Features

LOS ANGELES — Summer blockbusters gave way to the small and highly targeted over a sleepy Labour Day weekend at the box office, with notable performances from the faith-based “War Room” and the Spanish language cartoon “Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos”.

Sony’s “War Room” fought its way to first place in its second weekend in release, earning $12.6 million across the four-day holiday weekend, according to Rentrak estimates on Monday. The microbudget family drama, which cost only $3.5 million to produce, has grossed $27.9 million to date.

Financial success for faith-based films is not exactly a surprise at this point, but “War Room’s” impressive hold from its opening weekend is significant.

Paul Dergarabedian, Rentrak’s senior media analyst, attributes “War Room’s” second weekend success to heightened awareness after it nearly usurped “Straight Outta Compton” last weekend.

Also, word of mouth is strong for “War Room”. Dergarabedian said according to exit polling, 75 per cent of the audience said they would definitely recommend the movie — a substantial and interesting contrast to the dismal critical reception for the film.

“It’s just a great story of a film that really filled a void in the marketplace, with a message that the audience could really get behind,” he said.

New release “A Walk in the Woods”, debuted in third place, behind previous champ “Straight Outta Compton”, with $10.5 million from 1,960 screens. The buddy dramedy based on Bill Bryson’s memoir starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte cost a reported $8 million to make and has taken in $12.2 million since its Wednesday opening.

Fourth went to “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation”, the heart-pounding Tom Cruise vehicle, which pulled in $7.2 million its sixth week in theatres for a cumulative gross of $180.5 million.

The action pic “The Transporter Refuelled”, meanwhile, opened in fifth with a lacklustre $9 million from over 3,400 screens. Costing only $21 million to produce, this franchise outing subbed in a relatively unknown actor, Ed Skrein, for star Jason Statham, who had helped the previous three films succeed.

Dergarabedian said while both films will likely perform decently in theatres, their VOD earning potential is great.

“Both of those movies will end up being profitable on the small screen down the road,” he said.

But, it was Pantelion’s Spanish-language animated film “Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos”, that truly stood out among the pack, taking in $4.4 million from just 395 locations over the four-day weekend. Although it doesn’t come close to the sensational $10.4 million Labour Day weekend debut of Pantelion’s 2013 film “Instructions Not Included”, it does still illustrate the significant power of an underserved audience.

“Latinos represent 17 per cent of the population and buy 24 per cent of movie tickets. They go to the movies all the time and they go to movies as families. If we can create a film that resonates with families over a holiday weekend, it tends to do well,” said Paul Presburger, CEO of Pantelion.

“Where Hollywood releases big movies that appeal to everyone, we release movies that specifically and culturally appeal to the Latino audience,” he added.

They relied on grassroots marketing to get the word out about the film and plan to expand to over 580 locations next weekend.

“It’s the highest per-theatre average of any film in national release, that film, like ‘War Room,’ filled a void in the marketplace,” said Dergarabedian. “Hollywood is creating a lot of diverse product. It’s all about people relating to what’s going on on-screen.”

Sixth was “No Escape”, the expat adventure film starring Owen Wilson as a father trying to save his family in the middle of a foreign country’s political uprising. It raked in $5.4 million.

“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, based on the 1960s TV spy series, slipped a notch to seventh place with a little more than $3.4 million in weekend ticket sales.

In a surprise finish, eighth place went to Mexico’s “Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos” (A Rooster with Many Eggs), a Spanish-language animated feature, with $3.4 million.

The result was stunning because the 3D film about a little rooster that fights a mean rancher opened in less than 400 theatres, was shown in its original Spanish with English subtitles and had little advertising in North America.

Horror flick “Sinister 2” — about a child’s nightly visitations from ghoulish kids — dropped to ninth, making slightly less than $3.4 million.

“Inside Out,” Pixar’s 3D animated comedy drama set in the mind of a young girl, was tenth at $3.1 million.

It has made $348.2 million after 12 weeks in movie theatres.

DETROIT — From his laboratory at Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University, automated vehicle pioneer Raj Rajkumar says self-driving cars will evolve step-by-step, with humans staying in charge for a long time to come.

More than 4,000km west in Mountain View, California, Chris Urmson, head of Google Inc.’s self-driving car programme since 2009, has a different view: A fully automated vehicle that requires no input or intervention from humans is a safer choice, and one that could be ready for production by 2020.

Bad drivers

Partially automating a car can reduce certain accident risks, but can also create new safety challenges not easily solved by current technology. Urmson, one of Rajkumar’s former colleagues at Carnegie Mellon, said he worries that drivers could muff the handoff when an automated system suddenly demands they start making decisions about where to steer.

