Features

PARIS — Owning exotic reptiles such as snakes, chameleons, iguanas and geckos could place infants and toddlers at risk of salmonella infection, according to a British study published on Monday.

Researchers in the southwestern English county of Cornwall found that out of 175 cases of salmonella in children under five over a three-year period, 27 per cent occurred in homes which had reptile pets.

salmonella is a germ that, in humans, can cause gastroenteritis, colitis, blood infections and meningitis. 

Reptiles, though, are unaffected by the bug, which colonises their gut and is passed on in their stools. 

If the pet is allowed to run free in the home, this poses a risk, especially if the child is at an exploratory stage of crawling or licking surfaces. 

The average age of children who fell ill with “reptile-associated salmonellosis” (RAS) was just six months, said the study, led by Dan Murphy of the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro.

“RAS is associated with a severe outcome — hospitalisation and disease,” it said.

“Coupled with evidence of increasing ownership of indoor reptile pets, the incidence of RAS hospitalisation is likely to increase. Health professionals such as general practitioners and paediatricians need to be aware of this risk.”

The investigation is published in a specialised British journal, Archives of Disease in Childhood.

A US study in 2004 estimated that RAS was behind 21 per cent of all of laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonella among people aged under 21.

LOS ANGELES — Tolkien epic “The Hobbit” worked its magic at the North American box office this weekend, signalling a farewell to the blockbuster fantasy franchise, industry data showed Monday.

The last of six films adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien’s books by Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” took $54.7 million on its debut weekend in the United States and Canada, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The success of “The Hobbit” flattened the competition in the final weekend before the Christmas holiday period.

Jeff Goldstein, head of domestic distribution for Warner Bros., said the healthy weekend of moviegoing was a welcome respite after an “upsetting and so disturbing” week.

“Not only did we do business in places that I would expect, like the West Coast, we did business everywhere in the country,” Goldstein said. “We didn’t see that on the prior two ‘Hobbits’.”

Second spot went to “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb”, the third film in the Ben Stiller family comedy franchise based on the popular 1993 children’s book. 

The movie, which sees Stiller reprise his role as the security guard trying to keep a track on exhibits which come to life at the New York Museum of Natural History, took $17.1 million.

In third place was another debutant, “Annie”, the rebooted big-screen adaptation of the famous Broadway musical about the adventures of an orphan girl which also spawned film versions in 1982 and 1999.

The latest version, starring Quvenzhane Wallis in the title role and Jamie Foxx as the tycoon who takes her under his wing, took $15.9 million.

“It was nice shot in the arm,” said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony, who declined to discuss issues related to “The Interview”. ‘’We’re focused on ‘Annie’,” he said.

Ridley Scott’s historical blockbuster “Exodus: Gods and Kings”, starring Christian Bale as Moses, meanwhile fell to fourth spot with $8.1 million.

Another sequel, “Hunger Games: Mockingjay”, slipped to fifth with $7.9 million, pushing its earnings to $289.2 million after five weeks.

Jumping four spots to sixth was Reese Witherspoon drama “Wild” about a woman grappling personal demons on a gruelling three-month solo hike along the Pacific Crest Trail. 

The film, which has vaulted Witherspoon into contention for best actress honors in Hollywood’s awards season, took $4.1 million.

Seventh spot was occupied by Disney animated hit “Big Hero 6” with $3.64 million.

In eighth place was Chris Rock’s “Top Five” about a comedian trying to become a serious actor while grappling with his reality TV star fiancée about broadcasting their wedding. The film took $3.6 million on its second weekend.

New entrant “P.K.”, an Indian comedy from Bollywood star Aamir Khan, was in ninth with $3.57 million.

Rounding out the top 10 with $3.5 million was “Penguins of Madagascar”.

Heading into one of Hollywood’s most lucrative weekends of the year, the Christmas box office will be without its top comedy option in “The Interview”, directed by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. The film had been expected to take in about $25-30 million.

With one major release now out of the mix, that will leave more room for the Disney musical “Into the Woods”, Angelina Jolie’s World War II tale “Unbroken” and “The Hobbit”.

