Features

MILAN — Milan Fashion Week opened Wednesday, kicking off six days of shows by the top names in Italian fashion with expectations high for the debut by Gucci’s new creative director.

Almost 70 catwalk shows are scheduled in the northern Italian city, with Fendi, Prada, Versace, Dolce & Gabbana, Bottega Veneta and Giorgio Armani among those showing their women’s spring-summer 2024 collections.

The hottest ticket in town is Friday’s Gucci show, the first under new artistic director Sabato De Sarno.

The Italian, who previously supervised the men’s and women’s collections at Valentino, was named in January to replace star designer Alessandro Michele.

The legendary brand, owned by French luxury group Kering, has also seen the departure of long-time chief executive Marco Bizzarri this year as it grapples with stagnating sales.

There are other new faces this week, with Tom Ford making its Milan debut under the leadership of Peter Hawkings and Simone Bellotti’s first collection as design director at Bally.

First up was Fendi, with a collection that mixed utility and comfort, pragmatism and playfulness, with masculine tailoring combined with more fluid silks and knits in a palette dominated by orange, brown, yellow and grey.

Artistic director Kim Jones said he was inspired by “women who dress for themselves and their own lives... it’s not about being something, but being someone”.

Off the catwalk, 76 presentations and 33 events are planned, including Moschino’s 40th birthday celebrations.

Moncler, known for its puffer jackets, was presenting Wednesday its new collection in collaboration with musician turned designer Pharrell Williams, who made his debut for Louis Vuitton in Paris in June.

And Diesel was repeating an initiative trialled with success last year, with a show Wednesday to which ordinary members of the public were able to obtain tickets.

According to data from Italy’s national fashion chamber, industry sales were up seven per cent over the first six months of 2023.

“We estimate annual sales to increase by 4.5 per cent compared to 2022, at more than 103 billion euros ($110 billion),” said chamber president Carlo Capasa.

Exports are forecast to be up 6 per cent over the year. Between January and May, exports to China and Japan were up more than 18 percent.

Matteo Zoppas, head of Italy’s trade and investment agency, said the “Made in Italy” brand remained strong.

“Compared to general growth in Italian exports of 4.8 per cent in the first five months of 2023, fashion exports rose 7.4 per cent in the same period — and female fashion was up 11.4 per cent,” he said in a statement.

NEW YORK — It’s rare for a news outlet to dedicate a reporter to one personality, but the publication USA Today has decided Taylor Swift and Beyonce are phenomena requiring their own beats.

The recent announcement by Gannett, which owns USA Today, that it was seeking two journalists to cover the biggest names in music as if they were running for president triggered both excitement and eyerolls — and broader conversation about coverage priorities in an increasingly fragmented and financially precarious news media environment.

Gannett, which owns more than 200 daily newspapers, has slashed jobs across local markets over the past several years, laying off six percent of its news division in December.

So news of the Tay and Bey positions struck a nerve.

“I suppose now is a good time to remind Twitter that I’m the only full-time news reporter left at my newspaper that was sold by Gannett in December,” said Brad Vidmar on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Vidmar, 41, works for The Hawk Eye, a newspaper in Burlington, Iowa that GateHouse, an investment firm-run publishing company, purchased in late 2016.

In 2019 GateHouse acquired Gannett and took its name, becoming the largest newspaper company in the nation — and one with a reputation for scooping newspapers before curtailing their resources.

Gannett resold The Hawk Eye to a family-owned media company in late 2022 — its staff a skeleton of what it once was.

“They just kept cutting and cutting and cutting staff all across the board,” Vidmar told AFP. “What you saw was a situation where there are less reporters, reporters forced to take on multiple beats.”

Losing local content meant filling the paper with wire stories or stories from the broader USA Today network, he explained.

Vidmar said Gannett’s announcement of the Swift job made “my eyes roll”.

“They’ve been downsizing newsrooms for years now, but of course they need somebody dedicated to covering Taylor Swift,” he said.

