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The Hindu : y>

The Volvo XC60 is being readied for its launch in India this September. Its elder brother, the Volvo XC90 is already on sale in India, but the XC60 previews Volvo’s all-new look.

The XC60 shares the same five-cylinder diesel and 3.2-litre straight-six petrol engines as the XC90 and S80 but for India, it is the diesel which will lead the XC60’s foray. The diesel engine will be mated to a six-speed manual gearbox. This version is front-wheel drive only, and is cheaper into the bargain. The XC60 also previews a lot of new features, including what Volvo likes to call the ‘floating console’.

The centre console has the climate control buttons embedded in it, while the space behind the console is hollow and can be used for storage.

The XC60 will go head-to-head with BMW’s X3 and the recently-launched Audi Q5, but could be slightly cheaper. But what remains to bee seen is if Indian consumers will pay a premium for an SUV with a two-wheel drive.

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The Hindu :

Your cellphone gets wet, your printer cartridge doesn’t work or your credit card fails to swipe. Here are simple solutions to tackle those maddening technical glitches

With mother-in-law’s visit days away, Sunitha sat down for a think-back. What was it that got them into a tussle last time? Mother-in-law forgot — or wouldn’t — close the bathroom door after use. Mosquitoes would swarm in andSunitha would rush to bolt the door. Then, she hit upon an idea. She got the bathroom windows fitted with nylon nets.

We do this all the time — finding handy, home-made solutions for household setbacks. We do them cheap and green, and gift ourselves an “I-beat-the-wise-guys” high. Do you use a wad of wet rags to sponge glass pieces off the floor? Use left-over planks to make shelves between table drawers? Recycle curtain cloth as cushion covers?

The geek world, it seems, has similar answers to high-tech hitches. An example came from Amit Agarwal, a tech blogger, at a recent blog-camp. When asked about his success, he said his low-tech solutions were clicked on by thousands all over the world. For instance, he said: “If you keep using the mouse for long, dirt sticks to its underbelly and causes the mouse cursor to move erratically. You move the mouse over a piece of white paper in various directions, and the grease will go away. A very simple process.” A New York Times story highlighted such effortless, expense-free solutions to technical glitches. It began with this anecdote: a credit card reader fails to scan the card’s magnetic strip at a store in San Francisco. “As customers begin to queue, (the store clerk) wraps one layer of a black plastic bag around the card and swipes it again. Success.” The clerk admits: “I don’t know how it works, it just does.”

Maybe “low-tech fixes for high-tech failures” are stumbled upon in…More

The Hindu :

Natasha Aggarwal was inspired by Italian gelato, the largely fat-free ice cream, to start her own brand back home

Putting spice into ice Natasha’s hit the market right on target

Natasha Aggarwal started her own ice cream brand, Mama Mia, in 2005 in Kolkata. Today she has 10 outlets. The outlet in Bangalore is at Indiranagar — a trendy, stylish place that caters to the young and the old. Walk in to meet Natasha and youknow that ice cream is serious business for her.

Natasha welcomes you and as you start talking to her you realise that it is very difficult to get her to talk about anything besides Mama Mia. “It’s my baby and passion,” she smiles.

What triggered off this business graduate to start an ice cream brand? “I saw a gap in the premium section and a scope for this. Since I was travelling abroad I came across gelato ice cream and was inspired to start it here.” After completing her studies, she was travelling in Italy. “The ice cream was so different there. That’s when I trained myself in Bergamo, a small town in Milan. It was no big factory but someone who would make ice creams helped me get hands-ontraining,” she says. Soon afterwards she came in contact with some people who manufactured the machines and came back home and made arrangements to buy them.

“Gelato, you know, is low in fat. It is 96 per cent fat-free. Mama Mia ice creams have no dairy fat at all. Most of the products are made with natural fruit pulp, natural ingredients and no essence. There is a lot of freshness to these ice creams.” The ice creams at Mama Mia, she says, are just two days old. They are made in Kolkata and transferred to the outlets. “I started my own shop in Kolkata with two people to help me. I…More

The Hindu : y>It’s time to go back to school again, but the question still remains: is academic excellence all there is to a good education, asks NANDHINI SUNDAR. Where’s the holistic approach to a child’s development?

