Features

SAN FRANCISCO — WhatsApp on Tuesday reassured users about privacy at the Facebook-owned messaging service as people flocked to rivals Telegram and Signal following a tweak to its terms.

There was “a lot of misinformation” about an update to terms of service regarding an option to use WhatsApp to message businesses, Facebook Executive Adam Mosseri, who heads Instagram, said in a tweet.

WhatsApp’s new terms sparked criticism, as users outside Europe who do not accept the new conditions before February 8 will be cut off from the messaging app.

“The policy update does not affect the privacy of your messages with friends or family in any way,” Mosseri said.

The update regards how merchants using WhatsApp to chat with customers can share data with Facebook, which could use the information for targeting ads, according to the social network.

“We can’t see your private messages or hear your calls, and neither can Facebook,” WhatsApp said in a blog post.

“We don’t keep logs of who everyone is messaging or calling. We can’t see your shared location and neither can Facebook.”

Location data along with message contents is encrypted end-to-end, according to WhatsApp.

“We’re giving businesses the option to use secure hosting services from Facebook to manage WhatsApp chats with their customers, answer questions, and send helpful information like purchase receipts,” WhatsApp said in the post.

“Whether you communicate with a business by phone, e-mail, or WhatsApp, it can see what you’re saying and may use that information for its own marketing purposes, which may include advertising on Facebook.”

Tapping Telegram

Encrypted messaging app Telegram has seen user ranks surge on the heels of the WhatsApp service terms announcement, said its Russia-born founder Pavel Durov.

Durov, 36, said on his Telegram channel Tuesday that the app had over 500 million monthly active users in the first weeks of January and “25 million new users joined Telegram in the last 72 hours alone”.

WhatsApp boasts more than two billion users.

“People no longer want to exchange their privacy for free services,” Durov said without directly referring to the rival app.

Encrypted messaging app Signal has also seen a huge surge in demand, helped by a tweeted recommendation by renowned serial entrepreneur Elon Musk.

In India, WhatsApp’s biggest market with some 400 million users, the two apps gained around 4 million subscribers last week, financial daily Mint reported, citing data from research firm Sensor Tower.

WhatsApp has sought to reassure worried users in the South Asian country, running full-page adverts in Wednesday’s newspapers, proclaiming that “respect for your privacy is coded into our DNA”.

Telegram is a popular social media platform in a number of countries, particularly in the former Soviet Union and Iran, and is used both for private communications and sharing information and news.

Durov said Telegram has become a “refuge” for those seeking a private and secure communications platform and assured new users that his team “takes this responsibility very seriously”.

Telegram was founded in 2013 by brothers Pavel and Nikolai Durov, who also founded Russia’s social media network VKontakte.

Telegram refuses to cooperate with authorities and handover encryption keys, which resulted in its ban in several countries, including Russia. 

Last year, Russia announced that it will lift its ban on the messenger app after more than two years of unsuccessful attempts to block it.

WASHINGTON/SAN FRANCISCO — Robots that helped people survive and stay safe over the past year are touting their value at the tech industry’s annual extravaganza amid a pandemic which has given fresh momentum to the robotics sector.

The Consumer Electronics Show, which is being held online this year due to the global crisis, includes robots that have become “heroes” for many during the coronavirus pandemic.

Among those taking the virtual stage at CES are robot companions, concierges, cooks, delivery drones, medical assistants and those handling the perilous tasks of sanitising workplaces and medical facilities.

Robot companions saw surging demand in recent months as pandemic lockdowns intensified problems of isolation, especially for people in senior living homes.

Amid a strict virus lockdown in France, the companion robot Cutii became a star in senior facilities.

“The pandemic completely changed our business model,” said Antoine Bataille, chief executive of Cutii.

“We had envisioned Cutii at people’s homes. But today we are dealing with isolation on a collective level.”

The startup based in the northern French city Roubaix delivered 30 robots for free to senior facilities during the lockdowns and used the experience to improve the technology and train its teams.

“Everything worked well. Every two weeks we would deliver software updates, which had to be done remotely. It’s like what Tesla does.”

Cutii, which combines elements of a telepresence robot with a smart digital assistant, will be part of the show this year following its commercial launch in France and a marketing push in the United States.

Cutii’s head of US operations, Richard Marshall, said the crisis has shown people need more than a smart assistant such as Google or Amazon Alexa.

The French-made robot was designed to allow family members to check in, and also help people find activities such as yoga or tai chi classes, either in person or online.

“The point of Cutii is to connect individuals to other people,” Marshall said. It is not an Alexa on wheels.”

Wendy Moyle, a professor at Australia’s Griffith University who specialises in research on the elderly, said studies have shown people may develop “a strong relationship” to companion robots “much like older people do with having a pet dog for company”.

But Moyle said current technology for most robots “is just not sophisticated enough” and that many people are disappointed after a while.

‘Friendly’ robots

Robots have taken on a new role in the workplace and in medical facilities in the era of social distancing.

Misty Robotics, which produces a robot platform open to outside developers, last year launched its own temperature screening app for workplaces and medical facilities, while also working with partners which can make the robot a companion or digital assistant.

