Community - Gulf Times

Transcription

P6
Community
The Doha
Players’ latest
production
was an exceptional
testament to the lofty
standards that the group
now has set for itself.
P20
Community
Renowned
Islamic
scholar Dr
Zakir Naik will deliver
a public lecture at
Katara Amphitheatre
this weekend.
Monday, May 23, 2016
Sha’baan 16, 1437 AH
DOHA
29°C—41°C TODAY
LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 13
PUZZLES 14 & 15
A hope
is born
Transplant chains let
strangers give kidney
patients new life. P4-5
COVER
STORY
GOOD SAMARITAN: Kidney donor Heather Sherman, of Jacksonville, was the first donor
in what is called a kidney transplant chain, where one donation triggers another in a domino
reaction that typically travels across the country.
FASHION SHOW: The second Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Doha brought together a galaxy
of emerging and established fashion designers from the region and Qatar. Details on Page 10
2
GULF TIMES Monday, May 23, 2016
COMMUNITY
ROUND & ABOUT
PRAYER TIME
Fajr
Shorooq (sunrise)
Zuhr (noon)
Asr (afternoon)
Maghreb (sunset)
Isha (night)
3.20am
4.46am
11.31am
2.56pm
6.17pm
7.47pm
USEFUL NUMBERS
Emergency
999
Worldwide Emergency Number
112
Kahramaa – Electricity and Water
991
Local Directory
180
International Calls Enquires
150
Hamad International Airport
40106666
Labor Department
44508111, 44406537
Mowasalat Taxi
44588888
Qatar Airways
44496000
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
Ratchet And Clank
GENRE: Adventure, Animation
CAST: James Arnold Taylor, David Kaye, Jim Ward
DIRECTION: Kevin Munroe, Jericca Cleland
SYNOPSIS: When the galaxy comes under the threat of a
ote Unquote
u
Q Music is a moral
Community Editor
Kamran Rehmat
e-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 44466405
Fax: 44350474
THEATRES: The Mall, Royal Plaza
The Correspondence
GENRE: Drama, Romance
CAST: Jeremy Irons,
Olga Kurylenko, Shauna
Macdonald
DIRECTION: Giuseppe
Tornatore
SYNOPSIS: The
Correspondence tells the
tale of love and loss, a story
of Amy (Olga Kurylenko),
a young PhD student who
takes excessive risks in her
paid work as a stuntwoman.
Her specialties are the action
scenes, the acrobatics full of
suspense, the danger that in
fiction would typically end
with the death of the double.
It is through her relationship
with an older astrophysics
professor (Jeremy Irons) that
she learns to reconcile past
and present and face life’s
vicissitudes.
Humanitarian Services Office
(Single window facility for the repatriation of bodies)
Ministry of Interior
40253371, 40253372,
40253369
Ministry of Health
40253370, 40253364
Hamad Medical Corporation
40253368, 40253365
Qatar Airways
40253374
law. It gives soul to the
universe, wings to the mind, flight
to the imagination, and charm and
gaiety to life and to everything.
— Plato
nefarious space captain, a mechanic and his newfound robot
ally join an elite squad of combatants to save the universe.
This movie is based on the iconic PlayStation video game.
THEATRES: Royal Plaza,
The Mall
Mall Cinema (1): This Time
(Tagalog) 11.30am; Pettson And
Findus (2D) 1.30pm; Ratchet & Clank
(2D) 3.15pm; Wyrmwood: Road Of
The Dead (2D) 5pm; Correspondence
(2D) 6.30pm; This Time (Tagalog)
8.45pm; King Liar (Malayalam)
10.45pm.
Mall Cinema (2): Our Kind Of
Traitor (2D) 12noon; King Liar
(Malayalam) 2pm; Angry Birds Movie
(2D) 5pm; Hassan Wa Baqloz (Arabic)
7pm; Our Kind Of Traitor (2D) 9pm;
X-men Apocalypse (2D) 11pm.
Mall Cinema (3): X-Men Apocalypse
(2D) 11.30am; Sarbjit (Hindi) 2pm;
The Jungle Book (2D) 4.15pm;
(2D) 5pm; This Time (Tagalog) 7pm;
Hassan Wa Baqloz (Arabic) 9pm;
Sarbjit (Hindi) 11pm.
Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3):
X-Men Apocalypse (2D) 6pm; X-Men Wyrmwood: Road Of The Dead
Apocalypse (2D) 8.30pm; Maruthan (2D) 12noon; Pettson And Findus
(Tamil) 11pm.
(2D) 1.30pm; The Jungle Book (2D)
3.15pm; Correspondence (2D) 5pm;
X-Men Apocalypse (2D) 11.15am;
Our Kind Of Traitor (2D) 7.15pm;
Angry Birds Movie (2D) 2pm; Ratchet Correspondence (2D) 9.15pm; Our
& Clank (2D) 3.45pm; Captain
Kind Of Traitor (2D) 11.30pm.
America: Civil War (2D) 5.30pm;
Asian Town Cinema: King Liar
X-Men Apocalypse (2D) 8pm; X-Men (Malayalam) 4.30, 6.30, 7.30, 9.30, 10,
Apocalypse (2D) 10.45pm.
10.30pm; Jacobinte Swargarajyam
(Malayalam) 7pm; Brahmot Savam
Ratchet & Clank (2D) 11.30am; Sarbjit (Telugu) 7pm; Maruthu (Tamil) 10pm
(Hindi) 2.30pm; Angry Birds Movie
& 12.45am.
Arabic Calligraphy
DATE: May 26, 27,28
TIME: 5pm
VENUE: Katara
Katara organises A Journey to the art of
Roqaa Arabic calligraphy workshop by Syrian
calligrapher Nasser al-Hamwi. On the subject
of the workshop, it will provide opportunities
for beginners who are interested in Arabic
calligraphy to discover this beautiful art
through Roqaa Arabic calligraphy. The
workshop is based on practical exercises
aimed at demonstrating how to compose the
Roqaa clipped letters made of short, straight
lines and simple curves, as well as its straight
and even lines of text in a grammatically
correct, beautiful, balanced and co-ordinated
manner.
Guided Family Art Visits
DATE: May 28 and June 4
TIME: 3pm
VENUE: Qatar Museums
Guided family visits are led by the Public
Art education team at Qatar Museums Gallery
ALRIWAQ. Children and parents will explore
the exhibition together. This will be followed
by an art-making workshop. The children
will make their own clay sculpture. The
workshops are being held from 3-5pm every
Saturday until June 4.
Equestrian, Camels and Falcons
Exhibition
DATE: May 25, 26, 27
TIME: 10am
VENUE: Doha Exhibition and Convention
Center
Nawasi is the first and only exhibition to
be held in Qatar, focusing on horses, camel
and falcon equipment. Poised to be held at
the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center
(DECC), Nawasi will energise equestrianism,
camel and falconry industries and blaze
a trail that carries these arts to a higher
level of practice enjoyment. The exhibition
will accommodate more than 150 premier
exhibitors with cutting edge technology and
equipment from Qatar, GCC, Mena and from
all over the world.
3
COMMUNITY
ROUND & ABOUT
EVENTS
GULF TIMES
Skydive Qatar
DATE: Until May 31
VENUE: Al Khor Airport
For the first time in Qatar, everyone will
get a chance to experience skydiving with
a team of certified skydivers to jump from
approximately 13,000ft high. Participation
fees: QR1899 for individuals, including
photos and a video footage of before, after
and during the jump. Tickets are available
online, at Lagoona Mall, Qatar Foundation
and Virgin Mega Stores.
Exhibition for Transport and Logistics
DATE: May 24-26
TIME: 5pm-9pm
VENUE: Doha Exhibition and Conference
Center
Trans4 is a major marketplace for transport
services, attracting leading professionals
from Qatar, the Middle East and the world.
It will address issues concerning the
development of the Qatari transport system,
and new information systems for interaction
among different modes of transport, as
well as addressing the logistics issues in the
global market for transportation and logistics
services.
Interpretations Art Exhibition
DATE: May 26-June 6
TIME: 10am- 9pm
VENUE: Katara Art Center, Building 5
The International School of London
Qatar’s Visual Arts Department inaugural
exhibition will take place in the Katara Arts
Center from May 26– June 6. The works of
the ‘Interpretation’ exhibition represents
a wide range of ages and stages of artistic
development and are selected from the
school’s IB Middle Years and Diploma Years
Programmes students. It is through sensory
exploration and interaction that students
learn to explore their feelings and confirm
their understanding of the world through the
senses.
Parallels and Divergences: As with doping in
humans to enhance sporting performance,
similar interventions to ensure outcome in
competition are also apparent in animals
(horses, dogs, camels). Practices such as
administrations of steroids, inorganic
substances such as cobalt, as well as, gene
doping may be far more prevalent amongst
competing animals.
Al Gannas
DATE: Until Oct 30
TIME: 9am -11:30am
VENUE: Al Gannas Society
Al Gannas Association is participating in
the ‘Our culture is a school’ programme by
organising many activities for the students
every Monday and Wednesday of the week.
These activities include explanations on
hunting and related tools, kinds of falcons
and preys, in addition to workshop on
how to carry a falcon, set a traditional
tent (made of goat & camel hair), prepare
traditional Arabic coffee, etc.
Shifting Sands
DATE: Until July 7
VENUE: Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim
Museum, Alsamariyah
MA students of UCL Qatar are organising
and curating an exhibition as part of
UCLQurates. In the very recent past, Qatar
has undergone a significant transformation;
through these developments, people have had
to adapt to the changing landscape in which
they live.
Yamativo Salsa Classes
DATE: Every Monday
TIME: 7pm
VENUE: Radisson Blu
It’s always fun and always challenging.
Let’s meet and learn some moves every
Monday night. You don’t need to do anything,
just join us. Level 1 (intermediate level)
7pm and for beginner level 8pm. Be there at
Raddison Blu Hotel Cabana Club.
Karting & Mini Moto Track
DATE: Until July 1
TIME: 6:30pm
VENUE: Losail International Circuit
Starting tomorrow, the Karting and Mini
Moto Track will be open every Thursday and
Friday until July 1 after which the track will
close until further notice. QR100 per session
of 15 minutes. Helmet mask QR15 – not
refundable.
highlight presented in the context of the
Qatar China 2016 Year of Culture. Artworks
exemplifying each and every artist’s unique
artistic language and methodology will be
displayed in individual galleries.
