Accounting firm says several mistakes caused Oscars best picture gaffe

Author: 

SANDY COHEN and ANTHONY MCCARTNEY | AP

Tue, 2017-02-28

ID: 

1488277315041712700

LOS ANGELES: The accounting firm responsible for the integrity of the Academy Awards said Monday that its staffers did not move quickly enough to correct the biggest error in Oscars history — the mistaken announcement of the best picture winner.
PwC, formerly Price Waterhouse Coopers, wrote in a statement that several mistakes were made and two of its partners assigned to the prestigious awards show did not act quickly enough when “La La Land” was mistakenly announced as the best picture winner. Three of the film’s producers spoke before the actual winner, the coming-of-age drama “Moonlight,” was announced.
“PwC takes full responsibility for the series of mistakes and breaches of established protocols during last night’s Oscars,” PwC wrote. It said its partner, Brian Cullinan, mistakenly handed presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway an envelope containing the winner of the best actress award.
“Once the error occurred, protocols for correcting it were not followed through quickly enough by Mr. Cullinan or his partner,” the statement read.
It did not address in detail which protocols were violated, or say whether a tweet Cullinan sent about best actress winner Emma Stone before the best picture announcement contributed to the mistake.
The firm, which has handled Oscar winner announcements for eight decades, apologized to Beatty, Dunaway, the cast and crew of “La La Land” and “Moonlight,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and host Jimmy Kimmel.
“We wish to extend our deepest gratitude to each of them for the graciousness they displayed during such a difficult moment,” the statement said. “For the past 83 years, the academy has entrusted PwC with the integrity of the awards process during the ceremony, and last night we failed the academy.”
The statement came after nearly a day of speculation about how the worst gaffe in Oscars history unfolded. The fiasco launched countless punchlines, memes and a probe of what went wrong.
The mystery deepened Monday afternoon after the Wall Street Journal reported that Cullinan tweeted a behind-the-scenes photo of winner Emma Stone holding her statuette. “Best Actress Emma Stone backstage!” the tweet read. The tweet, sent moments before the best picture announcement, raised the question of whether the accountant was distracted from the task at hand. Although the tweet was deleted from the social media site, a copy of it was kept by Google and available through a cache page.
The mistaken announcement altered the usual celebration that follows the coronation of a best picture winner. The only Oscars mistake that came close occurred in 1964, when Sammy Davis was given the wrong envelope for best music score winner but made a quick correction.
The “La La Land“-“Moonlight” mix-up, in contrast, took a painfully long time to be announced, with two-plus minutes elapsing before it was announced to the moviemakers and the world at large.
The embarrassing episode stepped squarely on what should have been a night of high-fiving for the academy. After last year’s awards were clouded by the #OscarsSoWhite protests, diversity ruled Sunday as actors Viola Davis (“Fences“) and Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight“) were among the people of color claiming trophies, while “Moonlight” focused on African-American characters.
PwC, which originated in London over a century ago, was quick to apologize to the movies involved. The academy has not yet commented on the mistake.
On paper, the process for announcing Oscars winners seems straight-forward. As per protocol, Cullinan and PwC colleague Martha Ruiz toted briefcases to the awards via the red carpet, each holding an identical set of envelopes for the show’s 24 categories. The accountants also memorize the winners.
During the telecast, the accountants were stationed in the Dolby Theatre wings, one stage left and one stage right, to give presenters their category’s envelope before they went on stage. Most presenters entered stage right, where Cullinan was posted and where he handed Beatty and Dunaway the errant envelope.
Yet the previous award, best actress, had been presented by Leonardo DiCaprio, who entered stage left and received the envelope from Ruiz. That left a duplicate, unopened envelope for best actress at stage right.
“It’s a simple process, if a painstaking one,” said Dan Lyle, who had Oscar duties for Price Waterhouse for 11 years in the 1980s and ‘90s. Accountants attended rehearsals to learn whether presenters would enter from the right or left. But given the possibility of last-minute changes, both accountants had a full set of envelopes.
When Lyle ended up with a redundant envelope for a category handled by his colleague, he said, he got it out of the way by stuffing it in a pocket or otherwise discarding it before moving on to the next award.
Lyle said there were always nerves no matter how much care was taken. Each time an envelope was dispensed, he said, he hoped that “I handed over the right one.” If the wrong winner was announced, a PwC accountant was to quickly dash to the stage to correct the error.
Such a rapid response should have occurred Sunday but didn’t, as confusion reigned onstage. Backstage, however, people were working calmly to right the ship, said Matt Sayles, a freelance photographer for The Associated Press.
“It was more crazy onstage. I feel like backstage knew that something was wrong and they handled it,” Sayles said. “They clearly knew that something was wrong.”
Sayles, who has shot five Academy Awards from a backstage position just out of the sight of television cameras, said the result of the mix-up was a more subdued celebration from winners including “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins.
One observer said London-based PwC is scrambling now. Nigel Currie, an independent branding specialist in London with decades’ worth of industry experience, said this mistake is “as bad a mess-up as you could imagine.”
“They had a pretty simple job to do and messed it up spectacularly,” he said. “They will be in deep crisis talks on how to deal with it.”

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http://ift.tt/2lueQOR February 28, 2017 at 11:26AM

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Global art sales plummet, China biggest market

Author: 

AFP

Mon, 2017-02-27

ID: 

1488182129032172200

PARIS: Global art sales plunged in 2016 as the number of high-value works sold dropped by half, while China regained its status as the world’s top market, Artprice said in an annual report released Monday.
Art auctions worldwide totalled $12.5 billion (11.8 billion euros) last year, down 22 percent from $16.1 billion in 2015, it said.
The world’s biggest database for art prices and sales, working with Chinese partner Artron, attributed the drop to a plunge in the number of works worth more than $10 million each — from 160 in 2015 to 80 last year.
“On all continents sellers are choosing a policy of ‘wait-and-see’,” Artprice CEO Thierry Ehrmann said.
Top-dollar auctions last year included that of an Impressionist painting of a haystack by Claude Monet, “Meule,” which went for $81.4 million and a Peter Paul Rubens masterpiece, “Lot and his Daughters,” sold for $58.1 million, both at Christie’s.
Contemporary art had its stand-out moments, too, with an untitled painting from American painter Jean-Michel Basquiat that went to a Japanese collector for $57.3 million, and Wassily Kandinsky’s “Rigid and Curved” from 1935, which went under the hammer for $23.3 million.
But it was China which chalked up the highest total sales and “established itself clearly as the superpower” of the art world, the report said.
After five years of dominance, the country lost its title as top art market to the United States in 2015, but a year later was back, recording $4.8 billion in auction sales.
That figure represented 38 percent of total world sales, said Artprice, which compiled the data with its partner firm Artron of China.
Traditional calligraphy and painting comprised the vast majority of sales in China.
The country’s biggest sale in 2016 was a scroll painting of “Five Drunken Kings Return on Horses” by early 14th-century Chinese artist Ren Renfa that went for $45.89 million.
But contemporary art sales, too, are becoming frequent in Hong Kong which “has become an unmissable spot on the art market,” Artprice said.
Despite the drop in overall value of sales, the global art market witnessed an 11-percent rise in “fine art” transactions, a category that excludes antiques, applied art like pottery and furniture.
“The range of prices under $50,000 shows the strongest progression and currently makes up 96 of the market in the West,” the art database said.
In 2016, “the principal objective was to consolidate the core of the market, to the detriment of a new race to reach record prices,” it said.
New York City remained the undisputed capital for art auctions, chalking up $3.2 billion in sales, over Beijing’s $2.3 billion and London’s $2.1 billion.
Chinese artists were also the main moneymakers in the auction world, taking three of the five top spots for 2016 sales.
Works by China’s Zhang Daqian fetched the highest amounts, followed by 20th-century master Pablo Picasso, then Chinese watercolorist Qi Baishi and “father” of Chinese contemporary art Wu Guanzhong, and, finally, the German contemporary artist Gerhard Richter.

