A BYTE OF LIFE Wednesday, December 17, 2008

11 03
JACK BLACK WINDOW SHOPPER
in The Office A decked-up X-Mas with Raave’s

FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 2 No. 240

And the twain

shall meet
Liffy Thomas meets working professionals
who have managed to balance profession
and passion for music this Margazhi season

» PAGES 04 & 05

Date Disasters
PHOTO: R.RAVINDRAN

Do you remember the time when you took your friend or

colleague to impress them and it turned topsy-turvy when you
realised that you had forgotten your wallet or when your guy
friend subtly points to the lettuce stuck between your teeth?
Well, write them in to feedback@goergo.in for our weekend’s
Big Story on date disasters.
02 NAMMA CHENNAI
‘Can you throw a
shoe at Bush?’
M onday’s shoe-throwing incident in which
a pair narrowly missed its mark, i.e.,
George W. Bush’s face, has found its fans in
the virtual gaming world. And both Bush-
haters and sympathisers now have a pastime
to boot.
T-Enterprise, UK, in its game Bush’s Boot
Camp, takes a dig at the security agents who
rushed in a little too late, and is aimed at
“teaching” them how to save people from
random shoe-flingers.
“This game was inspired by the event that
took place on the 14th December 2008, in
the middle of a news conference in
Baghdad’s Green Zone,” the website says.
Players take on the role of security personnel
and shoot at shoes thrown at Bush. At the
end of every game, Bush’s health is
displayed on the health meter. ‘Protect W’s
dignity by stopping the flying shoes for as
long as you can’ read the instructions.
Krona’s game, on the other hand, gives
players a chance to vent out steam. ‘Can you
throw a shoe at Bush?’ the site asks. Bush
got hit approximately 3,33,200 times till 5
p.m. on Tuesday!
By the way, according to reports, a Saudi
businessman has offered to pay USD 10
million for one of those shoes. There are
other takers, too. ■
Ergo Correspondent
ERGO Wednesday, December 17, 2008
My story
TiE, Chennai will host the ‘My Story Session’ today with Mr.
Parthasarathy, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nu
Street Technologies. The session will be held at Harrisons
Hotel, 315 Valluvar Kottam High Road, Nungambakkam at
7 p.m. For details call 98842 84578/ 65154900.
TURTLE BURIED,
DEER RESCUED
Dead Olive Ridley is washed ashore the Marina, while stray
deer is rescued from Mylapore
PETLEE PETER
petleepeter@goergo.in
C
hennai residents had a tryst
with the wild on Tuesday;
while the dead Olive Ridley
turtle on Marina Beach was
an object of curiosity, a live deer
that ran helter-skelter around
Mylapore kept the residents on
their toes.
An Olive Ridley turtle, listed as
an endangered species under the
Wildlife Protection Act, was
washed ashore at the Marina in a
decomposed state on Tuesday
morning. Morning walkers who
spotted the dead turtle informed
the authorities, who on arrival
conducted preliminary examina-
tions and buried the carcass
there.
Hit by propeller?
Ascertaining the cause of the
Olive Ridley’s death, K.S. Sathya-
moorthy, Ranger, Wildlife Head-
quarters in Chennai, suspected
that the turtle could have been hit
by a fishing trawler’s propeller.
“The hind limbs were badly
wounded and cut marks were vis-
ible in the abdominal area. It
might have died two days ago and
washed ashore on Monday,” said
the Ranger.
Mr. Sathyamoorthy also in-
formed that the dead turtle could
be around 20 kg with a carapace
width of 2.5ft and measured 3ft
from head to carapace.
Deer trouble
A female spotted deer that
strayed into R.K. Mutt Road in
Mylapore on Monday morning
was a surprise visitor for motori-
sts.
Following an alert from the
public, the Adyar police informed
the Forest Department author-
ities, who rushed and conducted
a speedy rescue of the animal.
The deer, believed to be five
years old, was released into the
Guindy National Park here.
Authorities point out that there
are over 200 stray deer in and
around the city, including pock-
ets near the Adyar river and Ve-
lachery. ■
 Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Jingle, bauble all the way
A shopping session at Raave’s makes for a very pretty Christmas home
I
t’s a week for Christmas and
carol singers are already
knocking on your door. You’re
probably digging around in
old cartons to pull out carefully
stowed baubles, Christmas stars,
shiny jingle bells, Santa sticks and
ribbons, all wrapped in dusty cel-
lophane. All fine if you have a
good Christmas tree to hang
them on. All the better if you
don’t.
Raave’s on Casa Major Road,
Egmore, is probably what a
dream Christmas is made of.
Anything you might need to do
up your home for December 25,
it’s here.
The shop was started in 1995
and is probably the largest in the
city to deal with Christmas deco-
