Residents of Beirut see parallels with Israel’s tactics 42 years ago and today’s campaign on the Palestinian enclave. By Justin Salhani Published On 2 Jan 2024 2 Jan 2024 West Beirut, Lebanon – As poets and writers flit in and out of Sleiman Bakhti’s bookshop and publishing house in Beirut’s Hamra neighbourhood, he greets each one as an old friend, often handing them the latest book release. He has been a “Hamrawi” for decades – living through Hamra’s peaks and troughs, including the dark days of the civil war, which, despite their harshness, brought people together. “There was resilience and solidarity and hope for freedom against the enemy that wanted to destroy Beirut,” Bakhti, now in his 60s, tells Al Jazeera in his shop. That atmosphere of “light and hope”, Bakhti says, stands in stark contrast to the ongoing slaughter in Gaza today, where each day new horrors are relayed to the world by the few remaining journalists on the ground. Hamra’s heyday Long seen as a Middle East cultural and intellectual hub, Hamra had everything from movie theatres to publishers, to cafes full of political dissidents or exiles from around the region in the years leading up to the Lebanese Civil War. Among the exiles were many Palestinians, including Yasser Arafat, leader of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, and famous Palestinian writer and revolutionary Ghassan Kanafani. They had come to Lebanon along with the rest of the Palestinian political leadership after being expelled from Jordan after its 1970 civil war. After the 1967 war in which Israel occupied more of Palestine, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were violently displaced from their homes in a second wave of expulsions after the Nakba of 1948. Many ended up in neighbouring countries, including Jordan, from where resistance fighters launched attacks on Israel, drawing retaliations that eventually led to Jordan expelling them. Arafat and the Palestinian Armed Struggle Command had by then already signed the Cairo Accord with Lebanon, essentially approving the presence of Palestinian fighters and granting Palestinian control over Lebanon’s 16 Palestinian refugee camps. Israel used the presence of Palestinian resistance as justification for invading southern Lebanon and besieging West Beirut in 1982. The siege and aggression by Israel and their domestic allies the Lebanese Forces live on for West Beirutis who find it hard to forget what then-US President Ronald Reagan reportedly called a “holocaust” in a phone call with then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Parallels Many West Beirutis see parallels between the violence of 42 years ago and what is widely acknowledged as an ongoing genocide in Gaza. PLO chairman Yasser Arafat, left, with Lebanese leftist leader Walid Jumblatt, centre, join hands to show a press conference that they would stick together, in Beirut, August 30, 1982 [Langevin/AP Photo] “The only difference now is how many people are dying,” Ziad Kaj, a novelist and former member of the city’s Civil Defense Unit, said. More than 21,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7, about half of them children. In the siege of West Beirut, some 5,500 people in Beirut and surrounding suburbs are estimated to have died, with staff at one hospital saying up to 80 percent of casualties were civilians. “I’m not surprised [by the Israeli tactics],” Kaj said. In 1982, the Israelis and the Lebanese Forces set up checkpoints around West Beirut and cut off electricity. Communication with the outside was rare as phone lines were down. Israeli officials called on civilians to leave West Beirut and charged Arafat and the PLO with “hiding behind a civilian screen”. Medical supplies, food and other necessities were severely restricted and scarce, despite occasional attempts to smuggle essentials in. “West Beirut was surrounded,” Kaj said. “There was no bread, water, or gas, and near-daily bombardment came from land, air and sea.” “In the morning we would look for bread and often we wouldn’t find it,” Abou Tareq, a resident of Hamra in his 70s, told Al Jazeera. “Vegetables and meat weren’t available at all.” An elderly Palestinian refugee wanders through West Beirut on August 2, 1982, amid extensive destruction caused by 14 hours of land, sea and artillery bombardment by Israeli forces the day before [Dear/AP Photo] History is being repeated today in Gaza, where Israeli officials frequently accuse Hamas of using “human shields” and 40 percent of the po[CENSORED]tion is at risk of famine. In Beirut, the water shortage meant residents had to resort to sweet carbonated drinks or unclean well water that caused stomach ailments. In Gaza too, people have been forced to drink non-potable salt water. And much like in Gaza, there were so many casualties in Beirut that doctors did not always have time to administer anaesthesia. Typhoid and cholera spread like wildfire among Beirut’s children after the lack of garbage collection led to an increase in rat bites. Stress was pervasive, with accounts saying the bombing caused “extreme psychosomatic effects”. People in Gaza have seen an increase in meningitis, chickenpox, jaundice and upper respiratory tract infections as their healthcare system has collapsed. Shouting at a Beirut sky “Sometimes the bombing went on for 24 hours straight,” Bakhti said of 1982. The famous Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish lived in the Dabbouch building back then, Bakhti told Al Jazeera, pointing down the street. “One day, he came out onto his balcony and started shouting at the Israeli warplanes.” US academic Cheryl A Rubenberg described, in Palestine Studies, bombing that started at 4:30am and carried on into the evening. After a week of this, she wrote in 1982, she was suffering “anorexia, nausea, diarrhoea, insomnia, the inability to read or write a coherent paragraph, persistent uterine bleeding and a constant feeling of nervousness and tension”. Destroyed buildings in the Gaza Strip, as seen from southern Israel, December 29, 2023 [Ariel Schalit/AP Photo] Israel’s bombing in Gaza has been non-stop for nearly three months, with only a week-long humanitarian pause in late November. Many residents of West Beirut fled the city to houses in the mountains or East Beirut, though some stayed behind to work or to try to keep squatters away from their property. Bakhti stayed in West Beirut to keep an eye on his relatives’ homes. “I had many keys and I would go check on their houses,” he said. “I went to check on my parents’ house and there was white phosphorous residue on the walls.” Beirut’s hospitals struggled to deal with burn victims after Israel used phosphorus on West Beirut, where 500,000 people lived, including many who were internally displaced from south Lebanon. International human rights organisations have documented Israel’s unlawful use of US-supplied white phosphorus in Gaza and south Lebanon since October 7. “We lived the [1982] siege but this [Gaza] is genocide,” Bakhti said. “This is worse than death.” https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2024/1/2/survivors-of-israels-siege-of-beirut-see-history-repeating-itself-in-gaza

With a tent and little else our writer set off along the GR20, known as Europe’s toughest trek. It was an experience that sharpened the senses and offered rich rewards Corsica’s GR20, one of Europe’s most challenging and scenic trekking routes. Photograph: robertharding/Alamy How best to rejuvenate? Many opt for doing less: loafing, lounging, luxuriating. The problem with this is that modern life is lived mostly in the mind. Even if you don’t have a job that requires control of an inbox, the exhausting PR project of modern social interaction is inescapable. If you simply stop working, the same processes still whir on, even if in the background. By contrast, actively doing something entirely different, something requiring energy and devotion, draws voltage away from tired wires, lets them cool. That’s why I chose to do the GR20, the path that travels the length of Corsica. People call it the hardest trek in Europe, and that’s what I wanted: to descend from brain into body and restore myself through physical effort. On the map, the challenge didn’t seem too daunting. I simply needed to take a bag containing a tent and little else to Calenzana in the north of the island, walk 15km or so every day, and end up in Conca in the south roughly 12 days later. I saw the orange beaks of Corsican choughs in the clouds, skies daubed in amber and pink, valleys that once hid bandits But I quickly realised the GR20’s reputation was well-deserved. The centre of Corsica has little in the way of civilisation: the harsh, high rock forbids it. Between the start and finish I came through one village with one restaurant (closed on Sundays), saw two card readers, and no ATMs. For food and shelter, I relied entirely on the refuges, all basic in every sense, and ranging from charming to openly hostile. (One even proudly hung an IRA flag as part of an anti-colonialist display. I think it was mere coincidence that I got food poisoning there.) The September weather was similarly feral, with bitter mornings and nights bookending hot days, high winds and the odd hailstorm. Then there were the climbs: the GR20 has 12,000 metres of ascent. The mountains in the north are savage igneous explosions that thrust into the sky. Greenery is scant, just spiky maquis, and the odd solemn tree. Each day I looked at the range in front of me, doubting whether it was passable. There seemed no way up the face, across the boulders, along the ravine. But the little painted flashes, the red and white balisages, showed the way. Someone had been here before and, with faith and fortitude, I could follow them. The GR20, pictured near Lac de Nino, demands maximum focus from its hikers. Photograph: Jon Ingall/Alamy In such terrain, on paths found rather than laid, every move demands focus. Zigzag scrambles up jagged pink and grey cliffs were a daily challenge of basic bodily physics, of balance, grip and leverage. Even the flatter bits, covered in loose rock that gets slippery in rain, needed care. Nearing the end of one day, when my mind travelled to dinner, I slipped and bloodied my knee. Many end with worse than the scar I took home. The imperative of presence sharpens the senses, and enriches rewards. I stood at the top of passes and saw – really saw – everything: the orange beaks of Corsican choughs chattering in the clouds; skies daubed in amber and pink; secret valleys that once hid communists and bandits from the Genovese, the Papists, the French. When you are in that state, time acts strangely. As every second is truly felt, the days stretch out. When finally I staggered into Conca and ordered a cold beer, it seemed I had been up in those mountains, away from normal life, for months. And when I returned taut, tanned and smiling, people looked at me as if I really had. https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2024/jan/02/my-mountain-adventure-hiking-corsicas-spectacular-g20

