A BYTE OF LIFE Thursday, July 30, 2009

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FREE CIRCULATION Vol. 3 No. 143

THE CHENNAI K9
The Chennai City Police Kennel in Egmore is the first
training centre for dogs in the country. V. Haripriya
visits the place to see the working of the canine cops
» PAGES 8 & 9
PHOTO: R. RAVINDRAN
02 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Thursday, July 30, 2009

Book launch
The Enemy of my Enemy will be launched at
Landmark, Citi Center on July 31 at 4.30 p.m. The
book is on gaming is authored by Anshumani Ruddra.

Past Perfect: S. Chinny Krishna of Blue Cross and

Mary with her pets in Foreshore Estate

Green drive
P
lanting saplings is one best way each
of us can show our support for a
green earth, and Steria India seems to
be doing it in full swing. The
company as part of its Corporate Social
Responsibility initiative recently planted 800
PHOTO: S. S. KUMAR

saplings at Mambakkam village in the

outskirts of Chennai. The initiative was
done in association with Isha Foundation.
The saplings planted included that of
mango, chikoo and gooseberry along with
other flowering trees. The CSR wing has so
far planted 1750 saplings since November
2008.
How can professionals neutralise the carbon

Four Legs grateful

footprint created by air travel? Steria does
it innovatively. It tabulates data from its
travel desk on the number of employees
who have taken domestic and international
flights. Every domestic and international
travel is converted with one and three
saplings respectively.
Besides, it has kept green boxes at various
locations in the office – reception, travel SRIYA NARAYANAN
desk, etc, where contributions are received sriya.narayanan@gmail.com Dear readers, you will continue to support
them.
from staff who are travelling by air. This
they say help in carrying out the tree thank you for Four Legs Good’s last and most

T
hough times have been very important thank you is directed
planting drive. tough recently, the animal
welfare scene in Chennai coming to the at the compassionate folks who
adopted the puppies and kittens
had a reason to smile – Er-
go’s readers. Every week saw a re- rescue every that were featured in this space.
Here’s hoping your friends and
quest from these NGOs and there
was never an occasion when your single time relatives will be inspired by you
and that they will take in rescued
help did not reach them immedi- animals instead of buying them
ately. You took time off from your line petitions and sponsored from breeders.
frenzied work schedules to drop medical care for handicapped While it’s not yet clear what di-
off food at shelters, sent money to rescues. Your response to the ap- rection this column will take in
‘Mary of the Thirty Cats’, volun- peals has always been a certainty. the online edition, it would be
teered to be foster parents for ba- On behalf of the animals, the great to hear from you if you are
by squirrels, bought ceiling fans trustees thank you for your con- interested in helping animals in
for abandoned dogs, signed on- sistent generosity and hope that any way. Please check out my co-
lumn in The Hindu Metro Plus on
Wednesdays titled ‘Pet Pals’ or
email me at
HELPLINE sriya.narayanan@gmail.com.
Blue Cross: 22354959 / 22300666/ 9962800800 And since all my articles end
Animal Welfare and Protection Trust: 22781381 / 99629-68265 with an appeal, here’s one more!
For cruelty cases, dial 100 and cite the PCA Act (can be Please remember to spay/neuter
downloaded at www.bluecross.org.in/downloads/pca-act.pdf) your pet or friendly neighbour-
hood street dog. Preventing un-
BLOGS wanted births is a great way to
AWPT volunteer Mahalakshmi Parthasarathy’s blog: improve the quality of their lives.
fivegoodsenses.blogspot.com Thank you again and stay in
Blue Cross Blog: http://blog.bluecrossofindia.org touch. ■
To volunteer, adopt or donate (The author is a marketing
AWPT: awptrust@yahoo.com professional with The Hindu and
TAGS: contacttags@gmail.com or tagsonline.co.in blogs at
Blue Cross: bluecrossofindia@gmail.com sriyanarayanan.blogspot.com)
 Thursday, July 30, 2009
03
Who is Terry Fox? 53 and running
He was a Canadian athlete who had bone cancer. Fox set on a 5300 km- Every year the Terry Fox run is held in
run across Canada from the Pacific to the Atlantic coast, to raise funds for 53 countries. In India, Mumbai and
cancer research, which he called the ‘Marathon of Hope’. He dies before Delhi host the event. For details log on
he could complete the run and his parents set up the foundation. to www.terryfoxrun.org

Terry Fox Run

comes to Chennai
17-year-old cancer-affected Akash Dube initiates it in
city to create awareness and raise funds for research