The pandemic has made it easier for people to view robots as non-threatening and as friends, said Misty Robotics Chief Executive Tim Enwall

“The elderly don’t have contact and the elderly are certainly very afraid of viruses that can come from contact and there’s loneliness and isolation,” Enwall told AFP.

In an office environment, robots like Misty can become a virtual “concierge” which eliminates the need for risky person-to-person contact, Enwall added.

“The robot at the front door can do that same basic triage in a way that’s very familiar to a lot of people,” he said.

“It’s friendly, it’s interactive it’s enjoyable.”

Meanwhile several exhibitors including South Korean giant LG will be showing a new line of disinfecting robots which have been in demand during the pandemic.

LG’s autonomous robot which uses ultraviolet light to disinfect high-touch, high-traffic areas is being launched this year to US hotels, schools, corporate offices, retail and restaurant operators and transportation hubs such as airports and train stations.

The companies are betting that demand for improved health and safety will continue even after the pandemic is contained.

In the kitchen

Automated kitchen technology has been gaining interest in recent years, and that has been accelerated by the pandemic, said Alex Barseghian, CEO of startup RoboEatz which began in Latvia and is now headquartered in Canada.

RoboEatz is launching its artificial intelligence-powered autonomous robotic kitchen system that prepares, cooks and serves an array of hot and cold food dishes from soups to salads to meal bowls. 

The robotic system, designed for food services operations in corporate offices, campuses and hospitals as well as quick-serve restaurants, takes over some of the tedious food prep tasks while improving food safety and eliminating infection risks from crowded kitchens.

Barseghian said the idea of robotic food prep, which can cut food waste and labour costs, has gained traction as a result of the pandemic

“For a lot of restaurants, efficiency is important,” he said. “Every millimetre in the kitchen is measured. They didn’t think about social distancing, so automating the kitchen really solves that problem.”

RoboEatz plans to launch its own restaurant in Latvia this month as it markets its “turnkey” kitchen in North America.

Even after the pandemic fades, Barseghian said he expects a continued focus on health and safety in kitchens: “I don’t think it will ever be the same again.”

Produced by Chinese state-owned automaker Changan since 2014 and face-lifted in 2018, the CS75 is a convincingly well-rounded value alternative in an ever-increasingly popular compact crossover segment.

Sitting at the larger end of a well-populated segment, the Changan CS75 is a thoroughly practical, unpretentious and quite affordable family vehicle with good equipment levels, generous cabin and cargo space, and competent handling and driving dynamics. However, its best attributes are its smooth comfort and commendable levels of ride refinement.

Understatedly assertive

Discrete and somewhat conservative in design, the Changan CS75 is a handsomely modern crossover that stands out just enough, but can easily blend in the crowd, without drawing unwanted attention. Avoiding the somewhat excessive stylisation and fashionably sharp creases and impractically low rooflines favoured by some in its class, the Changan CS75 instead has a sense of honest utility about it. With a fairly sized glasshouse, good visibility, manageable dimensions and neatly proportioned body, it is also easy to manoeuvre in town.

Featuring a broad and dominant multi-slat chrome grille, faux lower skid plate, and big, deep and sculpted side foglight housings, the Changan CS75 certainly projects an assertively rugged demeanour, but does in an understated manner without being excessive or promising more than it can deliver, as is often the case with some road-oriented family crossovers. Clean cut at the flanks with a prominent side crease and defined sills, the Changan CS75 features a gently rising waistline, subtly descending roofline and high-set rear lights for a discretely sporting sense of momentum.

Quiet confidence

Driving the front wheels and positioned transversely under its ridged and discretely vented clamshell bonnet, the Changan CS75 is powered turbocharged 1.8-litre 4-cylinder engine, producing 174BHP at 5,000-5,500rpm and 181lb/ft torque throughout a usefully broad and easily accessible 2,000-4,500rpm band. Channelling power through a smooth and timely shifting 6-speed automatic gearbox, the 2WD version tested can carry its 1,665kg weight through the 0-100km/h acceleration benchmark mark in an estimated 11.5-seconds, achieve a top speed of around 180km/h and return estimated 8.8l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency.

Confidently capable if not outright quick, the Changan CS75 may not be a sports crossover, but delivers good real world performance for easy overtaking, effortless cruising and responsive in town stop-start driving. With little by way of lag often associated with turbo engines, the CS75 spools up in a timely manner and rides a generous mid-range torque band. Meanwhile, power progressively accumulates, and when accelerating on a brisk incline, one obviously needs to downshift, whether through kickdown or the gear lever in manual mode.

Smooth and sensible

A smooth, well insulated and relatively quiet engine with healthy output, the CS75’s turbo surge, however, doesn’t easily overpower its driven front wheels, with the torque-steer sometimes associated with powerful front-drivers kept to an almost imperceptible minimum, as experienced during a recent if brief test drive. Depending on market availability, the CS75 is also built with optional front-biased four-wheel-drive. However, the lighter and more efficient front drive version provided plenty of traction and reassuring grip, even on some lower traction asphalt.

A decidedly comfort-oriented crossover, the Changan CS75 nevertheless seems to handle itself well in terms of dynamic ability. Turning into corners responsively and quite tidily, under-steer was not apparent during the short test drive, while body lean through corners wasn’t particularly pronounced, but well kept in check. Manoeuvrable, easy to park and with enough agility for most situations, the Changan CS75’s light and well-damped steering is set-up for a relaxed experience, yet proved accurate if not especially sporty in nuance, road feel and textural feedback.

