CAMPUS

MARKETPLACE

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HEALTH

TECHNOLOGY

LEARN ARABIC

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• Children showcasetalents at GavelClub meeting

• Qatar Development Bank picks winners of ‘Qatar in our Hearts’ competition

• Obligationsof workers

• Ask the expert

• Ultrasound ‘safer’than CT scans

• Health benefits of honey

• Amazon, Googleon collisioncourse in 2013

• Learn commonly used Arabic words and their meanings

insideTHURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012 • plus@pen.com.qa • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741

Hooper’sHooper’sLes MiserablesLes Miserablesis relentlessis relentlessP | 8-9

Ten plans to Ten plans to welcomewelcome

20132013

Doha hotels are offering entertainment unlimited to usher in the new year. We pick ten options you can indulge in.

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2 COVER STORYPLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012

The hospitality sector in Doha is bursting with offers to guarantee residents a good time during the holiday season. From white parties,

to high etiquette balls, there are options for all tastes to welcome the New Year. These are some of the options.

W DohaThe W Doha offers three packages from

QR950 to QR1,750 per person. On December 31, it will host the evening in its ‘Great Room’, where Festive Mibely band, one of the most sought after bands in Paris, will set the scene for a night to remember.

For QR950 per person, the Gala Dinner Package includes canapés before experi-encing a four-course meal by celebrity chef Jeans-Georges Vongerichten. After dinner, guests can hit the dance floor to welcome in the New Year where Festive Mibley will set the soundtrack.

The ‘New Year’s Amplified’ package allows guests to open their eyes on 2013 with a daz-zling view of the sunrise over the sparkling Arabian Gulf. For QR2,500 for two people, this option invites attendees to finish the weekend with a breakfast in-room or at Market restaurant.

Lastly, the ‘2013 Magnified’ package (QR3,500 for two people) includes a ride to the hotel in a state-of-the-art limousine before getting ready for the Gala Dinner in a ‘Cool Corner Suite’. Guests opting for this package will be invited to a gour-met New Year’s Brunch and a ‘Detox and Refuel’ session for two at the hotel’s Bliss Spa.

The Ritz-CarltonAt the Ritz-Carlton, the Holiday pack-

age starts at QR1,099 and 50 percent savings on second room or second night. Guests that stay for three nights will get a complimentary buffet breakfast until January 12.

On New Year’s Eve, the hotel offers a Mediterranean dinner at Porcini hosted by Chef Ricardo, from 8pm for QR 620 per person for a six-course menu excluding beverages. The other option is a romantic dinner with a view at La Mer overlooking the gulf and Doha skyline hosted by French Chef Olivier Catora. For QR750 it starts at 7,30pm per person for six-course menu excluding beverages.

Last, but not least, Ritz-Carlton will also host a grand international dinner at The

Lagoon with a widespread buffet which starts at 6,30pm for QR240 per person. Kids under the age of four can dine for free and children from four to 12 can dine at QR120 per person.

Grand Hyatt DohaLas Vegas singer Miss Avis Ellis will blend

the music of Rihanna, Beyonce, Katy Perry, Nicky Minaj and Motown with the Brazilian tunes and Samba rhythms of Portuguese Keyboard player Juan Pestana at Dunes Lounge for QR200 on December 31.

On the other hand, award winning res-taurant Isaan brings in the New Year in authentic Asian style with an all you can eat concept courtesy of Chef Naphapak, complete with traditional Thai lanterns released at midnight for QR 300 per person and QR150 for children.

Grill restaurant will have a live enter-tainment act for a set menu of QR300 per adult and QR150 for children. While Rocca restaurant bids farewell to 2012 and heralds the arrival of 2013 with good food and music by the poolside with DJ Santiago from Argentina. This option is QR600 per person including live cooking stations.

GoodbyeGoodbye Welcome

2013

2012

3PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012

Grand HeritageBlue restaurant at Grand Heritage Hotel will have

a special four course meal for QR350 with live ser-enade. The activities begin at 6.30pm and conclude at 1am. Children under five years eat for free and from six to 12 will pay only half price.

Four SeasonsThey will host a New Year’s Eve ‘White Sensation...

is Back’ party on December 31 in the Al Mirqab Ballroom. Guests are invited to welcome the New Year with everyone else in white suits and gowns. The party begins with a buffet with live cooking stations that bring together flavours and delicacies from all over the world. The New Year will be welcomed with dancing to the performance by a live DJ. Festivities begin at 8.30pm and will continue into the wee hours of the morning.

IntercontinentalIntercontinental encourages guests to bring in the

New Year at any of their restaurants, where they can dine, enjoy live music and DJ entertainment. Among the options is Coral restaurant, which will welcome 2013 with a buffet featuring delicacies from around the globe with live entertainment, and Paloma, where there will be a three-course menu to the music of The Smart Casual Band and DJ Shadi. Year 2013 can be welcomed with an intimate New Year’s Eve at Lava lounge with Resident DJ Paul Mendez as well.

Crowne Plaza Doha–The Business Park Aramede restaurant will have a Live Band and live

cooking stations for Mediterranean cuisine start-ing at QR290. Misturado and Rodizio will transport guests to Brazil, with the tunes of the Copacabana performed by the live band.

Le CigaleLe Cigalon will host a buffet dinner on December

31 and a lunch on January 1 themed ‘New Year’. With a guest DJ, Le Central will have a four-course Mediterranean set menu while Di Capri will feast with the live musical performance of Carlo Alberto and an Italian 4-course set menu.

Madison Piano Bar features Lebanese singer ‘Grace Deeb’ along with one-man-show ‘Chadi El Basha’. Club 7 opens the door to a New Year party with DJ Roger Choueiry and Sky View will host a party-mix of the VJ/DJ Tony Schweiry.

MarriottCrossroads, Ipanema, Cucina and New York

Steakhouse restaurants will have special offers to receive the New Year. Dinner in Crossroads features live cooking stations, party packs and countdown for QR255. At Ipanema dinner will be QR310, while Cucina and New York Steahouse will offer an a la carte menu with festive dishes. Tickets for Champions club for December 31 are QR150, including two drinks, party packs and countdown with a DJ.

HiltonTrader Vic’s restaurant has organised a special

menu that can be enjoyed while dancing the night away to the lively tunes of the Cuban band. Guests can enjoy the tropical countdown to 2013 for QR350. For couples, La Sahtaine has a special menu on New Year’s Eve for QR350.

The Peninsula

PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 20124 COMMUNITY

Indian Friends’ Circle-Qatar (IFC) in coordination with its literary wing Halqua Adab-e-Islami Qatar (HAI)

organised competitions for Indian chil-dren on the theme “awareness against corruption” at Shantiniketan Indian School recently. Drawing competition and Quiz were held on Thursday evening while Elocution and Hamd/Naat recita-tions were held on Friday afternoon fol-lowed by the prize distribution ceremony. IFC is an Islamic social organisation pro-moting awareness about Islam among Urdu speaking Indian Muslims in Qatar.

The topic for elocution competition under junior category was “Corruption

Free Society” while under senior cat-egory, the topic was “Corruption: Causes and Eradication”. The elocution com-petitions were conducted in Urdu and English for boys and girls separately for both categories. More than 80 children took part in the competitions.

Quiz was conducted by Abdur Rahman Shamsi while elocution contests for boys were conducted by Iftekhar Raghib. At the prize distribution ceremony, Syed Mohiuddin Shakir, President of IFC, lauded the purpose to conduct the com-petitions for children and necessity of raising awareness against corruption.

The Peninsula

Indian Friends’ Circle-Qatar holds competitions for kids

An IFC official handing over the prize to one of the winners.

Children showcase talents at Gavel Club meeting

First meeting of the newly formed ‘Engineers Forum Gavel Club’ was held at Indian Club recently.

In the meeting conducted specially for the parents and the young prospec-tive members of the club by the mem-bers of KEF Gavel Club, the children showcased their skills in public speak-ing, impromptu speaking, conducting events and constructive evaluation.

The inaugural meeting was coordi-nated by senior Toastmasters including Raghavan Menon and Shajil Kader.

The newly formed Gavel Club will func-tion as part of EF Toastmasters, which was formed by ‘Engineers Forum’, an association of Qatar based Indian expatri-ate engineering professionals. Though the club is associated with Engineers Forum, admission to the Gavel club is open to all, said by an official of the

Children attend the inaugural meeting of EF Toastmasters Gavel Club.

Indian Cultural & Arts Society (INCAS) held sec-ond Remembrance Day of

K Karunakaran on December 23 at Indian Cultural Center. The former Chief Minister and Federal Minister of India who was popularly known as ‘leader’

died on the same day in 2010. The remembrance was marked by a medical seminar and a free medi-cal check up.

