Karan Johar happy over Alia Bhatt’s journey
CAMPUS | 3 COMMUNITY | 7 ENTERTAINMENT | 12
UCQ students launch projects to support
mental health initiative
Nakilat and JVs hold annual beach
clean-up
www.thepeninsulaqatar.com
MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016 @peninsulaqatar @peninsula_qatarEmail: [email protected] thepeninsulaqatar
P | 4-5
Chinese sericulture and silk art and trade
dating back more than 2,000 years are
explored in an exhibition which recently
opened at Qatar Museums (QM) Gallery
at Katara.
SILK ROAD TO SILK ROAD TO CULTURECULTURE
| 03MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
CAMPUS
The Peninsula
Achieving good mental and
emotional health is being
highlighted by students at
the University of Calgary in
Qatar (UCQ) who are deepening pub-
lic understanding of mental health and
well-being through a range of com-
munity projects. These initiatives are
part of the University’s strategy to en-
hance community health, reflecting its
vision to offer an environment of mu-
tual care which allows effective learn-
ing to take place and in which there is
an understanding about mental health
and wellness.
“The mental and physical health
among our students, faculty and staff
is a priority, both on our campus here
in Qatar and our main campus in Can-
ada,” said Dr Kim Critchley, Dean and
CEO of UCQ.
“As Qatar transitions toward a
knowledge-based economy, human
capital will be a critical factor. Building
communities whose members support
and care for each other, a crucial com-
ponent of our approach to healthcare
wellness, promises to enable citizens
and residents of Qatar to contribute to
national development.”
Students also held sessions at Qa-
tar University and Qatar Secondary
Independent School for Girls featur-
ing role-playing activities to encour-
age empathy for the mentally-ill, intro-
ducing participants to headsets that
simulate auditory hallucinations, and
providing students with critical infor-
mation, focusing particularly on adoles-
cents, who are among those especially
at risk. These sessions enabled UCQ to
strengthen its ties with the community,
and build awareness about the impor-
tant topic of mental health.
Through their projects, UCQ stu-
dents are countering the stigmas af-
flicting those suffering from mental ill-
ness, and demonstrate the importance
of the compassion that is at the heart
of nursing. Promoting mental health
and well-being builds both the long-
term content and productivity that is
conducive to achieving the develop-
ment goals of Qatar National Vision
2030 where human development lies
in preventive and curative health care,
both physical and mental, taking in-
to account the differing needs of men,
women and children.
Aisha Almarri, a second year Qa-
tari nursing student at UCQ, said: “Our
projects allow community members
to acquire basic knowledge about the
mental illnesses that are prevalent in
Qatar, and experience firsthand some
of the symptoms with which the men-
tally ill cope. This initiative has shown
that knowledge and empathy can
overcome harmful stereotypes, and
foster the kind of inclusive develop-
ment that remains at the heart of the
long-term vision Qatar pursues.”
In their outreach, students uti-
lized an array of social media plat-
forms to reach a broad and diverse
audience. Students turned to Insta-
gram launching an account that pro-
vides useful information about At-
tention Deficit Hyperactivity Disor-
der (ADHD), a mental illness often
diagnosed in children that has long
been prevalent in Qatar. They also
created a Facebook page, titled “Say
No to Stigma,” prompting a dialogue
about mental health.
The Peninsula
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, a much respect-
ed commentator on public affairs in the Ar-
ab world, expert on the use of the Internet,
and champion of the arts will be speaking at
Northwestern University in Qatar on March 29.
Al-Qassemi’s voice was considered one of the
most influential Emirati voices during the Arab Spring
and its aftermath, and his effective use of Twitter led
to his involvement in international Internet policy cir-
cles. As a champion and devotee of the arts, he is the
founder of the Sharjah-based Barjeel Art Foundation,
which has promoted Arab artists through a series of
exhibitions in the United Arab Emirates and in ma-
jor European venues. He is also a noted collector of
established and emerging Arab artists and a tireless
promoter of their work.
A prolific writer, Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi’s arti-
cles have appeared in such publications as the Fi-
nancial Times, Foreign Policy, The (Toronto) Globe
and Mail, The Guardian, The Independent, Huffing-
ton Post, Time.com and Newsweek.com, among oth-
ers. He has also made frequent television appearanc-
es. rose to prominence during the Arab Spring “when
his tweets became a major news source, rivaling the
major news networks at the time,” according to a bi-
ography on the MIT Media Lab website.
His writings have often provoked controversy, in-
cluding one proposing that certain expats be granted
UAE citizenship and another that argued that civil un-
rest across the Arab world had positively influenced
the emergence of Gulf cities as commercial and cul-
tural centers for the regain.
His use of social media led to an association with
the MIT Media Lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts
where he is a Director’s Fellow and was also named
to the Global Commission on Internet Governance.
Gulf Business has twice named him among the 100
Most Powerful Arabs.
He was educated at the American University in
Paris and the European Business School. He resides
in Sharjah and Dubai.
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi will speak at a communi-
ty meeting on Tuesday, March 29 at 12 p.m. in Room
3069 at the Carnegie Mellon University building in
Education City.
NU-Q to host Middle East commentator Sultan Al Qassemi
UCQ students launch projects to support mental health initiative
COVER STORY
04 | MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
By Raynald C Rivera
The Peninsula
Chinese sericulture and silk art and trade dat-
ing back more than 2,000 years are explored
in an exhibition which recently opened at
Qatar Museums (QM) Gallery at Katara.
Visitors to the “Silks from the Silk Road – Chinese
Art of Silk” exhibition will know more about silk as
a product and a vital element of Chinese culture. It
provides valuable insights on the history of the Silk
Road and its importance as a bridge for economic
and cultural exchange between East and West.
