TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016

I’m no longer trying to be superwoman: Vidya Balan

HEALTH | 9 BOLLYWOOD | 11The nutrient you didn’t know you

were missing

FOCUSING ON QATAR’S

DEVELOPMENT

P | 4-5

Email: dohatoday@pen.com.qa

With dozens of ambitious plans to boost

Qatar-Sweden relations, Ambassador of Sweden

to Qatar, Ewa Polano, says that innovation and

entrepreneurship are her country’s “top brands”.

gn:

11Arjem Prado regional

winner of Costa Coffee Barista of the Year

MARKETPLACE | 7

CAMPUSTUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016 03

First global meet on ‘Sustainable Development: Achieving Food Security in Arid Environments’ held The Peninsula

First international conference on ‘Sus-tainable Development: Achieving Food Security in Arid Environments’ was held recently in Doha to raise aware-ness on the importance of investing in

the area of food security in Qatar.The conference organised by the Centre for

Sustainable Development (CSD) at Qatar Uni-versity College of Arts and Sciences (QU-CAS) brought together experts from all disciplines in the field of food security to showcase their research outcomes, share their experiences, and provide sustainable solutions to overcome the challenges that are facing food and water secu-rity in the region.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by QU Vice-President for Research and Gradu-ate Studies Prof Mariam Al Maadeed, Qatar Ministry of Municipality and Environment Under-secretary Assistant for Agriculture Affairs, Livestock and Fisheries Resources Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Naser Al Thani, CAS associate deans for Research and Graduate Studies Prof Hala Sultan Al Essa and for Academic Affairs Dr Has-san Abdel Aziz, and CSD Director Dr Hamad Al

Saad Al Kuwari, as well as QU faculty and staff.The event’s programme featured numerous

sessions on “Development of integrated system for sustainable food security”, “Economics, Cul-ture and Politics of Food”, “Challenges of existing food production practices”, and “Innovative tech-nologies for food security”.

It also included presentations delivered by speakers from QU colleges of Health Sciences and of Business and Economics, Center for Sus-tainable Development, and Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, and from George Mason University.

They discussed a wide range of topics such as “Biochars from organic materials in munici-pal solid waste streams for soil fertility and environmental sustainability”, “Life cycle analy-sis for an integrated seawater aquaculture/agriculture project for food and bioenergy pro-duction in the Arabian Gulf”, “Food Safety Culture in Qatar”, “High dependence on food imports from an unstable world: implications and solutions for food security in Qatar”, and “Do Extremely Vol-atile Food Prices in Qatar and Other Gulf Nations Contribute to Endemic Health Issues?”.

Prof Mariam Al Maadeed said, “This initia-tive comes in line with Qatar’s ongoing efforts

to overcome the barriers that are facing the achievement of sustainable food security. It also aims to provide efficient solutions to tackle the challenges of desertification, and land degrada-tion and drought, and their negative impact on food security and agricultural development in Qatar.”

Sheikh Dr Faleh bin Naser Al Thani said: “This conference comes to shed light on how to achieve food security in arid environments, and under-lines the significant role of the agricultural sector in reducing the negative effects of arid environ-ments and climate change. It also aims to drive forward the process of sustainable development for the welfare of the community. There are sev-eral aspects to take into consideration in food and agriculture in order to achieve food secu-rity. They include sustainable agriculture, livestock management, maintaining fisheries, reducing food waste, and preserving natural resources.”

Dr Hamad Al Saad Al Kuwari said: “The Cen-tre for Sustainable Development was established to search for and develop new ways to cope with the emerging changes in the Qatari environment in light of the fast-growing development in all sectors of the society.”

COVER STORY TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 201604

Expressing her love for QatarIrfan Bukhari The Peninsula

Ambassador of Sweden to Qatar, Ewa Polano, is one of the most vibrant diplomats who proves her dynamism

with her keen interest in attending almost all important gatherings of the city.

With dozens of ambitious-plans to boost Qatar-Sweden relations, she asserts that innovation and entrepreneurship are her country’s

“top brands”. Facts testify her asser-tion too as according to Global Innovation Index, Sweden stands at number 3 in the world for innovation.

In an exclusive interview, the ambassador at the one hand threw light on areas of current and future cooperation between two countries and on the other, expressed her love for Qatar saying ‘Qatar is not only a cultural hub but also an intellec-tual hub of the region’.

Talking on the cooperation revolving around road safety, she started citing Qatari catch-line for development “Qatar deserves the best”, then went on to say that Swe-den was at number one in road safety. “Our Vision Zero concept was adopted in 1997 to bring road accident related deaths to the zero level,” she said, adding that New York, Singapore and some other Asian countries had borrowed their Vision Zero plan and were imple-menting it.

She said that Sweden was shar-ing its knowledge with Qatar in this regard. “SweRoad’s CEO Jonas Her-mansson visited Qatar recently. (SweRoad is a Swedish state-owned consultancy company within trans-port sector.) Two experts with doctorate degrees in road psychol-ogy were here and have left recently to come again in January next year. They are experts in young male behaviour in traffic. The experts also had meetings with the minis-ters of health and transportation. It indicates Qatar’s interest in tack-

ling the issue,” she observed. The ambassador noted that

now both countries would enter the next phase of cooperation and experts on road congestion would also visit Qatar for knowledge-sharing early next year.

The ambassador said that pri-vate Swedish companies were also active in helping Qatar achieving its goals in road safety and a pilot project of vehicle-mounted speed cameras had been successful.

Sensys Gatso, a Swedish com-pany, she said was behind the

technology and ‘we hope Qatar will soon buy the technology to ensure speed enforcement to reduce traf-fic accidents deaths’.

