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PAGE TWO SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Lepakshi Mela

MAN AND MANNEQUIN M ANIL KUMAR

Lepakshi Craft Bazaar 2012 featuring artists from AP and other states is being held. The exhibitioncum-sale will be on till July 23. Where: Sri Kalyan Gardens, Miyapur Crossroads When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2323 5028

Weekend competition organizing an entertaining ‘Weekend Competition’ for the children between the age group of 10-15 years. The two day competition will comprise cookery competition, dance and fashion show for the children. Where: Oxford Bookstore, The Park, Raj Bhavan Road When: July 21 and July 22, 1pm onwards Contact: 91601 48444

French film The French film Les Demoiselles de Rochefort will be screened at Alliance Francaise. The film revolves around the life of two young women. Where: Alliance Francaise, Marredpally When: July 20, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2770 0734

Smooth operators

Love sizzlers? Head to Aditya Park Inn for the Sizzler festival. Sample a variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian sizzlers. The festival is on till July 22. Where: The Promenade, Aditya Park Inn, Ameerpet When: Ongoing 7pm onwards Contact: (040) 6678 8888

Burger festival HRC is hosting the Legendary Burger Festival. Sample a variety of burgers from around the world. The fest is on till July 29. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 6463 6375

Park drama A Hindi play dealing with three

CINEMAS

Haldi at Novotel Airport is hosting a parantha festival titled Parantha Overload. The parantha festival on till August 15, offers a variety of paranthas in both vegetarian and non-vegetarian combinations. Where: Novotel Airport, Shamshabad When: Ongoing, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6625 0000 A painting exhibition featuring the new works of artistes Laxma Goud, Vaikuntam Thota and Ramesh Gorjala is being held. Where: Gallery Space, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6554 1836

Take a trip to the Middle East with the Middle Eastern Food Festival being held at Arena till July 21. Where: Arena, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: Ongoing, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 6666 3939

Sizzler festival

Parantha festival

Art works

Middle Eastern food fest

Tease Lounge at Vivanta by Taj presents Smooth Operators Night every Friday with DJ Mohit. Where: Tease Bar, Vivanta by Taj, Begumpet When: Every Friday, 7.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 67252626

When: July 18 onwards, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466

Kuchipudi performance

men trying to find peace of mind in a park is being presented by Sifar. The play is written by Manav Kaul and directed by Feroz. Where: Lamakaan, Banjara Hills, Rd No 1 When: July 22, 5pm onwards Contact: 96427 31329

Pochampally mela Head to the Pochampally mela for handmade bed and home linen, dress materials, silk and cotton sarees. Where: Sathya Sai Nigamagamam, Srinagar Colony When: Ongoing, 10am onwards Contact: (040) 2374 1450

Monsoon mania Ramoji Film City celebrates the onset of monsoon with eight weeks of fun-filled activities and entertainment with magic of cinema starting from July 1 to August

31. Monsoon Masti is an occasion for the entire family. Where: Ramoji Film City, Hayathnagar When: Ongoing, 9am onwards Contact: (040) 2341 2262

Theatre festival The seventh edition of the multitlingual theatre festival - Abhinaya National Theatre Festival will be held from August 16 to August 19. Where: Ravindra Bharati, Saifabad When: August 16 onwards 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Living with the masters An exhibition of paintings by artistes such as Akbar Padamsee, Bikash Bhattacharjee, Ganesh Pyne, Jagdish Swaminathan, K G Subramanyan, Krishen Khanna, Ram Kumar, S H Raza, Tyeb Mehta is being held at Kalakriti Art Gallery. Where: Kalakriti Art Gallery, Banjara Hills

A Kuchipudi dance performance will be presented by Dr. Kamala Reddy and Soumya Rajupet on July 31 at Ravindra Bharathi. Where: Ravindra Bharathi, Saifabad When: July 18, 6.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2323 1245

Art-de-konj A painting exhibition depicting artist Aiyudha Pooja Kapur’s passion for horses is on display at Muse Art Gallery till July 20. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Tank Bund When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Scaffold to infinity An exhibition of constructivist wooden sculptures by senior sculptor and artist Aekka Yadagiri Rao are being displayed as a part of Scaffold to Infinity. Where: Iconart Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing 11.30am onwards Contact: (040) 98499 68797

Big Cinemas, Ameerpet, 30581470; Cinemax, Banjara Hills, 44565555; Cine Planet , Kompally, 61606060; INOX, Banjara Hills, 44767777, Prasads, Tank Bund Rd, 23448888; PVR, Punjagutta, 8800900009; Talkie Town, Miyapur, 40214175; Tivoli, Secunderabad 27844973

CITY SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Students agitate at JNTU

Case filed against producer

Mother guilty of murder

ension prevailed at the JNTU counseling center where counseling for medical seats was in progress. Several students unions, including SFI and PDSU staged protests, demanding online filling of seats under management quota. Student leaders alleged that the private colleges were selling seats for `1crore each.

case was filed against noted film director Raghavendra Rao that he had misused the land allotted to him by the State government for constructing a studio or recording theatre useful to the film industry. A film director, who filed the petition has said that instead, he constructed Cine Max complex and was doing business by cheating the government.

olice have unraveled the mysterious killing of two kids in the Addagutta about three days ago. The cops found that the mother had killed the children due to family troubles. The woman had complained to the police that some unidentified persons had assaulted her and murdered her children. Police earlier said that the children were strangled.

Govt failed, but rains did not

The City was taken aback by the sudden downpour yesterday, the government’s lack of preparednesss resulted in the denizens being bogged down by power cuts and water logging Postnoon News

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he whole government and its apparatuses miserably failed the Hyderabad people when the rain gods set to work in earnest and it poured 11 cm rains since last night, a record downpour in a short period of eight hours. The misery was accentuated for the fact that today is the first day of Ramzan where the devout begin the month-long observance with saher. And lakhs of homes in the nine sections of the metro

division had no power supply since 9pm. In Mallepally, electricity was not restored till 10am today. “It’s a horrible situation,” bewailed Mohd Razak from Mosampura colony in Mallepally. Residents who tried to contact the Central electricity number 9490619788 found that the call was either not getting through or if it did they got a switched off message. At 10.30am, the phone suddenly came alive and the attender said he was not the right person! Enquiries with the electricity department revealed that

since last two days, the employees in the emergency wing have been on a strike to protest the suspension of two employees. Higher ups seems to have taken no step to resolve the issue and the sudden downpour caught all by surprise. Area divisional engineer Sambaiah said that they were unable to cope with the avalanche of grievances since last night. He said some two lakh domestic connections lay paralysed and the emergency staff was yet to get back into action. Calls were being routed to routine sections

Control room numbers Secunderabad(040) 2780 7321 Old City- (040) 2450 0254 Uppal- (040) 2404 3600 Kukatpally- (040) 2332 2978 Khairtabad- (040) 203 2978 which were not equipped to deal with emergency situations. “God save us,” said Ramu Patil, a resident of Kukatpally who had been trying to contact the board.

GHMC, despite boasting of being ready was caught unawares as several roads that had been dug up remained unrepaired. Craters and potholes suddenly appeared in the arterial road from Begumpet to Jubilee Hills. Metro rail added to the woes in Punjagutta where the works near the civil supply office proved dangerous to the motorists. It also led to a traffic gridlock in the morning. Police were not of any help as they pleaded to be helpless when it came to civic problems. Nor was the fire department of any help.

CITY SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

BASHEERBAGH

Hapless in

N SHIVA KUMAR, SRINIVAS SETTY, M ANIL KUMAR AND DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Met predicts the obvious PK Surendran surendran.pk@postnoon.com

eteorology in India had never been accused of promptness in its task. This set up, despite our scientific advancement, proves a monument of inefficiency if one looks at their predictions. Weather reports by the Met has become the butt of all jokes as they predict ‘dry days ahead’ when the sun shines and rains when they’ve have already begun. Yesterday, the meteorology miserably failed to warn the government and the people of the impending heavy rains in the City and elsewhere. When the damage is done, the Met has come out with the prediction of “heavy rains for the next 48 hours.” If media enquires of the situation they would ask them to file a request and pay for the information if it is rain-specific of the past. People who either visited or worked in the Western countries marvel at the insensitivity of the Met office.

CM programmes stands Rahul Ramakrishna rahul.r@postnoon.com

hief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy had an emergency tele-conference with all the collectors and GHMC commissioner this morning. He asked them to set up control rooms and begin relief works where necessary. However, all his official programmes in the City and outside were kept as per schedule. The chief minister’s office said none of the four programmes the CM had agreed to participate in would be altered. Caught napping, the GHMC, that received a tweak in its ear from the CM, set up six control rooms for rainrelated complaints today.

OLD CITY

4&5

Hyderabad

BALANAGAR

Wall collapse claim nine lives 15 people were injured when walls collapsed at various places due to the heavy rains that lashed the City last evening

MOHD SUBHAN

mohd.s@postnoon.com

HI TECH CITY

DOMALGUDA

he City that witnessed a deluge-like situation with the heavens opening with a vengeance last night claimed nine lives and injured 15. Four of a family — mother and three children — were buried alive when a wall of their old home collapsed bringing a portion of the house down on them. The dead are identified as Fareeda Begum, 30, Sameer, 6, Samreen, 4, and Muskaan, 2. Fareeda’s husband, Mohd Pasha escaped the tragedy as he was in the bathroom, which remained unaffected. The woman and kids were shifted to a nearby hospital but were declared dead. At Narsapur crossroad, under Balanagar police station limits, another wall of a house collapsed leading to five

deaths. Laxmi, 42, her son Babu, 18, were killed when the wall of her kucha home caved in and buried them. In the same area, another wall collapse claimed three lives; Shantilal, 19, Kalu Khan, 19, and Gopal, 18, said joint commissioner of police Cyberabad Atul Singh said. Several injuries and damage to vehicles were reported from different parts of the City since last night. A biker and a car were washed away under the MMTS station At Kukatpally but the occupants of the vehicles escaped with injuries. People suffering bruises and shocks on the roads were reported from Kukatpally, Malakpet, Ameerpet, LB Nagar, Secunderabad, Talab Katta, Sultan Shahi, Eddi Bazaar, Charminar area, Puranapul, Lakdi ka Pul, and Punjagutta. The compound wall of the Begumpet airport gave way under the heavy rains. However, no casualty or damage has been reported so far.

NATION SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Delhi school boy stabbed

17-year-old schoolboy was stabbed to death by two other boys in the national capital on Friday, police said. Sanjay was attacked in Pul Prahladpur while returning from school. One of the attackers was his classmate. He was stabbed thrice on the chest and thigh and he died on way to the hospital. Police are yet to arrest the attackers.

Mosque construction stayed

Pawar to meet Uddhav

fter ruffling feathers in New Delhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar is in Mumbai and will be meeting Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray, at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai, later in the day. Mr Thackeray underwent an angioplasty and is recuperating. The visit assumes significance in the wake of Pawar’s souring ties with UPA.

he Delhi High Court on Friday ordered suspension of new construction on the ruins of a 17th century mosque unearthed, but a Muslim leader said the ruling violated religious sentiments. Hours before the court ruling, thousands gathered at the site near the Jama Masjid for Friday prayers. The court has asked the ASI to look into the matter.

18 killed, 17 hurt in mishap in Mizoram

Jundal produced in Mumbai court

rrested 26/11 key handler Abu Jundal, who was brought to Mumbai in the wee hours on Saturday, has been produced before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Esplanade Court in south Mumbai. A Delhi Court on Friday handed over Jundal to Maharashtra’s Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS). The suspected Lashkar-eTaiba (LeT) operative is wanted by the Mumbai Police in

various terror cases, including the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case, 2006 Aurangabad arms haul case and German bakery blast case in Pune. The Mumbai ATS has been seeking Jundal’s custody since he was nabbed by the Delhi Police. The Delhi court has directed the Mumbai ATS to produce Jundal back in Delhi once the investigation is over. Jundal, alias Abu Hamza, was arrested at Delhi airport on June 21 on his arrival from Saudi Arabia.

According to reports, Jundal has admitted his active role in the 26/11 attack, saying he had worked in tandem with terror mastermind Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi. He has during his interrogation confessed his role in the country’s worst terror attack and admitted that he was present in the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) control room in Karachi from where direction was being given to the 10 terrorists who carried out the strike.

