Community - Gulf Times

Transcription

P7
Community
Indian
government
is subsidising
the Freedom 251
smartphone to offer
it for just 3.6 dollars.
But will people buy?
P20
Community
Qatar is
making
its distinct
presence felt at Global Village
in Dubai with its pavilion that
stands out for its fascinating
design and warmth.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Jumada I 24, 1437 AH
DOHA
COVER
STORY
17°C—26°C TODAY
PUZZLES 14 & 15
LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 16
A stab at
Straub
For author of Interior Darkness,
perversity of human nature
provides ripest fodder. P2-3
2
GULF TIMES Friday, March 4, 2016
COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
We’re all deeply
flawed: Straub
PRAYER TIME
Fajr
Shorooq (sunrise)
Zuhr (noon)
Asr (afternoon)
Maghreb (sunset)
Isha (night)
4.39am
5.55am
11.46am
3.07pm
5.39pm
7.09pm
USEFUL NUMBERS
What people are willing to do to one another is
pretty awe-inspiring. The only way to have a moral
life is to acknowledge those flaws and not forget
about them or deny them, he tells Connie Ogle
Emergency
999
Worldwide Emergency Number
112
Kahramaa – Electricity and Water
991
Ooredoo Telephone Assistance
111
Local Directory
180
International Calls Enquires
150
Time
141, 140
Doha International Airport
40106666
Labor Department
44508111, 44406537
Medical Commission
44679111
Mowasalat Taxi
44588888
Qatar Airways
44496000
Weather Forecast
44656590
Hamad Medical Corporation
44392222
44393333
Qatar General Electricity and
Water Corporation
44845555
44845464
Primary Health Care Corporation
44593333
44593363
Qatar Assistive Technology
Centre
44594050
Qatar News Agency
44450205
44450333
Q-Post – General Postal
Corporation
44464444
Qatar University
44033333
ote Unquote
u
Q
Look deep into
nature, and then you will
understand everything better.
— Albert Einstein
CANDID: “I do pretty much what I want to do,” says Peter Straub.
Community Editor
Kamran Rehmat
e-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 44466405
Fax: 44350474
P
eter Straub is no stranger
to the supernatural. He has
written such unsettling
novels as Ghost Story,
Floating Dragon and
Shadowland. He co-authored The
Talisman and its sequel Black House
with Stephen King, and his horror
fiction has earned such honours as the
Bram Stoker Award, World Fantasy
Award and the International Horror
Guild Award.
But to Straub, 73, the perversity
of human nature provides the ripest
fodder for truly disturbing stories.
“What people are willing to do to
one another is pretty awe-inspiring,”
he says. “Human beings will justify
almost any actions. They’ll bring it
in line as moral or at least forgivable
behaviour.”
GULF TIMES
3
COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
“It’s harder to make a living. I have a good friend in
northern California, my age, who just discovered she
has to write four books a year to support herself, and
she was not living like a princess. It’s gotten stonier
and colder and harder”
Straub’s latest collection,
Interior Darkness: Selected Stories
(Doubleday, $28.95) reflects
that astute outlook. Borrowing
works from Houses Without
Doors, Magic Terror and 5 Stories
as well as three “uncollected”
stories, Interior Darkness stares
unflinchingly into the black hole
of human depravity. In the first
story, Blue Rose — around which
Straub built the novel trilogy
Koko, Mystery and The Throat — a
family passes down a legacy of
bullying and abuse and 10-yearold Harry begins to understand
his penchant for violence. In The
Juniper Tree, a boy is molested in a
movie theatre. In the black, grisly
comedy Mr. Clubb and Mr. Cuff,
a revenge fantasy goes horribly
awry when a jealous husband
hires two torturers to punish his
unfaithful wife. “We could tell
you stories to curl your hair,”
Mr. Clubb tells the unfortunate
husband — and then proceeds to
do so.
The success of Straub, who
lives in Brooklyn with his wife,
indicates we continue to have a
taste for such dark material. Why?
“It has to do with the messiness
of common humanity,” he says.
“Despite our best efforts, we are
all deeply flawed. The only way to
have a moral life is to acknowledge
those flaws and not forget about
them or deny them.”
Q: How did you go about
choosing works for a single
anthology?
A: I had wanted ideally to do a
book of collected stories. I knew it
might be a pretty fat book. Then
my agent informed me it would
be two volumes, and there wasn’t
a chance in hell I could get that
published. So then I was obliged
to consider “selected” stories, and
that meant I did have to leave out
any number of stories that I like
a lot. It took a long time. I made
many lists. Each list was the final
one until I thought about it again.
Part of the problem is that half
of the shorter fiction I’ve written
isn’t at all short.
What was your criteria for
including certain stories?
Were you looking for certain
themes?
Occasionally stories were
a little frivolous, and I didn’t
choose those; I wanted a kind of
balance. Really one of the best
things I’ve ever done is a story
called Bunny Is Good Bread —
which has some very graphic
abuse of a small boy. When I used
to read it in public my daughter
would make this little “Oh no, he’s
reading that again!” face. It’s not
gratuitously nasty, but it is deeply
nasty. I did have one story about
child abuse I was eager to place in
the book (The Juniper Tree), and
I thought probably one of those
was enough for a single volume
of stories. There are two stories
about torture, though.
You’ve seen the publishing
industry change dramatically
over the years. How do these
changes affect you?
I’m in my early 70s — I do
pretty much what I want to do.
I have a comfortable life. What
I do now daily at my desk is not
going to pay for the tuition of
my children in private school
— they’re adults, they’re out on
their own. I’m pretty sure I’m not
going to be homeless — though
the second I say that, I start to
wonder. But there’s a worry level
I’ve graduated from. I’m very
fortunate. … If I were younger
I’d have to deal with the one
dreadful fact that has taken place
in American publishing, which
is that advances have gone way
down. … Many a writer’s income
just vanished. It’s harder to make
a living. People could support
themselves by writing a book
a year, which is not easy — it’s
hard work to write a book a year.
I have a good friend in northern
California, my age, who just
discovered she has to write four
books a year to support herself,
and she was not living like a
princess. It’s gotten stonier and
colder and harder.
And yet your daughter
Emma Straub (author of
Other People We Married, The
Vacationers and the upcoming
Modern Lovers) went into the
family business despite all
this!
Emma is a very remarkable
human being. It’s a terrible
cliché, but she does have her
head screwed on right. She’s
absolutely determined in her
core to do her job as well as she
can do it. Making up a kind of
life that seems as real as the one
you actually have, that’s an odd
activity, but Emma, it turns out,
is good at it. When she was right
out of college she wrote a long
Wuthering Heights-type novel
set in high school. She gave me
this manuscript about 800 pages
long, and I took it with some
trepidation. As soon as I started
to read it, though, I could relax,
because though it might have
been kind of a mess, Emma could
really write. She had this built-in
ability to write very agreeable,
well balanced, thoughtful, funny
sentences. When you read her
prose, you trusted her. This is a
real gift.
So is there any truth to the
rumours that a third Talisman
book is forthcoming?
I certainly hope so. It’s totally
dependent on the patience of my
saintly collaborator, Steve King.
We were supposed to start it three
or four years ago, but I had medical
problems that stopped me in my
tracks. Then I had problems with
a book I was doing … so we’re no
closer to being able to start it. But
part of the reason he’s so patient is
we have a great idea for the book. I
won’t tell you what it is, but there
was a famous story that happened
in the world when we were young.
He kept a scrapbook about it and
so did I, him in Maine and me in
Milwaukee. It has a lot of juice in
it, and he and I both feel that way
about it, so we are eager to do this
book. I think he’ll cut me a break
and let me go a year or two and
then we’ll start working on it. —
The Miami Herald/TNS
4
COMMUNITY
BODY & MIND
Are stethoscopes
a timeless gadget?
By Taunya English
T
o hear a patient’s heart,
doctors used to just put
an ear up to a patient’s
chest and listen. Then, in
1816, things changed.
Lore has it that 35-year-old
Paris physician Rene Laennec was
caring for a young woman who was
apparently plump, with a bad heart.
Dr George Davis, an obstetrician
at East Tennessee State University
who collects vintage stethoscopes,
said the young Dr Laennec didn’t
feel comfortable pressing his ear to
the woman’s bosom.
“So he took 24 sheets of paper
and rolled them into a long tube
and put that up against her chest,
listened to the other end and found
that not only could he hear the
heart sounds very, very well, but it
was actually better than what he
could hear with his ear,” Davis said.
Or, maybe it was poor 19thcentury hygiene — lice and the
smell of an unwashed body — that
kept Laennec from getting too
close to his patient. Either way, he
went home and crafted a wooden
cylinder with a hole down the
middle and that became the first
stethoscope.
It took a while for the art of
listening to the body through a tube
to catch on. But the new tool fit
into an evolving idea that doctors
needed a more focused approached
to diagnosis, “that you should
distinguish tuberculosis from a
lung abscess — and not just call it
all consumption,” said Dr Steven
Peitzman, a professor at Drexel
University College of Medicine.
He said doctors used to get praise
if they had the “ear” to hear and
interpret the subtle body sounds
that travel through a stethoscope’s
rubber tubing; the stethoscope is
the iconic symbol of a physician.
Vidya Viswanathan, a firstyear student at the University of
Pennsylvania’s Perelman School
of Medicine, is still getting used to
hers. “You don’t realise until you
are wearing it and trying to use it,
how pokey it is in your ears,” she
said. “I’m almost embarrassed to
wear it because it implies I have
knowledge I don’t have yet.”
Medical schools teach the art of
listening.
“I am astounded at the things
I’ll find with my stethoscope,”