Cultural Diversity festival
DATE: Until May 31
TIME: 7:30-9pm
VENUE: Katara Beach
Over 20 countries from all over the world
are showcasing their traditions and heritage.
Qatari Agricultural Product Yards
DATE: Until June 30
VENUE: Al Mazrooa, Al Zakheera, Al Khor,
Al Wakrah
The Ministry of Environment has opened
the 4th season of Qatari agricultural product
yards for selling locally produced fruits,
vegetables, poultry, fish and livestock. Work
in these yards will continue for seven months.
The yards will operate three days a week on
Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 7am
to 5pm, with livestock vendors in Al Mazrooa
operating at the same times throughout the
week.
Join in our Walk-in Weekends
DATE: Every Saturday
VENUE: MIA Atrium
MIA art education and calligraphy teams
offer walk-in workshops in MIA’s atrium
every Saturday. These walk-in workshops are
for open for all family members.
FOODIE CHOICE
RESTAURANT: Taj Rasoi
LOCATION: Marriott Hotel, Old Airport
The food on offer is a pleasant blend of
Indian recipes.
Corrigendum
Richelle Andrade is the third topper in the
Commerce stream in Ideal Indian School
in the CBSE Class XII results announced
yesterday morning. Andrade’s picture was
incorrectly published yesterday. The error is
regretted.
Dance Classes with Salsa n Candela
VENUE: Hilton Hotel-West Bay
Salsa n Candela offers variety of dance
classes for kids and adults at Hilton Hotel,
Eforea Spa Studio, such as Salsa, Bachata,
Kizomba, Swing, Tango and Greek classes.
Price at QR60 per class per person.
QSports Summer Camp
DATE: June 19-Sept 1
TIME: 8am-1pm
VENUE: Al Jazeera Academy
Registration for QSports Summer Camp
2016 is now open. QSports summer camps
are committed to providing a safe, fun and
skill-based experience for kids between the
ages of four and 14. We have a dedicated
team of specialist kid’s coaches and classes
and activities are safe, planned, progressive,
active, creative, inclusive and designed to
maximise participation of all children by
offering a variety of activities.
Anti-Doping in Humans and Animals
DATE: May 31-June 1
TIME: 8am
VENUE: Doha Marriott Hotel
ADLQatar’s 6th Annual Symposium:
Anti-Doping in Humans and Animals:
OBIT
Another Indian
found dead
Spring Exhibition MIA
DATE: Until July 16
TIME: 10:30am- 5pm
VENUE: QM Gallery Al Riwaq
An exhibition of 15 contemporary Chinese
artists, curated by internationally acclaimed
New York-based Chinese artist Cai GuoQiang, will be on view at the QM Gallery
Al Riwaq. The exhibition will be the major
A 27-year-old Indian national was found
hanging in his accommodation a few days
ago on the northern outskirts of Doha city, a
community source said.
The deceased has been identified as Ravindra
Jagadesh Prasad. He is the 20th Indian
expatriate to end life in Qatar since the
beginning of this year, the source added.
Compiled by Nausheen Shaikh. E-mail: [email protected], Events and timings subject to change
4
COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
Kidney with a heart
It happens through a transplant chain: a set of surgeries, stacked like
dominoes, that depend on people willing to literally give a part of
themselves to someone they don’t know, writes Diane C. Lade
J
eff West, his kidneys failing,
was dreading having to
quit his job and spend
years tethered to a dialysis
machine. But shortly before
treatments even began, the Boynton
Beach man received an unexpected
gift — a kidney donated by a
volunteer whom he had never met.
It happened through what’s called
a transplant chain: a set of surgeries,
stacked like dominoes, that depend
on people willing to literally give a
part of themselves to someone they
don’t know.
A growing trend in kidney
donation, the coordinators of
transplant chains say they aim to
get kidneys to more renal patients,
and do it faster. They also say they
can sometimes make better medical
matches than through traditional
one-on-one donations between
friends or relatives.
They do it by signing up hundreds
of renal patients and their loved ones
who are willing to donate to them but
are incompatible due to blood type
or other issues. These programs then
use sophisticated computer software
to generate new donor-recipient
pairs between strangers.
It’s sort of like medical speeddating. The bigger the dating pool,
the better the chances for a great
match. And chains involve live
kidneys that have a much longer
potential life span than a deceased
donation.
“It can open up an option for a
kidney that people otherwise might
not get,” said Michael Spigler, vice
president of patient services and
kidney disease education for the
American Kidney Fund.
West’s chain started in December
when Heather Sherman, a 41-yearold software support technician
from Jacksonville, agreed to donate
to anyone in need through the
nonprofit National Kidney Registry.
That person ended up being a
47-year-old mother of two who
received Sherman’s donation on
December 9 at Cleveland Clinic in
Ohio.
West’s transplant happened a
month later, at the end of the chain,
when he received a kidney removed
from a 53-year-old anonymous
person in Atlanta and flown to South
Florida.
In between was a tightly
choreographed dance involving
five hospitals in five states, eight
recipients and donors, kidneys being
flown or driven hundreds of miles
— and four lives saved, or even more
when you consider those successful
transplants moved other people up
on wait lists.
“It literally gave me my life back.
It’s a reaffirmation that there still
is good in the world, that we can
impact others in a positive way,”
said West, 52, still emotional four
months after his successful surgery
at Cleveland Clinic Florida in
Weston. Sherman’s kidney also was
removed there.
It was the first time Cleveland
Clinic Florida — one of nine Florida
hospitals certified to do living
kidney transplants, and one of two
in the state currently affiliated with
the registry — had participated in
a chain. It’s an emerging option for
people with serious renal disease
who, depending on their blood type
and medical condition, could wait
five years or more for a lifesaving
donation.
West, who loves his job as a
technical representative for a
heating and air conditioning
manufacturer, said his doctors had
told him last spring he would wait
at least two years for an organ and
probably could not work as his
kidneys deteriorated.
5
COMMUNITY
COVER STORY
“I accepted my career was over,
although I thought dialysis would
be like a death sentence,” said West,
who has genetic polycystic kidney
disease. “Then suddenly, they said:
‘We have a donor for you. Are you
available in January?’ I was blown
away.”
Improving the odds for renal
patients is critical, Spigler said.
About 100,000 people nationwide
are waiting for kidneys, including
4,500 in Florida. With only about
18,000 transplants done annually,
Spigler said the average wait is about
two years but goes up to five years
for patients with rarer blood types.
“It’s a remarkable process. People
are connecting around it. We are
seeing a dramatic improvement …
in our ability to take patients off
waiting lists and (get) better quality
kidneys,” said Dr. Diego C. Reino,
a transplant and hepatobiliary
surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic
Florida’s transplant center.
Paired donations, or swaps
between strangers, within a single
hospital began about 15 years ago.
Expanding on paired exchanges,
the first chains involving multiple
hospitals came about six years later.
The number of good Samaritan,
or non-directed, donors grew 27
percent over the past four years to
209 in 2015, according to the United
Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS),
a nonprofit with a federal contract to
oversee donations and transplants.
The number of people involved
in chains or paired exchanges has
changed little during that time,
UNOS statistics show, with 578
recipients and donors last year.
Still, anonymous donations
between people who were not
related comprised only about
4 percent of all living kidney
transplants last year, according to
UNOS, which operates the Organ
Procurement and Transplantation
Network that also coordinates
chains.
Ruthanne Leishman, director
of the UNOS network, said kidney
transplant chain registries remain
largely unregulated, although there
have been calls for drafting policies
or forming one national network.
“This is a new world, and things
are sorting themselves out,”
Leishman said. “The nice thing
about having competing kidney
paired donation programs is it
fosters innovation.”
A year ago, Cleveland Clinic
Florida became one of 77 transplant
centres nationwide affiliated with
the Long Island-based National
Kidney Registry, one of the three
main US nonprofits involved with
transplant chains. It was started
in 2008 by a software and data
processing entrepreneur, Garet Hil,
after his family struggled to find a
kidney donor for his 10-year-old
daughter.
In eight years, the registry
has generated more than 1,700
transplants, with 88 percent of them
through chains, said Joe Sinacore,
the registry’s director of education
and development. Most people enter
the registry as pairs — someone
who needs a kidney and a friend or
relative who did not match with the
patient but still is willing to donate
— with between 200 to 300 pairs in
the system.
GULF TIMES
THE LUCKY ONE: Jeff West, of Boynton Beach, received a kidney at Cleveland Clinic Florida in Weston in January
from a kidney transplant chain started by a kidney donation from Heather Sherman.
Donors and recipients are not
charged, but transplant centres
pay a fee for the registry’s services,
Sinacore said, which is billed back
to the recipient’s insurance. He
declined to say how much.
The registry generated the
nation’s longest transplant chain
last year, involving 35 transplants
at 25 hospitals in 15 states and the
District of Columbia, and spanning
3 1/2 months. Most chains, however,
run about five transplants long,
Sinacore said.
All of them start the same
way, with what’s called a “good
Samaritan” donor, someone who
simply wants to give the gift of life
and enters the system alone. In the
case of Jeff West, that person was
Heather Sherman.
As per registry protocol, West
and Sherman were told nothing
about anyone in the chain prior to
the transplants. Sherman knew little
about renal disease and first heard of
the registry through a news story.
“It’s the first time it occurred to
me that I could donate to a stranger,”
Sherman said. “It was unbelievable
that I could make that kind of
difference, that I could give life to
someone.”
Good Samaritan donors are
carefully screened psychologically
as well as physically, “to make sure
they understand what they are
doing, and not just trying to fill some
hole in their lives,” Sinacore said.
Sherman said her family initially
questioned why a healthy young
woman would want to give one of
her organs to someone she didn’t
know.
Yet Sherman said she never had
any doubts — a feeling confirmed
when she began corresponding with
the woman who received her kidney
in Ohio in December. Sherman said
her recipient had been on dialysis
for several years but now was able to
attend her son’s track meets and go
to church again.
Although Sherman’s kidney is not
the one nestled in his body, West
said he considers her a lifesaver
along with his own anonymous
donor because she started the chain
that ended with him. Meeting
Sherman three weeks after his
surgery “was very emotional for
me,” he said. “I was very moved by
her altruism.”