Relaxing ride

A relaxing and smooth drive, the CS75’s best attributes are its ride comfort and refinement from noise, harshness and vibration. Absorbing most lumps and bumps in its stride, it felt reassuringly stable yet forgivingly supple. Quiet and well insulated inside, it is a natural daily commuter and long distance cruiser. At first impression, the CS75 felt settled enough in vertical movements and brakes seemed responsive and reassuring, but a more demanding drive would have provided a more thorough impression of its dynamic limits and handling characteristics.

Refined, quiet and comfortable, the CS75 is well spaced inside — front and rear — including rear headroom and rear step-in access, and a good driving position. Luggage room is similarly spacious, expanding from 520-litres minimum to 1,490-litres with rear seats folded down. Well-equipped with climate control, leather seats, tablet style infotainment screen, climate control and front airbags, the CS75 also conveniently features a reversing camera. Design is contemporary and pleasant, while surfaces are mostly of good texture and quality, with hard plastics used less prominently.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1.8-litre, transverse, turbocharged 4-cylinders

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 6-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 174 (177) [130] @5,000-5,500rpm

Specific power: 97BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 104.7BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 181 (245) @2,000-4,500rpm

Specific torque: 136.2Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 147Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 11.5-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 180km/h (estimate)

Fuel consumption, combined: 8.8-litres/100km (estimate)

Fuel capacity: 58-litres

Length: 4,650mm

Width: 1,850mm

Height: 1,705mm

Wheelbase: 2,700mm

Luggage volume, min/max: 520-/1,490-litres (estimate)

Kerb weight: 1,665kg (estimate)

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts/multi-link

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/discs

Tyres: 225/65R17

Price, on-the-road, with comprehensive insurance: JD24,000

By Abeer Jabaji
Personal Development Coach and Classical Homeopath

Should I accept the job offer and put my dream project on hold? True, it’s a great opportunity that will open doors for me, but I want to do something else. I want to accomplish a dream I’ve held onto for a long time. I know that the money is good and the comfort that this job will offer me is great.

Besides, I will excel at it. Yet, a little voice whispers in my head, “What about the project?” I can’t make up my mind!

We’ve all been in similar situations where we find it difficult to make hard decisions. On the other hand, we make minor decisions every day — what to wear, what to eat, how to spend our time. Making such decisions is easy. You make your choice, and even if it’s not the best decision, the potential outcomes are rarely devastating. If you bought the red sweater instead of the blue one, your life would not be altered in any way even though, for some, this can be upsetting until they exchange it the next day. If you choose to eat pizza instead of a healthy salad, you will not lose sleep over it. Maybe just a bit of indigestion and a slight headache from comparing calories consumed.”

A leap of faith

Difficult decisions are not easy to make: Should I move to another country? Is that person right for me? Should I quit my job? Sometimes the possible consequences of a hard decision are so complicated, your brain gets confused and indecision takes over. You freeze in your place. The more you think about it, the more you feel stuck and you wait for a miracle or a sign to point you in the right direction. Yes, I feel this person is my soulmate even though we fight all the time and I usually end up walking home because he or she dumps me in the middle of the street. Ultimately, any decision involves a leap of faith. Start with your head but also listen to your heart. Here are some tips for how to make a decision without regret, according to Barrie Davenport, a self-improvement thought leader: 

1. Having a life vision: A life vision can be the foundation for every decision you make. How do you envision your life in your mind (career, relationships, finances, lifestyle and so on)? What values define this vision for you? Write down your vision and the values that define it. Then when a hard decision comes along, you can use this vision as a guide. Try to evaluate your choices based on your vision. Which one aligns closest with your vision?

2.Evaluating the pros and cons: Consider the possible positive and negative aspects or consequences of your decision. Write down a list of pros and cons for each possible alternative. Then prioritise these points by putting the most pressing or important at the top of the list. What are the possible implications of the cons? Do they outweigh the pros? Can you live with the potential negative consequences of the cons?

3. Being aware when fear is dictating your decisions: The Self (“ego”) always wants to be in control. It wants to doubt, argue, and, most of all, avoid uncertainty and loss at all costs. The ego is terrified. If you’re not aware that your ego is making decisions based on fear, you’ll keep choosing what your ego deems certain and secure, even at the expense of your health, happiness, life purpose, and financial potential

4. Phoning a friend: Carefully select a couple of trusted friends whose opinion and judgment you value. Tell them about your life vision, tell them about your list of pros and cons and ask for their input about your decision. Someone who is removed from the turmoil of the decision and who has a different perspective can help you see things in a clearer light. A personal coach can also help you gain clarity around your decision by asking you helpful questions related to your motivations, feelings and desires

5.Asking for guidance: Go to a quiet place. Breathe deeply. Close your eyes. Go within. Pray or meditate (or whatever feels right to you) and ask for guidance. Your own inner wisdom and intuition will often rise to your conscious mind when you calm the mental chaos of over-thinking your decision. Imagine yourself in all of the possible outcomes and pay attention to how you feel. Make notes about your feelings after reflection. Give it a few days. You may be surprised that the answer presents itself unexpectedly