LIFFY THOMAS
liffythomas@goergo.in
“M
y count is okay now
but next week it will
go down. But I am
hoping to take part
in the run. If not, I will definitely
be there to oversee everything,”
says Akash Dube, settling into the
sofa of his grandparents’ home in
Srinagar Colony, Saidapet. Eve-
rything in him is calm and com-
posed, his clean-shaven head
being the only reminder of his
chemotherapy.
The 17-year-old high school se-
nior from Sharjah is fighting can-
cer. He is diagnosed with Acute
Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL)
which attacked him at the end of
January, bringing him to Apollo
Hospitals in Chennai where he is
undergoing treatment.
Besides fighting cancer from
within, Akash is organising a run
to raise funds as well as create
awareness on the disease. The
Terry Fox Run is being held in the
INITIATING THE
RUN GAVE ME
SOMETHING TO
DO WHEN MY
CHEMO WAS ON
city for the first time on August
30, on the IIT-Madras campus.
“I had near perfect SAT scores
and was one of the youngest
members of Mensa. I thought I
was on my way to realising my
dream of following my brother to
Stanford University, when the lit-
tle blood spots on my forearm
seemingly shattered my hopes
and dreams,” Akash writes in the
note he has been circulating in
various organisations about his
fight with cancer.
“There were times when I was
down, but my family always gave
me support. Initiating the run
gave me something to do when
my chemo was on,” he says.
Run for a cause
Akash and the Terry Fox annual
charity run have been associated
for some years now. He has been
taking part in the annual Dubai
run for the last six years, where he
has been collecting 500 to 600
dirham for the foundation every
What, when, where
year. Date: August 30; 8 a.m.
“This year was the first time I Venue: IIT-Madras
How can you be a part: You can either show your support by
missed being part of the run as I
taking part in the run or help collect funds favouring Tata
was in hospital. That’s when I Memorial Hospital, Mumbai
thought of organising a similar For any queries email terryfoxrunchennai@gmail.com
event here.”
It’s another challenging job for
the NRI who says he has never
been to schools in India. Chennai Using technology Akash is cam- that there are no prizes to be
is equally new to him, except his paigning more about the run, get- won; you get a certificate of par-
mother’s association as an alum- ting volunteers and making ticipation. One can run on any-
nus of IIT-Madras and his rela- arrangements for D-Day. thing non-motorised to show
tives who are spreading the word. Keeping him equally busy is your support for the cause. “It’s
“I recently visited Kendriya Vi- the SAT Physics paper, for which usually a fun day, like a picnic,”
dyalaya at IIT, where the princi- he will be appearing this October. his mother recalls.
pal asked me to come and speak Akash asserts, “Come run. To-
in the assembly,” says Akash, who Like a picnic day’s research is tomorrow’s
is gearing up to prepare a speech. What makes this run special is cure.” ■

Akash (third from left) with friends after the run in Dubai
04 VILLAGE ERGO Thursday, July 30, 2009

Woman trapped behind toilet

An Australian woman was rescued by police after being trapped in her
bathroom for nearly a week. She somehow became stuck with her feet
on either side of the toilet with her body wedged against the door.

Tenant sued for tweeting about mold Baby born with

A Chicago real estate management company is suing a former
tenant for defamation for complaining on Twitter about mold in two heads
her apartment. Doctors at a Philippine
Horizon Group Management filed the lawsuit against Amanda hospital were trying to
Bonnen, the former tenant, in Cook County Circuit Court and is save a baby girl born with
seeking at least 50,000 dollars in damages. two heads, officials said.
Horizon, in its suit, said that on May 12, Bonnen wrote a “false The baby was born late
and defamatory” message on the micro-blogging service. Tuesday and is now under
"Who said sleeping in a moldy apartment was bad for you? observation at the neo-
Horizon realty thinks it’s okay," said the "tweet" sent from natal intensive care unit of
Bonnen’s account. the Jose Fabella Memorial
AFP Hospital in Manila.
A hospital spokeswoman
said the baby was stable at
the moment, but said she
No Indian writer in 2009 may die if tests proved
both heads shared only one set of vital organs.
Man Booker list “The rate of survival will depend on the shared organ. If
For the first time in recent years, no Indian writer figures they only have one heart, they will not survive,” the
in the long list for the 2009 Man Booker prize with noted unidentified spokeswoman told local radio.
writer JM Coetzee, who won the prestigious prize in 1983 Officials at the hospital said the extra head appeared to
and 1999, in the running again for his book, Summertime. be a twin of the girl who failed to fully separate during
Coetzee, the reclusive South African author, is the bookies’ the development stage in early pregnancy.
favourite to win an unprecedented third Man Booker “This is the first case of its kind here in the hospital,” one
award for Summertime, following his previous success with Fabella doctor said, but said other hospitals in Manila have
Life & Times of Michael K (1983) and Disgrace (1999). in the past recorded similar cases.
His latest work, which is AFP
yet to be published, is
described as a “creative
memoir” charting a
young biographer’s
attempts to piece Sunbeds cause cancer
together the life of a The International Agency for Research on Cancer announced that it
dead novelist. had elevated sunbeds, used by tens of millions of people for
Other entries in the long tanning, to its highest cancer risk category. Classified in 1992 and a
list are AS Byatt for The “probable” cancer agent, research since then has left no doubt that
Children’s Book, Adam soaking up UV rays at tanning salons significantly enhances the
Foulds for The chances of developing the disease, WHO agency found.
Quickening Maze, Sarah “The use of sunbeds is carcinogenic to humans. It causes melanoma
Hall for How to Paint a of the skin, and melanoma of the eye,” said Vincent Cogliano, an
Dead Man, Samantha IARC researcher who led the new assessment.
Harvey for The “I cannot see any reason why a healthy person should use them,”
Wilderness. he said.
PTI AFP

