Features

Omega-3 fatty acids in fish and dietary supplements are associated with lower odds of heart disease even in people already at elevated risk because of excessive levels of fats or bad cholesterol in their blood, a research review suggests.

The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fish a week and considering supplements of omega-3 fatty acids when that’s not possible. Previous research has linked omega-3s to a lower risk of abnormal heartbeats, less fats in the blood, reduced risk of artery-clogging deposits known as plaque, and slightly lower blood pressure.

For the current study, researchers examined previously published research on two omega-3s: EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). They found that consumption of omega-3s in food or supplements was associated with a 16 per cent lower risk of heart disease in people with high triglycerides, or fats, in the blood, and a 14 per cent lower risk for patients with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the bad kind.

“The collective evidence from all studies supports a beneficial role of EPA and DHA on coronary heart disease, and stronger associations were observed among those who may benefit acutely from EPA and DHA, such as those with elevated triglyceride levels and those with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,” said lead study author Dominik Alexander of EpidStat Institute, with offices in Seattle, Washington, and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

To examine the connection between omega-3s and heart disease, researchers analysed data from 18 trials that randomly assigned about 93,000 people to get a certain amount of these nutrients.

Across these randomised trials, they found omega-3s associated with a 6 per cent lower risk of heart disease, but this was too small to rule out the possibility it was due to chance.

The study also reviewed results from another 17 previously published trials that observed about 732,000 people over long periods of time while they followed their usual diets. Over all of these studies, omega-3s were tied to a statistically meaningful 18 per cent reduction in the risk of heart disease.

The study was funded by the Global Organisation for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED), an advocacy group with manufacturers and sellers of omega-3 dietary supplements among its members. Several study authors have also served as consultants to manufacturers of omega-3 supplements.

Limitations of the study include the wide variation in study designs for the randomised trials, which included patients with a range of eating habits and heart disease risk factors and tested omega-3s over different time periods, the authors note in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

Some studies in the current analysis also did not track heart health or the amount of omega-3s in people’s diets at the start, making it harder to determine how much these nutrients might directly influence heart disease risk over time, the authors also point out.

Even so, the results from an analysis of data on close to 1 million patients suggest many people may benefit from boosting the amount of omega-3s they get from eating fish or taking supplements, said Dr Chip Lavie, of the Ochsner Clinical School-University of Queensland School of Medicine in Australia.

Very few people in the US or other countries who follow a typical Western meat-and-potatoes diet eat enough fish, so they might need to take dietary supplements to achieve close to 1,000 milligrammes a day of EPA and DHA, Lavie, senior author of an accompanying editorial, said by email.

“Omega-3 fats are very important for health and well being, especially for the heart,” Dr James O’Keefe, lead author of the editorial, said by email.

“Try to eat 2 or 3 servings of naturally oily fish like salmon, sardines, and trout each week,” advised O’Keefe, the director of preventive cardiology at the Mid America Heart Institute at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri. “If you can’t or won’t do this, consider taking a daily omega 3 supplement containing about 1,000 milligrammes of EPA and DHA.”

For many years now, there have been alternatives to the imperfections and the shortcomings of copper-based ADSL Internet. The better solutions, however, have so far been expensive and accessible only to corporations and large organisations. For the vast majority of home, private users and small companies, copper-based ADSL had remained the feasible, affordable way to go.

One of the alternatives that drastically boost Internet performance is the fibre optic (FO) cable, as compared to the older, more traditional copper cable. Since last summer Amman has seen a major upgrade of the Internet cabling infrastructure, and FO seems to be going everywhere. Most service providers operating in the country, like for example Orange, Zain, Vtel or Damamax, are installing FO everywhere in the capital city. In the past two months alone, countless streets have received FO cabling, where only copper was used.

When FO replaces copper what it brings about is not a minor improvement. It is not about going a bit faster, but more like trading a bicycle for a car. It is reasonable to assume that the vast majority of us would gladly do the change, given our exponentially growing need for Internet bandwidth and uptime.

