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The curtains came down on the first Asean Festival at the Katara Esplanade, which provided visitors a window into the cultural identity of each of the seven participating Southeast Asian countries via a blend of performances, cuisine and handicraft.

TWITTER HAS A HUGE PROBLEM, AND IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD

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ASEAN CULTUREON SHOW AT KATARA

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THE RESURRECTION OF ARNOLD: SCHWARZENEGGER’S THIRD ACT

s u l a q a t a r . c o m

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TOP DESIGNERS SHOWCASE WORK IN MERCEDES-BENZ PAKISTAN FASHION WEEK DOHA

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| SUNDAY 3 MAY 2015 |

CULTURE

Asean Festival wows thousands with cultural fiesta

BY RAYNALD C RIVERA

Cultural diplomacy at its finest. The first-ever Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Festival drew its cur-

tains to a marvelous close yesterday at the Katara Esplanade providing visitors a window into the cultural identity of each of the seven participating Asean coun-tries via a blend of performances, cui-sine, handicraft and tourism products.

From the elegant ‘Singkil’ of the Philippines to the lively ‘Serng Kratip’ of Thailand to the spectacular ‘Pakarena’ of Indonesia, the dances captivated thousands in the audience comprising citizens and expatriates who applauded them for their distinct character repre-senting the uniqueness of each of the neighbouring nations.

The Kaloob Philippine Music and Dance Ministry, a research-based folk dance troupe, provided a glimpse of the diversity of the 7,107-island nation of the Philippines rendering a number of Filipino dances.

Among the dance items Kaloob per-formed were the ‘Singkil’, an ancient dance based on a popular Philippine epic from the southern region of the country and the ‘La Jota Moncadeña,’ a Filipino adaptation of an old Spanish dance. Accompanied by live music played using indigenous percussion and stringed instruments, the performers

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danced using scarves, fans, bamboo sticks and castanets further enhancing their already vibrant movements.

The Thai troupe wowed crowds with a medley of stunning items including ‘Dance of the Four Regions,’ ‘Srivijaya’ and ‘Serng Kratip.’

In the ‘Dance of the Four Regions,’ they provided a vista into the cultural nuances of northern, southern, northeast and central regions of Thailand through a fusion of short dances corresponding to each geographical region. Performing the ‘Serng Kratip,’ the troupe projected the jovial mood of the harvest season in the rural region of Isaan. In their performance of ‘Srivijaya,’ they showcased the way of life of the ancient kingdom which extended from the eighth to the 13th centuries.

Highlights of the performance of the 28-member dance troupe from Indonesia included the ‘Bajidor Kahot’ and ‘Pakarena,’ the former a new dance from Western Java while the latter a dance of royalty in Gowa Regency in South Solawesi, Indonesia. Using fans, the danc-ers mesmerized the audience with their delicate hand and foot movements reflect-ing deep emotions and aesthetic beauty as well as spectacular formations.

A 22-member troupe from the Department of Culture and Arts of Malaysia performed a medley of dances that showed the Malay culture with traces of Chinese and Indian influences ranging from ancient to modern.

The two-hour long show also featured musical performances of Singaporean child prodigies Tricia, 10, and Nicole, 9,

who played classical music displaying out-standing skills in playing violin and piano even at a tender age. The Doha-based sis-ters, who are under the tutelage of promi-nent musicians, headlined the show as they rendered a number of striking tunes to the delight of the crowd.

Artistes from Brunei Darussalam and Vietnam also unveiled aspects of their rich heritage through their presentations at the three-day show organised by the Asean Committee in Doha (ACD) and hosted by Katara. Donning elaborate traditional cos-tumes, the troupes depicted the solidarity among the Asean countries in Doha telling their own cultural narratives through songs and dances.

Apart from the performances, the festi-val provided visitors a culinary journey into the authentic cuisines of the seven coun-tries. The visitors also had the opportunity to purchase quality handicrafts produced in each country as well as see various tour-ist attractions and products in store for travelers.

Judging from the attendance and the audience’s reaction, the three-day cultural event was deemed a success not merely in providing a truly unique show by pro-fessional troupes but in enabling cultural dialogue among Asean countries, host country Qatar and other nations.

More than its entertainment value, the event derives its significance from the fact that cultural exchange has proved effective in the promotion of respect and recognition of cultural diversity and heritage which ulti-mately leads to global peace and stability.

The Peninsula

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CAMPUS

‘Demolition Man’ helps students demolish stereotypes at BPS

Alphonse Kannamthanam, who earned a sobriquet as the ‘Demolition Man’ of India for having razed to the ground 14,310 illegal structures in Delhi metropolis and saved the

exchequer Rs100bn while he was the commissioner of Delhi Development Authority, visited Birla Public School recently.

In a talk sprinkled with inspiring snippets from per-sonal anecdotes, Alphonse told the students that ‘there is genius within you. You need to recognise it and then work towards fulfilling the realisation of that genius. Genius lies in serving the world and by serving the world, you can change the world.’

The author of the book Make a Difference urged the students to start dreaming for a change.

Lukose Chacko, Chairman, School Board of Directors, received Alphonse in the presence of school Principal A K Shrivastava and senior school officials.

The Peninsula Alphonse Kannamthanam interacting with students of Birla Public School.

As part of French language activity, the French department of MES Indian School in collaboration with Silver Zone Foundation, New Delhi recently conducted the French Olympiad 2015. A number of students studying French language participated in the examination and won gold, silver and bronze medals. Mohammed Shafi Shariff, HOD French, coordinated the examination.

CBSE-i division of Shantiniketan Indian School (SIS) celebrated Math O’ Fun Day by presenting various creative projects on mathematical topics. Principal, Dr Subhash Nair and Vice- Principal CBSE-i, Dudley O’Connor, appreciated the efforts of the students.

