Banda Aceh, Indonesia, ive years after the tsunami. P 2 3
Transcription
Banda Aceh, Indonesia, ive years after the tsunami. P 2 3
time out On the rebound Banda Aceh, Indonesia, five years after the tsunami. P 2-3 GULF TIMES THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2009 time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 • Page 3 inside PAGE 4 Quiet retreat Gstaad in Switzerland is proud of being a slow-paced resort town, a fact that attracts top dollar tourists to it. PAGE 5 In search of a standard High on star quotient, France still couldn’t boast of five-star hotels. A new ranking system hopes to make amends. * Signs of recovery like these are common all over the Indonesian city of Banda Aceh. Cover photograph: (Top) a view of the damage near Baiturrahman mosque on December 27, 2004, the day after the tsunami hit Banda Aceh, and (bottom) an Acehnese man collecting grass for his goat in the same area, on December 4 this year. PAGE 11 PAGE 12 PAGE 13 Appraisal Brittany Murphy was an actress of great promise, as her wide-ranging choice of roles showed. Women Support groups in Chicago help firsttime mums deal with the stresses of miscarriage. Style A quick way to update your wardrobe is to team them up with tights, available now in great variety. Regulars Comics, Puzzles, Info-guide Page 14-16 features@gulf-times.com Features Editor: Nahla Nainar Sub-editor: G John Layout artist: Pushpa Raj Shrestha Twin triumphs Cover Story Racked by a separatist conflict for nearly three decades, the province of Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, was a tense place. Then came the 2004 tsunami ... By Kathy Marks I n a fishing village west of Banda Aceh, young men gather in an outdoor coffee shop at dusk to talk, smoke and watch the television news bulletin. It is an unremarkable scene — yet it is one that for many years was rarely seen in this part of Indonesia. Racked by a separatist conflict for nearly three decades, the province of Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, was a tense, fearful place. Then came the devastating tsunami of December 26, 2004, which injected a new urgency into long-stalled peace negotiations. Seven months later, the warring parties signed a historic agreement to end the violence. While peace was an unexpected by-product of the tsunami, it has helped the province to recover from one of the world’s worst natural disasters, while at the same time radically improving the lives of ordinary Acehnese. “You could say the tsunami was a blessing,” says Azwar Hasan, head of a local nongovernmental organisation (NGO), Forum Bangun Aceh. “We are no longer living in fear.” No one could have predicted that the giant waves that destroyed entire towns and villages, killing more than 160,000 people and leaving half a million homeless, would transform the political landscape so thoroughly. But the provincial governor who will preside over the sober ceremony on Saturday to mark the fifth anniversary of the disaster is a former rebel commander, Irwandi Yusuf, and ex-combatants also wield power as district leaders and local representatives in the Indonesian parliament. Equally, no one who visited Aceh just after the tsunami, which was triggered by a huge, 9.3-magnitude underwater earthquake, would have believed it possible for the place to be rebuilt so quickly from scratch. While 13 countries bordering the Indian Ocean were affected, the province — barely 100 miles from the epicentre — was ground zero, and a 500-mile stretch of the densely populated west coast, extending nearly two miles inland, was flattened. Banda Aceh, the bustling capital, is unrecognisable from five years ago, when it was a grim, silent wasteland, its streets piled high with the debris of smashed buildings and washed by fetid floodwaters. Now, thanks largely to $6.7bn of foreign aid, the city is a sea of spanking new houses, schools, clinics, mosques, markets and streets. While there are reminders of the tragedy everywhere, in the memorials, peace parks and mass graves, as well as in the sad eyes of survivors, the dreadful stench of death that hung over the devoutly Muslim province has gone. The air is no longer pierced by grief; instead, there is commerce, laughter and a sense of normality. Normality was absent even before the tsunami struck. The streets were deserted in the evening. Indonesian security forces, notorious for their brutality and corruption, maintained a heavy presence, while the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which engaged in extortion and intimidation, inspired almost equal dread. Now GAM fighters have handed in their weapons and rejoined civil society, and the military is almost invisible, in coastal areas at least. Meanwhile, the province, which was virtually closed to outsiders during the civil war, is bidding farewell to thousands of international aid workers who took part in the remarkable reconstruction effort, one of the biggest ever undertaken. Nearly 500 overseas agencies were involved in building 140,000 new houses, 1,700 schools, 996 government buildings, 36 airports and seaports, 3,800 mosques, 363 bridges and more than 23,000 miles of road. But the statistics only tell part of the story, for in parallel with the physical restoration of Aceh, people have slowly been recovering from the trauma of losing everything: home, village, community, livelihood and numerous close relatives. The 2004 earthquake punched a hole in the wall of the Banda Aceh prison holding Irwandi Yusuf and 286 fellow GAM members. Three days later, GAM announced a ceasefire, and in August 2005, following talks mediated by Finland’s former president, Martti Ahtisaari, a peace deal was reached, which, among other things, allowed for the establishment of local political parties and guaranteed the province the lion’s share of revenue from its vast natural resources. In February 2007 Irwandi was sworn in as Aceh’s first democratically elected governor. The transition to peace has not been entirely smooth. It has been difficult to find work for thousands of former guerrilla fighters, some of whom, underemployed and frustrated, have turned to crime. “They only know how to use a Kalashnikov, so what do you put in their hands to enable them to make a living in peacetime?” asks Bobby Anderson, co-ordinator of the International Organisation for Migration’s post-conflict reintegration programme. A government agency, the Aceh Reintegration Board, was set up to allocate cash grants and housing to former rebels. Among its employees is Kacut, an ex-combatant who has exchanged her automatic weapon for a computer. This serious young woman, who wears lipstick and an Islamic headscarf, has no regrets about her involvement with GAM, which she joined at 18. “I joined because my father’s nephew and other relatives had been tortured by Indonesian military forces,” she says. “It was a difficult life, but there was no choice, and it was difficult for all Acehnese at that time.” While she is happy with her new life, some ex-rebels remain dissatisfied, believing that the peace agreement did not go far enough. Saifdul Helmi, who spent 18 months in prison, where he was subjected to water torture and electric shocks, says: “The goal of our fighting was to gain independence for Aceh, and we haven’t achieved that.” There is resentment, too, that villages in the Acehnese hinterland, ravaged by decades of civil war, have received relatively little assistance. Craig Thorburn, an Australian academic who has closely studied the recovery process in Aceh, says: “The resources available for post-conflict reconstruction are minuscule, while tsunami-affected areas have had plenty of aid.” Many tsunami survivors, meanwhile, received substandard housing because contracts were awarded to former GAM commanders, according to Thorburn. “They got their peace dividend, but a lot of houses were built with shoddy materials, and people were afraid to complain,” he says. Almost everyone has been rehoused, though, and the extraordinarily resilient Acehnese are getting on with their lives. In the coastal village of Gampung Dayah Teungoh, children race their bicycles around the freshly paved streets, while young men sit on the beach, gazing out to sea. Most of Gampung Dayah Teungoh’s population was wiped out in the disaster. The 119 survivors include Nurhanifah, 47. She says: “It’s much quieter than before. But we try to forget the tragedy and the trauma by working and keeping active.” Razali lost his wife, three daughters and six grandchildren. His house was destroyed; all that was left of the village was one tall coconut tree and the tiled floor of the mosque. “You don’t want to see how bad it was then,” he says. “It was so sad.” Now life is slowly improving. “After five years, we’re finally getting back our community spirit, because people are moving into the village and it has come back to life,” Razali says. “But the feeling of sadness never disappears.” — The Independent Tale of war and peace in the 2004 tsunami For two of Asia’s longest-running insurgencies, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami offered a chance for peace in each. In Indonesia’s Aceh, one of the worst calamities in history led to a historic peace agreement, and the former rebels are now in power in a province once under military rule. But in Sri Lanka, the separatist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) saw the tsunami as an opportunity to