Postnoon E-Paper for 26 May 2012 by Scribble Media & Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.

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eposition of YSRC Chief Jagan Mohan Reddy before the CBI continued for the second day today under tight security. He left his home with a huge fan following for the Dilkusha Guest House around 10.10am. Police did not allow anyone inside the guest house complex.

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MAY 26, 2012 HYDERABAD SRINIVAS SETTY

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Lakdi-ka-pul’s emergence as an unofficial inter-city bus stand creates a nightmare for commuters. COMING OF AGE?

ike we are asked to show IDs before we are served alcohol, will we now have to show IDs before engaging in sex? PG 20

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limate change might be a subject of debate for scientists, environmentalists and the rest of the world, but for the coastal community in the country, it’s a matter of life and death.

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PAGE TWO SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

WHERE THERE IS A WHEEL...

Library summer camp

SRINIVAS SETTY

A library summer camp for parents and faculty of UG and PG students will be held from May 10 onwards. The camp will provide guidance for faculty and final year PG students for National/State lectureship and scholarship test(NET/APSET) for `3,650. Where: Hyderabad library services, Sagar View Complex When: May 10 - June 10, Contact: (040) 2322 2247, 94412 37751

Numerology Logically numerological, numerologically logical. Everything of you, based on DOB. For appointments call Appaaji, numerologist. Contact: 95734 11255

Paradigm shift Mumbai based fusion band PARADIGM which plays a combination of Indian classical music and contemporary progressive rock will be performing live on May 31 at Hard Rock Cafe. Where: Hard Rock Cafe, Banjara Hills, Rd No When: May 31, 9pm onwards Contact: (040) 6463 6375

Musical treat Ashwin Mani Sharma and Ash Roy from Jalebee Cartel will be performing at the Kingfisher ULTRA SOULFLYP. Jalebee Cartel is known for electronic dance music. Where: Bottles & Chimneys, Begumpet When: May 26, 9pm onwards

Colonial cousins live Colonial cousins — the extremely popular duo of Hariharan and Leslie Lewis will be performing live at Shilpa Kala Vedika to support Sparsh Hospice Care Centre. Where: Shilpa Kalavedika, Madhapur When: June 3, 6.30 pm onwards

A matter of perception Juxtaposed Perceptions, a solo painting exhibition by renowned artist Ninad Jagadish. Where: Muse Art Gallery, Lower Tank Bund When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Blood song Blood Song, a radical adaptation of Federico Garcia Lorca’s "Blood Wedding"will be showcased on

CINEMAS

May 26 and 27 at the Nift auditorium. Where: Nift auditorium, Madhapur When: May 26 and 27, 7.30pm onwards Contact: 98852 88982

Weaves lifestyle A fashionable exhibition cum sale “weaves lifestyle” is being held at Imperial Gardens, Sikh Village from June 1 to June 3. Where: Marvel Pavillion, Imperial Gardens, Secunderabad. When: Ongoing, 11am onwards

Theatre workshop Samahaara is hosting special four week summer acting workshops. The workshops will be held for a duration of four weeks in three different parts of the City. Where: Vidyaranya School, The Terrace, The Actor’s Studio When: Ongoing , Monday-Friday Contact: 83411 20303

Buy art Iconart Art Gallery as a part of it’s Buy Art initiative is hosting an exhibition featuring abstract art, sculptures and paintings. Where: Iconart Gallery,

Banjara Hills, Rd No 12 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: 98499 68797

Metamorphosis This workshop aims to help child gain confidence so as to participate in a group , perform on stage through it’s fun-filled play methodology. Where: Treasure House, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 36 When: Ongoing, 2.30pm onwards Contact: (040) 2355 0118

Painting exhibition An exhibition of paintings by Lalu Shaw is being held at Shrishti Art Gallery. Where: Shrishti Art Gallery, Jubilee Hills, Rd No 15 When: Ongoing, 11am onwards Contact: (040) 2354 0023

Solo exhibition Ramakanth’s Solo Painting Exhibition deals with the loneliness of a long distance runner. Where: Hyderabad Marriott, Tank Bund When: Ongoing,

11am onwards Contact: (040) 2752 2999

Summer camp Annapurna International School of Film and Media will be holding a Summer Camp program in filmmaking, acting and photography. The first batch is from May 21.The second batch is from May 28. Where: Annapurna School, Banjara Hills When: Ongoing Contact: (040) 4914 1234

Water colours A painting exhibition featuring new water colour works by Sunil Lohar called Narrations, Connotations and Interpretations is on display. Where: Kalakrithi Gallery, Banjara Hills, Rd No10 When: Ongoing, 11.30 am onwards Contact: (040) 6656 4466

Food and cricket Great food and a great game of cricket makes for great news. Head to News Cafe to catch the IPL matches with some great IPL inspired food. Where: News Cafe, Inorbit Mall, Madhapur When: Ongoing, 8pm onwards Contact: (040) 4010 1236

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, MAY 26, 2012

Free mantris seek legal counsel after Mopidevi’s arrest Md INKESHAF AHMED

ahmed.m@postnoon.com

he arrest of excise minister M Venkataramana by CBI on Wednesday has not only sent shock waves among the Cabinet ministers but it also has seemingly divided the collective conscience of the ministerial council, Postnoon enquiry reveals. While some ministers are terming the arrest of Venkataramana as unfortunate or sad, some others think it is fair. But the fact that comes through a chat with the remaining five of the six ministers accused of issuing 26 controversial GOs is that all are busy seeking legal opinion. Many of these ministers are keeping themselves busy by meeting prominent lawyers and seeking their suggestions to come out clean. According to reliable sources, one senior minister held discussions with a prominent lawyer and he was shocked to hear that it was difficult to get off the hook if a

minister has jumped the rules. The most sticky situation is when a minister ignores secretarial advice and goes on his own. Minister for civil supplies D Sridhar Babu and minister for housing N Uttam Kumar Reddy termed the arrest of Venkataramana as unfortunate. But the agriculture minister K Laxminarayana had a different opinion. Venkataramana’s arrest is the natural

course of law and there was nothing sad about it. “If one has committed mistake he should face the consequences,” was his response. Laxminarayana also differed with the contention of collective responsibility on Cabinet decisions. “If the decision taken by a particu-

lar minister is according to the Cabinet decision, then it becomes our collective responsibility. If there is any deviation from what is being approved by the Cabinet the individual minister is responsible," he said. Another minister P Laxmaiah, who is now holding the IT and communications portfolio declined to comment on the issue by citing his busy election campaign schedule. Laxmaiah was busy attending official programmes on Friday. He participated in the Advantage AP programme organised by his ministry at a hotel. When Postnoon tried to contact minister major for Industries J Geeta Reddy, she was unavailable for a comment. The list of the ministers facing charges, besides Venkataramana, included J Geeta Reddy, P Laxmaiah, Sabita Indira Reddy, D Prasada Rao and K Laxminarayana. These ministers are facing charges for issuing 26 government orders during YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s regime (2004-06) which led to loss of huge revenue for State government and benefited industrialists.

Bush visit had less police cover than J ‘roadshow’

Mohd Subhan

mohd.s@postnoon.com

he precautionary police measures made for the YSRC chief YS Jagan Mohan Reddy since Friday in connection with the CBI quizzing him surpassed the presidential visit or the security made for the

The lineup for Jagan Rapid Action Force 2 companies AP Special Police 2 companies Quick Reaction Team 3 platoons Reserve Police 2 platoons

US President George Bush in 2006. Nearly 1,000 policemen of various categories have been deployed and the police closed roads from Khairatabad to Raj Bhavan Road and from Somajiguda to Khairatabad, diverting thousands of commuters to other routes. This closure on arterial roads led to traffic snarls in Punjagutta, one of the busiest roads during peak hours. Consequently, all parallel alleys too witnessed gridlock for hours. The situation continued on Saturday too as Jagan’s deposition continued.

Joint commissioner of police administration, Mahesh Murlidhar Bhagwat and joint commissioner of police (security) Kumara Vishwajeet Pradhan, justified the bandobast saying the police had intelligence input of possible trouble. Interestingly, the commissioner was making frequent trips to the CBI court in Nampally. Not just commuters, shopkeepers also had little business as the traffic did not allow people to stop and shop. “They take the easy route of closing down the roads. Why don’t they devise a way so that people and business are not troubled and security is foolproof,” asked a shoe merchant in Punjagutta.

CITY SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Unofficial stops cause jams Lakdi-ka-pul has become an unofficial inter-city bus stand as hundreds of people flock to the area to catch a bus to travel to about 15 cities and towns. In turn, traffic jams have increased SRINIVAS SETTY

OSAMA SALMAN

salman.o@postnoon.com

his is perhaps the busiest of junctions after 10pm, as well as the most crowded. Driving here late at night would make you look at your watch to see if it isn’t late evening instead! Lakdi-ka-pul has become an unofficial inter-city bus stand as hundreds of people flock to the area to catch a bus to travel to about 15 cities and towns. In turn, the traffic jams have increased and motorists say it has become a nightmare to commute across the area. While inter-city buses have made travel extremely easy and affordable, the flip side is that these buses, most of which are at least 45-seaters, stop by the side and congest the traffic. Some of the buses even double park if they are not able to find space. The average wait for motorists to tackle through the buses can be as long as 15 minutes for a distance that is hardly 1.5km. Right from State Bank of Hyderabad to Ravindra Bharati, the main road of Lakdi-ka-pul is chock-a-block with over 100 different buses that have made this their official bus stop. A large group of people can be seen at these pick-up points with their luggage. Even the Lakdi-ka-pul bus stand that is supposed to be used only by APSRTC buses is made a

pickup point. This blocks the incoming public buses and delays the traffic further. What is saddening is that despite Global Hospital being in the midst of the pickup points, these private transport buses honk often, disturbing the patients and doctors alike. Surprisingly, while the buses are allowed to park here, cars, bikes and auto rickshaws aren’t. In fact, when they are parked here, the traffic policemen come and chase them away. The massive fleet of buses fail to come to their notice, although officially they aren’t allowed to park here either. When we asked T Shravan, manager of OML Travels that

Last year, we had called the owners of private transport companies to address this problem. We advised them to make a common point for passengers to come. Official, Road Transport Authority operates six buses to Bangalore, Mumbai and Vijaywada, why they have made Lakdi-ka-pul as

a bus stand knowing that the buses obstruct traffic, he sheepishly replies, “But this isn’t our only stop. Our buses pick up passengers from Hitec City, Nampally, Afzalgunj and finally Lakdi-ka-pul. “The proximity of the area to other major areas, as well as being centrally located, makes it an ideal location. We don’t pose much of a problem to the motorists as we pick up the passengers and leave. I’m sure they can bear waiting for a few minutes.” Upon further enquiring as to why the transport company doesn’t have a common point for all the passengers and why they can’t make a proper bus stand

instead of picking people up from the middle of the road, he said, “Doing so requires capital and space. When we have the privilege of picking up passengers from different places, why would we make a special bus stand? It doesn’t make sense.” When asked if the traffic police ever stop them from making this a bus stop, Sharavan added, “It is hard for them to stop hundreds of buses that come here.” Unfortunately, this is a common opinion of almost all the transport companies, where they show sheer apathy to the traffic problems that they pose. Mohammed Muneer, a bus driver of Ameresh Travels, said that the number of passengers that use the bus service every day is phenomenal and they want a convenient area to board the bus. “Lakdi-ka-pul is that area. We have to cater to the passengers and not vice versa. Many bus companies have a barter system with the petrol pumps. They fill up their tanks in exchange of them providing a space for them to park their vehicles,” he said. A top-official at the Road Transport Authority in Khairatabad, who wished not to be identified, admitted to the problem. “Last year, we had called the owners of almost all private transport companies to address this problem. We advised them to make a common point for passengers. They opposed the idea. However, we make sure that they don’t halt their vehicles for too long and follow the pickup-andleave policy. We will call them for a meeting soon,” he assured.

Hike leaves commuters fuming Postnoon News feedback@postnoon.com

ith the advent of the hike in petrol prices, denizens using public transport to make their way across the City are facing problems. Auto rickshaw drivers charging exorbitant amounts and APSRTC buses have witnessed a massive increase in passengers. Commuting in the City has never been this expensive or inconvenient. People are paying huge amounts when it comes to travelling in an auto rickshaw. The drivers hardly ever charge the amount displayed on the meter, and the increase in the petrol prices have given them an excuse to charge even more. This is leading to an increase in

haggling and arguing. Manasi Uberoi, 25, a software developer, said that ever since the petrol prices have shot up, she has had to wait for a long time to catch an auto rickshaw. “Since the past two days, I have had to wait for at least 20 minutes. While many come and go, they ask for hefty amounts. It takes me only `40 to travel from my office in Jubilee Hills to my apartment in Banjara Hills. Few auto drivers asked me as much as `120 and cite the increasing petrol prices as a reason. Finally, I negotiated to `60,” she recalled. But one cannot really blame these drivers for asking extra money. They too have been hit by the prices. This is only going to add fuel to fire to the neverending fight between passengers and auto rickshaw drivers.

SRINIVAS SETTY

“Passengers haggle with us to go by the metre, and we will ask for more. The rise in prices affects us as well,” claims Mohammed Ghaus, member, Auto Rickshaw Drivers Union. However, what should be noted is that most of the auto

rickshaws are run on gas and not on petrol. Yet, they have been ‘affected’ by the rise. On the other hand, regular passengers of the APSRTC buses are complaining about the buses being over-crowded. Sadhna Thakur, a government school teach-

er who uses the public bus, pointed out that there has been a considerable increase in bus passengers since the petrol price was hiked. “I have never seen so many passengers in the route that I take. There is hardly any space. I guess people have come to realise that they will save a lot of money if they use buses instead of using their own vehicle. In the long run, this will save them money,” she said. Car pooling is the new mantra. Everyone wants to save on fuel and decrease their expenses This is the best way. “Car pooling is not only environment friendly, but also the best way to keep a tab on increasing fuel costs,” said R Rachna, an IT professional working in Hitec City. She and many of her colleagues have opted for this.

