Features

Determined to Stay: Palestinian Youth Fight for Their Village

Jody Sokolower

US: Olive Branch Press/Interlink, 2021

Pp. 229

This book couldn’t be more relevant or timely. It focuses on Silwan, a Palestinian village south of Jerusalem’s Old City, which has much in common with Sheikh Jarrah where settlers’ attempts to expel Palestinian families from their homes unleashed a chain of events in May linking Jerusalem and Gaza.

Both of these Jerusalem communities have long been subject to Israel’s ethnic cleansing policy, and in both cases, the Palestinian residents have resisted with whatever means at their disposal. What was new this time was the unprecedented outpouring of international solidarity with the Palestinians living under occupation and apartheid, and the vibrant leadership of a new generation of young Palestinians.

Neither such international solidarity, nor fresh leadership, occur out of the blue, but are the result of sustained political education, information campaigns and activism, such as described in this new book, “Determined to Stay”. The author, Jody Sokolower describes herself as “a white, Jewish, high school social studies teacher” who “was critical of how Israel treated Palestinians”, but didn’t teach about it until visiting Palestine in 2012 and deciding to write this book about Silwan. 

The book includes excellent photos, maps and historical narrative, but its distinguishing feature is the author’s analytical approach largely developed via interviews with many Silwan residents, especially the staff of the Madaa Creative Centre which has many diverse activities for women, children and youth, from traditional embroidery to hip hop. As Sokolower writes, “I had learned so much about Silwan from the interviews and from watching how everyone here squeezed life into the cracks and crevices of the occupation: Providing the children with as much love and support as possible, building resistance to the destruction of Silwan into every piece of their lives... This was what I had to share with youth and their families back in the United States.” (p. 199)

Don’t think that reading about one neighbourhood is too narrow, for what has happened in Silwan mirrors to a great extent Israeli policy towards the Palestinians everywhere at various times. In addition, Sokolower gives the book an international perspective by comparing the situation of Palestinians in their homeland to the treatment of Native American and African American communities in the USA. The book is introduced by Nick Estes of the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, a professor, author and activist for indigenous rights, who visited Palestine and writes: “Being in Palestine changed my life… What I experienced was a deeper sense of what resistance feels like… I was amazed at the level of resistance among everyday Palestinians, from young children to elders.” (p. 5)

Settler moves against Silwan date back to 1988, but what has made the situation more acute in recent years is Israel building a theme park there, called The City of David, after digging tunnels under the village and causing local structures, including an UNRWA school, to cave in, disguising their colonial ventures as archaeology. The book includes an excellent account of how Israel wields archaeology as a weapon against the Palestinians, hoping they will relinquish their rights to the land. 

The building of the theme park was accompanied by an escalation of repression against the population of Silwan, attempting to push them out of their homes. Young people were especially targeted, with a dramatic increase in the arrest of children for arbitrary or even frivolous reasons, and otherwise preventing them from going to school. In 2011, the year before Sokolower first visited Silwan, almost 200 children were arrested in Silwan, and many of them were interrogated in the notorious Russian Compound in Jerusalem. Rather than leading Palestinians to leave their village as Israel intended, the spike in arrests pushed the Madaa Centre to expand its counselling services, providing academic, psychological or legal help to young people and their families, to help them go on with their lives. The Israeli policy of arresting so many young people causes Sokolower to make the parallel to the mass incarceration of African-Americans in the US.

Being Jewish and American, the author was able to move around more freely than her Palestinian friends in Israel’s apartheid system, but she was ever alert to discrimination. As she writes, “Although I have lived in the United States my whole life, much of it spent teaching about and fighting racism, I have never had such a visceral experience of white privilege as in the streets of Palestine.” (p. 69)

“Determined to Stay” provides much historical as well as contemporary documentation of how Israel has dispossessed the Palestinians and built an apartheid state. Sokolower presents this material in an engaging way, chiefly through various Palestinians telling their own story. An original resident of the nearby village, Lifta, tells about the village before and after the 1948 Nakbeh. Another relates how Palestinians survived the homelessness that followed the Nakbeh in desolate camps, but most are stories from young people about the activities of the Madaa Centre and various modes of resistance. 

The author returned to Silwan in 2017, chronicling the changes that had occurred since her first visit — mostly new Israeli encroachments but also on going resistance. This is a book that warns of what could happen if international solidarity with the Palestinians is not further escalated to bolster their on going resistance.

