Abe Kwok: How does ridding the country of people like me – who came here by so-called chain migration – make America any more prosperous or safe?

I’m an American. I’m also apparently part of our immigration problem.

I’m still perplexed as to how. More why than how, really.

I’m equally perplexed as to how ridding the U.S. of people like me would make our country more prosperous and more secure.

It’s a solution Donald Trump continues to tout, even if his wife Melania’s parents became citizens by the exact process that brought me to the United States.

‘Chain migration’ is an ugly phrase

I’m talking about his plan to end chain migration. Or family reunification. Sponsorship by any other name that in some quarters now breeds contempt and suspicion. Or worse.

I don’t see the practice as lax or irresponsible. Certainly not alarming or dangerous, as many of our country’s political leaders have now come to conclude.

The one truth in the political narrative is this: Family members bring over the extended family, one by one. The rest of the story is far less sinister.

In my family’s case, the person most culpable — from my perspective, the person I’m most indebted to — is my mother’s eldest biological brother, Leslie Yee, whom I saw a handful of times and thought of mostly as a distant memory, as is often the case for children with adults other than their own parents.

Uncle Leslie started our chain

Uncle Leslie came to the U.S. from the Guangdong province in southern China in 1939, at the time a sprite, really. He arrived in Seattle and, though he loved the area — I suspect the proximity to the water, which was reminiscent of his ancestral home, had something to do with it — he, like many immigrants, took the more practical road.

COLUMN: Is ‘chain migration’ a racist term?

He joined the U.S. Coast Guard in WWII and settled afterwards in Arizona, first in Phoenix, then in Casa Grande. There, he bought the famed Owl Cafe on Main Street in 1950 and ran that and the accompanying boarding house for some nine years before constructing a modest 25 by 60-foot restaurant of his own on Pinal Avenue that served American and Chinese food.

A dogged worker — the restaurant opened 7 days a week — Uncle Leslie also labored at his first love, accounting. According to a profile in the Casa Grande Dispatch in 1971, he took on clients from the town as well as others who were scattered across Arizona.

Even at 9, I had to prove myself

With his earnings, he had married and raised a family of two children. Beginning in the ‘60s, he started sponsoring his siblings to join him, first with my aunt Cuan Kok. Even then it took a good while, so long that by the time she got approval four to five years later, she had already migrated to Canada.

Uncle Leslie in the ‘70s sponsored his mother — my grandmother — who was already in her 70s; another of my aunts, Hanna Ho, and her family; and then my mother and our family. He spent thousands of dollars on each sponsorship, trekking to San Francisco to meet with an immigration attorney and typing out the family tree on onionskin paper as part of the application.

MORE: Trump’s plan to end ‘chain migration’ could take years 

My family immigrated in June 1975 and settled in Tucson. I was 9. Before we were approved, my parents had amassed volumes of information — bank accounts, passports, professional and education background, business and personal affiliations and associations, and letters attesting to our character and community standing. 

On my mother’s side — she was one of 12 children that her father had from two wives — none of the siblings remained in China. Those still alive are all living in the U.S. save for my aunt Kok, who still resides in Canada.

Our family’s the rule, not the exception

My youngest uncle, Joe Yee, operated two Farmer’s Market grocery stores and apartments in Tucson; Aunt Hanna ran Chinese Village Restaurant and another, also in Tucson; my late mother and my dad operated China Restaurant in east Tucson. None of them, or their children, had serious brushes with the law. Or depended on government subsidies. Or pledged their loyalty and allegiance to China instead of the United States, or consider themselves anything but American.

That’s because we are Americans. We became naturalized citizens, waiting for years as legal citizens to become even eligible. We all call America home.

I don’t believe our extended family is an outlier. We represent the chain-migration rule, not the exception.

That the immigration debate has pitted legal immigrants — citizens, in many cases — against those who entered unlawfully is unsettling. That chain migration has become demonized is unforgivable; and that some continue to peddle that false narrative is unconscionable.

The angriest Americans may see chain migration as something sinister. But my Uncle Leslie, who spent his final years bringing over among the last of his siblings, viewed it as nothing less than family responsibility.

His actions and intent should not be debased.

Reach Kwok at akwok@azcentral.com.

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This post is part of Mashable’s ongoing series The Women Fixing STEM, which highlights trailblazing women in science, tech, engineering, and math, as well as initiatives and organizations working to close the industries’ gender gaps

Learning shouldn’t stop after school ends, and the women of YouTube’s STEM channels prove that.