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Art & Culture

http://ift.tt/2mBs8t7 February 27, 2017 at 08:56AM

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98-year-old former NASA mathematician gets her moment at Oscars

Author: 

Associated Press

Mon, 2017-02-27

ID: 

1488179957862014000

LOS ANGELES: She said only “thank you,” but it was one of the more moving moments of Sunday’s Oscars ceremony.
Katherine Johnson, 98, the former NASA mathematician played by Taraji P. Henson in the movie “Hidden Figures,” was brought on stage to thunderous applause. She was introduced by Henson, Janelle Monae and Octavia Spencer, who all star in the film as female black mathematicians who helped put NASA ahead in the space race against the Soviet Union. “Hidden Figures” was nominated for best picture.
The 98-year-old Johnson wore a blue dress and was brought out in a wheelchair during Sunday’s ceremony.

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http://ift.tt/2m1itiV February 27, 2017 at 08:22AM

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Iran’s ‘The Salesman’ wins 'best foreign film' Oscar

Author: 

Ali Noorani | AFP

Mon, 2017-02-27

ID: 

1488178562631917000

TEHRAN: Iranian film “The Salesman” on Sunday won the Oscar for best foreign language film, but director Asghar Farhadi skipped the Hollywood gala in protest at a travel ban by US President Donald Trump.
Farhadi initially said he would head to Hollywood for Oscars night, where his film — the story of two actors whose relationship turns sour during a performance of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” — earned a statuette.
But after citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries were briefly denied entry last month to the United States, he decided there were too many “ifs and buts” about whether he would be allowed to enter the country.
Instead, thousands of people watched “The Salesman” for free in London’s Trafalgar Square.
In a statement read at the Oscars in his name, Farhadi said he was staying away in solidarity as people had been “disrespected” by Trump’s policy, which is currently on hold after a decision by a federal appeals court.
“Dividing the world into the US and ‘our enemies’ categories creates fear — a deceitful justification for aggression and war,” he said in the statement read at the Hollywood gala by the Iranian-born US engineer and astronaut Anousheh Ansari.
“These wars prevent democracy and human rights in countries which have themselves been victims of aggression.
“Filmmakers can turn their cameras to capture shared human qualities and break stereotypes of various nationalities and religions. They create empathy between us and others — an empathy which we need today more than ever.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter that he was “proud” of the cast and crew of “The Salesman” and hailed the Oscar statement on Trump’s visa policy.
“Iranians have represented culture and civilization for millennia,” he wrote.

Second Oscar win
At the age of just 44, Farhadi has established himself as Iran’s most acclaimed director, touching people around the globe with stories that resonate beyond borders.
This was his second film to win an Oscar in the foreign language film category, following the 2012 victory for “A Separation” — a stark, powerful family drama about Iran’s fractured social classes, which also picked up a Golden Globe.
Coming at another dark time in relations between the United States and Iran, when international sanctions were at their peak, Farhadi’s 2012 speech was lauded back home for putting Iranian art, culture and history above politics.
But this time, politics trumped art.
His statement in January blasted the rising mood of “fanaticism and extremism” and compared Trump to hard-liners in his own country.
“Instilling fear in the people is an important tool used to justify extremist and fanatic behavior by narrow-minded individuals,” he wrote.
His lead actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, also boycotted the event, calling Trump’s visa ban “racist.”
The measure has been put on ice by the US federal courts, and Trump’s White House is devising a new order.

Censorship
Working in the Islamic Republic for most of his career, Farhadi has had to turn limitations into sources of creativity.
“There are two types of censorship: official censorship and self-censorship, which is much more dangerous,” Farhadi once said.
Outside Iran, “the restrictions no longer weigh me down, but I am still subject to a conditioning that’s beyond my control,” he said.
“I try to see that as an advantage rather than a hindrance and to respond in a creative way.”
Born in 1972 near the ancient city of Isfahan, Farhadi was swiftly drawn toward the arts, becoming interested in writing, drama and cinema while still at school.
He later took courses at the Iranian Young Cinema Society and graduated with a master’s degree in film direction from Tehran University in 1998.

Cannes
“The Salesman” also found success at last year’s Cannes film festival, with Farhadi winning best screenplay and his star Shahab Hosseini named best actor.
It was his second official festival selection after his French-language film “The Past” in 2013, which won the ecumenical jury prize.
The structure of Farhadi’s scripts “is always complex but fluid,” cinema writer Beatrice de Mondenard said at the time.
“He seeks to show the difficulties inherent in relationships between people, the choices faced by everyone, choices which make us question our values and our convictions.”
Farhadi’s “About Elly,” which tells of a woman who vanishes on a beach getaway with friends, scooped the Silver Bear award for best director at the 2009 Berlin film festival.
Other films include “Dancing In The Dust,” “Fireworks Wednesday” and “Beautiful City.”

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http://ift.tt/2mBIG48 February 27, 2017 at 07:59AM

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Trump jabs fly at Oscars, awards go to ‘La La Land,’ Davis

Author: 

JAKE COYLE | AP

Mon, 2017-02-27

ID: 

