SUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017

Hollywood honours action hero Chris Pratt

CAMPUS | 7 HEALTH | 10 HOLLYWOOD | 11MES excels in International

Informatics Olympiad

Researchers discover new cause of high

blood pressure

Email: dohatoday@pen.com.qa

InII form

onours

OD | 11

With an intention to nurture creativity and develop talent in all areas of the visual arts, the 7th Heaven Arts Center has come up with a set of programmes for all age groups.

NURTURING CREATIVITY

P | 4-5

CAMPUSSUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017 03

DPS-Modern Indian School organised an orientation programme, on “Remod-

elled CBSE Assessment Structure”, for the parents of classe IX & X stu-dents on April 17.

Headmistress of secondary school, Mary Cruz, extended a warm welcome to the parents and elucidated on the vision, mission and objectives of the school.

The resource person Ashraf Sultana,CBSE Coordinator of IX-X classes, apprised the parents of the restructured examination pattern of CBSE applicable from 2017-18.

With the new scheme of examination,CBSE has replaced CCE and term system with single annual exam,covering the annual syllabus, for both Grades IX & X.

The exam will be conducted by CBSE for Grade X and Grade IX will have school based exam for 80 marks and other 20 marks are for internal assessment termed as

periodic assessment, said school authorities. The students of classes IX & X will be graded for scholastic and co-scholastic activities on an

eight and five point grading scale respectively.

The class teachers will assess the s tudents for the

newly introduced component namely discipline on the parame-ters of attendance, sincerity, be ha vi or and values.

DPS-MIS conducts orientation programme

Do you yell, hit or use physi-cal threats as a punishment for your children? If so, your

children may be at a greater risk of performing poorly in school, a study has showed.

The study by American researchers showed that students who were brought up harshly were likely to find their peer group more important than other responsibili-ties, including following parents’ rules. This further led them to engage in more risky behaviours in teenage. While females engaged in

more frequent early sexual behav-iour, males, on the other hand, indulged in wrongdoings like hit-ting and stealing. “In our study, harsh parenting was related to lower educational attainment through a set of complex cascading processes that emphasised present-oriented behaviours at the cost of future-oriented educational goals,” said lead researcher Rochelle F. Hentges from the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, US.

Further, those relying on peers, instead of doing homework,

decided to spend time with friends and felt that there is nothing wrong in breaking rules to keep friends.

The researchers found that direct as well as indirect effects of parenting shapes a child’s behav-iour and his or her relationship with the peers.

“The study used children’s life histories as a framework to exam-ine how parenting affects children’s educational outcomes via relation-ships with peers, sexual behaviour and delinquency,” Hentges added, in the paper published in

the journal Child Development. Teaching methods focussing on present-oriented goals and strate-gies like hands-on experimental learning, group activities may pro-mote learning and educational goals for individuals, especially those who are brought up harshly, the researchers suggested.

For the study, the team included 1,482 students from Washington, who were followed for over nine years -- beginning in seventh grade and ending three years after stu-dents’ high school graduation.

Harsh parenting may affect your kid’s academics

COVER STORY SUNDAY 23 APRIL 201704

Amna Pervaiz Rao The Peninsula

The 7th Heaven Arts Center, a social o r g a n i s a t i o n , recently opened doors for all age

groups with a wide range of specialised quality programmes, providing development art con-sultancy services, training for different artistic skills and tech-niques and community outreach programmes.

The centre is described as “a vital educational institute” that focuses on creativity and talent development among chil-dren and youth in various fields

related to the visual arts, which includes painting, photography, design, graphics, ceramics and printing. Talking to The Penin-sula 7th Heaven Arts Center Chairperson and a Qatari art-ist, Amal Al Aathem, said: “In collaboration with QDB, we started this project five months ago. Recently we opened the doors of the centre officially as we wanted a good result to present to the people who are interested to take admission in our centre. We got our license from the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, the courses we provide at our cen-tre are for students starting from the age of four up till no age limit.”

7th Heaven Arts Centerholds workshops toreinvigorate artistry in Qatar

Pic: Kammutty VP / The Peninsula

COVER STORYSUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017 05Al Aathem said: “We aim at nurturing creativity

and developing talent in all areas of the visual arts in order for us to contribute to the expansion of Art and culture in Qatar through its museums and cultural entitles. Our vision is to pay close attention and to cherish the creativity in areas of visual arts, also invest in current talent.”

“Our mission is to achieve ultimate happiness and joy while practicing art in all forms, where we believe we can reach new spaces and broad horizons that will allow us to be part of and add a new dimension to the map of the artistic and cultural scene in Qatar,” she added

Workshops offered at 7th Heaven Arts Center includes, Painting and Printmaking, Photoshop Design-ing, Pottery, Knitting, Arabic Calligraphy, Manual Paper Recycling, Photography and Kids Workshop.

“We give workshops not for activity purpose like other Art Centers in Doha. We offer these workshops for learning and most importantly to build the con-cepts of Arts. As soon as student finishes the course with the centre, we give a certificate which is attested from The Ministry of Education and Higher Educa-tion,” said Al Aathem.

Painting and Printmaking courses are to teach the fundamentals of painting and printmaking types, train students on it, while developing their personal vision to be able to express themselves through art.

Photoshop design workshops deals with digital technology and design through introducing and prac-ticing the methods of combining techniques such as chromolithograph, photo-screen printing, Duotones Halftone, digital lines, and Image-On painting and printmaking.

