Postnoon E-Paper for 18 February 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

They live with you, they capture your most intimate moments — they are embedded wedding photographers. Here’s a peek into their albums.

VINU’S LAST COLUMN Vinu SV, who was a regular contributor to our Motorcycle Diaries column, was tragically killed in an accident earlier this week. PG 11 WWW.POSTNOON.COM

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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012 HYDERABAD

WEATHER: MOSTLY CLEAR; 26°C

THE ICEMAN COMETH The Russians have drilled down to Lake Vostok in Antarctica and taken samples from the last pristine region on the planet.

PG 5 APPLE MOVES MOUNTAINS, RELEASES A LION Apple said Mountain Lion includes a new Messages application, which replaces iChat and allows a user to send unlimited messages, photos and video to other Apple products.

PG 12

Eyewitness Pg 16&17

32 PAGES

ON SATURDAY

Government wants to have its cake and eat it too, bemoan liquor merchants. They fill the State coffers but are harangued by the ACB. Liquor merchants offer to return their licenses and ask the government to run the business itself.

Last orders? REPORT ON PG 4

MICHAEL GOLDFARB

on Anthony Shadid

The finest foreign correspondent of this troubled era in the Middle East dies on assignment for New York Times in Syria.

PG 7 BHASKARA LAKSHMI

on pro bono work The Chairperson of the AP Federation of Women Lawyers talks about her passion for the law and quest for perfection.

PG 21 PRASHANT GOWRIRAJU

on his son and toys

The founder of www.kidloo.com, says that his one and only inspiration is his three-year-old son Ashrit.

PG 10

PAGE TWO SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Get my food-Pronto

PENCHANT FOR PLASTIC

Dance Fiesta Soorya festival, an exotic feast of Kerala’s various dance forms is on. 40 artists from all over the country will participate in the event. Where: NSKK High School, Ferozeguda When: February 16, 6pm Contact: 9010403034

Have you ever wondered how it feels to eat in the dark? Come and experience this. Pay `499 to enjoy a 4-course meal worth `1,000 at Dialogue in the Dark. Where: Dialogue in the Dark, Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pm Contact: (040) 6460 3341

Head to ‘Pearl 2012’, BITS-Pilani’s annual college fest. Belgian death metal band Thurisaz is performing live on February 18. The festival is on till February 19, 2012. Log onto www.bits-pearl.org for more details about the fest. Where: BITS-Pilani campus When: February 18, 6pm

Aladdin and his lamp Alladin and the lamp of magic, a live musical play is being staged at Rabindra Bharthi. Where: Ravindra Bharthi, Saifabad When: Ongoing, 4pm Contact: (040) 2323 3672

Group exhibition

Nizami celebration

Muse Art Gallery will play host to a group exhibition titled ‘An Artful Art’. It is a contemporary painting exhibition by a group of 26 artists. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund When: Ongong, 11am Contact: 93964 44424

Head to Jewel of Nizam at Masab tank for a Nizami treat. As it get’s set to celebrate it’s first anniversary, sample on various cuisines from around the country. Where: Jewel of Nizam, Masab Tank When: Ongoing, 11.30 am Contact: (040) 66110130

Music fest The Indian Mosaic An exhibition of paintings titled ‘The Indian Mosaic’ will be on display at Iconart Gallery. Where: Iconart, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 6.30pm Contact: 98499 68797

A suitable lunch Syn presents three lunch offers to suit your needs. There is a lunch for those in a hurry, a lunch for the calorie conscious and a lunch for those who are planning a reunion with pals. Where: Taj Deccan, Banjara Hills When: Everyday, 12pm onwards Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Martini ‘n music

Saturday Night Live A treat for the lovers of Italian food.Head to Via Milano for italian food and romantic music. Where: Via Milano, Jubilee Hills When: February 18, 8pm Contact: (040) 64556677

CINEMAS

The Seasons Bar opens up again as a Cigar and Cognac lounge with a wide selection of cognac, rare whiskies, single malts and cigars. Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 7pm Contact: (040) 6666 2323

Eat in the dark

Death Metal

Day two of the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Joshi Festival features a Bharatanatym recital by Alarmel Valli, Padmashri Ustad Shahid Parvez (Sitar Recital) with Pt.Kumar Bose (tabla). Pt Ajay Chakraborty (Hindustani vocal) with Pt Kumar Bose (tabla) and Ajay Joglekar (harmonium). Where: Chowmahalla Palace When: Ongoing, 8pm Contact: (040) 2452 2032

Cognac and Cigar A. SUDHEER REDDY

In a hurry? Head to Prego at Westin. It offers quick 45-minute lunch stop over options. Where: The Westin, Madhapur When: Every day, 12pm onwards Contact: (040) 6767 6767

Enjoy winter evenings with martinis and crooner Kelly. A perfect mix for a perfect evening! Where: Taj Krishna, Banjara Hills When: Every evening Contact: (040) 6666 232

City in pictures A pictorial essay depicting the city of Hyderabad between the years of

International pizza festival 1975 and 2011 is on display at Salarjung Museum. Where: Salarjung Museum When: Ongoing, 10am Contact: (040) 2457 6443

Acting workshop Samhaara- an acting and dancing workshop is being held. The workshop focusses on learning the basics of stage acting, character analysis, stage and rehearsal terms, movement, stage geography, stage behaviour and improvisation. Where: The Actor’s studio, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 7pm tp 9pm Contact: 9885404784

Pizza lovers this is the news for you! News Cafe is host to the International Pizza Festival.Get a taste of pizza’s with a variety of toppings from around the world. Where: News Cafe, Inorbit Mall, Hitech City When: Ongoing, 12.30pm Contact: (040) 6460 3341

Lunch specials Nautanki Galli offers its expansive lunch buffet. Head to Nautanki Galli for an interesting lunch options. Where: Nautanki Galli, Madhapur When: Every day, 12.30pm onwards Contact: 78930 10000

Felicity The annual cultural, technical and cultural fest of IIIT-H festival is on. The event is an interesting bag of events. Where: IIIT-H campus, Gachibowli When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2300 1967

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 447677770, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 08800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973

CITY SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Dejected man kills self

wice married and twice abandoned by his wives, 45-year-old Venkat Reddy who lived in KPHB phase III Kukatpally, committed suicide in his flat on Friday, police said. After his first wife left him, Venkat married Shayala and she too left home six months ago after developing differences with him, and she did not return. Dejected, Venkat put a noose around his neck in his flat and committed suicide, the KPHB police told Postnoon.

GHMC parched by fund drought

The government has allocated `400 crore for the Godavari project and a meagre `30 crore for Krishna Phase-3

Md INKESHAF AHMED

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he State government does not seem to be serious about addressing the drinking water woes of residents of the GHMC. The fresh allocations to drinking water supply clearly evidenced that the government is not keen on the Krishna water Phase-3 project. Hyderabad Metro Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWS&SB), which is responsible for supply of drinking water and maintenance of sewerage system in GHMC, is unable to meet the growing demands of over 7.5 million of residents of the corporation. The board urged the government to allocate a total of `500 crore for taking

Teenager kills herself

Babu urges NCTC review

DP Chief Chandrababu Naidu has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to rescind the orders issued by the Union home ministry, vesting all-encompassing and sweeping powers in the proposed National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in the Intelligence Bureau. In a letter to Manmohan Singh, Naidu has stated the order was utter violation of the federal spirit of the Constitution.

up these projects. But the government allocated `400 crore for Godavari drinking water supply project, putting the Krishna Phase-3 on the backburner with a meagre allocation of a niggardly `30 crore. The water board is plagued by many problems and has been consistently failing in meeting its targets like implementing new projects within the stipulated deadline for want of funds and other bureaucratic delays. Keeping in view the demands of growing population, the board has undertaken several major drinking water supply projects to source water from Krishna and Godavari rivers about few years ago. While Godavari project was started four years ago in 2008, the Krishna Phase-3 is yet to commence. The total cost of Godavari project is `3,375 crore and Krishna Phase-3 is `1,680 crores. The Godavari project was divided into three phases. The state government had announced that they would complete the first phase of Godavari project before 2011, but they could only complete 52-km pipeline out of a total of 186 km in four years. Recently, the water board succeeded in procuring loan of `1,000 crore from Hudco for this project. It is now the turn of the government to allot its share of funds to complete this project. The officials are saying that if the funds are provided on time, they would complete this project within 16 months. Speaking to Postnoon, water board’s engineer-in-chief and director (projects) M. Satyanarayana said “Well, both these projects are very important to us. We are focusing on both of them. Among these project, we can’t complete Krishna Phase-3 project in 16 months,” he said. The government has not allocated any funds for laying new pipeline or to implement drainage master plan on the outskirts of the City. This would surely delay the progress.

Pipeline bursts A pipeline of the water board broke on the Punjagutta flyover when a heavy vehicle passed over it this morning. This has resulted in leakage of water which spilled over on the flyover and inundated the entire stretch. Water board officials and traffic police reached the spot to take necessary steps.

n intermediate student, Shalini, 17, allegedly committed suicide in her home in Ameerpet by setting herself ablaze after her father Santosh Singh scolded her for talking on mobile phone for two hours. He pulled her up but the girl is said to have felt deeply hurt and poured kerosene on her clothes and put a match. She was shifted to Gandhi Hospital where she died of burns on Friday.

Krishna Phase-3

Godavari Project

Cost- Rs 1,670 crores Expected benefit - 5TMC of water

Total length - 186 km Total cost - `3,375 crores Amount spent so far - `1,000 crore (approx) Work completed - 52km Expected amount of water benefit 11 TMC of water

n 1,100 pending projects Apart from major projects, a total of 1,100 projects relating to water supply in GHMC and other areas are pending with the board. Many of these pending works include installation of water pipe lines in various localities. Managing director of Water Board Adhar Sinha, in the recent District Review Committee (DRC) meetings, had assured public representatives that these projects would be completed by the end of March this year. n Decreasing water levels The Water Board has five reservoirs from which it supplies drinking water to over 8 million people daily. These reservoirs are Osman Sagar, Himayat Sagar, Singur, Majira and Akkampally (Krishna Water). The summer heat is already having its effects on these. The water level in these reservoirs is depleting each passing day.

CITY SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Liquor merchants bottle it under pressure Having shelled out a fortune for over-priced licenses, hounded by the AntiCorruption Bureau and disowned by political patrons, liquor traders finally snap.

High Court moved for details of ACB raids

U SRINIVAS

srinivas.u@postnoon.com

Postnoon News

iquor dealers have come out in the open questioning the government’s ‘double game’ of extracting the maximum revenue and officials’ furtive game of seeking ‘favours,’ and on the other, unleashing the Anti-Corruption Bureau on them. “We are going to surrender our over-rated licenses to the Excise Minister,” said the AP Wine Dealers Association leader D Venkateshwar Rao. Rao said the shops can’t sell on MRP and survive. The government is getting `20,000 crore from liquor business and some 6500 shops in the State are shelling out more than they earn. How long will this go on? The recent ACB raids are ignoring the fact that the shop owners have to spend quite a lot other than license fee. But he

iffed with the Government’s tardiness in responding to his RTI request on information regarding the ACB raids on liquor syndicates, a lawyer has moved the AP High Court seeking judicial orders to ask the Government and DGP to oblige with the information. The petitioner PV Krishnaiah, a lawyer, has said that he had filed the RTI on February 13 and as per the Act the information was to be received within 48 hours. But so far he hadn’t heard from the respondents. The petitioner said the raids and many details had appeared in the media and many bigwigs have been named. The Government is to be directed to file the report with the information on the people involved in the syndicate.

found fault with the present auction system which make wine merchants spend huge sums which are not easily recoverable. It’s true in desperate circumstances they sell liquor for double the price but officials and politicians can not absolve of the blame,

Facts Revenue from liquor Shops in AP Shops suffering loss

`20,000 Crore 650 100

Rao argued. This excise year the government’s revenue target was around `20,000 crore and so far, it has got around 18000 crore. The Government is getting around `4000 crore as license fee per year from the dealers. The dealers are due to the tune of around `600 crore by February 20. They are trying to avoid this. Rao said the government can take over the shop and run if it thinks it can.

1…2…3, motion passed! T

he continued disruption of the Assembly sessions by the Opposition has provided the ruling Congress with a rare chance to get the motion of thanks to the governor passed virtually without a discussion yesterday. Perhaps, it is an unprecedented instance when only two Congressmen — the chief whip and an MLA — spoke on the motion and the chief whip himself deemed to have replied to the House which is the chief minister’s prerogative. The curious development was after the TDP and BJP walked out in protest against the rejection of their adjournment motions and the TRS was suspended for creating a ruckus for the fourth day. Suspending the question hour, the chief whip G Venkat Ramana Reddy with the Chair’s consent, swiftly took up the discussion on the motion of thanks to governor moved on Tuesday. He tongue-lashed the Opposition for giving up a chance to raise people’s problems through the debate. Reddy reeled out various welfare schemes the government has taken up and their benefits. “This government, not the TDP, was the savior of the farmers, SCs, STs and students,” he said. Earlier, Loksatta’s lone member Jayaprakash Narayan who was allowed to speak but was cut short termed it a “wasted opportunity”. And, Congress member and whip Dronamraju Srinivas demanded that another member from the treasury benches be allowed to speak. Congress member Rajesh Kumar spoke. He used his time to shower encomiums on the Chief Minister for various schemes. What surprised many was the fact that the CM who customarily answers to the debate before the motion is put to vote did not reply. Instead, the chief whip moved the motion and replied too! Immediately after, the budget was taken up. AGENCY

Cheers! In the name of god

Anubha K. Singh

anubha k@postnoon.com

iquor shops flaunting divine names has evoked the ire of many who see it as a repugnant practice. Names like Tulja Bhavani liquor shops, Vaishno Mata liquor shops, Ganessh liquor shops, Mahalakshmi Wines are unwarranted and should be dispensed with, they say. In a country people start their day invoking the name of their favourite deity, it should not be allowed. Though no definite law exists in the State to

prevent naming liquor shops divine names, Goa is one State that has, it is pointed out. “God’s name should be associated with good things. A bar is not a positive thing. Giving it god’s name can hurt the feelings of devotees. I don’t know its legalities but it should not be allowed. The chances of unholy things happening in bars with holy names are high” said, Narendar Reddy, who himself owns a liquor shop named Liquor Bank. But a liquor shop owner counters this. “When a cloth shop merchant or any other

shopkeeper can use god’s name to bring luck and wealth in their business why can’t we? Even we believe and have faith in god there is nothing wrong in opening a shop in god’s name. After all, I am not offering liquor to god,” said, Laxman Nath, Owner, Tulja Bhavani Wine Shop at Nampally. “We are not doing any illegal work. We go through a lot of paperwork to get license for our shops such as completing all paperwork, choosing what kind of store you want to set up (franchise, self-owned, or part of another store,) acquire a list of

licensed liquor suppliers, and setting up security measures for your shop. Rig Veda, the first among the four compendiums of wisdom from the earliest civilisation of India, pays homage to Soma, liquor that was appreciated highly by the gods” said Laxman Nath. Kanaka Durga temple head priest, Acharya Ravi Gupta questioned the wisdom of the excise department officials in giving licenses to open liquor shops in the name of god and hurting religious sensibilities of people and causing inconvenience to public. “It is common

to find at least one shop on every corner or by-lane in City named after gods, goddesses and saints. Some of these shops have developed a lot of goodwill and a brand image under a particular name. The excise department needs to be stringent in issuing license to shops which hurt religious sentiments” he added. Several others expressed the similar sentiments. They would not buy the argument of Puranas referring to Soma Ras which they say is seasoned fruit juices like grave wine, not alcohol-rich rum, brandy and whisky.

