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Smokers who go through much less than a pack of cigarettes a day still have a higher risk of an early death than non-smokers, a new study suggests. 

“There is no safe level of cigarette smoking,” said lead study author Maki Inoue-Choi, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Maryland. 

“Even smokers who consistently smoked less than one cigarette per day were more likely to die in our study than never smokers,” Inoue-Choi said by e-mail. 

Tobacco smoking poses a major public health challenge and claims about 5 million lives each year worldwide, researchers note in JAMA Internal Medicine. 

A growing number of smokers tend to be “light” smokers, going through less than half a pack of cigarettes a day, the authors write. This used to be how people cut back gradually on the path to quitting, but it’s increasingly a pattern that smokers follow for years at a time. 

To get a better picture of the health effects of light smoking, researchers tracked more than 290,000 adults aged 59 to 82, including more than 22,000 current smokers and more than 156,000 former smokers, who completed surveys in 2004 and 2005. 

By 2011, compared to people who never smoked, adults who consistently smoked at least part of one cigarette a day were 64 per cent more likely to have died of any cause, researchers report in JAMA Internal Medicine. 

Smoking one to 10 cigarettes a day was associated with 87 per cent higher odds of dying from all causes during the study than not smoking at all. 

Lung cancer deaths in particular were much more likely among light smokers than non-smokers. The odds of death from lung cancer were more than nine times higher with a habit of even one cigarette a day, while smoking up to 10 cigarettes a day was associated with almost 12 times the risk of death from lung cancer. 

Former smokers fared better when they quit at younger ages. For example, ex-smokers of one to 10 cigarettes a day who kicked the habit after age 50 had a 42 per cent higher risk of death from all causes during the study period, compared to those who kicked the habit at younger ages. One limitation of the study is that researchers relied on participants to accurately recall and report on how often they smoked even may years in the past, the authors note. 

Even so, the findings should reinforce that even light smokers can face serious health risks from the habit, the authors note. 

“The take home message is that all smokers should stop smoking, even if they smoke only occasionally, or if they smoke very few cigarettes a day,” Jean-Francois Etter, a researcher at the University of Geneva in Switzerland who was not involved in the study, said in an e-mail. 

The study also showed very little benefit from cutting back from two packs a day to half a pack a day, said Judith Prochaska, a researcher at Stanford University in California who was not involved in the study. 

“Low intensity smokers often downplay their use of tobacco — may even identify as nonsmokers – and may rationalise their behaviour as low risk,” Prochaska said by e-mail. 

“The findings ought to compel physicians to intervene with patients who report any level of current tobacco use,” Prochaska added. “As a motivating message, the sooner individuals quit smoking, the greater the health benefits in extending years of life.”

With a distinctly French character bringing both comfortable ride qualities and engaging driving dynamics, the 308 GT Line is well pitched as a midway point in Peugeot’s Volkwagen Golf and Ford Focus fighting 308 model line. Sitting between garden variety versions of the 308 family hatchback and its more potent entry-level GT hot hatch and high performance and GTI incarnations, the GT Line could perhaps be best described as a more affordable and practical warm hatch, which gives a good taste of the 308’s more exotic potential.

A styling pack that adds a sportier flavour — inside and out — to more accessible and economical turbo-diesel and turbocharged petrol 1.2-litre 3-cylinder PureTech Peugeot 308 models in European markets, the GT Line, however, receives perkier propulsion for Middle East markets. Powered by more efficient and detuned version of the same engine powering 177BHP and 202BHP GT and 246BHP and 266BHP GTI models, Peugeot’s turbocharged 1.6-litre 4-cylinder develops 163BHP, in THP165 specification, for the Middle East market 308 GT Line.

Sculpted and sporty styling

Stylishly designed with a distinctly classy air and up-market feel, the Peugeot 308 is a more tightly penned and elegantly flowing hatchback, with a refined demeanour yet athletic posture. A smaller and more restrained chrome-ringed grille that is currently fashionable among many car manufacturers, is, however, complemented by a larger and wider lower bumper intake segment, while its headlights feature a claw-like kink at the bottom and a LED strip at the top that trails off to a ridged shoulder line running along the 308’s length.