re-arm, before both sides girded for a final fight in a quarter-century war. While the catastrophe that killed 226,000 people around the Indian Ocean rim dealt both regions a deadly blow, their futures on the path of conflict may have come down to human nature rather than a force of nature. “Hasan di Tiro, the GAM leader (in Aceh), was very determined to resolve the problem, and he was looking for every opportunity to end the fight,” said Singapore-based terrorism analyst Rohan Gunaratna. “He was genuinely committed to peace.” Not so with Tamil Tiger founder Vellupillai Prabhakaran, who was killed in the final battle in Sri Lanka’s war on May 18. “Prabhakaran was looking for every opportunity to militarily strengthen and hand the Sri Lankan government a military defeat,” said Gunaratna, who is head of the International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism research at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University. Another big difference was that the tsunami caused far greater damage in Aceh, a mere 150km (90 miles) from the epicentre of the 9.15 earthquake that triggered the monster waves, creating a more urgent climate for peace. Former US President Bill Clinton told Reuters in an interview this week to mark the fifth anniversary of the catastrophe that Aceh was so devastated the only way for the people to recover was to work together. The damage in Sri Lanka’s conflict areas was not as profound and they “didn’t have to do enough together, so that they couldn’t conceive of going back to another way of doing things”, said Clinton, the UN special envoy for tsunami reconstruction. Clinton, along with other international donor organisations pressed hard in Sri Lanka for an “aid-sharing mechanism” that would have brought the government and the rebels together as partners in rebuilding after the tsunami in the conflict areas. Both sides came to a half-hearted agreement after months of negotiations, but it was never implemented. Aceh’s rebels offered a ceasefire on Decembers 28, 2004, four days after the tsunami, which allowed the Indonesian military to help co-ordinate a massive emergency relief operation. With some $7bn in foreign aid pledged for Aceh’s reconstruction, the GAM rebels then decided to make a peace deal, with former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari as the mediator. International backing was crucial. “The agreement was not just between GAM and the Indonesian government,” said Adnan Beuransyah, a former rebel spokesman and now a member of the provincial assembly. “We supported the agreement because it involved the EU in sustaining the peace and integration process in Aceh.” When the tsunami struck Sri Lanka, the LTTE were two years into a tenuous ceasefire with the government. But they were busy re-arming for a fight that would erupt into the decisive phase of the long-running civil war in late July 2006. The flood of post-war tsunami aid money, and the LTTE’s control of portions of northern and eastern Sri Lanka meant they could dictate terms to aid agencies and eventually set up the Tamil Rehabilitation Organisation (TRO). The TRO was later revealed to be an LTTE fundraising front that took in tens of millions of dollars which were diverted to the rebels’ coffers for building up an arsenal that could match that of other standing armies. Washington banned the TRO for funding the LTTE, which was on the terrorism lists of the US and more than 30 other countries. “They seized their opportunity in the reconstruction,” said Iqbal Athas, an analyst for Jane’s Defence Weekly. “A lot of the NGO funds gave them the opportunity to consolidate their strength on the coastal stretches.” The tsunami did cost the Tigers some of their fleet of small attack boats and several caches of buried weapons. Prabhakaran’s former deputy, Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, told Reuters in an interview last year the deadly waves also destroyed a particularly prized set of rebel weapons—surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). By August of 2005, the Aceh rebels were ready to sign an historic peace accord and participate in the reconstruction of their oil- and timber-rich province. In Sri Lanka by then, the $3bn post-tsunami aid sharing agreement, signed in June by a reluctant government under pressure from Clinton and international donors, had fallen apart, after the Supreme Court halted its implementation. After that, the LTTE set up its TRO front and both sides hunkered down for war. “One looked to harness the tsunami opportunity to build peace, the other group exploited the opportunity Some of the 450 30kg bags of rice from to tap into the financial the United Nations World Food Programme, resources that came as a result a gift from the people of Japan, are unloaded of it,” Gunaratna said. — By C in the town of Panadyra, Sri Lanka in January Bryson Hull and Bill Tarrant/ 2005. Reuters * Page 4 • time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 travel * Above: Dog-sled rides are among the non-skiing treats on offer at the exclusive Swiss winter resort of Gstaad. Right: Serious skiers often have the ski runs around Gstaad practically to themselves. Gstaad: Quiet, cool By Bernhard Krieger I nhabitants of the Swiss canton of Bern have a reputation among their countrymen for slowness. Villagers in the exclusive winter resort of Gstaad, southwest of the capital Bern in the Bernese Alps, do not mind the ribbing at all, though. They are proud of being slow, in fact, and have even made “Come Up — Slow Down” their advertising slogan. The world may seem to turn ever faster, but Gstaad, part of the commune of Saanen, has managed to retain its bucolic charm. While it is said that the fashionable resort of St Moritz, in the eastern Swiss canton of Graubuenden, attracts celebrities who want to be seen, Gstaad is known as a haven for the rich and beautiful who prefer not to be disturbed. Gstaad is one of the few Alpine resorts where skiing is not the main attraction for most guests. This pleases serious skiers, who often have the ski runs practically to themselves Gstaad residents are quite pleased with this characterization, which suggests that the resort is down-to-earth and genuine despite the glitter and glamour of its guests. It is not a place where the high nobility, top business executives and famous performing artists show off. “Outwardly, the chalets of the super-rich are hardly different from the old farmhouses,” noted Robert Speth, the star German chef, who lives in Gstaad. Strict building regulations allow only traditional-style chalets, so the village feeling has stayed homogeneous. A number of Gstaad’s farmhouses date from the 15th century. “Sometimes real palaces are hidden behind the plain facades of new chalets,” Speth said. Underneath some wooden houses lie private movie theatres and garages for sports-car collections. Gourmet restaurants and fivestar hotels are not all that Gstaad has to offer, though. Affordable accommodations can be found in simple boarding houses, apartments and the region’s winter campsite with its small, chaletstyle wooden cabins. And the ski areas are free for children under nine years of age. Holidaymakers seeking wild fun on the slopes and apres-ski hubbub need to look elsewhere. The four ski areas around Gstaad, which is situated 1,050m above sea level, have 250km of pistes all the way up to the Diablerets glacier — with guaranteed snow — at 3,000m. But most of the ski runs are easy to moderately difficult and empty until late in the morning. About half of the guests are older than 50. “They don’t come up the mountain until 10 or 11 am and return to one of the cabins after a couple of runs,” said Fiona, a ski instructor. Many of them head straight to one of the cross-country skiing areas or winter hiking trails. Hence Gstaad is one of the few Alpine resorts where skiing is not the main attraction for most guests. This pleases serious skiers, who often have the ski runs practically to themselves. Accompanied by ski mountain guides and an indispensable ABS avalanche backpack, they can also ski off-piste on untouched, deepsnow slopes. Guests who sleep at the Igloo Village on the local mountain Eggli, 1,550m above sea level, can even be the first to ski down freshly groomed pistes every morning. Special sleeping bags help keep them warm at night in their icy abode. In the evening, they can gather in a restaurant where the seats of ice are covered with warm lambskins. To chase any residual chills away, there is an outdoor whirlpool heated to 40°C, with an unobstructed view of the stars overhead. While guests at the Igloo Village are meeting for late-afternoon drinks and conversation at the Igloo Bar, their counterparts down in Gstaad’s central pedestrian area are getting together over hot chocolate, wine or champagne. Among them are gourmets and families, easygoing folk and serious skiers, and also the super-rich, who, since it is Gstaad, usually remain incognito behind their sunglasses. — DPA time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 • Page 5 French luxury hotels reach for a star By Sophie Taylor A cliche recipe for success is to aim for the stars. France’s luxury hotels say they need to reach for just one more. The world’s largest tourism destination has introduced a fivestar category to its hotel ranking system and the country’s gilded establishments are flocking to apply, believing the upgrade