D C—41 C TODAY LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE PUZZLES All the rage

DOHA 34°C—41°C TODAY PUZZLES 12 & 13D LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE 11L P

Wednesday, August 2, 2017Dhul-Qa’da 10, 1438 AH

CommunityPakistan International School,

Qatar has outdone its results from last year in the HSSC-II Annual Examination 2017.

P6 P16 CommunityResearch proposes a new

diagnostic tool that may be able to detect Alzheimer’s cheaper than before.

All the rageProjection mapping

becoming popular

for big events. P4-5

COVERSTORY

Community EditorKamran Rehmat

e-mail: [email protected]: 44466405

Fax: 44350474

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

Humanitarian Services Offi ce (Single window facility for the repatriation of bodies)Ministry of Interior 40253371, 40253372, 40253369Ministry of Health 40253370, 40253364Hamad Medical Corporation 40253368, 40253365Qatar Airways 40253374

USEFUL NUMBERS

Quote Unquote

Wednesday, August 2, 20172 GULF TIMES

COMMUNITY ROUND & ABOUT

The Mall Cinema (1): Sunday Holiday (Malayalam) 2:30pm; Mubarakan (Hindi) 5pm; Dunkirk (2D) 7:30pm; Jawab Ieteqal (Arabic) 9:30pm; Nibunan (Tamil) 11:30pm.The Mall Cinema (2): Cars 3 (2D) 2pm; Munna Michael (Hindi) 4pm; Atomic Blonde (2D) 6:30pm; Boyka: Undisputed (2D) 8:30pm; Dunkirk (2D) 10pm; Atomic Blonde (2D) 11:45pm.The Mall Cinema (3): Goutham Nanda (Telugu) 2pm; Baby Driver (2D) 4:30pm; Mubarakan (Hindi) 6:30pm; Sunday Holiday (Malayalam) 9:15pm; Huroob Ezterari (Arabic) 11:30pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (1):

Sunday Holiday (Malayalam) 2pm; Fidaa (Telugu) 4:30pm; Atomic Blonde (2D) 7pm; Sunday Holiday (Malayalam) 9pm; Dunkirk (2D) 11:30pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (2): Cars 3 (2D) 2:30pm; Huroob Ezterari (Arabic) 4:30pm; Munna Michael (Hindi) 6:30pm; Dunkirk (2D) 9pm; Nibunan (Tamil) 11pm.Royal Plaza Cinema Palace (3): Goutham Nanda (Telugu) 2:30pm; Mubarakan (Hindi) 5pm; Jawab Ieteqal (Arabic) 7:45pm; Boyka: Undisputed (2D) 9:45pm; Atomic

Blonde (2D) 11:30pm.Landmark Cinema (1): Mubarakan (Hindi) 2:15pm; Mubarakan (Hindi) 5pm; Atomic Blonde (2D) 7:45pm; Boyka: Undisputed (2D) 9:45pm; Nibunan (Tamil) 11:15pm.Landmark Cinema (2): Cars 3 (2D) 2:30pm; Sunday Holiday (Malayalam) 4:30pm; Dunkirk (2D) 7:15pm; Dunkirk (2D) 9:15pm; Sunday Holiday (Malayalam) 11pm.Landmark Cinema (3): Fidaa (Telugu) 2:30pm; Huroob Ezterari (Arabic) 5pm; Nibunan (Tamil) 7pm; Jawab Ieteqal (Arabic) 9:30pm; Atomic Blonde (2D) 11:30pm.

PRAYER TIMEFajr 3.37amShorooq (sunrise) 5.01amZuhr (noon) 11.40amAsr (afternoon) 3.07pmMaghreb (sunset) 6.21pmIsha (night) 7.51pm

Imagination and fi ction make up more

than three quarters of our real life. - Simone Weil

Mubarakan DIRECTION: Anees BazmeeCAST: Anil Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Ileana D’Cruz, Athiya

ShettySYNOPSIS: Karan and Charan are identical twin brothers

but their personalities are polar opposite. Karan has grown

up in London while Charan in Punjab. Karan is street-smart, calculative and fl amboyant while Charan is simple, idealistic and honest in his approach. The brothers turn to their eccentric uncle for help to make sure that they each marry the woman they love.

THEATRES: The Mall, Landmark, Royal Plaza

Fidaa DIRECTION: Sekhar KammulaCAST: Varun Tej, Sai Pallavi, Raja Chembolu, Geetha

Bahskar and Harshvardhan RaneSYNOPSIS: A movie that sings on the beautiful

storyline of love and adorable romance between Varun Tej and Sai Pallavi. The story revolves around a love web tangled between Bhanumathi (Sai Pallavi) and Varun (Varun Tej).

THEATRES: Royal Plaza, Landmark

3Wednesday, August 2, 2017 GULF TIMES

COMMUNITYROUND & ABOUT

EVENTS

Tamim the GloriousWHERE: W DohaWHEN: Until Sept 10TIME: 10am-10pmA new exhibition about His Highness the

Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani by local artist Ahmed bin Majed al-Maadheed is going on at the W Doha.

Al-Maadheed is the founder of Notion Media and is a profound, contemporary Qatari artist who has gained nationwide and international recognition for his artworks. He has been involved in many media related projects such as animations, TV series, adverts media campaigns and producing artworks on large frames.

Festival of Fresh DatesWHERE: Souq WaqifWHEN: Until Aug 5This year’s Festival of Fresh Dates, which

started on July 25, ends on August 5. As with previous years, the event will be held at Souq Waqif.

Casting Call: Seeking Actors in DohaWHERE: QFFWHEN: Until Aug 10Calling all talented actors in Qatar! We’re

looking for actors and actresses of all ages for a new fi lm we’re currently supporting. Auditions will be held between July 16 and August 10. All applicants should have Qatari look and speak the local dialect. To apply, e-mail us at: QFF-Productions@dohafi lminstitute.com

Unfolding Creative MethodsWHERE: Garage GalleryWHEN: Until Aug 19TIME: 8:30amUnfolding Creative Methods is now open to

the public at the Garage Gallery. The entry is free.

Summer Camp at TCAWHEN: Until August 24WHERE: TCATCA has successfully completed the

two batches of summer camp and now the 3rd batch is going on. There was an overwhelming response from parents as well

as students. Admission for the forth batch has already started. Grab this opportunity not to miss anything as there is only a few seats are left for batch 4, which starts from August 12. Come and register your kids for Abacus, Vedic Math, Rubic Cube, Robotics, Fun with Science, Connectivate (knowing your own inner skills), drawing and painting, and calligraphy. So what are you waiting for, grab your seats at the earliest. For more details, please get in touch with TCA Qatar at [email protected] or 66523871.

Rythm of the Alphabet ExhibitionWHERE: KataraWHEN: Aug 2-14TIME: 10amKatara presents Rythm of the Alphabet

Exhibition by the artist Rami Khoury.

Splash & Dash 3rd EditionWHERE: Aspire Dome DohaWHEN: Aug 2-30TIME: 7pmAspire Dome is opening its doors for you

in the summer to enjoy a healthy lifestyle. Swimming and running sessions will be available for all community members throughout August in the Aspire Dome Swimming Pool and Indoor Athletics Track. Registration will be available online and onsite at the Dome’s main entrance.

Summer CampWHERE: Ain KhaledWHEN: Until Aug 31TIME: 8am-1pmSummertime is just memories waiting to

happen. The Stem Xplorers Summer Camp is just the place for your kids to make lifelong memories to cherish.

Our camp will be Stem-based wherein we will engage the children in Science along with Lego, some exciting Sports, Nutrition, Arts, Crafts and Outdoor Field Trips!! Each week will be a diff erent theme covering an exciting new Stem project making science come to life. Call us now on 33996665 or 33120001.

