maria sharapova Pictures Photo Galleries Bio & Rating AskMen www.mariasharapova.com Sharapova gets pep talk rallies into Cincinnati

Sharapova gets pep talk, rallies into Cincinnati finals by beating Zvonareva

MASON, Ohio — A pep talk got Maria Sharapova turned around and headed into a title match.

After playing a listless first set, Sharapova got inspired by a pep talk from her coach and rolled to a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory over Vera Zvonareva on Saturday night that clinched a spot in the finals of the Western & Southern Open.

( Al Behrman / Associated Press ) - Maria Sharapova, from Russia, hits a forehand return against Vera Zvonareva, from Russia, during a semifinal match at the Western & Southern Open tennis tournament, Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011 in Mason, Ohio. Sharapova won 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Andrea Petkovic of Germany and Jelena Jankovic of Serbia were playing in the second semifinal.

The fourth-seeded Sharapova was completely off her game in the first set, barely able to score points against the world’s second-ranked player. Coach Thomas Hogstedt gave Sharapova an animated courtside talk, and she took over the 2-hour, 2-minute matchup of Russians.

“I didn’t do a lot of talking,” Sharapova said. “He talked most of the time. I called him over because I felt I just needed a little energy. Something was missing in the first set.”

Sharapova will be trying for her second tournament title this season — she also won in Rome. Last year, she reached the finals in Cincinnati and lost to Kim Clijsters.

“I love playing on this court,” she said. “There’s something about it.”

The women’s bracket in the U.S. Open tuneup tournament was wide-open because of injuries and an early upset.

Clijsters withdrew with strained abdominal muscles — she also dropped out of the U.S. Open, where she’s won the last two titles. Venus Williams had to skip the tournament because of a virus. Sister Serena Williams dropped out on Wednesday because of a sore toe. And third-seeded Victoria Azarenka dropped out with a hand injury.

With Clijsters out, Caroline Wozniacki became the top-ranked player. She lost her first match.

As a result, the four players who reached the semifinals have a combined four tournament wins this season, Zvonareva with two of them. She didn’t need to do much to get ahead early on Saturday.

Sharapova’s game was out of kilter at the start. She repeatedly missed routine shots, got broken twice and fell behind 5-2 while winning only 11 points in those first seven games.

She tried to get some momentum, repeatedly pumping her left fist when she made a few shots and broke Zvonareva’s serve to keep the set going. Not for long — Zvonareva broke her back to finish it off.

During the break, Sharapova asked for a consultation with Hogstedt, who gave her a little pep talk, repeatedly pumping his left fist.

It worked.

Sharapova was much more aggressive at the start of the second set, breaking Zvonareva in the opening game. Soon, Zvonareva was on the defensive and making the mistakes — she double-faulted to lose her serve and the second set.

“In the second and third sets, I had my concentration level drop for moments a little bit,” Zvonareva said. “I gave her a few chances. You give Maria chances like that, she’ll take them.”

Another double-fault allowed Sharapova to break through for a 3-1 lead in the final set. Then, Sharapova returned the favor, double-faulting twice in a row while Zvonareva cut the deficit to 4-3.

Sharapova recovered quickly, coming to the net for a slam and giving herself three break points in the next game. Her strong forehand down the line put her up 5-3. She got a new racket and served it out, ending the match with a solid forehand.

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die hard The Rock confirms Bruce Willis for GI Joe 2 DPS students salute Delhi's die hard spirit Weather doesn't curb die-hard Elgin Road Race

Weather doesn’t curb die-hard Elgin Road Race participants

ELGIN — Steve Fowler of Elgin called Saturday morning’s downpour a “soft water rinse” for his gleaming 1935 Chrysler Airstream, but most of the participants of the annual Elgin Road Race Car Show were not as upbeat about the weather’s effects on the event.

Sitting under a tent on the grounds of Sherman West Court on Larkin Avenue, Daymond Waschow — wearing a ’57 Chevy ball cap, said there were “darned few” registered cars for the show due to thunderstorms earlier that day. “I don’t think we’ve had more than 20,” he said.

The Elgin Road Race Car Show and Parade Laps, hosted by the Fox Valley Chapter of the Model T Ford Club, is in its 39th year. It is held annually in honor the Elgin National Road Races that ran from 1910 to 1933.

While the event usually attracts at least 75 classic and antique roadsters for the show and parade laps of the original eight-mile race course, it might be hard to imagine today that in 1910 more than 50,000 people came to Elgin for the race.

According to Maurice Dyer, president of the Elgin Historical Society and “official keeper of race history,” the nature of auto racing changed dramatically after World War I for several reasons, leading to the end of public roadway racing and the demise of the Elgin races.

