Zabarwan Times E-Paper English 18 November

Srinagar, November 17:

In a major blow to the cricketing activities in the state, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has blocked over Rs 60 crore due to the Jammu Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) as no accounts have been submitted to the BCCI for the past many years. The BCCI is also reportedly miffed with the JKCA as no headway has been made in the multi crore JKCA scam.Reliable Sources told KNS that BCCI used to provide over 25-crore annually to the JKCA. Every year, there would be an increment of cou-ple of crores to cover for inflation. The money is given by BCCI to all state associations for building quality infrastructure to

support the game.However, several major cricket activities of the state according to sourc-es have been halted due to blockade of funds by BCCI to the JKCA.Sources said the BCCI stopped the funds in the backdrop of a major scam that unearthed in JKCA last year. They said the JKCA has failed to give audit to BCCI about the spending of funds over these years.“The BCCI was unhappy over the pending in-quiry of JKCA over the multi-crore scam of 2012. Even though two years have passed, but nobody knows the fate of the in-quiry,” sources said.He said no charge sheet has been filed yet, this despite the fact the FIR in the scam was registered last year. Officials said

many sports activities have been suspended since last year due to paucity of funds.In the early 2012, a multi-crore scam was unearthed in JKCA, in which two senior offi-cials of the Association were sacked for “swin-dling” crores of rupees of JKCA, which were meant for development of cricket in the state.Both these senior of-ficials were considered close confidantes of JKCA President and Union Minister Dr Fa-rooq Abdullah. After the scam came to fore, the PDP had also demanded Dr Farooq’s resignation.In March 2012, former Chairman JKCA Mo-hammad Aslam Goni was accused by the 62 JKCA working

See BCCI on Pg. 7

Shopian, November 17:

Disclosing hidden contact be-tween PDP patron Mufti Mo-hammad Sayeed and Narendra Modi to seek power in J&K, Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah Sunday said that hunting with hound and running with hare and deceiving people by duplic-ity has been the trait of PDP.“Hidden meetings of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed with the close associates of Lal Krishna Advani and his close contact with Narendra Modi has come to fore exposing the ideology of PDP”, Omar said adding that PDP wants to sail in two boats to seek power but their boat will sink due to the weight of its own falsehood. He said National Con-ference association with UPA is firm and will continue in future.The Chief Minister said that the hidden league between BJP, PDP and Panthers Party was also exposed earlier when they forged alliance during various elections of MLCs in the state.Addressing a mammoth public

gathering at Kellar after inaugu-rating Rs. 5.50 crore Sub-District Hospital, the Chief Minister said that PDP since its inception has been power hungry and astray-ing people on one or the other issue to realize their target of grabbing power.“I have no personal enmity with the leadership of this party nor I am against their persons but my difference with this party leadership is on principals and on political issues”, Omar said maintaining that he would not ask the people to give him 40 as-sembly seats like Mufti Sayeed said, to resolve Kashmir issue within one year. He said dur-ing 2008 assembly elections he

fought the election on develop-ment issues and categorically told the people that wining of elections by his party has noth-ing to do with the resolution of vexed Kashmir issue which is of political nature and requires composite and sustained dia-logue between India and Paki-stan to get addressed in a peace-ful and amicable atmosphere.“I am time and again advocat-ing for resolution of all political issues confronting Jammu and Kashmir in a process of dia-logue so that peace and tranquil-lity rules the roost in the state and in the sub-continent”, the Chief Minister said and added that the youth of Jammu and

Kashmir had not taken up the guns in their hands for seeking construction of roads, bridges, hospitals and other works but they did it for political reasons aimed at political purposes. He said Kashmir issue is the politi-cal one and requires addressing politically in a non-violent and peaceful process.The Chief Minister asked the Separatists to be involved in the dialogue process for amicable resolution of political issues. “When you have observed and witnessed that gun has only brought destruction, miseries and economic disaster to the state without any results as such

See Omar on Pg. 7

Srinagar, Nov 7:

Expressing serious concern over some re-cent statements of the senior separatist Syed Ali Geelani, National Conference senior leader Ali Moham-mad Sagar said that Geelani must desist from is-suing any state-ments that could disrupt law and order in Jammu and Kashmir.“Either he w a n t s h i m s e l f to remain u n d e r house ar-rest and that is why he issues bizarre statements which could endanger peace or there is some-thing else in his mind,”

said Sagar, adding that was unfortunate that some statements were issued from Geelani’s desk that have disrupt-ed the law and order.Talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS),

Sagar said that the in the present times everyone in the state is ask-ing for the resto-ration of peace and during this time, the state-

ments that are ‘an-tagonistic’ to peace must be a v o i d e d . “Separat-ists as well as

the mainstream par-ties here strive so that peace could prevail in valley and no one

See Sagar on Pg. 7

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

CMYK

MONDAY November 18 | 2013 | 13 Muharram 1435 AH | PAGES 08 | VOL NO: 3 | ISSUE NO: 291 | RS: 2/- (AIR SURCHARGE FOR JAMMU /DELHI/LEH 50 PAISA)Pen For JusticeLargely Circulated, No. 1 Bilingual Daily of J&K

Sensational disclosures of alleged Mufti-Modi nexus by Omar

http://www.zabarwantimes.com

WEATHER

TEMPERATUREMAXIMUM MINIMUMSUNSET ON(MONDAY)SUNRISE ON (TUESDAY)

05:27 pm07:08 am

-1.6 0C16.8 0C

FORECAST FOR NEXT 24 HRS:

FORECAST OF SRINAGAR:

Weather will be mainly dry over the state.

Mainly clear sky. Maximum & Minimum temperatures will be around 15°C & -3°C respectively.

Geelani must desist from disrupting law and

order: Sagar

7 5

Sudden BP drop ups heart failure risk

Delhi is a city of migrants

Tendulkar is Maradona of cricket

4

BCCI blocked over 60 crore to JKCA

Srinagar, November 17:

Coming down heavily on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his state-ment that the hidden meetings of Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) Mufti Mohammad Say-eed with the close associ-ates of L K Advani and his close contact with Narendra Modi has come to fore exposing the ide-ology of PDP, the party today termed Omar’s statement the old story of ‘the pot calling the kettle black’.PDP chief spokesman Naeem Akhtar while reacting to Omar’s state-ment, termed it is ‘ironi-cal’ that National Con-ference (NC) is accusing PDP of aligning with BJP when NC has aligned with everybody in Delhi during the past. “They have aligned with Con-gress, Third front, BJP and for them (NC) sup-porting Modi is no big

deal.” He further stated that NC can change part-ners like people change their clothes.Akhtar further stated that Omar Abdullah has been grown in the lap of RSS and has served as its ‘poster boy’ in the past. “Omar served as a Min-ster in NDA. The NC got 60 assembly seats in the state in 1996 on the prom-ise of restoration of au-tonomy, Farroq Abdul-lah took 60 assembly members and 4 parlia-ment members and put them into the lap of BJP just for getting his son a junior minister’s job.”Akhtar while talking to Kashmir News Service (KNS), said that the in-tentions of PDP would be known only when BJP in Delhi comes to power and that Omar can ac-cuse us. “The principles of BJP and PDP are oppo-site to each other, as BJP wants to abrogate