rations. For obvious reasons, the
shop is open only 40 days a year –
from November 15 to December
25, after and before which the
proprietors revert to their im-
port-export business.
The biggest attraction here are
the Christmas trees. There are
trees that extend to 15ft, while
there are others whose star can
be fixed by a 3ft-tall kid without
him/her standing on a stool. Pric-
es range between Rs. 1,200 and
Rs. 27,000. The trees are made of
fibre and are foldable (in case
you’re wondering how big a truck
you’d need to ferry the 15-footer
home).
Manger sets start from Rs. 900
and the most expensive one is a
12-statue porcelain set that
comes at Rs. 9,500. Fibre ‘mistle-
toe’ wreaths are priced between
Rs. 250 and Rs. 850. Colourful
baubles cost between Rs. 5 and
Rs. 1,500. There are also musical
Santas and angels.
According to Nachi of Raave’s,
“Sometimes, even when people
already have their Christmas
trees and decorations, they come
here every year to buy some little
things just for luck.” Actress
03
PHOTOS: R. RAVINDRAN
Trisha and singer Vijay Yesudas
are a few of the shop’s regular
customers.
The things are mostly sourced
from Taiwan, China, the Philip-
pines and France. ■
Address:
Raave’s
No. 18, Casa Major Road,
Egmore, Chennai - 600 008
(Opposite Don Bosco School)
Ph: 4214 6214,
2819 3715/16
Email:
raaveindia@gmail.com
Website:
www.christmasraave.in
04 KALEIDOSCOPE
T
he city’s air is filled with raagams,
pallavis, aalapanas and the sounds
(Clockwise From Top of anklets, quite literally, just in
Left): Vasanth case you paid heed while negotiat-
Jayaraman, Ethirajan ing the traffic at T. Nagar, Mylapore and
Ramanujam, a few other pockets.
Ramakrishnan L, The curtains are already up for Chen-
Vasudha Ravi and nai’s Margazhi Mahotsavam, the season
Sanjeev V. PHOTO: of music and dance. A busy schedule for
R. RAVINDRAN musicians who have a flurry of kutcheris
. and music-related events lined up for the
season. And even more if you are like one
of these young, talented software profes-
sionals who are juggling work and a line
of concert schedules for the season.
Liffy Thomas caught up with them in
a freewheeling chat outside Luz Church,
Mylapore, where they talk about work,
music and how the twain meets.
Sanjeev: You have to be in the good
books of your boss to juggle work and
music.
Vasanth, Ramakrishnan: Very true!
Make sure you perform well at work to
come up with any excuses before the
music season starts.
Sanjeev: I have 22 concerts lined up
for the season. And for the last eight
years when Margazhi approaches I am
given flexi hours – I work from home.
Ethirajan: Last year, I was in Banga-
lore and I took 17 days off from work. I
ERGO Wednesday, December 17, 2008
was shuttling between Bangalore and
Chennai. One day off, one day at a
kutcheri. It was like a one-day match.
Vasanth: It is a different kind of pres-
sure for me. I am into sales. Thankfully,
my manager is a guitarist and appre-
ciates and understands me well.
Ramakrishnan: I have a ‘deliverable’
on December 31, so my boss is very con-
siderate.
(Laughs) These days I only work four
hours a day in office.
Vasudha: I have a weekly target; so far
balancing work, music and a family has
all been fine.
Best compliment
All (in chorus): Satisfying ourselves is
the greatest satisfaction we derive. Have
I performed to the best of my capability?
Getting a packed audience or perform-
ing with stalwarts comes later.
Ethirajan, Vasanth: In fact, it is very
difficult to hear a compliment from your
guru.
Vasudha: When I am completely
drowned in to my music. When I lose
myself...when it looks like I am float-
ing...it is something which I cannot ex-
plain...that’s a personal joy which I have
got in many of my kutcheris and the
greatest satisfaction.
Practice makes one perfect
Sanjeev: Classical music is not about
practising a month or two before the
concert. You are tuned round the year
learning various nuances.
I have even taken my violin during
onsite projects – not for any interna-
tional performance, music is a great
company.
Ramakrishnan: We accompanists
have to keep on listening. That’s the
best form of practice for us.
Vasudha: There is nothing like a re-
hearsal for a majority of classical mu-
sicians.
Vasanth: That’s why it is said classical
music is more an extempore!
Future perfect
Sanjeev (firmly): I can’t think of quit-
ting either my profession or my music.
Both work and music keep me going.
Vasanth: I need to keep selling all my
life. Both go hand-in-hand
Ethirajan: Thanks to music, we have
two set of contacts – corporate circle
and friends who have grown with us
since our school days.
Vasanth: My two software friends are
the shade of life at work and it is a differ-
ent group in my music circle. ■
 Wednesday, December 17, 2008
05

