Features

PARIS — Bottle-fed babies may ingest more than a million pieces of microplastics each day, new research showed Monday highlighting the abundance of plastics in our food products.

There is growing evidence that humans consume huge numbers of the tiny particles, formed when larger pieces of plastic break down, but very little is known about the knock-on health consequences. 

Researchers in Ireland looked at the rate of microplastic release in 10 types of baby bottles or accessories made from polypropylene, the most commonly used plastic for food containers.

They followed official guidelines from the World Health Organisation on sterilisation and formula preparation conditions.

Over a 21-day test period, the team found that the bottles released between 1.3 and 16.2 million plastic microparticles per litre. 

They then used this data to model the potential global infant exposure to microplastics from bottle-feeding, based on national average rates of breast-feeding. 

They estimated that the average bottle-fed baby could be ingesting 1.6 million plastic microparticles every day during the first 12 months of their lives. 

The authors of the research, published in the Nature Food journal, said that sterilisation and exposure to high water temperatures had the biggest effect on microplastic release, going from 0.6 million particles per litre on average at 25ºC to 55 million/litre at 95ºC.

The authors told AFP that the aim of the research was “not to worry parents” about the potential health risks of bottle microplastics. 

“We have communicated, as strongly as we can, that we do not know the potential health risks of infant ingestions of microplastics,” said the team, from Trinity College Dublin. 

“This is an area of research we are now actively pursuing.” 

‘Urgent need for study’

The authors noted that it was in developed nations that babies were likely ingesting the most plastic — 2.3 million particles daily in North America and 2.6 million in Europe.

This was attributed to relatively low breast-feeding rates in richer countries. 

They said the levels could easily be lowered by taking a few additional steps, including rinsing bottles with cold sterilised water and preparing formula milk in a non-plastic container before filling the bottle.

Fay Couceiro, Senior Research Fellow in Biogeochemistry, University of Portsmouth, said Monday’s research highlighted the “urgency for studies on microplastic impacts on human health”.

She said that it was important not to be “alarmist” when it came to bottle feeding, which many parents prefer for a variety of reasons. 

“The risks from not sterilising bottles or using hot water are well understood and very real, and these known risks of disease must outweigh that of microplastic production until their health risks are understood,” said Couceiro, who was not involved in the study.

The Ingolstadt manufacturer’s latest take on luxury in the fast lane, the Audi S8 is an ultra high tech full-size flagship luxury super saloon that plays it somewhat on the subtle side in terms of design, but delivers phenomenal point-to-point performance.

The blisteringly quick incarnation of Audi’s elegant A8 model line, the S8 is a meticulously capable car with superb control, cornering commitment and high-speed security for the plutocrat in hurry. That said, the S8, however, never loses sight of the comfort, refinement, luxury and cutting edge technology that define the A8. 

A statuesque car with sculpted surfacing, exquisite attention to detail and an elegantly assertive style, the Audi S8 shares the same enormous hexagonal grille as its A8 sister’s aesthetic focal point. Taking a more discreet design approach next to more overt super saloons, the S8 is something of a “sleeper” car with its model designation optionally deleted, as driven. Sleek and swift, the S8 adopts a more subtle sense of athleticism, starting with blacked out side intake and foglight combos flanked by small vertical gills, slightly bigger and sportier alloy wheels, and huge quad rear tailpipes.

High tech, high speed

Like the wider A8 line, the S8 is built on a lightweight and stiff aluminium frame, and is teeming with high tech systems and features, not least of which is its zFAS driving assistance controller and advanced potential Audi AI functions. Featuring extensive driver assistance and safety systems including lane tracking, traffic jam assistance, adaptive cruise control and ‘pre sense’ systems to avoid and mitigate collisions, the S8 also features 48V mild hybrid technology, which recovers kinetic energy and powers ancillary systems to improve driving efficiency and coasting, and powers its Predictive Active Suspension.

Behind its huge signature single-frame grille and just ahead of its front axles, the S8’s twin-turbocharged, direct injection 4-litre V8 engine is a high performance version of the same engine powering the A8 60 TFSI, developing a massive 563BHP peaking at 6,000rpm and an abundant torrent of torque throughout a broad and easily accessible 2,000-4,500rpm plateau. With Quattro four-wheel-drive and quick-spooling short gasflow turbo paths providing both tenacious traction and swift off the line responsiveness, the 2.3-tonne S8 rockets through 0-100km/h in a supercar-like 3.8-seconds and onto an easily attainable electronically-governed 250km/h top speed.

