COMMUNITY CAMPUS HEALTH HOSPITALITY TECHNOLOGY LEARN ARABIC P | 4 P | 5 P | 7 P | 10 P | 12 P | 13 • Japan embassy celebrates Emperor of Japan’s birthday • Over 180 students attend career planning workshop • Iron may prevent behavioural issues in small babies • New five-star hotel Grand Regal Hotel opens doors • In pixel wars, LCD stays on, refuses to die • Learn commonly used Arabic words and their meaning through the pages of Peninsula Plus. inside WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012 • [email protected] • www.thepeninsulaqatar.com • 4455 7741 P | 2-3 IDENTITY STRUGGLE Skyfall, Skyfall, Guardians Guardians duel for box-office duel for box-office win win A ten-minute documentary, which won the ‘Made in Qatar’ Award at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival last month, is set to be remade into a longer film. P | 8-9
Transcript
COMMUNITY
CAMPUS
HEALTH
HOSPITALITY
TECHNOLOGY
LEARN ARABIC
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• Japan embassycelebrates Emperor of Japan’s birthday
• Over 180 studentsattend careerplanning workshop
• Iron may prevent behavioural issues insmall babies
• New five-star hotelGrand Regal Hotelopens doors
• In pixel wars,LCD stays on,refuses to die
• Learn commonly used Arabic words and their meaning through the pages of Peninsula Plus.
Skyfall, Skyfall, Guardians Guardians duel for box-office duel for box-office winwin
A ten-minute documentary, which won the ‘Made in Qatar’ Award at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival last month, is set to be remade into a longer film.
P | 8-9
2 COVER STORYPLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012
By Fazeena Saleem
Bader, a documentary film about van-dalism, tribalism and identity in an independent boys’ school in Qatar, is set to be remade to explain the issues to viewers in depth.
The ten-minute film, made by Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) alumni Sara Al Saadi, Maaria Assami and student Latifa Abdulla Al Darwish, won the ‘Made in Qatar’ Award at the Doha Tribeca Film Festival last month.
Now the producers have decided to elaborate on the issue, having shot 20 hours of footage over five months.
“Many who watched the film asked us about it,” said Maaria, speaking to the audience fol-lowing a special screening of the film yesterday at the Northwestern University in Qatar.
“We are going to expand it a little more and make it more detailed,” she said later.
Bader portrays the identity struggle in Qatari schools through the point of view of a boy named Bader, who turns to poetry to overcome the social and disciplinary challenges he faces at his elementary school.
The film-makers walked away with the Made in Qatar Development Award at the fourth Doha Tribeca Film Festival’s Arab Film Competition, the region’s only dedicated film competition for Arab talent.
The jury called it a film distinguished by
its courage and transparency. Using smooth cinematic language, it captures a segment of Qatari society in a humane way, and its protago-nist is extraordinary for expressing his ideas with spontaneity as he rejects racial, ethnic and tribal discrimination.
The documentary begins with Bader reciting a poem, which goes: “In a majlis without rude people.” Later in the film, he says, “There are some boys who say, ‘Oh, you are modern, you are Bedouin’. Why do they do that? We are all God’s equal creations.”
The film tries to raise awareness about a subject that is seldom discussed even while it entertains the audiences.
“We wanted to show how people still keep their identity…. Tribal conflict is not something everyone talks about,” said Latifa, speaking after the special screening.
She said they had received mix reactions from the audiences. “Some didn’t like it; some said this was like our school days; it depends on how people look at it.”
The film-makers visited many independent schools until they met Bader, who is a ten years old and is good in poetry.
“We met many kids, but this boy was inter-esting and expressive,” said Latifa.
However, finding the cast was not easy for Latifa and her colleagues. “We had to get writ-ten permission from the parents. Some were alright about it, but from a few we got it at the last minute.”
BADER:A SLICE OFTHE SOCIETY
SYNOPSIS and CREDITS Bader is the story of a young boy trying to
find his place in an all-boys’ elementary
school. The documentary highlights the boy’s
struggle with his identity, and how he comes
to rely on poetry to help him overcome his
challenges.
Director/Producer/Editor/ Cinematographer:
Sara Al Saadi, Maaria Assami, Latifa Al Darwish
Maaria Assami was born in 1991 and is
Syrian-American; Latifa Al Darwish and Sara Al
Saadi were both born in 1990 and are Qataris.
Latifa is a student at the Northwestern
Univeristy Qatar and others are alumni of the
campus.
Cast: Bader Lamy, Mubarak Al-Otaibi, Saad Al Ahbabi, Saed Al Ahbabi
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012 3
Latifa, with Sara and Maaria, decided to make a film about students’ concerns in Qatar as an independent study under the supervi-sion of Tim Wilkerson, Assistant Professor at NU-Q. Wilkerson encouraged them to find a character who could convey the concerns, rather than taking the traditional ‘topical’ approach to documentary production.
“The documentary is a very nice observa-tional style piece that shows the reality of schools in Qatar facing overcrowded class-rooms, overburdened teachers, and an ever-changing landscape with regard to the language of instruction,” observed Wilkerson.
“What stands out in the film is the feeling that many teachers in Qatar have a difficult time keeping order in their classes and motivat-ing students. But in the end, the connections that Bader and his friends have to their own lin-guistic heritage, through their folk poetry, helps to give them purpose and a focus,” he continued.
‘Made in Qatar’ also made special mention of ‘Lyrics Revolt’, a documentary produced by NU-Q alumni Shannon Farhoud, Ashlene Ramadan, Melanie Fridgant and Rana Khaled Al Khatib.
A total of four films produced by NU-Q stu-dents were selected for the ‘Made in Qatar’ showcase out of 70 submissions.
In addition to co-hosting the opening night of DTFF, Northwestern University in Qatar, together with the Doha Film Institute, organ-ised a number of joint activities, including a community outreach initiative on DTFF Family Days that allowed families to try their hand at broadcasting news from a broadcast set at Katara.
The Peninsula Filmmakers from left: Sara Al Saadi, Latifa Abdulla Al Darwish and Maaria Assami.
“The documentary is a very nice observational style piece that shows the reality of schools in Qatar with overcrowded classrooms, overburdened teachers, and an ever-changing landscape with regard to the language of instruction.”
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012 COMMUNITY4
The Japanese embassy in Qatar yesterday celebrated the birthday of Emperor of Japan. The Ambassador
of Japan, Kenjiro Monji, hosted a reception at his Residence to cel-ebrate the 79th birthday of Emperor of Japan with H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage as the guest of honour.
The celebration started with the national anthems of Qatar and Japan followed by a welcome speech by Ambassador Monji through which he highlighted the developments that have taken place in Japan-Qatar bilateral relationship in various areas including diplomacy, defense, economy, culture, education science
and technology, sport and tourism etc. The Ambassador emphasised the significant achievement attained as an outcome of the project ‘Qatar Japan 2012’ that was launched on the initiative of H E Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of Qatar Museums Authority.
Regarding economic cooperation between the two countries, Monji expected that Japanese companies could contribute to the preparation for Fifa World Cup 2022 and the achievements of objectives set by Qatar National Vision 2030.
Minister and Ambassador graced the cake-cutting ceremony, which was followed by the reception.
The reception was attended by the
Japan embassy celebrates Emperor of Japan’s birthday
Spanish Ladies in Qatar have organised a visit to the Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab mosque, popularly
known as the State Mosque. A group of over 80 people gathered for this event, aiming to learn more about Qatar’s cul-ture and religion.
This group gathers women original from Spain and it was founded in 2010. There are almost 300 members that get together for monthly meetings and organise cultural events such as the visit to the mosque. Their next event will be a visit to Fanar this month. The president of the group is Nerusia Rodriguez and she lives in Doha since 2011.
During their visit to Muhammdad Ibn Abdul Wahhab mosque, the women, some accompanied by their family members, learned more about Islam.
This is the biggest mosque in Qatar and one of the biggest in the world. It is said to be the fifth largest in the world.
The main prayer hall for men is on the ground floor covering an area of 12,117 square meters which has the capacity to accommodate up to 12,000 worshippers and an additional 8,000 in the open courtyard.
The main hall has 46 rows; and each row can accommodate over 250 worshippers.
The Peninsula
‘Feast of Love’ programme held at Indian Cultural Centre
The Truth Qatar Chapter, an affiliate of Qatar Indian Islahi Center, conducted a programme
called ‘Feast of Love’ at the Indian Cultural Centre recently.
The event was conducted as part of the launch of the second mod-ule of “The Guiding Light” learning programme.
P S Shasikumar, the First Secretary, Indian Embassy, inaugurated the event. In his inaugural address, Sasikumar called on the followers of all religions to respect the faith of others and to spread peace, love and harmony.
Adv Ismail Nanminda presented the theme of the programme.
