DOHA 14°C—19°C TODAY PUZZLES 12 & 13 D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 11 L P Tuesday, February 21, 2017 Jumada I 24, 1438 AH Community ‘Nour, A Girl of the Desert’ – a celebration of Qatari identity with its music – will be performed this Friday. P6 P16 Community Doctors fleeing war- torn countries to work in Europe are discovering they need a new kind of perseverance to deal with German bureaucracy. Unequal pitch By age 6, girls are less likely than boys to think that they can be brilliant, says research. P4-5 COVER STORY
Transcript
DOHA 14°C—19°C TODAY PUZZLES 12 & 13D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 11L P
Tuesday, February 21, 2017Jumada I 24, 1438 AH
Community‘Nour, A Girl of the Desert’ – a celebration
of Qatari identity with its music – will be performed this Friday.
P6 P16 CommunityDoctors fleeing war-torn countries
to work in Europe are discovering they need a new kind of perseverance to deal with German bureaucracy.
Unequal pitchBy age 6, girls are less likely than boys to think
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Tuesday, February 21, 20172 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY ROUND & ABOUT
SplitDIRECTED BY: M. Night ShyamalanWRITTEN BY: M. Night ShyamalanCAST: James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu
RichardsonSynopsis: Split is an American psychological horror
fi lm written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan. The fi lm stars James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy and Betty Buckley and follows a man with 23 diff erent personalities who kidnaps three girls. It is a thematic sequel to Shyamalan’s fi lm Unbreakable.
LOCATIONS: Villaggio
Fist FightDIRECTION: Richie KeenWRITTEN BY: Van Robichaux, Evan SusserCAST: Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Tracy Morgan SYNOPSIS: Fist Fight is an American comedy fi lm directed
by Richie Keen and written by Van Robichaux and Evan Susser.
The fi lm stars Ice Cube, Charlie Day, Christina Hendricks, Jillian Bell and Tracy Morgan and follows two teachers who plan to fi ght each other after one of them gets fi red.
LOCATIONS: Gulf Mall, Villaggio, Royal Plaza, The Mall, Landmark, City Centre
Mall Cinema (1): Running Shaadi:Com (Hindi) 2pm; Gold (2D) 4:15pm; The Last Face (2D) 6:15pm; Jolly LLB 2 (Hindi) 8:30pm; Munthirivallikal (Malayalam) 11:15pm.Mall Cinema (2): The Lego Batman Movie (2D) 3pm; The Lego Batman Movie (2D) 5pm; My Ex And Whys (Tagalog) 7pm; John Wick: Chapter 2 (2D) 9:15pm; Running Shaadi:Com (Hindi) 11:15pm.Mall Cinema (3): Munthirivallikal (Malayalam) 2pm; Fist Fight (2D) 4:45pm; The Lady Bloodfight (2D) 6:15pm; Fein Qalby (Arabic) 8pm; Fist Fight (2D) 10pm; The Remains (2D) 11:30pm.Landmark Cinema (1): Munthirivallikal (Malayalam) 2:15pm; Ballerina (2D) 5pm; The
Remains (2D) 6:30pm; Fist Fight (2D) 8:15pm; The Lady Bloodfight (2D) 9:45pm; Gold (2D) 11:30pm.Landmark Cinema (2): The Lego Batman Movie (2D) 2:30pm; The Lego Batman Movie (2D) 4:30pm; My Ex And Whys (Tagalog) 6:30pm; Jolly LLB 2 (Hindi) 8:45pm; John Wick: Chapter 2 (2D) 11:30pm.Landmark Cinema (3): Irada (Hindi) 2:30pm; The Last Face (2D) 4:30pm; Irada (Hindi) 6:45pm; Fein Qalby (Arabic) 9pm; Munthirivallikal (Malayalam) 11pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1): Munthirivallikal (Malayalam) 2:30pm; Fein Qalby (Arabic) 5:15pm; The Remains (2D) 7:30pm; Fist
Fight (2D) 9:15pm; Singam 3 (Tamil) 11pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2): The Lego Batman Movie (2D) 2pm; The Lego Batman Movie (2D) 4pm; John Wick: Chapter 2 (2D) 6pm; My Ex And Whys (Tagalog) 8:15pm; Munthirivallikal (Malayalam) 10:45pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3): Fist Fight (2D) 3pm; The Lady Bloodfight (2D) 5pm; Gold (2D) 7pm; Fein Qalby (Arabic) 9:15pm; The Last Face (2D) 11:15pm.Asian Town Cinema: Munthiri Vallikal (Malayalam) 4:30, 6, 7, 9, 10:30pm & 12am; Jolly Llb (Hindi) 5:45pm; Irada (Hindi) 8:30pm; Jomonte Suvisheshangal (Malayalam) 6:30pm; Singam 3 (Tamil) 9:30pm.
Picasso-Giacometti WHEN: Tomorrow to 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.
The exhibition is 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.
Screening of Kannada fi lm ChowkaWHEN: February 23WHERE: Westend Park Cinema (Asia
Town), Screen 1TIME: 7pmA special screening – only one show
– of new Kannada fi lm Chowka hits Doha this Thursday. Directed by Tharun Sudhir, Dwarakish Chitra’s 50th fi lm is an entertaining multi-starrer with an underlying message for the youth to contribute to the society. Four youngsters – Vijay Raghavendra, Prem Kumar, Diganth Manchale, and Prajwal Devaraj – from four diff erent eras end up in jail for no mistake of theirs. However, they reconcile to their fate until they meet an old man in jail who, too, is wrongly jailed. He inspires them to not waste their lives any longer. What these four men manage to do next is the rest of the story. For tickets, contact Subramanya Hebbagelu on 5564-1025.
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.
Motocross World Championship WHEN: February 24, 25WHERE: Losail Motocross TrackThe opening round of the 2017 FIM MXGP
World Championship will take place at the Losail Motocross Track for fi fth time in a row. General access is free-of-charge, while a Paddock ticket costs QR100 for the two days. VIP tickets are going for QR1,000 for the two days. For details of what’s included in the Paddock and VIP tickets, please visit the Losail Circuit Sports Club website. The tickets will be available at the Welcome Centre of the Losail Circuit Sports Club during the week of the event.
Revival of Qatar’s musical heritage and Qatari Folk singing programme
WHEN: 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: Telemann Concerto for Four Violins
WHEN: March 2TIME: 6pmWHERE: Museum of Islamic ArtThe monthly free chamber music concert
by members of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra in the atrium of Museum of Islamic Art will be on March 2, 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.
Secrets of the SimpsonsWHEN: March 5TIME: 7:30pm to 9:30pmWHERE: Shangri-La HotelIn this fun-filled PG13-
rated presentation loaded with cartoon clips, Mike Reiss, a four-time Emmy Award winning writer of the Simpsons show, tells you the stories and secrets from behind the show: dealing with celebrity guests, surprising critics (including George HW Bush) and even more surprising fans (Pope Benedict).
