Page 01 March 24 - Home - The Peninsula Qatar€¦ · Shezan Hotel’s stall, offering...
Transcript of Page 01 March 24 - Home - The Peninsula Qatar€¦ · Shezan Hotel’s stall, offering...
SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013 • [email protected] • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741
CAMPUS
COMMUNITY
HEALTH
WHEELS
TECHNOLOGY
LEARN ARABIC
P | 4
P | 6
P | 7
P | 11
P | 12
P | 13
• PEC celebratesPakistan Daywith fanfare
• CNA-Q holds International businesscompetition
• As ‘telehealth’ grows,experts questioncost benefits
• Mannai Tradinglaunches 2013 GMC Acadia
• Three-dimensional TV, withoutthe glasses
• Learn commonlyused Arabic wordsand their meanings
inside
P | 8-9
The Croods:Mammoth fun, with a message
Doha joined cities across the world in marking the Doha joined cities across the world in marking the Earth Hour to raise awareness about climate change.Earth Hour to raise awareness about climate change.
P | 2-3
Switching off
2 COVER STORYPLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013
Safe landing
Doha joined thousands of cities across the world in marking Earth Hour last night as several landmarks in the city switched off their lights for an hour at 8.30pm to raise awareness about
climate change.Skyscrapers in West Bay, which normally glitter with
lights after dark, and many other buildings stood in dark-ness in support of calls for lasting action on climate change and to symbolise their commitment to save the planet.
Restaurant goers got to enjoy a candlelit dinner as hotels sought to underline the difference that small steps to save energy can make to the environment.
The organisers of Earth Hour encourage individuals, organisations and governments to make the switch to renewable energy. This year, they had called on individuals and organisations to adopt simple renewable energy solu-tions and for businesses to have more sustainable practices. Governments are encouraged to promote policies favourable to the production and uptake of renewable energy.
Use of resources increased by an average of 10 percent in 2012 as compared to 2011, and this poses a big challenge to Qatar.
“Water consumption in Qatar increased by nine percent in 2012 in comparison to the previous year. Electricity energy and maximum demand increased by 13 percent during the same period. Therefore, the big challenge for this region is to plan ahead and execute infrastructure energy projects to keep pace with economic growth”, Qatar’s Minister of Energy and Industry, H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada said recently.
Yesterday, many institutions took the initiative to switch of their lights between 8.30pm and 9.30pm, pledging to take action in support of the planet beyond Earth Hour and encouraging the public to take steps for environmental protection.
Ooredoo the first company in Qatar to commit to Earth Hour, in 2009, switched off lights and non-essential systems at its tower in West Bay and its Airport headquarters.
The Aircraft Swing is meant to reduce the risk to aircraft and those on board if the landing gear fails to deploy properly before landing. It is a moveable runway designed for emergency landings that can also be used if the concrete runway is flooded or covered with thick snow.
Switching off lights for
a green future
Pics: Salim Matramkot / Shaival Dalal / Kammutty VP
3
Ooredoo aims to raise awareness on environmental issues and energy con-servation, and inspire positive actions for the environment beyond yesterday’s hour-long move. In addition to its sup-port for Earth Hour, the company sup-ports a wide range of e-waste recycling and other sustainability initiatives.
Al Gassar Resort created a special ambience by turning off lights in all its common areas and lighting candles, an action that reaffirmed its commitment to environmental causes.
Mohamed Sleiman, Assistant Chief Operating Officer, Al Gassar Resort, said: “Participating in Earth Hour was imperative for Al Gassar Resort, a mem-ber of Alfardan Group, especially since the group takes environmental issues very seriously and has plans to take such initiatives further as a serious environ-mental advocate in Qatar and will con-tinuously remain committed to such a sustainable development in the years to come.”
St. Regis Doha, which is an integral component of Al Gassar Resort, also commemorated Earth Hour 2013 in a special way. While hotel guests who wished to remain in their rooms were encouraged to participate by turning off the lights, other guests were invited to a candlelight event held on the beach in support of Earth Hour. Hotel guests and members of the local community came together holding up lit candles, even as lights of the Al Gassar Resort, St Regis Doha and other buildings across Doha’s
skyline went off in unison. The Radisson Blu Hotel, Doha encour-
aged all hotel guests and employees to switch off the lights in all guest rooms and public areas in order to raise aware-ness of the need to take action against climate change. During Earth Hour the hotel was lit with candles, which also created a romantic setting for candlelit dinners. To celebrate Earth Hour, the hotel’s restaurants Maxim and Pier 12 offered a set menu.
Ramada Encore Hotel also switched off its lights, and so did Wyndham Grand Regency Doha.
“While turning off lights can be a challenge for a busy hotel with hun-dreds of guests, we believe the hospital-ity industry can and should be a leader in reducing our impact on the environ-ment,” Ayman Lotfy, General Manager of Wyndham Grand Regency Doha, said in a statement.
Earth Hour began as a single-city ini-tiative in Sydney, Australia in 2007 and has since grown into a global movement. Yesterday, millions of people from more than 7,000 cities and towns in 152 coun-tries switched off their lights for Earth Hour, with Palestine, Tunisia, Suriname and Rwanda joining the event for the first time.
World Wildlife Fund, which organises the annual event, aims to stop the deg-radation of Earth’s natural environment and focus on building a future where people live in harmony with nature. The Peninsula
PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013
While turning off lights can be a challenge for a busy hotel with hundreds of guests, we believe the hospitality industry can and should be a leader in reducing our impact on the environment.
PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 20134 CAMPUS
THE Pakistan Day Festival kic-ked off with much fanfare at Pakistan Education Centre
(PEC) yesterday. The event, held on the lush green and well-lit sports ground, provided an opportunity to families to celebrate Pakistan Day in a fun-filled, traditional manner. The two-day annual festival was inaugu-rated by Muhammad Sarfraz Ahmad Khanzada, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Chairman, Board of Governors, PEC.
Also present were Head of Chancery Malik Muhammad Farooq, members of the PEC Board of Governors, PEC Principal Nargis Raza Otho, Vice-Principals Rana Naseem Ahmad, Afshan Shahid and Farzana Safdar, Headmistress (KG Section) Qamar Zahra Naqvi, Head of Art and Culture Department Tasneem Javed, Administration Officer Ahsan Rasheed, Heads of Pakistani schools, prominent businessmen and community leaders.
The students of the KG section, clad in colourful traditional clothes, presen-ted a welcome song to greet the guests. Scouts escorted the guests to various stalls at the festival.
More than 65 makeshift stalls featu-ring games, food, garments, jewellery, handicrafts, henna and bangles had been set up. After sunset, thousands more poured in to be part of the festi-val. The face painting stalls attracted scores of children who waited impa-tiently to have their faces painted in different designs and colours. Women and girls had their hands decorated with floral patterns in henna while others took joy in selecting coloured bangles and imitation jewellery. Food stalls offering ‘haleem’, Kashmiri tea, ‘biryani’, ‘dahi bhalay’ and different varieties of kebabs also attracted
PEC celebrates Pakistan Day with fanfare
crowds. Shezan Hotel’s stall, offering mouthwatering barbecued food, was another crowd-puller. Traditional food items like ‘Kulfis’ made of pure ‘khoya,’ ‘Gajar ka halwa’, pakoras and samosas sold like hot cakes at many stalls.
The cultural show presented by students of PEC, Bright Future Pakistani School, Pak Shama School and The TNG School was one of the main attractions. The young artistes entertained guests with dazzling per-formances based on folklore, culture and national songs. Farzana Safdar and Fartash Syed conducted the cultural show by the students.
The Peninsula
Bright Future Pakistani International School, Doha, commemorated Freedom Day with a tribute to the country’s founding father, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. The events included performance of patriotic songs, native dances and speeches in English and Urdu in honour of Jinnah. Principal Mussarat Irfan, in her speech, recounted the history of Pakistan. She praised the leader and encouraged the students to draw inspiration from him and live by his example of heroism and patriotism, and challenged them to be strong, steadfast and disciplined as they were the foundation blocks who would build a new Pakistan. Students, donned in colourful traditional dresses, waved miniature flags and sang the national anthem with pride and fervour.
Muhammad Sarfraz Ahmad Khanzada, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Chairman, Board of Governors, PEC, cutting a ribbon to inaugurate the festival. Other distinguished guests are also seen. BELOW: A cultural show.
Freedom Day at BFPIS
5CAMPUS PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013
DMIS student excels in judo championship
DOHA Modern Indian School (DMIS) conti-nuously urges its students
to go beyond academics and the results attained in the end are always fruitful. Shibin Sajith (pic-tured) studying in Grade 2-C, won a silver medal in the Qatar Open Sub-Junior Judo Championship. He participated in the 42kg cate-gory on March 16, 2013, at Qatar Women’s Indoor Stadium, Aspire Zone. It was definitely a moment to cherish and the school is extre-mely proud of the student.
‘THE will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your potential
.......” this is the key to unlocking the door to personal excellence, and this is what students at Doha Modern Indian School are trained for. It was indeed a proud moment for Doha Modern Indian School when one of its students, Prithvi Mohan Raj (pictured) of Grade 2C, won the third position in the Qatar School Olympics organised by Qatar Olympics on March 20, 2013. The student played against opponents from all over Qatar and bagged the third place, which was commendable.
Another laurelfor DMIS
A scout team from MES Indian School, Doha, recently vis-ited the Indian parliament and had the privilege of
watching the procedure of legislation, which is the basis of democracy.