FOCUS SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Understanding cyberspace thieving Hackers aren’t always bad people wanting to ruin your lives. Here’s everything you need to know about the business of hacking SAMEER QURESHI

feedback@postnoon.com

WHAT

IS HACKING ?

Your computer is like a house and a hacker is someone with a pointy metal hat who charges the gate, scales the walls or uses stolen keys to get inside capable of stealing your most prized possessions and causing damage to your property. A hacker can mean different things depending on how the term is used. Every programmer dreams of being a hacker. Hackers are programming code jockeys who can throw bits of programming seemingly at will. People who modify computer and other pieces of electronic hardware are also sometimes called hackers. Being a hacker can also be a bad thing. A hacker or a hack can sometimes be someone that has no grace or elegance in his work. Thanks to Hollywood, people think that a hacker is a person who gains access to a computer and steals stuff or breaks into military networks and launches missiles for fun and with no conscience. Hackers aren’t always bad people wanting to ruin your lives. There are white-hat hackers and black-hat hackers. White-hat hackers are ethical

THERE’S A HIERARCHY IN THE HACKER COMMUNITY TOO. AN ADVANCED CRACKER DEVELOPS HIS OWN BREAK-IN MECHANISMS TO GAIN ACCESS TO COMPUTERS hackers who are computers security experts who attempt to gain access to a computer or network to detect vulnerabilities so that they can be patched. White-hat hackers are also called sneakers, red teams or tiger teams. Black-hat hackers gain unauthorised access to a computer or network with malicious intent. They’re also called “crackers”. For simplicity we’ve used the popular mass media definition of hackers interchangeably with crackers. There’s a hierarchy in the hacker community too. An

advanced cracker writes his own tools and develops his own break-in mechanisms to gain access to computers. Lower down on the hacker food chain are the script kids. These electronic intruders use freely distributed tools designed by others to engage in computer vandalism, break-ins, or electronic theft.

WHO

ARE THE HACKERS ?

Looking into hackers’ minds, you have to be open to the social aspects and think like the way they think. Often portrayed as loners, hackers can be socially involved and fit into what is considered “normal” everyday lives. Regardless of the kind of lifestyle they lead every hacker has a knack for solving puzzles and an attitudes to push himself to the limit. Their motivations may be different. Some do it for money, some for a social or political cause and some just do it for the sheer adrenaline rush.Hackers usually use social engineering to gain most of their knowledge. “Social Engineering” is the act of getting someone to disclose sensitive information through trust. “Brute force”, “exploit” and “dictionary attacks” are usually started through the use of software on the hacker’s computer. To avoid detection, he may use proxies or zombie machines so that this location can’t be determined. With the technology and tools available today, hacking

has become easier. With the wrong intent, anyone can hack –right from a peevish employee to a rejected lover. The peevish employee may destroy files or read confidential documents and a rejected lover might reveal intimate details to the public. Many high-profile hackers are in their 20s and 30s. However, many are simply teenagers who have access to publicly available hacking tools that can be downloaded online easily.

WHAT DO AFTER ?

HACKERS GO

Here ‘s a list of what hackers are generally after: Spam: Most hackers are interested in getting their code onto personal computers so that they can be turned into spam machines. This way they can publicise useless products for which they get paid by the company. Corporate data: Corporate networks are highly protected because they have very sensitive data. A breach in the security can compromise their ability to function. A hacker knows this and hacks into the system to extort or blackmail the company. He can also steal data and sell it in the black market. Personal computers: Your PC has a lot more important data than you think. Although personal computers are not the prime targets for elite hackers, they still remain an attractive target for the script kids. Most

often they look for your financial account details. Some of them might just want to snoop around in your index. Others might want to take control of your laptop. Mobile phones: Mobile phones are usually hacked to make free calls while the victim is charged for them. However with the new smart phones, your phone can be targeted for your account details,your personal documents, photos etc.

Web servers: An website is hosted on a web server. If the web server is compromised, the hacker can deface the website to display information of the hacker’s choice to the public. Hacktivism: Hacktivism is a form of vandalism or electronic civil disobedience with a political agenda. This usually has altruistic motives. (The author is a freelance writer on Cyber Security)

NATION SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Kerala to frame law for women

Leopard injures 2 foresters

NDA to acquire ‘warship’

KOCHI: As part of steps to enable the fairer

DEHRADUN: Two forest officials were

PUNE: As part of its training upgrade programme to hone skills of naval cadets, the National Defence Academy is all set to acquire an advanced training vessel, considered a smaller version of a warship. The vessel, costing about `1 crore is expected to give naval cadets at the country’s premiere defence institute a “real life experience” of operating on a warship.

sex to travel and work at all hours with confidence, Kerala government is in the process of framing a new law to ensure privacy and dignity of women. As a prelude to this, the government will hold talks with various women’s organisations on June 6 at Thiruvananthapuram, state home minister T Radhakrishnan said. “The new law is essential to enable women to travel and work without fear,” he said.

today injured by a leopard before the departmental team trapped the wildcat here on Friday. The injured forest officials have been admitted to a hospital, Range Officer JP Kukreti said. “As we tried to chase the wildcat towards the forest area, it attacked our team and injured two officials,” he added.

Mulayam joins anti-hike war LUCKNOW: Days after hobnobbing with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) leadership over the third anniversary dinner, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has called for Uttar Pradesh shutdown on May 31 to protest the petrol price hike. The Samajwadi Party chief also gave the party functionaries directive to hold state-wide protests after he held a meeting with district presidents and general secretaries of the party here on Friday. Asking his party workers to fan out across the state and inform the people of the party’s stand on the price hike, Yadav said the party has taken the

Mamata to lead protest march today

steep hike in petrol prices very seriously and would oppose it tooth and nail. By asking cadres to take up a centre-specific issue, Yadav has also signalled to the party work-

ers to begin work for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The SP chief said the state government’s work would be reviewed, and, if necessary, course correcIANS tions would be done.

KOLKATA: Despite the negative publicity she has been receiving for her various antics as West Bengal chief minister, the feisty Mamata Banerjee’s ability to lead lightning fast movements on any issue can never be doubted. Even as the LF and the various mass organisations of its constituents were busy chalking out details of a mass movement after the central government-owned oil companies raised petrol

prices sharply, Didi’s men were already on the street protesting the hike. Within an hour of the announcement on Thursday by the Communist Party of India-Marxist’s (CPI-M) labour arm, the Centre of Indian Trade Union, that demonstrations would be held outside the district magistrate offices, Trinamool leaders were leading a protest procession and Mamata is all set to lead one today.

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Girls protect themselves with scarves as they ride a scooter on a hot day in Bhopal on Friday. PTI

Hyderabad’s first afternoon newspaper

Mum goes back on word JAIPUR: An exporter registered a case against the biological mother of his five-year-old son and four others for attempting to kidnap the boy, police said today. KK Singh (66) wanted to have a child and convinced his secretary to be the surrogate mother, Mahesh Nagar SHO Sanjay Sharma said. “The woman gave birth to a boy in a Mumbai hospital in 2007. Six months back, she got married and yesterday came to Singh’s residence with her husband and sister to take custody of the

boy,” he said. In his police complaint, Singh said the woman and four others, who came along with her, created a ruckus and tried to kidnap the minor. Singh claimed he had paid the demanded money to the woman to give birth to the child. The exporter provided birth certificate of the boy and DNA report to the police team to confirm that he was the father of the child. “Prima facie, it appears the woman wanted to extract more money from the PTI exporter,” the SHO said.

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WORLD SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

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landslide in Indonesia killed eight people, an official said on Saturday, after days of heavy rain hit a mountainous part of the country’s main island. Sixteen people were illegally mining for gold in western Java in the mountains of Bogor district, south of the capital Jakarta, when the landslide struck after days of heavy rain.

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Muslim Brotherhood seeks dialogue CAIRO: Egypt’s

ELECTRONICS

rivate American spaceflight company SpaceX’s unmanned capsule docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to have reached the orbital outpost. SpaceX’s Dragon capsule was securely bolted to the Harmony module of the station at 1602 GMT.

Taxing time for Greece

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Muslim Brotherhood movement has urged country’s political forces to participate in a national dialogue ahead of a tough battle between an Islamist candidate and a former government official in an upcoming presidential runoff. Preliminary results of the first round of presidential elections in Egypt indicate that Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Mursi will face off against Ahmed Shafiq, the last prime minister of ousted president Hosni Mubarak’s regime, in June. Muslim Brotherhood said: “We are facing attempts to revive the old regime in a IANS new form.”

International Monetary Fund on Friday urged Greeks to pay their taxes, saying she is more concerned about sub-Saharan Africans in poverty than Greeks hit by the economic crisis. Christine Lagarde told the Guardian newspaper in an interview. “As far as Athens is concerned, I also think about all those people who are trying to escape tax all the time.” The IMF managing director said Greeks should “help themselves collectively” by “all paying their tax”, adding that she thought “equally” about those deprived of public services by the crisis and those involved in tax avoidance. Caught in a fifth straight year of recession, Greece is struggling to apply a tough austerity overhaul in return for EUIMF loans, but has already made drastic cuts to public services. On children affected by the cuts, Lagarde said their parents needed to take responsibility. “Parents have to pay their tax,” she was quoted as saying. “I think more of the little kids from a school in a little village in Niger who get teaching two hours a day, sharing one chair for three of them, and who are very keen to get an education,” she added. “I have them in my mind all the time. Because I think they need even more help than the people in Athens.” Asked whether it was “payback time” for Greece and other debt-ridden eurozone economies, she responded,

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde addresses graduates during commencement celebrations at Harvard Kennedy School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. AFP/ EMMANUEL DUNAND “That’s right”, the newspaper said. Greece in 2010 committed itself to a reform programme in return for hundreds of billions of euros (dollars) in bailout funds from the EU and the International Monetary Fund to prevent a default. Many of the reforms are currently in limbo, however, as Greece awaits a new general election on June 17 after an inconclusive vote on May 6. The IMF, along with European leaders, has said it will not bend on tough conditions attached to its loans to Greece, with fears rising that the debt crisis could culminate in a Greek exit from the eurozone.

Bankia seeks €19 bn bailout

S&P downgrades five Spanish banks

MADRID: Standard & Poor’s on Friday lowered the credit rating of five Spanish banks in a move that follows the agency’s downgrade of Spain last month. The affected banks are Banco Popular, Bankinter, Banca Civica and Bankia along with its parent Banco Financiero y de Ahorro (BFA), the ratings agency said in a statement.

pain’s fourth-biggest bank, Bankia, said on Friday it will ask the government for 19 billion euros ($24 billion) in the largest bank bailout in the country’s history. The bank, which holds some 10 per cent of the nation’s bank deposits, said the request will be part of a recapitalisation plan which it approved at a board meeting and is backed by the government and the Bank of Spain. AFP

AFP

70 killed in Syria ahead of Annan return

Bangguo calls off UK visit over Dalai

DAMASCUS: More than 70 people were killed across Syria

BEIJING: China’s top legislator cancelled a visit to Britain in anger over a meeting between British Prime Minister David Cameron and the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader, a source said on Saturday. Wu Bangguo, the head of China’s parliament and nominally number two in the political system, was to have travelled to Britain this month, but the Dalai Lama meeting put an end to those plans. The British government “was told that Wu Bangguo wasn’t coming because they were unhappy with the Dalai Lama meeting,” the source told AFP asking not to be identified. The Dalai Lama’s meeting with Cameron and with Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg was described as “private” and was not held at the prime minister’s Downing Street resiAFP dence.

on Friday, monitors said, as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets and tanks were deployed in the country’s second largest city. The latest flare-up of violence came as Kofi Annan, the UN-Arab League envoy to Syria who brokered a repeatedly-violated ceasefire last month, finalised plans to return to Damascus. Diplomats in Geneva said he would visit the Syrian capital early next week. A report by current UN leader by Ban Ki-moon said meanwhile that groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad now control “significant” parts of some cities and there is “considerable physical destruction” across the country. More than 50 civilians, including 13 children, were killed in army shelling of Houla, a town in the cenAFP tral province of Homs.

COMMENT SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Students getting distracted

Benefits of cycling

think it is very clear that students in the city are a distracted lot. If it is not the TV, it is the umpteen number of malls and cinema halls that keep them from studying. As if this is not enough distraction, students are getting interested in politics and letting this field shift their focus. Megha Dayal By email

hether it is because it is the symbol of a political party or not, the mayor’s suggestion to take to cycling to beat the spiralling petrol price is a sensible one. Not only will this advice save us a lot of money, it will also provide us with exercise in our otherwise sedentary lifestyles. Afsar Khan Langar Houz

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

Public such a sucker

our cover page photograph of this Friday reveals what suckers we are for politicians. People are mobbing and going hysterical over the CBI pulling up someone for questioning and they are behaving like this. Why don’t we understand our basic responsibilities as citizens? Aarti Mishra By email

EDITORIALS PSEUDO BONHOMIE won't help The Indo-Pak love affair seems to limit itself to just the cricketing and cultural world. When it comes to taking hardcore political decisions, any number of reasons or initiatives of talks don’t seem to produce solid results. Key issues such as Kashmir, terrorism and bilateral trade remain on square one. While the governments go through the motions of talks for name's sake, with obvious lack of real progress, the global political community is not fooled. From Vajpayee's bus ride to bonhomie at the sidelines of international summits, there are lot of photo ops and optimistic talks, but little in terms of improvement in bilateral ties. While the scenario of nuclear armed neighbours going to war with their deadly arsenal remains unlikely, the lack of trust that hampers progress in ties continues. The recent avalanche in Siachen that killed about 150 Pakistani soldiers shows how much both countries stand to lose in their hostile postures. Both governments need to see beyond popular sentiment and embark on a path driven by realpolitik before vested interests can hijack national agendas and set the neighbours on a collision course.

WHY WE LOVE... John Travolta While the Tiwaries will stick to their pretentious clean image for a lifetime, the Woods and the Travoltas will accept mistakes even of the private kinds. Public eye and opinion apart, the most important thing is to live honestly with oneself. Carrying one’s guilt through life and into the grave does not auger well for anyone. To confess a sin is also the first step of repentance, which ensures there is no repetition of it.