‘Shaping a generation’ 

Gannett said the new positions will be employed by USA Today and The Tennessean, the company’s Nashville-based paper.

The aim of the new jobs — which are in addition to three music reporters The Tennessean now employs — will be to “capture the excitement around Swift’s ongoing tour... while also providing thoughtful analysis of her music and career”, Gannett said. Another position is aimed at similarly analysing Beyonce’s impact.

The NewsGuild’s New York branch was sceptical, writing on X: “Gannett’s strategy to be profitable again: 1) Lay off hundreds of reporters 2) Destroy local news coverage 3) Hire a Taylor Swift reporter”.

Lark-Marie Anton, Gannett’s chief communications officer, said in a statement to AFP that “these roles do not come at the expense of other jobs”, noting that in Gannett’s bid to “grow our audience” the company has hired 225 journalists since March and has more than 100 open roles.

“Taylor Swift and Beyonce Knowles-Carter are artists and businesswomen. Their work has tremendous economic impact and societal significance influencing multiple industries and our culture — they are shaping a generation,” Anton said.

Under pressure 

Robert Thompson, a media scholar at Syracuse University, said his initial reaction to the new jobs was questioning whether “this is a joke”.

But he said after more reflection “I think it would be silly to categorically dismiss this... There are so few things that everybody really kind of knows whether they’re fans or not, and Beyonce and Taylor Swift are some of the very rare ones.”

The jobs have the potential to allow for “really insightful ways to tell the story of 21st-century America through the lens of its most popular personages”, he said.

On the other hand, Thompson acknowledged that negative reaction to the new jobs in light of dwindling local news coverage is reasonable.

“If you were to get a bunch of people together and say, ‘We’ve got X number of dollars, how should they be spent?’ Most of them would probably not say the Taylor Swift beat,” he said.

“But that doesn’t mean that separate from that context there can’t be some really good things to come of it.”

If performed correctly, the new jobs are not necessarily the “dream” careers some headlines have touted them as, he said.

The fan bases for both Swift and Beyonce are notoriously defensive — music critics who make even the slightest negative comment about their idols can be doxxed or receive death threats.

And along with the “organized wrath” of Swifties and the Beyhive, the worlds these artists have curated are famously guarded.

Plus, Thompson noted, “the eyes of the profession are going to be on these poor folks when they finally get hired”.

“That first piece that they file — it better be really good.”

A small, affordable and practical EV city car that is comparatively light and enjoys better than average claimed 301km driving range, it was all but certain that the Changan Benni E-Star would prove a hit in the Jordanian market. A freshened up face-lift in its Chinese home market, the E-Star was first launched locally in 2021 and has been steadily gaining ground, with a noticeable bump in its presence during the last year or so, where its small dimensions makes maneuverable, user-friendly and easy to park on busy Amman roads. 

An updated incarnation of the Benni EV, the E-Star carries both a new name and playfully, yet decidedly, more assertive styling. With a revised front bumper incorporating huge sculpted faux side intakes with wavy bright green gill-like accents and a jutting lower lip, the E-Star also receives a more scowling boomerang-style headlight signature. More purposeful looking than typical for small, tall and narrow city cars, it gains sharply sculpted surfacing, rising waistline, descending roofline and new 5-spoke 15-inch alloy wheels, shark fin style aerial and tailgate spoiler to further emphasise a sportier aesthetic.

Pulling potential

Situated low behind its textured grille-like front panel but cooled through a wide lower intake, the E-Star’s compact electric motor lends itself to a lower centre of gravity, and is powered by 32.2kWh capacity lithium-ion battery system, which is also mounted low and under the boot at the rear. Producing 74BHP and 125lb/ft torque, the E-Star’s motor drives the front wheels through a single-speed automatic gearbox, with much of its comparatively generous torque output available almost instantly, for confident acceleration from standstill and good responsiveness at low city speeds.

