DOHA 21°C—28°C TODAY PUZZLES 12 & 13 D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 11 L P Wednesday, March 15, 2017 Jumada II 16, 1438 AH Community Students at WCM-Q learn about the realities of a career in medicine after shadowing doctors at HMC. P7 P16 Community A programme in Germany lets people with interesting and unusual life stories volunteer themselves as “living books.” Alternatives Research will examine whether there can be other methods to replace animal testing. P4-5 COVER STORY
Transcript
DOHA 21°C—28°C TODAY PUZZLES 12 & 13D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 11L P
Wednesday, March 15, 2017Jumada II 16, 1438 AH
CommunityStudents at WCM-Q learn about
the realities of a career in medicine after shadowing doctors at HMC.
P7 P16 CommunityA programme in Germany lets people
with interesting and unusual life stories volunteer themselves as “living books.”
Emergency 999Worldwide Emergency Number 112Kahramaa – Electricity and Water 991Local Directory 180International Calls Enquires 150Hamad International Airport 40106666Labor Department 44508111, 44406537Mowasalat Taxi 44588888Qatar Airways 44496000Hamad Medical Corporation 44392222, 44393333Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation 44845555, 44845464Primary Health Care Corporation 44593333 44593363 Qatar Assistive Technology Centre 44594050Qatar News Agency 44450205 44450333Q-Post – General Postal Corporation 44464444
Humanitarian Services Offi ce (Single window facility for the repatriation of bodies)Ministry of Interior 40253371, 40253372, 40253369Ministry of Health 40253370, 40253364Hamad Medical Corporation 40253368, 40253365Qatar Airways 40253374
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Wednesday, March 15, 20172 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY ROUND & ABOUT
John Wick: Chapter 2DIRECTION: Chad StahelskiWRITTEN BY: Derek KolstadCAST: Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane SYNOPSIS: John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-
noir action thriller fi lm directed by Chad Stahelski and written
by Derek Kolstad. A sequel to the 2014 fi lm John Wick, the plot follows hitman John Wick, who returns to the underworld to repay and debt and then goes on the run after a bounty is placed on his head.
LOCATIONS: Villaggio, City Centre
Rock DogDIRECTION: Ash BrannonWRITTEN BY: Ash Brannon, Kurt VoelkerCAST: Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, J.K. SimmonsSYNOPSIS: Rock Dog is a computer-animated comedy
fi lm produced by Mandoo Pictures and Huayi Brothers. The fi lm is directed by Ash Brannon, written by Brannon and Kurt Voelker, based on the Chinese graphic novel Tibetan Rock Dog
by Zheng Jun. It features the voices of Luke Wilson, Eddie Izzard, J K Simmons, Lewis Black, Kenan Thompson, Mae Whitman, Jorge Garcia, Matt Dillon and Sam Elliott. The fi lm follows a young Tibetan Mastiff who leaves his home village in the mountains to become a rock musician in the big city after a radio falls from the sky.
LOCATIONS: Gulf Mall, Villaggio, City Centre
Mall Cinema (1): Gamba (2D) 2:30pm; Logan (2D) 4:15pm; Gamba (2D) 6:45pm; Logan (2D) 8:30pm; Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam) 11pm.Mall Cinema (2): Kong: Skull Island (2D) 2:30pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 4:45pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 7pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 9:15pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 11:30pm.Mall Cinema (3): Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam) 2pm; Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Hindi) 4:30pm; Viceroy’s House (2D) 7pm; Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Hindi) 9pm; The Belko Experiment (2D) 11:30pm.Landmark Cinema (1): Gamba (2D) 2:15pm; Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam) 4pm; Logan (2D)
6:30pm; Viceroy’s House (2D) 9pm; The Belko Experiment (2D) 11pm.Landmark Cinema (2): Kong: Skull Island (2D) 2pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 4:15pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 6:30pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 8:45pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 11pm.Landmark Cinema (3): Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Hindi) 2pm; Gamba (2D) 4:30pm; The Devil’s Doll (2D) 6:30pm; Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam) 8:30pm; Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Hindi) 11pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1): Kong: Skull Island (2D) 2:30pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 4:45pm; Kong: Skull Island (2D) 7pm; Kong:
Skull Island (2D) 9:15pm; The Belko Experiment (2D) 11:30pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2): Gamba (2D) 2:30pm; Viceroy’s House (2D) 4:30pm; Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Hindi) 6:30pm; Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam) 9pm; Logan (2D) 11:30pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2): Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam) 2:30pm; Gamba (2D) 5pm; Logan (2D) 7pm; The Devil’s Doll (2D) 9:30pm; Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Hindi) 11:15pm.Asian Town Cinema: Munthiri Vallikal (Malayalam) 3:15 & 9pm; Badrinath Ki Dulhania (Hindi) 5:45 & 10:30; Fukri (Malayalam) 6:30pm; Aby (Malayalam) 6:15 & 11pm; Angamaly Diaries (Malayalam) 6:30, 8:30 & 11pm.
Spring WorkshopWHERE: TCA QatarWHEN: Today-March 30TCA Qatar is organising its Spring Workshop
from today. The workshop will consist of painting (age 5-15), calligraphy (age 5-15) and abacus (age 5-15). It will also have sessions on speaking etiquettes, debating and dressing for occasions in diff erent sessions targeted at two age groups: 10-14 and 15-18. For further details, please get in touch with the organisers at 6652-3871.
Beauty and the BeastWHEN: March 30, 31WHERE: ISL QatarThe Performing Arts Department of ISL
Qatar will present the much anticipated production of “Beauty and the Beast” on March 30 and 31. Tickets are QR50 and can be purchased at the Reception Desk or Admin offi ce of ISL Qatar. Performance times are: 6pm on March 30, 2pm on March 31 and 6pm on March 31. Doors open 30 minutes before the start of the play. For further inquiries, please call 4433-8600 or e-mail at [email protected]
JR RépertoireWHERE: Qatar Museums Gallery in Katara
(Building 10)WHEN: Until May 31JR, the celebrated French artist, is the subject
of a major retrospective show in Qatar being held by Qatar Museums at QM Gallery Katara in Doha.
JR is amongst a handful of world-renowned artists that combines art and engaged actions through large-scale outdoor installations, fi lms, photographs and videos, using the streetscape as his canvas and his inspiration, which he claims as the largest art gallery in the world.
JR creates “Pervasive Art” that spreads uninvited on the buildings and slums around Paris, on the walls in the Middle East, on the broken bridges in Africa or the favelas in Brazil. He remains anonymous and doesn’t explain his work, allowing the subjects, protagonists, spectators and passers-by to raise their own questions.
The exhibition will feature some of the key series that have made the artist famous around the world as well as a video lounge where selected video works can be viewed.