Versatility and verve

Smooth, responsive and willing from idling to redline, the S8 pulls hard at low-end and is muscularly flexible and effortless in mid-range. Reaching for its maximum power in an urgently progressive manner but under-written by a vast rich torque band, the S8 is near silently swift in most circumstances, but is brutally fast when driven to that effect. Quiet in its more comfortable driving modes and returning fairly economical 11.3l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency, the S8’s engine takes on a harder edged and more fulsome acoustic note when in more aggressive driving modes.

Driving all four-wheels through a smooth, slick and swift 8-speed gearbox with manual shift and different auto modes, the S8’s many ratios help best utilise its vast output for performance, versatility and efficiency. Meanwhile, the S8’s rear-biased unique four-wheel-drive goes a long way to off-setting its front biased layout and weighting, and delivers the vice-like road-holding that Audi has been renowned for since its iconic 1980s Quattro model. With a self-locking centre differential that varies power front-to-rear and a rear sport differential sending more power to the outside rear wheel to push it into corners, the S8 always feels sure-footed and agile.

Control, composure and commitment

Sublime in its high-speed stability and settled yet supple ride quality in comfort mode, the S8’s improved air suspension delivers taut lateral and vertical control, along with forgiving absorption of textures and imperfection. Gliding serenely in comfort driving mode, the S8’s air suspension becomes tauter in sport mode for better cornering control. The S8 is also fitted with the more advanced Predictive Active Suspension. Powered by its 48V system and featuring electric actuators, this system individually adjusts each wheel for a given situation and can automatically raise the car to mitigate side impacts.

Able to read the road and anticipate and adapt for even significant changes in texture, as well as adjusting to counteract body roll through bends and maintain a maximum 2.5° roll angle through fast corners, the S8 has another trick up its sleeve in the form of four-wheel-steering. Operating by turning the rear wheels in the opposite direction at low speed and in the same direction as the front at higher speeds, four-wheel-steering effectively reduces the S8’s wheelbase to make it a more manoeuvrable car with improved steering response, and better lane-changing stability.

Reassuring and refined

Turning into and through corners with tidy responses, nimble agility, control, composure and commitment unexpected of a car of its size, weight and weighting, the S8’s dynamic abilities are an object lesson in high tech solutions and engineering. Seemingly shrinking around the driver through corners, the S8 seemingly turns on the proverbial dime, while its four-wheel drive allocates power as needed and each wheel adjusts to keep it flat, poised and smooth. Belying its heft in its handling abilities, the S8 is meanwhile ever the refined and well-cushioned ride, keeping harshness, vibrations and noise at bay.

Quiet inside with its noise cancellation tech, the S8 features cabin high quality leathers, suedes, metals and woods, and extensive high tech convenience, comfort, infotainment, safety and assistance equipment. Included are a configurable instrument panel and twin screen infotainment system with haptic buttons and voice recognition function. Sportier inside than the regular A8, the S8 has a luxury lounge-like ambiance and plenty of space for front and rear passengers and 505-litre of luggage room. Comfortable, highly adjustable and supportive, the S8’s seats features automatically adjustable pneumatic side bolsters and optional massaging and ventilation.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 4-litre, twin-turbo, in-line V8-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 86 x 86mm

Compression ratio: 10.1:1

Valve-train: 32-valve, DOHC, direct injection

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

Ratios: 1st 4.714; 2nd 3.143; 3rd 2.106; 4th 1.667; 5th 1285; 6th 1.0; 7th 0.839; 8th 0.667

Reversefinal drive ratios: 3.3173.204

Drive-line: self-locking centre differential, optional limited-slip rear-differential

Power distribution, F/R: 40/60 per cent

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 563 (571) [420] @6,000rpm

Specific power: 141BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 252.5BHP/tonne (unladen)

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 590 (800) @2,000-4,500rpm

Specific torque: 200Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 358.75Nm/tonne (unladen)

0-100km/h: approximately 3.8-seconds

Top speed: 250km/h (electronically governed)

