Ergo February 23

8/14/2019 Ergo February 23

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2/16

ERGO Monday, February 23, 2009NAMMA CHENNAI02

Axe for accomplice?A woman inspector was recentlysuspended on charges of taking bribefrom a woman complainant. Reliablekhakis suspect that it was aplanned operation to trap thelady cop. Apparently, theaccused inspector isknown to have a closeally in crime, a ladyconstable, who hadbeen acting as liaison.Police circles believe theaxe could next fall onthe constable.

On fire, literallyThe Government Railway Police(GRP) at the Chennai Central stationare an annoyed bunch as theirworkplace on the first floor is justabove a hotel kitchen. The heat fromthe oven is keeping the khakisliterally on fire day in and day out.Desperate attempts by the policemento shift the police station to adifferent spot on the railway stationpremises have gone in vain.

Fire-proofThe recent violence betweenadvocates and police on the HighCourt premises resulted in the HighCourt police station turning to ashesand records saved inside destroyed.

Reliable police sources say that sometop cops had predicted the attack onthe station and had taken awaycrucial records and FIRs to a safelocation.

As prayers and wishes comefor the Mozart of Chennaifrom across countries,some of his fellow musi-

cians in Namma Chennai jogtheir memory on the Rahmanthey knew.

The success story of Rahman, which started with Mani Rat-nams Roja, is well-known, but

what about the days when he just

started out? A couple of musi-cians from maestro Ilayarajasteam, where he began his career,recall A.R. Rahman transformfrom a keyboard player to an in-ternationally-acclaimed musiccomposer.

The transformation of a tal-ented, naughty boy Dileep Kumarinto a suave Allah Rakha Rahmanis almost magical, recalls CelloSelvaraj, a musician and compos-er at All India Radio. No one

would believe if I say Rahman

was a fun-loving kid durinteens. He started with jinglesit was during that time tha

joined Ilayarajas team. Whcomes to work he is very seriotherwise it is a lot of fun

wonder a hard worker like man got such honours, saysvaraj, who has worked Rahman even in his movies.

Brilliant musician is whcan say about Rahman. He invates a lot, and never sticks torulebook. In fact, his contributo Punnagai Mannan songsnot known to the world. He tto create wonders even with tracks in his earlier days. Hesuch a naughty boy, but now unbelievably silent. He was the kutty rowdy of the teamfeel proud of Rahman for his

cess, said another musiciancondition of anonymity.

The transformation of naughty Dileep Kumarto international composer Allah Rakha Rahmanis as magical as his music

[email protected]

A file photo of A.R. Rahman

The kutty rowdy

Dance like a ...FitnessOne is organising Dancercise a contest for womenabove 18 years to celebrate Womens Day. Participants arerequired to perform a combination of different elements offitness related dance steps. For details call 2647 8787/ 2467 12

No won-der a hard

worker likeRahman got suchhonours.

Cello Selvara


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Monday, February 23, 2009

A.R. RahmanRocks!, I am adie-hard fan ofRahman. I love all

his compositions, I nevermiss collecting his songs.These are some commonquotes that A.R. Rahman elic-its among fans and other ce-lebrities. But here are fans

with a difference. Fans with anew vision.

No doubt they too are die-hard fans of ARR, but theystand ahead of others in thepath they have chosen. Theyare not a registered fan club.

And they call themselvesRahmaniac.

We dont have a fan clubas such. We are just followersof ARR, says Rakesh, a mem-ber of Rahmaniac.

These Rahmaniacs came toknow each other through acommunity on Orkut for A.R.Rahman that has more thanfive lakh members. Throughthis community some of thefans in Chennai decided tomeet, and their first meeting

was at Music World, AnnaNagar, in 2007. There wereonly five to six members dur-ing our first meeting. But,

gradually, the team startedgrowing. says Rakesh. Fromthen on Music World becamea hub for us to meet.

After they met each otherthey were keen on doing so-

mething unique. At the sametime, being ARR fans they

wanted to keep themselvesinvolved in music. Ap-proaching many radio sta-tions and doing a show weresome of the initial ideas thatstruck our mind. But we ulti-mately came up with the idea

of doing events at orphanagesand old-age homes, says

Vithur, another Rahmaniac.It was during their search

for an event to conduct thatthey came across Nethro-daya, a school and place forthe visually challenged. OnDecember 30, 2007, they con-ducted their first charityshow. Rakesh formed a bandof Rahmans musician fansand a concert was held. Al-most 50 to 70 fans came forthe event. And the visuallychallenged had a great timelistening to music. We also

conducted quizzes involvingtheir auditory senses. Theevent was held on the Neth-rodaya premises in Mogap-pair. The proprietor, Mr.Gopi, helped us a lot in thisregard. The event was a greatsuccess and we had wishespouring in from various A.R.

Rahman fans worldwide, re-calls Rakesh.

We got the inspiration forthese activities from ARRhimself. He, being the UN

Ambassador for the eradica-tion of poverty, also startedan ARR Foundation with thisview. So with his inspiration

we wanted to help some de-serving souls, says Karthik,another Rahmaniac.

And following the successat Nethrodaya, their wheelsdidnt stop. They continuedto do regular services at or-phanages and old-age homes.

But a beggars approach foralms made the Rahmaniacsthink differently. When wereat the Anna Nagar Music

World thinking about how togo about the services, a beg-gar came asking for alms tofeed himself. We pooled inour money and bought some

biryani packs. We set off onour bikes and distributedthem among the needy wefound on roadsides, says Ra-kesh.

Since February last year,they have been distributingfood among people on road-sides every Sunday, targetingone area a week.