By Dina Halaseh
Educational Psychologist

Whether we like it or not, we live in a world full of digital interfaces and technology. In many instances, digital distractions seem to pop up even when we don’t want them to! We all grew up with minimal technology, but we can now see a new generation so caught up in the web of tech that has been officially classified as an addiction.

Are distractions stealing your attention?

Digital distractions have a considerable effect on many neural networks, including attention. Having our smartphones constantly near inhibits our ability to stay focused. Whether it’s the alerts themselves, the sensation that we need to keep checking our phones, or even if we don’t check, our brain is kept engaged with the phone and gets distracted from any task at hand.

Social media shortening our attention span

Research shows that dopamine (the feel-good chemical in our brain) is triggered when we receive cues such as ”likes” or comments on our social media platforms, decreasing our motivation to pay attention to anything other than our phones. Each time we check our phone, we technically break our concentration and have to start from scratch!

This does not mean that the whole usage of social media and phone consumption is bad. Like with food excess causing health problems and weight gain, too much social media can be bad for you and your health.

What’s a healthy amount?

Limiting our exposure to social media to about 30 minutes per day may significantly improve our wellbeing, reducing feelings of anxiety, depression, loneliness, and the fear of missing out (FOMO). FOMO is social anxiety stemming from the belief that others might be having fun without you.

The idea is to be mindful of how we use social media and how it affects our lives. It’s normal to keep track of loved ones and social events, but you need to make sure not to monitor social media for all the things you might be missing out on or how others have it better than you. Remember, the grass is always greener on social media.

Why are you checking social media?

Sometimes we all need to be insightful and find out why we’re checking social media. Are we trying to replace something with it? Something that we can be doing in real life? Being mindful of our reasons behind social media can help us understand if we are masking a real need with some time on social media. Sometimes the need is to be around friends and loved ones and social media becomes the replacement. Other times it’s much more complicated. There might be a healthier way to satisfy those needs than through social media.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

RIGA — A pasta order comes in and the robotic arm springs into action at the Roboeatz eatery in Riga. After five minutes of gyrations, a piping hot plate is ready.

The Riga cafe, located under a crumbling concrete bridge, is designed in such a way that customers can observe the robotic arm at work.

It also has a seating area, although most customers prefer take away since vaccination certificates are required to be able to eat indoors in Latvia.

A Roboeatz app allows customers to order and pay for their dish before picking it up at the cafe. 

“The food tasted better than I expected!” said customer Iveta Ratinika, a teacher and a member of the Latvian capital’s education board.

Ratinika said she would encourage schoolchildren to come and observe the robotic arm in action and mused that there could be robots working at the school cafeteria within “a few years”.

Kitchen design is ‘real challenge’

Roboeatz was set up in January 2018 by Konstantins Korcjomkins and Janis Poruks, who have been running the Woki Toki fast food chain in Latvia since 2009.

Their aim? To revolutionise the fast food industry.

“This robot replaces four to six human employees, reducing labour costs significantly,” said Poruks, who has a background in engineering. 

But he stressed that the introduction of such robots would not push up unemployment rates since “people are not lining up to flip burgers”.

“The robot will not replace people who are willing to have a career in restaurants and catering, becoming chefs or other food celebrities. The robot will take those low-paid jobs which most people already do not want,” he said.

Automated kitchen technology has been gaining interest in recent years, and that has been accelerated by the pandemic.

At a newly opened eatery in Paris, customers can watch robots build, bake and box up pizzas at a rate of up to 80 an hour.

In the US, a robot named “Sally” belonging to the startup Chowbotics can whip up salads sold through a vending machine.

And, for the ultimate household luxury, a UK-based company last year unveiled a fully robotic kitchen that will set customers back a minimum of £248,000 (291,000 euros, $347,000).

The designers of Roboeatz say it is designed to take over some of the food prep tasks while improving food safety and eliminating the infection risks of crowded kitchens.

During a visit by AFP this week, the robotic arm was programmed to make three different pasta dishes.

Its creators say it can be programmed to make hundreds of recipes, taking into account the owner’s favourites and food allergies.

“The robotic arm actually makes the least trouble of all, we just programme it to do what we need,” said Korcjomkins.

“The real challenge is to design and invent an entire kitchen around the robot, which should contain all the food ingredients, spices, sauces, rotating pots for boiling and frying,” he said.

‘As popular 

as electric cars’

The co-founders said the robotic arm would pay for itself within two years at most.

“On average in the European Union, one employee in the kitchen costs the company around 16 euros [$19] an hour, which includes salary, taxes, insurance, training and everything else,” said Poruks.