“The better the technology gets,” he said, “the less reliable the driver is going to get.”

Google’s all-in approach differs from the auto industry’s strategy on autonomous vehicle technology that will manifest itself in vehicles consumers can buy over the next two to three years.

Mainstream automakers General Motors Co. and Volkswagen AG and newcomer Tesla Motors Inc. are pushing down the road to automation outlined by Rajkumar. They are accelerating plans to bring automated driving to the market in stages, starting as early as this year. A small group of Tesla owners is testing its “Autopilot” system that will allow hands-free highway cruising and automated parking. Tesla said it expects to offer the technology more widely later this year.

Technology that allows a car to park itself is already on the market, and a growing number of vehicles are equipped with systems that automatically apply the brakes, correct the steering or maintain a set distance from a vehicle ahead in the lane.

The automakers’ rush to partially automated driving is moving faster than regulators can prescribe new rules of the road. Some experts — Urmson is one — are concerned that drivers may not respond well to cars that let them surrender control for long stretches.

Alerting a driver to retake control during an emergency is one of the biggest safety challenges for manufacturers of partially automated cars, industry officials and scientists said.

Depending on the level of automation and intensity of alert, some drivers took an average of 17 seconds to respond to a takeover request and regain control of the vehicle, in a study just released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and supported by Google and several leading automakers and suppliers. In that time, a car travelling at 96 kilometres per hour would travel more than a quarter of a 1.6 kilometre.

Time to respond and regain control was reduced to just a few seconds when visual and audible warnings were accompanied by non-visual alerts such as a nudge from a mechanism in the seat.

But “there were alerts that were missed” by some study participants, NHTSA said. When drivers shift their attention to other tasks in a self-driving vehicle, such as sending an e-mail, “their readiness to respond to driving-related prompts and alerts can be delayed.”

There’s value in “driver assistance” features such as brakes that engage automatically when the car’s sensors detect an imminent crash, Urmson said. But a fully automated vehicle “can be much safer than a driver assistance system can ever be”.

The behaviour of drivers in automated cars is one issue. Another is the interaction between robot cars and those piloted by people. Google’s Urmson has highlighted that issue in dissecting the causes of a series of incidents in which the company’s self-driving cars were hit by conventional vehicles.

Rear-ended

In an August 20 incident, a Google self-driving prototype was rear-ended while stopped for a pedestrian in a crosswalk near the company’s Mountain View headquarters. At the time, the driver of the Google vehicle had taken manual control after the car had begun to automatically brake for the pedestrian. Urmson speculated that the driver of the other vehicle may have glanced away while changing lanes.

Unresolved questions aren’t stopping automakers and automotive suppliers from cashing in on partial automation, in part because the incremental approach promises more revenue in the near term than keeping technology in the lab.

Automotive technology companies such as Continental AG and Silicon Valley names such as chipmaker Nvidia Corp. are working with automakers on semi-automated systems as well as supporting Google’s project. Last month, Delphi Automotive Plc, a global auto supplier in the forefront of automated vehicle development, acquired Ottomatika, a CMU spinout that originated in Rajkumar’s lab.

Semi-automated driver assistance systems are expected to add $3,000 or more to the cost of cars. There are no consistent estimates on the cost of a fully automated vehicle.

The entire auto industry is waiting for highway safety regulators at NHTSA to clarify their position on Tesla’s Autopilot and similar technology.

“The agency is in regular contact with the many companies that are developing such technologies and we are working with all of them to help ensure that these innovations realise their safety potential,” NHTSA said in a statement August 31.

In July, NHTSA chief Mark Rosekind said the agency is reviewing federal vehicle safety rules that could affect self-driving vehicles.

“We are trying to figure out if innovation will run up against regulations,” Rosekind said.

America’s most celebrated car, the Ford Mustang was first launched in 1964 and is credited with creating the affordable, accessible and visceral “Pony” and “Muscle” car segments. A second time trendsetter with its heavily retro-inspired 2005 fifth generation, the 2015 sixth generation Mustang again leads the pack with a more mature, sophisticated and refined effort that loses none of its predecessors’ evocative charisma.

A feel-good car teeming with a sense of the dramatic, the latest Mustang wears its heritage as a convincingly authentic layer of traditional charm, but is backed up by thoroughly capable contemporary technology, refinement, handling and dynamic ability. Powered by an improved version of Ford’s 5-litre Coyote V8 engine, the new Mustang is the first with independent rear suspension, and so reaps ride and handling benefits. 

An eye for the dramatic

Moody, aggressive and crucially a fun and charismatic car, the Mustang is a robust and practical daily drive coupe. An evolutionary design, the new Mustang’s muscularly long bonnet, lusty Coke-bottle hips, fastback body, short deck and slanted three-bar rear lights make it immediately identifiable as such. However, its design is a natural progression and more contemporary expression of what a Mustang should look like.