said Allison Rhodes, a third-year
student at the Perelman School
of Medicine. “I had a patient who
had pneumonia, and it was really
wonderful to be able to listen to her
and say, ‘This is what I think it is.’
And then, later, see on the chest
X-ray that that was exactly what
it was.”
But some argue that the
stethoscope is becoming less
useful in this digital age. Dr Bret
Nelson, an emergency medicine
physician at Mt Sinai Hospital in
New York, said clinicians now get
a lot more information from newer
technology. An ultrasound, for
example, turns sound waves into
moving images of blood pumping
and heart valves clicking open and
shut; those visual cues are easier
to interpret than muffled murmurs
and may produce a more accurate
diagnosis, Nelson said.
He admits the stethoscope is an
icon, but doesn’t buy the argument
that if you lose the stethoscope,
you lose the tradition of “healing
touch.”
“Pulling an ultrasound machine
out of my pocket, or wheeling the
cart over next to the patient (and)
talking through with them exactly
what I’m looking for and how I’m
looking for it — the fact that they
can see the same image on the
screen that I’m seeing, strengthens
that bond more than anything in
the last 50 years,” Nelson said.
Nelson is 42 years old and
graduated from medical school
16 years ago. He teaches medical
students and said it’s helpful to show
new learners what “lies beneath.”
At Mt Sinai, when medical students
are taught to examine a heart, they
learn how to use the stethoscope
and an ultrasound machine on the
same day.
“They know how to feel it, they
know how to listen to it, and they
know how to look at it,” Nelson
said.
Still, obstetrician George Davis
wants to keep the stethoscope
around for a while. High-tech
machines and imaging scans are
great backup resources, he said, but
his stethoscope helps him figure
out which patients actually need
additional testing.
“How much do those ultrasound
machines cost?” Davis asked. “I
can get a good stethoscope for less
than $20. We are not going to sit
there and do an echocardiogram on
every patient who walks through
the door.”
Davis worries that a whole
generation of doctors is learning
to rely too much on technology; he
wants to hold on to first-line tools
that are safe, effective and cheaper.
“Shouldn’t we be using what is
low-tech and practical?” he asked.
Nelson counters that pointof-care imaging is becoming less
expensive every day. Twenty years
ago, he says, an ultrasound machine
was as big as a refrigerator and
cost $400,000. Today, a handheld,
portable device plugs into a
computer tablet, and costs less than
$10,000.
Many care providers in the
community may even have an
ultrasound in their pocket one
day soon, he says, combined in a
single device with, “a slide rule, a
calculator, a flashlight, a phone, a
computer terminal and 36 video
games.” In other words: on their
smartphone. – TNS
GULF TIMES
5
COMMUNITY
BODY & MIND
Rely on lemon to be acne-free
Squeeze lemon and apply on your skin or mix it
with natural ingredients like honey, yoghurt and
chickpea to get rid of acne that often leaves unsightly
scars on face.
Dr Aakriti Mehra, consultant dermatologist,
Enhance Clinics, shares some tips:
Lemon juice application: Take lemon juice in a
small bowl, soak a cotton ball in it and squeeze out
the excess juice from it. Apply the lemon juice to the
acne-affected area. Leave it on the skin for 10 minutes
or till the lemon juice dries out completely. Rinse the
area with water, and then pat dry with a clean towel.
Repeat this remedy twice every day.
Lemon juice and honey: Take lemon juice and
honey in a bowl and mix well. Apply this mixture to
the acne-affected area with your finger tips and leave
it for five minutes. Wash the area with water and pat
dry with a clean towel. Follow this remedy once a day.
Lemon and egg white mask: Take an egg and
separate the white portion of it. Add two tablespoons
of lemon juice to it and whisk well. Divide the mixture
into three parts. Apply the first layer of the mixture to
the skin and leave for five to seven minutes and then
apply the second layer. After five to seven minutes,
apply the third layer to the acne. After five to seven
minutes, clean the area with warm water, and then pat
the skin dry. Follow this remedy regularly.
Lemon and chickpea: Take the chickpea powder in
a small bowl and squeeze the lemon juice on it. Mix
the ingredients well to make a smooth paste. Apply it
on the acne-affected skin and leave for a few minutes.
Rinse the area with lukewarm water and wipe the
skin with a clean towel. You can apply your regular
moisturiser to your skin if you feel that it has become
very dry. Use this remedy once on a daily basis.
Lemon and yoghurt: Take lemon juice and yoghurt
in a bowl and mix well to make a paste. Apply this
paste on the acne-affected area with your fingertips.
Leave it on the skin for a few minutes, and then wash
the area with water. Repeat this process regularly. —
IANS
Older adults more positive about feelings
How you react to stress decides your overall health
H
ow you perceive and react to
stressful events in life is more
important to your health than
how frequently you encounter
stress, says a study.
According to the researchers, the
more negatively an individual reacts to a
situation the more he/she may be at risk of
developing heart disease. The team wanted
to find out whether daily stress and heart
rate variability — a measure of autonomic
regulation of the heart — are linked.
A potential pathway that links stress to
future heart disease is a dysregulation of
the autonomic nervous system — a case of
a person’s normally self-regulated nervous
system getting off track.
“Higher heart rate variability is better for
health as it reflects the capacity to respond
to challenges,” said Nancy L Sin from
Pennsylvania State University.
“People with lower heart rate variability
have a greater risk of cardiovascular
disease and premature death,” Sin added
in the paper published in the journal
Psychosomatic Medicine.
Depression and major stressful events
are known to be harmful for health, but
less attention has been paid to the health
consequences of frustrations and hassles in
everyday life.
The team analysed the data collected from
909 participants between the ages of 35 and
85, including daily telephone interviews over
eight consecutive days and the results from
an electro-cardiogram.
During daily phone interviews,
participants were asked to report the
stressful events as well as negative emotions
they had experienced that day.
The researchers found that participants
who reported a lot of stressful events in their
lives were not necessarily those who had
lower heart rate variability.
No matter how many or how few stressful
events a person faces, it was those who
perceived the events as more stressful or
who experienced a greater spike in negative
emotions had lower heart rate variability —
meaning these people may be at a higher risk
for heart disease, the authors noted. — IANS
Adults above 60 have more positive response about
feelings such as serenity, sadness and loneliness than
young adults, a study has found.
The researchers found that older adults perceive
emotion terms as most positive and more active than
younger persons. Emotions overall may be more
encouraging for older than younger persons.
“Older adults report feeling more serenity than
younger persons. They also have a richer concept of
what it means to feel serene than younger persons,”
said lead researcher Rebecca Ready from the
University of Massachusetts Amherst in the US.
In the study, published in the journal of Aging
and Mental Health, researchers recruited 32 older
adults aged 60-92, and 111 younger adults aged 1832 and then asked them to judge 70 emotion terms
on whether the words had a positive or negative
connotation and if the words were activating or
arousing.
In a word grouping task, older adults associated
more positive emotional terms with serene, such as
cheerful, happy and joyful than did younger people.
The findings showed, word groupings were similar
between older and younger persons for many words
but they noted systematic differences for sadness,
loneliness and serenity.
“We were surprised to find that younger adults
associated more self-deprecating terms with feeling
sad and lonely, such as being ashamed or disgusted
with themselves, than older persons,” Ready added.
“We gained a deeper appreciation of some relatively
unknown benefits of ageing, such as increased
positive emotions and less shame associated with
feeling sad or lonely,” Ready stated.
As the percentage of older adults in the US
increases, “it is imperative to determine how older
adults define emotions differently than younger
adults,” Ready noted.
The findings are “highly clinically significant”
because the information could help care-takers,
psychotherapists and workers at assisted living
facilities to better understand the emotions of older
people in their care. — IANS
6
COMMUNITY
CUISINE
there and created roti john and roti
canal.
Murgh Keema Paratha
Ingredients
For the dough
Wheat flour 2 cups
Desi ghee 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
For the filling
Chicken minced 250gm
Onion, chopped 1 no
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Green chili, chopped 1 no
Ginger garlic paste ½ tbsp
Red chili powder 1/3 tsp
Coriander powder ½ tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves chopped 1 tbsp
Kasoori methi 1 tsp
Ghee 2 tbsp (to apply on paratha)
Wheat flour ½ cup (to dust)
Murgh Keema Paratha.
Photo by the author
The toothsome paratha
I
can undoubtedly call paratha
as the most popular breakfast
dish item from north India.
They are toothsome, tasty,
delicious, steamy hot and
appetizing.
Paratha is flat bread usually made
with seasoned whole wheat flour
dough stuffed with vegetables or
minced meat, cooked on a hot plate
and brushed with ghee when it is
ready to be served.
A paratha can fall into three
categories, depending on their
dough and stuffing. The first is
a plain seasoned paratha, where
there is no stuffing in the dough
and the bread is seasoned with
caraway seeds, red chili powder
or green chilli and is usually eaten
with accompanying potato bhaji
or vegetable curry. The second
type is the vegetarian variety,
where the stuffing can vary from
humble boiled potato to luxurious
broccoli and cottage cheese or to
the uncommon stuffing of cabbage,
rice or round gourd. The third type
