SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017

CAMPUS | 3 ENTERTAINMENT | 12

BPS 14th Founders’ Day celebrations continue

Netflix renews ‘Stranger Things’

for third season

P | 4-5

AZF and Aspire Academy are due to bring back the Aspire Park Run Challenge in March, April and December next year, given the huge popularity of the event among members of the local community.

ASPIRE PARKRUN CHALLENGE

CAMPUSSUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017 03

BPS 14th Founders’ Day celebrations continueBirla Public School resumed

its Fourteenth Founders’ Day celebrations on December 1

with full of great zest, vibrancy and elation. H E Sheikh Saoud Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani patronised the function.

Principal, A P Sharma, wel-comed the gathering and read the school annual report. The school getting the certificate of accredita-tion from the SEC, under the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, State of Qatar, was the highlight of the report.

Presenting the new vision he said, “Project Eureka is a novel project introduced in the school where every student of class of XI and XII brings a question everyday helping them to get confidence. We

are committed to providing educa-tion to the student based on ‘design think’ approach and experiential learning. The school has already established a quality and capacity building cell to empower our teach-ers who are the strong pillars of the institution.”

Detailing his vision further Sharma said, “I believe in girl child empowerment and the school will have the self-defense training com-pulsory for all the girls.”

Parenting session with parents was received with great warmth and was a big hit.

Dwelling on his dream Sharma remarked, “My dream is to have a class of many curious students to keep asking questions and teach-ers feel privileged to answer, hence

we shall be setting up a “tinkering lab” of high standards in the com-ing session. I strongly believe in human values and would like to see every Birlite as a good human being and a global citizen before he/she becomes a professional. We have already decided to have an “Inter-act Club” for Social Science to imbibe the value of concern for oth-ers among our students. I am happy to share that the school received coveted Annual Sustainability

award, being the best school to ensure sustainable environment through its initiative “BIRLA SPHERE”

Staff who have rendered serv-ice for continuous ten years received letter of commendation and gold medals.

Similarly, staff as well as stu-dents, who have attended school without availing of any leave for the last five years received letter of appreciation.

International relations is an extensive, interdiscipli-nary field of study that

involves advancing interna-tional understanding, prosperity, peace, and secu-rity and to make the students aware of the diverse career options available in the field of international relations and provide them an insight into today’s world of politics, DPS-Modern Indian School (DPS-MIS), conducted an informative workshop, on the topic “The Impact of Interna-tional Relations on Understanding Today’s World Politics. (One World, Many Theories)” for the students of Grade X &XI. Mr. Khalid Al-Jufairi, Candidat au Doctorat (PhD) Policy Fellow, Inside the White House, Inside US Congress, the resource per-son, shed light on the key aspects of International Rela-tions and guided the

enthusiastic students in choosing their future careers.

Khalid Al-Jufairi, in his enlightening address, explained the theories of real-ism, l iberalism and constructivism which are the foundation stones of Interna-tional Relations. He encouraged the students to research about diverse prin-ciples with an open mind such as Feminism, Marxism and Post colonialism. He also dis-cussed about various career o p t i o n s a v a i l a b l e

for International Relations graduates like specialists working for governmental agencies, intergovernmental organizations, international and multinational corpora-tions, consulting firms, research organizations, non-governmental organizations, advocacy groups, and policy think tanks.

After the presentation, the students with their raised interesting questions which were answered by the resource person.

DPS-MIS students take part

in career guidance workshopNIS student wins 22nd

Youth Forum Inter-school

competition

The 22nd Youth Forum Interschool com-petition was conducted at Ideal Indian School premises.

An other “Feather in the cap” for the stu-dents of Noble I n t e r n a t i o n a l School (NIS) who participated in the Holy Quran reci-tation competition, exhibiting their expertise as such, in an astounding way.

More than eight schools com-p e t e d a n d displayed their flairness.

Among the contestants, Master Syed Ahmed, Grade-6 of NIS; nailed the first place in the Junior category and awarded with a trophy and certificate by the Youth Forum.

The Principal, staff and students of NIS acknowledged and complimented the stu-dent for his intangible talent.

COVER STORY SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 201704

Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) successfully organised the sec-ond series of the Aspire Park

Run Challenge yesterday morning. In total, 130 male and female recreational runners over the age of 12 were joined by 21 of Aspire Academy’s professional track-and-field student-athletes as they took part in the 2K, 4K and 6K races.

This brings the total number of participants across both series of the Aspire Park Run Challenge, including the first series that took place on November 11, to more than 280.

Commenting on the competitions, Alanoud Al Mesnad, Acting Head of Events at AZF, said: “We had more than 130 participants take part in the first series, and today we have more than 150. We’re very pleased both with the large turn out, and to see so many recreational runners in Qatar getting involved. Adding the 2K race to this series meant we had more young

people take part. We also had a number of school and University stu-dents involved which added to the overall numbers. The Aspire Park Run Challenge series enables recreational athletes to take part alongside Aspire Academy’s student-athletes, provid-ing an exciting opportunity for people keen to compete in such events along-side the professionals.”

She added that AZF and Aspire Academy are due to bring back the Aspire Park Run Challenge in March, April and December next year, given the huge popularity of the event among members of the local community.

In the 6K race for men, Mehdi Mesani secured first place after finish-ing the race in 19 minutes and 30 seconds. Second place winner Salim Jabour finished the race in 20 minutes and 57 seconds. Whilst Ambroise Aufrere finished in third place completing the race in 21 minutes and 12 seconds.