These aren’t the boring science lessons that you had to sit through in stuffy high school classrooms or massive college lecture halls. There are no tests, no grades, and no assignments. You will, however, need a sense of curiosity and a love for all things science. 

If you’re driven by a desire to learn new things, check out these six women who are making STEM more accessible. 

After noticing the lack of female students in computer science, computing and ITC teacher Carrie Anne Philbin decided to start making educational videos about coding. Her channel Geek Gurl Diaries includes tutorials and interviews with inspirational women in STEM. Since creating Geek Gurl Diaries, Philbin has become the Director of Education at the Raspberry Pi Foundation, where she creates learning resources for people interested in learning programming. 

“By exposing students to the range of creative and exciting scientific careers in technology,” she says on her website, “they may discover an interest in a field they had previously dismissed.”

Dianna Cowern hosts a PBS digital series called Physics Girl, where she experiments with zero-gravity and DIY electric trains. With a background in physics from MIT and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cowern is driven by educating the curious. Her channel covers a wide variety of topics from explaining what stretching does for the body to demonstrating the theory behind vortexes.

Have you ever wished you could know the backstory behind museum artifacts? YouTuber Emiliy Graslie’s channel dives into what goes on behind the scenes at the University of Montana Zoological Museum. 

As the “Chief Curiosity Correspondent,” Graslie tries to explain why natural history museums are so important to society. Her channel has it all, from exploring the origins of a rare bird specimen donated to the museum by a murderer to showing her viewers why the museum keeps a rusty car door in its collection. 

Have you ever wondered what happens to astronaut poop? Or how NASA managed to take pictures of Neil Armstrong on the moon? Ami Shira Teitel has the answers. As a Spaceflight historian and author, the self-proclaimed “space history nerd” runs a channel dedicated to explaining the history of humans in space. 

“If there is a link to the past to any modern mission,” she says in her channel trailer, “I will find it and I will talk about the roots of it.”

Alex Dainis is a PhD candidate at Stanford University and runs a YouTube channel inspired by her love of genetics. She interviews fellow scientists, unpacks complicated theories so that someone without a science degree can understand them, and even answers questions about her program. 

She also shows her viewers what it’s like to be a grad school student, from giving video lab tours to discussing the logistical nightmares that researchers face when conducting experiments. 

Buying beauty products can be an overwhelming experience — in addition to figuring out what looks good, you have to decipher the ingredients, too. Trina Espinoza’s channel breaks down the complicated chemicals that fill the labels of your favorite products. From pointing out what you should look for in sunscreen to explaining how the heck micellar water works, Espinoza’s channel helps you understand exactly what you’re putting on your face. 

As Espinoza says in her channel trailer, “I believe you shouldn’t need a PhD in chemistry to understand what’s in your beauty products.” 

These are just a few women breaking down STEM topics on YouTube. Research shows that seeing women in STEM careers encourages girls to pursue learning about those topics — and right now women hold only a quarter of STEM jobs. 

Beyond inspiring young viewers, these STEM YouTubers are encouraging them to be lifelong learners. 

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When was the last time you heard someone raving about their lender?

If it’s been a while, there may be a good reason for that: Predatory lending practices do exist. But if you know what to look for, it’s possible to find a bank, credit union or online company you can trust.

Here are the attributes of a lender that won’t rip you off:

• Clarity. Does the company drown you in financial jargon, or does it explain things in plain English? A good lender clearly spells out how to qualify, what the loan terms are, how the application process works and what happens if you run into trouble making payments. If you encounter a confusing website or a vague customer service representative, that’s a red flag.
• Transparency. Do you need detective skills to hunt down the cost of your loan? “A good, honest product will tell you what the cost is going to be,” says Lauren Saunders, associate director at the National Consumer Law Center, a Boston-based consumer advocacy organization. All lenders have to disclose the annual percentage rate — the sum of interest and all fees — on a loan, but good lenders go a step further to break down upfront charges, late fees and the total cost of the loan in dollars.