consists of non-vegetarian stuffing,
such as egg, minced chicken, lamb,
or a combination thereof.
The most common stuffing for a
paratha, however, is boiled potato,
cauliflower, mixed vegetables
and cottage cheese. But the list of
stuffing that can be used to make
paratha is endless and one can
combine two or more stuffing items
to make their own kind of paratha.
My favourite is cauliflower
paratha, prepared by my mom.
They are not only delicious but
easy to prepare and cook also.
Once you are done with the initial
preparation, cooking them is simple
and easy. That’s the reason why this
is the most popular north Indian
breakfast item.
A paratha especially a stuffed one
can be eaten simply with a dollop of
butter or ghee due to its spice and
flavour-rich dough. Traditionally a
paratha is served with yoghurt and
pickle to make the meal complete.
Parathas are thought to have
originated in undivided India and
have travelled to the length and
breadth of the continent in various
forms, shapes, sizes and flavours.
Now you will also find them in
ready-to-eat frozen meals, which
are not only tasty but also make
paratha-making simpler and faster
as ever. They are an integral part
of a Punjabi breakfast and are also
relished with a glassful of fresh
lassi (buttermilk). Lassi is made by
churning yoghurt and adding some
water and choice of sugar or salt.
You can season your salted lassi with
roasted cumin powder and fresh
coriander leaves and sweet lassi with
various sweet concoctions like Rooh
Afza or fruit pulp.
Hailing from the Indian capital
city Delhi and from a Punjabi
family, I grew up relishing the
varieties and flavours of parathas.
There is even a street named after
this popular food item in Old
Delhi called “Paranthe Wali Gali,”
meaning the street of Paratha
makers. I never imagined that this
simple yet exotic dish would have
travelled outside India. But during
a culinary exchange programme, in
Singapore, I learned that the Indian
immigrants introduced this dish
Method
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan
and add cumin seeds to fry.
Add chopped onion and continue
to cook till translucent.
Add ginger garlic paste and cook
till the raw smell evaporates.
Add chicken mince, green
chilli chopped, red chilli powder,
coriander powder and cook the
chicken.
Continue to cook over lowmedium heat till the chicken is
cooked, add some moisture if the
mixture sticks to the pan and adjust
the seasoning.
Remove from flame and add
chopped coriander leave, kasoori
methi and keep aside.
For the Paratha dough, sift wheat
flour with salt and add desi ghee
to it.
Gradually add water to make soft
dough, knead well.
Once the dough is made, brush
with oiled hands and cover with a
damp cloth and allow to stand for 15
minutes.
Divide the dough into size of
tennis ball and flatten it to make
a scoop and fill adequate filling of
chicken keema, secure the top with
the side dough.
Dust the dough ball with dry
wheat flour and flatten it with a
rolling pin.
Heat a non-stick tava and cook
the paratha evenly from both sides.
Once the paratha is cooked,
brush ghee on one side and turn
over to colour the paratha.
Once the side is light brown turn
over and serve hot with yoghurt and
choice of pickle.
z Tarun Kapoor is executive chef
at Doha’s Horizon Manor Hotel.
Send your feedback to:
[email protected]
GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
TECHNOLOGY
India makes an ultra-cheap
smartphone, but is that so smart?
By Doreen Fiedler
T
hanks to people like
shoe-shiner Amli, the
smartphone market
is booming in India.
The 18-year-old
sits outside a restaurant in the
capital New Delhi. When he’s
not shining shoes, his fingers —
black from shoe polish — flit over
the touchscreen of his Android
smartphone.
“I play games, look at HD films
and listen to songs from my home
place Rajasthan to fight against
homesickness,” says Amli. He gets
the songs from a shop around the
corner. He rarely buys data packages
for the Internet.
“These cost money,” he says. He
earns 111 to 145 dollars a month.
Often he lends his smartphone to
other shoe-shiners, as they don’t all
have one.
This sharing is something the
Indian government wants to change.
“I dream of a digital India,”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
recently. He wants to connect all
1.3 billion people of this developing
country with their own devices so
that they have access to information
and can do better business.
Thanks to government investment,
India is offering its citizens what is
possibly the cheapest smartphone
in the world. With the help of cash
from the government, the Indian
company Ringing Bells has produced
a smartphone that retails for the
equivalent of 3.60 dollars or 3.28
euros.
“A historic moment in the mobile
world,” the company, set up only
last year, announced in full-page
newspaper advertisements. Analysts
estimate the true manufacturing
cost of each device at around
22 dollars, so everyone sold is
subsidised.
Even then it’s not certain that
the phone called the Freedom 251
(after its price of 251 rupees) will be a
success.
In fact its very cheapness may be
a hindrance. When the Tata Nano —
billed as the cheapest car in the world
— hit the market in 2009, many
predicted that it would soon be the
only car seen on Indian streets.
In fact, the mini car flopped
because India’s emerging middle
class may well want to buy cheap, but
they don’t want to look cheap.
Another tech product co-funded
by the Indian government, the
33-dollar Aakash tablet, found few
fans among the students it was
targeted at. Many devices wouldn’t
turn on, overheated or repeatedly
crashed.
“In the case of the Aakash, the
quality was not good and today we
hear no more about it,” says Anil
Chopra from the Indian computer
DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT: Shoe-shine man Amli operates his smartphone in New Delhi.
magazine PC Quest. Whether things
will be different with the Freedom 251
remains to be seen.
There are around 220 million
smartphone users in India today,
making it the second largest
smartphone market in the world,
according to market researcher
Counterpoint Research.
That means that over 1 billion
Indians don’t have a smartphone of
their own.
“First-time users will test the
Freedom 251 and if they do not like it
they’ll return to their simple mobile
phones,” says Tarun Pathak from
Counterpoint Research. For farmers
and manual workers, for example, it’s
important that the battery lasts the
10 hours they work.
Shoe-shiner Amli is also sceptical
about whether the cheap smartphone
will be any good.
“We won’t get it straightaway.
Only if we see it work well for our
friends will we buy it,” he says. His
colleague Amit adds: “We want a
smartphone to boast about. That’s
why we need the latest technology.”
—DPA
Shoe-shine men Surender Kumar operates his smartphone in New Delhi. The cheapest smartphone in India is going
on sale for around 3.28 euros, subsidised by the Indian government.
7
8
COMMUNITY
TRAVEL
Artist’s San Francisco
home becomes art
DINING AREA: The dining area at 500 Capp Street, the San Francisco Mission District house of deceased artist David Ireland. The home has been preserved, as if in amber, and presented as an art installation.
By Sam McManis
A
rt and life, often barely
distinguishable among
those who toil in the
conceptual realm, meld
completely inside the
lacquered walls of 500 Capp Street,
where the late artist David Ireland
lived and created, and created by just
living.
Is that a chair, or an objet d’ art?
Yes.
Would that bare bulb dangling on
a copper umbilical cord be an artistic
statement, or a source of light?
Absolutely.
Those gouges in the walls and
stains from erstwhile wallpaper, do
they represent an overarching theme,
or just remnants from adventures in
home repair? Sure.
Do the Mason jars filled with
dust signify man’s existential
ephemerality, or are they merely
examples a hoarder’s pathology? You
bet.
When encountering the late 19th
century Edwardian-Italianate row
house anchoring 20th and Capp
streets, where Ireland resided
from 1975 until a few years before
his death in 2009, it’s best to
suspend judgement and slough off
assumptions. Just enjoy the delicious
ambiguity and inherent quirkiness
from the imagination of a man who
possessed both a finely cultivated
aesthetic and a humorous penchant
for elevating the mundane. So rare,
after all, to be able to see the space
of an artist just as it was during the
height of creation, exquisite in its
shabbiness, chic in its minimalistic
design, its narrative revealed in a
plenitude of small details.
At times, it almost feels intrusive,
downright voyeuristic, as if the
viewer were intruding on something
personal. Yet that’s precisely the
premise behind the recent opening
of 500 Capp Street, to re-introduce
the life and work of Ireland, whose
reputation as one of the USA’s most
renowned conceptual artists has only
risen since his death, by featuring
his very house as the definitive
installation and distillation of his
vision.
If nothing else, the David Ireland
House should be celebrated as an act
of preservation in the fast-changing,
dot-com-fuelled gentrification of
San Francisco’s Mission District.
Mere days before the building
was scheduled to go to auction in
2008 — condo developers and retail
owners no doubt queuing up —
philanthropist and arts patron Carlie
Wilmans bought it for $895,000 with
the intent to conserve and restore the
ageing, crumbling structure to the
exact way Ireland had it before he was
forced to move in 2005.
Years of exacting renovation
ensued — decades of grime was
wiped away, shaky support beams
secured, painstaking restoration
of the mustard-hued walls Ireland
had famously stripped of wallpaper
and slathered with coats of clear
polyurethane — with the goal of
some day opening 500 Capp Street as
a testament to Ireland’s work, as well
as a space to stage rotating exhibits of
the 3,000 pieces he produced and, on
the lower, modernised level, feature
an education centre and garage
gallery.
That day is here. Since January,
tours at 500 Capp Street have drawn
hundreds. It’s been so popular,
in fact, that tickets are sold out
through mid-May. And this is just
the introductory exhibit, a housewarming, if you will, showcasing
the way Ireland lived and worked. A
deeper delving into Ireland’s oeuvre
will come in April, when artist,
curator and Ireland friend Rebecca
Goldfarb presents works showing
his penchant for creating objects
depicting flux.
