SHE HAS DESIGNS FOR YOU

DEAR DEEON pg (ii)

Sept 25-02 Oct,2002 a NOW! supplement

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When Sikkim Tourismneeded a designer to dotheir fusion collection

promoting local talent and tradi-tional fabrics, it was but naturalthat they roped in JyotsnaPariyar, 24, a youngSikkimese designer, freshout of the National Insti-tute of Fashion Tech-nology, New Delhi.

The two showswere well receivedand when Jyotsna cameon stage to take the final bow, herslight frame and youthful innocencebelied the innovative nature of hercollection. She says, “The responsewas good. People were surprised tosee how local fabrics could be wornin a modern way. It was a good plat-form for me.”

But being a graduate of theclass of ’99 from NIFT is in itself agood enough platform for anyoneserious about designing. Not onlyis it quite difficult to get into theInstitute with its stringent inter-views and aptitude tests, but onceselected, you are introduced to awhole lot of other modules andcourses which are complementary

to fashion wear. The fact thatJyotsna was extremely good insketching and had a flair and in-stinct for design must have helpedher in gaining admission to thisprestigious Institute.

She of course puts it all downto ‘luck’.

But ask her to get honest andshe says, “It’s very competitive in-deed but once you are in the Insti-tute, you also get into the samemood. NIFT helps you get a job pro-file. You get exposed to a lot of in-ternational designers who come infor lectures and workshops. It’s verygood exposure.”

This exposure helped Jyotsna

get an opening in ‘Li’l Tomatoes’,a kidswear company based in Delhi.But she found designing for chil-dren too restrictive with its focusmore on detailing rather than cuts.

She says, “I wanted to expandmy creativity, so I started freelanc-ing with export oriented companies.I got an offer with Aki Narula andRitu Beri but the money they wereoffering me was too little.” Homefor a holiday and Jyotsna got a callfrom Sikkim Tourism to design theirfusion collection.

“It was a big chance to do my owncollection so I took it up,” she says.

Currently employed as a de-signer at Directorate of Handicrafts

and Handlooms, Jyotsna is busydesigning bags using a mix of localhandicrafts and modern designs.

But fusion and ethnic wear arenot part of her future plans.

“I want to start my own designconsultancy and create a market herefor womens’ wear,” she states. Know-ing Jyotsna and her talent for design,that should not be too difficult.

Finally, any regrets on choosingthis line of work?

“Definitely not, I really enjoymy work. To take something from asketch and turn it into somethingpeople can wear is a big thrill. Idon’t think I’d ever want to do any-thing else,” she maintains.

J Y O T S N A P A R I Y A RThere is nothing that

Jyotsna would rather be

than a fashion designer.

She has already carved a

niche for herself and is

now all set to introduce

her brand of haute

couture to stylise

Sikkimese wardrobes

some more.

a NOW! feature...

a N

OW

! p

ic

FALLINTO

placejyotsna pariyar’s

ten tipsto make

your autumnwardrobe win

MEN - tailored jacket: It’s back! Asharply tailored jacket for serious style...

The tokenism over, lets move on tothe real stuff. The “in” look for women...

Romantic Blouse: A soft fluid top that’sultra feminine and easy to wear...

Skinny jeans: Let your inner rock starout with sleek new denims...

Sporty Parka/ jacket: brave any weatherwith a stylish top layer

Gently retro dresses: Think sweet, butnot saccharine

Leather Jacket: Made to look tough, butbutter soft to the touch

Big Bag: Haul it all in style with an over-sized pouch

Elegant Dress: Dreamy, glamorous andelegant, not to mention, delightful towear.

Major Boots: The single, most impor-tant accessory of the season.

Smart Coat: From soft clutches to smarttrenches, coats cover it all this fall.

Yup, you recognised the pair. The hunk’s Dino Morea in a Bakhu

and the siren’s Bipasha Basu and both are decked in Jyotsna’s

creations designed as part of her graduation project.

BAD TASTE

IN MENThe latest Miss America mo-rality controversy has beenresolved, not surprisingly, inthe pageant’s favor.

Baring your breasts inthe privacy of your ownhome can be grounds fordisqualification from thecompetition if a woman is un-lucky enough to have lousytaste in men. That’s whatMiss America directors said,in effect, when they con-vinced Rebekah Revels torelinquish her crown as MissNorth Carolina.

