الأحد، 31 ديسمبر 2017
Tamil film star Rajinikanth to enter politics in India’s Tamil Nadu
Sun, 2017-12-31 08:54
ID:
1514699839874854800
NEW DELHI: A big star of India’s Tamil-language movies, Rajinikanth, said on Sunday he is launching a political party, adding drama to a heated political scene in a state with a history of film stars becoming chief ministers.
Tamil Nadu, which accounts for the bulk of India’s automobile exports, has been in political limbo since the death of Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa in December 2016. Jayalalithaa was a popular actress before joining politics.
Rajinikanth, called the “superstar” by his fans, enters the political scene at a time Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party is looking to make inroads into the southern state that’s been ruled by two south Indian parties for decades.
Over the past five decades, Tamil Nadu has chosen between the two Dravidian parties, both of which claim anti-caste social justice and secularism as their core ideology.
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not win a seat in Tamil Nadu’s 2016 elections. The next state election is due in 2021.
“I’ll push for spiritual politics without caste or religious leanings,” Rajinikanth said. “If I come to power and am not able to deliver in three years, I’ll resign. Democracy is in a state of distress in the state.”
In Tamil cinema, Rajinikanth often plays larger-than-life characters that project him as a savior of the masses. The actor, who has been in a few Hindi movies, has created a frenzy among fans ahead of every release.
But opponents say politics would be different.
Subramanian Swamy, a BJP leader, dismissed Rajinikanth’s plunge into politics as “media hype.”
Tamil Nadu, a state of more than 70 million people, is sometimes called the “Detroit of Asia.” It is home to factories of companies including BMW, Daimler, Hyundai, Ford, Nissan and Renault.
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2017: Looking back on the year that was
Sun, 2017-12-31 10:10
ID:
1514541456123195200
From music to art, 2017 has been a year of momentous change in Saudi Arabia and wider Gulf region. As the year draws to a close, it is natural to take a moment and reflect on the year that has passed and if anything can be said about 2017, it should be that it has been a year of change — from politics, to entertainment to trends. As we are now closer to 2030 than we are to 1990 and we imagine what the future will bring, we can find guidance and inspiration from the stories that shaped this year in the Gulf.
Announcements in art
The opening of the Louvre Abu Dhabi in November 2017 was a huge cultural touchstone for not only the UAE, but for the GCC region. Although there are numerous museums throughout the Gulf, the Louvre Abu Dhabi ushered in a new era of art to the region. The museum, opened with a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron comes a decade after France and the UAE agreed to a 30-year partnership initially reported to be worth $1.1 billion, including nearly half a billion dollars for the rights to the Louvre brand alone. The museum has already proven itself to be a popular destination, with tourists flocking to revel in art from history's greatest masters.
In early December, it was announced that the museum would exhibit Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait of Christ, “Salvator Mundi,” which at $450.3 million became the most expensive painting ever sold at a New York auction last month, Reuters reported.
“Da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi is coming to #Louvre Abu Dhabi,” Louvre Abu Dhabi said on its twitter feed on Dec. 6.
It did not say whether the piece would be on permanent display nor did it shed any light on the buyer’s identity.
Not only did art come to the region, but the region also continued to share its art with the world throughout 2017. Most recently, 15 artists from Bahrain showcased their art at the prestigious Saatchi Gallery in London. All works were under the theme of “Diversity.” London’s Design Museum also announced that it would be honoring French-Tunisian fashion designer Azzedine Alaia, who passed away on Nov. 18, with a major exhibition showcasing more than 60 pieces “personally selected by the iconic designer.”
A fashion forward year
In the world of fashion, December saw the first Modest Fashion Week to be held in Dubai, which celebrated modest fashion and style in spectacular style at Burj Park, under the lights of the Burj Khalifa. Over the two-day event, more than 300 modest looks were showcased, led by leaders and trendsetters in the modest fashion world.
Dubai was not the only city to pay homage to modest style, the hijab and abaya took center stage during New York Fashion Week in September as up-and-coming Indonesian designers kicked off a diverse fashion week, hoping to change prejudices in the West.
Speaking of hijabs, 2017 also saw Time magazine place a 16-year-old Saudi girl on its “30 Most Influential Teens” because she proposed Apple’s new headscarf-wearing emoji.
Rayouf Alhumedhi sent a proposal to The Unicode Consortium, a non-profit corporation that reviews and develops new emojis and was met with praise for her idea.
It seemed to be the year of the hijab as the maker of Barbie also announced in 2017 that it will sell a doll modeled after Ibtihaj Mohammed, an American fencer who competed in last year’s Olympics while wearing a hijab.
Mattel Inc. said the doll would be available online next fall. The doll is part of the Barbie “Shero” line that honors women who break boundaries.
Exciting entertainment
Ushering in the beginning of a new era for the country, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Information announced in December that cinemas would be opening in 2018 — for the first time since the 1980s. The announcement was welcomed with enthusiasm by the public and arts community alike, with Saudi director Ali Alsumayin, previously telling Arab News: “Just now we can talk about the movie industry in Saudi where the viewers can live the full experience of movie magic. When a person finds the time and the money to go and watch a movie in a cinema, the pressure on moviemakers is great to produce something worth the time and the money spent by the audiences.”
The opening of cinemas will come on the heels of a year that saw an immense change for the Kingdom, with Comic Con, the popular culture convention, held in Riyadh for the first time in November, welcoming “Game of Thrones” and “Justice League” star, Jason Momoa and regional rapper, Qusai.
Hollywood megastar John Travolta also made his first-ever appearance on a Riyadh stage in December, spurring the hashtag #John_Travolta_in_Riyadh as excitement for his visit spread. The actor spoke to a full audience of 2,000 about his journey to fame at the Apex Convention Center, delighting his fans.
Gulf entertainment lost a great this year, with the passing of the Kuwaiti actor Abdulhussain Abdulredha, who passed away at the age of 78 in London. Abdulredha gained critical acclaim for his portrayal of Iraq’s Saddam Hussein in a play in the 1980s and was admired for his ability to perform social and political commentary in a comedic manner and gained fans across the Arab world with his iconic monologues.
In record-breaking, lighter news, Ahlam, the Arab world’s “queen” of pop, become the first female Arabic singer to perform at the Dubai Opera when she sang her famous catalogue of hits, from “Aghla Insan” to “Makani.”