Francophonie Days in QatarWHEN: Until March 31WHERE: Around QatarThe Embassy of France in Qatar and the
Institut Français du Qatar are celebrating the Francophonie Days in Qatar until March 31.
Activities during the Francophonie Days
include concerts of Caribbean music, theatre, linguistic and artistic competitions and screenings of French movies.
After the opening, the festivities will continue on March 18, with the “Olympiads of the Francophonie” (from 2pm to 6pm at the Voltaire School in Al Waab).
On Wednesday, March 22 and Thursday, March 23, the public will meet Ymelda Marie Louise and her musicians, a Caribbean band. On March 23, the musicians of Qatar Music Academy will perform with Ymelda Marie Louise’s band. They will take place at the Ritz-Carlton’s garden at 8pm.
Finally, cinema afi cionados will have the opportunity to watch, for the fi rst time in Qatar, the latest Emmanuelle Bercot movie, La Fille de Brest, released in France in November 2016.
All these events are free. Detailed programming is available on the website of the French Institute of Qatar at the following address: www.institutfrancais-qatar.com
Off -road biking tour WHERE: ZekreetWHEN: FridaysBlue Pearl Experience Qatar is off ering the
country’s fi rst off -road biking tour. Ride in the desert on a fatbike to explore the local fl ora and fauna, spot desert wildlife, hike up jebels, chill in the magic of the Richard Serra statues and this unique landscape.
Participants will get to cross the desert riding fatbikes from Zekreet to the Richard Serra statues, on a route of approximately 13kms. The route is easy to ride and suitable for people with average fi tness. You must be able to ride. Kids aged 9 and older are also welcome. The fee is QR220 (QR190 for ages 9-14) and includes bike and safety equipment. The activity lasts about 2.5 hours.
For details and booking, please visit the company website on http://www.clubbluepearl.com/news-feed/
Imperial Threads: Motifs and artisans from Turkey, Iran and India
WHERE: Museum of Islamic ArtWHEN: Until to November 4This exhibition focuses on the exchange
of artistic and material cultures between the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires. Highlighting MIA’s masterpiece carpets, among other artworks, from Turkey, Iran and India, these objects will be contextualised within the historical circumstances of politics and artistic production of their time, primarily from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
Picasso-Giacometti WHEN: Until May 21WHERE: Fire Station Artist In ResidenceThis exhibition brings together more than
120 works by Picasso and Giacometti, drawn from the collections of the Musée national Picasso-Paris and the Fondation Giacometti in Paris, as well as exceptional loans from French and other international collections, covering paintings, sculptures, sketches, photographs and interviews with the artists.
The exhibition refl ects two years of research undertaken by the Fondation Giacometti and the Musée national Picasso-Paris, which reveals for the fi rst time the previously unknown relationship between these two artists, who, despite an age gap of twenty years, shared many moments, both personal and professional.
It has been organised in six sections, evoking diff erent aspects of each artist’s production, including the development of their work as young artists through to their modernist creations, showing the correspondences between their works, the infl uence of the surrealist movement, and the return to realism during the post-war period.
The exhibition will be accompanied by a
series of lectures and an extensive education programme, as well as a self-guided handbook for the visitors.
A richly illustrated catalogue published as co-edition with Flammarion will accompany the exhibition, featuring new essays by art historians and the curators of the exhibition.
NaghamWHERE: The Backyard at Sheraton Grand
HotelWHEN: ThursdaysTIME: 8pm onwardsAfter the success of The Backyard, a concept
is born to introduce Arabic music adding a twist of International tunes. Live band music by Nagham’s offi cial band and guest artists every week. The entrance fee is QR100. For details, call 44853000.
Reggae Beachfest DohaWHEN: Thursdays and Fridays WHERE: Oyster Beach Bar at St. Regis HotelTIME: 8pm onwardsIn collaboration with Reggae Beachfest in
Dubai, Qatar will witness the best rasta nights around. The organisers say, “We’ve got the setup sorted to get you feeling the Caribbean vibe. Along with our resident band Earthkry all the way from Jamaica, we have so many big names in the Reggae scene lined up at this huge beachfest!” Entrance fee is QR50 at the door. For more information, please call 44460105
Senorita-Ladies NightWHERE: The Club at St. RegisWHEN: TuesdaysTIME: 7pm The Club at St. Regis promises the ‘fi nest
weeknight in town with Cuban and Latin rhythms’. The event starts at 7pm. The dress code is “strictly fabulous-Latin vibe” and there are no entrance fees. For more information, please call 4446-0105.
Dia al-Azzawi: A Retrospective (from 1963 until tomorrow)
WHERE: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and QM Gallery Al Riwaq
WHEN: Until April 16Qatar Museums presents a monograph of
one of the most renowned modern artists of the Arab world: Dia al-Azzawi. The exhibition, showcasing over 500 works across fi fty years and a range of media, aims at mapping an itinerary of modernism and profi les the practice of the Iraqi artist. The exhibition is curated by Catherine David, Deputy Director of Musée National d’Art Moderne at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris.
Revival of Qatar’s musical heritage and
Qatari Folk singing programmeWHEN: Thursday, Friday until April 28WHERE: Beach 15, Katara TIME: 6pm to 10pmResidents will have the opportunity to watch
and enjoy authentic Qatari musical arts and folk singing every weekend until April 28, 2017 at Katara.
The second edition of this cultural show dubbed as ‘The Revival of Qatar’s Musical Heritage and Qatari Folk Singing Programme’ is in line with Katara’s continuous eff orts to preserve the heritage of Qatar’s ancestors.
Some sideline activities at the event include training sessions, competitions, exhibitions, documentary research, publications, and lectures and seminars.
Chamber Music at MIA: Music of Qatar and Germany
WHEN: April 13TIME: 6pm-7pmWHERE: Atrium, Museum of Islamic ArtThe next monthly free chamber music
concert by members of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in the atrium of Museum of Islamic Art will be on April 13, with the West Bay skyline as a backdrop. No tickets or reservations required. All ages welcome. Seating will be on a fi rst-come fi rst-serve basis.
Qatar Superstock 600 Championship Round 3
WHERE: Losail International CircuitTIME: 10amWHEN: March 23, 24 and 25Qatar SuperStock 600 is a new road racing
championship organised by Qatar Motor Motorcycle Federation and Losail Circuit Sports Club.
The championship will have 12 races over 6 rounds at the Losail International Circuit.
The riders are competing using one-make bikes that will be used for the rest of the season, a stocked 600cc bike. The organisers bill it as “a great chance for every competitor to test themselves and fi ght for the title in fair racing conditions and in a professional environment”.
Grandstand and Paddock area are open for free to all the spectators.
