Features

An attainable everyman’s well-equipped and un-pretentious car designed primarily for developing market drivers, the Kia Pegas launch in recent weeks comes at the right time for the prevailing economic climate.

Built in collaboration with the Korean automaker’s Chinese Dongfeng partner, the Pegas is a rearguard response to shore up the brand’s entry-level end of the market as other Kias move ever more upmarket.

Based on, and sitting below the Rio saloon in Kia’s line-up, the Pegas vies with small saloons like the Renault Logan and Nissan Sunny in the highly competitive B-segment.

Engineered as an affordable car for value-oriented customers including families feeling the squeeze, first-time drivers and fleet operators, the Pegas uses proven components, along with more cost-effective Chinese production and a rationalisation of some upmarket features. Well-incorporating equipment, features and design elements for maximum effect and prominence, the Pegas’ design is characterised by its slim contemporary ‘Tiger-nose’ corporate Kia grille, big gaping functional lower intake and faux gill-like side intakes. With chiseled bonnet, high waistline and ridged surfacing, the Pegas fits seamlessly among modern Kias, without looking over-stated or over-ambitious.

Smooth and progressive

Powered by a single engine option driving its front wheels, and choice of 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic gearboxes, the Pegas’ naturally-aspirated 1.4-litre 4-cylinder engine develops 95bhp at 6,000rpm and with a slightly more torque-biased ‘under-square’ design, produces 97lb/ft torque at 4,000rpm.

Free revving and with a distant and very subdued hint of top-end snarl, the Pegas engine combines with a comparatively lightweight of 1,041-1,062kg to deliver adequately timely 13.1-second 0-100km/h acceleration and a 180km/h top speed. Meanwhile, its frugal fuel consumption is rated at 6.1l/100km on the combined cycle.

Consistently smooth and progressive in delivery, the Pegas is as responsive at low-end as necessary, and is fairly flexible to keep pace on city, highway and country roads, and moderate inclines. Driven between Jerash and Amman at a constant 80-100km/h, the Pegas did feel like it would have been more comfortable with a fifth gear. As driven in 4-speed automatic guise, it is smooth shifting and economical, but often dropped to third to maintain momentum, and to second to more assertively pick up speed on this particular tract of highway.

Comfortable and manoeuvrable

Expected to be better on inclines in 5-speed manual with closer and more aggressive ratios in the mix, and more fun to drive with added driver involvement, the Pegas is, however, smooth riding and reassuringly stable on highway, and manoeuvrable, agile and easy to drive in town, regardless of which gearbox is chosen.

Using a MacPherson strut front and torsion beam rear suspension set-up as expected, the Pegas was a more refined drive than anticipated that comfortably dealt with lumpy, bumpy and imperfect road surfacing without wallow or much bounce.

Fitted with narrow and tall 175/70R14 tyres the Pegas rides over textured roads in a forgivingly comfortable and supple manner, while remaining well settled on rebound after dips and crests.

The Pegas’ tyre choice is durable in absorbing vertical shocks and protects the wheels from tall kerbs and deep sudden ruts. Its tyres also help the narrow and nimble Pegas deliver decent and nuanced steering feel for road textures, car position and grip limits as zips through switchbacks and city streets with agile manoeuvrability. Meanwhile body roll and understeer are comparatively well-controlled.

User-friendly

Initially light and somewhat vague at low speed, the Pegas’ steering, however, weighs up better and with a more communicative level of resistance when hustled quicker through corners. Meanwhile, generous ground clearance makes the Pegas well-suited for well-worn urban streets and rougher rural roads alike.

Inside, the Pegas offers good sightlines, a comfortable driving position with rake-adjustable steering and an easy to reach, user-friendly console and layouts, but slightly lower front seat mounting points would benefit taller drivers, when sunroof-equipped. Meanwhile, its rear seats are adequately spaced, but its boot volume is generous at 475-litres.

Well-equipped among competitors, standard and optional Pegas features include a 7-inch Bluetooth-enabled infotainment screen with Android Auto and Apple Carplay, rear parking sensors, air conditioning, electric windows, remote central locking, ABS brakes, electronic stability control and four airbags.

