Features

Trust the cloud with your data. It is probably safer there than in your own hands.

No matter how important to you your digital contents are, in the end you have to store them on some earthly physical media; there’s no other way. The problem is that after 35 years of personal computing they still haven’t found the perfect storage media, the one that would never crash or lose your data.  Perhaps the problem isn’t just in the storage media, per se, as much as it is in the methods used to save and to backup data.

From magnetic tape to USB flash drive and everything in between, including optical disks and the now defunct laughable floppy disk and Zip100 disk, each media exhibits its intrinsic weak points. It’s either too slow, or not reliable enough, or too expensive, or too bulky, or too cumbersome to handle…

On top of the elusive perfect storage media issue, taking the time and making the effort to backup your data, in most instances, has proven to be a failure amongst private users. You know you have to do it frequently, you are constantly reminded that you must absolutely backup your digital contents, and on multiple media what’s more, so as to cover the risk of seeing one of them fail when you need most to restore data, you still can’t put yourself on following a straight discipline to perform the required backup as frequently as you should.

It’s like not having enough will to lower your high bad cholesterol rate without statin medication, or to stop smoking for example. Though you realise you must and know how to, you just can’t set your mind on doing it. It’s also a bit like doomed New Year’s resolutions: quick to take, easy to forget.

So with time, given that that there is no perfect storage media and the lack of discipline of the common user, new solutions have emerged. Of course we’re talking “cloud” here — yes, again.

Whether we like it or not, the trend towards doing more in the cloud continues unabated. As an example only, one of most obvious pushes these days comes from Microsoft with the company’s cloud-based Azure servers services. Imagine being given all the functionalities of a powerful server computer but without the hassle of buying the hardware or paying for the software licences, dedicating area for it and most importantly without having to pay for the expensive technical support that is always associated with it. This is what Azure offers, if you are willing to go with it and to trust it — and of course if your Internet connection is very fast and reliable.

Back to simple matters (Azure isn’t one actually): Taking the bold decision to backup your data in the cloud is the first step towards the right thing to do, towards the ultimate solution. However, it is just not enough for it will only overcome the less-than-perfect storage media limitation, with the cloud taking care of keeping multiple copies of your precious digital contents. By backing up your data in the cloud you still have to remember to perform the operation yourself. Even you set up some automated tasks that will do the backup say every day or every week, you are still taking the risk of seeing the task fail somehow, some day.

The second and most important step is to store your digital contents in the cloud in the first place, exclusively, to consider it your main storage space, not just a set of extra backup. The IT people in the cloud will take care of everything for you, including doing the backup operation of course, but also making sure your data is safe, protected from viruses, and so forth. You are relieved this way from all the tedious tasks, from having to remember to do a backup and from errors that will certainly happen one day if you keep on doing it on your own.

By considering the cloud as your main data storage you make the smart move of letting IT professionals take care of your data and of its backup. They are not only trained to do it right they also have the time for that — it’s their job after all — and they are well focused on the task. By relieving you of what you have always hated to do, they let you focus on what matters to you: using and enjoying your digital contents.

As for those still reluctant to store their information in the cloud, perhaps they should be reminded that it is not necessarily less secure than their laptop at home, that in the overwhelming number of cases no one is really interested in their personal files and that they can still protect most types of files with strong passwords if they estimate that some files should be protected from prying eyes.

LONDON — In the latest major study to consider whether the dangers of mammograms outweigh the benefits, experts say the tests can reduce the chances of dying from breast cancer by nearly 30 per cent and that national screening programmes should continue.

The debate over the value of mammograms has raged in recent years.
A British review in 2012 concluded that for every life mammograms save, about three other women are unnecessarily treated for a cancer that would never have threatened their lives. In February, a rigorous Canadian paper covering older methods of screening that followed women for more than two decades suggested mammograms don’t lower the risk of dying from breast cancer.

In the new observational study, researchers tracked all Norwegian women aged 50 to 79 between 1986 and 2009, just as a national screening programme was getting under way. 

Scientists used a model to estimate breast cancer death rates in women invited to get a mammogram as part of the government-funded programme and in those who weren’t included yet. They said about 76 per cent of women offered a mammogram actually got it.