In collaboration with Qatar Museums, the China
National Silk Museum brought a collection of over a
hundred pieces for the exhibition which is organ-
ised as a vital element of the ongoing 2016 Qatar
China Year of Culture.
By virtue of its location, Qatar played an impor-
tant role as a hub on the Maritime Silk Road and
provided invaluable contributions to the develop-
ment of the Silk Road trade route.
“One of the highlights of the exhibition is clothing
that belong to different dynasties, some of which
have similarities and connections,” said Xue Yan, re-
searcher at China National Silk Museum and curator
of the exhibition.
One of the pieces on display, which might be of
interest to Arab audience, is a costume which can
be traced back to the 13th Century. The said cos-
tume bears Arabic letters, which, Yan said proves
the Silk Road contributed in a big way to commu-
nication both in cultural and economic aspects be-
tween nations.
Exhibition visitors are given a chance to witness
a number of garments used in ancient China such as
a replica of a straight hem robe with longevity pat-
tern worn during the time of the Han Dynasty from
3rd century BC to 1st century AD.
The exhibition features the material properties
and diverse uses of silk, as well as the products cre-
ated throughout history. It also delves into the dif-
ferent techniques of silk production, traditional em-
broidery, ornamental brocading, the Kesi weaving
technique, silk painting, and new silk design con-
cepts.
Even though thousands of years have already
passed, these ancient methods and techniques in
silk production and designs remains alive up to this
day.
“Bamboo and Birds”, a three-piece tapestry
which welcomes visitors at the entrance of the ex-
po, is an example of a modern silk artwork using tra-
ditional Chinese techniques. Three traditional tech-
niques were used in the making of such piece, which
highlights a familiar scenery in China, namely em-
broidery, printing and Kesi - a type of weaving done
by the tapestry method in fine silk and gold thread.
A cultural journey through Silk Road
COVER STORY
| 05MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
The ancient art of silk design has been passed on
from generation to generation and is manifest in cre-
ations of today’s Chinese fashion designers, some of
whom have gained wide acclaim reaping awards in-
ternationally.
One of the costumes showcased is a gown de-
signed with the phoenix as an inspiration, which Yan
said, is a very auspicious and sacred animal in China.
The gown incorporates traditional embroidery and cut
which mimick the feathers and the tail of the sacred
bird.
Paper cutting is an ancient art in China done dur-
ing auspicious times. They cut paper and stick them on
the window to create a joyful atmosphere and this an-
cient art is fused into the design of a silk gown which is
shown at the expo.
Chinese ink painting has been effectively employed
in another dress which has also used western silhou-
ette techniques in its design.
Modern techniques applied in traditional dresses
are also evident in a couple of exhibits which combine
acrylic materials to silk in a mosaic design resulting to a
combination of varied textures.
Environment awareness has been underlined in the
design of a black sik dress which can be worn in eight
varying ways.
“It encourages people to be more environment
friendly because it can be worn in eight ways so it is
like having eight pieces of clothing,” explained Yan.
Also showcased at the expo are the art of silk, in-
cluding the new digital textile technology and the inte-
gration of traditional weaving and dyeing techniques.
Zhang Qian, a Chinese official and diplomat who
played a significant role in opening China to commer-
cial trade in the 2nd century BC, by setting up the Silk
Road, is also included in the exhibition.
The exhibition includes 100 selected silk products
and modern artistic works of silk garments, as well as
other accompanying exhibits such as ceramic tea sets
and tea works.
Also included in the expo is a loom, which Yan said
is an implement every home in China possesses in an-
cient times as crucial to the production of silk fabrics.
Prior to the launch of the exhibition, several public
programmes were organised including a talk by cura-
tor Xue Yan that explored Chinese silk on the Silk Road
from the 10th to the 14th century and a number of inter-
active tie-dyeing workshops.
The exhibition is open to the public until May 9.
06 | MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
COMMUNITY
Holiday Villa Doha brings Malaysian cuisine to Qatar International Food FestivalThe Peninsula
Hundreds of the Qatar International Food Fes-
tival patrons flocked the Holiday Villa Hotel
& Residence booth for a taste of mouth-wa-
tering Malaysian delicacies. The popular South East
Asian signature Nasi Lemak – coconut flavoured fra-
grant rice served with chicken rendang, sambal and
boiled egg is the top favourite, alongside the other
Malaysian dishes such as Chicken Rice, Curry Laksa
and Spring Rolls.
General Manager, Joey Chen, said: “On behalf of
the management, I would like to congratulate the
Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) for another success-
ful Qatar International Food Festival (QIFF). Every year
we are excited to participate in this event and we
look forward to the delightful cravings of the patrons.
We are thankful to the organisers for allowing us to
join this exciting event.”
Holiday Villa Doha will be serving the Malaysian
delicacies at the QIFF daily from 1:00pm to 10:30pm
until March 28, 2016.
The Peninsula
During the Best Buddies In-
ternational Month in March,
Best Buddies Qatar held
football matches among
secondary schools for boys. Al Tam-
akon, Tariq Bin Ziad, Jassim Bim Ha-
mad, Al-Shahaniya, Siliya, Khalifa ,
Nasseer Bin Abdullah Al-Attiya, Ah-
mad Bin Hambal and Omar Bin Ab-
dulaziz participated.
80 Best Buddies Qatar members
participated in the competition dur-
ing the whole month and in the final
Tariq Bin Ziad took on Siliya Second-
ary Schools for boys. Siliya Secondary
Schools for boys won the touirnament
and received the BBQ month football
competition champion cup.