The Dubai Opera was not the only venue in the Gulf to host concerts, with Saudi Arabia holding the Kingdom’s first female-only concert with Yemeni-Emirati singer Balqees Fathi. Mobile phones were prevented from being brought into the concert to make the atmosphere more comfortable for female attendees so that a good time was ensured.
Yanni, the famous world musician, also held six concerts across the Kingdom, in Jeddah and Riyadh. Originally slated for four shows, Yanni increased his performances to six due to the huge demand and excitement for the performance. The 63-year-old enjoyed a great reception from fans as the popular concerts, supported with a 12-piece orchestra, enthralled families for almost two hours per show.
A robotic first
In October, Saudi Arabia became the first country in the world to naturalize a robot as a citizen when it bestowed the rights to “Sophia,” a robot designed by Hong Kong-based company, Hanson Robotics. In an exchange during her unveiling, Sophia said “I want to live and work with humans so I need to express the emotions to understand humans and build trust with people.” Saudi Arabia also announced plans to open a $500 billion city of robots and renewables in the Kingdom’s Red Sea coast, as part of a national push to diversify its economy. Known as NEOM, this zone will be 26,500 square kilometers focused on industries including, biotechnology, food, energy and water, advanced manufacturing and entertainment.
Driving change
In an announcement that sent ripples around the world, Saudi Arabia in September stated that it would allow women to drive in the Kingdom, as part of a string of social and economic reforms underway in the country.
Women across the Kingdom celebrated while car makers were quick to target the new market of female motorists in Saudi Arabia. Within hours of the news becoming public, car manufacturers from Ford to Jaguar were jostling for position in the race to win the attention of the lucrative new market.
So, as we roll into 2018, we can keep an optimistic eye on the development of music, art, and culture in a country and wider region that has oh-so-much to offer.
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السبت، 30 ديسمبر 2017
Al-Bahrainiyah responds to critics over her ‘controversial song’
Sun, 2017-12-31 03:00
ID:
1514660174221240200
BEIRUT: Critics and artists have confirmed that the latest song by Bahrain’s Hind Al-Bahrainiyah and Lebanon’s Jad Choueiry has achieved a great success.
The allegedly controversial video of “Barra” was a hit on social media, but reports suggest that some people were not happy with its content.
Art and film critic Osama Al-Majed told Sayidati.net that though the song is beautiful, it might not please everyone.
Al-Majed said accusations against Hind of supporting homosexuality and offending men are groundless and lack credibility. He was referring to a scene in the video where a man is wearing a donkey’s mask. He said these accusations must end.
Al-Bahrainiyah also responded to her critics on social media, saying that the mask worn in the video is of a famous cartoon character and not of a donkey.
The video clip tells the story of woman who has decided to leave her boyfriend because he had mistreated her.
Jay-Z, Beyonce imagine daughter as US leader in new video
Sun, 2017-12-31 03:00
ID:
1514660174251240500
NEW YORK: President Blue Ivy Carter?
Music power couple Jay-Z and Beyonce have imagined their daughter as a transformative US leader in a new video.
Blue Ivy, who turns six on Jan. 7, is depicted as leading an all-female constitutional convention in 2050 in a video released Friday for her father’s song “Family Feud.”
The video — shot by “Selma” director Ava DuVernay, one of the most prominent African-American women in Hollywood — tells a story with echoes of “Game of Thrones” and Shakespearean tragedy as it depicts a futuristic conflict.
The plot cuts back to 2050 as “America’s founding mothers” — a cheeky take on the “founding fathers” who established the US political system — passionately debate whether to preserve the Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms.
The women needed to revise the Constitution at a time “when some thought that making America great meant making us afraid of each other,” a descendant is heard saying — in an unmistakable critique of President Donald Trump and his campaign slogan.
The convention ends with a forceful appeal from the meeting’s leader: “America is a family, and the whole family should be free.”
The descendant mentions wisdom she learned from her father — and her identity becomes clear as the story shifts to the year 2018 and the real-life Blue Ivy is seen with Jay-Z in church.
Jay-Z then opens his song, appearing as if he is giving confession as Beyonce — sporting a cap resembling the miter worn by Catholic cardinals — dances about.
“Family Feud” does not explicitly depict Blue Ivy as president, but the video quickly sparked chatter online.
Veteran male rock’n’roll acts had biggest 2017 world tours
Sun, 2017-12-31 03:00
ID:
1514660174271240800
LOS ANGELES: Veteran, white male rock stars raked in the most cash from world tours in 2017, according to an annual list released recently, while the highest-ranked women — Celine Dion and Lady Gaga — failed to make the top 10.
Irish band U2 grossed a leading $316 million from its 30th anniversary, 50-date “Joshua Tree” tour. It was followed by hard rock band Guns N’ Roses which took in $292.5 million, according to trade publication Pollstar’s ranking of the Top 20 worldwide tours of 2017.
British band Coldplay came in third, with $238 million, on a list where Bruno Mars, 32, of Puerto Rican and Philippine descent, was the only musician of color in the top ten. Mars grossed $200 million. Ed Sheeran, 26, was the youngest singer in the top ten, pulling in $124.1 million.
At a whopping $1,500 average, Bruce Springsteen’s limited Broadway run had the highest ticket prices and grossed $87.8 million to give the “Born to Run” singer 14th place.
In 11th place, Dion was the top female act with $101.2 million, while Lady Gaga’s “Joanne” tour grossed $85.7 million for 15th place.
The touring numbers mark a strong contrast with US music sales and streaming preferences, where hip hop and R&B music this year became the most consumed music genre, according to a July Nielsen Music report.
The top 20 tours grossed $2.66 billion in 2017, a record high and an increase of more than $264 million from 2016, Pollstar said.
Pollstar’s ranking is based on ticket sales data and does not include revenue from merchandise which can add a sizable chunk to tour earnings.
Ringo Starr, Bee Gee Barry Gibb tapped as British knights
Sat, 2017-12-30 03:00
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1514629980179160200
LONDON: A Beatle and a Bee Gee are among the celebrated citizens who have been selected for knighthood and other awards given in the name of Britain’s monarch.
Britain’s Cabinet Office publishes a list of the people receiving honors for merit, service or bravery twice a year: just before New Year’s Eve, and on Saturday in June when Queen Elizabeth II’s birthday is officially observed.
