Features

Los Angeles — The husband of the "Rust" crew member shot dead by Alec Baldwin on a movie set said he holds the US actor responsible and was "so angry" to see him denying blame.

Baldwin was holding a Colt gun during a rehearsal for the low-budget Western in New Mexico in October when it discharged a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Matt Hutchins told NBC's Today program "the idea that the person holding the gun, causing it to discharge, is not responsible, is absurd to me."

"But gun safety was not the only problem on that set. There were a number of industry standards that were not practised and there's multiple responsible parties," he said in an excerpt, released ahead of the full interview Thursday.

Baldwin, who was the star and a producer on "Rust," has said he was told the gun contained no live ammunition, had been instructed by Hutchins to point the gun in her direction, and did not pull the trigger.

In December, Baldwin told ABC that he does not feel guilty for Hutchins' death.

"I feel that someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is. But I know it's not me," said Baldwin.

Asked about Baldwin's interview, Matt Hutchins said: "Watching him, I just felt so angry.

"I was just so angry to see him talk about her death so publicly, in such a detailed way, and then to not accept any responsibility after having just described killing her."

Baldwin's lawyers did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Last week, Matt Hutchins filed a lawsuit against Baldwin and other "Rust" producers claiming "substantial" damages for his wife's wrongful death.

Hutchins' lawyer in a press conference alleged that "reckless conduct and cost-cutting measures" had led to her death.

It is the latest in a flurry of civil lawsuits over the tragedy.

A criminal investigation is also on going.

Investigators have not filed criminal charges over the tragedy, but have refused to rule them out against anyone involved, including Baldwin.

WASHINGTON — For years, Debby Montgomery Johnson didn’t tell anyone she’d been scammed out of more than $1 million by a man with whom she believed she was in a loving, though virtual, relationship.

“It should not have happened to me,” the business owner and former Air Force officer told AFP from her home in Florida, a common refrain among those defrauded by someone they met online and grew to trust.

But many tens of thousands of people are targeted by cons dubbed “romance scams” every year, their numbers skyrocketing during the Covid pandemic when lockdowns sent people flocking to the Internet seeking a salve for isolation.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), tracking scams reported to its Consumer Sentinel Network, said 2021 saw a record $547 million stolen in romance scams. This marked a nearly 80 per cent increase compared to the year before.

Those figures cap an upward trend that leapt in the first year of the pandemic. People reported to the FTC losing $1.3 billion to the scams over the past five years, the most of any fraud category. 

But it is just the tip of the iceberg, the FTC notes, as the vast majority of cons go unreported.

Tim McGuinness, founder of the non-profit Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams (SCARS), said numbers soared because of “the isolation, the loneliness and the utilisation of the web as virtually the exclusive communication tool” during the pandemic.

Covid offers new ruses

Cancelled dates over supposedly positive Covid tests and disrupted travel plans due to lockdowns are ruses that feed into the well-worn script of romance scammers, the FTC warned.

One male victim told awareness-raising organisation Silent Victim No More that Covid measures provided his supposed girlfriend with excuses to “bail out”.

“Covid-19 benefitted the scammers,” he wrote.

He finally did a reverse image search on photos she had sent, discovering they were of a different person — but only after he’d spent $400,000 on visa fees and other concocted urgent costs.

While awareness is growing — through support groups, online forums and even a recent documentary on Netflix “The Tinder Swindler” — many still fall prey to elaborate cons spun to get into a victim’s heart.

When Montgomery Johnson, now in her early 60s, realised the scale of the problem, she decided to share how she was taken advantage of by a man who had come to feel like “family” over two years starting in 2010.

She spoke widely, wrote a book — “The Woman Behind the Smile” — and joined the board of SCARS, which has had contact with some seven million victims since 2015.

“I was looking for a confidant,” she said, having waded into online dating following the death of her husband. 

She said it was out of character to give money the way she did, but “he really had my heartstrings tugged”.

“It’s expert manipulation,” said McGuinness, who himself was a victim of a romance scam. Interactions “will progress like a normal conversation, except that they’ll utilise very specific manipulative techniques to begin the grooming”.

Scammers, many based in West Africa, will adopt fake identities, often saying they work abroad and travel a lot or are in the military — providing ready-made excuses for why they can’t meet in person.