6. Trying the coin trick: This idea puts you in direct contact with your intuition. Grab a coin and assign one decision choice to heads and the other to tails. Flip the coin and before it lands, pay attention to the side you hope it lands on. If there are more than two choices, balance each choice against another using the same trick. Most likely, this immediate reaction is what you truly want to do. Something in your heart is pulling you in that direction. Examine this result carefully, because even if the choice conflicts with all of the practical considerations, you may be dishonouring your deepest desires

7. Researching and experimenting: Do the work to gain as much knowledge as possible about the options. Research, ask questions and talk with people who have experienced each scenario. If possible, experiment with alternative outcomes. If you are deciding on a move, spend a fair amount of time in the city you are contemplating. If you are exploring a job opportunity, ask to spend a day or two helping in the office. If you are thinking of ending a relationship, test some time apart before you make your decision

8. Comparing the choice to your past choices:  Do you keep making the same type of choice and each time you regret it? Do you see a pattern in your choices? If you see a pattern, try doing the complete opposite of what you have always chosen. If you keep making the same mistake over and over again, the OPPOSITE way can’t be a mistake. It may feel uncomfortable, cause stress and make you anxious, but do it anyway

9. Never looking back: If you have done the work, honoured your vision, examined the pros and cons, sought guidance, done your due diligence and connected with your intuition, then make your choice, take the leap and don’t look back. There are millions of paths we can take in a lifetime, all leading to different opportunities and potential consequences. You won’t have a guarantee, but you don’t need one. Uncertainty is part of the adventure of life. Once you are on this new adventure, have confidence that you made the best decision with the information available, and move forward with confidence. There is something good to be learned on every path we follow 

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

PARIS — More than three quarters of people hospitalised with COVID-19 still suffered from at least one symptom after six months, according to a study published Saturday that scientists said shows the need for further investigation into lingering coronavirus effects.

The research, which was published in the Lancet medical journal and involved hundreds of patients in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is among the few to trace the long-term symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

It found that fatigue or muscle weakness were the most common symptoms, while people also reported sleeping difficulties.

“Because COVID-19 is such a new disease, we are only beginning to understand some of its long-term effects on patients’ health,” said lead author Bin Cao, of the National Centre for Respiratory Medicine.

The professor said the research highlighted the need for ongoing care for patients after they have been discharged from hospital, particularly those who have had severe infections.

“Our work also underscores the importance of conducting longer follow-up studies in larger populations in order to understand the full spectrum of effects that COVID-19 can have on people,” he added.

The World Health Organisation has said the virus poses a risk for some people of serious ongoing effects — even among young, otherwise healthy people who were not hospitalised.

The new study included 1,733 COVID-19 patients discharged from Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan between January and May last year.

Patients, who had an average age of 57, were visited between June and September and answered questions on their symptoms and health-related quality of life. 

Researchers also conducted physical examinations and lab tests. 

The study found that 76 per cent of patients who participated in the follow-up (1,265 of 1,655) said they still had symptoms.

Fatigue or muscle weakness was reported by 63 per cent, while 26 per cent had sleep problems.

The study also looked at 94 patients whose blood antibody levels were recorded at the height of the infection as part of another trial. 

When these patients were retested after six month, their levels of neutralising antibodies were 52.5 per cent lower. 

The authors said this raises concerns about the possibility of COVID-19 re-infection, although they said larger samples would be needed to clarify how immunity to the virus changes over time. 

In a comment article also published in the Lancet, Monica Cortinovis, Norberto Perico, and Giuseppe Remuzzi, from Italy’s Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri IRCCS, said there was uncertainty over the long-term health consequences of the pandemic.

“Unfortunately, there are few reports on the clinical picture of the aftermath of COVID-19,” they said, adding the latest study was therefore “relevant and timely”.

They said longer term multidisciplinary research being conducted in the United States and Britain would help improve understanding and help develop therapies to “mitigate the long-term consequences of COVID-19 on multiple organs and tissues”.

GENEVA — Contrary to warnings that dating apps are encouraging superficial and short-lived flings over true romance, a recent Swiss study showed that app users were more likely to be seeking longterm relationships.

Mobile apps have revolutionised the way people meet around the world, and are quickly becoming the main way couples form in many countries.

Unlike traditional dating sites, which require detailed user profiles, smartphone apps like Tinder and Grindr are largely based on rating photos with a swipe review system.

This has raised fears about the impact on the ways we interact, fall in love and create lasting connections.

But a study conducted at the University of Geneva (UNIG), and published in the PLOS ONE journal, indicates that app-formed couples actually have stronger “cohabition intentions” than couples who meet offline.

“Large parts of the media claim they have a negative impact on the quality of relationships since they render people incapable of investing in an exclusive or long-term relationship,” report author Gina Potarca, a researcher at UNIG’s the Institute of Demography and Socioeconomics, said in a statement.

“Up to now, though, there has been no evidence to prove this is the case.”

Potarca used a 2018 family survey by the Swiss Federal Statistical Office, analysing responses from over 3,000 people who were in a relationship and had met their partner in the past decade.

Her analysis showed that couples who met through an app were more motivated by the idea of living together than others.