They were able to see Sonia Gandhi, Lalu Prasad, Sushma Swaraj and other prominent parliamentary leaders. “It is the first time in our lives that we were able to enter the Indian parliment,” said Scout Adithya during the visit.
Shakil Ahmed Kakvi, leader of the visiting team, thanked the Minister of New and Renewable Energy, Farooq Abdullah, for giving the team the opportunity of visiting and experienc-ing the working of the parliament.
The team also met the Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs Vayalar Ravi at his official premises in Akbhar Bhawan, New Delhi. Scout Aadhil PM raised the issue of the higher educa-tion for Indian students living abroad coming to India, receiving the minis-ter’s assurance for the admission of the visiting Scouts in government technical schools.
The minister said: “The visit of the team of scouts to India will help propagate the scheme of my minis-try ‘Know India’, and I will be vis-iting MES Indian School in Qatar shortly”
Arathi, an official from the Ministry, said: “We contacted the Ambassador
of India to Qatar and were able to discover that MES Indian school was one of the oldest and largest schools in the country with a wide range of achievements”
Shakil Ahmed Kakvi expressed gratitude to Ambassador Sanjiv Aurora and his office for their support in turn-ing the trip into a very productive and memorable one.
The team is now on the way to Patna, Bihar, to participate in the Bihar Divas celebrations and to experience incred-ible Bihar. The team also visited the India Gate, the north and south blocks on a sightseeing tour, along with a visit to the parliament.
The Peninsula
A scout team from MES Indian School, Doha, with the Minister of Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi, at his official premises in Akbhar Bhawan, New Delhi.
Scout team from MES school visits parliament
Bhavan’s kindergarten graduation day
THE Kindergarten Graduation Day of Bhavan’s Public School was conducted on March 21, 2013, at the Wakra campus.
Lilly Josephine Beck, Second Secretary, Indian Embassy, was the chief guest. The programme began with a graduation march by the young graduates and officials, followed by a graduation song by students. Principal Dr G Manulal wel-comed the gathering and spoke about the impor-tance of the formative years. Saleem Ponnambath presided over the function and the convocation ceremony commenced with presentation of grad-uation scrolls to students of all 10 sections of KG II. The scrolls were presented by the chief guest, the guests of honour and members of the board of directors. The kindergarten students then presented an infotainment programme, ‘Fun at Kindergarten’. The young graduates then took a graduation oath administered by Anjana Menon, School Administrator. A memento was presented to Ahmed of Al Wakra Sports Club by School Vice Chairman Abdul Kader. Prabhavathi Nambiar, Headmistress proposed a vote of thanks.
PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013 COMMUNITY66
THE College of the North Atlantic–Qatar (CNA-Q) recently held the eighth Annual Business Plan
Competition for the largest contingent of participating teams to date, inclu-ding two teams from Canada.
The two-day competition has become one of the most anticipated events for students of business studies, both at CNA-Q and at CNA in Newfoundland and Labrador, and the competition this year was rigorous. The experience, said Gail Gosse, Dean of School of Business Studies, was a powerful way to put to practice what they had learnt in the classroom and helped them hone addi-tional skills.
“They develop skills of teamwork, time management and critical thinking and also sharpen their presentation skills,” says Gosse. “This is a special project that is fun and leaves each with new friendships and fond memo-ries. We are so pleased that two teams from Newfoundland and Labrador have entered, so we can give this experience back to Canada and so we can show them Qatar. This is truly an interna-tional case competition.”
A case competition is a business case
CNA-Q holds international business competition
The first placed team with the award.
study that is given to a team of four students with no access to the Internet, books or any other support material. The cases are kept a secret until the competition day and each team is given two and a half hours to read the case, analyse it and make a presentation to a panel of judges on how to best exe-cute the solution in the real world of business. This process is repeated over two days of competition, culminating in the emergence of the three top teams.
CNA-Q’s Al MakTab Consultants took first place, and Rock-Solid Consultants from Grand Falls-Windsor campus at CNA in Newfoundland, with only three team members, was second. Third placed was The Anonymous
Consultants team from CNA-Q. An awards ceremony was held to
celebrate all participants and honour the winning teams. The awards were presented by CNA-Q President Dr Ken MacLeod.
Ariba Abdul Ghani of the first-placed team said winning the award was her goal. “This is a dream come true for me! To hold this trophy and have earned it feels just amazing,” said Ghani. Teammate Ruksar Shaikh said she could feel their presentation skills get stronger as the competition went on. “We put in a lot of hard work, but it does pay off. I’m telling you, if you want to be in business, CNA-Q is the place to start!”
The Peninsula
HALQUA Adab-e-Islami Qatar (HAI) held a lite-rary event last Thursday at the office of Indian
Friends’ Circle. The event was presided over by poet Amjad Ali Sarwar, president of Bazm-e-Urdu Qatar, while the guest of honour was Ashfaqur Rahman, a local Urdu scholar. Muzaffar Nayab, joint secre-tary of HAI, initially acted as the compere. Fakhruddin Razi recited some verses of the Quran with Urdu translation to give an auspicious and blessed start to the programme.
In the first part of the session, Dr Faisal Hanif, founder president of Guzargah-e-Khayal Forum and a patron of BUQ, presented his essay titled Sauda and Ghalib, which was well received and appreciated by the audience.
Following the essay, Urdu poet Iftekhar Raghib, general secretary of HAI, conducted the second part of the programme, inviting the poets to present their creations. The local poets who presented their selected works to an applauding audience were: Raqim Azmi, Roase Mumtaz,
Halqua Adab-e-Islami Qatar organises literary event
Athar Azmi, Afroz Alam, Muzaffar Nayab, Jamshed Ansari, Qaisar Masood, Mansoor Azmi, Iftekhar Raghib, Shaukat Ali Naaz, Yusuf Kamal, Fartash Syed, Muhammad Rafique Shad Akolvi, Atiq Anzar, Jalil Nizami, Muhammed Mumtaz Rashed and Amjad Ali Sarwar. Raqim Azmi is a new addition to the ranks of poets in Qatar, who have been proving their worth in many such events in the country.
Following the end of the poetry ses-sion, guest of honor Ashfaqur Rahman expressed his pleasure at being a part of such a literary event and thanked HAI for this and assured it of his con-tribution to the promotion of litera-ture. He also lauded the importance of creative writing.
In his presidential address, Amjad Ali Sarwar spoke of the characteris-tics of constructive poetry and appre-ciated all the poets’ creativity. He also
praised the essay of Dr Faisal Hanif. The president of HAI, Abu Urooj
Khaleel Ahmad, offered a vote of thanks. Other prominent Urdu lovers who attended the session were: Mohammed Sulaiman Dehlavi, Syed Abdul Hye, Dr Ataur Rahman Nadwi, Ghufran Siddiqui, Firoz Khan, Abdur Rab Umri, Shamsuddin Rahimi, Rizwan Ahmad, Syed Reza and Muhammed Ghause.
The Peninsula
THE Institution of Engineers (India) is conducting a seminar on ‘Information Technology and
Cybersecurity’ with ictQatar on March 26, 2013, at 6pm at Oryx Rotana Hotel. Khalid Al Hashmi, Director, Qcert, ictQa-tar, will be the guest of honour and Indian Ambassador Sanjiv Arora will be the chief guest. Samir K Pawaskar, Cyber Compliance Manager, Qcert, ictQatar, will be the guest speaker. Please contact 77873526 for registration or visit www.iei.qa.
Institution of Engineers seminar on March 26
Registration begins for medical camp
REGISTRATION HAS begun for the 12th annual free medical camp for low-income Asian expatriates
to be organised jointly by Indian Islamic Association Qatar (IIAQ) and the Qatar Chapter of Indian Medical Association under the auspices of the Supreme Council of Health and Hamad Medical Corporation. The camp will be set up on Friday, April 12, at Tariq Bin Ziyad Independent School for Boys at Salata Al Jadeed. IIA volunteers are registering deserving individuals by visiting labour camps and residences of low-income expatriates. Registration will also be done directly at the camp office at the office of IIAQ in Mansoura. Ooredoo is the main sponsor of the camp.
Poets at the literary event.
HEALTH 7
Health Tipsfrom DOCTOR
Heartburn is a burning sensation in your chest, just behind your breastbone. Heartburn pain is often worse when lying down or bending over. Occasional heartburn is common and no cause
for alarm. Most people can manage the discomfort of heartburn on their own with lifestyle changes and over-the-counter medications.
More frequent heartburn that interferes with your daily routine may be a symptom of something more serious that requires help from a doctor.
Symptoms of heartburn include a burning pain in the chest that usually occurs after eating and may occur at night and pain that worsens when lying down or bending over. Normally when you swallow, your lower esophageal sphincter a circular band of muscle around the bottom part of your esophagus relaxes to allow food and liquid to flow down into your sto-mach. Then it closes again.
However, if the lower esophageal sphincter relaxes abnormally or weakens, stomach acid can flow back up into your esophagus, causing heartburn. The acid backup may be worse when you’re bent over or lying down.
Certain foods and drinks can trigger heartburn in some people, including alcohol, black pepper, chocolate, coffee, fatty food, fried food, ketchup, mustard, onions, orange juice, peppermint, soft drinks, tomato sauce and vinegar.
Heartburn that occurs fre-quently and interferes with your routine is considered gas-troesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD treatment may require prescription medications and, occasionally, surgery or other procedures. GERD can damage the esophagus and cause serious complications.