Reino said Sherman’s response
is typical among good Samaritan
donors, who are a variety of ages
and come from all walks of life.
“You think the recipients are the
winners,” said Reino, the surgeon
who removed Sherman’s kidney
as well as a doctor on West’s
transplant team. “But the donors
ALL’S WELL THAT ENDS WELL: Kidney donor Heather Sherman, left, Cleveland Clinic Florida Transplant and
Hepatobiliary Surgerion Dr.Diego C. Reino, MD., centre, and kidney recipient Jeff West outside of the Cleveland Clinic
Florida in Weston.
“I accepted
my career was
over, although I
thought dialysis
would be like a
death sentence,”
said West, who
has genetic
polycystic
kidney disease.
“Then suddenly,
they said: ‘We
have a donor
for you. Are you
available in
January?’ I was
blown away.”
get a lot out of it, too.” While the
West-Sherman chain began and
ended at Cleveland Clinic Florida,
that synergy was largely due to
chance and logistics.
Transplant chains involve
bartering, with surgeons having
the right to accept or reject kidneys
offered by chain organisers.
Participating hospitals get
“payback” kidneys for donors
who started chains, allowing renal
patients on their internal wait list,
like West, a shot at a transplant.
Chains also are complicated to
organise, as multiple transplant
surgeries must be precisely timed
and often depend on freshly
harvested organs being driven or
flown in by commercial airlines from
different states. A patient or donor
suddenly is sick on transplant day
and surgery must be scratched? The
plane carrying a kidney is delayed?
The chain collapses.
That fragility is one reason the
Miami Transplant Institute, a joint
effort between the University of
Miami Health System and Jackson
Memorial Hospital, opts to do
internally paired exchanges all at
their own facility rather than chains,
said Dr. Giselle Guerra, the centre’s
director of the Living Donor Kidney
Program.
“Logistically, (chains) are more
challenging. And when you join
these big programs, you don’t
have the same control,” Guerra
said. “But the main reason (we
don’t participate) is we have been
extremely successful with our paired
exchanges.”
One of the largest transplants
centres in the country, Miami does
300 to 350 transplants annually,
Guerra said, and last year had 25
recipients who received kidneys
through paired donations with
strangers. One was a four-way
kidney exchange last year, a first
in Florida, between three married
couples, a mother and her son, with
all the transplants performed on the
same day.
“It’s about finding the right
kidney for the right patient,” Guerra
said. —Sun Sentinel/TNS
6
COMMUNITY
Chitty Chitty
Bang Bang
a triumph
The Doha Players’ latest production was an
exceptional testament to the lofty standards that
the group now has set for itself. By Anand Holla
Gary Mond and Trish Slade.
B
y definition, an amateur is
someone who engages in art or
activity as a pastime rather than
as a profession. In fact, the root
of the word amateur means doing
something you love. To most ears though,
the word amateur almost always rings with
the more popular and unflattering definition,
that of one lacking the skill or experience of a
professional.
For the past 62 years in Qatar, since their
first production, Bird in Hand, in March 1954,
amateur theatre group The Doha Players has
been harnessing the power and passion of
amateur dramatics while altering perceptions
that “amateur theatre” can’t hold a candle
to the professional heavyweights. For four
days at the Qatar National Theatre, last week,
The Doha Players’ poised performance of
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was an exceptional
testament to the lofty standards that the
group now has set for itself.
When at the centre of a musical is a
fantastic car that flies through the air and
sails the seas, the viewer’s expectations are
understandably high. The Doha Players’
retelling of what has been originally billed
as “the most phantasmagorical musical in
the history of everything,” triumphed thanks
to hearty performances and near-flawless
coordination even in the most exacting
musical numbers.
The cast and crew of 60 talents have been
rehearsing their parts for nearly four months
and it showed. Long story short, Chitty
Chitty Bang Bang, authored by Ian Fleming,
follows eccentric inventor Caractacus
Potts (Edward Hake) who, with the help of
his children, Jeremy and Jemima (Stephen
Beveridge and Georgia Kendall), their
lovable grandpa (Dave Solomon) and Truly
Scrumptious (Lauren Wiese), sets about
saving a former Grand Prix-winning race
car from the scrap heap. Soon they discover
the car has magical properties, including
the ability to float and take flight. When evil
Baron and Baroness Bomburst (Gary Mond
and Trish Slade) learn about its extraordinary
abilities, they decide to have it for
themselves, launching Caractacus, Jeremy,
Jemima, and Truly on a series of high-flying
high jinks to save the miraculous motorcar.
The cast set a rather remarkable
benchmark for acting. Hake as Potts and
Wiese as Scrumptious were top-notch as
the driving forces of the narrative, aided in
no small measure by their adorable on-stage
JOB WELL DONE: Some of the cast take a selfie post one of the shows.
children Georgia Kendall as Jemima and
Stephen Beveridge as Jeremy. Solid acting
chops were in no short supply – be it in the
leapy swagger of Liz van der Merwe as the
menacing Childcatcher, or the seemingly
harmless vanilla villainy of Baron Bomburst
and Baroness Bomburst played by Gary Mond
and Trish Slade, or the sure-footed grandpa
act by David Solomon.
Crisp dialogue kept the smart one-liners
and jokes coming, while character quirks
made way for engaging banter. Fun routinely
ensued when Boris and Goran, played by
Kerry Suek and Peter Cook, discussed their
antics to blend in by spouting British English
and steal the flying car, or when a motley
bunch of ageing inventors broke into a wonky
jig in Vulgaria, the fictional European barony
that is ruled by the Bombursts.
As a musical, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
made delightful use of song and dance
routines to reintroduce some old-school
mirth, warm us up to the characters or simply
take the story forward in enjoyable, melodic
instalments. From Hushabye Mountain
to Truly Scrumptious, from Them Three
to Lovely, Lonely Man, there was a lot to
savour. In terms of technicoloured visual
sweetness, nothing could beat the Toot
Sweets ensemble number. While in terms
of celebratory grandeur, the Bombie Samba,
Doll on a Music Box, and ultimately the grand
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ensemble in the
Vulgarian castle ballroom, complete with a
stage full of dancing kids, won the day. Full
marks to musical director Laura Dziubaniuk,
and choreographers Elizabeth Hake, Kristina
Cheffin and Lauren Wiese for pulling it off.
In the end, it’s Angela Walton’s direction
that shone all the way through. Treating
a classic tale with just the right dollops
of cheeriness, drama, humour, and song
and dance, Walton never strays from the
underlying emotion or feel of this classic.
There wasn’t a single dull patch in the twohour-long show and that, most likely, can be
attributed to the passionate teamwork that
has gone into it.
GULF TIMES
7
COMMUNITY
Capturing the essence
of authentic Qatari food
Ritz-Carlton is promising a mix of authentic Arabic and international cuisine
at its 1001 Arabian Nights themed Ramadan tent. By Anand Holla
for more than 16 years spanning four
continents and currently oversees the
culinary team with eight restaurants and
lounges as well as catering of the hotel,
gives Community insight into the special
Ramadan menu.
What is the focus of your Ramadan
menu this year?
We will offer dishes that are true to the
Ramadan tradition and all the varied Arabic
cuisines from the region, most importantly
from Qatar, of course. What’s most crucial
for us is to ensure that our food is authentic
so that our Qatari guests and expats get to
experience the rich culinary culture of this
nation.
Did you take any extra measures to
ensure that the Qatari dishes are at
their authentic best?
Yes. We have Qatari dishes such as
Shrimps Jareesh, Chicken Machbous,
Vegetable Salona, Lamb Haris, Seafood
Sayadiyah, and Chicken Madrouba, which
are expected to be enjoyed by the expats as
much as the Qataris as the spice levels and
the taste are easy to like and appreciate.
What we did to ensure authenticity is
consult two lady Qatari chefs for our Qatari
dishes. In fact, we have been collaborating
with them over the years and training our
staff under them as well. I cannot reveal
the names of these two chefs as everybody
will then try and reach them (smiles). In
any case, anybody can Google a recipe but
to make it the exact right way as it’s meant
to be is another story. When one is looking
for something authentic, one is usually
looking for something that their mother or
grandmother used to cook. They are trying
to find that same experience. So it’s very
important to achieve that feel. For instance,
I don’t go to a French restaurant that often
because I am very likely to be disappointed
when I won’t be able to taste the food that
my mother used to make for me. All of
us, therefore, are trying to strive for that
perfection.
SUMPTUOUS: A glimpse into the Ramadan special at the Ritz-Carlton, Doha.
W
ith Ramadan right around
the corner, fine dining
restaurants in hotels across
Qatar are prepping up for
the culinary challenges of
Iftar and Suhoor with renewed gusto. At
the Ritz-Carlton, Doha, the Ramadan tent,
for the fourth consecutive year, seeks to
celebrate the regional culture through its
1001 Arabian Nights theme, and authentic
Qatari and international food.
Set apart by its sophisticated ambience
and subdued lighting, the regal tent in Al
Wosail ballroom will pack in everything from
live carving stations and regional cuisines to
live music and tanoura dance performances
that can be enjoyed from the private Majlis
seating or the main dining area.
Starting June 7, the 1001 Nights-inspired
Ramadan tent opens; Iftar starts at sunset,
approximately from 6:30 pm to 8:00pm,
and Suhoor is set to be served from 8:30pm
to 1am. Iftar and Suhoor are priced at
QR216 per person, and include Ramadan
juices buffet and water service. While it’s
50 per cent off for kids aged between 5 and
12, the food is complimentary for kids aged
4 and under.
With a diverse menu on the cards, the
374-room, five-star hotel turns to a most
suitable man to pull off this feat. Chef
Gael Cruchet, executive chef, The RitzCarlton, Doha, who has been working
with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company
Apart from Qatari delicacies, how
wide is the spread on the menu?
We have dishes from GCC countries,
Morocco, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, and
European food like Italian and French, and
also Asian food such as Malaysian, Thai,
and Indonesian. Each of these cuisines
is handled by chefs who specialise in it
because we are interested in authenticity
and not fusion.
How challenging has it been for you
to put out something different this
year?
