COMMUNITY

MARKETPLACE

HEALTH

MOVIE

TECHNOLOGY

LEARN ARABIC

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• AG Inspire GoldenSeries to feature ghazal maestro Umbayee

• Fifty One Eastunveils Sony’s XperiaTablet S in Doha

• Biomedical engineer developing needle-free ‘nanopatch’ vaccines

• Lincoln staysred-hot favourite asawards fever rises

• ‘Smart’ potty ordumb idea? Wackygadgets at CES

• Learn commonly used Arabic words and their meanings

insideSUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013 • plus@pen.com.qa • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741

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It was his deep interest and curiosity to explore the unwritten history of the Gulf region that led Abdul Aziz Al Mahmoud, a Qatari writer and journalist, to write his first novel, which has now become a hit with readers across the region.

CHRONICLINGCHRONICLING

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Porsche faces $1.1m McLaren P1, Acura in Supercar battle

THE PASTTHE PAST

2 COVER STORYPLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013

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An untold story

By Mohammed Iqbal

The Arabic novel — Al Qursan (The

Pirate) — has entered its third edition in a year and the Doha-based publish-ers, Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation has

just released an English version under the title The Corsair.

The story of the novel is woven around a controversial tribal hero in the Gulf named Erhama bin Jabor who lived in the early 19th century, when most of the region was controlled by the British empire.

The author uses this historical setting to unravel the hypocrisy and ruthlessness of power and politics, intertwining it with the life and traditions of the warring Arabian tribes in that era.

Writing the first novel was not a piece of cake, says Al Mahmoud.

“My interest was not to write a novel, but introduce the life of a period, about which very little is known. I thought fiction is the best medium to present my ideas in a way that interests the readers,” Al Mahmould told The

Peninsula.“If you are writing a novel you must read a

lot, especially if it is a historic novel. You must also love writing. If you don’t have the passion for writing then just forget about that.”

The form — fiction — gave him more freedom in visualising his characters and situations.

3PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013

“In a historical novel, you don’t have to be hundred per cent true to his-torical facts. You have the freedom to create imaginary characters and situ-ations that will help you develop the basic plot in an interesting way,” said Al Mahmoud.

Dealing with historical figures, how-ever, has its risks as well.

“You must be very cautious while presenting a historical personality, since their successors may be living amidst you. It is tricky and challeng-ing at the same time,” he added.

Al Mahmoud came to the idea of writing a novel while exploring the his-tory of the region, but finding enough material for the novel was a tough task for the author.

“There is only scattered information available about the era most of which was written by western historians in

their own perspective. Since my aim was not to document history, I had to look for other sources to know more about the life the people. For this I relied mainly on oral narratives, that passed through generations but are not prop-erly documented,” said Al Mahmoud.

“We have a very rich oral tradition that is still alive in the memories of the people. It is unfortunate that no seri-ous initiatives are taken to record and document this legacy,” he lamented.

It took about three years for the plot to mature in his mind and another 11 months to actually write the novel. Once the book was released, the response was overwhelming, appar-ently due to the novelty of the theme and the treatment.

Many popular newspapers, maga-zines and websites in the Arab world carried appreciative reviews about the novel that has won readers not only in the Gulf but also in other Arab coun-tries like Egypt and Jordan.

Despite the wide acceptance the first novel has received in the region, Al Mahmoud believes that fiction- writ-ing is still in its infancy in this part of the world.

Development of any genre of lit-erature requires good publishers and a good reading culture, which are lacking in the region. Writers here also face restrictions imposed by the peculiar political and cultural environment.

The Peninsula

It took about three years for the plot to mature in his mind and another 11 months to actually write the novel.

Development of any genre of literature requires good publishers and a good reading culture, which are lacking in the region. Writers here also face restrictions imposed by the peculiar political and cultural environment.

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 20134 COMMUNITY / CAMPUS

Literary forum condoles deathof Urdu scholar

Ma j l i s F r o g h -e - U r d u

Adab, a Doha-based literary forum, has con-doled the death of Dr Mohammad Ali Siddiqui (pic-tured), critic, edu-cationist and Urdu scholar, in Karachi. He was 74. He was admitted to a hospital a few weeks ago when his blood pressure shot up, affecting his brain and kidneys. He is survived by his wife, two sons and four daughters.

Mohammad Atiq, Chairman of the Board of Patrons of Majlis, recalled his association with Dr Mohammad Ali, who was chairman of the jury for the Salim Jafri Award (insti-tuted by the Majlis in 1998) for six years and delivered keynote lectures on winners of the Aalmi Frogh-e-Urdu Adab Award (instituted by the Majlis in 1996) from Pakistan for more than 10 years.

Atiq said Dr Mohammad Ali’s death was a tragic loss not only for Majlis but also for Pakistan and the Urdu literary world.

The Peninsula

Tarun Basu, President of ICC, addressing a seminar held as part of the Eleventh Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Kochi, Kerala. He was invited by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs to attend the ‘Seminar on NRIs in the Gulf’ as a panellist. The event was chaired by Cabinet Minister Vayalar Ravi.

AG Inspire Golden Series to feature ghazal maestro Umbayee

Argon Global in association with Q-Biz Events and Thirumuttam, a cultural organisation, has

announced the second edition of AG Inspire Golden Series — Mehfil-E-Ghazal-2013 — featuring ghazal maestro Umbayee and his orchestra. AG Inspire Golden Series was conceptualised to provide a platform to prominent per-forming artists across the globe.

Speaking on the occasion, Abdul Gafoor, CEO of Argon Global, expressed his gratitude to the cultural fraternity of Qatar for making the first edition of AG Inspire Golden Series a grand success.

Umbayee started his career as a tabla player, having mastered the instrument under the guidance of Mangashkar Rao, Mujawir Ali Khan and Abdul Khader Vakil Saheb. Umbayee also featured as a ghazal singer in the internationally acclaimed movie Amma Ariyan by John Abraham.

Umbaee will be accompanied by music director Berney (from the music direc-tors duo Berney Ignatius), tabla player Roshan Haris, his own son Sameer on gui-tar, and Radhakrishnan on harmonium. The show will be anchored by prominent media personality Sanal Potty. The event will begin at the Regency auditorium on January 18 at 7pm. For more details, readers can contact 55460975 or 55229328.

The Peninsula

The Arabic department of Ideal Indian School observed Arabic Day with great enthusiasm. Students

of Arabic language in the Junior Boys’ and Girls’ sections presented speeches, songs and skits to mark the Day.

Speaking on the occasion, the head of the Department of Arabic empha-sised on the importance of learning languages other than one’s mother tongue. “The main objective of

celebrating this day is to develop an atmosphere conducive to enhancing creativity and communication skills in Arabic among students.” he added

Principal Sayed Shoukath Ali, Headmistress, Junior section, Shobhna Menon and Assistant Headmistress Parveen Taj attended the programme, which was compered by Hakeem and concluded with sing-ing of Qatar’s National Anthem by the students of class IV.

The Peninsula

Students of the girls’ section of IIS presenting an Arabic song.

IIS celebrates Arabic Day

Eleventh Pravasi Bharatiya Divas

5MARKETPLACE PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013

Techno Q launches new hospitality management solution

Techno Q, a systems integrator, has partnered with MCOM Media Communications, which

specialises in innovative services and solutions for creation, management and distribution of audiovisual content over IP and coaxial networks, to launch HOTstream hospitality and healthcare product suite as part of Techno Q’s broad hospitality management solu-tion offering.

HOTstream hospitality suite is designed specifically for the hospital-ity and healthcare sectors. It includes solutions for interactive services, IPTV, video-on-demand, high speed internet access and digital signage, and is fully integrated with hospitality solutions such as PMS, spa software, sales and catering, POS, room controls and others.

“Offering a multi-screen platform that supports in-room TVs, guests’ tablets, smartphones, laptops and pub-lic area displays using technology that enhances the guest experience by offer-ing luxury services and innovations, while generating revenue opportunities for the business.”