Fuel consumption, combined: 11.3-11.4 litres/100km 

CO2 emissions, combined: 258-260g/km

Fuel capacity: 82-litres

Length: 5,179mm

Width: 1,945mm

Height: 1,474mm

Wheelbase: 2,998mm

Track, F/R: 1,6281,617mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficient: 0.27

Luggage volume: 505-litres

Unladenkerb weight: 2,2302,305kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack and pinion, all-wheel steering

Turning Circle: 12.5-metres

Suspension: Five-link, anti-roll bars, adaptive air dampers, active electro-mechanical suspension

Brakes: Ventilated and perforated discs

Tyres: 265/35R21

By Dr Tareq Rasheed

International Consultant and Trainer

While some people have a natural propensity for creative thinking, anyone can develop the skill. Here, I introduce you to several tools for enhancing creativity and fuelling and energising our brains.

We are born with a built-in computer — the human brain has several centres and capacities to store, deal and manage information supported and given by God to everyone. Three parts of our inner workings deal with information: 

• Primitive: This is the operating system that helps us start our lives from birth. It contains 8 per cent information that includes genetics, characteristics, talent and two types of fear (fear of falling and fear of noise)

• Pattern: From the start of life, we begin acting and reacting to our environment. We start building and storing information based on what we gather from our parents, relatives and society, as well as our five senses, creating an information system of 88 per cent that most people rely on to manage their lives, decisions, choices and actions and reactions in life

• Creative: This is the part that we can use to create new concepts, ideas and formulas that form 4 per cent of our brain capacity

Creativity is often referred to as “thinking outside of the box” but what is this box? The box is the “pattern” mind which contains ready built-in formulas that prevent and limit the use of the creative part of the brain. 

Creative people are those who use the creative part of the brain. Creativity is both a talent and a skill. Research shows that at the age of six or seven, by the end of the first grade in traditional schools and in rigid cultural environments, children lose about 80 per cent of their natural creativity and start following a pattern. Children are born creative and the questions they always ask and the curiosity they show at early ages are the signs of creativity, but then the input they get from others limit this natural creativity. 

Tools to enhance creativity

Randomness: Creative people can connect random concepts to get new ideas. Randomness can help generate creative ideas. To solve a particular problem, take a random word and set out to see how this random word can help. Here’s a real-life example: to improve the traffic system, designers used the word balcony and from this word, the design of traffic lights became horizontal as extensions of balconies outside the borders of buildings. You can take a random word from Tables of Random Words off the Internet or open any book to any page and select a random word and start relating it with what you want. Several authors and writers use this method for writing stories and novels.

What If: Asking “what if” is an excellent tool to create several uses for things. If, for instance, you have a lot of hangers in your closet and you want to reuse them in a new way, start asking:

• What if I were a (teacher, engineer, gardener, mechanic…), how could I use them?

• What if I were (in the kitchen, bedroom, garden, bathroom…), how could I use them?

• What if to use them with (a table, car, ball, stone...)? 

You will find that you can generate thousands of ideas by applying this creativity tool!

Others Point of View (OPV): Stand, metaphorically, in another person’s shoes and see how you would deal with a problem or a concept. Several new ideas will come to mind using this technique. 

Brainstorming: This technique is used widely nowadays. It involves forming diverse teams to create new ideas about a challenge or a specific problem. 

You can invest 

in your brain!

To enhance creativity, people are encouraged to invest in their brains. But creativity may require certain environments and times:

• Best places: restrooms, quiet places, parks and gardens, in front of the sea, at night in the desert

• Best times: early morning, at sunset, before sleeping

Barriers to creativity

Cultural, habitual and pattern thinking, rigid instructions, stress, depression and environmental limitations can all be barriers to creativity. Creative people may hear comments like “Be serious”, “Are you kidding?”, “This is for kids” and “Be logical”.

Creativity is a capacity that all people have but barriers prevent many people from investing in it. Change and creativity go hand-in-hand: to be creative, one must change old patterns, old techniques and old sayings. 

Good luck!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

BUDAPEST — Faces are more im-portant for humans than dogs, according to a brain activity study on how the two species see each other in a recently published study by a team of Hungarian and Mexican re-searchers.

"The brain imaging findings in the study sug-gest that faces may be of crucial importance to humans and probably other primates, but not to all mammals, for example not for dogs," Attila Andics, who led the study at Eotvos Lorand university in Budapest, told AFP. 

"The two species differ in their visual com-munication and this is reflected in their brains," he said. 

