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Baba Ram Dass, proponent of LSD turned New Age Guru, dies at 88
An experience in India caused a spiritual upheaval in Alpert, who forever after considered Maharajji his guru. It was Maharajji who gave Alpert the name Ram Dass, or servant of God, and added the prefix Baba, a term of respect meaning father.
By: New York Times | Published: December 24, 2019 8:09:18 am
Richard Alpert, who later changed his name to Ram Dass, in New York on Nov. 21 ,1963, the year he was fired from Harvard University for giving drugs to an undergraduate (Carl T. Gossett Jr./The New York Times)
By Douglas Martin
Baba Ram Dass, who epitomized the 1960s of legend by popularizing psychedelic drugs with Timothy Leary, a fellow Harvard academic, before finding spiritual inspiration in India, died Sunday at his home on Maui, Hawaii. He was 88.
His death was announced on his official Instagram account.
Having returned from India as a bushy-bearded, barefoot, white-robed guru, Ram Dass, who was born Richard Alpert, became a peripatetic lecturer on New Age possibilities and a popular author of more than a dozen inspirational books.
The first of his books, "Be Here Now" (1971), sold more than 2 million copies and established him as an exuberant exponent of finding salvation through helping others.
He started a foundation to combat blindness in India and Nepal, supported reforestation in Latin America, and developed health education programs for American Indians in South Dakota.
He was particularly interested in the dying. He started a foundation to help people use death as a journey of spiritual awakening and spoke of establishing a self-help line, "Dial-a-Death," for this purpose.
When Leary was dying in 1996 — and wishing to do it "actively and creatively," as he put it — he called for Ram Dass. Over the years, Ram Dass had alternately been Leary's disciple, enemy and, at the end, friend. In a film clip of the two men preparing for Leary's death, Ram Dass turns to him, hugs him and says, "It's been a hell of a dance, hasn't it?"
A year later, Ram Dass suffered a cerebral hemorrhage that left him partly paralyzed, unable to speak and in a wheelchair. From his home in Maui, he learned to "surf the silence" at first, he said, but over time he painstakingly reacquired a halting form of speech and was able to lecture on the internet and make tapes.
Richard Alpert was born in Boston on April 6, 1931 to George and Gertrude (Levin) Alpert. His father, a lawyer, was a founder of Brandeis University and president of the New Haven Railroad. Richard had a bar mitzvah, but said he had no religious convictions as a youth.
A "spit and polish" son of a corporate executive, as he described himself, he graduated from Tufts University in Massachusetts as a psychology major in 1952 and studied for a master's degree in the subject at Wesleyan, only to flunk the oral exam.
Nevertheless, Alpert was accepted as a Ph.D. candidate at Stanford University and earned his doctorate, staying on afterward to teach. That was followed by twin appointments, in psychology and education, at Harvard.
He soon had an apartment full of exquisite antiques, a Mercedes sedan, an MG sports car, a Triumph motorcycle and his own Cessna airplane.
It was at Harvard that he crossed paths with Leary, who was lecturing there in clinical psychology. They became drinking buddies. Alpert admired Leary's iconoclasm; he told the Tufts University alumni magazine in 2006 that Leary was "the only person on the faculty who wasn't impressed with Harvard."
While working at the University of California, Berkeley, Leary had done research on psilocybin, the main psychoactive ingredient in some species of mushrooms, and he continued the work at Harvard. Psychiatrists were interested in mind-altering drugs as clinical aids because they mimicked schizophrenia, but Leary wanted to see if they could be beneficial.
He invited some friends — including Alpert and poet Allen Ginsberg — to his house in Newton, Massachusetts, on March 5, 1961, a Saturday. In his kitchen, he distributed 10-milligram doses of psilocybin.
After taking his, Alpert recalled, he felt supreme calm, then panic, then exaltation. He believed he had met his own soul. He said he realized then that "it was OK to be me."
The Harvard work led to many articles in newspapers and magazines, but it also provoked criticism. A Harvard dean suggested that psilocybin, LSD and other psychedelic chemicals could cause mental illness.
In May 1963, both Leary and Alpert were fired — Alpert for giving drugs to an undergraduate, Leary for abandoning his classes.
In the fall of 1963, after visiting Mexico to sample psychedelic mushrooms, the two men and a group of followers moved to Millbrook, New York, finding quarters in a 64-room mansion on a 2,500-acre estate provided by Peggy Hitchcock, an heiress to the Mellon fortune.
Residents took lots of LSD, which did not become illegal for recreational use until 1968. Don Lattin, in his book "The Harvard Psychedelic Club: How Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, Huston Smith and Andrew Weil Killed the Fifties and Ushered in a New Age for America" (2010), called the commune "a Disneyland of the Psychedelic Sixties."
But Alpert found that after coming down from a high, he was depressed. As his tolerance to LSD increased, the thrill had diminished. And as the drug experience deteriorated, tensions between Leary and Alpert rose. One issue was Alpert's acknowledged bisexuality.
Leary accused Alpert of trying to seduce his 15-year-old son, Jack, whom Alpert often took care of while Leary, a single parent, traveled.
"Uncle Dick is evil," Leary told Jack, according to Lattin's book. "Oh, come on, Dad," Jack replied. "Uncle Dick may be a jerk, but he's not evil."
Alpert went to India in 1967 more as a tourist than as a pilgrim. Events led him to a twinkly, old man wrapped in a blanket: Neem Karoli Baba, who was called Maharajji, or great king, by his followers. Maharajji appeared to read Alpert's mind by telling him, accurately, that his mother had recently died of spleen disease — information that he said he had told no one in India.
The experience caused a spiritual upheaval in Alpert, who forever after considered Maharajji his guru. It was Maharajji who gave Alpert the name Ram Dass, or servant of God, and added the prefix Baba, a term of respect meaning father.
Ram Dass gave Maharajji some LSD, but it had no effect. He surmised that the guru's consciousness had already been so awakened that drugs were powerless to alter it.
In 1968, Maharajji told him to return to the United States. Ram Dass later recalled that when he got off the plane in Boston — barefoot, robed and bearded — his father told him to get in the car quickly "before anyone sees you."
He moved into a cabin on his father's estate in New Hampshire. Soon as many as 200 people were showing up to chant with him.
Ram Dass hit the lecture circuit, his presentation a mix of pithy wisdom and humor, often expressed in the same sentence. "Treat everyone you meet like God in drag," he said in one talk.
Wavy Gravy, the eccentric poet and peace activist, once said, "Ram Dass was the master of the one-liner, the two-liner, the ocean liner."
Ram Dass' biggest public success came in 1971, when the Lama Foundation published "Be Here Now," originally issuing it as loose pages in a box. It has had more than three dozen printings, with sales exceeding 2 million.
Here, in its entirety, is Page 2: "Consciousness = energy = love = awareness = light = wisdom = beauty = truth = purity. It's all the SAME. Any trip you want to take leads to the SAME place."
By the 1980s, Ram Dass had a change of mind and image. He shaved off the beard but left a neatly trimmed mustache. He tried to drop his Indian name — he no longer wanted to be a cult figure — but his publisher vetoed the idea. Ram Dass said that he had never intended to be a guru and that Harvard had been right to throw him out.
He continued to turn out books and recordings, however. He started or helped start foundations to promote his charities, to help prisoners and to spread his message of spiritual equanimity. He made sure his books and tapes were reasonably priced.
The old orthodoxies slipped away. He said he realized that his 400 LSD trips had not been nearly as enlightening as his drugless spiritual epiphanies — although, he said, he continued to take one or two drug trips a year for old time's sake. He said other religions, including the Judaism that he had rejected as a young man, were as valid as the Eastern ones.
In a 1997 interview with the website Gay Today, Ram Dass said he had always been primarily homosexual, despite earlier statements that he was bisexual. "I always had a front to go to faculty dinners and things like that," he said. He said he had had thousands of clandestine homosexual encounters.
In 2010, he received a letter from a man, a stranger, saying that Ram Dass might be the father of the man's brother. DNA tests proved that Peter Reichard, a 53-year-old banker in North Carolina, was indeed Ram Dass' son, the offspring of a liaison with a Stanford graduate student.
His survivors also include a granddaughter.
For Ram Dass, God existed in everyone. He liked to tell the story of visiting a psychiatric hospital and meeting a patient, who said he was God.
"I said to him, 'So am I,'" he recalled. "He was quite upset because he wanted to be the only one."
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Category: for 9-year-olds
Holes is a "young adult mystery comedy novel" that was also made into a movie, about a boy working digging holes in what is essentially a juvenile prison camp. There is a parallel story that takes place exactly 100 years earlier, involving some of the characters' ancestors.
The target audience is young adolescents, although younger kids will enjoy the movie.
The book and movie have some strong language (e.g. "damn") and some themes (e.g. homelessness, racism) that may be difficult for younger readers/viewers to process.
Most of the main characters are boys and many of the themes involve the relationships between boys, so I think Holes is essentially a book about and for boys.
What Kids Like
Kids like the honesty. The book is rare in how it depicts events such as bullying, being "the new kid", and dealing with cruel adults – in a way that is realistic without being cynical. Similarly, characters in the story endure racism and other forms or cruelty in a way seldom seen in children's literature.
The plot is also very rich, including scenes in the Wild West, a treasure hunt, a mountain climb, wacky inventions, strange characters, and everything is resolved very satisfyingly in the end.
What Parents Like
I like the complexity of the plot, which has enough going on for adults to enjoy (and not just sit through).
And the depictions of bullying, racism, and other themes are really good, sparking interesting conversation.
The audiobook version is very good, read by actor Kerry Beyer, and has been a welcome CD to play in the car.
What the Critics Think
Paraphrased from the Holes Wikipedia entry:
It won the 1998 U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the 1999 Newbery Medal for the year's "most distinguished contribution to American literature for children". It also won the William Allen White Children's Book Award in 2001. It was ranked number 6 among all-time children's novels by School Library Journal in 2012.
The Holes Novel gets 3.9/5 on Goodreads, 5/5 on Common Sense Media, 4.6/5 on Barnes & Noble, and 87% on Google.
The Holes Movie gets 7.1/10 on IMDb, 78% on Rotten Tomatoes, 71% on Metacritic, and 92% on Google.
Concerns/Flaws
There is some strong language and there are some violent scenes.
Who Made it
Holes was written by Louis Sachar, who may be best known for the Wayside School series (Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Wayside School is Falling Down, and Wayside School Gets A Little Stranger) which has since been made into an animated TV series.
The 2003 Disney movie was directed by Andrew Davis and starred Sigourney Weaver, Jon Voight, Patricia Arquette, Tim Blake Nelson and Shia LaBeouf. I thought Jon Voight was just great in his role of "Mr. Sir". And Shia LaBeouf really shined in his role, with a quality of acting rarely seen in child actors.
The audiobook came out in 2016 and was read by Kerry Beyer.
Holes was written in 1998 by Louis Sachar after finishing the third and final novel in his Wayside School series. The Disney movie came out in 2003. Both book and movie seem as fresh and relevant today as they did twenty years ago.
Where Can I Get it
The book is available everywhere.
Amazon's Audible service has the audiobook
Google has a sample/preview of the book
And the trailer for the movie is on YouTube:
The movie is available for streaming on Amazon
Posted on September 7, 2018 September 7, 2018 Author MattCategories Audiobook, Book, for 10-year-olds, for 11-year-olds, for 12-year-olds, for 6-year-olds, for 7-year-olds, for 8-year-olds, for 9-year-oldsTags 1998, 2003, adventure, Andrew Davis, boys, comedy, Disney, Jon Voight, Kerry Beyer, Louis Sachar, mystery, Patricia Arquette, Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Tim Blake Nelson, young adult
Whoowasit?
Whoowasit? is a board game as well as an app where players work together to win. Unlike most games that are essentially zero-sum (a player can win only when another player loses), Whoowasit? is collaborative and players either win or lose together.
The game is a bit like Clue or Cluedo in that the players have to deduce who the culprit is based on limited clues.
Here's the description from BoardGameGeek:
In Whoowasit?, players must find the magical ring that was stolen from the wise king by the evil wizard. Playing against a running clock, players move their playing pieces through the various rooms on the game board to uncover clues to who stole the precious gem. Along the way, talking animals help players solve the mystery of the stolen item with the help of a treasure chest that randomly supplies clues on behalf of the animals. Whenever players meet animals, they must feed them so the animals — that can only be understood by children — can provide the clues that advance gameplay. The clues supplied by the electronic treasure chest ensure that no two games are alike. All players must work together to find the stolen ring, and they win or lose as a group, depending on whether they can master an assigned task.
The game is recommended for gaes 7 and up, but kids as young as 4 enjoy it, even if they don't quite get all the strategy.
Our kids love it and ask to play it on the iPad all the time.
The theme of a cursed castle with an evil wizard and helpful fairy and talking animals are fun and keep them playing.
The level of logical thinking required is also just right for kids – complex enough to be stimulating but not so complex that it becomes boring.