Speakers recalled the con-tribution of Karunakaran and paid rich tributes to his memo-ries. Incas Advisory Council

Chairman KK Usman made the key note speech. President Joppachan Thekkekuttu pre-sided over the meeting. General Secretary Mohammed Ali Ponnani welcomed the gathering and Secretary Narayan Karyad proposed voted of thanks.

Incas holds Remembrance Day

the organization. The EF Toastmasters and Gavel club are affiliated to the US based non-profit organisation Toastmasters International which oper-ates similar clubs all over the world. The

Toastmaster clubs and Gavel clubs help their members to improve their public speaking, communication, and leadership skills.

The regular meetings of the Gavel

club will be held once in two weeks, and admission will be open to children between 8 and 12 years. Interested par-ents can call 66838707) for details

The Peninsula

A medical seminar, following the gen-eral meeting, was conducted by by D. Deepak Chandramohan, eminent physician, on ‘Diseases Prone to Pravasi Community’ as part of the Remembrance Day. A general medical check-up was arranged for all participants by Incas in asso-ciation with Naseem Al Rabeeh Medical Center.

The Peninsula

Incas members at the Remembrance Day function: Right: Dr Deepak Chandramohan giving the lecture.

5MARKETPLACE PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012

Qatar Development Bank picks winnersof ‘Qatar in our Hearts’ competition

Qatar Development Bank announced the winners of “Qatar in our Hearts” competition, the online visual contest organised on the occasion for Qatar National Day. First place winner Mohammed Hosho was awarded a cash

prize of QR5,000, a trophy and an iPad 3. Second place winner Ahmad ElSayed was awarded cash prize of QR3,000 and a trophy and the third place winner Bijoy Joseph received a trophy.

Mansoor bin Ibrahim Al Mahmoud, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Development Bank, said: “First of all, we would like to congratulate all our win-ners and thank every participant for taking the time to be part of this national initiative. The level of participation and interest we had for “Qatar in our Hearts” exemplifies everybody’s fondness of our country and appreciation of its culture, heritage and legacy. It also helped unlock the creative capabilities of many who are looking for a platform to showcase their talent and flair.”

Created especially for Qatar National Day, the Facebook-driven “Qatar in our Hearts” saw over 42,990 people voting with a total of 484 images published.

The Peninsula QDB officials with the winners of the competition.

Grand Regal Hotel becomes official hotel partner for DTF 2013

Grand Regal Hotel Doha has signed an agreement to be the official hotel partner for Doha

Trade Fair 2013. The ten-day event, organised by Qatar Tourism Authority will take place from the January 1 to 10 at the Doha Exhibition Centre.

Doha Trade Fair is an annual con-sumer exhibition featuring a wide range of products like handicrafts, garments, jewellery and more. Companies from 29 countries will take part in the exhibition.

Commenting on the event, General Manger of Grand Regal Hotel, Imran Baig, said: “Being the official sponsor of this international exhibition is a great opportunity for us to create brand awareness and to build a com-munication path toward consumers. We are proud to be sponsoring this international commercial gathering”.

As the official sponsor of the event, the hotel will be rendering food and beverage services during DTF. An Indian speciality outlet will be opened at the centre. The outlet will operate daily from 10am to 10pm.

Special promotionat Salam Stores

Salam Stores has kicked off a spe-cial promotion where they will

offer a QR100 voucher for every QR300 spent.

“We know that during the holiday season many of our shoppers look for great buys and perfect gifts for their loved ones. With such a wide and vari-ous selection of brands available at Salam, we are delighted to gift our cus-tomers the opportunity to gain some-thing back while shopping and extend their gift giving. We know our custom-ers love cashing in on these offers, espe-cially at the end of the year, so we have opened our doors and we will have this offer run right up to January 12, 2013 ” said Feras Owaidat, Retail Manager at Salam Stores. The Peninsula

Barwa Bank awardsQatar National Daycompetition winners

Barwa Bank announced the win-ners of its National Day compe-tition, which invited residents to

express their national pride through poetry and photography that creatively captured the day’s celebrations.

Ahmed El Hossan was awarded an iPad from Barwa Bank for his National Day poem, while A K BijuRaj and Azee L M each received an iPhone 4S for their photography that poign-antly depicted the importance of this

significant day in Qatar’s history.Diane Alphonse, Head of Marketing,

Barwa Bank, commented: “I would like to congratulate the winners. As a local Shariah compliant bank, we feel that it

is crucial that we support and initiate activities which bring Qatar’s community together in a productive, engaging and appealing manner.”

The Peninsula

Qatar Shell celebrated the achievements of Qatari employees who demonstrated commitment to professional growth and outstanding performance in the company’s Qatarisation Excellence Awards

for the year 2012. Leaders who supported the growth of local talent across the company were also recognised for their dedication to grooming local leaders of the future and promoting Shell’s aspiration to become the employer of choice for Qatari nationals.

Coinciding with the National Day celebrations, the event acquired an additional local flavor with Qatari songs playing in the background and with more than 300 employees attending.

Wael Sawan, Managing Director and Chairman of Qatar Shell Companies, said in his opening remark: “Shell in Qatar has come a long way. Less than 10 years ago we started with a few Qatari members of staff and today we have over 260 bright Qatari colleagues, from school-leavers and news graduates

to senior managers, holding technical and commercial posi-tions at all levels of the organization. I would like to compli-ment them for their energy and enthusiasm and we remain committed to grooming and empowering young Qataris to emerge as the leaders of Shell’s current and future projects in the country.”

During the event two young Qatari staff members shared their experiences while working at various Shell locations around the world. Mais Taha, Reservoir Engineer said: “Shell helped me achieve technical excellence through world-class training by experts from all around the Shell community.” Omar Al Mulla, Electrical Reliability Engineer added: “I worked on an offshore upstream project in the Philippines which enabled me to fill competency gaps that were identified in my job competency profile that I could not fill while working in Qatar.”

The Peninsula

Shell honours Qatari achieversQatar Shell staff with officials at the award ceremony.

Barwa Bank officials giving away the prizes.

PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012 LAW6

What electrical safety precautions are necessary?Labour laws and ministerial decrees issued

in this regard oblige employers to take many precautionary measures, most important being:

- Electrical distribution panels must be placed in safe and easy to use locations, switches must be of non-sparking type.

- Conducting regular check on cables, wir-ings, and connections.

What fire protection precautions are mandatory?Employer must take precautionary meas-

ures to prevent fire, in accordance with the direction of authorities, and according to the nature of activities in the work place and the nature of production materials. Care must be taken as following:

- Providing enough emergency exits, install-ing alarms with necessary training on use.

- Abiding by necessary technical stand-ards in constructing ovens, boilers and other sources of heat, insulating hot gas pipes and internal combustion engines exhausts.

- Prohibiting smoking in work areas and punishing anyone who does not abide by the prohibition.

- Leaving enough space between work units to prevent the occurrence of fire, especially in areas containing flammable material and not leaving any fire source in these areas.

- Educating workers on fire sources and methods of fire prevention and training them on how to use fire extinguishers.

What precautions must be taken against natural hazards?

Employers must take necessary precaution-ary measures against natural hazards, the most important being the following:

- Stopping work at noon time in open areas during summer -- from 15th of July to 31st of August -- so that morning working hours do not exceed five hours a day and do not extend beyond 11:30 am.

In the afternoon, work must not start before 3pm, and employer must keep a schedule directing this in an obvious place so that it can be read and seen by labour inspectors during their inspection visits.

- Workers must be provided with protec-tive gloves, socks, shoes, and heavy clothes in winter.

- They must be provided with protective coats during the rainy seasons

- They must provide you with head cover and cold drinking water during work in open areas.

What are the conditions for working in remote areas?

The following areas are considered remote areas:

Dukhan, Um Bab, Messsaied, Northern area, Halul island and any other area which is 15 kilometer away from the borders of any city or village.

- Employers having workers in remote areas must provide the following:

- Appropriate transportation or accommo-dation, or both

- Drinking water- Appropriate provision of food or means

for providing this- First Aid supplies- Except food, all above must be paid for by

employer. Worker should not bear any cost for them.

How is medical care organised in establishments?- Medical examination for establishment

workers- Laboratory tests, and X-ray- Providing necessary medicine for treat-

ment out of hospitals- Immunisation of workers against common

ailments, according to directions issued by the National Health Authority in this regard

- Installing First Aid Box and providing it with necessary medicines and appliances

- In establishments with more than 100 workers, the employer is bound to appoint a nurse, and if there are more than 500 workers, he must establish a clinic with one doctor and at least two nurses, with all necessary medical supplies and a room for first aid treatment.

