don’t 19 the show
even know what to say to you anymore,” will be open
DiCaprio says after the video turns seri- to the public.
AFP PHOTO
ous. “You know you have to vote.”
Celebrities in the sometimes humo-
rous, sometimes foreboding video di-
rect viewers to
www.maps.google.com/vote for geo-
graphically-tailored information about
voting and voter registration.
“There’s a lot of buzz about turnout
this year, but one in four Americans still
aren’t registered to vote,” Google said
on its website, citing US Census data. ■
AFP

Forest Whitaker and Leonardo DiCaprio. PHOTOS: GETTY AND AFP

Husband takes half the

house on divorce, literally
A Cambodian couple decided to
circumvent the country’s notoriously
corrupt and expensive court system in
their divorce case by dividing their house
in half, literally, local media reported on
Thursday.
The Khmer-language Koh Santepheap
newspaper featured a front-page photo of
a precariously perched half of the stilted
former home of Meuon Rima and his ex-wife Nhang, both 40, which
Rima sawed with surgical precision down the middle.
Rima, who sought a divorce on the grounds that his wife refused to
nurse him during a recent illness, was last seen driving away from the
village in south-eastern Prey Veng province with his half of the home,
the daily reported. It was not known where he had gone with his very
detached portion, it said, adding that Rima had not felt the same need
to divvy up the couple’s two teenaged children, both of whom he left
with Nhang. Under Cambodian law, assets are divided equally between
husband and wife in the event of a divorce. ■
DPA