Hope vs fear - Gulf Times

Hope vs fearHope vs fearCOVERSTORY Top US expert Dr Anthony Fauci unfazed as scientists rely

on unproven methods to create Covid-19 vaccines. P4-5

Thursday, August 6, 2020Dhul-Hijjah 16, 1441 AH

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Thursday, August 6, 20202 GULF TIMES

COMMUNITY ROUND & ABOUT

Community Editor

Kamran Rehmat

e-mail: [email protected]

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“When ambition ends,

happiness begins.” — Thomas Merton

The 100DIRECTION: Jason RothenbergSTARS: Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley, Marie Avgeropoulos SYNOPSIS: Set ninety-seven years after a nuclear

war has destroyed civilisation, when a spaceship housing

humanity’s lone survivors sends one hundred juvenile delinquents back to Earth, in hopes of possibly re- populating the planet, the mystery unfolds that there may be more survivors on Earth already than they were actually anticipating.

RiverdaleDIRECTION: Roberto Aguirre-SacasaSTARS: KJ Apa, Lili Reinhart, Camila Mendes SYNOPSIS: After the death of one of the rich and

popular Blossom twins on the 4th of July, the small town

of Riverdale investigates the murder. The series starts in September, the beginning of a new school year, that brings with it new students, relationships, and reveals the mysteries of the past 4th of July. The teenage high school drama follows the plot.

OzarkDIRECTION: Bill Dubuque, Mark Williams STARS: Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, Julia Garner SYNOPSIS: The Byrdes and their teenage kids,

Charlotte and Jonah, are, for all intents and purposes, an ordinary family with ordinary lives. Except for the job of

Marty, a Chicago financial advisor who also serves as the top money launderer for the second largest drug cartel in Mexico.

When things go awry, Marty must uproot his family from the skyscrapers of Chicago and relocate to the lazy lake region of the Missouri Ozarks.

SERIES TO BINGE WATCH ON NETFLIX

3Thursday, August 6, 2020 GULF TIMES

COMMUNITYBODY & MIND

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused much stress and uncertainty for students, parents, teachers and staff . “For

students and the adults who care for them, the desire is so strong to have our lives return to normal, which also involves schooling,” says Craig Sawchuk, PhD, a Mayo Clinic psychologist. “School is one of the most important places that we learn and grow intellectually, socially and emotionally.”

Whether classes meet in person or online, or use a hybrid approach, one thing is certain: Mental health is a vital part of the equation, Dr Sawchuk says. To work on a healthy mindset for this school year, it may help to actively focus on these 4 Be’s, Dr Sawchuk suggests:

Be fl exible:Stay open to the possibility that

the format of schooling might change over the course of the year.

Be optimistic:Maintain a positive attitude

about learning new ways to learn.Be supportive:Contribute to keeping the

learning environment as safe as possible by practising social distancing, masking and proper hand hygiene.

Be kind:Be patient with each other as

everyone works toward a common goal of ending the pandemic.

As schools determine their approaches, students will need varying behavioural health support

based on their age and the class format, says Dr Sawchuk.

For in-person schoolingElementary school students

may not fully understand why all the health and safety practices are happening. “Parents and teachers, this is one more example of when

modelling safe practices and answering questions patiently and calmly will off er reassurance to the young people in your life,” Dr Sawchuk says.

Middle school, high school and college students may fi nd their emotions vary between excitement and anxiety. “It’s ok to not feel ok

during these pandemic times, and teens and older students may need to hear that affi rmed by the adults in their lives,” suggests Dr Sawchuk.

One way to challenge worry at any age is by focusing on other possible outcomes and on steps to minimise exposure to risk, Dr Sawchuk notes. “Seek out information from reliable sources.”

For remote schoolingFor students of all ages, schools

provide structure and socialisation. While it is still important to have structure if the school day is online, it is ok to have some fl exibility with the schedule, especially for younger children, Dr Sawchuk says.

Many children will adapt to a virtual learning format given their experience of growing up in a world fi lled with technology, but some may struggle with keeping up with homework, organising tasks and being able to stay focused for extended periods of time. “Open lines of communication between families and teachers are always useful, but routine communication is especially key in our current situation to help identify and problem-solve ways the learning content or approach can adjust to the student’s individual needs,” Dr Sawchuk says.

Feelings of isolation and being disconnected from peer groups are common concerns aff ecting students attending school online. While virtual classes can be set up to enhance group discussions and connections, it is just as important to encourage and plan ways to

socialise with friends in a safe manner outside of school-related activities, off ers Dr Sawchuk.

For hybrid schoolingLearning formats that stagger

in-person school days or alternate start times, for example, are being proposed by some schools. Changes in daily routines can be a challenge for children and adults.

One simple but eff ective tip: Post a master daily schedule in a common area of the home, such as the kitchen. “That can help keep everyone on track on a day-to-day basis,” Dr Sawchuk says. The experience will help give you feedback on which learning formats are working well and those that can be improved.

“No matter the model, be encouraging of your school’s and teachers’ eff orts, as they, too, aim to make the school year as successful and safe as possible for everyone,” encourages Dr Sawchuk.

For ‘Mental Health 101’For anyone feeling anxious, it’s

common to be irritable, or feel a sense of loss or sadness. Problems with sleep, physical tension and worry can result.

Maintain a normal daily routine:

Aim to wake up and go to bed as close as you can to the same times each day. Stay hydrated, try to keep up with a healthy diet and focus on increasing physical activity during the day. A healthy body helps maintain a healthy mood and mindset.

Learn new skills to manage stress:

Explore how relaxation, mindfulness or yoga can calm the mind. Several free classes and mental health apps are online. Many of these skills are portable and can be used anytime, anywhere.

Stay connected with healthy support in your life:

While these social connections may be more virtual now, being around those you care about is important to well-being. Also, remember to disconnect from the news. Spending between 15-30 minutes one to two times a day is usually enough to keep informed but not overwhelmed.

Some people may struggle with more signifi cant mental health diffi culties, and Dr Sawchuk encourages those who need help to talk to their primary care provider to locate local mental health resources. — Mayo Clinic News Network/TNS

Head back-to-school with

4 Be’s for mental health

FLEXIBILITY: For students of all ages, schools provide structure and socialisation. While it is still important to have structure if the school day is online, it is ok to have some flexibility with the schedule, especially for younger children.

STRUGGLING WITH VIRTUAL LEARNING: Many children will adapt to a virtual learning format given their experience of growing up in a world filled with technology, but some may struggle with keeping up with homework, organising tasks and being able to stay focused for extended periods of time.


COMMUNITY COVER STORY

With millions of lives on the line, researchers have been working at an unprecedented pace

to develop a Covid-19 vaccine.But that speed — and some widely

touted breakthroughs — belie the enormous complexity and potential risks involved. Researchers have an incomplete understanding of the coronavirus and are using technology that’s largely unproven.

Among many worries: A handful of studies on Covid-19 survivors suggest that antibodies — key immune system proteins that fi ght infection — begin to disappear within months. That’s led scientists to worry that the protection provided by vaccines could fade quickly as well. Some even question whether vaccines will really end the pandemic. If vaccines produce limited protection against infection, experts note, people will need to continue wearing masks and social distancing

even after vaccines roll out.Yet in an interview with KHN, the

top US infectious disease expert, Dr Anthony Fauci, said he’s “cautiously optimistic” that researchers will overcome such obstacles.

