Always pause at the commas — it allows you to reflect

Always pause at the commas — it allows you to reflect

Always pause at the commas — it allows you to reflect
Aerial view of a rainforest under destruction in Amazonas state, Brazil, taken on August 20, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Turtles have been around for 200 million years — a testament to how well adapted to this planet they are. But over the past century of human progress, their numbers have dwindled.

Perhaps if turtles had developed the ability to fly, to run, or dash underwater, they would not be quite as endangered as they are today.

Indeed, we humans, who have been around for just 200,000 years, have discovered ways to fly through the air, speed over land, and propel ourselves underwater. Our adaptive minds have allowed us to evolve quickly, setting us apart from other species.

As humans leapfrogged ahead, we began to compete with nature itself. We drink water that has been converted from seawater, grow crops immune to pests and diseases, and study distant planets that could some day be a new home.

The pace of human innovation and progress appears to have no limits, making us feel as though we are perfectly in control. But as we rush to read the next sentence, we occasionally forget to pause for the commas.

Indeed, in grammar, commas allow us to consider more deeply what came before, and what may come after.

The Industrial Revolution gave us steam and combustion engines that powered mass production and connected whole continents. It brought electric lights to our homes and mass communications, allowing us to cooperate at a planetary level.

I am not saying we must become more like turtles. But I believe we must pause and take a step back to consider the impact of progress.

Hassan bin Youssef Yassin

Today we have supersonic planes, rockets carrying humans into space, life-extending medicines, and every comfort our ancestors could only have dreamed of.

But for all our great achievements, could we humans be the authors of our own destruction?

The fossil fuels we have burned, our rapacious exploitation of natural resources, the waste and pollution that are byproducts of our overconsumption, and the destabilization of systems that nature has relied on for hundreds of millions of years mean we not only risk destroying the world’s biodiversity, but also ourselves.

Had we learned to pause at every comma, we could have seen this coming. But we are in such a hurry that we race through every sentence.

The turtle, with its slow pace, stopping at every comma, has withstood the test of time because it is so well adapted, living in harmony with its ecosystem and perpetuating the slow march of its species. Only humans have managed to endanger its continuity.

I am not saying we must become more like turtles. But I believe we must pause and take a step back to consider the impact of progress that we have so far overlooked.

Progress means allowing human ingenuity to advance while respecting the world that sustains us. So let us pause at the commas, take some time to process events, and then move ahead more responsibly.

Hassan bin Youssef Yassin has worked closely with Saudi petroleum ministers, headed the Saudi Information Office in Washington, and served with the Arab League observer delegation to the UN.
 

 

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view

UK writer Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker with space novel

UK writer Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker with space novel
Updated 4 min 46 sec ago
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UK writer Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker with space novel

UK writer Samantha Harvey wins 2024 Booker with space novel
  • The prize is seen as a talent spotter of names not necessarily widely known to the general public

LONDON: British writer Samantha Harvey on Tuesday won the 2024 Booker Prize, a prestigious English-language literary award, for her novel tracking six astronauts in space for 24 hours.
Harvey’s “Orbital” follows two men and four women from Japan, Russia, the United States, Britain and Italy aboard the International Space Station and touches on mourning, desire and the climate crisis.
The 49-year-old Harvey previously made the longlist for the Booker Prize in 2009 with her debut novel “The Wilderness.”
Harvey dedicated the prize to “all the people who speak for and not against the earth and work for and not against peace.”
Chair of the judges, Edmund de Waal, said “everyone and no one is the subject” of the novel, “as six astronauts in the International Space Station circle the earth observing the passages of weather across the fragility of borders and time zones.”
“With her language of lyricism and acuity Harvey makes our world strange and new for us.”
A record five women were in the running for the £50,000 ($64,500) prize which was announced at a glitzy ceremony in London.
Previous winners include Salman Rushdie and Margaret Atwood.
The prize is seen as a talent spotter of names not necessarily widely known to the general public.
The Booker is open to works of fiction by writers of any nationality, written in English and published in the UK or Ireland between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024.