When you move to FO Internet connectivity the benefit is threefold. First come download and browsing speeds of course. On average it would be four to six times faster — again, not a minor improvement. You can easily imagine how you can put this to good use.

The second obvious benefit is an upload speed that is closer to the download speed, whereas with “traditional” ADSL there is a frustrating and significant imbalance between the two values.

Last but not least FO connectivity ensures more uptime and less “hiccups”, those exasperating interruptions that we all experience now and then. In short, FO brings a more stable, a more reliable connection to the web.

With time (very little time, usually…) nothing stays the same in the realm of IT. Our steadily increasing dependence on the network, be it to exchange large audiovisual contents, or to process and store more data in the cloud, combined with the drop in FO cabling prices, it all comes together to make fast and reliable Internet a necessity, certainly not a luxury. In only a few months the average price of the FO cable has gone down from three to under one Jordanian dinar.

Moreover, the quality of the FO cables that are now manufactured, the number of channels they can carry per core, and even their intrinsic physical flexibility, all these characteristics have improved and made the technology essential.

2017 is expected to bring to citizens a noticeable improvement in Internet usage thanks to a more global FO infrastructure. There can only be positive consequences for all, whether in business or in private use.

It may be tempting to clean your ears with Q-tips or try ear candling to clear away any clogs, but it is the best to check with a professional before taking matters into your own hands, doctors advise. 

“Patients may try to blindly instrument their ears with cotton ear buds, bobby pins, or other tools,” said Dr Seth Schwartz, chair of a committee that drafted new guidelines for diagnosing and treating earwax for the American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.

“These are generally ineffective and potentially dangerous,” Schwartz, the director of the Listen For Life Centre at Virginia Mason in Seattle, said by e-mail. 

“Scratching of the ear canal skin can lead to pain and infection,” Schwartz added. “Sometimes they just push the wax in further, and there also is the potential for damage to the ear drum.”

The body makes earwax, or cerumen, to keep ears clean and trap substances like dust and dirt, preventing debris from getting further into the ear where it can cause damage. As new skin grows in the ear canal, it pushes old earwax from the inside of the ears closer to the opening where it naturally flakes off or washes away during bathing. 

Often, there is nothing wrong with having a little earwax near the opening, doctors stress in guidelines published in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery.

But when the ear’s self-cleaning process does not work well, too much earwax may accumulate and partially or fully block the ear canal. This can cause problems including pain, itching, discharge from the ear, ringing in the ear or hearing loss. 

Roughly one in ten children and one in twenty adults suffer from excessive earwax build-up, as do more than one-third of elderly people, according to the guidelines. 

Excessive cleaning can irritate the ear canal, cause infection, and even increase the chances of excessive build-up, or what is known as cerumen impaction, the guidelines note.

There is no evidence that using ear candles, a process that relies on heat to remove build-up, actually works at clearing impaction, and this can cause serious damage to the ear canal and eardrum, the guidelines also emphasise. 

Patients should see a doctor if they experience hearing loss, pain or feel fullness in their ears or are not certain whether the amount of wax is normal. 

People should also get a check-up if they have ear drainage or bleeding because these symptoms are not tied to impaction and may be an indication of other problems. 

“The mantra from previous generations of ‘don’t stick anything in your ear that is smaller than your elbow’ still applies,” said Dr Duane Taylor, chief executive officer and medical director of Le Visage ENT and Facial Plastic Surgery in Bethesda, Maryland.

 “Generally people still erroneously believe that the cotton-tipped applicator or Q-tip is the primary weapon of choice to get rid of earwax,” Taylor, who wasn’t involved in the guidelines, said by email. 

In most cases, though, wax that is naturally found near the outer part of the ear can be wiped away with a damp cloth, Taylor added. Cotton-tipped applicators can compact the wax and push it deeper into the ear, making it harder to remove. 