Responsive in urban driving owing to its big torque bias, the E-Star is confident on inclines and when overtaking, if not outright quick, like a hot hatch. Pulling through 0-50km/h in 4.7-seconds, its rate of acceleration is reasonably robust, but with only one gear ratio, it begins to somewhat trail off around 80km/h, as wind resistance becomes a bigger factor. Adequately powered for city driving in its default “D” driving mode, the E-Star however yields its full performance potential in “S” mode, as accessed through an electronic rotary selector.

Responsive yet grounded

A nippy city car with “S” mode engaged for better power output and more responsive performance — if at the cost of driving range and energy conservation — the E-Star can meanwhile achieve an estimated 130km/h top speed. Driving in near silence, the E-Star however feature an artificial driving sound mode, to alert pedestrians. A byproduct of its synthetic supercharger-like whine is that the E-Star feels more engaging and instinctive to drive as its acoustics rise and becomes more intense to better communicate an increase in power, speed and effort.

Quick to charge through 30-80 per cent when using a high capacity non-domestic charger – where available – but not nearly as convenient as combustion vehicles’ swift refueling time, the E-Star’s standard 0-80 per cent charging time is expectedly longer at eight-hours, 35-minutes. Lightweight by EV standards at 1,180kg, the E-Star is nevertheless somewhat heavier than similar combustion cars. That said, its low centre of gravity reduces body lean despite its tall and narrow dimensions, and lends itself to a grounded ride quality, when not bobbing up and down over lumps and bumps due to a short wheelbase.

Fresh and fun

Like most EVs, the E-Star requires one to ease, rather than lift, off the accelerator to coast, given its automatically engaging kinetic energy regenerative brakes. Otherwise, it drives with similarly fun adjustability, responsiveness and nimbleness as class contemporaries. Small, agile and manoeuvrable through city streets, tight corners and narrow roads, it parks easily in tight spaces with little need for cameras or sensors. Light and quick, its steering is aided by tall and narrow 175/60R15 to add some measure of road feel, and which also improve ride compliance, durability and running costs.

User-friendly drive with a forgiving ride, the E-Star dispatches imperfections easily and is reassuring and reasonably settled and stable for its class. With good visibility and driving position, it feels alert and more involving than many EVs. Cabin ambiance is fresh and modern, with contrasting glossy black and white panels, green outline accents, touch activated functions, sporty contoured flat bottom steering wheel, and dual instrument and infotainment screen panels. Small, practical and economical, it features generous front headroom, reasonably accommodating rear space, split folding rear seats and 150-litres minimum luggage volume

SPECIFICATIONS

• Engine: Front-mounted electric motor
• Battery, capacity: Lithium-ion, 32.2kWh
• Gearbox: 1-speed automatic, front-wheel-drive
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 74 (75) [55]
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 125 (170)
• 0-50km/h: 4.7-seconds
• Top speed: 130km/h (estimate)
• Range: 301km
• Charging time (0-80%), 240V at 13.6A / 10.7A: 8h, 35m / 11h, 30m
• High capacity fat charging (30-80%): 30-minutes
• Length: 3,770mm
• Width: 1,650mm
• Height: 1,570mm
• Wheelbase: 2,410mm
• Loading height: 136.5mm
• Luggage volume, minimum: approximately 150-litres (estimate)
• Kerb weight: 1,180kg 
• Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion
• Suspension: MacPherson struts, / torsion beam
• Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs / discs, regenerative
• Tyres: 175/60R15

By Dina Halaseh,
Educational Psychologist

Many parents think the newborn stage is the hardest stage of parenting, while others tend

to believe the toddler years are much more challenging. Last year, as our son Sanad turned

one, I shared with you some of the practices I focused on to help promote his intelligence.

Turning two!

You may already know that 90 per cent of your child’s brain development occurs by the age of five years. This is the time of significant wiring and growth that

maps out your child’s brain for life. 

This shows us the importance of including brain promoting activities and practices.

During the second year of life we seehuge jumps in what a child can do, a 22-month-old is definitely capable of more than a 13-month-old which gives us a wide range of things to cover.