Math O’ Fun at SIS

French Olympiad

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COMMUNITY / MARKETPLACE

Due to the longstanding partner-ship between Total and Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP), Total

recently hosted a cohort of 23 students pursuing engineering master degrees in France. The three-day programme included visits to Total’s offices and research centre, and industrial cities in Raslaffan and Dukhan.

The students met with Total’s top managers, and engaged in discussions on topics ranging from Total’s opera-tions and assets, to the geosciences projects, research and development and importance of HSE (health, safety and environment).They were given presentations showcasing Total’s vari-ous initiatives in the field of scientific research and sustainability. They also interacted with research teams who

work in Total’s research facility (TRC-Q). Their visit ended with a tour of the

LNG facilities in Ras laffan, and Qatar Petroleum’s Dukhan facility.

“We are happy to contribute by increasing the awareness of students in Qatar’s role in the global energy sup-ply. This will hopefully inspire more stu-dents to consider a future in the oil and gas business,” said Guillaume Chalmin, Managing Director of Total E&P Qatar and Group Representative.

Yousef Al Jaber, Head of CSR and Institutional Relations at Total E&P Qatar added: “The state of the art facili-ties present in Qatar, and their history as a top player in the world energy market has become driving factors for more and more industrial visits by stu-dents studying abroad. Our strategy is to partner with such leading instutions such as IFP, and host them so that stu-dents may benefit for our experience and technical expertise”. The Peninsula

St Regis Doha integrates Al Gassar function space into its offerings

The St. Regis Doha is expanding its meeting and events offerings with the integration Al Gassar’s

ballroom and meeting rooms starting from the first of May.

With this new integration, the St Regis Doha Hotel will bring its expe-rience and resources to Al Gassar’s large 1,300 sq. meters ballroom and six meeting rooms. This will expand the total conference facility space up oper-ated by the St Regis Doha to 5,300 sq. meters. The Peninsula

Ali Ibrahim Abdullah Al Maliki, Chairman and Managing Director of Al Maliki group, Mohammed bin Jauhar Al Mohammed, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Retaj, and other officials from both companies at the signing ceremony for the new hotel Retaj Inn Marina held at Retaj Al Rayyan Hotel recently. Retaj Inn Marina is located at Pearl-Qatar and has 250 apartments of various sizes.

A seminar on plastic weld-ing technology was held at Crowne Plaza Hotel recently. Matteo Brunori, Technical Sales Manager, Khalid Al Mahamoud, Chairman of EKRON Enterprises, Heinz Ladstatter, Managing Director of Hurner, Shamsheer Rehiman, General Manager, and other senior officials attended the seminar.

Total hosts students from France

From Left: Al Safa Polyclinic officials Franz Jossef, Process Quality Manager, Hussam Ahmed, Medical Director, Ravi Shekhar, General Manager, Ajeesh Nair, Joint Operation Manager and Rajesh P R, Business Development Manager, at the 5th Annual International Labour Day Press conference held at Doha Down Town hotel.

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TECHNOLOGY

BY CAITLIN DEWEY

Last Thursday, the social giant Twitter did a very peculiar thing: It gave its 300 million users license to ... stop tweet-

ing. “We know it can be challenging to find time to get through everything,” a sympathetic Twitter tech lead wrote on the company’s blog. So instead of expecting users to keep up with every-thing, Twitter was testing a new feature called Highlights: a once-a-day digest of the site’s most important, relevant information, shorn of all the real-time chatter and noise and nonsense that arguably make Twitter, well — Twitter.

Nine years after the site launched, and two years after investors began demanding user growth, Twitter seems to have realised what lots of hardcore users learned the hard way long ago: that the great hallmark of Twitter, the unfiltered real-time feed, is psychologi-cally untenable.

“The modern brain hasn’t evolved to keep up,” said Daniel Levitin, a cogni-tive psychologist and the author of the bestseller The Organized Mind. “That’s why we feel so exhausted all the time.”

Cognitive psychologists call this phenomenon “information overload,” and it’s increasingly symptomatic of all online life — although Twitter, with its infinite, incessant real-time feed, proves a particularly vexing case. By some estimates, the average American con-sumes five times as much information now as he did 20 years ago — 100,500 words, and 34 gigabytes, for the aver-age person on an average day in 2008. (For comparison, 34 gigabytes = two times the memory of the entry-level iPhone.)

But while we consume a lot of this information passively — like when we glance at a billboard or a banner ad — we also expend a ton of mental

energy sifting for, and processing, the important stuff. That phrase — “men-tal energy” — is deliberate. As Lucy Jo Palladino, a psychologist who studies attention, explains, the brain is a muscle like any other, and it can’t run on empty.

When you encounter new informa-tion, she says, it stimulates your brain to produce chemicals like dopamine and norepinephrine, which make you feel alert and help you process that informa-tion. But when you process too much information too quickly — by, say, scroll-ing through your ever-updating Twitter feed for hours on end — you burn through all that brain energy. You end up feeling foggy or irritable or unpro-ductive or angry. (One 2011 study even linked Internet overstimulation to long-term consequences, such as elevated stress levels and other adverse health effects.)

“When you’re bored, stimulation improves attention, but only up to a point,” Palladino said. “After that, stimu-lation degrades attention.”

On Twitter, in fact, we actually know exactly where that crossover point

lies: A recent study by researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Institute found that 30 tweets per hour is the most people can handle before their mental processing slows.

Obviously, that poses some big questions for those of us who spend a lot of time in front of our screens. (Like, if I didn’t have so many tabs open, could I afford to drink less coffee?) But for Twitter, the issue is far more existen-tial: If its service is inherently cognitively stressful, it can’t possibly persuade new users to sign up. And without those cru-cial sign-ups, Twitter could be in trouble.