#I Am Evo Summer CampWHERE: Al Waab and Doha College West

Bay WHEN: OngoingTIME: 8am to 1pmThe #IamEvo Camps are designed to

challenge young athletes to progressively develop their skills, performance and confi dence. The courses are structured to meet the needs of all young players, to have fun, learn new skills and meet new friends in a safe and friendly environment. Members have a choice of venue, with camps held at Doha College Al Waab and Doha College West Bay. The camps are open to boys and girls aged 4-16 years and run from 8am to 1pm daily at each site. Registration Now Open.

Camera Kids: Make Your Own Short Film

WHEN: Aug 6-24A well-rounded introduction to the diff erent

elements of photography, fi lm and fi lmmaking helps young people make their fi rst one-minute short fi lms. Applicants must be between 13 and 17 years old.

Skate Girls of Kabul ExhibitionWHERE: KataraWHEN: Until Oct 20Award winning photographer Jessica

Fulford-Dobson will present her critically-acclaimed series of portraits, Skate Girls of Kabul in her fi rst show in the Middle East. Presented by Qatar Museums, the exhibition will be at the QM Gallery Katara. The portraits tell the extraordinary story of Afghan girls who took up skateboarding, thanks to Skateistan, an Afghan charity that provides skate parks as a hook to get children from disadvantaged families back into the educational system. The striking images bring to life the hopeful spirit of these young girls that show a new perspective and dimension to skateboarding culture – one that shows strength in the face of adversity.

Summer Workshop 2017 for kidsWHERE: IAIDWHEN: July-AugSummer break is a long-awaited respite for

your kids after months of hitting the books. This is an opportunity for them to hone their current skills, pick up a new hobby, or simply stay active, whether their interest lies in dance, music or arts. This summer, get your kids up and going by enrolling them at IAID! Starting three years and above, we have courses to off er this summer such as Ballet Kids, Strum-A-Long, Bolly Thumka, Music Fun, ARTmazing & more.

Evolution Sports QatarWHERE: Evolution SportsWHEN: OngoingEvolution Sports will mark its anniversary by

hosting a number of exciting events throughout 2017 as well as some amazing promotions, ten years on from when the club was formed on September 1, 2007. The club has been working with a panel of coaches and directors to plan the events which will be announced over the coming months. Members should look forward

to a variety of diff erent occasions, suitable for all ages so the whole family can get involved in the birthday celebrations. To kick-off things off , Evolution Sports recently launched their 10-year anniversary logo. The emblem has been designed by Toyan Greaves, the man behind the original Evolution Sports logo and will be used on all documentation, both online and offl ine for the next 12 months.

Imperial Threads: Motifs and ArtisansWHERE: Museum of Islamic ArtWHEN: Until November 4This exhibition focuses on the exchange

of artistic and material cultures between the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal Empires. Highlighting MIA’s masterpiece carpets, among other artworks, from Turkey, Iran and India, these objects will be contextualised within the historical circumstances of politics and artistic production of their time, primarily from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Qatar Summer FestivalWHEN: Until Sept 5WHERE: Across DohaSummer Festival has just been announced

and it will run twice as long this year. That means more family fun, entertainment, activities and promotions across Qatar this summer. The extended Qatar Summer Festival will run from Eid al-Fitr to Eid al-Adha. Prepare for more than 100 activities this time round. Best of all there will be malls full of shopping discounts across Doha. Discounts of up to 50% are off ered and anybody spending more than QR200 at participating outlets will be entered into a draw to win a stack of cash or even a luxury car.

Salsa Beginners Dance ClassWHERE: B Attitude Spa, West BayWHEN: Every FridaySalsa n Candela off ers a variety of dance

classes for adults at Beverly Hills Tower West Bay B Attitude Spa, such as Salsa every Friday and other Latin dance during other days of the week.

Festive timeWHEN: OngoingWHERE: Doha Festival CityThe entertainment off ering has been

designed to ensure there are numerous opportunities for physical activities, from the running track which features exercise stations, the bike trail, through to our ‘fi rst-of-its-kind’ in Qatar, Snow Dunes theme park. DFC is excited to welcome fi rst visitors in April and to celebrate the best leisure facilities, retail mix and dining options, all with exceptional service.

Compiled by Nausheen Shaikh. E-mail: [email protected], Events and timings subject to change

At an after-party for the red carpet premiere of the seventh season of Game of Thrones at Walt Disney Concert Hall, partygoers

watched as Westeros came to life on the building before them.

An icy visage of the Night King loomed over the aff air while dragons soared across the hall’s sweeping arched facade, breathing fl ames that appeared to envelope the iconic structure.

Local designer Bart Kresa created the multimedia installation for the HBO event using a technique called projection mapping. Employing high-powered video projectors and sophisticated spatial mapping software, projection mapping enables artists and designers to cast virtual graphics onto the physical world, fi tting them to the exact contours and dimensions of just about any surface.

Projected light shows have been popular in Europe for years, thanks to generous public funding for the arts.

But as the underlying technology has advanced and become more aff ordable, projection mapping has exploded in the US.

LA in particular, with its year-round calendar of Hollywood premieres, parties and theme park events, has become a hotbed for this emerging medium. Projected installations have been recently featured at TCL Chinese Theatre and the Harry Potter attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood. Disneyland also showcases projections at a number of its attractions, including Sleeping Beauty Castle and It’s a Small World.

TV and fi lm executives say the technology helps create social media buzz around certain events. “I had phone calls from vendors and friends around the world,” said Billy Butchkavitz, HBO’s event designer who used projection mapping for the premiere of Game of Thrones, Westworld and other shows.

“Whenever the budget allows I try to work in some form of projection


COMMUNITY COVER STORY

Projection mapping enables artists and designers to cast virtual graphics

onto the physical world, fitting them to the exact contours and

dimensions of just about any surface, writes Ethan Varian

“I see every light bulb being an intelligent light bulb that can scan in 3-D in real time and re-project. In the future, we’re not going to be able to trust reality because we will be able to create effects that are so incredibly real that you’re not going to know the difference” — Philippe Bergeron, founder and head of LA-based projection mapping company Paintscaping

SPECTACULAR: The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle Gryff indor House imagery is projected against Hogwarts Castle against a web of spot lights as part of the new light show for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, at Universal Studios. The addition to the site is a colourful state-of-the-art light display and special eff ects projection accompanied by an original arrangement overseen by Academy-Award winning composer John Williams.

Visual appeal


COMMUNITYCOVER STORY

mapping in the overall design of the event,” Butchkavitz said.

Many companies hired to work on these events are based in LA, tapping the city’s pool of experienced animators to meet a growing demand for projection mapping shows.

In addition to the HBO premiere, Kresa and his 30-person team at Bartkresa Studio have created shows for Disney, Warner Bros., Universal Studios and the Grammy Awards. A projection for a Warner Bros. party in 2012 fi lled nearly an entire movie studio lot, creating optical illusions that gave the multistory buildings the appearance of depth and movement.

“It’s a large-scale, bigger-than-life experience,” Kresa said.

To create a projection, mappers fi rst take hundreds of photos of an object or building or use laser scanning technology to gather its exact dimensions. The information is then analysed by specialised software that stitches together a 3-D computer model of the structure. Onto the model, the software overlays graphics that are created using commercial animation programs. Next, designers produce a warped, two-dimensional image of the digital reproduction that perfectly fi ts to the shape of the physical object.

The fi nal product is projected onto the space using extra-bright laser or LCD projectors built by retailers such as Panasonic and Epson, which can cost as much as $100,000 apiece. Kresa and his crew operated 12 projectors to cover the concert hall for the HBO after-party.