The most unforgettablemoment of their lives, howev-er, came the day they met A.R.Rahman for the first time. OnJanuary 6, 2008, these Rah-maniacs celebrated his birth-day at his place.

Instead of garlanding their idols photograph or dedicating speeches tohim, a bunch of A.R. Rahman fans who met on Orkut are workingtowards a better society. Heres to Rahman mania and Rahmaniac

MONISHA MOHANDAS

Fans, but no empty wind

Showing The ClassThe Alliance Francaise of Madras in collaboration withNDTV Lumiere and ICAF will host the film that won theGolden Palm of the Cannes Film Festival. The Class will bescreened at the AFM auditorium at 6.30 p.m. today. Fordetails call 2827 9803/ 2827 1477.

We got theinspiration forthese activitiesfrom ARRhimself. He,being the UNAmbassadorfor theeradication ofpoverty, alsostarted an ARR

Foundationwith this view

TheRahmaniac

teamcelebrates

A.R.Rahmans

birthday athis place


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5/16


Working with a start-up has its own pros and cons, but how many of you are ready to take the plunge?

The rickety road toentrepreneurship

SearchCamp - IIThe Knowledge Foundation is organising the second edition of SearchCamp2009 on February 28 and March 1 at Tidel Park. The forum is looking atsome serious discussion, offering solutions for the recession-hit retailersacross all sectors. For more details log on to http://searchcamp.in/register/

Working with a start-can be dicey, provideyou know you aregetting the best of it

When Kartik Dua decided to quithis well-paying job at DirectiInternet Solutions, a web solu-tions company, after a two-

year stint, his colleagues were aston-ished. Particularly so because he wasleaving a big corporate where he wasoccupying a good profile to join a one-and-a-half-year-old firm.

Dude! How come you are join-ing a start-up? they wouldask.

Just three months intoSutraHR, a people con-sulting firm, and the 22-year-old knows he isheaded in the right di-rection.

At Directi, I was nota face of the companyand nobody knew me. Iwasnt enjoying my work af-ter a point. Here, there is plen-ty for each of us to contributeequally and the growth opportunity isbetter than an MNC, he adds. Noteverybody would buy Duas views. Atleast not on the threshold of ones ca-reer when one is wooed with huge paypackets and a metropolitan environ-

start-ups arenot an assured place. But if

entrepreneurship is your goal, start-upcould be a better choice but then it isbetter that you start your own

company.Start-up also has its own harsh real-ities. There is the danger of you beingout of job if the venture fails. You arerequired to put in more hours of work,literally treating it as your baby, andremuneration you might not get in-stantly.

Entrepreneurial goalHowever, for those taking the en-

trepreneurial route working with astart-up has many advantages. You arepart of a small team where every deci-sion holds equal importance. You arebuilding a company from scratch,which means a lot of ownership. Thereis also skill-building opportunity. Thereare big risks to be taken but if you cancross the hurdles the rewards are alsohigh.

You are working in a challengingenvironment with a free hand, wherethere is plenty of creativity to ex-plore, says John, who works as an artdirector.

Challenging environmentIt is bad times for the economy and a

time when companies are giving outmore pink slips than hiring new tal-ents. Bringing start-ups for campusplacements is not a very viable option

for most institutions.Only two to three per cent of thestudents are willing to work with astart-up, says professor S. Muraleedh-aran, chief placement officer, Sri Ven-kateswara College of Engineering.Their demands are also high. Especial-ly in case of product-based IT start-ups,they have a higher cut-off and wantenergetic talents.

The requirement, however, is lessfrom a manufacturing start-up, he says.

According to Jayaram K. Iyer, profes-sor of marketing, LIBA, there are threemain parameters that decided the em-ployability of a company the pay,brand and profile.

Start-ups dont score in these anddo not figure in most campus place-ments, he says. If employment is theultimate aim of an individual then

ment to start off. Working with a start-up in India is one of the least optedoptions, though there are some whoare ready to take the road less taken.Sankara Rameswaran had to make achoice between Microsoft and Amazonwhen he landed two offers at REC, Ti-ruchy. He chose Amazon, where he didhis internship, as it provided more astart-up like environment. Two yearssince Rameswaran has again joined astart-up, BankBazaar.

The ownership is what excitesme about start-up companiesand with that comes re-

sponsibility, says Rames-waran, who works assenior design engineer.You might have tomiss a cushy lifestyle asthere is an insecurefeeling, at least in the

initial years, but if youwant to understand busi-

ness and have an edge overother engineers then this is the

place.For Tuney John, starting his career

with WishBox, a start-up based inChennai, came in as a hands-on experi-ence. He joined as a part-timer whenhe was in college to later enrol full-time.

LIFFY [email protected]

The ownership iswhat excites meabout start-up

companies and withthat comes

responsibility

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6/16

ERGO Monday, February 23, 2009VILLAGE06

Walt Disney introduces first blackAmerican princessAfter Barack Obama claimed his place in history asAmericas first black president, Walt Disney has introducedits first black American Princess. Princess Tiana, of theanimated film The Princess and the Frog, hails from NewOrleans. Dreamgirls star Anika Noni Rose will lend hervoice for the character and talk show queen OprahWinfrey plays her mother. Rose says that she is thrilledwith the film. "Not only is she the first black princess, shesthe first American princess, she added.

ANI

Man gets 44 months injail for killing police dogA man who sent a police dog to its death as it was tryingto prevent him from committing suicide has beensentenced to 44 months in jail, the San Diego Tribune hasreported. Cory Byron, 27, was attempting to jump off theCoronado Bridge in San Diego on December 31, 2007, afterdriving drunkenly through traffic. A police office trying to

apprehend him sawByrons suicide bid andreleased police dogStryker to intercept. AsByron got ready tojump off the bridge,Stryker locked histeeth onto his armand both plungedsome 70 meters into

the waters below.Byron survived the falland was rescued, butthe dog died. Hepleaded guilty lastSeptember to onecount each of felonyevading and drivingunder the influence.

