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How Microsoft is Empowering Game Creators in Everything We Do Beyond Xbox: A Player Like Me
From Fanboy to Developer, the Dream of Publishing on Xbox
On March 25, 2022, in Xbox 1, Xbox One, by
SummaryFrom dream to reality, a story of how a 'Dad' publishes a game on XboxAn extra coat of polish goes a long way, even on a purple slimeballWhen a child runs out of games to play, make one!
"Dad, I can't find many games I can play…"
"Ok darling, what sort of game would you like to play? Should I make you one?"
And that's how it started. Just over a year ago now, my five-year-old daughter told me most of our Xbox games were too hard for her to play. After some curation, we managed to gather a neat little group of games – but the idea of creating one for her and kids like her had stuck…
As a game developer, I never landed a gig with a studio developing for Xbox. I thought, oh how prestigious it would be, being part of a crew working on an Xbox title (a life-long dream mind you). A few months into development of BouncyBoi in Puzzleland, there was quite a bit of interest shown – so I gave my demo a coat of polish and sent it away to ID@Xbox for submission. I crossed all fingers and toes.
While busy at work on the game one day, my email notification popped up. It was from ID@Xbox…
My heart skipped a beat. I told myself "Here is the rejection letter".
I read the first sentence…
" Thank you for submitting your game concept to ID@Xbox! We wanted to reach out and let you know that BouncyBoi in Puzzle Land has been approved for release on Xbox. "
I cannot describe in words the excitement and exhilaration that shot through my body in that moment!
Wire guidelines tell us to avoid excessive exclamation marks, so let's just say: "six exclamation marks!" This was my first introduction to the ID@Xbox team and just a taste of the unbelievably warm welcome and support they provided through this journey.Once the wave of chaos calmed, I had only one thought in my head. "Time to level up".
It was my goal to make the visuals for the game pop and appear very polished. A lot of effort was spent in rendering tricks and post processing to ensure it was worthy of being on this console. I would tell myself, I am a sole developer working on a game for a console. Everything has to be on point.
When I look back to the first prototype, I can't even recognize the game. It has grown and evolved into something I am truly proud of – and something definitely worthy of being a console game.
This amazing feat could only be accomplished by standing on the shoulders of giants.
Any and every question I had regarding the Xbox platform – the ID@Xbox team had my back. This game was created in the Unity engine and any time I needed assistance with something Xbox specific, a team member was there.
The ID@Xbox program has helped me achieve my dream of developing and publishing a game on my favorite console, something I was very close to calling an impossibility.
My daughter has had the time of her life playing through the game she helped make and is already planning out the next title (something about cats no doubt, ha!).
BouncyBoi In Puzzleland is available now!
BouncyBoi in Puzzle Land
Twin-Stick
Bounce into this colorful and cartoony world with BouncyBoi and adventure through various levels filled with challenging puzzles, cute graphics and funky beats!
You are BouncyBoi. A purple bouncy slime who loves to jive and solve puzzles, making his way through Puzzle Land.That's it… There's no big epic back story. No campaign to follow. Just good music, great visuals and fun times!
You will be presented with a game board and need to navigate BouncyBoi to the finish line, overcoming puzzles and characters which will be obscuring your path. As you progress through the worlds, you'll meet new and interesting challenges to test your problem solving abilities.
Related:Next Week on Xbox: March 28 to April 1Celebrating Nine Years of ID@XboxNext Week on Xbox: March 21 to 25


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1863-01-09 Arkansas Post
Arkansas, Battles, Trans-Mississippi Theater
Start: 1863-01-09 End: 1863-01-11
The Battle of Arkansas Post, or the Battle of Fort Hindman, was fought January 9–11, 1863, near the mouth of the Arkansas River at Arkansas Post, Arkansas, as part of the Vicksburg Campaign of the American Civil War.