A team of Hungary- and Mexico-based re-searchers compared how dog and human brains process visual information.

They used scanners to monitor 30 humans and 20 dogs while they looked at short video clips of dog and human faces, and the backs of heads. 

The brain response results showed that a large part of the human brain's neural network re-sponds more to faces than non-faces in the videos. Only a small part responded more to human than dog images. 

In dogs' brains however, no parts responded more to faces but some parts responded more to dog images than human images, said the study, published in the Journal of Neurosci-ence.

"Faces are very central for human visual communication, we possess a dedicated large neural network for face processing when we meet someone," Andics told AFP. 

Previous research has shown that dogs also pay attention to faces, excel at eye contact and at reading facial emotion, but also rely on signals such as the other dog's tail or body posture to communicate.

"When we meet someone we look at faces mostly," said Andics. 

"Other signals are also important for humans but the proportions are different than with dogs, when two dogs meet there is no clear focus on faces," he said.

PHILADELPHIA — Narcissistic per-sonalities are more likely to be involved in politics. This rather surprising finding has emerged from a recent meta-analysis of data on the personality traits of Danish and Ameri-can voters. Participants who scored higher for narcissism were not only more eager to vote, but also more likely to make donations and sign petitions.

The new analysis published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology compiled data from three surveys, including two con-ducted in the United States involving 2280 and 2450 participants, and one in Denmark, which questioned 500 volunteers.

In all three of these surveys, participants were asked about their voting history and political activity, notably with regard to their participa-tion in demonstrations and meetings, contact with politicians and media outlets, and finan-cial donations etc.

Defined on the basis of a number of character traits (selfishness, entitlement and a need for admiration), narcissism was measured with the help of a questionnaire in which partici-pants had to choose the option that best de-scribed their personalities in pairs of sentenc-es.

For example, they had to choose between “I insist upon getting the respect that is due me” versus “I usually get the respect that I de-serve.”

In examining their responses, researchers found that narcissism was associated with more participation in grassroots political activ-ities, such as contacting party representatives. The most narcissistic people were also more likely to vote in midterm elections in the United States.

“The general picture is that individuals who believe in themselves, and believe that they are better than others, engage in the political process more. At the same time, those indi-viduals who are more self-sufficient are also less likely to take part in the political process. This means that policies and electoral out-comes could increasingly be guided by those who both want more but give less,” warns Pe-ter Hatemi, a professor of political science at Penn State University in the United States and a co-author of the study.

According to the researcher, finding ways to increase the political engagement of a more diverse electorate while reducing an over-representation of narcissism could help safe-guard the future of American democracy. A message that is especially significant at a time when there are only a few weeks left before presidential elections in the United States.

How fast can computer programmers develop and deliver software applications? Never fast enough in these trying times.

One of the consequences of the massive trend towards working remotely is the strong demand for IT services and products. In addition to the understandable need for reliable and fast networks of all kinds, wired or wireless, and for mobile equipment, laptops, webcams and quality microphones, the most striking change that took place over the past seven months is the need for new software applications. And the deadline for delivery — as it is often and ironically said in business — is yesterday.

How can designers and developers deliver work in a very short time when we know how time-consuming is the process, and how long it usually takes to fine-tune a computer programme, to test it and to have it debugged? Some major programmes take years to reach a stable version.

Though the timeframe is not the same for large projects and for small applications, it is nevertheless much narrower today that it was 10 or 15 years ago. We do not only need to work faster, we want any new software that lets us achieve this to be ready overnight. And since most every task is being digitised, automated, computerised and moved from local to online, one can easily imagine the gigantic dimension of the daunting task.

Not to forget that new applications must take into consideration the world of mobile and smartphone computing. This applies, in particular, to the countless programmes that let you call a taxi, order pizza, check your bank account, and of course make payments, with that small device that sits in the palm of your hand.

The change is taking place at a frantic pace. This week users in Jordan discovered that they could not anymore make voice or video calls with WhatsApp. Messages that pop up on the screen say that the network, be it wifi or 4G, does not allow for this. Many people went around the sudden ban and switched to videocall applications like, among others, the excellent Duo by no one else than Google. WhatsApp was launched in 2009. The much newer Duo was made available only in 2016 and is already very stable. The change goes on and on…

Whereas some business sectors like tourism and restaurants, for example, are dramatically affected by the Covid situation, and laying off employees, companies that develop software are recruiting, in Jordan and abroad.