The researchers estimated about 368 women need to be given a chance to have a mammogram to prevent one death from breast cancer and that screening reduces breast cancer deaths by about 28 per cent — similar to what many other studies about mammography have concluded.

The research was published online Tuesday in the British journal BMJ, and was paid for by the Norwegian Research Council.

“Mammograms do provide some benefit, but the problem is the screening is so sensitive it captures tumors without malignant potential,” said Lars Vatten of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, one of the study’s authors.

He said improved treatments for breast cancer were also lowering death rates in developed countries, making mammograms less important since even cancers caught later are sometimes still treatable.

Vatten said the benefits of getting a mammogram justified ongoing national screening programmes but that women should be given more information about the potential harms, like having unnecessary treatment including surgery and chemotherapy.

In many Western European countries, women are offered mammograms every other year from age 50 to 70. In the US, a government-appointed task force recommends the screening start at 50 while the American Cancer Society recommends yearly mammograms from age 40.

“To tell women not to have a mammogram is probably an overreaction but we are becoming more certain screening has significant harms,” said Russell Harris of the University of North Carolina, who co-authored an accompanying editorial. He said the paper’s estimate that being offered a chance to get a mammogram reduces breast cancer deaths by almost 30 per cent was an overestimate because of the uncertainties in the model.

“Getting a mammogram is something that women should be given a choice about,” Harris said. “It’s reasonable to decide not to do it.”

Dancing comes naturally to some people. This might seem like a sweeping statement, but folks of certain cultures in Africa and South America have an inbuilt rhythm. Even when they sway gently to a musical beat, they do it rhythmically.  

The several hoards of Brazilians, boogying on the streets of their various cities, in the ongoing FIFA World Cup, are a case in point. It does not matter whether they are young or old, male or female, sober or inebriated. As soon as a tune is played, they just get up from whatever position they are sitting or reclining in, and start to dance. Their movements are so graceful that it is a joy to be even a mute spectator. 

Every country, however, has its own unique style of dances. Some belong to the classical oeuvre while others are light and unsynchronised sorts. The traditional dances take years of training to perfect and selected dancers devote their entire lives to achieve this. 

There is dancing that is done individually, as a pair, (that is, with a partner) and then there are group dances involving a multitude of individuals. All kinds of ballroom dancing need an escort because it takes two to tango. So, whether it is the Waltz, Foxtrot, Samba, Cha-cha-cha, Salsa or Flamenco, it is all danced with a companion. 

My home country India has a great variety of colourful dances too, from the conventional to the modern. The Indian dances all vary as per the region they originate from and each have a distinct method of performance. The orthodox traditional ones represent a particular culture. The steps are based around a strict style and they also make the use of “Natya” or acting, to portray mythological or folklore stories. 

But most of the world recognises us by our Bollywood dances. The Indian film industry makes movies that are all musicals, with lavish song and dance routines. People, who are unfamiliar with India and have only seen it portrayed on cinema, think all Indians, dressed in garish, over-the-top clothes and jewels, sing to each other all the time. And whenever there is a birth, wedding, festival or rainfall, we start dancing. Try as I might to ignore it, the minute my nationality is discovered in an alien land, I am expected to dance a few steps to any song that a foreigner might remember, from one of our countless films. 

Belly dancing, a type of Oriental dance that involves vigorous torso movements has always fascinated me. Everything about this particular dance form is captivating, from the sensual costume to the stimulating steps. Contrary to its name, the emphasis during this dance is not so much on the abdomen as it is on the hips. Correct posture and muscle control is absolutely essential to perform the intricate moves.

Last week I gave in to my curiosity and attended a belly dancing class. The instructor was a stunning looking Jordanian woman who was effortlessly demonstrating the complicated steps. 

“Yallah! Move your hips in a figure eight loop,” she scolded me

“I’m sorry I am from India,” I blurted out 

“Al Hind? Aha, Katrina Kaif?” she exclaimed 

“Yes, she is a top Indian actress,” I smiled

“You know the Mashallah song?” she asked, wriggling her back

“No,” I lied.

“Why not? Come to the front of the class and teach us,” she ordered

“Mashallah Mashallah,” I gritted my teeth, and danced to the best of my ability.

WASHINGTON — Facebook released Tuesday a new instant messaging app that enables users to send photos or video to selected friends who can only see them if they send an image back.