Since this will be my third Ramadan in
Qatar, the challenge for me has been to keep
things interesting. We make sure that every
year we hear what guests are looking for,
Gael Cruchet
talk to a lot of people, and try to reinvent
our food. This time, we have a five-menu
rotation, for instance. So if you come on
five different nights, you will experience
different menus – a good 40 per cent of the
menu would be different, each night. As
people visit various tents during Ramadan,
they can visit us more than once and get to
taste new dishes each time.
From the previous Ramadan
experiences, could you share
something that you have learnt about
what guests like?
As I mentioned before, people are looking
for authentic cuisine. And it’s not easy to
find. Qataris are proud of their culture and
food. We are in Qatar, and we must make
sure that we make excellent Qatari food.
And then there are expats from different
countries, who want their little piece of
culinary story represented as well. So the
end objective is to enjoy, celebrate and offer
good, authentic food.
8
COMMUNITY
Presentation on Third
Culture Kids tonight
Jen Hammonds from the American School of Doha will talk about the
challenges and benefits of being a Third Culture Kid at Starfish Lane Kids
L
iving in cosmopolitan,
multi-lingual and multicultural Doha offers
many advantages for
our children. However,
living in a foreign country and
the transient nature of the
expat community has inherent
challenges. Our children live in a
host country, away from their home
country and belong to neither. They
are referred to as “Third Culture
Kids”.
A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a
now common term used to describe
children who were raised in a
culture outside of their parents’
culture for a significant part of
their youth. The experience of
being a TCK is unique in that these
individuals are moving between
cultures before they have had the
opportunity to fully develop their
personal and cultural identity.
The first culture of children
refers to the culture of the country
from which the parents originated,
the second culture refers to
the culture in which the family
currently resides (known as the
host country), and the third culture
refers to the complex mix of these
two cultures, with a variety of
other factors influencing it and is
absolutely unique to each child.
Kimberley Sheedy, owner and
managing partner of Starfish Lane
Kids nursery schools in Doha,
an early years childhood expert
says, “Today, the population of
third culture kids is increasing
with globalisation, transnational
migration, numerous overseas job
opportunities plus accessibility to
excellent international education,
from nursery school right up to
Grade 12.”
Sheedy adds, “Over the last 10
years, Starfish Lane Kids nurseries
have had well over 80 different
nationalities come through our
doors and we love our multi-cultural
classes and staff members. It’s
fantastic for these little ones to see
through and beyond cultures and
develop their own third culture.”
Research has shown there are
some disadvantages to being a
TCK, but these are experienced
differently and depends on the
children’s ages, family finances, the
home environment and culture and
how often they return to what they
consider “home” country. For many
kids there is a cultural identity
crisis, they don’t have a sense of
belonging to a culture. Some can
have confused loyalties (which
A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a now common term used to describe children who were raised in a culture outside of their parents’ culture for a significant part
of their youth. The experience of being a TCK is unique in that these individuals are moving between cultures before they have had the opportunity to fully
develop their personal and cultural identity.
national team do they support?),
patriotism and cultural values. For
some parents, they worry that their
children are growing up with an
ignorance of home country culture
(names of towns, pronunciation,
important people etc).
In the adolescent years, teenagers
are developing their identity and
are in the process of solidifying that
psychologically. It is more difficult
as a part of a family in global
transition for them to consolidate
and establish that identity. Another
concern is the documented feeling
of rootlessness and restlessness.
These can make transition into
adulthood a challenge. Adjusting to
a static adult life is harder for TCKs.
On the other hand, there are
numerous benefits of being a TCK.
Ask Barack Obama, he was one!
These children grow up with the
privilege of an expanded world
view. They realise early in their lives
that different perspectives exist.
They have a three-dimensional
view of the world, many “handson” multi-cultural experiences.
Our TCKs have a cross-cultural
intelligence and are able to show
sensitivity and tolerance, more so
than mono-culture children.
And, as can be expected, these
TCKs also have the ability to be
flexible and adjust well to new
situations and environments.
Jen Hammonds from the
American School of Doha, is
a middle-school counsellor,
connector, and communicator.
She has been living and working
overseas as an international
educator for twenty years, since
1995 and has lived and worked in
the USA, Hong-Kong, Egypt and
now Doha for the last seven years.
Presenting tonight (Monday) on
Third Culture Kids, Hammonds
believes “Third Culture Kids use
their differences to make a difference.
Third Culture Kids know home is a
feeling, not a place. Third Culture
kids see life as an adventure.”
Come and learn more about this
fascinating subject at a 1-hour
parent education workshop
tonight at 7pm at Starfish Lane
Kids, Al Markhiya. Register at
sf1@starfishlanekids.com, www.
starfishlanekids.com, or call 44875939.
GULF TIMES
9
COMMUNITY
Qatar Open Youth Public Speaking
Contest finale attracts large audience
GROUP PHOTO: The three winners with special guests and the organisers after the finale.
T
he Grand Finale of the
19th edition of Qatar
Open Youth Public
Speaking Contest
conducted by Qatar
Toastmasters Club was held at
the Crowne Plaza Hotel. A packed
audience comprising Toastmasters
fraternity, contestants, their
family members, teachers and
well-wishers attended to listen to
the ten finalists.
Qatar Toastmasters Club
President Krishnamoorthy opened
the event and welcomed the
audience, which included chief
guest Khalifa Saleh al-Haroon,
CEO of Haroon United Group and
founder of iloveqatar.net/ILQ
Network, and guest of honour
George Thomas, former director of
Toastmasters International.
Qatar Open 2016 Chief Coordinator Azeez Mohammed
opened the contest by explaining
the rules and invited contestants
to present their speeches.
Qatar Open is a public-speaking
contest open to Qatar-based
youngsters aged 13 to 18 years.
A total of 181 students from
23 schools participated in the
preliminary round; 45 participants
qualified for the semi-final round,
of which the top 10 made it to the
finale. The preliminary and semifinals rounds were held at Birla
Public School.
The finalists were Ghanem
al-Kebesi, Aashiya Anitha
Shaji, Dhivyashri Ramesh, Carol
Joseph Ayathil, Dany Sunish,
John Tomy, Sumaya Adam, Sai
Prajwal Shandilya, Supprasanna
Sivaprakash and Sheikha Hamed
Sharbak.
Reigning champion Reuben Suju
Varghese announced this year’s
winner Supprasanna Sivaprakash,
who’s winning speech ‘Meow’ was
hilarious and at the same time
had a beautiful message. Second
place went to Aashiya Anitha
Shaji and third place winner was
Dhivyashri Ramesh. Winners
received trophies, certificates and
cash prizes. All finalists received
trophies, certificates and gift
hampers.
The highlight of the day was
the thought-provoking keynote
speech by the widely followed
youth icon and prominent
entrepreneur with many accolades
to his credit, Khalifa Saleh
al-Haroon, who inspired the
audience with a call to follow
your convictions no matter what,
saying that success will eventually
follow.
Among the dignitaries present
were Toastmasters Division
Q Director Raghavan Menon,
Division E Director Ravi Kumar,
Area 18 Director Surya Narayanan,
Speaker’s Bureau Chairman
Virendranath, and past Division
Director Rajeshwar Sundareshan.
The judging panel of senior
Toastmasters was led by Assistant
Division Director Thayalan.
Qatar Open 2016 was
supported by Tanween
Properties, ApplusVelosi, Qatar
UAE Exchange, Teyseer Group,
Qbake and Dandy as part of their
Corporate Social Responsibility
initiatives and managed by Trans
Media International as the event
and branding solutions partner.
Qatar Toastmasters Club, the
organisers of Qatar Open Youth
Public Speaking Championship,
is affiliated to Toastmasters
International, the leading USbased organisation dedicated to
creating effective leaders and
communicators worldwide.
The club meets on the first and
third Sundays of every month
at the Radisson Blu Hotel.
The Toastmasters mission is
to empower people to find the
courage to change, achieve their
full potential, and ultimately share
in the mission of contributing to
the betterment of society.
To know more about Qatar
Toastmasters Club, visit www.
qatartoastmasters.net
Oxy Qatar hosts annual blood drive
Oxy Qatar held its annual blood donation drive at the Navigation Plaza building in Doha recently. Over 40 employees attended as well as passersby who saw the blood donation unit RV parked outside.
Each donation can save the lives of up to three individuals in need of blood. The blood donation unit RV was supplied by Hamad Medical Corporation, which visits many local areas and companies to
encourage people to donate blood. Donating blood supports the local community, as there is a shortage of reserves of blood in Qatar.
10 GULF TIMES Monday, May 23, 2016
COMMUNITY
Glitz and glitter at second Merce
The show brought together designers from the entire region.
By Umer Nangiana
I
n another edition of glitz
and glamour, the second
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Doha brought together a galaxy
of emerging and established
fashion designers from the region
and Qatar.
For the first time featuring at least
three fresh graduates from Qatar, the
MBFWD second edition provided a
platform for emerging local talent
to showcase their prowess to an
international audience.
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Doha selected young emerging
designers who had recently
graduated with fashion lines based
in Qatar. Noor al-Mannai, Malia
Bennet Henry and Amina alMalki showcased their collections
which were sponsored by McNair
Chambers.
Mahnoor Ansari, who earlier this
year won three awards at Virginia
Commonwealth University Qatar
(VCU-Q) fashion show ‘Reach’,
was also selected to showcase her
work at the three-day MBFWD
fashion extravaganza that recently
concluded at Shangri-La hotel.
Like its previous edition, the
show received a large multi-cultural
audience on all three days with
fashionistas swarming the MBFWD
ramp.
“The second Mercedes-Benz
Fashion Week in Doha exceeded
our expectations and enhanced the
position of the event among the
fashion lovers and fans in Qatar. This
event reflects Nasser Bin Khaled
Automobiles and Mercedes-Benz
commitment in supporting arts,
culture and beauty,” said Khaled
Sha’aban, General Manager of NBK
Automobiles, the exclusive dealer of
Mercedes-Benz in Qatar.
“We will continue to support
such community celebrations,
in collaboration with our valued
partners, we thank all designers
and models who fascinated the
audiences with their design and
beauty and look forward to meet
again in the coming edition,” the
GM added.
The second edition of MercedesBenz Fashion Week in Doha had
over 20 designers participating from
around the world including some
world known brands. The show
opened with some premier designers
from Qatar and other countries
in the region presenting their
collection.