Sculpted with concave and convex surfacing at the bonnet and flanks, the 308’s rear wheel arches are emphasised and discretely bulging, while the GT Line model features sharper, lower and more prominent sills, larger two-tone alloy wheels with 225/45R17 rubber and a smattering of “GT Line” badges to lend a more assertive and grounded look. At the rear, GT Line models also feature a blacked out diffuser style lower bumper segment, dual chrome ringed bumper integrated exhaust tips and two-tone tailgate spoiler for a sportier more urgent appearance.

Flexible delivery

Subtly muscular and happy to push to its rev limit, the 308 GT Line is, however, most comfortable riding a plentiful mid-range sweet spot as it adroitly powers through a series of snaking switchbacks. Its turbocharged 1.6-litre THP165 engine spools up quickly, and is responsive, with little by way of turbo lag from idling. Developing 177lb from as little as 1,400rpm with a broad and muscularly responsive mid-range band, the GT Line is confidently responsive and flexible and versatile when overtaking on motorways or climbing steep winding inclines.

Riding a wave of rich mid-range torque as it gathers pace and smoothly builds up revs, the GT Line’s power peaks at a healthy 163BHP at 5,500rpm, which with an estimated weight of 1225kg, allows for brisk 0-100km/h acceleration estimated at below 8.5 seconds and top speed comfortably above 200km/h. Driving the front wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox, shifts are well-judged for smoothness and speed, manual “tiptronic” mode upshifts actuated — like in BMW or Mini — by pulling the gear lever rather than pushing.

Reassuring yet agile

Alert yet forgiving and comfortable yet controlled the 308 GT Line takes road imperfections with fluency and aplomb. Soft-edged compared to a full hot hatch, the GT Line is nevertheless precise, responsive and intuitive, with its tyres delivering a good compromise of road feel, grip and comfort, and is particularly supple when taking bumps and cracks at a slight angle. Smooth and stable at speed without being distant or unconnected, the GT Line pitches up slightly when taking peaks and crests briskly, but is reassuringly settled and buttoned down on rebound.

Like its well-judged vertical control, the GT Line’s lateral control is similarly designed for both comfort and poise, with slight body lean yet overall composure. Brisk and agile cross country the GT Line negotiates imperfectly paved countryside switchbacks with easily exploitable power and fluency, control and finesse from its sweet and engaging chassis. With quick and precise steering with decent levels of road feel, the GT Line turns tidy and alert into corners, and responds well to tight initial turn-in. Meanwhile, a tight turning circle makes it manoeuvrable in the city.

Classy and sporty

Turning in early and hugging the apex through tight corners, the 308’s front wheels dig in hard while weight shifts to the outside at the rear to tighten its line before pouncing out. Well-compromised between reassuring and playful, the 308 is slightly biased for the former, but a quick dab of the mid-corner braking can persuade it to fling its weight outwards to further tighten a cornering line. Meanwhile, electronic stability control is effective and largely nonintrusive — especially in “off” position, where it remains active but initially less interventionist.

A classy and refined place, the GT Line’s cabin features clear layouts with an elegantly minimalist centre console, good quality fit, finish, fabrics and textures. Visibility is generally good, but in tight parking spaces, a reversing camera and sensors help one better judge its position, given the 308’s bulging body surfacing. Featuring red stitching, thick flat-bottom steering wheel and aluminium pedals, the GT Line is distinctly more up market and sporty, while a panoramic glass roof creates and airy ambiance.

Driving position is well adjustable, comfortable and supportive while one peers at the instrument panel above the steering. Meanwhile, boot space is decent and rear seat space decent. Equipment levels are good, and include six airbags, multi-function steering controls and USB-enabled infotainment system with good speaker sound quality and clarity.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS 

Engine: 1.6-litre, turbocharged, transverse 4 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 77 x 85.8mm

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

Gearbox: 6-speed auto, front-wheel drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 163 (165) [121] @5,500rpm

Specific power: 102BHP/litre

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 177 (240) @1,400rpm

Specific torque: 150.2Nm/litre

0-100km/h: under 8.5 seconds (est.)

Fuel tank: 53 litres

Length: 4,253mm

Width: 1,804mm

Height: 1,457mm

Wheelbase: 2,620mm

Track, F/R: 1,559/1,553mm

Overhang, F/R: 863/770mm

Headroom, F/R: 895/874mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,395/1,365mm

Boot capacity: 470 litres

Kerb weight: 1,225kg (est.)