Seamlessly harmonising classical Mustang traits with Ford’s contemporary and familial design language, the new Mustang’s face is dominated by a huge gaping and hungry trapezoidal grille and lower intake. With a jutting and shark-like demeanour and menacingly squinty, browed and slim headlights, the Mustang’s sculpted side intakes, powerful rear haunches, and twin-ridge bonnet surfacing, the Mustang oozes dynamic tension from every angle. 

With a keen eye for the dramatic, the Mustang is wide, low and seems ready to pounce even when still, but is aerodynamically designed for efficiency and stability, employing air splitters and dams, bonnet vents and rear spoiler. Using more high strength steel for improved safety, refinement and handling, the new Mustang is 28 per cent stiffer and features aluminium front wings and bonnet for improved weighting.

Eager and abundant

Seductively muscular, the Mustang GT’s 5-litre DOHC V8 “Coyote” is a muscular and punchy engine, developing 400lb/ft at 4250rpm and 435BHP by 6500rpm. Effortlessly gutsy from tick-over, abundantly versatile in mid-range and seamlessly progressive, eager and powerful to redline, the Mustang GT is brutally quick off-the-line, and with wheel-spin swiftly giving way to sure-footed traction can rocket through the 0-100km/h benchmark in 4.8 seconds and onto 250km/h.

Burbling, gurgling and warbling at idle, the Mustang GT’s bass-heavy medley of exhaust and intake acoustics hardens to bellow and relentless staccato growl as revs reach towards its rev limit. Eager and abundant, the GT’s muscular engine pulls hard in virtually any gear and speed and doesn’t require much downshifting, and is happy languidly cruising or briskly but comfortably tackling a hill climb at mid-range speed. 

Driving the rear wheels through a smooth and concise shifting 6-speed automatic gearbox, the Mustang is able to hold gears without an automatic up-shift against its rev limiter at 7000rpm and without unwanted kickdowns at full load, when set to its “Sport” drive and gearbox modes. This allows more autonomy to the driver to feed in and finesse power deliver through corners without unwanted automatic overrides.

Connected, composed and confident

The first Mustang to ditch the traditional live axle and adopt independent rear suspension, the new Mustang’s integral-link set-up allows for fine-tuning for a smooth and comfortable ride, and firm body control and precision through corners. Well-balanced with 54 per cent front bias and with road hugging footprint and sticky 255/40R19 tyres, the Mustang GT is confident, agile, reassuring and is connected, communicative and flattering to drive.

Quick and best in its meatier “Sport” mode, its steering offers good feel and precision, and is tidy, sharp and grippy on turn-in with very little evidence of understeer over various test drive conditions, including greasily damp switchbacks. Charismatic, reassuring and predictable, the Mustang soon becomes second nature to drive, and is well adept to repetitive direction changes and regains lateral and vertical composure well from mid-corner bumps.

With slight weight shift on sudden direction change the Mustang settles into a corner with superb composure, taut body and grippy lateral control. Committed to cornering lines, it is progressive, balanced and intuitively predictable once pushed beyond its rear grip limit, with easily finessed on-throttle handling and cornering line. Meanwhile, big 352mm front and 330mm rear ventilated disc brakes tirelessly and effectively rein in its 1691kg mass.

Ergonomic and evocative

With noticeably planted stability, the Mustang is reassuring, refined and smooth at speed, settled and taut on rebound and forgiving with a faint bounce over lumps, bumps and imperfections. Meanwhile, available safety equipment is extensive and includes eight airbags, adaptive cruise control, blind spot information, cross-traffic alert and Ford Mykey, which allows owners to limit top speed sound system volume prevent second drivers from disabling driver-assist features. 

Accessible, spacious and well equipped, the Mustang’s cabin features a hunkered down but well-adjustable seating position, while its’ long double ridged bonnet provides quite the evocative front view. More ergonomic than its primary rivals, the Mustang offers good visibility and spaciously accommodates large front passengers. Rear seats are useable, if not especially generous, while rear boot space is well accessible, uniformly shaped and generous at 383 litres.