What will remain on permanent
display, of course, will be the house
itself, where even the arrangement
of furniture and placement of
bookends became an artistic choice
to be mulled, where Ireland’s
personal quirks (scrawling names
and phone numbers on the walls,
making plaques to “commemorate”
scratches in the floorboards) inform
an understanding of his work.
Far from being exploitative, this
exposure of Ireland’s personal space
honours an artist who occasionally
flung open his doors to the public and
his dining room to friends in the arts,
maintains Wilmans and members of
the 500 Capp Street Foundation.
He believed, after all, in
transparency — and not just when it
comes to those lacquered walls. One
of Ireland’s role models was Marcel
Duchamp, the so-called grandfather
of conceptualism, whose portrait
sits propped on a chair in Ireland’s
upstairs study. And it was Duchamp
who once famously said, “The most
interesting thing about artists is how
they live.”
Golbfarb, who knew Ireland
well, doesn’t hesitate when asked
if her friend would’ve liked visitors
tramping through his house.
“He’d be so honoured, because it
affirms his work,” she said. “David
was very mindful of how intimate
this space was, so much so that some
people not familiar with his work
might be confused as to where the
art was. But there really isn’t any
separation between work and life.
The house is very diaristic. It’s like
walking into somebody’s recorded
events of their life.”
Jessica Roux, the foundation’s
director of operations, flicked
through her social-media feed
to find a recent affirmative post
that Ireland’s daughter made: “He
would’ve loved the sound of people
GULF TIMES
9
COMMUNITY
TRAVEL
A view of the front parlor at 500 Capp Street.
Jessica Roux, the foundation’s director of operations, shows preserved sticky notes on the wall
at the San Francisco Mission District house of deceased artist David Ireland.
THE ARTIST: A photograph of David Ireland in his bedroom at 500 Capp
Street.
(in the house).”
That’s true, Goldfarb said. She
recalled the first time she met Ireland
at 500 Capp. Ireland excused himself
to go to the kitchen ostensibly to
make tea and stayed there a long
while.
“He’d often do that,” Goldfarb
said, “to give people time to wander.”
Docents from the San Francisco
Arts Institute, where Ireland earned
a graduate degree, give visitors a
grounding into the history of the
building. It dates to 1886 and was the
home and storefront for an accordion
maker (“Accordions P. Greub,” it
still reads in gold leaf on the front
window) before Ireland bought it for
$50,000 in 1975.
The place, apparently, was in
shambles, and Ireland methodically
cleaned and rubbed and buffed. He
stripped the wallpaper and paint off
most walls until only the original
plaster remained, then slathered
on polyurethane, giving the space
a distinctive glow. He wouldn’t
throw away much — for an artist,
everything is material — and often
chose to repurpose mundane objects
in imaginative ways.
So a smattering of brooms the
accordion maker left behind became
Ireland’s “Broom Collection with
Boom,” in which the straw whisk
brooms are arranged in a circular,
tilted swirl, as if sweeping by their
own accord. An island of misfit chairs
became a trope throughout the house
— a gravity-defying, three-legged
one in a hallway; a seatless one with
bound San Francisco Chronicle
newspaper circa the Jimmy Carter
era as the backing in the bedroom;
several hanging, seat-toward-wall
sprouting wires or holding bare
bulbs.
Common household objects served
new purposes, most strikingly a pair
of gas torches dangling from copper
wires in the living room that, when
lit, converge and retreat in a swirl of
flames. The walls themselves have
a stark beauty, some of the cracks
so elaborate that they look almost
marbleized or like ice breaking.
“The whole thing started off like
any other simple home improvement
project,” Roux said, though noting
that, with artists, nothing is ever
simple. “There was this hideous
brown wallpaper, really dark, when
he got there. And he just started
stripping. He seemed to have found
more satisfaction in this process
than in anything else. That’s where
this all started. Look here, where the
backing of the wallpaper bled into the
plaster. The company logo’s on back,
exposing where door had been. He
liked that kind of thing.”
It quickly became evident, Roux
noted, that Ireland was not just
cleaning; he was creating. A photo
of Ireland from the late 1970s shows
the stork-like 6-foot-4 artist in jeans
and sneakers, donning a painter’s
hat on a step-ladder, a tool belt
around his waste, hammer dangling
like a six-shooter off his hip. But
what normal handyman-type of
homeowner thinks to bottle and save
dirt from window frames? One with
an artistic sensibility, that’s who.
Some of artist David Ireland’s pieces are displayed in the dining area at 500 Capp Street.
The question must be asked,
though: Was Ireland a hoarder?
Roux shook her head, but
conceded, “He definitely was
sentimental for things. Like, he
had an amazing collection of
newspapers.”
In the dining room cabinet sits a
Mason jar bearing the remains of a
birthday cake Ireland made nearly
four decades ago for a friend’s 90th
birthday party. All that is discernible
is a goopy, black blob.
“Here’s a photo of Mr. Gordon
blowing out the candles,” Roux said,
smiling. “You can see it was not a
chocolate cake. I can confirm that it
was a white sheet cake.”
Not anymore. Ireland, the
definition of eccentric, was nothing
if not playful. He liked to work with
industrial materials, cement being
a particular favourite. He would
form scoops of cement, put them in
ice cream goblets and give them to
dinner guests as parting gifts. Other
concrete objects d’art: bookends,
lamp bases, candle holders, wash
tubs.
Then there are his signature works,
“dumbballs.” Donning gloves, he
would toss cement from hand-tohand for hours until it hardened into
softball-size concrete objects. They
are scattered through the house, as if
the artist were a kid who hadn’t put
away his toys.
Every household disfigurement
became an opportunity for whimsy.
Every wall smudge is preserved, bare
footprints not sanded away. Wall
gouges are seen not as mistakes to
be spackled over but rather happy
accidents to be celebrated — or, at
least, dutifully acknowledged.
“A safe was upstairs when David
first got here,” Roux said. “He tied a
rope to it and tried to lower it down
the stairs. It escaped once on the
landing here and once on this wall.
He decided to mark it with plaques:
‹The safe gets away the first time,
November 5, 1975’ and ‹The safe gets
away for the second time, November
5, 1975.’ “
Most pieces are not mere
happenstance. Ireland thought long
and hard about installations, Roux
said.
When a window pane in the
upstairs living room shattered,
instead of replacing it, Ireland
installed a copper plate used for
etching. It shut off the view, of
course, but Ireland took a late-1970sera cassette tape deck and recorded
what he saw out the window for
posterity. In a fast-talking voice
more suitable for a TV pitchman,
Ireland ran through the litany of
neighbourhood sights (“... two trees,
three-story apartment house, white
with green trimming, red house, St.
Charles church, Bank of America,
Art objects are displayed at the
house.
yellow house with gray roof ...”) The
tape deck sits on a table facing the
blotted-out window.
Wilmans has said that she was
moved to purchase the house and
restore it after first encountering
that installation, thinking that it
would lose all context if it was crated
and shipped to a museum. — The
Sacramento Bee/TNS
10 GULF TIMES Friday, March 4, 2016
COMMUNITY
INFOGR
RAPHIC
GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
11
COMMUNITY
MOTORING
Maserati Levante debuts
at the Geneva Motor Show
M
aserati has chosen the
86th edition of the Geneva
International Motor Show
to introduce the first SUV in
its hundred-year history: the
Levante.
As with many Maseratis from the past,
the new car’s name is inspired by a wind:
the Levante is a warm Mediterranean wind
that can change from a light breeze to an
irresistible natural force in an instant,
mirroring the character of the first Maserati
SUV.
The Levante is the ideal complement
to the Maserati range. Combined with the
Quattroporte, Ghibli, GranTurismo and
GranCabrio, the range now covers the entirety
of the global luxury automotive market.
Design, exclusivity and performance are
the key characteristics for describing this
new Maserati. Distinctively Italian in style,
with breathtaking and iconic Maserati design
features.
The interior has been created with the
finest materials, most exquisite to the
touch, from optional premium leather to
Ermenegildo Zegna silk, made in Trivero by
the Zegna wool mill with a patented process.
The spaciousness of the interior, enhanced
by the panoramic electric sunroof, is
combined with coupé-sleek external lines
and the best aerodynamic efficiency in its
category with a Cx coefficient of just 0.31.
The new Maserati SUV is based on the
Quattroporte and Ghibli architecture, further
evolved and refined to meet the expectations
of this market segment, in which Maserati
will compete for the first time.
The technology applied to every Levante is
Maserati Levante.
designed to offer outstanding performances
both on- and off-road. Sophisticated
suspension — double-wishbone on the front
axle and multi-link on the rear, combined
with electronically controlled damping, four
corner air-springs providing 5 dynamic ride
levels (plus one additional park-position),
play an essential role in the car’s handling.
Furthermore, with the lowest centre of
gravity in its class, perfectly balanced weight
distribution (50-50) between front and rear,
high levels of dynamic torsional and flexional
stiffness, and a mechanical self-locking rear
differential as standard, when driven onroad, the Levante delivers all the performance
and emotion typical of every Maserati.
The height-adjustment of the body
position, particularly useful in off-road
driving, guarantees ride comfort at the top
of the category; when set to the minimum
ground clearance, it enables the car to
perform at its sporty best.
The Levante is fitted with a 3-litre V6
Twin-Turbo petrol engine with either 350hp
or 430hp. Both engines are combined with
the “Q4” intelligent all-wheel drive system —
which can transfer torque between the axles
instantaneously when required — and an