To captivate an audience, telling a compelling story with the technology is just as important as creating striking visual eff ects, said Garson Yu, founder and chief executive of LA-based design company YU+co.

Yu and his team of designers have projected New Year’s Eve light shows onto Los Angeles City Hall since 2015. The projections, which covered the historic building’s nearly 30-story face, not only featured dazzling 3-D eff ects but also each had unique narrative themes. One followed a young boy as he explored diff erent neighbourhoods in LA and discovered the history of the city.

“When I look at a building, I don’t just look at it as an object or as a canvas we project an image onto,” Yu said. “I look at it as almost like a character — as something that carries a lot of stories and memories.”

Yu declined to reveal the company’s fi nances but said demand for projection mapping has helped boost his company’s revenue by more than 50 percent in recent years.

Philippe Bergeron, founder and head of LA-based projection mapping company Paintscaping, also has enjoyed brisk business since its founding in 2009.

Bergeron declined to reveal fi nances but said 2017 is poised to be the company’s most profi table year. The company usually charges $50,000 to $100,000 per project, Bergeron said.

Most of his team of 20 to 30 contractors have experience working in local film and video game studios such as Dreamworks Animation and Digital Domain. “There is an availability of the most incredible animators on the planet right here in LA,” Bergeron said.

LA County is a major hub for artistic talent with more than 5,800 animators and multimedia artists, according to the 2017 Otis Report on the Creative Economy.

Despite the abundance of quality animators, projection mapping makes up only a small fraction of event spending in LA. One reason is that it’s hard to get approvals. City offi cials can be reluctant to issue permits for large-scale installations, fearing they will distract drivers on local freeways.

Still, Kate Johnson, a digital media professor at Otis College, said an increase in public city-sponsored events is driving a higher demand for projection shows.

“Projection mapping has been huge throughout Europe, where it had a history of public gatherings,” Johnson said. “LA is now an emerging market because it’s beginning to fi gure out how to put on a big public event.”

Bergeron’s company has created a number of projections for public venues, including LA landmarks such as Rodeo Drive and the entertainment district called Hollywood and Highland Center, which has become a key source of revenue.

Paintscaping has produced mapping eff ects in music videos for Rihanna, John Legend and Eminem, as well as television commercials for Infi niti and BMW. For BMW,

Bergeron and his team concocted projections that appeared to spiral and twist inside of the body of a car.

“It’s not just an artist’s paintbrush, but a new paradigm in lighting, marketing and entertainment,” Bergeron said.

Eventually, projection mapping may replace your smartphone. San Francisco startup Lightform is building a computer that will be able to attach to any projector and, in eff ect, turn it into a real-time 3-D scanner. It would enable an individual artist to project graphics onto an object at the same time he or she is designing them.

Lightform CEO Brett Jones said

the computer will be available by fall. The company, which launched in 2014, has raised $2.6 million in seed funding and grants led by Silicon Valley venture capital fi rms Lux Capital and Seven Seas Partners.

“Projection mapping can provide visual illusions that are compelling magic, similar to (virtual reality) headsets that you would wear,” Jones said.

“In our version, you have projectors as light sources and every surface in a room can become an interactive display.”

In Jones’ future, which he refers to as “projected augmented reality

(AR),” you’ll be able to order a ride with Lyft or shop on Amazon just by touching or talking to a projected display.

“We have a vision for being the Apple of projected AR,” Jones said.

Bergeron also predicts a bright future for projection mapping.

“I see every light bulb being an intelligent light bulb that can scan in 3-D in real time and re-project,” he said. “In the future, we’re not going to be able to trust reality because we will be able to create effects that are so incredibly real that you’re not going to know the difference.” —Los Angeles Times/TNS

BRILLIANCE: Another creative exhibition of projection mapping.

To captivate an audience, telling a compelling story with the technology is just as important as creating striking visual effects, says Garson Yu, founder and chief executive of LA-based design company YU+co. “When I look at a building, I don’t just look at it as an object or as a canvas we project an image onto,” Yu says. “I look at it as almost like a character — as something that carries a lot of stories and memories”


COMMUNITY

Kainat Mazhar Iqbal Zoya Naeem Zainab Ali Ali Khalid Mohammad Abu Bakar Arisha Ahmed Roheena Murad

Sabar Jamila Ambreen Riaz Ahmad Mahnoor Shahid Mariam Bibi Awal Zaman Mahnoor Ghulam Akbar Ayesha Naeem Khan Sidrah Haider

Anmol Chohan Sarah Salman Salwa M Arshad Qudsiya Pervaiz Manal Saqib Noora M Zahir Khan Hira Manzoor

Fatima Adil Hussain Ibrahim Murtaza Sabar Mina Jawaria Rizwan Ahmed Khan

Abdullah Saleem Fatima Shabir Rabia Suleman

PISQ shines in HSSC-II Results of FBISE Examination 2017

Pakistan International School, Qatar (PISQ) has performed better in HSSC-II Annual Examination 2017 than in 2016. Out of 104 students, 98 were successful, for a pass ratio of 94.23%. Last year, it was 93%. A total of 13 students achieved A1 grade whereas the number of A graders was 15. Kainat Mazhar Iqbal topped the school with 967 marks, followed by Zoya Naeem with 952 and Zainab Ali

with 947 out of 1100 marks. The results were announced by the FBISE in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Principal Nargis Raza Otho commended the students and congratulated their parents and teachers. She said that PISQ is progressing in “academics gradually and clearly and in the days to come it would stand tall among its competitors in Qatar.”

Pakistani ambassador Shahzad Ahmad also expressed his joy and pleasure on the achievement of the students. He applauded all concerned and stressed on the students to work industriously and make studies a priority in order to succeed.

Seen here are the school’s top achievers.


COMMUNITY

MOTORING

MARKETING

Geared up to go with the MINI Lifestyle Collection

Anyone who is travelling this summer is bound to appreciate reliable, cleverly designed travel gear. The MINI Lifestyle Collection includes a wealth of

products designed to make the journey as enjoyable as arriving at the destination, with a colourful range of robust and chic luggage.

Shopping splurge, business trip, summer vacation or long-haul journey, the new MINI Lifestyle Collection covers every base with its extensive line-up of bags and suitcases.

Alongside their striking design, the luggage items also off er excellent functionality and a host of well thought-out details. Practical compartments in the bags and the intelligently designed interior of the suitcases provide fl exible storage for keeping everything tidy.

The products’ design is pared down to the essentials, yet always surprises in recognisable MINI fashion, with contrasting shapes, colours and materials. One of the Collection’s signature features is its splashes of colour – the familiar and much-loved MINI ‘colour block’. Aqua and lemon shades

combine with black, white and grey tones for a compelling colour scheme to smarten up any trip.

MINI Lifestyle items are available in MINI West Bay Area Showroom, Doha, Alfardan Automobiles, Qatar.

Nissan’s Juke and Kicks dominate Gulf’s small urban crossover segment

Since pioneering the segment with the Murano back in 2003 before following up with the X-Trail, Qashqai and Juke, Nissan has dominated the global market in crossover vehicles.

That dominance has been underscored in the Middle East with Nissan capturing almost 60% of small urban crossover sales in the region. The Juke and newly launched Kicks models are vying for top spot in diff erent markets.

Sales fi gures for the year to date show that Nissan has captured 59.7% of the B-segment (small car) urban crossover market with the Juke accounting for 44.2% of that share and the recently introduced Kicks taking already taking a healthy 15.5% (fi gures exclude KSA).