“We know the body can make an adequate response against this virus” after two shots of a vaccine being tested, Fauci said. “There’s no reason to believe that we won’t be able to develop a vaccine against it.”

Because early-stage trials began just a few months ago, doctors don’t know how long antibodies in vaccinated people will last, he said.

Scientists will get answers to some of their questions from the country’s fi rst large-scale Covid-19 vaccine trial, launched last week by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna at 89 locations around the country.

“Once we get a protective response, we will see how long it lasts,” Fauci said.

“If we don’t get as long a response as we want, we can always give a booster shot.”

The leading vaccine candidates are based on new approaches that have never resulted in a licensed vaccine. Moderna, a relatively young company, has yet to produce any approved vaccines.

“Even more so than usual, as we create vaccines, we’re sailing in

Just hang in there!

There’s no reason to believe that we won’t be able to develop a vaccine against it. Once we get a protective response, we will see how long it lasts. If we don’t get as long a response as we want, we can always give a booster shot

— Dr Anthony Fauci, top US infectious disease expert

‘’

‘Conflicting evidence on antibodies shouldn’t interfere with eff orts to develop

a safe and eff ective vaccine. The durability of the vaccine may be quite good,’

Dr Anthony Fauci, top US infectious disease expert, tells Liz Szabo

FOCUS: Dr Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, testifies before a House Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis hearing on a national plan to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC last month.


COMMUNITYCOVER STORY

uncharted water,” said Dr William Schaff ner, a professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

If approved, a Covid-19 vaccine created by researchers at Oxford University and drugmaker AstraZeneca would be the fi rst licenced vaccine to use a virus that causes colds in chimpanzees but doesn’t sicken people. Scientists use the cold virus to deliver key elements of the vaccine into a patient’s body. In this case, the virus delivers the gene that instructs the cell to make the spike protein, which helps the novel coronavirus enter cells.

Early studies show that the Oxford vaccine stimulates the immune system as intended. If the vaccine is successful, these antibodies and other immune cells will recognise and neutralise the spike protein if they encounter it again, protecting people from disease.

Two other candidates — a vaccine from Moderna and another from Pfi zer and BioNTech, a German company — were also developed with novel methods. They use genetic material from the coronavirus called messenger RNA, or mRNA.

Unlike traditional vaccines, which expose the body to a viral protein to stimulate the immune system, mRNA acts as an instruction kit, telling the body how to construct the proteins itself. The immune system then responds to the viral protein by making antibodies.

Moderna offi cials have said they were able to produce the Covid-19 vaccine so rapidly because they had developed experimental vaccines against two other lethal coronaviruses — those that cause Sars and Mers — which are closely related to the Covid-19 virus.

When the pandemic emerged, Moderna tweaked those vaccines to target Covid-19, Fauci told KHN. Fauci’s team contacted the company the day after China made the virus’s genome public.

Two months later, Moderna’s vaccine was ready for a trial because “98% of the scientifi c work had been done,” Schaff ner said. “They went back to these scientifi c methods and adapted them very quickly. That saves years of work.”

But there is a potential risk in relying so heavily on unproven techniques: New technology can sometimes cause unforeseen problems or side eff ects, said Dr Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

For all their diff erences, most of the vaccines in development target the spike protein, Adalja said. That is likely a winning strategy, considering successful veterinary coronavirus vaccines also target the spike protein.

But some scientists say this uniform approach could also leave us vulnerable.

Ideally, scientists should diversify the portfolio of vaccines, in case targeting the spike protein doesn’t work as well as researchers hope, Adalja said. Developing a vaccine that targets other key proteins might help scientists to hedge their bets.

Researchers around the world are

working on more than 165 vaccines; more than two dozen are already being tested in people. Early human studies focus on safety and fi nding the best dose. Later clinical trials are larger and measure a vaccine’s eff ectiveness by comparing the outcomes of volunteers who receive the vaccine with those of people given a placebo.

Fauci said he’s reassured by early studies that showed the Moderna vaccine to be safe. Although some volunteers developed fevers and headaches after vaccination, these side eff ects were no worse than those caused by other licenced vaccines.

“That’s not a showstopper at all,” he said.

Some of Covid-19’s most important mysteries involve the immune system, said Dr Paul Offi t, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Offi t said he’s mystifi ed by the fact that a small fraction of people with Covid-19 don’t make any antibodies against the virus. He knows of no other virus that does this.

“We’re only seven months into this and we’ve had a lot of surprises,” said Offi t, a member of a National Institutes of Health eff ort to develop vaccines and drugs to treat Covid-19. “This virus does things that no other virus does.”

This is not like preventing measles. “It’s easier to create a vaccine for diseases that confer long-term immunity,” Offi t said. People never catch measles more than once. The two-dose measles vaccine stimulates immunity,

protecting 97% of people for life, Offi t said.

It’s also not like strep throat or gonorrhea, which people can catch multiple times because the bacteria that cause them don’t ignite lasting immunity. “That’s why we don’t have a vaccine for them,” he said.

Some coronaviruses cause more serious symptoms than others. Coronaviruses that cause the common cold don’t stimulate lasting antibodies, which is one reason people can catch colds repeatedly, Schaff ner said.

Studies show that antibodies against more lethal coronaviruses last a bit longer. Antibodies against the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus, which caused a pandemic in 2003, and the Middle East respiratory syndrome virus, which appeared in 2011, appear to last two to three years.

People with severe symptoms from Covid-19 tend to have higher antibody levels than those with milder cases.

Some people fail to generate antibodies because they have compromised immune systems, said Mark Sangster, a research professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

Even when people do generate antibodies against the novel coronavirus, studies suggest the antibodies may not last long.

In a recent New England Journal of Medicine report on Covid-19 survivors, antibody levels dropped rapidly over three months, at a rate that could leave them without any antibodies within one year. Those fi ndings echo the results of a June

report in Nature Medicine that found antibody levels began to fall two to three months after infection.

Such reports have worried some scientists, who fear that antibodies will decline just as rapidly among people vaccinated against Covid-19.

“One wants a vaccine that lasts longer than two months,” Schaff ner said.

Other antibody research has been more encouraging.

A July paper found that Covid-19 infection “induces robust, neutralising antibody responses that are stable for at least three months.” Antibodies typically rise during an infection, then fall again as the immune system returns to normal, said Florian Krammer, co-author of the study, which was published online before undergoing peer review.

“What we found looks like a normal antibody response to a viral infection,” said Krammer, a professor of microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York.

Early studies of the Moderna vaccine suggest people mount a strong immune response after two doses, Fauci said. But because the earliest trials began just a few months ago, doctors don’t yet know how long antibodies in vaccinated people will last.

The United States has invested nearly $6 billion in potential Covid-19 vaccines.

Confl icting evidence on antibodies “shouldn’t interfere with eff orts to develop a safe and eff ective vaccine,” added Fauci, noting he’s encouraged by the results of early clinical trials. “The durability of the vaccine may be quite good.”

Dr Michael Watson, who is developing Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine, said he hopes vaccinated people will have a stronger immune response than those sickened by the coronavirus. He said it’s possible the virus not only infects cells, but also dampens the immune system, suppressing antibody response.

