The Eleventh Plague

Tags

Alzheimer's, SAGE tests

 

 

 

Our memory is one of our most precious and valued faculties. I’m always full of admiration for people who remember dates, phone numbers, addresses, how to get to places, and above all people’s names, without having to write everything down.

When I was younger I think I had quite a good memory. I could memorize poems and all kinds of useful quotes, I managed to pass various exams, and could find my way around London and other cities quite easily.

Now that I’m over seventy that faculty is definitely deteriorating. I won’t say that my memory loss is more acute than anyone else’s, but when I found myself in town without my handbag (purse in American parlance) on one recent occasion, and having left my smart-phone at home on another, I began to worry.

The affliction of dementia or Alzheimer’s seems to be affecting an ever-growing number of people, some of them comparatively young. I see the suffering of their families and cannot fail to be struck by the devotion and love they display. But the thought that I might end up like that terrifies me, even though I know that losing one’s short-term memory isn’t the only indication, and that some kind of personality change is sometimes also part of the disease.

Apart from trying to keep one’s brain active by always trying to learn something new, the adage ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ is pivotal in ensuring that one doesn’t waste hours looking for keys or reading-glasses. But what are you supposed to do if you’ve forgotten what that place is?

As chance, or luck, or possibly even fate, would have it, someone posted on Facebook the link to a series of tests for memory loss. Known as SAGE, or Self Administered Gerocognitive Examination, they are provided by the Ohio State University (http://sagetest.osu.edu) and can very easily be printed out so that the individual can test herself in the comfort of her own home.

So I printed the pages out and eventually even summoned up the courage to tackle the tests. To my surprise, I found that they involved recognizing and naming quite familiar objects, giving the names of twelve items in a category such as fruits or vegetables, and doing some simple mental arithmetic akin to calculating the correct change from five dollars if one spends a given sum.

Well, all that’s easy enough, I thought. Ergo, I don’t have Alzheimer’s. Or do I? To my shame, yesterday I forgot to indicate whether the dishwasher was clean or dirty just one day after accusing my husband of committing the same crime. Trying to tell some friends an amusing anecdote I forgot the name of the person about whom I was talking, couldn’t remember the title of a book I wanted to recommend, misremembered the title of a book I myself had written, etc., etc. That’s really scary.

Is it just my imagination, or is there more and more of it around? Is it something in the water we drink or the polluted air we breathe? It is all around us, and it seems to be spreading to an ever-growing number of people, just like one of the plagues in ancient Egypt.

At what point does acceptable weakening of one’s memory become Alzheimer’s? How will I know when I’ve got it? Those SAGE tests are not very difficult. Am I to take it that it’s only when I won’t be able to identify a drawing of a volcano, name twelve animals, and work out how much change I’ll get from five dollars that I should start worrying?

Or will it be too late by then?

 

 

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The Road to Hell…

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Radical Islam

 

 

The road to hell is paved with good intentions, so the saying goes, and that certainly seems to be the case in the Middle East, where once again (or is it still?) it, seems to be well on its way to hell due to the actions of people who think that they are acting for the greater good of something or other.

 All around us countries, which had managed to survive – albeit under dictatorships — for several decades since being abandoned by their colonial masters, are breaking up in a series of bloodbaths that are enough to make anyone’s blood run cold, helped along by intervention from well-intentioned individuals at the head of the USA. Although we all acknowledge that dictatorships are a Bad Thing, it would seem that without them countries like Libya, Egypt, Iraq, Iran and possibly others disintegrate in the most violent manner imaginable.

 Here in Israel, apart from the occasional Palestinian violence, as evinced by the recent kidnapping of three teenagers and outbreaks of stone-throwing, we can delude ourselves that we’re living in a bubble of peace and quiet as all around us huge masses of refugees stream across borders in search of a place where their lives are not in peril. The refugee camps that have been set up in the countries surrounding us provide less than minimal conditions for living, and the sight of these unfortunates is enough to soften even the stoniest heart.

 Behind these violent eruptions lie tribal and sectarian differences within the local populations. Which ordinary man-or-woman-in-the-street can fathom the depths of hatred that cause Muslims belonging to different streams of that faith to mercilessly slaughter one another? Shias? Sunnis? What’s the difference? Who cares? And of course their mutual hatred is only a partial palliative for the hatred those extremists bear for anyone who is not a Muslim, i.e., Jews and Christians. In what seems to be a classic case of fear of and hatred for ‘the other,’ these radicals seek to impose their beliefs and way of life on everyone, and if that doesn’t work, to bump those people off. Irrespective of the more odious aspects of their religion (violence towards all and sundry, repression of women, discrimination against minorities), their attitude constitutes the antithesis of progress and enlightenment, whatever they may contend to the contrary.