Slingshot, available for Apple and Android devices, is the second product to come out of the social networking website’s Creative Labs ideas laboratory.

“Shoot a photo or video of what you’re up to and sling it to a bunch of friends,” reads the Slingshot blurb on Apple’s iTunes app store.
“They won’t be able to see your shot until they sling something back.”

Not unlike Snapchat, which Facebook tried but failed to acquire last year for $3 billion, Slingshot photos and video self-destruct after viewing — although there’s nothing stopping a recipient from using a smartphone’s screenshot feature to copy a photo.

“Photos and videos that don’t stick around forever allow for sharing that’s more expressive, raw and spontaneous,” blogged the app’s developers on Slingshot’s dedicated www.sling.me website.

“With Slingshot, we saw an opportunity to create something new and different: a space where you can share everyday moments with lots of people at once.”

Slingshot comes four months after Paper, the first app out of Creative Labs, which seeks to give Facebook more of a magazine feeling for mobile device users.

TORONTO — Parents struggling to get their children away from smartphones and tablets for meals, homework, exercise and other activities can arm themselves with new apps to remotely block access to the devices.

Usage of smartphones and tablets among children has tripled since 2011, according to Common Sense Media, a San Francisco based non-profit that studies the effects of media and technology on young users.

A new app called DinnerTime Parental Control, for iPhone or Android smartphones, enables parents to restrict when children can use their smartphones and tablets.

“The price of entry level smartphones and tablets have come down a lot, and as a result, more and more kids have their own individual devices,” said Richard Sah, co-founder of DinnerTime, based in San Mateo, California.

With the free app, parents can pause activity on a child’s Android smartphone or tablet so that they can focus on things like homework, exercise and family time. Once a device has been paused, all functions on their device are blocked, including the ability to text and play with apps.

To use the app, parents install it on the child’s device and enter in their phone number to link the two devices. Parents can then set specific break times, ranging from 30 minutes to three hours, when the device will be locked. A countdown screen displayed on the child’s device shows when they can use it again.

Sah said he was inspired to develop the app by the tradition of family dinners, which he thinks is being lost in the age of technology.

“Dinner time brings families together for quality time and to have lots of different conversations. We want people to come together for engaging conversations, rather than be distracted by a tablet,” he said.

DinnerTime Plus, another free app from the company, lets parents manage the apps their children use and to views the apps they are using in real time.

Parents can also purchase detailed reporting, which outlines how much time kids spend on certain apps, and how often they used them.

With another app called ScreenTime, parents can push a button on their phones to block usage on their children’s devices. They can also set daily time limits for particular apps. The app, for Android, requires a subscription of $3.99 a month.

Kimberly Young, a psychologist who focuses on Internet addiction, believes parents need to control how much time their children spend on their devices. But she added an app might not be the best way to do it.

“I do not agree that any app is better than good old-fashioned parenting in terms of treating Internet addiction,” said Young, who added that she has seen children as young as three years old using mobile devices.

WASHINGTON — Amazon’s mystery unveiling Wednesday is widely expected to be a smartphone, which if managed well could shake up the market and boost the US online giant as a device maker.

The company has given few hints, inviting a small group of media to the event to be hosted by Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos.

The announcement contained an image of what appeared to be the edge of a smartphone — a device long rumoured to be in the works by the Seattle, Washington firm, which is a retailer of a multitude of goods and digital content.

“If it is a smartphone, Amazon would automatically be considered one of the top players before it even ships its first phone,” said Gerry Purdy, chief mobile analyst for Compass Intelligence.

Purdy said Amazon’s market clout, large customer base and willingness to sell devices at low profit margins gives the company an opportunity to get a foothold in this key segment.

“They have a lot of tools,” Purdy told AFP. “They can give free access to content, access to music, or they could credit your monthly phone bill if you spend enough with Amazon.”

Amazon has worked to keep customers close with its Amazon Prime subscription service, for $99 a year. This gives consumers free delivery for goods, as well as access to Amazon’s streaming video service. Last week, the company added streaming music for no additional charge.

But Amazon still needs to deliver a high-quality handset and offer enough apps to compete with the popular devices from Apple and makers such as Samsung which use the Google Android platform.

Hints from Bezos

Several reports have said Amazon’s new phone would have 3D technology, making for a richer, multidimensional display that could differentiate it from rivals.

