HEALTH EYE ON - The Peninsula · 2016-09-11 · launch of RasGas ’ CSR programme ... THURSDAY 6...

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• Art expo markslaunch of RasGas’CSR programme

• Doctor, patienttrust beats pain, stress

• Dental cleaning

• Letterman, Hoffman, Zeppelin honouredby Obama

• How to makethe perfect:Oatmeal

• Do not hand ina blank cheque!

• The rules for sick leave

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insideTHURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 • [email protected] • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741

During the years the Landsat programme has been active, its big eye has seen changes on Earth regarding water, food, forest, urban growth and glaciers and ice.

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Search for life begins under Antarctic ice P | 12

EYE ONEARTH

2 COVER STORYPLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012

Jack A Kaye, associate director for Research of Science Mission Directorate of Nasa, has travelled to Doha to share his expertise.

by Isabel Ovalle

Nasa, the National A e r o n a u t i c s and Space Administration of

the US, puts its experts, tech-nology and satellites to use for the evaluation of the impact of climate change on Earth.

Among these satellites is the Landsat programme, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary. Since the launch of the first satellite in 1972, multispectral digital images of the global land sur-face have been collected and archived.

With the 8th Landsat to be launched in February 2013, the programme will continue providing scientific measure-ments to accurately track land surface conditions and how they change.

These images are collected at a scale that can differen-tiate natural variation from human impact. Urban growth of cities, health and distur-bance of forests, recession of the world’s glaciers and water supply and productiv-ity of agriculture are examples of how Landsat can capture and characterize land surface conditions.

Jack A Kaye, associate director for Research of Science Mission Directorate of Nasa, travelled to Doha to share his expertise. He said that “with satellites we have a pretty good sense of what’s going on anywhere in the world.”

“We can look at the results and understand what’s

happening to this planet in relation to temperature and precipitation. We are trying to launch a satellite in 2013 to measure soil moisture and we’ll launch another one in 2014 to improve our ability to measure precipitation,” he added.

Satellites also measure solar radiation. “If you have data you can begin to make connections, look at pollut-ants,” added Kaye. Currently Nasa has 16 satellite missions that are studying the Earth and the sun. In addition, the agency has partnerships with European nations and Canada, among others.

“Nasa is blessed with being a science agency that’s in the position to develop technology, build satellites, and fly planes. We try to work in partnership with others in the US and other space agencies,” contin-ued the Nasa official.

In due course, the agency aims to “provide tools to help people in a number of cases, one of the biggest challenges is to process all the data, a task which becomes a burden because it’s so much,” he said.

Doha’s conference is the third one with Nasa partici-pation at the US center. Kaye explained that “the climate problem is a global problem, there are things that can only be studied from space, like the thaw in Greenland and Antarctica. It’s impos-sible to imagine how one could do that without satel-lites which make it possible to address things that otherwise wouldn’t be.”

Impact of climate

changeon Earth

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 3

Even though climate is an area of political sensitivity, science gives as the rigorous base to make decisions for the future.

Kaye said that “even though climate is an area of political sensitivity, science gives as the rigorous base to make decisions for the future.”

“It’s a great way to train peo-ple, help them learn about the world, and about the science. It’s hard sometimes to think about change. One thing we know is that the earth doesn’t do the same thing everywhere. If you really want to know how the Earth as a planet is behaving, you have to use the satellites,” he concluded.

During the years the Landsat programme has been active, its big eye has seen changes on Earth regarding water, food, for-est, urban growth and glaciers and ice. In the region, thanks to satellites NASA has observed how Saudi Arabia has drilled for water over the last 24 years. It has tapped hidden reserves of water to grow wheat and other crops in the Syrian Desert.

Other changes on Earth have to do with deforestation. From 1975 to 2012 satellites have kept record of enormous tracts of Amazonia forest vanish in Rondonia, a state in Western Brazil.

Alterations on Earth that affect food supplies, like those in the Ohio Rivers in the US, have

also been recorded by satellites. These rivers spilled over their banks at the confluence of the Wabash and Ohio in early May 2011. The flood waters inun-dated homes, businesses, and agricultural fields.

Regarding urban growth, Landsat images reveal how certain cities have grown rap-idly since 1978. An example is Tehran, in Iran, that has grown quickly since 1985, causing the loss of numerous green areas. In a way that the appearance of the city from space has changed from green to mainly grey.

Landsat has observed as well the shrinking of glaciers in Greenland, Alaska and Antarctica. Also on Puncak Jaya, Indonesia there has been a big ice loss, with two gla-ciers disappearing and three retreated dramatically.

Ultimately, Lansat has seen the world change in the last 40 years. Without blinking the sat-ellite has watched the urbani-zation of Dubai, including the construction of hundreds of artificial islands, or the Kuwait oil fires, among other phenom-ena. These images are available for the world to see and reflect on how Earth is behaving as a planet and the human influence on this behavior. The Peninsula

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 COMMUNITY4

The Minister of Energy and Industry H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada cutting the ribbon in the company of Dr Ibrahim Ibrahim, Economic Adviser to the Emir, and RasGas Managing Director Hamad Rashid Al Mohannadi. RIGHT: Paintings on display.

RasGas Company Limited (RasGas) officially launched the Year of Education 2013 Impressionist Art Exhibition

by renowned Qatari artist, Ali Al Sharif at the company’s headquarters recently. This exhibition marks the start of the corporate social respon-sibility (CSR) programme Year of Education 2013 campaign.

The exhibition was officially inau-gurated by H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, Chairman and Managing Director of Qatar Petroleum and Chairman of RasGas, RasGas’ board

of directors and executive leadership team, in addition to a number of other senior staff.

Showcasing 12 unique paintings by Al Sharif, the collection provides an artistic portrayal of traditional edu-cation in Qatar. Set in the 1940s and 1950s, the paintings place specific emphasis on almutawaa and traditional Islamic teaching methods, which paved the way for modern-day education in Qatar.

“RasGas continues to demonstrate its long-standing commitment to the local community. The Company’s CSR programme provides a multitude of

initiatives such as this exhibition which not only pay tribute to Qatar, but seek to preserve the nation’s rich culture and heritage,” said Al Sada.

This exclusive impressionist art exhibition marks the start of the RasGas CSR’s Year of Education 2013 campaign, which will cover a range of topics related to education including art, culture, literature and reading,

science as well as employee volunteer and skills transfer initiatives.

“This is our first exhibition at the new headquarters and we are honoured to reinforce our commitment to local arts and preservation of local heritage ahead of Qatar’s national day celebrations. RasGas’ CSR programme is aligned to the Qatar National Vision 2030 and Qatar National Development strat-egy 2011-16,” said RasGas Managing Director, Hamad Rashid Al Mohannadi.

The exhibition will run until Monday, December 10 and is open to the public from 9am to 6pm every day.

The Peninsula

Dukhan Stringrays went away with the win-ning trophy of the first Pakistan Education Centre Alumni (PEC-A) Super Sixes

Tournament last week.The knockout tournament, which was spon-

sored by Abdulla Minhas of Future World Real Estate and Khawar Aslam of Rumailah Garage, saw participation from eight crickets teams in Qatar, including one from PEC-A.

A large crowd, comprising of many Pakistani families, turned up at the PEC cricket ground to watch the one-day sports event.

After the initial matches, the first semi final was played between Pakistan Cricket Academy (PCA) and MIDAS.

MIDAS won the toss and elected to bat. The team scored 74 runs at the loss of three wickets in six overs. In return, PCA successfully chased the total and reached 77 runs for three wickets in 5.3 overs. Yousef managed to score 34 runs off 11 balls with an impressive five sixes.

The second semi final was played between team PEC and Dukhan Stingrays. PEC, however, won the toss and elected to field. Dukhan Stingrays scored 100 at four wickets in six overs. Rehmat Khan from Dukhan Stingrays scored 61 runs off

16 balls with an outstanding eight sixes and two boundaries. PEC, meanwhile, kept losing wickets and the team was all out at 60 runs in 5.3 overs.