Lace up your shoes and run

COVER STORYSUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017 05In the women’s category, Saba Aziz

won first place after finishing the race in 20 minutes and 31 seconds, followed by Soul Robertson in second place after finishing the race in 29 minutes and 14 seconds, and Isobell Bushell in third place after finishing in 30 minutes and 11 seconds.

In the 4K race for men, Mubarak Mohammed came in first place after finishing the race in 13 minutes and 12 seconds. Mohammad Adam came in second place after finishing in 14 min-utes and one second, whilst Ayoub Merzougui trailed a second behind, coming in third place after finishing the race in 14 minutes and 02 seconds.

Meanwhile, Natalia and Sophie Wazny came in first and second place in the women’s category after winning in 16 minutes and 16 seconds, and 17 minutes and 46 seconds respectively. Charlie Robertson came in third place after finishing the race in 18 minutes and seven seconds.

In the 2K race for men, Ayman Shani won first place after finishing the race in six minutes and 56 seconds, followed by Waleed Bin Amar, who fin-ished in seven minutes and 23 seconds whilst Badreldin Abdallah secured third place, after completing the race in seven minutes and 54 seconds.

In the women’s category, Nourel-dine Elfangary won first place, finishing the race in seven minutes and 53 sec-onds, followed by Amelia Bennett who finished in second place after complet-ing the race in eight minutes and six seconds. Rachel Strandvik finished in third place, after completing the race in eight minutes and 12 seconds.

Winner of the men’s 6K race, Mehdi Mesani, said he’s proud to have suc-cessfully improved his performance in Saturday’s event, after finishing in sec-ond place in the men’s 6K race in the first series of the competition which took place last November. He added that he’s always keen to participate in future races organised by AZF as part of its yearly sporting programme.

Since it was established, AZF has focused on engaging the public in a wide range of sporting activities in sup-port of its mission to promote physical activity among members of the local community. The hugely enthusiastic response and large numbers of regis-trations for this year’s Aspire Park Run challenge demonstrates the year-round success of AZF’s activities.

COMMUNITY SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 201706

Orbital Strikers of Al Jaber Engineering

wins cricket match against OIA UP

Friendly Cricket match was organised by One India Association (OIA), affiliated

to ICC under the aegis of Indian Embassy to Qatar at Al Jaber Ground in Mesaieed on Decem-ber 1, between OIA UP and Orbital Strikers of Al Jaber Engineering (OS). The toss was won by OS and they elected to bat first. In the allotted 14 overs OS team man-aged to score 112 runs, thus giving the target of 113 runs to OIA.

In a day match OS team won the match by the margin of 15 runs. Highlights of the match included wonderful all-round performances by Moni Jacob, Musharraf, Vinu, Shiju Damo-daran, Tanveer Khan, Raju Yadav and Kashif Habeeb.

Musharraf Ghani Khan (Cap-tain of OIA) and Amir Azam (Captain of QS) showed there stra-tegic capability in managing their respective teams at the ground.

Dr Mohamed Hasan Makhlouf DTM (Kuwait), Director of Toastmasters

International District 20, addressed the 45th Mindtune Waves Toastmasters club

meeting at Shalimar Darbar restaurant.

In his speech, the District Director, emphasised the impor-tance of 3Fs (Focus, Feedback and Fun).

DTM Rajeshwar Sudareshan, District Program Quality Director, TM Riano Pinto Area Director also addressed the meeting.

Club President TM Shafi PC Palam opened the meeting and TM Shameer Hassan performed as Toastmaster of the Day and brought the theme “Force for Good”. DTM Rajesh VC led the Table Topic session while TM

Hashir was the general evalua-tor. Toastmasters Basheer Hassan, Rangamani Ravi, Abdul Muthalib, Muneer Ahammed, Haseeb Ali, Muneera, Noufal Murchandy, Muneer MK, Abdulsalam and Zeenath also spoke.

An open house meeting is scheduled to be held on Decem-ber 16 at Skills Development Center at 6:45pm.

Qatar University (QU) won the University League 2017-18 for the fifth consecutive time after beating Texas A&M University at Qatar (TAMUQ) 1-0 in the last minute of an exciting final match at Qatar

Foundation’s (QF’s) Recreation Center Pitch 1 this weekend. Scoring the only goal of the match in the 24th minute of the second half was by QU’s Abdullah Al Majed.

Additionally, Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q) beat Qatar Aeronautical College (QAC) in the league’s third-place playoff which took place earlier in the night, with a final score of 4-3.

An award ceremony was held to honour the first, second, and third place teams, along with the Qatar Football Association (QFA) referees. QU received a cash prize of QR30,000, while TAMUQ and CMU-Q received QR20,000 and QR 15,000 respectively.

Hilal Al Mohannadi, Chairman of the Sub-Leagues Committee at QFA, commented: “I would like to congratulate Qatar University for winning the title of the 2017-18 University League for the fifth time in a row, as well as Texas A&M University at Qatar and Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar for earning the second and third place team honours respectively. It was truly a thrilling final match and both teams played their best until

the last minute of the match. “We look forward to launching the sixth edition of the University League

with Qatar Foundation and hope more colleges and universities come on board to be part of this exciting tournament. The University League is an example of QFA’s commitment to nurturing a football culture among the youth, and providing a platform for the youth to be able to play organised football.”

He added: “I would like to thank our partners for the invaluable sup-port they provide the league and for actively being involved in adding a benefit to community football.”

45th Mindtune Waves

Toastmasters club meeting held

QU clinches University League 2017-2018 title

LIFESTYLESUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017 07The Washington Post

My daughter comes from a line of actors and poets and intermittently agitated people, so she naturally has a dramatic

streak. After school my first-grader emerges in the

line with the other kids blinking in the afternoon light and she searches for my face. When she finds me she looks excited, even hopeful. “Mama!” she cries. But after a shared smile, her body trans-forms. Her shoulders grow heavy and her posture resembles that of a tired old man.