Al Gannas(For school students) Until March 31, 20179am–NoonAl Gannas SocietyFree ( For boys only, requires registration)
Al Gannas association is participating in the “Our culture is a school” programme, by organising many activities for the students every Monday and Wednesday of the week.
These activities include explanations on hunting and related items tools, kinds of falcons and preys, in addition to workshop on how to carry a falcon, set a traditional tent (made of goat & camel hair), prepare traditional Arabic coff ee and start a fi re. For further details, visit katara.net
Qatar Music Academy(For school students) Until March 28, 201711am–2pmFree (Requires registration) Qatar Music Academy focuses on teaching
its students the principles of Arab and Western music. As part of the “Our Culture is a School” programme, Qatar Music Academy has off ered interested schools the opportunity to attend various workshops.
These workshops will include an introduction to Arab and Western music and instruments, as well as the teachers giving a brief overview of the educational music programmes at the Academy. For further details, visit katara.net
Wednesday, March 15, 20174 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY COVER STORY
Time for a more humane and smarter approach
Some studies have found animal studies are not good at predicting
how drugs and chemicals aff ect humans, and a review using the latest
toxicology science could provide definitive evidence. By Meredith Cohn
Data from a US Department of Agriculture website that has recently been taken down showed that
more than 767,600 animals were used in research in 2015. The number included dogs, cats, guinea pigs,
hamsters, rabbits, primates and some farm animals. It didn’t count rats, mice or birds, which are the most
common test subjects.
A team at the Johns Hopkins University aims to determine how useful testing on dogs, mice and other
animals is in predicting whether drugs and chemicals are toxic to humans.
The research, to be conducted over the next year or so, could accelerate a push to end animal testing already underway for ethical and practical reasons.
All drugs and some chemicals must be tested on animals before humans, but no-one is certain how well such tests predict the toxic eff ects on people. The Johns Hopkins team hopes to fi nd out by comparing standard animal
tests with more modern scientifi c methods that use human cells or computer models.
“It’s a pivotal time to provide this evidence,” said Katya Tsaioun, who is leading the study as director of the Evidence-based Toxicology
Collaboration in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “No-one hopefully will be able to dispute the fi ndings.”
Some studies have found animal studies are not good at predicting how drugs and chemicals aff ect
humans, and Tsaioun said her review using the latest toxicology science could provide defi nitive evidence.
Many researchers and regulators at the US Food and Drug Administration, which
oversees drug approvals, and the Environmental Protection Agency, which oversees chemicals, still argue that animal testing is necessary. But the agencies have explored ways to support new nonanimal tests to speed up the development and approval process.
Many hope to decrease the number of drugs that show promise in animal testing but fail to prove safe and eff ective in human trials, failures that are costly and disappointing to pharmaceutical companies and researchers as well as to patients hoping for better therapies and cures. A drug trial for a promising Alzheimer’s drug failed in a large trial last year, for example.
5Wednesday, March 15, 2017 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYCOVER STORY
“We won’t necessary jump completely away from animals to completely nonanimals,” said Kristie Sullivan, vice president of research policy for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a medical ethics group that opposes animal testing. “It will be staged.”
Data from a US Department of Agriculture website that has recently been taken down showed that more than 767,600 animals were used in research in 2015. The number included dogs, cats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits, primates and some farm animals.
The data did not include dogs and other animals held in labs but not experimented on. It also didn’t count rats, mice or birds, which are the most common test subjects.
A 2015 Pew Research Center survey shows a slight majority of Americans disapprove of animal testing. A growing number of manufacturers of home and beauty products that are not required to test on animals have abandoned the practice, Sullivan said. Medical schools, including those at the University of Maryland and at Johns Hopkins have stopped practising surgical techniques on animals in favour of computer models.
But basic research and drug and chemical tests still rely heavily on animals, Sullivan said. In some cases animals just can’t carry the load. There are more than 100,000 chemicals in consumer products but few have been subjected to signifi cant testing because existing labs don’t have the capacity to test them all, she said.
One promising replacement for animal testing is “tissue on a chip,” Sullivan said. It’s a small plastic stick with internal channels containing lung, gut or other human cells. By running a drug or chemical through the stick, the cells can show if they may be toxic to human organs.
“We’re seeing more and more researchers trying to incorporate
human-based methods into research, using human cells, stem cells or tissue on a chip,” she said. “The more of those methods used, the better for human health and for animals.”
For now, however, researchers must be allowed to continue research on animals, said Matt Bailey, president of the Foundation for Biomedical Research, which advocates on behalf of the scientifi c community for animal testing.
His group supports eff orts to reduce the use of animals and for ethical treatment of animals in labs, but he said animals remain crucial to medical advances.
“Right now, there is no comprehensive substitute for animal testing and research,” Bailey said.
“Certainly, computer models and cell cultures, as well as other adjunct research methods, reduce the number of animals used,” he said. “But there is no
way to completely replace animal research because the pathway to fully replicating a complete living system does not yet exist.”
Meanwhile, animal advocacy groups plan to continue eff orts to reduce animal testing and fi nd homes for surviving animals.
The Beagle Freedom Project contacts more than 470 research labs a year and off ers to take their dogs once studies are completed. Its offi cials won’t disclose where the animals come from but say a
few dozen labs have taken them up on the off er.
“Our mission is to see an end to animals used in experiments,” said Jeremy Beckham, a research specialist for the group. “We make our case to the public on two grounds, and one is an ethical argument. These animals feel pain and suff er and experience the world much like we do. … But we also have to make the case on scientifi c grounds.”
That’s why the group is sponsoring several research projects, including grants to study tissue on a chip and an “artifi cial nose” that can detect toxicity in inhaled particulate matter. It also gave $50,000 for Tsaioun’s toxicity study.
While the Beagle Freedom Project hopes Tsaioun will prove that animals are bad stand-ins for people, it has agreed to allow publication of her results no matter the fi ndings.
Tsaioun will look at data on 10 approved drugs, including some that later were found to have toxic eff ects on the human liver. She will compare the animal tests on those drugs with the nonanimal tests to see which more accurately predicted the drugs’ potential toxicity.
Tsaioun said animal testing eventually will become “redundant” no matter her results, as more personalised tests are developed that could, for example, predict something as specifi c as who will have an allergic reaction to a drug or chemical or will have heart or kidney troubles.
In the meantime, animal rights groups and lawmakers are pushing a bill this year in the Maryland General Assembly to require public and private research institutions to seek homes for adoptable dogs and cats once studies conclude.
A sponsor, Del. Ben Kramer, a Montgomery County Democrat, said at least three other states have such laws, but major research universities here oppose the measure and it isn’t expected to pass. Kramer intends to continue introducing the measure to draw attention to the animals.
“The bill would allow them to live out what time they have left after experimentation in a home and experience a little bit of kindness and love,” he said. “They deserve that.”