The Kicks has proved an instant hit in Gulf markets. Aimed squarely at urban driving environments it combines a robust exterior and elevated driving position with compact dimensions for agile performance and manoeuvrability. The body features an advanced aerodynamic design, which optimises fuel consumption and minimises noise. Kicks

is also one of the fi rst Nissan models to realise the concept of Intelligent Mobility, initially presented at the Geneva Auto Show in 2016.

Intelligent Mobility uses smart, relevant technology to make the driver’s life easier while also making advances towards Nissan’s long-term goal of zero emission and zero fatality motoring. Its qualities have helped the newcomer to eclipse its Juke stablemate in the region, making Kicks the top seller in its segment.

“The car-buying public here in the Middle East is known to be a discerning one and it has been heartening to see how they have embraced Kicks and yet continue to buy Juke in considerable numbers,” said Kalyana Sivagnanam, Nissan’s Regional Vice President, Marketing and Sales for the Africa, Middle East, and India region. “We are especially pleased to see how, from a standing start, the Kicks has rapidly established itself as a market leader. The all-new Nissan Kicks has become a popular choice among the compact crossover segment customers due to the advanced Intelligent

Mobility technology that it is packed with, a car which sits at the more comfortable end of the market.”

Among the highlights of the Kicks’ technological off erings are the Around View Monitor and Moving Object Detection systems, which use four integrated cameras to show an overall view of the car and warn the driver in case of any unseen dangers.

The suite of technology available on Kicks also extends to dynamic innovations to maximise safety and comfort. Among them are Chassis Dynamic Control, Active Trace Control, Active Ride Control, and Active Engine Braking. These innovations work discreetly to provide key interventions to ensure the Kicks remains stable and comfortable for occupants at all times. Kicks is the fi rst vehicle in its segment to off er these innovations.

Kicks’ rapid success is in many ways reminiscent of Juke, which was fi rst shown as the Nissan Qazana concept car at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show before entering production and going on sale to the public in 2010. Juke’s bold, dynamic styling instantly captured the imagination of the motoring

press and public alike, ensuring the order books began to fi ll up well before the car began to appear, initially on the roads of Japan, Europe and North America before being launched globally. It is no exaggeration to say that Juke completely shook up the small car segment back then and left other manufacturers scrambling to catch up. Even now, seven years later, Juke’s styling which combines elements of SUV, sports car and hatchback, still looks fresh and exciting, while technologically it remains a real tour de force.

“We are pleased to see a healthy rivalry developing between Kicks and Juke in the ultra-competitive urban crossover B-segment,” added Kalyana Sivagnanam. “While there is some overlap in terms of pricing, the two models are pitched at diff erent buyers, with Kicks being favoured more by young professionals and Juke appealing to those with young families. In both cases, customers appreciate the way these models stylishly complement a busy urban lifestyle while off ering technology that it both useful and important in real world scenarios.”

The Nissan Juke.

The Nissan Kicks.

By Louis Sahagun

The veteran wildland fi refi ghter holds up a stopwatch, his thumb on the button.

“Everyone ready?” he asks.

For four of the competitors lined up in the scrubby terrain near Hansen Dam, it will soon become apparent that they should have answered, “No.”

Fifty-four candidates fi led applications to participate in the US Forest Service’s Women in Wildland Basic Training Camp – the fi rst to be held in Southern California’s Angeles National Forest.

Now it’s down to 10.Women have fought wildfi res in the

US for decades. But a wide gender gap remains, with women holding about 13 percent of the permanent wildfi re-suppression jobs in the Forest Service.

To address this, in 2012 the Forest Service launched its fi rst all-women

training programme, in New Mexico.“Our goal was to do a better job of

targeting women and preparing them mentally and physically for work on fi re lines,” says Bequi Livingston, the Forest Service fi re specialist who came up with the concept. “Since then, the idea has spread to national forests in Arizona, Idaho, Montana and California.”

So, on a hot and sticky June morning, the remaining candidates, ages 19 to 52, fi dget uncomfortably under the weight of 45-pound vests.

Those who can scramble through the three-mile course in under 45 minutes will advance immediately into fi ve days of training for a job that can require 16-hour shifts, night and day, for up to two weeks straight – often in rugged wilderness where, in addition to walls of fl ame and smoke roiling with lethal toxins, the workplace amenities may include rattlesnakes, careening rocks and burnt trees crashing over in the night.

Still, many are tempted by the $14-an-hour salary, with additional pay for overtime, holidays and hazardous duty, and a chance to forge a new career path.

MacKenzie Jennings, 27, a single mother who works as a waitress near Lake Hughes, says she’s going into the trial with a sense of purpose.

“Waiting on tables,” she says, stretching, “is not a lifetime job.”

A few feet away, Estephany Campos, 27, an art teacher who grew up in South Los Angeles, takes a swig from a water bottle.

“I don’t intend to fail,” she mutters.The thumb clicks the stopwatch.“Go!”The aspiring trainees surge forward.

Almost immediately they encounter a discouraging obstacle: A Labrador retriever has collapsed in the middle of the trail.

“Heat exhaustion,” a passer-by says.

By the time they hit the fi nal half-mile, an asphalt bike path stretching along the crest of the dam, the women are leaning forward, grimacing.

One competitor’s stride gets choppy and she falls behind. Then another. In the end, four fail the test.

Sales clerk Kelsey Almendariz, 27, of Inglewood is the fi rst across the fi nish line, with 11 minutes to spare.

She struggles to catch her breath.“The whole time ... I kept telling

myself ... ‘Don’t disappoint.’”Campos and Jennings also cross

the line in the allotted time, faces fl ushed, legs wobbling. So do Adela Montserrat Valencia, 19, of Cameron Park, Hannah Siebert, 19, of Bakersfi eld, and Yasmine Wolfe, 52, of Sunland.

Campos immediately texts her boyfriend, a fi refi ghter with a hotshot crew out of Flagstaff , Ariz., not far from where, in 2013, a wildfi re killed 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots: “Yo! I passed.”

A few hours later a caravan of green Forest Service vehicles delivers the new fi refi ghting class to a remote camp in the San Gabriel Mountains, about 45 miles northwest of Pasadena.

Hungry, tired and sore, they trundle to assigned cabins.

Veterans Overseeing the immersion course

are two self-confi dent veteran Forest Service fi refi ghters.


COMMUNITY OFFB

Trial by imaginary fire for w

Montserrat Valencia, 19, of Cameron Park, left, Kelsey Almendariz, 27, of Inglewood, and Hannah Siebert, 19, of Bakersfield, take a water break after completing the gruelling mock fire test during the final day of the Women in Wildland Basic Training Camp.

Kelsey Almendariz, a sales clerk from Inglewood, learns how to connect a fire hose during Women in Wildland Basic Training Camp.

Yasmine Wolfe, 52, a property manager from Sunland, learns proper nozzle technique during Women in the Wildland Basic Training Camp.

Montserrat hugs Kristen Allsion of the US Forest Service as Hannah , left, and Estepgoodbyes after graduating from the Women in Wildland Basic Training Camp.

Engine Capt. Linda Winkler joined the Forest Service in the early 1990s, when, she says, “women had to take a lot of crap because there were so few of us around.”

“My mother encouraged me to become a fi refi ghter,” she says. “Mom is a badass, and saw a little bit of herself in me.”

Kristen Allison, a former hotshot, is 5-feet-1, weighs about 100 pounds and never needs to raise her voice.

Nodding toward the trainees as they fi le into the camp dining hall that evening, Allison says, “We’re not going to sugarcoat anything. ... There will be lots of opportunities for these women to say, ‘I’ve had enough, I want out.’”

The next morning, the candidates suit up in hardhats, brush pants, T-shirts and leather boots and gather at picnic tables.

