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WASHINGTON/NEW YORK — Joe Biden's inauguration offered the American capital city a rare occasion for glamour, with Lady Gaga leading the way in a billowing ball gown and enormous dove brooch as she belted out a classic rendition of the US national anthem.

The long-sleeved gown featured a fitted navy drop-waist bodice with a demure mock neck collar, a look completed with a voluminous scarlet skirt that ensured she kept her Covid-friendly distance.

"My intention is to acknowledge our past, be healing for our present, and passionate for a future where we work together lovingly. I will sing to the hearts of all people who live on this land," Gaga tweeted ahead of her performance.

Daniel Roseberry, the Schiaparelli designer behind the dress, said in a statement to The New York Times that "as an American living in Paris, this ensemble is a love letter to the country I miss so dearly and to a performer whose artistry I have so long admired."

Following Gaga's performance of "The Star-Spangled Banner," Jennifer Lopez took the stage wearing Chanel, performing Woody Guthrie's classic "This Land Is Your Land", a tune with a socialist bent that the folk legend is said to have written in response to the more nationalistic "God Bless America."

Bronx-raised with Puerto Rican roots, Lopez finished with "America The Beautiful," adding in a line from the national Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish: "Con libertad y justicia para todos" ("With liberty and justice for all").

Sporting a white pantsuit ensemble with a ruffle collar, Lopez also shouted "Let's get loud!" during her performance, a nod to her turn-of-the-millennium signature hit, delighting social media.

Garth Brooks, in a black jacket and cowboy hat with baggy blue jeans, sang "Amazing Grace."

And the youngest inaugural poet ever, Amanda Gorman, wore a sleek canary yellow coat, gold hoop earrings and a bright red headband to recite her moving work "The Hill We Climb."

Biden in Ralph, Bernie goes practical chic

Prior to the swearing-in performances celebrating the 46th president, the Capitol was a parade of jewel tones as VIPs arrived in their winter finest for the inauguration.

Kamala Harris, the boundary-breaking new vice president, along with new first lady Jill Biden, both wore American designers, as did Biden and the second gentleman Doug Emhoff.

President Biden and Emhoff both went classic in America's legacy designer Ralph Lauren, with Biden in a lavender tie.

Lauren's designs are favourites of Washington politicians. He also dressed Melania Trump during her husband's 2017 inauguration, with the former first lady wearing a sky blue dress coat ensemble.

Biden's wife Jill arrived in a look from the small house Markarian, whose young designer Alexandra O'Neill crafted an ocean blue tweed dress with a hint of shimmer and a matching coat that featured dark blue lapels, with a coordinating mask and gloves.

The New York designer has dressed a number of stars, including Laura Dern and Lizzo, despite establishing her fashion house just four years ago.

"It is an incredible honor to dress Dr. Biden today," O'Neill said to AFP. "I am so humbled to be even a small part of American history."

Harris selected two up-and-coming Black designers, wearing a bright purple midi dress and matching coat by Christopher John Rogers, walking in heels by Sergio Hudson. 

The 2020 CFDA American Emerging Designer of the Year, Rogers is a rising American star partial to colour-drenched looks with artful tailoring.

During her husband's twin terms, former first lady Michelle Obama also routinely spotlighted American designers, often young and from diverse backgrounds. 

And on Wednesday Obama also highlighted Hudson's work, stunning in a seventies-esque gold-belted, wide-legged turtleneck pantsuit and matching coat.

The most recent former first lady Melania Trump, in contrast, generally favoured European couturiers, in particular Italian designers including Dolce & Gabbana, Gucci and Prada.

Not everyone leaned into the glitz, however: one senator went viral by dressing as if the inauguration were but one stop on his long to-do list.

Bernie Sanders, the democratic socialist former presidential candidate and incoming Senate budget committee chairman, wore his meme-famous parka made by Burton, the snowboarding company based in the Vermont capital of Burlington.

He also charmed the Internet with his practical oversized knit mittens, a gift from a Vermont teacher who said they are made from repurposed wool sweaters and lined with fleece manufactured from recycled plastic bottles.

"Vermont jacket, Vermont gloves, Vermont common sense!" his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders tweeted.

By Michael Mathes and Maggy Donaldson

WASHINGTON — Social media giants crossed a threshold in banning US President Donald Trump and an array of his supporters — and now face a quandary on defining their efforts to remain politically neutral while promoting democracy and free speech.

