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Marvel and Stranger Things star set to headline next PlayStation movie project
David Harbour has been cast in a key role for the upcoming Gran Turismo movie
(Image credit: Sony / Polyphony Digital)
By Matt Poskitt
PlayStation is tapping the potential of Stranger Things star David Harbour, as the actor has seemingly been cast in a key role in the upcoming Gran Turismo film.
As reported by THR (opens in new tab), Harbour has signed on to the racing video game adaption that is being directed by Neil Blomkamp, best known for District 9 and Elysium. The script is being penned by Jason Hall (American Sniper) and Zach Baylin (King Richard) with filming expected to commence soon.
Said to be based on a true story, the movie will be about a teenage Gran Turismo player who goes on to win a series of competitions in the real-life sport. Harbour will play the character's mentor who teaches them how to drive. The actor is known for his memorable role as Jim Hopper in Stranger Things and the Red Guardian in Marvel's Black Widow.
Gran Turismo is a set of racing simulation games that was first released on the PlayStation in 1997. Since then, the series has accumulated over 85 million in sales with the latest, Gran Turismo 7, launching on the PS5 in March earlier this year.
"As one of PlayStation's longest standing and most beloved franchises, it's great to be partnering with Columbia Pictures again to bring Gran Turismo to life in an exciting way," said PlayStation Productions producer Asad Qizilbash (via THR (opens in new tab)).
"We can't wait for audiences to see Neill's vision of this inspiring true story of gamer turned professional race car driver."
(Image credit: Rich Fury / Getty Images)
Gran Turismo is planned to debut in theatres on August 11th, 2023. It's set to be the second major PlayStation film following the release of Uncharted with Tom Holland, which premiered in February 2022.
Anthony Mackie is also set to headline a Twisted Metal project for the studio, while Pedro Pascal is leading The Last of Us TV series for HBO max. Not to mention, there's a God of War series is in the works at Amazon, a Ghost of Tshumia movie helmed by John Wick director Chad Stahleski and a Horizon show on Netflix. So it's fair to say Sony has lots planned for PlayStation in Hollywood.
Sony recently held its latest State of Play event where it premiered a new God of War Ragnarok trailer, as well as announced that a popular Star Wars game is coming to PSVR 2. It additionally then confirmed that its controversial new PlayStation Stars "loyalty program" will be rolling out soon.
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Matt Poskitt
Matthew is the former Staff Writer for T3, covering news and keeping up with everything games, entertainment, and all manner of tech. You can find his work across numerous sites across the web, including TechRadar, IGN, GamesRadar, Tom's Guide, Fandom, NME, and more. In his spare time, Matthew is an avid cinema-goer, keen runner and average golfer (at best). You can follow him @MattPoskitt64
Fancy a Steam Deck Pro? This could be the handheld you've been dreaming of
By Carrie Marshall • Published 28 January 23
Sony and Amazon team up for God of War TV series – and this Game of Thrones actor is perfect for Kratos
"Only a man who's been burned knows what hell is truly like"
By Matthew Forde • Last updated 28 March 22
Marvel star Anthony Mackie set to headline new PlayStation project on Peacock
Sony currently has 10 movies and TV shows based on gaming IP planned
By Matthew Forde • Published 1 March 22


The Virtual Tour 'Homestay in Australia' is a Japanese language online education resource targeting Japanese junior high school students who want to learn about Australia. The user can experience a virtual homestay in Australia, guided by six Australian students and covering areas such as Australian history, industries, culture and lifestyle. The Virtual Tour was developed to meet Japanese Curriculum guidelines for social studies. The Virtual tour also encourages Japanese students to come to Australia for homestays and to study.
The Virtual Tour can be used in Japanese classrooms for ICT learning purposes. The Virtual Tour can be used on both computers and tablets.


Novo Biosciences receives grant to advance potential heart drug MSI-1436.
Novo Biosciences Inc., a spinoff of the MDI Biological Laboratory (both ME, USA), has announced that it has received a 2 year, US$1.5 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the development of MSI-1436 as a potential regenerative medicine therapy for the treatment of patients who have suffered an acute heart attack.
The grant will allow Novo Biosciences to move ahead with studies of the effectiveness of MSI-1436 in pigs. The pig heart, which closely resembles that of humans, allows scientists to model a human heart attack. MSI-1436 has already been demonstrated to regenerate damaged heart muscle and improve heart function in adult zebrafish and mice. The study in pigs is the critical next step in moving the drug candidate into clinical trials.
"We believe MSI-1436 has enormous potential," explained Kevin Strange, CEO (Novo Biosciences) and president (MDI Biological Laboratory). "No drug now exists to treat heart attack. Heart disease is the the world's leading killer. In order to advance MSI-1436 into clinical trials, we need to first test its effectiveness in a large animal model. We are deeply grateful to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute for making this possible.
"MSI-1436 offers several significant advantages with regard to drug development. First, the fact that it works in zebrafish and mice, which are separated by more than 450 years of evolution, makes it more likely that it will work in humans too; second, it has been found in Phase I trials for an unrelated application to be well tolerated in humans at doses many times higher than those used for the treatment of heart injury in zebrafish and mice.
The randomized, double-blind studies will be conducted in collaboration with scientists from the Louisiana State University Health Science Center Cardiovascular Center of Excellence (LA, USA).
"If the pig study is successful, Novo Biosciences will seek investors to move the potential drug through the multi-stage clinical trial process," Yin concluded.
The inventors of MSI-1436 are also exploring its use as a potential treatment for the regeneration of skeletal muscle tissue and cardiac muscle tissue in patients suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy, the most common form of the disease. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration and ultimately death due to heart and/or respiratory failure.
Its mission is to improve human health and well-being through basic research, education, and development ventures that transform discoveries into cures.


Sanders campaign headquarters, Terre Haute, IN. April 9, 2016.
James Shepard. Painter, musician, conservative.
This entry was posted on April 10, 2016 at 11:29 and is filed under Photography.	You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.


The HTC One X is one of the hottest Android handsets on the market right now, and it has earned a wealth of glowing reviews since making its debut in the United Kingdom back in April. However, some users are becoming disgruntled with the way in which the handset handles multitasking.
What in the world did HTC do to Android ICS mulitasking!? Apps seem to be completely removed from cache every single time they're closed for ~30 seconds. They also no longer re-open in the same state that you left them! If I leave the browser, it needs to reload the web page. If I leave a game, I need to start from the beginning. If I pause and exit Slacker radio for a minute, the app closes and I can't even resume my music with the headphones button!
HTC is aware of some questions in the enthusiast community about how the HTC One X handles multitasking and memory management for background apps. We value the community's input and are always looking for ways to enhance customers' experience with our devices. That said, multitasking is operating normally according to our custom memory management specifications which balance core ICS features with a consistent HTC Sense experience.
Of course, this does have its advantages, like you can bet your One X isn't going to get sluggish while you're jumping in and out of apps, and its battery should keep you going all day long. But as you can see from the comment above, it also has some major disadvantages.
This may not be an issue for some One X users, but it's certainly an issue for some, as this particular forum thread demonstrates. Unfortunately, One X users are just going to have to get used to it, because it appears the situation isn't going to change.
Have you had any issues with multitasking on your One X handset?


Manu F, GH and JP Gallesio & Davy Ech make their BC2 label debuts as part of the V3RSIONS Volume 2 EP compilation.
Balkan Connection's BC2 division started their 'V3RSIONS' series in November of last year. Headed up by BC2 A&R d-phrag the series focused on introducing new artists to the label. The collection's first installment featured the likes of Toppy, Russlan Jaafreh and Alex Philpp. Now for BC2's 48th overall release we see the label presenting Volume 2 which features the debuts of Manu F, GH and JP Gallesio & Davy Ech.
The collection gets underway with Manu F's 'Tempus Fugit' which comes in with a classic progressive house vibe. The Argentinean producer has made a name for himself in the old school community with releases on Abstract Space, LuPS and Stellar Fountain. His productions range from deep and dreamy to full on monsters and 'Tempus Fugit' definitely falls into the latter category. Fueled by big beats, fluid rhythms and a bevy of electric lines the energy is enormous throughout the first act and it just grows as the breakdown approaches. Here a more realized melodic theme gets presented and a melancholic vibe slowly washes over the track. The records third act adds mightily to the atmosphere with a series of vocally pads phasing in and out while the massive groove below delivers a huge finish.
The second selection finds Geoffrey Huber aka GH making his label debut with 'The Presence'. Geoffrey hails from the USA or Pittsburgh to be more exact and has been producing electronic music since the early 2000s. Of late the majority of Geoffrey's productions have been showcased on the excellent Stem & Leaf label which if I'm not mistaken he owns and operates. GH's sound has always been quite intriguing and 'The Presence' certainly is as well. It's deep, well textured groove is warm and inviting while the vocal elements and bubbly synths bring a wonderful esoteric vibe. A fantastic mood setting piece that will certainly provide an amazing atmosphere to any room. Great stuff from GH.
The third and final selection is provided by JP Gallesio and Davy Ech who are both appearing on the label for the first time. Both JP and Davy hail from Buenos Aires, Argentina which is a real hotbed for up and coming progressive house producers. According to Beatport 'Puma Pride' is the duos first ever released production so this is a huge moment in both their careers. It's a deep and enchanting creation that definitely grows on you. The growling foundation carries somewhat of sinister vibe but it's floaty, textural surroundings cast a much more godly feel which is quite charming. The smoothness of the groove and warm subtle build is what's most appealing; that effortless glide is quite pleasurable for a casual listen or for warming up a dance floor. The mesmerizing main break plays out over a one minute plus stretch and it sets up a smooth and serene finish to both the track and release. It's a solid debut for JP and Davy who I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more about in the future.