“There’s a huge opportunity there,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for box-office tracker Rentrak. “There’s enough product out there to give it a very satisfying, Christmas holiday leading into the New Year. Yeah, we are down one film, but it’s a nice mix of films out there.”

PARIS — People around the world lived on average to a ripe old age of 71.5 in 2013, up from 65.3 in 1990, a recent study said, noting the gains came despite big increases in liver cancer and chronic kidney deaths.

Global life expectancy rose by 5.8 years in men and 6.6 years in women between 1990 and 2013.

The increase was attributed to falling death rates from cancers (down by 15 per cent) and cardiovascular disease (down by 22 per cent) in high-income regions of the world.

In less affluent regions, it was attributed to rapidly declining death rates for diarrhoea, lower respiratory tract infections and neonatal disorders, the study published in British health journal The Lancet said.

Only one region, sub-Saharan Africa, did not benefit from the upward trend with deaths from HIV/AIDS resulting in a drop in average life expectancy of five years.

“The progress we are seeing against a variety of illnesses and injuries is good, even remarkable, but we can and must do even better,” lead author Dr Christopher Murray, professor of Global Health at the University of Washington, said.

“The huge increase in collective action and funding given to the major infectious diseases such as diarrhoea, measles, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS and malaria has had a real impact,” he added.

The study found, however, that death rates from some major chronic conditions were on the rise, including liver cancer caused by hepatitis C (up 125 per cent since 1990), drug use disorders (up 63 per cent), chronic kidney disease (up 37 per cent), diabetes (up 9 per cent) and pancreatic cancer (up 7 per cent.

The Global Burden of Disease Study 2013, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, also found that some low-income countries such as Nepal, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Niger, the Maldives, Timor-Leste and Iran had seen exceptional gains over the past 23 years with life expectancy in those countries rising by more than 12 years for both sexes.

In India too, good progress had been made on life expectancy, with a rise of almost seven years for men and just over 10 years for women between 1990 and 2013.

But the study noted that suicide was a growing public health problem in India with half the world’s suicide deaths alone occurring in India or China.

And despite dramatic drops in under-five deaths from 7.6 million in 1990 to 3.7 million in 2013, the study also noted that lower respiratory tract infections, malaria, and diarrhoeal disease were still in the top five global causes of child deaths, killing almost 2 million children a year.

WASHINGTON — People who own all-electric cars where coal generates the power may think they are helping the environment. But a new US study finds their vehicles actually make the air dirtier, worsening global warming.

Ethanol isn’t so green, either.

“It’s kind of hard to beat gasoline” for public and environmental health, said study co-author Julian Marshall, an engineering professor at the University of Minnesota. “A lot of the technologies that we think of as being clean... are not better than gasoline.”

The key is where the source of the electricity for all-electric cars. If it comes from coal, the electric cars produce 3.6 times more soot and smog deaths than gas, because of the pollution made in generating the electricity, according to the study that was published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. They also are significantly worse at heat-trapping carbon dioxide that worsens global warming, it found.

The study examines environmental costs for cars’ entire life cycle, including where power comes from and the environmental effects of building batteries.

“Unfortunately, when a wire is connected to an electric vehicle at one end and a coal-fired power plant at the other end, the environmental consequences are worse than driving a normal gasoline-powered car,” said Ken Caldeira of the Carnegie Institution for Science, who wasn’t part of the study but praised it.

The states with the highest percentage of electricity coming from coal, according to the Department of Energy, are West Virginia, Wyoming, Ohio, North Dakota, and Illinois.

Still, there’s something to be said for the idea of helping foster a cleaner technology that will be better once it is connected to a cleaner grid, said study co-author Jason Hill, another University of Minnesota engineering professor.

The study finds all-electric vehicles cause 86 per cent more deaths from air pollution than do cars powered by regular gasoline. Coal produces 39 per cent of the country’s electricity, according to the Department of Energy.

But if the power supply comes from natural gas, the all-electric car produces half as many air pollution health problems as gas-powered cars do. And if the power comes from wind, water or wave energy, it produces about one-quarter of the air pollution deaths.