Cars became faster, and roads became more widely used, Dyer said, leading to today’s closed-circuit racetracks which, he said, “are much safer for spectators and drivers.”

The weather may have weeded out the less-enthusiastic, but it couldn’t dampen the spirits of die-hard car buffs such as Bob Scheitlin of Elgin. Decked out in turn-of-the-century-style knickers and a sporty racing cap, he was eager to take his 1931 Model A out for parade laps later that day.

The eight-mile course — which includes Highland Avenue, McLean Boulevard and Route 20 — is nothing for Scheitlin, who has driven his car on trips to California and Florida. “I love driving it,” he said, adding “it’s a perfect car.”

This is the second year the event was held on the grounds of Sherman West Court, a 112-bed skilled-rehabilitation facility. “We hope it gives us exposure in the community,” said Jorie Gustafson-Langlois, marketing representative.

DPS students salute Delhi’s die-hard spirit

CHANDIGARH: An enthralling dance-drama performance 'Tarikh-e-dilli', celebrating the completion of 100 years of New Delhi as a national capital of modern India, was presented by Delhi Public School (DPS) students on Saturday.

The performance was part of the annual day celebrations of the school, which started today and will continue till August 22. A state-of-the-art auditorium in the school called ''Rajiv Gandhi Hall of Excellence'', was inaugurated to celebrate Akshay Urja Divas, the birthday of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

The function was attended by minister of rural development Jairam Ramesh, minister of information and broadcasting Ambika Soni and minister of parliamentary affairs Pawan Kumar Bansal.

The show commenced with the rendition of a melodious song 'Swagatam hai aapka aagman hai aapka' by the school choir. An audio-visual presentation of the school report portrayed special moments and milestones achieved by the school in the recent past.

Then came the show stopper of the day, 'Tarikh-e-dilli', a dance-drama celebrating a multi-cultural, cosmopolitan metropolis representing the spirit of Delhi with the support of grand sets, excellent light design, impressive film and vibrant costumes. The mega production was directed by school principal Reema Dewan and choreographed by Papiha Desai.

Jairam Ramesh, while addressing the gathering, congratulated the parents and the students for being the part of an institution that provides quality education and prepares children for tomorrow. He also commended the schools thoughtful selection of the theme for their annual day celebrations.

Principal Reema Diwan, in her address to the gathering, said, ''Tarikh-e-dilli' is our tribute to a city that manifests the diversity of this great nation - a city that truly represents the India of today steeped in rich tradition yet marching ahead with a die-hard spirit.''

The Rock confirms Bruce Willis for 'G.I. Joe 2'

Bruce Willis has reportedly agreed terms to star in Paramount Pictures' currently-untitled G.I. Joe sequel.

The Die Hard star was rumoured to be in negotiations for the film earlier this week, and co-star Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has now confirmed his involvement.

"Welcome brother Bruce Willis to the cast of G.I. Joe," Johnson tweeted this weekend. "What an honour."

Willis will now portray the first G.I. General Joe Colton opposite returning stars Channing Tatum and Ray Park.

Johnson will star in the film as Roadblock opposite several other newcomers including Elodie Yung as Jinx, Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye, RZA as the Blind Master, Joseph Mazello as Mouse and Rome star Ray Stevenson as Firefly.

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diwali Reel of Life Gold prices may touch Rs 35000 by Diwali Soaring gold price dampens consumer sentiment Tourism Dept to press for easing dry law

Gold prices may touch Rs 35,000 by Diwali

Gold prices are on an upward spiral ahead of the marriage season. It climbed to an all-time high of Rs 28,150 per 10 grams on Friday, posting its biggest-ever single day gain of Rs 1,310 amid frantic buying triggered by robust demand in global markets. Experts said prices may even touch Rs 35,000 level during Diwali.

However, an increasing number of people are shifting funds to gold, informed Ajay Mitra, Managing Director, (Middle East and India), World Gold Council, during his visit to the city.

He said, “The second quarter this year has been excellent for investments in gold around the world, especially in India. With inflation reaching a record high, and extreme volatility in the equity markets, investment in gold is a trend that is gaining popularity. This is also because investors are looking to diversify their portfolios.”

People are investing more in gold bars and coins of lower denomination than jewellery.

The jewellery sector witnessed an increase of 44 per cent in terms of demand whereas investment sector (bars and coins) saw an increase of 119 per cent. Increasing gold prices may translate into dip in sales for small and medium jewellers. This, because customers will now be very particular about quality and finish and are likely to approach the bigger jewellery outlets.