Naturally, programming today is not what it used to be. There are new tools, and perhaps more importantly new methodologies, that all come to the rescue. There are new, more powerful languages, and object-oriented approach that allow programmers to work faster by using already available modules, and to “re-assemble” them, to put it simply, without having to reinvent the wheel each time. One of the methodologies that is commonly used to save development and delivery time is called Agile. It lets the client be involved from the onset, and to interact with the developers all along the way, to avoid further unexpected changes that usually delay the outcome.

No tool or methodology, however, is enough to reduce the stress. Again, the already high demand is boosted by the viral situation. Cashless payments, for example, via mobile or other devices, were already a trend everywhere. With the current sanitary situation, the need to make payment without any physical contact, without handling cash at all, has become a priority. New, faster, safer, and easy-to-use such applications are now a must.

The stress on software designers, programmers, developers and coders has reached a peak. We can just hope that they can stand the heat and keep on delivering.

WASHINGTON — Almost all documented coronavirus transmissions have occurred indoors, but experts say that wearing a mask outside is justified because there is still a risk of infection.

The likelihood of catching the virus increases at events where people stand near each other and talk for long periods of time, such as parties or election campaign rallies.

Relative risk

Since the start of the pandemic, studies have described cases of infection in restaurants, houses, factories, offices, conferences, trains and planes. 

One study published in April identified a single case of transmission outdoors, between two Chinese villagers, out of more than 7,000 studies.

In an analysis of 25,000 cases, which has not yet been independently reviewed, 6 per cent of cases were linked to environments with an outdoor element, such as sporting events or concerts.

These were enclosed areas where social distancing was not observed, or where people stayed for a while, moving around and talking loudly or singing.

“There were virtually no cases that we could identify that took place in sort of everyday life outdoors,” study author Mike Weed, a professor and researcher at Canterbury Christ Church University, told AFP.

The data indicates that “outdoors is far safer than indoors, for the same activity and distance”, according to a group of scientists and engineers, including professors from American, British and German universities.

‘Dilution through 

the atmosphere’

“The risk of transmission is much lower outside than inside because viruses that are released into the air can rapidly become diluted through the atmosphere,” the group explained, comparing the virus-carrying “aerosols” to cigarette smoke.

Since February, multiple studies and health authorities have pointed to the airborne path of transmission, by invisible clouds of microscopic droplets (aerosols) that we release by breathing, talking and singing.

This is in addition to the relatively larger droplets that we expel by coughing or sneezing, which can land directly on someone else’s face within a perimeter of one or two metres.

The smallest droplets float in the air for minutes or hours, depending on an area’s ventilation. In a poorly ventilated room, but also outside between two buildings with no air circulation, the droplets can accumulate and get inhaled by a passerby.

The dose of viral particles needed to cause an infection is unknown, but the larger the dose, “the greater the probability of infection”, Steve Elledge, a Harvard University geneticist and expert in viruses, told AFP.

The time spent near a contagious person will be a key factor: a second on the sidewalk doesn’t seem to be enough to catch COVID-19. It probably takes at least several minutes.

“While it is not impossible, there is no evidence that COVID-19 has been transmitted when people walk past each other outdoors,” the group of scientists concluded.

‘Precautionary principle’

Linsey Marr, a well-known expert on airborne virus transmission from Virginia Tech, told AFP that she recommends wearing masks outside if the area is crowded and “you will be passing by people frequently, say, more than one per minute as a guideline but not an absolute rule”.

“When we walk by people outside, we might catch a whiff of their exhaled breath plume,” she said. “Any single brief, passing exposure is low risk, but such exposures might add up over time.”

“My advice follows the precautionary principle and the fact that wearing a mask does not harm,” Marr added.

On restaurant patios, the group of scientists recommends keeping a safe distance between tables and wearing masks while not eating.

There are too many variables to calculate the exact risk on a sidewalk or in a park — it depends on the wind and the number of people but also the sun. 

Ultraviolet rays deactivate the virus, but the speed at which they do so depends on the sun’s intensity (from a few minutes to an hour).

Knowledge is limited because scientists have difficulty measuring virus concentrations outdoors, and conducting experiments like they do in laboratory settings.

In terms of public health, experts believe that it is ultimately more efficient to have simple and clear guidelines.