Lakshmi Sehgal on life support

he health of Lakshmi Sehgal, a close associate of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, deteriorated on Saturday, doctors in Kanpur said. “We have put her on ventilator support to boost her blood pressure,” said Santosh Kumar, a doctor attending to the 97-

AIZAWL: At least 18 people were killed

year-old who was the first captain of the women’s wing of Azad Hind Fauj or Indian National Army. Cardiologists at the Kanpur Medical Centre, where Sehgal was admitted after suffering a heart attack on Thursday, said that her blood pressure dropped alarmingly low late on Friday. Doctors admitted that things were not looking good for Sehgal who was the Left candidate in the 2002 presidential election. She lost to A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. “She is unconscious. We are monitoring her parameters and waiting for her to respond to the medication,” a doctor told IANS. Lakshmi Sehgal’s daughter and senior CPI(M) leader Subhashini Ali was by her bedside. Film director Shaad Ali, her grandson, was also in Kanpur.

AGENCIES

CLASSIFIEDS AQUARIUM

and 17 others injured when a bus fell into a deep gorge after being hit by a massive landslide near Keifang village, about 100 km east of Aizawl in the wee hours today. Seventeen bodies were recovered and one injured person succumbed to injuries while being taken to nearby Saitual rural hospital after the bus met with the mishap at around 12.45 AM, police said. Among the dead, nine persons, including two non-tribals, have been identified. Aizawl Superintendent of Police L R Dingliana Sailo said that except for two persons, all the other injured persons have been sent to Aizawl Civil Hospital PTI for treatment.

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NCP to stay in UPA: Patel N CP, which has decided to pull out of the UPA government in protest against the way the party was treated by Congress, today said it will remain an ally of the ruling coalition. Talking to reporters at the city airport after his arrival from Delhi with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Praful Patel said, “NCP is part of the UPA and will remain so.” NCP, a stable ally of Congress for

the last eight years, created a crisis of sorts for the government when Pawar, Minister for Agriculture, sent a one line communication to the Prime Minister expressing his decision to quit along with Patel, Minister for Heavy Industry. Patel dismissed suggestions that the NCP was resorting to pressure tactics. “We have already spoken to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and no top leader of the Congress has said we are pressurising the UPA,” he said.

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CLASSIFIEDS SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

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COMMENT SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Superb idea

Hope for IBS patients

propos Simplifying education. Mirik, Nitesh and Vivek have ventured into the educational arena to help IITians from rural areas who are deviating from their core area. It is a superb idea. I have subscribed to their coaching DVDs for my ward, now in class XI. Manoranjan Das Via email

EDITORIALS THE BANES among us The shooting incident at Denver necessitates the need for the discussion on America’s gun laws yet again. The perpetrator was a man who held a masters degree and a PhD, and yet had been frustrated that he did not find employment. It is said he took inspiration from the villain of the Batman movie The Dark Knight rises, Bane. He wore a gas mask and threw smoke grenades and opened fire at people who had no hand in his being jobless. Apparently, Bane, too, became a bane after having to serve time for his father’s crimes. Bane’s a curious blend of brawn and brain: he has had a classical education and can speak several languages, and is a physically powerful man. Yet for all his abilities and intellect, he chose the path of crime, perhaps to wreak vengeance upon a society that made him suffer for the sins of his father. If one observes closely, there is a connection between the cases of Bane and the Denver shooter. Both were men who felt wronged by the society and the system. The Denver shooter might have felt he was paying for the flaws of the policies made by authorities despite his qualifications. In the wake of this incident, the debate on the gun laws before presidential polls in the US may heat up. But let those involved not forget about something very basic: equality, justice and opportunity for all. If not, there will be more Banes on the street.

WAKE UP, O city mandarins The city roads are flooded, traffic jams are rampant, rainrelated diseases are spreading, some parts of the city are in the dark... Well, DO SOMETHING before things get worse.

propos Stress Can Upset Things. About one in five suffer from IBS at some point in their lives. The IBS Audio Program 100 is an effective treatment for IBS. For information about the IBS Audio Program log on to http://www.healthyaudio.com. Mary Via email

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

There are more issues

propos Drain water stagnation woes for KPHB residents. The author has not looked above KPHB being the biggest colony in Asia. Apart from highlighting the obvious over and over, there is no mention of the actual effects of water clogging. John Galt Via email

To trust or not to trust? That is the question

Soul Curry SUMAA TEKUR

t’s better to be occasionally cheated than to be perpetually suspicious. I was taken for a ride several times in the last month. Looking back at these situations, I can dip into my sense of humour and laugh them away. When they happened, though, I was livid. People are the same everywhere — whether in Chicago or Bangalore. There is an uncontrollable urge to get a little more out of something… everything. On a bright sunny morning in late June, after a heavy breakfast, I was struggling with the map to get directions to the Magnificent Mile, Chicago’s shopping and tourist high street. When I stopped at an intersection, turning the map around several times, and turn-

ing my own direction, too, several times, I heard a voice boom from the corner of the street. “Where do you need to get to, madam?” A tall, dark, heavilybuilt man walked towards me. I knew I looked every bit the tourist. But during my travels in many other cities, I have found that with cautious trust, the world can be a different place. In Barcelona, for example, I had encountered a Pakistani man on the bus from the airport to the city. He chatted me up and took me to the Indian neighbourhood to show off the city like it were his own. Had I not followed my instinct and spoken to him, I would have never seen that part of Barcelona. So I decided to speak to this American man offering his services for direction. “I want to get to the Magnificent Mile,” I said. He walked ahead and motioned for me to follow him. We walked one block and then he pointed at a building across

IT’S BETTER TO BE

TRUSTING AND OCCASIONALLY CHEATED THAN TO BE PERPETUALLY SUSPICIOUS. the street and said I need to take a right on the road behind that building to reach the Magnificent Mile. I thanked him and was about to leave when he said: “Wait. Now you got to do something for me. I helped you with the directions. Now gimme some money. Something. Anything.” My first reaction was anger. Why didn’t I see this coming? I pulled out a few coins from my purse and handed them to him. The smile returned to his face. “You have a good day,” he said and walked away. I walked toward the direction he pointed at only to realize 15 minutes of walking later, that I was walking in the complete opposite

direction! I had no one to blame but me. I was blaming my naivety and my inability to read a map correctly. In Bangalore, I was recently, again, taken for a ride by a parking attendant on Brigade Road. The automated parking machine slots allow for a maximum of two hours parking for a car. You pay the attendant and he give you a ticket. I paid for two hours but the attendant gave me a ticket for only one hour. I asked him to punch it for an extra hour but he just refused. He said he would return the Rs 10 when I got back for my car. But by the time I returned, his shift had and he was probably drinking tea somewhere with that `10. I was angry, not so much with losing `10 but in allowing myself to be taken for a ride. Yet, I couldn’t be any other way. When the anger faded and I saw these events from a distance, they seemed quite hilarious. Will this make me trust any less? Absolutely not.

COMMENT SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Note to our Olympians: Go forth and conquer My World SHRADDHA JAHAGIRDAR-SAXENA

hile I was growing up – decades ago – I was a bit of a nerd. Spectacles fir mly in place, I had an aversion to all kinds of sports except for table tennis and badminton. If I took part in a race – and I did so only once or twice when forced to at school, I always almost finished last.... Perhaps that is why sportspersons and their psyche, their fitness and regimens have always made me put my hands together in applause. The most important event on the calendars of all nations and of participating sportspersons is the Olympic Games that are all set to kick-start in London soon. The last few weeks, the papers have been filled with talks about who is going, who is not, who is likely to win and all the permutations and combinations that could bring medals and glory to not just the individual, but the country as well. For me, as probably for most

This has done a great deal for my confidence.” She is proud to be an Indian, a pride that is reflected in the three colourful clips she often wears while playing in tourneys. “”I love the colours that make up our flag,” India’s top shuttler had told me. “Everyone dies to do something for the country. I am the lucky one who gets to do it. I’m proud to be making a name for my country in the world of badminton.” When I had asked her what if Comet Saina burned brighter and brighter, would that take the focus away from her game, the

down-to-earth girl had replied, “There is always a big tournament ahead of you and you have to keep your focus clear. When you become a big personality in India, people want you everywhere. But, I don’t think I will change. Did Sachin change himself ? He is the same guy. I am a sportsperson playing for the country. And that is all that matters.” Think Olympics and another name springs instantly to mind – that of Abhinav Bindra, the man who got India its first individual Olympic gold medal. I bumped into him at a discussion of his book in Mumbai some time ago,

but I still remember my first leisurely interaction with him at his home in Chandigarh. The Lone Ranger was no spoilt kid. Far from it. On his historic win, he told me, “It was the moment I was waiting for… I try to be myself all the time, but I am a good actor. It was a complete act because I needed to maintain my composure while going in for the last shot. No matter what you feel inside, you have to be calm on the outside. You are of course shooting for yourself, but you play for the pride of your country.” The boy who had flecks of grey in his hair showed his fun side as we made him pose with his dogs. On his one-track focus he said, “I am a little obsessive by nature, a perfectionist.” But are they not all of them? Sania, whom I met in Mumbai a few days ago, Mahesh Bhupathi yet another Olympian in hunt for a medal, Gagan, who has set his eyes on one….and more. I take this opportunity to wish them all luck. For their glory and the nation’s pride! Shraddha JahagirdarSaxena, currently Executive Editor, VERVE magazine, is a senior Mumbai-based journalist.

Global edits The Guardian (UK)

In praise of … Batman

VISWAPRASAD RAJU

The essence of Batman’s appeal is that he is a superhero without superpowers

Urban sketches

H E R I T A G E

of us, the Games are an event to be watched on television – or for the enterprising and lucky ones, live. For me, as I run through the names that crop up the most, I rewind to the times I met them, chatted with them as they spoke of their dreams, goals and achievements. Top of the list would be young Saina Nehwal – one of Hyderabad’s young achievers who has shuttled her way into the limelight with little noise or brouhaha. We had flown out to the city two years ago – she had been on our August cover then. A young 20-year-old, what impressed me about her was her simplicity. She walked in for our interaction, alone. No airs, no demands… and spoke straight from her heart. Even after so many games, she confessed to sleepless nights before big games and to staying up holding her medals when she won: “No one is happy when you lose a match. I feel like I could just cry when I lose; when I was younger, I would burst into tears. But, I have become stronger and learnt many lessons. Now, winning three titles without any mistakes is a big thing for me: because even if I played badly on one or two days, I did not lose heart.

orget the fanboys, firing off death threats at critics who don’t like new film The Dark Knight Rises (yes, really). Ignore the coveters of the Batmobile. And turn a deaf ear to those who would claim the Caped Crusader as some zenith of camp, for the essence of Batman’s appeal is that he is a superhero without superpowers. All he has is a cape, gadgets – and the keenest intellect of the entire stable of DC Comics. It’s the last that earns him the title of the world’s greatest detective. Batman’s world is a ruined one. As a child, Bruce Wayne saw his parents killed by a mugger, and devoted his life to fighting crime. His Gotham has a thin crust of prosperity atop a subterranean world of malevolence. And for those who care more about politics than comics, heed this: The Dark Knight was just this week accused by Rush Limbaugh of being part of a liberal plot. Holy bipartisan hell, Batman!

WORLD SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Half-tonne cocaine seized

rgentinean authorities have seized more than 530 kg of cocaine from a storehouse of an international airport. The drug was seized at Ezeiza International Airport. The operation started Thursday night when customs officers found the drug hidden in metallic tubes destined for an African country, Xinhua quoted the police as saying.

Pak policeman kills sister

Pak arrests 2 militants

Pakistani policeman in Lahore allegedly shot dead his sister for wearing jeans, officials said today (Saturday). Constable Asad Ali was unhappy with his sister Najma Bibi, 22, for wearing what he considered were "men's clothes", especially jeans. The siblings often quarrelled over the issue and Ali allegedly shot and killed his sister yesterday.

akistani authorities have arrested two Taliban militants and recovered 66 grenades and nine sophisticated rifles from their possession, officials said today. The terrorists were arrested in Sheikhupura, 40km from Lahore, when police raided a house on the basis of a tip-off, announced assistant superintendent of police Haider Ashraf.