“The robot does not need health insurance, its kids cannot get sick, it does not go on vacation or maternity leave, it does not complain and it cannot bring COVID from home to work,” he said.

The company has big expansion plans with sales offices in Canada and the United States and a technical team in Riga to programme the robots.

The technology was shown off earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show in the US.

The co-founders said they were unconcerned about competition from similar robots, such as the pizza-making one in France.

“Our robot is designed to do more tasks and jobs than just make pizza. Our goal is to create a robot that can be useful for many kinds of foods, cuisines and dishes,” said Korcjomkins.

“Hopefully a robot in kitchen will become as popular as electric cars!”

WASHINGTON — An international team of scientists led by a prominent Harvard astronomer recently announced a new initiative to look for evidence of technology built by extraterrestrial civilisations.

Called the Galileo Project, it envisages the creation of a global network of medium-sized telescopes, cameras and computers to investigate unidentified flying objects, and has so far been funded with $1.75 million from private donors.

Given recent research showing the prevalence of Earth-like planets throughout the galaxy, "We can no longer ignore the possibility that technological civilisations predated us," Professor Avi Loeb told reporters at a news conference.

"The impact of any discovery of extraterrestrial technology on science, our technology, and on our entire world view, would be enormous," he added in a statement.

The project includes researchers from Harvard, Princeton, Cambridge, Caltech and the University of Stockholm.

It was announced a month after the Pentagon released a report about unidentified aerial phenomena, which stated that their nature was unclear.

"What we see in our sky is not something that politicians or military personnel should interpret, because they were not trained as scientists, it's for the science community to figure out," said Loeb, adding that he hoped to increase the project's funding tenfold.

Apart from studying UFOs, the Galileo Project wants to investigate objects that visit our solar system from interstellar space, and searching for alien satellites that might be probing Earth.

Loeb refers to such research as a new branch of astronomy he calls "space archaeology," intended to complement the existing field of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, which mainly probes for alien radio signals.

These endeavours will require collaborations with existing and future astronomical surveys, including from the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile that is due to go online in 2023 and is eagerly awaited by the scientific community.

The 59-year-old has published hundreds of pioneering papers and collaborated with the late Stephen Hawking, but created controversy when he suggested an interstellar object that briefly visited our system in 2017 could have been an alien probe sailing on solar winds.

He laid out his arguments in scientific papers and the book "Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth," which placed him at odds with many in the astronomy community.

The new project is accordingly named after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who was punished when he provided key evidence for the Earth not being at the centre of the universe.

The project's co-founder Frank Laukien, a visiting scholar at Harvard's chemistry and chemical biology department, declared himself the "resident sceptic."

But he said that, rather than dismissing the ideas outright, it was necessary to "agnostically record and interpret the data according to the scientific method."

PARIS — Imagine a world where you could sit on the same couch as a friend who lives thousands of kilometres away, or conjure up a virtual version of your workplace while at the beach.

Welcome to the metaverse: A vision of the future that sounds fantastical, but which tech titans like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg are betting on as the next great leap in the evolution of the Internet.

The metaverse is, in fact, the stuff of science-fiction: The term was coined by Neal Stephenson in his 1992 novel “Snow Crash”, in which people don virtual reality headsets to interact inside a game-like digital world. 

The book has long enjoyed cult status among Silicon Valley entrepreneurs — but in recent months the metaverse has become one of the tech sector’s hottest buzzwords, with companies pouring millions of dollars into its development. 

Facebook fuelled the excitement further Monday by announcing the creation of a new team to work on Zuckerberg’s vision of the metaverse.

“This is going to be a really big part of the next chapter for the technology industry,” Zuckerberg told tech website The Verge last week. Over the next five years, he predicted, Facebook would transition from “primarily being a social media company to being a metaverse company”.

As with many tech buzzwords, the definition of the metaverse depends on whom you ask. But broadly, it involves blending the physical world with the digital one. 

With the help of augmented reality glasses, it might allow you to see information whizz before your eyes as you walk around a city, from traffic and pollution updates to local history.

But metaverse enthusiasts are dreaming of a future in which the idea could be extended much further, allowing us to be transported to digital settings that feel real, such as a nightclub or a mountaintop. 

As workers have grown weary of video-conferences during the pandemic, Zuckerberg is particularly excited about the idea that co-workers could be brought together in a virtual room that feels like they are face-to-face.

Digital casinos and Gucci handbags

Games in which players enter immersive digital worlds offer a glimpse into what the metaverse could eventually look like, blurring virtual entertainment with the real-world economy.

