upswing - gulf times

CommunitySqueezed: Why Our Families Can’t

Aff ord America is an insightful analysis of class dynamics in the US.

P6 P16 CommunityMichelle Akl speaks about stress-free

eating habits for a healthy lifestyle in a presentation.

UpswingCOVERSTORY

Bollywood actor Rajkummar

Rao happy with how his film

journey is shaping up. P4-5

Sunday, July 29, 2018Dhul-Qa’da 16, 1439 AH

Doha today: 320 - 400

Sunday, July 29, 20182 GULF TIMES

COMMUNITY ROUND & ABOUT

Community EditorKamran Rehmat

e-mail: [email protected]: 44466405

Fax: 44350474

Emergency 999Worldwide Emergency Number 112Kahramaa – Electricity and Water 991Local Directory 180International Calls Enquires 150Hamad International Airport 40106666Labor Department 44508111, 44406537Mowasalat Taxi 44588888Qatar Airways 44496000Hamad Medical Corporation 44392222, 44393333Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation 44845555, 44845464Primary Health Care Corporation 44593333 44593363 Qatar Assistive Technology Centre 44594050Qatar News Agency 44450205 44450333Q-Post – General Postal Corporation 44464444

Humanitarian Services Offi ce (Single window facility for the repatriation of bodies)Ministry of Interior 40253371, 40253372, 40253369Ministry of Health 40253370, 40253364Hamad Medical Corporation 40253368, 40253365Qatar Airways 40253374

USEFUL NUMBERS

Quote Unquote

PRAYER TIMEFajr 3.34amShorooq (sunrise) 4.59amZuhr (noon) 11.40amAsr (afternoon) 3.07pmMaghreb (sunset) 6.23pmIsha (night) 7.53pm

“Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”

— William Shakespeare

Incredibles 2DIRECTION: Brad BirdCAST: Holly Hunter, Craig T. Nelson,

Sarah Vowell, Huck Milnen, Samuel L. Jackson

SYNOPSIS: Everyone’s favourite family of superheroes is back in Incredibles 2 but this time Helen (voice

of Holly Hunter) is in the spotlight, leaving Bob (voice of Craig T. Nelson) at home with Violet (voice of Sarah Vowell) and Dash (voice of Huck Milner) to navigate the day-to-day heroics of ‘normal’ life. It’s a tough transition for everyone, made tougher by the fact that the family is still unaware of baby Jack-

Jack’s emerging superpowers. When a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot, the family and Frozone must fi nd a way to work together again, which is easier said than done, even when they’re all Incredible.

THEATRES: The Mall, Landmark

Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3DIRECTION: Tigmanshu DhuliaCAST: Sanjay Dutt, Mahi Gill, Soha Ali Khan, Kabir Bedi,

Chitrangada SinghSYNOPSIS: In the third edition of Saheb, Biwi Aur

Gangster series it’s all about the survival of the wittiest and wealthiest. The royal couple Madhavi Devi and Aditya Pratap

Singh survives to tell the tale of relentless plotting, scheming and backstabbing. As the Saheb and Biwi are pitted against a foe who is dreaded by one and all, with everyone involved scheming ruthlessly for their own personal gains, the cloak-and-dagger game takes a dark and bloody turn.

THEATRE: The Mall

The Mall Cinema (1): Teen Titans Go (2D) 2:30pm; Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 (Hindi) 4:30pm; Teen Titans Go (2D) 7pm; Mohini (Tamil) 8:45pm; Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster 3 (Hindi) 11:15pm.The Mall Cinema (2): Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation (2D) 2pm; Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation (2D) 3:45pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 5:30pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 8pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 11pm.The Mall Cinema (3): Junga (Tamil) 2:15pm; The Incredibles 2 (2D) 5pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 7pm; Skyscraper (2D) 9:45pm; Happy Wedding (Telugu) 11:30pm.Landmark Cinema (1): Teen Titans

Go (2D) 2:15pm; Teen Titans Go (2D) 4pm; Teefa In Trouble (Urdu) 5:45pm; Dhadak (Hindi) 8:30pm; Happy Wedding (Telugu) 11pm.Landmark Cinema (2): Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 2:30pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 5:30pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 8:15pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 11pm.Landmark Cinema (3): The Incredibles 2 (2D) 3pm; Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation (2D) 5:15pm; Teen Titans Go (2D) 7pm; Junga (Tamil) 8:45pm; Mohini (Tamil) 11:30pm.

Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1): Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation (2D) 2pm; Teen Titans Go (2D) 3:45pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 5:30pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (3D) 8:15pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 11pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2): Teen Titans Go (2D) 2:15pm; Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again (2D) 4pm; Dhadak (Hindi) 6:15pm; Junga (Tamil) 8:45pm; Happy Wedding (Telugu) 11:30pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3): Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 2:15pm; Teen Titans Go (2D) 5pm; Mission Impossible 6: Fall Out (2D) 6:45pm; Skyscraper (2D) 9:15pm; Mohini (Tamil) 11pm.

3Sunday, July 29, 2018 GULF TIMES

COMMUNITYROUND & ABOUT

Compiled by Nausheen Shaikh. E-mail: [email protected], Events and timings subject to change

EVENTS

Summer CampWHERE: Olive International SchoolWHEN: Ongoing till July 31Olive International School is providing a

unique opportunity for children to explore the art of public speaking, arts and craft to trace and build artistic skills, yoga for a healthy mind and body, little chef, music and games like table tennis at the summer camp.

Summer Sessions with Evolve and

WestinWHERE: The Westin Doha Hotel and

SpaWHEN: Ongoing till August 25TIME: 9am – 1pmEnjoy a morning of moving, eating and

feeling well with a 60 minutes yoga session balanced with healthy breakfast bites followed by time to revitalise by the pool. Stimulate the rest of your day through culinary experiences with the added 20% discount in all the restaurants and café.

Dates FestivalWHERE: Souq WaqifWHEN: Ongoing till August 4TIME: 4pm – 10pmThe Ministry of Municipality and

Environment (MME) agriculture section will organise the third edition of the local dates festival at Souq Waqif to coincide with the dates production season in the country. The upcoming festival will display all types of Qatari dates and the participating farms will display their produce for sale throughout the event.

Minipolis Summer Camp WHERE: The Pearl-QatarWHEN: Ongoing till August 31TIME: 9am – 5pmAn Edutainment Entertainment summer

camp is now in Qatar where kids can enjoy their time by discovering the world of Mad Science, and spend a good sharing time in making new friends while baking, enjoying their meals, watching cinema, doing aerobics and so much more.

IAID Summer WorkshopWHERE: IAIDWHEN: July – AugustIt’s time to set your kids summer

activities today with IAID, the pioneer in conducting workshops in Qatar since 2001. IAID’s Summer Workshop features fun and exciting activities. It only means more singing, playing and dancing for the sweet little ones aged 3 years and above.

Summer ActivityWHERE: Aspire ZoneWHEN: Ongoing till August 15TIME: 8am – 2pmChildren can enjoy various activities

such as football, taekwondo, swimming, gymnastics, aerobics, and recreational games.

Choreography Lessons - Brazilian Zouk

WHERE: Music and Arts Atelier WHEN: Ongoing till September 15Brazilian zouk is characterised by the

dancers’ undulating bodies and the girls’ flowing hair. Dancer or not, depending on the style of Brazilian zouk, you’ll be able to choose connection and embrace with long graceful steps. The final performance is scheduled to be on 15 September as a flashmob.

