Features

WASHINGTON — Mothers: They bring you into this world, shower you with care, and help you build up a mind map of local foraging sites while you’re still a flightless pup latched to their nipples.

A new study published in Current Biology on Wednesday by Israeli researchers sheds light on how mammal parents help their young learn critical life skills — in this case Egyptian fruit bats, as they soar through the night evading predators and finding figs.

“How animals, humans included, acquire their behavioural skills is a fundamental question,” Yossi Yovel, a scientist at the University of Tel Aviv and one the paper’s three authors told AFP.

“We know that animals do amazing things. Bats for instance navigate dozens of kilometres every night to forage, and we have always wondered how they learn to do so.”

Many bat species carry their young in flight, but there is an energy cost in transporting a pup that can be up to 40 per cent of the mother’s own weight, and the benefits for the offspring were unclear. It was hypothesised — but never proven — this may be to facilitate learning in the young.

GPS trackers 

To find out for sure, Yovel and his colleagues placed miniaturised GPS trackers on dozens of mother-pup pairs, as the offspring passed from dependence to independence.

Co-author Aya Goldshtein, said they were able to document a set of distinct patterns.

“At the beginning, the mother and pup are constantly attached, they fly together and the mother carries the pup during the entire night,” she explained — weeks one to three of the young mammal’s life.

Next comes the “drop-off” phase when mothers carry their pups and park them on a tree a few kilometres  from their colony.

At this stage, three to 10 weeks in, the mothers continuously return from foraging to check on their young, feeding them and helping warm them.

After that, at eight to 10 weeks, the pups start flying alone to the same drop-off sites during the night and returning to their roost before dawn — though their mothers’ work is not quite done, and they continue to check in.

“Imagine you have a teenager at home — he’s already kind of independent, but you also want to monitor he’s not doing something stupid like not coming back to the house at the end of the night,” said Goldshtein. Or, when pups fail to fly out alone, their mums carry them again.

Finally, at 10 weeks and beyond, the pups use the drop-off sites as starting points for independent exploration of new fruit trees.

In essence, the sites serve as navigational aids that help the young set out and return home.

As a control, the team raised some pups without their mothers, and found they often could not find their way back to their cave before sunrise.

In addition, the sites help mothers find wayward young.

“These trees are a bit like meeting points for lost-children in amusement parks,” said Yovel.

The drop-off sites also serve as secondary roosts, and having many of them helps reduce the pups’ exposure to predators such as owls.

The ‘t’ word 

“One of the craziest parts of the paper was the pup actually learns when he’s attached upside down,” said co-author Lee Harten. She added it’s possible that “his eyes are open and he’s actually gathering information while being passively transferred”.

That in turn suggests the pups’ brains invert the visual input into an upright image.

Harten said she was pleased to contribute to the scientific gap about how animals help their young learn — particularly among bats, who comprise a fifth of all mammals on Earth but remain understudied.

While the team showed the bat mothers change what they do when they have children, invest energy in specific behaviour, and their offspring learn as a result of that behaviour, they are hesitant to use the word “teaching” in the study, which is seen as an anthropomorphism by the scientific community.

“In order to prove teaching — you must show intention and this is very difficult with animals [you cannot simply ask them],” said Yovel.

“I would call this teaching, but to be careful, we say that they place the pups in a position that allows them to learn.”

LOS ANGELES — Alec Baldwin has said he did not pull the trigger of the gun he was holding that killed a cinematographer on the movie set of "Rust." 

In his first major interview since the tragedy in October, the US actor also said he has "no idea" how a live round had gotten onto the set of the low-budget Western in New Mexico.

"The trigger wasn't pulled — I didn't pull the trigger," he said in an excerpt of an interview with ABC News released on Wednesday.

"No, no, no. I would never point a gun at anyone and pull the trigger at them. Never."

In the interview, set to air in full on ABC on Thursday evening, Baldwin did not elaborate on how the weapon had gone off.

Baldwin, also a producer on "Rust," was rehearsing a scene in which his character brandishes a Colt .45 when cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed.

The weapon was meant to contain dummy — or fake — rounds, and Baldwin was asked in the interview how a real bullet had ended up within the firearm.

"I have no idea. Someone put a live bullet in a gun — a bullet that wasn't even supposed to be on the property," said Baldwin.