will reel in higher rollers. Until this year, France was in the odd position of being synonymous with high culture, finery and the very best in food and drink — yet it had none of the five-class hotels found elsewhere in Europe. “Lots of people have asked why even so-called palaces here like Georges V and Hotel Plaza Athenee had only four stars,” said Francoise Parguel, vice president of communications for the Sofitel chain. Paris now has 13 five-star hotels, the city’s tourism office said. For many, including Sofitel, the fifth star is simply the culmination of longer renovation programmes aimed at shifting upmarket. Hotels applying for top status need to satisfy hundreds of criteria, from bedroom size to phones in bathrooms. “Why a fifth star? While there only used to be a ‘luxury’ fourth star, today it’s about putting French establishments on the same level as international competition,” said the press office of Concorde Hotels & Resorts, which owns Le Palais de la Mediterranee based near the Cote d’Azur overlooking the sea. The government hopes a five-star bracket will help France better weather the financial crisis: the French hotel sector has held up better than neighbouring countries, but suffered from a drop in British and American tourists, Deloitte said in its winter 2009 research report. A more standardised rating Arizona opens new walkers’ trail The Grand Canyon state has a new hiking path that stretches 1,288km from Kaibab National Forest to the Mexican border. The Arizona Trail takes walkers to Flagstaff city, Roosevelt Lake and Saguaro National Park. Aside from a few sections the trail is completely open to the public. Circus fest in Monaco set for January The principality of Monaco is staging its annual circus festival from January 14 to 24 where lion tamers, clowns and performing artists will compete for the “Golden Clown” prize. The circus festival has been staged since 1974. Algarve to get luxury golf course The Portuguese holiday region of the Algarve is to get another spectacular golf course when the “Quinta do Vale Golf Resort” opens in October 2010. The 18-hole course was designed by Spanish golfer Seve Ballesteros and will have its own five star hotel. The new course will be in addition to the Algarve’s other three dozen golf clubs. * Outside view of the Hotel Crillon at Place de la Concorde in Paris. The world’s largest tourism destination has introduced a five-star category to its hotel ranking system and the country’s gilded establishments are flocking to apply, believing the upgrade will reel in higher rollers. system might win them back. Analysts say the sector’s resilience is thanks more to budget hotels than the high-end, which has lagged behind other countries such as Britain. “It’s a marketing operation and does not change much from an operational point of view,” said Guillaume Rascoussier, a hotel sector analyst at Oddo Securities. A fifth star alone could not justify higher room rates, he said. Visitors to France fell 7.5% to 15.9mn in the first half of this year, according to the Paris Tourism Office. Dwindling demand, shorter booking times and pressure on average room rates led to a 14% drop in revenue per available room in the first half of 2009, Deloitte said. But Paris still had the highest occupancy rate in the euro zone, at 74%, and the second-highest average room rates after Venice in the first half of 2009, said Deloitte. Spain has been hit hard by competition from Turkey and North Africa, as well as a dwindling number of visitors from Britain due to the weak pound against the euro. “Even as more European countries emerge from recession, it may take some time for business and leisure demand to bounce back and hoteliers to start reporting positive results once more,” Deloitte added. While France is known for elite culture, it’s the budget hotels that have proven most resilient during the financial crisis. “France depends less on the high-end than Germany, or Spain for example. Economy hotels in France represent much more of the total network than in other countries like Germany or Spain where it is much less developed,” said Oddo’s Rascoussier. Accor, a French company which is Europe’s largest hotel group, has had to cut costs to help weather a decline in demand for its upscale and midscale, but said in October its economy segment in France had proven resilient. For the time being, luxury hotels say they will continue to hold out for big spenders rather than address the mass market. Paris’ Le Meurice, known for its illustrated ceilings and celebrity chef, embarked on a €6mn ($8.84mn) facelift two years ago, prior to the five-star initiative. “We feel no need to go mass market,” said Le Meurice spokeswoman Anne Vogt-Bordure. “After all, we are a palace.” — Reuters Holidays with a feel-good factor P travel tips hilip Engleberts went to Thailand for a good time and came back enthused with a good cause: helping fund an orphanage. “When I came back to Sydney I just felt I wanted to do what I could and that’s how it’s been,” the public relations consultant said. Even relatively wealthy countries like Thailand can give travellers from even richer countries like Australia a pang of conscience. Some, like Engleberts, act on that desire to help with a personal commitment. Others opt to sign up for organised trips abroad that offer both a holiday and a salve for the credit-cardcarrying traveller. You can help in village clinics in Nepal, wield a spade in an archaeological dig in Mexico and labour in a conservation project in Kenya. There are even organised trips to help the down-andout in New York and other developed world cities. “I think that it has to be one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” said Caspar Erskine, who spent two months teaching English in Nepal for the Australian operation of international volunteering organisation Projects Abroad. “I was supported well and made lots of new friends, and more importantly I never felt insecure but rather at home in Nepal.” Projects Abroad mostly offers teaching jobs, participants pay their own way and most positions are in the developing world. Commercial operators like Australia’s Contiki Holidays have started offering holidays where volunteering is a component. You can plant vegetables in southeast Asia — or, at the very least, eat in restaurants where former street urchins do the cooking and serving. — DPA Universal theme park in Singapore Universal Studios will open a new theme park in Singapore at the beginning of 2010 which will include a Shrek castle and a Battlestar Galactica rollercoaster that provides passengers with a moment of weightlessness. The park will be the first by Universal Studios in south-east Asia and is located in Resorts World on the island of Sentosa south of Singapore. — DPA Some cool websites q www.studentuniverse.com What: Geared to student travellers seeking inexpensive flights, cheap hotels and spring break ideas. Why: Many students are flexible about where they go for vacation. The Fare Play feature lets you type in a departure city and dates, then gives suggestions about great deals that week. How: Click on “Fare Play” and follow the prompts. q www.diz-abled.com What: Helps travellers with special needs, disabilities, health and emotional conditions plan a trip to Walt Disney World. Why: Gives confidence and information to special-needs families, including those with members who have special diets, use oxygen or a wheelchair/ scooter, or who have mental challenges. How: Research by park and issue. — Detroit Free Press/MCT Page 6 • time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 • Page 11 reviews The truth, sort of, about relationships By Christopher Kelly FILM: The Ugly Truth CAST: Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler DIRECTION: Robert Luketic S he’s the control-freak morning news show producer who evaluates potential dates according to a checklist. He’s an abrasive chauvinist commentator just hired by her station to help juice up the ratings. You can now close your eyes and write the remainder of The Ugly Truth in your head: Opposites repel; opposites attract; opposites eventually find themselves bickering, but finally falling in love during a remote segment on live television. This romantic comedy isn’t completely unwatchable, partly because of the appealing performances of Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, who almost manage to humanise these preprogrammed creations, and partly because of the film’s intriguingly sexualised undercurrents. Heigl plays the uptight Abby, who is predictably aghast to hear the cable-access ranting of Mike, who insists that men are only interested in one thing and that women who think otherwise are either ugly or foolish or (mostly likely) both. Imagine Abby’s dismay, then, when the next morning Mike turns up in the studio, where he immediately grabs the attention of viewers by exposing on-air the sexless marriage of the show’s airhead anchors (John Michael Higgins and Cheryl Hines). For most of the film’s running time, the characters in The Ugly Truth behave according to no known laws of human logic. The screenplay, by Nicole Eastman, Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith, merely poses the actors in bizarre, semi-humiliating scenarios designed for maximum yuks. This occasionally results in laughs, such as the Cyrano-style sequence in which Mike guides Abby through her first date with a hunky doctor