Certain hearing aids, or wearing earbuds instead of over-the-ear headphones, can also inadvertently push wax deeper into the ear, Taylor said. 

At home, people may be able to use wax removal drops, baby oil or a few drops of hydrogen peroxide to prevent build-up, but it’s best to consult a doctor first. 

“In most cases, primary care clinicians are the first line of evaluation for this condition and are adequately equipped to manage it,” Taylor said. “When it is noted to be more complicated or there is a risk of injury there should be a referral to an ear, nose and throat physician for removal.”

As we step into 2017, let me wish all my dear readers a very Happy New Year. I must also tell you that the security personnel in and around Jordan love my home country India. How can I affirm this with so much certainty? Well, take yesterday’s incident for example. We were stopped by a heavily armed police contingent on the highway. Though it was not very late in the evening, darkness had descended all around us.

My spouse veered the car towards the spot the officer had waved us towards, and switched off the vehicle. I rolled down my window because the passenger side faced the group and saw at least six sharp shooters equipped with heavy weaponry. They were all in uniform with masks covering half of their faces and were unsmiling. Holding the load of the hefty machinery literally, and carrying the burden of defending your country figuratively, is serious business, I thought. 

After the initial exchange of greetings in Arabic, which I had by now memorised, the senior-most sergeant asked us where we were from. “Al Hind”, I replied. In the six years that we had lived in Amman, I had learned to answer that in a perfect Jordanian accent. He wanted to know if I could speak Arabic. “La”, I emphasised, which meant that I did not. A tiny frown marred his smooth forehead when he heard my response.

He asked us one more time where we were coming from. Three of the machine gun carrying constables walked over to stand next to him, their weapons pointed in our general direction. My eyes started to glaze over with fear and my husband and I reacted at the same time. “Irbid”, he said, naming the province we had driven from, in the outskirts of Jordan. “Delhi”, I said simultaneously, naming the place we belonged to, in India. 

“New Delhi?” he quizzed, unbelievably. “New Delhi”, I repeated after him. “Aha! Mera joota hai Japani?” he questioned. For a split second I could not figure out what he was saying. His shoes are from Japan, my husband translated helpfully. “Not Japan, New Delhi is the capital of India. We are from India”, our daughter piped up from the back seat. “Al Hind”, my spouse echoed.

“Yes, of course! New Del-hee,” the sergeant stressed the last syllable.

“I know it. Shahrukh Khan, Amir Khan and Salman Khan. But the best was Amitabh Bachchan and before him Dilip Kumar, although the all-time great was Raj Kapoor. Mera Joota hai Japani,” he rattled off a small speech, naming all the legends from the Indian film industry.

I realised suddenly that I was holding my breath and exhaled loudly. 

“Can you sing that song?” he asked my husband. 

I could see the armed cops smiling through their masks. 

“La! He is not a good singer,” I answered truthfully. 

I did not want any of the guns to go off in a reaction to his singing. 

“He can quote one of Amitabh Bachchan’s famous dialogues,” I offered. 

“Don ko pakadna mushkil hi nahi, namumkin hai,” my husband recited. 

“It is not only difficult but impossible to catch Don,” I interpreted.

“Kahan se aaya, mein hoon kaun,” the sergeant sang off key. 

“Where have I come from, who am I,” I translated. 

“Mein hoon Don,” my spouse hummed, turning the car.

“Let us go before the fireworks start,” I cautioned. 

“Wallah habibi! Mein hoon Don,” the officer chorused, waving goodbye to us.

Eating large amounts of cured meats was linked to worse symptoms among asthma sufferers, a French study found.

That was true even after taking obesity into account, the authors say.

So-called cured meats have been preserved and flavoured by the addition of various combinations of salt, nitrates, nitrites, and sugar. Examples of such processed meats include bacon, ham, prosciutto, corned beef, pastrami and pepperoni.