After the unprecedented violence in the seat of Congress, Trump was banned for inciting the rioters — on platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Google-owned YouTube and Snapchat. The alternative network Parler, which drew many Trump backers, was forced offline by Amazon’s web services unit.

The bans broke new ground for Internet firms but also shattered the longstanding notion that they are simply neutral platforms open for all to express any views.

“Banning Donald Trump was a crossing of a Rubicon for social media firms, and they can’t go back,” said Samuel Woolley, a professor and researcher with the University of Texas Centre for Media Engagement.

“Up to now their biggest goal was to promote free speech, but recent events have shown they can no longer do this.”

Twitter chief Jack Dorsey last week defended the Trump ban while acknowledging it stemmed from “a failure of ours ultimately to promote healthy conversation”, and that it “sets a precedent I feel is dangerous: the power an individual or corporation has over a part of the global public conversation.”

Javier Pallero, policy director for the digital rights nonprofit group Access Now, said the banning of Trump could be just the beginning for social media firms grappling with dangerous content, including from political leaders.

“The companies have reacted to calls for violence by the president in the United States, and that’s a good call. But they have failed in other areas like Myanmar,” where social media has been used to carry out persecution, Pallero said.

Human rights first?

Social platforms are being forced in some part of the world to choose to follow national laws or to prioritise human rights principles, Pallero noted.

“We ask platforms to put human rights first. Sometimes they do, but all decisions on content governance are always a game of frustration,” he said.

In authoritarian regimes with restrictive social media laws, Pallero said the platforms “should stay and give a voice to democracy activists... however if they have to identify dissidents or censor them, they probably should leave, but not without a fight”.

Woolley said social networks that banned Trump are likely to face pressure to take action against similarly styled leaders who abuse the platforms.

“They can’t simply ban a politician in the US without taking similar action around the world,” he said. “It would be seen as prioritising the United States in way that would be seen as unfair.”

Platform power

Trump’s ban was a major step for Twitter, which the president used for policy announcements and to connect with his more than 80 million followers. Until recently, platforms have given world leaders leeway when enforcing rules, noting that their comments are in the public interest even if they are inflammatory.

The de-platforming of Trump underscored the immense power of a handful of social networks over information flows, noted Bret Schafer, a researcher with the non-profit Alliance for Securing Democracy.

“One of the things that compelled them to act was that we saw the president’s rhetoric manifest itself into real-world violence,” Schafer said. “That may be where they draw the line.”

But he noted inconsistencies in enforcing these policies in other parts of the world, including in authoritarian regimes.

“The is a legitimate argument on whether leaders in some of these countries should be allowed to have an account when their citizens do not, and can’t take part in the discussion,” Schafer said.

Regulatory conundrum

Internet firms are likely to face heightened calls for regulation following the recent turmoil.

Karen Kornbluh, who heads the digital innovation and democracy initiative at the German Marshall Fund, said any regulatory tweaks should be modest to avoid government regulating online speech.

Kornbluh said platforms should have a transparent “code of conduct” that limits disinformation and incitements to violence and should be held accountable if they fail to live up to those terms.

“I don’t think we want to regulate the Internet,” she said. “We want to apply offline protection for individual rights.”

Platforms could also use “circuit breakers” to prevent inflammatory content from going viral, modelled as those used on Wall Street for extreme swings.

“The code should focus not on content but practices,” she said. “You don’t want the government deciding on content.”

Schafer cited a need for “some algorithmic oversight” of platforms to ensure against bias and amplification of inflammatory content.

He said the controversial Section 230 law remains important in enabling platforms to remove inappropriate content, but that it remains challenging “to moderate in a way that protects free speech and civil liberties”.

Daniel Kreiss, a professor and researcher with the University of North Carolina’s Centre for Information, Technology, and Public Life, said the major platforms “are going to have to rebuild their policies from the ground up” as a result of the crisis.

“This situation absolutely reveals the power of platform companies to make decisions on who gets hurt in the public sphere,” Kreiss said.

“The power they have is not simply free speech, it’s free amplification. But because they are private companies, under the law we give them a fair amount of latitude to set their own policies.”

NEW YORK — Like all entertainers, David Crosby — the mustachioed co-founder of both the seminal folk rock band The Byrds and the supergroup Crosby, Stills and Nash (and Young) — had a disappointing 2020 that saw the pandemic ground tours and thwart live performance.

But the two-time Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, songwriter and prominent Twitter personality has tried to make the most of it, working on a screenplay and new songs, catching up on music from jazz to bluegrass, and dreaming up a European museum tour for when it’s safe to travel again.