These included Meriem Belkhayat
(Morocco), Saher Dia (Lebanon),
Gazal Mishra (India), Noor alMannai (Qatar), Jana (Qatar),
AlMotahajiba (Qatar), Frames.
Fashion (Qatar), and the finale by
Kristina Fidelskaya from United Arab
Emirates.
Considered to be one of the
most celebrated Kaftan designers
in Morocco and the Arab World,
Meriem Belkhayat’s exquisite
designs are masterpieces that
embody Moroccan authenticity and
elegance.
Meriem Belkhayat was born into
a family of artists; her father is a
famous singer and her mother is a
Kaftan designer. Her mother’s atelier
used to be in the family home, and
Meriem found it hard to imagine her
future “without needles, scissors,
colours and all things related to
fashion.”
Meriem Belkhayat Atelier has
dressed many Moroccan and Arab
celebrities and royalty, which has
brought much attention to the
brand.
The brand was founded by selftaught fashion designer, Saadia, who
started by sewing for her friends and
sisters simple dresses until she made
a discrete entrance to the world of
the Kaftan.
With a team of over 30 artisans,
she developed a ready to wear line
of both Jellaba and Kaftan that she
later exposed in her boutique in
downtown Casablanca. Her designs
are known to be simple yet elegant.
Saher Dia is a Lebanese fashion
designer born in Abu Dhabi and
established his atelier in 1997. His
start into fashion commenced at
a young age. His inspiration then
and until today is the “beauty and
femininity of women.” Dia’s passion
and approach are expressed in classic
and elegant designs that define his
style.
The premier project of Alsiddiqi
Holding, Almotahajiba is an upscale,
luxury fashion brand for abayas,
jalabiyas, and sheilas. With its
start in Souq Waqif, it soon went
on to produce classic and elegant
garments for the modern day woman
to wear. With more than thirty-six
branches operating across the MENA
region, Almotahajiba is now one of
GULF TIMES
11
COMMUNITY
edes-Benz Fashion Week Doha
FINALE: Sakba Mohammad Hamada from Kuwait concluded the show with a
grand finale.
Milly’s collection at the show.
MBFWD Director Rahat Mansoor, third from left, with Mercedes-Benz officials and organisers.
the best known names in the fashion
world. Devoted to dressing the
modern day Arab woman without
them having to compromise their
identity, Almotahajiba promises
stylish, classy, and beautiful
conservative fashions.
The day was closed by Kristina
Fidelskaya who is a contemporary
luxury fashion brand spearheaded
by, designer Kristina Fidelskaya.
With its headquarters in Dubai
and production in Italy, the brand
currently features a range of
luxurious designer pieces with plans
of expanding to a full collection
of ready-to-wear, jewellery and
accessories.
“The MBFWD is getting grander.
This year we had more designers
and the show was spread over three
days. A majority of our models had
come from abroad, especially from
Milan (Italy) and the designers
represented the entire region along
with emerging Qatari talent,” Rahat
Mansoor, the Director of MBFWD,
told Community.
The second day of the show
showcased the designs of Lamaz
(Saudi Arabia), Keren Millen, Milly,
Pinko, Sckali (Qatar), Malia Bennet
Henry (Qatar) and Samant Chuhan
from India.
The show concluded with the
designs from Fahad Hussayn
(Pakistan), Kara (UAE), Salma Musab
(Kuwait), Yousef Akbar (Australia),
Mahnoor Ansari (Qatar), Invee
(Turkey), and Shaima Royal (Bahrain)
with a grand finale by Sakba
Mohammad Hamada from Kuwait.
Hamada, a young vibrant
entrepreneur-cum-designer,
founded his own company in the
middle of 2013 in niche of Kuwait
market. His passion for fashion and
experience in the art of application
of designs and aesthetics are the
backbone of Sakba-Kuwait. A
well-planned strategy, awareness
of customer tastes and efficiency
to predict the future trends are the
strengths that lead him to success.
The brand, he says, is creating
reality. The brand name presents
the real meaning of elegance. All
women’s fashion dreams come
true with Sakba. Inspiring fashion
brand with the standards of courage,
loyalty and quality quickly made a
clear identity in Middle East.
Salma Musab, also from Kuwait,
reflects the beauty of the MiddleEastern arts, by blending tradition
with modernity. Salma works
with fine delicate materials and
embroideries.
The event received the
sponsorship and support of ShangriLa Hotel Doha as Official Hotel
Partner, Etihad Airways as Official
Airline Partner, The Luxury Network
as Strategic Partner, and Makeup
District & Nazih as Official Beauty
Partners. Media Partners included
Fashion TV, Jamila, Hayat Jamila,
Harayar and Ohlala.
The MBFWD provided a platform to emerging designers to present their
collections.
COMMUNITY
INFOGRAPHIC
GULF TIMES
13
COMMUNITY
LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE
5 easy tips for a stunning summer yard
S
your soil cool, cut down on weeds and slow
the loss of moisture. But be careful not to
mulch too deeply, as too much mulch can
inhibit oxygen from reaching plant roots and
encourage mold. As a rule of thumb, mulch
only two to three inches on top of the soil.
ummer’s arrival brings longer
days and more sunshine. This
season also means more of your
favourite outdoor activities, such
as relaxing in the backyard or
working in the garden. In fact, there is no
better time to refresh your outdoor space.
The secret to a well-manicured yard
is preparation. Once the weather warms
up, your lawn and garden will need a little
extra TLC to be ready for outdoor activities
or entertaining. Having the right tools
on-hand is essential to making the process
simple and enjoyable.
Expert offers some tips and tools for
making your yard beautiful and easy to care
for all season long:
Water wisely
A healthy lawn and garden will have deep
roots that can tap reserves of moisture way
down in the soil. Water deeply — but not
too often — and you’ll encourage plants to
develop even deeper roots. The best time
to water is between 6am and 10am when
the air is cooler and there is less risk of
evaporation from heat and wind. Use tools
that are easy to manoeuvre and durable
to stand up to the elements season after
season.
Prune strategically
If you turn your back for too long, Mother
Nature can take over your yard in the spring
growing season. Trim and shape your
plants by cutting 1/4 inch above a growth
bud at a 45 degree angle to promote healthy
growth. High-quality garden tools, make
taming shrubs and cutting through dead or
overgrown limbs easier.
Plan your planting
Summer is a great time to plan your
outdoor space and give it a fresh new look.
When plotting out your yard or garden,
be sure to leave extra space around plants
to account for their growth or plant in
containers to easily move them around, if
needed. Raised garden beds for herbs and
veggies are great for keeping plants in order
and allow you to plant, water and harvest
more easily. Choose tools to help with
ARIES
March 21 — April 19
If you have been spending way too much lately — money you don’t
have and won’t have any time soon, Venus’s move out of your
self–esteem zone is just the thing you need to stop trying so hard to
impress others and just let your fab personality speak for itself!
CANCER
June 21 — July 22
Avoid talking too much about something you don’t really know
that much about today. There’s nothing worse than coming off as
ignorant or stupid and that’s how some of you may feel if you don’t
keep your opinions to yourself today.
LIBRA
September 23 — October 22
Now that Mercury is moving direct again in your eighth house of
joint investments and monies, there is sure to be less concern for
you about an inheritance, bonus or money coming from other
people right now.
CAPRICORN
December 22 — January 19
You have one last day of enjoying Venus the lover in Taurus, your
romance and fun zone before she departs tomorrow. If you’re single,
this is a great day for first or second date or to update your online
dating profile.
planting that are easy to grip and will stand
up throughout the season.
Enjoy the fruits of your labour
Remember to spend time outside in your
yard and garden when the weather is nice
and enjoy the fresh fruits and vegetables
you grow. Use Herb and Veggie Shears
to make healthy cuts on your plants so
you have fresh and delicious produce
throughout the season.
With the right tools, yard and garden
work is fun, not frustrating. Use these tips
to keep your yard maintained and beautiful
so you can enjoy it all summer long.
Mulch carefully
Shallow layers of mulch work to keep
TAURUS
April 20 — May 20
It’s the last day Venus your ruler spends in your sign before leaving
for Gemini tomorrow — and she won’t be back for a year, so do make
the most of her grand exit.
LEO
July 23 — August 22
There is a feeling of deep satisfaction for many of you right now
regarding your career. Finally with Mercury moving direct and
Jupiter direct in your career and money zones respectively, things
are definitely looking up!
SCORPIO
October 23 — November 21
On Friday, Mars the planet of initiation, energy and passion moves
backwards into your sign and stays there for a solid month. While
still retrograde, Mars is your co–ruler and remains strong in your
sign. Soldier on Scorpios!
AQUARIUS
January 20 — February 18
Be honest — to yourself and others — about whatever it is that’s
bothering you Aquarius. Far too often you are the strong one in
every sense of the word, but sometimes it’s okay to let your guard
down.
© Brandpoint
GEMINI
May 21 — June 20
The Sun in your sign is a wonderful thing — it means that you are
feeling very much in the front line of Universal givings and receiving
gifts Gemini’s. This is a really good time for you to shine brightly and
do whatever it is you want to do.
VIRGO
August 23 — September 22
There is nothing like feeling accomplished and knowing that you did
the best possible job you could under what might have been rather
difficult circumstances. You deserve to bask just a little in your glory
Virgos!
SAGITTARIUS
November 22 — December 21
Unless you are 100% sure about something, wait until later in the
week to make your move Sags. Right now, there is a fragility about
the Universe which is warning you to take care.
PISCES
February 19 — March 20
The cosmic energy is changing this week — with the Sun moving into
Gemini and Mars leaning further back into Scorpio. Both changes are
important for you to recognise and understand Pisces. It’s definitely
time for some soul searching.
COMMUNITY
Wordsearch
Adam
Pooch Cafe
Alphabetic
ANVIL
BIBLE
CHAIR
DANCE
EAGLE
FLUTE
GLASS
HORSE
INGOT
JEWEL
KOALA
LANCE
MEDAL
NOVEL
OCEAN
PLATE
QUEEN
RADIO
SCARF
TOAST
UNCLE
VAULT
WAGON
XENON
YACHT
ZEBRA
Codeword
Puzzles courtesy: Puzzlechoice.com
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.
Garfield
Sudoku
Bound And Gagged
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.