In a cryptic message to journalists attending the event, Bezos sent copies of his favorite childhood book, “Mr. Pine’s Purple House”, which is about one house that stands out from the others.

Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey said Amazon is not interested in taking away a lot of Apple and Samsung market share, but in keeping its customers more engaged.

“Amazon wants to be in your pocket,” he told AFP. “It wants to be with you in your hand’s reach whenever you think about something you want to purchase.”

McQuivey sees Amazon following a course similar to what it has done with the Kindle tablets — selling at low prices to drive the purchase of more Amazon content, including books, electronics and streamed films or music.

“The Kindle Fire tablet has never gotten significant market share, but for the people who own them, it made them more connected to Amazon,” McQuivey said.

Mark Mahaney at RBC Capital Markets said Amazon’s strategy for Kindle devices appears to be working.

“Kindle device owners spend almost 30 per cent more with Amazon than non-Kindle owners — $457 per year vs. $361 per year — (which provides) a bit of an explanation as to why Amazon may be shortly unveiling a smartphone,” Mahaney said in a note to clients.

An ‘uphill climb’ 

Still, some analysts say Amazon is taking a risk in a new, fiercely competitive, segment of the market.

“It’s going to be an uphill climb,” said Ramon Llamas, a mobile analyst for IDC.

Llamas said a majority of US customers, and many in other parts of the world, already have a smartphone or have considered an iPhone or Android handset.
“Consumers are going to want to know how many applications there are,” he told AFP.

Amazon uses a modified version of Android, which keeps its system separate from the main marketplace offered by Google. 

It claims to have 240,000 apps, compared with over a million for iOS and Android, although some Android apps may work on Amazon devices.
Llamas said Amazon may have a hard time getting consumers to switch out of iOS or Android and could face similar troubles as Windows and BlackBerry, whose phones lack a broad ecosystem.

He added that some consumers might want to use an Amazon phone for shopping, but that consumers have a much deeper relationship with their phones.
“It’s not shopping all the time,” he said.

An automotive icon and off-road legend, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class’ imminent demise has often been foretold, but reports of its death have invariably been greatly exaggerated. Starting life as a quasi-military off-roader developed during the 1970s under the encouragement of then-major Mercedes shareholder Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the Gelandenwagon went on sale in 1979. Arriving just as the Shah was deposed, the then G-Wagon got off to a troubled start with a 20,000 vehicle Iranian order being cancelled. Resuscitated by orders from the Argentine army and the German border police, the G-Wagon went on to being a successful military vehicle and luxury status symbol.

Back for another encore

Closely identified with its most important Middle East market from its Shah-related origins, the Mercedes G-Class is for many regional rich, rulers and royals, a vehicle of choice, with strong demand ensuring its continuation. In fact, demand for bigger and more powerful versions even led to a twin-turbo V12 AMG G65 version and a recently launched 6x6 behemoth AMG G63 version, developed and aggressively publicised within a Middle East context. The last time the G-Class graced these pages in 2010, it was expected that production would end in 2015, but after a 2012 re-vamp, it was announced last year that it will continue being at least until 2019. 

Originally developed in collaboration with Steyer-Puch and still built in Austria by its Magna Steyer successor for Mercedes-Benz, the G-Class — previously known as G-Wagon — is a robust and uncompromising off-roader from the ground up, including its chassis, design, construction, drive-line and suspension. In terms of design, engineering and hardware the G-Class has been little altered in principal and aesthetic, but over decades adopted prevailing technologies, engines and safety equipment, and from utilitarian origins, became a fully fledged luxury vehicle. The latest 2012 G-Class update features minimal exterior alterations, but includes a significant interior overhaul and adoption of contemporary driver-assistance and infotainment technologies to keep it up-to-date.   

Newfound tech 

and tricks

Built on a rugged body-on-frame platform the G-Class is an old-school off-roader at heart, and with its straight lines, sharp angles, exposed joints and flat surfaces looks the part too. Tall and upright, the G-Class makes almost no concession for aerodynamics, but its boxy shape provides for uniform and easily exploitable cargo space, as well as generous headroom, despite the body-on-frame chassis. The G-Class’ narrow and straight-cut dimensions are designed to allow it to drive along narrow paths. Little changed, the G-Class incarnation is as charmingly utilitarian in appearance as ever, but features slightly remodeled headlights with LED elements, and contemporary side mirrors with embedded indicator lights.