The 79-year-old is an adept social media user, dropping quippy tweets on everything from the music business to blasts of the Donald Trump administration, also praising climate activist Greta Thunberg and regularly critiquing his followers’ joint rolling skills.

The following are excerpts from an interview, edited for length and clarity, with Crosby, who spoke to AFP via video chat from his California home.

What have you been up to since COVID-19 began spreading?

I’m writing a screenplay... but I got an e-mail from the producer this morning telling me to stop talking about it.

I’ve also been writing [songs].

Normally, as you get older, you sort of peter out. You write less. You may write better, but you write less. You kind of fade out.

I started writing with other people, my son James, notably. Who is, if anything, better than me. Which is saying something — I’m a good songwriter.

I write with a number of friends of mine... the other person always thinks of something you didn’t, which is a marvel. It’s just wonderful. It’s like if you’re a painter, and you have a palette in your hand, you’ve got like seven colours — and the other guy’s got seven other colours! So it’s a better painting.

That has extended my life as a writer tremendously. I just finished a record that I haven’t put out yet and I think I’m going to start another one, because we have more songs.

I just love making music. 

Do you think touring will reboot any time soon?

Sure. It’s a huge business and there are enormous amounts of money being lost, so you know there’s a bunch of people trying to fix it. Live Nation, for instance, the big player.

I don’t think they’re going to have a lot of success; I’ll tell you why. First of all, a lot of people won’t take the vaccine. MAGA-hatted Trump supporters... not sensible people. They’re not going to do the right thing... that’s a problem.

But if enough people are vaccinated, then they can sit in a regular audience and we don’t have to have masks and we can see their faces and we can have them sitting next to each other. That, I can play to.

Obviously income is a factor, but what is it you miss most about performing?

What I do isn’t just guitar playing and singing. I’m not the best at either one of those. 

What I’m really good at is breaking the fourth wall. Taking you on a little trip. Making you laugh, so then I can make you cry. That’s my job. 

I can’t do that to a windshield. I can’t do it to a face mask. I can’t do it to people sitting in pods.

I’ve got to have a real audience, and I can’t do it any other way.

Otherwise, we can’t communicate the words outwards, the ideas that we’re trying to tell you. We can’t take you on the little emotional voyages that we’re trying to take you on.

Do you have any fears, healthwise, about touring again?

It wouldn’t stop me. I’d be cautious, but I want to sing so badly. I love what I do.

You two have had differences in recent years, but do you think there’s a chance we’ll see a David Crosby-Neil Young reunion ever again?

No. I think it’s done. I think CSNY was a very good thing, and I’m very proud of it. And I think it’s very finished.

You’re a long time activist — how did you feel watching the recent storming of the Capitol by Trump supporters?

Disgusted. I believe very much in democracy... [it’s] the only thing that gives the little guy a shot. 

What you’ve seen in the United States is the result of people who don’t value democracy — they value power. And our current president is a very low kind of person. He’s not a fully developed human being. He’s not very bright. He’s a very, very greedy, very vindictive, very awful human being. And he’s done a great deal of harm to our democracy.

We’re going through an agonising thing. I think democracy will win in the long run. I think there are a whole lot of us Americans who believe in it and are willing to sacrifice for it and keep fighting for it.

I have to believe that to keep going — to keep my head up.

One of Mercedes-Benz’s brand defining cars in an ever expanding and diversifying product portfolio, the E-Class executive saloon sums up the German automaker’s core appeal as luxurious but unostentatious, and as a status symbol that is at the same time sensible, practical and grounded. Undoubtedly among the brand’s most important cars, the current generation E-Class has hit the mark on the head in its current generation circa 2016.

For its customary mid-life refresh, the 2020 E-Class, however, gets an aesthetic revision, expanded drive-train electrification, updated driver assistance technology and enhanced interior comfort.

Dramatic re-design

A curvier and more flowing design than its chunkier predecessor when first launched in 2016, the W213 series E-Class was designed to better blend with its larger S-Class and small C-Class sister saloon lines’ design cues. It was elegant, fluent and smoothly styled, with a snouty grille with pronounced frame and bonnet surfacing, a flowing ridge along its flank, an arcing roofline and tapered boot. Revised — rather than replaced — for 2020, the E-Class is again brought up to speed in terms of a changing, more conservative, design direction at Mercedes-Benz.