Rev Fr Shibu O Plavila said that knowing God can be realised only
through serving others, and that is the part and parcel of Christian faith. Love of the neighbour is an essential and part of faith in God and love of God, he said.
The divine revelations are for pro-viding the right path to the human-ity, said A Yatheendran Thalasseri. The principle of ‘Sanadana Darma’ is to perform one’s duties, and reward
will come from God, he said. Muneer Mankada spoke about the principles of Islamic faith. According to Islamic faith, material life is a test for man-kind to attain the ultimate peace in the eternal life. Monotheism is the corner stone of Islamic faith, he said.
Prizes to the winners of the exami-nation conducted based on the first module of “The Guiding Light” were
distributed by Shaukath Jaleel, and Abdul Shukoor.
The study material of the second module was released by Sam Kuruvila by handing it over to A P Sasidharan, Principal, MES Indian School. Dr Abdul Ahad Madani presided over the function. Zanjabeel Misri welcomed the gathering. Latheef Nallalam proposed vote of thanks. The Peninsula
Spanish Ladies in Qatar visit Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab mosque visit
Spanish Ladies in Qatar members inside the Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab mosque.
From Left: P S Shashikumar, Rev Fr Shibu O Plavila, A Yatheendran and Muneer Mankada speaking at the function. Right: A section of the audience.
The Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage H E Dr Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and the Japanese Ambassador Kenjiro Monji cutting the cake.
representative of the government of Qatar and hundreds of dignitaries from various governmental and pri-vate organizations, diplomatic corps,
Japanese community as well as the local and international media per-sonnel in Qatar.
The Peninsula
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012 5CAMPUS
SFS-Q students meet sportscaster Lesley Visser
Over 180 students from 38 inde-pendent secondary schools in Qatar attended a two-day career planning workshop
on December 10-11. The workshop was organised and carried out by the Bedaya Center for Entrepreneurship and Career Development, Silatech and Higher Education Institute at the Supreme Educational Council, and held at the Katara Cultural Village.
The two-day workshop included ses-sions focusing on effective career plan-ning, the importance of early thinking about career decisions, as well as on developing personal skills such as lead-ership and communications. Students participating in the workshop were selected from within the student coun-cils of their respective independent secondary schools, with the purpose of them spreading awareness about early career decision making among their
fellow students in secondary schools around Qatar.
The Bedaya Center is a joint-ini-tiative between Qatar Development Bank and Silatech. The center provides young people in Qatar access to a range of services covering both career devel-opment and entrepreneurship.
Bedaya Center Manager Saleh Al Khulaifi said: “Through this campaign, we try to solve a very important issue among Qatari students, career plan-ning has never been recognized. Now students are made aware of the many different career options that are avail-able to them, and how important it is to choose based on their particular preferences, strengths and weaknesses in order to find the career path that suits them best.”
Director of the College and Career Advising Office at the Higher Education Institute Fawziya Al Naama said: “The
Over 180 students attend career planning workshop
campaign compliments our work at the Advising Career Development Center, which aims to promote wise decision making in choosing the desired career and the education that is needed to achieve it. The sessions offered during the past two days reflect the essence of our efforts to spread this knowledge at an early stage.”
Silatech Senior Career Advising
Manager Salwa Atiyyah commented on the choice of selecting student repre-sentatives to influence their peers: “It is important to mobilise this particular segment of the student population and empower them with the right knowl-edge to help them spread awareness of the importance of proper career planning among their fellow second-ary school students.” The Peninsula
MES wins medals at IYMC
MES Indian School won medals in the International Young Mathematicians’ convention held at Lucknow, India from December 1 to 4. Altogether 500 delegates from eighteen
countries – England, Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, South Africa, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, China, Bhutan, Nigeria, Qatar, Srilanka and the host, India – par-ticipated in the convention. MES Indian School was the only school from Qatar.
Five students from MES Indian School participated in the con-vention and Pushp Raj Prasad and Shawn D’ Souza won bronze medal in the junior team event, while Adil Ashraf and Ricku Mathew Reji became the first-runner up in the senior team event.
Sasidharan A P, Principal, felicitated the team for their remark-able achievement. Mohammed Haneefa K M, teacher, department of mathematics, accompanied the team.
The Peninsula
An official speaking at the An official speaking at the career planning workshop.career planning workshop.
Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q) recently hosted Lesley Visser (pic-
tured), CBS Sports Reporter, for the programme The NFL Today, for an inspiring discussion with stu-dents and faculty about the journey that led her to becoming a highly acclaimed female sportscaster of all-time.
“I’m truly honoured to be at Georgetown University, here in Qatar. I have been following the university for many years and being here at the invitation of your Chairman Paul Tagliabue is a privi-lege. It’s exciting to see the campus and experience Qatar’s rich culture” said Visser.
During the event organised by SFS-Q Women’s Centre, Visser took the opportunity to share her
inspirational story of achievement as a pioneer, giving a unique insight into her long and prestigious trail-blazing career which has seen her as the first and only woman to be rec-ognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Amongst Visser’s many other accolades also include being the first in-game female NFL commentator in the booth and on the side-lines, as well as being voted the No. 1 Female Sportscaster of All Time.
However, beginning her career as a sportscaster at a time when it was completely unheard of for a woman, Visser spoke about the countless obstacles that she faced in a male dominated industry, and her unwa-vering passion which enabled her to stay focussed and not give up despite the countless hurdles.
Recalling the lessons she’s learned from almost every great
athlete and coach in three dec-ades of covering sports, it was evi-dent that one of the main driving forces behind Visser’s success is her love and belief in the power of Sport, as she quoted the inspira-tional Nelson Mandela, “Sport has the power to change the World”.
Visser applauded Qatar’s com-mitment to developing Sports in the country, as laid out the in National vision 2030, and encouraged the students and younger generation to fully immerse themselves in this transformational experience, “The fact that Qatar will host the 2022 Fifa World Cup is an enormous achievement for the country. This major sporting event will bring the World to Doha and is a wonder-ful opportunity for your youth to shine”.
The Peninsula
MES team
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012 MARKETPLACE6
In another initiative to boost exports, QDB’s Qatar Export Development Agency, Tasdeer, organised a workshop in a joint collaboration with the Qatari
Directorate General of Customs which saw attendance of over 170 export stakeholders at the Hilton hotel to launch the Single Window System.
Speaking at the event was Hassan Al Mansoori, Executive Director of QDB’s Qatar Export Development Agency, Tasdeer, alongside senior representatives of the local Customs department.
The speakers gave an overview of the Qatar electronic Single Window System for customs clearance, its stages and its objectives and expanded on the advantages of such a system to the industry. Speakers also explained how the initiative will be strongly integrated with the Ministry of Interior and shared key statistics and figures that are of high importance to the businesses of all attendees.
Hassan Al Mansoori said: “The Single Window is a project which will bring major change to the Qatari trade standards. The General Directorate of Customs has introduced this system to replace the existing one with a
modern, cutting-edge platform which helps to facilitate trade. The system is designed to improve the quality of performance in accordance with the global standards of the World Customs Organization and World Trade Organization (WTO) without prejudice to the security of the State and with revenues geared towards achieving customer satisfaction and transparency.”
“QDB launched Tasdeer in 2011 with the aim to promote and develop the non-oil exports from Qatar in international markets. Therefore, we are mandated with the overall growth of the industry and this can only hap-pen when we invest steadfast efforts to craft and build services and plat-forms that transform our industry fundamentals, processes and systems into internationally-recognised export hubs. Therefore, we firmly believe that the Single Window System will play a significant enhancing role by reducing the documentary proce-dure to a record 5 minutes; reducing the proportions of preview from 70 percent to 5 percent by applying risk management system; and providing high-quality, value-added services to businesses in partnership with both the private and the public sectors.”
added Al Mansoori. In August 2011, Tasdeer initiated
the first phase of the Single Window system, which was designed in 2009, in partnership with the General Administration of Customs and the Higher Council of Communication in Qatar, allowing therefore access to the world’s highest international standards to facilitate trade and flow of goods. August 2011 also marked the trial phase for most services followed with the second phase in June 2012 linking with Government agencies. In December 2012 the operations started at all ports and an overall assessment of the situation is taking place.
The Single Window System brings export and government stakeholders a host of benefits. The system allows for electronic integration and connec-tivity furthering, thus, efficiency and transparency.
For instance, the system helps the Ministry of Interior with accurate and instant information on indi-viduals, vehicles and companies; the relevant government bodies with pre-clearance before cargo arrival and quick release of restricted goods; and freight forwarders providing risk systems with information for goods imported. The Peninsula
Jumbo unveils special promotions on 12-12-12
Many companies and organi-sations are planning spe-cial events and promotions
on 12-12-12. LG-Jumbo Electronics announced their participation in activities on this unique day when at the dawn of 12.12.12 many spe-cial promotions start across Jumbo Electronics stores in Qatar.
