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• Al Dar Optics brings Jaguar, Davidoff eyewear to Qatar

• Tortilla chips areeasy, delicious tomake at home

• Non-drug treatmentsfor high blood pressure

• Health news

• Late to the Chinesemarket, Fordaims to catch up

• Google Chromebook defies PC market

• Apps of the day

• Learn commonlyused Arabic wordsand their meanings

insideFemale actors are rewriting Hollywood’s scriptP | 8-9

Million dotsMillion dotsVisitors to the Katara Ramadan Festival can Visitors to the Katara Ramadan Festival can

join international award-winning artist Sabah join international award-winning artist Sabah

Arbili to celebrate Arabic calligraphy and Arbili to celebrate Arabic calligraphy and

complete an art work, a seven-metre-long complete an art work, a seven-metre-long

canvas by making dots on it.canvas by making dots on it.

2 COVER STORYPLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 2013

Katara is inviting visitors to join an international artist and be a part of a work of art aiming to set a Guinness world record.

Visitors to the Katara Ramadan Festival can join international award-winning art-ist Sabah Arbili to celebrate Arabic calligraphy and complete the work, ‘Million Dots.’

Inspired by the number of dots in the Holy Quran, Arbili is encouraging the visitors to join him in completing the work on a seven-metre-long canvas by making dots on it. The work will be collaboratively completed by the artist and mem-bers of the public during the Ramadan Festival at Katara. The activity will end on August 1 at the Court Yard, Katara Art Studios, Building 19. The work will be exhibited during the Katara Eid Al Fitr Festival.

The Ramdan Festival at Katara celebrates cal-ligraphy with innovative displays. Million Dots is part of an art workshop in which creative ideas are used to present calligraphy to the public, and involves painting Million Dots.

The General Director of Katara, Dr Khalid bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, inaugurated Million Dots recently.

“The art work is distinguished for the signifi-cant participation of visitors. It illustrates the keenness of the cultural village to interact with the public and involve them in cultural events taking into account the fact that culture and art are humanitarian and common points that unite people from all walks of life,” said Al Sulaiti.

Million DotsWhen: Till August 1Where: Court Yard, Katara Art Studios, Building 19

Open to all

Collaborative art at KataraCollaborative art at Katara

3PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 2013

He said Katara was seeking to enter Guinness World Records through the painting of Million Dots.

A large number of children, men and women have enjoyed participating in Million Dots.

“This festival is being organised with educational and artistic goals in a bid to make people aware of the fact that calligraphy was first done without dots, prior to getting its current style.” Al Sulaiti explained.

Malika Al Shuraim, director of Katara’s Public Relations and Communication Department, invited people to join events at Katara during the Ramadan and said: “ Katara will conduct a draw of the names of visitors who painted Million Dots by the end of August, in which the winner will get a painting by artist Sabah Arbili.”

Arbili won seven international awards last year. He has a unique style of writing, and sometimes uses the rules of classical calligraphy. Arbili has a distinctive character. He has the ability to improvise in front of the public without inhibitions, giving them a great opportunity to become a part of an extraordinary artistic atmosphere.

Talking about his masterpiece, Arbili said: “Million Dots art work is an illustration of the Cultural Village’s efforts at encouraging interaction with the public, who

will be asked to add a dot up to the number of mil-lion dots.”

Katara’s Ramadan Festival opened with an exhi-bition — Arabic Calligraphy and Quran, A Shared Journey — featuring a collection of copies of Quran of prominent Qatari art collector Ibrahim Fakhroo.

Katara’s Ramadan festivities also host a group of Islamic speakers to give 10 public lectures during the holy month.

Katara will also collaborate with Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services to present Sheikh Mohamed Al Uraifi in an Islamic lecture at Katara Grand Mosque on July 20.

Activities include an exhibition of calligraphy paintings from various Muslim countries, reflecting the beauty of calligraphy and how the artists have merged it with plastic arts.

Other expos include Majaz by British-Iraqi cal-ligrapher Sabah Al Arbili; a ceramics expo celebrat-ing the works of Mahir Samara’i; the Wahdania expo in which artist Shaheeda Ahmad will present her handicraft for the first time in Qatar; the Iman expo, which will feature a group of artists who express their religious views; and an expo by Tunisian graffiti artist Vincent Abadie Hafez fea-turing 99 paintings with the 99 names of Allah.

Other highlights of the festival include an expo on Islamic stamp designs, sand painting, history of the press in Qatar, a currency exhibition, a docu-mentary film competition and shows, a book fair, religious stanzas, children’s workshops, a beach football competition, a Garangao celebration and Ramadan competition.

The Peninsula

Million Dots art work is an illustration of the Cultural Village’s efforts at encouraging interaction with the public, who will be asked to add a dot up to the number of million dots.”

PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 20134 COMMUNITY / CAMPUS

Children’s Group, in coordination with Qatar UAE Exchange, is conducting various programmes during the school summer vacation titled ‘Summer Creatives 2013’. The second event, Changathikkoottam (Friends Group) was held at Indian Islamic Association Auditorium and was officially inaugurated by Dr P K Parakkadavu (pictured), editor of Madhyamam Periodicals. The programme was led by Abulaize, Abdul Latheef V P and Shaiju. More than 100 students in the age group of 9–13 attended the event.

Summer Creatives 2013Summer Creatives 2013

A number of Pakistani professionals along with Pakistan Embassy’s PWA, Rashid Nizam, gathered at TNG School to bid farewell to Dr Mazhar A Monga, senior consultant obstetric anaesthesi-ologist in Women’s Hospital. Dr Monga is leaving Qatar after spending 11 years here, to join his family in Toronto, Canada. Dr Monga was the founder chairman of Pakistan Professionals Forum Qatar. Heads of Pakistan Arts Society, Bazma-e-Farog-e-Urdu Abad, Pakistan Engineers Forum, Pakistan Professional Forum and Pakistan Qatar Business Forum praised Dr Monga’s services to the community and patients. TNG directors presented a memento to Dr Monga.

Landmark Group organ-ised a blood donation camp at Centrepoint Al Asmakh Mall, in Al Sadd, in association with Hamad Medical Corporation. Customers and staff of Landmark group donated blood at the camp. Landmark Group invited its Shukran customers to support the initiative.

5MARKETPLACE

Iftar buffet at THE One

Celebrate iftar at THE One restaurant in its Landmark Mall Theatre with a buffet of traditional Arabic and international dishes for QR70 per adult and QR40 per child under 12. “This spread changes daily to keep the selection exciting and you coming back for more. Available every day throughout Ramadan from sunset to 10.30pm, booking is recommended, especially for parties of four or more,” a company press release said.

PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 2013

PepsiCo-Saudi Snacks Foods workshopIn partnership with Transind Holding, PepsiCo Snacks Gulf team led a workshop for the Lays team at Al Dana Club. The workshop dealt with PepsiCo snacks global execution standards and was facilitated by PepsiCo-Saudi snacks foods Gulf capability manager Ghassan Hachicho. Zaid Jaser, PepsiCo market devel-opment manager, and Jamal K, Transind sales director, attended the workshop and addressed the participants. Hani T Albast, group CEO of Transind Holdings, commented: “The workshop and the content is very effective for attendees to contributes modern tools and techniques in modern sales and Transind Holding will continue its training strategy.”

Al Dar Optics brings Jaguar,

Davidoff eyewear to Qatar

Menrad, manufacturer of eyewear, has launched its collections in Qatar in collab-

oration with Al Dar Optics. The launch was held at La Cigale Hotel, where the 2013 collection from Davidoff and Jaguar was unveiled.

Commenting on the launch, Jules Tabet, Sales Director of Menrad, said: “We are very happy to launch our new collection in Qatar alongside premium optical retailer Al Dar Optics. The new collection is vibrant, trendy and blends perfectly with the vibes of this country.”

Headquartered in Germany, Menrad is a century-old family-run business which owns leading brands, including Davidoff, JOOP!, Jaguar, Morgan, Zeiss, L’Wren Scott and Menrad.

The Peninsula

QAC, dealer in Mitsubishi vehicles in Qatar, has announced a special offer for its SUVs dur-

ing Ramadan. On buying any of the Mitsubishi SUVs during the fes-tive promotion, every new owner will benefit from reduced prices and receive a gold bar as a special Ramadan gift with the new car. The offer is valid only till the last day of Ramadan.

QAC General Manager Ihab El Feky said: “As with every Ramadan, we decided to celebrate the spirit of giv-ing during this holy month by offering every customer purchasing any of the

Mitsubishi’s SUV models a gold bar. In a market saturated with offers dur-ing Ramadan, the “Mitsubishi Golden Offer” stands out with a guarantee to our customers that their car purchase will turn into an exceptionally reward-ing experience.”

El Feky urged all customers to visit QAC’s showroom, where they can find out more about the great deals on offer and take the opportunity to test drive the vehicle of their choice and experi-ence the benefits of personalised serv-ice offered by QAC’s team.

Mitsubishi’s range of SUVs com-prises Outlander, ASX and Pajero.