A period of intense contact is followed by requests to wire money for plane tickets, visa fees, medical expenses or other emergencies — always with the promise of paying the amount back when they are finally united.

The internet was already a low-cost, high-return field, but scammers, often working in teams, now hunt everywhere from Instagram to online games like Words with Friends. 

“Any place where you can begin a conversation with someone, that’s where the scammers are,” McGuinness said. 

‘Nobody was talking’

Another change has seen more young people being caught up, with the FTC saying the number of reports by Americans aged 18 to 29 increased more than tenfold from 2017 to 2021.

The rise in cryptocurrency is fuelling scams involving bogus investments, though untraceable gift cards and wire transfers are still more common.

McGuinness said millennials are “scammed more often and for smaller dollar amounts” while older people are scammed “for larger amounts but less frequently”.

Victims often still keep their experience under wraps, fearing scrutiny and judgement.

In the years after being scammed, Montgomery Johnson heard of many more people who had suffered similar fraud, “but nobody was talking.”

“Something flipped within me that it’s not about me anymore,” she said. “It’s about what I can do... to speak up and to be the voice of the survivor.”

WASHINGTON — How to treat a wound?

For humans, the first instinct would be to disinfect it and then cover it with a bandage.

But chimpanzees have invented a more creative method: catching insects and applying them directly to the open wound.

Scientists observed this behaviour in chimpanzees in the West African nation of Gabon, noticing that the apes not only use insects to treat their own wounds, but also those of their peers.

The research, published recently in the journal Current Biology, marks an important contribution to on going scientific debate about the ability of chimpanzees — and of animals in general — to selflessly help others.

“When you’re going to school and you read in your biology books about the amazing things that animals can do,” Simone Pika, a biologist at the University of Osnabruck in Germany and a co-author of the study, told AFP. “I think it could really be something like that that will end up in those books.”

The project began in 2019, when an adult female chimpanzee named Suzee was observed inspecting a wound on the foot of her adolescent son.

Suzee then suddenly caught an insect out of the air, put it in her mouth, apparently squeezed it, and then applied it to her son’s wound.

After extracting the insect from the wound, she applied it two more times.

The scene unfolded in Loango National Park on Gabon’s Atlantic coast, where researchers are studying a group of 45 central chimpanzees, an endangered species.

Over the following 15 months, scientists saw chimpanzees administer the same treatment on themselves at least 19 times.

And on two other occasions they observed injured chimpanzees being treated in the same way by one or several fellow apes.

The wounds, sometimes several centimetres wide, can come from conflicts between members of same or an opposing group.

Far from protesting the treatment, the bruised chimpanzees were happy to be tended to.

“It takes lot of trust to put an insect in an open wound,” said Pika. “They seem to understand that if you do this to me with this insect, then my wound gets better. It’s amazing.”

Soothing properties?

Researchers have not been able to identify what bug was used on the wounds, but they believe it to be a flying insect given the chimpanzees’ rapid movement to catch it.

Pika says the insect could contain anti-inflammatory substances that have a soothing effect.

Insects are known to have various medical properties and researches will need to conduct more work to detect and study the insect in question.

Birds, bears, elephants and other animals have already been observed self-medicating, for example by eating plants.

But what is unique about chimpanzees is that they will treat not just themselves, but also help others. 

Some scientists, however, still doubt the ability of animal species to exhibit prosocial behaviours, such as selflessly caring for others, Pika said.

But here the chimpanzees have nothing to gain, she stressed. So why do they do it?

In humans, prosocial behaviour is generally linked to empathy. 

Could the same feeling be at play in chimpanzees, Pika wondered.

“It is a hypothesis that we must study,” she said.

With much of its mass-market brands long extinct, the British automotive industry nevertheless retains a deep heritage of smaller niche, luxury and sports car manufacturers. Whether British or foreign owned, Britain’s rich tapestry of smaller car makers excel in highly specialised, advanced and traditional vehicles renowned for their technical, artisanal and innovative development and production. 

Among the most exciting, latest and final crop of Britain’s combustion engine super cars are recently unveiled models from Gordon Murray Automotive (GMA), Noble Automotive and Lotus covering a broad spectrum within such a small but highly evocative of automotive segments.