MJ’s death was blogosphere’s saddest day

I
s it possible to tell how
happy we all are?
Yes, according to US sci-
entists who have devised a
way to measure the happiness
of millions of bloggers - and
found Michael Jackson’s death
was one of the saddest days
while the US election was the
happiest in four years.
Peter Dodds and Chris Dan-
forth, a mathematician and
computer scientist from the
Advanced Computing Centre
at the University of Vermont,
have created a “sensor” to
mine 2.3 million blogs and
gather sentences beginning
with “I feel” or “I am feeling.”
Each sentence is then given a
happiness score from 1 to 9
depending on a point system
allocated to 1,034 words. For
example, “triumphant” aver-
ages 8.87 points, “paradise”
8.72, “pancakes” 6.08, and “su-
icide” 1.25.
They said this “hedonome-
ter” showed that the US elec-
tion day last November was
the happiest day in four years
with a spike in the word
“proud” while the day of the
“King of Pop’s” death was one
of the unhappiest. Their study,
reported this week in the Jour-
nal of Happiness Studies, in-
volved gathering nearly 10
million sentences.
“Our method is only reason-
able for large-scale texts, like
what’s available on the web.
Any one sentence might not
show much. There’s too much
variability in individual ex-
pression,” said Dodds.
Their method showed
young teenagers are unhap-
piest with a disproportionate
use of “sick,” “hate,” “stupid,”
“sad,” “depressed,” “bored,”
“lonely,” “mad,” and “fat.”
Then people get happier until
they are old, when happiness
drops off.
But the scientists said it was
impossible to know what was
really going on in people’s
heads.
“Our study is a data explora-
tion,” said Danforth. “It’s not
about developing a theory.” ■
Reuters
 Thursday, July 30, 2009
05
Websites of the day Serial bigamist avoids jail
All you need to know about your favourite comic A former model has avoided a jail sentence after she
book characters on the big screen: http:// was charged with marrying five men, without
www.superherohype.com/ divorcing any of them. Four of the marriages took
For all musical fanatics: http://www.allmusicals.com place by the time the woman was 23.

Big spenders tend

to marry big savers
F
rustrated by your spouse’s
spending habits?
It might be why you mar-
ried them, according to a
working paper titled “Fatal (Fis-
cal) Attraction” by professors of
the Wharton School of Finance
and Northwestern University.
“Surveys of married adults sug-
gest that opposites attract when it
comes to emotional reactions to-
ward spending,” Wharton’s Scott
Rick and Deborah Small and
Northwestern’s Eli Finkel said in
the paper.
George Loewenstein, a profes-
sor of economics and psychology
at Carnegie Mellon University, in
a separate study called “Tight-
wads and Spendthrifts” publish-
ed last year, found that the degree
people feel of a “pain of paying”
determines if they are a “tight-
wad” or a “spendthrift.”
Loewenstein’s study, conduct-
ed with Wharton’s Rick and Car-
negie Mellon doctoral student
Cynthia Cryder, found that the
extent to which people said they
found a pain of paying strongly
predicted their savings and credit
card debt, but were unrelated to
income.
That could be a reason why
these opposites attract, Rick,
Small and Finkel wrote. Those
who find it painful to spend, for
example, may dislike that charac-
teristic in themselves, and so are
attracted to people who are more
RESEARCHERS FOUND THAT
PEOPLE WHO GENERALLY
SPEND LESS THAN THEY
WOULD IDEALLY LIKE TO
SPEND, AND THOSE WHO
SPEND MORE THAN THEY
WOULD LIKE TO TEND TO
MARRY EACH OTHER
liberal in their approach to
money.
That’s even though most single
people say they would be hap-
piest marrying someone with
similar spending habits to their
own.
“The disconnect between what
people say they look for in an ide-
al mate and the characteristics of
actual mates to whom they are
attracted is unfortunate,” Rick,
Small and Finkel wrote, as the
different spending habits often
result in greater financial conflict
in marriage.
It is also unlikely that people
will change from being a big
spender to being a big saver or
vice versa, said Loewenstein.
“We have been looking for any
reason in people’s pasts that
could make them into a tightwad
or a spendthrift,” he said in an
interview. “We haven’t found it
yet. Perhaps it is genetic.” ■
Reuters

Woman faces 40 lashes Wanna go 4 a ride?

for wearing trousers
her court appearance and flogging.
“They will lash me 40 times, and
also fine me 250 Sudanese pounds
(100 dollars).”
Hussein said she was at a restau-
rant on July 3 when police came in
and ordered 13 women wearing
trousers to follow them to the po-

A Sudanese woman journalist was

preparing to be flogged 40 times
in Khartoum for wearing indecent
clothes, with 10 women already
whipped for similar offences
against Islamic law.
Lubna Ahmed al-Hussein, who
works with the Al-Sahafa newspap-
er and works for the media depart-
ment of the United Nations Mission
in Sudan, was arrested in Khartoum
earlier this month after being
caught wearing trousers.
“I received a telephone call from
the authorities saying I must appear
at 10 am (0700 GMT) on Wednesday
in front of the judge,” Hussein said.
“It is important that people know
what is happening,” Hussein said in
an invitation to journalists to attend
lice station.
Ten of the women were sum-
moned to a police station two days
later and were lashed 10 times each,
according to Hussein, who wears a
headscarf.
Police have also cracked down on
another woman journalist, Amal
Habbani, after she wrote an article
condemning Hussein’s treatment.
Habbani wrote an article for Aj-
rass Al-Horreya newspaper follow-
ing the arrests entitled “Lubna, a
case of subduing a woman’s body.”
“I am waiting for a decision,”
Habbani said after she was charged
with defaming police, a charge 쒀 A Harley Davidson rider poses with models and his motorbike in Berlin in
which can carry a fine of up to sev- front of the Parliament. The first Harley Days in Berlin takes place from
eral hundred thousand dollars. ■ July 31 to August 2, 2009. PHOTO: AFP
AFP
06 SPORT ERGO Thursday, July 30, 2009

Descenza breaks world record

Mary Descenza broke the world record in the women’s 200 metres butterfly heats
at the world championships on Wednesday. The American swam two minutes,
04.14 to beat Liu Zige’s previous best of 2:04.18.