Special Needs Summer CampWHERE: HOPE Qatar Center for Special

NeedsWHEN: Ongoing till August 15TIME: 8:30am – 12:30pmHOPE Qatar Center for Special Needs

is organising a very unique summer camp bringing together children with and without special needs in a fun and entertainment filled programme from July 16 – August 15. This camp led by a multinational team will enhance empathy, teamwork, and friendships between the differently abled children and other children aged 4 – 18. The camp will run for 5 days a week from 8:30am – 12:30pm for one month and include various edutainment activities. For details, call 55751754 / 55385687

Summer Camp WHERE: Music LoungeWHEN: Ongoing till August 30TIME: 9am – 12pmThis summer camp is designed to give

every camper a skill to create music through special training in musical instruments piano, guitar and drums, to visualise child’s limitless imagination and bring it to creative visuals through art and craft. This camp will develop their communication skills through training in public speaking along with hip hop dance, warm up exercises, karate and yoga.

Summer CampsWHERE: Mamangam Performing Art

Centre, Al HilalWHEN: Ongoing till August 31TIME: 8am – 12:30pmMamangam Performing Art Centre

will be holding Summer Camps in its Al Hilal branch for two batches of age groups from 4 -18 yrs. The summer camps will include Yoga, Karate, Art and Craft, Music, Hip-hop, Bollywood, Indian Classical and Contemporary dance. For details, call 33897609.

Summer CampsWHERE: TCAWHEN: Ongoing TIME: 8:30am – 1pmThe TCA is holding Summer Camps in its

branch for all students, ongoing from June 24. Every two weeks, a new batch will begin for every child to join and learn new forms of art. The summer camps will include Abacus, Drawing and Painting, Calligraphy, keyboard and dance. The camp will run for 7 days a week from 8:30am – 1pm. You will be able to see the activities and schedules that will be held for every week and register your kid. For details, call 44373259.

Summer Camp for Kids WHERE: Music and Arts Atelier, Villa 57

Bin Omran WHEN: Ongoing till August 31 TIME: 7:30am – 2:30pm Doha’s Kids Summer Camp where artists

are made! The A to Z of kid’s summer camp – from artworks, dance and music lessons

and PLAY in between. For ages 5 years and up. Contact [email protected] and mobile 33003839.

Summer Entertainment City 2018WHERE: DECCWHEN: Ongoing till August 31TIME: 12pmAn amazing range of local shopping

stalls will feature products from all over the world on the Eid. The Summer Shopping Souq has started from June 14 till August 31. Colour your summer at Doha Exhibition and Conventional Centre, West Bay during Summer Entertainment City 2018 with over 75 activities and games, more than 40 food and 132 retail outlets and amazing live performances. Get set for an exciting and eventful summer in 2018.

Hobby ClassesWHERE: Mystic Arts Centre behind Al

Hilal Focus Medical CentreWHEN: Wednesday – MondayMystic Art Centre, is a holistic

performing arts institution and a one stop solution for adults as well as children looking to explore their talents in various art forms. We offer classes in Carnatic Music, Hindustani Music, Karate, Yoga, Zumba, Classical Dance, Salsa, Hip Hop, contemporary and Bollywood dance forms. Personalised lessons, efficient mentoring and exposure to stage helps our learner to walk out as a confident performer at the end of their course. For details, call 44723680/33897609.

Dance and instrument classesWHERE: TCA Campus, Behind Gulf

Times BuildingWHEN: Wednesday – MondayLearn the movements of dance styles

in Bollywood, Hip Hop and also the musical instruments such as Piano, Guitar, Keyboard for adults as well kids and move in the world of music. For details, contact 66523871/ 31326749.

Outdoor and five-a-side football pitches

WHERE: Aspire ZoneWHEN: DailyTIME: 7pm – 11pmAspire Zone’s five-a-side football

outdoor pitches opposite Al Waab Street are available every day from 7pm – 11pm.

Arab and German Tales Exhibition WHERE: Qatar National LibraryWHEN: Ongoing till August 18The exhibition is organised within the

framework of Qatar–Germany Year of Culture and provides an insight into the history of Arabic and German fairy and folk tales, and how the two traditions influenced each other. It aims to show the transcultural value of narrative traditions as a shared intangible cultural heritage and highlight mutual influences, shared ideas and cultural transfer between the Arab world and Germany through storytelling and tales.


COMMUNITY COVER STORY

“The definition of a so-called

hero is changing”

I always wanted to feel like an

actor and I don’t understand

the term quintessential

hero of Hindi films

‘’

VERSATILE: Rajkummar Rao has three films coming up where he plays diff erent roles.

SUNDAY CONVERSATION

— Rajkummar Rao, Bollywood actor


COMMUNITYCOVER STORY

Actor Rajkummar Rao feels with the kind of pace the cinema is changing, “the defi nition of a so-

called hero is also changing”In an interview, Rajkummar also

said he was happy and content with the way his fi lm journey was shaping up for the last few years.

On his upcoming releases, he said: “Fanney Khan is my second release of the year 2018 after Omerta and Stree is next, for which I am equally excited. After that, I have Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga.

“So I am very happy the way it’s going and the way my fi lm journey is shaping up. It’s a humble beginning for the year and I just wish this year also brings same amount of happiness and work satisfaction for me like last year.”

On the response to the Fanney Khan trailer, Rajkummar said: “I am really happy with the overwhelming response to the trailer. I have always been a big fan of Anil Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. It’s a really sweet fi lm made by a great team and I am playing a very beautiful character in it.

“People are praising the character of Anil Kapoor Sir in the fi lm, and the chemistry between Aishwarya Rai and me is also being appreciated.”

After the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra directorial, Anil and Rajkummar will share screen space in Ek Ladki Ko Dekha To Aisa Laga.

“People are saying there is a new couple in town in the form of both of us and I am completely okay with it. I have no problem with that,” he quipped.

Rajkummar has just returned from a London shooting schedule of Mental Hai Kya, which also stars Kangana Ranaut.

“We are on the verge of fi nishing the shooting of Mental Hai Kya

as we have completed the London schedule of that fi lm. It has been a really nice experience shooting the fi lm. We all are excited about it, including me, Ekta Kapoor and Kangana because it’s a wonderful script. Since the narration of this fi lm, I was game for it.”

On working with Kangana, with whom he has earlier worked with in Queen, Rajkummar said: “It is a lot of fun working with her. We know each other from many years. Queen was a game changer for her and it is one of my most popular fi lms. We are really good friends.

“We discuss a lot on set about enacting every scene in a better manner.”

Rajkummar says that he doesn’t understand the term quintessential hero in Hindi fi lms.

At the trailer launch of Stree along with co-actors Shraddha

Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee, director Amar Kaushik, fi lm distributor Anil Thadani, music composer Sachin-Jigar and producers Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K and Dinesh Vijan.

Asked whether he ultimately feels like a hero of Hindi fi lms as he has featured in a number of successful fi lms and won prestigious awards, Rajkummar said, “I don’t know how a hero feels honestly. I feel like an actor and I wanted to be an actor. I always wanted to feel like an actor and I don’t understand the term quintessential hero of Hindi fi lms.”