The event was supported by Qa-
tar Football Association and Qatar
Sport Club. The match marked The
World Down Syndrome Day. The club
members of Qatar Sports Club scored
goals in peers with Best Buddies Qa-
tar members with Down syndrome
disability.
Mohammed Al-Sayeed, the Man-
ager of Rehabilitation and Integration
Department of Best Buddies Qatar,
said: “This month has been filled with
numerous activities. Today we are
glad to hold the final football match
among 8 schools and let our mem-
bers with down syndrome take an
active part in it in terms of our mis-
sion of integration of people with and
without intellectual developmental
disabilities into society. We congratu-
late Siliya Secondary School for Boys
with taking the first place in this com-
petition and express our gratitude to
Qatar Football Association and Qa-
tar Sports Club for their support and
making the event a success”.
Hassan Yousef Al-Badar, a teach-
er at Tariq Bin Ziad School and a su-
pervisor of the football competition,
commented: ”We got to know about
this competition from Qatar Football
Association and we gladly joined it.
We participate not to win a cup but
to get involved into sports along with
others. The members with disabili-
ties enjoy the completion, they feel
same as us because in the past they
attended special schools, and nowa-
days they play with us, talk with us.
Inclusion of the students with disa-
bilities with students without disa-
bilities means a lot. It’s great! Such
events make students more confi-
dent, they also enjoy participating in
activities with their mates.”
Abdullah Al-Mulla, The General
Secretary of Qatar Sports Club, stat-
ed: “We support the agreement be-
tween Best Buddies Qatar and Qatar
Sports Club, as well as we intent to
contribute to the sports involvement
of people with and without disabili-
ties to make sports their lifestyle. We
sustain the vision of 2030 in terms
of long lasting social encouragement.
Qatar is the only country which holds
The National Sports Day by organising
events, setting up sports equipment
all over to let the people be healthy
and get attached to doing sports. It
brings people together. We are very
happy to hold football completion for
Best Buddies Qatar members in Qatar
Sports Club today. We a looking for-
ward to host their members ,the “spe-
cial” kids, in any sports event in fu-
ture.”
Best Buddies Qatar holds
football tournament
COMMUNITY / MARKETPLACE
| 07MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
The Peninsula
Nakilat, the shipping arm of
Qatar’s liquefied natural gas
(LNG) sector, and its joint ven-
tures Nakilat-Keppel Offshore & Ma-
rine (N-KOM) and Nakilat Damen
Shipyards Qatar (NDSQ), held a suc-
cessful beach clean-up recently at
the Northern Beach in Ras Laffan In-
dustrial City (RLC).
250 volunteers from the three
companies participated in the annu-
al activity co-organised together with
Qatar Petroleum’s Industrial Cities Di-
rectorate / Ras Laffan’s HSSE depart-
ment. The beach clean-up aims to
provide a clean and safe coastal envi-
ronment ahead of the Hawksbill turtle
nesting season.
Hawksbill turtles avoid deep wa-
ters, preferring coastlines where
sponges are abundant and sandy
nesting sites are within reach. Not
particularly large compared with oth-
er sea turtles, hawksbills grow up to
about 114 centimeters in shell length
and 68 kilograms in weight. Their av-
erage estimated lifespan in the wild is
between 30 – 50 years.
This environmental initiative is part
of Nakilat’s comprehensive corporate
social responsibility framework, which
also focuses on health, education and
community initiatives.
Nakilat and JVs hold annual beach clean-up
The Peninsula
Qatar International Golf Club (QIGC), Doha’s
new world class golfing destination, hosted
local school children to take part in a live sci-
ence lesson at the development.
25 students from the local Qatar Academy Sid-
ra, which is also taking part in the golf club’s Pearl
Coaching Programme, were invited to the project to
learn more about the importance of sustainability. Af-
ter planting a tree on the 14th hole of the new course
and hearing from Darren Smith, Golf Course Superin-
tendent, on how plants and trees are used to help
water conservation, students went back to the class-
room to take part in educational experiments where
they had the opportunity to build a fairway profile
and learn more about how golf courses are built. The
activity was conducted in support of World Soil Day
which helped students understand more about using
turf, soil and plants to help reduce water consump-
tion and respecting the natural environment.
The activity comes as part of QIGCs aim to be-
come one of the most sustainable projects in the
world. It is currently working through the Golf Envi-
ronment Organisation’s (GEO) OnCourse Develop-
ments programme to achieve GEO Certified Devel-
opment status with the aim of maximising the role of
the project in enhancing nature, conserving resourc-
es and supporting local communities. QIGC is an ear-
ly adopter of the programme and has been working
with GEO, a not-for-profit that is dedicated to sup-
porting the global golf community in sustainable de-
velopment, since 2012.
Mohammed Al Naimi, Deputy General Manager
at Qatar International Golf Club commented: “One
of the most unique things about our project global-
ly is its commitment to becoming one of the most
sustainable projects in the world, not just from an
environmental perspective but also socially. As well
as making sure we are enhancing the natural habi-
tat and conserving resources throughout every stage
of our build and operation, it is also important that a
project of this nature supports the local community.
The recent schools activity we hosted was a perfect
way to bring these objectives together. Local stu-
dents had an opportunity to learn from the project
and the techniques we are using to make sure we are
advancing golf course sustainability.”
The Qatar Academy Sidra is one of three schools
already taking part in a dedicated schools outreach
initiative, the Pearl Coaching Programme, put in place
by the golf club to give the youngest members of the
community a chance to learn and enjoy golf with ex-
pert coaching and tuition. QIGC aims to get golf clubs
into the hands of 2,000 local school children to en-
courage them to keep an active and healthy lifestyle
through sport.