“How was school, pumpkin?” I ask, these days with an ample reservoir of dread.

Eyes downcast, she waits a few beats before gazing up at me through her long lashes.

“Terrible,” she says. “I hate school.”I muscle on, asking if she is hungry.

“What did you bring today?” she asks.“Let’s see, I have peanut butter crackers and

a beautiful McIntosh apple.”This elicits a heavy sigh.The sunshine is radiant on the schoolyard at

this hour. Everywhere children are racing about, doing handstands, wolfing down sandwiches, peeling the thin skin off clementines, laughing with friends. My girl seems to be carrying a heavy burden on her shoulders, and her expression is impenetrable. She races off to the playground, and because she sometimes wriggles through the metal bars and onto the bustling New York City sidewalk, I am fast on her heels.

I don’t ask her much after school anymore; I have begun to lose heart. She frequently insists that she has no friends, and that she is “not doing well in school.” Why is she melancholy, what is troubling her? Her teacher is young and ener-getic, with a warm manner and a big, open smile. My daughter has good friends from kindergar-ten who are in her first-grade class, and she relishes her new daily homework assignments. She was a sunshiny toddler, a ferocious cuddler, always an active and energetic kid. I often see this side of her still - and yet, on the verge of her sixth birthday, she is so complicated now.

I lean against the brick wall of the playground, waving at her as she swings from the monkey bars before turning my attention to my book. I’m reading Roger Rosenblatt’s “Making Toast,” in which he recounts moving in with his grandchil-dren after their mother died at age 38. I read each anecdote hungrily. Rosenblatt posts a word of the day on the napkin holder for the children. Should I do that? He reads to them from James Joyce. Is there not enough poetry in our house? He dresses up as Dr. Seuss to read to his grand-daughter’s class one day. Am I not a fun enough mother? He acknowledges the children’s suf-fering but does not try to fix it. Do I unwittingly exert pressure on my child to seem happy?

I look up at my daughter, who is playing hop-scotch with athletic abandon. What more can I

do? What less should I say? I come up with no answers. I worry.

She comes trotting back to peer into the snack bag. She stamps her foot angrily, as though she had expected an apple to turn into cake. She tells me how left out she feels when all the kids get ice cream from the trucks that park outside the gate each afternoon. I remind her that I believe it’s not a good idea to spend $4 a day on ice cream, even if we could afford it, and it’s bad nutrition besides. I tell her a treat isn’t a treat if it’s every day. She sulks and skulks off. Is my child as angry as she seems? As unhappy? Now I sigh, sitting on the pavement, cross-legged and weary.

Could she be depressed? Is that possible with a 5-year-old? But why? We have good talks, we laugh, she snuggles every night with her dad and me, she has plenty of picture books and toys and crayons, she has good food to eat and play-grounds galore to explore. Where have I gone wrong?

The next morning, I discover that I have for-gotten my daughter’s backpack at the bag check of a museum the previous day. I kiss her good-bye, promising I will bring her bag as soon as I can. After retrieving it, I run into her teacher, Ms. Jane, in the lobby at the school and I smile nerv-ously. It is early in the school year and we have not officially met. She recognizes me and smiles back.

“She is doing so well in school!” she offers.“She is?” I ask, trying not to betray my

surprise.“Yes, she is a little lightning bug. I always have

to say, ‘Stop chatting with your neighbours.’ ‘Stop telling jokes!’ ‘Save it for story time!’ “

“I’m sorry,” I say. “I had no idea she was dis-rupting class!”

“No, she isn’t! Please don’t tell her I said any-thing, I don’t want that light to go out! I love that about her. She’s a happy kid - so full of life and such a goofball.”

Are you sure you know which kid is mine? I want to ask.

I don’t tell Ms. Jane that L. has reported “hat-ing school,” “not doing well,” and not being liked by her peers and instructors.

She likes school? She is happy at school? She is a chatterbox? My little girl?

I sail out of the lobby, reeling giddily from the revelations. At the start of the year, I had filled out the getting-to-know-your-child form. I described L. as thoughtful, at times melancholy, full of physical energy, slow to warm to new peo-ple but loving once she does, and one who approaches others with trepidation. I also used the word “mercurial.” Do I not know my child at all? Do any of us know our children? I laugh all the way home, eager to tell my husband about Ms. Jane’s description of our little girl.

That afternoon, I pick my daughter up as usual. Ms. Jane nods at me and then she watches my girl for a moment at the handoff. Her storm cloud descends on cue; she looks downright livid.

“What happened? What’s wrong?” Ms. Jane asks, looking alarmed.

“Nothing. That’s my after-school girl,” I say, smiling cheerfully. “Didn’t I say she was mercurial?”

Ms Jane looks surprised, as if she too were just realising that every adult in a child’s life is given only a few pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that makes up a growing person.

Don’t always believe your kid, and other lessons from those after-school storms

INFOGRAPHIC SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 201708

FOODSUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017 09

Ellie Krieger The Washington Post

Buckwheat - which, despite its name, isn’t a type of wheat at all, but a seed -

powers these satisfying crepes with both intrigue and nutrition. The flour imparts a deeply nutty flavor and dark color, giving the crepes a sassy Goth sensibility, while adding a wealth of protein, fiber, minerals and antioxidants. Ultimately, the crepes make the perfect seasonal cloak for a lus-cious, caramelized apple filling.

