Community Community Pakistani Boyan Slat, entrepreneur a Dutch P7Noreen Alaas P16 student, has believes that Qatar off ers designed a floating device a friendly and conducive to catch plastic debris in atmosphere for businesses ‘garbage patches’ formed to grow. by ocean currents.

Friday, December 29, 2017 Rabia II 11, 1439 AH

DOHA 15°C—24°C TODAY PUZZLES 12 & 13 LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 14 TToughough callcall COVER STORY Testing for Alzheimer’s genes forces diff icult decisions. P2-3 2 GULF TIMES Friday, December 29, 2017 COMMUNITY COVER STORY Sense of foreboding The FDA has allowed 23andMe, which has more than 3 million customers, to release information about genes

PRAYER TIME that increase their risk for 10 diseases, including two Fajr 4.57am Shorooq (sunrise) 6.18am particularly scary ones: Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Zuhr (noon) 11.36am Asr (afternoon) 2.33pm Maghreb (sunset) 4.55pm disease, writes Stacey Burling Isha (night) 6.25pm

USEFUL NUMBERS

Emergency 999 Worldwide Emergency Number 112 Kahramaa – Electricity and Water 991 Local Directory 180 International Calls Enquires 150 Hamad International Airport 40106666 Labor Department 44508111, 44406537 Mowasalat Taxi 44588888 Qatar Airways 44496000 Hamad Medical Corporation 44392222, 44393333 Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation 44845555, 44845464 Primary Health Care Corporation 44593333 44593363 Qatar Assistive Technology Centre 44594050 Qatar News Agency 44450205 44450333 Q-Post – General Postal Corporation 44464444

Humanitarian Services Offi ce (Single window facility for the repatriation of bodies) ast year, Barbara’s husband For several years, customers got the potential to encourage participation Ministry of Interior 40253371, 40253372, thought it would be fun to ancestry information and reports about in clinical trials that scientists hope will 40253369 learn more about their family’s relatively benign genetic traits such as lead to discoveries that will prevent or Ministry of Health 40253370, 40253364 history, so he bought 23andMe whether they have dry or wet earwax. treat Alzheimer’s and other diseases. Hamad Medical Corporation 40253368, 40253365 gene-testing kits for himself, The company returned to telling people More than 85 percent of 23andMe Qatar Airways 40253374 BarbaraL and their three daughters for whether they were carriers for diseases customers say they would like to be part Christmas. like sickle cell anaemia in 2015. This of research. The company makes its Once she understood it, she realised year, the FDA allowed 23andMe, which anonymised data available to academic the information in that report was has more than 3 million customers, and drug-company investigators, often devastating. She has a much higher to release information about genes for a fee, and it sometimes notifi es risk than most people of developing that increase their risk for 10 diseases, customers about trials they can join, te Unqu Alzheimer’s disease, a form of dementia including two particularly scary ones: including two that are seeking people uo ot with no cure and no good treatment. Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. with the gene variant Barbara has, Q e That’s bad news for the whole family. New customers can choose whether APOE4. The news also gives people time He is richest Her husband, who does not have the they want only the ancestry reports to make lifestyle changes that may lower who is content with the mutation, may have to take care of or are willing to pay more ($199) for their risk. And, many people really want her. Her daughters will have lower risk ancestry and health-risk reports. this information. least, for content is the than she does because of her husband’s Customers who bought the service in Joyce Tung, vice president of research genes, but they have inherited one copy previous years can now choose to see for 23andMe, said the company’s wealth of nature. of a gene that raises their risk too. reports that weren’t part of the package information not only satisfi es While she is now “at peace” with the when they signed up. customers’ curiosity, but also has the — Socrates results, Barbara says she probably would Even new customers who purchase potential to help “prevent, understand not look at them if she had the choice the health reports may be blindsided by and treat disease.” today. “I wish I had known the can of unexpected information, experts said. But many physicians think it would worms I was opening,” she said. The A They might, for example, be worried be better for people to get bad genetic 67-year-old resident of a Philadelphia about their family history of the eye news from experts who can answer suburb spoke on the condition of disease macular degeneration — there’s their questions immediately. Some are anonymity because of the “stigma” of a report on that too — only to fi nd out concerned that ill-prepared customers Community Editor Alzheimer’s. “I’m just not ready,” she said. they’re at high risk for something more may wish that they had left Pandora’s 23andMe launched its “personal serious that wasn’t on their radar. box alone. Every time Barbara forgets Kamran Rehmat genome service,” which included And particularly savvy consumers can why she walked into a room — a e-mail: [email protected] health-risk data, in 2007. It stopped download their raw data and plug it into common experience for people her age Telephone: 44466405 revealing health risks under orders from websites that will tell them more than — she wonders: “Oh my gosh, is this it? Fax: 44350474 the US Food and Drug Administration 23andMe does, another potential source Is it Alzheimer’s?” in 2013, because it had not received of worry. Consumers may also have to consider authorisation. On the plus side, the information has new ethical dilemmas. The Genetic Friday, December 29, 2017 GULF TIMES 3 COVER STORY COMMUNITY

Information Nondiscrimination Act She said there’s less room for of 2008 protects people with high- misunderstanding when patients risk genes from discrimination get the bad news in person. “I still on the job or when buying health believe that learning your APOE insurance, but it does not apply to test results should be done in life, disability or long-term care conversation with a medical health insurance. Companies like 23andMe provider, like a genetic counsellor,” say their information is secure and she said. well-protected from hackers, but That’s what happens with the customers may face a quandary if Generation Program, two studies an insurer asks about risk. Banner is overseeing that are Everyone has two copies of the recruiting people with APOE4 APOE (Apolipoprotein E) gene, genes for clinical trials. which is involved in the transport Langbaum had hoped that the of fats. It comes in three varieties. new 23andMe testing would at least APOE2, the rarest, protects against lead a lot more people to join the Alzheimer’s. Most people have trials. That hasn’t happened. APOE3, which does not aff ect There are, of course, people who Alzheimer’s risk. But APOE4 want the whole truth. A 77-year- is the most common genetic old Philadelphia man, who spoke factor associated with late-onset on the condition of anonymity, Alzheimer’s disease. Not everyone found out through 23andMe that he who has it gets Alzheimer’s and not has two APOE4 genes and went for everyone who has Alzheimer’s has testing. So far, his results are good. this gene. However, 23andMe tells His mother died of Alzheimer’s customers that 40 to 60 percent of and his older sister is in the end people with Alzheimer’s have one stages now. He didn’t care about his or two copies of APOE4. Doctors ancestry. He took the 23andMe test say that patients with two copies because he wanted to know about tend to get the disease earlier than Alzheimer’s. “To me, knowledge is others and that their lifetime risk is power,” he said. “If somebody tells much higher. About a quarter of the me that, in a year, my mind’s going population has at least one copy of to be wiped out, at least I can have a the APOE4 type, with 2 to 3 percent pretty good year.” having two. Julie Gregory signed up According to 23andMe’s for 23andMe in its early days disclosure information, a woman’s hoping for information about an chance of having Alzheimer’s at age immunological syndrome but 85 is 6 to 10 percent if she has no was instead “devastated” to learn APOE4 variant, 27 to 30 percent if that she is APOE4 positive. She is she has one and 60 percent if she now grateful for the information has two. The risk is lower for men: and is trying to prevent dementia 5 to 8 percent with normal genes, small numbers of patients have Weisman’s patients, who did not FDA to urge it to change its “terrible with a healthy lifestyle and anti- 20 to 23 percent with one copy of come to them because they were have Alzheimer’s but tested positive decision.” infl ammatory diet. She started APOE4 and 51 percent with two concerned and confused about for APOE4, was already taking “This is a travesty,” he said in an ApoE4.info, an online support copies. 23andMe test results. The company Aricept, a dementia drug, when interview. “The FDA has allowed group for people who have the Three Philadelphia-area doctors asks customers to read information she came to him. (A doctor who this private company to release APOE4 variant. It has 2,000 who specialise in treating dementia about Alzheimer’s genes before specialises in Parkinson’s patients information and potentially drop members, most of whom are — Jason Karlawish, co-director of they click on their results, but the at Penn said she has not seen bombshells into a family with really 23andMe customers, she said, and the Penn Memory Center; Carol doctors said some patients still patients who learned they have the no control … or professionalism.” is growing “by leaps and bounds” Lippa, director of the Cognitive misunderstand whether the results much rarer Parkinson’s-risk genes.) Jessica Langbaum, principal this year. Disorders and Comprehensive mean they have Alzheimer’s or Weisman, who knows of two scientist for the Banner The group has a Thinking about Alzheimer’s Disease Center at might get it. patients who killed themselves after Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, Testing page. “We wanted people Jeff erson University Hospitals, “People think of it as the getting an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, said researchers are still in the to be aware this is a big decision,” and David Weisman, a neurologist Alzheimer’s test, and I think it’s was so concerned about 23andMe’s early stages of understanding the Gregory said. “Don’t just blindly who does research at Abington misleading if they don’t read the decision to release information psychological eff ect of learning click buttons like I did.” — The Neurological Associates — said small print,” Lippa said. One of about APOE4 that he wrote to the that one has APOE4 genes. Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