Prosecutors have refused to rule out criminal charges against anyone involved with "Rust," including Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed.

Gutierrez-Reed has also said she has "no idea" why live rounds were present.

On Tuesday, investigators said Seth Kenney — an Arizona weapon rental supplier — may have supplied "reloaded ammunition" that matched the cartridge suspected to have contained the live round that killed Hutchins.

"Reloaded ammunition" refers to rounds that are assembled from component parts, not manufactured as complete live rounds.

"The Sheriff's office has taken a huge step forward today to unearth the full truth of who put the live rounds on the 'Rust' set," Gutierrez-Reed's lawyers said in a statement Tuesday.

The full, one-hour ABC interview with Baldwin aired on Thursday at 8pm Eastern.

"Even now, I find it hard to believe," says a tearful Baldwin in the preview clip. "It just doesn't seem real to me."

"I think back, and I think of 'what could I have done?'" he says.

PARIS — From the YouTube videos we’re recommended to deciding who gets a job, algorithms wield an ever-growing influence over our lives — and policy-makers worldwide want to rein them in.

While China is worried about delivery app algorithms that encourage their drivers to speed, US lawmakers are grappling with social media recommendation systems that have sent some users down dangerous rabbit-holes. 

“Algorithms can be useful, of course, but many people simply a ren’t aware of just how much their experience on these platforms is being manipulated,” John Thune, one of numerous US senators proposing new social media legislation, wrote in a CNN op-ed. 

Facebook has faced fierce criticism after a whistleblower revealed that executives knew the site’s algorithm systematically promoted inflammatory posts in people’s newsfeeds, fuelling division and unrest from India to Ethiopia. 

Frances Haugen, the ex-Facebook engineer behind the revelations, believes people deserve to know more about how the content they see is shaped by the jumble of data that gets fed into the social media machine. 

“I think if we just say, ‘we are going to regulate algorithms’, that is so amorphous,” Haugen told AFP in an interview last week.

“I think it’s more powerful to say, ‘Hey Facebook, you have a lot more transparency than we do’,” and force the company to reveal more about how its systems work, she said.

More boring social media?

Campaigners and lawmakers may agree that tech giants’ algorithms need more public oversight, but how to achieve that is a different matter. 

“There are some really hard unanswered questions,” said Daphne Keller, director of platform regulation at the Stanford Cyber Policy Centre. 

In the European Union, where lawmakers are debating two vast pieces of tech legislation, “some proposals say algorithms should prioritise authoritative sources of information, and others say they should prioritise diverse sources”, Keller noted. 

“How do you reconcile those two goals?”

The path forward is just as unclear in the US, where dozens of legal amendments have been proposed by lawmakers torn over what exactly it is about social media that needs fixing. 

“On the left, people don’t like all the harmful stuff like hate speech and misinformation; on the right, people think that their free speech is being taken away,” summarised Noah Giansiracusa, author of “How Algorithms Create and Prevent Fake News”.

Politicians and academics have suggested various means of limiting the harmful side-effects of social media algorithms — none without their complications. 

Some suggest platforms like Facebook and Twitter could be made legally liable for what they publish, which would discourage them from amplifying posts that spread hate or misinformation.

But in the US, where most social media giants are based, Giansiracusa said this would quickly face legal challenges from critics charging that it violates the right to freedom of speech. 

Alternatively, governments could restrict social networks’ ability to personalise what people see in their feeds.

YouTube and Facebook have been accused of unintentionally radicalising some people in this way, feeding them post after post of conspiracy theory-laden content. 

Social media companies could be obliged to simply show people posts in chronological order — but that risks making scrolling down a feed more boring.

The algorithms would no longer be able to calculate what a user will probably find interesting — a photo of a close friend getting married, for instance — while downgrading tedious posts about what an acquaintance had for lunch. 

“There is no simple solution,” Giansiracusa concluded. 

Garbage in, garbage out

Beyond social media, the world’s reliance on digital technology means algorithms increasingly affect real-world outcomes — sometimes drastically. 

China’s cyberspace watchdog is mulling further regulation of tech firms’ algorithms, not least after criticism of how food delivery apps like Meituan and Alibaba’s Ele.me treat financially vulnerable gig workers.

Such apps have faced criticism for docking drivers’ pay if they don’t arrive fast enough, effectively encouraging reckless driving.