8-speed automatic gearbox, with integrated
Start&Stop System.
In terms of performance, the Levante S
(430hp) covers 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds,
has a top speed of 264km/h. The Levante
(350hp) accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.0
seconds and achieves a top speed of 251km.
The human-machine interface on board is
based on an evolution of the Maserati Touch
Control system, completely updated to offer
even more functionality and convenience: the
8.4” high-resolution screen is capacitive, and
can — in addition to the touch system — be
operated using the new rotary control in the
central tunnel.
A wide range of sophisticated advanced
driver assistance systems is available,
including adaptive cruise control with
automatic Start&Stop function, forward
collision warning, automatic brake assist
system and lane departure warning. Further
options include blind spot alert, surround
view camera and a powerlift tailgate.
Two extended feature packs are available
for the Levante, a Luxury-Package and a
Sport-Pack; they each include a variety of
distinctive stylistic and technical contents
and enable customers to extensively
personalise the exterior and interior of the
Levante.
The list of accessories, tailored to the
vehicle’s high quality and functionality
standards, offers a wider array of options
than ever before which includes cargo
solutions, useful everyday items and a variety
of roof carrier or trailer options.
The Maserati stand at Geneva is displaying
not only the Levante but also the marque’s
complete range, comprising the Ghibli and
Quattroporte saloons and the GranTurismo
coupe.
Toyota GAZOO Racing outlines
2016 motorsports activities
T
oyota GAZOO Racing,
the in-house brand
responsible for
motorsports activities
administered by Toyota
Motor Corporation, recently
announced its schedule for 2016.
Under the Toyota GAZOO
Racing team name, Toyota will
participate in the FIA World
Endurance Championship (WEC),
the Nürburgring 24 Hours endurance
race and the Japanese Rally
Championship. WEC 2016 will see
the debut of the new Toyota TS050
Hybrid race vehicle, with which the
team will aim to recapture the series
championship and achieve its first
win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans this
June.
The TS050 Hybrid utilises a new
hybrid system developed at Toyota’s
Higashi-Fuji Technical Center. In
the 2016 Nürburgring 24 Hours
endurance race, Toyota will celebrate
its tenth year of participation by
entering three cars: the Toyota C-HR
Racing, and the Lexus RC F and RC.
Takayuki Yoshitsugu, Chief
Representative of Middle East &
North Africa Representative Office,
Toyota Motor Corporation, said,
“Motorsports events offer a crucial
means of conveying the excitement
of driving, and are at the heart of
Toyota’s efforts to foster a greater
following of car fans and enthusiasts.
By taking part in these activities
under the umbrella of Toyota
GAZOO Racing, Toyota can focus on
developing its people and improving
its products, thereby contributing to
the creation of better, more advanced
cars.”
Yoshitsugu added, “Know-how
from our advanced hybrid race cars
is already in use to enhance Toyota’s
road car hybrids, and the WEC’s
focus on fuel economy and roadrelevant technology is expected to
see further technology transfer from
track to road. We greatly appreciate
the support from our customers who
have always backed our racing efforts
over the years.”
In the US, Toyota will continue
to compete in NASCAR events,
while in South America, Toyota will
support Toyota Auto Body Co, who
will participate in the Dakar Rally in
early 2017.
Meanwhile, in Japan, Toyota will
participate in the Super GT and
Super Formula series, both of which
are in the top tier of motorsports
events within Japan, and will also
compete in the Super Taikyu series
with the 86 coupe.
In 2017, Toyota will return to the
FIA World Rally Championship
(WRC). Preparations are ongoing,
with a rally vehicle based on the
Yaris compact hatchback currently
being developed to meet FIA 2017
regulations.
As part of its initiatives to cultivate
young drivers who hope to compete
in high-level international racing
events, Toyota will continue to run
the Toyota GAZOO Racing Rally
Challenge Program for rallies, and the
Toyota will continue to share information about upcoming races, rallies and
events by utilising digital platforms and social networking sites.
Toyota Young Drivers Program (TDP)
for races.
Toyota will also actively try to raise
awareness of automotive culture,
creating a new generation of car
enthusiasts in the process. Key to
these efforts will be a wide range of
participative, informal motorsports
events targeting participation by
ordinary customers, such as the
Toyota GAZOO Racing 86/BRZ Race,
Toyota GAZOO Racing Netz Cup
Vitz Race and Toyota GAZOO Racing
Rally Challenge.
Toyota will continue to share
information about upcoming races,
rallies and events by utilising digital
platforms and social networking
sites. Toyota will also share
updates on its lineups of tuned and
performance models, such as the
GRMN and G’s series, which have
been adapted based on racing and
rally experiences.
A new logo for Toyota GAZOO
Racing activities has also been
announced, along with a unified
colour scheme that will be
implemented for all vehicles that
race in WRC, WEC, the Nürburgring
24 Hours endurance race and the
Japanese Rally Championship.
GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
LEISURE
Colour by numbers
Colour by choice
Maze
Connect the dots
Picture crossword
13
COMMUNITY
CARTOONS
Quick Clues
Wordwatch
DOWN
1. Rush (8)
2. Animate (5)
4. Nursery (6)
5. Ice-box (12)
6. Tedious (7)
7. Story (4)
8. Halfway (12)
12. Recover (8)
14. Leading (7)
16. Referee (6)
18. In debt (5)
19. Dress (4)
DOWN
1. Untrustworthy where ice is concerned? (8)
2. Blow nothing on relish (5)
4. One hundredth rusty car built with hidden
force (6)
5. A novel chrome used for sewer entrance
(7,5)
6. Issue direction to friend going round North
America (7)
7. Sound made by a repeater? (4)
8. Colourful digits with ability to grow (5,7)
12. Same chin, different mechanisms (8)
14. Last stops for interchange round the
motorway (7)
16. Tool to cheat with? (6)
18. Magazine for children (5)
19. Stately display made by politician on the
river (4)
Yesterday’s Solutions
QUICK
Across: 6 Brittle; 7 Flood; 9 Score; 10
Journey; 12 Gesticulate; 14 Indomitable;
18 Capital; 19 Issue; 21 Untie; 22 Terrify.
Down: 1 Crack; 2 Starve; 3 Sly; 4 Floral;
5 Modesty; 8 Conceal; 11 Ethical; 13
Uncanny; 15 Origin; 16 Lustre; 17 Quaff;
20 Wed.
bibliogony (bib-lee-OG-uh-nee)
MEANING:
noun: The art of producing or publishing
books. Also known as bibliogenesis.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek biblio- (book) + -gony (origin).
Earliest documented use: 1835.
USAGE:
“The author also appreciates the liberal
expenditures of the company for the
publication of the volume in an excellent
style of bibliogony.”
Miland Austin Knapp; Teeth Regulation;
1900.
recto (REK-toh)
MEANING:
noun: The front of a leaf, the side that is to
be read first.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin recto folio (right-hand leaf),
from rectus (right). Ultimately from the
Indo-European reg- (to move in a straight
line, lead, or rule) that is also the source
of regent, regime, direct, rectangle, erect,
rectum, alert, source, surge, arrogate,
abrogate, regent, and supererogatory.
Earliest documented use: 1789.
NOTES:
In languages that are written left-to-right,
such as English, recto is the right-hand
page. In languages written right-to-left,
such as Arabic, recto is the left-hand
page. The other side is called verso.
Sudoku
Cryptic Clues
ACROSS
1. Plant in common usage in the kitchen (4)
3. Make rapid headway on a speed mat,
possibly (8)
9. One providing cover (7)
10. Shortly to be under a Welsh location (5)
11. One who gets paid for sale of prison? (12)
13. Give formal consent to a try if it goes
astray (6)
15. City girl after some information (6)
17. Having two nationalities providing a
finish (6,6)
20. Like cattle headed off in relation to
sheep (5)
21. Good man making notes about headgear
item (7)
22. Footwear item used on board with a
line (8)
23. Last character with new use for the ruler
of the gods (4)
15
COMMUNITY
LEISURE
ACROSS
1. Only (4)
3. Dearth (8)
9. Progress (7)
10. Moslem ascetic (5)
11. Furniture van (12)
13. Fanciful (6)
15. Erase (6)
17. Misdeed (12)
20. Stadium (5)
21. Worship (7)
22. Beaten (8)
23. Monster (4)
GULF TIMES
CRYPTIC
Across: 6 Allowed; 7 Carat; 9 Ivory; 10
Verbose; 12 Requisition; 14 Whistle stop;
18 Clarity; 19 Fatal; 21 Inner; 22 Own goal.
Down: 1 Olive; 2 Source; 3 Yen; 4 Rabbit;
5 Passion; 8 Persist; 11 Quality; 13
Phalanx; 15 Shriek; 16 Orange; 17 Kayak;
20 Two.
USAGE:
“The foot of the opening recto displays
an unframed heraldic device: the royal
arms of England.”
The Opicius Poems; Renaissance
Quarterly (New York); Sep 2002.
codex (KOH-deks)
MEANING:
noun: A manuscript volume (as opposed
to a scroll), especially of an ancient text.
ETYMOLOGY:
From Latin codex (tree trunk, wood block,
book). Earliest documented use: 1581.
USAGE:
“The most legendary is the Voynich
manuscript (a handwritten codex carbondated to the 15th century and thought to
have originated in Central Europe), which
cryptographers have still yet to solve.”
David Kushner; The Web’s Deepest
Mystery; Rolling Stone (New York); Jan
29, 2015.
nineteenth hole (NYN-TEENTH hol)
MEANING:
noun: The clubhouse or another place,
such as a bar or a restaurant, where
golfers gather after playing a round.
ETYMOLOGY:
A standard round of golf has eighteen
holes, so the next stop after the game,
a bar or a restaurant, is called the
nineteenth hole. A similar term is the fifth
quarter in (American) football. Earliest
documented use: 1901.
USAGE:
“The leaders will head to the practice
tee to continue perfecting their game,
while most golfers head directly to the
nineteenth hole for a drink and a bite to
eat.”
Brad Brewer; Mentored by the King;
Zondervan; 2011.
suffragist (SUHF-ruh-jist)
MEANING:
noun: An advocate of extending the right
to vote, especially to women.
ETYMOLOGY:
Via French from Latin suffragium
(voting tablet, right to vote). Ultimately
from the Indo-European root bhreg(to break) that also gave us break,
breach, fraction, fragile, fractal, infringe,
irrefragable, and fractious. Suffrage?
Remember, a broken piece of tile was