named Colin (Eric Winter). But the filmmakers’ approach never allows us to become invested in these people’s lives, perhaps because they never seem like actual people. Heigl and Butler are both fabulously attractive, but lack any actorly narcissism; they’re hot but they don’t seem to know it — which makes them that much hotter. Yet despite a few nice scenes together in which Mike recounts the litany of bad relationships that led him to permanent bachelorhood, director Robert Luketic (Legally Blonde) never allows his actors to breathe before thrusting them into another crude scenario. Whatever serious inquiry into human sexuality The Ugly Truth might be flirting with is finally sabotaged by the obvious twists, the broad jokes and the shameless pandering to the hopeless romantics in the crowd. Opposites attract. Every chauvinist secretly has a heart of gold. Trust that your Prince Charming is out there. Cliche, cliche, cliche, blah, blah, blah. Instead of reinventing the chick-flick genre, this movie just ends up cementing its bad name. — Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT (DVD courtesy: Saqr Entertainment Store at The Mall. Tel: 4670096) appraisal 'Never trust a dude in a tunic' Life, interrupted FILM: Land Of The Lost CAST: Will Ferrell, Anna Friel, Danny McBride and Jorma Taccone DIRECTION: Brad Silberling I don’t want to get too worked up over the impossible waste of time and money that is Land of the Lost, because ultimately it’s just another Will Ferrell knuckleheader — he takes off his shirt, thrusts his chest tufts and beer gut, and says dopey stuff that’ll elicit laughs. But really, a $100mn production that monopolised six Universal soundstages, employed hundreds of people including jobs in “creature foam” and “prosthetic teeth” (OK, I guess employment is a good thing) and had the supremely talented production designer Bo Welch reimagining sets that were made for a few bucks back on the original ‘70s TV show — isn’t that emblematic of everything that’s wrong with modernday Hollywood? Big over small. Special effects over story. Excess, excess, excess. But like I said, I’m not going to let it ruin my day. And going to see Land of the Lost — director Brad Silberling’s epically silly homage to Sid and Marty Krofft’s much-beloved Saturday morning series — won’t necessarily ruin your day, either. With Ferrell as Dr Rick Marshall, a “quantum paleontologist” with big ideas about time travel and “transdimensional energy,” Land of the Lost jumps from the Today Show set (Matt Lauer “interviewing” Marshall) to the La Brea Tar Pits (Marshall talking to kids about dinosaurs) to, well, the titular land of the lost. Said place is accessed via a portal located at a third-rate California desert tourist trap presided over by the redneck doofus Will Stanton (Danny McBride). The professor and his plucky British research assistant, Holly (Anna Friel), go there, get in a raft with Will, and next thing you know the trio are whirlpooling down a space-time vortex — landing in a place full of caves and rocks, jungles and temples, dinosaurs and Sleestaks — bipedal reptilians with goggle eyes and rows and rows of pointy teeth. “The past, present and future are mashed up together,” explains Marshall, looking over dunes where a Viking ship and a Cessna plane lie together, and where bits of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Great Wall and a Union 76 gas station orb dot the landscape. This is also where Chaka (Saturday Night Live’s Jorma Taccone), a furry missing link teenager, resides. The primate boy speaks in a strange language of grunts and squawks (a UCLA linguist was hired by the studio to develop a vocabulary!) and can’t keep his hands off Holly’s breasts. She doesn’t seem to mind. Ferrell’s Marshall runs around in his Florsheim zipper boots, fleeing a ferocious T. Rex and the slow-moving Sleestaks, ultimately facing off against Enik the Altrusian — a smarter, nastier Sleestak who dwells in a Dali-esque field of light crystals and glassy cones. Enik wears a tunic. “Never trust a dude in a tunic,” warns Will. Other quotable moments from Land of the Lost: Marshall’s exclamatory “Captain Kirk’s nipples!” and a joke based on mis-hearing the words “chorizo tacos.” Not exactly $100mn’s worth of classic comedy. — By Steven Rea, The Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT (DVD courtesy: Viva Entertainment, Qatar WLL. Tel: 4369305) Brittany Murphy achieved fame with Clueless, but her role in an unfilmed Janis Joplin biopic symbolised an unfulfilled potential. By Ryan Gilbey I t has become something of a Hollywood formality that any young woman actor fresh on the scene is pencilled in to play Janis Joplin sooner or later. Brittany Murphy, who has died aged 32 from cardiac arrest, was one of many performers over the years who were attached to some Joplin biopic or another. In this case, it was Piece of My Heart, for which Murphy auditioned successfully in 1999, but which was never made. It certainly was not much of a stretch to imagine her evoking the gusto and vulnerability required for that part. Murphy was no run-of-the-mill star. In her first substantial role, as a greenhorn mentored by the coolest girl in school in the 1995 hit Clueless, she proved herself an inventive comedienne. She demonstrated her versatility in dramatically intense films such as Girl, Interrupted and 8 Mile. She claimed to draw no distinction between the various characters she played, describing them as “all using my tears and snot and sweat and bruises, just in different contexts. There’s [sic] probably 800 people living inside of here, so they all pop out in different ways. It’s like me, myself, and I.” She was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved with her mother, Sharon, to Edison in New Jersey after her parents divorced. By the age of five, she was a member of a school of dance and theatre. Later she claimed to have spent most of her youth cajoling her mother into decamping with her to Hollywood to further her career but when Murphy began notching up advertising jobs after auditions in New York, mother and daughter did indeed move to Los Angeles. At 14, Murphy became a regular on the sitcom Drexell’s Class, about a white-collar criminal who starts over as a teacher. More television and advertising work followed before she was picked to play Tai, the new girl at a Beverly Hills high school, in Clueless. Amy Heckerling’s witty, wellreceived film, based loosely on Jane Austen’s Emma, was a charmer which regarded its often superficial characters with genuine warmth; it was also a surprise box-office success, launching the careers of several of its youthful cast (Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Donald Faison). A film career did not follow immediately for Murphy. For a while, she worked in theatre (including a Broadway production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge in 1997) and television. She was wonderfully funny as LuAnne Platter, the promiscuous “born-again virgin” in more than 200 episodes of the animated sitcom King of the Hill. And in 1999 she began a run of high-profile movie roles, starring in the beauty-pageant “mockumentary” Drop Dead Gorgeous, and holding her own amongst the largely-female powerhouse cast of Girl, Interrupted, set in a 1960s mental institution. Other films during this busy period included Alan Rudolph’s light-hearted mystery Trixie, the teen horror Cherry Falls (both 2000), and the self-conscious “issue movie” Riding in Cars with Boys (2001). Murphy returned to the mental ward in the 2001 thriller Don’t Say a Word, which she stole from under the nose of its star, Michael Douglas, before joining the ensemble cast of the quirky, drugsrelated comedy-cum-drama Spun (2002). When she starred opposite Eminem in 8 Mile, it appeared to be a career turning point. Though * Britanny Murphy, actor, born November 10, 1977; died December 20, 2009 transparently a vehicle for the controversial rapper, the film was nonetheless of high calibre, directed by Curtis Hanson (LA Confidential) and poetically shot by the Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (Amores perros). Murphy brought pathos and grit to a routine love-interest part. But few of the roles she took in the wake of 8 Mile gave her the opportunity to capitalise on that picture. There were ditsy comedies, including Just Married (2003), opposite her then-partner Ashton Kutcher, as well as the violent graphic-novel adaptation Sin City (2005). She sang on Faster Kill Pussycat, a 2006 track by the producerDJ Paul Oakenfold, and her singing could also be heard in the computer-animated penguin musical Happy Feet (2006). Following her recent departure from the lead in the supernatural mystery The Caller, Murphy’s representative denied accusations of unprofessional behaviour, insisting that “creative differences” were to blame. Among Murphy’s final completed films, to be released posthumously, are the thriller Something Wicked and the action movie The Expendables, in which she is one of the few female faces among a rogue’s gallery of ageing action stars. She is survived by her husband, the British screenwriter and producer Simon Monjack. — Guardian News & Media Noughties remembered ... 