See PDP on Pg. 7

NC can change partners like people change cloths: PDP

Reiterates resolve to address K-issue politically

Multi crore JKCA scam case

• MinisterforRuralDevelopmentandPanchayatiraj,Mr.AliMohammadSagar,MinisterofStateforTechnicalEducation,PowerandRuralDevelopment,Mr.VikarRasoolattendedandaddressedthemassivegatheringofPanches,sarpanchesandotherparticipants.• WhilereferringtotheempowermentofthepeopleattheGrassrootlevel,Mr.AliMohammadSagarsaidthatbyputtinginplaceavibrantPanchayatiRajsystem,theparticipationofthePanchsandSarpanchshasbeenensuredinimplementationandformulationofvariouswelfareschemesundertakenforthepeople.Theminsteralsostressedforenhancingthefinancialaccountabilityanddisciplineinimplementationofvariousflagshipprogrammes• Mr.SagarsaidseveralschemeslikeMGNERGA,IAY,IWMP,NBA,UDAAN,UMEEDetchavealsobeenintroduced,whichhaveresultedinelevatingthesocio-economicprofileofthepeoplelivinginruralandfarflungareas,besidesensuringthemuchneededemploymenttothepeopleattheirdoorsteps• TheMinisterofStateforRDD,Mr.VikarRasoolwhilespeakingontheoccasiontermedtheholdingofPanchayatiRajelectionsaswatershedinthehistoryoftheStateandtermeditasaremark-ableachievementofthecoalitiongovernment.HesaidthatPanchsandsarpancheshavebeenadequate-lyempoweredandareinvolvedinPlanning,ImplementationandMonitoringprocessofthevariousdevelopmentalprogrammestherebyinvolvingthemindaytodaygovernance.• MemberParliamentAnantnag,Dr.MehboobBeig,MLCsMr.AbdulMajidBhat,Dr.BashirAhmadVeeri,DirectorRuralDevelopmentKashmir,MirAltafAhmad,DistrictDevelopmentCommis-sioner,Anantnag,Dr.FarooqAhmadLone,Ex-legislatorMr.AltafAhmadKaloo,AdditionalDistrictDevelopmentCommissioner,Anantnag,Mr.BashirAhmadKhanandotherseniorofficersofthedis-trictwerepresentontheoccasion

Issued by the Directorate of Rural Development & PR, Anantnag

One day Panchayat Sameelan cum Orientation programme regarding Flagship programmes held at Dak

Bungalow, Anantnag

Srinagar, November 17:

“Talking peace, stability, progress and prosperity of subcontinent without solving Jammu Kashmir is like daydreaming. Jam-mu Kashmir is a human problem and issue related to millions of humans and should be resolved in accordance with the human and civilized at-titude,” this was stated by the chairman of JKLF Mohammad Yasin Malik while addressing a mam-moth gathering at Water-gam Rafiabad today. For attending the public meeting, Malik and other JKLF leaders reached Beh-rampora where they were greeted and welcomed by thousands of men, women, children, youth and elders. women folk welcomed

See Malik on Pg. 7

Talking peace without settling

Kashmir is day dreaming: Malik

1 dies, 5 injured in road mishaps Srinagar, November 17: One person died and five others were injured in different road accidents across the valley.A Scooty bearing registration number JK01U/3374 meet with an accident near SKICC, in the jurisdiction of police station Nishat, resulting in critical injuries to the scooterist Abid Rafeeq Sodagar son of Moham-mad Rafiq and Amir Sajad son of Sajad Ahmad Sodagar resi-dents of Dhobighat Hazratbal. Both the injured were shifted to SMHS, Srinagar where Abid Rafiq succumbed to his injuries. Nishat Police has registered a case in this regard.Meanwhile, a Tavera bear-ing registration number JK01F/6915 turned turtle at Saasyar, in the jurisdiction of police station Chadoora, resulting in injuries to driver of the vehicle Irshad Ahmad Bhat son of Abdul Rashid Bhat resident of Surasyar Chadoora and a passenger Abdul Gani son of Ghulam Mohammad resident of Surasyar Chadoora. Both the injured were shifted to SKIMS Soura Srinagar. Chadoora police has registered a case in this regard.

See Mishaps on Pg. 7

HCBA teams visit Jammu jails Srinagar, November 17: Nine member team of Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar As-sociation (JKHCBA) Srinagar today visited various jails of Jammu province including Rajouri and Poonch .The statement issued to Kash-mir News Service (KNS) men-tioned that the team comprised of Aijaz Bedar, Vice President, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat Gen-eral Secretary, Anwar-ul-Islam Shaheen, Joint Secretary, Bilal Ahmad Wani, Treasurer, Rafiq Ahmad Joo, Advocate, Arshad Andrabi, Advocate, Tufail Qa-dri, Advocate Shabir Ahmad Bhat, Advocate and Mudasir Gulzar Advocate interacted with the inmates of Rajouri, Poonch, Kathua, Hira Nagar Amphalla, Kotebalwal and Udhampur.According to the issued handout , the team is going to publish the report of jails

See HCBA on Pg. 7

Santro stolen in broad day lightSrinagar, November 17: Belying tall claims of police to have enforced writ against the car-lifters in the City, a vehicle of Jammu and Kashmir Bank Manager was stolen in Sanat Nagar area of Srinagar.A Sentro car bearing registra-tion no JKOIK/6036 belonging to Muhammad Muzaffar Khan son of Ghulam Muhammad resident of Gulshan Nagar Nowgam Bypass was stolen outside Sanatnagar ATM.“I had parked my vehicle outside ATM. As I came out from the ATM, my vehicle was nowhere,” Khan told CNS.An FIR 217/2013 has been registered in Police Station Saddar. People of the area

See Santro on Pg. 7

HEALTH AND FITNESS

ZABARWAN TIMES Tuesday 29 October 2013

9 Attitudes towards a happy ‘You’The key to happiness is to do the same things you do everyday but with a slight-ly different approach. Start bringing those changes in your attitude towards life and you'll see how simple it is to be happy!Life Coach Ramon Llamba shares nine significant at-titudes that help you be-come happier in life.

GratitudeAppreciate what you have and value it. Try count-ing your positives and be grateful for all the good things and people in your life. Stop complaining and be thankful for what you already have and you'll soon start feeling happy.