Bangladesh win first ODI series in West Indies

Tigers earn their stripes

Somdev crashes out
India’s promising tennis player Somdev
Devvarman’s campaign at the ATP LA Open
was cut short following a straight set defeat
at the hands of world number 37 Igor
Kuntisyn in the opening match. The Indian
qualifier fought well against the fifth seed
Russian but eventually lost 5-7, 2-6 after a
one hour 15 minutes in the first round of
the hard court event last night. In an intense
first set battle, Somdev broke his fancied
opponent twice but also dropped his own
serve thrice. In the second set, Somdev did
not get any chance to break the Russian,
who converted two of the five chances to
close the match in his favour. Somdev had
earned 12 ranking points for making the
main draw but the first round exit meant no
additional points for him.
PTI

BMW to quit Formula One Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan (right) celebrates with wicket-keeper Mushfiqur Rahim
(second right) and Rubel Hossain (third right) the wicket of West Indies opening batsman Dale
German car manufacturer BMW announced Richards during their second One-Day International at Windsor Park. PHOTO: AFP
on Wednesday that they will pull out of
Formula One at the end of this season.
“The BMW Group will not continue its

H
alf-centuries from Shakib
Formula One campaign after the end of the Al Hasan and Mohammad
2009 season,” the Formula One team said in Ashraful trumped a maid-
a statement. en One-day International
AFP hundred from Travis Dowlin, and
inspired Bangladesh to a series-
clinching three-wicket victory
Afridi to lead Pakistan over West Indies in Dominica on
Tuesday.
Pakistan have named all-rounder Shahid Shakib, the Bangladesh cap-
Afridi to captain their Twenty20 side in a tain, struck 65 from 61 balls to
one-off international against Sri Lanka next earn the Man-of-the-Match
month. Afridi will be captaining the side for award, while Ashraful scored 64
the first time in his 13-year international from 77 balls, as the Tigers suc-
career. “The chairman of the board, Ejaz cessfully chased 275 at Windsor
Butt, has Park for a 2-0 lead in the three-
selected Afridi match series. Left-hander Abdur
to lead Pakistan Razzak sealed the result with six
for the one-off balls to spare, when he top-edged
international a pull at a short, wide ball from
against Sri Dave Bernard Jr to third man for
Lanka,” a four.
spokesman for It was Bangladesh’s highest
the Pakistan successful run chase in more than
Cricket Board 200 ODIs, and the victory fol-
said. “A lowed their first-ever against West
decision on Indies by 52 runs on Sunday at the
future same venue. “I can’t explain the
Twenty20 feeling,” said Shakib. “The boys
matches would have tried their best. The team has
be taken later been supportive throughout the
on.” series, and so have the support
Reuters staff, and we have done well. This
was a good win though. It was
much tougher. They really tested
us, and they played our spinners
really well.”
The series concludes on Friday
at Warner Park in St. Kitts, where
the two sides will also contest a
Twenty20 International on Sun-
day. “We thought that 274 was a
brilliant score,” said West Indies
captain Floyd Reifer. “Travis
played really, really well for his
hundred. We knew coming into
the game with five bowlers we
were taking a risk, and it did not
help that we lost three of our bow-
lers at critical stages. But I thought
we played well and put in a big ef-
fort. There have been a lot of posi-
tives which the guys can take from
this series. It’s a young team, and
we all need to be patient with
them.”
But the Tigers stumbled
through their chase, after Dowlin
struck an even, undefeated 100 to
help West Indies post 274 for six
from their allocation of 50 overs.
They made a steady start and then
wobbled on 64 for two before Ash-
raful featured in two successive
half-century stands that stabilised
the innings and put Bangladesh
firmly on course.
Ashraful added 52 for the third
wicket with Raqibul Hasan, and
then 74 for the fourth wicket with
Shakib before he was caught at
long-off off leg-spinner Rawl Le-
wis in the 37th over with 85 still
needed. But there was plenty of
drama in the closing stages, as
Bangladesh would lose Shakib,
Mahmudullah, and Mushfiqur
Rahim, and West Indies would
lose the services of key fast bowler
Kemar Roach after he bowled two
beamers.
Earlier, Bangladesh too, lost
control in the closing overs of the
West Indies innings.
The Tigers have cruelly exposed
the limitations of the batting of
the makeshift West Indies side
with their spin bowling in the pre-
ceding two Tests, and the first
ODI, but Dowlin flipped the script
with six fours and one six in a 117-
ball knock. He reached his
hundred, when he steered a deliv-
ery from Syed Rasel into square
cover for a single.
Brief scores
West Indies 274/5 (T. Dowlin
100 not out, D. Smith 44) lose by
three wickets to Bangladesh 276/7
(Shakib 65, M. Ashraful 64). ■
AFP
 Thursday, July 30, 2009
07

‘‘
If the board and selectors can assure me that they will seriously consider my
name for national selection once again, I will leave the ICL. My contract is still
intact with the ICL but I don’t know when the next tournament will be held or what
its future is. All this is a bit of concern for me as a professional cricketer.
Pakistani pace bowler Mohammad Sami