Ergonomically well-laid out, the Mustang’s cabin has a retro muscle car ambiance with clear dials, gated toggle switches and thick steering wheel. Material and fit are good and include plenty of soft textures. Seats are comfortable, but stiffer side bolsters would better suit its’ high dynamic ability. Generously equipped, features include advanced Sync infotainment system with smartphone compatibility and track gauges —including a g-force gauge.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 5-litre, all-aluminium, in-line V8 cylinders

Bore x stroke: 92.2 x 92.7mm

Compression ratio: 11:1

Valve-train: 32-valve, DOHC, variable valve timing

Gearbox: 6-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive, limited-slip differential

Gear ratios: 1st 4.17:1; 2nd 2.34:1; 3rd 1.52:1; 4th 1.14:1; 5th 0.87:1; 6th 0.69:1

Final drive ratio: 3.15:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 435 (441) [324] @6500rpm

Specific power: 87.8BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 257.2BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 400 (542) @4250rpm

Specific torque: 109.4Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 320.5Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 4.8 seconds (est.)

Top speed: 250km/h (est.)

Fuel consumption, city/highway/combined:

14.9/9.5/12.5l/100km

CO2 emissions: 281g/km (est.)

Length: 4782mm

Width: 1915mm

Height: 1381mm

Wheelbase: 2720mm

Track, F/R: 1582/1648mm 

Headroom, F/R: 955/883mm

Legroom, F/R: 1130/777mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1430/1325mm

Luggage volume: 383 litres

Fuel capacity: 60 litres

Kerb weight: 1691kg

Weight distribution, F/R: 53 per cent/47 per cent

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning circle: 11.5 metres

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson Struts/integral link, anti-roll bars

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs, 352mm/330mm

Brake callipers, F/R: 4/1

Tyres: 255/40R19

The Lanterns of the King of Galilee

Ibrahim Nasrallah

Translated by Nancy Roberts

American University in Cairo Press, 2014

Pp. 550

Combining fact and fiction, Ibrahim Nasrallah recounts a nearly forgotten chapter in Palestine’s history. While his earlier historical novel, “Time of White Horses” (AUC Press, 2012), is set in the 20th century, “The Lanterns of the King of Galilee” reverts back to the 1700s. It tells the story of Daher Al Umar Al Zaydani who created the first (and, arguably, only) Palestinian state, which at its height encompassed Galilee, the coastal plain and southern Palestine, as well as Irbid, Ajloun, the Houran and Sidon. 

Though never formally seceded from the Ottoman Empire, this territory was de facto under local self-government for a number of years, mainly due to Daher’s daring, wise and proactive leadership. As he said to the shepherd whom he inspired to be his first lieutenant, “If you want to see the world, Bishr, you’re going to have to light your own lantern.” (p. 76)

Indeed, lanterns flicker throughout the book, evolving from a symbol of fate into a sign of resistance and enlightened leadership. 

Filled with sweeping landscapes, dramatic battles, bravery, cruelty and treachery, this book has all the ingredients of an epic, but one thinks Nasrallah chose to focus on Daher because his was a different kind of heroism. Anticipating an attack by Sulayman Pasha, he tells the people of Tiberius, “The worst idea anyone ever had was to be a war hero… we aren’t fighting in order to be heroes. Rather, we’re fighting in order to be human.” (p. 302)

Some called him King of the Galilee, but it was not a title he appropriated.

Growing up on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, son of a local tax collector known for his fairness, Daher didn’t plan to be a hero. But he was deeply shaken when Sidon’s vizier slaughtered the entire population of the nearby town of Bi’na, when they couldn’t pay their taxes. At that time, such cruelties were rampant as local Ottoman officials sought to extort more than was due the empire in order to amass their own wealth and power. 

Haunted that he couldn’t save his friends in Bi’na, and thinking that life didn’t have to be like that, Daher set about instituting a just system whereby he ensured that Tiberius paid the taxes due the Ottomans — but nothing more. In return, people were left alone to cultivate their land and raise their families in peace. After success in Tiberius, he extended his system to other towns through negotiations and alliances when possible, or by fighting if necessary. It is noteworthy that his friendships and alliances cut across religious sects and social groups to include Sunnis, Shiites, Jews, Christians, bedouin and urbanites, rich and poor. For a time, everybody was happy, and Daher gained the respect of Ottoman officials who appreciated the reliable stream of funding. 

“Lanterns” is the story of a battle between two opposing concepts of heroism, leadership and exercising power — whether to serve the people or to be self-serving. In the end, the empire couldn’t tolerate Daher’s independence, and some of his erstwhile allies betrayed him in their own personal quest for power and wealth.

Like “Time of White Horses”, this novel has element of myth, including a white mare who plays a crucial role in Daher’s early life. Women play a very prominent role, and their dignity and freedom are seen as imperative for a just society. The plot also illustrates beyond the shadow of a doubt that blood relations are not necessarily more viable than ties developed in pursuit of common goals. Daher faces his biggest challenges from his sons!