The Confederate Army constructed a large, four-sided earthwork fortification near Arkansas Post, on a bluff 25 feet above the north side of the river, forty-five miles downriver from Pine Bluff, to protect the Arkansas River and prevent Union Army passage to Little Rock. The fort commanded a mile view up and downriver. It was a base for disrupting shipping on the Mississippi River. The fort was named Fort Hindman in honor of General Thomas C. Hindman of Arkansas. It was manned by approximately 5,000 men, primarily Texas cavalry, dismounted and redeployed as infantry, and Arkansas infantry, in three brigades under Brig. Gen. Thomas J. Churchill. By the winter of 1862–63, disease and their life at the end of a tenuous supply chain had left the garrison at Fort Hindman in a poor state.
Union Maj. Gen. John A. McClernand was an ambitious politician and had permission from President Abraham Lincoln to launch a corps-sized offensive against Vicksburg from Memphis, Tennessee, hoping for military glory (and subsequent political gain). This plan was at odds with those of Army of the Tennessee commander, Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant. McClernand ordered Grant's subordinate, Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman, to join the troops of his corps with McClernand's, calling the two corps the Army of the Mississippi, approximately 33,000 men. On January 4, he launched a combined army-navy movement on Arkansas Post, rather than Vicksburg, as he had told Lincoln (and did not bother to inform Grant or the general in chief, Maj. Gen. Henry W. Halleck).
Union boats began landing troops near Notrebe's Plantation, 3 miles below Arkansas Post in the evening of January 9. The troops started up river towards Fort Hindman and Sherman's corps overran the Confederate trenches. The enemy retreated to the protection of the fort, anchored on the east by the Arkansas River, and adjacent rifle-pits running west across the neck of land. By 11:00 am the following morning the remainder of the Union army had gone ashore. Churchill was stunned by the overwhelming size of the Union force and immediately requested reinforcements from his superior, Theophilus H. Holmes. Holmes advised Churchill to
"… hold out till help arrived or until all dead."
On January 10, the Union army moved upriver to fully invest the Confederate garrison. Two brigades from Peter J. Osterhaus' division of George W. Morgan's corps were detached from the main movement of the army. Colonel Daniel W. Lindsey's brigade was put ashore on the riverbank opposite the fort and Colonel John F. De Courcey's brigade was held in reserve near the initial landing site. Morgan advanced Osterhaus (accompanying his remaining brigade) along the levee of the river following by his remaining division under Andrew J. Smith. Sherman followed with David Stuart's division along the river and sent his other division under Frederick Steele inland to find a flanking route but failed due to swampy land and impassable roads. The advance of Morgan's column overran the first line of Confederate trenches manned largely by dismounted Texas cavalry.
As McClernand's soldiers moved against the fort, Porter's gunboats; Baron DeKalb, Louisville and Cincinnati, moved against the fort. The Navy pounded the fort at a range of 400 yards. The Union tinclad Rattler moved in too close, ran aground and took heavy fire at point blank range from the fort. After several hours the naval bombardment had inflicted heavy losses to the Confederate artillery. Meanwhile, McClernand sent an army lieutenant up a tree to observe if Morgan and Sherman's troops were in place. The lieutenant reported they were in place and ready to assault, but Sherman's troops were still moving into position through muddy swamps. By the time the Navy's attack concluded it was too dark for the infantry to assault although some skirmishing had taken place.
On the morning of January 11 McClernand's forces were deployed in an arc facing Fort Hindman and its rifle-pits. Running West to East were the divisions of Steele, Stuart, Smith with Osterhaus anchored on the Arkansas River. Churchill's defenses were manned by Colonel James Deshler's brigade on the left and Colonel Robert Garland's brigade on the right. McClernand's infantry attacked around 1:00pm and made little progress at first. At the same time Porter's gunboats moved in to attack aided by Colonel Lindsey's brigade across the river. Within an hour the fort's east face was reduced to rubble and its artillery silenced. Steele's attack on the west was led by the brigades of Brig. Gens. Charles E. Hovey and John M. Thayer with Francis P. Blair, Jr. in reserve. To the east Stuart supported with the brigades of Colonels Giles Smith and Thomas Kilby Smith against the rifle pits of Deshler's Arkansas and Texas soldiers. In the center A.J. Smith spearheaded his attack with Brig. Gen. Stephen G. Burbridge's brigade supported by Colonel William J. Landram. Burbridge's men became embroiled in small arms fight which caused more than 1/3 of all Union casualties. Osterhaus advanced against the fort with Colonel Lionel A. Sheldon's single brigade.