2004 January 13 Serial killer Harold Shipman is found hanged in his cell at Wakefield Prison, 4 years after being convicted of murdering 15 patients in Cheshire, England. February 4 Social networking website Facebook is set up at Cambridge, Massachussetts. February 29 The 76th Academy Awards are held at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, California, with The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King directed by Peter Jackson, winning a record-tying 11 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. March 22 Palestinians protest in the streets after an Israeli helicopter gunship fires a missile at the entourage of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin in Gaza City, killing him and 7 others. April 21 Mordechai Vanunu, who revealed an Israeli nuclear weapons programme in the 1980s, is released from prison in Israel after serving 18 years for treason. April 28 Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse in Iraq is revealed on the television show 60 Minutes II. June 5 Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, dies at his home in Bel-Air, California at the age of 93. A 6-day state funeral follows after his death. October 8 A fleet of 360 vehicles comprising the first batch of new taxis hits Doha roads. Operated by The Transport Company (Mowasalat), the Karwa cabs, all painted in metallic turquoise, are taken out in a convoy from the Sheraton Hotel’s vast parking ground at 4pm. November 2 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al-Nahyan, the president and founding father of the United Arab Emirates, one of the richest countries in the world, dies. The UAE declared a 40-day official period of mourning. December 26 One of the worst natural disasters in recorded history hits southeast Asia, when the strongest earthquake in 40 years hits the entire Indian Ocean region. (See today's cover story). tv listings 24/12/09 Pamela Anderson works festive magic in Aladdin By Odile Duperry B ouncing on stage in a skintight red outfit and pink platform shoes, Baywatch star Pamela Anderson is clearly having fun in her British pantomime debut, playing the genie in Aladdin’s lamp. And the audience is also enjoying the spectacle as the Canadian star throws herself into the spirit of the traditional Christmas-season show enjoyed by everyone from children to grandparents. This time, there are an unusual number of middle-aged men in the audience at southwest London’s New Wimbledon Theatre, eager to see the curvaceous Anderson strut, wiggle and pout her way through her British stage debut. It is not exactly high-brow stuff—pantomimes are stage versions of folk tales featuring singing, dancing, bad puns and plenty of participation from the audience, who boo villains and cheer heroes with gusto. But sex symbol Anderson’s involvement is a coup for organisers. Most Britons expect to see a minor celebrity in their local pantomime, not the star of one of the biggest television shows ever, whose picture has reputedly been downloaded from the Internet more than any other woman. Anderson appears to huge cheers, balancing on a trapeze and sporting fishnet stockings. In this version of the pantomime, the genie that she plays “comes from Beverly Hills” and “always ends up with the bad boys” — perhaps a reference to Anderson’s three doomed marriages, including to rockers Tommy Lee and Kid Rock. Anderson’s two-week stint in Aladdin runs to December 27. * Actress Pamela Anderson performing in as the genie in the pantomime Aladdin. Though she is back in the red costume of her Baywatch days, winter in Wimbledon is as far away from the sunny beaches of Los Angeles as pantomime is from Anderson’s usual beat. Britain’s traditional Christmas pantomimes, knockabout musical comedy versions of fairy tales such as Aladdin, Cinderella and Snow White, take over Britain’s theatres in December and January. The actors, wearing outlandish costumes, run about the stage singing and dancing, while others hose the audience with giant water pistols. Schoolchildren are brought on stage to sing, while the cast scatter double-entendres as the band plays on. Hardly comfortable ground for Hollywood icons. However, First Family Entertainment (FFE), which has already managed to bring American stars like Mickey Rooney, Patrick Duffy (Dallas) or Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky and Hutch) over to Britain to do a stint in panto, has pulled off an even bigger coup in bringing Anderson to the stage. Tickets are few and far between for her twice-daily appearances. After Aladdin rubs his lamp, the genie Anderson descends from the ceiling, about an hour into the show. She sings Christina Aguilera’s hit Genie in a Bottle and in a script made to measure, she announces she is “the most downloaded genie in the world”. When she drops to her knees to ask her master Aladdin “what can I do for you?” the audience falls about laughing, and is stunned by one particularly vigorous dance. However, it’s all family entertainment — unlike her previous turn on the European stage, riding a motorcycle at the Crazy Horse cabaret in Paris last year on Saint Valentine’s Day, wearing nothing but a black body stocking. Anderson has even visited the local pubs in Wimbledon during her spell in the suburb. Her debut made for frontpage photographs in Britain’s newspapers and reviews have been favourable. The Daily Telegraph said: “Though Anderson has a talent far smaller than her bust, she proves a good sport in the show”. The Daily Mail said: “Well done Pam. Welcome to British Vaudeville”. — AFP Page 8 • time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 Super Movies 0300 The Oxford Murders 0500 Waitress 0700 Taking Chance 0830 Us Top 10 0900 Shadows In Paradise 1100 Racing Daylight 1230 Us Top 10 1300 In Memory Of My Father 1500 Graduation 1630 Us Top 10 1700 The Prestige 1910 Horton Hears A Who 2100 Fred Claus 2300 Deck The Halls 0100 Unaccompanied Minors 0300 Deck The Halls 0500 Unaccompanied Minors Orbit News 0400 Nbc The Today Show 0700 Nbc Nightly News 0735 Abc Nightline Live 0805 Abc World News 0830 Nbc Nightly News 0900 Newshour Pbs 1000 Abc Nightline 1030 Nbc Nightly News 1100 Abc World News Now Live 1230 Nbc Early Today Live 1300 Abc America This Morning Live 1430 Nbc Early Today 1500 Nbc The Today Show Live 1900 Abc News Now 2000 Msnbc Dr.Nancy Live 2100 Msnbc Andrea Mitchell Reports Live 2200 Newshour Pbs 2359 Abc News Now (Live) 0100 Abc News Now 0200 Abc Nightline 0230 Abc World News Live 2009 0300 Nbc Nightly News Live 0330 Abc World News 0400 Nbc The Today Show America Plus 0500 The O.C. 416. The End’s Not Near, It’s Here 0600 Good Morning America 2006 Amp Repeat 0800 Good Morning America Health 0830 What’s The Buzz 0900 Gilmore Girls 1000 Ally Mcbeal Season 1100 The O.C. 1200 One Tree Hill 1300 Gilmore Girls 1400 24 Season 2 1500 Good Morning America 2006 Amp 1700 Good Morning America Health 1730 What’s The Buzz 1800 Dollhouse 1900 Smallville 705. Action 2000 Sons Of Anarchy Season 1 2100 Er 2200 The Bachelor 2300 Supernatural 0000 True Blood 0100 Er 0200 The O.C. 0300 Er 0400 Gilmore Girls 0500 One Tree Hill Sky News 0630 0700 0900 1300 2000 2200 2300 0100 0200 0300 0330 0400 0500 Cbs News News On The Hour Sunrise News, Sport And Weather Live At Five News On The Hour News, Sport And Weather Sky News At Ten News On The Hour Sky Midnight News Cbs News News On The Hour Year In Review time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 • Page 9 BBC Ent 0635 Bargain Hunt 0720 Tweenies Set 13 New Arrival 0740 Little Robots Series 3 & 4 The Odd Couple 0750 Teletubbies Set 1 Playing In The Rain 0815 The Roly Mo Show Set 3 Painting 0830 Tikkabilla Set 1 Trampoline 0900 Tweenies Set 13 Big Brave Jake 0920 Little Robots Series 3 & 4 Good Sport Sporty 0930 Teletubbies Set 1 Dad’s Lorry 0955 The Roly Mo Show Set 3 Little Bo’s Sad 1010 Tikkabilla Set 1 Honey Biscuits 1040 Little Robots Series 3 & 4Metal Makes Us Special 1050 Bargain Hunt 1135 Ancient Rome The Rise & Fall Of An Empire Rebellion 1500 Bargain Hunt 1545 Cash In The Attic Set 2 Hinchcliffe 1615 Antiques Roadshow 1900 Casualty Set 2 Discovery Channel 0540 How It’s Made 0605 Ultimate Survival South Dakota 0700 Really Big Things Dry Docks 0755 Rides Foose’s ‘69 0850 Overhaulin’ Wake Up Call 0945 How It’s Made Baseball Gloves 1010 Mythbusters Exploding Toilet 1105 Ultimate Survival Yukon 1200 Destroyed In Seconds 1230 Destroyed In Seconds 1255 How It’s Made Baseball Gloves 1325 How It’s Made 1350 Fifth Gear 1415 Mythbusters Alaska Special 1510 Miami Ink Bad Break 1605 Mythbusters Cell Phone Destroys Gas Station 1700 Ultimate Survival Yukon 1800 Destroyed In Seconds 1830 Destroyed In Seconds 1900 Overhaulin’ Scout’s Honour Cinema City MGM 0500 Enemies Among Us (Cct) 0630 Us Top 10 0655 Heartbreakers 0900 The Seven Of Daran Battle Of Pareo Rock 1100 Hard Ball 1300 Shallow Hal 1500 All Roads Leads To Home 1700 Short Track 1900 All She Wants For Christmas 2100 Mars Attacks 2300 Enemies Among Us (Cct) 0030 Us Top 10 0100 Who Is Cletis Tout 0235 Us Top 10 0615 Miracle Mile (1989) 0740 The Heavenly Kid (1985) 0910 Heart Of Dixie (1989) 1045 Bikini Beach (1964) 1225 The Burning Bed (1984) 1400 Miracle Beach (1992) 1525 Huckleberry Finn (1974) 1715 Parker Kane (1990) 1850 Women Vs. Men (2002) 2015 Futureworld (1976) 2200 The Fantasticks (2000) 2325 Wild Bill (1995) 0100 Cuba (1979) 0300 Crooked Hearts (1991) 0450 Sweet Lies (1987) Star Movies 0620 Me And Luke 0750 The Ticket Entertainment news 0820 Wildfires 0950 They Are Among Us 1135 Ladder 49 1330 Family In Hiding 1505 The Hive 1640 Carrington 1840 Cop 2030 Raw Deal 2215 Agent Cody Banks 2 Destination London 0000 Family In Hiding 0135 They Are Among Us 0320 Carrington 0520 Cop Animal Planet 0525 0620 0645 0710 0800 0825 0850 0945 1010 1040 1105 1155 1250 1345 1440 1535 1630 1725 1820 1915 2010 Animal Cops Phoenix Trapped Underground Lemur Street Sleeping With The Enemy Monkey Business Surviving Sharks Wildlife Sos Pet Rescue The Crocodile Hunter Diaries Backstage Bedlam The Planet’s Funniest Animals The Planet’s Funniest Animals Aussie Animal Rescue Seal Pup Release Animal Cops Phoenix Trapped Underground Planet Earth Shark After Dark Air Jaws Air Jaws 2 Bull Shark World’s Deadliest Shark With Nigel Marven Sharkman Sharkman Animal Cops Philadelphia Puppy Mills Exposed Austin Stevens Adventures The Last Serpent Killer Whales Up Close And Personal Disney Channel 0510 0535 0600 0610 0635 0700 0720 0745 0810 0835 0900 0925 1030 1210 1235 1255 1320 1345 1410 1435 1500 1625 1645 1710 1735 1800 1825 1845 1900 2040 2105 Science fiction series: Watch sci-fi series Battlestar Gallactica on MBC Action today. 