The character who brings together myth, female power and the flexibility of kinship roles is Najma, Daher’s surrogate mother, sister, adviser, companion and soul mate — her exact blood relationship to him is never clarified. Though her name means star, she always goes barefooted as she draws her strength and well-being from the Earth, making her a symbol of the centrality of the land in Palestinian society.

Besides history, there is plenty of romance, adventure, folklore and information on material life in Palestine and Bilad Al Shem at that time, all rendered in Nasrallah’s elegant prose and tantalising storytelling, and Nancy Roberts’ excellent translation. The only dissatisfying aspect is that one never really understands what led most of Daher’s sons to betray him. 

“The Lanterns of the King of Galilee” has great current relevance in that it illustrates a type of just, non-sectarian leadership that is so painfully lacking in Palestine and much of the region today. The book will soon be available at the University Bookshop.

BERLIN — As it gets harder to tear our eyes away from smartphones, televisions, tablets or computers, concerns are growing over a blue light emitted by their screens, blamed for harming the retina and causing interrupted sleep.

Electronics giants are turning crisis to an opportunity — quickly declaring that their latest products feature “safe” screens.

At the IFA mega-consumer electronics show in Berlin, Dutch company Philips is showcasing a new technology for its computer screens called “SoftBlue”, which it claims is gentler on the retina.

“We are shifting the harmful blue light frequencies, which are below 450 nanometres, to above 460 nanometres,” said Philips’ marketing director, Stefan Sommer.

Other brands like Asus and BenQ, along with American firm ViewSonic, have also seized on “safe” screens as a new selling point.

“We’ve been told from a very early age by parents that too much screen time, in front of a TV or a computer, is bad. So a ‘safe’ screen might resonate with consumers,” said Paul Gray, an analyst at IHS Global Insight.

Because it generates a relatively high intensity of light from just a low amount of energy, light-emitting diodes are used to light up smartphones, televisions or computers.

But the problem is the blue ray emitted at the same time, which is feared to pose potentially serious health consequences.

It is all scare-mongering or scientific fact? Serge Picaud, a researcher at the Institute of Sight in Paris, has a more measured take on it.

“We should not be so afraid that we bin all our screens,” he said.

In other words, deep blue light, which is close to ultraviolet light, is particularly harmful to eyes.

Nevertheless, the scientist says, “that must be taken in proportion as the light intensities produced by our screens are still relatively weak compared to sunlight”.

“Those who worry about harm caused by screens, do they also wear sunglasses at the beach?” asked Picaud.

MUMBAI — The remarkable true story of an Indian man who spent 22 years chiselling a massive gap in a mountain out of love for his dead wife hit cinema screens.

Dashrath Manjhi, an impoverished labourer from India’s lowest caste, embarked on the monumental endeavour after his wife died in 1959 in an accident, because she had not been able to receive urgent medical care in time.

Getting to the nearest town involved going around the mountain, a 55-kilometre journey, and Manjhi didn’t want other villagers to suffer the same fate.

Working day and night he chipped away at the mountain in Gehlour, in eastern Bihar state, using just a hammer and a chisel, to reduce the distance to 15 kilometres by cutting a direct path through rocks.

It took him until 1982 to create the path, which is around 110 metres long and in some places more than nine metres wide.

“The story is beautiful and compelling. He made the impossible possible and his work has helped thousands,” said Bollywood star Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who plays the lead role in “Manjhi — The Mountain Man”.

“The most difficult aspect was to capture the madness. His work is extraordinary. He should be an inspiration and an icon for the youth,” Siddiqui told AFP.

Manjhi died from cancer of the gall bladder in 2007, aged 73, and was recognised with a state funeral in Bihar.

He has been quoted as saying that when he first started breaking the mountain, locals thought he was crazy but later they changed their minds.

Even after Manjhi had finished, it took the local government another three decades to convert it into a tarred road.

‘How did he achieve it?’

Bollywood filmmaker Ketan Mehta said his response was one of disbelief when he first heard the story and he just knew he had to make a movie about it.

“People called him mad but how did he achieve it singlehandedly? I went there and saw the mountain and the path he had carved. It was inspiring,” Mehta told AFP.

Siddiqui, whose film credits include “The Lunchbox”, plays Manjhi from a young man right through to his later years. Indian actress Radhika Apte plays Manjhi’s wife.

“Manjhi — The Mountain Man is a film about the human spirit and a monument to love. Unfortunately too often we realise the value of a person only after they die,” the director added.

Raising funds for the production, convincing people to support the film and shooting in remote parts of India were some of the challenges Mehta faced, he said.

The film has also faced controversy. In 2013, filmmaker Dhananjay Kapoor blocked its release, claiming that he had the rights to Manjhi’s story. However, the court dismissed the petition and ruled in favour of Mehta.

