MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 • [email protected] • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741 inside Genetics can determine MARKETPLACE • The road to Qatar 2015 why we smell certain — Five continental odours differently qualifications ahead P | 5 P | 6 SCIENCE • Australia opens ‘world’s smartest’ aquarium

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HEALTH • Researchers wonder if low-nicotine cigarettes can end smoking addiction

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Our addiction to WHEELS sugar is linked to obesity, cancer • Seat Leon: An impressive and heart disease – package and soft drinks are among the worst offenders. ALEX P | 11 RENTON reports on the new health war, and reveals why TECHNOLOGY some fruit juices may • Google’s got be as bad for you as the best way cans of fizz. to watch TV P | 12

THE DEMON DRINK: Learn Arabic lessons will resume from WAR ON SUGAR September 1, 2013 P | 13 2 PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 COVER STORY

STEER CLEAR OF SUGAR-FILLED ‘HEALTHY’ DRINKS

BY ALEX RENTON work for more people than dentists. healthcare costs are double those fat die young.” He is a medical doctor Though the drinks and food industry of people with a healthy body mass. and professor of clinical paediatrics he tin of 7UP rolls to a stop at still hotly contests it, a scientific The “metabolic syndrome” maladies at the University of California who my feet. I pick it up, scowling consensus is now emerging that associated with insulin resistance has emerged as the guru of an at the kid on a bike who’d fatal problems can be traced back and obesity – many authorities now increasingly noisy international Ttossed it and missed the lit- to excessive sugar consumption. just use the term “diabesity” – are campaign pressing governments to ter bin. The can is green and shiny: Sugary drinks, addiction and obesity expected soon to overtake tobacco as act as aggressively on sugary drinks “Put some play into your every day,” are inextricably linked: Excess sugar the leading cause of heart disease in as they have on tobacco. The two it says. “Escape to a carefree world… in the diet may be a greater cause the world. And perhaps of cancer, too. are seen as directly analogous – Don’t grow up. 7UP.” And underneath, of obesity than fat is. Obese people Thus the “don’t grow up” line on unnecessary habits that cost people in tiny print, the real info (though you suffer from diabetes, cancer, fatty that 7UP tin carries a grinding irony. and society dear. Lustig believes need a calculator to get to the truth): liver disease, dementia and heart Dr Robert Lustig puts it brutally: that children are at the forefront the lemon- and lime-flavoured drink problems to the extent that their “The numbers don’t lie… as a rule, the of the sugar-driven health crisis contains a trace of salt, no fat, no fibre because soft and fizzy drinks are the and 34.98g of sugar – eight teaspo- most efficient way of delivering this ons – and 135 calories. That’s enough “poison”. His word. energy for an hour’s cross-country So the 7UP tin is quite an artefact. running. It’s cheap, too. Half the price It shows capitalism at its most of milk. efficient and rapacious: Where If the stats are right, this teenager ingredients – sugar, flavouring, water in Leith, who threw the empty tin, – costing almost nothing can be drinks 287 cans, or the equivalent, a turned into a profit margin measured year: More sugary drinks than any in the thousands of percent. It other child in Europe. Not to mention illustrates the extraordinary a whole lot more sugar, in breakfast diversion of farmland and forest into cereals, bread, and even chicken the production of the almost useless nuggets. That is in part why Scottish while nearly a billion people on the children’s teeth are the same quality planet are starving. The can is an as those of children in Kazakhstan. icon of the key dietary changes of And perhaps why a 2010 survey of 17 the era, where we upped our simple countries found that only Mexicans carbohydrate intake – sugar – to the and Americans were fatter than Scots. point that it started harming us in Of course sugary drinks make ways never seen before. PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 3

A monumental battle is just begin- – already in place in some European ning between the sugar and food cor- countries – will be a long while coming porations and governments, which to Britain. The nutrition campaig- know that society can no longer bear ners Sustain and 61 other charities the strain of the polysaccharide habit. and health organisations, including If the 40 years of war between gover- the Royal Society for Public Health, nment and Big Tobacco are anything called on the chancellor to introduce to go by, the fight will be dirty. a “sugary drinks duty” of 20p a litre It’s a feature of modern life that the in this year’s budget. It would raise young have started getting the disea- £1bn a year – some of which, they ses of the old – problems with their suggested, could usefully be spent hearts, their livers, cancers, diabetes on children’s health and free school and so on. That this may be triggered meals. George Osborne stayed quiet; by the changes in our diet has been health secretary Jeremy Hunt said known for at least 60 years. During he was sceptical. Far more influen- the Korean war, US army surgeons tial than Professor Colquhoun, Lustig got a chance to do something unusual: and any eminent academic is the food perform autopsies on lots of young and beverage industry. And that is, of people. These found plaque in the course, busy leaning on the govern- American casualties’ arteries – even ment to avoid any further tampering among the teenagers. But there were with its right to flog sugary drinks as no blockages in the hearts and valves healthy. of the youthful Korean dead. At the It’s a feature of modern The BSDA, to which manufac- time, this bizarre phenomenon was life that the young turers such as Britvic and AG Barr ascribed to the fat load in the GIs’ diet. have started getting hand queries, has stopped insisting But Americans who fought in Korea fructose. That means it’s from fruit,” that there is no proven link between and Japan were fuelled by Coca-Cola I was told. the diseases of the sugar, soft drinks and obesity – its and its rivals; and modern analysis The truth is that, though consuming old – problems with position until a few years ago. (This now concludes that sugary drinks may sugar along with the fibres of fruit is their hearts, their livers, stonewalling claim is still the position have been the villain. better than without, these middle- of Associated British Foods, supplier Most rich nations saw their sugar class healthy drinks may be higher in cancers, diabetes and of half of the UK’s sugar.) Now the consumption increase by 30-40 per- sugar than the Ribena my mother was so on. That this may be defence centres on the “unfair cost” cent between 1970 and 2000. In fooled into giving us children for our triggered by the changes to shoppers of a tax, and the 9 per- Scotland it quadrupled in 60 years. A health. And that, too, had more sugar cent fall in sales, over the past 10 key moment was the introduction of in it than Coke. in our diet has been years, in added-sugar drinks. “Sixty “high fructose corn syrup” (HFCS) – a Sugar is sugar – a simple chemical, known for at least 60 one per cent of soft drinks now con- fantastically cheap sugar made from and it makes little difference whether years. tain no added sugar,” they claim. But America’s surplus maize (in Europe it’s crushed from an organic, hand- the BSDA’s stats are dubious: for a we manufacture something similar picked fruit or fracked in a factory start, they include 2bn litres of bott- from sugar beet). American gover- out of corn and beet. And fructose is tells the brain when we’ve consumed led mineral waters – 15 percent of all nment subsidy for the corn farmers just another of the monosaccharides enough. So you drink or eat fructose, soft drinks. And, of course, the carton – and high taxes on imported sugar that make sugar, though it’s the one and then you want more food. Sugary juices contain “no added sugar” – but – made the product cheap and attrac- with a friendly Latin-derived name. soft drinks deliver the fructose fastest as we’ve seen, many have more sugar tive. Though there were issues around In fact fructose is the key to all sugar to the organs that can’t handle it. And, in them than Coke. taste, in 1980 Coca-Cola successfully – it makes it taste sweet. Table sugar of course, they are largely consumed But there are extraordinary things switched to using HFCS. After water, is half glucose, half fructose. The high- by those most vulnerable to diseases: going on in America, for which Lustig sugar is, of course, the major ingre- fructose syrups the drinks manufactu- The poor and the young. For children, – and his 3.6m-hit YouTube film dient in its product. Profit margins rers use are probably – they won’t say every extra daily serving above the Sugar: The Bitter Truth – can take improved, and Coke’s rivals soon jum- – made of 55 percent fructose: more average increases the chances of obe- some credit. More than 30 state and ped aboard. sweetness for the sugar load. sity by 60 percent. city legislatures, from Hawaii to New In the UK we eat and drink around Many scientists have marked fruc- The drinks industry and its science York, have discussed or proposed curbs 70 percent more sugar than the gover- tose as the ring leader in the team of do not agree. Gavin Partington, the on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) nment says we should, and the obe- monosaccharides. Lustig, who likes to energetic director general of the British ranging from bans in schools to cuts sity figures have been fairly stable turn a phrase, calls it the Voldemort of Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), says: in portion sizes and a sales tax. New since they peaked in the early 2000s. sugars – and it is biggest in the sugar “A calorie is a calorie.” Dealing with the York’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, has (Though with 30 percent of under- load of soft drinks. fat crisis is about helping people to use proposed removing SSBs from state 15s overweight, and consuming sugar A 240ml glass of orange juice might up those calories through exercise. food assistance programmes. He is just like adults, the epidemiologists are contain 120 calories of sugar, or sucrose; Across America though, health currently fighting a legal battle to predicting the obesity rate to rise.) half of that will be fructose. The fruc- authorities appear to be coming enforce a city-wide ban on “supersize” But our sugar consumption peaked tose will all end up in the liver, which round to Lustig’s view. Should we? I servings of sugary drinks. But peti- in 1982 and the soft drinks manu- may not be able to metabolise (process) put that to Professor David Colquhoun tions against the ban have gathered facturers say that now 40 percent of it fully, depleting vital chemicals in the of University College London, a spe- more than half a million signatures. carbonated drinks contain “no added organ and turning into fat. “It’s not cialist in toxicology and a scourge of Back here in Leith the empty Irn- sugar”. Why, then, have obesity rates about the calories,” says Dr Lustig. “It cod science through his Improbable Bru, Fruit Shoot and Red Cola bott- not plunged? has nothing to do with the calories. It’s Science blog and gloriously cantanke- les glint in the grass around our local I found at least a piece of the answer a poison by itself.” rous tweeting. Does he buy the anti- park. The local Italian ice-cream shop to that at breakfast in my house, when What is undeniable is that problems fructose lobby’s theories? “Bugger all is selling Irn-Bru sorbet. You can get six a family with two young, and I think in the liver in turn contaminate and is known with certainty about the litres of 35 percent sugar drinks for just we’ll say “sturdy”, children came disable other systems, including the effects of diet on health. That’s why £2 down the road in Iceland. That’s just to stay. Just a touch self-righteous, insulin production of the pancreas. so much is written about it. The whole 50p to put an adult into Lustig’s fruc- they spurned the low-sugar cereals – The effects are felt ultimately in the problem is that it’s all correlational tose danger zone. What’s wrong with Weetabix, porridge – that our children heart, the immune system and by pro- stuff – there’s no causality proven. water, asks Annie Anderson, professor eat. Instead they got busy with the ducing cancers. Insulin resistance may Nevertheless the best current guess of public health nutrition at Dundee blender, making vast watery smoo- also be a player in dementia. is that sugar is a much bigger problem University. “We need to promote water thies with fruit juice, apples and bana- “Fructose can fry your liver and than fat. And it’s addictive, which is drinking: it’s cool, refreshing, thirst- nas. But the supermarket apple juice, cause all the same diseases as alcohol,” why manufacturers do it (I’ll happily quenching and healthy!” I pointed out, contained 35 percent Dr Lustig continues. Key to the obesity eat a whole bag of jelly babies). That (Alex Renton’s forthcoming ebook, sugar – more than a can of Coke. And debate is the charge that high insulin can’t be good – so, yes, I’d say let’s Planet Carnivore, will be published by a ripe banana has four teaspoonfuls levels interfere with the hormone lep- tax it.” Guardian Shorts on August 26.) of sugar. “That’s natural sugar. It’s tin, which is a signalling device that Punitive taxation on sugary drinks THE GUARDIAN 4 PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 MARKETPLACE/COMMUNITY

