Features

The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts is quite busy this spring. Three new exhibitions grace its halls, besides the permanent collection, and more is in store for art lovers who should not miss the chance of seeing works by “pioneering” Arab painters, photos of two foremost Mexican artists and surprising installations by young Jordanian artists.

From the works that form part of the collection of the Barjeel Art Foundation — the personal art collection of Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, that wishes “to contribute to the intellectual development of the art scene in the Gulf region by building a prominent, publicly accessible art collection in the UAE” — exhibited on the ground floor, the viewer can draw delight and an idea of how the art scene evolved in the Arab world from the late 1880s.

Or, as curator of Barjeel Art Foundation Suheyla Takesh puts it, “notice the selected paintings not only reflect a socio-political condition of their time and individual preoccupations of their makers, but bear testimonies to the training the artist had, as well as underline their cross-geographic and cross-societal exposure”.

The title of the exhibition prepares one for what to expect: “Lines of Subjectivity: Portrait and Landscape Painting”.

The portrait, this most subjective and ancient art form, bears witness to man’s desire to immortalise self or others.

Whether executed on commission for royal, religious or wealthy figures, for love of the subject or purely for some aesthetic or prominent features, or to render the artist himself — realistic, abstract, beautified, tortured or distorted — the painted portrait, unlike that taken by camera, will always be subjective.

In the case of the works on display at the gallery in Lweibdeh, the viewer may see how “the art of portraiture developed in the Arab world”, says art curator and critic Nat Muller in her “notes on portraiture” on display by Barjeel.

From classical to stylised, the viewer can admire early works of influential artists from Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Sudan, Tunisia and Palestine.

Whether in classic “academic” pose, almost sculptural, sketched, stylised or rendered with a wealth of detail, the portraits on display are testimony to the artists’ skill and their take on life, magnetic points of attraction in front of which the viewer will feel compelled to linger.

The landscapes reflect a way of life, now mostly gone, and artistic progression, as they go from explicit figurative to impressionistic to somehow naive and to hauntingly abstract.

It is a privilege to sample the art from the Barjeel collection. 

The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts has signed a collaboration agreement with the foundation, which will enable many Jordanian artists to showcase their work in the UAE.

On the upper floor, a pleasant surprise in a different medium awaits the viewer.

It is a “photographic exhibition of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera”, to the realisation of which contributed the embassy of Mexico.

The photographs permit a glimpse at the life of these two famous artists recognised well beyond their native Mexico. 

The film captured different instances of the lives of this unlikely couple — he 23 years her senior, she of often poor health but steely spirit — who lived a complex and intense relationship that involved separation, during which they met other individuals, and re-encounters.

It shows them in tender, loving moments, in intense involvement in some political or humanitarian cause, at work — in Kahlo’s case in the studio in their “Blue house”, in Rivera’s, determined that art has to be seen by everybody, on his murals on different institutions and in different places — with friends, alone, together.

The few grainy photographs have the power to recreate the tumultuous lives of two of the best Mexican artists in amazing detail, a feat for which the curators of the exhibition have to be thanked.

The flat photo images conjure much of the full life of the two, helped by the captions, no doubt, giving one an idea of what their life must have been.

Like the 1954 picture of the two protesting in Ciudad de Mexico against the US intervention in Guatemala, or heading the delegation of Painters, Sculptors and Engravers’ Union during a Labour Day demonstration.

Kahlo at work on an old typewriter would be a usual activity, but knowing that she is typing a letter dictated by Rivera after the cancellation of his authored project at the Rockefeller Centre for including an image of Lenin (in 1933) — a mural that was later destroyed — makes the Marxist inclination of the artists known, places their existence in context and could stir interest in the tortured history of Central America at the beginning of the century. 

Images of Kahlo and Rivera as children, young people, a couple, on the deathbed and even the former’s funeral skilfully recreate a full life cycle, giving the curious viewer a satisfying look into their lives.

In the old building of the gallery, on the newly built upper floor — a modern, industrial hall-looking space with gleaming overhead structures — the installations called “Metascape” showcases creative installations by young Jordanian artists who, after having participated in a workshop, displayed their works.