Northern Gaza at grave risk of Israeli atrocities of ‘the most serious nature,’ UN warns

Northern Gaza at grave risk of Israeli atrocities of ‘the most serious nature,’ UN warns
Updated 14 min 50 sec ago
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Northern Gaza at grave risk of Israeli atrocities of ‘the most serious nature,’ UN warns

Northern Gaza at grave risk of Israeli atrocities of ‘the most serious nature,’ UN warns
  • ‘Horrific possibility’ of famine cannot be separated from unrelenting Israeli attacks on the human rights of Palestinians, Security Council hears
  • Systematic destruction of Palestinian infrastructure is directly contributing to threat of starvation, human rights official tells council members

NEW YORK CITY: Not only are Israeli authorities seeking to clear northern Gaza of Palestinians by displacing them to the south of the territory, but their actions pose a grave risk of atrocities of “the most serious nature,” the UN warned on Tuesday. 

Ilze Brands Kehris, the organization’s assistant secretary-general for human rights, urged all states to assess their arms sales or transfers “with a view to ending such support if this risks serious violations of international law.”

Speaking during a meeting of the Security Council to discuss the growing risk of famine in Gaza, she described the humanitarian and human rights situation for Palestinians across the battered enclave as “catastrophic.”

The meeting followed an alert issued at the weekend by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Famine Review Committee, which said there was “a strong likelihood that famine is imminent in areas within the northern Gaza Strip.” It called for the international community to act “in days, not weeks” to address this threat.

Figures verified by the UN Human Rights Office reveal that almost 70 percent of those killed in Gaza since the war began in October last year were children, mostly between the ages of 5 and 9 years old, or women. According to the Palestinian health ministry, the total death toll from the conflict stands at least 43,000 Palestinians, and more than 100,000 have been injured.

However, these figures are likely to be “a serious understatement,” Brands Kehris told the Security Council, because the bodies of many other victims are thought to be buried under rubble.

Nearly 1.9 million people in Gaza have been displaced, many of them repeatedly, including pregnant women, people with disabilities, the elderly and children, she said. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on shelters and residential buildings continue to kill unconscionable numbers of civilians, she added: women, men, young and old.

“Attacks on so-called ‘safe zones’ prove that nowhere in Gaza is safe,” Brands Kehris said.

The destruction of Gaza’s civilian infrastructure by the Israeli military — including facilities that enjoy protected status under international law, such as hospitals, schools and vital services such as including power supplies, water and sewage — is directly contributing to the risk of famine, she added.

In addition, Israeli forces have killed hundreds of medical personnel, civilian police officers, journalists and humanitarian aid workers, including more than 220 UN staff, she said, and thousands of Palestinians have been taken from Gaza to Israel, usually shackled and blindfolded, where they are held incommunicado.

“Meanwhile, there is constant and continued interference with the entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance, which has fallen to some of the lowest levels in a year,” Brands Kehris added.

“The cumulative impact of more than a year of destruction in Gaza has taken an enormous toll. Basic services for Palestinians in Gaza, the fabric of society, have been decimated. Conditions of life, particularly in northern Gaza, are increasingly not fit for survival.

“This horrific possibility cannot be separated from the unrelenting attacks on the human rights of civilians there.”

Over the past five weeks, she said, Israeli strikes have resulted in massive civilian fatalities in northern Gaza, particularly among women, children, the elderly, the sick and people with disabilities, many of whom are reportedly “trapped by Israeli military restrictions and attacks on escape routes.”

She added: “The pattern and the frequency of these reported attacks suggest the systematic targeting of locations known, or which should have been known, as sheltering significant numbers of civilians, coupled with the continued use of weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas.

“The Israeli military has also conducted repeated attacks on the three major hospitals in the area and on other vital infrastructure, while unlawfully restricting the entry and distribution of humanitarian assistance to northern Gaza.”

Brands Kehris echoed a call by the high commissioner for human rights for an end to the war, the release of Israeli hostages, and the urgent delivery and distribution of humanitarian aid to Gaza “by all routes.”

There must also be “due reckoning” over allegations of serious violations of international law, she said, overseen by “credible and impartial judicial authorities.”

She added: “In line with the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion and the General Assembly resolution, Israel must end its continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as rapidly as possible, allowing the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination.”