• Affordability. All reputable lenders pull your credit information, check your current debt  and ask for your income to see whether you can afford to repay the loan. A good lender gives you a loan amount that closely matches your financial need, says John Thompson, chief program officer at the Center for Financial Services Innovation, a Chicago nonprofit research organization. Your loan offer should fall into the Goldilocks zone: Too much money makes it unaffordable; too little forces you to borrow again.
• Trustworthiness. The best way to identify a reputable company is to learn about others’ experiences through online searches and by asking friends and family. Good lenders should have positive reviews from independent consumer advocacy websites or product comparison websites, along with strong user testimonials on social media websites. In addition, they should not have regulatory fines from government agencies such as the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau or the Federal Trade Commission.
• Rewards good behavior. A good lender reports your payments to the major credit bureaus. This helps your credit scores if you pay on time and hurts them if you do not. By reporting your payment activity, the lender lets you build your credit, which can give you access to cheaper financial products in the future.

Now that you know how to spot a good lender, shop around to see where you can get the lowest rate to save money on your loan.

If you’re headed back to school, chances are you’ve already made at least one checklist. Got your schedule? Check. What about your supplies? Check. Talked with friends about which classes you have together? Bet you checked that one more than once. 

But there’s something likely missing from your list, and it might be the most important thing you take care of all year: addressing your mental health and wellbeing. 

Going back to school can be exciting. It can also be terrifying, particularly for teens who’ve already experienced bullying, anxiety, stress, depression, or trauma. In addition to the nerve-wracking aspects of middle school or high school — crushes, grades, cliques — students today are grappling with intense experiences, including natural disaster anniversaries, school shooting drills, and heightened political and social tensions that disproportionately affect young immigrants and LGBTQ people. 

If you’re feeling a whirlwind of back-to-school stress and anxiety, there are effective ways to respond, says Theresa Nguyen, a licensed clinical social worker and vice president of policy and programs for Mental Health America. (Nguyen also recently wrote a blog post on this subject.)

“You can control your anxiety …” Nguyen says. “The worst thing you can do is ignore it.” 

Here are five of Nguyen’s suggestions for making it through the challenging back-to-school period: 

1. Gauge the problem 

Nguyen says that most students are excited to return to school by the end of summer. But for the 20 percent of teens who live with a mental health condition, being at school again may worsen symptoms of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress. 

It’s important that any student who feels prolonged sadness or nervousness about school pay attention to important signs, such as stomach aches, trouble sleeping, and irritability. Those symptoms could indicate that you’re struggling with stress, anxiety, or depression. Other clues might be Google searches for terms like “I hate school,” “What is depression?” and “What is anxiety?” 

If you want an outside assessment of your feelings and experiences but aren’t yet ready to speak to a friend, parent, teacher, counselor, or doctor, you can use Mental Health America’s free and anonymous screening tool. Nguyen says that 40 percent of those who take the test are under 18, and use spikes during the school year. In other words, you’re not alone. 

If the screening indicates you should seek an evaluation from a medical or mental health professional, Nguyen says you can print the results as a conversation starter with a trusted adult or doctor. If you feel uncomfortable talking to an adult, Nguyen recommends speaking with a friend about how to have that conversation. 

2. Identify coping skills

Some students might already have a list of coping skills because they know going back to school can trigger emotional and mental distress. For other students, this is a new experience with a steep learning curve. Either way, Nguyen says it’s important to ask yourself a series of questions: What worked before to help you feel better? What made things worse? Can you avoid that?

Asking and answering questions like these will prepare you for the moments when stress and anxiety strike. If you need to learn new skills, Mental Health America’s back-to-school toolkit, which comes out every year, includes practical tips for managing your emotions. 

<img class="" data-credit-name='mental health america‘ data-credit-provider=”custom type” src=”https://i.amz.mshcdn.com/0C8lramzWG2U_If4rOe_k5EtD2c=/fit-in/1200×9600/https%3A%2F%2Fblueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fcard%2Fimage%2F829440%2F65965135-0d2c-4aaa-8dcb-2ceb7d26168f.png&#8221; data-fragment=”m!ba11″ data-image=”https://ift.tt/2MGppzm; data-micro=”1″>

One of the organization’s most popular resources for young people is its “Stopping Stupid Thoughts” worksheet. This two-page document is designed to help you deal with painful thoughts that can warp a person’s mood, relationships, and self-esteem. It offers strategies for telling yourself the things you really need to hear. 

3. Get educated

The internet is awash in mental health resources and educational materials. First you might check out stigma-busting websites designed for teens like Seize the Awkward and Half of Us. 