Hybrids and diesel engines are cleaner than gas, causing fewer air pollution deaths and spewing less heat-trapping gas.

But ethanol isn’t, with 80 per cent more air pollution mortality, according to the study.

“If we’re using ethanol for environmental benefits, for air quality and climate change, we’re going down the wrong path,” Hill said.

Initially intended to complement the McLaren 12C as a sharper, more focused and powerful supercar bridging the gap to the brand’s P1 hybrid hypercar, the 650S has, however, come to replace the 12C — as some speculated — owing to overwhelming customer preference for the newer car.

A hardcore evolution of the 12C in terms of engine, chassis and aerodynamics, but with a decisive 25 per cent difference, the 650S’ timely arrival earlier this year fends off redoubled efforts from Ferrari and Lamborghini in the respective shape of the skunkworks 458 Speciale and all-new Huracan rivals.

With a distinctively moody and futuristic front-end treatment inspired by the P1, the 650S is a more visceral, engaging and racier car than the 12C. The 650S’ revised engine components and management, aerodynamics and stiffer suspension rates deliver a more honed interpretation of its predecessor’s sublime precision, delicacy and intuitive intimacy. 

Like the 12C, the 650S’ delivers faultlessly superb agility and handling finesse along with fluently forgiving ride characteristics, for a more well-rounded performance-oriented supercar experience, rather than its  Ferrari 458 Speciale competitor’s more stripped-down bare-knuckle road racer approach.

Sci-fi style

Though sharing much by way of albeit revised mechanicals, chassis, structure and cabin, the 650S is, however, a markedly more arresting and theatric supercar compared to its sophisticated but somewhat straight-laced 12C predecessor’s front-end design.

Looking like it has just escaped from a sci-fi film, the McLaren 650S’ swooping curved headlights and air intakes are immediately dramatic and create a sense of motion, while also resemble upside down interpretations of its brand logo.

Thick scalloped wings act as markers for the front wheels’ position in corners, and carve seductively to a subtly rising waistline. Deep and hungry carbon-fibre covered side gills feed air to the 650s’ twin-turbo mid-engine and are shaped to reflect the McLaren emblem.

The 650S’ thin slatted rear lights and fascia with integrated dual exhaust ports aren’t much changed from the 12C.

However, a carbon-fibre bumper section set the air diffuser assembly does create a greater sense of urgency to how the 650S’ sits on road. With lashings of carbon-fibre used to reduce weight, the 650S’ low front air splitter and side mirror housings — set on long thin stalks for better aerodynamic flow — are also made from this stiff and lightweight material.

Best in bold bright colours like the driven car’s orange or green, the 650S also looks better in fixed-head Coupe form, where its rakishly angled windscreen and roofline taper off to more flowingly converge with the rear deck. 

Intense escalation

Mounted low in a rear-middle position for ideal in-wheelbase weight distribution and low centre of gravity, McLaren’s in-house developed twin-turbocharged 3.8-litre V8

Engine has been thoroughly re-worked for 650S service. With new pistons and cylinder heads, revised valve timing, bigger turbo intercoolers and freer exhausts the 650S yields an additional 25BHP and 57lb/ft torque over its predecessor.

However, the difference goes beyond just its’ supercar pack-leading power and torque headline figures, and mid-range versatility. The 650S’ delivers its 641BHP maximum in a more ferocious manner at 7250rpm. Torque output is still abundantly muscular, but is delivered with greater urgency, building up to a 500lb/ft peak at 6000rpm rather than riding a wide and ever-accessible 3000-7000rpm plateau.

With quick-spooling twin-turbos the 650S suffers no meaningful low-end lag and pulls robustly from well below 2000rpm. Unlike most turbocharged cars, the 650S’ linearity, peaky power, high rev limit and crisp throttle responses are similar to a well-sorted naturally-aspirated engine, and translate to precise and edgy but predictable throttle control for fluent on-throttle cornering.

Spine-tingling it intensely and viciously winds up towards its long-legged 8500rpm rev-limit, the 650S rewards commitment with escalating ferocity, while its’ muscular mid-range allows for effortless pick-up and near instantaneous response when on the move and through gears. 