The New Year’s Honors List made public late Friday revealed that Beatles drummer Ringo Starr and Barry Gibb, the oldest and last surviving of the brothers who made up the pop group the Bee Gees, have been tapped as knights.
The process starts with nominations from the public, which first are reviewed by a specialist committee and then by a main honors committee. The nominations are then sent to the prime minister before the various honors are bestowed by the queen or senior royals.
The children’s author celebrated for “War Horse,” a politician who fought in vain to keep Britain in the European Union, and many others, including renowned researchers, volunteers and actors, also made the honors list.
These are four of the people picked to receive knighthoods in 2018:
A HARD DAY’S KNIGHT
The future knight is listed as Richard Starkey, a Liverpudlian being honored for services to music, but the world knows him as Ringo Starr, drummer for one of the most famous bands in the history of recorded music.
He missed the Beatles’ hardscrabble years, when they had to scramble for a gig to get by, joining John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison just before they rocketed to stardom.
There were flashier drummers in the rock pantheon — Keith Moon and Ginger Baker come to mind — but Starr fit the band’s approach perfectly, playing with uncanny style and imagination as the band’s music branched out from its early American rock influences. The drum parts in “Ticket to Ride,” “Rain,” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” are all seen as masterful contributions to timeless songs.
Starr also had a way of mangling words that pleased Lennon, who used Starr’s offhand quips to develop the songs “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Tomorrow Never Knows.”
“It’s great!” Starr said of his knighthood in a brief message Friday. “It’s an honor and a pleasure to be considered and acknowledged for my music and my charity work, both of which I love. Peace and love. Ringo.”
He has enjoyed a successful solo recording career since the Beatles broke up in 1970 and continues to tour with a shifting ensemble known as Ringo Starr & His All Starr Band. Each show features a performance of “With a Little Help from My Friends,” his signature song from the Sgt. Pepper album.
The knighthood will allow Starr, 77, to join McCartney, Mick Jagger, Elton John and Van Morrison as 1960s rock royalty honored by the queen. Could Keith Richards be next?
DISCO KNIGHTS
Barry Gibb, the last surviving member of the Bee Gees, said he was dedicating his knighthood to his late bandmates, twin brothers Robin Gibb, who died in 2012, and Maurice Gibb, who died in 2003.
“I want to acknowledge how responsible my brothers are for this honor,” said Gibb, 71. “It is as much theirs as it is mine.”
He was recognized for services to music and charity.
“This is a moment in life to be treasured and never forgotten,” he said.
The Bee Gees formed in the late 1950s and enjoyed two distinct periods of commercial success: first as a Beatles-influenced pop band and later as leading avatars of the disco movement, particularly on the “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack that achieved global fame. The band enjoyed phenomenal success in the disco era of the 1970s, consistently topping the singles charts and racking up huge album sales.
MY KNIGHTHOOD FOR MY HORSE!
Author Michael Morpurgo says he is giving his knighthood to Joey, the fictional horse at the center of his book and play “War Horse.”
Morpurgo, 74, has written many treasured children’s books, but it is his 1982 book “War Horse” and the wildly successful play that followed that brought him worldwide fame.
The story, set at the start of World War I, chronicles the friendship between a young boy and his horse, Joey. It was staged using life-size horse puppets that enchanted audiences.
Morpurgo is being knighted for his charitable works as well as for his writing, but he says the honor is really about “War Horse” and the impact of the production staged by the National Theatre.
“There was never a knight that has owed so much to his horse as this one — and in fact, we will give the knighthood to Joey and call him Sir Joey,” said Morpurgo.
Morpurgo, a former school teacher, said it was the “great good fortune” of his writing life to be associated with the play.
CLEGG’S CONSOLATION
He lost his seat in Parliament earlier this year. He campaigned hard to keep Britain in the European Union, only to see Britons turn the other way in the 2016 referendum. He resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats after the party’s poor performance in the 2015 election.
The past few years have been rough for former British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, but he gets a handsome consolation prize in the form of a knighthood recognizing his service to politics.
At just 50 years old, Clegg is young enough to contemplate a return to electoral politics. He has remained a vocal opponent of the Brexit process, which is set to see Britain leave the European Union in 2019. But he has lost much of the luster he gained in 2010 when he seemed to offer a fresh alternative to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Conservative challenger David Cameron. Many party faithful criticized his decision to have the Liberal Democrats become a junior party in the Cameron-led coalition that governed the UK for five years.
Cheesed off: Italian regions highly strung over mozzarella
Fri, 2017-12-29 15:30
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1514629812739156400
ROME: Defenders of buffalo mozzarella in the Campania region of southern Italy have vowed to fight a decision made this week by the farming ministry which allows a cow mozzarella from neighboring Puglia to be given special status.
Even before Brussels has given its opinion over the DOP (protected designation of origin) label, the defense consortium of buffalo mozzarella announced an appeal at the administrative court.
“The cheese products of Puglia are delicious, but for the typical character of the local productions and the full interest of the value of the resources of all regions, the only DOP mozzarella is — and must remain — ours, exclusively made with buffalo milk,” warned the Campania region in September.
Buffalo mozzarella was awarded the DOP label in 1996, and following a difficult start in trading has had a record decade: some 44,000 tons were produced in 2016 — up 31 percent in 10 years — of which 14,000 tons were exported — up 168 percent in the same period.
Buffalo milk costs three times more than cow’s milk, and even though the taste of both products is different and the ministry has set constraints for dairies in Puglia to clearly display that it is cow mozzarella, Campania fears confusion.
“The game is not over,” said Domenico Raimondo, president of the defense consortium of buffalo mozzarella.
“We will go to the end and we will use all the means at our disposal to avoid what appears to us clearly an own goal for Italy, that both the markets and consumers will understand.”
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In strife-torn Myanmar, love trumps hate for a rare couple
Sat, 2017-12-30 03:00
ID:
1514611241798823700
THETKABYIN, Myanmar: In her dreams, Setara walks hand in hand with her Muslim husband through the streets of the seaside Myanmar town they grew up in. They visit old friends, share a meal with family, dip their toes into the warm surf of the Bay of Bengal.