Techno Q has been specialising in building controls, fire and security sys-tems, lighting, information technology, broadcast and hospitality management solutions. The Peninsula

Fifty One Eastunveils Sony’s Xperia Tablet S in Doha

Getting more hands-on expe-rience and insight into the production of liquefied

natural gas (LNG) was the focus of a two-month training stint in Japan for a young team of Qatari engineers from RasGas Company Limited (RasGas). The special-ised technical training session hosted by Chiyoda Corporation, Japan, was part of RasGas’ push to provide value-added training opportunities that would enhance the engineering skills of young nationals who want to advance their career in the LNG industry.

As part of the specialised train-ing course, the RasGas trainees were taken on several site visits.

Ahmad Al Mohannadi, Operations Technical Engineering Department Manager, who attended the concluding ceremony, said the trainees had definitely enhanced their engineering abili-ties in the gas sector and improved their knowledge of several other disciplines through the specialised course.

The RasGas Trainees included Sayer Al Anzi (Instruments and Control Engineer), Hamad

Mohammed Al Marri (Cost Engineer), Aysha Al Mohannadi (Project Engineer), Rashid Mohammed Al Mansouri (Process and Surveillance Engineer) and Adel Al Sayed (Integrity and Corrosion Engineer).

Aysha Al Mohannadi said: “It was one of the very rare chan-nels for networking with higher authorities in Japan and to understand how they achieved such high levels in designing the LNG trains from a technical point of view.”

The Peninsula

RasGas engineers complete technical training in Japan

RasGas trainees show their completion certificates along with officials.

Sony has unveiled the Xperia Tablet S, thinner and lighter than the origi-nal Sony Tablet S. The new tablet is available at the Fifty One East out-

lets located in Lagoona Mall, Al Maha Centre and City Center, in addition to all Virgin Megastores.

The Xperia brand delivers mobility in addi-tion to design, cross-device connectivity and network services to enhance user experi-ence. By introducing a tablet device under the Xperia series, Sony allows consumers to seamlessly enjoy the immediate convenience of an Xperia smartphone and immersive enter-tainment of an Xperia Tablet.

The splash-proof aluminium casing of the Xperia Tablet S is designed for real-life use around the home and outdoors, doing away with the worry of casual water spillages. Running a speedy NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor and Android 4.0.3 operating system, the device comes with the power needed to enjoy the latest media, apps and games.

The Xperia Tablet S incorporates several of Sony’s signal processing technologies such as

C l e a r Au d i o + mode, which delivers distinctive audio quality that is a trademark of the brand. With one simple opera-tion, users can experience sound with high clarity across a wide spectrum of tones from deep lows to crisp highs.

Owners can let the Xperia Tablet command their entire entertainment set-up from the comfort of a favourite couch. The infra-red universal remote control is enhanced with a new Macro function that stores a time-saving sequence of commands for

instant recall. The Xperia Tablet S can be programmed to switch on the TV, cable box and home entertainment system, select inputs, adjust volume and more. Commands are executed at a single touch, and up to six macros can be

named and stored.The new Xperia Tablet S is made for

sharing around the home. ‘Guest mode’ enables owners to create individual profiles for family mem-bers and visitors. Wallpapers, icons and apps access make the experience truly personal for everyone in the family.

The ‘Walkman’ application automatically detects and compiles song lists, sourced from the user’s social media feeds. The ‘Album’ application helps users view, sort and share pictures and videos cap-tured with their Xperia Tablet across an intuitive user interface. The Peninsula

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013 MARKETPLACE6

Barwa Bank picks promotion winners

Barwa Bank has announced the winners from the first round of its “Transfer Your Liability”promotion. Three of

its retail customers won 100,000 Barwa Bank Loyalty Points that can be con-verted to Qatar Airways Privilege Club Qmiles, when they transferred their liabilities to the bank.

Mercy Wangari Wangware, Abdul Karem Abdullah Atif Alyazidi and Hussein Mohamed are the lucky Barwa Bank customers who will receive 100,000 Qmiles for transferring their finances to Barwa Bank.

Hussain Al Abdullah, Head of Retail at Barwa Bank, said, “We congratu-late each of the winners and hope that they will enjoy utilising Barwa Bank Loyalty Points that can be converted into Qatar Airways Privilege Club Qmiles. This promotion provides cli-ents with added value that enables them to travel around the world, and has been extremely well received by our customers. We are continuing the campaign and will draw our next set of winners on January 31.” The Peninsula

Barwa Bank officials with the winners.

Constructionclaims course

UAE based Hewitt Construction Consultancy, specialising in construction contractual mat-

ters, construction claims and train-ing, is partnering with Qatar-based Quantum International, a construc-tion management consultancy, to hold an intensive two-day training course on construction claims for profes-sionals in Qatar, on January 15 and 16. The course is designed to provide those representing both contractors and clients with the knowledge neces-sary to manage, prepare, present and respond to construction claims in an effective and professional manner.

The course developer and leading presenter, Andy Hewitt, Principal of Hewitt Construction Consultancy, said: “Since the launch of Claims Class, we have had many positive responses and the course was well received when it was presented in the UAE. The increase in construction projects means that claims are also likely to increase, and we are excited to provide construction professionals with the opportunity to learn how to properly deal with claims.”

Steven Beaumont, senior contracts and claims consultant at Quantum International, said: “Supporting Hewitt Construction Consultancy here creates a strong partnership where experience from both Qatar and the GCC markets can be brought together to deliver a quality training course to Doha construction professionals.”

More information is available at www.constructionclaimsclass.com

The Peninsula

Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels launched its first ever roadshow with an official trip to Saudi Arabia, including

visits to the cities of Jeddah, Al Khobar and Riyadh.

The trip, which is part of a broader plan to tour the GCC, is aimed at promoting the Boutique properties and their offerings among high-level travel industry professionals, major Saudi corporations, premium clients and potential partners in the Kingdom.

“After gaining phenomenal

ground and popularity at home in Qatar in 2012, we are expanding our vision to raise brand awareness, share our philosophy, and build a loyal customer base across the region. The key objective of this visit is to highlight the unique experiences associated with the different boutique destinations that Saudi visitors can enjoy on a leisure or business trip to Qatar,” said Abdo Kayali, Group Director, Sales and Marketing, Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels.

“Given the current schools holiday

season, starting with Saudi Arabia was the perfect opportunity for Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels to reach out to new key clientele with our specifically tailored packages, as well as continue to enhance our relationships with existing clients and other stakeholders in the country,” he said.

Joining Abdo Kayali on the GCC roadshow is Philippe Belhay, hotel manager for Al Mirqab and Al Najada in Doha and the Adria hotel in London.

The Peninsula

Souq Waqif Boutique Hotels kicks off GCC roadshow The hotel officials with guests at the roadshow.

HEALTH 7

Health Tipsfrom DOCTOR

What is glucose-6-phosphate dehydroge-nase (G6PD) deficiency?

Causes of G6PD deficiency is an abnormal gene located in the X-chromosome, therefore, it is more common in males. This condition mainly affects red blood cells, which carry oxygen from the lungs to tissues throughout the body. In affected individuals, a defect in an enzyme called glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase causes red blood cells to break down prematurely. This destruction of red blood cells is called hemolysis.

The most common medical problem asso-ciated with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency is hemolytic anaemia, which occurs when red blood cells are destroyed faster than the body can replace them.

This type of anaemia leads to paleness, yel-lowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaun-dice), dark urine, fatigue, shortness of breath, and a rapid heart rate. In people with glucose-6-dehy-drogenase deficiency, hemolytic anaemia is most often triggered by bacterial or viral infections or by certain drugs (such as some antibiotics and medications used to treat malaria). Hemolytic anaemia can also occur after eating fava beans or inhaling pollen from fava plants (a reaction called favism).