Orcas gained attention in 2023 for hunting great white sharks and “attacking” boats off Europe — behavior that has puzzled scientists. Dec. 29, 2023, 2:50 PM +03 By Denise Chow It’s easy to be misunderstood with the word “killer” in your name. Still, this year seemed to be a wild one for killer whales. From “attacking” and sinking several boats off southwestern Europe to hunting great white sharks around South Africa and Australia, the black-and-white behemoths appeared to live up to their moniker in 2023. Their surprising behavior has repeatedly thrust one of the ocean's top predators into the spotlight since the spring, giving rise to internet memes and fueling debate about whether the whales were just playing around or plotting their revenge. Yet for scientists, the recent orca antics have been more fascinating than fearsome, and some say the highly intelligent marine animals have shown us how much there still is to learn about them. Perhaps the biggest orca news of the year was the string of puzzling incidents off the Iberian Peninsula, in which killer whales appeared to be ramming boats. In May, three orcas struck the rudder and a side of a sailing yacht in the region, causing it to sink. The “attack” came amid an observed increase in encounters between orcas and boats since 2020. Monika Wieland Shields, the director of the Orca Behavior Institute, a nonprofit research organization in Washington, said several hundred incidents have been reported in that time. At least four vessels sank as a result of the damage in the past two years, she said. No human injuries or deaths were reported — and in most cases, the whales didn’t sink the boats. But the incidents gained such notoriety that they inspired memes heralding an “orca uprising” or the start of the “orca wars.” Many social media users sided with “team orca,” saying the whales were finally fighting back against humans. But Shields said that along with the lighthearted fun, the sinkings stoked some real fears. “We’ve had so many people come out here to where I am in Washington state this year, and they’re asking: ‘Is it safe to view whales here? How big is the boat we’re going on? Is there a chance the whales are going to attack this boat?’” she said. “I do worry that people aren’t going to leave with a respect and fascination for the whales but rather a fear of the whales that’s maybe not warranted.” Among experts, the incidents off the Iberian Peninsula were baffling, and they sparked debates about the whales' intentions. Many scientists think the orcas weren't attacking at all. “They’re not afraid of boats, and there’s nothing for them to eat there,” said Robert Pitman, a marine ecologist at Oregon State University’s Marine Mammal Institute. “They’re intelligent, social animals, and they live in what I think is probably an under-stimulating environment for their mental capacity.” As such, he said, the whales sometimes stumble on something that they think is interesting and repeat that behavior for a while. Shields said that in video from some of the incidents, the orcas didn’t seem to deliberately target the boats' rudders or hulls. Rather, she thought the animals were most likely acting out of curiosity and playfulness. Josh McInnes, a behavioral ecologist at the University of British Columbia, agreed and noted that orcas are known to engage in social learning by spreading or picking up behaviors among their pods. That could explain the string of boat encounters, he said. McInnes likened the behavior to roughhousing. “Killer whales are very physical,” he said, “and because they’re 25 feet long and weigh up to 8,000 pounds, when they are physical with an object, it can be a little bit more forceful.” Given their size, the whales would more likely inflict far more damage to vessels and yachts if they were carrying out coordinated assaults, Shields said. What’s more, the idea that the whales are rising up and fighting back isn’t consistent with what scientists know about orcas. “Killer whales just want to have fun,” Pitman said. “Revenge is not a useful thing in nature. It’s not adaptive at all — unless you’re a human, I guess.” But it wasn’t just orcas’ encounters with boats that made headlines this year. The whales also got attention for their ruthless hunting techniques. In October, the carcass of a great white shark with its liver ripped out washed ashore near Portland, Australia. Researchers determined that killer whales were to blame. Orcas don’t typically prey on sharks, McInnes said, but they are capable of it, and they have been observed doing it before in waters off Australia, Africa and even the Pacific Northwest. And why were the sharks missing specific organs? It was purely practical, experts said. “Sharks in general are not very nutritious for killer whales, because they’re made of cartilage,” McInnes said. “But the liver is full of fat and lipids, so it’s a very nutritious part of the body to eat.” Orcas have been known to target the liver when preying on sharks in the past. Since 2017, scientists have followed a hunting spree by two killer whales named Port and Starboard, which have killed at least eight great white sharks off South Africa and left their liver-less bodies to wash up on beaches. In a video captured by a whale watching expedition off San Diego, a killer whale teaches its baby how to hunt by headbutting a dolphin. Erica Sackrison / Gone Whale Watching But orca behaviors documented in disparate spots around the world aren’t generally connected. McInnes said different po[CENSORED]tions of killer whales are genetically distinct and typically don’t socialize or interact. Studying all observed incidents can, however, provide scientists with broader insights into what orcas are capable of and how they live. Shields said she has “mixed feelings” about the attention orcas attracted in 2023. If anything, she said, she hopes the headlines inspire people to engage more in conservation efforts. “I really hope that what people take away from these stories is a kind of fascination and appreciation for orcas,” Shields said. “They’re found in every ocean, and they’re all over the planet. There’s probably a po[CENSORED]tion of orcas in the nearest salt water from where you live. So there’s a lot to be learned.” https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/killer-whales-dramatic-behavior-2023-rcna128353