CONCERNED: David Weisman, a neurologist who specialises in dementia at Abington Neurological Associates, was so concerned about 23andMe’s decision to release COMMUNITY SUPPORT: Julie Gregory started an online support community, ApoE4.info, after she learned information about APOE4 that he wrote to the FDA to urge it to change its “terrible that she was at higher risk for Alzheimer's disease. decision.” 4 GULF TIMES Friday, December 29, 2017 COMMUNITY BODY & MIND Diabetic emergencies: Warning signs and what to do

By Dr Subramaniyan Kuppusamy

eople with diabetes What to do for suff er from diabetic Hypoglycaemia complications that may z Make the patient sit. Reassure arise due to erratic blood him and help him to sit down on a sugar levels, missed chair or on the fl oor if he is feeling Pmeals, accidental overdose of faint. medications or too much strenuous z Give sugar. If the patient is exercise. These things could aff ect fully conscious and alert, give him Raised Blood Sugar symptom warrants a call to the diabetic emergency by changing the sensitive body of a person with a sugary drink, such as fruit juice, (Hyperglycaemia) Symptoms: doctor. People with diabetes should medication or food. When a loved diabetes and could lead to serious or some glucose tablets. People This is more likely to develop be particularly mindful of the one or a friend has diabetes and incidences of hypoglycaemia (low with diabetes often carry a dose of over several days or even weeks. following symptoms: displays unusual behaviour, seems blood sugar) or hyperglycaemia glucose concentrate or have some Symptoms may include: z Signifi cant increases or confused, or complains of any (high blood sugar). sugary food on hand as a precaution. z Extreme thirst decreases in urination of the symptoms of a diabetes Diabetes symptoms can quickly z Check response. If the patient z Frequent urination, especially z Excessive thirst emergency, people should not try turn into emergencies. Responding improves quickly after eating at night z Sudden weight loss to treat it themselves, or adopt promptly to symptoms of diabetic or drinking something, follow z Weight loss, malaise, lethargy z Being nauseous a “wait-and-see” approach. emergencies can be lifesaving. this with some slower-release z Itchy skin z Fever accompanied by pain or Instead, they should encourage The most common diabetic carbohydrate food, such as a cereal z Wounds that heal more slowly swelling the person with the symptoms to emergencies include the following: bar, a sandwich, a piece of fruit, than usual z Very high or very low blood seek emergency care immediately. biscuits and milk, or the next meal In the later stages, the patient glucose Severe low blood sugar if the timing is right. will become very drowsy, which will It is particularly important to Preventing a diabetic (hypoglycaemia) z Find medication. Help the lead to unconsciousness. see a doctor if the change in blood emergency Hypoglycaemia is when blood patient fi nd his glucose testing kit sugar level is sudden or occurs in These strategies can reduce the sugar levels are abnormally low. and medication and let him check What to do for response to a medication change. risk of a diabetic emergency. When blood sugar dips very low, his glucose levels, stay with him Hyperglycaemia The following symptoms indicate z Eating healthful, balanced, it becomes a medical emergency. until he recovers completely. It is z Drink plenty of water as it a diabetic emergency, and they regular meals Hypoglycaemia normally only important to seek medical advice helps prevent dehydration and fl ush warrant emergency treatment z Not drinking too many occurs in people with diabetes who if you’re at all concerned about the out excess sugar from your system. z Loss of consciousness alcoholic or sugary drinks. take medication that lowers blood patient. z Call emergency help. If a z Signs of a stroke (drooping z Promptly treating signs of sugar. Blood sugar levels may drop patient collapses and you suspect face, changes in consciousness, infection or illness. dangerously low when a person is: Severe high blood sugar hyperglycaemia, open the airway slurred speech) z Taking medications exactly as z Consuming too much alcohol (hyperglycaemia) and check breathing. Call for your z Swelling or pain in extremities prescribed. z Exercising, especially without Severely elevated glucose levels local emergency number 999. z Blue or numb hands or feet z Exercising regularly. adjusting food intake or insulin can result in a medical emergency z Monitor patient. If he is z Seizures dosage like diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) breathing, place him on his side. z Confusion Planning for a diabetic z Missing or delaying meals or hyperglycaemic hyperosmolar In this position, his airway is open, z Intense stomach pain emergency z Overdosing on diabetic nonketotic syndrome. fl uid and/or vomit can drain, Check z Fruit-scented breath Emergency planning should medication People with poorly controlled and note his level of consciousness, z Changes in speech or focus on getting prompt help. type 2 diabetes are more prone to breathing, and pulse. movement People with diabetes should: Low Blood Sugar develop hyperglycaemia but other z Recheck patient. Continue to z Intense muscle weakness z Tell friends and family they (Hypoglycaemia) symptoms: factors also increase the risk. These recheck the patient regularly while z Unexplained and sudden have diabetes z Feels shaky and weak include: you are waiting for medical help to exhaustion z Consider a medical alert z Skin is pale and feels cold and z Using medications that reduce arrive. bracelet or necklace that gives clammy insulin effi cacy What to do in a diabetic information to emergency z Confused, irritable z Taking medications that Infections emergency responders if they fall unconscious z Slurred speech, slower reaction promote fl uid loss People with diabetes are more A diabetic emergency occurs z Know which doctor to call time z Uncontrolled or untreated prone to infection than people when diabetes symptoms have with questions about diabetes z Blurred vision diabetes without the disease. Infections may overwhelmed the body. This emergencies z Pounding pulse; patient may z An illness or infection also become more severe, triggering means home treatment is unlikely tell you that his heart is pounding z Drug or alcohol abuse life-threatening complications. to work and delaying medical care z Dr Subramaniyan Kuppusamy, z Seizures, coma z A heart attack could cause permanent damage MBBS, MD (Emergency Medicine), is z Patient will quickly lose z Some medications, particularly Warning signs and symptoms or death. a Specialist- Emergency Medicine at consciousness corticosteroids Any sudden, unexplained People should not try to treat a Aster Hospital, Doha Friday, December 29, 2017 GULF TIMES 5 BODY & MIND COMMUNITY