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Thunder Races 25-foot Jump Brainiac Monster Moves Mammoth Mansions Science Of The Movies Secrets Of “south Park” Brainiac How It’s Made Glass Bottles/Hacksaws/ Goalie Masks How It’s Made Lacrosse Sticks/ MBC 4 0315 0400 0415 0530 0615 0700 0730 0800 0830 0915 1000 1020 1100 1200 1300 1400 1540 1630 1800 1900 2000 2100 2300 0100 0230 0315 0400 0415 Late Show with David Letterman Inside Edition Week CBS-Evenning News 90210 The Starter Wife Hope And Faith CBS-Evenning News Entertainment Tonight and Insider Late Show with David Letterman CBS-The Early Show Wheel of Fortune The Doctors Days Of Our Lives Home Shopping Oprah Dr. Phil Rachel Ray 90210 Damages The Doctors Oprah Al- Hareeb The Starter Wife Al- Hareeb Entertainment Tonight and Insider Late Show with David Letterman Friends CBS-Evenning News Hannah Montana Sonny With A Chance Higglytown Heroes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Handy Manny Special Agent Oso Handy Manny Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Replacements Fairly Odd Parents Suite Life On Deck Wizards On Deck With Hannah Montana Tinker Bell And The Lost Treasure Suite Life On Deck Replacements American Dragon Kim Possible Famous Five Fairly Odd Parents Phineas And Ferb Wizards Of Waverly Place The Movie Kim Possible Fairly Odd Parents Phineas And Ferb Suite Life On Deck Wizards Of Waverly Place Hannah Montana Fairly Odd Parents Pinocchio Hannah Montana The Suite Life Of Zack And Cody The Suite Life Of Dubai One 430 530 600 630 700 730 830 930 1300 1430 1530 1615 1800 1900 2000 2100 2130 0000 0030 0100 0300 0100 0300 0330 The Apprentice 3rd Rock from the Sun # 5 Emirates News 3rd Rock from the Sun # 5 How I Met Your Mother # 1 The Apprentice Everwood The Rose - Movie The Bold and the Beautiful The West Wing # 7 Out & About This Week The Patriot - Movie The Apprentice Everwood The Bold and the Beautiful Notes From The Underbelly Project Emirates News The Class # 1 How I Met Your Mother # 1 Gone With The Wind - Movie She’s The One Movie Sky High - Movie Emirates News See No Evil, Hear No Evil - Movie Boomerang 0500 The Perils Of Penelope Pitstop North Pole Peril 0525 A Pup Named Scooby-doo The Story Stick 0550 Johnny Bravo My Fair Dork 0615 Dexter’s Laboratory Dimwit Dexter 0640 Popeye Klondike Casanova 0705 The Jetsons One Strike, You’re Out 0730 The Flintstones Here’s Snow In Your Eyes 0800 The Flintstones The Golf Champion 0855 Tom & Jerry Baby Puss 0945 Duck Dodgers Wrath Of Canasta, The/They Stole Dodger’s Brain 1035 King Arthur’s Disasters The Bear Necessities 1130 Hong Kong Phooey Voltage Villian 1225 Popeye I Yam What I Yam 1315 Dexter’s Laboratory Jurassic Pooch 1405 Wacky Races Free Wheeling To Wheeling 1455 Dastardly And Muttley A Plain Shortage Of Planes MBC Action 0500 0600 0645 0730 0815 0900 0945 1030 1130 1200 1300 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000 2100 2200 0000 0100 0200 330 0430 0500 WWE RAW NCIS Lost Law & Order SVU Battlesttar Galactica World’s Wildest Police Videos Monster Garage Most Daring Gladiators UK K-Ville HYPER SONIC NCIS Law & Order SVU Battlesttar Galactica The Mentalist Lost WWE RAW Criminal Minds Kill Bill Vol2 WWE RAW Criminal Minds THE OMEN SIX FEET UNDER Gladiators UK Most Daring Showcomedy 0500 Less Than Perfect Dating Protocol At Gnb 0600 My Wife And Kids Jay Gets Fired 0630 Home Improvement Tanks For The Memories 0700 Fresh Prince Of Bel Air Bullets Over Bel-air 0730 Three Sisters Two Steps Forward, One Step Back 0800 Less Than Perfect Dating Protocol At Gnb 0830 8 Simple Rules... Paul Meets His Match 0900 The Nanny The Best Man 0930 Rita Rocks Love On The Rocks 1030 My Wife And Kids Jay Gets Fired 1100 Seinfeld The Understudy 1130 8 Simple Rules... Paul Meets His Match 1200 Three Sisters Critical Reaction 1230 The Nanny The Wedding (1) 1300 Fresh Prince Of Bel Air A Decent Proposal 1330 Less Than Perfect Arctic Nights 1400 Home Zee TV 0500 0630 0700 0800 0830 0900 1030 1130 1200 1300 1330 1430 1500 1600 1630 1730 1800 1830 1900 1930 2000 2030 2100 2130 2330 0000 0030 0100 0130 0230 0300 0330 0400 0430 Benny Hinn Aapki Antara Jhansi Ki Rani Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo Pavitra Rishta Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo Pavitra Rishta 12 / 24 Karol Bagh Jhansi Ki Rani Aapki Antara Pavitra Rishta Aapki Antara Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo Ghar Ghar Mein Fursat Ke Lamhe Jhansi Ki Rani Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli Pavitra Rishta Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo 12 / 24 Karol Bagh Aapki Antara Yahan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli Pavitra Rishta Play TV Pavitra Rishta Namaste Cinema Jhansi Ki Rani Dance India Dance Baba Ramdev Ka Yoga Vishwas Meditation Narsevak Narayanseva Shakti Yug The Faith Show Enjoying Everyday life Page 10 • time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 Star Plus 0500 Mitwa - Phool Kamal Ke 0530 Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat 0630 Bidaai 0700 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 0730 Sabki Laadli Bebo 0800 Shraddha 0900 Tere Mere Sapne 0930 Bidaai 1000 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 1030 Tujh Sang Preet Lagayi Sajna 1100 Hamari Devrani 1130 Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat 1200 Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil 1230 Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai 1300 Bidaai 1330 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 1400 Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 1430 Hamari Devrani 1500 Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat 1530 Sabki Laadli Bebo 1600 Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 1630 Shraddha 1700 Mitwa - Phool Kamal Ke 1730 Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai 1800 Tere Mere Sapne 1830 Bidaai 1900 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 1930 Sabki Laadli Bebo 2000 Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 2030 Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai 2100 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 2130 Shraddha 2200 Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai 2230 Ek Nayee Zindagi 2300 Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya 2330 Shraddha 0030 Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat 0100 Sajan Ghar Jaana Hai 0130 Bidaai 0200 Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai 0230 Fillmore 0300 Lilo & Stitch 0330 Seva Ganga 0400 Ek Nayee Zindagi 0430 Sabki Laadli Bebo TCM 0500 Shaft (1971) 0645 The Girl From Missouri (1934) 0800 Julius Caesar (1953) 1000 Arena (1953) 1115 Ride The High Country (1962) 1245 Tom Thumb (1958) 1415 High Society (1956) 1600 Little Women (1949) 1800 Anchors Aweigh (1945) 2015 Raintree County (1957) 2300 Ben Hur 0225 The Shoes Of Star World 0500 0600 0700 0730 0800 0900 0950 1000 1050 1100 1125 1150 1200 1250 1300 1330 1400 1450 1500 1550 1600 1700 1730 1800 1830 1900 2000 2030 2100 [V] TUNES 7th Heaven The Simpsons The Simpsons Beauty and the Geek COPS Different Strokes Grey’s Anatomy MARRIED WITH CHILDREN My Name Is Earl My Name Is Earl Dilbert Prison Break Different Strokes WORST WEEK THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL 7th Heaven MARRIED WITH CHILDREN Grey’s Anatomy Dilbert [V] TUNES COPS COPS The Simpsons The Simpsons Beauty and the Geek Samantha Who? 