A gloomy economy, project deadlines, work pressure… watch how some of

your corporate colleagues are taking part in the December music season

Ethirajan Ramanujam V Sanjeev

MRIDANGAM VIOLINIST
Project Engineer, Wipro Sr. Technical Specialist, HCL
Watch out: Vani Mahal (December 20, 1 Watch Out: Santhana Gopalan (Jan 5,
p.m.), Vipanchi, Lady Siva Swami Kalayala Sri Ranjani Trust), Malladi Brothers
School, Mylapore (December 21, 4.30 p.m.) (December 31, Sri Ranjani Trust),
My Diet: There is no particular food that Gayathri Girish (December 17, Karthik
accompanists need to keep in mind, just Fine Arts), Nithyasree Mahadevan
that you have to practice very less on the (December 20, Chennaiyil
day of the concert, to avoid stress and Thiruvaiyaaru)
strain.
An unforgettable goof-up: Once I was
asked to play for a thalam which I did not
know. I had to make it up with some
mathematical calculations, so I played the
lessons of a different thalam that was
mathematically equivalent.

Vasanth Jayaraman Ramakrishnan L

PERCUSSIONIST VIOLINIST
CUM VOCALIST Associate, Cognizant
Watch Out: Music Academy (December
Senior Business Development Executive, 28, noon), Mylapore Fine Arts
Aspire Systems (December 21, 3 p.m.), Parthasarathy
Watch Out: My concerts happen round the Swami Sabha (December 29, 2 p.m.)
year

Shradha Balu Vasudha Ravi M.R. Subramaniam

DANCER VOCALIST VOCALIST
Software engineer, Cognizant Human Resources, Lister Software Engineer, Satyam
Watch Out: Mylapore Fine Arts (January 7, Technologies Watch Out: Narada Gana Sabha
7.15 p.m.), Thyaga Brahma Gana Sabha, Vani Watch Out: Most of them (December 18, 12.30 p.m.), Music
Mahal (January 24, 6:30 p.m.) are over. I have one which I Academy (December 20, noon),
My Diet: Dance is more am looking forward to. An unforgettable goof-up: At a concert
than enough to keep ‘Mudhra’ concert on in Andhra Pradesh, I accidentally
me fit. I avoid skipping December 19 at 6.15 p.m. merged half of the charanam from a
meals as classical dance The ‘saptharathnangal’ different composition to the one I was
demands energy and thematic presentation by singing.
stamina. Radha Bhaskar will have me
An unforgettable goof- recite a few of the special
up: One that I can compositions by the Musical Trinity.
think of is when I took My Diet: No diet restriction in particular, but I
a quick twirl and I avoid cold stuff especially ice-cream.
found my false hair An unforgettable goof-up: I was singing
(souri) on stage. Really extempore swaras for a particular lyric in a
embarrassing! song. I sang so much of extempore and got so
much drowned in it that I forgot the sentence,
and ended up with another set of lyrics!
06 VILLAGE ERGO Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Masterpieces unearthed
Two rare Italian paintings that hung in an
English village church for almost 100 years
have been unearthed as 15th century
masterpieces by Sano di Pietro, and have
been valued at around US$ 4,50,000.

Bruni sues over use of nude Bush’s shoe-shoot duck becomes

image on bags YouTube sensation!
French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy is suing a Video of George Bush,
fashion chain for selling bags emblazoned with depicting the U.S
nude images of her in the latest legal action over President ducking
the presidential couple’s image. At a court hearing shoes thrown at him
on Monday in the French Indian Ocean island of by an Iraqi journalist
Reunion, Bruni-Sarkozy’s lawyer said the former during a news
model was demanding 125,000 euros ($168,300) in conference, has
damages from local chain Pardon which sold the become a rapidly
bags there for a few days. growing YouTube
Reuters sensation. The footage
has taken cyberspace
by storm acquiring 11
of the top 20 most-
Australian doc claims to produce watched videos spot at
the video-sharing
world’s healthiest wine website while also
An Australian doctor has claimed to have produced the becoming a forum for
world’s healthiest wine that will clean blood vessels and anti-Bush campaigners.
also reduce the risk of heart attacks, if drunk in Various YouTube users had uploaded different versions of
moderation. “Each bottle contains up to 100 times the the video, with several videos having more than 500,000
amount of resveratrol- a naturally occurring anti-oxidant views each, while dozens of versions topped 100,000
found in grapes- than a standard drop and helps to views. “People are uploading videos of the incident to
maintain blood flow,” a Sydney-based doctor Philip Norrie YouTube at an average rate of 209 per hour. Currently,
said. Resveratrol, besides, helping in maintaining blood there are over 5,000 versions, totalling over 8,145,000
flow by keeping arteries views,” he added.
free of fatty deposits ANI
called atherosclerotic
plaque, Norrie said
adding, a wine infused
with high levels of the
odourless, tasteless anti-
Paid holiday to federal employees
The outgoing Bush administration has one final gift for
oxidant would act as a
federal employees - a paid holiday on December 26,
‘vascular pipe-cleaner’.
which will cost the national treasury 450 million dollars
“While the positive
in holiday pay. The National Taxpayers Union, a
effects of moderate
watchdog on working practices in government and
wine consumption have
allied fields, was quoted by Fox News as saying that
long been documented,
President Bush issued an executive order on Friday,
the inclusion of such
declaring the day after Christmas a holiday and
large quantities is very
excusing all, but essential executive branch employees
good news for wine
from work, with pay.
drinkers,” Norrie said.
ANI
PTI

Why is US obsessed with ‘God bless America’?