Steering: Electric-assisted rack and pinion

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson struts/torsion bar

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/discs

Tyres, F/R: 225/45R17

Price, on-the-road: JD24,500 (as tested)

WASHINGTON — Al Pacino, The Eagles, James Taylor, gospel and blues singer Mavis Staples and Argentine pianist Martha Argerich were celebrated Sunday for their lifetime achievements at the last major arts gala attended by President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.

It was a bittersweet moment, with Obama making one of his final goodbyes to celebrated artists as president.

The first couple received an extended standing ovation as they entered the Opera House of the Kennedy Centre, a monument to the late president John F. Kennedy.

“This is a joyous day. It’s the best Christmas present!” Staples told AFP on the red carpet about receiving a Kennedy Centre Honour, considered the nation’s highest recognition for performing artists, just before Obama leaves offices.

At 77, Staples lives up to the maxim that age is only a number. “People ask me, ‘Mavis, when are you going to retire?’ Retire for what? I love what I’m doing and I intend to sing until I can’t sing no more, forever,” she said.

Sean Penn, Garth Brooks, Aretha Franklin, Kevin Spacey and Ringo Starr were some of the A-listers who serenaded and hailed the legacy of the award recipients during the star-studded performance hosted for the third consecutive year by late night talk show host Stephen Colbert.

Obamas celebrated

As he kicked off the evening, Colbert said America was lucky to have a “passionate, intelligent and dignified” president. That brought loud cheers and applause from the crowd. Colbert then joked: “Sir, I don’t know why you stood up, I was talking about Michelle”.

At a White House reception prior to the reception, Obama called the awards “one of the parts of the job that I will miss”.

Obama jokingly asked Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh, a notorious troublemaker, not to trash the White House because he is leaving soon and wants his “security deposit” back.

The Eagles were set to be honoured last year but postponed due to the illness of founding member Glenn Frey, who died in January. He received his award posthumously.

Grammy Award-winner Juanes performed “Hotel California” with guitarist Steve Vai, who said before the event that playing the piece’s famed guitar riff in front of the musicians was “surreal”.

Taylor, 68, performed “America the Beautiful” at Obama’s second inauguration in January 2013, while Staples, who like none other provided the music of the civil rights movement, sang at Kennedy’s inauguration.

“In 1968, when James Taylor signed with Apple Records, I was in Vietnam and America was at war abroad and in turmoil here at home. We were fighting and marching to the music of [Jimi] Hendrix, the drumming of Ringo [Starr], the Doors, the [Rolling) Stones, and the [Grateful] Dead,” Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday during a reception at which the artists received the awards.

“And amid the darkness of that era, James Taylor returned sunlight to our minds, conjuring up the warm images of snow on the turnpike from Stockbridge to Boston, deep greens and blues as the colours of choosing, and moonlight ladies singing rockabye to ‘Sweet Baby James’”.

Surprised?

Argerich, 75, is widely considered one of the world’s best, if reclusive, pianists.

For nearly two decades, she largely shunned solo performances, playing almost exclusively with orchestras and chamber ensembles, until a sold-out recital at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2000.

“I was surprised. I didn’t think I was entitled,” Argerich said of learning she had won the award.

Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle hailed Pacino as being humble about his long and storied career that has seen him perform in some 100 films and plays, including “The Godfather”, “Scarface, “Sea of Love”, “Heat” and “Scent of a Woman”.

“His gift, for all the inspiration and intensity that he brings to his roles, is that he lets us into what his characters are feeling,” Obama said.

LONDON — The vast majority of the estimated 350 million people worldwide suffering from depression are not receiving even minimally adequate treatment, according to an international study backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The research, which covered almost 50,000 people in 21 countries, found that even in wealthy nations with relatively good health services, barely 20 per cent of depression patients get adequate treatment.

In poor countries the situation is far worse, the study found, with only one in 27 people with depression receiving adequate treatment.

“Much treatment currently offered to people with depression falls far short,” said Graham Thornicroft, a professor at King’s College London who led the study.

He called on national and international organisations to increase resources and scale up provision of mental health services “so that no one with depression is left behind”.

The WHO estimates that 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression, and the condition is the leading cause of disability worldwide.

They found that while there is increasing awareness that depression can be diagnosed and often successfully treated using psychological therapies or medication, the treatments are not being widely delivered.

“Providing treatment at the scale required to treat all people with depression is crucial, not only for decreasing disability and death by suicide but also from a moral and human rights perspective, and to help people to be fully productive members of society,” Thornicroft said.