You may find heartburn relief by making small changes. Consider trying to:
• Maintain a healthy weight. Excess pounds put pres-sure on your abdomen, pushing up your stomach and causing acid to back up into your esophagus. If your weight is healthy, work to maintain it
• Avoid tight-fitting clothing. Clothes that fit tightly around your waist put pressure on your abdomen and the lower esophageal sphincter.
• Avoid foods and drinks that trigger heartburn. Everyone has specific triggers. Common triggers such as fatty or fried foods, tomato sauce, alcohol, chocolate, mint, garlic, onion, and caffeine may make heartburn worse. Avoid foods you know will trigger your heartburn.
• Eat smaller meals. Avoid overeating by eating smaller meals.
• Don’t lie down after a meal. Wait at least three hours after eating before lying down or going to bed.
• Don’t smoke. Smoking decreases the lower esopha-geal sphincter’s ability to function properly.
Seek immediate help if you experience severe chest pain, especially when combined with other signs and symptoms such as difficulty breathing or jaw or arm pain. Chest pain may be a symptom of a heart attack.
Dr Eiman Said AhmedGeneral Practitioner
Healthspring World Clinic
Heartburn
PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013
By Ben Hirschler
Monitoring patients at home using modern technology, so-called ‘tele-health’, is tipped as the next big thing in healthcare, but a new study by
British researchers suggests it may not be worth the extra expense.
The findings will fuel controversy over the eco-nomic case for telehealth, which many information technology and telecoms companies are betting on as a multibillion-dollar market opportunity.
Martin Knapp, professor of social policy at the London School of Economics, one of the leaders of the study, said the disappointing results did not mean telehealth was a waste of time but did suggest it needed to be better targeted.
In some cases, smarter technology and a scal-ing up of programmes might help improve the outcome, he added.
“We have got to find ways of better adjusting the equipment to suit the circumstances of the individual patient,” he said in an interview. “Just at the moment we don’t find the advantage that people had hoped for.”
Knapp and colleagues tested the cost-effective-ness of telehealth compared with standard care over 12 months in 965 patients with three long-term conditions: heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes.
Just over half the patients received equipment to allow them to measure things like blood pres-sure and blood glucose levels at home. They then transmitted their readings electronically to a
healthcare professional.The pay-off, however, was marginal. The
researchers found that the cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) - a standard measure of quantity and quality of life - of telehealth when added to usual care was 92,000 pounds ($139,200).
That is well above the 30,000 pounds that Britain’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) uses as a benchmark for assessing if medical interventions are worth using on the state-run health service.
“Telehealth does not seem to be a cost effective addition to standard support and treatment,” the study authors concluded in their report in the British Medical Journal on Friday.
BRITAIN ENTHUSIASTICThe study used data from the Whole System
Demonstrator programme, a wide-ranging assess-ment of telehealth backed by the British govern-ment that has already triggered controversy.
British health minister Jeremy Hunt cited encouraging results from the programme last November when he announced plans to roll out telehealth to 100,000 people with long-term con-ditions in 2013 and have 3 million on the system by 2017.
Hunt’s plan will make Britain second only to the United States as an adopter of technology to monitor patients at home and the UK department of health has claimed it could save up to 1.2 billion pounds over five years.
But several medical experts have questioned whether the programme really shows that tel-ehealth improves quality of life and Knapp said the savings being forecast were “optimistic”.
Many companies, from medical equipment firms to developers of smartphone apps, are already vying for a piece of a market that has been talked about for 20 years but is now finally gaining traction.
According to PricewaterhouseCoopers the worldwide market for mobile communications and devices used in healthcare will reach about $23 billion by 2017, up from $4.5 billion forecast for 2013. Telecom network operators will be the biggest winners, grabbing roughly half of those sales, which explains the growing focus of com-panies like Telefonica on healthcare. The balance will be shared by a raft of other players, such as General Electric, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, Philips and Siemens. Reuters
As ‘telehealth’ grows, experts question cost benefits
A new study is claiming that kids who drink whole milk as opposed to skim milk stand a better chance of not becoming obese later in life.
Experts do agree that milk is a valuable source of cal-cium and vitamin D for growing children, which helps build up young bones. The debate over the healthy benefits of skim milk versus whole milk has taken another turn after a study published in Archives of Disease in Childhood determined that youngsters who drink whole milk opposed to skim milk have a better chance of
preventing obesity. For years both the American Heart Association and the American Academy of Paediatrics have advocated the substitution of skim or low fat milk to whole milk. Their reaso-ning involves the higher cholesterol content found in whole milk compared to low fat milk. Both associations suggest that a child should switch from whole milk to skim milk around the age of two. Children younger than two years old can utilize the extra fat and cholesterol for body and brain development.
A team of researchers led by Professor Mark Deboer followed a sample population of 10,700 children from age two to four. At the end of the two years the children and their parents answered surveys pertaining to which kinds of milk they preferred. The results showed that children who drank 2 percent milk had a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) than those who drank 1 percent or skim. The study also showed that two year olds who began with a healthy weight and drank 1 percent milk gained a 57 percent chance of becoming obese when older. QNA
Skim milk consumption in children can lead to obesity: Study
so-c
alled “
Croodaceous
Era”
rese
mble
s th
e f
an
tast
ical, c
an
dy-c
olo
ured j
un
gle
of
Ava
tar.
When t
he C
roods,
who h
ave
spent
too m
uch t
ime in a
cave, dis
cover
rain
and s
tars
for t
he fi
rst
tim
e, th
ere’s
a s
ense
of
dis
covery f
or u
s, t
oo.
In o
ther w
ords,
it’s
a g
ood-l
ookin
g
story. D
riv
ing t
hat
story forw
ard is
the
characte
r o
f E
ep,
a r
est
less
teen w
ho
chafe
s at
her f
ath
er’
s dic
tum
, “N
ever
not
be a
fraid
”. S
neakin
g o
ut
of th
e c
ave
one n
ight,
Eep e
ncounte
rs
Guy (
Ryan
Reyn
old
s),
a m
ore a
dvan
ced,
Hom
o-
sapie
ns-
like a
dole
scent
who h
as
alr
eady
dis
covered s
uch c
onven
ien
ces
as
fire,
shoes,
pants
and a
belt
.A
ctu
ally,
that’s
Belt
, a s
loth
-lik
e p
et
whose
long, lith
e a
rm
s G
uy u
ses
to k
eep
his
pants
from
fallin
g d
ow
n.
Guy h
as
dis
covered s
om
eth
ing e
lse,
too: T
he w
orld
as
Eep k
now
s it
is
com
-in
g t
o a
n e
nd,
thanks
to s
hif
ting c
on-
tin
en
tal
lan
d m
ass
es.
That
leads
the
slopin
g-f
oreheaded G
rug a
nd h
is fam
ily
of knuckle
-draggers
— for w
hom
braw
n
has
alw
ays
com
pensa
ted f
or t
heir
dis
-ti
nct
lack o
f brain
s —
to t
hrow
in t
heir
lot
wit
h t
he m
ore fearl
ess
Guy,
aft
er a
n
earth
quake d
est
roys
their
hom
e.
Off
they a
ll g
o, in
search o
f th
e D
aw
n
of
Man.
Th
e C
rood
s is
lig
ht
fare, b
ut
it e
xplo
res
a s
erio
us
them
e,
if o
nly
superficia
lly.
That’s
the i
mporta
nce o
f cooperati
on
—
an
d t
he e
volu
tion
ary a
dvan
tage o
f alt
ruis
m —
in t
he f
orm
ati
on o
f hum
an
socie
ty.
Wil
l th
at
noti
on
occur to
anyon
e
am
on
g t
he fi
lm’s
target
dem
ographic
of
crum
b-sn
atc
hers
an
d
rug
rats
?
Probably
not.
Th
e C
rood
s is
als
o j
ust
good,
goofy
fun
, fo
r a
gen
erati
on
too
young t
o h
ave m
et
Bam
m-B
am
m. B
ut
for t
hose
of
more p
recocio
us
inte
llects
, it
off
ers
a lit
tle s
om
eth
ing e
xtr
a t
o c
hew
on b
esi
des
rock-s
mackin
g s
lapst
ick a
nd
a b
ronto
saurus
burger.
RA
TIN
G: T
wo-a
nd-a
-half
sta
rs. P
G.
Conta
ins
mild p
eril. 92 m
inute
s.R
ati
ngs
Guid
e: F
our s
tars
mast
er-
pie
ce, th
ree s
tars
very g
ood, tw
o s
tars
okay,
one s
tar p
oor,
no s
tars
wast
e o
f ti
me.
WP
-BLO
OM
BE
RG
By
Mic
hae
l O’S
ulli
van
Thin
k o
f T
he C
rood
s as
the b
ack
story o
f T
he F
lin
tsto
nes,
befo
re
that
modern S
tone A
ge fam
ily
got,
well, m
odern.
Lik
e F
red,
Wilm
a a
nd P
ebble
s, t
he
heroes of
this
cute
an
imate
d com
-edy are an
imal-
pelt
-wearin
g proto
-hum
an
s.
Un
like th
e prota
gon
ists
of
the o
ld H
anna-B
arbera c
arto
on,
how
-ever,
hun
ter-g
ath
erers G
rug C
rood
(voic
e o
f N
icola
s C
age)
an
d h
is w
ife,
Ugga (
Cath
erin
e K
eener),
don’t
liv
e i
n
an a
menit
y-fi
lled h
ouse
but
in a
dark
, depress
ing c
ave.