used as a ballot in the past. Earliest
documented use: 1822.
USAGE:
“Women had not won the right to vote;
one suffragist slapped Song Jiaoren in
the face for not taking up their cause.”
The Song of Song; The Economist
(London, UK); Dec 22, 2012.
— wordsmith.org
Yesterday’s Solutions
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 row and every 3x3
box contains the digits 1 to 9 and none
is repeated.
Mall Cinema (1): Kalyana
Vaibhogame (Telugu) 2pm; Action
Hero Biju (Malayalam) 4.15pm;
Zootropolis:Zootopia (2D) 6.45pm;
Jai Gangaajal (Hindi) 8.45pm;
London Has Fallen (2D) 11.30pm.
Mall Cinema (2): Jai
Gangaajal (Hindi) 2.15pm;
Zootropolis:Zootopia (2D) 5pm;
Kings Of Egypt (2D) 7pm; Race (2D)
9pm; 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers
Of Benghazi (2D) 11.15pm.
Mall Cinema (3):
Zootropolis:Zootopia (2D) 2.30pm;
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of
Benghazi (2D) 4.30pm; Always
Be My Maybe (2D) 7pm; London
Has Fallen (2D) 9pm; Pokkiri Raja
(Tamil) 11pm.
Cinema Land Mark (1): Pokki
Raja (Tamil) 2.30pm; London Has
Fallen (2D) 5pm; Action Hero
Jai Gangaajal (Hindi) 8pm; Jai
Gangaajal (Hindi) 11pm.
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2):
Biju (Malayalam) 6.45pm; Kings
Race (2D) 2.30pm; London Has
Of Egypt (2D) 9.15pm; Pokki Raja
Fallen (2D) 5pm; Bachaana (Urdu)
(Tamil) 11.15pm.
7pm; Always Be My Maybe (2D)
Cinema Land Mark (2):
Zootropolis:Zootopia (2D) 2.30pm; 9pm; London Has Fallen (2D) 11pm.
Zootropolis:Zootopia (2D) 4.30pm; Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3):
Zootropolis:Zootopia (2D) 6.30pm; 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of
Benghazi (2D) 2pm; Bachaana
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers Of
Benghazi (2D) 8.30pm; London Has (Urdu) 4.30pm; The Revenant
(2D) 6.30pm; 13 Hours: The Secret
Fallen (2D) 11pm.
Soldiers Of Benghazi (2D) 9pm;
Cinema Land Mark (3): Kalyana
Vaibhogame (Telugu) 2.30pm; Race Race (2D) 11.30pm.
Asian Town Cinema: Action Hero
(2D) 5pm; Always Be My Maybe
Biju (Malayalam) 1.30, 2.45, 4.15,
(2D) 7.30pm; London Has Fallen
5.30, 7, 8.15, 9.45, 11pm & 12.30am;
(2D) 9.30pm; 13 Hours: The Secret
Jai Gangaajal (Hindi) 6, 8.45 &
Soldiers Of Benghazi (2D) 11.15pm.
11.30pm; Pokkiri Raja(Tamil) 12.45,
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1):
3.15, 6, 8.45 & 11.30pm; Kalyana
Vaibhogame (Telugu) 12.45 &
3.15pm.
COMMUNITY
LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE
Create stress-free living with
this single kitchen upgrade
H
ome is all about entertaining
— barbecues, parties, pool
parties, family dinners and
the like. All of a sudden, your
kitchen is the nexus of activity
as family, friends and neighbours grab
soft drinks from the fridge while you’re
prepping those burgers and mixing up
the fruit salad. Wouldn’t it be nice to get
a little more space — prep space for you,
more chairs for them, more floor space for
all the through traffic to the backyard and
throughout the house?
Enter the sliding door, creatively
equipped with wall mount door hardware.
A wall-mounted sliding door can add up
to 14 square feet of floor space, which
opens up the kitchen to many different
arrangement possibilities, including more
prep space, additional tables and chairs
for more guests. Sliding doors also provide
better flow to the room. When your house
is full of kids running around, no one has
to worry about a swinging door opening in
their face, knocking food or drinks from
their hands, or the door slamming from a
sudden gust of air.
Buy some heavy-duty wall mount
sliding door hardware that’s ideally suited
for walls that don’t accommodate a pocket
door, and can hold any type of door up
to 400 lbs. The 200 WM features a thick
walled precision extruded aluminium
I-beam track and heavy-duty extruded
aluminium mounting brackets that can
be positioned along the track to anchor
into wall studs. Four-wheel ball-bearing
hangers assure smooth operation.
You need to find everything you
need, including adjustable, detachable
door hangers for easy door installation
and removal (doors not included). An
experienced handyman can complete the
installation in about an hour.
The jump-proof aluminium box track
is available in lengths up to 96” for
single doors, and up to 192” for double
door configurations. The smooth rolling
door hardware and track exceed ANSI
standards, which means it can successfully
complete 100,000 opening and closing
cycles.
ARIES
March 21 — April 19
Making new friends is never easy — people can get rather set in
their own ways and the older you get it’s definitely more difficult.
However, you have great planetary aspects in your eleventh house
of friendship right now and you should use it.
CANCER
June 21 — July 22
There is no way of knowing today if you are on the right track or not.
Luckily for you, today’s the day of the SuperMoon in your first house
of personality and ego. It’s a huge day for you and a time for you to
bring closure to something that has been bothering you for some
time.
LIBRA
September 23 — October 22
If you can’t think of anything nice to say at all today Libras (which
is very unusual for you), then don’t say anything at all. And above
all, don’t allow yourself to be baited into saying something and then
having your words twisted about.
CAPRICORN
December 22 — January 19
Today is the day of the SuperMoon and in your opposite sign of
Cancer, your one on one relationship zone, makes this a very special
day indeed. What makes you happy and feel good about yourself?
Whatever it is, go do it today — don’t let anything or anyone stand in
your way!
© Brandpoint
TAURUS
April 20 — May 20
If you feel you have been way over talking something or overdoing
something, slow your roll bulls. You’re boring everyone and people
are more than likely avoiding you! Being stubborn is one thing but
being a broken record is another!
LEO
July 23 — August 22
Is something or someone taking way too long for your liking? Are
you feeling impatient and wishing things were happening much
more quickly? A situation with your other half may feel as if it’s
taking way too long to work itself out. Give it some time and a little
tenderness, Leos.
SCORPIO
October 23 — November 21
Avoid being caught out in a lie today, Scorpios. If you have fibbed
somewhat and told a few white lies and exaggerations, they will
catch up with you today or during the week ahead. Let the Super
Moon in your spiritual zone make today a very special day indeed.
AQUARIUS
January 20 — February 18
Uranus your ruler and the planet of unexpected surprises turns
direct in your communications and chit chat zone.
GEMINI
May 21 — June 20
Be patient today Gemini’s and don’t try to bully someone into doing
something they clearly don’t want to do. You feel like you have to
get something done and in a hurry too — with Mars in your self–
fulfilment zone you are really pushing yourself. Try not to.
VIRGO
August 23 — September 22
Be more upfront about whatever it is you want today Virgos and you
will get what you want out of life and the people in it. The Sun and
your ruler Mercury the communicator both transiting your romance
and fun zone right now. Great aspects for you.
SAGITTARIUS
November 22 — December 21
Be honest with yourself is never easy — probably because you
always feel you are in the right and basically have nothing to be
dishonest about. Others would beg to disagree Sags and now you
have to really figure out what is fact and what is fiction.
PISCES
February 19 — March 20
All good things come to those who wait Pisces and you are definitely
no exception. Now is the time to get your unresolved predicament
resolved and tie up those loose 2014 ends once and for all.
GULF TIMES
17
COMMUNITY
BOLLYWOOD
Mainstream cinema
is changing: Shabana
A
ROLE CALL: Sibiraj
When Sibiraj turned dhoti-clad gangster
Actor Sibiraj has revealed that it took two months for him to master
the art of wearing a dhoti and get comfortable in it for his gangster’s role
in forthcoming Tamil fantasy comedy Pokkiri Raja, which releases in
cinemas today.
“I play a gangster who roams around in veshti (dhoti). I always wanted
to do a dhoti-clad character. I love wearing dhoti, but I seldom wear it in
my daily life. Since I was expected to wear a dhoti throughout the film, I
started wearing it even before it went on the floors,” Sibiraj told IANS.
He started wearing dhoti almost three months before the shoot.
“I wore it everywhere I went. In malls, temples and even when I
boarded flights, I travelled in dhoti, because it was important that I got
comfortable in it before the shoot,” he said.
In the film, he plays a character called Cooling glass Guna.
“It’s a very interesting character. Unlike a regular gangster, I get to be
goofy in this role. The cooling glass I sport is like a character of its own,”
he said, adding that if it was not for his director’s crystal clear vision, he
wouldn’t have pulled off his role.
The film is directed by Ramprakash Rayappa, and it also stars Jiiva and
Hansika Motwani. “I didn’t have to do any homework. My director would
show us what he exactly wants and then would let us improvise and play
with the character,” he said.
While the trailer indicates that Sibiraj might be playing the villain, he
thinks otherwise. “I wouldn’t call it a villain’s role. Both Jiiva and I are at
loggerheads throughout the film, but there’s nothing like a hero-villain
clash. Our roles will be like the ones essayed by Prabhu and Karthik in
Agni Natchathiram,” he said.
The project gave Sibiraj an opportunity to work with his long-time
friend Jiiva. “We were supposed to work together on several occasions.
Besides the film’s interesting script, it was Jiiva that drew me to this
project. He’s a very talented actor and I learnt quite a bit from the
experience of working with him,” he added.
Talking about the film, he said that the fantasy and comedy elements
will appeal to kids and adults alike. Besides Pokkiri Raja, Sibiraj awaits
the release of horror-comedy Jackson Durai. He will also start shooting
for a yet-untitled dark comedy later this month with a newcomer. —
IANS
ctress Shabana
Azmi has said that
mainstream Hindi
cinema is witnessing
a change from the
stereotypical portrayal of mothers
and other characters in earlier
times.
“There is a change coming in
mainstream Hindi cinema. Earlier,
when there used to be a role of a
mother, she would drop the thaali
and scream ‘nahi’, an absolutely
stereotypical role. And in Hindi