GMA T.50s Niki Lauda

Unveiled this day last year on its eponymous late great racing legend’s birthday, the GMA T.50s Niki Lauda is the track-focused version of Gordon Murray’s long-awaited follow-up to his now iconic 1990s McLaren F1 supercar. At 852kg, it is lighter, more powerful and faster than the standard road-going T.50 version. With revised camshafts, cylinder heads, induction, higher compression and stratospheric 12,100rpm rev limit, the Niki Lauda’s faster revving engine produces 725BHP at 11,500rpm, with RAM air induction, and 358lb/ft torque at 9,000rpm. Additionally, it employs a quicker sequential gearbox. 

Inspired by Murray’s legendary 1983 Brabham BT52 Formula One car, the T.50s shares the same fan car technology — and central driving position — as the regular T.50, but uses revised aerodynamics and ducting, including huge front splitter, central fin and massive rear wing. Spinning at 7,000rpm for maximum downforce, the Niki Lauda’s active aerodynamic fan system can help generate up to 1,500kg downforce, while top speed is estimated at up to 338km/h, depending on selected gearbox ratios. A classic even before its 2023 arrival, the T.50s is limited to just 25 examples, at GB £3.1 million apiece.

Specifications: GMA T.50s Niki Lauda

• Engine: 3.9-litre, mid-mounted, dry sump V12-cylinders
• Gearbox: 6-speed automated manual, rear-wheel-drive
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 725 (735) [540] @11,500rpm
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 358 (485) @9,000rpm
• 0-100km/h: N/A
• Top speed: up to 338km/h
• Length: 4,416mm
• Width: 1,917mm
• Height: 1,172mm
• Wheelbase: 2,700mm
• Weight: 852kg
• Suspension: Double wishbone

Price: GB £3,100,000

GMA T.33

Unveiled recently and arriving in 2024, the T.33 is Gordon Murray Automotive’s follow-up to the T.50 hypercar. Pitched a the world’s best two-seater supercar, priced at GB £1.37 million and limited to 100 examples, the T.33 is a high tech analogue supercar that loses the T.50’s ground effect fan system and three abreast seating, but Promises refreshingly uncomplicated and undiluted visceral thrills and driver engagement. Built on a new ultra lightweight carbon and aluminium frame, its design is meanwhile timelessly stylish with sensual curves and stacked headlights harking back to 1960s sensibilities.

Trading the T.50’s active aerodynamics for an advanced passive system, the T.33 is GMA’s last purely petrol powered car. Its reconfigured version of the T.50’s naturally-aspirated Cosworth-developed 3.9-litre V12 engine is dialed back to a still staggering 607BHP at 10,500rpm 333lb/ft torque at 9,000rpm. Sensationally high revving to 11,100rpm, it nevertheless offers excellent mid-range versatility, with 75 per cent of maximum torque available from 2,500rpm and 90 per cent throughout 4,500-10,500rpm. With standard 6-speed manual gearbox and limited-slip differential, the T.33 also features un-intrusive electronic stability controls and an optional automated gearbox.

Specifications: GMA T.33

• Engine: 3.9-litre, mid-mounted, dry sump V12-cylinders
• Gearbox: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 607 (615) [452] @10,500rpm
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 333 (451) @9,000rpm
• 0-100km/h: N/A
• Top speed: N/A
• Length: 4,398mm
• Width: 1,850mm
• Height: 1,135mm
• Wheelbase: 2,735mm
• Weight: 1,090kg
• Suspension: Double wishbone

Price: GB £1,370,000

Noble M500

Unveiled in near-production guise and expected to arrive sometime later this year, info on the Noble M500 is scarce, but it is set to both succeed and temporarily complement the long-running M600 as a more “junior” supercar. Built on a tubular steel chassis derived from the brutally swift M600’s lightweight frame, the more accessible M500 is similarly sized, but better packaged. Distinctly curvier and more contemporary in design sensibility, the M500 trades the M600’s refreshingly uncomplicated M600’s twin circular rear lights for deeply recessed lights sourced from the Citroen C4 Picasso MPV.

The M500 meanwhile swaps its big brother’s 4.4-litre Volvo/Yamaha-sourced twin-turbo V8 engine for a Ford-sourced 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6. Powering numerous Fords from F150 pick-up to GT supercar, the “EcoBoost” engine is expected to produce around 550BHP in M500 service. Riding on double wishbone front and rear suspension, and driving the rear wheels through a 6-speed manual gearbox with gated shifter and limited-slip differential, it is hoped that the M500 will retain the M600’s visceral old school analogue supercar thrills, and remain as free of driving aids, assistance and interference as possible. 