OptimismTreat failure as an oppor-tunity to learn a new and better lesson from life, and that's the trick to manufacture optimism in life. Never give up try-ing because that's an in-dication that something better is in store. Once you start harbouring an optimistic attitude to-wards life, success will automatically follow.Avoid comparisonNothing is as awful as comparing yourself to someone else. If you think you're better that the other person,

you're letting yourself regale in an unhealthy sense of superiority. If you demean yourself in front of others, it means all your hard work and progress has been in vain. While social com-parisons are unhealthy, self-improvement is ef-fective.

KindnessThere's a scientific rea-son behind every act of kindness that you do. Helping someone self-lessly releases serotonin in your brain (Serotonin is the hormone that con-trols your mood) and hence makes you feel good about yourself al-most instantly. Try do-ing one act of kindness everyday to flush out the toxins of depression from your system.

Nurture relation-

shipsRelationships keep us alive and kicking. In fact, ac-cording to research studies loneliness doubles people's mortality rates. A circle of good friends, loving fam-ily members and cheerful colleagues are a reminder that you have people who care about you. There's

nothing like having some-one who you can share your experiences with. So nurture these relation-ships and say goodbye to a lonesome existence.

ForgiveHatred is a negative feel-ing and harbouring it will have nothing but negative effects on your well-being. Stop thinking about the hateful emotion/person and let it go. Forgive if needed, take things lightly and let it not affect your system.

Commit to

your goalsIf you have a goal, work towards it. Anything is achievable if you put your heart into it. Wholehearted dedication and diligence can bring extraordinary re-sults and consequentially add to your happiness.

Spiritual-ity

Spirituality teaches us that life is bigger than us and it helps us connect to the larg-er meanings of life. Practice spirituality to understand the source of all creation

and feel connected to ev-erything that exists in this world.

Care for your body

Love yourself and love your body! Your physi-cal condition has a direct connection with your well-being. A fit body and healthy mind is reflective of happiness. Start work-ing towards the health of your physical, men-tal and emotional en-ergy by caring for your body.

Spirituality boosts mental health

Despite differences in ritu-als and beliefs among the world's major religions, spirituality often enhances individuals' health, ac-cording to University of Missouri researchers. The MU researchers be-lieve that health care pro-viders could take advan-tage of this correlation between health - particu-larly mental health - and spirituality by tailoring treatments and rehabilita-tion programs to accom-modate an individual's spiritual inclinations. "In many ways, the re-sults of our study support the idea that spirituality functions as a personality trait," said Dan Cohen, as-sistant teaching professor of religious studies at MU and one of the co-authors of the study. "With in-creased spirituality people reduce their sense of self and feel a greater sense of oneness and connected-ness with the rest of the universe. What was inter-esting was that frequency of participation in reli-gious activities or the per-ceived degree of congre-gational support was not found to be significant in the relationships between personality, spirituality,

religion and health," Co-hen added. The MU study used the results of three surveys to determine if correlations existed among partici-pants' self-reported men-tal and physical health, personality factors, and spirituality in Buddhists, Muslims, Jews, Catholics and Protestants. Across all five faiths, a greater degree of spirituality was related to better mental health, specifically lower levels of neuroticism and greater extraversion. Forgiveness was the only spiritual trait predictive of mental health after personality variables were considered. "Our prior research shows that the mental health of people recovering from different medical conditions, such

as cancer, stroke, spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury, appears to be related significantly to positive spiritual beliefs and especially congregational support and spiritual in-terventions," said Cohen. "Spiritual beliefs may be a coping device to help in-dividuals deal emotionally with stress," he added. Cohen believes spirituality may help people's mental health by reducing their self-centeredness and de-veloping their sense of be-longing to a larger whole. As the authors note, spiri-tual interventions such as religious-based counseling, meditation, and forgiveness protocols may enhance spiritually-based beliefs, practices, and coping strategies in positive ways.

Are weight loss pills a fact or a myth? Can you really lose weight with a pill? The US FDA recently approved a drug Lorcaserin, a drug that helps you lose weight. To clear doubts about this 'magical' pill we spoke to Dr. Verinder Anand, Consulting doctor in Internal Medicine from Moolchand Medcity. He sheds light on the weight loss pill and strips bare the ugly truth. Why would In-dians fall prey to this drug? "Obesity is a growing prob-lem in India and other developing countries and is largely the result of a chronically improper diet and lack of physical activ-ity. Obesity is an outcome of sedentary lifestyle and westernization of our so-ciety. Over-eating junk food and lack of physi-cal exercise result in high body mass index (BMI)." Will this drug work for an Indian body? "Vis-a-vis to western countries where junk food is cheaper, in In-dia, the population, mostly the upper strata of society,

in metropolitan cities are getting afflicted because there is a lack of exercise, there is a tendency to eat more junk food and so they are putting on more weight and becoming obese. Yes, these drugs have positive impacts on Indians for a small period of time only." How does this drug work? What is the effect on the body? "Most of these drugs sup-press appetite by activat-ing the brain receptors for a neurotransmitter called serotonin, which triggers feelings of satiety and satis-faction. This drug raises the energy levels and suppresses the appetite and pushes the body to burn more calories. But continuing weight loss medicine in long term is un-healthy and ineffective." Is this drug another marketing gimmick? It has been proved to be effective. A trial period of 12 weeks is suggested. In this duration there should be a minimum 5 percent weight loss. Can we expect drastic weight

loss with this drug? No, these weight-loss drugs will shed about 2-3 kilos per year. Expert views on Weight loss drugs These medicines are avoidable and should not be con-sumed by just anyone. Only those who are obese and suffering from condi-tions related to this should take prescribed ones, which doctors term "life-style medications" rather than "diet pills". These medicines are prescribed only to those people with

a BMI (body-mass in-dex) over 27, as part of a broader weight-loss re-gime that involves other medications such as di-uretics and a calorie-restricted diet and exer-cise. Dr. Verinder Anand sums up HMU's belief, exercise plus right diet equals weight loss, "In a nutshell, there is no oth-er effective and health-ier alternative to lose the extra flab apart from good eating habits and regular exercise."

Next time, delay that appointment at the wellness centre for chemicals or danger-ous injectables that aim to turn back the clock. The latest technique to get rid of your wrinkles is simple and non-inva-sive and well, you can pull faces while doing it. Called face yoga, the set of facial exercises has caught the fancy of Holly-wood celebrities such as Gwyneth Pal-trow and Jennifer Aniston, who are said to be advocates of it. Here's how you can get glowing with pulling a few faces...