But in the hate-filled reality of the world they live in, Setara can only do these things alone — when she takes off her Islamic veil and crosses through a pair of checkpoints into the predominantly Buddhist state capital, where her government will not allow the love of her life to set foot.
That’s because Setara’s husband is an ethnic Rohingya Muslim, a group the UN has called one of the most persecuted on the planet. Setara, meanwhile, was born a Buddhist and part of the ethnic Rakhine, who despise the Rohingya and see them as foreign invaders from Bangladesh.
Marriage between the two communities is extraordinarily rare. It’s also risky in a nation where security forces have driven more than 730,000 Rohingya into exile since 2016, carried out large-scale massacres and burned hundreds of villages in a campaign the UN and human rights groups have described as “ethnic cleansing.”
In Sittwe, Setara tells no one she is married to a Rohingya. Because “if they knew, they would kill me right away. So I’m always careful.”
The 24-year-old’s fears are not exaggerated. Even Rohingya who have ventured into Sittwe on rare trips escorted by police in recent months have been attacked by mobs and killed. Hard-line Buddhists regularly march through the city’s crumbling streets, past ruined mosques that have been closed since June 2012, when the Rakhine burned most Rohingya homes and drove more than 120,000 into camps for the displaced.
Setara, then a widow, met her husband, Mohammad, about eight months later at a market on the edge of a Rohingya village where she had come to sell vegetables. Rakhine traders, who can travel freely, regularly sell goods to Rohingya at marked-up prices.
They exchanged phone numbers and she began visiting him at a pharmacy he ran nearby. Mohammad, 32, bought her small gifts, teased her to make her laugh and took her for rides on his motorbike. He was amazed to meet a Rakhine woman who didn’t treat a Rohingya any differently than her own. He told her he loved her.
Setara felt the same way. She thought he was the kindest man she had ever known.
But when she told her family — after much reluctance — that she was dating a Rohingya man, they became enraged. Her brother beat her severely. They told her she could not go back. Then, her family kicked her out.
The move pushed her closer to Mohammad. In late 2013, she converted to Islam and they married in a small Islamic ceremony held before local religious leaders. No one from Setara’s family attended.
In the years since, Setara has reconciled with her three sisters. But she has never been able to return home. Her parents passed away when she was young, and the brother who helped raise them all still refuses to speak to her. Residents of her old neighborhood have also made clear she is no longer welcome; they call her a “Kalar’s wife.” Kalar is a derogatory word for Muslims that is frequently used in Myanmar.
Mohammad characterizes their relationship in much the same way his wife does. “She sees me as a human being and I see her as a human being, and it’s that simple,” he said, when asked how they had overcome the huge societal obstacles to marry.
Mohammad is a quiet man with a calm manner; Setara is more outspoken. They are a couple clearly in love, glancing at each other and smiling as they talk. The AP is identifying them by their first names only for their protection.
They live in a Rohingya village adjacent to a network of Muslim displaced camps, with Setara’s 2-year-old niece and her 9-year-old daughter from her first marriage. Setara says the Rohingya have welcomed her warmly, as one of their own. But she misses her old friends and her old life.
While Mohammad, like all Rohingya, is not permitted by the government to travel, Setara makes regular trips to Sittwe, about half an hour away, to buy supplies for the small pharmacy and shop they run beside their home.
Before going, though, she smears a pale cosmetic paste on her cheeks called “thanaka,” which is commonly used by Buddhists in Myanmar. She takes off her veil and puts on a blouse. And she never forgets to bring her national identification card, which includes a critical line indicating she is Buddhist. Without it, she could never cross the checkpoints — one manned by police, the other by soldiers — to town.
The contrast between the two worlds is startling. The Rohingya side is dry and dusty, devoid of trees and filled with despair, with little to do. The Buddhist side is lush, with schools and a university, paved roads, a karaoke bar and restaurants that serve wine by the sea.
In Sittwe’s main market, Setara visits friends and sometimes her sisters. But she also overhears Rakhine gossiping about the latest news, and cursing the Rohingya.
Sometimes she goes to the beach, where teens hang out at seaside cafes on plastic chairs, and watches the sun go down. But when she thinks about her husband — the fact that he cannot be there — her thoughts turn dark, and she wonders “if our lives will just end like this.”
“I always wish I could go out with my husband and go to the fun places in town ... especially when I see other couples going around,” Setara said. “I just want to cry sometimes.”
Mohammad imagines the same, impossible trips. But he also worries each time she goes. “I worry something might happen, that someone might find out she’s a Muslim, that she’s married to me,” he said.
Both said they want children of their own because they love each other. But they know it would not be easy for a child, who would be half Rohingya and not recognized as a Burmese citizen.
The marriage has given Setara a profound insight into life in the camps for the Rohingya displaced.
“It’s just like hell,” she said. “They have no hope. They have no medical treatment. People are more and more scared.”
Since Rohingya insurgents staged dozens of attacks in the northern half of Rakhine state that triggered a major backlash by security forces in late August, life in the south, where Setara and her husband live, has stayed calm but only gotten harder.
International aid for displaced camps has been held up by authorities, and humanitarian workers have been forced to scale back visits. Hussein said the government has also stopped Rohingya from fishing, a critical source of income, until they accept “national verification cards” which identify them as “Bengalis.” Many have resisted because they insist on being identified as Rohingya, a term the government does not recognize.
In her despair, Setara sometimes tells her husband she is going to leave. When he begs her to “stop saying that,” she tells him she doesn’t mean it.
“It doesn’t mean that I don’t love him. I just don’t like the way we have to live here,” she said. “I keep telling myself every day that I need to be strong .... but sometimes I just want to fly away.”
Still, she says, that is something she will never do. “The future for the Rohingya is bad,” she said. “But I will never leave ... it is my destiny to be here, to be with my husband.”
الجمعة، 29 ديسمبر 2017
Rose Marie of ‘Dick Van Dyke Show’ fame dies at 94
Sat, 2017-12-30 03:00
ID:
1514576003275265900
LOS ANGELES: Rose Marie chafed at being a supporting player in the shadow of Mary Tyler Moore’s fetching suburban housewife on “The Dick Van Dyke Show.”
But it was as feisty comedy writer Sally Rogers that Marie stretched the narrow confines of how women were portrayed on TV in the mid-20th century. Sally was an independent single woman who handled her job as adroitly as her male colleagues and who dated but refused to pine away for romance.