“Having a universal agreement of continued use of mask is really the safest strategy,” said Kristal Pollitt, a professor of epidemiology and environmental engineering at Yale University.

Not to mention that on a sidewalk, a passerby can sneeze the instant you walk by, she told AFP.

Set to be replaced with a seventh generation model unveiled in recent weeks that will eventually roll out in the Middle East, the sixth generation Mercedes-Benz S-Class model — circa 2014 onwards — remains current and feels contemporary, as revealed during recent test drive. 

Launched as part of a broader S-Class face-lift for the 2018 model year, the S320 L is a something of a high tax market special, sold in China, Singapore and Jordan, among other markets, seemingly in lieu of popular and more economical European market diesel-powered versions.

Elegant entry to the luxury segment

An entry-level model to the high-end full-size luxury car segment, and to prestigious S-Class ownership, the S320 is, however, not short on power or equipment as some Spartan junior S-Class models were in years long past. And nor is it short on style and presence, looking every bit the luxury chariot that one expects an S-class to be, with optional Designo line “diamond white” paint, as driven. Complementing its elegant finish, it also featured the sporty AMG line appearance package and enormous optional 20-inch 10-spoke alloy wheels well suiting its vast length. 

In terms of design, the long wheelbase S320 L is an unmistakably luxurious, indulgent and stately car with big presence, curved edges and flowing arcs complementing its huge prominent grille. A large statuesque car with none of the obvious ostentatious demeanour of some competitors, the S320 nevertheless has a sense of refined discretion and sense of class about it. Elegant in profile, surfacing and detail, the S-Class has an almost nautical design flow, with a subtly muscular shoulder line and arcing roofline that descend to a smoothly tapered and sloped boot.

Refined and responsive

Powered by a detuned version of the same twin-turbocharged direct injection 3-litre V6 engine of its pre-facelift S400 predecessor, the S320 is regardless still a swift and smooth drive. Using Mercedes-Benz’s newer, smoother and more responsive 9-speed automatic gearbox, is able to make better use of its reduced output over a broad range of ratios for optimised performance, economy and driving versatility. Developing the same power as Mercedes’ previous generation 3.5-litre naturally-aspirated V6, the S320’ seamless flow of delivery and near absence of low-end lag disguise its twin-turbocharged nature.

With responsive quick-spooling turbos, progressively sweeping delivery and an eager to rev top-end, the S320 feels about as intuitive and responsive as a naturally-aspirated car. That said, its delivery benefits from a broad, subtle and muscular underlying wave of torque that provides plenty of mid-range response and pulling power for over-taking and for climbing inclines. Developing 268BHP at 5,500-6,000rpm and 295lb/ft torque throughout a wide 1,800-4,000rpm range, the near 2-tonne rear-driven S320 L is estimated to accelerate though 0-100km/h in 7.1-seconds and onto 250km/h, and returns 8.2l/100km combined cycle fuel economy.

Comfort and control

Riding on multi-link adaptive air suspension with different driving modes including a softer, more supple comfort mode and a firmer, more taut sport mode, the S320 L adeptly disguises its enormity with light but accurate steering and good body control, as it snakes through winding roads with comfort, poise and good agility, for its class. Responding in a tidy manner when turning meaningfully into a corner in sport mode, the S320 L’s weight is evident as it shifts, yet settles gently against taut suspension control in its sportier driving mode. 

With little under-steer detectable and providing faithfully resilient rear grip when the outside rear wheel is loaded, the S320 L can however be induced into a brief moment of over-steer, before electronic safety systems vigilantly step in and it gathers itself. In sport mode, the S320 L feels more buttoned down on vertical rebounds from dips and crests, but nevertheless rides comfortably and forgivingly. At speed, the S320 L’s ride is as reassuringly composed, planted, stable and sumptuous as is typically associated with big Mercs and large Autobahn-storming German luxo-cruisers.

Wafting on air

A comfortable, cosseting and highly refined flagship luxury saloon, the S320 L’s air suspension smoothes out bumpy, lumpy and imperfect roads with aplomb, as it wafts along in its supple and smooth comfort mode. An ideal long distance high speed express, the S320 L is also more manoeuvrable and easier to park in town than expected, with its tight 12.3 metre turning circle, good visibility and 360° camera. Equipped with numerous safety and driver assistance systems, the driven S320 L featured an optional oil sump guard to protect from Amman’s sometimes unforgiving road surfacing and bumps. 