At 4:30pm McClernand was planning to order one massive assault against the defenders when white flags of surrender began to appear. The battle ended with some confusion. Porter's gunboats picked up infantry from Lindsey's brigade and ferried them across the river where they climbed into the crumbling remains of Fort Hindman. Porter personally accepted the surrender of Colonel John Dunnington who was in charge of the fort's artillery. General Steele entered the rifle-pits under a flag of truce to discuss surrender with Colonel Deshler. As the two conferred, Deshler noticed Steele's men continually moving closer and demanded they be ordered to stop or he'd open fire again. General Sherman arrived on the scene to personally seek out Churchill. However, Sherman stood by as Churchill and Colonel Garland became involved in an argument over surrendering. Garland claimed he had been ordered to surrender while Churchill denied giving such an order. Colonel Deshler rode up from his front and declared to the group he had not surrendered at all and insisted on renewing the fight. Sherman ended the argument by pointing out the Union forces had all but occupied the Confederate's works. Some Union soldiers had even begun disarming the Confederates. One final scene took place as a Union staff officer rode into the fort and demanded the Navy vacate, so A.J. Smith's infantry could take possession. However, the fort had already been surrendered to Porter. Colonel Dunnington, who had a background in the Navy, conceded a small satisfaction at being able to surrender to a fellow naval officer instead of the infantry.
The defeat at Arkansas Post cost the Confederacy fully one-fourth of its deployed force in Arkansas, the largest surrender of Rebel troops west of the Mississippi River prior to the final capitulation of the Confederates in 1865.
Union forces suffered 1,047 casualties, with 134 killed; Confederate about 5,500, almost all by surrender. Although Union losses were high and the victory did not contribute to the capture of Vicksburg, it did eliminate one more impediment to Union shipping on the Mississippi. Grant was furious at McClernand's diversion from his overall campaign strategy, ordered him back to the Mississippi, disbanded the Army of the Mississippi, and assumed personal command of the Vicksburg Campaign.
That Grant removed McClernand for this reason is a contested point. In his Memoirs (Loc 5013), Gen. W.T. Sherman said that no word was received from Grant until after the battle. On the 13th – when the army rendezvoused at the mouth of the Arkansas River after destroying the fort – McClernand showed Sherman the letter in which Grant disapproved of the plan. Sherman notes that Grant's letter was written before the outcome of the battle was known:
"When informed of this, and of the promptness with which it had been executed, he could not but approve."
5,500 709 k&w
References: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Arkansas_Post

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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At approximately 1 a.m. on January 24, a tractor-trailer traveling on I-10 in Lafayette, Louisiana, failed to slow down in a construction zone and crashed into the back of another vehicle. The impact started a chain reaction of rear-end collisions that ultimately involved five or six vehicles. Geri Ann Glasco, 24, was in one of the vehicles and was one of two people who died at the scene.
Glasco was a member of the softball staff at Louisiana University, where her father was the head softball coach. She was a four-time all-state softball player in high school and the 2012 Gatorade High School Player of the Year. After high school, she spent two years at the University of Georgia, where she was named SEC softball Co-Freshman of the Year. At the time she attended UGA, Glasco's father was an assistant softball coach.
Louisiana University and National Pro Fastpitch also released messages of condolence regarding Glasco's passing.


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Super Comics: Sonic the Hedgehog (IDW) – #20
Sonic the Hedgehog (the comic book series) and all the images you see in this recap are owned by IDW and SEGA of America
We're back with another issue of Night of the Living Hedgehogs as our very much alive Sonic (I'm assuming Amy is alive as well) continues to face the unending hoard of Zombots that Eggman has unleashed upon the world! The resistance is running out of resources, Sonic is running out of stamina, and I'm running out of interest for these continuous attacks that we've been reading about over and over again! Can the writers give us just enough new ideas and interesting concepts to keep the momentum going, or will this story be so uninteresting that it'll feel like it 28 days to read it? Let's find out!!