Audrey Huang, a spokeswoman for Johns Hopkins Medicine, said Hopkins labs comply with federal laws and ethical standards and said a state law would pose a regulatory burden that could hinder research.
A statement from the University of Maryland School of Medicine said the measure would inappropriately put adoption decisions in nonveterinary hands.
Huang said Hopkins’ use of dogs also is on the decline. Researchers there used 493 in 2005 and 31 in 2016, largely because they’ve been replaced with mice and rabbits. And Hopkins, as well as Maryland, already have adoption programmes. Maryland didn’t report a number, but Hopkins has found homes for 240 since records were fi rst kept in 1998. —The Baltimore Sun/TNS
PROMISE: One promising replacement for animal testing is “tissue on a chip.”
“We’re seeing more and more researchers trying to incorporate human-based methods into research, using human cells, stem cells or tissue on a chip. The more of those methods used, the better for human health and for animals”
— Kristie Sullivan, vice president of research policy
for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
“Adjunct research methods reduce the number of animals used. But there is no way to completely replace animal research because the pathway to fully replicating a complete living system does not yet exist”
— Matt Bailey, president of the Foundation for
Biomedical Research
Wednesday, March 15, 20176 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY18 SSLSD students go on an educational trip to Sri LankaStaff ord Sri Lankan School Doha (SSLSD) hosts various events for its students that help in team building, leadership development and overall character development.The international tour of the Candidates of Duke of Edinburgh Silver Award-2017 was one such opportunity for the children. This year, the tour went to Sri Lanka with the participation of 18 students from the school who were of age 15 and above. The students were accompanied by a team of three teachers of the school along with the SSLSD chairman, Kumudu Fonseka.The mission involved a series of activities throughout the week belonging to four key categories – volunteering, skills development, physical recreation and adventurous journey.Some of these activities included a 3.5 hours journey by train from Colombo to Kandy, friendly
basketball tournament with Gateway College-Kandy, and visit to the prestigious University of Peradeniya. Out of all these, the students were thrilled for their hiking and rafting experiences with the undergraduates of the University of Peradeniya. They were also glad that they got the opportunity to prepare their meals collectively. They also visited the Kothmale Dam and explored the town of Nuwara Eliya – one of the top tourist sites of Sri Lanka. During their exploration of Nuwara Eliya, these young leaders of SSLSD along with the support and commitment of several other dignitaries held a junior sports meet, a “bodhi pooja” alms session and a special alms session for the religious leaders of the Mahaweliseya Temple.
Lecture on impact of geography on Middle Eastern politics at GU-Q today
James Reardon-Anderson
How has the physical topography, climate, and natural resources of the Middle East impacted the region’s history and politics? The dean of Georgetown
University in Qatar aims to explore the eff ects of geography on the people of the Middle East in an upcoming public lecture.
Hosted by the Qatar Natural History Group, the talk by Dr James Reardon-Anderson will focus on how the location of sources of water and petroleum has aff ected human behavior and policies in the region. It will be held at 7pm on March 15 (today) at GU-Q’s Education City campus.
“The uneven distribution of natural resources has had a profound impact on the people and politics of the Middle East,” said Reardon-Anderson. “This talk is an opportunity to exchange knowledge on the
role geography has played in the region, both historically and in the present day.”
The event forms part of the QNHG’s expert lecture series. “Through these monthly talks and fi eld trips, the group strives to discover the environment, history and culture of Qatar,” said Dr Thierry Lesales, public relations representative for QNHG. “We count on the goodwill of specialists who generously accept to spend their time with us and share their knowledge. We are very honoured to receive the contribution of Dr James Reardon-Anderson, who will allow us to understand how geography has shaped the destiny of this region.”
The talk by Reardon-Anderson forms part of the Qatar Natural History Group’s expert lecture series. The group, which was founded in 1978, aims to bring together
people who have an interest in the natural history of Qatar and the Gulf. In addition to monthly lectures, it also hosts regular fi eld trips to sites of cultural, historical, and archaeological interest.
Reardon-Anderson is the founding dean of GU-Q and the Sun Yat Sen Professor of Chinese Studies at the Georgetown University.
He has been a member of Georgetown faculty since 1985 and previously taught at the University of Michigan, Johns Hopkins University, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
He holds a PhD from Columbia University and is the author of fi ve books on China, covering foreign policy, the environment, and history. His latest book, which focuses on China and the Middle East, is scheduled for publication later this year.
7Wednesday, March 15, 2017 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
WCM-Q students experience the life of a doctor at HMC
Pre-medical and foundation students at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) recently learnt about
the realities of a career in medicine after shadowing doctors at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).
The annual HMC Observership programme allows students of WCM-Q foundation programme and pre-medical curriculum the opportunity to spend a week in one of nine departments at HMC, including emergency medicine, paediatrics, general surgery, internal medicine and psychiatry. The students are able to accompany doctors on their patient rounds, participate in morning conferences, and watch surgeons in the operating theatre.
Dr Rachid Bendriss, assistant dean for student recruitment, outreach and foundation programmes, said the goal was to expose students not yet learning the medical curriculum to the healthcare system.
Dr Bendriss said the programme allows them to learn about the daily routine of physicians, become familiar with the various medical specialities open to them, and refl ect on their experiences at HMC.
Dr Bendriss said: “The HMC Observership programme is a very valuable learning experience for the pre-medical and foundation students, as it allows them a greater
insight into the day-to-day life of a physician and what their working life will be like when they graduate. It also allows the students to begin forming ideas about the direction they would like their career to take, and challenges preconceptions they may have about certain specialities.
“In addition, they also learn about the importance of teamwork and the value of strong and clear communication. It really is a very important programme and I would like to thank the leadership of HMC and the doctors and nurses at
Hamad Hospital who help facilitate the programme and give so much of their time and experience to our future doctors.”
This year, 56 WCM-Q students participated in the scheme during the college’s winter break.
Pre-medical 1 student Sumaya Maraghi was one of them. She chose to spend time in HMC’s Department of Pediatrics.
She said: “It was interesting. It changed my perception of paediatrics, which I thought was just dealing with children and
fairly simple diseases. But there are a lot of facets to it and the children can’t always tell you what’s wrong or where it hurts, so it’s the doctor’s job to work it out and fi nd the problem. I thought it as very challenging and an amazing fi eld to work in.
“I was lucky enough to be part of a very helpful and co-operative team who really showed me what the speciality involves. They had such great communication with each other and really discussed the cases, they were amazing. I wanted
to continue working with them.”For Noor al-Nassr, who is on
WCM-Q’s foundation programme, it was her second experience of participating in the programme. This time she chose to shadow physicians in the Surgical Department.