Most obviously different at the rear, the revised E-Class trades the outgoing version’s vertically-oriented diamond-like rear lights for moodier slim, prominently browed and horizontally-oriented lights, along with slight bootlid and bumper changes. At the front, the grille, lights and bumper are re-oriented for a new grille outline that is wider at the bottom, rather than the top, for a more dramatic, if formal, look. Driven with AMG Line exterior styling option, the new E-Class also features a new floating emblem, flanked by single — instead of double — slats and a rhinestone-like background grille pattern.

Perkier performance

Adopting a more aggressive dual ridge surface treatment, the revised E-Class’ bonnet hides a significantly revised 2-litre turbocharged direct injection 4-cylinder engine in E200 guise, as driven. Positioned longitudinally and driving the rear wheels through a smooth-shifting 9-speed automatic gearbox, the new E200’s combustion engine is a mild hybrid design incorporating a 48-Volt starter/generator system that recuperates kinetic braking energy. Powering some ancillary systems and allowing for longer coasting and stop/start system functionality to reduce fuel consumption, the 48V system also develops up to 13BHP and 118lb/ft torque to pitch in with driving duties.

Meaningfully more powerful than the model it directly replaces, the new E200 meanwhile might not serve up quite the same muscle as the full hybrid E350, but does feature a better integrated hybrid system and more seamless power delivery. The new E200 also delivers better performance consistency over a long distance and over demanding, electric charge-sapping terrain, topography and driving style than the nominally quicker E350. That all said, the new E200’s combustion engine is a clear improvement, developing 194BHP throughout a broad 5,500-6,100rpm range and 236lb/ft torque across a broad 1,650-4,000rpm band.

Confident control

With its new systems gaining back some of the weight the E-Class lost due to increased aluminium content back in 2016, the refreshed 2020 E200’s improved output nevertheless delivers quicker 0-100km/h acceleration, down from 7.7- to now 7.4-seconds, while top speed remains the same at 240km/h despite marginally improved aerodynamic efficiency. Confident and as quick as reasonably needed for most circumstances, the E200 is responsive from idling with little by way of turbo lag, and is willing to redline. It is, however, characterised by its broad, easily accessible and versatile mid-range sweet spot. 

Expectedly stable and reassuringly planted at speed, the E200’s multi-link suspension delivers a smooth, refined and comfortable ride, with adaptive dampers doing much to off-set its optional low profile 245/40R19 front and 275/35R19 rear tyres’ firmness. Tightening dampers for tauter body control through corners, the E200’s Agility Control system meanwhile loosens damper rates for a more forgiving ride over imperfect textures. For the most part this job is accomplished very well, but for local roads’ more punishing ruts, lumps and bumps, a less sporty higher profile tyre option would offer yet more comfort.

Classy comfort

Buttoned down on rebound and settled in its ride, the E200 may be primarily concerned with refinement, reassurance and comfort, but it nevertheless avails itself well dynamically. Eager and tidy into corners with its direct and precise — if clinical — steering, taut front grip and balanced weighting the E200 well controls weight shifts and grips very well when leaning into a long corner. Happy to change directions with poise and confidence, the E200’s rear can, however, be edged out under if provoked with sudden power surges, as electronic stability controls subtly supplement mechanical grip. 

Comfortable inside with good driving position, adjustability, luggage volume and front and rear passenger space, the elegantly upmarket E-Class is mildly updated inside for a subtly sportier, more refined feel with classy materials and design. Equipped with extensive standard and optional updated driver assistance, convenience, comfort and connectivity, including intuitive infotainment and instrumentation dual screens, the driven car featured Active Brake Assist and Blind Spot Assist, the latter, which proved very useful. Also useful were its parking cameras and sensors, which along with a tight turning circle, make parking and manoeuvring easy.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