Revels had the misfor-tune to have a former boy-friend who hinted — hinted,mind you — that he had top-less photos of Revels andthat he might sell them forpublication or posting on theInternet.

Revels said the photoswere snapped without herpermission while she waschanging clothes. But facedwith the Miss America mo-rality squad worrying that theimage of their contest mightbe tarnished, she withdrew— even though she haddone nothing immoral. Sub-sequent legal efforts to re-gain the crown were rejectedby a federal judge.

That gave the crown tofirst runner-up. ...

... So exactly what kindof morality is it that purportsto represent what is best forAmerican women, yet penal-izes an apparently outstand-ing young woman for thedespicable actions of a slimeof a man?

iSSUES

DEAR DEE

WOMENNOW

iiSept 25-01 Oct, 2002

SSSSSusongusongusongusongusongSAYS

BETTER GROOMING

NOW!can be reached at 70949 & emailed at

sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

Who hasn’t experiencedthe dismay that greetsdark circles under the

eyes, especially when they’re yourown? But with a little care and inno-vative tricks you can fight them off.

Use a highlighting shadow,white or any pale shade and applyunder the eyes on the outer corners.This makes them less noticeable. Tocover them up completely, use somefoundation that is a shade lighterthan the shade of your skin. Apply athin coating and wait for it to dry.Apply the regular foundation over it.

For the woman on the move, oranyone who hates to having to repeatthe make-up process more than oncea day, the trick is to avoid removingthe make –up completely. Use acleansing lotion to clean your entireface, except for the eye make-up. Youcan even wipe off the eye shadow butwithout touching the mascara on thelashes. However make sure you useonly mild skin fresheners for the eyesas most cleansers contain a certainpercentage of detergent which cansting the eyes.

A one-day disseminationseminar on National Fam-ily Health Survey phase II

(NFHS-2) Sikkim was held here onSeptember 18.

The seminar was organized bythe Department of Health & Fam-ily Welfare, in collaboration withthe International Institute for Popu-lation Sciences, Mumbai and thePopulation Reference Bureau,Washington DC, USA.

The National Family HealthSurvey phase II (NFHS-2) hasbrought out some interesting facetsof the present health scenario in theState, especially those of the motherand the child.

NFHS-2, the second phase in aseries of surveys on population,health and nutrition among womenand children in the country was car-ried out in 1998-99 in the State. Thesurvey was funded by the UnitedStates Agency for InternationalDevelopment, with additional sup-port from UNICEF. The first phaseof the survey was conducted in1992-93, but was not conducted inSikkim.

According to the findings of thesurvey, which were presented at theseminar, only 47 percent of the chil-dren aged 2-23 months are fullyvaccinated in the State. Another 35percent have received some, but notall of the recommended vaccina-tions, and 18 percent have not beenvaccinated at all.

In Sikkim, in case of child im-munization, although progress wasmade with children receiving thefirst and the second doses, the dropout rates for DPT and Polio were17 and 20 per cent respectively.

Considerable challenges remainwith regard to safe motherhoodservices, the report said. Only 43percent of mothers reported receiv-ing three or more antenatal check-ups during the year preceding thesurvey, as recommended. Of thosemothers who did not receive anyantenatal care, as many as 45 per-cent believed that checkups werenot necessary.

Among the States, Sikkim hasone of the lowest levels of child un-dernutrition. Only one-fifth of chil-dren under the age of three are un-derweight, compared to the all-In-dia average of 47 percent. Only 11percent of the women were foundto be malnourished, the lowest inthe country.

The instances of anaemia, werefound to be high during the survey.About 77 percent of children of theage 6-35 months were found to beanaemic. In women, nearly 6 out ofevery 10 were found with some de-gree of anaemia.

Infant mortality rates in theState declined from 65 deaths per1,000 live births in 1984-88 to 44deaths per 1000 live births during1994-98. However, despite overalldeclines, one in 23 infants died be-fore the age of one, and one in 14died before reaching the age of five.

The report also said that awoman in Sikkim will have about2.8 children during her lifetime,slightly lower than the all-India fig-ure of 2.9 children. Rural womenwill have one child more (2.9) thanurban women (1.9). The survey alsofound that 90 percent of married

women with children and 39 per-cent of women with only one livingchild desire to stop childbearingindicating a significant proportionof women who embrace the two-child norm.

