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The Hindu : BAGESHREE.S.

If maths gives you the heebie-jeebies, this book is a treat!

PHOTO: K.BHAGYA PRAKASHAt the release:Rahul Dravid (centre), Anshumani Ruddra and Narayan Parashuram (left)

What is common between love of cricket and the love of mathematics? Plenty, if the story of little Anirudh is anything to go by. Love for cricket

“Crickematics!” the latest audio-book by Karadi Tales, is the story of cricket-crazy Anirudh who has nightmares about mathematics. But eventually, his love for cricket teaches him to love mathematics too, thanks to his coach who trains him to integrate cricket and mathematics. After all, if Anirudh is good at calculating the asking rate in a match in a jiffy, he can extend the same mathematical logic to his exam paper too, right? So Anirudh discovers a new subject: Crickematics!

“Crickematics!” is part of a new series of audio books, which include a book and an audio CD, titled Will You Read With Me? Children can read the book as the CD plays out the story in audio, which is a dramatised narration with music.

This audio-book has been narrated by the cricket legend Rahul Dravid. The story has been written by Anshumani Ruddra. The book has whacky illustrations by M. Kathiravan. The music for the audio CD is by Usha Uthup and Shankar Mahadevan.

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The Hindu :

Bridget Marquardt, who hasn’t travelled much, scours the planet for its mostbeautiful beaches

REFRESHINGly HOneST Bridget Marquardt

“I haven’t done much travelling in my life at all — if you’re seeing these places for the first time, so am I,” says Bridget Marquardt, without any discomfiture.

She’s the host of Discovery Travel & Living’s new show, “Beach Watch”.

“So I decided not to pretend. I’m not this know-it-all host walking around claiming to know everything. I want the viewers to learn about the places and their stories from the locals themselves.”Criss-crossing the globe

Perhaps that’s what makes this refreshingly honest television host so endearing. Venturing outside the Playboy Mansion to discover the most marvellous beaches in the world, Bridget Marquardt criss-crosses the globe — to places such as Australia, Croatia, Jamaica and Barbados.

During her rigorous seven-month shooting schedule, she would visit more than 70 beaches, sample the cuisine, learn the language, experiment with the local apparel, and try her hand at the local sports.

Bridget earned her Master’s Degree in Communications from California, but life led her to the world of modelling, and to no less than Hugh Heffner’s Playboy Mansion.

“But I’ve always wanted to host my own show,” she says. “And imagine being offered a chance to travel to the most spectacular beaches in the world, as part of work!”

The seven months saw her do everything from diving with sharks in Hawaii, to cuddling Koalas in Australia.

“In fact, there were a lot of things I had to do that were dangerous, but I turned nothing down,” she asserts. “But there’s one thing I can’t stress enough; having travelled so much, I know how polluted most of these places have become. Everywhere we went, locals would tell us how different it was, just a few years ago. For instance, most of Morocco’s shorefronts are completely swamped in plastic.”

She hopes that just seeing the immense beauty…More

The Hindu : y>Teens today have so many gadgets to toy with, that one needs to re-orient them to nature to take off the aggressive edge that technology gives them, feels NANDHINI SUNDAR

Photo: R. RaguGLUED To the wrong choices

Fourteen-year-old Sudhir is engrossed in his play station, playing a virtual game of soccer, oblivious to the persistent rings of the doorbell. His friend, coming over to invite him for a soccer game on an open field is instead persuaded to stay overand join in the video game. Very soon it is two clicking away instead of one.

Parents with teenaged children often find themselves in this common situation. Any efforts to lure them away is met with firm resistance bordering on aggression.

While playing in the open was the major pastime of children earlier, the onset of computers and hi-tech gadgets has taken away their desire to go out in the open and mingle with nature.

Video games and the Internet have become irresistible, robbing them not only of the desire to indulge in healthy physical activity but also the time. Outdoor activities and nature are experienced in a simulated form, either through computers or the television.Head outdoors

Research shows that the strongest indicator of a child’s physical fitness is the extent of time spent outdoors. Children need at least one hour of vigorous physical activity, which is best achieved through unstructured outdoor playtime.

Says Dr. Vijayamalathi: “Interaction with nature, besides having a calming influence on children, reduces negative behaviour, by making them less impulsive and more caring. Being outdoors also gives them an opportunity to care for and nurture plants, birds and animals, lending a different dimension to their perception of life.”