A vaccine that contains only one part of the novel coronavirus — a protein that allows it to enter cells — might be able to stimulate antibody production without suppressing the immune response, Watson said. Only large clinical studies will show whether this is the case.

Yet there’s more to the immune system than antibodies.

The body is also protected by memory T-cells, which can recognise viral threats to stimulate

the production of antibodies even after many years, said Dr Jeff rey Klausner, professor of infectious diseases at UCLA. Memory T-cells can stimulate B-cells to make antibodies, while instructing other immune system players to fi ght the virus in diff erent ways.

“The T-cells are like the conductors of a symphony,” Klausner said. “These multiple, complex arms of the immune system work together like a symphony to control infection.”

Even if antibodies dwindle over time, memory cells can often replenish the supply, preventing infected patients from developing dangerous symptoms, Sangster said.

New studies suggest people who survive Covid-19 develop both memory T-cells and B-cells. One paper even documented memory T-cells — which can instruct other cells to make antibodies — in survivors of the 2003 SARS pandemic.

Fauci said it’s too early to know what sort of role T-cells will play in defending against the novel coronavirus.

Researchers will get more defi nitive answers about vaccine-induced immunity to Covid-19 in coming months, after they complete large, rigorous trials of tens of thousands of volunteers, Offi t said. Vaccine makers have said they plan to study their products’ safety and eff ectiveness even after approval, to measure long-term effi cacy as well to detect rare side eff ects that don’t appear in smaller, shorter studies.

In addition to Moderna’s trial, AstraZeneca said results from an ongoing study of 50,000 volunteers should be available this fall.

With so many vaccines in development, Adalja said, it’s diffi cult to know which one will prove the safest and most eff ective.

“The fi rst vaccines may not be the ultimate vaccine that everybody uses,” he said.

And some vaccines may work better in certain populations than others, Offi t said. For example, studies may fi nd that one shot works particularly well in children, while another better protects older adults. “There is defi nitely a lot to learn,” he said.

Ideally, doctors would like all vaccines to be as successful as the measles shot, Offi t said. But a Covid-19 vaccine could more closely resemble fl u shots and rotavirus vaccines, which don’t prevent all infections but dramatically reduce the risks of hospitalisation and death. Although some people who receive a fl u shot still get infl uenza, their infections tend to be much milder than those of people who aren’t vaccinated.

“You’d like to have a vaccine that protects against severe disease, and it likely will,” Offi t said. “But people might still get mild infections and still shed the virus and still spread it” even after being vaccinated.

If that happens, Offi t said, the vaccine may not slow the spread of the pandemic as much as people have hoped. “You’d still need masks and social distancing” to reduce the spread of the virus, Offi t said. “It’s going to take both — a vaccine and these hygienic measures — to defeat the virus.” — Kaiser Health News

“We’re only seven months into this and we’ve had a lot of surprises. This virus does things that no other virus does”

— Dr Paul Offit, director of Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

BEYOND ANTIBODIES: Even if antibodies dwindle over time, memory cells can often replenish the supply, preventing infected patients from developing dangerous symptoms.


COMMUNITY INTERIOR DESIGN

Tucked down the side of a London terrace is an enclave of 12 red-brick studio houses built in the late 1800s. Pauline

Caulfi eld moved into hers in 1975; previous residents include the painter John William Waterhouse, the abstract artist John Hoyland and the illustrator Arthur Rackham. The interiors have barely changed since. A pair of red checked sofas she bought in the 1970s have been re-covered, but in a fabric very close to the original.

Likewise, the squat coff ee table in front of the fi replace has been repainted, but in a similar shade of yellow. A precarious fi breglass sculpture by the pop artist Nicholas Monro has balanced on top of a wooden chest in the corner for decades. “I love it. It’s always been here,” she says. “I don’t like the idea of hanging on to the past, but some good decisions were made when we moved in.”

The cottage is thick-set, with a generous hallway. To the right as you enter is a guest room that

was originally one of two double-height studios. Opposite is a compact, colourful kitchen, with a faux-marble table. At the end of the hallway, the building turns into an expansive open-plan living room and double-height studio, overlooked by the master bedroom. The bright workspace – in contrast to the darker, cosier living area, warmed by a coal fire – is dominated by a vast printing table: it’s from here that Caulfield, 75, a textile designer, recently relaunched a career that began in the late 1960s.

Caulfield “wandered into” the then Chelsea School of Art at the age of 17. She went on to study textile design at the Royal College of Art, where she met Patrick Caulfield, the artist renowned for his sparse compositions of interiors and still life. “I married Patrick the week after I left the Royal College in 1968, aged 25,” she recalls. The couple had three sons together before their marriage was dissolved in 1999 (Patrick died in 2005). His presence is still felt in the house, which is in London: he painted the kitchen table and signed it underneath. Above it hangs a copy of his Red, White And Black Still

Life. For Caulfield’s final degree show, she produced 11 printed panels and four ecclesiastical robes. For nearly 50 years, she kept the designs in the wooden chest in her living room – shut tight with the Monro sculpture on top. Over the years, she received occasional commissions for ecclesiastical vestments, but her time was largely taken up looking after the children and working in various part-time positions (receptionist, librarian, archivist) at an engineering firm. When the firm went paperless in 2015, she was made redundant, and decided to make a full return to textile design.

In the following two years, she revisited each of the designs from her degree show, reissuing them as a collection of curtains. The designs are bold and abstract: on one panel, geometric shapes tumble down the length of the fabric, on another rhythmic waves of graduated colour run across it. “They’re vibrant and adventurous – I’m still excited by them,” she says.

Caulfield found the process of revisiting her designs fascinating. “I had to really try to remember why and how I’d done certain

things,” she says. Of the 11 panels, only one – Airmail – had gone astray. “I gave it to somebody years ago, feeling that I shouldn’t hang on to things, but when it came to recreating it, it was much more difficult to do.” Apart from tweaking one of the yellows, the designs – much like her interiors – remain completely unchanged.

Three days a week, Caulfield works with a small team of assistants in the studio on bespoke commissions for blinds, curtains and wall hangings for private clients. A rail system in the studio allows her to view her designs at full length and experiment with the way each panel is hung. On her printing table is a recent design she has been working on, called Back Of Canvas – a series of blinds hand-printed to look like the reverse of an artist’s canvas. A hand-printed, grained wooden frame supports the fabric/canvas, which appears to be held in place with a border of delicate, silvery staples. “It’s a very simple idea,” she explains. “What I enjoyed was that I actually felt as if I was making a canvas” – something she hasn’t done since her art school days. — The Guardian

Everything bright and loud in a textile designer’s cottage

Her home studio may have changed little in 40 years, but Pauline

Caulfield is revisiting and reinventing her work, writes Nell Card

BASIC: Kitchen with Patrick Caulfield’s Red, White And Black Still Life.

ARTSY: Lounge with art by Howard Hodgkin and former husband Patrick Caulfield.


COMMUNITYFASHION DESIGN

Subtly matched colour schemes of the kind seen meandering through newscasters’ toupees and in M&S sandwich

fi llings were always anathema to the designer who, in 1940, made into a desirable fashion statement what was traditionally rejected as exceptional bad taste. The Marchese Pucci di Barsento of Florence signs his printed cloth with a modest Emilio, otherwise his name would form spontaneous go-slinkier stripes up the sides of trouser legs and sleeves.