Sorry state of affairs Soul Curry SUMAA TEKUR

hile trawling the major news items of the past few days, I was struck by the number of conflict situations and how people are dealing with them. Top on the list were apologies — of both types, people apologising and people refusing to apologise. The headline-grabbing controversy of the molestation and assault charge on Indian Premier League (IPL) player Luke Pomersbach was put to rest in an out-of-court settlement between Zohal Hamid, who alleged that Pomersbach molested her and attacked her fiancé, Sahil Peerzada. Even as Pomersbach was arrested and granted bail on these allegations, Siddhartha Mallya, director of the Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL

team, for which Pomersbach plays, tweeted about Zohal, casting aspersions on her character. Zohal demanded an apology. Two days later, Mallya tweeted that the tweets/comments made earlier were unfortunate. The case was settled. In Maharashtra, social crusader Anna Hazare’s close aide Suresh Pathare tweeted against the state’s EGS (employment guarantee scheme) minister, Nitin Raut, taking a swipe at his personal life. Pathare drew a lot of flak for his undignified tweet. So Pathare said that he regretted the tweet but he would not apologise since there was no reason to do that. In the UK House of Commons, British Prime Minister David Cameron was forced to apologise to MP Ed Balls after calling him a “muttering idiot”. Balls is said to have mocked the PM for being too “chillaxed” about his job and enjoying his wine and entertainment when the country is in recession. This was not the first time the PM lost his temper in parliament. Earlier in May, the CEO of

Yahoo Scott Thompson apologised for allowing a bogus degree to get into his bio data. He has listed in his CV that he has a bachelor’s degree in computer science, which he never received. There were calls for him to resign to preserve the integrity of Yahoo. Thompson tendered an apology but didn’t see the misinformation as grounds for his resignation. “…I take full responsibility and I want to apologise to you,” he said. In Moscow, the Men in Black star Will Smith slapped a Ukrainian reporter Vitalii Sediuk after the latter tried to kiss Smith inappropriately during the premiere of the movie, Men in Black 3. Sediuk said, “I’m sorry, Will. It was a splash of emotion. I do apologise for my behaviour. I think it was too much.” Indian-American student Dharun Ravi, who was sentenced to one-month jail for spying on his gay roommate, who eventually committed suicide, refused to apologise to the victim’s family as he felt anything he said now would sound

rehearsed and empty. He said that it didn’t mean he was sorry about what happened. He just didn’t think that words could do justice to what he felt. As humans, we are put in many situations where we have to apologise or accept an apology. The latter can he harder to do since it puts pressure on the person to forgive, no matter how they really feel about the situation. If they do not forgive easily, they seem like the villain. Apologising with a clear heart and mind can erase the guilt and pain to a large extent and bridge the broken bond with the person we have hurt. Different religious practices teach us to deal with being sorry in different ways. Buddhism asks followers to reflect on one’s own past actions and focus on the remorse. An empty apology for the sake of an apology serves no purpose if the person does not make an attempt to correct himself and take a pledge to not repeat that mistake. Only then will an apology be meaningful and serve a true purpose.

COMMENT SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Mum’s the word! PHIL GRAYSTON

Quirky-side-Up ARPITA BHAWAL

hat is it that you love about hotels? The service, the food or the décor? If you have travelled abroad — mostly to the US or Europe — you should be delighted about our hospitality industry. Our service rates as highly as does the luxury of our hotel rooms — in size, amenities and comfort. Sometimes of course, the city puts a touch of class to it. Now, if you are ensconced in a five-star hotel in Mumbai, great. Or the rooms can get New Yorkish — in other words, possibly more compact than the ones which are similar to those in Nashville where you can play a mini IPL match! Real estate being the mother of all gods in Mumbai, it is surprising that rooms are still great in five-star hotels and beat the Big Apple to death. But if you have ever had the misfortune of checking into one of the three- of four-star hotels in Mumbai, particularly the lesser-known ones which are very reasonable and do brisk business when training programmes are held in it and you choose to inhabit that hotel for that reason alone, I would sug-

gest you carry what I call, the ‘Homemaker’s Kit’. In fact, I am so convinced about it, I am thinking of patenting it. Imagine, after a long day of work meetings in Mumbai, you are preparing to call it a night — dying to check into your hotel room where you can finally get some sleep and rejuvenate. Of course, given that time flies in Mumbai, you check in around 10.30pm, finally your luggage arrives, and you bolt the door. You freshen up and prepare to dive into the comfortable bed… and then you want to scream!

The seemingly tidy room of a four-star hotel has a bed that looks slept in, pillows that stink of perspiration, carpet that smells musty, and a bathroom that sports all kinds of indecipherable pieces of garbage. Unbelievable! By now you may have already guessed the contents of my ‘Homemaker’s Kit’ which can be very handy if you travel and stay in hotels. But mind you, one can’t fault the hotels. Imagine the number of visitors coming in to the city every day. Compare that with the rising cost of labour.

Now, almost all hotels go full during weekdays. The room rates are ridiculous, and the speed at which everyone within the hotel has to work and please their guests, is equally nasty. Maybe iRobots are the answer to Mumbai’s hygiene conditions — within the hotels and outside as well. I had begun to think that we are already on the brink of an Advanced Age of Hygiene and Sanitation. But Mumbai reminds you that the housekeeping practices remain archaic — and the familiar stench of rotting sewage still stands out more than the

beauty of the New Sea Link Bridge. Some may even argue: Do you really vacuum your home, change your bed sheets, use new pillowcases, replace soiled towels, polish your bathroom and spray room freshener in your air conditioned, carpeted, bedroom every day? Do you even have an air-conditioned, carpeted bedroom with a mini bar? Most probably not, so why do you become the Ms Universe of Hygiene when you check into a hotel? Good questions — but nobody is really going to bother to answer them. I guess the truth is out there — right where you live. In our homes, squalor, grime, filth, muck, poor housekeeping and even lack of luxuries is kind of endearing. There is a homey-ness about not being perfect, not keeping house all the time, and not tidying up routinely like a maid. We are comfortable and tolerant of our own mess, because it has our signature and odour in it. But outside, it is a tale of great duress. Who wants to find human hair, black marks, sweat stains, or dust clouds in a twelve-squarefoot hotel room? Not me, nor you. You could make a big deal about it. Or just remember, it is the curse of a big, busy, boastful city. Yeah, Mum is the word. And you always have a choice. Carry a ‘Homemaker’s Kit’. The writer is a communication specialist.

Global edits Urban sketches

A sketch artist’s tribute to his urban muses

Secunderabad clock Tower

VISWAPRASAD RAJU

The Telegraph (UK)

Barack Obama is facing his Jimmy Carter moment

ntil recently, Barack Obama’s reelection was regarded as inevitable — in the same way that summer follows spring, or a monsoon follows a hosepipe ban. The president’s poll lead over Mitt Romney was strong, while the Republican’s character was assassinated by a primary fight that permanently spoiled the reputation of his party. To court the GOP’s conservative base, Romney was forced to adopt positions on abortion, contraception, health care and welfare that are thought to be unpopular among moderate swing voters. Obama, by contrast, is the man who killed bin Laden and toppled Gaddafi. A choice between Obama the moderate statesman and Romney the craven conservative is surely no contest at all. But in the last two weeks, things have changed. Obama’s re-election is no longer guaranteed; some pollsters think it is unlikely. Day by day, the odds are improving that Mitt Romney will be the next president of the US. What changed? For a start, voters are getting gloomier about the econo-

my. Joblessness remains high and debt is out of control. According to one poll released this week, only 33 per cent of Americans expect the economy to improve in the coming months and only 43 per cent approve of the president’s handling it. Voters think Obama has made the debt situation and health care worse. The man who conducted the poll — Democrat Peter Hart — concluded that “Obama’s chances for reelection… are no better than 50-50.” The president has tried to distract from America’s economic misery by playing up the so-called culture war. Earlier in the year he decided that he would force Catholic employers to provide contraception to their employees through their insurance plans, and he followed that swipe at social traditionalism by endorsing gay marriage. This embrace of Sixties liberalism has backfired. While contraception and gay marriage often receive popular support in national polls, Americans are far more conservative in the voting booth. Thirty-two states have voted on gay marriage and all 32 have voted to outlaw it — even liberal California. Nor has the culture war rallied his party’s base. Pollsters find Obama and Romney edging towards one another. Rasmussen puts Obama only one point ahead; Gallup calls it a tie.

BUSINESS SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Yahoo! opts for iPads

Li confirms son as heir

Hong Kong billionaire Li Kashing on Friday confirmed that his eldest son will eventually control his business empire, but the 83-year-old tycoon dismissed suggestions that he is about to retire. Eldest son Victor Li has long been expected to take over Cheung Kong Group and Hutchison Whampoa after his father steps aside.

Fiat suspends sales to Iran

ahoo! shuttered its fledgling digital newsstand for iPads on Friday in what it said was the start of a product purge intended to make the floundering Internet pioneer more nimble. Livestand was launched in November as a way to turn tablet computers into personalized magazines rich with stories, images and video suited to individual tastes.

Italian auto giant Fiat and Fiat Industrial said on Friday they have suspended sales to Iran to support "international diplomatic efforts". Fiat and its industrial arm, which makes buses and agricultural machinery, released two separate statements to support "the efforts of international diplomacy to find a diplomatic solution to the issues relating to Iran."

It takes two to tango PRUDHVI RAJU K

prudhvi.k@postnoon.com

wo young women, Shivangi Mehta and Payal Sheth quit their well paid jobs, comfortable life and want to make it big on their own without depending on their families financially. The duo has started a e-commerce fashion shop, www.fashiondowntown.com, in July 2011 and had overcome many challenges on their way. “I did my Masters in management was working as a marketing consultant for Zapak Digital Entertainment, where I discovered that online space is a great market opportunity. I shared the idea with my friend, Payal, who is passionate about social media and technology. She is a qualified chartered accountant and certified public accountant. She has worked with one of the top 5 global consultancy firms, Grant Thornton, and has specialisation on US GAAP. (United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles). As we share similar interest, we moved ahead with business idea,” says Shivangi. Talking about the potential of the idea, Payal says, Indian youth (18-25 years) is an early adopter of technology and also contribute a major chunk of 44 per cent of internet usage. This is followed by young adults (25-35 years), who contribute 28 per cent. Together, they both (age group 18-35 years) contribute 72 per cent internet usage. Most of this age group are either studying or working with majority of their time spent on internet through computers, iPads or phones. And today, with hectic lifestyle — from job deadlines to bad traffic, socialising to shopping — it is difficult to stay on top of things. “All these factors will facilitate e-commerce in the country. We are an e-commerce portal, where you can find the latest fashion from designer brands to the high street. We are becoming a one-stop, easy-on-pocket shop for fashion clothing and accessories with unique products sourced locally and internationally. We know how important it is to look your best; therefore it is essential that our prices are affordable for everyone. We believe fashion is a right not a luxury,” says Shivangi, “Indian online customer is price sensitive. So, we not only match but provide least possible price, which we very much achieved in fragrances range. We understand that the key to our success is a happy and satisfied customer. Fashion should is not limited to shopping, it is much more than that. We provide handy fashion tips in our regularly updated blog and Facebook fan page. Here you can find out how to achieve the hottest celebrity

Shivangi Mehta

Payal Sheth

Number of Employees: 12 Initial investment: `50 lakh Margins: 10-30 per cent depending on the product Expected to breakeven: by 2015 Number of visitors per day: 400 Number of orders per month: 500 with an average ticket size of `2,000 Number of offices: 3 in Mumbai. IT team in Hyderabad

Shivangi’s CV Interests: Meditation, Spend time with family and friends, Exercise and Networking Hobbies: AR Rahman’s music, Songs of Kishor Kumar, Rafi and Gazals by Jagjit Singh Coldplay, Pink Floyd, Akon, Frank Sinatra Inspirational Quote: "An airplane is always safe at ground but it's not made for that. Take risk in life to fly :-) !!"

looks as well as get information on our most popular items,” she says. The company has tried to grow on discounts rather than marketing. “The cost of acquiring customer is `1500 to 2500 and the customer is not even loyal. E-consumer is more of a hopper currently. We figured it’s the price that is deciding a factor, given the same security and shopping experience. Instead of hiring media managers and wasting more money on Google and Facebook advertisements, we passed this as discounts to consumers.

“To market our products and discount offers, our strategy was to do affiliate marketing, cross marketing and explore barter, which has worked out in our favour. We tried to reduce the operating costs with minimum salaries and channelised the saved money to the customer. We are not in hurry to acquire customers because they are smart and find the best price offering site,” says Payal. Talking about difficulties of women entrepreneurship in patriarchal society, Payal says,”One of the challenges we faced initially was when we were ideating on our business plan, most of our relatives didn't take it seriously they would always ask us ‘Why do you have to start your own company? Go handle your dad’s business. Why do you want to work? Just get married and settle in life.’ “During that phase, these kinds of talks were discouraging but we were focused on our goal. We overcame this challenge through our persistent hard work and flexible approach to achieve our objective. The other challenge is to raise funds. It’s easier for a businessman to raise capital than a woman; except if women can prove her competence and credibility, so that’s what we are trying to achieve for ourselves.” Talking about future plans, She says, “To introduce more merchandise and brands, giving opportunity to upcoming labels and designers to sell their products through our site and also support them to explore international market through our export vertical. As we have also seen huge potential in export market for Indian designer wear and we want to expand in that direction” On personal front, Shivangi finds happiness in whatever she does. “I truly believe that if I can do what I love for a living, which I am at the moment, life is less stressful and a more fun,” she says.

MOTORING SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Fiat and Mazda to team up

iat Group and Mazda Motor Corp. plan to develop and build a new roadster for the Mazda and Alfa Romeo brands, the companies said. Alfa will launch its version of the roadster in global markets starting in 2015. It will be sold as the Alfa Spider in US and will mark the brand's hotly awaited return to the world's biggest market for two-seater sports cars.