Al Aathem said: “The workshop aims to develop student’s skills using computer techniques in the fields of painting and printmaking, digital-colour separa-tion, and printing digital artworks for artistic and commercial uses. At the end of the workshop, students results will be displayed for discussion and this cre-ates a room of learning as well.”

Pottery is one of the workshops in which the cen-tre focuses on the basics covering both theoretical and practical pottery. Knitting classes teaches the students a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile or fabric. Arabic calligraphy class is the artistic practice of handwriting and calligraphy, based upon the Arabic language and alphabets. Manual Paper Recy-cling course teaches who to present papers in simple and creative methods.

Photography courses will lay down the founda-tions or build on existing knowledge and skill in the realm of still photography. Core concepts like expo-sure, composition, light, shadow, color, format, camera type, lens type and digital or darkroom post process-ing may be covered in Photography courses. The center offers several workshops for kids starting at age of 4 years old.

Since the official opening recently took place, the centre is giving 25% discount. Take two courses and avail 35% discount. If the student takes three courses, then he can avail 50% discount. This offer is valid till May 20.

MARKETPLACE SUNDAY 23 APRIL 201706

The Radisson Blu Hotel, Doha sponsored the ‘Ladies Scramble’ at the Doha Golf Club. The event

was attended by 20 of Doha Golf Club’s female members.

Ian Lille, Director of Sales and Shi-fani Fonseka, PR & Marketing Executive, both of the Radisson Blu Hotel, Doha, attended the lunch, which followed the tournament to present the prizes.

1st Place: Rosaleen Garvey with 34 points countback

2nd Place: Julia Deeley with 34 3rd Place: Janis Rimkus with 32

points countbackSpecial Prizes: Longest drive on

hole 9 – Tasneem Kazi Nearest to the pin on hole 17 – Reb Sotelo.

Radisson Blu Hotel, Doha sponsors ‘Ladies Scramble’

Global Education Centre (GEC), Doha, announced the official commencement of human resources training by its HR

training division. GEC organises it in association with “Inspir-

ing Citizen, India” headed by the international behavioural trainer and life transformation spe-cialist Mohammad Rafi TF, in the presence of internationally celebrated NLP trainer, James Tsakalos, who is in Qatar along with Rafi to con-duct a series of training programmes.

James is the founder, CEO and Principal Trainer of reputed training establishment “Devel-oping Magic” in Melbourne , Australia and the developer of ‘Spiral Somatics’, which is a ground breaking method of reading the subtle physio-logical indicators of fundamental values, attitudes and core beliefs.

James is the first and the only Australian trainer to have been invited to teach at NLP

Mind-fest, an international NLP Symposium fea-turing twenty of the world’s top NLP experts.

James stated that the HR training is being undertaken with an underlying concept of devel-oping a committed, value-based and sincere attitude in all personnel so as to ensure their peak performance and optimum outcome in all realms of lives, be it personal or professional. James added that the Training Division would impart transformational training to individuals of diverse background, including students, faculty, busi-ness people, management professionals, employees of corporate and government sec-tors, budding talents and differently abled personnel. The training modules are formulated to cater to the training requirements of small, medium and large scale business establishments as well, with an aim of their personal and emo-tional growth besides their skills-set development for varying professional functions. The training

would also encompass conducting events aimed at bringing about peak performance of differ-ently-abled people and experiential growth of budding talents.

Speaking on the occasion, Rafi stated that the training sessions would encompass work-shops, continuity training programmes, NLP, Hypnosis, Train the Trainer, Senior leaders pro-gramme, Students Programmes (Bring out the Genius in You), Faculty Development Program, Mind Power, Leadership, SALES Champions, Fire-walk, Memorisation Techniques, Behavioural Training etc. The training would be activity-filled and participant-centred ensuring enhanced self-esteem, self-confidence and highest performance.

GEC Managing Director, Ashraf Achoth, affirmed that the training division would stand benefited from the in-depth and varied experi-ence of both James and Rafi, whose experience spans about two decades encompassing over 100,000 people put together that includes all categories of students, celebrities, and distin-guished top professionals worldwide. The press meet was attended by James Tsakalos, Moham-med Rafi, Ashraf Achoth and GEC Head of HR & Training Sebastian Chacko.

Tsakalos and Rafi would conduct separate workshops for parents and students at GEC. In addition, two full-day NLP training programme for business people, professionals and couples is planned on 21 and 22 April 2017. Those desir-ous of participating in these workshops may register their names with Global Education Cen-tre on Mob : 55425702 Tele : 44115244. Email : gec@gecmideast.com.

GEC commences human resources training

CAMPUSSUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017 07

Students of MES Indian School from Classes I to XII excelled in the International Informat-

ics Olympiad (IIO) conducted by Computer Literacy Foundation, New Delhi, in November 2016.

As many as 223 students from classes I to XII participated in the examination and excelled by win-ning 12 gold, 12 silver and 12 bronze medals. After all, 23 students qual-ified for the second stage of the examination, which is a remarka-ble achievement for the school.

Sidra Maryam(I–G), Hamza Munaf (II–I), Aqueel Ahmed (III–J), Fadil Muhammed (IV–G), Nithija Sri Saravana (V–L), Kevin Roy (VI–Ai), Ridha Abdul Rasak (VII–M), Rishaan Jacob (VIII–H), Deep Chandra (IX–H), Astra Julia Pinto(X–R), Hameel Babu Rasheed (XI –C), and Aaron Kurian (XII–C) were the recipients of gold medals for the year 2016-2017.