Denver, Co — The Nashville Predators advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a convincing win over the pesky Colorado Avalanche, 5-0. The victory sets up a premier showdown with the Winnipeg Jets, who experts are calling the series to watch.
Nashville came out storming against the Avs early and often in this game. Mattias Ekholm lit the lamp first for the Predators at 7:02 of the first period when his snapshot beat Andrew Hammond for the early 1-0 lead.
Austin Watson made it 2-0 at 10:19 of the first with a wicked wrister after an assist from Colton Sissons and Nick Bonino. The line of Watson, Sissons and Bonino was the highlight of the lineup in this game tonight.
Filip Forsberg wouldn't be kept off the scoreboard as his stellar series continued. His unassisted wrist shot just 38 seconds into the second period made the score, 3-0 and totally silenced the Colorado crowd. It was at that point that the game was tipped totally in favor of the Predators.
Nick Bonino scored at 8:26 of the second period on a wrist shot the beat Hammond again, and the Predators led 4-0. Bonino was assisted by Callie Jarnkrok and Ryan Ellis.
The final score of the night was a Viktor Arvidsson masterpiece, on a feed from P.K Subban at 2:36 of the final frame. There was never any doubt about the outcome of this one after that marker.
Ryan Hartman was nowhere to be found in today's lineup after serving a one game suspension from the NHL after a hit last week. Scott Hartnell was not in the lineup as well.
Head coach Peter Laviolette has said he would juggle his lines after the disappointing loss at home on Friday night at Bridgestone Arena, forcing today's sixth game. Colorado was the eighth seed in the tournament and gave Nashville all they could handle.
Pekka Rinne stopped all 22 shots he faced today, while Hammond stopped 32 of 37 shots against.
Game times have not been announced for the Winnipeg series, but the Predators will have home ice advantage throughout the playoffs after winning the Presidents Trophy for the most points on the season.


Sorry for posting about another forum on here. just tried to log onto modshack and says i am banned??
Anyone know if there is a problem with the site...or if i am actually banned...the reason why?
I created this place when datacave closed.
Its purpose was to be somewhere to meet if other places shut down.
Feel free to post this type of stuff whenever you want.


Day Use & Fishing Fee. Annual Pass not available.
Note: Once approved by The Department of Fish & Game, Reduced Fee Sport Fishing License may be used by low-income residents who are 65 years of age or older; or any honorably discharged disabled veterans with a service-connected disability rating of 50% or greater. Free Sport Fishing License may be used by low-income Native Americans; or any person who is legally blind, developmentally disabled or permanently dependent upon a mobility-aiding device.
About canoes, kayaks, float tubes with full chest waders and scull craft 20 feet and under may be carried in and launched for a $2 fee.
All vessels entering Lake Chabot must be inspected for Quagga & Zebra Mussels, and a $4 inspection fee will be charged. Anglers aged 16 and older are required to possess a valid California fishing license and a daily fishing access permit.