“The study doesn’t say whether their final intention was to live together for the long- or short-term,” she said, adding though that since expressed desire to marry remained high across the board, “some of these couples likely see cohabitation as a trial period prior to marriage”.

The study also found that couples formed via dating apps expressed stronger desires and intentions to have children than others.

Couples who met through dating apps meanwhile also expressed the same level of satisfaction about their relationships as those who met their partners through more traditional means.

Potarca said the findings were especially encouraging at a time when the coronavirus pandemic continues to place traditional dating out of reach for many.

“Knowing that dating apps have likely become even more popular during this year’s periods of lockdown and social distancing, it is reassuring to dismiss alarming concerns about the long-term effects of using these tools,” she said.

NEW YORK — A new year means new perspectives. Here are ten words which we would like to see officially appear in the dictionary, and which we would like to use more in everyday life in the coming months. Welcome to the final episode of the ETX Studio “After Calendar” of incoming trends for 2021. Happy New Year!

Audio story

At ETX Studio, the year 2021 means audio. And we hope to share this passion with you. Henri, Denise, Mia, Ryan... In every language, our platform can turn any text into an audio version illustrated with images, just like “stories” on social media. The sound revolution is on its way!

Cyberminimalism

This term, popularised by French author Karine Mauvilly, refers to a pared-down approach to technology. After all, now that we’ve managed to turn our homes into minimalist havens thanks to Marie Kondo, why not do the same with our digital habits? Let’s ditch our smartphones, put away our tablets, turn off our computers and try to resist the tyranny of the digital. We’ve already heard this piece of advice a thousand times, but in 2021, it’s time to implement it.

Detourism

Every crisis provides an opportunity to think about our ways of living. The first on the list is the way we travel, which often borders on the frenetic. We can no longer continue to explore the world just to post beautiful pictures on social media. Detourism is the willingness to travel differently, favouring local getaways and letting ourselves be carried away by the unknown. So put on your best walking shoes and set off on an adventure. 

Earthing

Walking barefoot in the cool grass or on the warm sand of the beach. While the idea is as old as the world, the need to reconnect to our natural environment has never been stronger than in 2020, after long weeks of lockdown. That’s why “earthing“ (also known as grounding), the practice of putting your body in physical contact with the earth, may be the key wellness trend to integrate into our daily lives in 2021.

Eco-gastronomy

Have you heard of the famous “slow food” movement? Eco-gastronomy takes up the same principles and advocates reconciling gustatory pleasure with respect for the environment and local products. It might be tempting to eat strawberries in winter, but why not choose more seasonal fruits such as clementines or apples? For the New Year, let’s strive to become informed eco-gastronomes.

Female gaze

Even if you have never heard of “the male gaze”, you have undoubtedly encountered it many times in your life. The male point of view is everywhere, in the films that you watch, in the books that you read, in the commercials that you watch on TV How about trying to favour “the female gaze” rather than the masculine perspective? In 2021, let’s choose more works created by women.

Flex office

A kind of best of all worlds of work, which we dream of. The ability to choose an office desk on Monday and swap it for a coworking space on Tuesday. Or even better, to work from home on Thursday, at your parents’ house on Friday and from abroad the following week. The pandemic introduced us to a more flexible way to work, and the flex office fits both current restrictions and our wants, making us truly nomadic workers.

Skin fasting

We trust our skin to regenerate itself without the dozens of products we’ve become accustomed to applying in recent years. In 2021, we will favour intense but less frequent skin routines over a slew of unnecessary and expensive products that are often bad for the planet. After this unsettling year, let’s get back to basics.

Vorfreude

This German word from across the Rhine is one of the hard-to-translate terms included in the Positive Lexicography Project. The noun refers to “the joyful anticipation derived from imagining future pleasures”. Like the idea of having a drink with your friends or not having to wear a mask all the time. These are simple sources of “vorfreude” that we all want to experience again in 2021. 

The after calendar

2020 was an extraordinary year, a year that gave rise to a new, resilient and different world. From fashion and beauty to consumer trends, work and transportation, everything is shifting, everything is changing. Among those changes, Daily Up is focusing on 20 key trends as part of its ‘After Calendar’ of ways to live ‘better, differently and with less’ in 2021.

Probably the world’s most luxurious regular production automobile, the Rolls Royce Phantom is a near peerless ultra-luxury car — especially in behemoth Extended Wheelbase (EWB) guise — after its direct Bentley Mulsanne rival’s recent retirement. Launched in 2017, the Phantom VIII is Rolls Royce’s second modern BMW group era flagship. 

Retaining its long-serving 2003-17 predecessor’s lightweight aluminium construction and vast traditional 6.75-litre displacement, it boasts epic luxury, safety, technology and comfort. With design and spirit much in line with its predecessor, the Phantom VIII, however, includes key improvements that make it quicker, more comfortable and better handling than ever.

Grace and grandeur

Arrogantly imposing in its sheer size, grandeur and tall upright dimensions, yet gracefully elegant in its lines, proportions and detail, the Phantom EWB is a thoroughly conservative evolution of its predecessor in terms of design. Featuring the same hallmark design cues from its vast upright hand-polished stainless steel grille, slim deep-set and heavily browed headlights to its short front overhang, long bonnet, rearwards cabin, long rear overhang, high roofline and gently sloped and tapered in boot, the new Phantom is an unmistakable Rolls Royce flagship. 