Joe Darling, a tall, tobacco-chewing Glendora hotshot, lectures the class on the importance of fi refi ghters having escape routes they can use when a fi re turns on them to reach safety zones – open space or areas that have already burned.

“Remember, black is your friend,” says. “It’s already burned so it can’t hurt you.”

He follows up with a demonstration on how to deploy the insulated foil cocoons that fi refi ghters use as a last resort to survive getting hit by a hurricane of fl ame and smoke.

First, toss your tools and backpack, but keep your phone and a water bottle. Then drop to a kneeling position with your back to the fi re, unpack the emergency shelter and shake it open, using the wind to help it unfurl.

Then crawl inside with each hand and foot in a corner, and your feet closer to the fi re, he says. “Lay on your stomach and start digging a hole in the dirt under your face to create an air pocket. Then wait it out.”

“How do you know when it’s safe to emerge?” a trainee asks.

“When things cool down,” he replies.

The lessons combine basic meteorology, physics and hydraulics.

Experts coach the trainees on how to use a drip torch to set a backfi re; how to adjust a fi re hose’s seven spray settings; how to sharpen and swing such tools of the trade as the Pulaski, a heavy-duty hoe and axe.

The main thing, an instructor says, is to treat each fi re as if it’s trying to kill you.

During a lull, Darling tries to explain the job’s appeal.

“After a day on the fi re lines,” he says, “there’s something spiritual about wanting nothing more than a little bit of shade and a sip of water.”

In the thick of itThe next morning three fi re

engines arrive at the camp packed with communications equipment, incendiary devices, work gloves, chain saws, fi rst aid kits and canvas hoses that trainees will learn to fl ing out and link, allowing the engine’s pumps to deliver water a mile or more away over rugged terrain.

With the end of a heavy canvas hose draped over her shoulder, Campos cranks the nozzle to full force and blasts water at a blaze she’s been told to imagine heaving up a forested slope.

“Hold it,” says Eduardo Chacon, a Forest Service engineer.

After a quick review of operating procedures, Campos attacks again, this time adjusting the nozzle to more of a mist, covering a wider area and moistening unburned fuel.

“Nice work,” Chacon says. “You’re getting it.”

Leaning on the handle of her shovel, Winkler is visibly pleased with the progress shown by Jennings, a neighbour she encouraged to apply for the camp.

“She’s mature, a hard worker and has what it takes to be a fi refi ghter,” Winkler says. “She’s also searching for a career that will last through retirement.”

But is she ready?

“We’ll see.”

Angel HeartOn the day before completing

the course and receiving their certifi cates, the women line up beside two pale green Forest Service engines parked along a narrow, winding road just south of the camp. Adrenaline animates their eyes.

This is the class’s fi nal drill, designed to simulate fully containing a fi re on a brush-choked hillside.

An engine captain barks into a hand-held radio to add realism.

“We’re at the one-eighth-acre Pine fi re. It’s 75 percent contained. No structures threatened. No injuries.”

“Got fi refi ghters with you?” a commander at headquarters radios back.

“We have a crew of eight,” the captain responds.

Then the trainees attack the imaginary blaze, chopping shrubs

and stumps with axes, rolling boulders aside with pry bars and scraping through carpets of debris until their shovels clear a smooth path down to bare mineral soil roughly three feet wide, and growing longer by the minute.

“Swinging!” one announces.“Bump a dime!” yells another,

signalling a crewmate to move 10 feet up the line.

For a minute, Campos’ Pulaski repeatedly bounces off a rubbery root.

“Enough of this nonsense!” she grumbles.

After a few more strikes, she severs it.

“’Bout time!” she shouts when the razor-sharp blade fi nally slices through. Then she turns and high-fi ves Jennings.

When the instructors tell the trainees they have fi nally encircled the imaginary fi re with their line, there are more outbursts of exhausted joy.

Then they learn that they’re not done.

Hoisting backpacks brimming with hose, they charge back up the slope.

“Water coming!” shouts a trainee back at the engine.

“Water coming!” responds another.

The hose bulges. Hot spots are knocked down. Embers are mopped up. And fi nally instructors declare the Pine fi re conquered.

A hand-held radio growls a pressing question from headquarters: “What’s the name of the crew helping out up there?”

The captain shoots a quizzical look at Hernan Sotela, a camp mentor, who, after 39 years in the Forest Service, plans to retire in December.

Sotela invents a name on the spot.“It’s the Angel Heart crew from Los

Angeles,” he says.Blowing dust from their noses

and wiping dirt from their eyes, the trainees applaud. – TNS

9GULF TIMES

COMMUNITYWednesday, August 2, 2017

BEAT

women taking on real flames

phany, middle, wait to say their

Estephany Campos, 27, left, an art teacher from Los Angeles and Kelsey pack up their hand tools after graduating from the Women in Wildland Basic Training Camp.

Yasmine crosses the finish line after completing a 3-mile hike wearing a 45-pound pack on day one of Women in Wildland Basic Training Camp.


COMMUNITY INFOGRAPHIC


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

Be brazen and bold in your actions today, Aries. This may be a hard

direction for you at first, but it’s the most eff ective way to get where

you need to go. Unexpected ripples of emotion may cause you to

go in an unconventional direction. Let yourself flow freely. This is an

important time to get up and moving in response to these powerful

emotions.

Set aside some time today explicitly for you, Cancer. Unexpected

events are likely to pop up and cause a stir in your emotions. Giving

yourself personal space to digest and deal with these events will

help keep you from suppressing your reaction to them. Make sure

you have your internal maelstrom of thoughts settled before you get

tangled up in others’ aff airs.

Your plans may be upended today, Libra, but this doesn’t mean that

you should give up hope in any way. Sometimes it’s necessary to

let go of control and simply let things happen as they will. Adopt a

spirit of adventure and take risks that you normally may not want

to take. There is a distinct advantage in spontaneity and working

harmoniously with the unexpected events that are bound to occur.

Generally speaking, today should be a good day for you, Capricorn.

You should have no problem setting a fast-paced tone for the day

and sticking to it. There are opportunities in the strange and bizarre.

Don’t limit yourself by thinking narrowly. Let the electricity of the

day lighten the atmosphere and give your attitude the jolt it needs to

get back on track. Be open to new ideas.

The name of the game for you today is emotional freedom, Taurus.

Your senses are heightened and the smallest things capture your

eye. Don’t delay your response to these events, whether they’re big

or small. Even the smallest event may blossom into a new world of

people and situations. Let your creativity explode into every part of

your being.

Try not to be so serious and intense today, Leo. Walk with a lighter

step and don’t feel like you always need to be in control of every

single thing you contact. Take on an attitude of going with the flow

and you will be right in the place you need to be. Extreme actions

will lead to extreme consequences. There’s no need for that sort of

behaviour on a day like this.

Today is one of those days in which you have a terrific opportunity

to break free of normal, everyday life, Scorpio. Don’t feel badly if

you don’t know exactly which way to go. Follow your gut feeling.

Whichever way you decide to go will probably be right. Your forceful,

erratic approach may actually be the perfect method to use in order

to get exactly where you need to be.

Things may be moving a bit too quickly for your liking today,

Aquarius. Make sure you continue at your own pace so you don’t get

pushed into something you don’t want to do. Eliminate all fear from

your being. The more receptive and accepting you are, the more

opportunities will come your way. Have faith in yourself and your

actions by not falling prey to whatever the crowd is doing.

This is no time to be a stick in the mud, Gemini. Don’t be the weak

link in the chain. The energy of the day is "get up and go." So either

lead, follow, or get out of the way. There are no excuses for backing

down. When opportunity knocks, you need to be ready with

your bags packed. Your emotions could lead you down new and

unexpected paths.