W
hy are Americans ob-
sessed with the words
“God bless America?” A
new Canadian docu-
mentary looks at the American
fascination with invoking god.
The six-part documentary by
award-winning Canadian jour-
nalist Ralph Benmergui probes
why and when faith became
such an important part in the
life of that country.
It probes: When did it be-
come obligatory for presidents
to end every speech with the
words “God bless America”?
Why do so many Americans be-
lieve that their country enjoys
the lord’s special favour?
“God Bless America”, to be
aired on Canada’s Vision TV,
premieres January 19 - just a
day before the new US presi-
dent Barack Obama takes oath
of office.
The documentary looks at
how although the American
constitution separates the
church and state, this dividing
line is often hard to find in
practice.
It shows how the 50 million-
strong Evangelical Christian
movement has exercised enor-
mous influence on US politics
in recent years of Republican
victories, said a Vision TV
statement.
The documentary also looks
at the possibility that the Evan-
gelical movement may decline
with the ascension of Obama.
As part of his investigation,
Benmergui travelled across the When did it
US - from the Virginia campus become obligatory
of America’s most important
Evangelical university to the
for presidents to
streets of Denver during the end every speech
Democratic National convention with the words
- to meet the men and women
who are at the heart of the “God bless
religious debate within Amer- America”? Why do
ican political life.
After meeting punk rock
so many
evangelists and Muslim hip- Americans believe
hoppers to radical atheists and that their country
born-again teenagers on his
journey, the documentary mak- enjoys the Lord’s
er finds that the relationship special favour?,
between church and state in the
US is even more complex than
probes a
people imagine. ■ documentary
IANS
 Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Swiss watch in ancient tomb
Archaeologists in China have called in experts
after discovering a ring-sized watch with ’Swiss’
engraved on the back whilst excavating a 400-
year-old Ming dynasty tomb.
‘Vogue’ editor tops the list of
fashion faux pas of 2008
T
he futuristic Chanel gown
worn by ‘Vogue’ editor and
style icon Anna Wintour has
topped the ‘Time’ maga-
zine’s list of biggest faux pas of
this year.
The magazine has compiled
the list of the worst outfits of the
year for its upcoming issue.
Wintour wore the Karl Lager-
field designed dress at a party in
New York in May at a star stud-
ded event attended by celebrities
like Tom Cruise, his wife Katie
Holmes, George Clooney and the
Beckhams.
Wintour beat celebrities like
Madonna, Janet Jackson and
Gwyneth Paltrow to earn the first
place on ‘Time’ magazine’s list of
fashion faux pas. “When the his-
tory of modern fashion is written,
this will be its Waterloo.
Singer Janet Jackson with her
glittery futuristic outfit came sec-
ond on the fashion faux pas list.
Third place went to ‘Project Run-
way’ winner Christian Siriano for
her outfit at the premiere of Sex
and The City.
Shakespeare in Love actress
Gwyneth Paltrow came in fourth
with the transparent lace basque
For a sparkling capital
A sparkling, clean Delhi and no
bad smells either? This attrac-
tive picture seems a distinct pos-
sibility with the civic agency set
to crack the whip from the New
Year on all those found littering
and urinating in public places.
With the 2010 Commonwealth
Games barely two years away, the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi
(MCD), the capital’s largest civic
agency, is keen to see Delhi look
spic and span.
From January 1, 2009, a team of
132 anti-litter inspectors will go
around the capital, slapping on-
the-spot penalties of Rs.50 on of-
fenders to enforce a long pending
anti-litter law.
Though the move does not
seem very different from previous
attempts to enforce the anti-litter
law, officials are hoping they will
be able to sustain the cleanliness
movement this time around.
“Keeping in mind the forth-
coming Commonwealth Games
and in keeping with Supreme
Court directives, we have decided
07
This day, that year
It was on December 17, 1967 that Harold
Holt, Australian prime minister, drowned
while swimming off Portsea, near Melbourne.
His deputy, John McEwen, succeeded him.
Antonio Berardi dress she
donned at the Paris premiere of
Two Lovers in November.
The dress, which showed part
of her breasts, thighs and even
her white underwear, was
slammed by fashionistas.
Sixth place went to Kate Bos-
worth for her vintage Chanel
Haute Couture.
Seventh position was awarded
to Katie Holmes for the white silk
jumpsuit and black lacy top com-
bination she wore to the opening
of her play All My Sons last
month, which was the result of
her own creativity. Others in the
top ten include Paula Abdul, Kate
Bosworth, Madonna and
Beyonce. Editors at ‘Time’ maga-
zine have compiled the list for
their ‘Top Ten of Everything’ edi-
tion. ■
PTI
Time magazine has
compiled the list of
the worst outfits of
the year for its
upcoming issue
Vogue Editor Anna Wintour, singer Janet Jackson and actor Gwyneth Paltrow. GETTY IMAGES
A tree for Christmas
to initiate the enforcement of the
anti-litter law from the New Year
and to sustain efforts to keep the
city clean,” MCD commissioner
K.S. Mehra told IANS.
The Supreme Court had in
2006 asked for a strict law against
those who littered the city. The
implementation of the MCD’s
policy was lax, with just 1,000
쒀 A Christmas trees is pictured at a tree farm in Skjoeldenaesholm, in eastern
challans for penalties issued in
Denmark. AFP PHOTO
2006-07. ■
IANS
08 SPORT
Sreesanth satisfied with
performance
Speedster S Sreesanth, who finished with a
figure of seven for 117 runs in the last plate