• Engine: 2-litre, turbocharged, in-line 4-cylinders
• Electric motor: 48V starter/generator
• Bore x stroke: 83 x 92mm
• Compression ratio: 9.8:1
• Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC, variable timing, direct injection
• Gearbox: 9-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 194 (197) [145] @5,500-6,100rpm
• Specific power: 97.6BHP/litre
• Power-to-weight: 114.3BHP/tonne
• Electric motor, power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 13 (14) [10]
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 236 (320) @1,650-4,000rpm
• Specific torque: 160.7Nm/litre
• Torque-to-weight: 188.2Nm/tonne
• Electric motor, torque, lb/ft (Nm): 118 (160)
• 0-100km/h: 7.4-seconds
• Top speed: 240km/h
• Fuel economy, combined: 6.5-6.9-litres/100km
• CO2 emissions, combined: 149-158g/km
• Fuel capacity: 60-litres
• Length: 4,935mm
• Width: 1,852mm
• Height: 1,460mm
• Wheelbase: 2,939mm
• Track, F/R: 1,604/1,608mm
• Overhang, F/R: 853/1,143mm
• Headroom, F/R: 1,052/971mm
• Shoulder room, F/R: 1,468/1,450mm
• Aerodynamic drag co-efficient: 0.25
• Boot capacity: 540-litres
• Unladen weight: 1,700kg
• Suspension: Multi-link
• Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion
• Turning circle: 11.6-metres
• Brakes: Ventilated discs
• Tyres, F/R: 245/40R19/275/35R19 (optional)

AMMAN — Every election cycle, hundreds of thousands of square metres of non-biodegradable flex material and an equal amount of wood slats used for posters and banners are discarded, left to pollute even more the atmosphere.

It should not happen, believes a group of Jordanian artists who, last year, parliamentary elections over, made use of a large number of election posters and banners to create art.

The brainstorm of two young artists, Khuzama Abujoudeh and Hayat Hindiyeh, the idea of 

re/upcycling the election material took off. The result: An exhibition of works of art by about 70 artists and designers, on display at the Hangar, downtown.

Established and upcoming artists, art students, fashion and furniture designers worked hard — observing all the health requirements imposed by the corona pandemic — and let their imagination loose to show the best of their artistic talent, in the process raising awareness to the need to protect the environment and make use of the assets at hand, without further depleting resources. 

The limitations imposed by the media they used — sizes of “canvas” and of wooden slats — gave rise to some original creations. Many used the occasion to make their works into some environment manifestos. One, quite original, placed oval mirrors where the candidates’ faces had been, leaving the viewer to face his own reflection, reminding that our choices of candidates “reflect” us and we have to live with them.

One established artist ingeniously shaped hookah hoses into snakes, clearly hinting at the toxic habit of smoking; in yet another work, images associated with pollution of all sorts — a truck with gas cylinders, landmines, nuclear waste — depict a doomsday landscape towards which humanity seems to steadily slide.

Not all creations are such stark reminders of the desolation we often leave in our wake. Some are peaceful landscapes of beautiful serenity, boats — sailing, perhaps, to safer shores — or birds, like the two huge installations meeting the viewers in front of the entrance to the Hangar, which might be doves of peace.

The imagery is as varied as the artists. Painters, who form the majority, dazzle with an array of portraits, calligraphy and collages — most of the “serene” kind. A triptych of pitch-black canvases draped across with black plastic folds does, however, seem to point to the darkness polluting mankind leaves behind. 

A quirky, make-happy face made of wooden slats stares at the visitors, a silent guardian of its environment. Equally original are two panels holding tens of rolled up posters; the resulting cylindrical tubes crisscross, forming a barrier of sorts. Are we trapping ourselves in the mess we create around us? The nearby cage, made of the same rolled-up flex material by the same artist, seems to confirm such assumption.

The artworks make, as they should, statements. Some more subtly than others, but all showing preoccupation with life’s aspects, with our legacy on this planet, with the need to leave behind a better world, else.

A thought-provoking installation of three vertical panels draws the eye. The facing panel, blue, serene, crisscrossed by colourful wire and holding fragments of mirrors, is the nice face we present to the world. Peering through the opening in this panel to the middle pane, one sees a huge maroon face drawn against a streaky red background; it is the hidden pain we carry and which can only be fathomed if one takes time to see it. The back panel that can be seen through the only opening in the middle panel, focuses the eye to an entanglement of shiny coppery wire, a knot interspersed with what seem to be eyes, which represents the complex, convoluted human mind.

Items of furniture, dresses, bags and shoes constitute another delightful part of the exhibition, showcasing artistic imagination and talent.

This project, which received the support of the municipality, is an initiative that could, and should, be replicated.

Last year, 1,717 individuals ran for parliament. Multiplying that number by the hundreds of posters each candidate displayed to garner votes gives an idea of the enormous amount of material left to pollute after the elections. If this material is reused, the impact on the environment may be significant.

To the civic aspect of the initiative should be added the therapeutic, psychological effect creating work of art or useful objects has on the artists, especially these days when distancing and fear of pandemic leaves us isolated, insecure and under tremendous pressure.