films, there was always an attempt
to wipe out all the details,” Azmi
said at a press meet regarding the
success of her film Neerja.
This has been changing now,
she said, adding that if you see, in
mainstream cinema we are locating
our characters. Azmi plays a role
based on Rama Bhanot in the
film, the mother of Neerja Bhanot
(played by Sonam Kapoor), a flight
attendant who laid her life in
protecting passengers on a hijacked
flight in 1986. The relationship
between her and Sonam has been
one of the highlights of the film,
having earned appreciation from
critics and fans.
While there were numerous
Punjabi mothers shown in Hindi
films, many of them have been
stereotypical with the accent,
mannerisms and behaviour. “For
any character it is important
that you play different types
of characters, and in Neerja’s
character, there was a Punjabiyat,
but we didn’t blow trumpets about
it, only a few lines of it were used,
and people have appreciated it.
That’s the way forward.
The most delightful feeling is
that numerous Punjabi mothers
said that I looked exactly like them,”
Azmi said. She also said that she’s
Shaan adds romantic
quotient to Dahleez
Dishoom team bids
goodbye to Abu Dhabi
Singer Shaan along with
musician Gaurav Dasgupta has
composed a romantic title track
for Dahleez, a new Star Plus show.
The title track Jiya re has been
penned by Superbia band, which
the musicians are a part of.
According to a statement,
Jiya Re was initially composed
for a movie which eventually
got picked up for Dahleez. Jubin
Nautiyal has crooned the song.
Nautiyal was overwhelmed by the
chance.
He said: “The band, who
are the composers of the song,
approached me to sing the song
and I instantly said a yes. Little
did we know, this song would get
picked up by Star Plus giving us a
great opportunity to reach out to
their mass audience.” The singer
is excited about the song as “it’s
for all the people in love, and it’s
beautiful.” — IANS
The Dishoom team has wrapped
up its shoot, and the upcoming
movie’s actor Varun Dhawan says
“it has been magical”. “Goodbye
#abudhabi from team #dishoom.
It’s been magical,” Varun tweeted on
Wednesday. The action-adventure
film, which also stars John Abraham
and Jacqueline Fernandez, is helmed
by Rohit Dhawan. UAE Culture
Minister Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak
al-Nahyan had earlier welcomed
John, Varun and Jacqueline to his
palace. They are said to have spoken
for long about India and Abu Dhabi
— and cinema too. Sheikh Nahyan is
said to have been more than generous
to extend all the support he could for
the team to have a smooth schedule
there. The two male actors will be
seen as “buddy cops” in Dishoom.
The story of the film, slated to release
on July 29, is set in the Middle East.
— IANS
STRIKING A CHORD: Shaan
BREATH OF FRESH AIR: Shabana Azmi
getting numerous compliments
from people who said that she made
them cry.
“Javed sahab cried a lot when he
saw the trial; he was speechless for
a substantial time. He then watched
it in the theatre and again cried a
lot there,” she responded on being
asked if her husband Javed Akhtar
also feels the same?
Neerja has done good business at
the box-office, having earned more
than Rs.50 crore at the box-office in
its first week. — IANS
Shilpa Shirodkar slips on set, injures back
Actress Shilpa Shirodkar had a
major fall on the set of TV show
Silsila Pyaar Ka. A particular
sequence required the actress, who
plays the role of Janki in the Star
Plus show, to walk down the stairs
while delivering her dialogues.
While doing so, she lost her
balance and accidentally slipped
on the staircase recently. The unit
members, including her co-star
Abhay Vakil, immediately rushed
towards her since she was injured
and couldn’t stand on her own.
Recalling the incident, Shilpa
said in a statement: “I slipped on
the set very badly and hurt my
back. It was an accident. I thought
for next one or two months that I
wouldn’t be able to get up from the
bed, but luckily it is not a fracture.”
“I can’t walk right now so
thankfully my director has tweaked
my part and made it in a way, so
that I can rest at home,” she added.
— IANS
CLOSE SHAVE: Shilpa Shirodkar
COMMUNITY
HOLLYWOOD
Moonves’ success mantra
Leslie Moonves guides CBS back to the top of the television industry
PARADIGM SHIFT: Leslie Moonves in his office at CBS Studios in Studio City, California.
By Stephen Battaglio
E
very day that CBS Corp,
Chairman Leslie Moonves
goes to his New York
office on the 35th floor
of the Eero Saarinendesigned corporate headquarters in
Manhattan, he never forgets it once
belonged to the company’s founder,
William Paley.
“I walk in here and think, ‘This
is the man that created CBS, that
created broadcasting,’” Moonves
said in an exclusive interview
with The Times at his office
decorated with modern art pieces
by Roy Lichtenstein and Robert
Rauschenberg. “Being in the space
Bill Paley was in is pretty important.”
Tradition matters to Moonves,
who joined CBS in 1995 and earlier
this month was elected chairman of
the company, replacing the ailing
Sumner Redstone. But the 66-yearold Long Island native has restored
CBS’ vaunted place in the industry
by adapting it to a rapidly changing
media landscape, in which viewers
have more choice and control over
how they watch television. This
month, CBS posted its best quarterly
earnings in its history, helped by
having shows that are not just
prime-time hits but also assets that
can generate revenue from around
the world and online.
“What they’ve done is amplified
by their having been left for dead in
2006,” said Brian Wieser, a senior
analyst for Pivotal Research Group.
That was the year Redstone split
up Viacom and CBS after acquiring
the latter in 1999. CBS was pegged
as a slow-growth, mature company
with broadcast TV and radio
properties and a premium cable
network, Showtime, which at the
time did not have the cachet or
profits of HBO. Viacom — home of
popular cable brands Nickelodeon,
MTV and Comedy Central and film
studio Paramount Pictures — was
destined to ride in the fast lane.
The fortunes have reversed
under Moonves’ watch. CBS
today is valued at about $22.6bn,
while Viacom is worth $15.5bn
and dogged by questions about
its future as more consumers get
untethered from cable TV and
Paramount lags behind its rivals
in Hollywood. The struggles
have put mounting pressure on
Viacom and its chairman, Philippe
Dauman, who said the company was
considering selling a minority stake
in Paramount.
Moonves has emerged unscathed
from the conflict between 92-yearold Redstone and his daughter
Shari over who should lead the
New York media empire. He would
not discuss Viacom’s performance
or the dispute surrounding the
Redstone family, which has been in
a legal squabble over the company
founder’s medical care. But he does
say he was able to put his own stamp
on CBS even when reporting to his
predecessor.
“Sumner always treated me
great,” Moonves said. “He was
always supportive and in terms
of the operation, he did leave me
alone ... . I never felt any form of
interference.”
It probably helped that CBS has
been the most-watched network in
12 of the last 13 years and is on track
to win the 2015-16 TV season in
viewers, averaging 9.4mn in prime
time, well ahead of NBC’s 5.07mn.
The network also has a narrow lead
over NBC in the advertiser-coveted
18-to-49 age group.
CBS is holding onto its lead while
having to contend with the rapidly
changing habits of the TV audience,
which are challenging the entire
broadcasting business.
Real-time TV viewing among
young adults is declining as more
of them use Internet-connected
devices, DVRs and video-ondemand services to watch their
favourite shows. With more
than 400 scripted TV shows in
production that viewers can choose
from, coming up with a massive hit
is more difficult than ever.
To compete, CBS maintained an
aggressive stance on owning the
series it puts on its prime-time
schedule. The network’s production
studio made eight of the 20 mostwatched scripted series of 2015. Its
pipeline is generating new revenue
from program buyers in emerging
TV markets overseas — including
China — and the rise of online
streaming services Netflix, Hulu and
Amazon.
International broadcasters have
snapped up NCIS, still TV’s No. 1
drama in the US after 13 seasons on
the air, and its spinoffs. Like CBS’
CSI franchise, NCIS has generated
more than $2bn in revenue.
“What we put on the television
set and sell advertising to is still
very important,” Moonves said.
“The back end has become just as
important.”
Even series that have been midlevel ratings performers in the US,
such as Elementary, are generating
profits globally. CBS can launch
original programmes such as Zoo
and Under the Dome in the summer
— once a time when cable would
eat its lunch — because the series
were already profitable from sales to
Amazon and TV networks outside
the US.
“When we’re in development,
the international guys are in there,
and they are talking about what the
show is going to be worth,” Moonves
said. “That becomes part of your
strategy.”
CBS’s hard line in getting
affiliates, cable and satellite
operators to pay to carry its signal
has also paid off — the company
is on track to generate $2bn in
retransmission fees next year, up
from $250mn in 2012.
Moonves believes increased
consumer desire for smaller
packages of cable channels will not
have an effect on CBS. A schedule
of broadly popular hits and sports
properties, such as the National
Football League, helps when CBS
is sitting across a negotiating table
from a multichannel video program
distributor. “There are other basic
channels out there that they don’t
have to have,” Moonves said. “They
have to have CBS.”
To prepare for the cord-cutting
and cord-shaving generation,
CBS is aiming to be an “overthe-top” player too with its own
subscription-based streaming
services that offer content from
CBS and Showtime. They will have
a positive effect on its balance sheet
by next year, the company said.
Analysts are taking CBS All
Access more seriously since CBS
announced it will be the exclusive
home of the next TV iteration of
Star Trek. CBS could have made
a bundle on the sci-fi programme
by airing it on the network, in
syndication or selling it to Netflix
or Amazon. Instead, it will be a lure
for new subscribers to pay $5.99 a
month for the service.
Moonves has always been an
aggressive competitor. In his early
years as an entertainment president
at CBS, he battled to upgrade the