Sitting upright and close to the doors and with a big glasshouse and thin A-pillars, one enjoys excellent front and side visibility to accurately place the G-Class on road — or off-road. Narrow but tall the G-Class’s interior is comfortable and well-spaced, with climatised highly adjustable and supportive front seats, and easy cabin access. Luxuriously appointed with fine leathers, metals, woods and pleasantly textured materials, the G-Class’ interior has been revised to include round coned dials, new leather-wrapped multi-function and electrically adjustable steering wheel, re-designed gear lever and a functional centre console and dashboard that retain the Glass traditional grab handle and user-friendly differential lock buttons. 

Pick of the pack

Equipped with contemporary driver assist, safety and infotainment systems the latest G-Class features a standalone tablet-style infotainment display. The G-Class COMMAND infotaiment system features 6-CD changer, Bluetooth, USB and SD card connectivity, integrated hard disk, satnav, Internet access, TV receiver support and voice command. The G-Class’ brake assist system primes brakes for emergencies. Radar-based safety systems including blind spot assistance and DISTATRONIC smart distance keeping cruise control, which can follow town speed traffic and stop accordingly, and help mitigate collisions at higher speeds by automatically applying the brakes. A trailer stabilisation system uses the electronic stability system to counteract fishtailing above 65km/h. Parking assistance includes reversing camera and sensors.

Offered with two high performance bi-turbo AMG versions, a turbo-diesel entry model and a naturally aspirated 5.5-litre V8-engine carried over, the driven G500 is the best possible compromise. Retaining the full gamut of the G-Class off-road ability without sacrifice, the G500 also offers all the refinement and power and speed that the G-Class could reasonably need. Developing 382BHP at 6,000rpm and 391lb/ft throughout a broad 2,800-4,800rpm range, the G500 offers the most progressive and precise throttle control in the G-Class range for smoother on- and off-road driving, and also benefits from a broad and muscular mid-range to confidently haul it through sand dunes, mud, inclines and brisk highway overtaking manoeuvers.

Hardware for inhospitable terrain

With a tall and narrow frame, and all-round live axle suspension the G-Class is expressly built for off-road excellence and not inherently set-up for on-road handling finesse. As powerful as need be, the G500 delivers brisk 6.1-second 0-100km/h acceleration and 210km/h top speed despite un-aerodynamic design and 2,530kg mass. With 265/60R18 tires providing good compromise for handling, ride comfort and off-road ability, the G500 rides comfortably and smoothly, with good cabin refinement. A fun vehicle to hustle along, the G500 handles better than one could expect considering its ladder frame chassis and live axles, which react to road imperfections on one side with opposite movement on the other, unlike more refined independent suspension designs. 

Little matched over inhospitable terrain the G500’s tall and narrow body, 205mm ground clearance, 36° approach and 27° departure angles allow it to traverse difficult obstacles, extreme angles, tight confines and wade water up to 600mm. Live axles allow excellent articulation over rocks and ruts to keep wheels in contact with ground, while low gear ratios allow maximum power at crawling pace for difficult inclines and low traction terrain. Most impressive when driving through deep and steep Dubai sand dunes was  the G500’s unique locking rear, centre and front differentials which lock all four wheels in tandem to keeps moving even if only one wheel has traction. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 5.5 litre, in line V8 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 98 x 90.5mm

Compression ratio: 10.7:1

Valve-train: 32 valve, DOHC, variable valve timing

Gearbox: 7 speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Diver-train: low ratio transfer case, locking front, centre & rear differentials

Ratios: 1st 4.38:1 2nd 2.86:1 3rd 1.92:1 4th 1.37:1 5th 1:1 6th 0.82:1 7th 0.73:1

Reverse: 1st 3.42:1 / 2nd 2.23:1

Final drive ratio: 4.38:1

0-100 km/h: 6.1-seconds

Maximum speed: 210km/h

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 382 (387) [285] @6,000rpm

Specific power: 70BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 151BHP/ton