FOCUS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

WHY YOU SHOULD CARE It stretches more than 5.3 million square miles. It's freezing col, inhospitable, and devoid of any native residents. Why then is the southernABOUT ANTARCTICA most continent at the centre of so much attention? Take a look at why Antarctica is so important and why it deserves your attention too

Ice facts 98%

is covered by a sheet of ice an average of 6,000 feet thick (over 1 mile)

Gambling with the future Due to its pristine majesty, there is an increasing tourist interest in the area. 30,000 tourists visit Antarctica and that number is increasing each year. Currently, tourism is confined to a few cruise ship trips along the continental shelves. But things are changing fast. Plans have been proposed to expand development with a hotel and even a casino. Increased human impact means more pollution and threats to this rare environment.

90%

miles is maximum ice thickness (15,670 feet)

The Antarctic Peninsula is warming up at a rate 10x faster than the global average, dramatically represented by the 2002 break-up of the Larsen B ice shelf. The average annual temperature has increased 5.4oF in the past 50 years. If all ice on Antarctica melted, sea levels would rise 200ft. The world's largest cities are located near coastlines with increasing population. Approximately half of the world's population, 3.5 billion people, currently live in this global flood zone.

of the world's supply of fresh water

million years covered with ice

This land is my land

Troubled waters All species are being fished heavily and their depletion is affecting the natural food chain. Non-targeted fish accidentally caught in the process are killed as well. Habitat is being destroyed by fishing gear and netting methods. In the late 1960s the Soviet Union targeted two fish species and hauled in 400,000 tons in just one season. That was followed by a decline in fish stocks. More than 40 years later, the species have still not recovered.

While no nation owns Antarctica as a whole, portions of it have certainly been claimed yet none of the declarations are universally recognised. Throughout the early part of the 20th century, seven nations sent expeditions and announced territorial claims to various parts of the continent, several of which overlapped each other. These assertions are only recognised among those declarative countries and are hotly contested. These nations include:

New Zealand

Climate:The driest continent on the on earth. It receives less than 2 inches of precipitation per year and is classified as a frozen desert.

Things are heating up

70%

of all the world's ice

France

Norway

Temperature:Lowest recorded temperature on earth (Vostok station) = -128.6oF

Wind:Windiest place on earth (Mawson station) = 154 mph wind gusts Area:1.4 times the size of the United States (5,339,543 square miles) Animals:Although home to endangered species like penguins, seals, and whales, Antarctica has no native land mammals.

Exploration: The South Pole was first reached in 1911.

Australia

Argentina

Chile

United Kingdom

What lies beneath As the ice melts, so do the friendly ties. Despite the mile-thick sheet of ice blanketing the continent, demand for petroleum and natural gas has spurred curiosity in what's beneath the surface. The potential looms large for prospecting nations causing some to fight over land, including the continental ice shelfs — areas not explicitly banned by the 1961 treaty. If Antarctica opens for mineral and oil exploration, the treaty's consultative parties have already begun working on plans on proceeding.

Discovery: Antarctica was imagined by the ancient Greeks but not seen with human eyes until 1820.

Who owns Antarctica?

Population: There are no permanent residents but there are roughly 4,000 scientists in the summer thinning out to 100 during the winter.

Geology: 500 million years ago the Antarctic was at Earth's equator. As the continental plates drifted, Antarctica slowly moved to the south pole.

Paleontology: During the Mesozoic era, 65–250 million years ago, Antarctica supported a diverse population of dinosaurs and plant life.

Hazards: Besides the bitter cold, sunburns and snowblindness are serious human health risks as the snow's surface reflects almost all of the ultraviolet light hitting it.

It stretches 5.4 million square miles, it's freezing, inhospitable, and devoid of any native residents. Why, then, is the southernmost continent at the centre of such contentious wrangling? Argentina, the UK, Norway and France have all staked claim to the continent at some point.

Profile of the frost-bound continent Roughly 1.5 times the size of the United States Although home to animals including penguins and whales, there are no native land mammals 70% of 98% covered by world’s supa thick sheet of = ply of fresh ice at least a water mile deep Receives less than 2 inches of rain per year the driest continent on earth Winter temperatures can drop to as low as — 20OF Summer has only reached a maximum of 58OF Sea levels could rise 200 feet worldwide if the ice here melts

The Iceman cometh

The Russians have drilled down to Lake Vostok in Antarctica and taken samples from the last pristine region on the planet. It’s time to visit a frozen wonderland

NATION SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

CLASSIFIEDS FABRICATION

STET paper leaked PATNA: Thirty-six people were arrested on Friday for leaking the Secondary Teachers Eligibility Test (STET) question papers in Bihar, officials said. The question papers for the entrance test were leaked in over half a dozen districts in the State. Police have arrested 18 people in Nalanda, 14 in Jamui and four in Supaul districts.

Village bars killers

Italy opens enquiry

MEERUT: A community panchayat

ROME: Italy offered to send diplomats to India to help resolve a crisis sparked by the alleged killing of two Indian fishermen by Italian naval officers, as prosecutors opened an enquiry.The Indian ambassador to Rome held talks at the Italian foreign ministry to calm the row which began after guards on an Italian oil tanker opened fire on an Indian boat.

in an Uttar Pradesh district has excommunicated four brothers who murdered a youth visiting their sister and ordered them to leave the town, police said on Friday. A fine was slapped on their two accomplices. Citing the complaint filed by father of the murdered youth, police said that the panchayat was held in Sardhana town Thursday.

Young brigade leads dynasty charge in UP NEW DELHI: The old order

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Pak 26/11 team to visit on Mar 12 ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani judicial commission will visit India on March 12 as part of the probe into the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said on Friday. Malik made the remarks during a meeting with Pakistan’s High Commissioner to India, Shahid Malik. The minister was briefed by the envoy on the judicial commission’s visit to India, officials said. The minister said the commission would visit India on March 12 and directed the High Commissioner to inform Indian authorities. At a hearing on Tuesday, the anti-terrorism court conducting the trial of the 7 suspects asked the prosecution lawyers to present a fresh notification about the commission’s visit. On the other hand, official sources told that the Pakistani side had sought new dates for the commission’s visit but a decision was yet to be made.

changeth, yielding place to the new... Alfred Tennyson’s immortal words are playing out again in the dusty heartlands of Uttar Pradesh where three sons are preparing to carry on their political legacies. For Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Chaudhary, out to prove they are worthy inheritors, this could well be a make-or-break election. Rahul Gandhi is son of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and the late Rajiv Gandhi, a fifth generation leader of the NehruGandhi family; Akhilesh Yadav is son of Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav; Jayant Chaudhary is son of union minister and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh. There’s plenty in common. All three are leading their party's campaign, all are MPs from Uttar Pradesh and are cutting their teeth in this election for power in India's most populous state currently ruled by Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). Congress has tied up with the RLD to take on the BSP, SP and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the gruelling polls, spanning 403 assembly seats and being held

over seven phases between February 8 and March 3. Is this a continuation of dynastic politics, a sign of India's unchanging feudal times or a sign of a resurgent youth willing to give up all to herald change? The opinions are sharp and divided. Chaudhary, who is mainly campaigning in western Uttar Pradesh where his party is contesting most of its 47 seats, said his role in the campaign should not be seen as sign of generational transition. “I don't think it is reflection of generational transition. Ajit Singh is president... Yes, I have a fair deal of responsibility,” Chaudhary, who unlike Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav is contesting the

assembly election from Mathura said. Chaudhary, whose grandfather Charan Singh was a former prime minister, has been raising issues of land acquisition, corruption and injustice to farmers. He said the fact that young leaders from political dynasities were playing a role in the election reflected “the sentiment on the ground as well”. Rahul Gandhi, has a lot riding on the outcome of the election in a state where the Congress has been out of power for almost 22 years and now has only 22 seats in the assembly. He has set a hectic pace for himself, addressing over 100 rallies, visiting villages, interacting with farmers and Dalit in their homes.

ACE WITH GRACE

Ace tennis player Leander Paes walks the ramp with a rescued girl from Delhi’s Red Light area during a special show ‘You Can Free Us’ at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in New Delhi on Friday. PTI/VIJAY VERMA

For Akhilesh Yadav, the electoral challenge is equally daunting with the SP seen as the natural gainer of an anti-incumbency sentiment. Relatively low profile, he has been steadfast in his campaign at the grassroots level. Though decisions in the SP are still taken by his father, he is credited with reshaping the party's thinking by going beyond caste mobilisation. The BJP was scathing and said it was not relying on dynasty to deliver votes. “Their campaign is dynastic, ours is dynamic,” Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said. SP MP Mohan Singh did not agree. “Where is the harm if they are sons of leaders. They are going through the struggle,” Mohan Singh said. Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed said it was natural for parties to give prominence to young leaders as majority of country’s population comprised people below the age of 35. Political analysts added that dynastic politics was not specific to a few states and young leaders leading the poll effort was a healthy trend. Now to March 6, when the votes will be counted and the effectiveness of the trio IANS will be known to all.

Sena-BJP alliance triumphs in polls

MUMBAI: The Shiv SenaBharatiya Janata PartyRepublican Party of India alliance on Friday came up trumps in elections to the Mumbai and Thane municipal corporations, while Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) did better than expected, marking its presence at several places. Though the Shiv Sena-led alliance fell short of the magic figure in both the BMC and TMC, it is widely expected to retain power with the help of rebels and independents. As per the latest figures, in Mumbai, the alliance

bagged 107 seats, followed by the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) coming a distant second with 64 seats, the MNS with 28, and independents and others bagging 28 seats of the 227 seats in the house. In Thane, it bagged 61 seats, followed by CongressNCP with 52 seats, MNS 7 and independents and others secured 10 seats of the 130strong house. The need to ask for MNS support may not immediately arise, though Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray recently expressed willingness to ally with his estranged nephew if the situation so warranted.

WORLD SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Terror suspect held in US

Merkel to find replacement

‘Sun on Sunday’ announced

WASHINGTON: A terror suspect has been arrested near the US Capitol as part of an anti-terrorism investigation, the FBI said in a statement.The suspect was carrying explosives that had been deactivated by officers, Xinhua quoted the FBI as saying Friday. The suspect was planning a suicide attack on the Capitol with explosives he received from undercover officers, whom he thought was associate of Al-Qaeda, CNN reported.

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel vowed Friday to find a cross-party candidate after Germany’s president resigned over a corruption probe, dealing her a blow as she battles to lead Europe out of its debt crisis. Merkel announced talks with major political parties to find a consensus candidate to replace political ally Christian Wulff, who earlier stepped down after prosecutors had sought the lifting of his legal immunity.

LONDON: Britain’s newspapers were abuzz onSaturday over Rupert Murdoch’s announcement that he is to launch a Sunday version of his top-selling British tabloid The Sun. The 2.5 million-circulation Sun carried the front-page message, “Coming soon: The Sun every Sunday.” Several rivals showed the media tycoon beaming and brandishing a copy of The Sun as he was chauffered towards the scandal-hit tabloid’s offices on Friday .

US attack on Iran likely: Officials WASHINGTON: Officials in key parts of the Obama administration are increasingly convinced that sanctions will not deter Tehran from pursuing its nuclear programme, and believe that the US will be left with no option but to launch an attack on Iran or watch Israel do so, the Guardian reported. The report stated that the president has made clear in public, and in private to Israel, that he is determined to give sufficient time for recent measures, such as the financial blockade and the looming European oil embargo, to bite deeper into Iran’s already battered economy before retreating from its principal strategy to pressure Tehran. “The White House wants to see

sanctions work. This is not the Bush White House. It does not need another conflict,” an official knowledgeable on Middle East policy told the Guardian. “Its problem is that the guys in Tehran are behaving like sanctions don’t matter, like their economy isn’t collapsing, like Israel isn’t going to do anything. Sanctions are all we’ve got to throw at the problem. If they fail then it’s hard to see how we don’t move to the ‘in extremis’ option.” The newspaper reported that the White House has said repeatedly that all options are on the table, including the use of force to stop Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, but that for now the emphasis is firmly on diplomacy

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad AFP/AAMIR QURESHI and sanctions. But long-held doubts among US officials about whether the Iranians can be enticed or cajoled into serious negotiations have been reinforced by recent events.

“We don’t see a way forward," said one official in the report. “The record shows that there is nothing to work with." President Ahmadinejad’s claim this week that Iran loaded its first domestically-made fuel rod into a nuclear reactor, and Iran’s threat to cut oil supplies to six European countries, were read as further evidence that Tehran remains defiantly committed to its nuclear programme. That view was strengthened by the latest Iranian offer to negotiate with the UN security council in a letter that appeared to contain no significant new concessions. According to the report if Obama were to conclude that there is no choice but to attack Iran, he is unlikely to order it

before the presidential election in November unless there is an urgent reason to do so. The question is whether the Israelis will hold back that long. Earlier this month, the US defence secretary, Leon Panetta, told the Washington Post that he thought the window for an Israeli attack on Iran is between April and June. But other official analysts working on Iran have identified what one described as a “sweet spot", where the mix of diplomacy, political timetables and practical issues come together to suggest that if Israel launches a unilateral assault it is more likely in September or October, although they describe that as a “best guess".

Anthony Shadid: the best of his generation The finest foreign correspondent of this troubled era in the Middle East dies on assignment in Syria. In memoriam MICHAEL GOLDFARB

arsaw — I woke up this morning to the news that Anthony Shadid has died — apparently of an asthma attack — while on assignment in Syria. Whether you knew his by-line or not the loss is incalculable. I can speak in absolutes about the quality of his work. No one reported the Middle East with greater clarity and nuance than Shadid. No one brought

the humanity of the people of the region, people who live in a perpetual state of stress even when they are living in the comparative comfort of Beirut and Tel Aviv, to the wider world with a surer touch than Anthony. He could have coasted on his one great advantage - fluency in Arabic to beat other reporters to the story. He did not. He used it as a foundation to serve readers and help colleagues. When I left Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam, a sizeable part of my heart was left behind with new friends who were struggling to make the country a better place. Amid the constant shifts in the chaotic post-war era, Anthony’s dispatches were the ones I relied on to give me the complete picture of what was happening around the country. American reporters are trained to be objective. It is an ideal to aspire to, more than an achievable goal. We are human beings and those of us who cover conflicts have our emotions challenged every day. The desire to bear witness and to make readers and listeners feel what we feel is overwhelming. Anthony, who saw more terrible things than most, managed to stay closer to the ideal than any one. That’s what makes his reporting the best and that is why in years to come, it will truly be seen as the first draft of GLOBAL POST history.