group Ranji trophy league match at Keenan
stadium in Jamshedpur on Tuesday,
expressed satisfaction with his performance.
The strike bowler of
20Twenty World Cup
winning Indian team
eight months ago,
Sreesanth played his first
Ranji match of the
season against Jharkhand
after being cured of a
back injury suffered six
months ago. “I am quite
satisfied with the
performance and feel 110 per cent fit. This
match was very important for me as I have
taken to the field after six months following
the injury I suffered on my back six months
ago. I have really enjoyed the match against
Jharkhand,” Sreesanth said when asked how
he felt to play after six months. “I will
continue to perform to my best and deliver
result. It is up to the selector to decide.”
PTI
Lehmann hopes to change
Deccan Chargers’ fortunes
Former Australia batsman Darren Lehmann,
who has been roped in as coach of Indian
Premier League side Deccan Chargers, feels
he can change the fortunes of the team
which finished last in the first edition of the
Twenty20 league last year. Lehmann will be
teaming up with former Australia teammate
Adam Gilchrist as he bids to graduate into
an international coach.
Deccan Chargers, touted one of the
favourites in the IPL with explosive batsmen
like Andrew Symonds, Shahid Afridi,
Herschelle Gibbs and Gilchrist, won just two
of their 14 games that resulted in coach
Robin Singh being shown the door and VVS
Laxman dropped from captaincy. “There
was a lot of negative feeling around the
team last year,” said Lehmann, aware of
Afridi’s criticism of Laxman’s dour
leadership. “We are trying to turn it around
– before I even get there – into a positive
feel through the players
and coaching staff. I
want to gel the group
to become closer and
play a better brand of
cricket than last season.
I think Gilly is sick of me
ringing him but we are
planning for a positive
and fluent IPL side,”
Lehmann was quoted as
saying by The
Advertiser. Lehmann feels a sound
performance with the Deccan Chargers
would enhance his ultimate desire to
become Australia’s coach.
PTI
ERGO Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Vendor sells Bradman cap for loss
The baggy green cap worn by Australian legend Donald Bradman at his
final Test sold for more than 400,000 dollars (267,000 US) on Tuesday, less
than its vendor paid for it in 2003. Auctioneer Charles Leski would not
reveal the exact price but said it was above 400,000 dollars and below the
420,000 dollars Tim Serisier paid for it in England with the help of his
winnings from a TV show.
On the fast track
Armaan Ebrahim signs up for Formula 2 Championship
U
pcoming Indian motor racer Armaan Ebra- Fast cars
him will compete in next year’s F2 Series
which is being promoted by the FIA, the The Williams Formula 1 Team is building the offi-
world body of motor sports, and billed as the cial partners to the championship and all the cars.
feeder series to Formula One. F2 Series organiser The cars will be built very close to F1 car specifica-
and former F1 driver Jonathan Palmer of Motor tions adopting the same technology of a F1 car. The
sport Vision Ltd confirmed the signing of Armaan engines that will be used are the Audi 1.8litre Turbo
for the championship, which starts in April next charged engines producing 450 BHP with power
year. boost. The gearbox will be a six-speed paddle shift
Armaan joined drivers such as Julian Jousse from gearbox, which will be very similar to that of the
France who finished second overall in the World present F1 cars.
Series Renault and Robert Wickens, a junior Red The F2 Championship will cost 1/4th that of the
Bull driver who won a couple of A1GP races in 2007- GP2 Se- ries and half the cost of the World Series
08, who have been the first few contracted drivers Renault Championship. All the 24 cars
with F2. The F2 series, which was conceptualised will be built by the Williams F1
by FIA for those drivers who cannot afford Team at their factory and all the
huge budgets required for GP2 and World Se- cars will be run by the mecha-
ries Renault, will consist of eight rounds with nics and engineers appointed
16 races across Europe. It starts in April by Palmer Motorsport. Cer-
with the official test days and the races tain suspension mecha-
start in May 2009 and finishes in Novem- nisms and the gear ratios
ber. as well as the differential
settings will be the same
Big catch for all cars, thereby re-
The winner of the F2 Championship ducing the cost and
will get a test drive with the Williams cutting down on in-
Formula One team and the top three ventory and more im-
winners will be awarded a F1 license by portantly making the
the FIA. Armaan, who is undergoing cars more equal than
training in Singapore after his very first before which then puts a
test in the new Ferrari powered car in Se- lot of focus on the driver
pang, for A1GP Team India said it was a rather than the expertise of
welcome development for a racer like him the team. ■
who could not find enough sponsors for GP2 PTI
Series or World Series Renault Championship.
“The F2 Championship is a bold and revolu-
tionary concept and a very beneficial concept
for most drivers including myself. I
wanted to try to do the GP2 Se-
ries or the World Series by Re-
nault for 2009. But had only
a five per cent chance to
find the budgets for those
championships as I am
not from a wealthy family,
nor are such huge sums of
sponsorship money
available in India for an
upcoming racing driver.
The budget for 2009 that
we have to find is in the
region of Rs two crore.
My existing sponsors JK
Tyres and Amaron have
already confirmed their
support for 2009 despite
these difficult financial
times. I am presently in
discussions with BPCL for
their continued association
with me,” Armaan said.
PHOTO: RAJEEV BHATT
 Wednesday, December 17, 2008
09