You do not have to love The Simpsons, or even have seen the show, to enjoy this presentation.
Mike Reiss has won some of the most prestigious awards in the world of entertainment, including four Emmys and a Peabody Award, during his twenty-six years writing for The Simpsons. He ran the show in Season 4, which Entertainment Weekly called “the greatest season of the greatest show in history.” In 2006, Mike received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Animation Writers Caucus.
Reiss has written jokes for such comedy legends as Johnny Carson, Joan Rivers, Garry Shandling and Pope Francis!
He is also an award-winning mystery writer, children’s book author and playwright.
A limited number of tickets are on sale at the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar offi ces in West Bay. The price is QR280 for adults and QR180 for children under 15, which includes dinner.
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 heir), prepare traditional Arabic coff ee and start a fi re. For further details, visit katara.net
Muhammad Ali: Tribute to a LegendDATE: Until February 25, 2017WHERE: Eastern Gallery, 4th Floor,
Museum of Islamic Art The temporary exhibition is curated by
Qatar Museums’ 3-2-1 Olympic and Sports Museum and presents a unique collection of artefacts from the boxing legend’s career, including photography from Ali’s outdoor exhibition bout at the Doha Stadium in 1971 and memorabilia spanning his journey to the 1960 Rome Olympics; Ali’s world title winning bout against Sonny Liston in 1964 and his final world title winning fight against Leon Spinks in New Orleans in 1978.
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
Fitness TrainingDATE: Sunday, Tuesday, ThursdayTIME: 6pm-7pmVENUE: MIA ParkThere are fi tness classes in the park on
Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday nights between 6 and 7pm. Open to all levels of fi tness, Bootcamp is an intensive and fun way to train and also meet new people in the open and friendly group atmosphere. More information, from Bootcamp, Qatar or [email protected]
Tuesday, February 21, 20174 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY COVER STORY
Buying the baitMany children assimilate the idea that brilliance is a male quality at a young age. This
stereotype begins to shape children’s interests as soon as it is acquired and is thus
likely to narrow the range of careers they will one day contemplate, researchers say
By Amina Khan
Why do so few women end up in physics, mathematics and other fi elds
traditionally associated with “brilliance”? Part of the answer may lie in what happens to girls by the time they’re out of kindergarten.
A new study fi nds that 6-year-old girls are less likely than boys to think members of their own gender can be brilliant — and they’re more likely than boys to shy away from activities requiring that exceptional
intelligence. That’s a serious change from their attitudes at age 5, when they’re just as likely as boys to think their own gender can be brilliant, and just as willing to take on those activities for brilliant children.
The results, described in the journal Science, shows how early these gender stereotypes begin to aff ect the self-perception and behaviour of girls — which may limit their aspirations and careers into adulthood.
“If we want to change young people’s minds and make things more equitable for girls, we really need to know when this problematic stereotype fi rst emerges, and then we know when to intervene to avoid
these negative consequences on girls’ educational decisions and their future career choices,” said lead author Lin Bian, a graduate student in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
The stereotype that men are better at math and science is a pervasive one, diffi cult to dislodge even at the highest echelons of higher education. In 2005, Harvard President Lawrence Summers stirred up controversy during a speech in which he said that women were underrepresented in the sciences in part because of “issues of intrinsic aptitude.”
And a study in the journal PLOS One last year found that men
in college-level biology classes consistently overestimated the performance of their male peers and underestimated the performance of their female classmates. (The women, by the way, evaluated their fellow students far more accurately in terms of performance, apparently without regard to gender.)
These ideas aren’t just a refl ection of perceived diff erences in gender, according to Bian and her colleagues. They are also a refl ection of perceived intelligence.
“Popular beliefs about ability associate not only specifi c cognitive processes (e.g., mathematical reasoning) with a particular gender but also the overall amount of
cognitive ability,” the study authors wrote. “It is commonly assumed that high-level cognitive ability (brilliance, genius, giftedness, etc.) is present more often in men than in women. This ‘brilliance (equals) males’ stereotype has been invoked to explain the gender gaps in many prestigious occupations.”
These stereotypes may have serious consequences for young women in college and their future careers. For example, the authors point out, previous research has shown that the idea that men are better than women at math actually impairs women’s performance and undermines their interest in math-related fi elds.
GIVING IN: Girls think of themselves as less brilliant than boys from an early age, the study reveals.
5Tuesday, February 21, 2017 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYCOVER STORY
But how far back does the stereotype that men are more likely to be “brilliant” start to shape the behaviours of young men and women? To fi nd out, the scientists set up a series of experiments to test the gender perceptions of 5-, 6- and 7-year-olds.
In one experiment, 96 children were told a story about a person who was “really, really smart” — a kid-friendly version of the word “brilliant” — but they weren’t told the person’s gender. The children were then asked to guess which of four adults, two men and two women, that person was. They were also shown pairs of adults — both women, both men, or a man and a woman — and asked to pick which adult in each pair was “really, really smart.” Finally, they completed puzzles in which they had to associate objects (such as a hammer) or attributes (including “smart”) with pictures of men and women.
The scientists found that between ages 5 and 7, children’s perceptions of brilliance go through fairly dramatic changes. At 5, boys and girls both associated brilliance with their own gender on roughly the same level. But by 6 and 7, girls were signifi cantly less likely than boys to associate brilliance with their own gender.
The second experiment replicated the fi rst one — except with 144 children who were asked to also rate kids, not just adults, in the tasks — and the results still held.
Strangely, when asked who got the best grades in school, the
older girls were just as likely as the younger ones to pick girls — and in fact, older girls were more likely than older boys to choose their own gender as getting the best grades.
This was consistent with the reality that girls do get better grades than boys at that age, the authors wrote.
“Nevertheless, there was no signifi cant correlation between girls’ perceptions of school achievement and their perceptions of brilliance,” the authors wrote. “Thus, girls’ ideas about who is brilliant are not rooted in their
perceptions of who performs well in school.”
The authors also tested whether these beliefs about gender and brilliance aff ected girls’ interests. The researchers had 64 6- and 7-year-olds play two games — one for “really, really smart” (i.e. “brilliant”) children and one for “children who try really, really hard.” Girls seemed drawn to the “hard-working” game about as much as boys — but they were signifi cantly less interested than boys were in the game for brilliant kids.
When the researchers repeated the study with 96 5- and 6-year-olds, however, they found no signifi cant diff erences in the 5-year-old girls’ and boys’ interest. (The 6-year-old girls, on the other hand, clearly had begun to lose their enthusiasm for the “smart” games.)