Undeterred, Twitter has kept up a steady patter of new-product launches, all of them geared toward decreasing the amount of cognitive effort needed to use the service: an “instant timeline” tool that organises information for new users, a “while you were away” feature that lets people take breaks from the constancy of the stream.

The odd thing about these new fea-tures, beside their sudden frequency, is how distinctly un-Twitter they all seem. Twitter’s stated purpose has always

been the raw, unfiltered information stream — the “Twitter firehose,” its fre-quently called, a stream so forceful and so high-volume it could knock some-body out. (Not coincidentally, “drinking from the firehose” has come to mean “being overwhelmed.”)

Features like Highlights, on the other hand, seem to accommodate both a little more order in our timelines and a little time away from our screens. And incidentally, those are the exact things researchers say our brains really need to process all the information spinning through them.

Palladino likens Twitter to rush hour at Grand Central Station: It’s overwhelm-ing and chaotic and imminently stress-ful, with too much noise and stimulation to ever adequately take in.

“But with the right filtering tools — an accurate schedule, a giant display of track numbers — it’s self-organizing,” she said. “Each person chooses where she wants to go and does, in fact, get there.”

Will Highlights help Twitter users sort information that way, to cut down on the sheer mental effort required to keep up with all those tweets? Palladino thinks it has potential, particularly when used in conjunction with other techniques such as Twitter filters, “pacing” (i.e., taking breaks) and good old-fashioned self-discipline. Levitin, who recently cut back on his own tweeting, agrees.

“My advice,” he said, “is to think about what you want to do during the day, to prioritize that deliberately. Then set aside maybe an hour or two, a des-ignated time, to check your Twitter and your Facebook and your Tumblr and your Vine.”

That way, Levitin said, you conserve your brain for the stuff that really mat-ters most to you. The tweets will still be there when you’re ready for them. And your sanity will be, too. WP-Bloomberg

Twitter has a huge problem, and it’s all in your head

07| SUNDAY 3 MAY 2015 |

FOOD

BY J M HIRSCH

If you really want to show Mom how much you care on Mother’s Day, the recipe is pretty simple — carbs and fat.

After all, it’s what the rest of us crave on special days. So why fuss with breakfast in bed (which inevitably spills, anyway), when you could just embrace the fatty-carby formula that is almost guaranteed to make the moms in your life happy? My favourite expres-sion of this winning formula? Fettuccine Alfredo.

Not only is it rich and delicious, it’s also fast and easy to make. And that means the kids can get in on the cook-ing action. The grating of the cheese, the cutting of the butter and the tossing of the shrimp are all tasks perfect for

delegating to Mom’s dearest little ones.To gussy up this dish a bit, I added

pepper-roasted shrimp, which are tossed in with the pasta just at the end. But if shrimp doesn’t suit your mom, you could easily substitute chopped cooked (and hot) chicken breasts, crispy hunks (make them big) of beef bacon, or strips of smoked salmon.

Pepper-Scampi AlfredoStart to finish: 30 minutesServings: 6

Ingredients• 2 pounds raw, shelled extra-large or jumbo shrimp• Olive oil• Ground black pepper• 16-ounce package fettuccine pasta

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut into small pieces• 3 1/4 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese

Method:Heat the oven to 400 F. Place a

large stainless steel serving bowl on the oven’s bottom shelf to warm. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

While the water heats, pile the shrimp on the prepared baking sheet, then driz-zle a generous amount of olive oil over them. Toss to coat. Sprinkle the shrimp liberally with pepper, then arrange in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes, or until just pink and firm.

While the shrimp cooks, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package directions. When

the pasta is finished, reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

Carefully remove the bowl from the oven. Place the butter in the bowl, then add the drained pasta. Using tongs or 2 wooden spoons, toss the pasta, melting the butter and mixing it with the pasta. Be careful of the hot bowl. A bit at a time, add the cheese and the reserved pasta cooking water (you don’t need to use it all), continuing to toss until all of the cheese is added and melted. Add the shrimp and toss well. Season with pepper.

Nutrition information per serving: 720 calories; 300 calories from fat (42 percent of total calories); 33 g fat (17 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 265 mg cholesterol; 64 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 41 g protein; 1,550 mg sodium. AP

Real comfort and love on Mother’s Day come as carbs and fat

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FASHION

Mercedes-Benz Pakistan Fashion Week Doha was held on Thursday and Friday at the Doha Marriott Hotel. The two-day fashion event, supported by Mercedes-Benz, brought together some of the best designing talents from the Pakistan fashion commu-nity. Held twice a year, the Mercedes-Benz Pakistan Fashion Week Doha, is designed to promote the fashion industry in Pakistan among the local community in Qatar and help develop stronger business relations. The event saw the works of the most popular designers along with leading fashion houses, make-up artists, jewellery and high end accessories designers from Pakistan who showcased their innova-tive products that incorporate tradi-tional components in modern designs. The event featured fashion shows with red carpet on both days attended by celebrities, social figures and key busi-ness community members from Qatar.

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HEALTH & FITNESS

Psoriasis is a skin disease affecting approximately three percent of the world’s population. It has a range of physical, emotional and social

effects, but how much do we actually know about it?