Don’t miss any opportunities today, Virgo. No matter how tired you

may be, this isn’t the time to rest. This is one of those days in which

it’s simply easier to be you. There’s no need to shy away or hide your

true desires. Say what you want and you’ll get it. There’s no reason

to beat around the bush. Keep in mind that unexpected energies will

get thrown into the mix.

Sometimes your daydreaming leads you way out of your body and

into a place well beyond time and space, Sagittarius. Your romantic

nature wants to escape and never touch back down to the real

world. Take a giant step toward that which tickles your fancy. Take

the loftier approach and encourage others to share your dreams

instead of letting them weigh you down.

There are several opportunities open now that weren’t there before.

The key is to take advantage of them. Find freedom in the strange

and new. Be a pioneer today and venture into the unknown. This is a

day to expand and reach new heights by having more confidence in

your abilities. Things will get stale and boring if you keep doing the

same things over and over.

The mouthwatering taste of grilled foods, the indulgence of rich desserts and the joy of entertaining with family and friends – a

cookout is always a crowd-pleaser, no matter the time of year. The food and fun make for a memorable time, but sometimes all those savoury sauces, scrumptious salads and succulent sweets can be a little heavy. Fortunately, you can cut calories and lighten up your menu without sacrifi cing taste.

Try these ideas at your next cookout for lighter foods bursting with fl avour.

Go lean: Burger and red meat can be high in fat content and calories. When grilling meat, opt for leaner varieties, such as chicken breasts, turkey burgers or fi sh. Guests will love the variety. If you just can’t forgo the classic burger, look for leaner meat such as a 90-10 ground mix.

Skip the barbecue sauce: A cookout without barbecue sauce? It can be done. Try marinating or rubbing spices on meats and sides instead.

For example, citrus juice, olive oil and chopped fresh herbs are a

healthier marinade for chicken or fi sh that brings out natural fl avours.

Cut sugar in desserts: Bake with Stevia In The Raw, a zero-calorie

sweetener with extracts from the stevia plant. Try replacing about half the sugar in any of your favourite baking recipes with Stevia In The Raw Bakers Bag to cut calories and

reduce sugar, while still achieving the proper browning, rising and caramelising desired.

The Bakers Bag is a smart pantry staple and measures cup for cup with sugar so there is no conversion needed.

Think outside the bun: Iceberg and butter lettuce are smart alternatives for buns for those who want to cut calories or have gluten sensitivities. If you do want to include buns in your menu, opt for whole grain rather than plain old white ones.

Drink up: Soda, punch, blended frozen drinks and adult cocktails are packed with calories. Swap or add in fl avoured water to the menu for a light and refreshing alternative. Fill pitchers with water, ice and add in fl avour enhancements, such as sliced lemons, cucumbers, strawberries and raspberries.

Want more inspiration? Try this recipe for decadent desserts that are ideal whether you’re hosting a cookout or attending a potluck.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients:1/2 cup butter, melted 1 egg 1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/4 cup Sugar In The Raw + 1/2 cup

Stevia In The Raw Bakers Bag 1 1/4 cup all-purpose fl our 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup macadamia nuts 1 cup chocolate chips

Preparation:Preheat oven to 375 F. In a large

bowl, beat together the melted butter, egg, vanilla extract and the Sugar In The Raw/Stevia In The Raw Bakers Bag combo. Meanwhile, mix dry ingredients (fl our, baking soda, salt) in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir well to combine. Slowly add nuts and chocolate chips until well combined. Drop the dough in spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes.

Nutrition information: Per serving (1 cookie): 144 calories,

9g fat (4.5g saturated fat), 16g carbohydrate, 1g protein, 1g dietary fi bre, 75mg sodium.

©Brandpoint

Easy ways to lighten up your cookout


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.

Puzz

les

cour

tesy

: Puz

zlec

hoic

e.co

m

BALLET BELLOW BILLET BILLOW BULLET CALLOW FALLOW FELLOW

FOLLOW GALLON HALLOW HOLLOW MALLET MALLOW MELLOW PILLAR

PILLOW SALLOW TALLOW TELLER TILLER VALLEY VOLLEY YELLOW

LL

Sudoku

Sudoku is a puzzle based

on a 9x9 grid. The grid is

also divided into nine (3x3)

boxes. You are given a

selection of values and to

complete the puzzle, you

must fill the grid so that

every column, every anone

is repeated.


COMMUNITYPUZZLES

Colouring

Answers

Wordsearch Codeword

ACROSS1. Blow round to change the will

(3,3)5. It will start unless that’s put

outside again (6)8. Round the side there’s a second

(5)9. In the water it’s revealing..... (6)10. ..... might be fun to have a look,

but it’s not playing the game (6)

11. Doesn’t go back, one sees (5)14. Food Leslie and I brought to

mother (8)16. Marks the ways in which the

map is wrong (6)18. The cold beef all round? (6,9)20. For spectators, it still holds

good (6)22. Sending out a note to the

embassy (8)25. Obviously frightened, like the

he-man mother sent packing! (5)

27. With justification, try to talk one round (6)

28. A cooked apple does have its attractions (6)

29. Said it’s gun law (5)30. Give over! The girl-friend’s

coming round! (6)31. Listened to, when one broached

it (6)

Super Cryptic Clues

Yesterday’s Solutions

ACROSS: 1 Mighty fine 6 Stub 10 Retreat 11 Mooring 12 Shiftless 13 Ridge 14 Rogue 15 Dispensed 17 Contracts 20 Fired 21 Meant 23 Imitative 25 Entices 26 Sagging 27 Duck 28 Snapdragon.

DOWN: 1 Marks 2 Getting on 3 Theatre critics 4 Fat-head 5 Nemesis 7 Tried 8 Big-headed 9 Source of danger 14 Recommend 16 Straining 18 Crimson 19 Slips up 22 Antic 24 Elgin.

DOWN1. The c-cat let us in for a tax (6)2. The hooter that says over-time

(4)3. Renounced because of having

promised to (8)4. Give up and allow one to catch

easily (5,2,4,4)5. Hopes they will put a brake on

spendthrift heirs (6)6. Notice me eating up the cheese

(4)7. Slings worth roughly 5p now (6)12. A fellow member comes in with

something to wear (7)13. The feeling of sickness is bad:

the sea, I gather (7)15. Regarding as a spell (5)17. The horse is not galloping on

page one (5)19. The nag, ‘17’, running is pathetic

(8)20. Didn’t do away with the water-

colour (6)21. Pose with the man beside the

church (6)23. Caught up with Miss North (6)24. Curry favour with a young thing

(4)26. Prevent from standing to take

a look (4)


COMMUNITY CINEMA

By Gautaman Bhaskaran

Sometimes, the turbulence and turmoil in one’s life reflects in his or her art. Tragedies help fill the canvas with pain and pathos – enriching the artistic

endeavour. Madhur Bhandarkar’s cinema has often been seen as portrayals of life in which suffering and sorrow play a crucial part. Whether it was his 2001 Chandni Bar (about the low life of Mumbai’s bar dancers) or his later Traffic Signal (on those who eke out a livelihood selling knick-knacks at street junctions) or Fashion (tracing the pathetic plight of models fighting for fame and fortune), Bhandarkar’s films have revealed a certain kind of angst which he himself experienced early on.

A school dropout, he had to work in a video library (which did, though, give him a great education in world cinema) and at a traffic junction selling chewing gum to commuters in cars or bikes.

In keeping with this line of disquieting cinema, the director’s latest movie, Indu Sarkar, is a touching study of an orphan girl whose stammer makes her unsuitable for the marriage market.