The length of the game is just right as well. The players sometimes lose but the game is quick enough that they can just try again. A longer game would be frustrating to lose, after having spent so much time on it.
Our kids (like kids in most families) sometimes have trouble sharing and sometimes compete with each other a little too fiercely. Whoowasit?, by forcing them to work together, lets them see the benefits of doing so.
It's also nice to have a game that is one with wits, not with agility, and is an alternative to all the building games our kids like.
The original board game won the 'Most successful board game' in 2008 and 2009 in Germany, was the 2011 Disney FamilyFun Toy of the Year, the 2011 Creative Child Magazine Game of the Year, and the 2011 National Parenting Center Seal of Approval.
I can't think of any flaws.
The developers did lose a chance to broaden the theme when they made the app version. A board game, by necessity, has a limited theme because it can only have one board and only so many tokens. But the app version could have had multiple locations and characters. Even if the gameplay remained the same, a new location would help keep the game fresh.
Ravensburger (ravensburger.com) is a very established game and puzzle company based in Germany. They are well-known for their 3D puzzles and games such as Labyrinth, Make 'n' Break, and Scotland Yard.
The original electronic board game is out of print as far as I can tell, but the app version is available in iTunes and the Google Play Store
Posted on August 3, 2018 Author MattCategories App, for 10-year-olds, for 11-year-olds, for 12-year-olds, for 4-year-olds, for 5-year-olds, for 6-year-olds, for 7-year-olds, for 8-year-olds, for 9-year-olds, GameTags 2008, board game, collaboration, game, Ravensburger
The Roald Dahl Audio Collection
This 4-CD collection includes Roald Dahl himself reading some of his most-famous stories: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James & the Giant Peach, and Fantastic and Mr. Fox – as well as a couple of his less well-known: The Enormous Crocodile and The Magic Finger
Kids of most ages and adults all seem to like Roald Dahl stories.
One aspect of Dahl stories that seem to appeal to my kids is the perpetual threat of violence that is largely absent from modern children's stories. The threat is rarely realized, and when it is, it's done so in a comical manner, so never crosses the line into gore.
The other appealing aspect for kids is the revenge fantasy element. Almost every Dahl story has a mistreated child who is finally able to strike back at the grown-ups who torment them. Mr. Fox is an exception to that, in that he is a fox, but that is also a tale of revenge, actuated by outwitting the cruel adults.
There is a kind of thruthfulness to Dahl's language, describing characters and actions in a way that could be described as politically incorrect, but in a refreshingly honest way. Here is the opening of Fantastic Mr. Fox:
Down in the valley there were three farms. The owners of these farms had done well. They were rich men. They were also nasty men. All three of them were about as nasty and mean as any men you could meet. Their names were Farmer Boggis, Farmer Bunce and Farmer Bean.
Boggis was a chicken farmer. He kept thousands of chickens. He was enormously fat. This was because he ate three boiled chickens smothered with dumplings every day for breakfast, lunch and supper.
Bunce was a duck-and-goose farmer. He kept thousands of ducks and geese. He was a kind of pot-bellied dwarf. He was so short his chin would have been underwater in the shallow end of any swimming-pool in the world. His food was doughnuts and goose-livers. He mashed the livers into a disgusting paste and then stuffed the paste into the doughnuts. This diet gave him a tummy-ache and a beastly temper.
Bean was a turkey-and-apple farmer. He kept thousands of turkeys in an orchard full of apple trees. He never ate any food at all. Instead, he drank gallons of strong cider which he made from the apples in his orchard. He was as thin as a pencil and the cleverest of them all.
Part of what we like is the nostalgia from hearing stories we remember hearing as children, and we like exposing our kids to stories that we consider 'classics'.
Also, the language Dahl uses is more sophisticated and creative than most other children's media our kids enjoy, so we like exposing them to that.
This set is perfect for road trips. The stories themselves are about 45 minutes, and each fits on a single CD.
These are also very convenient for bedtime. MP3 players or streaming via the phone is convenient, but with those devices there is always the temptation to see what else is on the device. With CDs, there isn't a choice.
I don't think this particular anthology has won any awards, but Dahl and his books have won plenty (Here's a list)
There is some harsh language, when adult characters belittle the children in the stories, calling them "stupid" and "worthless". The language itself is not graphic, but it can be shocking for kids who are only used to the gentle language of Sesame Street, for example.
Roald Dahl is most famous for writing the story, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" that has since been made into multiple movies. He also wrote Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, Danny the Champion of the World, Matilda, The BFG, The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me, The Twits, The Witches, and several others. Many of his stories have been made into movies.
There's a lot more about the author at this fan site.
Dahl did most of his writing in the 1960s and 1970s
James & the Giant Peach 1961
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 1964
The Magic Finger 1966
Fantastic and Mr. Fox 1970
The Enormous Crocodile 1978
The CDs are available at libraries or to buy online. You can get them streaming for free with an Amazon Audible subscription, and some libraries offer them as downloads through the Libby app.
Posted on July 30, 2018 July 31, 2018 Author MattCategories Audiobook, for 4-year-olds, for 5-year-olds, for 6-year-olds, for 7-year-olds, for 8-year-olds, for 9-year-oldsTags audio, CD, Roald Dahl
Puzzlescript
PuzzleScript is an open-source HTML5 puzzle game engine. Open-source here means that it is completely free and all code is visible to anyone who wants to learn from it. HTML5 is what we used to call DHTML back in the day, and essentially means it's made with JavaScript, and runs in a web browser. Puzzle game, meaning that the games produced are of the logical variety, as opposed to the action kind. And game engine means that the PuzzleScript libraries include all the logic you need to make a game. You don't need to do any base-level coding, just design the levels and configure the libraries.
Visit the PuzzleScript site for more
Puzzlescript is JavaScript-based game engine that is very easy to use and is a great way to introduce people to programming. Just about everyone I know who is paid to write code got their start because they were motivated to create games.
Puzzlescript games are very blocky and retro-looking, which may not appeal to kids used to the cinematic look of modern video games, but that is part of the price of having such a simple engine.
[typical puzzlescipt game screenshot]
Many of the games are good, however. Most are of the "sokoban" push-the-blocks around type.
Some examples are "Flying Kick" by Aaron Steed and "Boxes and Balloons" by Ben Reilly and many others can be found in the official gallery
Some games include the concept of bullets but most do not and none could be described as violent. The nature of the engine means games end up being logical puzzles.
Puzzlescript code looks like this:
[Enemy | Wreck] -> restart
[ > Player ] [ Ship ] -> [ > Player ] [ > Ship ]
[ >  Ship | Iceberg ] -> [  >  Ship | > Iceberg  ] Sfx1
[ Enemy | ... | Ship ] -> [ > Enemy | ... | Ship ]
So, rather than lots of intimidating jargon, the code uses names and simple punctuation to set the rules.
Puzzlescript is completely free, and creator Stephen Lavelle deserves a lot of credit for opening his creation to the world. Even better, games made with Puzzlescript have the code immediately available, so if you want to see how something is done, just look at the code someone else wrote. For example, all the code used in the Flying Kick game mentioned above is here, open in the code editor no less, so you could start modifying that game.
Any good instructional system has to reward curiosity, and the Puzzlescript engine does that very well.
Main Puzzlescript site
How to make a Puzzlescript game
Most of the games I've seen written in PuzzleScript have been made by young adults, but the interface is simple enough that adolescents could learn it.
Kids like making things they enjoy. They see a funny video, they want to make a funny video. They see a cool stop-motion animation, they want to make a cool stop-motion animation. They see a computer game they like, they want to make a computer game they like.
PuzzleScript is simple enough that a kid can make something playable very quickly, and since every game made in PuzzleScript has its source available (click 'hack this game' below the game) they can easily learn how others have achieved the mechanics of their games.
Also, becasue HTML5 runs pretty much anywhere, publishing your game and sharing with others is very easy.
JavaScript is a great way to introduce kids to the concepts in programming, and PuzzleScript makes this much easier by skipping over the more boring and frustrating aspects of coding, thus keeping kids' attention a bit longer – long enough to stay motivated and actually build something.
I have not seen any reviews of PuzzleScript. Because it is free, there are no advertising dollars that would lead to reviews.
Itch.io has lots of PuzzleScript games which is a sign that developers at least are taking it seriously.
If you look at examples of PuzzleScript games, you will see that they all have the same low-resolution look that may remind you of old Atari games. Kids today are used to photo-realistic graphics and the retro, old-school appearance of PuzzleScript may be a turn-off to some kids.
PuzzleScript is the work of Stephen Lavelle, who goes by the handle increpare. He is a prolific developer with many experimental projects on his site.
PuzzleScript began in 2013 and has been regularly updated since then. New games written in PuzzleScript are released all the time – every week if not every day
Visit the PuzzleScript site for examples and full documentation. The coding interface is right in the browser window so nothing needs to be installed.
There is a Google Group where users compare notes, troubleshoot code, and share games they've made.
And there are books that can help walk your child through the process.
If you just want to play the games, the official archive has plenty to choose from, although it is not at all an exhaustive list.
Some of my favorites are
Cratopia
https://www.puzzlescript.net/play.html?p=7114130
Heroes of Sokoban I, by Jonah Ostroff
Heroes of Sokoban II: Monsters
and Heroes of Sokoban III: The Bard and the Druid
Posted on July 9, 2018 July 9, 2018 Author MattCategories for 11-year-olds, for 12-year-olds, for 9-year-olds, Game, Puzzle, WebsiteTags code, coding, coding environment, free, game design, game game, gaming, IDE, learning programming, puzzle, puzzles, puzzlescript, STEAM, STEM
The Alien Adventures of Finn Caspian
Finn Caspian is a free, weekly podcast about the adventures of a boy and his friends in outer space. They work with (and against) robots and aliens on board spaceships and strange other worlds.
The podcasts are usually 20-25 minutes long, with about 15 minutes of storytelling and the rest devoted to going through reader mail, much of which are space-related jokes.
There are a few seasons of the show online now, each with 15-20 episodes.
The show seems aimed at ages 5 to 10 but there is enough going on that kids a bit younger or a bit older could enjoy it as well.
The kids like the adventure stories, which are humorous and suspenseful, most ending on a cliff-hanger that is resolved the next week.
The narrator, Jonathan Messinger has a virtual sidekick/cohost in the form of a robot, BeeBop, who is snarky and a bit rude (in a kid-friendly way) and the kids love that character.
We like that our kids can listen to a story without zoning out in front of a screen. It hearkens back to the days of radio dramas when kids had to make up the pictures in their imaginations, in an active rather than passive way.
The stories are clever and one of the themes of the series is that it is stuffed full of references to existing children's books, so we can play 'spot the reference' along with the kids.
It's been essential listening on long car rides and I've been reading to them less frequently at bedtime, instead playing two episodes of Finn Caspian.
And it's free! With no ads!
I haven't seen any critics' reviews of the show, but it gets ~4.5 stars on all of the streaming services that carry it.
Jonathan Messinger is a good writer but not a polished voice actor and some of the delivery sounds amateurish. His elocution has improved over the course of the series, however.
The voice of the character of BeeBop is created with a 'roboticize' voice filter that can get annoying after a while.
Finn Caspian is written and performed by Jonathan Messinger, author of Hiding Out, former web editor of Time Out Chicago Kids.
ZooGlobble has an interview with Jon about the show from 2017
The podcast is the first from the publisher Gen-Z Media. You can listen to their other podcasts for kids at Bestrobotever.com
The show began in the summer of 2016 and Jonathan has been putting out a new show just about every week since then.
FinnCaspian.com
BestRobotEver
From a podcast aggregator:
KidsListen.org
Player.fm
Posted on July 3, 2018 July 3, 2018 Author MattCategories for 10-year-olds, for 4-year-olds, for 5-year-olds, for 6-year-olds, for 7-year-olds, for 8-year-olds, for 9-year-olds, PodcastTags ad-free, audio, free, podcast, serial, stories
RoverCraft
RoverCraft is an app that lets players build "space cars" and drive them along bumpy alien landscapes, collecting coins and avoiding crashes.
The game is simple enough for kids as young as 4 to have fun with it, although only older kids would be able to understand it well enough to get high scores.
They like the building, and they like the driving, and they like the upgrades. As the player collect coins, they can use the money to buy more and stronger materials for their vehicle, and unlock other worlds (Mars, Titan, etc.) The achievements are attainable, but take a little work, so the reward system is well-balanced and engaging.
They also like the catastrophic failure that ends every driving run. The player basically drives their car until it crashes, and the crashing is fun, so even when they lose they can enjoy it.