I haven't reviewed anything in a while so today we have three short reviews in one post.
First up is Shards of Honour by Lois McMaster Bujold.
Captain Cordelia Naismith is exploring a new planet for the Betan Astronomical Society when her ship is attacked by Barrayarans. The race is a warlike one whose ethics revolve around honour and battle. Cordelia finds herself stranded with the leader of the Barrayarans, Captain Aral Vorkosigan, and has to make her way to a supply cache with him and an injured colleague. It's a struggle lasting days and when it's over Cordelia and Aral are much closer than she would have expected. She's dismayed therefore to be treated as a prisoner when they arrive at their destination and thence on one of the Barrayaran ships. But things are not as they seem, there is clearly politics and scheming involved, and Cordelia has no idea whether Aral and herself are on opposite sides in the ensuing war, or the same.
This is the second book by Lois McMaster Bujold that I've read recently, the first being The Warrior's Apprentice which is the first book about Miles Vorkosigan, Cordelia and Aral's son. Shards of Honour tells the story of how his parents met and is continued in Barrayar. This was altogether an excellent read. Cordelia is the sort of strong, resourceful female character I like to read about... every bit Aral Vorkosigan's equal and complementing him well with her more thoughtful approach to problems. There're quite a few plot twists, as the book progresses you can never quite guess what's going to happen and that for me was the joy of the book. I plan to read Barrayar next as I believe this deals with the problems of Miles's birth, plus the aftermath of a huge plot twist at the end of Shards of Honour. The series is about 16 books long and I'm hoping to get through quite a few of those this year.
Shards of Honour is my 5th. book for Carl's Sci-Fi Experience and my 3rd. book for Bev's 2014 Mount TBR Challenge.
Next, Darke by Angie Sage.
There's something strange, a dark presence, in the palace attic and Jenna, the princess in waiting, thinks it needs looking at. She approaches her friend, Septimus Heap, the Extraordinary Wizard's Apprentice, hoping he will look into it. But Septimus is about to enter Darke Week, a dangerous stage in his apprenticeship and, preoccupied, he dismisses Jenna's fears as unfounded. She's annoyed. They're both to be 14 soon and it seems to her that their former friendship is wearing thin - they're drifting apart. Unfortunately for Septimus, Jenna is right, there is something dangerous in the attic and before long it causes a Darke Domaine to swallow the whole castle. For the time being the Wizard's Tower is protected by magic but it won't hold forever. It's up to Septimus, his friends and family to do something to stop the entire magical world from being consumed. The answer is for Septimus to undertake one of his most dangerous missions ever.
This is my grand-daughter's book, she's a big fan of the Septimus Heap books and owns them all. I've been borrowing them from her over the last few years and have read them all except the last two, books 6 and 7. I find it odd that this excellent series by Angie Sage doesn't get more publicity than it does. It's a terrific series, has a lot of imagination, a lot of humour, a lot of 'soul', and a really convincing world has been created. The early books are aimed at readers of around 9 to 12 but these later books, because Septimus and Jenna are now older, are longer with more depth and can be enjoyed by anyone. I thought this one was terrific and am sorry I now only have one book left to read. Of course the answer is to go back and read them all again and that idea appeals a lot. In the meantime, if you have kids and they like YA fantasy and haven't tried this series... well a treat is being well and truly missed.
Lastly, Strictly Ann by Ann Widdecombe.
Ann Widdecombe is well known in the UK as a former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister, though these days she's probably just as well known for being a contestant on Strictly Come Dancing in 2010. Her autobiography charts her early childhood - as the daughter of a high-ranking naval officer she spent several years in Singapore, then back to England to be convent educated, though the family were not Roman Catholic. She then went on to Birmingham university and subsequently Oxford where she was active in political debating circles etc . All Ann ever wanted to do was be an MP but it doesn't happen overnight and she spent many years working at normal jobs before eventually getting nominations to be various constituent's conservative candidates, eventually winning Maidstone in Kent in 1987.
I enjoyed much of this book but found it dragging slightly from time to time. Her childhood was interesting, unlike many you read about it was happy and unblighted by anything nasty. I enjoyed descriptions of her life in Singapore and of her school-life in the convent. Where it dragged a bit was in the amount of politcal detail. I knew it would be there because, after all, if you're going to read a book about a political animal that's what you're going to get! So it was fine and much of time also quite revealing. Things are never as they seem and Ann often gives famous events a different slant, which makes you realise that reporting in newspapers and on TV often gives the reader or viewer an entirely wrong impression about what is going on. A little alarming sometimes. I don't always agree with her opinions (she was anti female priests for instance) but I like her forthrightness in expressing them. My favourite chapter, shallow as I am, is the last one where she tells of her experiences on Strictly Come Dancing. She clearly had huge fun and gave a lot of people a lot of pleasure. All in all, not a bad autobiography at all.
My first book for the Vintage Mystery Bingo challenge, being hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block, is The Yellow Dog by Georges Simenon, one of his many books about Superintendant Maigret. It gave me a slight problem because the bingo card has many categories and it fitted several, including 'Book set anywhere other than the US or England' and 'Book with a colour in the title'. In the end though I settled for 'Book with an animal in the title' as it seemed to me this was a more difficult category to fill. (I've already read The Hound of the Baskervilles.) Anyway... my first Maigret book in many years, what did I think of it?
Maigret is called to the town of Concarneau on the coast of Brittany in France. A man making his way home from the bar of the local hotel, slightly drunk, stopped to light a cigar in the porch of an uninhabited house and was shot through the letterbox. It seems the man is one a group of well-to-do cronies who drink together in the hotel bar. On arrival Maigret senses instinctively that these are the kind of men who have secrets and that the barmaid, Emma, might well be involved.
Within a few days poison is found in two of the bottles of liquor that the group drinks. No one is harmed but panic sets in, not only among the group but the townspeople too. A yellow dog is seen hanging around but apparently belongs to no one. Is the dog some kind of bad omen? It appears it might be when another of the group disappears and his car is found riddled with bullet holes and blood spattered on the seats. Then one of the group is found dead at home, poisoned.
Maigret plays a waiting game. There's an unknown factor at work and he knows it will eventually come to light. The problem is preventing rising panic, keeping the mayor at bay, and controlling the press hordes. And where exactly does the yellow dog fit into all this?
It's so easy to forget how good some of the vintage crime authors were. Georges Simenon apparently wrote over 200 books - not all of them Maigret titles by any means but about 100 were. That's quite an acheivement but like many authors Simenon thought of his popular books as the wage earners which gave him the time and money to write his more serious books.
My first experience of the French detective was actually not in a book but on the TV. Actor, Rupert Davies, played Maigret from 1960 onwards and the BBC made 52 episodes. In our house this series was a 'must see', and I remember the series being absolutely excellent.
I can't remember when I began to read some of the books, I think possibly in my twenties I may have read the few that the library had. I had no idea there were so many but I do remember really enjoying them and finding them surprisingly funny. When I started to read this one I wondered if I would like them as much as I did back then. I needn't have wondered... the books are every bit as enjoyable as I remembered.
The setting for this one is a storm-swept French coastal town that I've actually been through, Concarneau, and the book really does evoke the atmosphere of a place miles from anywhere in the middle of winter. Maigret himself is a bit of an enigma. He bides his time with his investigations, never tells anyone what he's thinking and then suddenly has all the answers at the end. Details the reader could never have imagined emerge and suddenly everything makes perfect sense. It surprised me how many of the reasons for crime are still relevant today... this book was written in 1931 and apart from one pertinent detail could easily have been written today. One thing did strike me as I was reading about France in 1931, and that was that their country was going to be invaded in eight years time and of course the author had no thought of any such terrible thing happening. I wonder if any of the Maigret books written between this one and 1939 have any mention that that might happen.
Anyway, to finish here's a lovely painting I found on the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York site. The fishing fleet was mentioned quite a lot in The Yellow Dog and this painting is very evocative even though it was painted 40 years before the book was set. It's called Evening Calm, Concarneau and is by Paul Signac.
Anyway, the book is Consider Phlebas by Scottish author, Iain M. Banks.
A galaxy-wide war is raging between the Idirans and The Culture and has been going on for four years. The Idirans are an alien culture based on strong religious beliefs. The people who make up The Culture are of mixed heritage but tend to be more human based. They are very laid back in their approach to life believing strongly in not foisting your opinions or way of life onto others. They also rely heavily on a machine based technology.
Bora Horza Gobuchul - known to all as Horza - is a Changer, meaning he can take on the appearance of any humanoid he chooses, but not immediately, it's a gradual process that takes place over weeks. His natural appearance is human. When the book opens he's a prisoner about to be executed by drowning but is saved in the nick of time by the Idirans. It seems he's an Idiran spy and they have a job for him. The Culture's space vessels are run by 'Minds', basically computers which have a physical presence, and one of them escaped its ship in an attack and has taken refuge on Schar's World, a Planet of the Dead. The Idirans want Horza to go and fetch it so they can examine it and gain some technological advances.
I gave this a three star rating on Goodreads and am wondering if I may have been a bit mean. If there was a three and a half star option I would have chosen that because this was not a bad read at all. I just wish I had loved it rather than 'liked it'. It had all the right elements - it was imaginative, inventive, a roller-coaster type of a plot and so on. But somehow or other it just didn't do it for me and I'm finding it hard to put my finger on why. It's possible I just didn't connect with Horza. I was never really sure whether he was good, bad or somewhat indifferent. I know this is quite true to life, people do tend to be a mix, but my feeling was that he didn't care very much about anything and I found that off-putting.
The world-building, however, was superb. To be honest I think it's what kept me reading. I almost gave up I must confess, partly due to the small print of the book but also for my taste (your mileage may vary, as they say) the writing style was too meandering, too much superfluous detail. I felt the book wouldn't have harmed to lose 100-150 pages. Others would strongly disagree, I realise that! However, as I said, the world-building, or 'galaxy building' was excellent. For me the most interesting section was that of the Orbital world, Vavatch, which was mainly a huge ocean kept in place by giant walls. I imagined it like a giant polo mint, not sure if I got that right but it worked for me. A whole book set there would have been fine by me as that was by far the best and most interesting bit of the book.
It's an odd thing. Helliconia Spring by Brian Aldiss was equally as long as this book, in fact I think it may have been longer, but I didn't get bored once. Never felt the amount of detail (and there was a lot) was too much. Never found myself skip reading paragraphs. Was not glad to get the end. I know a lot of people think Banks' Culture series is the bee's knees in science fiction writing and I'm not disputing the quality of the writing 'at all'... he was (he sadly died last year) an amazing writer. But for me, something was missing. I can't work it out, I really can't, and will just put it down to individual taste and leave it at that.
Will I read any more in the series? I don't know. I'm intrigued by The Culture and may well pick another book up but the gaming plot of the next one doesn't really appeal. If I come across something in the library I may grab it and try it. It could be that I might like other books in the series a bit more as I'm not sure it's a continuous series, but more a series of unconnected books based in the same universe - a bit like Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish books.
All in all a good solid read for the Sc-Fi Experience but not my favourite of the four I've read so far.
It's been rather strange watching The News this past few days with news of the bad winter being experienced in Canada and much of the USA. Strange because it's coincided with my first book for the 2014 Mount TBR challenge which is being hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block. That book being The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, I've not only been reading about snow and blizzards but seeing the reality on the TV!
Heeding the warning, Ma and Pa decide to move the family from the shanty on their claim back into their more solid home in town. Laura and Carrie must now go to school, Mary of couse cannot as she is blind. The two girls are nervous about school but soon settle in. But it is while they are at school one day that another blizzard hits. The children and teacher have to find their way back to town... it's not far but in a white-out the trip is frightening and hazardous. But this is only the beginning of the long winter. Things will get much, much worse as the little town on the prairie is cut off from the outside world for seven long months.
What a brilliant little book this was. I don't think I've ever read better descriptions of how it feels to be stranded in snow and blizzards than this. Laura Ingalls Wilder must surely have lived through something like this to be able to write about it so convincingly. It's all there, from the terrifying and monotonous sound of constant wind, of trying to keep warm in a house that of course had no central heating... and what happens when the train can't get through and the town runs out of coal. Pa and Laura end up twisting stalks of hay to burn. This is hard, grinding work in freezing temperatures, but they must do it or the family will freeze. And then there's the problem of food. They don't have enough for seven months so what will they do?
There are scenes in this book that are so well written that I was as scared as the characters being written about. A small scene near the start when Laura and Carrie take a short-cut through the slough and get lost for instance. The one already mentioned when the children are being led home in the first blizzard. In another scene Alonzo Wilder and another lad go out onto the prairie between blizzards, trying to find a farmer who may have wheat they can buy for the town. It's terrifying quite frankly... they could easily get completely lost in a frozen wasteland or caught in the next blizzard and die of exposure.
Really this book is a tribute to the close unit that is family. Or what a family *can* be if all members pull together for the common good. The Ingalls are amazing people. Too good to be true? Well, possibly. But I don't mind that, there are others in the book who are not as good so there is contrast and friction to be found within the pages of the story. I was sorry when the book ended, I had loved it that much. Sadly this is the last of these books that I own. I'll have to buy the next one, The Little Town on the Prairie, which I will do as I want to know how Laura goes about teaching to earn money to send Mary to a college for the blind. The temptation is to buy myself a boxed set of all nine books as I know I'll want to read them again soon.
I'd like to ask if there is anyone who is currently having a problem commenting on Wordpress blogs? I don't know why but Wordpress seems to go through periodic bouts of not allowing me to comment on its blogs. Usually it's just one or two but now it's all of them. I decided to Google this just now and it seems it's not uncommon for Wordpress to randomly shove blog comments into people's spam boxes. Penny at Life on the Cut Off and Robin at A Fondness for Reading both checked and lo and behold there my comments were - in their spam boxes. I gather there's no cure for this, I just have to wait until Wordpress gets its knickers out of a twist. Apart from Penny and Robin there're other Wordpress blogs I comment on... Margaret at Booksplease and Danielle at A Work in Progress to name but two. Until this solves itself I'll probably not be commenting on these blogs. I'm really, *really* sorry about this as I love these blogs and their delightful owners, but I can't keep pestering people to say that I've left a comment and can they please check their spam boxes. It makes me a pain in proverbial. Hopefully it won't be too long before this rights itself. I'll test again in a week or so. I'll say one thing though... Blogspot might not be perfect and I've been known to moan about it, but 'nothing' would ever convince me to change my blog over to Wordpress.