Marie, who died Thursday at 94, was proud to have created a woman defined by her work, a rare sitcom character at the time who was not “a wife, mother, or housekeeper,” she tweeted in 2017.
It represented one milestone in an extraordinary acting and singing career that started when she was a toddler, stretched over nearly a century and included success in theater, radio, movies and TV.
“There’s never been a more engaging & multi-talented performer .... & always had audiences clamoring for more!!” Carl Reiner, creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” posted Thursday on Twitter.
Marie had been resting in bed at her Los Angeles-area home when a caretaker found she had stopped breathing, said family spokesman Harlan Boll. The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
Dalia Karim attends Baabda Palace Christmas recital
Sat, 2017-12-30 03:00
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1514576003355266800
BEIRUT: Lebanese interior designer and media personality Dalia Karim and her husband, businessman Jad Sawaya, attended the Christmas recital at the Baabda Palace last week, alongside Lebanese President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Saad Hariri, and a number of other influential figures, El-Mshaher website reported.
During side meetings, politicians reportedly highlighted the important role that Karim’s television show, “Dalia and Change,” plays “in helping those in need across Lebanon.”
Earlier, Karim’s special Christmas episode aired, filmed at a Maronite Nursing Home in Beirut. A feast was served in honor of the elderly, then Karim passed out gifts and apparently promised them more visits, which, she told the elderly residents, would take place “in cooperation with Touch,” a Lebanese telecommunications company.
Karim also participated in her network OTV’s New Year’s Eve celebration at Casino du Liban, where she reportedly prayed for peace in Lebanon and the Arab world.
Hip hop and children’s voices: In Paris, migrant artists craft new future
Sat, 2017-12-30 03:00
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1514576003325266500
PARIS: In a bright white room in a building north of Paris, Syrian musician Karam Al-Zouhir impatiently clicks a mouse as he presses his headphones against his ears.
The 30-year-old artist, who left his country shortly after civil war broke out in 2011, is composing a musical show for children based on recordings of migrant children telling their stories, with support from French writer Claire Audhuy.
“In many ways, kids are more perceptive and adaptable than adults,” said Al-Zouhir, one of about 200 musicians, painters and sculptors from conflict-affected countries working alongside each other in the workshop in northern Paris.
“There’s so much we can learn from the way they experience a crisis,” he said, totally engrossed in overlaying sounds of clinging forks and crushed cans on quotes from children.
Giving artists from countries such as Syria, Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo the chance to continue their work and rebuild their lives was the reason that former theater managers Ariel Cypel and Judith Depaule set up the Agency for Artists in Exile earlier this year.
With funding from the Paris authorities and a 1,000-square-meter space the size of four tennis courts provided by French charity Emmaüs Solidarite, artists need only pay a token one euro a year to work there, explained Cypel.
“Most of the people working here live in extremely precarious conditions,” he said. “So we try to take off some pressure and provide members with a bit of stability, if only in their work life.”
Artists come at all hours and can stay for as long as they want, Cypel added.
“When you’ve suffered torture, rape or forced exile, getting into work early is the last thing on your mind.”
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), about 400,000 refugees claimed asylum in Europe in 2017, fleeing the war in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East, as well as conflicts and poverty in Africa and Asia.
While France has been much less affected by Europe’s migrant crisis than neighboring Germany, thousands of asylum seekers use it as a transit point in the hope of reaching Britain.
Cypel said artists were particularly at risk of persecution from repressive regimes and often forced into exile, where their talent and knowledge too often go unnoticed.
The agency’s art ranges from hip hop workshops to help minors feel more comfortable, to doll collections by Afghan performance artist Kubra Khademi whose work focuses on “those girls who have no choice but to be born women.”
While the initiative is primarily about art, it also aims to facilitate members’ integration into society by introducing them to art professionals, helping them learn French, and even offering legal and psychological support.
“For me, success would actually be our artists leaving us and making it on their own,” said Cypel, a hesitant smile spreading across his face.
For Al-Zouhir, there is “absolutely no chance of going back to Syria, even if it means never seeing my parents again.”
“If however I can make something beautiful out of something so ugly, and help preserve my country’s culture, then I hope they can be proud of me,” he said.
Cypel knows the workspace may not last forever.
Haddad to perform in Dubai on New Year’s Eve
Sat, 2017-12-30 03:00
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1514576003305266200
DUBAI: Lebanese pop star Diana Haddad will perform at a special New Year’s Eve concert at Dubai’s City Walk, El-Mshaher website reported.
Haddad’s band will accompany her for a set of diverse Khaleeji and Arab songs — both old and new, according to the article.
The free concert, organized and sponsored by Meraas, the holding company in charge of City Walk, is part of the “Light Up 2018” celebrations, which will start at 10 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 31.
The 41-year-old singer, who currently resides in the UAE, reportedly said she has put together a set that will encourage audience participation, and promised attendees a special, optimistic New Year celebration.
She also said she prayed for the safety and peace of the UAE and all Arab countries.
Haddad, who rose to fame with the release of her 1996 debut album “Saken,” is currently rehearsing for a tour of Gulf and Arab countries in early 2018. She is also preparing her 14th studio album, for which she said she intends to release several videos.
Russian space experts regain control of first Angola satellite
Fri, 2017-12-29 03:00
ID:
1514569639834894000
MOSCOW: Russian space experts have managed to regain control of Angola’s first satellite, which was launched earlier this week, officials said Friday.
The Russian-built satellite successfully entered a designated orbit after Tuesday’s launch from the Baikonur pad in Kazakhstan, but experts couldn’t immediately establish contact.
The state-run Energia company that built the AngoSat 1 satellite said Friday its engineers have finally established communications with the craft and received data indicating that all its systems are operating properly.
Relieved with the good news, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, who oversees space programs, congratulated the Angolan ambassador on the satellite launch, saying the two nations should further deepen their cooperation.
The initial glitch with the Angolan satellite followed a failed satellite launch in November, drawing attention to the Russian space industry’s problems and causing a round of finger-pointing between top officials.
Asked about the failures, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that they warrant a thorough analysis of the situation in the space industry.
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Ellen DeGeneres gets her game on in new prime-time show
Fri, 2017-12-29 03:00
ID:
1514559755834287800
LOS ANGELES: Ellen DeGeneres is known for keeping her comedy on the nice side. But she lets her inner meanie out for “Ellen’s Game of Games.”