Specifications: Noble M500

• Engine: 3.5-litre, mid-mounted, twin-turbo V6-cylinders
• Gearbox: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 543 (550) [405]*
• Suspension: Double wishbone

Price: GB £120,000-180,000*
*Estimate

Lotus Emira

A rare new but bittersweet occasion for driving purists when it arrives in spring, the Emira marks the end of Lotus’ true lightweight petrol-powered tradition before the brand embraces electrification. Arriving shortly after Lotus discontinued the Elise, Exige and Evora models, the Emira effectively replaces the aging but sublime Evora.

Retaining its predecessor’s mid-engine layout and Toyota-sourced supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine, the Emira, however, ditches the Evora’s uniquely practical 2+2 seating configuration, but adopts more advanced driver-assistance, safety, and infotainment technologies.

A near supercar sports car with taut skin, sleek lines, athletic stance and voluptuous curves aesthetically inspired by the Lotus Evija EV hypercar, the Emira should deliver similar dynamic prowess and intimately intuitive driving experience as the Evora. With passive aerodynamics producing plenty of downforce, the Emira’s enthusiast appeal also includes traditional hydraulic steering assistance and standard manual gearbox. Producing 395BHP in top V6 spec, the Emira also receives an entry-level 355BHP Mercedes-AMG sourced turbocharged 2-litre 4-cylinder engine, and automatic and double-clutch gearbox options.

Specifications: Lotus Emira

• Engine: 3.5-litre, mid-mounted, supercharged V6-cylinders
• Gearbox: 6-speed manual, rear-wheel-drive
• Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 395 (400) [295]
• Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 406 (300)
• 0-100km/h: 4.5-seconds
• Top speed: 290km/h
• Length: 4,412mm
• Width: 1,895mm
• Height: 1,225mm
• Wheelbase: 2,575mm
• Weight: from 1,405kg
• Suspension: Double wishbone

Price: Starting from under GB £60,000

By Dina Halaseh
Educational Psychologist

Many of our New Year’s goals include doing better or starting over. Whether it is smoking, food, alcohol or drugs, many people had New Year’s resolutions to quit smoking, get sober or reduce binge eating. To help make our goals achievable, we need to understand how addiction affects the brain.

Addictive substances were used throughout the years for their medical benefits or recreational needs. It’s only recently that scientists are able to use brain imaging and new brain science to understand how the brain becomes addicted. Withdrawal syndromes alone are not enough for us to state that we are addicted to something, and almost always, people mistake a bad habit for addiction.

Even though a bad habit might give you pleasure and might be difficult to stop, addiction is still different; it is compulsory and the person loses control of the situation. We do not often find people losing family members over their addiction to chocolate, sports or other bad habits.

Addiction reshapes the brain and hijacks the brain’s reward system. The brain circuits are altered in areas related to our ability to regulate our actions and use our judgment, resulting in negative consequences. In many cases, this results in permanent brain changes. With addiction, addicts give up their loved ones for the drug. 

What happens to the brain

Dopamine is a chemical transmitter that is a natural part of our brain’s reward system. This hormone is usually released during healthy daily activities that bring us a little bit of joy, like eating, exercising and even cuddling with our loved ones. It is normal for these pleasurable activities to activate the reward system. This not only causes us to be stimulated, but the brain also encodes and remembers what caused this pleasure, so a person repeats it in the future.

The brain is flooded by dopamine with each drug use, making the drug very rewarding and addictive. The brain also encodes and remembers the circumstances of taking the drug as pleasurable so the person can repeat it in the future. Alcohol, for example, acts in the same way and increases the effects of another neurotransmitter resulting in slower signals across neurons. 

The repetition of this cycle causes the brain to decrease the production of its own dopamine and dopamine receptors and depend on the dopamine from the drugs. The scary thing is that each time a drug is taken, the brain requires more of the substance to release the same amount of dopamine. Over time, the brain won’t maintain normal levels of dopamine without the drugs.