“LG-Jumbo takes this opportunity to thank all customers for their valued patronage of LG-Jumbo products and services. A unique ‘Thank You’ to all on a unique day and re-iterates their commitment to their valued custom-ers,” a company spokesman said.
The 12-12-12 surprises from LG-Jumbo includes 12 offers all in multiples of 12’s!
More info on www.jumboqatar.net.
QR12-QR1212 offer at Quality Hypermarket
To celebrate the special date 12-12-12, Quality Hypermarket on Salwa Road, is organising
a unique promotion where selected products will be offered at QR12 and QR1212. Almost 400 items selected from supermarket, fresh food and department store are available in this unique promotion. Selected custom-ers will get a chance to win exciting gifts also on this day.
Also, starting from December 12, Quality Hypermarket has announced a discount sale in the garments and foot-wear section. Menswear, ladieswear, children’s wear and footwear are up for grab at upto 50 percent discount.
Mannai Corporation wins three awards from Oracle
Mannai Corporation’s partnership with Oracle has resulted in fruitful rewards. Affirming Mannai’s position as its strategic partner, Oracle has recognised Mannai Corporation with three very prestigious awards this year – the Oracle Excellence Award Specialised Partner of the Year: Industry Global; Specialized Partner of the Year: Industry EMEA; and the Specialized Partner of the Year: Server and Storage Systems EMEA.
In the recently concluded Oracle Open World 2012, that was held at San Francisco, California, Oracle echoed the efficacious partnership it has enjoyed with Mannai over the past 20 years.
According to Nabil Khalil, Mannai IT Solutions General Manager, “We are extremely pleased to have our Oracle practice recognized on a global level!” He added: “This is the result of deep focus on Oracle Solutions and client satisfaction through continued focus on quality. We always strive to exceed our customers’ expectations and this award is a true testament to the hard work of our Sales & Delivery teams.”
The Peninsula
Tasdeer champions single window system
Doha resident wins ISA award
International Society of Automation ISA’s “Section Leader Of The Year 2012” Award was presented to Nilangshu Dey,
President – ISA Qatar Section by Leo Staples ISA President and Jean Pierre Hauet, ISA Vice President during the Automation Conference 2012 held at Doha on December 9 to 12 under the patronage of H E Dr Mohammed bin Saleh Al Sada, Minister of Energy and Industry, Chairman and Managing Director – Qatar Petroleum.
This award was constituted by ISA globally this year among the Section leaders of all 130 ISA Sections worldwide for innovative contribution towards leading the country Section to meet the objective of the Society. Nilangshu Dey has been awarded as first recipient of this Award due to his outstanding contribution and innova-tions in leading ISA Qatar Section and promoting the latest automation technology at Qatar since last ten years .
ISA develops Industry standards, certifies industry professionals; pro-vides education and training; publishes books and technical articles and hosts conferences and exhibitions for auto-mation professionals worldwide hav-ing more than 30,000 members and 300,000 associates worldwide since more than six decades. ISA has organ-ised this conference for the first time in any GCC country and Qatar has been
identified to host such event due to its on growing economy and promoting the latest technological development in various industries of Qatar .
This Conference featured 16 techni-cal presentations by various experts around the world on Cyber security of Industrial control system, Plant safety and shutdown system , Advance proc-ess control technologies and Control system integration . It also highlighted the ISA Standards being followed at Qatar by iCTQatar for establishing the cyber security requirements for Industrial control system in energy industries. The Conference also had
an Technical Exhibition by 17 lead-ing International automation vendors around the World to demonstrate their latest technological developments in automation field which was visited by a large number of professionals of oil & gas industry.
During the Concluding session, Leo Staples, ISA International President expressed their desire that ISA may consider hosting the biggest automa-tion event Automation Week at Doha in 2015 at Qatar National Convention Centre and it may be first time to hap-pen in this region.
The Peninsula
Leo Staples, ISA President, presenting the award to Nilangshu Dey, President – ISA Qatar Section, in the presence of Pino Zani, ISA President 2002, Jean Pierre, ISA Vice President, Ahmed Saif Al Sulaiti, Operations Manager, Qatar Petroleum, and Nasser Al Kuwari, General Manager, QAFAC.
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012HEALTH 7
Health Tipsfrom DOCTOR
Gastroenteritis is a common illness in infants and children. It is usually caused by viruses or bacteria that infect the bowel.
Typically, gastro begins with vomiting. Children then develop frequent, watery diarrhoea. Often children may have tummy pain and fever with the diarrhoea. Some children may have a runny nose, or a sore throat.
Gastro usually lasts for three or four days. It may take a week or so for the motions to become normal. Higher or more prolonged fevers, more severe tummy pain, and blood or mucus with the diarrhoea, may suggest that gastro is caused by bacteria. These bacterial infections are sometimes linked to food poisoning.
How is gastro spread?Viral gastro can be easily spread from person
to person. It is very important to keep children with gastro away from other children outside of your family. They should not go to day-care, kin-dergarten or school whilst they are sick.
Hand-washing with soap and water (for exam-ple, after nappy changes or going to the toilet, as well as before and after food preparation) is very important to stop the spread of the virus.
What to doIn our community most children with gastro
recover quickly. The major concern with gastro is that children can become dehydrated (dry) due to loss of fluid in the vomit and diarrhoea. Younger children, or children with other health problems, may become dehydrated more quickly. Encouraging your child to drink fluids is very important.
When you should consult doctor immediately?
• Your child is less than six months old• Your child has other health problems• You are unable to get your child to take the
right amount of fluids• Your child keeps vomiting or going to toilet• Your child is very tired or drowsy• There is blood or mucus in your child’s stool• Your child has ongoing tummy pain• Your child has high fevers• If your child has unexpected symptoms (eg
pain when passing urine, headache etc)• Or if your child does not seem to be getting
better.What to do for a breastfed infant• Continue breast feeding on demand or at least
every 2 hours.• In between breast feeds, water or oral rehyra-
tion solution may be offered.• Do not give solids if your child is vomiting
by Genevra Pittman
Iron supplements may help boost brain devel-opment and ward off behavioural problems in babies who are born a bit on the small side, a new study from Sweden suggests.
Low birth-weight babies are more likely to end up iron deficient, researchers said. They need more of the nutrient for catch-up growth and haven’t stored as much as other babies if they’re also born premature.
For that reason, very early-term and very small babies are often put on iron - but less research has looked at babies born just shy of normal weight, to see if they are also at risk.
“I think this further solidifies the evidence that it’s a very good idea to give these (marginally low birth-weight) children iron supplements,” said Dr Magnus Domellof, from Umea University, who worked on the study.
The research was led by his colleague, Dr Staffan Berglund. Their team followed 285 infants born between 4 pounds, 7 ounces and 5 pounds, 8 ounces.
When the babies were six weeks old, the research-ers randomly assigned them to get iron drops - either one or two milligrams per kilogram of body weight - or iron-free placebo drops each day until their six-month birthday.
Then at age three and a half, Domellof’s team brought the kids back for IQ tests and surveyed par-ents about their behavioural issues. The researchers compared kids in the iron- and placebo-drop study groups with another 95 children who were born at normal weight.
There were no IQ differences based on whether the smaller-than-average babies had been put on an iron regimen. All three low birth-weight groups had average scores between 104 and 105. (“Cognitive impairment” in this study was considered an IQ under 85.)
However, significantly more babies given placebo drops had behavioural problems, as reported by their parents. The issues included problems managing emotional reactions, anxiety and depression, as well as sleep and attention problems.
Almost 13 percent of the placebo-group babies scored above the cutoff for clinical behavior problems, versus about 3 percent of kids who’d taken iron drops
and kids from the normal-weight comparison group.That suggests iron deficiency in infancy may be a
direct cause of behavioural problems later in child-hood, the researchers wrote Monday in the journal Pediatrics.
They are continuing to monitor the same group of kids as they get older, to see if new cognitive or behavioral problems develop or old ones get better as the children head into grade school.
Domellof said he and his colleagues didn’t see any extra stomach problems in kids or delayed growth linked to the use of iron drops. Some research has suggested giving excessive iron to young kids who aren’t deficient may stunt their development.
But, “I would not be afraid of recommending this to all children (born) below 2,500 grammes (5 pounds, 8 ounces) at this dose,” Domellof told Reuters Health.
“Here’s where an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” said Dr Michael Georgieff, a child development researcher at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis who had reviewed the study as part of Berglund’s dissertation committee.
He said that it’s important for all parents to know their baby’s iron requirements when they leave the hospital.