Renault Alpine sports car

enault’s new 400bhp mid-engined Alpine sports car will be soon launched in the Monaco and the car is being manufactured. The A11050 or the Alpine 110-50 is celebrating 50 years of its introduction which has won the inaugural World Rally Championship in the 1973 and is a legendary Renault engine sports car of the sixties and seventies.

Bolisetti’s 1st victory

he fortune cookie rolled in for Vizag driver Sailesh Bolisetti and his Lotus Sport UK team with his maiden victory in round two of British GT Championship. Phil Glew took the lead within 30 minutes of the start and Bolisetti took over at the mandatory pit stop and onwards to victory. Technical gremlins struck the second placed Ginetta.

A rare Rolls Royce resurfaces

We take a look at the rare 1911 Rolls Royce, on permanent display at the Chowmahalla Palace Passion of the Royals

1925 Rolls Royce 20HP Tourer owned by the ex Maharaja of Banswara

This 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, with a “Continental”-engine and a Torpedo body by Thrupp & Maberly was built for the Maharaja of Rajkot. It was called “The Star of India”

RASEEL AHLUWALIA

feedback@postnoon.com

he story of the Titanic continues to captivate our imagination even today, 100 years after the disaster. In April 1912, RMS Titanic set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York. But the largest “unsinkable” ship afloat at that time, sank four days into the voyage, when it was about to reach Newfoundland. Closer home, here in Hyderabad, we have our own romantic, 100-year old story. And this story, unlike the Titanic, has a happy ending. Princess Ezra Jah, has made both Hyderabad and the Chowmahalla Palace proud, by putting on permanent display a rare 1911 Rolls Royce. This car was acquired by the sixth Nizam, Mir Mahboob Ali Khan, custom-built for Indian royalty, as was common then. It

was a specially prepared ‘throne car’, built on a 1911 Silver Ghost chassis by the renowned coachbuilders, Barker and Company of London. They built a state body on a London-Edinburgh chassis for the Nizam who was subsequently to own some of the most exotic cars of the world. It was also the first State car to be ordered for purely ceremonial purposes in India. The rear portion of the car was elevated to provide a raised seat for the Nizam and the seat had collapsible arm rests. There were additional collapsible seats, at least two of them for the security staff. The domed roof, surmounted by a silver cap was finished with a silver beading and bordered with a massive fleurde-lis pattern fender. After India gained independence in 1947, the princely states acceded to the Indian Union and the car was simply stored away – till it was decided to restore and showcase it – more than six decades later. The idea of sending it to England was considered but abandoned.

The restoration was entrusted to automotive historian and expert, Manvender Singh, son of Raja Barwani, himself a former royal, who worked on it in his workshop in Indore. The car is now re-sprayed in its original canary yellow, with special gold mountings. The old gold silk brocade laces and curtains and the special upholstery came from France. The original roof dome in silver finish can be seen again now. Even the lamps, working off a CAV dynamo set, were silver plated. The driver’s cabin is separated by a glass panel. The Nizam’s ‘dastar’ can be seen on the bonnet and the royal insignia on the doors. It took Manvender Singh six months to complete the task and

the car was then entered in the ‘Cartier Travel with Style De Elegance’ show in New Delhi. It won both the ‘Best in Class’ and ‘best in Show’ awards there. This amazing car has now completed 100 years of its existence. The Rolls has not even clocked 400 miles. It is still with the same family. It was dedicated to the Chowmahalla Palace and will be on permanent display there. One can see the Palace is the perfect setting for this car as it was recently awarded the UNESCO Heritage award. Princess Jah told the gathering it was a very expensive restoration but she hopes to restore two more Napiers and exhibit them in the Palace. Already there is a Buick roadster, a Steyr and a Fiat Ballila making the Chowmahalla an attractive tourist destination. Specially in this, the hundredth year of this very rare Rolls Royce with a great provenance. The halcyon days of the Palace are back again. The writer is a former Deputy Registrar at HCU

1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II Hooper Sports Roadster known as the “Tiger’s Eye of Jaipur” not surprisingly went to the Maharaja of Jaipur in India.

1921 Rolls Royce Silver Ghost Torpedo Tourer owned by the ex Raja Shaib of Korea.

TECHNOLOGY SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK Stickcricket.com This website is a very simple cricket game based on shockwave. It is a very fast and a high scoring game. It’s fun to play and definetely is the best way to kill time and beat the heat by staying indoors.

APP OF THE WEEK Temple Run

VIDEO GAME REVIEW THE GOOD

DIABLO III

he addictive mega-hit Temple Run is now out for Android! You've stolen the cursed idol from the temple, and now you have to run for your life to escape the Evil Demon Monkeys nipping at your heels.

n Powerful abilities and tight controls make combat enjoyable.

THE B AD

n Weapon system flies in the face of traditional RPG logic.

No matter how flashy or pricey, gadgets command little loyalty from the youth of today. They settle only for the trendiest and price does not matter

Left to their own devices FAUSTINA JOHNSON

feedback@postnoon.com

eft your watch at home? iPod not working? Need to be up early for that math test? Need company while you wait for your friend to arrive? Need to store that PPT you've been working on all night, but can't find your flash drive? No space left in your bag for your camera? Lost? What do you do? Well, meet Gen Y's new best friend — the mobile phone. Depending on who you're asking, a mobile is either a necessity (kids, students), a fad (hardworking parents), or an invasion (grandparents). It has not escaped your notice, I trust, how much these technological wonders cost and the attitudes of

the target audience more so. “I would spend anything and go for the best,” declares Bhavani Kidambi, a commerce student. A quick survey has revealed to me that “the best” would cost a good degree over `30,000. It doesn't end there. Once you get away from a basic plan, you can be hit with extra charges for going over your minutes, sending text messages, buying ring tones, and using the Internet. All that is conveniently ignored by the youth, in light of the advantages. “A mobile makes me accessible to all my friends and relatives. I can surf the Internet sitting in a bus, I can take and send pictures, and do a lot more,” says Shwetha Malhotra, third year degree student. “Nevertheless, I wouldn't spend more than `5,000 on one,” she adds. An exception, as I see it.

It is survival of the fittest. The more features your phone has, the more popular you are. Eshwar Harsha, an engineering student Most students are quite ready to make their parents poorer by at least `10,000. As Eshwar Harsha, an engineering student, puts it, “It is survival of the fittest. The more features your phone has, the more popular you are.” Of late, I have made a peculiar observation—students around me succumbing to what I have come to call the Passion de la Blackberry- a sudden

and unmistakable affinity for large business phones which were never designed to fit in your pockets. Every day I see countless peers poring over the minuscule keys, self-perceived status and cool quotient justifying their suffering fingers. “A lot of my friends see it as status symbol. Whether or not the features on the phone would benefit them is another question,” says Sneha M, a student of Loyola Academy. Interestingly, this seems to be a contained disease. Eshwar, who is from Joginpally Engineering College, says, “I personally don't find the Blackberry impressive, I don't think it would appeal to students.” There, you have a clear indicator of peer influence. Another notable trend is how often these phones are replaced with newer models. Like everything else, mobile

phones, however flashy, come with expiry dates—for ability to hold interest, that is. Nirmala Menon, a student, buys a new phone every six months. “I avoid buying expensive phones so that I can upgrade when I tire of my current model or if it gets damaged,” she says. Well, a thought out strategy. The average age for the first mobile has now plummeted to a mere 11. For youngsters today, getting a mobile is a step towards independence and a status symbol among their friends. They have also proved to be most effective parental bribes. Wish your kid practiced three hours of violin a day? Promise her a mobile phone. What wouldn't she do. The mobile phone today has grown much beyond a phone. Now that the mobile phone has replaced even best friends, an iWife would hardly surprise me.

ANIMAL KINGDOM SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

IMPORTANT NUMBERS

Zoo loses another primate

he Nehru Zoological Park (Hyderabad) has lost one more precious primate, a 23-year-old capped langur. The langur died of multiple organ failure, zoo officials said. Curator HM Haneefulla said the beast had stopped taking food from May 13 and efforts to save it failed. A Nilgiri Langur too had died at the Zoo Park last month. Officials said that the endangered mammal was brought from Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Chennai, about five years ago. Aged about 10 years, the female primate was found dead in the ‘night house.’ There were no signs of external injuries on its body. A postmortem conducted by veterinary doctors from the zoo park and scientists from LaCONES srevealed that the death could have occurred due to severe gastritis.

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

Penguin No 337 back A

penguin on the run from a Tokyo aquarium since early March was adjusting to life back on the inside on Friday after being recaptured on a riverbank. The Humboldt penguin, one of 135 kept at Tokyo Sea Life Park, was recaptured after 82 days of freedom that had even seen it outwit Japan’s wellresourced coastguard. The bird’s last moments of liberty were lived on a riverbank just eight kilometres (five miles) from its home, said aquarium spokesman Takashi Sugino. Prompted by a stream of sighting reports, staff rushed to the Edo-gawa river, where the

young bird was idling away a balmy Thursday afternoon, seemingly unaware that its adventure was coming to an end. As its captors approached, the creature dived into the water and emerged onto the opposite river bank about an hour later. Undeterred, aquarium staff tried again, this time approaching the startled bird slowly — taking some 20 minutes to close in the final five meters (16 feet) — before jumping on it. The one-year-old bird, known only as Penguin No. 337 and not yet old enough to display physical sexual features, rushed into the water in surprise, but was subdued and taken back into

custody. More than 30 sightings of the 60-centimetre (two-foot) penguin had been reported to Tokyo Sea Life Park since it fled.

The bird had been spotted swimming in various locations around Tokyo Bay but was difficult to catch.

Even Japan’s coastguard were caught flat-footed by the escapee. On May 7, two boats with 10 officers on board followed the bird for about an hour before it disappeared from view. The hunt for the bird, which the aquarium said did not have a name, began in early March after it was spotted bathing in a river that runs into Tokyo Bay. Keepers believe the creature made its break for freedom after being startled into climbing over a rock twice its size. In a bid to curtail any future breakouts, the facility has now put additional rocks and sandbags around the edges of AFP the penguin enclosure.

BOOKS SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

SHORT READS Title: The Newlyweds Author: Nell Freudenberger Publisher: Knopf Doubleday We follow the story of Amina Mazid, who at age twenty-four moves from Bangladesh to Rochester, New York, for love. A hundred years ago, Amina would have been called a mail-order bride. But this is an arranged marriage for the twenty-first century.

Title: Deadlocked Author: Charlaine Harris Publisher: Victor Gollancz Limited With Felipe de Castro, the Vampire King of Louisiana, in town, it’s the worst possible time for a body to show up in Eric Northman’s front yard especially the body of a beautiful woman whose blood he just drank.

Title: Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake Author: Anna Quindlen Publisher: Random House From childhood memories to manic motherhood to middle age, Quindlen uses the events of her own life to illuminate our own. Along with the downsides of age, she says, can come wisdom, a perspective on life that makes it satisfying .

Title: In One Person Author: John Irving Publisher: Simon & Schuster A compelling novel of desire, secrecy, and sexual identity by John Irving. In One Person is an enthralling and engaging story of unfulfilled love tormented, funny, and affecting and an impassioned embrace of our sexual differences.

A night at the museum With brizzlehounds and slaughterbirds, City of Lies of the Keepers trilogy is dystopian fiction of a different sort

PADMINI C

padmini.c@postnoon.com

t the outset, you should know The Keepers Trilogy, of which City of Lies is the second part, is meant for children of ages nine and above. Lian Tanner ensures that her story arc, characters, diction, all keep to this. So if you are expecting to find the next Eragon or Mistborn, this is not the series for you. That said, Keepers is imaginative and brimming with potential; a

decent read in its own right. Before we plunge into the mysterious City of Lies, a little context. In a far, far land away, lies the city of Jewel. Its people live in a state of eternal fear. Their children, chained to “Guardians” until Separation Day (coming-of-age), never allowed to wander out on their own, for their own safe-keeping from the dreaded children-snatchers. Goldie Roth is a born rebel, impatient and bold, traits that land her in trouble every day of her existence. When her Separation Day is cancelled, she runs away and takes refuge in the first place she can find— the Museum of Dunt, a place that’s ever shifting and mysterious, seeming to hold everything from

Brizzlehounds to bloodthirsty barbarians. With Toadspit, a fellow-runaway, and new found friends by her side, Goldie helps imprison the villainous Fugleman and frees the town’s children from the tyranny of the Guardians. Book Two, the City of Lies takes from here and runs away with it. In the newly-freed city of

Name City of Lies Author Lian Tanner Pages 288 Publisher Hachette

Demonstration of Butterfly effect Arun Koshy Philip arun.k@postnoon.com

he story of this village is actually the story of thousands of villages in India which dot the vast swathes of territory controlled by Maoists. The thrashing of an

Name The Inexplicable Unhappiness of Ramu Hajjam Author Taj Hassan Pages 234 Publisher Hachette India

otherwise inconsequential barber by a high caste man triggers a chain of events which turns the sleepy village into a battleground for supremacy between two forces. The plot revolves around the life of Ramu, a barber. He lives a mechanical hand-tomouth existence and doesn’t do much about his ordeal once he recovers from the shock. However, the future has something else in store for the villages when Ramu’s son Pawan decides his father’s humiliation must be avenged. The book brings out in detail the soul of an average village in India. The concept of modernity hasn’t made much

The book brings out in detail the soul of an average village in India inroads and an ironclad caste system dictates lives and social status, no matter what job one does. Poverty and indebtedness is all-pervading, reducing lives to struggle for daily bread and repaying loans. Some youths migrate to urban centres seeking greener pastures but

Jewel, Toadspit’s sister Bonnie is kidnapped. Following the trail leads Goldie and Toadspit to go to a neighbouring city, where the Festival of Lies is taking place. Along the way, Toadspit is captured too. In a race against time, will Goldie use all her skills to save the day and defeat the master-mind behind the child-stealers or not makes for the crux of the story. To its credit, City of Lies is fast-paced, rich in detail and filled with thrilling chase sequences. But in all honesty, it’s a letdown after Book One, which offered so much promise. The plot defies all tenets of logic, even for fantasy fiction. Here’s hoping Book Three will have more to offer. nothing changes for those who stay back. The story shows how left-wing extremism influences in areas where existence of government is merely for name’s sake. This village, where no vote has been cast from the lower caste is a fertile recruitment ground for ‘revolution’. A complex maze of social equations, economic conditions and various degrees of exploitation hold together the characters’ lives and the plot. As each side battles for domination and protection of their interests, a way of life is changing forever. The writer has adopted an innovative style of using Ramu’s dreams to give the readers an inkling of what lies in store. However, the narrative uses a slow paced style that is a drab to sustain one’s interest.