Then if you’re interested in mental health resources and advocacy, bookmark the National Alliance on Mental Illness, JED Foundation, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, National Eating Disorders Association, Born This Way Foundation, The Trevor Project, and Crisis Text Line, 

For health and science research, including details about symptoms and treatment, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, and National Institute of Mental Health. 

Educating yourself about mental health is a way to empower yourself, says Nguyen. 

4. Know where to draw the line with the internet  

While the internet can connect you to vital information and support, it can just as easily make you feel miserable. Nguyen says it’s imperative for students experiencing psychological distress to know when the internet has stopped being useful or has even become harmful. That line can be hard to distinguish when, for example, posting on an anonymous social media platform simultaneously brings you support from new friends as well as attacks from strangers or bullies. 

“If you’ve gone down that rabbit hole and you’re on sites that are not healthy for you, you have to get off, break up, step away from that,” says Nguyen. “Stay away until you’re in a better spot if you’re going to dabble.”

5. Reach out

Nguyen says it’s normal for people experiencing mental health issues to feel unsure about what to do next. But the longer we wait to open up, the worse we feel. She urges young people to reach out to a friend, parent, counselor, coach, or someone else they trust. 

It can also be helpful to join extracurricular activities, which provide opportunities to boost self-esteem, learn new skills, and heighten your sense of belonging. But that’s not a simple step for teens who feel alone because they’ve been bullied, are questioning their sexuality and gender identity, or are undocumented. 

“For kids who have anxiety, especially if they’re bullied or extra isolated, it’s hard for them to think about how to join a group,” says Nguyen. “They’ve been strategically isolated at school.” 

That’s when making connections on the internet can help. School groups like gay-straight alliances can also be a welcoming environment for marginalized kids, and the same may be true of community arts organizations and nonprofits.  

“There are some situations where if you’re struggling, please reach out sooner than later.”

“There are some situations where if you’re struggling, please reach out sooner than later,” says Nguyen. That includes if you’re experiencing suicidal thoughts or engaging in self-harm. The same holds true if you’re not sleeping, you’re having strange thoughts, and things don’t make sense. Though rare, that could indicate the onset of psychosis or bipolar disorder.   

Nguyen says that by taking action, learning more, and reaching out, teens worried about their mental health can make a big difference in their own lives. 

“You got this. You are the expert,” she says. “You can get control, so let’s start thinking about it.”

If you want to talk to someone or are experiencing suicidal thoughts, text the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Here is a list of international resources.

Dahyan, Yemen – The bandage wrapped around Mokhtar al-Jaradi’s head is still soaked in blood.

There are cuts and grazes to his arms and face. But it’s the anguish etched in his dark brown eyes that really speaks of the massacre that unfolded in north Yemen last week.

The eight-year-old was laughing and playing with a group of friends at the front of his school bus while on a day-long field trip organised by a pro-Houthi Islamic seminary.

Some of the older boys who arrived late stood in the aisle. The younger ones jostled for the few seats available.

Mokhtar says the 50 children on the bus that morning appeared to be in high spirits.

A video taken by one of the boys on the bus, Osama al-Hamran, showed the children excited for the day ahead.

In one clip, the children recite verses from the Quran. In another, they were smiling and giggling.

When the bus sped off, passers-by heard joyful screams as it veered through the dusty, pot-hole ridden roads of Saada province.

After stops at a graveyard for local fighters and a nearby shrine, the bus was supposed to take its young passengers to Saada city for a visit to the ninth-century al-Hadi mosque, a historical site which is venerated by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

But the children never made it.

What Mokhtar remembers next is a loud explosion, bright red-and-orange colours, then the grisly sight of charred young bodies.

“I saw the explosion, then my ears started ringing,” he told Al Jazeera. His eyes welled up with tears.

“I saw blood, then smoke. And once I saw my friends dying, I began crying.”

Mokhtar lost several friends in the August 9 air raid, which killed 40 children as they stopped for food in Dahyan.

Eleven bystanders were also killed in the attack, which sent shockwaves across the country.

Large protests erupted in the capital, Sanaa, and elsewhere. Local newspapers called the attack one of the worst days in Yemen’s three-year war.

I didn’t find any of him. Not his finger, not his bone, not his skull, nothing.

Abdelhakim Amir, father of one of the victims

‘The screams kept getting louder and louder’

Ahmed Jaran, owner of a small clothes shop near the site of the blast, said he was greeted by “scenes of sheer horror” as he rushed to help the wounded.