It is refreshing, symbolic and imaginative, modern yet anchored in traditional, and definitely catches the eye.

The exhibitions can be viewed through May 30.

LONDON — Inhaled nanoparticles like those pumped out in vehicle exhausts can work their way through the lungs and into the bloodstream where they can raise the risk of heart attack and stroke, scientists said on Wednesday.

In experiments using harmless ultra-fine particles of gold, the scientists were able for the first time to track how such nanoparticles are breathed in, pass through the lungs and then gain access to the blood.

Most worryingly, the researchers said at a briefing in London, the nanoparticles tend to build up in damaged blood vessels of people who already suffer from coronary heart disease — the condition that causes heart attacks — and make it worse.

“There is no doubt that air pollution is a killer, and this study brings us a step closer to solving the mystery of how air pollution damages our cardiovascular health,” said Jeremy Pearson, a professor and associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation charity, which part-funded the study.

Experts have long known that air pollution carries serious health risks and can trigger fatal heart attacks and strokes. According to the World Health Organisation, outdoor air pollution in both cities and rural areas was estimated to cause 3 million premature deaths worldwide in 2012.

But until now, scientists had not been sure how particles inhaled into the lungs go on to affect heart health. The new findings, published on Wednesday in the journal ACS Nano, build on previous evidence and show that particles in the air we breathe get into blood and are carried to many different parts of the body, including arteries, blood vessels and the heart

“If reactive particles like those in air pollution ... reach susceptible areas of the body then even [a] small number of particles might have serious consequences,” said Mark Miller, a senior research scientist at the University of Edinburgh, who led the study.

Miller’s team used specialist techniques to track harmless gold nanoparticles breathed in by volunteers. They found the nanoparticles can migrate from the lungs into the bloodstream within 24 hours and are still detectable three months later.

The researchers also analysed surgically removed plaques from people at high risk of stroke and found that the nanoparticles tended to accumulate in the fatty plaques that grow inside blood vessels, and cause heart attacks and strokes.

Nicholas Mills, a professor of cardiology who also worked on the study, said the findings showed the importance of cutting emissions and limiting peoples’ exposure to nanoparticles.

You cannot not have one installed on your computer. And yet, life with an anti-virus programme on board is hard.

Living with computers in the pre-virus era, before say 1995, used to be simple, carefree. With the very software that is meant to fight the threats, life is now even more complicated, and not necessarily safer, what’s more. There are a few reasons for that.

It is to be noted here that the term “anti-virus” is used in its broad, general meaning. To go deeper in the subject, from the purely technical point of view, one would have to make the distinction between “anti-malware”, “anti-spam”, “anti-hacking”, “anti-phishing”, “antivirus” and a few other flavours of the generic name. To keep it simple this article will just use “anti-virus” to cover all these colourful variations.

First is the rather large number of antivirus software brands around. There are so many of them that the choice for those who are not particular technically minded gets really overwhelming: Kaspersky, Bitdefender, Microsoft Windows Defender, Norton Symantec, Avira, Avast, and Eset, to name a few. The first four remain the most widely used and trusted.

Some of the above brands propose a simple, free version. Only to come to you a few days or weeks after, with pop-up windows and messages, nagging, pushing you to upgrade and to pay for the higher version. Even within one given brand, the choice of the most adequate product for your personal use is complex and often impossible without the help of a tech-savvy friend, colleague or relative.

Installing, setting up, using and updating any of the above is never an easy job. Add to that the fact that most will slow down your computer and you end up hating them. Some will block an otherwise legitimate e-mail message that may be arriving in your mailbox. Others will block good, legitimate software applications from running or working correctly, without you even realising why. Others will simply prevent you from installing new software at all, from the very start, suspecting it of being malicious.

The extra burden that most antivirus products put on your computer is the reason why many consumers get the most powerful machine they can afford to buy, with substantial processing muscle and memory size, just to compensate for the technical resources that the antivirus will eat up to exist inside your computer.

There’s worse. Last year there were rumours on the web that one of the well-known antivirus makers was responsible for creating and releasing a virus that the maker itself alone was able to detect and block. There was never a way to verify these rumours and to date they remain, well, rumours. For most IT pundits and web analysts, however, they were not totally unfounded.