The Peninsula

Golden Ramadan offer from Mitsubishi

PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 2013 FOOD66

Tortilla chips are easy, delicious to make at homeBy J M Hirsch

Most of the time, we live in a chip-free home. No potato chips. No tortilla chips. Not even any vegetable chips. It’s not that we don’t enjoy them. Just

the opposite, really. And that’s why we don’t buy them. If we have chips in the house, we will eat them. I’m also not thrilled with the ingredients used in many chips, mostly highly refined stuff paired with gobs of fat and salt. It becomes easier to simply not have them around.

Which doesn’t mean we never eat chips. It just means that when we want them, we make them from scratch.

Don’t roll your eyes just yet. Do-it-yourself chips are simple to make. They also put you in control of the ingredients used, happen to be insanely deli-cious and can be seasoned however you like. And depending on the method used, they can be on the table in about 10 minutes. That’s fast enough that I sometimes make them as an afterschool snack for my son.

There are of course many ways to make chips, from the currently hip baked kale chips to slowly roasted beet chips to old school fried potato chips. But over the years I have found three varieties that lend themselves particularly well to healthy eating and simple, speedy snacking — fried corn tortilla chips, baked whole-wheat tortilla chips and baked whole-wheat pita chips.

Let’s start with the fried. Yes, they still are deep-fried, so there is some fat involved. But we do it at a very high temperature. The higher the tem-perature, the faster the chips fry. The faster the chips fry, the less oil they absorb. Plus, you get to control how much salt is added. And you will find that warm, freshly fried tortilla chips are so deli-cious, you don’t need much salt. You can also use the same frying method with flour tortillas.

Baked whole-wheat tortilla chips are even easier. A little cooking spray, some seasonings and about 10 minutes in a 400 F oven and you have some amazing chips. Just be sure to read labels when selecting your tortillas. You want a quality brand with no trans fats and that uses 100 percent whole-grain flour.

Finally, for a more substantial chip, you can make baked pita chips. The technique is the same as baked flour tortilla chips, but because of the thickness of the pita they take a bit longer in the oven. You also can experiment with the various mixed grain and low-carb pita pockets available.

Pair any of these with guacamole or salsa and you have a healthy after school snack packed with whole grains. And be sure to make extra; they pack well for school lunches, too. Just be sure to let them cool completely before bagging them up (otherwise they will steam in the bag or container and get soft).

Each of the following recipes includes a sug-gested seasoning, but these are interchangeable, so season as you see fit.

AP

Fried Corn Tortilla Chips

(with Cinnamon Sugar)

Start to finish: 10 minutesIngredients: Servings: 2

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying1/2 teaspoon cinnamon1 teaspoon sugarPinch saltFour 6-inch fresh corn tortillas

Into a large saucepan, pour about 1/2 inch of oil. Set the pan over medium-high and heat until it reaches 400 F on a deep-fry thermometer. If you don’t have a thermom-eter, heat the oil until it shimmers and bub-bles slightly when the tip of a wooden spoon is gently lowered into it.

In a small dish, mix together the cinna-mon, sugar and salt, then set aside. Line a plate with paper towels and have nearby.

Cut each tortilla into 6 wedges. Two or 3 at a time, use a slotted spoon to lower the wedges into the oil. Cook for about 15

seconds per side, then use the slotted spoon to transfer to the paper towel-lined plate. Immediately sprinkle with a bit of the cinna-mon-sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining tortilla wedges, then serve immediately.

Salt and Pepper Baked

Whole-Wheat Tortilla ChipsStart to finish: 15 minutes

Ingredients: Servings: 2Olive oil cooking sprayTwo 8-inch whole-wheat tortillasKosher salt and ground black pepper

Method:Heat the oven to 400 F. Lightly coat a

rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges, then

arrange them on the prepared baking sheet. Spritz the tops of the tortilla wedges with cooking spray, then season them lightly with salt and pepper. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned. Remove from the oven, let cool for a moment, then

taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed.

Baked Whole-Wheat Pita Chips

Start to finish: 25 minutesIngredients: Servings: 2

Two large whole-wheat pita pocketsOlive oilKosher saltGarlic powderSmoked paprika

Method:Heat the oven to 400 F.Split each pita pocket into 2 rounds. Cut

each round into 8 wedges, then place all of the wedges in a large bowl. Drizzle the wedges with olive oil, tossing as you drizzle to ensure all are evenly coated. Sprinkle the wedges with salt, garlic powder and smoked paprika, tossing to coat evenly.

Arrange the wedges in an even layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned. Serve immediately.

HEALTH 7

1,336 dead in China by

infectious diseases

A total of 1,336 people died of infec-tious diseases in the Chinese

mainland in June alone while AIDS proved as the most deadly among them, the country’s National Health and Family Planning Commission has said.

According to a statement issued by the commission, AIDS caused 966 deaths last month while Tuberculosis was the second-biggest killer, claiming 125 lives.

No deaths from H7N9 avian flu were reported last month, the state-ment said, adding there was one infection with the virus reported in east China’s Jiangsu province and the

patient has recovered.It said a total of 743,216 infec-

tious disease cases were reported in the Chinese mainland last month. Among them, six cases of cholera were reported but none of them resulted in death. Plague and cholera are catego-rised as Class A infectious diseases, the most serious bracket.

In addition, about 306,230 cases were identified as Class B infectious diseases. Hepatitis, tuberculosis, syphilis, dysentery and gonorrhea accounted for 93 per cent of the cases in this category, the statement said.

It added that category C infectious diseases claimed 58 lives in June, with

foot-and-mouth disease, infectious diar-rhoea and mumps reported the most frequently.

Cheerful people less likely to

suffer heart attack: Study

People with cheerful dispositions are less likely to suffer a coronary

event such as a heart attack or sudden cardiac death, says a study.

Previous research has shown that depressed and anxious people are more likely to die of heart attack than those who are sunnier.

The researchers at Johns Hopkins

say their study shows that a general sense of well-being -- feeling cheerful, relaxed, energetic and satisfied with life -- actually reduces the chances of heart attack.

The findings of the study was pub-lished in the American Journal of Cardiology, reports Science Daily.

“If you are by nature a cheerful person and look on the bright side of things, you are more likely to be protected from cardiac events,” says lead author Lisa R. Yanek, assistant professor in the general internal med-icine division at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

“A happier temperament has an actual effect on disease and you may be healthier as a result,” Yanek said.

Agencies

By Jill U Adams

“I don’t like to take drugs.” And “What can I just do myself?” Robert Brook, an internist at the University of

Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor, hears these two comments more than any others when he talk to patients about controlling their blood pressure.

Often called a silent disease, hyper-tension has no symptoms beyond the readings that come from a blood pres-sure cuff. And yet, high blood pressure is a risk factor for a slew of other condi-tions, including heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke, kidney disease and vision loss. So treating hypertension is all about lowering your risk for these diseases.

More than a quarter of US adults have hypertension, and three out of four of them are on medication to keep their blood pressure in check. Those drugs come with side effects, such as needing to urinate more often (diuret-ics), insomnia (beta blockers) and con-stipation (calcium channel blockers).

You can see why people might want to avoid such medications.

Here’s the latest on the possibilities for controlling hypertension without drugs. Diet is the method that doc-tors say has the biggest benefit and for which there is the best evidence, much of it garnered in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a series of studies called DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension).

Research since then has only bol-stered the claim that eating a diet low in salt and fat and high in fruits and vegetables can reduce high blood pres-sure. For someone with blood pressure at or above the hypertension threshold of 140/90 mm Hg mercury, following the DASH diet can lower systolic blood pressure (the top number) by 11.6 mm and diastolic pressure by 5.3 mm. By comparison, medications can achieve larger decreases: Drops of 20 and 10 mm, respectively, are considered a good response.

However, Brook says, patients often want options beyond diet, because they doubt they can or will change their eating habits enough to make a differ-ence. “They want some evidence-based methods, short of taking medication,” he says.

Brook recently co-authored a scien-tific statement for the American Heart Association that reviewed evidence-based studies of a wide variety of non-drug approaches for reducing high blood pressure, including Transcendental Meditation, yoga, acupuncture, slow-breathing techniques, biofeedback and various types of exercise

They found a mixed picture.What worked best? Aerobic exercise.“The typical recommendation is 30

minutes on most days, or five times per week, at a moderate intensity, such as 4 miles per hour walking or light jog-ging,” Brook says. Although the stud-ies varied in their exercise methods, overall the reductions in blood pressure approached that of diet intervention.

There are fewer studies on the effects of resistance exercise or weight training, and the reductions in blood pressure that result are generally much smaller: less than 3 and 2 mm for systo-lic and diastolic blood pressure, respec-tively. Still, the evidence was sufficient for the authors of the AHA statement to conclude that “dynamic resistance exercise is reasonable to perform in

clinical practice in order to reduce blood pressure.”

Device-guiding breathing, similarly, had an impact, but not very large.

The techniques involve wearing a breathing monitor while listening to musical chimes that tell you when to inhale and exhale. The goal is to slow your breathing to fewer than 10 breaths a minute and to prolong the exhalation. Studies have found a reduction (4 mm systolic, 3 mm diastolic) in blood pres-sure in patients who use the device for 15-minute sessions at least three times per week.