OBLIGATIONS OF WORKERS

What are your obligations to your employer?- Employers have the right to transfer you

from one place of work to another or from one type of work to another, provided that the new work does not differ substantially from the one agreed on and do not imply abuse, difference in wages or breach of contract clauses

- You must be present at your work site on the set time for beginning of work and not leave before the time decided

- You must not stop working or leave work area during working hours without permission from your supervisor

- You are not allowed to enter the work site any time other than working hours, unless you have written permission and submit it to the person in charge at the entrance

- You must obey your superior’s directions in regard to work and execute them precisely at all times

- Your relation with your colleagues at work must be good and based on understanding and compassion

- It is prohibited for you to accept gifts or reward from others in return for doing some-thing that is part of your duties

- It is prohibited for you to seek support or distribute papers for any purpose without written permission from the establishment administration

- It is prohibited for you to work for another employer even at your leisure hours and you must do your work carefully and take care of equipment and tools

- If there is a malfunction in equipment or tools, do not try to repair or even fix it, rather you must inform your supervisor about the faulty machine

- You must not pay any fees or make any other payments to anybody unless it is a deci-sion made by the establishment

- You must not reveal industrial or work secrets or any matter related to the work and activity of the establishment

- It is prohibited for you to do anything that may undermine the safety or vocational health precautions.

Excerpts from Handbook Of Workers’ Rights published by National Human Rights Committee.

I joined a private company in August 2011, and one year

later, the owner sold the company. The new owner has

not completed the legal process of transferring the

company’s ownership. Therefore, the company and

the employees are trapped between two sponsors. For the

last three months, the employees have not received their

salaries, and no one wants to take responsibility for that,

or for other aspects of this matter. None of the employees

wants to sue in order to get a no objection certificate to

transfer their sponsorship and get their salary.

Name withheld on request

Hereby, one of the employees wants to know the legal aspects of transfer of sponsorship, and how they can get their salaries and from whom.

The relation between employee and employer is set out in the contract signed by both parties. Moreover, the work contract adheres to labour law No 4/2004, and is certified by the Labour Department, which makes the Department legally responsible for looking into any violation of the contract. According to the labour law, any delay in payment of the salary agreed on in the contract, even for one month, is a violation of the law. In case the salary is not mentioned in the contract, the worker has the right to get his salary in accordance with work regulations, which say that the salary should be paid to the worker in person once a month, or should be transferred to his bank account on his request or with his prior approval. Employers are never exempt from paying workers’ salaries.

Therefore, we advise the employees of the company to go to the Labour Department to lodge a complaint against the company. Only the Labour Department can advise them correctly on this matter and try to settle the dispute amicably.

Any party not satisfied with the decision of the Department can go to court to claim his rights. As soon as a claim is made against the company, the process of transfer of its ownership will be stopped immediately.

The ownership of the company will not be transferred without the workers receiving their salaries and other rights and privileges.

According to the Labour Law, the salaries and perks of the labour-ers will get priority over other liabilities of the employer if his movable and immovable property is being sold to repay loans and other dues, including any government loan.

Regarding the transfer of sponsorship, the Sponsorship Law (No. 4 of 2009) stipulates that the sponsorship of a worker will be changed with the written agreement of his existing and new spon-sors and the approval of the Labour Department. The law authorises the Minister of Labour or his representative to order temporary change of sponsorship of a worker if the worker has made a claim against his sponsor in a court and the sponsor is found guilty, or if the change of sponsorship is in the general interest. The sponsorship will be changed following a request by the worker and approval by the Ministry of Labour.

We advise the employees to file a case in court against the com-pany claiming their overdue salaries, end of service benefits and other perks.

In this case, the employees can utilise an exception hinted in Law No. 4 of 2009. They have the right to ask for change of sponsorship without permission from their current sponsor if the new sponsor is ready to recruit them. A written request is to be submitted to the Human Rights Committee at the Ministry of Interior for this purpose.

Legal Advice: Labour lawsuit is free of charge According to Law No. 14/2004, labour lawsuits are accepted

without any fee to make it easier for the workers and to encourage them to demand their legal rights. All lawsuits filed by labourers or their heirs to get their dues according to their contract or the pro-visions of law are considered quickly and free of charge, and the lawsuit will expire one year after the contract ends.

Any claim for compensation for disability or death will expire one year from the date of the final medical report which proves that disability or death had occurred due to work or reasons related to the profession.

Ask the expert

Answered by Abdelaal A KhalilLegal Consultant

Please send your queries to: plus@pen.com.qa

Obligations of workers

HEALTH 7

Health Tipsfrom DOCTOR

The 3 key health benefits of honey are related to the fact that:

1. Honey is nature’s energy booster:The benefits of honey go beyond its great taste. A

great natural source of carbohydrates which provide strength and energy to our bodies, honey is known for its effectiveness in instantly boosting the performance, endurance and reduce muscle fatigue of athletes. Its natural sugars play an important role in preventing fatigue during exercise. The glucose in honey is absorbed by the body quickly and gives an immediate energy boost, while the fructose is absorbed more slowly pro-viding sustained energy. It is known that honey has also been found to keep levels of blood sugar fairly constant compared to other types of sugar

2. Honey is a great immunity system builder:Amongst the many health benefits of honey, what

is most impressive to me is that honey can be a pow-erful immune system booster. It’s properties can help improve digestive system and help you stay healthy and fight disease. Start every brand new day with this cleansing tonic if you want to see this health benefit of honey: before breakfast, mix a spoonful of honey and lemon juice from half a lemon into a cup of warm water and drink it.

3. Honey is a natural remedy for many ailments:

For thousands of years, honey has been recognised as one of the most natural home remedies to treat a wide range of ailments and complaints including yeast infection , athlete foot , and arthritis pain. Its antiseptic properties inhibits the growth of certain bacteria and helps keep external wounds clean and free from infection. Honey has been used as a natural cure in first aid treatment for wounds, burns and cuts as it is able to absorb moisture from the air and promote healing. Its antibacterial properties prevent infection and functions as an anti-inflam-matory agent, reducing both swelling and pain, and even scarring.

When you get a hangover from drinking too much alcohol, combat its effects by applying honey remedy. Honey is gentle on the stomach and contains a mix of natural sugars such fructose which is known to speed up the oxidation of alcohol by the liver, act-ing as a ‘sobering’ agent. Follow this recipe: 15ml of liquid honey with 80ml of orange juice and 70ml of natural yogurt. Blend them together until smooth.

One of the better known health benefits of honey is that it is able to help treat sore throats. Thanks to its antimicrobial properties, honey not only soothes throats but can also kill certain bacteria that cause the infection.

Dr E V Kumar Specialist – Restorative

Dentistry Healthspring World Clinic

Health benefits of honey

PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012

Ultrasound scans relying on sound waves are safer than CT scans or X-rays which use radiation to confirm or rule out sur-gery to remove the appendix, according

to an American study.The appendix is a finger-shaped pouch that

extends from the large intestine. Infection or block-age of the appendix causes appendicitis, which can lead to abdominal pain, vomiting and fever.

Children suspected of appendicitis are more likely to undergo CT scans if they are evaluated at a general hospital, a new study by Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis has revealed, the journal Paediatrics reports.

Use of either technique can potentially reduce the occurrence of unnecessary surgeries and speed up the diagnosis of appendicitis, according to a Washington statement.

But recent reports have suggested that CT scans can magnify children’s lifetime cancer risk, because of radiation. Therefore, researchers are reassessing the role of such scans and seeking ways to reduce their use, according to a varity statement.

“Appendicitis is a very tough diagnosis, because its symptoms overlap with viral infections and other problems,” says study co-author Jacqueline Saito, assistant professor of surgery.

“We don’t want to operate when the appendix is fine, but if we wait too long, an inflamed appendix can rupture or perforate, making recovery more complicated and much slower,” added Saito.

Saito and her colleagues analysed case records of 423 children who had appendectomies or surgery to remove the appendix, at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

In 218 patients initially evaluated at Children’s Hospital and 205 at general hospitals, research-ers reviewed how the patients were evaluated for appendicitis and whether the surgery’s results con-firmed the diagnosis.

Using ultrasound to detect appendicitis has recently become more frequent, especially at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

“Ultrasound scans are difficult to perform cor-rectly in this context and what specialists can do at children’s hospital may not be realistic or even available in a general hospital, which doesn’t care for children as often,” Saito says.

IANS

Ultrasound ‘safer’ than CT scans

Sleeping pills don’t lull you to sleep but their placebo (dummy) effect does, which is

psychological, reveals a new study.

A placebo is a dummy treat-ment for a disease intended to deceive the recipient into believing that he is receiving an actual pill. It may have a perceived or actual improve-ment in one’s condition, com-monly called the placebo effect.

Researchers from the UK and the US have cast doubt over the effectiveness of drugs for insomniacs. The placebo (dummy) effect produced around 50 percent of the ben-efits, with the active ingredient, Z-drugs in sleeping pills making up the rest, the British Medical

Journal reports.Sleep inducing drugs have

been criticised for having too many side effects - such as memory loss, extreme tired-ness and balance problems - compared with their benefits.