Qatar International Golf Club helps promote sustainability in local community
08 | MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
FOOD
By Roberto A Ferdman
The Washington Post
In the heart of what might be the
most celebrated cuisine in the world,
a curious thing is happening: peo-
ple are clamouring for an unglam-
orous American food. “Le hamburger,”
as it’s called in France, has bombard-
ed restaurants in the country other-
wise known for much fancier food, be-
coming one of the most popular dish-
es. The love is such that three quarters
of all food establishments now sell at
least one hamburger, and 80 percent of
those say it’s their best-selling item, ac-
cording to a recent study.
But France’s hamburger fixation is
hardly unique. Rather, it’s emblematic
of what has proved to be a common af-
fair.
Just ask those who live in Australia,
where people ingest nearly three times
as many hamburgers per capita as they
do in France (albeit with strange things
on top). Or the British, who, let’s face it,
have pretty questionable taste in food,
but still appreciate hamburgers more.
Even the Russians appreciate them at
least as much.
Or better yet, look to the hamburg-
er’s birthplace, where the sandwich
has been defying major food trends for
quite some time.
Ever since the mid-1970s, beef con-
sumption has been tumbling in the
United States, falling from a peak of 94
pounds per person per year in 1976 to
54 pounds in 2014, according to gov-
ernment data. Over the past 15 years
alone, per capita beef consumption has
dipped by 20 percent (and meat con-
sumption has fallen off a cliff).
But hamburgers have done just the
opposite, gaining in popularity even
as Americans lose their taste for the
broader beef and meat categories. A
stroll through the archives uncovered
a 1979 article by the Associated Press,
which cited significantly lower per capi-
ta hamburger consumption than the 30
hamburgers per capita observed today,
according to NPD Group. This is what
it said: “According to industry and gov-
ernment estimates, there will be 17.2
pounds of hamburger produced this
year for every person in the country. In
1978, there was 20.5 pounds of ham-
burger per capita; in 1976, there was a
record 23.9 pounds per capita.”
The year 1976 is a nice marker,
both because of what happened then
(it was, at the time, a record year for
hamburger and beef consumption)
and what has happened since (the
two have clearly diverged). Today, we
eat much less beef but many more
hamburgers — about six extra burg-
ers per person, or roughly 30 percent
more than we did back then.
Those who have abandoned meat,
or at least tried to, have likely found
themselves pining for a hamburger —
and then acting upon the craving. Clear-
ly they are not alone. I certainly have.
There are other ways in which
hamburgers seem to move against
the stream. In recent years, for in-
stance, they have shown resilience de-
spite a tempered interest in sandwich-
es. In 2014, restaurants sold two per-
cent fewer sandwiches than they had
the year before, but three percent more
hamburgers, according to a report by
NPD Group.
“Americans simply love their burgers,”
Bonnie Riggs, who is NPD’s restaurant
industry analyst, explained at the time.
The appeal of the hamburger owes
to many things, the first of which is that
it is a delicious meal. “It took the apple
thousands of years to become the most
widely distributed fruit tree in the world,
whereas the hamburger established it-
self within half a century in almost eve-
ry capital city,” Louise Fresco explains in
his 2015 book Hamburgers in Paradise:
The Stories Behind the Food We Eat, al-
luding to the hamburger’s near ubiqui-
tous appeal.
The fact that hamburgers can be re-
produced effortlessly and without com-
promising quality has helped too, pro-
pelling its rise, at the very least. This,
Fresco touches upon, too:
“What made McDonald’s, Burger
King, Jack in the Box, the once ubiq-
uitous White Castle, and their like such
successful companies was not the
hamburger itself, nor the franchise sys-
tem that has enabled it to penetrate
all markets, but the systems and tech-
nology used to ensure that identical
hamburgers would roll off production
lines all over the world to be served to
a public that knew exactly what to ex-
pect.”
The hamburger has also shown re-
silience because it is malleable. While
its base components — lettuce, toma-
to, ground meat, and bread — are sim-
ple and cheap, it has thrived because
of how adaptable it is to change. This
has proven particularly important as of
late, as the enthusiasm for chains like
Shake Shack has supplanted the long-
held allegiance to less shiny establish-
ments like McDonald’s. More expensive
versions of the hamburger, meanwhile,
have become staples on restaurant
menus, incorporating different meats
and adding pricier accoutrements. In
Fresco’s words:
“The history of the hamburger is the
story of a continual quest to reinvent
a food item by sophisticated means,
leaving the end product apparently un-
changed and therefore completely de-
pendable for the consumer while al-
most invisibly introducing one innova-
tion after another.”
All the world loves a burger
The appeal of the hamburger owes to many things, the first of which is that it is a delicious meal. “It took the apple thousands of years to become the most widely distributed fruit tree in the world, whereas the hamburger established itself within half a century in almost every capital city.
| 09MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
FASHION
AFP
With over 60 catwalk shows
under her belt over the
last round of fashion
weeks, Lineisy Montero
proved an all-round hit among ready-
to-wear designers and fashion houses.
At a time when the world’s catwalks
seem to be moving forward on racial
diversity, this Dominican beauty could
be on the way to becoming the top
model of tomorrow, following in the
footsteps of Cindy Crawford, Naomi
Campbell and other star models who
went on to become icons of the fash-
ion world.
Far from the likes of Kendall Jenner,
Gigi Hadid and other ultra-connected,
media-hyped models, Lineisy Monte-
ro is carving out a successful career on
the runway in a much more discreet
but nonetheless effective way.
Spotted by a casting director while
on a day out at a theme park, the young
brunette from the Dominican Republic
was thrust into the forefront of fash-
ion from 2015, and hasn’t looked back
since. In fact, this rising star has en-
joyed a rapid ascension to the dizzy
heights of the fashion world.