The issue begins right where the last one did with EVIL Shadow the Hedgehog holding Sonic by the throat and making menacing gestures to him which frankly is what I assume he does most days in the first place, but I guess THE ULTIMATE LIFE FORM is as susceptible to a robo-virus as the aliens in The War of the Worlds were to the common cold. All that power, yet taken down by a lack of hand sanitizer. WHEN WILL WE LEARN!? Some other time perhaps because Sonic and Shadow are about to lock it up for what has to be the fiftieth BILLION time and it's about as exciting as listening to Sonic go through his seven or eight catch phrases.
"TOTALLY RADICAL!! COWABUNGA!! EAT MY SHORTS!! I CAN'T STOP!! SEND HELP!!"
This entry was posted in Super Comics and tagged Bracardi Curry, comics, David Mariotte, Ian Flynn, IDW, Jack Lawrence, Megan Brown, Sega, Shawn Lee, Sonic the Hedgehog, video game on August 30, 2019 by Matt Vetrano.
Cinema Dispatch: The Banana Splits Movie
The Banana Splits Movie and all the images you see in this review are owned by Warner Bros Home Entertainment
Directed by Danishka Esterhazy
Well… I guess we're finally here. After months of speculation and a couple of pieces by yours truly, we finally find out if this horror themed Banana Splits movie can justify its ludicrous premise. I've made no bones about the fact that I'm not looking forward to this, especially when it's so blatantly trying to jump on the Five Nights at Freddy's bandwagon with a property that isn't even REMOTELY applicable (a Country Bear Jamboree horror film would make WAY more sense), but maybe the filmmakers know something I don't and have found an angle to tell this story from that will make it an interesting examination of these characters and their place in popular culture instead of just a cheap attention grabbing cash in. Yeah, it's probably the latter but let's find out!!
The Williams Family wanted nothing more than for little Harley's birthday (Finlay Wotjak-Hissong) to go perfectly and the best way to do that would be to take him to see a live taping of his FAVORITE show; The Banana Splits; a quartet of singing animals made up of Fleegle the beagle, Bingo the ape, Drooper the lion, and Snorky the elephant (voiced by Eric Bauza). In this universe however, I guess the Banana Splits are the entire half hour instead of the bumper between cartoons and they use a retro-sixties aesthetic… ironically maybe? Well whatever the case may be, his mother Beth (Dani Kind) managed to score five tickets to take the both of them along with his dad Mitch (Steve Lund) and his step brother Austin (Romeo Carere) along with a friend from school Zoe (Maria Nash) who's too cool for the Splits but has to go anyway. Once they get to the studio where it's filmed which is located WAY in the back of the lot, we learn that The Banana Splits, while successful (somehow) is a production of many frustrations. The stage manager Rebecca (Sara Canning) has to manage the incompetent staff as well as the overly dramatic Stevie (Richard White) who's the only human in the cast and drinks his sorrows away on a daily basis. Fortunately The Splits themselves aren't as troublesome as they are LITERALLY ADVANCED ROBOTIC ENTERTAINERS that this studio can somehow afford and are regularly maintained by the overly enthusiastic programmer Karl (Lionel Newton), and most everything else is managed by the page Paige (Naledi Majola) who is way sicker of that joke than you are. Well in case you weren't sure what movie we were watching, the robotic Splits end up getting a crappy firmware update and start to go on a murdering rampage as soon as the taping is over and the only ones left in the studio are a few employees and the lucky few who were chosen to meet The Splits in person; including the Williams family. Will anyone be left alive after The Splits enact whatever horrifying machinations they are dead set on enacting? Are the true Splits still somewhere within those cold metal shells, and is there a way that Harley can reach them? Even if he could though, who would WANT to reach them? Bunch of dead eyed Chuck-E-Cheese rejects. Back in my day, The Banana Splits had life and personality; not circuits and microchips con-sarn-it!