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COMMENT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Abused wife’s revenge

Irresponsible comments

loved the coverage of abused wife gets back to her husband. Somewhere it didn’t feel so wrong what the women did to her husband. May be there should be a law that says if take revenge exactly the way you were treated (not less, not more) than it should be allowed. I pity these women who suffered, before and after what she did, and she gets no peace or solace of any kind. Sheila Johnson, Hakimpet

est Bengal Chief Minister’s comment’s on the morality of the rape case victim were shocking. Without a proper enquiry it is wrong to place blame on either. With her awkward comments nearly every second day on every possible issue (which sometimes doesn’t even concern her), this statement shouldn’t come as a surprise. Smitha P Begumpet

EDITORIALS Readers’ views We invite you to write to us comments, suggestions, viewpoint or just about anything to feedback@postnoon.com or #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500 033 or even by way of a call on 4067 2222.

Women’s health issues

read Postnoon almost daily and I have to congratulate your team on the excellent work. I religiously read the health page because it is very informing. The health section has covered a many issues. The doctor’s column has been very useful as the queries are what I can relate to. I have a suggestion to make. Can you please include a doctor’s column every day, exclusively for women’s queries. Nadia Safar Hakimpet

EDITORIALS TERROR IS NOT A State-alone affair Mamata Banerjee is leading the dissenting voices from nonUPA States against the National Counter Terrorism Centre citing infringement on State’s rights. The NCTC, a brainchild of home minister P Chidambaram, has been set up as a hub for antiterror activities of security agencies. The powerful Central agency derives powers from the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) that allows Central government agencies to make arrests or searches in terrorrelated cases. The agency will keep State police in the loop but need not seek permission from their governments before launching any operation. This has been the primary bone of contention for the BJP and others who oppose interference with law and order, which is essentially a State subject. However, what they are missing is that bullets and bombs of terrorists don’t discriminate between ruling and Opposition or State and Centre. Mamata and her federalism choir must see the larger picture and put national interests above shortterm applauds for tough talk and obstructionism.

WHY WE LOVE... Dereck Chisora It takes a brave man to fight Vitali Klitschko. But British boxer Dereck Chisora showed the world the sheer bulk of cajones when he slapped Klitschko at the pre-bout weigh-in. Vitali, was stunned and reacted rather like an elephant awoken from a deep slumber only to realise the rat that nipped him had fled. And although Dereck’s trainer, Don Charles, said Chisora’s actions were “unacceptable”, it will be Vitali’s words that will haunt Dereck as he steps into the ring later today: “You’re f#$%^d now, Dereck, you are really f#$%^d.”

FLUKEBOX

Delhi’s Belly Quirky side up ARPITA BHAWAL

here’s something about New Delhi. Besides the India Gate and the Red Fort, the greedy shopping experiences and gastronomic delights, there is something else: Prized Arrogance (PA). So, what is it about the capital city of India with its PA that awes and repels us in equal measure? For some, it is the lewd Punjabi aggression. For others, it is the scary tales of abusing women. For me, it is the fascinating greenery amidst which No.10 Racecourse Road turns its nose at the ghettoes of Purani Dilli (Old Delhi). For many of my southern friends, Delhi is about the so-called prima donnas of South-Ex, who may very well become totally irrelevant once they open their mouths to speak. Evidence of over-confidence without substance, perhaps – or simply, PA at its best! Yet, PA or not, in winter, if

you happen to be in Delhi, you are likely to be charmed. The crisp cold air is complemented by smartly turned out Delhites in their leather jackets, knee high boots and woolen berets. Very European! While you are dwelling on that pretty picture, throw in a driver who doubles up as a tour guide, giving a running commentary in Hindi. But, despite everything, the PA never really leaves the scene – and you can’t really ignore it. Imagine this: We are returning to the hotel after a long day of meetings. The luxurious homeliness of The Lalit at Connaught Place beckons. All we’d like to do is really eat and sleep – and prepare for another long day of more meetings. Wazir Singh, our reluctant driver, is quiet in keeping with our energy levels. As we halt a few meters short of one of the traffic junctions, one of the many cars itching to get going, a white Maruti Swift on our left side wakes up. The car door opens, and a tall, fair, handsome man with spiky hair decides to step out. No harm done really, except his car’s door blatantly bangs against ours. As if for effect, he tests how far the door

NEXT TIME YOU ARE IN DELHI, AND IT IS NOT EVEN WINTER, YOU HAVE ONLY ONE OPTION: IGNORE THE SCENERY AND BE ON ‘HIGH ALERT’. can open again, banging our car again, before he steps out. Outraged, my colleague demands to know why the man was behaving this way. Wazir Singh gives the door-banger an equally outraged look, but remains mute. I chip in softly, saying the man was indeed shameless and must be told to behave, and also possibly taught not to step out between traffic lanes. Wazir Singh still remains silent. The door-banger lights a cigarette which he takes out of the boot of the Swift, and then he readies to hop back again into his car. While getting in, he opens his car door again, wide and hard, banging again against our car. Wazir Singh apparently has had enough this time, so he rolls down the win-

dow pane and says to the man: “Please watch out for the door.” The man is now as outraged as my colleague was. He says, “Who asked you to park so close to my car?” Wazir Singh rolls up the window. The signal turns green and we drive off. Of course, we are stunned. We all know that Delhi by definition is arrogant, suffers from a superiority complex, and is a seat of political intrigue. But this was a priceless display of PA – prized arrogance that is now in the DNA of the city, running like cheap alcohol in the bloodstream of its people, forcing immigrants to adopt the haughty tone and confrontational stance so that they blend in with the residents. Delhi’s Belly is full of its own self – including its woes of inhospitality, lack of emotional intelligence and disregard for women’s safety. Is there no hope, then? Probably not in the next decade, unless aggressors are not allowed to drive and PA is banned. So, next time you are in Delhi, and it is not even winter, you have only one option: Ignore the scenery and be on ‘high alert’. Oh yes, and leave your ego behind at home.

COMMENT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

‘Con’gress antonym of ‘pro’gress PolyTricks A SAYE SEKHAR

ros and cons mean advantages and shortcomings. Thus pro stood as an antonym of con. Sometime ago, I found a very interesting comment on the Facebook that drew a huge response. It went viral very fast on web. The comment was: ‘Con’gress is the opposite of ‘pro’gress. Not that all others are paragons of virtue, but how true the statement is. Like Eve being created from Adam, almost all political parties in India were the Congress’ offspring. If not, some of their leaders would have been Congressmen at some point in time or the other. The party has been an aerie of many a political destitute too. For now, the topic I would like to dwell at length is surely the chaotic way the party messed up everything in the last two-and-half years in the State and proved politically incorrect every time. To its utter discomfiture, there is hardly any saviour

Urban sketches VISWAPRASAD RAJU

to salvage its sagging morale in the State, thanks to the carpet bombing by the helmsmen targeting one another within the party. The list of delicate issues that exposed the slipshoddiness of the party and its government is too long to cut short. Whenever a mass leader had to be replaced for whatever reasons, the Congress fails to find a point man though it never has suffered from a dearth of leaders. Selection of K Rosaiah to be the chief minister, as if he was the Hobson’s choice, under peculiar circumstances alludes to the uncanny knack of the Congress leadership. But the move didn’t augur well for the party. Wittingly or unwittingly, Rosaiah got entangled in the Ameerpet land allotments case. The initial breather from the ACB court remained short-lived and his own trusted lieutenant CVSK Sarma (principal secretary to the chief minister in Rosaiah’s regime) raised a pointer at his former boss during a court deposition. N Kiran Kumar Reddy, who was an archetypal nowhere man in the State polity, emerged the dark horse. While it is too con-

Heritage

KIRAN KUMAR WENT TO THE EXTENT OF TELLING THE MATINEE IDOL THAT THEIRS WOULD BE A DEADLY COMBINATION AS CHIRU COULD BRING THE CRITICAL MASS TO THE TABLE AND HE COULD ADD A DASH OF POLITICS temporary to analyse the internecine feud between the chief minister, his deputy Damodar C Rajanarsimha, and APCC president Botsa Satyanarayana, one more addition to the bedlam is Chiranjeevi, whose aspirations touch upon the horizons of all top offices. It proved to be a pipe dream for the megastar to become the chief minister. Since he failed to bootstrap himself with his tiny formation, Praja Rajyam, and catapult into the seat of power, he wants the Congress high command to condescend on him and handhold him to walk the bumpy political road ahead. Chirnajeevi is now being

perceived as a panacea, at least by the chief minister, for all problems. Chiranjeevi is being offered his pound of proverbial flesh in everything unasked. He had his say even in the appointing information commissioners that’s muddled in controversies now, leave alone Cabinet posts and other crumbs thrown as baits to keep his flock glued to the chief minister’s camp. While Kiran Kumar Reddy went to the extent of telling the matinee idol that theirs would be a deadly combination as Chiru could bring the critical mass to the table and Kiran could add a dash of politics to it and continue their winning streak. This model is for now hypothetical, though. Egging the clownish Shanker Rao to contain the overambitious YS Jaganmohan Reddy worked wonders, but somewhere in the back of the minds of the party mandarins it is lurking if the party had gone too far on this issue. For the names that reverberated like hymns in the corridors of power during the YSR regime are not figuring even as 100th or the millionth accused in the

Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases slapped against Jagan and his cronies. Some people after whom buildings were christened in Emaar’s Boulder Valley are nowhere to be seen as at least witnesses. This is surely casting its shadow on the probity of the probe. Darting and ducking and finally dithering on the issue of throwing out the legislators loyal to Jagan exposed the weakness of the Congress beyond any reasonable doubt. Any explanation that it was a deliberate act of buying time is just a ploy to cover up the weakness and nothing else. And now the party is sloshed in the kick of the liquor cases unearthed by the AntiCorruption Bureau. What started as a game of political oneupmanship between the chief minister and the APCC chief has reached its crescendo exposing everyone cutting across party lines and numerous bureaucrats are caught in the ACB’s dragnet. The government estimated `10,820 crore, 20 per cent more than last year’s `9,014 crore, through excise revenue, while it had already killed the goose laying the golden eggs.

To be or not to be From the hip SYED SHOAIB

nion law minister Salman Khurshid and the Union minister for steel Beni Prasad Verma have promised reservation for Muslims and enhanced reservation to backward classes as a promise of their party in their campaigns for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. The debatable points are whether the minorities are in need of such favours and the timing of the promises. Social justice to the disadvantaged sections of the society is a constitutional obligation for achieving the broad goal of a just and equitable society. If some sections of the society are lagging behind, it becomes mandatory to make support provisions for them to integrate them into the mainstream. Reservation in jobs and education is one model of affirmative

action to achieve this constitutional mandate. The Sachar Committee report has clearly brought out the urgent need for redress of the backwardness of the Muslims as it is a national problem. Muslims are 150-million strong; therefore the Sachar Committee report reiterates that it is not a Muslim problem but a national problem. No country can progress if such a large chunk of its population remains backward. Muslims face high levels of poverty and are only slightly better off than SCs. Their employment in government jobs is extremely low at all levels and in no state does their representation in government departments match their population. Their participation in political processes and governance too is marginal. To redress this problem the Sachar Committee recommended that the government make a targeted effort to introduce affirmative action such as reservations in jobs and education as well as political processes so that Muslims benefit as did the SCs.

The Sachar report was submitted to the prime minister in November 2006. Why has there been silence across all political parties on it till now? It is only on the eve of an election that this loud clamour for affirmative action is being trumpeted, challenging the establishment and mocking it to take action against them. If the political establishment was serious about the plight of the Muslims, it would have made effort to implement the Sachar Report’s recommendations in right earnest the moment it was released. Its intention would have been there for all to see and there would have been no reason to scream hoarsely just on the eve of an election. Instead it became just that, a REPORT. What is needed is firm commitment to their promises rather than theatrical gestures of daring the Election Commission that is a constitutional body and a pillar to strengthen democracy the functioning of which we as Indians are rightly proud.

BUSINESS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Silicon Image’s R&D centre

Sensex 137 points up

RGIA 3rd best in world

ilicon Image, a leading provider of wireless and wired high definition connectivity solutions, recently opened its new research and development (R&D) center in Hyderabad. “The technology innovation and growth occurring in Hyderabad made the location a natural fit for Silicon Image’s expanding R&D portfolio,” said Rashid Osmani, vice president of worldwide engineering at Silicon Image, Inc. The R&D centre has 80 employees currently.

ajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) has been adjudged the third best airport in the world in the 5-15 million passengers per annum category in Airport Service Quality by Council International. The airport, was ranked ahead of global contenders like Abu Dhabi, Adelaide, Geneva, Cape Town, Hamburg and London Luton Airports. It scored 4.44 in 2009, 4.51 in ‘10 and 4.57 in ‘11 on a scale of 1 to 5.

CECILE GRAAT

ombay Stock Exchange closed 137 points up, paring some of its intra-day gains, on Friday for the weekend. The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) opened at 18,331.2 points, closed at 18,291.32 points (provisional), 137.33 points or 0.76 per cent up from its previous close at 18,153.99 points. The National Stock Exchange also closed higher at 5,568.35 points, up 46.4 points.