The survey also found that overhalf of married women (54 percent)use some method of contraception.Female sterilization was the mostpopular method, with 22 percent ofcurrently married women sterilized.By contrast, only 2 percent ofwomen reported that their husbandswere sterilized. Sikkim is the onlyState in the country where a major-ity of women use temporary contra-ceptives, the report said.

The Sikkim State survey sam-ple consisted of 1,107 marriedwomen of the age-group 15-49years and covered all major regionsof the State.

I’m sitting here at the kitchen table, dead tired,

yawning my head off and its just 9AM. The baby

is down on the floor with the cat, eating corn-

flakes thrown by the elder one on way to school.

Well, remember this is the morning after I broke

up with K. I’ve already had two attempts at start-

ing the day, but am now rooted to this table.

Mercy may descend on young and single women

as the gentle rain, but on me it falleth as a con-

crete brick from heaven. Last night had gone

out for a do. I’d reckoned on being home and

dry before the kids went to bed. As it was, I made

it on the stroke of midnight, swaying very

slightly from the effects of my celebratory sub-

stances and Oh Wow, did this Cinderella hit rag-

time. S, who was babysiting for the evening was

mad as hell. Guess what I found in K’s old jacket

pocket. A little poem that goes something like

this - Autumn leaves are tumbling down; To fer-

tilise the soggy ground; Maybe there’s hope for

that man yet!!

Love,

Mia

22:2

Fighting off dark circles

To redo the entire process, re-place the eyeshadow and the rest ofthe make up. Then, using a very thincoating of mascara, apply some toyour lashes.

One handy tip to avoid dark cir-cles is to simply get enough sleepas lack of sleep is the primary causeof dark circles. Make sure your dietcontains plenty of fruits and rawvegetables.

You can apply raw cucumber juiceevery morning on the dark circles.

BABY BLUES

Reuters quoting British doctorsstated that depression during

pregnancy is more common and canbe just as serious as postnatal de-pression.

Postnatal depression, a wellknown phenomenon that affectsabout ten per cent of women, hascaused widespread concern follow-ing highly publicised cases ofwomen who have harmed or killedtheir children.

But new research reported inthe British Medical Journal showeddepression was most common dur-ing the eighth month of pregnancy

and least common eight months af-ter the birth.

“Our results show depressionduring pregnancy is more commonthan postnatal depression,” saidJonathan Evans, a psychiatrist at theUniversity of Bristol in South-west-ern England.

Evans and his team studied themood swings of more than 9,000women who recorded their feelingsduring and after pregnancy. Theirsymptoms were measured against arecognised depression scale.

“Symptoms of depression arenot more common or severe after

childbirth than during pregnancy,”Evans said, adding that treatmentduring pregnancy might be neces-sary for the well being of the womanas well as the child.

Huge changes in hormone lev-els are blamed for the mood swings,or baby blues, that women sufferduring and after pregnancy.

Anxiety and irritability are com-mon complaints that usually passbut if they persist and lead to an-ger, guilt, confusion, delusions andobsessional thoughts, the problemis much more serious and profes-sional help may be necessary.

Why are you pregnantand depressed?

The Sikkimese SterilisationFigures - Women vs. Men

TRUTH BE TOLD

WOMENNOW

iiiSept 25-01 Oct, 2002HEALTH&FITNESS

a NOW! guide to pet-care

General Care and Grooming forDogs - Part VTHE EYES

The expression of a healthy anda normal dog is bright and intelli-gent and his eyes are clear andclean. A change indicates thatsomething is wrong. A staring,dazed expression with whitesshowing may meanoverexcitement. Watery, weepingor heavy lidded eyes may be asign of an infection. Weeping andwatery discharge from the eyesmay be sometimes be caused bya simple cold.

Weeping eyes should be at-tended without delay. Any mucusor scaly particles should beswabbed away from the cornersof the eyes with absorbent cottonsoaked in water.

Sometimes foreign particlesmay be lodged under the eyelids.A vet should be consulted beforeattempting to remove it at home.Infections should also be treatedby a vet. It is important to keepthe eyes of the dog clean all thetimes.

NEXT WEEK: THE NOSE

According to a recent study,researchers have found thatit is the health of a woman

during pregnancy that influencesher taste for coffee. They found thatthe surge of hormones that comeswith a healthy pregnancy may causesome women to lose their taste forcoffee.