She said: “I have shadowed doctors that work in paediatrics but I wanted to see what happens behind the scenes. I’ve seen patients after an operation so it was good to see what happens in the operating theatre and how the doctors communicate and help the patient.
“I’m still interested in paediatrics, particularly paediatric cardiology because I love kids and it’s fun. It’s more informal than treating adults, you can play around with them and it has a lot to do with child psychology as well as you have to calm them down fi rst.
“It was great overall. It made me focus on the patient-doctor relationship and interaction. I also attended outpatient clinics and participated in the grand rounds where they discuss the cases.”
Nasser al-Kuwari, who also visited Surgical Department, summed the experience up.
He said: “It was an exciting experience and interesting to see how the doctors communicate with diff erent patients, particularly those who do not speak Arabic.
“The experience showed me what it feels like to be a doctor.”
WCM-Q faculty with members of the foundation and pre-medical classes who participated in the Observership programme.
Nasser al-Kuwari spent time in HMC's Surgical Department.
Dr Rachid Bendriss, Assistant Dean for Student Recruitment, Outreach and Foundation Programs.
Wednesday, March 15, 20178 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
McDonald’s Qatar harnesses technology to off er distinctive dining experience
To further improve the customer experience, McDonald’s Qatar has unveiled touchscreens at a few of its outlets.McDonald's Qatar off ers free Wi-Fi at all its branches.
AlMana Restaurants & Food Co, the owner and operator of McDonald’s franchise in Qatar, have announced that the
fast food chain’s Qatar operations currently occupy a prominent place in the society.
The outlets here have adopted several technological solutions that revolve around mobile commerce and smartphone apps. These systems off er patrons a distinctive dining experience either while visiting the outlets or while placing order through its website
or communicating through social media channels.
McDonald’s is using technology to provide a variety of services that cater to the diff erent needs of its customers. This move is aimed at “making their life easier and eff ortless and give them a better experience and this is also what lies behind the vision of McDonald’s as a brand.”
In line with this, McDonald’s Qatar outlets off er free Wi-Fi facility to all their customers. Moreover, McDonald’s Qatar has adopted a cashless solution for all
those who prefer using their debit or credit cards instead of cash. This has been enabled in collaboration with MasterCard, and makes McDonald’s the fi rst fast food chain in Qatar to adopt this move. This is part of its ongoing initiative to improve customers’ experience by providing the best solutions and services in its class, either by paying at the branches or while ordering from the website www.mcdelivery.qa
To further improve the customer experience, McDonald’s Qatar has unveiled touchscreens at a few of
its outlets. The “Make your choice” concept puts more selections into the hands of the customers. With this they can customise their orders from a pre-selected menu that includes a lot of varieties. This is all set to change the concept of fast food, as the payment can be made using electronic cards and save a customer’s time, the company says.
Earlier, McDonald’s Qatar launched its mobile application supporting both iOS and Android. This enabled customers to place their orders, pay using electronic cards and trace their order from the
time it leaves the store till it reaches them.
Fadi Rizk, General Manager at AlMana Restaurants & Food Co, said: “By adopting the latest technological solutions, we aim to provide a unique and distinctive experience to our customers in Qatar. We have achieved several milestones since our inception, and we look forward to growing further. This will increase our outlets in the country, and meet our ambitious plans of retaining our position as a leading player in the local market.”
Lego Workshop at Jungle Zone to help generate interest in sciencesJungle Zone is organising a Lego Workshop for children today. Feroz Moideen, the general manager of Jungle Zone, said that the activities will generate in kids an interest in sciences. The workshop is based on assembling models from tens of thousands of individual bricks. It combines coding and robotics, with the Lego WeDo 2.0 set. For example, they will be able to construct a Lego Space Rover while learning about the use of real-life space rovers. Lego WeDo 2.0 contains a smart hub that interfaces with a motor, motion sensor, and tilt sensor that makes the activity more fun.
9Wednesday, March 15, 2017 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
The first CubeSat in the GCC to send messages in Arabic
AUS is one of the best international universities in the GCC and Middle East, with a number of Qatari students who are benefiting from quality American-style higher education experience.
The AUS campus.
The successful launch of the UAE’s fi rst CubeSat, Nayif-1 into outer space came as a result of a strong and ongoing
partnership between the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) and American University of Sharjah (AUS), according to Dr Mohamed El-Tarhuni, Associate Dean of Engineering at AUS and lead advisor for Nayif-1 team.
Dr El-Tarhuni told Gulf Times that, AUS was approached by the
Mohammad Bin Rashid Space Center (MBRSC) in November 2014, to have a team of Emirati students work on a project to design and launch the UAE’s fi rst nanosatellite. It took about one year and a half to complete the project and have the CubeSat ready for launch.
The project’s main objective was to provide an educational experience to engineering students about the design and operation of satellite technology. Some scientifi c
objectives included providing data about the energy generation from the satellite solar panels as it rotates around the earth. The data will then be used to educate other students about space technology.
Dr El-Tarhuni explained, “The CubeSat is used to send and receive messages over the amateur radio frequencies to users around the world. It is the fi rst CubeSat to be able to send messages in Arabic. It has also a scientifi c mission to gather data about the operation of solar
panels in space.”“CubeSat technology is based
on off the shelf components that students and engineers across the GCC can use to learn about the technology and develop their own space applications,” he added.
Scientifi c experiments will be prepared based on the gathered data and will be used to demonstrate the CubeSat operation over its expected life-span of two years. The project is expected to be used as a seed for new CubeSat projects to provide
more experience related to space technology.
The project was considered a graduation project for seven engineering students from the electrical, mechanical, and computer engineering programmes at the College of Engineering at AUS. It was carried out under the supervision of seven faculty members from the same engineering programmes.
AUS is one of the best international universities in the GCC and Middle East, with a number of Qatari students who are benefi ting from quality American-style higher education experience. The Qatari students are quite active in the university’s cultural activities including the Global Day and celebrating their national day.
The project was considered a graduation project for seven
engineering students from American University of Sharjah
Wednesday, March 15, 201710 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY INFOGRAPHIC
11Wednesday, March 15, 2017 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYLIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE
ARIESMarch 21 — April 19
CANCERJune 21 — July 22
LIBRASeptember 23 — October 22
CAPRICORNDecember 22 — January 19
TAURUSApril 20 — May 20
LEOJuly 23 — August 22
SCORPIOOctober 23 — November 21
AQUARIUSJanuary 20 — February 18
GEMINIMay 21 — June 20
VIRGOAugust 23 — September 22
SAGITTARIUSNovember 22 — December 21
PISCESFebruary 19 — March 20
Mercury the planet of communication and planning sets up his
workshop in your sign (through the end of the month). Keep in mind
that Venus remains out of phase in your sign (through mid–April).