DPA

Wine expertgoes digitalAn wine merchant(vintner) from theRhone valley isoffering wine tastingsover the Internet.Although customerscannot smell or tastewines through theircomputers, LaurentHabrard has made hisproducts available atthe click of a mouse.Customers interested

in his wines - Crozes-Hermitage, Hermitage,Saint-Joseph and rosewines from theArdeche, Drome andcotes du Rhone areas -can order samples on his site, and the sample price isreimbursed if a bottle is bought. Habrard says, It allstarted because of my deep wish to change ourproduction methods so that my profession has a betterrelationship with the natural elements.

This is perhaps the only PCO

where there are no tele-phones but is the lone spotfrom where villagers can

connect with the world outside. Asmall concrete pulpit atop a hil-lock in this remote village of Non-gnah, about 130 km west ofShillong, has been christened asphone booth by the locals.

For, this is the only place wherethey get mobile phone network.We have to climb up this hill andreach this public booth to makeand receive calls.

Most of the villagers have towalk for about 20 minutes to re-ach here, one of them said.There are about 3,000 residents inthis nondescript village of Megh-alayas West Khasi Hills districtand the nearest PCO is more than15 km away.

More than 50 per cent of thevillagers have mobile connec-tions, either Reliance or Bangla-desh Grameen Phone.

The villagers said that thoughthe public booth is the onlycommunication link for them to

the outside world, they some-times fail to get network evenfrom there. Government officials,

who visit the place, are alsocaught in this communicationtrauma. While this village is yet toenjoy the advent of new technol-ogy where distances are cut shortthrough mobile or telephonecommunication, sub divisionalofficer of the area K. Nongbrisaid, "I am aware of the prob-lems. Development will takeplace even if slowly.

PTI

A PCO without phones!A concrete pulpit atop a hillock in a village has been christened as phone booth,because it is the only place where they get mobile phone network

James Bonds Aston Martin

voted Best Screen CarJames Bonds Aston Martin DB5 has been named theBest Screen Car in a new poll of film fans. The car thatfeatured in the 1964 blockbuster Goldfingerreceivedmore than one in four votes, reports the Scotsman.Ford Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968hit Bullittlanded the second spot. Creators of thelatest James Bond flick blew two million pounds aftersmashing 12 new Aston Martins during the filming ofQuantum Of Solace.

ANI

Coke addictA man in Croatia claims to be in perfechealth after drinking only Coca-Cola fomore than 40 years. The 71-year-oldpromised his mother he would never dalcohol and turned to the soda instead


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Apart from steering the US economythrough difficult times, fine-tuningstrategy on two wars and resettinggeopolitical equations, US Presi-

dent Barack Obama is also helping manyJapanese students learn English.

In Japan, students practise recitingObamas speeches, noted the Wall Street

Journalin a report from Tokyo, with theheadline: Learning to Speak Better En-glish: Yes, We Can!

The report described a gray-haired Ja-panese student struggling with a linefrom Obamas famous 2004 speech to theDemocratic National Convention thatcatapulted him into the national spot-light. The student read on: They ... would... give me an ... African name, Barack, ...or blessed. English teacher Makoto Ishi-

wata corrected the student, Not blessed,bless-ed.

The Obama speeches have become thelatest fad fuelling Japans long, and oft-frustrated, passion for mastering English,the Journal said.

Ishiwata, who heads an English lan-guage school called Kaplan Japan, drawsalmost 200 students a week to his Oba-

ma workshops. Pupils recite Obamasspeeches line by line, using a check sheetto record progress.

Accel English, another Tokyo languageschool, encourages students to emulateObama, memorising and repeating aloudchunks of his speeches at least 50 timesbefore flipping to the text to see what hereally said.

The Speeches of Barack Obama a book with a CD and a glossary, sold 480,000copies in Japan in three months. Its pub-lisher Asahi Press then hired four trans-lators and published a book based onObamas inauguration speech.

While instructors have used unconven-tional English learning materials before,

such as cooking classes in English and watching TV serial Friends with a trans-lated Japanese script, Obamas speeches

are particularly well-suited, teachers students say, because he speaks slo

with good pace and rhythm, and enciates well.

Other speeches may be better learning vocabulary, but Obam

speeches make me excited about sping English, Nobuhiro Murauchi, listens to the US presidents speecfour times a week in the bath, was quoas saying.

For Ishiwata, 48, it is a full circlefirst developed an interest in the guage by listening to the speecheMartin Luther King Jr., Obamas model.

He admits theres a bit of Obamatigue in his classes. Many studentsgetting tired of listening to his speechly, because they have been listeninObama every day for seven months,said.

So now he is thinking of introduother famous speeches that he has morised, including Abraham Linco

Gettysburg Address and John F. Kendys inaugural address.