Its benefitsLike regular yoga, the moves in face yoga also have unique names. Want to try The Marilyn, Bumblebee or Lion — all expressions intended to turn back the ageing clock and and reduce wrinkles. Experts state that face yoga not only reju-venates the face, but simultaneously helps in putting back that glow. Explains yoga trainer Yogesh Chavan, "The face mus-cles are not different from the muscles of the rest of the body. Thus, if they are not exercised, they become flabby. Face yoga, which allows for oxygen to rush to the face, is extremely rejuvenating and acts as a beauty booster. It en-tails toning one's facial muscles by smiling, stretching the eyebrows out-wards, twisting your lips or moving the cheeks from side to side, stretch-ing out your tongue and even making

the mouth into the shape of blowing a kiss. One can do this every morning or even while travelling."How it has helped peopleFace yoga aims to tighten facial mus-

cles and aid blood circulation. Rajiv Ananth, an advertising executive, who regularly practises this yoga in the morning, is gung-ho about it. "Due to long work hours I had developed a puffi-ness around the eyes. But I tried face yoga and found it to be beneficial. After just a week of exercises such as Kapalb-hatti and deep breathing techniques, I found that my dark circles had greatly reduced," he informs.According to busi-nesswoman Nisha Shrimant, what really attracted her to facial yoga in the past was the fact that she could do

it anywhere. Says she, "With my sched-ule I travel a lot on work and so I can't get onto a treadmill or spend time on a yoga mat. I realised facial yoga could be done on the go and after my yoga teach-

er taught me a few exercises I loved it," she admits, adding, "Now, when I also feel my face tightening due to stress I take a break and go into a wash-room or a quiet corridor and do facial contortions. It's funny to someone who sees me, but it really works; my face relaxes almost imme-diately," she adds.Practise these ex-

ercises today!While Chavan states that

yogasanas like Simhasan (lion pose) and Vyaghrasan (tiger pose) are apt to fit into facial yoga, holistic health guru Mickey Mehta also presents easy face exercises to do at any time. "Chewing is a good exercise, as well as blowing (like blowing a balloon), sucking in one's cheeks holding it for seven to eight seconds and releas-ing it, frowning, then relaxing then a repeat of this also helps. In addi-tion, try smiling, laughing and most important, 'still the face' for a few minutes each day. W

Stressed and unfit, with no time for the gym? A towel and sock can save you from fatLong work hours keeping you from a fitness regime? While nothing can sub-stitute the recommended hour of daily exercise needed to stay slim, fitting fitness activities in your daily routine isn't as tough as you'd imagine. Take the stairs, instead of the lift; Use your chair as support for leg lifts; and lift water bottles as weights to tone your arm muscles.That much, you already know. But what of com-mon household objects that can yield results to ri-val barbells and resistance machines? Read on.

Build your musclesBooks:

The next time you're reading a tome, put it to another use. Bal-ance it on your stomach to increase the load on your abs while perform-ing stomach crunches. To turn the heat on

your lower abs, lie flat on your back with your arms extended above you, holding a heavy book. Use only your stomach muscles to propel the movement as you lift your shoulders straight off the ground, keeping the rest of your body flat. Here's an-other exercise: Sit on a chair with your legs to-gether and extended in front of you, with your feet eight inches above the ground. Balance the book on your shins as you slowly lift your legs up, while keeping them extended. Lower the legs and repeat. Fill a satchel with books. Lift it bending only your elbows, and voila, you have for yourself a for-midable » dumbbell.De-stress your nerves

Tennis balls- Who doesn't want a genie to massage their feet after a particularly trying day? Believe it or not, a tennis ball is a wonderful substi-

tute. While sit-ting, slide a ten-nis ball under your foot. Keep rolling it back and forth, as it massages your heel. Start with less pressure and progress to rolling the ball under your foot while stand-ing. If it hurts, it means your nerve endings are not relaxed. Switch to the other foot after five minutes. Load four tennis balls into an old legging, or a much-washed sock. Tie the end and roll this makeshift massager on your back (as you would a towel after a shower) for a soothing back rub. A ten-nis ball can also help tone your muscles. Hold one between your knees while sitting on the edge of a chair. Squeeze your legs together to work out your inner thighs.

Bathing towels It might seem like an ex-aggeration, but a well-devised strength train-ing routine featuring the humble towel can have you sweating bul-lets in no time. With nothing but a towel, you can break into a slew of effective exercises like resistance repetitions, where you use your own strength to build and tone arm, chest, shoulder, thigh and leg muscles.

If you have been meaning to buy a resistance band, but haven't got around to doing it, pick up your towel and start with a simple squat. Stretch the towel like a bar over your head and push your weight down. This helps strengthen your arms along with your thighs. Arm extensions and a single leg squat with the towel held under the other foot are other instances of strength training with a bathroom necessity.

7 Postures to avoid when exercising

If you often wonder about why you suffer frequent in-juries at the gym, it's time to take a long, hard look at your workout form.While exercising, method and posture play an im-portant role. We give you an insight on why poor form is to blame for your aches and pains.Stop jerking: Stop jerk-ing your weights and your body, it will only cause in-jury and it will have no ef-fect on the muscles. Take a cue from James Bond; being smooth gets the best outcome. Smooth weight training will surely get you the much needed muscles. When you twist and jerk your body while lifting weights, you open your-self up to a world of inju-ries like joint pain, muscle pulls, even fractures.Slow movements: You don't want to workout in a jiffy, it defeats the purpose. Muscle fibers need slow yet smooth movement to

build size and strength. If you workout really quick-ly, all the fibers don't get worked out. Take time and do a proper workout.Pain in the neck: Summertime is the best time to flaunt your six pack abs. But, if you are gung ho about stomach crunches, you need to know one thing. Do not place your hand on your neck as you pull your neck forward. This will cause severe neck pain. In-stead, place your hand on your chest or by your side. If you are accustomed to placing your hands behind your head, then use them only as markers. Do not force your head forward in order to compensate or start the crunching move-ment.Squat right: When it comes to squats, balance and body alignment is im-portant. Do not bend too forward nor go down be-low your knee level. When squatting, arch your back, your abs should be tight,

head up and your body should be in proper align-ment. Do not let your knees cross your toes, and do not lock your knees as you lift yourself.Full range mo-tion: When weight train-ing even if you do easy and few exercises make a note to do full range motions. There are two benefits: your joints are more mo-bile, but more importantly your muscle has a boost of strength when completely extended.Straighten your back for a deadlift: If you arch your back, chances are you will risk a slip disc or hernia. Also keep your head in neutral position, not up or down.Bench press posture: You may think that bench press doesn't have a right posture, but arching your back can induce lower back pain. Here's what you should do; feet should be on the floor, butt on the bench, with slight arch in your lower back and you're good to go.

Monday, 18 November 2013 5HEALTH7Lake City Times

Monday23 - 29 September 2013

WeeklyThursday | july 268 zabarwantimes

sudden BP drop ups heart failure risk

BeauTy TiPs

Tips for a good night’s sleep

5 steps to get a flat tummy in 7 days Pain relievers could be causing high BPYou've been missing your

routine at the gym very often thanks to your busy

schedule (or plain laziness) and suddenly you realize

that in one week you have to attend a wedding.