1488174784611600900

LOS ANGELES: The Jimmy Kimmel-hosted 89th Academy Awards seesawed between jabs at Donald Trump and passionate arguments for inclusivity, with awards going to “La La Land,” Mel Gibson’s “Hacksaw Ridge” and Viola Davis.
Damien Chazelle’s celebrated musical “La La Land,” up for a record-tying 14 nominations, took a while to start cleaning up. But as the night went on, its haul began piling up, winning for cinematography, production, score and the song “City of Stars.”
The show kicked off with Justin Timberlake dancing down the Dolby Theatre aisles, singing his ebullient song, “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” from the animated film “Trolls.” It was an early cue that the Oscars would steer, at least in part, toward festiveness rather than heavy-handedness. Protests, boycotts and rallies have swirled ahead of Sunday night’s Oscars. But host Kimmel, in his opening monologue, quickly acknowledged that he “was not that guy” to heal a divided America.
Kimmel instead struck an irreverent but sarcastic tone, singling out Meryl Streep, whom President Donald Trump derided as “overrated” after her fiery Golden Globes speech last month. Listing some of her credits, Kimmel said Streep has “phoned it in for over 50 films.” He led a standing ovation for the “overrated” actress before adding a pointed punchline: “Nice dress, by the way,” he said. “Is that an Ivanka?“
The host then predicted Trump was sure to tweet about the night’s awards at 5 a.m. “during his bowel movements.” Later, Kimmel tweeted directly to him on air, asking if he was “up” and that Meryl Streep “says hi.”
The wins for Davis, who co-starred in Denzel Washington’s August Wilson adaptation “Fences,” and Ali, the “Moonlight” co-star, were both widely expected. Their awards marked the first time in more than a decade that multiple Oscar acting honors went to black actors.
“I became an artist, and thank god I did, because we are the only profession to celebrate what it means to live a life,” said Davis, the best supporting actress winner. “So here’s to August Wilson, who exhumed and exalted the ordinary people.”
Ali won best supporting actor for “Moonlight.” He glowed on the stage as he informed the crowd that he and his wife, Amatus Sami-Karim, welcomed a daughter four days earlier. The actor thanked his wife for “being such a soldier through the process.”
Both stuck to more private reflections over politics. But a more blunt protest came from a winner not in attendance. Best foreign film for the second time went to Asghar Farhadi, director of Iran’s “A Salesman.” Farhadi, who also won for his “A Separation,” had said he wouldn’t attend because of Trump’s travel band to seven predominantly Muslim nations. Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian astronaut, read a statement from Farhadi.
“I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight,” it read. “My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the US“
The broadcast often veered between such strong personal statements and Kimmel’s efforts to keep things a little lighter with bits reminiscent of his late-night show. Shortly before he led a dazed, unsuspecting tour group into the theater, presenter Gael Garcia Bernal, the Mexican actor, declared: “As a migrant worker, as a Mexican, and as a human being, I am against any wall.” Rich Moore, one of the three directors of Disney’s best animated film winner “Zootopia,” described the movie as about “tolerance being more powerful than fear of the other.”
Gibson’s World War II drama “Hacksaw Ridge” was, surprisingly, the evening’s first double winner, taking awards for editing and sound mixing. The bearded Gibson, for a decade a pariah in Hollywood, was seated front and center for the show, and was a frequent presence throughout.
Ezra Edelman’s “O.J.: Made in America” took best documentary, making it — at 467 minutes — the longest Oscar winner ever, beating out the 1969 Best Foreign Language Film winner “War and Peace” (431 minutes). Edelman’s documentary, while it received an Oscar-qualifying theatrical release, was seen by most on ESPN as a serial, prompting some to claim its place was at the Emmys, not the Oscars.
Edelman dedicated the award to the victims of the famous crime, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
“This is also for other victims, victims of police violence, police brutality,” Edelman said. “This is their story as it is Ron and Nicole’s.”
The “OscarsSoWhite” crisis of the last two years was largely quelled this season by a richly diverse slate of nominees, thanks to films like “Moonlight,” “Fences” and “Hidden Figures.” A record six black actors are nominated. For the first time ever, a person of color is nominated in each acting category. And four of the five best documentary nominees were also directed by black filmmakers.
“I want to say thank you to President Trump,” Kimmel said in the opening. “Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist?“
The nominees follow the efforts by Academy of Motions Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs to diversify the membership of the largely white, older and male film academy. In June, the academy added 683 new members: 46 percent of them were female; 41-percent were nonwhite; and they pulled from 59 countries.
“Tonight is proof that art has no borders, no single language and does not belong to a single faith,” said Isaacs.
The academy is hoping to improve on last year’s telecast. The Chris Rock-hosted show drew 34.4 million viewers, an eight-year low.
Politics had taken the spotlight ahead of Hollywood’s big night. On Friday, the United Talent Agency, forgoing its usual Oscar party, instead held a rally protesting Trump over immigration. “We will not tolerate chaos and ineptitude and war-mongering,” Jodie Foster told attendees. The six directors of the foreign film nominees released a joint statement condemning “the climate of fanaticism and nationalism we see today in the US and in so many other countries.” US immigration authorities also barred entry to a 21-year-old Syrian cinematographer who worked on the documentary short winner, “The White Helmets,” about the nation’s civil war.
___
Associated Press writer Beth Harris contributed to this report.

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http://ift.tt/2mBzEUF February 27, 2017 at 07:01AM

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‘Batman V Superman’ and Hillary doc tie at Razzies

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AFP

Mon, 2017-02-27

ID: 

1488139920695256500

LOS ANGELES: DC Comics’ “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and a documentary attacking Hillary Clinton tied Saturday at the annual Razzie worst-of film awards, Hollywood’s hall of shame.
The rivals won four “Razzies” each for their poor acting, writing and directing, although the anti-Clinton documentary walked away with the spray-painted trophy for “worst picture.”
“It all came down to two decidedly different examples of cinematic sludge: The $250 million ‘Batman v Superman’ and the faux right wing ‘documentary’ ‘Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party,’” a statement from the Razzies read.
Dinesh D’Souza picked up the prestigious double of worst actor for his narration and worst director on “Hillary’s America,” which has an average rating of 1.7 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rebekah Turner, unnamed by the awards, won worst actress for her turn as the losing Democratic presidential candidate, while worst supporting actress went to Kristen Wiig for her efforts in the panned “Zoolander No.2.”
“Batman” took the Razzie for worst supporting actor Jesse Eisenberg, who caused many a critic’s jaw to drop as he chewed the scenery as Lex Luthor.
The critical flop also won worst screen combo for dueling superheroes Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill, as well as worst screenplay and worst remake, rip-off or sequel.
The Razzies were created in 1980 as an antidote to Hollywood’s star-studded, back-slapping annual awards season, which climaxes Sunday with the 89th Academy Awards.
Sandra Bullock turned up in 2010 to accept worst actress for “All About Steve,” a day before winning best actress Oscar for “The Blind Side.”

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http://ift.tt/2lKKIBp February 26, 2017 at 09:12PM

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Meryl Streep accuses Lagerfeld of spoiling her Oscars

Author: 

REUTERS

Mon, 2017-02-27

ID: 

1488139920625256000

LOS ANGELES: Meryl Streep accused designer Karl Lagerfeld of spoiling her night at the Academy Awards ceremony by falsely accusing her of being paid to wear a gown on the Oscars red carpet.
Streep was responding to a claim earlier this week by Lagerfeld that the “Sophie’s Choice” actress had decided against wearing a Chanel gown at Sunday’s Oscar ceremony because she could get paid by wearing a dress from a different designer.
Lagerfeld’s claims made headlines around the world.
“The story was picked up globally, and continues, globally, to overwhelm my appearance at the Oscars, on the occasion of my record breaking 20th nomination, and to eclipse this honor in the eyes of the media, my colleagues and the audience,” Streep, 67, said in a statement.
Streep, the most admired and honored actress of her generation, is Oscar-nominated on Sunday for playing an eccentric opera singer in the comedy “Florence Foster Jenkins.” She already has three Oscars for previous work.
She dismissed an apology earlier on Saturday from Lagerfeld, who admitted he had “misunderstood that Ms. Streep may have chosen another designer due to remuneration” and said he regretted the controversy.
“Mr. Lagerfeld’s generic ‘statement’ of regret for this ‘controversy’ was not an apology,” the actress said.