And studies have shown how artificial intelligence can prove racist or sexist, from resume-scanning tools that favour male candidates, to US risk assessment software that recommends white prisoners for parole more frequently than black counterparts. 

Both are examples of a computing principle known as “garbage in, garbage out” — the idea that algorithms can replicate human biases if they’re fed data embedded with those biases. 

Regulators are increasingly seeking ways of preventing these discriminatory outcomes, with the US Federal Trade Commission signalling it will penalise companies found to be selling biased algorithms. 

“How algorithms shape our newsfeed is important,” Keller said. “But when algorithms send people to jail or deny them employment — that doesn’t get enough attention.”

MONACO — Three-quarters of children have faced abuse in sport and boys are more likely to be victims than girls, a study of more than 10,000 individuals in six European countries released on Saturday shows.

The most common form of abuse suffered by children taking part in sport outside of school was psychological, ranging from a lack of praise to humiliating treatment, the European Union-funded study shows.

Nearly two-thirds of those polled for the Child Abuse in Sport: European Statistics study said they had suffered psychological abuse while 44 per cent had experienced physical violence.

The report’s lead author, Professor Mike Hartill of Edge Hill University in England, said the findings show those who govern sport in Europe have done “too little” to safeguard children in sport and must do “far more than producing policy”.

“Our findings are obviously of great concern. We have seen a number of high-profile cases of child abuse in sport in recent times, but this research helps us to understand the scale of the problem more clearly,” Hartill said.

The study, led by Edge Hill University and the University of Wuppertal in Germany, questioned individuals aged between 18 and 30 who had taken part in sport when they were under 18.

The highest incidence of abuse was among children who had competed internationally — 84 per cent at that level had experienced some form of abuse.

Hartill, a specialist in the sociology of sport, said the absence of praise or encouragement was often cited as a form of abuse.

“Withholding praise from children can be damaging. You can imagine that it could go from a mild occurrence to it being used as grooming for more serious abuse,” he said, speaking at a symposium to launch the study at the headquarters of World Athletics in Monaco. 

A total of 10,302 individuals were questioned in Austria, the Wallonia region of Belgium, Germany, Romania, Spain and Britain.

They were asked to complete an online questionnaire distributed by polling company Ipsos MORI, with interesting answers triggering further questions from researchers.

The highest prevalence of abuse was in Belgium at 80 per cent while the lowest was in Austria (70 per cent).

Across all countries, with the exception of Austria, boys were significantly more likely to experience violence.

‘Too little done’

Co-author Professor Bettina Rulofs said one finding in particular had surprised the researchers: “It is remarkable to have more males in the category of contact sexual violence than girls.” 

The authors said the report showed that many sports bodies had failed to widen their policies beyond safeguards against sexual violence to take in psychological issues.

Hartill said: “Unfortunately, these findings indicate a sector that has done too little to address deep-rooted issues within sports.”

“Those that govern sport in Europe must do far more than producing policy. The problem is ultimately rooted within the nature of the relationships between adults and children within sport.”

However, the report did find that the incidence of abuse in sport was lower than in wider society and it also noted that 85 per cent of adults reported having a positive experience through sport as children.

Twice face-lifted since its introduction in 2011, the first generation Ford Ranger, built on the modern “T6” platform, remains as impressive as ever in its final year.

Even as a slightly larger, thoroughly updated and more technologically advanced second generation model nears production sometime towards the end of next year, the current Ranger remains one of the most capable, refined and viscerally appealing in its mid-size pick-up truck segment, and especially in 3.2-litre double cab dual personal and work use configuration.

Sculpted style

Updated in 2019 with improved tech, driver assistance and infotainment systems, and a subtle face-lift, the current Ranger gained a lightly more toned-down design than its immediate predecessor. With a clearly delineated horizontally-oriented front bumper design, the current Ranger has seemingly slimmer version of the aggressive prominently snouty hexagonal grille and scowling, heavily browed headlight aesthetic adopted in 2015. Little differentiated from side and front angles, the current Ranger retains the same upright stance, well-proportioned dimensions and ruggedly sculpted double cab body.