Land Rover Range Rover achieves highest score in APEAL study 2013

ccording to J D Power 2013 this model was developed from the Automotive Performance, ground up, capturing the innovative AExecution and Layout spirit and iconic design of the origi- (APEAL) Study, the Land Rover nal model which changed the world Range Rover has achieved the high- of motoring when it was launched est APEAL score in its segment and over 40 years ago. The all-new Range of any model in 2013, which marks the Rover was launched last October and first time a model outside the large has received over 20 awards and acco- premium car segment has done so. lades globally to date. It is the world’s The Land Rover brand ranks fourth first aluminium unibody SUV, weigh- overall, from sixth in 2012. It was the ing around 420kg lighter than the award recipient for Large Premium outgoing model. Crossover/SUV in 2010 and 2011. Since last December, the fourth “It’s a fantastic achievement for generation Range Rover has been well the fourth generation Range Rover received with strong demand across to be ranked highest in the APEAL the Mena region. Range Rover sales Land Rover Range Rover ... most refined, most capable. study,” said Kim McCullough, Brand saw a year-on-year increase of 30 per- Vice President, Land Rover North cent due to the phenomenal success of The study serves as the industry more appealing vehicles and by con- America. “This underscores the the all-new Range Rover. benchmark for new-vehicle appeal, sumers to help them in their purchase investment being made in innova- Robin Colgan, Managing Director redesigned for 2013. The study, in its decisions. The 2013 study is based on tion and engineering across the Land for Jaguar Land Rover Mena, said: 18th year, has been updated to better responses between February and May Rover product portfolio and in mak- “Land Rover’s high ranking in the measure the appeal of today’s vehi- from more than 83,000 purchasers ing this vehicle the most refined, most APEAL study is a testament to the cles, particularly with respect to new and lessees of new 2013 model-year capable Range Rover ever.” technologies and innovation the brand technologies and features offered. cars and light trucks, surveyed after The lighter and stronger 2013 Range has invested in for its line-up. The all- Owners evaluate their vehicles across the first 90 days of ownership. Rover takes luxury and capability to new Range Rover was engineered to 77 attributes, which roll up into an The study complements the Initial a new level, with greater refinement be the most capable and refined Range overall APEAL score on a 1,000-point Quality Study which focuses on prob- and enhanced performance and han- Rover ever and I have no doubt that scale. lems experienced by owners during dling on all terrains. As the fourth it will continue to garner worldwide The study is used by manufactur- the first 90 days of ownership. generation of the Range Rover line, attention.” ers worldwide to design and develop The Peninsula Vodafone, QC mark Garangao with orphans, needy families

eeping with Vodafone’s commitment in Ramadan to ‘Go the extra mile’, employees visited Qatar Charity Garangao Kcelebration and shared the day with children enrolled in QC’s Orphan Foster Programme. The employees also distributed shopping vouchers to families of more than 100 children to enable them to enjoy the Eid shopping tradition. “It was a delight to see the children so happy, it’s been an honour celebrating Garangao with them,” said Dana Haidan, Head of CSR, Vodafone Qatar. “Inflation increases around the Eid holiday, which makes it harder for low-income families in Qatar to join celebrations and buy new clothes for their children to celebrate Eid. So we wanted to reach out to them and share with them this special time.” The initiative comes under the Vodafone Better World programme as part of its corporate social responsibility programme. The programme, launched in 2010, has been engaging the company with the community and making a difference. Vodafone believes in employee engagement in community activities as one of the main ways to develop its people. The Peninsula Dana Haidan (right), Head of CSR, Vodafone, and employees celebrate Garangao with needy families.

G4S Qatar, the largest integrated security solutions company in Qatar, made donations Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail), which is overseeing construction of an to Eid Charity, Qatar Red Crescent and Qatar Charity during a simple ceremony at its integrated railway network, organised a suhoor gathering for its employees at the St head office on July 22. The initiative was part of Ramadan activities, including iftar Regis Hotel. Top officials were also present. The event was hosted for the third time dinner for employees and sponsoring employees to travel to Mecca to perform Umrah. since the company was established. MARKETPLACE/COMMUNITY PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 5

With current models, we have received Cadillac range extremely positive reviews from cus- tomers seeking the most advanced starts at QR129,000 vehicle options in their categories.” A latest innovation that has received during Ramadan positive reviews is Cadillac’s CUE in- vehicle user experience. Like many of n the spirit of Ramadan, Mannai today’s smartphones and tablets, a deep Auto Group and Cadillac are offer- Chance to own a new Cadillac. dive into CUE reveals customised con- Iing customers the opportunity to veniences and advanced features that buy a brand new Cadillac starting from In the study, CTS luxury sport sedan past decade. Cadillac’s midsize luxury enable user-created shortcuts to their QR129,000, supported by competitive finished third in the compact premium crossover, SRX, a hit among discerning favourite infotainment features. CUE’s finance rates from QIB and QNB. car segment. crossover buyers, is part of the range customisable approach to working a The Ramadan Promotion is one of An icon in the world of luxury SUVs, on offer in Qatar. vehicle’s traditional audio and naviga- the most attractive in the year, with Escalade is synonymous with style, Joining this awarded line-up are tion features allow settings to be tai- Mannai Auto and Cadillac working technology, comfort and performance. Cadillac’s newest flag bearers, 2013 lored to specific tastes. to deliver more value to customers. For 2013, the model range includes Cadillac ATS and XTS. Many industry-first features, such as The Cadillac range includes perennial Escalade, extended-length Escalade Mohammed Helmy, Group General an eight-inch capacitive touch screen favourites such as Escalade which was ESV and reconfigurable Escalade EXT. Manager, Mannai Auto, said: “Cadillac display and proximity sensing, are CUE recently ranked highest in the Large Likewise, CTS has been the corner- continues to be one of the most desired highlights. CUE is available on 2013 Premium SUV segment in the 2013 J stone of Cadillac’s re-emergence as car brands in Qatar because of its Cadillac ATS sports sedan, SRX luxury D Power and Associates Initial Quality one of the world’s premier manufac- attention to detail, upmarket luxury crossover and XTS luxury sedan. Study for the fourth consecutive year. turers of luxury sports sedans over the features and excellent service record. The Peninsula The road to Qatar 2015 — Five continental qualifications ahead