The final match of the thrilling tournament was thus played between PCA and Dukhan Stingrays. PCA won the toss and elected to field and took out all the players of Dukhan Stingrays at 72 runs at the end of overs. Ehtisham ul Hassan scored 25 off 11 balls with two fours and two sixes.

PCA could not take the heat from the bowlers of their opponents. Assad from PCA scored a fight-ing 26 off 12 balls but his struggle was short lived as Awais from Dukhan Stingrays took a catch in the deep to end PCA innings at 48 at the end of fifth over.

Rehmat Khan was declared the player of the tournament for his overall performance.

The Peninsula

Art expo marks launch of RasGas’ CSR programme

The Dukhan Stringrays team with the trophy.

What: Impressionist Art ExhibitionWhere: RasGas headquartersWhen: Till Dec 10, 9am-6pmEntry free

Dukhan Stringrays wins first Pakistan Education Centre Alumni Super Sixes trophy

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 5COMMUNITY

Spanish dancer holds Flamenco workshop

Fondness for Flamenco (a genre of Spanish music and dance) in Qatar has grown in the past few years. Flamenco

was declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Unesco.

Flamenco aficionados got together for the first time in 2010 for a work-shop given by Ruben Martin, a bailaor (flamenco dancer) original from Cordoba, in the Spanish region of Andalusia.

This dancer lived in Qatar for three years and often returns to give fla-menco workshops with the partici-pation of both men and women. In Doha, especially Europeans and Latin Americans enjoy Flamenco.

Ruben Martin has tapped his feet all over the world, from Dubai to Zurich, Venice and Taipei. Here in Qatar, the first week of December he taught a class for beginners and experts. He is proud to bring Spanish

culture to the Middle East and said that love for Flamenco is growing in the region.

At 15 years old he entered the Professional Conservatory of Dance

of Cordoba and at 17 he transferred to the Professional Conservatory of Dance of Madrid to extend his stud-ies. Many experiences followed and life brought him to Qatar. Doha has its

very own Peña Flamenca that often gets together to practice. Martin was part of it from the beginning and soon gathered many aficionados.

The Peninsula

Ruben Martin at his workshop.

Participants at a three-day environment workshop to reduce the polluted wastage at the camps of the Armed Forces organised by the Qatar Armed Force in collaboration with the Central Command of the US Air Force, which concluded yesterday.

The Association of Qatari Falcon-owners has organised a two-day Falcon contest— “Da’o and Al Tala’a” – at Sabkhat Al Zakheera. The contest will conclude tomor-row (December 7). Mohammed Mubarak Ali Al Ma’adeed, Head of the organising committee, said that about 86 free-falcons and 38 Shaheen birds will participate in the contest.

Environment workshop

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 COMMUNITY6

Qatar Hair Centre hosted an event at the Holiday Villa Hotel recently for dermalogica skin therapists. They were handed ove their certificates, which ranged from certified to spe-cialists. Managers of Dado’s, Desert Princess, Nara, QHC and skin therapists from Habib’s, Lucia Co (Sheraton Hotel), Snips Salon (Holiday Villa Hotel), and salons and spas offering dermalogica serv-ices, attended the event. After the certificates were handed out, the guests gathered up to celebrate the event by cutting the dermalogica cake. Seen in the picture are the participants at the meet.

Malabar Gold & Diamonds launches special offers

Malabar Gold & Diamonds has come up with special offers giving the custom-

ers an opportunity to win up to 100,000 gold coins and up to QR1m instant cash refund. The promo-tion which runs until February 3, 2013 will showcase their range of exclusive designs in gold, diamonds and precious stones from different parts of the world.

Celebrating this occasion, Malabar Gold & Diamonds exhibits elegant and stylish pieces designed to flaunt at any occasion or event. The jewellery group announced exciting gifts and offers during this period. Customers who buy gold and diamonds jewellery worth QR5,000 or more will get a ‘Scratch and Win’ coupon for a guaranteed gold coin and an opportunity to win up to 100 gold coins instantly. On every diamond purchase, the cus-tomers get a ‘Scratch & Win’ cou-pon for a guaranteed cash refund with a chance to win up to 100 per-cent cash back.

The group also offers a Zero Deduction exchange scheme through which customers can update their old ornaments to the exquisite collection of Malabar Gold & Diamonds with zero loss. Any 22ct old gold ornaments can be exchanged with the lat-est Malabar Gold & Diamonds designs by paying only mak-ing charges ensuring they don’t lose any value on the rate and weight of gold. All these offers are valid at their outlets at Lulu Hypermarket, Gharaffa; Near HBK Signal, Airport road, Doha.

The Peninsula

The Qatar Stars League announced their partner-ship with the Qatar Indian Football Forum. The part-

nership has been revealed ahead of the QIFF’s City Exchange Western Union Trophy Football Final which will take place on Friday, December 7 at Al Arabi stadium around the Qatar Stars League match of Umm Salal vs Lekhwiya, kick-off 6.30pm. The move comes as the ever growing QIFF tour-naments have outgrown many of the stadia here in Qatar and needed a big-ger ‘arena’ to accommodate their sup-porters. During the football season it is difficult to find stadiums available at the weekends to use due to the high volume of Qatar Stars League matches and other football tournaments, there-fore the QSL and QIFF have joined forces and together have found the perfect way to entertain and please enthusiastic football fans – a back to back spectacular of football matches polished off with a fantastic Southern Indian theme day of entertainment for families and fans who come along.

The event starts at 4pm and offers nonstop entertainment, music, dance, festivals of colour, food and even famous celebrities from India. And, if fans are still looking for more, then there are hundreds of football ticket numbers that will be drawn randomly throughout the event and the fans in the stadium can claim their prizes.

Two lucky ticket numbers will go into the huge weekly QSL prize draw which consists of two Toyota Cars, this week lucky winners will be driv-ing away in a brand new FJ Cruiser and Corolla. Other prizes include play stations, TVs, I Pads, I Phones, Blackberrys, E-Machines and so many more. Fans must remember that they must be in the stadium when their numbers are called to claim the prizes.

Abdulrahman Al Dosari, Chief Commercial Officer of Qatar Stars League today said: “The Qatar Stars

League is pleased to announce its new partnership with the Qatar Indian Football Forum. As a Nation that believes in health and wellbeing this is crucial, but as a culture that is proud of its’ hospitality we would like to also see a bigger mix of people attend some of Qatar’s premier football events. We have recently found out that sometimes expatriates feel shy or a little afraid about coming to the QSL matches because there is a myth that the expe-rience may be so much different from ‘back home’…. Well I can tell you this is certainly not the case.

“All of our football matches are open to everyone. We welcome every nationality and supporter, and we even encourage people to come along who are just interested in making friends here in Qatar and are looking for a good time.

“We are overjoyed to see the Indian

community has one of the largest pop-ulations here in Qatar and they are heavily supporting their local football tournaments. We are keen to support them and form an on-going partner-ship. The agreement will see them gain access to better football facili-ties and programmes whilst simul-taneously becoming involved with the QSL. We are looking forward to having our Indian compatriots at the QSL matches with us to support their favourite teams and become involved with various Clubs.”

Qatar Stars League and Qatar Indian Football Forum plans to work closely together as the QSL extends its’ Community Programme and will help to support and provide better football training and match facilities for the up and coming Indian footballers of the QIFF residing here in Qatar.

The Peninsula

QSL signs deal with Qatar Indian Football Forum

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Qatar Stars League Chief Commercial Officer Abdulrahman Al Dosari (third left) with Shamsudheen Olakara (second right), President, Qatar Indian Football Forum (QIFF), after signing an agreement in Doha yesterday. Mohammed Essa, Vice President, QIFF, Abdurahman Hassanar, QIFF, and Shameem, General Secretary, QIFF, are also seen.

Qatar Hair Centre hosts event at the Holiday Villa Hotel

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012HEALTH 7

Health Tipsfrom DOCTOR

When was the last time you had a den-tal cleaning? This simple procedure is a major part of an oral health care regimen needed to prevent cavities, gum

disease and tooth loss brought on by dental disease. Prophylaxis can prevent the need for a costly dental treatment, such as a tooth filling or gum disease treat-ment. And you only need to do it twice a year.