The most powerful Ranger bar the recently introduced high performance specialty Raptor variant available in limited markets, the Ranger 3.2L engine is offered regionally in three specification levels, including the outwardly more assertive, sportier and most highly equipped lifestyle-oriented Wildtrak version. Entry level XLT and mid-range LTD 3.2L Rangers are however little distinguishable in style and both feature chrome grille, rear bumper, accents and tubular cargo bed bar, rather than the Wildtrak’s black bumpers, accents, and sportier, more integrated rear bar.

Fluently muscular

Positioned longitudinally under a muscular clamshell bonnet, the region’s most powerful Ranger’s 3.2-litre common-rail turbo-diesel 5-cylinder engine — shared with the Mazda BT-50 — might be set for replacement by an advanced 3-litre V6 with the next generation Ranger, but remains most powerful and versatile among mid-size pick-up truck engines, as officially sold in Jordan. Developing 197BHP at 3000rpm and 347lb/ft torque throughout 1500-2750rpm, the Ranger 3.2L delivers brisk 10.6-second 0-100km/h acceleration, as combined with the 6-speed automatic gearbox option predominantly available in the region.

Responsive from idling engine speed with its quick spooling turbo and big displacement, the Ranger 3.2L’s intuitive automatic gearbox further helps with fluent delivery that avoids the low-end lag often associated with turbo-diesel engines. A muscular performer with deep, seemingly indefatigable mid-range pulling power, the Ranger 3.2L is characterised by its muscular on the move versatility That said, the Ranger 3.2L revs smoothly and consistently through to its low rev limit, and will confidently push through air resistance to a maximum 175km/h.

Generous abilities

Driving rear wheels for efficient regular road use, the Ranger’s four-wheel-drive can, however, be engaged at up to 120km/h, on-the-move, with which it effortlessly powers through most inclines and low traction conditions, including deep sand dunes. For even more demanding off-road conditions and towing, the Ranger features 2.48:1 low gear ratio reduction and locking rear differential. A capable off-roader, the Ranger meanwhile delivers generous high 230mm ground clearance, 800mm water wading capability, and 29° approach, 21° departure, 25° ramp and 35° tilt angles.

A capable off-roader, the Ranger’s rigid construction serves it well in terms of safety, off-road ability, durability and on-road handling ability and ride comfort. A composed and refined drive, despite its ruggedly utilitarian body-on-chassis construction and leaf sprung live axle rear suspension, the Ranger is settled at the rear, and is stable and reassuring at speed. Taking road imperfections in its stride, the Ranger is buttoned down over bumps and ruts, and delivers good in-class vertical control, and body lean control through corners.

Balanced workhorse

Agile and manoeuvrable for a truck, the Ranger 3.2L confidently hustles through switchbacks with its comparatively good steering feel, balanced weighting and double wishbone suspension. Tidy and responsive into corners, the Ranger powers out smoothly and with good grip. Easy to place through narrow paths and streets, the Ranger delivers good front visibility and a range of driver assistance systems depending on specification. However, XLT specification misses out on useful rear view camera and parking assistance features of LTD and Wildtrak versions.

Accessible and spacious for five, the Ranger’s cabin is ergonomic and user-friendly with pleasant design and good quality materials, including leather seats for the LTD model. Front seats meanwhile provide excellent comfort, supportive and adjustability. Well equipped with mod-cons and safety equipment, the Ranger 3.2L features either 4- or 8-inch infotainment screens. A capable workhorse, it accommodates a 1,180-litre cargo volume and 970kg payload in lightest 2,230kg XLT guise. XLT and LTD models, however, don’t receive the Wildtrak’s signature in-built lockable roll-top cargo bed cover.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 3.2-litre, common-rail turbo-diesel, in-line 5-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 89.9 x 100.8mm

Compression ratio: 15.7:1

Valve-train: 20-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 6-speed automatic

Driveline: Four-wheel-drive, low gear transfer case, locking rear differential

Gear ratios: 1st 4.171:1; 2nd 2.342:1; 3rd 1.521:1; 4th 1.143:1; 5th 0.867:1; 6th 0.691:1

Reverse/final drive: 3.4:1/3.73:1

High/low range: 1:1/2.48:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 197 (200) [147] @3,000rpm