Toy story too Prashant Gowriraju, 30, founder of www.kidloo.com, an online toy-store, says that his one and only inspiration was his three-year-old son, Ashrit K PRUDHVI RAJU

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

og onto Prashant Gowriraju at www.kidloo.com, and see through his success in multiple hues. Who inspired this 30-year-old to get into the business he chose? It’s not often that successful businessmen attribute their success to their children, especially when the kids are all of just three years. Prashant Gowriraju, 30, founder of www.kidloo.com, an online toy-store, says that his one and only inspiration was his three-year-old son, Ashrit. Nothing has and nothing can deter this gutsy man with grit and determination. His father failed in his grocery business and his mother discouraged him from getting into any business. But it was his passion that kept him going and voila, Kidloo was born. Prashant, graduated from IIFM, Bangalore, and founded the online web store with a meagre `30 lakh that he borrowed from friends and business community a year ago. The brand has made rapid strides, and currently, there are more than 6,000

toys from over 100 international brands, including National Geographic and Disney available for sale on the click of a mouse at his website. The toy-store manages about 100 transactions a day, which is most impressive by any standard. “There are a lot of emotions attached to sale of toys. Kidloo’s aim is to give parents an appropriate toy and enhance the customer experience. “That is the experience which I couldn’t get while buying toy for my son. I have visited 750 toy stores across India to learn and understand the business. Their sales are good, but almost 95 per cent of them are unable to guide the parents in buying the right toy,” said Prashanth, founder and chief executive officer of Hoorayy Technologies. He is confident that online stores can offer better buying experience by giving detailed descriptions about the toys, brand history and usage videos. The toy can be classified by age, gender and price, and the customer can filter the choice in just a few seconds, which is almost impossible in the traditional way of buying toys. Talking about e-commerce potential, he says that the growth has already started, and how. Flipkart, the online mega-

THE CV Name: Prashant Gowriraju Father’s name: Satya Moorthy DOB: 25-09-1981 Education: n Schooling from St. Claire’s Convent School n Degree from Vivekananda College n MBA from IFIM, Bangalore Work experience: n Business manager- Inspire Software Solutions January 2000- December 2003 n Process Executive- Infosys Technologies January 2004- May 2005 n Manager- Appnomic Systems May 2005- August 2006 n Sales Manager- Monster.com December 2006- August 2007 n Founder- Kidloo.com Languages known: English, Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Malyalam, Tamil and Punjabi.

store, is getting a turnover of `50 crore and its competitor, Lets Buy, has a turnover of `150 crore a year. It is very hard to generate that kind of revenues with bricks and mortar businesses, he says. The Internet penetration is growing at 15 per cent every year and will soon hit the 11-crore mark in India. Almost 70 per cent of the customers choose to buy toys using cash on delivery (COD). The credit card, debit card and online banking take the rest 30 per cent. There are five per cent of the people who do not receive the order for COD deliveries, because of not being present at home or they bought a toy from somewhere else already. The return is negligible with the share of revenues COD is generating, he says. The turnover of the store reached a crore of rupees in the last one year and the gross margins are 22-25 per cent. However, the company wants to expand the product portfolio by 25,000 toys in next two months and aiming for 250 transactions a day in six months. It is enhancing its warehouse capabilities and logistics to reach this target. It also has plans to raise $ 6 million through venture capitalist for expansion. According to Prashant, he gets inspired by

There are a lot of emotions attached to sale of toys. Kidloo’s aim is to give parents an appropriate toy and enhance the customer experience. Prashant Gowriraju FlipKart and Amazon websites. On a personal front, Prashant likes a succulent Hyderabadi Biryani and anything spicy that will tickle his taste buds. His wardrobe includes Arrow and Louis Philippe, or anything in , which he loves wearing over a Jovan Musk perfume, an accessorizing with a Tommy Hilfiger watch. His love for gadget is evident. Prashant says he loves to spend a lot on gadgets and only last month, he bought himself a Samsung Galaxy S2. He also likes Apple products, especially the iPod and Mac computer. He loves holidaying in Pondicherry for the weather and less crowd. He drives a Hyundai Accent, and loves going for long drives with his wife, Deepika, and son. Ashrit plays games on Prashant’s phone.

MOTORING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Estate Cruze set for launch

hevrolet will launch an estate version of its Cruze saloon and hatchback at the Geneva show next month. Estate versions of hatches are not usually longer but the Cruze is 168mm longer than the hatchback and 81mm longer than the saloon. The important number is the load space which, seats folded, is 1,500 litres. There’s only one engine choice, a 1.7-litre diesel with 130bhp and emissions of 119g/km.

Outlander crosses over

Siri gets a set of wheels

merican company Nuance Communications, which developed some of the voice technology used in Apple's Siri software, is working with Ford and General Motors to enable motorists to use conversational commands. The key is an algorithm that enables the computer to determine the speaker's intent. If a US motorist asks: "Is it raining in Miami?" Siri assumes the questioner wants a weather report.

itsubishi is launching a new generation of its Outlander crossover in both 2wd and 4wd forms. The current car is also sold as the Citroen C-Crosser. There’ll be a choice of 2.0-litre petrol engine or 2.2litre diesel, plus a new six-speed automatic gearbox and the option of stop/start. The new Outlander also gets a powered tailgate and dual zone air conditioning. It will go on sale in late summer.

Gone, but not forgotten Vinu SV, who was a regular contributor to our Motorcycle Diaries column, was tragically killed in an accident this week. With a profound sadness, we publish the column he wrote before his untimely death Vinu SV

he Bun Burner, alike my Saddle Soar in April 2011, was a ride sparked by my unruly impulse. At 9pm, I was in a coffee shop, dunking black coffee and painting my dream of a better future on the dark canvas of the blank space around me. At 10.45pm, I was at the entrance of NH7 in Shamshabad, filling my bike’s tank with petrol and my mind with determination. I was scared. I had not planned this. My hands were trembling, and I wasn’t sure if they would be able to grip the handle bar continuously for the next 36 hours. But I had no idea how long it would take me to bring myself back to where I was — the beginning of a survival ride that takes much more than confidence and skill to attempt.

I started the ride at 11pm. After about a couple of hundred kilometres, the reality that I had to hit 2,500km in 36 hours started sinking in. The temperature dropped and my R15 just refused to go beyond 125kmph. But I reached Bengaluru in less than six hours. Next I was 1,250km down in Kanyakumari, done in 15 hours, which means I was left with 21 hours for the next 1,250. Looked easy then, but it was far from that. I knew the ride back was going to be much more challenging because I would have to cross Bengaluru during peak traffic hours. Sadly, that was not the only thing. My wrists started aching and swelling badly. I had been diagnosed with a cervical spine dislocation after my Saddle Sore ride. I had to distract myself from the pain, but there was absolutely nothing I could do. I was exhausted and

close to giving up but I told myself that I was on an endurance ride and the challenge had just begun. I finally reached Bengaluru. I rode for more than 20 hours, with just fuel stops and a couple of tea breaks of not more than 10 minutes each. As expected, there was a lot of traffic in the city, but I had no other way out. A while later, I experienced a sting in my left eye. I guess a bug decided to unleash its fury upon me and

ARMAAN SHAIKH (Moderator Highway Nawabs Royal Rider Enfield Group, Hyderabad) He did what hardcore riders across the world on their autobahns and expressways atop their 1000+cc bikes did, on his 150cc Yamaha in Indian road conditions. India and Hyderabad is proud of such a young achiever. He has showed us that with a desire to succeed, nothing is impossible. Vinu, even now you have raced way ahead of us. Heartfelt condolences to your family.

crash landed straight into my eye. I started searching for water. I was just 650 km from the finishing point, Hyderabad . At about 1 am, I found a medical store in the outskirts, but no water. A while later, I started hallucinating. I saw people crossing the road and city street signals on the highway; the zebra stripes started transforming into animals that pounced on me from all directions. Then, I heard voices. An imaginary pillion was trying to plant ideas in

“This ride made me a tough rider. A rider who’d love to leave the impressions of immortality on highways instead of autographs in teenage slam books. I am Madmax and I am not going down.”

my head. He said I should stop now or I will die. For a moment, I was convinced. Maybe my subconscious was telling my conscious exactly what it wanted to hear. But I kept going. At 8.30 am, I reached the fuel station in Shamshabad where I started the ride about 33 hours ago. I had about three hours left and 100 more kilometres to cover. A few of my friends were waiting for me at the finishing point. That gave me the energy to ride. I finished the Bun Burner with 90 minutes to spare. Made my last swipe at the SBI ATM in Chegunta and broke down. This ride made me a tough rider. A rider who’ll keep riding, sponsor or no sponsor. A rider who’d love to leave the impressions of immortality on highways instead of autographs in teenage slam books. I am Madmax and I am not going down.

MICHAEL J KNEEBONE (President, Iron Butt Association) Vinu SV is one of the early pioneers of long-distance motorcycle riding in India. Along the way to earning two certified Iron Butt rides of over 1,600km in one day, he has inspired many riders to head for the open road and explore India. Vinu represented all that is good in this wonderful world of motorcycling. He has set an example for all of us to follow."

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

APP OF THE WEEK

www.igluski.com ith vast snowfalls in recent weeks, ski conditions this winter in many European resorts are so far proving to be the best in living memory. So if you want to get away to the slopes, how should you book a break? One starting point definitely worth considering is Igluski.

Glenn Chapman

pple released a preview version of its new Macintosh operating system on Thursday, bringing some features of the iPad to the personal computer. The Cupertino, California-based company said the updated operating system, called Mountain Lion, will be available to Macintosh developers immediately and Mac owners can upgrade to the new software in late summer. Apple said Mountain Lion includes a new Messages application which replaces iChat and allows a user to send unlimited messages, photos and video from a Mac to another Mac or a device running iOS software such as the iPad or iPhone. It also includes integration with Twitter allowing users to sign in and tweet directly from Safari, Photo Booth and thirdparty applications. Game Center allows for live multiplayer games to be played across iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch devices while with AirPlay Mirroring, a Mac user can wirelessly send video from a Mac to an HDTV using Apple TV. Mountain Lion is the first Mac operating system built with the Internet ‘cloud’ in mind, Apple said. “More than 100 million users have iCloud accounts, and Mountain Lion makes it easier than ever to set up iCloud and access documents across your devices,” it said. Mountain Lion entices users into iCloud, which Apple chief executive Tim Cook this week described as one of the “profound changes” people will one day talk about with their grandchildren. “If you dial back 10 to 12 years, Steve (Jobs) announced a strategy for Apple that positions the Mac or PC at the hub of everyone’s life,” Cook said Tuesday at a Goldman Sachs technology conference in San Francisco. “iCloud turns that on its head,” he said. “It recognises that, across that decade, you and I live off multiple devices.” A new security feature called Gatekeeper protects Macs against malicious software by giving users control over what applications can be installed and downloaded, Apple said. Cook, in an interview with The Wall Street Journal, said the new Macintosh operating system takes advantage of features popular on the iPad and iPhone.

VIDEOGAME REVIEW THE GOOD

CRUSADER KINGS II

Airbind for Android

n A complex and deeply rewarding system of international diplomacy n Building personal relationships in an engrossing endeavour n Open-ended structure lets you pursue your own goals n Well designed and easy navigable menus

irbing wirelessly syncs your iTunes library to your Android device. You just download a PC or Mac client and an Android app. There’s no new media manager: You just keeping using iTunes. Free.

THE B AD

n Manoeuvring large armies can be awkward n Lackluster tutorials

Apple moves mountains, releases a lion

“We see that people are in love with a lot of apps and functionality here," Cook said of the iPhone. “Anywhere where that makes sense, we are going to move that over to Mac.” Apple sold a record 5.2 million Macs last quarter. In a nod to the booming China market, Mountain Lion boasts features tailored for Chinese users, giving them the option of using Baidu search in the Safari browser or uploading video directly to China websites Youku or Tudou.

Apple said Mountain Lion includes a new Messages application, which replaces iChat and allows a user to send unlimited messages, photos and video to other Apple products

The way we see cannibalisation is we prefer to do it rather than have somebody else do it. It doesn’t mean the PC is going to die; I think the Mac can still grow. Tim Cook

WIL

LEM

SER

NÉ

Lion’s roar

pple has released a preview of its next update for the Mac operating system, dubbed Mountain Lion. The revamped OS mirrors several features of the flagship iPhone and iPad, including a new messaging app and Twitter integration.

iPad 3 in March

pple will launch the third version of the iPad on March 7, at an event in San Francisco, according to a number of reports online. The reports also that the device will have a ‘retina’ screen — with four times as many pixels as the current model — and could include 4G connectivity for US highspeed networks.

Sales of Macintosh computers in China more than doubled last year, Cook said. “Not on a big base, but 100 per cent is still good,” he said. “China is a big focus for us.” Macintosh computers have benefited from a “halo effect” that started with the success of culture-changing iPod players introduced in 2001 and which has continued with iPhones and iPads, according to Cook. “The world changed for us in many ways when the iPhone launched,” Cook said, explaining that the hit smartphones brought the California company to the attention of millions of people around the world who “had never met Apple.” “You can definitely see a synergistic effect of these products,” he said. The iPad is eating into desktop computer sales in what late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs branded the “post-PC era” but is taking a bigger bite out of sales of machines powered by Microsoft’s Windows software, according to Cook. “I do believe the iPad is cannibalising some Mac, but it is cannibalising more Windows PC,” Cook said at the conference. “The way we see cannibalisation is we prefer to do it rather than have somebody else do it," he said. “It doesn’t mean the PC is going to die; I think the Mac can still grow.” AFP

ANIMAL KINGDOM SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

PET NEWS Tommy

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Malachy top dog

fter several ministrokes Gary Rosheisen tried to teach his cat, Tommy, how to call 911. One morning Rosheisen fell ill. He couldn’t reach the phone. Police, who arrived soon after, said they received a 911 call from the apartment. It was Tommy.

Alano Español

wo days of fierce competition came to a dramatic conclusion, as the canines of the 136th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show took the stage for the final day of judging. Malachy the Pekingese won the top spot, earning the ultimate title — Best in Show.

lano Español, sometimes called the Spanish Bulldog in English, is a very large breed of dog of the molosser dog type, originating in Spain. The breed is best known for its former use during Spanish bullfights.The breed is very sociable with other dogs.

CATS AND DOGS The Animal Care Clinic 040-2335 2474 Pet’s World Dog Clinic 98856 46259 Blue Cross of Hyderabad 040-3298 9858, 23544355/ 5523 Vet-N-Pet 040-6553 9535, 93463 05890 Bluplus Pet Clinic 040-2712 1739, 2716 2636 Sri Sai Pet Clinic

040-2779 7458, 9848645350 Claws & Paws 98662 82772 All Creatures Animals Clinic 040-2773 0885 BIRDS Govt Veterinary Hospital 040-2331 9656, 2753 5755 Bird Watcher’s Society 040-2355 6166 Friends of Birds9391048315 SNAKES Friends of Snakes 8374233366

Bunny hop springs eternal Furry, cuddly, with red eyes and long ears, an adorable pet. Make a guess? Yes, we are talking about rabbits. Here’s a guide to raising wabbits JOHN VIAU

SHIBA MINAI

shiba.m@postnoon.com

Belly

abbits are small but agile animals, and move pretty fast, keeping pace with them outdoors would require some effort on your part. Rabbits are one of the most easyto-maintain animals; however, there are some dos and don’ts you must keep in mind while taking care of rabbits. One of the most common questions before getting a rabbit is its food habits, veterinarian Dr Sridharan Passupeletti says, “Rabbits love to have a variety in their food. But some of the musthaves in their diet are vegetables, broccoli, carrot, spinach, and cauliflower. Hay is also something that rabbits love; however, it’s important to ensure that the grass is dried appropriately and does not have fungus or is rotten as that can infect the rabbit.” He adds, “Always ensure you wash the vegetables thoroughly before you feed your rabbit. Also, give fresh water to the rabbit in small quantities at least twice a day.” Having said that, rabbits cannot eat any and everything you put in front of it, Manisha Kunta

Raising Jelly and

aising a pet is like raising a child and I am sure all pet owners will agree. One day after work, my friend and I decided to scout around for new roommates for me and our search led us to an ‘animal market’ in Charminar. At the second shop I visited, I spotted two of the most adorable rabbits I’d ever seen. As soon as I picked up one of them, words of caution from friends came flooding back — “They smell awful”, They eat a lot”, “They poop a lot”. I hesitated for a few seconds but when the little fur ball looked at me with red eyes, I was floored. All the way back home, we heard excited squeals from kids, mothers and even from a traffic policeman and I spent the night looking at my new pets and fuss-

Reddy, a rabbit lover and owner of 12 rabbits, says, “Chocolate is like poison for rabbits; they fall ill and sometimes may even die. For that matter, anything with sugar or fat must be avoided. You could treat them with natural sweet things like strawberries, bananas, pineapple, etc. Also, do not give them fruits like custard apple or any seeded fruit as they cannot digest them.” So, is there a cleanliness routine of any kind that must be followed for pet rabbits? Dr Fauzuddin Sarjung, says, “Rabbits do not like water, so giving them a bath once in three to four days or once a week in summer is a good idea for their hygiene as they tend to get dirty pretty soon, especially if their coat is white. Also clipping their nails is important, as their nails curl inwards when they grow too much, which can cause great discomfort and will also hamper their regular habit of digging.” Dr Sarjung also advises that when clipping rabbits’ nails, one needs a little bit of care as you can end up hurting them. “If you have accidentally done it, then