 The prospect is frightening. Once the radical Muslims have sated their thirst for blood on one another they are going to turn to the rest of us. Israel’s defence forces will have a tough job keeping them at bay along borders that are too long and too close for comfort. The Muslim countries that are our neighbours are not going to form a bulwark against the radicals unless some major international effort is made to stop them.

 But that seems unlikely. America is disinclined to intervene, and this is understandable in view of their experiences of such action in recent memory. Who’s left? China? Russia? Why should they bother? They are probably rubbing their hands in glee as they watch the Middle East erupt in mutually assured destruction.

 Perhaps we can console ourselves by looking back over time. Europe has undergone innumerable wars and is now more or less at peace. And we Jews emerged from the Holocaust, the darkest period in our history (and there have been many very dark periods), and summoned up the strength to establish our own country, ward off the forces who sought to destroy us, and reach unimagined heights of prosperity and success.

 If mankind has managed to surmount all those hurdles in the past, we must take heart and not let ourselves be discouraged now. The future has looked bleaker in the past and yet we have endured. So I suppose there’s nothing for it but to remain optimistic and hope that one of these days reason will prevail.

 

 

Disgusting!

 

 

As occasionally happens, one day last week I found myself trailing behind my husband as he undertook several missions involving the purchase of equipment connected with repairs to the house and improvements in the garden.

 Thus it was that I found myself looking around in an admittedly bored fashion as my OH (Other Half) interested himself in what to him is the fascinating world of garden tools, insecticides, and drain cleaners.

 It was then that the above picture caught my eye, and while I apologise for the poor quality of the photograph, which was taken in a state of acute agitation on my part, I think the message it conveys is clear enough.

 For non-Hebrew readers I’ll give the gist of the text accompanying the very graphic picture of a young woman with tape stuck over her mouth.

 On the part that covers her mouth it says: ‘When you have to block something immediately!’ Next to it, in bigger letters, we read: ‘Rescue Tape; A Silicon Tape for Immediate Emergency Sealing!’ Additional slogans read: ‘Essential in every house and car!’ and the additional – and much smaller pictures – show where the tape might be used in less dramatic circumstances.

 In as moderate terms as I could muster I pointed out to the owner of the shop that this was a highly inappropriate image to be displaying in his store. He replied with some mealy-mouthed explanation about the company providing the stand for displaying their wares, which comes complete with said image. I whipped out my iphone and took the photo, then walked out without saying another word for fear of embarrassing myself and annoying my OH, but my anger and resentment found full expression when we were alone in the car.

 As for the company concerned, Rescue Tape, I for one will NEVER use that product, and I hope that anyone who reads this or comes across that vile image will follow suit.

 We live in a society where incidents of husbands murdering their womenfolk, are not uncommon. The full extent of domestic violence in Israel is not known, but the places of refuge for battered women are full to overflowing. Male violence vis-à-vis women is commonplace throughout the Middle East, and not only there.

 Proudly displaying images such as these is tantamount to incitement to violence and should be made a criminal offence.

 

 

 

 

Inventions Galore!

Tags

Eitan Shefer, Lagomorph, Science Museum

 For two days in June dozens of inventors, both young and old, descended on the Bloomfield Science Museum in Jerusalem for what was called the Mini Maker Faire. This enabled them to display their inventions as well as giving hundreds of youngsters and their parents (and grandparents) the opportunity to touch, hold, operate and experiment with the various devices.

 I was there in my capacity as the proud mother of one of the exhibitors, Eitan Shefer, whose invention displayed his many and varied talents as a designer, musician and computer whiz. His amazing device, the Lagomorph, is a hand-held musical instrument with emphasis on expression and ergonomics. The part that is held in the hand consists of a device that is reminiscent of a joystick with keys that can be pressed to create sounds. In addition, by moving the instrument in the air the nature of the sounds can be altered. A screen displays gauges which indicate the intensity of the movement (and hence of the sound) as well as keys similar to those of a piano which respond to the manipulation of the instrument. Thus, the person playing the instrument is getting both visual and audial feedback. Further development of this feature is being undertaken.

 Israel’s Maker movement consists of people who think outside the box and are willing to present their work to audiences of all ages. At the Faire dozens of Makers showed their surprising and unusual creations. Among these was a bathroom chronometer, developed by Hanan Cohen, which measures how much time is spent in the Museum bathrooms. A ‘traffic light’ indicates whether it is ‘safe’ to enter or whether you should wait a bit longer, depending on the length of time spent by the previous occupant.

 Also on display were three-dimensional printing methods, produced by Tech Factory Plus, easy3 and Shlomo Hanasi. These printers, which are at the forefront of creativity, provided an opportunity for visitors to watch them work and examine their output.