Researchers at the National In-stitute for Occupational Safety andHealth in Cincinnati, Ohio USAfollowed 92 women during the be-ginning of their pregnancies, re-cording how much coffee theydrank. All the women drank coffeeduring their last menstrual period,and most stopped or decreased theamount they consumed during thefirst trimester of pregnancy. Theyalso noted the women’s symptomsof nausea and vomiting, and meas-ured levels of pregnancy hormonesin their urine. In general, higher lev-els of pregnancy hormones duringearly pregnancy indicate that thefoetus is more likely to be healthy.Most women cited coffee aversionas the reason they decreased theamount of coffee they drank duringearly pregnancy. In addition,women who decreased their coffeeintake during early pregnancy also

In 1994, the Government of India passed theTransplantation of Human Organs Act thatlegalized the concept of brain death and, forthe first time, facilitated organ procurementfrom heart beating, brain dead donors. How-ever, this concept has not caught on well inIndia for want of public education and aware-ness. This in turn is perpetuating the com-mercial sale of human organs due to the wid-ening gap between the demand and supply.Thousands of lives are lost in India annuallyfrom heart and liver failure since transplan-tation of unpaired organs like heart, liver andpancreas is either difficult or impossible fromliving donors. This is only possible on a largescale if these organs are available from ca-daver donors.What is organ and tissue donation?Organ and tissue donation is a way to helpothers, after your death by allowing organsor tissues to be taken from your body andtransplanted in someone else’s body. It maysave another person’s life. Organ and tissuedonation is a way of “giving something back”to society. It costs nothing, it does not changeyour own life, and it can mean a huge im-provement to others’ lives. Organ and tissuedonation is completely your choice.Why should you donate your organs and tis-sues?Organ failure can strike anybody at any timeas a result of illness or infection. For mostpeople who experience organ failure, a trans-plant is their only realistic treatment option.If you die, your organs could help severalpeople through organ transplants and manyothers through tissue grafts. For e.g. your livercould save the life of someone whose liverhas been damaged through illness or accident.A person who is attached to a dialysis ma-chine could return to full-time work after re-ceiving one kidney. Every effort is made tosave your life before donation is consideredand donation does not disfigure the body.Who can become a donor?

All individuals can indicate their intent todonate. Medical suitability for donation isdetermined at the time of death. There are noage limitations on who can donate. The de-ciding factor on whether a person can donateis the person’s physical condition, not theperson’s age. Newborns as well as senior citi-zens have been organ donors. In persons un-der 18 years of age theparents or guardianmust consent.How to become an or-gan and tissue donor?Indicate your intent tobe an organ and tissuedonor on your driver’slicense.

Carry a organ donorcard.

Most important,discuss your decisionwith family members and loved ones. Evenif you sign a donor card, it is essential thatyour family knows your wishes. Your familymay be asked to sign a consent form in orderfor your donation to occur.What can be donated?· Organs: heart, kidneys, pancreas, lungs,liver, and intestines· Tissues: currently transplanted human tis-sues include bone, corneas, skin, heart valves,veins, cartilage and other connective tissues.· Bone marrowWhen are organs donated?· Organ donation is only possible after deathhas occurred.· Following the consent of your family, theentire organ retrieval can take several hours.Blood testing and tissue typing also needs to

take place before the procedure.· Families of organ donors are kept informedat every step. It is ensured that the retrievalprocedure is over as soon as possible andcauses as little disruption as possible.Where and how does organ and tissue do-nation take place?Organ donation always occurs in a hospital

operating theatre, afterdeath has been declaredand the family has givenconsent. The incision iscovered with a dressing,as in all surgical proce-dures. The body istreated with respect anddignity, and the familycan view and spend timewith the deceased after-wards. Normal funeraland burial arrangements

can proceed. If a person dies in a hospital ornursing home, the family may be askedwhether they wanted to donate tissues. If thedeath occurs elsewhere, the family should letthe attending doctor know if this is what thedeceased person wanted. This should be doneas soon as possible after the death.