I

The speeches have becomethe latest fad fuellingJapans long, and oft-frustrated, passion for

mastering English

Japanese students reciteObamas speeches

What started as just an argu-ment about skinny models onthe ramps of New York and Milanhas now spread to the world ofpedigree dogs. Yes, the Size Zerorow has reached canine shows.Experts have claimed that manydog owners are denying their petsproper food and water in order towin competitions - in fact, ca-

nines are starved to meet strictweight limits at shows, The Sun-day Telegraph reported. Accord-ing to Andrew Brace, a dog showjudge, three quarters of the Mini-

ature Dacshunds at a recentchampionship in Bridgend,

Wales, were far too thin for theirframes. I am well aware of thestrength of feeling of the Minia-ture people about the need to

maintain the scales, but I believethat this is not helping the breedone bit, he wrote in the DogWorld magazine. Agreed expertJemima Harrison, the producer ofa BBC documentary which in2008 exposed breeding tech-niques which led to genetic ill-nesses that affect pedigree dogs:This is Size Zero for dogs. I aminundated with owners and judg-es who say they are seeing de-hydrated or malnourished dogson the scales, all for the sake of arosette. It sounds funny to thinkof dogs having the same issues asfashion models but it is a serious

welfare issue. For these owners, itis all about winning and nothingelse.

PTI

Size Zero rowreaches dog shows!

A reveller of Mocidade Alegre samba school parades at the Sambadrome, as part ofCarnival celebrations in Sao Paulo, Brazil, early on Sunday. Carnival is the biggestand most popular celebration in Brazil. AFP PHOTO/MAURICIO LIMA

The grand carnival

Cab kills crocA taxi driver was stunned after runninover and killing a crocodile in the cenbusiness district in Mount Isa, Australi

Websites of the dayCheck out politicians unique claims on this satirical website:http://lonelycandidate.com/Find out what your shoes says about you:http://www.twentyonepictures.com/gallery/shoeproject/index.html


8/16

ERGO Monday, February 23, 2009SPORT08

Bolt sprints fasterOlympic sprint sensation Usain Boltcontinued his early season preparation withanother comfortable 400m victory onSaturday at Jamaicas National Stadium.Running out of lane five in the timed-final400m at The University of West IndiesInvitational, Bolt won in 45.54sec, animprovement on the 46.35sec he ran lastweekend. Bolts coach Glen Mills said theimprovement was expected, and showedBolt was on course in his training in theworld championship season. Its part of histraining, so we expect him to improve everyweek, Mills said. Bolt said a week earlierthat he was behind in his seasonpreparations compared to last year, in part

because of travel anddistractions as a result of

his Olympic heroics inAugust. But Mills saidSaturday that he wascomfortable with Boltsform heading into majorcompetition, the first ofwhich will be the JamaicaInternational Invitational,an IAAF Area Permitmeet, on May 2, also atthe National Stadium.Despite the low-key

nature of Saturdays meeting, more than3,000 fans gave a rousing welcome to Bolt,who set world records at the Olympics inwinning the 100m gold in 9.69 seconds andthe 200m title in 19.30 and then helpedJamaica to 4x100m relay gold.

AFP

India go one upIndia took the lead in their field hockeyseries against New Zealand in Wellington onSunday when Sandeep Singh sealed a 2-1

win in the second Test. New Zealand held anearly lead when striker Simon Child latchedon to a through ball from Brad Shaw in thefourth minute and found the back of thenet from a difficult angle. They maintainedthe advantage for half an hour beforeTushar Khandekar received a free hit fromthe right, turned and nailed a reverse stickshot from close range. The deciding goalcame 10 minutes later when Singh steppedup for his third penalty corner and foundthe net with a drag flick that flew into thetop left corner. The first Test in the four-match series was drawn 1-1 with theremaining two Tests to be played inAuckland next weekend.

AFP

Manchester United areing mounting defenconcerns ahead of tlast 16 Champ

League game against Inter MUnited were already withoutbian defender Nemanja Vidicto suspension for Tuesdays leg at the San Siro and theyJonny Evans to an ankle injuthe 2-1 Premier League win Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafon Saturday.

And with Gary Neville and Brown struggling with inmanager Sir Alex Ferguson is hoping John OShea can ocome an ankle problem in oto partner Rio Ferdinand at

Injuries worry Man United ahead

of Inter Milan clash

Europeanbattle

Helicopter stops playA helicopter stopped play in a domestic cricket game in India after the pilot mistook the pitch a landing pad, local media reported on Sunday. Players were forced to abort Saturdays one-dagame and scurry for cover when the hapless pilot set the chopper down on the letter H painin the corner of the cricket ground. The H stands for the name of the Himachal Pradesh statside.


9/16

tre-back against Jose Mourinhosteam. Weve got some injury is-sues of course and I just hope wecan get two centre-backs outthere on Tuesday, Ferguson said.At this moment in time, its verydoubtful. Jonny Evans is unlikelyto be playing, hes looking verydoubtful and Im just hoping tohave John OShea available be-cause we dont have Gary Nevilleand we dont have Wes Brown.Were having a nightmare with

defenders this season. Hopefullywe can patch it up with Tuesdaybecause this does leave us very,very short.

In trouble

Christiano Ronaldo was at thecentre of controversy in the winover Rovers. The Portugal wingerappeared to kick out at DavidDunn just minutes before he wasbooked for diving on the edge ofthe area. Ronaldo added insult toRovers injury with a superb free-kick that sealed a 16th win in 17matches in all competitions forUnited and moved the reigningEnglish, European and worldchampions eight points clear ofLiverpool at the top of the PremierLeague.

Ferguson hit back at criticism ofRonaldo, who took his tally for theseason to 16 goals after Roversforward Roque Santa Cruz had

cancelled out England strikerWayne Rooneys opener. Hewasnt fortunate to be on the

pitch, said Ferguson. The refer-ee (Howard Webb) spoke to himwhen he flicked out and Ronaldosaid that the boy kicked him so hewas given a warning. It was nomore than a flick and you see thattime and again in games but be-cause its Ronaldo people willmake a meal of it, the Scot added.