“There are people who approach me for a fi lm telling me that it’s a typical hero fi lm but I always tell them that rather telling me it’s a hero fi lm, tell me about name and characteristics of that character.

What is hero? We are not heroes…heroes are people who are fi ghting for us on borders. We are just doing our job that’s it,” he added.

Rajkummar is known as the face of real Hindi cinema after his critically acclaimed performances in Citylights, Shahid and Newton.

Asked whether he feels the defi nition of a Hindi fi lm hero has changed in the last few years, he said, “I totally agree with that because with the kind of pace cinema is changing, I feel the defi nition of a so-called hero is also changing.

“Therefore, we all see that an actor like Aamir Khan Sir plays the character of a 50-year-old father in Dangal. There is an action genre where you have to do stunts and show your body…then, you might call it as ‘hero’ fi lm.”

Sharing his experience shooting

for Stree, the actor said, “It’s an unusual fi lm where we had so much fun shooting for it. The entire team of this fi lm was living like a family in Chanderi and Bhopal. It’s a small town, but we had no complaints as we were just focusing on making a good fi lm.”

“We all are really proud of this fi lm and now I hope the audience will give a lot of support and laugh that this fi lm totally deserves,” he added.

Stree is a horror comedy written by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. It is directed by Amar Kaushik and produced by Raj Nidimoru, Krishna D.K. and Dinesh Vijan under the banner of Maddock Films.

The fi lm also stars Shraddha Kapoor in a lead role and is scheduled to release on August 31.

Meanwhile, Mouni Roy, who is set to play Rajkummar’s wife in the upcoming fi lm Made in China, and the actress of Naagin fame says he is a tremendous actor.

“I think Rajkummar is a tremendous actor and I have always looked up to his work. I can’t wait to start working with him. I am even more ecstatic to be a part of Maddock Films,” Mouni said.

Made in China will start rolling in September in Mumbai and then travel to Gujarat and China. The fi lm will be directed by Gujarati director Mikhil Musale.

This is Rajkummar’s second collaboration with Dinesh Vijan of Maddock Films after Stree.

“We wanted someone who’d connect with the heartland and Mouni, a typical Indian beauty, has a huge fan following. She has a strong personality but gentle eyes and is a good dancer,” Vijan said.

“She has started working on her Gujarati dialect. Rajkummar will start preparing soon and knowing the chameleon that he is, I’m sure he’ll quickly get under the skin of the character,” he added. — IANS

“There are people who approach me

for a film telling me that it’s a

typical hero film but I always tell

them that rather telling me it’s a

hero film, tell me about name and

characteristics of that character”

FRESH PAIRING: Rajkummar will be seen in Fanney Khan with Aishwarya Rai-Bachchan.


COMMUNITY BOOK REVIEW

By Chris Serres

0n the wealthiest US cities, public school teachers are moonlighting as Uber drivers to make ends

meet. Adjunct professors are drowning in so much student debt that they rely on food stamps.

And across the US, children are spending their days, and nights, in 24-hour child care centres designed to accommodate the erratic schedules of their overworked parents.

In Squeezed: Why Our Families Can’t Aff ord America, Alissa Quart lucidly recounts these and other wrenching stories of economic hardship, while meticulously

deconstructing some of the prevailing myths about middle-class life in the United States.

Quart takes readers on an intimate journey, inside living rooms and workplaces across the nation, and shows how even highly educated workers, including lawyers, academics, journalists and nurses have become trapped within a system that reinforces economic injustices and inequality. They are members of what she calls the ‘middle precariat’, people who thought that years of work and an advanced degree would lead to status and success, but who instead fi nd themselves barely able to scrape by amid stagnant wages and rising costs for child care, housing and education.

Writing in a sharp-edged tone, Quart introduces us to Dee’s Tots Child Care in New Rochelle, NY,

one of a growing number of round-the-clock day care centres fi lling the ‘parenting vacuum’ created by unconventional work schedules. The children sleep on thin mattresses laid over yoga mats and celebrate birthdays with their day and night care friends. Caregivers at Dee’s Tots tuck in children as their parents start their night shifts, and then scramble to prepare breakfast before the morning rush arrives at 6am.

The rise of such centres, what Quart calls ‘extreme day care’, refl ects deeper changes coursing through the American workforce, resulting from the disempowerment of labour unions and the expansion of ‘just-in-time’ scheduling by companies. Only a minority of Americans now have a normal fi ve-day, 40 hour workweek. At least 17 percent have unstable work schedules, meaning

they are assigned to work on-call or rotating work shifts, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

At times, Squeezed can feel like an anxiety-inducing plane trip, marked by nonstop turbulence. The stories of injustice build, one on top of another, until the reader feels claustrophobic, walled in by the anxiety, debt, overwork and isolation so vividly described.

Quart off ers heart breaking portraits of women who conceal their pregnancy bumps, or who do not get pregnant at all, to avoid being penalised in the workplace. In high-priced cities, a growing number of people are co-parenting by living with others and sharing duties because they no longer can aff ord to raise their children themselves, Quart reports.

While a number of cities, including Minneapolis and St Paul, have adopted paid sick leave policies, enabling workers to take time off to tend to family medical needs, the American workplace remains largely hostile to families, Quart argues.

Only 13 percent of private-sector workers get paid family leave through their employers. One recent study found that, even if women aren’t harassed or pushed out of their jobs for their ‘good news’, their salaries are reduced by 7 percent per child. Quart laments that, for her and many

American parents, “It can seem as if we are being asked to work jobs we hate to support families we rarely see and therefore don’t really know.”

Quart, a columnist for the Guardian newspaper and executive editor of the non-profi t Economic Hardship Reporting Project, does not produce a grand theory explaining the growing precarity of middle-class life. Nor does she off er an emancipatory alternative to the economic prison she describes.

Yet Squeezed stands out for its insightful analysis of class dynamics in the United States. Drawing from social science research, she points out that people’s perception of wealth, poverty and status is shaped by the local environment they are in and those around them. There is a class-based alienation that comes with living in overpriced cities, where even people with upper-middle-class incomes can feel priced out of their own communities.

The Uber-driving professionals who believed that a degree plus years of work would result in success are suff ering from a sense of profound disillusionment. They are likely to blame themselves (and not global market forces or the fast-changing labour market) for the fact that they will not be able to pass on their social status to their children. – Star Tribune/TNS

Squeezed, an insightful analysis of class dynamics in the US

Drawing from social science research, Alissa

Quart points out that people’s perception of

wealth, poverty and status is shaped by the local

environment they are in and those around them.

DECONSTRUCTION: Alissa Quart lucidly recounts wrenching stories of economic hardships, while meticulously deconstructs some of the prevailing myths about middle-class life in the United States.

VIVID: The stories of injustice build one on top of another, make the reader feel claustrophobic, walled in by the anxiety, debt, overwork and isolation, so vividly described by the author.


COMMUNITYENVIRONMENT

CLEANER: Joan Adrover has been working as a trash fisher for the Spanish island of Mallorca for 14 years. He and 14 others pick up several tonnes of rubbish from the oceans every year.

By Patrick Schirmer Sastre

Joan Adrover carefully manoeuvres his 8-metre-long cutter right up to the rocks of a deserted bay on Mallorca’s east coast.