A pruning process

As your child grows, a pruning process occurs that helps us understand the importance of experiences and the environment, and the role they play in the development of young brains.

At three, your child’s brain has approximately 1,000 trillion connections, or synapses. Once a teenager, the pruning process results in almost half or 500 trillion synapses, which are carried into adulthood.

Your child’s experiences and relationships during the early years are what continuously grow the brain and construct the neural circuits. Positive early childhood experiences lead to optimal brain development, which serve as the basis for other skills and abilities children require for academic and life successes.

A healthy environment

In our “turning one” article we mentioned safety, building secure attachments with parents, lowering stress and its negative long-term effects on the brain, keeping up with good sleep habits, food intake and exposing your child to fresh air. As hard as it sounds, these all are still important and applicable for our second year.

We also mentioned keeping your child’s brain stimulated. This may look different in the second year, but the main idea remains the same. Keeping your

child’s brain stimulated might even look different during the span of the year.

At this point, as parents, you can try building blocks, puzzles, role play, songs and movement, sorting shapes and colours, counting and introducing numbers, giving them independence and instructions, drawing and play-dough.

Keep your child active with an activity where your child repeats the skill until it is mastered is key!

The important thing is to keep your child mentally active and spending time building skills and exploring new ones too!

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

NEW YORK — Taylor Swift cleaned up at Tuesday's MTV Video Music Awards, as Shakira accepted the night's prestigious Video Vanguard prize with a hip-shaking, career-spanning performance.

Swift continued her global reign by scooping awards including Best Song and Best Pop, as several of the night's top trophies still needed handing out.

Turn-of-the-millennium teen heartthrobs NSYNC reunited onstage for the first time in a decade to grant her the latter award, leaving Swift, who is poised to post the first billion-dollar tour, fanning her cheeks.

"I'm not doing well pivoting" from fan to winner, Swift said.

"Like, I had your dolls!" she said to the "Bye Bye Bye" singers.

But she didn't perform on the night known far more for its spectacle than its awards, instead sipping her drink as artists including Olivia Rodrigo, Anitta and Doja Cat took to the stage.

The made-for-broadcast show, held this year in Newark's Prudential Centre, frequently panned to Swift who was seated near the main stage next to Ice Spice, the viral Bronx rapper who has collaborated with the pop phenom.

A camera operator was even reportedly tasked with filming Swift for the show's entire duration.

Speaking onstage, she told fans that when writing she often feels she has "a very specific type of insecurity or self-loathing”, but when she hears them screaming the lyrics "it brings me to this very relaxing feeling of, maybe we all have the same issues".

Lil Wayne opened the show in a nod to this year's 50th anniversary of hip hop, and Sean Combs — known by his stage names Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy and Diddy — delivered a career-spanning performance as he accepted the night's Global Icon lifetime achievement award.

"This is so surreal," said the 53-year-old from Harlem. "I started out as a paper boy."

And it was Shakira who scored the night's most prestigious award for lifetime achievement, the Video Vanguard award that celebrates music video innovations.

The Colombian performer, 46, stole the show as she performed her signature hip pops and sang a bilingual medley including "She Wolf", "Te Felicito", "Objection [Tango]", "Whenever, Wherever" and "Hips Don't Lie".

Wearing a glittering, nude ensemble, the artist finished her set by crowd-surfing to a platform that then elevated her high above a screaming crowd of fans and peers.

"Thank you MTV. Thank you for being such a big part of my career since I was only 18 years old," she said.

Afrobeats and Bongos 

Rapper Nicki Minaj hosted the event for the second consecutive year, also debuting live her newest single, "Last Time I Saw You", which is slated for release on her album "Pink Friday 2" in November.

She also won the night's award for Best Hip Hop.

And Doja Cat ignited the crowd as she performed a medley of "Attention", "Paint The Town Red" and "Demons", donning a sexy skirtsuit situation she slowly loosened as she danced, meanwhile, unfurling a long blonde mane.