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http://ift.tt/2lp4LTp February 26, 2017 at 09:12PM

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Sharp vision: New glasses help the legally blind see

Author: 

MICHAEL LIEDTKE | AP

Sun, 2017-02-26

ID: 

1488114839512703200

SAN FRANCISCO, United States: Jeff Regan was born with underdeveloped optic nerves and had spent most of his life in a blur. Then four years ago, he donned an unwieldy headset made by a Toronto company called eSight.
Suddenly, Regan could read a newspaper while eating breakfast and make out the faces of his co-workers from across the room. He’s been able to attend plays and watch what’s happening on stage, without having to guess why people around him were laughing.
“These glasses have made my life so much better,” said Regan, 48, a Canadian engineer who lives in London, Ontario.
The headsets from eSight transmit images from a forward-facing camera to small internal screens — one for each eye — in a way that beams the video into the wearer’s peripheral vision. That turns out to be all that some people with limited vision, even legal blindness, need to see things they never could before. That’s because many visual impairments degrade central vision while leaving peripheral vision largely intact.
Although eSight’s glasses won’t help people with total blindness, they could still be a huge deal for the millions of peoples whose vision is so impaired that it can’t be corrected with ordinary lenses.

Eye test
But eSight still needs to clear a few minor hurdles.
Among them: proving the glasses are safe and effective for the legally blind. While eSight’s headsets don’t require the approval of health regulators — they fall into the same low-risk category as dental floss — there’s not yet firm evidence of their benefits. The company is funding clinical trials to provide that proof.
The headsets also carry an eye-popping price tag. The latest version of the glasses, released in mid-February, sells for about $10,000. While that’s $5,000 less than its predecessor, it’s still a lot for people who often have trouble getting high-paying jobs because they can’t see.
Insurers won’t cover the cost; they consider the glasses an “assistive” technology similar to hearing aids.
ESight CEO Brian Mech said the latest improvements might help insurers overcome their short-sighted view of his product. Mech argues that it would be more cost-effective for insurers to pay for the headsets, even in part, than to cover more expensive surgical procedures that may restore some sight to the visually impaired.


New glasses
The latest version of ESight’s technology, built with investments of $32 million over the past decade, is a gadget that vaguely resembles the visor worn by the blind “Star Trek” character Geordi La Forge , played by LeVar Burton.
The third-generation model lets wearers magnify the video feed up to 24 times, compared to just 14 times in earlier models. There’s a hand control for adjusting brightness and contrast. The new glasses also come with a more powerful high-definition camera.
ESight believes that about 200 million people worldwide with visual acuity of 20/70 to 20/1200 could be potential candidates for its glasses. That number includes people with a variety of disabling eye conditions such as macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, ocular albinism, Stargardt’s disease, or, like Regan, optic nerve hypoplasia.
So far, though, the company has sold only about 1,000 headsets, despite the testimonials of wearers who’ve become true believers.
Take, for instance, Yvonne Felix, an artist who now works as an advocate for eSight after seeing the previously indistinguishable faces of her husband and two sons for the first time via its glasses. Others, ranging from kids to senior citizens, have worn the gadgets to golf, watch football or just perform daily tasks such as reading nutrition labels.


Eyeing the competition
ESight isn’t the only company focused on helping the legally blind. Other companies working on high-tech glasses and related tools include Aira, Orcam, ThirdEye, NuEyes and Microsoft.
But most of them are doing something very different. While their approaches also involve cameras attached to glasses, they don’t magnify live video. Instead, they take still images, analyze them with image recognition software and then generate an automated voice that describes what the wearer is looking at — anything from a child to words written on a page.
Samuel Markowitz, a University of Toronto professor of ophthalmology, says that eSight’s glasses are the most versatile option for the legally blind currently available, as they can improve vision at near and far distances, plus everything in between.
Markowitz is one of the researchers from five universities and the Center for Retina and Macular Disease that recently completed a clinical trial of eSight’s second-generation glasses. Although the results won’t be released until later this year, Markowitz said the trials found little risk to the glasses. The biggest hazard, he said, is the possibility of tripping and falling while walking with the glasses covering the eyes.
The device “is meant to be used while in a stationary situation, either sitting or standing, for looking around at the environment,” Markowitz said.

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Science & Technology

http://ift.tt/2mjxwVy February 26, 2017 at 02:27PM

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Bethlehem fetes Palestinian Arab Idol singing hero

Author: 

AFP

Sun, 2017-02-26

ID: 

1488104522522228200

BETHLEHEM, Palestinian Territories: Hundreds of Palestinians celebrated in Bethlehem after a young singer from the occupied West Bank city became the second Palestinian to win the Arab Idol television song contest.
Yacoub Shaheen, the 23-year-old son of a Syriac Christian carpenter, on Saturday night won the pan-Arab singing competition, defeating a fellow Palestinian and a Yemeni in the finals filmed in Lebanon.
He became the second Palestinian to win the contest after Mohammed Assaf, who was raised in a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, won Arab Idol against all odds aged 23 in 2013.
Hundreds of people including the town mayor gathered in front of a large screen in Bethlehem’s Manger Square to watch Shaheen sing in the final of the popular television show.
Supporters celebrated all night after Shaheen won, waving Palestinian flags and emblems of the Christian Syriac church.
His mother, Norma Shaheen, thanked the crowd after public vote results came in.
“Yacoub won with his voice, his education, his good manners, as well as his love for his people, Bethlehem and Palestine,” she said.
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas this week in Beirut met Shaheen and fellow finalist Amir Dandan, 25, an Arab Israeli descended from the Palestinians who remained on their land when Israel was established in 1948.
Dandan’s supporters also feted him in his hometown of Majd Al-Krum in northern Israel, gathering in a stadium to support the singer who has lived in the United States for several years.
This year, four of the 25 contestants taking part in Arab Idol were Palestinian or Arab Israeli, the highest participation for Palestinians in four seasons of the show.
Assaf became a symbol of Palestinian resilience when he won in 2013, inspiring two-time Oscar nominee Hany Abu-Assad to direct a feature film about him.

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http://ift.tt/2mjGu5n February 26, 2017 at 11:51AM

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Lebanese opera ‘Antar and Abla’ debuts in Bahrain

Author: 

LULWA SHALHOUB

Sun, 2017-02-26

ID: 

1488061025597372300

MANAMA: An evening of music and choreography wrapped up Saturday night in Manama with the Lebanese opera show “Antar and Abla” at the Bahrain National Theater.
The show, produced by Opera Lebanon, demonstrates the timeless love story of Antar and Abla that goes back to ancient Arab history.
The event coincided with Arab Tourism Day on Saturday, and was part of Bahrain’s “Spring of Cultures Festival.” The opera combines elements of composition of Arabic poetry and techniques used specifically in singing opera in Arabic.
It premiered in Lebanon’s capital Beirut in July 2016. The story represents several themes, including discrimination, racism, honor and heroism.
The composers include Maroun Al-Rahi, Antoine Maalouf and Nayer Nagui. The main soloists were Ghadah Saliba as Antar and Lara Jokhandar as Abla.
The two-month “Spring of Culture Festival,” which started on Feb. 15, is part of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities’ yearlong celebration of the archaeological heritage of Bahrain, under the slogan “Our Year of Archaeology” in 2017.