Your body’s built-in If the body weight tends to weighing scale may help increase, a signal is sent to the brain combat obesity to decrease food intake and keep the body weight constant,” said Human body consists of an John-Olov Jansson, Professor at internal body weight sensing Sahlgrenska Academy, University of system that operates like bathroom Gothenburg in Sweden. scales, registering body weight and Further, the results demonstrate signalling the brain to reduce food that the weight sensing system intake, researchers have found. regulates fat mass independently The system, which regulates of leptin – a weight loss hormone. weight gain by calculating body It is possible that leptin combined weight and fat mass, could lead to a with activation of the internal better understanding of the causes body scales can become an of obesity as well as new anti- eff ective treatment for obesity, the obesity drugs. researchers said. The results also explain why For the study, published in the several studies have coupled journal Proceedings of the National sitting habit with obesity and bad Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the health. It is because the “internal team performed experiments on body scales give an inaccurately obese rodents that were made low measure when you sit down. artifi cially heavier by loading with As a result you eat more and gain extra weights. weight,” the researchers said. The animals lost almost as much “We have found support for the weight as the artifi cial load. The existence of internal bathroom extra weights caused body fat to scales. The weight of the body is decrease and blood glucose levels to registered in the lower extremities. improve. – IANS

DOSAGE: The recommended daily intake of vitamin D for most adults is 600 IU (international units), or 800 IU after age 70. ‘Calcium, vitamin D supplements not harmful for older people’

fter a study by and quantitatively summarises calcium and vitamin D deficiency researchers in the overall association between as compared to younger people China claimed the same exposure (supplements because of the changes that occur that supplements containing calcium, vitamin D with advancing age,” said Avtar HELPFUL: The system, which regulates weight gain by calculating body containing calcium, or both) and outcomes (fracture) Singh, an orthopaedic surgeon at weight and fat mass, could lead to a better understanding of the causes of vitaminA D or both may not across all studies. Amandeep Hospital in Amritsar, obesity as well as new anti-obesity drugs. protect older adults against bone The researchers found that Punjab. fractures, doctors in India have supplements were not associated “Vitamin D and calcium are said that these supplements are with less risk for new fractures, necessary for better bone health Why boys are not as boys without a clinical diagnosis,” not harmful for people at risk of regardless of the dose, the sex and we often prescribe these emotional as girls said lead author Nora Maria Raschle osteoporosis, a condition that of the patient, their fracture in the form of supplements. from the University of Basel in causes bones to become weak and history, calcium intake in their However, it is always more Boys tend to be callous and Switzerland. brittle. diet or baseline vitamin D blood beneficial to take these in the diet display unemotional traits because In the study, using magnetic “There is no harm in concentrations. forms,” said Aashish Chaudhry, of diff erence in brain structure, resonance imaging, the researchers giving calcium and vitamin D “These findings do not an orthopaedic surgeon at Aakash fi nds a research. were able to take a closer look at supplements to women after support the routine use of Healthcare in New Delhi. Callous-unemotional traits are the brain development of typically- menopause who may be at these supplements (containing “Vitamin D helps body to use characterised by a lack of empathy, developing 189 teenagers to fi nd out increased risk of osteoporosis,” calcium, vitamin D, or both) calcium. This in turn helps bolster a disregard for others’ feelings and whether callous-unemotional traits Pradeep Sharma, Head of in community-dwelling older bone health,” Chaudhry said. shallow or defi cient aff ect, such as a are linked to diff erences in brain Orthopaedics at BLK Super adults,” the study said. People who have achieved their lack of remorse or guilt. structure. Speciality Hospital in New Responding to the findings, peak bone mass can also follow These traits have been linked The researchers found that the Delhi, told IANS in a telephonic Sharma said that while doctors few exercises and a healthy diet to defi cits in development of the relationship between callous- conversation. should guard against rampantly routine to lower the risk of brittle conscience and of empathy. unemotional traits and brain The study, by researchers in prescribing these supplements to bones and fracture, according to The fi ndings showed that in structure diff ers between boys and China and published in the journal anyone, those older adults with the experts. typically-developing boys, the girls. JAMA, involved data from more weaker bones can be given these While sunlight is considered the volume of the anterior insula or Diff erences in reports of than 50,000 adults who were over supplements. best source for vitamin D, some gravy matter volume – a brain increased or decreased grey matter 50 years of age. He said that there are tests to vegetables can also help boost the region implicated in recognising in anterior insula in community They were participants in find out the extent of weakness in level of this vitamin. emotions in others and empathy – samples of boys, or boys as 33 randomised clinical trials the bones, and supplements can “The recommended daily intake is larger in those with higher levels compared to girls, with elevated comparing supplement use – be prescribed at the right dose of vitamin D for most adults is of callous-unemotional traits. callous-unemotional-traits may calcium, vitamin D or both – with after proper assessment. 600 IU (international units), or The volume explained 19 per refl ect maturational eff ects (ie placebo or no treatment and new “Usually, an orthopaedic 800 IU after age 70. It is hard cent of the variance in callous- delayed maturation of this region in fractures. recommends a combination to expect from older people to unemotional traits seen only in, males), the study noted. Jia-Guo Zhao of Tianjin of calcium and vitamin D do enough regular exercise and but not in girls with the same “In a next step, we want to fi nd Hospital in China, and co-authors supplement to the older adults get adequate sunshine or even personality traits. out what kind of trigger leads some did a meta-analysis of the studies. because both the combinations adjust their diet accordingly. “Our fi ndings demonstrate of these children to develop mental A meta-analysis combines are two major nutrients to the Hence, it is advisable to take these that callous-unemotional traits health problems later in life while the results of multiple studies bone health. Unfortunately, supplements,” Chaudhry said. are related to diff erences in brain others never develop problems,” identified in a systematic review seniors are much vulnerable to –IANS structure in typically-developing Raschle said. – IANS 6 GULF TIMES Friday, December 29, 2017 COMMUNITY CUISINE

weeks (even months) in a cool, humid-free, well-ventilated place at room temperature. However, cut sections should be placed inside the refrigerator where they keep well for 3-4 days. Well, to summarise there are many fancied up versions of pumpkin soup with gourmet ingredients, spices, herbs, exotic spins. But winter evenings always call for comfort food rather than complex recipes and long list of ingredients. But you don’t need all those frills to make a truly great classic appetising pumpkin soup. And that’s what my recipe is – a great and easy pumpkin soup recipe, a classic version that has everything it needs and nothing it doesn’t to be simply delicious. Squash and coconut soup