Manjhi’s fame and the subsequent attention has also left members of his family disgruntled, according to a report in the Times of India newspaper, which quoted a relative complaining that many VIPs had visited their home but had broken promises to help them out of poverty.

Mehta pieced his script together based on meetings with villagers and local journalists, and newspaper articles.

But the director was forced to be imaginative when it came to the details of Manjhi’s relationship with his wife.

“The facts are facts but little is known of the love story, which is where we have filled in the blanks,” he said.

Casey Reyes struggled for a way to explain the “sci-fi” surgery doctors were proposing to save her 87-year-old grandfather’s badly burned hand.

“They’re gonna put your hand inside your stomach, kind of like a hoodie,” she told him.

Frank Reyes agreed to the strange operation at Houston Methodist Hospital, and spent three weeks with his left hand surgically tucked under a pocket of tissue in his belly to give it time to heal and form a new blood supply.

The doctors cut his hand free of its temporary home and shaped some of the abdominal tissue and skin to cover it. Reyes hopes for near-full use of the hand he almost lost after a freak accident earlier this summer while he was changing a tyre.

“It’s a funny feeling,” he said in an interview while his hand was still attached to his belly. “Anything to get me well.”

Surgeries like this — temporarily attaching one body part to another, or tucking it under skin — are by no means new, but they are uncommon. They are used on the battlefield, in trauma situations, and increasingly in research as a way to incubate lab-grown body parts from scaffold-like materials.

Dr Anthony Echo, plastic surgeon at Houston Methodist, thought of it when he saw Reyes, a retired cattle ranch worker and school bus driver who lives in Missouri City, Texas.

Reyes was home alone one day in late June, changing a tyre on a trailer, when the jack slipped, pinning his hand against a fender. It was more than 100 degrees that afternoon, and it took half an hour for help to arrive.

The hot metal was like an iron and “just cooked his hand”, burning through a thick glove and through skin, tendons and tissue, Echo said. Doctors initially tried a conservative approach, cleaning and bandaging the wound, but infection set in and most of his index finger had to be amputated.

Still, the hand grew worse.

“His skin was almost completely dead,” his granddaughter said doctors told her. “They said it looked like mummy skin.”

Reyes was sent to Echo, who realised a skin graft or flap of tissue from another part of Reyes’ body would not work. The damage was down to the bone, and without a good blood supply, a graft or flap would die, he explained.

Echo decided to try tucking the hand inside Reyes’ belly.

“The abdominal skin actually sticks to the hand” and new blood vessels form to connect them, he said. Without this, “likely he would have lost all of his fingers”, Echo said.

When he explained it to the family, “I thought it was more or less something out of a sci-fi movie. It sounded crazy,” Casey Reyes said. When she explained it to her grandfather, who has trouble hearing, “he looked at me kind of funny,” but agreed.

Dr Vijay Gorantla, a plastic surgeon and hand transplant expert at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, said the operation is not novel, but many doctors today don’t realise it is an option in situations like this.

“The credit has to go to the surgeons for having chosen this” to help the patient, he said. “It gives you phenomenal results, especially in this type of injury, with minimal complications.”

“They’re now using this technique to prefabricate a particular body part,” he noted. A group in China put cartilage under skin of the leg or the abdominal wall to create tissue and a blood supply for an ear.

Surgeons sometimes do it if the pulp or pad of a finger has been lost in an accident.

“You can take that tip of the finger and bury it in the abdominal wall,” then remove it with some tissue to fix the finger, he said.

As for Reyes, “as soon as I’m well enough to drive I want to take a little trip”, he said.

“The main thing I want to do is raise cattle, ride horses,” he said. “I’m an outdoors person.”

BOGOR, Indonesia — A Mexican migrant paid a recruiter thousands of dollars for work in the United States, only to endure slavery, time in jail and finally deportation.

To make sure others did not fall prey to the same man, the migrant wrote a review of the recruiter on Contratados.org, a site for migrants from Mexico working in the United States.

The site, which means “hired” in Spanish, is described by the founding labour rights group as a Yelp or TripAdvisor for migrant workers, many of whom pay large fees to recruitment agencies but are then trapped in abusive employment — exploited, unpaid and in debt.

“This man tricked me... I had to work without pay for two months,” the Mexican worker wrote in an anonymous posting on the site.

“He promised me a tourist visa and finally he gave me a false visa stuck on my passport for which he charged me 35,000 pesos ($2,000). At the border, I was detained and I was put in jail. I was in jail for three days and after that I was deported.”

Rachel Micah-Jones of the Centro de los Derechos del Migrante (CDM), the Centre for Migrant Rights, for workers in Mexico and the United States, which launched Contratados in September last year, said the site lets migrant workers rate their experience of recruiters or employers online, by voicemail or by text message.