He grabs a fi shing net and steps into the water. With a swift, practised movement, the Spaniard fi shes a plastic canister out from between the rocks. He then climbs back onto the gas-fuelled boat and heads back out onto the open sea.

The 54-year-old is a trash fi sher. From the beginning of May until the end of September, his boat is one of 14 that roam the waters around the Balearic Island every day to pick up trash from beaches and bays.

In the fi rst two months of this season alone, Adrover and the others have collected more than seven tonnes of rubbish from the waters, according to fi gures from the local Environmental Ministry.

Compared with 2017, it’s a modest fi gure: In July 2017 alone, nine tonnes of garbage were hoisted from the waters of Mallorca. About 40 per cent of it was plastic, and 35 per cent wood.

The trash fi shers also perform other tasks when the situation calls for it: For example, in May, poisonous Portuguese man o’ war jellyfi sh were spotted off the coast of Mallorca. The fi shermen were sent to pull the creatures from the waters and prevent them from stinging tourists. Adrover has been doing this job for 14 years. “For the most part it’s about off ering tourists clean

water,” he says.He’s responsible for the coast between Cala Romantica and Costa dels Pins on the eastern side of island. Once in a while, however, Adrover says he fi nds the most unexpected of objects washed ashore.

“The most macabre fi nd was defi nitely a human leg that had been hacked off below the knee and was still wearing a shoe,” he recalls. That was two years ago, he says, and he called the police right away.

A motorcycle, part of a sperm whale skeleton and a refrigerator from Croatia are also among the more memorable items he’s found on his patch.

Despite what one might think, it’s not tourists on the island beloved by German and British tourists who are responsible for most of the trash.

Most of it comes from North Africa, say

the trash fi shers. The worst time is when the siroccos, south-east winds on the Mediterranean, blow for two or three days. “Then all the trash comes from Algeria,” says Adrover as he pulls a small bag from the water.

“You can’t read what it says any more because it’s been in the water for so long, but it’s an Algerian milk bag,” he says – and he should know, as he collects about 3,000 to 4,000 from the waters every year.

It’s not just the waters of Mallorca that are getting a scrubbing – the land is as well. Since March, about 40 long-term unemployed people have been cleaning the coasts on behalf of the local government.

As of mid-June, they had gathered more than 23 tonnes of trash so far this year. The regional executive is funding the project with

450,000 euros (527,000 dollars) collected from tourist taxes.

For Balearic Tourism Minister Bel Busquets, the project is an example of how taxes can be used to off set the carbon footprint of tourists. “With this project, we protect the environment and can off er our visitors clean beaches.”

Mallorca is also working to decrease trash levels by making it compulsory for coff ee capsules, plastic bags and plastic utensils to be biodegradable. The hotels on the island are also being asked to off er free water from drink dispensers instead of giving out plastic bottles.

Some hotels are going above and beyond: The Mallorcan Melia group doesn’t want to stop using disposable plastic just on the island, but in its hotels around the world. “Instead we off er water dispensers and glasses or carafes. Straws are made of paper, but are only given out if the guest expressly asks for them,” a spokeswoman said.

The Cursach hotel group has also done away with straws at its hotel complex in the tourist stronghold Magaluf, saving 1.7 million straws every year. At the Mega Park beer garden, which also belongs to the group, such steps have yet to be taken, says a spokesman, though eco-friendly alternatives are being sought out.

Meanhile, Adrover continues to sail along the coast. Nearly always alone, his only connection to the land is his mobile phone. The trash fi sher loves his job, and it’s no wonder: “It’s peaceful here, and my children are proud, because papa is cleaning the ocean,” he says. – DPA

Trash fishers in Mallorca help keep waters clean for tourists


COMMUNITY TECHN

Bringing sense of touch, ‘Electronic skin’ developed at Johns Hopkins allows amputees to feel sensations in prosthet

SUCCESS: The experiment marked for the first time that an amputee could feel a range of benign physical pressures through a prosthetic device.

When Gyorgy Levay lost parts of all four extremities, including most of his left arm, to

meningitis in 2010, he resolved to make the best of a bad situation.

He mastered his state-of-the-art prosthetic replacements. He switched the focus of his graduate studies from electrical to biomedical engineering. The native Hungarian even found it interesting how he continued to feel sensations from the hand he no longer possessed.

But like most amputees, he felt something was missing. Because his prosthesis had no sense of touch,

they felt to him like some alien attachments.

Thanks to a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University, he has learned what they might feel like if they were part of him. Levay was the principal volunteer subject in a two-year study at the university that endowed an artifi cial limb with the capacity to feel pressure and pain.

Led by Luke Osborn and Nitish Thakor, a graduate student and professor in Johns Hopkins’ biomedical engineering department, the team developed a form of ‘electronic skin’ that registers touch in the same way the human body does.

Wearing that ‘skin’, a fabric-and-

rubber sheath laced with sensors that the team called ‘e-dermis’, on the fi ngertips of his prosthetic left hand, Levay picked up several small rounded objects, and then tested the same with a sharply pointed object.

When picking up the rounded objects, he felt various levels of physical pressure whilst with the pointed object, the pain was felt.

To Levay, it felt as though a lifeless appendage, his left hand and arm, were born again.

“Normally my ‘hand’ feels a bit like a hollow shell. When these electronic stimulations started happening, it felt a bit like fi lling a glove with water, almost as though it were fi lling up

with life,” he said in a statement.The experiment marked the fi rst

time that an amputee could feel a range of benign physical pressures through a prosthetic device.

“For the fi rst time, a prosthesis can provide a range of perceptions, from fi ne touch to noxious touch, to an amputee, and this makes it much more like a human hand,” said Thakor, the co-founder of Infi nite Biomedical Technologies, a small Baltimore-based company that supplied the prosthetic hardware for the study.

A paper on the study appeared in the journal Science Robotics recently.

The advances are the latest in an area of research that has expanded

rapidly over the past decade and a half. It wasn’t until about four years

ago, though, that researchers at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and elsewhere began taking steps toward imbuing prosthetic devices with touch.

Those researchers achieved their results by affi xing electronic sensors to prosthetic limbs. These tiny devices could register touch, translate it into electronic signals and send the signals across a set of wires to the appropriate locations in what remained of the users’ limbs.

Every pioneering experiment has its limitations, and these were no exception. The process required

9GULF TIMES

COMMUNITYSunday, July 29, 2018

OLOGY

invasive surgery, electrodes had to be implanted in the residual limbs to receive the signals and transmit them across the nervous system and the work provided only a narrow range of pressure sensations.

The Hopkins team set out to expand the menu of sensations provided, up to and including pain, a category of feeling that, while always unpleasant, serves a crucial survival function.

“Pain is a sensation we use to protect our bodies,” Osborn said. “We can take it for granted, and we certainly don’t always like it, but it serves as a warning system, helping us avoid harmful events.”

The team, which included members from the Johns Hopkins departments of electrical engineering, computer engineering and neurology, turned to biology for its model.

The sensory receptor cells in human skin, they observed, are actually situated at various levels, with those responsible for painful sensation (nociceptors) primarily near the surface of the skin and those responsible for sensing pressure (mechanoreceptors) set deeper.

To replicate this system, they designed e-dermis to have sensors arrayed in two layers, instead of one like earlier engineers. Then the challenge was to ‘teach’ the sensors in each layer to generate the sensations appropriate to that layer.