Aptly titled “Recycle Art Festival, Artists For Urban Change”, the exhibition will run through February 11. The proceeds “will be used to contribute to the implementation of some art sessions around Jordan”.

By Abeer Jabaji
Personal Development Coach and Classical Homeopath

Have you ever noticed that some people seem to be luckier than others? Why is that? What makes them lucky?

It was one of those days. You know the kind, where nothing works from the moment you open your eyes. They even gave it a name; waking up on the wrong side of the bed. First, I bumped my toe against the foot of the dresser. Feeling the excruciating pain, I limped to the bathroom to brush my teeth only to find out that I had forgotten to buy toothpaste the day before. I rinsed my teeth with mouthwash and jumped in the shower while my toe was still killing me. The water was freezing. I went to look for the reason and discovered that the boiler had just broken down. 

I got dressed quickly, feeling down and anxious and rushed to a meeting with coffee in my hand. At the traffic lights, I was contemplating the start of the day when I noticed the car approaching from behind.

The driver was oblivious to the red light and I knew he would hit my car. I couldn’t move forward because of the vehicle in front of me. It all happened in a split second. I braced myself for the hit, and sure enough, it came, spilling the coffee all over me, my papers and the car interior. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I limped out of the car on shaky legs to assess the damage. Thankfully, the driver was fine and all apologetic. I was not! Tears rushed to my eyes, threatening to spill at any moment as I looked at the rear end of my car — it was bad!

While we waited for the traffic poslice to arrive, I discovered that I had forgotten my wallet at home and in it my driver’s license. From there on, the day continued to slide. I got a ticket because I didn’t have my license. The meeting was, of course, cancelled and I never saw the client again. My toe still hurt, and I found out later that I needed to buy a new boiler. That night the COVID-19 lockdown went into effect and I stayed for three weeks without heat or hot water.

You’d definitely call that a chain of unlucky events. Right? Are some people luckier than others? I am reminded of the story of a woman from Louisiana who lost her home to hurricanes five times and the guy who was struck by lightning seven times. Statistically, getting hit by lightning is a three-thousand to one chance. On the flip side, there are the super lucky among us like the woman who won four jackpots worth about JD14 million and the man who won around JD700,000 twice playing scratch cards.

Stories like that make us wonder if some are truly luckier than others, but the truth of the matter is quite simple. Richard Wiseman, who is a professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire and the bestselling author of the Luck Factor, has studied over 1,000 people. And, yes, it turns out that some people are very unlucky. The good news is that you can turn your bad luck around. Luck is not something paranormal in nature. It’s something that we create with our thoughts and behaviour.

Consider these five factors if you want to change your luck: 

1.Believing that you’re lucky and expecting good fortune. Believing that you are lucky makes you more likely to be receptive to opportunities around you and it changes your perspective. Having a positive mindset will likely make you try new things, follow through on possibilities and have them succeed if you believe they’ll work out well. Try to pay attention when you get lucky next time, pause and acknowledge it. Soon, you will realise you are luckier than you thought. 

2.Maximising opportunities. Locking yourself up at home and staying put will not help your luck. Lucky people create, notice and act upon the chance opportunities in their lives. Lucky people keep trying things while unlucky people are afraid to try. They worry about every single detail and by the time they decide to act, the opportunity has already gone.

3.Listening to hunches. Lucky people act on their intuitions in many areas of their lives. Almost 90 per cent of lucky people say that they trusted their intuition when it came to personal relationships and nearly 80 per cent said it played a vital role in their career choices. Intuition isn’t magic. Lucky people would often say that if they get a gut feeling about something they usually stop and consider it, while unlucky people get these same feelings but don’t act upon them as they are often anxious about the world around them.

4.Turning bad luck into good. Lucky people aren’t always lucky — but they handle adversity differently than unlucky people. Lucky people see the positive side of their bad luck and are convinced that any ill-fortune in their lives will, in the long run, work out for the best. Lucky people do not dwell on their bad luck, and they take constructive steps to help prevent it in the future. Furthermore, lucky people are very resilient. One lucky person who had fallen down some stairs and broken his leg said that while in the hospital, he met a nurse who became his wife. Things can look bad now, but the long term effect of this might be very positive.

5.Practising gratitude. Gratitude is something you can practise every day. By being more grateful, you will tend to express it more and in the process, attract more good fortune. Others will be more likely to want to do things for you and so would the whole universe as well. To practise gratitude, write down five things you are grateful for in your life. Do it at the beginning or at the end of each day. It can be a job that you love, your family that brings you joy or a friend that supports you.