The building part is creative and forces problem-solving (how to structure the chassis so that the vehicle can cross the chasm without falling in?)
The driving part is thrilling but not overly competitive. The players are effectively racing against their own previous times.
The app gets 4.4/5 on Google, 4.5/5 on iTunes, and 4.6/5 on the Microsoft store.
Criticisms are that there are too many ads and that the developer (Mobirate) doesn't update the game frequently enough.
There are a lot of ads that the player has to endure or click off. There are in-app purchases that can distract from the gameplay, and we as parents need to make sure that the purchasing feature is disabled on the phone/tablet.
RoverCraft is made by Mobirate, who also makes the Parking Mania series, other space-themed games such as Space Expedition and Space Bikers, and several others (Stick Fu, Jelly Jumpers, Dead Ahead).
When was it made/history
Mobirate was founded way back in 2003. RoverCraft was first released in 2015 and has had sporadic updates since then.
Google Play Store, iTunes, and the Microsoft Store. You can even use Amazon to get it for Android devices, if you wanted.
Posted on May 22, 2018 May 22, 2018 Author MattCategories for 10-year-olds, for 11-year-olds, for 12-year-olds, for 4-year-olds, for 5-year-olds, for 6-year-olds, for 7-year-olds, for 8-year-olds, for 9-year-olds, GameTags ads, app, free, game, physics, racing, Space, strategy
The Fixies
The Fixies is a Russian cartoon series about a family of tiny (1cm tall) fairy-like creatures who repair everyday items, and in the process teach about physics, electronics, and other useful DiY knowledge.
The show is a big hit with our 4-year-old but a lot of the content is sophisticated enough for much older kids as well.
The characters are fun, with the kids getting into and out of trouble and the parents offering guidance when necessary. The animation is bright and engaging. The theme song is catchy and the show makes good use of music.
I like the fact that it's Russian. It's nice to have a reference to Russian culture that has nothing to do with politics. And I like having influences from other countries. Geronimo Stilton is from Italy, P.J. Masks from France, many (most?) PBS Kids shows are from Canada, and lots of the more cutesy cartoons are from Korea and Japan. Although each cartoon has basically the same formula (a group of young people work together to solve problems) each one has a slightly different feel to it that is representative of its country of origin.
In the case of The Fixies, the subject matter is significantly more in-depth in terms of engineering/STEM topics. For example, one episode had a bit on pipe fabrication, how pipes can be made by rolling and welding a sheet of metal (which results in a seam) vs. extruding a solid block to make a seamless pipe. I can't imagine any American show covering that level of detail.
Each episode includes a 40-second bit on how things work, in a fun and educational way.
There is also a typically Russian attitude toward toughness and responsibility. While most American and Canadian cartoons seem to value self-affirmation over anything else, The Fixes put that value below those of being responsible and getting the job done. One episode had the children try to do a quick fix in order to earn a prize and at the end the father gives them a cheap, flimsy award to reflect the quality of work they did.
But really, the Russian-ness is not obvious. I wouldn't have noticed or guessed. if I hadn't looked it up. (The one big clue is the catchphrase the characters use when they've fixed something, "tideesh", which sounds very slavic to my ears.)
Another quality of the show, that may have something to do with it being Russian, is that there is a strong message about the importance of fixing what you have as opposed to throwing something away just because it's broken.
I haven't seen any reviews of the show. They have a sparse IMDB page and nothing on Wikipedia despite having several hundred episodes (~140 dubbed into English) and a feature movie. The show was nominated for an APKiT award, which is, as far as I can tell, a Russian equivalent to the Oscars.
I found no flaws with the show itself, but it seems to be available only via YouTube and has multiple ads to skip in each 12-minute episode.
The show is made by Aeroplane Productions in Moscow
Lots of info on their website https://www.thefixies.com/
They are doing what lots of other children's media companies are doing, creating related apps, games etc. Most of the Fixies games are in Russian and don't yet have English translations.
It looks like the company is actively looking for licensing in other countries and it would be great if Netflix or Amazon or Hulu or PBS Kids picked it up.
The original, Russian show began in 2010 and the English version was released starting in 2015.
As far as I can tell, it's only available via The Fixies channel on YouTube
Posted on May 21, 2018 May 24, 2018 Author MattCategories for 10-year-olds, for 4-year-olds, for 5-year-olds, for 6-year-olds, for 7-year-olds, for 8-year-olds, for 9-year-olds, VideoTags animation, cartoon, DiY, educational, engineering, physics, Russian, STEAM, STEM
Bloxels is a free make-your-own videogame app that lets kids (or adults) create 8-bit style sprites and levels for 2D platformer games without needing any coding. The Bloxels kit includes a 13×13 grid with colored blocks so that younger kids can manipulate 'pixel blocks' (bloxels) physically before committing them to the game.
There is now also a Star Wars version
Bloxels is recommended for kids age 8-12, but our 4-year-old has had a lot of fun with it. Older kids will get more out of it, but it's fun for just about any age. The bloxel cubes are about 1 cm2 (¼"2) so it could be a choking hazard for very young kids.
We've had fun with it at home, but PixelPress is pushing for the games use in classrooms and I can easily see it used as an educational tool.
Our kids have played with Bloxels on and off for the past few months, since we got it, so it has passed the 'lost in the closet' test – that is, the kids choose to pull it out every now and then. The older ones do everything on screen, using only the free app. The younger ones like designing characters using the physical bloxel cubes. Everyone enjoys playing the levels they make.
There is a community aspect to Bloxels, where you can play other people's games, but we haven't gotten into that.
Bloxels seems like a great way to introduce basic ideas of programming without having to get into actual code. The kids spend much more time creating (designing characters and levels) than they do playing (running and jumping and shooting).
Bloxels has been nominated for several education and game awards and most reviews I've read have been positive.
Most of the criticisms I've read have to do with how the app captures the image of the 13×13 bloxel grid. The image capture relies on the camera in your phone or tablet and can be frustrating to use, although we haven't had much trouble with it.
There is really only one type of game that can be created with Bloxels, and that's the 2D platformer, where a character runs, jumps, collects power-ups, shoots monsters, etc. There are so many other kids of games, and if your child doesn't like 2D platformers, they won't have much interest in making them. But that is a theoretical concern in our case, since our kids like that kind of game. As a parent, I would rather the games involve puzzles or problem-solving, rather than shooting monsters, but as a former game designer, I realize that those sorts of games are much more difficult for children to do well.
And the Bloxel pieces are quite small – possible choking hazards for little siblings, and they hurt to step on when not put away properly! but that's a problem we have with lots of toys (e.g. Lego) and is not an inherent flaw with Bloxels.
Bloxels is made by Pixel Press, which makes a few other similar make-your-own game apps, such as Floors and Adventure Time Game Wizard. Pixel Press has since been bought
Bloxels started as a Kickstarter project in 2015 and got enough funding to go mainstream and eventually partner with Mattel.
You can get the Bloxels app on iTunes, Google Play, and for the Kindle Fire. And you can get the physical kit on Amazon or the Bloxels site
Posted on May 18, 2018 May 21, 2018 Author MattCategories for 10-year-olds, for 11-year-olds, for 12-year-olds, for 6-year-olds, for 7-year-olds, for 8-year-olds, for 9-year-olds, Game, ToyTags app, DiY, free, game, kit, make-your-own, STEAM, STEM, videogame
Spaceflight Simulator
Every week we try out at least 5 different apps, either on an Android phone or the iPad. They are all free except for the rare occasion when we decide that the paid version will be worth it (e.g. in the case of Plants vs. Zombies). The apps are free usually because they have ads, and often the ads are so frequent and interrupt gameplay so inconveniently that we delete the app altogether. Some apps are free because they are promoting a product, such as all the Lego games. But I was surprised to see that the Spaceflight Simulator app was entirely free. The developer decided to use the mobile version as a free trial, hoping that those who like it will spend money on the Steam or console versions. I hope this monetization model succeeds. Mobile is the obvious place to casually try things with minimal commitment.
The game itself is a stripped-down Kerbal Space Program clone, in which you build rockets out of various components, try to get the rocket into orbit, and ultimately reach other planets. It's fun for adults and kids but is an absolute sensation with our 7-year-old, who has only ever gotten into orbit once, yet still has a blast just building and testing.
One problem we have with many of the free mobile games (apart from the ads) is how so many of them rely on violence and aggression to play the game. Spaceflight Simulator does have explosions, but they are the negative consequence of poor building, not the objective. Instead of trying to blow up other people's virtual property, in this game you inadvertently blow up your own creation. So the child still gets the little thrill of seeing a crash, but not the reinforcement equating violence with success.
The interface is very simple and plain. Anyone who wants the garishness of games such as Candy Crush will be disappointed.
The game is great way to teach physics and basic engineering, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for STEM/STEAM-type apps.
On Google Play Store
On Apple iTunes
Posted on April 19, 2018 April 19, 2018 Author MattCategories for 10-year-olds, for 11-year-olds, for 12-year-olds, for 6-year-olds, for 7-year-olds, for 8-year-olds, for 9-year-olds, GameTags ad-free, app, engineering, free, game, Kerbal Space Program, KSP, mobile, physics, rockets, Space, STEAM, STEM
Slingball
This was a gift from Grandma. She found it for $4.99 at a drugstore or somewhere like that. It was not meant to be a Major Gift (the way Lego sets are, for birthdays and Christmas) but the Slingball set ended up being the Essential Toy that went with us everywhere for a few days.
The toy is a pair of nets, which each have a hook on the side, and a pair of balls that have rubber loops coming out of them. You hook the loop to shoot it and in theory someone else catches it in their net.
Most of the fun was in weaponizing the toy, but because the ball is soft foam and the rubber loop is not long or strong enough to provide all that much power, it can't do much damage, and we even contemplated allowing this as an indoor toy, although we soon changed our minds.
When 'fired' at close range toward a sibling's face, the ball does hurt (as we discovered) but only as much as a rubber band snapped from the same distance and far less than a small plastic train engine hurled from the same distance (as we also discovered).
This was fun to take to the park and play catch, or shoot it straight up to see if we could catch it, or aim at targets such as trees.
It's such a simple idea, that we didn't think it would be fun, but it was. And we thought the nets or balls would fall apart after a few days of abuse, but they are still in perfect shape.
Posted on April 17, 2018 Author MattCategories for 10-year-olds, for 11-year-olds, for 12-year-olds, for 4-year-olds, for 5-year-olds, for 6-year-olds, for 7-year-olds, for 8-year-olds, for 9-year-olds, ToyTags ball, catch, net, outside, toy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Deplorable health infra: NHRC issues notices to Health Ministry, States, UTs
NATION Main Stories
New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took suo motu cognizance of reports of loss of human lives due to deficiencies and inadequacies in the healthcare system.
The Commission has observed that a large number of deaths of the innocent people including women, children and elderly persons are taking place due to lack of proper medical care, infrastructure, manpower and due to administrative failure, across the country.
Apart from the death of 143 children in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), the Commission has recounted the loss of lives in Gorakhpur due to Japanese Encephalitis, death of newly born infants and other patients due to failure of oxygen supply, carrying of dead bodies by family members on their shoulders because of non-availability of ambulances, incidents of delivery of babies in front of the hospitals due to negligence and non-availability of doctors.
Quoting the Supreme Court of India, the Commission has observed that right to live with human dignity is part of Right to Life.The Commission issued a notice to the Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India to submit a comprehensive report within four weeks on the observations made by it.
The Commission also issued notices to Chief Secretary of all states and union territories (UTs) to submit reports within six weeks giving details of incidents relating to deaths due to lack of healthcare facilities that have taken place during last three years and steps taken by them to prevent their recurrence.
The Commission has also directed that teams comprising doctors on the panel of the Commission along with the officers of the Commission will visit hospitals, primary health centres and other health facilities in vulnerable States one by one starting with Bihar, U.P., Haryana and Punjab to conduct an on-the-spot fact-finding investigation.
The teams will also take stock of the ground situation especially in vulnerable areas with regard to difficulties being faced by the people and shortcomings on the part of the respective State Government/Central agencies. The Commission finally intends to issue suitable guidelines for implementation by the State/Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Rajya Sabha to take up triple talaq bill after President's push for gender equality
BMC keeps ready pump sets to fight water-logging in 37 vulnerable locations