Italian fashion house Prada played
a major role in kick-starting Lineisy
Montero’s career, as it was Miuccia
Prada in person who picked the mod-
el for the label’s autumn/winter 2015-
2016 show — and as a Prada exclusive,
to boot. This proved a pretty excep-
tional appearance, first of all because
black models are few and far between
on the Prada catwalk, but above all be-
cause of her highlighted presence in
the show.
Miuccia Prada shone the spot-
light firmly on this model, as while all
the others walked with straightened
hair pulled back in ponytails, Lineisy
Montero trod the runway with her nat-
ural hairstyle, with no extensions add-
ed to her afro crop. With such a stan-
dout role in the show, the newcomer
couldn’t fail to create a buzz.
And so, the gaze of designers from
all over the world was drawn to this
long, lean model with her almond eyes.
With a natural style that’s almost cap-
tivating in the world of high fashion,
Lineisy Montero notched up a host of
catwalk appearances in the first 2015
session, with shows for Loewe, Balen-
ciaga, Céline, Givenchy, Louis Vuitton,
and, of course, Prada’s sister label Miu
Miu. Her career was now most definite-
ly on the up.
While catwalk shows help get mod-
els known to designers and gain visi-
bility in the fashion world, the ulti-
mate prize comes with a long-await-
ed advertising campaign. And here too,
it was Prada who first picked Lineisy
Montero, starring the up-and-coming
model in a shoot promoting the label’s
autumn/winter 2015 collection, photo-
graphed by Steven Meisel.
She was then chosen to star in the
Louis Vuitton “Ladies at the bath” cam-
paign, shot by Juergen Teller.
From then on, Lineisy Montero was
known to all the labels, stepping back
on to the catwalk for autumn/winter
2015 haute couture shows for Atelier
Versace, Dior, Giambattista Valli, Fendi
and Valentino. And the buzz surround-
ing the model showed no sign of wan-
ing for the spring/summer 2016 sea-
son, with dozens of show bookings to
her name.
But it was the last round of fash-
ion weeks that really confirmed her
status as one of the hottest models of
the moment, as Lineisy Montero fea-
tured in over 60 catwalk shows in the
four fashion capitals, including Jason
Wu, Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY and
Marc Jacobs in New York, J.W. Ander-
son, Topshop and Burberry in London,
Prada, Marni, Dolce & Gabbana, Fen-
di and Versace in Milan, and Elie Saab,
Mugler, Lanvin, Dior, Chanel and Louis
Vuitton in Paris.
The next step for Lineisy Montero
is to build on this success and make
it last. However, she looks to have a
good chance of joining the short list
of models to have made their mark
on the very closed world of designer
fashion.
Far from the likes of Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid and other ultra-connected, media-hyped models, Lineisy Montero is carving out a successful career on the runway in a much more discreet but nonetheless effective way.
Montero, fashion’s latest
must-book model
10 | MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
HEALTH & FITNESS
By Ellie Krieger
The Washington Post
The other day, as I pushed my
cart around Whole Foods, a
new book touting the wonders
of apple cider vinegar caught
me by surprise. Mainly, I was taken
aback that people still considered the
ingredient a magic elixir. I was under
the impression that notion had been
debunked way back when phones still
had cords. People have been writing
books on the subject at least since
that era, and apparently they haven’t
stopped. A quick search on Amazon
revealed more than 20,000 results
for publications on apple cider vinegar,
many written in the past several years
and most subtitled with words such as
“natural miracle cure,” “detox,” “weight
loss,” “healing power” and “anti-age-
ing.” Clearly, this gold-amber liquid still
has some allure, so I decided to inves-
tigate if there is any research to back
it up.
It turns out there is substantial ev-
idence that consuming vinegar can
help keep blood sugar under control,
which in turn may ultimately decrease
the risk of diabetes and heart disease,
among other benefits. Carol S John-
ston, associate director of the nutri-
tion programme at Arizona State Uni-
versity, who has been studying the ef-
fects of vinegar for more than 10
years, says: “Vinegar appears to in-
hibit the enzymes that help you digest
starch.” When starch is not completely
digested, you get a smaller blood sug-
ar (glycemic) response — “20-40 per-
cent less in healthy people and in di-
abetics” — after eating a high-glycae-
mic food such as a bagel, according to
Johnston’s findings. The vinegar has a
more moderate blood-glucose impact
when a fibre-rich whole grain is eaten
(because there is less of a spike to be-
gin with) and no effect when no starch
is eaten.
On top of that, undigested starch
may have a prebiotic effect, meaning
as it passes through the intestines it
becomes food for the good bacte-
ria in your gut. Well-fed gut bacte-
ria generally translates to a healthier
you because these microorganisms
help support good digestion and our
immune systems, among other ben-
efits.
Those undigested starch calories
may also add up over time to some
weight loss, plus, according to John-
ston, “there is emerging research that
vinegar might increase fat oxidation.”
She stresses, however, that contra-
ry to many of those popular book ti-
tles, “vinegar is not a magic bullet for
weight loss. I have seen very modest
weight loss in my studies, of one to
two pounds after 12 weeks.” In the one
study published, in Japan in 2009, that
specifically examined vinegar’s impact
on weight, subjects lost just two to four
pounds in 12 weeks.
Better blood-sugar control, pos-
sible modest weight loss and better
gut health seem like valid, if not exact-
ly miraculous, benefits. Maybe there
is something to this apple cider vine-
gar thing after all? But wait — there is
a catch. “There is great marketing be-
hind apple cider vinegar, and it works
to lower the glycaemic response, but
it doesn’t have to be apple cider vin-
egar,” Johnston says. She says the ac-
tive starch-inhibiting ingredient in vin-
egar is acetic acid, which is in all vin-
egars.