“Cured meat intake, a typical food in industrialised societies, has been associated with many chronic diseases, including lung cancer and COPD, but its association with asthma remained unclear,” study leader Dr Zhen Li told Reuters Health in an e-mail. Li is a researcher at Inserm and Paul Brousse Hospital in Villejuif.

As reported in Thorax, the research team had data on 971 adults from five French cities who answered questions about diet, weight, and asthma symptoms between 2003 and 2007.

On average, participants ate 2.5 servings of cured meats per week. 

Just over 40 per cent of the participants said they had had asthma at some point, and around half said they had never smoked. Each participant was assigned an asthma symptom score, ranging from zero to five, based on difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and shortness of breath during the previous year. 

Follow-up surveys completed between 2011 and 2013 showed that about half of the participants had no changes in their asthma scores, over one-fourth said their symptoms had improved and about 20 per cent felt their symptoms had gotten worse.

After accounting for other factors such as smoking, physical activity, age, other dietary habits and education, researchers found that participants who ate the most cured meat (four or more servings per week) were 76 per cent more likely to see a worsening of symptoms compared to those who ate the least (less than one full serving per week). 

About 35 per cent of the participants were overweight and about 10 per cent were obese, based on their responses. Those conditions probably explained about 14 per cent of the association, the authors estimated.

“Our finding, together with other previous findings, suggests that patients with asthma might have benefits by following a multiple-interventional programme,” Li said. “That means, besides the medication, weight control as well as dietary intervention such as reducing cured meat intake might also help them to control their asthma symptoms.”

Dr Sunit Jariwala complimented the study but noted that its observational design means it cannot prove cause-and-effect.

“Cured meats are rich in nitrites which may lead to any kind of oxidative stress related lung damage and asthma,” said Jariwala, who is director of allergy and immunology research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Centre in New York City. 

Jariwala, who was not involved in the study, believes obesity is an important consideration with asthma patients.

“In this study, as well as previous studies, obesity may be linked to systemic inflammation that can worsen asthma as well as other obesity related conditions such a sleep apnoea,” he said.

Jariwala advises patients to follow a balanced diet that includes fresh, unprocessed foods and is low in salt, sugar, and saturated fats.

Picking up where the GLK-Class left off and launched as a 2016 model, the GLC-Class is a practical yet luxurious compact SUV that marks a distinct design departure with its predecessor. Larger yet lighter and with more advanced technology and upmarket appointment, the GLC-Class is offered — across the board with the exception of the AMG performance version — with powerful and flexible yet more efficient turbocharged 2-litre four-cylinder engines, including the second-to-range topping GLC300 4Matic, as driven on Jordanian roads.

Distinct difference

Part of a range-wide move to rationalise various model’s nomenclature to correspond with the brand’s core saloon car offerings, the GLC’s name is intended to relate the model’s position in Mercedes’ SUV line-up as the equivalent to the C-Class. But while some models bearing new names are evolutionary in design, the GLC-Class takes a distinctly different design approach to its direct predecessor. Whereas the GLK’s more traditional SUV design and big glasshouse were inspired by the iconic G-Class SUV, the GLC, however, adopts a more contemporary and broadly more familial design approach.

A more elegant and smoother shape than its predecessor’s more utilitarian aesthetic, the GLC is noticeably different, with a higher waistline and bonnet, slimmer glasshouse, more flowing roofline, broader stance and overall more assertive demeanour. With in-line engine and rear drive derived four-wheel drive, the GLC’s long bonnet, short front overhang and rearwards cabin position lends it a luxurious yet urgent appeal, with defined shoulders, heavily browed horizontal rear lights and huge 20-inch alloy wheels. Built using more aluminium content, high strength steel and magnesium gearbox housing, the GLC is 120mm longer but 80kg lighter than the GLK.