The Israeli military says four Palestinians were killed in Azzun, while a fifth was shot dead in Qalqilya. 2 Jan 2024 At least five Palestinians have been killed during overnight raids in the occupied West Bank, the Israeli military has said. Four Palestinians were killed in Azzun, while the fifth was shot dead in Qalqilya after allegedly opening fire during a raid, the military said on Tuesday. Casualties and arrests have been rife in the West Bank amid increased activity by Israel amid its war in Gaza. Detailing the latest incidents, the Israeli army posted a photo of three Carlo sub-machine guns they claimed the four men were carrying. The Palestine Ministry of Health also confirmed the deaths in Azzun on their Telegram channel, adding that the bodies of the deceased were taken away by Israeli forces. There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials on the person killed in Qalqilya. Since the Hamas offensive on October 7, Israeli forces have intensified lethal operations throughout the occupied West Bank, resulting in more than 320 Palestinian deaths from military actions and settler attacks. Close to 5,000 people have been arrested in the territory since the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza began. ‘Violent confrontations’ Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith, reporting from Ramallah, said there were at least a dozen raids in the West Bank overnight. Azzun was the most serious, he added. “We know there have been violent confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli security forces there. An IED was thrown at a military Jeep,” he said. The bodies of the four people killed were taken away by Israeli forces, Smith said, noting that such action is “not unusual”. “Since October 7, 46 bodies have been withheld by the Israelis and they got 194 in total since 2016,” he added. Raids also took place in the city of Jenin, Smith reported. “Those raids are happening practically every night in Jenin, a centre of Palestinian resistance.” The United Nations in a report last week urged Israel to cease “unlawful killings” and settler violence in the occupied West Bank. The UN Human Rights Office highlighted a concerning escalation in air raids and military incursions into densely po[CENSORED]ted refugee camps last week, leading to casualties and extensive damage to civilian infrastructure in the occupied territory. SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/2/five-palestinians-killed-in-israeli-raids-in-occupied-west-bank

Music title: Taylor Swift - Blank Space Signer: Taylor Swift Release date: 2014 , Nov , 10 Official YouTube link:

Nick movie: Hi Nanna Time: Netflix India Netflix / Amazon / HBO: Netflix Duration of the movie: 2 Mins - 54 sec. Trailer:

CONTRA You do not meet the requirements. You have 40Mins active in the server ( you should have more than +30H ). And For the moment we don’t need anymore new admins. Regards: 7aMoDi

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The 1990 Lexus LS400 was a broadside shot aimed at the European luxury automakers, and it hit home. Smooth V-8 power, a comfortable interior, restrained styling, and impeccable reliability made it a winner. The original LS400 also successfully launched the Lexus brand, making it one of the most significant automobiles of the 1990s. Four decades ago, Toyota's chairman Eji Toyoda directed the full might of his family company towards the creation of a new flagship. The numbers beggar belief: 1400 engineers, 2300 technicians, nearly two million miles of testing, and a billion dollars spent. Six years later, in January of 1989, the LS400 debuted at the Detroit auto show, launching Lexus and changing the luxury car game forever. This LS400 up for auction on Bring a Trailer—which, like Car and Driver is part of Hearst Autos—is a first-year example with just 66,000 miles on the odometer. That's basically nothing in LS400 terms. The LS400's 4.0-liter V-8, with an aluminum block and heads, has long proved itself to be durable and smooth in operation. And the early V-8s are non-interference engines, so even if a timing belt does break, it shouldn't cause major damage. The two-tone silver paintwork here really outlines a design that has aged in a timeless fashion. Modern Lexus products are a lot more shouty, all sharp angles and big grilles. The LS400 is the epitome of Roosevelt's “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” and that quiet assurance extends to its very low cabin noise at speed. Rather famously, Toyota once stacked a tower of champagne glasses on the hood of an LS400 as the wheels spun at 145 mph on a rolling road. The message was simple: Our new flagship is the most polished product we are capable of making. Lexus was putting the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7-Series on notice. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a46244885/1990-lexus-ls400-bring-a-trailer-auction/