esides the European Handball Four teams in Qatar will be from Federation, whose qualification the African Handball Federation. This Bprocedure for the 24th Men’s includes their three regular places Handball World Championships 2015 in and one extra as a consequence of Qatar was released at the end of June, their good results at the 23rd Men’s all four remaining continental federa- Handball World Championships 2013 tions are in progress for their qualifi- in Spain, where Tunisia finished on cation stages to line up their national 11th place and gave their confederation teams for the final tournament. the best non-European result. At the high-level event in Doha from The qualification match will be January 11 to 27, 2015, 24 teams will played out at the 21st African Nations compete for the most prestigious tro- Cup in Algiers. phy in the handball world. Three spots each are assigned to the Of the 24 spots, two are taken: One Asian Handball Federation, who will by defending champion Spain and one play them out at the 16th Asian Men’s by organiser Qatar. Championship in January/February The remaining 22 places are split 2014 and to the Panamerican Handball up among the five confederations. Federation, who will award their spots Eleven go to countries of the European at the Panamerican Championships in Handball Federation. They will grant June 2014. three direct spots to the top three The last place for Qatar 2015 goes teams at the European Championships to the Oceanian Handball Federation 2014 in January in Denmark. Eight who are expected to organise their con- more places are to qualify for in a two- federational play-off games in April or Twenty-four teams will compete for the cup in Qatar in 2015. phase qualification tournament. May 2014. The Peninsula Qatar Shell fosters community ties through Garangao

atar Shell employees in Doha and Ras Laffan celebrated QGarangao. Children of Qatar Shell staff participated in fun- filled traditional activities, includ- ing an educational presentation on Garangao, which is celebrated across the Gulf. The event was organised by Qatar Shell Women’s Network (QSWAN) to bring together staff members from Officials, staff and their families at one of the events. Doha and Ras Laffan offices to enjoy the occasion that highlighted the Director and Country Chair, said: “We to continue supporting it by creating Outreach Programme, which seeks to importance of family and community are delighted to organise cultural awareness and helping the younger contribute positively to communities. ties. QSWAN is a voluntary network events for our employees and their generation develop an early interest Many indoor activities were organised committed to finding ways to promote families in celebration of Garangao. in Qatar’s rich heritage.” for children, including a muppet show personal learning and maximising the We appreciate the value and impor- Qatar Shell also participated in a and a play about Garangao, written potential of women. tance of the social pillar of Qatar’s Garangao festival at Al Thakhira Youth and staged by locals. Wael Sawan, Qatar Shell Managing National Vision 2030 and are keen Center, as part of the Community The Peninsula 6 PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 SCIENCE Australia opens ‘world’s smartest’ Genetics can aquarium MAJOR research aquarium able to simulate ocean warm- ing and carry out key studies determine Aon the deadly crown-of-thorns starfish devastating the Great Barrier Reef opened in Australia. The A$35m ($31.4m) National Sea why we smell Simulator, or SeaSim, was unveiled on Thursday in the northern city of Townsville by Industry Minister Kim Carr, who said it was a vital weapon certain odours in protecting the reef and Australia’s vast territorial waters. The Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS), where SeaSim is housed, has labelled it differently as the “world’s smartest aquarium”. It has an “awesome” array of technology on offer, according to AIMS principal research scientist Mike Hall. “When we started planning SeaSim we visited over 40 marine aquariums around the world to identify key attributes of the perfect research facil- BY MEERI KIM molecular building blocks called complex flavours out there, he said, ity,” said Hall. “What we’ve built takes aroma compounds. For example, and a single wine can give off hun- the best in the world and adds new HE next time you argue while blue cheese gives off a whole dreds, if not thousands, of distinct technologies and an incredible level of with a friend about the bouquet of aromas, 2-heptanone is aromas. automation and control.” whiff of cilantro in your the chemical that really “gives blue Sometimes, your sensitivity can Hall said researchers would be stir-fry that he finds dis- cheese its blue cheesiness”, said lead even completely change the notes able to tweak a sophisticated array gusting, blame his genes. researcher Richard Newcomb of the of a scent. Newcomb and his col- of parameters in the SeaSim tanks, TAll of us inhabit our own flavour New Zealand Institute for Plant and leagues found that the violet com- including water temperature and acid- world that is highly dependent on Food Research. pound smelled “fragrant” and “floral” ity, salinity, lighting, nutrient levels, our genetic blueprint for being able The roof of our nasal cavity has a to those with a heightened sense, and water quality to test a range of to smell certain odours, according to patch of millions of special neurons, whereas less sensitive individuals hypotheses. “It still has walls, unlike two studies a New Zealand research each one covered with olfactory described it as unpleasantly “sour” the open ocean. But it will fast-track group published online in the journal receptors that bind to odour mole- and “acidic.” Our genes are coded marine discovery,” he said. Current Biology. cules that travel through the air. But with similar likes and dislikes for Tackling the predatory crown-of- The perception of flavour while each neuron has a single type of odour cilantro. thorns starfish responsible for wide- eating includes what your taste buds receptor, meaning it can detect only “Some people get a floral note from spread damage to the Barrier Reef can detect — sweet, salty, bitter, sour smells that have the right structure. it, whereas others get a real soapy would be a key priority for the simulator, and umami (often called savoury) — For comparison, colour vision only sensation,” Newcomb said. according to AIMS chief John Gunn. but they play a meek supporting role has three types of receptors, each Joel Mainland, a neuroscientist at Coral cover on the embattled reef— to your sense of smell. corresponding to different range of the Monell Chemical Senses Centre which is facing a world heritage down- That sensory experiences of food the colour spectrum; our nose has 400 who was not involved in the studies, grade from Unesco — has halved in the differ from person to person has types, each with a matching olfactory suspects the culprit is a bad-smell- past 27 years, with the starfish blamed always been known anecdotally. receptor gene within our DNA. Any ing chemical within the hundreds of for 42 percent of the damage. “We need Think of black coffee that some find variation in those genes will affect our molecules of cilantro that some super to understand why starfish populations revoltingly bitter but others can sense of smell. smellers can detect — the cilantro periodically boom leading to massive drink like water. But the research- Since humans can detect 10,000 haters — but others cannot. reef destruction. Is it due to nutrients ers wanted to know how much of that odours, and each one can be dialed up Mainland called the pair of stud- in flood waters or are more complex variability is genetically hard-wired. or down depending on that person’s ies “an advance in the field” and sees factors at play?” said Gunn. They had 187 people smell 10 dif- genetic makeup, smelling is a highly applications for the food and flavour He said the coral-feasting star- ferent compounds, taking note of personalised experience. industry. “We can give [companies] a fish were known to communicate via who could smell them at a certain “When people sit around and share feel for the percentages of their target chemical signals, and SeaSim would concentration level and who couldn’t. a bottle of wine, they often describe market that will be able to smell a explore whether those same signals They sequenced each person’s DNA, it quite differently,” Newcomb said. given flavour by extrapolating out to could be replicated to “trick starfish scanning their genomes to pick out Wines make up some of the most all humans on the planet,” Newcomb into congregating or dispersing - mak- parts that could possibly explain the said. ing physical removal easier”. variations in smell sensitivity. Newcomb and his colleagues were The Australian government has funded Out of 10 scents tested, four had careful to control for any olfactory a culling programme for the coral preda- a strong genetic basis — malt, apple, “noise in the system” caused by mood, tors, which are naturally-occurring but blue cheese and violet. They were pregnancy or time of day. have proliferated due to pollution and also independent of one another, so Pregnancy can cause hypersen- run-off. Canberra formally downgraded even if you have a super-nose for blue sitivity to the point of disgust, and the reef’s health from moderate to poor cheese, you might fall short when it Since humans can detect some believe overwhelming odours last month, with cyclones and floods comes to smelling violets. 10,000 odours, and each can even explain morning sickness. depleting water quality and reducing coral One study found a single gene one can be dialed up or Being in a bad mood dulls our sense cover by 15 percent since 2009. change linked to the floral scent of smell for reasons unknown, he said, SeaSim will also explore the mecha- found in violets. The other study down depending on that so data from gloomy subjects were left nisms of coral bleaching and how the more generally hunted down spots person’s genetic makeup, out. Even time of day has an effect; reef may adapt to warmer, more acidic within the genome connected to smelling is a highly our nose works best before lunchtime, oceans, with long-term, multi-organ- three additional food-related smells. probably ramping up because of hun- ism and multi-generational studies Odours typically consist of personalised experience. ger. WP-BLOOMBERG possible on a larger scale than ever before possible. AFP HEALTH PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 7