Work, work and more work is in your immediate astro future with
Mercury linking up with Venus and Uranus in your career zone and
the Sun hot on their heels. If there was ever a time to focus on your
career, it’s now.
Sometimes you have friends for 10 plus years and sometimes
you have friends for 6 months. While the shorter relationships are
usually more intense they run out of steam. The older ones are more
cemented in time. You will learn a lot about the type of people you
are drawn to in the next few weeks.
Don’t avoid someone simply because you feel it’s all too hard. That’s
the coward’s way out goats and you are anything but a coward.
Stand up for yourself and what you believe in today, especially with
family members.
Be open to hearing from someone you might not have heard from in
quite some time. No doubt they have been thinking about you and
vice versa. Might be nice to catch up?
Don’t dismiss something or someone straight out of the gate before
you do more investigating Leos. With Mercury the planner moving
into your learning zone, something that appears perfect for you
might not be.
Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today Scorpios. You
may get sidetracked and end up putting it aside for another day/
week or longer. What if it’s something that could turn out to be very
special and important to you?
Avoid doing things that might steer you away from what you
should be doing today Aquarius. Chatty Mercury moving into your
communication zone along with Venus and Uranus could have you
feeling very distracted.
If you aren’t sure about a friend’s intentions, you are about to find
out with Mercury your ruler and the planet of communication and
planning in your eleventh house of friendship for the next few
weeks.
You don’t always see eye to eye with people and while it makes you
seem strong and independent, you get your feelings hurt just like
everyone else, don’t you?
There is some wonderful planetary play in Aries right now – your
fifth house of romance and fun. Today Mercury the communicator
and planner moves in and makes sure you have the right words at
the right time for those you are involved with.
Don’t let someone talk you into doing something you really don’t
want to do today Pisces. You are focusing on your money and
budgeting right now. Don’t forget that.
Does it ever seem like a lot of healthy-eating advice is about “less,” “giving up” and “taking away?” Reducing fat and sodium intake, avoiding high-calorie foods and trimming portion size are commonly heard
pieces of advice when you’re trying to lose weight or improve your diet. But health experts agree, good eating doesn’t just mean giving up bad habits, it’s also about adding foods with more nutritional value.
Here are fi ve better-for-you food swaps from expert that will jam pack your diet with enhanced nutrition without making you feel like you’re giving anything up:
Instead of mayoTry an avocado-based spread on your sandwiches
and as a base for homemade dressings. A single tablespoon of mayonnaise has 90 calories, 10 grams of fat, 5 milligrams of cholesterol and 90 milligrams of sodium, but zero potassium or fi bre, according to the California Avocado Commission. In comparison, 2 tablespoons of fresh avocado have just 50 calories, 4.5 grams of (mostly good) fat, no cholesterol or sodium, and 150 milligrams of potassium and 2 grams of fi bre.
Instead of any old eggTry eggs with superior nutritional benefi ts. While
all eggs are high in protein, Eggland’s Best eggs contain
double the omega-3s and three times more vitamin B12 than ordinary eggs – both nutrients associated with heart health. Plus, they contain 25 percent less saturated fat, fi ve times more vitamin D, and 10 times more vitamin E than ordinary eggs.
Instead of white riceWhile carbohydrates are necessary to fuel your
brain and muscles, many favourite sources are stripped of nutrition, such as white rice. Caulifl ower can be an easy substitute for rice. This white veggie packs plenty of fi bre, protein, potassium and vitamin C. To replace rice, simply pulse the caulifl ower in a food processor for a few seconds until you achieve the desired consistency.
Instead of fried foodThe crunch of fried food is alluring, but you can
get that same crunch in a much healthier superfood way. Instead of coating chicken or fi sh with breading and plunging it into a bath of hot oil, use chopped nuts. Nuts contain healthy fat, protein, and fi bre and when baked in a hot oven (about 400-425 degrees F), nut-coated protein is crunchy and delicious. Try nut-covered chicken fi ngers today!
regarded as (10)8. The ether’s put her out (6)9. Afraid it will take a day (4)10. It’s light for breakfast (7,3)11. Sound depressed (3)13. Set about one youth (4)14. Run, with buckling legs,
carrying the fool (7)15. Describe as ‘the big
attraction’ (4)17. Start, for instance, filling the
container (5)20. Less punctual? Not yet (5)22. Is irritating, or becomes so
(4)24. Doles out, to a number, food
(7)25. Is ‘nil desperandum’ her
motto? (4)27. It’s a question of technique
(3)28. ‘No, No, A Thousand Times
No’ sung off key? (4,6)29. The plan is one, dear, that
proved inconclusive (4)30. Silas is out East with her (6)31. Meant to think it over (10)
Down 1. In general, the wandering
nomad is given refreshment (8)
2. Doesn’t go off and get drunk (6)
3. The many besieged were clearly frightened (7)
4. There’s pandemonium when one gets into one’s dance (5)
5. He has a number on his vehicle (4)
6. Misled and no mistake about the stopper (3,5)
7. Haggard, are about to approach (4,4)
12. Influence the Yank (4)14. Pulls up to study (4)16. They’re worn only by the
very poor kids (4)17. The rotten one he put inside,
the twit! (8)18. It’s the established custom:
that’s incontestable (8)19. Raised in a German lake or
The civil war in Sri Lanka was a bitterly fought one between the minority Tamils and the majority Sinhalas. The Tamil-speaking population – which has its
sympathisers in the people of Tamil Nadu, bound as the two are by a common language – was demanding a separate homeland in the northern parts of Sri Lanka. For 30 years, the two communities battled, ruining the economy and causing unimaginable suff ering among the common people. In the end, the Tamils lost, and their leader, Vellupillai Prabhakaran, who headed a militant organisation called Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), was brutally shot dead by the Sri Lankan army. The strife in terms of human displacement with one million Tamils now living outside their homeland, is only comparable to World War II.
But while so many fi lms have been made about the Holocaust and the Nazi atrocities on Jews – with six million of them being killed
in gas chambers – not many movies have been made on the Sri Lankan confl ict. The most important reason is the intense hostility towards any such fi lm – both from the Tamils in India and the Indian authorities. While the Tamils imagine every movie on the subject to be pro-Sinhala, the Central Board of Film Certifi cation in India feels that any work even remotely talking about the Sri Lankan issue has the potential to create communal disturbance. Outside offi cialdom, Indian extremist groups are always targeting such cinema.
The famous Lankan auteur, Prassana Vithanage’s With You Without You – a really touching drama about a Sinhala soldier-turned-pawn-broker who marries a Tamil girl – was stopped from being screened in Chennai at the eleventh hour by Tamil chauvinists, who felt that the movie was pro-Sinhala. It was not. By no stretch of imagination, I would say.