Colorado mourns Denver victims

AURORA: An emotional candlelit vigil was held late Friday for the victims of a US massacre at a premiere of the latest Batman movie, which left 12 people dead and nearly 60 injured. The town of Aurora, Colorado stood in silent mourning, as it emerged that the alleged gunman bought more than 6,000 rounds of ammunition on the Internet, and four guns, in the two months before the shootings. The masked, black-clad shooter, named as James Holmes, 24, burst into a movie theater barely 20 minutes into the midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises,” throwing two tear-gas type devices before opening fire. “As far as we know, it was a pretty rapid pace of fire in that theater,” said Aurora police chief Dan Oates, his voice shaking at times with emotion, and exhaustion after a long night and day dealing with the trauma. In an end-of-day update, he amended slightly the number of victims of the shooting at a midnight screening of the latest Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises,” from 71 to 70. Twelve of them died, including 10 in the theater. A local children’s hospital reported six young victims, the youngest of whom was aged only six. At least three of the wounded were US military members, the Pentagon said. Shots fired in one auditorium went through the wall and hit people in the auditorium next door. The first police were on the scene within 90 seconds, while eventually some 200 officers swarmed around the building. “Nearly everyone was shot,”

Nolan laments tragedy, calls shooting savage “Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan lamented the “senseless tragedy” of the massacre at a Colorado movie theater showing his film, calling it “unbearably savage.”

Six children among victims A local children’s hospital reported six young victims, the youngest of whom was aged only six. At least three of the wounded were US military members, the Pentagon said.

Shooter wore gas-mask, bullet-proof vest Police arrested Holmes — who was wearing full body armor and a gas mask, apparently to protect him from effects of his own tear gas — without encountering resistance by his car at the rear of the theater. Shooter told cops, ‘I am the Joker’: The suspect in the mass shooting at the midnight premiere of the new Batman movie in suburban Denver Friday had coloured his hair red and told police he was “the Joker,” a media report said. he said, adding that a “handful” of those treated in hospital did not have gunshot wounds, but suffered other injuries in the mayhem.

“In the last 60 days, he purchased four guns at local metro gun shops and through the internet he purchased over 6,000 rounds of ammunition,” he said.

He added: “My understanding is that all the weapons that he possessed he possessed legally, and all the clips that he possessed, he possessed legally, and

SL seeks bailout from IMF

Syrian forces launch all-out assault

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka Saturday announced the completion of a $2.6 billion IMF bailout, but it was seeking fresh loans to support an economy emerging from decades of ethnic war. The International Monetary Fund on Friday released the final instalment of the bailout agreed in July 2009, two months after Colombo defeated Tamil rebels in a major offensive to end the drawn-out conflict. The drawing down the final instalment of the bailout package marked the longest engagement Sri Lanka has had with the IMF and the single largest facility from a multilateral institution, the Central Bank of Sri Lanka said.

DAMASCUS: Syrian forces have launched an all-out assault on opposition strongholds in Damascus, after rebels seized crossings on the Iraq and Turkey borders amid a heavy death toll. Rebel fighters also clashed with troops in several neighbourhoods of Aleppo on Friday in what the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said was the fiercest fighting so far in Syria’s second city. At the United Nations, the Security Council voted unanimously to give a “final” 30-day extension to a troubled observer mission that was charged with overseeing a peace plan for Syria but which suspended its operations on June 16 in the face of mounting violence.

all the ammunition he possessed, he possessed legally.” Police arrested Holmes — who was wearing full body armor and a gas mask, apparently to protect him from effects of his own tear gas — without encountering resistance by his car at the rear of the theater. Holmes, who reportedly attended the University of Colorado medical school until last month, had no criminal record aside from a citation for speeding in October 2011, according to police. His nearby apartment was found to be booby-trapped with a sophisticated arsenal of incendiary and chemical devices. Police used mobile ladders to try to enter the apartment through external windows. But Oates said late Friday that the operation had been postponed until Saturday. Witnesses described chaos chillingly similar to that depicted in the Batman films, in which maniacal villains terrorize Gotham City. “I saw some people start to get up. I poked my head up to see what was going on and when I did that I saw another flash and instantly put my head down as he started shooting again,” said 17-year-old Tanner Coon. Cinemas in New York tightened security at Batman showings, and the AMC theatre chain announced a ban on face masks and fake weapons — several people wore costumes in Aurora, possibly helping Holmes to blend in with the melee. The French premiere of the film in Paris was cancelled. Holmes’ parents, who live in San Diego, were shocked. AFP

Cybersecurity bill revived in US WASHINGTON: A group of US senators has revived stalled cybersecurity legislation by offering compromises to address civil liberties concerns, an effort quickly endorsed by President Barack Obama. The new bill drew some support from Republican lawmakers amid a drive to pass legislation before the summer recess, but prospects for passage were unclear. Lawmakers said they hope to bring the measure to the Senate floor in the upcoming week. The bill aims to identify so-called “critical infrastructure,” including electric power and utility computer networks, and provide oversight to ensure these are secure from attacks.

BUSINESS SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Google grabs startup

FB acquires Acrylic

he engineer behind Canadian startup Acrylic said Friday that he was closing up his one-man shop and joining Facebook, the leading social network. The company confirmed that it has bought Acrylic in an “acqui-hire” that brings on board founder Dustin MacDonald, the creator of mobile gadget applications for newsfeeds and digital wallets.

rench startup behind email applications for Apple gadgets has been bought by Google as the Internet titan increasingly tailors hit software to run on its rival’s hardware. Sparrow co-founder Dominique Leca announced on Friday that the team will work on Gmail. “We’re joining the Gmail team to accomplish a bigger vision,” he said.

US seeks trade with India

yeing India’s expansive military modernisation programme, Senators John Cornyn and Mark Warner, have asked the Pentagon, in a letter to defence secretary Ashton B Carter on Friday, to develop a closer defence relationship with New Delhi, including potential co-development or co-production of military weapon systems. M ANIL KUMAR

Convenience at your doorstep Imagine procuring all your grocery at the click of a button. It’s exactly what Charles Sasi Paul and Rekha Potluri did when they launched Galaxilocal, an e-supermarket

PRUDHVI RAJU K

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

ow convenient would it be to place an order for all your groceries online, have them delivered at your doorstep and all for a discounted price? What’s more this also means avoiding traffic snarls and serpentine queues at billing counters of otherwise busy supermarkets. This convenience is now a reality thanks to Galaxilocal.com, an e-commerce supermarket, that provides services to areas within a 15 kilometre radius around Hitec City and will soon be extended to Secunderabad and other suburbs. The company, a brainchild of Charles Sasi Paul and Rekha Potluri, was launched in January 2012, when the duo quit their well paying IT jobs to start something of their own. However, the move to quit their stable jobs was not an easy one. Sasi says, “Rekha was a technical architect and I was heading the engineering (product development) team at our company. However, we both wanted to start something of our own. But the decision to quit our jobs, that were not just well paying but also comfortable, was not an easy one. A start-up needs a lot of energy and effort. But we realised that if we didn’t venture out on our own now, it would only get more difficult with time. The ideation process evolved over six months prior to quitting our job.” Speaking about the business idea itself, Rekha says, “The idea is to give our customers value addition and retain some margins for us. The

trade is simple as it does not need huge investment like a manufacturing business. The cash cycle is also much better in a B2C scenario compared to B2B where one gets stuck for months to get bills cleared and reinvest in the company. We can also add value to the business with our technological experience. These factors made us choose this idea and start Galaxilocal.com,” says Rekha. E-commerce is not just about building an effective website. The duo has put in a lot of effort in building the backend process by talking to suppliers, building warehouse, enabling card payment on delivery, putting up the site on cloud and also to enable effective CRM (to

Number of regular customers:

500 Number of registered customers:

1,500 Monthly business:

`15 lakh

Aiming for: `1 core (per month) in less than three years Planning to start: 15 small outlets in next 18 months maintain contact details of customers). They have also enabled recording voice calls to ensure faultless delivery. The 10-employee company is now planning to start small stores in different parts of the City to create an efficient supply chain and also offer services around the City in the next six months. “These will act as connecting hubs for retail stores and also warehouses for us to deliver goods to even remote places

in the City. We are also facilitating multi-channel commerce. Although, we have a strong website, 50 per cent of orders are placed on the phone. The service is welcomed by customers who find it difficult to go to a crowded supermarket and negotiating traffic on a precious weekend,” says Sasi. The discounts are an added attraction. “Our operating costs are lower compared to retail shops. We decided to pass on part of these savings to customers by giving them a 5 to 15 per cent discount on MRPs,” he said. The company has 70 suppliers for different products. It offers around 5,000 different products and has plans to offer around 20,000 products over time and create an online hypermarket. The company has raised around `2 crore as a seed capital from friends and family and spent around `80 lakh building the business. “We have sufficient funds for the next six months and will only look for more investments after that to take the company to the next level. We aim to get a monthly break-even in the next six months by managing our operating costs with our profits,” says Sasi. But it’s not just all work for the duo. Sasi loves spending time with his six-year-old daughter and is a voracious reader. Some of his favourite books include Jim Collins’ Built to Last, Good to great and Nandan Nilekani’s Imagining India. Rekha, on the other hand, loves to unwind by painting.

Charles Sasi Paul, a former IT employee, gave up his well paying job to launch an e-commerce supermarket along with Rekha Potluri. The company not only allows a customer to place grocery orders online but also provides home delivery within a 15 kilometre radius and some great discounts on product MRPs.

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK Tubalr isten to your favourite artist while watching all their music videos on YouTube. Tubalr lets you search an artist and then queues the videos to play one after the other.

VIDEOGAME REVIEW

APP OF THE WEEK

WHERE'S MY PERRY?

Voodoo Skies Normal

oodoo Skies Normal or Not takes a different approach to the weather, but it also does it in a clean and straightforward interface.

he game is developed by Disney and is as challenging and fun as the original. Apart from using all forms of water, the game is almost similar to 'Where's my water' with physics based gameplay to clear levels.

The world of dragons

Massive game worlds, slaying beasts and dragons — welcome to Dragon’s Dogma. There’s nothing forcing you to stay on path and you can keep roaming the countryside slaying wolves, goblins, zombies, and beasts.

NT BALANARAYAN

balanarayan.nt@postnoon.com

t had taken my three companions and me, 40 minutes to slay the beast the last time I met it. This time however it took us only 15 minutes to slay the lion-headed, goat-bodied, snake-tailed creature which roared, bled and hissed its way to death. I stood there, still heartless, admiring our destructive prowess. Was I now strong enough to fight the dragon and get my heart back? Even if I was, I didn’t know where to go and that is the biggest problem with Dragon’s Dogma, developed by Capcom. There’s nothing forcing you to stay on path and you can keep roaming the countryside slaying wolves, goblins, zombies, beasts like the one mentioned above for as long as you want.

This is one of the first hardcore open world Role Playing Game (RPG) I have played on a console and if you’re one of those people who haven’t played many RPGs you’ll be utterly lost. The tutorials are not detailed enough and you learn things the hard way — from experience. The game starts off promisingly with a giant dragon attacking a village. You, the protagonist then tries to fight of the mountain-sized creature with a rusty sword only to be defeated. The dragon then proceeds to cut open your chest and eats your heart! That surprisingly doesn’t kill you, instead you become Arisen (pronounced ari-son) whose sole aim is to slay the dragon and win back the heart. In the game, there are these skilled warriors called pawns who always like to tag along with Arisen. They can be summoned from Rift Stones and you can have up to two pawns at a time in your party. They mean it when they say don’t wander around outside at night, for you’ll be overwhelmed

with enemies of all kinds who seem to respawn every time you reach the area, much to my frustration. If the respawning enemies wasn’t troublesome enough, companions who behave erratically is a bigger headache. If the pawns had a little more sense it wouldn’t be so difficult to mow down these enemies. A lot of the game time will

be spent accomplishing sidequests, most of which are trivial. Main objectives, the ones that take the story forward, are too few and too far apart. However as a fan of RPGs, who likes to level up, explore and find new more powerful items, I found the game to be brilliant. There is nothing stopping you from running in any

direction except powerful enemies and the threats that darkness brings. The developers have developed a brilliant universe for the game and it manages to throw in surprises every now and then. Like all RPGs the game has a class system and you get to choose from being a fighter, strider or mage and each of these classes have sub-classes which lets you specialise between attack and support roles. Similarly, you can decide on the class of your main pawn. The other part which I like about RPGs, the interactions, was a big let down in Dragon’s Dogma. Dialogues tend to be repetitive and the pawns who travel with you know just how to irritate you with their non-stop chatter. All said and done Dragon’s Dogma will be a game I’ll remember, as it is challenging and interesting, though a bit rough around the edges. It’s a must buy if you’re an RPG fan and if you’re new to the genre check out the demo first.

