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London’s Al Saqi Books Closes Its Doors End of December

London’s Al Saqi Books Closes Its Doors End of December
    Beirut - Sawsan el-Abtah
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London’s Al Saqi Books Closes Its Doors End of December

London’s Al Saqi Books Closes Its Doors End of December

Sad news! London’s Al Saqi Books, which served as a cultural center for 44 years, announced closing its doors on December 31.

The general situation, long lockdowns, and the increasing costs of papers and shipping have aggravated the crisis of libraries, publishers, and everything related to books. Like many victims affected in these fragile professions, especially those working in the field of Arabic books, this esteemed library, which played a central role for Arabs and non-Arabs interested in Arabic books in the UK, has decided to put an end to its journey.

“The various lockdowns and the ensuing breakdown of supply chains negatively impacted many independent businesses, such as ours. But as a specialist Arab-world bookseller sourcing our stock from the Middle East and North Africa, we also had to contend with sharp increases in Arabic-language book prices, shipping charges and exchange rates,” owner Salwa Gaspard told the Bookseller Magazine.

“For me, Al Saqi is more than just a library. I grew up in Al Saqi, my sister and I spent hours playing around books. I was honored to work in it with my parents. We will miss the library but we are looking forward to the next chapter in Al Saqi history from our new location in western London. We are thrilled to bring the best new and classic books from the Arab world to the United Kingdom and other countries within the coming years,” saddened Lyn Gaspard said about the library that her parents co-founded with Mai Ghoussoub.

Al Saqi Books, London, was established in 1979 by friends Mai Ghoussoub and Andre Gaspard, it was the first Arabic library in the UK. In 1982, they opened a special section in the library for English books about the Middle East, and then launched English publishing in 1983. Al Saqi started Arabic publishing in 1987 supported by its strong ties with its readers and other London-based publishers.
Dar Al Saqi publishing was founded in Beirut, in 1991, pledging to promote intellectual innovation and the renaissance of Arabic culture.

It acted as a bridge between the Arabic and western cultures by encouraging dialogue, introducing the western culture to the Arab readers, and showcasing causes that concern the Arabic society in the west.

The Arabic publishing house, which also established “Al Saqi Kids and Youth” in 2012, won many prizes. After its closure in London, Al Saqi is still alive and struggling for survival in Beirut.

“Although Al Saqi is closing its doors in London, its heritage will continue with its two independent publishing houses: Dar Al Saqi for Arabic Publishing (Beirut), and Saqi Books for English publishing in London,” Dar Al Saqi said in a statement.

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Should You Stretch before Exercise? After? Never? Here’s What to Know

Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)
Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)
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Should You Stretch before Exercise? After? Never? Here’s What to Know

Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)
Philadelphia Eagles stretch as they get ready during practice at NFL football training camp, Thursday, July 25, 2024, in Philadelphia. (AP)

For many people of a certain age, high school gym class began with reaching for their toes. Then, over the years, we were told it was better to stretch after exercise.

It turns out, both those things can be true, but the differing advice has created some confusion.

Stretching can help make you more flexible, improve range of motion in your joints — and feel good. David Behm, who researches human kinetics at Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Canada, offers this advice on when to stretch and how to do it safely:

Warm up first

It’s almost always good to stretch, but it’s better if you warm up first, said Behm, author of "The Science and Physiology of Flexibility and Stretching." He recommends a light aerobic activity such as jogging, walking or cycling for five or 10 minutes.

Follow that with some static stretching, the traditional way of reaching and holding a position (think back to that gym class). You can then do activity-specific dynamic stretching, in which you warm up the muscles with repetitive movements like leg lifts.

Behm says one minute is "the magic number" for how long to do static stretching per muscle group without fatigue.

Expand your definition of 'stretching'

Should you always stretch before exercising? If it's traditional stretching, not necessarily.

The better question, Behm says, is, "Should people increase their range of motion? Should people have better flexibility? And that is yes, because it helps prevent injuries. It helps with health. But you don’t have to stretch to achieve that."

Resistance training, for instance, can be an effective form of stretching, he said. Doing a chest press increases range of motion in your deltoids and pecs, whether with barbells, dumbbells or machines, so there is no need to stretch beforehand. Just make sure to start with a small amount of weight to warm up and then add more to train.

"You probably don’t have to do extra stretching unless you’re a gymnast, a figure skater, or even a golfer who needs a great range of motion through that swing," Behm said.

Nor do you need to stretch first if you’re going for a leisurely run. Simply start with a slow jog to warm up and then increase the pace.

Don't do it if it hurts

After exercise, "light stretching is OK, as long as you don't reach a point where you're feeling pain," Behm said. Since your muscles will be warm by that point, overdoing it makes you more likely to injure yourself.

Foam rollers can help with muscle recovery and have been shown to increase range of motion as well as stretching.

Do some static stretching before sports

If you’re playing a sport, Behm said, static stretching beforehand helps reduce muscle and tendon injury.

"If you’re going to do an explosive movement, change of direction, agility, sprint, any of these explosive activities that involve your muscles and tendons," he said, "you’re going to be stronger if you do static stretching."

People can especially get in trouble when they go back to a sport they used to play, whether it's tennis, surfing or any sort of team activity.

Also, stretch both sides equally. Lacking flexibility on one side also can lead to injury.

Sounds simple. Why all the confusion? Different studies over the years have either encouraged or discouraged stretching before exercise. Behm says that partly because some studies didn't reflect real-life conditions, or were designed with elite athletes in mind, not regular people.

"If you’re Usain Bolt, it makes a difference," said Behm. Not so much for the rest of us.