Can you do without antivirus at all? Certainly not, if you are using e-mail or browsing the web, which is probably the least that any of us does with a computer. Despite the hassle, the annoyance and the burden, it would be just too dangerous not to have an anti-virus installed on your machine. The threat is real and the offenders can strike any day if you leave your computer unprotected. For even with the shield, the protection is never 100 per cent.

I came to appreciate Microsoft Windows Defender with time. It is light, strong enough, and because it is made by the same company that makes Windows, the two go together rather nicely. And oh, it is legitimately free.

The only shortcoming of Windows Defender is that it cannot be installed on a server computer. But for the private user and the home consumer who operate a laptop or a desktop computer this is not a relevant question, understandably.

LONDON — Scientists in the United States have developed a fluid-filled womb-like bag known as an extra-uterine support device that could transform care for extremely premature babies, significantly improving chances of survival. 

In pre-clinical studies with lambs, the researchers were able to mimic the womb environment and the functions of the placenta, giving premature offspring a crucial opportunity to develop their lungs and other organs.

Around 30,000 babies in the United States alone are born critically early — at between 23 and 26 weeks of gestation, the researchers told reporters in a telephone briefing. 

At that age, a human baby weighs little more than 500 grammes, its lungs are not able to cope with air and its chances of survival are low. Death rates are up to 70 per cent and those who do survive face life-long disability. 

“These infants have an urgent need for a bridge between the mother’s womb and the outside world,” said Alan Flake, a specialist surgeon at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who led the development of the new device.

His team’s aim, he said, was to develop an extra-uterine system where extremely premature babies can be suspended in fluid-filled chambers for a vital few weeks to bring them over the 28-week threshold, when their life chances are dramatically improved. 

It could take up to another 10 years, but by then he hopes to have a licensed device in which babies born very prematurely are given the chance to develop in fluid-filled chambers, rather than lying in incubators being artificially ventilated.

“This system is potentially far superior to what hospitals can currently do for a 23-week-old baby born at the cusp of viability,” Flake said. “This could establish a new standard of care for this subset of extremely premature infants.”

The team spent three years evolving their system through a series of four prototypes — beginning with a glass incubator tank and progressing to the current fluid-filled bag.

Six preterm lambs tested in the most recent prototype were physiologically equivalent to a 23- or 24-week-gestation human baby and were able to grow in a temperature-controlled, near-sterile environment, Flake said.

The scientists made amniotic fluid in their lab and set up the system so that this flowed into and out of the bag.

Lung development in foetal lambs is very similar in humans, said foetal physiologist Marcus Davey, who worked on team.

“Foetal lungs are designed to function in fluid. We simulate that environment... allowing the lungs and other organs to develop while supplying nutrients and growth factors,” he said.

Flake said the success of the system, details of which were published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, was due to its mimicking life in the uterus as closely as possible.

It has no external pump to drive circulation, because even gentle artificial pressure can fatally overload an underdeveloped heart, and there is no ventilator, because the immature lungs are not yet ready to breathe air.

Instead, the baby’s heart pumps blood via the umbilical cord into a low-resistance oxygenator that acts as a substitute for the placenta in exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide.

Flake’s team plans to refine the system further and then downsize it for human infants, who are around a third of the size of the lambs used in the study.

After six years of living in Jordan, if I had to pick one thing that I absolutely adored about this country, it would not be Petra, the Dead Sea or even Wadi Rum, though I admired them all in equal measure. What I really loved instead regarding the Hashemite Kingdom was the manner in which the Jordanians solved all my problems each and every time, merely by exclaiming “don’t worry!”

There is a particular tone in which this phrase was expressed that cannot be mastered overnight. It came with the maturity, perseverance and experience that the inhabitants of this land acquired over a long period of time. To put it simply, what I mean is that they never uttered this term flippantly but delivered it with great authority, as if it was now the speaker’s duty to make sure that all the difficulties were resolved.

Incidentally, I was based for one decade in Africa earlier, and was well aware of the Swahili “Hakuna Matata”, which when roughly translated, meant “no worries”. That was also a wonderful expression, which signified a particular way of life. It made us conscious of how fleeting our existence was, and encouraged us to have no worries and just be happy.