Sensationally swift, the 650S Coupe blitzes through 0-100km/h in 3 seconds, 0-200km/h in 8.4 seconds, 0-300km/h in 25.4 seconds and 0-400 metres in 10.5-seconds at 224km/h. Top speed is 333km/h.

Fluent agility

Built on a stiff and light carbon-fibre passenger cell with aluminium frames, the 650S Spider’s provides superb body rigidity for safety, robustness and to allow its sophisticated suspension to function more precisely for both ride and handling dividends.

With sporty double wishbone suspension mated to actively adaptive hydraulic dampers — ProActive Chassis Control — the 650S delivers an unmatched in-class combination of ride refinement and handling precision.

Eliminating the need — and weight — of traditional anti-roll bars, the 650S’ chassis control system automatically softens and provides longer wheel travel for unrivalled supercar ride comfort. 

Nuanced, textured, fluent and intuitive through various road and driving conditions, the 650S’ suspension similarly firms up to provide faultlessly taut body control through corners.

Fluently dispatching imperfections with supple comfort, the 650S coped unexpectedly well on the gravelly, rutted and unpaved roads leading to the UAE’s winding Jebel Jais hill climb. Along the snaking and sprawling hill climb, the light 1330kg 650S was a model of harmony and ability, with crisp razor-sharp turn-in, poised body control, tenacious commitment to cornering lines and high levels of lateral grip.

Darty and agile as it through successive corners, the 650S also proved predictable and neutral in its at-the-limit handling — both rewarding and flattering a driver’s ability. Unshakably stable and refined at high speed, the 650S’ revised aerodynamics, front air splitter and automatically rising spoiler/airbrake yield 24 per cent more down-force and improve steering precision and feel.

Sophisticated ergonomics

Stiffer than its predecessor, the 650S nevertheless glides over rough textures with uncanny fluidity, and with thorough construction and body rigidity, one can’t hear a single squeak inside its’ refined cabin. Located below the vertical infotainment screen on its slim floating carbon-fibre centre console — designed to maximise seat width — are the 650S’ adjustable gearbox and suspension dials and active aero button.

Of three suspension settings, “normal” is supple, “track” hard-edged and “sport” ideal for brisk on-road driving. Independently, three successively sharper throttle and 7-speed dual clutch gearbox response setting can be chosen. “Sport” mode features momentary ignition interruption delivers exhaust popping on hard up-shifts, while “track” mode engages the clutch before revs drop for added shove on up-shift.

Sophisticatedly minimalist yet elegantly finished with fine leathers, suede roof-liner, real metals and carbon-fibre trim, the 650S Spider is notably ergonomic and comfortable for larger drivers. 

Slipping past up and out swinging doors and thick high sills, the 650S spacious cabin features excellent front visibility while highly adjustable seats and steering provide a feeling of confident control.

Well reflecting the 650S’ character, its’ quick 2.66-turn steering is a model of clarity, balance and nuance. Never slack, dull or nervous, the 650S’ steering has reassuring high- speed directional stability and textured and detailed feel through corners. 

Exact, sharp and sophisticated, the perfectly weighted Alcantara-clad steering turns with quick wrist-flick movements, while standard carbon ceramic brakes are highly effective and fade-free.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 3.8-litre, mid-mounted, all-aluminium, dry sump, twin turbo V8 cylinders

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

Bore x stroke: 93 x 69.9mm

Compression ratio: 8.7:1

Gearbox: 7-speed automated sequential dual clutch, RWD

Ratios: 1st 4:1; 2nd 2.6:1; 3rd 1.9:1; 4th 1.5:1; 5th 1.2:1; 6th 0.9:1; 7th 0.7:1

Final drive: 3.3:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 641 (650) [478] @ 7250rpm

Specific power: 168.7BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 482BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 500 (678) @ 6000rpm