ANIMAL KINGDOM SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

PET NEWS Love Hotel

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Know your dog

Math geniuses?

abiano Lourdes and his sister Daniela in Brazil will open a “love hotel” for pets in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte. It is an eight-story building with an entire floor devoted to dog tryst.

olphins may use complex nonlinear mathematics when hunting, according to a new study that suggests these brainy marine mammals could be far more skilled at math than was ever thought possible.

NEOPETS Who needs stereotypical animals when one has Neopets! A Nickelodeon initiative, Neopets was started way back in 1999 with cute little fictional creatures belonging to the land of Neopia. You play games to earn “Neocash” and spend

it on dressing and caring for your Neopet. You feed it, play dress up, build Neohomes, explore Neopia and monitor your neopet’s daily activities. They are the coolest virtual pets one can have.

olden Retrievers are lovable, well-mannered and intelligent dogs. They can be easily trained and are known to be patient with children. Energetic and loving, they enjoy pleasing their masters.

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

LOVE VIRTUALLY

If you are an animal lover but have not been able to keep a pet thanks to anxious parents or building constraints then the virtual world has a solution to your problems.

FARMVILLE Developed by Zynga in 2009, FarmVille involves not just management of animals but also plants. A rage on social networking website Facebook and Microsoft’s MSN Games, FarmVille enables one to manage land, harvest crops and raise livestock. Being a complete social-

interactive game, FarmVille enables people to handle “farm coins”, choose neighbours, exchange poultry, make “visits”and send virtually expensive mystery gifts. It claims to be one of the most addictive web-based games of all time.

FOOPETS Created by veterinarian Dr. Ron Hornbaker in 2007, FooPets.com provides the most realistic virtual puppies and kittens that one can adopt. These pets require food and water, love playing with virtual toys and crave for attention. It gives one the complete joy of owning a pet by taking care of them with virtual currency. The pets respond, interact and demand total loving care. It is truly an animal lover’s paradise.

ROBO DOGS

PRIYANKA SURESH

feedback@postnoon.com

The toy brand division of Hasbro created in 2002, makes almost lifelike robotic toys ranging all the way from guinea pigs to dinosaurs in varied sizes. The toys not only look extremely lifelike but also move, whine, snort and can be ridden on. The touch activated sensors on these toys, enable them to make different noises and respond to petting. They also play different audio tracks in adventure mode when ridden on. These toys are the closest to real pets with minimum maintenance and a pleasure to have around.

HAPPY AQUARIUM A CrowdStar product, Happy Aquarium lets one have all the joys of having a virtual aquarium. With adorable fish swimming around,

Happy Aquarium requires you to clean the fish tank, decorate it, make your fish mate, feed them, teach them tricks and make them earn virtual cash. This interactive game truly is relaxing, rewarding and entertaining for the mere charm of the little virtual fish.

BOOKS SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

SHORT READS Title: Queen of Dreams Author: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni Publisher: Anchor Rakhi, a single mother, is struggling to terms with her relationship with her dreamteller mother. She loses her mother in a car accident. Uncovering her dream journals, allows Rakhi to discover her mother’s long-kept secrets and sacrifices.

Title: The Catcher in the Rye Author: JD Salinger Publisher: Back Bay Books The narrator is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caulfield. There are many voices in this novel: children's voices, adult voices but Holden's voice is the most eloquent of all.

Title: Such a Rush Author: Jennifer Echols Publisher: Gallery Books Saving every penny she can, Leah Jones begs quiet Mr. Hall, who runs an aerial banner-advertising business at the airstrip and also offers flight lessons. Mr. Hall offers her a job. But he dies suddenly, leaving everything he owned in the hands of his teenage sons.

Journey beyond words

When other girls her age chatter endlessly about lip gloss and boys, Delilah McPhee would rather curl up with a good book. Can books always be her comfort? RANJANI RAJENDRA

ranjani.r@postnoon.com

hat do you do when your 16-year-old comes up with an idea for a probable book? You write it with her. That’s exactly what Jodi Picoult, author of bestsellers like My Sister’s Keeper and Nineteen Minutes, did when her daughter Samantha called her with her idea. The two put their heads together and wrote Between the Lines as a collaborative piece. In the author’s note, Picoult reveals how she sat with her daughter to pen the book and the two would often end up saying the same lines or would simply complete each other’s thoughts for the plot rather effortlessly. The result -- an impressive modern day fairy tale with an unusual twist. For high schooler Delilah McPhee books are her solace. When other girls her age chatter endlessly about lip gloss and boys, Delilah would

rather curl up in a corner with a good book. What she loves most about her books is that they all have happy endings – something she’s always craved for, ever since her father abandoned her mother and her. Things change when one day Delilah stumbles upon a fairy tale about a Prince Oliver at her school library. So taken is she by the book that she reads it and rereads it over and over again, much to the annoyance of her mother. What she doesn’t realise is that Oliver too has been noticing her and one fine day decides to communicate with her. The two continue talking and Oliver tries to convince her to help him escape his mundane existence in the book. What the two don’t admit is that they are secretly rather fond of each other. Now Delilah must decide if she will help the prince or escape into his world herself and find her own happily ever after. Whether Delilah finally

Name Between the Lines Author Jodi Picoult, Samantha Van Leer Pages 361 Publisher Hachette India agrees to help Oliver out of the book forms the rest of the plot. What struck me about the book the most was the imagination that went behind the whole concept. The whole “what if characters in a book have lives of their own when nobody is reading the book” is intriguing. Agreed Samantha wrote the book with her mother, but the basic idea is hers and that itself speaks volumes of her potential as a budding author. What works for the book is that the writing style is contemporary and easy to read. Delilah’s confusion as a teenaged misfit and Oliver’s desperation to escape the confines of a book are things you can identify with. All in all, it’s a good read.

Title: Shadow of Night: A Novel (All Souls Trilogy) Author: Deborah Harkness Publisher: Viking Adult Shadow of Night plunges Diana and Matthew into Elizabethan London, a world of spies, subterfuge, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the mysterious School of Night that includes Christopher Marlowe and Walter Raleigh.

Down, but not out What prompts one system to dust itself off and continue while another lies crippled? Find out Jyotsna Nambiar jyotsna.n@postnoon.com

“R

esilience is, like life itself, messy, imperfect, and inefficient. But it survives.” These lines in Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy's Resilience: Why things Bounce Back could have been written with Mumbai in mind. The city is the epitome of order in chaos, known for its crazy nature, and oh, can it survive! Terrorists, floods, bombs, murders, financial crises… Mumbai just stops, takes a deep breath and moves on. But it was a very different story when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans. A vibrant city with its many quirks and characters, one would have expected it to react in almost the same way that Mumbai does. Instead, for days, the city spun out of control, with robberies and deaths reaching unprecedented levels. Years later, the city has still not regained its old sheen. What prompts one system to dust itself off and continue while another lies crippled? Zolli has been long interested about the idea of how some cities, people,

organisations and systems are able to rise again after being knocked down, while some just crumble under pressure. In the book, Zolli studies resilience in subjects as varied as Jamaica's coral reefs, the economic crisis in the US, food riots in Mexico, orangutan extinction in Borneo and the fate of Holocaust survivors. While some highly connected systems collapse when one part of the grid is compromised, another type gets stronger as more systems join in. He cautions against systems that appear robust but may be fragile, like organizations that plan obsessively to deal with perceived threats, but are undone by minor glitches in an area that was overlooked. People with similar childhoods grow up to be very different in how they cope with tragedy. But all is not lost. Though each case is different, Zolli identifies factors that contribute to weakness and those that promote resilience. Acknowledging the complexity of inter-connected systems and learning to plan for most eventualities would help an organization bounce back after a major disaster. The book suggests ways of building a more resilient mind, society and organization. In this age of uncertainty, the book provides some hope for a less turbulent future.

Name Resilience : Why things bounce back Author Andrew Zolli and Ann Marie Healy Pages 323 Publisher Hachette India

BOOKS SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

MUST READS

A phoenix’s tale

DUNE, FRANK HERBERT

With the Olympics set to begin next week this book on ace shuttler Saina Nehwal could not have been better timed. ANISHAA KUMAR

anishaa.k@postnoon.com

t the outset a biography on a sports person might not attract someone who is not interested in sports, but a few pages into TS Sudhir’s, Saina Nehwal: An Inspiration Biography, changes that opinion. “Champions define themselves in their dreams and then work incredibly hard every single day to be successful. Saina Nehwal is no different” — the prologue for TS Sudhir’s debut novel states. These few lines could sum up what the book aims to do — talk about little dreams, perseverance, roadblocks, success, failure and hope. The book traces the journey of Saina Nehwal’s parents from Hissar (Haryana) to Hyderabad followed by the rise, fall and hopeful resurgence of Saina Nehwal as India’s gold hopeful. An interesting and rather

unknown aspect revealed in this book is about Saina’s parent’s personal history with badminton. To understand and get an insight into Saina’s background the book goes back into time when Saina’s parents were getting married. Their personal love and dedication towards the sport and then their ultimate sacrifices to make Saina what she is today, is something that definitely strikes a chord. The book also provides interesting and shocking insights into the treatment of badminton and badminton stars in India. It shows how due to our

habit of focussing on one player or creating a brand rather than the sport, many a times talent is ignored. As much as this is a book about Saina it is also a book about badminton champ and Saina’s coach

Pullela Gopichand. TS Sudhir had made a point during the book launch that Saina’s story is incomplete without telling Gopichand’s story. The book dedicates an entire chapter to talk about Gopichand’s victories, failures and fighting spirit. The narrative does slightly dips at some points but this does not last for long. The details of the match, Saina’s hopes and frustrations and those of the people around her are crisp and gives one the feeling of watching a live match. With the Olympics to begin from August this book could not have been better timed. At the end, it is Saina’s father’s simple words of encouragement that could inspire a generation of badminton players that stay back with us. Tearyeyed the man of few words had just one thing to say, “Himmat se khelo beta.” Go for gold Saina!

This is a book that will forever be considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad'Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family—and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune is considered the grandest epic in science fiction.

HAROUN AND THE SEA OF STORIES, SALMAN RUSHDIE Set in an exotic Eastern landscape peopled by magicians and fantastic talking animals, Salman Rushdie's classic Haroun and the Sea of Stories inhabits the same imaginative space as Gulliver's Travels, Alice in Wonderland, and The Wizard of Oz. In this captivating adaptation for the stage, Haroun sets out on an adventure to restore the poisoned source of the sea of stories. On the way, he encounters many foes, all intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers.

ROSEMARY'S B ABY, IRA LEVIN What if you were a happily married young woman, living in New York, and one day you awoke to find yourself pregnant? And what if your loving husband had— apparently— sold your soul to Satan? And now you were beginning to believe that your unborn child was, in reality, the son of Satan? Ira Levin subtly makes it all totally plausible, unless of course, dear Rosemary— or the reader— can no longer distinguish fantasy from reality!

Name Saina Nehwal, An Inspirational Biography Author TS Sudhir Pages 231 Publisher Nimby Books

WHAT’S SELLING Walden’s bestsellers in non-fiction n Poor Little Rich Slum by Rashmi Bansal n The 3rd Alternative by Stephen R Covey n Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson n Great by Choice by Collins And Hansen n Reforms 2020 by Express Group

Oxford bookstore bestsellers in fiction n Litigators by John Grisham n Alchemist by Paulo Coelho n Meluha by Amish Tripathi n Revolution 20-20 by Chetan Bhagat n Romance on Facebook by Amrita Priya

New York Times’ best in fiction

New York Times’ best in non-fiction

n Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

n Wild by Cheryl Strayed

n The Next best Thing by Jennifer Weiner

n The Amateur by Edward Klein

n Wicked Business by Janet Evanovich n Criminal by Karin Slaughter n Bloodline by James Rollins

n Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand n An American Son by Marco Rubio n Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

WOMEN SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK Evernote: Evernote turns the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad into a tool for remembering anything and everything that happens in your life.

iBody: iBody turns your iPhone into your own personal health and fitness advisor. You can use it to keep a fitness journal for your workouts, jogs and bike rides.

Wedding deluxe: Weddings planning can very quickly take on a life of its own — and take over yours. iWedding Deluxe can help you manage the beast by organising and providing inspiration.

Forty and raring to go It’s not just about working at home or office that marks the day of today’s woman. A day without a good workout is no day at all. And age? What age?