More familiarly known as plain old Pucci, his designs were so well loved that Marilyn Monroe asked to be buried wearing his clothes. Among the living, on the other hand, there are many who wouldn’t be seen dead in it.

“Gaiety is one of the most important elements I have brought to fashion,” Pucci said. So gay are his prints, in bright fuchsia, geranium, turquoise and yellow, that looking at the barrage of swirling psychedelia for too long would put to shame the promises made by most black market hallucinatory drugs. Add to that the visual roller-coaster ride aff orded by the undulations caused by a moving body therein and the appalling out-of-register colour printing of the kind seen in so many newspapers

these days begins to feel like a retina’s holiday.

Pucci started in the business by lending a ski outfi t he had designed for himself to a woman who was then photographed in it for a fashion magazine. There followed large orders for the stretch ski pants, parkas and sweaters. Then in 1949 a small collection of resort clothes he’d designed for a friend who had lost her luggage became an enormous success among the dolce vita set along the Mediterranean coast.

By 1960, Pucci was the name to be seen in. Lauren Bacall, Gina Lollobrigida, Jackie Kennedy, Ann-Margret and Elizabeth Taylor wore his clothes and not always in those pre-Betty Ford clinic days to stunning eff ect. However, part of the appeal lay in the slinky, crease-resistant silk jersey fabric which felt sensual against the skin. And it travelled well – so well that Braniff airlines commissioned air stewardesses’ uniforms in layers of Pucci that could be pulled on or off as the temperature dictated.

It is perhaps due to Pucci’s traditionally staid, offi ce-bound history of employment in the Italian parliament, air force and political science that he overcompensated for lost creativity in clothing design. Think about it: here are several years’

worth of the kind of absent-minded doodles most of us do hundreds of every day all concentrated on one garment.

However, Pucci (now 75) probably likes to think there is still something of the educational scholar in what he does. For instance, the resurgence of popularity in his prints has forced latter-day fashion commentators to learn how to spell words like psychedelic and kaleidoscopic. With the renewed demand for Emilio’s special brand of mismatched sartorial delirium, there exists feverish competition among the fashionably inclined to out-Pucci each other with original 1960s designs versus new ones. Last summer, Paloma Picasso bought fi ve Pucci shirts in one day. Prices for vintage Pucci scarves, bags and blouses are beginning to out-price a new range of leggings, shirts and headbands on sale at Browns.

But for people hoping to recreate a cheap alternative, Pucci style is not simply a case of rehashing old sixties and seventies psychedelic hippy gear. To do bad taste properly, the juxtaposition of screaming colours and clashingly loud prints has to be just right. And it helps if there’s a designer label to blame if you get arrested for noise pollution.

— The Guardian

Pucci prints and

the acid flashbackCaught up in a riot of swirling

psychedelia, Judy Rumbold gets

hip to the hottest old designer in town

STATEMENT: Marilyn Monroe in Pucci.

DRAWING OUT THE PATTERNS: Emilio Pucci at work in 1959.

MISH-MASH: Model Simone D’Aillencourt in a swirled flame-print poncho and jewel-cuff ed pants by Emilio Pucci at Lake Palace in Udaipur, India, Vogue 1967.


COMMUNITY TRA

By Jane Dunford

Get your adrenaline fi x paddleboarding, island-hopping, mountain biking and lots more.

Snorkel and kayak, CornwallCombine snorkelling and kayaking

on a new tour around the Cornish coast from Newquay. Paddle around the craggy shoreline exploring caves and coves, then moor up in a sheltered inlet to discover what lies beneath the waves on a guided snorkel. The Marine Conservation Zone is home to wildlife from dolphins to seahorses (it’s one of the few breeding sites in the UK). Wetsuits and all other equipment are provided. If you’ve still energy to spare, try a surf lesson in the afternoon.

Horseriding, CumbriaFew things are more exhilarating

than galloping through the surf – and Murthwaite Green Beach Riding in the Lake District off ers the chance to do just that. Experienced riders

can race along the near-deserted sandy shores of Silecroft beach, while novices can be catered for, too (gently trotting or paddling in the waves instead). The more experienced can sign up for a full-day’s riding along the beach to Haverigg, stopping for a picnic in a nature reserve, or opt for a beach and fell ride, climbing 2,000ft to Black Combe. Two-hour beach ride £75, whole day £150. Minimum age 11.

Island-hopping, EssexThere’s something magical about

islands – and with more than 30, Essex is the county with the most in England. While most are uninhabited havens for wildlife, some, such as Wallasea, are open to visitors. An RSPB site, this landscape of marshland, lagoons and mudfl ats was created when 3mn tonnes of earth from the Crossrail scheme was shipped downriver. There are various trails to follow; look out for terns, marsh harriers or short-ear owls. Mid- to late-summer is the best time to see butterfl ies, too, from the common blue to the marbled white. Drive across the causeway or take a

ferry from Burnham-on-Crouch to the marina, a mile from the reserve.

Coastal foraging, Carmarthenshire

Search rockpools for edible sea vegetables and shellfi sh, explore tidal mud fl ats, sand dune systems and estuaries, and learn about the rich ocean life on a coastal foraging foray in west Wales, with the help of local expert Craig Evans. The exact location depends on the weather, but is likely to be around Laugharne or Pendine Sands. If conditions allow, you’ll get to cook and sample some of your discoveries, too. Courses can be specially tailored for group interests (such as vegan foraging).

Narrowboating, Staff ordshireSpend a day navigating peaceful

inland waterways on a canal boat, picnicking on board, or plot a route in advance and book a pub for lunch. Cruise the Trent and Mersey Canal from Great Haywood on “Abi” or “Daphne”, pretty narrowboats with space for 10 each, stopping for towpath walks along the way. Travel south to the historic market town of

Rugeley, passing two locks and the National Trust’s Shugborough Estate and Cannock Chase Forest. Or head north to Sandon, through fi ve miles of bucolic countryside, navigating three locks. Other day boat options include cruising the Shropshire Union Canal from Bunbury Wharf, Cheshire, or exploring the Stratford canal in Warwickshire. Full tuition is provided.

Paddleboarding, HerefordshireSoak up the Wye Valley’s dramatic

landscape of limestone gorges, ancient woodlands and rolling hills on a standup paddleboarding expedition on the River Wye. SUP YOFI runs various courses, including half-day river safaris from Kerne Bridge to Symonds Yat West. Children over eight are welcome there are tailored family options and introductory sessions, too but all need to be able to swim.

Dartmoor walk, DevonWander the wilds of Dartmoor

with its fairytale forests, ancient stone circles, towering tors and endless open moors. Strike out on your own or organise a day’s private guided walk

tailored to your interests from folklore to wild swimming with Emma Cunis, aka Dartmoor’s Daughter. Full day from £250 for fi ve. Group events with various themes, including learning navigation skills also off ered.

Spa and adventure, County Fermanagh

Combine adventure with a little pampering at Corralea Activity Centre on Lough MacNean, in the west of Fermanagh. Spend the morning exploring wild islands on a self-guided canoe trip, followed by time in the outdoor wood-fi red hot tub at the Eco Forest Spa, with views over Thur Mountain and the lough. There’s an option to swap canoeing for electric bike hire – a great way to explore the countryside and megalithic tombs hidden in the forest – and cottages should you wish to stay longer.