Again, they turned to biology.The team studied the frequencies,

amplitudes and wavelengths of the signals the body normally sends when generating sensations of pressure and pain. Then they calibrated the sensory apparatus to mimic those variables.

Osborn elaborated on this ‘neuromorphic’ approach, that is, the creation of technology that mimics biological patterns.

“We knew what an electrical pulse for pain looks like, as well as pulses that convey information of pressure, texture and so forth,” he said. “We created similar pulses and matched them against what the subjects actually perceive.”

The next challenge was to ensure that the system was spatially accurate, that is, that if contact occurs on the prosthetic index fi nger, the brain perceives it as coming from that spot.

They achieved this through ‘sensory mapping’, probing every square centimetre of the subject’s residual limb and noting where the subject felt each of those touches on his phantom hand.

The process allowed Osborn and company to wire the sensor on the index fi nger, for example, directly to the nerve in the residual limb that ordinarily would connect to the real index fi nger.

“Those nerves that used to go to your hand are still there, they’re just not connected to the hand anymore,” Osborn said. “By stimulating each of those nerves, we activate the location in the brain that says ‘pinky fi nger,’ or ‘index fi nger,’ or ‘thumb,’ and the sensation should ideally feel as it would have before the amputation.”

Having mapped the nerve patterns so precisely, the team was able to avoid requiring the invasive implantation of metal electrodes in the residual limb.

They did attach wires from the prosthesis to the appropriate locations on the limb, but they did so on the surface of the skin, a process that is far easier on the subject.

Levay said he appreciated that on many levels. He happened to be studying biomedical engineering on a Fulbright scholarship at Johns Hopkins when Thakor and Osborn began their research in 2015.

Because he was interested on a personal and professional level, and physically nearby, he made the ideal volunteer subject for the study, which was funded by grants from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Engineering,

a division of the National Institutes of Health, among other sources.

The group worked with a number of volunteer amputees during the study, but because he was consistently available over a course of months, Levay emerged as the central, unnamed subject

of the paper, titled Prosthesis with neuromorphic multilayered e-dermis perceives touch

“E-dermis doesn’t work perfectly yet,” Levay said, “but it’s defi nitely a step further in bringing sensations back to the hand.”– The Baltimore Sun/TNS

pain to prosthetic handstic hands. By Jonathan M. Pitts

PREVIOUS EXPERIMENTS: Previously the process required invasive surgery, electrodes had to be implanted in the residual limbs to receive the signals and transmit them across the nervous system.

RELIABLE: E-dermis is an experiment that endowed an artificial limb with the capacity to feel pressure and pain.

MAPPING: The researchers have used ‘sensory mapping’ for E-dermis, probing every square centimetre of the subject’s residual limb and noting where the subject felt each of those touches on his phantom hand.


COMMUNITY QUIZ

Lady Diana’s wedding was the fairytale episode everyone wanted. Ask anyone who was alive on 29th July, 1981 and I

bet they have all vivid memories of the day. Watched by one billion spectators the world over, Charles and Diana’s “I dos” were nothing short of spectacular.

Their marriage was widely billed as the ‘wedding of the century’. It was declared a national holiday in the UK, so that citizens could be a part of the celebration. An estimated 750 million people watched the televised ceremony worldwide. The Times described it as a ‘carnival atmosphere,’ as throngs of over 600,000 people sang, danced and wished the couple well along the procession route.

From Princess Diana’s sapphire engagement ring to over-the-top wedding dress, her glittering tiara and the 27 wedding cakes, every detail of this royal wedding has been pored over and over for almost four decades now. The dress at the heart of it was veritably the most closely guarded secret in the fashion history. The 20-year-old chose the duo, husband-and-wife designers, David and Elizabeth Emanuel and, to keep it a secret, they code-named their client Deborah. Diana’s Emanuel dress was an extravagant and much-anticipated sight to see. Covered in 10,000 pearls and complete with a 25-foot train, David and Diana consciously wanted to set a record for the longest train in royal wedding history. The trend-defining silk-taffeta creation reportedly cost $115,000.

In the seven months leading up the wedding, Diana had dropped from having a 29-inch waist to a tiny 23.5-inch one. Emanuels created fi ve diff erent bodices to accommodate Diana’s dwindling silhouette, and sewed a blue bow into her waistline for a bit of good luck.

Princess Diana’s wedding gown was right out of a fairy tale with the exception of the perfume she spilled on her gown moments before she was to walk down the aisle. And she smelt sweet!

A secret romantic gesture was hidden beneath Diana’s handcrafted wedding shoes. The top of the shoe had an elaborate heart and ‘C’ and ‘D’, initials were hand-painted on the arches.

Diana broke with tradition by excluding the promise to ‘obey’ her husband in her vows, instead promising to ‘love him, comfort him, honour and keep him in sickness and health.’

Hardly without hitches, had the nuptial a few small bumps along the way. Wedding day jitters can happen to anyone, right? In a little fl ub, the nervous bride accidentally got her groom’s name wrong, calling him ‘Philip Charles’ instead of ‘Charles Philip’. Charles had his own blip, instead of off ering his bride ‘my worldly goods,’ he off ered her ‘thy goods.’

Never has there been a royal love story like Prince Charles’ and Princess Diana’s. The couple met when Diana was a teenager and Charles was dating her older sister. And in a perfectly Cinderella twist, Diana previously worked as her sister’s cleaning woman. Her stepmother was equally determined to be the wicked step mother. Even the timeline of the romance seemed to be fast-tracked for a fi lm. Diana had seen Charles 13 times between the beginning of their courtship and their wedding. With Diana, Charles found his real-life Disney princess.

Though the wedding was

swathed in a fairy-tale narrative, it wasn’t the fairytale marriage the world had hoped for. “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” Diana was once quoted.

The couple divorced in 1992, only fi ve short years before Diana’s untimely death in 1997.

Welcome to the world of ‘Nutty’s Infotainment. YAYS!’

Time! Your time starts NOW!

Name the sister of Diana, Princess of Wales, who was earlier dating Prince Charles.

Lady Sarah McCorquodale

Which famous movement was started by Sir Robert Baden Powell with an event on 29th July, 1907 at Brownsea Island in Southern England?

Boys Scout

One of the most infl uential artist of all time, he lost his right ear in a fi ght with fellow artist Paul Gauguin. He sold only one painting while he was alive. ‘Starry Night’, arguably his most famous work, was painted in an asylum. Identify this Post-Impressionist Dutch painter who, at the young age of

37, shot himself in his chest to die 2 days later.

Vincent Van Gogh

In the fi eld of publishing, what does the abbreviation ISBN stands for?

International Standard Book Number.

The fi rst known offi cial use

of this technique as a means of identifi cation was made in July 1858 by Sir William James Herschel of the Indian Civil Service, while posted in the Hooghly District of India.

Which technique was it?Fingerprinting

On the afternoon of July 28, 1917, nearly 10,000 African-Americans walked in silence down Fifth Avenue to protest against lynching and other acts of anti-black violence in the country. It was a watershed moment in the history of the civil rights movement. What was it called?

Silent Protest Parade

‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ is a 1957 British-American epic war fi lm directed by David Lean. The fi lm was widely praised, winning seven Academy Awards at the 30th Academy Awards. Where is the real bridge over the River Kwai?

Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

When this country became independent from Yugoslavia, its Internet domain name went from being .yu to .me. Name this country.

Montenegro

The name of which African city comes from the Spanish for ‘white house’? As per the legend, during World War II, the Germans passed up a chance to kill Franklin D. Roosevelt because they mistranslated the name of the city as “White House.”

Casablanca

The lady below became the world’s fi rst female head of government when she became Prime Minister of her country in July 1960. Name her.

(Answer next week. Answer to last week’s photoquiz: Nelson Mandela)

What’s the Good Word?

1. Dotish: (a) on the ball (b) loving (c)

significant (d) stupid

2. Retiform: (a) net-like (b) refuse (c)

make changes (d) over-indulge

3. Eviternity: (a) unending time (b)

availability (c) eternal existence (d)

naughtiness

4. Exequy: (a) funeral rites (b) warn (c)

bring back (d) overthrow

5. Operose: (a) wasting time (b)

displaying lot of eff ort (c) insatiable (d)

compel

6. Paean: (a) laughter

(b) condemnation (c) scandalous (d)

song of praise

7. Gallus: (a) conscious (b) bold (c)

gluttony (d) revelation

8. Paralian: (a) dweller by the sea (b)

insane (c) herculean (d) dead plants

9. Draff : (a) accept (b) refuse (c) crazy

(d) digestive problems

10. Stiver: (a) monstrous (b) infamous

(c) dictator (d) insignificant amount

Answers: 1 (d); 2 (a); 3 (c); 4 (a); 5 (b); 6

(d); 7 (b); 8 (a); 9 (b); 10 (d);

Diana’s royal fairy-tale wedding

TREND-SETTER: Late Lady Diana’s wedding dress was covered in 10,000 pearls and complete with a 25-foot train.

1. The fi lament of the 1st commercial light bulb, patented by Edison in 1880, was made of what?

Bamboo(Arwin Rodriguez, Kuwait Oil Company, Kuwait)

2. Which is the only number that cannot be represented by a Roman numeral?

Zero.(Lisa Raymond, House-maid, Doha)

Do you have some interesting bytes to share? And, does your vibe attract you to the ‘Tribe NI.yays!’ Every week two of your best questions will be featured here. Please do write to us at [email protected].

Tribe NI.yays

ARTIST: Vincent Van Gogh’s arguably most famous work, ‘Starry Night’, was painted in an asylum.


COMMUNITYINFOGRAPHIC


COMMUNITY CARTOONS/PUZZLES

Adam

Pooch Cafe

Garfield

Bound And Gagged

Codeword

Wordsearch

Every letter of the alphabet is used at least once. Squares with the same number in have the same letter in. Work out which number represents which letter.

Puzz

les

cour

tesy

: Puz

zlec

hoic

e.co

m

Sudoku

Sudoku is a puzzle based

on a 9x9 grid. The grid is

also divided into nine (3x3)

boxes. You are given a

selection of values and to

complete the puzzle, you

must fill the grid so that

every column, every anone

is repeated.

Discovery Channels

APPRAISEASSAYASSESSAUDITCHECKEXAMINEEXPERIMENTINQUIRE

INSPECTINVESTIGATEMEASUREMONITOROBSERVEPROBEPROVERESEARCH

REVIEWSCANSTUDYTESTWATCHWEIGH


COMMUNITYPUZZLES

Colouring

Answers

Wordsearch Codeword

ACROSS1. Is it used in water-polo? (4-4)

5. Better put the key inside

when it’s been checked (6)

10. Children during school

holidays? (8,7)

11. Will have it that original sin’s

to be crossed out (7)

12. Turn, personally, to deliver

her to the Cockney (7)

13. Not so bad that you can’t

hand it round? (8)

15. Supply the soldiers all but a

thousand owing to them (5)

18. Learns to listen to the pipes

(5)

20. A suit that serves as a pattern

for others (4-4)

23. By half-past, the mountains

appear unfamiliar (7)

25. Local fury caused by the

gunfire (7)

26. Do they make one dead

anxious? (5,10)

27. He works with precious

stones, pet (6)

28. Stopped the queen going to

France with a big noise (6,2)

Super Cryptic Clues

Yesterday’s Solutions

Across: 1 Rest-cure; 5 Educed; 9 Material; 10 Proust; 12 Strain; 13 Proceeds; 15 Old wives’ tale; 18 On reflection; 23 Plantain; 24 Spirit; 26 Skip it; 27 Consomme; 28 Sledge; 29 Pondered.

Down: 1 Remiss; 2 Satire; 3 Cordial; 4 Roam; 6 Directs; 7 Causeway; 8 Detested; 11 Privets; 14 Sweetie; 16 Composes; 17 Treatise; 19 Fitting; 20 Opposed; 21 Primer; 22 Attend; 25 Solo.

DOWN1. Goad the man spoken of (6)

2. Trim so it has a blunt end and

a sharp end? (9)

3. For injuries and broken ribs,

use (7)

4. In the vegetable garden, said

it doesn’t retain water (5)

6. Not realising the woman and

we have a right to enter (7)

7. Established in very poor

quarters (5)

8. Took one’s food away from

one and was entitled to (8)

9. Runs to take the coat back in

to press; it’s badly squashed

(8)

14. Interrupted with objections?

(6,2)

16. As I’d said, anyway, came to

a bad end and were scorned

(9)

17. It’s time the papers came out

with forecasts (8)

19. Genuine, because really

friendless (7)

21. Vehicle on either side of a

central vehicle (7)

22. Because one’s out on the

loose for a few months (6)

24. Cook in the oven at the far

end (5)

25. By which notes are sent

when messages have to be

conveyed (5)


COMMUNITY LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE

ARIESMarch 21 — April 19

CANCERJune 21 — July 22

LIBRASeptember 23 — October 22

CAPRICORNDecember 22 — January 19

TAURUSApril 20 — May 20

LEOJuly 23 — August 22

SCORPIOOctober 23 — November 21

AQUARIUSJanuary 20 — February 18

GEMINIMay 21 — June 20

VIRGOAugust 23 — September 22

SAGITTARIUSNovember 22 — December 21

PISCESFebruary 19 — March 20

Tune into the thoughts of others, Aries. Focusing only on yourself

means you’re missing the beauty and wisdom that come from other

people. Respect their opinions the way you want them to respect yours.

Your ego might get in the way of your brain until you embrace the

lesson of sensitivity that it’s trying to teach you. Take a back seat and let

someone else do the talking.

Your thinking is clear today and you’ll find that it’s right in sync with

who you are, Cancer. Find your strength in conversations in which you

display your keen insight into the situation at hand. Your detective-like

nature is especially active, and others will find it hard to pull the wool

over your eyes now. Stay tuned in to what’s going on around you.

Your mental ability could be rather sluggish and lazy today. It could be

that you aren’t feeling as sharp as you’d like, Libra. This is most likely a

sign that you simply need to slow down and relax. Don’t feel as if you

always need to deliver the keynote address. Be more of an audience

member today and take advice from the other people up on stage.

Your mind is thinking quite clearly today, Capricorn. You’ll discover that

you have a keen ability to tune into the subtle energies that are moving

through your life right now. The good news is that your ego and brain

are working together, and you may be able to strike a better balance

between these two elements of your psyche much more easily than

usual.