Previous research suggests sleeping pills do not combat long-term sleep problems and cognitive behavioural therapy has been proven to work bet-ter, according to the Daily Mail.

Researchers from the universities of Lincoln and Connecticut and the Harvard Medical School looked at tri-als in which the effects of sleeping pills were compared with placebos, non-active sub-stances which supposedly have little effect on the condition.

Niroshan Siriwardena,

professor at Lincoln, who led the study, said: “Psychological treatments for insomnia can work as effectively as sleep-ing tablets in the short term and better in the long term, so we should pay more attention to increasing access to these treatments for patients who might benefit.”

Researchers analysed 13 clinical trials containing 65 different comparisons and more than 4,300 participants. They looked at the difference between the drug response and placebo response, as well as the change which occurs after administration of a placebo - which includes factors such as improvement over the natural course of the condition.

IANS

Sleeping pills don’t work, their dummy effect does

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n

will

shoot

the d

ocum

en

tary,

reports

acesh

ow

biz

.com

.“M

erry

Ch

ris

tmas

litt

le

mon

sters!

Terry R

ichardso

n

is m

akin

g L

ady G

aga M

ovie

docum

enti

ng m

y lif

e, th

e c

re-

ati

on o

f A

rtp

op a

nd y

ou!

Thank y

ou f

or b

ein

g s

o p

ati

ent

wait

ing f

or m

y

new

alb

um

Artp

op. I

hope t

his

gets

you e

xcit

ed f

or t

hin

gs

to c

om

e. I

love

you w

ith a

ll m

y h

eart,”

Gage t

weete

d.

“I l

ove y

ou T

erry.

Thank y

ou f

or b

elievin

g i

n m

e a

nd m

y f

ans.

I h

ave

looked u

p t

o y

ou a

nd y

our w

ork

for s

o long, it

is

a d

ream

com

e t

rue,” t

he

26-y

ear-o

ld f

urth

er p

ost

ed.

There h

ave n

ot

been a

ny a

ddit

ional deta

ils

regardin

g t

he m

ovie

, but

Gaga

did

str

ess

that

the d

ocum

enta

ry w

ould

be a

full-b

low

n m

ovie

.“N

ot

a s

pecia

l, n

ot

a c

oncert

vid

eo. A

movie

,” s

he s

aid

. T

he m

ovie

will

rele

ase

next

year.

Sin

ger T

aylo

r S

wif

t has

been

nam

ed t

he m

ost

charit

able

cele

brit

y o

f 2012

.T

he 2

3-y

ear-o

ld w

as

aw

arded

the h

onour b

y D

oS

om

eth

ing.o

rg,

a n

on

-profit

organ

isati

on

that

aim

s to

moti

vate

youn

g p

eople

to

take a

cti

on o

n s

ocia

l changes

through n

ati

onal cam

paig

ns.

The o

rganis

ati

on r

ele

ase

d i

ts

list

of

Top 2

0 C

ele

bs

Gone G

ood

of

2012

, an

d S

wif

t to

pped t

he

list

aft

er d

on

ati

ng $

4m

to t

he

Countr

y H

all o

f F

am

e m

use

um

, reports

dailym

ail.c

o.u

k.

She w

as

als

o r

ecognis

ed f

or b

ein

g t

he y

oungest

recip

ient

of

the R

ipple

of

Hope A

ward f

rom

the R

obert

F K

ennedy C

ente

r f

or h

er c

harit

y w

ork

.F

orm

er D

isney s

tar M

iley C

yrus

follow

ed a

s th

e n

um

ber t

wo ‘cele

b g

one

good’. S

he w

as

recognis

ed f

or h

er w

ork

wit

h n

on-p

rofit

anim

al

acti

vis

t group S

avin

g S

pot!

Resc

ue.

BO

LLY

WO

OD

NE

WS

Crui

se fe

ars

canc

er d

eath

?

Gaga

mak

ing

docu

men

tary

Swift

nam

ed m

ost c

harit

able

cel

ebrit

y

By

Ch

rist

y L

emir

e

Tom

Hooper’s

extr

avaganza

, big

-screen t

ellin

g o

f th

e b

elo

ved m

usi

cal

Les

Mis

era

ble

s is

as

rele

nt-

less

ly d

riv

en a

s th

e r

uth

less

Insp

ecto

r J

avert

him

self

. It

sim

ply

will

not

let

up u

nti

l you’v

e

Felt

Som

eth

ing —

pow

erfu

lly a

nd r

epeate

dly

—

unti

l you’v

e t

ouched t

he g

rim

e a

nd s

melled t

he s

qualo

r

and c

rie

d a

few

tears

of

your o

wn.

It i

s enorm

ous

and s

praw

ling a

nd n

ot

the s

lighte

st b

it

subtl

e. B

ut

at

the s

am

e t

ime i

t’s

hard n

ot

to a

dm

ire t

he

am

bit

ion t

hat

driv

es

such a

n a

pproach, as

well a

s H

ooper’s

eff

orts

to c

om

bin

e a

rousi

ng,

old

-fash

ioned m

usi

cal

tale

w

ith c

onte

mporary a

nd i

mm

edia

te a

est

heti

cs.

There’s

a

lot

of

hand-h

eld

cam

eraw

ork

here,

a l

ot

of

rush

ing a

nd

swoopin

g t

hrough t

he c

row

ded,

vola

tile

slu

ms

of

Vic

tor

Hugo’s

19th

-centu

ry F

rance.

Tw

o y

ears

aft

er t

he r

ele

ase

of his

insp

irin

g, crow

d-p

leas-

ing T

he K

ing’s

Sp

eech

, w

inn

er o

f fo

ur A

cadem

y A

wards

inclu

din

g b

est

pic

ture,

Hooper h

as

vast

ly e

xpan

ded h

is

scope b

ut

als

o jett

isoned a

ll r

em

nants

of

rest

rain

t.B

ut

he a

lso d

oes

som

eth

ing c

lever in a

skin

g h

is a

cto

rs

sin

g l

ive o

n c

am

era,

rath

er t

han

havin

g t

hem

record

their

vocals

in a

booth

som

ew

here a

s is

the n

orm

, and for

shooti

ng t

he b

ig n

um

bers in s

ingle

takes. T

he inti

macy

can b

e u

ncom

forta

ble

at

tim

es a

nd t

hat

clo

seness h

igh-

lights

self

-indulg

ent

tendencie

s, b

ut

the m

eanin

g b

ehin

d

lyric

s w

hic

h h

ave b

ecom

e s

o w

ell-k

now

n s

hin

es

through

anew

. Y

ou’d

probably

heard “

I D

ream

ed a

Dream

,” t

he

pla

inti

ve b

allad o

f th

e d

oom

ed p

rosti

tute

Fanti

ne, sung

countl

ess t

imes e

ven b

efo

re S

usan B

oyle

unfo

rtu

nate

ly

popula

ris

ed i

t again

in 2

009.

An e

macia

ted a

nd s

horn

An

ne H

ath

aw

ay fi

nds f

resh p

ain

an

d r

egret

in t

hose

words

because

her r

endit

ion is

choked w

ith s

obs,

because

it

’s n

ot

perfe

ct.

That’s

definit

ely

part

of

the f

asc

inati

on o

f th

is v

ersi

on

of

Les

Mis

era

ble

s: s

eein

g h

ow

these

A-l

ist

stars

handle

the

dem

ands

of

near-c

onst

ant

singin

g. H

ugh J

ackm

an, as

the

hero a

nd f

orm

er p

ris

oner J

ean V

aljean, is

a m

usi

cal th

ea-

tre v

ete

ran a

nd s

eem

s to

tally i

n c

om

mand (

alt

hough t

he

hig

her p

art

of

his

regis

ter g

ets

a b

it n

asa

l and s

train

ed).

A

manda S

eyfr

ied,

as

Fanti

ne’s

daughte

r, C

ose

tte,

whom

Je

an V

aljean a

dopts

, had a

lready p

roven s

he c

an s

ing i

n

Ma

mm

a M

ia! but

hit

s so

me f

reakis

hly

hig

h n

ote

s here —

w

hic

h isn

’t a

lways

a g

ood t

hin

g. E

ddie

Redm

ayne is

a lovely

su

rpris

e a

s th

e l

ove-s

truck r

evolu

tionary M

ariu

s. A

nd o

f course

, S

am

anth

a B

ark

s giv

es

an e

ffortl

ess

perfo

rm

ance

as

the l

on

ely

an

d d

oom

ed E

pon

ine —

everyon

e h

ere i

s doom

ed,

it’s

Les

Mis

era

ble

s —

a r

ole

she’d

perfo

rm

ed o

n

the L

ondon s

tage.