“The present results suggest a sobering conclusion: Many children assimilate the idea that brilliance is a male quality at a young age,” the authors wrote. “This stereotype begins to shape children’s interests as soon as it is acquired and is thus likely to narrow the range of careers
they will one day contemplate.”That this shift occurs around
age 5 may have to do with children entering more formal school scenarios, where they’re exposed to many other people (both children and adults), said Yarrow Dunham, a developmental psychologist at Yale University who was not involved in the study.
It’s unclear which of the myriad social infl uences happening at the time could be contributing to girls’ shift in self-perception, he added. It’s possible, for example, that teachers might be unconsciously reinforcing stereotypes by how they respond to boys and girls in the classroom. Or perhaps the exposure to history books that mostly feature men causes children to assume that women are largely absent because they were less intelligent (rather than because of laws and social mores that for centuries treated women as second-class citizens). For now, the complex causes of these stereotypes remain an open question.
“It is disheartening and it really calls for some thought about identifying what are the causal variables,” Dunham said. “Is it teachers? Is it the kind of historical materials that they’re exposed to? Because some of those will be easier fi xes than others. And so identifying which is the main causal variable seems pretty important.”
Identifying those variables will be the fi rst step to fi guring out how to weed out these stereotypes as soon as they take root. —Los Angeles Times/TNS
TALL ORDER: By ages 6 and 7, girls were significantly less likely than boys to associate brilliance with their own gender.
“It is commonly assumed that high-level cognitive ability (brilliance, genius, giftedness, etc.) is present more often in men than in women. This ‘brilliance (equals) males’ stereotype has been invoked to explain the gender gaps in many prestigious occupations,” say researchers
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Teacher Celia Cendejas leads Pre-K students in the School Readiness Learning Development Program at Dorris Place Elementary School in Los Angeles.
Tuesday, February 21, 20176 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
‘Nour, A Girl of the Desert’ – a celebration of Qatari
identity with its musicThe family concert will be performed at the Katara Opera House on Friday
By Anand Holla
Rarely do we encounter a concert drama that manages to faithfully translate the richness of Qatari cultural heritage while spinning a musical narrative for
all ages. A labour of artistic love of four top talents, Nour is that special project.
Directed by Svetlana Schmitz and MAias Alyamani, the family concert ‘Nour, A Girl of the Desert’, is sure to win the appreciation and applause of a prospective full house at the Katara Opera House, where it premieres this Friday evening – tickets are priced at QR75. Syrian violinist and composer Alyamani, the founder of MAqam Ensemble, has composed the music, which will be performed by him and other musicians of the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra (QPO).
Alyamani’s music uses Qatari-oriental melodies to celebrate Qatari identity, establishing a dialogue with the audience in a playful manner. His music introduces the rich world of Arabic sounds to young
and old alike, we are told. Svetlana Schmitz of ACTory has written the story. Along with Tamara Schaefer of ACTory, she will perform with costumes and sets. Kindergarten and drama teacher Schmitz and drama teacher Schaefer founded the theatre duo ‘ACTory’ in 2014, here in Doha, and since then, they have “enchanted kids as well as adults with a variety of theatre such as shadow theatre or scenic plays”. To top it off, the performance will be accompanied by Christoph Schmitz as narrator.
Clearly a celebration and a hearty exploration of the Qatari identity with its music, why was it necessary for Alyamani and his friends to present Nour, in the form of a musical show? “I have lived in Doha for almost 10 years, and as a member of this society, I have always wanted to participate in building the cultural scene of this country. As a musician, the best way with which I could contribute to Qatar, I feel, was to make a musical which represents me as a musician,” Alyamani tells Community, just four days before the big concert. “I met Svetlana who had the same enthusiasm to make something artistic and celebratory
for this country. So we started to work on this project together. Svetlana wrote a nice libretto and we worked together to create Nour with our friends Tamara and Christoph.”
At the heart of the story is Nour, a girl whose family lives in a village in the desert. Her grandfather teaches her to play the oud, showing Nour how music can tell stories about desert life. Though her parents don’t encourage her, Nour practices a lot. One day the family moves to a big city. What appears to be an exciting adventure turns into a big challenge for Nour. But with inner strength and her love of the oud, she finds her way and connects with her new world.
Alyamani says, “What I like about traditional Qatari music is how very pure and honest it sounds. And for me, as a composer, I find it easy to work with Qatari musical elements since they are original and have a unique character to them, which only helps while composing. Moreover, I am lucky to forge a wonderful musical collaboration with Qatari composer Dana Alfardan, who is putting in great efforts to support the culture in Qatar. My collaboration with her helped me to also
work and understand Qatari music from another perspective, which in turn helped me in writing the music of Nour.”
How challenging then was it for Alyamani and his three friends to create a moving musical story that would also be easily accessible for the audience? “Actually, it was very difficult. We are still in the phase of modifying and changing bits, which will continue until the last moment,” he says. “What is special about this kind of a project is that every performance is different and unique. We have a great experience with interactive shows, and we will enjoy this together with the audience.”
As for the current music scene in Qatar, Alyamani feels it’s moving in the right direction. “It’s going great. Musically, QPO plays the most important role in Qatar in addition to the music group ensembles in Qatar, established by members of the Qatar Philharmonic. We have a wonderful production team in Doha, wonderful studios, and concert halls. What we miss is more music festivals and the support for local music groups. We are lucky to come together and create the music scene in this country which we love,” he says.
From left, Tamara Schaefer, Svetlana Schmitz, MAias Alyamani and Christoph Schmitz. Photo by Georges Yammine
7Tuesday, February 21, 2017 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
A snapshot of Nepali community organisations working in Qatar
President of the Gorkha Welfare Society. President of Kaski Ideal Welfare Society.
President of Khotang Youth Society. President of Chitwan Youth Group.
Acting President of Myagdi Non-Resident Nepali Association.
Former president of Morang Sunsari Welfare Society.
By Usha Wagle Gautam
There are more than 130 Nepali community organisations in Qatar, representing the 75 districts and ethnic blocks of Nepal.
Khotang Youth Society (KYS) was the first to be established in Qatar in 1998. Its first working committee was led by Madhav Kirati. The Embassy of Nepal in Qatar had not been set up back then, and KYS aimed to assist workers with any problems they were facing pertaining to their documents.
Gradually, Nepali community organisations in Qatar proliferated. Many of these organisations have used their platforms to channel funds to their home districts. Some have donated ambulances, others have supported street and orphaned children. They have built libraries, water taps and have provided clothes to underprivileged people and disaster survivors.
The organisations also do their bit in Qatar, frequently organising beach cleaning and blood donation programmes. Many also actively participate in and volunteer for Qatari national events and celebrations. They also assisted the Embassy of Nepal recently as it worked to replace handwritten Nepali passports with Machine Readable Passports.
Another important contribution of these organisations is the active teaching of Qatari traffic rules and laws to the large number of new recruits that land in the country. Many of the organisations meet every month in Muntazah Park to discuss plans for their future programmes.
The organisations are also active in organising sporting programmes and competitions, including volleyball, football and cricket matches and tournaments. These activities help rejuvenate workers.