They’r
e r
ais
ing t
heir
k
ids —
E
ep (E
mm
a S
ton
e),
T
hun
k
(Cla
rk D
uke)
and S
andy (
Randy T
hom
) —
as
best
they c
an, consi
derin
g t
here’s
no I
nte
rnet.
Roun
din
g out
the cla
n is
U
gga’s
eld
erly
, un
ple
asa
nt
moth
er.
Voic
ed b
y
Clo
ris
Leachm
an
, th
e c
haracte
r c
on
-tr
ibute
s noth
ing t
o t
he e
volu
tion o
f th
e
shrew
ish m
oth
er-i
n-l
aw
ste
reoty
pe o
f si
tcom
fam
e.
This
worl
d is
a s
cary p
lace, filled w
ith
saber-t
ooth
ed t
igers
and o
ther d
anger-
ous
beast
ies.
That’s
one n
ice t
hin
g a
bout
this
film
. B
ecause of
the prehis
toric
sett
ing,
the fi
lmm
akers w
ere f
ree t
o
imagin
e a
ll s
orts
of
wondrous,
exti
nct
crit
ters,
of
whic
h t
here i
s no e
vid
ence
in t
he f
oss
il r
ecord.
A s
warm
of ti
ny r
ed b
irds,
for e
xam
-ple
, w
hose
carniv
orous
appeti
tes
seem
to
pla
ce t
hem
as
clo
ser c
ousi
ns
to p
ira-
nhas
than t
o p
arakeets
, figures
prom
i-nentl
y in t
he p
lot
and is
a v
isual tr
eat.
S
o i
s a c
olo
ny o
f angry b
lue m
onkeys.
A
t ti
mes,
the fi
lm’s
3-D
vis
ion
of
the
PLU
S |
SU
ND
AY
24
MA
RC
H 2
013
HO
LLY
WO
OD
NE
WS
MO
VIE
89
BO
LLY
WO
OD
NE
WS
Tech
nolo
gy m
akes
act
ion
safe
r, no
t eas
ier:
Hrith
ik R
osha
n
Technolo
gy m
ay h
ave m
ade a
cti
on s
afe
r b
ut
not
easi
er,
says
Bollyw
ood
acto
r H
rit
hik
Rosh
an
, kn
ow
n a
s m
uch f
or h
is s
uperbly
execute
d
acti
on s
tunts
in fi
lms
and a
ds
as
for h
is a
cti
ng.
Acti
on in B
ollyw
ood fi
lms
was
of
the d
his
hoom
, d
his
hoom
varie
ty t
ill th
e
1990s,
but
advanced t
echnolo
gy a
nd increase
d u
se o
f sp
ecia
l eff
ects
brought
in a
new
tw
ist.
“A
cti
on i
s not
easi
er (
wit
h b
ett
er t
echnolo
gy).
Maybe i
t is
sa
fer,”
the a
cto
r s
aid
over p
hone f
rom
Mum
bai.
Hri
thik
has
done fi
lms
like M
issi
on
Ka
shm
ir, K
rris
h, D
hoom
2 a
nd A
gn
eep
ath
, all o
f w
hic
h g
ave h
im a
mple
scope t
o d
em
onst
rate
the d
aredevilry t
hat
has
won h
im s
o m
any f
ans.
He r
ecentl
y w
rapped u
p t
he a
cti
on-p
acked K
rris
h
3, and e
ven jum
ped o
ff a
cliff
in B
ali f
or a
n a
d f
or a
erate
d d
rin
k M
ounta
in
Dew
. In
his
vie
w, acto
rs
and fi
lmm
akers
who d
abble
in a
cti
on h
ave m
any
advanta
ges
now
, esp
ecia
lly w
ith t
he b
oom
in d
em
and f
or fi
lms
like R
ow
dy
Ra
thore
, D
ab
an
gg, D
on
: T
he C
ha
se B
egin
s A
ga
in a
nd R
A.O
ne.
“There i
s a l
ot
more t
hat
you c
an v
isualise
now
than b
efo
re.
There i
s a l
ot
more s
cope f
or y
ou t
o t
hin
k o
ut
of
the b
ox,
and t
hin
gs
whic
h w
ere
unim
agin
able
a f
ew
years
back a
re n
ow
poss
ible
.“I
n t
hat
regard y
ou c
an s
ay,
yes
(technolo
gy h
as
made a
cti
on e
asi
er).
W
hen it
com
es
dow
n t
o d
oin
g t
hem
, th
ere is
alw
ays
som
e a
drenaline p
um
p-
ing a
nd t
here is
nervousn
ess
,” s
aid
Hrit
hik
, w
ho is
fit
as
the p
roverbia
l fiddle
.A
t 39,
an
d a
fter o
ver a
decade o
f m
akin
g h
is w
ay t
o t
he A
-lis
ters
of
Bollyw
ood, H
rit
hik
, so
n o
f vete
ran a
cto
r-fi
lmm
aker R
akesh
Rosh
an, believes
success
com
es
when “
dream
s tu
rn t
o c
hallenges”
. “O
nce y
ou liv
e e
nough o
f life
, you r
ealise
that
all t
hose
dream
s th
at
you a
re a
fraid
of
are o
nly
chal-
lenges.
So, I
call t
hem
challenges
and it
will m
ake y
ou n
ervous,
whic
h is
full
of good e
nergy. T
he a
nxie
ty a
nd n
ervousn
ess
is
good for y
ou. It
is
all o
f th
is
that
has
got
me w
here I
am
today. I
have r
eached t
his
pla
ce o
nly
wit
h t
his
kin
d o
f philoso
phy,
” sa
id t
he a
cto
r, w
ho u
sed t
o s
tam
mer o
nce u
pon a
tim
e.
Hrit
hik
, now
a f
ath
er o
f tw
o, m
ade a
blo
ckbust
er d
ebut
wit
h K
ah
o N
aa
...
Pya
ar
Ha
i in
2000. H
e t
hen c
em
ente
d h
is s
pot
in t
he indust
ry w
ith p
roje
cts
like K
ab
hi
Kh
ush
i K
ab
hie
Gh
am
, K
oi.
..M
il G
aya
, D
hoom
2,
Jod
ha
a A
kb
ar,
Zin
da
gi N
a M
ilegi D
ob
ara
and A
gn
eep
ath
. A
dancer p
ar e
xcellence, th
e a
cto
r
adm
its
his
only
aim
in lif
e is
still about
“putt
ing in m
y b
est
to fi
nd o
ut
my
true p
ote
nti
al”
. “
I am
on a
mis
sion t
o m
ake t
his
the b
est
lif
e, com
e w
hat
may,
and e
very d
ay is
a s
tep f
orw
ard in fi
ndin
g o
ut
my t
rue p
ote
nti
al,”
he s
aid
.
Asha
Bho
sle
wal
ks th
e ra
mp
at L
FW
Vete
ran s
inger A
sha B
hosl
e, w
ho v
entu
red into
acti
ng w
ith M
ai, e
ven
did
the c
atw
alk
at
desi
gner M
anis
h M
alh
otr
a’s
specta
cula
r s
how
, cele
brati
ng 1
00 y
ears
of In
dia
n c
inem
a, at
the L
akm
e F
ash
ion W
eek
sum
mer-r
eso
rt
2013
in M
um
bai. T
he s
how
, held
on F
rid
ay n
ight,
turned o
ut
to b
e o
ne u
nfo
rgett
able
aff
air
. A
sha B
hosl
e, w
ho w
as
sitt
ing in t
he a
udie
nce
and a
dm
irin
g t
he c
reati
ons
alo
ng w
ith a
ctr
ess
Hem
a M
alini
and c
ost
um
e
desi
gner B
hanu A
thaiy
a, w
as
called u
p o
n t
he r
am
p, and s
he w
as
delighte
d.
“Whate
ver I
am
today,
it’s
on
ly b
ecause
of
cin
em
a.
I am
proud t
o b
e a
part
of
this
indust
ry. I
have d
one e
veryth
ing in m
y lif
e, and t
he o
nly
thin
g
left
was
to w
alk
the r
am
p,”
she s
aid
. H
er r
am
p w
alk
w
as
a v
isual
treat
for t
he
audie
nce. S
he fl
aunte
d o
ne
of
Manis
h M
alh
otr
a’s
sari,
an
d th
e en
tire audie
nce
stood u
p for t
he legend a
nd
gave h
er a
much-d
ese
rved
standin
g o
vati
on.
Post
the
walk
, A
sh
a said
: “T
oday
I am
w
earin
g
Man
ish
Malh
otr
a’s s
ari, a
nd t
hanks
for g
ivin
g m
e t
his
opportu
-n
ity.”
The s
how
was
star-
studded d
ue t
o c
ele
brit
ies
lik
e
Priy
an
ka
Ch
opra,
Varun
Dhaw
an
, S
idharth
M
alh
otr
a, K
aris
ma K
apoor,
K
ajo
l, K
aran J
ohar,
Dib
aker
Banerje
e, A
nurag K
ash
yap
an
d
Zoya
Ak
hta
r.
Th
e
on
goin
g edit
ion
of
LF
W
ends
on M
arch 2
6.
Britn
ey S
pear
s in
love
aga
in?