Torque-to-weight: 509.8Nm/tonne

Specific torque : 178.47Nm/litre

Rev limit: 8500rpm

0-100km/h: 3 seconds

0-200km/h: 8.4 seconds

0-300km/h: 25.4 seconds

0-400-metres: 10.5 seconds @ 224km/h

Top speed: 333km/h

Fuel consumption, combined: 11.7l/100km

Fuel capacity: 72 litres

CO2 emissions, combined: 275g/km

Body structure: Carbon fibre monocell, aluminium front & rear frames

Height: 1199mm

Width: 2093

Length: 4512mm

Wheelbase: 2670mm

Track, F/R: 1656/1583mm

Dry weight: 1330kg

Weight distribution F/R: 42 per cent/58 per cent

Steering: Power-assisted rack and pinion

Lock-to-lock: 2.66 turns

Turning circle: 12.3 metres

Suspension: Double wishbones, coil springs, adaptive hydraulic damping

Brakes, F/R: Carbon ceramic discs, aluminium hubs, 394/380mm

Brake callipers, F/R: 6-/4 pistons

100-0km/h: 30.5 metres

200-0km/h: 123 metres

Tyres, F/R: 235/35R19/305/30R20

Syria Speaks: Art and Culture from the Frontline

Edited by Malu Halasa, Zaher Omareen & Nawara Mahfoud

London: Saqi Books, 2014

Pp. 312

“Syria Speaks” is a compilation of personal narratives, short fiction, essays, poetry, song lyrics, posters, art works and photos that express the thinking and experience of the democratically-minded Syrians who sparked the initial nonviolent phase of the 2011 uprising, before it was overtaken by regime brutality and religious extremists.

Motivated by the editors’ conviction that “creativity is not only a way of surviving the violence, but of challenging it”, the book reasserts the uprising’s original progressive cultural identity. (p. vii) 

The contents are touching, inspiring and enlightening. 

If the current situation is horrifying and sometimes difficult to decipher from outside, imagine the soul searching of the mostly young people who once hoped for something quite different.

Many of the contributors recall the regime’s past repression from Hama in 1982 to the death from torture of political prisoners, drawing parallels to the thousands now killed or imprisoned, and the wholesale destruction of villages, towns and cities across the country. Others focus on cultural production and grass-roots efforts to bolster popular resistance and create a new, revolutionary, non-sectarian identity.

Researcher Hassan Abbas contributes a thoughtful essay on how the regime cultivated the culture of sectarianism in response to the uprising, whereas the opposition seeks to develop a culture of citizenship of which freedom is the most significant element.

In his view, the revolution was “an exceptional act of citizenship that began by breaking the chains that had reproduced the culture of fear”. Citizenship has continued “in the work of thousands of Syrians who have performed relief work and provided medical, nutritional, educational and other forms of assistance to millions of displaced…” (p. 56-7) 

In an interview with Malu Halasa, Assaad Al Achi explains the work of the Local Coordinating Committees that tried to spread the tactic of nonviolent civil disobedience and to organise the proliferation of citizen-journalists. Yet, within a year, the uprising had become fully militarised and this network turned into a relief and medical aid organisation.

Much of this interview is counterintuitive, such as the fact that communicating with the Arab public is the hardest, since “Arabic media channels are much more propaganda-driven than Western channels”. (p. 110) 

An article by Omar Alassad explores new forms of alternative media and the importance of the Internet and mobile phone cameras in getting news out to the world. A section of the book is devoted to the work of Lens Young, citizen-photographers whose striking photos, document the destruction of homes and lives.

Other chapters review the literature of the uprising which comprises both established and new writers, the role of the intellectual, filmmaking and the political finger puppetry of the Masasit Mati group.

The art included in the book ranges from professional work to street art, such as graffiti and banners. The influence of Palestinian resistance art is apparent in some of the latter.

At the sophisticated end of the spectrum are the works of Sulafa Hijazi and Khalil Younes  — graphic, even shocking, protest art against killing and the social effects of militarisation.

Like a number of other contributors, Hijazi has since left Syria. She says: “There are still many courageous people working inside the country, but their numbers are becoming fewer and the sound of weapons drowns out the voices of peaceful activism.” (p. 13) 

A novel feature of the uprising has been the formation of artists’ collectives producing posters for public display with basic materials, such as Kartoneh in Deir Al Zour, Alshaab Alsori aref tarekh and Syrian Revolution-Kafranbel.