Mikel Arteta cuts a disconsolate figure at Craven Cottage. Photograph: Mark Greenwood/IPS/Shutterstock Arsenal ‘A painful day’: Arteta says defeat at Fulham is low point of Arsenal’s season Gunners slip to meek 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage ‘What happened today, it cannot happen again’ Ben Bloom at Craven Cottage Sun 31 Dec 2023 18.56 GMT Mikel Arteta bemoaned Arsenal’s meek New Year’s Eve 2-1 defeat at Fulham as the club’s worst performance of the season, warning that they will come nowhere near challenging for the title if they repeat it. From their position at the top of the table a few weeks before Christmas, Arsenal have now dropped 11 points in their past five games, leaving them in fourth place at the turn of the year. Fulham track back against Arsenal's Bukayo Saka Misfiring Arsenal are a team without a plan B when Bukayo Saka is foiled Read more Goals from Raúl Jiménez and Bobby De Cordova-Reid enabled Fulham to win a game from behind for the first time in more than a year after Bukayo Saka’s opener. It was no less than the hosts deserved from a dominant performance. “It’s a painful and sad day,” said Arteta. “What happened today, it cannot happen again. If we do that again we’re never going to have the chance to do what we want to do. “Today could have been a beautiful day to end the year top of the league. We have to look at ourselves in the mirror because today’s performance is the worst we’ve had this season, that’s for sure.” The manner of the defeat was startling. When Arsenal lost 2-0 at home to West Ham on Thursday they had 77 touches in the opposition box and took 30 shots. At Craven Cottage, they were second best in all facets. “Against West Ham we lost a game that we fully deserved to win,” Arteta said. “Today was a very different story. We simply weren’t good enough. We didn’t have enough rhythm, enough purpose, enough threat. “Defensively we were second best. It was easy for them to win the first and second ball, and have the opportunity to run. We were never at the levels required. We didn’t deserve to win the game, that’s very clear and simple.” After his side halted a run of three straight league defeats without scoring, Marco Silva described the victory as one of Fulham’s best this season. “The last few months, we have been deserving of this kind of result against a top side because we have been so close,” he said. “It’s the best way to finish the year. For us it was really important to finish on a high. The best way is to play against title contenders and do it at Craven Cottage, which is the perfect afternoon for us. We were the best team on the pitch and we deserved the three points.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/dec/31/a-painful-day-arteta-says-defeat-at-fulham-is-low-point-of-arsenals-season

Yang Guang and Tian Tian have been wowing crowds in the UK for the past 12 years, but now it's time for the Giant Pandas to return home to China, as ITV News Scotland Reporter Louise Scott explains Visitors have two weeks to see the UK's only giant pandas at Edinburgh Zoo before they are returned to China. Access to giant pandas Yang Guang and Tian Tian will be restricted from November 30 by the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the pair’s enclosure closed off as zoo officials prepare to ship them back to China in early December. Giant panda Tian Tian will be heading back to China in two weeks. Credit: RZSS Yang Guang and Tian Tian arrived in Scotland in December 2011 as part of a 10-year agreement between RZSS and the China Wildlife Conservation Association, which was later extended by two years. Giant pandas generally live between 15 and 20 years. Despite efforts to breed the two pandas, female Tian Tian, whose name means Sweetie, has not produced a cub during her time with Yang Guang (Sunshine) in Edinburgh. Tian Tian and Yang Guang are the only two giant pandas in the UK, and come December they will be headed back to China. Credit: RZSS David Field, RZSS Chief Executive, said, “With more than a million species at risk of extinction and our natural world in crisis, Yang Guang and Tian Tian have had an incredible impact by inspiring millions of people to care about nature. “That added interest in the pandas’ departure this year has allowed us to connect many more people with the conservation causes that RZSS is actively involved with, and with nature more generally. “Through scientific research by our expert veterinary and keeper teams, working alongside the University of Edinburgh, we have made a significant contribution to our understanding around giant panda fertility, husbandry, and veterinary care – which has been of real benefit to efforts to protect this amazing species in China. “It is encouraging that in recent years the outlook for giant pandas in the wild has improved, which gives real hope for the future.” Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know... https://www.itv.com/news/2023-11-17/last-chance-to-see-uks-only-giant-pandas-before-they-return-to-china

“Too often we focus on the to-do, not the ta-dah!”: What has Rhik got on his list this year? Photograph: Pål Hansen/The Observer The Observer New year Resolution revolution: how to make new year promises you’ll stick to It’s self-improvement season and the air is thick with vows to do better next year. Most will be abandoned before January’s over. But is there a way to make better, stronger intentions that might actually stick? Rhik Samadder Rhik Samadder @whatsamadder Sun 31 Dec 2023 10.00 GMT Afew weeks ago, I was asked at a party what my new year resolutions were. I found the very idea laughable. I’ve never made any – because I’m perfect, and delusional. I also didn’t think anyone did. I straw polled my friends, who were equally dismissive. “Nobody chooses to do anything,” pronounced Charlie, “they just happen.” Mimi, an artist, does make them – but only at solstice. “Ghastly to have everyone doing the same things at the same time.” James’s only resolution was “the Mountain Goats one.” He’s referring to the song This Year by the band of that name, which pledges: “I am going to make it through this year if it kills me.” This left me thinking a few things. First, I have very intense friends. Second, what are resolutions? Are they now a legacy pastime, like Auld Lang Syne? Something we joke about, rather than actually do? Resolutions fail, we know that. A YouGov survey at the end of 2022 found that just 28% of people managed to stick to all of their resolutions last year. But people do self- evidently still make them, and 53% managed to carry out at least some