The facts• Psoriasis is a chronic (long term) skin dis-

ease associated with the over production of skin cells usually resulting in flaky, scaly and irritable skin

• It is not an infectious disease – it isn’t contagious

• If one parent has psoriasis, their child has a 10-25 percent chance of developing it too – it is hereditary. If both parents have psoriasis the chance will be higher

• Psoriasis cannot be cured but it can be treated and managed effectively

• It occurs in both men and women equally and can present at any age

• The first occurrence of psoriasis is usually triggered by something such as a wound to the skin, a throat infection, and certain types of medication or even stress

• Some studies indicate that lifestyle factors such as being obese, smoking and alcohol consumption can contribute to psoriasis symptoms – triggering them or making them worse

• Treatment for psoriasis depends on the severity and the personal circumstances of the individual. They range from oint-ments and creams to medications and phototherapy

• Untreated moderate to severe psoriasis may lead to complications such as cardiovas-cular disease, diabetes, liver disease and psoriatic arthropathy. Fortunately, early and effective treatment of psoriasis may reduce this possibility

What are the emotional and social effects of psoriasis?

The unusual and sometimes severe appear-ance of psoriasis in prominent locations can have emotional and social consequences, such as social stigma, low self-esteem and even depression.

It is important to understand and take care of the emotional aspect of the condition; some patients isolate themselves because they feel uncomfortable with how they look. As a physi-cian I can help them to treat the symptoms but we also need to educate the general pub-lic to let them know the facts about psoriasis and that it will cause them no harm.

Managing the condition by avoiding triggers

Certain things can cause psoriasis to trig-ger. If you have psoriasis and understand your triggers you have a greater chance of avoid-ing an episode. Triggers may be psychologi-cal stress, some bacterial infections, a sore throat, some medications (e.g. beta blockers or lithium) and skin wounds: If you know or suspect such triggers like stress, or a certain medication or smoking has worsened your symptoms, you can use that knowledge to make lifestyle changes and avoid a reoccur-rence. You should talk to your doctor about this.

What should I do if I think I have psoriasis?

If you think you have psoriasis you should make an appointment to see a primary physi-cian. If diagnosis of psoriasis is confirmed you may be treated by them or referred to a der-matologist. Before treatment begins your doc-tor will assess the severity of your condition and try to understand how much it is affecting your everyday life – this may determine what course of treatment to take. Treatment for psoriasis is very effective for most people.

Contributed by Hamad Medical Corporation

Understanding

psoriasis

3D-printed device saves three babies’ lives in US

In a world first, a groundbreaking 3D-printed device has helped three toddlers suffering from a life-threatening condi-tion lead a normal life. Kaiba, Garrett and Ian in the US had a terminal form of tracheobronchomalacia — a severe disease

which causes the windpipe to collapse periodically and prevents normal breathing. There was no cure and life-expectancies were grim. The custom-designed airway splints from University of Michigan’s CS Mott Children’s Hospital have kept their airways open, restored their breathing and saved their lives.

“These cases broke new ground for us because we were able to use 3D printing to design a device that successfully restored patients’ breathing through a procedure that had never been done before,” explained senior author Glenn Green, associate professor of paediatric otolaryngology.

Kaiba was just a newborn when he turned blue because his little lungs were not getting the oxygen they needed.

Garrett spent the first year of his life in hospital beds tethered to a ventilator, being fed through his veins because his body was too sick to absorb food.

Baby Ian’s heart stopped before he was even six-months-old.Using 3D printing, Green and his colleague Scott Hollister

were able to create and implant customised tracheal splints for each patient. The device was created directly from CT scans of their tracheas, integrating an image-based computer model with laser-based 3D printing to produce the splint.

The splint was sewn around their airways to expand the tra-chea and bronchus and give it a skeleton to aid proper growth.

The splint is designed to be reabsorbed by the body over time. Researchers closely followed their cases to see how well the airway splints implanted in all three patients worked and the results are promising.

“Today, our first patient Kaiba is an active, healthy three-year-old in preschool with a bright future. The device worked better than we could have ever imagined,” Green informed.

Now an energetic two-and-a-half-year-old with a contagious laugh, Garrett is able to breathe on his own and spend his days ventilator-free. Ian, now 17-months-old, is known for his huge grins, enthusiastic high fives and love for playing with his big brother, Owen. None of the devices, which were implanted in then three-month-old Kaiba, five-month-old Ian and 16-month-old Garrett have caused any complications.

The findings also show that the patients were able to come off of ventilators and no longer needed paralytics, narcotics and sedation. Researchers noted improvements in multiple organ systems.

“This treatment continues to prove to be a promising option for children facing this life-threatening condition that has no cure, the authors concluded. The results were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine. IANS

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ENTERTAINMENT

BY JAKE COYLE

Arnold Schwarzenegger fol-lowed the familiar script of a politician departing office in some ways, writing a mem-

oir and doing speaking engagements. But, then again, most former governors don’t make three films a year in which they regularly pile up double-digit body counts.

“You can’t put me in the same cat-egory at all. I’m in a totally separate category,” says Schwarzenegger. “No one that has the combination of having been successful in sports, having been successful in show business and then having been successful in politics. So everything is off.”

Schwarzenegger, who has a lit-tle Donald Trump in his braggadocio, is indeed a category of his own. He’s been a monolithic, much-impersonated pop-culture presence across more than three decades: an Austria-born he-man who came to America to pump us up, to defend us from aliens and to rule our most populous state.

Four years after leaving office, the rekindled movie career of the post-governor Governator has taken shape. It’s been more than the last gasp some expected. Rather, Schwarzenegger has launched a full-scale resurrection of the showbiz career he put on hiatus for seven years — one that wasn’t exactly red hot when it was put on ice.

“You cannot just go and pick it up where you left off. So you have to kind of work your way up because everyone at the studios says, ‘I don’t know if people will really buy in. He’s seven years older and blah blah blah,’” Schwarzenegger said in a recent interview. “I said: OK, let’s just work our way up there again.”

Schwarzenegger’s latest is his most unlikely. In Maggie, which opens in theatres on May 8 and recently pre-miered at the Tribeca Film Festival, he tries his most dramatic acting yet, play-ing a father whose teenage daughter (Abigail Breslin) has been infected by a disease that will turn her into a zombie within weeks.