The Pegas’ cabin combines a stylish, uncluttered unexpectedly classy looking dashboard with more value oriented discrete hard plastic textures and hard-wearing faux leather or shiny fabric upholstery options. Meanwhile, the Pegas’ intuitively stepped auto gear lever and adjustable driver’s seat-integrated armrest is a leaf lifted directly from Mercedes’ and BMW’s 1980s repertoire.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 1.4-litre, transverse 4-cylinders

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC

Gearbox: 4-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 94 (95) [70] @6,000rpm

Specific power: 67.3BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 90.3BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 97 (132) @4,000rpm

Specific torque: 94.5Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 126Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 13.1-seconds

Top speed: 180km/h

Fuel consumption, combined: 6.1-litres/100km 

Fuel capacity: 43-litres

Length: 4,300mm

Width: 1,700mm

Height: 1,460mm

Wheelbase: 2,570mm

Overhangs, F/R: 785/945mm

Tread, F/R: 1,509/1,515

Ground clearance: 150mm

Aerodynamic drag co-efficient: 0.29

Headroom, F/R: 995/952mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,062/865mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,365/1,357mm

Hip room, F/R: 1,352/1,295mm

Luggage volume, min/max: 475-litres

Kerb weight: 1,041-1,062kg

Steering: Electric-assisted power steering

Turning Circle: 10.4-metres

Suspension: MacPherson struts/torsion beam

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/drums

Tyres: 175/70R14

Price, on the road, no insurance: JD13,900 (starting from)

PARIS — Movie nights once required driving to the local video store to rent, rewind and return the latest blockbuster. Now, on-demand video content providers offer countless binge-worthy options at the touch of a finger.

But experts say the ease of streaming services comes with a hefty environmental price tag. 

Watching a half-hour show would lead to emissions of 1.6 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent, said Maxime Efoui-Hess of French think tank the Shift Project. That’s equivalent to driving 6.28 kilometres. 

Last year, online video streaming produced emissions equivalent to Spain and that amount may double in the next six years, according to the Shift Project.

While most of the online traffic — 34 per cent — is related to streaming videos, on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu, for example, the next biggest sector is online porn.

“Digital videos come in very large file sizes and [are] getting bigger with each new generation of higher definition video,” said Gary Cook of Greenpeace, which monitors the IT sector’s energy footprint.

“More data equals more energy needed to maintain a system that is ready to stream this video to your device at a moment’s notice,” Cook told AFP. 

Much of the energy needed for streaming services is consumed by the data centre, which delivers data to your computer or device, explained Cook. 

The centres contribute about 0.3 per cent of all carbon emissions, according to an article by Nature.

Experts remain divided on how much that number will grow. 

‘Waste of resources on all levels’

“For energy consumption to stay flat for the next five to 10 years, significant improvement in IT equipment and data centre energy performance must be made or our appetite for computations must diminish,” said Dale Sartor of the Centre of Expertise for Data Centres, linked to the US Department of Energy.

Anders Andrae of Huawei Technologies told AFP he estimated they would consume as much as 4.1 per cent of global electricity by 2030.

Web-based video traffic is expected to increase four times from 2017 to 2022 and account for 80 per cent of all internet traffic by 2022, according to the CISCO Network.

Netflix is continuing to expand globally — the company reported a 53 per cent increase in international revenue for streaming subscriptions between 2017 and 2018. And Disney and Apple are launching their own streaming services this year.

Meanwhile, the equipment used to view videos is getting larger — the average screen size shot up from 55 centimetres in 1997 to an expected 127cm by 2021, according to the Consumer Technology Association.

“The changing screen size and related shift to digital video technology has set the stage for higher definition and thus larger file sizes that we are streaming,” said Cook.

Screens with 4K resolution use about 30 per cent more energy than high-definition screens, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defence Council. Last year, 8K screens made their debut.

The consequence is “a waste of resources at all levels”, added Laurent Lefevre of the French Institute for Research in Computer Science and Automation.

Experts suggest that viewers disable autoplay and stream over Wi-Fi in lower-definition formats. The worst-case scenario is watching over a 3G connection on a mobile device, said Lefevre.

The Shift Project offers a browser extension that monitors Internet use, displaying the amount of electricity used, the CO2 that electricity produces, and how far the user would have to drive to match those emissions.

Cook emphasises the most impactful change consumers can make is through their wallets. 

“Exercising collective responsibility, with individuals demanding Internet giants rapidly transition their data centres to renewable energy, has been the biggest driver thus far,” he said. 