An

d t

hen

there’s

Russ

ell C

row

e a

s th

e o

bse

ssed l

aw

-m

an J

avert,

who h

as

pursu

ed J

ean V

aljean for d

ecades

for

breakin

g h

is p

arole

and insi

sts

he’s

sti

ll a

dangerous

man,

desp

ite t

he p

ious

and p

rosp

erous

life

Valjean h

as

forged.

Alt

hough C

row

e h

as

sun

g i

n r

ock b

an

ds

for y

ears,

he’s

vocally o

verm

atc

hed h

ere,

whic

h s

trip

s th

e c

haracte

r o

f th

e m

en

ace t

hat

defin

es

him

. S

eein

g h

im s

ing o

pposi

te

Jackm

an

makes

you w

ish y

ou c

ould

watc

h t

hese

sam

e

acto

rs

havin

g t

hese

sam

e c

onversa

tions

wit

h, like, actu

al

words.

But

again

, it

’s h

ard n

ot

to a

pprecia

te t

he e

ffort,

the

ris

k it

requir

ed t

o t

ake o

n t

he r

ole

.F

or t

he u

nin

itia

ted, Ja

vert

hunts

for V

aljean a

gain

st t

he

backdrop o

f th

e P

aris

Upris

ing o

f 18

32.

Adorable

str

eet

urchin

s,

sassy prosti

tute

s an

d vir

ile subversiv

es ban

d

togeth

er t

o b

uild b

arric

ades,

and t

o s

ing o

n t

op o

f th

em

, unti

l th

ey a

re g

unned d

ow

n b

y F

rench t

roops.

The a

dor-

ably

sm

itte

n C

ose

tte a

nd M

ariu

s w

onder w

heth

er t

hey’ll

ever s

ee e

ach o

ther a

gain

. T

hie

vin

g innkeepers

Monsi

eur

and M

adam

e T

henardie

r (

Sacha B

aron C

ohen a

nd H

ele

na

Bonham

Carte

r, g

aris

hly

over-t

he-t

op e

ven b

y t

he c

har-

acte

rs’

sta

ndards)

wonder w

hen t

heir

next

unsu

specti

ng

vic

tim

will com

e a

long. A

nd J

ean V

aljean w

onders

wheth

er

he’ll ever t

ruly

be f

ree.

How

you f

eel

walk

ing o

ut

of

this

film

tw

o a

nd a

half

hours

late

r w

ill depend a

great

deal on w

hat

you b

rought

into

it

goin

g i

n.

Maybe y

ou l

iste

ned t

o t

he s

oun

dtr

ack

fanati

cally i

n h

igh s

chool

and s

till k

now

all t

he w

ords

to

“On M

y O

wn.” P

erhaps

you w

ere t

hrille

d t

o s

ee t

he s

how

on

sta

ge d

urin

g a

vacati

on

to N

ew

York

(an

d t

here’s

a

nic

e l

ittl

e c

am

eo f

rom

Colm

Wilkin

son, th

e o

rig

inal

Jean

Valjean from

the L

ondon a

nd B

roadw

ay p

roducti

ons)

. Y

ou

will probably

be in f

ar b

ett

er s

hape t

han s

om

eone c

om

ing

into

this

cold

.Y

ou m

ay e

ven c

ry w

hen k

ey c

haracte

rs

die

, even t

hough

you k

now

full w

ell w

hat

fate

aw

ait

s th

em

. T

here’s n

o s

ham

e

in t

hat

— w

e’r

e a

ll f

rie

nds

here.

“L

es

Mis

era

ble

s,” a

Un

ivers

al

Pic

ture

s re

lea

se,

is r

ate

d

PG

-13 i

s U

S. R

un

nin

g t

ime: 15

8 m

inu

tes.

AP

By

Yash

ika

Mat

hur

Acti

on, dram

a, com

edy o

r r

om

ance -

you n

am

e i

t and B

ollyw

ood

had it

this

year. B

e it

small-b

udget

conte

nt-

driv

en fi

lms

or t

ypic

al

potb

oilers

, th

e indust

ry s

aw

a g

reat

mix

of m

ovie

s th

roughout

2012

. W

e p

ick t

he b

est

of

the lot

that

rocked t

he b

ox o

ffice:

EK

TH

A T

IGE

R:

The v

ery f

act

that

form

er

real-

life

couple

Katr

ina K

aif

and

Salm

an K

han w

ere

the lead p

air

for

this

film

was

enough t

o d

raw

audie

nces

to

the t

heatr

es.

Its

songs,

pic

turi

sati

on a

nd p

ow

er-

pack

ed a

cti

on k

ept

the c

ash

reg-

iste

rs r

ingin

g, a

nd h

elpin

g t

his

film

garn

er

appro

xim

ate

ly ̀

1.9bn. S

alm

an p

layed

an I

ndia

n s

py n

am

ed T

iger

, w

ho f

alls

head o

ver

heel

s in

love w

ith a

fem

ale

spy

from

Pakis

tan, ess

ayed b

y K

atr

ina. T

heir

chem

istr

y, o

f cours

e, w

ork

ed.

RO

WD

Y R

ATH

OR

E:

The r

etu

rn o

f k

hil

ad

i A

ksh

ay K

um

ar -

that’s

what

this

film

was

aw

ait

ed f

or.

Aksh

ay’s a

cti

on, m

ixed w

ith P

rabhudheva’s d

is-

tinct

tast

e o

f dance a

nd e

xaggerate

d jum

ps,

gave H

indi m

ovie

buff

s a p

erfe

ct

masa

la a

ffair

. T

he B

ollyw

ood r

em

ake o

f T

elu

gu m

ovie

Vik

ram

ark

ud

u, it

als

o

stared S

onaksh

i Sin

ha. T

he m

ovie

earned `

1.4bn.

AG

NE

EP

ATH

: A

rem

ake y

et

again

. T

he s

uccess

rati

o o

f rem

akes

of

past

hit

s has

been low

, butA

gn

eepa

th w

as

a d

ream

debut

for K

aran M

alh

otr

a. H

e

added a

conte

mporary t

ouch t

o t

he e

ponym

ous

1990 m

ovie

. W

ith H

rit

hik

R

osh

an r

epris

ing t

he r

ole

of V

ijay D

inanath

Chauhan a

nd S

anja

y D

utt

pla

y-

ing th

e villa

in K

aancha C

heena,

Agn

eepa

th tu

rned out

to be 2012

’s first

blo

ckbust

er a

nd m

anaged t

o m

int

around `

1.2bn.

HO

US

EFU

LL 2

: One w

ould

hardly

thin

k o

f enjo

yin

g a

movie

wit

h 1

2 k

now

n

acto

rs

pla

yin

g key role

s. B

ut

this

one m

anaged to

ente

rta

in vie

wers.

A

se

quel to

hit

2010

movie

Hou

sefu

ll, th

is S

ajid K

han fi

lm, w

ith its

cla

ssic

com

ic

sequences,

but

slig

htl

y c

row

ded c

ast

, m

ade o

ver `

1.1b

n a

t th

e b

ox o

ffice.

BA

RFI

!: T

he s

imple

sto

ry lin

e, se

nsi

tive t

reatm

ent

and e

xcel

lent

perfo

rm

ances

help

ed A

nura

g B

asu

’s B

arfi

! est

ablish

an e

moti

onal connect

wit

h t

he a

udie

nce.

The love s

tory o

f a d

eaf

and m

ute

boy,

pla

yed d

eft

ly b

y R

anbir

Kapoor,

wit

h a

n

auti

stic

gir

l, e

ssayed b

y N

ati

onal aw

ard

-win

nin

g a

ctr

ess

Priy

an

ka C

hopra

, le

ft

many t

eary e

yed. In

dia

’s o

ffici

al entr

y f

or

the f

oreig

n fi

lm c

ate

gory O

scar

this

year,

the m

ovie

, w

hic

h is

now

out

of

the O

scar

race, m

ade c

ollecti

ons

of `1

.1bn.

JAB

TA

K H

AI J

AA

N: L

ove w

as

redefined in t

ypic

al Y

ash

Chopra w

ay w

ith

“Jab T

ak H

ai

Jaan”. T

he l

ate

film

maker,

who b

id a

die

u t

o t

he w

orl

d j

ust

a f

ew

days

befo

re t

he m

ovie

’s r

ele

ase

, gave h

is fi

nal w

ork

wit

h t

he k

ing o

f rom

ance S

hah R

ukh K

han in t

he lead. T

he m

ovie

, als

o f

eatu

rin

g K

atr

ina

Kaif

and A

nush

ka Sharm

a,

captu

red th

e sc

en

ic beauty

of

London and

Kash

mir

very w

ell -

garnerin

g c

ollecti

ons

of

over `

1.2bn.