Tough road aheadDespite United picking up a

tenth straight Premier League vic-tory and moving well clear at thetop, Ferguson believes they waythey were made to work by Black-

burn shows they cannot growover-confident about their chanc-es of securing an 18th league title.

Sometimes when you dontplay your very best and get a re-sult, that goes a long way towards

winning the title. Ferguson,whose side were recently labelleduntouchable by Arsenal bossArsene Wenger, added: Ive saidall along that we cant forecastthat were going to win the league.A team like Blackburn will cometo Old Trafford and fight for theirlives. Thats what you can expectfrom every team in the bottom 11.Its a difficult league so when peo-ple are talking about us going towin the league, were going to dis-miss it.

AFP


The balance of our Test batting line-up is very good. Its the best bal-anced batting line-up in the whole world. The team is also very flexible

and adaptable and Im confident they would do well in New Zealand.Sunil Gavaskar

Bottom club Espanyol stunned leadersBarcelona with a 2-1 victory at theNou Camp while chasing Real Ma-drid ran riot with a 6-1 home win

over Real Betis in the Primera Liga on Sat-urday. Ten-man Barca slipped to only theirsecond defeat of the campaign and sawtheir lead, which stood at 12 points justover a week ago, reduced to seven. Espa-nyols Ivan de la Pena, who once played forBarca, made the most of Seydou Keitasfirst-half dismissal, scoring twice after thebreak in the Catalan derby.

Yaya Toure pulled one back just past thehour but it was not enough to preventchampions Real edging even closer withtheir ninth successive victory. Klaas JanHuntelaar and Raul helped themselves totwo goals each while Gonzalo Higuain andSergio Ramos weighed in with one apieceas Real went in 6-1 up at halftime at theBernabeu.

Losing the plotNo one said this would be easy, Barca

coach Pep Guardiola said. But we are stillin a good position and will pick ourselvesup and well get everyone back on track.Barca are on 60 points and Real have 53while third-placed Sevilla climbed on to 44after Jesus Navas grabbed a late winner fora 1-0 win at home to Atletico Madrid. Vil-larreal are up to fourth with 41 points aftera 2-1 home win over Sporting Gijon.

Spanish media spent the week talkingabout the possibility of Real staging a co-meback to win the league after Barcadropped two points against Betis last

week, and Guardiolas team looked ner-vous from the outset versus Espanyol. Thestop-start nature of the game, and an in-creasingly heated atmosphere, led to Keitagetting a red card for a late challenge after38 minutes. De la Pena was left unmarkedto head home at the back post after 50minutes and four minutes later VictorValdes was put under pressure with theball at his feet and passed straight to De laPena, who lobbed into the open net.Toures fine volley after a freekick in the62nd was the best Barca could muster inreply. It was Espanyols first win in 15 at-tempts in the league.

Flying startSome woeful Betis defending gifted

their hosts a flying start at the Bernabeu.

Higuain rounded goalkeeper Ricardo Pe-reira for the opener after seven minutes,and Huntelaar bagged the second soon af-ter when Pereira weakly pushed a crossstraight to him. The Dutchman volleyed inthe third when Pereira could only palm hisheader on to the woodwork. Ricardo Ol-iveira pulled one back for the shell-shockedvisitors on the half-hour and then hit thepost after Iker Casillas miscued a pass tohim a couple of minutes later. Defensivelapses could explain Reals opening goalsbut the next three were of the highestquality. Raul swept in Marcelos pass with afirst-time shot from outside the area, andbettered that with a sublime chip whenone-on-one with the keeper.

Reuters

Espanyol stun

BarcaReal Madrid players celebrate after scoring during the Spanishleague match against Betis Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabeustadium in Madrid. PHOTO: AFP

Real hammer Betis 6-1 at the Bernabeu


10/16

ERGO Monday, February 23, 2009FLICK10

If all goes right for A.R. Rahman and ResulPookutty, they might end up lifting a 13.5-inch and 8.5-pound knight holding a crusad-ers sword and standing on a reel of film on

Academy night. The Oscar statue stands 13.5inches tall and weighs in at a robust 8.5 pounds.The film reel features five spokes, signifying thefive original branches of the Academy of MotionPicture Arts and Sciences: actors, directors, pro-

ducers, technicians and writers. Although thestatuette remains true to its original design, thesize of the base varied until 1945, when the cur-rent standard was adopted. Since the initialawards banquet on May 16, 1929, in the Holly-wood Roosevelt Hotels Blossom Room, 2,701statuettes have been presented. Every year in Ja-nuary, additional new golden statuettes are cast,moulded, polished and buffed by R.S. Owens &Company, the Chicago-based awards manufac-turer retained by the Academy since 1982. MGMart director Cedric Gibbons designed a statuette

of a knight standing on a reel of film gripping acrusaders sword. The Academy tapped Los An-geles sculptor George Stanley to realise the de-sign in three dimensions and theworld-renowned statuette was born.

Officially named the Academy Award of Merit,the statuette is better known by its nickname,Oscar. According to the Academy, the statuettespresented at the initial ceremonies were gold-

plated solid bronze. Within a few years thebronze was abandoned in favour of Britanniametal, a pewter-like alloy which is then plated incopper, nickel silver, and finally, 24-karat gold.Due to a metal shortage during World War II,Oscars were made of painted plaster for threeyears. Following the war, the Academy invitedrecipients to redeem the plaster figures for gold-plated metal ones.

Achievements in up to 25 regular categorieswill be honoured on February 22 at the 81st Acad-emy Awards presentation at the Kodak Theatreat Hollywood and Highland Center.