text:
Construction UK Magazine
2022 Media Pack
January 21, 2022 in Product News: Tradespeople can now find work on demand with new smart app launched in London
January 20, 2022 in Events & Awards News: Eco-friendly housing scheme wins coveted award
January 20, 2022 in Top News: Leading Building Products Manufacturer Forterra Highlights Road Safety with Hi-vis Donation
January 20, 2022 in Project News: Building work starts on new homes in Goffs Oak
January 20, 2022 in Company News: BBA approval cements Armatherm's growing reputation
Home » Top News » Unreliable mobile coverage poses serious operational and safety concerns in Smart Construction and Industry 4.0
Unreliable mobile coverage poses serious operational and safety concerns in Smart Construction and Industry 4.0
Posted on January 4, 2022 in Top News
"IoT driven processes along with predictive maintenance and proactive monitoring technologies are reliant on cellular connectivity for reliable and safe operability," says Gearoid Collins of Vilicom"
For an industry that accounts for 6% GDP worldwide, construction players have been slower than most to embrace IoT. However, the rising impact of construction technologies has opened new doors for digital transformation across the sector and is changing the face of the industry. As such demand for embedded tech, automated access control, CCTV, self-guiding vehicles, connected conveyor systems and a wealth of intelligent machines capable of performing complex tasks independent of human involvement is at an all-time high.
No longer limited to sci-fi, these autonomous technologies have already shown their true worth in industry and manufacturing. The construction industry is also rapidly realising the power of automation as researchers continue to explore how interconnected machines can be used to cost effectively overcome complex structural engineering challenges. What's more, their usage is set to accelerate in the aftermath of the pandemic and the ongoing consequences of Brexit which have resulted in a much-diminished workforce. Construction robots can significantly speed up repetitive building tasks, increase efficiency through side-by-side deployment with real-world people and dramatically reduce the risk of injury when working at height.
If Covid-19 and Brexit weren't enough to contend with, the industry is also experiencing global supply chain issues, and as such construction firms are under heightened pressure to work smarter by making greater use of cloud-based technologies like building information models (BIM) and connected site software platforms for greater visibility and insight. Digitized processes and applications are needed, not only to keep costs down and to reduce unnecessary close contact in confined spaces, but to futureproof the industry against other major upheavals or unforeseen scenarios.
From construction sites to production lines
Not only are construction companies having to come to terms with new working practices post-pandemic, prefabricated building modules and 3D printing are driving change in the industry by transforming building sites heavily reliant on a manual labour force into fast paced production lines powered by IoT.
However, whilst IoT and automation is accelerating the assembly of these modular buildings, the construction robots, in some instances, are proving to be counterproductive because of their "more haste less speed tactics", which can compromise health and safety. State of the art assembly lines controlled by inexhaustible machines are driving up fulfilment targets, with labourers struggling to source the required brackets/parts/subframes in time with such slick operations. If these Smart production lines are to operate in accordance with current standards, the associated maintenance and damage detection processes must also be automated to ensure the smooth running of the interconnected machinery/equipment to minimise risk and maintain a safe working environment.
And the larger the site, the more important this becomes. Large Inner-city projects, comprise an abundance of cutting-edge machinery such as AGVs (automated guided vehicle systems) drones or automated scaffolding systems. If said scaffolding, for example, were to be pushed out of line, causing a machine failure, structural collapse or injury, the cost in lost time or equipment damage is serious in itself, but the potential for large compensation claims is enormous.
Cellular connectivity is integral to machine safety
Whist it's encouraging that building companies are embracing IoT and automation, few industries encounter as many comms challenges as the construction one. Large scale building projects typically involve extreme locations – offshore, subterranean, – both of which are off grid, or densely populated areas surrounded by connectivity obstructions such as tall buildings. To exacerbate the situation, their comms requirements are not only demanding, with hundreds of devices and machines to power, they are constantly moving goal posts. What is deemed sufficient one week quickly becomes obsolete as the project advances and building exteriors are filled mobile blocking materials like reinforced concrete, steel, and glass.
Apart from causing a commercial inconvenience and posing serious health and safety concerns, lack of a mobile signal source is detrimental to M2M communications. The obligatory maintenance and support systems pivotal to sustained equipment and staff safety in smart construction setups are unable to trigger an incident without cellular coverage because the service used is SMS. Mobile connectivity is used because it's readily accessible, it's cheap, and, with encryption, it's secure.
Ensuring reliable coverage is no mean feat
With all these considerations to take care of, the deployed comms infrastructures must be able to support existing devices and services as well as high performance low latency connectivity needed for IoT and automation to facilitate interconnectivity and assure people and machine safety. And all this must be achieved cost effectively and with minimal disruption to the project. A robust private mobile network capable of supporting thousands of devices and applications simultaneously is needed.
As smart technologies go mainstream 5G is poised to become the underpinning enabler to digitization and IoT but the widescale rollout of this next generation network is still a long way off due to the infrastructure overhauls needed at carrier level to support cloud computing and data backhaul. In the meantime, the health and safety systems operating alongside smart machines still need a reliable trigger mechanism and for the foreseeable future this will continue to be cellular.
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Stock #: P09687 Exterior Color: Red Interior Color: Gray Body Type: 4D Sedan Transmission: 1-Speed Automatic Drivetrain: RWD Fuel Type: Electric Fuel System Engine: 3-Phase/4-Pole Electric w/High-Performance Drive I Title Condition: Clear Vehicle Description Used Tesla For Sale! Model S, Navigation, Backup Camera, Sunroof, Power Liftgate, Carbon Fiber Spoiler, Electric Car, and More! Carfax Certified 1-Owner, No Accidents! We Finance All Types of Credit! We Can Also Ship It Directly To Your Front Door, or We Offer A Free Courtesy Pickup From Our Local Airport Piedmont International Airport! We Make It Convenient and Easy For You!
It's time to elevate your style with our 2013 Tesla Model S brought to you in Red! Highly desirable... and thoroughly luxurious, our all-electric Rear Wheel Drive Sedan is an excellent traveling companion. It boasts 302hp with its seamless single-speed transmission. Enjoy brisk acceleration that will get your heart pumping, along with an estimated driving range of near 208 miles.
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Northern Wisconsin is a region that has large forested areas containing many rivers and streams of varying size and character. Rivers such as the Wolf River, Peshtigo River, and the Bois Brule River are some of the wildest and scenic in the Midwest.
The scenery alone is a great reason to give a Northern Wisconsin river or stream a try. Anglers looking for solitude don't need to look any farther than one of the many Northern Wisconsin rivers and streams—most of them see few fishermen; only a few are ever crowded.
The rivers and streams in Northern Wisconsin vary in their character and size. There are freestone streams that violently tumble over bedrock and spring creeks that slowly wind their way through prairies or bogs. Brook trout streams are common in the north woods. Some are small and wooded, but others are large enough to be fly fished easily.
The Upper Wisconsin River originates in the forests of the North Woods District of northern Wisconsin, near the border of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It flows south across the glacial plain of central Wisconsin, passing through Wausau, Stevens Point, and Wisconsin Rapids. The Upper Wisconsin River is a river with many flavors. In the northern most stretches it is a wild river with rapids, dense forests and giant rocks. As it flows south the river widens and slows down. The Upper Wisconsin offers world-class smallmouth and muskie fishing.
Stevens Point is the gateway to not just the Upper Wisconsin River and other northern Wisconsin rivers and streams, but also area lodging options.
Orvis Madison Store
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WISCONSIN RIVER AT STEVENS POINT
Trout Unlimited is America's leading coldwater conservation organization. Our hope is that clean, cold, fishable water exists for generations to come, but we can't do it without the support of committed anglers and conservationists like you.
Oak Brook Trout Unlimited needs volunteers to further its mission. Get involved in our stream restoration or youth education programs.
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Kulongoski's appointment for powerful investment council raises questions.
By Nick Budnick
July 05, 2005 at 5:00 pm PDT
One year ago, allegations of cronyism spurred Gov. Ted Kulongoski to shake up the powerful Oregon Investment Council. Given that action, some are puzzled that he recently put the wife of a friend and major campaign contributor on that same council.
In May, the governor appointed Katy Durant, a longtime commercial real-estate broker, to the council. She is married to Portland hotel magnate Gordon Sondland, who headed Kulongoski's transition team in 2002.
Sondland says his only interaction with the governor over his wife's appointment was "when [Kulongoski said] he thought she would be a good appointment, I said I thought...she would be a great candidate."
Council members are unpaid, but appointments to the board, which oversees the management of $61 billion in state and local employee pension funds, is considered a political plum. Durant is largely unknown in investment circles but does possess an MBA in finance and 17 years' experience in real-estate investments-an area making up 6 percent of the OIC's portfolio. State Sen. Vicki Walker, who sits on the committee that confirmed Durant, says of her qualifications, "I wasn't overwhelmed, which isn't a good thing."
Unlike many gubernatorial picks, Durant's appointment went unaccompanied by press releases or media attention. "I was hoping I'd skated right under the radar screen," Durant quipped when contacted last week by WW.
Indeed, Bill Parish, an investment manager who monitors the investment council on behalf of his clients, noticed the appointment only on the Web. For him, red flags went up because of Durant's vice-presidency with Trammell Crow, the commercial real-estate giant-an affiliation that did not show up on the state website.
Says Parish, "When there are so many competent men and women available, why would Gov. Kulongoski agree to appoint the wife of someone on the governor's transition team with an obvious conflict?"
Durant says she is disengaging from Trammell Crow but has no plans to leave Atlas Investments, an acquisitions and development company she and two other Trammell Crow employees founded two years ago.
Besides chairing the governor's transition, Durant's husband contributed more than $13,000 to Kulongoski's 2002 gubernatorial campaign and meets regularly with the Democratic governor-despite being a registered Republican.
Sondland is a major developer, hotel operator and financier who has as one of his partners Larry Mendelsohn, the former second-in-command at Andy Wiederhorn's Wilshire Financial Services Group. Mendelsohn was convicted last year of felony tax fraud.
Randall Pozdena, a prominent economist and former chair of the OIC, says Durant's appointment is curious given the controversy when Diana Goldschmidt served on the council. During her tenure, questions surfaced about whether her decisions benefited her husband, Neil Goldschmidt, particularly her vote to commit $300 million of state funds in 2003 to a group of Texas investors aiming to buy Portland General Electric. The day after the vote, the Texas group hired Neil Goldschmidt to run the company (see "The $300 Million Emergency," WW, Sept. 22, 2004).
In July 2004, Kulongoski told The Oregonian, "I'm interested in looking at how the board is functioning." He fired Diana Goldschmidt from the OIC two months later.
Pozdena says appearances are important: "If your husband or wife is in the business, it's hard for people to imagine that there isn't pillow talk, that you share information that shouldn't be shared."
Mardi Saathoff, the governor's legal counsel, told WW Durant was selected strictly on qualifications: "She's an incredibly sophisticated, intelligent businesswoman."
Durant, for her part, told WW she won't share confidential information, and her interest in the council is altruistic: As she told the Senate committee in May, "It is important for every Oregonian to give back to our state."
While Durant is an Oregon resident, her husband is not-legally, at least. They both live in Portland, have offices here, school their kids here and register their cars here. But Sondland maintains a penthouse in Seattle at one of his hotels, where he claims residency for tax purposes.
A number of prosperous Oregon businesspeople maintain residences in Washington to avoid Oregon's income tax. Asked whether this was a factor for him, Sondland declined to respond directly, instead defending his claim of Washington residency as "reflective of the facts."
"I was born and raised in Seattle," he added. "I have a lot of ties to that community: We have a place up there, we have business investments up there, my mother still lives there, my sister lives there. I mean, I never left."