You want to wear your favourite saree or figure-hugging dress but are wor-

ried about your flabby stomach bulging out. Well, you still have a last option. While you cannot reduce fat, you can lose belly fat by decreasing your total body fat percentage. And you don't have to completely alter your daily habits to get a flat stomach within 7 days!

step one: If you want to build muscle and

burn fat at the same time, you have to perform circuit training, three days per week. How can you achieve this? Indulge in full body exercises like lunges, push-

ups, and pull-ups, for one set of 15 rep-etitions. Don't forget to follow every ex-ercise with one minute of jumping rope. You should be able to burn around 500 to 600 calories per workout.

step two: You have to work on your abdominal

muscles three times in the week. Crunches and leg raises for three sets of 20 repeti-tions should be done. Also, do planks by holding your body in a push-up position on your elbows for 30 to 60 seconds for four sets.

step three: The kind of food you will eat in this

period is vital in bringing about any change. Natural foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grain breads and pastas, chicken, beef, fish and low fat dairy should replace processed foods full of sugar.

Step four: To minimize water retention, lower

your sodium intake. This means you need to avoid salt. You can flavour your food with other herbs and spices instead.

step five: Stressing and anxiety can cause the

over-production of a certain hormone called cortisol, which encourages weight gain about the belly area. So try to keep your cool!

People who suffer from a sudden drop in blood pressure (BP) when they stand up from a lying position, may face greater chances of heart failure. The link between this condition, known as orthostatic hypotension, and heart failure was stronger in people aged 45-55 years compared to those between 56-64 years, research-ers said. High BP, which was present in over half of people who developed heart failure, may be partially responsible for the association, the journal Hy-pertension reports. "Orthostatic hypotension appears to be related to the development of heart failure along with other conditions known to cause heart failure," said Christine DeLong Jones, resident in preventive medicine at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, who led the study. Hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease are already known to contribute to a person's risk of de-veloping heart failure," said Jones, according to a North Carolina state-ment. Over an average 17.5 years of follow-up, researchers looked at the

link between orthostatic hypotension and developing heart failure. They defined orthostatic hypotension as a decrease of 20 points or more in the systolic (top number) or a decrease of 10 or more points in the diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure measurements. The researchers, who

based the definition of heart failure on either hospital admission or death certificate diagnoses, found: About 11 percent who developed heart failure had orthostatic hypotension at the start of the study, compared with only four percent of those who did not de-velop heart failure.

How many hours do you sleep every night? Is your sleep uninterrupted or disturbed? Do you have trouble sleeping immedi-ately? Do you find yourself waking up in the middle of the night for no apparent reason? Several people suffer from bad sleep for different reasons. We give you simple tips that you can follow to get a good night's sleep...Stick to a schedule: Do you sleep and wake up at more or less the same time every-day? If yes, you're doing the right thing. But if you aren't, remember that er-ratic bed times don't allow your body to align to the proper circadian rhythms. Going to bed late or get-ting up later than usual once in a while is fine. Don't make it a habit. Also, try and sleep only at

night. Daytime naps will make it difficult for you to get sleep at night. At the most, limit daytime sleep to 20 minute power naps.Exercising actually helps you get better sleep: Your body uses the sleep pe-riod to recover its muscles and joints that have been worked out. Even half an hour of exercise - in the gym, at home or a brisk walking outside can help you sleep well. Your ex-ercise time should be in the morning, afternoon or early evening. Activity be-fore bedtime may make it tough for you to get sleep.Take a hot bath before you turn in for the night: Hot water helps you sleep better because it can re-lax tense muscles. Never have your meal just before you're going to bed. Eating large meals or spicy food

before bedtime will make it difficult to fall asleep. Keep a gap of at least two hours before you turn in. This allows digestion to happen well before you go to sleep so that your body can rest well during the night.Addicted to caf-feine? Well, at least make sure you don't have it at

night. It will keep you tossing and turning in bed for hours.Read a book be-fore you turn in. Studies show that spending even 15 to 20 minutes read-ing before you go to bed, allows you to sleep well.Keep your windows open. This allows air to circulate in and out of the windows.

Many common over-the-counter and prescription drugs lead to hypertension, which is a major risk factor for stroke, heart attack, and aneurisms, a new study has revealed. According to Prof. Ehud Grossman of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and the Sheba Medical Center, the chemi-cal components of the drugs can raise blood pressure or interfere with anti-hyperten-sive medications. And while many medications can cause this drug-induced hyper-tension, both patients and doctors remain dangerously uninformed. "In diagnosing the causes of hypertension, over-the-counter drugs like ibuprofen are often over-looked," said Prof. Gross-man. Patients often assume that because a medication can be obtained without a prescription, it's relatively

harmless. But that's not al-ways the case. Many of the medications that are linked with a rise in blood pressure are quite widely used, said Prof. Grossman, whose re-search provides an overview of which medications are re-lated to high blood pressure. Examples include contra-ceptive pills, various anti-de-pressants, anti-inflammato-ry pills to control pain and bacterial antibiotics. Though high blood pressure is a known side effect of many of these medications, doc-tors do not always account for them in their treatment plans, and they don't inform patients of the potential risks associated with these medications. It's ultimately the doctor's responsibility to weigh treatment options and present the best course for their patient should issues of hypertension arise.

Skin care is a tricky area. Your skin needs nourish-ment and care if you want it to look radiant and healthy. And with advanc-es in medical science, you can greatly delay the signs of ageing. Here are some skin facts and myths that you should be aware of... - Teens wanting blemish-free skin and fairness with over-the-counter (OTC) products advertised by film stars must identify the need for using these products. Radiant and lustrous hair cannot be achieved using OTC prod-ucts. Consult a dermatol-ogist - use the products they give instead of fancy OTC products whose un-supervised, prolonged us-age can lead to hyper-pig-mentation. - The young woman just out of her teens blessed with good hair and healthy skin needs to pay attention to

what she eats, make sure she gets adequate sleep (seven to eight hours), ex-ercise regularly and avoid taking stress. She must cleanse properly, mois-turise and use an effective sunscreen. - What you put in your mouth is more impor-tant than what you put on your skin! If your core is healthy, it will show on your face. Have a diet rich with Vitamin A and antioxidants, lots of coloured fruits and veg-etables. Regular exercise improves circulation and blood supply, and flushes out toxins. - Bad hair days exist. The weather can wreak havoc on your hair. Dry weather can make your hair frizzy, humidity can make it limp, stress can turn it oily. Products and treatments that don't agree with you will also give you bad hair. So use

only what suits you. - Stress increases cortisol levels and this over-ac-tivity of the oil gland will make one prone to break-outs. Psychological prob-lems can lead to acne. - Most skin problems if identified and treated early can be reversible. - The ageing process de-pends on the genes, but in a woman, it is any time between the mid 20s to late 30s. - If you get ad-equate sleep (the skin repairs and rejuvenates itself when we're asleep), eat the right diet, stay ac-tive and keep yourself hy-drated, you won't regret it. Water retains moisture in the skin making it glow. Decrease stress levels and know your skin type (oily, dry, a combination, sensi-tive or mature skin) and use products according-ly. Sunscreen will avoid blotchiness and dullness.