Community caught with some of these organisations and talked about their activities. Following are the excerpts.
Gorkha Welfare SocietyThe Gorkha Welfare Society (GWS)
is a not-for-profi t and non-political organisation. Established in 2003, the society aims to keep up the well-being of its members and help each other during the times of diffi culty, such as grave injuries, illnesses and loss of life. GWS also focuses on promoting Nepali culture and tourism.
GWS was recently registered in Nepal in the Gorkha district, west of Kathmandu, and has started social services. GWS collect funds through membership fees and other donations, and has used the funds to conduct free-of-charge medical check-up programmes in Gorkha district, provide medical equipment to hospitals, assistance to kidney patients and air tickets to Nepali workers who face problems with their documentation. GWS also provides funds to support senior citizens and people with disabilities, disaster survivors and scholarships to
disadvantaged children.
Chitwan Youth GroupEstablished in 2001, the Chitwan Youth
Group (CYG) has time and again initiated programmes to support non-resident community in many ways. Founding president, Sagar Nepal says CYG is supporting Nepali workers who suff er from failing health, accidents and personal tragedies. CYG is registered in Chitwan district, also west of Kathmandu, and also with Social Welfare Council (SWC), a governing body of all non-governmental organisations of Nepal.
Khotang Youth SocietyKhotang Youth Society (KYS) was
established in 1998. KYS is run by a 21-member working committee. KYS has provided fi nancial and social support to accident survivors and family members of the dead. It provides free air tickets to needy workers, material support to earthquake survivors, scholarships to deserving Nepali students and organises cultural and musical programmes. KYS members collect monthly savings, and also sell T-shirts with the name and logo of the society to generate funds. KYS is planning to provide ambulance and medical equipment to a remote hospital in Khotang, eastern hill district of Kathmandu.
Morang Sunsari Welfare SocietyMorang Sunsari Welfare Society (MSWS)
actively provides rescue and fi nancial support, and legal and social consultancy to needy workers. It also co-operates with other organisations to support the victimised people of Nepal. Established in 2001 with a working committee led by Tilak Adhikari, MSWS regularly organises social, cultural and sport programmes. It has provided ambulances, funds for orphaned children, scholarships to deserving students. It has also conducted free eye camps, blood donation drives and disaster relief programmes.
Myagdi Non-Resident Nepali
AssociationMyagdi Non-Resident Nepali
Association (MNRNA) was established in 2003 with Prem Rasaili as its leader. MNRNA is working on an ambitious project to create a free Wi-Fi zone in the remote Nepali district of Myagdi. The association has also funded medical support for people in need, helped disaster survivors and needy workers.
Kaski Ideal Welfare Society Kaski Ideal Welfare Society (KIWS)
provides support to Nepali migrant workers from Kaski district who may be involved in serious accidents at their work places and are in need of help. The KIWS has been helping workers with their documentation since 2002. The society has supported the victims of glacier bursts, arsons and fl oods in remote locations of Kaski districts, has provided educational support to kids from lower castes and poor backgrounds, and has set up drinking water pipes and provided ambulances. KIWS chairman Man Bahadur Rana Magar says they will continue with their activities, while coming up with a plan to promote tourism in Kaski district.
Tuesday, February 21, 20178 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Bhavan’s Public School bids farewell to its Class XII studentsThe staff and management of Bhavan’s Public School bid farewell to its first batch of outgoing Class XII students at its Al Wakrah campus recently. J K Menon, Acting Chairman, Bhavan’s Public School, was the chief guest. The students were also given their hall tickets at the farewell.
IIS bids farewell to outgoing Class XII studentsIdeal Indian School bid farewell to its outgoing students of Class XII recently. Principal Syed Shoukath Ali wished the outgoing students good luck and reminded them of their responsibilities as students and future citizens of the world. Students excelling in curricular and extracurricular activities were acknowledged on the occasion. Seen here are the winners of the Special Awards with the principal and heads of sections.
9Tuesday, February 21, 2017 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Birla Public School fetes Doha Bank CEO Dr R SeetharamanBirla Public School accorded a warm reception recently to Dr R Seetharaman, CEO, Doha Bank, on his being awarded Pravasi Bharatiya Samman (PBS) 2017. Birla Public School Chairman Lukose K Chacko, Hassan Chougle, Balasubramaniyan Padhmanabhan, Ganesan Ramakrishnan, Radhakrishnan, Jayasankar, and Gopal off ered felicitations. The school’s founding chairman, Dr Mohan Thomas, welcomed and paid tributes to the achievements of Dr Seetharaman. Indian ambassador P Kumaran was the chief guest at the function. Dr Seetharaman thanked the Birla Public School management and said, “India today is poised for a giant leap from the ranks of developing countries to developed countries. Indian citizens living outside India also have a responsibility on this progress and hence should look forward to contributing to the welfare of India. This can be done through remittances, investments, trade and other routes as well. I believe that the Indian diaspora in GCC can play an important role in the above areas and thereby promote bilateral relationships between GCC and India. This award further inspires me to contribute to the strengthening of bilateral relationships between GCC and India. Birla Public School has promoted education beyond India borders and in Qatar as well. These kids are in the digital world and believe in adopting global citizenship values. These are also vital for promoting cross border relationships between countries.”PBS is an award instituted by the Ministry of Overseas Indian Aff airs, Government of India and is conferred on Indians serving abroad for their meritorious and exceptional contribution in any field of community and public service.This year the 14th award ceremony was held from January 7 to 9 on the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (Non-Resident Indian Day) in Bengaluru, India. The award was given away by the President of India with Dr Antonio Costa, Prime Minister of the Republic of Portugal, as the chief guest. Dr R Seetharaman, the Group Chief Executive Off icer of Doha
Bank and an economic expert, has achieved remarkable success in banking, trade, economics, investment, environment, social responsibility and charity. He is the recipient of multiple doctorates from leading universities of the world, including PhD degrees in ‘Green Banking and Sustainability’ and in ‘Global Governance.’ He was also conferred Doctorate of Law by Washington College and ‘Doctorate of Honoris Causa’ by European University, both in 2012. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds a certificate in IT systems and Corporate Management, and also a Gold medallist in Bachelor of Commerce.Dr Seetharaman transformed Doha Bank into one of the best performing banks in the Middle East. He is invited on a regular basis by international media such as BBC, CNN, FOX, CNBC,
Sky News, ABC and Bloomberg to share his views. He is also an active promoter of economic co-operation and cross border investment opportunities between the GCC and the rest of the world. An influential environmentalist on the global stage, he has proactively created awareness on Global Warming across the globe through a host of seminars and other initiatives. He is a philanthropist, who has proactively contributed towards the underprivileged sections of society. He has received many awards and accolades, including “Green Economy Visionary Award” in 2016 by Union of Arab Banks (UAB), “Lifetime Achievement Award” by The Banker Middle East, “Best CEO in Middle East”, “World Leader Business Person”, “The Gullands Excellence Award as a Phenomenal Banker” to name a few.