The fantastic 5-Star La Vista Hakodate Bay is our hotel whilst in Hakodate. Boasting of an enviable location overlooking the waters of Hakodate Bay, this wonderful hotel boasts of numerous amenities that are typical of a 5-Star establishment. Situated at the top of the hotel, with views overlooking the city, is a hot spring, which relaxes and invigorates those who bathe in it. There are also spa facilities, offering a range of beauty treatments (payable locally), and a restaurant that specialises in seafood. The rooms are en-suite throughout, and come equipped with a television, tea & coffee-making facilities, air-conditioning, and LAN internet connection.


What a perfect way to bring some sunlight and sparkle into the new year! I saw this posted over at Funny Days With Mommy & Maddie this morning, and I immediately knew that this would be a huge hit with the boys (thanks Amanda!).
I started by printing "2011" onto a piece of colored cardstock and cutting out the shapes with my Xacto knife. Be sure to save the center of the 0 for reassembly later. If you don't want to waste time choosing a font and sizing it, I made a template that you can download and print HERE.
I gave each boy a piece of Contac paper, and they meticulously covered it with sparkly sequins and confetti.
…or, if you're like this guy, a rather generous pile of glitter!
You can attach the sparkled Contac paper directly to your cutout cardstock, but since we ended up with soooo much glitter I opted to sandwich the sparkles between two sheets of Contac paper. I then attached it to the back of the cardstock with double stick tape and used the tape to reattch the center of the zero.
Easy peasy New Years decorations! Happy 2011!
Where did you get your numbers and make them look so great. I want to do this with my preschoolers in y classroom.
Grrrrr8 idea! Well executed! Thx u!


Valentine's Day Truffles will make your beloved one feel special. These are easy, rich and decadent chocolate truffles. A cheap yet elegant gift!
Valentine's Day Truffles are the best special treat for chocolate lover lovers. There is no doubt your beloved one will feel so flattered when you make these super easy chocolate truffles. You love such simple, easy yet impressive gifts, don't you?
You don't need a special day to spoil yourself a bit, right? Just make these Valentine's Day truffles and you won't be able to stop snacking on them. So it's better to eat as many as you want before Valentine's Day comes. Otherwise, you might want to eat them all even before you place them into a fancy looking gift box.
Making Valentine's Day Truffles might sound the easiest thing, but believe me it is much better than most of the pricy gifts because you give your time and effort and your love for sure. You can surprise your sweetie with these pinkish rich and decadent Valentine's Day Truffles loaded with dark chocolate even if you have never tried to cook something before. Then it will be a real surprise. No gift with chocolate can go wrong, right?
If you have enough time though and feel like baking, you might want to check out our Romantic Red Velvet Cupcakes or Eggless Chocolate Coffee Cupcakes, which are our reader's all time favorites for Valentine's Day.
I'd love to thank my friend Özge for the recipe. I tasted these chocolate truffles at her home for the first time and just fell in love! I was surprised with the simplicity when she told me how to make them. She coated hers with shredded coconut which was wonderful and she suggested that using other kind of nuts for coating would be fine too.
To make these truffles special for the Valentine's Day, I coated them with pink sprinkles and there became a very sweet color when pink and dark brown combined.
Oh boy ! Great photos! Although I'm a bit late, it does not stop me from making these beauties for any other special occasion right ? Thank you so much for sharing !
These look gorgeous with the pink sprinkles. And so easy, which suits me perfectly. I can't wait to make them, not for valentines but just because I can!
These are gorgeous! And with only 4 ingredients?! I'll be making these for my hunny for sure! Thanks for sharing!
I just love how easy these truffles are to make and how little ingredients they require. They look super impressive and delicious!
These truffles are so pretty! I love the pink coarse sugar. It gives the truffle a little sparkle, perfect for Valentine's day!


Crochet in no time one of the most popular emoticons.
I crocheted the thumbs quite tight, like Amigurumi. You can crochet more loosely, too. The thumb can be crocheted with any yarn weight.
This pattern contains 4 pages of crochet instructions and 6 pages of detailed step-by-step instructions.
Used techniques (US crochet terms): magic ring, chain, slip stitch, single crochet, half double crochet, double crochet & increases.
The figures are crocheted in continuous rounds/spirals (only the button) as well as in closed rounds.
The thumbs got to be 12.5 x 12.5 cm & 9 x 9 cm tall (with 3.0 mm hook and DK yarn like Puppets Lyric 8/8 & 2.0 mm hook and sport weight yarn like Catania Originals).
A Crochet pattern from Homeartist. Instant download after purchase.
A Crochet pattern from wonderfulhands. Instant download available.
Crochet pattern: applique for children "In space"
A Crochet pattern from Haekelteufel. Instant download after purchase.
A Crochet pattern from ColorfulEasyCrochet. Instant download available.
A Crochet pattern from HTDesign. Instant download available.