Pop s
tar B
rit
ney S
pears
split
from
her fi
ance J
aso
n T
raw
ick just
tw
o
month
s ago, but
she s
eem
s to
have f
ound n
ew
love a
lready,
and s
he
wants
the w
orl
d t
o k
now
about
it. T
he 3
1-year-o
ld s
inger w
as
spott
ed
hangin
g o
ut
wit
h D
ave L
ucado o
n F
riday,
report
s dailym
ail.c
o.u
k. S
he looked
love-s
truck a
s sh
e a
rriv
ed a
t a s
hoppin
g c
entr
e in T
housa
nd O
aks,
Califo
rnia
, hold
ing h
ands
wit
h h
er
27-
year-
old
beau. S
pears
wore
a s
tylish
bla
ck a
nd p
ink
dress
access
oris
ed w
ith a
pair
of T
-str
ap h
eels
, w
hile L
ucado w
as
dress
ed in
a f
orm
al w
hit
e s
hir
t, g
rey w
ais
tcoat,
and p
olish
ed b
row
n s
hoes
and h
e h
eld
a g
rey d
ress
jacket
over h
is a
rm
. T
hey’v
e o
nly
been d
ati
ng f
or t
he p
ast
few
w
eeks.
Lucado is
Spears
’ firs
t lo
ve inte
rest
sin
ce s
plitt
ing from
form
er a
gent
and fi
ance J
aso
n T
raw
ick i
n J
anuary a
fter a
three-y
ear r
ela
tionsh
ip. T
he
singer
is lookin
g h
appie
r th
an e
ver
as
she c
onti
nues
to s
pend m
ore
tim
e w
ith
her n
ew
boyfr
iend w
ho’s a
field
rese
archer a
t a law
firm
.
Adel
e, W
illia
ms
to d
uet?
Sin
gers
Adele
and R
obbie
William
s are r
eporte
dly
set
to c
ollaborate
to
geth
er f
or o
ne o
f th
e latt
er’s
alb
um
. T
his
will be t
he fi
rst
collabo-
rati
on f
or A
dele
, w
ho b
onded r
eally w
ell w
ith W
illiam
s and h
is w
ife
Ayda, w
hen s
he m
et
them
durin
g t
he A
cadem
y A
wards
in F
ebruary.
“A
dele
and R
obbie
have r
eally h
it it
off
. T
hey a
re g
reat
frie
nds
and t
alk
ed a
t le
ngth
about
doin
g s
om
eth
ing t
ogeth
er w
hen s
he w
as
in L
os
Angele
s w
ith h
im
ahead o
f th
e O
scars
last
month
,” t
hesu
n.c
o.u
k q
uote
d a
source a
s sa
yin
g.
“They t
hrew
som
e i
deas
around b
ut
haven’t
decid
ed e
xactl
y w
hat
song
they’d
lik
e t
o w
ork
on, th
ings
are in t
he e
arly
sta
ges,
” th
e s
ource a
dded.
Patt
inso
n, S
tew
art c
eleb
rate
with
Per
ry
Tw
ilig
ht
co-s
tars
and r
eal
life
lovers
Robert
Patt
inso
n a
nd K
ris
ten
Ste
wart
were s
pott
ed d
inin
g o
ut
wit
h K
aty
Perry t
o c
ele
brate
the
sin
ger’
s ass
ista
nt’s
bir
thday.
In a
short
vid
eo p
ost
ed o
n Y
ouT
ube,
Ste
wart,
who i
s good f
rie
nds
wit
h t
he b
irth
day g
irl
Tam
ra N
ati
sin, w
as
seen s
tandin
g n
ext
to P
att
inso
n, w
hile P
erry p
laced t
he c
ake a
nd s
tarte
d
singin
g “
Happy B
irth
day”,
reports
fem
ale
first
.co.u
k. Perry s
eem
ed t
o b
e
in a
good m
ood c
onsi
derin
g s
he h
as
just
split
wit
h b
oyfr
iend J
ohn M
ayer
aft
er a
seven m
onth
rom
ance. T
he T
wil
igh
t acto
rs,
who b
rie
fly s
plit
last
su
mm
er a
fter S
tew
art
was
caught
cheati
ng w
ith m
arrie
d fi
lm d
irecto
r
Rupert
Sanders,
have b
een m
akin
g t
he m
ost
of
their
tim
e t
ogeth
er b
y
hit
ting t
he t
ow
n f
or o
uti
ngs.
New
s of
the p
air
’s r
eunio
n b
ecam
e p
ublic
Tuesd
ay a
t a k
araoke b
ar i
n L
os
Angele
s, a
nd a
lucky f
an e
ven m
anaged
to g
et
a p
hoto
wit
h t
he d
uo.
Ston
e en
joys
‘The
Am
azin
g Sp
ider
-Man
2’ s
hoot
Holl
yw
ood
actress
Em
ma
Sto
ne
has
been
h
avin
g a w
ild
tim
e s
hooti
ng T
he A
ma
zin
g
Sp
ider-
Ma
n 2
wit
h A
ndrew
G
arfi
eld
. T
he
24-year-old
actr
ess
has
repris
ed
her
role
as
Gw
en
Sta
cy f
or t
he
film
, and is
enjo
yin
g s
hooti
ng
for i
t. S
he i
s st
arrin
g o
ppo-
site
Garfield
, w
ho p
lays
the
titu
lar c
haracte
r. “
It’s
wild
to b
e b
ack i
n c
haracte
r a
s G
wen S
tacy.
I lo
ve h
er a
nd
the scrip
t is
ju
st
won
der-
ful,”
fem
ale
first
.co.u
k q
uote
d
Sto
ne a
s sa
yin
g. T
he a
ctr
ess
sh
ares a great
ch
em
istr
y
wit
h G
arfield
, w
ho s
he h
as
been
dati
ng f
or m
ore t
han
a
year.
S
he
adm
its
their
rom
an
ce
cli
cked
str
aig
ht
aw
ay.
“There’s
no r
hym
e o
r
reaso
n t
o it.
I t
hin
k y
ou just
have t
o c
lick. I
don’t
thin
k y
ou s
hould
try t
o e
xpla
in t
he c
hem
istr
y b
etw
een
two p
eople
, it
’s e
ither t
here o
r it
isn’t
,” s
he a
dded.
PLU
S |
SU
ND
AY
24
MA
RC
H 2
013
The
Cro
od
bro
od
inha
bits
a
bea
utifu
l but
sca
ry p
rehi
sto
ric
wo
rld
of
dan
ger
ous
cri
tter
s an
d s
hift
ing
co
ntin
ents
. The
C
rood
s is
lig
ht, f
un f
are,
with
a
seri
ous
the
me
that
yo
ung
er
view
ers
mig
ht m
iss.
The
Cro
ods:
The
Cro
ods:
Mam
mot
h fu
n, w
ith a
mes
sage
SCIENCEPLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 201310
By Kate Kelland
WHEN Ireland’s Katie Taylor was taking hits and striking blows for box-ing’s Olympic
debut in an east London ring last year, John Hardy did not want to look. To this leading neuroscientist and molecu-lar biologist, a boxing bout is little more than a session of mutual brain injury. He was horrified to see women boxing at Olympic level for the first time at the London 2012 Games.
“We shouldn’t get our fun out of watching people inflict brain damage on each other,” said Hardy, who is chair of Molecular Biology of Neurological Disease at University College London’s Institute of Neurology. “To me as a neuroscientist it’s almost surreal.”
Hardy, whose research work focuses on Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia, said having women in an Olympic boxing ring was “a terrible thing” - not because he thinks women should not compete alongside men in sport, but because women boxing sim-ply meant more people inflicting more damage on more brains.
That, in turn, was highly likely to mean more people suffering the dev-astating, incurable symptoms of brain diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Advances in modern neuroscience mean scientists know more than ever about chronic brain damage and the long-term trauma that can result from frequent knocks to the head.
“You get tiny lesions along the blood vessels where they have torn the nerve cells around them. This damages those nerve cells, and those cells start to develop the tangles that you see in Alzheimer’s disease,” Hardy said. “And what we now understand is that this process spreads.” Partly due to this new understanding, now is a time of intense sensitivity about and scrutiny of brain damage in sport - particu-larly among North America’s National Football League (NFL) players.
Former San Diego Chargers player Junior Seau committed suicide last year after what some believe were years of depression stemming from multiple concussions he suffered as a player. Last week, the NFL and General Electric Co announced a $60m effort with leading neurologists to speed up research on brain injury to improve diagnosis and treatment amid growing concern about sports-related concussion.
RULE CHANGES
A study published last year found that even minor repeated head blows during sports such as hockey and American football may damage the learning ability of sports men and women after just one season.
The brain debate has even reached the White House, where President Barack Obama suggested in January that changes be made to NFL rules to reduce the level of violent impact.
In soccer too, concerns are growing
about the damage players might be doing to their brains when they head the ball. A small study of female soc-cer players published last month found evidence of mental impairment caused by repeatedly bouncing a football off the head. The US researchers who con-ducted that study said the effects sug-gested headers caused “mild traumatic brain injury of the frontal lobes”.
When it comes to boxing, health experts and scientists — and even some competitors themselves — have been worried about brains for decades.
The Irish former featherweight world champion Barry McGuigan, perhaps fearful of what damage might already have been done, said in 1988: “Boxing damages your brain; don’t let anyone tell you any different”.