Glucose-6-dehydrogenase deficiency is also a significant cause of mild to severe jaundice in newborns. Many people with this disorder, how-ever, never experience any signs or symptoms.

Treatment is generally discontinuing the drug or compound treating infection. Blood transfu-sions are necessary in some individual, with close follow up of affected individuals.

Dr. Iman AbdEl Mohsen Shaheen

Laboratory Medicine Healthspring World Clinic

G6PD deficiency(Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency)

By Kate Kelland

When it comes to protecting millions of people from deadly infectious dis-eases, Mark Kendall thinks a finger-tip-sized patch covered in thousands

of vaccine-coated microscopic spikes is the future.A biomedical engineer with a fascination for

problem solving, he has developed the so-called “nanopatch” to try to transform delivery of life-saving vaccines against potential killers like flu and the HPV virus that causes cervical cancer.

After 160 years of using needles and syringes for immunisation, he says, at-risk people - especially those living in poorer, tropical, remote countries - need something simpler, stabler and easier to use. And he thinks he has the answer.

“Most current vaccines are delivered via the nee-dle and syringe system that was developed in 1853,” the scientist said in an interview from his labora-tory in Australia. “It’s effective on many levels but it also has many downsides.”

Kendall’s nanopatch has yet to prove itself in human clinical trials, but has had impressive results in animal tests.

Those have been enough to persuade US pharma-ceutical giant Merck, maker of many of the world’s top-selling vaccines, to give Kendall a three-year research grant to take the device into human trials.

NO COLD CHAINThe nanopatch is designed to place a tiny amount

of vaccine just under the skin without the need for a needle jab. Because it delivers the active ingredi-ent right to where it is needed, tests have shown it can generate same immune response with only a fraction of the dose needed in a conventional vaccine.

And because it uses the vaccine in dried form, it does not need cold-chain refrigeration or trained staff to deliver it.

Kendall says one key limitation of needle and syringe vaccines, beside needing expensive cold-chains and specialist staff to deliver them, is that the needle puts the vaccine into muscle, which has relatively few immune cells.

In the last 30 years or so, immunologists have discovered that skin, unlike muscle, is rammed full of immune cells, making it a far more effective place to apply vaccines. “You could argue the skin is our immune sweet spot,” Kendall said.

So far, Kendall’s research team at the University

of Queensland’s Institute for Biotechnology and Nanotechnology have tested the nanopatch on mice using various inoculations - including against flu, the human papillomavirus (HPV) that causes cervi-cal cancer, and even with a potential new vaccine against mosquito-borne viral disease chikungunya.

“We demonstrated that you need only a tiny frac-tion of the dose, perhaps a hundredfold less” to get the same immune response, Kendall said.

Among other potential advantages of the nano-patch are that it is pain free, low cost - it could be made for under $1 a dose compared with more than $50 for many current vaccines - and easily transportable. Kendall even ponders whether it might be mailed to remote places for people to administer it themselves.

PATCHY HISTORYBut he also recognises there is a long way to go

to bring what is still an experimental device to market - and he is aware of previous attempts at vaccine patches that had little success.

The Austrian biotech firm Intercell, now owned by France’s Vivalis, saw its share price slump in 2010 after its experimental vaccine enhancement patch (VEP) system against pandemic flu failed in a mid-stage trial.

Kendall says, however, that Intercell’s VEP sys-tem had a very different mode of action. The patch was applied after a needle vaccination and designed to boost the jab’s effect by putting an adjuvant, or booster, into the skin.

His nanopatch applies the vaccine direct, with no adjuvant. “We apply the patch against the skin with an applicator ... and we have a high level of control of the antigen delivered.”

Kendall is keen to ensure that if his patch does make it to market, it will not follow the pattern of many previous vaccine developments, which have seen life-saving shots go first to people in the wealthy world and only after several years start to reach those who need them in poorer countries.

There are still 17 million deaths a year from infectious diseases, mostly in poor countries that often cannot afford the pricey vaccines that could prevent them.

Kendall has just returned from a feasibility study using prototypes of the nanopatch in Papua New Guinea, which has one of the world’s highest rates of infection with HPV - a virus that can lead to cervical cancer, the biggest cause of death in young women in developing countries.

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013

Biomedical engineer Mark Kendall demon-strates the nanopatch to nurses at Port Moresby hospital.

He travelled in daytime temperatures of 30 to 40 degrees Celsius and up to 100 percent humidity “and when we got back and tested the patches we found there had been no loss in activity”.

This success means Kendall now wants to push on to full clinical trials on humans, starting this year in Australia and followed swiftly with parallel trials in Papua New Guinea. An enterprise award of $100,000 from the luxury watchmaker Rolex is helping him along that path.

“This could potentially change the world of vaccina-tions. But we still have a very long way to go,” he says.

Reuters

Biomedical engineer developing needle-free ‘nanopatch’ vaccines

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the O

scar n

om

inati

on m

ight

do t

o

brand ‘B

om

bay J

ayash

ri’ o

r t

o t

he w

orld

of

Carnati

c m

usi

c, th

ough l

ov-

ers

of

this

genre s

ay t

hat

there w

ill

be r

enew

ed i

nte

rest

not

only

am

ong

India

ns,

but

als

o f

rom

the g

lobal audie

nce.

Querie

d o

n w

heth

er i

t w

as

mett

uk

u p

aa

tta

or

pa

att

uk

u m

ett

a -

son

g

writ

ten f

or a

set

tune o

r t

he t

une s

et

for t

he s

ong -

she s

aid

: “O

rig

inally

it w

as

mett

uk

u p

aa

tu —

song f

or a

tune. A

fram

ew

ork

was

giv

en. L

ate

r,

there w

as

som

e c

hange a

nd fi

nally i

t w

as

a m

ix o

f both

— s

ong f

or t

he

tune a

nd t

une f

or t

he s

ong.”

She s

ays

the s

ong i

s a c

om

bin

ed e

ffort

of

movie

dir

ecto

r A

ng L

ee a

nd

Canadia

n c

om

pose

r M

ychael D

anna.

“We looked a

t vario

us

words

and s

ele

cte

d t

hem

,” s

he s

aid

.R

am

nath

says

she h

ad n

o idea t

hat

the s

ong w

ould

becom

e p

opula

r a

nd

would

get

an O

scar n

om

inati

on.

“The n

ew

s cam

e a

s a s

urpris

e. I

was

wit

h m

y s

tudents

wit

h m

y m

obile

phone o

n s

ilent

mode. I

saw

several m

isse

d c

alls

and c

am

e t

o k

now

about

the O

scar n

om

inati

on t

hrough f

rie

nds

and t

ele

vis

ion,” s

he s

aid

.O

ne o

f her m

usi

c s

tudents

who d

oes

not

want

to b

e n

am

ed s

aid

: “M

a’a

m

was

very m

uch t

hrille

d w

hen s

he h

eard t

he n

ew

s. A

s a t

eacher,

she p

ays

indiv

idual att

enti

on e

ven in a

group c

lass

.”C

urio

usl

y, R

am

nath

has

sung o

nly

the t

radit

ional

lullaby f

or h

er s

on

Am

rit

when h

e w

as

a b

aby.

“In

In

dia

, w

e c

om

pare c

hild l

an

guage w

ith m

usi

cal

inst

rum

en

ts a

nd

natu

re w

hile c

uddling a

baby. A

baby’s

utt

erances

are t

he s

weete

st t

hin

gs

in t

he w

orld

and e

ven g

reat

musi

cal

inst

rum

ents

cannot

com

pare w

ith

that,”

she s

aid

.T

he m

ovie

Lif

e o

f P

i has

bagged 11 O

scar n

om

ina-

tions

overall.