You’ll find that your brain is extra sharp today and you have a greater

sense of clarity regarding your purpose in life. It could be that your

nurturing instinct is high and your general self-esteem depends on how

useful you can be to the people around you. It may seem as if you’re

everyone’s parent or watchful older sibling. Give people the advice they

need to grow and be wiser.

It’s OK to be wrong, Leo. If you know you’ve made a mistake, feel free to

admit it. Don’t let your ego stand in the way of progress. Others won’t

want to deal with you if you insist that what you’re doing is right all the

time when perhaps it isn’t. Your mind may be a bit more fragile on a day

like this, so try to be more sensitive and receptive than usual.

One of the important lessons of the day for you is to remember that

emotions are powerful things to recognise and honour. Don’t discount

your feelings. In fact, it’s most important that you embrace them with

your whole being. Once you relax and settle into your true emotions,

you’ll find that your mind clears and you can make conscious, rational

decisions about whatever issues come your way.

Your receptivity to new ideas is stronger than usual today, Aquarius.

Listen to what people say and remember that you can learn from every

person you meet. There’s a lesson in every situation. Remember to

keep your brain exercised, just like any other part of your body. To keep

it working properly, you must make sure you give it the daily stimulus

that it requires.

Many people conduct their lives without really making conscious

decisions about their actions. People walk around like they’re asleep.

Don’t fall into this trap, Gemini. This is a good day to dust off your

thinking cap and take action. Don’t let others make decisions for

you. Take control of your destiny. To maintain the balance today, it’s

important that you swing toward the sensitive side of things.

Be careful about being too critical today, Virgo. You’re likely to turn

people away if you aren’t careful with how you express yourself. This

is a good time to listen and receive as opposed to deliver information.

Let things stew in your head for a while before you make any major

decisions. You’re likelier to find a greater balance in the situation if you

slow down and back off a bit.

Someone may be calling you on certain behaviours today, Sagittarius. It

could be that your aggressive nature rubs someone the wrong way and

they simply don’t have thick enough skin to take it. You may not even be

aware of how your warlike attitude aff ects those around you. This is a

good day to see things from someone else’s perspective in order to gain

a bit more data on the situation.

Your mental clarity is astounding today, Pisces. You’ll find that your

pattern of thinking reflects exactly who you are at the core of your

being. The moment you walk out the door this morning, you’ll find that

your brain wants to process everything. This action will give you greater

assuredness and insight, making this a terrific day to stand up and

speak your mind.

How to give a new twist to heirloom jewellery, apparel

Heirloom jewellery creates a sense of belonging for the family members. Most people like to retain heirloom jewellery because of its emotional worth,

however sometimes one wants to modify pieces as per modern and contemporary trends to make them more frequently usable.

Venkatesh S., lead designer at BlueStone lists down some ways to reinvent your heirloom jewellery.

Modifying an existing piece: The most common upgrade to heirloom jewellery is to tweak an existing piece with minor changes to make it more modern or wearable. For instance, a multilayered ranihaara can be split into two or three simpler neckpieces, that are easy to wear. At times, a necklace or a bracelet is too big or too small in size; in which case extra design elements can be added or some links removed to modify the piece.

Creating a new piece from old: Often one wants to extract a few stones or an

element from an existing heirloom piece to create new pieces. For instance, popular customisation is creating a choker out of a traditional coin or ginni necklace. Another customisation would be to create pendants out of heavy earrings, making them wearable. In the South of India, elements from the

traditional mangalsutras can be used to create charms for bracelets or independent pendants.

Working with heirloom stones: Stones are also at times passed on from generation to generation within families. Young brides

prefer to use heirloom stones in their engagement rings, or in a pendant. However, an important thing to keep in mind is when you make any signifi cant changes to an heirloom piece you have to approach a skilled and trusted jeweller to assist you because once you alter a historic design, a substantial amount of its value is lost.

Anika Dhawan Gupta, Creative Director and CO-founder of Bageecha Banaras, too, has some inputs to share:

Traditional weaves can be reinvented in bright pastels and heirlooms can be paired up with bright contrasts to keep up to the current trend scenario.

A lehenga which has been passed over generations can either make you look extremely traditional or you can make it look glamorous by pairing it up with a contrast blouse and dupatta.

We also encourage using your age old antique silver jewellery that has been passed on through generations be it balis and kamarbandhs with Banarasi outfi ts against gold, diamond and polki jewellery which is very common these days. Its all about sticking to ones own aesthetic at the end. — IANS

Sunday, July 29, 2018 15GULF TIMES

COMMUNITYSHOWBIZ

Jha to direct biopic on mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh

Filmmaker Prakash Jha, known for his socio-political dramas, will direct a biopic on the life of Indian mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh, whom he considers the “nation’s treasure”.

Excited to be a part of the fi lm, the Gangaajal director said in a statement: “Dr Vashishtha Narayan Singh, the brilliant mathematician from Bihar is our national treasure. His life is so inspiring, I would love to direct a biopic on him.”

The fi lm is being produced by Vinay Sinha and his daughter Priti Sinha.

Vinay said: “I have been reading about and tracking the life of Vashishtha Narayan Singh since many years. His is a story of tremendous highs and lows and now we are all set to produce a fi lm on him. I couldn’t be happier.”

Priti told the media in Patna that the main motive behind the biopic on Singh is to inform people about a great mathematician and his work and life.

She said Singh has been suff ering from schizophrenia for decades and is not keeping well.

“But we want to tell a real story of a genius,” she said, adding that the team is working on the fi lm’s cast and the names of the actors will be announced soon.

Jha will take a call regarding the fi lm’s shooting.Singh is currently staying in Patna along with his younger

brother. According to records available, Singh was born in a village in Bhojpur district of Bihar in 1942. After graduating from Patna Science College, Singh was awarded a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley, US, in 1969. – IANS

Williams married Elverum secretly

Shutter Island fame actress Michelle Williams revealed she has secretly married musician Phil Elverum.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, the former lady love of late actor Heath Ledger disclosed that the wedding was a secret ceremony with friends and family in attendance in Adirondacks, reports people.com.

The 37-year-old actress has a 12-year-old daughter, Matilda, with Ledger.

Elverum is father to a 3-year-old from his marriage to Genevieve Castree, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2015.

Talking about her husband, the actress said: “Obviously I’ve never once in my life talked about a relationship, but Phil isn’t anyone else. The way he loves me is the way I want to live my life on the whole. I work to be free inside of the moment. I parent to let Matilda feel free to be herself, and I am fi nally loved by someone who makes me feel free.”

Ledger died in New York City in 2008 after taking a fatal mix of prescription drugs.

They had dated for three years after meeting on the set of their 2005 fi lm Brokeback Mountain.

“I never gave up on love. I always say to Matilda, ‘Your dad loved me before anybody thought I was talented, or pretty, or had nice clothes’,” added Williams.– IANS

Wish I worded it better: Barr on racist tweet

Actress-comedian Roseanne Barr says her racist tweet “cost her everything” and she wishes she had worded it “better”.

Barr has apologised to people for her tweet about former Barack Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett, an African-American woman. The comment had generated immense backlash and led to the cancellation of her US comedy show Roseanne. During her hour-long interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News recently, Barr lamented the damage done to her by the tweet, reports The Guardian.

In response to the tweet “Muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby vj” that she has written earlier this year, Barr clarifi ed that people misunderstood it and said she would tell Jarett: “I’m sorry that you feel harm and hurt, I never meant that. I never meant to hurt anybody.”