BOOKS SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

A race against time Fast-paced and gripping, Gregg Hurwitz’s The Survivor is bound to keep you awake all night FLEME VARKEY

fleme.v@postnoon.com

our’e Next Hurwitz’s previous book has a chilling opening scene where a father abandons his four-year-old son on a playground, Hurwitz grabs the reader in a stranglehold of tension and doesn’t let go until the final satisfying page. Well, it seems like Hurwitz has a thing for dramatic openings. In The Survivor we find Nate Overbay, the protagonist standing on the ledge of a bank in Southern California contemplating suicide. Nate suffers from ALS, it is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. He knows he’s slowly dying and that he will slowly lose control of his nervous system and muscle functioning, but Nate doesn’t want to wait for that day when he’s unable to move. He is about to take the plunge when he hears gunshots from behind, unknowing to himself the training he received in the army kicks in and he thwarts a bank heist. He is left with a cryptic warning, “He will make you pay in ways you can’t imagine.” Nate’s world comes crashing down, not that the thought of battling with ALS and watching his family from a distance sounds like a thrilling alternative. But now a bunch of Russian thugs will stop at nothing to get even with him. He is kidnapped by Pavlo, a savage Russian mobster and mastermind of the failed heist. Since his job has been botched up the intrusion of Nate, Pavlo gives him an ultimatum—break in and get what he needs or watch Pavlo slowly kill the one thing Nate was trying desperately to protect from pain— his family.

Now Nate thinks of this as an opportunity to make up for all the emotional and physical damage he has caused his family and he will do anything to save his teenage daughter Cielle and ex-wife Janie, even though if it will be the last thing he can do. Hurwitz throws in some emotional turmoil and father-

Name The Survivor Author Greg Hurwitz Pages 480pp Publisher Hachette India

daughter love in good measure. On one side you have Nate pining for his daughter’s love and anguished at the pain he’s caused her and on another hand you have an over indulgent father, Pavlo, who will go to any lengths to protect his daughter’s crimes even if it meant killing people randomly. Hurwitz’s grip on his plotlines is tremendous, it seems like he steers you into moving on. When things move towards being extremely dangerous, his stylistic prowess expertly drags you back from the edge. An experience which is no doubt thrilling to say the least. The story is fast paced and leaves you on the edge, waiting

and watching to see what happens next. Coming to his characters, not often will you find such characters that you are bound to sympathise with them. So much so, that as you race towards the end of the book the only question that remains is whether Nate finishes his mission as he knows his days are numbered. For a reputed writer who has more than 12 bestselling thrillers to his credit Hurwitz writes creates a world larger than the genre demands, and the back-story of Nate's failed marriage and dysfunctional relationship with his daughter is nimbly handled. No disappointments in this book.

WHAT’S SELLING Walden’s best in fiction

Walden’s best in non-fiction

New York Times’ best in fiction

New York Times’ best in non-fiction

n Calico Joe by John Grisham

n Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman

n 11th Hour by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro

n The Passage of Power by Robert A Caro

n Sins Of The Father by Jeffrey Archer n Zero Day by David Baldacci n Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins n Fifty Shades Of Grey by EL James

n MBA at 16 by Subroto Bagchi n Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson n Reforms 2020 by Express Group n The 3rd Alternative by Stephen R Covey

n Dealocked by Charlaine Harris

n Lots of Candles, Plentyof Cake by Anna Quindlen

n Bring up the bodies by Hilary Mantel

n Screwed! by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann

n The Road to Grace by Richard Paul Evans

n Most Talkative by Andy Cohen

n In One Person by John Irving

n Prague Winter by Madeleine Albright with Bill Woodward

WOMEN SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

APPS OF THE WEEK Clockin: If you’re do work that requires you to track how much time you spend with individual clients, ClockIn can help. Part of this app’s charm is its simplicity and its usefulness.

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. You might want to check

Dinner Spinner: If you’re standing in front of the fridge, you can search for recipes based on the ingredients you already have on hand; it also comes in handy at the grocery store.

The Wedding Planner

We talk weddings, bridezillas and Egyptian tombs with the most sought-after wedding stylist in the city today, Dinaz Noria

Padmini Copparapu

padmini.c@postnoon.com

What’s keeping you busy at the moment? The wedding season’s up ahead, so things are getting busy. I’m working on a couple of big projects, one in Sri Lanka and of course, the other one is here (Ram Charan and Upasana’s we hear). So this month is going to be a lot of prepping.

Do you still remember your first assignment? Of course. It was over a decade ago. I had done the storefront display for the Mussadilal group which they liked. So they came back and asked me to replicate that as a backdrop for a wedding. And so it began.

Since then, how much has changed? Over 14 years, the scene has changed exponentially. The most notable change is that the South Indian weddings have come of age. Where there was once just a phoolwallah, bandwallah and a mandap, now there is a huge market. People have become more involved and more socially conscious.

Yes, the South Indian wedding have also assumed the shape and scale of the great Indian (Punjabi) wedding, hasn’t it? Absolutely. But it’s still not as exuberant or showy. The South has different sensibilities. They are more nature-oriented, classy and understated.

Any bridezillas along the way?

the city, if not the country?

Any regrets?

I’ve planned weddings for a number of gorgeous ladies, some demanding, others not so much. But never anyone who was, you know, an unpleasant cow (laughs). But generally, NRI brides are very conscious and more particular whereas brides here are more relaxed, they leave it to us to do the best.

Never, ever, ever, ever. I didn’t think I had a single creative bone in my body. But of course, I had an extremely fertile imagination even then.

None. It has been a great, great journey. I’ve learned so much. I’m living my passion, so doesn’t feel like it has been that long. If you can consider it a regret, it is not having the time to develop a hobby.

What is theme of the season? Without a doubt, destination weddings. More and more people are realising its a lot of fun. There’s no agenda expect for you and your guests to enjoy yourselves while the rest is taken care of. With close family and friends, they make for great memories. Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia are trending.

Did you ever imagine that you’d be here today, as one of the most sought-after wedding planners in

CV First Job: Stewardess with the British Airways Last book read: The Steig Larsson Trilogy. Last Movie: The Avengers Mantra: Come what may, deliver what is promised to a client. Source of inspiration: Travel, books, anything visual.

What about your job do you enjoy the most? I think I enjoy the ideation part, that is, the creative process. I’ll be sitting in an airport lobby somewhere, dreaming up something, probably making a silly sketch. One month later, I’ll see it happen. It’s a tremendous high.

Has there ever been a difference of interests between your clients and your creative sensibilities? I take up clients based on availability and if we have similar sensibilities. Because sometimes, I do get some unusual requests. At the peak of the themed weddings season,

for example, I had one prospective client want me to design a mandap after the Egyptian Pyramids, like the tombs! It was ludicrous. Similarly, there was one who wanted a cricket pitch! Thankfully, those are few and far in between. I have been lucky in that most of my clients leave it me to do what’s best.

What are the things you should know if you are venturing into wedding planning as a career option? It’s a great option. But kids today are taken in by managing academics, who equip them with no useful skills. No two weddings are alike, so most of the learning happens on the floor. You need unbelievable reserves of energy, ability to weather anything, face unusual challenges and think laterally. And most importantly, you should be able to handle people.

SPOTLIGHT SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Srilektric

Surabhi & Girish Seghal

Titillating the senses

Vivanta by Taj on Friday night came alive with the sounds of earthy folk music and contemporary electronica by Srilektric who performed at the launch of their new bar Tease.

Beenu SIngh

Manjula Narsa

Anju Ali Khan

Rummy Azad

Gayathri DEEPAK DESHPANDE

Dance trance

Youngsters rang in the weekend of partying, starting with a fun-filled night at Kismet.

Priyanka

Indu, Sudeep & Arti

Aparajita & Karthik

Rachana

RELATIONSHIPS SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

I AM ALL EARS

am 20.My parents are some what old fashioned in their thinking. They want me to get married this year. I on the other hand want to get married at a later age. Already my friends are teasing me saying I will have children by the time they finish with their studies. I am really worried. Please hepl

S scientists spoke to men and women to draw up a list of 88 factors that made women appear more “exploitable". But psychological vulnerability — such as when the women were immature or unintelligent — resulted in them being given a higher rating, according to the study by researchers at TexasAustin University. The men also ranked these women as more attractive than those who were portrayed as brainy, they found.

Dear worried kid, When it comes to parents, there is nothing called being old-fashioned and orthodox. They simply take decisions keeping in mind the future. It certainly is too young an age to get married. My advice would be to sit them down and tell them of what you think. In case they refuse, give them a tentative year that you would want to get married and explain to them that certain experiences in life are best had single. All the best.

Age of consent across the world

Mexico, Colombia

Japan, Spain, Syria

Germany, Georgia, Hungary, Italy

Coming of age?

Like we are asked to show IDs before we are served alcohol, will we now have to show IDs before engaging in sex? SAMEENA KENAZ

feedback@postnoon.com

ast month, the Parliament and the Delhi High Court were engaged in a rather perplexing matter of the age of sexual consent. The Parliament passed a bill deeming sex illegal for those under the age of 18 and the HC countered that saying ‘times have changed’, the legislatures should keep in mind the changing attitudes of people before passing such legislations. The question that instantly comes to mind is that should we be meddling with the law at all? If we are allowed to vote, drive and supposedly be taxed at 18 then why exactly can we not take decisions . We spoke to people that this bill primarily concerns, the youth. Here’s what they think about the

entire episode: Chetan Singh, a filmmaker says, “Lately, the youth have become more mature because of exposure to various media and their curious mind makes them susceptible to sexual activities. If it is happening with the consent of the girl, then I don’t think there is anything to worry about, cause even in olden times girls got married below the age of 16 and they were fine. They had kids by the age of 17 !” Debjyoti Das, a student of Mass Communication and Journalism adds, “I prefer sex after marriage because of my personal beliefs, but everybody doesn’t think alike. Times have changed and we live in a democratic country. The government can’t put a legalised age for sex, that’s rubbish! Every individual has the right to choose what he wants. The government would be better off focusing on other issues like poverty, corruption, terrorism, etc.” On that note, if one were to notice then the mindset of peo-

THE PARLIAMENT PASSED A BILL DEEMING SEX ILLEGAL FOR THOSE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 AND THE DELHI HIGH COURT COUNTERED THAT SAYING ‘TIMES HAVE CHANGED’ ple regarding premarital sex, have also changed a lot in the last decade. It is no longer something that attracts the awkward attention of society because the society itself, is now formed by the youth. If they don’t have a problem with it and are ready to accept people with their pasts, sexual and otherwise, then is the government right by intervening? Anjana Parvathy, a student of law, seems to disagree though, “I think the age of consent should be 18. Considering the rash lifestyle of youth in India today, I guess the government’s

taking the right decision. Agreed that maturity to a large extent comes from experience and not age…but at some point maturity comes with age and the limit must also be set where one can take their own decision weighing the pros and cons. “The ability to take a matured decision is what matters in such cases and hence, the bill is doing the right thing. The Delhi HC is wrong. At ages like 15-16, it’s easy to misguide someone, force your views and hence easy to take advantage. Such category of people need protection, even if it is through imposing an age restriction. Consent is a relative concept, anybody can be persuaded.” If this is the government’s way of tackling sex abuse then legalising the age of consent does not even address the problems of sexual abuse, in fact, it does nothing. It is nothing but an interference of the government into the private and personal lives of its people is what most people feel.

Bahrain (Must be married), Lebanon, Monaco

US, UK, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Malaysia

India, Uganda, Egypt, Pakistan, Denmark

CINEMA SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

T-TOWN TWEETIES @Actor_Siddharth

@geneliad

@HEROMANOJ1

@shrutihaasan

Bad team selection, toss decision, bad fielding. Tragic end to Delhi’s campaign. But forget it. CsK TOO GOOD! don’t mess with MSD!

Thank u soo much sk☺ “@shahidkapoor A huge shoutout to @mubinaratsey N @geneliad for the tamil release of URUMI.”

Sorry guys:( #UKUP audio launch postponed due to some technicalities:( wil update once confirmed:)

Finally at the famous bachelors trying out their Ice cream... Hmm major build up has happened let’s see...

@trishtrashers

@shraddhadas43

@actressanjjanaa

@tashu_02

Hahaha u guys r sooo funny..I love all u people who love me.Period !!! No more retweets..Im one big lovebug ;)

My eye injury I got from rey shoot in bangkok,hasn’t still become ok! Horrid eye pain n watering all day at shoot! One of my worst days! :-(

Shot a part of d climax 2day, heading to banglore 2row eve post shoot b performing for ambrish uncles function,excited

Hey guys... I was away planning a surprise party for my frnd... N am glad dat it was a success... Happy b’day @r.dominic

Ravi Teja saves the day The actor holds the plot together with his incredible energy and comic timing

HEMANTH KUMAR

hemanth.k@postnoon.com

here have been several instances in recent few months, where an actor's star power changed the fate of the film. Ravi Teja does something like that for Daruvu. He singlehandedly saves the film from being a complete mess. It's over the top and chaotic most of the times, but Ravi Teja's energy

Movie: Daruvu Cast: Ravi Teja, Taapsee, Jayasudha Director: Siva Rating: and some elegantly written scenes between Ravi Teja and Jayasudha save the day for Daruvu. However, chaos is in itself the USP of the film. After all, it has a tagline which reads, Sound of Mass. Ravi Teja stars as Bullet Raja, a happy go lucky guy who falls in love with Shweta (Taapsee). She's extremely scared of

everything around her, but soon realizes that she would be happy if she marries Raja and so, she reciprocates his feelings.Their affair angers Shweta's fiance who ends up killing Raja. When Raja reaches Yamalokam, he's shocked to know that he wasn't supposed to die and to make up for their mistake, Yama Dhar ma resurrects his soul. How Raja's life changes after that forms the rest of the story. The film's basic premise is inspired from some earlier blockbusters like Yamagola and Yamudiki Mogudu, but director Siva adds a political twist to this age old story to spice up the proceedings. Ravi Teja's antics are over the top at times, but then he entertains and how! Taapsee shares good chemistry with Ravi Teja and she does well in her brief role. Jayasudha adds panache with her performance in the film and Siva does a fine job with the subplot featuring Jayasudha and Ravi Teja. Daruvu could have been so much better given the fact that it had a reasonably good plot and handful of actors who could have made a big difference. In the end, despite some well-etched scenes, the film falls short of being a wholesome entertainer.