But the primary difference in the two cultures was that there, one was supposed to avoid worry unilaterally on your own, but here, it seemed like it was the collective responsibility of all Jordanians to banish worry jointly. So anywhere I went, from the cellphone shop in upmarket Taj Mall to the cushion-store in downtown Amman, from the sugarcane juice seller in Irbid to the shoemaker in Salt, the interaction was always the same. 

The hurdle could be anything from say returning the cellphone, cushions not matching, sugarcane juice too watery, credit card not working, running short of cash and so on, the response was usually a unanimous “don’t worry” before a way was sought to sort it out. When I was a newcomer to this land the phraseology was repeated twice for my benefit, as an added reassurance. And once “don’t worry, don’t worry” was reiterated, I basically reached into the recesses of my subconscious and learned to develop trust. Soon I was delighted to discover that it actually worked and I relaxed while voicing my problems to a Jordanian who instantly came up with the familiar rejoinder.

And then, after another couple of years, I found myself at the receiving end of hearing their side and I realised that my usual response of “what will you do now” caused great confusion among them. If they could come up with a solution they would not have asked me for assistance, I figured. I was supposed to not only find the answer but also give mental assurance by imploring them to not worry. In other words, slowly but surely, I was turning into a Jordanian.

I must admit it still took me quite a while to perfect the right tone. My initial squeaks of “don’t worry” did not sound convincing even to my own ears.

“Hello habibti”, my Jordanian friend was on the phone the other day.

“The cake I baked for tonight’s party went flat,” she exclaimed in a dejected voice.

“What will you do now?” I asked automatically. 

There was a pin drop silence.

“Ahem! Don’t worry,” I said firmly.

“I will pass by the bakery,” I suggested.

“Are you sure?” she questioned.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” I assured authoritatively.

Mindfulness-based stress reduction programmes (MSBR) appear to improve low back pain only slightly, and only temporarily, a review of previous research suggests.

These programmes combine meditation while sitting and walking, yoga, focusing attention on different parts of the body, and incorporation of mindfulness/awareness into everyday life. Earlier studies found MBSR to be helpful for a variety of chronic pain conditions.

But for low back pain, “it was surprising that we could not identify any difference between MBSR, usual care, or other psychological interventions on ‘mindfulnes’ and acceptance of pain in the short and long term,” Dennis Anheyer of University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany, told Reuters Health by e-mail.

Anheyer and colleagues looked at data from seven previously published studies involving 864 patients altogether.

The studies that looked at pain intensity and pain-related disability found small improvements with MBSR only over the short term, and even these improvements were of questionable significance, they report in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Some studies showed meaningful improvements in physical functioning in the short term but the improvements not sustained in the long term.

“Our review also showed that studies using MBSR programmes that included yoga had better effects on disability and physical functioning than studies using MBSR programmes without yoga,” Anheyer said. “Physical activity might therefore be important for these factors.”

Surprisingly, MBSR was not associated with improvements in mindfulness.

The inconsistent findings point to a need for larger, carefully designed studies of MBSR and its various components in patients with low back pain, the researchers say.

In the meantime, patients with low back pain can safely attend MBSR courses, Anheyer said. “However”, he added, “they should not neglect the physical activity. [And] if you practise meditation or any kind of physical activity, do it regularly and continuously.”

Dr Judith A. Turner from the University of Washington in Seattle, who has studied MBSR and cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic low back pain, told Reuters Health by e-mail, “People with low back pain may find MBSR to be helpful, not only for their pain but also for managing stress and other problems. The risks are minimal, especially when compared to some other treatments for low back pain, such as surgery and opioid medication. Benefits for pain may be modest, but this is true for most treatments for chronic low back pain.”

“It is interesting that interventions that included a yoga component reduced disability, whereas those that did not include yoga did not reduce disability,” she said. “This suggests that MBSR programmes might be most helpful for back pain when they include yoga, although more research is needed to confirm this suggestion.”

“This review was of only a small number of studies and some of the studies included had methodological problems that limit confidence in the results,” Turner said. “Nonetheless, patients with chronic low back pain and their health care providers are looking for effective treatments that are alternatives to opioid medication, and MBSR is one such option. Another such option is cognitive-behavioral therapy, which has been demonstrated effective in the short- and long-term for chronic low back pain.”