Another fi lm fi ghting it out is Sherine Xavier’s Muttruppulliyaa (Is It A Full Stop?). This is a 105-minute documentary that narrates the true story of a Tamil Tiger rebel who has a hard time raising her three children after the war ends in 2009. Her husband had been
captured by the Lankan army.The protagonist’s agony has been detailed
in all its stark brutality in a movie which also explores the horrid plight of hundreds of women desperately searching for their missing husbands. There is a lot of real footage with recreated sequences.
The documentary was ready in 2015, but it took years for Xavier to get an Indian censor certifi cate. Exhibition in Sri Lanka is out of the question. Now armed with Indian rights, Xavier’s search for a distributor has begun. There is none to be seen even on the horizon, for theatres know that they will receive threats from fringe groups once a release date is announced. No cinema is willing to see vandalism on its premises.
Another fi ery fi lmmaking activist is Leena Manimekalai. In 2003, she began making documentaries, and it was one such project which took her to Dhanushkodi – on the island of Rameshwaram – that was wiped out during a severe cyclone in the early 1960s.
“I thought I would do a documentary on Rosemary, a character who appears in my fi ction feature, Sengadal (2011)”, Manimekalai
told me in the course of a chat in Chennai. “I began my project in 2009 – the year the 30-year ethnic war in Sri Lanka ended. I had been a part of the Tamil resistance movement in Chennai. I will call myself pro-Tamil, but not pro-LTTE. So you fi nd yourself in a no-man’s land, and you are at once seen as an enemy.”
This is one reason why Sengadal or Dead Sea attracted problems. “But I was fascinated by the stories of Sri Lankan Tamils who had suff ered at the hands of both the country’s predominantly Sinhala military and the dictatorial attitude of the LTTE. One of them, Rosemary, was the widow of a Tamil fi shermen who was killed by the Sri Lankan Navy. She then landed in the refugee camp at Dhanushkodi. There are 300 families there even today. And Rosemary helped me discover the distraught families. When I found that each one of them had a story to say, I decided that I must cross over to the realm of fi ction to narrate something powerful. Sengadal happened,” Manimekalai said.
She had a massive issue with the Censor Board before Sengadal got a screening certifi cate. But, of course. She wondered why when there are so many movies on the Nazis and Jews, we should be so touchy about the Sri Lankan Tamils. A million of them were displaced during the war, and there are so many stories to be told about them.
Sengadal, Prasanna Vithanage’s With You Without You and Jaques Audiard’s Dheepan – which won the Palm dÓr last year at Cannes – are perhaps three of the very few fi lms on this subject.
Manimekalai is planning two movies – one on the controversial Kerala poet, Kamala Das (whose conversion to Islam caused a lot of ill-feeling towards her), and the other titled Sunshine – a story about the tragedy of the cargo ship, Sun Sea, which sailed with 492 Sri Lankan Tamils from Thailand to Canada, but was not allowed to dock. A lot of people died. The year was 2010, and there was a lot of worldwide suspicion about Sri Lankans. It was assumed that most of them were LTTE rebels.
Be that as it may, Manimekalai seems all set to sail on one perilous journey after another, passionate as she is with opening the Pandora’s Box of heart-wrenching tales of simple suff ering folks from an island nation.
Gautaman Bhaskaran has been writing on Indian and world cinema for
Leena Manimekelai seems to be all set to sail on one perilous journey after another.
A still from Sengadal.
A screen grab from Muttrupullia.
Wednesday, March 15, 2017 15GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYHOLLYWOOD
By Glenn Gamboa
Valerie June shocked music fans when she burst on the scene in 2013 with her powerful major-label debut Pushin’ Against a Stone.
Her delivery was so unexpectedly raw and potent that more attention went to how she said things rather than what she was saying. On her masterful follow-
up The Order of Time (Concord), June strengthens her songwriting to create a package as stunning as her voice.
Slip Slide on By sits at the intersection of country, blues and R&B, with June’s laid-back delivery stoking a slow burn, aided by a warm horn-and-organ backdrop. She doesn’t need to raise her voice to raise the song’s emotional stakes; it’s built into the structure. The longer they “just slip slide on by,” the more the relationship becomes untenable.
On the wrenching Long Lonely Road, she rolls out how keeping the truth hidden creates painful separation. “Folks thought we had it made ‘cause we always kept a face,” she sings over a simple, dreamy backdrop. “Meanwhile there are bills to pay and the stack growing every day.” To hammer home that feeling, June cleverly repeats the chorus so often it takes on the sound of tires on the freeway, creating a sense of victory simply by moving forward.
Finding purpose in repetitive
struggle is one of June’s favourite themes dating back to Workin’ Woman Blues and Pushin’ Against a Stone, though it is more developed here. Luckily, June applies her growing talents to more joyful moments as well. The gorgeous Got Soul unspools over a groove worthy of a Motown rhythm section, as fi ddles and horns and organs take their turns in the spotlight. She declares, “Yeah I got soul, yeah I got sweet soul” as an unquestionable victory that she’s willing to share, bringing The Order of Time to a glorious close.
June has found her niche and she is ready to make the most of it. —Newsday
King Kong: Pop culture icon still roaring in ‘17
REIGNING KONG: A still from Kong: Skull Island.
IMPRESSIVE: Valerie June.
By Clint O’Connor
He’s a lover, not a fi ghter.
The big ape called King Kong has been a chest-pounding pop culture icon for nearly
85 years. But for all of his destructive ways, the hairy heap of horror has a heart. More specifi cally, he has a thing for winsome blondes: Fay Wray in 1933, Jessica Lange in 1976, Naomi Watts in 2005.
Filmmakers have not been satisfi ed with big-fi sted showdowns vs. creepy creatures and meddling mortals. The calamity in Kong is always accompanied by a love story: Beauty and the Beast writ large.
The blueprint: Greedy humans stumble onto Kong’s island and greet the beast with a mix of fear and fascination. Many people die. Kong takes a shine to a somewhat scantily clad blonde. The humans bring the
oversized ape back to the “civilised” world of Manhattan to exploit him for fi nancial gain. Much urban mayhem ensues. Kong breaks free from his shackles but is ultimately undone by his aff ections for the woman who, in turn, actually digs the big galoot.
That reliable formula is upended, however, in Hollywood’s latest beastly off ering, Kong: Skull Island.
This time, the beauty is played by Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson (Room). She co-stars as Mason Weaver, a fearless photojournalist who arrives on Skull Island with a band of soldiers and scientists who — you guessed it — get more than they bargained for.
Larson’s Weaver is neither damsel in distress nor blonde. And though she does develop a connection with Kong, their relationship is not the fi lm’s driving force. That would be the amazing battles between Kong and his enemies.