Played beautifully by Kirti Kulhari, Indu is lucky to catch the eye of a government employee, Navin Sarkar (Tota Roy Chowdhury) – only that their union takes place during one of India’s darkest moments, the 1975 Emergency, which lasted 19 months – when the Congress regime headed by Indira Gandhi was at the helm of affairs.

Though the film captures the essence of that time – the forced sterilisations of Muslim men and the ruthless demolition of the huge Turkman Gate slum in Delhi under

the autocratic orders of Indira’s son, Sanjay Gandhi (essayed by Neil Nitin Mukesh), the movie is more a personal story of Indu.

She finds her lovely home crumbling and her relationship with her husband hitting the rock bottom when she accidentally comes across the devastatingly heart-rending sight of men and women being shot during the demolition.

She finds two lost children and takes them home, but Navin would not have anything to do with them. Fiercely ambitious (much like Congressman Vidya Charan Shukla was said to have been then),

Navin feels that the presence of the kids in his house would tarnish his reputation, and he would fall out of favour with his bosses.

The important leaders of those terrible times – like Jagdish Tytler, Inder Kumar Gujral, Ruksana Sultana, George Fernandes and Nanaji Deshmukh (Anupam Kher) – can all be seen, though their names have been changed. A disclaimer at the start of the film says that only 30 per cent is based on facts, the rest is fiction. And it is this fiction – which takes us through the life of the poor orphan girl/woman, Indu – that really appealed to me.

I think it is this part of Indu’s fight against the barbarism of the Emergency (look at the scene where the two children are forcibly taken away from Indu) – which transforms from the micro (her disagreement with her husband that leads to her divorce) to the macro, when she joins a movement to tell the world about the atrocities happening in her backyard – that is most endearing. This is what makes Indu Sarkar unforgettable – much in the same way as the haunting love story in Casablanca against the backdrop of World War II.

Ultimately, it is not the political upheavals and great wars that floor us, but the human stories that these tragedies expose us to. It is not so much the American Civil War that we remember in Gone with the Wind as much as we do the romance and passion which the raging fires of Atlanta ignited in the hearts of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O Hara. So, we will never forget Indu and the distress she had to pass through saving the lives of those two little children – orphaned much like her.

Nibunan The Arjun-starrer Nibunan (Expert)

got its timing all wrong. It should have opened a few weeks later, for so much of the film reminded me of last week’s Vikram Vedha. Much like Madhavan’s and Vijay Sethupathi’s work, Arun Vaidyanathan’s Nibunan is a cop-chase-killer game. Yes, Arjun’s Ranjith Kalidoss is no encounter specialist like Madhavan’s Vikram. But both end up with guns licensed to kill.

However, while Pushkar and Gayathri kept their script taut and made sure that their Vikram and Vedha did not go overboard with their antics, Vaidyanathan could not possibly rein in Arjun.

For, he is often called Action King, and with his 150th movie outing here, there is no stopping him as he goes about – sometimes like the Victorian sleuth, Sherlock Holmes (who was once famously called upon to crack a case where the criminal left sketches of dancing figures as clues). Ranjit too has a doll, a miniature puppet that is sent to his office, and whose arrival signals the start of a series of murders.

Ranjit knows that each of these gruesome killings is linked to the murder of a domestic help, who is caught in bed with a young girl. (Reminds one of the Talwar case). Her rich and influential architect father, who kills the servant in rage, tries to buy his way out of this mess. But fails, and commits suicide along with his wife (Suhasini Maniratnam). And the murders continue.

For two hours plus, Ranjit and two of his trusted lieutenants, Joseph (Prasanna) and Vandana (Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, whom we saw in Vikram Vedha as well), crawl around trying to decipher the coded messages that the murderous man on the prowl leaves behind for the policemen to solve. Now does this make you think about Tom Hanks’ Da Vinci Code?

Gautaman Bhaskaran has been writing on Indian and world cinema

for close to four decades, and may be e-mailed at [email protected]

Indu Sarkar, pain and pathos of a woman during Emergency

The Arjun-starrer Nibunan is very similar to last week's Vikram Vedha.

A promotional poster for Indu Sarkar.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017 15GULF TIMES

COMMUNITYTELEVISION

By Robert Lloyd

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfi nished, posthumously published, might-have-been-a-masterpiece novel The Last Tycoon

has become a TV series, premiering Friday on Amazon. It’s the studio’s second work of Fitzgeraldiana this year, after the fi ne Scott-and-Zelda bio-series Z: The Beginning of Everything. Make of that what you will.

As edited for publication in 1941 by Edmund Wilson, Fitzgerald’s tale of art and commerce, professional jealousy and love lost and found and lost comprises six draft chapters, a prospective synopsis of the back half of the novel and sundry notes, including the quote for which the novelist is perhaps most famous: “There are no second acts in American lives.”

No second acts, maybe, but nine episodes to start and who knows how many seasons to follow?

As re-created by Billy Ray (Captain Phillips, The Hunger Games), the Amazon Tycoon borrows characters and situations from the novel and has its own way with them. It’s as if Moby-Dick, say, were made into a series in which Ahab and Ishmael and Queequeg and the gang — Moby too! — keep on sailing around the world, rescuing shipwrecked sailors, solving crimes, fi ghting Nazis, putting down mutinies.

Matt Bomer (White Collar) plays Monroe Stahr, ageing Hollywood boy genius with a heart condition. Fitzgerald based Stahr on MGM production chief Irving Thalberg, whose name was synonymous with capital-Q Quality Pictures in his time. Thalberg, oddly enough, is also briefl y a character in the series, which proposes a 1930s Hollywood in which there were two ageing boy geniuses with heart conditions — they actually run into each other at the cardiologist — in complicated partnership with older bosses. This sort of thing happens in Doctor Who all the time, sure, but less

often in historical dramas.Stahr is partners with Pat Brady

(Kelsey Grammer), the odd Irishman out in a business dominated by Jews who loves Stahr like a son and hates him like a rival. Ray gives Brady new plotlines of his own, including a bonus bitter competition with L.B. Mayer (Saul Rubinek), on whom Fitzgerald loosely based Brady.

In the series, Brady American Pictures is not a market leader but a struggling second-tier studio teetering from picture to picture on the edge of ruin. As we meet them, they are getting into business with a demanding Benzedrine inhaler-sniffi ng Shirley Temple knockoff named Sally Sweet, which does not augur well for future success. Or does it?

As in the novel, Stahr encounters a woman, Kathleen (Dominique McElligott, House of Cards), whom he pursues. He does not, as on the page, fi rst glimpse her fl oating on a giant head of Shiva in a backlot fl ood after an earthquake, because that takes money. Many things happen afterward between them that

Fitzgerald did not live long enough to imagine.

Brady has a daughter, Celia (Lily Collins), called Cecilia in the book, which she narrates. She is home from college, full of premature anti-fascism — the news from Germany will be a main thread through the series — and pitches a story to Stahr about Nazi spies in Manhattan; he makes her a producer. (There has been some eff ort to make the women’s parts “interesting” in modern terms.) She also gets involved with Max Miner (Mark O’Brien), an Okie from the homeless encampment next-door to the studio. Why her parents do not pack her straight back to Bennington is one of the series’ unexplored mysteries.

Bomer and McElligott are fi ne individually, but there’s no real chemistry between them, and one rarely feels that either has the spark of greatness the series thrusts upon them; indeed, the insistence makes them seem all the more pedestrian. (It feels just possible that someone was thinking

of Don Draper and Mad Men when this project was coming together, even that The Last Tycoon was on someone’s mind when Mad Men was developed.) Grammer’s Brady is most interesting when he’s not huffi ng and puffi ng and remembers what’s good about his life, but he is required frequently to huff and puff , perchance to blow his own house down.