‘‘
Obviously the lads have put everything into it and to come out with nothing at
the end of five hard days is tough, but it was a great game of Test match
cricket. Sehwag came out and changed the momentum of the game completely and
then they played with great skill and took themselves home.
England coach Peter Moores

Chasing the elusive

S
ir Alex Ferguson is desperate
for Manchester United to be
the first British team to get
their hands on the Club World
Cup, one of the few trophies he has
yet to win. United arrived in Tokyo
on Monday after a long flight from
London, hoping that the gruelling
mid-season trip will not damage
their Premier League campaign.
Having already put back August’s
match against Fulham because of
their participation in the UEFA Su-
per Cup, the trip here leaves them
with two games to make up on their
chief rivals.
After a scoreless draw against Tot-
tenham on Saturday, at least United
will be buoyed by Chelsea’s failure
to take advantage in their 1-1 stale-
mate with West Ham on Sunday.
Even if United return home facing a
daunting points deficit in the
league, the Scot believes the Club
World Cup is worth the trouble.

Poor record
Having won the Champions
League in 1999, United qualified for
the inaugural tournament of conti-
nental champions in Brazil in early
2000 after controversially pulling
out of the FA Cup in order to fea-
ture. But they failed to get past the
group stage after being beaten 1-3
by Brazilian side Vasco De Gama
and drawing with Mexico’s Rayos
del Necaxa. “This is a very difficult
tournament, different from what we
were used to last time, but hopefully
we can handle it,” he said before
United’s departure. “It’s a good op-
portunity for us to get the team to-
gether in a serious competition
because no British team has ever
won it and it’s a big challenge to us.”
He said winning the trophy would
be important for the club and for
the club’s record. “We feel we
should have won more in Europe
but having won the Intercontinental
Cup back in 1999, we were the first
British club to do it, and that’s a
prestigious piece of history for us,”
he said.
United defeated Brazilian side
Palmeiras in Tokyo in December
Cristiano Ronaldo (centre) of Manchester United works out with team mates during a soccer training session for the
FIFA Club World Cup in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
1999 to win the traditional show-
down between European and South
American champions. “To win this
one would be even better for us,”
Ferguson said. Despite missing next
weekend’s round of Premier League
matches, Ferguson is not overly
concerned. “It isn’t the best in terms
of us going for the championship
but if you ask me if we’d like to play
in it again next year, I would, with-
out question, love to be there,” he
said. “You only get there by invita-
tion if you win the Champions
League and that’s how prestigious it
is for us. It’s a fantastic tournament
to be involved in.”
Two wins away
As a seeded side, United go
straight into the semi-finals of the
seven-team competition on Thurs-
day, where they face Japan’s Gamba
Osaka, who beat Adelaide United
1-0 on Sunday in a replay of their
AFC Champions League final. De-
spite being strong favourites to lift
the cup, Ferguson expects a stiff test
in front of a home crowd in Yokoha-
ma. He admits he has been im-
pressed with the emergence of the
Japanese game. “I don’t know a lot
about Gamba but I do know that
Japanese football over the last dec-
ade has been improving remarka-
bly,” he said. “We’ve been to Japan
three times and each time they’ve
been very difficult games. They’ve
always been very close games so the
improvement is there for everyone
to see, the enthusiasm is fantastic in
Japan, the crowds are very high and
the stadia are fantastic. Japan is a
great platform. FERGIE
Where we played the Urawa Reds
was fantastic, not just the stadium DESPERATE
but the facilities for the players to
prepare. The gyms for the warm-up
TO WIN
were the best I’ve ever seen. It was CLUB
really remarkable.”
United’s main threat to their title WORLD
push is expected to come from
South American champions Liga de
CUP
Quito of Ecuador, who play Mexican
powerhouse Pachuca in their semi-
final on Wednesday. ■
AFP
10 FLICK ERGO Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Susan to Sigourney
Sigourney Weaver’s real name is Susan
Weaver, but she changed her first
name to be named after a character in
the classic novel The Great Gatsby.

It wasn’t her An unlikely date

A nne Hathaway will walk down the
red carpet for the Golden Globe
Awards next year with her mother –
not new boyfriend Adam Shulman.
The 26-year-old actress, who is
dating Shulman, has received a
Magazine blames freelance reporter for ‘fabricating’ Best Actress nomination for her
role in Rachel Getting Married,
Scarlett Johansson’s interview reports the China Daily.
And although the ceremony is
still over a month away, Anne

M
agazine bosses accused of fabricating Holly- has decided that she’ll take her
wood actress Scarlett Johansson’s interview mum as her date to the
have come out in defence of the accusations, awards.
and blame a freelance reporter for the con- “I already asked my mum if
troversy. she can come with me. So
The U.K. edition of Cosmopolitan magazine had mummy is going to be my
put the Horse Whisperer star on its cover, accom- date,” she said. ■
panied by an interview, which her rep insists is ANI
fabricated.
In the interview Johansson’s seemingly spoke
openly about her marriage to Ryan Reynolds.
Refuting the accusations, the Cosmopolitan
editors have revealed that a freelance journalist,
who claimed to have interviewed the star, provid-
Hitler’s ‘ghost’
ed the marriage quotes to them, reports Contact-
music.
A statement read: “UK Cosmopolitan printed
on Valkyrie set
an interview with Scarlett Johansson that includ-
ed quotes from an agency journalist regarding
the actress’s marriage. We ran these quotes in
good faith with the understanding that the
F ilmmaker Bryan Singer feared that
Adolf Hitler’s ghost had taken over
his Valkyrie set after a runaway tank
interview was carried out with the approv- threatened to destroy thousands of
al of Ms. Johansson and her publicist. UK dollars worth of sound and camera
Cosmopolitan is taking the complaints equipment.
by Ms. Johansson’s publicist seriously While shooting a scene with Tom
and is investigating the matter fur- Cruise in Cougar Buttes in California, a
ther,” the statement said. ■ tank was getting out-of-control and to
ANI avoid the container from crashing the
equipment a stuntman had to be
called in.
Singer reckons that Hitler
was behind the controls of
the armoured vehicle.
“We had one tank that
malfunctioned and it
started rolling on its own.
It started rolling towards the
We ran these camera equipment and
quotes in good nothing was stopping it
because it’s a tank and it’s
faith with the meant to roll over camera
crews and other
understanding things in its way,”
that the interview Contactmusic
quoted him, as
was carried out saying.
with the approval “A very brave
guy crawled in it
of Ms. Johansson and worked the
brake system and
and her publicist. got it to stop.
UK Cosmopolitan Maybe the ghost
of Hitler was in
is taking the there!” the
complaints by director added.
In the new
Ms. Johansson’s film, Cruise
plays a real-life
publicist German officer
seriously and is who led an
assassination
GETTY IMAGES