Foods you need to eat and avoidDeanne Panday, who trains the bod-ies and minds of stars, has put her stress-fighting weapons in a book. Here's an excerpt on what foods you need to eat and avoid. Stress is the silent killer that affects 50 per cent of the country's working population. Panday says it has a lot to do with the kind of food we eat.The following excerpt from the book I'm not stressed, which has been en-dorsed by a bevy of Bolslywood stars, tells you what foods help you manage stress better and what don't. Read on to find out.

Foods that help you destress

Certain food items in our diet can actually help reduce stress in our bodies. While apricots and greens like spinach replenish the body with magnesium, which is known to re-lax the muscles and help with head-aches, nuts and dark vegetables like almonds, pistachios, broccoli, and okra are rich in vitamins B and E that help lower blood pressure. Cit-rus fruits, which are a storehouse for Vitamin C, also help in controlling blood pressure. Other food items like sweet potatoes provide insulin to the body, provide energy, and help deal with fatigue in a stressful situation. Below is a list of foods I recommend for stressed-out people:

- Low-fat dairy products like lowfat cottage cheese

and cheese- Cruciferous vegetables

like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, etc

- Nuts like almonds,

pistachios, etc

- Decaf green tea or rosemary tea

- Dark coloured vegetables like beetroot, okra,

and peas- Beans or lentils

- Brown rice- Oats

- Oily fish like salmon and tuna

- Lean beef- Egg whites

- Chicken without the skin

- Asparagus- Artichokes

- Sweet potatoes- Leeks

- Watercress- Sesame, sunflow-er, and flax seeds

- Also, drink lots of water, with a few squeezes of lime

(lemon is a natural metabolizer)

Foods that aggravate your stress lev-els Certain food groups like caffeine, alcohol, and salty foods are known to aggravate stress in our bodies. Caffeine increases the production of norepinephrine, which keeps us alert and awake. These foods also interfere with our sleep and prevent us from relaxing. Alcohol can lower the amount of sugar in our blood and cause us to feel less energetic. It can also lead to an irregular heartbeat,

which triggers panic attacks, among other things. Salty foods increase the blood pressure and makes us feel stressed.Below is a list of foods you should avoid as much as possible es-pecially during stressful days: - Hy-drogenated fats: Some varieties of margerine, crackers, cookies, baked foods, bread- Artifical flavour and colouring: Potato chips, chewing gum, some cereals, soft drinks- Preservatives: Canned food and fruits, canned meats, pickles, butter, potato chips, baked goods, choco-late- Glutamates: (MSG or Aginomo-to) Soy and soy protein, canned tuna, powdered milk, dried and canned soups, flavoured chips, sauces, salad dressing, canned foods, soya sauce- Artificial Sweeteners: Aspartame, saccharine, found in diet foods, so-das, chewing gum- High-fructose corn syrup: Corn sweetner, corn syrup solids- Packaged and processed foods: All canned foods, packed soups, cereals, bacon, sausages, cold cuts- Sugar and sugary foods: Frozen desserts, donuts, pastries, candy, honey- Foods with tannin: Wine, coffee, beer, maple and caramel fla-vouring- Refined grain: White bread, white pasta, white rice, low fibre sugar cereal- Sodium: Found in most processed foods, soups, soya sauce, canned foods, fast foods and pre-served meats like ham and bacon- Fats found in all fast food items like burgers, fish and chips, fries, etc

Super ways to lose belly fatLie on your back with your knees bent, and your hands behind your head. Lift your shoulders off the floor and curl your legs towards your ribcage: simultaneously. Slowly, return to starting position. Do 2 sets of 12 reps.

Reverse curl Lie on your back and lift and bend your knees at 90-degrees. Contract your abs to stabilise your torso, and bring your hips and knees towards your chest. Slowly return to the starting position. Do 2 sets of 12 reps.

Oblique scissors Lie on your back with legs extended and arms behind your head to support your neck. Contract abs and lift shoul-ders off the floor. Use your oblique muscles by attempting to bring the left shoulder towards the right knee and the right shoulder toward the left knee. The right and left leg accounts for one rep. Do 2 sets of 12 reps.

5 Foods that keep you young

Here are a few natural food items that can help you remain young and healthy Looking young is the fore-most priority of most people these days. Not just women, even men are wary of ageing. Instead of using the number of anti-ageing creams that have flooded the markets, one can go the natural way and opt for fruits and vegetables to help fight all age-related prob-lems. Here are a few superfoods that can help control ageing and make you look younger - 1. Avocado - Apart from being high in Vitamin E, avocados are

rich in antioxidants which help protect the skin. Avocados help in regenerating skin cells which makes your skin look fresh, giv-ing a more youthful complexion. 2. Kidney beans - These pulses are full of fibre and potas-sium which help reduce the cho-lesterol levels and thus reduce the risk of any heart disease. But their major health benefit is that they are packed with proteins. 3. Dark chocolate - Any chocolate that contains at least 70% cocoa is full of proteins and Vitamin B. Regular small bites

into this chocolate will help burn fat and improve your skin and hair. 4. Broccoli - Broccolis are a great source of fibre and Vita-min C which not only help con-trol weight, but also help to fight heart diseases. 5. Blueberries - Blueberries are rich in Vitamin C, which help in easy circulation of blood. Blueberries also contain certain minerals which help con-trol the anti-ageing process. High in potassium, these berries help fight puffiness.

Agencies

SYDNEY: Joe Root insists he has no problems dropping down Eng-land’s batting order for this week’s Ashes series opener against Austra-lia to accommodate in-form Michael Carberry as opener.

The young Yorkshireman is ex-pected to be named at number six for England in Thursday’s first Test at Brisbane’s Gabba after Carberry’s fine start to their Australian tour.

Carberry cemented his claims for a second Test cap by reaching half-centuries in all three warm-up matches, including an unbeaten 153 against Australia A in Hobart.

Carberry’s latest knock of 50 off 71 balls Saturday helped steer the tourists to a seven-wicket win over a Cricket Australia Invitational XI in Sydney.

The batting shift does not appear to have hurt Root, who scored 75 in England’s first innings total of 418 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, and he said he had no problem dropping down the order.