MES excels in International Informatics Olympiad

Want to boost aca-demic performance of your daughter?

Maintaining a good exercise regimen along with intake of green leafy vegetables, nuts, cereals, seafood and poultry increases iron levels which may help her improve grade levels, a study has shown.

The findings showed that female students with good fit-ness and iron levels achieved higher grade point averages than unfit women who were deficient in iron stores. “Low iron stores and low aerobic

fitness may prevent female college students from achiev-ing their full academic potential,” said Karsten Koeh-ler, assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lin-coln in the US. Iron helps the body with essential functions such as transporting oxygen in the blood, whereas a defi-ciency is associated with fatigue, lower work capacity and poor academic performance.

Physical fitness is also known to influence overall health, cognition and

learning. The team analysed 105 women with an average Grade point average (GPA) of 3.68 to explore the lesser known combined effects of fitness and iron deficiency on grade point average.

In analyses of combined effects of iron status and fit-ness, GPA was found higher in women with normal ferri-tin — blood cell protein that contains iron — and higher fit-ness than in those with low ferritin and lower fitness and low ferritin and higher fitness.

Fitness boosts grades in girls

LIFESTYLE SUNDAY 23 APRIL 201708

Look for fluoride in tooth-paste, limit acidic drinks and get your teeth

cleaned every six months to keep teeth strong and healthy, say experts.

Saurabh Gupta, Prostho-dontist and Dental Surgeon at SouthEx Dental, New Delhi, and Unnati Gupta, Nobel Fel-low and Senior Implantologist, list down some basic rules for dental hygiene.

* Use dental floss or inter-dental brushes: Use a slow and gentle up and down motion to floss once a day - preferably at night.

* Look for fluoride in tooth-paste: Always use a toothpaste which contains fluoride as it helps harden tooth enamel and reduces risk of cavities.

* Limit acidic drinks like soft

drinks, cordials and packaged fruit juices, sugary food. One should avoid over indulgence in sweet foods like candies and chocolates.

* Get your teeth cleaned (scaling) every six months to one year as advised by the den-tist. This would keep gums healthy and strong, and helps catch any cavity formation or any other abnormality before it can cause any problem to you.

* For dental implants, go for cleaning to the dentist every year along with routine.

* Do not use toothpaste for cleaning removable dentures. Use a soft toothbrush to clean under running tap water - mild soap may be used. Always remove dentures from the mouth and clean.

IANS

Are you jotting down vacation ideas for the summer? Well, this time try staying at camps

instead of a hotel as they are more affordable and promise a unique experience, say experts.

Chirag Gupta, Co-founder and CEO, Deyor Camps, and Devanshu Khandelwal, Co-founder and CEO, Wheelify, list reasons why you can opt for camps over hotels.

* Affordable: Any hotel below three stars can turn out to be an awful experience, and often pay-ments exclude meals. Meanwhile, camps offer come at a cheap, affordable price. Hotels might have their own way of making you feel entertained, but camps have a sim-ple, unique charm about them that can’t be replicated by a hotel, no matter how expensive it may be.

* More freedom: A sense of decorum needs to be maintained in hotels. As much as you would like to release the inner primate inside you, doing so in a hotel is ill-advised. At a campsite, however, things are simpler in nature. The areas are not

closed off by walls or restricted areas -- you can lose yourself for hours just walking around and tak-ing in the sights.

There is a sense of openness in camping, and the sheer scope of activities you can take part in is enormous.

*Number of recreational

activities: From trekking to adventure sports to starting a bon-fire, the amount of activities while camping is huge, and will certainly keep the average person busy and entertained.

An open mind and an inclina-tion to try out new, adventurous things are two very important

qualities that one must have in order to maximise their camping experience and satisfaction.

* Unique experience: There is nothing new or exciting about stay-ing in a hotel. On the other hand, exploration and wonderment are some of the key features of camp-ing that elevate it to another level.

Why choose camps over hotels during summer trips

Tips to keep dental woes away

Summer is here and its time to put your best forward in trendiest outfits that are easy on skin keeping the warm weather in mind. From opting light lay-ering to avoid sun burn to mixing and matching can add some fashion

quotient in your daily wear dressing style, experts say.Rajesh Jain, Business Head of brand Rangriti and designer Sumona Parekh

doles out tips on how one can glamourise their summer outfits keeping scorch-ing sun. * Go loud this summer, by incorporating colour in your wardrobe. Add some cheer to your dull days with bright coloured clothes.

* Start a process of mix and match of top with the bottoms, you may pair a print top for solid pants or a solid top for a print skirt.

* Surprise people with this dash of awesomeness. Mixing and matching of scarves, dupattas and sober dress adds a dash of confidence to one’s personal-ity. A great way to wear a scarf or dupatta if you have two contrasting colours that can go well with the pastel colour dress.

* Light layers with natural fabrics can be a wonderful way to beat the heat during summer. Go for asymmetrical jacket over a tunic and palazzos for instant chic. Asymmetrical cuts remain popular this year.

* For the cool casual look this summer you may pair Indie top of kurti with slim fit pants or a short kurti with floral Plazzo.

* One can also pair a long straight kurta with slim fit pants or short kurtas with jeans to create own style this season.

* Sharp shoulder blades are still in fashion trends this summer too. Invest in a strapless blouse or get yourself a peasant top to get into sultry summer mode and let a bronzed look keep you head and shoulders above the rest.