network’s ratings and stodgy image,
even personally calling reporters
if he believed they were not giving
his programmes a fair shake in the
press.
He has a much larger portfolio
today and focuses more on getting
Wall Street to recognize CBS’ overall
strength as a company. He admits he
gets consumed by an unwillingness
to accept defeat.
“When I have something big in
front of me I can rarely think about
anything else,” he said. “When there
is something bugging me, my wife
realises she shouldn’t even talk to
me.” — Los Angeles Times/TNS
GULF TIMES 19
COMMUNITY
HOLLYWOOD
Adele surprises ailing fan by visiting her home
Oscar-winning singer Adele stopped to say “hello” to a 12-year-old
ailing fan in the midst of her preparations for a gig. The superstar was in
London for a gig when she decided to drop in on Rebecca Gibney after her
mother Tracy launched a campaign last year, reports mirror.co.uk.
Tracy, from Short Strand, had started a campaign last year in a bid to help
her daughter meet her idol Adele. “I am in shock, I got my baby’s dream to
come true. She was so nice, she could not have been nicer.
“Adele sat beside her and she was talking to me and my other kid, she
was so nice for wee Rebecca. I cannot put it into words what it means,” the
girl’s mother told Belfast Live.
“Adele was in my house, sitting on my hospital bed, Adele was in the
Short Strand. It is unbelievable her dream has come true. Adele was just so
nice,” she added.
Rebecca is too ill to go to the concert, but Adele had offered Tracy and
family tickets for the gig at the SSE Arena. – IANS
REACHING OUT: Adele
MORTIFIED: Brad Pitt, right, and Angelina Jolie
Pitt, Jolie’s mansion
suffers sewage floods
H
ollywood couple Brad
Pitt and Angelina
Jolie’s new home
in London suffered
sewage floods, causing
major damage to their ninebedroom mansion.
The Mr & Mrs Smith actors were
forced to call in Dyno-Rod which
specialises in blocked pipes and
disposing off filth, reports mirror.
co.uk.
Major damage was caused to the
nine-bedroom rented mansion,
where the celebrity couple moved
last month with their six children.
“Brad and Angelina were
mortified after flooding it as soon
as they moved in. There was a big
problem with the toilet. It caused
a fair bit of damage but they
managed to sort it out quickly,” a
source said.
Even when the sewage put the
toilet out of action, the family
were not left crossing their legs.
The home they are renting has
nine more bathrooms. It also has a
cinema, helicopter landing pad and
two swimming pools.
Pitt, 52, and Jolie, 40, are
living here while Pitt films the
sequel to zombie film World War
Z, and Jolie dedicates herself to
humanitarian causes. The couple
had hoped to buy a place here but
are yet to find the ideal house.
The last time they rented in the
capital they paid 17,000 pounds a
month for Whornes Place estate
in Richmond, South West London.
— IANS
Miss Colombia
in xXx sequel
Miss Colombia Ariadna
Gutiérrez, the first runner-up in
the Miss Universe contest last
year, has been cast as Vin Diesel’s
love interest in xXx: The Return
of Xander Cage. Gutierrez, who
was Miss Colombia 2014, gained
massive international recognition
at the Miss Universe pageant when
host Steve Harvey announced her
as the winner by mistake when it
was actually Miss Philippines, Pia
Alonzo Wurtzbach, who won.
The movie, the shooting of which
is underway in Toronto and the
Dominican Republic, will mark her
feature film debut, reports tmz.com.
Indian actress Deepika
Padukone has a key role with
Diesel, joining actresses Ruby
Rose, Nina Dobrev, Donnie Yen
Kanye West uses Pirate Bay?
Rapper Kanye West has sparked speculation that he
uses illegal torrent sites. The All Day hitmaker caused
controversy when he posted on Twitter a screenshot of
his laptop to show he was listening to Sufjan Stevens,
but it was the other tabs he had open which caught the
eye of fans, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
While one tab read “Pirate Bay Torrent Xfe...”,
another displayed “Xfer Records Serum t..”, prompting
Twitterati, including producer Deadmau5, to accuse
him of stealing wave table synthesiser programme
Serum by Xfer Records.
The Electronic Dance Music star tweeted: “What the
%%*** @kanyewest... Can’t afford serum? &***. (sic)”
Deadmau5 also called on fans to donate money
to help West who recently claimed he was $53mn in
debt, to help him purchase the $189 music production
programme, which is used to produce high-quality
sound with an easy-to-use interface.
“Let’s start a kickstarter to help Kanye West afford
COURTING CONTROVERSY: a copy of Serum. He needs a small loan of $200
#prayforyeezy,” he posted. — IANS
Kanye West
and Samuel L Jackson.
Production house Paramount
last week announced January
20, 2017 as release date. The
film, produced by Revolution
Studios, Roth Kirschenbaum
Films and Diesel’s One Race Film,
is being directed by DJ Caruso (I
Am Number Four) from a script
by Chad St. John, with current
revisions by F. Scott Frazier.
Diesel starred in the original
2002 XXX, directed by Rob Cohen,
as underground sports star Xander
Cage, who was blackmailed by
the US government to take down
a gang of international terrorists.
The third film follows Diesel’s
character as he comes out of selfimposed exile to recover a sinister
and seemingly unstoppable
weapon known as Pandora’s Box.
– IANS
Elba, McConaughey to
star in The Dark Tower
ROPED IN: Idris Elba, above, and Matthew
McConaughey
Actors Idris Elba and Matthew McConaughey will
be part of the cinematic adaptation of The Dark Tower,
the book’s author Stephen King has confirmed.
Taking to his Twitter handle, King posted the
news that the two actors will star in the film, reports
aceshowbiz.com.
“It’s official: The man in black fled across the desert
and the gunslinger followed,” King tweeted, referring
to the two protagonists in the book and the line that
kicks off the book series. Elba tweeted a link to King’s
tweet and wrote: “McConaughey you have one new
follower. #DarkTowerMovie” to which McConaughey
replied, “Idris Elba come and get me, I look forward to
it”.
McConaughey’s name was the first to pop up as the
possible contender for the role of Walter Padick aka the
Man in Black. The Oscar winner was said to have been
in talks for the project in November last year, while
Elba’s name was linked to the role of Roland Deschain
the next month. – IANS
COMMUNITY
The Qatar Pavilion at the Global Village.
Qatar pavilion at Global
Village goes traditional
By Anand Holla
W
ith the GCC
pavilions at
Global Village
celebrating the
20th season of the
region’s leading family destination
for cultural shopping and
entertainment by showcasing
their rich traditions and unique
heritage to guests from around the
world, Qatar is making its distinct
presence felt with its pavilion that
stands out for its fascinating design
and warmth.
The unique pavilions at the
Global Village introduce the Gulf
region’s range of products and
aesthetics to guests, giving them
the chance to learn about the UAE
and surrounding countries, whether
they are local residents or tourists.
Global Village’s 20th season is
welcoming guests to GCC pavilions
across the park. Each pavilion is
filled with rare products that will
enthral GCC nationals, as well as
visitors to Dubai.
The Qatar pavilion has a unique
façade that stands out with its
traditional pigeon tower design
and other traditional forts, like Al
Zubarah fort. At night, the tower
shines, wrapped in lights that cover
its façade. The pavilion on the
inside is a replica of Souq Waqif,
Qatar’s most famous market, and
the Qatar pavilion is renowned
for its excellent products, such as
traditional abayas, perfumes, and
Burqu that cover 35 different shops.
This year, at Global Village’s
Qatar pavilion, the entire pavilion
has been booked by exhibitors who
have specifically come from Qatar
to showcase their goods to guests,
lending a brand new feel to the
Qatar pavilion.
The GCC pavilions are available
for guests to visit throughout
the 20th anniversary of Global
Village from 4pm until 12am on
Saturday to Wednesday, with
Global Village extending its
working hours on Thursday and
Friday by staying open from 4pm
until 1am. The region’s leading
family entertainment and cultural
shopping attraction will continue
to welcome guests until April 9.
Ahmad Hussain bin Essa, CEO
of Global Village, commented
on the 20th edition of Global
Village and asserted that the large
presence of GCC pavilions is a
continued strength for the park.
“It is a continued source of pride
for Global Village to host so many
of the GCC countries as pavilions
during our 20th season. All of the
pavilion organisers developed and
executed some amazing ideas to
create beautiful facades, as well as
offer products, and experiences that
local residents, regional visitors and
guests from all over the world will
enjoy,” he said.
“The GCC pavilions have always
been some of the most attractive
elements of Global Village,” he
continued, “Part of our goal has
been to provide a comprehensive
cultural, leisure and artistic
experience from around the world.
The GCC is a unique area that
people should be able to learn
about when at Global Village
and we are proud to see that the
pavilions have grown over the past
years in terms of the professional
Inside the Qatar Pavilion.
level of organisation, the size of
participating pavilions and the
number of products and activities
on display from individual
countries.”
Global Village is said to be the
world’s largest tourism, leisure
and entertainment project. It
is the region’s first cultural,
entertainment, family and
shopping destination. Every year,
it has over 5 million visitors over
an area of 17,200,000 sq ft. Ahmad
Hussain bin Essa further pointed
out, “We hope to see the success of
the GCC pavilions continue to grow
in Global Village, because they are
an added value to the rich cultural
experience of Global Village that
is provided to its guests from the
UAE, the GCC and the world at
large.”

Community - Gulf Times

Transcription

Similar documents

PSA00865-A TSA Sales Area Flyer A4.indd

TOYOTAofPALOALTO

iSkin - Specifications

star signs a daily crossword sudoku puzzle daily

Borrell: Text ads top mobile apps news INSIDE >> Thursday, June 3

Digital Marketing Trends 2015 - Dundalk

PDF of this page

Friday, February 15, 2013

marg helgenberger - Athlon Media Group

Driving Leadership in Enterprise

Report on Northern Ireland Investment