Ingredients Butternut squash 2.5 lb Yellow onion 1 nos Garlic cloves 2 nos Vegetable broth 3 cups Water 2 cups Salt to taste Black pepper to taste Curry powder 1 tsp Coconut milk 1/2 cup Cooking cream 1/2 cup DELICIOUS: The soup has everything it needs and nothing it doesn’t to be simply delicious. Photo by the author (optional) Garnish Parsley to garnish Pine nuts to garnish

Method Peel the pumpkin and deseed it, cut into chunks and keep aside. Classic butternut In a heavy bottom pan heat butter over slow fl ame and add garlic, onion and pumpkin dices and curry powder. Sauce the mixture over medium heat for 4-6 minutes. Add vegetable broth and water squash winter soup and bring to boil reduce heat and simmer over slow fl ame until specially in winter, certain countries, including South Its unique fl avour can be used has a pleasant nutty fl avour and pumpkin is tender. there’s nothing better Africa, Europe, and Australia, in both sweet and savour dishes. mildly sweet taste. It’s one of the Remove from heat and blend to than dunking crusty but it is primarily found in the It can be used in a variety of signature fl avours that usher in the make the mixture smooth. sourdough bread into United States. Aside from the ease delicious recipes as baked, stewed, changing of the seasons. Season with salt and pepper and a big bowl of creamy of preparing butternut squash fried, mashed and roasted. While shopping for butternut add coconut cream and cooking pumpkinE soup. The below recipe is as a delicious meal, people also Use it in soups, stews, squash at the market, look for cream. one of my favourite which I tasted seek out this squash for its rich casseroles, pies, sauce vegetables, mature product that features a fi ne Ladle the soup into bowls, some years ago while working concentration of nutrients, about mash or any number of yummy, woody note on tapping, and feels drizzle over some cream, sprinkle aboard a cruise ship and ever since the nutritional aspects of this comfort food style dishes for a heavy in hand. Its stem should be with pepper, garnish with parsley I have been a fan of this winter squash let me tell you that it has healthy and pure winter-fl avoured stout and fi rmly attached to the and pine nuts along with bread delicacy. The coconut milk adds more vitamin A than that of a dish. This squash is native to fruit. Avoid those with wrinkled sticks. charm to this soup. Butternut pumpkin, that makes it great for North America and is believed to surface, abnormal spots, cuts, Note: Do not over boil the soup squash is one of the most popular healthy skin and healthy eye sight. have been specifi cally cultivated and bruises. Whenever possible, after adding the cream. To make a winter squash vegetables, and are Butternut squash is composed in Massachusetts. Butternut buy long neck butternut fruit, as vegan version of this soup use olive available in the produce shelves of many vital poly phenolic anti squash grows on a vine and has the it contains more meat and fewer oil to sauce the vegetable sea fi nish of all the hypermarkets, and what oxidants and vitamins. It is low peculiar shape of an elongated bell. hollow cavities and seeds. (Unless, with coconut cream in the end. a tasty way to help usher and be in calories, one serving contains Scientifi cally known as Cucurbita of course, you intend to eat the healthy in winter. only 50 calories. Butternut squash moschata, it was made by cross- seeds, then shorter neck squash is z Chef Tarun Kapoor, Butternut squash is not found all seeds can be eaten as a nitrites breeding Gooseneck squash and your best bet) Culinary Mastermind, over the world, but it has made its snack food just like pumpkin Hubbard squash a member of To store it at home, well-ripened USA. He may be contacted at way into the culinary creations of seeds. pumpkin family, butternut squash squash can be stored for many [email protected] Friday, December 29, 2017 GULF TIMES 7 COMMUNITY ‘Pakistani women need to get engaged in businesses in Qatar’

Entrepreneur Noreen Alaas believes that Qatar off ers a friendly and conducive atmosphere for businesses to grow. By Mudassir Raja

eople interested in dresses and clothing brands from Pakistan are in for a treat: a Pakistani businesswoman has Popened up a boutique that off ers multiple Pakistani brands under a single roof. Noreen Alaas, owner of the Riwaaj boutique at Target Mall, has been living in Qatar for 10 years with her husband and two kids. Talking to Community, Noreen said that her motivation came straight from a deep passionate love for trendy clothes. The desire forced her to start her own business. “About four years ago, I planned to start a small business from home only. I started selling famous Pakistani branded clothes. After getting a good response, I opened a boutique in Asia Mall located in the Matar Qadeem area. My business was on the rise, when the mall was closed due to some unknown reasons. This had a disheartening eff ect on me and my dream about being a successful businesswoman in Qatar.” She added, “Though down in my spirits, I am trying again. I am happy as I have gotten another opportunity. I have not given up yet. With the help and support of my husband, family, and friends I have once again opened my boutique Riwaaj in Target Mall. OPENING: PWA-Q president Rahat Mansoor, centre, cuts the ribbon at the boutique's opening. Noreen Alaas is on her right. We sell famous Pakistani brands like Maria B, Sana Safi naz, Gul of doing business here is very good. businesswomen succeeding in Ahmed, Baroque and many more Qatar is a fast growing country. Qatar.” on reasonable rates, as compared I love Qatar because it gives me She added, “Women, especially to the other boutiques in Qatar. security and a friendly environment from South Asian countries, need We also have readymade and party for the business. I plan to expand to come up and start their own wear clothes. The best part of our my business here. businesses. I always urge women boutique is that we off er tailoring “I have learnt from my personal to stand up and be counted. It is services too.” business experiences that one not necessary that a woman should When asked to share more about should never give up. We do not start a job or a business when her her family and business, she said, need to lose our hope. All women family needs her support, but she “My husband is a civil engineer and who want to do business, should should always strive for self- has been running his own company. accept the challenges. Pakistani growth and learning. If a woman I love South Asian fashion, so I women need to get engaged and is educated and grows in stature, thought to start this business. My should start their businesses in she can be helpful to her family, main target is to keep lowest prices Qatar.” her friends, her community, her for trendy clothes from Pakistan. Rahat Mansoor Ali, president country, and even to the world.” I mostly stock lawn brands for of Pakistan Women’s Association Rahat further said, “Women women. We also have party wear Qatar (PWA-Q), was the chief guest have a good working environment dresses at reasonable prices.” on the occasion and inaugurated in Qatar. The country off ers a Noreen noted, “In my new the boutique. lot of opportunities for female boutique, I have introduced a Talking to Community, Rahat entrepreneurs. Qatar is very tailoring facility. My main target is said, “Noreen is an enthusiastic welcoming. The country welcomes Pakistani and Indian communities woman. She takes interest in her the world. Furthermore, as in Qatar. Right now I have started business. She is hardworking and expatriate communities we should with women dresses, but in future that is why she has succeed in also take part in the growth of I have plans to bring collections for setting up her boutique again. She Qatar. We should pay back to this men and children as well.” has seen a good opportunity in country that has provided us with Speaking about Qatar as a selling clothes of Pakistani brands a lot of opportunities and a better VARIETY: A wide variety of women's dresses and brands from Pakistan on market, she said, “My experience here. It is good to see Pakistani standard of life.” display. 8 GULF TIMES Friday, December 29, 2017 COMMUNITY INFOGR Friday, December 29, 2017 GULF TIMES 9 RAPHIC COMMUNITY