That said, the new Phantom is subtly more modern and flowing in its design, and despite its Spirit of Ecstasy statuette sitting slightly higher on a raised bonnet line, the net effect is of a slightly sleeker aesthetic owing to a slight grille slant and slightly angled fascia flanking the centrepiece grille. Projecting a palpable sense of power and presence, the new Phantom EWB features subtle lines and creases to lend it a greater sense of momentum and design fluidity, and rides on enormous optional 22-inch alloy wheels, well-proportioned to its size.

Silky smooth

Glitzy and gargantuan with near 6-metre length and almost SUV-like 1.65-metre height, the Phantom EWB is powered by a similarly massive 6.75-litre direct injection V12-engine powering the rear wheels and sitting well-back in its long engine bay for near ideal weighting and balance. An enlarged incarnation of the twin-turbocharged V12 that first appeared on the slightly smaller Rolls Royce Ghost rather than a turbocharged version of the previous Phantom’s naturally-aspirated engine, the Phantom VIII’s V12 gains 109BHP and 133lb/ft over its predecessor for a total of 571BHP at 5,000rpm and 664lb/ft at just 1,700rpm.

Silky smooth and whisper quiet in operation, the Phantom’s twin-turbo V12 seems to be lightly boosted, with virtually none of the low-end lag often associated with turbo engines, yet it spins eagerly towards its rev limit to a subtly rising yet meaningful purr. A relatively low revving engine that delivers 50 per cent more torque at its peak 1,700rpm than its predecessor, the twin turbo V12 is ideally suited to the Phantom’s relaxed and wafting driving style. That said, the Phantom still packs quite the formidable top-end punch and deep, seemingly ever-present and indefatigable reservoirs of torque.

Comfortable and quick

Effortlessly flexible when cruising, overtaking or charging inclines, the Phantom VIII is both quicker and more efficient than its predecessor, and can sprint through the 0-100km/h benchmark in just 5.4-seconds and onto an electronically-governed 250km/h top speed, despite its enormous 2.6-tonne weight. Slightly heavier than its predecessor, the Phantom VIII nevertheless achieves better fuel efficiency at a comparatively moderate 13.9l/100km on the combined cycle. Channelling power through a smooth-shifting 8-speed automatic gearbox, the Phantom doesn’t provide for manual mode shifting, but is very intuitive in gear selection.

A natural boulevard cruiser and continent shrinking luxury express, the Phantom EWB’s emphasis is firmly focused on ride quality and comfort, and as such outdoes even its highly impressive predecessor in that department. Riding on new double wishbone front and 5-link rear suspension and sophisticated adaptive air dampers, the Phantom virtually glides over the road with supple fluency and forgivingly cushioned comfort, yet, remains reassuringly settled and steadfastly stable at speed. Fitted with Rolls Royce’s Flagbearer system, the Phantom’s windscreen-integrated stereo camera quite literally “reads” the road ahead to make preemptive suspension adjustments at up to 100km/h.

Unexpected agility

A seamlessly sumptuous ride despite its huge low profile staggered 255/45R22 front and 285/40R22 rear tyres, the Phantom EWB is certainly no sports car, but proved surprisingly adept when being hustled along at a brisk pace. A balanced car with excellent weight distribution and a classic front engine, rear drive dynamic, the Phantom turns quite tidily into corners. Managing its not insignificant weight transfer, the Phantom’s adaptive self-leveling air suspension is aided by electrically operated adaptive anti-roll bars, which firm up to gently but effectively counteract cornering body lean.

Turing into corners with feather light, yet accurate steering and committed rear grip, the Phantom VIII EWB’s agility and manoeuvrability are virtually transformed owing to the use of four-wheel-steering. Turning the rear wheels opposite to the front at lower speed to effectively and substantially slash its vast 3.77-metre wheelbase, the Phantom EWB proved more nimble through narrower roads and easier to park than expected, with its 13.77-metre turning circle and parking camera and sensors. At higher speed, the rear wheels, however, turn in the same direction for quicker, more stable and sure-footed direction changes. 

Silent sanctuary

Some 30 per cent stiffer than its predecessor, the new Phantom both handles and rides better, and features 130kg of sound proofing material to enhance its excellent cabin refinement and quiet serenity by 10 per cent. The definition of automotive luxury, indulgence and splendour, the Phantom’s tasteful cabin is meanwhile swathed with the finest leathers, woods, metals and deep lush carpeting. As relaxing and well-equipped as cars come, the Phantom EWB features an innumerable variety of creature comforts and infotainment, safety and driver assistance systems, including large fold down rear multi-media screens and umbrellas stowed within its doors. 