“As I ran through the smoke, the screams just kept getting louder and louder,” he said, standing just metres away from the bombed-out carcass of the school bus.

“Human remains were thrown everywhere, mixed with debris from the explosion. I took as many children as I could to the hospital – but it was 14km away.”

Along with several bloodied children, Jaran picked up Ali, one of his coworkers who was badly injured by the attack.

“When we reached the hospital, several of the children were pronounced dead. So, too, was Ali. I still can’t believe what happened. It feels like a bad dream. I’m still struggling to absorb the events.”

Among the boys who died was Osama, who had been using his smartphone to record a video diary throughout the religious trip.

The videos were found on his phone, which survived the blast, according to the Houthis who sent the footage to Al Jazeera.

“I am filming!” Osama can be heard yelling in one of the videos, surrounded by children wearing coats over their thobes, a traditional dress for Arab males.

Light-blue UNICEF rucksacks carried by the children could also be seen.

‘Never seen anything like this’

But videos shot in the aftermath of the raid showed a smouldering heap of twisted metal and the lifeless bodies of two boys on the ground.

“I was shocked when I saw the victims,” said Mohammed Ahsan, a 35-year-old doctor at al-Talh hospital in Saada where most of the survivors are being treated.

“I had never seen anything like this before. They were really badly wounded.”

Three days after the attack, victims’ families continued to throng to the scene of the attack, hoping to find the remains of their loved ones

“I didn’t find any of him,” said Abdelhakim Amir as he searched the wreckage for his son, Ahmed.

“Not his finger, not his bone, not his skull, nothing.”

Saudi Arabia, which, along with the United Arab Emirates, has been bombing Yemen since March 2015, said it would carry out an investigation.

But out of the 16,000-plus raids they have launched since the start of the conflict, only a handful have been investigated, despite nearly a third of all bombs hitting civilian targets.

The UN blacklisted the Saudi-UAE alliance last year, for the majority of child deaths and injuries reported in Yemen.

But on the day of the bus attack, Colonel Turki al-Malki, a spokesperson for the alliance, defended the raid, saying his forces hit a “legitimate military target”, which included “operators and planners”.

The Houthis have used the area to launch attacks on the Saudi border and fire missiles into the kingdom and the UAE.

However, on August 10, the alliance said the bombing had been referred for an internal probe after the US – which provides substantial support to the alliance, including intelligence sharing – denounced the killings and called for a “thorough and transparent investigation”.

‘I hate buses’

A few days later, Al Jazeera received an image suggesting a US-made MK-82 bomb was used in the raid. A metal fin, bearing the serial numbers of Lockheed Martin, was found nearby.

The photo has not been independently verified, but fragments of the MK-82 bomb have surfaced repeatedly amid the ongoing war.

The 500-pound bomb was used in a 2016 attack on a community hall hosting a funeral in Sanaa. At least 140 people were killed in that attack.

The Trump administration says it has little control over the targets the alliance chooses to attack, but human right groups have told Al Jazeera that Washington should stop selling aerial bombs to the kingdom in the absence of serious investigations into alleged war crimes.

In the wake of the attack, individual members of Congress called on the US military to clarify its role in the war and investigate whether support for the air raids could render American military personnel “liable under the war crimes act”.

But any investigation will do little to pacify the victims’ families, residents told Al Jazeera.

“I will take revenge on Salman, Mohammed Bin Zayed and Trump,” said Fares al-Razhi, referring to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and the US, after his 14-year-old son was killed.

The parents of some of the survivors were also inconsolable.

“I’m waiting on my son to get better, and once he does I will take my revenge on the Saudis,” said Mokhtar’s father. “We will never leave Saada.”

Close to him, his son crouches near the bomb site, still haunted by memories of the attack.

“My father says he will buy me toys and get me a new school bag. But I don’t want a new school bag. I hate school bags,” said eight-year-old Mokhtar before adding that his education ended the day his friends died.

“I don’t want to go anywhere near a bus. I hate buses, I hate school and I can’t sleep. I see my friends in my dreams begging me to rescue them.

“So, from now on, I’m going to stay at home.”

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Add millions of used contact lenses to the plastic waste that’s finding its way into oceans and lakes.

A new study released Sunday estimates that these slippery transparent discs, vital to the vision of an estimated 45 million Americans, are often flushed into the sewer instead of placed in the trash or recycled.