The discovery of an eighth planet circling the distant star Kepler-90 by University of Texas at Austin astronomer Andrew Vanderburg and Google’s Christopher Shallue overturns our solar system’s status as having the highest number of known planets. We’re now in a tie. The newly discovered Kepler-90i — a sizzling hot, rocky planet orbiting its star once every 14.4 days — was found using computers that “learned” to fi nd planets in data from Nasa’s Kepler space telescope. Kepler fi nds distant planets beyond the solar system, or exoplanets, by detecting the minuscule change in brightness when a planet transits (crosses in front of) a star. Vanderburg, a Nasa Sagan fellow at UT Austin, and Shallue, a Google machine learning researcher, teamed up to train a computer to learn how to identify signs of an exoplanet in the light readings from distant stars recorded by Kepler. Similar to the way neurons connect in the human brain, this “neural network” sifted through the Kepler data to identify the weak transit signals from a previously missed eighth planet orbiting Kepler-90, a sun-like star 2,545 light-years from Earth in the constellation Draco. “For the fi rst time since our solar system planets were discovered thousands of years ago, we know for sure that our solar system is not the sole record holder for the most planets,” Vanderburg said. Other planetary systems, though, would probably hold more promise for life than Kepler-90’s system, which packs all eight planets closer to the host star than Earth is to the sun. In our solar system, only Mercury and Venus orbit between our planet and our sun. About 30 percent larger than Earth, Kepler-90i is so close to its star that its average surface temperature is thought to exceed 800 degrees Fahrenheit, on a par with Mercury. The outermost planet, Kepler-90h, is a gas giant that is about the size of Jupiter, circling with a “year” of 331.6 days. “The Kepler-90 star system is like a mini version of our solar system. You have small planets inside and big planets outside, but everything is scrunched in much closer,” Vanderburg said. The research paper reporting this fi nding has been accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal. The idea to apply a neural network to Kepler data came from Shallue, a senior software engineer at Google AI, a research team at the search-engine giant in Mountain View, California. Shallue became interested in exoplanet discovery after learning that astronomy, like other branches of science, is rapidly becoming inundated with data as the technology for collecting data from space advances. “Machine learning really shines in situations where there is so much data that humans can’t search it for themselves,” Shallue said. Kepler’s four-year data set, for example, consists of about 2 quadrillion possible orbits of planets. To verify the most promising signals of planets, automated tests, or sometimes human eyes, are typically used, but often the weakest signals are missed during this process. So, Shallue and Vanderburg thought there could be some more interesting exoplanet discoveries lurking in the data. The two developed a neural network to search Kepler data for new planets. First, they trained the neural network to identify transiting exoplanets in a set of 15,000 previously vetted signals from the Kepler exoplanet catalogue. Then, with the neural network having “learned” to detect the pattern of a transiting exoplanet, the researchers pointed their model at 670 star systems that already had multiple known planets and searched for weaker signals. Their assumption was that multiple-planet systems would be the best places to look for more exoplanets. Kepler-90 had already made its mark in 2013 as the fi rst seven-planet system identifi ed with Kepler, but the signal from the eighth planet was so weak it was missed by previous methods. “We got lots of false positives of planets but also potentially more real planets,” Vanderburg said. “It’s like sifting through rocks to fi nd jewels. If you have a fi ner sieve, then you will catch more rocks, but you might catch more jewels as well.” Kepler-90i wasn’t the only jewel this neural network sifted out. In the Kepler-80 system, they found a sixth planet. This one, the Earth-size Kepler-80g, and four of its neighbouring planets form what is called a “resonant chain,” where the planets are locked by their mutual gravity in a rhythmic orbital dance. The result is an extremely stable system, similar to the seven planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system, so precisely balanced that the length of Kepler-80g’s year could be predicted with mathematics. — University of Texas McDonald Observatory 10 GULF TIMES Friday, December 29, 2017 COMMUNITY

Indian Institute of Quantity Surveyors conducts family day

The Indian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (IIQS) Qatar chapter celebrated its second Family Day committee members. Families of all IIQS members enthusiastically participated in the celebrations last Friday. of the day at Barzan Park. The Family Day was organised by IIQS General Secretary Vijay Lachyan, Vice Chairman Sandesh The IIQS is a professional non-profit organisation and comprises of contracts managers, Pangerkar, Membership Manager and Treasurer Kiran Kumar Podakanti and by the managing commercial managers, contract engineers and quantity surveyors.

Mass Qatar celebrates 14th anniversary

The 14th anniversary celebrations of Maruthonkara Association Qatar (Mass Qatar), a Malayali expatriate forum, was held at Shalimar Restaurant recently. Qatar based residents coming from Marunthonkara in Kerala’s Kozhikode district are members of the Mass Qatar. K Navas Master, head master of Devarkovil School, of Kozhikode district was the chief guest on the occasion. Mass Qatar President Dr Sadath chaired the meeting. General Secretary James Maruthonkara welcomed the gathering. K Azeez proposed a vote of thanks. K C Kuhammed Master delivered the keynote address. Friday, December 29, 2017 GULF TIMES 11 LEISURE COMMUNITY

Colour by choice

Maze Connect the dots Picture crossword 12 GULF TIMES Friday, December 29, 2017 COMMUNITY CARTOON Friday, December 29, 2017 GULF TIMES 13 LEISURE COMMUNITY

Super Cryptic Clues Wordwatch

campanile (kam-puh-NEE-lee, -neel) 1902. The prison is so-named because and spartan, which is coined after MEANING: originally it was located on the site of Sparta, the capital of Laconia. noun: A bell tower, especially one Newgate (a gate in the Roman London USAGE: detached from a main building such as Wall). Earliest documented use: 1592. “Edwina, Williams’s mother, was ... a church. USAGE: as loquacious as her husband was ETYMOLOGY: “One fair contunding* of that whelp laconic.” From Italian campana (bell), from Latin .. would be reward enough for being Making Tenn Out of Tom; The campana (bell). From the Campania Newgated by the Speaker.” Economist (London, UK); Oct 10, 2014. region in Italy, known for the bronze Alan S. Bell (ed.); Lord Cockburn: that was used to cast bells. Earliest Selected Letters; Birlinn; 2005. faience (fay-AHNS, fy-) documented use: 1640. * contund: to bruise by beating MEANING: USAGE: noun: Glazed earthenware, especially “He could hear birds chirping, the laconic (luh-KON-ik) decorated tin-glazed pottery. splash of gondola oars, bells ringing MEANING: ETYMOLOGY: from the campanile.” adjective: Sparing with words: concise From French faïence (earthenware), Deborah Chester; Termination; or terse. from Faïence, the French name for Diversion Books; 1995. ETYMOLOGY: Faenza, a city in northern Italy known From Latin Laconicus, from Greek for its glazed earthenware industry. newgate (NOO/NYOO-gayt) Lakonikos, from Lakon, Laconian, a Earliest documented use: 1714. MEANING: resident of Laconia, an ancient country USAGE: verb tr.: To imprison. in southern Greece (capital: Sparta). “‘Don’t wave it around in that theatrical noun: A prison or a prison-like place or From the reputation of the Laconians fashion,’ Emerson said coolly. ‘It is situation. for terseness. Earliest documented faience, and will break if you drop it.’” ETYMOLOGY: use: 1601. Elizabeth Peters; Deeds of the After Newgate, an infamous prison in NOTES: Disturber; Atheneum; 1988. London, in use since the 13th century, Two other toponyms are coined after rebuilt many times, and torn down in the names of towns in Laconia: helot — wordsmith.org Sudoku Yesterday’s Solutions