The directorial debut of Henry Hobson, ” — which despite its

apocalyptic backdrop is really a slow-moving drama about parent-hood and death — is radically smaller than Schwarzenegger’s usual vehi-cle. Though the effect is sometimes like seeing a Humvee on a bike path, Schwarzenegger acquits himself rea-sonably well as a weathered Midwestern patriarch.

He says the adjustment to a $6m indie was a welcome change of pace from the “machinery” of larger films. There was more time for rehearsal to develop his character. “I like reps,” he says with a smile.

Speaking with Schwarzenegger isn’t as surreal as you’d expect. Dressed in a shirt and jeans, he looks a little like a presidential candidate in a folksy campaign ad. At a suite at the Waldorf Astoria, an assistant sits nearby on a laptop while a security guard stands by the door.

The entourage is a bit like that of a pol-itician, even though Schwarzenegger’s electability took perhaps an unrecover-able hit in 2011 when it was revealed that he had fathered a son with a household employee, Mildred Baena 14 years earlier. Maria Shriver, his wife of 25 years, divorced him. Schwarzenegger dedicated a chapter of his memoir to what he calls a “disastrous situation” and spoke about the scandal on 60 Minutes.

“It’s me,” he says. “You can’t go and use the people only with your good things and try to sell them things, the movies, and have a certain following, and then not cut them in when you fall.”

His re-ascent on the big screen hasn’t been smooth, but it’s gain-ing steam. On July 1, he’ll return to

perhaps his most famous character in Terminator: Genisys, the fifth film in the franchise. The previous film Terminator Salvation, was the lone entry without Schwarzenegger and it was poorly received. With him back in the fold, Genisys is one of the summer’s more anticipated films.

Since leaving office, Schwarzenegger has teamed up with Sylvester Stallone for the three Expendables movies, and lso co-starred with Stallone in 2013’s Escape Plan. While those ‘80s-style action films have done mostly good business, Schwarzenegger’s solo efforts have faltered. 2013’s The Last Stand made only $12m domestically, and last year’s Sabotage didn’t make back a third of its $35m budget in North America. He’s hoping to make sequels to Twins and Conan the Barbarian.

“I’m climbing the hill. I’m not there yet. Still a work in progress,” says Schwarzenegger. “It’s always more fun to climb the hill than sit on top of it.”

But Schwarzenegger, at 67, still has some swagger. At CinemaCon last week in Las Vegas, he previewed foot-age from Genisys and promised the crowd “big, big box office.” It will be the biggest test yet for Schwarzenegger’s post-governor phase.

Schwarzenegger says he misses working on policy and remains invested in issues like the environ-ment and California’s water crisis. His Schwarzenegger Institute at the University of Southern California pro-motes “post-partisanship,” particularly when it comes to global warming.

“For the last 45 years I was on a fit-ness crusade,” he says. “Now I’m on an environmental crusade.” AP

Clooney has runway installed at home

Actor George Clooney has reportedly had a runway installed at his home here so that he can help select outfits for his wife Amal to wear.

“George is very involved in selecting her looks. He’ll watch her try on clothes and will say, ‘I like that. You should get it,’ or ‘No, not that.’

“He installed a runway, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, and a crazy light system in their closet. Amal can see every single angle and tell if her outfit is see-through,” a source said.

The 37-year-old human rights lawyer is said to love the the Monuments Men star offering opinions about her outfits, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

“Amal loves it! She shops a lot because she needs her lawyer looks and then street clothes,” the insider added to Us Weekly magazine.

Meanwhile, Clooney recently hosted an intimate dinner for Amal’s birthday.Rande Gerber — a guest at the party — said: “We just had a dinner with

a small group of close friends at George’s house. She’s really perfect for him. She’s smart and she’s beautiful, engaging. She is, again... smart, but she doesn’t make you feel stupid.”

IANS

The resurrection of Arnold: Schwarzenegger’s 3rd act

11


ENTERTAINMENT

BY SUBHASH K JHA

Film: Gabbar Is BackCast: Akshay Kumar, Sunil Grover, Shruti Haasan, Suman Talwar and Jaideep AhlawatDirector: KrishRating: ****

‘Let’s give the drivel’ its due. Films about heroes who harangue and punish the corrupt go back to the

time when Guru Dutt turned his back on a hopeless humanity in Pyaasa. Since then, corruption has grown epidemic. And so have films on the theme.

What sets Gabbar is Back apart in the genre is its unabashedly massy tone. Here is a film about a man who decides to take charge of a social order on the brink of anarchy when all the formal faculties fail. He doesn’t believe in reprimanding the corrupt. He believes in punishing them with death.

So, we have bribe-happy district col-lectors and other law enforcers hanging limp on trees and hoardings.

Ouch!Yup, this Gabbar means business.

And to the character’s good fortune, he is played by the very watchable Akshay Kumar. For my money and time, Akshay is by far the most complete star-actor package among contemporary A-lister heroes in Bollywood. The way in which he delivers his lines on the rampancy of corruption, his demeanour and his wry detached disdain for the corrupt, are all brought to the surface with a forceful equilibrium constantly at play.

This is a star-actor at the pinnacle of his power. Akshay exudes the kind of understated confidence while deliver-ing lines about a corrupt-free nation, that requires a lot of sang-froid, inner conviction and most important of all,

an audience that would believe in the hero’s convictions.