PUZZLES/CARTOONS
COMMUNITY
PUZZLES
Quick Clues
ACROSS
1. Competent (4)
3. Impartial (8)
9. Evict (4,3)
10. Exclude (5)
11. Binoculars (5-7)
13. Conscription (4-2)
15. Squirm (6)
17. Mismatched (12)
20. Change (5)
21. Set apart (7)
22. Non-migratory (8)
23. Quit (4)
GULF TIMES
Colouring
DOWN
1. Stratagem (8)
2. Big (5)
4. Sting (6)
5. Faux pas (12)
6. Topic (7)
7. Shadowy (4)
8. Cheerful (4-8)
12. Humble (8)
14. Cough syrup (7)
16. Choice (6)
18. Courageous (5)
19. Couple (4)
Cryptic Clues
Answers
Wordsearch
ACROSS
1. Poke quietly with a stick (4)
3. Broadcasting a race in the capital of
Greece (8)
9 & 18Dn. A measure not suited to modern
trippers (3-4,5)
10. Irish name for rice (5)
11. Conveyance provided for a small
charge (12)
13. Barker the mine-worker is nearly
finished off (6)
15. It’s a problem for one who plays pranks
(6)
17. Unable to concentrate - inclined to play
truant? (6-6)
20. Short notice last month for a mature
person (5)
21. I enter a new order as a novice (7)
22. Divert attention from Sid returning
with a pamphlet (8)
23 & 19Dn. In the direction of part of the
castle away from the morning sun (8)
DOWN
1. Look around for a chance of success (8)
2. See 5 Down
4. Be sure to reform the underworld (6)
5 & 2Dn. System used initially by
lexicographers (12,5)
6. They provide means of entrance
sheltered from the weather (7)
7. Caricatures Americans (4)
8. One in overall control of the shooting
(4,8)
12. An inclination to be treading all over
the place (8)
14. Does Herculean tasks (7)
16. Still it can adversely affect the
reception (6)
18. See 9 Across
19. See 23 Across
Codeword
Yesterday’s Solutions
QUICK
Across: 6 Vacuous; 7 Set up; 9 Cease; 10
Weighty; 12 Repudiation; 14 Proceedings; 18
Candour; 19 Wagon; 21 Quiet; 22 Abridge.
Down: 1 Layer; 2 Pursue; 3 Cut; 4 Height; 5
Tuition; 8 Deficit; 11 Tuneful; 13 Break up; 15
Cudgel; 16 Gratis; 17 Tough; 20 Ebb.
CRYPTIC
Across: 6 Lucifer; 7 Spool; 9 Suite; 10 Resents;
12 Clothes-line; 14 Accelerator; 18 Pastime; 19
Stoat; 21 Acorn; 22 Matelot.
Down: 1 Put up; 2 Pistol; 3 Sea; 4 Appeal; 5
Portent; 8 Several; 11 Streams; 13 Scratch; 15
Extort; 16 Outset; 17 Major; 20 Man.
15
COMMUNITY
Wrong answer
STATEMENT: Salman Khan decided to attend
Preity Zinta’s wedding along with Iulia Vantur.
A
t Preity Zinta’s grand wedding
reception in Mumbai, as always,
Salman Khan stood out. But it
was not his charisma alone. It was
also because he had by his side
Iulia Vantur, long time speculated to be his
girlfriend but with whom he has rarely been
seen in public.
That the two came together more or less
confirmed that they are in a relationship. So,
have they now decided that it was time to make
it public? And then there were the inevitable
murmurs that the message was even more
sensational — perhaps they were going to
marry soon. For about three decades, India has
been waiting for Salman to tie to the knot. A
legion of female fans would go into sorrow but
the vast masses expect someone they love to
settle down like a member of the family.
Unfortunately Salman has never made good
on this expectation. But he is now over 50
and it is probably just about time. So when he
walked in with Iulia at the reception, it was not
surprising that tongues got wagging. But the
man who unexpectedly found himself getting
dragged into a controversy because of this was
Salman’s younger brother Sohail Khan. He was
coming out of a club with his father, Salim, late
at night when two television reporters asked
the latter about Salman’s marriage plans.
Salim made a light humorous comment
and moved on but something seemed to
have snapped in Sohail who returned to
the reporters and let off a flurry of abuse,
castigating them for thrusting a mike against
his father’s face. It was all on camera and found
its way online too becoming a big issue about
his rude behaviour. Obviously there was now
firefighting needed to be done to salvage the
situation and Sohail offered a qualified apology
saying that he was only doing his duty as a son.
Salman himself was asked about the incident
at an event and reiterated what Sohail had said.
He said that it was alright if mikes were thrust
against him or his brother because they were
young but his father was aged and Sohail would
naturally be concerned when something like
this happened. And that it was absurd that
someone should be doing this at 11 o clock in
the night to ask a question about his marriage.
There is obviously an exaggeration there about
the danger that a mike represents but the point
about privacy should be well taken by the
media.
BOLLYWOOD
Ash again
Last week saw the
return of Aishwarya Rai
Bachchan once again
to the big screen in the
movie Sarabjit, playing
the sister of a man who is
accused of espionage and
terrorism in Pakistan but
who his family insists was
just a farmer who strayed
by mistake when drunk
over a porous border.
This is her second
movie following a
comeback last year after
a long post-motherhood
hiatus. But Jazbaa had
flopped badly and so
Aishwarya has much
resting on Sarabjit. Like
Jazbaa, this is also a
heroine-centric movie,
which meant that the
movie revolves around
Aishwarya’s character.
But the problem with
being at the centre is that
you get the responsibility
both for the movie
becoming a hit as well as
a flop. While it is too early
to say how Sarabjit will
fare, many movie critics
haven’t exactly raved
about Aishwarya’s acting
in it, finding it shrill and COMEBACK: Aishwarya Rai has a lot banking on the box office
over the top in many
performance of her latest film.
places.
carpet, the newspapers were full of how
As it is, a movie like
she had put on purple lipstick.
this has a very limited probability of
In some ways Aishwarya continues to
being a big hit, so even if the acting falls
short then Aishwarya will see her demand have a magnetic attraction to the media,
a mystique that helped considerably in
somewhat reduced. Off the screen
making her the leading actress of Bollywood
however she continues to retain her
for a long time despite not having too many
allure. Like when she went to the Cannes
blockbusters to show for it.
Film Festival and after she walked the red
Missing lady
Nargis Fakhri is one of the actresses of Housefull 3, the third edition of the slapstick
comedy franchise. The movie is set to release soon and promotions are on. But Nargis is
missing from the action and instead is said to have gone to New York.
The touted reason was that she was undergoing through a spell of ill health and wanted
to recover. But apparently, there is more to it than that. A gossip website said that she
had been asked to
stay away from the
promotions because
a dance reality TV
show’s producers had
blacklisted her because
she had been rude and
non-participatory
when present there to
promote Azhar, her last
recent release.
But that might
be idle speculation
because it is hard to see
the makers of Housefull
3 banning her over
such a flimsy reason.
Instead, the more
plausible explanation
is the recent break-up
that is said to have
happened with her
rumoured boyfriend
Uday Chopra.
Something painful like
that does make one
ABSENT: Nargis Fakhri is missing from promotional events for her latest stay away from the
public eye.
film.
OPINION: Nawazuddin Siddiqui recently said that you need good agents more than talent to
make inroads into Hollywood.
Loose talk
It can be problematic to give an honest
opinion if you are in Bollywood. Even
someone like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who
generally speaks his heart, can end up in
a tangle. Recently, in an interview he was
asked about Indian actors making it in
Hollywood. He replied that to make it in
Hollywood what one needed more than
talent was a good agent. The statement was
interpreted as him making a snide comment
on the success of Priyanka Chopra and
Deepika Padukone, who have both had some
pretty good Hollywood projects.
Nawazuddin was forced to issue
a clarification that that was not his
intention and obviously talent was
necessary to get breaks in Hollywood
but a strong agent was also needed.
There is also a possibility that his jibe
was in fact meant for Irrfan Khan who
has done many Hollywood movies. It is
rumoured that Nawazuddin and Irrfan
have a rivalry going on even though
they are probably the two best actors of
Bollywood.
Send your feedback to
[email protected]
GULF TIMES
17
COMMUNITY
BOLLYWOOD
Naseeruddin Shah
‘envious’ of Nawazuddin,
Manoj, Irrfan
COMMON CAUSE: Om Puri, left, and Nana Patekar
Om Puri praises Nana for
farmer welfare initiatives
A
ctor Om Puri has
praised fellow actor
Nana Patekar’s
initiatives to help the
distressed farmers in
India, but said a lot more needs to
be done for their welfare. “People,
in their personal capacity, have
made a contribution, like Nana
Patekar, and there are others
as well. Nana not just provided
financial help, he even embraced
the farmers and shed tears with
them, consoled them.”
Puri said it is still like putting a
drop into the ocean. “This should
be thought about very seriously,
not just by the government but also
us people,” Puri said at the trailer
and poster launch of the film Project
Marathwada.
It was reported that Patekar had
given financial help to more than
100 drought-affected families in
Maharashtra in August last year and
later set up his own foundation —
Naam Foundation — for the cause.
The foundation has been working
hard for the cause since then.
Puri plays a farmer in
Marathwada — one of the
worst drought-affected areas
— in the film. He threatens to
commit suicide and catches the
government’s attention, after
his son commits suicide due
to financial troubles caused by
drought.
About his preparation for the
role, he said: “It’s been 60 years
of acting for me. We know about
the farmers’ issues as you read
about the same in newspapers, see
it on TV... you see farmers talking
about it; so I didn’t have to do any
preparation. My only preparation
was to grow my beard a bit.”
He also advocated water
conservation. “We should utilise
water better. Where water is
more, we should divert it and
create small rivers, just like we’re
making roads to connect villages
and cities.”
Project Marathwada also stars
Govind Namdeo, Dalip Tailp, Seema
Biswas among others. — IANS
What makes Neha Dhupia
seethe with anger?
me angry to be forced to live with
the fact that despite having the
freedom of speech, we still aren’t
truly free to speak our minds.
People and situations around us can
be so restrictive and binding that it
challenges the core of free speech,”
Neha said in a statement.