The inventive metaphor, sly wit and satire apparent in their creations are addressed in Zaher Omareen’s article on “The Symbol and Counter-Symbols in Syria”: “It is no longer acceptable to make representations of concepts of freedom, justice and dignity using the same methods, language and techniques that the Assad regime’s propaganda employs. The revolutionaries tend to shun such banal and craftily abusive conceptual slogans.” (p. 101)

Outstanding examples of powerful symbolism are seen in Ali Ferzat’s political cartoons, Samara Sallam’s photo of birdcages waiting to be opened, and other pieces. 

Poet and filmmaker Ali Safer describes Syria as “a nation where the sun had burned out”. (p. 131)

Yet, this book gives a ray of hope: If ever the killing stops, perhaps a space will open for Syrians, such as those who contributed to this book, who have constructive ideas for rebuilding their society in a democratic fashion. This book is an attractive and poignant testament to their vision and cultural abilities if only these could be translated into viable politics.

LONDON — Evidence suggests e-cigarettes help smokers quit, but more research is needed to confirm this and find out if “vaping” nicotine is better than using patches or gum, scientists recently said.

In an international review of available evidence, researchers found a paucity of robust scientific studies on e-cigarettes and their capacity to help people stop smoking, but said data so far pointed at likely benefits.

“Although our confidence in the effects of electronic cigarettes as smoking cessation interventions is limited because of the small number of trials, the results are encouraging,” said Peter Hajek, a professor of clinical psychology and a member of the research team at the Cochrane Review, a respected research network that determines relative effectiveness of different health interventions.

The uptake of e-cigarettes, which use battery-powered cartridges to produce a nicotine-laced vapour, has rocketed in the past two years, but there is fierce debate about them.

Because they are relatively new, there is a lack of long-term scientific evidence on their safety. Some experts fear they could be a gateway to tobacco smoking, while others say they have enormous potential to help millions of smokers around the world kick their deadly habit.

The Cochrane Review’s study, a so-called meta-analysis, drew on two randomised trials covering 662 smokers, and also considered evidence from 11 observational studies, to examine the effects of e-cigarettes on quit rates and on helping people cut down their cigarette smoking by at least half.

It also looked at side effects reported by e-cigarette users and found no evidence of serious problems.

The results showed about 9 per cent of smokers who used e-cigarettes were able to stop smoking at up to one year, compared with around 4 per cent who used placebo e-cigarettes.

Data on reducing smoking in people who did not quit showed that 36 per cent of e-cigarette users halved the number of conventional cigarettes they smoked, compared with 28 per cent of placebo users.

Only one of the trials compared e-cigarettes’ quit success rate with patches, and this suggested they were about equal.

Robert West, director of tobacco research at University College London, said in an e-mailed comment that the findings suggested e-cigarettes could be a valuable public health tool.

“It’s early days but so far it seems that these devices are already helping tens of thousands of smokers to stop each year.”

VIGONE, Italy — Considered taboo in many parts of the world, eating horsemeat remains sufficiently widespread in Italy for the country to have to import live animals destined for the slaughterhouse.

And contrary to popular perception, not all are tired old specimens on their last legs, according to a horse-loving couple based in the country village of Vigone near Turin in northern Italy who are seeking to raise awareness of the trade with neighbouring France.

In the last four years, Tony Gerardi and his wife Miky Daidone have saved around 40 healthy young horses from the butcher’s knife by training them for roles ranging from ploughing up fields to helping hyperactive kids to learn how to concentrate and relax.

“People think that slaughtered horses are all mature adults, even old and worn out,” Daidone told AFP.

“But in the vast majority of cases it is young horses that are eaten because their meat is more tender.

“That’s why every year there are thousands of colts and fillies imported from France to be slaughtered in Italy.”

Gerardi and Daidone know they are not going to stop the trade. Instead their goal is to demonstrate a practical alternative through their “Save the Working Horse” project.

Once they have identified someone willing to take a horse, they make a date with local importers to choose the animal which will get a last-minute reprieve.