Launched in recent weeks and exclusively for Middle East markets, the Ram 1200 line is expected to greatly expand the former Dodge and now standalone American truck brand’s sales and market share. Complementing Ram’s full-size, heavy duty and lifestyle range of trucks, the 1200 will provide the brand with a presence in the crucial compact pick-up truck segment, which accounts for 90 per cent of total truck sales in the region, which as a whole comprises 13 per cent of new vehicle sales and is set to increase.

Well-proven design

A tough, rugged, affordable and efficient workhorse intended primarily for fleet operators and small businesses, the Ram 1200 is — like its European market Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Fiat Fullback cousin — based on the long-running, popular and well-proven Mitsubishi L200 pick-up line. An L200 in all but name and badge, the Ram 1200 is initially pitched at business users rather than a lifestyle or dual private and work vehicle, and features a choice of single or double cabin bodies, rear- or four-wheel-drive, 2.4-litre petrol and 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engines.

Available with 15- or 16-inch steel alloy wheels and visible exterior tie-down rails, the 1200 is a practical and utilitarian pick-up and runs on comparatively narrow 205R16C tyres food for comfort and off-road driving. Its design is futuristic and sporty in aesthetic, with a pod-like cabin, low and angled bonnet and long rear overhang lending it a sense of momentum. Practicality, its low bonnet provides excellent front visibility for one to confidently place it on road while its rising rear overhang allows for a generous departure angle for off-road driving.

Efficient performer

Driven in range-topping and most capable 4x4 double cab guise with 2.5-litre common-rail turbo-diesel 4-cylinder engine, the Ram 1200 produces 134BHP at 4000rpm and 239lb/ft torque at 2000rpm. As headline figures go, this falls short of some rivals more powerful mixed-use or lifestyle oriented range-topping models, which have not yet been added to the 1200 range. However, as an honest, affordable, efficient and rugged work truck, the Ram has all the power it needs to keep up with traffic in terms of acceleration and overtaking, and more importantly for hauling and towing.

Estimated to be capable of 165km/h, the 1200 however returns frugal 7.3l/100km fuel efficiency. Somewhat lagging from idle, the 1200 is best launched off the line by progressively lifting off the clutch to build momentum towards its more generous mid-range. Meanwhile, its 5-speed manual gearbox feels crisp, close and exact by truck standards, and is a pleasure to work to keep revs in the mid-range sweet spot, given the diesel engine’s relatively low rev-limit. Smooth and relatively refined in its flexible mid-range, the 1200’s diesel clatter is more evident at idle top-end engine speeds.

Rugged ability

The 1200’s four-wheel-drive can be engaged for driving over loose and low traction surfaces, while a low gear four-wheel-drive mode can be selected for more extreme off-road driving, where one would need to access maximum power at a crawling pace. With its somewhat narrow dimensions and low-slung bonnet, the 1200 is easily maneuverable off-road. Meanwhile its 200mm ride height and shorter wheelbase to rear overhang length allows for an almost even 24° break-over and 25° departure angles. Its 30° approach and 40° side slope angles are however generous.

At its smoothest and most efficient in rear-wheel-drive mode on road, the Ram 1200 was agile and maneuverable and agile through dusty trails with light user-friendly steering and responsive and effective front disc and rear drum brakes. During test drive it felt confident and settled on highway, and with good stability. Built on a tough ladder frame with independent front double wishbone and durable live axle and leaf spring suspension it took bumps easily, but not carrying a load in its bed, felt slightly bouncy on rebound.

Utilitarian and comfortable

Balanced through corners with some lean, the 1200’s live axle leaf spring rear however does not lend itself to hard acceleration through tight corners. Inside, it offers excellent front and side visibility for its class and good, if not segment-best space or access to the rear seats. Easy to drive and with well-positioned gear lever, the 1200 also offers comfortable seats and an alert driving position with tilt-adjustable steering and big side mirrors. Controls, functions and buttons are clear and user-friendly, while storage spaces are useful.