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Art & Culture

http://ift.tt/2lWVm8T February 25, 2017 at 11:17PM

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Princess Diana’s iconic dresses on show for anniversary

Author: 

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE

Wed, 2017-02-22

ID: 

1487769932376386400

LONDON: Glittering gowns, elegant suits and bold mini-dresses worn by the late Princess Diana will go on show from Friday on the 20th anniversary of her death in new exhibition charting her style reign.
“Diana: Her Fashion Story,” hosted in her London residence Kensington Palace, follows her evolution from the demure outfits of her first public appearances to the glamorous gowns of her later life.
The show charts how she not only rewrote the rules of royal dressing with a more informal style but also expressed herself through her fashion choices, before her 1997 death in a car crash in Paris.
“Each of the dresses is like a mini biography... They’re not just what she wore but they tell stories,” Libby Thompson, a curator, told AFP.
Curator Eleri Lynn said: “We see her growing in confidence throughout her life, increasingly taking control of how she was represented.”
Some of the highlights include the discreet pale pink Emanuel blouse she wore for her engagement portrait in 1981 and the dazzling ink blue Victor Edelstein velvet dress she wore when she danced with John Travolta at the White House in 1985.
So iconic is the “Travolta” dress that it sold for £250,000 ($310,000) at auction three years ago.
Another gown, a silk velvet dress she wore for private events at Buckingham Palace during the 1980s, is sure to charm many visitors.
Tiny fingerprints believed to belong to one of her sons — Prince William and Prince Harry — have been found on the material, preserved through the last 30 years.
The show will also highlight how throughout her years as one of the world’s most photographed women, Diana revealed herself to be a diplomatic dresser.
The “Gold Falcon Gown” is a perfect example.
She wore the Catherine Walker cream silk dress embroidered with gold falcons — the national bird of Saudi Arabia — during a visit to the country in 1986.
But it was by breaking the codes of royal dressing and embracing a more practical style that Diana transitioned from the Princess of Wales into the “People’s Princess” — the term used by then prime minister Tony Blair after her death.
She developed a more informal “working wardrobe” of chic Catherine Walker suits and tailored shift dresses to champion the causes she cared about.
These outfits, designed to convey approachability, she wore on charitable outings including meeting people with HIV and visiting children in hospital.
Following her separation from Prince Charles in 1992, Diana threw the rulebook away again by adopting a bolder look featuring many figure-hugging mini dresses.
The cream silk mini she wore while attending a charity auction of her more memorable dresses in 1997 is testament to that.
Held in Kensington Palace, her residence for 15 years, the exhibition will extend to the gardens where her sons have said they will add a statue of her to mark the anniversary of her passing.

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Lifestyle

http://ift.tt/2loe0po February 22, 2017 at 02:26PM

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Russian supply ship launched to International Space Station

Author: 

Associated Press

Wed, 2017-02-22

ID: 

1487755193325468700

MOSCOW: An unmanned Russian cargo ship has lifted off successfully on a supply mission to the International Space Station.
A Soyuz booster rocket carrying the Progress MS-05 spacecraft blasted off as scheduled at 11:58 a.m. (0558 GMT) Wednesday from the Russian-leased Baikonur launch complex in Kazakhstan.
The mission follows the Dec. 1 botched launch of the previous Progress ship, which crashed less than 7 minutes after liftoff, spraying fiery debris over a sparsely populated area in southern Siberia near the border with Mongolia.
An official Russian investigation has concluded that the failed launch was caused by a manufacturing flaw in the Soyuz booster’s third-stage engine.
Prior to Wednesday’s launch, space officials ran rigorous checks of the engines already built and conducted a comprehensive scrutiny of manufacturing facilities.

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World

http://ift.tt/2ln6Lhq February 22, 2017 at 10:30AM

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Life expectancy to keep rising; S. Korean women could hit 91

Author: 

MARIA CHENG | AP

Wed, 2017-02-22

ID: 

1487752037525351900

LONDON: While most people born in rich countries will live longer by 2030 — with women in South Korea projected to reach nearly 91 — Americans will continue to have one of the lowest life expectancies of any developed country, a new study predicts.
Scientists once thought an average life expectancy beyond 90 was impossible but medical advances combined with improved social programs are continuing to break barriers, including in countries where many people already live well into old age, according to the study’s lead researcher, Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London.
“I can imagine that there is a limit, but we are still very far from it,” he said.
Ezzati estimated that people would eventually survive on average to at least 110 or 120 years. The longevity of South Korean women estimated in 2030 is due largely to investments in universal health care, he said. South Korea also led the list for men.
“It’s basically the opposite of what we’re doing in the West, where there’s a lot of austerity and inequality,” he said.
Ezzati and his co-authors used death and longevity trends to estimate life expectancy in 35 developed countries. The calculation is for a baby born in 2030. The study was published online Tuesday in the journal Lancet.
Women were ahead of men in all countries. Behind South Korea, women in France, Japan, Spain and Switzerland were projected to live until 88. For South Korea men, life expectancy is expected to reach 84. Next were Australia, Switzerland, Canada and the Netherlands at nearly 84.
At the bottom of the list: Macedonia for women at nearly 78, and Serbia for men at about 73.
While some genetic factors might explain the longevity in certain countries, social and environmental factors were probably more important, Ezzati said.
The study estimated that the US, which already lags behind other developed countries, will fall even further behind by 2030, when men and women are projected to live to 80 and 83. American women will fall to 27th out of 35 countries, from their current ranking of 25, and men will fall from 23rd to 26th.
The researchers note that among rich countries, the US has the highest maternal and child death rates, homicide rate and is the only high-income country without comprehensive health care.
The researchers also predicted how much longer 65 year olds in 2030 would live; they guessed that among men, those in Canada would live the longest, surviving another 23 years. Among 65-year-old women in 2030, they estimated that South Koreans would live the longest, another 28 years.
In an accompanying commentary, Ailiana Santosa of Umea University in Sweden wrote that the projections raise “crucial issues” about which strategies are needed to tackle worsening inequality problems.
“Achieving universal health coverage is worthy, plausible and needs to be continued,” she said.
The study was paid for by the UK Medical Research Council and the US Environmental Protection Agency.