BO

L B

AC

HC

HA

N:

It w

as

hard t

o t

hin

k o

f a m

odern d

ay v

ersi

on o

f th

e

1979 c

om

edy G

ol

Ma

al. B

ut

Rohit

Shett

y m

ade it

happen -

and h

ow

! T

his

A

bhis

hek B

achchan a

nd A

jay D

evgn-s

tarrer t

urned o

ut

to b

e t

ruly

‘pais

a

vasool’. A

jay’s o

ne-l

iner E

nglish

dia

logues

and A

bhis

hek

’s d

ouble

dham

aal

paved t

he w

ay for c

rossi

ng t

he `

1bn m

ark for t

his

film

.

SO

N O

F S

AR

DA

AR

: Rem

em

ber A

jay D

evgn a

nd h

is P

hool

Au

r K

aa

nte

stu

nt

on t

wo b

ikes?

He t

ook it

to t

he n

ext

level by r

idin

g t

ogeth

er o

n t

wo h

orse

s in

S

on

of S

ard

aa

r. A

turb

an-c

lad A

jay m

anaged t

o t

ickle

the v

iew

ers’

funny b

one,

alo

ng w

ith S

anja

y D

utt

and S

onaksh

i Sin

ha,

and h

elp

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PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012 YEAR-END REVIEW10

© GRAPHIC NEWS

May

June

November

December

October

September

August

July

January

February

April

March

Pictures: Associated Press, Getty Images, Caricatures: Bob Hoare

3 Queen Elizabeth II celebratesher Diamond Jubilee, marking60 years on the throne

1 The conflict in Syria escalates throughout the year intoa full-scale civil war that has claimed over 30,000 lives

29 Superstorm Sandysmashes into the north-eastern U.S., killing120 people. Damage isestimated at up to $50bn

10 A U.S. soldier kills 17Afghan civilians, includingnine children, after going ona door-to-door rampage

1 Aung San Suu Kyi’s party winsa landslide victory in by-electionsin Burma, filling 43 of 45 vacantseats in parliament

4 Vladimir Putin regains thepresidency in Russia, afterfour years as prime minister

27 The Olympic Games openin London with a spectacularceremony witnessed by 80,000people in the stadium and onebillion worldwide

22 A gunman who killed seven people, including four at aJewish school in Toulouse, dies in a shootout with Frenchpolice after a 32-hour siege

14 U.S. gun laws are back in the spotlightafter 20 children and six adults are shotdead at a school in Connecticut

15 Xi Jinping is namedas China’s new leader

17 Facebook becomes apublic company, valued at$104 billion, but shareprices soon fall away

5 Stargazers view the transitof Venus across the face ofthe sun, an event that willnot happen again until 2117

6 BarackObama is re-electedfor a secondterm asPresident ofthe UnitedStates

21 Russian punk bandPussy Riot performsanti-Putin songs ina Moscow cathedral.Jail sentences laterattract internationalcriticism

12 Demonstrations inGreece turn violent asparliament approvesharsh new austeritymeasures

26 Silent movie TheArtist triumphs at theOscars, winning fiveawards including bestpicture, best directorand best actor

15 Commemorations worldwide mark thecentenary of the sinkingof the Titanic, whichhit an iceberg on hermaiden voyage withthe loss of over1,500 lives

extradition to Sweden on sex charges

of his seven Tour de France titles afterhe was found guilty of mastermindingan elaborate doping conspiracy

6 FrançoisHollandeis electedPresidentof France,the firstSocialistpresidentsince 1995

11 America’sambassador to Libyaand three other officialsdie in an attack on theU.S. consulate in Benghazi. The killingscoincide with the11th anniversary ofthe 9/11 attacks

25 China’s first aircraft carrier officially enters service

24 Muslim Brotherhoodcandidate MohamedMorsi wins Egypt’sfirst democraticpresidential election,the first Islamist electedleader of an Arab state

9 Pakistani schoolgirlMalala Yousafzai, 15,is shot by the Taliban forcampaigning for girls’rights to education

14 Israel launches airstrikeson Gaza in response toincreased rocket attackson Israeli targets

14 Austrian skydiver FelixBaumgartner jumps froma balloon 39km high andmakes the world’s highestfreefall, travelling fasterthan the speed of sound

15 Former News InternationalCEO Rebekah Brooks ischarged with conspiracy topervert the course of justiceover Britain’s tabloid phonehacking scandal

4 Scientists announcethe discovery of a sub-atomic particle thoughtto be the Higgs boson,the elusive last key tounderstanding why wehave life and diversityin the universe

31 The U.S. faces a “fiscal cliff” that couldtip the country back into recession, withworldwide repercussions

12 North Koreasuccessfullylaunches arocket, puttinga satellite intoorbit

10 High-flyer Bo Xilaiis ousted from China’sruling Politburo,engulfed by scandalinvolving his wife,a police chief, and themurder of a Britishbusinessman

5 A rover spacecraft, Curiosity,lands on Mars to search for evidencethat conditions were once fit for life

13 The Italian cruise shipCosta Concordia capsizesoff the coast of Tuscany,with the loss of 32 lives

31 Japan imposes a 40-yearcap on the life of nuclearreactors following theFukushima disaster

16 Ecuador grantspolitical asylum toWikiLeaks founderJulian Assange, holedup in its Londonembassy to avoid

24 Cyclist LanceArmstrong is stripped

11MOTORING PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012

Italy’s red racing giant Ferrari wants to go green, cutting emis-sions without sacrificing horse-power and working on a new hybrid model set to thrill pro-

environment speed junkies.“We’re working on reducing energy

consumption without forgetting that the symbol of Ferrari is performance,” Matteo Lanzavecchia, head of develop-ment, said at the luxury car-maker’s his-toric factory in Maranello, a small town in the Emilia Romagna region.

“We’ve also managed to up horsepower to 100 while still reducing CO2 emissions by 30 percent,” he said.

The sleek “California 30”, one of the brand’s most sought-after models with a price tag of €180,000 ($239,000), has been vamped up with the new technol-ogy -- extra horsepower but weigh-ing 30kg (£66) less than the previous version.

“We’re going all out, not just using the lightest materials but making adjustments across the board. We have improved the brake system to reduce fric-tion and the fan to reduce energy consumption,” Lanzavecchia said.

And the green drive does not stop there: among the towering steel machines on the Maranello fac-tory floor trees have been planted to control the air’s humidity levels.

The most recent buildings have also been built with vast glass bays to allow more light in and slash electricity consumption.

The hybrid car -- set to hit salesrooms in the next

few months -- aims to lure customers not only with its green credentials but also the promise of an off-piste taste of a Formula One experience.

It will have the Kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) used in the famous racer -- which recovers energy during braking and stores it for future use -- “to reduce consumption but also capture the thrill of driving a Ferrari,” Lanzavecchia said.

The luxury brand has managed to avoid fallout from the economic crisis which hit the standard automobile industry.

Last year 7,200 Ferraris were sold around the world, up 10 percent from 2010, and the company’s turnover this year has shot up over the two billion

euro level for the first time in its history.As well as focussing on emerging mar-

kets, the brand has been tempting clients with “personal stylist” services and gadg-ets to gussy up the inside of gleaming new Ferraris.

“There are opportunities all over the world. Of course, we are more prudent about some markets such as Europe, but there are others where the economy is growing -- China, Indonesia, Malaysia or the United States,” commercial director Enrico Galliera said.

For a small fee -- up to half the cost of the vehicle -- customers can personal-ise the car’s interior with cashmere, pec-cary or teak and choose their favourite model of seats, seat-belt, HI-FI system and touch-screen.

“We have personal designers who help the client choose and give him advice,” Nicola Boari, head of the personal shop-

per system, said in the factory’s workshop.Nearby, women in red overalls cut out metres of

fabric for the cars’ interiors, tailoring them specially for each new owner.

Anything goes -- as long as it stays within the limits of good taste and conforms to Ferrari’s glossy and seductive “Italian style.”

“We would never let a Ferrari leave our factory with crocodile-leather seats or our trademark horse symbol done in diamonds,” one of the stylists said.

The extras may cost, but that does not seem to put eager customers off -- around 98 percent of them choose to jazz up their brand new racers.

AFP

Red racer Ferrari Red racer Ferrari joins green revolutionjoins green revolution

By Alexei Oreskovic and Alistair Barr

When Amazon.com Inc CEO Jeff Bezos got word of a project at Google Inc to scan and digitize product cata-logs a decade ago, the seeds of a burgeoning rivalry were planted.

The news was a “wake-up” call to Bezos, an early investor in Google. He saw it as a warning that the Web search engine could encroach upon his online retail empire, according to a former Amazon executive.