Making them is less compli-cated than you might think, because all the batter ingredients are whirred together in the blender. Since buckwheat has no gluten to provide structure and can be intense-tasting on its own, it is blended here with a choice of whole-wheat pastry flour, all-pur-pose flour or, to keep the dish gluten-free, a GF all-purpose flour blend. While the batter rests and thickens a bit, you make the filling by caramelizing sliced apples in a skillet with a pat of butter, some cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and maple syrup.

There is a little extra crepe bat-ter built into this recipe for a trial run, so you can afford to mess one up while getting the feel of it and still have enough for eight. (Who

among us gets a crepe or pancake right the first time?) Ladle in 1/4 cup of batter and tilt and rotate the pan so the batter covers the bot-tom evenly. It should be thin enough so that it spreads and coats easily. If the batter seems a little thick, stir in a tablespoon or two of water.

After a minute, the crepe will be browned on the bottom and a cinch to flip for cooking the other side. I just grab it with my fingers, but you can use a spatula or tongs to do the job. Pile the crepes on a plate as you cook them.

To serve, mound some apples onto a crepe. Add a dollop of yogurt (or ice cream if you are in dessert mode) and a sprinkle of nuts before wrapping it up - or wait and top the crepe with those two components, for an added flourish. Enjoy as an unexpected and healthful treat for breakfast or as a snack.

Buckwheat Crepes With Sau-teed Apples

4 servingsBuckwheat flour gives these

crepes a deeply nutty flavor, intriguing dark color and whole-grain nutrition. It is naturally gluten-free, so using gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in the mix will make the dish GF.

From nutritionist and cookbook author Ellie Krieger.

IngredientsFor the crepes

1 cup low-fat (1 percent) milk3 large eggs2 tablespoons water1 tablespoon pure maple syrup1/4 teaspoon salt2/3 cup buckwheat flour1/3 cup whole-wheat pastry

flour, all-purpose flour or a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend

3 tablespoons canola oil or other neutrally flavored oil, plus more for the pan

3/4 cup plain low-fat Greek-style yogurt, for serving

1/2 cup toasted, chopped wal-nuts, for serving (optional)

For the filling1 tablespoon unsalted butter2 medium golden delicious

apples, peeled, sliced into 1/4-inch slices

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger1/8 teaspoon freshly grated

nutmegPinch salt3 tablespoons pure maple syrupStepsFor the crepes: Combine the

milk, eggs, water, maple syrup and salt in a blender; blend on the “mix” or a low setting to incorporate. Add the buckwheat and whole-wheat pastry flours; blend for about 15 sec-onds until very smooth. Add the oil and blend for about 5 seconds. Pour the batter into a bowl, cover and place in the refrigerator while you

prepare the filling.For the filling: Melt the butter

in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Once the foam subsides, add the apples and then sprinkle them with the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Cook for about 6 minutes, stirring occasion-ally, until browned and softened but not mushy. Stir in the maple syrup and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

Heat a crepe pan or a 10-inch nonstick skillet (with an 8-inch base) over medium heat. Brush with oil. Use a 1/4 cup measure to ladle the batter into the center of the pan. Tilt and rotate the pan so that the batter forms a thin layer in the bot-tom of it. Cook until the top is no longer liquid and the bottom is nicely browned (use a spatula and/or your fingers to check), about 1 minute. Flip the crepe using the spatula and/or your fingers and cook the other side lightly, 15 sec-onds more. Repeat with the remaining batter until you have 8 crepes. (You will not need to re-oil the pan.) Stack the finished crepes on a plate.

To serve, pile about 1/3 cup of the apple mixture onto each crepe on a plate. Top with a heaping tablespoon of the yogurt and a tablespoon of the walnuts, if using before wrapping it up in a cone shape - or wait and top the crepe with those two components. Serve right away.

Oh, what buckwheat can do for these blender crepes

HEALTH SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 201710Reuters

Obese pregnant women who don’t have serious medical problems are still more

likely to have unusually large babies than mothers who aren’t obese, a recent study suggests.

While maternal obesity has long been linked to an increased risk of pregnancy complications for moth-ers and infants, the current study offers fresh insight into the ways that fetal development may be dif-ferent when mothers are obese. Among other things, the study found that obese mothers tend to have babies with larger thigh and arm bones and bigger head circumference.

“In general, even among women without major chronic diseases before pregnancy, we observed sig-nificant differences in fetal growth between obese and non-obese pregnant women,” said lead study author Dr. Cuilin Zhang of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development at the National Insti-tutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Mothers with larger babies are more likely to have infants that get stuck in the birth canal or require equipment like a vacuum or for-ceps to aid vaginal deliveries, and they are also more likely to have surgical, or caesarean section, deliveries.

The current study, involving 443 obese and 2,320 non-obese moth-ers and their babies, showed differences in the infants as early as the second trimester.

All of the women in the study were free of chronic diseases when they got pregnant, and none of them were carrying multiples.

To assess fetal development, researchers examined data from each ultrasound, including meas-urements for the length of the babies’ humerus, or upper arm bones, femur, or thighbone, head circumference and abdominal circumference.

Starting at 21 weeks’ gestation, femur and humerus length were significantly longer for babies with obese mothers than for infants with non-obese mothers, researchers report in JAMA Pediatrics.

Differences persisted through the end of pregnancy, or 38 weeks’ gestation. At that point in time, half of the babies with obese mothers had a femur length of at least 71 mil-limeters, compared with 70.2 millimeters for babies with non-obese mothers.

At the end of pregnancy, half of the babies with obese mothers had humerus bones at least 62.2 mil-limeters long, compared with 61.6 millimeters for infants with non-obese mothers.