By Dr Tareq Rasheed

International Consultant and Trainer 

One of the most important life skills is communication. About 70 per cent of problems in our organisational and personal lives are due to lack of communication or miscommunication. Nonverbal communication involves body language, voice tone and appearance.

Did you know that your body transmits what you want to communicate? Body language transmits 55 per cent of message delivery and voice tone is responsible for 38 per cent. Thus, nonverbal communication is responsible for 93 per cent of getting your message across, leaving words accountable for only seven per cent. 

The four types of body language

1. Facial expressions: including eyes, nose, mouth and ears

2. Hands movements

3. Leg movements

4. Mixed: including the above three. This is the most important in understanding the exact meaning of the message

Feelings and thoughts that get communicated through body language include sadness, happiness, fear, worry, thoughtfulness, carelessness, interest, love, anger, hate, envy, hesitation, friendliness, honesty or dishonesty. Everything you can think of or feel is reflected mostly in your eyes. Eye contact is one of the most important parts of the body for understanding a message. Eyes will tell you a lot about the real feelings and thoughts of people so look directly into the eyes of the person you’re talking to without staring. 

Signs and their corresponding meanings

• Carelessness: standing with two hands in your pockets while speaking with people

• Worry: standing and speaking with one hand in one pocket

• Reservation: standing with two arms folded across your chest

• Friendliness: open hands while speaking

• Contemplation: finger on the cheek

• Anger: closed hands or clenched fists while speaking

• Boastfulness: speaking with the head raised upward

• Insecurity: speaking with the head down

• Anxiety: sitting with unconscious leg-shaking or foot-tapping

• Boredom: looking at the time or mobile phone constantly

Looking at the time can also mean a person is worried about being late for an appointment. Try asking the person what time it is — if they look back at the watch, it means the person is getting bored, but if they answer the time directly, then the person does have an appointment! So we need always to combine verbal and nonverbal communication to understand the full meaning of a message.

Personal space

Spatial relationships play a major role in body language: 

1. Our outer circle (radius of two metres ) is for formal communication and strangers 

2. Our intermediate circle (radius of one metre) is for colleagues

3. Our inner circle (radius of half a metre or less) is for sincere friends, lovers and family members 

When strangers enter our inner circle, we feel threatened and start resisting indirectly. Think of strangers in an elevator — you may notice people gazing at the ground, the button panel, the closed doors, or they may look at something they are holding in their hands. 

Whenever and wherever we go, our body speaks louder than words. With knowledge and practice, you will soon be on your way to communicating freely and positively with your body!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

WASHINGTON — Facebook on Friday began rolling out its dedicated “news tab” with professionally produced content — the latest move by the social network to promote journalism and shed its reputation as a platform for misinformation.

The tab, being tested with some US users, will be separate from a user’s normal feed and include articles from partner news organisations — making a clear distinction between journalism and stories shared by users from a wide range of sources.

“This is going to be the first time ever there will be a dedicated space on the [Facebook] app that is focused on high-quality journalism,” Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg told an audience in New York in a joint appearance with CEO Robert Thomson of News Corp., one of the partners in the project.

The mix of stories in Facebook News will be determined by algorithmic “personalisation” based on a user’s preferences and data, with journalists choosing some of the stories.

The company said users would have “more control over the stories they see, and the ability to explore a wider range of their news interests, directly within the Facebook app”.

Facebook is expected to pay some of the news organisations — reportedly millions of dollars in some cases — but has yet to disclose full details.

Zuckerberg said Facebook would not seek to limit coverage of the company or himself.

Going global?

Zuckerberg said he sees the effort as important even if it is used by only a small percentage of Facebook users. And he said the company is in discussions to bring the feature to other countries.

“We want to do something like this across the world as well,” he said.

The social network has partnered with some 200 news organisations including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, CBS News, BuzzFeed, Fox News, the Boston Globe, Bloomberg and Vanity Fair.

Zuckerberg defended the inclusion of partners some criticise as politically partisan such as the right-wing outlet Breitbart, saying the news tab “needs to have a diversity of views”.

Facebook said it would begin an initial test rollout which would “showcase local original reporting” from publications in major cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, Washington, Miami, Atlanta and Boston.

Topic sections will include business, entertainment, health, science and technology, and sports.