The Angries is a special award by
the team of the film The Angry Birds
Movie. As the name suggests, the
film is all about expressing anger,
speaking up for right and finding a
right way to channel anger. On the
same lines, a campaign titled The
Angries has been started wherein
the birds award celebrities who get
angry for a good cause.
On getting the award, the
former beauty queen said: “This
award is actually a reminder for
me to never give up on my effort
to voice my opinion, no matter
what the odds. Also, it feels good
to know that it has registered in
someone’s head that I’m here to
speak my mind and hopefully
one day, I’ll get a chance to do so
without any barriers.”
The first celebrity to be conferred
with The Angries was Bollywood’s
“Shotgun Junior” Sonakshi Sinha,
and the second went to radio jockey
Malishka.
Neha, who is known for roles in
films like Julie, Kyaa Kool Hai Hum,
Delhii Heights and Phas Gaye Re
Obama, has time and again tweeted
about the potholes menace in the
city. Taking the basic structure of
Rovio Entertainment’s mobile game
of the same name, the movie brings
the game’s action to the big screen
in a witty manner. — IANS
Actress Neha Dhupia, who got
The Angries award for getting
angry for a good cause, says she is
irked with restriction on freedom
of speech.
She says it is annoying that
“despite having the freedom of
speech, we still aren’t truly free
to speak our minds”. “It makes
RECOGNITION: Neha Dhupia
Veteran actor Naseeruddin
Shah, known for his strong
performances in content-oriented
films, says he is envious of actors
like Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Manoj
Bajpayee and Irrfan Khan as they
are “so skilful”.
The Padma Bhushan awardee,
who has films like Nishant,
Aakrosh, Mandi and Jaane Bhi Do
Yaaro to his credit, says that our
country has a “fantastic crop of
actors”.
“I am envious of them ... Nawaz,
Manoj Bajpayee, Irrfan Khan.
They are so skillful. These actors...
Arshad Warsi, Vijay Raaz are at par
with the best actors in the world,”
Naseeruddin, who was promoting
his forthcoming film Waiting, told
IANS.
“Nawazuddin Siddiqui is one of
the finest actors I have ever seen
and I envy him. I wish I was that
good at his age. But it remains
to be seen what our great film
industry does with a talent like
Nawaz. “We don’t know what it
will make of him... with talents
like Manoj and Kalki Koechlin.
But I feel these guys have so much
calibre that they will make an
enduring mark,” he added.
Asked if the actors he named
can be called commercial actors
as well?
“We can call Nawazuddin a
commercial actor too. He stole
the limelight in Bajrangi Bhaijaan
so, why not. He is the only one
who has done justice to both
kind of movies. I was never able
to. Om (Puri) was never able to,
HEAPING PRAISE: Naseeruddin
Shah
even Irrfan was never able to...
to give that kind of a sparkling
performance in a movie like Kick.
He (Nawazuddin) stands alone,”
the 66-year-old opined.
Waiting is about the relationship
between two people from different
walks of life, who befriend each
other in a hospital, while nursing
their respective comatose spouses.
The story of the film divulges into
the themes of coping with grief
and discovering hope.
Produced by Priti Gupta and
Manish Mundra under the banner
of Ishka Films and Drishyam Films,
Waiting is set to release on May
27. – IANS
Bhumika Chawla excited about Luv U Alia
Tere Naam fame actress Bhumika Chawla says she has never played
any role like the one in her upcoming film Luv U Alia, which has a “good
message for the society”. Bhumika told IANS: “I am very happy with the
way my character has been written. The role is very powerful and has many
layers to it. I have never played any role like this in my career so far. I am
very excited about Luv U Alia and I am sure people will love this film. It has
a good message for society.”
She plays the role of Bhoomi, a dance teacher and a mother who has
frequent arguments with her husband. She feels neglected and separates
from him. Directed by Indrajit Lankesh, Luv U Alia also stars Ravichandran,
Sunny Leone, Chandan Kumar, Sangeetha Chauhan and Sayaji Shinde.
Releasing next month, Luv U Alia is produced under the banners Red
Cherry Films and Magic Cinema Motion Picture Production, and
distributed by IGI Resonance. — IANS
GUNG HO: Bhumika Chawla
COMMUNITY
HOLLYWOOD
Howards End restored
to an all new beginning
By Kenneth Turan
T
he Cannes Film Festival does more than anoint the
triumphs of the present, it also celebrates what’s
transcendent in the past.
Which is why a crowd of admirers waited patiently
in line a few nights ago, a few with autograph books
and posters they hoped would be signed, to both see a new 4K
restoration of a modern classic, 1992’s Howards End, and to do so
in the presence of its director, James Ivory, and its perhaps most
ethereal star, Vanessa Redgrave.
Nominated for nine Academy Awards (including best picture as
well as nods for Ivory and Redgrave) and winner of three, Howards
End is a richly emotional story of families in love and conflict that,
in addition to Redgrave, stars Anthony Hopkins, Helena Bonham
Carter and Oscar winner Emma Thompson.
The film is also perhaps the high point of the decades-long
Merchant Ivory Productions collaboration of Ivory, vibrant
producer Ismail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala,
whose resonant script was also one of those Oscars wins.
The reason Howards End was restored with a theatrical release
on tap is the passion of producer Charles Cohen, whose Cohen
Media Group has not only acquired the Merchant Ivory brand but
plans to create films under it.
Partly to publicise the film and partly one assumes because they
clearly enjoy each other’s company, Ivory and Redgrave sat in an
immaculate hotel room the day after the screening, talking about
everything from their mutual admiration for Pringles (“You can
get them even in the most foreign countries,” Ivory noted) to their
memories of and reactions to the film today.
For Redgrave, 79, the screening was extraordinary because she
had not seen the film in 25 years. And to put it mildly, she liked
what she saw. “I was overwhelmed, by which I’m meaning to say I
was awe-struck and drawn in totally to the narrative of the film,”
the actress says, clearly moved. “Of course, part of my brain knows
it’s me, but I believed in the reality of my character. All I can keep
saying, stupidly, is it’s wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.”
For director Ivory, 87, the film is special for more practical
reasons. “Any film that is a big success is special, because so few
are. This was one I wasn’t dying to make, it wasn’t something I’d
thought about for years and years, but Ruth (screenwriter Prawer
Jhabvala) urged us on, she felt it was a mountain to climb, so we
did.”
More than that, Ivory says, “we didn’t think Howards End was all
that special while we were making it. Ruth was there for the final
editing, as she always was with our films, and walking back to our
rooms when we were all done she just said, ‘Well, it is what it is.’”
— Los Angeles Times
TV chef Rachael cooks up a
furniture collection
For almost two decades, TV personalities
and movie stars have been lending their
famous faces and names to clothing lines,
perfume and home furnishings. Now Emmy
award-winning TV host and celebrity cook
Rachael Ray has joined the fray, extending
her lifestyle brand with the Rachael Ray
Home Collection. Manufactured by
Legacy Classic Furniture and Craftmaster
Upholstery, it debuted during the Spring
High Point Market. She and her husband,
John Cusimano, were on hand last month to
walk buyers through her three collections,
Soho, Upstate and Highline. All will be
available to consumers this fall.
“I love design and this is all me,” Ray said,
looking around the showroom.
One piece she calls “a most perfect thing”
is a high-backed banquette with a pull-out
bed under the seat.
“It looks great in a tiny country place or a
city apartment or a giant loft. In a big space,
it’s just a really cool giant settee, but it’s a
bed!”
Ray calls the Soho and Highline collections
“city mouse” with two different looks. “One
is a little more feminine and one a little more
masculine.”
“I called the country one Upstate instead
of Beat-up Italian Country,” she joked.
She designed every piece so it could be
mixed or matched with pieces from the other
collections. Ray is a fan of mid-century
modern and Gio Ponti, but she also loves art
deco.
“It is very hard for anyone to pinpoint this
because I am a very eclectic person. I don’t
design in one discipline,” she said. “So many
of these pieces are an amalgamation of all the
things I love.”
She said she worked for two years drawing
designs for kitchen, living room, dining room
and bedroom furniture.
“I would just doodle in the margins of
my notebook where I write my recipes,” she
explained.
Pieces in each of the three lines resemble
ones she has in her own home. Some pieces
in the Upstate collection are based on a hunt
country style that her mother loved and she
grew up with.
“But a lot of the pieces are what I have in
my home, just made smarter,” she said. Ray
became very emotional when she walked
through the showroom and saw the entire
collection set up in one place for the first
time.
“I was completely overwhelmed,” she
admitted. “This stuff has only lived in my
head.”
“It was like Christmas morning for
you,” her husband said. “Way better!” she
responded. “These are gifts that keep on
giving and they are not just for me. They are
for everybody.”
Ray said she wanted the furniture made in
America. The upholstery is done in the US,
while the case-goods are made in China. The
veneers are added in this country and the
pieces assembled here.
The kitchen island holds a special place
in her heart. She designed a cutout that can
be opened to dispose of food scraps after
chopping and other food prep. “The top had
to be butcher block. ... The best part is the
removable stainless-steel liner. It can be
removed and put in the dishwasher.”
She said she strove to create furniture
that would have lasting value. “I just want
things to be useful and at a fair price and that
is what we do.” — By Patricia Sheridan/
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS
GULF TIMES 19
COMMUNITY
HOLLYWOOD
UNCOMMON CHARACTER: Colin Farrell
The Lobster’s surreal vision
C
olin Farrell’s matinee idol looks
enclose the soul of a character
actor, a combination twisted to
impressive effect in The Lobster.
The first English-language
feature by celebrated Greek auteur Yorgos
Lanthimos is a macabre romantic satire of
dating rituals and personal prejudices. The
dense, weird film envisions a world where the
pressure to serve as a “breeder” offers stark
choices.
Either live emotionally cold and pretending
to love, or defend your independence through
loneliness in hiding. Farrell plays a pudgy,
mustachioed schlump living in this oddball
Kafka-esque society. Newly divorced, he is
required to find a mate with traits akin to his
own during a 45-day stay at a dismal hotel.
Otherwise the sinister culture will transform
him into the animal of his choice and set him
loose in the wilderness. With his hefty, softly
sculpted physique, flat affect and monotone
deadpan dialogue, Farrell may be the most
unrecognisable famous actor since Heath
Ledger’s caky Joker makeup in The Dark
Knight.