“I’m not that egotistical,” the 22-year-old said after Saturday’s win. “I just want to represent England.

“To get an opportunity to bat down the order is a different chal-

lenge, but one I’m really looking for-ward to. Playing for England is the main thing for me.”

Root was exposed by the Austra-lian bowling attack when opening the batting in the last Ashes series.

Although he scored 180 in the sec-ond innings at Lord’s he made only one more half-century in his other nine knocks in the July-August series when opening with skipper Alastair Cook.

“I definitely learnt a lot from it and I’ve got a lot of things out of it,”

he said. “There are parts of my game I’ve

worked hard on from last (English) summer... hopefully I can become a better player for it.”

Root was all praise for what Hampshire opener Carberry has achieved so far in Australia. “If you look at Michael Carberry’s tour so far, he has played exceptionally well and scored a huge amount of runs and been in very good form,” he said.

“It’s hard to ignore that. As far as the team is concerned it’s very excit-

ing.” Root, who had an X-ray after

being hit on the finger in his first-innings 75 but was cleared of any break, is confident he can make a good fist of batting down the order.

“The basics are pretty similar,” he said. “There is still a guy 22 yards away throwing a ball at you. The sec-ond new ball is another challenge -- and if that opportunity comes I hope I can manage it well and do a job for the team.” Opener Ed Cowan, who has been passed over by Australia for this week’s Test, believes Root’s abil-ity and the experience gained at the top of the order have him primed to dominate at six, like the retired Mike Hussey did for Australia.

“Like we saw with Mike Hussey’s career I think it’s a nice spot to bat at number six if you have had ex-perience against a new ball before,” Cowan said.

“I like the look of Joe Root. Open-ing is a good place to learn about Test cricket. There’s nowhere to hide and it was a bit of a baptism for him against some high class fast bowling in England. “It’s certainly an easier place to bat at number six than open-ing the batting so I think that will give him some confidence and he’s play-ing nicely.”

Sunil deserves all the accolades:BhutiaAgencies

SILIGURI: Baichung Bhutia spoke highly of his former striking partner Sunil Chhetri and said he deserves all the credit for equalling his record of 42 international goals for In-dia.

Chhetri scored in the 41st minute in India’s 1-1 draw against the Philip-pines here Saturday.

“He deserves every bit of it. I want to congratulate Sunil and wish him all the luck in the future matches. I want him to score as many as possible and I’m sure he will,” Bhutia told www.the-aiff.com Sunday. “Sunil’s willingness to learn and improve himself as a player separates him from the rest. He came across as a true professional. He stayed ever willing to do that extra

bit and I could see him work-ing on finer points even after practice. He always chalked out time for improvement. He was dedicated, honest

and never shied away from responsibility,” he added.

Chhetri, though, has a better strike rate than Bhu-tia, reaching the 42-mark in 79 appearances while the for-mer Indian captain took 107 appearances.

Bhutia said he was proud of Chhetri and pointed out that the major share of his goals came when the two played together.

“To be honest, I’m very proud of him. I’m proud of the fact that I have been there for a major part of his achievements. A major number of his goals were scored when we played to-gether. Obviously, he has scored quite a few post my retire-ment, and he will score many more, but we will always cher-

ish the moments we spent together. In fact, everyone in the team will treasure those moments,” said Bhu-tia. Chhetri made his debut for the India national team in the 2004 SAF Games in Pakistan.

MONDAY NOVEMBER | 18| 2013Zabarwan times6

Agencies

BELGRADE: The Czech Republic got with-in a point of defending the Davis Cup title as Tomas Berdych and Radek Ste-panek beat Serbia’s Ilija Bozoljac and Nenad Zi-monjic in Saturday’s dou-bles in Belgrade.

Berdych and Stepanek won the fourteenth of their 15 Davis Cup doubles rubbers together as they swept the hosts 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (7/4) in two hours and 12 minutes to give the Czechs a 2-1 lead over 2010 champions Serbia.

In Sunday’s reverse singles, world number two Novak Djokovic will first take on Berdych and Stepanek will then face Dusan Lajovic, world number 117 who has replaced the injured 36th-ranked Janko Tipsarevic.

On Friday, Djokovic, the recently-crowned ATP World Tour Finals champion, beat Ste-panek, world number 44 in the opening sin-

gles, 7-5, 6-1, 6-4. Seventh-ranked Berdych then put the

Czechs level, sweeping Lajovic 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 on the hardcourt of the sold-out Belgrade Arena sitting more than 15,000 people.

Czechs lead Serbia after Davis Cup final doubles

Sachin Tendulkar is Maradona of cricket: Ganguly

Joe Root keen to face new Test batting challenge Agencies

NEW DELHI: Master blaster Sachin Tendulkar spoke his heart out post retire-ment at press conference in Mumbai on Sunday, saying that it has not struck him yet that he has retired and his 24-year career has been like a dream journey.

When asked what will be his next step after bringing down the curtains, Sachin replied 24 hours after 24 years of cricket, I need a break of atleast 24 days now.

On being conferred with Bharat Ratna, Sachin said he has dedicated the highest ci-vilian honour to his mother.

“I asked BCCI to hold the last Test in Mumbai so that my mother could watch me play for the first time,” Tendulkar added.

Tendulkar also has some plans in kitty as he would like to share his insights with the upcoming lot of young cricketers.

Sachin said it was the right to call it quits as his body was unable to take the load. Sa-

chin also heaped praise on childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar, saying his blessings made him achieve what he has achieved today. On his family, the little master said the beauty about them is that they never lost balance, irrespective of whether he scored 100 or 20.

Agencies

NEW DELHI: He was among the millions left speechless by Sachin Tendulkar’s farewell speech and former Indian captain Sourav Gan-guly said the retired legend can only be compared to football great Diego Maradona when it comes to inter-national sporting icons.

“Diego Maradona, he was my fa-vourite and so is Sachin. And both of them are geniuses,” Ganguly said.

Tendulkar called time on his glittering 24-year career on Satur-day after playing his 200th Test.

It was a farewell to remember as Tendulkar played out a vintage 74-run knock before being swayed by the emotional enormity of the occasion. He choked on tears while delivering a goodbye speech, which left many with moist eyes.

“People said he doesn’t take a stand, doesn’t talk at the right time. Well, he made everyone speechless with his speech,” Ganguly said.

The Kolkatan, who felt cricket

without Tendulkar is akin to an opener without helmet, said the leg-end’s final knock was his best in the

last three years.“I have not seen Sachin bat so

well in the last three years,” he said.

Ganguly said he felt over-whelmed when Tendulkar took his name while thanking fellow players.

“It made me very proud because we played our cricket together. You really feel happy that all those 15 years meant something. It was re-ally touching, it shows that we don’t play cricket for numbers, we also play for these moments,” he said.