Rebooting the relationship

The move represents Facebook’s effort to reboot its relationship with news organisations, many of which have been critical of the platform for failing to curb the spread of misinformation and for taking much of the online ad revenue.

The plan notably brings together Facebook and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

Thomson, the News Corp CEO who last year denounced what he called a “dysfunctional” online landscape that made it hard for publishers to thrive, welcomed the Facebook initiative in the joint appearance with Zuckerberg.

“It is a powerful precedent that will echo around editorial departments,” said Thomson, whose company includes the Wall Street Journal.

“It begins to change the terms of trade for quality journalism.”

Paying for ‘good stuff’

Northeastern University professor Dan Kennedy said the tab could help Facebook users distinguish between misinformation and professional news.

“Less savvy news consumers might not be able to tell the difference between exaggerated or fake viral news and real journalism from respected news organisations,” Kennedy said.

“So this should help a lot.”

But Kennedy said it could be problematic that Facebook may only be paying the richest media organisations, increasing woes for small, local outlets.

Ken Paulson, a former USA Today editor who now heads the Free Speech Centre at Middle Tennessee State University, agreed that the initiative will promote better content.

“My long-term hope for the news business is that more consumers will recognise the difference between quality and chaos and be willing to pay for the good stuff,” Paulson said.

University of Oregon journalism professor Damian Radcliffe noted that Facebook users currently “bump into” news in their feed, as opposed to actively seeking it out.

He said the project raises “important questions here about how transparent the story selection process will be, and what Facebook is effectively saying about news which sits outside of the tab. Does that means it’s deemed less trustworthy?”

WASHINGTON — Pain perception is essential for survival, but how much something hurts can sometimes be amplified or suppressed: for example, soldiers who sustain an injury in battle often recall not feeling anything at the time.

A new study recently published in Cell Reports honed in on the brain circuitry responsible for upgrading or downgrading these pain signals, likening the mechanism to how a home thermostat controls room temperature.

Yarimar Carrasquillo, the paper’s senior author and a scientist for the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), told AFP the region responsible was the central amygdala, which according to her work appeared to play a dual role.

Studying mice, Carrasquillo and her colleagues found that the activity in neurons that express protein kinase C-delta amplified pain, while neurons that express somatostatin inhibited the chain of activity in the nerves required to communicate pain.

The central amygdala isn’t completely responsible for pain itself: if it were removed entirely, then “the ‘ouch’ of things, or the protective pain, would remain intact”, said Carrasquillo.

“It seems to be sitting there waiting for something to happen,” for example responding to stress or anxiety that amplifies pain, or being forced to focus on a task that diverts your attention and reduces pain. 

Experiencing pain can be a vital warning to seek help, for example in a person experiencing appendicitis or a heart attack.

People who are born with insensitivity to pain, meanwhile, often do not realise the severity of injuries and are at greater risk of early death. 

But not all pain is useful. According to a 2012 survey, about 11 per cent of US adults have pain every day and more than 17 per cent have severe levels of pain. 

Often this leads to dependence on potent painkillers like opioids, or attempting to self-medicate through counterfeit or illicit drugs which are increasingly laced with deadly fentanyl.

By better understanding the brain mechanisms responsible for pain modulation, researchers hope to eventually find better cures: potentially ones that target only those forms of pain that are “bad” and not useful.

“The healthy response is you get pain, it tells you something is wrong, it heals, and the pain goes away,” said Carrasquillo.

“In chronic pain, that doesn’t happen, the system gets stuck. If we can identify what makes the system gets stuck, then we can reverse it.”

Using Virtual Private Connections (VPN) when browsing websites or simply using the Internet, is clearly on the increase, and there are at least two good reasons for that.

To use a VPN you install and launch a small software application designed to do the trick, and then, once the app is running you do your browsing. Essentially it brings two benefits.

Without VPN “intruders” (hackers, among others) can see what you are doing, the contents you are downloading and the site you are browsing. With VPN they can’t, precisely because the connection becomes “private”, secured.

Without VPN the other side you are connecting to can tell where in the world you are, from what country you are connecting, and based on this information they can decide to allow you to connect to them or not. With VPN, you set the geographic location, the country you want to appear connecting from. Understandably a VPN opens the door to countless possibilities.