“The issue with these marginally low birth-weight infants is, people really haven’t paid a lot of attention to them, but the evidence is accumulating that they are at risk for behavioural problems and less than ideal cognitive function,” said Dr Betsy Lozoff, who studies the effects of iron deficiency in infants at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
For most babies in the United States, extra iron is recommended starting at four to six months, either through supplements if the mother is breastfeeding or through formula. Very small or premature babies typically have their iron monitored from birth.
But Lozoff, who wasn’t involved in the new research, said that in many places, there are no rec-ommendations for how to treat babies who are just below a normal birth weight.
“This would suggest that it should just be a rou-tine supplementation, and it can be at a low level of iron,” she said.
SOURCE: bit.ly/cxXOG Pediatrics, online December 10, 2012.
Reuters
Dr. E V Kumar Specialist – Paediatrics
Healthspring World Clinic
Gastroenteritisin children
Iron may prevent behavioural issues in small babies
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bit
, Pete
r J
ackso
n’s
Th
e L
ord
of
the
Rin
gs
prelu
de.
Aft
er t
hat
com
es
a s
teady
rush
of acti
on, com
edy a
nd d
ram
a t
hrough
year’
s e
nd,
inclu
din
g T
om
Cruis
e’s
Ja
ck
Rea
cher,
Q
uen
tin
T
aran
tin
o an
d Jam
ie
Foxx’s
Dja
ngo U
nch
ain
ed, S
eth
Rogen’s
Th
e
Gu
ilt
Tri
p a
nd H
ugh J
ackm
an a
nd R
uss
ell
Crow
e’s
Les
Mis
era
ble
s.“T
he last
couple
of w
eeks
of th
e y
ear a
re
som
e o
f th
e s
trongest
every y
ear,”
said
Paul
Dergarabedia
n,
an
an
aly
st f
or b
ox-o
ffice
tracker H
ollyw
ood.c
om
. “W
e a
re o
n t
he
cusp
of so
me r
eally h
uge b
ox o
ffice. T
here’s
a lot
of
money s
till left
in t
he y
ear d
esp
ite
this
slo
w p
erio
d r
ight
now
.”H
oll
yw
ood’s
dom
esti
c revenues h
ave
topped $
10bn
so f
ar t
his
year,
wit
h t
he
indust
ry e
xpecte
d t
o fi
nis
h 2
012
ahead o
f th
e a
ll-t
ime h
igh o
f $10
.6bn s
et
in 2
009.
Tra
shed s
avagely
by c
riti
cs,
Film
Dis
tric
t’s
Pla
yin
g f
or
Keep
s st
ars
Butl
er a
s a w
ash
ed-
up s
occer s
tar t
ryin
g t
o r
econnect
wit
h h
is
ex-w
ife (
Jess
ica B
iel)
and y
oung s
on. T
he
all-s
tar c
ast
inclu
des
Cath
erin
e Z
eta
-Jones
and U
ma T
hurm
an a
s so
ccer m
om
s w
ith
the h
ots
for B
utl
er.
In lim
ited r
ele
ase
, B
ill M
urray’s F
ranklin
Roosevelt
dram
a H
yde P
ark
on
Hu
dso
nopened s
olidly
wit
h $
83,2
80 i
n f
our t
heat-
ers,
averagin
g a
healt
hy $
20,8
20 a
cin
em
a.
By c
om
paris
on,
Pla
yin
g f
or
Keep
s averaged
$2,1
15 in 2
,837 t
heate
rs.
Rele
ase
d b
y F
ocus
Featu
res,
Hyd
e P
ark
on
H
ud
son s
tars
Murray a
s R
oose
velt
, w
hose
in
tim
ate
rela
tion
s w
ith a
dis
tan
t cousi
n
(Laura L
inn
ey)
becom
e b
oth
a s
ource o
f st
rength
and d
istr
acti
on a
s th
e p
resi
dent
pla
ys
host
to t
he k
ing a
nd q
ueen o
f E
ngla
nd
on t
he e
ve o
f W
orld
War I
I.
Ag
enci
es
PLU
S |
WE
DN
ES
DA
Y 1
2 D
EC
EM
BE
R 2
012
PLU
S |
WE
DN
ES
DA
Y 1
2 D
EC
EM
BE
R 2
012
HO
LLY
WO
OD
NE
WS
MO
VIE
89
He feels
lik
e h
e’s
won t
he lott
ery b
ecause
he’s
so h
appy in h
is lif
e T
he
French m
ovie
about
an a
gin
g c
ouple
, A
mou
r, w
as
the s
urpris
e c
hoic
e
for b
est
film
of
2012
by t
he L
os
Angele
s F
ilm
Crit
ics
Ass
ocia
tion
on S
unday,
while J
oaquin
Phoenix
was
nam
ed b
est
acto
r f
or h
is r
ole
as
a
trouble
d o
uts
ider in t
he c
ult
dram
a T
he M
ast
er.
In a
lis
t th
at
broke r
anks
wit
h e
arl
y m
ovie
aw
ard p
icks
in N
ew
York
, th
e
Los
Angele
s F
ilm
Crit
ics
Ass
ocia
tion n
am
ed P
aul
Thom
as
Anderso
n b
est
dir
ecto
r for T
he M
ast
er
and t
he fi
lm’s
Am
y A
dam
s best
supporti
ng a
ctr
ess
.Z
ero
Da
rk T
hir
ty, th
e t
hrille
r a
bout
the k
illing o
f O
sam
a b
in L
aden, to
ok
just
one a
ward, fo
r b
est
edit
ing. L
ast
week, Z
ero
Da
rk T
hir
ty p
icked u
p t
wo
best
pic
ture a
ccola
des
from
the N
ew
York
-base
d N
ati
onal B
oard o
f R
evie
w
and t
he N
ew
York
Film
Crit
ics
Cir
cle
.N
om
inati
ons
are t
o b
e a
nnounced late
r t
his
week f
or t
he S
creen A
cto
rs
Guild a
nd G
old
en G
lobe a
wards,
in w
hat
are lik
ely
to b
e leadin
g indic
ato
rs
for t
he O
scars
in F
ebruary.
The 6
0 o
r s
o m
em
bers
of
Los
Angele
s F
ilm
Crit
ics
Ass
ocia
tion s
how
ed
wid
e-r
angin
g t
ast
es
and lit
tle a
greem
ent
wit
h a
wards
indust
ry w
atc
hers.
Em
manuelle R
iva, 85, w
ho p
lays
a r
eti
red p
iano t
eacher w
ho s
uff
ers
a
stroke in t
he C
annes
film
fest
ival w
inner A
mou
r, (
“Love”)
was
nam
ed b
est
actr
ess
in a
tie
wit
h A
meric
an J
ennif
er L
aw
rence, w
ho p
lays
a y
oung w
idow
in
the q
uir
ky c
om
edy S
ilve
r L
inin
gs
Pla
ybook.
Suppose
d O
scar f
ront-
runners
like a
cto
rs
Danie
l D
ay-L
ew
is (
Lin
coln
),
Jess
ica C
hast
ain
(Z
ero
Da
rk T
hir
ty)
were s
hut
out
by t
he L
os
Angele
s crit
-ic
s, a
long w
ith m
uch-a
nti
cip
ate
d m
usi
cal
Les
Mis
era
ble
s and e
pic
fanta
sy
Th
e H
ob
bit
.N
ew
com
er D
wig
ht
Henry w
on b
est
supporti
ng a
cto
r for p
layin
g a
bele
a-
guered fath
er in m
yth
ical in
die
film
Bea
sts
of
the S
ou
thern
Wil
d, and t
he L
os
Angele
s crit
ics
gave t
he b
est
screenpla
y a
ward t
o I
ran h
ost
age d
ram
a A
rgo.
Bill D
ay,
one o
f th
e last
surviv
ors
of
a B
rit
ish W
orld
War I
I m
ilit
ary
ass
ault
unit
that
insp
ired I
an F
lem
ing t
o c
reate
the c
haracte
r o
f Ja
mes
Bond, has
die
d, th
e D
ail
y T
ele
gra
ph r
eporte
d. H
e w
as
95.
Day b
elo
nged t
o t
he 3
0 A
ssault
Unit
, or 3
0A
U, w
hic
h p
layed a
n im
por-
tant
role
in t
he A
llie
d invasi
on o
f E
urope in 1
944.
“Ian F
lem
ing h
ad w
ork
ed f
or t
he D
irecto
r o
f N
aval
Inte
llig
ence, and
in t
he m
onth
s aft
er t
he w
ar w
rote
a h
isto
ry o
f 30A
U w
hic
h is
now
in t
he
Nati
onal A
rchiv
es.