INDIRA ATLURI

indira.a@postnoon.com

oday, there is a thin line that demarcates what’s meant for the young, the middle-aged, and the old. The constant quest to be ‘on par’ with the rest has redefined and reshaped the modern woman of today. No wonder, what was once a strictly ‘young’ space has now been invaded by the woman in her 40s, and above. And definitely for the better. Sujatha Suresh is in her late forties, conscious of her health, and does what it takes to be that way. She tells us, “It is very important for me to be fit, and I make sure to indulge in one activity or the other. After 45, women hit the menopausal stage, and hence become more conscious of their wellbeing. The gym I go to is open for all but women of our age group have a special time between four to six which is a good time for those who are working. There is also a trainer who oversees our activities as not all women are allowed to work on all equipments.” Poornima Nagaraja is one of the noted psychiatrists in the city. She shares her insights into the rising trend, “For women in their 40s, life slows down in a positive way. Typically, their career is more defined, and that is the time they realise that their hormones are not behaving themselves. It is also a time when they realise how bad their eating habits are, or how the frustration of life passing by sets in. It is not a mid-life crisis more than the fact that the women have more time to concentrate on themselves. So

JYOTSNA NAMBIAR

jyotsna.n@postnoon.com

KEEP IN MIND

1.Although any time to workout is a good time, morning workouts are better, as the body’s metabolic rate is at its lowest, and the workouts are better responded to. 2. Choose food that are good in good fat as opposed to bad fat. Good fat is found in olive oils, almonds, natural peanut butter or even dark chocolate! Yes you heard it right. 3. No sugar please! Try not to buy packaged cereal for breakfast, as many are loaded in sugar, but masqueraded as ones fortified with vitamins and minerals. 4. Sweet potatoes, vegetable soups, omelettes, and lots of greens are a good choice anytime for the day. Not to forget a good daily portion of yoghurt.

when they begin to work out, they see the changes in their body, and the fact that they can look attractive and wear trendy clothes, like any other counterparts. So you do see a lot of them in their 40s today doing all it takes to keep them happy.” Sharada Priyadarshini is a personal trainer at the Latitudes gym in Hyderabad. She shares with us the reason women in their 40s need to

Just another number

workout. She says, “For women on the other side of 40, estrogen hormones are lesser and calcium absorption too is significantly reduced. Moreover, as age increases, metabolism and bone flexibility too decreases. Workouts help improve blood circulation, which in turn leads to many benefits — be it in the flexibility of the muscles, a feeling of being healthy, and an overall positive

attitude towards life. I have been here for the last six months, and have seen that the awareness among women has definitely increased.” What is life but a reason to enjoy? And what better way to enjoy it than to be healthy first? While for many, it is already a realisation, to many, there is time to ‘wake up.’ After all, who hasn’t heard the famous adage ‘Better late than never.’

New Zealand-based scientist says women are finally scoring higher than men in IQ tests. Reason for celebration? Not really, I think. While it makes for a great headline, the main point of the story is not that women are beating men at standard intelligence tests, but the reason why this change has come about. James Flynn, the scientist behind the study, says, “In every country where women have an equal chance at modernity, women have caught up with men.” Women have historically scored lower because of discrimination in education, upbringing and social roles, he says. Flynn administered the test to 500 men and women each in Australia, Estonia, South Africa, New Zealand and Argentina. The phrase “equal chance at modernity” becomes important when the subject pool is considered. Asia has been left out of the study entirely. A highincome country with a low immigrant count represents Europe. South Africa is one of the most affluent countries in Africa. Both Australia and New Zealand score high on the human development index. Argentina, the South American representative, has one of the highest GDPs in Latin America. If Flynn’s theory about modernity is correct, he may have got a drastically different result if he included India in the test countries. Or even if he increased the number of people tested in each country. 500 people in India could mean barely one person from each region of the country, or a batch from across the IITs. It’s too soon to say that the battle of the sexes has been resolved. Women aren’t interested in boasting of a higher IQ than men. IQ is, after all, just an arbitrary, man-made scale for measuring one aspect of the human mind. But what we need to take away from this study is that everyone needs to be given equal opportunities if they are to realise their potential. It doesn’t really matter whether men or women score higher on an IQ test; what matters is that both are given all the tools to tackle it.

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

N SHIVAKUMAR

Picture perfect

Fashion for empowerment

Fashion Yatra, an event that is organised every year by Kamini Saraf, showcased designer garments, jewellery and lifestyle products from all over India. The exhibition was held at Taj Krishna on Friday.

Bollywood actor Katrina Kaif visited the Gitanjali Jewellery store in Basheerbagh on Friday.

Mast Mast Girl in city

Wanderlust! DEEPAK DESHPANDE

The 97th edition of Indiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s biggest travel show Travel Tourism Fair opened in Hitex, Hyderabad on Friday.

N SHIVAKUMAR

Born free 1 Kamini Saraf Moni Agarwal 3 Sumitha Reddy 4 Anju Poddar 5 Reena Kapoor 6 Manisha Kapoor 7 Ashita 8 Divya 9 Lakshmi Manchu 10 Madhavi & Radhika Reddy 11 Archana & Rekha 12 Meghana Reddy 13 Sohini & Akhila 2

M ANIL KUMAR

Jwala Gutta participated in a protest against the cruelty of confining wild animals in zoos in Hyderabad on Friday.

Actress Raveena Tandon was in the city to inaugurate the Hitex International Gems and Jewellery Exposition on Friday.

RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012 Wearing the pants

I AM ALL EARS

am a 20-year-old boy and am yet to make a friend who I can call special. All my friends boast in front of me about their escapades and the number of girls they go around with. They also tease me about being slow. This is affecting my studies and I feel depressed. Please help.

ith the modern day women going places and in some cases more successful than their spouses, how are husbands dealing with this change? According to a new study from the Fordham University in the US, macho men whose partners earn more than they do have worse romantic relationships. Conversely, men who do not place as much importance on the difference in income take it lightly.

Dear depressed kid, Instead of being depressed about something like studies you are sad about not having a girl by your side. Do you think life is some Hollywood movie where the cool dude gets all the chicks and the geek sulks in the corner. Well, I am letting you in on a secret, girls dig geeks. I am sure you have other interests like music or sports try and do well in them and maybe things won’t be so bad after all.

The fear of being single at 30 is urging youngsters to make back-up plans because no one wants to see themselves growing old alone.

AMY ROSE

amyrose.t@postnoon.com

aking up alone in the bed when you are 30 with no one to keep you company is the nightmare that many in their 20s share. Busy making friends and tasting freedom and independence in early twenties, one needs to hit latetwenties for the alarm bells to start ringing about the 30year deadline. You make a pact with your best friend to get married to each other if neither of you are not married by a certain age. There are many who have opted for this before the inevitable 30 draws close. “After having been in a few relationships, I'm fairly sure I'm not going to be settling down any time soon. And at 24, I'm not too worried about it. In fact, I

think it suits me just fine. But a few years down the line, if I suddenly decide I'm ready and want to settle, I don't want to start from scratch. There are single guy friends of mine who feel pretty much the same way. So we decided that at 30-35, if we are still single but ready for a commitment, we'll just approach each other. Of course, there are many, many variables. He might find somebody. Or else, we have both may have changed and now can't imagine spending our life together. So, nothing is set in stone but at the same time, having that back-up is comforting,” Meera Reddy, a student, says. Back-up plans have now become the safety net which promises to keep you safe in times of need. Shreya Dutt who works with Infosys, Bengaluru, says, “These back-up plans can change at any moment. We will go ahead with it only if both of us do not find anyone by the time we

I really think 30 is the sealing point. We can have our way with parents and friends till you turn 30 but after that the scenario changes. Everyone you know pushes you to get hitched while others start to question your sexual preferences. Shreya Dutt, software professional turn 30. I really think 30 is the sealing point. We can have our way with parents and friends till you turn 30 but after that the scenario changes. Everyone you know pushes you to get hitched while others start to question your sexual preferences. When you hit mid-

twenties, you tend not to really jump into time-pass relationships because time is running out and wait for a serious guy to come along,” she says. While there are others who have kept their options open and have made pacts with more than one person in case he/she gets hitched. George Issac, a Delhi-based professional, says, “I have made pacts with five girls so that when I turn 34, I wouldn’t be alone. I haven’t dated a single one of the five and they are all my friends. But in case we turn 34 and are single, we can fall back on each other. The thought of being alone when you need a partner the most is very discomfiting.” While these back-up plans to marry a friend if one is still single by a certain age seems like a something right out of a movie script, youngsters are opting for this pact to keep the fear of being unmarried at bay.

BACK-UP PLANS MADE ON TELEVISION

The popular television series Friends spoke about this arrangement quite early on in their seasons. In one of the episodes Joey Tribbianni and Phoebe Buffay make a pact to get married to each other if they find themselves single by the age of 40. The pact is sparked off by the fact that their friends Monica, Chandler, Ross and Rachel are too busy in their relationships to care about them. Feeling left out they come up with this idea.

Well, kids, here’s how it all started Aunt Robin and Ted were not just friends always in How I Met Your Mother. A romantic relationship between the two failed to blossom but what they decided was if they did not find a partner for themselves by the age of 40 then they would get married to each other. Somehow we get the feeling that would never happen right!

The Runaway Bride star Julia Roberts before turning wedding planner for her friend in My Best Friend’s Wedding also had decided on this pact with her friend.

CINEMA SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

T-TOWN TWEETIES @Actor_Siddharth

@actor_Nikhil

@pnavdeep26

@shrutihaasan

I loved rises! Way better than begins. Not as legendary as dark knight... still, Nolan serves up a world beating spectacle of a finish!

Just watched The Dark Night Rises... The best Batman yet... Yess the best movie Christopher Nolan has ever made till date...

Walkin d ramp for a fund raiser for adopted govt schools by passionate foundation tonight at HICC :) designed by shravan :)

Most amazing darshan at Padmanabaswamy temple, feeling so blessed positive and absolutely peaceful.

@shraddhadas43

@snehaullalheart

@actressanjjanaa

@LakshmiManchu

Happy birthday to @SEIYAGAUTAM one of the nicest girls I have befriended in the industry... (‘EDGE’ girl for me! Remember) muah!

In general, calculating and judgmental people are so not likable.

Finally I hav a free weekend ahead of me... All exited to catch up with my friends .. Looking fwd... Wats up with all of u ??.

My heart is beating at a rapid speed. @ItsVishnuManchu @themohanbabu @HEROMANOJ1 around the corner...

Rana gears up for his debut in Tamil R

ana Daggubati is all set to make his debut in Tamil. His upcoming film Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum is now being made in Tamil as well. Directed by Krish, the film is about how the life of an artist changes after he meets a documentary filmmaker. Confirming

his debut in Tamil, Rana posted on Twitter, “Yes the news is true: ‪#Krishnam Vandae agadhgurm ‪#KVJ is being shot and will release as my first bilingualfilm(Tamil-Telugu). Shooting in Chennai for the first time. Tamil lines for the first time. Extremely Excited and

Sudigaadu’s audio launch on July 23

he audio of Allari Naresh’s Sudigaadu is going to be launched on July 23 in Hyderabad. The film, directed by Bheemineni Srinivasa Rao, is a remake of a superhit Tamil film titled Tamil Padam and Allari Naresh is doing a full-length spoof film after a long time. Several scenes from hit Telugu films in the past 20 years have been spoofed in this film. Sri Vasanth has composed the music.

Honored!! (sic)” Rana and Nayanthara are playing the lead roles in this action drama. Mani Sharma is composing the music and V S Gnanasekhar is the cinematographer. Y Rajeev Reddy and Saibaba Jagarlamudi are jointly producing the film.