“It

was

a g

reat

learn

ing

experie

nce for m

e -

wheth

er

work

ing f

or t

his

Hollyw

ood

movie

or w

ith g

reat

musi

c

com

pose

rs

like I

llayaraja

, A

R

Rahm

an,

Harris

Jayaraj

and o

thers,

” sa

id R

am

nath

, w

ho i

s m

arrie

d t

o a

char-

tered a

ccounta

nt.

Accordin

g to

h

er,

each

aw

ard o

r r

ecognit

ion h

as

a

specia

l si

gn

ifican

ce a

nd i

t can

not

be s

aid

that

on

e i

s bett

er t

han a

noth

er.

Earli

er,

R

am

nath

w

on

the

Kala

imam

an

i aw

ard

from

th

e

govern

men

t of

Tam

il N

adu in

2007,

an

d

the T

am

il N

adu S

tate

Film

A

ward f

or t

he b

est

fem

ale

pla

yback

sin

ger in

2005,

apart

from

several

oth

er

aw

ards.

PLU

S |

SU

ND

AY

13

JA

NU

AR

Y 2

013

Reac

h of

Car

natic

mus

ic b

eyon

d w

hat w

e th

ink:

Bom

bay

Jaya

shri

© G

RA

PH

IC N

EW

SF

ox, D

ream

Wor

ks P

ictu

res

BE

ST

AC

TO

RD

anie

l Day

-Lew

is, L

inco

lnD

enze

l Was

hin

gto

n, F

light

Hu

gh

Jac

kman

, Les

Mis

erab

les

Bra

dle

y C

oo

per

, Silv

er L

inin

gs P

layb

ook

Joaq

uin

Ph

oen

ix, T

he M

aste

r

BE

ST

AC

TR

ES

SJe

nn

ifer

Law

ren

ce, S

ilver

Lin

ings

Pla

yboo

kJe

ssic

a C

has

tain

, Zer

o D

ark

Thi

rty

Em

man

uel

le R

iva,

Am

our

Nao

mi W

atts

, The

Impo

ssib

leQ

uve

nzh

ane

Wal

lis, B

east

s/S

outh

ern

Wild

BE

ST

SU

PP

OR

TIN

G A

CT

OR

To

mm

y L

ee J

on

es, L

inco

lnP

hili

p S

eym

ou

r H

off

man

, The

Mas

ter

Ro

ber

t D

e N

iro

, Silv

er L

inin

gs P

layb

ook

Ala

n A

rkin

, Arg

oC

hri

sto

ph

Wal

tz, D

jang

o U

ncha

ined

BE

ST

SU

PP

OR

TIN

G A

CT

RE

SS

An

ne

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haw

ay, L

es M

iser

able

sS

ally

Fie

ld, L

inco

lnH

elen

Hu

nt,

The

Ses

sion

sA

my

Ad

ams,

The

Mas

ter

Jack

i Wea

ver,

Silv

er L

inin

gs P

layb

ook

BE

ST

FIL

ML

inco

ln, A

rgo

, Zer

o D

ark

Th

irty

,L

es M

iser

able

s, S

ilver

Lin

ing

s P

layb

oo

k,L

ife

of

Pi,

Dja

ng

o U

nch

ain

ed,

Bea

sts

of

the

So

uth

ern

Wild

, Am

ou

r

BE

ST

DIR

EC

TO

RS

teve

n S

pie

lber

g, L

inco

lnA

ng

Lee

, Life

of P

iD

avid

O. R

uss

ell,

Silv

er L

inin

gs P

layb

ook

Mic

hae

l Han

eke,

Am

our

Ben

h Z

eitl

in, B

east

s of

the

Sou

ther

n W

ild

to th

e O

bam

a re-e

lecti

on

cam

paig

n an

d

ass

ocia

ted r

ace iss

ues

in t

he U

S.

Lin

coln

, w

ithout

doubt,

is

a R

olls-

Royce o

f a m

ovie

, and o

ne t

hat

has

retu

rned S

pie

lberg

to h

is p

osi

tion o

f a m

aker o

f film

s th

at

are

both

hugely

popula

r an

d cult

ural

touch-

stones.

In r

ecent

years

Spie

lberg h

as

strug-

gle

d t

o liv

e u

p t

o t

his

reputa

tion: you h

ave g

o

back a

s fa

r a

s 19

98’s

Sa

vin

g P

riva

te R

yan t

o

find a

film

that

unarguably

fulfi

lled t

he s

am

e

role

. A

nd t

he fervour w

ith w

hic

h it

has

been

greete

d i

s in

sta

rk c

ontr

ast

to W

ar H

orse

, S

pie

lberg’s

aw

ards

conte

nder last

year.

“W

ar

Hors

e fe

lt li

ke it

w

as m

ade 50

years ago,”

says W

en

dy M

itch

ell

, edit

or

of

film

in

dustr

y tr

ade m

agazin

e

Scre

en

Inte

rna

tion

al. “

Lin

coln

, on t

he o

ther h

and,

is s

o w

ell c

raft

ed, and m

ade s

o r

ele

vant

to

the e

lecti

on

, th

at

it h

as t

ouched a

nerve

now

. It

’s t

he b

ig, w

eig

hty

film

Spie

lberg h

as

been t

ryin

g t

o m

ake f

or y

ears,

the l

ikes

of

Am

ista

d, or M

un

ich.”

Charle

s G

ant,

film

edit

or o

f H

ea

t m

aga-

zine, agrees

Lin

coln

has

energis

ed t

he v

ot-

ers.

“It

’s a

film

that

is c

erta

inly

reso

nati

ng

in A

meric

a,

and o

ne t

hat

no o

ne f

eels

bad

about

supporti

ng.

It l

ooks

like S

pie

lberg’s

best

chance t

o w

in t

he t

wo t

op p

riz

es,

best

pic

ture a

nd d

irecto

r, w

hic

h h

e last

did

wit

h

Sch

ind

ler’

s L

ist in

1994.” G

ant

poin

ts o

ut

one

of

those

cult

ural

vagarie

s th

at

can

aff

ect

dif

feren

t aw

ards:

Spie

lberg f

ailed t

o g

et

a

best

dir

ecto

r n

om

inati

on f

rom

the B

aft

as.

Perhaps

the m

ost

tellin

g e

xam

ple

of

the

ups

and d

ow

ns

of

the a

wards

seaso

n is

pro-

vid

ed b

y K

ath

ryn B

igelo

w’s

Zero

Da

rk T

hir

ty,

anoth

er fi

lm t

hat

would

appear t

o c

onfo

rm

Linc

oln

alm

ost

exactl

y t

o t

he t

em

pla

te. In

deed,

havin

g w

on t

he t

op O

scars

in 2

010

for

an

oth

er M

iddle

E

ast-

war fi

lm

Th

e

Hu

rt

Lock

er,

Zero

Da

rk T

hir

ty i

nit

ially

looked s

et

for a

rerun

of

that

film

’s

accla

im.

But

aft

er w

inn

ing a

dm

irin

g

revie

ws

an

d c

lean

ing u

p a

t th

e e

arly

voti

ng a

wards s

uch a

s t

he N

ati

on

al

Board o

f R

evie

w a

nd W

ash

ingto

n D

C

Area F

ilm

Crit

ics

Ass

ocia

tion, th

e fi

lm

since b

ecam

e a

politi

cal fo

otb

all, to

the

exte

nt

that

Gu

ard

ian c

olu

mnis

t N

aom

i W

olf

com

pared B

igelo

w t

o N

azi

-era

dir

ecto

r L

eni R

iefe

nst

ahl.

And w

hile B

igelo

w a

nd h

er s

creen-

writ

er M

ark

Boal

have b

een v

igorous

in t

heir

defe

nce o

f th

e fi

lm,

the t

oxic

natu

re o

f th

e d

ebate

around t

he m

ovie

appears

to h

ave t

aken i

ts t

oll,

wit

h a

dis

appoin

tin

g r

esu

lt f

rom

the O

scar

nom

inati

on lis

t.G

ant

expla

ins:

“It

’s a

tough h

ill

for

them

to

get

over.