Enormously spacious inside in every direction, the Phantom EWB provides an upright, well-adjustable and commanding position for the driver, and huge rear leg, head and shoulder room for rear passengers. Intended to be chauffeur-driven, the Phantom EWB’s rear compartment features privacy-oriented rearward, recessed seats, footrests, privacy curtains and illuminated starry sky rooflining. Accessed through trademark rear-swinging ‘suicide’ doors, the driven example featured optional twin individual seats and full privacy divider. Changing from translucent to opaque at the press of a button, the centre divider transforms the rear into a separate private compartment, but slightly reduces front chauffeur legroom.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 6.75-litre, twin-turbo, in-line V12-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 92 x 84.6mm

Compression ratio: 10:1

Valve-train: 48-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 563 (571) [420] @5,000rpm

Specific power: 83.4BHP/litre

Power -to-weight ratio: 215.7BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 664 (900) @1,700rpm

Specific torque: 133.3Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight ratio: 344.8Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 5.4-seconds

Top speed: 250km/h (electronically governed)

Fuel economy, combined: 13.9-litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 319g/km

Length: 5,982mm

Width: 2,018mm

Height: 1,656mm

Wheelbase: 3,772mm

Boot capacity: 548-litres

Unladen weight: 2,610kg

Suspension, F/R: Double wishbones/five-link, adaptive air suspension, active anti-roll bars

Steering: Electric-assisted variable ratio four-wheel-steering

Turning circle: 13.77-metres

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres, F/R: 255/45R22/285/40R22

As if it hasn’t been hard enough to manage our weight during quarantine and try to stop ourselves from stress-eating, we now have holiday temptations to add onto our plate, no pun intended!

Holiday eating usually means weight gain for most of us. Whether you’re doing the inviting or you’re the one being invited, you’re sure to eat more than your body needs for nourishment. In either case, we’d better have a plan or else plan to fail. 

‘If you can’t name it, you can’t claim it!’

Colder weather doesn’t help our case as it means less opportunity to walk outdoors. Add our desire to warm up by grabbing more comfort foods and you can easily go down that slippery slope in the winter months. 

As bleak as the prospect appears, I’m determined not to lose hope. It can be done if we put our minds to it and want it badly enough. But what is it that we want? A smaller waist? A stronger body? More energy? Lower blood sugar? It is essential to name what we want to achieve before we can even dream of attaining it. If you can’t name it, you can’t claim it! 

At the top of our list, let’s give a name to our motivation. The stronger the reason, the better chance we will stick to our routine of healthier eating for the long haul. This is not a short sprint. Losing a kilogramme here and there only to gain it back next month is not the yoyo dieting we aspire to. What we want is a lasting success that translates into real-life changes, whether it’s in our eating habits or exercise regimen. We want something that is sustainable and liveable. 

So if you were expecting a quick crash diet, I’m sorry to disappoint you as you won’t find it here with this desperate dieter. But if you’re willing to do the hard work of committing yourself to long-lasting solutions that will serve you well after Christmas, ‘Eid or the next birthday party, then welcome aboard!

Defensive strategies

Here are some defensive strategies that can serve us well as our shield and armour in our fight against the battle of the bulge.

Water, water, water

I start my day with it and drink a tall glass before every meal. Please don’t hate me when I have to run to the restroom, though! That’s a small price to pay compared to the benefits I reap by making this one simple change. I know you’re sick of hearing it, but seriously, drink those eight glasses a day and see how your hunger stays at bay!

Fibre, fibre, fibre

Face it, none of us got to be desperate dieters by eating too many veggies! As much as we try to avoid them, we have to remember what good friends they make. They’re loyal and faithful and help us stay full for very few calories. Not to mention their essential role in preventing cancers and other illnesses. I make fibre-rich food a daily staple in my household for the entire family, especially since I want to prevent my children from ending up as desperate dieters, too.

Move, move, move

Staying active is a must and there’s just no getting around this one! Motion is lotion for our joints and everything runs smoother when we don’t lead sedentary lives. I make it a point to be intentional about getting my exercise no matter the weather. Winter, spring, summer or fall, there’s always something one can do to stay active through it all.

Let’s stop thinking about food

The more I think about food, the hungrier I get! Staying distracted is key to keeping my mind from obsessing about food. Reading a good book, calling a friend, going for a walk or taking a calming shower help distract me when food cravings demand my undivided attention. Instead of giving into them, like a mother giving in to her toddler’s tantrums, I discipline my cravings by learning to say “No”. “No” doesn’t mean “maybe”. This is what I say in my inner dialogue when I’m secretly trying to justify why it’s okay to eat this treat “just this one time”, which leads me to the next point.

Kiss all excuses goodbye! 

We desperate dieters have become very talented at justifying our behaviour. Isn’t this is how we got to be ‘Desperate Dieters’? One justification after another. One excuse after another. 

Add those up and what do we get? A slippery slope that keeps going downhill. Excuses like, “Well, it’s a holiday and we have to celebrate!” or “My mother made my favourite cake and it will offend her if I don’t eat from it!”

I’ve made a list of all the excuses I tend to make and practice saying, “No, thank you” to myself and any food pushers in my circle. I don’t owe them an explanation. It’s my life, my health. If they get upset or offended, that’s their problem, not mine. The universe will not collapse if we start voicing our needs and fight for what we really need. I don’t know about you but I need a whole lot of things and extra sugar is not one of them!

Simplify life!

Remember those excuses you just kissed goodbye? Let’s not invite them back! If you’re anything like the rest of us desperate dieters, then you know exactly what I mean. We surrender our weaknesses only to grab them right back. Those excuses remind me of toxic friends who none of us needs in our already complicated lives.

Add to this list your own defensive strategies that can carry you through the winter blues.