of them. Perhaps what we don’t take as seriously is the classic formulation: a bullet point list, written on 1 January. “There’s definitely a more consistent conversation, rather than people waking up once a year and realising improvement is needed,” says Gretchen Rubin, host of the wildly po[CENSORED]r Happier podcast. Rubin’s bestselling books are a font of productivity tips, habit-formation methods and motivational insights. It makes sense that for life-hack devotees, self-improvement is a rolling programme, and they employ more sophisticated strategies. My most put-together friend, Victoria, checks in on herself via a dedicated journal, broken into four categories: personal, career, financial and wellness. (I once saw her making a spreadsheet of her favourite nuts.) I’ve heard of others who focus on decluttering, consolidation and self-expansion. Rubin sets herself a word of the year, a personal challenge and, finally, writes a varied list of things she wants to do. “For people who don’t like resolutions, it’s a way to play with the idea.” ‘Even if we resist trendy thinking, we may be 'making resolutions with a fantasy self in mind.’ Photograph: Pål Hansen/The Observer I’m not that organised. I have a rebellious instinct and resist much of self-help. I believe making individuals responsible for improving their lives, and accountable for failures thereof, obscures social forces beyond their control. Yes, I am fun at parties, why do you ask? “Maybe they’re a cover for looming anxiety,” suggests Anna Cutteridge, a psychotherapist with the School of Life in London, who shares my reluctance. Resolutions are often made in a spirit of guilt about festive indulgence, she notes, and can mask a deeper, existential horror: starting another year as ourselves. “It’s a weird switch to flip – in January, I don’t drink alcohol and I go to the gym and I’m a different person.” If you’re upping exercise or cutting carbs, the middle of winter is the worst time to start. Yet experts, including Cutteridge, believe the symbolic threshold of a new year can lend energy to new habits. In behavioural science, the “fresh start effect” describes the motivation we feel with certain milestones. They create a sense of separate chapters in our experience – a helpful boundary between the “old” us and who we wish to be. January 1 is an arbitrary date; that doesn’t mean it isn’t powerful. As a disorganised person who wants to be less pessimistic and judgmental, maybe it’s time I took a fresh look at the futile to-do list of the goody two-shoes brigade. New year resolutions date back 4,000 years, to ancient Babylonians vowing to pay their debts. The first recorded use of the phrase, however, appears in a Boston news-paper from 1813. The article lambasts readers who sin all through December before making mealy-mouthed promises, “with the full belief that they shall expiate and wipe away all their former faults”. (We’re still looking at you.) In its first outing, the phrase is already dripping with shame, self-delusion and hot takes. It’s a very western phenomenon, says Cutteridge. “A tickbox of the perfected self, very individualistic.” Where we exert our will, other cultures have fun. Nowhere more so than South America. At new year, Brazilians jump seven waves while making seven wishes; and neighbouring Colombians eat a grape for every chime of the clock at midnight. Argentinians leave the past behind, shredding old documents and flinging them like confetti. Peruvians, meanwhile, settle scores with an end-of-year fist fight. But they always hug it out. Should we make resolutions less self-centred? In Buddhist countries, bells are rung in the streets to wish good luck to all. The Japanese laugh as midnight rolls in, a generous offering to those around you. I’m charmed by the Romanian and Belgian custom of talking kindly to one’s livestock at New Year. Yet to paraphrase Bart Simpson: I don’t have a cow, man! Rubin insists there is no dilemma in prioritising our own happiness. “Research shows happier people are more interested in the problems of the world and other people,” she points out. They are more likely to vote, donate money and volunteer time. They have the emotional wherewithal to turn outwards. “If it’s selfish to want to be happier, we should be selfish, if only for selfless reasons,” she concludes, like a zen koan. OK, I’m sold. Let’s make some resolutions. How to know what to want? Even at this point, things are not so simple. Cutteridge relates a tradition among the friends with whom she spends 31 December. They each write a note to themselves, containing a wish. This is then handed to someone else and forgotten about; until next year, when the note is handed back. The idea is to see if it came true without conscious effort. Frequently, there’s another effect. “You open up the envelope, and you laugh. ‘This is what I wanted? This is what mattered to me?’” The lesson is perturbing. “We’re not good at knowing what will make us happy.” We develop throughout our lives, she explains, and frequently make choices barely recognisable to us even a short time later. She quotes her colleague, philosopher Alain de Botton: “If you’re not embarrassed by the person you were last year, are you really growing?” All sorts of strange ideas capture the zeitgeist, too, persuasive in their ubiquity. Think of the currently po[CENSORED]r “hustler” mentality that draws fatuous inspiration from the habits of mad CEOs, and negs us all into thinking we should get up at 4am to do intermittent fasting. Even a glance at the evidence suggests the most effective habit any aspiring millionaire should focus on is being born into money. Even if we resist trendy thinking, we may be making resolutions with a fantasy self in mind. I could decide I want to become a professional