As far back as the early 2000s, the game Second Life allowed people to create digital avatars that could interact and shop with real money. 

More recently, plots of land in Decentraland — a virtual world where visitors can watch concerts, visit art galleries, and gamble in casinos — have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars in MANA, a cryptocurrency.

The hugely popular video game Fortnite has also expanded into other forms of entertainment, with 12.3 million people logging in to watch rapper Travis Scott perform last year. Fortnite’s owners Epic Games said in April that $1 billion of funding raised recently would be used to support its “vision for the metaverse”. 

And on Roblox, a gaming platform popular with children, a digital version of a Gucci bag sold in May for more than $4,100 — more than the physical version would have cost. 

Cathy Hackl, a tech consultant who advises companies on the metaverse, said the next generation was more comfortable with the idea of attaching real meaning to virtual experiences and objects.

“My first concert was in a stadium. My son’s first concert was [American rapper] Lil Nas X on Roblox. Just because it happened in Roblox, it didn’t make it less real for him,” she said. 

Exhilarating, or dystopian?

Hackl rejects the dystopian vision presented in “Snow Crash” of a virtual world where people go to escape the horrors of reality, an idea that emerged again two decades later in the novel and Steven Spielberg movie “Ready Player One”. 

Nor does she think the metaverse would necessarily involve everyone shutting out their neighbours with virtual reality headsets around the clock.

Facebook has invested heavily in technology that allows people to feel like they are physically somewhere else, such as its Portal video-calling devices, Oculus headsets and its Horizon virtual reality platform.

But even Zuckerberg has admitted that existing virtual reality headsets are “a bit clunky”, requiring far greater development for the kind of experiences he has described.

Wedbush tech analyst Michael Pachter said it was hard to predict whether Facebook could truly transform into a “metaverse company” in five years. 

“But they certainly have a huge advantage of having one billion people log on every day,” he said. “If they offer entertainment options, it’s likely they will succeed.”

WASHINGTON — With the Delta variant pushing US COVID cases back up, fully vaccinated people are wondering whether they need to start masking indoors again.

COVID vaccines remain extremely effective against the worst outcomes of the disease — hospitalisation and death — and breakthrough infections remain uncommon.

But experts told AFP that one size doesn’t fit all, and people should consider factors like community transmission, personal risk levels, and their own risk tolerance to help decide what’s right for them.

Risk low for vaccinated

The Centres for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention dropped its mask guidance for vaccinated people in May. 

At the time, cases were plummeting and the administration of President Joe Biden was keen to declare a return to normal on the back of a vaccination campaign that was still going strong.

On Thursday the country registered more than 50,000 cases, a surge driven by the now overwhelmingly dominant Delta variant, the most contagious strain to date, and centred in low-vaccination regions.

Crucially, however, the rise in cases has been largely decoupled from hospitalisations and deaths.

With 80 per cent of seniors fully vaccinated, average daily deaths remain in the 200s — much lower than the more than 3,500 deaths per day seen in the worst wave over winter.

More than 97 per cent of hospitalisations are among the unvaccinated, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said last week, while 99.5 per cent of people dying were unvaccinated, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said last weekend.

Walensky defended the unchanged mask guidance Thursday, stressing the agency has always said communities and individuals should consider local conditions.

“If you’re in an area that has a high case rate and low rates of vaccination where Delta cases are rising, you should certainly be wearing a mask if you are unvaccinated,” she said.

“If you are vaccinated, you get exceptional protection from the vaccines. But you have the opportunity to make the personal choice to add extra layers of protection if you so choose.”

Why local conditions matter

Joseph Allen, an associate professor at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health, said he supported the CDC’s view. 

While the World Health Organisation has urged fully vaccinated people to continue to wear masks, that is in light of the global situation where just 13.4 per cent of the world population is fully vaccinated. 

“I just don’t think we’re at the phase in the US and other highly vaccinated countries where this top-down blanket guidance makes sense anymore,” he told AFP.

“For me, the goal is and has always been with all the vaccines to prevent severe disease, and death, and that’s exactly what they do really well.”

As far as breakthrough infections go, a recent study of a US prison found 27 positive cases from 2,380 vaccinated individuals, or 1.1 per cent. All were asymptomatic and detected through routine screening.

Research shows that asymptomatic people are less likely to transmit, while people who develop symptoms are supposed to self-isolate. 

Still, the greater the community prevalence of the virus, the more likely such breakthroughs become.

People’s personal risk levels vary by their age and underlying conditions, some people may have high risk people at home they want to protect, while some just have lower risk tolerance.