Dental prophylaxis is essen-tial not only for maintaining your teeth, but is also used to treat the early stages of gum disease. Your dentist uses spe-cial tools to remove dental tar-tar, which you can’t do on your own. Without regular dental visits, dental tartar can build up and start to form under the gum line. This eventually can lead to periodontal disease, which left untreated, may cause tooth loss

Here are other reasons to see your dentist for prophylaxis on a regular basis:

Dental Education -- Your dentist can look for teeth that have a larger buildup of dental tartar and show you areas that need improvement in your oral hygiene regimen.

Cosmetic Purposes -- Prophylaxis helps remove some stains from your teeth.

Health Reasons --Dental health has been linked to overall health. Not only can oral problems affect your health, but symptoms of some physical ailments are found in the mouth

It’s recommended that most patients receive prophy-laxis at a dental office at least every six months, and patients with periodontal disease should have it every three to four months.

Like any dental procedure, there are some things to consider before your dental checkup:

1. You may experience some sensitivity following prophylaxis. Plaque and tartar form a shield over teeth, and their removal will expose teeth to sensitive ele-ments for a short time. Proper brushing and flossing will limit plaque and tartar from forming on teeth, making your dental visits a little easier.

2. For patients with heart conditions, your dentist may prescribe antibiotics to be taken prior to the den-tal cleaning. Tell your dentist about your medical his-tory, allergies and prescription medications you are taking prior to your first appointment.

3. Most dental plans cover two dental cleanings a year, but be sure you check your dental insurance cov-erage before accepting treatment. If you’re hesitating to make an appointment because you’re paying out-of-pocket, consider this: Prophylaxis is a preventive measure that can help prevent tooth decay and other dental problems. Without it, many dental conditions will go unnoticed and grow out of control

Dental prophylaxis is probably one of the greatest investments you can make in your dental and overall health.

A doctor-patient rela-tionship built on trust and empathy has much more going on than

merely putting patients at ease -- it helps the brain beat pain and stress.

Recent studies have shown that doctors who listen carefully have happier patients with better health outcomes, but the under-lying mechanism was unknown, said Issidoros Sarinopoulos, pro-fessor of radiology at Michigan State University.

“This is the first study that has looked at the patient-cen-tered relationship from a neu-robiological point of view,” said Sarinopoulos, study co-author, the journal Patient Education and Counseling reports.

“It’s important for doctors and others who advocate this type of relationship with the patient to show that there is a biologi-cal basis,” Sarinopoulos was quoted as saying in a Michigan statement.

The study involved randomly

assigning patients to one of the two types of interview with a doctor before undergoing an MRI scan.

In the patient-centred approach, doctors addressed any concerns participants had about the procedure and asked open-ended questions allowing them to talk freely about their jobs.

The other patients were asked only specific questions about clinical information such as their medical history and what drugs they were taking.

As expected, those who had the patient-focused interview reported greater satisfaction and confidence in their doctor in a post-interview questionnaire.

The participants then were placed in the MRI scanner and given a series of mild electric shocks, similar to the discomfort of having an IV needle inserted, while looking at a photo of a doctor who they were told was supervising the procedure.

The scans measured activity in the anterior insula -- the part

of the brain that makes people aware of pain -- in anticipation of the shocks and when they actu-ally occurred.

The brain scans revealed those who had the patient-cen-tred interview showed less activ-ity in the anterior insula when they were looking at a photo of the interviewing doctor than when the doctor in the photo was unknown.

Those participants also self-reported less pain when the pho-tos showed the known doctor.

“We need to do more research to understand this mechanism,” he said. “But this is a good first step that puts some scientific weight behind the case for empathising with patients, get-ting to know them and building trust.”

The study was part of a broader effort at Michigan, led by Robert Smith, professor of medicine, to establish standards for patient-centered health care and measure its effectiveness.

IANS

Dr Amit K Walvekar Specialist – Dentistry –

Periodontics Healthspring World Clinic

Dental cleaningDoctor, patient trust beats pain, stress

Canadian researchers have developed a sen-sor shaped like a smiley face which could help doctors detect metabolic problems in patients by attaching it to their skins.

“We wanted a design that could conceal the electrodes,” says Vinci Hung, doctoral can-didate in physical & environmental Sciences at University of Toronto Scarborough, who helped create the new sensor.

“We also wanted to showcase the variety of designs that can be accom-plished with this fabrica-tion technique,” adds Hung.

The new tattoo-based solid-contact ion-selective electrode (ISE) is made using standard screen print-ing techniques and com-mercially available transfer tattoo paper, the same kind of paper that usually car-ries tattoos of Spiderman

or Disney princesses.In the case of the sensor, the “eyes” function

as the working and reference electrodes, and the “ears” are contacts for a measurement device to connect to, according to a Toronto statement.

Hung contributed to the work while in the lab of Joseph Wang, professor at the University of California - San Diego. “It was a wonderful opportunity,” Hung said. She worked directly with Wang, who is well-known for his innovations in

the field of nanoengineering and is a pioneer in biosensor technology.

By using different sensing materials, the tattoos can also be modified to detect other components of sweat, such as sodium, potassium or magnesium, all of which are of potential interest to researchers in medicine and cosmetology. IANS

Smiley-shaped sensor can detect metabolic problems

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hop k

now

ledge.

BO

LLY

WO

OD

NE

WS

Eddi

e M

urph

y, H

olly

woo

d’s

mos

t ov

erpa

id a

ctor

The

Mes

sage

dee

med

grea

test

hip

hop

son

g ev

er

David

L

ett

erm

an

’s

“stu

pid

hum

an

tr

ick

s”

an

d T

op 10

list

s vault

ed into

the r

anks

of

cult

ural

accla

im a

s th

e l

ate

-n

igh

t com

edia

n receiv

ed th

is year’s

K

ennedy C

ente

r H

onors

wit

h r

ock b

and

Led Z

eppelin, an a

cto

r, a

ballerin

a a

nd

a b

luesm

an.

Sta

rs fr

om

N

ew

Y

ork

, H

oll

yw

ood

an

d t

he m

usi

c w

orld

join

ed P

resi

den

t B

arack O

bam

a a

t th

e W

hit

e H

ouse

on

Sunday n

ight

to s

alu

te t

he h

onourees,

w

hose

ranks

als

o i

nclu

de a

cto

r D

ust

in

Hoff

man, C

hic

ago b

luesm

an B

uddy G

uy

and b

allerin

a N

ata

lia M

akarova.

The h

on

ours

are t

he n

ati

on

’s h

igh-

est

aw

ard fo

r th

ose w

ho in

fluen

ced

Am

eric

an

cult

ure th

rough

th

e arts

. T

he r

ecip

ients

were late

r s

alu

ted b

y fel-

low

perfo

rm

ers

at

the K

ennedy C

ente

r

Opera H

ouse

in a

show

to b

e b

roadcast

on D

ecem

ber 2

6 o

n C

BS

.O

bam

a d

rew

laughs

from

his

guest

s w

hen

he describ

ed th

e hon

ourees as

“som

e e

xtr

aordin

ary p

eople

who h

ave

no b

usin

ess b

ein

g o

n t

he s

am

e s

tage

togeth

er.”

Noti

ng t

hat

Guy m

ade h

is fi

rst

guit

ar

strin

gs

usi

ng t

he w

ire f

rom

a w

indow

sc

reen, he q

uip

ped, “T

hat

work

ed u

nti

l his

parents

sta

rte

d w

onderin

g h

ow

all

the m

osq

uit

oes

were g

ett

ing in.”

The p

resi

dent

thanked t

he m

em

bers

of L

ed Z

eppelin for b

ehavin

g t

hem

selv

es

at

the W

hit

e H

ouse

giv

en t

heir

his

tory

of

“hote

l room

s tr

ash

ed a

nd m

ayhem

all a

round.”