investigating the attempt on

matter further Hitler. ■
ANI
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Out of Jaws
The late Paul Newman was
originally cast in the role of
Captain Quint in Jaws (1975).
Jack Black
in The Office
C
omedian Jack Black is set to
make a guest appearance in the
hit show, The Office.
Imdb.com reports
Black will appear in an episode
which will be aired in February. It
is unknown in what capacity he
will feature, but the episode, ti-
tled ‘Stress Relief’, will follow the
workers as they try to secretly
watch a bootlegged Hollywood
movie at work. ■
IANS
11
Cool characters
Samuel L. Jackson’s starring role of Jules
Winnfield in Pulp Fiction was ranked by the
UK’s Empire magazine as the second coolest
movie character of all time, after Brad Pitt’s
Tyler Durden from Fight Club.
Jackman jacked?
H ugh Jackman has been
panned by TV critics who
have raised questions on the
actor’s ability to host the
Academy Award ceremony
on February 22.
The New York Times
pondered if the Van Helsing
star would be able to pull
off the three-hour star-
studded evening, despite his
Emmy-award-winning
experience hosting the Tony
Awards. Similarly, LA Times
television critic Mary McNamara cited his “less
than memorable” career and a “weak” fan
following as compared to recent Academy
Awards hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Chris Rock.
“Yes, Jackman was just named People’s Sexiest
Man Alive, and yes, he is Wolverine of X-Men
but do we want Wolverine hosting the Oscars?
Probably not.” Mary added. ■
ANI
that
Cowgirl
Aniston
J ennifer Aniston has revealed
that she would love to put
on her cowboy hat and add
‘shoot’em-up’ films to her
kitty if given the chance.
The Rachel Green of Friends
said she would love to try
her hand in different
genres, reports China Daily.
She told the USA Today
newspaper: “Would I like to
do a shoot-’em-up film?
Like a Western? I’d like to
do that, too. There’s
something else out there
that I’m going to be
possibly doing called
Bounty Hunter. It’s good.
It’s not definite yet.”
Jennifer further added that
she hit it off with co-star
Owen Wilson at the sets of
her latest movie Marley
and Me.
She said: “It was an
instant ease when we met
and started rehearsing,
and I think it’s rare.
Sometimes you actually
really like the person you
are having good
chemistry with. We
lucked out. It was
fun to be at work
and play these
people.” ■
ANI
12 ERGO Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Tuesday’s Question:
If you win a lottery of 1 crore, what would
you do with it?
■ 50 lakhs for me & my family expenses, 20 lakhs to orphanages, 10
lakhs each to Army, Navy& Air Force
Manikandan, TCS

■ 1 kodikum lottery ticketa vanguven

Annapoorani M - TCS, Prabhakaran.S - HCL Tech, Sukumar - Cognizant, Rajesh
P - Perot Systems

■ Would like to donate for few good things, then will start a
business to settle
Jubair, Cognizant

■ Will buy the Mount Road

Rajeshkumar P, TCS
Elampooranan of HCL has nominated his team as Partners in Crime. This
■ Will build a hidden underground road to bypass OMR toll plaza pic was clicked at Kerela
Vinesh Kumar Damodaran, Accenture
■ Start five star tea stall in Mount Road
Hasan, Satyam

■ I would be a partner in producing a reality show in some TV

channel
Mukund, Standard Chartered

■ I would start a company and I will ask Americans to work in night

shifts and I will surely provide them a cab
Ram, Sutherland

■ I will give it to charity organisations

Aravinth, Asath Kani - TCS, Rakshita Sreenivasan – Wipro

■ I will become the owner of a supermarket since that’s the only

place where no layoff and recession takes place in the current
situation
Hari Prasad T, Wipro

■ I will spend like Arunachalam-Rajini in one day happily

Archana, Wipro

■ I call my college friends and office friends to celebrate the whole G. Mani of Infosys has nominated his team as Partners in Crime.
day in Spencer Plaza till the amount ends
Krishna, Prakash, Ganesh, Uma, Geetha, Deepa - Perot Systems

■ I will go for a world tour with my family

Hema - Indus RSystems, Brooklyn - Wipro

■ I’ll give 10% of money for orphans and poor people, 20% of
money to children for their educational purposes. And remaining
money I’ll keep myself for constructing my dream house
Satish, Ramco Systems
■ I will spend 25% of money for my family. And spend remaining
75% for poor people, orphanage
Shobana, RRD

Today’s Query:
You wake up in the morning and see
yourself shrunk to the size of a walnut.
How would you react what would you do?
By Priyadarshini, Infosys. Manomani Kesav of HCL has nominated her team as Partners in Crmie,
Send your mobile query suggestions to feedback@goergo.in with subject line: This pic was clicked at Delhi
Mobile Query Suggestion
 Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Dinesh S and his colleagues at In-
fosys have nominated Charanya
Jayaraaman as Office Angel.
Charanya is bubbly, cheerful
and an excellent dancer. She was
part of the dance team that won
the first place in ‘Radio Mirchi -
Clash of Corporates 2008’.Ex-
tremely sincere and dedicated in
her work, she is never short of a few
naughty pranks, which got her the
name – “Daring Darling” among
her friends.Add to that is her chir-
py nature and charismatic perso-
nality. Indeed an Angel at Work!
K. Asha doodled
this.
Kangalal Paarthalum puriyathu, Kaigalal yeduthalum theriyaathu, Yosithu paartha-
lum Bathil Varathu. What’s that?
"Question Paper"
Saravanan.V, HCL
Pagalil mattum paakkum channel yethu? SUN TV. Eravu mattum paakkum chan-
nel yethu? STAR TV.
Sivanandam, Wipro
13
■ Dear Subbi,
Wishing you all the happiness today ’N’ throughout ur Life....
We just want you to know how much your friendship has made a
difference in our Life.
Happy Birthday Subbiiiiii..... Keep Smiling :)
Your Loving Frndz,
PQS-PTD Team
Wipro Technologies Ltd.
■ Dear Mallik,
Its another day 4 u. god picked another petals on your flower,
wishing your flowers may bloom for year,wish u many happy
returns of the day.
pandu(hcl)
ravi(scm micro systems)
prashanth(indian bank)
jaggu(3i infotech)
■ Dear Mathi
Many more happy returns of the day. May all your dreams come
true .May happiness and peace fill your heart for ever.
mathi..mathi..mathi..mokkai ..mathi...
Hearty Wishes from
Tamil Mantram
■ Dear MANIGANDAN (Mani)
We all Wish you a Very Happy Birthday !!!
A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around
the sun. Enjoy the trip. :-))
With loads of luv,
"IgNiTe GaNgStErS" (TCS)
■ Hi Vinoth R,
Iniya piranthanal vazhthukkal... Let your life be filled with
happiness... Wish you many more returns of the day...
Ippadiku
Muthu, Laavanyaaaaaa, Saravanan, Madhu, Sindil, SIva, RJPal, Laks, Gopi,
Anne, Patti, JP, Karthi(Lite House), Target, Ramya^2, Lavnaya, Varalakshmi,
Deepti, Anbil, Vinoth, Gayathri, Venki, Beulah...
Wipro Technologies
■ Hi TappasUU Senthil,
machi nium nanum onnu.
ponnungalukku namma mela kannu
athanala ni ethachu pannu
so our team will have funnu
happy birthday
Hutch UK SIT Tidel park & Amrita
■ Dear Kumaran,
Happy birthday, and have a great year
Enjoy your life and the dance of life
Keep on shining like the sun, Spread the pleasure like moon light.
Happy birthday & Many more to come!!!!
Wish u all success n your Energetic Youth life!!!
With Love&Care,
Boeing friends,
Wipro
■ Hi Jaffer Ali,
Congratulations!!!! We wish you a wonderful future filled with
many warm memories, many happy times, good health, and
everything good....Good luck for you & Farida.
Yours, Archana, Arunkumar, Hema & Vimala
Infosys Technologies Ltd (Mahindra city)
■ Dear Jothish
Wishing you many more happy returns of the day. May all your
dreams come true in your life. We wish you all the success in your
life.HAPPY BIRTHDAY .
Hearty Wishes
Muthuraman,Sutherson,Karthik,UmaDevi(SIPTECH Solutions Limited)
,Mrs.GIBI JOTHISH.
■ Dear Prakash_SK (Christ-Child),
Wishing you for a happiness, health, double digit hike and hoping
all your desires come true.
Have a fantastic New year ahead.
Christ-Mom
Infosys-MFGite.
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Refrigerated beach
Fashion house Versace is to create the
world’s first refrigerated beach in
Dubai, so that hotel guests can walk
comfortably across the sand on
scorching days.