Return of the prodigal sons

A BCCI decision on the entry of ICL players into the IPL is expected shortly

ERGO CORRESPONDENT
feedback@goergo.in

A
fter granting general amnesty
to “rebel” Indian Cricket
League players earlier this
year, the Board of Control for
Cricket in India is all set to open the
“lucrative” IPL window for the re-
habilitated players.
Although the spadework for the
move is already believed to be in
motion, the final decision and pro-
cedures related to it are expected to
be taken up after the return of
chairman Lalit Modi early next
month. ICL players, who are now
looking for ways to get back to
mainstream cricket, were barred
from participating in any form of
international cricket by the BCCI
and even the ICC.
According to BCCI sources, high
interest level of franchise owners in
particular foreign players like
Shane Bond, Justin Kemp and In-
zamam-ul Haq has paved the way
for this decision. Individual fran-
chises have already got in touch
with a few of the players and are
just awaiting the BCCI green signal.
Incidentally, Bengal middle-or-
der batsman Abhishek Jhunjhun-
wala, who was part of the
probables list of the inaugural T20
World Cup in 2007, has already at- From top left clockwise: Inzamam-ul-Haq, Justin Kemp and Shane Bond
tended a training camp for the Ra-
jasthan Royals and was also part of for these players, sometime in
their one-off English sojourn September.
against Middlesex earlier this Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu fast
month. Apart from him other do- bowler Rajamani Jesuraj became
mestic players like Deep Dasgupta, the first cricketer from the ICL
Rohan Gavaskar, Hemang Badani, fold to represent a state team af-
Dinesh Mongia and Ambabati ter he was picked for the KSCA
Rayadu, all of whom have now ter- All-India Invitation Tournament.
minated their contracts with ICL, The KSCA tournament is a pre-
are expected to land meaty deals. season series which is used by
“We are waiting for an official teams to finalise their Ranji Tro-
statement from the IPL governing phy squads.
body. There are a lot of cricketers in “I never thought I would get a
the ICL bandwagon who interest chance to play for Tamil Nadu
us,” Kolkata Knight Riders’ Joy again. I am thankful to the selec-
Bhattacharya says. tors and hope I can repay the
With most teams already having confidence shown in me,” he
filled up their maximum quota of says.
10 foreign players, it’s the domestic The 26-year-old made his first-
players who stand the chance of class debut for the state in 2003-
maximum gain. “I am not sure of 04 and played his last match in
the foreigners, but a few good December 2006 before joining
young domestic players will defi- the ICL. However, in a surprise
nitely add balance to the side,” says move the state selectors have ig-
Amrit Mathur from Delhi nored senior pros Badani and S.
Daredevils. Sriram (both have scored prolif-
Modi, too, is not willing to leave ically in the ongoing club games),
the cash cow unattended and is throwing a question mark over
hoping for another grand auction their career revival. ■
08 NAMMA CHENNAI ERGO Thursday, July 30, 2009

Canine love
A trainer would take a long time to recover from the loss of his
favourite canine in the Dog Squad, such is their relationship.

The Chenn
The Chennai City Police Kennel in Egmore is the first training centre for dogs in the country. V. Haripriya v

S
eema walks past the first
three suspects. Nothing
suspicious, she is certain.
She reaches the next in
line, who looks like he might
break down any minute. The
odour doesn’t escape her. She
circles him and sniffs all over.
Got you! Bow bow!
She then squats before suspect.
It is the signal to the officer
in-charge. “Well done, Seema,”
the handler pats her gently.
Six-year-old Seema is an expert
drug detector. The female
Doberman pinscher can trace
out the narcotics even if it is
hidden under many layers. So
can the other canines – Spears,
Sindhu and Lovely – a few
tracker dogs on duty at the
Chennai City Police Kennel in
Egmore.
The kennel in namma Chennai
is proud enough to be known
as the first training centre for
dogs to be started in entire
India. From detecting drugs
and explosives to tracking
culprits and guarding VIPs, the
canine heroes here have found
enough space in newspapers
and magazines speaking about
their bravery.

Early days
Started in 1952, the Madras
City Police Kennel was first
located inside the CB-CID office
campus on Anna Salai. Later it
was shifted to Egmore in 1957,
where it is situated till date.
The first batch of dogs for
training was sourced by the
Indian Government from
Germany. Now the Chennai
City Police Dog Squad is 27-
member-strong and the breeds
now on duty include German
Shepherd, Great Dane,
Labrador retriever, Doberman
pinscher and Rottweiler.
N. Radhakkannu, Sub-Inspector
of Police and in-charge of dog
squad, Chennai, says the dogs
trained in Tamil Nadu are sent
to other Indian states even
now. “The dogs for Railways,
Military and Police departments
are trained by instructors in
Tamil Nadu. Now every state
and district is equipped with
kennels,” he adds.
Handler-dog relation
The pups, taken into service at
the age of three months and
above, develop a strong
bonding with their handlers.
“When we get the tiny ones,
we have to pamper them like
we pamper a kid. Patience is
the first word a handler has to
keep in mind always. Even if
the dog doesn’t obey the
commands, the handler should
not get angry or cane it.
Instead, he should coax it and
make it do as told,” says B.
Ashok Kumar, a dog handler.
“The animal will be playing
with you, but once harnessed
the dog knows it is on duty
and will be alert from that very
moment. My dog can even
identify the sound of my bike,”
he says proudly.
Pension
The government, which
allocates Rs. 6,000 to buy a
puppy, provides Rs. 55 per day
for its food when it is in
service. The retirement age is
10 to 12 years for a dog. In
2007, for the first time two
retired dogs, Ponni and Oscar,
received their lifetime pension
– Rs. 44 per and official
accommodation. Previously,
retired police animals were
auctioned off. After a canine
dies, the carcass is donated to
Government Veterinary
Hospital in Vepery. ■
 Thursday, July 30, 2009
09
Baby steps
The dogs adopted as three-month-old puppies are trained for a
period of nine months. The dogs are trained in obedience, scent
work and duty work and the last three months involve specialising in
their respective fields – explosives, narcotics and tracking.

ai K9
visits the place to see the working of the canine cops

Dress Rehearsal: Seema sniffs

out cocaine during a training

PHOTOS: R.RAVINDRAN
session at the Kennel in Egmore.

Meet Sindhu
Sindhu is the first and last
Rottweiler to be trained in the
history of Indian Dog Squad.
Being a ferocious hunter breed,
taming is difficult. M.
Narayanamurthy, the handler
of 11-year-old Sindhu, says the
animal he tames is very
intelligent and calm. Sindhu is
a tracker dog and has won
gold medals at the State-level
and All-India-level sports meets.
P. Radhakrishnan, an instructor
with the dog squad, says it was
on experimental basis that
Rottweiler breeds were trained.
So far, the animal has not
become ferocious, but we can’t
be sure since by nature it is a
killer dog banned in foreign
countries.