Data on the benefits of Transcendental Meditation and bio-feedback are weaker, with some stud-ies showing effects and others not. Still, these methods may be worth a try, according to the statement. With biofeedback, patients monitor their blood pressure in real time while par-ticipating in a relaxation exercise or guided imagery. As for other forms of meditation, not enough evidence exists to recommend them.

Another exercise approach is isomet-rics, most commonly done with a hand grip device that is squeezed and held for several minutes. Some studies have reported impressive results — more than 10 mm decrease in systolic and nearly 8 mm in diastolic blood pressure. The caveat is that the studies are few and the number of participants small — 13 here,

42 there. The AHA statement said only that it “may be considered.”

Some doctors worry that isometrics’ sustained muscle contractions might be unsafe and lead to blood pressure spikes, Brook says, but studies reported no such ill effects.

“I was fascinated by the robustness of its effect on blood pressure,” Brook says. “It should get more focus, both in terms of effectiveness and safety.”

While meditation, relaxation tech-niques, acupuncture and yoga can pro-vide many health benefits, there was no consistent evidence of their efficacy in reducing blood pressure. The AHA statement recommends against these practices for controlling blood pressure.

One thing is clear to doctors, Brook says: Different people respond to differ-ent things. The AHA statement focuses on average responses, but often a sub-set of people are very good responders. “We’ve all had patients who experience a 10 to 20 mm Hg drop” with a lifestyle change, he says. “But others have no improvement.”

Even with small effects, Brooks says, using Transcendental Meditation, exer-cise or device-guided breathing may help a person limit the dose or number of blood pressure drugs he or she must take.

The AHA statement offers doc-tors evidence-based tools beyond diet to recommend to their patients with high blood pressure, says Domenic Sica, a professor of medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond and soon-to-be president of the American Society of Hypertension.

“Not too many people will make dra-matic changes in their lifestyle,” said Lawrence Appel, a doctor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine who worked on the AHA statement. “They inch in the right direction. They don’t go from five servings of veggies to 10, but maybe to six or seven. We hope that small benefits accrue from [multiple small changes] across several dimensions.”

WP-Bloomberg

Non-drug treatments for high blood pressure

Health News

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mart

fra

ud in V

icto

ria

No. 2

03,

and t

he b

roth

er

of th

e c

hara

cter

pla

yed

by D

ev A

nand w

ho r

efo

rms

aft

er

learn

ing h

is t

rue i

denti

ty i

n J

oh

ny

Mera

Na

am

, th

e r

ough b

ut

kin

d P

ath

an i

n Z

an

jeer,

whic

h w

as

a t

urn

ing p

oin

t in

A

mit

abh B

ach

chan’s

care

er,

the e

vil l

am

e U

ncl

e K

aid

o i

n H

eer

Ra

njh

a a

nd

the s

tern

jailer

in K

aa

lia w

ho s

ent

the w

ors

t cr

imin

als

into

shudders

, am

ong

many o

thers

.H

is c

ontr

ibuti

on w

as

finally r

eco

gnis

ed w

ith t

he a

ward

of

the I

ndia

n fi

lm

indust

ry’s

hig

hest

aw

ard

— t

he D

adasa

hab P

halk

e A

ward

— f

or

2012

.M

ovie

buff

s re

call h

ow

, w

hile t

he h

ero

’s e

ntr

y w

as

expect

ed, P

ran’s

entr

y

alw

ays

rem

ain

ed m

yst

eri

ous

— d

esp

ite t

he c

redit

lin

e “

...and, P

ran”,

whic

h

was

als

o t

he t

itle

of

his

auto

bio

gra

phy.

Desp

ite t

he n

on-s

alv

ageable

, utt

erl

y n

egati

ve a

nd c

hro

nic

bad o

nsc

reen

image, th

e r

eal life

Pra

n w

as

abso

lute

ly d

iffe

rent,

a lover

of U

rdu p

oetr

y, folk

-ta

les,

hum

our,

and o

ne w

ho a

lways

went

out

of his

way t

o h

elp

people

in n

eed.

Clo

se a

ssoci

ate

and v

ete

ran fi

lm p

roduce

r, A

Kri

shnam

urt

hi of T

ina F

ilm

In

tern

ati

onal, M

um

bai

said

: “H

e w

as

soft

spoken, unin

terf

eri

ng, hig

hly

cul-

ture

d, a l

over

of

sport

s and g

am

es,

ass

oci

ate

d w

ith m

any s

oci

al

and s

port

s org

aniz

ati

ons,

loved t

o t

ake p

art

in c

hari

table

act

ivit

ies

for

the p

oor

in t

he

film

indust

ry a

nd q

ueued u

p t

o h

elp

people

aro

und t

he c

ountr

y i

n t

imes

of

dis

ast

ers

.”F

or

severa

l years

, P

ran o

wned a

nd s

ponso

red t

he D

ynam

os

Footb

all C

lub

team

and w

as

a m

em

ber

of

the P

unja

b A

ssoci

ati

on, th

e P

ress

Clu

b o

f In

dia

, C

hel

msf

ord

Clu

b (

all in N

ew D

elhi)

, Ott

ers

Clu

b, C

CI

Clu

b, B

om

bay P

rovin

cial

Hock

ey A

ssoci

ati

on, dedic

ate

d t

o s

port

s or

chari

table

act

ivit

ies

thro

ugh t

he

Mahara

shtr

a C

hie

f M

inis

ter’s

Relief

Fund, M

ara

tha S

hik

shan S

anst

ha a

nd

Film

Indust

ry W

elf

are

Tru

st.

One o

f th

e f

ew

in t

he fi

lm i

ndust

ry w

ho w

ould

alw

ays

answ

er

his

phone

calls

(if

he w

as

aro

und),

Pra

n h

ad b

een a

ilin

g w

ith o

ld-a

ge r

ela

ted d

isease

s fo

r th

e p

ast

few

years

, but

severa

l to

p i

ndust

ry p

ers

onaliti

es

cam

e e

agerl

y

to g

reet

him

on h

is 9

0th

bir

thday.

IA

NS

By

Ste

ve R

ose

A c

ouple

of

years

ago, I

inte

rvie

wed K

ris

ten

Wii

g,

wh

o i

s so

meth

ing o

f a h

eroin

e o

f m

ine,

an

d s

pen

t m

uch

of

the t

ime c

ir-

clin

g a

roun

d a

quest

ion

that

begged t

o b

e

ask

ed: h

ow

com

e a

n a

cto

r a

s bril

lian

t as

her i

s con

sign

ed t

o b

it p

arts

an

d l

am

e r

ole

s? I

did

n’t

quit

e p

ut

it lik

e t

hat,

but

it’s

a q

uest

ion

th

at

regula

rly

com

es

up w

ith w

om

en

acto

rs

an

d t

he a

nsw

er is

invari-

ably

th

e s

am

e.

“It’s

not

that

there a

ren

’t g

ood r

ole

s fo

r w

om

en

, th

ere j

ust

aren

’t e

nough

,” W

iig r

epli

ed,

tryin

g n

ot

to s

oun

d t

oo w

hin

gey.

Sh

e w

as,

aft

er a

ll,

prom

oti

ng P

au

l, t

he b

lokey a

lien

com

edy i

n w

hic

h

she g

am

ely

pla

yed S

imon

Pegg’s

un

derw

rit

ten

“lo

ve

inte

rest

”. B

ut

Wii

g r

eveale

d s

he w

as

tak

ing m

att

ers

into

her o

wn

han

ds

an

d w

rit

ing a

fem

ale

-led c

om

edy

that

pla

yed t

o h

er s

tren

gth

s, w

ith h

er c

olleague A

nn

ie

Mum

olo

. T

he r

est

is

his

tory —

Bri

desm

aid

s gross

ed

nearly

$300m

world

wid

e, gave u

s W

iig a

dm

irers

wh

at

we y

earn

ed f

or a

nd s

how

ed t

he o

thers

wh

at

they h

ad

been

mis

sin

g.

In r

etr

osp

ect,

it

seem

s li

ke a

thuddin

gly

obvio

us

solu

tion

to t

he “

there j

ust

aren

’t a

ny d

ecen

t role

s”

proble

m: w

rit

e y

our o

wn

part.

But

for w

om

en

, esp

e-

cia

lly,

it h

asn

’t b

een

th

at

easy.

Th

e s

tati

sti

cs a

re

regula

rly

invoked, but

stil

l prett

y s

taggerin

g: w

om

en

make u

p j

ust

18 p

ercen

t of

key b

eh

ind-t

he-s

cen

es

role

s i

n t

he m

ovie

in

dustr

y.

For w

rit

ers,

it’s

even

low

er: 15

percen

t. T

hat

tran

slate

s in

to a

great

many

cast

ing c

all

s fo

r b

ikin

i-cla

d c

hain

saw

vic

tim

s, s

uper-

hero s

upport

sta

ff a

nd o

bli

gin

g l

ove i

nte

rests

. T

he

un

healt

hy p

repon

deran

ce o

f fe

male

ch

aracte

rs

wh

ose

prim

ary f

un

cti

on

is

to g

uid

e t

he m

ale

prota

gon

ist

out

of

his

mala

ise t

hrow

s in

to r

eli

ef

the f

act

that

most

m

ovie

represe

nta

tion

s of

wom

en

are m

ale

con

structs

—

an

d n

ot

all

th

ose

male

s un

derst

an

d t

he o

pposi

te

sex a

s i

nti

mate

ly a

s t

heir

ow

n.