Scrambling, ConwyHead for the hills of Snowdonia

and get truly off the beaten track with a day of “scrambling”. Somewhere between hillwalking and climbing, scrambling is a hands-on experience, but no special skills are needed – just

Time for a micro adventure: 14 ac

HIGH TIDE: Exploring the Cornish coast at Newquay.

9GULF TIMES

COMMUNITYThursday, August 6, 2020

AVEL

ction-packed day trips in the UK

a sense of adventure, reasonable fi tness and a head for heights. Peak Mountaineering takes small groups into the wilderness close to Capel Curig village – breathtaking views are the reward for your eff orts. All equipment is provided and you’ll learn essentials, from movement techniques to mountain navigation.

Via Ferrata, FifeFor bracing hikes with a view, the

90-mile Fife Coastal Path, which runs from Kincardine to Newburgh, has a lot to off er, from wild sandy beaches to woodlands and industrial skyscapes. Choose a section close to Elie and try Scotland’s very own via ferrata. A series of chains are fi xed into the cliff between Shell Bay and Earlsferry and Elie, taking the adventurous on a route above the waves for over a kilometre. Allow up to two hours, check tide times before heading out – and do not attempt close to high tide. From here you can follow a 13-mile section of the path west to Buckhaven Plan or head east to Cambo Sands, 16 miles away.

Climb a mountain, HighlandsThe most westerly peak in

Assynt, in the Highlands, Suilven rises sharply to 731m from a rocky, heather-clad landscape. It may be one of the most iconic mountains in Scotland, but the remote setting, two hours’ drive from Inverness, means it’s crowd-free compared to alternatives further south. It’s a long day’s hike from the start near Lochinver to the top (allow eight hours for the 22km round trip; OS Explorer map 442). A guide is recommended for the less experienced. Scottish Rock and Water off ers private and group day trips, from £70.

Mountain biking, North Yorkshire

Soak up the scenery of the Yorkshire Dales on a day’s mountain biking adventure in remote Nidderdale. Starting from Pateley Bridge, all levels are welcome, with experienced guides leading woodland meanders for novices and families or across challenging cross-country terrain with steep descents for those with more skills. Other options include exploring the wilds of the North York Moors or pine-fi lled Dalby Forest with tracks for diff erent abilities.

Sailing, CornwallTake to the high seas on a classic

tall ship and learn the ropes of traditional sailing onboard the beautiful Bessie Ellen in Cornwall. With its usual sailing holiday schedule cancelled, the 100-year-old vessel is now taking small groups out from Fowey every day in August and September. You’ll explore the coast around Charlestown and Mevagissey, anchor for lunch and a swim off the boat, and can then choose to sit back.

Cycling, CarmarthenshireAs part of its bid to become

the cycling hub of Wales, Carmarthenshire has just mapped over 20 new day road cycling trips around the county. A cluster of rides start at Llandovery on the edge of the Cambrian Mountains and Brecon Beacons, with something for all levels from an eight-mile opener to a 58km day ride, but the choice covers the whole region. Family-friendly options include a 13-mile route along the Millennium Coastal Path from Pembrey Country Park – where you can hire bikes from too.

— The Guardian

OFFERINGS: For bracing hikes with a view, the 90-mile Fife Coastal Path, which runs from Kincardine to Newburgh, has a lot to off er, from wild sandy beaches to woodlands and industrial skyscapes.

OPEN COUNTRY: Strike out on your own or organise a guided walk along the wilds of Dartmoor.


COMMUNITY INFOGRAPHIC


COMMUNITYLIFESTYLE/HOROSCOPE

ARIESMarch 21 — April 19

CANCERJune 21 — July 22

LIBRASeptember 23 — October 22

CAPRICORNDecember 22 — January 19

TAURUSApril 20 — May 20

LEOJuly 23 — August 22

SCORPIOOctober 23 — November 21

AQUARIUSJanuary 20 — February 18

GEMINIMay 21 — June 20

VIRGOAugust 23 — September 22

SAGITTARIUSNovember 22 — December 21

PISCESFebruary 19 — March 20

Today you could be hit with some exciting news, Aries. It could

involve new people and new equipment coming onto the scene.

It could involve an entirely new project or course of action that

you never would have imagined. This is likely to shape up to be a

lucky break for you, as the new situation probably suits your skills

and talents nearly perfectly. Make the most of this opportunity.

Group activities or social events in your neighborhood could put

you in touch with new and exciting people who eventually become

friends, Cancer. Shared goals and interests could give rise to plans

for ambitious projects. Whatever enterprises you start today are

likely to prove successful if everyone involved pitches in. In the

evening, arrange for a quiet tête-à-tête with your romantic partner.

Today you could decide to attend a class or workshop involving people

in a spiritual, metaphysical, or intellectual field. Fascinating discussions

could lead to insights and revelations of your own, Libra. You could

explore ways to harness your natural healing ability, perhaps through

Reiki, massage, or other hands-on disciplines. Expect to spend the next

few days being preoccupied with ideas you learn today.

Some fascinating new information, possibly about spiritual or

metaphysical matters, could come your way today via books,

magazines, TV, or the Internet, Capricorn. This could set you off on a

new course of study. Your own insights and revelations could prove

invaluable in increasing your understanding of what you read. In the

evening, expect a surprising letter or phone call.

Information that you receive from others and from within your own

heart could compel you to participate in some ambitious projects,

Taurus. They may be work related, connected with a group, or

your own. Whatever they are, you’re likely to find them interesting,

challenging, and personally gratifying. New opportunities for

advancement and self-expression could be opening up for you.

Have you been looking to branch out in a new direction, Leo? If so,

this could be the day you get the lead of a lifetime. Or you might

receive some unexpected information indicating possible new

sources of income that you could pursue on your own. Whatever

they are, new doors of opportunity are going to open for you that

could make a big diff erence in your lifestyle.

New information could be coming at you from all sides today,

Scorpio. Books, magazines, TV, the Internet, and conversations

with friends are likely to bring exciting knowledge your way that

reinforces some of your own convictions. Your intuitive abilities

aren’t lying fallow either. Insights and revelations could come to you

that blend well with what you’re learning from outside sources.

Dreams and meditation could lead to insights regarding how best to

handle your finances and make your money grow, Aquarius. You could

receive some surprising ideas from newspapers, TV, or the Internet.

Your level of intuition is very high. No matter how outrageous an idea

may seem, consider it carefully before making a decision. A written plan

of action for anything you do would be helpful.

Some exciting visitors could come to your door today, Gemini, perhaps

bringing Earthshaking information that could impact your life in a

great way. You might start considering new lifestyle options. A group or

organisation, possibly associated with spirituality or metaphysics, could

suddenly seem attractive and you might consider joining it. Expect

some fascinating discussions with a close person in your life.

Unusual circumstances could arise that change the course of your

creative orientation, Virgo. This could involve modern technology

in some way, and it’s highly likely that it concerns the gathering,

sharing, and use of information. You could find yourself considering

some unusual options, which could involve changing jobs, your

residence, or other factors important to your lifestyle.

Surprising news about your own finances and the world economy

in general could cause you to feel confident and secure about your

financial future, Sagittarius. An unexpected raise in salary could come

your way soon, possibly because of sudden changes at your workplace.

Some of the information that you receive could seem vague and

uncertain at first, but whatever news follows should clear it up.