Utilitarian yet comfortable inside, the Ram 1200’s cabin is un-fussed and intuitive, and features tough hard wearing hard plastics and trim, and fabric upholstery. Standard equipment usefully includes power steering, body coloured bumpers, front skid plate front towing hook, tachometer, rear head restraints and three-point side seatbelts, and other features. Optional and package equipment include heavy duty air conditioning, electronic stability control, hill start assistance, ABS brakes, drive and passenger airbags, electric windows, tyre pressure monitoring, power central locking and 4-speaker audio system, among other equipment.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2.5-litre, in-line, common-rail turbo-diesel, 4-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 91.1 x 95mm

Compression ratio: 17:1

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 5-speed manual, four-wheel-drive

Driveline: low gear transfer

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 134 (136) [100] @4000rpm

Specific power: 51BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 74.4BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 239 (324) @2000rpm

Specific torque: 130.8Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 180Mn/litre

Top speed apprx. 165km/h (est.)

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.3-litres/100km

Fuel capacity: 75-litres

Length: 5370mm

Width: 1785mm

Height: 1775mm

Wheelbase: 3000mm

Minimum ground clearance: 200mm (est.)

Loading floor height: 845mm

Approach angle: 30°

Break-over angle: 24°

Departure angle: 25°

Side slope angle: 45°

Kerb weight: 1800kg

Gross vehicle weight: 2850kg

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbones / live axle, leaf springs

Steering: Power-assisted rack & pinion

Turning circle: 11.8-meters

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs / drums

Tyres: 205R16C

The Mercy Seller

Brenda Rickman Vantrease

New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2007, 422 pp

This historical novel opens in the year 1410 with a book burning in Prague, Bohemia, a centre for the Lollard movement begun by John Wycliffe in England, who translated the Bible into English and preached against the church’s corruption. “Today, it was only books — only holy words consigned to the flames, not the people who copied them — not flesh and blood and bone. But this was prelude to the greater drama.” (p. 1) 

Drama is never lacking in this sequel to “The Illuminator” (reviewed in “The Jordan Times”, October 24, 2016), as two opposing sides face off against each other. On the one hand is the Lollards who insist on people’s right to read the holy scriptures in their own language, and that forgiveness comes from God and is not to be sold by the church in the form of indulgences. On the other hand is the church hierarchy, which, determined to preserve its wealth and power, is pressuring the state to crack down on the Lollard reformists. As the Archbishop of Canterbury says to the King: “Whenever Lollardy has been preached there have been uprisings. The commoners feel empowered by the reading of the word for themselves. They no longer rely on the church. They say they answer only to Christ himself. Not to the archbishop… Or to the king.” (p. 343)

Author Brenda Rickman Vantrease greatly augments the built-in drama of this tumultuous historical period with her intricate plot and the particular life trajectories of her characters. While “The Illuminator” revolves around two strong protagonists, Finn and Kathryn, who know exactly who they are, “The Mercy Seller” tells the story of Anna and Gabriel who assume different and sometimes conflicting roles, at times disguising their true identities, lying and compromising on their principles. Yet, their respective zig-zags are not due to dishonesty, but to the impossible circumstances in which they find themselves as the conflict between the church and the Lollards escalates. 

Rotating between Bohemia, France and England, “The Mercy Seller” continues the saga, thirty years on, of Finn who illustrated the first Wycliffe Bible, and Kathryn, a noblewoman sympathetic to the Lollard cause. When catastrophe befalls them, Kathryn secludes herself in an abbey in England, while Finn takes refuge in Prague where he raises his orphaned granddaughter, Anna. Once lovers, they do not know what has happened to each other, yet they follow parallel tracks. Under Kathryn’s discrete guidance, the nuns of the abbey copy holy texts, including the forbidden English translations. Finn continues his illuminations, while gathering dissident students to study, translate and copy the banned books in Czech. Anna grows up in a world of equality, faith and books, and acquires her own bookmaking and translation skills which later allow her to make a living, but also expose her to charges of heresy.