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 391 (530) @ 2,800-4,800rpm

Specific torque: 97Nm/litre

Fuel consumption, urban / extra-urban / combined: 20- / 11.9 / 14.9 litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 348g/km

Fuel tank: 96 litres

Length: 4,662mm

Width: 1,760mm

Height: 1,951mm

Wheelbase: 2,850mm

Track: 1,475mm

Overhang, F/R: 783/820mm

Ground clearance: 205mm

Aerodynamic drag coefficiency: 0.54

Headroom, F/R: 1,053/1,020mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,333/1,064mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,364/1,430mm

Payload: 670kg

Kerb weight: 2,530kg

Water fording: 600mm

Climb / tilt grade: 80% / 54%

Approach / departure angles: 36° / 27°

Steering: Power-assisted, recirculating ball

Turning circle: 13.6 metres

Suspension: Live axles, coil springs, gas-charged dampers

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs / discs

Tyres: 265/60R18

The Woman from Tantoura

Radwa Ashour

Translated by Kay Heikkinen

Cairo-New York: The American University in Cairo, 2014, 368 pp

Combining a deep understanding of history and human psychology with her rare storytelling gift, Radwa Ashour retells the Palestinian story in novelistic form. Or perhaps it is more accurate to say that she tells a Palestinian story, for “The Woman from Tantoura” exhibits keen awareness of the value of individual cognisance in the midst of a collective experience. The big events covered in the novel are well known, from the 1948 Nakba to the liberation of South Lebanon in 2000, which allowed Palestinians refugees in Lebanon to see their compatriots across the border for the first time in half a century. But the real theme is the growth of Palestinian consciousness — how people reacted to being reduced to refugees, how they were able to absorb the shock of recurring devastations and make sense of a world gone awry, to go on living and resist obliteration. 

The subtheme of the novel is memory as Ruqayya, a woman from Tantoura, a coastal village near Haifa, tells her story. Most often, one considers memory as something positive but in view of her life experience, this was not the case with Ruqayya. For her, meeting someone from the past could evoke horrifying occurrences and “let loose on me the dogs of memory”. (p. 101)

Ruqayya is only thirteen, but already engaged to be married, when Zionist militias attack Tantoura, perpetrating a cruel massacre, and imprisoning or expelling those they don’t kill. The novel opens with her memories of the village –– its seasons, foliage, daily routines and, most of all, the sea. Then, with the same innocence, matter-of-factness and attention to details, but with less understanding of what is actually happening, she narrates the Zionist attack and fleeing with her mother and neighbours. Ruqayya’s response to the massacre is a long period of muteness which later reoccurs with the onset of the civil war in Lebanon, and even later in reaction to the opulent life of one of her sons in the Gulf. Even though he works hard for his wealth and shares it generously, his lifestyle goes against her grain as does the extreme violence she witnesses. With little formal education to fall back on, Ruqayya relies on her instincts and the principles she derives from experience.   

Years later, when another of Ruqayya’s sons tries to persuade her to record her life in writing, she rebels and reverts to her original stance of underestimating herself and not knowing how to deal with the world, how to be “on the train”, her metaphor for life, a life that keeps moving without making sense, without one knowing where it is headed. “I was with the boys on the train and yet I wasn’t, because ever since that day when they loaded us into the truck and I saw my father and brothers on the pile [of bodies], I have remained there, unmoving, even if it didn’t seem like it… I wonder, what does a woman do who feels that she has remained alive by chance, by the purest chance?” (p. 61)

Being both on the train and outside it makes Ruqayya an astute observer of events and human behaviour, lending both wisdom and emotional impact to her narrative. Despite her initial sense of shock, she manages to be a good wife and mother to four children, keeping the family together as much as possible in difficult circumstances. Gradually she embarks on a course of political self-education, learning from her children’s awareness and activities, and reaching out to women in the Beirut refugee camps. Writing about her life becomes an essential part of her growing consciousness, and she understands the truth in her son’s words: “Memory does not kill. It inflicts unbearable pain, perhaps; but we bear it, and memory changes from a whirlpool that pulls us to the bottom, to a sea that we can swim in.” (p. 186) 

Ruqayya’s memories weave back and forth in time creating parallels between different events, revealing the awful similarities between the massacres in Tantoura and Sabra-Shatilla, between the original Zionist invasion of Palestine and Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon. While totally fascinating in its own right, her story also speaks for the hundreds of destroyed Palestinian villages, and the ongoing Nakba. 