SVSC will be a milestone: Mahesh

ahesh Babu's dream run at the box office might not end anytime soon, if the actor's confidence on his upcoming films is anything to go by. After Dookudu and Businessman turned out to be blockbusters , he signed a multistarrer titled SeethammaVaakitlo Sirimalle Chettu along with Venkatesh, Prakash Raj, Anjali and Samantha. “Svsc 1st look will b out on 31st:) will be Nother milestone in mycareer..:) A big Thankyou to my director Srikanth addala, my producer dilraju ,and of course venkatesh garu....Thoroughly enjoying theexperience of working with a legend like him....(sic)” Mahesh Babu posted on Twitter.

Damarukam set to release in July N

agarjuna, Anushka starrer Damarukam is all set to release in July. The film has been in the making for almost a year and for the past four months the team had been working on the visual effects of the film. Srinivasa Reddy is directing the film and Venkat is producing it under R R Movie Makers banner. Damarukam is being touted as the highest budgeted film in Nagarjuna's career and it's also his first tryst with fantasy. “Except for one song, the rest of the film has been wrapped up. Currently, the film's post production activities are going on in Hyderabad. We are quite excited about the film's output,” Venkat said. Devi Sri Prasad has composed the music.

CINEMA SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

B-TOWN TWEETIES @SrBachchan

@deespeak

@singer_shaan

@AnupamPkher

T 755 - Research states that women speak 7,000 words per day. Men 2,000 !! Not saying any more on this — may change the count !!

Time to board my flight :) enjoy the playoffs and final #ipl5!!! I’ll be missing it all :( its looking like a KKR n CSK final...

Earlier today sang some lines of A Glorious Anthem written by Prasoon Joshi composed by @shantanumoitra.

If I ever get to play the role of Shylock from Merchant Of Venice on stage or on screen, I will model it on Mani Shankar Aiyar.:)

@Riteishd

@NeilNMukesh

@imarshadwarsi

@realpreityzinta

Mother of a PARTY @kjohar25 what a night- Danced Danced & Danced- my feet r still hurting. love ya KJO

There comes a time when u sit up take notice and realise. Enough said now let go and let the tide of life float u to ur destination.

Spent some inspirational quality time with Gulzar sahab at the Literary Festival n a crazy mad time with Mushtak Sheikh...

Can u believe it ? The girl who played the younger me in Sangharsh is Alia & now she is Karan Johar’s heroine in SOTY! Wow !

Stifling a yawn

From beginning to end Yeh Khula Aasmaan gives you a sense of deja vu. Haven’t we seen and heard that before?

Social messages go awry on TV

few years ago, television producers found a new recipe to make successful shows — social messages garnished with melodrama and entertainment. The delicacy brought in hit shows like Balika Vadhu and Pratigya, but the menu soon changed track after the initial episodes. Experts blame TRP pressure for this. Balika Vadhu , a take on child marriage, recently completed 1,000 episodes, but its protagonist Anandi’s fate is still undecided and the same is the case with Pratigya, in which the lead actress ends up marrying the man who used to harass her. “Producers make an effort to come with interesting story lines to break the monopoly of ‘saas-babu’ dramas. These generally do well in the beginning but are not able to keep the viewers interested for a long time," said Media analyst Kinjal Shah. She feels high voltage emotions are vital to keep the viewers hooked. The shows on TV also tried to touch upon the issues of female foeticide and sexual harassment in Naa Aana Iss Des Laado and Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, but after delivering some successful episodes, the IANS social themes fizzled out.

I will do a better ‘ooh la la’ than Vidya

tem girl Rakhi Sawant is all set to star in the Bengali remake of The Dirty Picture and she says she will be better than National Award winning actress Vidya Balan. The 33year-old will play a sex siren in the untitled film to be directed by Bengali actress-turned-politician Shatabdi Roy and she says her film will set more tongues wagging than the original. “The film is based on the life of an item girl and it is only befitting that I take on the role as I am the original item girl of Bollywood. I admire Vidya a lot. I think she is a great actress and she did a great job in the film. But now it is my turn and I will do a better ooh lala than her. After this film I am hoping that everyone will chant only my PTI name," Rakhi said.

ell, it’s highly impossible to come up with a fresh idea each time you decide to put pen on paper but the least one can do is to treat the idea differently if not in the same manner. Yeh Khula Aasmaan marks Gitanjali Sinha’s debut as director and what she intended to show with the film gets lost in the melodramatic, torturous pace termed as storytelling. The story lays emphasis on the life of teenager Avinash (Raj Tandon) who has failed to clear the IIT entrance exam due to which he submerges himself in self-pity and loathing. He tries to share his burden with his parents (Manjusha Godse and Yashpal Sharma) but they, too, are disappointed with his performance. Alone and confused, he seeks refuge in his grandfather aka Dadu (Raghubir Yadav). As

Movie: Yeh Khula Aasmaan Cast: Raghubir Yadav, Yashpal Sharma, Manjusha Godse, Raj Tandon Directed by: Gitanjali Sinha Rating:

Avinash spends more time with Dadu, he slowly learns of his grandfather’s life as a young man. A cue for the grandfather to subtly bestow life’s most precious lessons to a very lost Avinash. Trite and cliched, this is what Yeh Khula Aasmaan is all about. Gitanjali Sinha needs to tighten her storytelling skills, believe in her characters and try to learn how to bring out the best in them. Even though the film is more of a tried and tested formula, the heavy dialogues and the constant emotional melodrama is what makes the movie ever so filmy, dissolving its main purpose. Even though Raj Tandon is the protagonist, it is Raghubir Yadav’s role as Dadu is what makes you sit through the entirety of this film. His affection, his dialogue delivery and his character are all very seamless and convincing. That is the movie’s saving grace.

CINEMA SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

D I S P L A YA

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CINEMA SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Hopkins may join Red 2

ir Anthony Hopkins is in talks to go bad again as the villain in an all-star sequel to hit action movie Red. The 2010 release featured Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Dame Helen Mirren as former special operations agents forced to come out of retirement for one last job. Studio executives at Summit Entertainment are preparing to begin production on a follow-up to the film and they’re hoping to add The Silence of the Lambs star to the line-up. If he accepts, Hopkins will play a villainous scientist locked up in a mental asylum. However, Hopkins will only be able to sign on for the role if the shooting schedule doesn’t clash with his commitments to the Thor franchise —the Marvel comics sequel, in which he plays the ancient superhero’s father, is due for release in November, 2013.

Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Thomas

TO ELOPE IN EUROPE?

hile other couples are partying on yachts, Alec Baldwin and fiancée Hilaria Thomas might be making wedding plans.The 30 Rock actor has made plans to stay in Europe after shooting his Cannes documentary, and possibly tie the knot with Thomas once the film festival is over. A source close to Baldwin tells us, “They are keeping their plans private, but I’m sure they will enjoy spending time together out of the spotlight.” The actor popped the question to the 27-year-old yoga instructor in April.

Batman’s Robin is now a girl B

atman’s sidekick Robin is set for a sex change in two new animated movies — the crimefighting character will be voiced by a girl. Modern Family star Ariel Winter will join Robocop star Peter Weller, Wade Williams and Michael McKean, who is currently recovering from a car accident in a New York hospital, in the studio for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

The Warners Bros. and DC Comics collaboration, an adaptation of Frank Miller’s popular 1986 graphic novel series, will be released as two movies on DVD later this year. Weller will take on the lead role of Batman/Bruce Wayne, while Winter will play Carrie Kelly, the brand new Robin. McKean will voice Dr. Wolper and Prison Break’s Williams will double up as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

CINEMA SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Liz Taylor biopic finds its Richard Burton

Third Time Lucky

A vast improvement from the last, latest in the Men in Black series is utterly funny and immensely watchable

hen the (Jemaine Clement) Movie: muchfrom executing his Men in Black III awaited plan to destroy the sequel Earth. Not to mention Cast: Men in Black II Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, prevent Boris from came out, it made erasing K from the Jermaine Clement, Josh everyone wonder present time-line Brolin why they ever waitwhose survival is vital Directed by: ed for it. It was, to for man. Barry Sonnenfield put it mildly, a Men in Black III is migraine-inducing not as much fun or as Rating: horror of a project carefree as the origiwith mediocre pernal but is a vast formances, nonimprovement over its existent storyline and a genuinely predecessor. To overcompensate for awful sequel. Back then, no one the simplicity of the second edition cared or wanted to continue the perhaps, this one is befuddling in its franchise. complexity most apparent in the Ten years later, the Men in Black breaking and bending of time-travel are back. As usual, the future of rules. But that aside, it is genuinely humankind is at stake. More imporfunny, replete with comedic confutantly so Agent K’s (Tommy Lee sion and rip-roaringly hilarious Jones) life is on the line. The only gags. But the highlight of the movie way to set things right is to have however, is Josh Brolin whose Agent J travel back in time to the impersonation of Jones’ gravely '60s and team up with young Josh iconic style is impeccable and spot Brolin who plays the young Agent K, on. If you are looking for a decent to prevent Boris the Animal entertainer, MIB III might just be it.

Jon Favreau to act in Iron Man 3

J L

indsay Lohan has found her Richard Burton. Following a long search, New Zealand actor Grant Bowler (True Blood, Ugly Betty) has nabbed the role of the screen legend in Lifetime’s Liz & Dick, an upcoming TV biopic that centers on the tumultuous romantic relationship between Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, played by Lohan. And they found him just in time —the film is slated to begin shooting in a mere 10 days. Bowler, who originally auditioned on tape, won the part following a successful chemistry read with Lohan at the network earlier. Taylor and Burton were married twice — once from 1964-74, and again from 1975-76. A seven-time Academy Award nominee (but never winner), he passed away in 1984 at the age of 58. Taylor, of course, died of congestive heart failure last year at the age of 79.

on Favreau will return for Iron Man 3 - just not in the way fans of his directorial work on the first two installments might have hoped. Favreau is now on board to reprise his role as Tony Stark’s bodyguard/sidekick Happy Hogan in the upcoming Marvel sequel. He first appeared as the character in a cameo appearance in the first Iron Man, but enjoyed a more substantial role in the second film. There’s no word yet on how significant a part Hogan will play in Iron Man 3, however. Iron Man 3 is slated to begin production next Wednesday in North Carolina. The film will see the return of cast members Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle, in addition to several newcomers.

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, MAY 26, 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.

You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred. – Woody Allen

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 China-shop menace 5 Treetop rocker 11 Door-busting tool 14 Length times width 15 Bested at the track 16 Timeline portion 17 Study 19 Inexpensive roofing material 20 Get ___ of (throw out) 21 Ultimate nonbeliever 23 Be a cast member of 26 Ticket-window transaction 27 Winter jacket feature 28 Gandhi's title 30 Beach building 31 It may come before the carte? 32 Environmental science 35 Classic sports film 40 Primitive shelters 41 Joey in Milne stories 43 Kind of equality or discrimination 46 Showing irritation 49 Lowest deck of a ship 50 Victoria's Secret staple 52 Chihuahua tender 53 Without punishment 55 Yosemite Sam's ‘Scram!’ 56 Frat ‘T’ 57 Dash to safety 62 Wrap-up 63 Big name in flatware 64 Like a long, slithery fish 65 Fish with large pectoral fins 66 Romantic tales (var) 67 ‘Drop this,’ editorially DOWN 1 Frequent reaction from Scrooge 2 Where William Tell did dwell 3 Net-tipping serve

4 Highest worship in Catholicism 5 Kind of softball team 6 Obstacle, to Hamlet 7 Send a note of apology 8 Right, in law 9 100,000 in India 10 Fodder preservation 11 Eye's image receiver 12 Ascended 13 Chanted word 18 Aid for the puzzled 22 Its flag is solid green 23 Where a doc pays dues 24 A little lower? 25 Bangkok citizen 26 Strips for breakfast 29 Award variety 30 Napolean's birthplace, to the French 33 Frequently, to Shakespeare

34 Drug used to treat 54 Alphabetic Parkinson's symbol of yore 36 Author TS 55 Mardi ___ 37 Kids' jumping game 58 Pindaric effort 38 3-D medical 59 Neckline shape pictures 60 Building wing 39 Just tolerable 61 Bread type 42 Cries of surprise 43 List of players PREVIOUS PUZZLE ANSWER 44 Deep mysteries 45 Weather forecast, sometimes 47 Heroic narrative 48 Killed, as a bill 50 ‘Seinfeld’ character Elaine 51 Install to new specifications

CHAI TIME SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Aries

Taurus

Gemini

Cancer

Leo

Eight of Swords

Ace of Swords

Two of Pentacles

Seven of Wands

Four of Cups

ork – Investigate further into a problem if you’re not convinced of the answers your colleagues give you. Make sure for yourself that all is well. Romance – Some confrontation is required with your partner to address an issue that has been bothering you both for a while. Talk it out. Health – Fruit juices, fresh fruits and a light diet to detox your body is a good idea. Some light exercises also will take the fatigue away. Money – Big ticket purchases like a car or house are in the offing. These are to be made carefully, after accounting for all expenses and making sure you can afford them. Tarot message – Be proactive in your interactions and put your best foot forward.

ork – A colleague may confess about something and it may put both of you in a spot. Deal with it in your own inimitable way. Romance – Work-life balance needs attention. Are you unable to stop working and take a break? Don’t overdo your commitment to work. Health – Sore throat, bad stomach may upset you. Be careful of the quality of drinking water. Make sure to consume only freshly cooked foods. Money – Finances are in good shape. They’re steady and your investments are in good shape. Be careful not to overdo the hoarding. Live well. Tarot message – Balance is important. These are testing times and your intelligence will be under the scanner.

ork – Those in branding and media jobs will do well. You come up with innovative ways to attract your target audience. Romance – It’s never a good idea to keep secrets from your partner. Honesty, really, is the best policy when it comes to togetherness. Health – A nagging pain or ache should not be ignored. Consult a physician immediately and do not selfmedicate. Money – Your monthly budget will need some tweaking. You need to address expenditure issues in view of your saving goals. Tarot message – There are ways to reduce confusion and increase transparency in all your transactions. Be aware of what you’re headed toward and you will know what to give up.

ork – A job offer is possible. Even if you aren’t looking for a job, consider the offer and meet people as a way to collect good experiences. Romance – If a relationship is not working out, don’t push it. It will die a natural death if it has to. There are many fish in the sea. Health – Get a second opinion to treat a complex medical issue if you aren’t satisfied with what one doctor says. Consider natural healing methods, too. Money – A freelance gig or extra work for additional income is a good idea. Don’t, however, let it burden you so much that you don’t have time to enjoy that money. Tarot message – Consider all your options before deciding.

ork – You will encounter avenues to promote yourself as the frontrunner for an important project. Nothing wrong in showcasing your talent. Romance – Celebrate important days like anniversaries and birthdays. These are important to keep the passion alive. Health – Be kind to your body and do not push it more than it can handle with excessive eating or drinking. Money – Expenses increase and you may have to cut down on your regular entertainment needs. Be creative and look for alternates. Tarot message – It’s an uphill task with this time testing your limits and making you do things you’re not used to. But you will come out on top without a doubt.