Daidone admits the selection process can be difficult. “Obviously we can only take one at a time and the others will go to the slaughterhouse. But that is how it is and not all of the horses have the psychological or physical characteristics required for a working life.”

They are not, she says, out to change the world. “As far as I am concerned, people can eat what they like and it is not realistic to try to ban something that has been done for so long.

“Rather the concept is to try to make people revalue these animals and say, “Look: see what they can do’.”

Heart of a lion

Most of the horses they take are of the Trait Comtois breed, a medium-sized French working horse that was used in the cavalries of Louis XIV and Napoleon and is famed for its docile temperament.

After arriving at Gerardi and Daidone’s ranch L’Estancia, the horses are allowed to recover from what have often been traumatic journeys before the initial phase of breaking them in begins.

“Tony takes care of that because most of these horses are wild, they can be skittish and it can be dangerous,” explains Daidone. “Then I help him and in the final phase the new owners come to learn how to continue the training. Usually that all takes about three weeks.”

The horses that pass through L’Estancia are bound for a variety of roles.

Some will simply become riding horses, either as family pets or at country trekking centres and farms offering holiday accommodation. Others are trained to pull sightseeing carriages or provide children’s pony rides in tourist spots.

There is also growing interest in Italy in the use of horses in therapy for people suffering from anxiety, post-traumatic stress and other mental problems, including children with attention deficit disorder.

One supporter of Gerardi and Daidone’s initiative is Henry Finzi-Constantine, who uses heavy horses rather than tractors to pull ploughs at the nearby Castello di Tassarolo, a wine estate.

“Tony has a keen eye,” he said. “When I got my horse Cyrus from him he said ‘Henry, this is your horse.’

“That was a Monday and he was due to be slaughtered on the Wednesday. So I had to empty my pockets on the Tuesday.”

“But Tony was right: Cyrus has the head of an angel, the heart of a lion and the backside of a farmer’s daughter. He is by far the best horse in the stable!”

NEW ORLEANS — Google is one of the major US corporations researching the power of colour in the working world, in everything from workspaces to marketing and branding.

Meghan Casserly, spokeswoman for the US-based organisation built around the popular search engine, says Google is still early in its research but has already found “a clear link between colour and satisfaction with a person’s work area”, which in turn can boost employee creativity and productivity.

Elyria Kemp, an assistant professor of marketing at the University of New Orleans, says there’s more competition than ever for time and attention, and colour is “the silent salesperson”.

“We have so much stimuli in the environment,” she said. “That’s why it’s so important to have those distinctive colours that really stand out.”

Kemp is following colour trends in business and conducting her own research on the link between emotions and colour. She said she’s also looking at what colours consumers associate with certain services, such as transportation,
healthcare, banks and financial services.

Kemp said when consumers make an evaluation of a product offering, typically they do this within 90 seconds or less, and more than half of their initial assessment is based on colour alone.

That’s why so many companies are researching their colour choices — to the tune of thousands of dollars, Kemp said — and trademarking the colours consumers have come to associate with their products, such as UPS’s Pullman brown, Home Depot’s vibrant orange and Tiffany & Co.’s distinct blue.

Joclyn Benedetto, spokeswoman for Tiffany & Co., based in New York City, said the diamonds and glamour of the company’s jewellery is linked to the signature Tiffany blue colour that wraps every creation. She said the colour was selected by founder Charles Lewis Tiffany for the cover of “Blue Book, Tiffany’s annual collection of exquisitely handcrafted jewels”, which was first published in 1845.

Coca-Cola’s signature red colour also dates back more than 100 years, when it was shipped in barrels painted red to differentiate it from beer barrels, said Ted Ryan, the company’s spokesman.

Home Depot got its original orange colour from deconstructed circus tents used in its early marketing signage — and it stuck.

“When we do consumer research and we ask our customers say a word association for Home Depot, the first thing they say is orange,” said Trish Mueller, Home Depot’s chief marketing officer. “So it is literally seeped into our DNA.”