Tuneega Tuneega is archaic

Tuneega Tuneega’s archaic story and predictable storytelling overshadows all the good work by its actors HEMANTH KUMAR

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

uneega Tuneega follows a tried and tested formula and there lies its curse. Directed by MS Raju, the film, starring Sumanth Ashwin, Rhea Chakraborthy, is about two lovers who get separated because of a slight misunderstanding which is blown out of proportion by people around them. Not surprisingly, the film reminds us of films made since Maine Pyaar Kiya or even much before that. Karthik (Sumanth Ashwin) dreams of becoming a dancer; however, his mischievous behaviour never allows others to take him seriously. One fine day, his father (Prabhu), a chef, goes to the family reunion of his

Movie: Tuneega Tuneega Cast: Sumanth Ashwin, Rhea Chakarborthy, Nagababu Directed by: MS Raju Rating:

longtime friend (Nagababu) and takes the onus of cooking for everyone at the reunion. Nidhi (Rhea Chakraborthy) also joins this family reunion and she’s shocked to see Karthik at the reunion. Soon they fall in love, but before they can confess their love for each other, fate charts different plans for them. Sumanth delivers a confident performance and it’s evident that he has worked hard on his dance moves. Rhea is adorable in her role as a bubbly girl who

finds herself on the wrong side of the fence as the story unfolds. Prabhu, Sayaji Shinde, Naga Babu, Seetha shine in their roles. Keeping all this good work from the film’s lead actors aside, there’s a major problem with the story itself. It’s so archaic that you can’t help but feel sorry for the lead actors who feel the burden of having to outshine the very foundation on which the film is built on. Sadly, that doesn’t happen. Calling this film old wine in a new bottle would be a cliché. Almost every conflict and twist in the film is predictable which leads to the final conclusion – they played it safe. Perhaps too safe. Karthik Raja’s music is peppy and the film’s title track stays with you long after the film’s over. It’s a pity that the film as a whole doesn’t really succeed in doing that. At best, it’s a showreel for Sumanth Ashwin who might very well be a talent to watch out for.

CINEMA SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

B-TOWN TWEETIES @NeilNMukesh

@deespeak

@sonakshisinha

@iamsrk

Packed up finally. Technical aspects of a film are the most important and tedious points. Choreographed a milo sequence today.

Don’t these people know you don't need to be ‘loud’ to be heard? #newsdebates

With kachua and goti... My aliens from joker :p they don’t bite, I promise!!

I just read. Ur organs will live only as long as u do. Ur Art will breathe long after u. B free & live, just don’t stand in the way of the Sun.

@SrBachchan

@MadhuriDixit1

@sonamakapoor

@geneliad

T 811 — I gather even in Switzerland the gun control makes it mandatory for every citizen to have a gun in their car!! Heard it .

Just heard about the shooting in Denver, Colorado. My heart goes out to the families.

All these awful things happening in the world so consistently. No wonder people are desensitised to it!

Happy birthday 2d nicest person I know @AshishChowdhry, have a good 1 ashu.

Kainaz doesn’t want to be typecast A

ctress Kainaz Motivala, who shot to fame after Ekta Kapoor’s horror thriller Ragini MMS, says she got many offers after the film, but they were all of the same kind and she does not want to be typecast. “After Ragini... I got many offers. Had I been in a hurry to sign a film I would have done many films by now, but those would have tagged me as a bold film actress. I don’t want to be known as an actor who will do the same kind of films. I want to be known as someone who is versatile,” Kainaz said. Just

three films old in the industry, the 25-year-old says the journey of a newcomer is not easy in Bollywood compared to star children. “I thought it will be easy, but it’s not like that. One needs to be really strong because there are people who are ready to pull you down at the drop of a hat. It is a very competitive world.As compared to people from outside the industry like me, star kids have an easy path. It’s definitely not fair and I am not going to be diplomatic about that,” she added. The petite actress, who made her Bollywood debut in Wake Up Sid, will now be seen in Challo Driver that releases on Friday. Challo Driver has been produced and directed by debutant Vickrant Mahajan.

Arjun hated Parineeti earlier A

ctor Arjun Kapoor says he could not stand his Ishaqzaade lead heroine Parineeti Chopra during their training days in Lucknow. “I hated Parineeti when we went for those three days... We didn’t really get along at that point of time,” the 27-year-old said, while talking to students at filmmaker Subhash Ghai’s acting school Whistling Woods International. “We both couldn’t stand each other when she got finalised. I liked what she did in the audition, so I couldn’t ever disagree that she would not be right for the role,” he added. Meanwhlile, Ishaqzaade director Habib Faisal commented upon the wicked smile that Arjun sports in the film and said: “His smile, if you have seen the film, that smile is Arjun Kapoor’s own smile which I then made Parma’s smile. That smiles suggests shrewd, romance, a psycho...there was so much I could do with the smile and that smile was Arjun Kapoor’s own smile.” Arjun will now be seen in Yash Raj films’ Virus Diwan IANS and has also been finalised for 2 States.

IANS

Gotham’s saviour is back

Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham’s finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.

o matter how many times you see Batman and his love for Gotham City, you will never cease to be surprised. The Dark Knight duly rises for the bruising final stanza in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, a satisfying saga of revolution and redemption that ends the tale on a note of thunder. Viewers fresh from the assault by superheroes like the Avengers and The Amazing Spiderman will surely have some sorting out to do. TDKR is an interesting story with a real sense of peril — as long as you ignore the yawning plot holes and running time. So what makes Batman dig his cape out of the trunk after eight years? A human brick named Bane (Tom Hardy), bent on destroying Gotham, for some reason. While Bane gets help from Anne Hathaway a.k.a.

Movie: The Dark Knight Rises Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Anne Hathaway and Gary Oldman Directed by: Christopher Nolan Catwoman), Batman has John Blake in his corner, a savvy cop played by the hugely talented Joseph GordonLevitt. In The Dark Knight Rises, Batman is less a character than a cipher, and later, an icon. As a villain, Bane might lack the Joker’s iconic quality, but Hardy still commands some attention. The saving grace is that Dark Knight’s last scenes are so rich and satisfying, it’s easy to forgive the rest of the film its sins.

CINEMA SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

FAMOUS SPOUSES

the president of which country gives new houses to the nation's poor citizens? 6. Chinese astronauts returned to Earth from Tiangong, a prototype for a future space station. What does Tiangong mean? 7. Which country in July said that it would allow female

athletes to compete in the Olympics for the first time? 8. The President of which country has had a street named after him in Bethlehem? 9. Which country granted political asylum to a Syrian air force pilot who defected from Syria by flying to a neighbourhood nation?

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR STARS?

Answers

3. Which country's economy grew at 7.6% in the second quarter, its slowest pace in three years? 4. A court in which country ruled that circumcision was illegal even as the country's leaders said it must be permitted without punishment? 5. On live television each week,

1. Saudi Arabia 2. Russia 3.China 4.Germany 5. Venezuela 6. Heavenly Palace 7.Saudi Arabia 8.Russia 9.Brazil

1. Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi's first official foreign visit since his election in June was to which country last week? 2. Lawmakers from which country last week voted in favour of ratifying their nation's accession to the World Trade Centre?

NAME THEM WHO DIRECTED THESE MOVIES?

IDENTIFY THESE FAMOUS BETTER HALVES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Moulin Rouge

We all know her as the Mast Mast girl of Bollywood. Her husband is director Goldie Behl. She has taken a break from Hindi films and is concentrating on philanthropy and television instead. Who is she?

Pretty Woman

Independence Day

He stars in all the alien movies and remains in the pursuit of happiness, while his wife Jada gives voice to the beautiful Gloria in the Madagascar series. Who is he ?

Amelie

2001: A Space Odyssey

She is a Spanish seductress who sets many hearts aflutter whenever she appeared on screen. She is married to Javier Bardem. Who is she?

Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s something about Mary

The Da Vinci Code

1. Raveena Tandon 2.Will Smith 3.Penelope Cruz

Answers

Gone with the Wind

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

300

The National Stadium in Delhi was earlier known by what name?

3 4

Who was the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Olympics?

5 6

The book Big egos, small men was written by whom? Which former Indian President died as a result of a fatal road accident?

Answers: 1. Zach Braff 2. Christina Hendricks 3. Josh Radnor 4.Zooey Deschanell

Which Mughal Emperor was deported to Rangoon by the British?

PICTURE PUZZLE 25 with Santosh Ghule Who is prostrating to this footwear?

WHO AM I? I was created by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Anderson. I was born on a farm and felt very lonely and dejected. He wrote a book on me and my transformation. I go through many trials and tribulations and finally come into my own. Who am I?

Answer: The Ugly Duckling

Answer:

Which poet is said to have witnessed the reign of eight sultans?

1. Baz Luhrmann 2.Garry Marshall 3. Roland Emmerich 4.Jean-Pierre Jeunet 5. Stanley Kubrick 6.Peter Farrelly 7.Ron Howard 8.Victor Fleming 9. Zack Snyder

A womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face is hidden in the flower pot.

Answer for 24:

1.Amir Khusrao 2. Irwin Satdium 3. Karnam Malleshwari 4.Bahadur Shah II 5. Ram Jethmalani 6.Giani Zail Singh

Answers

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, JULY 21, 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.

A bird does not sing because it has an answer. It sings because it has a song. – Chinese proverb

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Impressive in scope 5 Turn water into soda water 11 Baby-sitter's headache 14 William the sharpshooter 15 Gadget 16 Brazil's ___ Paulo 17 W Somerset Maugham novel 19 It leaves a line in the snow 20 Abraham found one in the bush 21 Antarctic waddler 23 ‘... but to no ___’ 26 EPA-banned pesticide 28 What a tenant tenders 29 Yuletide dish of the British 31 Heavy hammer 33 Veterinary patient 34 One getting out before the storm 36 Feted like a superstar 41 They bring home the bacon 42 Bench press iteration 44 As in this document 47 King supporter 50 Betwixt and between 51 Class that makes sweaters? 52 Dahl's candymaker 53 Agile 56 Also improved, presumably 57 Gin-maker Whitney 58 Six-pack contents, sometimes 64 Act immorally 65 Know without knowing 66 Cajun soup ingredient 67 Dress (with ‘up’ or ‘out’) 68 Don't throw them at glass houses 69 Safecracker, slangily DOWN 1 ‘... and so on’ (Abbr) 2 Black-eyed edible 3 Breed 4 Man of the cloth 5 First mate?

6 Geologic-time measurement 7 ‘The Twilight Zone’ creator Serling 8 Acclimate 9 ‘Canterbury’ episode 10 ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ star Barbara 11 Dispensed 12 ‘You're ___ a big mistake’ 13 ‘Grosse ___ Blank’ 18 ‘Everything must go!’ event 22 ‘Go’ colour 23 Live show equipment 24 Desirable hotel room feature 25 ‘Climactic’ intro 26 A long, backless sofa 27 Ecclesiastical residence 30 California's San ___ Channel 31 Full of froth 32 ‘Blue Hawaii’ neckwear

56 Clears, as profit 35 Computer 59 252 gallons of wine information holder 60 ‘I cannot tell a ___’ 37 Can't survive without (George 38 Halt a hunger strike Washington's claim) 39 ___ go bragh 61 ___ out an existence 40 Office station 62 .0000001 joule 43 Back-to-school night 63 Lousy newspaper org 44 Heartier than the rest 45 Estevez of PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER ‘Young Guns’ 46 Tom Clancy's ‘Red Storm ___’ 48 Dumbst ruck 49 Small dressing table 51 Succeed in annoying 54 Bands of geishas 55 ___ Blanc, an Alp

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Aries Seven of Swords

ork – Your ideas may not be accepted by everyone in your team. Be prepared for opposition. Present your case well. Romance – You’re approaching romance too much from the head and not enough emotion. Your partner will not always understand. Health – There are ways to achieve better health but you need discipline. Break up your day into different tasks to feel better, mentally and physically. Money – You manage finances well. Good planning has worked well and you see the results of your planning. Tarot message – Intellect is high but you need to balance emotions as well. You risk losing the human touch in everything if you’re too mechanical in your approach.

Gemini

Taurus

Cancer

Leo

Virgo

Six of Pentacles

The Wheel of Fortune

Temperance

Knight of Wands

Three of Swords

ork – Don’t waste time in trying to execute outdated ideas. Keep yourself updated on what’s happening in your field of expertise. Romance – Tickle the curiosity of your partner by springing surprises and new things that will increase the spice and passion in your relationship. Health – There is a possibility that you get temperamental and feel bad later about some of the words you use. The stress gets to you. Money – There is no dearth of money and you can buy almost anything you want. But don’t overspend. Save when you can, for a rainy day. Tarot message – You’re at your productive best. Use your energy well to bring out good results.

ork – You have a tendency to plunge back into work, even when you’re on a break. Learn to chill out and not worry too much about tomorrow. Romance – Someone from the opposite sex is falling out of favour from your list. Think of what works and what doesn’t so you can make the right decisions. Health – There may be a peculiar habit, which is affecting your health. You need to figure out what that is, and change it. Money – You have a chance to make some good money by making the right decisions. Don’t be afraid to work hard or do something drastic. Tarot message – Discipline takes you places, quite literally. You can change your outlook to life.

ork – You need to create a brief that is well-defined so you can cover your tracks from all sides and focus on work instead of explaining yourself. Romance – A romance may be dying out gradually. You can take a break from each other or decide to call it off. Either way, take a call. Don’t let it hang. Health – You may have overlooked some health-related detail, which is having an impact on your overall bodily and mental health. Money – Your notion of what you have in common with an affluent peer is making you take decisions that may not be in sync with your bank balance. Tarot message – Be prepared to deal with many life changes.

ork – Learn to use the information that comes your way to optimise results. You will be privy to some interesting data. Use it well. Romance – How about taking some time off to groom yourself. Not only will this be appealing to your partner, you’ll feel beautiful, too. Health – There is no template for good health. What works for one person may not work for everyone. Consult a doctor and get a health plan for yourself. Money – Keep track of payments and requests received for jobs. You could easily lose some orders because you have too many jobs to finish. Tarot message – Be grateful to those who help you. In gratitude, ego must not come in the way.