A social event or group rally could put you in touch with some new

and exciting people in interesting fields, Pisces. You might even run

into an old friend you haven’t seen for a long time. This promises to

be an exciting and stimulating day for you. Don’t be surprised if new

doors to a great future open for you. Enjoy!

Rethinking bathroom design

As homeowners begin to dream up plans to update their kitchens and bathrooms, they can spend hours searching for inspiration on the web or one of the many home renovation television shows. There’s no shortage of beautiful ideas and designs out there, but

before you make any decision, you should start with the crucial question: What is it I really want?

Of course, there are the conventional bathroom remodel options, such as a new faucet, countertop or shower fi xture, all of which can be stunning and transform not just your bathroom but your house. But the most commonly used bathroom component is often the most overlooked: the toilet.

This statistic should give homeowners pause and invite them to think beyond the conventional bathroom remodelling ideas and re-imagine the possibilities.

Comfort, hygiene and styleTravellers returning from Italy, Spain, Argentina and Japan often

rave about the unexpected luxury of using a bidet. While popular in many other countries, bidets are only just now catching, moving from high-end luxury bathrooms and hospitals (where they’re used for their superior hygiene) into household bathrooms.

A redefi ned bathroomEquipped with smart technology that allows a person to fully

customise their experience, such ultra-modern bidets may change go to the bathroom – but only if the look is right. Consumers are not willing to sacrifi ce design for functionality; they want it all. For anyone who has used or seen a Veil Intelligent Toilet, it’s evident that the same exacting standards it brings to cleanliness and hygiene go into its crisp, clean look.

— IANS


COMMUNITY CARTOONS/PUZZLES

Adam

Pooch Cafe

Garfield

Bound And Gagged

Codeword

Wordsearch

Every letter of the alphabet is used at least once. Squares with the same number in have the same letter in. Work out which number represents which letter.

Puzz

les

cour

tesy

: Puz

zlec

hoic

e.co

m

Sudoku

Sudoku is a puzzle based

on a 9x9 grid. The grid is

also divided into nine (3x3)

boxes. You are given a

selection of values and to

complete the puzzle, you

must fill the grid so that

every column, every anone

is repeated.

ALASKAFISHMAMMALBLACKFURPAWSBROWNGRIZZLYPOLARBRUIN

GROWLPOOHCARNIVOREHAIRYSMOKEYCAVEHIBERNATETEDDYCLAWSHONEY

TEETHCUBHUG TRAPDENKODIAKWILDFIERCELUMBERINGYOGI


COMMUNITYPUZZLES

Colouring

Answers

Wordsearch Codeword

Across1 Got back a Roman garment (4)3 Life after death? (8)9 Male pickpockets in the hills? (7)10 Puzzle with tangled ropes (5)11 A defender may be surprised taken thus (5)12 Foreign seaman - an awful rascal (6)14 Christopher and Edward are equipped (6)16 American leader getting cheeky again (6)19 The effect of one member on legislation (6)21 A tree for Mr. Atkinson (5)24 Composer taking short breaks before the end of August? (5)25 Visible location for a tavern, we hear (2,5)26 Sweet courses about to be emphasised (8)27 Some skincare for an old American (4)

Super Cryptic Clues

Solution

Down1 Old man initially thanks outgoing film star (3,5)2 Georgia entertains one, going round Italian city (5)4 Sailor turning up with another rock (6)5 Recordings made by a pest giving trouble (5)6 Calm down when cooking sausage (7)7 Measure a piece of enclosed ground (4)8 Preserve a mischievous child (6)13 Drink ordered for a teach-in (5,3)15 A glass for the acrobat (7)17 A lot of trees in Front Street (6)18 Band having an outing in the south- east (6)20 Social worker is joining those in opposition (5)22 The vehicle a joker gets on (5)23 Some want husbands to be like that (4)


COMMUNITY REVIEWS

By Katie Walsh

The brilliant actor, director and producer Amy Seimetz made her directorial debut in 2012 with the hazy, sun-drenched lovers-on-the-run fi lm Sun Don’t Shine,

starring Kate Lyn Sheil and Kentucker Audley. Although it’s been eight years between her debut and her follow-up fi lm, She Dies Tomorrow, Seimetz has been very busy in the interim. She’s co-directed The Girlfriend Experience series on Showtime, directed episodes of Atlanta and acted in many, many fi lms and TV shows, including The Killing, Stranger Things, Alien: Covenant and Pet Sematary, just to name a few.

But it’s a treat to watch Seimetz return to something that is so singularly of her own vision, especially the dark, moody and atmospheric She Dies Tomorrow, which also stars Sheil and Audley. Things are still hazy and stylishly evocative. But as a fi lmmaker, Seimetz boldly leans into narrative ambiguity and metaphor, deftly manipulating fi lm form and sound to craft this eerie, lyrical tone poem about what it’s like to be alone, consumed by thoughts of your own death.

The premise is simple, and at 84 minutes, Seimetz keeps it lean, effi cient and mysterious. It’s the story of a virus of sorts that’s passed from person to person, but the pathogen is an idea: the knowing that you will die tomorrow. It’s not a phobia, or paranoia (though it manifests that way in some), but it’s merely the knowledge of “I am going to die tomorrow” that permeates the brain. What would you do if you knew? Drive to the hospital? Panic? Break up? Grieve? Drink? All of the above?

Sheil is the patient zero, a woman named Amy, whose tearful, mascara-streaked eyes bookend the fi lm. Sheil, who is essentially the Meryl Streep of the micro-indie movie world, is a fascinating actor, with doleful blue eyes and a sense of quiet interiority that creates for a magnetically laconic screen presence. Seimetz lets us watch Amy as she drifts and drapes herself across her empty, half-occupied home listening to Mozart’s Lacrimosa, Googling urns and leather jackets and starting bonfi res. She wakes up gasping from dreams about an old lover (Audley); she asks her friend Jane (Jane Adams) to come over. Jane then goes to a birthday party at the home of her brother (Chris Messina) and sister-in-law (Katie Aselton), and the infection spreads.

Seimetz’s camera lurks, as if

eavesdropping from another room, until it confronts (the cinematography is by Jay Keitel). Using simple but eff ective lighting, sound and editing techniques, coupled with performance, Seimetz creates a terrifyingly unsettling experience of transmission. Editing and sound are superbly intertwined into an unsteady rhythm, as editor Kate Brokaw’s cutting lulls and lingers before it smashes. The sound design whooshes and sings, then cuts out, a hush falling, almost as though the fi lm is breathing, and then suddenly not. With a sparse script, this mastery of fi lm craft and form fi lls in the rest, creating a sensory cinematic experience of what the characters undergo emotionally.

Seimetz embraces formal experimentation and narrative ambiguity in She Dies Tomorrow, which is a sort of cinematic Rorschach test: It’s about whatever you want to read into it. It’s the story of a plague, it’s the story of isolation, and depression, and compulsively pondering your own death even if you don’t want to. But as Amy bids adieu to an unseen person, acknowledging the short but, “really nice time that we spent together,” it’s also a fi lm about grief, and loss, and saying goodbye. Currently, we all have ample material to read into She Dies Tomorrow, a fi lm about life, death, and how we face both. — TNS

A sensory cinematic experience capturing existential dread

By Michael Phillips

Aside from being the briniest fi lm since the Lower East Side romance Crossing Delancey 32 years ago, An American Pickle (premiering today on HBO Max)

reminds us that Seth Rogen has always had

the acting chops for more than one kind of comedy.