Apple cider vinegar aficionados
boast about the unique attributes of
the unfiltered, unpasteurised product,
which still has the “mother” in it, the
weblike blob of bacteria that is actual-
ly the starter. Many commercial brands
filter this out so the vinegar is crys-
tal clear and more appealing to look
at, but health food brands general-
ly retain it. The “mother” is harmless
and may offer some benefits, such as
polyphenols and probiotics, but there
is no research to back up health claims
about it. And there is not an appreci-
able amount of vitamins, minerals or
pectin in apple cider vinegar, as is of-
ten advertised. If those are the quali-
ties you are seeking, you’d be better off
eating an apple.
If you want to try to reap the bene-
fits of vinegar — apple cider or any oth-
er variety — make sure you do it right,
not only to get the most out of it, but
because it can be harmful otherwise.
Johnston suggests diluting one to two
tablespoons of vinegar in eight ounc-
es of water and drinking it right be-
fore eating, once or twice a day, per-
haps before lunch and dinner. It’s im-
portant to take the vinegar just prior to
eating so it is in your stomach before
any starch reaches it.
Also, never drink vinegar straight. It
is a potent acid that can be danger-
ous if aspirated, may cause burns to
the tender tissue of the mouth and
eosophagus, and can lead to tooth
erosion. And because vinegar could
interact with medications, and its an-
ti-glycaemic effect may be dangerous
to diabetics taking insulin, talk to your
doctor before using it therapeutically if
these are concerns for you.
Touting virtues of apple cider vinegar
ENTERTAINMENT
| 11MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
By Michael O’Sullivan
The Washington Post
For any newbie considering just
sauntering into Allegiant, the
third instalment in the series of
films inspired by novelist Veroni-
ca Roth’s Divergent trilogy, I wouldn’t
recommend it without a quick primer.
Heck, even if you’ve read all three
books — set in a dystopian Chicago
where society has been regimented
into five “factions” based on the per-
sonality traits bravery, honesty, intel-
ligence, selflessness and friendliness
— it will be hard to keep up with the
new film, which pays scant attention
to what has come before while barrel-
ing madly forward through a saga that
grows more complicated as it draws
toward its fervently-to-be-wished-for
conclusion.
If you lament the recent cinemat-
ic trend of splitting the final book in
a series into two movies (see Harry
Potter, The Hunger Games, etc), you’ll
be dismayed to learn that they’ve
done it again here: Although Alle-
giant bears the title of Roth’s final
book, it is only the first of two films
to be adapted from that 2013 pub-
lication. Lionsgate Films won’t wrap
things up until next summer, when
Ascendant comes out.
In the meantime, if you’d rather not
rent Insurgent to refresh your memo-
ry about prior developments, here’s
where we are in the story: As Alle-
giant opens, the faction system has
collapsed with the assassination of
the despotic ruler Jeanine (Kate Win-
slet) in an uprising led by heroes Tris
(Shailene Woodley) and her boyfriend
Four (Theo James), whose “divergence”
from the prescribed cardboard carica-
tures of their compatriots lends the se-
ries its title.
Unfortunately, the vacuum creat-
ed by Jeanine’s death has been filled
by a leader almost as bad: Four’s “fac-
tionless” mother, Evelyn (Naomi Watts),
who in short order starts a civil war
with the remnants of the faction sys-
tem, now known as the Allegiant. The
Allegiant are led by Johanna (Octavia
Spencer), a former Amity honcho who
was once a member of Candor (I think).
Martial law is the order of the day,
with a lockdown on the fortified wall
surrounding Chicago, despite the fact
that when we last left Tris, she had re-
ceived a mysterious message, left in a
time capsule by her pre-apocalyptic
forebears, telling her to seek her for-
tunes elsewhere (that is, in the waste-
land outside the wall).
Got it?
Good luck. Like Tris, you’ll be on
your own from here on in. Though
she escapes from Chicago with a pas-
sel of her pals from the previous films
(Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Zoë Kravitz
and Maggie Q), Tris is quickly separat-
ed from them when she is taken un-
der the wing of the director (Jeff Dan-
iels) of something called the Bureau of
Genetic Welfare, an Edenic compound
at what used to be O’Hare Internation-
al Airport, including a program of eu-
genics that has separated people in-
to GMO and non-GMO varieties, like
a cross between Nazism and Whole
Foods. It’s enough to make your head
explode.
And that’s the short version. We’ll
leave out the Fringe, the no man’s land
between Chicago and O’Hare, through
which Tris and company pass on their
way to the Bureau. “This hole looks ra-
dioactive,” says Tris’s brother (Elgort),
apropos of nothing, in an example of
the screenplay’s simple-minded dia-
logue.
Otherwise, everything is needless-
ly tangled and bewildering. A scene in
the book in which Tris reads her late
mother’s journals is recreated here
with “memory tabs” via a virtual-real-
ity headset that, like magical earbuds,
allows Tris to witness her mom’s life as
a kid. The bells and whistles are simply
too much, too often, and detract from
our connection to the characters.
That’s a shame, because there are
some fine actors here, although Tell-
er - whose character has been flip-
flopping between villainy and heroism
since the first movie — is the only per-
former who is really let off the leash.
Director Robert Schwentke (who al-
so helmed the last film but will hand
the reins of Ascendant to Lee Toland
Krieger) has his hands full babysitting
for a demanding, overly busy plot. Nu-
ance, subtlety, feeling — anything that
might help an audience relate to what
is happening rather than passively ex-
perience it, like a roller coaster - ap-
parently are luxuries this movie could
not afford.