Around the same time, fellow light-weight fighter Terry Marsh, who was later diagnosed with epilepsy, said: “I don’t need the British Medical Association to tell me getting hit on the head can’t do me any good.”
As far back as 1928, the American pathologist Harrison Stanford Martland wrote a paper entitled Punch
drunk in which he showed that prize fighters were suffering from brain injury caused by the rupture of blood vessels.
The “punch drunk” condition, known more formally as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) or as its vari-ants, dementia pugilistica or boxer’s dementia, is a neurodegenerative dis-ease that can affect boxers and others who suffer knocks to the head.
It can cause depression, aggression, impulsivity and memory loss and has been linked to suicide. “A lot of boxers,
and indeed American footballers too, have a period in their 30s and 40s where they are depressed, they drink, they show explosive tempers, and have basically pretty messed up lives,” said Hardy.
BAD JUDGEMENT
It is not hard to find examples of boxers whose brains have begun to fail them. American heavyweight cham-pion and boxing idol Muhammad Ali began struggling with a stutter and trembling hands even before he came to the end of his fighting career. His subsequent decline with the neurode-generative disorder Parkinson’s syn-drome has been painful for fans to witness.
Mike Tyson, a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, was convicted and imprisoned for rape, had multiple marriages and break ups, was declared bankrupt and was even-tually diagnosed with the brain condi-tion bipolar disorder.
British former heavyweight world champion Frank Bruno was diagnosed with the same condition while his com-patriot Michael Watson needed six brain operations and suffered lasting damage after being knocked down in a 1991 bout. Hardy argues that there is a tendency to think of these problematic lives as par for the course for boxers — who were more likely than non-box-ers to come from disadvantaged back-grounds and mix in unstable circles.
“But the truth is they have bad judgement because of the injuries to their brain,” he said. In the language of brain science this was called “loss
of executive control”, he explained, “and this in itself is part of the disease process”. “It’s not inherent in their personalities as boxers, it’s damage to the frontal cortex. They are already experiencing brain injury.”
In an article posted on the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) website, Calvin Inalsingh, head of the association’s medical advisory committee, admits that “boxing is the only sport in which the objective is to render blows to the head and body of the opponent so as the cause the opponent to be incapacitated”.
It is this, according to Hardy, that means when it comes to arguing for a ban on sports that cause brain injury, boxing is in a class of its own.
In other sports, such as American football, soccer or rugby, where the objective is to score touchdowns or goals or tries, and where head injury may be a by-product of that aim, authorities can and do change the rules or adjust the advice on protective clothing to make the game safer.
“But the whole point of boxing is to inflict brain damage,” said Hardy. “That’s why I think it’s really a hopeless case in terms of a sport.” He has little doubt that in time, as medical knowledge expands, boxing will be banned, although he accepts there may be many more years of argument between brain scientists and sports authorities first.
“In science we have become very good at identifying causes and mechanisms of disease but unfortunately we understand things for a long time before we get better at solving them.”
Reuters
Two 11-year-old boys face each other in the ring during a boxing training session in Havana. When it comes to boxing, health experts and scientists — and even some competitors themselves — have been worried about brains for decades.
Should science Should science on brain injury on brain injury inspire a ban?inspire a ban?
11WHEELS PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013
Mannai Trading Company, the exclusive dealer in GMC vehicles in Qatar, together with representa-
tives from General Motors’ Regional Office, launched the New 2013 GMC Acadia in Qatar at a ceremony held at the Mannai GMC Showroom recently.
Mohamed Helmy, Group General Manager, Mannai Automotive, said: “We are pleased to announce that the new Acadia is now available in Mannai showrooms for customers in Qatar to purchase. For 2013, Acadia and Acadia Denali introduce new exterior styling, greater interior versatility and more safety features, including the indus-try’s first front centre air bag, as well as a new infotainment system with touch screen controls. We are confi-dent that our customers will be very much attracted to this new model. As always, we will support them fully with our first-class expert service and cus-tomer care.”
Bader El Houssami, Regional Manager, General Motors, said: “We’re now extremely pleased to be able to offer people the opportunity to be enticed by the all-new 2013 Acadia. It is just as functional and accommodat-ing for space as the 2012 models were, but the 2013 models have enhanced style, luxury, comfort, safety and tech-nology. Ensuring absolute safety for the seven or eight-passenger 2013 GMC Acadia, it is made to be one of the most comfortable SUV’s on the market.”
The Acadia line-up includes SLE, SLT (SLT1 and SLT2 trims) and Denali models, with seven- or eight-passenger configurations. All models
Mannai launches 2013 GMC Acadia
are powered by a 3.6L V-6 VVT engine that uses petrol direct injection tech-nology to optimise performance and fuel economy.
Acadia for 2013 retains the interior functionality popular with families, including the smart slide seating sys-tem, which allows easy access to the third row for both seven- and eight-passenger seating configurations. Likewise, both the second and third row still fold flat for class-leading max-imum cargo space.
The 2013 Acadia has a new chiselled, three-bar grille that sits prominently in a more upright design, while diffused LED running lamps lend a premium look. They are standard on all models, including the standard projector-beam headlamps and fog lamps. A new LED tail lamp design reflects the advance-ments up front. Additional exterior updates include wrap-around rear glass and a new rear spoiler.
Along with GMC’s name for qual-ity and design comes the reputation
of Mannai Automotive, known for their experience in the local market, great service, satisfied customers, and unsurpassed attention to detail by their knowledgeable and friendly sales staff, who can put almost any individ-ual looking for a new vehicle at ease.
Those interested can visit Mannai Automotive showrooms to learn more about the 2013 Acadia or any of the other models the dealership offers, as well as to book a test drive.
The Peninsula
Officials at the 2013 Acadia launch ceremony.
DOHA: Porsche Centre Doha, Al Boraq Automobiles Co WLL, continuously invests in train-ing courses for its employees to enhance the Porsche ownership experience even further. In their latest bid to enhance technical skills and stay up-to-date with the newest inventions, 32 members of the Porsche Service Centre have successfully completed the ‘Bronze Fast Track Technician Certification Programme’ offered by Dr Ing. H c F Porsche AG, Stuttgart, qualifying them as experts in Porsche technology.
Awarded as “Certified Bronze Porsche Technician’, the 32 after sales employees have successfully completed a range of training ses-sions on Porsche diagnostic units, vehicle electrics, fuel and ignition systems as well as complex chas-sis details. The long-term training project started in July 2011 and fin-ished with the official handover of
personal certificates last Thursday.The programme is divided into
three phases: Pre-assessment, qualifi-cation, and certification. It comprises both theoretical and practical exer-cises, ensuring technicians and service advisors have the relevant skills to consult on complex engineering and electronics matters, with the overall aim to enhance the service for Porsche customers even further.
“Porsche Service is a centre of excellence; it is not just the per-sonal consultation that makes the difference but the expertise of our technicians,” said Salman Jassem Al Darwish, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Porsche Centre Doha, Al Boraq Automobile Co WLL.
“We invest heavily in our team’s knowledge, ensuring that they are equipped with the latest set of skills
for the entire Porsche model range. We are passionate in what we are doing and continuously strive for cus-tomer service excellence.”
The next group of technicians is being prepared for the first stage of the certification process. The 32 already qualified technicians will advance on to the second training phase, which will start later this year.
The Peninsula
32 Porsche technicians complete certification programme
The technicians posing for a group picture.
PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013 TECHNOLOGY12
UP fitness wristbands get in stride with gadgetsSAN FRANCISCO: UP fitness wristbands got in stride with Android, keeping in step with the popularity of smartphones pow-ered by the free Google software.
The move to take UP beyond Apple mobile devices came as the San Francisco-based com-pany announced the release of the wristbands in Europe and plans to expand to Asia, Australia and the Middle East next month.
Wireless earpiece maker Jawbone in November released redesigned UP wristbands that combine fashion with smartphone lifestyles to help people along paths to improved fitness.
New UP wristbands debuted in the United States with a $129 price tag nearly a year after original mod-els were pulled from the market due to problems caused by moisture fouling up electronics in the “wear-able computers.”
UP launched with applications for iPhones and iPod touch devices were redesigned to let people more easily get pictures of activity, sleep, eating, and even their moods on any given day or over time.
UP wristbands track users’ level of activity, whether they are exer-cising, pacing in an office, or snooz-ing in bed.
“Everyone wants to improve upon themselves; we’ve found this to be a fundamental human desire, no mat-ter where a person is starting from or what they want to achieve,” said Jawbone vice president of strategy Travis Bogard. “It marks a big step toward our commitment to help people establish a basis for behav-ior change.”
Along with releasing an UP appli-cation for Android gadgets at the Google Play online shop, Jawbone added 11 languages to the inter-face for the ‘app’ for Apple devices, according to Bogard.
An overview of billions of steps and millions of hours of sleep logged by UP wearers so far showed that they tended to slumber longest on week-ends and walk most on Fridays. UP was built on the premise that most people want to improve their fitness and could benefit from encourage-ment along with detailed feedback about their habits.
“Despite wanting to be better there is this big gap between intention and action,” Bogard said. “This is really about that personal journey; helping people understand themselves and the decisions they make.”
AFP
BY ROBERT F SERVICE
IF YOU’VE pondered whether to sink a cool couple of grand into a fancy new three-dimensional TV but didn’t want to mess around with those dorky glasses, you
may want to sit tight for a few more years. Researchers at Hewlett Packard (HP) Laboratories in Palo Alto, California, report that they’ve come up with a new 3D technology that not only doesn’t require viewers to wear special glasses, but it also can be viewed from a wide variety of angles. The advance could propel the development of mobile 3D devices as well as TVs.