Obam

a n

ote

d L

ett

erm

an

’s hum

ble

begin

nin

gs

as

an

In

dia

napolis

weath

-erm

an w

ho o

nce r

eporte

d t

he c

ity w

as

bein

g p

elt

ed b

y h

ail ‘th

e s

ize o

f canned

ham

s.’”

“It

’s on

e of

the h

igh

ligh

ts of

his

career,”

he s

aid

.A

ll k

iddin

g a

side, O

bam

a d

esc

rib

ed a

ll

of th

e h

onourees

as

arti

sts

who “

insp

ired

us

to s

ee t

hin

gs

in a

new

way,

to h

ear

thin

gs

dif

ferentl

y, t

o d

iscover s

om

eth

ing

wit

hin

us

or t

o a

pprecia

te h

ow

much

beauty

there is

in t

he w

orld

.”“I

t’s

that

un

ique p

ow

er t

hat

makes

the a

rts

so im

porta

nt,”

he a

dded.

Late

r o

n t

he r

ed c

arpet,

Lett

erm

an

said

he w

as

thrille

d b

y t

he r

ecognit

ion

and t

o v

isit

Obam

a a

t th

e W

hit

e H

ouse

.“I

t su

perse

des

everyth

ing,

honest

ly,”

he said

. “I

haven

’t w

on

th

at

many

aw

ards.

”D

urin

g t

he s

how

, com

edia

n T

ina F

ey

said

she g

rew

up w

atc

hin

g h

er m

om

la

ugh a

t L

ett

erm

an

as

he b

rought

on

“a

n e

ndle

ss p

arade o

f w

eir

dos.

”“W

ho

was

this

D

ave

Lett

erm

an

guy?”

Fey s

aid

. “W

as

he a

brilliant,

sub-

tle p

ass

ive-a

ggress

ive p

arody o

f a t

alk

sh

ow

host

? O

r j

ust

som

e M

idw

est

ern

goon w

ho w

as

a l

ittl

e b

it o

ff?

Tim

e h

as

proven

that

there’s

just

really n

o w

ay

of

know

ing.”

Ale

c B

ald

win

off

ered a

Top 1

0 r

ea-

sons

Lett

erm

an w

as

win

nin

g t

he a

ward,

inclu

din

g t

he f

act

that

he d

idn

’t l

eave

late

n

igh

t fo

r a six

-mon

th sti

nt

in

prim

eti

me —

a n

ot-

so-s

ubtl

e d

ig a

t riv

al

Jay L

eno.

Jim

my K

imm

el, w

ho w

ill

soon c

om

-pete

head-t

o-h

ead w

ith L

ett

erm

an

on

A

BC

, sa

id h

e fell in love w

ith L

ett

erm

an

earl

y in lif

e a

nd e

ven h

ad a

“L

ate

Nig

ht”

cake o

n h

is 1

6th

bir

thday.

For B

uddy G

uy,

sin

gers

Bonnie

Rait

t,

Tracy C

hapm

an

an

d o

thers

got

most

of

the c

row

d o

n i

ts f

eet

sin

gin

g G

uy’s

si

gnatu

re S

weet

Hom

e C

hic

ago.

Morgan F

reem

an h

ailed G

uy a

s a p

io-

neer w

ho h

elp

ed b

rid

ge s

oul and r

ock a

nd

roll

.

“W

hen

you h

ear t

he b

lues,

you r

eall

y

don’t

th

ink o

f it

as

bla

ck o

r w

hit

e o

r y

ellow

or p

urple

or b

lue,”

Freem

an s

aid

. “B

uddy

Guy, your b

lue b

rought

us

togeth

er.

”

Robert

De N

iro s

alu

ted H

off

man

, say-

ing h

e h

ad c

han

ged a

cti

ng, never t

ook a

ny

shortc

uts

and w

as

brave e

nough t

o b

e a

perfe

cti

on

ist.

“Befo

re D

usti

n b

urst

on

the s

cen

e,

it

was

prett

y m

uch O

K f

or m

ovie

sta

rs

to

show

up, read t

heir

lin

es

and, if

the d

irec-

tor in

sist

ed, act

a lit

tle,”

De N

iro s

aid

. “B

ut

then D

ust

in c

am

e a

lon

g —

and h

e just

had

to g

et

everyth

ing r

ight.

”

By

the

en

d

of

the

nig

ht,

th

e

Foo

Fig

hte

rs,

Kid

Rock a

nd L

en

ny K

ravit

z got

the c

row

d m

ovin

g t

o s

om

e o

f Z

eppeli

n’s

hit

s at

the K

en

nedy C

ente

r.

Jack

B

lack

decla

red

Zepp

eli

n

the

“greate

st r

ock a

nd r

oll

band o

f all

tim

e.”

“Th

at’s

rig

ht.

Bett

er t

han t

he B

eatl

es.

Bett

er t

han t

he S

tones.

Even b

ett

er t

han

Ten

acio

us D

,” h

e said

. “A

nd th

at’

s n

ot

opin

ion —

th

at’s

fact.

”

For t

he fi

nale

, H

eart’s

An

n W

ilso

n a

nd

Nan

cy W

ilson

san

g S

tair

wa

y t

o H

ea

ven,

accom

pan

ied b

y a

fu

ll c

hoir

an

d J

ason

Bon

ham

, so

n o

f th

e l

ate

Zeppeli

n d

rum

-

mer J

oh

n B

on

ham

.

Zeppeli

n f

ront

man R

obert

Pla

nt

and

his

bandm

ate

s Joh

n P

aul Jones

and J

imm

y

Page s

eem

ed m

oved b

y t

he s

how

.

Meryl S

treep fi

rst

intr

oduced t

he h

on-

ourees

on S

atu

rday a

s th

ey r

eceiv

ed t

he

aw

ard m

edall

ion

s du

rin

g a

form

al

din

-

ner a

t th

e U

S S

tate

Departm

ent

host

ed

by S

ecreta

ry o

f S

tate

Hil

lary R

odh

am

Cli

nto

n.

Cli

nto

n s

aid

ballerin

a M

ak

arova “

ris

ked

everyth

ing t

o h

ave t

he f

reedom

to d

ance

the w

ay s

he w

ante

d t

o d

ance”

when s

he

defe

cte

d f

rom

the S

ovie

t U

nio

n i

n 1

970.

Mak

arova m

ade her debut

wit

h th

e

Am

eric

an

Ball

et

Theatr

e a

nd l

ate

r w

as

the fi

rst

exil

ed arti

st

to retu

rn

to

th

e

Sovie

t U

nio

n b

efo

re its

fall

to d

ance w

ith

the K

irov B

all

et.

Cli

nto

n a

lso t

ook s

pe-

cia

l note

of

Lett

erm

an

, sayin

g h

e m

ust

be

wonderin

g w

hat

he’s

doin

g i

n a

crow

d o

f

tale

nte

d a

rti

sts

and m

usi

cia

ns.

“Dave a

nd I

have a

his

tory,”

she s

aid

.

“I h

ave b

een a

guest

on h

is s

how

several

tim

es,

and if you inclu

de r

efe

rences

to m

y

pant

suit

s, I

’m o

n a

t le

ast

once a

week

.” AP

Lett

erm

an,

Hoff

man,

Zep

pelin

ho

no

ure

d b

y O

bam

a

Acto

r F

arhan A

khta

r h

opes

Bh

aa

g M

ilk

ha

Bh

aa

g, a b

iopic

on s

prin

ter

Milkha S

ingh, giv

es

a b

oost

to a

thle

tics

in t

he c

ountr

y.

“I d

o b

elieve t

hat

ath

leti

cs

does

need a

boost

in t

he a

rm

lik

e m

any

oth

er s

ports

do.

There a

re a

lot

of

thin

g w

e a

re p

lannin

g t

o d

o t

hrough

this

film

, th

rough t

he m

ess

age o

f th

is fi

lm a

nd h

opefu

lly t

hat

will happen,”

the 3

8-y

ear-o

ld s

aid

here T

uesd

ay a

t th

e A

am

by V

alley h

ill

cit

y w

here h

e

kic

ked o

ff a

skydiv

ing e

vent.