Photo: Murali kumar k.STRESS ON ACADEMICS There is so much pressure to excel in academics that extra-curricular activities invariably takes a backseat

The beginning of each new academic year sees parents and students making a beeline towards schools and colleges, tension and anticipation written large on their faces. It’s time for another year at the academic grind mill. Given the volume of students completing class 10 and 12 each year and the limited number of seats in the few top-rated institutes, the pressure to perform beyond capable limits is understandable.

While competition may indeed be intense, the burning question is, can success be measured by academic excellence alone? Are institutes doing the right thing by focusing on academic performance alone?

Late last year the Central government had proposed to make mental health education a part of the curriculum for students from class eight to 10 across the country whereby an hour per week was to be devoted to topics such as dilemmas, stress, diet, life skills, to name a few. While health education, if made mandatory would go a long way in addressing issues, how many schools adopt a holistic approach to education, where the focus is beyond academic excellence?Individual ignored

Invariably, the class strength in a majority of schools exceeds 40, with some going over 60. This large number prevents personal interaction between student and teacher, with teachers blissfully unaware of any special needs of individual students.

Problems like teen aggression, insecurity, lack of confidence or specific psychological problems of individual students remain unnoticed and unaddressed. Even activities aimed at a student’s all-round development, such as sports and extra curricular activities are sacrificed in some institutions, to achieve higher pass percentages….More

The Hindu : y>

Photo: R. AshokPlay on The play therapy helps young children deal with the hospital atmosphere

Sutradhar, a non-profit learning resources centre will be holding an open forum on Play therapy in hospitals on Thursday. The forum will make an attempt to look at interventions for chronically ill children who spend long periods away from home, under medical care.

Though play therapy is relatively new in India, many organisations are making an attempt to make a difference by exploring ways to help children cope with the stress brought on by the hospital environment.

Dr. Meera Oke, Director, Centre for Human Growth and Development and Nazu Tonse, Docteur Clown India will participate in the forum.

The forum will be held at Ashirwad, Opposite State Bank of India, Off St. Mark’s Road, from 4 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.

Call 22210154 for more information.

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The Hindu : y>Here’s an opportunity to become a detective

On the occasion of the publication of “The Paris Enigma” by Pablo Di Santis, Harper Collins Publication is organising a contest for the readers.

Interested candidates should write an application to Detective Craig for the position of an acolyte giving him a good reason to hire you and which case in the book interested you the most and why.

Women can be more confident in filing their application because according to Sanjay Singh CEO of Indian Detective Agency (the organisation that has partnered with HCI) says: “Through our past experience we have found that revealing or extracting truth from somebody is easier for female detectives than male detectives.”

Contestants should mail their application to contest@harper collins-india.com.

The contest helps the reader get a first hand experience of ways in which this rapidly growing industry works.

The last date for sending your application is August 31 and the results will be out by September 5. The winner of this All-India detective contest will get training from the best detective at Indian detective agency.

“The Paris Enigma” is a huge bestseller in Spanish and is the winner of the Casa de America Prize for best novel.

It’s translated by Martha Lethem, sister of bestselling author Jonathan Letham.

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The Hindu : y>

McLaren automotive, which until now was a part of the McLaren Group, is slated to become an independent company later this year.

It will develop and build a range of McLaren sports cars, building on the success of the McLaren F1 and Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.

The new McLaren F1 is in the pipeline, but crucially for McLaren is a more everyday supercar — the P11.

The P11 will also have further variants, including a hardcore P13, which would likely rival the 430 Scuderia.

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The Hindu :

Despite the recession, students want to be entrepreneurssays Kapil Singhi, the author of Insfire to Win

Photo: Sampath Kumar g.p.YOUNG GUIDE Kapil Singhi’s book is different from self-help management books

Kapil Singhi is a young management graduate and the managing director of Brain Work Consulting India, a training and development company.

The 25-year-old has recently launched his book, “Insfire To Win”, a book Kapil says is, “A collection of insights, experience, and common sense that hopes to provide a recipe for success.” He adds, “It is like a guidebook on the factors that help in creating an entrepreneur.”

Kapil says, “It is an attempt to ensure that youngsters are able to realise their true potential and embark on a successful journey in life, both on the professional and personal fronts. It provides a host of strategies that will help you set up businesses and help make money in the effort.”

He says, “The recession has impacted the bigger companies a great deal. The medium level and smaller companies have managed to survive, though they are facing the heat to some extent.”