Rabbits are environment friendly, because n n

You can use their droppings in a composite collection and use it to fertilise your garden Rabbits can be great paper shredders, since their teeth grow constantly, and they need something to nibble on, they can happily shred your waste paper Rabbits are happy playing in your apartment, so you don’t have to take them for a walk or a park, saving fuel, emissions and money

How to make your rabbit happy n

n n n

Make him different cardboard houses so he feels the adventure of travelling through a variety of holes Treat them with a sweet food at least once a week Pat them as often as possible Give them something to nibble on all the time, you could buy rabbit nibble toys from your nearest pet store

wipe off the blood with cotton and use either talcum powder or flour to prevent bleeding,” he adds. A lot of rabbit owners might say that these pets do not show much affection and often do not recognise their owners. To this Dr Sridharan says, “There is a misconception that rabbits do not respond to love and care and cannot be petted. That’s not true as they are one of the most affectionate animals you would have ever known. Rabbits usually will paw at you softly till you give them attention or will nudge you with their nose if they are not in the mood to be petted or spoken to.” He says, adding, “When rabbits are happy they tend to be jumpy and excited and will move faster to and fro. However, ensure that you do not pull his tail, or fiddle too much with the ears as they don’t like being teased.” A word of caution: It is better to get your rabbits neutered after they produce their first litter, unless you want your house full of jumpy rabbits. Do take good care of these delicate darlings.

ing over them. The rabbits have been christened Jelly and Belly — the female does nothing but eat, hence Belly, and the male cowers in fright at every sound, hence Jelly. Both Jelly and Belly love feasting on carrots, cucumber peels, lettuce, cabbage leaves and their favourite methi. Fortunately, the rabbits are littertrained and I don’t have to worry about a dirty house. What makes them adorable are their binkies (rabbit jumps). When they’re hungry they give me a gentle nip and run to the refrigerator the moment they see me. Now when I go home from a tiring day at work, I have two cute rabbits waiting for their next meal and FLEME VARKEY me.

BOOKS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

SHORT READS Title: Enemies: A History of the FBI Author: Tim Weiner ISBN: 978-1400067480 Publisher: Random House. Enemies is the first definitive history of the FBI’s secret intelligence operations, from an author whose work on the Pentagon and the CIA won him the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Enemies is the story of how presidents have used the FBI as the most formidable intelligence force in American history.

Title: Book of Sith Secrets from the Dark Side Author: Daniel Wallace ISBN: 978-1612182612 Publisher: 47North. The Sith have existed in the galaxy for centuries, lurking, waiting for their chance to seize control. As various Sith Lords emerged and rose to power, they recorded their thoughts, exploits, and plots. When they fell, their knowledge vanished with them forever. Or so it seemed...

Title: The Snow Child Author: Eowyn Ivey ISBN: 978-0316175678 Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books. On the surface it’s the story of a childless pioneer couple running from their East Coast lives, attempting to reconnect with each other; but it’s also the story of the spring of hope that bubbles out of the slow realisation of love for a surrogate child, of the ties between man and nature.

Title: The World America Made Author: Robert Kagan ISBN: 978-0307961310 Publisher: Knopf. What would the world look like if America were to reduce its role as a global leader in order to focus all its energies on solving its problems at home? And is America really in decline? Robert Kagan, paints a vivid, alarming picture of what the world might look like if the United States were truly to let its influence wane.

Survival of the fittest With Hunger Games among the most awaited movies of the year, we take a look at the book that suddenly seems to be on everyone's reading list Padmini C

crux of the story. To her credit, the plot is well laid-out and decently placed. Each of the characters is thoughtfully scripted, even realistic to a fault. Bottom line is that it makes for an entertaining read, especially for young adults.

padmini.c@postnoon.com

ublishers in every part of the world are on a urgent quest. Vintage epics that have been long forgotten or buried in the sands of time are being forcibly brought back to life. Series, otherwise known only among a cult are now being peddled, bookstore to bookstore. The new Harry Potter and the new Twilight must be found. Or their race must face extinction. It is in this light that series like Percy Jackson, Narnia, Song of Ice and Fire, Wheel of Time have soared to unprecedented heights in their popularity. Movies and television franchises, particularly, have granted them a new lease of life. And, the latest in the young-adult/fantasy fiction craze that's making the rounds is Suzanne's Collin's Hunger Games. With the movie releasing in March, the 2008 trilogy is back on the book shelves. Hunger Games is a different kind of fantasy. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, North America is now Panem, a territory divided into 12 districts, ruled by a tyrannical government from a metropolis called the Capitol. Every year, the government holds the Hunger

Sight Lines, a collection of three plays throws light on how people behave when they go through testing times Postnoon News

n Rahul Da Cunha’s Pune Highway, three friends are holed up in a hotel trying to come to terms with a terrible accident involving another friend. While each of them feels guilty for what had happened, they are afraid to take up the moral responsibility. In the beginning, it seems as if the play has no direction as the characters talk about their lives more than what should be done

Games as a reminder of and punishment for the rogue uprising a few decade ago. At the beginning of the book, Collins lays out the rules of the Hunger Games. Each of the 12 districts must elect one girl and one boy between the ages of 12 to 18 called tributes, to participate. The 24 tributes will be imprisoned in a vast outdoor arena that could hold anything

from a burning desert to a frozen wasteland. Over a period of several weeks, the competitors fight to the death. The last tribute standing wins. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, from District 12, volunteers for the 74th annual Hunger Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose. Also selected from the same district is Peeta Mellark, a baker's son

whom Katniss knows as the boy who once saved her and her family from starving. They must fight others to survive, but also against their own baser instincts in order to keep their humanity alive. Nothing more can be said without giving away the plot but suffice to say that how the 'starcrossed lovers' Katniss and Peeta will survive when only one of them must live makes for the

Name Hunger Games Author Suzanne Collins Pages 384 Publisher Scholastic Press

Understanding life amidst chaos to save their friends. But Rahul Da Cunha connects the dots extremely well and the play turns out to be a good character study of what people end up doing under pressure. Pune Highway is also the best of the three plays in the book Ganesh Kamatham’s Crab is about a guy named Zamiel who doesn’t know what he wants in life. He loves climbing mountains, going on treks, even though he doesn’t earn much. His girlfriend Jojo is vexed with his ways but can’t help thinking about him all the time because he has become a part of her. Except for few instances where Zamiel talks about why he

Name Sight Lines – Three contemporary Indian Plays Author Rage Theatre Productions Pages 256 Publisher Hachette loves climbing and the emotional conflicts of other characters like Jojo and Rocky, Crab doesn’t live up to the promise it shows in the initial few pages. Farhad Shorabjee’s Hard Places is an interesting play about how people end up drawing lines between them, which

become impregnable walls with time. Aziz and Saira make a desperate attempt to rescue their mother who’s on the other side of the border. But as they speak, their darkest stories tumble out and in the final moments of their lives, Aziz understands the sacrifices his mother had to make for their safety. The dialogue is sharp and Farhad Shorabjee brings alive the boundaries between people in this bittersweet tale. Although the stories are different, they deal with the chaos in our day-to-day lives and questions the way we perceive life itself.

BOOKS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Throwing the book at movies Six of the nine nominations for Best Picture this year are adaptations. This only goes on to highlight the influence of literature on directors. Today we take a look at some of the best Oscar-winning movies and their source of inspiration

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Ben Hur Considered “the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century”, it was the best-selling American novel from the time of its publication in 1880 until Gone with the Wind in 1936. Lew Wallace had subtitled it Ben Hur — A tale of the Christ. Set in Jerusalem at the height of the Roman empire, it tells the tale of a wealthy Jewish merchant and his journey from a life of privilege, to slavery, and ultimately to a spiritual awakening. The movie adaptation by William Wyler set an Oscar record, the film swept 11 of the 12 categories in which it was nominated, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor (Charlton Heston).

The Godfather Several books have benefited from the vision of directors and screenwriters who saw new possibilities in them. The Godfather is one of them. It details the story of a fictitious Sicilian mafia family based in New York City headed by Don Vito Corleone, who became synonymous with the Italian Mafia. The films on this book have now achieved cult status. No best list is complete without them. Had it not been for the vision of Francis Ford Coppola, this largely forgotten book of novelist Mario Puzo would have failed to make it to any list. The Godfather Part II won six Oscars, and became the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The Lord of the Rings — The Return of the King The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien became the most popular work in 20th century literature. So much so that WH Auden

Other notable movies on the list nSchindler’s List nThe Bridge on the River Kwai nA Beautiful Mind nHow to kill a Mockingbird nForest Gump has been quoted in The New York Times as saying it was a ‘masterpiece of the genre’. But it was Peter Jackson’s fantasyadventure film trilogy that brought Tolkien’s book to life. Tolkien’s books were filmed in

three parts: The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers were the first two installments of the LOTR trilogy and The Return of the King, the third and most famous films of all time. The last installment won 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Gone With The Wind It was the most popular novel of its time and won Margret Mitchell the Pulitzer Prize in 1937. While director Victor Fleming’s Gone with the Wind scooped up 10 Oscars. Vivien

Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland and Leslie Howard played their characters to the hilt. The story is about the American Civil War and a naive woman Scarlett O’Hara who survives the hardships of the war and is forced to take charge when the going gets tough.

One Flew Over a Cuckoo’s Nest A tale of the individual against a subversive authority, a tale, which had a resounding relevance in America in the ‘30s. Ken Keasey’s novel is set in an

Oregon asylum; the narrative serves as a study of the institutional process and the human mind, as well as a celebration of humanistic principles. Time magazine included the novel in its 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005 list. The story deals with the protagonist McMurphy who upon an engineered arrival at a mental institution, rallies the patients together to take on the oppressive Nurse Ratched, a woman more a dictator than a nurse. Directed by Miloš Forman the 1975 American drama film picked up five Oscars.

WHAT’S SELLING Walden best in fiction

Walden best in non-fiction

New York Times best in fiction

New York Times best in non-fiction

n The Litigators by John Grisham

n Jewel In The Lotus by Sri M

n Home Front by Kristin Hannah

n Incredible Banker by Ravi Subramanian

n You Can Create An Exceptional Life by Louise Hay & Cheryl R

n Private: #1 suspect, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

n American Sniper, by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice

n Time Of My Life by Cecelia Ahern n Bali & The Ocean Of Milk by Nilanjan P Choudhary n Ruler Of The World by Alex Rutherford

n TCS Story by S Ramadorai n Non Stop India by Mark Tully n 3rd Alternative by Stephen R Covey

n Taken, by Robert Crais n Defending Jacob by William Landay n Death comes to Pemberley, by P D James

n Ameritopia, by Mark R Levin n Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson n Killing Lincoln, by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard n Quiet, by Susan Cain

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012 N SHIVA KUMAR

Osama Salman

Redefining Fun T

salman.o@postnoon.com

It is one of the biggest college fests in the city, and the line-up of events is promising. The International Institute of International Technology’s annual fest, Felicity 2012, is back, and how

Rajesh Ravindran rajesh.r@postnoon.com

he night could not have been better, except for a slight dampener. Music lovers who had come for the Sawai Gandharva Bharat Ratna Bhimsen Joshi Music Festival had to wait a bit, but the wait was worth it. Renditions by Pandit Shrinivas Joshi, and Pt Rajan and Pt Sajan Mishra and Pt Kumar Bose accompanying the latter duo on the tabla, before the incandescent durbar hall of the Chowmahalla Palace… it was sublime. Even nature seemed generous: there was a slow cool breeze that blew all through the night. Shrinivas Joshi started the concert with Karim Naam Tero set in the Miya Malhar raga, a huge hit in the Mughal courts centuries ago. Was it to recreate the feel of a royal court performance? “Yes, you may say that,” he said with a smile. “Also, this was one of my father’s favourites.”

rue to its theme, ‘Reclaim, Redefine, Revive’, the fest is a refreshing change from the usual inter-college events. Beating the classroom blues, Day 1 started on a high note with the Futsal competition. Teams from various colleges played one on one — a tweaked version of football, where five players from each team battled it out, and here the goalpost was the size of a hockey goalpost. Students gathered to cheer their teams, shouting in support and both competitiveness and sportsmanship were on display. Continuing in the same strain, the face-painting competitions began. Ten teams participated in the event. MF Hussain would have been a happy man seeing such creativity. Some of the students had painted on their faces, Joker, Batman, Lord Krishna, an elephant, fire and ice, and the journey of love. Other equally enticing events for the day were Zombie Zone, a computer gaming competition, Riders of the Storm, a rock band competition and Telewise, a television serial-based quiz. Apart from this there were other events too. The day ended with a scintillating performance by Aagman, who rocked the house with their music. Day 1 was an interesting bunch of things, neatly packaged and nicely presented. Day 2 and 3 are only going to get better, say students. Seeing Day 1, we definitely believe them!

A royal performance N SHIVA KUMAR

Shrinivas Joshi

Pandit Rajan Mishra

Pandit Kumar Bose

Pandit Sajan Mishra

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

MUSICAL GALA

Sudeshna Koka

sudeshna. k@postnoon.com

earl 2012, the annual fest of Birla Institute of Science and Technology, a national level cultural and technical fest is back, bigger and better this year. Day 1 saw a lot of events like economics aptitude test and physics gimmicks. Students from city engineering colleges came primarily for the music-based events like Indiana Tones and Jhankaar. Tollywood music director, KM Radha Krishnan, who was one of the judges at the event, was all praise for the youngsters’ knowledge of music and the professionalism with which the organisers conducted the event. However, in the evening the euphoria had to be seen to be believed, when star singer Benny Dayal took the stage. The whole campus was out there enjoying the experience. But this was not the end. The main party began post 11 at the Prom Night. For this event, students came not only from the city but also from other states.

rue to its name, the fest includes a spectrum of exciting activities such as Ad mad, art to wear, caricatures and also face painting. The fashion show this year is based on materials made of waste and unconventional materials. Spectrum aims to be a fest which apart from the variety of creative activities forms a common ground for students to bond and enjoy themselves with a jukebox to provide them with all day entertainment. The event has been promoted by Manepally jewellers and co-ordinated by Dreamz Infinite along with Blackberry, Pepsi, Talex, Postnoon, Neerus, Green Gold, My Home Hub, SBI, Beam Fiber and Gandour Chocolates.

DESIGNED TO BE COOL

Sana Mirza

sana.m@postnoon.com

he National Institute of Fashion Technology had its annual fest, “Spectrum 2012” which kick-started with an evening of cultural events that painted a beautiful picture of the cultural solidarity in India.

The theme for this year’s Spectrum 2012 was ‘360 degrees of knowledge’. Nimisha Misra, a student at NIFT and a member of the core organising committee explained, “360 degrees of knowledge means the entire process of educating a person and making him a respectable man. It comes a full circle.”