Smaller companies are also recognising the benefits of colour. Emil Hagopian, an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based distributor for Mar Plast Colour Building Accessories, said even in his line of work — products and accessories for public restroom spaces — there’s been an increased demand for colour beyond the standard neutrals and stainless steel.

“Colour can tend to excite you, make you feel like you are in a better-designed space and just kind of adds to that total feeling of security, comfort,” he said.

Technology has played a role in making more products available in a wider range of colours, he said.

But picking the right colour is important.

“You know when something is right because you get a feeling of security, of safety, and it’s not something that you think about. It just will hit you,” Hagopian said. “And sometimes, if it’s done wrong, that also hits you.”

NEW YORK — The rock music world is notorious for its bickering but Aerosmith belongs to another category altogether — a band with constant and open tensions that has nonetheless managed to stay together.

The friction between guitarist Joe Perry and singer Steven Tyler shows no signs of mellowing with age, with the two Boston rockers both releasing tell-all books that portray each other in a less than flattering light.

Since his memoir “Rocks” came out in October, Perry says he has only exchanged text messages with his bandmate of 40 years.

“It kind of bounced back and forth a bit. He got about a third of the way through the book and said he liked it, and then I didn’t hear from him, but obviously he finished it,” Perry told AFP.

Perry said he had fully expected Tyler, who criticised his bandmate in his own book in 2011, to take exception to parts of the memoir that portray the singer as controlling and self-promoting.

Among the allegations, Perry says that Tyler used to make a habit of stealing and that several years ago he quietly tried out — unsuccessfully — to sing for a reunited Led Zeppelin.

Perry said he knew from the first time they met that he and Tyler had differences but that they had found a way to work together after splitting in the late 1970s.

“We had to figure out a new dynamic instead of just fighting all the time, to put the personal stuff aside, and let our differences as far as the music go work for us, instead of being a point of contention,” Perry said.

Perry isn’t sure whether he and Tyler will ever talk about the guitarist’s book. But, Perry said, he expects it will be “business as usual” the next time they meet.

Not just sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll

In one difference, Perry said that he never took up the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle when it came to sex. 

In the book, he recounts once watching Aerosmith’s merchandise vendor pour whiskey over a body part he had christened “Mr. Important” in an unscientific bid to prevent venereal disease.

Perry, raised in a small town in Massachusetts, said he generally stayed with one woman at a time.

“That’s what I saw when I was growing up and it just seemed natural to me. I didn’t really have this need to prove myself, to bring more notches to my pistol so to speak,” he said.

“I was the odd man out because I wasn’t into that kind of lifestyle. But I was always a loner anyway, so it didn’t bother me much.”

Perry returns to his family roots on a new solo EP of Christmas songs, performing holiday classics that he enjoyed as a child.

The Hollywood star Johnny Depp lent him a studio to record “Joe Perry’s Merry Christmas” and wound up joining on rhythm guitar for a version of Chuck Berry’s “Run Run Rudolph”.

Perry said that Depp “really added some flavor” both artistically and by allowing a live recording of the song, as Perry would otherwise have played both guitar parts and mixed them.

‘Walk This Way’

Aerosmith enjoyed a career renaissance starting in the mid-1980s with songs such as “Janie’s Got a Gun”, “Love in an Elevator” and “Dude [Looks Like a Lady]”.

The resurgence started through a then unlikely source — the 1986 collaboration “Walk this Way” with Run-DMC, one of the earliest hip-hop groups to enjoy mainstream success.

Perry said that the famed producer Rick Rubin persuaded Run-DMC to work with the hard rockers after initial hesitation.

“They weren’t jumping up and down about this,” Perry said of Run-DMC. “They were keen to be getting away from electric guitars, and they were working with a whole different paradigm.”

But Perry hailed the lasting influence of “Walk This Way”. Through the video, Run-DMC became one of the first hip hop acts to enjoy prominence on MTV, where white artists had dominated.

The song’s combination of rap and rock guitars is now itself a mainstream sound favoured by many hip hop and electronic artists.

“If there is anything we have done over the years that has contributed to the legacy of music... that collaboration is one of them that I’m most proud of,” Perry said.