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Desperate National Geo 0500 About Asia -Malaysian Journey with Jason Scott Lee 0600 Seconds From Disaster -Russia’s Nuclear Sub Nightmare S2.5 - 6 0700 Rhino Rescue 0800 Naked Science -Landslide S2-3 0900 Nat Geo Junior -Monkey Thieves Monsoon Showdown 6 0930 Nat Geo Junior -I Didn’t Know That 6 1000 Big, Bigger, Biggest -Tunnel 1100 Seconds From Disaster -Russia’s Nuclear Sub Nightmare S2.5 - 6 1200 About Asia -ShowReal Asia Making Christmas 1300 Mega Thursday -World’s Toughest Fixes Pipeline Shutdown 8 1400 Mega Thursday -Big, Bigger, Biggest Telescope 1500 Mega Thursday -Megastructures Ice Hotels 1600 Mega Thursday -Big, Bigger, Biggest Tunnel 1700 Mega Thursday -World’s Toughest Fixes Pipeline Shutdown 8 1800 Mega Thursday -Big, Bigger, Biggest Telescope 1900 Mega Thursday -Megastructures Channel V 0500 0600 0700 0800 0900 0930 1000 1100 1200 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 2000 2100 2200 2230 2300 0000 0100 0200 0230 0300 0400 [V] Tunes Double Shot Backtracks Loop [V] Plug Double Shot Backtracks [V] Tunes [V] Christmas Eve Special with U2, Coldplay, Mika, Lenka [V] Special Going Gaga Party [V] Tunes Backtracks [V] Tunes [V] Christmas Eve Special with U2, Coldplay, Mika, Lenka [V] Special Going Gaga Party [V] Tunes [V] Plug The Playlist Loop Backtracks Double Shot [V] Plug The Playlist HP Space Videoscope History Channel 0640 Ancient Discoveries 3 0730 Lost Worlds 0820 Mummy Forensics The Screamer 0910 Rome Rise And Fall Of An Empire Wrath Of The Gods 1000 How The Earth Was MadeThe Deepest Place On Earth 1055 Specials - 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Twins, the doctor said, on the day of the ultrasound. That’s when the tears began to fall, and Nash realised that joy and heartache are sometimes one and the same. “I just thought, ‘I don’t know if I can go through this again,’” Nash said. “I was grateful to be pregnant again, but I also felt like I’d been down this road before.” Unable to resolve her conflicting emotions, Nash joined Still Missed, a support group for “subsequent parents” — women who’ve become pregnant while still grieving for children who died in the womb. The group, which meets monthly out of the Adventist Hospital network in suburban Chicago, is one of the few of its kind to help women deal with that often awkward and painful period after a miscarriage and before motherhood. There is a lot that researchers still don’t understand about what triggers a miscarriage, which occurs in about one out of every six pregnancies, depending on age and other risk factors. But this transition period after the loss of a pregnancy is an emerging area of study for clinical psychologists trying to predict how a miscarriage can affect parental behaviour. “After a miscarriage, a lot of women think, ‘If I can just get pregnant again I’ll feel better.’ But they end up feeling a lot worse,” said Joann O’Leary, a parentinfant specialist at the University of Minnesota who organised one of the first support groups for subsequent parents in the 1980s. “The natural inclination for any mother who’s suffered a miscarriage is to detach herself from the child they’re carrying when they become pregnant again. “It’s like, they don’t even want to think about being pregnant because the pain of losing another one is too great to imagine.” That psychological detachment during pregnancy can have lingering effects even when a healthy child is born, O’Leary said. What research exists suggests mothers who had earlier lost a child during pregnancy tend to be more overprotective and fearful regarding their child’s safety, even when compared with the heightened anxiety of the typical first-time parents. In some ways, Support groups in Chicago help women deal with that often awkward period after a miscarriage and before motherhood. By Joel Hood * Stephanie Nash, right, with her husband Eric, and twin babies Caroline, left, and Jack, 7-months-old, enjoy feeding time in their Downers Grove, Illinois home. The twins were conceived after the couple had suffered two miscarriages. Stephanie said memories of the miscarriages created great anxiety for her during her pregnancy. O’Leary said, subsequent parents are more respectful and sensitive to their child’s needs, having themselves gone through a period of profound grief. “All the fear and anxiety they feel are normal and may always be there,” O’Leary said. “One important aspect to these support groups is that women learn from each other how to cope with that anxiety, how to have trust in the world again.” When Bartlett resident Carol Wotovich became pregnant the first time, it all seemed too easy. She was 35 and had just begun talking with her husband about starting a family. But the pregnancy ended soon after, and on the next try the Wotovichs sought the help of Mothers who had earlier lost a child during pregnancy tend to be more overprotective and fearful regarding their child’s safety, even when compared with the heightened anxiety of the typical first-time parents fertility treatments. That was the start of a harrowing two-year stretch in which Wotovich became pregnant only to lose the child after 12 weeks and became pregnant again. She lost her third unborn child at 18 weeks. “I was an emotional basket case,” said Wotovich, now 41. “Every time I went in for another round of fertility treatments, I was bawling my eyes out.” The fourth time Wotovich became pregnant she joined Still Missed at the Adventist Health hospital in Hinsdale. They met monthly in a small conference room in a building across the street from the hospital. The meetings were informal and involved a revolving cast of expectant parents—men and women. Fathers-to-be are affected by a miscarriage in different ways from mothers, O’Leary said, but the feelings of loss are no less severe. Men typically suppress their grief for 10 to 12 years, O’Leary said, before it comes back to the surface. For the woman, the grief is immediate and complex, and so group members offer guidance on how to deal with the anxiety. Some meditate, others try yoga and acupuncture, said Rosie Roose, co-ordinator of the Still Missed programme. “The problem with a subsequent pregnancy is you never feel safe,” Roose said. “You’re robbed of that feeling.” The conversations become so emotionally charged that many parents form strong bonds with one another. Wotovich said she attended meetings for nine months while she was pregnant with her fourth child, and felt so close to the group that she returned to several meetings after giving birth. And she brought her newborn, a boy named Benjamin. “I felt like it was important to go back and bring Ben just to provide some hope for those women who remained there,” said Wotovich, who gave birth to a second child, Matthew, in August. “They needed to know things could work out better than before.” After two miscarriages last year, Nash, 29, of Downers Grove, Illinois, found out six weeks into her third pregnancy that she was having twins. Her family was overjoyed by the news, but Nash remembers feeling empty and confused. It was only months earlier that she and her husband buried the cremated remains of her first, who died 11 weeks into pregnancy, in a small plot designated for infant deaths at Bronswood Cemetery in Oak Brook, Illinois. “I was scared the whole pregnancy that something might go wrong,” said Nash, who gave birth to healthy twins, Jack and Caroline, in April. Little things now trigger feelings of anxiety, Nash said, such as when she sees a child left in a car while the parent runs into a store. “My initial response is always, ‘Are you crazy? What if something happens?’” said Nash. “My family thinks I’m a little paranoid about it.”Like Nash, Wotovich describes herself as overprotective and “a worrier;” she admits to constantly checking in on her son Matthew when he’s sleeping, just to make sure he’s breathing. This despite having a baby monitor at her side. The lingering effects of a miscarriage can be profound, Nash and Wotovich said. But the Still Missed programme has given them the support to control that anxiety and the perspective to look at the big picture. “You go through some tough losses, and you realise how quickly it can all be taken away from you,” Wotovich said. “You understand how fragile and precious life is.” — Chicago Tribune/MCT time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 • Page 13 Warming up to tights By Adrienne Johnson Martin S usu Bear has seen it with her own eyes. The founder of scoopcharlotte.com, a site that tracks what’s new, what’s on sale, and what’s happening on the Queen City’s style scene, says as she’s been out and about, she’s seen evidence of one of the season’s strongest trends. The other day there was a woman with black hose paired with taupe patent leather platform shoes. And she spied another blogger’s posting of herself, rocking bright yellow tights with brown cowboy boots. “I am definitely seeing it, mostly on people who work in the stores,” Bear says, adding that the weather has still been pretty warm. “Not a lot of patterns, but the dark tights.” It’s been building for a few seasons. Since the mid-’90s, women boldly braved the cold with bare legs, free from those saggy, easy-to-run pantyhose and inspired, some say, by the Sex and the City ladies. But last season, major designers began moving back to covered legs. And at the fashion shows for this autumn and winter, there were lots of brightly hued or intricately textured tights, boots paired with floppy socks, tailored skirts worn with opaque tights, even lingerie looks with old-fashioned but sexy nylon stockings, says Edward Miccinati, co-owner of New York-based StockinGirl, an online boutique. One of his current best-sellers is the swiss dot pantyhose, popular several years ago. Thus the new style mantra: The covered leg is fresh. The revived look is good news to some folk. “I’m personally thrilled with the end of the bare leg,” says Bear. “For the last few years, I saw mostly legs in the dead of winter. People were in heavy winter coats and bare legs; people even had them with knee boots. The bare leg is hard when your legs aren’t tan. Maybe if you’re young it’s OK, or your legs are in great shape. But if you’re older or have varicose veins ...” The runway may have spearheaded the legwear revival, and the economy could be helping to empower it. “If you’re not able to really update your wardrobe, using legwear is