Worn for as little as a day, their small size contributes to the danger they could eventually wind up polluting a lake, river or go out to sea, says the study being presented at a conference by Arizona State University researchers.

“I wondered what happened to these lenses,” said Rolf Halden, director of ASU’s Biodesign Institute Center for Environmental Health Engineering. “In the bathroom, they can get lost in the sink or go down the toilet. I am an engineer, so let’s see how big the problem is.”

The answer, as it turns out, is that the problem is substantial. Up to 20 percent of wearers aren’t tossing their old lenses into waste containers, opting instead for disposal in sinks and toilets. But because lenses are made of such tough plastics, they don’t break down fully when exposed to microbes. ASU’s study found that after going through  a sewage treatment plant, they become even smaller pieces, which can find their way into fish, birds or other animals.

Of about 14 billion contact lenses used in the U.S. every year, the study estimated that up to 50,000 pounds get flushed or otherwise go down the drain, most destined for waste treatment plants. Just how many end up in the ocean or waterways couldn’t be determined.

It’s a similar problem to other flotsam of daily life, from straw forks to plastic bags. Recognition of how many plastic straws end up in the trash, and eventually the ocean, prompted Starbucks to say it is going to phase them out globally by 2020. McDonald’s plans to test alternatives in the U.S. later this year.

Researchers could only find one maker, Bausch + Lomb, that is seriously pursuing a contact-lens recycling program. Since the program began in November 2016, the company says its One by One program has collected packaging waste and 2.5 million used lenses amounting to about seven tons of waste.

“We are continuing it every year and continuing to raise awareness about it,” said Bausch + Lomb spokeswoman Kristy Marks.

Johnson & Johnson, which makes about 5 billion contact lenses a year through its popular Acuvue brand, has attacked the problem by reducing the amount of paper in its packaging and increasing the amount that can be recycled. It hasn’t put an emphasis on the lens itself, which it says weighs only 30 micrograms.

The ASU study, being formally presented Sunday at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, found that used contact lenses are prevalent in wastewater sludge after sewage treatment. A pair of leftover lenses can usually be found in every two pounds of sludge, according Charles Rolsky, a doctoral student who also worked on the study.

The problem is that since sludge is often deposited on land, those lenses can eventually wash into lakes or rivers where fish can consume them.

The answer, Halden believes, isn’t to ban contact lenses. Too many people, including himself, depend on them. And daily disposables, rather than the ones that people wear for a week or more, are one of the fastest growing parts of the contact-lens market and more convenient and safe.

Rather, he said, the better solution is to encourage proper disposal. For its program, Bausch + Lomb partners with a company called TerraCycle that specializes in recycling smaller items that wouldn’t normally get separated in the standard process.

The issue with lenses is to deal with not only them but their packaging made up of foil and plastic, which has to be separated in order to go to recycling plants, said  Rick Zultner, director of process and product development for TerraCycle.

“Every waste stream has its unique quirks,” he said.

The best ways to dispose of your contact lenses

Bausch + Lomb has a recycling program that allows contact lens wearers to participate in either of two ways. They can take their used packaging and lenses to any of more than 2,000 participating doctors’ offices. Or they can mail them in directly to the recycling center that works with the company. The user puts their waste in a cardboard box, downloads a preprinted label and ships it.

 

More: Worst types of litter: Plastic straws not even in the top 5

More: Starbucks debuts its first plant-based protein coffee

More: Pebble Beach preview: Automakers focus on car concepts — fast and electric — for Monterey

 

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The sheer scale

The Hajj brings together Muslims from all over the world, regardless of culture, ethnicity, sect or class. It is a religious duty for all financially and physically able Muslims to perform the Hajj at least once in their lives.

Every year, the Saudi government allocates a quota of the number of citizens from each country who are permitted to perform the Hajj. This figure is largely determined by the Muslim population in each country.

Over the past two decades, the total number of pilgrims grew from 1.8 million in 1995 to a peak of 3.1 million in 2012. The number of pilgrims declined sharply in 2013 due to an ongoing expansion project in Mecca and Medina, which is expected to be completed in 2020.

One-third of all pilgrims live in Saudi Arabia but the remainder come from all over the world.

If a single plane was filled with all the pilgrims, it would look like this:

Figures from 2017

Chelsea and Arsenal contested a chaotic classic at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Their five-goal thriller, which the Blues won 3-2, provided constant entertainment – but also plenty of evidence that the best either of these teams can aim for in this season’s Premier League is a top-four finish.