Som

e d

ay,

Nath

an

Rabin

’s iden

tifi

cati

on

of

the “

man

ic p

ixie

dream

gir

l”

trope w

ill

be s

een

as t

he m

ovie

equiv

ale

nt

of

iso-

lati

ng t

he p

oli

o v

irus.

In t

he m

ean

tim

e,

str

uggli

ng

actr

ess

es

across

Hollyw

ood a

re t

earin

g o

ff t

heir

Zooey

Desc

han

el

wig

s, c

ryin

g: “W

hat

am

I d

oin

g w

ron

g?”

Th

at’s

not

to s

ay m

en

can

not

writ

e w

om

en

or v

ice

versa

, but

more a

nd m

ore a

cto

rs

are f

oll

ow

ing W

iig’s

exam

ple

, an

d c

inem

a is

bett

er f

or it.

A g

ood e

xam

ple

w

ould

be B

rit

Marli

ng. A

s a s

creen

prese

nce, sh

e i

s prett

y m

uch

th

e p

ola

r o

pposit

e o

f th

e m

an

ic p

ixie

dream

gir

l: s

ubtl

e, hypn

oti

cally s

eren

e a

nd n

ot

giv

en

to pran

cin

g about

in fo

un

tain

s.

Dis

mayed by th

e

parts

Holl

yw

ood w

as o

fferin

g,

Marli

ng e

ngin

eered

her o

wn

acti

ng b

reak

through

by c

o-w

rit

ing m

ov-

ies

wit

h h

er fl

atm

ate

s, b

oth

asp

irin

g d

irecto

rs.

Th

e

resu

lts

— A

noth

er

Ea

rth

, w

ith

Mik

e C

ah

ill, a

nd S

ou

nd

of

My V

oic

e, w

ith

Zal

Batm

an

gli

j —

made h

er a

brea-

kout

sta

r a

t S

un

dan

ce i

n 2

011.

More t

o t

he p

oin

t,

Marli

ng’s

ch

aracte

rs

are r

efr

esh

ingly

un

orth

odox. In

th

e f

orm

er,

sh

e is

a r

eti

cen

t pla

yer in

a t

wis

ted s

ci-

fi

rom

an

ce; in

th

e latt

er,

sh

e is

an

en

igm

ati

c c

ult

leader

wh

o c

laim

s to

be f

rom

th

e f

utu

re.

In h

er la

test

film

w

ith

B

atm

an

gli

j,

Th

e E

ast

, M

arlin

g p

lays

an

oth

er a

typic

al role

: sh

e is

a c

on

flic

ted

corporate

spy in

filt

rati

ng a

n e

co-t

erroris

t cell

— t

he

sort

of

hero y

ou w

ould

sti

ll e

xpect

to s

ee p

layed b

y

Matt

Dam

on

, sa

y, o

r J

ose

ph

Gordon

-Levit

t. N

on

e o

f M

arli

ng’s

writ

ing e

fforts

has

been

perfe

ct,

but

they

have p

ut

her o

n t

he m

ap. S

he w

as

then

sn

apped u

p

for t

he R

ich

ard G

ere t

hril

ler A

rbit

rage a

nd R

obert

Redfo

rd’s

Th

e C

om

pa

ny Y

ou

Keep.

Com

ing a

t it

from

a v

ery d

iffe

ren

t dir

ecti

on

is

Greta

Gerw

ig,

star o

f th

e f

orth

com

ing F

ran

ces

Ha.

Dir

ecte

d b

y N

oah

Baum

bach

, an

d w

rit

ten

by t

he t

wo

of

them

, it

is

a k

now

ingly

exuberan

t st

udy o

f a d

izzy

N

ew

Yorker s

truggli

ng w

ith

post-

coll

ege m

atu

rit

y,

whic

h s

om

e h

ave lik

en

ed t

o a

modern

-day A

nn

ie H

all.

Gerw

ig c

am

e t

o a

tten

tion

as a

n a

cto

r v

ia t

he o

ft-

mali

gn

ed “

mum

ble

core”

movem

en

t, w

hic

h e

spouse

d

scrip

tless

, n

atu

rali

stic

obse

rvati

on

— a

lso s

om

eti

mes

kn

ow

n a

s te

rm

inal

self

-in

dulg

en

ce.

Th

e fi

lms

were

largely

im

provis

ed, an

d G

erw

ig w

as

oft

en

credit

ed a

s a c

o-w

rit

er,

wh

ich

could

giv

e t

he i

mpress

ion

it

was

the s

am

e w

ith

Fra

nce

s H

a.

In o

ther w

ords,

Gerw

ig d

id h

er s

tuff

in

fron

t of

the c

am

era, B

aum

bach

sh

aped t

he f

oota

ge a

nd t

hey

spli

t th

e w

rit

ing c

redit

. In

fact,

th

e t

wo o

f th

em

co-

develo

ped th

e m

ovie

m

ore coll

aborati

vely

, em

ail

-in

g b

ack

an

d f

orth

note

s an

d s

uggest

ion

s about

the

ch

aracte

r. B

aum

bach

is

on

e o

f th

e f

ew

in

die

aute

urs

out

there w

ho i

s n

ot

afr

aid

to l

et

in a

lit

tle f

em

ale

in

fluen

ce. H

is p

revio

us

movie

, G

reen

berg

(w

hic

h a

lso

starred G

erw

ig),

was

co-w

rit

ten

wit

h h

is w

ife a

t th

e

tim

e, Je

nn

ifer J

aso

n L

eig

h. In

th

e p

rocess

of

mak

ing

Fra

nce

s H

a, h

e a

nd G

erw

ig b

ecam

e a

couple

. T

hey a

re

mak

ing a

noth

er m

ovie

togeth

er a

nd a

re c

o-w

rit

ing a

fa

mily a

nim

ati

on

.U

ndersta

ndably

, G

erw

ig h

as bris

tled at

bein

g

desc

rib

ed a

s B

aum

bach

’s “

muse

”. “

I’m

OK

wit

h t

he

term

muse

as

lon

g a

s you a

ckn

ow

ledge t

he m

use

wrote

th

e s

crip

t, t

oo,”

sh

e t

old

a r

ecen

t in

tervie

wer.

“I

feel

like I’

m th

e lo

udest

muse th

at

the

world

has

ever s

een

.”

In t

he p

ast

, it

was

accepte

d w

ith

-out

quest

ion

th

at

a w

om

an

’s p

lace i

n

the c

reati

ve p

rocess w

as a

s a

mute

, pass

ive i

nfl

uen

ce o

n t

he m

ale

arti

st’s

roil

ing i

nte

llect

— a

creak

y c

lass

ical

idea t

hat

did

n’t

date

quic

kly

en

ough

for cin

em

a to

escape it

. Y

ou could

ch

aracte

ris

e a great

man

y aute

ur-

actr

ess

rela

tion

ship

s in

muse

term

s:

Josef

von

S

tern

berg an

d M

arle

ne

Die

tric

h;

Mic

hela

ngelo

A

nto

nio

ni

an

d M

on

ica V

itti

; Joh

n C

assavete

s an

d G

en

a R

ow

lan

ds;

Alf

red H

itchcock

an

d G

race K

elly/

Tip

pi H

edren

. N

ot

to

men

tion

tw

o o

f F

ran

ces

Ha’s

greate

st

influen

ces:

Jean

-Luc G

odard, w

ho c

ast

h

is w

ife A

nn

a K

arin

a i

n e

igh

t of

his

19

60s

film

s, a

nd W

oody A

llen

, w

ho h

as

spen

t m

uch

of

his

career w

rit

ing w

ith

a sig

nifi

can

t fe

male

acto

r in

m

ind:

Dia

ne K

eato

n,

Mia

Farrow

, S

carle

tt

Joh

an

sson

, an

d e

ven

, in

To R

om

e w

ith

Love

, G

erw

ig.

“I n

ever u

sed t

o b

e a

ble

to c

reate

parts

for w

om

en

,” A

llen

told

W m

aga-

zin

e t

wo y

ears

ago.

“But

then

I m

et

Dia

ne K

eato

n, an

d w

e s

tarte

d d

ati

ng

an

d m

oved i

n t

ogeth

er,

an

d I

sta

rte

d

writ

ing f

or h

er.”

Th

an

ks

to fem

ale

screenw

rit

ers,

we

have h

ad a

fresh

persp

ecti

ve o

n t

his

vaun

ted m

asc

uli

ne c

reati

vit

y r

ecen

tly.

Fir

st, th

ere w

as

last

year’

s dele

cta

ble

S

igh

tseers

, co-w

rit

ten

an

d c

o-s

tarrin

g

Ali

ce L

ow

e. H

er s

imple

-min

ded c

har-

acte

r, T

ina,

reli

sh

es t

he p

rospect

of

pla

yin

g m

use

to h

er h

om

icid

al partn

er

an

d w

an

nabe w

rit

er C

hris

: “T

here’s

so

meth

ing i

n m

e, T

ina,”

he s

ays.