BY BRADY DENNIS

EVERLY Anusionwu, a Researchers wonder if low-nicotine smoker for three decades who favours Maverick menthols, was enticed to cigarettes can end smoking addiction the small lab inside the BUniversity of Pittsburgh’s psychology department by an ad promising free cigarettes and a few bucks for her time. hooked — nicotine — the urge to smoke cigarettes “nicotine delivery systems” nicotine could leave the door open for She spent a couple of hours on a might wane. “The question is, how low and asserting that nicotine was “the the industry to craft other creative recent morning answering questions would [the FDA] have to go to produce primary reason” people keep smoking. ways to keep smokers hooked. about her medical history and under- a beneficial public health impact?” said Despite the FDA’s efforts to regu- William Phelps, a spokesman for going a battery of cognitive tests. When Eric Donny, a University of Pittsburgh late nicotine as a drug at the time, the Altria, the parent company of Philip she finished, researchers handed her psychology professor overseeing the agency would have to wait 15 more Morris, said the company hopes the five gray packs of cigarettes unlike any one-year project. years for Congress to give it the ability FDA will base any new nicotine regu- she had ever seen, along with instruc- The study unfolding in Pittsburgh to dictate how much nicotine compa- lations only on sound scientific data. tions to report back daily on how much and at nine other sites around the nies could put in cigarettes. “We’re aware the agency is funding she was smoking and whether her country is the largest of its type to date During the decades of political fights research related to lower-nicotine cravings and moods changed. and eventually could give the agency over whether — and how — the gov- cigarettes and will wait to see the out- “Spectrum menthol”, Anusionwu the data it needs to set new, lower nico- ernment should be allowed to regulate come of that research,” he said. said, reading the label aloud. “All right, tine levels in cigarettes. tobacco, researchers continued build- It will probably take the govern- then. I guess nicotine is nicotine.” “It’s been a key question in research ing a body of research on low-nicotine ment years to figure out the low-nic- Not quite. The Spectrum cigarettes for a while,” said Joni Rutter, acting cigarettes. otine riddle, but if anything, research she’ll be smoking for the next six weeks director of the division of basic neuro- “What’s been found so far is that on the topic is growing broader and could contain as much as 95 percent science and behavioural research at the when people are given low-nicotine more intense. The NIH’s National less nicotine than her usual brand. National Institutes of Health, which cigarettes, they do seem to reduce Institute on Drug Abuse has purchased Anusionwu, 54, is among the first of has distributed the FDA’s tobacco the number of cigarettes that they millions of the Spectrum-brand cig- nearly 850 participants around the research money through grants. “These smoke,” said Dorothy Hatsukami, a arettes, which are made from geneti- country who over the next year will studies are geared toward helping the psychiatry professor and director of cally altered tobacco leaves and contain help researchers and federal regulators FDA come up with these guidelines. the University of Minnesota’s Tobacco varying degrees of nicotine. Stored in a try to answer an important question: They want evidence-based research to Research Programmes, who is working warehouse in North Carolina, the ciga- How much does nicotine need to be help them do that. We’re trying to help with Donny on the Pittsburgh study. rettes are distributed free of charge to reduced in cigarettes to make them them achieve that goal.” “There are some promising results.” researchers around the country. less addictive? Nearly two decades ago, in a seminal But plenty of unanswered questions The manufacturer that produces The answer to that question, long 1994 article in the New England Journal remain. “I really don’t think we know them, the 22nd Century Group, has sold explored by academics, has taken on of Medicine, academics Neal Benowitz what’s going to happen as we reduce the government 12 million low-nicotine renewed urgency now that the Food and Jack Henningfield proposed giv- nicotine levels,” said Gregory Connolly, cigarettes and plans to supply 5.5 million and Drug Administration has the ing federal regulators the authority to a Harvard University professor of pub- more soon, said founder and chief execu- authority to regulate the amount of reduce the nicotine content of ciga- lic health and anti-smoking advocate tive Joseph Pandolfino, whose company nicotine in cigarettes — although it rettes gradually until it reached a level who served on an FDA tobacco advi- also has applied to the FDA to have one cannot ban the substance outright. that would not cause addiction. sory panel before resigning in 2010. of its low-nicotine cigarettes licensed as The US Congress gave the agency Their proposal came during a “Are people going to increase their a smoking-cessation device. that unprecedented power in a land- period of intense debate over the role smoking behaviour [to compensate]? Anusionwu and most other partici- mark 2009 tobacco-control law, and of nicotine in keeping smokers smok- Are they going to reject the product? pants in the study getting under way the FDA has faced growing pressure ing. An FDA advisory panel that year Tobacco addiction is very complex.” in Pittsburgh and nine other cities, to use it — along with other efforts rejected the tobacco industry’s long- Connolly supports cutting nicotine including Baltimore at Johns Hopkins such as anti-smoking ad campaigns held position that the nicotine was levels but notes that tobacco com- University, will smoke cigarettes con- and graphic warning labels on cigarette not addictive, and the following year panies use other chemicals to create taining a wide range of nicotine. After packages — to reduce the estimated an internal memo from tobacco manu- tastes and smells that enhance depend- six weeks, researchers will ask them 443,000 deaths caused by smoking each facturer Philip Morris surfaced calling ence on cigarettes. Focusing solely on not to smoke for a day to see if they year in the United States. suffer withdrawal symptoms. They Few experts argue that lowering also will follow up to see whether the levels of nicotine is the only solution users’ smoking habits have changed, to cutting the deadly toll of tobacco. how they’re sleeping, and if the change And some say doing so too quickly in nicotine has altered their ability to risks unintended consequences, such concentrate. as creating a black market for high- Thomas Glynn, director of science nicotine cigarettes or pushing smok- and trends for the American Cancer ers to compensate by smoking more or Society, said that whatever the out- seeking equally harmful alternatives. come, there is little doubt that the But to advocates of the idea, the power FDA will move cautiously. But he said to set limits on nicotine could hold the research like the kind taking place in key to ending the checkered history of Pittsburgh will help the agency build a the cigarette. case for exercising its newfound powers “Imagine a world where a cigarette down the road. wasn’t addictive,” said Mitch Zeller, “This study will not be enough for director of the FDA’s Centre for FDA to say, ‘We’re ordering the reduc- Tobacco Products, which provided mil- tion [in nicotine],’ “ he said. “But it’s lions of dollars to fund the Pittsburgh going to take them a long way toward study and others like it. being able to do that if it shows people In that sort of world, the theory do smoke fewer cigarettes.” goes, longtime smokers might find When and if that happens, former it easier to drop the habit. Perhaps FDA commissioner David Kessler said more important, the estimated 3,000 in a 2010 interview, it could make a teenagers a day who try their first The US government bought millions of Spectrum brand cigarettes, which are made fundamental difference to the nation’s cigarette might not travel down the with varying levels of nicotine, and distributed them to researchers around the country health. “If you do this, you can save path of addiction and eventual disease. who are studying the potential of low-nicotine cigarettes to curb smoking addiction. 200,000 to 300,000 lives a year,” Harmful chemicals such as tar might The cigarettes seen in this July 17, 2013 photo are used for a research study in the Kessler said. “Everything else pales in remain, but without the ingredient Philadelphia area. comparison.” most responsible for keeping people WP-BLOOMBERG 8 PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 ENTERTAINMENT PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 9