Understanding how drugs change the brain can help one deal with an addict. It’s not just as simple as giving up something that pleases them. It’s not as simple as “if you love us, you’ll quit”. It’s more about understanding and accepting that the addict’s brain was reorganised and reshaped in a way that requires treatment to deal with this reorganisation as well as the memories and connections built when under the influence. 

Bad habit or addiction? 

Many people say they are addicted to coffee, which contains a powerful drug, caffeine. Caffeine, as we all know, has many effects on our behaviour and brain function. Feeling more alert and focused is why many people drink coffee. But if for any reason someone decides to quit coffee, it would be possible. Yes, stopping abruptly might result in headaches, anger and sleepiness, but none of these side effects are lethal.

The brain gets used to a certain amount of caffeine and not getting that amount affects their brain imbalance, causing withdrawal symptoms. In this case, the person is not addicted to caffeine but has become tolerant to it. If someone is truly addicted, the sudden withdrawal from drugs or alcohol can be distressing, painful and even dangerous. 

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine

PARIS — Sneakers made from banana or pineapple leaves, dresses from nettles or fish scales — the search for sustainable materials has taken the fashion industry to some wild places.

Experts warn these new textiles are not a quick fix for fashion’s enormous problems with over-consumption and waste, but may be a necessary step in developing cleaner technologies. 

“You could possibly eat the final product,” said Hannes Schoenegger, co-founder of Bananatex, which uses leaves from banana trees in the Philippines to make bags, T-shirts and a line of shoes for H&M that sold out within two hours.

He was speaking at the Premiere Vision Paris conference, where industry professionals gather to find out which fabrics will dominate coming seasons. 

“We only harvest the sides of the plants, and they’re already growing in the forest, so no chemicals, pesticides or even water are used,” Schoenegger added. 

He was among multiple stalls presenting new bio-sourced materials. 

Brazil-based Nova Kaeru offered leather made from the discarded scales of the giant pirarucu fish and another from the tropical “elephant ear” plant.

Nearby, Ananas Anam showed off some Nike shoes made from waste pineapple leaves.

Nettles are in

These textiles can be relatively niche, but some companies are determined to bring them into the mainstream.

Spanish firm Pyratex offers multiple options, from recycling the waste of corn and sugar cane production, to making fibres from Icelandic seaweed, Chinese bamboo or Austrian wood. 

“It’s not about replacing cotton with one alternative crop. It’s about finding a wide variety of substitutes to make sure that nothing is over-used,” said spokesperson Pilar Tejada Lopez. 

One plant getting particular interest is the nettle, which can be turned into a silk-like and incredibly strong fabric that can be used in everyday and luxury clothing.

It highlights the fact that many of these technologies are not new. 

“Nettles have actually been used for clothing for centuries, but we have largely forgotten,” said Lopez. 

“Part of our job is reintroducing these ideas that have been lost.”

Natural limits

Others warn of over-reliance on new materials in the drive towards sustainability. 

“Replacement materials serve no purpose if we continue to make the same amount of clothing,” said Victoire Satto, of The Good Goods, a media firm specialising in responsible fashion.

They could even add to the problem if scaled up by encouraging further deforestation to make way for newly fashionable plants, she said.

That is why companies like Bananatex refuse to go beyond natural farming limits. 

“Our project is part of a reforestation programme, a good way of revitalising soils and providing work to local families,” said Schoenegger. 

“There’s a natural limit and we won’t go beyond that, because then it would be harmful.”

Pyratex similarly puts a lot of emphasis on partnering with responsible farmers, and avoiding the ultra-complex supply chains that make it difficult for clothing companies to know who grows their raw materials and in what conditions. 

But Satto says more research is also needed on the durability of bio-sourced materials, since half the ecological damage from an item of clothing is linked to its disposal. 

“If the product only lasts six months, that’s enormous in terms of environmental impact,” she said.

Iterations

Ifeanyi Okwuadi, an award-winning British designer, says his focus is on how clothes are made — not what they are made from. 

“When I speak about sustainability, I’m talking about the construction — right down to using the right stitch-length for each stitch because that kind of minute detail affects the longevity of the garment when you put it in the wash,” he said.

He says many bio-sourced materials are still evolving.

“Right now, there’s a lot of buzzwords to draw you in, but eventually we won’t need to say it’s from bananas or whatever — it will just be plant-based fibres.”