With due respect, none of the other A-lister superstars of Bollywood have the power to sway the masses with ide-alistic rhetoric. It’s in his eyes. Akshay makes you sit up and listen without rais-ing his voice. To his good fortune, in Gabbar..., he gets lines about a clean India that are compelling rather than corny. The lines flow with furious passion without getting swamped in a bombast. That’s a near-miraculous achievement in a film which is designed as a high-octane melodrama with every sequence punctuated by elaborate background

Gabbar Is Back:Akshay redefines superhero

acoustics (Sandeep Chowta).Rajat Arora’s dialogues are Akshay

Kumar’s biggest support system here. Director Krish, known down south for fashioning flamboyant fables, here exer-cises unexpected restraint when one least expects it. This is where this film about a self-appointed anti-corruption vigilante scores. It taps Akshay Kumar’s spiritual energy and harnesses it at key points of the narrative to underscore rather than over-punctuate the theme of corruption.

By the time Akshay’s Man Of The Masses gets to the climax on top of a car to deliver a rousing speech on youth power, the narrative is perfectly attuned to its leading man’s monkish equilibrium and how it can be pro-jected outwards to convey the angst of a wounded ravaged civilisation. Even when the arch-villain, an unscrupulous builder played with operatic gusto by Suman Talwar is busy hamming it up to the hilt, Akshay maintains his attitude of detached contempt.

Thank God for Akshay Kumar. The screenplay would otherwise have been more of scream-play. The characters and the twists and turns in the lot con-stantly scream for attention. The excep-tion besides Akshay is Sunil Grover. Known as the drag queen Gutthi on Kapil Sharma’s comedy show, Sunil playing a low-rank police constable in a police station filled with officers who are more bothered with the chutney for their plates of samosa than the col-lapse of the law and order and situation, epitomises India’s smothered voice of the conscience. It’s such sudden spurts of sensitivity that redeem what would

otherwise have been just another loud, boorish and garish film about corrup-tion in high-rise places. Builders are the baddies here, you see.

Jaideep Ahlawat, usually so riveting on screen, here seems uncomfortable in his suited avatar as a CBI officer. His belated entry should have done to the narrative what Nawazuddin Siddiqui did to Kahaani. No such luck. The vil-lains are all clumsy cardboard cut-outs conveying the corrupt element with as much subtlety as an uncovered sewage.

The women are sketchily portrayed. Shruti Haasan bustles in and out playing a lawyer who is busy delivering homilies and babies on the streets rather than fighting cases. Chitrangda pops up to do an awful item song, best left edited out. And Kareena Kapoor Khan, look-ing like a zillion bucks (so what’s new), sings a romantic song with Akshay and perishes in a clumsily staged building collapse. Luckily, the film survives to tell a tale that’s as relevant today as it was when Kamal Haasan, all dressed up in wizened prosthetics blew the lid off governmental corruption in Hindustani.

Gabbar Is Back knocks the bottom off the action genre with a breathless ode to Swachh Bharat (clean India). The film may appear louder-than-life to the dainty-hearted. But the tone is unapologetic massy. You can’t change the disintegrating social order by being subtle.

Miraculously, Akshay Kumar does exactly that. Don’t ask how. Just go for his bearded, brooding leadership quali-ties. Swachh Bharat needs such a hero.

IANS

Sonakshi Sinha is super charged up

Sonakshi Sinha says the “excite-ment level” for her small screen debut as a judge of “Indian Idol Junior” has shot up after the

trailer of the singing reality show turned out to be positive. “Thanks 4 the amaz-ing response on the #IndianIdolJrTrailer guys! so kicked that u’ll r SO excited about it! Now im even MORE charged up,” Sonakshi tweeted. Superstar Salman Khan has been replaced by an adorable boy in the song “Tere mast mast do nain” from movie Dabanggfor the promo video. In the video, the actress can be seen matching steps on her popular song with a small boy. Set to go on air on Sony Entertainment Television, the new season will be hosted by Hussain Kuwajerwala and Asha Negi.

12


COMICS & MORE

Hoy en la HistoriaMay 3, 2010

1660: The king of Poland abandoned his claim to the Swedish throne1810: English poet Lord Byron swam the Dardenelles strait in Turkey1913: Raja Harishchandra, the first full-length Indian feature film, was released, marking the beginning of the Indian film industry2010: Pakistani Ajmal Kasab, 22, the sole surviving terrorist responsible for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, was convicted of murder and conspiracy

U.S. carriers United and Continental announced a $3.2bn merger deal, creating the world’s largest airline, to fly under the United name and Continental logo

Picture: Associated Press © GRAPHIC NEWS

ALL IN THE MINDCan you find the hidden words? They may be horizontal,vertical, diagonal, forwards or backwards.

BALL, BIRDIE, BOGEY, BUNKER, CADDIE, CLUB, CLUBHOUSE,COURSE, DRIVER, EAGLE, FAIRWAY, FLAG, FORE, GOLF CART,GREEN, HANDICAP, HAZARD, HOLE, HOLE-IN-ONE, IRON, LINKS, PAR, PIN, PITCH, PUTTER, ROUGH, ROUND, SAND TRAP, SCORE, STROKE, SWING, TEE, WEDGE, WOOD.

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

ZITS

BLONDIE

SHERMAN’S LAGOON

13


CROSSWORDS

HYPER SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

How to play Hyper Sudoku:A Hyper Sudoku Puzzle

is solved by filling the

numbers from 1 to 9

into the blank cells.

A Hyper Sudoku has

unlike Sudoku 13

regions (four regions

overlap with the nine

standard regions). In all

regions the numbers

from 1 to 9 can appear

only once. Otherwise, a

Hyper Sudoku is solved

like a normal Sudoku.