The m
anusc
rip
t w
as
typed u
p b
y M
argaret
Prie
stle
y,
whom
Fle
min
g t
ook a
s his
model fo
r M
iss
Pett
y P
ett
aval (b
ett
er k
now
n
as
Mis
s M
oneypenny);
som
e o
f th
e e
xplo
its
of
Day a
nd h
is c
om
panio
ns
were t
o b
e t
he b
asi
s fo
r s
om
e o
f B
ond’s
adventu
res,
” th
e n
ew
spaper s
aid
.T
he u
nit
, w
hic
h i
nclu
ded R
oyal
Navy a
nd R
oyal
Marin
es
offi
cers
and
men,
was
create
d b
y n
aval
inte
llig
ence c
hie
f R
ear A
dm
. Jo
hn G
odfr
ey,
w
ho w
as
Fle
min
g’s
superio
r.W
illiam
Bernard D
ay,
who e
nlist
ed in t
he R
oyal M
arin
es
at
the a
ge o
f 17
, never e
ven c
am
e c
lose
to b
ein
g a
s fa
mous
as
Agent
007.
Day,
who s
erved a
s a b
odyguard for p
rim
e m
inis
ter W
inst
on C
hurchill
in 1
943,
held
num
erous
sale
s an
d m
an
agem
en
t posi
tion
s w
ith c
an
dy
com
pany R
ow
ntr
ee’s
of
York
, E
ngla
nd.
He is
surviv
ed b
y M
arie
, his
wif
e o
f 67 y
ears,
and t
wo c
hildren.
BO
LLY
WO
OD
NE
WS
Bri
tish
mar
ine
wh
o in
spir
ed
Jam
es B
ond
ch
arac
ter
die
s
by
An
juri
Nay
ar
Farah
K
han
, w
ho
has
ch
oreograp
hed
Kareen
a K
apoor fo
r
Da
ba
ngg 2
son
g F
evi
col
Se,
says
the a
ctr
ess
seem
s to
be
happie
r aft
er h
er w
eddin
g
wit
h S
aif
Ali K
han.
Farah a
nd K
areen
a h
ave
work
ed t
ogeth
er b
efo
re,
but
the f
orm
er f
eels
their
bond-
ing becam
e str
on
ger w
hil
e
shooti
ng f
or t
he s
ong.
“Kareen
a’s
bon
din
g w
ith
me becam
e good aft
er th
e
song. S
he is
als
o r
ela
xed a
nd
is in
a h
appie
r sta
te aft
er
marria
ge.
She i
s hardw
ork
-in
g,” F
arah s
aid
at
the launch
of
a
new
ch
an
nel,
Nic
k
Junio
rs.
Farah s
ays
both
Kareen
a
and S
alm
an K
han w
ere v
ery
supporti
ve d
urin
g t
he s
hoot.
“Kareena h
as
put
in a
lot
of
eff
ort.
She r
ehearse
d a
lot
for i
t. I
n f
act,
she l
et
me d
o
wh
ate
ver I
wan
ted fo
r th
e
cost
um
es
and l
ook,” s
aid
the
choreographer.
“Salm
an w
as
learnin
g e
veryth
ing i
n o
ne r
ehearsa
l. T
he s
hooti
ng o
f th
e
movie
was
over a
nd t
he s
ong w
as
at
the e
nd, so
everyone w
as
rela
xed. It
w
as
fun s
hooti
ng in t
he e
nd,” F
arah a
dded.
Aft
er K
areen
a’s
son
g “
Halk
at
jaw
aan
i” f
rom
“H
eroin
e”
becam
e a
hit
, F
arah w
ante
d t
o g
ive t
he a
ctr
ess
a c
om
ple
tely
dif
ferent
look in “
Fevic
ol se
”.“M
anis
h M
alh
otr
a a
nd I
were a
ware t
hat
she d
id ‘H
alk
at
jaw
aani’ a
few
m
onth
s befo
re a
nd w
e w
ante
d t
o g
ive h
er a
dif
ferent
look.
I w
ante
d h
er
to l
ook a
lit
tle m
ism
atc
hed a
nd I
als
o d
idn’t
giv
e h
er t
oo m
uch m
ake-u
p,”
she s
aid
.F
arah is
happy t
hat
she h
as
had a
n inte
rest
ing 2
012
.“(
The y
ear)
2012
was
good. S
hir
in F
arh
ad
Ki
Toh
Nik
al P
ad
i gave m
e g
ood
revie
ws
and F
evi
col
se h
as
als
o b
ecam
e a
hit
. U
ps
and d
ow
ns
com
e in e
very
year,
but
overall it
was
not
bad,” s
he s
aid
.F
arah’s
new
film
Ha
pp
y N
ew
Yea
r w
ill go o
n fl
oors
next
year a
nd its
lead-
ing lady is
yet
to b
e d
isclo
sed.
Kar
een
a h
app
ier
afte
r m
arri
age:
Far
ah K
han
Skyf
all,
Skyf
all,
Gua
rdia
ns d
uel
Gua
rdia
ns d
uel
for
box
-offi
ce w
info
r box
-offi
ce w
in
Sh
ahid
tu
rns
inte
rior
dec
orat
or
Acto
r S
hahid
Kapoor h
as
decid
ed t
o u
se h
is inte
rio
r d
ecorati
on s
kills
to
do u
p h
is h
ouse
rath
er t
han e
mplo
yin
g a
profe
ssio
nal fo
r it.
The 3
1-year-o
ld w
an
ted t
o r
em
odel
his
house
, an
d h
e c
hose
to
brin
g h
om
e s
om
e inte
rio
r d
esi
gn m
agazi
nes
and d
ecid
e o
n t
he c
olo
ur s
chem
e
him
self
.S
hahid
, alo
ng w
ith a
team
of
work
ers,
pain
ted a
ll w
alls
whit
e a
nd c
hose
to
keep t
he fl
oor a
nd f
urnit
ure b
lack.
“Everyth
ing in h
is h
ouse
has
been d
esi
gned b
y S
hahid
him
self
,” t
he a
cto
r’s
spokesp
erso
n s
aid
in a
sta
tem
ent.
He a
lso m
ade s
ure t
he h
ouse
gets
good v
enti
lati
on a
nd a
mple
am
ount
of
seati
ng a
rea b
y t
he w
indow
.S
hahid
als
o m
ade a
den f
or h
imse
lf w
here h
e h
as
a c
om
forta
ble
bed a
nd
an i
nte
rest
ing c
ollecti
on o
f film
s across
all g
enres.
He f
eels
the b
est
way
to i
nvest
in h
is c
raft
as
an a
cto
r i
s by w
atc
hin
g a
nd l
earnin
g f
rom
work
across
boundarie
s.S
hahid
was
last
seen i
n 2
011
rele
ase
Ma
usa
m a
nd w
ill
soon b
e s
een i
n
Rajk
um
ar S
anto
shi’s
Ph
ata
Post
er
Nik
la H
ero
, w
hic
h a
lso f
eatu
res
actr
ess
Il
eana D
’cruz.
Fren
ch fi
lm A
mou
r n
amed
bes
t fi
lm
by L
A c
riti
cs
Jam
es
Bond i
s in
a b
ox-o
ffice p
hoto
fi
nis
h w
ith
S
an
ta C
laus an
d th
e
East
er B
unny o
ver w
hat
looks
to b
e
the last
slo
w w
eekend o
f th
e h
olidays.
Accordin
g t
o s
tudio
est
imate
s on S
unday,
S
ony’s
Bon
d t
ale
Sk
yfa
ll t
ook i
n $
11m
to
move b
ack t
o N
o. 1
in its
fift
h w
eekend.
Th
at
pu
t it
n
arrow
ly
ah
ead
of
Param
oun
t’s R
ise o
f th
e G
ua
rdia
ns,
th
e
anim
ate
d a
dventu
re o
f S
anta
, th
e E
ast
er
Bunny a
nd o
ther m
yth
olo
gic
al heroes
that
pulled in $
10.5
m.
The t
wo m
ovie
s in
ched a
head o
f S
um
mit
E
nte
rta
inm
en
t’s
Th
e
Tw
ilig
ht
Sa
ga
: B
rea
kin
g D
aw
n —
Pa
rt
2,
whic
h h
ad b
een
to
ps fo
r th
ree-s
traig
ht
weeken
ds.
Th
e
Tw
ilig
ht
finale
earned $
9.2
m, sl
ippin
g i
nto
a t
ight
race for N
o 3
wit
h D
isney’s
Lin
coln
, w
hic
h w
as
clo
se b
ehin
d w
ith $
9.1
m.
Osc
ar f
ron
t-run
ners
Arg
o a
nd L
inco
lnhave a
lready b
low
n p
ast
box o
ffice p
roje
c-
tions
and, w
ith t
he a
wards
seaso
n k
ickin
g
in, are p
osi
tioned p
ick u
p m
ore s
team
this
w
eek.