Farhan, w

ho s

pent

a l

ot

of

tim

e w

ith M

ilkha S

ingh t

o w

ork

on h

is r

ole

, sa

ys

the a

thle

te w

ants

the fi

lm t

o insp

ire y

oung p

eople

to w

in a

n indiv

idual

medal fo

r t

he c

ountr

y.

“Milkhaji h

ad s

aid

that

his

big

gest

dream

wit

h t

his

movie

is

to g

et

more

people

insp

ired t

o e

nte

r a

thle

tics,

more p

eople

will get

insp

ired t

o w

ant

to

win

an indiv

idual m

edal w

hic

h r

eally h

asn

’t h

appened y

et

for t

his

countr

y,”

Farhan s

aid

.“W

e h

ope t

o m

oti

vate

young p

eople

through t

his

film

and s

om

ehow

be

involv

ed in h

elp

ing h

im (

Milkha S

ingh)

realise

this

dream

that

he h

as

had

for 6

0 y

ears,

” he a

dded.

Farhan

has

built

a s

ix-p

ack f

or t

he fi

lm,

an

d i

t is

a r

esu

lt o

f a s

tric

t w

ork

out

regim

e.

Talk

ing a

bout

the p

reparati

ons

for h

is r

ole

, F

arhan s

aid

: “I

t does

take

a l

ot

of

hard w

ork

, eati

ng c

orrect,

make s

ure y

ou g

et

enough r

est

because

rest

actu

ally is

as

importa

nt

for y

our b

ody t

o look g

ood a

s is

exercis

ing it.”

“You n

eed t

o g

ive u

p o

n a

lot

of th

ings

but

you k

now

the r

easo

n for d

oin

g

it a

nd t

he c

ause

for d

oin

g it

is m

uch larger t

han a

ll o

f th

is a

nd t

hat

keeps

you g

oin

g,” h

e a

dded.

Dir

ecte

d b

y R

akeysh

Om

prakash

Mehra, B

ha

ag M

ilk

ha

Bh

aa

g a

lso s

tars

Sonam

Kapoor a

nd is

slate

d f

or r

ele

ase

July

12, 2013

.

Ad fi

lmm

aker S

unil I

braham

is

ready t

o r

ele

ase

his

new

Mala

yala

m

film

Ch

ap

ters

, w

hic

h i

nte

rest

ingly

has

as

many a

s 20 c

haracte

rs.

A

nd t

here i

s no o

ne w

ho p

lays

the l

ead r

ole

. T

he fi

lm g

ives

equal

prefe

rence t

o e

ach c

haracte

r.N

ivin

Pauly

pla

ys

a v

illa

ger,

who d

ream

s of a G

ulf

job a

nd a

ctr

ess

Gauth

am

i ess

ays

the c

haracte

r o

f an e

ngin

eerin

g s

tudent,

who s

truggle

s to

fit

am

ong

the f

rie

nds

in t

he c

ity.

Sreeniv

asa

n a

nd K

P A

C L

alith

a a

lso h

ave p

rom

inent

role

s in

this

movie

. O

ther c

ast

mem

bers

inclu

de H

em

an

th,

Reja

th M

en

on

, V

ineeth

Kum

ar,

D

harm

aja

n, A

ju V

arghese

, R

iya S

air

a a

nd L

ena. K

ris

h K

aim

al

is t

he c

in-

em

ato

grapher f

or C

ha

pte

rs, w

hic

h w

ill hit

theatr

es

soon.

Aft

er launchin

g a

perso

nal w

ebsi

te, B

ollyw

ood’s

dancin

g d

iva M

adhuri

Dix

it h

as

taken a

new

ste

p t

o g

et

clo

ser t

o h

er fans

through a

mobile

applicati

on.

The a

pplicati

on,

available

on a

ll i

OS

devic

es,

com

ple

ments

her o

fficia

l w

eb p

age w

ww

.madhurid

ixit

-nene.c

om

.“P

eople

carry

a

ph

on

e

wit

h

them

all

th

e

tim

e,

so

an

app

(appli

cati

on

) is

a w

on

derfu

l devic

e to

sta

y con

necte

d w

ith

fa

ns

in th

eir

ti

me an

d space,”

th

e 45-y

ear-o

ld said

in

a

state

ment.

The a

pplicati

on, currentl

y

available

on a

ll i

OS

devic

es

(iP

hon

e,

iPad,

an

d iP

od),

w

ill connect

Madhuri’s

fans

to h

er p

ictu

res,

vid

eos

and

exclu

sive c

onte

nt

on b

eauty

, fa

shio

n a

nd d

ance.

It w

ill

soon a

lso b

e a

vail-

able

on A

ndroid

phones.

Farh

an h

opes

Bha

ag M

ilkha

Bha

ag

will

boo

st a

thle

tics

No

hero

, her

oine

in C

hapt

ers

Mad

huri

Dix

it la

unch

es o

wn

app

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 HOSPITALITY10

Rotana unveils new mobile app

Rotana, the leading hos-pitality management company in the Middle East and Africa, has

launched a brand new mobile app that enables browsing and booking on the go, catering to the rapidly expanding number of guests using smartphones to explore available hospitality options.

The Rotana Mobile App allows potential guests instant access to 44 operating Rotana hotels across 26 cities in the Middle East and Africa. Guests can browse through information on available accom-modation, dining, entertainment and recreation options as well as meetings and events, in addition to being able to make real time bookings.

The new app also allows poten-tial guests the ability to “click to call” a live customer service agent via voice or video, over WiFi or 3G, making Rotana the first hotel management in the Middle East to pilot video-enabled customer service through a mobile app. Guests can also access a range of other convenience-boosting serv-ices such as pre-arrival arrange-ments, concierge services, express check-out and the ability to view bills on the go.

“With the new Rotana App, we’ve used technology to push our business boundaries, to ensure innovation and efficiency across each of our hotels and destina-tions, and meet the evolving needs of our guests,” said Samir Abi Frem, Corporate Vice President - Information Technology.

The app is currently available in English and French and is com-patible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd, 4th and 5th generation) and iPad. The app is optimized for iPhone 5 and requires iOS 5.1 soft-ware or later. An Android version of the app is due to be launched by the end of the year.

by L V Anderson

Steel-cut oats completely miss the point of oatmeal. For one thing, they take forever to cook. I would be willing to

overlook this inconvenience if the final result were stick-to-your-ribs spectac-ular. It is not. The final result is usually a bunch of chewy little grain nubbins suspended in a hot, viscous liquid. It is not soft, it is not creamy, and it is not comforting.

To find those qualities — the defining ones for good oatmeal — you need rolled oats. These are slightly less nutritious, but far more pleasant to eat for break-fast. Some brief background: Steel-cut oats are hulled oats (aka oat groats) that have been very minimally proc-essed (ie, cut into pieces). Like brown rice and other whole grains, they are lovely in pilafs and salads. Rolled oats are groats that have been flattened, steamed and toasted, a process that makes them more shelf-stable and much quicker to cook. (Rolled oats take 5 to 10 minutes, steel-cut oats more like 30.) Unfortunately, many oat proc-essors take this a step or two too far: quick and instant oats are rolled oats that have been pulverised to the point that mushiness is inevitable. But the sweet spot — those rolled oats labelled old-fashioned or thick rolled — is truly sweet: These oats end up tender and thick, and there’s just enough sturdi-ness in each one to prevent the por-ridge from dissolving into sludge.

It needs some help, though. Oatmeal should always be cooked in approxi-mately equal parts water and milk. If you make it with only water, it won’t

be nearly creamy enough, and you’ll be hungry again an hour and a half later. If you make it with only milk, you’ll have to watch it like a hawk to prevent the dairy from sticking, burning and/or forming an icky skin. Lactose intol-erance and veganism are no excuses for using only water: Non-dairy milks, especially almond milk, are great in oatmeal.