ACROSS

1 Start of a weird infraction?

9 Sushi offering

14 First Indian tribe to sign a treaty with the U.S. government

15 Hand in hand

16 Eskimo wear

17 Hike, e.g.

18 Mideast pops?

19 Smoke without fire?

21 Naval petty off.

22 What was once cool?

23 Gray figures?

27 One-man Broadway hit of 1989

29 Only one U.S. prez has had one

32 Straight talker’s slangy phrase

37 Country standard

38 Words from a good buddy

39 On the side

40 X or Y preceder

41 Site of class struggles?: Abbr.

42 Floor

43 One N.B.A. All-Star Game team

46 One telling you where to get off, for short?

49 High ranking?

55 Introductory ballet instruction

56 Whence the word “alcohol”

57 Listen here!

59 Words of support from an organization

60 Reacts to, as a nagging request

61 Game keeper?

62 Tiramisu ingredient

DOWN 1 Guesstimate opening

2 Deep-sea explorer William

3 Explain

4 Beginning of a seasonal refrain

5 Hurtful outbursts?

6 Playboy

7 Shortstop Aybar who was a 2011 Gold Glove winner

8 Start of an elimination

9 Time that little Susie is woken in the 1957 hit “Wake Up Little Susie”

10 Lo-cal

11 Military group

12 Canterbury’s home

13 Beat by a whisker

15 Who said “I have a wonderful psychiatrist that I see maybe once a year, because I don’t need it. It all comes out onstage”

20 Easily passes

24 Name in 2000 headlines

25 Mates

26 Old age

28 Early online forum

29 Inane

30 Spangle, say

31 “___ trifle!”

32 Having much at stake

33 ___ asada

34 Parade V.I.P.

35 Cockeyed

36 Song that ends “O dolcezze perdute! O speranze d’amor, d’amor, d’amor!”

44 Challenge for defenders

45 Bygone royalty

47 Measures of one’s writing?

48 Mind

49 Shooters

50 Israeli conductor Daniel

51 Rain forest �rodent

52 Aid in an uphill climb

53 Country name pronounced by natives in two syllables

54 Atlantic City resort, informally, with “the”

55 Common cleaning scent

58 Hole number

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15

16 17

18 19 20

21 22

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

32 33 34 35 36

37

38

39

40 41 42

43 44 45 46 47 48

49 50 51 52 53 54 55

56 57 58

59 60

61 62

P A R I S S H A G S A A BA G E N T P I P E T R I OB I N G O N I G H T A G R AS L E E P E R H I T B O H RT E E W I S D O M N O D

B U S T O H A R EB U M M I N G A R O U N D

C A R P E N T E R A N T SR O C K I N G H O R S E SO A K E N L A S SB L T G I B S O N P J SO M A N D R A G G E D O U TT I L E L O U I E L O U I EI N K S E O N S S I N C EC E S T S K A T E N D E D

How to play Kakuro:The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can

be of any size. It has rows and columns,

and dark cells like in a crossword. And,

just like in a crossword, some of the

dark cells will contain numbers. Some

cells will contain two numbers.

However, in a crossword the numbers

reference clues. In a kakuro, the

numbers are all you get! They denote

the total of the digits in the row or

column referenced by the number.

Within each collection of cells - called

a run - any of the numbers 1 to 9 may

be used but, like sudoku, each number

may only

be used

once.

EASY SUDOKU

Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate

Easy Sudoku Puzzles: Place a digit from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains all the digits 1 to 9.

�YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

�YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

�Y

ES

TE

RD

AY

’S A

NS

WE

R

KAKURO

�Y

ES

TE

RD

AY

’S A

NS

WE

R

14


CINEMA

AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

SCREEN 1 She’s Funny That Way (2D/Comedy)

10:20am, 12:20, 2:20, 4:20, 6:20, 8:20, 10:20pm & 12:20am

SCREEN 2 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2D/Action)

12:00noon, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00pm & 12:00midnight

SCREEN 3 Avengers: Age of Ultron (2D/Action) 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 &

11:00pm Barely Lethal (2D/Action) 10:00am & 12:00noon

SCREEN 4 Home (2D/Animation) 10:10am & 12:10pm Barely Lethal (2D/

Action) 4:10 & 8:10pm Tracers (2D/Action) 2:10, 6:10, 10:10pm & 12:10am

SCREEN 5 Lemon Tree Passage (2D/Horror) 11:30am & 3:45pm

Fast & Furious 7 (2D/Action) 1:00, 5:45, 8:30 & 11:15pm

SCREEN 6 May In The Summer (2D/Comedy) 10:50am, 2:50 & 7:00pm

Lemon Tree Passage (2D/Horror) 12:50, 5:0, 9:000 & 11:00pm

SCREEN 7 Big Game (2D/Action) 10:40am, 2:40, 7:00 & 11:30pm

Qitt Wa Far (2D/Arabic) 12:40, 4:50 & 9:10pm

SCREEN 8 Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2D/Action)

11:30am, 1:30, 3:40, 5:40, 7:40, 9:40 & 11:40pm

SCREEN 9 Avengers: Age of Ultron (IMAX 3D/Action)

10:20am, 1:10, 4:00, 6:50, 9:40pm & 12:30am


11:30am, 2:30, 5:30, 8:30 & 11:30pm

NOVO

MALL

LANDMARK

ROYAL PLAZA

SCREEN 1 Uttama Villain (Tamil) 2:00pm Qitt We Far (2D/Arabic) 5:00pm

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2D/Action) 6:45pm

She’s Funny That Way (2D/Comedy) 9:15pm

Gabbar Is Back (2D/Hindi) 11:00pm

SCREEN 2 Uttama Villain (Tamil) 2:00pm Home (2D/Animation)