Stand-at-ease: Dogs with their handlers warming up for a session..

10 FLICK ERGO Thursday, July 30, 2009

‘Winehouse stole cocaine from Kate Moss’

Troubled British singer Amy Winehouse’s estranged husband Blake Fielder-
Civil has claimed the ‘Rehab’ singer once stole cocaine from supermodel Kate
Moss’ handbag at a star-studded bash in New York. “Kate was so drunk, she
never noticed it was missing,” he added.
IANS

S
cottish actor Sir Sean Connery may come out of retirement for a film about a Scottish
war veteran who won an epic battle with military bosses.
Campaigner Ken McGinley (71) made history when he was granted the right to sue
the Ministry of Defence on behalf of thousands of former servicemen who were
involved in nuclear testing on Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean.
More than 1,000 British soldiers claim they and their children were left with cancer and
deformities after being exposed to radiation on the island more than 50 years ago.
Now, McGinley has revealed his fight has won the backing of Connery (78), who has
declared he will happily narrate a movie about the soldiers’ ordeal.
“Sir Sean was very interested in what we are fighting for. Having Sir Sean’s backing really
gave me a boost. I can’t think of anyone better to help raise our profile,” the Daily Express
quoted McGinley as telling the Scotsman.
Connery followed up his conversation with McGinley by penning a letter to his friend,
journalist Alan Rimmer, to reveal his interest in the case.
“It is a shocking history of events,” he wrote.
“I have already made my opinion regarding the possibility of filming the book to Mr
McGinley. I am more than interested to see the end result and I would be prepared to do
narration,” he added. ■
ANI

Kyunki Sallu can’t dance

C horeographer-turned-director Farah Khan says Salman
Khan left her red-faced when he took her along for
the auditions of his super hit 1989 film Maine Pyar Kiya.
Farah recalled the incident when she came on the
reality show Dus Ka Dum 2, which is being hosted by
Salman.
“He (Salman) took me along so that I could show him
a few steps to do before director Sooraj Barjatya. But
when Salman did the steps, it was so appalling that I
simply picked up my footwear, hailed a cab and took
off home,” said Farah on the show.
Salman, who started blushing after his secret was
revealed, agreed that he did have two left feet then
and later even demonstrated the step he was required
to perform at the auditions, said a source from the sets
of the show.
This particular episode will air Saturday at 9 p.m. on
Sony TV. ■
IANS

Katie Holmes escapes unhurt

in car explosion
A ctor Katie Holmes narrowly escaped unhurt after a
car caught fire on a movie set.
The actress, who is currently in Australia filming Don’t
Be Afraid of the Dark, was reportedly shooting a scene
in the vehicle when the battery exploded and the actor
was left shaken after dashing from the car just before it
burst into flames, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
“Katie was inside a
car when the
vehicle’s battery

The name is Connery,

exploded. It was
sparking smoke and
fumes before the car
caught fire. The
exploding battery
was not a part of the

Sean Connery
film,” said a source
from the production
unit.
A remake of a 1973
TV movie, the film
has Holmes playing a
woman who is
stalked by wicked
gnomes. ■
IANS
 Thursday, July 30, 2009
11
Ben Affleck to play bank robber
Ben Affleck has signed on to direct and star in romantic crime

Johansson
thriller The Town, according to The Hollywood Reporter on
Tuesday. The film is based on the Chuck Hogan novel Prince of
Thieves and Affleck plays a bank robber who is considering
going straight after falling in love with a bank teller.

set to release
music album
S
carlett Johansson is all set to return to
the music scene as the actror has plans
to release an album with singer-song-
writer Pete Yorn.
The actor hit the charts last year with Where
I Lay My Head, an album full of Tom Waits
tunes, and now Yorn plans to release Break
Up, whose songs were recorded two years
ago, in September this year, Contactmus-
ic reported.
The cult songwriter said that he
hopes to recreate the kind of the
working relationship between
French stars Serge Gainsbourg and
Brigitte Bardot with the actress.
“I was really into Bonnie & Clyde at the
time, by Serge and Brigitte, and I thought,
‘Brigitte... Scarlett! She’s Brigitte!’ It was a re-
ally manic thought pattern that was going on.
Within 10 minutes, I was texting Scarlett: ‘We
have to make a record!’,” Yorn said.
Yellow!
Yorn said that he and Johansson are
hoping to tour with their new al-
bum and added, “Hopefully we’ll
B ritish rockers Coldplay
have signed up to
appear in hit animated
be able to put a couple of show, The Simpsons.
events together where we The cartoon series
could perform a little bit.” ■ regularly features star
PTI guests and has seen
cameos from high profile
acts, including Michael
Jackson, The Rolling
Stones, Green Day,
Aerosmith and U2.
Now the ‘Yellow’ hit-makers are set to join the yellow
cast for a one-off episode, in which comedic patriarch
Homer Simpson wins the lottery and hires the band to
perform a private show for his family, reports
contactmuasic.com. ■
IANS

Mischa Barton released

from hospital
T he OC star Mischa Barton who was under ‘involuntary
psychiatric hold’ has been discharged and now wants
to resume working on her TV show.
The 23-year-old actress who was admitted to the Cedars
Sinai Medical Centre two weeks ago, is “out of the
hospital and continuing
to improve in
anticipation of
resuming production as
planned,” said her
spokesman Craig
Schneider.
The UK born actress
who according to
friends was exhibiting
suicidal tendencies
before being
hospitalised, plans to
continue working on
her show, The Beautiful
Life, where ironically
she plays a drug-addict
supermodel, reported
People magazine
online.
The actress was held
under Section 5150 of
the California Welfare
and Institutions Code,
the same code which
hospitalised Britney
Spears twice in 2008. ■
PTI
12 ERGO Thursday, July 30, 2009