And then there is the question of toppings. There is nothing wrong, exactly, with a pat of butter and a trickle of maple syrup, but, despite the richness of each of these top-pings, this combination feels as anti-climactic as four and a half minutes of silence from John (or Nicolas)

Cage. Fresh fruit seems nice in the-ory, but raw fruit on top of cooked oatmeal is the culinary equivalent of fingernails on a blackboard; I would not wish the disconcerting mouth-feel of cold, crunchy strawberries on top of warm, smooth oatmeal on my worst enemy. The solution is to cook the fruit, and bring it to roughly the same temperature and texture as the porridge. Among their myriad other useful properties, apples are perfect for sautéing and serving on top of oatmeal. Use cooking apples if you want firm, distinct slices; eating apples if you don’t mind them disin-tegrated. (The kind in the picture above are Empires.)

Yield: 2 or 3 servingsTime: 15 minutes

Ingredients2 tablespoons unsalted butter4 medium apples, thinly slicedSalt1 1/2 cups rolled oats1 1/2 cups milk1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract2 tablespoons brown sugar, plus

more for serving

MethodPut the butter in a large skillet

over medium-high heat. When it melts, add the apples and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally,

until tender and lightly browned, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the oats, milk, and cinnamon in a medium pot with a pinch of salt and 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the oats are tender and the mixture is creamy and thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Turn off the heat, and stir in the vanilla.

When the apples are tender, add the 2 tablespoons brown sugar and stir just until it melts, about 1 minute. Serve the oatmeal topped with the apples and additional brown sugar, if you like.

WP-Bloomberg

Oatmeal With Sautéed Apples

How to make the perfect:

Oatmeal

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 11LAW

A recent decision of Qatar’s Court of Cassation raises significant implications for drawers of ‘blank’ cheques in Qatar.

Background to the caseThe plaintiff, who received a blank

cheque from the defendant, filled in the cheque for the amount of QR4m and presented the cheque at a bank, where it was returned unpaid on the basis that there were insufficient funds in the defendant’s account.

The case at First InstanceIn 2007, the Plaintiff filed a civil

case with the Court of First Instance in Qatar; seeking payment of the amount, on the basis that the defend-ant’s cheque was not honoured and thus constituted a ‘bad cheque’. The defendant refuted the plaintiff ’s claim, arguing that while he had signed a ‘blank’ cheque, it had not been his intention to pay the amount of QR4m to the Plaintiff.

In 2008, the Court of First Instance accepted the plaintiff ’s argument and rendered a judgment awarding the claimant the full amount of his claim, being QR4m, on the basis that the cheque was ’bad’.

Ruling of the Court of AppealLater in 2008, the defendant brought

the decision of the Court of First Instance before the Court of Appeal. But nonetheless, in a judgment deliv-ered in 2010, the court affirmed the finding of the court of first instance.

Judgment of the Court of Cassation

In June 2010, the defendant lodged a further appeal with the Court of Cassation, seeking to nullify the valid-ity of the impugned cheque on two fronts:

(i) The payment amount endorsed on the blank cheque by the plaintiff did not reflect the debt actually owed by the defendant to the plaintiff; and

(ii) The plaintiff ’s endorsement of the cheque for an incorrect amount constituted a fraudulent act, in respect of which the defendant had lodged a formal complaint with the police in Qatar.

The Court of Cassation’s DecisionThe Court of Cassation rejected the

defendant’s appeal on the following grounds:

(i) In principle, a cheque is a pay-ment instrument, and any party who wishes to argue otherwise should prove his claim and support it with evidence;

(ii) By endorsing a blank cheque with his signature and handing it over to the beneficiary, the drawer of the cheque has effectively granted the ben-eficiary unqualified authority to fill in the amount;

(iii) In this instance, the defend-ant had given the blank cheque to the plaintiff beneficiary without any com-pulsion and absent duress, a fact which the defendant did not seek to refute in

his pleadings; and(iv) The public prosecutor, having

considered the formal complaint lodged by the defendant, did not consider that the plaintiff ’s actions in this case amounted to criminal behaviour, such that would leave the latter vulnerable to prosecution.

In the light of the foregoing, the Court of Cassation upheld the judg-ment of the Court of Appeal and rejected the defendant’s appeal.

CommentThis judgment has significant impli-

cations for the day to day transactional banking practice of all individuals drawing cheques on banks in Qatar. It would appear that in considering the merits of this case, the Qatari courts were not concerned with the amount (if any) of the debt actually owed by the defendant to the plaintiff, instead choosing to treat the completion of a blank cheque as being akin to the des-ignation to the beneficiary of a Power of Attorney, to endorse the cheque with an amount of his choosing. While this reasoning aligns with that followed by the courts in some other countries in the region, such as the UAE and Egypt, it is vastly different to the approach taken in jurisdictions such as Syria and Lebanon, where filling in a blank cheque with an amount other than that due and owing to the payee would con-stitute criminal activity.

Please note: Al Tamimi & Company did not pro-

vide legal representation to any of the parties in the course of this litigation.

Reproduced from Qatar Briefings, published byAl Tamimi & Company

Do not hand in a blank cheque!

What is the period of annual vacation?

Your annual paid vacation is as follows:

- Three weeks if your service period is less than five years

- Four weeks if your service period is five years or more

- Your vacation in relation to the annual fraction is counted according to the period you have spent in service, e.g. if it is six months up to your vacation date, you can take half of the vacation beforehand if you wish.

Is it possible to postpone your vacation to next year?

- Your employer will decide your annual vacation date accord-ing to the work situation; he can also split your vacation (with your consent) provided the split sec-tion of the vacation would not exceed two weeks.

- According to your written request, your employer can post-pone half of your vacation to next year, and transfer it to your next entitlement for a vacation.

- Relinquishment of your right to annual leave is invalid.

- You may be paid leave allow-ance equal to you wages during a vacation you didn’t have for rea-son or another.

- If your contract is terminated before your annual vacation is due, you you’re entitled to a pay-ment equal to your wages for that vacation.

When should your annual leave pay be paid?

Your employer is obliged to pay you before commencement of your vacation.

What are the rules for sick leave?

- You’re only entitled to a sick leave three months after date of employment.

- You need to provide a medical certificate from a doctor approved by your employer to obtain the right to a sick leave.

- You receive full payment if sick leave is not more than two weeks

- If your sick leave is more than two weeks, you receive half of your salary for another four weeks

- If the sick leave is more than the period stated above, the leave will be without payment until you report back to work, resign, or terminate your service for medi-cal reasons.

The Peninsula

The rules for sick leave

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 TECHNOLOGY12

Hunt for life under Antarctic ice

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by Ian Sample

British scientists flew into Antarctica at the weekend to begin an extraordinary search for life in a stretch of water

the size of Lake Windermere buried under three kilometres of solid ice.

The researchers join a team of engi-neers who have set up camp on the West Antarctic ice sheet, where the December sun shines night and day, and temperatures plunge far below freezing.

In the coming days, the team will use a sterile hot water drill to bore down to the subglacial Lake Ellsworth and retrieve samples of water and sedi-ments that may have been isolated from the rest of the world for a mil-lion years.

Should life be found lurking in the depths of the lake, it will have evolved in isolation for at least 100,000 years, but probably much longer. Scientists want to know first whether life can endure such harsh environments. If it can, the next question is how.

The answers will further our under-standing of life on Earth, and inform searches for life elsewhere in the solar system, such as in the ice-capped ocean of Jupiter’s moon Europa.

“Extreme environments tell you what constraints there are on life,” said Mike Bentley, a geologist on the team at Durham University. “If we find a particular set of environments where life can’t exist, that creates some bookends: it tells you about the limits of life.”

Lake Ellsworth is one of more than 360 subglacial lakes in Antarctica that formed when gentle heat from the planet’s interior melted the base of an overlying glacier. On Earth, less hospitable environments are hard to imagine. Any organisms that live here are cut off from the air above, and must contend with subzero conditions, few nutrients, complete darkness, and intense pressure.

The search for life is only part of the motivation to probe Lake Ellsworth. Through studies of sediment cores drawn up from the lake bed, scientists hope to learn when the overlying gla-cier waxed and waned, and how the local environment changed over time.