HOLLYWOOD NEWS BOLLYWOOD NEWS

Emma Roberts in love with blonde look Friends are important: Celebs Europa Report: on best friends ctress-model-singer Emma Roberts says she loves her new blonde tresses. She believes the look gels well with hot summer months. hey may be busy with their work, but celebrities take time out to The 22-year-old recently added hair extensions and dyed her cherish and nourish their friendship. For instance, Prabhudheva Alocks blonde. “I just love having long blonde hair again. It’s actu- Tsays his three best friends are as important as the air he breathes, ally a fun change. I feel like with blonde hair, you can get away with going A smart spin on while Shankar Mahadevan has found his best pal in his wife Sangeeta. On lighter on the makeup, which is so nice to do in all this humidity,” fema- Friendship Day yesterday, the celebrities talk about their friends and their lefirst.co.uk quoted Roberts as saying. “And I can tie it back and do messy role in their lives. Here is what they have to say: knots and all of those fun hairstyles for summer, which are harder with Prabhudheva: For me, every single day is Friendship Day. I thank god shorter hair,” she added. for the gift of close friends who have been with me for years and will be The American Horror Story actress, who is the face of Neutrogena skin- found footage with me even when I am no longer known in the entertainment industry. care, prefers a natural look when it comes to makeup, especially in the hot I have three best friends. One of them I’ve known for 37 years, the other and humid weather of New Orleans, where she spent months filming her two for 30 years. They are as important to me as the air that I breathe. new comedy We’re The Millers. Jackie Shroff: My best pal is Anees (Bazmee), who never allows life to “Luckily... I like keeping it natural, or I would be in trouble in this crazy bog him down and whom I’ve never seen wallowing in self-pity. In the film heat. For me, anything that makes it look like you don’t have makeup on is industry, my best friend is Danny Denzongpa. He is totally devoid of any ideal. I like the Moisture Smooth ColoUr Sticks in peachy or pinky tones, hidden agendas in a life. A truly free-spirited soul. then just mascara and I’m good to go,” said Roberts. Taapsee Pannu: I’ve a best friend in each of the cities and places that The actress also swears by a few lesser-known beauty secrets and likes I’ve visited and stayed in. They are all special as they keep me grounded and to rummage through her kitchen cupboards to find some unusual home show me that there is a life beyond movies. All of them are from outside remedies. “Apple cider vinegar is great at removing any (product) build- the film industry. up. I also love putting almond oil on my skin as it traps in moisture after Prosenjit Chatterjee: On Friendship Day I miss my closest friend this showering,” she added. year. Rituparno Ghosh was not just a filmmaker for me, he was my friend, philosopher and guide for 20 years. His going away has left me stunned and desolate. Helen Mirren wants Elizabeth I artifact Poonam Pandey: My best friend is Pranita. We are very close. There ward-winning actress Helen Mirren says she would love to own a is not a thing that we don’t know about each another. The two of us have handwritten note belonging to Queen Elizabeth I, whom she has done really wacky things together. Aportrayed on screen. The 68-year-old, who played both Elizabeth Minissha Lamba: My best friend is Ashi, who has been a support through I and reigning British queen, Elizabeth II on screen, believes it would thick and thin. Over the years, we’ve learned a lot from each another. We’ve be “incredible” to own something that was written by the famous royal, seen each other grow from our humble beginnings to well-grounded adults. reports contactmusic.com. Shiamak Davar: My best friend is Zareer. He is a chef and I’ve known Quizzed about an extravagant purchase she would like to make, she him for 25 years. He is the most talented and funniest pal I have. He is an said: “I think that I’m inspired by... I think a hand-written parchment outstanding cook and he makes me the best Parsi food. Because of his love from Elizabeth 1st. I mean, to own a piece of history like that would be so for food, he is extremely overweight (don’t want to call my friend fat) and incredible. “Maybe one of her letters to her ambassadors, you know, reject- still as light on his feet as he is in spirit. ing the hand of the King of Spain or something like that would be great.” Shankar Mahadevan: My best friend is a girl called Sangeeta. I’ve known Mirren played Queen Elizabeth I in 2005 British TV series Elizabeth 1, and her for 32 years. For me, she is my source of happiness and the inspiration she essayed Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 big screen drama The Queen. for my music. I am fortunate that my best friend is my wife. Oscars do not respect comedy: Sandra Milan Luthria Bullock avoids scar-winning actress Sandra Bullock feels that the Academy Awards do not show respect to comedy movies. The 49-year-old has been repeating Opart of some comedy-drama’s like Miss Congeniality, 28 Days, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, The Thing Called Love and Love Potion No. same genres 9. She won an Oscar in 2010 for her role in The Blind Side. “There’s no BY STEPHANIE MERRY respect for comedies when it comes to the Oscars — absolutely none. But leading up to the moment when Europa Report works, blending foot- becomes fairly clear where the story irector Milan you don’t do comedy for awards or credibility. You do it for the joy,” dai- Houston lost contact with the crew. age from inside the shuttle, stunning is headed. Luthria’s latest lystar.co.uk quoted Bullock as saying. The actress was at the red carpet of ROM The Blair Witch Project Dabbing tears from her eyes, it’s clear images of outer space, faux archival Even so, there are genuinely chill- Dfilm Once Upon her forthcoming movie The Heat. to the Paranormal Activity that things went awry, although the news reports and first-person inter- ing moments in Europa Report, due in A Time in Mumbaai franchise, the found-foot- presence of another interview subject views. At first, the film is so engrossing no small part to a talented cast that Dobaara is an underworld-based love story and after that he has two more age theme has been both — forlorn Europa mission astronaut and the images so arresting, audience will likely look familiar to viewers, even films with different production houses — but he clarifies that he will not Joshua Jackson jealous of Diane Kruger wildly successful and widely Rosa (Anamaria Marinca) — seems to members might have to be reminded if the actors’ names aren’t instantly repeat the same genre. In over a decade, he has made crime-based drama erman actress Diane Kruger says that her hours on the sets are Freplicated in horror films. Director indicate that some may have survived. that this isn’t an Imax documentary at recognizable. Kachche Dhaage; romantic film Chori Chori; action-drama Deewaar: Let’s much shorter than her actor-boyfriend Joshua Jackson and that Sebastian Cordero puts a smart spin on Did the rest of the crew make it to the Air and Space Museum. In addition to the tremendous Bring Our Heroes Home; underworld thriller Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Gmakes him jealous of the device, applying it to science fiction Europa? The answer can be found in That’s a testament to excellent spe- Marinca and Copley, who starred in and biopic The Dirty Picture. her. “He hates me because my with Europa Report, a mostly success- the declassified video from the shut- cial effects, including stellar re-crea- District 9, the film features Michael “I am planning two films. One for next year (2014), the other for the year experience has been like, I’m ful thriller about six astronauts whose tle, complete with stuttering audio and tions of zero gravity. Nyqvist (from the Swedish Millennium after that (2015). There is a collaboration with T-Series and there will be home for dinner every night. I mission to deep space goes haywire. staticky visuals. But the film begins hopping around trilogy film adaptations) and Christian one with Balaji (Balaji Motion Pictures),” Luthria said. “We are still toying don’t have to work every day... Europa is the name of the private At first, the footage from the many in time, which feels unnecessary. The Camargo (one of the most memorable with ideas for the films. There are a couple of options for each. I haven’t He’s been on network television company that funded the mission and cameras inside the spacecraft reveal a back-and-forth isn’t confusing, thanks villains from Dexter). repeated myself, all my films belong to a different genre,” he added. and it was very different,” US the shuttle that takes the six astro- light mood and plenty of excitement. to a helpful clock between scenes, but The group’s understated deliveries Currently he is busy with Akshay Kumar-Imran Khan-Sonakshi Sinha- Weekly quoted Kruger as saying. nauts into space, but it’s also the name One of the engineers, the congenial it does ease the tension, which seems and the film’s impressive effects make starrer Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobaara, a sequel to Ajay Devgn, “It’s been super creative for me of the group’s destination: Europa is James (Sharlto Copley), likes to record the opposite of what the film is try- much of Europa Report feel like real Emraan Hashmi and Kangna Ranaut-starrer Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. and he kinda hates me for it,” one of Jupiter’s moons. Scientists video of the mission for his son, and ing to do. Just when the movie’s grip life. And isn’t that the biggest feat a He said that in “...Dobaraa”, he has changed the genre from a gangster film she added. Kruger also admit- believe there may be water under the crew jokes about the food and the begins to tighten, changes of scene and found-footage film aspires to? to a love story. “Even in a sequel I have not repeated the genre. So, I will ted that Jackson offers advice to Europa’s icy exterior — and where limited clothing options. But before pace loosen the hold. Long stretches Two and a half stars. PG-13. try my best to not repeat myself. I have been recognised as a person who her so that she can avoid mis- there’s water, there could also be life. long, a technical malfunction caused of Europa Report feel bizarrely listless Contains sci-fi action. 90 minutes. tries different genres and this has been my attempt from the beginning,” he takes, reports femalefirst.co.uk. “He definitely alerted me to mistakes that The film mimics a documentary as by a solar flare leads to the death of a considering the subject matter. Ratings Guide: Four stars master- said. He is also in the process of “establishing my own production house”. he made and hopefully I can avoid,” Kruger said. Samantha Unger (Embeth Davidtz), crew member, not to mention a loss of It doesn’t help that a familiar for- piece, three stars very good, two stars “We will be encouraging new directors to make films,” he added. the scientist who helmed the mis- communication with Earth. mula begins to emerge (comparisons OK, one star poor, no stars waste of time. sion from Earth, recounts the events For the most part, the structure of would give too much away), so it WP-BLOOMBERG 106 PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 SOCIAL MEDIA

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© GRAPHIC NEWS WHEELS PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 11