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The Story of Her Life
Posted on June 2, 2014 February 12, 2018 by Grace Lozada
There are many journeys we all take in our lifetime. Many roads leading us to whom we are destined to become or to the life we are destined to live. Her journey had been a long one, sometimes extremely difficult to emotionally or physically survive from.
Her story begins in a different country than she came to know. She was born in Lima, Peru in 1970. She's the youngest of four girls, the baby of the family. She was very quiet and soft spoken as a child; a very reserved, kind and loving introvert. Her parents were both from affluent families, but especially her mother. Her grandfather was a well-known surgeon in Lima. He had owned a hospital there. Her grandmother, though born in Peru, came from a wealthy family from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was an heiress and her family on both sides were millionaires. The Philadelphia family had created and operated a row of stores and one of the first bathhouses on the Atlantic City Boardwalk in New Jersey. The Peruvian family had many ventures in both Peru and England that made them very successful, too.
She had been told that in 1933 when The Great Depression was making thousands of people homeless and hungry, her grandmother's last inheritance was the property in Atlantic City and $3 million dollars. Not only was that a lot of money for that time but also it was a lot of money for someone who was living in Peru. Her grandparent's house, that still stands today in Lima, is one she can only dream of ever having. After her grandfather's death in 1959 though, her grandmother, her mother and her mother's three sisters would never be the same again. Her father married into a family that any man would envy by all accounts, but he never saw that these women's lives were taking a new path – destruction. Also, her parents could never imagine that their youngest daughter would end up being a high school dropout, would take drugs, drink until she'd blackout and later become a high priced call girl in Hollywood at the age of 21. She'd continue this new path of destruction for her own life. But, she would sometimes think, was it her destiny?
Three years after she was born, her family moved to the United States in an upper middle-class suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio. After a few months they bought a 4-bedroom house with her mother's money. Her father's work by 1976 had him traveling between the United States, Latin America and South America. Her mother worked off and on.
When she was a young child, she was so distant from her father that her mother would have to always ask her to give him a good-night kiss. This could be attributed to his many business travels and being away often during her early years. And, when he was home, he was dealing with her mother's ranting and raving. It was almost as if she didn't have a father and it didn't really seem to bother her for the most part. There were times though when she had wanted him around. Like on her 8th birthday party. Her father had been away on business. When he finally arrived late that evening her mother and he got into a fight. Her mother was accusing him of having one of his many affairs. Her father was mad because her mother had been drinking and was drunk. Her father ran off and left the house. She was not sure if he was ever going to come back. She remembered staying up until what seemed the middle of the night to make sure that he came back because even though she was never really close to him as young girls should be, she still loved him.
It was unclear when this new path of destruction for her own family really began. She had been told of stories about parties her maternal grandparents would have and her mother would take sips from the drinks that were being served. But, by the 1970's her mother's sips had turned into cases of beer and jugs of wine. Her mother raised her and her sisters with a foundation that resembled her own. Ballet, piano lessons, English Horseback Riding lessons, museums, art, fine dining and over indulging in the nicest of clothes. It seemed perfect, but her mother's drinking and the violence that came with it from both of her parents had begun to destroy whatever possibilities of long-lived happiness her family could have.
In 1979 her family moved to Houston, Texas. Her father owned a valve distribution company for the oil industry. They moved into a 5-bedroom, 2-story, 3-car garage house with a game room and vaulted ceilings. It was about the age of 10 when her eyes began to open. She began to feel that they were different from other families. She couldn't imagine that every family had physical outbursts like theirs or that when a child goes to bed, they will wonder whether their parents would drive home safely or not. When she was 13, her mother had gotten into a bad car accident that almost cost her her life. She and her sisters had to go through saying their good-byes to their mother because the doctors weren't sure if she would survive.
Her family's years in Houston during 1979-1986 were those with ups and downs. Their downs, for her, outplayed the ups. When her family made the move to Houston her parents chose the best schools and a great community. Their life was picturesque. Her father's business did well for the first five years. Her mother, once again, worked off and on, even though her mom had not been raised to ever work a day in her life! She had been raised to marry someone whom would financially take care of her and continue to give her the life she was accustomed to. Their daily lives consisted of school, work and whichever lessons her mother had them in. When her mother wasn't on a binge life was easier and sometimes happier, but unfortunately people move on and forget until the next time all hell breaks loose. Her father wasn't traveling anymore, as he had done prior to living in Houston. When he'd come home from work he would usually make dinner because her mother would be drunk. Typically when her mother would return from work she would have already been drinking. Sometimes when her mother would get in, she'd go straight to bed and pass out. But, then at about 8 or 9p.m. her mother would wake up and start a fight with anybody. Her mother would speak about her father's infidelities or call him a queer in Spanish. She, even though she had school the next morning after these incidents, would usually go to bed soon after the fighting, but would be kept up most nights depending on how far the fight would go. She'd usually hear her mother screaming or throwing things. When her mother was drunk she would do anything to annoy any one of them. Her mother was vulgar and loud when she drank. If her mother wasn't throwing a pitcher of ice over her father's head, she would constantly cut the cable cord to the television so there would be no escape mentally to what was going on around them.
Their life was chaotic and unpredictable, but with a mix of beautiful moments either spending time in the warm Gulf waters with their father or sneaking away shopping with their mother. Over those years, she dealt with domestic violence though that not only came from her mother starting a fight with whomever, but also from her sisters physically tearing one another apart. And, her father's temperament was usually cool and collective but every few months he'd also explode. He had a tendency to physically exercise his turmoil that came from the stress that her mother's drinking brought on or the financial issues that they were always dealing with because of her mother's overspending.
By the time any of her sisters or she had reached puberty they became rebellious against their parents. To this day she never recalls once having any respect for them. She grew up seeing her two older sisters physically fight their father. If he lifted his hand to them, they would do likewise. When she was 13, her two older sisters began going to downtown Houston and wouldn't show up for a few days. In their home, downtown was known as the place where the drug addicts and homosexuals were. At least this is what her mother would say. Her parents tried to get her sisters to stop going there. The last time this happened which explains how bad her childhood had gotten.
Her sisters were on their way out and her parents were trying to stop them. What she recalls was her mother at the front door, trying to block them. Her father insisted that they weren't going anywhere. On their way to the door her father went after them. He pulled at one of them. She reacted by throwing her bags at him to hit him. Fists began to fly. She watched one sister being dragged by the hair through the living room. Her sister that is two years older than her, tried to make him leave their two older sisters alone. She even threw a shoe at him, which hit his head but didn't slow him down from trying to achieve his purpose. Somehow, her two older sisters got away. They ran out the front door with nothing more than their lives. Their purse, bags of clothes for the weekend, and even a shoe one of them was wearing was left behind.
By this time her other sister and she knew to run to their rooms. They knew even though this fight had nothing to do with them that it would affect them. They ran to her bedroom, which was the first room up the stairs. They locked the door. They opened her bedroom window, crying and screaming to their two older sisters that had fled, to not leave them behind. She visually can still see them running down the street, looking back. They looked as if several men had attacked them.
But, just then there was banging at the door. It was her father. She and her sister shut the window. He yelled at them to open the door. He needed to teach them a lesson, which was that they should never follow in their sister's footsteps. Because he persisted and said not to make it worse for themselves, her sister opened the door and ran down the hallway to her room. He chased her. She shut her door and hid under her bed. She could hear her sister's screams and cries. After a few minutes, she heard him open her door. When he realized where she was he told her in Spanish that if she didn't come out right then that when she did he would hit her head between the floor and the bottom of the bed. She came out to receive her punishment, just like many times before. It did not matter to her parents that she had done nothing wrong but watch this spectacle they had created. After he was done hitting her he gathered her sister and she together to go downstairs to apologize to their mother. When they did their mother was in the kitchen, cooking. But, it was not until they apologized that she realized that her mother was drunk. She was apologizing for nothing she had done to a drunken lady.
For a few weeks after that, for the first time in a very long time, she and her sister were scared of their parents. After seeing what she had seen, she was scared for her life! Her two older sisters were not heard from for what seemed ages. Within time her parents let up from their newly-found, strict dominance. But, her life was changed forever. A seed was planted. This life she had known up until now was wrong! She hated it and fought against it. She went through periods of suicide attempts. She escaped in her room dreaming of a life other than hers. Her grades had fallen drastically. From an A/B student she was now failing. At 15, she began her descent of dropping out of school. Her parents were always those types to be too lenient with exception of their well overdue violence, otherwise known to them as discipline. They did plead with her to go to school, but did not force it. They thought she had some type of depression so they would do anything to please her. When she turned 16 she officially dropped out of high school.
The oil industry by this time had plummeted in Houston. Her father's business had not been doing well and he closed it down. Her mother had to sell off her inheritance (jewelry, silver, crystal) to pawn shops to pay for the utilities and food. Their house was being foreclosed. Her two older sisters had moved to Chicago with some friends from downtown Houston. Her parents and them had reconciled from their vicious fight 2 ½ years earlier. Her father had to move to California to look for work. Some of his family had been living out there and they were willing to help him out. Her mother was to stay behind to wrap things up with the house before they were officially locked out. That Spring her remaining sister graduated from high school. She was moving back to Ohio with a longtime childhood friend of theirs. Her mother was to rent an apartment where they would live.
From May to November 1986 was a dark and lonely time for her. She doesn't think her parents really discussed were their youngest child was going to end up. Or, maybe they did. Her father's denial to this day of her mother's alcoholism is baffling to her. They had hopes for her to return to school, but how could her father think that would ever happen while living with her mother's drinking? What ended up happening to her was that she searched for a home. In less than a year she had gone from Houston to Chicago, Chicago to Houston, Houston to California, back to Houston, then to California again. Wherever she stayed, with the exception of the airline ticket her father would pay, she had to fend for herself. Everyone in her family was doing the same, but she was just 16 years old.
While in Chicago she lost her virginity, technically. She had begun drinking a year earlier at her 15th birthday party. She drank Bacardi and Coke until she threw up and passed out. She didn't remember her own birthday celebration. And, even though she would go to the extent she had seen her mother go to and hated it, she was now doing the same. And, while staying with her two older sisters in Chicago, at a get together at a neighbor's brownstone, she and two of her sisters drank. Supposedly, she got so drunk she began to throw up. One of her sisters stuck her in the neighbor's bathtub and then later into one of the guy's bed to sleep it off. But, her sisters left her there. She was blacked out the whole night. But, she does recall a mere moment. The pain of him trying to enter her woke her up or at least woke her up out of her blackout stupor. He was on top of her and she was trying to push him off. She moaned in agony but she just passed out again. In the morning she woke up to find herself half naked. She would later find out that she got a STD. She had her virginity taken from her. She did not have sex again for another year.
After being raped, she returned to Houston. But her mother's alcoholism was the worst she had ever witnessed. She didn't tell anyone about what had happened in Chicago. She came back to find her mother making steak dinners with her father's money to feed a guy that her mother was sleeping with, romancing, keeping company with? She was not sure. He was homeless and living in the woods next to their apartment complex. This woman – her mother, had come from a long line of wealthy, educated, successful family members. She had gone to an exclusive women's college in New York. Only the wealthiest families from other countries had these privileges at that time. Her mother and her mother's family had traveled throughout Europe and Japan. They owned properties in the United States and Peru. She, in her eyes though, had hit rock bottom.
In November of 1986, she urged her father to allow her to return to California. She tried to make the best of her life there. She returned to school and was doing well but her mother would eventually move there and after that their lives continued like before. She dropped out of high school again. She would escape through binge drinking. She hung out with drug dealers who later introduced her to Cocaine and Ecstasy. She had already been using LSD from time to time since she moved back to Cali.
In the fall of 1989 something changed though. She began a new quest, to finish her education. She wanted to prove to herself that she could finish a task, unlike how she saw her mother not being able to complete anything she would start. She enrolled at the local community college and did well for years. She went to school and worked full-time.
After the death of a close friend of hers in September 1991, she moved to Los Angeles. She and her friend had been going to the clubs there. She had met someone in L.A. during their trips to the clubs in West Hollywood that would insist on her moving to the City of Angels. She was in shock after her friend's passing and said, "okay" the evening of her friend's funeral. He had a place for her to stay, he said. After realizing she wasn't moving in with him, she thought she would room with a girl he was close to. The day she met her and the girl led her to the apartment, she was so naïve on what was really going on. He was a pimp and the girl she had met was a high priced call girl. The girl led her to the apartment the girls worked out of and that she would for next several months. At the time she thought she had to either do this and could eventually get her own apartment or go back to living with her parents. She viewed it as picking one hell over another. She chose the new hell.
She made lots of money and at least had the refuge of her own place now. She finally had a home of her own but it was at a price. Was this how her life was meant to be? No longer was she a victim of her parents. Now, she had handed the torch over, to herself. She continued with school, she continued with alcohol, and she continued with her depression but she had been in therapy for a few years.
Her therapy had begun because she had read Suzanne Somers's book Keeping Secrets. Suzanne Somer's childhood closely resembled her own. And even though Suzanne Somer's family had all chosen recovery, she could see a glimpse of herself having a different life. She knew she would have to die fighting this disease of alcoholism and violence rather to succumb to it. Over the next few years she struggled with bad choices in her life. She urged her family to help themselves. Her mother didn't like how she referenced a sitcom star. She continued "the business" for only a little while longer. She added on a new addiction though – spending money. Outside of the business, men continued to take advantage of her. She would somehow pick men that were cheaters, liars and just wanted to use her. They never gave the generous, kind girl a chance. By 1993, she was out of the business of seeing various men. She had stopped seeing a guy she had been with for seven months though she saw him one last time at the end of February 1994, were they conceived her son. Her son would push her forward toward living a life she had only dreamt about.
She went to live in San Diego with her parents when she was pregnant but, when her child was 5 months old she moved back to Los Angeles. She couldn't live with her mother's alcoholism anymore. She had been fighting with her while she was pregnant. Her son could not be a part of that.
She found a studio apartment in West Los Angeles. Even though she had the same friends, she now had new priorities. By the time her son was fifteen months old she returned to school. Within 2 ½ years she received her Associates Degree in Business Administration. She chose to no longer be friends with the girls that were chasing ballplayers and going to the clubs. She stopped drinking and continued to work on her personal growth.
It's now 2008. Her son is 14 years old. She received her Bachelor's Degree in 2003. All those years she put herself through school. She stopped taking money from men. She'd only see her family maybe once a year. They were pretty non-existent for the most part. She never received help from her son's father, physically or financially. Her son does not know him. But her son has his mom's spirit. He is funny, generous, compassionate and sweet. He is in advanced classes at his school and has never really shown any anger or issues from his situation of not having his father around. She only spanked him once. He never has witnessed violence or alcoholism. They have spoken about it, but he would never believe what his mother has experienced. No one that meets her would.
Her life has been a long journey with lots of lessons. She knows what she wants from life by having experienced what she doesn't want. If she had not made the choice to have her son, she thinks she may still be a victim. She thinks and hopes she has begun the process of change for a new journey for hopefully many generations to come to live life with humor, peace, happiness, and love. And, this she knows for sure: that she is always evolving and she now knows that she can make it through anything.
#evolvingtograce
Posted in Blog, Evolving to Grace, Inspiration, Just One Story, Life, Love, One Story, The BlogTagged ACOA, addiction, alcoholism, Book, domestic violence, Evolving to Grace, evolvingtograce, family, Glamour Magazine, grace lozada, GraceLozada, hope, inspire, Keeping Secrets, Love, Memoir, suzanne somers
Beautiful Chaos
She Was My Mother, Bless Her Soul