SUMAA TEKUR tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

Libra The Chariot

The Star

ork – Bring a business-like formality to your interactions and you will see a marked difference in the way coworkers respond to your requests. Romance – You may feel rejected despite being in a relationship. Bring about some changes in the way you spend time with your partner. Health – Dispose of ideas that don’t work. If an exercise is not working for you, don’t push it. Change the plan. Money – There are some pending tasks and you have the tendency to push this to the last minute. Avoid it. Tarot message – The clouds are there. But there is also a silver lining. Don’t lose hope and continue to chase your dreams.

ork – You’re caught in-between two opposing camps and it’s tricky to navigate because you have to work with both these groups in future. Romance – The emotions are not very stable. You find certain feelings rising and falling and you’re not in control with the situation. It will settle in time. Health – Don’t make very sudden changes to your diet or exercise routine. Let the changes be gradual so as to not shock your body too much. Money – You feel intimidated by the new investment plans that you come to know of. It’s not a very good idea to invest in something you don’t feel right about. Tarot message – You have no reference point for something and that bothers you.

Sagittarius

Scorpio

Three of Cups

ork –Team work will be good during the week. You’re feeling high on energy and you also get a team that is good at its job. Romance – In a relationship, interference from a third person will cause some misunderstanding. Have complete faith in your beliefs and go with it. Health – You may need to do a little more in order to improve your health or your chances of quicker recovery from a problem. Money – Work like a squirrel and put away small amounts of money at regular intervals. Trying to reach a high savings goal at once is not practical. Tarot message – Get a buy-in from all stakeholders involved, especially if you’re working on something new.

Capricorn The High Priestess

ork – Your intuition is high and you somehow know how to work things out without really knowing where your mind comes up with these ideas. Romance – This is a great time for romance. You and your partner hit it off big time and you shower affection on each other. Health – You have a tendency to put on weight. This may be because you’re feeling quite content and happy with where you are right now. Money – You have a philosophical approach to money and it doesn’t matter to you much. Having that approach to finances can sometimes be a boon. Tarot message – You’re feeling on top of the world. All is going well and you’re feeling stable.

ork – You have some good ideas but the key is in the execution. Create a practical process and work accordingly. Romance – You may be impulsive and foolish when it comes to matters of the heart. This is making you all the more vulnerable to heartbreak. Health – Focus on de-stressing. If you grow too excited about something, rein in your feelings so you can stay stoic about it. Money – You come across some most striking and beautiful luxury items. You’re tempted to splurge on these. Do so if you feel strongly. Tarot message – You must accurately record your decisions at this time so that you feel confident about your future course of action.

Date 22-7-2012

Aquarius King of Pentacles

ork – You want to be too much in control. You desire control of all environments, both work and home. You need to loosen up a little. Romance – Think of new ways to woo your partner. You may need to be impulsive and get some chemistry and passion into your love life. Health – Migraine or tension headaches may be coming in your way too much. Don’t let it affect you. Learn to destress. Money – Not everything works to plan, especially when it comes to financial goals. Work out ways to take limited risks. Tarot message – You seek control for better security and safety. You think you know it best when it comes to creating a buffer against what might go wrong.

Pisces Two of Pentacles

ork – Learn to shut off from work at the appointed time. No point sitting in front of your computer the whole time and being unproductive. Romance – Make the effort to take time out for your partner. Singles need to put in effort to find someone, if they want to. Health – Anxiety, worry and tension need to be kept in check. Take a short holiday, rejuvenate and come back refreshed. Money – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Spread out your risks so that even if one plan fails, you have a back-up. Tarot message – You may have to juggle many balls in the air. But this time is demanding and you have to rise up to the occasion.

Vol: 1, No 369 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

2012 LONDON OLYMPICS

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DID YOU KNOW...? n There is also a Tetradecathlon competition, which is a double of the heptathlon event, consisting of 14 events, seven events per day. n Tatyana Chernova is the current World Champion, having defeated Jessica Ennis of Great Britain, who placed second in the 2011 world championships.

LEGENDS OF THE SPORT Jackie Joyner-Kersee (born March 3, 1962) is ranked among the all-time greatest athletes in the women’s heptathlon as well as in the women’s long jump. She won three gold, one silver, and two bronze Olympic medals, in those two events at four different Olympic Games. Sports Illustrated for Women magazine voted her as the Greatest Female Athlete of the 20th century, just ahead of Babe Didrikson Zaharias.

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n There is another version and is an indoor competition which is normally contested only by men. But this event is not held in the Olympics. The men’s indoor heptathlon consists of the following events, with the first four contested on the first day, and remaining three on day two: 60m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60m hurdles, pole vault, 1000m. The scoring is similar for both versions. The athlete accumulating the highest number of points wins the competition.

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TALLY 2008

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USA 7 RUSSIA 6 JAMAICA 6

9 5 3

7 7 2

The medals are for all the athletic events at the 2008 Games

MEDAL EVENTS

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Carolina Klüft (born February 2, 1983) competes in triple jump, long jump and formerly in heptathlon and pentathlon. She won the gold in the Olympics heptathlon title in 2004 in Athens. She is also a three-time World champion as well as a double European heptathlon champion. She first rose to prominence by winning the heptathlon at the 2002 European Championships and setting a new world junior record of 6,542 points.

LUCKY SEVEN

DAYS TO GO

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

August 4 Heptathlon

HEPTATHLON: Heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta (seven) and athlon (contest). A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete. There are two versions of the heptathlon. The first is an outdoor competition for women, and is the combined event for women contested in the Athletics program of the Olympics and in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The IAAF World Combined Events Challenge determines a yearly women’s heptathlon champion. The heptathlon has been contested by female athletes since the early 1980s, when it replaced the pentathlon as the primary women’s combined event contest (the javelin throw and 800 m were added). It was first contested at the Olympic level in the 1984 Olympics. In recent years some women’s decathlon competitions have been conducted, consisting of the same events as the men’s competition in a slightly different order, and the IAAF has begun keeping records for it. But the heptathlon remains the championship-level combined event for women. In the London Olympic Games 2012, the hectathlon event is conducted for women The

Heptathlon consists of seven elements, in this order: Day 1: 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200m. Day 2: long jump, javelin throw, 800m Athletes receive points relative to their performance in each element, with these

scores added up over the course of the competition to determine the final placings. The rules for each element apply as normal, with the exception that in the long jump and throwing events athletes are permitted three attempts only.

COMPETITION

FORMAT

The referee presides over which heats or groups the athletes compete in for each element. At the end of event, if two athletes are tied, the athlete who has received more points in greater number of events is the winner.

HISTORY OF THE HEPTATHLON

he heptathlon is the primary women’s combined outdoor track and field competition. It consists of seven events: 100m hurdles, 200m dash, long jump, high jump, javelin throw, shot put and 800m dash. The individual events are spread out over

two days. Men do not compete in the heptathlon in outdoor track. Before the heptathlon, women competed in the pentathlon. Starting in 1964 at the Tokyo Games, women track and field athletes competed in an event that combined hurdles, shot put, high

jump, long jump and 200m dash, which was changed to the 800m dash in later Games. The pentathlon was modeled on a classic competition contested in ancient Greece as part of the original Olympics. The pentathlon was discontinued and the heptathlon

was introduced at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Australian Glynnis Nunn won the first gold medal awarded for the heptathlon. American Jackie Joyner-Kersee, then known as Jackie Joyner, won silver and Germany’s Sabine Everts won bronze.

SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

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DAYS TO GO

VIVIAN EYES DOUBLE NAIROBI: Her vivacious smile belies her steely determination and ferocity on the track. Vivian Cheruiyot made history by being the first Kenyan athlete to win a distance double at the world championships in Daegu last summer, and knows she will need to apply the two qualities when she steps onto the Olympic track in her bid to become only the second woman to win the 5,000m and 10,000m crowns. Only the Ethiopian Tirunesh Dibaba, the double Olympic champion winner of 5,000m and 10000m in Beijing, and at the 2005 worlds, has dominated the women’s distance events in the past. Cheruiyot has succeeded in turning the tables on her Ethiopian rivals over the last two seasons, but with the expected return of Dibaba, after a long injury lay-off, she may have her work cut out in London. “I am not afraid of the Ethiopians,” said the diminutive track star after her pre-Olympic training workout in Nairobi. “They have dominated the Olympics in the past. I believe it is our turn in London. I have prepared very well and I am ready to meet them again.” “Vivian is an Iron Lady. She’s tough mentally. She runs intelligently and she can fight to the end,” said Athletics Kenya (AK) official Barnabas Korir. “She is well ahead of the opposition, and if she plays her

cards well she will win both Olympic titles,” he added. The 28-year-old remains undefeated over 5,000m this year, and currently heads the Diamond League. She opened the season with narrow two wins over her erstwhile Ethiopian rival, Meseret Defar in Doha and Rome over 3000m and 5000m respectively. The rivalry between Cheruiyot and Meseret goes back to the 2009 world championships, when the Kenyan won the 5000m over the Ethiopian 2004 Olympic champion, whom she had only defeated once in 16 previous meetings. That championship win marked the turning point for the Kenyan women athletes, who have long played sec-

I am not afraid of the Ethiopians. They have dominated the Olympics in the past. I believe it is our turn in London. Vivian Cheruiyot, Kenyan athlete ond fiddle to the Ethiopians on the track. It was in fact Linet Masai, who failed to make the team for the London Olympics, who broke the trend when she pipped Meseret and compatriot Meselech Melkamu to take the 10,000 metres, and ended a decade-

long history of defeats. Deputy team coach Sammy Rono, who has coached Cheruiyot at club level said the Berlin victories were a pointer to the Kenyan superiority over the Ethiopians which should continue in London. “There will be no turning back for Vivian and the rest of the athletes in the Kenyan team. We completed the mission in Berlin,” said Rono, who ruled out the return of Dibaba making any impact over the Kenyans in London. “We saw her race in the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon recently, and how she struggled to win against our own runner, Esther Kiplagat, who is not even in AFP the Olympic team.”

Nadia to take flame on London tour LONDON: Former Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci and ex-basketball star John Amaechi will carry take the Olympic flame as it begins a seven-day tour of London on Saturday. The pair will take the torch relay to the roof of the North Greenwich Arena, the venue on the banks of the River Thames that will host gymnastics events and basketball finals during the Games. Footballer Fabrice Muamba, who suffered a heart attack during an FA

Cup match in March, will also carry the flame at the end of the 64th day its 8,000mile (12,800-kilometre) relay around Britain and the Republic of Ireland. He will take it through the east London borough of Waltham Forest, where he lived as a boy after moving to Britain from the Democratic Republic of Congo. Muamba was left fighting for his life after collapsing on the pitch while playing for Bolton Wanderers at Tottenham Hotspur’s White Hart Lane ground during an FA Cup tie on March 17. AFP

Mixed day for United States at Diamond League MONACO: US experienced highs and lows in Friday’s Diamond League with an injury scare for LaShawn Merritt but good times for Aries Merritt. LaShawn Merritt, the favourite for 400m, pulled up holding his left thigh after 300 metres, although he insisted that his premature withdrawal was purely a precaution. “At 250 metres, as I started to move my leg up, I felt a little discomfort,” said Merritt, who explained that he had felt “cramp in my hamstring”. Jonathan Borlee won in 44.74sec, ahead of Grenada’s Kirani James (44.76sec). Wallace Spearmon trailed in third in the 200m behind Nickel Ashmeade (20.02sec) and Dutchman Churandy Martina (20.07sec). Disaster struck for the women’s top 4x100m team, who were unable to finish their race after a mix-up but USA’s second-string relay squad won the race coming home first in 42.24sec. Meanwhile Trell Kimmons, Justin Gatlin, Tyson Gay and Ry-an Bailey romped to victory in 37.61sec. Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva endured a dismal night as she failed with three attempts to clear 4.70m, gifting victory to Spiegelburg and raising serious questions about her chances.