“Speed enforcement is crucial. It reduces number of deaths and acci-dents,” she said, adding that she was trying to do a joint research on road safety in collaboration with Qatar National Research Fund, Qatar Road Safety Studies Centre at Qatar University and National Swedish Road Research Institute.

The ambassador also said that a contract for 30 new buses from

Scania, a Swedish company, was signed three weeks ago with Qatar-gas, through the Alfardan Group.

On green building concepts, Polano said that she has invited to Sweden CEO Ibrahim M Jaidah of Arab Engineering Bureau. “He is an expert in environmental construc-tion. Also AEB’s Urban Planning Director visited Sweden last May. Swedish technology from Heliospectra is being employed in Qatar to grow plants and flowers even in complex climate,” she said.

She said that a Swedish com-pany Envac had supplied waste management system to Lusail City, Msheireb Properties, Pearl Qatar, Hamad Air Port, etc. “We want to combine waste management with energy saving and education. Qatar Foundation has invited the Mayors of Stockholm and Vaxjo, who are coming in March next year to share their knowledge and expertise with Qatar Environment and Energy Research Institute (QEERI).”

Ambassador of Sweden to Qatar, Ewa Polano, threw light on areas of current and future cooperation between Qatar and Sweden and expressed her love for Qatar saying ‘Qatar is not only a cultural hub but also an intellectual hub of the region’.

COVER STORYTUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016 05

She said that Qatar was focus-ing on the paradigm shift from petrochemical economy to a diver-s i f i e d e c o n o m y a n d knowledge-based society. “Qatar wants to promote entrepreneurship. We are sending young profession-als and students from Qatar in collaboration with Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) to Sweden for capacity building on startups.”

“Last week it was also decided, during the WISH conference, that three new Swedish startups in healthcare technology will be placed in QSTP in a Qatar-Sweden collaboration. The new QSTP MD Maher Hakim will also help us select 10 Qatari students on their way to be professional entrepre-neurs and they will be placed in 10 different health startups in Sweden for a three month internship” she said, adding that Stockholm was number 2 to Silicon Valley in startups.

The ambassador said that with the help of Qatar Business Incuba-tion Centre (QBIC) and Qatar Development Bank (QDB), a Swed-ish company Albina Snacks AB has recently opened its new factory in Qatar, aiming to export to the rest of the MENA region, diversifying Qatar’s exports in the process.

With a palpable sense of pleas-ure and satisfaction, she said that Sweden was home to most refugees (per capita) in Europe. “We are number one at receiving refugees in EU, lately especially from war-torn Syria and Iraq”. She added that

“Syrians have tremendous entrepre-neurial skills and add great value to their new home.” With a national pride in her tone, she said that Ikea (a Swedish company) in collabora-tion with Virginia Commonwealth University-Qatar was building com-fortable wooden houses for refugees in Greece.

In the field of bilateral educa-tional cooperation, she said that recently the Swedish Institute, Swe-den’s cultural promotion organisation, has launched a pro-gramme under which Qatari young professionals can receive scholar-ships to study for master’s degrees at Swedish top universities in engi-neering, adding that all of Sweden’s master degree programs are taught

in English. “This programme is being funded by our government and top Swedish companies like SAAB, Volvo, ABB, Ericsson and oth-ers.” She said Sweden would support Qatar’s strong interest in preparing engineers.

She said Qatar’s Education Min-ister will visit Sweden early next year to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on education whose text had already been final-ised between the two sides.

Terming Qatari people “very nice”, she said that Qatar was not only a cultural hub but also an intel-lectual hub of the region. “I like the taste and beauty with which they are building Qatar. They have eve-rything; parks, museums, beaches,

restaurants and super-nice Katara and Souq Waqif.”

She was a little dis-appointed with slow growth rate in bilateral trade. “As much as 4 to 5 percent annual increase is nothing. I want to see a 50-per-cent increase per annum. The major export of Sweden to Qatar is vehicle and engineering product and iron ore but I am seeing scope in ICT, healthcare, waste man-agement, telecom, and also Halal food as 10 percent of Swedish population is Muslim and we can export Halal food to Qatar. We are also working with Kahramaa to provide more generators and smart grids to the organisation.”

Top brands, high hopes: “Innovation and

entrepreneurship are our top brands,” she said, further saying that her dream was to establish a Swed-ish-Qatari Innovation Centre and make arrangements for tailor-made innovation and entrepreneurial training to young Qatari profession-als at Lund University. Polano said that another broader MoU encom-passing political, cultural, economical and educational areas was under consideration at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Research component will be at the top of this cooperation.” The MoU’s draft was prepared by Swedish for-eign ministry.

House of Sweden in Doha: This project was launched by Interior Decoration department of VCU-Q where two Swedish professors are also serving. “I started delivering lectures at VCU-Q on how our architecture reflects our society, our traditions, our culture, our values and our attitudes. Students have made many prototypes that will be showcased next year at the eve of National Day celebration of Swe-den. I am glad that the young generation of Qatari students is focusing on my country.”

Terming Qatari people “very nice”, Ewa Polano said: “I like the taste and beauty with which they are building Qatar. They have everything; parks, museums, beaches, restaurants and super-nice Katara and Souq Waqif.”

The Ambassador said that her dream was to establish a Swedish-Qatari Innovation Centre and make arrangements for tailor-made innovation and entrepreneurial training to young Qatari professionals at Lund University.

Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula

COMMUNITY TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 201606

Bazm-E-Sadaf Symposium organised

Second Bazm-E-Sadaf Inter-national Symposium and award ceremony along with poetry session was celebrated on December 9

at Retaj Residence Al Corniche Hotel.Ahmad Ashfaq invited the dig-

nitaries and poets on the stage and after Supplication was made, Mohd Habibun Nabi (Deputy Chief Patron) welcomed the guest. The pro-gramme was in three parts. In the 1st session International seminar on

Mahjari Adab Aur Urdu Ki Nai Basti-yan” ( Migrated Urdu Literature And Its New Horizons), was the topic. Prof Irteza Karim (Director, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Lan-guage) presided the function and MS Bukhari was the Chief Guest. In this session, the participants were prom-inent ,scholars and drama and fiction writers, including Jawed Danish from Canada, Basir Kazmi from (UK), Anwar Zaheer (Germany) and Taslim Arif (India) and Prof

Safdar Imam Qadari (UAE) was the Anchor for this session. Janab Malikul Zahur Ul Islam, Aziz Katib and Hasan Abdul Kareem Choug-ule were Guests of Honour and citation for award winners were read by Nadim Mahir and Aziz Nabil.

Prof Irteza Karim (Director National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language) shared the latest update with Minister of HRD (India).

The awards were also presented at the ceremony. Dignitaries present

for award function were Ambassa-dor of India to Qatar P Kumaran, Prof Irteza Karim (Director National Council for Promotion of Urdu Lan-guage), M S Bukhari (Managing Director of Satco International).

First annual Bazm-E-Sadaf Awards (International awards for the promotion of Urdu) conferred to Jawaid Danish (Canada).

Bazm-E-Sadaf Nai Nasl Award 2016, conferred to Dr Wahid Nazir (India).

NAMA to host several events at Darb El Saai

In the context of bolstering values of loy-alty, pride and patriotism and emphasising the Center’s support of the country’s past achievements and its future aspirations,

NAMA Center, a member of Qatar Founda-tion for Social Work, is participating at the 2016 Qatar National Day celebrations at Darb El Saai with a number of festive events and activities that supports SMEs during their effective participation at the celebrations.

Commenting on the special occasion Mar-iam bint Abdullatif Al Mannai, Director of the Community Services Department, and the Director in charge of running NAMA’s affairs, said: “As we stand together to celebrate the extraordinary achievements of our beloved country, starting with the old-time glory of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammad bin Thani’s

march to independence and ending with the telltale social and economic prosperity that we all enjoy in Modern Day Qatar, we’re also here to aspire to an even brighter future for ourselves and our children and grandchildren and to join our hands together to build the pathway to realising our dreams one step at a time.”

She added: “This year, we chose Darb El Saai as the perfect platform for such a virtu-ous cause and we are honoured to present Qatar and its people with a live demonstra-tion of the fruits of our labour and the labour of the wonderful young men and women who took it upon themselves to not standstill and make a better version of themselves for the benefit of their loved ones, their communi-ties and Qatar as a whole. We believe that this

is the essence of the Qatar National Day and the vision that our wise leaders have had for our country and its people throughout the years and at NAMA Center, we will save no effort to contribute to the realisation of that vision and the practical contribution to its core values.”

This year, NAMA Center is playing part in the festive activities at Darb El Saai’s ‘Sou-qWaqif’ pavilion, which will conclude on December 20, through a number of produc-tive projects, developed by Qatari youth, utilising NAMA’s incubation services and National Day Celebration Committee’s sup-port for the 5th consecutive year. As part of the activity, the Center has granted the pro-ductive projects’ owners 25 booths to display and market their merchandise.

MARKETPLACETUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016 07

Oxy Qatar donates 40 books to ASD

Occidental Petroleum of Qatar Ltd (Oxy Qatar) announced a donation of 40 books by the Qatari children’s

author Maryam Al Subaiey, to The American School of Doha’s (ASD) Elementary Library. A book reading was held at the school with a special appearance from Al Subaiey. Writ-ten in both Arabic and English, Al Subaiey’s books highlight the Qatar Arab family and culture in a mean-ingful way and provide intercultural learning for the students.

Andrew H Kershaw, Oxy Qatar’s President and General Manager, assisted Al Subaiey during the book reading in the Elementary School Library. He said afterwards “Oxy Qatar is proud to dedicate these books to the school children of ASD. In supporting Qatar’s 2030 National Vision, an important part of Oxy Qatar’s focus is to assist education as well as local arts and culture by enhancing awareness and access, particularly among young people”.

ASD Director Dr Tom Hawkins expressed his gratitude to Oxy Qatar

for its generosity in providing these books and to Al Subaiey. “We are thankful to Maryam and to Oxy Qatar for sponsoring this book dona-tion here at ASD,” stated Dr Hawkins. He added that “The American School

of Doha thanks Oxy Qatar for being a continued sponsor of the school and its commitment in helping fur-ther the education of the students in our care.”

Al Subaiey said: “I am happy that

I was able to produce those four books and present the children of Qatar with stories that they can learn from. Working together with Oxy in producing those books has been a great experience.”

Arjem Prado regional winner of Costa Coffee Barista of the Year

With a reputation as one of the most challenging competitions in the cof-

fee industry, Arjem from Costa Coffee Qatar demonstrated his pride and passion to be crowned as 2016 regional winner of the annual Costa Coffee Barista of the Year competition. This accolade secured Arjem a place in the pres-tigious Champion of Champions final and will see baristas from all over the world compete to claim the ultimate Barista of the Year 2016 crown and win the prize of a trip of a lifetime.

Having fought through oppo-sition from fellow baristas across the Middle East and North Africa, this accolade recognises 25-year-old barista as one of the most

skilled coffee connoisseurs in the region, and amongst the top Costa Coffee baristas globally.

Participants are challenged in a series of qualifiers, starting in-store then progressing to area heats, before being selected as the best barista in their country. Ten tal-ented barista succeeded to make it to the regional final held in Dubai, which is where Arjem was crowned as the regional winner.