Dis
ney p
lans
to e
xpand O
scar front-
run-
ner L
inco
ln i
nto
about
200 m
ore t
heate
rs
this
weekend, aft
er t
he n
om
inati
ons
for t
he
Screen A
cto
rs G
uild A
wards
on W
ednesd
ay
and G
old
en G
lobes
on T
hursd
ay.
Arg
o, B
en A
ffleck’s
Iran h
ost
age t
hrille
r,
has
made $
103m
for W
arn
er B
ros
sin
ce
open
ing o
n O
cto
ber 1
2.
Lin
coln
, dir
ecto
r
Ste
ven
S
pie
lberg’s
saga of
the 16
th U
S
presid
en
t’s fi
gh
t to
aboli
sh
sla
very,
wil
l pass
that
mark
in t
he n
ext
few
days.
That
means
both
film
s are a
round $
40m
above
an
aly
sts
’ pre-rele
ase
proje
cti
on
s,
an
d
they’r
e s
till c
ounti
ng.
“It
’s
an
ach
ievem
en
t,”
E
xh
ibit
or
Rela
tion
s se
nio
r a
naly
sts
Jeff
Bock s
aid
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PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012 HOSPITALITY10
Menezes Hospitality launched its first five star Hotel in Doha – Grand Regal Hotel, yesterday.
The hotel officially opened its doors to guests on 12-12-12.
The property is located on Ras Abu Aboud Street, close to Corniche and Qatar Islamic Museum. It is just five minutes drive from the Doha International Airport.
Grand Regal Hotel features 218 guestrooms that display a soothing and contemporary ambience. “A home away from home, guests are guaran-teed of a wonderful experience of com-fort, luxury and impeccable service in every visit to the Grand Regal Hotel,” an hotel official said.
The hotel’s signature restaurant, Mehfil, will serve International cuisine for breakfast and lunch and turn into an Indian specialty restaurant for din-ner. It will offer special Indian dishes such as Dumpukht Biryani, Pattar ka Gosht and Haleem. Guests visiting the Mehfil restaurant can also experience traditional bangle making and henna design.
La-Margarita coffee shop with its 24-hour service will offer 100 varieties of coffee, a choice of pastries, salads and mouth-watering snacks.
They will also have a lounge featuring
live entertainment by a music band from the Iberian Peninsula.
For business needs, the hotel offers two fully equipped meeting rooms, featuring audio-visual facilities, high-speed Internet access and event catering.
Grand Regal Hotel also have a
health club offering a wide range of beauty and health treatments at Husna Spa, a gymnasium, sauna, whirlpool, steam room and outdoor swimming pool.
“Our main goal is to provide time-less comfort, outstanding service and incomparable courtesy to create a
memorable experience for each guest,” said Imran Baig, the General Manager of Grand Regal Hotel.
“With attention to the finest details in everything we do, we are confident to achieve superior levels of customer satisfaction,” he added.
The Peninsula
Grand Regal Hotel opens doors
Cumin Lamb Stir-FryYou’ve noticed the recipe name; if the spice is
offensive to you or to someone you cook for, this dish is not for you. It won’t change your mind or explode your previous notions about cumin.
But if you like the spice, this dish makes good use of it. Start with cumin seed instead of ground cumin to get its true, optimum flavour. It has a nat-ural affinity for lamb, which is one reason this dish works so well. Another reason: The sear-and stir-fry technique prevents overcooking of the meat.
Serve with pearled couscous. Adapted from The Chinese Takeout Cookbook, by Diana Kuan (Random House, 2012).
Ingredients1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce1 tablespoon Chinese wine2 teaspoons cornstarch1 pound boneless leg of lamb2 teaspoons whole cumin seed (may substitute 1 tablespoon
crushed red pepper flakes)1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper1 medium leek2 medium cloves garlic1/2-inch piece ginger root1 tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil
Method:Whisk together the soy sauce, and cornstarch in
a mixing bowl until well incorporated.Trim off and discard any visible fat from the
lamb. Cut the meat into a few broad chunks, and
then into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Add to the soy sauce mixture, turning until well coated. Let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, toast the cumin seed in a dry skil-let over medium heat for 1 or 2 minutes, shaking the pan to keep the cumin from burning. It should be fragrant. Cool slightly, then grind to a coarse powder (preferably using a mortar and pestle). Transfer to a small bowl, then add the sesame oil, Sichuan peppercorns and black pepper.
Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat.Trim the leek to reserve the white part; slit it
in half and rinse under cool water to dislodge any grit. Cut crosswise into thin slices. Mince the garlic.
Peel and mince the ginger.Once the wok or skillet is hot enough for a drop
of water to sizzle on contact, add the peanut or vegetable oil and swirl to coat.
Add the lamb. Cook undisturbed for 1 minute so the meat begins to sear. Stir-fry for about 1 minute or until the lamb browns but is not quite cooked through.
Add the garlic, ginger and leek; stir-fry for about 1 minute or until the leek has just wilted. Add the seasoning mixture and stir-fry to coat the lamb and cook it through, 1 or 2 minutes.
Divide among individual plates; serve right away.WP-Bloomberg
Dinner in 25 minutes
Chief Guest Francisco C J Agenelo (centre), Deputy Chief Minister of Goa, India, with officials of Grand Regal Hotel, from left: C C Mohan, Managing Director, Imran Baig, General Manager, Alfred Menezes, Chairman, and Nubia Menezes at the press conference.
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012 11BOOKS
by Alan Wheatley
Frank Vogl, who co-founded the anti-corruption group Transparency International (TI) in 1993, believes cam-paigners have reached base
camp in their fight to end the abuse of public office for private gain.
TI has offices in more than 100 coun-tries and its annual rankings of clean government are widely used by invest-ment analysts to help gauge political risk.
But the almost daily disclosures of rigged elections and corporate brib-ery across the globe shows why Vogl, a former journalist and senior World Bank official who lives in Washington, is quick to admit there is an Everest yet to climb.
Vogl spoke about his new book Waging War on Corruption during a visit to London.
Are you winning the fight against corruption?
“I don’t say we’re winning, but we’ve come a long way in 20 years. Polls around the world show that many peo-ple view corruption as their single-big-gest concern. The Arab Spring showed an enormous level of frustration by ordinary people with the humiliation they suffer every day as a result of cor-ruption and extortion, and a willingness to go out on the streets and do some-thing about it.”
Is corruption a price worth paying to ensure political stability in friendly countries?
“In an earlier era, you could have perhaps made that case. Today, thanks to the Internet and social media ordi-nary citizens everywhere are far bet-ter informed than ever before. You don’t secure peace and stability in a country if the broad public has no confidence in the leadership and insti-tutions of government. Whether it’s in China or Russia - or more unstable countries like Afghanistan or Iraq or Pakistan - public awareness of cor-ruption is something governments have to address. If they run totally fraudulent elections or continue to
put in place gangsters to run institu-tions, then over time you will have far greater instability.”
What lessons are to be learned from Egypt?
“What is difficult for Western pow-ers, especially the United States, is to find partners in highly unstable coun-tries. Or they stick with them for too long. President (Hosni) Mubarak is a very good example. For a long time he was important for peace and security in the Middle East. But he lost so much credibility at home that the US was seen almost as a co-conspirator against the people of Egypt, which today makes it very hard for the US to restore a strategic relationship with Egypt.”
Is corruption in business on the rise?“There is no way of knowing. It’s far
easier to move money round the world swiftly and illicitly. But there are now more laws in place that criminalise foreign bribe-paying by corporations than ever before. There are more pros-ecutions and investigations. The fines being paid are higher. And the number of companies that have developed train-ing and compliance programs to try to adhere to ant-bribery laws is greater than ever before. There is also far more media attention on the issue. And from 2014 oil and gas and mining companies in the United States will have to pub-licly list all their royalty payments to host governments. A similar law will come into effect in Europe. So through greater transparency you are going to start to reduce the level of illicit payments.”
What about the wealth amassed by officials in some African oil-producing countries?
“As I said, we have a long way to go. Transparency International France and another NGO asked the French courts to order the state to investigate the illicit investments that the leaders of three west African countries had in France. The French government con-tested this, but the investigations have gone forward. But it’s incredibly dif-ficult because the French, the British and others have very strong secu-rity interests in wanting to maintain
supplies of minerals and oil and gas.”
So governments are saying in effect that corruption is a price worth paying?
“It’s very short-sighted. If we can bribe people to guarantee our secu-rity of supply, others can too. If we are going to turn a blind eye to the illicit trade in diamonds, for example, it isn’t going to help the stability and security of southern Africa. The fundamental debate about this in the UK is over. People ‘get it’ and see where the longer-term interest lies. But a lot of defense and oil contracts are still a very murky area. And there is a lot of money being laundered that the authorities, for one reason or another, have decided not to clamp down on.”