The study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry on Thursday, analysed data from WHO mental health surveys in 21 countries, including Brazil, Bulgaria, Colombia, Iraq, Mexico, Nigeria, China, Argentina, France, Germany, Japan, Portugal, Spain and the United States.

The researchers defined minimally adequate treatment as either pharmacotherapy, consisting of at least a month of medication plus four or more visits to a doctor, or psychotherapy, consisting of at least eight visits with any professional including a religious or spiritual adviser, social worker or counsellor.

Committed to Disillusion: Activist Writers in Egypt from the 1950s to the 1980s
David F. Dimeo
Cairo-New York: The American University in Cairo Press, 2016
Pp. 236

In “Committed to Disillusion”, David Dimeo focuses on select works of Naguib Mahfouz, Yusuf Idris and Sonallah Ibrahim — all three writers who espoused committed literature (al adab al multazim), as opposed to pursuing art for art’s sake. As such, they operated within the paradigm of a three-sided relationship between the political authority, the mass public and the author. Since their fiction can only be analysed in the context of prevailing political and social conditions, the book also partially chronicles Egypt’s sociocultural history from the 1930s until today.

The big question for committed or activist writers is whether they can make a difference in the struggle for social and political justice. In the late 1940s, this became the major issue for Egyptian writers, and most joined the movement for committed literature, though they practised it in a variety of ways. Dimeo adds a comparative and international dimension to his study by not only comparing the three writers to each other, but by comparing them with committed writers elsewhere. He devotes a chapter to the influence of Soviet literature, Sartre’s call to engagement, and the Brecht-Lukacs debate, showing how Egyptian writers followed the literary scene abroad and debated many of the issues involved, but on their own terms. All concurred that they wanted to avoid the strict Soviet control of writers, but many were influenced by the ideas of Sartre, Lukacs and Brecht.

The 1952 revolution was initially welcomed by Egypt’s committed writers, but by the 1960s, they found themselves at odds with Nasser’s regime due to its repression and failure to deliver on promises of social justice. Dimeo chose the writers to include not only for their literary status, but also because they represent three successive generations: “Mahfouz had established himself as a master of multazim fiction in the period before the overthrow of the monarchial regime, and Idris launched his career as a committed writer along with the promising revolution, but Ibrahim was a child of the revolution, taking up fiction writing well into the period of disillusion that the other two experienced during the 1960s.” (pp. 155-6)

Dimeo, a professor at Western Kentucky University, is a masterful literary critic. Based on detailed examination of scores of the three writers’ works, he shows how their shifts in subject matter and style mirror their reaction to the changing world around them. Starting in the 1960s, disillusionment with the regime, a public seemingly more concerned about consumer goods than the values for which they had struggled, and their own failure to have an impact, caused writers to switch from realism to surrealism and impressionism. 

Mahfouz stopped writing altogether for seven years, only to reemerge with a new style totally divergent from his earlier realism that had unmasked injustice through deft storytelling as in “The Cairo Trilogy”, “Midaq Alley” and “The Beginning and the End”.

“Instead of an objective, systematic view of society, Mahfouz offers a polyphony of worldviews in conflict, paradigms for understanding society that inherently disagree, and which the narrator does not attempt to reconcile.” (p. 84)

Idris, who eschewed Mahfouz’s panoramic novelistic style in favour of the shock effect of short stories, began by unmasking social injustice via issues related to his profession of medicine (lack of birth control, poor hygiene and mental healthcare, and inadequate rural medical facilities). He clung to realism a bit longer but cloaked his critique of the state in allegory, only to later adopt a modernist experimental style removed from concrete Egyptian reality. “Yet underneath the alienation and absurdity that marked these works, a continued concern for the artist, the public, and the political power as well as the possibility of communication for social change shaped Idris’ later works”. (p. 126)

This then is Dimeo’s main point: Committed literature remained alive in spirit if not in word. “From the analysis of texts of the most profound authorial disillusion… we have seen not an escape to the author-as-observer paradigm but rather a continuous reinterpretation and renegotiating of the activist author’s role.” (p. 190)

This reading enables Dimeo to carry his analysis up to the 2011 revolution, wherein writers were influential voices. Interestingly, Alaa Al Aswany, who became a virtual spokesman for the uprising in the West, rose to fame with “The Yacoubian Building” which is much closer in content and style to Mahfouz’s committed realism than to the later disillusioned literature. Though in the aftermath activist writers proved unable to connect with the majority of Egyptians despite the possibilities offered by new digital media, Dimeo is still able to conclude that they “will continue to offer lessons for future generations”. (p. 206)

Exhausted shift workers may be safer driving home at night when they are exposed to bright light before they hit the road, a small study suggests. 