InterContinental Residence donates to Qatar Cancer SocietyQatar Cancer Society (QCS) has received a donation from InterContinental Residence hotel for cancer patients unable to pay for their treatment costs. Omar al-Twaissi, the Marketing Co-ordinator of QCS, thanked InterContinental Residence hotel for the gesture. He pointed to the importance of community partnerships and said that QCS cannot work in isolation. He also added that people need more awareness about cancer.
Renault-Nissan Alliance delivers signifi cant growth in 2016
The Renault-Nissan Alliance delivered significant growth in 2016, with global sales of 9.96 million vehicles. The car group also reinforced its leadership in zero-emission vehicles with cumulative sales of nearly 425,000 electric vehicles since the introduction of the Nissan LEAF in 2010, followed by the Renault ZOE.The Alliance sales figures include Mitsubishi Motors sales of 934,013 vehicles globally. Mitsubishi Motors joined the Alliance last fall with Nissan’s acquisition of a 34 percent equity stake in the company.“The combination of Groupe Renault, Nissan Motors and Mitsubishi Motors creates a new force in the global auto industry,” said chairman and CEO Carlos Ghosn. “The strength of this innovative partnership that began 18 years ago has allowed us to improve our competitiveness, boost our growth and engage in the race for the vehicle of the future.”The Alliance brands accounted for about one in nine cars sold worldwide last year. Groupe Renault’s sales were up 13.3 percent to 3,182,625 vehicles in 2016 for the last year of the “Drive the Change” plan. This marked the fourth consecutive year of sales growth with a record year-on-year increase of 374,000 units.Both Renault and Dacia brands had a record year in terms of sales volumes and Renault Samsung Motors volumes were up by 38.8 percent. Market share and sales volumes are up in all regions, with the Renault brand becoming No. 2 in Europe.Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. sold a record 5,559,902 cars and trucks worldwide,
up 2.5 percent. In the USA and China, the company achieved sales growth of 5.4 percent and 8.4 percent respectively, setting new records in both markets. Infiniti sold over 230,000 vehicles in 2016, a 7 percent increase from the previous year. In December alone, Infiniti sold 27,200 vehicles, an 18 percent increase versus the prior year.Mitsubishi Motors sold 934,013 cars worldwide, down 13 percent. Sales grew in the United States and Australia, but were off set by lower sales in Brazil, Russia, and the Middle East. Japan sales were also aff ected by lower consumer confidence following the fuel consumption issue.Through Nissan’s partnership with Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan expects to target synergy benefits worth 24 billion yen in fiscal year 2017, rising to 60 billion yen in fiscal year 2018 and beyond. The gains will contribute to increased earnings per share worth an estimated 4 yen per share in fiscal year 2017 and 10 yen per share in fiscal year 2018 – on top of any earnings accretion linked to Nissan’s overall shareholding in Mitsubishi Motors.AVTOVAZ, which sells cars under the LADA brand, sold 284,807 vehicles. Together, the Renault-Nissan Alliance and AVTOVAZ sell about one in three cars in Russia.
Sustained leadership in electric vehiclesThe Renault-Nissan Alliance, with Mitsubishi Motors, cumulatively sold 424,797 electric vehicles through 2016, making it the undisputed leader in zero-emission mobility.The Nissan LEAF, the first mainstream, mass-marketed electric vehicle, remains the world’s best-selling EV with
more than 250,000 vehicles sold since its launch in December 2010.In addition to the LEAF, Nissan also sells the e-NV200, a light commercial vehicle sold mainly in Europe and Japan since 2014. Renault has sold more than 112,000 electric vehicles worldwide since 2011, including the Renault ZOE, Kangoo Z.E., Fluence Z.E., the SM3 Z.E. and the Twizy.Renault was at the top of the European EV market last year, with sales up by 11 percent at 25,648 units (excluding Twizy). ZOE led the EV ranking with 21,735 sold. Renault Pro+ recently announced the addition of two new commercial EVs to its lineup: the New Kangoo Z.E. and Master Z.E.In 2016, the Renault-Nissan Alliance, including Mitsubishi Motors i-Miev series, sold 94,265 EVs, up more than 8 percent from 2015.
Boosting innovation for the vehicle of the futureIn 2016, the Renault-Nissan Alliance took several steps to advance the development of future vehicles that will be electric, autonomous and connected.The Alliance plans to launch at least 10 models with autonomous drive functionality by 2020. Development and tests of connectivity and autonomous drive technologies are underway with several partners, including Microsoft and Nasa.“We were the first to launch an aff ordable electric car back in 2010. Other major automakers are now recognising that EVs are the most eff ective zero-emission solution,” Ghosn said. “With autonomous drive and connected cars and services, we are firmly engaged in the race for the vehicle of the future.”
Tuesday, February 21, 201710 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY INFOGRAPHIC
11Tuesday, February 21, 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
Today the Moon shining in Leo shines on your fellow fire sign and
fifth house of romance, fun and creativity. What a great way to end
the work week. Make fun plans for the weekend.
It’s not always right for you to try to help others out when they really
do need to stand on their own two feet. If you overly mother and
nurture them, chances are they won’t learn much.
Uranus the planet of the unexpected remains standing strong in
your relationship zone, alongside lovers Venus and Mars. How you
work with others and play well with others is very important right
now.
Don’t let a friend talk you out of or into something today when
you’ve already well and truly made your mind up. You and you alone
know what’s best for you right now goats.
There is nothing better than finding like minded people, is there? You
often have very strong opinions about things and how wonderful is
it when those opinions are shared?
Avoid those people who want to mess with you today Leos. The
Moon in your sign is making things more emotional for you and you
should try to stay calm all day long.
Don’t put too much emphasis on a rumour or story floating around
today Scorpios. Listeners never hear good of themselves as they say.
Stop and make sure you know what you’re going to say to someone
before you go ahead and say it today. Mercury the communicator in
your sign is a huge help today.
Unless you really feel something has to be done, don’t go out of your
way to do it Gemini’s. Save your energy for the things and people
you really want to do and achieve.
Be optimistic today – even if things look grim or as if they won’t work
out. You of all people know just how much wonderful energy you
have in store and how much you keep in reserve.
The Moon in Leo, Venus, Mars and Uranus in Aries and Saturn in your
sign makes this a very fiery time indeed. You have more energy than
usual – so you should really tackle all those things that you’ve put in
the ‘too hard basket’.
Money and how you save it, spend it and appreciate it or waste it is
very important to you at this time. There are 3 major players in your
second house of self–worth and cash flow for the month of February.
So buying a new home tops your list of New Year’s resolutions. As you picture the big moment – the one where you pull up to your
dream home in your moving truck, sprint up and unlock your front door – you probably understand there’s something you need to do fi rst. You need to get your fi nances in shape.