“I’

ll

help

you s

queeze

it

out,”

she c

oos.

But

as

the c

ouple

progress

on

th

eir

mur-

derous

tour o

f th

e P

eak

Dis

tric

t, T

ina

becom

es

less

an

d l

ess

pass

ive. B

y t

he

en

d, h

e h

as

becom

e h

er m

use

, an

d h

e

doesn

’t l

ike i

t.A

nd specia

l m

en

tion

m

ust

go to

R

ub

y S

pa

rks,

in

w

hic

h Z

oe K

azan

’s

ep

on

ym

ou

s

ch

aracter

magic

all

y

sprin

gs fr

om

th

e im

agin

ati

on

of

a

blo

cked,

self

-abso

rbed n

oveli

st (

Paul

Dan

o,

her real-

life

partn

er).

Ruby

is k

ook

y,

creati

ve,

an

d com

pli

an

t.

Sh

e j

um

ps i

n s

wim

min

g p

ools

wit

h

her c

loth

es

on

, lo

ves

watc

hin

g z

om

-bie

movie

s, a

nd d

oes

all

th

e c

ook

ing.

In s

hort,

sh

e i

s a p

arody o

f a m

an

ic

pix

ie d

ream

gir

l. A

nd a

nyth

ing D

an

o

doesn

’t l

ike a

bout

her,

he c

an

sim

ply

chan

ge w

ith h

is t

ypew

rit

er.

Except

it’s

K

aza

n w

ho is

really p

ullin

g t

he s

trin

gs

— s

he w

rote

th

e m

ovie

. R

ub

y S

pa

rks

was

rath

er t

oo h

ast

ily d

ism

isse

d a

s a

quir

ky r

om

com

, w

hen

in

fact

it i

s a

sly

, in

tell

igen

t com

men

tary o

n m

en

con

trollin

g w

om

en

— in

love, in

ficti

on

an

d in

film

-mak

ing. R

uby is,

aft

er a

ll,

a w

om

an

wh

o m

ust

beh

ave a

s sh

e i

s w

rit

ten

, ju

st a

s acto

rs

do f

or a

liv

ing,

readju

stin

g t

heir

ch

aracte

r o

bli

gin

gly

w

ith

each

scrip

t rew

rit

e. B

y c

han

nel-

lin

g t

hose

frust

rati

on

s in

to h

er o

wn

scrip

t, K

aza

n t

ook

back

con

trol, a

nd

gave h

erse

lf a

peach

of

a r

ole

in

th

e

process

.W

hy is

th

is h

appen

ing n

ow

? It

’s

not

just

dow

n to

B

rid

esm

aid

s. O

r

Len

a D

un

ham

, w

hom

it

is

obli

ga-

tory t

o m

en

tion

wh

en

dis

cuss

ing t

his

to

pic

, even

th

ough

sh

e i

s m

ain

ly i

n

tele

vis

ion

. F

em

ale

screen

writ

ers m

ay h

ave

been

outn

um

bered in

th

e in

dust

ry,

but

they h

ave a

lways

been

th

ere,

even

if

it t

ook

un

til 19

91

for a

solo

wom

an

to

win

th

e b

est

orig

inal sc

reen

pla

y O

scar

(Call

ie K

houri

for T

helm

a &

Lou

ise).

T

he h

isto

ry o

f fe

male

dir

ecto

rs

wh

o

writ

e h

as b

een

a h

appie

r s

tory.

But

un

til

recen

tly,

acto

rs

writ

ing

for

them

selv

es w

as s

om

eh

ow

a l

eap t

oo

far. E

ven

fo

r a sh

inin

g li

gh

t such

as

Juli

e D

elp

y,

wh

o co-w

rote

th

e la

st

two o

f R

ich

ard L

ink

late

r’s

magn

ifi-

cen

t B

efo

re S

un

rise

/Su

nse

t/M

idn

igh

t tr

ilogy,

as w

ell

as h

er ow

n m

ovie

s su

ch

as

2 D

ays

in

New

York

an

d 2

Da

ys

in P

aris

. W

hen

sh

e w

as i

n h

er 2

0s,

nobody w

ou

ld produ

ce an

y of

her

screen

pla

ys,

sh

e s

ays.

Her a

gen

t even

fired h

er w

hen

sh

e ch

ose to

w

rit

e

Befo

re S

un

set

rath

er t

han

goin

g f

or

“Lati

na p

arts

” in

Hollyw

ood m

ovie

s.T

he t

ools

of

film

-mak

ing a

re m

ore

wid

ely

avail

able

today,

though

, an

d

it h

as becom

e easie

r fo

r both

m

en

an

d w

om

en

to b

e m

ult

idis

cip

lin

ary.

So n

ow

you g

et

figures

such

as

Kati

e

Aselt

on

, w

ho w

rote

, dir

ecte

d an

d

starred in

Bla

ck R

ock

— a

sort

of

fem

i-n

ist

Deli

vera

nce.

Or t

he a

cto

r L

ake

Bell

, w

hose v

oic

eover a

rti

st

com

edy

In A

World

... is

com

ing soon

(B

ell

w

rote

, dir

ecte

d a

nd s

tarred.

Sh

e i

s als

o “auto

moti

ve con

trib

uti

ng edi-

tor”

for t

he H

oll

yw

ood

Rep

orte

r —

talk

about

mult

i-ta

len

ted).

Or P

ark

s an

d

Recreati

on

sta

r R

ash

ida J

on

es,

wh

o

co-w

rote

an

d s

tarred i

n l

ast

year’s

C

ele

ste a

nd

Jess

e F

orever.

Or even

Sarah

P

oll

ey,

wh

o h

as practi

call

y

giv

en

up a

cti

ng t

o w

rit

e a

nd d

irect

oth

ers,

inclu

din

g h

er o

wn

fam

ily i

n

her c

urren

t docum

en

tary S

tori

es

We

Tell.

Despit

e t

he s

tati

sti

cs,

maybe t

he

barrie

rs

to e

ntr

y a

re n

o lon

ger a

s h

igh

as e

veryon

e a

ssum

ed —

un

less y

ou

are a

youn

g m

an

wit

h a

sto

ry a

bout

a

crazy

, fr

ee-s

pir

ited g

irl

wh

o i

nsp

ired

you t

o l

ove l

ife a

new

.T

he

Gu

ard

ian

Fem

ale

acto

rs re

writ

ing

Holly

woo

d’s

scrip

t

PLU

S |

SU

ND

AY

14

JU

LY 2

013

Mor

e an

d m

ore

wom

en in

Hol

lyw

ood

are

fed

up b

eing

type

cast

as

ditz

y gi

rlfrie

nds

or

chai

nsaw

fodd

er a

nd in

stea

d ar

e be

com

ing

scre

enw

riter

s as

wel

l, w

ritin

g th

eir

own

film

s.

PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 201310 SPACE TRAVEL

© GRAPHIC NEWSSources: Space Expedition Corporation (SXC), XCOR Aerospace

Amsterdam-based Space Expedition Corporation is aiming to beginits first space tourist flights using the XCOR Lynx prototype in 2014,

with daily commercial flights aboard Lynx II to follow from 2015

Powered ascent:Max. speedMach 2.9

Flight profile (Lynx II)Flights to begin fromCalifornia’s MojaveSpaceport andCaribbean islandof Curaçao

+3 minutes:Engines off,coast upwards

Pullout: Max.acceleration 4G

Horizontallanding atsame runway

Total flight time25-30 minutes

+4.6 minutes: Reaches100km, 3-4 minutesof near-zero gravity

Re-entry

GlideandcircleHorizontal

takeoff fromrunway

XCOR Lynx: Reusable vehicle carries onepilot, plus one fare-paying passenger and/or science payload

Four rocket engines:Designed to be usedover 5,000 times,burn mixture of liquidoxygen and kerosene

Canopy:Four square

metres of glass.Gives sweeping

views of Earthand space

Thermal protectionsystem: On nose andleading edges, shieldscraft from heat of re-entry

Vehicle lengthMaximum altitudeTicket price

8.5m103km

$100,000

11WHEELS

by Dee-Ann Durbin

Dave Schoch has one of the toughest jobs at Ford Motor Co: catching the competition in the world’s biggest car market. When Schoch arrived in China 13 years ago, the government

was building eight-lane freeways in major cities, but bicyclists and pedestrians still filled the streets. The Chinese were buying fewer than 2 million cars and trucks each year, a fraction of the 14.4 million sold in 2000 in the US.

When he returned to China last year, Schoch was stunned. The freeways were choked with cars, from inexpensive, Chinese-made Wuling minivans to Mercedes-Benz sedans. The red-hot Chinese economy had more than doubled annual wages, giving millions of people the money to buy a first vehicle or move up to a luxury brand.

“Things turned upside-down,” says Schoch, who was named head of Ford’s Asia Pacific operations in the fall. “You have to be here and experience it to believe what has happened in the last decade.”