dancer, as I love to dance. My vulnerable achilles, inability to pick up choreography and general ancientness will have their say in the matter. Conversely, we may decide a particular resolution sounds too much like hard work – forgetting that growth is rarely comfortable. OK, park that – let’s talk about the how to actually follow through. Here, Rubin is my good angel, overflowing with practical tips. “Don’t break the chain” is one of her most po[CENSORED]r tools. Doing something every day is the best way to form a habit. It creates momentum, lowers the difficulty threshold and eliminates the effort of making a decision. It’s the same reason why abstention – from say, sugar – can be easier than “everything in moderation”. Let’s put some skin in the game. I don’t think I actually want to be less judgmental, when I think about it. It’s part of my job. So what do I want? I’m not proud of this, but I’m sick of being sensitive and tattered. I want lots of money. “That doesn’t mean anything!” objects Rubin. Resolutions should be concrete. What does my path to money involve? Do I want to switch careers, get a degree, invest in new tools? “It’s like saying, ‘I want to learn Italian.’ You can’t wake up one morning and learn Italian.” Abstract wants are wishes. Her advice is to focus on daily actions we can control, not outcomes. Identifying steps that can be taken every day lets us apply a frame of: “Did I do it, or not?” Yet Cutteridge says we should also avoid being overly prescriptive. “Turning a desire into a tickbox makes it lose all meaning.” She gives the example of someone who wants to be a better parent. Defining the achievement narrowly might make them grow rigid. “It may be more about staying open, communicating with your kids about how to do better. The bar can shift.” “Pairing” is another way to up one’s motivation. Allow yourself your favourite podcast only when you’re in the gym, for example. I’ve used this poorly in the past, pairing a two-minute run with a slice of lemon drizzle cake. This is the heart of my problem with resolutions: they seem so joyless. They are often a way of being hard on ourselves, agrees Rubin. But there’s no reason they can’t be pleasurable, such as diarising more time for reading, or other things I enjoy. I’d never thought this. A resolution can be delicious. She also recommends topping up one’s motivation with a “halfway there” day on 2 July; a chance to look back at what we’ve achieved so far. “Too often we focus on the to-do, not the ta-dah!” What are some of her fun pledges? “I want to take more naps,” she smiles. Deciding on a good resolution, and meeting it, ultimately share the same root: self-knowledge. Figure out your tendency, says Rubin, in particular how you respond to expectations placed on you, by yourself and others. Do you like the social accountability of a group? Or do you respond better to individual motivation and a customised routine? Reflect on what has worked for you in the past. If a resolution isn’t sticking, trust that – and try a different approach. “When an activity aligns with your core values, you are more likely to stick with it,” says Cutteridge. Find meaning in the change you’re making, and a fuller you will emerge. An awareness of your temperament, and striking a balance between concrete steps and core values seems to be the key to a good resolution. Sadly, I don’t think “golden toilet-level wealth” makes the cut, though it would be nice. And so this year I’m making a list, and checking it twice. I’m armed with good intentions and sound advice. I’ve arrived at seven rules that feel manageable and exciting. Or perhaps I just wish I was on a Brazilian beach. There’s always next year. Rhik’s seven resolutions Keep it simple and you just might stick to them 1. Write one sentence, idea or observation each day just for you. Keep creative. 2. You don’t need snacks or sugar. Your mouth is simply bored. Instead, get into herbal teas, tisanes, infusions and decoctions. Bore people with it, if you must. 3. Walk 10,000 steps, five days a week. Good for the stomach, inside and out. 4. Go out of your way to pet animals. Two legs good, fur legs much better. 5. Don’t take people in your life for granted. See them anew and keep telling them good things about themselves. 6. Brush your teeth after supper, so when you’re tired, you can simply slip into bed. 7. Get in the sea. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/dec/31/resolution-revolution-how-to-make-new-year-promises-that-you-will-stick-to

Israel’s far-right finance minister says Israelis who would replace the Palestinians would ‘make the desert bloom’. Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for Palestinian residents of Gaza to leave the besieged enclave, making way for the Israelis who could “make the desert bloom”. Smotrich, who has been excluded from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s war cabinet and discussions of day-after arrangements in Gaza, made the comments while speaking to Israeli Army Radio on Sunday. “What needs to be done in the Gaza Strip is to encourage emigration,” he said. “If there are 100,000 or 200,000 Arabs in Gaza and not two million Arabs, the entire discussion on the day after will be totally different,” he said. He added that if the 2.3 million po[CENSORED]tion were no longer there “growing up on the aspiration to destroy the state of Israel”, Gaza would be seen differently in Israel. “Most of Israeli society will say: ‘Why not? It’s a nice place, let’s make the desert bloom, it doesn’t come at anyone’s expense’.” In response, Hamas said Smotrich’s call to displace two million Palestinians and keep about 200,000 in Gaza is “a war crime accompanied by criminal aggression”. In a statement, Hamas added that the international community and the United