Best R&B went to SZA, who did not attend, while South Korea's Stray Kids won the award for Best K-pop and later performed.

Nigeria's Rema won the prize for Best Afrobeats, a new category, for his remixed single "Calm Down" featuring Selena Gomez.

The song surpassed a billion streams on Spotify over the weekend.

"This means so much seeing Afrobeats grow this big," Rema said while accepting the trophy.

Anitta dropped a booty-shaking dance party of a show with hits including "Funk Rave", which earned the evening's prize for Best Latin.

Colombian Karol G was also among the evening's top performers, and she scored a prize with Shakira for Best Collaboration.

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion debuted their live performance of "Bongos", their latest collaboration that follows the resounding success of "WAP".

Cardi entered the stage from the ceiling on a disco ball, her hair in loose waves a la Donna Summer. Megan joined her from another stage, and after their respective verses the pair led the audience through a high-energy, twerkified dance breakdown.

Pop-punk band Fallout Boy rounded out the millennial nostalgia tour that began the night with NSYNC.

The emo rockers performed their updated version of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire", hitting major moments of the past three decades in a revamp that includes the line: "YouTube killed MTV".

TORONTO, Canada — Director Alexander Payne has entered the Oscars hunt with his new film “The Holdovers”, a poignant 1970s-set dramedy about a cantankerous prep school teacher and a troubled student that screened on Monday at the Toronto film festival.

The film reunites Payne with his “Sideways” star Paul Giamatti, who plays the surly Paul Hunham, who grumbles through his lessons on ancient civilizations and has no qualms about failing students who think their wealth should be able to buy good grades.

Hunham is forced to remain at the New England school over the Christmas break to supervise a handful of students who cannot go home. Eventually, he is left with just one “holdover”: Angus (newcomer Dominic Sessa), who is navigating family issues.

The pair — along with cafeteria manager Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), whose son was killed in Vietnam — build their own unlikely family over the course of the school holiday.

Payne lamented that his stars and writer David Hemingson could not be at the Toronto screening, which followed the film’s world premiere at the Telluride festival 10 days ago in Colorado, because of the ongoing double strike in Hollywood.

“Unlike musicians and stage actors, in film, we don’t get to have that immediacy of communication between us and the audience,” Payne told spectators at the Princess of Wales theater in Toronto.

“The only place we can kind of get close to that is at a fresh festival audience, and they’re sadly being deprived of that.”

Payne reserved particular praise for Sessa, who was recruited at Deerfield Academy, one of the boarding schools in Massachusetts where the film was shot.

Though Sessa was the star of the drama club, “he’d never been in front of a camera,” Payne told filmgoers in the post-screening question and answer session.

“To go toe-to-toe, head-to-head with Paul Giamatti in his first-ever film is really something to watch.”

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) is a key part of the fall festival lineup, along with Venice and Telluride. 

Movies hoping to build early Oscars momentum typically hold premieres at one or several of the major industry events.

TIFF’s annual People’s Choice Award has become an increasingly accurate Academy Awards bellwether, predicting eventual best picture winners such as “Nomadland” and “Green Book”.

But the festival in Toronto, the biggest in North America, is unfolding against the backdrop of the twin strikes by Hollywood actors and writers, meaning many of them cannot promote their work if it was produced under the auspices of a major studio.

The actors and writers are striking over pay, the threat posed by artificial intelligence and other work conditions.

Awards prediction site Gold Derby lists “The Holdovers” among the early top contenders for best picture, best director and best original screenplay, as well as best actor for Giamatti and best supporting actress for Randolph.

The 62-year-old Payne is a seven-time Oscar nominee, and has won twice — both times for best adapted screenplay, for “Sideways” and “The Descendants.”

“The Holdovers” opens in US theaters in November.

TIFF runs through September 17.