"NOT PROGRAMMED FOR AFFECTION! HUG PROTOCOLS ARE IN BETA!!" "Aww… I love you to Bingo!"
This entry was posted in Cinema Dispatch and tagged Celina Martin, Dani Kind, Daniel Fox, Danishka Esterhazy, Eric Bauza, Finlay Wotjak-Hissong, Hanna-Barbera, Horror, Keeno Lee Hector, Kiroshan Naidoo, Lia Sachs, Lionel Newton, Maria Nash, Movie Review, Naledi Majola, Richard White, Romeo Carere, Sara Canning, Steve Lund, syfy, Vash Singh, Warner Bros on August 29, 2019 by Matt Vetrano.
Cinema Dispatch: Angel Has Fallen
Angel Has Fallen and all the images you see in this review are owned by Lionsgate
Directed by Ric Roman Waugh
I didn't want to see this movie. Did ANYONE want to see this movie after that horrendous sequel? If anything worthwhile had come out this week I would have seen that instead, but for some reason things are just drying up between now and IT Chapter 2, so I guess I'll take what I can get even if it's… this thing. Frankly I would have preferred a sequel to that submarine movie he did with the dude from Black Flag, but no one went to see that one and EVERYONE went to see the one where Muslims destroy London, so once again I find myself at the mercy of mainstream taste when entering the multiplex. Hey, at least it got us the MCU and WAY more Purge movies than anyone could have expected, so it might be worth taking the bad along with the good. Does this movie manage to redeem a franchise after such an abysmal second outing, or will the trend continue downward with such velocity that it buries straight down into the center of the Earth? No I'm not sure what that means, but let's find out!!
Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is the unstoppable badass of the Secret Service who kicks butt and takes names like nobody's business in service of the President who is now Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) taking over for Benjamin Asher. I don't THINK he died in the last movie so that would mean Trumbull got elected or President Asher died of some other means that Banning couldn't punch his way out of. ANYWAY! What you may not have expected is that despite this being movie three it's actually a Rocky 5 because all the damage that Banning has accrued over the movies we saw and the missions we didn't have started to catch up to him as he has to take pain pills to manage his headaches and insomnia which have only gotten progressively worse. Maybe it's time to think about a desk job like his friend Wade Jennings (Danny Huston) who runs a PMC that I'm sure will have NOTHING to do with what's about to happen! While on a fishing trip, President Trumbull is attacked by a swarm of exploding drones that kills EVERYONE there except for Trumbull who is in a coma and Mike Banning who just barely escaped with his life. That's the good news, but the bad news he's about to hear is PRETTY bad as FBI agent Helen Thompson (Jada Pinkett Smith) has found enough evidence to convict Banning of trying to assassinate the president! Apparently he couldn't knock him into the water and say he slipped, he had to send out EXPLODING DRONES to cause MASSIVE explosions that he could have easily been caught in and managed to kill everyone EXCEPT his target. Sure. Okay then. Well it's hardly a surprise that Banning manages to escape custody and finds out that he's being set up by the only new character introduced in this movie; namely his PMC buddy Wade who is using the full force of his company to try and kill him and any other American citizen in the way so he can cover up this frame job. Mike is gonna need to recall all his skills, his wits, and even enlist the help of his estranged father Clay (Nick Nolte) to clear his name, stop the PMC and save the President if there's time for that too. Can Mike Banning save the world once again, even if his buddy is the one pulling the strings? What do they have planned once Mike is dead, and are there greater forces at play in this grand scheme of theirs? Out of ALL the people to put the frame on, why would they do it to the ONE person who managed to save the White House AND all of London already? Couldn't they pin it on Agent Bob or something? I doubt he's stabbed even HALF as many people as Banning has!
"This is the LAST time I cover for you, Bob! SO not worth the overtime!"