That’s NBC’s new prime-time game show, which begins its regular run Tuesday after a December sneak peek. The hour-long show subjects its contestants to minor-league torments that, it turns out, delight host DeGeneres — and offers a $100,000 top prize.
She says she gets a kick out of seeing panic on contestants’ faces when they are in danger of giving the wrong answer. They know the consequences could include being drenched with water or launched airborne.
DeGeneres says no one gets hurt, only humiliated.
“Ellen’s Game of Games” airs at 8 p.m. Eastern Tuesday on NBC.
Echoes of escaped Brazilian slaves live on in Rio
Fri, 2017-12-29 06:21
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1514519554532706700
RIO DE JANEIRO: Hundreds of years after Brazilian slaves first fled to rebel communities called quilombos, remnants of those outposts of freedom live on in the heart of Rio de Janeiro.
Often the quilombos were established in remote places -- better to get away from pursuers.
However, three founded in Rio have survived as living testaments to a tradition at the core of Brazil's complicated racial history.
Of course, Afro-Brazilians do not need to escape slavery anymore, but in a country riven by racial inequality and historic injustices, the quilombos now serve as focal points for resistance of a more contemporary kind.
The Sacopa quilombo is one of the city's best kept secrets, a beautiful area of tropical forest that has ended up being surrounded by the high-rent Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas neighborhood.
Back in the 19th century, long before the fancy apartment buildings sprang up, this was where slaves seeking freedom would gather, starting new lives. The population grew and, around it, so did Rio.
"We're still here because I have been very stubborn. They tried everything to take this land from us but we have the rights," said Luiz Sacopa, 74, who is the eldest living descendant of the original slaves.
He says he has lost count of the attempts by people to oust the quilombo.
One neighbor planted marijuana on the plot to try to incriminate them.
Then, citing noise complaints, the Rio state court stopped the quilombo from hosting cultural events like feijoada feasts and classes in capoeira, a dance-like martial art developed by fugitive slaves.
That was "a very hard blow," Sacopa said.
"We were very respectful, always ending everything by 8:00 or 9:00 pm," said another family member, Jose Claudio Torres Freitas, during an event staged on official Black Consciousness Day.
"This is the only day we're allowed to do anything," he said.
The modern-day quilombos like Sacopa do have some legal protection.
In 2003, then leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva signed a decree regularizing boundaries and titles for descendants of quilombo slaves, who are collectively known as quilombolas.
However, the bureaucratic procedures are complex and while the three quilombos in Rio de Janeiro have been recognized, they are still waiting for the second stage of the paperwork to be completed.
Arriving from Africa
The Pedra do Sal quilombo, right in the center of Rio near the port, is where many slaves went soon after arriving on ships from Africa.
The site is also rich in cultural significance as a key location in the development of the still thriving Afro-Brazilian religion candomble.
But legal uncertainties mean few of those from the 25 families descending from the original Pedra do Sal community live there anymore.
"The neighborhood wasn't like this back then -- it was very isolated," said Damiao Braga, the quilombola leader.
"But it was gradually invaded and swallowed by the city. There were many disputes, including with the Catholic church."
Even recognition from UNESCO for the nearby Valongo Wharf, where slave ships used to dock, has not helped much.
"We have international support but the disputes remain. Empty buildings have been taken over and once that happens, it's not easy to reverse," Braga said.
2016 Olympic Games
Out in the west of Rio, where most of the Olympic Games took place in 2016, quilombola descendant Adilson Almeida helps oversee yet another of these pockets of history.
His ancestors founded the Camorim quilombo after escaping back in the 16th century. When slavery ended, the family returned and set up a community there.
In this out of the way area, the quilombolas went about their lives until 2014 when the 20 resident families woke up to find construction work starting: the woodland that was historically theirs had been picked as the site of housing for Olympic referees.
In this case, the quilombo had yet to receive the paperwork from even the first stage of the registration procedures to obtain legal protection, and the land was never returned to the community.
But Almeida still has hopes.
Archeologists found thousands of artifacts from the 16th and 17th centuries during research there last year, and the disputed area has been named an official archeological site by the National Institute for Historic and Artistic Patrimony.
"Now we have a solid legal base and it would be hard for something like the 2014 invasion to happen again," Almeida said.
China ban on ivory sales begins Sunday, aims to curb elephant poaching
Fri, 2017-12-29 10:09
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1514533570113011900
HONG KONG: A ban on ivory sales in China, the world’s largest importer and end user of elephant tusks, takes effect on Sunday with wildlife activists calling it a vital step to reducing the slaughter of the endangered animals.
China has made a big push to eradicate ivory sales and demand has fallen since early 2014 because of a crackdown on corruption and slower economic growth.
Public awareness campaigns featuring celebrities have helped boost awareness of the bloody cost of ivory. Wildlife groups estimate 30,000 elephants are killed by poachers in Africa every year.
“It is the greatest single step toward reducing elephant poaching,” said Peter Knights, chief executive of the group WildAid.
China has allowed the sale of pre-convention ivory, which refers to products such as carvings and crafts acquired before the 1975 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), as long as it is accompanied by certificates.
The trade in pre-convention ivory has been legally thriving in China and Hong Kong since 1975, and environmental activists have long asserted that it has spurred demand for all ivory.
The ban on all ivory sales has already led to an 80 percent decline in seizures of illegal ivory entering China as well as a 65 percent decline in raw ivory prices, said conservation group WildAid.
Under the ban, China’s 172 ivory-carving factories and retail outlets will also close. Some factories and shops started closing in March.
Illegal ivory supplies have also been rife in unlicensed shops and online across China.
This year, ivory prices in China were about 65 percent lower than 2014 levels, said WildAid, with retailers in some places trying to sell off stocks and offering heavy discounts before the ban.
The Chinese ban has been hailed by activists but they warn that Hong Kong, a special administrative region of China, remains a big obstacle to the eradication of elephant poaching.
China’s ban on sales does not apply in the former British colony, which has the largest retail market for ivory and has traded it for more than 150 years.
Hong Kong is a prime transit and consumption hub for ivory with more than 90 percent of consumers from mainland China.