ACROSS DOWN 1. Naive types in the art world 1. Danger left by one above (5) (10) 2. One of Edison’s? That’s a lie 6. Is not new, having featured in (9) various editions (4) 3. There’s no delay before such 10. Prepared for the exam being aversion sets in (7,7) amended (7) 4. Foreigners of two 11. Those responsible for the continents? (7) characters’ disappearance? 5. Got the letter finished and (7) made the corrections (7) 12. Help supply article in badly 7. He has a way with a girl (5) Sudoku is a puzzle based handled case (4,1,4) 8. Showed many I turned out on a 9x9 grid. The 13. The girl’s sound - sound as a (9) grid is also divided into nine (3x3) boxes. You bell (5) 9. Leave on foot! (7,7) are given a selection of 14. Make a move to get 14. Unwell? Go and take it (4-5) values and to complete something to wear (5) 16. Device for a fire-engine (9) the puzzle, you must fill the grid so that 15. Sitting in the garden with 18. Sailor could remain every column, every row and every 3x3 trays scattered around (9) bewildered right to the end box contains the digits 1 to 9 and none 17. Like a committed Christian, it (7) is repeated. was borne out (9) 19. A remote signal (7) 20. Wished he’d been out of 22. Red wine is too much for her work (5) (5) The Mall Cinema (1): Arth: The 11:15pm. Destination (Urdu) 3pm; Pitch Royal Plaza Cinema Palace 21. Pass over a pound and get a 24. Bowl a girl out (5) Perfect 3 (2D) 5:30pm; Ang (3): Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) drink here (5) Panday (Tagalog) 7:15pm; Ip Man Welcome To The Jungle (2D) 2:30pm; Balloon (Tamil) 5:30pm; 23. Making up one’s mind and 3 (2D) 9:30pm; Balloon (Tamil) Ip Man 3 (2D) 8pm; Jackals (2D) clearing the matter up (9) 5pm; The Greatest Showman 11:30pm. (2D) 7pm; Bleeding Steel (2D) 10pm; Kalavadiya Pozhuthugal 25. Statesman will invite the The Mall Cinema (2): Ferdinand (Tamil) 11:30pm. chap round (7) 9pm; IpMan 3 (2D) 11pm. (2D) 2:15pm; JUMANJI: Welcome Landmark Cinema (3): Tiger Asian Town Cinema: 26. The extra matter a Doctor To The Jungle (2D) 4pm; Zinda Hai (Hindi) 2:30pm; Ang Vimanam (Malayalam) 1pm; Dean assembled (7) JUMANJI: Welcome To The Panday (Tagalog) 5:30pm; Balloon (Tamil) 4pm; Vimanam 27. They see Oriental agreement Jungle (2D) 6pm; Bleeding Steel Pitch Perfect 3 (2D) 7:45pm; Ip (Malayalam) 7pm; Vimanam will follow (4) (2D) 8pm; Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) Man 3 (2D) 9:30pm; Kalavadiya (Malayalam) 10pm; Vimanam 28. How the attractive and 10:15pm. Pozhuthugal (Tamil) 11:15pm. (Malayalam) 1am; Mca (Telugu) healthy girl was getting on? The Mall Cinema (3): Alaa Royal Plaza Cinema Palace 12:30pm; Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) Wadaakh (Arabic) 2:15pm; Tiger 3:15pm; Kalavadiya Pozhuthugal (6,4) (1): JUMANJI: Welcome To Zinda Hai (Hindi) 3:45pm; The The Jungle (2D) 2:30pm; The (Tamil) 6pm; Vimanam Greatest Showman (2D) 6:30pm; (Malayalam) 8:45pm; Balloon Yesterday’s Solutions Greatest Showman (2D) 4:30pm; Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) 8:30pm; JUMANJI: Welcome To The (Tamil) 11:45pm; Velaikkaran Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) 11:15pm. Jungle (2D) 6:30pm; Ang Panday (Tamil) 12:30pm; Velaikkaran Landmark Cinema (1): (Tamil) 3:30pm; Velaikkaran Across: 1 Restless; 5 Cracks; Down: 1 Refuse; 2 Strolling; 3 (Tagalog) 8:30pm; Tiger Zinda Crooked House (2D) 2:45pm; Hai (Hindi) 10:45pm. (Tamil) 6:30pm; Kalavadiya 10 First impression; 11 Saltire; Letting; 4 Somme; 6 Respite; 7 Alaa Wadaakh (Arabic) 5pm; Pozhuthugal (Tamil) 9:30pm; 12 Skipper; 13 Wing-span; 15 Crisp; 8 Senorita; 9 Prisoner; 14 Royal Plaza Cinema Palace Jackals (2D) 6:45pm; Tiger Zinda (2): Crooked House (2D) Velaikkaran (Tamil) 12:30am; Exact; 18 Tiger; 20 Tiresome; Patience; 16 Admission; 17 Stand Hai (Hindi) 8:15pm; Tiger Zinda Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) 12:30pm; 23 Nightie; 25 Hands on; 26 for; 19 Retrace; 21 Singlet; 22 2:30pm; Pitch Perfect 3 (2D) Hai (Hindi) 11pm. 4:30pm; Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) 3:45pm; Formal complaint; 27 Redden; Unites; 24 Gored; 25 Homer. Landmark Cinema (2): Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) 7pm; 28 Pretends. 6:30pm; Bleeding Steel (2D) JUMANJI: Welcome To The 9:15pm; Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) 10:15pm; Jungle (2D) 3pm; JUMANJI: Tiger Zinda Hai (Hindi) 1:15am. 14 GULF TIMES Friday, December 29, 2017 COMMUNITY LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE Kids now spend 30 minutes more every day on digital screens: Study

he average time technology is being used with and spent by children in some cases perhaps to support playing videogames other activities, like homework for on smartphones or instance, and not pushing them using computers has out. increasedT by 30 minutes a day “Children are incorporating between 2000 and 2015, a study technology into daily life. They has revealed. are taking the tech with them and It also stated that parents they are doing all the things that need not worry as the kids they would do anyway,” Killian can multitask and adapt their explained. behaviour to include their devices. In addition, the study, published Children were spending 10 in the journal Child Indicators minutes less time watching TV Research, revealed that boys spend between 2000 and 2015, it said. signifi cantly more time playing However, their time playing videogames compared to girls, videogames and using computers spending 50 minutes per day, increased by 40 minutes, giving compared to their nine minutes. an overall increase of 30 minutes The bulk of girls’ time is spent in the time children spent engaging in other activities such on traditional screen-based as study and socialising, the activities. researchers said. The study also said that For the study, the team technology was not consuming combined data from two surveys children’s time and attention, as while they were engaging in many taken with context it suggests less use of new technology with other 2000-01 and 2014-15, to study was commonly perceived. other activities, such as studying, cause for alarm. In fact, the study activities,” said Killian Mullan, a changes in screen-based activities Conversely, children’s eating, playing, socialising, etc. reveals that rather than allowing Senior Research Associate, at the and to build a detailed picture increasing use of technology “While this is undeniably a their devices to take over their Oxford University. of the time children spend using was spread throughout the day considerable amount of time, lives, children are combining the “Our fi ndings show that technology. — IANS