He has worked for Costa Cof-fee for the past one and half years and wowed the judges by creating a full-range of Costa’s core hand-crafted coffees. Challenges included the espresso race, craft-ing the distinctive and notoriously difficult Flat White to perfection and a timed demonstration of his

own speciality drink, Nutty Guava, to impress the judges. Contestants were marked on precision, crea-tivity, speed and personality across the heats. But the fight is not over yet, with the final and fiercest stage of the competition is yet to come. Arjem will be flown to London to compete in the Champion of Champion Final on January 12 in

a bid to be crowned the best Costa Coffee Barista in the world.

Tom Edgar (Head of Franchise) from Costa Coffee said: We have approximately 2,500 baristas in the MENA Region working across more than 370 stores so for Arjem to be crowned the best in MENA is a huge achievement and something he should feel incredibly proud of.”

FOOD TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 201608

The Washington Post

Inspired by the sweet-salty Japanese treats, this ver-sion is scaled up so that one cookie will satisfy.

MAKE AHEAD: The dough needs to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. The coated cookies can be stored in an airtight con-tainer for 3 to 5 days.

Adapted from “Golden: Sweet and Savory Baked Delights From the Ovens of London’s Honey & Co.,” by Ita-mar Srulovich and Sarit Packer (Little, Brown and Co., 2016).

Ingredients (45 cookies)Scant 2 cups (250 grams)

bread flour, plus more for the work surface

1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon granulated

sugar2 teaspoons fennel seed,

coarsely ground3 tablespoons (60 grams)

cold, unsalted butter, diced1/4 to 1/2 cup water, plus

more as needed10 1/2 ounces dark choco-

late, chopped1 teaspoon vegetable oilFlaked sea salt, for

sprinkling

StepsCombine the flour, salt,

sugar and coarsely ground fennel seed in a mixing bowl. Add the butter and use your clean hands to quickly work it in to a crumb consistency. Add in the water a bit at a time, just until you have a tight dough that comes together in a ball. (You may not need all the water or you may add a splash

more; the dough should be quite firm and not at all sticky.)

Flatten to a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

Very lightly dust a work surface. Unwrap and roll out the dough there, to a 10-by-14-inch rectangle. Place on a tray and return to refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a sil-icone liner.

Cut the chilled rectangle of dough into sticks 1/4 inch wide and 10 inches long, transferring them carefully to the baking sheet and spacing them slightly apart. Bake (middle rack) for 10 minutes, then rotate the sheet from front to back; bake for 5 to 6 minutes, or just until the sticks

are golden. Let cool on the sheet.

Meanwhile, melt 8.75 ounces of the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of barely bubbling water (medium heat). Remove from the pan, then stir in the remaining chocolate. Once that has melted, stir in the oil. Transfer the melted chocolate to a tall drinking glass.

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Dip each cooled cookie stick into the melted chocolate, to the slightly less than halfway point of the stick, shaking off any excess. Sprinkle that coated chocolate lightly with the flaked sea salt, then arrange the pocky stick on the baking sheet. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 10 minutes, or until the chocolate is firm.

Pocky Sticks

HEALTHTUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016 09Christy Brissette The Washington Post

Are you getting enough choline? Chances are, this nutrient isn’t even on your radar. It’s time choline gets the attention it deserves. Choline is a hot research topic and for good

reason. It’s essential to health at all ages and stages, and is especially critical for brain development.

Why aren’t we getting enough? Choline is found in many different foods but in small amounts. Plus, the foods that are rich in choline aren’t the most popular: think liver, egg yolks and lima beans.

Why haven’t we heard about choline until now?

Marie Caudill is a professor at Columbia Uni-versity and an expert on the impact of choline on maternal and infant health. She says choline hasn’t been a nutrition focus until now because

“it was assumed for a long time that because our bodies make choline, we don’t need to worry about our dietary intake.

“Choline is critical to so many metabolic path-ways, so our body does have the ability to make some. During pregnancy, the body’s ability to produce choline is ramped up by estrogen. How-ever, our studies and others have shown there is depletion of choline during this life stage.”

Health benefits of cholineJust as vitamin D plays a supportive role in

calcium absorption, choline helps omega-3 fatty acids and B vitamins such as folate function as they should. Here are the potential benefits of choline under study.

- Choline during pregnancy and breastfeed-ing: Most women of child-bearing age are well aware of the importance of folate for a baby’s developing nervous system, yet many aren’t aware that choline is also needed.

Pregnant women are also concerned about getting enough DHA, since a growing body of research has linked prenatal con-sumption of this fatty acid to improved cognition later in life. Choline plays a simi-lar role as DHA in being required for membranes of nervous system cells.

According to Caudill, “Studies show if you give pregnant women more choline, the mother will make more choline that contains DHA and this will be specifically directed towards the pla-centa and the baby.”

Caudill notes that “when pregnant women supplement with choline, their babies are born with lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This could have lifelong beneficial effects in terms of reducing chronic disease risk.”

- Brain and heart health: Did you misplace your keys again or forget to call someone back?

Choline plays a role in processing and storing memories, functions that are critical for learn-ing and knowledge retention. In animal studies, having enough choline appears to have an impact on activating parts of the brain responsible for memory.

Choline is one of the building blocks for ace-tylcholine, a neurotransmitter that functions as a chemical messenger in the brain. Choline is also part of the membrane of all cells and plays a role in signaling between cells.

Because acetylcholine is needed for nerves to signal muscles such as the heart, choline is needed to regulate the heart rate at rest.

- Choline and the aging brain: A new area of interest is whether improving choline intake could prevent cognitive decline as we age. Researchers have observed that high blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine in older adults is linked to poor performance on cognitive tasks and functions such as object naming, concentration and language.

Choline intake appears to have an inverse relationship with homocysteine levels, spurring further investigation into the role choline may play in brain health in older adults.

- Liver health: Choline helps move fat out of the liver, helping prevent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. In doing so, choline also frees up the liver to perform its key functions of filtering and detoxification and turning food into energy.