If the family consents to organ donationthen the life-support machines will remainswitched on. This will protect the organs fortransplantation. The hospital staff may con-tinue administering drugs to the deceasedperson in order to stabilise the organs. With-out these drugs and a supply of oxygen, theorgans would deteriorate rapidly and trans-plantation would not be possible. Surgerycommences soon afterwards and may takeseveral hours. Immediately before the organs

are removed from the body, all mechanicalventilation is ceased and the heart is stopped.Once removed the organs are flushed withpreservation fluid and specially packed in acool chamber. They are then transported tothe hospitals where they will be transplanted.Can organs be sold?The National Organ Transplant Act makes itillegal to sell human organs and tissues. Vio-lators are subject to fines and imprisonment.Buying and selling of organs might lead toinequitable access to donor organs with thewealthy having an unfair advantage.How are organs distributed?Patients are matched to organs based on anumber of factors including blood and tissuetyping, medical urgency, time on the waitinglist, and geographical location.Patient Support Groups:There are a few organisations in India withwhom you can register for kidney donation.Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network(MOHAN) Foundation is a support group forkidney failure patients. You can contact thefollowing address, fill in a form and get your-self a donor card. It has got branches all overIndia.MOHAN Foundation, A-81, Anna Nagar,Chennai - 600 102. India. Ph: 6207000. Fax:6263477. email:info@mohanfoundation.comHOPE is a non-government, charitable trust,created to popularise the concept of organdonation after brain death.For further details please contact: GarimaMidha, Programme Coordinator, HOPETrust, 86 A, 2nd Floor, Randhir Complex,Shahpurjat, New Delhi. Ph. 6494886, email:trust_hope@vsnl.net

One good turn...

BabyBabytalktalk

My son is already 18 months old, but has only seven teeth. Is some-thing wrong? What should I do?Madhu SharmaTeething is quite different in different babies. In one family, most ofthe children teeth early, in another, late. If your son is healthy, eatswell, plays and otherwise shows no signs of sickness, then there shouldbe no problem. However, if he is weak, malnourished and does not eatwell and has frequent worm infestations due to unhygienic food hab-its, then calcium supplements are necessary. You could help by puttingyour child out in the sun for short periods of time, because exposure tothe sun helps the child to manufacture vitamin D in itself and calciumabsorption is enhanced.

In spite of giving best possible care, my daughter, age 7, refuses toput on weight and is thin as a stick. I am worried. Please help.Sarita RaiPutting on weight and gaining height are generally genetically deter-mined. If your daughter has shiny hair, bright eyes and lustrous skin,eats normally and plays, I do not think that gaining too much weightwould help her in any way. In fact, with the advent of junk food, chil-dren are getting more obese and European and Australian medical fra-ternity are more worried about too much weight gain.

My son watches TV from a very close distance. Is this all right? Willit effect his eyesight?C. LepchaYes, watching too much TV and playing with computers will defi-nitely affect your son’s eyesight. You could help him by creating moreinterest in books, games etc. Even if he has to watch TV and playgames on the computer, you should shorten the duration. Keeping theroom bright is another help and keeping attractive posters on the wallsto divert his attention away from the computers at regular intervalswould help to prevent eye strain and refractive defects of the eye.

Dr. HK Chettri on paediatric concerns

tended to have higher levels of preg-nancy hormones. Coffee drinkingalso appeared linked to how mucha woman was vomiting, but not tonausea or her decreased appetite.

The study showed that coffeeconsumption decreased signifi-cantly as hormone levels rose, sug-gesting that healthy increases inhormones can cause women to cutback on coffee. The researchers alsofound that the women who drankmore coffee tended to have lowerlevels of one particular pregnancyhormone. While these lower levelswere still enough to maintain preg-nancy, they could be of concern towomen with fertility problems.

Although previous studies havesuggested that drinking coffee earlyin pregnancy can increase the riskof miscarriage, there have been noclear studies to date that showwhether drinking moderate amountsof coffee during pregnancy has det-rimental effects. If a woman has aquestion about coffee consumptionduring pregnancy, she should con-sult her doctor.

American Journal of Epide-miology September 2002, Vol.

156: 428-437

Pregnant hormonesand coffee

EVERYTHING ELSE

STOPS

ON WEDNESDAYS

HITS THE STANDSStarting from this week, Women NOW! will carry a weekly column “BabyTalk” on Child Care. Readers are invited to send in their queries related to

child care which would be answered by Dr. HK Chettri, child specialist.

NOWWOMENiv

Sept 25-01 Oct, 2002

Home remedies, kitchen tips, beauty makeovers, recycling advice..... just about anything that makes life easier for the

housewife... Send in your tips and if adjudged the most useful tip of the week, you will win a Gift coupon worth Rs. 250/-

sponsored by Curtina, MG Marg.Send in your entries to: NOW! Near Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong, East Sikkim. Or

email us at sikkimnow@rediffmail.com

CBEST TIPS

Contest

urtina

the

Mrs. PEMPA LHAMU BHUTIA, Arithang

� To remove grease stains from clothes, dab the stainswith a little toothpaste and leave overnight. Wash withsoap and water the next day.