Last year more than 130,000 Mexicans received temporary employment visas to work in the United States, and she said she hoped the site would help workers avoid being duped, exploited or charged illegal recruitment fees.

“They’re leaving messages warning of recruiters that charge excessive fees, or fraudulent recruiters, bad housing conditions, poor conditions in general,” Micah-Jones, CDM’s founder and executive director, told activists and trade union organisers at a recent migrant labour conference in Indonesia.

Micah-Jones is one of many advocates worldwide trying to end recruitment fees, a practice around the world that often leads to bonded or forced labour.

An estimated 232 million people migrated abroad for work in 2013, according to the United Nations, which has noted growing concern over fraudulent recruitment practices.

A recent survey across 12 countries in Asia and the Middle East — key nations for supplying and seeking overseas workers — found that 77 per cent of migrant workers had paid recruitment fees averaging more than $1,300.

Nepali migrants, with a monthly salary of $300, pay up to $1,500 to work in the Middle East, while other South Asians pay up to $7,000, said Tatcee Lorena Macabuag, of the Migrant Forum in Asia, the NGO network that conducted the survey and secretariat for an open working group on recruitment reform.

“Can you imagine where the migrant will get the money to pay these fees?” Macabuag said, calling for “ethical recruitment” in which employers pay all costs for migration.

Homes as collateral for loans

Many migrants sell property or use it as collateral to get loans for these fees, making it difficult to leave abusive employers for fear of losing their money, property and jobs.

Elizabeth Tang, general secretary of the International Domestic Workers Federation, said that among domestic workers in Hong Kong, all those from Indonesia and 80 per cent of those from the Philippines hade paid recruitment agencies for their jobs.

“The moment they arrive, they are already heavily indebted, so they have to give up a lot of rights because they have to keep the job to have money to pay the recruiters,” Tang said.

Many Mexicans go to work on farms in the United States through the so-called H-2A temporary visa programme for agricultural workers.

Sarah Fox, the US State Department’s special representative for international labour affairs, said the United States has banned employers or their agents from seeking or receiving recruitment fees for temporary visa programmes.

But she acknowledged such bans are difficult to enforce.

“It’s easy enough to say no recruitment fees, but these agencies can be very creative in coming up with all kinds of other sorts of charges that they don’t call recruitment fees,” Fox told the conference.

For migrant workers, there is a “strong disincentive” to complain about illegal recruitment fees because they could lose their jobs or visas, Micah-Jones said, adding that Contratados is one way her organisation helps keep migrants informed.

With hundreds of people logging in each day, Contratados crowdsources migrants’ reviews and combines the information with publicly available data on certification and enforcement.

Workers can then search the reviews to see which agencies, recruiters or employers are deemed safe, and which have hired workers who complain of verbal, physical or sexual abuse.

While the site currently focuses on Mexican workers going to the United States on temporary visas, Micah-Jones hopes to expand the site beyond North America.

“We would love to partner with groups in other regions who are interested in making this platform and technology available to migrant workers in their migration streams,” she said.

In technology numbers and power go hand in hand. Ever since Microsoft went past good old Windows XP and starting rolling out better systems, users have had a choice between 32-bit and 64-bit Windows. Most other software makers also have 32-bit and 64-bit versions of their products, like Adobe for instance. What is behind the numbers and what do they actually represent?

To use the old analogy between cars and computers, 32-bit and 64-bit are in way comparable to 4-cylinder and 8-cylinder. You definitely get more power with the bigger number but you also need more memory, more fuel to run.

Putting it simply, a 32-bit computer processor treats 32 bits of data (a series of 32 zeroes and ones) at a time, whereas a 64-bit chip processes 64 bits at a time. Though the number is a good indicator of the machine’s power, overall, the actual computer speed and performance you get in the end do not only depend on this measurement. Again, it’s just like cars. Indeed, you can have 4-cylinder vehicle that is faster than an 8-cylinder, because of several other technical factors: cylinders volume size, car weight, etc.

With users always craving faster devices and software applications getting heavier and more demanding all the time, the 64-bit model is becoming the norm. Even apparently “minor” devices like high-end smartphones are today based on 64-bit chip architecture — and to think that only a few years ago full-size desktop computers were built on slow 16-bit processors!

Until the early 1980s, only mainframe computers (now they call them servers) had 16-bit structure. Italian manufacturer Olivetti was the first to introduce 16-bit personal computers circa 1985 with its epic M20 machine. This was followed by IBM shortly after. The rest is history.