Barr repeatedly said her tweet was meant to address US-Middle Eastern policy and had no racial overtones. She said she was stunned by the negative reaction, which Hannity noted was nearly universal, The Guardian reported.

“I am a creative genius, and this is not a good feeling for an artiste to be treated this way, and it’s not a good feeling for a citizen, either,” Barr added.

A supporter of US President Donald Trump, Barr further said: “I’m not a racist and the people who voted for Trump, they’re not racist either, and Trump isn’t a racist, sorry. We just have a diff erent opinion.”

Television network ABC has announced Roseanne will return in October as a spin-off called The Conners with all the main characters except Barr. – IANS

COUPLE: Michelle Williams, left, revealed she got married to musician Phil Elverum.

APOLOGETIC: Roseanne Barr says her racist tweet “cost her everything.”

By Troy Ribeiro

Designed as a romantic comedy, the title of this fi lm is a misnomer, unless you take it as a paradoxical slang.

Here, instead of princes or sons of aristocratic families as the title suggests we have three losers -- Salim, Karan and Abhishek. Salim (Dharmesh Yelande) is hardly educated and earns his living as a “kabadiwala”, trading in old wares. Abhishek (Punit Pathak), who studied graphic designing, is now reduced to a poster designer of sleazy fi lms and Karan (Raghav Juyal) who studied fashion designing works as an assistant at a tailor’s shop. Despite their distinctly contrasting circumstances they are the best of friends.

And given their background and current status, it is obvious that no girl would fall in love with them, so they desperately woo Sheetal, who has recently moved to their locality. Their

endeavour leads them in the police lock-up where they get the “royal treatment” by Police Inspector Kathor Singh and his men.

Narrated in a non-linear format, the plot is poorly crafted in the tell-and-show method, where every chapter or sequence is preceded with Kathor Singh requesting, “Detail mein batao”. What follows is a detailed narrative in fl ashback. While the premise seems cliched, the focus of the fi lm is clumsy and haphazard. Especially the denouement, it takes off at a tangent, leaving the audience bewildered.

The limply written script is verbose in disposition. It sermonises about romance and how to achieve it. The dialogues delivered by the cast in various dialects of Hindi, are written for eff ect or for front benchers. One can note major intentional or unintentional bloopers. Case in point is when Sheetal goes to the tailor shop and off ers Karan to take her “naksha” - map instead of her “naap” - measurement.

Mounted with realistic fl avour with

moderate production values, the fi lm is packed with visually chaotic frames, except for the songs which are done with fl amboyance.

While the trio — Raghav Juyal, Punit Pathak and Dharmesh Yelande — had earlier impressed us with their dancing in a fi lm called ABCD - Any Bo dy Can Dance, here though they are sincere and natural, as leads, they lack the big-screen charisma. So does Isha Rikhi. As Sheetal, she is effi cient and delivers her chops earnestly.

Of the supporting cast, Vijay Raaz as Inspector Kathor Singh is stereotyped and is his usual self. So is Zakir Hussain as Sheetal’s dad.

Among the myriad big names that make guest appearances in the songs are Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor in the fi nale song, High rated Gabru. , Athiya Shetty in the fi rst song – Tere Naal Nachna, Dancer Shakti Mohan in the song – Amma Dekh, and Sanjeeda Sheikh and her husband Amir Ali.

Overall, the fi lm is tedious to watch as it fails to engage you. – IANS

Nawabzaade is poorly crafted, fails to engage

EXCITED: Prakash Jha considers Vashishtha Narayan Singh the “nation’s treasure.

COMEDY: A scene from Nawabzaade. Overall, the film is tedious to watch as it fails to engage the audience.


COMMUNITY

GUESTS: The guests attending the presentation on ‘Dimensions of Mind-Body Nutrition’.PRESENTATION: Michelle Akl, Clinical Dietician with Diet Delights, recently spoke about the relationship between mind and body and how that aff ects nutrition absorption and digestion.

STRESS FREE: The dietician highlighted the significance of being stress-free and punctual while taking daily meals. Photos supplied

De-stress eating for a healthy lifestyle

By Mudassir Raja

It’s just not enough to stick to a healthy breakfast of antioxidant-rich mixed berries and a leafy green and protein-rich salad. Well your

diet can still fall-short of fulfi lling your nutritional needs. Although certain essentials, like vitamin D, A, E and K are easy to obtain from foods alone, but there requires more than just healthy eating habits.

There are two interesting vitamins, Vitamin P (pleasure) and Vitamin T (time), that recently caught our attention, as a dietician spoke about them and highlighted the signifi cance of being stress-free and punctual while taking daily meals.

Michelle Akl, Clinical Dietician with Diet Delights, recently spoke about the relationship between

mind and body and how that aff ects metabolism, nutrition absorption, and digestion. She was addressing a community and networking programme ‘Dimensions of Mind-Body Nutrition’ organised by Regus, a company that organises corporate offi ces, for its customers and diff erent community representatives.

Talking to Community, Akl said, “Today, I spoke about the relationship that exists between our mind and body concerning the way we feel and the way we eat. We often ignore our mind-set and the stress level while having food, which tends to aff ect our absorption level and nutritional status.”

“In my presentation, I spoke about diff erent dimensions of the body and mind, related to stress eating versus relaxed eating habits, discussing parasympathetic nervous system. I also referred to Vitamin P as the pleasure while

eating. During my presentation, I gave an insight for what we need to eat and what to refrain from certain times. I also elaborated on nutritional values of diff erent foods,” she said.

The dietician added, “The presentation also included how important oxygen consumption is when having any meal of the day. I elaborated on the importance of breathing and taking 10 deep breaths before having a lunch or dinner. We also discussed about how important it is to eat with the people we love, having quality thoughts and sitting with a proper posture while having meals. Inclination towards the kind of food that helps in digestion is also very important.”

She emphasised on having the meals stress-free and spending time while eating; long enough for our digestive system to perform its functions and absorb minerals

and vitamins in our body. She emphasised that people need to enjoy their food and take due time to fi nish their meals for better digestion.

Simona Arfene, Regus Community Manager, said, “We organise such events every month for the community and for our clients in 10 diff erent centres that we have in Qatar. Basically, it is a networking event. It is a kind of get-together with good pieces of advice. We choose diff erent topics for the gatherings after collecting feedback from people.”

Millan Arun, a business woman who attended the presentation, said, “I am very happy to attend this session today. It is defi nitely surprising for how we have taken our lives so for granted. We are always in the fast line. We have forgotten how important food is for us and how important it is for us to be stress free. That is as simple as that. Just

relax and do everything at your own pace.”

“The way the expert has spoken and conveyed about for how we should have our food is amazing. We have defi nitely forgotten the tradition of sitting with the family and having meals. We used to be relaxed and calm that time. It is also very important to cook food, free of any sort of stress. I am very thankful to the organisers for the presentation and inviting me to the event.”

Israt Ara Younus, a fi nancial consultant, said, “It was actually a privilege and an eye-opener to be here today. Food has become the last priority for working people. I think the focus of the presentation was on me. Such events are rare. My take away is that we need to change our food habits. We have to change our cooking style and be more conscious about what we have to buy and what we have to cook.”

upswing - gulf times

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