Just like those who make resolutions to run a marathon,
making this big investment starts with a plan. Runners know that if they run a certain distance each day, it gets them closer to accomplishing their goal. By following a few tips to reach fi nancial fi tness goals, you, too can achieve the goal of home ownership.
Do those daily sprintsPeople who reach their fi tness
goals begin with a look at their
current habits and then make a plan to replace them with better ones. The same is true for homebuyers. First, look at the spending choices you’ve been making, and review three to six months’ worth of bank statements. Consider what is necessary and what needs to cut back. The goal is to trim the fat in your budget so you can use the extra money to reduce your debt and increase your savings.
Crunch your debtTake a look at your debts and
consider the monthly payments you make. Are there any debts standing in the way of making a house payment aff ordable? Those are the ones you want to knock out with an accelerated payment plan, using the money you freed up by cutting back on unnecessary expenses. Try focusing on one debt at a time, paying close attention to the ones with the highest interest rates to pay off fi rst.
Beef up your credit scoreThe good habits you exercise today
will make all the diff erence on your interest rate later. Put in the extra work to raise your credit score. Your credit score pulls together many details from your past and current debts as well as other fi nancial factors, and helps lenders determine your creditworthiness. Making the eff ort to raise your score is worthwhile because shaving off even one-quarter of a percentage point from a mortgage loan can potentially save you thousands of dollars in interest over the life of a 30-year mortgage.
Increase your intake of savingsEven when paying down debt,
it’s still a good idea to start a small savings plan so you have some cash to fall back on if, say, you need to go to the doctor or get new tires for your car. Start by opening a savings account and set up automatic
transfers each month. Even with $50 a month, you’ll have $600 in one year, which could bail you out of a number of small emergencies. Eventually, once your debts are paid off , you can divert those payments right into savings, which also can build your down payment for that new dream home
Prepare for the big eventAll these steps lead to one main
event: buying a home. Once you meet those smaller goals – following a budget, eliminating debt, raising your credit score, and saving for your down payment – you’re ready for the fi nal push toward home ownership. Following these habits can be challenging from a motivation standpoint. It takes patience, but once you’ve followed the steps to get fi nancially healthy, it is a very rewarding experience.
Buying your first home? Follow this plan to get fiscally fit
Tuesday, February 21, 201712 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY CARTOONS/PUZZLES
Adam
Pooch Cafe
Garfield
Bound And Gagged
Codeword
Wordsearch
Every letter of the alphabet is used at least once. Squares with the same number in have the same letter in. Work out which number represents which letter.
Justin Bieber has set a number of UK chart records over the last year
or so. But the Canadian heart-throb singer has now lost one of them
to Ed Sheeran.
The English singer/songwriter became the first artist in UK chart
history to hold the top two spots in the singles listings for five
successive weeks. This feat, with Shape Of You and Castle On The
Hill, surpassed Justin’s previous mark of four weeks which he set
during November and December, 2015, with Sorry and Love Yourself.
Holding numbers one and two has only been achieved by seven
artists in 60 years of the off icial UK singles chart. Of those, Ed is the
only one to do so with brand new songs. The Beatles, John Travolta,
John Lennon, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Madonna and Justin
Bieber all had at least one of their songs previously listed in the
charts.
The Shadows
There are many music fans who believe eight artists, rather than
seven, should be listed as holding the numbers one and two positions
on the same UK singles chart.
During the early 1960s, The Shadows were both Cliff Richard’s
backing band and an artist in their own right. Cliff ’s records were
actually credited to Cliff Richard and The Shadows. So it was that in
August, 1960, Please Don’t Tease by Cliff Richard and The Shadows
was at number one while Apache by The Shadows held second spot.
It happened twice more in 1963. The Next Time by Cliff Richard and
The Shadows held pole position with Dance On by The Shadows
at number two. The two records swapped places on the following
week’s chart. Exactly the same thing occurred later that year with
Cliff Richard and The Shadows’ Summer Holiday and The Shadows’
Foot Tapper.
For whatever reason, the Off icial Charts Company does not count
The Shadows’ contribution to their joint hits with Cliff Richard. But it
seems only fair that the group should at least be mentioned when
details are given of those artists who have been off icially credited as
simultaneously holding the top two spots on the UK singles chart.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga continues to enjoy a surge in record sales following her
spectacular half-time performance at Super Bowl 51.
Her UK sales increased by 1,605% from the previous week while
her US sales rose by well over 1000%. Gaga’s latest album, Joanne,
climbed 64 places to number two on the Billboard 200. Her 2009
album, The Fame Monster, also returned to the top ten at number six.
Gaga performed her most recent single, Million Reasons, during the
Super Bowl show. The second track taken from Joanne, it originally
peaked at a disappointing number 52 and had fallen out of the Hot
100. But the song stormed back into the listings at number four
equalling the record for the highest re-entry in the chart’s 58-year
history.
Gaga now shares the mark originally set by LL Cool J and Jennifer
Lopez with their 2006 single, Control Myself, and matched by Dixie
Chicks who re-entered the Hot 100 in 2007 with Not Ready to Make
Nice.
DJ Khaled / Jay-Z
DJ Khaled surprised fans with the unheralded release of a new single,
Shining. The first track taken from Grateful, his forthcoming tenth
studio album, it features vocals from Jay-Z and Beyonce.
The song can be heard on the Tidal streaming service but has also
been unoff icially posted at www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD92-
vOEUG8
Many of those leaving comments question how long it will be before
the threat of legal action forces the removal of this posting.
Jay-Z’s contribution to Shining has caused controversy. Fans have
pointed to lyrics which appear to make derogatory references to
Drake.
Without ever becoming embroiled in a full-on rap war, the two artists
have been involved in numerous disagreements over the years. What
issues they’ve had have always seemingly been resolved. Indeed,
Jay-Z made a lyrical contribution to Pop Style, a track on Drake’s 2016
album, Views.
But after Pop Style achieved singles success, Jay-Z’s vocals, along
with those of Kanye West, were omitted from the album version of
the song. It is thought that this may be the reason for his apparent
diss of Drake on Shining.
By Geoff rey Rowlands
With a real name of Timucin Fabian Kwong Wah Aluo, it’s perfectly understandable that the 29-year-old
London-based producer, DJ, musician and songwriter should select the short and simple Jax Jones for his stage moniker.
“I suppose I might have gone with Tim Aluo,” he laughed. “But I wanted something diff erent for my stage name. There is a saying about being alone which is being on your Jack Jones. I did all my early stuff alone so that gave me the idea of using the name Jack Jones.
“But I found there was already someone named Jack Jones in the music business. He’s an American singer who had hit records in the 1960s and won two Grammys. He’s quite elderly now but still performing so I couldn’t use his name. I decided on Jax Jones, which I think is actually more appropriate for someone who creates dance tracks.”