Dress up right this summer

FOODSUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017 09

Kristen Hartke The Washington Post

Katie Sanchez never meant to invent a vegan-friendly sweetener that’s remarka-

bly akin to honey, or begin a campaign to save honeybees.

Although the plan includes planting new pollination sources that will support the bees after the apple trees have blossomed, Kee said he knows there’s plenty of risk involved. “I fully expect to prove that it can be done - stop saying it’s not possible to pollinate without loading bees in trucks and driving them thousands of miles from one farm to another,” says Sanchez.

“The way it’s done today is not the way it’s always been done, it’s just what we’re used to now. And it can be better.”

Fig Bars20 servings barsThese vegan and gluten-free

cookies are not quite as soft as the famous fig cookies made by Nabisco, and we think that’s a good thing.

MAKE AHEAD: The dough needs to rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. The bars can be refrig-erated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Bee Free Honee is available at select Whole Foods Markets, Yes! Organic Markets, MOM’s Organic Markets and Wegmans. Adapted from a recipe on beefreehonee.com.

Ingredients3 cups (300 grams) almond

flour or almond meal1/4 teaspoon salt1/4 cup coconut oil, liquefied

1/4 cup Bee Free Honee 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons

vanilla extract1 packed cup dried figs (200

grams), stemmed1/4 cup apple juice or fresh

lemon juice (from 2 lemons)1 teaspoon finely grated lemon

zest

StepsCombine the almond flour, salt,

coconut oil, Bee Free Honee and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract in a food processor. Process for 30 seconds

to 1 minute, until clumps of dough form that stick together when pinched. (The dough won’t form a ball.) Divide the dough in half, place each half on its own sheet of plas-tic wrap; shape each portion into two 4-inch squares and wrap tightly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, until firm.

Meanwhile, wipe out the food processor bowl. Add the dried figs to the bowl and pulse a few times, until coarsely chopped. Add the apple or lemon juice, lemon zest and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract;

process for about a minute, to form a paste-like consistency. Let it sit at room temperature until you’re ready to bake.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parch-ment paper.

Working with 1 square of dough at a time, cut in half, forming 2 equal rectangles. Between sheets of parchment, roll out one portion into a very thin rectangle that meas-ures 5 inches by 9 1/2 inches. Remove the top parchment. Use an offset spatula to spread a quarter of the filling (lengthwise) down the middle of the rolled-out rectangle, so that the strip of filling is about 2 inches wide with a 1 1/2-inch mar-gin on either side. The filling should extend all the way to the top and bottom edges (no margin).

Use the bottom parchment to help fold the sides of the dough inward so they overlap slightly at the center. Use your fingers to gen-tly press the seam, sealing it. (You don’t have to seal the top and bot-tom ends.) Slice the flat log into 5 equal pieces, then place them seam sides down on the baking sheets, spacing the bars 1/2 inch apart. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.

Bake one sheet at a time (mid-dle rack) for 13 to 15 minutes, until golden and brown around the edges. Let the bars cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheets before transfer-ring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutrition | Per bar: 150 calo-ries, 3 g protein, 13 g carbohydrates, 10 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cho-lesterol, 35 mg sodium, 3 g dietary fiber, 9 g sugar.

This little vegan honey company gives back to bees

HEALTH SUNDAY 23 APRIL 201710

The Washington Post

You leave your car in a vast, crowded parking lot, and when you return, you have

no idea where it is. The ensuing search is frustrating, time-consum-ing and a little embarrassing.

That experience occurs more frequently as we get older, because the functions of the part of the brain that encodes spatial and episodic memories - the hippocampus - decline with age.

But now neuroscientists at the Stanford University School of Med-icine have shown that - in mice - an infusion of plasma taken from human umbilical cords improves the hippocampus’s functioning, resulting in significant gains in memory and cognition needed for tasks such as finding a car in a full parking lot. They also isolated the protein, known as TIMP2, that they say is responsible for the improvements.

The research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, could one day hold implications for the treatment of Alzheimer’s dis-ease and other conditions that erode memory and cognition.

“That TIMP2 protein might have some translational promise, some therapeutic promise, in humans,”

said Joe Castellano, a postdoctoral researcher who identified the pro-tein among scores of others in the blood.

TIMP2 appears to improve the transmission of information across gaps - known as synapses - between cells in the hippocampus, Castellano said. The quantity of the substance in the blood declines as people age.

“There seems to be something in young human blood that is not in old human blood that can reac-tivate and rejuvenate these old brains and make mice smarter again,” said Tony Wyss-Coray, a professor of neurology at Stanford who led the research team.

The researchers, however, voiced caution because most ther-apeutic approaches to disease that work in mice or other lab animals do not succeed in humans. And before it could be tried in humans, any substance would face years of safety testing.

But because the current study was conducted with human cord plasma, it is a big step forward, they said. “It’s not some random mole-cule that we found somewhere,” Wyss-Coray said. “It’s actually pro-duced in humans.”That raises the possibility of using TIMP2 to slow the aging of other tissue in the body,

he said. Scientists don’t actually know whether different organs age at the same rate and are not sure where the protein is produced.

“Where does TIMP2 come from? Which organs produce it?” Wyss-Coray said. “And if it’s multiple organs, does it change with aging at the same speed, and can we interfere with that?”

The researchers had previously shown that they could improve learning and memory in older mice

by injecting them with plasma taken from young mice.