Ganguly said Tendulkar should start coaching now and give back to the game.

“...I don’t want him to spend time on commentary. He should give back to the game, his technique and everything,” he said.

“Once he finishes everything, he can sit and tell himself that I have achieved everything that a cricketer can. There is nothing more he could achieve,” he added.

Ganguly said it felt special to hug Tendulkar after his farewell game.

“He has been special. Hugging Sachin was a special moment for me. It will be a memory I would cherish,” he said.

Advantage Carlsen in world chess duel with AnandAgencies

CHENNAI: Norwegian sensation Magnus Carlsen resumes his quest for a maiden world chess crown on Monday after grabbing a formidable 4-2 lead at the half-way stage of his title duel with reign-ing champion Viswanathan Anand.

Carlsen tilted the scales in his favour with two consecutive wins in the fifth and sixth games of the 12-round world championship being played in Anand’s home city of Chennai after the first four games were drawn.

The 22-year-old Norwegian, the current world number one and pre-event favourite, needs two wins and a draw in the remaining six games to seal the title held by Anand since 2007.

With one point gained for a win and half a point for a draw, the pressure is on Anand as even five draws in the rest of the match will enable Carlsen reach the winning tally of 6.5 points.

If points are equal after the 12th game on No-vember 26, the match will be decided by a tie-break or sudden-death on November 28.

“I wanted to capitalise on my victory in the fifth game and so pressed for another win in the sixth,” Carlsen told reporters after winning the sixth round late Saturday.

“I am obviously in a good mood now. With six

games to go, it is a healthy lead.” Anand, who at 43 is 21 years older than his rival,

conceded it may need a miraculous turnaround to keep his chances alive.

“Losing the sixth game was a heavy blow, I won’t pretend otherwise,” the Indian wizard said. “I have just got to carry on. He has taken his chances, I have also got to do that.”

Indian chess experts held out little hope for their compatriot with grandmaster Parimarjan Negi say-ing: “It will be very hard for him to come back now.”

The total prize fund for the title clash is about $2.24 million with the winner getting 60 percent and the loser taking home the rest.

Anand, one of the most popular sports figures in cricket-mad India, and his opponent have enjoyed a remarkably similar rise in their ca-reers from an early age.

Anand became an international master at 15, was crowned Indian champion at 16, won the world ju-nior title at 17 and became the coun-try’s first grandmaster at 18.

Carlsen turned grandmaster at 13 and in 2010, aged 19, he became

the youngest player in history to be ranked world number one. He won the Candidates Tournament this year to earn the right to challenge Anand.

Anand, who is based in Spain with his wife and young son, trails the challenger by a whopping 95 rating points and his world ranking has tumbled from number one to eight.

Agencies

Down on the Mississippi River, on the eastern border of Iowa, they don’t follow the time-honoured Anglo-Australian crick-et rivalry too closely. It’s black bears, deer, pheasants and fish that are in their sights, not Englishmen.

For the past year or so, on and off, though, there has been at least one person in those parts with a big interest in both ac-tivities. Mike Young, the former American baseballer and coach who became Austra-lia’s fielding guru during the team’s halcyon days last decade, was living out of a friend’s cabin for much of the time since a job with South Africa fell through in July of last year.

‘’I’ve been hunting bears and deer,’’ he said. ‘’I was coaching in the IPL [with Kings XI Punjab] as well but when I wasn’t doing that I was living in a cabin and in a motel room, doing some writing and hunting. I’ve got a boat on the Mississippi River and I went fishing and hunting out there. I got into the backwoods and it was real good for me.’’

The 57-year-old had been left out in the

woods when, via a phone call he re-ceived driving on an interstate high-way, the long-term position he an-ticipated with the Proteas went up in smoke. He had rented out his house in Brisbane and was left with nowhere else really to go.

That was until Australia, who he had not worked with for more than two years, came calling again out of the blue.

‘’I just dropped the gun, went back to Chicago, put my stuff in storage and got on a plane to Australia,’’ he said.

Not mincing words: Mike Young with his limit of wood ducks collected in Iowa.

Not mincing words: Mike Young with his limit of wood ducks collected in Iowa.Young is in Brisbane as a field-ing consultant for Darren Lehmann’s team but it is quickly obvious he is far more than that. When Shane Watson turned up to their first training session last Thursday they didn’t meet with a handshake but a warm embrace. When

Mike Hussey retired last summer he phoned Young first, saying he couldn’t bear to have him hear about it from a news bulletin or from someone else.

In a year in which the so-called decline in the Australian team’s culture has been a recurring theme, Young’s re-arrival on the scene is interesting in its timing.

He was brought in by Lehmann’s prede-cessor Mickey Arthur briefly to help Austra-lia prepare for the Champions Trophy one-day tournament that preceded the Ashes series in England this year. It was, of course, only weeks before David Warner would take a swing at Joe Root and Arthur would be knocked out of his job. What Young saw in England and what he sees now are contrast-ing images. ‘’Gosh, they’re in a good place mentally,’’ he said. ‘’There was a few little things in England … I hadn’t been with them for so long and it was none of my business, but there was some tension, and I don’t know where it was from, so I make no com-ment about that. But I do know this: The guys, the group, everybody I’ve met are re-ally professional, relaxed, ready to play.’’

Ritika is runner-up, Mugdha-Pallavi lose in Sub-Junior Badminton

NationalsNAGPUR: Ritika Thaker did

the Orange City proud by finish-ing creditable runner-up in the Under-13 girls singles on the con-cluding day of the 27th Sub-Ju-nior National Badminton Cham-pionships at Cuttack on Saturday.Sixth seed Ritika went down fight-ing against Simran Singhi in the final. Unseeded Simran of Mum-bai Suburban won 21-10, 21-12 in 25 minutes. Both Ritika and Simran had reached the nationals final for the first time.

Earlier in the semifinal, Ritika, a student of Centre Point School (Katol Road), brushed aside the challenge of tenth seed Chimran Kalita 21-12, 14-21, 21-17 in 38 minutes.

However, it was disappoint-ment for Ritika in the U-13 dou-bles. Top seeds Ritika and Simran were knocked out in the semis by unseeded pair. Ritika-Simran lost to Richa Muktibodh and Y Drithi 11-21, 13-21.

Similarly, the dream run of Mugdha Agrey and Pallavi Pitale also came to an end in the semis. In an exciting U-15 girls' doubles clash, Pallavi and Mugdha, who created a record of sorts by reach-ing the semis through the qualifi-cations, lost to second seeds Cher-ish D'Souza and Kalpita Sawant. The Mumbai Suburban pair won 21-16, 24-22 to shatter the hopes of Nagpur duo Mugdha and Pal-lavi, students of BVM, Civil Lines.

I have no regrets of leaving cricket: Sachin Tendulkar

4