SUMAA TEKUR tarotreadhyd@gmail.com

Libra

Scorpio

Justice

The High Priestess

ork – Intuition plays an important role in getting you what you need at this point. Don’t take coworkers head-on about a technical issue. Romance – Passions run high but are you and your partner on the same page? Candlelight dinners, romantic movies and latenight conversations work wonders. Health – You feel great about where you are right now and this reflects on your physical health as well. Keep the positive vibes coming. Money – Though you have a philosophical view towards money, it takes up your time and attention. Much planning is needed from your side. Tarot message – Go with your gut feel about what is right and what you need to do.

ork – Keep your anger in check and do not react, no matter how much you’re itching to make your stand clear. Speak only when spoken to and stay calm. Romance – You and your partner may need a break from each other. Do things that you enjoy and come back refreshed and renewed. Health – Make sure your body can withstand what you put it through. If you plan to run a marathon, for example, ensure you have the stamina to undergo the rigorous training. Money – Identify the loopholes in your budgeting and work quickly to plug them. Time is running out and you have loans to clear. Tarot message – Work quickly and intelligently. Think clearly of your requirement.

Sagittarius Four of Wands

ork –Stability is important to you at this time. If you’re thinking of a job change, this may not be the best time to do it. Do your homework. Romance – You take comfort in the familiar routine. Singles will not be in the mood to go out looking to date. Health – Pay attention to mental health and take up meditation to clear your mind. You need to think clearly to be able to make the right decisions. Money – Finances are in good shape. You’re in a comfortable position to work through your loans and still save some money. Tarot message – Do what makes you happy at this moment. No point thinking about what others expect of you.

Capricorn

King of Wands

ork – If it was a case of ‘who’ll blink first’ for a long time with a colleague, be assured that it is about to end. Either you or your coworker will move jobs. Romance – God is in the details but also don’t lose sight of the big picture while making crucial decisions. Health – Take care of your mental health. Meditation and yoga help to a large extent. You may also want to consider laughter therapy. Money – If you can avoid it, additional expenditure is best deferred to a time when you’re absolutely certain you can afford it. Tarot message – Weigh the pros and cons carefully before jumping into an unfamiliar situation. Be sure of what you’re getting into.

Date 27-5-2012

Aquarius

Ten of Cups

The Chariot

ork – Travel related to work is on the cards. This will be an important journey where you learn new things and experiment with new ideas. Romance – Distance makes the heart grow fonder. Singles enjoy their space and independence. Health – All is well and there is nothing to worry about on the health front. Continue to eat right and pay attention to your weight. Money – Your savings come to good use now. You may be considering investing in a house. Do a background check thoroughly before going ahead. Tarot message – Travel to distant lands opens up the mind to new possibilities. Let your mind wander for a bit.

ork – Team work is excellent. You gel well with team members and all goes well through the week. Your ideas gain more power. Romance – Family life is in focus. Women may be thinking of expanding the family. This is the right time to do so. Health – Do not lag behind on your exercise routine, no matter how difficult it may be to make time. Get back into the routine as quickly as possible. Money – Money is stable. There is nothing to worry about as long as the unnecessary expenses are cut down. Don’t overspend on shopping. Tarot message – Togetherness, community and bonding are in focus. You make the most of being in good company.

Virgo

Pisces The High Priest

ork – You have the solutions to a problem. You just need the confidence to go ahead with what you think is right. Romance – If you are confused about making a commitment, it’s best to wait for some more time. Don’t rush into anything unless you’re absolutely sure. Health – Be careful with your diet. Make sure you’re following the doctor’s orders and are sticking to the prescription. Don’t get adventurous with food. Money – You have the opportunity to make more money. You need to decide if you are willing to sacrifice those extra few hours per week. Tarot message – You have the key. Decide what you want to do with it. Open the door of opportunity or wait for some more time.

Vol: 1, No 314 RNI No: APENG/2011/39337 Published for the proprietors, Scribble Media and Entertainment Pvt Ltd, by V Harshavardhan Reddy, at #1246, Level 3, Jubilee Casa, Road No 62, Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad – 500033 and printed by him at Jagati Publications Ltd, Plot No D-75&E-52, APIE Industrial Estate, Balanagar, Ranga Reddy Dist, Hyderabad – 500037, Editor: Dean Williams – Responsible for selection of news under the PRB Act All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission of the publisher is prohibited. For feedback, please write to: feedback@postnoon.com and for subscription, please call 040-4067 2222, Fax: 040-4067 2211

THE SATURDAY QUIZ SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

FAMOUS SPOUSES

found in which continent? 9. Veracruz and Acapulco are popular vacation destinations where? 10. Which country does not have a good capacity for generating hydroelectric energy? 11. Where are Iran and the P5+1 countries meeting this

week to discuss a halt in its nuclear programme? 12. Which country has threatened to sue Google for not labelling a body of water on its southwestern border due to a naming dispute? 14. On May 20, a town in the county of Kent, celebrated what anniversary?

IDENTIFY THESE ANIMALS

IDENTIFY THE BETTER HALVES

He has been rated the fourth highest chess player in the world. His mother taught him to play chess. He lives in Spain with his wife Aruna and also has a son. This genius is sometimes also called the Tiger of Madras. Who is Aruna's husband?

Answers

5. Which religions have great influence on Brunei's culture? 6. Which continent includes the Balkan Peninsula, which juts into the Mediterranean Sea? 7. The majority of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proven oil reserves are found near the Persian Gulf in which continent? 8. Casablanca and Tripoli are

1. Five 2. Making the Ok sign 3. Marion Cotillard 4. Sheep 5. Hinduism and Islam 6. Europe 7. Asia 8. Africa 9. North America 10. United Kingdom 11. Baghdad 12. Iran 13. The 250th anniversary of the sandwich

PLACE THEM IDENTIFY THESE VENUES

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Where is the Yale Bowl situated? The LA Coliseum is also the only stadium to ever host two Olympic Games. Where is it situated?

Philanthrophy runs his veins. This American business magnate is married to Melinda and ranks among the world's wealthiest people. He has got three children. He is also known as an avid reader, and the ceiling of his large home library is engraved with a quotation from The Great Gatsby. Who is he?

Where is the Astrodome, the first dome in sporting history situated? Where is the Kentucky Derby held?

Where is the Roland Garros situated?

He owns an IPL cricket team and even has a stadium named after him. Among his numerous ventures is also a Hindi news channel. He is married to Swapna Roy. Who is he?

One of the most historic courses in the world, where is the Pebble Beach?

The Colleseum was where Gladiator shows were once held. Where is it located?

Gates 3. Subrata Roy

Answers: 1. Vishwanathan Anand 2. Bill

Where is the Madison Square Garden located?

In which Union Territory of India would you come across the 'Interview Island', 'Landfall Island' and 'Barren Island' ? Cricket 2. Iguana 3.Koala 4. Squirrel

Who was the first Portuguese viceroy in India?

Answer: 1.

2 3 4

Which state is known as India's Spice Garden?

Name the largest freshwater lake in India

with Santosh Ghule Who is matching up to the trees?

Answer for

PICTURE PUZZLE 16

15: Hidden within the picture is the face of a philosopher

The flag of Indian Independence was designed by three people, they were responsible for the creation of the first version of Indian flag. Who are they?

WHO AM I? I was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. I came to prominence for my pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where I tended to wounded soldiers. I was also called "The Lady with the Lamp" after my habit of making rounds at night. Who am I ?

Answer: Florence Nightingale

Answer:

KNOW YOUR COUNTRY

1. New Haven, Connecticut 2. Los Angeles 3. Houston, Texas 4.Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky 5.Paris, France 6.California 7.Rome 8.New York City Borough of Manhattan

1. How many gold medals has the Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe won? 2. What gesture is considered vulgar in Brazil? 3. Who is the first French actress to get an Oscar for the Best actress? 4. Which is the national animal of Greece?

1. Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2. Alberquque 3. Kerala 4. Madam Cama, Savarkar and Shyamji Krishna Varma 5. Wular Lake.

Answers

60 DAYS TO GO

SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Russia spikes Serbian punch with win TOKYO: Two-time world champions Russia moved to within a step of the London Olympics when they defeated Serbia for a fifth straight win in the women’s volleyball qualifying tournament on Friday. The Russian women, who would have qualified by winning in three sets, lost a set for the first time in the competition before winning 25-18, 25-11, 14-25, 25-22 with Evgenia Estes top scoring with 18 points “We had a problem with

receiving in the third set, but we were able to solve the problem and get the win,” said Russia’s coach Sergey Ovchinnikov. Russia now have 15 points from five wins, ahead of Japan on 11 points, and Serbia, Thailand and South Korea on nine points. The top three teams in the eight-team round robin and the best placed Asian team among the rest will qualify for the Olympics. Italy, the United States and China have already qualified

after taking medals at the World Cup last year with continental champions Algeria, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, Brazil as well as hosts Britain joining them. Thailand outgunned Peru 2519, 25-19, 25-20, while South Korea whipped Taiwan 25-8, 2512, 25-18. In the dramatic last match of the day, Japan edged past Cuba 25-23, 18-25, 25-16, 23-25, 17-15, moving to within one more win to claim a ticket to the Olympics.

Slow Bolt wins 100m

Luke Phillips

OSTRAVA, CZECH REPUBLIC: A flat-looking Usain Bolt raced his worst 100m in three years here on Friday, still managing to claim victory after he recovered sufficiently from a dreadful start and a limp drive phase. The Jamaican double Olympic sprint champion clocked 10.04 seconds, some

distance off the 9.7sec time he was seeking to build on his season-opening 9.82sec earlier this month. A false start played its part, throwing a distinctly average field into automatic play-safe mode. Into a -0.8m/s headwind, Bolt grimaced his way from the 50m mark and did enough to beat home veteran Kim Collins of St Kitts and St Nevis (10.19sec) with

American Darivs Patton third (10.22). “I haven’t run that badly since a meet in Canada in 2009,” said a noticeably downbeat Bolt, also the world record holder in both the 100 and 200m (9.58 and 19.19sec). “That’s reality, a very bad day at the starting blocks. When I was in the back warming up, I did some starts and I was flying. “But I ran out and didn’t get going, couldn’t generate speed in middle of race so I had to work hard to get some speed up.” Elsewhere on the track, defending Olympic champion Pamela Jelimo of Kenya fired a broadside at South African pretender Caster Semenya with a convincing victory in the women’s 800m. Jelimo, also the newly-crowned world indoor champion but who missed almost three years of competition after her Beijing Games triumph through injury, dominated the race to win in 1min 58.49sec, with Semenya in second in 2:00.80. “Of course everybody wants to do their best

because it is so close to the Olympics,” said Jelimo, whose kick at the bell opened up too much air between her and the chasing pack. “I do not run against anybody, including Caster. I just focus on myself. I want to try and do even better next week.” Semenya, with doubts over her real gender long buried in her past, left her push for the line too late. The South African, who shot to fame when she won the world title in Berlin in 2009 but was then sidelined for 11 months during a probe into her true gender, settled in at the back of the pack and only kicked with 150m to go. By that stage, Jelimo had kicked and there was too much for Semenya, now coached by Mozambique running legend Maria Mutola, to make up. “I’m quite happy with my preparations for the Olympics. I now just need to build up more speed for competition,” Semenya was heard saying.

Resilient Magnini swims to the top DEBRECEN, HUNGARY: Filippo Magnini stole the headlines at the European championships on Friday, the Italian 100m freestyle world champion in 2005 and 2007 claiming his first title in five years. The unexpected 30-year-old winner claimed victory in a time of 48.77sec with France’s Olympic champion Alain

Bernard relegated to second at 48.95s. Magnini had only posted the fifth quickest time in the heats and the second in the semi-finals on Thursday, but made a giant leap forward to outpoint Bernard. His career has been in freefall since the Beijing Olympics in 2008 when he was

knocked out in the semi-finals. At the 2010 European championships he came in third and at the 2011 world championships he was knocked out in the semifinals. And up to this return to form only a place on the Italian 4x100m freestyle relay appeared acessible for Magnini at the London Olympics.