Additionally, people who feel they are lucky are more charismatic. It feels good to be around them. So go ahead and put a good luck charm in your pocket. Believing in luck might not only be the best way to be positive and optimistic, but it might also be the key to a better life.

As for those people who won the lottery multiple times, one happened to have a PhD in statistics and that might have increased her odds of winning by using her expertise. As for the other person, his lucky streak likely had more to do with perseverance — he sometimes buys scratch cards worth JD100 in one go. As for me, I got a whole free body paint for my car, one which I kept postponing for months, and a brand new boiler for the price of a used one due to the lockdown. In the end, it all depends on how you look at things.

Have a lucky day!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON — Samsung on Thursday unveiled a new Galaxy S21 smartphone lineup, with prices lowered by some $200 from the prior generation of the South Korean giant’s flagship handsets.

Unveiled in a streamed presentation, the S21 device with a 6.2 inch display is available for order at an entry price of $800 for US customers. 

The global smartphone leader also unveiled the 6.7 inch S21 Plus and premium S21 Ultra handsets, with a 6.8 inch display. All the devices support the ultrafast 5G wireless networks being rolled out globally.

“We are living in a mobile-first world, and with so many of us working remotely and spending more time at home, we wanted to deliver a smartphone experience that meets the rigorous multimedia demands of our continuously changing routines,” said TM Roh, head of mobile communications for Samsung Electronics.

The move follows Apple’s decision to largely hold the line on prices for its iPhone while offering a range of handsets at various price points.

Samsung’s new line-up will range up to a $1,200 starting price for its Ultra S21, the most feature-rich device in the group.

“The premium smartphone market is resetting itself,” said Bob O’Donnell of Technalysis Research,

“We’re seeing a return to more moderate pricing. Companies can only go so far and they are retreating to the prices they had several years ago.”

Improved camera tech

Samsung touted its improved processors and camera technology and new design for the Android-powered smartphones.

“Samsung somehow found a way to make the slab-with-camera-cutout design more visually interesting than in the past,” said Avi Greengart, an analyst with the research firm Techsponential.

The new handsets also offer edge-to-edge display to allow for a lighter device and automatic adjustments for blue light to reduce eye strain.

Greengart said the new smartphones “look better in real life than in photos” and that “distinctive design should not be underestimated as an indicator to consumers that the phone is different and new”.

Samsung has been at or near the top of the smartphone market in recent years and sold an estimated 80 million handsets in the third quarter, ahead of Chinese firms Huawei and Xiaomi and US-based Apple.

The smartphone market has been roiled by the global coronavirus pandemic, with the economy in turmoil but with consumers more reliant on their devices.

Samsung’s release, on the final day of the digital-only Consumer Electronics Show, comes earlier than usual, according to Greengart and “undercuts Samsung’s main competitor, Apple’s iPhone 12, on price as well”.

“For those who are not price sensitive, Samsung is not forgetting early adopters who are willing to pay above $1,000 for the biggest and best,” the analyst added.

“Anyone coming from a phone from two or three years ago will find the camera, display, and battery improvements significant enough to be worth the upgrade.”

Samsung also unveiled its Galaxy Buds Pro wireless earbuds, in a move countering Apple’s Bluetooth ear pieces, which pair with the new phones.

The S21 Ultra will offer an optional pen to allow the device to be used as a tablet, as with the Samsung Note handsets.

Roh said the new earbuds, which allow for noise cancelling and amplifying of various sounds, would offer “a one-of-a-kind audio experience that makes even everyday tasks truly epic”.

YANBU, Saudi Arabia — Nasser Al Attiyah won his fifth stage on the Dakar Rally on Thursday when he finished nearly two minutes ahead of leader Stephane Peterhansel but still trails the Frenchman with one day to go.

Peterhansel will start the final stage, a 225-kilometre run across chains of dunes to Jeddah, leading by a quarter of an hour as he seeks to add to his record 13 victories in the race.

"We lost just a few minutes, it's nothing," said Peterhansel at the finish. "There's only one day to go... It's time to cross fingers and hope that we will be in first place at the end".

The longest stage of the race, a 464-kilometre drive across sand dunes from Al Ula to Yanbu brought a day of changing fortunes.

Peterhansel led with an advantage of more than three minutes over Attiyah after 306 kilometres but suffered two punctures.

