Features

A perfectly competent, capable all-rounder, and more accessible up-market offering in the then newly burgeoning SUV market when first introduced in 2002, the Volkswagen Touareg might not have been a particularly inspired or charismatic of vehicles in its first two generations. 

Now, however, the third generation Touareg may in passing seem a subtle evolution, but at closer examination it becomes evident that it has been virtually transformed. A bona fide premium SUV competing with the best the segment has to offer, the new Touareg also proved to be an unexpectedly rewarding drive with improved comfort and technology, and newfound agility and urge.

More upmarket and better driving than the vehicle it replaces, the new Touareg launched globally late last year and is already available in several Middle East markets. Not the first Touareg sharing architecture with more exotic and up-market cousins, Volkswagen’s latest large SUV, however, now features more of the technology, refinement and driving dynamics. Using the same Volkswagen group MLBevo platform as the Lamborghini Urus, Bentley Bentayga, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q8 and Q7 models, the new Touareg uses more aluminium intensive construction. Consequently, its body is 106kg lighter despite it being slightly larger and considerably better equipped car than its predecessor.

Sharp and responsive

Distinctly classier in design, the new Touareg ditches the outgoing model’s rounded body in favour of tauter, more chiseled surfacing with sharper and more deliberate lines, ridges and edges. Its chrome-heavy fascia seamlessly incorporates browed headlight clusters and LED elements with a vast multi-slatted grille. Featuring better flowing lines, detailing and lines, the new Toureg’s roofline is faster and more rakish, while side views feature better defined wheel-arches, rocker panels and surfacing. At the rear, its design is better resolved and design elements more tightly packaged, and include slimmer, sharper rear lights, more pronounced tailgate-top spoiler and dual integrated chrome-tipped exhaust ports.

Launched in most markets with turbo-diesel power and petrol on the way, the Touareg, however, arrives in Middle East markets with 4-cylinder and V6 petrol engines from the outset. Driven in top Highline specification with Volkswagen’s now familiar direct injection 3-litre turbocharged V6 TFSI petrol engine, the Touareg develops 335BHP and 332lb/ft torque. Though unspecified, maximum torque is on tap at what is evidently a broad and low range and power plateaus with relatively low-revving accessibility. Responsive and almost imperceptible turbo lag from idling, the Touareg’s delivery features fulsome mid-range delivery and a smooth, refined and almost elastically urgent climb to redline.

Swift and smooth

Convincingly athletic and consistently responsive, the Touareg’s digs deep to a develop a welling mid-range torque that gives way to top-end power, and makes short work of overtaking manoeuvres and is swift pouncing out of corners. Estimated to complete the 0-100km/h sprint in just 5.9-seconds and to be capable of 250km/h, the Touareg’s slippery 0.32 aerodynamic drag and torque rich engine make it a willing and confident high way drive. Driving all four wheels through a smooth and swift shifting 8-speed automatic gearbox with a broad ratio spread for best performance, response, versatility, refinement and efficiency, the Touareg also features different driving mode profiles.

With its engine positioned longitudinally and just ahead of front axles for excellent front wheel traction and power delivered to all four wheels with the ability to redistribute power back and forth at up to 70 per cent to the front or 80 per cent rearwards as the situation dictates, the Touareg feels ever sure-footed. With excellent road-holding on tarmac, the Touareg features both different driving mode that adapt different systems for different situations on-road, as well as off-road. An optional Off-road Package allows for yet more off-road modes specifically tailored for sand, gravel and individual tailored characteristics. Furthermore, optional air suspension allows for increase ride height and 550mm water fording.

Nimble and sure-footed

Smooth, stable and supple at speed or whether cruising in town despite huge 20-inch alloy wheels and low profile 285/45R20 tyres — as driven on smooth Dubai roads — the Touareg’s air suspension offers a refined and comfortable ride that helps isolate one from harshness. That said, the Touareg surprisingly never felt disconnected or vague, and for a big SUV, felt surprisingly agile, despite some body lean through corners. If anything, the Touareg felt alive and tautly elastic through corners, with electronically controlled anti-roll bars tightening up to tidy up body control and four-wheel-drive reallocating power and clawing back traction from a rear shift, just as one reapplies power and blasts off onto the next corner.

More nimble its height and estimated 2-tonne weight suggest, the Touareg benefits from quick, well-damped, light and direct steering and tidy turn-in, and good brakes. Offered with optional four-wheel-steering, the Touareg is more agile and manoeuvrable than anticipated. With rear wheels turning opposite to the front at low speeds and its wheelbase effectively shortened, the Touareg can make a 180° in just 11.19-metres and deftly manoeuvre through twists and turns. Meanwhile at speed the rear wheels turn in the same direction for quick and sure-footed cornering like it is glued to the road, and for stable lane changes at speed.