- Sports performance: Choline is needed for the brain to signal working muscles. Not having enough choline - and therefore acetylcholine - during exercise could slow down the message

from your brain to your muscles to contract, potentially making you tire more quickly during endurance exercise.

How to get enough cholineThe recommended daily intake for choline is 550 mg a day.Here’s what that would look like in food:Breakfast: 2 whole eggsLunch: 3 oz chicken breast, 1/3 cup lima beansDinner: 1 sole fillet: 102 mg, 1 cup Brussels sprouts

Obviously your diet will and should have more variety than this day to day. Overall, include a variety of meats and green vegetables in your diet to help you meet your choline needs. To get more choline, choose egg-based dishes such as frittatas and quiche.

Beef, chicken and fish, as well as Brussels sprouts and broccoli, also contain some choline.

If you aren’t already eating your egg yolks, you should be. A recent meta-analysis and reviews of the research suggest that eating egg yolks regularly doesn’t increase the risk of coronary heart disease or stroke. Having two whole eggs a day provides half of the choline most people need.

Caudill advises that pregnant and lactat-ing women eat two eggs (including yolks) a day to help boost choline levels. For those women who don’t eat eggs or other animal protein, taking a choline supplement is “highly advisable.”

The nutrient you didn’t know you were missing

WHEELS TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 201610Warren Brown The Washington Post

It is a beautiful automobile, arguably worth the price.Arguably?Yes. In the mind of almost every consumer

is a nagging voice saying that what was bought could have been gotten for less. The volume of the nagging increases with each discovered defect or perceived lack of quality, or discerni-ble inferiority in the thing purchased.

That is the beauty of the 2017 Audi A4 2.0T Premium Plus sedan. That nagging voice is silent. In its place is a certain satisfaction that you’ve spent money well, a total of $48,725 (US price) in this case.

What did you get?Consider an expertly crafted, compact, lux-

ury all-wheel-drive sedan. The interior is of well-stitched, supple nougat brown leather. It is wonderfully inviting.

This is a completely renovated A4, larger and more comfortable on long drives than its pred-ecessor, yet still tight and snug, an absolute driving pleasure.

The exterior is attractive, more linear than its predecessor, and is done (in the one used for this column) in an optional Florett Silver paint ($575). The LED headlamps enhance driver vision and vehicular beauty and are matched in appeal and effectiveness by bright red LED rear stop lights that mean “Stop!”

A long drive in this one on a high-speed

highway reveals its core appeal. It feels safe, as if you and yours are protected from the world’s surrounding madness. Credit here goes to the

optional Premium Plus package ($3,800) and Technology Package ($3,250), which include suites of advanced electronic safety systems that greatly reduce the chore and hazards of driving.

I know. If I were as good a driver as I am sup-posed to be, I wouldn’t need all those things. Fact check: I need them. The older I get, the more I know how much I need them. Examples abound: a loud dinging bell reminding me to buckle my seat belt; a blindside warning system alerting me to rapidly following traffic in opposing lanes; a rear cross-traffic alert system; knee and tho-rax air bags; rearview camera.

They’ve saved me from accidents I other-wise would have had. That’s the skinny of it. I value them as much, if not more, than I do things such as horsepower.

And there is more than adequate horsepower and torque here - 252 horsepower, 273 pound-feet of torque smoothly emanating from a 2.0-liter turbocharged gasoline four-cylinder engine. It consumes premium fuel but not ter-ribly much of it - 24 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.

This one comes with Audi’s Sport Package ($750) - front seats with power lumbar support, which feel good, very good, almost medicinal, especially for a back wracked by sciatica; and a sport suspension that gives precision to the term

“handling.”I love this one, simply love it.

Bottom line: This is one of the best compact sedans, luxury or oth-

erwise, I’ve driven in my decades of worldwide driving. It’s pricey, but worth it. There are three trim levels - Pre-mium, Premium Plus and Prestige. This column recom-mends saving a few bucks and getting the thoroughly ade-quate Premium Plus version.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Excellent in all areas, especially on high-speed roads.

Head-turning quotient: It looks smart - not as if you are trying to impress some-one, but just that you waited and saved to buy something truly worth it.

Body style/layout: The Audi A4, completely remod-eled for 2017, is a front-engine, compact, four-door luxury

sedan available with front-wheel and all-wheel drive.

Engine/transmission: The A4 Premium Plus Quat-tro comes with a turbocharged (forced air) 2.0-liter, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine with var-iable valve timing (252 horsepower, 273 pound-feet of torque). In the test car, the engine was linked to an optional seven-speed auto-matic that also can be used manually. A pure six-speed manual is standard.

Capacities: Seating is for five people, now comfortably so for rear passengers. Cargo

capacity is 13 cubic feet. The fuel tank holds 13 gallons of gasoline. Premium grade is recommended.

Mileage: I averaged 31 miles per gallon in highway driving.

Safety: Standard equip-ment includes front and rear ventilated disc brakes; four-wheel anti-lock braking system; emergency braking assistance; pre-collision and post-collision safety systems; traction and stability control; dusk sensing headlamps; side and head air bags. Advanced electronic safety equipment is available.

Pricing in US: The 2017 Audi A4 Premium Plus Quat-tro sedan starts at $39,400. Options listed in column total $8,950, including special exte-rior paint. Price as tested is $48,725.

Nuts & Bolts: 2017 Audi A4 Premium Plus Quattro sedan

An expertly crafted sedan

worth every penny

BOLLYWOODTUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016 11

Durga ChakravartyIANS

Versatile actress Vidya Balan, who will clock four years of marital bliss with producer Siddharth Roy Kapur

on Wednesday, says she finds bal-ancing life between home and work an “overrated” concept, and that she is no longer trying to be

“superwoman”.Asked how does she juggle

work and home, Vidya told IANS: “I don’t juggle. I’m no longer try-ing to be superwoman. I am a woman who when I’m working, I’m working, when I’m home, I’m home, when I’m chilling, I’m chill-ing. Sometimes, when I don’t feel like doing anything, I don’t do anything.

