Unique selfie museum inaugurated in UAE
Dubai: A first-of-its-kind “selfie museum” to promote an interactive photo-friendly social space through art and creativity has been inaugurated here. The Selfie Kingdom (TSK) was inaugurated on Tuesday and offers various colours, shades and backgrounds for the photographs to become memorable. “The idea behind inaugurating TSK is to attract selfie-lovers and get them to capture instagrammable moments that spread the buzz further. If you don’t have confidence in your selfie-taking abilities, a photographer can be booked to provide alternatives,” Rania Naffa, the Chief Happiness Officer and Founder of the TSK, said. The hub currently features 15 pop-up rooms with vibrant and unique backdrops/props and proper lighting offering guests a photo-worthy experience, the Gulf News reported. “TSK provides an interactive photo-friendly social space that promotes art, creativity and a place for our guests to express themselves freely and have fun while doing it. We want everyone to be part of this entertaining experience and create some amazing memories,” Rania said. (PTI)
Kabul restaurant switches from plastic to paper
Kabul: A restaurant in Kabul has switched to using paper bags and plates instead of the plastic ones in an effort towwards saving the environment, according to a media report.
Nazar Mohammed Akhtari, founder of the Jawari fast food restaurant, said that they have been buying expensive paper plates and bags to say no to plastic bags and plates, TOLO News said in the report on Tuesday.
“I have tried to tell my friends not to use plastic bags, because it is very harmful to the environment,” added Akhtari.
Meanwhile, Farwez Sahil, with his friend in Taimani of Kabul, have made a factory for making paper bags from machinery imported from India.
Sahil added that many restaurants, factories, and supermarkets are buying paper bags. He also urged the government to make paper bags mandatory in the country.
“Our main goal is also to prevent plastic materials from polluting the environment; we have made special bags for bakeries, we will continue our work and want government aid,” added Sahil.
Jawid, a baker said: “We demand our customers to provide bags for delivering bread, to prevent plastic use, but they do not do so,”
Air pollution levels were also increasing in the Afghan capital, which has so far claimed the lives of 17 people, the government said last week. The Ministry of Public Health said that over 8,800 patients visited government hospitals who were suffering from respiratory conditions including the common cold and lung problems.
Dusty roads, the illegal expansion of the city, lack of greenery and heavy traffic were other factors contributing to the air pollution. (IANS)
Gorilla at San Diego Zoo undergoes cataract surgery
Los Angeles: A team of eye doctors in California tested their skills on an unusual patient — a western lowland gorilla. Working with veterinarians from the San Diego Zoo, an eye surgeon removed a cataract from the left eye of a three-year-old female named Leslie on December 10, zoo officials announced.
They said the surgery was performed at the zoo’s medical center and Leslie was recovering well. The surgeon who performed the procedure, Chris Heichel, said that while he had carried out thousands of eye surgeries on human patients, this was his first on a gorilla. “Fortunately, the similarities between the anatomy of human and gorilla eyes are great enough to allow us to safely navigate the procedure without complication,” he said in a statement issued by the zoo.
“The remainder of the eye appeared to be in excellent health, indicating exceptional vision potential for the rest of Leslie’s life.” The procedure involved removing the cloudy lens from Leslie’s eye and inserting a new artificial lens that should provide the gorilla with clear vision for the rest of her life.
A cataract is a clouding of the clear lens behind the colored part of the eye, known as the iris. Cataracts typically develop over time, as part of the normal aging process, but they can also be caused by trauma to the eye. Once a cataract develops, the lens becomes progressively cloudier and vision deteriorates. Zoo officials said they suspect Leslie’s cataract resulted from an injury, either from a fall or while playing with other young gorillas in her troop. (AFP)