However, the Academy wont know how manystatuettes it will hand out until the envelopes areopened on Oscar Night. Although the number ofcategories and special awards are known in ad-vance, the possibility of ties and of multiple reci-pients sharing the prize in some categories makes

it impossible to predict the exact number of stat-uettes to be awarded. As in previous years, anysurplus awards will be housed in the Academysvault until next years event.

PTI

The weight Rahman, Pookuttymay lift on Oscars night!

Thestatuettesstory

Unusual request

In 1928, Mexican filmdirector Emilio El Indio

Fernndez was approachedby the art director of MetroGoldwyn Mayer, CedricGibbons, with a mostunusual request. WouldSeor Fernndez be willingto pose naked for Gibbonscurrent project a goldenstatue of a knight holding acrusaders sword?Fernndez, not surprisingly,was reluctant, but finallyrelented. And thus cameinto existence the Oscarstatuette.

IANS

Serial-gatecrasher hired to secure Oscars

A professional gatecrasher, who sneaked into lastyears Oscars, has been hired to secure this yearsceremony to fill in any security cracks.Scott Weiss will keep fellow offenders from gettinthemselves to a shoulder-rubbing distance with thcelebrities at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.The 48-year-old has also previously managed tobreak into the gates at the Emmys, Grammys,Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild awards and got himself snapped with the A-listers.And now, event chiefs have hired the expert totake care of the security breaches.If you dress the part and put on an air that youbelong there and that you dont really have timto be stopped by anyone people are generallyvery polite, the Telegraph quoted Weiss as tellinLos Angeles Times.People in security dont want to offend big shotIf you look like one, they wont bother you. Thatthe whole flaw in the system: the human touch,he added.

A

Most nominatedMeryl Streep holds the record for most acting nominations, 15 including fo2008s Doubt, and she has won twice. Katharine Hepburn earned 12nominations but won four times. Ingrid Bergman is next with three OscarsJack Nicholson is the most nominated male star with 12 nominations andthree wins. Walter Brennan also won three, but from only four nominatio


11/16


12/16

ERGO Monday, February 23, 200912

Fridays Query:

What is your favouritehorror movie and why? 1973 original uncut "The Exorcist".Linda Blairs acting haunts you for atleast a week.

Kannan S,

TCS

13-na number veedu, this is thefirst horror movie I saw and reallyscared.

Arunshankar,

Perot Systems,

Uruvam for that gorgeous andterrific looking face.

Mohan Senthil, Wipro

The Ring for using simple visualsand scaring to death.

Senthil Kumar P, RR Donnelley,

Christy, Allsec

Evil Dead, perfectly directed, withhorror and tense mood prevailingthroughout the movie.

Rekha, Sreenath, Accenture,

Sabarish JM, Cognizant,

Sridhar R, STG,

Logesh, Infosys,Anand K, Infoview Technologies

"The omen" its a classic,technically sound, it scares me everytime I watch it, the little satan issimply awesome.

Aravindhan, Cognizant,

Arun, Sam, Thomas,Sadiq, Babu, Nadeem, Gary, Allsec.

Villu. In all other horror movieshero will kill the ghost. But in thismovie hero is killing the audience.

Muthuhari, Changepond,

Lakshmi, Perot Systems,

Jack, Vinoj, Allsec,Karthi, CSS,

Dev, TCS-eserve

Veerasami for the horrific action,romance and sentimental role playedby the one and only horror star TR.

Shanthi Sundaresan,

Shiva, ARS, Perot Systems,

Krishna, CSS, Ajay, TCS,Sethu, Wipro , Karthik, Infosys, Praveen,

Zohocorp

The haunting which released in1999, because its a real story, whichhappened in 1529.

Prashanth.

Inautix

Shutter. The climax is shocking toall.

Saravanan, Raja. TCS,

Jhon. Cognizant, Vivek. Allsec

Saw. A tactical & strategical gamefor death. An awesome & logicallywell structured screenplay.

R. Nagarajan,

InfoView Technologies,Karthee, Cognizant,

Vijay ,Technip

Grudge, total scary and no wordsto tell.

Sailaja Golla, Infosys,

Divakar, Patni Computers,

Deepan N, TCS

Naan Kadavul, really kids cant seethat film.

Priya,

HCL

Sixth Sense. Direction and musicgood.

Divyalakshmi, Akil,TCS

Pet Cemetery because there is acemetery where you can bury yourloved nes, and they can come backto life not like the same but withevil.

Lexsminarayanan,

TCS-eserve

Kuruvi, because of Vijays awesomeaction and high jump.

Vivek Wipro,

Dee Jay, Rsystems,

Asif, Ford,Sonisha, Wipro

Jegan Mohini because it has ablend of both horror and comedy.

Siva Kumar, Sathyaraj,

Allsec

Jeepers Creepers, really awonderful horror movie. In thatmovie each and every scene leads tothe corner of the chair.

Prasanna,

Wipro

Jameenkottai. For the sheer way itdefies all definitions of logic andthrows science out of the window.

Ahalya,

TCS

Bhoot, for Ajaydevgan andUrmilas acting.

Mohanapriya,TCS

Todays Query: Your favouritelecturer quotes fromcollege days.

Rema Varma from Accenture has nominated her friendsas Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked in Yelagiri.

Devandiran from Caliber Point has nominated hisfriends as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked inPondicherry.

Ramya C from Citi Group GlobalServices doodled this.

Art featured in this co-lumn will receive giftcoupons from FruitShop on GreamsRoad. Send in your ad-dresses so that we canpost the coupons.


13/16


Dear Suganthi,Side by side, or miles apartA Girl like u, is always

close to the Heart. May u have all the joys ur heart canhold, All the Smiles a day can bring, All the Blessings alife can unfold. May u have Gods best in everything!!