“So, I think this balancing is really overrated because women are constantly asked to balance home and work and it’s unfair,” she added.

Having said that, the actress, who was recently seen on the big screen in “Kahaani 2”, said when she is away from home and is not there for a special occasion with her family or her husband, she does feel “guilty”.

“Maybe I feel guilty because I am a girl. Maybe a man wouldn’t feel the same way because you take it for granted that a man sometimes can’t make it to cer-tain special occasions because they are working.

“We (women) still feel that we should work and be there (for occasions too). But I think these unrealistic expectations are slowly shedding,” she added.

Vidya also turns a year older next month.

Will it be a working anniver-

sary and birthday for Vidya?“No. Those things are sacro-

sanct... I’ll be home for my anniversary, birthday and New Year. That is sacrosanct,” added the actress, who has carved a niche in Bollywood with path-breaking roles in films like “The Dirty Picture”, “Ishqiya”,

“Kahaani”, “Paa” and “No One Killed Jessica”.

Does she get tired of people associating her with women-cen-tric themes?

“No, because I’m enjoying the kind of work I am doing. People ask me ‘Why call it women-cen-tric films, why can’t you just call it film?’ I say ‘because all these years and decades you’ve had men at the centre of the plot’,” she said. That is changing, said Vidya, who admits she gets “drawn to such stories where the woman is at the centre”.

“Someday, when there are equal number of films of men and women at the centre of the plot, then people will stop saying

‘women-centric films’. So far it isn’t a norm, which is why they say that and, therefore, people ask me, ‘Oh, you are doing a women-centric film’,” she added.

The actress has been part of the industry for 11 years and says her journey in Bollywood has been “full of ups and downs”.

“It’s been dramatic. That’s because I think I’m an intense person and I don’t think I take anything lightly in that sense. But I don’t think I would want to have it another way,” she said.

“I have learnt so much, I have enjoyed myself. I have lived every moment like I have given it my all. It’s been very fulfilling and been a beautiful journey,” she said.

I’m no longer trying to be superwoman: Vidya Balan

HOLLYWOOD TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 201612

IANS

Actress Angelina Jolie reportedly wants to separate her children from actor Brad Pitt.

According to a source, the custody battle between the former couple is getting “nastier” as neither party wants to give in or give up.

“Angelina is really upset, she didn’t think Brad would fight this hard for the kids -- she thought he would roll over and she would get her way,” the source told hollywoodlife.com.

“But Brad’s vowed to do everything in his power to gain as much custody of the kids as possible. He’s not going

to just cave in and allow Angie to play her games,” the source added.

Jolie and her six children have been staying for several weeks at the Bel Air Hotel in Los Angeles. The

“Maleficent” actress was photographed without her wedding ring when arriv-ing at the hotel on December 8.

“For some reason, Angelina thought she would be able to cut Brad out of their lives for good, and she’s learning she can’t. He’s their dad for heaven’s sake, he has the right to see them. Prepare yourselves, you haven’t seen anything yet-this divorce is about to get a whole lot nastier,” the source said.

Sebastien MaloReuters

Filmmaker Hassan Fazili fled Afghanistan last year in search of a home where he could

speak freely after the fundamen-talist militant Taliban threatened him with death over one of his movies.

But Fazili, who moved to Ser-bia, will nevertheless remain voiceless at a German film festival next week, when his work will be screened but he cannot attend due to his refugee status.

The Censored Women’s Film Festival, kicking off on Monday in Berlin, plans to show his short fic-tion film, “Mr. Fazili’s Wife,” a 10-minute drama about a single mother who fights expectations that she will become a prostitute.

It is a rarely expressed critique by an Afghan man on patriarchy in Afghanistan.

Fazili, 37, said he began mak-ing movies about women’s rights a decade ago after getting married to his wife, Fatima, who in Afghani-stan’s conservative society had been prevented from going to school.

“I must do something to raise up this issue to the world,” he told the

Thomson Reuters Foundation on Friday from Belgrade, speaking Farsi through an interpreter.

He took up filmmaking and also taught his wife, who has become a filmmaker in her own right, he said.

He opened Kabul’s Art Cafe and Restaurant, hoping to provide space for men and women to meet and discuss art and politics openly.

But in 2014, police and religious authorities began a crackdown that forced him to close the cafe.

At the same time, the Taliban criticized his latest film, “Peace in Afghanistan,” and the death threats started.

“I received phone calls saying that they will kill me making mov-ies like this,” he said.

While living in Afghanistan, Fazili said he was forced to turn down invitations to show his films in the United States and Britain due to visa restrictions.

He had hoped this time would be different. “It was really impor-tant for me to be there, to know what people get from this movie,” he said. Fazili is one of some 6,400 migrants from Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan in Serbia, accord-ing to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

(UNHCR).They have been stranded in the

Balkan country due to border clos-ings that prevent them from moving further into Europe.

Film festival organizers said they have petitioned UNHCR to allow Fazili to make the trip.

“We are desperate for Hassan to come to Berlin and share his story,” said Paula Kewskin, a festival spokeswoman.

Serbian authorities could not be reached for comment.

But Fazili said he is resigned to missing the opportunity to present his work to an international audience.

His regret is that now, freed from persecution and bent on mak-ing women’s rights heard, he still is not part of the conversation, he said.

“They might have questions about the movie and, as a director, I’m supposed to answer the ques-tions,” he said.

“But we can’t do much from here,” he said.