Specific power: 61.6BHP/litre

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 347 (470) @1,750-2,500rpm

Specific torque: 147Nm/litre

0-100km/h: approximately 10.6-seconds

Top speed: 175km/h

Fuel consumption, urban/extra-urban/combined; 11.4-/7.4-/

8.9-litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 234g/km

Fuel capacity: 80-litres

Wheelbase: 3,220mm

Track: 1,560mm

Ground clearance: 237mm

Water fording: 800mm

Approach angle: 29°

Break-over angle: 25°

Departure angle: 21°

Tilt angle: 35°

Wading depth: 800mm

Kerb weight: 2,230kg

Payload, Net: 970kg

Towing capacity, braked/un-braked: 3,500/750kg

Gross vehicle mass: 3,200kg

Gross train mass: 6,000kg

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

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Lock-to-lock: 3.5-turns

Turning circle: 12.7-metres

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/drums

Tyres: 255/65R17

Paradise
Abdulrazak Gurnah
New York: The New Press, 1994
Pp. 246

It is roughly a decade since the Nobel Prize in Literature ventured out of the global North. Even then, this year’s recipient, Abdulrazak Gurnah, resides in the UK, but he was born in Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania. His ancestry is Arab, his first language, Swahili, and his writing reflects this diverse background. 

Due to ancient trade routes, the eastern coast of Africa and adjacent islands, such as Zanzibar, are very diverse demographically, linguistically, culturally and in terms of religion. Accordingly, Gurnah’s novel, “Paradise”, is peopled with urban, rural and tribal Africans, characters of Arab and Indian origin. There are Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Christians and animists; speakers of Arabic and dialects of Swahili. How this diversity plays out is one element that makes the novel fascinating and a bit exotic for those of us who know little about this region. 

Gurnah, however, nips any exotic or romanticised interpretations in the bud with his realistic and often harsh portrayal and irony, starting with the title of the novel. Though the concept of paradise may represent people’s aspirations for freedom, dignity and a moderately comfortable life, very few of them find themselves in a heavenly situation. Nor are there any indications that they have much choice, or that their lot in life will improve. Even the wealthy and successful, like the prominent merchant, Aziz, will find their days numbered as German and British imperial forces begin penetrating the area, and war brews between them. From the first pages, Gurnah calls attention to the looming colonial presence, but it is not till the last page that one grasps the full extent of it.

Parallel to describing the conditions that allowed colonial penetration, “Paradise” is a coming-of-age story focusing on twelve-year-old Yusuf, who lives in Kawa, where his parents had migrated when it was a boom town because the Germans used it as a depot while building a railroad to the interior. Yusef’s parents are left poorer than ever when the boom ends, but the German presence lingers, impacting on the psyche of the locals. Yusuf likes to hang out with older boys whose parents had come from all over to work for the Germans piecemeal: “They were only ever paid for the work they did, and at times there was no work. Yusuf had heard the boys say that the Germans hanged people if they did not work hard enough”. (p. 7)

Yet, at first, oppression seems to come at least as much from local sources. Yusuf’s father gives him to the merchant Aziz in lieu of the insurmountable debt he owes him. They call him Uncle Aziz and he has visited the family before, so Yusuf is totally caught off-guard as to what is really happening: “It never occurred to him, not even for one brief moment, that he might be gone from his parents for a long time, or that he might never see them again. It never occurred to him to ask when he would be returning. He never thought to ask why he was accompanying Uncle Aziz on his journey…” (p. 17)

Yusuf’s naivete continues for a long time after arriving at Aziz’s home in a town on the coast. He is treated kindly by the master and expected to work in his shop, assisting an older boy, Khalil, who was also sold into service and tries to disabuse Yusuf of the notion that Aziz is his uncle. Though Khalil never uses the word slave, he knows “his place”. Yusuf, on the other hand, indulges in dreams and fantasies that eventually threaten his status in the household. In a sense, Aziz’s home, and especially its beautiful garden, is paradise for Yusuf. 