W

hen

A

cadem

y

mem

bers

vote

they w

ant

to f

eel

good

about

it. T

hat

was

the p

ersu

asi

ve n

ar-

rati

ve w

hen

th

ey opte

d fo

r B

igelo

w

over J

am

es

Cam

eron –

they w

ant

to

be o

n t

he r

ight

side o

f his

tory w

hen

th

ey t

ick t

he b

ox. I

don’t

know

if th

at’s

the c

ase

this

tim

e.”

Befo

re

the

Oscar

nom

inati

on

s w

ere a

nnounced, all t

he t

alk

was

that

2013

was

seein

g t

he r

etu

rn o

f th

e b

ig

Hollyw

ood s

tudio

s to

aw

ards

favour,

aft

er several

years of

losin

g out

to

the i

ndependent

secto

r. C

erta

inly

the

prim

e p

osi

tion o

f L

inco

ln, produced b

y

Dream

works

an

d 2

0th

Cen

tury F

ox,

as

well a

s th

e s

ignifi

cant

prese

nce o

f W

arn

er B

ros’

Arg

o,

Fox’s

L

ife o

f P

i

an

d U

niv

ersal/

Work

ing T

itle

’s

Les

Mis

éra

ble

s w

ould

bear t

hat

out.

But

the b

ett

er t

han

expecte

d O

scar p

ro-

file

of

Sil

ver

Lin

ings

Pla

ybook,

as

well

as

nods

for D

jan

go U

nch

ain

ed a

nd T

he

Ma

ster,

means

that

Harvey W

ein

stein

m

ain

tain

s an inte

rest

in t

he O

scar r

ace

that

seem

ed u

nlikely

a f

ew

weeks

ago.

“It’s

just

the l

uck o

f th

e d

raw

,” s

ays

Gant.

“S

tudio

s have a

lways

been k

een

to m

ake d

ram

as

as

well a

s th

eir

tent-

pole

movie

s, b

ut

som

eti

mes

they j

ust

don’t

succeed. T

he s

tudio

s are n

orm

ally

in t

he r

unnin

g;

but

they’v

e b

een o

ut-

smarte

d in t

he r

ecent

past

.”G

iven t

hat

the a

wards

seaso

n m

ovie

te

nds

to h

arness

what

you m

ight

call

the m

iddle

brow

ele

ment

in t

he q

uality

sp

ectr

um

, M

itchell is

in a

greem

ent

as

to t

he c

yclical natu

re o

f st

udio

involv

e-

ment.

“T

o b

e h

onest

, it

’s b

it o

f a c

rap-

shoot.

It’s

sim

ply

what’s

around. T

his

is

the y

ear o

f w

hat’s

doin

g w

ell a

t th

e b

ox

offi

ce; next

year t

he C

oens

and G

eorge

Clo

oney w

ill have fi

nis

hed fi

lms

so t

he

whole

thin

g c

ould

turn a

gain

.”F

or a

ll t

hat,

this

does

appear t

o b

e

the y

ear t

hat

Am

eric

an

cin

em

a h

as

found i

ts v

oic

e i

n t

he a

wards

seaso

n,

aft

er b

ein

g p

ush

ed a

side b

y E

urope in

the last

tw

o y

ears

. G

ant

adds:

“A

meric

a

did

n’t

ste

p u

p last

year –

neit

her H

ugo

nor T

he D

escen

dan

ts could

m

oun

t m

uch o

f a c

hallenge t

o T

he A

rti

st. B

ut

this

year t

he U

S i

s ass

erti

ng i

tself

in

a b

ig w

ay.

This

year i

t does

feel

like

there’s

a r

esu

rgence.”

• T

he

Gol

den

Glo

be

award

s ta

ke

pla

ce on

Jan

uary

13

, th

e B

aft

as

on

Feb

ruary

10

an

d t

he

Aca

dem

y A

ward

s on

Feb

ruary

24

.

stay

s re

d-h

ot f

avou

rite

as

awar

ds

feve

r ri

ses

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013 SUPERCARS10

By Jason H Harper

A McLaren supercar likely to cost some $1.1m. A $845,000 Porsche. And a really nifty Acura. High-concept, “halo” cars are by nature rare and unusual. The reflected

glow of their specialness can raise the profile of an entire brand. Yet 2013 is looking like the beginning of a banner period for supercars. The bang starts with production of the Porsche 918 Spyder, the first new supercar from the manufacturer in nearly a decade.

Then we’ll see the McLaren P1 coupe, the successor to a legendary highway scorcher built in the 1990s.

Lastly, Acura, Honda’s upscale sister brand, is finally resurrecting its NSX, a supercar for the everyman.

While all three are spiritual successors of cars we’ve seen before, both the Porsche and Acura will employ New-Age hybrid power trains that use both gasoline and electric motors.

I count myself among the excited, as the original Acura NSX and the Porsche 918’s predecessor, the Carrera GT, are two personal favourites. I’d dearly like the chance to drive them both again.

Carmakers play their cards especially close when it comes to these exclusive models. Information about engines, top speeds and release dates are carefully doled out over time, both to maintain consumer inter-est and to foil competitors.

The Porsche 918 Spyder is slated to begin produc-tion this September, with that announced price of $845,000. It will be a hybrid with a mid-mounted V-8 and two electric motors that should churn out a com-bined output of nearly 800 horsepower.

Porsche says the car will be capable of 200 miles per hour (mph), reaching 60mph in around three seconds. Yet it can also drive short distances on bat-tery power alone, and the company promises excellent gas mileage.

I wonder how it will stack up to the Carrera GT, which was released in 2004. A two-seater powered by a mid-engine V-10, it made more than 600 horse-power. Priced at some $450,000, fewer than 1,500 were produced.

While it used innovative technologies like a carbon-fibre shell, the Carrera GT lacked many safety-minded driving aids found on sports cars today. It was twitchy and hard to drive, especially on the edge.

I tested it at Mosport International Roadway in Ontario, Canada. As a green racetrack driver at the time, its fury outmatched my skill. I happily traded the steering wheel to a pro, who showed me what the mid-engine screamer was truly capable of.

McLaren’s P1, meanwhile, is the successor of the supercar that I’d most like to drive if I had the chance, the infamous F1. About as exotic as autos get, it broke records as the world’s fastest production car, surg-ing past 240mph. Only 107 were ever produced. No wonder I’ve never driven one. (Though I have had fast turns in the McLaren currently on the market, the delightful MP4-12C.)

While the company hasn’t released an official pro-duction schedule for its new, top-of-the-line P1, the coupe will likely go on sale at the end of the year.

I recently saw a P1 in the flesh at a presentation in New York, and the design is devastatingly cool, a complex weave of exposed carbon-fibre, low-lipped air splitters and aerodynamic ducts. It looks like half a fighter jet, half an alien spacecraft. I’ve already com-menced a lobbying campaign for a test drive.

Further out is a car much less rare and expensive, but equally important to the brand: the Acura NSX.

The original NSX was produced from the early 1990s to 2005, with a high-revving V-6 placed in the centre of the car for ideal balance. The design was sleek if not outlandish, and the handling was aston-ishing. It was also relatively inexpensive, starting at around $60,000.

The first time I saw one was on a spinning dais at a Las Vegas casino, the grand prize on a bank of slot machines. I was in college and dreamed about racing it across the desert after a lucky pull. Didn’t happen.

Flash forward to the late 1990s, when I tested one for a magazine. I spirited it around a circular off-ramp again and again, the centrifugal force caused lights to dance in my eyes.

With less than 300 horsepower, it wasn’t nearly as powerful as modern sports cars. But the accuracy of

the steering and its ability to dart into turns opened my eyes to the attainable perfection of a lightweight car with a superior suspension.

The new design doesn’t specifically mimic the lines of the original, but it is a mid-engine sports car fash-ioned into a sexy, modern wedge.