“In business schools across the country, most students are still very interested in taking up entrepreneurship projects, due to the challenges it offers. There is a need to employ certain strategies to ensure that you achieve success in your endeavour.”

Kapil says that his book is very different from other self-help management books. “I have made an attempt to look into both the professional and personal characteristics that help shape a successful entrepreneur. I feel that in a fast-changing world, a departure from earlier strategies is needed for becoming successful. The book comprises new strategies and exercises that I hope will help youngsters in choosing a career path that guarantees them success and position.”

Kapil is currently planning to write another book on the same subject in a couple of years. “Insfire To Win”, priced at Rs.195,…More

The Hindu :

Dry skin need not mean dullness. Here’s how to improve it

RIGHT NUTRITIONHave a bowl of salad daily

A dry skin is either oil-or-moisture-dry. The skin care regime should emphasise moisturising and nourishing routines, to protect and revitalise the skin.

Cleansing

Use a rose cleansing cream morning and night. Do not wash your skin even with a mild soap. Milk with a dash of turmeric makes for a good home cleanser.

Toning

Equal quantities of rose water and hazel make for a good toner. In addition to cleansing, it also decongests the skin. Cucumber juice too is an effective toner for dry skin.

Moisturising

For dry skin, it is important to layer moisturisers and conditioners to trap the moisture and oil. Apply a few drops of face oil (made of three drops of sandalwood oil, one tablespoon each of almond oil and castor oil). After five minutes, apply a moisturiser. Discontinue castor oil in summer.

Facial scrub

Make a facial scrub with a tablespoon of fresh cream, one crushed almond and a pinch of oats.

Dampen your face with water, and massage gently. Rinse off with warm water. Apply twice a week.

Facial mask

Mix one tablespoon of milk powder, half a banana, half teaspoon of honey, one drop of sandalwood oil and enough yoghurt to make a paste.

Use once a week. You can also use melons and avocado.

Eat healthy

One must also focus on eating healthy. Have a bowl of salad daily, with a tablespoon of salad oil. Drink eight to ten glasses of water, juice or herb tea every day. Cut down on alcohol and tranquilisers.

Use sun block in summer and lots of moisturisers and creams in winter. Keep a bowl of water or a potted plant in the room to protect your skin from central heating and air conditioning.

BLOSSOM KOCHCHAR

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The Hindu :

Music director Ricky Kej comes out with a music video to express support for the `Save Lalbagh’ campaign

Photo: Bhagya Prakash k.ISSUE-BASED Ricky Kej: ‘We want to motivate people to raise their voice against cutting down trees’

Nanda Road cannot become anotherCMH Road,” says music director Ricky Kej. Overnight, every single tree on the road was cut to give way for the Metro Rail project. “We can’t let this happen. About 400 trees will be chopped in areas surrounding Lalbagh. Most trees are over 100-years-old. We want to constantly motivate people to raise their voice against cutting down of trees,” he adds.

And his tool is music.Ricky with his music videonow joins the team of campaigners,volunteers, environmentsupport groups andorganisations such as HasiruUsiru (who have spearheadedthe entire movement) inraising his voice against axingof trees on Lalbagh. “It isa freedom of expressionthrough music,” adds themusic director.

Destroying the beautifulcanopy of trees on NandaRoad and Lalbagh, which hesays is by far the most beautifulroad in Bangalore, is likedamaging a slice of heritage.Besides the loss of openspaces, a serious threat is theproposed commercialisation.”Most senior citizensfrom the southern circle ofBangalore, including Jayanagarand Banashankari, usethe open area near LaxmanRao Park to relax and unwind.

A lot of youngsters frequentthe place to jog. Withthe Metro project, commercialbuildings will encroachinto these spaces,” he adds.His short music videosends out the message loudand clear – “Metro go underground”.”We are not anti-development,” Rickyinsists. “We want the metroto beat the traffic, but notover ground. In New York,London, Kolkata and Delhi,they choose to go underground.So, why not in Bangalore?”he asks.

The video features Kannadaactors Kiran and Kitty.Avinash Chebbi who hassung in Ramesh Aravind’s”Venkata In Sankata” haswritten the lyrics and is alsothe singer. Muddu Krishna,former director of Cultureand Kannada Departmentand the popular sports commentatorCharu Sharma,talk about the danger that isset to engulf the city with thefelling of trees.

The objective is to garnermore support, create awarenessand encourage youngstersto join the…More