Cool Kenton keeps his Everest word KATHMANDU: British climber Kenton Cool reached the summit of Everest on Friday, his website announced, fulfilling an 88-yearold promise to carry an Olympic gold medal to the top of the world’s highest peak. Cool, 38, reached the summit for a 10th time early in the morning, breaking his own British record for the most successful ascents of the 8,848-metre (29,029-foot) mountain. He was carrying one of 21 golds awarded to members of a British Everest expedition at the 1924 Winter Olympics, in an era when mountaineering was included as an Olympic sport. The 1922 expedition had come within 500 metres of the summit, but failed in three attempts to reach the top. Lt. Col Edward Strutt, a member of the team, had pledged that at the very next opportunity one of the gold medals would be taken to the top of the world — a promise that until now had remained unfulfilled. The medal Cool carried was awarded to expedition member Arthur Wakefield and was entrusted to Cool’s team by Wakefield’s grandson Charles. “To have reached the summit of Everest 10 times is something I am immensely proud of,” Cool said in a message via his website. “Honouring the British team of 1922, particularly Arthur Wakefield, and fulfilling The Olympic Games Pledge is something I have wanted to do for a long time and to do this in the year that the Olympic Games comes to London makes it even more special.” Another famous member of the 1922 expedition was the British climber George Mallory, who was to die on the mountain during another unsuccessful ascent two years later. British comedian, actor and president of the Royal Geographical Society, Michael Palin, said he was “delighted” that Strutt’s promise had finally been honoured.

SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

ALL

BEAUTY

YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

Best EURO performance: winners 1992 Coach: Morten Olsen Leading scorer: all-time – Poul Nielsen, Jon Tomasson (52); current – Dennis Rommedahl (21)

THE DENMARK

THE BEST

D ENMARK ’ S

Most appearances: all-time – Peter Schmeichel (129); current – Dennis Rommedahl (113) Association formed: 1889 Nickname: None

Dane to dream Famously champions in 1992, Morten Olsen’s Denmark fought their way past Portugal to qualify automatically but now face a tough finals task in Group B, which includes the Portuguese again

POSTNOON PREDICTION

COPENHAGEN: Denmark are hoping to emulate their compatriots’ shock win in the 1992 European Championships, despite having already had their chances of winning in Poland and Ukraine written off. Having been drawn in Group B along with fellow previous winners Germany, The Netherlands and European powerhouses Portugal, it is no wonder that few see them progressing beyond the group stages. However, the Danes will be no pushovers and are there by merit, having claimed the scalp of Portugal in the qualifiers, when they showed great nerve to see them off in their final match in Copenhagen. Coach Morten Olsen is the longestserving handler at the finals, having taken over in 2000 and who is poised to take the national side to its fourth major finals on his watch. The 62-year-old Danish football great, who captained the exciting side that impressed at the 1986 World Cup finals, had hinted that he would step down after the qualifiers but instead signed a new contract taking him up to 2014. But the man who guided Denmark to the second round of the 2002 World Cup and the last eight of the Euro 2004 championships said that even though he had extended his time as coach, that did not mean the side was stagnating. The chances of Denmark getting out of this group are slim. But they will hope that serial chokers Portugal and Netherlands have an off day, which might allow them to slip through the net.

Olsen, part of the Denmark side that reached the 1984 European Championship semi-finals, said his squad faced a tough task and they could not afford to lose any personnel, given their limited resources. Like the Denmark side that won the 1992 edition, after a late call-up to replace Yugoslavia that had fractured into a brutal civil war, there are few standout stars in ‘Olsen’s gang’. Goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen plus defenders Simon Kjaer and Daniel Agger provide solidity at the back while up front Olsen will look to Nicklas Bendtner to finally come good on the international stage. But for inspiration, they will rely on one of the most hotly pursued talents in European football. Ajax’s Christian Eriksen (see Player to Watch). If Denmark are to cause a surprise then a lot rests on the shoulders of the 20-year-old playmaker.

FIXTURES

Saturday 9 June: Ned v Denmark, 18.00CET, Kharkiv Wednesday 13 June: Denmark v Portugal, 18.00CET, Lviv Sunday 17 June: Denmark v Germany, 20.45CET, Lviv

DENMARK GROUP B At a glance When Morten Olsen leads Denmark to Poland and Ukraine, they will be returning to a competition which has served them famously well down the years. Having failed to qualify in 2008, the 2012 showcase will be the 1992 champions’ eighth UEFA European Championship final tournament since their 1964 debut in Spain, and they have also graced four FIFA World Cups, bowing out after the group stage in South Africa.

E URO

30 STATS

MATCHES PLAYED Overall: P129 W56 D29 L44 F203 A168 Final tournament: P25 W7 D6 L12 F27 A38 Qualifying: P104 W49 D23 L32 F176 A130

PLAYER TO WATCH

Eriksen: Following Laudrup COPENHAGEN: Christian Eriksen is regarded as one of the brightest young stars in football and he will hope that he can justify the tag of being Denmark’s successor to Michael Laudrup at Euro 2012. At just 20 years of age, the playmaker will be appearing at his second major championships, after being part of the side that bowed out in the group stage of the 2010 World Cup. A lot will revolve around the Ajax star, as the Danes look to progress beyond the socalled ‘Group of Death’. Eriksen, who already has two Dutch league title winners medals, will be a marked man when Denmark step out to meet Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal, who the Danes edged in their qualifying group.

Unlike Michael Laudrup and his brother Brian, Eriksen — scorer of two goals in 21 international appearances — does not have other top class creative players around him in a side that relies on hard work and team spirit to beat classier opponents. But the youngster has shown in qualifying and in a friendly against England that he is an exceptional talent, with a maturity also reflected in his decision to choose Ajax as his first step on the professional ladder. While European giants such as Chelsea and AC Milan came knocking on his door in 2008 when he was just 16 and playing for Odense, Eriksen refused to be swept off his feet and opted for a side that has a tradition in allowing young talent to flourish. This championship in Poland and Ukraine will test whether Eriksen has it in him to go on and become one of Europe’s finest talents.

SPORTS SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Julian Guyer

Two Sams too many first after winning the toss. The pair, who came together at 136 for six, have so far added an unbroken 168 for the seventh wicket. This was only Samuels’s third Test hundred and first since he completed a two-year ban from 2008 to 2010 for talking to an Indian bookmaker prior to a one-day international in Nagpur in 2007. He walked out with the West Indies in a desperate position and they were still in trouble at 136 for six when he was joined by Sammy. But, against an older ball and on a true pitch, the pair rebuilt the innings with sound and stylish shotmaking. And when England took the new ball as soon as they could, with West Indies 260 for six off 80 overs, the duo saw out the

NOTTINGHAM: Marlon Samuels’s unbeaten hundred and a Test-best score from West Indies captain Darren Sammy rescued the tourists from a dire position on the first day of the second Test against England at Trent Bridge here on Friday. West Indies, who had collapsed to 63 for four when Samuels came in, were 304 for six at stumps. Samuels was 107 not out and Sammy, whose place in the team has been called into question by West Indies great Michael Holding, was 88 not out at stumps, having surpassed his previous Test best of 61 against Australia at Roseau last month and justified his decision to bat

Fifa to compensate clubs for injuries

We wanted to get through that tough period and take it to the England bowlers, Samuels day’s final 10 overs. Earlier, Samuels would have been dismissed for one after being given out lbw to Tim Bresnan but he successfully reviewed umpire Asad Rauf ’s decision. And by the close he had his Test-best score, surpassing the 105 he made against South Africa in Durban in January 2008. “We wanted to get through that tough period and take it to the England bowlers,” said

Dan’s the man as China overcome Japan Emilie Bickerton

BUDAPEST: Football’s world

WUHAN, CHINA: Lin Dan dug deep to beat the

governing body FIFA decided at their 62nd Congress here on Friday to compensate clubs whose players are injured while on international duty. FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke confirmed that the so-called “player protection programme” will cover all senior international matches played between September this year and October 2013, as well as the football tournament at this summer’s London Olympics. The amount of compensation will depend on the salary earned by the player in question, although the maxiumum salary taken into account will be $8.75 million, excluding bonuses. FIFA’s total budget for the scheme will be $75 million. “European players will also be insured from May 15 to August 31 to cover the risk posed by the European Championship, but UEFA will assume the whole cost,” added Valcke. “It is a big step in the right direction because certain clubs or federations experienced problems during the last World Cup,” said FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Japan’s Sho Sasaki in the Thomas Cup semi-final in China on Friday, taking the hosts a step closer to winning the key pre-Olympics tournament. Lin trailed for much of the first game, firing a trademark slam-dunk smash wide on game-point and moving the Wuhan crowd into making a Mexican wave to raise their favourite player’s spirits. Visibly motivating himself on court, “Super” Dan managed to fire himself up and take the match 23-21, 21-17 over the world sixth-ranked Sasaki, to the acclaim of the vociferous home support. “Today my opponent was very good. But my performance was very good too,” said Lin, acknowledged as the greatest player of all time and the reigning Olympic champion. Sasaki, who is on the up in the rankings, said, “We are very close to the Olympics so I wanted to win this match before the Games.” China went on to win the tie 3-0. Waiting for them in the final are a dangerous South Korean side, who put on a thrilling show to beat Denmark, for whom it was a last outing at the Thomas Cup for veteran frontman Peter Gade. The Danish treated his many fans to a tough tussle against Lee Hyun-Il, but the South Korean won 17-21, 21-14, 21-10 to give the Asian team the momentum in the tie. “At the start I made many mistakes,” said Lee, “but in the middle I played my own game and got my rhythm.” A despondent 35-year-old Gade, who will retire after the London Olympics, knew he had missed an opportunity to notch one more win at the team event. “I felt I had a chance today but I wasn’t able to turn it around to play on my terms. I should have been more aggressive. It’s always about balance against Lee. Don’t be too aggressive.” Raising the Danish spirits — and to the

delight of the spectators — Mathias Boe threw his racket into the crowd after winning his first doubles with partner Carsten Mogensen and levelling the tie 1-1. But South Korea were the stronger force and tightened their grip on the semi-final when Shon Wan-Ho, hot off his stunning India Open final win over Lee Chong Wei, beat Jan O Jorgensen 21-13, 14-21, 21-16.

Samuels, who had been playing in the IPL prior to this series. “It’s a wonderful feeling.” Reflecting on his ban, he said, “Maturity comes over the years. I’ve been through a lot and I just put everything behind me.” And while Sammy may have been on the receiving end from several Windies greats, Samuels said he’d been boosted by Holding and Vivian Richards. “I always get encouragement from Mr Michael Holding and this morning Sir Viv said I could make a double (hundred) here.” Richards would know — he made 232 in the Trent Bridge Test of 1976. James Anderson, who led England’s attack with two for 58 off 24 overs, said it had been hard going for the bowlers on a good pitch.

Bogey-free Dufner sniffs victory FORT WORTH, TEXAS: Jason Dufner, chasing his third title of the season, fired a bogey-free 64 on Friday to seize a two-shot lead in the USPGA Tour’s $6.4 million Colonial. Dufner’s six-under par effort gave him a 36-hole total of 11under 129. He was two strokes ahead of overnight leader Zach Johnson, who followed up his opening 64 with a 67 for 131. Americans Bo Van Pelt and Tommy Gainey were equal third on seven-under 133. Van Pelt also posted a 64 while Gainey carded a 67. Dufner, fresh off a victory in the Byron Nelson Classic in nearby Irving last week, will be trying to join legendary Ben Hogan as the only players to win both USPGA Tour events in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the same year. In 1946, Hogan won the Colonial and the Dallas Invitational, which later became the Byron Nelson Classic. Dufner would be the first player to win the tour’s two North Texas tournaments in consecutive weeks. He said he would “hopefully continue to play some good golf and maybe make a little bit of history.” Dufner broke through for his first US tour title in his 163rd start on April 29 with a playoff victory at the Zurich Classic in New Orleans.

SPORTS SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

Rory crashes out at Wentworth over par and a two-round total of 153, nine-over par he was eight shots off the projected cut mark of one over. This is the second time he has failed to make the weekend recently after flopping at the Players’ Championship at Sawgrass a fortnight ago.

French brace for queens of grass Allan Kelly

PARIS: Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova (above), two players better known for their hardcourt and grasscourt abilities, are the form players going into the climax of the claycourt season at the French Open. Between them they won the four main leadup events on the surface at Charleston and Madrid for the American and at Stuttgart and Rome for the Russian. The question is whether one of them can

sustain their form through seven matches in the often unpredictable conditions that are a mark at the famed Roland Garros complex on the western edge of Paris.

FRENCH OPEN MAY 28 - JUNE 10 Defending champion Li, who last year made history in Paris by becoming the first Asian player to win a Grand Slam singles title, showed in her run to the Rome final, where she stretched

Barça thrash Bilbao Dermot Ledwith

MADRID: Barcelona gave coach Pep Guardiola the perfect send off, beating Athletic Bilbao 3-0 on Friday to win the Spanish Cup on the coach’s last match in charge after a memorable four seasons in the Catalan hot seat, Lionel Messi, with his 73rd of the season, and a Pedro Rodriguez double got the goals inside the first half an hour to finish off the Basque side and deliver Guardiola his 14th and final trophy at the club. Guardiola leaves the side he played for with three Spanish leagues, two Champions Leagues, two FIFA World Club Cups, two UEFA Supercups, three Spanish Supercups and two Spanish Cup victories as coach. The win was a repeat of Pep Guardiola’s first title in the 2008-09 final when the Catalans ran out 4-1 victors over Bilbao. In contrast to Barca’s trophy laden recent history it is 28 years since Athletic Bilbao last won a title.

Sharapova to a third set tie-breaker, that she is running into form at just the right time and could challenge again. Victoria Azarenka Azarenka, however, seems to have stalled after a tremendous start to the year. The east European challenge could also come from Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, while US Open champion Samantha Stosur and 2010 French Open winner Francesca Schiavone both have the games to go deep at Roland Garros.

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The confidence ebbed away from McIlroy as he shipped shots consistently through the second round less than three weeks away from his defence of the US Open. But McIlroy has vowed to get straight on the range to get his game straight.

PERU CHILE BRAZIL COLOMBIA

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Rory McIlroy crashed out of the PGA Championship here at Wentworth on Friday and could lose his status as world number one by the end of the tournament. When McIlroy finally holed out for a 79, seven-

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WENTWORTH, UK: