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This paper aims to research the prevalence of a new drug which appeared at the era of economic crisis in Greece, called “shisha.” Shisha, a rather cheap form of crystal meth, has spread fast among drug users in Greece with the deepening of the economic crisis. The present paper is concerned with the socio-demographic characteristics of drug users who choose this type of drug and reveals the conditions under which this drug is used. In addition, perceptions of drug users about the specific drug are also explored.

In total, 148 drug users took part in this study. Of these 73 percent were men and 27 percent women. The average age of participants was approximately 37 years. All participants in the study were interviewed face-to-face on the basis of a structured brief questionnaire with closed and open-ended questions.

The data suggests that the majority of drug users who use “shisha” are mainly heroin users (63.2 percent) and they use this new drug as a second choice to heroin. Shisha can be found in the center of Athens and it is usually smoked through a glass pipe. The cost for buying the drug is relatively low (two to three euros) and the drug is produced in small illegal labs. Most participants argued that shisha is linked to violent and aggressive behavior, loss of weight, insomnia, sexual arousal and a psychotic state that may cause death. The drug is made out of a form of crystal meth produced by amphetamines and liquid acids found in batteries liquids.

This drug is mainly used by homeless drug users in the center of Athens. Its exact synthesis cannot be identified given the fact that drug users use various recipes to produce it. Taking the drug is extremely dangerous for the health of the users.

Research of the use of a new drug linked to the economic crisis in Greece. Researchers in this paper approached street drug users who are highly unlikely to seek help from health or other types of treatment providers.

The regeneration of urban open spaces of traditional markets in the GCC is driven by socio-cultural intents to reconcile between tradition and modernity. This paper investigates the qualities of urban open spaces of two traditional markets in Qatar through behavioural mapping and impressionistic assessments. The paper aims to demonstrate the variations of urban open spaces in historic markets of Doha and Al Wakra cities and to investigate efficiency of use. The study utilizes both quantitative data and qualitative observations during the peak hours. Firstly, it locates the activities and functions of users on actual maps and determines their density, and secondly, presents the observations recorded through still photographs. The study reveals that Souq Waqif in Doha scored high in the functional, social, and perceptual attributes than Souq Al-Wakra. The behavioural observations demonstrated that both markets are safe, welcoming, and accommodating for their users, yet, Souq Waqif promotes engaging social experiences due to efficient management.

In Chapter 3, the author will problematise the youth smoking epidemic within SEA, in order to justify why the regional impacts of the tobacco trade on youths are worrisome. The author will present the major youth smoking trends in SEA, for the purpose of illustrating how the presence of tobacco products has adversely affected regional youths to a concerning degree. The author, next, will highlight the causes of the youth smoking epidemic, namely susceptibility and positive advertising. The author follows by emphasising the national and regional costs of youth smoking, by arguing how such a lifestyle results in negative consequences in relation to the delinquency itself. Lastly, the author will recommend policies for tobacco control that SEA governments should consider to contain the epidemic of youth smoking. It is noteworthy that all SEA governments have some degree of tobacco control policies in place. However, many lack the implementation of comprehensive national tobacco control strategic plans and tightened law enforcement endeavours to specifically target the problem of youth smoking. Therefore, the outputs of this chapter should contain scholarly values that are conducive to the betterment of policy-making.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries, including Palestine, implemented lockdown rules. These measures slowed the outbreak of the coronavirus, and because of the poor management of the Palestinian government in dealing with women’s rights in light of the Corona pandemic, they contributed to increasing gender-based violence (GBV).

The study used the qualitative method. An inductive thematic latent content analysis was applied using the MAXQDA 2020 program throughout the data collection stage. The content analysis in this study focused on interviews made with the survivors. The interview schedule consisted of four questions covering different aspects of knowledge around GBV during COVID-19 in the Gaza Strip. In-depth interviews were conducted in Arabic with 25 survivors who experienced GBV between January 17 and March 13, 2022.

The results show that the kind of violence the survivors were most subjected to is psychological violence, followed by economic violence, and the least kind of violence that the survivors were subjected to was sexual violence. The study revealed the good practices for preventing and combating violence against Palestinian women and girls due to government measures to reduce COVID-19 from the perspective of survivors.

One of the limitations of this study was the small number of cases coming to the Aisha Association for support. Because of the temporary suspension of psychological and social support projects from the foundation due to a problem related to funding, some survivors also fear that their husbands will discover that they have participated in the study, so they hesitate to agree to an interview. Survivors’ lack of understanding of the study question related to implications of closing social justice institutions due to COVID-19 on GBV? This led to conflicting answers.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, it is the first study in Palestine that dealt Consequences of Government Measures in Palestine to Mitigate COVID-19 on GBV, and its results will be important for the protection of survivors and the adoption of government policies in Palestine.

This paper aims to provide a political commentary on the economic crisis in Greece and to consider the subsequent risks and challenges for drug policy and strategy.

The author considers the effect of the current economic problems on individuals, families and communities. A background on patterns of drug use in Greece is given and then consideration made to the need for service provision. The paper also considers links between addiction and delinquency and crime against a backdrop of legislative reform in Greece.

The paper highlights the effects of economic crisis on drug related phenomena in Greece.

The risks and challenges presented to drug treatment organizations as a result of economic crisis are discussed together with the new challenges presented by the affected population of drug users in Greece. The paper also gives emphasis to the obstacles to the adoption and implementation of a new Drugs Law.

The situation of drug addicts in the correctional system is also presented and the various issues that arise from limited services and access to drug treatment services. It is suggested that a humanitarian approach towards the drug addicted population should be adopted, including de‐criminalization of drug use, together with increased access to physical, mental health and drug services within the criminal justice system.

The paper provides an up to date discussion of drug policy in Greece in the light of the current economic pressures.

This paper aims to illustrate how first-generation immigrant youth who are English language learners respond to graphic novels and what literacies they acquire from reading and discussing graphic texts.

This paper is based on qualitative discourse data collected from an afterschool program with five high-school-aged English-language learners and their teacher. The afterschool program is centered on reading and discussing graphic novels.

Transcript analysis showed that the girls, even while working to “break” the written code, were engaged in critical analysis. In other words, English learners’ struggles to decode the words did not hinder them in assuming the role of a text analyst, and in questioning the creator’s message, purposes and worldviews.

This paper, which draws on an approach wherein the researcher pays close attention to immigrant youth as language users and meaning makers, can inform the methodologies of literacy and language researchers.

The paper can also inform the work of educators who are interested in pedagogical supports – texts and practices – that promote powerful language and literacy.

This paper is timely, given not only the challenges and possibilities associated with educating recent-arrival immigrant youth and English-language learners, but also the growing interest by language and literacy educators in the role of multimodal texts for developing multiple and critical literacies of all students.

A story of my time in Damascus and falling in love.