Now why would you want to appear connecting from say Germany if you are actually in Jordan? There are many cases that would justify doing so, and they are not necessarily illegal, reprehensive, unethical or immoral. The most obvious is when watching TV streaming, be it sport channels or Netflix and the like.

Have you ever tried to watch, for example tennistv.com, only to be served a frustrating pop up screen that says “sorry, this service is not available in your geographic area”? With a VPN, you can set the application, your computer, to show that you are in Australia, or France, or any other country, to bypass you area’s restriction, and have this way access to the tennis match you absolutely want to watch. Even TV programmes that you can find in replay mode would be inaccessible to you if the service detects that you are in an “unauthorised” country.

Another perfectly justified reason for using VPN would be to “protect yourself from snooping on untrustworthy Wi-Fi hotspots”, as rightly explained by howtogeek.com. This aspect of VPN is truly about better protection, higher privacy, reduced risk of cyber-attacks and virus infection, and it alone justifies installing VPN software.

Are VPNs free? Rarely, hardly.

Among the many such applications available currently on the web, it is worth mentioning TunnelBear, ExpressVPN, StrongVPN and CyberGhost, perhaps the top four in the series.

They either work based on a monthly subscription, or ask you to pay per quantity of download, in other words the total time you would spend watching video programmes or connecting while the VPN is running. Typically VPN services cost between $5 and $15 per month, on average. Some, like TunnelBear, very kindly offer you a free subscription if you are content with a maximum of 500MB (yes MB, not GB) download per month. Practically speaking this is not really much, for it is the equivalent of about 60 to 90 minutes viewing — hardly enough to satisfy anybody.

Apart from watching streaming video, IT professionals often use VPNs when they remotely connect to another computer for technical service, support and assistance. In this specific case VPN ensures a very safe connection, one that hackers and prying eyes cannot intercept.

The beauty of VPNs are that they are not complicated to install, understand and use. Even those who are not particularly technically minded can easily do it.

RIO DE JANEIRO — Its white flesh is tender and tasty, it can measure up to three metres long and weigh more than 200 kilogrammes: meet the pirarucu, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, and native to the Amazon.

The enormous animal, once threatened with extinction, is now on dinner plates in Rio de Janeiro’s fanciest restaurants, thanks to a number of chefs who have championed the delicacy and the indigenous communities who ensure its continued survival.

“Without them, there would be nothing left,” says Frederic Monnier, the head chef at the city’s hip Brasserie Rosario.

“What they’re doing for the Amazon is priceless,” adds Jessica Trindade, the Brazilian chef at Chez Claude, an institution in the city’s restaurant scene.

Chef Marcelo Barcellos uses pirarucu in his moqueca, a fish stew swimming in palm oil and seasoned with coriander that is a signature Brazilian dish originating in the north-eastern state of Bahia.

Served with a toasted manioc flour mixture and nuts that come straight from the Amazon basin, the moqueca delights foodies’ taste buds and eyes, as the white fish contrasts with the yellow flour and green spices.

The taste is akin to that of other saltwater whitefish like pollock or cod.

Barcellos, the executive chef and owner of the restaurant Barsa, is one of several Rio chefs who have happily added pirarucu to his menu.

But not that long ago, before pirarucu made it to the top tables in the Marvelous City, Arapaima gigas — or Amazonian cod, as it is sometimes called — almost vanished from menus.

It was brought back from the brink of extinction thanks to the establishment at a nature preserve of a sustainable fishing program with strict quotas. 

Pirarucu can only be fished from July to November, the non-mating season.

‘Superior fish’

Raising the pirarucu’s profile with Rio’s top chefs has certainly helped.

The Taste of the Amazon project has helped do that. Recently, nine chefs travelled to northern Brazil to observe how the Paumari tribe has established sustainable practices for harvesting pirarucu.

Through their contact with the indigenous fishermen, the chefs learned which parts of the fish are the best. That knowledge ended up on their menus.

“It’s an excellent product, with a fabulous flavour, without that earthy taste that some freshwater fish have,” Trindade says.

For Ricardo Lapeyre of the Michelin-starred Laguiole Lab, the experience surpassed his expectations.

He figured he would take the trip just to learn a bit more about how to cook the fish, and bring some new ingredients back to his kitchen. 

In the end, he is on board the pirarucu train, and is one of its biggest fans.

“It’s a superior fish — the quality is largely superior to what we get from fish farms,” he said.