Classy comfort

A high tech SUV packed with standard and optional convenience, comfort, infotainment, safety and driver assistance systems including massaging front seats, night vision thermal cameras, partly automated steering and lane departure Traffic Jam Assist system, heads-up display, and interactive LED headlights, the new Touareg’s electro-mechanical anti-roll bars are meanwhile powered by a 48v battery system, which would also theoretically allow for numerous other high tech systems as used by the Audi A8. Inside, the Touareg is the most digital Volkswagen to date and features a huge high definition and user-friendly 15-inch infotainment screen and 12-inch configurable digital instrument panel.

Comfortable, classy and uncluttered inside, the new Touareg feels and looks like a considerably more premium SUV with a cocooning yet spacious and highly adjustable driving position, and airy ambiance created by its large panoramic sunroof. Using good quality materials, leathers and plenty of soft textures, the Touareg feels upmarket and sophisticated without being gaudy, overstated or pretentious. Seating five in comfort, it can generously accommodate 810-litres of luggage, which expands to 1800-litres with the rear seats folded down. 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 3-litre, in-line, turbochargedV6-cylinders

Bore x stroke: 84.5 x 89mm

Valve-train: 24-valve, DOHC, direct injection

Gearbox: 8-speed automatic, four-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 335 (340) [250]

Specific power: 111.8BHP/litre

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 332 (450)

Specific torque: 150.2Nm/litre

0-100km/h: 5.9-seconds (est.)

Top speed: 250km/h (est.)

Fuel capacity: 75-litres

Length: 4,878mm

Width: 1,984mm

Height: 1,702mm

Wheelbase: 2,894mm

Track, F/R: 1,653/1,669mm

Ground clearance: 188mm (+70mm adjustability)*

Approach/departure angles/break-over: 23.3°/17.2°/13.5° 

Water fording: 550mm*

Aerodynamic drag co-efficient: 0.32

Headroom, F/R: 1,049/990mm

Cabin width, F/R: 1,584/1,547mm

Luggage volume, min/max: 810-/1,800-litres

Kerb weight: approximately 2,000kg 

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Turning Circle: 11.19-metres**

Suspension: Five-link, optional air suspension

Brakes: Ventilated discs

Tyres: 285/45R20

Price, starting from: AED204,629 (V6 engine, UAE, as tested)

With optional air suspension

With optional four-wheel-steering

By Sheela Sheth

Food Expert

This bitter sweet plant, also known as the dragon wart and tarkhum in Arabic, has an aromatic flavour similar to anise. A perennial herb in the sunflower family, it is native to Europe, Asia, India (my home country) and parts of northern Mexico. In Ayurveda (Indian herbal medicine), tarragon is known to have a strong cultural and historical attachment due its rich medicinal property. 

Antioxidant property

Some indigenous varieties of tarragon are known to have antioxidant properties that fight free radicals (free radicals cause damage to the body’s cells, leading to premature ageing and serious health problems). Tarragon oil works wonders in stopping the damage done by free radicals. It is widely used as a painkiller for toothache as it has the ability to numb the pain.

Medical miracle

Several studies have shown that tarragon appears to have chemicals which work as an appetite stimulant. It has been long used as a digestive tonic because it aids in the production of bile by the liver. It not only improves digestion but also relieves stomach upsets, irritable bowels and dyspepsia. Tarragon leaves also work as a mild sedative to help relieve anxiety and stress and the oil is widely used in dentistry to numb the nerves. It has also been shown to support cardiovascular health and also assists in keeping blood platelets, clotting agents in the blood, in order. It is also used for building muscle mass and weight control.

Cosmetic infusion

Tarragon is widely used to infuse aromatic oils, soaps, shampoos and certain moisturising skin lotions and creams to add aroma for treatment. Tarragon oil can improve hair lustre and reduce hair frizz. Steaming with a few leaves serves as a skin cleanser and its antioxidants help as an astringent. 

Culinary contribution

It is reminiscent of fennel and anise as it is liquorice in taste. The rich and pleasant aroma of tarragon leaves gives a delicate flavour to salads and soups. It is popularly used to flavour vinegar like dill or olive oil for salad dressing. It is often combined with capers and also used for flavouring sauces, especially in French and German cuisine.

Bring out the tarragon!

Pick some fresh greens and toss a tarragon dressing infused in olive oil, vinegar or lemon, honey, sun dried tomatoes and bell peppers. 

Be sure to consult your doctor before trying any herbal products. 

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

Two chemicals commonly used as e-cigarette flavours might harm users’ airway passages, a small experiment suggests. 