Which countries stand out as winning and losing the fight against corruption?
“Take a country like Georgia. The fact that they recently had a contested election, which the opposition won, is a good indicator of a significant effort at reform. There are very close correla-tions between the levels of perceived corruption, human rights abuse, press freedom and the strength of democratic institutions. But we also see backslid-ing. We all rejoiced at the intentions of a new government in Kenya after President (Daniel arap) Moi. But today there’s probably greater corruption in Kenya than before.”
The chief of staff of former Brazilian president Lula was recently jailed for cor-ruption. How significant is that?
“The investment community should be paying close attention to what is
happening in Brazil. You have got very important changes in public procure-ment and freedom-of-information laws that are making it harder to use bribes to get government contracts; you’ve had the prosecution and sentencing of top politicians that, five years ago, would never have happened. Why? Part of the reason is that after two decades of economic policy reform and the mod-ernization of the economy you have an increasingly influential entrepreneur-ial middle class that understands that their business success is best achieved in clean markets.”
Has TI come under attack for its campaigning?
“Whether it be in Zimbabwe or Sri Lanka or Venezuela, people lead-ing anti-corruption movements - and not just Transparency International - are facing continuous threats by the police. Our office in Sri Lanka has been bombed, the head of the office was kidnapped and there have been repeated death threats against mem-bers of staff. The level of threats has increased in many countries, including in Russia, and that is a direct result of the increasing success of these groups. If they were not successful or effec-tive, the governments wouldn’t care. We have citizens’ help lines to report corruption in 55 countries. Thousands of people are lodging complaints, and that is testing many governments. Even lower-level officials are suddenly being challenged. So we’re entering a much more dangerous period for the leaders of civil society.”
Reuters
The climbto conquercorruption
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012 TECHNOLOGY12
by Miyoung Kim
Liquid-crystal display (LCD) screens were expected to slowly fade and die, giving way to lighter, thinner and tougher organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panels in eve-rything from smartphones to televisions.
But LCD is refusing to go quietly as its picture quality keeps getting better. At the same time, the major backers of credit card-thin OLED panels - led by Samsung Electronics Co and LG Electronics Inc - are struggling to make the technology cheap enough to mass produce. The two South Korean firms this year showcased 55-inch OLED TVs, but priced at around $10,000 - 10 times that of an LCD equivalent - they have yet to reach store shelves.
OLED displays, used on Samsung’s Galaxy S and Note smartphones, have been touted as the future display model to replace LCDs across the consumer electronics spectrum - from TVs to computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. OLED is more energy effi-cient and offers higher contrast images than LCD, and is so thin that future mobile devices will be unbreak-able, and will be able to be folded or rolled up like a newspaper.
But OLED panel makers such as Samsung Display and LG Display have yet to address major manufac-turing challenges to lower costs to compete against LCD panels.
At the same time, LCD panels, which are used on 9 of every 10 television sets, are still evolving and show no sign of giving way in this latest battle to set the global standard - less than a decade since LCD effec-tively killed off plasma screens.
“OLED still has a long way to go to become a main-stream display, as it has to become bigger and improve picture quality,” said Chung Won-seok, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities.
“The use of OLEDs will continue to be confined to small displays at least for the next 2-3 years. Its usage as a mainstream TV panel is only likely in 2014, but even then there’s a possibility of intense competition with LCD TVs as that technology keeps improving.”
According to DisplaySearch, it will take another four years for OLED screens to capture less than a tenth of the global TV screen market.
PIXEL WAR
Far from fading, LCD panels now offer better pic-ture quality - up to four times better than OLED - and use less power, creating robust demand from smartphone and tablet makers.
As has often been the case, Apple Inc moved the goalposts by upgrading the display resolution for its iPhone and iPad, still the high-end LCD market’s gold standard, prompting rivals to upgrade their display panel qualifications. Analysts at Macquarie predict Apple will adopt high-resolution screens for the MacBook Air and iMac monitor next year, accelerat-ing the industry’s shift to high-resolution displays.
“It’s only a matter of time (before) other high-end notebook companies such as Sony Corp, Toshiba Corp and Samsung upgrade their screens to high-resolution to compete with Apple’s MacBook series,” Macquarie analyst Henry Kim wrote in a recent client note.
Rivals are taking note.Taiwan’s HTC Corp has introduced the Droid DNA
smartphone with a 440 pixel per inch (ppi) density - the sharpest smartphone screen yet, with far higher resolution than the iPad’s 330 ppi and the iPhone 5’s 326 ppi. Samsung’s Galaxy S III, which uses an OLED screen, has 306 ppi density.
“The pixel war is an absolute bonanza for LCD
makers,” said Kim Byung-ki, analyst at Kiwoom Securities. “Manufacturers from LG Display to Samsung, Sharp Corp, AU Optronics Corp and Chimei (Innolux) all will gradually convert their traditional lines into more high-end product fabs, and that will curtail supply and boost profitability.”
These higher-resolution panels cost more than double the commodity-type LCD screens, boosting panel producers’ profits. Even Samsung, the stand-ard bearer for OLED panels and also a major LCD manufacturer, is actively promoting LCD screens for tablets and laptops over OLED, said a person familiar with the matter, who was not authorised to talk to the media so didn’t want to be named.
Sharper resolution LCD TV screens also mean OLED is struggling to make inroads in that market.
Both Sony and LG Electronics now sell ultra HD (high definition) LCD sets that boast four times the picture quality of HD TVs. The two firms, which are selling 84-inch TVs, aim to reduce that size to cater for more popular smaller sets.
IN TIGHT SUPPLY?
To squeeze more pixels per inch, panel makers are upgrading their thin-film transistor (TFT) panel production facilities to new IGZO or LTPS process-ing technologies that require almost twice as many processing steps and which suffer higher faulty prod-uct rates and lost output.
Japan’s Sharp is the frontrunner in IGZO technol-ogy, which uses indium gallium zinc oxide instead of amorphous silicon, in panel manufacturing. LG Display, a major supplier to Apple, is investing 1.2 trillion won ($1.1bn) by end-2013 in its production of low-temperature poly silicon (LTPS) panels - a tech-nology used to make screens for the iPhone and iPad.
While new technologies can be game-changers,
these panels are not simple to produce, limiting avail-ability and driving up manufacturing costs. Some warn of an LCD supply shortage.
“The LCD industry is improving more strongly than expected and panels are likely to be in short supply from 2013, as manufacturers upgrade their lines to increase high-end products. This requires more processing time and steps, reducing total output,” said Kim Dong-won, an analyst at Hyundai Securities.
Converting a line to IGZO and LTPS processing can cut LCD output by 30-70 percent, according to BNP Paribas.
As LCD prospects improve, LG Display, the world’s top LCD maker, swung to a quarterly profit in July-September, ending a run of seven straight quarterly losses.
LG Display is expected to continue its solid perform-ance, as Apple buys fewer parts from rival Samsung and moves more to high-end displays on a wider range of its products. LG Display shares have risen by around a third in 3 months, double Samsung’s gains. In Taiwan, AU Optronics shares are up 41 percent over that same period and Chimei is up 45 percent. Shares in cash-strapped Sharp hit a 2-month high on Wednesday after the company secured an up to $120m cash injection from Qualcomm Inc, which will help it fund development of its IZGO technology.
As the global TV market is forecast to shrink 1-2 percent next year, panel makers with higher exposure to the booming mobile markets will lead a recovery, say analysts, though some caution that shares may be rising too fast.
“LG Display and its peers are actually sowing the seeds of the next cycle downturn by doing what they always do - wherever they see a profit opportunity, they focus on it, adding capacity and dissipating the excess returns,” said Stanford Bernstein analyst Alberto Moel. Reuters
In pixel wars, LCD refuses to die
A man touches Sony's OLED TV at A man touches Sony's OLED TV at an electronic shop in Tokyo.an electronic shop in Tokyo.
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012COMICS & MORE 13
Hoy en la HistoriaDecember 12, 2012
1792: Ludwig van Beethoven, aged 22, noted in his diary that he had enough money for his first lesson with Franz Joseph Haydn1955: British engineer Christopher Cockerell patented the first prototype of the hovercraft1982: Britain’s Greenham Common airbase was ringed by 20,000 women protesting against U.S. Cruise missiles2002: North Korea anounced it was reactivating its nuclear facilities
A year of celebrations begins in France to mark the 850th anniver-sary of the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, one of the largest churches in the world
Tafadhal Tafadhalee please sit/please help yourself
An Izh’nak An’izhnik With your permission
DEMONSTRATIONS:
Masculine Feminine Meaning
Hazha John Hazhihi Sera This is
Zhalika Til’ka That is
Hal Hazha……..? Hal Hazhihi……? Is this ?