“I became aware of the importance of the forest and the support given to projects that benefit local populations.”

Preservation

Adevaldo Dias, an official at ASPROC, the cooperative that manages the sustainable fishing of the pirarucu, was pleasantly surprised with how keen the chefs were to take part in the project.

“I was struck by their commitment, their understanding of how this fish is good for the Amazon, and the need to pay fishermen properly,” Dias explained.

The sustainable fishing project for the pirarucu was put in place 20 years ago.

Since then, the giant fish population has soared, from more than 2,500 in 1999 to more than 190,000 last year.

Thanks to ASPROC, the fishermen are paid seven reais (about $1.75) per kilogramme, against the four reais they could count on by selling in local markets.

But restaurants pay a whopping 48 reais a kilogramme, because of transportation costs. The dish is then sold for about 70 reais ($17).

Leonardo Kurihara — the coordinator of Operation Native Amazon (OPAN), which is overseeing the Taste of the Amazon initiative — chefs are vital because “they are at the other end of the chain, presenting the product to the consumer”.

Felipe Rossoni, also at OPAN, explains that the initiative has cleared the way for new markets for the pirarucu.

“Sustainable fishing helps preserve the environment, and reinforces the autonomy and clear identity of traditional communities,” Rossoni said.

By Sonaiya Kelley

The box office was dominated by villains and sequels as Disney and Buena Vista’s “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” toppled “Joker” from the top spot after two weekends of dominance.

The $185-million film, which stars Angelina Jolie as the titular “Sleeping Beauty” sorceress, opened with a disappointing $36 million, well below analyst projections of $45 million to $50 million, according to estimates from measurement firm Comscore. Internationally it earned $117 million for a global cumulative of $153 million.

It earned a mixed reception with an A CinemaScore but a 41 per cent “rotten” rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

A follow-up to 2014’s “Maleficent”, the sequel failed to recapture the allure of the first film, which opened with $69.4 million in North America on its way to $758 million in global ticket sales. The result may reflect fatigue among moviegoers of Disney’s live-action remakes, following underperformers such as “Dumbo” and “Alice Through the Looking Glass”.

The overall box office was down 18.1 per cent from the same weekend a year ago, and the year-to-date is down 5 per cent. However, it was a particularly strong weekend for specialty films.

In limited release, Fox Searchlight opened Taika Waititi’s Holocaust comedy “Jojo Rabbit” in five locations to $350,000 for an impressive per-screen average of $70,000, one of the best specialty box office openings of the year. It earned a 77 per cent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

A24 opened “The Lighthouse” in eight locations to $419,764 for a strong per-screen average of $52,471. It earned a 93 per cent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Meanwhile, Neon’s “Parasite” added 30 locations for a total of 33, earning $1.2 million in its second weekend for a still impressive $37,616 per screen average and a cumulative $1.8 million. The critically acclaimed Bong Joon Ho film enjoyed a 233 per cent increase over its opening weekend, finishing just outside the top 10.

In second place, Warner Bros.’ “Joker” added $29.2 million for a cumulative $247.2 million. Worldwide, it crossed the $700-million mark after just three weeks in theaters, currently standing at $737.5 million.

At No. 3, Sony’s “Zombieland: Double Tap” opened with $26.7 million.

Original cast members Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson and Abigail Breslin return a decade later for the sequel alongside newcomers Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson and Thomas Middleditch.

The first “Zombieland” opened with $24.7 million in 2009 on its way to $102.4 million in global receipts. An early entry in the zombie genre revival, it earned an A- CinemaScore and a 90 per cent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Comparatively, “Zombieland 2” earned a B+ CinemaScore and a 67 per cent “fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

In fourth place, United Artists Releasing’s “The Addams Family” animated remake added $16.1 million in its second weekend (a 47 per cent drop) for a cumulative $56.6 million.

Rounding out the top five, Paramount’s “Gemini Man” added $8.5 million in its second weekend (a 59 per cent drop) for a cumulative $36.5 million, a terrible result for the $138-million film. Globally the film has earned $82.2 million.

At No. 6, Universal’s “Abominable” added $3.5 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $53.9 million.

In seventh place, Focus Features’ “Downton Abbey” added $3 million in its fifth weekend for a cumulative $88.6 million.

At No. 8, Roadside Attractions’ “Judy” added $2.05 million in its fourth weekend for a cumulative $19 million.