The results point to the need to further study how the highly popular cigarette alternatives affect human bodies, researchers say. 

In test tube experiments, the researchers exposed cells from the lining of human airways to two flavouring compounds: diacetyl — a chemical with a butter-like smell — and its “chemical cousin” 2,3-pentanedione. 

In the body, these so-called bronchial epithelial cells work with mucus to clear inhaled germs and particles. 

Researchers found that both chemicals induced hundreds of genetic changes in the cells. The chemicals also impaired the ability of the cells to function properly. 

“These flavouring chemicals are what we call ‘Generally Regarded As Safe’ chemicals. That designation, though, only refers to the ingestion pathway,” said study coauthor Joseph Allen, from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. 

“They are food grade flavouring chemicals. They have not been tested for inhalation safety. And what we do know about users who inhale these flavouring chemicals is that they can cause severe lung disease,” Allen told Reuters Health by phone. 

In food, diacetyl is generally considered safe by experts. But older research going back a decade describes how workers at popcorn factory developed a serious respiratory condition called bronchiolitis obliterans, or “popcorn lung”, after inhaling the butter-flavoured compound. 

“It’s a good study and it’s a beginning,” said Irfan Rahman, a professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Centre in New York, who was not associated with the study. 

 “The flavour is causing some changes in the genes, which is a really key point in human lung epithelial cells,” said Rahman, who studies the effects of cigarette smoke on lung inflammation. 

“Lungs are not made for flavours to inhale. Our body is not yet ready,” Rahman said. 

Test tube experiments may not reflect real human exposure to e-cigarette, the researchers acknowledge. 

Also, they point out, they chose these two flavour chemicals to study based on preliminary investigations conducted in 2016. Today, e-cig manufacturers may have changed formulations. 

Indeed, Juul Labs Inc., a popular maker of e-cigarette devices, states on its website that it does not add either of these chemicals to its manufacturing process and lists other ingredients such as natural oils, extracts and flavours as its ingredients. 

“Some of the newer e-cigarette companies like Juul are starting to advertise that their products do not contain [these chemicals],” Allen said. 

“What is important to ask is: What flavours are they using?” he added 

E-cigarette and “vape” makers have come under fire from health regulators and governments as youth e-cigarette use increases, and worries arise about a burgeoning young population of e-cigarette users who may move on to smoking cigarettes. 

“Because of the associations of diacetyl inhalation exposure and severe respiratory diseases and increasing popularity of e-cig use among people, further mechanistic studies are warranted to evaluate the effects of diacetyl and related flavouring compounds in e-cig on airway epithelium,” the researchers note in their study published in “Scientific Reports”. 

PARIS — Camille Pepin is part of a very rare breed. She is a female composer.

Women have conquered space and risen in the military ranks, but some professions remain resolutely and bewilderingly masculine.

When Pepin turned up for her first day at the Paris Conservatoire — as usual the only woman in a class of men — an official told her that her name was not on the list. 

But when she insisted that she was and that he look again, he cried, “Ah, you’re a woman!” 

Camille is also a man’s name in France.

“I would never have thought,” he apologised. “There are so many men...”

With so few female composers in the classical music repertoire, it was an easy mistake to make.

Pepin has never let everyday sexism get her down though, laughing it off like water off a duck’s back.

“One male composer told me I was getting commissions because I was a woman and not too bad looking,” said the 28-year-old, whose first album, “Chamber Music”, is released later this month.

After a concert of one of her more combative pieces, “a man came to tell me my music was ‘very fresh, flowery and sweet’”, she told AFP.

“I am a woman, so clearly those three words” apply, she said wryly. 

Pepin, whose music recalls both Claude Debussy and American minimalist composers like John Adams, said sometimes the sexist stereotypes which persist in the classical music world are hard to take.

Only woman

One “old school” music professor insisted she sit on his right at lunch “because that was a woman’s place” and sent her off to make the coffee.

“I was the only woman in all my classes in the Conservatoire, and it was fine,” said Pepin, who is now working on her first ballet score, in her Paris apartment which doubles as a studio.

Mostly the young composer, who made her breakthrough with the orchestral piece “Vajrayana” in 2015, said she was treated exactly the same as her male colleagues in classes with French contemporary composers like Guillaume Connesson, Thierry Escaich and Marc-Andre Dalbavie.

Beyond the classroom, however, progress is slow in the conservative world of classical music. 

Pepin believes it will take generations for the forgotten work of female composers to get just recognition.

Beyond the casual unthinking sexism, she said the biggest problem for young female composers was “a lack of role models”.

A few woman, such as the American composer Meredith Monk, Kaija Saariaho of Finland and Tansy Davies from Britain, have managed to break the glass ceiling.