A wake-up call for automobile industry

WASHINGTON: Computer geeks already knew it was possible to hack into a car’s computerised systems and potentially alter some electronic control functions. But new research shows the vulnerabilities are greater and the potential for mischief worse than believed, in a wake-up call for the automobile industry. Chris Valasek, director of security intel- ligence for the security firm IOActive, and Charlie Miller, security engineer for Twitter, found these vulnerabilities in cars’ on- board computer, a mandatory feature on US vehicles since 1996. They found that by accessing this device, which sits under the steering wheel, someone with a brief period of access, like a parking attendant, could hack the car and reprogramme key safety features. “We had full control of braking,” Valasek said. “We disengaged the brakes so if you were going slow and tried to press the brakes they wouldn’t work. We could turn the head lamps on and off, honk the horn. We had control of many aspects of the automobile.” The pair, working with partial fund- ing from the US government’s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, also manipulated a vehicle’s steering by hijacking the “park assist” feature which was designed only to move Seat Leon: An impressive package slowly in reverse. “You would need a brief moment of physical access,” BY MARTIN LOVE And best of all, you get all this at a construction, parts and expertise with Valasek said. “You could reprogramme bargain price with ultra-low running those three big hitters is only ever and untether from the car and the M I having a nightmare? costs.” Jürgen grins and states the going to improve your game. system.” Standing on stage in front obvious: “This new Leon is the best Look at all four and you’ll see a fam- While some earlier research focused of me at the Auto Express vehicle in Seat’s history.” And he’s ily resemblance. But the new Leon has on the potential to wirelessly gain con- car awards in the lavish right: it really is the best they’ve made. won the looks lottery. The profile is trol of some functions, Valasek said his surroundings of London’s It’s remarkable, as not so long ago dominated by three horizontal creases project looked at overwriting the soft- AConnaught hotel is Rick Astley. His the sickly Spanish manufacturer was set off by the sharp edges of the grille ware code in the vehicles, with even trademark 80s quiff is still intact, and languishing in the doldrums. But VW, and head lamps. The company calls this more damaging consequences. a sharp suit ensures he looks as boyish Seat’s owner, hates a failure, so the its “arrow-head” design language. These The research is not the first to show as he did back in 1987. mighty Volkswagen family has hosted creases, corners and edges give the car a the potential for hacking into car com- Bouncing around, the Lancashire an intervention and given Seat the real presence. It won’t appeal to every- puter systems, which are becoming lad is desperately trying to pump some “Skoda treatment”. one, but character is a good thing in car. more ubiquitous as more vehicles add oxygen into the proceedings. But the Just as the Czech brand was trans- The interior is well thought out, services connecting to the Internet or massed ranks of suited journalists formed from joke to class-topping jock, roomy and just the right side of no- cellular phone networks, and some and motor-industry apparatchiks sit so Seat finds itself in VW’s turna- nonsense. One detail that caught my firms like Google are using self-driving unmoved. Stunned, even. Hadn’t he round lounge. In 2012 the marque had eye was the sharp-cornered wing mir- automobiles. died? He was certainly dying now. Rick its most successful year ever. And as rors. They’re “statement” wing mir- A 2010 study by researchers from the abandons the first song and moves on Rick sang: “Never gonna make you cry, rors – a visual reminder every time you University of Washington and University to the next. “Don’t worry,” he yells, never gonna say goodbye…” I couldn’t look into them that you’re not in some of California at San Diego demonstrated “my songs all sound the same.” Then, help thinking it sounded like a mission bland also-ran, but a proper contender. how an attacker could infiltrate virtually at last, it is time for his one big hit. statement from VW to Seat – a sharp The Leon also has all-LED front any electronic control unit (ECU) of a car Gratefully he launches into “Never riposte to the doubters who believed lights, a first in this class – and and “leverage this ability to completely Gonna Give You Up”. VW might let one of its limbs wither. another signal of intent. It’s powered circumvent a broad array of safety-crit- Later, as the awards are announced, The new Leon is based on VW’s by a choice of five petrol engines or ical systems.” it becomes clear that this is to be Seat’s jack-of-all-trades MQB platform four diesels – the best option is the 1.6 That study showed that the engine night. The Alhambra wins best MPV (Modularer Querbaukasten, since you TDI CR, which creeps beneath the tax- control devices initially designed for pol- award; the Leon wins best compact ask), which will eventually go on to beating 100g barrier. Fast and frugal – lution reduction had been integrated into family award. And then Leon’s name underpin more than 30 different mod- in engine terms that’s cake you can eat. other aspects of a car’s functioning and is pulled from the winner’s envelope els from VW’s corporate empire. It’s a New, improved and visibly VW-ified, diagnostics. Valasek said most cars on again: it is the Auto Express Car of sort of glorified parts-bin from which this Seat is an impressive package. the road have a number of computers the Year. The magazine’s editor, Steve the various VW siblings will draw their Rick struggled to get the party started, and “they all trust each other. As long as Fowler, hands the award to Seat’s major components. but Leon closed the show on a high. they are receiving information, they don’t chairman, Jürgen Stackmann. He only This means the Leon is, to all Price from £13,370 care who is sending it.” This highlights started in the job eight weeks ago. intents and purposes, a Hispanic ver- MPG up to 74.3 the need for more attention to cyberse- “We love Leon’s style,” says Steve. sion of the Golf, the Audi A3 and the Top speed 119mph curity in vehicle design, he said. AFP “The way it drives, the quality, the kit. Skoda Octavia. Sharing engineering, THE GUARDIAN 12 PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 TECHNOLOGY

Google’s got the best way to watch TV

BY FARHAD MANJOO devices than on your set-top box, watching the video. The downside is almost get three Chromecasts for the so you’ll find your show much more that, at the moment, only YouTube, price of one Apple TV. If you’ve got OOGLE’S Chromecast quickly. Then press play. On many Netflix, and Google Play support this several TVs in your house, Chromecast doesn’t do much. But TVs, you won’t even need to change direct streaming method. is obviously a better choice. what it does do, it does so your TV’s input — Chromecast will do Chromecast also lets you stream Plus, some of Chromecast’s limi- consistently well, and so that for you. (Depending on how you anything that you have open in a tations are temporary. Google has cheaply, that it’s quickly set up Chromecast — that is, if you Chrome tab to your TV. Technically, released an API for the device — a way Gbecame a primary part of my media- plug its power cord into an external this means you can play any Web video for developers to get their services to watching routine. Chromecast, a little AC adapter rather than into your TV’s service on Chromecast, even HBO Go, directly stream to the device — and USB-stick-sized device called a dongle, USB slot — you might not even need Hulu, or even a Bittorrent-ed video several firms, including Vimeo and streams Netflix, YouTube and websites to turn on your TV at all; Chromecast that you drag into Chrome. All you Redbox, will reportedly begin adopt- to your TV. (But wait a second, aren’t might be able to do that for you, too.) do is play the video on your laptop ing it. I suspect that soon, most of the Netflix and YouTube also websites? Yes, So, anyway, once you find your show, in Chrome, then press the button to services that work on Apple TV and but there’s a technical distinction we’ll press play. Like black magic, your video stream to your Chromecast. Xbox will work on Chromecast, too. get to in a minute.) just shows up on your TV. But this method — streaming from (One of the really surprising things Also, Chromecast is fast, unbeliev- Does this sound complicated? It’s not. a Chrome tab — is kind of a hack. about Netflix and YouTube’s support ably easy to set up, and pretty much Once you have it set up, Chromecast Because the videos you play this way for Chromecast was that I didn’t have foolproof to use. And it’s $35, which becomes a natural extension of all of come directly from your computer to to update their apps on my phone to makes it one of the best values in tech, the devices in your house. When you’re your Chromecast, they require that get it — the Chromecast button just ever. Combine all that, and it’s irre- watching something on pretty much your machine be on, and they tend to showed up in the apps on every device. sistible. In the five days I’ve had it, any machine, you’ll be able to shuttle it be of lower quality than the ones you Watch for that to happen with every Chromecast has become my go-to way over to your TV instantly without giv- stream from a service like Netflix. other video service you use.) for streaming shows to my TV. ing it a second thought. That’s a great I can already hear Apple partisans In some ways, though, the most It’s not that I lacked for ways to deal for only $35. hissing at me for failing to mention important thing about Chromecast stream videos already — my TV, DVD Now, let me briefly mention a sub- the greater charms of that company’s isn’t what it does. It’s what it costs. player, and XBox all have Netflix and tle but important technical limitation set-top box, the Apple TV. And they’re By setting a profit-free low price on YouTube apps, and they’re pretty easy regarding how Chromecast works. The right — in some ways, Chromecast Chromecast, Google is signaling that to use. But Chromecast is simpler, device streams videos in two ways — isn’t as good as Apple TV. Apple TV it’s not looking to make a lot of money faster and more intuitive than any of either directly over the Internet from plays videos from many more serv- on the device. Instead, it’s aiming for those. a service like Netflix, or from the ices, including Hulu and HBO Go, ubiquity. Other methods usually require four Chrome browser on your own compu- than you’ll find on Chromecast. Apple And ubiquity, in and of itself, will or five steps to set up streaming. First, ter. The first of these methods is the TV also allows for “mirroring” from improve Chromecast. I don’t have any you’ve got to turn on the TV, choose better one — because the video is com- Apple devices, meaning you can send inside info, but if I were to venture a the right input, turn on the ancillary ing directly from Netflix, your phone anything on your iPad over to your TV. guess, I think Google’s ideal scenario device, load up an app, find a show, and or PC is acting only as the remote, and Chromecast, meanwhile, only lets you for Chromecast goes something like then press play. It takes a minute or you can turn it off after you’ve started mirror Chrome tabs — and only from a this: 1) A lot of people buy the device. two, and if your set-top box is really PC, not from your mobile device. 2) A lot of media companies start sup- slow, maybe a lot more. So if you’ve got a bunch of photos in porting the device. 3) The dongle dis- Chromecast eliminates a couple of Picasa on your Mac, you won’t be able appears — given the device’s popularity those steps, and it makes others much to stream a slideshow to Chromecast, and low price, TV companies start faster. In this way, Chromecast is simi- as you can using Apple TV. But if your building the Chromecast protocol into lar to other small digital set-top boxes, photos are in Flickr — i.e., on the Web their TVs. In other words, Chromecast especially the Roku ($98 or $50) and — you will be able to watch them on becomes the quasi-standard way of the $96 Apple TV (though there are When you’re watching Chromecast (as well as Apple TV). streaming, and every TV becomes a some important differences). With something on pretty much But Apple TV has its disadvantages, Google TV. Chromecast, you turn on the TV. any machine, you’ll be able too. First, it only works with Apple’s Get a Chromecast. It’s cheap. You’ll Then you load up Netflix (or mobile devices. If your household has love it. YouTube or Chrome) on any other to shuttle it over to your TV multiple machines running different (Manjoo is Slate’s technology reporter machine that’s handy — it could be instantly without giving it operating systems — if you’ve got an and the author of “True Enough: a PC, a phone, or a tablet, or what- a second thought. That’s a Android phone and Apple tablet — Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society.” ever you have lying around. It’s much then Apple TV may not be right for Twitter: @fmanjoo) faster to navigate and type on those great deal for only $35. you. Also, Apple TV is $96. You can WP-BLOOMBERG COMICS & MORE PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 13