Putting together a show without glitches takes effort, immense dedication and time. This year too the organisers have tried to put together a great show. NIFT students will be seen showcasing some of their best novel and artistic designs made from recycled garments at tonight’s fashion show.

RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

I AM ALL EARS

am 28 and in love with a 20-yearold girl. My friends tease me saying it will be a Saif-Kareena pair. But I am too scared to talk to the girl. She is my neighbour and often comes to me to clear her doubts in accountancy? How do I talk to her? Will I scare her? G Saurav Secunderabad

Dear scared man, What all are you teaching her in the name of accounts? Instead of the book of numbers you want to draw her attention to the book of love. Tell me my man, are you auditioning for some role in a scary movie? Scare her! the poor kid will be worried like hell. What did you expect that she would jump into your lap and say how long she too has been stealing glances at you while you teach. Anyway she allows herself to be taught by a dolt like you, I doubt how intelligent she will be. So the problem does not lie in her being scared but in you being a wimp. Muster some courage and talk to her and if you get a red signal, it's time you looked for someone closer to your age.

eople may think that online dating is only for the young, but individuals over the age of 60 are the fastest growing demographic in online dating. Researchers also found the language of seniors' online ads was different when describing themselves and what they were looking for in a relationship, one researcher explained. Terms such as ‘young at heart’ and ‘active’ were used to show physical fitness and good health. Source: Science Daily

Diversity at workplace

How can we ever talk? She Says…

FIRDOUS ABDUL M AJEED Men think women want money, a big house, fame, glitter and gloss, travel and pretty pictures. What women actually want is a man who is a good father, husband, provider and friend; a man who respects her and gains her love. He doesn’t need to buy it with gifts and money.

M ADIHA ALI What a

lot of men don’t understand is that we, women give a lot to them but do expect something in return, but men take that as us constantly demanding attention. Men also assume and expect women to understand their feelings without really communicating.

SALONI ANTHONY

Men are such babies. They want to be pampered, fed and taken care of all the time. It’s all a carpet of roses at the beginning of the relationship when they are courting the girl but it slowly dies down as they get comfortable in the relationship while on the other hand, they expect their woman to still be the same as she was the first time they met.

That men and women are on different wavelengths when it comes to understanding each other is not new. A relationship may even end as a result of misunderstanding. Here are some examples

Loud & Proud

SHWETA PAI

R He says...

ANOOP PAMU Women think men just want sex all the time. We do love sex, yes, but we also love having a decent conversation. It does rock our world. To be honest, we don't know what women want and women expect us to know what they want. If we knew all of that, then being in a relationship would be a breeze.

KISHORE KUMAR For a woman, a relationship is all about how she is made to feel around the guy and how he makes her feel about herself. For a man it’s the same but he too expects his space once in a while and woman don’t seem to understand that. They think when a man asks for space, he is bored of her, which isn’t true and trying to make them understand that repeatedly is tiring. DAVID M ASILAMANI

There are no different things that women and men want. They both want respect, affection, sensitivity, love and time with each other. Issues arise because the needs more often than not rarely happen at the same time. The relationship needs to be fine-tuned. One is a nurturer and the other is a hunter-gatherer. Synergy comes about through understanding.

amya has worked in the same corporate for over five years now and is still in the closet at her workplace. When her colleagues ask her about her weekend and tease her mercilessly about the guy in her life, she joins in the fun and tells them that she is not dating anyone yet. She quickly tries to change the topic for the fear of being outed as a lesbian. She has led this dual life for really long now and she manages to keep her sexual identity well hidden behind her calm exterior. Recently, Mingle (Mission for Indian Gay & Lesbian Empowerment) conducted a survey in India, which showed that employees that are out of the closet tend to perform better in their work and are more successful in their careers. Ramya is not one among the 400-odd respondents from the 17 top companies to answer the survey. Unfortunately, her company does not believe in having a diversity policy. But, at several multinational corporations things are quite different. Not only have they adopted diversity policies from their parent companies, they are also striving hard to sensitise employees on LGBT rights. Employees spend over 10 hours at their workplace and more often than not they end up interacting more with their colleagues than their friends or family during a weekday. The results of the survey by Mingle, clearly shows that employees who are out of the closet trust their employers more and are also likely to perform better at work. Many respondents also indicated that one of the reasons they work at their chosen workplace was because of the diversity policy. By being inclusive, corporates are showing how liberal they are towards their employees. They are taking a stand by saying that they judge you by your performance and your capability and not by your race, gender or sexual orientation.

WOMEN SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK Beauty Bean

Smitten Kitchen

Womenetics

Concerned with women’s magazines’ obsession with weight loss and body image, Beauty Bean is devoted to inner beauty — without dieting tips and tricks. DIY beauty regimens take the cake.

New Yorker Deb brings us mouthwatering recipes and just-as-delicious photographs. Want to make your own ricotta? It’s possible — this site has turned many a Forbes Woman into a foodie.

A networking platform for professional women that features daily content on business and personal relationships.

Advocating perfection PADMINI C

padmini.c@postnoon.com

She may be Chairperson of the AP Federation of Women Lawyers and Advocate on Record for the AP High Court but Bhaskara Lakshmi is a practicing advocate with a passion for pro bono work

A SUDHEER REDDY

t’s 7.30pm on a balmy evening that we find ourselves in a tastefully designed lounge, waiting to meet the busy lawyer. The walls are filled with frames of inspirational quotes and plaques. Wall-to-wall cabinets are filled with neatly stacked leather-bound volumes of law. The only sound comes from the busily typing clerks on one side. Half-an-hour or so passes before the lady herself arrives and ushers us into her office with a profuse apology. “I’m really sorry. It’s very hectic. We have family visiting. Whatever be said, managing family and work is not easy,” she says smiling, but displays no signs of fatigue despite the late hour. But then Bhaskara Lakshmi is no ordinary woman. She took up law back at a time when there were few faces of the fair-

er sex in the profession. And since, she has earned herself the reputation of being a brilliant advocate with over thirty years of experience. In addition, she served as the President of All India Federation of Women Lawyers last year and is also the current chairperson of the AP Federation of Women Lawyers. She credits it all to her father, whom she considers her biggest source of inspiration. “My father was a district judge with a very broad outlook. He wanted me to be an advocate in the High Court. So it was a natural progression.” But how was it entering a male world? “By God’s grace, I didn’t face any diffidence. But yeah, women were not easily accepted. There was an initial reluctance. But once you have proved your potential, they realised women are as good as men, if not better. Today, there are no more doubts. Women have already proved themselves,” quips Lakshmi. Law is a good profession

THE CV First Job: Secretary of AP Bar Association (‘93–’94) Motto: God has given me energy, so I should use it to help God’s creations Inspiration: My mother and father Last book read: Complete works of Vivekananda

Last movie watched: Chandramukhi

but can get quite difficult for women to handle, Lakshmi warns. “This profession takes up pretty much all your time. It’s more time consuming than even a doctor’s. For an advocate, it involves taking up a case, thinking, drafting, filing it, investigating and finally arguing the case. So it’s definitely not easy. Fortunately, I’ve had a very supportive husband and children.” But that said, Lakshmi wouldn’t trade her profession for anything else. The joy that she gets out of her work is for all to see. It’s no wonder then, that her work is her life. “It’s not just arguing for the sake of argument. It’s the investigation. The satisfaction you get when you can prove a legal point is amazing. But to give relief to my clients who are in real distress is the most rewarding part of my job.” A perfectionist to the core, Bhaskara Lakshmi is truly an inspiration.

A good word called sex All About Eve

INDIRA ATLURI

ot long ago, anything to do with the word sex (yes that prohibited three-letterword SEX) was as much a taboo as was the mention of Voldermort in the Harry Potter movies. And then came the little city of hope, love, honey and money — a city that we call the Hitech City. Suddenly, the era of darkness seemed to have ended — and life for women never looked cooler... or let me say, sexier. I have had the privilege of working with men who loved displaying their machismo in public. Apart from the regular office banter, it was alright for him to talk about how sexy a certain colleague looked, how he fancied her, or what colour made her a few degrees hotter etc, etc. The rule for us women was unspoken, unwritten and different of course. After all, what kind of a woman is she who talks sex, or admires another man in public? Well, that is the kind that I fancy writing about. By no means am I advocating a ruthless display of sexual fantasies like some men do, but I believe that it is time now that the men accepted the changing times as much as they accept the changing time-zones at office. It is not the end of mankind... in this case womankind, if we were to admire a male counterpart, or use the word sex in our daily parlance. It is by no means a reflection of our personalities, or a proposition we are dying to make. It is just a sign of a free-spirited woman who believes that the man she is talking to is as civilised as herself. Accept it dear men, that sex is not a patented word, and we have no problems using it as much as you do. Sex, sex, sex, sex — now how many times was that?

CINEMA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

T-TOWN TWEETIES @PriyaWajAnand

@Actor_Siddharth

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Absolutely L.O.V.E.D. #KSY Perfectly Casted.. Congratulations to all involved. ‘Come FAL(i)L in Love’ in a Theater near You!

I haven’t seen so many college students under theatre roofs in a long time...the ovations are overwhelming...blessed!!!

Went to my fav restaurant #China1..Stuffed..can’t walk or lie down..shhhhhhew.☺

Guest of honour at Sophia college today showcasing the Tvashtar fashion show in Mumbai....

@trishtrashers

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@RanaDaggubati)

I’m burnt/roasted/fried and 5 shades darker than my skin tone...Can sum1 explain this heat in Pollachi that too in Feb..Phew!!!

DHONI into 2nd week. Great reviews. But Wonder why it has not picked up well in the theaters!! Fingers crossed. Hope things will be fine!!!

Hearing awesome things about BigBro @Actor_Siddharth s #LoveFailure..loved the short film,can’t wait 2 watch the feature..Go Fail in Love :)

“@IAmShradha: People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use Soren Kierkegaard”

Ravi Teja-Puri Jagannadh film launched

Two thumbs up for Love Failure HEMANTH KUMAR

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

ove Failure, starring Siddharth and Amala Paul is a charming love story where the protag-

onist struggles to understand why he failed in love. Directed by Balaji Mohan, the film is a fantastic character study about people in love and the confusion that prevails over what the other person expects in a relationship. Siddharth stars as Arun

Movie: Love Failure Cast: Siddharth, Amala Paul Director: Balaji Mohan Rating: who can’t understand the reason why he broke up with Parvathy (Amala Paul). As he explains how his relationship with Paaru evolved, we are told that he couldn’t understand her impulsiveness. There’s a funny subplot about two of Arun’s friends trying to find love with disastrous results. This is a love story unlike most other love stories we have seen in recent years. In a way, the film asks an inexplicable question —What do women really want? And this is the question, which Arun keeps asking himself hoping to find an answer. Balaji Mohan draws a lot of inspiration from

Woody Allen’s style of filmmaking where characters are directly interacting with the audience. It makes us part of the protagonist’s confusion and kudos to the first-time director whose screenplay is one of the biggest strengths of the film. The dialogues, especially the conversations are brilliantly written and the casting is near-perfect. Siddharth and Amala Paul are terrific in their roles and other supporting actors like Suresh, Surekha Vani and those who play Siddharth’s friends are amazing throughout the film. Nirav Shah’s cinematography is top-notch and Thaman’s music is also peppy for a change. So does the film really offer a reason behind why women are so impulsive or why do lovers quarrel a lot? Not really. But this film is a slice-of-life drama about real people who can’t find answers. Two big thumbs up for Love Failure. If you have fallen in love, this could very well be your own story.

uri Jagannadh’s new film Devudu Chesina Manushulu, starring Ravi Teja and Ileana in lead roles was launched on Friday in Hyderabad. Puri Jagannadh, Ravi Teja, VV Vinayak, Bhogavalli Prasad, Shyam K Naidu, Raghu Kunche and Bandla Ganesh attended the movie launch. Bhogavalli Prasad is producing the film and Reliance Entertainment is presenting the film. “It’s my fifth film with Puri Jagannadh and I hope our combination repeats the success of my past films,” Ravi Teja said. Talking about the film, Puri Jagannadh said, “The film’s titles will begin rolling after a message ‘Watch this film after completely believing that God exists’. It’s a complete entertainer.” The film’s regular shooting will begin from March 2 onwards. Raghu Kunche will compose the music.

K Vishwananth to be honoured

eteran director K Vishwanath is to be felicitated in a grand ceremony to be held in Vizag on the occasion of Maha Shivaratri on Monday. T Subbirami Reddy is organising the event and K Vishwanath will reportedly be bestowed with a title — Viswa Vikyatha Darshaka Sarva Bouma. Brahmanandam, Ramanaidu, Bhanupriya, and Shankarabharanam Tulasi and other celebrities would be attending the function. K Vishwanath has already been awarded the Padma Shri and Raghupathi Venkaiah awards for his outstanding contribution to cinema. His films like Shankarabharanam, Swathi Muthyam, Sagara Sangamam are still rated among the finest films ever made in Telugu.

CINEMA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

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CINEMA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Cuba Gooding Jr: ‘Dad asked Tom Cruise if he was gay’

uba Gooding Jr has recalled the horrifying moment his father asked Tom Cruise if he was gay on the set of Jerry Maguire. The 44year-old, who won an Oscar for his role in the 1996 comedy drama, claimed during an appearance on The Graham Norton Show that he “nearly fainted” when his dad made the gaffe. “He gave Tom a hug and said, ‘I love you man. Now seriously, are you gay or not?’” he explained. “I almost fainted. And thought, please Lord, let me disappear. Tom just laughed and said ‘no’.” Gooding also said that he is still pestered to repeat his famous Jerry Maguire catchphrase “show me the money” over 15 years later. “I doesn’t go away. I get it all the time,” he said.

Justin Bieber promises new single very soon

ustin Bieber has reassured fans that his new single is coming “very soon”. The singer was responding to his followers’ questions on Twitter when he confirmed the news, but refused to post any of the song’s lyrics. Bieber tweeted that his new single is coming “very very very soon. #newmusic”, adding: “in studio finishing this single. would write some of my lyrics here but don’t want anymore people stealing them for songs. this be mine. Lol (sic).”

CINEMA SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

B-TOWN TWEETIES @NeilNMukesh

@imarshadwarsi

@udaychopra

@kjohar25

The weird thing about music is that it can be created in any mood. When ur happy or sad! :) and it sounds just so beautiful both ways !

Spent the day riding my bike for Hai Rabba shoot... Now shooting all night n will be zipping through traffic in a BMW car...

Eating yummy Eggs Benedict today..but no muffin, no ham, no hollandaise sauce, no egg yolk...ok fine! I'm just eating scrambled egg whites!!

I wish there was botox to fix ageing relationships...I wish there was surgery to "lift" sagging emotions...or an antibiotic for heartache...

@Riteishd

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@DuttaLara

Absolutely proud of my brother AMIT DESHMUKH (MLA) as CONGRESS sweeps the LATUR Zilla Parishad elections.

T 657 - The doctors have gone home, the family is asleep in adjoining room and the night nurses and sisters are a joy to be with ...