Canadian women’s coach, two aides out after drone scandal

Canadian women’s coach, two aides out after drone scandal
Updated 28 min 22 sec ago
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Canadian women’s coach, two aides out after drone scandal

Canadian women’s coach, two aides out after drone scandal

OTTAWA: Canadian women’s national team football coach Bev Priestman and two assistants suspended by FIFA over a drone scandal at the Paris Olympics will not be returning, Canada Soccer announced Tuesday.
A report released Tuesday by Canada Soccer detailed findings of an investigation into the using of drones to illegally film New Zealand practices at the Paris Olympics.
The report found Priestman and assistant coach Jasmine Mander “directed, approved and condoned the actions taken by” assistant coach Joey Lombardi to fly a drone over closed New Zealand practices ahead of Canada’s first match, a 2-1 victory over New Zealand.
The three Canadian coaches were sent home and banned for a year by FIFA, and a Canada Soccer statement Tuesday said the trio had effectively been fired.
“The three individuals currently suspended by FIFA will not be returning,” Canada Soccer said. “The search for a new head coach for the women’s national team will commence shortly.”
Drone footage was not viewed by players on the Canadian women’s squad, according to the report on the independent external investigation conducted by Sonia Regenbogen, a Toronto attorney.
The probe also found no evidence any surveillance was undertaken at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, where the Canadian women captured a gold medal.
Potential violations of Canada Soccer’s ethics and conduct code by former Canadian men’s head coach John Herdman were identified and are being examined to see if a greater investigation is warranted.
The report found no substantiation of alleged drone use by the men’s team to film a rival’s practice at Copa America.
Canada Soccer chief executive officer Kevin Blue and president Peter Augruso were unaware of drone surveillance and did not condone such actions, according to the report.
The report said some staff and assistant coaches were uncomfortable with spying on opponents but did not feel they could challenge a head coach.
Canada Soccer’s board of directors is contractually mandating reporting unethical behavior and ethics training for coaches and staff members and creating an independent audit and compliance committee as a result of the report.
“The findings of the independent investigator reveal that the drone incident in Paris was a symptom of a past pattern of an unacceptable culture and insufficient oversight within the national teams,” Blue said.
“This is no longer part of our operations. In fact, the investigation findings strengthen our resolve to continue implementing changes that are needed to improve Canada Soccer, in all respects, and to do so with urgency.
“We are working to change Canada Soccer into a federation that Canadians trust and are proud of, and one that is not defined by unfortunate actions of the past.”
In a joint statement, Blue and Augruso said they are taking disciplinary steps that will be private but reinforce expected conduct with consideration for “specific facts and power dynamics of each situation” — calling it a time of reflection and a turning point.


Barcelona blitz St. Poelten in Women’s Champions League

Barcelona blitz St. Poelten in Women’s Champions League
Updated 32 min 45 sec ago
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Barcelona blitz St. Poelten in Women’s Champions League

Barcelona blitz St. Poelten in Women’s Champions League

PARIS: A five-goal blitz in the space of 12 minutes sent Barcelona on their way to a 7-0 romp over St. Poelten in the Women’s Champions League on Tuesday, while Manchester City stayed top of Group D with a win.
Arsenal beat Juventus 4-0 in Italy but remain second in Group C after Bayern Munich extended their 100 percent record with a 3-0 victory over Valerenga.
For Barcelona, Ewa Pajor, Francisca Nazareth, Aitana Bonmati, Keira Walsh and Claudia Pina all scored between the 32nd and 45th minutes, before Pina and Caroline Graham Hansen added goals in the second half.
Despite scoring 16 goals and conceding none in their last two European outings, holders Barca sit second in Group D after they lost their opening fixture at Manchester City.
“Objective met — yes, absolutely,” Barca coach Pere Romeu said after his side’s second emphatic victory in three games.
“Even when we couldn’t score in the first half an hour, we were getting in behind them. And I knew once we got the first goal, more would follow.”
Austria’s St. Poelten stay bottom of the group with three losses from three.
The floodgates opened at the Johan Cruyff Stadium shortly after the half-hour when Pajor slid onto full-back Ona Batlle’s cross at the near post and directed the ball into the far corner.
Stand-in captain Marta Torrejon nearly doubled the score soon after she rose highest from a set-piece, but her looping header clipped the top of the crossbar.
Fresh from picking up her second Ballon d’Or last month, Aitana Bonmati nearly caught Carina Schlueter out with a chip but the goalkeeper just managed to claw out the ball.
Barca were all over the Austrians. When Bonmati got in behind the defense on the right, her cross was parried to Nazareth who made no mistake on 38 minutes.
Bonmati opened her account in the Champions League this season two minutes later, before Walsh fizzed home a side-footed strike from outside the box in the 42nd minute.
On the stroke of half-time, Pina flitted in at the back post to guide home an outside-of-the-foot volley as Barca ran riot.
The Spanish forward then completed her brace from 12 yards seven minutes after the interval following a foul on the rampaging Batlle.
Substitute Graham added a seventh in the 87th minute.
Man City stayed three points ahead of Barca after second-half goals by Laura Brown and Aoba Fujino overcame Sweden’s Hammarby 2-0.
Goals by Frida Maanum, Stina Blackstenius, Mariona Caldentey and Caitlin Foord handed Arsenal a 4-0 win in Piedmont against Juventus.
The Gunners are second in Group C on six points while Juve sit third with one win and two losses.
A superb team passing move unlocked the Italians’ defense with Maanum deftly applying the finish on 38 minutes.
Blackstenius, Caldentey and Foord stuck inside the final quarter of an hour to make the game safe for Renee Slegers’ side.
“We are happy with the win, but in a few days we will face Juventus again and we will have to start from scratch. We have to think about that game and not look at the table, because it is still early and there are many difficult challenges ahead of us,” Arsenal interim manager Slegers said.
Group C leaders Bayern Munich increased their tally to nine points with a 3-0 win at home to Norway’s Valerenga.
Pernille Harder put the German champions into the lead on 10 minutes, before Giulia Gwinn added a second from the spot seven minutes later.
Sarah Zadrazil powered home a third two minutes into stoppage time.
On Wednesday, eight-time Champions League winners Lyon visit Roma and Galatasaray host two-time victors Wolfsburg in Group A.
In Group B, Real Madrid play Dutch side Twente and Chelsea travel to Scotland to take on Celtic.