Tim/Jax could easily have pursued a high academic career. His schoolwork was so good that a place was on off er at Oxford University.
“I turned down the interview for Oxford and attended Brunel University in Uxbridge which is so much nearer the studio where I was creating my music. I appreciated the importance of a good
education but I always knew music was what I wanted to do in my career.”
He could have been a classical guitarist.
“I started learning classical guitar when I was about 11. But I began coming up with my own riff s. I wanted to be like Slash from Guns N’ Roses rather than the great classical guitarist Andres Segovia.”
His parents recognised their son’s talent. “They bought me a little four-track recorder. I used this to record my own music and was able to programme drums on to each song. The software became more sophisticated as I developed my ability.”
He also credits his parents, particularly his stepfather, for his eclectic musical taste.
“Mine was a multi-ethnic household. My mother is Malaysian. She was into music ranging from Kylie Minogue to Luther Vandross. My stepfather is Nigerian. He listened to a lot of blues and R&B plus African stuff .”
Having gained a following through posting his songs online, he found further fame through playing at open mic nights and producing grime tracks for artists such as Roadside Gs and Big Narstie. He also performed acclaimed DJ sets in prominent London clubs. An engagement to perform at the Capital Summertime Ball in 2013 set Jax on the road to chart stardom.
“Duke Dumont was also on the bill. He’d had a massive number one earlier
in the year with Need You (100%). I was a bit cheeky playing him some of my own songs during a break in rehearsals. Luckily, he liked my stuff and suggested we should work together. We created tracks such as Won’t Look Back and Ocean Drive but our biggest song from the collaboration was I Got U!”
The track proved hugely popular topping both the UK singles chart and Billboard’s dance Club Songs chart. But after enjoying such great success back in 2014, it seems surprising that Jax has taken so long to return to the upper reaches of the UK chart with his current top three hit, You Don’t Know Me.
“I’ve been so busy with other things. It’s not like being an artist who writes and records songs, puts them out and promotes them. That’s all they do. But there are so many aspects to my career. I produce other artists, do remixing work, collaborate on songs with other producers and DJs, plus perform my DJ shows. It doesn’t leave a lot of time to create my own music.”
His single, House Work, was a minor hit last year. But You Don’t Know Me has become a smash. Jax modestly credits the vocals of teenage singer Raye for much of the song’s popularity.
“People might remember her brilliant performance on Jonas Blue’s 2016 single, By Your Side. I can’t say enough good things about Raye. She came third in the BBC’s Sound of 2017 poll. She has a fabulous voice, writes great songs and is defi nitely going to be a star.”
in brief
Talented Jax Jones finds success with You Don’t Know Me
PRIORITISING MUSIC: Jax could easily have pursued a high academic career. His schoolwork was so good that a place was on off er at Oxford University.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017 15GULF TIMES
COMMUNITYSHOWBIZ
Divyadarshini performed with ease, confi dence in Power Paandi: Dhanush
Actor Dhanush has said he enjoyed working with television anchor-turned-actress Divyadarshini for his upcoming Tamil directorial debut Power Paandi. He said she performed with ease and confi dence.
“Filmed Divyadarshini cameo in ‘Power Paandi’. She performed with so much ease and confi dence. Very happy and surprised,” Dhanush tweeted.
Popular for hosting chat show Koff ee with DD, she has also starred in fi lms such as Nala Damayanti and Saroja.
The fi lm, which stars veteran actor Raj Kiran, revolves around the lives of a few stuntmen.
Dhanush will be seen in a cameo, playing the younger version of Raj Kiran.
The fi lm also stars Prasanna and Chaya Singh, and has music by Sean Roldan.
Produced by Wunderbar Films, Power Paandi is slated for release on April 14. — IANS
By Rene Rodriguez
Pedro Pascal had been working steadily for years — guest spots on Buff y the Vampire Slayer and NYPD Blue and
Nurse Jackie and CSI — before he landed the role that kick-started his career: Oberyn Martell, aka the swaggering Red Viper, during the fourth season of HBO’s Game of Thrones.
His traumatic showdown with Ser Gregor The Mountain Clegane is what fans of the show remember most about Pascal’s seven-episode stretch. But it was a quieter scene in the preceding episode — a conversation with the imprisoned Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) — that sparked Hollywood’s interest.
“I was in New York doing Much Ado About Nothing in Central Park when those episodes aired,” Pascal says. “Fans of the show had started to come see me in the play. The day after (the Mountain) crushed my head, someone asked to take a selfi e with me while I was riding the A train uptown.
“But it was the week before, when that scene with Peter Dinklage aired, that I got the off er to play (DEA agent) Javier Peña on Narcos,” he says. “That was the episode that changed everything.”
Opening this weekend is The Great Wall, in which Pascal co-stars with Matt Damon as two European mercenaries who end up helping Chinese soldiers fi ght off a
horde of lizard creatures trying to break through the country’s Great Wall.
The movie, which was directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), is the fi rst big-budget Chinese production starring Hollywood actors (Willem Dafoe plays another important role). The fi lm was released in China in December, where it earned $224 million.
But with a reported budget of $150 million, The Great Wall will need to duplicate that gross in the US in order to turn a profi t. Hollywood, which has been aggressively courting the massive Chinese movie-going audience, is watching closely to see how this experiment turns out.
For Pascal, though, The Great Wall the movie was the culmination of a deep admiration
that started when he was a teenager and saw director Zhang Yimou’s 1991 historical drama Raise the Red Lantern.
“I never missed one of his movies after I saw that one,” Pascal, 41, said during a recent visit to Miami. “When I was getting on a plane to go to Beijing to start to work on this movie, I was terrifi ed, because I have so much respect for Yimou, I didn’t
know if I’d be able to deliver what was expected of me. But he turned out to be this incredibly generous, gentle, humble man. His energy immediately put me at ease.”
Most of the crew who worked on The Great Wall was Chinese. But Pascal says the language gap became part of the adventure: “I liked the feeling of being an outsider and watching how people from diff erent cultures communicated with each other,” he says. “Yimou was so clear-minded about what he wanted that he almost didn’t need to use an interpreter.”
Pascal is familiar with that outsider feeling. Born in Santiago, Chile, and raised in Texas and California, Pascal has used diff erent stage names throughout his career — variations on his full name of Jose Pedro Balmaceda Pascal — in order to avoid typecasting. With The Great Wall and the upcoming Kingsman: The Golden Circle, in which he appears opposite Channing Tatum, Colin Firth, Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore, Pascal fi nally has a movie career to go along with his long stint on television.
“I had a hard time through my 20s and my early 30s, because I never looked like a ‘Pedro’ to casting directors,” he says. “There was often a bit of a head tilt when they met me. Why is your name Pedro if you’re not brown? I think that’s changing slowly for Latinos, because we represent everyone on this planet: Asian, European, African, indigenous and everything in between.” —Miami Herald/TNS
How Game of Thrones led actor Pedro Pascal to The Great Wall
STAR-TURN: Pedro Pascal at the premiere of The Great Wall held at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood.