a good way to do it,” says Miccinati. “The price of entry is not as expensive as other accessories.” Wear the same little black dress, but add a $15 pair of lace hose, he says. Or shake up your workaday black suit with some burgundy hose. On the same economical note, tights give you the opportunity, in our warmer climes, to take lighter-weight clothes through cooler weather, extending their life. And they add some pizzazz. * Bear says the fresh look includes treating leggings like tights, perhaps a metallic silky taupe pair or an inky leather pair and putting them under suits or with a shift and a cardigan. Another trend is to not go for the traditional long line by using the same colour hosiery and shoe; instead wear black hose with a taupe, grey or coloured shoe for an exciting contrast. Ahead of the curve is Liz Bradford, a scientific illustrator who has 25 pairs of tights. The Raleigh woman’s passion for them started when she was at North Carolina State University. A participant in the Art to Wear fashion show, she’d put her models in tights to add bold accents and make short skirts “more appropriate.” And then she found herself falling for them. A friend who was moving to California gave her 10 pairs. Now she has fishnets, lace, polka dots and a pair of faux leather leggings so sleek they work like tights. She owns some neon tights, too; her bright yellow pair earned a “Good Day, sunshine” greeting from a passer-by. “It’s another accessory, like necklaces and scarves,” she says. “I like to wear them with shorts and skirts when it’s cooler. I like black tights with my summery shorts.” And no, you aren’t too old for tights. You just have to make the first step, says Miccinati. — The Charlotte Observer/MCT If you’re not able to really update your wardrobe, using legwear is a good way to do it. Page 14 • time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 comics Octocross Adam Across Down 1. Solemn promise 5. Insane 8. Notion 9. Single 10. Temporary provision of money 11. Consumed 12. Fabric 14. Woodland deity 17. Eggs 18. One time only 22. Lair 23. Morose 24. Biblical vessel 25. Jug 1. Lubricant 2. Fuss 3. Beverage 4. Useful 5. Complain 6. Against 7. View as 13. Wear away 14. Pop 15. Assert 16. Military vehicle 19. At present 20. Hint 21. Make a mistake Pooch Cafe Codeword 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. Puzzles courtesy: Puzzlechoice.com Animal Crackers Change Word Puzzle courtesy: allstarpuzzles.com By changing one letter at a time to form a new word, transform the beginning word to the ending word in the rated number of steps (or fewer). L O P E S K I P Solutions on Page 16 Bound & Gagged time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 • Page 15 puzzles Sudoku Colouring 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 row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9 and none is repeated. horoscopes ARIES 21 Mar - 20 Apr CANCER 22 Jun - 22 Jul LIBRA 24 Sep - 23 Oct CAPRICORN 22 Dec - 20 Jan Take time to catch up on gossip and make plans to do a little adventure travel. Make sure you concentrate if operating machinery or vehicles. Outdoor sports events should entice you. You can make wonderful contributions to any organisation that you join. Expect problems with settlements that you are trying to resolve. Channel your energy wisely. Take time to make physical improvements that will enhance your appearance. Your temper could get the better of you if you confront personal situations. Sign up for tours or courses that will enlighten you. You will not be able to trust someone you work with. You have more than enough on your plate already. TAURUS 21 Apr - 21 May LEO 23 Jul - 22 Aug SCORPIO 24 Oct - 22 Nov AQUARIUS 21 Jan - 19 Feb Your desire for excitement and adventure may be expensive. You may find that your plans will cost a little more than you had expected. You should get out and enjoy social events. Someone you live with could be frustrated and upset. Someone you least expect could be trying to make you look bad. You will be well looked upon due to your compassionate nature. Take some time to change your house around. Come to your own conclusions rather than taking the word of someone else. Someone you work with may be emotional. Consider selling your homemade crafts at the flea market. Don’t allow your personal problems to interfere with your professionalism. Beware of individuals who are not that reliable. GEMINI 22 May - 21 Jun VIRGO 23 Aug - 23 Sep SAGITTARIUS 23 Nov - 21 Dec PISCES 20 Feb - 20 Mar Your position may be in question if you haven’t been pulling your weight. Financial limitations may add to your depression. Try to do your job and then leave. Don’t let someone talk you into parting with your cash unless you can truly see the benefits of doing so. You can make sound financial investments if you act fast. It would be in your best interest to stay away from any intimate involvement with a client or coworker. Plan to visit friends or relatives. You may have difficulties with your partner. You can learn a great deal more if you listen rather than rant and rave. Romantic opportunities are evident. Your tendency to vacillate will drive everyone crazy. Page 16 • time out • Thursday, December 24, 2009 puzzles Quick Clues Cryptic Clues Yesterday’s Solutions Cryptic Across: 4 Service; 8 Italic; 9 Diluted; 10 Little; 11 Entrap; 12 Sea-green; 18 Overpaid; 20 Retain; 21 Opener; 22 Inflame; 23 Teases; 24 Terrace. Down: 1 Airless; 2 Partial; 3 Tiller; 5 Eminence; 6 Vaunts; 7 Caesar; 13 Economic; 14 Garnish; 15 Address; 16 Seance; 17 Sailor; 19 Ripped. Quick Across: 4 Discuss; 8 Openly; 9 Asinine; 10 Clever; 11 Appeal; 12 Decision; 18 Overcast; 20 Reveal; 21 Spring; 22 Quality; 23 Dilate; 24 Degrade. Down: 1 Concede; 2 Defence; 3 Alters; 5 Instance; 6 Canopy; 7 Sundae; 13 Isolated; 14 Capital; 15 Stagger; 16 Refuse; 17 Seller; 19 Repair. Answers Across 1. Quibbling (12) 7. Hail (5) 8. Vagrant (5) 9. Before (3) 10. Defender (9) 11. Not certain (6) 12. End (6) 15. Distress (9) 17. Prohibition (3) 18. String (5) 19. Bend (5) 21. Untimely (12) Down 1. Indispensable condition (12) 2. Wrath (3) 3. Choice (6) 4. Assembly (9) 5. Respond to stimulus (5) 6. Fearful (12) 7. Conjecture (5) 10. Keep on striving (9) 13. Tinge deeply (5) 14. Athletics implement (6) 16. Pretend (5) 20. Manage (3) Across 1. Resolute due to threats, perhaps (5-7) 7. Not the best man in the stable? (5) 8. A belief in sacred office (5) 9. Boat propeller (3) 10. Could you mend a broken skate with it? (9) 11. Is hard, perhaps, but may be eaten (6) 12. Granting some misplaced ingenuity (6) 15. I’d put in now for a high position in society (9) 17. A politician concerned in current affairs (3) 18. A bonus for an actor (5) 19. Spring edition? (5) 21. They help people grow better (5,7) Down 1. Song part here distributed to an office girl (12) 2. Also comes to nothing (3) 3. She and men get involved and become engaged! (6) 4. He gets what’s coming to him (9) 5. Yet quoted as odds (5) 6. Swiss cantons, for example? (7,5) 7. Blush when attacked by a bull (5) 10. Use face strain to attract (9) 13. I am a long time getting the likeness (5) 14. Emotion felt when it appears to give you a break? (6) 16. Come in and start the entertainment (5) 20. The whole world finds it illuminating (3) Octocross Codeword Information Prayer Time Fajr 4.51am Shorooq (sunrise) 6.13am Zuhr (noon) 11.30am Asr (afternoon) 2.27pm Maghreb (sunset) 4.48pm Isha (night) 6.18pm Doha Zoo Open from 8am to 12 noon and 2.30pm to 7pm daily. Tuesdays are reserved for women. Friday for general public in the afternoon only. Consumer Complaints (Food control department) Head of dept 4347633 5570888 Deputy head of dept 5555296 Central operator 4347777 Food consultant 4347540 Help Line Is drinking a problem for you or someone you love? Call Alcoholics Anonymous: 5605901 Hospitals VISITING HOURS: Hamad General Hospital, Women’s Hospital and Rumaillah Hospital: 6am to 7.30am, 4pm to 8pm. Useful Numbers Police, Fire, Ambulance 999 HMC 4392222 Women’s (Rumaillah) 4393333 HMC (Emergency) 4393507 Veterinary 653083 Water & Electricity 991 Flight Inquiries 4622999 Doha Seaport 4457457 Cinema 4671811 Museum of Islamic Art 4224444 Mumtaz Post (24hr) 4415566 4432211 (Car) 4483555 Ship Phone Service 4864444 Ministry of Interior main switchboard 4330000 Public Department for passports, nationality and residence 4882882 Capital Security Dept 4444420 Criminal Info Dept 4477477 Boundaries and Coasts Security 4414488 Civil Defence Department 4413666 Rescue Service 4682888 The Grand Cinecentre Cinema Palace The Mall Cineplex Cinema Land Gulf & Doha Cinema Qatar National Theater 4839064 4320938 4678666 4881674 4671811 4831246 DVD, Video releases ENGLISH: Fall Down Dead (Dominique Swain); Accidental Husband (Uma Thurman); He’s Not Just Into You (Jennifer Aniston) Smart People (Ellen Page); Tiptoes (Kate Beckinsale); Revenge of the Fallen (Shia LeBoeuf); Skate or Die (Mickey Mahut); Night Train (Danny Glover). HINDI: Wanted (Salman Khan); Lova Ka Tadka (Sameer Dattani); Vaada Raha... (Bobby Deol); Agyaat (Adesh Bhardwaj, Rasika Dugal); Dil Bole Hadippa! (Rani Mukherjee); Love Aaj Kal (Saif Ali Khan); Kisaan (Jackie Shroff); Daddy Cool (Sunil Shetty). (Information courtesy: Kings Electronics (previously QMart Video) at Al Safeer Centre, Tel: 4626965.) Change Word L O P E L O R E L O R D L A R D L A I D S A I D S K I D S K I P
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