Comfortable and well insulated from noise, vibrations and harshness, the long wheelbase S320 L is spacious for front and rear passengers, with particularly generous rear legroom. Well-equipped with convenience and user-friendly infotainment systems, the S320’s seats meanwhile provide a terrific driving position and include a massaging function in front, rear adjustability and seat hot/cold ventilation in front and rear. Finished with quality leathers, woods and metals, the S320’s cabin has a welcomingly luxurious and comfortable ambiance as driven with warmer tones, but can be specified in a wide variety of colour and material combinations.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 3-litre, twin-turbo, in-line V6-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 88 x 82.1mm

Valve-train: 24-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 9-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive

0-100 km/h: 7.1-seconds (estimate)

Maximum speed: 250km/h

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 268 (272) [200] @5,500-6,000rpm

Specific power: 89.5BHP/litre

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 295 (400) @1,800-4,000rpm

Specific torque: 133.5Nm/litre

Fuel consumption, combined: 8.2-litres/100km (estimate)

Fuel tank capacity: 80-litres

CO2 emissions, combined: 187g/km (estimate)

Length: 5,246mm

Width: 1,899mm

Height: 1,496mm

Wheelbase: 3,165mm

Track, F/R: 1,624/1,637mm

Overhang, F/R: 888/1,193mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficiency: 0.28

Headroom, F/R: 1,069/995mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,516/1,501mm

Boot capacity: 530-litres

Kerb weight: approx. 2,000kg (estimate)

Steering: Variable electric-assisted, rack and pinion

Turning circle: 12.3-metres

Suspension: Multilink, Adaptive air dampers

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs

Tyres, F/R: 245/40R20/275/35R20

By Dr Kamal ‘Akl

Consultant Paediatrician and Paediatric Nephrologist 

While the eye is considered by some as a window to the soul, it is definitely a window to diseases that affect the body.

Whenever we look at a person, we may not concentrate on the eyes. Yet the eye may give us clues into an underlying systemic disease.

The eyelids

The eyelids provide protection. Behind the eyelids is the white of the eye that encircles the iris, which in turn envelops the cornea that sits in front of the lens. Images are formed on the screen of the eye (called the retina) when light enters via the lens.

The drooping of the eyelids, on one side or both sides, may be due to a muscle disease called myasthenia gravis. Other symptoms of this disease include tiredness after repetitive movements such as climbing stairs.

Unintentional eye movements may be congenital, secondary to poor vision and medications. When it is associated with repetitive head bobbing it may not be harmful, or it may result from brain disease.

Dancing eyes may be associated with a malignant tumour called neuroblastoma that affects infants, or a kidney disease that makes the body lose magnesium.

Swelling of the eyelids may be due to allergy, insect bites or kidney disease.

Globes

If a child has low calcium in the blood and deep-seated eyes, most likely the child has a congenital decreased activity of the parathyroid gland that regulates calcium in the blood. 

On the other hand, prominent eyes may be associated with an overactive thyroid gland. Besides eye disease, eyelid swelling may be due to allergy, crying or an overactive thyroid gland. While avoiding eye contact may be associated with autism.

White of the eye

When the white of the eye is yellow this is an indication of jaundice resulting from liver disease. A bluish tinge may be due to iron deficiency. Iron deficiency with or without anaemia is common in Jordan. If you start looking at the white part of the eye and see a bluish tinge, it is worth doing a complete blood test. Iron deficiency occurs early, while the drop in the haemoglobin (anaemia) occurs late. This is especially important if the child feels tired, nervous or is suffering from hair loss.

Vitamin A deficiency may be associated with white spots in the eye. A pink eye may be due to allergy or an early manifestation of coronavirus infection, especially during a pandemic. 

The iris

The iris is a thin, circular structure in the eye that controls the diameter and size of the pupils. When absent, it may be associated with a rare kidney tumour that afflicts babies.

The lens

In certain diseases, the lens may be dislocated upwards or downwards. It may be a sign of cataract (a cloudy or opaque area in the normally clear lens of the eye) or a metabolic syndrome — a cluster of conditions that occur together and increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.