Is this fatal to its entertainment value? Not entirely. Melodrama has its pleasures, and some viewers will doubtless happily be caught in the stories’ myriad threads. And some performances win out over the material, most notably Rosemarie DeWitt as Brady’s wife, Rose, who feels complicated and touching and human with whatever dramatic heavy lifting she’s asked to do.

And the series does look very good, from its hairdos down to its shoes. If nothing else, The Last Tycoon gets my personal thanks for its digital re-creation of a local landscape uninfected by skyscrapers. That is a Hollywood dream I can get behind. —Los Angeles Times/TNS

Last Tycoon, based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished work, has modest pleasures

ACTION: Matt Bomer as Monroe Stahr, left, and Kelsey Grammer as Pat Brady in the Amazon Prime series, The Last Tycoon.


COMMUNITY

Why doctors need to know if it’s Alzheimer’sBy Melissa Healy

Alzheimer’s disease now aff ects a large number of people, and after decades of feverish work, researchers have so far failed to fi nd a treatment that

halts or reverses the inexorable loss of memory, function and thinking ability that characterise this feared illness.

But researchers have been quite successful at devising ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s earlier and earlier. And that capability has emerged alongside evidence of a tantalising possibility: that if you can catch the disease early enough – ideally when symptoms of confusion or memory loss are just emerging, or before – some therapies already in hand might essentially halt its progress.

For anyone who detects some mental slippage and wonders, “Is it Alzheimer’s?” the current state of dementia research raises a very real, and very wrenching, dilemma: If I can know, do I want to know?

That is, if it’s Alzheimer’s disease, would I do anything diff erently? Would there be some benefi t in knowing for my loved ones, for myself?

Doctors and insurers, including the federal government, which administers Medicare, are asking some variants of the same questions: If an eff ective test, which costs between $3,000 and $5,000 a shot, can diagnose dementia early, and distinguish Alzheimer’s from other forms of dementia, should it be recommended to patients with cognitive concerns and routinely covered by their insurance? Would it make patients’ lives better, or lower the cost of their care?

Newly unveiled research results are bringing some clarity to such deliberations. And other new research, published recently in the journal Neurology, proposes a new diagnostic tool that may be able to detect Alzheimer’s, and distinguish it from another form of dementia, more simply and cheaply than does the best test now available.

At the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London recently, researchers reported their preliminary fi ndings from a trial that is testing the impact of diagnostic testing for Alzheimer’s disease on nearly 19,000 Medicare benefi ciaries.

All of these study participants – largely people in their 70s, all with a diagnosis of either “mild cognitive impairment” or atypical dementia – are living with the unconfi rmed suspicion that they have Alzheimer’s. The study is underwritten by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Alzheimer’s Association. It set out to fi nd out whether knowing – getting the costly test that would off er either confi rmation or reprieve – would change the way that patients with cognitive troubles are treated, or the way that they plan their lives.

The preliminary results suggested it did. After getting the results of a PET brain scan to detect and measure amyloid deposits, which are the key hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, roughly two-thirds of the subjects saw their medication regimens changed or were counselled diff erently by their doctors about

what to expect.That new information may have guided

family caregivers in planning their own futures, or prodded patients to make fi nancial decisions and power-of-attorney assignments sooner. Some who learned that they did not have Alzheimer’s discontinued medications that can have unpleasant side eff ects. Others learned they do have Alzheimer’s and decided to enrol in clinical trials that will test new drugs.

A second study presented in London analysed data from several studies, and found that in a large population of research participants with cognitive concerns, brain amyloid PET scans led to a change in diagnosis in approximately 20 percent of cases.

“People should know what’s coming,” said Dr Maria Carrillo, chief science offi cer for the Alzheimer’s Association. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has given amyloid scans a provisional approval, meaning they do not routinely pay for them. The results may guide the agency to rethink its position, she added.

The PET scan bore bad news for Ken Lehmann, who enrolled last year in the IDEAS trial, short for Imaging Dementia – Evidence for Amyloid Scanning. After his long, slow decline that has fl ummoxed doctors, Lehmann’s brain scan clearly showed he has Alzheimer’s disease.

The certainty that has brought has been a long time coming. When Lehmann began withdrawing from friends, forgetting to pay bills and having trouble following conversations, he was just 58. Now, he’s 80.

Ken had always been considered a “Renaissance man” – a furniture company executive who rebuilt Porsches, played basketball and loved to entertain friends, said his wife, Mary Margaret Lehmann. But as years passed, his judgement seemed off . He

would lose track of points he was making, and sometimes of where he was at.

It would take the loss of their home and a business bankruptcy for the Lehmanns to demand answers to what was going on. In 2009, they moved from Sacramento, Calif., to Edina, Minn., to live with a daughter. And there, at last, they found a neurologist who, despite initial scepticism (“but he presents so well!” the doctor proclaimed), diagnosed dementia.

For the Lehmanns and many patients and families like them – as well as for neurologists – that diagnosis is often just the beginning of a deeper mystery.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most feared and most common form of dementia, accounting for between 60 percent and 80 percent of all dementia cases diagnosed. But at least seven other forms of dementia, and dementia linked to the movement disorder Parkinson’s disease, can cause loss of memory, reasoning, judgement and the ability to speak, comprehend and care for oneself.

To the estimated 16 million Americans living with some form of cognitive impairment, telling the diff erence could make a signifi cant diff erence. Dementia forms with diff erent origins progress diff erently (or sometimes not at all). They respond best to diff erent medications, and will come to require diff erent levels of care and treatment. Some (though not Alzheimer’s) can even be reversed with treatment.

Being able to distinguish which form of dementia a patient has should help doctors and caregivers to make better choices.

But it’s a question that until recently could be answered only after death. At that point, a post-mortem examination of the brain could be done to look for the built-up clumps and tangles of beta-amyloid proteins, the overall shrinkage, and the loss of neurons in the

brain’s hippocampus that are, collectively, the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s.

No more. Improved medical imaging technologies developed over the last decade have made it possible to peer inside the brain of a living patient, detect and measure the accumulation of beta-amyloid, and make a defi nitive diagnosis.

In 2012, the Food and Drug Administration took a fi rst step in making such imaging possible, giving its blessing to the imaging agent fl orbetapir F18, which binds to amyloid aggregates in the brain and allows a PET scan to be used to make the diagnosis. In 2013, two new imaging agents won FDA approval, and new imaging agents and techniques promise ever more precise means to visualise and diagnose Alzheimer’s in the brain.

The research published in the journal Neurology suggested that transcranial magnetic stimulation, a technique that can selectively turn up or down activity in diff erent parts of the brain, could prove useful in distinguishing between Alzheimer’s disease from frontotemporal dementia.

In many ways, Ken Lehmann’s symptoms fi t neatly into a diagnosis of frontotemporal dementia. A form of cognitive impairment that typically becomes evident earlier than most cases of Alzheimer’s, FTD often aff ects judgement, personality and verbal communication. This form of dementia progresses as inexorably as does Alzheimer’s. But its typical course diff ers slightly.

As an enrolee in the IDEAS trial, Lehmann was prepared to learn what it was he had.

“I had come to the conclusion they just don’t know,” said Lehmann, now 80, from his home in Minnesota. “In seven years, my journey of decline has been very miniscule, and they don’t know why.”

It turns out, he added, “I have all the biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease.” -TNS

SUCCESSFUL STRATEGY: Computerised brain training can hold off cognitive decline and dementia, research suggests, and researchers have been quite successful at devising ways to diagnose Alzheimer’s earlier.

D C—41 C TODAY LIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE PUZZLES All the rage

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