In ninth place, STX Entertainment’s “Hustlers” added $2.06 million in its sixth weekend. The film crossed the $100-million mark this weekend for a cumulative $101.9 million, marking a big win for the beleaguered STX.

Rounding out the top 10, Warner Bros.’ “It Chapter Two” added $1.5 million in its seventh weekend for a cumulative $209.7 million.

Saban Films started its roadshow tour of Kevin Smith’s “Jay & Silent Bob Reboot” in Asbury Park, N.J., with $93,520 for a cumulative $1.1 million including Fathom Events screenings during the week.

This week, Sony’s Screen Gems reveals the cop drama “Black and Blue”, STX Entertainment opens the horror “Countdown” and 101 Studios releases “The Current War: Director’s Cut”.

By Sonja Haller

No one particularly likes getting a shot. Though parents know children who are terrified by the mere thought of needles.

This makes going to the doctor or the pharmacy for the annual flu shot anywhere from a rocky blip to a full-on nightmare.

Luckily, parents aren’t powerless.

What parents do before and during the appointment can help calm a child, ease the fear and change a kid’s outlook for future vaccinations.

“I’ve never met a child who is excited about needles,” said Dr Jean Moorjani, a paediatrician at Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital. “The best thing parents can do is talk their child through it. I’ve got two kids and I validate their fears. Yes, this is going to hurt. But explain what it’s for and why it’s important.”

Here’s seven more tips for helping kids who fear needles. And, hey, they might work on you too.

Be honest

Babies might not remember the pain, but older children will, Moorjani said.

“They look to parents as somebody to trust and when you say it will hurt but not for very long, they want to believe you,” she said.

Give advance warning

A little advance warning is good thing. No child should be surprised that a hurtful shot is happening or else they’ll learn to fear medical settings. Give just enough information so that a child knows what to expect.

Stick to the vaccine schedule

If you’re playing vaccine catch up, that could mean more shots in a single visit. Sometimes it can’t be avoided for smaller children, but don’t go in for a flu shot and have your doctor realize your 12-year-old missed their Tdap shot so they’re getting that one, too.

Try the cough trick

For unclear reasons, studies found children ages four to 11, who coughed moderately once before a shot and once during it, found the pain of a needle reduced.

Follow medical staff instructions

Some children are chill and sit on the table by themselves. Some want to be in our lap. And some make getting a shot impossible by hanging onto us for dear life, wailing like a banshee. Try as we might to calm our child, our presence may only be prolonging our child’s scary experience. Medical professionals may ask us to step aside so they can get the shot over with. Do it.

Ready a reward

Children never outgrow rewards do they? Often times doctor’s offices have a sticker or a bauble waiting after a shot, but it never hurts to dangle the carrot or sucker or whatever else is your child’s favourite reward for his or her bravery after the shot.

Work to overcome a needle phobia

Needle phobia is real. When a child’s fear of needles goes to the extreme so that he or she is missing vaccinations, a counsellor or child psychologist can help. Often the treatment leans toward exposure exercises to the type of experiences a child will go through during a vaccination until the child is ready for a shot.

Launched right from the beginning of the current model’s late 2012 introduction and soon joined by a plug-in version, the Ford Fusion Hybrid is a more economic take on the Blue Oval’s mid-size saloon offering. A spacious, stylish and relatively big and economical saloon, the Fusion Hybrid has since become a particularly popular car in Jordan, where it is largely an independent import. More telling perhaps is that the Fusion Hybrid seems to have become a somewhat unofficial car of choice for ride-hailing app drivers.

Virtually indistinguishable from regular petrol-powered Fusion variants apart from its discrete badges, bar the powerful, but now outgoing Fusion sport, the Fusion Hybrid is also available with similar trim level choices. Sharing the same sleek low roofline, high flanks, small glasshouse, huge grille, slim headlights and high-set almost diamond shaped rear light, the Fusion Hybrid cuts an aggressive presence. An undoubtedly attractive car, the Fusion Hybrid ubiquity over time and in numbers, however, make it stand out less than it should among more anonymous segment rivals. 