Launched in Europe in 2019 with Chinese market variants soon following in 2021, the Volkswagen ID.3 is the German manufacturer’s purpose-built electric vehicle take on the family hatchback segment. Successor to the electric powered derivative of Volkswagen’s iconic Golf nameplate, the ID.3 nevertheless still runs concurrently with the e-Golf in China. Manufactured by the “people’s car” brand through the SAIC-Volkswagen joint venture in the People’s Republic, the Chinese-built ID.3 has found popularity in Jordan, if not quite the same ubiquity as its ID.4 and ID.6 crossover sisters.

Lighter, quicker, and more maneuverable and rewarding to drive than its larger and more popular relations, the ID.3 captures the well-rounded everyman practicality of the Volkswagen Golf that it might eventually replace. Under its skin, the ID.3 however harks back to Volkswagen’s eponymous first and most famous model that was later known as the Beetle. Like the air-cooled icon of ruggedly uncomplicated motoring that was the original Beetle, the ID.3 rides on a rear-motor and rear drive platform, but sits higher than either Beetle or Golf, owing to its heavy and cumbersome battery pack situated under its floor.

Assertive yet playful

Arguably the best designed of Volkswagen’s EV models, the ID.3 walks a fine line between assertive and playful, utilising a combination of convex and concave surfacing, sharp lines and soft edges, to achieve a look that has uncomplicated clarity ,yet, is modern and sophisticated. Narrow and upright with a big glasshouse and short, low bonnet, the ID.3 nevertheless maintains a sense of athletic momentum with its use of a squinting lighting signature, rising waistline, jutting side skirts and rear spoiler, descending roofline, blacked out rear fascia and moderately large 18-inch wheels.

Positioned at the rear, the ID.3’s electric motor powers the rear wheels through a single-speed automatic gearbox, and develops a healthy 167BHP and gutsy 228lb/ft torque. Unleashing a near instant wave of torque that seems to kick it forward, the ID.3 is smooth, swift and near silent from standstill, and achieves a 50km/h city speed in 3-seconds. However, its rate of acceleration decreases noticeably as speed increases, as usual for most EVs, with benchmark 0-100km/h acceleration arriving in an estimated 8.5-seconds, on the way to a 160km/h top speed. 

Versatile Volks

With powerful but heavy liquid-cooled 57.3kWh batteries estimated to weigh somewhere around 400kg, the ID.3 claims a long 450km single charge driving range, but would be expected to deliver somewhat shorter range in ‘real world’ conditions, topography and driving style. For 0-80 per cent charging using a fast non-domestic DC, where available, it is quoted at just 40-minutes, but still falls short of the quick convenience of combustion vehicle refueling time. Domestic AC charging time is meanwhile lengthier and even less convenient at 8.5-hours, depending on charger type and available electricity supply.

Yielding power more progressively than many EVs, the ID.3 is less susceptible to unintentionally un-sticking its driven rear wheels when powering out of corners. It rides a broad and muscular torrent of torque, and is responsively aggressive at low and cruising speed and versatile in building speed for inclines and overtaking, but with just one gear, acceleration vigour drops off somewhat at higher speeds. It is however best in stop/start urban driving, where abundant torque compensates for its single ratio gearbox, while regenerative brakes have greater opportunities to recoup kinetic energy.

Fresh and fun

The ID.3’s ride can be slightly firm over harsh lumps, bumps and cracks, but is otherwise forgiving. Buttoned down and well-controlling its hefty, near crossover-like 1,760kg mass through corners owing to a low centre of gravity, the ID.3 is, however, one of the more engaging EVs to drive. With quick, light and accurate steering, short overhangs and big footprint, and a slight rear-biased weighting and rear-drive, it turns tidily and eagerly into corners, and is fairly agile throughout. It meanwhile grips hard with its electric motor pressing down on its driven rear wheels.

A user-friendly commuter car that is quiet, confident and comfortable on highway, and maneuverable through winding roads and in town, the ID.3’s ride is smooth, stable and settled, with a grounded feel through corners. Uncluttered and unpretentious, but with a sense of quality about it, the ID.3’s cabin ambiance is fresh and airy, with a sporty steering wheel, horizontally-oriented design and user-friendly controls and tablet-style infotainment screen. Reasonably well equipped, the ID.3’s cabin provides good front and above-average rear space. Cabin accessibility, visibility and luggage volume are similarly good for its class. 