“I don’t use them in my work because the tech at the moment is quite primitive. But I see them as iterations, like with all technology, and we need these innovations.”

KRÓLEWIEC, Poland — Opening one of his many cages, Michal Trojczak watches proudly as more than 70 dusty-blue pigeons take flight, soaring high above snow-covered fields in eastern Poland.

“My birds are athletes,” says the 42-year-old pigeon fancier, who inherited his passion for breeding the birds from his father and grandfather.

Poland boasts Europe’s biggest community of homing pigeon breeders — and a string of international competition trophies — but trails other countries in the breeding of pedigree birds that command a higher value.

As one of those who has decided to do something about that, Trojczak said he had turned professional after retiring from the army a few years ago and teamed up with a friend.

Together, they bought Belgian pigeons with prestigious pedigrees, investing thousands of euros, including 11,000 euros ($12,400) alone for the progeny of a bird called Porsche 911.

“He’s provided us with a lot of satisfaction and money,” the ex-army captain tells AFP.

Now, he hopes the sky’s the limit for Polish pigeon-enthusiasts who, he believes, will rise to rival their Belgian and Dutch counterparts within a decade.

Birds of communication

Pigeon lofts are a part of Poland’s landscape especially in the mining region of Silesia, where pigeon breeding has historic roots and the birds enjoy near-mythic status.

After a day underground, it’s still common to see miners emerge into the daylight, scanning the skies for their winged friends.

Released hundreds of kilometres from their pigeon lofts, the birds find their way home thanks to an ability to detect the earth’s magnetic field and orient themselves according to the sun. 

Flying with the wind, they can reach up to 120 kilometres per hour.

After Poland won back its independence in 1918, the use, breeding and racing of pigeons was regulated by the military affairs ministry due to the strategic importance of the birds’ ability to carry communications.

The Nazis immediately banned pigeon breeding after occupying Poland in 1939, and enthusiasts were forced to start again from scratch after the war. 

Strength in numbers

“With more than 40,000 members, we’re the largest organisation of its kind in Europe, founded more than 100 years ago,” said Krzysztof Kawaler, head of the Polish association of homing pigeon breeders.

France and Belgium — where pigeon fancying has deep roots — have around 11,000 and 13,000 breeders respectively, according to their associations. 

“We take home the most prizes at international competitions,” Kawaler told AFP at a trade fair in Katowice, in the heart of the Silesia region.

Those tournaments do not see the pigeons congregate in one place, as world athletes do at the Olympics. 

Instead, every country holds its own local races in which the pigeons are equipped with electronic rings to record their flight time.

The results are calculated across the countries using coefficients that notably take into account the number of participating pigeons.

Since Poland has so many breeders, it helps boost its scores, according to Trojczak.

“But it doesn’t reflect the pigeons’ actual worth,” he stresses, lamenting that Polish pigeon fanciers are still viewed as amateurs in Western Europe.

Pecking order

“On the Polish market, pigeons go for between 250 zlotys [around 55 euros] and four, five or even six thousand zlotys for those that participate in international tournaments,” veteran breeder Zbigniew Oleksiak told AFP.

In Western Europe, however, prices start at around 200 euros but can go sky high, like the Belgian pigeon, Armando, which fetched 1.25 million euros at auction in 2019.

The buyer was Chinese, as was the proud new owner of New Kim, another Belgian bird which sold for 1.6 million euros the following year. 

Like racehorses, it is the pedigree — the bird’s family tree — that matters to buyers, especially those from Asia.

Long hours

For Trojczak, the days are long, especially in spring and summer.

“You have to train the pigeons to get them into shape, monitor their health, feed them well,” he says.

“When you have to prep the birds for a race, sometimes I’ll be up and running at 4am and won’t finish till 9pm.”

He now sells around 100 pigeons a year at prices ranging from 100 to 2,500 euros, which allows him to “live quite comfortably when combined with my military pension”. 

But it’s not just a money-maker, pigeon breeding is above all a labour of love.

“I can trace each of my pigeons back three or four generations... I know their family trees better than my own,” he says, laughing.

NEW YORK — Two years after losing her job in fashion due to the pandemic, Emma Gage founded her own brand, Melke, that debuted at this season’s New York Fashion Week with an emphasis on sustainability.

The 26-year-old from Minnesota is not the first to bet on this trend, at a moment when the fashion industry has faced criticism for its environmental impact.