Wishing that u have a lovely day and a great yearahead! Happy Birthday

Lots of luv and Regards,Yours Loving ,

Ravi.

Dearest Krishna,To succeed, we must first believe that we can. And

that is exactly what you did. Your love for your job,

your commitment, your confidence and persona haslead to this recognition that you very well deserve. I amsure your firm has made a very wise choice and that

you will excel in your new role or any role that you arein.

Im so proud of you. The additional $$ and the fan-fare and glory these recognitions may bring is great,but the personal accomplishment must be so muchgreater. I really want to take this moment to let youknow how very, very proud I am of you, and youraccomplishments thus far. I have always looked up to

you and admired you for what you stand for. Knowingexactly what you want in life and applying those goalshas gotten you in a well deserve place. I congratulate

you, and wish you all the best each and everyday. MayGod watch over you where you are and place your feeton solid ground. I am proud to be able to share these

wonderful successes with you that you so very welldeserve! Way to go honey!

Cheers,Your proud wife, Archana

Hi Bhavna & Team,I have no yesterdays, Time took them away, Tomor-

row may not be mine, But I have Today.So wish youmy cute friends a Very Good Day. All the Best.

Best Wishes from,

N.Deepan, TCS, Siruseri

Dear Mr.ExcelaCom,Every moment being with you is specialHope this

chosen wish adds a spotlight to this special friendship!So dear Bhavani, my frnd, the spotlight is on you! Mayall your dreams come true and may God shower hischoicest blessings to you on every event!Let this birth-day wipe of the hurdles and sprinkle your path with joyand melody. Let this birthday also show the way tomake us wish for another special day every year - Ahappy anniversary! Have an unforgettable Birthday! -

"Intha birthday kaavadu weight podu"Wishes and prayers,

Friends @ ExcelaCom Reston, VA and

Chennai (Route 4, COMS team, lunch gang, et al)

Dear Super Singer Mukund ,On your bday, we wish for you the fulfillment of all

your fondest dreams. We hope that for every candle on your cake you get a wonderful surprise. Many morehappy returns of the day singer. We wish for u that

whatever u want most in life, it comes to u, Just theway u imagined it. Belated Happy Birthday Kizzzzz hi

With Tons & Tons of Luv,Route No. 4 Friends,

Scope International.

Dear Suda, Very belated Birthday wishes!! Let this birthday

make ur life brighter than ever and let all ur dreams

come true.Also Warm welcome from your HomeTown!!! Keep Smiling!!!!

Regards, Naraine, Infy

Dear Satya,What a joy it is to send these Birthday greetings to

someone like you; May life shower on you special hap-piness and grant you all the things you desire. You turnnot older with years but newer everyday :-) May YouLive All the Days of Your Life.

With Loads of Wishes,Container Centralen

Tata Consultancy Services

Dear Lakshmi,I wish u many more happy returns of the day. May

all your dreams come true. Have a rocking and a funfilled birthday.

With love,

Nirmala devi,Tata Consultancy Services

Dear Shanthi,You think you are special because its your BIRTH-

DAY today. Thats complete nonsense... youre specialeveryday... In this world, where everything seems un-certain, only one thing is definite, you will always beour friend beyond words, beyond time and beyonddistance, May everyday be filled with sunshine, smiles,laughter and love... many more happy returns of theday

With Best wishes,

Waseem Akram Santhosh Bimosana

ALLSEC TECHNOLOGIES LTD

Hii Gopi,I dont wanna wish u either an advance wish or an

belated wish, so I will call u at 0.00 Hrs to greet.Karthik R

Hi GuysWish u a mhappy birthaday...Valliappan Ramasamy

Rathinakarthik Natarajan Archana Aravindaraman Sa-ravanan Ramalingam Thomas Abraham ThiruselvamKasiligam Jeevith Sathiyaraj

fromBusiness Processing & Infrastructure Services

iNautix Technologies India Private Limited,

Belated Wishes

February 20 Hi Dinesh Peter,Its your Birthday, your very own special day of the

year , and we just wanted to send you some b"daycheer.Have a greta day, bcoz u deserve it . Happybirthday to u, Amit . Dinesh peter name yaaru sonnanjabagam erukka..

From,Treatku yengum kuzhathaigal, Thenu, Jemi, Ram,

Shiva, Sathya, Lav, Pravin. CSS Corp

Muthuvisalatchi & Meenakshi Sundaram,Happy married life!! May the coming years bring lots

of happiness and success in your life.Best Wishes,

Shobi, Arul, Udhaya, Indra, Aparna, Reva, HCL

February 21 Hi Sowmya,

Belated Happy Birthday Sowmya. Let this Birthdaybring you full of fun, happiness, joy and success in

your life. We wish that all your golden dreams comtrue.

Hearty wishes from

Rajeev [Ur Best Friend], Arun, Shalini, Ramya, RanjanBrindha, Deva, Batchu, Karthik [Team Lead], Vinoth

Brinson [Ur Chris Mom] Sushil, Shameema, & BP4 team

members

Dear GomathyWish you many More Happy Returns of the Day!!!!