Written out of history

But even Pepin admitted that when she was younger she did not know of a single female composer. 

“We never studied them,” she said. 

Who has ever heard of Helene de Montgeroult (1764-1836), Louise Farrenc (1804-1875) or Fanny Mendelssohn (1805-1847)? 

Fanny was the older sister of the more famous Felix Mendelssohn, with many at the time saying her work was more expressive.

But after she married, she was limited to domestic duties and had to content herself with being her brother’s chief editor and muse, which led him to call her his “Minerva” of wisdom.

“Lots of female composers were crushed like Clara Schumann [the wife of Robert Schumann],” despite being one of the most distinguished composers and musicians of the Romantic era, said the pianist Celia Oneto Bensaid, who often performs Pepin’s work.

“You play my music,” Schumann once bluntly told his wife, a star of concert halls across Europe.

Began at age 13

Born into a family in the northern French city of Amiens that was not particularly musical, Pepin began to write her own melodies at 13. 

But even at the age of five in her ballet class, her eyes were more drawn to the piano.

“I was so fascinated that I would forget to do my exercises,” she said.

Before settling on composing, Pepin thought about being a dancer. “I need to feel the notes physically,” she said. 

Her first ballet will be choreographed next year by Sylvain Pad for France’s Ballet du Nord.

Finally, she feels she is getting beyond the dreaded question — “But what do you do for a living?” — when she tells people she is a composer.

“They thought it was just something I did to chill on Sundays,” she laughed.

With increasing globalisation and a shrinking Earth, speaking, or at least understanding, several foreign languages is not a luxury anymore — it is a real must. We now need to communicate with speakers of other languages more  frequently faster and better. The question is more important than ever.

Software in general and the web in particular, have brought numerous tools that help you achieve, even if not perfectly yet, the trick. They range from text-based translation to instant voice processing. As an example, the new Travis Touch pocket translator is a handheld device, the size of a small smartphone, that listens to what you would say in a given language, instantly translates what you just said and then speaks it out loud in its own voice, in the chosen target language. The main languages processed by the Travis Touch are Arabic, English, Chinese, French, German, Spanish, and Japanese. This covers quite a large part of the world’s population!

How much are Travis Touch and the like able to do at this stage? It all remains simple, merely handling straightforward, non-equivocal, non-idiomatic talk. Some call it “touristic style”. PcMag reviewer Kevin Sebastian said of it: “don’t expect to have deep insightful conversations”. He further explained that the unit uses a “Wi-Fi signal that connects to a language database that works with real translators”.

Acknowledging what automatic translators can, and cannot, do is key to using them smartly and to avoid being disappointed. While the new, automated tools can be practical, proper human translation is still very much in demand, and only this kind can deliver properly formulated output, with correct grammar, syntax and hopefully style. 

In parallel, and in the same vein, countless ads can be seen on the web that promise to teach you a new language in a few weeks. Babbel is an e-learning much-publicised German platform that just does that. How much-exactly you can learn with it in a few weeks is another story.

Even the good old text-based tools such as Google Translate have been significantly improved. Those looking for a little more than just to understand what the text they are reading is about can use specialised websites or tools that deal with context-based translation, resulting in translated text that is much more accurate than what the general purpose Google Translate can deliver. For instance: Linguee, Al Maani (Arabic for “the meanings”) or Reverso, to name only three of them.

There is little doubt about the great utility of all these tools. They keep being improved constantly and over short periods of time. Sometimes the improvement can be felt in a matter of a few months. And yet, and again, human translators can do much better, but of course, they would take more time, and needless to say, more money to do it.

Professional human translators sometimes use the output generated by great sites to obtain a first draft, therefore saving precious time this way, if only in typing, and then edit the output to come up with more perfect language, grammar and syntax. It takes skills, art, wide general knowledge and culture to do that well.

Automatic, instant, multilingual, spoken, written, all these attributes of the connected digital world can do wonders to make the world unite and communicate faster, better and in an easier manner. Knowing the limits and remembering that automation can sometimes make serious misinterpretation with dire consequences means it always must be used carefully and wisely.

In the meantime, and until the day we see the United Nations replace their highly skilled, highly paid human interpreters with automatic digital devices at conferences and UN sessions, automatic translators will remain gadgets. Useful ones by all means, good helpers maybe, time savers and also perhaps fun to use, but gadgets nevertheless.

PARIS — With its Lego-like avatars and easy-to-learn coding for budding programmers, the online gaming app Roblox has cornered the market in younger gamers, with 80 million monthly users, many of them under 16.

Now the platform, which has already taken the United States by storm, is setting its sights on Europe and Asia to become a global giant.