In this study, the team injected the plasma - the liquid that remains when blood cells are removed - into older mice whose immune systems were weakened so that their natu-ral defenses would not attack the proteins.

A second test that required the mice to recognize spatial cues to perform a task confirmed the gains, Castellano said.

A protein from umbilical cords revitalises memory

Researchers have discovered a new cause of high blood pressure which could lead to major changes in managing the

disease.In a study published in the journal JCI

Insight, the researchers named the new cause as Connshing syndrome which is linked to the overproduction of the stress hormone cortisol.

It is known that in up to 10 per cent of hypertensive patients the overproduction of the adrenal hormone aldosterone -- a condi-tion known as primary aldosteronism or Conn syndrome -- is the cause of disease.

The new study showed that a large number of patients with Conn syndrome do not only overproduce aldosterone but also the stress hor-mone cortisol.

“Our findings show that the adrenal glands

of many patients with Conn syndrome also pro-duce too much cortisol,” said Professor Wiebke Arlt of the University of Birmingham in Britain.

The authors of the new study, conducted in col-laboration with a group of scientists from Germany, decided to name this new cause of hypertension - the combined overproduction of aldosterone and cortisol -- as Connshing syn-drome.At present, many Conn syndrome patients are treated with drugs that are directed against the adverse effects of aldosterone. How-ever, this leaves the cortisol excess untreated.

“These findings are very likely to change clin-ical practice. Patients will now need to undergo more detailed assessment to clarify whether they suffer from Conn or Connshing syndrome,” Katharina Lang of the University of Birming-ham said. “Also, researchers will now need to investigate whether treating the Connshing patients with an additional drug, which coun-teracts the cortisol excess, will improve their health outcomes,” Lang said.

Researchers discover new cause of high blood pressure

BOLLYWOODSUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017 11

IANS

Actors Shraddha Kapoor and Arjun Kapoor-starrer roman-tic drama “Half Girlfriend” will

release in more than 2,500 screens in India on May 19.

NH Studioz, an initiative of Naren-dra Hirawat and Co., has bagged the distribution rights of the movie, directed by Mohit Suri. The film is adapted from celebrated author Chetan Bhagat’s novel of the same name. The statement released on behalf the company on Friday said

that the film will release in 1600 screens. However a fresh statement states that number of screens will be more than 2500. “We are extremely happy to be associated with Balaji Motion Pictures for ‘Half Girlfriend’. We are bringing this film to entertain audiences in over 2500 screens,” Narendra Hirawat from NH Studioz, said in a statement.

Arjun plays the role of Madhav Jha and Shraddha essays the role of Riya Somani in the film, which is set against the backdrop of three distinct worlds of Delhi, Patna and New York.

‘Half Girlfriend’ to be out on screens on May 19

Actor Jayam Ravi, who plays a tribal character in upcom-ing Tamil forest-based

romantic thriller “Vanamagan”, has no dialogues in the film.

Actor Thambi Ramaiah, who plays a pivotal role in “Vanama-gan”, yesterday lauded Ravi’s conviction to accept such a role.

“Ravi’s character is such that he has no dialogues in the film. It’s not easy to play a role where you need to express everything

through your body. Hats off to Ravi to accept this kind of role,” Ram-aiah told reporters on the sidelines of the “Vanamagan” audio launch.

Directed by Vijay, the film marks the debut of “Shivaay” fame Sayyeshaa. Talking about Sayye-shaa, with whom Ramaiah shares most screen space in the film, he said: “Unlike most debutante her-oines I have worked with, Sayyeshaa learnt the meaning of each dialogue and learnt her

dialogues. Her commitment amazed me.” The film has music by Harris Jayaraj, and is gearing up for a May release.

No dialogues for Jayam Ravi in ‘Vanamagan’

Actor Sanjay Dutt’s come-back film “Bhoomi”, directed by Omung

Kumar, will release on Septem-ber 22. The film was earlier scheduled to release on August 4. However, the makers have pushed back the release date to September 22.

The new release date was confirmed by producers Bhushan Kumar and Sandeep Singh in a joint statement.

“Sanjay has given his best performance till date and I am glad that we are increasing the anticipation for the audiences,” director Omung Kumar said. Sanjay along with the cast and crew of the film is currently shooting for the climax here. He earlier shot in Agra and Cham-bal. “We are extremely happy to have our film finally releasing on September 22 this year. San-jay and our entire team found it an apt decision to shift the release date by a month as this would give us enough time to promote the fi”m,” Bhushan said.

“Bhoomi” is an emotional and sensitive revenge drama that explores the relationship between a father and daughter.

Bengali feature film “Shunyota” (“Emptiness”) themed on demonetisation released in West Ben-gal following six cuts, that were recommended

by the censor board, the film’s director said.The censor board had recommended some required

cuts in the film for a U/A certificate.“It has released in West Bengal, across 26 theatres.

We are planning a country-wide release,” Director Suvendu Ghosh said.

He said some portions of the film, which deals with the plight of people post-demonetisation, showcasing comments on demonetisation were axed. The recom-mended cuts included deletion of two sequences and muting of four sentences/parts of sentences/words with beeps. One of the recommended deletions was a 10-second sequence that talks of “a large number of unacceptable death processions in the country revolv-ing around demonetisation”.

“Although the film is still complete, I feel the por-tions where the cuts were made may lose out in creating the impact that I had envisaged,” Ghosh said.