May God Bless you!!!!!!! Have A Wonderful Year AheadMay you be gifted with lots of Happiness, Health, Loveand Joys to last all year through!!!!!! May your entir

wish come true!!!!! Nalam Vaazha en naalum engvaazhthukkal !!!!!!With Tons & Tons of Love & Friendship

Nov-07 Testing Team (JBU

HCL Technologie

My Dearest Sonali,Wishing You Many Many Happy returns of the Day

Wanting to stay beside you all ur life and Assuring thSame . We Wish, Rather , I specially Wish You a wonderful and the memorable Happy Birthday ( In M

Way .... colon P) Hoping that Ill walk beside You Holding Your hand in mine for Your every BirthDay .......Showering You the Happiness of all On the special day

Your BirthDay . A Heartful Happy BirthdayUrs Tikkalod

TC

February 22 Dear Sangu,Many More Happy returns of the day, May all you

dreams come true by this day.Ur ever luv

Anith

Hi Venki, Wish u many more happy returns of the day. Ma

this day brings u happiness for ur whole future.With Regards

Ur team

Infosys Technologies Limited

Dear Lydia (Manager),On your Birthday, special one, we wish that all u

dreams come true. May your day be filled with joywonderful gifts and goodies, too. We wish you fine andsimple pleasures. We wish you many years of laughter

We wish you all of lifess best treasures. We wish you

happily ever after! "HAPPY BIRTHDAY"Wishes from

Gershome, Srini, Kevin, Praveen

Vinoth, Arun, Raghu, Prakash, SushmaRafia, Sai, Serena (ATG Rockers)-Allsec tec

Dhivya & Arunkumar,Happy married life!! May the coming years bring lot

of happiness and success in your life.Best Wishes

Shobi, An

Dear Rajan and PoojaHeartiest congratulations on your Wedding Anni

versary. May your life be full of happiness and joy...Have a bright and Flourishing Future...God Bless.

With Regards

Guravnee

Cognizan


14/16

ERGO Monday, February 23, 2009TRAFFIC JAM14

Printed and Published by S. Karthik on behalf ofKASTURI & SONS LTD., at Plot B-6 & B-7,CMDA Industrial Complex, Maraimalai Nagar,Chengleput Taluk, Kancheepuram Dist., Pin:603209 & at Kasturi Buildings, 859 & 860,Anna Salai, Chennai-600002. Editor: S. Karthik(Editor responsible for selection of news underthe PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553

TEAM

Editor: Karthik [email protected]

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

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

ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:Contact: 2857 5757

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Head of Circulation:M.G.M. [email protected]

SNAIL MAIL859/860, Anna Salai,Chennai - 600 002mail your feedback [email protected]

FAX 2857 6691

sudoku

KAKURO

Mini-Me toysA toy company in Japan is offering to make tailor-made Mini-Me robots that mimic their owners voice.The toy costs a whopping $2,200 (GBP1,500).

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

K. Deepa ofSifyTechnologiescliked thispicture in Ootywith herCanon SX100.Hobbies:Singing andlistening tosongs


15/16


B.C

BORN LOSER

FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT

PREVIOUS

ISSUES

SOLUTIONS

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20

LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20

VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20

LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20

SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20

SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20

CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20

AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20

PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20

Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pa

You might choose to focus more on professionamatters. Ganesha feels you will be very practicaland will be able to meet your deadlines today.Since you are working so hard today, you may aexpect to do the same.

Today will be your lucky day. You will show aconsiderable improvement in your communicationskills, especially in meetings and conferences. Thimprovements might get you a new project to won. There will be moral support from family.

Ganesha thinks you will be able to meet your

deadlines today. Nevertheless, mood swings migmake your day seem longer. The day, including ylove life, will be average for you.

You might have to agree on everything yoursuperiors say today. Ganesha thinks you might hto take a back seat at work. However, this is atemporary phase. Unmarried couples may startplanning for the big event called Marriage.

You may feel like pouring your soul in your wortoday. However, this might make it a hard day aoffice. Ganesha advises you not to indulge in anarguments with superiors. On the love front, youwill be more romantic than sensitive.

Ganesha thinks it is a favourable day for work aromance. While you engross yourself in developm

and research, your love for your organization wilstrengthen. You may express affection andpassionate love towards your beloved.

Work at office might seem dull and boring todayGanesha feels it would be best if you stick to yodaily routine and avoid burdensome work. Even your love life, you will have to save the day frombeing dry or boring.

You will be able to get rid of the pending worktoday. Ganesha things you will be able to manaroutine tasks very effectively today. In matters ofheart it will be better if you dont dominate todaTry to woo your beloved in a creative way instea

Think twice before you speak anything today. Becareful with word, especially with superiors and ysweetheart. Office work might seem demanding

anyway, it would be best if you remain calm andsoft in your approach.

You will exhibit tremendous energy and powertoday. This energy will not only boost your careebut will also help you in your domestic life. Thisenergetic mood will lead to a dynamic and cheeday ahead, not to forget your charming love life

Ganesha wants you to be extra cautious at worktoday. Also, it would be advisable for you tomaintain a low profile at work. This would beapplicable even on your personal and love life,Ganesha suggets.

Fate will be in your favour today. Ganesha feelsthat hard work always pays off. Hence today youhard work will get a lot of appreciation from youcolleagues. Love life as well as personal life will calm and peaceful.

Words worthNanism (nay-niz-um) the condition of being dwarfed, or the tendency tobecome stunted or dwarfed. Usually used about animals and plants. Nanity isthe condition of having any abnormal deficiency. Both words come from aGreek word meaning dwarf.

Shot in the darkA man survived a suicide attempt afterbuying a coffin, climbing in and tryingto shoot himself. The bullet grazed hischin and nose but missed his brain.


16/16

ERGO Monday, February 23, 2009!16

The 150th show

of CrazyMohansChocolate

Krishna sawactor KamalHassan playingthe guest ofhonour thisSunday atNarada GanaSabha. Theproceeds fromthe show wenttowardscharity. Theshow also sawthe unveiling ofa paintingtitled

ChocolateKrishna doneby artist ShriKeshav.PHOTOS: S.S. KUMAR

Documents

Ergo February 23