Afghan filmmaker, seeking to free oppressed voices, finds own voice quieted

Jolie wants to cut Pitt out

of their children’s lives

TECHNOLOGYTUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016 13Hayley TsukayamaThe Washington Post

The Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset earlier this year to much fanfare, but it was missing something that would have made playing around in the dig-ital world even better: the ability to

move your hands independently.Oculus has released a pair of new control-

lers, called Touch, which give you a controller to use with each hand. It’s hard for me to over-state how much of a difference this makes in terms of immersion. Everything feels different when your arm and hand movements are reflected into the digital world - pointing at objects, reaching for handholds and even pull-ing a trigger is much better with dual controllers. It’s much easier to lose yourself in a world when you’re using your own limbs. (Oculus, like its competitors, has put in a collision-warning sys-tem of sorts to deal in case you get too immersed.)

Looking beyond games - something that is vital to the future of virtual reality - the addition of individual controllers for each hand is a big step. Some of the most compelling Touch experiences are not traditional games. Quill, Oculus’s own drawing and painting program,

lets

users really get close to their art - inside it, even - and shows just one way that virtual reality can move beyond gaming into other creative ventures.

Overall, I still think that the $200 Oculus Touch controllers are not as good as the HTC Vive’s, which come with that headset. As a matter of personal preference, I found that the HTC Vive’s controllers tracked with my hands more effectively than the Touch. It wasn’t a huge difference, but it was noticeable.

This also doesn’t change my recommendation that the top virtual-reality headset to fit most people’s needs will be the PlayStation VR, if only because the people most likely to want a gaming headset are likely to have a PlayStation already. And while the Touch is far superior to the PlayStation Move controllers used for the same purpose on PlayStation, the Rift requires a high-end computer and more space than every person can manage.

Still, there’s no denying the addition of Touch makes the Rift more attractive to those looking for a more in-depth virtual-reality experience. The games that Oculus has gathered to work with Touch also suggests that there will be no short-age of developers who want to get on board - at least laying the groundwork for virtual reality to avoid the same fate as the once-hot but some-what disappointing motion-gaming fad.

And if you already have an Oculus Rift - or if one is hiding on a high shelf in your house to be someone’s gift - you should definitely con-sider getting these controllers to complete the package. While the Touch is technically an optional accessory for gamers, it really isn’t. While you can get a lot of use out of the headset without the controllers, they go a long way to help you convince yourself that you’re fully in the digital world.

Oculus Touch controllers go on sale on December 6.

Hayley TsukayamaThe Washington Post

In the next few weeks, Instagram is going to look even more like its parent

company, Facebook. The social network announced that it will let users like indi-vidual comments on Instagram posts, much as they can on Facebook. Users can show their appreciation for a comment with a little red heart, as opposed to the big red heart already used for lik-ing posts.

The company’s stated rea-son for adding these small hearts is a little different than the old Facebook thumbs-up. The company says it’s trying to create a more welcoming environment.

“Liking lets you

show support and encourages positivity throughout the com-munity,” said chief executive Kevin Systrom in a company blog post. Along with the hearts, Systrom’s post announced two new safety-related features: the ability to turn off comments on posts, and the option to let users qui-etly boot followers they no longer want to follow their private accounts.

Systrom said that while some accounts have been able to stop the flow of comments in the past, the option will be open to all of Instagram’s 500 million users in the coming weeks.

In the blog post, the the network also pointed outthat it’s possible for users to anon-ymously report posts that suggest self-harm; Instagram

connects users whose friends have reported concerns about their posts with organizations that can help with those issues. The company has used a ver-sion of this reporting tool on its network since October.

The safety features could be seen as part of an ongoing effort at Instagram to curb harassment. In September, Instagram began allowing users to apply filters to their comment streams, which allowed them to cut out offen-sive reactions to their posts. Instagram, like nearly every other social network, has struggled with the best strat-egy for dealing with harassment without crossing a line into censorship.

Most users -- at least, one would hope -- will probably not have to turn off comments,

Instagram will soon let you like

comments or even turn them off

Oculus Rift Touch controllers make

huge difference in game immersion

BABY BLUES

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE

Fueled by greed and hatred, Willie teams up once again with his angry

little sidekick, Marcus, to knock off a Chicago charity on Christmas Eve.

Note: Programme is subject to change without prior notice.

BAD SANTA 2

NOVO ROYAL PLAZA

AL KHOR

ASIAN TOWN

MALL

LANDMARK

ROXY

Underworld 5: Blood War (2D/Action) 10:00am, 12:00, 2:00, 4:00, 6:00, 8:00, 10:00, & 12:00 midnightMoana (2D/Animation) 10:00, 11:00am, 12:20, 1:20, 2:40, 3:40, 5:00, 6:00, 7:20, 8:20, 9:40 & 10:40pm: Wolves At The Door (2D/Thriller) 10:15am, 12:00, 1:45, 3:30, 5:15, 6:00, 7:00, 8;45, 10:30 & 12:15amBefikre (2D/Hindi) 10:30am, 1:10, 3:50, 6:30, 9:10 & 11:50pmTrolls (2D/Animation) 10:30am, 12:30, 2:30, 4:30, & 6:30pmThe Neighbor (2D/Thriller) 8:20, 10:10 & 11:59pmBad Santa 2 (2D/Comedy) 10:30am, 3:00, 7:30 & 11:50pmAllied (2D/Action) 12:30, 5:00 & 9:25pmThe Girl With All The Gifts (2D/Thriller) 10:15am, 12:30, 1:50, 2:45, 5:00, 7:15, 7:45, 9:30 & 11:45 & 11:59pmFantastic Beast And Where To Find Them (3D IMAX/Adventure) 11:00am, 1:35, 4:10, 6:45, 9:20, 11:55pmUnderworld: Blood Wars (2D/Action) 12:00, 4:00 & 10:00pm