Responsive and confident

Behind its wide Aston Martin-esque and dramatically squinting headlights the Fusion Hybrid is powered by a naturally-aspirated 2-litre four-cylinder engine running on an efficient Atkinson cycle and developing 141BHP at 6,000rpm and 129lb/ft at 4,000rpm, combined with an electric motor producing 47BHP. With its combined system output of 188BHP and 177lb/ft driving the front wheels, the Fusion Hybrid is responsive at low speeds, with near instant electric output lending it a hint of torque steer, as it accelerates through 0-100km/h in an estimated 9-seconds or less.

Setting off in electric mode with the petrol chinning in moments later, the Fusion Hybrid an however drive in electric only mode for brief moments at speeds up to 137km/h. Recharging its battery through regenerative braking and the combustion engine, the isn’t as muscular as or responsive to demanding throttle inputs, but is confident on inclines, before the batteries are depleted after a few minutes of spirited heavy throttle hill climb driving, and it then has to rely on the petrol engine to carry its 1,663kg.

Cornering competence

With its electric motor helping reduce low speed urban traffic consumption, the Fusion Hybrid is, however, also an accomplished highway cruiser with a stable, composed and reassuring ride quality. Meanwhile its continually variable transmission (CVT) is smooth and efficient, but isn’t quite as engaging or rewarding as torque converter automatic gearbox, as fitted to non-hybrid Fusions. Like any CVT, the Fusion’s CVT tries to maintain engine revs at an efficient band, which can mean that revs, throttle inputs and acceleration don’t always feel direct or connected.

If not the fastest in its segment, the Fusion Hybrid is, however, one of the sporties and most rewarding cars to drive in a largely uninspiring and decidedly un-sporty and mid-size front-drive hybrid saloon segment. Accurate, responsive and quick, but lacking the excellent feel, feedback and intuitiveness of Ford’s European hatchbacks and certain other models, the Fusion Hybrid’s steering however complements its decent in-class handling ability. Turning in tidier and cornering with more agility, it feels more competent and focused through winding roads than many competitors.

Smooth and settled

About as close to a sports saloon as hybrids in segment get, the Fusion Hybrid retains much of the standard petrol version’s dynamic abilities, despite the additional 100kg or so of weight, mostly concentrated under the boot. Settled yet supple over imperfections and comfortable riding, the Fusion Hybrid, and feels reassuring and buttoned down through fast bends and delivers good body control through corners. Its brakes lack initial feel, but transition well between regenerative and mechanical functions, and are also reassuring in their stopping ability.

Refined, smooth and quiet and only slightly disturbed by high rev engine noise, the Fusion Hybrid is otherwise a calm, pleasant and environment with a good driving position and front space. Well-equipped with standard and optional safety, driver assistance, convenience and infotainment features, its stylishly sleek and low roofline however makes headroom a premium for tall rear passengers, and slightly obstructs rear and over-shoulder visibility. Featuring plenty of thoughtful storage spaces and fold down rear seats, the Fusion Hybrid’s heavy battery pack however reduces boot volume to 340-litres.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: petrol/electric hybrid, 2-litre, transverse, 4-cylinders & permanent magnetic AC synchronous motor

Compression ratio: 12.3

Valve-train: 16-valve, DOHC

Battery/capacity: Lithium-ion/1.4kWh

Gearbox: Continuously variable transmission (CVT) auto, front-wheel-drive

Final drive: 2.57:1

Power–petrol engine, BHP (PS) [kW]: 141 (143) [105] @6000rpm

Power–electric motor, BHP (PS) [kW]: 47 (47.5) [35]

Power–combined, BHP (PS) [kW]: 188 (190) [140]

Torque–petrol engine, lb/ft (Nm): 129 (175) @4000rpm

Torque–combined, lb/ft (Nm): 177 (240)

0-100km/h: approximately under 9-seconds (estimate)

Electric mode top speed: 137km

Fuel consumption, city/highway/combined: 5.73-/5.47-/
5.6-litres/100km

Fuel capacity: 53-litres

Length: 4,871mm

Width: 1,851mm

Height: 1,473mm

Wheelbase: 2,849mm

Track, F/R: 1,582/1,574mm

Headroom, F/R: 995/960mm

Legroom, F/R: 1,125/972mm

Shoulder room, F/R: 1,468/1,445mm

Hip room, F/R: 1,391/1,381mm

Seating capacity: 5

Luggage volume: 340-litres

Kerb weight: 1,663kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Suspension: MacPherson struts/multi-link

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/discs, regenerative