5:00pm She’s Funny That Way (2D/Comedy) 6:45pm

Oru Vadakkan Selfie (2D/Malayalam) 8:30pm


SCREEN 3 May In The Summer (2D/Comedy) 3:00pm

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2D/Action) 5:00 & 9:00pm

Lemon Tree Passage (2D/Horror) 7:30 & 11:30pm

SCREEN 1 Uttama Villain (Tamil) 2:00pm She’s Funny That Way

(2D/Comedy) 5:00pm Qitt We Far (2D/Arabic) 6:45pm



SCREEN 2 May In The Summer (2D/Comedy) 3:00pm

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2D/Action) 5:00 & 9:00pm

Lemon Tree Passage (2D/Horror) 7:30 & 11:30pm

SCREEN 3 Uttama Villain (Tamil) 2:00 & 10:30pm

Home (2D/Animation) 5:00pm Avengers: Age of Ultron (2D/Action) 6:30pm

She’s Funny That Way (2D/Comedy) 9:00pm


3:00. 5:30, 8:15 & 11:00pm

SCREEN 2 Fast & Furious 7 (2D/Action) 2:30pm

Gabbar Is Back (2D/Hindi) 4:45 & 11:00pm Avengers: Age of Ultron

(2D/Action) 7:00pm Lemon Tree Passage (2D/Horror) 9:30pm

SCREEN 3 She’s Funny That Way (2D/Comedy) 2:30 & 7:45pm

Home (2D/Animation) 4:15pm

May In The Summer (2D/Comedy) 6:00pm

Qitt We Far (2D/Arabic) 9:30pm

Lemon Tree Passage (2D/Horror) 11:30pm

When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.Directors: Joss Whedon

Writers: Joss Whedon, Stan Lee

Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans,

Mark Ruffalo

ASIAN TOWNSCREEN 1 Oru Vadakkan Selfie (2D/Malayalam) 4:30 & 10:15pm

Uttama Villain (Tamil) 7:00pm

SCREEN 2 Uttama Villain (Tamil) 4:00 & 9:45pm


15


DOHA EVENTS

IN FOCUS

A scene from Al Wakra.

Until 16 MayVenue: 1 & 18 La Croisette, Porto Arabia – The Pearl-QatarVenue: FreeTime: 10:00-20.00

Join with your children for a fun family activity “Rainbow Park” at The Pearl-Qatar, where children will consider art as the art of lifestyle and culture by playing and being creative with unharmful colored sand and enabling them to build and create different shapes.

Till June 15Venue: Fire Station: Artists In ResidenceTime: 10:30 to 17:00 (Closed on Tuesdays)Admission: Free

The exhibition pays homage to “The Art Center”, the very first artist in residence initiative that took place in Doha in the early 1990’s and which ran for a decade. The name 555 is a play on the number 555 which residents used to dial to contact the Fire Station, paying tribute to the Civil Defense for their years of service to the people of Qatar.

27-30 MayVenue: Qatar National Convention CenterAdission: Tickets RequiredTime: 27 May: 19:00, 28 May: 15:30; 19:30, 29 May 15:00; 19:00, 30 May: 11:00; 15:00; 19:00

High-flying jumps, daring acrobatics, breathtaking skating and lovable Disney friends. Show Timings: 27 May: 19:00 28 May: 15:30; 19:30 29 May 15:00; 19:00 30 May: 11:00; 15:00; 19:00. For ticket information visit: https://tickets.virginmegastore.me

Rainbow Park

555 Exhibition At The Fire Station

UNTIL 31 AUGUSTVENUE: Qatar Museums Gallery KataraADMISSION: Free

The exhibition will showcase Ismael Azzam’s distinctive portraits of painters and sculptors who have made a significant contribution to Arab Art, with the entire body of work created exclusively for this show. Ismail is of Iraqi origin, and moved to Doha in 1996.

Ismael Azzam: For Them - Exhibition

4-7 MayVenue: Qatar National Convention CenterAdmission: Free

In 2014, 2,100 companies from 47 countries exhibited at the show. Even more companies are expected in 2015. Project Qatar provides a platform to view the latest equipment and services from the construction industry, develop international relationships and generate new business opportunities.

Project Qatar

Send your photos to [email protected]. Please mention where the photo was taken.

Send your event details to [email protected]

3-5 May Venue: Virginia Commonwealth UniversityAdmission: Free

The VCUQatar BFA & MFA Exhibition is a celebration of the creative achievements of graduating students and provides the opportunity to preview Qatar’s emerging talent in the fields of graphic, fashion & interior design, painting & printmaking, and design studies.

MFA & BFA Exhibitions 2015

Disney On Ice: Princesses And Heroes

Until 11 JulyVenue: Museum Of Islamic ArtAdmission: Free

This exhibition focuses on the real and mythical animals that feature in the legends, tales, and fables of the Islamic world. Divided into the natural quadrants of earth, air, fire, and water, these marvellous creatures serve as the introductions and bridges for the stories in which they feature.

Marvellous Creatures: Animal Fables In Islamic Art

by Surya Nimmala

06 MayVenue: Sarab Lounge, St. Regis DohaAdission: QR190, QR290 & QR395 Time: 19:00-21:00

In her third series of concerts, award-winning pianist and Steinway artist Sonja Park will delight the audience with masterpieces from Scarlatti, Beethoven, Glazunov, Tchaikovsky and Piazzolla. Park will be accompanied by Hassan Moataz, a talented, Egyptian cellist. Visit stregisdoha.com/closeup for more information.

Sonja Park Concert

Until 16 AugustVenue: Mathaf: Arab Museum Of Modern Art, Ground Floor GalleriesAdmission: FreeTime: 11:00 - 18:00 (Monday closed)

Wael Shawky produces film series based on literature and historical narratives, using a visual language that mixes fictional storytelling and documentary styles. The exhibition presents two newly completed film trilogies, each inspired by stories and scripts of literature; Cabaret Crusades (2010-2014) and Al Araba Al Madfuna (2012-2015).

Wael Shawky Comes To Doha

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