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Food & Health

http://ift.tt/2kYJrmH February 22, 2017 at 09:27AM

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Al Pacino’s Saudi visit ‘not yet confirmed,’ entertainment official tells Arab News

Author: 

ARAB NEWS

Wed, 2017-02-22

ID: 

1487717440441350200

JEDDAH: The past few months have provided Saudis and expatriates living in the Kingdom an precedented dose of global and local entertainment under an ambitious program spearheaded by the General Entertainment Authority.
However, contrary to what several local and pan-Arab media outlets have reported, the visit of international actor Al Pacino on May 11 and 12 to Riyadh and Dammam is not yet confirmed.
In a phone interview, Abdulrahman Al-Khalifa, a spokesman for the General Entertainment Authority, told Arab News that “nothing has been fully confirmed yet” for Pacino’s visit.
According to the media outlets which have reported the story based on what they say was the official agenda of the entertainment body, the Oscar-winning actor was scheduled to speak to Saudi families about his journeys and his secrets during his long career in the film industry.
The “Scarface” and “Godfather” trilogy star will also tell stories from personal experiences in acting. The evenings will conclude with the fans’ questions.
Pacino, 76, won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his role in the movie “Scent of a Woman.” He is considered one of the best actors in the history of American cinema.
Over the past few days, Saudi social media users expressed enthusiasm about Pacino’s visit.
Nawaf (@RopinsonCroz) tweeted: “Al Pacino! My God, I have been watching his movies all my life, and suddenly he comes to Riyadh? Dreams come true.”
Among other international entertainment events which are supposedly scheduled for 2017 are the Canadian group Cirque du Soleil, Indian-American novelist Deepak Chopra, the Russian Grand Circus of Moscow and Oprah Winfrey.

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Offbeat

http://ift.tt/2kXO8x5 February 21, 2017 at 11:51PM

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Help! McCartney lends Ringo a hand on new album

Author: 

Agence France Press

Tue, 2017-02-21

ID: 

1487699300879132600

LONDON: Ringo Starr got a little help from his friend when Paul McCartney dropped by to work on his new album — the first time the two surviving Beatles have come together in the studio in seven years.
Starr posted a picture on Twitter on Monday showing the pair together, McCartney with his arm around The Beatles’ drummer.
“Thanks for coming over man and playing great bass. I love you man, peace and love,” Starr wrote.
British media reported they had played together in Starr’s home studio over the weekend.
Starr followed up with a second snap of the pair alongside The Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh.
“And look out, Joe W. came out to play. What a day I’m having,” Starr said.
Walsh tweeted: “Humbled to play in the studio with these two. What a great time we had!“
The two surviving members of the legendary British band last collaborated in 2010 for Starr’s “Y Not” album, with McCartney playing bass on “Peace Dream” and singing on “Walk With You.”
Starr is currently working on a follow-up to his 2015 “Postcard From Paradise” album.
Of the “Fab Four,” singer/songwriter John Lennon was shot dead in 1980, while lead guitarist George Harrison died in 2001 from lung cancer.
Bass player McCartney, 74, and drummer Starr, 76, occasionally get together but had not recorded music together in seven years.
rjm/jwp/kjl

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Lifestyle

http://ift.tt/2kWQdcH February 21, 2017 at 06:49PM

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NASA aims to measure vital snow data from satellites

Author: 

DAN ELLIOTT | AP

Tue, 2017-02-21

ID: 

1487674463356687900

DENVER: Airplanes are scanning the Colorado high country with an array of sensors as scientists search for better ways to measure how much water is locked up in the world’s mountain snows.
A NASA-led experiment called SnowEx is testing 10 instruments that might one day be used to monitor snow from satellites. The goal is to find the ideal combination of sensors that can overcome multiple obstacles, including how to analyze snow hidden beneath forest canopies.
NASA says the information is important because one-sixth of the world’s population gets most of its water from melted snow.
But estimating how much water the snow contains is difficult because of tree cover, variations in snow layers and liquid water inside snowbanks that can confuse sensors.
SnowEx aims to find a combination of sensors that works best.

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Science & Technology

http://ift.tt/2m4lKhF February 21, 2017 at 11:55AM

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Ex-teen idol David Cassidy says he has dementia

Author: 

Reuters

Tue, 2017-02-21

ID: 

1487670465426437100

LOS ANGELES: Former teen idol David Cassidy said on Monday he was suffering from dementia, a day after weekend performances in California in which he forgot his words and appeared to fall off stage raised concern about his health.
The former Partridge Family singer and actor, 66, told People magazine he was fighting dementia, a disease which his mother also suffered from.
“I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming,” Cassidy told People.
Cassidy told the magazine he had decided to stop touring as a musician to concentrate on his health.
“I want to focus on what I am, who I am and how I’ve been, without any distractions,” he said. ‘I want to love. I want to enjoy life.”
Cassidy’s publicist said his comments were accurate but gave no further details.
His comments followed videos taken by fans of the singer struggling to remember words to some of his old hits at small venue concerts in southern California on Saturday and Sunday. At one point, he appeared to fall off the side of a small stage before climbing back up.
Cassidy, whose hits “Cherish” and “I Think I Love You” had teenage girls swooning in the 1970s, has struggled with drinking and financial troubles in recent years.
In 2015, he had to auction his Florida home after a bankruptcy filing. He was arrested three times for drunken driving between 2010 and 2014, and was ordered to rehab as part of his sentence in 2014.
Cassidy appeared in several stage shows after his career as a solo singer declined. He played an aging former teen heartthrob in the short-lived 2009 TV comedy “Ruby & the Rockits” and was a member of the “Celebrity Apprentice” reality TV show in 2011.

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Offbeat

http://ift.tt/2lBFKau February 21, 2017 at 10:48AM

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Atlanta, other cities eye test tracks for self-driving cars

Author: 

JEFF MARTIN | AP

Mon, 2017-02-20

ID: 