It will have a direct-injected V-6 that powers the rear wheels, and two electric motors for the front wheels. The result should be added power and traction while lending efficiency.

Though we know it will be built in Ohio, Acura is coy as to release dates. It might come out as a 2016 model year. Either way, I’m hoping for an early drive just to see how it compares with my happy memories of the original.

WP-Bloomberg

Acura NSX

McLaren P1 Coupe

Porsche 918 Spyder

Porsche faces $1.1m McLaren P1, Acura in Supercar battle

11BOOKS

Counting on China to keep driving global economic growth boils down in large part to a bet that the ruling Communist

party gets urbanisation right.If it does, some 1 billion Chinese

will live in cities by 2030, up from around 700 million today.

Unproductive peasants will become urban consumers, picking up the growth baton from investment and rebalancing the economy, Tom Miller with Beijing-based research company GK Dragonomics writes in China’s

Urban Billion, published by Zed Books.But if the leadership gets it wrong,

Miller says, China could spend the next 20 years languishing in middle-income torpor, its cities pockmarked by giant slums that are home to the world’s largest urban underclass.

Miller, a Briton who has lived in China for more than a decade, frets that Beijing has yet to show the stomach for the daunting political and fiscal reforms required. He spoke about what is at stake for the world economy.

How critical is it for China to keep moving people into cities?

“In a sense, economic development equals urbanisation as people move out of unproductive rural jobs. The urbanisation rate in the US and UK is around 90 percent and 70 percent in Italy and Japan. China passed the 50 percent mark in 2011 and on the current trajectory you’d expect it to hit the 70 percent rate by roughly 2030. If they can do that - and a lot can go wrong - then that will cer-tainly put a floor under economic growth.”

Why is reform of China’s hukou, or household registration, system, so important?

“One in three people living in

Chinese cities don’t have urban rights - access to welfare, schooling, social security, etc - because they are still legally tied to their rural homes by the hukou system. So they tend to lead separate existences and have to save more to spend on schooling and in case they fall ill. If China is going to benefit economically from urbani-sation, it has to do a much better job of integrating rural migrant workers into urban society, and that means hukou reform.

“If you look at the last decade there’s hardly been any reform. Having said that, I’m cautiously opti-mistic. It’s one of incoming Premier Li Keqiang’s pet projects and it would be very disappointing if we didn’t hear any announcement by the cen-tral government at the National People’s Congress (the annual par-liament meeting) in March.”

Who’s going to foot the bill?“Local governments rely on trans-

fers from the central government, so they constantly struggle to finance social spending. Hukou reform means spending a lot more money on migrants. So if the central govern-ment is serious about reforms, it has to let local governments keep more taxes locally or do a better job of matching funding to social expendi-ture. That is a major issue: the cen-tral government now has a strong grip on the national tax system and it is loath to give more power to local governments unless they can help it.”

You worry about housing short-ages in China, but some investors point to empty ‘ghost towns’ to argue that China is already over-building. Are they wrong?

“Some of the comments are foolish. They’re based on a misunderstanding of just how large China is. Hedge fund managers like Jim Chanos look at the

investment numbers, and they’re so huge they just don’t seem to make sense. But they’re coming at China through the experience of much smaller countries.

“China bears don’t really under-stand how China works. They’re constantly looking at it as though China functions like a normal mar-ket economy. It doesn’t. The govern-ment here has the power to create markets that wouldn’t exist without their intervention. Pudong is a very good example. (Pudong, Shanghai’s financial district, was farm land until the mid-1980s.)

“If you’re looking at companies that have done well feeding off China’s huge growth in heavy indus-try and investment, then you can say Chanos was right to be sceptical. But he made the broader point that the entire economy was going to hell. He made the mistake of looking as an investor rather than looking at the macro economy, which are two dif-ferent things.

“‘Ghost cities’ gives the impression of cities being created out of nothing. That is simply not the case. Normally we’re talking about ghost suburbs - big new developments on the edge of existing cities that have been growing

very fast and need room to expand.”

Which companies will do well out of urbanisation?

“Companies that have thrived on capital investment will do less well as capital spending slows, but there’ll be more opportunities to feed off household consumption. The domestic competition is tough, but there’s no reason why well-run for-eign consumer goods companies can’t do well. A good example has been the enormous rise over the past two or three years of companies like Zara and H&M, selling fashionable but reasonably priced clothing. Foreign car companies will continue to do very well.

“Some of it will depend on policy. Financial services have potentially a big opportunity if China decides to open up sectors such as banking and insurance. When it comes to strate-gic industries China is very reluctant to let everybody in, but there is plenty of room over the next 10-20 years: China will become a massive market for many western firms both in con-sumer goods and services. But it will be massive market for domestic firms too. It’ll be big enough for all them.”

Reuters

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013

Biggest migration in history tests

Tom Miller, a Briton who has lived in China for more than a decade, frets that Beijing has yet to show the stomach for the daunting political and fiscal reforms required. He speaks to Alan Wheatley about what is at stake for the world economy.

China

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013 TECHNOLOGY12

(All apps are for iOS devices.Prices are for the UK market)

FLIPTAPE (FREE)Fliptape is one of an increas-

ing number of mobile apps built on top of streaming music serv-ice Spotify. In this case, the app lets subscribers play songs from Spotify, see what their friends are listening to, and follow featured artists. iPhone

DEEZCOVR (FREE)And here’s an app built on

Spotify’s biggest rival, Deezer. The focus here is on discovering new music, with the app recom-mending songs and artists you might like, adapting them based on your mood, and then saving the ones you like to a playlist in your Deezer account. iPhone

PEPI TREE (£1.49)Here’s another app for chil-

dren based around animals and the natural world: an educational game “focusing on a tree as an eco-system” – that’d be the origi-nal meaning of the word, rather than the mobile industry one, naturally. A caterpillar, owl, spi-der, hedgehog, mole and group of squirrels explain what hey do, how they eat and where they live, with beautiful production values and fun mini-games. iPhone / iPad

DA VINCI - HISTORY (£2.49)

This is another art-based app from a museum background, in this case the Réunion des Musées Nationaux in France, working with Quelle Histoire Editions. It’s a gudie to the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci that includes paintings and drawings, anima-tion and mini-games, aimed at “the whole family”. iPad

LYROKE (FREE)The success of SongPop

showed an appetite for con-nected music games, but Lyroke takes a different angle on the genre. Here, it’s about playing music videos then guessing the lyrics at key moments, before challenging friends to do better. Released at the end of 2012, it’s proving a popular download on the App Store. iPhone

NYPD (FREE)Obviously, this is more inter-

esting for New Yorkers, but it’s interesting as an example of how police are trying to engage more with the public too. The official New York Police Department app includes a wanted gallery, crime videos, news, stats and a tip-sub-mission section. iPhone

The Guardian

Apps of the DAY

By Ryan Nakashima & Barbara Ortutay

Some of the weirdest gadgets at the International CES show are designed to solve problems you never knew you had. Are you eating too fast? A dig-

ital fork will let you know. Is your tod-dler having trouble sitting still on the potty? Let the iPotty come to the res-cue. Are you bored driving to work in a four-wheeled vehicle? Climb inside a 1,600-pound mechanical spider for your morning commute.

Of course, not all of the prototypes introduced at the annual gadget show will succeed in the marketplace. But the innovators who shop their wares here are fearless when it comes to pitching new gizmos, be they flashy, catchy or just plain odd.

A search for this year’s strangest (and perhaps least useful) electronic devices yielded an extra-loud pair of headphones from a metal band, an eye-sensing TV that didn’t work as intended and more. Take a look:

MOTORHEADPHONESBass-heavy headphones that borrow

the names of hip-hop luminaries like Dr Dre have become extremely popu-lar. Rock fans have been left out of the party — until now. British metal band Motorhead, famous for playing gut-punchingly loud, is endorsing a line of headphones that “go to eleven” and are hitting US stores now.