Uma Sanker Narayanan from Accenture has nominated her friends Dineshkumar from Infosys Technologies has nominated his friends
Nagaraj, Satu, Naresh, Jaakko, Miia, Antti, Juha, Uma Sanker, MSK and Bharath, Neppoliyan, Anush, Sathya, Dinesh(myself), Santhosh, Siva and
Karthi as Partners in Crime. This picture was clicked during their team Saurab as Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at Chamundi Hills in
outing in Finland. Mysore.

Suresh from HCL Technologies has nominated his team as Partners in Praveen Kumar from Allesec Tech has nominated his team ATG as
Crime. This picture was clicked at Sathyam Cinemas. Partners in Crime. This pic was clicked at Spencer Plaza

Ganesh from EZP Team of Technosoft (DLF) has nominated his friends as Swapna from CTS has nominated her room-mates as Partners in Crime.
Partners in Crime. This pic was taken during their trip to Munnar. This picture was clicked during their trip to Munnar.
 Thursday, July 30, 2009
Navinan from CTS has been
nominated as Office Angel
by Bond Polaris Team, Kar-
thik and Anusuya.
Navinan, is the person who
can create fun atmosphere in
any critical situation and his
presence always gives
happiness and enthusiasm.
He is jovial, optimistic and
good motivator. He is leaving
our team. We all miss him a
lot. Navinan you Rock as
usual. Cheers!
V.Anithasenthilnathan of Ajuba
Solutions India Private Limited
doodled this.
1. Mosquito Veettuku Varaama Iruka Enna Seiyanum.?
Mosquito "Vuku Namma Address Kodukka Koodathu?
2. Thennai Marathukku Keela 5 Police Nikkiraanga.. Yean
Theriyuma?? Kola Vilum-nu Thaan...?
By CBI Postku Tri Pannuvor Sangam...
Ruban
New Age, Ashok Nagar
■ Dear Meenakshi Sundaram,
Many more Happy Returns of the Day! May
God Check-In Happiness and Prosperity and
Check-out worries and difficulties in your
Life. Wishing U all the great things in Life,
Without any Planning and Tracking Issues
and SSDs. Wishing you a Very Happy
Birthday!!!
Greets, AGF SCORE Team, HCL Technologies
■ Dear Jagadeesh,
Wishing you a very happy birthday!! May
you be blessed with a wonderful year
ahead!! Happy Birthday once again!! Friends,
New Age Software and Solutions.
■ Dear Poo,
As we observe your birthday now, ur cake
and gifts don’t matter much. We celebrate
a person who Brings happiness to everyone,
Someone who gives more than she gets,
And fills our lives with joy and fun. You’re
older today than yesterday but younger
than tomorrow, Happy Bday! to our cutest
and bubbly Zoozoo :)
With lots of love, Pragadeesh, Annamalai,
Saravana, Hari, Nithya Excelacom Technologies
■ Dear Prasanna,
Many more happy returns of the day! Have
a great birthday!
Pavitra Badri, iNautix Technologies Ltd.
■ Hey SweetHeart....
Yaaroda presence, yaaroda happiness
namma lifeku air, water, food ah vida
essentiala irukko u can decide that u r
loving that person. Its not only the
definition i’d given for love. This s wat i feel
for u.. i’m not jus saying ’i love u’, i do....
yeah.. u r my life..u r my love..u r my
everything....
with love, Sweetie, FSS
■ Hi Anusha,
In soft gleaming night of stars may all ur
dreams come true.. may every star of every
night bring lov n joy 2 u happy b’day 2 u...
D.Sukanya Eswari Infosys Technologies Ltd
■ Hi My Dear & Cute Lavanya
(Wipro Technologies),
Wish you a many more happy returns of the
day dear!! Am blessed by God to have such
a lovely, wonderful, great friend like u in
my life dear!! May God Bless you with more
wisdom, knowledge and happiness in ur life
forever and ever dear!! You are always my
one and only best friend in my life!!
Always urs, Sadeesh.. (Ur Rasagulla)
■ Dear Punitha,
Happy b’day wishes to you my dear!!! I am
so lucky to have you in my life!!! I wish you
to get all the chances to make your dreams
comes true. Love you so much kutty ma...
With lots of love, Rajesh TCS
■ Hi Bagyalakshmi...
You are very special and you deserve the
best… I wish you a wonderful life filled
with love and happiness… I hope others
bring you joy, just as you’ve brought joy to
me, then you can weather any storm and
13
be all you want to be... Many Many Happy
Returns Of The DAY…
By yours Ganesh.S (Passer-by)
■ Hi Pravina,
We wish u many many more happy returns
of the day!! u are such a sweeet angel. We
thank god for giving us such a wonderful
friend on earth who makes our life a
heaven with ur presence! Wish u all success
in your life ahead.. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
With Love Ur everloving frnz!!
■ Hi Velu Rajan & Rajalakshmi
May this special day be filled wit sweet
memories&happy hours. Wishin u all de
fun&excitement that only b’days can bring!
With Cheers, Human Resources, Coastal Training
Technologies India (P) Ltd, Chennai
■ Dear Balaji V.N.
Happy Birthday... I wish you happiness and
joy in life And many more birthdays to
bring you delight.
Cheers, Ashwin Raj K.S. Infosys Technologies
■ Dear Sukumar
Wish you all happiness, health and
prosperity with many many returns of the
day. May every special happiness fill this day
for you and may the year bring everything
you look forward to. HAPPY BIRTHDAY
SUKU.
best wishes from, Barclays Team, Steria.
■ Dear Hema aka,
It’s my immense pleasure to wish you from
my heart as well as behalf of all our family
members on this auspicious day once in a
year for U in terms of your birth, but for us
it’s a feel that each & every moment we
have in our soul.
With lots of love
Huma, Rupa & suji (Lovable siblings), Srimathi &
priyavarshini (Cute trouble making kids), Revathy
& Kesavan (Honorable, phenomenal & admiring
parents) finally fascinating Bhaskar (Desperate
dream full filler & U r life partner) Company
Name: Tech Mahindra
■ Dear Dinkar,
As you celebrate your birthday. Here’s
sending you my wishes to say. May
happiness and joy be with you always! And
may all your birthday wishes come true in
every way. Happy Birthday!!!
Your Ever Dear Friends, Online Team:-VC Sir, Rex,
Santo, Sundar, Karthika, Rekha, Bhuvana, Pushpa,
Gowthami, Nandhinee. (SIFY)
Belated Wishes
■ Dear Ramya (Jimmy)
Happy Birthday to Mokka Rani of RBP
Team, Kutti Saathaan of Cup-set girls
sangam and Rowdy of BP4 Track! She s
always busy in chatting as well as roaming
with her friends. On your birthday, We
would like to give you Some words of
wisdom. Smile while you still have teeth.
Wish you a many more happy returns of the
day. Have a fantastic and fabulous year
ahead.
Regards, BP4 Track, HCL Technologies.
14 TRAFFIC JAM ERGO Thursday, July 30, 2009