Kids log on to the mobile app after school to guide their avatars through obstacle courses full of pitfalls, escape from jail, dive into a treasure hunt or even to build their own adventure park.

None of it is very original, content-wise, and its simplistic, blocky style cannot compete with the lush aesthetics of the big studios’ games, but its 3D user-generated games are aimed at younger players, and at teaching them coding skills for the future. 

“It’s not a game, it’s a platform for creativity and play,” said Chris Misner, head of Roblox International. 

“We provide tools and support for people to build what their imagination wants. The only limit is their imagination.”

The company does not release much user data, but claims to have 80 million active players per month in more than 30 countries. Most of the players are aged nine to 12, while content creators tend to be 16 and over. 

Misner told AFP the company spends almost nothing on advertising — word of mouth has been enough to make it one of the most popular entertainment platforms among six-12 year-olds, according to Comscore.

“We have positive cash-flow,” said Misner.

‘Building houses’

“It is not the first ‘meta game’ to allow users to engage in world-building, but it’s certainly the first to have done so well,” said Laurent Michaud, of the online think tank Idate.

While it is free to play, Roblox makes its money from users buying up units of its virtual currency, “Robux”, to personalise their avatars or buy kit that helps them advance through the game.

The best developers can make money off it too. Alex Balfanz, a 19-year-old American, created several games before striking gold with his game “Jailbreak” in April 2017, which according to US media racked up more than $1 million in a year. 

But most of the 56 million games available on the app do not enjoy that level of success.

“Last year I was playing ‘Blocks bird’ with some friends. You have to get a job, you build houses and go to your friends’ houses for parties,” said Edouard Chatelain-Moor, 11, who lives in the US capital Washington.

“I don’t play that often now,” he said. “There are some good games, but you get tired of them after a while because updates are rare.”

Launched for computers in 2006, Roblox took a decade to really take off. It is now available on most devices, including Virtual Reality helmets and even runs summer camps to teach kids to code games.

‘Gang rape’

Last summer, Roblox gained a lot more publicity, but initially for the wrong reasons.

In June, a seven-year-old girl who was playing the game showed her mother the screen of her iPad, where her avatar was being attacked by two male characters.

It was a scene which the mother, Amber Petersen, later described on Facebook as a “violent gang rape” of her little girl’s online character.

“We were upset that somebody had violated the code of conduct,” said Misner, noting that 700 moderators oversee the platform. 

“It was very a specific incident, we were able to shut it down and put safeguards. It was contained and addressed rapidly.”

The disturbing incident has not dented the financial health of the gaming platform: five months ago, it raised $150 million in a round of investor funding and was valued at $2.5 billion, the magazine Techcrunch reported. 

“The money will be used to build our infrastructure and our network globally, to increase the performance of our platform and hiring lots of people,” said Misner. “We invest in technology, people, safety, creativity.”

As well as being available in English in dozens of countries, Roblox can also be played in Spanish, and has added some support services in French, German, Portuguese, Korean and Mandarin. 

It doubled its number of users last year in the European market, which it predicts will surpass its US audience in three to five years.

People with diabetes who regularly eat nuts may be less likely to develop heart disease, than their counterparts who rarely, if ever, consume nuts, a US study suggests. 

Diabetics who ate at least five 28-gramme servings of nuts a week were 17 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than people with diabetes who had no more than one serving of nuts weekly, the study found. 

Even just one serving of nuts might still be good for the heart, however. For people with diabetes, adding just one extra serving of nuts a week was associated with a 3 per cent lower risk of developing cardiac conditions and 6 per cent lower risk of dying from heart problems. 

“These data provide novel evidence that supports the recommendation of incorporating nuts into healthy dietary patterns for the prevention of cardiovascular disease complications and premature deaths among individuals with diabetes,” said lead study author Gang Liu, a nutrition researcher at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston. 

The study was not a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how nuts might protect people with diabetes against heart disease. But it is possible that nut consumption may help improve things like blood sugar control and inflammation due at least in part to nutrients in nuts like unsaturated fatty acids, fibre, vitamin E and folate, and minerals like calcium, potassium and magnesium, Liu said. 

Too many nuts may not necessarily be a good thing, however. 

“A handful of nuts is beneficial for heart, but it remains unclear what’s the ideal serving size,” Liu said by e-mail. 

More than half of the people in the current study did not eat nuts at all, Liu noted. 

“Whether the more nuts, the better, needs more studies in populations with large range of nut consumption,” Liu said. “Despite the high energy density of nuts, there is no evidence for an association between frequent nut consumption and weight gain, possibly explained by the satiating effect of nut consumption.” 