Another designer, 23-year-old Olivia Cheng, told AFP that “everybody now wants to be part of this conversation”.

Her brand, Dauphinette — known for its jewellery and outfits crafted from real flowers — was featured on New York fashion week’s official calendar for the first time, showing over the weekend at a Chinatown restaurant.

Gage cited the use of hemp, organic cotton and recycled fabrics as materials that are less environmentally harmful, and also voiced her mission to purchase materials from companies committed to respecting human rights.

“I would never want to come out and say like, yeah, everything’s 100 per cent, sustainable, everything’s perfect,” Gage said. “Because that’s a lie.”

Speaking from her studio in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighbourhood, a trendy area for New York creatives, Gage said she’s “focusing on making pieces that will last”.

Zero plastic? Still elusive

She said “zero plastic” remains an elusive goal at the moment, because synthetic materials often slip into recycled fabrics.

Thus the focus on durability, and making use of every piece of fabric on hand: Gage creates “scrap bags” made out of small bits of material, for example.

Far from voluminous or elegant evening gowns, one of Gage’s favourite items is the humble sweater, which she makes a play on every collection with embroidered motifs — flowers, fish and now sheep have graced her pieces.

But keeping it simple doesn’t translate to less creativity. The designer’s second collection — inspired by the Anne Carson book “Autobiography of Red” — emphasises this strong colour, often incorporating dark tones and using fringe reminiscent of lava flows.

For her fall/winter 2022 collection, set for presentation on Tuesday, Gage wanted to evoke memories of a trip to an Irish medieval castle and her discovery of falconry: “The symbiotic relationship of two predators working together — you have human and a bird trying to work together for the same common goal.”

Gingko nuts and beetle wings

Cheng’s presentation Sunday bet on old clothes and floral materials, preserved thanks to a resin she said is non-toxic.

She also ventured into experimentation, offering one outfit made of gingko nuts and a dress studded with beetle wings — which she specified died of natural causes and not for her project.

Both designers said they favour local suppliers but aren’t against sourcing from elsewhere.

Gage said that only sourcing stateside “completely eliminates all of the beautiful craftsmanship that exists around the world”.

She does face a dilemma of keeping her brand — which makes pieces to order — affordable.

“I can’t be the only one making things more affordable, if they’re sustainable,” she said. “I need other people to also be buying what I’m buying so that the price can go down.”

But that kind of popularity could create its own problem of overproduction and waste. Gage has tried to approach the problem by creating a product line with varying price points, the least expensive being a t-shirt for $75.

Cheng — the daughter of Chinese immigrants who has two dresses on show in the Metropolitan Museum’s current fashion exhibition — is able to keep prices lower for her fruit and flower jewellery, with some pieces going for less than $50.

“It’s most central to me to remember why we started our mission and how we can kind of further that story,” she said. “And to not get caught up in kind of the illusions of grandeur.”

First introduced in 2012 and revised twice since, Mitsubishi’s long-serving third generation Outlander crossover SUV remains a convincing proposition even as it is being phased out and replaced by a new model borne of the brand’s integration into the Renault-Nissan Alliance since 2016. 

An attainable middle of the road family daily driver with plenty of comfort and convenience, the Outlander may not be a high profile player in its segment, but is one that ticks many of the right boxes.

Assertive evolution

A more interesting drive with sportier dynamics than expected, the Outlander’s design has come to reflect this better since its first major face-lift of 2015 and second aesthetic revision circa 2018. Shedding some less than inspiring front bumper and rear light design elements from its 2012 incarnation, the Outlander instead adopted a more chiselled and assertive styling sensibility with more pronounced and sharper details, including a snoutier and hungrier pinched-in and blacked-out bumper segment, framed by C-shaped chrome elements.

With slim, strongly browed and dramatic lights and narrow twin-slat grille, the Outlander’s dramatic front view includes a big lower intake segment, revised again in 2018 with a chrome frame. Smartened up subtly in its last revision for a more contemporary look, the Outlander well-reconciles practicality and design expression, and features a gently rising waistline converging with a similarly descending roofline. Meanwhile, sportier design elements include a defined crease-line running along the Outlander’s flank and a discrete tailgate spoiler.