text:
package com.lmonkiewicz.commutee.routes.adapter.in.loader.warsaw.section;

import com.google.common.base.Splitter;
import com.lmonkiewicz.commutee.routes.adapter.in.loader.warsaw.AbstractSectionReader;
import com.lmonkiewicz.commutee.routes.adapter.in.loader.warsaw.ZtmUtils;
import com.lmonkiewicz.commutee.routes.adapter.in.loader.warsaw.model.DepartTimes;
import org.jetbrains.annotations.NotNull;
import org.jetbrains.annotations.Nullable;

import java.util.List;
import java.util.stream.Collectors;

/**
 * Created by lmonkiewicz on 12.03.2017.
 */
public class WGSectionReader extends AbstractSectionReader<DepartTimes, List<Integer>> {

    private DepartTimes departTimes = new DepartTimes();

    @Override
    public DepartTimes result() {
        return departTimes;
    }

    @Nullable
    @Override
    protected List<Integer> onSectionContentLine(@NotNull String line) {
        final List<String> values = ZtmUtils.asColumns(9, line, 3, 3, 2, 3, 500);

        final List<Integer> times = Splitter.fixedLength(6)
                .trimResults()
                .omitEmptyStrings()
                .splitToList(values.get(4))
                .stream()
                .map(val -> val.replaceAll("[^0-9]", ""))
                .map(Integer::valueOf)
                .collect(Collectors.toList());

        departTimes.set(Integer.valueOf(values.get(2)), times);

        return null;
    }

    @Override
    protected String getSectionCode() {
        return Sections.WG_DepartTimes;
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


DALLAS (AP) - A white former Dallas police officer was indicated on murder charges Friday, nearly three months after she fatally shot an unarmed black neighbor whose apartment she said she entered by mistake, believing it to be her own.
The circumstances of the shooting sparked outrage and led many to question Gugyer's account. Critics, including Jean's family, also wondered why it took three days for Guyger to be charged, why she was not taken into custody immediately after the shooting and whether race played a factor in her decision to use deadly force.
Guyger's attorney, Robert Rogers, did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on the indictment.