Mitra even threw some insight the stage when people used to sell gold during tough times. He said, “In the year 2010, 81 tons were sold as scrap. However, in 2011, 20 tons were sold, which means people are not selling gold to meet their financial crisis.”

Interestingly, there is an increase in consumers investing in schemes with the jeweller. According to a survey, around 64 per cent of the jewellers offer the savings scheme whereas cities like Chennai, Nagpur, Madurai have 100 per cent jewellers that offer such schemes.

Soaring gold price dampens consumer sentiment

New Delhi/Mumbai, Aug 20 (IANS) Soaring gold price caused by international economic concerns seem to have dampened sentiments of the domestic consumers who are being deterred by an all-time high price of Rs.28,100 per 10 grams of the yellow metal, say experts.

‘Consumer demand has obviously come down. People have suddenly stopped buying,’ said Balram Garg, managing director and chief executive of the Delhi-based PC Jewellers Group.

Though the footfall at jewellery showrooms may have fallen, the year-on-year demand was still robust, he said.

‘A majority of consumers do not go for medium to large quantity, they are focusing on small quantities for now,’ he said.

Gold prices soared to an all time high of Rs.28,100 per 10 grams in the local market Saturday.

In Delhi, gold prices surged over Rs.28,000 per 10 grams – a Rs.1,200 hike over Thursday’s closing.

Garg was optimistic that the festival season would shore-up the consumer sentiment for the precious metal.

‘Despite the surge, we are optimistic that the consumers will come back (to showrooms) owing to the festival, season round the corner,’ said Garg adding that the price may reach Rs.30,000 per 10 grams by Diwali.

Jewellers in the national capital’s famous Dariba Kalan market said that high prices have driven away customers.

‘Consumers know that high prices would continue, but they are very careful to choose the right time to buy or sell gold,’ said Pawan Verma of Vipul Jewellers.

But commodities analysts feel that the gold price may be moving towards a correction as profit booking and re-sale of gold has increased.

‘There might be a correction in the short run due to profit-booking. But for the long term the gold prices will continue to be high,’ Naveen Mathur, associate director, commodities and currencies told IANS from Mumbai.

Tourism Dept to press for easing dry law for visitors

Following the state Home Department’s refusal to ease the state’s dry law to woo more tourists, the Tourism Department now plans to approach the chief secretary with the request.

Principal Secretary (Tourism) Vipul Mitra told The Indian Express on the sidelines of the three-day long Travel and Tourism Fair (TTF) on Friday here that his department will make a renewed attempt to get the Prohibition restrictions relaxed for tourists. “We will move through the proper channel and again discuss it at the chief secretary’s level,” he said.

The three-day long fair in the city has attracted around 350 exhibitors from 26 Indian states and nine countries.

“The TTF is promoting tourism not only in India but also in the host state. Our target is people who opt to spend their Diwali holidays travelling and visiting news places in India as well as abroad,” said Sanjiv Agarwal, organiser of the TTF.

Reel of Life

There are no shortcuts to change and one campaign cannot lead to a radical makeover. The key to development lies in consistency, sustainability and in hanging on long enough to watch it stir,” says 29-year-old Ajay Saklani. He speaks with confidence that comes from a firm belief that is based on his experiences. It is also this conviction that drives him to make documentaries that voice matters of concern. If his first documentary Dyalee projected the unsual way Diwali is celebrated in Himachal Pradesh, for his second documentary Upaasmar - The Taste of Hunger, he travelled deep into the dense forest cover of Maharashtra — to the tiger reservoirs of Melghat, Amravati, 300 km from Wardha. The small district, which comprises 370 villages, first made headlines in the early ’80s, when it was found that more than 500 children died of starvation/malnutrition there every year.

A former media assistant at Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University, Saklani was introduced to the miseries in the region by one of his students who showed him photographs of the tribals in Melghat. “I made my first trip to Melghat in 2009. It took me nine hours from Wardha to reach on my bike,” recalls Saklani, adding that several trips followed. After ample research and regular weekend visits to the villages, where he met the tribals, he decided to make a documentary on them in January 2010. By that time, Saklani had given up his job and was focusing on Melghat. “Since 1984, the area has seen electricity three times — first in ’88, when Rajiv Gandhi visited, then ’99, when Vilasrao Deshmukh was there, and last in 2009, during Sonia Gandhi’s visit. There is negligible healthcare, no teachers, no education facility, no road connectivity or water resources. People are solely dependent on agriculture and that too is dependent on the rains,” says Saklani, who will be screening the film at various colleges across Chandigarh during the next few days. Guest lectures have also been planned at School of Public health, PGI, and School of Communication studies, Panjab University.

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