Saw kids taking exams... Even in the larger context I thought..."the examined life is no picnic",,,like a bacteria on a microscope plate

Woken up to a great morning with my kid. Feels like someone gave me the key to a secret bliss club that no one told me about!:-)

True love's longing Ekk Deewana Tha has a slow screenplay and much is lost in translation Not the first-of-its-kind love stories, director Gautham Menon who previously made the film in Tamil and Telugu, has SANA MIRZA tried to bring in the essence that was present in the original but sana.m@postnoon.com fails to do so. Parts of the film have been shot in Kerala and rateik plays Sachin, an transform the romantic drama engineering graduate, into a visual treat. who's dreams are not in The music composed by AR tune with his family backRahman is simply soothing. ground. An old-school romantic, This is Prateik's second film as he believes in lead but he does all things first have a long way Movie: — like love at to go before he Ek Deewana Tha first sight, first is in the same Cast: kiss, etc. Amy league as the Prateik, Amy Jackson, Jackson plays Kapoors or the Directed by: Jessie, his beauKhans. Amy Gautham Menon tiful neighbour, Jackson is pretRating: who dutifully ty to look at, sets off for work which is why it every day in was wrong to crisply draped have digitally saris. On the other hand, altered her skin tone to make Sachin's career remains stagher look like a South-Indian. The nant as he tries to get a break as two lacked the much-needed a filmmaker, so his daily to-dochemistry. If you have seen the list is titled, ‘How to keep runTamil version, this one can be ning into Jessie everywhere’. given a miss.

Javed-Rahman combination best, says Shabana Azmi A

ctress and social activist Shabana Azmi feels that when it comes to music, the combination of her lyricist husband Javed Akhtar and composer AR Rahman is unbeatable. “I personally feel that today the combination of Javed and

Rahman is the best,” the 61-year-old said. “The songs of Ekk Deewana Tha have been penned by Javed Akhtar while the Oscar winning Rahman has composed the music for the film. IANS

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

THOUGHT OF THE DAY

SOLUTION ON PAGE 32

SUDOKU

KAKURO

How to Play Kakuro

SCRIBBLING PAD

Kakuro is a popular game similar to sudoku in some ways. But is also suitably different. The key question: “How do you play Kakuro?”, well here are the rules of kakuro. The answer: The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers. However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number. Within each collection of cells - called a run - any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once. Let’s have an example to explain this concept more clearly: In the image above, which shows a section of a kakuro puzzle, you will see the numbers ‘26’ and ‘14’ in the top row. Look at the 14. This means that the total of the three cells underneath must sum to 14. Therefore 9, 4, 1 could be the answer, or perhaps 7, 4, 3 and so on... So, how do you work out the actual combination? Well, this is done through elimination and cross-referencing. For instance, as you work out the answers for other kakuro clues, this will naturally limit the valid combinations, and hence the answer for this particular run. Note the second cell in row two - it contains two numbers, 30 and 11. The 30 refers to the vertical run underneath the number 30 and the 11 refers to the two cells to the right, horizontally, of the number 11.

Never forget that it is the spirit with which you endow your work that makes it useful or futile. – Adelaide Hasse

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Former "Hannah Montana" star Miley 6 Magic wand feature, often 10 ___ mater 14 Stir from slumber 15 Attack code word at Pearl Harbor 16 Beast hunted by a pigsticker 17 Ford's predecessor in 1973 18 "Family" film of 1989 20 "Family" film of 1999 22 Acts theatrical 23 NASA's Grissom 24 Book by Noah Webster (Abbr.) 25 President ___ (acting head) 29 Hourly pay 30 Emmy winner Ruby 33 Name on many jeans' labels 34 "Family" film of 1938 37 Ills 39 Flightless bird 40 Breadmaker's raw material 41 "Family" film of 1958 44 Ready, willing and ___ 45 "Get the message?" 46 Big water pipe 47 Woman hoping for a knight in shining armor 49 Political campaign ammunition 50 Brooks of "Blazing Saddles" 51 Like some tales 54 Short musical piece 59 "Family" film of 1992 61 Harder to find 62 "If all ___ fails ..." 63 Its flag features a beehive 64 "Family" film of 1983 65 Draft choices 66 Yankees' crosstown rivals 67 Reaches from end to end DOWN 1 Hermit or horseshoe, e.g. 2 Cartoon bear 3 Ladder crosspiece 4 "New to you," in car salesman-speak

5 Raw material for Ed Norton? 6 Small earrings 7 Broadway award 8 Curved line 9 North Carolina city 10 Chief monk 11 Clod 12 Chemical used for riot control 13 Sacred chests 19 Moderated a variety show 21 Kind of luck 24 Single piece of information 25 Courtroom statements 26 Musical stage production 27 Like a shepherd's charges 28 Pinball machine nono 29 Creation of Genesis 2:22 30 Gives a thrashing

izing 31 Presidential Seal sym55 Ground crew's rollout bol 56 "___ La Douce" 32 Lucy's partner in 57 Gas in advertising hijinks lights 35 Send in, as payment 58 Venus de Milo knock36 Lead a nomadic life offs? 38 "Thick as thieves," 60 Made it through e.g. crunch time? 42 It vibrates at a rock concert 43 Unspoiled PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER paradise 48 Emergency notifiers 49 Lavishes affection (on) 50 Butterfly relatives 51 Between ports 52 Aquatic lung 53 Oh, to be in ancient Rome! 54 Jazzy vocal-

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

The Tower

ork – Your boss may ask you to work on a new project. You may be uncomfortable working on it since it’s a new area. Romance – You and your partner need to develop a deeper understanding of each other. Spend time together to make this happen. Health – Alternative healing techniques may come to your rescue where regular medication may be failing. Take a second opinion. Money – Rejig your finance portfolio as per the stock market situation. Take fewer risks but ensure you’re avoiding losses. Tarot message – A lot of action and change is on the cards. Keep an open mind and accept all that is happening around you.

Gemini

Taurus

Aries

The World

ork – You may be asked to step up in an unfamiliar area, or cover for someone. Don’t reject a new opportunity however uncomfortable you may be. Romance – Singles are likely to meet someone attractive. The chemistry is immediate, powerful and passionate. Those committed will find bliss. Health – Health is looking good. Your diet and exercise regimen is doing wonders to your inner and outer beauty. Money – Consult a good tax advisor and do not get stingy in selecting one. You need good investment ideas and someone in the know of the market fluctuations would help best. Tarot message – You have the world at your feet, don’t be scared to move forward with your own ideas.

Cancer

Four of Cups

Justice

ork – A project you have been eyeing falls in your lap. You have waited for a long time for this. Now, go ahead and work magic with it. Romance – Heartbreak is round the corner. Don’t take life so seriously that you begin to lose the thrill of its spontaneity. Take it in your stride. Health – How you have taken care of your health is how the results will show. Diet and exercise need more attention. Money – Inflow and outflow of money can be controlled if you managed your finances better by making notes. Tarot message – This is a karmic time and you are only getting what is yours. Don’t cry over what was perhaps not yours.

ork – A new job offer will set you thinking although you may not be in the mood to shift jobs just yet. A counter offer will confuse you further. Take time to decide. Romance – Don’t be in a hurry to make a commitment yet. Check out more potential partners. Those committed will be on a journey of discovery. Health – A chronic health problem may need a new outlook in order to heal. Consider new medicines and therapies you may not have considered before. Money – Finances are in control but double check that your returns are worth locking your money in these places. Tarot message – Don’t lock yourself into a corner and think you have no options.

Leo

Virgo

Nine of Wands

Ace of Pentacles

ork – One last test is left before you get the successful results of your hard work. The trick is to stay patient and continue working. Romance – You and your significant other have settled into a very comfortable relationship. You understand each other instinctively. Health – Consider getting on a different health regimen – something that suits your body type better. What you’re on now may not be giving you the best results. Money – You get opportunities to make some extra money through freelance projects. The money is good and you feel confident about your finances, too. Tarot message – Be patient. One last test remains before you reach your goals. Don’t jump the gun.

SUMAA TEKUR tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

Libra The Hanged Man

Four of Swords

ork – You need stability at the work place, and this cannot happen if you are tempted to join every job that comes your way. Romance – Singles will find stability through a fairly new romantic partner, who will bring out the best in them. You discover new worlds with each other. Health – Keep a regular time to exercise every day. Eat at the same time every day. Money – Make sure to lock a basic percentage of your savings so you don’t risk much in the market. Finances are stable. Tarot message – Although the physical and material aspects of your life are taken care of, you need to do something about keeping your mind busy and sharp.

ork – The job is giving you focus and making you understand the importance of discipline and being centred. Romance – You and your partner connect at a deeper level. You grow with each other as you explore the inner spiritual world together. Health – You discover newer, alternative methods of healing. You find out more about other forms of meditation, reiki and some different destress methods. Money – Finances are in place. You have enough for all your needs. This is not your priority right now either. Tarot message – This is a time to focus on spiritual awareness. You are in the mood to discover more about a higher plane. The timing is just right.

Sagittarius

Scorpio

Knight of Pentacles

ork – Money is your main focus and you bargain and work every single day just so your appraisals will reflect the hard work and, therefore, the raise. Romance – You weigh romance also in terms of how much you spend to show your loved one you care. Learn to separate the material from the emotional. Health – You’re young and adventurous and may get into new exercise routines in enthusiasm. Make sure your adventures are all done under expert supervision. Money – Finances are good. Bank balance is looking fine and you have enough for all needs. Tarot message – You charge ahead with the practicality and ambition of a young go-getter. Don’t trample on others’ feelings.

Capricorn

ork – New ideas, opportunities and the birth of new projects will keep you intellectually stimulated. The money is good, too. So you feel confident about your choices. Romance – You and your significant other find exciting and passionate ways to discover each other. Your love only grows with each passing day. Health – You may be worried about something connected with your job. This anxiety is showing on your health. Do stop worrying and start working. Money – Finances are in excellent shape. You have everything organized and your savings are also exceeding your expectation. Tarot message – This is the perfect meeting of the mind and heart. The intellect and emotions are well balanced.

Date 19-2-2012

Aquarius

Pisces

Six of Swords

Judgement

Queen of Pentacles

ork – After a long wait, you will be given a project to work on that will inspire you. Be patient and when it comes to you, don’t feel cocky about it. Romance – A troubled relationship may not be worth holding on to. Let go. If it’s yours it will come back. Health – You need to make some drastic changes to your lifestyle and get into a healthier regimen. You will begin to feel good about you. Money – Review your finance portfolio and remove policies that have matured. Re-invest them wisely. Try some new policies. Tarot message – Times are going good. How well you maintain your dignity at this time will determine how further ahead you move.

ork – Foreign contacts are in focus. You will get only good news. Someone is likely to tell your boss they’re impressed with your work. Romance – Singles will likely meet someone on a long-distance flight. Or you will connect with someone at a conference or seminar. Health – There are many options to better your health. You need to choose from any of the new ones that you haven’t tried. Explore the new. Money – A new job offer will be quite irresistible. Though it will be different, the monies will be pretty good. Tarot message – A trip overseas is in the pipeline. It may open up more opportunities for you. You may get a new job offer, something totally different.

ork – You’re getting paid handsomely for your job. But if the job is not satisfying you and giving you a sense of achievement at the end of the day, then is it worth it? Romance – Love is in the air. You and your significant other discover many joys together and your relationship matures. Health – Get a diet consultant and control your food intake. If you pay a dietitian, you’re more likely to listen. Money – You are shrewd when it comes to money. You’ve saved enough for a rainy day. Don’t be afraid to take some risks. Tarot message – Your priorities are changing now and you feel torn between two philosophies. Choose wisely.

Vol: 1, No 216 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE 13. Who declared at the US customs, “nothing but my genius”? 14. Transylvania, also known as Dracula’s home, is located in which country? 15. If you want to visit the country with the most churches per square mile, where do you go?

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR STARS?

IDENTIFY THE FAMOUS BETTER HALVES

He is a master of words and his wife is the face of parallel cinema. His children Farhan and Zoya have made a great name for themselves in the industry. His wife’s name is Shabana Azmi. Who is he?

Answers

FAMOUS SPOUSES

9. Who was Stan Laurel’s partner? 10. Which part of the human body contains the most gold? 11. Whose autobiography was The Long Walk to Freedom? 12. Consumption is the former name of which disease?

1. Verkoyansk in Siberia 2. Karl Marx 3. Tweety Pie 4. Nagasaki 5. Gold 6. Napoleon Bonaparte 7. Beards 8. Kit or kitten 9. Oliver Hardy 10. Toenails 11. Nelson Mandela 12. Tuberculosis 13. Oscar Wilde 14. Romania 15. Jamaica

bomb dropped? 5. What is the colour of an Oscar? 6. Which leader died on St Helena? 7. If you had pogonophobia what would you be afraid of? 8. What is a young one of a rabbit called?

1. Which is the coldest place on Earth? 2. Which socialist writer’s last words were, “Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough”? 3. What’s the name of the bird that the cartoon cat Sylvester chases in vain? 4. Where was the second atom

MOVIE GURU IDENTIFY FROM WHICH FILM THESE DIALOGUES WERE TAKEN?

1 2 3 4 5 6

Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. Show me the money!

She was for long considered the other woman in what was portrayed as a fairytale royal wedding. She is married to Prince Charles and was at one time the most disliked person in Britain. Who is she?

Houston, we have a problem. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer

American actor, rapper, comedian and now a father of twins Nick Cannon in April 2007 married this bootylicious singer. She has won five Grammy Awards, and is famed for her five-octave vocal range, and signature use of the whistle register. Who is she?

Nobody puts Baby in a corner. My mama always said, 'Life was like a box of chocolates; you never know what you're gonna get’.

1. Javed Akhtar 2. Camilla Parker Bowles 3. Mariah Carey

Answers

Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn!

What is the electoral symbol of the Bahujan Samaj Party?

The novel Q & A, on which eight Oscar award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire (2008) is based, was authored by which Indian civil servant?

In which Union Territory of India would you come across the ‘Interview Island’, ‘Landfall Island’ and ‘Barren Island’?

PICTURE PUZZLE with Santosh Ghule Find the girl reading a book

WHO AM I? I am the 11th chief minister of my state. I am also the first woman to hold office. My followers and well-wishers call me Didi. The Railways portfolio has been held by me twice. Who am I? Mamata Banerjee

3 4

Answer

Who raised the Indian Ambulance Corp during the Boer War?

Answer The water made up for the foetus and the tree trunk, the mother.

Answers

Where was president Giani Zail Singh when the then prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated on October 31, 1984?

Answers 1. Zayed Khan 2. Sonali Bendre 3. Nandita Das 4. Irrfan Khan

1. Humphrey Bogart (Casablanca) 2. Cuba Gooding Junior (Jerry Mcguire) 3. Tom Hanks (Apollo 13) 4. Al Pacino (The Godfather part 2) 5. Patrick Swayze (Dirty Dancing) 6. Tom Hanks (Forest Gump) 7. Clark Gable (Gone with the Wind)

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

1. Yemen 2. Mahatma Gandhi 3. Elephant 4. Andaman and Nicobar Islands 5. Vikas Swarup

Answers

SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Oz says it’s cash-strapped

he Australian Olympic Committee on Saturday blamed a lack of funding for the nation's poor medal prospects at this year's London Games. With just five months until the sporting extravaganza, the AOC chef de mission Nick Green said Australia was lagging in its bid for a topfive overall finish. Australia might field its smallest Olympic squad in 20 years if the men's football and volleyball teams did not qualify, the AOC said.