When Finn dies, the noose is tightening around the Lollards in Prague, and Anna decides to follow his instructions to seek safety with Sir John Oldcastle in England, not knowing that he too has been targeted for his Lollard activities. She sets out on an eye-opening but perilous journey, initially travelling with a band of Roma and adopting a handicapped but musically talented child who later proves to be her salvation. But most of all, she feels totally alone: “Anna mourned her loss of connectedness in a world that no longer made sense.” (p. 133)

In Rheims, Anna and Gabriel, each pretending to be someone they are not, meet and fall in love, but what will happen when they revert to being themselves?

Gabriel would seem to be on the opposite side. He is a monk who sells indulgences, i.e., the mercy seller, and charged by the archbishop to spy on the Lollards. But Gabriel’s story, like that of many other characters in the book, is not what it seems. He and Anna actually have much in common. Both have been raised as orphans, knowing little of their mothers or their past. While Finn kept secrets from Anna to protect her, Gabriel was the victim of outright deception: A priest falsely claimed to have saved him from his allegedly prostitute mother and raised him in a monastery. 

As the lives of these characters crisscross, converge and collide, there is much fear, suspicion, agonising and divided loyalties as each tries to navigate the perils of the church’s witch hunt. There are also many self-discoveries and reunions with lost loved ones. Quite amazingly, the author ties the many threads of the plot into a coherent whole which gives hope, but not the facile satisfaction of a contrived happy ending.

Questions of faith, the importance of the written word, and the freedom to read and write in one’s mother tongue, are at the heart of the story. The parallel theme is the destructiveness of intolerance, giving this novel current as well as historical relevance. As Vantrease writes in the author’s note: “The Lollard persecutions continued until the Reformation. Many men and women were tortured and executed for religious dissent… Unfortunately, such religious intolerance did not end with the Reformation.” (p. 422)

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook wants to read your mind.

At least, when it comes to what you’d like to say or type.

The social network giant, at its annual developers conference, unveiled on Wednesday projects aimed at allowing users to use their minds to type messages or their skin to hear words.

“Speech is essentially a compression algorithm, and a lousy one at that,” Facebook executive and former DARPA director Regina Dugan told a packed audience at the Silicon Valley event.

“That is why we love great writers and poets, because they are just a little bit better at compressing the fullness of a thought into words. What if we could type directly from our brain into a computer?”

The project grew from being an idea six months ago to being the focus of a team of more than 60 scientists, engineers, and system integrators, according to Dugan, who heads a Building 8 team devoted to coming up with innovative hardware for the social network’s mission of connecting the world.

“We are just getting started,” Dugan said.

“We have a goal of creating a system capable of typing 100 words-per-minute straight from your brain.”

Cutting out implants 

Video played during her presentation showed a woman with an advanced neurodegenerative disease using her mind to move a cursor on a computer screen, slowly typing words.

Such brain-computer interface technology currently involves implanting electrodes, but Facebook wants to use optical imaging to eliminate the need to surgically intrude on brains, according to Dugan.

Facebook is looking at creating “silent-speech interfaces” based on sensors that could be worn, and made in quantity.

“We are not talking about decoding your random thoughts; that is more than many of us want to know,” Dugan quipped.

“We are talking about thoughts you want to share. Words you have decided to send to the speech centre of the brain.”

Such technology could let people fire off text messages or e-mails by thinking, instead of needing to interrupt what they are doing to use smartphone touchscreens, for example.

It would also have the potential to capture concepts and semantics associated with words people are thinking, making language differences irrelevant by enabling sharing of what is in mind, Dugan said.

“Unlike other approaches, ours will be focused on developing a non-invasive system that could one day become a speech prosthetic for people with communication disorders or a new means for input to AR,” Dugan said in a post on her Facebook page, referring to augmented reality. 

“Even something as simple as a ‘yes/no’ brain click, or a ‘brain mouse’ would be transformative.”

Feeling words 

The Building 8 group is also working on sensors that let people “hear” through their skin, with what they feel being converted into words in a variation on how the ear turns vibrations into comprehensible sounds.

“Our brains have the ability to construct language from components,” Dugan said.

“I suggest that one day, not so far away, it may be possible for me to think in Mandarin and for you to feel it instantly in Spanish.”

Such technology remains years away, according to Dugan.

Work under way in Building 8 “will one day allow us to choose to share a thought, just like we do with photos and videos”, Facebook co-founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on his page at the social network.