Mid-range muscle

Save for a faint yet distinctly four-cylinder chatter at idling engine speed, one could be forgiven for thinking the GLC300 is powered by a larger engine than its 2-litre turbocharged unit, as its alphanumeric designation would indicate according to past Mercedes nomenclature. Quick to spool up with near imperceptible turbo lag, the GLC300’s modest but brawny engine is also happy and willing right to its rev limit. However, its talents are most evident throughout a broad mid-range, where it quickly and forcefully wells up with on-boost torque, while power builds quickly to a 241BHP maximum peaking at 5,500rpm

Bountiful in mid-range and muscular when overtaking or on steep inclines, the GLC300 develops a mighty 272lb/ft torque throughout a broad, flexible and accessible 1,300-4,000rpm sweet spot. Meanwhile its versatility, performance, refinement and efficiency is aided by Mercedes’ new 9-speed automatic gearbox. A big improvement over past Mercedes gearboxes, the new 9-speed is smooth, slick and closely spaced, with escalating and succinct shift modes, including manual and Sport+, where upshifts are accompanied by a sport shove. Weighing in at 1,735kg, the GLC300 dashes through 0-100km/h in 6.5-second and onto 235km/h, yet returns 7l/100km combined fuel efficiency.

Reassuring and refined

Reassuringly stable at speed and refined, the GLC300 rides smoothly and comfortably despite its optional low profile 255/45R20 run-flat tyres, as test. Unruffled and impressively composed over most surfaces but a particular frequency of road imperfection during test drive. One felt that slightly firmer damper rates and perhaps a higher profile tyre choice, from those available, would have been to its advantage, lending it yet better pitch and rebound control, and tauter body control through corners without sacrificing comfort, as driven on a particular stretch of admittedly demanding winding, brisk and imperfectly textured switchbacks with several crests and dips.

Confident covering ground at a smart pace, the GLC300 is tidy and direct yet forgiving and refined. Turning in early and eagerly while hugging a corner’s apex, it grips hard in front and with its rear drive derived platform, can pivot weight the outside rear, and with rear tyres digging in and front tyres clawing forward, leaps robustly onto a straight. Rewarding when driven right, its chassis is set up for initial slight under-steer that if turning in too tight, fast or late, and which gives way to a controlled instinct for oversteer managed by vigilant electronic stability control and four-wheel drive re-distributing power. 

Comfortable cabin

Light, quick and refined, the GLC300’s steering is best when driven with smoothly succinct rather than exaggerated inputs, while brakes held reassuringly true through steep descents. With a more hunkered feel than its GLK predecessor, the GLC nevertheless offers good front visibility and a well-adjustable, supportive and comfortable driving position. Driver’s side over-shoulder visibility could be better, but with precise blind spot sensors, parking sensors, tight turning circle and clear rearview monitor, the GLC is easily maneuverable in tight confines. Assistance systems also include collision prevention and parking assistance, in addition to a raft of advanced safety features.

A luxurious, inviting and warm cabin ambiance is matched with quality fit, finish, textures and materials. Uncluttered and user-friendly layouts include clear instrumentation, touchpad and rotary controls for a tablet-style infotainment. More spacious than the vehicle it replaces, the GLC is comfortably spacious, front and rear, where leg and headroom are easily accommodating for larger adults. Practical and user-friendly, it features a generously sized boot and flat floor and under-floor storage space and numerous convenience features including but not limited to dual zone climate control, panoramic sunroof, power tailgate and a versatile infotainment system.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2-litre, turbocharged, in-line 4 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 83.1 x 91.9mm

Compression ratio: 9.8:1

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

Gearbox: 9-speed automatic, four-wheel drive

Ratios: 1st 5.35 2nd 3.24 3rd 2.25 4th 1.64 5th 1.21 6th 1.0 7th 0.86; 8th 0.72; 9th 0.6

Reverse/final drive ratio: 4.8/3.27

0-100km/h: 6.5 seconds

Maximum speed: 235km/h

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 241 (245) [180] @5,500rpm

Specific power: 121BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 138.9BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 272 (370) @ 1300-4000rpm