Last year, Chinese consumers bought 19 million cars and trucks — 5 million more than consumers in the US Ford’s share of those sales was just 3 percent. Years of corporate chaos and financial trouble slowed Ford’s entry into China as its rivals gained a foothold. Together, General Motors and Volkswagen control a third of China’s market.

But the race is far from over. China is still a country where just 58 out of every 1,000 people own cars. In the US, that number is closer to 800.

Every year, tens of millions of Chinese are reaching the income threshold they need to buy a car, Schoch says. Many analysts predict annual sales in China of 30 million by 2020, almost double the US forecast of 17 million. It’s up to Schoch to ensure Ford gets a big chunk of that phenomenal growth.

“I go home each night thinking, ‘Have I really tried to move the needle? Are we moving the organisation fast enough to take advantage of this? Because I really think we have a golden opportunity here,” he says.

Ford wants to double its Chinese market share to 6 percent by 2015. To make that happen, the company is launching six new vehicles in China this year, including two small SUVs called the Kuga and the EcoSport, the Mondeo midsize sedan and the Explorer SUV, which is exported from Chicago. The Lincoln luxury brand will arrive next year.

To meet its goals, the company has undertaken its most ambitious growth since Ford went on a post-war building spree in Michigan 60 years ago.

Ford is spending $5bn to build five plants — including three assembly plants, an engine plant and a transmis-sion plant — that will more than double its Chinese production capacity to 1.7 million vehicles by 2015.

“They used to be laggard, cautious. But now they’re all in,” says Michael Dunne, president of the automotive consulting group Dunne and Co. in Hong Kong. “They are saying, ‘We have confidence in the China market. We have confidence in our products. We can win here.’”

Ford sold a company record 407,721 vehicles in China in the first six months of this year. But that was only a quarter of the vehicles GM sold. Volkswagen has six brands aimed at every type of buyer in the vast Chinese market, from the cheap Skoda to the ultra-luxury Bentley. Until Lincoln arrives, Ford has just one.

There are other obstacles. Ford cars are expensive. In a market where 70 percent of vehicles sold cost less than $14,500, Ford’s cheapest car is the Fiesta, which starts at $13,300. The Explorer starts around $80,000 thanks to a 25 percent import duty and other taxes.

Ford’s development costs are also steep compared with competitors’ because it still does much of the research and design for Chinese vehicles at its head-quarters in Dearborn, Michigan, where costs are relatively high. Ford hopes to double its technical work-force in Nanjing to 1,500 people by 2015; GM already employs more than 2,000 people at its technical centre in Shanghai.

Another complication is the unpredictable Chinese

government, which could scramble expansion plans at any time. The government requires foreign automakers to partner with local companies and decides where they can build their plants.

But Ford can’t keep relying on Europe and North America, where it sells 73 percent of its vehicles. The company lost $1.75bn in Europe last year as sales plum-meted in a recessionary economy, and it expects to lose $2bn there this year. Profits in Asia would have cushioned those losses, but Ford’s Asian operations lost $77m because of the big investments in new plants and vehicles.

One hundred years ago, Ford was the company with a head start in China. It started selling the Model T there in 1913, and founder Henry Ford explored opening a plant in China in the 1920s. But Ford quickly cooled on the idea because of China’s poor roads and low wages. The country’s only Ford dealership, in Shanghai, closed at the outbreak of World War II, and its car industry was cut off to foreigners for several decades after that.

Ford re-entered China in 1997, around the same time as GM. But Ford focused on the commercial van mar-ket, which was limited. GM and its Chinese partners — SAIC and Wuling — grew quickly by selling Wuling minivans and Buicks to the mass market.

Ford’s attention was elsewhere. SUV sales were booming at home. The company was buying up luxury brands like Jaguar and Volvo with the profits. No one at headquarters anticipated that the Chinese market was about to take off.

“If I had gone to management in Dearborn and tried to convince them that China would be 20 million units in 2013, they would have really started to worry about me,” Schoch says with a laugh.

The company soon realised its error. It formed a part-nership with Chinese automaker Changan Automotive in 2001 and began building the Fiesta in China two years later. But with its new luxury brands, high labour costs and bloated bureaucracy, it had a limited amount to invest.

In 2006, Ford named a new CEO, Alan Mulally, to help stem its billion-dollar losses and end executive infighting. A few months after Mulally’s arrival, Ford borrowed $23.6bn and used it to close plants, cut its workforce, improve key products and meld global opera-tions. Mulally sold or discontinued every brand but Ford and Lincoln. By 2009, Ford was profitable again, and turned its sights on China.

Schoch says Mulally asked him in 2011 if he would return to China. Schoch’s only question was whether Ford was committed to the country. Mulally didn’t

hesitate. “Yes, from the board of directors on down,” he said, according to Schoch. It was a defining moment for Schoch.

Last month, Mulally visited China for the third time in less than a year. He was there to open a $500m engine plant in Chongqing, where suburban industrial parks are rapidly filling with carmakers and auto suppliers. Chongqing is now Ford’s largest manufacturing base outside Michigan.

Mulally was also in Chongqing last August, to break ground on Ford’s third assembly plant there, a $600m facility that will be completed in 2014. Chongqing’s government was the first in China to offer subsidies to residents who buy locally made vehicles, which has boosted Ford’s sales in the region.

A few days later, the executives touched down in the wealthy southern city of Hangzhou. Ford is building one of its assembly plants there. The $760m plant is expected to produce 250,000 vehicles per year when it’s completed in 2015.

Ford hopes its manufacturing base in Chongqing, far from China’s crowded eastern coast, will help it attract rural buyers in the still largely untapped markets in western China. For those buyers, Ford is developing a low-cost car to compete with the $9,500 Chevrolet Sail.

Ford will use Lincoln to make a play for China’s booming luxury market, which is dominated by German brands like Audi and BMW. Lincoln used to be the best-selling luxury brand in the US but fell behind when Ford started focusing on other luxury brands. Ford’s effort to revive the brand began this year with the launch of the Lincoln MKZ sedan in the US.

“Chinese consumers buy on image and prestige and the message that they project to their family and co-workers and friends,” Dunne said. “With a luxury brand like Lincoln, it gives them a chance to say, ‘Hey, see my American luxury car that I drive? Do you have one of these?’”

Chinese buyers also appreciate a brand’s history. That’s why Ford introduced Chinese reporters to the MKZ at a historic temple in Beijing last summer, sur-rounded by vintage Lincoln posters. GM’s Buick brand — which used to ferry Chinese royalty — is a huge seller with cachet in China even though it struggles in the US. GM sold 401,327 Buicks in China in the first quarter of this year, four times more than it sold in the US.

Ford, GM and others also have been helped by a backlash against Japanese automakers in China because of disputes between Japan and China over ownership of islands in the East China Sea. Toyota’s sales fell 6 percent in the first six months of this year. AP

PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 2013

Late to the Chinese market, Late to the Chinese market, Ford aims to catch upFord aims to catch up

TECHNOLOGYPLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 201312

By Brian Womack

Google’s Chromebook was dismissed as a bare-bones laptop with limited appeal when it debuted two years ago. Now it’s defying skeptics and gaining share as the

rest of the personal-computer market shrinks.Chromebooks have in just the past eight months

snagged 20 percent to 25 percent of the US market for laptops that cost less than $300, according to NPD Group. The devices, which have a full keyboard and get regular software updates from Google, are the fastest-growing part of the PC industry based on price, NPD said.

The surge marks Chromebooks as one of the few types of computers able to attract consumers while Dell and other traditional PC makers undergo a shakeout. The industry has already seen notebook-PC sales eroded by the popularity of smartphones and tablets such as Apple’s iPad. As a result of the shift, worldwide PC shipments fell 4 percent in 2012 and are forecast to decline 7.8 percent this year, the largest annual drop on record, according to researcher IDC.

“While we were skeptical initially, I think Chromebooks definitely have found a niche in the marketplace,” Stephen Baker, an analyst at NPD, said. “The entire computing ecosystem is undergoing some radical change, and I think Google has its part in that change.”

The growth follows the unveiling of low-cost Chromebook models from Google’s hardware part-ners Acer and Samsung Electronics last October, at prices starting at $199, down from about $300 or more.

Chromebook’s rising market share is impressive given how the cards appeared stacked against the devices when they were introduced in 2011. At the time, Chromebooks’ lack of built-in software was considered unusual compared with laptops based on Microsoft Corp’s Windows operating system.

While Windows laptops have software that is loaded onto the devices themselves, Chromebooks are based on Google’s Chrome operating system. Customers access tools from the cloud — online pro-grams that include Google’s own word processing, email and spreadsheets — so the machines are essen-tially stripped-down computers. The cloud services drive more data and, ultimately, more advertising back to Google.

Google and other electronics companies separately make tablets and smartphones based on its Android mobile-operating system. Initially, the bare-bones nature of Chromebooks didn’t win over critics, some of whom said the devices made them long for Windows-based laptops.

“While the Chromebook is a bold idea that may be a harbinger of the future of computing, it’s too limited and buggy today to be the main computer relied upon by mainstream users,” Walt Mossberg of AllThingsD and The Wall Street Journal wrote in a review of a Samsung Chromebook in 2011.