“Eventually, we want to turn it into a wearable technology that can be manufactured at scale.”

Facebook started the Building 8 group last year, and put it in the hands of Dugan, who had previously led an advanced-technology projects group at Google.

Before joining Google, Dugan ran the Defence Department’s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, devoted to developing technology for the US military.

In movies, in the news and in real life, stories about computer hacking abound. Should you worry? What are the chances that you, a private user, experience an actual attack? Are there precautions you can take to avoid or at least to reduce the risk?

Hacking is a very real phenomenon, certainly exceeding the scope of fiction. It is also very common. If only big time hacking permeates out to the media and makes the headlines, less dramatic hacking takes place all the time, everywhere and every day. From Mr Everybody’s email that gets stolen and used to send massive spam messages on his behalf, to more painful credit card fraud and abuse, the trend continues and has gotten virtually beyond control.

Indeed, hacking is far from being limited to the sensational such as alleged vote rigging done by a country to another, or to snatching highly classified defence secrets. It happens at all levels and in all sectors. Two years ago international French TV channel TV5Monde experienced a broadcasting failure that lasted several hours. Investigation showed that it was an inside job and that someone had intentionally pulled out a few network wires from the servers’ main switch.

We all have to worry about being hacked, whoever we may be and whatever our business. Still, the risk is significantly lower for the private consumer than for big organisations, financial institutions, corporations, governments and the military; it is understood.

The size and the complexity of the networks, whether local ones or those going through the Internet, the mind boggling amount of data exchanged all the time over these networks and the density of the traffic, all are elements that make hacking more likely to take place than ever. Preventing it completely is impossible. It’s like expecting a megalopolis like Tokyo, Paris, London, Mexico, New York or Los Angeles to be 100 per cent crime-free.

Using strong, hard to guess or to decipher passwords certainly is a recommended method, whether to log into your computer or to protect your email box and other online services you may be using. By any measure “Tr6@bn#7KBw” is better than “123456”, for example… As unbelievable as it may sound, a large number of consumers do use “123456” as password.

Still, strong passwords have ceased to be an efficient method to protect you against hacking. The criminals have countless ways to circumvent such protection. They can simply steal the password by enticing you with fake emails or advertising to “click here”. A huge number of free software applications that you may first be glad to download and install without paying a penny have no other purpose than to steal your password without you even knowing what is going on. By the time you realise what happened it is usually too late. Just like in real life, it is all about deception.

You can install good anti-virus programmes, you can even go to extremes and install a physical firewall (the ultimate protection as it is known), hackers will still find a way to get into your computer, your data and your files if they really want to. And then again, you have the “inside job” that every corporation fears. To which extend can you trust the IT technician or engineer who has virtually unlimited access to the network?

In the last few years the question of computer and data security has become a speciality in its own right, within the world of Information Technology. Like there are database specialists or web designers, for instance, there are now IT Security specialists.

Hackmageddon, the nicely named Information Security Timelines and Statistics web site, indicates that in November last year, 82.7 per cent of hacking was cybercrime, 9.3 per cent was hacktivism, 4 per cent was cyber espionage, 2.7 per cent cyber warfare and 1.3 per cent was unknown. Hacktivism is a neologism that refers to “…the act of hacking, or breaking into a computer system, for a politically or socially motivated purpose.” (whatis.com).

The site also provides interesting statistics about the sectors that are affected, as hacked targets. Surprisingly it is the industry that is the most severely hit, and by far. Single individuals come in third position (your reason to worry, as private user), whereas the military and social networks come only in ninth and tenth positions on the list, respectively.

All that single individuals can do is to follow the usual recommendations. These consist of using strong passwords and not disclosing them, disregarding and deleting even the slightly suspicious email or web ad, not clicking on anything clickable however glamorous it may look. It is also important to use clean, legitimate and original software, exclusively, not to insert into your computer USB flash drives from unreliable sources and to maintain original and updated copies of anti-virus software.

Avoid saving passwords on web sites during browsing sessions, and don’t let each and every one use your computer. It is called “personal” computer for a reason. If these measures won’t provide absolute protection against hacking, they will at least make hackers life harder.