Our eyes and brains visualise our world in its full 3D glory with seeming ease, thanks to what’s known as para-llax. Our eyes are several centime-ters apart and thus perceive slightly different-yet overlapping-images when looking at an object. Our brains stitch the two views together into a single coherent image. But because TVs pre-sent images on 2D screens, this task is much harder to pull off. To allow us to see in three dimensions, imaging tech-nologies must present slightly different images to each of our eyes.
Numerous technologies have been invented over the years to carry this out. Perhaps the most familiar is the one that requires moviegoers to wear red and green glasses. In this case, the visual information for full 3D images is sent out in all directions, and the
glasses filter out unwanted portions for each eye. To display 3D images without special glasses, engineers must control how light is directed from each pixel of the display so that different light patterns reach the viewer’s eyes. (The strategy for more modern 3D glasses is largely the same.)
Today, the gold standard in providing that control is holography, which can project specified colours in any direc-tion. But holography is expensive and practical only for displaying still ima-ges rather than full-motion video. In recent years, researchers have come up with several alternatives. One family of techniques, known as autostereos-copic multiview 3D displays, projects multiple different images on a single screen. But such approaches have ten-ded to reduce resolution or permit the ideal 3D images to be seen in only a few spots where viewers are the right distance from the screen and oriented at the correct angle, muting interest among consumers.
To get around these limitations, the HP Labs team, led by physicist David Fattal, used standard computer chip manufacturing techniques to create an array of optical elements called diffrac-tion gratings that precisely control the direction in which light emerges from each pixel in the display. The resear-chers then used other standard opti-cal devices called waveguides to steer light toward the diffraction grating in each pixel, as well as liquid crystals to
modulate which colours of light are sent out from each spot. The result was a high-resolution video display that allowed viewers to see full 3D images from 14 different viewing zones, the researchers reported online in Nature.
The HP team believes that it should be able to increase the number of viewing zones to 64, enough to convince our eyes that they are seeing a seamless 3D image even if we walk around the room. In addition, because the techno-logy uses conventional chip-patterning techniques, the new diffraction gratings should be cheap to make and already offer a resolution that is potentially hig-her than current displays.
Still, the novel displays aren’t a shoo-in for commercial success, notes Neil Dodgson, a computer scientist at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. In a commentary in Nature, Dodgson writes that the novel displays must still leap a series of manufacturing hurdles, and that engineers must come up with cameras that can capture 14 to 64 different images that would then be projected through the 3D TV. “If the authors can solve the practical problems, then they have a compelling alterna-tive to existing 3D display technology,” Dodgson says. That might also give them a raft of customers ready to put down those 3D glasses.
This is adapted from ScienceNOW, the
online daily news service of the journal
Science. http://news.sciencemag.org
WP-BLOOMBERG
3D TV, without the glasses
A 3D HP logo created with the new technology.
COMICS & MORE 13
Hoy en la HistoriaMarch 24, 1958
1999: Fire broke out in the Mont Blanc tunnel in the Alps; it would claim 39 lives and take two days to extinguish 1882: German scientist Robert Koch announced he had discovered the bacillus responsible for tuberculosis 1942: The U.S. government began detaining Japanese-Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbour2009: The U.S. government announced increased border security because of Mexico’s drug war
Rock and roll star Elvis Presley was drafted into the U.S. army for two years, earning respect by serving as a regular soldier rather than entertaining the troops
Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS
ALL IN THE MIND Can you find the hidden words? They may be horizontal,vertical, diagonal, forwards or backwards.
ASTEROID, ASTRONAUT, ASTRONOMY, BETELGEUSE, BIG BANG,BLACK HOLE, CALLISTO, COMET, CONSTELLATION, CORONA,COSMOS, CRATER, EARTH, EUROPA, GALAXY, GANYMEDE,GRAVITY, JUPITER, LEONIDS, LIGHT YEAR, MARS, MERCURY,METEOR, MILKY WAY, MOON, NEBULA, NEPTUNE, NORTH STAR,OBERON, ORBIT, PHOBOS, PLANET, PLUTO, PULSAR, QUASAR,RED DWARF, SATURN, SIRIUS, SPACE, STAR, SUN, SUNSPOT,SUPERNOVA, TITAN, URANUS, VENUS.
Baby Blues Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman
Zits by Dennis Young and Denis Lebrun
Hagar The Horrible Chris Browne
LEARNARABIC
Body parts:
Ar’ra’ss A head
Al An’f A nose
Al Fem A mouth
Al As’nan Teeths
Al Ain An eye
PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013
PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013
HYPER SUDOKU
CROSSWORD
CROSSWORDS
YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
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 2007 Ellen Page film 5 Some coolant fluids,
for short 9 Runaway success14 Work on ___ (sunbathe)15 Da capo ___16 One leaving a
personnel director’s office, maybe
17 Study of trees?19 Dana of “MacGyver”20 Better halves21 Henry who founded
Cadillac22 Tenacity25 Doctrine28 French comment that
may elicit the reply “de rien”
29 Passport for foreign travel, e.g.
30 Article with an ushiromigoro
33 Dinar spender35 Suits 36 Mic holders37 Move at all
41 They’re on haciendas43 Persistent Seuss character44 “Forever, ___” (1996
humor book)47 Rise49 Where Spike Lee
earned his M.F.A.50 Survey staple54 Depletes55 Orthodontic add-ons59 Moving about60 Like the six longest
answers in this puzzle62 Spanish citrus fruit63 Role in “Hook”64 Scottish Gaelic name
for Scotland65 Composer Camille
Saint-___66 Red letters?67 Furniture wood
DOWN 1 Pricey cars, informally 2 Sch. with the mascot
Paydirt Pete 3 Prefix with technology
4 Extra life, in a video game
5 City gained by Rome during the First Punic War
6 La ___, Wis. 7 Highly successful 8 Perhaps 9 Unqualified10 Long time11 Esoteric12 Event for a rapper?13 Drove together18 Sugar suffix21 Speaker of the line “Help
me, Obi-Wan Kenobi. You’re my only hope”
23 Explorer born around A.D. 970
24 TV accessories25 Five-star W.W. II hero,
informally26 Large roll27 Fr. title31 Event32 Org. associated with
U.S. Cyber Command
34 Shooters’ grp.?36 Word before and after “a”38 Bedlam let loose39 John who wrote “The
Beggar’s Opera”40 Prey for a dingo42 LP problem43 Prop in “Cinderella”44 Is, in math45 More than one-ninth of
the earth’s land46 “Let’s get together”48 Highland girls
51 Goes bad52 Charlotte of “The
Facts of Life”53 Fanfare56 International magazine
founded in France in 1945
57 Single-mom sitcom of the 2000s
58 Its state sport is rodeo: Abbr.
60 The Spartans, briefly61 Pre-texting texts, for
short
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 63 64
65 66 67
B I A S C I V I C H A A S T W A SO R G Y O N E A L I L S A C H I L LH A U L K A N G A G O T O H A N O IR E A L M E N D O N T H E A T Q U I C H E
A I D E G A L S O U R E A RL E T B E E C O L I M A C HI T H I N K T H E R E F O R E I H A MN A E N A S A E O E D Y N A S TG L E A S O N S A S O W L D R E A
R E B D E L T A H A I R L I N E SA D O R A B L E P A C S P O U T E R SS E V E N Y E A R H I T C H P V TA M E S O R E D E N R E S O R T SP O R T A L M D S O N E I I O U
S E T O N E S T E E T H O N H E D G ER E G O P A N E L U V E A S
S T U L O U S E C T E T N AH E R R I N G O N T H E R I G H T S I D EA R G U E A L E E B O N G O I M A XF R E E R T E A R B A T E S O H M ET E S S S O D S E R O D E N O E S
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.
YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
14
EASY SUDOKUEasy Sudoku PuzzlesPlace a digit from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so everyrow, every column and every 3x3 box contains allthe digits 1 to 9.
Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate
CINEMA / TV LISTINGS 15
13:30 Football Asia
14:00 Omni Sport
14:30 Basketball Nba
Brooklyn @ La
Clippers
16:30 Uefa
Champions
League
Magazine
17:00 Rugby Aviva
Premiership
Saracens V
Harlequins
19:00 Npower League
Tranmwere V
Stevenage
21:00 Boxing
Abraham V
Steiglitz
22:00 Basketball
Nba Atlanta @
Milwaukee
08:00 News
09:00 The Family
10:30 Inside Syria
11:00 News
11:30 Talk To Al
Jazeera
12:00 News
12:30 Football
Rebels
13:00 NEWSHOUR
14:30 Inside Syria
15:00 Al Jazeera
World
16:00 NEWSHOUR
17:00 News
17:30 Listening Post
18:00 NEWSHOUR
19:00 News
19:30 101 East
20:00 News
20:30 Inside Story
21:00 NEWSHOUR
22:00 News
22:30 Talk To Al
Jazeera
23:00 Witness
13:15 How It’s Made
14:35 Auction
Hunters
15:05 Auction
Hunters
16:55 Border Security
19:10 Mythbusters
20:05 Superhuman
Showdown
21:00 James May’s
Man Lab
21:55 Curiosity
22:50 Inside The
Gangsters’
Code
13:00 Mysteries Of
The Moose
14:00 Dinofish
16:00 Hunter Hunted
18:00 World’s
Weirdest
19:00 Hooked
20:00 Mysteries Of
The Moose
21:00 Dinofish
22:00 Dive To Tiger
Central
23:00 Hunter Hunted
13:20 Jessie
14:35 Shake It Up
15:00 Gravity Falls
16:40 A.N.T. Farm
17:00 Twitches Too
18:20 Wizards Of
Waverly Place
19:10 Shake It Up
20:00 Austin And Ally
20:25 A.N.T. Farm
21:15 Jessie
22:05 Good Luck
12:00 Just Crazy
Enough
14:00 Police Academy
7: Mission To
Moscow
18:00 Decoy Bride
20:00 A Little Help
22:00 The Janky
Promoters
13:45 The Animals’
Guide To
Survival
14:40 Shamwari: A
Wild Life
15:35 World Wild Vet
16:30 Ray Mears’
Wild Britain
18:45 Animal
Crackers
21:05 Wildest Arctic
22:00 Wildest Islands
22:55 Wild Things
With Dominic
Monaghan
12:50 Vigilante Force
14:20 Eddie & The
Cruisers II
16:15 What Did You
Do In The War
Daddy?