As a whole, the Divergent series,
which shamelessly invites comparison
to The Hunger Games and The Maze
Runner franchises, feels like something
we’ve all seen too many times before.
A far more apt title for the cluttered, re-
petitive Allegiant might have been Ex-
travagant — or, better yet, Redundant.
One and one-half stars. Rated PG-
13. Contains violence and some coarse
language. 121 minutes.
Even if you’ve read all three books it will be hard to keep up with the new film, which pays scant attention to what has come before while barreling forward through a saga that grows more complicated as it draws toward its conclusion.
Allegiant brings out the bells and whistles
12 | MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
ENTERTAINMENT
By Troy Ribeiro
IANS
Film: Kapoor & Sons
Director: Shakun Batra
Cast: Rishi Kapoor, Siddharth Malhotra,
Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt, Ratna Pathak
Shah and Rajat Kapoor
Rating: ****
Kapoor & Sons is a saga of a
dysfunctional family, which
makes you laugh and cry with
its members, as you become
an intrinsic part of their lives. It is a
complete family entertainer with a uni-
versal appeal.
Arjun (Siddharth Malhotra) and
Rahul (Fawad Khan) are two siblings
based in New Jersey and London re-
spectively and arrive at Coonoor to visit
their ailing grandfather (Rishi Kapoor)
who lives with their parents Harsh (Ra-
jat Kapoor) and Sunita (Ratna Pathak
Shah). Their complicated relationships,
replete with misunderstandings, ac-
cusations, lies and yet, bound by love,
form the crux of this film.
Clearly, the film is on a dysfunction-
al family, and some realistic elements
interwoven in its narrative add to its ef-
fectiveness in being relatable to the
audience.
Writer-director Shakun Batra can
take a bow for his astute handling of
a simple story, with a complicated plot
owing to the complex lives of the char-
acters. His dealing of human emotions
along with the treatment of the sub-
ject is what makes the film stand apart.
The characters are etched to per-
fection, their lives almost unfolding
before our eyes in the two hours. The
screenplay is taut and full of unexpect-
ed twists which keep you riveted to
the screen, never letting your interest
wane.
Performance-wise, Kapoor & Sons
is impressive too.
Siddharth Malhotra as the “runner
up” or “second best” of the two broth-
ers, portrays his angst and resentment,
in an understated manner. He is eve-
ry inch the son who tries hard to prove
his worth to his parents to make them
proud.
Playing his love interest, is Alia
Bhatt as Tia Malik, a Mumbai-based girl
who is an orphan and misses having a
family. As always, she renders a zes-
ty performance with oodles of sponta-
neity and panache and is equally the
heart stealer in emotional scenes. She
lights up the screen with her joie de
vivre.
Fawad Khan as the successful nov-
elist and older sibling essays Rahul
with restraint and yet, has his mo-
ments when he lets his guard down, if
only to express his anger, disappoint-
ment and hurt.
Ratna Pathak Shah plays the com-
plex mother and wife with aplomb.
Whether it is unintentionally hurting
her son or accusing her husband of an
affair, her display of emotions, though,
a bit theatrical and dramatic, is a treat
to watch.
Rajat Kapoor plays the underdog to
perfection, constantly under scrutiny
by his wife, being taunted for his failed
business attempts and relationship
with his former bank colleague Anu.
Rishi Kapoor, of course as the doy-
en of the family, is an absolute de-
light in his genial avatar, complete with
a new get up. His childlike innocence,
playful nature and being one with his
young grandsons whether smoking or
watching a drenched Mandakini in a
film, are a few of the myriad moments,
which audiences will relish. The con-
trast in his performance stands out in
the scene after an unexpected tragedy
in his family.
As far as the music is concerned,
Amaal Mallik’s work is melodious, ap-
propriate, but incidental, never for a
moment seeming forced. “Kar gayi
chull” is fun and peppy and equally apt
is the soulful “Saathi re”, which sums
up the mood of the situation.
The cinematography, is in keeping
with the film and Coonnor is beautiful-
ly captured in all its elements.
Overall, Kapoor & Sons reflects Wil-
liam Blake’s poem Joy and woe are
woven fine and is definitely bound to
make you emotional.
Joy and woe are woven fine in Kapoor & Sons
Bollywood director-producer Karan
Johar, who gave Alia Bhatt her big
break with Student of the Year, is glad
to watch his “little child” emerge as an
actress of some calibre.
The head honcho of Dharma Pro-
duction, who has produced some of
Alia’a successful films like 2 States and
Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhaniya however
expressed regret over Shaandar.
“Two years down the line, Alia has
an amazing repertoire of films. I how-
ever apologise for Shaandar. Besides
that, she has had some amazing films
like 2 States, Humpty Sharma Ki Dul-
haniya and Kapoor & Sons; Alia is
Dharma Production’s proud girl and
always the flagship girl of the compa-
ny,” Karan said at a press conference
to celebrate Kapoor & Sons success.
“When I launched Alia Bhatt and
Sidharth Malhotra in their first film,
I never thought I would see them
come through this way on celluloid. I
watched Alia in ‘Highway’; I wept a lit-
tle bit only because I couldn’t believe
my little child has emerged as an ac-
tor,” Karan said.
Karan and Alia have strongly bond-
ed over a period of time.