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7î 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

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Flame’s dramatic arrival ahead of opening ceremony LONDON: The Olympic flame made a dramatic arrival in London on Friday when it was flown in by military helicopter and lowered to the ground by a marin-e commando a week ahead of the opening ceremony. As the sun went down, Royal Marine Martyn Williams abseiled fro-m a Sea King helicopter hovering over the River Thames, ca-rrying the Olympic flame to the ground in a lantern hanging from his belt.

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SPORTS SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Chan upsets Jankovic CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA: Chan Yung-jan earned one of the biggest upsets of her career as the qualifier outlasted former world No 1 Jelena Jankovic 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (10/8), 7-5 to reach the semi-finals of the WTA Carlsbad event. Taiwan’s Chan, who is ranked 161 in the world, dealt a blow to the third seeded Janokovic’s hopes as she won the second longest match of the season on the WTA Tour on Friday. The encounter lasted three hours, 13 minutes — four minutes less than the longest so far on the circuit. Chan was playing in her ninth career quarter-final — her last was three years ago — and made the most of the opportunity against the Serb. Chan moves on to face French top seed Marion Bartoli or American fifth seed Christina McHale in the semis. Jankovic, who has a home in the area, was up a set and led 3-1 in the second when she appeared to come unravelled after Chan took a medical timeout. A broken string on the final point did not help her cause and provided a fitting punctuation to the disappointing end. “I’m frustrated and disappointed,” said Jankovic. “I com-

RESULTS: n

Yung-Jan Chan of Taipei hits a volley to Jelena Jankovic of Serbia during the Mercury Insurance Open Presented By TriCity Medical at La Costa Resort & Spa on Friday in Carlsbad, California. AFP/ GETTY IMAGES/ STEPHEN DUNN pletely lost focus. It was so tough mentally and physically and my forehand let me down. “I had the match under control and let it go. I let her come back, I messed up. When you’re

Serena Williams gets treatment for back pain WASHINGTON: Reigning Wimbledon champ Serena Williams has pulled out of an exhibition match to get treatment for back pain, but she said on Friday that would not keep her out of the London Olympics. Williams said she needed to rest her back after her two recent titles. “I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to see my (Washington) DC fans, but can’t wait to go for gold in London,” Williams said. The American has never won an Olympic singles crown but she hopes to change that when Olympic tennis competitions begin on July 28 at Wimbledon. Williams won her fifth Wimbledon title earlier this month and a week later she captured the Bank of the West Classic AFP in California.

down you have to keep the focus.” Chan will be in not so familiar territory when she plays only the fourth WTA level semi-final of her career. Her last came in

2008 in Strasbourg. Chan dropped the opening set in a tiebreaker and saved a Jankovic match point in the second before levelling on her own first set point.

QUARTERFINALS Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x2) bt Urszula Radwanska (POL) 6-4, 6-4 Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) bt Jelena Jankovic (SRB x3) 6-7 (4/7), 7-6 (10/8), 7-5

In the third, the challenger ran out a 5-2 lead only to see Jankovic, who finished world number one in 2008, catch her and force another tiebreak. The Serb saved one Chan match point with a forehand winner to the corner before sending a return long as she played with two strings gone. “There was a 99 per cent chance for her to win on that point and a one per cent chance for me,” said Jankovic. “If she just kept playing it would only be a matter of time before I made a mistake with that broken string.” Jankovic has been on a slow road back to form over the past few seasons and had played in her first final last month in Birmingham since Cincinnati last summer. Prior to this week, the Serb had lost in the first round 11 AFP times this season.

Nishikori fails to pass Go ATLANTA: Go Soeda routed third-seeded compatriot Kei Nishikori 6-2, 6-1 at the ATP Tour’s Atlanta Open on Friday in the first meeting between the two Japanese stars. Eighth-seeded Soeda saved all seven break points he faced on serve and went four-for-four on break point chances on his return in the 72-minute quarter-final contest. The match marked the first time the pair has squared off against each other as professionals. Soeda turned pro in 2003 and Nishikori turned pro four years later. World number 19 Nishikori will now head to the London Games and Soeda will join him as soon as the Atlanta hardcourt tournament is over. This is the first ATP Tour semi-final for Soeda since the opening week of the season, when he made it to the Chennai Open semis and lost there to Janko Tipsarevic. He is currently ranked 54th in the world. Soeda next plays Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller, who beat Aussie Matthew Ebden 6-4, 6-4 on Friday.

Go Soeda of Japan serves to Kei Nishikori of Japan during the BB&T Atlanta Open at Atlantic Station on Friday in Atlanta, Georgia. AFP/ GETTY IMAGES/ MATTHEW STOCKMAN

The 29-year-old Muller won 32 of his first 35 first-serve points and did not face a break point. Muller is a two-time ATP Tour runner-up and is chasing his first title. He is in a final for the first time in seven

years. In other quarter-final matches, fourth seed Andy Roddick defeated Michael Russell 6-3, 6-4. The 27th-ranked Roddick hammered 12 aces and won 82 per cent of his serAFP vice points.

SPORTS SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Pearce heralds ‘focused’ Brazil Jason Mellor

MIDDLESBROUGH: Stuart Pearce said Great Britain had been beaten by the favourites for Olympic gold after seeing his side outclassed by Brazil on Friday. The South Americans strolled to a comfortable 2-0 win in a one-sided warm-up match in front of a 25,000 crowd at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium. First-half goals from Sandro and Neymar, the game’s outstanding performer, underlined the gulf between the sides less than a week before the start of the Olympic football tournament. Pearce’s side launch their campaign against Senegal at Manchester United’s Old Trafford on July 26. They were given a lesson by the visitors, and the coach admits the hosts are playing catch-up in their bid to produce a home success in the London Games. “We knew how good Brazil

Hammam wants ‘to quit’ sport KUALA LUMPUR: Mohamed bin Hammam, the scandal-tainted former Fifa presidential candidate whose life ban was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week, has said he wants to retire from football. The 63-year-old, who was accused of offering bribes to buy Fifa delegate votes during campaigning to unseat long-standing president Sepp Blatter last year, said he wanted to quit due to “jealousy” within the sport. “My wish now is just to quit actually and retire,” the Qatari, who was this week suspended as the head of the Asian Football Confederation for 30 days over fresh corruption allegations, told the BBC. “Frankly speaking, what is my wish? To quit. Really I served football that long, more than 42 years, and the last year really I have seen a very bad, ugly face of the sport and of the football,

`6cr sport facility for RR planned

They’re an outstanding side. We now understand the magnitude of the task ahead, because whoever beats Brazil will earn the gold medal. Stuart Pearce Manager of Team Great Britain would be,” conceded Pearce, the former England international. “They’re an outstanding side. We now understand the magnitude of the task ahead, because whoever beats Brazil will earn the gold medal. “We know we need to come to the boil before next Thursday and beyond. “Brazil have probably been preparing for the Olympics for the last two or three years. We’ve come through two games now and we’re getting used to playing with each other.

Horschel grabs lead at True South Classic

T you know, jealousy,” he said. “I wish to leave football.” Asian football officials could not be reached for comment, while Peter Velappan, who was AFC general secretary for 30 years and a bitter rival of bin Hammam, declined to comment. Bin Hammam on Thursday won his appeal at the Lausannebased Court of Arbitration for Sport against a life ban from all football-related activity over the AFP bribery allegations.

he Greater Hyderabad Muncipal Corporation (GHMC) along with the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh is setting up a multi-purpose mini stadium in Khajaguda village of Serilingampally Mandal of Ranga Reddy District in the state. The complex that boasts of a pavilion building along with a gallery, athletics track, kabaddi area, basketball arena, kho-kho ground, volleyball, football and cricket fields along with an area for badminton, gymnastics and martial arts as well as changing and office rooms, is expected to be constructed shortly on an estimated budget of `6 crore.

“We’ve got five or six training sessions before the Senegal game. It’s a steep learning curve.” It was a full directors’ box as Premier League scouts flocked to see the visiting South Americans, rather than the crop of top young British talent, in a star-studded line-up largely expected to carry Brazilian hopes when they host the World Cup in two years’ time. Brazil coach Mano Menezes did his best to play down their chances of claiming gold in the Olympic final at Wembley Stadium on August 11, insisting: “It’s too early to talk about medal candidates at this stage. Some teams are more prepared than others. “It was a good work-out for us, but we’re not worried about sending out messages to our rivals before the tournament. This was more about gelling together as a team.” After Sandro broke the deadlock early on with a looping close-range header, Neymar scored from the spot.

MADISON, MISSISSIPPI: American Billy Horschel fired a nine-under par 63 to hold a onestroke lead at the PGA Tour's rain-disrupted True South Classic on Friday. Horschel made eagles at the fifth and the 18th holes in his bogey-free round to reach a 13under 131 total at the halfway stage. "I hit it really good, there's no doubt about it," Horschel said. "I made some putts. I'll tell

you what. I'm not lying to you guys out there. There's five putts out there that should have went in. So I shot nine-under. It should have been 13." Matt Bettencourt was one stroke back after a six-under 66, while first-round leader Jason Bohn must finish his second round along with close to half the field on Saturday morning after play was called because of darkness on Friday. Bettencourt was at 12-under through the front nine. Bohn is also 12-under through nine holes at the Annandale Golf Club. It was a tiring day for Horschel, who had to play 31 holes on Friday because heavy rains disrupted his first round the previous day. The 25-year-old battled through another rain delay on day two and faced blistering heat later on during his second AFP round.

SPORTS SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012

Cavendish equals Tour record the 226 km ride between Blagnac and Brive-La-Gaillarde. Wiggins, who is set to become Britain’s first winner of the world’s biggest bike race on Sunday, played a starring role for his Sky teammate Cavendish in what was a technical but thrilling finale into Brive. Despite his yellow jersey making a rare appearance in the final kilometres as Sky led the chase of a small leading group, Wiggins said it was payback for the sacrifices Cavendish has made in the race. “He’s been an incredible teammate the last couple of weeks. It’s nice to be able to pay him back,” said Wiggins. “It’s been hard every morning, thinking about the general classification and maybe sacrificing some sprint stages.” Cavendish, who won stage two to take his tally to 21, has had to shelve his sprint ambitions this year as Sky took aim at a historic yellow jersey victory.

Great Britain's Mark Cavendish celebrates on the finish line at the end of the 222,5km and stage 18 of the Tour de France on Friday. AFP/ P PAVANI

Justin Davis

BRIVE-LA-GAILLARDE, FRANCE: Britain’s Mark Cavendish produced a stunning finish to claim victory on the 18th stage of the Tour de France and equal the record number of 22 stage wins for a

sprinter on the race. Sky teammate and compatriot Bradley Wiggins came over the finish line seconds later with his 2min 05sec overall lead on British teammate Chris Froome intact. Italian Vincenzo Nibali is still third overall at 2:41 after

Patient Tiger back in hunt Jim Slater

LYTHAM, ENGLAND: Tiger Woods has patiently avoided most of Royal Lytham’s punishing pot bunkers at the British Open and the one he found at the 18th green on Friday was no match for the 14-time major champion. Woods blasted in from the greenside bunker on the final hole in the second round, turning what appeared to be a possible bogey stumble into a shocking birdie that boosted him into third place in his hunt for a 15th major victory. “I hit a good iron shot in there,” Woods said. “The wind was supposed to be off the right but it just switched and came off the left and I ended up just pushing it maybe a yard too far to the right and it ended up where I ended up. “Because I was on the upslope I could take out that steepness coming off the bunker and land the ball on the flat. So just threw it up there.” Woods is content to adopt a conservative strategy and work his way around most of the 206 pot bunkers scattered strategically across the par-70 links course, which the 36-year-old American has toured in 67 over both rounds. “I had a game plan that I thought would fit well on this golf course and I fig-

ured I could execute it, and I’ve done that so far,” Woods said. “I’m very pleased at where I’m at. We’re at the halfway point and I’m right there in the mix.” Woods is four strokes behind US leader Brandt Snedeker.

PEAR LIME PLUM PEACH MANGO ORANGE

Suduko

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SOLUTIONS

Tiger Woods lines up a putt on day two at the 2012 British Open on Friday. AFP/ PETER MUHLY