In the study, researchers used self-reported diet questionnaires from 16,217 men and women before and after they were diagnosed with diabetes and asked them about their consumption of both peanuts and tree nuts over a period of several years. All of the participants had type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, that is associated with ageing and obesity. 

During the study, 3,336 people were diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases. This included 2,567 cases of heart disease and 789 strokes. A total of 5,682 people died, including 1,663 deaths from cardiovascular disease and 1,297 deaths from cancer. 

Nuts were still associated with a lower risk of heart disease even after researchers accounted for other risk factors for heart problems like how long patients had diabetes, obesity, eating and exercise habits, medication use, and how much they ate nuts before they were diagnosed with diabetes. 

Tree nuts such as walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, pistachios, pecans, macadamias, hazelnuts and pine nuts were more strongly linked to a lower risk of heart disease than peanuts, which are actually legumes that grow underground. 

“One reason why tree nuts might be more protective is that they tend to be consumed with the skin or outer peel, in which most antioxidants reside [at least the common nuts walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts], while peanuts are usually eaten without the peel,” said Dr Emilio Ros of the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. 

“Also, peanuts are usually roasted and salted — the added salt might counteract the benefit from the original nut components,” Ros, who wasn’t involved in the study, said by email. Ros has received grants, research funding and other funds from California Walnut Commission and the International Nut and Dried Fruit Council. 

A one-ounce serving of nuts is about 24 almonds, 18 cashews, 12 hazelnuts and 14 walnut halves. 

“One to one and-a-half servings [28 to 42 grammes] per day is the ideal dose,” Ros advised. “In practical terms, it is best to recommend a handful [of dehulled nuts] — the bigger the hand [and the size of the owner], the bigger the dose.” 

Every once in a while a great, albeit unusual, group of people come together to create a movie that exceeds expectations. People whom you would never imagine working on the same project yet by some weird twist of fate actually do and create something successful. Today this achievement goes to none other than the recently released box office film “Alita: Battle Angel”.

Based on the Japanese manga comics created by Yukito Kishiro, the film has made itself a dominant feature last Valentine’s Day and over the weekend. “Alita: Battle Angel” director Robert Rodriguez, famed for such action movies as “From Dusk Till Dawn”, “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” and “Machete”, took charge of a merry band of talented actors and actresses, and brought to life an amazing story literally giving new meaning to the jokingly teasing phrase “Anime eyes”.

I must admit, it was not the very capable director that made me optimistic about seeing this movie, but the very fact that James Cameron worked on this film as a producer and a writer. Cameron is best known for creating great action thrillers such as “Terminator”, “Aliens” and “Avatar”. The man is known to turn anything he touches to gold, the Midas touch of filmmaking if you will. This is why I knew, going in to the movie theatre, that I was about to watch something that is just as great as the rest of his portfolio and I was not wrong. 

The story of “Alita: Battle Angel” takes place after a great war in a distant dystopian future where hope is rare, cyborgs are everywhere and all that matters is your ability to survive the harsh reality. Alita, played by Rosa Salazar (“Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials”, “Maze Runner: The Death Cure”, “Bird Box”), is a cyborg found and revived by Dr Ido, played by Christoph Waltz (“Inglourious Basterds”, “Django Unchained” “Downsizing”), but she has no memory of her past or where she comes from. She finds herself being forced to fight the corrupt and merciless forces that rule society, but the more she fights the more she remembers and discovers who and what she really is.

The performance by the cast was incredible, especially Salazar. There is not a second from the moment she appears on screen that her character does not grab you by the heart strings. You will be emotionally invested from the beginning and feel as though you are going on the journey of discovery with Alita. 

Waltz plays the role of the father figure as if he was meant for it. With other famed supporting cast members such as Jennifer Connelly (“Blood Diamond”, “Inkheart”) and Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”, “Hidden Figures”) it is no surprise that they complement the film perfectly. And if action is what you seek, then look no further, there are plenty of cyborg fight sequences to quench your thirst. 

The effects and animations bring this world of cyborgs to life and well worth the film’s $200 million budget. This movie is the best I have seen this year and has become one of my favourites. A good mixture of science fiction, action and romance, it is a movie fit for everyone. It will not disappoint. Quite the contrary, it leaves you wanting more. 

So if you have not seen it already, if you have some time during the week or during the coming weekend, and you want to watch an amazing film with your friends and family, or even by yourself, then I suggest you go see “Alita: Battle Angel”. You will not be sorry.

Newborns who don’t get baths right away may be more likely to be exclusively breastfed than infants who get whisked away to be washed soon after delivery, a US study suggests. 