“He realised that scanning catalogs was interesting for Google, but the real win for Google would be to get all the books scanned and digitised” and then sell electronic editions, the former executive said.

Thus began a rivalry that will escalate in 2013 as the two companies’ areas of rivalry grow, spanning online advertising and retail to mobile gadgets and cloud computing.

It could upend the last remaining areas of coop-eration between the two companies. For instance, Amazon’s decision to use a stripped down version of Google’s Android system in its new Kindle Fire tablet, coupled with Google’s ambitious plans for its Motorola mobile devices unit, will only add to tensions.

The confrontation marks the latest front in a tech industry war in which many combatants are crowding onto each others’ turf. Lurking in the shadows for both Google and Amazon is Facebook with its own search and advertising ambitions.

“Amazon wants to be the one place where you buy everything. Google wants to be the one place where you find everything, of which buying things is a sub-set,” said Chi-Hua Chien, a partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. “So when you marry those facts I think you’re going to see a natural collision.”

Both companies have a lot at stake. Google’s market capitalisation of $235bn is about double Amazon’s, largely because Google makes massive net earnings, expected by analysts to be $13.2bn this year, based on a huge 32 percent net profit margin, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. By contrast, Amazon is seen reporting a small loss this year.

Amazon shareholders have been patient as the com-pany has invested for growth but it will have to start producing strong earnings at some stage - more likely if it grows in higher margin areas such as advertising. Google’s share price, on the other hand, is vulnerable to signs of slowing margin growth.

AD CLASHNot long after Bezos learned of Google’s catalog

plans, Amazon began scanning books and provid-ing searchable digital excerpts. Its Kindle e-reader, launched a few years later, owes much of its inspira-tion to the catalog news, the executive said.

Now, Amazon is pushing its online ad efforts, threatening to siphon revenue and users from Google’s main search website.

Amazon’s fledgling ad business is still a fraction of Google’s, with Robert W Baird & Co estimating Amazon is on track to generate about $500m in annual advertising revenue - tiny, given it recorded $48bn of overall revenue in 2011. By contrast, 96 percent of Google’s $38bn in 2011 sales came from advertising.

But Amazon’s newly developed “DSP” technology, which taps into the company’s vast store of consumer purchase history to help marketers target ads at spe-cific groups of people on Amazon.com and on other websites, could change all that.

“From a client’s perspective, the data that Amazon owns is actually better than what Google has,” said Mark Grether, the chief operating officer of Xaxis, an audience buying company that works with major advertisers. “They know what you just bought, and they also know what you are right now trying to buy.”

Amazon is discussing a partnership with Xaxis in which the company would help Amazon sell ads for the service, Grether noted.

Amazon did not respond to an email seeking a comment.

STARTING POINTAmazon can bring in higher-margin revenue by

selling advertising than it can from its retail opera-tions. By showing ads for products that it may not actually sell on its own website, Amazon establishes itself as a starting point for consumers looking to buy something on the Web.

Research firm Forrester reported that 30 percent of US online shoppers in the third quarter began researching their purchase on Amazon.com, com-pared with 13 percent who started on a search engine such as Google - a reversal from two years earlier when search engines were more popular starting points.

Amazon now sells ads that show up to the side of product search results on its website. There were 6.7 billion display ad impressions on Amazon.com in the third quarter, more than triple the number in the same period of 2011, according to comScore.

That early success is a “huge concern” for Google, whose business relies heavily on product searches and product search ads, said Macquarie Research analyst Ben Schachter.

Partly in response, Google recently revamped its product search service, Google Shopping, by charging retailers and other online sellers a fee to be listed in results.

Founded four years apart in the late 1990s, Bezos has long worried about Amazon’s reliance on Google for traffic, according to people close to the company, while also being dubious about Google’s high market valuation.

“He’d say: ‘This is the first time in the history of the world where the map maker is worth more than

the territory that it’s mapping,’” recalled the former Amazon executive of Bezos’ comments about Google’s popular online mapping service.

TENSIONS BUILDGoogle’s Android system is thriving but still has not

cracked the nut of how to make money from mobile search ads and sales of digital goods like games, apps, music and video.

“If they can figure out mobile ads, that would truly be Google’s second act,” said Forrester analyst Sucharita Mulpuru.

But Amazon launched a broadside against Google in 2011 with the creation of its own version of Android for its Kindle Fire tablets that replaces key Google money-making services, such as a digital music and application storefront, with its own.

Not unlike Apple, “Amazon wants to control the experience on their devices,” said Oren Etzioni, a University of Washington computer science profes-sor. “That doesn’t make Google happy.”

The two are also clashing in cloud computing software.

Amazon started its cloud business more than six years ago, providing data storage, computing power and other technology services from remote locations. Google only launched its cloud computing business this year, but the market is growing so quickly there is still room to grab share, Etzioni said.

“I would not write Google off,” he added. “Amazon has the early lead but it’s very early.”

TRANSACT OR DIE?Still, mobile gadgets and cloud computing are cur-

rently tiny businesses compared with the multibillion-dollar opportunity presented by advertising and online commerce.

Google recently acquired BufferBox, a company with a network of lockers that shoppers can use to receive packages. It is also testing same-day delivery in San Francisco, hinting at growing interest in a larger role in online retail.

It is not talking about its full plans for retail, but some analysts think features such as same-day deliv-ery or “pick-up” lockers, are valuable features it can use to enhance its existing online ad business. An ad for shoes, for example, might also make the shoes available for pick-up in a locker nearby, said Needham & Co analyst Kerry Rice.

If Google can own the search and the delivery, it will be able to provide the same experience as Amazon, with no inventory - “a higher margin, more efficient model,” Chien said.

Earlier this year, Google launched a new certifica-tion service highlighting merchants that ship quickly and reliably and backing it with up to $1,000 in “pur-chase protection.”

Google could create a database of products and send shoppers to a page that has a way to buy quickly through the company’s payments service Google Wallet, Forrester’s Mulpuru said.

Google could then send that transaction to the retailer who would ship the product to the consumer. That ability is critical, according to Schachter, who said if consumers lack the ability to purchase items through Google it will lag Amazon and eBay Inc.

Reuters

PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012 TECHNOLOGY12

VsThe confrontation marks the latest front in a tech industry war in which many combatants are crowding onto each others’ turf. Lurking in the shadows for both Google and Amazon is Facebook with its own search and advertising ambitions.

COMICS & MORE 13

Hoy en la HistoriaDecember 27, 2007

1901: Legendary screen vamp Marlene Dietrich was born in Berlin as Maria Magdalene von Losch1927: Leon Trotsky was expelled from the Soviet Communist Party, having lost a power struggle against Stalin1945: The International Monetary Fund was established in Washington1995: France staged the fifth bitterly-disputed nuclear weapons tests in the South Pacific

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in a suicide attack. She was the first woman prime minister of an Islamic state

Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS

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

BRONZE, CHINA, COPPER, CORAL, COTTON, CRYSTAL,DIAMOND, EMERALD, GOLD, IRON, IVORY, JADE, LACE,LEATHER, LINEN, PAPER, PEARL, POTTERY, RUBY,SAPPHIRE, SILK, SILVER, STEEL, TIN, WOOD, WOOL.

Baby Blues Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Hagar The Horrible Chris Browne

THE DESTINATIONS/ DIRECTIONS:

Al SharqEast

Al GharbWest

Al Janubsouth

Ash’shimalNorth

Al Yameen Right

Al Ya’sarLeft

AmamIn front of

Khalf Behind

LEARNARABIC

PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012

PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012

HYPER SUDOKU

CROSS WORD

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 Act greedy

5 Newsman Lou

10 Stand taken by a debater

14 Elton John/Tim Rice musical

15 ___ Gay

16 Austen heroine

17 Jeering from the bleachers

18 Broom made of twigs

19 Crazy sort

20 End of some medieval tournament action?

23 Charger

26 Part of the translation of “anno Domini”

27 Weapons that hit in a medieval tournament?

33 Sum up

34 Holy book

35 Middleton and Moss

38 Estuaries

40 Track figure

42 Flood survivor

43 “The Most Happy ___”

45 Imitated a wolf

47 Spanish bear

48 Really boring medieval tournaments?

51 Actress Zadora

52 Unwelcome growth

53 Joking around at a medieval tournament?

60 See 58-Down

61 Noted declarer of bankruptcy in 2001

62 Olympics jump

66 W.W. II battle site

67 Accustom

68 “The occupation of the idle man, the distraction of the warrior, the peril of the sovereign,” per Napoleon

69 Creature known scientifically as Bufo bufo

70 Heavy reading

71 Donald and Ivana, for instance

DOWN 1 Shoot the breeze

2 Carnival city

3 Fracas

4 Hamper

5 Actress Mazar

6 Fairly uncommon blood type, informally

7 Nonsense

8 Black mark

9 Biblical fellow who was

dis-tressed?