Since 2003, Hong Kong has intercepted about 40 tons of illegal ivory, only about 10 percent of what is believed to have been smuggled in, WildAid said in a paper to the city’s legislature in May.
Hong Kong set a timetable for a ban on ivory trading last year, with a phase-out time of five years. A final vote on the ban is expected in the city’s legislature in early 2018.
Conservationist Zhou Fei said the Chinese ban could be a catalyst for the closure of ivory markets across Asia.
However, Kenya-based conservation group Save the Elephants said this year that neighboring Laos has expanded its retail market more rapidly than any other country.
الخميس، 28 ديسمبر 2017
Middle East’s top alternative albums for 2017
Thu, 2017-12-28 09:35
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1514432229546447700
It was a great year for alternative music in the Middle East and wider region, with a number of compelling new records coming out. Arab News’ pick of the best albums released by alternative artists based in, or originating from, the Arab world in 2017 features long-established names and breakthrough acts, supergroups and bedroom-recording specialists, and highlights the scene’s powerful female presence.
Yasmine Hamdan — “Al Jamilat”
The Lebanese singer and songwriter — regarded as one of the originators of the Arabic alternative scene for her work with SoapKills — dropped her sophomore solo album at the start of the year and showed that her growing international reputation is richly deserved. “Al Jamilat” (“The Beautiful Ones”) showcased Hamdan’s instantly recognizable sensual vocals but also her increasing confidence and quality. From the stripped-back simplicity of album opener “Douss,” through the layered electronica of “Choubi,” to the driving power of the title track, “Al Jamilat” was a triumph.
The Bunny Tylers — “Chance Meetings”
Two veterans of Lebanon’s alternative scene, — multi-instrumentalist/producer Fadi Tabbal and singer-songwriter Charbel Haber — dropped a world-weary, elegiac record full of engaging textures. “Eté 91” serves as a centerpiece for “Chance Meetings,” its sweeping soundscape and repeated two-line lyric — “We dream in the sun/We tan when we can” — communicating the frustration, confusion and hedonism of Beirut’s post-war generation.
Hello Psychaleppo — “Toyour”
Electro tarab and electro shaabi sounds are becoming increasingly popular in the Arabic alternative scene. Syrian artist Samer Saem Eldahr (aka Hello Psychaleppo) is one of the pioneers of that movement, and remains one of its most talented proponents. On “Toyour,” Eldahr continued to blend traditional Arabic melodies and vocals with atmospheric electronic sounds to great effect, and tracks like “Samawy” highlighted his increasing mastery of dynamics. Mixing traditional Arabic culture with influences from the West is something many regional artists in all mediums say they are doing, but few manage it so successfully, or make it seem as organic, as Hello Psychaleppo does.
Abri & The Dreamfleet — “We Fly”
UAE artist Hamdan Al Abri has long been acclaimed as one of the most talented vocalists around. “We Fly” — his partnership with musician-producers Adriano Konialidis and Mostyn Rischmueller — was a mellow, understated collection of beautifully crafted tracks with music that complemented Abri’s voice perfectly, allowing him to showcase his soulful side and show that he can deliver a powerful performance without belting every melody out at full blast. “Unborn” was a particular highlight.
Tania Saleh — “Intersection”
Saleh’s breathtaking vocals are, as usual, the standout feature of the Lebanese artist’s latest release. Her collaboration with Tunisian producer Khalil Judran made for Saleh’s most inventive work to date, setting words from acclaimed poets including Mahmoud Darwish, Younes El Ebn and Ahmad Fouad Nejm to a more expansive, modern vibe than Saleh’s customary rock and folk influences thanks to Judran’s experimental electronic sounds. It’s an approach that has been tried before, but Saleh showed how it should be done.
Nadah El Shazly — “Ahwar”
The Cairo-based producer, composer and performer’s debut solo release was a work of great ambition rewarded. El Shazly’s punk background comes through in her unshackled vocals, but the record defies easy categorization. It’s no surprise — with more than 22 musicians featured — that the album is multi-layered, but the production and composition are so masterful that it never becomes disjointed. “Ahwar” translates as “marshlands” and from the stunning opener, “Afqid Adh-Dhakira,” it’s easy to get lost in this atmospheric, evocative record.
LUMI — “The Night Was A Liar”
Yet another triumphant release from Lebanese indie veterans: Beirut duo LUMI took a long, long sabbatical after their 2008 debut album, but made a welcome return to LP releases this year with a record that embraced vocalist and musician Mayaline Hage and multi-instrumentalist Marc Codsi’s varied influences — Krautrock, grunge, lounge music, electro-pop, glam rock and many more. Hage’s distinctive unconventional vocal style is a perfect match for the duo’s often-unsettling, dreamy music.
Muhaisnah Four — “A Memoir”
Prolific UAE-based Filipino musician Cromwell Ojeda’s debut album for his solo project Muhaisnah Four, “A Memoir,” was a buoyant collection of soaring electronic dream-pop. Throughout the LP, Ojeda demonstrated his knack for empathetic collaborations with various vocalists, but the hook-laden earworms “Home” and “Summer,” both featuring New York-based artist Veblen Good, were stand-outs.
Postcards — “I'll Be Here In The Morning”
The young Lebanese four-piece built their reputation with a series of excellent English-language alt-folk EPs. But their debut album was a huge leap forward, embracing dream-pop, synths, electric guitars and noise. The first single, “Bright Lights,” was a post-punk anthem for the disconnected, built on distorted guitar lines and singer Julia Sabra’s beguiling vocals. The haunting “Wrinkles” touched on bare-bones trip-hop, while powerful slow-burner “Waves” showed the band’s evolving sense of dynamics and growing self-assuredness.
Maryam Saleh, Tamer Abu Gazaleh, Maurice Louca — “Lekhfa”
This remarkable collaboration between three of Egypt’s most respected alternative artists surpassed all expectations. Both uplifting and disconcerting, the record relies heavily on the alchemy sparked by Saleh and Abu Gazaleh’s vocal interplay on lyrics from Egyptian poet Mido Zoheir, but that chemistry is only so richly realized because of the dazzling instrumentation, which brings together a myriad of influences — psychedelia, shaabi, pop, folkloric Arabic music and more — to create a sound that is fresh, unique, and could only have come from the Middle East.