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� To remove worms from cauliflowers, dip the flowerettesin salted water. After 5 or 10 minutes, all the worms willfloat on the surface or die and settle down at the bottom.

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DRAGON Frustration is seen on Monday,you can be defeated on Tuesday,and forced into submission onThursday, so learn to back down.

Success on Monday, good to planchanges on Wednesday, and

unexpected success on Friday, with statuson Saturday.SNAKE Past problems trouble you on

Sunday, bad news come on Monday,with severe defeat or losses onFriday. Push your plans through onTuesday and Wednesday. Accept

invitations on Saturday.HORSE Look behind the scenes on

Wednesday, avoid complications,and be prepared for delays and

frustrations on Thursday, but yetmaintain diplomacy. Negotiate onMonday and you win, be bold on Fridayand you succeed, and push plans

through on Saturday.SHEEP The tide turns against you

DRAGON: 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000. SNAKE: 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001. HORSE:1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002. SHEEP: 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003. MONKEY: 1956,1968, 1980, 1992, 2004. ROOSTER: 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005. DOG: 1958, 1970,

THE WEEK AHEAD FOR THE ANIMAL SIGNS

etc.

SamsaraTHE

Recipebar & restaurant

CONTEST

Recipes are not easily parted with, but share

one with us and if it is the most exciting one

for the week, you shall win a free dinner for

two at Samsara Bar & Restaurant at Nam

Nang. Send in your entries to: NOW! Near

Ayurvedic Clinic, Gairi Gaon, Tadong, East

Sikkim. Entries can also be dropped off at

Oberois, MG Marg

BANANA SPLIT

ICE CREAM2 cups white sugar 3 tablespoons flour

(maida) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 litre milk

300gm milk powder 6 eggs, beaten 1

tablespoon vanil la extract 1 l i tre

chocolate milk* 250 gms strawberries (if

they aren’t in season, use an extra

banana) 3 bananas, peeled and

quartered 500 gm can of t inned

pineapple, with juice

*If you can’t get chocolalte milk, use plain

milk and add 50 gms of cooking

chocolate while making the milk mixture

In a heavy bottomed pan combine sugar,

flour, salt, milk and the milk powder over

medium heat. Cook, stirr ing, unti l

bubbles form at edges and mixture is

slightly thickened. Lower the heat and

pouring about 3-4 tablespoon of hot milk

into the beaten eggs, beat well to

combine.

Then remove milk mixture from heat and

stir the eggs into the milk. Stir well until

the mixture is smooth

Stir in vanil la, chocolate milk,

strawberries, bananas and pineapple

with its juice. Pour into the freezer

canister of an ice cream maker. Chill in

refrigerator until quite cold, then freeze

according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Chaya Dogra

CALIFORNIA:

A Mill Valley (California) Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant

employee was arrested after a cus-tomer received a little somethingextra with his chicken dinner.

This customer received two

SYDNEY:

A 92-year-old Australian woman has become the nation’s oldest first-time home buyer after securing a housing loan she does not have to

pay off for another 30 years.Her local financial institution is banking on the mother-of-five living

to 122 under the terms of the loan.Margaret Cole, who grew up in a poor coal-mining town in Wales,

Britain, decided concerns among the nation’s traditionally risk averse banksabout her age would not stop her embracing the “great Australian dream”of home ownership.

“She has been a battler all her life and was not taking no for an an-swer,” James Hunt, her real estate agent at First National Wyong, toldReuters on Monday.

She also bagged a A$7,000 ($3,850) grant from the government forfirst-time homebuyers, an incentive normally aimed at the young.

Cole, who emigrated to Australia in 1976, has had a little help fromher daughter and brother-in-law, whose names are also on the ANZ Bankmortgage as co-guarantors.

She plans to move into her A$198,000 three-bedroom home atWatanobbi, a suburb north of Sydney on the New South Wales centralcoast, later this week.

unexpectedly on Sunday with news thatbrings stress on Monday, andthen you suffer from superiorson Thursday, and can lose out

heavily on Friday. Better to flow with the tide.Only Wednesday remains to help youbalance your way through.MONKEY The week is full of unexpectedtrouble that erupts on Sunday due to past

problems, and then ends up withsevere conflict on Friday. Back downhastily. You can be misled on

Tuesday, but Saturday remains best, sosocialize. Discuss travel on Wednesday.ROOSTER Your emotions and ego get you

into trouble on Tuesday and Wednesday, soremain practical, and suspect flattery.Contact those who can help you on

Monday and become active on Saturday.A past friend makes contact on Sunday.