Khalid Al Qassimi took the lead after 362 kilometres at which point Attiyah had closed to within seven seconds of Peterhansel.

Peterhansel regained the lead and was 38 seconds ahead of the chasing Al-Attiyah 30 kilometres from the finish but could not hold the lead.

"Today it was really complicated, like the organisers said beforehand, like we expected it to be, because the navigation was not easy, but we got two punctures, especially the last one that was in the dunes," the Frenchman said.

"They were really strange dunes," he added. "In the middle of the dunes there were some rocks just after the crest of the dunes, so it was not easy to anticipate or to see. The last one was a very big impact and we had another puncture. We were a little bit afraid that also some part of the frame was broken, but at the end it was OK."

Attiyah, driving a Toyota, eventually crossed the line in 4hr 34min 24sec, 1min 56sec ahead of Peterhansel in his Mini. 

"It really wasn't easy," said the Qatari, who also won the prologue.

"I am really happy to be here on day 11 without any technical problems with the car," he added. "We have really had a lot of punctures. I've had more than 16 tyres punctured. I am sure that 16 tyres times one minute and a half each change is a lot."

"We'll see what happens tomorrow," he said.

Spaniard Carlos Sainz in another Mini was a further 30 seconds back in third. Saudi Yazeed Al Rajhi was fourth in a Toyota. 

'My last chance'

Briton Sam Sunderland, 2017 Dakar champion, won the motorbike category, the KTM rider timing 4hr 35min 21 sec for the stage, maintaining a comfortable 2:40 lead over the Husqvarna ridden by Pablo Quintanilla.

"I knew that today was one of my last chances to try to win and I gave my all, all day," said Sunderland.

"We still have one day to go and many things can happen on one stage."

Argentina's Kevin Benavides increased his lead in the overall standings over American Honda teammate and defending champion Ricky Brabec to 7:13, with Sunderland currently second, at 4:12.

"We did a really good job with Ricky," said Benavides, who broke his nose as he shattered his helmet jumping off a dune on stage five.

"It was a really hard day, very long with plenty of navigation, a lot of sand and dunes."

Benavides added: "With Ricky we pushed together on the dunes... Tomorrow we will push like every day, no other strategy than that.

"There are no team orders and yes, the race is still open."

There was drama on the stage as Spain's Joan Barreda, a two-stage winner also on a Honda, exited the race after missing a refuelling stop and subsequently running out of petrol.

KUALA LUMPUR — Masks that helped save lives during the coronavirus pandemic are proving a deadly hazard for wildlife, with birds and marine creatures ensnared in the staggering number of discarded facial coverings littering animal habitats.

Single-use surgical masks have been found scattered around pavements, waterways and beaches worldwide since countries began mandating their use in public places to slow the pandemic's spread.

Worn once, the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose.

"Face masks aren't going away any time soon — but when we throw them away, these items can harm the environment and the animals who share our planet," Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA told AFP.

Macaques have been spotted chewing the straps off old and tossed-aside masks in the hills outside Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur — a potential choking hazard for the diminutive monkeys.

And in an incident that captured headlines in Britain, a gull was rescued by the RSPCA in the city of Chelmsford after its legs became tangled in the straps of a disposable mask for up to a week.

The animal welfare charity was alerted after the bird was spotted, motionless but still alive, and they took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.

"It's clear the mask was there for some time and the elastic straps had tightened around his legs as his joints were swollen and sore," said RSPCA inspector Adam Jones.

Cut off mask straps

The biggest impact may be in the water, with green groups alarmed at the flood of used masks, latex gloves and other protective gear finding their way into already contaminated seas and rivers.

More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year, accounting for around 6,200 extra tonnes of marine plastic pollution, according to environmental group OceansAsia. 

Already there are signs that masks are worsening threats to marine life.

Conservationists in Brazil found one inside the stomach of a penguin after its body washed up on a beach, while a dead pufferfish was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami.

French campaigners Operation Mer Propre found a dead crab ensnared in a mask in a saltwater lagoon near the Mediterranean in September.

Masks and gloves are "particularly problematic" for sea creatures, says George Leonard, chief scientist from US-based NGO Ocean Conservancy.

"When those plastics break down in the environment, they form smaller and smaller particles," he told AFP.

Those particles then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems, he added. 

There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on, but many are still opting for the lighter single-use varieties.

Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and snip the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming ensnared. 

OceansAsia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.

By Sam Reeves