Nations must take action to stop Israel’s crimes and hold it accountable for what it has done to the Palestinian people. Sara Khairat, reporting for Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv, said Smotrich’s comments “tie into a narrative that many are starting to believe that Israel wants to re-occupy Gaza”. “Pushing the idea that they want to push the Palestinians out”, Khairat said, would be reminiscent of scenes from the “Nakba” (catastrophe), the ethnic cleansing of Palestine in the wake of the 1948 war that accompanied the founding of the state of Israel. Most Palestinians displaced after the Nakba ended up in neighbouring Arab states, and Arab leaders have said any latter-day move to displace Palestinians would be unacceptable. In a speech on Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas rejected any move to force Palestinians to leave their homes. “We will not allow displacement, whether from the Gaza Strip or the West Bank,” he said. Smotrich’s far-right agenda Smotrich, whose far-right Religious Zionist Party draws support from Israel’s settler community, has made similar comments in the past, setting himself at odds with Israel’s most important ally, the United States. But his views conflict with the official government position that Palestinians in Gaza will be able to return to their homes after the war. Smotrich’s party, which helped Netanyahu secure the majority he needed to become prime minister for the sixth time almost exactly a year ago, has seen its approval ratings slump since the start of the conflict. Opinion polls also indicate that most Israelis do not support the return of Israeli settlements to Gaza after they were moved out in 2005 when the army withdrew. Israel withdrew its military and settlers from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year occupation, and Netanyahu has said it does not intend to maintain a permanent presence again, but would maintain security control for an indefinite period. However, there has been little clarity about Israel’s longer-term intentions, and countries including the US have said that Gaza should be governed by Palestinians. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/12/31/israeli-minister-reiterates-calls-for-palestinians-to-leave-gaza

The celebrations come as ongoing conflicts raise security concerns and lead to muted or cancelled festivities. 31 Dec 2023 Revellers across the world are celebrating the countdown to a New Year with fireworks and brightly lit signs – offering a hopeful start to 2024 for some. Sunday’s celebrations come even as the globe’s ongoing conflicts raise security concerns and lead to muted or even cancelled festivities. New Zealanders were among the first in the world to celebrate the arrival of 2024 with a fireworks display in Auckland. The fireworks illuminated the cloudy night sky and were accompanied by a laser light and animation show. Sydney, Australia hailed 2024 with a dazzling fireworks display featuring silver and gold pyrotechnics to mark the 50th anniversary of its famous Opera House. Fireworks illuminated the night sky and were accompanied by a laser light and animation show during New Year’s celebrations in Tokyo. Metro Manila, Bangkok, Seoul, Singapore, Beijing, Moscow, Istanbul, and other parts of the globe also celebrated. Here are some pictures as the world bids farewell to 2023 and welcomes the New Year. Fireworks burst from the Sky Tower in Auckland, New Zealand, to celebrate the New Year. [Hayden Woodward/New Zealand Herald via AP] People release balloons in front of the Tokyo Tower during a countdown event. People in Tokyo celebrated the arrival of the Year of the Dragon, the zodiac sign of 2024. [Tomohiro Ohsumi/Getty Images] People carry an illuminated "mikoshi" or portable shrine during a countdown event to celebrate the New Year in Yokosuka, Japan, south of Tokyo. [Kim Kyung-Hoon/Reuters] Fireworks explode over Rockwell Center in celebration of the New Year in Makati, Metro Manila, the Philippines. [Eloisa Lopez/Reuters] Fireworks light the sky over the Grand Palace during New Year celebrations in Bangkok, Thailand. [Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters] People gather to listen to a music concert to celebrate New Year's Eve at City Hall in Surabaya, Indonesia. [Juni Kriswanto/AFP] People attend a ceremony to celebrate the New Year in Seoul, South Korea. [Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters] Fireworks light up the Marina Bay ahead of the New Year celebrations in Singapore. [Edgar Su/Reuters] Artists react during the New Year's Eve celebration at Shougang Park in Beijing, China. [Tingshu Wang/Reuters] Fireworks explode over Victoria Harbour to celebrate the New Year in Hong Kong. [Peter Parks/AFP] People visit India Gate for the New Year celebrations, in New Delhi, India. [Amarjeet Kumar Singh/Anadolu Agency] Children and their parents ride a carousel at a Christmas market set up in Red Square and decorated for the New Year and Christmas festivities in Moscow, Russia. [Marina Lystseva/AP Photo] Istiklal Avenue is packed with people ahead of New Year celebrations at Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey. [Hakan Akgün/Anadolu Agency] A traditional street musician walks past people having a drink as residents celebrate the last day of the year in the northern city of Thessaloniki, Greece. [Sakis Mitrolidis/AFP] A man wears 2024 fancy party glasses and wig during a rehearsal for New Year's Eve celebrations at the landmark Puerta del Sol Square, in Madrid, Spain. [Isabel Infantes/Reuters] https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2023/12/31/photos-new-year-2024-celebrations-around-the-world

sic title: Love The Way You Lie Signer: Eminem - Rihana Release date: 2010 , August , 10 Official YouTube link: