Arty Farty Crazy Money

Undoubtedly the power of money can buy them everything.
From unheard of country to one that won organising the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to building very intricate ultra modern design of National Library to commissioning those arty farty artist from the Mat Salleh countries in hope to emerged as a cultured nation.
And hoping it will represent the country.

However, money cannot buy everything.
It can't buy you culture.
It cannot buy civilised behaviour, and certainly cannot bring you where you think you might achieve with it.
And it certainly contradict with the Islamic values of this nation.

I for one hates the Damien Hirst.
To me he is not an artist.
He can received nod and the ooss's and ahhh's from those 'had- to- be- nice' mat salleh back home but having carcasses and violent display of so-called?...It's mere luck. Probably he has some rich and famous friends who helped him sell his 'art'...

His works in front of the one Children Hospital called Miraculous Journey – a group of 14 bronze foetus sculptures – are an absolute show of nothing.
I'd say, Asian are more open minded that the Arabs, thus I cannot comprehend how this conservative Gulf monarchy can put up such 'art'.

Same goes to an American artist Richard Serra 'abstract sculpture' in the middle of the desert outside of Doha.
The Stonehenge....hello.
If you cannot do something new, then don't be a copy cat.
No doubt he won his way in to the desert which are barren and thirsty for culture.

The head of Qatar Museums Authority, Sheikha Al-Mayassa, of course, related to the Emir, is well-known in the art world thanks to the investment of large sums of money acquiring masterpieces.
Last year, London’s Art Review magazine called her the most influential personality in the field of contemporary art, saying she spends about a billion dollars on artwork every year.

Should they consider Milo Moiré in Doha too....?!...No?

Brunei -- money and religion...

This is a piece of news I deemed as ridiculously ignorant and a simple showcase of how pathetic Americans can be when it comes to condemning other people or nation.

As all may have known by now,  Brunei, the small oil rich country has started implementing Islamic Shariah law that calls for punishing adultery, abortions and same-sex relationships with flogging and stoning.

Now, this idiots American who think that they own the world, and everybody else is futile and irrelevant are responding rather childish towards the changes; namely those known faces of Hollywood when they started boycotting the Beverly Hills Hotel, a hotel owned by Brunei royalty.

Among others, the Motion Picture & Television Fund joined a growing list of organisations and individuals refusing to do business with hotels owned by the sultan or government of Brunei. They're protesting the country's new law.

And how ludicrous can you be.

It's other people's law, it's other peoples' country.
Why bothered?

It seems that they wont be holding their  annual Night Before the Oscar party at the hotel as it has for many years.

They claimed that they "cannot condone or tolerate these harsh and repressive laws and as a result support a business owned by the sultan of Brunei or a Brunei sovereign fund associated with the government of Brunei."..

Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, who owns the Beverly Hills Hotel, however has praised his country's new laws as a "great achievement."

"The decision to implement the (Shariah penal code) is not for fun but is to obey Allah's command as written in the Quran," the sultan said last week.

Others joining the idiotic bandwagon include Richard Branson's Virgin Group, the Hollywood Reporter, the Feminist Majority Foundation and the funny looking man Jay Leno.

Calling the law as uncivilised, I guess these Americans and white deemed they're the most civilised people walking on this earth.

Duhhhh.....

Due to Qatar’s extreme seasonal heat, people living here typically spend less time outdoors in the summer, and thus get less sun – putting them at risk for Vitamin D deficiency.

Those lacking Vitamin D can experience a host of health-related problems, including fatigue, hair loss and depression.

To tackle the problem, Dr. Elham Sherif, assistant professor of Biomedical Sciences at QU’s Department of Health Sciences, is leading a new awareness campaign on the subject.

Vitamin D can be gleaned from sources other than the sun, including foods such as oily fish. But Sherif said you would need to eat this around five times a week to get to the recommended level of 30-80 nanograms/ml.

Speaking to Doha News, she said that’s why sun is the best prescription:

“Qatar has a problem – we estimate the majority of people in the country are deficient – and many seriously deficient – in Vitamin D.

“We are advising people that they need to expose their legs and arms – without sunblock, which reflects 99 percent of UVB rays –  to the sun for between 5 and 15 minutes a day, three times a week. This is the best way to get your levels up to the amount your body needs.”

Maintaining the right level of Vitamin D in your body has numerous health benefits, including hardening the bones (preventing osteoporosis) and boosting the immune system.

Vitamin D also has been found to have anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant properties, while a deficiency has been linked to mental health issues such as schizophrenia and dementia.

Data on Qatar:
Recent studies state that the majority of people in Qatar may be lacking Vitamin D – which is in fact is not a vitamin at all, but a pro-hormone.
In a sample of female students at QU, Sherif found that only 2.8 percent had sufficient levels of Vitamin D (with 30 to 80ng/ml), while 51 percent were found to be severely deficient (with levels of less than 10ng/ml).

These results correlate with another study that took place in 2008, testing 340 healthcare workers at Hamad Medical Corporation for their levels of Vitamin D. Only five percent of the men tested and two percent of the women had desirable levels of Vitamin D.

Sherif said the results of these samples are reflective of Qatar’s wider society. She added that women – particularly covered women – and the elderly are more at risk for Vitamin D deficiency.

Qatar’s sometimes dusty weather also prevents the body from absorbing the nutrient, she said.

Tackling Vitamin D deficiency:
Those who are found to be deficient can be treated with supplements prescribed by their doctor – either by injection for people whose levels are seriously low, or tablets.

However, Sherif said the key to reach and maintain the right levels of Vitamin D is most easily done through sun exposure, which also stores for longer in the body than supplements.

She recently organised an awareness-raising seminar for QU students about the issue, and is planning to host a major conference on the subject next year.

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Hmmmm.....Unfortunately, I'm one of them.