He was also asked to mute a part of a sentence with a beep that says “the government has committed the wrong, and while the big fish will survive, the small fish will be trapped”. Earlier, the Kolkata Regional Office of the CBFC had referred the film to the board’s Chairman Pahlaj Nihalni for a decision on certifica-tion citing “differences of opinion among members of the (examining) committee”. Ghosh has claimed his film is the first on demonetisation.

Film on demonetisation releases after six cuts

‘Bhoomi’ to release on September 22

HOLLYWOOD SUNDAY 23 APRIL 201712

AFP

Action star Chris Pratt swapped his superhero gear for a formal suit as he was

awarded a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame for his contribution to cinema.

Pratt, 37, found fame as lovea-ble slacker Andy Dwyer on NBC comedy “Parks and Recreation” but has since become one of Holly-wood’s most sought-after leading men thanks to roles in “Jurassic World” and Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy.”

“I’m a man of faith and I believe that God works in mysterious ways, and gives us signs and gifts in life. And those gifts oftentimes come in the form of people,” he said, pay-ing tribute to his mother.

“Oftentimes we weren’t cash-rich but we were never love-poor,” he told a crowd on Hollywood Boul-evard that included “Guardians” co-stars Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista and Michael Rooker.

The actor thanked filmmaker

James Gunn for casting him as Star-Lord in “Guardians” -- a role he said had changed “so many lives,” from children in hospital to his real estate agent -- and acknowledged Mar-vel for “taking a chance on the chubby guy from ‘Parks and Rec.’”

He also paid a lengthy tribute to his wife, the actress Anna Faris, telling her: “Without you, none of this would mean anything.”

Pratt, once a moderately suc-cessful TV actor, went to great lengths to build an action hero’s physique and was rewarded with his first major lead part in 2014’s

“Guardians,” which went on to gross more than $770 million worldwide.

The sequel, due out on May 5, is expected to do even bigger business.

Pratt also starred in 2015 mon-ster movie reboot “Jurassic World,” the fourth-highest grossing film of all time, and is due to reprise the role of dinosaur trainer Owen Grady in the sequel, due out in 2018.

“Five years ago, I said to

reporters Chris Pratt is the biggest movie star in the world -- it’s just that people don’t know it yet. Well now, here today, people know it,” said Gunn, 46.

Faris, with whom Pratt has a four-year-old boy, showed the crowd a unicorn Pratt had drawn her before giving an

unconventional speech thanking the many friends and family who had helped shape her husband.

“I know that if our circumstances were different, and we weren’t as fortunate to be standing here and leading our Hollywood life, we would be happy in the woods together,” she said.

Hollywood honours action hero Chris Pratt

Comedian Patton Oswalt has paid a tribute to his late wife and writer

Michelle McNamara, who passed away in 2016.

Oswalt took to Facebook yesterday to talk about how his life has changed since she died on April 21 last year, reports variety.com. McNa-mara passed away due to bad health at the age of 46.

The lengthy Facebook post mentions Oswalt and McNamara’s 8-year-old daughter, Alice, and how Oswalt’s life continues to revolve around her. He wrote that he has no intention to turn the anniversary of her death into “any sort of dark ritual or painful memorial.”

“I was inviting more dark-ness,” he wrote. He also shared three photographs, showing a wooden memory

box that he commissioned for the pair when they moved into their first apartment as boyfriend-girlfriend and some of the objects stowed inside, as well as a smiling image of the pair taken a month after they started dating.

“Michelle brought me nothing but happiness. You can see it in our faces,” Oswalt wrote.

Oswalt pens tribute to late wife

Highlighting the dearth of sub-s t a n t i a l

women-related roles in Hollywood, Oscar-win-ning actress Catherine Zeta-Jones says when good writers cannot get a “great character-driven piece put on celluloid” they put it on TV.

Asked whether tele-vision puts out juicy roles for women over 40, Zeta-Jones said: “Yes, absolutely. Absolutely”.

“When good writers cannot get a great, char-acter driven piece put on celluloid and put into theaters you put it on TV.

The big example was my husband (Michael Doug-las) doing Liberace in TV movie ‘Behind the Cande-labra’ on HBO,” Zeta-Jones said in a statement.

The 47-year-old actress, who is seen in

“Feud: Bette and Joan”, which is aired in India on Star World Premiere HD, added that people were not ready to make

“Behind the Candelabra” into movie.

She said: “They would never make that into a movie. And also (Steven) Soderbergh and Michael (Douglas) and Matt Damon wanted the

time on TV to explore the characters. Not do a zip around the life within 90 minutes. It’s a luxury to have time on TV. And for the character driven roles or pieces that’s where they are.” The actress added: “For years there was stigma for movie actresses and the-atre actresses.

Zeta-Jones feels TV offers

juicy roles for women over 40

TECHNOLOGYSUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017 13

San Francisco

Reuters

Apple Inc outlined a plan to train operators of self-driv-ing cars in documents

submitted to California regulators earlier this month, the latest clues to the company’s autonomous vehi-cle technology aspirations.

Apple was granted a permit to test self-driving cars on April 14 by the California Department of Motor Vehicles but the company has never said anything about its plan.

The state released 41 pages of Apple application documents to Reuters that give some clues about the company’s highly secret self-driving effort, which it has never openly acknowledged.

The iPhone maker joins a long list of carmakers, start-ups and technology rivals, including Alpha-bet’s Waymo, that are testing cars on state roads. Apple is looking for

new hit products and autonomous car technology is expected to rev-olutionize the traditional auto industry.