The shambolic manner in which both teams defended in the opening 45 minutes suggests it would be a stretch to pencil in either side as serious title contenders.

Former England defender Rio Ferdinand acknowledged as much when he said on BT Sport: “Neither team will be anywhere near winning the league because they just don’t defend. You’ve got to have balance, both parts of the game.”

Chelsea undoubtedly have real class and enough quality in their ranks to make a bid for the top four and a return to the Champions League, which has been their natural home for almost the entire Roman Abramovich era.

Arsenal are undergoing an understandable transition under Unai Emery after 22 years of Arsene Wenger’s control, and their back four looked all over the place at times on Saturday. In some respects, a top-four finish would be a huge bonus as there will inevitably be some pain from such a seismic change in direction, philosophy and approach.

If they did mount a challenge for the top four in a league that also contains the two Manchester clubs, Liverpool and Tottenham, it would be quite an achievement by the Spaniard.

Expect excitement from Sarri and Emery

Irrespective of whether the title eludes Sarri and Emery, both have a style and approach that will bring character, colour and excitement to the Premier League.

And, on Saturday’s evidence, the excitement will come at both ends of the pitch.

Sarri is a renowned advocate of fast, attacking football as he proved at Napoli, and it was certainly on show here as Chelsea carved out a host of chances once they had cleared their heads after Arsenal came from 2-0 to level at the break.

Jorginho is a top-class acquisition, while the success and importance of keeping Eden Hazard has already been emphasised by his impact as a substitute at Huddersfield Town and against Arsenal.

Sarri is committed to entertaining, progressive football, and watching Chelsea promises to bring plenty of fun this season.

Emery’s jack-in-the-box antics in his technical area and his hands-on approach was quite the sight at Stamford Bridge, and his body language made it clear he does not expect his Arsenal team to take a backward step.

The new manager’s desire to play a high defensive line and demand to play out from the back make for a high-risk strategy, especially given the current personnel does not seem to give him a natural fit, and remains a work in progress.

Emery, however, is a progressive coach and while there may be bad days ahead as well as good as Arsenal adjust, he seems determined to take a bold approach.

Chelsea have class to win silverware

Antonio Conte left Chelsea after winning the Premier League and FA Cup in his two seasons – confirmation there are unique demands at Stamford Bridge but also a winners’ mentality among this group of players.

Kepa Arrizabalaga, replacing Thibaut Courtois in goal, will need time to adjust to the Premier League but there will be no such problems for a player of Jorginho’s calibre.

Sarri is experienced and expansive as a coach, and it is already clear Chelsea’s squad are enjoying his methods and style.

This is why Chelsea will almost certainly be in the reckoning for silverware again this season, although the shambolic defending we saw here, and the ease with which Arsenal carved them open in the first half, will be punished more heavily should it remain unaddressed.

Any side possessing quality such as Hazard, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, in a more advanced role than we have seen previously, can be expected to be in the shake-up for silverware – and there is no reason to think Chelsea will not have a big chance of extending that winning streak in the cup competitions.

Emery faces huge task

Emery is not just taking on a new job at Arsenal – he is tasked with taking over from an institution whose personality and methods ran through every aspect of the club.

Emery has genuine pedigree from his three successive Europa League wins with Sevilla to titles with Paris St-Germain. Now he must use those qualities to renew Arsenal.

He deserves, and will get, plenty of time as the club knew what a crucial choice they were making when replacing Wenger.

Emery is also stepping in at a time when Arsenal’s rivals in the so-called ‘big six’ look stronger and so much further down the line in their development.

He is not going to be able to sweep out bad habits and old failings in a matter of weeks so he deserves the time and patience Arsenal will give him and the supporters will also surely offer him their understanding.

His team gave the ball away too often here, are clearly still adjusting to the new approach and much work still needs to be done in the transfer windows to come – but there were also signs to encourage Emery.

Yes, it was another damaging defeat against a close rival to leave them without a point from Emery’s first two games, but there was also resilience and fight to come back and not become demoralised after going two down in 20 minutes.

Arsenal have collapsed on plenty of similar occasions in the past but there was no suggestion of that here, which hints Emery is already having an impact on his players.

Lucas Torreira will add a new dimension in midfield, and on other days the chances missed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and others will be converted.

This is a managerial reign in its infancy. Emery will need all the time he can be assured Arsenal will give him.