“The Woman of Tantoura” gives new insight into the known and hidden chapters of Palestinian history. It is also a celebration of Palestinian popular culture, of unsung heroes, big and small acts of resistance, creativity and resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. Dedicated to her husband, Palestinian poet Mourid Barghouti, Ashour has written a compelling novel brimming with enchanting imagery. “The Woman from Tantoura” is a powerful tribute to all those Palestinians who have turned tragedy into an impetus for education, advancement, community development, empathy for others, and striving for justice and their right of return. “The Woman from Tantoura” will soon be available at Books@Cafe. 

Sally Bland

BEIRUT — Nine top officers from the moderate Free Syrian Army (FSA) resigned Saturday over shortages and mismanagement of military aid from donor countries to their uprising against President Bashar Assad.

“We seek your [the rebels’] forgiveness in resigning today, leaving behind our responsibility as chiefs of battlefronts and [opposition] military councils,” the officers said in a statement.

Their resignation comes more than three years into an anti-Assad revolt, which saw protesters take arms against the regime after the army and security forces unleashed a brutal crackdown against dissent.

Some Western military aid has trickled into Syria in recent weeks, but overall the United States has been reticent to arm rebels over fears advanced weapons could end up in jihadist hands.

Weapons shipped to Syria from the West, but more significantly from Gulf countries, are usually sent to specific groups, rather than to the Supreme Military Council, which was meant to coordinate the rebel military effort.

Lieutenant-Colonel Mohammad Abboud told AFP he and the eight other rebel officers resigned because the “SMC has no role any more. Donor countries have completely bypassed it.”

Instead, donor countries have funnelled military aid, including US-made anti-tank missiles, to factions of their choosing, Abboud said.

“While we thank donor countries for their assistance, it has been really insufficient, and simply too little to win the fight,” Abboud said.

Rebels fighting Assad’s regime have repeatedly urged the West to give them specialised weaponry to help tip the balance in the war against Assad’s forces, which is backed by Iran, Russia and powerful Lebanese movement Hozbollah.

Earlier in June, President Barack Obama said Washington would “ramp up” support for rebels, signalling a change in US policy.

But, faced with successive military defeats around Homs and Damascus province, rebels say they lack the aid needed to change the course of the war.

“We are fighting both the army and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL),” Abboud said, referring to a jihadist group operating in Syria and Iraq that Syria’s opposition turned against in January.

“Yet we haven’t got the help we need from countries who say they support our demands for democracy and a civil state.”

ISIL has been battling a range of other rebel groups, from moderates like the FSA to Syrian Al Qaeda affiliate Al Nusra Front, since January.

The inter-rebel fighting is estimated to have killed 6,000 people.

On Monday, ISIL fighters spearheaded a major offensive in Iraq, seizing swathes of territory in predominantly Sunni areas and pushing towards Baghdad.

CHICAGO — Obesity surgery may keep diabetes in remission even after 15 years in some patients, a Swedish study suggests.

Long-term results were missing for more than half the patients who began the study, and remission rates dropped off considerably. But still, 35 out of 115 patients remained diabetes-free 15 years after surgery. Also, 20 years after surgery, about 25 patients remained free of diabetes complications including eye and kidney problems.

Results were similar for three types of weight-loss surgery: gastric bypass, stomach banding and an operation that involves banding and stapling.

The study of obese diabetics in Sweden began with about 340 who had surgery and 260 treated with medication and lifestyle changes. Results were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Previous research has found that weight-loss surgery is more effective than usual diabetes treatment at reversing the disease. The new results suggest the same thing, but they aren’t conclusive because long-term data was missing for so many patients.

The lead author, Dr Lars Sjostrom of Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, said his research is the longest follow-up to date but that the results need to be confirmed in more rigorous studies.

Patients who had been diagnosed with diabetes for less than one year when the study began had the best long-term results.

Scientists aren’t certain how obesity surgery “cures” diabetes. It usually results in much more weight loss than other treatment, which happened in the Swedish patients, and that may improve the body’s use of insulin. Also, gastric bypass, the most common obesity surgery in the United States, can alter hormones and other substances produced during digestion, which may reduce diabetes risk.