1487583374458377500

ATLANTA: Self-driving vehicles could begin tooling down a bustling Atlanta street full of cars, buses, bicyclists and college students, as the city vies with other communities nationwide to test the emerging technology.
Atlanta would become one of the largest urban areas for testing self-driving vehicles if plans come together for a demonstration as early as September.
Nationwide, 10 sites were designated last month as “proving grounds” for automated vehicles by the US Department of Transportation.
They include North Carolina turnpikes, the eastern Iowa prairie and a Michigan site where World War II bombing aircraft were produced in a factory built by automobile pioneer Henry Ford. Atlanta isn’t on the list, but city officials nevertheless hope to make an impact.
Backers of driverless cars say they could be part of a broader effort to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, something President Donald Trump has pledged to do. As roads and highways are rebuilt, “we think it would be very, very wise to build modern infrastructure with 21st-century capability in mind,” said Paul Brubaker, president and CEO of the Washington, D.C.-based Alliance for Transportation Innovation.
Self-driving vehicles, he said, “should be a national priority.”
The Trump administration hasn’t revealed its approach to the technology, but two US senators this month announced a bipartisan effort to help speed deployment of the vehicles on the nation’s roads. Republican John Thune of South Dakota and Democrat Gary Peters of Michigan said they’re considering legislation that “clears hurdles and advances innovation in self-driving vehicle technology.”
Atlanta has sought proposals from companies for a demonstration of an autonomous vehicle on North Avenue later this year, city documents show.
The street, which connects the Georgia Institute of Technology campus to some of the South’s tallest skyscrapers, would be among the busiest urban environments yet for such testing.
In Atlanta, city officials say a key goal is to create optimal conditions on North Avenue for such vehicles to operate.
The goal of September’s demonstration is to show how such a vehicle would navigate in real-world traffic, though a driver will be inside and can take the controls if needed, said Faye DiMassimo, an Atlanta official involved in the North Avenue project.
“We still think that autonomous vehicles are sort of ‘The Jetsons,’ right?” DiMassimo said. “When you looked at all the information, you realize not only is this here and now, this has been in development for quite some time.”
North Avenue would first be equipped with devices and sensors, enabling vehicles to communicate with traffic signals and warning self-driving cars of red lights or treacherous conditions such as snow or ice, the city documents show.
Cameras would provide live video of traffic, and computers would analyze data on road conditions, concerts or other events likely to clog streets.
Security is a key concern, however.
“Imagine if these vehicles were hacked. Imagine if the system that controls them were hacked,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog.
“I don’t think our society is going to want a robot glitch or a software hack to be responsible for mass deaths,” he said. “If we sanction robots controlling these vehicles without really knowing the risks, I think the technology will go under when the first major catastrophe befalls us.”
Court’s group worked with California transportation officials as they developed rules for testing vehicles developed by Google and other companies. Now, Court and others are watching to see how often human drivers must take over to prevent accidents as vehicles are tested in California.
Tying together massive amounts of data from so many sources “will pose myriad security challenges,” Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed acknowledged in a report last year on a related initiative to transform Atlanta into a “smart city.” Researchers at Georgia Tech, Reed said, will be key to that effort.
Public acceptance of the vehicles is among the main challenges to their widespread use on city streets and highways, Brubaker said.
He and others see Atlanta as a logical base for the emerging industry.
Atlanta’s notorious traffic congestion could lead residents to welcome such vehicles, Brubaker said.
“In any city that has that level of congestion, people have a relatively open mind to embracing technology solutions that will improve the traffic flow,” Brubaker said.
However, critics say the cars are not yet able to safely navigate clogged streets with traditional cars and pedestrians.
“The technology really is not ready to be used on urban streets, unless they are going to be cleared of human drivers and dedicated strictly to autonomous vehicles,” Court said.
“The real problem is these technologies tend to fail when they’re around pedestrians, cyclists, human drivers,” Court said. The key obstacle, he said: “human behavior is really unpredictable.”
At one North Avenue intersection near Georgia Tech’s football stadium, “students tend to jaywalk, so it can get a little bit messy over there,” said Georgia Tech student Maura Currie, 19. She called it “a hectic stretch of road.”

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Science & Technology

http://ift.tt/2lySOxa February 20, 2017 at 10:36AM

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Angelina Jolie stars in Syrian refugee TV show

Author: 

ARAB NEWS

Sun, 2017-02-19

ID: 

1487449404094914500

SIEM REAP, Cambodia: Angelina Jolie will star in a Turkish TV show about a Syrian family fleeing the country’s civil war alongside Christiano Ronaldo and Nancy Ajram, according to reports in Turkey.
The Real Madrid superstar, 32, often visits the country while Hollywood actress Jolie is well known for her charity work.
“We will begin filming in the first week of April, the series is about the plight of a refugee family and what they go through. There will be appearances from actors and actresses from all over the world including Cristiano Ronaldo, Angelina Jolie and Nancy Ajram,” director Eyup Dirlik was quoted as saying in Turkish media.
Meanwhile, Jolie was in Cambodia on Saturday to unveil her new film on the horrors of the Khmer Rouge era.
Cambodia’s king and survivors of the communist regime were among some 1,500 people invited to the debut screening of “First They Killed My Father,” directed by Jolie and based on the memoirs of Loung Ung.
Loung Ung was five years old when Khmer Rouge troops, led by Pol Pot, swept into Phnom Penh plunging her family into a harrowing ordeal that saw them sent to brutal labor camps before her eventual escape to the US.
In its quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, the regime killed up to 2 million Cambodians between 1975-79 through execution, starvation and overwork.
It is the second movie by Jolie to tackle the subject of genocide — in 2011 she made a film about the Bosnian conflict featuring mostly local actors.
But her latest silver screen offering is more personal.
The Hollywood star previously said it was her adopted Cambodian son Maddox who pushed her to make the film.
At a press conference in Siem Reap, Jolie described Cambodia as a “second home.” It also brought her closer to her son, she said.
— AFP contributed to this report

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Offbeat

http://ift.tt/2l7MDzG February 18, 2017 at 09:25PM

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‘White Helmets’ makers get visas for Oscar travel

Author: 

REUTERS

Sun, 2017-02-19

ID: 

1487449403974914300

LOS ANGELES: Two Syrian rescue workers said on Friday they plan to travel to next week’s Oscar ceremony, where their documentary “White Helmets” is nominated for an award, after weeks of uncertainty caused by US President Donald Trump’s travel ban.
Raed Saleh, the leader of the White Helmets, and cinematographer Khaled Khatib have both obtained visas to travel to the United States for the Feb. 26 Academy Award ceremony in Los Angeles, producer Joanna Natasegara said.
“They both have valid visas. We remain cautious about the physical part of entering the country. Things had been very unclear until this point, but we are now being told they are welcome to enter,” Natasegara said.
“The White Helmets are among the most inspiring humanitarians we have ever known, and it is the greatest honor to share a global platform where their incredible work can be recognized.... In these uncertain times, their story is one of the most moving of our generation,” she added in a joint statement with director Orlando von Einsiedel.
“The White Helmets,” nominated in the Oscars short subject documentary category, gives a glimpse of the daily lives of the civilian Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, whose members volunteer as rescue workers in the war-ravaged country.
“It is important that people understand that Syria has people who want the same things they want: peace, jobs, family, and to live without the fear of bombs. This is what I hope the film does,” Khatib said in a statement on Friday.

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Offbeat

http://ift.tt/1SUSliN February 18, 2017 at 09:24PM

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Disabled models make London Fashion Week debut

Author: 

AFP

Fri, 2017-02-17

ID: 

1487400778940849600

LONDON: Disabled models made their debut on the London Fashion Week catwalk on Friday — “about time,” as one campaigner put it.
Amputee Jack Eyers, who wears a prosthetic leg, and Kelly Knox, who was born with no left forearm, took to the runway for luxury British label Teatum Jones.
“It’s important to get people to reconsider our relationship with the body in the luxury fashion sector,” Catherine Teatum, one half of the design duo, told AFP backstage.
“When you think there was a time when models of color weren’t cast for shows, that’s bonkers! So we feel a little bit like that now.”
The collection, which opened five days of shows in London, featured oversized coats and dresses, reconstructed with sheer layers, eyeleted seams and ties around the waist and legs.
Dubbed “The Body,” it took as inspiration the work of artist Hans Bellmer, who created mutated doll forms in protest at the cult of the perfect body in what would become Nazi Germany.
“As a brand we’ve always been inspired by human stories, wherever they’re from,” added co-designer Rob Jones.
“Around the world, I think a lot of people are being sparked up and wanting to have a voice. Somebody’s got to do it — and somebody’s got to start,” Jones added.
Eyers previously made history when, in February 2015, he became the first male amputee to appear at New York fashion week, in creations by Italian designer Antonio Urzi.
His lower right leg was deformed from birth and he took the decision to amputate when he was 16.
“When I lost my leg I become very unconfident, whereas fashion gives you that sense of confidence,” he told AFP.
His agent had previously put him forward for London shows, but with no luck.
He puts it down to many designers being “very British — they don’t want to offend people.
“In America, they use it as a sob story!“
Louise Dyson, founder of disabled model and actors agency VisABLE, which represents Eyers, said: “It’s about time.”
“It’s been something everyone wanted to avoid,” she added.
“I think they’ve finally woken up to the idea that this is really important. And people want to see great-looking models, irrespective of disability.”