Specific torque: 185.8Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 213.2Nm/tonne

Fuel consumption, urban / extra-urban / combined: 8.7-/ 6-/ 7 litres/100km

CO2 emissions, combined: 163g/km

Fuel tank: 66 litres

Length: 4,656mm

Width: 1,890mm

Height: 1,639mm

Wheelbase: 2,873mm

Track, F/R: 1,621/1,617mm

Overhang, F/R: 831/952mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficiency: 0.33

Headroom, F/R: 1,064/1,005mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,455/1,436mm

Loading height: 723mm

Boot capacity, min/max: 550-/1,600 litres

Kerb weight: 1,735kg

Steering: Electric-assisted, rack and pinion

Turning circle: 11.8 metres

Suspension: Multi-link, anti-roll bars

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres, F/R: 255/45R20

LONDON — With the power of technology and legal clout, many experts agree that 2017 could be the tipping point in the global battle against human trafficking and modern slavery.

An estimated 45.8 million people live in some form of slavery across the world, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index by human rights group Walk Free Foundation.

Yet, pressure and awareness are now building, big business is starting to lead the way, new laws are being put in place and potentially game-changing technology is available.

We asked experts what they see as the five most important tools in the year ahead to tackle the illegal trade in humans that is worth an estimated $150 billion a year:

Technology

Technological innovation and scientific advances are more important than ever in monitoring, detecting and prosecuting cases of trafficking.

Highly specialised and complex tools are trying to accomplish more straightforward aims, whether arming garment workers with “voice and choice” or verifying where source materials, such as cotton, really originate.

US-based software group LaborVoices provides a mobile phone based service allowing factory employees to anonymously report abuse, late wages, safety conditions and child labour.

CEO Kohl Gill told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the data logged by his company from 20,000 people in over 300 factories in Bangladesh and Turkey provides a chance for workers to “fact check” potential employers.

Big companies can also use the information to use best-in-class factories and problems can be identified early, said Gill.

DNA forensic technology can already be used to tag cotton and detect substitute fibres from countries using state-sponsored slavery to produce cotton, said James A. Hayward, president, chairman and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences.

In a second use of DNA technology, Hayward said his company will soon be able to track cotton to exactly where it is picked.

Supply chain visibility

Due to government, consumer and ethical pressures, companies and supply chains will be increasingly in the spotlight in 2017, said Geraint John, senior vice president of research at SCM World, a global community of supply chain professionals.

The focus on slavery has moved from sex trafficking to eliminating abuse, dangerous conditions and child labour.

John told the Thomson Reuters Foundation it is increasingly incumbent on businesses to validate their own supply chains with more companies talking publicly about improving procurement processes and admitting being totally slave-free is challenging.

Technology again plays a part here.

Kosten Metreweli, CMO at UK software company Segura Systems, said many supply chains remain surprisingly primitive so improved visibility and transparency are key.

Segura provides a cloud-based software which aims to allow businesses to see further down the chain, then act on it.

Legislation

New laws can lead to physical change and many hope that will happen with the signing of an anti-trafficking bill in India, the country with the highest number of slaves that is home to an estimated 18 million, according to the Global Slavery Index

The country’s first comprehensive anti-trafficking law, awaiting approval in 2017, would unify existing laws and aim to treat survivors as victims needing help rather than criminals.

In December 2016, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee launched a campaign to end child slavery and publicly called for the world to recognise minors must have freedom — the first time India’s highest authority has recognised child slavery.

Education and awareness

While public, corporate and government action over slavery is picking up pace, this must go hand in hand with training and education on the ground, said John.

He said the best companies are going beyond policy to offer internal education in their own procurement systems, educating their own staff on culture and expectations.

He added that to beat trafficking, key players need to tackle specific objectives, offering training and explanation rather than punishment and other sanctions.