Now, early adopters and buyers in the education market are driving sales of Chromebooks, lured by their low cost, ease of use and transport, and Web-based services. Chromebooks are also benefiting as the market for laptops that cost less than $300 is set to grow more than 10 percent in 2013, Baker said.

Google has also stepped up its support for Chromebooks with new manufacturing partners and retailers, while spending marketing dollars to broaden the devices’ appeal.

Traditional Microsoft allies Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard both began offering Chromebook models in recent months. And Chromebooks moved into retail locations last October with Best Buy and recently added Wal-Mart Stores and Staples.

Chipmaker Intel, another longtime Microsoft partner, also has more than 1,000 software engineers who spend at least some of their time working on Chrome OS, adding to it and making sure it works with the chipmaker’s microprocessors, according to

Imad Sousou, vice president of Intel’s Software & Services Group.

“We’re seeing tremendous growth, without a doubt — massive, massive growth,” said Caesar Sengupta, head of product development for Chromebooks.

Google declined to comment on Chromebooks’ sales figures. Chromebooks still remain a small por-tion of the total US market for laptops and netbooks. The devices had about 4 percent to 5 percent share in the first quarter, though that was up from 1 percent to 2 percent in 2012, according to Mikako Kitagawa, an analyst at Gartner Inc.

Google intends to woo more customers with updates to the machines’ operating system every six weeks, delivered over the Internet. The company also has made Chromebooks more like traditional PCs by including tools that let users run programs even when they aren’t connected to the Internet.

Google’s next step may be to take Chromebooks more upscale, including new models that appeal to more expensive tastes, Baker said. That could include bigger screens, improved keyboards and more built-in storage. In February, Google began selling its own Chromebook called the Pixel, which costs as much as $1,449 with a built-in cellular data connection.

WP-Bloomberg

Where’s My Mickey?Disney’s “Where’s My” series

has a new addition, starring a familiar face — none other than the big mouse himself. “Where’s My Mickey?” should feel famil-iar to anyone who’s played its predecessors, “Where’s My Water?” and “Where’s My Perry?” on the smartphone or tablet, although “Mickey” man-ages to get in a couple of spe-cific differences that are unique to the newest title, such as the addition of clouds that players control to get the flow of water

just right. And the levels are perfect for the summer — play-ers help Mickey get water for his lemonade stand, while he’s on an adventure or tending his garden. 99 cents, for Android and iOS devices.

Go KeyboardThis app represents one of

the joys of having an Android device — the ability to mess with features as core to the system as the keyboard. It lets you incorporate emoticons and customise how the keyboard

looks, and it supports additional plug-ins for more than two dozen languages. The plug-ins require separate, but free, downloads. As far as typing goes, this keyboard is pretty smooth. As compared to the standard Android keyboard, the prediction algorithm could use a little work — but users can set the app to learn new words if they find they want the keyboard to pick up on their personal style over time. Free, with the option of an ad-free upgrade, for Android devices running 2.0 and up.

WP-Bloomberg

Apps

of t

he

Day

Google Chromebook defies PC market

Sundar Pichai, senior vice president for Chrome at Google, is holding a Chromebook Pixel in San Francisco in February.

COMICS & MORE 13

Hoy en la HistoriaJuly 14, 1965

1933: Nazi Germany passed a law to eliminate handicapped people. About 400,000 people were forcibly sterilised1958: King Faisal II of Iraq was assassinated in an army coup1978: Soviet dissident Anatoly Shcharansky was sentenced to 13 years of forced labour for treason2008: The stock value of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the largest U.S. issuers of mortgage loans, plunged to 17-year lows

The Mariner IV spacecraft, launched in November 1964, sent back the first close-up pictures of Mars in a transmission lasting over eight hours

Picture: Getty Images © GRAPHIC NEWS

ALL IN THE MIND Can you find the hidden words? They may be horizontal,vertical, diagonal, forwards or backwards.

AIRPLANE, AUTOMOBILE, BICYCLE, BOAT, BUS, CABLECAR,CIRCUIT, COACH, CONVEYANCE, CRUISE, DRIVE, EXCURSION,FERRY, FLIGHT, HELICOPTER, HOVERCRAFT, JAUNT, JOURNEY,JUNKET, LINER, LOCOMOTIVE, MOTORBIKE, MOVEMENT,NAVIGATE, RIDE, ROWING, RUNNING, SAIL, SHIP, SKATEBOARD,SLED, SWIM, TAXI, TOUR, TRAIN, TRAM, TRANSIT, TRANSPORT,TRAVEL, TREK, TRIP, TRUCK, VOYAGE, WALK.

LEARNARABIC

General questions about verbs:

Examples :

Mazha QultaWhat did you say (m)

Mazha QultiWhat did you say (f)

Aina Zhahabta Where did you go

Mata RajataWhen did you come back

Limazha Zhabta Why did you go

Baby Blues by Jerry Scott and Rick Kirkman

Zits by Dennis Young and Denis Lebrun

Hagar The Horrible by Chris Browne

PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 2013

PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 2013

HYPER SUDOKU

CROSSWORD

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 36”

5 Official language of Austria

11 Tiny ___, singer of 1968’s “Tip-Toe Thru’ the Tulips With Me”

14 Oxford or loafer

15 Entertain, as children at a library

16 Singer DiFranco

17 Purchasing system with payments made over time

19 Video shooter, for short

20 Golfer’s gouge

21 “Make ___” (Picard’s command on “Star Trek: T.N.G.”)

22 Store clerk

25 Frilly place mats

28 “Don’t Tread ___” (early flag motto)

29 Former Chrysler C.E.O.

31 Elite group

33 Home, in Honduras

34 Goldbrick

41 Fidel Castro’s brother

42 Ruth’s mother-in-law

43 Healthful food regimen, traditionally

49 Name that comes from Old Norse for “young man”

50 Devoted follower

51 Buckles, as a seat belt

53 Actress Ward

54 Frizzy dos

55 Assistant to Santa

56 He played the Hulk on 1970s-’80s TV

62 ___ v. Wade

63 Present at birth

64 Bump off

65 Norm: Abbr.

66 Flew to great heights

67 Suffix with cigar

DOWN

1 Designer monogram

2 “Eureka!”

3 Cowboy Rogers

4 Fan of Jerry Garcia’s band

5 Rough road surface

6 Donkey in “Winnie-the-Pooh”

7 Engrossed

8 The year 1550

9 One step ___ time

10 “Smoking or ___?”

11 Ploy

12 Very soon

13 Brunch cocktail

18 Nintendo game console

21 U.N. workers’ grp.

22 Fossil fuel

23 Opposing

24 Captain Hook’s mate

25 Primatologist Fossey

26 Hops kiln

27 Financier Carl

30 Food-poisoning bacteria

32 Kind of eel

35 What “W” stands for on a light bulb

36 Like Michelangelo’s “David” or Rodin’s “The Thinker”

37 Where the United Nations is in Manhattan

38 Jupiter

39 Warning sign

40 Recycling containers

43 Surgical beams

44 Spotted wildcat

45 Devoured, with “down”

46 Miami’s home: Abbr.

47 Tired or decadent

48 Smeared with pitch

52 Frat.’s counterpart

54 Miles away

56 Fleur-de-___

57 Singer Yoko

58 Acapulco article

59 Understood

60 Annual coll. basketball competition

61 Pepsi ___

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

65 66 67

M E A T A B C D E T C G E E N AO K R A S D R L A O M A H U N S E RB E R L E R E A T A B R O W N C O W S

S E L T Z E R W A T E R C A N I T B ED O A G A I N S A Y S O S N E I NP U R L P A D M A T O I L K O R E AI T S A N L O I N S D A M N Y S L

S D S I S A I D E T A I LE G G S A C S F L A V O R E D S Y R U PA N E K A U A I M D V I R H E I M SR A S H L A R R Y S E T T O S O B AO R T E G A T E E D N E O N S J E TF L E X I B L E S T R A W N E C T A R S

A L L O R I N C A N S A WM R S L E N I O R R I N B O S S AR U N E S G E M S E E L E D S K I NI L E X A S S A I L V O I C I N GS E A T R I P I C E C R E A M S O D AC O K E F L O A T T R E N D P O R T SA N E N D O R R S E E Y A S P O R KN E R D S N E E E L A N S W A Y

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 SUDOKUCartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate

Easy 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.

MALL

1

ABCD (2D/Malayalam) – 3.00 & 9.00pm

Officer Down (2D/Drama) – 12.00midnight

2

Singam II (2D/Tamil) – 3.00 & 11.00pm

Siberian Education (2D/Crime) – 9.00pm

3

World War Z (3D/Action) – 9.15pm

Bekas (2D/Drama)– 11.30pm

LANDMARK

1

Bekas (2D/Drama) – 9.00pm

World War Z (3D/Action) – 11.00pm

2

Monster University (3D/Animation) – 9.30pm

Siberian Education (2D/Crime) – 11.30pm

3

Singam II (2D/Tamil) – 9.00pm

Bekas (2D/Drama) – 12.00midnight

ROYAL PLAZA

1Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2D/Hindi)

– 9.30pm

2

Monster University (3D/Animation) – 9.15pm

Bekas (2D/Drama) – 11.15pm

3

White House Down (2D/Action) – 9.15pm

Siberian Education (2D/Crime) – 11.30pm

CINEMA / TV LISTINGS 15

TEL: 444933989 444517001SHOWING AT VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

05:45 Cycling - Tour

De France

09:30 Omni Sport

10:00 Miami Heat vs

San Antonio

Spurs

14:00 Omni Sport

14:30 Beckham In

China

15:00 Cycling - Tour

De France

18:45 Miami Heat vs

San Antonio

Spurs

21:00 Beckham In

China.