Throughout pregnancy, obese

women had babies with signifi-cantly larger head circumference than non-obese mothers, the study also found.

There wasn’t a meaningful dif-ference in abdominal circumference between babies with obese and non-obese mothers. However, when researchers only looked at obese and normal-weight mothers, excluding overweight women, they did find obesity associated with babies who had larger bellies.

Obese women also had signif-icantly heavier babies than other women, a difference that emerged starting at 30 weeks’ gestation and persisted throughout the rest of the pregnancy.

The study also excluded women with many health problems that can accompany obesity, such as diabe-tes and high blood pressure, and the results might be different for women with chronic medical issues.

It also wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how maternal obesity influences fetal development.

“What is tricky is that we don’t know exactly why obese women have babies with greater birth weight,” said Dr. Aaron Caughey, a researcher at Oregon Health & Sci-ence University in Portland who wasn’t involved in the study.

Lifestyle and behavioral factors like diet and exercise habits might play a role, Caughey said by email. So might underlying differences in metabolism or levels of sugar or fat in the blood – even among women without diabetes.

“Genetics or environmental fac-tors might also contribute”.

But there is still a lot that obese pregnant women can do to mini-mise the odds of having an unusually large baby and the birth complications that can follow.

“If a woman who is obese finds herself pregnant, there is an oppor-tunity to start improving her diet and beginning exercise then,” Caughey said. “It has been shown that those obese women who gain less weight in pregnancy are less likely to have big babies.”

How foetuses grow differently in obese women

Starting at 21 weeks’ gestation, femur and humerus length were significantly longer for babies with obese mothers than for infants with non-obese mothers.

BOLLYWOODSUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017 11

Karan Johar to announce new film with Sonakshi SinhaIANS

Filmmaker Karan Johar says he will announce a new film with actress Sonakshi Sinha

within the next two weeks.Their last collaboration was

“Ittefaq”, directed by Abhay Cho-pra and produced by Dharma Productions.

“I am very happy that I worked with Sonakshi and it wasn’t any kind of ‘ittefaq’ (coincidence) and that film did well that also wasn’t and ‘ittefaq’. So now, we are doing another film together and the name and details about the film will be announced within two weeks,” Karan said in a statement.

The filmmaker spoke to the

media on the sidelines of the Film-fare Glamour and Style Awards 2017 here on Friday. Sonakshi was in attendance too with Rekha, Sridevi, Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Daisy Shah and Jacqueline Fernandez.

Karan is also producing Ayan Mukherji’s “Brahmastra”, which will be trilogy.

“’Brahmastra’ is in prep mode. Ranbir (Kapoor), Alia (Bhatt) and Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan are work-ing in the film. The films’ shoot will begin in February or March next year. Hopefully, it will release next year as well. And hopefully, after every two years, we will come up with new part of ‘Brahmastra’,” he said.

Hrithik Roshan to play math genius in “Super 30”

Actor Hrithik Roshan, who will be seen as Patna-based math-ematician Anand Kumar in a biopic titled “Super 30”, says it’s an exciting role as teachers are the stars in everyone’s lives.

The biopic, which is being helmed by Vikas Bahl, will showcase the life of the mathematician, who trains 30 deserving, economi-cally backward students for IIT-JEE -- the entrance exams of IIT

-- each year, with a commendable success rate.“I am very excited because I am on the heels of doing a very inspir-

ing film called ‘Super 30’,” Hrithik said on the sideline of the Filmfare Glamour and Style Awards 2017 recently.

“I feel one of the most glamorous thing and the biggest stars we have in our life are our teachers because they educate and help in progress of human species,” he added.

One of the stylish stars of Bollywood, Hrithik was asked about his personal style statement and whom he looks up to as a style icon.

He said: “It’s a difficult question because I feel I don’t have a per-sonal style statement.

“I look up to people for other things and not necessarily for style. I think what inspires me and what I find very stylish is confidence. I feel confidence is one thing that comes from your accomplishments and accomplishments come from hard work. So in short, if you work hard, you will eventually look stylish.”

Nargis Fakhri denies ‘living in’ with Uday ChopraIANS

Actress Nargis Fakhri says she has her own places to stay in every city she travels to,

thereby squashing rumours that she is staying at producer Uday Chopra’s bungalow.

In Mumbai for a few days, Nargis spoke about being away from the city, her new projects, marriage plans and how she doesn’t pay attention to rumours.

Q. Where have you been? You’ve missing from the hub of Bollywood for a good one year?

It’s closer to two years. Where have I been? Oh, here there and eve-rywhere. I was mostly in New York.

That’s where my mom lives, so that’s where I am most likely to be. How-ever, currently I am living in Los Angeles.

Q. Hollywood, huh?Nothing like that. Although I’m not

averse to doing films in any part of the world. I did a big Hollywood film, remember?

Q. You have always been a mis-fit in Mumbai?

I won’t deny that. I have hardly friends in Mumbai, only two. One of them is Sunaina Bhatnagar who recently directed that very beautiful film “Dear Maya”. The other is a dress designer. That’s it. Otherwise, it’s all working relationships in Mumbai. It’s strange, because I make friends eas-

ily wherever I go. But not in Mumbai.Q. So are you in Mumbai for

work?Yes, a couple of projects are hap-

pening. Then I am off again to LA. I am not back in Mumbai until April now. The Bollywood projects that I am doing will be shot outside India.

Q. In Mumbai, there are rumours that you are staying with Uday Cho-pra and his family?

No, thanks. I am have my own place to stay in. In fact, I have a home everywhere that I work... Not homes owned by me, just places on rent. You will be stunned when you see my key-ring. It’s got a key to open locks in every city that I go to. Luckily, the keys are colour co-ordinated with the locks.