18:10 Where Angels
Fear To Tread
20:00 Witness To The
Mob
22:00 Joseph
Andrews
23:40 Coming Home
13:40 The Roaring
Twenties
15:40 Somebody Up
There Likes Me
18:00 3 Godfathers
19:45 The
Scapegoat-PG
21:25 Rich, Young
And Pretty
23:00 Our Mother’s
House
13:00 Tom Tom &
Nana
14:30 Battle For Terra
16:00 Quest For A
Heart
18:00 Spooky Buddies
20:00 The Smurfs
22:00 Tom Tom &
Nana
TEL: 444933989 444517001
MALL CINEMA
1
Rise Of The Guardians
(Animation) – 2.30 & 4.15pmJack Reacher (Action)
– 6.00 & 8.15pmThe Hobbit: An expected
Journey (Fantasy) – 10.45pm
2
Aatma (2D/Hindi) – 2.30 & 4.30pm
Olympus Has Fallen
(2D/Thriller) – 6.30 & 9.00pmCelluloid (2D/Malayalam)
– 11.15pm
3
Croods (3D/Comedy)
– 3.00 & 5.00pmSide Effects
(2D/Drama) – 7.00 & 9.15pmLove And Horror (2D/Romantic)
– 11.30pm
LANDMARK
1
Love And Honor
(2D/Drama) – 2.30 & 4.30pmOz: The Great & Powerful
(3D/Action) – 6.30pmJack, The Giant Slayer
(3D/Drama) – 9.00pmSide Effects
(2D/Drama) – 11.30pm
2
Croods (3D/Comedy)
– 3.00 & 5.00pmOlympus Has Fallen
(2D/Thriller) – 7.00, 9.15 & 11.15pm
3
Al Hafla (Arabic/2D) – 2.30pm
Side Effects (2D/Drama)
– 4.30pmLucky Star (2D/Malayalam)
– 6.30 & 9.00pmA Good Day To Die Hard (2D)
– 11.30pm
ROYAL PLAZA
1
Croods (3D/Comedy)
– 3.00 & 5.00pmSide Effects (2D/Drama)
– 7.00pmOlympus Has Fallen
(2D/Thriller) – 9.00pmLove And Horror (2D/Romantic)
– 11.15pm
2Rangrezz (Hindi)
– 2.30, 5.00, 8.00 & 11.00pm
3
Contraband (Action)
– 2.30 & 9.00pm
ATM (Horror) – 4.30 & 11.30pm
Gringo:How I Spent My Summer
Vacation (Drama) – 6.30pm
QF RADIO 91.7 FM ENGLISH PROGRAMME BRIEF LIVE SHOWS Airing
TimeProgramme Briefs On the Programme…
TodayRISE 7:00 –
9:00 AMRise, a LIVE 2-hour morning show hosted and produced by Scott Boyes. It discusses a wide array of topics from Weather, News, Health tips, Sports News and interactive bits with the callers.
On the program today, Scott speaks with Shabina Khatri, co-founder of Doha News. Shabina will fill us in on all the latest news about everything that’s happening locally here in Qatar.
INTERNATIO-NAL NEWS
1:00 PM The latest news and events from around the world.
STRAIGHT TALK
7:00 – 8:00 PM
A LIVE weekly 1-hour Political show produced and hosted by Nabil Al Nashar. The show will host discussions and debates about the latest world political news/ issues and events.
REPEAT SHOWSLEGENDARY ARTISTS
8:00 – 9:00 PM
The show tells the story of a celebrity artist that has reached unprecedented fame. Throughout the episode the artists’ memorable performances/songs will be played to put listeners in the mood.
PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013
PLUS | SUNDAY 24 MARCH 2013 POTPOURRI16
Editor-In-Chief Khalid Al Sayed Acting Managing Editor Hussain Ahmad Editorial Office The Peninsula Tel: 4455 7741, E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]
If you want your events featured here mail details to [email protected]
Hey’Ya: Arab Women in Sport When: March 7-Jun 16 Monday–Thursday, Saturday: 9am-8pmFriday; 3pm-9pm (Sunday closed)Where: QMA Gallery, Bldg 10 What: The Qatar Museums Authority will exhibit ‘Hey’Ya: Arab Women in Sport’ at QMA Gallery in Katara Cultural Village. The exhibition was first held in London during the 2012 Olympic Games. The exhibit originated in Qatar, beginning at the Arab Games’ Athletes Village in December 2011, where photographer Brigitte and documentary filmmaker Marian Lacombe set up an outdoor studio, working with female athletes. They then travelled to 20 Arab countries from the Gulf to North Africa, documenting images and videos of 70 Arab sportswomen. Free entry
Forever NowWhen: Until March 31; 11am-6pmWhere: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art
What: Forever Now proposes new readings based on works of five artists from Mathaf’s permanent collection. This exhibition unpacks new narratives that posit a unique understanding of five diverse artists: Fahrelnissa Zeid, Jewad Selim, Saliba Douaihy, Salim Al Dabbagh and Ahmed Cherkaoui. Free entry
Tea with NefertitiWhen: Until March 31; 11am-6pmWhere: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art What: Offer a critical perspective on how to perceive an artwork, particularly in and from the Arab world. Free entry
Designed To WinWhen: Until June 23; 10am-10pm Where: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art What: Katara Exhibition in Collaboration with the Design Museum in London.Designed to Win celebrates ways in which design and sport are combined, pushing the limits of human endeavour to achieve records and victories of increasing significance and wonder. There will be an extensive educational programme and visiting artists’ talks complementing the expo.
A Bridge to the MoonWhen: Until April 27; 10am-10pmWhere: Katara Gallery 2 - Bldg 18 What: Amal Al Aathem is one of the most prominent and proactive Qatari artists today, her reputation as a Qatari artist with a real voice and message has won her respect internationally. Her work has been widely exhibited in the region and in different parts of the world. Al Aathem believes that old philosophies have linked the moon, nature and the woman in a symbolic way, believing that the moon is the centre of the universe and the woman is thecentre of society.
Events in Qatar MEDIA SCAN
• Discussion on social media sites about Fifa President Sepp Blatter’s statement on the possibility of scrapping Qatar’s right to host the World Cup in 2022.
• Talk about launch of tourist buses and tourist guide services by Doha Bus Company.
• Demand to ask contractors to complete roadworks before laying footpaths, as some of them are working on footpaths without completing roadworks, with the road excavations hindering traffic flow.
• Complaints from some parents about their children having poor knowledge of Arabic language due to schools focusing more on English.
• Demand from some parents for a vaccination campaign against influenza in schools to protect the students.
• Talk about an initiative by Qatar Charity to support Qatari youth in bearing the huge cost of marriage.
• Demand for strict monitoring of scrap dealers, automobile workshops and businesses that recycle batteries and car engines, to ensure that they have the required licence and are following environmental safeguards.
• Complaints about huge parking fees, of up to QR50, imposed by some commercial centres that have handed over management of their parking lots to private companies.
• Warning over irrigation water overflowing from public parks and green patches along roads, causing damage to roads.
• Some shopkeepers at Souq Haraj are complaining about the management of the souq hiking rents.
A summary ofissues of the daydiscussed by the Qatari communityin the media.
IN FOCUS
Camels in the desert. A photo taken by a Peninsula Plus reader.
by Hafiz Shaikh
Send your photos to [email protected]
Salt causes 2.3 million deathsa year: StudyWASHINGTON: Over-abun-dant salt intake was a factor in nearly 2.3 million deaths from heart attacks, strokes and other heart-related causes that occurred worldwide in 2010, according to a new study. That number represents 15 percent of all heart-related deaths that year, the researchers said.
Nearly 1 million deaths (40 per-cent) caused by eating too much salt were considered premature, occurring in people aged 69 and younger, the study found. 60 per-cent of the deaths were in men.
The United States ranked 19th out of the 30 largest countries, with 429 deaths per million adults caused by eating too much salt. That works out to one in 10 of all heart-related deaths in the United States, the study authors noted.
Heart attacks caused 42 percent of the deaths worldwide, while strokes caused 41 percent. The rest of the deaths were caused by other types of cardiovascular disease. 84 percent of the deaths were in low- and middle-income countries.
QNA