The novel's title is ambiguous: what does it mean to be a "good doctor" in the context of South Africa's recent history? Laurence, with his humanitarian ambitions, certainly fits the standard image, but Galgut shows the damage that can be done by an idealistic but naive egoist. Frank's disillusioned realism is no more effective than Laurence's in terms of healing illness, but this generally disillusioned novel suggests that, for the foreseeable future, his grimly apathetic tolerance for the paradoxes of the new society may be the only viable strategy.
Galgut quietly points to current health care problems in South Africa. The hospital would clearly be unable to give adequate care to AIDS patients, for instance, but the stockroom, short on most essentials, has shelves and shelves of undistributed condoms. The two other doctors at the hospital are, like many in South Africa's less popular areas, from Cuba. Medicine itself is haunted by ghosts from its past: in a powerful flashback, Frank remembers his military service, when he was required to treat a black prisoner being tortured by the security forces (and to estimate how much more torture the captive would be able to survive). This memory of his unwilling complicity with a rejected system is Frank's moment of truth as a physician, a far cry from Laurence's more conventional epiphany about healing.
Compare with J. M. Coetzee's novel, Disgrace, annotated in this data base.
This novel was shortlisted for the 2003 Man Booker Prize. First published in the U.K. in 2003.


text:
Low Graphics
Monday, September 13, 1999 Published at 16:54 GMT 17:54 UK
Driberg always under suspicion
The Kremlin had two MPs on their books
By Political Correspondent Nick Assinder
It will come as no surprise to contemporaries of flamboyant former MP Tom Driberg that he was a KGB spy, codenamed Lepage.
The notoriously homosexual MP for Barking was a close friend of Guy Burgess and visited Moscow with him.
He was a supporter of Stalin and throughout his time in the Commons and later the Lords there were persistent rumours that he was a Soviet agent.
It is claimed it was during one visit to Moscow that the KGB used his habit of picking up men in public lavatories - known as cottaging - to trap him.
Allegedly he attempted to seduce a KGB man in the urinals behind the Metropole Hotel.
But he did nothing to hide his political sympathies which were well known in Westminster and more widely.
He rose to prominence as a journalist working for Lord Beaverbrook's Daily Express where he used his contacts to start the hugely-successful William Hickey gossip column.
Pursued Jagger
He was also accused of chasing Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger.
He was made a peer by Harold Wilson in 1975 and when he died a year later, his coffin was draped in a red flag.
What many were wondering in Westminster was exactly how much use Lepage would have been to the Soviets.
He would not have been party to any great state secrets and he had a reputation for unreliability but, at the height of the Cold War, both sides were eager to recruit anyone near the centre of power - which he certainly was.
More surprising is the revelation that little-known ex-MP Raymond Fletcher was also a KGB agent.
Mr Fletcher, who sat for Ilkeston, Derbyshire, was codenamed Peter and died in 1991.
He was always thought to be a moderate in the Labour Party, but had a maverick streak which led him to abstain on a key vote on entry into Europe.
As a result he was sacked by Harold Wilson from his only government job, as parliamentary private secretary to Roy Mason after only three months.
He was a part-time journalist with the left-wing Tribune newspaper but apparently moved to the right over the years.
He had undergone open heart surgery after two heart attacks and, after the 1979 election, was targeted by his own constituency party.
He quit politics and the Labour Party in 1983 and moved to the south of France.
The revelations about the two MPs activities will have little effect on the Labour Party or Tony Blair's government.
In the 1960s and 1970s there were constant rumours about left-wing members of the Labour Party being in the pay of the Kremlin - mostly born out of Cold war paranoia.
And there is no suggestion so far that either of the men did anything that harmed national security or put lives at risk.
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It's a celebration of life, and it's only right you a pop a bottle and drop the confetti. Today's new music comes from Dizzy The ill One. Titled "Confetti" and was produced by the artist, Dizzy celebrates life, being able to live to see another day, receiving some of life's pleasures, and living it up. Very good entry from the rapper and many can relate to it and keep it on heavy rotation. More life! Dizzy's "Departure Lounge is coming soon. Check out the track below and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Pay attention! It's that time again where some of Jamaica's best Yardcore artists grace the stage and display their talent to the masses in a concert series called "Pay Attention". Held on Saturday June 8 at Club Indulge in Kingston, and featuring acts such as Acmatic, Sly Rankin and others. As a teaser to the show, Pay Attention released a Rap Cypher video featuring Five Steez, Nomad Carlos, Memoirs, Tripple, The Sickest Drama, Gully Cash, and Avalanche. Very dope mix of flows and lyrics, a great showcase of what Jamaicans can do once given the opportunity. Foreign acts pay attention and read this article on making a link up here. Part 2 coming soon. What you think? Check out the video below and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Happy 4/20 readers. While many of us can't partake in the festivities of the day we can all enjoy some music right? Today's mixtape comes from Money Music Ent. and 876 Kemxtri Muzik and I hope you have a reservation. Titled "The Guest List Vol. 2" and hosted by Kash Kapri and Five Steez, this mixtape features 29 tracks by some of the best Jamaican Hip Hop has to offer. Apart from the hosts, this mixtape also features music from SOS Dynamikz, The Sickest Drama, Kabaka Pyramid, Fofifth, Ill Gramma and many others, you can enjoy this mixtape in your choice of a smoking or nonsmoking section today. Check out the mixtape below, download, and share your thoughts in the comments section.
Get your umbrellas out, batten down your windows, and check on your insurance because these members of Sons Of Liberty are about to bring a disaster. The Rush, Tristan and King Biggs bring you "Natural Disaster". Produced by King Biggs, we hear the rappers speaking on their skills and why they're better than the competition. There's a heavy chance of a storm, take shelter. Check out the song below and share your thoughts in the comments section.


text:
Fanta Régina Nacro (Tenkodogo, 4 de septiembre de 1962) es una directora de cine de Burkina Faso. Sus películas más famosas son La Nuit de la Verité (2004) y Un Certain Matin (1991), que atrajeron la atención internacional. También es conocida por ser la primera mujer de su país en dirigir una película y por ser miembro fundador de la Guilde Africaine des Realisateurs et Producteurs, la Asociación Africana de Directores y Productores.

Formación
Nacro creció en una zona rural de Burkina Faso con la intención de convertirse en partera. Sin embargo, al darse cuenta de que su pasión era contar historias, su interés por trabajar en la industria del cine comenzó a crecer. Gracias a un vecino conoció la existencia de la escuela de cine, Institut d'Education Cinématographique de Uagadugú (INAFEC) en Burkina Faso.

Mientras estudiaba en el INAFEC, Nacro conoció a Idrissa Ouedraogo, un director para quien trabajó como script. Recibió su primer título en Ciencias y Técnicas Audiovisuales de INAFEC en 1986. También obtuvo un Máster en Cine y Estudios Audiovisuales en la Sorbona.

Trayectoria
El primer trabajo de Nacro en el campo de la cinematografía fue una colaboración mientras estudiaba en el INAFEC. Su departamento de cine se había asociado con el departamento de cine de la Universidad de Howard, dirigido por el profesor Abiyi Ford. Atribuye a este proyecto colectivo, en el que conoció al cineasta Zeinabu Davis, su "primera experiencia cinematográfica. Fue muy importante para mí y me permitió definir mi papel en esta profesión". Desde entonces ha declarado que, aunque los proyectos de colaboración entre directores africanos y directores afroamericanos son valiosos, encontrar financiación es la clave.

Teniendo en cuenta que durante su educación, Nacro tuvo que aprender todas las diferentes facetas de la realización de un largometraje, incluida el montaje y la cinematografía, estas habilidades son las que la ayudaron a comenzar su carrera en la industria del cine. Empezó como locutora de televisión, trabajó en el montaje, y pronto comenzó a trabajar como directora realizando su primera película, Un Certain Matin (1991). En 1992 creó su propia productora audiovisual, Les Films du Défi, a través de la cual comenzó a producir sus cortometrajes.

En 1999, Nacro, junto con Jean-Marie Teno y Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda, crearon la Guilde Africaine des Realisateurs et Producteurs, la Asociación Africana de Directores y Productores, para difundir el trabajo de los cineastas africanos. Su propósito es atraer la atención al cine africano con el fin de apoyar la industria cinematográfica africana.

Filmografía
Su primera película fue Un Certain Matin (1992). Desde entonces ha producido una serie de cortometrajes, a menudo con una perspectiva humorística sobre las tradiciones de su país y la complejidad de las relaciones entre tradición y modernidad. Bintou ha ganado más de veinte premios en festivales internacionales y el premio Fespaco al mejor cortometraje en 2001.
"Creo en el intercambio de ideas, en el intercambio cultural. Vemos películas europeas. Hacemos concesiones, retenemos lo que es positivo en la cultura occidental y rechazamos lo negativo, así que no veo por qué el público occidental no debería ver imágenes africanas. Además, cuantos más espectadores occidentales vean películas africanas, más se pondrán en tela de juicio las ideas preconcebidas racistas, porque cuanto más conozcas a alguien, mejor comprenderás sus aspiraciones y su comportamiento. Creo que el cine puede ayudar a establecer un verdadero intercambio y comunicación entre las diferentes naciones, ya que el cine es el mejor medio para educar a las masas". (Fanta Nacro, quoted in Africa Shoots Back: Alternative Perspectives in Sub-Saharan Francophone African Film).

Puk Nini
Puk Nini, que significa "abre los ojos", es un cortometraje en el que Nacro juega con el tema del adulterio tanto desde el punto de vista de hombres como de mujeres. Cuenta con tres personajes principales: Isa, Salif y Astou. Isa y Salif están casados, sin embargo, desde su matrimonio y el nacimiento de su hija, Salif se ha vuelto celoso por la atención de Isa hacia su hijo. Astou, que es libre sexualmente, comienza una aventura con Salif, una vez que este ha decidido buscar sexo en otro lugar. Aunque se le muestra por primera vez a la audiencia desde el punto de vista masculino, Nacro pronto invierte esta mirada objetiva hacia Salif e impulsa la narrativa. Una vez que Isa descubre las actividades extramaritales de Salif, se une a Astou y ambas se unen contra Salif. Su asociación demuestra la importancia de la solidaridad entre las mujeres en lugar de competir por la atención masculina. La película de Nacro fomenta la independencia femenina y desafía muchas de las estructuras de poder tradicionales que existen entre hombres y mujeres, tanto en el contexto africano como en el de Hollywood.

Nacro ha declarado que sus ideas sobre los problemas de las relaciones extramatrimoniales en Puk Nini provienen de sus colegas masculinos del INAFEC. "Porque no importa lo que digamos sobre la vida africana hoy, hay una crisis entre parejas que es alarmante". Es necesario, al menos para mí, pensar en la relación entre hombres y mujeres".