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Fashion

http://ift.tt/2kyLLW8 February 18, 2017 at 07:53AM

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Museum removes artwork produced by immigrants as protest

Author: 

Associated Press

Fri, 2017-02-17

ID: 

1487329410992276000

WELLESLEY, Mass.: A museum at a small liberal arts college in Massachusetts has removed or covered dozens of artwork produced by immigrant artists or donated by foreign-born collectors to illustrate their contribution to the cultural wealth of the United States.
The Art-Less project has effectively removed or shrouded 120 works of art, or about 20 percent of artwork on display in the galleries at Wellesley College’s Davis Museum.
Museum Director Lisa Fischman says the Art-Less project illustrates the kind of loss that we would feel without the gifts of immigrant artists and immigrant collectors.
Museum visitor Audrey Stevens says the project is also a protest that sends a message that contribution from immigrants has made the US the desirable nation it is today.

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Art & Culture

http://ift.tt/2kwTmEM February 17, 2017 at 12:04PM

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Arctic and Antarctic sea ice at record low in January — UN

Author: 

Reuters

Fri, 2017-02-17

ID: 

1487329348042267300

GENEVA: The extent of sea ice in the Arctic and Antarctic last month was the lowest on record for January, the UN World Meteorological Organization said on Friday, while concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere hit a record level.
“The missing ice in both poles has been quite extraordinary,” David Carlson, Director of the World Climate Research Programme, told a UN briefing in Geneva.

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World

http://ift.tt/2m2CFwY February 17, 2017 at 12:02PM

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One man’s quest to find his abducted father

Author: 

MANAL SHAKIR

Fri, 2017-02-17

ID: 

1487280432826204200

Hisham Matar’s “The Return” is a harrowing memoir about a son’s search for his father, who was forcibly taken from their Cairo apartment in March 1990. At the time, 19-year-old Matar was unaware that it would be the last time he would see his father. It would also spark an arduous, but ultimately unsuccessful, quest to find him.
Matar’s father Jaballa was a military man, diplomat, poet and businessman who moved his family to Cairo from Libya to live in exile after King Idris of Libya was overthrown in a coup d’état.
He was a patriot and an activist, staunchly and vocally opposed to the government of Muammar Qaddafi. He had been a thorn in the side of the regime since the 1970s, but was able to keep out of harm’s way until the day he was kidnapped and handed over to Libyan security forces.
In a few letters following his disappearance, Jaballa was able to get word to his family that he was in the notorious Abu Salim prison in Tripoli, Libya, known at the time as the “Last Stop.” It was an abysmal jail that held scores of political prisoners, including Hisham Matar’s uncles and cousins, for decades until they were either killed or freed. But in 2011, when every last cell of Abu Salim prison was broken open, Jaballa Matar was nowhere to be found. The last correspondence with his family was a letter from 1996. So what happened to him?
Mysterious circumstances, evocative details
The book moves back and forth between present and past, as if the reader is in Matar’s mind, going through events beside him. You are instantly pulled into the story by its mysterious circumstances, following the writer, who like a detective unearths hidden secrets and discovers the unknown. But before you can get carried away in the mystery, Matar has a way of reminding you that this story is real, with real people, real sorrows and real joys. Its pages are filled with Matar’s memories of his childhood in Libya, his garden full of grape vines and lemon and orange trees. It is bursting with recollections of his mother’s cooking and father’s poetry, aromas of his grandfather’s eucalyptus tree and the thrill of playing soccer with his brother in the streets of Tripoli. He allows you a glimpse into the struggles and fears he endures as a child, teenager and, eventually, a man without his father.
Reading this book is like being part of a cathartic experiment in which the author is aware that the telling of the story will somehow help ease his pain. Before you are even halfway through the book, however, you know that his pain is not something that can be buried.
“I was the son of an unusual man, perhaps even a great man. And when, like most children, I rebelled against these early perceptions of him, I did so because I feared the consequences of his convictions; I was desperate to divert him from his path. It was my first lesson in the limits of one’s ability to dissuade another from a perilous course,” the author wrote.
Matar’s loss of his father and not knowing what happened to him, only able to recall memories and feelings at various times, are pains that will come and go, and will sometimes drop him to his knees or pass him by like familiar aromas.
Identity and belonging
Matar’s return to Libya, after 36 years, is revealed masterfully. His own insight into his life and that of his family’s is so careful and precise — like an artist painting his masterpiece. He produces a resolute, traumatic and beautiful picture embedded in roots, history and family. As a writer of two previous fiction books, “In the Country of Men” and “Anatomy of a Disappearance,” both based on characters who live in exile, Matar’s memoir was a long time coming.
Throughout the book, the author reveals his struggles with identity and belonging. He quotes novelist Jean Rhys to help portray what he feels: “I would never be part of anything. I would never really belong anywhere, and I knew it, and all my life would be the same, trying to belong, and failing. Always something would go wrong. I am a stranger and I always will be, and after all I didn’t really care.”
As a Libyan born in New York, the city “means nothing and everything” to Matar as he tries to understand where he belongs in the world. He has lived in many places but his roots are in Libya. His childhood memories of his home are fixed, bringing him joy, but they coincide with harsh political realities. His awareness of these facts is intertwined with the story but does not take away from the book; rather it adds a dimension.
The search for Matar’s father reveals facts he did not know about Jaballa through brief phone calls, cryptic e-mails, and recollections of uncles, friends, and strangers. They help him learn that behind the man he knew for 19 years, was another complete person, fixed in principles. The discovery, and inevitable journey, is a full expression of human life, the ups and downs, joys and sorrows, gains and losses.
This book is a record of a determined family, whose roots are deeply embedded in Libya; their love grows from its soil and their feet have dug themselves into its land. It is the way Matar writes, the impact of his words, that allows a reader to understand how important a story this is. Matar’s fastidiousness in his retelling is what makes it such an outstanding book. One can’t help but think that his writing is the extension of his father’s resoluteness. A passage his father wrote, revealed to Matar by a relative, is the resounding voice one is left with at the end of this book: “Don’t worry; I am well. I am like the mountain that is neither altered nor diminished by the passing storm.”
— Manal Shakir is the author of “Magic Within,” published by Harper Collins India, and a freelance writer. She lives in Chicago, Illinois.
• life.style@arabnews.com

Main category: 

Science & Technology

http://ift.tt/2lnWFO1 February 16, 2017 at 10:27PM

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