Learn Arabic lessons will resume from Hoy en la Historia

September 1, 2013 August 5, 1953 “Operation Big Switch”, the exchange of prisoners of war between the UN allies and the Chinese and North Koreans, took place at Panmunjom, Korea 1962: Nelson Mandela was arrested near Howick, Natal, and charged with incitement, receiving a five-year prison Baby Blues by Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman sentence later in the year 1963: Russia, the U.S. and Britain signed the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 1973: Arab terrorists opened fire at Athens airport, killing three people and injuring 55 2004: Swarms of locusts invaded the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, after devouring crops in rural areas Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS ALL IN THE MIND Hagar The Horrible by Chris Browne Can you find the hidden words? They may be horizontal, vertical, diagonal, forwards or backwards.

Zits by Dennis Young and Denis Lebrun

AUDIO, BEAT, BEEP, BELL, BOOM, BUZZ, CACKLE, CACOPHONY, CHIRP, CHORTLE, CHORUS, CLANG, CLATTER, CLICK, CLINK, CRY, DISSONANCE, DRUM, FOOTSTEP, GIGGLE, GUFFAW, GURGLE, HOWL, JANGLE, JINGLE, KNOCK, LAUGH, MURMER, MUSIC, MUTTER, NOISE, PATTER, PEAL, PING, POP, RAPPING, RATTLE, RING, ROAR, RUSTLE, SCRAPE, SCREAM, SCREECH, SHOUT, SHRIEK, SIGH, SNORT, SQUEAK, SQUELCH, TAPPING, TING, TOOT, TWANG, TWEET, TWITTER, VOICE, WAIL, WHISPER, WHISTLE, WHOOP. 14 PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 CROSSWORDS

ACROSS 36 Hitch up? 5 Not so smart 31 The Once-___ (Seuss 44 Doomed soul CROSSWORD 1 Colorado state song 38 It hits the ground 6 Improve morally character) 46 Order to make a scene? 12345678910 111213 composer silently 7 See 2-Down 32 It’s often made before 47 Upset 11 Minor but necessary 39 Alternative name for 8 Big multilanguage breakfast 48 Seating specification 14 15 part abalone broadcaster, briefly 34 Support for a dancer 49 “What ___?” 14 The main characters 40 At-cost connection 9 Penlight-wielding doc 37 Process 52 ___-Locka, Fla. 16 17 are usually introduced 41 Bow’s counterpart 10 Seymour’s “Somewhere 38 Busch Stadium 53 Intel product, for short in it scoreboard abbr. 18 19 20 21 42 It’s the same for all in Time” co-star 54 Hebrew for “good” 15 100% customers 11 Acts rudely at a 41 Beguile 22 23 24 16 Head off? 44 Come together supermarket, say 43 Licensing fee collector, 17 “Let ___ already!” 45 Uses a 46-Across 12 Notice on a driver’s briefly 25 26 27 28 29 18 It might be disappearing 46 One holding the line license PAP WHY ADL I BS 30 31 32 19 What-___ 47 Overseas relig. title 13 Guyanese capital ARE AREA L I EGES 20 Liberty League school 50 Hooked on, say 15 Packed piece YON REST FRENCH 33 34 35 22 Head-turning cry 51 Natural hair conditioner 21 Father-and-son DUNKS BOCA R I AA 23 Coke user’s activity 55 Stick by the water? prophets in the Book of 36 37 38 Mormon ISAY OUZO SATUP 25 Relatively ready 56 Delicious leftovers 22 Chick magnet? REMOUNT MALTESE 39 40 41 28 Christ the Redeemer 57 Trip up 23 Raphael’s TSETSE CECE RED overlooks it 58 Figure on a $5,000 EE 42 43 44 29 Pierre’s world savings bond “___ Madonna” OMELETTES 30 Having complicity with 24 Disparate EAT AGIO SPASMS 45 46 47 48 49 31 Its discovery may result DOWN 25 What “burns, burns, ARRA I GN CASHCOW in a recount burns” in a hit country 50 51 52 53 54 1 Sci-fi knight SMA L L EROS I ONE 33 Some Windows systems song 2 With 7-Down, easy 26 One making a coat TO I L I DOL OBOTE 55 56 34 Players who made a things to score goals on warmer, say MINORS OOZE PAT historic touchdown in 3 Hayshaker 57 58 1964 27 Official in charge of ARETHA FRAU EGO 4 Grp. concerned with sorts? 35 Dionysus’ aunt NEESON SPF DEN hacking 28 Criticize loudly

HYPER SUDOKU 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

Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate How to EASY SUDOKU play Hyper Easy Sudoku Puzzles Sudoku: Place a digit from 1 to 9 in A Hyper Sudoku each empty cell so every Puzzle is solved row, every column and by filling the every 3x3 box contains all numbers from 1 the digits 1 to 9. 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 YESTERDAY’S only once. Otherwise, a Hyper Sudoku is solved like a normal Sudoku. ANSWER CINEMA / TV LISTINGS PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 15

SHOWING AT VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER No One Lives (2D/ TEL: 444933989 444517001

Comedy) – 3.00 & 11.30pm 03:30 Illertissen 08:00 News vs Eintracht 09:00 The Frost Frankfurt Interview Honey Bee 05:30 Derby County 10:30 Inside Story (2D/Malayalam) vs Blackburn 11:00 News 1 Rovers 11:30 South2North – 9.00pm 07:15 BFC Dynamo vs 12:00 News Stuttgart 12:30 Activate 09:30 Omni Sport 13:00 NEWSHOUR No One Lives (2D/ 10:00 ADO Den Haag 14:30 Inside Story vs PSV 15:00 Witness Comedy) – 11.30pm 11:45 Liverpool vs 16:00 NEWSHOUR Olympiakos 17:00 News 14:00 Sports News 17:30 Talk to Al Sonna Puriyathu (2D/ 18:15 Superbike World Jazeera Tamil) Championship 18:00 NEWSHOUR MALL - Great Britain 19:00 News – 3.00 & 9.00pm Round 19:30 Counting the 2 19:30 Nottingen vs Cost Guns, Girls And Schalke 04 20:00 News 21:45 Preston 20:30 Inside Story Gambling North End vs 21:00 NEWSHOUR Blackpool 22:00 News (2D/Crime) – 11.45pm 23:45 Derby County 22:30 The Stream vs Blackburn 23:00 Al Jazeera 1968 Tunnel Rats Rovers Correspondent (Action) – 3.00 & 11.30pm