Le Truc de Konaté
Este cortometraje dirigido por Nacro en 1997 describe los diversos mitos detrás del uso del condón, la sexualidad, el SIDA, la poligamia y el tema del cambio en una aldea de Burkina. Konaté, el personaje principal, está casado con tres esposas y se sabe que tiene amantes. Una de sus esposas, Diénéba, se informa sobre las implicaciones del virus del SIDA después de una visita a la ciudad. Su experiencia en la ciudad le enseña sobre la importancia de los condones, que le comunica a Konaté. Este le insiste a Diénéba que no debe usar condón, una postura que también es apoyada por los otros hombres de la aldea. Incapaz de mantener una relación física con Diénéba o sus otras esposas, intenta tener relaciones sexuales con su amante. Cuando parece que ha sido afectado por la impotencia, viaja a la ciudad con la esperanza de curar este problema. Aprende de un curandero que la única cura es encontrar un árbol especial. Una vez en la ciudad, un activista contra el SIDA lo ayuda a encontrar el árbol siempre que Konaté prometa comenzar a usar condones. Konaté encuentra con éxito el árbol, se cura y vuelve a casa.

Nacro exhibe el tema del cambio a través de un viaje que tanto Konaté como Diénéba deben emprender para aprender sobre los problemas relacionados con el virus del SIDA. La película funciona con elementos humorísticos e informativos, ya que incluye información importante sobre la protección sexual, pero también la importancia del empoderamiento femenino en una relación romántica, especialmente en lo relativo a la salud.

Su opinión sobre el cine
Nacro ha dicho que mejorar la difusión del cine africano debe ser el objetivo principal para los directores africanos. Aumentar la audiencia es una necesidad para que la industria crezca, ya que la industria del cine aún no ha alcanzado su potencial en muchos países africanos. "Desde que vi una película llamada Femme d'Alger, que fue hecha por un hombre, con lo que uno podría llamar la sensibilidad de una mujer, me he dado cuenta de que realmente no hay sensibilidad de la mujer o del hombre, sino simplemente existe una sensibilidad humana".

Filmografía

 1991 — Un Certain Matin 15'
 1993 — L'Ecole au coeur de la vie 13'
 1995 — Puk Nini 32'
 1997 — Capacidades Femmes 23'
 1997 — La Tortue du Monde 23'
 1998 — Le Truc de Konaté 33'
 1999 — Florence Barrigha 26'
 2000 — Relou 5'
 2000 — Laafi Bala 26'
 2001 — La bague au doigt 5'
 2001 — Une volonté de fer 5'
 2001 — La voix de la raison 5'
 2001 — Bintou 31'
 2002 — En parler ça aide 17'
 2003 — Vivre positivo 42'
 2004 — La Nuit de la Verité 100'

Premios y distinciones

Festival Internacional de Cine de San Sebastián

 En 1992, el Tanit d'Or por el cortometraje Un Certain Matin en Cartago.
 En 1992, la Licorne d'Or para el cortometraje Un Certain Matin en Amiens.
 En 1993, Primer Premio Air Afrique por el cortometraje Un Certain Matin en Milán.
 En 1997, recibió la nominación por Puk Nini en FESPACO.
En 2002 Premio François Ode del Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg por el cortometraje Bintou.
En 2002 Premio Especial del Jurado del Festival de Cine de Tampere de Finlandia por el cortometraje Bintou.

Referencias

Enlaces externos

Audio del programa de radio El séptimo vicio Fanta Régina Nacro, la reina del cine africano - 02/10/19
Entrevista realizada en el ámbito del Festival de Cine Africano de Barcelona 2019

Burkinesas
Directores de cine de Burkina Faso
Alumnado de la Universidad de París

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


SFS is pleased to welcome fiddler Randal Bays back to our stage, this time with singer and bouzouki player John Coyne!
Randal Bays and John Coyne bring power and passion to the traditional music of Ireland. Fiddle tunes – the reels and jigs that are the hallmark of the Irish tradition, plus a great selection of songs, a few stories, occasionally a guest musician or dancer jumping in… all of this delivered with the heartfelt wish to share the to share the wild beauty of Irish music with their audience.
Advance tickets ($18/$16 SFS, PNA, student, senior 65+/$9 Youth age 6-17) are available from https://bays-coynesfs.brownpapertickets.com or 1-800-838-3006, or in person at our concerts prior to the show payable by cash or check. At the door, ticekts will be $2 more for adults ($20/$18/$9), payable by cash or check.


The Samsung Gear 360 2017 is the second generation 360 camera from Samsung. The first edition of this camera was the first 360 camera to shoot high quality 360 video at an affordable price, now the second edition – released in April – seeks to make 360 video mainstream.
The new Gear 360 brought new features and a complete redesign, but has it met expectations? I've owned my Gear 360 for over 4 months now and it's become my primary 360 camera (I own 8!). I've shot countless photos and videos with it and have well and truly put it though its paces. Is it a perfect 360 camera? No. Is it worth buying? Absolutely. Let me give you five reasons why the Gear 360 2017 is awesome.
For a start, the camera looks pretty awesome. Kind of like a mini robot, what's that one from Wall-E? Anyway, the camera is designed to be both hand held and attachable to tripods/selfie sticks. The elongated body makes using by hand easy, and the large shutter button is exactly where you need it to be. The manual controls are sparse but easy to use. Samsung's mighty design team have a lot of experience in crafting tech that's usable and attractive, and they have succeeded here.
In case you didn't already know, 4K is considered the benchmark for good 360 video. The Gear 360 2017 received an upgrade in the video department and can shoot slightly above 4K in 360, resulting in clear, sharp video. Check out my example below for the kind of footage the Gear 360 can shoot – and that's with my poor film making and editing skills.
For a camera of this price, it's exceptional that it can shoot full 360 video at such a high resolution. Oh yeah, about the price….
3. It's cheap cheap cheap!
The Gear 360 2017 is so cheap now. When it was released it was priced at around $250, which was pretty god value to begin with. It's only been 4 months and the price of the camera has gone down to $170! That's extraordinary value for a relatively new and advanced camera that can shoot in 4K resolution and livestream. You can even get the Gear 360 for free when you buy the latest Samsung Phone, although these offers come and go.
Want to share your experiences in the most immersive way possible instantly? Now you can, just live stream using the Gear 360. The Gear 360 uses your phones internet connection to stream 360 video to Facebook, YouTube and Periscope. Setting up a livestream takes literally seconds and you can watch peoples reactions and comments and they come in. No wires required, just a connection via WiFi or 4G.
Out of all my eight separate 360 cameras, the Gear 360 is the easiest to use. To properly use the camera you need to connect it to the official Gear 360 app, once you've done this the first time it will happen automatically every time you switch the camera on. All 360 camera require an app to work properly, but most need to you manually connect every time. Not only this, but working out how to shoot video, photo and live stream is so simple a child could do it. You can then share your creations with Facebook and YouTube with a few taps of a button.
So that's my love letter to the Gear 360 2017. Like I said, it's not perfect. It doesn't have a removable battery and its photo taking ability isn't great. To put it bluntly its not the best 360 camera out right now, but it's the best value. If you are looking to dip your toes into the world of 360 content then the Gear 360 is the camera I would recommend.


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Malware attacks 2,000 BSNL modems, changes system passwords of broadband users
The malware reportedly affected nearly 2,000 BSNL broadband modems, and changed the default system password.
By : Kukil Bora
Jul 28, 2017 12:10 IST
Aura home security system detects intruders through walls
The state-owned telecom operator BSNL was hit by a malware attack earlier this week, affecting thousands of broadband modems. On Thursday, BSNL issued advisory for its broadband users asking them to change the default system password.
The malware apparently targeted only those users who had not changed the default password "admin". The telecom operator, however, said that its core network, billing or any other system were not affected by the malware, which reportedly hit nearly 2,000 broadband modems.
"The situation has been addressed to a great extent. We are advising customers that they should immediately change their passwords, and they should not be worried about using broadband once they have done that," the Press Trust of India quoted BSNL Chairman Anupam Shrivastava as saying.
The malware attack hit nearly 2,000 BSNL Wi-Fi modems.Pixabay
According to Shrivastava, the attackers behind the malware managed to change the default password of the affected modems, making then unable to log in. After the glitch came to light, BSNL call centres reached out to users to alert them, and recommend them the preventative measures to avoid and better defend against such attacks.
If you are wondering about the process of changing the Wi-Fi password, here's our guide showing how to do it.
In addition to changing the password, you can also make your Wi-Fi secure by changing your network's SSID name, the name that is broadcast from your Wi-Fi to the outside world, allowing people to find the network.
If you want to prevent other computers in the vicinity from using your internet connection, you can encrypt your wireless signals as well by changing the security type from WEP to WPA or WPA2. WEP is the basic encryption, and therefore, it is considered least secure.
50 Cent is a Bitcoin millionaire