Phil gets one-shot lead

hil Mickelson maintained a one-shot lead after two rounds of the US PGA Tour's Northern Trust Open on Friday, buoyed by a dramatic eagle from the fairway that helped offset some less impressive play. "I probably didn't play the greatest today, but I was able to kind of salvage a good round," said Mickelson, who carded a one-under par 70 at Riviera Country Club for a six-under total of 136.

Raonic in San Jose Semis

efending champion Milos Raonic of Canada advanced to the semi-finals of the $531,000 ATP San Jose Open on Friday by defeating South African sixth seed Kevin Anderson 7-5, 7-6 (7/3). Third seed Raonic fired 16 aces and never faced a break point in booking himself into a Saturday matchup against American Ryan Harrison, who earlier ousted Bulgarian Dimitar Kutrovsky 6-1, 6-4 at the indoor hardcourt tournament.

AFP/EVARISTO SA

Brazil’s World Cup runneth over Critics blow the whistle on costly venue revamps and high ticket prices in one of the most unequal countries in the world

Fuss-ball SIMEON TEGEL

s Brazil gears up for the 2014 soccer World Cup and 2016 Olympics, government ministers have become fond of proclaiming how the tournaments will boost economic development. Yet a growing number of voices are raising concerns that the world’s two largest sporting events could actually exacerbate social divisions in a country already among the most unequal on the planet. Complaints include extravagant spending on the stadiums, the compulsory eviction of thousands of poor residents and costly ticketing that will exclude large numbers of local fans from the World Cup in what is widely viewed as the world’s most soccer-mad nation. “Who is the public that is being benefited?” asked Christopher Gaffney, an American visiting professor at Fluminense Federal University’s Postgraduate Architecture and Urban Planning Program, who

is studying Brazil’s preparation for both events. Sports minister Aldo Rebelo said the overall benefits for Brazil justify any drawbacks. “This is our huge and necessary opportunity to upgrade our engineering skills on construction and our telecommunications technology, as well as to put Brazil back on the map,” he has said. The authorities in Brazil also cite the estimated 3.4 million tourists expected to visit Brazil during the six-week tournament, when it kicks off in June 2014, as a major boon. Yet Gaffney and other critics say that Brazil should be spending its money on social projects, not multimillion-dollar facilities. One of Gaffney’s main criticisms: Brazil’s decision to use some of the priciest cutting-edge technology available for the 12 stadiums that will host the World Cup. Currently the bill for building or renovating those facilities has been put at $4 billion, up from the original estimate of $3 billion. Many of those venues will have solar-powered roofs and retractable seats. In addition to that technology having to be imported to Brazil and fitted with foreign labor, it will require annual maintenance costing

around 10 percent of the purchase price. “In a decade, you will have paid for each stadium twice over,” Gaffney told GlobalPost. Instead, he argues, Brazil should have chosen to host the event in simpler structures in keeping with Brazil’s social reality, where the average monthly income is $680 — and where millions make do on a fraction of that amount. In Sao Paulo, roughly $280 million of public money has been spent upgrading the stadium of soccer team Corinthians, one of the venues for the World Cup. “That money could have been invested in homes, schools or universities,” Tita Reis, a member of Sao Paulo’s People’s Committee for the World Cup, a neighborhood protest group, told Brazilian newspaper O Globo. Meanwhile, there have been serious concerns about the lack of progress in readying the facilities for the tournament, a fact some critics believe was inevitable in a country wracked by corruption and opaque bureaucracy. There have even been suggestions that one city, Natal, is so behind schedule that it may have to be dropped as a venue with less than 18 months to go to

This is our opportunity to upgrade our engineering skills and our telecom technology, as well as to put Brazil back on the map. Aldo Rebelo, Brazil Sports Minister the World Cup. But a series of forced removals of residents from poor neighborhoods across Brazil, to make way for stadium expansions, new roads and public transport, has also sparked heated debate. So far, just in Rio — host to the Olympics as well as the location of the legendary Maracana stadium, which will stage the World Cup final — an estimated 15,000 have already been moved from their homes. Alexandre Mendes, a former head of housing rights at the Rio

state public defender’s office, told the Associated Press: “Many of these removals did not respect principles and rights considered basic in local and international law.” With soccer akin to a national religion in Brazil, one criticism of the World Cup that has particularly roiled the public is the high price of tickets. Of the three million tickets available, just one million will be sold, often for well over $100 each, on the local market. The remainder will be divided up between FIFA and national soccer associations around the world. FIFA has authorized 300,000 to be sold in Brazil for $25 each and another 100,000 have been reserved for underprivileged groups such as indigenous peoples and those in extreme poverty programs. Brazilian soccer legend Romario, a World Cup winner in 1994 and now a Socialist congressman and persistent critic of what he regards as FIFA’s elitism, says that’s not enough. “The Brazilian pensioner will not have the financial means to afford this outlay and will therefore be excluded from the World Cup,” he recently noted in one typical Tweet on GLOBAL POST the subject.

SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Flynn has a tale to tell Since beating bone cancer, England’s Callum Flynn has made it his mission to inspire others engaged in life-or-death battles

Ukrainian WBC World Champion Vitali Klitschko is slapped by British boxer Dereck Chisora (right) during the official weigh in Munich, southern Germany, on Friday. WBC World Champion Vitali Klitschko and his challenger Dereck Chisora will fight during the WBC World Heavyweight Championship in the Olympic hall in Munich on Saturday.

Fight before the fight British challenger Dereck Chisora slapped Ukrainian champion Vitali Klitschko during Friday’s weigh-in ahead of their WBC heavyweight title fight in Munich on Saturday BERLIN: During the customary face-off for the cameras, Chisora slapped Klitschko’s left cheek and unleashed a barrage of insults at the Ukrainian, sparking a brawl involving security personnel. “I’ll sort that out in the ring,” said Klitschko, who kept his cool while his opponent hastily left the scene. “Maybe he had too much adrenaline,” said fight promoter Frank Warren. Chisora has a history of pre-fight antagonism, having kissed his opponent Carl Baker on the lips prior to a title bout in 2010 that almost sparked a fight before the bell for the first round had even sounded. "Maybe

CHISORA HAS A HISTORY OF PRE-FIGHT ANTAGONISM, HAVING KISSED HIS OPPONENT CARL BAKER ON THE LIPS PRIOR TO A TITLE BOUT IN 2010. he had too much adrenaline," said fight promoter Frank Warren. Chisora has a history of prefight antagonism, having kissed his opponent Carl Baker on the lips prior to a title bout in 2010 that almost sparked a fight before

the bell for the first round had even sounded. In Germany, the Zimbabweborn London native has assailed Klitschko with verbal barbs, predicting a furious assault on the Ukrainian culminating in an eighth-round knockout. Klitschko, 41 and the elder brother of IBF and WBO champion Wladimir, has a record of 43 victories — 40 inside the distance — and only two defeats. His 28-year-old adversary has 15 victories and two defeats, the most recent of which came on points against Finland's Robert Hellenius in a European title fight in early December.

England disabled cricketer Callom Flynn plays a shot during a T20 match against Pakistan at the ICC Global Cricket Academy (ICC GCA) in Dubai Sports City. AFP

DUBAI: The 16-year-old is a star attraction in the first-ever disabled series between Pakistan and England here, hoping his experiences will help him further defy any odds stacked against him. “I want to be an inspiration for all disabled people,” Flynn told AFP. “Cricket has told me how to defy disability and it’s a learning exprience for me as to how deal with life.” Although Pakistan won both the Twenty20 internationals and the first of three one-day matches played in Dubai, Flynn said winning or losing was not important.

“It is the will of these cricketers which matters and it is an amazing experience for players on both sides and for all those who watched us play,” said Flynn. Flynn had always wanted to play for England but at 14 he was diagnosed with bone cancer. “That was a difficult period,” said Flynn, who as a child was a fan of Lancashire and England star Andrew Flintoff. “I had always followed Freddie and wanted to be a good player for England.” Besides playing cricket, Flynn is also involved in charity work.

SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Jordan’s still the greatest

KEEPING THE FLAG FLYING TRACK WORLD CUP

NEW YORK: Retired NBA leg-

Great Britain’s Jess Varnish (R) is congratulated by the crowd as she celebrates after winning the Women’s Team Sprint Final with her partner Victoria Pendleton at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup, a test event for the London 2012 Olympic Games, at the Velodrome in the Olympic Park in London on February 17, 2012. The British pair won the gold medal winning in a world-record time of 54.955 seconds. AFP / ADRIAN DENNIS

Knicks’ magic run ends Jeremy Lin sparked a fourth-quarter comeback but the New York Knicks could not extend their magical seven-game NBA win streak, losing to the New Orleans Hornets 89-85 NEW YORK: Jeremy Lin sparked a fourth-quarter comeback but the New York Knicks could not extend their magical “Lin-sanity” seven-game NBA win streak, losing to the New Orleans Hornets 89-85 on Friday. The Knicks had been on a magical run since benchwarmer Lin, cut by two clubs before the season, was called upon with two starters missing and answered with the most points of any player in his first five starts since 1976. Lin finished with 26 points,

matching Amare Stoudemire for the game-high total, and contributed five assists and four steals, but in the end, he found out that you can’t Lin them all. But Lin also made nine turnovers, matching the most by any NBA player in a game this season. He made eight turnovers in the first half when the Hornets seized command. Lin, who scored 16 points in the second half and made only one turnover after half-time, went 8-of-18 shooting from the field, 2-of-5 from 3-point range,

and made 8-of-10 free throws. Trevor Ariza scored 25 points and Italy’s Marco Belinelli added 17 to lead the Hornets, who rose to 7-23 by winning their third game in a row by holding off a late charge by Lin and Amare Stoudemire in the final minutes. But the buzz around the game was focused upon Lin, the 23-year-old point guard who is the first US-born NBA player of Taiwanese and Chinese heritage. His parents are from Taiwan while a maternal grandmother

is from China. Lin’s fortnight of amazing moments, including several high-scoring efforts, a last-second 3-pointer to beat Toronto and 13 assists to help seven players reach double figures in a romp over Sacramento, captured the world’s attention. And while the win streak has ended, there is no cure in sight “Lin-sanity” as Knicks fans saw their team rise from a mediocre also-ran to a formidable force, knocking off the Los Angeles Lakers during their win streak.

end Michael Jordan was hailed as the greatest player in basketball history by two potential rivals to the throne on Friday as he celebrated his 49th birthday. As the NBA currently salutes Jeremy Lin, the first US-born NBA player of Taiwanese and Chinese heritage who has gone from bench-warmer to star for the New York Knicks, Jordan’s legendary career was recalled by other icons. LeBron James, the Miami Heat star still searching for his first title after two losing trips to the NBA Finals, posted a Twitter message calling Jordan The G.O.A.T., for Greatest of All Time. “Happy B-day to the person I idolized and wanna to be just like as a kid playing the game of basketball Michael Jordan. #TheG.O.A.T.” James tweeted. Magic Johnson, the former Los Angeles Lakers star who now serves as a television commentator, praised Jordan in comments for ESPN. “His will to win was higher than everyone else’s,” Johnson said of Jordan. “His talent level was higher than everyone else’s and then he was the ultimate competitor. He wanted to win more than anybody else I’ve ever faced in my life. Michael Jordan, happy birthday — you know you were the world’s greatest.” AFP

SPORTS SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Last chance for Gunners

Arsenal’s Wojciech Szczesny looks on as AC MIlan’s Robinho (unseen) scores. Champions League humiliation in Milan was uncomfortable for Arsene Wenger and there will be more of the same if they exit the FA Cup at the hands of Sunderland on Saturday. Wenger’s side head to the Stadium of Light for the fifth-round tie knowing the competition now represents their last realistic chance of silverware this season. The manager made no attempt to disguise his shock and disappointment at his side’s performance in losing 4-0 to AC Milan and conceded that they have little chance of recovering the daunting deficit in the second leg. That increases the pressure on the meeting with Martin O’Neill’s team as the Gunners attempt to end their sevenyear trophy drought. Criticism of Wenger has grown steadily over the course of the season, with some Arsenal supporters voicing their frustration at the manager’s apparent unwillingness to pursue higher profile — and more expensive — targets in the transfer market. Now the manager must attempt to revive his squad’s morale ahead of the Sunderland game if he is to avoid another crushing defeat. “A big disappointment like that has consequences on your belief,” said Wenger. “We have a lot of work to regroup and not a lot of time to prepare for Saturday’s game. We need to show something completely different on Saturday. “It is a good opportunity to

It is a good opportunity to show we have character and mental strength and that we can respond after such a shocking defeat. Arsene Wenger A miserable night for Arsenal was made worse by an injury to centre-back Laurent Koscielny, who was forced out of the game in the first half and joins Per Mertesacker on the sidelines. Mertesacker is out with an ankle injury and Wenger must decide whether to switch Alex Song to the back four or recall out-of-favour Sebastien Squillaci.

Boggle Number game

Scrabble

SOLUTIONS

show we have character and mental strength and that we can respond after such a shocking defeat.” Centre-back Thomas Vermaelen maintained the theme, and said: “It’s always good when you have a disappointing evening when you have another game quite quick. That’s good for us and we have to focus on that. “That’s why you are a professional. What happened there is behind us and we have to learn from that. The most important thing is to be mentally strong and focus on the next game. We have to prepare for that and have a good result there. “We have to forget what happened and just keep going on to the next game.”

DRESS PARKA PANTS SKIRT GLOVE

Suduko

LONDON: The inquest into Arsenal’s

Harry eyes honour LONDON: Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp claims he has had one team on his mind all week — and it hasn’t been England. Redknapp is the overwhelming favourite to succeed Fabio Capello as England manager ahead of the 2012 European championships. But he claims he is yet to hear from the FA, English football’s governing body, about the post - and the thought of leading his country has not entered his head. And the team that has occupied his thoughts all week as he enjoyed a fourday break in Dubai has been Stevenage, Sunday’s FA Cup fifth-round opponents, rather than the national side. “I have not spoken to anybody about it. I have not discussed the job with anybody,” Redknapp said. “Last week I saw that a number of managers had ruled themselves out, but they hadn’t even been ruled in. “I am not going to rule myself out but I have never been ruled in either. No one has never mentioned it to me. Never. I have just been thinking about Stevenage on Sunday. It will be a tough game for us. “(Coaches) Joe (Jordan) and Clive

(Allen) went to watch them the other night and they came back and said it will be a real hard cup tie. So that’s all I have been thinking about — picking a team that will get a result at Stevenage.” Tottenham are currently occupying third place in the Premier League, seven points off leaders Manchester City and 10 above fourth-placed Arsenal. “I have a job to do here,” Redknapp added. “My focus has to be on trying to get Tottenham as high as I can in the table.”