21:30 Iceland vs

Germany

23:00 Moto GP 2013 -

Germany Round

02:45 IAAF Diamond

League 2013 -

Madrid Round

04:45 Brazil Prepares

08:00 News

09:00 Al Jazeera

Correspondent

10:00 News

10:30 Inside Syria

11:00 News

12:00 News

12:30 Earthrise

13:00 NEWSHOUR

14:00 News

14:30 Inside Syria

15:00 Al Jazeera

World

16:00 NEWSHOUR

17:00 News

17:30 Listening Post

18:00 NEWSHOUR

19:00 News

19:30 Wukan: After

The Uprising

20:00 News

20:30 Inside Story

21:00 NEWSHOUR

22:00 News

22:30 Talk To Al

Jazeera

14:10 How It’s Made

14:35 Auction

Hunters

16:25 Auction

Hunters

16:55 Border Security

17:20 Border Security

19:10 Mythbusters

20:35 What

Happened

Next?

21:00 Spider-Man

Tech

21:55 North America

22:50 Fast N’ Loud

13:00 Seinfeld

14:00 Happy

Endings

14:30 2 Broke Girls

16:30 Hope & Faith

18:00 Guys With

Kids

19:30 2 Broke Girls

20:00 Whitney

22:00 Saturday

Night Live

Syndicated

23:30 Whitney

13:00 Dog With A

Blog

15:00 Austin And Ally

15:25 Shake It Up

15:50 Jessie

19:40 Dog With A

Blog

20:05 Shake It Up

20:30 Austin And Ally

21:40 Good Luck

Charlie

22:00 Shake It Up

12:00 I Think I Do

14:00 Police Academy

7: Mission To

Moscow

18:00 House Arrest

20:00 Tucker And

Dale vs Evil

22:00 The Secret Of

My Success

14:20 The Gadget

Show

15:10 What’s That

About?

16:00 Mega World

16:55 Killer Robots:

18:35

Oddities

19:00 Oddities

19:30 What’s That

About?

20:20 Futurecar

21:35 Tech Toys 360

22:00 What’s That

About?

14:00 C.S.I. Miami

16:00 Emmerdale

16:30 Coronation

Street

17:00 The Ellen

DeGeneres

Show

18:00 C.S.I. Miami

19:00 Necessary

Roughness

20:00 Burn Notice

21:00 C.S.I.

22:00 Defiance

13:05 Celebrity

MasterChef

19:00 Masterchef:

Professionals

20:25 Gok’s Fashion

Fix

21:15 Antiques

Roadshow

22:10 Bargain Hunt

23:00 Extreme

Makeover:

Home Edition

13:00 Ring Of Deceit

15:00 Encounter With

Danger

17:00 Enter The

Phoenix

19:00 In Time

21:00 Leaves Of

Grass

23:00 Of Two Minds

QF RADIO 91.7 FM ENGLISH PROGRAMME BRIEF

LIVE SHOWS Airing Time Programme Briefs

SPIRITUAL HOUR

6:00 AM A time of reflection, a deeper understanding of the teachings of Islam.

CHILDREN OF ADAM & EVE

8:00 AM The program will provide spiritual sustenance during the month of Ramadan bringing scholars of religions and special guests to discuss various topics of interest for our everyday lives.

YOUR HEALTH FIRST

9:00 AM A series of health tips to benefit the community throughout the observance of the month of Ramadan.

INTERNATI-ONAL NEWS

12:30 PM The latest news and events from around the world.

LIFE IN THE LIGHT OF FAITH

2:00 PM The program focuses on how “a life in the light of faith” uplifts and inspires people to live in the fullness of God.

RAMADAN 101 4:00 PM The program is a crash course to help you jump right into the spirit of the holy month. Every day the audience is introduced to a new word, this way you can learn more about the traditions and rituals of Ramadan.

MUSIC AND INFORMATION

All day Loads of music and of course information through QF Radio’s Factoids series.

PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 2013

PLUS | SUNDAY 14 JULY 2013 POTPOURRI16

Editor-In-Chief Khalid Al Sayed Acting Managing Editor Hussain Ahmad Editorial Office The Peninsula Tel: 4455 7741, E-mail: plus@pen.com.qa / editor@pen.com.qa

If you want your events featured here, mail details to plus@pen.com.qa

From Qurtuba To CordobaWhen: Till August 31, 1oam-10pm Where: Katara Gallery 1 - Bldg 13

What: This exhibition displays a variety of ornamental details -testimony of past splendour- which is often taken for granted by Cordoba’s dwellers and visitors. The collection highlights emblematic monuments, walls, doors, towers, minarets and baths, including some examples of Mudéjar art, a more recent architectural style inspired by the influences of Al Andalus in the Iberian Peninsula. Free entry

Omar Khalifa – “Infinite”When: Until Dec 15; 10am—10pmWhere: Katara Cultural Village What: This outdoor photography installation examines ‘the nature of being’. Using digital multiple exposure techniques, an image is crafted that gives us a sense of other-worldliness and depth of perspective through the human form. Free Entry

Ferozkoh: Tradition and Continuity in Afghan Art When: Until July 20Sunday, Monday, Wednesday:10:30am - 5:30pmThursday, Saturday: Noon — 8pmFriday: 2pm — 8pm Where: Museum of Islamic Art What: An exhibition showcasing works created by Afghan artists inspired by masterpieces from the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) collection Entry fee 25QR (free on Mondays and for children under 16 years)

Qatar National Library Heritage Collection When: Public tours twice every Sunday and Tuesday at 10am and 11:30am. Where: Qatar National Library What: Qatar National Library’s remarkable Heritage Collection is a rare trove of manuscripts, books, and artefacts documenting a wealth of Arab-Islamic civilisation and human thought. Among its more than 100,000 works, the collection contains an edition of Ptolemy’s Geographia, which was printed in Rome in 1478 and is the oldest printed map showing the name of Qatar or referred to in Latin as ‘Catara’. Free Entry

Events in Qatar

IN FOCUS

A flower in an Al Sadd garden.

by Pratyush Khurana

Send your photos to plus@pen.com.qa. Please mention where the photo was taken.

No kidding — goats help lure customers to Tokyo cafe

First, there were the maid cafes, their customers pampered by women in maids’ uniforms. Then came the cat cafes, which allowed cat lovers to

play with frisky felines while sipping a cup of coffee.Now, enter the goat cafe, which houses a pair of

friendly goats for customers to pet, play with and even take for walks through Tokyo’s concrete jungle.

Rena Kawaguchi and her staff brought the animals — named Sakura and Chocolat, or Cherry and Chocolate — three years ago, hoping to attract a new breed of animal-loving customers and spice up flagging week-end business.

“Back then animal cafes were booming, places where you could play with cats or dogs,” Kawaguchi said. “But we reckoned a normal animal like that wouldn’t have the wow factor of a goat.”

Customers can pet the goats in their pen while drink-ing a coffee, or book a slot to take them for a walk through the crowded area surrounding Shibuya sta-tion, a hub for commuters and Tokyo’s trend-conscious youth.

“When you live in the city like I do, places where you can meet animals are so far away and you rarely get the time to go there,” said Kotaro Nakazato, a 21-year-old university student.

“Having them nearby like this makes it easy to com-mune with nature.”

Keeping the goats has its challenges. Staff have to muck out their pen between serving customers, and the goats are fed special protein-rich pills to prevent foul-smelling droppings.

With the goats proving a hit, Kawaguchi says she’s

got even bigger plans. An elephant cafe is at the top of her list, although it was not clear what her pen-cleaning staff thought of the prospect.

Bug bombs cause partial collapse of NY city building

A woman attempting to deploy nearly two dozen bug bombs inside her small New York City apartment caused a “partial collapse” of the

five-story building, injuring 14 people, the fire depart-ment said.

Fire marshals said the woman told them she set off 20 bug bombs, also known as foggers, without incident on Wednesday inside her Chinatown apartment.

But as she set about repeating that exercise on Thursday, the highly flammable cloud of insecticide was ignited, likely by the pilot light in her oven or some other kitchen appliance, said Jim Long, a fire depart-ment spokesman.

The fiery blast caused a partial collapse of some ceil-ings and walls on the first floor of the building, which contains businesses as well as other apartments, he said.

The woman with the bug infestation was among the 14 people who suffered injuries such as burns, smoke inhalation and respiratory distress.

Fire officials ruled the explosion an accident.Firefighters retrieved 21 discharged bug bomb can-

isters from the scene, Long said. With most brands, one bug bomb per room is believed to be sufficient. It is not clear what the woman saw in her apartment to prompt such extreme measures, he added.

“That’s an awful lot of insecticide,” Long said.Agencies