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US woman who led female Daesh battalion gets 20 years in prison
ALEXANDRIA, United States (AFP): An American woman who joined Daesh in Syria, leading an all-female military battalion, was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a US court Tuesday.
Allison Fluke-Ekren, 42, who grew up on a farm in Kansas, was sentenced in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, after pleading guilty to providing material support to a terrorist organization.
Prosecutors told the court that for more than eight years, Fluke-Ekren "committed terrorist acts on behalf of three foreign terrorist organizations across war zones in Libya, Iraq, and Syria," including training other women and young girls to undertake attacks for Daesh.
Fluke Ekren "in effect became the empress of Daesh," said US attorney Raj Parekh. "She brainwashed young girls and trained them to kill," he said.
The sentencing stage of her case included dramatic, anonymous testimony from one of her sons about years of abuse inflicted on him and his siblings.
"My mother is a monster without love for her children, without an excuse for her actions," said the son. "She has the blood, pain, and suffering of all of her children on her hands."
Fluke-Ekren is the rare American woman who occupied a senior position in the ranks of the now defunct Daesh Caliphate.
Born Allison Brooks, she grew up in a "loving and stable home" in Overbrook, Kansas, and was considered a "gifted" student, the US attorney said.
After leaving her first husband, Fluke-Ekren attended the University of Kansas, where she married a fellow student named Volkan Ekren and became a Muslim. She later earned a teaching certificate from a college in Indiana.
They had five children together and adopted another after the child's parents were killed as suicide bombers in Syria.
In 2008, the family moved to Egypt and in 2011 to Libya where, the US attorney said, "Fluke-Ekren's dogged pursuit to obtain positions of power and influence to train young women in extremist ideology and violence began."
They were in Benghazi in September 2012 when the militant group Ansar Al-Sharia attacked the US mission and CIA office there, killing the US ambassador and three other Americans.
Fluke-Ekren, a fluent Arabic speaker, assisted Ansar Al-Sharia by "reviewing and summarizing the contents of stolen US government documents."
The family left Libya in late 2012 or early 2013 and moved around between Iraq, Turkey and Syria, becoming deeply involved with Daesh and living in the group's Mosul stronghold for a time.
After Fluke-Ekren's husband — the leader of a Daesh sniper unit — was killed in 2015 she forced their 13-year-old daughter to marry a Daesh fighter, according to the US attorney.
She married three more times, including to a Daesh military leader who was responsible for the defense of Raqqa in 2017.
In 2017, Fluke-Ekren became the leader of a battalion of female Daesh members called "Khatiba Nusaybah," which provided military training to more than 100 women and girls, according to the US attorney.
"During training sessions, Fluke-Ekren instructed the women and young girls on the use of AK-47 assault rifles, grenades, and explosive suicide belts," Parekh said.
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text:
Big Mouth Season 3 Episode 9
A big standardized test sends everyone into a panic — except for Jay, who just scored an Adderall prescription.
Serie: Big Mouth
Director: Kim Arndt
Guest Star: Andrew Daly, Andrew Rannells, Gil Ozeri, Heather Lawless, Jak Knight, Jean Smart, Jessica Chaffin, Joe Wengert, Mark Duplass, Neil Casey, Paul Scheer, Paula Pell, Richard Kind, Rob Huebel, Rob Riggle, Seth Morris
Episode Title: The ASSes
Sotobamura is a small village with around 1300 residents; so small the village isn't even connected to a single highway. An isolated village in which old customs, such as the…
Genre: Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Rokka: Braves of the Six Flowers
When the Majin awoke from the depths of darkness, the deity of fate chose six heroes and bequeathed them with the power to save the world. Adlet, a boy who…
Genre: Animation, Mystery
When an island half-disappears from the face of the earth, a mysterious organization sends out invitations for a tournament to every skilled fighter in the world."If you win you can…
Persona 4: The Animation is a television anime series produced by AIC ASTA and directed by Seiji Kishi, based on the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 video game by Atlus….
KissAnime Review: Really fantastic anime, my favorite in animation category. Dějiny udatného českého národa is by far the best online anime production I've ever seen. Now why this anime falls…
Genre: Animation, Kids
Humanity has advanced to great heights since it obtained the information technology known as "Mana." With that nearly magical power, problems like war, food shortages, and pollution have been eliminated….
Genre: Action, Animation, Fantasy, Science Fiction
Babar and the Adventures of Badou
Babar and the Adventures of Badou is a 3D animated children's TV series that premiered in 2010 based on the characters created by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff. The series…
Green Lantern: The Animated Series is an American computer-animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Green Lantern. The series is currently airing on Cartoon Network, as part of…
SHIMONETA: A Boring World Where the Concept of Dirty Jokes Doesn't Exist
Sixteen years after the "Law for Public Order and Morals in Healthy Child-Raising" banned coarse language in the country, Tanukichi Okuma enrolls in the country's leading elite public morals school…
The King of Fighters: Destiny
KissAnime Review: Really fantastic anime, my favorite in animation category. animationcategory did not create a better anime and you can now watch for free on this website. I know it…
The Goodman family lives with their lovable pet dog, Mr. Pickles, a deviant border collie with a secret satanic streak. KissAnime Review: One of the best in it's category, ever…


18"H x 15"L x 9"D whimsical sculpture. Part steampunk...part vintage circus. Watch this Zebra ballerina dance!!!
georgiamoon writes: Whoa Nelly! She looks like she is on a RIDE!! a Wild and Crazy ride. She makes me smile!
JunkArchitect writes: It's just an amazing combination of oddball components.
MacNTrash writes: Love the use of the shoe form. Awesome piece. Congrats.


MADRID: Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane insisted the Champions League's top-scorer Cristiano Ronaldo will be fit for Saturday's final against Atletico Madrid despite a persistent thigh injury.
"He will be ready for Saturday and I think we are in good shape physically. "However, there isn't such good news for French defender Raphael Varane as Zidane confirmed he will miss Saturday's final and his participation at Euro 2016 is now in jeopardy due to a hamstring injury.
"He has everything a coach has to have. He knows his players and his team very well which is the most important thing. "Zidane also hailed Atletico's variation despite Simeone's men often being labelled solely as a solid defensive unit.
"Everyone talks about them defending well, but they are a complete team.


FinERP is a workflow based ERP solution catering to small and medium enterprises for their end to end management of their production, operations and accounts.
Combined with our immense work experience in delivering projects for the Finalcial Instituions in various platforms, we have built capabilities on Murex, Calypso and Opics suite of products.
We develop custom software in Microsoft, Open source based, Flex development and Mobile based technologies tailored to your requirements.
We provide training on Web and Mobile technologies, PMP cerification and need based soft skills training with our experienced in-house team.
Finprac Technologies has been formed with a vision to provide best in class Software Solutions and Services. We are backed by Professionals with decades of experience in Software and Services in the BFSI Domain.


text:
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Please remember that certain offices are across the International Dateline. The dates above are their dates, not the actual U.S. date.
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The following rate changes apply to origin/destination, respectively:
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FCL $100 LS
We would like to share some recent news from our DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express blogs, with the below being a "cut and paste" effort from our DHX.com website, and Facebook page(s):
New Honolulu Warehouse
A Win-Win for Honolulu: Shipping, Distribution and Logistics
If you've looked at DHX.com or our social media pages, you have seen our current major project in the works – we're building a new warehouse and distribution center in Honolulu.
This facility is different than our other owned freight-handling facilities located in Southern California, Maui, Kona, and Guam because the ground was contaminated with oil and gas byproduct waste.
We bought four acres of land that has lain barren for over 20 years while being remediated. It was an eyesore to those working in the area. The property was not contributing positively to Hawaii or the community. We are now furthering the remediation process to the point the land can be useful and productive. We will be turning the four acres into a state-of-the-art public warehouse and distribution center. The building will be located within 10 minutes of the port in an area off Nimitz Highway.
DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express is proud of what we are going to be contributing to Oahu's economy and future. Not only does the property itself become productive, but with 4,000 pallet positions for storage, we'll help ease the current shortage of public warehousing in the industrial part of town close to the port. A land lot with thousands of plastic pipes jutting in and out of the ground will be replaced by a new, clean facility providing job opportunities during construction and thereafter. Once open it will allow us to move out of a building that is 70+ years old and very inefficient into something new.
Help us celebrate this for the community and for the businesses needing our offerings. A complete win-win!
View our progress on our Facebook page.
Beard for Buck$
About Charity, a Beard and a New Warehouse
As you may be aware, we're building a new warehousing facility in Honolulu. To make a long story short, we received the signed agreement to purchase the property, vacant land, on a Saturday during the period of the major league baseball playoff chase in 2017. On that Saturday in September, I decided, like so many LA Dodger players in their quest to win the World Series, to not shave again until the prize was won—in this case our new warehousing facility opening. I then flew over to Oahu when we had to arrange to finance both the land purchase and building construction. I told the bankers that I was growing my beard as a daily reminder of our commitment to getting the project done, so every morning when I stand in front of the mirror, I am reminded of my responsibility to complete our project.
During one of my visits to Honolulu, I became aware that the fence on the perimeter of the property served as a "lean-to" area that homeless folks had been using to support their temporary shelters. They were camping in certain areas around the outside of the fence. This visual sparked an idea for me to believe that something good could come out of this construction project and the beard!
I went out to our partners and vendors involved with the project and asked for volunteers to donate to a charity that helps the homeless. Upon reaching out to volunteers including Massdec (the developer) and DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express, Inc. (both owned by us), six additional companies or individuals agreed to donate $250 an inch to charities assisting the homeless. That's $2,000 an inch. We then had two other companies join us, bringing the number of companies to ten as of this post, or $2,500 an inch. My beard is now four inches long, growing slowly, meaning we've already earmarked $10,000 for charity. The facility has another 11 months before completion, during which I hope the beard will grow an additional 5-7 inches (may I add much to my wife's dismay– she really hates it)! But it's for a great cause.
I would like to thank the following participants:
American Savings Bank (Financier) and Dan Oshima, its Vice President
Central Pacific Bank (Financier)
Massdec LLC (Developer)
DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express, Inc. (Lessee)
Honolulu Builders (Contractor)
Anonymous Officer at Massdec's Environmental Consultant
Anonymous Officer at our Ocean Carrier to Hawaii
Cades Schutte and the Cades Foundation
MC Architects (Architect)
Honolulu Freight Service- Mike Beidleman
Again, these participants have already raised $10,000 to be donated to charities!
Our campaign was developed to raise money for "every inch" of hair grown by President Brad Dechter of DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express during a timeframe of one year, ending on April 1st, 2019 (Grand Opening of our new warehouse in Honolulu, HI). The progress of the Beard for Buck$ campaign will be documented monthly here on our company Facebook page. Our primary goal is to help end homelessness in Honolulu through the provision of charitable donations from a group of DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express partners and friends. It initially started as a campaign within our partners, but others have now joined in, and we have now opened the campaign to everyone who would like to help contribute to our cause! Your contribution supports diverse organizations involved, but specifically for the homeless outreach programs in Honolulu. Your involvement and donations can be in any increments including $1 or more per inch and/or specific pledges of your choice (one-time donation, etc.) 100% of the donations will go to Kahauiki Village http://www.kahauiki.org/ and The Salvation Army-Hawaiian and Pacific Islands https://fundraise.salvationarmyhawaii.org/…/beard-f…/c184542. We hope that you join us in this fun, yet charitable cause. #beardforbucks #honolulu #hawaii
We will be posting monthly updates, with beard pictures to our Facebook page (Beard for Buck$ Photo Album). Just so you know, for a single donation of $25,000, I, the president of DHX-Dependable Hawaiian Express, and DGX (Dependable Global Express) would be willing to dye the beard "purple," the official color of Dependable Supply Chain Services for a month!
For $50,000 and I'll dye the beard and my hair, too! It's all for a great cause, folks!
To view current progress and updates, please visit the DHX Blog
Should you have additional questions or scheduling concerns, please contact your local office or contact our DGX at 888-488-4888 or at 310-669-8888. For DHX Customer Service Center call us at 800-488-4888, Ext. 2020.
For Hawaii news updates see News Updates at www.dhx.com.
Thank you for your business - we appreciate it!
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Wolf Haldenstein is dedicated to protecting and supporting whistleblowers in their efforts to report and combat fraud and illegal misconduct while safeguarding their confidentiality.
Our Firm has extensive experience in prosecuting securities violations, antitrust violations, financial and accounting malfeasance, and labor and consumer law violations, enabling our attorneys to draw on a vast body of knowledge and expertise in litigating whistleblower cases. Such actions can include fraudulent or unregistered security sales, Ponzi schemes, insider trading, false or misleading corporate statements, theft or misappropriation, unsafe or illegal work environments, unfair and deceptive practices, defective products and other forms of corporate malfeasance.
Our attorneys represent whistleblowers under a variety of programs at both the federal and state levels and work to ensure that, when eligible, individuals reporting such fraud receive applicable rewards through those programs, while also securing all mandated protections against retaliation.
Wolf Haldenstein believes that the role of whistleblowers is essential to ensuring fair conduct in corporate environments. Whether an individual reports wrongdoing to public officials or brings a private enforcement action on their own behalf or on behalf of a class of victims, our attorneys will work tirelessly to see that these brave efforts to combat fraud and illegal misconduct result in a successful outcome.
Wolf Haldenstein's Whistleblower practice is fully supported by the Firm's Investor Protection, Social Justice and Labor practice groups, enabling our attorneys to leverage expertise in complex class actions, unfair practices, internal investigations and false claims to fight fraud and protect the courageous individuals reporting it.