DOG Much can be spoilt if you allow ego

and temper to come in the way of negotiationson Monday and Tuesday. Much canbe regretted if you risk too much, orbecome argumentative on Friday andSaturday. Thursday is clear to projectyour plans, while Sunday brings

about an interesting meeting.PIG The chances of success are strong onMonday and Friday so contact those who canhelp you and activate your plans. Emotional

problems are seen strong on Tuesdayand Wednesday, with your ego comingin the way of an interesting contact, butstill beware of complications.

RAT Becoming hostile, argumentative, andallowing your ego to bring differences betweenyou and others is seen to spoil Monday and

Saturday, so be diplomatic and diffuse thedanger. Wednesday is best fornegotiating, and although Thursdayholds promise, yet there is frustration.

OX A lack of self-confidence, ficklemindedness and inferiority complexes canspoil Wednesday and Thursday, sodon’t react too sensitively. At thesame time stay away fromcomplications. An unexpectedmeeting is exciting on Sunday withgood news comes on Monday andespecially on Friday. Be active on Saturday.TIGER Don’t allow a grown up ego to spoilrelationships on Tuesday, while you canbe attracted to complicated issues onWednesday, and a major differencecan arise on Saturday, therefore makeyour approach sensibly. Thursday andSunday bring very good opportunities.RABBIT Control over daringness onMonday, and don’t let your ego destroy anyrelationship on Saturday, so remainhumble rather than fierce.Wednesday is good to make changesor to bond, while Thursday puts youin control but not immediately.

1982, 1994, 2006. BOAR: 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007. RAT: 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996.OX: 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997. TIGER: 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998. RABBIT: 1951,1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

KFC Customer Gets PotWith Chicken

bags of marijuana Friday, instead ofthe extra biscuits he had requested.

The customer gave the mari-juana back to the employee, got hisextra biscuits and called police.

Police arrested Carlos Ayala,26, of Vallejo, shortly after the cus-tomer complained about the pot.

Marin County Sheriff’s deputiessaid they found Ayala with a smallamount of marijuana, a handgunand about $500 in his possession.

Ayala often worked the drive-up window at the restaurant and au-thorities say he may have been sell-ing the marijuana to customers whoused the right secret word as a code.

LONDON:

A mysterious crop circle hasappeared in London’s Kew

Gardens, a baffled spokeswomanfor the botanical park said.

The appropriately flower-shaped pattern materialised over-night in a wheat field in the gar-dens, forcing staff at Kew to post-pone this week’s harvest.

“It’s caused quite a stir,” thespokeswoman said. “We don’tknow how it got there.”

The enigmatic circles that ap-pear in their thousands every year

MYSTERY CIRCLE CROPS UP INLONDON’S KEW GARDENS

around the world have divided thepublic into believers and non-be-lievers.

“We do know for a fact that peo-ple make them as forms of art orfor a prank,” said David Sutton,managing editor of the ForteanTimes journal of the strange andunexplained.

“That tends to make us scepti-cal that extra-terrestrial beings ormagnetic forces are responsible,” hetold Reuters.

But others are adamant the cir-cles - which have come to promi-

nence in the last 20 years but arebelieved to have first appeared inthe 17th century - are one ofEarth’s great unsolved riddles,like the lost city of Atlantis or theLoch Ness Monster.

“This year, particularly, we’veseen commercial interest with thefilm ‘Signs,’” said Sutton, opin-ing that the circle might even havebeen commissioned by Kew Gar-dens itself.

“But at the end of the day Ican’t really categorically saythere’s no mystery there.”

NEBRASKA:

Teasing a dog can get you morethan a nasty bite. A 21-year-old

man ended up in jail Friday whenhe messed with the wrong canine.

The man was gesturing at offic-ers trying to tow a vehicle, saidHastings Police Sgt. Dan Losada.He said the man also barked at apolice dog named Wojo.

The dog began to bark back, andofficers warned the man to stop. Herefused, and ran when officers triedto arrest him.

Officers caught up to the man andarrested him for harassing a policedog and obstructing a police officer.

ManArrested forHarassing

Dog

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