Paediatricians recommend that mothers exclusively breastfeed infants until at least 6 months of age because it can reduce babies’ risk of ear and respiratory infections, sudden infant death syndrome, allergies, childhood obesity and diabetes. While breast milk itself is linked to many of these health benefits, so is the skin-to-skin contact that happens when babies nurse. 

But many new mothers still don’t breastfeed exclusively in the hospital or stop doing so when they go home, researchers note in the Journal of Obstetric, Gynaecologic & Neonatal Nursing.

While some women stop nursing because it’s too painful or difficult, or because work schedules make it impossible, some previous research suggests that breastfeeding can get off to a better start when mothers are not separated from babies in the hospital and get more opportunities in those first few days for bonding and skin-to-skin contact. 

In the current study, researchers examined exclusive breastfeeding rates at one hospital that changed its newborn bathing policy from washing infants within two hours of delivery to delaying baths until 12 to 24 hours after birth. The study included 448 mothers and babies with deliveries under the old bathing policy and 548 mother-infant pairs who were covered by the new delayed bathing policy. 

The proportion of mothers who exclusively breastfed while in the hospital rose from about 60 per cent with rapid bathing to 68 per cent with the new delayed bathing policy. 

“Our previous practice encouraged early separation of mother and baby,” said lead study author Heather DiCioccio, a nursing professional development specialist at Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital in Mayfield, Ohio. 

“We would bathe the baby on the warmer in labour and delivery or if the labour and delivery nurse was getting the mother up to the bathroom for the first time, we would take the baby to the nursery for the bath,” DiCioccio said by e-mail. “By delaying the bath, this separation does not happen.” 

During their hospital stay, mothers were 49 per cent more likely to exclusively breastfeed babies after the new policy, the study found. 

Women were also more likely to report they planned to continue breastfeeding at least some of the time when they were discharged from the hospital. 

The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether or how the timing of newborn baths might directly affect breastfeeding. Researchers also lacked data on how many women breastfed babies after they went home from the hospital, and how many did so exclusively. 

But the study adds to the evidence that postponing that first bath may benefit babies, said Jennifer Yourkavitch, a lactation consultant at the Centre for Women’s Health and Wellness at The University of North Carolina, Greensboro, who wasn’t involved in the study. 

“Bathing an infant immediately after birth can instigate a negative chain of events for the breastfeeding experience,” Yourkavitch said by e-mail. 

A bath right after birth can make babies cold and require them to burn fat to stay warm, which in turn can cause stress and low blood sugar. When blood sugar gets too low, babies are more likely to receive formula, and formula supplementation can then make it harder to get infants to latch on the breast and nurse,” Yourkavitch added. 

The original muscle when appearing in 1964 and first to resurrect such cars in 2005, the iconic trend-setting Ford Mustang made stylish two-doors and performance cars more affordable and accessible. 

The best selling ‘sports car’ nameplate ever, the Mustang retains a quintessentially American flavour, but since its sixth generation incarnation circa 2014 has become a more modern and global car.

Revised and face-lifted for 2018, with a leaner, meaner look and more power, the latest Mustang is also more efficient, advanced and refined, with new gearbox, digital instrumentation, driver assistance safety systems, improved cabin and subtle yet highly effective suspension recalibrations.

Dramatic and athletic

A classic front engine and rear drive sports coupe with a moody shark-like fascia, lasciviously long bonnet, rakish fastback roofline and curt boot, the Mustang also has near perfect weight distribution. Evolved as a modern interpretation of its classic predecessors instead of an overt ‘retro’ design, the sixth generation Mustang features a seductive Coke-bottle waistline, muscular rear haunches, traditional three-strip vertical rear light signature and a forward slanted rear fascia echoing its forward jutting front to create a sense of urgent momentum. Best in solid bright colours matched with black alloy wheels, the Mustang also features twin ridge side character lines.

Remodelled for a hungrier and more dramatic look with narrower inward tilted headlights framing its deep, broad and snouty mesh grille, the revised Mustang’s bonnet is lower and tauter, with a noticeably athletic curvature from silhouette. The Mustang also receives a new air splitter, repositioned bonnet air scoops and all LED lights. Subtly altered at the rear with a new bumper and spoiler options, the face-lifted Mustang’s rear lights look crisp and modern, while large quad exhaust tips hint at its muscular performance envelope. It also receives new colour options, including orange, light blue and crimson, and a revised Mustang badge.

Muscular delivery

Powered by Ford’s brawny and charismatic naturally-aspirated 5-litre V8 Coyote engine, the revised Mustang GT is familiar, but better than ever. Retuned and reworked with a new crankshaft and connecting rods, two knock sensors, increased bore diameter and with dual port and direct fuel injection, the Mustang GT is a higher revving, more capable and efficient performer, developing an additional 25BHP and 20lb/ft torque over the outgoing model. Producing a total of 460BHP at 7000rpm and 420Nm at 4600rpm, the 1707kg Mustang GT pounces through the 0-100km/h benchmark in 4.3-seconds or less and onto 250km/h, while returning 12.1l/100km combined cycle fuel efficiency.