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Yemeni-Emirati singer Balqees reveals New Year resolutions
Fri, 2017-12-29 03:00
ID:
1514491351309498500
JEDDAH: Emirati-Yemeni singer Balqees has tweeted that one of her New Year resolutions is to “avoid getting involved in gossip or even listening to it.”
She will also “make it a habit to think positively and completely rule out all doubts.”
Balqees recently shared on her Snapchat account a video of her performing a traditional Yemeni dance, which received many views and comments.
On New Year’s Eve, she will be singing at the waterfront walkway of Al-Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi.
On June 2, 2018, she will join singer Abdallah Al-Rowaished at a concert organized by Al-Majaz Amphitheater during the opening ceremony of the Sharjah World Music Festival.
Balqees announced a few days ago that within a week, she will find out whether she is pregnant with a boy or a girl, refuting rumors that she is pregnant with twins.
Earlier this month, she captivated her audience with a performance at the first women-only concert in Saudi Arabia.
Now 80, Jane Fonda says she didn’t think she’d live to 30
Fri, 2017-12-29 03:00
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1514491351289498200
LOS ANGELES: Actress Jane Fonda, who celebrated her 80th birthday last week, says that growing up she never expected to reach 30.
“I never pictured 30,” Fonda told People magazine in an interview published on Wednesday.
“I assumed I wouldn’t live very long and that I would die lonely and an addict of some sort. I didn’t think if I did live this long, that I would be vibrant and healthy and still working. I’m grateful,” she added.
Fonda’s mother committed suicide when she was 12 years old and the same year her actor father, Henry Fonda, remarried. She has spoken in the past about suffering from bulimia, taking hallucinogenic drugs and being abused as a child.
Fonda won her first Oscar in 1972, at age 35, for the movie “Klute” and went on to win her second for the 1978 Vietnam War drama “Coming Home.” She became an anti-war and women’s activist, launched a fitness craze with her 1980s workout videos, married three times, and is nominated at January’s Screen Actors Guild awards for her lead role in TV series “Grace and Frankie.”
The actress turned 80 on Dec. 21.
“I’m thankful that I’ve gotten better over the 80 years,” she told People. “I’m less judgmental. I’m forgiving. It wasn’t always true. I’ve really worked hard to get better as a human being.”
Co-creator of ‘MTV Unplugged’ dies after being hit by taxi
Fri, 2017-12-29 03:00
ID:
1514491351259497900
NEW YORK: A co-creator of MTV’s “Unplugged” has died of injuries suffered when he was hit by a taxi while walking his dog.
Jim Burns was walking the dog on Saturday morning when he was struck by a cab making a turn onto Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, police said. Burns, 65, suffered a serious head injury and died from his injuries on Tuesday.
The taxi driver remained at the scene. Police still were investigating on Wednesday. An MTV spokeswoman said the network was deeply saddened to learn about the death of Burns, who created “MTV Unplugged” with Robert Small.
“As co-creator of the beloved ‘Unplugged’ franchise, his groundbreaking work continues to resonate with audiences around the world,” MTV said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and loved ones.”
Small said Burns was “a terrific human being.”
“He could make fun of people without making them feel bad,” Small told the New York Post. “He just had a knack for making people happy.”
The wildly popular “Unplugged” debuted in 1989 at the height of MTV’s musical and cultural influence in America. It features artists such as Nirvana, Eric Clapton, Mariah Carey, Jay-Z and Bob Dylan in intimate venues performing stripped-down versions of their songs.
According to Billboard, Clapton’s Unplugged album sold 7.7 million copies after its 1992 debut, the most ever for the series. Nirvana’s Unplugged album sold 5.1 million copies when it debuted in November 1994 at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It was the band’s first album after lead singer Kurt Cobain’s suicide that year.
The music series wasn’t aired as frequently during the 2000s, but it returned to the air this year, with performances from locations around the country that hold meaning for the artists performing. It premiered in September with Shawn Mendes.
Police initially said Burns was with a guide dog when he was struck, but that account was contradicted by family friends, who said he didn’t have vision problems and the dog was a pet.
The dog, named Jules, wasn’t injured and was being cared for by a neighbor, Burns’ friend Paul Ward told the Daily News.
“Many of his friends have taken comfort in knowing that the end of his life came doing his favorite thing... walking Jules to Central Park,” Ward said.
Self-healing glass: a cracking discovery from Japan
Thu, 2017-12-28 06:02
ID:
1514459450607282400
TOKYO: A Japanese researcher has developed — by accident-- a new type of glass that can be repaired simply by pressing it back together after it cracks.
The discovery opens the way for super-durable glass that could triple the lifespan of everyday products like car windows, construction materials, fish tanks and even toilet seats.
Yu Yanagisawa, a chemistry researcher at the University of Tokyo, made the breakthrough by chance while investigating adhesives that can be used on wet surfaces.
Does this mean you will soon be able to repair those cracks in your smartphone with a quick press of the fingers? Or surreptitiously piece together a shattered beer glass dropped after one pint too many?
Well, not quite. Not now and in fact, not in the near future.
But it does open a window of opportunity for researchers to explore ways to make more durable, lightweight, glass-like items, like car windows.
In a lab demonstration for AFP, Yanagisawa broke a glass sample into two pieces.
He then held the cross sections of the two pieces together for about 30 seconds until the glass repaired itself, almost resembling its original form.
To demonstrate its strength, he then hung a nearly full bottle of water from the piece of glass — and it stayed intact.
The organic glass, made of a substance called polyether thioureas, is closer to acrylic than mineral glass, which is used for tableware and smartphone screens.
Other scientists have demonstrated similar properties by using rubber or gel materials but Yanagisawa was the first to demonstrate the self-healing concept with glass.
The secret lies in the thiourea, which uses hydrogen bonding to make the edges of the shattered glass self-adhesive, according to Yanagisawa’s study.
But what use is all this if it cannot produce a self-healing smartphone screen?
“It is not realistically about fixing what is broken, more about making longer-lasting resin glass,” Yanagisawa told AFP.
Glass products can fracture after years of use due to physical stress and fatigue.
“When a material breaks, it has already had many tiny scars that have accumulated to result in major destruction,” Yanagisawa said.
“What this study showed was a path toward making a safe and long-lasting resin glass,” which is used in a wide range of everyday items.
“We may be able to double or triple the lifespan of something that currently lasts for 10 or 20 years,” he said.
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