To test the effect of light therapy on driving, researchers did a series of three experiments with 19 adults. In two scenarios, participants spent a night being sleep deprived in a lab and then spent 45 minutes in dim or bright light before a driving test. For a third test, people got a good night’s sleep at home and then went to the lab for 45 minutes of bright light exposure before a driving test. 

After sleep deprivation in the lab, five people exposed to dim light therapy got in car accidents during the driving simulations. None of the people who slept at home crashed, and neither did any of the sleep-deprived people who got bright light therapy before getting behind the wheel, the study found. 

“We experience severe sleepiness toward the end of the night shift, and this may overlap with our commute time,” said senior study author Dr Ralph Mistlberger of Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, Canada. 

“Sleep deprivation makes this worse of course, and together with the clock, this conspires to impair our ability to sustain attention to task [e.g., driving], and avoid distraction, and react quickly to external stimuli like traffic lights, brake lights in front of you, road signs, etc,” Mistlberger added by e-mail. 

“Bright light is alerting,” Mistlberger said. 

Sleepiness is a leading risk factor for automobile accidents because it can make drivers less vigilant, slow reaction times and dull cognitive abilities, researchers note in Sleep Medicine.

Shift workers with chronic sleep deprivation also face an increased risk of accidents. Strategies like drinking coffee or soda, napping before a drive or blasting music or rolling down the windows in the car may help increase alertness behind the wheel, but none of these strategies is fool-proof. 

For the current study, researchers wanted to see if bright light might help reduce driving impairments related to sleep deprivation. 

They found participants had lower body temperatures after spending a sleep-deprived night in the lab as well as longer reaction times and increased sleepiness. 

Exposure to bright light did not appear to improve reaction times or sleepiness. But light was associated with better driving. 

Beyond its small size, other limitations of the study include the reliance on lab conditions for sleep deprivation and light exposure, which may not match what shift workers would experience on the job, the authors note. 

“There is evidence that the use of bright light at the office [or even at home directly prior to beginning the work shift] may be beneficial in preventing sleep deprivation related motor vehicle collisions,” said Russell Griffin, a researcher at the University of Alabama at Birmingham who was not involved in the study. 

“That said, there is not enough evidence to date to fully suggest the use of bright light therapy to avoid collision,” Griffin added by email. 

The proven way to avoid the effects of sleepiness on the road is to consistently get enough sleep, said Dr Flaura Koplin Winston, a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia who was not involved in the study. 

“Drowsy driving is perhaps the most under-recognised cause of serious crashes and sadly, the evidence is not there on how to counter it,” Winston said by email. 

More research is needed on the potential of bright light therapy to make exhausted drivers safer, said Dr Donald Redelmeier, a researcher at the University of Toronto who was not involved in the study. 

But there are still things drivers can do now to stay safer on the road. 

“Safety strategies while driving can include minimising distractions, stopping at stop signs, respecting speed limits, yielding right of way, buckling a seatbelt, signalling all turns and not driving after drinking alcohol,” Redelmeier said.

For young adults who smoke, the risk of a major heart attack is eight times higher than for their peers who never smoked or who gave it up, a UK study found.

Older adults who smoke are also more likely than non-smokers their age to end up with heart attacks, researchers say.

Many people underestimate the health risks that come with smoking, said senior author Dr Ever Grech, of the South Yorkshire Cardiothoracic Centre at the Northern General Hospital in Sheffield.

“Many patients seem aware there are some risks of a heart attack with smoking, but they were blissfully unaware that the risks were anything more than slightly higher than usual,” Grech told Reuters Health.

Smoking has been tied to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems since the 1950s, Grech and his colleagues write in the journal Heart. Smokers have heart attacks at younger ages, but no study has looked at the incidence of heart attacks among young smokers in a local population.

For the new study, the researchers used data collected between 2009 and 2012 on people over age 18 in South Yorkshire. The population included 1,727 individuals who were treated for STEMIs, which are major heart attacks caused by a blockage in one of the heart’s main arteries. About 49 per cent of the STEMI patients were current smokers, about 27 per cent were ex-smokers and about 24 per cent were never smokers.