Takeaway message

The eye is a powerful tool for alerting us to potential medical problems that a child may have.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

Girl, Woman, Other

Bernardine Evaristo

UK: Penguin Books, 2020

Pp. 452

In this multicultural and multigenerational novel, Bernardine Evaristo displays an expansive imagination, an intimate grasp of real life, and a profound empathy with her fellow human beings, especially black women and all those who have been previously overlooked or suppressed. “Girl, Woman, Other” is the novel that shared the 2020 Booker Prize with Margaret Atwood’s “The Testimonies”. Reading it, one can easily see why it was awarded, for it is brimming with masterful storytelling and spiced with debate over some of the most pressing issues of our time, especially race and gender, but also the educational system, gentrification, immigration, poverty, environmental degradation, and the after-effects of colonialism.

“Girl, Woman, Other” tells the stories of twelve women in a flowing stream-of-consciousness style that defies standard punctuation in favour of drawing the reader into the essence of their experience, whether harsh or joyous. Since every story covers family, friends and co-workers of one of the twelve, there are actually scores of characters, some flamboyantly drawn under Evaristo’s magical hand. Most are born in Britain but have varying degrees of African blood in their veins. Some are struggling single mothers; a few are happily married or in a workable relationship. Some pass as white; some strive to make it in white society, while others proudly assert their black feminist identity and culture, demanding that they too be accepted as part of modern-day Britain. 

The book opens with Amma, a feminist, lesbian theatre director approaching middle age. While Amma had spent years protesting the demeaning, stereotyped roles available to black women actors and publicly heckling shows that offend her values, she is finally getting recognition from the establishment: “The Last Amazon of Dahomey”, her daring play about women warriors in a historical African kingdom, is opening at the National Theatre in London. Seemingly, she has reached the pinnacle of success, and on her own terms. Yet, no story in this book ever ends conclusively. Some of her lefty friends deride her for selling out, while her teenage daughter, Yazz, takes for granted the feminism and equality her mother has fought for, and is often critical of her. Though the two love each other dearly, Yazz injects the generation gap into the novel. She has gone beyond her mother’s struggles, believing “that the older generation has RUINED EVERYTHING and her generation is doooooomed/unless they wrest intellectual control from their elders”. (p. 42)

The generation gap plays out somewhat differently in the families of earlier immigrants from Africa or the Caribbean. The first generation makes incredible sacrifices so that their children can realise the dreams they thought Britain had in store for them. Carole’s parents had worked menial jobs all their lives, because their Nigerian university degrees were not recognised in Britain when they arrived. As a result, her mother pushes Carole to continue her studies at Oxford University despite the alienation she experiences as the only dark-skinned student there: “You must go back and fight the battles that are your British birthright, Carole, as a true Nigerian… she could not have predicted it would lead to Carole rejecting her true culture.” (pp. 134, 155)

The stories of the twelve women are arranged in clusters of friends and relatives. About halfway through the book, there begins some intermingling of their stories as women from one cluster begin to turn up in other clusters as friends or co-workers of other characters. This serves to make the story more intense as common threads appear between the different women and their lives.

For the new generation things are clear; they establish their own social groups and culture more confidently. But Evaristo also describes the ambivalence in which many of her black characters live, never knowing for sure if negative reactions from others are due to racism or something else, or if they can best manage by being deferential or confronting the problem head-on. Most nuanced are the stories that involve immigrants who tried making a life in rural parts of Britain where the population had hardly seen a black person before. As she dissects the obvious and more subtle forms of racism, many ironies emerge, sometimes humorous and sometimes not, stemming from racism’s and sexism’s dehumanisation, or feminism’s misuse to control other women. Literally everything is subject to debate in this novel, and many characters struggle with their identity and sexuality throughout the novel.

Evaristo’s novel is a creative depiction of the current stage of what Edward Said called “the voyage in”, highlighting the influence of formerly colonised populations on the colonising “mother country”. It shows Britain’s transition from a colonial empire into a multicultural society, as former natives of the colonies seek their fortunes through immigration.

The epilogue of the novel is truly mind-blowing, for its implications stretch far beyond the novel’s pages to indicate how long and how widely people have travelled from their native country and mixed with other peoples and races. Besides telling fascinating stories, Evaristo demolishes many myths of racial purity and gender conformity. Implicitly, she calls for a new way of relating to “the Other”. “Girl, Woman, Other” is available at UBCC bookshop in Amman.