Mass collection of data

Matt Friedman, CEO of The Mekong Club, compared the current battle against modern slavery to the fight against HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, in terms of the changing perceptions of the issue.

“To me, the modern slavery issue is like a slowly unfolding disaster,” said Friedman, who undertook a 70-day, 27-city, trafficking-awareness trip in the United States last summer.

He sees the mass collection of data, the creation of an anti-trafficking “master plan” and much-improved basic collaboration and training as the ways to tackle modern slavery.

“We all need to step up our game, we need to solve many of these long-standing systemic challenges, we need to have more of a sense of urgency, and we need to do it now,” Friedman said.

LONDON — Cheetahs are “sprinting” to extinction due to habitat loss and other forms of human impact, according to a new study out this week which called for urgent action to save the world’s fastest land animals.

Cheetah numbers in Zimbabwe have plunged by more than 85 per cent in 16 years and fewer than 50 individuals survive in Iran, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) warned.

The report’s authors said cheetahs should be listed as “Endangered” instead of “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

The study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, estimated that just 7,100 cheetahs remain in the wild, occupying just 9 per cent of the territory they once lived in.

“The cheetah is sprinting towards the edge of extinction and could soon be lost forever unless urgent, landscape-wide conservation action is taken,” ZSL said in a statement.

There were an estimated 100,000 cheetahs at the beginning of the 20th century, according to previous estimates.

“Given the secretive nature of this elusive cat, it has been difficult to gather hard information on the species, leading to its plight being overlooked,” said Sarah Durant, the report’s lead author and project leader for the Rangewide Conservation Programme for Cheetah and African Wild Dog.

“Our findings show that the large space requirements for cheetah, coupled with the complex range of threats faced by the species in the wild, meant that it is likely to be much more vulnerable to extinction than was previously thought,” she said.

Cheetahs travel widely in search of prey with some home ranges estimated at up to 3,000 square kilometres.

The study found that 77 per cent of the animal’s remaining habitat falls outside protected areas, leaving it especially vulnerable to human interference.

The main risks are humans hunting their prey, habitat loss, illegal trafficking of cheetah parts and the exotic pet trade, according to the study.

Durant hailed recent commitments taken by the international community, including on stemming the flow of live cats from the Horn of Africa region.

“We’ve just hit the reset button in our understanding of how close cheetahs are to extinction,” said Kim Young-Overton, from the wild cat conservation organisation Panthera.

“Securing protected areas alone is not enough. We must think bigger, conserving across the mosaic of protected and unprotected landscapes that these far-reaching cats inhabit,” she said.

Almost on a daily basis we have to address various, more or less critical problems with our smartphone, laptop computer, e-mail or Internet connection in general; or simply have questions to ask about them.

The attraction and the pride of doing it without external help, the pleasure of achieving immediate results, and last but not least, saving money by not having to pay a pro techie, they give perfect sense to what we may call Information Technology Do-It-Yourself (IT-DIY). That is when it works out alright in reasonable time.

IT is a very attractive place to practise DIY. Besides, unlike drilling walls, playing with hazardous chemical components, an electric saw, or experimenting with fire or electricity, that all come with a variable dose of danger (a nevertheless thrilling part, for some of us at least), such hobby comes with virtually no risk. Except of course for accidentally wiping out data on a storage device of some kind. There is a hidden downside to IT-DIY, however; it is all the time it may take.

Sure, with a little will, logical and sound thinking, and the indispensable help of Google search or YouTube videos that teach you how do perform any trick you can think of, from recovering data from a damaged hard disk to landing on Mars, a tech-minded person can do a lot, without asking and paying for professional help.

Fixing a problem in your Windows system, finding an online application to design a 3-D object and learning it in a couple of hours, bravely undertaking to develop a friendly database application without having any previous programming experience, trying to set up a wireless music network at home between a router, three computers and four sets of powered stereo speakers, they all are tasks that are fun, challenging and certainly produce useful results.