10 “Back to the Future” transport

11 Mine, in Marseille

12 Springsteen’s “___ Fire”

13 Told all to the cops

21 Mont. neighbor

22 Crud

23 Chow down on

24 ___ for (really delicious)

25 Ultimate object

28 Follower of many a dot

29 Some daily papers, informally

30 TV courtroom drama, 1986-94

31 Start or finish of an aphorism regarding justice

32 Patsy

36 Made less rigorous

37 Things binge drinkers sometimes do

39 Sloppy

41 Zebra

44 ___ were

46 Blue

49 Accept punishment

50 Entertain

53 Witticism

54 Anne Frank’s father

55 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s alma mater, in brief

56 ___ time at all

57 Oil container

58 French artist famous for 60-Acrossing

59 Juana ___ de la Cruz, Mexican poet/nun

63 Losing row

64 Brink

65 French article

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 68

69 70 71

L O L O H S T O P R O M EA M I R E P I N E O J A YP E G O L I V E R S T O N EU G H S E R O O A S E SP A T T O N O S W A L T

S O D A A M O E B A EK H A K I S E R F O D DR E B E C C A D E M O R N A YI R E H G T S P O E M SS A R A L E E D E N S

M A R T Y F E L D M A NA G A S P A E C O C T OB E S T P I C T U R E C P OE R I E N E E D E D O A KT E A L T O S S E S Y R 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

09:30 Omni Sport

12:00 Npower League

Nottingham

Forest V Leeds

14:15 Stars

Mcmanaman

15:15 Rugby Aviva

Premiership

Northampton V

Harlequins

17:00 Liga World

18:15 Npower League

Nottingham

Forest V Leeds

20:00 Tennis Masters

Highlghts Madrid

21:00 Best Of Plus

3 League Cup

Final Cardiff V

Liverpool

23:30 Total Italian

Football

24:00 Olympics Tennis

Mens Singles

Final Federer V

Murray

08:00 News

09:00 Cold Peace

10:00 News

10:30 Inside Story

11:00 News

11:30 The Stream

12:00 News

12:30 People &

Power

13:00 NEWSHOUR

14:00 News

14:30 Inside Story

15:00 Witness

16:00 NEWSHOUR

17:00 News

17:30 The Stream

18:00 NEWSHOUR

19:00 News

19:30 Witness

20:00 News

20:30 Inside Story

21:00 NEWSHOUR

22:00 News

22:30 The Stream

23:00 Empire

16:00 GI Dough

16:25 GI Dough

16:55 Border Security

18:45 Border Security

19:10 Mythbusters

20:05 Mythbusters

21:00 Deception With

Keith Barry

21:55 Walking The

Amazon

22:50 Curiosity:

X-Ray:

Yellowstone

23:45 Superhuman

14:00 Built for the Kill

16:00 Hunter Hunted

17:00 Kalahari

Supercats

18:00 Wild Case

Files

19:00 Hidden Worlds

20:00 Monster Fish

21:00 Built for the Kill

22:00 Asia’s

Deadliest

Snakes

23:00 Hunter Hunted

16:00 Angelo Rules

16:50 Thundercats

17:15 Generator Rex

17:40 Eliot Kid

18:30 Regular Show

19:15 Ed, Edd n Eddy

20:10 Johnny Test

20:35 Ben 10: Alien

Force

22:15 Grim

Adventures Of...

23:00 Ben 10

10:00 Despicable Me

12:00 Jumping The

Broom

14:00 Perfect Catch

16:00 Despicable Me

18:00 Morning Glory

20:00 Tamara Drewe

22:00 Love And Other

Drugs

15

16:35 Rescue Vet

17:00 Rescue Vet

17:30 Too Cute!

19:20 Call Of The

Wildman

19:45 Call Of The

Wildman

20:15 Gator Boys

21:10 In Search

Of The Giant

Anaconda

22:05 Biggest And

Baddest

23:00 Shamwari: A

Wild Life

12:00 Parker Kane

13:50 Danielle Steel’s

Full Circle

15:20 Lights Action

Music

16:20 Private Life Of

Sherlock Holmes

18:25 Another Pretty

Face

19:55 The Unforgiven

22:00 The Great Train

Robbery

23:50 Tom Jones

11:45 A Life Of Her

Own

13:30 Les Girls

15:20 Young Bess-

FAM

17:10 Logan’s Run-

PG

19:05 The Sea Of

Grass

21:05 White Heat

23:00 Sitting Target

13:15 Olentzero

Christmas Tale

14:30 Swan Princess

16:00 Robots

18:00 The Heart Of

The Oak

20:00 Snow Day

22:00 Olentzero

Christmas Tale

TEL: 444933989 444517001SHOWING AT VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

GULF CINEMA

1Karma Yodha (Malayalam) – 2.30, 5.30, 8.30 & 11.30pm

2Dabangg 2 (2D/Hindi)

– 2.30, 5.30, 8.30 & 11.30pm

MALL CINEMA

1

Rise of the Guardians (3D/Animation) – 2.30pm

My Boss (Malayalam) – 4.30, 7.30 & 10.30pm

2

Abdo Mota (Arabic/2D) – 3.00, 5.00, 7.00 & 9.00pm

Jack Reacher (2D) (Action) – 11.00pm

3

Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away (3D/Fantasy) – 2.30pm

Code Name: Geronimo (2D/Fantasy) – 4.15pm

Life Of Pi (3D/Action) – 6.00 & 8.30pm

Truth Or Dare (2D/Horror) – 11.00pm

ROYAL PLAZA

1

Abdo Mota (Arabic/2D) – 2.30, 4.30 & 6.30pm

Life Of Pi (3D/Action) – 8.30pm

Seven Psychopaths (2D/Comedy) – 11.00pm

2

Vamps (Comedy) – 2.30pm

Jack Reacher (2D) (Action) – 4.00, 6.30, 9.00 & 11.15pm

3

Paranorman (Animation) – 3.00pm

The Hobbit: An Expected Journey (3D/Adventure)

– 5.00 & 8.00pm

Mr & Mrs Eweys (Arabic) – 11.00pm

LANDMARK

1

Abdo Mota (Arabic/2D) – 3.00, 5.00, 7.00 & 9.00pm

Truth Or Dare (2D/Horror) – 11.00pm

2

Cirque Du Soleil: Worlds Away (3D/Fantasy) – 2.30 & 4.30pm

Life Of Pi (3D/Action) – 6.30 & 9.00pm

Storage 24 (2D/Action) – 11.30pm

3

Playing For Keeps (Comedy) – 2.30pm

Code Name: Geronimo (2D/Fantasy) – 5.00 & 7.00pm

Storage 24 (2D/Action) – 9.00pm

Seven Psychopaths (2D/Comedy) – 11.15pm

PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012

PLUS | THURSDAY 27 DECEMBER 2012 POTPOURRI16

Editor-In-Chief Khalid Al Sayed Acting Managing Editor Hussain Ahmad Editorial Office The Peninsula Tel: 4455 7741, E-mail: plus@pen.com.qa / editor@pen.com.qa

Today in Qatar

Magida El Roumi ConcertWhen: 10 Jan 2013, 8pm - 11pmWHERE: Katara Amphitheater WHAT: Internationally renowned Lebanese singer Magida El Roumi will perform a unique concert in Katara’s Amphitheater, singing from her new album and a bouquet of her gold hits.

Yan Pei-Ming“Painting the history”When: 9am-8pm, Till Jan 12, 2013Friday 3pm to 9pmWHERE: QMA Gallery, Bldg 10 WHAT: Curated by Francesco Bonami, this exhibition profiles three types of history-makers and highlights the power of painting as a medium for recording historical events. Free entry

Forever NowWhen: Till March 31, 2013; 11am-6pmWHERE: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art WHAT: Forever Now proposes new readings based on the 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

Art of Travel WHEN: Till Feb 11, 2013(Sun, Mon, Wed: 10:30-5:30; Tue: closed; Thu, Sat: 12noon-8pm; Fri: 2pm-8pm)WHERE: Al Riwaq Hall next to the Museum of Islamic Art WHAT: A watercolour album dated 1590 was commissioned by Bartholomäus Schachman, mayor of Gdansk in 1604. It documents what he saw during his travels through the Ottoman Empire in 1588-89, depicting costumes and people, scenes of everyday life, festivals and ceremonies. The pages of the album are on display along with related artworks and documents providing visitors with a fascinating and vivid view back in time to the 16th century. Entry: Children Free, adults QR:25

Mathaf Student ArtExhibition: Transform When: Till Jan 13, 11am - 6pmWhere: Mathaf, Museum of Modern Art What: Exhibition showcases students’ work, ranging from installations, videos, paintings and mixed media sculptures to photographs.

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