Fluent yet ferociously progressive through revs, the Mustang GT’s delivery is consistently escalating. Digging deep and pulling effortlessly hard with a languid bass-rich low-rev burble that develops to pounding mid-range rumble as torque peaks, the Mustang GT is willing and urgent reaching for its thundering staccato top-end-crescendo. With rich induction percolation from the front, the Mustang GT’s active exhaust can provide a more vocal eight-pot rear rendition. Swift throughout and flexibly versatile when churning at little over tick-over or winding up to redline, the Mustang GT is ever responsive and ready to pounce out of corners, overtake with ease or charge through at full chat.

Seamless responses

Progressive in delivery and with precise, linear throttle responsive, one is able to dial in just the right increments of power through the driven rear wheels for an ideal balance between slip and grip when manoeuvring through switchbacks. The Mustang GT is meanwhile offered with a choice of six-speed manual gearbox for more driver engagement or a more convenient and quicker automatic. Driven in auto, guise, it now features Ford’s new 10-speed auto, in lieu of its predecessor’s six-speeds. With a broad range of ratios helping to reduce fuel consumption and improve performance, the new GT is also more versatile in mid-range.

The first Mustang with fully independent rear suspension in the form of an integral link set-up with good lateral stiffness and vertical absorption, the revised sixth generation Mustang, however, receives new dampers, anti-roll bars and rear cross joint axis. This makes the already adept Mustang a more responsive and sharper handling car. Turning with crisp tidiness and with fluently direct steering feel, the Mustang is balanced and adjustable through corners, delivering precise and intuitive feel and feedback of grip limits, position and road. The revised suspension also makes it a much more fluent handling car that seamlessly settles into a sharp corner with less seemingly sudden weight transfer.

Communication, comfort and control

Settled over imperfections and on rebound, and stable at speed, the Mustang GT feels reassuring but communicates an accurate feeling of speed. Finding a happy medium between stiff body control and ride comfort for so sporting a coupe, the Mustang was forgiving over all but the most jagged bumps.

Meanwhile, adaptive magnetic dampers that automatically become more supple for improved comfort and stiffen for enhanced roll control can be optionally ordered, but all Middle East Mustangs receives a limited-slip rear differential as standard equipment for both manual and automatic versions, to prevent wheel-spin and ensures better cornering agility, stability and traction.

With a sporty and low and well-adjustable driving position, one sits in comfort in the Mustang GT with a view of its long ridged bonnet. A practical sports coupe, the Mustang has an airier cabin atmosphere and better road views than other muscle cars, and in front offers seemingly better headroom for taller drivers. Coupled with its steering feel and balanced chassis, one always feels at the centre of action behind the wheel. Rear seats are meanwhile useable and boot space useful at 382-litre volume. Improved inside, the revised Mustang features slightly better seat side bolstering and more soft touch textures and surfaces.

An intuitive and visceral driving machine, the Mustang GT is also a well-equipped one, with new configurable 12-inch digital instrument cluster with various performance gauges, selectable driving modes and launch control with ‘drag start’ feature. Safety and driver assistance features available include pre-collision and lane keeping assists, pedestrian detection, distance alert, lane departure warning and a driver alert system. 

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

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

Bore x stroke: 93 x 92.7mm

Compression ratio: 12:1

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

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

Gear ratios: 1st 4.696; 2nd 2.985; 3rd 2.146; 4th 1.769; 5th 1.52; 6th 1.275; 7th 1.0; 8th 0.854; 9th 0.689; 10th 0.636 

Final drive ratio: 3.35:1

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 460 (466) [343] @7,000rpm

Specific power: 91.3BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 269.4BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 420 (569) @4,600rpm

Specific torque: 112.9Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 333.3Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 4.3-seconds (est.)

Top speed: 250km/h (est.)

Fuel consumption, combined: 12.1l/100km (ext.)

CO2 emissions, combined: 270g/km (est.)

Length: 4,788mm

Width: 1,915mm

Height: 1,379mm

Wheelbase: 2,720mm

Track, F/R: 1,585/1,653mm 

Legroom, F/R: 1,145/736mm

Luggage volume: 382-litres

Fuel capacity: 60-litres

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Steering ratio: 16:01

Turning circle: 11.5-metres

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

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs, 352 x 32mm/320 x 30mm

Brake callipers, F/R: 6/1

Tyres: 255/40R19