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: Rear-mounted electric motor

Battery: Liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 57.3kWh

Gearbox: 1-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 167 (170) [125]

Power-to-weight: 95BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 228 (310)

Torque-to-weight: 176Nm/tonne

0-50km/h: 3-seconds

0-100km/h: 8.5-seconds (estimate)

Top speed: 160km/h

Range,: 450km (estimate)

Charging, DC fast charger, 0-80% / AC standard charging, 0-100%: 40-minutes / 8.5-hours

Length: 4,261mm

Width: 1,778mm

Height: 1,568mm

Wheelbase: 2,765mm

Luggage volume, min/max: 385-/1,267-litres

Kerb weight: 1,760kg

Steering: Electric-assisted rack & pinion

Suspension: MacPherson struts / multi-link

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

Tyres: 215/55R18

By Shama Kaur,
Kundalini Yoga Teacher & Wellness Mentor

In an era marked by rapid technological advancements and constant connectivity, today’s youth face three unique challenges that can take a toll on their overall well-being. First and foremost, youth are overly stimulated from constant connectivity and information overload.

When social media content is used as a measuring stick to which youth compare themselves, this creates self-esteem issues. Secondly, the information is often misleading or inaccurate, which impacts their decision-making and their views of the world.

Thirdly, the more time youth spend in front of screens, the less time they spend in social interaction and physical movement which leads to a sedentary lifestyle and difficulty assimilating in social settings.

Navigating challenges

Amidst the chaos, yoga and meditation provide powerful tools that can help the youth to navigate these challenges and foster a balanced and fulfilling life.

The tools available address various aspects of their physical, mental and emotional health.

Here are five key areas where yoga and meditation impact the lives of young individuals positively:

1. Body health: Physical well-being is crucial for overall health. Yoga provides a holistic approach to maintaining a healthy body. 

Through asanas (yoga postures), young practitioners can improve strength, flexibility and posture, while enhancing body awareness and balance.

Regular yoga practice supports better cardiovascular health, boosts the immune system and reduces the risk of chronic ailments. 

Cultivating a positive relationship with the body through yoga encourages a sense of selfcare and respect.

2. Conscious eating: In today’s fast-paced world, mindless and unhealthy eating habits may be prevalent among youth. Yoga promotes mindfulness, including mindful eating. By incorporating mindfulness techniques at mealtimes, such as being fully present, chewing slowly and savouring each bite, young individuals can develop a healthier relationship with food.

This awareness helps them make conscious choices, fostering a balanced and nourishing diet that supports their overall wellbeing.

3. Mindful navigation of the digital world: Excessiveuse of social media has become a prevalent issue among today’s youth, impacting their mental and emotional health. Kundalini Yoga and meditation offer invaluable tools such as the 3-Minds Framework or the philosophies of the 3 Gunas to help them evaluate information and make decisions that are aligned with reality.

Through regular practice, young individuals can cultivate a sense of self-awareness, reducing dependence on external validation and fostering a positive self-image.

4. Regulating emotions and controlling impulsivity: The teenage years can be emotionally challenging, as young individuals navigate various pressures and transitions. Yoga and meditation provide effective techniques to regulate emotions and control impulsivity.

Breathing exercises and mindful practices help teens develop emotional intelligence, cultivate selfcompassion and manage stress. By learning to pause, observe their emotions, and respond thoughtfully, youth can develop resilience and emotional stability.

5. Improving decision-making, long-term planning and understanding consequences: Regular meditation has been shown to have positive effects on the frontal lobe of the brain, particularly the prefrontal cortex.

By positively influencing the frontal lobe, regular meditation develops youth’s ability to stay present and centered. Thus, youth can approach decision-making with increased discernment, weighing the potential outcomes and making choices aligned with their long-term goals and values.