sudoku

Rema
Moorthy of
Indus Teqsite/
Datapatterns
clicked this
picture at
Badrinath in
the
Himalayas.

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

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the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Wednesday, December 17, 2008
The dog was a fox
A Chinese man has been left shocked
after discovering the dog he had raised
from a pup is actually a rare Arctic fox.
15
Word’s worth
"Telpherage" (tel-fer-ij) a system where minerals or
other goods are transported in buckets suspended
from a cable and moved by an electric motor
supplied with current from an adjacent conductor.
From Greek roots meaning ’distance’ and bearing.

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

You are advised to be careful of ego problems.
Technology related work may go smooth but
power-cut or some other type of problem may
bother you. At home, you may be enjoying marital
bliss with your lovable life partner.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Your mind may be very stable and focussed. You
can be working very hard. As soon as the day is
over, you may wish to spend time with your family.
In relationship matters, you need to beware of ego
issues. Your decisions on personal life may be firm.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

You may share good intellectual rapport with people
BORN LOSER working with you. You may be able to get the work
done through people working under you. In other
words, your team will support you. On the domestic
and relationship front, you may not have any issues.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
You have scope of acquiring commanding position
today. Ganesha finds you getting into investigation
and trouble-shooting kind of activities at office. At
home, you may have cordial terms with everyone. In
love life, you may display great devotion.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
Ganesha foresees you working with full form today.
You will be handling everything efficiently. If you
are wiling to express your love, it is the best day.
Married couples or lovers should go out to
lonesome place to spend nice time with each other.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
If you want to experiment with a formula or
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT software, you should avoid it today. The day doesn’t
support innovative ideas. Those working under you
may try to create undue pressure and burden, feels
Ganesha. At home, you should avoid arguments.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
Ganesha finds your energy levels increasing hence
you may spend more time at work and less with
family. This may create problems at home front.
Idea is to strike balance between personal and
professional life. Handle the day with utmost care.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
Ganesha finds you busy at work today. You may be
stressed enough while handling others, specifically
those working under you. There may be difference
of opinion between you and your partner or
beloved, if you do not develop attitude to ’let go’.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
If you are travelling for work, this is a favourable
day. If you are supposed to work on important
projects, you may be able to lead it to satisfactory
stage. Technology and technical work may run
smoothly. Your personal life may be very romantic.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
Your professional progress may be cause of concern.
You might have to work harder to prove your
points. You may not be in a mood to compromise
in relationship matters which may create problems
in personal life. Ensure that you nurture love life.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS You may need to beware of those jealous of your
progress. Ganesha finds everything going against
ISSUE’S you, provided you commit a mistake in your work.
In personal life you may try to dominate your
SOLUTIONS partner. Avoid getting into conflicts with partner.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
You may remain very energetic at workplace and
will finish off your work soon. In love life, you can
be compromising and adjusting. Lesser the
resistance you have in front of your partner or
beloved, happier you would be.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Wednesday, December 17, 2008

One look is all it takes Bipasha Basu during

’Spinnathon
Championship 2008’
News and newsmakers in pictures in Mumbai on
Monday night.
PTI PHOTO

QUOTE OF THE DAY

‘‘
When I came here, I
weighed three times
more than what I am. And
why would he accuse me of
sending my money to
Pakistan? I earn and pay taxes
in Mumbai, I can show you
my PAN card,’’
Actress Katie Holmes and her daughter Suri Cruise visit ’The Adnan Sami reacted to Jagjit Singh’s criticism
Nutcracker’ at the New York City Ballet in New York City. AFP PHOTO that Adnan came here to become an actor and
he makes money here and send it to Pakistan