Understand that what worked for you a decade ago may not work for you today. Your strategies have to change to keep up with you and not the other way around. Tools are there to help us, not to frustrate us.

That said, let’s be bold enough to use the tools that work and ditch the ones that don’t. What works for someone else may not work for you, hence the importance of taking back control of our wellbeing and making peace with ourselves.

While we’re on the subject of peace, may this holiday season bring you joy, peace and good health!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

A Long Petal of the Sea

Isabel Allende

Translated from the Spanish by Nick Caistor and Amanda Hopkinson

New York: Ballantine Books, 2020

Pp. 318

In her latest novel, Isabel Allende pays tribute to Chile’s beloved communist poet, Pablo Neruda, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, and died in September 1973, as Augusta Pinochet’s military regime came to power. (Until today, suspicions linger that Pinochet’s agents poisoned him.) Each chapter of “A Long Petal of the Sea” is graced by excerpts of his poems. It is obvious why Allende singled him out, for Neruda’s poetry elegantly and forcefully extolls both love and social justice — themes that are implicit in Allende’s own books. Other writers and artists — Spanish as well as Chilean — are mentioned in the narrative, attesting to Allende’s conviction in the importance of culture for countering war, dictatorship and displacement.

Equally pertinent is that Neruda was intimately involved with the Spanish Civil War of 1936-39, siding with the Republic against Franco’s fascist takeover, and later with the presidency of Salvador Allende in Chile (1970-73). Both these brief but pivotal democratic experiments in people’s power were violently defeated and unleashed waves of refugees fleeing the vengeance of the conquering fascist armies. Refugees also being among Allende’s concerns, the most compelling reason for her focus on Neruda is that he sponsored a ship to bring Spanish refugees to Chile, braving strong right-wing opposition. This is the second novel featuring refugees to be published by Allende in a period where the US’s crackdown on refugees has hit Latinos at the southern border especially hard. In it, the major Spanish characters, who became refugees after the fall of the Republic, manage to cross the Atlantic in the “Winnipeg” and start a new life in Chile. Over thirty years later, they risk being punished for their support to Salvador Allende’s socialist government after it is toppled in Pinochet’s coup.

Having previously published fourteen novels blending fact with fantasy, Allende does not disappoint with this one. Onto a realistically described historical stage, she places an array of imagined but ever-credible characters. In Spain, most are Catalonians and Basque on the Republican side. In Chile, she widens the perspective and sometimes the irony, entanglements and heart-break, by including characters from different social classes and persuasions. 

From start to finish, the story mainly follows Victor Dalmau from Barcelona, who is working as a medic on the Republican side, despite having completed only three years of medical school. Though historical realism predominates in the novel, after three pages, Allende records one of her typically magical events that plays like reality. In the confusion of sorting the wounded to send them on for treatment, Victor encounters a young patient who seems to be dying; he has no pulse. Though Victor should be moving on to saveable patients, he cannot resist removing the boy’s bandages to find that his wound is still open. Despite all he has witnessed in the war, this is the first time he has seen an actual living heart. “Victor was never able to explain to himself why he inserted three fingers of his right hand into the gaping wound, gently grasped the organ, and squeezed it rhythmically several times… Suddenly he felt the heart coming back to life between his fingers… Years later, on the far side of the world, he still saw the soldier in nightmares.”(p. 5-6)

This incident is one of many that gives continuity to the narrative, stressing the oneness of human suffering, and the parallels between events in Spain and Chile, though separated by over thirty years.

Despite the novel’s focus on Victor, this is just as much the story of strong women. Victor sticks to his chosen path, becoming a competent and dedicated doctor, but remains a novice in affairs of the heart. Though he falls in love quickly several times on both sides of the Atlantic, he is amazingly slow to realise when true love of the lasting variety comes along. In contrast, there are several women who know what they want professionally and personally, and reinvent themselves in the process: Elizabeth, a Swiss Red Cross nurse, who sets up a maternity home for pregnant refugee women at a desperate time when the Republicans can hardly protect their own supporters; Roser, the daughter of uneducated shepherds, who is taken under the wing of a music teacher in Barcelona and becomes an accomplished, world-class musician; and Juana, the wily indigenous servant of a rich Santiago family, who knows more of their secrets than they themselves do and steers the household with an invisible hand. Last but not least, there is Carme, Victor’s mother, who defies the odds to remain in her own country and shares a common trait with the author: Keeping a diary, she “embellished the facts, because she is aware that life is how we tell it, so why would she jot down trivia?” (p. 202)

This is also the story of refugees’ resilience--the thousands who braved the treacherous journey over the Pyrenees in 1939 into France and survived the horrors of the camps where they were placed as undesirables, only to have World War II catch up with them. Yet, many of them assimilated and contributed to their host countries, such as those who embarked for Chile, fulfilling “Neruda’s dream of rousing Chilean society from its slumbers.” (p. 203)

In “A Long Petal in the Sea”, Allende shares her somewhat unconventional wisdom about life, love, growing old and dying: how a marriage of convenience could grow into a great passion; how one can rediscover love late in life; and how the past steers the present. Then, just when one thinks the novel is sliding towards a quiet conclusion, she injects a totally new character that makes the ending feel like a new beginning.