ARIES TAURUS GEMINI March 21 — April 19 April 20 — May 20 May 21 — June 20

Have you been thinking about remodelling or redecorating your An unexpected visit or call from a friend could bring exciting news. The morning could find you somewhat worried about finances. Past home? If so, this is the day to do it. Your energy and aesthetic sense You might decide to get together with this person and celebrate. reckless spending may be on your mind. Go through your records are high today. Enlist the aid of family members in planning colours, Good fortune comes your way from an unforeseen source, but and look at them objectively. You’ll probably find that things aren’t styles, and arrangements. A lot of activity may go on in and around don’t waste time wondering about it. Make the most of it. Future as bad as they seem. Write down a plan for handling whatever your home, and you’ll be enthusiastic. Make sure on one works to successes may hinge upon it. By day’s end you might be aiming for does need attention. You’ll be able to take care of business without the point of exhaustion. entirely diff erent goals than you were this morning. making yourself crazy. CANCER LEO VIRGO June 21 — July 22 July 23 — August 22 August 23 — September 22

Romance and marriage are always important to you, and today Today you feel especially imaginative, and you might want to try You’re always intellectually curious, but today you might be they’re especially so. You should feel particularly warm, loving, and writing, painting, or composing. The past is especially appealing, so especially so. Although you’re usually idealistic, today your attractive, and matters of love and partnership should be especially you may want to stroll through an art gallery or museum or attend a imagination is in full swing. You might want to try writing or painting. romantic. Today bodes well for other forms of partnership, as an concert. Use your intuition, as it’s operating at a high level. Messages It will be better to go with fiction or impressionism than history or increased level of understanding passes between you and others. might come through art that bring insight and perhaps revelation. realism. Study of spiritual or esoteric subjects is likely to clear a path Casual acquaintances could become friends. Write down your impressions! between intellect and intuition. LIBRA SCORPIO SAGITTARIUS September 23 — October 22 October 23 — November 21 November 22 — December 21

Your usually dependable judgment may seem clouded by emotion Optimism and foresight are important today, as you take charge of New ideas and opportunities for advancing yourself financially may today. Perhaps you’re unable to decide between diff erent courses your life and seek new opportunities. Conversations lead to ideas for come your way today, yet this isn’t the day to act indiscriminately of action. Or perhaps you’re feeling distracted and can’t focus on possible personal and career expansion, and you’re likely to send out or make any definite changes in your financial structure. Your what needs to be done. Don’t be afraid to put things off and work on and receive a number of messages. You could even be considering judgment may be a bit clouded. You could have diff iculty deciding something less taxing. Things will seem clearer tomorrow. Spend a move, perhaps to another city. Don’t rush. Plan carefully and all among diff erent options. Write down all the information, study it, your day relaxing. Forget about work for a while. should work out as you wish. and sleep on it for a few nights before committing to anything. CAPRICORN AQUARIUS PISCES December 22 — January 19 January 20 — February 18 February 19 — March 20

Today, you may feel especially sociable. You might want to look Your biorhythms may be low today, so you might not be feeling Matters of love seem to be taking a turn for the better. Discuss your up old friends you haven’t seen for a while, perhaps to release quite up to par. This could make you feel restless and a little blue. relationship with your partner. Your friend may or may not share past quarrels or hurt feelings. Take care to release them instead of Most likely your malaise is related to stress. Play some soft music. your opinions, and a compromise may need to be reached. Don’t let bringing them up again. You could feel more sensitive than usual, Surround yourself with flowers or other colourful objects. If possible, this dampen your enthusiasm. Romance looks bright for the near and so any sort of explanation may lead to friction. Be aware of your get a massage. This will help you relax. You’ll feel like your old self by future as long as you keep the lines of communication open. friends’ good qualities so you can enjoy their company. tomorrow. Friday, December 29, 2017 GULF TIMES 15 SHOWBIZ COMMUNITY Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle: Action packed and engaging

here is something appealing about Jumanji: With drastically opposite characteristics, they Welcome to the Jungle. At fi rst glance, the acclaim, “We are in diff erent people’s bodies.” fi lm opens on a lazily designed dull note with We fi nd that Spencer is now the tough, muscular coming-of-age humour and high school explorer named Smolder Bravestone played by Dwayne age actors. But then it penetrates into the Johnson. ‘Fridge’ is diminutive zoologist Moose Finbar, videoT game Jumanji world and the fi lm graduates to an played by Kevin Hart. Martha is the glamorous martial exciting thriller, with body-swap adventure. arts expert Ruby Roundhouse played by Karen Gillian Based on characters from Chris Van Allsburg’s 1981 and the phone-addicted, sexy Bethany is turned into an children’s book Jumanji, the fi lm Jumanji: Welcome to over-weight middle-aged cartographer named Sheldon the Jungle is a sequel to Joe Johnston’s 1995 adaptation Oberon, essayed by Jack Black. starring Robin Williams. But 22 years later, the sequel Just like in the video-games, each avatar is bestowed which has no connection to the original, reimagines the with special skills and weaknesses and are loaded with book’s magic-board-game with the smugness of the era three lives. If they lose all three, they actually die. of video games. The mission tasked to the four players by Nigel, the The narrative begins in 1996 in Brantford where a non-player character, is to fi nd the jewelled eye of the lone teenager fi nds the board game on the beach and Jaguar, which is now stolen by the big-game hunter when he is in the confi nes of his bedroom, he plays the Van Pelt (Bobby Cannavale) and restore it to the giant game and is immediately sucked into the game. statue’s eye socket. Twenty years later in the same neighbourhood, The plot is structured lamely like the game’s mission four students of Brantford High School are placed in in reality and every stage for the participant’s quest detention together; the nerdy Spencer Gilpin (Alex seems like it would make for a pretty easy-to-beat Wolff ) along with his friend Anthony “Fridge” Johnson video game. The action suffi ces in big-screen terms. (Ser’Darius Blain) who is a football player for fudging Despite being predictable, what makes the fi lm their class assignments, the narcissist Bethany Walker attractive are the action-packed sequences, childlike (Madison Iseman) and the introvert Martha (Morgan innocent approach to the characters and their off beat Turner) for disrespecting their respective teachers musings which are fairly hilarious. It is amusing to during class. watch the ace actors with dynamic characteristics The four are assigned to clean the school’s basement pretend to be ordinary kids. Their performances are as punishment for their transgressions. During the obviously charming and spectacular. clean-up, they stumble upon a fi ve-player Jumanji There are life and redemption lessons thrown in action-adventure console game. Soon, they fi nd equal measure. Overall, with the production quality EXCITING: The film penetrates into the video game Jumanji world and themselves teleported into the jungle as avatars they befi tting the ticket value, the fi lm will appeal to children graduates to an exciting thriller, with body-swap adventure. chose as characters from the video game. and adults alike. – IANS