Chipmunk takes over kitchen

A couple was shocked to find that a tiny chipmunk took over
their kitchen recently, terrifying the family’s cats and helping
himself to a box of cereal.

sudoku

Syamkumar S.
from TCS has
shot this
picture at
Chicago using
Canon
Powershot S3
IS camera.
Hobbies:
Photography,
music

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

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(Editor responsible for selection of news under
the PRB Act). RNI No. TNENG/2007/24553
 Thursday, July 30, 2009
15
Toilet breaks recorded Word’s worth
Phone operators at Britain’s Scotland Yard police headquarters are now
required to record each time they use the toilet, and the information will be Kye (kie) a miserly sailor. Of unknown
stored in a database. Needless to say, the staff is not thrilled about the policy origin, but possibly related to a dialect
changes. word, kyish, meaning ’dirty.’

B.C

ARIES MARCH 21 - APRIL 20

Ganesha promises today to be quite dynamic day
for people whose work involves communication. For
everyone else, new avenues might open up soon.
You may end the day with a nostalgic tour of fond
memories with t your family. Love life is at its peak.

TAURUS APRIL 21 - MAY 20

Personal interests may take up a lot of your
productive time. You are also likely to indulge in
over spending, notes Ganesha. On the professional
front, people planning to start a new business
should consider this as the right time.

GEMINI MAY 21 - JUNE 20

The day marks the beginning of a new phase in you
BORN LOSER life. Nothing to worry about, everything will be in
your favour. However, advance planning is always
helpful. Ganesha feels you will be in high spirits
and may feel like going for a drive later.
CANCER JUNE 21 - JULY 20
A day to make your dreams come true. You will be
excited about new stuff happening around you. In
the entire hullabaloo, make sure that you don’t take
up more thing than you can handle. The evening
calls for some celebration or a romantic date.
LEO JULY 21 - AUG 20
It certainly is the best time to socialise. Since the
work pressure may increase soon and you may not
be able to catch up with friends, why not utilize
today? Office may not be hectic today, and you may
end up taking half day off.
VIRGO AUG 21 - SEPT 20
This ‘too-good-to-be-true’ day comes only once in a
FREE RANGE WORKING IT OUT while. Ganesha says that all your aims will hit the
bull’s eye today. Do not hesitate, just keep going.
Personal life may be invaded by guests or
neighbours.
LIBRA SEPT 21 - OCT 20
The day will put in some kind of a dilemma today.
You may have top pick and choose from many
options available. Find the answers within yourself,
about what you want. You may feel like pouring
your hearth out to that special someone.
SCORPIO OCT 21 - NOV 20
There is going to be some shopping today, whether
you like it or not. Why not make the most of it,
jokes Ganesha, gift yourself a nice apparel today.
On the work front, things are quite smooth as
compared to last week.
SAGITTARIUS NOV 21 - DEC 20
The day will be smooth as butter, says Ganesha. An
easy going day at the office as well. You may be
able to find time to relax a bit and chat with your
colleagues for a while. If you keep your eyes open
you will see opportunities beckoning you.
CAPRICORN DEC 21 - JAN 20
On this rapid paced day, a quick decision may be
necessary to finalize a contract. Do not offer
financial assistance to any one, warns Ganesha,
unless it’s in the family. Your sweetheart may make
some demands today.
AQUARIUS JAN 21 - FEB 20
PREVIOUS Be patient and be ready to offer your support if
necessary. Financially the time is good for you.
ISSUE’S Ganesha feels you may get payments or you may
earn profit in your transactions. However, don’t mix
SOLUTIONS up personal life with professional life.
PISCES FEB 21 - MARCH 20
If you get a choice, choose hard work over luck.
Even if there are favours coming up for you, do not
wait for them to come. On the love front, Ganesha
feels you should stop predicting things and making
assumptions. Take life as it comes.
Predictions by Bhavesh N. Pattni
16 ! ERGO Thursday, July 30, 2009