As part of the application, Apple included a 10-page training plan that appeared to be related to oper-ators taking back manual control of the car during automated driv-ing exercises of the system, which it calls a development platform.

Apple declined comment beyond the filing. The plan includes a document called “Automated Sys-tem: Development Platform Specific Training Overview” whose objec-tive is “to train safety drivers in various automated driving condi-tions.” “Development platform will be controlled electronically (e.g. joystick) and safety drivers must be ready to intervene and take con-trol,” the document reads.

The document highlights differ-ent scenarios to be tested, from high speed driving and tight U-turns to

lane changes.One letter sent from Apple to

the state Department of Motor Vehi-cles noted that Apple’s development platform “will have the ability to capture and store relevant data before a collision occurs.”

The document does not include detail on how Apple’s self-driving platform actually works or other

technical details. It also does not say what kind of sensors are found on Apple’s three permitted vehicles, all 2015 Lexus model RX450h.

The permit does not necessar-ily mean that Apple itself is building a full car. Apple could instead be designing a self-driving platform that can be integrated into other manufacturer’s cars.

Apple outlines plan on self-driving car test

China’s Hangzhou Interna-tional Airport plans to become the world’s first

“cashless” airport by applying cut-ting-edge digital technologies to its services and will use artificial intelligence to make security checks faster, the media reported yesterday.

According to a media report, the airport in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, will co-operate with internet firms, such as Alipay, to allow travellers to make cashless payments for services including accommodation, flights and car rentals, the Global Times reported.

The airport will also work with service providers to combine cloud computing and big data so it can offer passengers door-to-door services including ticket bookings, transportation, smart parking, shopping and catering

as well as hotel bookings. It will also introduce artificial

intelligence and image recogni-tion technologies into security checks so as to increase the safety and efficiency of the process as well as reduce passenger wait times, according to the report.

A Hangzhou resident told the Global Times on Friday that she welcomes the airport experiment-ing with big data and cashless services. She said that with the spread of mobile payment, offer-ing cashless services is unlikely to pose much of a challenge. She said that reducing wait times is likely to be the real test.

Online payment already has a particularly high level of penetra-tion in Hangzhou, which is home to tech giant Alibaba Group Holding, which pioneered China’s most pop-ular online payment tool, Alipay.

China plans world’s first ‘cashless’ airport Apple has hired Steven Keat-

ing, the doctoral student from Massachusetts Institute

of Technology (MIT) who made a 3D printout of his own brain after he was diagnosed with a tumour, a media report said.

According to a report in CNBC yesterday, it is still not known whether Keating is working on one of Apple’s teams dedicated to health care or he has joined another team that can take advantage of his expertise in mechanical engineer-ing. Keating made headlines in 2015 after revealing the depths of his sci-ence experiment to better understand his own tumour.

Keating told Vox that he col-lected 75 GB of his health information. Keating on Friday addressed audience Sage at Bio-networks’ annual conference

“Assembly” held in Seattle as an Apple employee.

He spoke about the challenges for patients to aggregate their own medical data. Keating said he

ended up going to medical school at least in part so he could study his own tissue, the report added.

Apple recently acquired a per-sonal health data startup called Gliimpse which is designed to help people aggregate their medical information. Sage Bionetworks, a non-profit research organisation, has been a major proponent of Apple’s ResearchKit software, which is designed to make it eas-ier for medical researchers to launch mobile-based studies.

A secret team of biomedical engineers at Apple is also working on an initiative to develop sensors that can non-invasively and con-tinuously monitor blood sugar levels to better treat diabetes.

If such sensors are successfully developed, that would be a break-through as it is highly challenging to track glucose levels accurately without piercing the skin. It can help millions of people turn devices like Apple Watch into a must-have.

Apple hires man who 3D printed tumour

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

Noor is a journalist who juggles her work, love and personal life on a

day-to-day basis. One day, Noor’s life takes a dramatic turn when

she comes across an eye-opening investigative news story.Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

NOVO — Pearl ROYAL PLAZA

MALL

LANDMARK

Ghost In The Shell (2D/Action) 10:30, 12:45, 1:30, 3:00, 5:15, 6:30, 6:40, 7:30, 8:45, 9:45, 11:00 11:45pm & 12:00midnightFast & Furious 8 (2D/Action) 10:30, 11:30am, 12:00noo, 2:30, 3:00, 4:00, 5:30, 6:00, 8:30, 9:00, 9:05, 11:30 & 11:55pm The Boss Baby(Animation) 3D 10:00am, 1:40, 5:20 & 9:00pm 2D 11:50am, 3:30, 7:10 & 11:00pm Unforgettable (2D/Thriller) 10:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00pm & 12:00midnight The Void (2D/Horror) 11:00am, 3:10, 7:20 & 11:30pm Yejaalo Amer (2D/Arabic) 11:00am, 3:00, 7:00 & 11:00pmWhen A Man Falls (2D/Arabic) 1:00, 5:00 & 9:00pmFast & Furious 8 (2D IMAX/Action) 12:00noon, 3:00, 6:00, 9:00 & 11:55pm

The Baby Boss (Animation) 2:30 & 4:30pm

Mine (2D/Thriller) 2:15pm Smurfs: The Lost Village (2D/Thriller) 2:30pmThe Fate of The Furiours (2D/Action) 4:30, 9:00 & 11:15pm Oru Mexican Aparatha (2D/Malayalam) 4:30pm Ghost In The Shell (2D/Action) 6:30 & 8:30pm Yejaalo Amer (2D/Arabic) 7:00pm Can’t Help Falling In Love (2D/Tagalog) 7:00pmThe Void (2D/Horror) 9:15pm The Great Father (2D/Malayalam) 10:30pm Unforgettable (2D/Thriller) 11:30pm