To make good use of a 64-bit system, a few things have to match it. The amount of main memory matters most. For a Windows-based laptop or desktop computer 6GB is the minimum that will do and 8GB or more are strongly recommended. Software applications must also follow. When installing Microsoft Office or Adobe Suite for instance (Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.), one must ensure that everything is 64-bit, otherwise there would be no power benefit. These Adobe’s heavy-weight applications, in particular, run significantly better and faster with a global 64-bit environment.

Thanks to 64-bit systems all around, and all that goes with this important element, the question of computer power and speed is hardly an issue anymore. Machines have become truly fast enough for most every application we can imagine, except perhaps in the realm of critical, advanced scientific research and the like where computers are never fast enough. Actually 64-bit chips (servers included) are giving users satisfaction to the point that IT pundits do not envision the advent of 128-bit processors before many years, for they consider that they are simply not required at this point of the technological evolution.

Microsoft’s new Windows 10 is available in both 32- and 64-bit versions, though it would make little sense to opt for the first, unless one wants absolutely to keep it compatible with very old software and devices.

With the questions of computer speed and power behind them, users’ worries are shifting to other ones: data security, cloud usage and Internet bandwidth, to name a few. This is perfectly understandable and justified.

HONG KONG — A controversial new proposal to take Hong Kong’s beloved trams off the streets has sparked a wave of anger from residents who fear losing track of the city’s past.

Known as “ding-dings” for the sound of their bells, trams have served the northern coastline of the city’s main island for more than 110 years and still carry around 200,000 passengers a day.

As development changes the face of the city, sweeping away many of its historic landmarks, trams have survived in the face of growing competition from buses and the modern MTR metro system.

But a recent proposal to scrap part of the network has renewed fears that this unique piece of heritage is also under threat.

Thousands signed petitions against the suggestion that the tram service should be removed from the main financial district of Central.

The proposal was put forward to the government’s official town planning body by consultant Sit Kwok-keung, a former planner, who argues that it is too slow, blocks traffic and is unnecessary as the MTR expands.

The retired civil servant said putting the idea forward for debate is his “right and responsibility”.

“The tramway takes up a significant portion of the road. Its efficiency is rather low... I am trying to make Hong Kong transportation more efficient,” he told AFP.

The planning body will discuss the proposal in October, but the Hong Kong government has sought to reassure the travelling public by saying it had no plans to remove the trams.

But unease remains.

“Public sentiment is strongly against this idea,” activist Kwong Sum-yin, who is leading the “Save The Trams” campaign, told AFP.

“Trams are forward-looking as a form of zero-emission transport when the world is talking about sustainability.”

Kwong’s group, the Clean Air Network, is instead proposing a car-free zone in Central to ease congestion and make way for more trams to run.

“We are losing our history. That’s why Hong Kong people don’t want to see one more thing to go,” Kwong said.

Nostalgia trip

Protests triggered by Sit’s proposal have even included a “Man vs Tram” race to counter his claim trams are slow. About 40 people took on an in-service tram over 9 kilometres, but even accounting for the tram’s numerous stops only a handful of competitors outran it.

One green group has galvanised 3,000 people to write to the town planning board to object to the proposal.

“It has a long history and it has got nostalgic elements,” said electrician Lau Chap-tong, 56, as he rode the tram in the residential neighbourhood of Sai Ying Pun.

“It will have a special meaning to future generations, we should not get rid of it.”

Passenger Johnny Ho, in his 70s, also defended the tram.

“I always take it to see my grandchildren. What is the point of suddenly getting rid of it after so many years?” he told AFP.

With 163 cars, Hong Kong’s tram network is the world’s largest fleet of double-deck tramcars still in operation, charging a flat rate of just HK$2.30 (30 US cents) for adults to ride the 120-stop system.

Hong Kong Tramways Managing Director Emmanuel Vivant said the network is a “key part of what makes Hong Kong a great city” and argues that trams are not to blame for traffic congestion.

“Everyone knows the reason for the jams is the 50 per cent increase in the number of vehicles over the past 10 years,” he said.

Vanishing heritage

Many residents of the city of 7 million are increasingly focused on preserving its past, as economic development takes a toll on Hong Kong’s transport heritage.

Protests were sparked in 2007 when the government removed the Queen’s Pier for a bypass. The ferry pier was a traditional landing point for visiting dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Diana during the British colonial era.

There was also criticism when operators modernised tramcars in 2010.

But despite public support for the tram system, Sit says it is time for a review.

“Efficiency is the most important [thing] to every person,” he said.

He added that if his proposal for Central went through, he would advocate for the complete removal of trams throughout the city.

Sit argues that trams should instead be turned into “mobile museums”.

“Why should some outdated transport mode remain here?” he said.