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Prague Marathon — Czech Republic
Sunday 7 May 2023
Held yearly in May, the Maraton Praha (Prague Marathon) is the Czech Republic's best-known running event.
It offers a 42.2km marathon and a 21.1km+21.1km relay race for teams of two runners ('2Run').
Starting and ending on Staroměstské náměstí (Old Town Square) in the heart of Prague's historic core, the route takes the runners through the city centre and along both banks of the Vltava river.
The time limit to complete the course is seven hours.
Usually, the event also features a walk with dogs and a non-competitive family run, both held on Saturday afternoon, on the day before the marathon, in Stromovka park in the northern part of the city.
27. Maraton Praha:
7 May 2023 (Sunday)
runczech.com
42.2km: 4,602 runners
21.1km+21.1km: 196 teams


Recently a man I'd just met asked me about outlining. He'd heard how one author he likes outlines using post-it notes. I told him how some writers outline extensively, some outline roughly, and some are more organic, not outlining at all but allowing the characters and plot to unfold, so that the writer is also the first reader. He was fascinated by the idea that characters take over and have a life of their own. So the conversation then moved on to how that's true for all writers, whether they outline or not. Outlines don't always guarantee the story will move in the plotted direction.
I don't outline, and have posted about that before. This conversation though, made me realize that by not outlining, I place a great deal of trust in the characters. I'm not saying that I don't have a rough idea in my mind about who they are, and I always know what the last line of a story is before I start, so that the plot is actually discovering the path to the ending. But I trust the character to know what they want, to tell me if I'm going the wrong way, to tell me their story, and to be able to carry the plot.
Then there's the trust between a reader and the characters. As a reader, I trust the character to be believable, to make me care about them, to make me cheer them on, and to make me live vicariously through them. I want to go along on the adventure with them, not simply be an observer, as sometimes happens in books when characters are not fully developed. To me, that problem is usually a result of the author telling me too much, and not showing me the character. So, I put a lot of faith in both the writer and the characters, when I open a new book. And there's nothing worse than having that trust betrayed and discovering the anticipated new book is boring and flat.
Finally, there's the pact between the reader and the author. I trust, when I pick up that new book by a favorite author, that I'm going to spend some time with old friends. That I am going to meet some new ones I'll care about, that I'm going to be placed in a world as real as the one I live in, and I'm going to go for a great ride. I hate when that pact is broken, especially when it's an author that I have followed for a long time. Yes, it's unrealistic to expect someone to put out a book at 100% every time, but then I never said my trust was realistic. Especially when it comes to my favorite authors.
This makes me realize how much there is between writer, reader, and characters. I knew it was a strong bond before, of course, but I just never thought too much about it from the trust angle.
So do you feel that sense of trust in the author or characters when you pick up a book? Why do you trust, or not trust? I'd love to know as it will help me as a writer.
I'll talk to people who tell me they loved Hunger Games "until the last one" or didn't like how Harry Potter got "angsty" in book five, and I'm almost always the one saying, "Really? It made sense to me." I don't think I'm an uncritical reader, because when I don't like something I get really cranky about it (I think I was the only one in my book club who didn't love Atonement), but once I've become attached to fictional characters and their authors, I tend to accept them as they are — even if they occasional do things that make me raise an eyebrow. Ngaio Marsh's Inspector Alleyn and Troy, for instance: I love them but I've always found their painting conversation in their first meeting quite unlikely. I just don't believe people would talk about a painting-in-progress that way. But I go with it, because I'm fond of these characters, and because Marsh also painted so I'm allowing that maybe painters and art lovers of the 1930s might have had a conversation that seems stilted to me.
This is interesting. It's almost like the way a friendship is. We enjoy someone's company, we allow them in our lives, we love them for who they are, even when there might be a quirk that drives us nuts, or when they do something we simply do not understand. Yet they are still friends and we still want them in our lives and want to spend time with them. That's how I see your relationship with authors from what you say above. Makes me wish I was a better friend to authors I like. I tend to be less forgiving if the trust is broken. I'll have to work on that.