Karan Johar happy over Alia’s journey
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2D/Action)2:45, 5:30, 7:00, 8:15 & 11:00pmKung Fu Panda (2D/Animation) 2:00 & 5:15pmZootropolis: Zootopia (2D/Animation) 3:30pmKhanet El Yek (2D/Arabic) 5:45 & 9:45pmRocky Handsome(2D/Hindi) 7:30 & 11:30pmEvery Secret Thing (2D/Drama) 2:30, 9:45 & 11:30pmThe Invitation (2D/Horror) 4:00pm
AL KHORBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (Action) 11:00am, 12:00noon, 2:00, 3:00, 5:00, 6:00, 8:00, 9:00, 11:00pm & 12:00midnight Rocky Handsome (Hindi) 12:30, 3:15, 6:00, 8:45 & 11:30pm
ASIAN TOWN
NOVO
MALL
ROYAL PLAZAVILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER
THE INVITATION
BLONDIE
SHERMAN’S LAGOON
While attending a dinner party at his former home, a man thinks his ex-wife and her new husband have sinister intentions for their guests.
13MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
CINEMA PLUS
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (Action) 3D 10:00am, 11:30am, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00, 10:00pm & 12:55am 2D 10:30, 11:15, 11:30am, 12:00noon, 1:30, 2:15, 2:30, 3:00, 4:30, 5:15, 5:30, 6:00, 7:30, 8:15, 8:30, 9:00, 10:30, 11:15, 11:30 & 11:55pm & 01:00amEvery Secret Thing (2D/Drama) 10:00am, 2:00, 6:00 & 10:00pm The Invitation (2D/Horror) 12:00noon, 4:00, 8:00 & 11:55pmThe Wave (2D/Action) 11:00am, 3:15, 7:30 & 11:45pmThe Witch (2D/Horror) 1:15, 5:30 & 9:45pmZootropolis (2D/Animation) 10:30am, 12:10, 2:20, 4:30 & 6:40pmLondon Has Fallen (2D/Action) 8:40, 10:40pm & 12:40am Kung Fu Panda 3 (2D/Animation) 11:00am, 1:00, 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00pmBatman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (3D IMAX/Action) 11:00am, 2:00, 5:00, 8:00 & 11:00pm
Maheshinte Prathikaram (Malayalam) 5:45, 6:45, 8:00, 9:00, 10:15 & 11:15pmPuthiya Niyamam (Malayalam) 6:45, 9:00 & 11:30pm Rocky Handsome (Hindi) 6:30, 9:00 & 11:30pm
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (2D/Action)2:30, 5:30, 7:00, 8:15, 9:00 & 11:00pmThe Invitation (2D/Horror) 5:00pmEvery Secret Thing (2D/Drama) 7:00pmRocky Handsome(2D/Hindi) 2:15 & 11:30pmKung Fu Panda (2D/Animation) 2:15 & 4:00pmKapoor & Sons (2D/Hindi) 4:30pm Khanet El Yek (2D/Arabic) 9:30pmMaheshinte Prathikaram (Malayalam) 11:15pm
Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.
EASY SUDOKU
14 MONDAY 28 MARCH 2016
Yesterday’s answerEasy Sudoku Puzzles: Place a digit from 1
to 9 in each empty cell so every row, every
column and every 3x3 box contains all the
digits 1 to 9.
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.
HYPER SUDOKU
Yesterday’s answer
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.
KAKURO
ACROSS
1 Entry forms
8 You might draw them when answering
questions
15 Abstruse knowledge
16 Floating island visited in “Gulliver’s
Travels”
17 Barbershop relative
18 Van Gogh masterpiece
19 Sun blocks?
21 Lilliputian, informally
22 Sun
23 Project that analyzes electromagnetic
radiation, for short
24 Not check
25 With 39-Across, region beyond the
Kármán line … or a literal hint to what
this puzzle has
27 Part of le
visage
28 Weird
30 Weird
32 “I’m ready!”
35 Levy
36 Singer with the 1986 #1 hit “Rock Me
Amadeus”
37 Take a ___
38 ’60s org.
39 See 25-Across
41 Canola oil product
45 Grub
47 Exotic “Now, Voyager” setting
48 Comic strip husband
49 Recurrent “Twilight Zone” plot device
52 Pitch-perfect words?
53 Wonder-working prophet in II Kings
54 Typical Manhattanite
55 Irish equivalent of “Jane”
56 Billy of infomercials
57 Voids, with “out”
DOWN
1 Valuable things to have in
Scrabble
2 It can’t be canned
3 Up this street and down the
next, perhaps
4 Hercules or Perseus
5 “Beat it!”
6 Negative conjunction
7 Jungle-themed Halloween
costume
8 French metropolis near the
Belgian border
9 Man’s name that’s another
man’s name in reverse
10 Spots at a casino
11 Setting for many sci-fi stories
12 Is indecisive
13 Old English county court sessions
14 Doesn’t remember, as something
obvious, with “on”
20 Bird house
25 Some crumbled dessert toppings
26 W.W. II poster girl
29 Key on a computer keyboard
31 Work with
32 What starter pistols shoot
33 Dolphins’ grp.
34 Explorer born René-Robert Cavelier
35 Recesses
37 Willingly, once
40 It may be left at a crime scene
42 Greeting that means “love” or “peace”
43 Unicellular organism
44 Unstamped metal discs used for making
coins
46 Creator of Saturn
48 Explanatory words
50 Bread in some ethnic cuisine
51 Winning party in Clay v. United States
ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE
P A B R V H FR O L L O V E R A N I R A
O O P S I D I D I T A G A I NC E O S S I T P H I L
Z E N T E C A T E S S I XD P T M I L E Y L I N
C U R A T E D R E V E N G ER I V E R T A N G S
G E M I N I S M E N O T T IM A S T A C O S S H U
J A R D A Y R A T E E D UN I P A S A N G A B E
Q U E E N S O F E N G L A N DA S A L A S T R E S O R TL K M Y W T S
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
CROSSWORD
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.
BRAIN TEASERS
Cartoon Arts International / The New York Times Syndicate