The team will spend this week pre-paring for a three-day drilling opera-tion, due to start on December 12. To bore into the lake, engineers made a 3.4km-long hose that is strong enough to bear its own weight and a nozzle on the end. The hose is supplied with ultraclean water heated to 90C, which blasts out of the nozzle and melts its way through the ice sheet.

Once the team have broken through to the lake they will have 24 hours to sterilise the entrance to the hole with intense ultraviolet light, and lower equipment into the water to collect all the samples they need before the hole refreezes again.

“It’s pretty exciting to have to do all your science first time within a 24-hour or so window with no chance of a second go,” said Dr Matt Mowlem, who developed submersible technol-ogy for the project at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton. The scientists will collect water sam-ples from various depths of the lake, which is 150 metres deep, by lowering

probes that stand nearly six metres tall and weigh 400kg. The first samples are expected on 18 December. The team has two designs of corer to grab sedi-ments from the lake bed.

Speaking by phone from a small tent in Antarctica, Chris Hill, a British Antarctic Survey engineer who is managing the programme, told the Guardian about the harsh conditions

and the weeks ahead.“It’s bloody cold. When

we wake up in the morn-ing, the insides of the tents are around -15 or -20C. Today it’s -25C outside and there’s no wind. It gets right through to your bones,” he said.

The team will spend six weeks on the ice. The focus of the camp is a tent that houses the kitchen, dining area and office facilities, around which are a handful of smaller tents for sleeping in. In a blizzard, visibility drops to about five metres.

“Once we’ve started drilling we can’t stop, or the pipes will freeze and that’s that. We have to go to a 24-hour shift pattern for a week and a half to two weeks, and no matter what the weather does, we have to keep going,” he said.

All the equipment has been tested, but no amount of field trials in Britain can fully replicate the condi-tions the team will face in Antarctica. “Everything we are doing is new,” said Hill. “We’re drilling deeper than any-one has drilled with hot water, we’re drilling cleaner than anybody has ever drilled before, and we’re launching two instruments that are custom-devel-oped and designed for the job. What keeps me awake at night? Everything.”

The team will remain in Antarctica until January, and spend the festive season at work on the ice. Bleak and challenging as the project is, those who had to stay behind are still envious of their colleagues. “They are going to have a pretty cold Christmas, but I’d love to be there,” said Mowlem.

The Guardian

Supplies are unloaded at the camp above the subglacial lake.

Search for life begins under Antarctic ice

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012COMICS 13

Hoy en la HistoriaDecember 6, 2011

1774: Austria became the first nation to establish a state education system, when Johann von Felbiger's Educational Statute came into effect1896: Ira Gershwin, composer of some of the best loved songs of the 20th century, was born1921: The Irish Free State was set up as Ireland’s 26 southern counties gained independence from Britain1998: Hugo Chavez was elected President of Venezuela

Elio di Rupo became Prime Minister of Belgium after 541 days of negotiations, the longest in history. He is the first Walloon to hold the post in 38 years

Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS

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

ALEXANDER SEVERUS, ANTONIUS PIUS, AUGUSTUS, CALIGULA, CARACALLA, CLAUDIUS, COMMODUS, DOMITIAN, GALBA, HADRIAN, HELIOGABALUS, JULIUS CAESAR, LUCIUS VERUS, MACRINUS, MARCUS AURELIUS, NERO, NERVA, OTHO, PERTINAX, TIBERIUS, TITUS FLAVIUS, TRAJAN, VESPASIAN, VITELLIUS.

Baby Blues Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Hagar The Horrible Chris Browne

Blondie Dennis Young and Denis Lebrun

Slylock Bob Weber

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012

HYPER SUDOKU

CROSS WORD

CROSSWORDS

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

How to play Hyper Sudoku:A Hyper Sudoku

Puzzle is solved

by filling the

numbers from 1

to 9 into the blank

cells. A Hyper

Sudoku has

unlike Sudoku

13 regions

(four regions

overlap with the

nine standard

regions). In all

regions the numbers from 1 to 9 can appear

only once. Otherwise, a Hyper Sudoku is

solved like a normal Sudoku.

ACROSS 1 Navajo terrain 6 Chicken ___10 Pack member, for

short?13 Top14 What going 100 might

result in17 “You ___ one”18 1980s-’90s hip-hop

show co-hosted by Fab 5 Freddy

19 Ingurgitate21 Delectable22 Joins24 Food item whose

name means “pounded”

25 “Patton” setting27 Relieve28 They often accompany

discoveries29 Congregation,

metaphorically32 Org. studying viruses 35 Be daring

39 Sound after “Lower … lower … that’s it!”

40 Noted entertainer with a whistle

41 Site of a religious retreat

42 Oaf43 Sneeze cause46 Salad bar offering49 Writer about a bear51 “Julie & Julia” co-star53 Amass56 “Bad for bacteria”

brand58 Setting for the 1996

documentary “When We Were Kings”

59 “Funny People” actor60 “Pietà or Revolution by

Night” artist61 Jerk62 Zip63 “L’Amateur

d’estampes” painterDOWN 1 Subjunctive, e.g.

2 Dutch chess grandmaster Max

3 First N.B.A. player to light the Olympic cauldron

4 Caution 5 French nuns 6 Liberal arts dept. 7 Midway, e.g. 8 Fratricide victim of

myth 9 “Meet the ___”

(major-league fight song)

10 Bye lines?11 Data12 Artist’s supply15 Line at a water

fountain, maybe16 Burned out20 Échecs piece23 Modern-day pointer25 Part of a bar order26 “Dream on!”27 King, e.g.: Abbr.30 Like ’40s boppers31 Colossal, to Coleridge

32 Christmas order33 Alter ___ amicus34 Follow36 It rolls across fields37 Gorgon, e.g.38 Business that’s always

cutting back?42 Disinclined44 Put on45 Like some doughnuts

and eyes46 Makings of a model,

maybe

47 Billet-doux recipients48 Some bump producers49 Computer that

pioneered in CD-ROMs

50 Onetime Moore co-star

52 Longtime Yankee moniker

54 Nocturnal bear55 No ___ (store sign)57 Rhinology expert, for

short

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

13 14 15 16

17 18

19 20 21

22 23 24

25 26 27

28 29 30 31 32 33 34

35 36 37 38

39 40 41

42 43 44 45

46 47 48 49 50

51 52 53 54 55

56 57 58

59 60

61 62 63

E M M A H O B O A H A N DS A I L A L E C V O I C ES I N G I N G T E L E G R A MA N I O N A W A Y S P A SY E A R N S E N E S C O

T E E H E E S T O R M SS H U R E I N S O R T O NM A R I E A N T O I N E T T EE L E N A S H I R E E T EE S C A R P E L A T E R

A S S A I L N O R M A LM C M L P R I M O R I B IA L E U T I A N I S L A N D SN U R M I T E S H T A U TN E A P S E S T E A L L S

How to play Kakuro:The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers.However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number.Within each collection of cells - called a run

- any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.

YESTERDAY’S ANSWER

14

EASY SUDOKUEasy Sudoku PuzzlesPlace a digit from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so everyrow, every column and every 3x3 box contains allthe digits 1 to 9.

Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate

PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012CINEMA / TV LISTINGS

SHOWING AT CITY CENTER

1600 Uefa

Champions

League Bayern

Munich V Bate

Borisov

1800 English Sports

News

1815 Short

Programme

1830 The Serie A

Show

1900 Total Italian

Football

1930 Magazine Tba

2000 Europa League

Udinese V

Liverpool

Tottenham V

Panathinaikos

0130 Total Italian

Football

0200 Coppa Italia

Cagliari V

Pescara

0345 Transworld

4:00 Al Jazeera

World

5:00 NEWSHOUR

6:00 News

6:30 Fault Lines

7:00 News

7:30 The Stream

8:00 News

8:30 News

9:00 Al Jazeera

Correspondent

10:00 News

10:30 Inside Story

11:00 News

11:30 The Stream

12:00 News

12:30 People &

Power

13:00 NEWSHOUR

14:00 News

14:30 Inside Story

15:00 Witness

16:00 NEWSHOUR

17:00 News

17:30 The Stream

18:00 NEWSHOUR

10:05 Dirty Money

10:55 How It’s Made

13:15 Mythbusters

14:10 Border Security

14:35 Dirty Money

15:05 Auction Kings

17:20 Hillbilly

Handfishin’

18:15 Mythbusters

19:40 How It’s Made

20:05 Border Security

20:35 Dirty Money

21:00 Auction Kings

21:30 American Guns

22:25 Cook County

09:00 China Circus

10:00 China Circus

11:00 Sea Patrol

12:00 Situation

Critical

13:00 Predator CSI

14:00 Hooked

15:00 Big, Bigger,

Biggest

16:00 Ancient 17:00

Is It Real? S3

(1 hour)

18:00 Is It Real? S3

13:15 Courage The

Cowardly Dog

14:05 Batman: The

Brave And The

Bold

14:30 Young Justice

14:55 Codename:

Kids Next Door

15:45 Ben 10: Alien

Force

16:10 Ben 10: Alien

Force

12:00 Best In Show-

PG15

14:00 Cheaper By The

Dozen 2-PG

16:00 Desperately

Seeking Santa-

PG15

18:00 Snow Day-PG

15

10:10 Too Cute!

11:05 Wild France

12:55 Gator Boys

14:15 Bondi Vet

15:40 Wild France

16:35 Going Ape

18:25 Bondi Vet

18:50 Bondi Vet

19:20 Cats 101

20:15 Monkey Life

20:40 Bondi Vet

21:10 Call Of The

Wildman

21:35 Going Ape

22:05 Wild France

05:00 Madonna: Truth

Or Dare

06:55 A Girl To Kill

For

08:25 Bound For

Glory

10:50 Mr. Wonderful

12:30 Mgm’s Big

Screen

12:45 Viva Maria

14:40 Rockula

16:10 Driving Me

Crazy

13:25 Where The

Spies Are-PG

15:15 Gaby-PG

16:50 Private Lives

Of...-FAM

18:35 The Shoes Of

The Fisherman-

FAM

21:05 The V.I.P.S-FAM

23:00 The Outrage

14:30 Yogi Bear-FAM

16:00 Chronicles Of

Narnia: Voyage

Of The Dawn

Treader-PG

18:00 Marco Macaco-

20:00 Spy Kids: All

The Time In The

World-PG

GULF CINEMA

1

Naduvula Konjam Pakkatha Kaanom (2D) – 2.00 & 5.15pm

Face to Face (2D) – 8.30pm

Khiladi 420 (2D) – 11.00pm

2

Khiladi 420 (2D) – 2.00 & 8.00pm

Face to Face (2D) – 5.15 & 11.30pm

MALL CINEMA

1

The Whistle Blower (Thriller) – 2.30pm

Face to Face (Malayalam) – 5.00, 8.00 & 11.00pm

2

So Undercover (2D) (Comedy) – 2.30 & 4.30pm

Killing Them Softly (2D) (Drama) – 6.30pm

Anna Karenina (2D)– 8.15 & 11.00pm

3

Rise of the Guardians (3D)– 3.00pm

Mr. & Mrs. Ewyes (Arabic)(2D) – 5.00 & 9.15pm

Universal Soldier 4 (3D)(3D) – 7.00 & 11.15pm

ROYAL PLAZA

1

So Undercover (2D) (Comedy) – 2.30 & 4.30pm

Killing Them Softly (2D) (Drama) – 6.30pm


2

Rise Of The Guardians (Animation) – 3.00 & 5.00pm

Mr. & Mrs. Ewyes (Arabic)(2D) – 7.00, 9.00 & 11.15pm

3

The Whistle Blower (Drama) – 2.30, 7.00 & 11.30

Anna Karenina (2D)– 4.30 & 9.00pm

LANDMARK

1

So Undercover (2D) (Comedy) – 2.30, 4.30 & 6.30pm

Anna Karenina (2D) – 8.30 & 11.00pm

2

Rise Of The Guardians (3D/Animation) – 3.00, 5.00 & 7.00pm

Killing Them Softly (2D) (Drama) – 9.00 & 11.30pm

3

Mr. & Mrs. Ewyes (Arabic)(2D) – 2.30, 4.45 & 9.15pm


PLUS | THURSDAY 6 DECEMBER 2012 POTPOURRI16

Editor-In-Chief Khalid Al Sayed Acting Managing Editor Hussain Ahmad Editorial Office The Peninsula Tel: 4455 7741, E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]

Today in Qatar

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

Tea with NefertitiWhen: Till March 31, 2013; 11am-6pmWHERE: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art WHAT: Offer a critical perspective on how to perceive an artwork, particularly in and from the Arab world. Free entry

Forever NowWhen: Till March 31, 2013; 11am-6pmWHERE: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art WHAT: Forever Now proposes new readings based on the works of five artists from Mathaf’s permanent collection. This exhibition unpacks new narratives that posit a unique understanding of five diverse artists: Fahrelnissa Zeid, Jewad Selim, Saliba Douaihy, Salim Al–Dabbagh and Ahmed Cherkaoui. Free entry

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

Record of Images in Algerian Film Exhibition WHEN: 15 Dec 201210am-10pmWHERE: Katara Art Center, Bldg 5 WHAT: Posters have long been a visual tool of politics. In the world of cinema this medium is the still representation of a series of plans, plots, moving images, scripts and protagonists. This exhibition explores the relationship between selected posters of key films that made Algerian film history and stills from the films themselves, framing the aesthetics of its socio-political context that has evolved through the years to form a thriving independent cinema that has demarcated itself in the region. Entry: Free

If you want your events featured here mail the details to [email protected]

MEDIA SCAN

IN FOCUS

• Qatari citizens happy after announcement of building of new, free wedding halls.

• Questions about the reason behind disap-pearance of Qatari and Saudi chicken from the market even as a discussion on food security is going on.

• People appreciate officials, who com-municate with community members through Twitter to share their concerns, answer questions and consider their recommendations.

• Discussion on medical errors commit-ted in Hamad Hospital, and reactions to interview conducted by Dr Yousuf Al Maslamani on popular radio programme ‘Watanee Al Habeeb Sabah Al Khair’ on same issue.

• Complaints about delay in school voucher

payments and questions about who is to blame, the SEC, Ministry of Finance or schools.

• Action needed to stop the phenomenon of music being played on loudspeakers in cars.

• People thank Qtel for blocking annoying international calls on cellphones.

• Complaints about smokers in cars throwing cigarette butts at other vehicles or in the streets, and calls for traffic regulations to stop this.

• Discussions on the decision taken by the SEC to stop school picnics.

• After the decision to allow commercial outlets at fuels stations, there are more crowds and disorder .

A summary ofissues of the daydiscussed by the Qatari communityin the media.

A woman walks during a blizzard in Stockholm, Sweden.

by Jonathan Nackstrand

Scientists develop pineapple tasting like coconut

Australian researchers are working on a new breed of pineapple -- one that is not

only sweet and juicy but which has the added tropical taste of coconut.

In what is thought to be a world first, the Department of Agriculture in Queensland state is in the final stages of developing the new vari-ety of the fruit, to be known as the AusFestival pineapple.

“Taste tests tell us that AusFestival is a winner -- it has this lovely coconut flavour, which you won’t find in any other pineapple in Australia,” horti-culturalist Garth Senewski told the ABC in comments aired Wednesday.

“It’s sweet, low acid, very juicy.”Senewski, who could not be reached

for comment, said the researchers did not initially intend to create a pine-apple that tasted like coconut.

“When we’re doing the breeding, we’re not actually looking for a coco-nut-flavoured pineapple or any other particular flavour,” he said.

“We’re looking for a nice flavoured pineapple. We’re looking for a variety that is sweet, low acid and aromatic.”

The Department of Agriculture confirmed the development but said it will be two years before the first trees are planted commercially. AFP

HEALTH EYE ON - The Peninsula · 2016-09-11 · launch of RasGas ’ CSR programme ... THURSDAY 6...

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