Sinner beats Fritz again in rematch of US Open final. Medvedev back in contention at ATP Finals

Sinner beats Fritz again in rematch of US Open final. Medvedev back in contention at ATP Finals
Updated 13 November 2024
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Sinner beats Fritz again in rematch of US Open final. Medvedev back in contention at ATP Finals

Sinner beats Fritz again in rematch of US Open final. Medvedev back in contention at ATP Finals
  • Sinner, who beat Alex de Minaur in his opening match at the season-ending event for the top eight players, improved to 23-1 in his last five tournaments

TURIN, Italy: Top-ranked Jannik Sinner made it two wins in two matches before his home fans at the ATP Finals, beating Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Tuesday in a rematch of the US Open final that the Italian also won in straight sets.
As the crowd chanted “Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner,” the home favorite gave them just what they came for by turning up his intensity when it mattered most.
Sinner survived a marathon service game midway through the first set then broke his American opponent with a huge forehand up the line on his first set point.
When Sinner produced a backhand passing shot up the line while on the run midway through the second set, he held his finger up to his ear to encourage the crowd to cheer louder.
Sinner, who beat Alex de Minaur in his opening match at the season-ending event for the top eight players, improved to 23-1 in his last five tournaments.
Earlier, Daniil Medvedev moved back into contention with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over De Minaur following a temper tantrum in his previous match.
Medvedev didn’t face a single break point and was generally much sharper than in his straight-set loss to Fritz on Sunday — during which he smashed his racket and lost his cool twice.
Sinner leads the group while Fritz and Medvedev are next with one win each.
De Minaur, who is making his debut at finals, lost both of his opening matches.
The top two finishers from each round-robin group advance to the semifinals.
On Thursday, Medvedev faces Sinner and De Minaur plays Fritz in the final matches of the group.
In the other group on Monday, Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud beat Andrey Rublev and Carlos Alcaraz, respectively.
Sinner is playing at home for the first time since it was announced before his US Open title that he tested positive in two separate drug tests this year.
A decision to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September. A final ruling in the case is expected early next year.
Medvedev had to ‘block the noise’ after temper tantrum
When his match was over, Medvedev closed his eyes and held his fingers to his ears. Then he wrote on a camera lens, “Block the noise.”
“I went into this match also blocking the noise even from myself,” Medvedev said. “No like tantrums and stuff. Just block the noise. And I really didn’t care what was happening on the court. I just tried to play and it was a good feeling.”
Medvedev won the finals in 2020 — the last edition held in London.
“The more popular you become, the more fans you get, the more haters you get, the more attention you get. And sometimes even the good noise can make you off balance,” Medvedev said.
“You know, you win everything and everyone thinks you’re a god. ... Then you lose two matches and everyone is like, ‘Finished, your career is finished.’ So sometimes it’s good just (to) block it,” Medvedev added.