In a phone conversation, Farrell said that
what drew him to be an uncommon character
in an unusual tale was his admiration for
the Oscar-nominated Lanthimos’ work. “I
don’t think I’ve ever used the term, but he’s
a visionary director,” the star said. “He has
such a very clear and perceptive opinion on
life and love. He tackles some very absurd
ideas on family and community and social
systems,” without offering specific advice on
how to live or couple.
The film’s focus is “the nature of love and
what it is or isn’t,” Farrell said. “Anytime
you get a writer and director who is creating
something that is unusual but also as valid
as his work seems to be, it’s an amazing
opportunity to take part of.”
He continued: “I read the script and I
found it funny-ish. I also found it horrific
at times and ultimately moving in a bizarre
way,” a darkly comic allegorical comment
about modern life and love in the age of
Tinder. “It feels true and accurate about the
way the world is portrayed,” though it paints
that portrait of our culture to ridicule its vice
and folly. And occasionally, its moments of
shocking violence.
“It references patriarchal society, class
rule, different ideologies that conflict with
each other,” Farrell said. Under the rules of
the film’s oppressive dystopia, authoritarian
controls are inescapable. Our hero escapes
from his confinement and joins “the loners”
hiding in the woods, only to learn that their
scary leader, played by Lea Seydoux, enforced
systems of control that are just as repressive.
Rachel Weisz plays a good-hearted woman
among the anti-romantic loners who may or
may not offer him a successful relationship.
The pair who have been far from passion for
Vin Diesel remembers
Paul Walker while
shooting Fast 8
Actor Vin Diesel paid tribute to
his late friend Paul Walker in an
Instagram post as Fast 8, the latest
instalment of their hit Fast and the
Furious franchise, started filming.
Diesel shared an image of himself
and Walker, who died in a car
accident in November 2013 at the age
of 40, reports hollywoodreporter.
com.
Along with the photograph,
Diesel wrote: “Many of the crew
members who have worked on
several of the past Fast films are here
again to help us make something
special. “One of them at the end of
the week came up to me and said
wow what we are capturing on film
is excellent... And then looked at
me and said Paul would be proud.
#wemakethemwithourhearts.”
Two days prior, Diesel also posted
a video on his Instagram account,
in which he shared his thoughts on
ages fall into long-running scenes of comic
awkwardness. Nevertheless, Farrell said, he
felt that the cool, enigmatic fantasy is at heart
a love story.
Farrell enjoys movies that are difficult yet
accessible. “I appreciate films that are pure
escapism. I pay money to go see those films
in the theatre myself. It’s also great to go see
films that have a little more observation to
them and are a little more peculiar.”
As Lanthimos digs into questions about
human behaviour and the human condition,
“his films are a little mythological though
they’re without dinosaurs and aren’t set
in the distant past. It’s very distant from
our world, but he’s holding up a mirror in
which we recognise our behaviours and
relationships, fears and hopes and responses
to things. I knew it would be an adventure
that didn’t reflect anything before, and in the
future couldn’t be replicated.” — By Colin
Covert/Star Tribune/TNS
Eva Longoria ties the knot in Mexico
TRIBUTE: Vin Diesel, left, and Paul Walker
filming the latest Fast and Furious
instalment without Walker.
“Coming into shooting Fast 8, I
knew that it was going to be a darker
road,” he said. “It’s amazing how
regardless of how successful you are,
that you have to go into a dark place
to channel a character — to feel a
character. So, I’m grateful that I have
this gym here to escape and kind of
balance my emotions, so that I can be
effective but try not to take the pain
with me,” he added.
Scott Eastwood and Charlize
Theron, newcomers to the franchise,
will join Diesel and original cast
members Dwayne Johnson, Tyrese
Gibson, Michelle Rodriguez and
Ludacris. The film will release in
2017. — IANS
Actress Eva Longoria got married to her fiance Jose Antonio ‘Pepe’ Baston
in a hush-hush ceremony in Mexico. According to people.com, the couple
exchanged vows in a sunset ceremony in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, a lakeside
town roughly 88 miles from Mexico City.
“They married on an altar under lots of little lights. It was very romantic.
Eva wore her hair down and smiled during the whole ceremony. He was in a
grey suit,” said a source.
In photographs posted by Al Rojo Vivo, a Telemundo news programme,
Longoria and Baston can be seen exchanging their vows in front of a giant
white cross overlooking the lake.
Longoria is seen wearing a sleeveless white gown with a long white veil.
Ahead of the ceremony, a source had told people.com that the star-studded
guest list was expected to include David and Victoria Beckham, Penélope
Cruz, Ricky Martin, Katy Perry, and Mario Lopez amongst others.
In another image posted by Al Rojo Vivo, Victoria and David are seen
mingling with guests on an outdoor
terrace. The Desperate Housewives star,
41, and Baston, 47, first stepped out as
a couple in November 2013. Baston,
president of Latin American media brand
Televisa, proposed during a vacation in
Dubai last year. This is the third marriage
for Longoria, who was previously married
to actor Tyler Christopher and NBA star
Tony Parker. – IANS
HITCHED: Eva Longoria
COMMUNITY
Stage set for
Dr Zakir Naik
The renowned Islamic scholar will deliver a
public lecture at Katara Amphitheatre this
weekend, followed by an extensive Q&A
session. By Umer Nangiana
R
enowned Islamic scholar from India,
Dr Zakir Naik, is coming to Doha to
deliver a public lecture on ‘Does God
Exist’ later this week. Dr Naik will
speak at Katara Amphitheatre on May
26 (Thursday) at 8pm for two hours.
A medical doctor by training, Dr Naik is a
dynamic international orator on Islam and
Comparative Religion. He is also the president of
Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) in Mumbai,
India. “Dr Zakir Naik will take questions from
the public for about 30 minutes after his lecture
which is scheduled to be an hour-and-half long,”
Manzoor Shaikh, Administration Manager at IRFMumbai told Community.
Dr Naik is popular for his critical analysis and
convincing answers to challenging questions
posed by audiences after his public talks. In his
lectures, Dr Naik clarifies Islamic viewpoints,
and misconceptions about Islam, using the Holy
Qur’an, Hadith and other religious scriptures
as a basis, in conjunction with reason, logic and
scientific facts.
In the last 18 years, Dr Zakir Naik has delivered
over 2,000 public talks in the USA, Canada, UK,
Italy, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain,
Oman, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, South
Africa, Botswana, Nigeria, Ghana, Gambia,
Algeria, Morocco, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Malaysia and
many other countries, in addition to numerous
public lectures in India.
In April 2012, his public talk in Kishanganj,
Bihar, in India was attended by over 1mn people
being one of the largest gatherings in the world for
any religious lecture by a single orator.
Amongst the vast billion-plus population
of India, Dr Naik was ranked No 82 in the ‘100
Most Influential People in India’ list published
by Indian Express in the year 2009 and ranked
No 89 in 2010. He was ranked No. 3 in the ‘Top
10 Spiritual Gurus of India in 2009’ and topped
this list in 2010. He is ranked in the top 70 list of
the ‘500 Most Influential Muslims in the World’
published by George Washington University in the
year 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014.
Dr Naik has participated in several symposia
and dialogues with prominent personalities
of other faiths. Shaikh Ahmed Deedat, the
world famous orator on Islam and Comparative
Religion, who had called Dr Zakir “Deedat Plus”
in 1994, presented a plaque in May 2000 with the
engraving “Awarded to Dr Zakir Abdul-Karim
Naik for his achievement in the field of Da’wah
and the study of Comparative Religion”.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum,
Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai,
bestowed the prestigious Dubai International
Holy Qur’an Award’s ‘Islamic Personality of 2013’,
for providing outstanding services to Islam and
Muslims at a global level in Media, Education
and Philanthropy, to Dr Naik, along with a cash
reward of UAE Dirhams 1mn, which Dr Naik
promptly donated to start a Waqf (endowment)
fund for Peace TV Network. Dr Naik, at 47, was
the youngest recipient of the award.
Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah,
the king and head of state of Malaysia, conferred
Dr Naik the highest award of Malaysia the
‘Tokoh Ma’al Hijrah Distinguished International
Personality Award for the Year 2013’ for his
significant service and contribution to the
development of Islam in 2013.
Dr Naik was also presented a citation plaque
signed by the Prime Minister of Malaysia Datuk
Seri Mohd Najib Razak. Sheikh Dr Sultan bin
Mohammed al-Qasimi, Member of the Supreme
Council of UAE and Ruler of Sharjah, presented
Dr Naik the ‘Sharjah Award for Voluntary Work’
for the year 2013.
In 2014, Dr Zakir Naik was conferred with two
prestigious accolades at a special event in Gambia,
the Insignia of the Commander of the National
Order of the Republic of The Gambia (the highest
national award in Gambia) by the President of
The Gambia Dr Yahya Abdul Aziz Jammeh as well
as The Honorary ‘Doctor of Humane Letters’
(Honoris Causa), by the Governing Council of the
University of The Gambia (UTG).
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King
Salman Ibn Abd al-Aziz al-Saud, presented the
prestigious ‘2015 King Faisal International Prize’
for ‘Service to Islam’ to Dr Naik at a glittering
ceremony in Riyadh.
The prize consisted of a certificate indicating
the laureate’s achievements, a commemorative
24-carat 200g gold medal and Saudi Riyals
750,000. The entire prize money was donated to
the Waqf for Peace TV Network by Dr Naik.
With more than 6mn likes on his Facebook in
less than 18 months, Dr Naik is not only one of the
highest amongst the Muslim Religious English
Speakers but also one of the highest amongst any
Religious English Speaker in the world.
Dr Naik appears regularly on many
international TV channels in more than 150
countries of the world. He is regularly invited for
TV and radio interviews.
The idealogue and driving force behind Peace
TV Network is Dr Zakir Naik. He launched Peace
TV English, in January 2006, it being the largest
watched ‘Islamic’ as well as ‘any Religious’
Satellite TV channel presently in the world, with
over 100mn viewership of which 5% are nonMuslims.
In its footsteps, he launched Peace TV Urdu in
June 2009 and Peace TV Bangla in April 2011. And
InshaAllah, he plans to expand Peace TV network
to cover the 10 major languages of the world.
DOHA-BOUND: Dr Zakir Naik

Community - Gulf Times

Transcription

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