Q. What about the rumours of your Mumbai residence being the late Yash Chopra’s bungalow?

I can’t even begin to respond to rumours because I don’t pay atten-tion to them. I don’t read what’s written about me. Because when I do, I wonder if that’s really me they are writing about?

Q. So when is the nomad-gypsy settling down?

I like that description. Nomad, a gypsy... That’s me. I am a butterfly. You can’t pin me down. If you put me in a jar, I’ll suffocate. I can’t be in any one place for too long. When you ask when I am settling down, you sound like my mother. She is the only one who asks me this question.

ENTERTAINMENT SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 201712

The Washington Post

Since “Coco” was released last week, fans have been vocal in their vitriol for the 21-minute featurette, “Olaf’s Frozen Adven-

ture,” running before the film. And the hue and cry has largely been over what a disservice the short is to viewers

Yet Walt Disney Animation might also be doing a creative disservice to “Olaf.”

Most of the complaints have centred on the maddening length of the featurette. Before a Pixar feature film, we are accustomed to getting a charming short running five minutes or so - a warm-hearted masterwork in miniature that preps our heartstrings for the emotional depths of most Pixar films.

Instead, however, we get a small “Frozen” movie that begins to feel as if it will never end. We are creatures of habit, and “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” eventually feels like the grinning house guest who won’t leave, even through the party was supposed to clear out long ago. As each successive song in the four-tune reel cues up, moviegoers’ reactions can be heard to switch from laughing irritation to growing mockery to outright anger. (This is a very different era from

the days of Disney’s 1983 Oscar-nominated “Mickey’s Christmas Carol,”which ran 26 min-utes, when filmgoers were more conditioned to expect a featurette of that length before a film.)

No matter the length, you only do it when you have a great story, goes the Pixar philoso-phy on sequels. But such an approach to length should not apply the same way to theatrical fea-turettes, lest you rile up the audience before the headliner has even taken the stage.

But for reasons distinct from length, the placement of “Olaf” ahead of “Coco” unfairly puts the featurette in a position to fail with audiences.

For instance, the animation within “Olaf” is beautiful - which actually factored into Disney/Pixar’s backfiring decision. “Olaf,” which takes

place during the first Christmas after the film “Frozen” ends, was originally intended to air as a holiday TV special, Pixar co-founder and Dis-ney Animation chief John Lasseter told Entertainment Weekly last summer. The reason for the switch to the big screen for a limited run? Because “Olaf” was deemed “too cinematic” for the small screen.

Rather than edit the featurette down more to the standard length of a modern theatrical short, “Olaf’s” filmmakers preserved the integ-rity of the 21-minute work, which is laudable. But they also misjudged what Pixar theater audi-ences are prepared for.

For one thing, Pixar and Disney Animation might be creative as well as corporate cousins, but many filmgoers view them differently, judg-ing Pixar to generally offer more emotionally complex work. And so a featurette that centers on truly silly jokes and big, showy production numbers - even animated - is a bit of a tonal shift. That’s not a deal breaker, of course, but it does the placement of “Olaf” no favors.

Lasseter told EW that the themes of family and holiday made for an apt fit between “Olaf” and “Coco.” (In the featurette, Olaf, voiced by Josh Gad, ventures in search of new holiday tra-dition for the royal sisters of Arendelle.) Yet the two works are so widely divergent in terms of tone.

“Olaf’s Frozen Adventure” currently gets a mere 41 percent “liked it” audience score on Rot-ten Tomatoes.

Were the featurette debuting as a TV special as planned, the audience score would surely be considerably higher.

Sorry, Olaf. It’s not entirely your fault.

Netflix renews ‘Stranger Things’ for third seasonAFP

“Stranger Things” fans, rejoice: more adven-tures in the Upside

Down are on the way.Netflix said it had renewed

its hit 1980s-set nostalgic super-natural drama, which has won critical acclaim and instant fame for its cast of young stars.

“Should we make another sea-son of Stranger Things?” the subscription-only streaming giant teased with an interactive poll on Twitter before adding:

“Season 3 is officially happening!!!”

No date was given for the season three premiere.Accord-ing to Nielsen, around 15.8 million viewers tuned in to watch the first episode of the show’s sec-ond season within the first three days of its October 27 launch. Netflix does not release informa-tion about viewership.

But those numbers would make “Stranger Things” one of the most popular television shows in the United States, not far behind AMC’s hit show “The Walking Dead.”

“Stranger Things” tells the story of a group of young friends living in a small town in Indiana

in the 1980s -- and the odd hap-penings that threaten them all.

It premiered in July 2016 and won five primetime Emmy

Awards in 2017. It had earned a whopping 18 nominations, including one for 13-year-old breakout star Millie Bobby Brown.

Here’s why that ‘Olaf’ short film doesn’t work as a lead-in to ‘Coco’

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGYSUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017 13

Voyager 1 thrusters fired up after 37 yearsAFP

Nasa’s Voyager 1 spacecraft -- cruising interstellar space billions of miles from Earth

-- was back on the right track recently thanks to thrusters that were fired up for the first time in 37 years.

The unmanned spaceship was launched along with its twin, Voy-ager 2, more than 40 years ago to explore the outer planets of our solar system, traveling further than any human-made object in history.

But after decades of operation, the “attitude control thrusters” that turn the spacecraft by firing tiny

“puffs” had degraded. The small adjustments are needed to turn Voyager’s antenna toward Earth, allowing it to continue sending

communications.“At 13 billion miles from Earth,

there’s no mechanic shop nearby to get a tune-up,” Nasa said in a news release.