As all of you must know by now, I am about 6 months into my healthy eating journey(diet/lifestyle change). Although I do have one plan that I perpetually follow, I love to try out other plans to see if I like them better, and more importantly, to review them for all of you.
I am feeling so good about myself with the progress I am making. I like to do whatever I can do to help you start a journey or find a plan that makes you happy too(if that is something you want to do).
I recently had the wonderful opportunity to try out The Fresh Diet for a week, and it is an incredible plan. I am excited to share my experience with you.
I do want to begin by saying that this is not the most affordable plan out there and for those on a limited income, it may not be right for you. But for those that don't mind paying a little more to treat themselves to a plan that really works, that is convenient, fresh, and completely gourmet, The Fresh Diet would be perfect.
Although the meals are the same, there are 2 types of plans. For customers in close proximity of The Fresh Diet locations, there is daily delivery, where a cooler bag is left outside your door each night(early morning) with your food for each day. For those farther away, your food will be shipped on ice and arrive in two weekly shipments to ensure optimum freshness.
I happen to be a little far from a location, so I was on the latter delivery plan. I was able to go online and choose my meals before my shipments were sent.
Not only could I choose Breakfast, lunch, and dinner entrees, I also got to choose both my snack and dessert and even pick the sides for my dinner. No other plan that I have been on gave me such customization. Not only that, but you can also choose your calorie range, and your meal choices will conform to that.
Even more unique, the system will alert you about choosing 2 carb heavy meals(or snacks) and allow you to change your selection or keep it if you like. I think that is awesome. It lets you know to ensure the best results but does not force you to choose any certain way.
If you would rather let the chef decide for you, you can do that as well, and you can even choose up to 8 ingredients to block for allergies or dislike sake. Great for those who are unsure of what to order or like surprises.
There was about 4 entrees to choose form for each meal and 4 sides for dinner(from which you choose 2). It was really cool to be able to pick, and everything sounded awesome making it hard to choose.
When I received my first shipment, I was very impressed. Everything was wonderful. From the speed of arrival, to the coldness and freshness of everything, to the way everything was packed so neatly and securely, with each day's meals in it's own layer, each in their own compartment. There was no way they could have been damaged(barring the box being completely demolished).
The box also includes a detailed daily menu listing the foods for each meal, and every item is clearly labeled with the Day and meal( Ex Sun Bk=Sunday Breakfast), contents, the calorie range for the plan(1000-1200 in my case) and even a symbol explaining weather it should be consumed cold, warmed for 30-60 seconds or 60-120 seconds. It is very foolproof.
I know you must be dying to see what the food actually looks like. Well without further ado, here they are.
I bet you are already thinking that this looks nothing like diet food, and I must agree. It just keeps getting better, so hold on tight as we explore day 3.
Anyone hungry yet? Here comes day 4.
Goodness overload? Not yet? Good, because here comes day 5.
Getting tired of this yet? I thought not. That's good because here comes day 6.
One more for good measure? If you insist.
Did anything about that look like diet food? It is all fresher and much more gourmet than anything I ever eat, even prior to beginning a diet. Most of these are worlds apart from anything I have ever eaten. Like I had never had Lamb, Spaghetti Squash, or Panna Cotta at all. And most of the items I have tried were not nearly as gourmet, like the French Toasts and Salads.
Everything was incredible fresh and perfectly cooked. Probably the best food I have had all around, home cooked or from a restaurant.
Everything is so fast and easy to prepare, and does not remotely taste like it came from the microwave. Being able to get such freshness without any shopping or prep work is pretty unbelievable.
This would be a phenomenal plan for anyone who is single or busy and wants delicious gourmet meals on demand in there own home. Even if you are not watching your weight, you can choose a plan with higher calories up to 2200 a day.
I highly recommend The Fresh Diet to anyone who wants gourmet in a flash. If you are used to paying gourmet prices, that will not be an issue at all, and that is the only tiny "flaw" that this plan has, being a tad expensive. When you think about what you are getting and compare based on quality and freshness, it is really obvious that the value and the price are not disproportionate.
This is a great plan, and I don't think I can lay i out more clearly than that. I would love to eat like this all the time. If it's in your budget, go for it, you will not be sorry.
Once we possess spoken about prior to a diet plan marketplace has a vested involvement in complicated and scary it's consumers, therefore looking into and reading through regarding fresh diet plan fads Healthy Food Delivery London with all the current contending and contradictory assistance and facts might take time and effort at the same time staying particularly aggravating.
Looks great but I am on this diet now march 2015 and the food although tastes good I suspect I am being cheated out of calories. My dinner food has tiny portions and the sides are barely s tablespoon worth of food. The cheesecake is nothing like the serving or presentation you show. Somehow I'm being ripped off. All in all it looks like something drastically different is going on.
And it costs a fortune. Never again.
BEWARE. I purchased food from The Fresh Diet. They stopped delivering the food and all their telephone numbers have been disconnected.


Last month, St Stephens primary school in Newham took the decision to ban girls under eight from wearing the hijab. This decision was supposedly made in order to "help pupils integrate into modern British society". While the ban was withdrawn, it received support from Ofsted's chief inspector Amanda Spielman who called for school leaders to exercise "muscular liberalism" when defending their decisions. These decisions are overtly discriminatory: the wearing of other religious symbols has not been scrutinised, and the school initially defended the ban by adopting the shaky premise that parents were sexualising their children by sending them to school wearing a hijab.
This debate received national coverage yet excluded the very people it was centred around: hijabis. Visibly Muslim women are often cited by those who wish to discuss and critique Islam, but they are very rarely consulted themselves. I wanted to explore this subject, but I didn't feel I could proceed without consulting (several) willing hijabis on their personal journey to wearing the hijab. I wanted to know their thoughts on the ban and if they felt comfortable about young girls wearing the hijab.
As a Muslim woman and a secularist, I personally see no reason to dress young girls in the hijab. I don't think young girls are fully capable of understanding the nuanced thinking many women go through to make that decision. That said, parents have a fundamental right to raise their children how they see fit. How's that for muscular liberalism? As a Muslim woman who does not wear hijab, I can still see that this ban is extremely problematic.
Firstly, it is absurd to ascribe one objective meaning to the hijab. It's presumptive to suggest that all women who practice the hijab do so for one reason. The reasons are as unique as the women who make that decision. However, of all the women I interviewed, not one described the hijab as a safeguard against sexualisation or sexual harassment.
Modesty may have played a small part in the choices made by the women I spoke to – but not a draconian type of modesty that implies women ought to cover their assets, as if it is their responsibility to repel the male gaze. One respondent described modesty as "the practice of maximising personality". Another described modesty as "perhaps minimising the display of my assets but I've got a big bum so that's no use". Overwhelmingly the two main reasons shared by all women were expressions of religiosity and identity.
One hijabi, a human rights lawyer, claimed part of her inspiration for donning the hijab were her peers at school and a white non-Muslim girl who converted to Islam and decided to practice it. "For me, the hijab is a constant personal reminder to be a good Muslim, but it is also a symbol of political resistance". Another, an activist, cited that wearing the hijab meant a lot of different things but modesty is not one of them: "The hijab does not provide protection against sexual assault. Describing the hijab as modesty garb is a two-dimensional way to look at it. It's not meant to be. Some women do but that's their choice. For me, the hijab is mostly a symbol of identity. The hijab is an obvious example of being alien. Despite living in a multicultural society with strong equality laws, the hijab is still not part of mainstream society".
Ultimately the hijab is a religious symbol, and in a post-9/11 political climate the hijab has evolved as a symbol of personal and political identity. In this millennium, living in Western societies, many Muslims find their religion to be more than just scripture. To be Muslim is to be part of a shared culture and experience. The depth of intention behind the decision to wear a hijab for many is far more nuanced than the characterisation the hijab is currently being afforded.
When prepubescent Muslim girls are thrown into the mix the debate diverges. It's true that young girls may be forced by parents to wear the hijab in some circumstances. The remedy for this is not to ban the garb; banning suppresses the action, but does little to tackle the root cause.
"My own child wanted to wear it when she was young but I didn't think it was appropriate. Part of my worry is that she may get singled out and bullied like I did, it's also not an Islamic requirement".
Another spoke of her views changing over time: "Previously I didn't like seeing very young girls wearing the hijab. I looked at it through a purely religious perspective and bought into the hijab being about modesty culture. I then discussed this with parents, nieces and cousins. It's not necessarily about religion or modesty, but it is part of a culture which varies from one Muslim household to another".
In circumstances where force is a factor in a child wearing the hijab, we still cannot assume that this implies sexualisation. It definitely implies a forced religious imperative, and a desire on the behalf of parents to have control over their children. This is sadly not a sin that is unique to Muslim families. This can occur in various religious households, be they Jewish, Sikh, Christian or Hindu.
Then why the undue focus on young Muslim girls? If any child under eight is wearing a religious symbol, how can the school be sure that it isn't forced by their parents? How can schools be certain that the child isn't just imitating their parents or embracing cultural norms? Had the initial ban been a concern regarding forced religious identity, all religious symbols must then be banned (not that I'm advocating for that, we aren't France).
All this said, I also dislike the vitriolic hate campaigns targeted at the headteacher. My primary gripe is with activists who lobby for the notion that the hijab sexualises young girls and ultimately with Amanda Spielman, catastrophic head of Ofsted, who vocally expressed support for the ban after it had been revoked.
In the end, common sense prevailed and the ban was revoked. But this sideshow could have been avoided if only the school administration had spoken to the parents and the wider community before imposing an offensive and discriminatory policy. It's high time we started listening to Muslim women and girls instead of seeing them as problems that need to be solved.


text:
Q: SQL making the decimal to one places With this code I keep on getting 3.500000. How do I make it 3.5 with one decimal point? I can get it higher but not lower.
(Select AVG(CONVERT(DECIMAL(12,2),Cats)) from @Catsnumber)

A: This will work
 Select CONVERT(DECIMAL(12,2),AVG(Cats))from @Catsnumber

A: Use either ROUND or CAST to a precise numeric data type with the precision you want

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Poison control and pediatric groups are sounding the alarm over the rise of laundry detergent pods, small colorful objects that pose a danger to small children. The association that represents cleaning product manufacturers says it's been working to improve packaging.
Laundry detergent pods, which have grown in popularity for their convenience, pose significant poisoning risks for small children, who may mistake them for toys or candy, a recent study notes.
About the study: On Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) published a new study highlighting the risks to children from exposure to the pods. The study, covering data from the National Poison Data System between 2012 and 2013, found that 17,230 children were exposed to the pods, leading to more than 750 hospitalizations and at least one death. "Because children may be enticed by the colorful, candy-like appearance of detergent pods, the study authors conclude that a national safety standard is needed to improve product packaging and labeling," AAP said in a news release.
More concentrated, more dangerous: Since the products were introduced to the market in 2012, the American Association of Poison Control Centers has warned multiple times of the dangers that the single-pack items can cause for young children. AAPCC notes that the packets appear to be significantly more dangerous than laundry detergent not in pod form, causing serious breathing and eye problems. "Poison centers receive many calls each year about children getting into laundry detergent," the association said in a recent alert. "Swallowing it often causes mild stomach upset, if there are any symptoms at all, but poison center experts say the new highly concentrated single-load liquid laundry detergent packets seem to be different." From January through October 2014, 9,935 children under the age of 5 have been exposed to the packets, AAPCC says.
Last year AAPCC applauded Procter & Gamble for updating the packaging of Tide Pods.