According to her, the present school curriculum too is not structured to investigate and learn; instead it is teacher-directed lessons and testing. “Children experience increasingly timed and structured family lifestyles, which lay less emphasis on unstructured time…More

The Hindu : y>

Dogs have the capacity to save lives by donating blood to other dogs. When a dog is in urgent need of a transfusion, dog blood donors are hard to come by. If your dog is healthy and if female, has not recently littered, a blood donation could win another pet’s battle for life. “ Donors are screened for fitness and to rule out any pre-existing condition that would put them at risk. A healthy donor can safely donate 10-20 ml / kg body weight of whole blood every three to four weeks if necessary,” says Dr. Afzal Mohamed, senior veterinarian at The Ark clinic. Vinita Nayar, whose dogs Popcorn and Hot Dog are donors, says: “The first time they gave blood, I was worried, but they were sedated and there were no side effects. I sincerely believe that pet owners should come forward in an emergency. .”To save two lives at one go, put your dog on the donor list atpetpalsbangalore@gmail.com after getting the green signal from your vet.

BOW WOW

“If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went.”

Will Rogers

“Cats are love on four legs.”

Richard Torregrossa

TAKE ME HOME

Puddle is a handsome, healthy affectionate chap who is looking forward to being adopted by a nice family. Call 97423-22280These sweet puppies are with their foster parents after their mother was run over by a car when they were a few days old. Give them a home, call 97423-22280.

These sweet puppies arewith their foster parents aftertheir mother was runover by a car when theywere a few days old. Givethem a home, call 97423-22280.

Hero of the week

Aparna Bhatt nominates Poornima Desai as hero of the week. “Poornima is an animal activist who has been instrumental in saving a number of dogs’ lives. She takes tuition classes and her earnings go towards…More

The Hindu :

Why do men miss out on the silent signals that women send out

PHOTO: k.r. deepakDAUNTING TASK Getting to know what the woman says and means

Men and women may speak the same language, but there is always a sub-text or some hidden signals that may escape the guys. Not to forget the body language and other cues. And, because of this, women, at times, end up being a little too tactful for men. Says marine engineer T.K. Ramachandran: “We find it difficult to read the hidden signals in a woman’s communication,” and jokes “that’s because we are dumb”.Antenna up!

He continues: “We are slower in picking up hidden signals — body language, for instance. We don’t really go looking for them, and unless the signals are loud and clear, we may miss it altogether. Women, in contrast, are good at such things because they keep their antenna up most of the time. Their perception is also multi-dimensional.”

S. Harish a young entrepreneur, says: “Given men’s inability to interpret non-verbal cues the way women can, what is communicated is sometimes lost.”

In a ‘couple situation’, the man is alwaysin a dilemma trying to figure out when he should provide reassurance (it could be perceived as trying too hard to impress) and when he should just lend quiet support. But, some men have all the luck —women who don’t mince their words and say what they have to say directly.Take, for instance, Anil Menon, a consultant: “My wife doesn’t beat around the bush. If she doesn’t like me drinking, shetells me on my face, or tells my mother to ask me to stop drinking.” But, there are a few problem areas such as shopping. “My wife complains that I sometimes overdo things. For instance, if we were looking at buying a car, and a basic model is what she would have wanted, I would have…More

The Hindu : y>Talk to children, irrespective of their age

Photo: APTHEY UNDERSTAND Communication begins as soon as a baby is born

I recently stopped to congratulate a young mother pushing her toddler in a stroller. The woman had been talking to her barely verbal daughter all the way up the block, pointing out things they had passed, asking questions like, “What colour arethose flowers?” and talking about what they would do when they got to the park.

This is a rare occurrenceAll too often, the mothers and nannies I see are tuned in to their cell phones, BlackBerrys and iPods, not their young children.

I am not the only one alarmed by modern parental behaviour. Randi Jacoby, a speech and language specialist in New York, recently told me in an e-mail message: “Parents have stopped having good communications with their young children, causing them to lose out on the eye contact, facial expression and overall feedback that is essential for early communication development. Young children require time and one-on-one feedback as they struggle to formulate utterances in order to build their language and cognitive skills. The most basic skills are not being taught by example, and society is falling prey to the quick response that our computer generation has become accustomed to. Parents need to be reminded of the significance of their communicative model.”Not all parents, of course, are routinely tuning out their young children. Two of my female friends in their 30s who have toddlers talk to them incessantly.

Communication begins as soon as a baby is born. The way you touch, hold, look at and talk to babies help them learn your language, and the different ways babies cry help you learn their language. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association urges parents to reinforce communication efforts by looking at the baby and imitating vocalisations, laughter and facial expressions. I remember my niece at three months paying rapt attention…More

The Hindu : y>N.S.Raghavan laments the fact that virtual devices have rendered writing by hand redundant

There was a time, before the arrival of the Internet revolution when a lot of stress was laid on the need for children to learn the art of good and legible handwriting.

Whatever the academic merit of the student, full cognisance was given only if the student had a beautiful handwriting.

In fact, children with better handwriting were praised lavishly and on certain occasions, the written material was pressed close to the eyes as a mark of reverence.

Many a joke was cracked about the handwritings of doctors — examples of bad handwriting.

Good handwriting requires considerable patience and a great deal of thinking as well. Perhaps that was the reason why literary masterpieces of Willam Shakespeare, Milton and Alexander Dumas were all products of handwritten genius.