Man Hazha? Man Hazhihi? Who is this ?
Ma Hazha ? Ma hazhihi? What is this ?
LEARNARABIC
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012
HYPER SUDOKU
CROSS WORD
CROSSWORDS
YESTERDAY’S
ANSWER
How to play Hyper Sudoku:A Hyper Sudoku
Puzzle is solved
by filling the
numbers from 1
to 9 into the blank
cells. A Hyper
Sudoku has
unlike Sudoku
13 regions
(four regions
overlap with the
nine standard
regions). In all
regions the numbers from 1 to 9 can appear
only once. Otherwise, a Hyper Sudoku is
solved like a normal Sudoku.
ACROSS 1 What “:” means on
some exams
5 River in W.W. I fighting
9 Brewing giant
14 Kind of street
15 Top
16 Gray ones can cause arguments
17 *Look for
19 Caffè ___
20 “If only”
21 *Entice with
23 With 26-Across, none
24 Stumble
26 See 23-Across
27 Some investments, for short
28 *Drop one, say
31 Broker’s goal
32 “Cold Mountain” novelist Charles
33 Most common first name among U.S. presidents (six)
34 *July, for Major League Baseball
37 Where lines may cross
40 Voluntarily, perhaps
43 Those Spaniards
44 *Doesn’t worry
46 TV’s onetime ___ Club
47 Electric ___
48 NetZero, e.g., for short
49 Zip
51 *It may bear a coat of arms
54 Relatives of raspberries
56 Succeed
57 *View from Land’s End
59 Order countermanded by “Down, boy!”
60 Long haul
61 Legion
62 Travels over what’s hidden in the answers to the seven starred clues
63 Average
64 Bygone fliers
DOWN 1 “___ his kiss”
(repeated 1964 lyric)
2 Suckler of Romulus and Remus
3 Sellout
4 What we share
5 Derisive call
6 See 13-Down
7 Exotic avian pets
8 Join forces anew
9 Tight
10 Man from Oman
11 Sony recorder
12 Twiddled one’s thumbs
13 6-Down in sub-Saharan Africa
18 Salty orange square
22 Suffix with hex-
25 Stir at a speakeasy
29 Island birthplace of Epicurus
30 Spartan king who fought Pyrrhus
31 After-dinner drink, maybe
33 Holy Roman emperor during the War of the Spanish Succession
35 They include Cuba and Jamaica
36 Smart answers
37 Lower
38 It’s south of Helsinki
39 Government study, briefly?
41 Spanish husbands
42 Ophthalmologist’s procedure
44 Musical notes
45 Puts in, in a way
47 Fe, Ag, Au, etc.
50 Jrs. take them
52 “The Land of Painted Caves” novelist
53 Designed for flight
55 Singer Phil
58 End of a match, for short
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16
17 18 19
20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31
32 33
34 35 36
37 38 39 40 41 42
43 44 45
46 47 48 49 50
51 52 53 54 55
56 57 58
59 60 61
62 63 64
F R A U D S E A R C O T SA N D S O O R C A A F E WB A S S R E L I E F N C A A
R E L I C S T O A TA L G M I D A S S T O U C HR O O M I E S I T E R T EI K E A S T I N T SD I S C U S S T H R O W E R S
B E R T H S A N A TU V A A Y E A W E S O M ES I N G L E S S B A R T S PO R A L S A U T O SP I N E B U S S T I C K E TE L A N A S H E C A L V EN E S S H E A D A M M A N
How to play Kakuro:The kakuro grid, unlike in sudoku, can be of any size. It has rows and columns, and dark cells like in a crossword. And, just like in a crossword, some of the dark cells will contain numbers. Some cells will contain two numbers.However, in a crossword the numbers reference clues. In a kakuro, the numbers are all you get! They denote the total of the digits in the row or column referenced by the number.Within each collection of cells - called a run
- any of the numbers 1 to 9 may be used but, like sudoku, each number may only be used once.
YESTERDAY’S ANSWER
14
EASY SUDOKUEasy Sudoku PuzzlesPlace a digit from 1 to 9 in each empty cell so everyrow, every column and every 3x3 box contains allthe digits 1 to 9.
Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate
PLUS | WEDNESDAY 12 DECEMBER 2012CINEMA / TV LISTINGS
Editor-In-Chief Khalid Al Sayed Acting Managing Editor Hussain Ahmad Editorial Office The Peninsula Tel: 4455 7741, E-mail: [email protected] / [email protected]
Today in Qatar
Tea with NefertitiWhen: Till March 31, 2013; 11am-6pmWHERE: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art WHAT: Offer a critical perspective on how to perceive an artwork, particularly in and from the Arab world. Free entry
Yan Pei-Ming“Painting the history”When: 9am-8pm, Till Jan 12, 2013Friday 3pm to 9pmWHERE: QMA Gallery, Bldg 10 WHAT: Curated by Francesco Bonami, this exhibition profiles three types of history-makers and highlights the power of painting as a medium for recording historical events. Free entry
Forever NowWhen: Till March 31, 2013; 11am-6pmWHERE: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art WHAT: Forever Now proposes new readings based on the works of five artists from Mathaf’s permanent collection. This exhibition unpacks new narratives that posit a unique understanding of five diverse artists: Fahrelnissa Zeid, Jewad Selim, Saliba Douaihy, Salim Al–Dabbagh and Ahmed Cherkaoui. Free entry
Art of Travel WHEN: Till Feb 11, 2013(Sun, Mon, Wed: 10:30-5:30; Tue: closed; Thu, Sat: 12noon-8pm; Fri: 2pm-8pm)WHERE: Al Riwaq Hall next to the Museum of Islamic Art WHAT: A watercolour album dated 1590 was commissioned by Bartholomäus Schachman, mayor of Gdansk in 1604. It documents what he saw during his travels through the Ottoman Empire in 1588-89, depicting costumes and people, scenes of everyday life, festivals and ceremonies. The pages of the album are on display along with related artworks and documents providing visitors with a fascinating and vivid view back in time to the 16th century. Entry: Children Free, adults QR:25
Record of Images in Algerian Film Exhibition WHEN: 15 Dec 201210am-10pmWHERE: Katara Art Center, Bldg 5 WHAT: Posters have long been a visual tool of politics. In the world of cinema this medium is the still representation of a series of plans, plots, moving images, scripts and protagonists. This exhibition explores the relationship between selected posters of key films that made Algerian film history and stills from the films themselves, framing the aesthetics of its socio-political context that has evolved through the years to form a thriving independent cinema that has demarcated itself in the region. Entry: Free
If you want your events featured here mail the details to [email protected]
MEDIA SCAN
IN FOCUS
• Many Qatar University students hope to see a different graduation ceremony that will involve all graduates of the campus.
• Since the Consumer Protection Department is publicising many cases of products that violate health rules, buyers must be careful about what they buy.
• Many embassies in Doha do not have
a website, which makes it difficult for people to contact these embassies.
• Discussion about a new radio station to be launched by the Ministry of Interior, and the importance of its programmes.
• Some shops have steeply raised the prices of flags and clothes before National Day.
• Ongoing improvements in Qatar TV should not just be cosmetic but also include programmes and content.
• The culture of consumption is not limited to food, but is all pervasive.
• Complaints about long waiting times at Al Rumaila Hospital. One national told the popular radio programme, ‘Watani Al Habeeb Sabah Al Khair’, that his appoint-ment in the dental clinic was scheduled two years from now.
• A youth campaign on Twitter opposes marches and calls for respect for law and traffic regulations on National Day.
• Speculation about whether another new state will emerge in the Middle East fol-lowing the events of the Arab Spring and the birth of South Sudan.
A summary ofissues of the daydiscussed by the Qatari communityin the media.
A group of grey geese is pictured in the snow at the Tierpark Hellabrunn zoo in Munich.
by Andreas Gebert
Singapore’s pampered pets get obituaries
Grieving pet owners in Singapore, known for lavishing care in life on their animals, can soon share their feelings about furred family mem-bers after they pad off to the great beyond - via obituaries in the city-state’s largest newspaper.
The Straits Times pets section will let pet owners publish goodbye mes-sages to their favourite non-human companions along with an accompa-nying photo.
The memorials will be part of a “pets’ corner” in the paper’s classi-fieds section, along with notices by the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and other ani-mal groups about pets available for adoption.
The decision to market obituar-ies to pet owners in tiny Singapore, one of the world’s richest countries in terms of per capita income, comes as wealthy Asians have fewer kids and shower more attention on pets.
Though dogs and cats once roamed free around neighbourhoods in Singapore, pet owners today are extremely protective of their pets. In addition, the 80 percent of the popu-lation that lives in government-run flats is restricted to just one dog, of a small breed.