Smooth and seamless

Available regionally in three power-train options including two petrol engines, and PHEV (plug-in hybrid electric vehicle) model, the entry-level GLX is powered by a naturally-aspirated 2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine. Transversely mounted and driving all four wheels, with a front bias and through a continuously variable transmission (CVT) system, it develops 165BHP at 6,000rpm and 164lb/ft at 4,100rpm, which allows it to carry its comparatively restrained 1,535kg mass through 0-100km/h in reasonably brisk 10.5-seconds, through 0-400-metres in 17.7-seconds and onto a 198km/h top speed.

Smooth in operation and as refined as expected in its class, the Outlander 2.4L’s 

Under-square design engine is responsive from standstill and progressive in delivery, as it climbs through revs to redline. Versatile, it allows for confident, if not quite muscular, on the move acceleration, with 120-140km/h dispatched in 6.1-second. Its CVT meanwhile feature a wide range of ever shifting transmission ratios to well exploit engine output for brisk acceleration, flexible responsiveness and quiet low rev cruising.

Responsive ratios

Silky smooth and efficient, the Outlander’s CVT — like other such systems — has a slight slingshot feel under harder acceleration, with ratios altering and speed picking up while revs maintain a more efficient engine speed. That said, the Outlander’s CVT does allow easy redline revving, while a selectable “low” transmission setting holds more aggressive ratios and allows the engine to rev more freely for more driver control. However, the Outlander’s CVT doesn’t feature manually pre-set ratios to mimic a conventional gearbox.

Stable and smooth at speed, the Outlander is a confident and comfortable cruiser. Significantly lighter than its 1.9-tonne PHEV sister model, the entry-level Outlander 2.4L may not have the same planted and heavy feel on highways, but it is a more nimble vehicle with a tidier turn-in and better body lean control. Eager into corners for a high riding crossover, the Outlander uses a quick, light and responsive electric-assisted steering system, and is comparatively agile through narrow winding roads when driven briskly.

Comfort and control

Settled over road imperfections and comfortable over bumps, the Outlander meanwhile grips well through corners, where its four-wheel-drive system sends power rearwards for added traction when necessary. Though no dedicated off-roader, it features a 4WD Lock mode, and useful 21° approach, 19° break-over and 22.5°departure angles, and generous 190mm ground clearance. Narrower than many competitors and with a bigger glasshouse for better visibility, the Outlander is also easily placed on road, and manoeuvrable in town with its tight 10.6-metre turning circle.

Contemporarily stylish, if somewhat clinical and business-like, the Outlander’s cabin has a more up-market feel than many in-segment competitors and features user-friendly controls, and driver-oriented layouts and good materials, driving position and passenger room. Practical with well-spaced front and middle row seating, the Outlander is also available with optional 3-row, 7-seat capacity. Well-equipped with creature comforts, and safety and infotainment features including dual zone climate control and Isofix child seat latches, the entry-level Outlander GLX, however, lacks many driver assistance systems of higher spec versions.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Engine: 2.4-litre, transverse 4-cylinders 

Bore x stroke: 88 x 97mm

Valve-train: 16-valve, variable valve timing, DOHC

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

Transmission ratios: 2.631-0.378

Reverse/final drive: 1.96/6.026

Power, BHP (PS) [kW]: 165 (167) [123] @6,000rpm

Specific power: 70BHP/litre

Power-to-weight: 107.5BHP/tonne

Torque, lb/ft (Nm): 164 (222) @4,100rpm

Specific torque: 94Nm/litre

Torque-to-weight: 144Nm/tonne

0-100km/h: 10.5-seconds

120-140km/h: 6.1-seconds

0-400-metres: 17.7-seconds

Top speed: 198km/h

Fuel capacity: 60-litres

Length: 4,695mm

Width: 1,810mm

Height: 1,710mm

Overhang, F/R: 990/1,035mm

Wheelbase: 2,670mm

Track: 1,540mm

Ground clearance: 190mm

Approach/break-over/departure angle: 21°/19°/22.5°

Kerb weight: 1,535kg

Gross vehicle weight: 2,210kg

Seating capacity: 7

Steering: Electric-assisted rack and pinion

Turning radius: 10.6-metres

Suspension, F/R: MacPherson strut/multi-link, anti-roll bars

Brakes, F/R: Ventilated discs/discs

Tyres: 215/70R16