Could these works be compared to the blockbusters of the typeset world such as Harry Potter and The Da Vinci Code?

Many symbols of an earlier era such as the type writer, the longhand, shorthand are on the verge of disappearing.

This seems to be a heavy price to pay for technological growth. Will the growth of technology also render the use of the thumb and other such parts of the human body redundant in the long run?

The almighty has provided us with the tools to write using a pen or pencil. We should utilise them judiciously.

Do you have anything to say? About the state of the world, the city, your angst? Pen it stylishly and you might get it published.

And dash off your piece with your photograph. Email it tobangmetro@gmail.com or post it to MetroPlus, The Hindu, 19 & 21, Bhagwan Mahaveer Road (Infantry Road), Bangalore 1.

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The Hindu :

Suparn Verma says one shouldn’t pre-judge a film

TURNAROUND Suparn Verma says his actors are in surprisingly new roles

There are seven ‘khatron ke khiladi’ trapped in an “Acid Factory”. Two in the group are against the rest of the team members but the group is clueless about these mysterious two. Sounds like a plot of a Hollywood movie?

“No,” retorts director Suparn Verma and adds, “The audience has to first watch ‘Acid Factory’ before they feel they are reminded of a Hollywood thriller.”

“More than anything, the audience has to at least appreciate the effort put in by the actors. Nobody’s perfect so there may be a few scenes which are not well made but one has to comment about the whole experience of watching the movie.”

“Acid Factory”, Suparn’s second film as a director, is hitting theatres on October 9 and stars Danny Denzongpa, Manoj Bajpai, Irrfan Khan, Aftab Shivdasani and Dia Mirza.

The movie, an action thriller, has been in the news for some time, thanks to striking action sequences. “The idea was to put actors in new characters. So, we have a legend like Danny doing something new and Aftab and Fardeen playing intense roles. Dia Mirza has always been portrayed as a delicate actress. Here she will surprise the audience with her action. The shooting was fun as we all love extreme sports,” says Suparn.

“I think all the doctors will thank me as they will have more work after ‘Acid Factory”s release. The weak hearts will make a beeline to doctors after watching the movie.” Suparn, who is also into writing and making ad films, had earlier directed “Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena” starring Fardeen Khan and Koena Mitra in 2005.

NEERAJA MURTHY

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The Hindu :

This fortnight at indiaplaza.in

Alien 3 (1992)

Cast: Sigourney Weaver, Charles Dance, Paul McGann, Brian Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Lance Henriksen

Director: David Fincher

Screenwriter: David Glier, Walter Hill, Larry Ferguson

Composer: Elliot Goldenthal

Cinematographer: Alex Thomson

David Fincher had a tough act to follow in his feature film debut, “Alien 3”. In 1979, Ridley Scott introduced the world to the remorseless creature with acid for blood who makes a spectacular entry bursting through unfortunate victim’s stomach in “Alien”. Sgt Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) is the sole survivor of the doomed space ship Nostromo. The film, essentially a haunted house story in space, was terrifying.

James Cameron’s follow up, “Aliens” (1986) is that rare breed of movie — the successful sequel. Fifty years after the events of “Alien”, Ripley is woken up from hypersleep to check out the alien planet LV-426. She arrives with a bunch of tough space marines to the planet only to realise that the alien has killed the colonisers except for a terrified little girl Newt.

The film was an unrelenting nightmare, peppered with stunning action sequences tempered by the emotional bond between Ripley and Newt. “Alien 3” picks up almost immediately after the events in “Aliens”, which ended with Ripley, Newt, Hicks and the android Bishop escaping LV-426 on a spaceship. The space ship crashes on a desolate planet, Fiorina 161. Newt and Hicks are dead, Bishop is smashed to bits. Only Ripley and an alien survive the crash.

When she wakes up from hypersleep, she realises she is on a decommissioned prison planet. Twenty-five prisoners, a medical officer, Clemens, and a couple of warders make up the people on Fiorina. The prisoners, all lifers, have found god and under the stewardship of Dillon wait out their time in a kind of evangelical trance.

When horrible things happen to an ox and the prisoners begin to get sliced and diced, Ripley realises the alien…More

The Hindu : y>

Fitted to a tee For that casual look

Hasbro Clothing, a Chennai-based apparel brand, has launched three clothing lines; ranging from formals to casuals — Basics 029, Genesis and Probase. The range comprises trousers, shirts, denims, suits and funky thematic t-shirts in the latestfabrics etc.

Basics 029 is a casual wear brand and comprises a range of shirts to t-shirts, jeans and cargos, caps, belts, jackets, track pants etc. The Genesis collection comprises formals and offers classic formal wear with an Italian touch. Probase is targeted at the youth and offers urban, colourful, street wear – from shirts, trousers, cargos, t-shirts. The ranges and collection are available at leading stores across the country.

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