Experts at the agency’s Jet Pro-pulsion Laboratory in California decided to turn to four backup thrusters that were last used on November 8, 1980.

“The Voyager flight team dug up decades-old data and examined the software that was coded in an out-dated assembler language, to make sure we could safely test the thrust-ers,” said Chris Jones, chief engineer at JPL.

The engineers fired up the thrusters on Tuesday and tested their ability to turn Voyager using 10-millisecond pulses. Then they waited 19 hours, 35 minutes for the test results to arrive at an antenna

in Goldstone, California.Turns out the thrusters worked

just fine.“The Voyager team got more

excited each time with each mile-stone in the thruster test. The mood was one of relief, joy and incredu-lity after witnessing these well-rested thrusters pick up the baton as if no time had passed at all,” said Todd Barber, a JPL pro-pulsion engineer.

Being able to use the backup thrusters means the lifespan of Voy-ager 1 has been extended by two or three years, added Suzanne Dodd, project manager for Voyager.

Nasa plans to switch over to the

formerly dormant thrusters in Jan-uary. They will likely also conduct similar tests on the backup thrust-ers on Voyager 2.

Scientists still hear from the Voyager spacecraft daily, and expect to get data for about another decade.

Astronomy textbooks were rewritten on a wide scale thanks to the Voyager spacecraft, which zoomed past Jupiter, Saturn, Nep-tune and Uranus.

The plutonium-powered space-ships will continue until they finally run out of fuel, and will then orbit in the centre of the Milky Way galaxy.

Reuters

Amazon.com Inc wants to be your new executive assist-ant at work.

The company said that Alexa, its increasingly popular digital aide that shoppers command by voice, is now programmed to han-dle a range of tedious office tasks.

Businesses can buy Alexa devices that help employees dial into conference calls, manage their calendars, find open meeting rooms and - not surprisingly - order work supplies from Amazon.

Amazon wants Alexa to be everywhere, and it needs more voice data to feed and “train” it so that talking to the assistant feels like talking to a friend. The company is looking to make money in the long term from people shopping with Alexa and using it - rather than Apple Inc’s Siri or Alphabet Inc’s Google Assistant - as their go-to voice technology.

“Meetings always start 10 min-utes late” due to small technology issues, Amazon’s Chief Technol-ogy Officer Werner Vogels said at the company’s cloud-computing summit in Las Vegas on Thursday, announcing the service. “If voice is a natural way of interacting in your home ... why don’t we build something that you can actually use at work as well?”

The answer to that question is

Amazon’s “Alexa for Business” offering, which lets companies buy Alexa devices like the Echo for employees to share at $7 per month per gadget. That is a depar-ture from Amazon’s normal requirement that Alexa devices be tied to a shopper’s Prime account to unlock all features.

Businesses also can enroll employees’ home devices into their Alexa networks for $3 per

month per user. The service lets companies centrally provision and manage devices for their organisations.

The move adds to Amazon’s competition with Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O), which bought internet phone and video chat company Skype in 2011 with hopes of improving communications at work. Microsoft has also recently courted businesses with applica-tions of its own voice technology, with programs that convert audio into text and vice versa.

Still, integrating a voice aide that is popular among consumers

- whether for bedside tables, dress-ing rooms, cars or even refrigerators - into the workplace would be a first for the technol-ogy industry.

“Alexa and Amazon are being much more aggressive, whether it’s integrating with third parties or going to new markets like this,” said Gene Munster, a veteran equity analyst and now head of research at Loup Ventures.

Amazon’s voice aide ready for office

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

Paddington 2 is a 2017 British live-action/CGI animated adventure

comedy film directed by Paul King and written by King and Simon

Farnaby. Based on the stories of the character Paddington Bear

created by Michael Bond, it is the sequel to the 2014 film

Paddington and is produced by Heyday Films and StudioCanal.

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

SUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017CINEMA PLUS14NOVO — Pearl

Daddy’s Home 2 (2D/Comedy) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnightPaddington 2 (2D/Animation) 10:00, 11:00am, 12:10, 1:15, 2:20, 3:30, 4:30, 5:45, 6:40, 8:50 & 11:00pmDaddy’s Home 2 (2D/Comedy) 11:00am, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, 10:00, 11:00pm & 12:00midnight The Mountain Between Us (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:15, 2:30, 4:45, 7:00,9:15 & 11:30pmJustin League (2D/Action) 10:00am, 2:30, 7:00 & 11:30pmBetter Watch Out (2D/Horror) 12:30, 5:00 & 9:30pmSmart Chase (2D/Action) 11:00am, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00pm Coco (2D/Animation) 10:30am, 1:00, 3:30, 6:00, 8:30 & 11:00pmAct of Vengeance (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnightPaddington 2(2DIMAX/Animation)10:15am, 12:30, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30& 11:45pm

MALL

LANDMARK

ROYAL PLAZA

ROXY

ASIAN TOWNLava Kusha (Malayalam) 12:30, 3:00, 5:45, 8:45, 9:15 & 11:45pmAnnadurai (Tamil) 1:00 & 7:00pm Thiruttu Payale 2 (Tamil) 4:00 & 10:00pm Firangi (Hindi) 1:00pm Oxygen (Telugu) 3:45pm Jawaan (2D/Telugu) 12:30 & 6:30pm Goodalochana (2D/Malayalam) 3:00 & 8:45pm

AL KHORDaddy’s Home 11:45am, 5:00, 7:15, 9:30 & 11:45pm Paddington 2 (Animation) 11:00am, 1:15, 3:30 & 5:45pm Oxygen (Telugu) 12:00noon Jawaan (Telugu) 2:00pm Firangi (Hindi) 8:00 & 11:00pm Lava Kusha (Malayalam) 3:00 & 9:00pm Annadurai (Tamil) 6:00pm Thiruttu Payale 2 (Tamil) 12:00noon