This one’s more than one kind of comedy, too. It’s a sweet yet nicely vinegary immigration fable; a deadpan fantasy; and a tale of two Brooklyns, one (1920) a repository of rat-infested factories and Eastern European Jewish immigrants, the other (2020) the gentrifi ed land of their progressive, pea milk-drinking great-grandchildren.

Rogen plays what the old Hollywood studio publicity departments called “a demanding dual role.” In the land of Schlupsk, in 1919, Herschel Greenbaum works as a gravedigger faced with a near-perpetual landscape of mud true to the fi ctional country’s perfect name. Speaking in murmured broken English – the Old Country dialogue is subtitled Yiddish – Rogen relays Herschel’s courtship with a fellow villager (Sarah Snook). “Sometimes, when we want to be alone, we go to very special bog,” he says, not long before their wedding is cruelly interrupted by the arrival of “bloodthirsty, Jew-hungry” Cossacks.

While An American Pickle is a diff erent sort of comic fable than Rogen’s best-known work, there’s enough of an edge to make it stick. With a child on the way, the Greenbaums pursue their new life in New York City, with Herschel employed as rat-catcher in the Capital Pickle Company. One untimely plunge into an enormous vat of salt water and cucumbers later, a century goes

by as the condemned Brooklyn factory lays dormant. When Herschel emerges from the vat, miraculously preserved by the brine, the stage is set for a family reunion between he and his great-grandson. This is Ben, a struggling app developer, also played by Rogen.

You can feel the screenwriter, Simon Rich, and the fi rst-time solo feature director Brandon Trost, struggling to determine precisely what sorts of funny they’re after. There’s more confl ict and narrative contrivance in the fi lm than in the source material, Rich’s four-part story titled “Sell Out,” published by The New Yorker in 2013. (In that version Ben is a screenwriter and script doctor; Herschel’s impressed that he’s any kind of doctor.) As the fi lm engineers its fi rst big argument between the Greenbaums, setting the stage for a series of tit-for-tat revenge schemes, your heart sinks a little. Is this really what the movie’s going to do, story wise?

Well, it does, and it doesn’t. As Herschel hits his business stride, selling homemade pickles made from dumpster throwaway cucumbers in grubby jars, the foodie Brooklynites go wild, sending Ben into a jealous snit and undermining mode. But family is family. Herschel suff ers his highs and lows, as Ben sticks to lows, and he comes to realise his barely-Jewish-anymore great-grandson needs him.

Shooting mostly in Pittsburgh in 2018,

director Trost hasn’t yet discovered the joys of a mobile camera, but his individual, head-on compositions carry some weight and resemble ashen-toned tintypes of another era. (In addition to using a blur fi lter for eff ect, Trost plays with the screen’s aspect ratio, confi ning the 1919 scenes to a square 1:1 or thereabouts boxlike shape, evoking the silent fi lm era.)

The premise requires Rogen to share scenes with himself – one bearded, looking like Tevye from Fiddler on the Roof, the other clean-shaven and looking slightly lost, as does the great-grandfather from another time. When they share the camera frame it’s generally low-fi , old-school fakery, with the real Rogen addressing a double shown only from the back. Such tricks allow us to relax into the deadpan absurdity of the premise. The way Rogen makes Herschel a wide-eyed product of his time and place, the movie retains a core of sincerity while scoring laughs off Herschel’s ingrained, brined-for-a-century attitudes. (“We sell to all peoples,” he says of his pickle business, “even woman.”)

All you had to do to see Rogen’s abilities beyond genial-stonerdom was to see the 2011 cancer comedy 50/50 or director Sarah Polley’s touching, prickly 2012 romance Take This Waltz. Unlike so many other screen actors trained in comedy, he’s a serious listener and a true inter-player. Even when he’s sharing scenes with Seth Rogen.

— Chicago Tribune/ TNS

Seth Rogen brings out the sweetness in an immigration fable

Thursday, August 6, 2020 15GULF TIMES

COMMUNITYSHOWBIZ

Amit Sadh: Mentally, I’m always on the footpath

Starting his journey from the small screen, Amit Sadh has come a long way in showbiz, carving his own path without any fi lmi strings. The actor says his initial days of struggle taught him a lot, and helped him stay grounded.

Many would still recall Amit as the college boy in the teen tele-drama Kyun Hota Hai Pyarrr, or his emotional journey in the fi rst season of the reality TV show, Bigg Boss. Everyone remembers his transition into Bollywood and the world of web.

Amit set a mini record in the OTT world last weekend, with as many as three releases. He

had pivotal roles in the digitally-released fi lms Shakuntala Devi and Yaara, and he also starred in the web series Avrodh: The Siege Within.

Has been garnering praise for his power packed back-to-back performances, though he likes to detach from the end result of his projects, and looks ahead.

“In life, we should not get too attached to results. When you fail, you must not feel too bad, and when you succeed, when the going is according to your comfort and desire, you should not become arrogant,” Amit told IANS.

“I feel everyone is struggling in some way, and life changes mentally, emotionally, spiritually,

and fi nancially, phase to phase. But I think my days on the footpath taught me (a lot). So, mentally I’m always on the footpath. Even if I become the world’s best actor or when I play (a role), in my mind I am always on the footpath. I think that keeps me grounded,” he added.

In Bollywood, Amit gained prominence after starring in Kai Po Che! in 2013, and went on to work in films like Sultan, Gold, and Super 30. In the digital space, he has also been seen in two seasons of the web series Breathe.

Amit feels overwhelmed with the love he has got, which pushes him to become a better actor.

— IANS

Umbrella Academy makes family dysfunction more

fun than saving the worldBy Lorraine Ali

The Umbrella Academy superhero troop possesses the ability to sprout octopus arms in battle, travel through

time, commune with the dead and blow their enemies’ minds — literally — with the power of suggestion.

But it’s not the clan’s crime-fi ghting skills that set it apart from television’s crowded fi eld of onscreen avengers. Netfl ix’s highly entertaining adaptation of Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba’s comic book series continues to mine the Hargreeves’ family dysfunction in Season 2, ratcheting up their sibling rivalry to mushroom-cloud, apocalyptic levels.

The series, which returned Friday with 10 new episodes, picks up where Season 1 left off : The seven Hargreeves children, who were selectively adopted for their abilities by an eccentric billionaire and then trained in the art of saving the world, are now adults who barely escaped a 2019 apocalypse. They transported back in time with the hope of averting the End Times.

But now we find that doomsday has followed them back to 1963, where they haphazardly landed in Dallas and must face another cataclysmic chain of events. But why?! It turns out the crew are such a squabbling mess, they brought the Rapture with them — and now they must band together to avert it. God help the planet.

Their race to stop nuclear war is a blast unto itself. The misfits are digital beings in an analog era, with myriad psychological

hangups, Star Wars references and weird powers that they don’t even understand. They love and hate one another yet bond over a collective anger toward their late father — a dynamic that anyone with siblings will appreciate.

The gang’s neuroses tangle with the call to action when they drop into a city that’s still home to segregated lunch counters ... and is days away from hosting President John F Kennedy’s motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Hulu’s 11.22.63, based on the novel by Stephen King, covered similar terrain but in Umbrella Academy, with its interest in special powers and family dynamics as well as the past itself, there’s more to 1963 than an impending apocalypse.

Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman), who has the power to talk anyone into anything simply by saying, “I heard a rumour that you (fill in their horrible fate here),” intersects with the civil rights movement when she runs into a “whites only” diner. She has the ability to change this injustice, but as last season taught them, messing with timelines can have devastating consequences.

Klaus (Robert Sheehan) has the ability to communicate with the dead but uses drugs to mute their incessant chatter. He becomes a guru fi gure to an early hippie movement. Luther (Tom Hopper), who is inhumanly strong and has the unfortunate upper-body physique of a chimp, and his brother Diego (David Castaneda),

who can throw knives around corners, cross paths with fi gures like Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby.

It’s a pile-on of events that doesn’t always track, and it’s further complicated by the antics of a killing squad sent by the Commission — a corporate-like entity in charge of protecting the timeline from meddlers. But the chemistry among the characters and the sharp writing make Umbrella Academy a fun and fast-paced ride through absurd circumstances. It’s accompanied by a lively, curated soundtrack of old and new songs, originals and covers (just like last season), highly stylised retro fashion and plenty of snarky humour.

— Los Angeles Times/ TNS

Film world mourns demise of theatre doyen Ebrahim Alkazi

Eminent people from the world of cinema expressed grief and paid tribute to theatre doyen Ebrahim Alkazi, who passed away on Tuesday.

Alkazi, considered the father of modern Indian theatre, was 94. He was the fi rst Director of National School of Drama (NSD).

“A beacon of Indian theatre art and mentor of many great actors, Mr. Ebrahim Alkazi will be remembered for many generations. His love for theatre and the art is unmatched. My deepest condolences to the family and the NSD family,” actor-fi lmmaker Kamal Haasan tweeted yesterday.

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui tweeted: “The true architect of the Modern Indian Theatre. The Doyen who possessed the extreme knowledge in all the aspects of ART. The magician who nurtured many greats of theatre. May your brightest spark from the heaven keeps us enlightening #EbrahimAlkazi #RIP.”

Actor Kabir Bedi also honoured Alkazi by tweeting: “Mournng the passing of Ebrahim Alkazi, iconic giant of modern Indian theatre. I knew him from when he was Director of the National School of Drama in Delhi in the1960s. He gave India great theatre and created a new generation of actors and directors.”

Actor Anupam Kher hailed Alkazi as his “acting guru”, and wrote: “My acting Guru #EbrahimAlkazi Saab passed away. The tallest man ever in our lives. He taught us not only about theatre, acting or dramas but also about life. He made us discover ourselves. He was our reference point for great acting. He will be MISSED. Om Shanti!!”

Alkazi, an avid art connoisseur and collector, founded Art Heritage Gallery in New Delhi. He had staged more than 50 plays during his distinguished career and won the BBC Broadcasting Award in 1950.

Some of the major plays directed by him include Tuglaq (Girish Karnad), Ashadh Ka Ek Din (Mohan Rakesh), Dharamvir Bharti’s Andha Yug, besides several Greek tragedies and Shakespeare’s works.

Alkazi was a recipient of the Padma Vibhushan (2010), Padma Bhushan (1991) and Padma Shri (1966) honours. He had also trained some of the best known Indian talents, including Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri. – IANS

FOUNDING DIRECTOR: Alkaz was the first Director of National School of Drama. OVERWHELMED: Amit says he

feels overwhelmed by the love he has got from the fans.

FAMILY FUN: The cast of Umbrella Academy.


COMMUNITY

By Mudassir Raja

“Migration is an expression of the human aspiration for dignity, safety and a better future. It is part of the social fabric, part

of our very make-up as a human family.” These words by Ban Ki-moon, former secretary-general of the United Nations, clearly portray significance of migration for a better and securer future.

Qatar has long been a desired destination for people from South Asia as they look to it for better prospects outside their countries. The life of Indian expatriate Syed Abdul Hye, who set his foot in Qatar 61 years ago, is a telling story about how migration can help people attain prosperity in life.

Abdul Hye was only 18-year-old when he landed at the shores of Mesaieed in 1959. “It has been about 61 years since I first left my house in Karkala town near the city of Mangalore in Karnataka, southern state of India. Being the eldest son, I realised it very early that I had to provide a helping hand to my father to support the family. With the consent of my father, I decided, after completing matriculation, to leave for Qatar where my maternal uncle was already working. The uncle often used to support our large family. We were 14 siblings – 11 brothers and three sisters.”

The young Abdul Hye came to Qatar by sea as there were no flights available those days. “One of our neighbours was a trader and he often used to go to Mumbai. He helped me reach the port city by sea. An uncle of mine was working in the Mumbai Port Trust. He helped me complete my travel documents, passport and the visa. I completed my voyage to Qatar in nine days. I remember, on our way to Qatar, our ship stopped near Gwadar, a port city of Pakistan. Some boys came close to our ship in small boats. They were very good swimmers. To show their agility, they would ask us to throw coins in the water and they would collect the money by taking deep dives into the sea water.”

Upon reaching Qatar, he was received by his uncle at Mesaieed from where he reached his house in Rumailah. “At that time, the road to Doha was not paved. Oil was used as base material to make the road. Most of the houses in the

“I have collected countless blessings in Qatar”

Indian expatriate Syed Abdul Hye first came to Qatar in 1959 and has since made it his home

LONG TIME RESIDENT: Abdul Hye was only 18 when he landed on the shores of Mesaieed in 1959.

area where I lived initially were made up of mud and stones. There was electricity available but not everywhere in Qatar. The road designs are same but some roads have been widened and expanded with the passage of time.

“My first job was as an English language typist with a private company. After some years, I quit my job and set up a workshop in the Industrial Area and started having contract works with oil companies. This is still our family business and now my son looks after it. I am also a founder member of the Ideal Indian School. I have been associated with different community and literary organisations besides being an active Toastmaster in Doha.”

Reflecting on his life in Qatar, Abdul Hye says that the country has given him everything.

“In Qur’an, Allah says that man cannot count His blessings. I mention this just to emphasise that I have collected countless blessings from this country. I have achieved a lot. I think my life would have been a lot different, if I had not come to Qatar. My children

were born and brought up here. They got very good education here. I got very good business here. Now, my children are enjoying their lives in Qatar. I owe everything to this country. I have been able to pursue my two hobbies with passion. I have been an avid reader and a keen photographer. My shelves are full of books and photo albums. It has been a long but worthwhile journey so far.”

The long-time-resident of Qatar is all praise for the country’s attention on health and education sectors. “When I came to Qatar, Sheikh Ali bin Abdullah al-Thani was the ruler of the country. He was known to be a pious and wise man. I have seen Qatar develop very fast. There have been three key sectors where the government has continuously been performing very well. These are; security, health and education. The country has been overwhelmingly peaceful and secure. The governments have been paying extraordinary attention on health and education for both the citizens and the residents. I think myself lucky to have spent so much time in Qatar.”

“Now, my children are enjoying their lives in Qatar. I owe everything to this country. I have been able to pursue my two hobbies with passion. I have been an avid reader and a keen photographer. My shelves are full of books and photo albums. It has been a long but worthwhile journey so far”

— Syed Abdul Hye

Documents

Hope vs fear - Gulf Times