Yoga and meditation provide invaluable tools for today’s youth to navigate the complexities of modern life. By incorporating these practices into their daily routines, young individuals can cultivate a healthy body, develop mindful eating habits, regulate emotions and makinformed decisions.

Empowering today’s youth with the transformative benefits of yoga and meditation lays a strong foundation for their overall well-being, self-discovery and resilience as they embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

TORONTO, Canada — The biggest film festival in North America opens on Thursday in Toronto with the international launch of Oscar-winning Japanese animation master Hayao Miyazaki's likely last movie, as the twin Hollywood strikes drag on.

Organisers of the event, a launchpad for numerous Academy Award-winning films, were finalising a stacked lineup of premieres, red carpet galas and prestige TV launches featuring work from dozens of countries when Tinseltown's actors staged a walkout.

But festival CEO Cameron Bailey says the global reach of the programming, and the ability of filmmakers and actors to promote independent fare even amid the strikes, speaks to the "strength of cinema right now".

"It took some weeks to really figure out the specifics and the details of how you would navigate a strike-affected festival, but it turns out that we're going to have lots of red carpet talent," Bailey told AFP.

Among those expected in Canada's largest city during the 10-day movie extravaganza are A-listers Patricia Arquette, Taika Waititi, Anna Kendrick and Ethan Hawke, who all moved behind the camera to direct their latest films.

French filmmaker Ladj Ly will debut "Les Indesirables", a follow-up look at marginalised communities in the suburbs of Paris four years after his Oscar-nominated debut feature "Les Miserables".

Also on tap is the international premiere of awards hopeful "The Holdovers" from director Alexander Payne ("Sideways") about a teacher (Paul Giamatti) tasked with supervising students at a boarding school who cannot go home for Christmas break.

And pop star Lil Nas X will bring some flair to the red carpet for the opening of his documentary "Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero" — just one of several music films on tap including a world premiere of "In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon".

But the first marquee screening on Thursday evening is "The Boy and the Heron", Miyazaki's first feature-length film in a decade — and likely his last for the storied Studio Ghibli, at age 82.

The semi-autobiographical film, which opened in Japan in July, follows young Mahito as he navigates the horrors of World War II and his mother's death. After meeting a talking heron, he enters a colourful fantasy world in search of her.

"That's one that we're especially thrilled to have. This is one of the greatest artists in cinema with what may be his final film," Bailey said.

"It's magnificent."

Also premiering on Thursday night: Arquette's "Gonzo Girl' and another directorial debut — "North Star" from Kristin Scott Thomas.

Arquette will receive the festival's Groundbreaker Award on Sunday; Bailey said in a statement that she "consistently challenges conventions and elevates the discourse on salary equity for women through her influential platform".

Oscars bellwether 

The Toronto film fest is a key part of the fall festival lineup, along with Venice and Telluride, at which movies hoping to build early Oscars momentum typically hold premieres.

TIFF's annual People's Choice Award has become an increasingly accurate Oscars bellwether, predicting eventual best picture winners such as "Nomadland" and "Green Book".

Premiering on Friday will be "Dumb Money", starring Seth Rogen and Paul Dano, about the amateur investors who turned GameStop into a Wall Street phenomenon in 2021.

On Saturday, Robert De Niro stars in actor Tony Goldwyn's "Ezra", about a man (Bobby Cannavale) who moves back in with his father (De Niro) after blowing up his career and marriage.

Other world premieres include Waititi's sports comedy "Next Goal Wins" and Michael Keaton's "Knox Goes Away", starring Al Pacino.

The festival comes as Hollywood actors and writers strike in a battle with studios and streamers over pay and other work conditions — meaning that union members generally cannot promote films produced by companies involved in the dispute.

Waivers have been offered in some cases, while in others, the films screening in Toronto are not subject to the strikes because they were independently or internationally produced.

TIFF only returned to full strength in 2022, after two years of online or hybrid events staged amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The festival runs until September 17.