So is exporting and converting huge contacts lists from iOS to Android environment, rendering an MP4 video in order to make it smaller without sacrificing too much quality, figuring out how to smartly filter large Excel sheets, remotely accessing the computer in the living room without moving from your chair, and so forth. Not forgetting putting a fight with the cumbersome settings of that good but otherwise overprotective antivirus programme that keeps rejecting the e-mail video attachment your friend has sent you and that you are dying to watch, or learning how to apply an advanced Photoshop layer filtering trick.

The key point here is time. Sure you could do it, but how long would it take you?

If the purpose is nothing else than fun and pride, and provided you have all the time in the world, then it’s no problem at all. Go ahead and enjoy the exercise. Learning new ways around your equipment and software and solving problems is definitely a great mind game. Physicians seriously believe that it may even contribute to “put away or delay” Alzheimer disease.

On the other hand, if the main idea is just to get a problem solved, or to obtain results so as to keep working with these amazing tools we are given to play with today, then asking for professional help make more sense.

The fact is that in most cases IT-DIY would take more than reasonable time. Especially when it comes, for instance, to learning how to develop a database from scratch or how to use advanced Photoshop techniques. In all such cases the help of a pro or at least of a friend or a relative who went through the trouble of doing it before us, is the sensible and time-efficient way to go.

Most of the above mentioned tasks and functions are the specialty of IT professionals who have spent significant time understanding, learning and practising them, just like professionals do it in any trade. Hoping or trying to replace such expertise in a few minutes is quite a challenge and will not always work.

I do not mean to sound like a whiner during the festive season, but I cannot bear people with a perfect past. It is impossible to be around them, you know, the ones who fix some point in their distant bygone era, and claim that it was the most utopian period of their lives. They depress me, these folks, who insist that there is nothing for them to look forward to, because their erstwhile idealistic existence is over. Their future is already imperfect since it can never match up to their flawless days of yore. In most instances, it is very difficult to correct them. Unless you have been a part of their childhood, and even then, what they recall, through their rose filtered glasses, is quite contrary to what you might remember, through your own fact checked ones. 

When I was 30 years old, which was long back, I knew this group that met every week for coffee at a local cafeteria. Some of them were alumni of my school and the rest were from my university. All of them were at various stages of their careers and several had ventured into parenthood. I had a part time job that I juggled, along with looking after my pre-schooler because my spouse was completely caught up in his vocation. He was more of a weekend father. Life was a whirlwind of days merging into weeks and I had no time to sit and brood. But each evening I was overcome by a great sense of gratitude when I managed to handle my challenges, to the best of my ability. 

Soon I was invited to the coffee group that I wanted to be a part of, but simply could not find the time to join. After missing three meetings I presented myself at the fourth one, a little out of breath because I had jogged to the café. There was a discussion going on about raising the membership fee, which was quite miniscule to start with. I offered to pay the annual amount in one go, but was immediately shouted down. If I was not sure about attending each meet, why should I pay for them, was the rationale. I did not mind, I tried to reason, but no one was listening to me. My eyes were glued to the wall clock because I had to pick up my daughter from kindergarten and I could not afford to be late.

Seeing me in this distracted state my old schoolmate started reminiscing about our own childhood. We did not have a care in the world, he said. We could do whatever we wanted to because we had no responsibilities, another one chipped in. Life was simple and club memberships were free for each community, my schoolmate reiterated. 

That is not how I remember it, I thought in my head. The membership fee was deducted from the paycheque of our parents and we did have a daily homework responsibility that our nuns took very seriously. The consequences of not delivering that were too scary to recount. 

“We had such a perfect past,” my school friend sighed. 

I looked pointedly at my watch. 

“Our golden age was when we were ten,” he claimed. 

“The best years of our lives are yet to come,” I consoled. 

“The best years of our life are gone,” he muttered. 

“I have to go,” I interrupted.

“Where you going?” he asked. 

“To make my future perfect,” I stressed.