ON A SONG: Alia Bhatt. IMPRESSIVE: Divyadarshini.
Want Alia to sing in reality shows: Varun Actor Varun Dhawan, who is impressed with his
Badrinath Ki Dulhania co-star Alia Bhatt’s singing skills, wants the actress to participate in singing reality shows.
Speaking at the Mirchi Music Awards, Varun said: “Alia sings very well and I want Alia to participate in singing reality shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Indian Idol. I feel she can be a winner too.”
Alia, who has sung for fi lms like Highway, Humpty Sharma ki Dulhania and Udta Punjab, crooned the reprised version of Tamma tamma again from her
forthcoming movie Badrinath Ki Dulhania at the event.
“Music is one of the important parts of Bollywood movies. Therefore, I feel there should be more awards on music as sometimes a movie gets a good opening based on its music. Music increases the excitement of a movie,” she said.
Badrinath Ki Dulhania will hit the screens next month. — IANS
Sonakshi to collaborate with Badshah?
Are actress Sonakshi Sinha and singer-rapper Badshah joining hands for an album or song? It seems so, going by the image the Akira star shared on her Twitter page.
“Twinning and winning at the recording studio with Badhshah,” Sonakshi tweeted.
Last year, when Sonakshi was promoting Akira in Delhi, Badshah joined her for an impromptu gig.
Popular for his independent albums such as Born Star and Terminator, he has also rapped for fi lms such as Fugly, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Shivaay and Ok Jaanu. His latest song is Tamma tamma again from Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt-starrer Badrinath Ki Dulhania. — IANS
NEW ROLE: Sonakshi with Badshah.
Tuesday, February 21, 201716 GULF TIMES
COMMUNITY
Syrian doctors hoping to practise abroad face a long slog
Germany off ers special courses to doctors fleeing war-torn countries who want to adjust their skills to work in Europe.
Doctors fleeing war-torn countries to work in Europe are discovering they need a new kind of perseverance to deal with German bureaucracy.
Doctors fleeing war-torn countries to work in Europe are discovering they need a new
kind of perseverance to deal with German bureaucracy. Studying for exams in two
diff erent languages isn’t even the hardest part, refugees say. By Sandra Trauner
Afram Shamoun, who for decades practised medicine in Damascus, is now lying on a doctor’s couch in Frankfurt pretending to be a patient with knee problems.
The 59-year-old is taking part in a course that prepares doctors qualifi ed in other countries to take the exam to be able to practise in Germany.
Today they’re going over the “bed test”: one person plays the patient while the other tries to diagnose their problem as a lecturer looks on and gives comment.
Twenty-seven doctors are taking part in the current course, which is organised by Berami, a Frankfurt-based association which helps migrants with retraining and professional integration.
The doctors began the course in April, with almost 2,000 teaching units to get through. Now they’re almost fi nished and some time this year they’ll take the examination at the nearest test centre in the town of Marburg.
“Contusion, pressure pain, function test,” Bernd Lohmann writes on the blackboard.
He’s leading today’s course, “Verifi cation case, knee injury.”
Before he retired, Lohmann was a surgeon, but the 69-year-old has been working as a lecturer for two days a week since September.
He says the doctors have a “very good” chance of success in Germany. “There’s a huge lack of doctors.”
In terms of qualifi cations he can’t
complain, “they’re all trained doctors,” he says. The only problem is the language.
Lila Ghali, a 38-year-old Syrian gynaecologist, remembers her fi rst German internship in a hospital in Wiesbaden very well. “They thought I had no experience,” she says in her now fl uent German. “I didn’t understand anything and couldn’t say anything.”
But even though her every-day German is now excellent, it’s not enough to get her through the exam. Knowledge of specialist terms is also required.
“The participants actually have to learn two languages,” says Atilla Vurgun, the course’s medical director.
When talking with patients, it’s a “kneecap,” when they talk among themselves and in offi cial letters, it’s the “patella.”
What makes it more diffi cult is that in the Middle East, Arabic is used for specialist terms rather than Latin, as is common in Europe.
“I’m afraid of the exam,” says Ammar Haeidar. The 33-year-old already has a certifi cate allowing him to work under supervision and for a limited time in a Frankfurt hospital.
Haeidar comes from Syria but studied medicine in Iran and worked as an emergency doctor there. The pressure he’s under is written on his face, and what he fi nds more stressful than the job, the course and the exam is Germany’s infamous bureaucracy.
What language certifi cate do you need, what’s in the exam, when are you even supposed to take it? Some people get a date within weeks while others have to wait six months.
“If just registering is this complicated, what’s the exam going to be like?” he says.
Raif Nahhas fi nds the bureaucracy equally baffl ing. The 32-year-old Syrian lives in the city of Mainz, 40 kilometres from Frankfurt, and works as a “scientifi c assistant” at the university clinic there.
He’s been trying for some time to fi nd out whether the certifi cate in technical language he gained in Frankfurt is valid in Mainz, which is in a diff erent state.
The doctors exam preparation course costs 10,000 euros (10,600 dollars) if students want to take all the modules, and it lasts for eleven months – eight hours a day, fi ve days a week.
The fees are paid for by the job centre or the local employment agency but demand is bigger than capacity. Berami needs more lecturers and rooms, and recently introduced selection interviews.
“We certainly need more doctors for patient care,” according to the state medical association of Hesse, of which Frankfurt is part. But the most important consideration is patients’ well-being. “So we can’t accept any reduction in quality,” it adds.
Last year around 300 people applied for a licence to practise medicine (Approbation),
which recognises that a foreign qualifi cation is equal to that of a German, and 114 applied for a work permit, which allows the holder to practise for a limited time, under supervision and at a specifi c work place, according to the Hesse state body which regulates licences.
But there are no offi cial fi gures on how many foreign doctors are allowed to practise in Germany.
“Until two years ago most were coming from Greece,” says the state body in Hesse. “Now it’s Afghanistan, Syria and Turkey.”
Even when foreign doctors have decades of experience, they have to start from scratch in Germany.
Both of the gynaecologists, who wear headscarves in today’s seminar, have to study dermatology, pulmonary medicine and orthopaedics again.
And once they have their licence to practise general medicine they have to study their specialism again. “We’re wasting resources there,” says Berami’s Vergun.
“Many have humiliating experiences in clinics,” adds Lohmann, who previously worked as a head of department. “They’re treated as trainees. Nobody gets anything out of that.”
Ghali knows the feeling. She loves to help out more when she sees how overworked her colleagues are, but she’s not yet allowed to.
“The doctors suff er because they’ve got so much to do and we suff er because we have to sit at home.” – DPA