Applying the results to the South Yorkshire population, the researchers calculated that in a group of 100,000 people, 60 smokers under age 50 would have a heart attack every year, compared to a combined total of 7 never-smokers and former smokers in that age group.

The difference is equal to about an eight-fold increase in risk for young smokers, compared to non-smokers.

Likewise, the researchers found about a fivefold increase in risk among smokers, ages 50 to 65 years, and about a threefold increase in risk among smokers over age 65 years, compared to their non-smoking peers.

Grech said the findings confirmed his observations from working in a cardiac catheterisation laboratory, where doctors open clogged arteries in patients with STEMIs.

“We can use this data to make people better aware of the risks and provide positive encouragement and assistance,” he said. 

The increased risk among smokers likely arises because smoking affects the plasticity of arteries and what happens inside them, said Dr Umesh Khot, who is vice chair of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

“The harms of smoking in terms of heart attacks of patients who smoke will happen a lot sooner than people think,” said Khot, who was not involved with the new study.

He said it is  never to late to quit smoking to reap some health benefits.

“For this type of heart attack known as STEMI, the risk drops off very fast,” he told Reuters.

Sometimes you cannot but stop and wonder why we keep asking for faster technology, especially computer and Internet technology. Is it just greed or is there a real need for constantly more? 

For once the usual comparison between cars and computers is not relevant. Indeed, you can rightly question the usefulness of cars that can clock 250 kilometres per hour (kph) or more when the maximum speed limit is 110kph in the best (or worst….) case on all roads in the country, including on the highways. But computers, smartphones and networks are a totally different story — why should there be any limit to their speed?

Most devices are significantly faster than they were only five or six years ago. For several decades the rate of the speed increase was observed according to what is known in the computer world as Moore’s Law. It says that speed would double every two years. It remained true until about last year when Intel, the leading maker of processors, found that the rate was now actually decreasing, albeit slowly.

Today, and mainly because of our steadily growing dependence on networks, on the Internet in particular, we have to make a clear distinction between the speed of the different parts of the devices: the processors, the hard disks, the USB interface, the graphic controller, and last but not least the Internet, be it wired or wireless — to keep all this down to a simple list.

An example to illustrate the reasoning. You can easily store 10,000 high resolution pictures on the micro-SD memory card of a smartphone if you like, provided you buy and install a 64GB such card, or one with a larger capacity. But when you go to the Gallery application to browse all these photos or to search for a specific one, the phone will respond slowly and will take a few seconds to react and to display the collection’s thumbprints, or to locate the photo you are searching for.

This is because the storage part is up to the job but the processor and the graphics controller are a little behind in this very case. Besides, smartphones, even the most expensive models, were not designed to store, display and handle 10,000 photos in the first place.

Perhaps digital storage equipment, disks and memory modules of all kinds, are the only elements which speed can be considered as good enough to satisfy the typical consumer’s current computing needs. For all the others, there is no such thing as fast enough.

The necessity is driven by three essential aspects of technology: the growing use and processing of high resolution multimedia contents, the reliance on networks, including the Internet, and the need to make copies of huge amounts of digital contents in as little time as possible, whether to keep security backup sets or to exchange such contents with other parties.

Today, the USB3.0 interface is very convenient to connect all types of external disks to computers and is fast enough for most tasks. When data gets really big, however, even USB3.0 is not fast enough. There has been question of a USB3.1 standard for more than a year now, but we have yet to see a machine fitted with it. USB3.1 is supposed to be 30 to 90 per cent faster than USB3.0. Wait and see.

Try to render a 30-minute video after having edited it, using for example Sony’s excellent Vegas video editing software. Even with the best hardware and a lot of memory the job will take at least 15 minutes to complete. This may not be the end of the world for most of us, but for people who work every day on video editing they would love to see it done in a minute or two, or even in a second, in a dream world; why not after all?

As for the Internet, and despite all improvements in the infrastructure and the service in the last couple of years, we generally feel that our needs are growing faster than the progress that ISPs (Internet Service Providers) are making, except in rare cases. Typically, the consumer would find the download speed more or less satisfactory in most cases, whereas the upload speed remains an issue. Some ISPs in Jordan, like Damamax and Vtel, among others, are now proposing decent upload speeds of 10 or 20 gigabits.

Video calls with smartphones have dramatically changed the way we communicate. Most of the time, unfortunately, such calls made using Viber, Whatsapp, Skype, or similar networks still come with less-than-perfect image. By moments the video becomes jerky or pixelated. Still, the way things are moving forward, we can hopefully expect high definition video calls in as few as two or three years.

There were so many comical moments during our daughter’s marriage ceremony last week that if I sat down to list them, I could compile an entire tome. From the Japanese tourists who came uninvited to the function, to one relative garlanding himself instead of exchanging the welcome garlands with another relation, to the chief photographer asking the Indian priest to move aside in the midst of the rituals so that he could photograph the bridegroom, to the Jordanian sunbathers in the nearby pool area who broke into impromptu applause as the bride walked in; the complete sequence was like an endless series of spontaneous hilarity.

It was not supposed to be like this. The customary rites for the first Hindu wedding at the Dead Sea had to be solemn. Following an ancient Vedic tradition, my husband and I had fasted for the whole day before placing our daughter’s hand over our brand-new son-in-law’s palm when the pundit instructed us to do so. It symbolised the handing of responsibility, according to our old patriarchal custom, from a father to a husband. It was a good thing that our feminist daughter could not understand the Sanskrit chanting or else she would have challenged it wholeheartedly. We raised her to believe in being capable of shouldering her own responsibilities and she needed no assistance in doing that.

My spouse had a stern look on his face initially because I think he was trying to keep a firm reign over his emotions. He kept telling me repeatedly that it was the happiest day of his life and he could not understand why people expected him to feel sad. Only trouble was that his expressions did not match his words. “Maybe he is hungry,” said the voice in my head. I avoided looking at him too closely because I had tears blinding my own eyes. The sombre religiosity of the service overwhelmed me. 

Staring at the holy fire that was burning in an iron pit right the middle of the ceremonies helped to calm my nerves. A similar fire had burned at my own wedding and it witnessed all the vows that I had made. The cycle was being repeated all over again even though half of the people, who were present then, including my parents, had by now left for their heavenly abode. But the fire was a constant and therefore we prayed to it.

Suddenly I saw a person behind a camera lens, almost touching the carpeted floor. The rest of his body was under the stage but his lensed head was imploring the priest to move aside. The pundit shifted slightly to accommodate him while continuing to chant the mantras. But abruptly, 10 or 15 arms holding cellphones, appeared from thin air as everyone from the audience got a clear glimpse of the bride and the groom. There was a mad scramble for selfies. The photographer pleaded with the priest again, to give him some more room. The pundit altered his position significantly, but once more there was a rush of cellphone picture takers. 

The chief photographer’s face was a study in misery. I looked around wondering what the priest would do next. 

“He should make us all stand up,” I whispered. 

“For better photo angle?” my spouse asked. 

“For better peace,” I mumbled. 

There was a moment’s silence as the pundit read my thoughts.

“All rise,” he instructed. 

“Thank God!” the photographer said, heaving a sigh of relief.

Having first learned to drive on its distant predecessor, Audi’s latest A6 35 TFSI mid-size saloon proved an occasion to reflect on how the Audi brand and automotive industry has developed over the past 30 years. On the cusp of breaking into the premium automotive bracket in the 1980s, with its futuristically aerodynamic 100 and rally conquering Quattro models, Audi has since become one of the most deeply established “big three” players in this German dominated segment.

Driving the front wheels through an in-line 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine slung out just ahead of the front axle, the said base model Audi 100CC otherwise has little in common with the current entry-level A6 35 TFSI successor. With just a 3-speed automatic gearbox and a meager 89BHP under the bonnet, the said 1984 100CC may have shared the same displacement, cylinder count and position in the Audi hierarchy, but had less than half the power and gears as the A6 35 TFSI, not to mention its sophisticated equipment and refinement

Sophisticated aesthetic

First introduced in 2012 and updated in late 2014, the current fourth generation A6 design bears a direct lineage to the wind cheating 100. However, with sharper tauter lines, more defined ridges and larger 235/55/R18 footwear, it has a more potent, road-hugging and purposeful presence, in addition to slipperier contemporary CD0.26 aerodynamics. Uncomplicated and sophisticated, the A6 fluently combines a somewhat understated character with a more assertive front featuring slim heavily browed lights and a tall and wide single-frame trapezoidal grille dominating the fascia.

With more defined bumpers, side air intakes and sills, new LED element strips and slimmer rear lights and wider exhaust tips, the revised A6 has a more stylishly horizontal emphasis. Similarly horizontal, the A6’s relatively low and level waistline and taut surfacing provide an airy cabin and good visibility to easily position it on road. Considerably heavier than its 1980s predecessor owing to huge leaps in equipment and refinement, the A6’s high aluminium content construction, however, keeps weight to a contemporarily trim 1,645kg.