Says lead singer and bassist Lemmy Kilmister, explaining his creative input: “I just said make them louder than eve-rybody else’s. So that’s the only criteria, and that it should reflect every part of the sound, not just the bass.”

The Motorheadphone line consists of three over-the-ear headphones and six in-ear models. The initiative came from a Swedish music-industry veteran, and dis-tribution and marketing is handled by a Swedish company, Krusell International AB.

Who it’s for: People who don’t care about their hearing or of the sanity of person sitting next to them on the sub-way. According to Kilmister, the head-phones are ideal for Motorhead fans. “Their hearing is already damaged, they better buy these.”

Price: Prices range from $50 to $130.

EYE-SENSING TVA prototype of an eye-sensing TV from

Haier didn’t quite meet viewers eye-to-eye. An on-screen cursor is supposed to appear where the viewer looks to help, say, select a show to watch. Blinking while controlling the cursor is supposed to result in a click. In our brief time with the TV, we observed may quirks and comic difficulties.

For one, the company’s demonstrator Hongzhao Guo said the system doesn’t

work that well when viewers wear eye-glasses. (That kind of defeats the pur-pose of TV, no?) But it turns out, one bespectacled reporter was able to make it work. But the cursor appeared a cou-ple inches below where the viewer was looking. This resulted in Guo snapping his fingers to attract the reporter’s eye to certain spots. The reporter dutifully looked, but the cursor was always a bit low. Looking down to see the cursor only resulted in it moving further down the TV screen.

Who it’s for: People too lazy to move their arms.

“It’s easy to do,” Guo said, taking the reporter’s place at the demonstration. He later said the device needs to be recali-brated for each person. It worked fine for him, but the TV is definitely not ready for prime-time.

PARROT FLOWER POWERA company named after a bird wants

to make life easier for your plants. A plant sensor called Flower Power from Paris-based Parrot is designed to update your mobile device with a wealth of infor-mation about the health of your plant and the environment it lives in. Just stick the y-shaped sensor in your plant’s soil, download the accompanying app and — hopefully — watch your plant thrive.

“It basically is a Bluetooth smart low-energy sensor. It senses light, sunlight, temperature, moisture and soil as well as fertiliser in the soil. You can use it either indoors or outdoors,” said Peter George, vice president of sales and marketing for the Americas at Parrot. The device will be available sometime this year, the company said.

Who it’s for: ‘Brown-thumbed’ folk and plants with a will to live.

Price: Unknown.

HAPIFORKIf you don’t watch what you put in

your mouth, this fork will — or at least

try to. Called HAPIfork, it’s a fork with a fat handle containing electronics and a battery. A motion sensor knows when you are lifting the fork to your mouth. If you’re eating too fast, the fork will vibrate as a warning. The company behind it, HapiLabs, believes that using the fork 60 to 75 times during meals that last 20 to 30 minutes is ideal.

But the fork won’t know how healthy or how big each bite you take will be, so shoveling a plate of arugula will likely be judged as less healthy than slowly putting away a pile of beef bacon. No word on spoons, yet, or chopsticks.

Who it’s for: People who eat too fast. Those who want company for their “smart” refrigerator and other kitchen gadgets.

Price: HapiLabs is launching a fundraising campaign for the fork in March on the group-fundraising site Kickstarter.com. Participants need to pay $99 to get a fork, which is expected to ship around April or May.

IPOTTYToilet training a toddler is no picnic,

but iPotty from CTA Digital seeks to make it a little easier by letting parents attach an iPad to it. This way, junior can gape and paw at the iPad while taking care of business in the old-fashioned part of the plastic potty. IPotty will go on sale in March, first on Amazon.com.

There are potty training apps out there that’ll reward toddlers for accom-plishing the deed. The company is also examining whether the potty’s attach-ment can be adapted for other types of tablets, beyond the iPad.

“It’s novel to a lot of people but we’ve gotten great feedback from parents who think it’d be great for training,” said CTA product specialist Camilo Gallardo.

Who it’s for: Parents at their wit’s end.

Price: $39.99AP

‘Smart’ potty or dumb idea? ‘Smart’ potty or dumb idea? Wacky gadgets at CESWacky gadgets at CES

COMICS & MORE 13

Hoy en la HistoriaJanuary 13, 2012

1921: Brothers Fred and William Folberth invented the automatic windshield wiper in Ohio, U.S.1938: Walt Disney’s first full length animated feature “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” went on release1995: President Clinton authorised loan guarantees of U.S.$40 billion to stabilise the Mexican peso1999: The Brazilian government devalued the real, triggering stock market falls around the world

The Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia with 4252 people on board, partially sank when it ran aground off the coast of Tuscany, with the loss of 32 lives

Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS

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

BAWL, BEAM, BLUBBER, BRAY, CACHINNATE, CHORTLE,CRY, GIGGLE, GRIN, GUFFAW, HOWL, LAUGH, ROAR, SCREAM, SCREECH, SHRIEK, SIMPER, SMILE, SMIRK, SNICKER, SNIFFLE, SNIVEL, SNORT, SNUFFLE, SOB, TITTER, WAIL, WEEP, WHIMPER, YAWL.

Baby Blues Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman

Zits Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

Hagar The Horrible Chris Browne

How to ask: Hal kunta Were you

Hal Kunti Were you

Hal Kana Was He

Hal Kanat Was she

How to negate:

Ana Ma Kuntu I was not

Anta Ma Kunta You were not

Anti Ma Kunti You were not

Howa Ma Kaana He was not

Hiy’ya Ma Kaanat She was not

LEARNARABIC

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013

HYPER SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

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 Salon offering

5 America’s 44th

10 Current units

14 ___ Rios, Jamaica

15 Currently airing

16 Look sullen

17 “So what?!”

20 Schedule

21 ___ From Hawaii (1973 Elvis concert)

22 Kind of store

23 Elizabethan ___

25 Beginnings of embryos

27 “So what?!”

36 Surgeons’ workplaces, for short

37 Beginning

38 Pago Pago’s place

39 Number two son

41 Stockpile

43 Israel’s first king

44 Bridgestones, e.g.

46 Condos, e.g.

48 British verb ending

49 “So what?!”

52 Viewed

53 Site of the smallest bone in the body

54 Hot tub locale

57 The fellas in “GoodFellas”

61 Slender game fishes

65 “So what?!”

68 As well

69 One who has no chance

70 “The Time Machine” leisure class

71 Savvies

72 Puts in the hold

73 Transmitted

DOWN 1 Pea protectors

2 Environmental sci.

3 ___ Silvia, mother of Romulus and Remus

4 “Fiddler on the Roof” star

5 Toronto’s prov.

6 ___ Raton, Fla.