On and off ramps

The divergence in case levels across the country closely correlates with vaccination rates, and parts of Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana and Florida are currently experiencing the worst spikes.

Celine Gounder, an infectious disease physician and epidemiologist, compared the situation prior to Delta surges to driving your car in your own neighbourhood, while the current scenario is closer to driving on a race car track.

“When you’re driving around in your neighbourhood, a seatbelt is enough,” she told AFP, with the seatbelt representing a vaccine.

“But if you’re driving on a NASCAR race track, in addition to seatbelts, those drivers also have helmets, they have airbags,” she added, emphasising that masks add an additional layer of protection.

Even without the CDC, some parts of the country, like Los Angeles County and Philadelphia, have reinstituted mask guidance.

Monica Gandhi, an infectious disease doctor at UC San Francisco told AFP she has been advocating for statistical benchmarks, “as the back and forth is very frustrating for people”.

She suggests tying mask mandates to the local hospitalisation rate — a more reliable measure of disease prevalence than cases — and, along with other experts, has proposed fewer than five hospitalised cases per 100,000 people as the threshold for resuming normal activity.

Gandhi, Allen and others argue such “off-ramps” can also be applied to schools when they reopen in fall, while the American Academy of Paediatrics favours universal masking, even among vaccinated teachers and students.

First introduced in 2018 and face-lifted for 2020, the Changon Eado arrived in Jordan just weeks ago and is offered in a single and comprehensively equipped Limited specification package.

Slated as a 2022 model year and now badged as the Eado Plus, the Chinese manufacturer’s C-segment Hyundai Elantra-fighting saloon is a car transformed, courtesy of a decidedly more potent but downsized turbocharged power plant, significantly more up-market interior appointment, generous equipment levels and a distinctly more aggressive front redesign, as driven with the “S” appearance package.

Sportier re-style

A modern design with a rakishly sleek, almost coupe-like roofline, high-set rear deck, and sharply defined lines, creases and ridges, the refreshed Eado Plus is little different in design than the outgoing model from side and rear views, save for a redesigned rear bumper featuring sporty faux brake vents and dual chrome-ringed and integrated exhaust tips. However, it is the Eado Plus’s more thoroughly revised front treatment, which transforms a perhaps slightly conservative or generic design persona into something dramatically edgier and wildly more aggressive.

Better integrated with its overall design, the revised Eado Plus’s fascia is dominated by massive full-height and near full-width “S” trim black honeycomb mesh grille. Shark-like in demeanour, the Eado Plus’s new grille design is an aggressive affair, and is framed by big, sculpted and deep faux side intakes with matching mesh, for a snouty look. Chrome-ringed and with sharp lower lip, the Eado’s grille is meanwhile complemented with slim, prominently browed headlights — and bigger 17-inch alloys — to allude to now significantly improved output and performance.

Generously confident

Positioned transversely and driving the front wheels through a smooth, responsive and slick shifting 7-speed automated dual-clutch gearbox in place of its predecessor’s 6-speed automatic, the revised Eado Plus similarly ditches the outgoing model’s naturally-aspirated 1.6-litre engine for a smaller but more powerful turbocharged, direct injection 1.4-litre four-cylinder unit. Lifted from the sporty CS35 Plus crossover, the Eado Plus’s engine develops the same 156BHP at 5,500rpm and generous 192lb/ft torque throughout a broad 1,500-4,000rpm range, but with a lower mass at 1,365kg, delivers noticeably better performance.

Smooth and refined in delivery, the Eado Plus’s 1.4T engine might not be as linear and progressive as its 1.6L predecessor, but packs a significantly bigger punch as it wells up with a massive mid-range torque reservoir making for effortlessly brisk overtaking and acceleration on inclines. Riding a broad and accessible torque band, the Eado Plus revs happily to redline. With only mild and brief turbo lag before spooling up to boost, perhaps slightly more aggressive downshifts could have been employed for its gearbox’s “Sport” mode.

Refined and forgiving

An unexpectedly and impressively muscular mid-range performer in its class, the Eado Plus’s torque-rich abilities nicely match its newfound and overtly sporting styling direction, and it is quoted as being capable of 7.9-second 0-100km/h acceleration and estimated to top out at 200km/h. Meanwhile, it delivers quick and direct steering response, with more emphasis on refinement than feel and feedback. Tidy and responsive turning into corners, the Eado Plus’s front grip threshold seemed higher than expected during brief test drive, while rear road-holding — and braking ability — seemed reassuringly confident.