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Reaching new heights in e-mobility with additively manufactured solutions
E-mobility and additive manufacturing - two trendsetting topics in the manufacturing industry, combined in a terrific success story. Together with the GreenTeam Uni Stuttgart, the CERATIZIT Project Engineering Team developed a machining solution for the challenging final machining of the additively manufactured wheel carriers which drive the all-electric racing car of the Swabian Formula Student team to new levels of performance. A success story that is literally moving.
About the GreenTeam
When you think of students, you generally picture lectures, lecture theatres and student life. It is rather unusual for 70 students to take a break from their studies for a whole year, and dedicate themselves solely to the development and construction of an all-electric racing car to participate in the Formula Student competition. But that is exactly what the members of the GreenTeam Uni Stuttgart have been doing. Since 2009, the team has been among the top 10 in the world and has already broken the world record for acceleration from 0 to 100 kph twice. That leaves even hypercars like a Porsche 918 Spyder behind. Strictly speaking, there are two cars that the annually reconstituted teams have been working on since 2016: a conventional model with a driver, and a driverless vehicle that races with all kinds of sensors and artificial intelligence without direct human intervention.
For the 2021 season, the team had again set its sights on staying well ahead of its competitors with the new E0711-11 EVO model. 'We are one of the best teams, which is why winning means everything to us,' explains Maximilian Ziegler, who is responsible for the overall vehicle management mechanics as well as the development of the new wheel carriers. According to Ziegler, the new additively manufactured wheel carriers played a key role in the project: 'With the new wheel carriers, the car has great potential. Moving the electric motors into the wheels improves the aerodynamics.'
A tricky job: the complex machining of the wheel carriers
As advanced as the new wheel carriers are, their production is equally complex. 'The wheel carriers are a very complex component, and we needed the knowledge and experience of industrial specialists to produce them,' says Ziegler. Working in conjunction with Renishaw, the first step was to optimise the components for additive manufacturing.
But the team soon faced the next challenge, as Ziegler explains: 'After 3D printing by Renishaw, we needed a solution to machine some surfaces.' But the search was far from easy. No one dared to take on the challenge of a complex component with diameters over 120 mm, thin walls and tight tolerances on the inner and outer surfaces that had to be machined.
After intensive research, Max Ziegler finally contacted CERATIZIT. Complex machining solutions for customers from the automotive sector, which have to meet the highest demands in terms of performance, precision and process reliability, are part of the daily business of CERATIZIT'S Global Project Engineering Team. Project Manager Tim Haudeck accepted the challenge. 'We are constantly confronted with the limits of what is possible and are always looking for solutions to push these limits, to make the previously impossible possible after all. Due to the complexity of the processing, the GreenTeam project offered us an ideal opportunity to prove our expertise in the field of e-mobility,' says Haudeck.
Working in conjunction with the GreenTeam and Renishaw, a detailed analysis of the components and the requirements for 3D printing and post-processing was carried out in order to optimise the wheel carriers and find an optimal machining solution. 'It quickly became clear to us that we would hardly be able to meet the required tolerances with a standard solution,' explains Tim Haudeck.
But even with a custom solution, the requirements were high. 'In order to machine the component on a 5-axis machine with HSK63 interface, we had to reduce the imbalance and minimise the weight to achieve the required tolerances. We soon realised that an optimal result could only be achieved with an additively manufactured solution,' Haudeck continues. It was not only diameters of over 120 mm that had to be machined. In addition, there were wall thicknesses of sometimes less than 1 mm and IT6 tolerances on both the inner and outer surfaces.
The solution: U-axis and an additively manufactured special tool
In order to meet the tolerances, all important diameters and fits had to be machined in one clamping procedure. For this purpose, the engineering team designed an additively manufactured special tool with two pocket seats for the indexable inserts and a vibration damper mounted on a U-axis. The lightweight, FEM-optimised design effectively absorbs the forces that occur during machining and allows the machining to be carried out in a single clamping procedure. In addition, additive manufacturing made it possible to deliver the coolant directly to the cutting edge.
Accompanying the development process, and following the machining of his own component, was also a great experience for Maximilian Ziegler: 'The work with CERATIZIT and Renishaw was fantastic, as we communicated at eye level and share the same passion,' Ziegler commented enthusiastically after the completion of the first component.
3D-printed concept tool enables the inside and outside machining of the wheel carrier in one single process.
Wheel carrier of the Formula Student Electric car
Success on the race track made possible by additively manufactured wheel carriers
The time and effort spent on the additively manufactured wheel carriers has paid off for the team. In four races during the 2021 season, the GreenTeam finished outright first twice and second once. 'The car is everything we could have dreamed of. But for me personally, the cooperation with CERATIZIT was also fantastic, it worked out perfectly,' says Maximilian Ziegler, who could not be happier about the outcome of the season.
Innovative solutions for automotive customers
For Tim Haudeck the GreenTeam project is a good example of what modern production processes and the expertise of the CERATIZIT employees can achieve. 'A few years ago it would not have been possible to produce parts like the wheel carrier for the GreenTeam. Only additive manufacturing has made such parts feasible. The prerequisite, of course, is that the necessary expertise regarding applications and tools is available, along with a well developed talent for finding solutions. With our experience in the areas of automotive and e-Mobility and our Global Project Engineering Team, we are ideally positioned to meet the requirements of the automotive industry.'
These topics could also be interesting for you
Cutting tools and machining strategies for automotive and engines
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U-Axis system
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4 experts make up a strong team!
That is the CERATIZIT Group when it comes to metal cutting
From now on you can find all products and services of the former companies KOMET, WNT and KLENK as well as the brand Cutting Solutions by CERATIZIT here at the Team Cutting Tools.


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/* Author: Ioan Sucan */

#include <moveit/trajectory_execution_manager/trajectory_execution_manager.h>
#include <moveit/robot_model_loader/robot_model_loader.h>
#include <moveit/planning_scene_monitor/planning_scene_monitor.h>

int main(int argc, char** argv)
{
  ros::init(argc, argv, "test_trajectory_execution_manager");

  ros::AsyncSpinner spinner(1);
  spinner.start();

  robot_model_loader::RobotModelLoaderPtr rml(new robot_model_loader::RobotModelLoader);
  planning_scene_monitor::PlanningSceneMonitor psm(rml);
  trajectory_execution_manager::TrajectoryExecutionManager tem(rml->getModel(), psm.getStateMonitor(), true);

  std::cout << "1:\n";
  if (!tem.ensureActiveControllersForJoints(std::vector<std::string>(1, "basej")))
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  std::cout << "2:\n";
  if (!tem.ensureActiveController("arms"))
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  std::cout << "3:\n";
  if (!tem.ensureActiveControllersForJoints(std::vector<std::string>(1, "rj2")))
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  std::cout << "4:\n";
  if (!tem.ensureActiveControllersForJoints(std::vector<std::string>(1, "lj1")))
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  std::cout << "5:\n";
  if (!tem.ensureActiveController("left_arm_head"))
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");
  std::cout << "6:\n";
  if (!tem.ensureActiveController("arms"))
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  // execute with empty set of trajectories
  tem.execute();
  if (!tem.waitForExecution())
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  moveit_msgs::RobotTrajectory traj1;
  traj1.joint_trajectory.joint_names.push_back("rj1");
  traj1.joint_trajectory.points.resize(1);
  traj1.joint_trajectory.points[0].positions.push_back(0.0);
  if (!tem.push(traj1))
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  moveit_msgs::RobotTrajectory traj2 = traj1;
  traj2.joint_trajectory.joint_names.push_back("lj2");
  traj2.joint_trajectory.points[0].positions.push_back(1.0);
  traj2.multi_dof_joint_trajectory.joint_names.push_back("basej");
  traj2.multi_dof_joint_trajectory.points.resize(1);
  traj2.multi_dof_joint_trajectory.points[0].transforms.resize(1);

  if (!tem.push(traj2))
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  traj1.multi_dof_joint_trajectory = traj2.multi_dof_joint_trajectory;
  if (!tem.push(traj1))
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  if (!tem.executeAndWait())
    ROS_ERROR("Fail!");

  ros::waitForShutdown();

  return 0;
}