 Another interesting exhibit was the musical salad, concocted by Arnon Gourny, which created a musical work, using kitchen utensils, while a salad was being prepared. This certainly provided a unique culinary and musical experience.

 Considerable entertainment was provided by the repeating parrot, developed by Arnon Gourny, in which a group of digital parrots made up a panel that responded to remarks from passersby. It was obvious that a great many people – both children and adults – were having a lot of fun with this item.

 Another fascinating exhibit was provided by the Arduino construction kits, displayed by Gil Wismonski, which provided kits for self assembly, thus making it possible to build a remote-controlled car.

 And many, many more, too numerous to mention.

 On the day I visited the Museum every inch seemed to be occupied by children of all ages and sized admiring and operating the various exhibits. The inventors seemed to be only too happy to show the youngsters how to deploy their creations, as well as to admire one another’s work and share experiences and enthusiasm.

 It looked to me as if a good time was had by all.

 

 

 

 

 

Snakes Alive!

Tags

Asclepius, Bible, Caravaggio, Hipppocrates, Kos

 

The setting was a club for retired people in one of Jerusalem’s more prosperous and prestigious neighbourhoods. Most of its members are ladies of a certain age or more, well-dressed, well-coiffed and well-preserved, with a sprinkling of elderly gents. They spend their spare time engaging in activities which help to cultivate the mind and the body (learning languages, making ceramic vases, painting, exercising), and attend a weekly lecture on a subject of general interest.

 This particular weekly lecture (one of a series of four) was on ‘The Origins of Civilisation in the Ancient Near East.’ After devoting some time (illustrated copiously with slides) to the development of prehistoric man, the lecturer began to expound on man’s progression from hunter-gatherer to cultivator of crops and animals.

 This brought him to talk about the change this had wrought in the prehistoric way of life and it was at this point that he turned to the audience and asked: “Which was the first animal to be domesticated by man?”

 Before anyone could formulate a reply, one dear old biddie shouted out “the snake!”

 The lecturer gave a polite shake of his head and turned to the next person who had raised her hand, and eventually someone came up with the correct answer, the dog, man’s best—and first—friend.

 I was there because of my connection with the lecturer, though I suppose as far as age (though not my area of residence) is concerned I could be considered eligible to belong. When the lady in the row in the front row shouted out ‘the snake!’ I was at first stunned, then bemused and finally amused. In fact, I had to devote the next half-hour to maintaining my composure and preventing myself from laughing out loud. Heaven forfend that I should offend a single one of those old dears!

 Later, I began to wonder why the snake should have been the first creature to spring to anyone’s mind. Of course, it is the first creature mentioned in the Bible, where it is called the serpent, and is even given the gift of speech. I wonder what happened to that attribute of snakes. And then I began to wonder about the other attributes of snakes.

 Snakes seem to have had a hypnotic effect on mankind since time immemorial. This is probably connected with our subconscious, as the snake is easily recognizable as a phallic symbol. In fact, Freud pointed this out in his ‘Interpretation of Dreams,’ while Jung regarded dreaming of snakes as representing some kind of inner conflict.

 The snake wound round a stick is universally recognized as a symbol of medicine, and may still be seen to this day to denote the location of pharmacies in many countries. This goes back to the ancient Greeks, who regarded snakes as sacred and used them in healing rituals. Snake venom was thought to be remedial, and the fact that snakes shed their skin was seen as a symbol of rebirth and renewal.

 A snake wound round a rod was the emblem of Asclepius, the god of medicine and healing in the ancient Greek religion. In fact, the original temples of healing were known as aclepeieion and were to be found on the Island of Kos. Non-venomous snakes were allowed to crawl around freely on the floor in dormitories where the sick and injured slept. Kos was also the home of Hippocrates, the legendary ‘father of medicine’ and originator of the Hippocratic oath that is still in use today in the graduation ceremony of medical students, and the original Hippocratic oath began with the invocation ‘I swear by Apollo the Physician and by Asclepius and by Hygieia and Panacea and by all the gods…’

 Today, however, snakes are generally despised and feared. Caravaggio’s painting of ‘Madonna and Child with Saint Anna’ (the grandmother) shows the (uncircumcised) infant Jesus and his mother treading on—and presumably killing—the snake which in this context represents evil and possibly also original sin (remember the phallic symbol?).

 It is a natural human reaction to recoil from something that appears at first sight to be ugly, evil and even disgusting (though many snakes have a beauty of their own), and it seems that this particular picture attributes all those characteristics to the snake. This very human reaction goes back a long way in time, and may even be some atavistic memory that has remained imprinted on the human brain.

 So, while the lady in the audience was wrong to think that snakes were ever domesticated, they certainly have been accompanying mankind since time immemorial.