A predictable and comfortable drive with good vibration, harshness and noise isolation, the expectation is that the Eado is biased for under-steer bias rather than over-steer at its dynamic limit. Through corners it leans slightly given its forgiving ride, but nevertheless delivers decent cornering body roll control. Smooth and supple rather than taut and pinned to the ground, the Eado Plus dispatches most imperfections in its stride, while vertical rebound control over choppy surfaces is decent, if not that of an outright and dedicated sports saloon.

Up-market accommodation

Quiet and refined inside, the Eado Plus’s cabin in Limited trim level, as offered in Jordan, is a significant move up-market over its predecessor. Its cabin is swathed with leather and soft textures, and includes a sporty and chunky steering wheel, horizontal dual digital instrument cluster and infotainment screens, and mostly good quality surfaces. Sportier in character inside, the Eado Plus features a more driver-oriented dashboard and console, with uncluttered clean surfaces. Meanwhile boot space is generously deep and rear accommodation above average, with emphasis on legroom.

Sporty and stylish inside, the Eado features comfortable and supportive — if slightly high-set — electric sports seats, and a sportily elegant and slightly rearwards-oriented gear lever, for manual mode gearshifts. Generously equipped with safety, convenience and infotainment features, the Eado Plus Limited comes with dual zone A/C and ventilated front seats, panoramic sunroof, 360° camera, rear parking sensors, dashcam, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, dual front and front-side airbags, stability and traction control, intelligent boot release, keyless entry, heated side mirrors and much more.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1.4-litre, transverse, turbocharged 4-cylinders

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 7-speed dual-clutch automated, front-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 156 (158) [116] @5,500rpm

Specific power: 112BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 114.2BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 192 (260) @1,500-4,000rpm

Specific torque: 190.4Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 125.8Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 7.9-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 200km/h (estimate)

Fuel capacity: 53-litres

Length: 4,730mm

Width: 1,820mm

Height: 1,505mm

Wheelbase: 2,700mm

Luggage volume: 500-litres

Kerb weight: 1,365kg (estimate)

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts/torsion beam

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/discs

Tyres: 215/50R17

Price, on-the-road, with comprehensive insurance: JD22,000

“Post-COVID,” “Long COVID” and “Post-acute COVID-19 Syndrome” are the terms circulating to describe patients who continue to experience symptoms related to COVID-19 following the acute phase of infection. We turn to Al Marji’ Publications’ health experts to shed more light on this critical phase of the pandemic. 

Are there long-term cardiovascular effects of COVID-19?

Dr Marwan Jumean, cardiologist, says a year and a half into the pandemic, we understand better the impact of COVID-19 on the cardiovascular system during an acute infection. While we still do not know the full extent of its impact, recent studies indicate that some long-term damage may occur. One such study from Germany reveals that there may still be an active inflammation of the heart muscle seen through an MRI test months after recovering from COVID-19 in patients with new or persistent symptoms.

Another study from Spain found that some patients still had an inflamed heart muscle or inflamed heart sac surrounding it. On rare occasions, the heart muscle may weaken and heart failure ensues. 

Luckily, most COVID-19 patients recover fully without any noticeable long-term or damaging effect on the heart. Patients who recovered from a COVID-19 infection and are not experiencing symptoms do not have to worry. However, I recommend seeking medical attention if a patient has heart issues while hospitalised for COVID-19 or is experiencing symptoms after recovery.

What are the long-term effects of COVID-19 on the lungs?

Dr Khaled Asad, pulmonologist, says the respiratory system does more than move oxygen in and out of our lungs and it is most definitely affected by COVID-19. The many potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on the respiratory system include:

•Pulmonary fibrosis: We see many survivors of COVID-19 admitted to the ICU with long-term persistent fibrosis. We are still not sure about how this develops and what the future impact or the treatment is

•Significant oxygen therapy: Often required for patients with severe and critical disease, and upon discharge, their need for oxygen continues. Many require oxygen support for months and the duration varies from one person to the other

•Chest aches and pains: Despite normal test results, a person may continue to have symptoms of chest discomfort and shortness of breath

•Respiratory muscle weakness: Usually seen in patients hospitalised with pre-existing health issues 

•Asthma: Even among non-asthmatic patients

•Dry cough: Very common by day five and it can linger for a long time. Some patients develop a cough after the disease is over

•Chronic infection: Fungal lung infection is seen in those who have significant lung disease and may need treatment with high doses of cortisone or even a ventilator

Could someone experience ‘Brain Fog’ from COVID-19?

Dina Halaseh, educational psychologist, says anyone might struggle with “brain fog” after illness and this is proving to be true with COVID-19 patients as well! Brain fog is not a scientific term but is used by people to explain what they’re feeling; you may feel confused, unfocused, slow or disoriented. It’s normal to experience this from time to time — imagine being exhausted after long hours of travel, not sleeping enough due to a crying infant, illness, or flu that makes you feel sluggish and not as sharp as usual. 

COVID-19 has severe implications on the brain, some of which are extreme, such as strokes or lack of oxygen. But researchers are also finding that even some recovered patients face difficulty in sustaining attention. If you are worried about this, consult with your doctor to share symptoms to rule out any medical interventions. As a brain trainer, I recommend these tips to help you increase memory and attention: 

•Exercising: Start slow and work your way to a minimum of 30 minutes at least five days a week 

•Adopting a healthy diet: A well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, nuts and whole grains will help you focus

•Sleeping well: You want to be well rested and comfortable, so give your body the sleep it needs 

•Trying brain-stimulating activities: They will help you focus on building and keeping a positive attitude

What is the link between COVID-19 and depression?

Haneen Mas’oud, clinical psychologist, says many changes were brought about by the pandemic that continue to affect people’s daily functioning, routine, connection with others and financial situation. Many are living uncertain lives. All of these factors contribute to depression and anxiety.

Symptoms include changes in or lack of sleep, increased appetite or not having an appetite at all, loss of interest in activities once enjoyed, lack of motivation and a sense of hopelessness. A post-COVID-19 patient may start overthinking, worrying and be easily provoked. Other symptoms include having trouble relaxing and fearing that something terrible is about to happen. 

These signs are common and, to some extent, a normal reaction to an unfamiliar stressor, especially for those who develop post-COVID syndrome. Parosmia (a disordwer in which the odours of certain things are distorted) and conditions related to hearing, like tinnitus, can contribute to depressive and anxiety symptoms. 

When we face a stressor like COVID-19 that leaves us with uncertainty, we are prone to develop symptoms that interfere with our daily life. It is normal to feel down during these difficult times. Still, if symptoms of depression and anxiety continue or increase, preventing one from functioning normally in certain areas of life, then it is time to consider seeking the help of family, friends and professionals. 

Can COVID-19 impact my vision?

Dr Samir Mulki, consultant ophthalmic surgeon, says the eye is the window to our body. Many diseases that affect the body can affect the eye, and an ophthalmologist may discover the first signs of disease during a routine examination.

COVID-19 is no exception. Certain signs and symptoms may appear in the eye, and some complications of the disease may be found in the eye as well. The main ocular manifestations of COVID-19 are:

•Conjunctivitis is the first symptom. This is the inflammation of the tissue that lines the inside of the eyelid. Patients with confirmed COVID-19 may also test positive in their tears. The eye appears red and becomes itchy with secretions and tearing 

•Kawasaki disease is a rare inflammatory disease of blood vessels in children. The first described case of this disease with COVID-19 infection was observed in a six-month-old baby girl. It causes inflammation inside the eye and corneal inflammation in the form of keratitis. The vitreous (the gel at the back of the eye) appears turbid and vision becomes dim. The optic nerve may appear swollen with bleeding and congestion

•Retinal disease due to diabetes inflicts patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia. Sudden blurring of vision is experienced due to the aggravation of existing diabetic retinopathy or it may be the first sign of undiscovered diabetes mellitus 

•Retinal lesions other than diabetic retinopathy: 

oGlistening deposits in the retina

oRetinal haemorrhages 

oThe blood vessels in the retina may become dilated 

oCentral or branch retinal vein obstruction due to thrombus (blood clot) formation, which is also known to occur in other parts of the body like the lungs and kidneys in patients with severe COVID-19

•Eye surface disorders include dry eye and reduced blinking

•Diplopia (double vision) due to paralysis of one or more of the nerves responsible for moving the eyes in all directions. This may occur as a result of reduced blood flow in these nerves due to micro clot formation

Can children suffer long-term health effects from COVID-19?

Dr Kamal’ Akl, consultant paediatrician and paediatric nephrologist, says medical findings support the existence of Long COVID, even among children, after what seems to be a mild or asymptomatic illness. Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome, in which damage occurs to multiple body organs, including the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, skin and lungs, may develop in rare cases in children, following a mild case of COVID-19. 

Other complaints which follow COVID-19 include chest pain, extreme tiredness, shortness of breath, insomnia, dizziness, diarrhoea, feeling sick, changes in smell and taste, rashes, headaches, muscle pains, joint pains, palpitations and nasal congestion. What is the significance of Long COVID? We still don’t know and only time will tell. 

How have lockdowns and restrictions affected children’s oral health?

Dr Sahar Jumean, paediatric dentist, says COVID-19 has meant delays in seeking and receiving dental care for many families, sometimes leading to very simple and easily treatable conditions becoming complicated because dental issues often do not resolve on their own. Therefore, maintaining excellent oral hygiene is imperative during these times. To prevent dental problems, follow these simple steps: 

•Brushing teeth regularly: With extended lockdowns, online schooling and the absence of a familiar routine, families are faced with a new norm of chaos. Therefore, it is imperative to brush and supervise your child’s tooth brushing with fluoride toothpaste twice a day in the mornings and before bedtime for a minimum of two minutes at a time 

•Limiting snacking: Diet affects dental health. Simple carbohydrates are sugars and can cause cavities. Frequent snacking between meals can cause dental decay. With kids being home for extended periods and in the absence of adequate hygiene, teeth become more susceptible to decay

•Dental check-ups: Ensure that your child’s dentist and dental office comply with government recommendations to ensure safety. Regular preventive care in the form of cleaning, fissure sealants and fluoride application can help keep your child’s pearly whites cavity-free. Make sure schedule an appointment for your child if she or he complains of pain or you see any cavities — delays could mean infections and complicated treatments in the future 

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

PARIS — As electric car sales take off and petrol engines face being phased out by 2035, Europe is looking to develop its own battery production base.

Far from being autonomous, Europe needs to accelerate domestic battery output as a national security issue as well as a boost for businesses and jobs.

Batteries that power electric cars and which weigh up to 600 kilogrammes, represent a considerable part of the vehicle's value.

At the moment, they are mostly produced in Asia, with China, South Korea and Japan the leading manufacturers.

With a mid-July announcement that it intends to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles by 2035, the European Commission has set a timetable for the bloc's shift to electric cars.

Many carmakers, having sensed which way the wind is blowing with governments, have now announced plans to shift towards electric vehicles.

Germany's Daimler was the latest, announcing last week that from 2025 it will launch only electric vehicle platforms as it gears up for a full shift to electric cars from 2030.

It is not only governments pushing the change, as the latest European data shows that electric cars doubled their market share in the second quarter of 2021.

Giga plans 

If Europe is going to shift to electric cars, it will need lots of batteries.

After years of slow progress, there are now plans to invest 40 billion euros ($47 billion) in 38 European factories that could turn out 1,000 gigawatt hours of batteries per year, according to Transport & Environment, a non-governmental organisation.

With average battery capacity of 60 kilowatt hours, that would be enough to power 16.7 million vehicles, according to the group.

One initiative is Sweden's Northvolt, which already has a factory under construction that is to produce batteries with total capacity of 150 gigawatt hours by 2030.

Volkswagen is a major partner, and the German carmaker is seeking to build five other factories as well.

Daimler, as part of its announcement this past week, said it would build eight battery factories worldwide for its Mercedes-Benz and Smart cars.

Stellantis, which includes 12 brands including Fiat, Chrysler, Jeep and Peugeot, plans to build five factories in Europe and North America.

Tesla expects to open its first European "gigafactory" near Berlin later this year, which it claims will be the world's largest battery cell production site with 250 gigawatt hours of capacity in 2030.

EU Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic recently said the planned factories put the EU "well on track to achieve open strategic autonomy in this critical sector".

Partners needed 

That view is not shared by Olivier Montique, an automotive analyst at Fitch Solutions.

He said the planned facilities "will make the bloc a significant player in the space, but will not enable it to meet anywhere close to all of its internal demand for EV batteries".

Montique said that is why automakers are still working with Asian battery makers.

China's Envision AESC is partnering with Nissan and Renault to build factories in Britain and France.

South Korean firms LG Chem and SKI have plants in Poland and Hungary, while China's CATL is building one in Germany.

Lithium needed 

Raw materials are essential of course to manufacture batteries.

Car batteries currently use lithium-ion technology, similar to what powers most electronic devices today.

Unless there is a rapid breakthrough in solid-state batteries that could use other materials, huge amounts of lithium will be needed.

Europe has domestic sources of lithium, notably in the Czech Republic and Germany, but it will also probably have to depend on imports.

Montique said Europe would likely end up "developing supply agreements with markets where there are abundant resources, favourable diplomatic ties, and strong investment frameworks" to reduce the threat of shortages.