Before things reach the breaking point, Yusuf is treated most favourably and groomed to take a bigger share in Aziz’s trading business. This entails going on long journeys into the interior where Aziz exchanges his wares for whatever the local people have to offer. It is on these journeys that Yusuf matures. He realises that his excessive good nature is “only disguised hidden wounds” as he wises up to Aziz’s game: “He cuts you in above your means, and then when you can’t pay up he takes everything… takes their sons and daughters. This is like the days of slavery”. (pp. 175, 88-89)

From these journeys, Yusuf also gains a sense of the precariousness of human existence. The pure physical labour demanded of the porters is astounding, and the caravan often comes under vicious attack by the locals. “Everywhere they went now they found the Europeans had got there before them, and had installed soldiers and officials telling the people that they had come to save them from the enemies who only sought to make slaves of them… The first thing they build is a lock-up, then a church, then a market-shed so that they can keep the trade under their eyes and then tax it”. (p. 72)

Gurnah’s writing is elegant even when describing the most horrible scenes. He has a special gift for storytelling, and besides the main plot, there are many stories within stories that convey legends, myths and real local history, while dreams and fantasies poignantly reveal the characters’ feelings, especially Yusuf’s. Simple daily past times and conversations are written in a way that reveals much about society. In short, Gurnah is a highly skilled writer who tells the reader much about social conditions and personal emotions without seeming to pontificate. “Paradise” was short-listed for the 1994 Booker Prize and is often mentioned as a reason for Gurnah receiving the Nobel Prize. Reading it whets the appetite for reading other of his novels.

By Dina Halaseh 
Educational Psychologist

We are used to thinking of all the disruptive and, in many cases, annoying attributes linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. But as we always see in life, there is always an upside to everything.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) affects a person’s ability to focus, maintain attention and may result in hyperactivity or impulsiveness. We have seen an increased awareness of ADHD in Jordan, yet most parents tend to focus only on the negatives and not realise how it can also have an upside. 

Types of ADHD

• Inattentive: Someone who struggles to maintain attention and gets distracted easily but there are no signs of hyperactivity or inattentiveness

• Hyperactive: Someone who moves a lot, is impulsive but doesn’t seem to struggle to maintain attention

• Combined ADHD: someone who is both hyperactive and impulsive and tends to struggle to maintain attention and gets distracted easily

Positive sides to having ADHD

• Hyperfocus: When someone with ADHD turns on their hyperfocus, they spend hours doing a task that they enjoy in a way that other people can’t

• Creativity: Being creative is one of the advantages of having a not so neurotypical brain. This gives them a huge advantage at work when given the opportunity. Many famous actors and singers are known to have ADHD like Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Adam Levine and Justin Timberlake

• Energy: The amount of energy someone with ADHD has, allows them to be great at any physical activity; actually, many well-known athletes have ADHD like Michael Jordan, Simone Biles, and Michael Phelps

• Social: Many with ADHD tend to be the star of any social encounter as many have great skills communicating with others and have a spontaneous personality that grabs everyone’s attention, especially those who are more hyperactive than inattentive

• Flexibility: Usually, we find people with ADHD who are flexible in thoughts, ideas, movements and even more adaptable to the many challenges of life

• Willingness to try new things: They are also willing to try different new things and look for many interesting ideas and concepts, thus adding to their creativity!

As hard as it is for people with ADHD, children need to hear that their different brains will help them excel in so many different ways. Sadly, they tend to get only negative feedback. So invest in your child’s strengths and make sure to praise it!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

PARIS/NEW YORK — When Matt Danzico began seeing cryptocurrency logos in the packaging of grocery store items, he knew he had a problem. 

Danzico had been swept up in the global craze for trading digital currencies during the pandemic, and very quickly it had grown into an obsession. 

“I would have these sleepless nights where I’d be tossing and turning, trying to get these charts out of my head,” said the Barcelona-based designer and visual journalist. “I thought I was losing my mind.”

Cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ethereum are notorious for their volatility, and the 39-year-old saw “years worth of money won and lost in a very short amount of time”.

His emotions went on a similar rollercoaster, not helped by the fact that he was speculating in the depths of a COVID-19 lockdown. His wife noticed him becoming anxious and angry.

Danzico declines to specify the damage the experiment did to his finances — suffice to say that “for our bank account, it was bad”.

Reflecting months later during a trip home to the United States, the cheerful American mostly feels relieved that he nipped his addiction in the bud fairly quickly.

But as cryptocurrencies have grown from being a niche interest to a more mainstream one, Danzico says experiences much darker than his own are unfolding worldwide.

“We’re talking tens of millions of people who are trading cryptocurrencies,” he said.

“If one small fraction of those people are becoming hooked, we’re talking about a burgeoning potential mental health crisis on a scale that I don’t think that the world has ever seen.”

The darkness 

of crypto Twitter

Danzico points out that you need look no further than Twitter, where crypto enthusiasts congregate, for a sense of the mental health consequences of the tokens’ chronic instability. 

Tweets by “people discussing deep depression, really extreme thoughts of isolation and suicide” often accompany plunges in value. 

In September, a Czech man’s tale of his disastrous attempt to get rich from crypto — taking on spiralling debts as he attempted to claw back his losses — went viral on Twitter.

Depressed and homeless, he was too ashamed to ask for help. “When I called my mom I just said it’s all ok, I have [a] good job, place to sleep etc. In reality I was starving,” wrote the user named Jirka, who has since started rebuilding his life. 

Disturbed by his own experience and others described online, Danzico began researching crypto addiction, writing up his findings in an article for crypto news site Cointelegraph. 

He found just one small-scale study into crypto addiction in Turkey, and a few therapists offering professional help, from Thailand to the US.

Experts regard the phenomenon as a form of gambling addiction, noting similarities with Wall Street traders whose investments have spun out of control.

Castle Craig, a Scottish rehab clinic, describes crypto addiction as a “modern day epidemic”. 

The problem is more common in men, the clinic notes on its website, “but this might just be because women trade cryptocurrencies less than men”.

Art as therapy

For Danzico, it’s “alarming” that more specialised help isn’t available. Part of the problem, he suspects, is that people don’t realise quite how mainstream crypto speculation has become. 

Trading platform Crypto.com estimated in July that 221 million people were now trading worldwide. That figure had more than doubled in six months as millions began dabbling while stuck at home during the pandemic. 

It was only after Danzico began trading himself that he began noticing signs that fellow traders were everywhere.

A neighbour would whoop every time ethereum spiked; he’d see young men in the street fretting over a crypto chart on a phone screen. 

Danzico kicked his own habit by pouring his obsession into photography, using a light projector to superimpose images of crypto logos and charts onto the world around him.

Finding a way to express how all-consuming trading had become “somehow allowed me to move past it”, he said.

He is now, with self-confessed irony, selling digital versions of the images as NFTs — non-fungible tokens, for which he is paid in ethereum.

Danzico still has some crypto assets, and believes that de-centralised finance has a bright future. But he wants society to face up to what he regards as “an enormous mental health crisis”.

“You have kids who are literally becoming millionaires in their parents’ basements and then losing it all before they run up for dinner,” he said.

“What we can do is begin talking about this.”

HONG KONG — Gently unwrapping clingfilm covering the old man's damaged feet — skin darkened and cracked, nails lumpen and deformed — the Hong Kong beautician doesn't flinch. Instead she picks up her tools and starts working.

Once to twice a month, Cass Ng and her team of beauticians swap out their nail polish collection for tough scissors, nail files, an electric drill.

Her initiative CHANGE (Caring Health Anywhere Nails Goal Elderly) offers free pedicures for low-income elderly people who cannot afford healthcare and do not have family to fall back on.

"We want to serve these people the most because they lack others' love the most," the 37-year-old told AFP.

After three years of giving volunteer manicures, Ng was inspired to start her own social enterprise to help those — often over 65 and on social benefits — unable to afford the city's expensive private healthcare.

While Hong Kong has a public healthcare system, many complain they have to wait for long periods to be seen with various ailments getting worse.

One of those visiting Ng's free clinic for the first time was Martin Sun, 71, who said he had been troubled by ingrowing toenails and fungal infections for years.

He describes that day's treatment, a full pedicure, as a blessed relief.

"If not, I would do it myself, bend down, then take a deep breath, and endure the pain," he said of trying to do the same work himself.

Kwan Lung, 86, gave a thumbs up and beamed during her visit to the clinic at the Kwai Chung community centre.

"The more they [the manicurists] come, the happier we old people are," the grandmother explained.

She described "sweating like it's raining" when she tried her own pedicures before.

Although the day seems light-hearted, Ng explains, when the elderly don't treat their fungal nail infections — the most common problem — they can face difficulties walking. 

"Slowly, they might tend not to go out and they will become lonelier," she said. 

"If the nails are fixed, they feel more comfortable with their feet and can... take a walk and chat with friends." 

"When you manicure, the smell and level of dirtiness are very difficult to accept," she said, describing how difficult it was to help one man who was particularly filthy.

"But after half a year to a year, his situation has changed," she said. 

Ng said: "This service should not be just a small thing in community centres, but a service that might be needed by people from all Hong Kong," adding that she hoped everyone could one day be set on equal footing.

NEW YORK — Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo are leading a splashy class of pop stalwarts and newbies nominated for this year’s Grammy awards.

But it’s Jon Batiste — the jazz and R&B artist, television personality and bandleader, whose prizes include an Oscar for his soundtrack to the movie “Soul” — who has the most chances at Grammy gold, snagging 11 nominations including in the top categories.

Bieber will vie for eight trophies at the January 31 gala in Los Angeles, as will R&B favourite H.E.R. and singer-rapper Doja Cat.

Grammy darling Eilish is in the running for seven, as is Olivia Rodrigo, a former Disney channel actress who exploded onto the pop scene this year with her breakout “drivers licence”.

The 18-year-old Rodrigo was expected to be a top contender and did not disappoint, landing nods for her much-touted debut album “Sour”.

Like Eilish in 2019, Rodrigo has the opportunity to sweep the top four categories, including Best New Artist where she’s competing against Kid Laroi, Japanese Breakfast, Saweetie, Eilish’s brother Finneas, and a smattering of lesser-known acts.

The 64th annual show has once again expanded the number of nominees in its prestigious general categories, taking the count from eight to 10, in the wake of perennial criticism that it lacks diversity.

The longtime musical director of the popular “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”, Batiste in recent years has emerged as a voice of social justice and protest.

The Black artist born to a prominent New Orleans musical dynasty will compete with work including his “We Are” LP and its rousing single “Freedom”.

The sleeper frontrunner — who has been nominated for three Grammys in past years but never won — will go up against flashy, big-budget releases from artists including Bieber and Rodrigo in major categories including Album and Record of the Year.

Batiste is also up for awards in fields spanning genre and medium, including R&B, jazz, American roots and classical, along with nods for Best Music Video along with his composition work on the acclaimed Pixar animated film “Soul”.

“Wow!! Thank you God!! I love everybody! I’m so grateful to my collaborators and to my ancestors,” he tweeted.

Taylor versus Kanye

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett, the beloved 95-year-old crooner, posted a strong showing with six nominations for work related to their album “Love For Sale”.

And rap mogul Jay-Z is now the most nominated artist in the show’s history, with 83.

He was previously tied with legendary producer Quincy Jones, who had 80. At last year’s ceremony Jay-Z’s wife Beyonce became the show’s most decorated singer in history, with 28 career wins.

Kanye West meanwhile scored several nominations for his album “Donda” — and will face off with longtime nemesis Taylor Swift in the best album category, where she has her sole chance at Grammy gold for her record “evermore”.

Swift did not submit “Fearless (Taylor’s Version)” — her 2021 re-recorded album of her 2008 release — for Grammy consideration this go-around. The original record already won her four Grammys in 2010.

Drake’s “Certified Lover Boy” was conspicuously left out of the general field categories but is up for two awards in the rap categories that include West along with Nas, J. Cole and Tyler, the Creator.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion will compete in the Best Rap Performance category, the only field in which the artists behind the smash “WAP” — which still hasn’t been submitted for consideration — are in the running.

Another prize 

for the Obamas?

Pop star Lorde was snubbed completely despite releasing her album “Solar Power”. Fellow pop superstar Ariana Grande snagged a handful of chances at a win for her album “Positions”.

Korean pop juggernauts BTS scored one nomination in the pop categories for the huge commercial hit “Butter” — less than expected for the massively popular boy band act that’s struggled to make inroads at the Grammys.

In a rare occurrence last year’s rock categories heavily featured women and women-led acts — but this year the four fields of that genre were almost completely run by men.

AC/DC, Foo Fighters and the late Chris Cornell are among the top contenders, with Paul McCartney up for two awards.

Swedish pop sensation ABBA — who staged a recent comeback with their new album “Voyage”, nearly 40 years after they split up — could win the coveted Record of the Year for the track “I Still Have Faith In You”.

And in the ever-eclectic Spoken Word Album category, which includes poetry, audio books, and story-telling, Barack Obama once again has the leading chance to win for “A Promised Land”, after his wife Michelle beat her competition to take home the prize last year.

The former president already has two Grammys to his name.