7 M.P.’s target

8 Like early Elvis albums

9 Diane Sawyer, for one

10 Mar. follower

11 “___ Lisa”

12 Shell fixture

13 Dance move

18 Propeller-heads

19 Icicle sites

24 Ones putting out feelers

26 “Regrettably …”

27 Raccoon relative

28 Go round and round

29 Rehab seekers

30 Actress O’Neal

31 Old pal

32 “___ to the Moon” (seminal 1902 sci-fi film)

33 Cybermessage

34 Boozehound

35 House of the Seven Gables locale

40 Camera part

42 To be, in Tours

45 “Me, too”

47 Like a bubble bath

50 Regional accents

51 Unethical payoffs

54 Impediment

55 Copernicus, e.g., by birth

56 Helper: Abbr.

58 Pick up, as a bill

59 Kelly Clarkson’s “___ One Will Listen”

60 Several

62 Moolah

63 Subj. for a Fed chairman

64 Short comic sketch

66 Mike Tyson stat

67 Miss, after vows

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 64

65 66 67

68 69 70

71 72 73

H A H A S E L C I D E L S E E B B SI M U S T J O U L E M O M A S L A PC O M P U T E R R O R E S A U C A R R

D E D U C E S O R T S A N T IG A R R E T T E N G L I S H E E P D O GE M U N E E R A T I L T F R E A K SL I M I T E D I T I O N E S T O P

S A S V O L H A W T O P P SB A L I D A I P R I M E R I D I A N

T R E A D M I L L O P S R E C C L ER A N C A S E N S I T I V E O L EU S E A X L T I E O N E S E A T E RS C I E N C E N T E R R V S L U S TT O D A Y C E E V I A R E D

S H U T S P L A C I D O M I N G OO R A T O R T W O A M N I T E O U RP E R S O N A L I T Y P E V I N R O S EU G L I L I D S T A I N T E DS E E D L I N E G U A R D I A N G E LE N N E E G G S O P I N E R E E V ES T E R I N S T P I L E D Y E S E 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

CINEMA / TV LISTINGS

09:30 Omin Sport

10:00 Italian League

Bologna V

Chievo

12:00 Basketball Nba

Memphis @

Dallas

14:00 Omni Sport

14:30 Boxing Fighters

Tba

15:45 Rugby Heineken

Cup Edinburgh

V Munster

17:45 Short

Programme

18:00 Rugby Heineken

Cup Toulouse V

Benetton Treviso

20:00 Magazine Tba

20:30 Spanish League

Atletico Madrid

V Zaragoza

Malaga V

Barcelona

01:30 Real Nba

Magazine

8:00 News

9:00 Tutu’s Children

10:30 Inside Syria

11:00 News

11:30 Talk To Al

Jazeera

12:00 News

12:30 Earthrise

13:00 NEWSHOUR

14:00 News

14:30 Inside Syria

15:00 Al Jazeera

World

16:00 NEWSHOUR

17:00 News

17:30 Listening Post

18:00 NEWSHOUR

19:00 News

19:30 101 East

20:00 News

20:30 Inside Story

21:00 NEWSHOUR

22:00 News

22:30 Talk To Al

Jazeera

23:00 Witness

13:40 Mythbusters

14:35 Border Security

15:05 Auction Kings

16:00 Airplane Repo

16:55 Gold Divers

17:50 Mythbusters

18:45 Sons Of Guns

19:40 How Stuff’s

Made

20:05 How It’s Made

20:35 Auction Kings

21:00 Property Wars

21:30 Sons Of Guns

22:25 Ross Kemp On

Gangs

13:00 Wild India

14:00 Incredible Dr. Pol

16:00 Ultimate Animal

Countdown

17:00 In The Womb

18:00 Hunter Hunted

19:00 Monster Fish

20:00 My Dog Ate

What?

21:00 Planet

Carnivore

22:00 Ultimate Animal

Countdown

13:15 Foster’s Home

For...

13:40 Courage The

Cowardly Dog

17:00 Ben 10:

Omniverse

18:00 Level Up

18:50 Adventure Time

21:20 Young Justice

22:10 Grim

Adventures Of...

23:00 Ben 10

12:00 Wayne’s World

2

14:00 The Perfect

Catch

16:00 Good Boy

18:00 Envy

20:00 Stuck On You

22:00 Nothing To

Lose

15

13:20 Wildlife SOS

13:50 Gator Boys

15:40 Wildest Africa

16:35 Cheetah

Kingdom

17:00 Really Wild Show

17:30 Dogs/Cats/

Pets 101

20:15 Monkey Life

20:40 Bondi Vet

21:35 Cheetah

Kingdom

22:05 Wildest Africa

23:00 Austin Stevens

Adventures

13:20 Hannibal

Brooks

15:00 Valkyrie: The

Plot To Kill

Hitler

17:10 What Did You

Do In The War

Daddy?

19:05 Saved

20:35 Cohen & Tate

22:00 Crisscross

23:40 Cadillac Man

13:15 The Comedians

15:45 The

Adventures Of

Huckleberry...-

FAM

17:30 Mrs. Soffel

19:20 Two Weeks In

Another Town-

PG

21:05 The V.I.P.S

23:00 Get Carter

14:30 Barbie: A Perfect

Christmas

16:00 Happy Cricket

18:00 Cher Ami

20:00 Cheaper By The

Dozen

22:00 The Wild

Thornberrys

Movie

TEL: 444933989 444517001SHOWING AT VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

GULF CINEMA

1

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (Hindi) – 2.30 & 8.30pm

Bavuttiyude Namathil (Malayalam) – 5.30 & 11.30pm

2

Bavuttiyude Namathil (2D/Malayalam) – 2.30 & 8.30pm

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2D/Hindi) – 5.30 & 11.00pm

MALL CINEMA

1

The Hobbit: An Expected Journey (Adventure)

– 2.30 & 5.30pm

Jack Reacher (Action) – 8.30 & 11.00pm

2

Tad, The Lost Explorer (3D/Animation) – 2.30 & 4.30pm

Chinese Zodiac (3D/Action) – 6.30, 9.00 & 11.15pm

3

This Is 40 (2D/Comedy) – 2.15pm

Caught In The Cross Fire (2D/Crime) – 4.45pm

Life Of Pi (Comedy/3D) – 7.00pm

The Tall Man (2D/Drama) – 9.15 & 11.15pm

ROYAL PLAZA

1

Tad, The Lost Explorer (3D/Animation) – 2.30 & 4.30pm

Chinese Zodiac (3D/Action) – 6.30, 9.00 & 11.15pm

2

Rise Of The Guardians (Animation) – 2.30pm

Snow White & The Huntsman (Adventure) – 4.30 & 7.00pm

The Guard (Comedy)– 9.30 & 11.30pm

3

Mr & Mrs Eweys (Arabic) – 3.00 & 5.00pm

Paranorman (Animation) – 7.00pm

Anna Karenina (Drama)– 9.00 & 11.30pm

LANDMARK

1

Geddo Habibi (2D/Comedy) – 2.30pm

Chinese Zodiac (2D/Action) – 4.45, 7.00, 9.15 & 11.30pm

2

Tad, The Lost Explorer (3D/Animation)

– 3.00, 5.00 & 7.00pm

The Tall Man (2D/Drama) – 9.00 & 11.15pm

3

Les Miserables (2D/Drama) – 2.30pm

Caught In The Cross Fire (2D/Crime) – 5.30, 9.45 & 11.30pm

This Is 40 (2D/Comedy) – 7.15pm

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013

PLUS | SUNDAY 13 JANUARY 2013 POTPOURRI16

Editor-In-Chief Khalid Al Sayed Acting Managing Editor Hussain Ahmad Editorial Office The Peninsula Tel: 4455 7741, E-mail: plus@pen.com.qa / editor@pen.com.qa

Piano Recital by Daniel Barenboim When: Jan 15; 8pm-11pmWhere: Katara Opera House, Building 16 What: Franz Shubert, Sonata in C minor, D.958.Ticket: QR200-QR300, available online and shops of Virgin Megastores

Forever NowWhen: Until 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: Until Feb 11, 2013(Sun, Mon, Wed: 10:30-5:30; Tue: closed; Thu, Sat: noon-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. 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

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

The FamilyWhen: Till Feb 28; 10am-10pmFriday 2pm-10pmWhere: Anima Gallery, The Pearl-QatarWhat: The first Guiragossian family art exhibition ever. Despair, separation, re-union, love... Life in all its forms is portrayed in the works of Paul, Emmanuel, Jean Pauland Manuella Guiragossian. Free entry

Encounter: The Royal Academy in the Middle East ExhibitionWhen: Till March 6; 10am-10pmWhere: Gallery 1&2 Building 19 and Katara Gallery Building 22 What: an exhibition featuring over 80 works of art in a wide variety of media by 25 Royal Academicians and 25 prominent artists from across the Middle East.Free entry

If you want your events featured here mail details to plus@pen.com.qa

Events in Qatar