PADDINGTON 2

Firangi (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 9:00pm Better Watch Out (2D/Horror) 4:15pm Oxygen (Telugu) 2:00pm Olaf And Coco (2D/Animation) 2:30pm S.M.A.R.T Chase (Action) 4:30 & 11:45pm Jawaan (Telugu) 6:30pmPaddington 2 (Adventure) 5:00 & 7:00pm Daddy’s Home 2 (2D/Comedy) 6:15pm The Mountain Between Us (2D/Romantic) 8:00pmTumhari Sulu (Hindi) 8:45pm Act of Vengeance (2D/Action) 10:00pm Good Time (2D/Thriller) 11:30pm Lava Kusha (2D/Malayalam) 11:30pm

Jawaan (Telugu) 2:30pm Olaf And Coco (2D/Animation) 3:00 & 4:45pm Thiruttu Payale 2 (2D/Tamil) 3:00 & 11:15pm Paddington 2 (Adventure) 5:30 & 7:30pm Act of Vengeance (2D/Action) 7:00pm Lava Kusha (2D/Malayalam) 8:30pmThe Mountain Between Us (2D/Romantic) 7:45pmDaddy’s Home (2D/Comedy) 6:00 & 9:30pm Better Watch Out (2D/Horror) 9:45pm Good Time (2D/Thriller) 11:30pm S.M.A.R.T Chase (Action) 11:30pm

Oxygen 2:15pm Olaf And Coco 2:30 & 4:45pm Al Jawla Akheera 2:30pm Paddington 2 (Adventure) 5:00 & 7:00pm Daddy’s Home (2D/Comedy) 4:30 & 9:00pm Better Watch Out (2D/Horror) 6:15pm Act of Vengeance (2D/Action) 7:00pm Good Time (2D/Thriller) 7:45pm S.M.A.R.T Chase (Action) 9:00 & 11:00pm The Mountain Between Us (2D/Romantic) 9:30pm Lava Kusha (2D/Malayalam) 11:15pm Thiruttu Payale 2 (2D/Tamil) 11:30pm

Coco (Mystery) 11:00am, 1:40 & 6:30pm Acts of Vengeance (Action) 11:00am, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00 & 11:15pm Better Watch Out 11:00am, 3:15, 5:15, 7:15, 9:15 & 11:15pm Lava Kusha (Malayalam) 11:00am, 5:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm Paddington 2 (Animation) 1:00, 4:20 & 9:10pm Firangi (Hindi) 2:00, 7:00 & 10:00pm

CROSSWORD CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

ALL IN THE MIND

9:00 The Coming War On China

10:00 News 10:30 Inside Story 11:00 News 11:30 Talk To Al

Jazeera 12:00 News 12:30 TechKnow 13:00 NEWSHOUR 14:30 Inside Story 15:00 Al Jazeera

World 16:00 NEWSHOUR 17:00 News 17:30 The Listening

Post 18:00 newsgrid 19:00 News 19:30 101 East 20:00 News 20:30 Inside Story 22:00 News 22:30 Talk To Al

Jazeera

10:00 Stuck In The Middle

10:25 Disney Cookabout

10:50 K.C. Undercover

11:15 Bunk’d 13:45 Bunk’d 15:25 K.C.

Undercover 16:15 Jessie 16:40 Jessie 17:10 Disney

Cookabout 17:35 Girl Meets

World 18:00 Austin &

Ally 18:25 Austin & Ally 18:50 Tangled

Before Ever After

19:50 The Zhuzhus 20:05 Stuck In The

Middle

10:10 Treehouse Masters

13:50 Africa’s Trees Of Life

15:40 Wildest Africa

17:03 Orangutan Island

17:30 Dark Days In Monkey City

18:25 Going Ape19:20 Monsters

Inside Me20:15 River

Monsters21:10 Glory

Hounds22:05 Bahama

Blue23:00 Wildest

Indochina23:55 Untamed

10:12 Alaska: The Last Frontier

11:42 Yukon Men12:48 Baggage

Battles13:55 Deadliest

Catch14:40 Gold Divers17:00 How Do

They Do It?17:50 Storage

Hunters UK18:20 Container

Wars18:50 Deadliest

Catch21:00 Harley

And The Davidsons

21:50 Gold Rush22:40 What On

Earth?23:30 Diesel

Brothers

King Features Syndicate, Inc.

BRAIN TEASERSSUNDAY 3 DECEMBER 2017 15

Yesterday’s answer

Conceptis Sudoku: Conceptis Sudoku

is a number-placing puzzle based on a

9×9 grid. The object is to place the

numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so

that each row, each column and each

3×3 box contains the same number

only once.

ACACIA, ALDER, ASH, ASPEN,

BALSA, BAMBOO, BEECH,

BIRCH, BONSAI, BOXWOOD,

CEDAR, CHERRY, CHESTNUT,

CYPRESS, DOGWOOD, ELDER,

ELM, FIR, GINKGO, GUM,

HAWTHORN, HAZEL,

HEMLOCK, HICKORY, JUNIPER,

KAURI, LARCH, LILAC, LOCUST,

MAHOGANY, MAPLE, OAK,

OBECHE, OXANDRA, PAWPAW,

PEAR, PERSIMMON, PINE,

POPLAR, REDWOOD, SABICU,

SANDALWOOD, SANDARAC,

SPRUCE, SYCAMORE,

WALNUT, WILLOW, YEW.