Befikre (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 9:00pm The Girl With All The Gifts (2D/Thriller) 2:00 & 11:30pmMoana (2D/Animation) 2:15, 4:30, 6:00 & 6:45pm Underworld: Blood Wars (2D/Action) 5:30pm Bad Santa 2 (2D/Comedy) 4:15pm The Neighbor (2D/Thriller) 7:15pm Wolves At The Door (2D/Thriller) 4:00 & 9:30pmDhruva (2D/Telugu) 10:45pm Chennai 600825 II (Tamil) 11:00pm

Befikre (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 9:15pmThe Neighbor (2D/Thriller) 2:15 & 9:15pmMoana (2D/Animation) 2:30, 4:45 & 7:00pm Chennai 600825 II (Tamil) 4:00, 6:45 & 10:45pm Bad Santa 2 (2D/Comedy) 4:15pm Underworld: Blood Wars (2D/Action) 5:45pm Kavi (2D/Malayalam) 9:00pmWolves At The Door (2D/Thriller) 7:30 & 11:30pmThe Girl With All The Gifts (2D/Thriller) 11:30pm

Moana (2D/Animation) 2:00, 4:15 & 6:30pm Befikre (2D/Hindi) 2:00 & 9:15pm Dhruva (2D/Telugu) 2:00 & 10:30pm The Neighbor (2D/Thriller) 4:30 & 9:45pm Bad Santa 2 (2D/Comedy) 6:15pmUnderworld: Blood Wars (2D/Action) 8:45 pm The Girl With All The Gifts (2D/Thriller) 5:00 & 11:30pm The Unmarried Wife (2D/Drama) 7:00pm Wolves At The Door (2D/Thriller) 8:00pm

Moana (2D/Animation) 10:30am, 12:45,3:15 & 5:45pm

Befikre (2D/Hindi) 11:00am, 1:30, 4:00, 6:30, 9:00 & 11:30pm; Katapana (Malayalam) 11:45, 2:30, 5:15, 8:00 & 10:45pm Dhruva (2D/Telugu) 8:15 & 11:15pm

Moana (2D/Animation) 2:00, 4:15, 6:15 & 8:15pm; Kahaani 2 (Hindi) 3:00, 5:30, 8:00pm Bad Santa 2 (2D/Comedy) 3:00, 5:00, , 7:00, 9:00 & 11:00pmSaithan (2D/Tamil) 3:00, 5:30, 8:00 & 10:15pmBefikre (2D/Hindi)10:30pm, Dhruva (2D/Telugu) 10:30pm

Ore Mugham (Malayalam) 5:30, 8:00 & 10:30pm Katapana (Malayalam) 6:00 & 8:45Dhruva (2D/Telugu) 6:30pm Chennai 600825 II (Tamil) 8:15pm Befikre (2D/Hindi) 5:45 & 11:00pm

TUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016

VILLAGGIO & CITY CENTER

CINEMA PLUS14

CROSSWORD CONCEPTIS SUDOKU

ALL IN THE MIND

08:30 Counting the Cost

09:00 The Crusades: An Arab Perspective

10:30 Inside Story11:00 News11:30 The Stream12:30 Rewind13:00 NEWSHOUR14:00 News14:30 Inside Story15:00 Once Upon

a Time in Punchbowl

17:30 The Stream18:00 newsgrid19:30 TechKnow20:30 Inside Story21:00 NEWSHOUR22:00 News22:30 The Stream23:00 The Crusades:

An Arab Perspective

13:05 Ice Road Truckers

13:55 Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour

14:45 Aussie Pickers

16:00 American Pickers

17:40 Swamp People

18:30 Billion Dollar Wreck

21:00 Mountain Men

21:50 Forged In Fire

22:40 Ozzy & Jack’s World Detour

23:30 Sean Bean On Waterloo

13:50 Dr. Dee: Alaska Vet

14:45 Gator Boys15:40 Wild Animal

Repo16:35 Tanked17:30 The Real

Lion Queen18:25 River

Monsters19:20 Lone Star

Law20:15 Tanked21:10 Preposte-

rous Pets22:05 Biggest And

Baddest23:00 Lone Star

Law23:55 Gator Boys00:50 River

Monsters01:45 Bondi Vet02:40 Lone Star

Law

13:05 How It’s Made: Dream Cars

14:20 Edge Of Alaska

15:10 Diamond River Hunter

16:00 Deadliest Catch

18:30 How It’s Made: Dream Cars

18:55 How Do They Do It?

19:20 Diamond River Hunters

20:10 Storage Hunters UK

21:00 Still Alive21:50 Kings Of

The Wild22:40 Running

Wild With Bear Grylls

King Features Syndicate, Inc.

BRAIN TEASERSTUESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2016 15

Yesterday’s answer

Conceptis Sudoku: Conceptis Sudoku is

a number-placing puzzle based on a

9×9 grid. The object is to place the

numbers 1 to 9 in the empty squares so

that each row, each column and each

3×3 box contains the same number only

once.

ACACIA, ASPIDISTRA, ASTER,

AZALEA, BEGONIA, BLUEBELL,

BOUGAINVILLEA, BUTTERCUP,

CARNATION, CHRYSANTHEMUM,

CYCLAMEN, DAFFODIL, DAHLIA,

DAISY, EDELWEISS, FOXGLOVE,

FUCHSIA, GARDENIA, GERANIUM,

HIBISCUS, HYACINTH,

HYDRANGEA, IRIS, JASMINE,

LILAC, LILY, LOBELIA, LUPIN,

MARIGOLD, NASTURTIUM,

ORCHID, PEONY, PRIMROSE,

PRIMULA, ROSE, TULIP,

VERBENA, VIOLET, WISTERIA.