Doubling up

With turbocharging an exotic feature only available top-spec 2.2-lire models in the 1980s, early base model 1.8-litre 100s even made do with carburettors before moving onto mechanical fuel injection. By contrast, today Audi fields an almost entirely turbocharged line-up. More reliable and efficient, Audi’s TFSI engines also feature dual multipoint and direct fuel injection systems. Much less susceptible to low-end turbo-lag and with power arriving at a higher and broader engine speed plateau, the A6 35 TFSI develops 187BHP at 4,200rpm-6,200rpm, allowing for brisk 7.9-second 0-100km/h acceleration and 233km/h top speed.

With 107lb/ft, the old 100CC’s torque provided good off-the-line responses, but nevertheless pales in comparison with the 35 TFSI’s 236lb/ft, available throughout a broad and versatile 1,400-4,100rpm range for confident overtaking flexibility and for seamlessly transitioning through to higher power build up at higher revs. And in place of the 100CC’s slushy and widely spaced three speed automatic, the modern A6 35 TFSI features a crisp and finger-snap slick 7-speed automated dual-clutch gearbox. 

Smoother and more economical by leaps and with stop and go engine activation, the A6 35 TFSI returns frugal 5.7l/100km combined fuel efficiency.

Smooth and tidy

Built using a longitudinal engine, front-wheel drive configuration with equal length drive shafts, as traditionally employed by most Audis, A6’s evolved platform benefits from good traction over loose surfaces and greatly minimises torque steer. However, with lighter components and the engine positioned nearer to the front axle, and more sophisticated multi-link suspension, the front-drive A6 35 TFSI feels more balanced and much better masks such an inherently nose-heavy configuration than the old front-drive 100’s MacPherson strut front and trailing arm rear suspension. Four-wheel drive Quattro models are better still.

Smooth, stable, reassuring and highly refined at speed, the A6 is a natural long distance companion, with a comfortable ride and settled recovery on rebound over crests and dips. Turning into corners it is far tidier than Audis of old, with only hints at its nose-heavy configuration evident if pushed hard and tight when entering. Through corners it feels settles, stable and committed, with plenty of rear grip and decent body control for its class. Steering is accurate, well weighted and designed for highway directional stability, if not especially nuanced or communicative cornering prowess.

Ergonomics and equipment

With a similar horizontal emphasis and at least as good, if not better, usable passenger room owing to its more upright cabin, the 100CC’s Spartan fabric and wind-down window interior is vastly surpassed by even entry-level current A6 standards. A model of sophistication, ergonomics, design and quality, the current A6 is a comfortable and refined environment with quality leathers, soft textures and clear functionality. Well accommodating passengers and luggage, the A6 features highly adjustable steering and seating in front, and reasonably generous standard features.

Well-equipped with standard convenience, infotainment and safety features, the A6 options list is, however, long and includes 4-zone climate control motion sensing boot release and MMI Plus infotainment system with satnav, Wi-Fi hot spot, handwriting recognition and voice control. Upholstery and trim options are likewise varied, while safety and driver assistance systems options include reversing and 360° cameras, parking assistance and sensors, heads up display, lane assistance, adaptive cruise control and more.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1.8-litre, turbocharged, in-line 4 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 82.5 x 84.1mm

Compression ratio: 9.6:1

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

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

Top gear/final drive ratios: 0.43:1/4.41:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 187.5 (190) [140] @ 4,200-6,200rpm

Specific power: 104.3BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 114BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 236 (320) @ 1,400-4,100rpm

Specific torque: 178Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 194.5Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 7.9 seconds

Top speed: 233km/h

Fuel consumption, urban/extra-urban/combined: 7.1/5/5.7 litres/100km 

CO₂ emissions, combined: 133g/km

Fuel capacity: 65 litres

Length: 4,933mm

Width: 1,874mm

Height: 1,455mm

Wheelbase: 2,912mm

Track, F/R: 1,627/1,618mm

Overhangs, F/R: 930/1,091mm

Headroom, F/R: 1,046/962mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,460/1,429mm

Luggage volume, min/max: 530/995 litres

Unladen weight: 1,645kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning Circle: 11.9 metres

Suspension: Multi-link

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres: 235/55R18 (optional)