The other twist that rides shotgun in the fi lms is that we often fi nd
ourselves rooting for Kong. We feel for the enormous roaring dude. I don’t ever remember cheering for the shark in Jaws. But Kong is a sympathetic fi gure.
Since the release of the fi rst fi lm in 1933, there have been loads of spinoff s, rip-off s, sequels, spoofs, books, comics and mash-ups. (Does anyone recall King Kong vs Godzilla from 1962?) There was also an endearing Saturday morning cartoon show in the 1960s with a catchy theme song: King Kong/ You know the name of King Kong/ You know the fame of King Kong/ Ten times as big as a man!
To get you properly pumped for Kong: Skull Island, here is a breakdown of the three major Kong fi lms.
King Kong (1933) Directed by Merian C. Cooper and
Ernest B. Schoedsack, with Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot.
Released at the height of the Great
Depression (34 million Americans were out of work), the original was a broad form of escapism and a smash hit that saved its studio, RKO, from bankruptcy. If nothing else, Wray, as Ann Darrow, had a set of lungs—she became the “Queen of Scream”—and the climax with Kong fi ghting planes atop the Empire State Building remains an iconic cinema moment. (“It was beauty killed the beast.”) Though the special eff ects were primitive, they were also very good. The fi lm holds up today as a camp classic.
King Kong (1976). Directed by John Guillermin, with
Jessica Lange, Jeff Bridges, Charles Grodin.
It was promoted as “the most exciting and original motion picture event of all time!” Uh, no, no and defi nitely not. Original? It’s the worst of the bunch. Over-acting abounds. Lange, in her movie debut, fi nds herself in Kong’s clutches on
an island, at sea and in New York. This time, the beast battles fl ame-throwers and helicopters in the fi nale atop the twin towers of the World Trade Center. It’s a long way down.
King Kong (2005). Directed by Peter Jackson, with
Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody.
Jackson was coming off the great success of The Lord of the Rings trilogy and created a big budget ($207 million) 3-D extravaganza that was a remake, homage and something new all in one. He devotedly returned the plot to the Depression and 1933 and brought back a screaming Ann Darrow (Watts), airplanes and the Empire State Building. The results were mixed. It’s visually stunning, but remarkably lifeless at times. And long. It runs more than three hours. Nothing succeeds like excess. —Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio)
Valerie June delivers soulful masterpiece
Wednesday, March 15, 201716 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Borrow a bank robber: The ‘living library’ shares true life stories
By Olivia Konieczny
Dietmar is one of the bestsellers today. The youths listen spellbound as he tells them how 35 years
ago he robbed a bank – because he needed money so he could marry his girlfriend.
He almost got away with it, escaping for a whole year before he was arrested, charged and sentenced to four years in jail.
He served 29 months and got parole.
“Only stupid people do something like that,” says the 60-year-old now. He was angry with himself for a long time. “In the meantime I’ve come to terms with it.”
Thanks to his friends, he found his way in life again after leaving jail.
Now he’s happy to tell people about it and let them ask questions – it’s part of a programme called the “Living Library” organised by the charity Caritas in the German city of Cologne.
People with unusual life stories
volunteer themselves as “books” and others are allowed to “borrow” them and “read” them.
Just like real books, the volunteers have titles, like for example, “Jewish and gay: Doubly Cursed?” “Escape from Syria” or “Born at the Front Line.”
Today the “Living Library” has come to the Robert-Wetzlar Vocational College in Bonn.
Students at the college can select “books” and talk to them in groups. The loan period is 30 minutes, if the “book” hasn’t been reserved, it can be extended and the volunteers can be “lent out” four or fi ve times a day.
The fi nal condition is that the “books” have to be returned mentally and physically undamaged.
“What happened to the money?” one student asked Dietmar. “I burned it,” he says. The students laugh. “Well, all right, I did get married, got the fl at sorted out, bought a car,” concedes Dietmar.
“I’d imagined it all being a bit more dramatic,” says 18-year-old Matea.
“You wouldn’t know it to look at him,” adds Aleyna, also 18.
The students had imagined
a bank robber to look slightly diff erent. How? They’re not sure, but defi nitely not with grey hair, glasses and a stripy scarf.
As well as Dietmar, there are 10 other “books” at the school today. They include 54-year-old Britta, who has been blind for 10 years and has had 17 operations on her eyes.
“Everything’s quite dark now,” she says.
Bernd, 63, used to be homeless. Nerges is a liberal young Muslim, Curt is a 66-year-old gay man who works for the Catholic Church.
Joern is “the alcoholic in the group,” he says. As his talk continues, the group looks more and more moved.
Binge-drinking at parties, they know all about that and that’s how it started for Joern, now 56. He’s been dry for two years now.
Alcohol isn’t seen as a drug, he says. “People get drunk everywhere. Just think, they do it just to get to know girls.” The youths nod.
“Alcohol kind of belongs to it,” says Jule, 18. Afterwards, she says, “there were 1,000 other questions I’d like to have asked him.”
Caritas consultant Sabine Kern is responsible for the project, the idea
for which originated in Denmark and which she stumbled across in Vienna. She decided to adopt it for Caritas.
That was in 2013 and a year later the fi rst “living books” were made available at a street festival. That was a test, and it worked, says Kern.
It’s now become a permanent programme and Kern has lent out 300 living books to around 800 readers in the Rhineland.
They are lent out where they’re invited – at community halls, clubs, schools, markets, conferences, even to the regional parliament.
Kern researches her “books” on the Internet, and fi nds them in clubs and news reports. And she also uses the partners who use the “books” as a potential source for new ones.
“Somebody usually know someone who’s had such-and-such an experience, or with such-and-such a story,” she says.
Sometimes the events have a theme, like escape, religion or addiction.
“I always try to get the books locally,” says Kern, explaining that it makes dialogue easier.
She now has a whole databank of
volunteers who are always ready to take part in the “living library.”
“We want people to meet people they would never otherwise come across,” she says.
Many people have fi xed ideas or even prejudices about certain topics, they don’t know anybody aff ected, she says.
“We want to create a space for questions that otherwise wouldn’t be acceptable to ask,” she says, adding that in everyday life there’s a lot of questions people don’t dare pose.
The “books” get their expenses, but are otherwise unpaid.
Each one has their reasons for taking part. “I found out that lots of people are afraid of encountering others, fears that are based on ignorance,” says Britta.
“I want to take people’s fears away so that they can deal with them without prejudice.” She believes both sides profi t.
Bernd now has his own fl at. “At some point I understood that I could tell my story to others,” he said. Joern wants to warn people with his tale, while Dietmar wants to tell young people, “If you’ve got a problem, confi de in somebody!” – DPA
Dietmar, right, who once robbed a bank and served jail time for it, speaks to a circle of young people in vocational training in Bonn, Germany.