Censor Board invites and history and hence “once we Gauahar Khan launches Jaipur historians watch the fi lm, it will be clear if YouTube channel to view Padmavati history has been tampered with or not”. Actress Gauahar Khan launched her The Censor Board has sought the Gupta said he was all for artistic YouTube channel yesterday, which marked four opinion of two veteran historians freedom but then it should not years of her journey since her stint in Bigg Boss from Jaipur on fi lm Padmavati by happen at the cost of history. “It season 7. inviting them to view the fi lm. should be very clear that we will The channel is called “Things you’ve Never These historians are Professor B share the historical facts to the heard about me!” It will give viewers a sneak L Gupta and Prof R S Khangarot. best of knowledge and will not be peak into Gauahar’s personal life. While Gupta is professor backing any political party,” he “I’m really excited about launching my of history in Rajasthan added. offi cial YouTube channel that I’ve been Vishwavidhyala and has written The age-old custom of jauhar contemplating to create since quite some time numerous books on India during (mass immolation) should be now. I’m grateful to the audience and my fans the medieval period, Khangarot is shown eff ectively in the fi lm or else for showering their love and support. I will principal of Agrawal College. it can have adverse eff ects on the certainly strive to work hard and continue Speaking to the media, audience, he said, adding that it entertaining them like always,” Gauahar said in Khangarot said the entire tussle should not be romanticised in the EYES ON ROLE: Kenneth Branagh believes it will be exciting a statement. related to the movie is not between fi lm as well. to play a Bond villain. On the work front, Gauahar was last seen in the Karni Sena and Sanjay Leela According to sources, a four- Begum Jaan, and she is working on bringing out Bhansali, director-producer of member panel has been formed to Branagh wants to be villain her fashion line. – IANS Padmavati, but between Bhasali review the fi lm next month. - IANS in next James Bond fi lm

Actor Kenneth Branagh says he would love to play the villain in the next James Bond movie. The 57-year-old, best known for his role of Hercule Poirot in the 2017 fi lm Murder on the Orient Express, feels it would be “delicious” to fi ght with Bond, reports mirror. co.uk “I think as an actor that is always delicious to play. I am a connoisseur of those Bond villains, but it is a hard one to do,” Branagh said. Branagh said Daniel Craig’s Bond villains have been “Shakespearean”. “Audiences want as much complication as possible,” he added. CONTROVERSIAL: Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali arrives to meet a Branagh has also appeared in fi lms like Dunkirk, Valkyrie parliamentary panel regarding the release of his controversial film. and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. – IANS ON YOUTUBE: Gauahar Khan. 16 GULF TIMES Friday, December 29, 2017 COMMUNITY An ambitious student’s plan to clean up the world’s oceans Boyan Slat, a 23-year-old from the Dutch city of Delft, has designed a floating device to catch plastic debris in “garbage patches” formed by ocean currents

By Annette Birschel

rom bubble wrap to bottles and bags, experts believe there are 150 million tonnes of plastic floating in the world’s oceans, with an extra 10 million tonnes being addedF annually. This plastic poses a threat not only to human health, but to whole ecosystems. How to tackle this vast problem? In the Netherlands, a bright young student has come up with an ambitious answer. The “Ocean Cleanup” project, founded by Dutchman Boyan Slat, is due to launch in May 2018. “Time is of the essence,” says the 23-year- old from Delft, the university city better known for its porcelain, which will be the headquarters of the clean-up project. “Plastic rubbish doesn’t just disappear,” says Slat, who has temporarily given up his studies in aerospace engineering to dedicate himself to his idea. “Little bits of plastic enter the food chain, and at some point they arrive on our plates,” he says. Experts believe it takes around 450 years for plastic bottles to break down, and environmentalists and scientists have long been sounding the alarm. At least 600 ocean-dwelling species are threatened by plastic rubbish – every year, more than 1 million seabirds and 100,000 mammals die after becoming caught DEDICATION: Boyan Slat, 23, from the Dutch city of Delft, has temporarily given up his studies in aerospace engineering to dedicate himself to a up in rubbish or eating it, according to project to clean up the world’s oceans. Germany’s Federation for the Conservation of the Environment and Nature (BUND). contact with the problem: while diving in On the coast, it’s relatively easy to collect the sea off the coast of Greece, he says he up rubbish. But the largest amounts are saw “almost more plastic than fish.” actually found in five so-called “garbage It shocked him so much that he set about patches” formed by ocean currents. designing his first rubbish collector. Ocean Cleanup wants to start by His idea has attracted international attacking the biggest, the Great Pacific attention, and using crowdfunding he Garbage Patch, around 2,000 kilometres off collected enough money to get the idea off the coast of California. the ground – so far, 31.5 million dollars have The method is so simple as to be been donated. ingenious: two plastic pipes around 600 The project has also been supported by metres long will float on the surface of universities and businesses. the water, forming a U-shape with an But there are those who are sceptical of underwater screen beneath. the plan. Environmentalists point out that “We’re actually creating a kind of Ocean Cleanup is only tackling a symptom swimming coast line,” explains Slat. The and not the cause – it would be better if rubbish will be washed into the U-shape, plastic could be prevented from ending up and can then be collected. in the sea at all. The system will be anchored at a depth “But it’s not a question of ‘either,’ ‘or’,” of about 500 metres. “The current is says Slat. “We have to do both.” significantly slower there than on the Marine biologists have also raised surface,” says Slat. The advantage of that concerns that animals or plankton could be ALARMING: Experts say there are 150 million tonnes of plastic floating in the world’s oceans, with is that the natural current will drive the caught up in the system, but Ocean Cleanup an extra 10 million tonnes being added annually. rubbish into the giant U. says its tests have shown that the risk of A prototype of the system has this is very small. biggest garbage patch in the North Pacific, sail around between them like “the rubbish already been tested off the coast off the “It’s not a dragnet,” says Slat. between California and Hawaii. trucks of the oceans.” Netherlands and has withstood some The pipe system is due to be installed off If everything goes well, Ocean Cleanup But how likely is this all to succeed? “We violent storms. the coast of California in February, with a plans to build 60 such systems. “In five have the technology and the means,” says “So far, all signals are go,” says Slat, who test scheduled for March/April around 400 years we could clean up half the rubbish,” Slat. “Now of course we have to prove that now believes his goal to be within reach. kilometres off the coast. says Slat confidently. it works.” Alas, he won’t be present for the As a 16-year-old, he came into direct After that, it will be dragged out to the In a few years, four or five ships will then launch. “I get seasick,” he says. - DPA