The Baby Boss (Animation) 2:00, 3:45, 5:30 & 7:30pm1971: Beyond Borders (2D/Malayalam) 2:30pm Ghost In The Shell (2D/Action) 3:00, 5:30 & 9:30pm Noor (2D/Hindi) 5:00 & 11:15pmThe Fate of The Furiours (2D/Action) 5:00, 7:15 & 9:30pm Can’t Help Falling In Love (2D/Tagalog) 7:15pm Yejaalo Amer (2D/Arabic) 9:30pm The Void (2D/Horror) 11:30pm Unforgettable (2D/Thriller) 11:45pm

Noor (2D/Hindi) 2:15 & 9:15pm Oru Mexican Aparatha (2D/Malayalam) 4:30pm The Baby Boss (Animation) 2:15 & 4:30pm Mine (2D/Thriller) 2:30pm Smurfs: The Lost Village (2D/Thriller) 2:30pm Noor (2D/Hindi) 4:45 & 9:15pmYejaalo Amer (2D/Arabic) 7:00pm Can’t Help Falling In Love (2D/Tagalog) 7:00pm1971: Beyond Borders (2D/Malayalam) 6:30pm The Void (2D/Horror) 9:00pm The Fate of The Furiours (2D/Action) 9:00 & 11:00pmUnforgettable (2D/Thriller) 11:30pm Ghost In The Shell (2D/Action) 11:30pm

SUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

CINEMA PLUS14

AL KHOR1971: Beyond Borders 11:15am & 5:15pm Oru Mexican Aparatha 2:15 & 8:15pmThe Fate of The Furious 12:30, 3:15, 6:00, 8:45 & 11:30pm The Baby Boss 11:00am, 1:15, 3:30 & 5:45pm The Great Father 8:00 & 11:00pm

ROXYThe Baby Boss 2:00, 4:00 & 6:00pm 1971: Beyond Borders 2:00, 4:45 & 7:30pm The Ghost In Shell 2:00, 8:00 & 10:15pm The Fate of The Furious 4:15, 7:00 & 9:45pm Oru Mexican Aparatha 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm

NOOR

ASIAN TOWNThe Great Father (Malayalam) 4:30 & 7:30pm 1971: Beyond Borders (Malayalam) 7:00 & 10:00pm Oru Mexican Aparatha 7:30, 9:30 & 10:30pm Baahubali (Malayalam) 10:30pm

CROSSWORD CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

ALL IN THE MIND

08:00 News08:30 Fault Lines09:00 Taliban Oil 10:30 Inside Story11:00 News11:30 Talk To Al

Jazeera 12:30 TechKnow13:00 NEWSHOUR14:30 Inside Story15:00 Al Jazeera World16:00 NEWSHOUR17:00 News17:30 The Listening

Post18:00 Newsgrid19:00 News19:30 101 East 20:30 Inside Story21:00 NEWSHOUR22:00 News22:30 Talk To Al

Jazeera 23:00 Living Beneath

The Drones

13:05 Welcome To The Ronks

13:15 Descendants Wicked World

13:20 Girl Meets World

15:25 Jessie 17:35 Liv And

Maddie 18:25 Go Figure 19:55 Welcome

To The Ronks 20:05 Stuck In

The Middle 20:30 Bizaardvark 20:55 Bunk’d 21:20 Best

Friends Whenever

21:45 Disney The Lodge

22:35 That’s So Raven

23:00 Good Luck Charlie

09:10 Life At Vet University

10:05 Rugged Justice

11:00 Wildest India

11:55 Bondi Vet13:45 North

America16:30 North

America19:15 Rugged

Justice20:10 Pit Bulls &

Parolees21:05 Lone Star

Law22:00 Predators

Up Close With Joel Lambert

22:55 Gator Boys00:45 North

America

13:05 How Do They Do It?

13:30 Storage Hunters

14:20 Gold Rush15:10 Marooned

With Ed Stafford

16:00 Railroad Australia

18:30 How Do They Do It?

19:20 Marooned With Ed Stafford

20:35 Storage Hunters

21:00 Super-truckers

21:50 Guy Martin: Wall Of Death

22:40 Running Wild With Bear Grylls

King Features Syndicate, Inc.

BRAIN TEASERSSUNDAY 23 APRIL 2017 15

Yesterday’s answer

Conceptis Sudoku: Conceptis Sudoku

is a number-placing puzzle based on a

9×9 grid. The object is to place the

numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so

that each row, each column and each

3×3 box contains the same number

only once.

AGLAROND, ARAGORN, ARWEN,

BILBO, BOROMIR, CELEBORN,

DAMROD, DEAGOL, DENETHOR,

ELDARION, ELROND, EOMER,

EOWYN, EVERARD, FARAMIR,

FRODO, GALADRIEL, GANDALF,

GIMLI, GORBAG, GRIMBOLD,

HOBBIT, ISENGARD, ISILDUR,

LEGOLAS, MADRIL, MERRY,

MIDDLE EARTH, MOUNT DOOM,

PIPPIN, SAM, SARUMAN,

SAURON, SMEAGOL, STRIDER,

THE RING, THE SHIRE, THEODEN,

TREEBEARD.