3 13:15 Call Of The 13:00 How The Wildman Universe Works Monster University 15:30 Shamwari: A 13:50 Patent Bending Wild Life (3D/Animation) – 9.15pm 14:20 Gadget Show - 16:00 Dick ‘n’ Dom World Tour Go Wild 16:00 Prototype This 16:30 The Most 19:30 Brave New Sonna Puriyathu Extreme World 20:35 Shamwari: A 20:20 Mighty Ships (2D/Tamil) – 9.00pm Wild Life 21:35 Tech Toys 360 21:05 Roaring With 22:00 Brave New 1 Pride World Guns, Girls And 22:00 Too Cute! 22:50 Mighty Ships 22:55 My Cat From 23:40 Gadget Show - Gambling Hell World Tour (2D/Crime) – 11.30pm

No One Lives (2D/Comedy) – 9.30pm 13:00 Seinfeld 13:00 The Ellen 13:30 Arrested DeGeneres Development Show LANDMARK 2 15:00 Happy 14:00 Grey’s Anatomy All In Good Time Endings 15:00 Revenge 16:00 Colbert Report 17:00 The Ellen (2D/Romantic) – 11.45pm 16:30 All Of Us DeGeneres 18:00 Breaking In Show 22:00 Family Guy 18:00 Grey’s Anatomy 23:00 Cougar Town 19:00 Parenthood Monster University 23:30 Don’t Trust 20:00 Covert Affairs (3D/Animation) – 9.15pm The B**** In 21:00 In Plain Sight Apartment 23 22:00 The Newsroom 3 1968 Tunnel Rats QF RADIO 91.7 FM ENGLISH PROGRAMME BRIEF 13:15 Bargain Hunt (Action) – 11.30pm LIVE SHOWS Airing Time Programme Briefs 13:00 Dog With A 14:00 Cash In The SPIRITUAL 6:00 AM A time of reflection, a deeper understanding of the Blog HOUR teachings of Islam. 16:35 A.N.T Farm Attic CHILDREN OF 7:00, 10:00 AM The Quran guides us to follow the authority of God 17:00 Bolt 17:00 Homes Under ADAM & EVE 4:30, 11:00 PM and the Prophet and those who are in authority and Monster University at the same time, we are asked not to idolize those in 18:30 That’s So Raven The Hammer authority? In the episode, we will discuss authority 21:20 Antiques and how it works in relation to religion with Dr. 20:05 Shake It Up (3D/Animation) – 9.30pm Renaud Fabbri from France. 21:40 Good Luck Roadshow YOUR HEALTH 9:00 AM A series of health tips to benefit the community Charlie 22:15 Bargain Hunt FIRST 12:00 NN, 3:30, throughout the observance of the month of Ramadan. 23:00 Homes Under 1 6:00 & 9:30 PM 22:00 Shake It Up 22:25 A.N.T. Farm The Hammer No Tell Motel INTERNATI- 12:30 PM The latest news and events from around the world. ONAL NEWS 3:00 PM, 6:30 23:10 Wizards Of 23:55 Cash In The PM, 10:00 PM (2D/Horror) – 11.30pm Waverly Place Attic LIFE IN THE 2:00 PM, The program focuses on how “a life in the light of ROYAL LIGHT OF 5:00 & 9.00 PM faith” uplifts and inspires people to live in the fullness FAITH of God.

PLAZA Guns, Girls And RAMADAN 4:00 PM, The program is a crash course to help you jump 101 7:30 & 10:30 PM right into the spirit of the holy month. Every day the audience is introduced to a new word, this way you can 2 Gambling (2D/Crim) learn more about the traditions and rituals of Ramadan 12:00 Nacho Libre 13:00 Decoy Bride and have a better understanding of what your Muslim – 9.15 & 11.15pm friends and colleagues are experiencing during their 14:00 Wild Wild West 15:00 Encounter With 30 day fast. 16:00 A Heartbeat Danger Away 17:00 Beware The No One Lives RAMADAN 8:00 PM A weekly roundup of events and happenings NIGHTS throughout the holy month of Ramadan. Today on 18:00 Summer School Gonzo Ramadan Nights, Laura and Scott checks out the (2D/Comedy) happenings at the W Hotel, Doha! 20:00 Another 21:00 Treasure Island 3 Stakeout 00:00 We Need To – 9.00 & 11.00pm 22:00 Girl Walks Into Talk About A Bar Kevin 16 PLUS | MONDAY 5 AUGUST 2013 POTPOURRI

A summary of MEDIA SCAN Twitter hands down new issues of the day discussed by the Qatari community rules to beat abusive talk in the media.

LONDON: Twitter is handing down the new rules includes a stricture new rules to control abusive lan- against “targeted abuse”, some- guage, the company said, a move thing which could include slam- which follows a barrage of nasty, ming a single user with messages • Several people have complained about the networking site, nor asked it to delete harassing, and threatening mes- from multiple accounts, creating an afternoon shift at the Traffic Department, tweets. sages directed at high-profile female account purely to harass someone, which is only of two hours, as this is • Many people are demanding that the users of the microblogging site. or making threats. In a message posted to its web- In a series of statements posted causing crowding and delays. authorities stop those who are intruding site, Twitter says it is introducing a to Twitter, General Manager Tony • There is talk about the ten-day Eid Al Fitr into the privacy of families by entering one-click button to report abuse and Wang issued his own apology “to the holidays announced by the Emir Diwan, houses to promote various goods. updating its rules to clarify that it will women who have experienced abuse beginning on August 6, 2013. • Visitors to the Al Rayyan health centre are not tolerate abusive behaviour. on Twitter and for what they have The one-click button means that gone through”. “The abuse they’ve • There is talk in the social media about the complaining of crowding there despite the users will not have to navigate to received is simply not acceptable,” announcement by the Supreme Health number of doctors increasing, and say it is Twitter’s help centre in order to fill he said. The relative anonymity of Council that work on the workers’ hospital mainly because of the growing population out an abuse form — a process some the Internet means it has long been in the Industrial Area has begun and it will of Al Rayyan. said was too cumbersome to deal with hard to police abusive or threatening a mass of angry messages — while speech, but the issue recently received be completed by 2016. • Residents of Bin Hajer area have attention in Britain after several • There is discussion about the traffic police complained of building materials and women went public about the luridly and other agencies conducting a campaign waste from an infrastructure project violent abuse they receive from online against youth violating traffic rules, left in the area even as work remains Events in Qatar bullies, often called trolls. Many argue that trolls are an performing stunts on roads and organising suspended due to a disagreement between annoyance which should just be dangerous contests, which poses a threat contractors. From Qurtuba To Cordoba ignored, but the catalogue of graphic to them as well as other road users. • Residents of Al Morra area have When: Until August 31, 1oam-10pm threats made public by the women • There is discussion in the social media complained about the Abu Baker Al Siddiq Where: Katara Gallery 1 - Bldg 13 involved have ignited a national debate What: This exhibition displays a variety over the impunity of those spewing the about a report that Qatar is the only Arab health centre closing its emergency section of ornamental details -testimony of past hatred online. Wang said in a tweet country which has not sought information after midnight, which forces people to go splendour- which is often taken for granted that the new anti-abuse policy will by Cordoba’s dweller (s and visitors. from Twitter about users of the social to Hamad Hospital. apply worldwide. AP The collection highlights emblematic monuments, walls, doors, towers, minarets and baths, including some examples of Mudéjar art, a more recent architectural IN Louella Cortes style inspired by the influences of Al FOCUS by Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula. Free entry

Omar Khalifa – “Infinite” When: Until Dec 15; 10am—10pm Where: Katara Cultural Village What: This outdoor photography installation examines ‘the nature of being’. Using digital multiple exposure techniques, an image is crafted that gives us a sense of other-worldliness and depth of perspective through the human form. Free Entry

Qatar National Library Heritage Collection When: Public tours twice every Sunday and Tuesday at 10am and 11:30am. Where: Qatar National Library What: Qatar National Library’s remarkable Heritage Collection is a rare trove of manuscripts, books, and artefacts documenting a wealth of Arab-Islamic civilisation and human thought. Among its more than 100,000 works, the collection contains an edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia, which was printed in Rome in 1478 and is the oldest printed map showing the name of Qatar or referred to in Latin as ‘Catara’. Free Entry The night view of Museum of Islamic Send your photos to [email protected]. If you want your events featured here, of Art, Doha. Please mention where the photo was taken. mail details to [email protected]

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