This entry was posted in Cinema Dispatch and tagged Chris Browning, Danny Huston, Frederick Schmidt, Gerard Butler, Jada Pinkett Smith, Joseph Millson, Lance Reddick, Lionsgate, Mark Arnold, Michael Landes, Morgan Freeman, Movie Review, Nick Nolte, Ori Pfeffer, Piper Perabo, Ric Roman Waugh, Tim Blake Nelson on August 28, 2019 by Matt Vetrano.
Super Comics: Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Special (2017)
Suicide Squad/Banana Splits Special (2017) and all the images you see in this recap are owned by DC Comics
Remember when I talked about that Banana Splits Movie trailer as well as the current state of Hannah-Barbara properties? Remember how I said I'd review the Suicide Squad/Banana Splits crossover comic? Oh to be so young and so naïve as I was… two months ago. Seriously, I was CERTAIN that I already reviewed this thing, but as the release date for that Banana Splits movie started to get closer and closer, I tried to find the review on this website and nothing! Nada! Zilch and so on! Well better late the never, I suppose, and I still managed to finish this blasted thing before the movie came out, so I'll take my small victories where I can! ANYWAY! Does this comic capture the spirit of the original series and make the Banana Splits relevant again? Well no, because I already told you that when I talked about it back in June, but let's take a look anyway!!
The issue begins with The Banana Splits (Fleegle the beagle, Bingo the ape, Drooper the lion, and Snorky the elephant, though the issue doesn't even bother with introductions) being pulled over for what I can only assume is speeding, but then again it wouldn't surprise me if it was for driving while furry considering what happens next. You'd think the cops of the DC Universe would be used to non-humanoids by now, but it seems like the writers are trying to make some sort of cultural critique here about police brutality and the criminalization of non-white bodies. I mean I GUESS I can appreciate the effort but I don't think THE BANANA SPLITS are the best vehicle for it.
DOG LIVES MATTER!!
This entry was posted in Super Comics, Uncategorized and tagged Ben Caldwell, Brittany Holzherr, Carlos D'Anda, DC comics, Hanna-Barbera, Jeremy Lawson, Marie Javins, Mark Morales, Sid and Marty Krofft, Tony Bedard on August 26, 2019 by Matt Vetrano.
Cinema Dispatch: Ready or Not
Ready or Not and all the images you see in this review are owned by Fox Searchlight and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett
Has it been a bad year for horror films? There have certainly been quite a few misses like the Child's Play remake, Ma, and whatever the heck Brightburn was supposed to be, but we also had fun stuff like The Intruder and even a genuinely great horror film like Us, so the year isn't a TOTAL miss as far for these kinds of films. Still, we could always use a few more quality flicks here and there since it's becoming one of the few reliably bankable genres now that Disney Remake has become its own ginormous slice of the pie and pretty much everything else is heading towards the streaming model to stay afloat. Wait a minute… this is a Fox Searchlight movie which means it's STILL DISNEY! HORROR SHOCK!! Anyway! Does this grotesque spin on the children's game of Hide and Seek end up being a new classic for the genre, or will we regret ever looking for it in the first place? Let's find out!!
Grace (Samara Weaving), who I can only assume plays a professional Margot Robbie impersonator in this movie, is getting married to Alex Le Domas (Mark O'Brien) who is an heir to the VAST Le Domas fortune which was made through board games and other such ventures. The family seems pleasant enough despite being a collection of old money weirdos, but things take an… interesting turn when on their wedding night at the gigantic Le Domas estate, the family requests that Grace take part in a tradition of their where the newest member of the family has to play a game at the stroke of midnight. The head of the family Tony (Henry Czerny) explains that this MYSTERIOUS box given to his great grandfather by their original benefactor will spit out a card with a game printed on it, and they will play that game which will officially bring her into the family. Will it be chess? Parcheesi? Do the Urkel? No, the game turns out to be Hide and Seek which seems a bit childish, but Grace is up for it if it means getting along with her new family who mysteriously went quiet just now. Anyway, she runs and hides, gets bored and starts wandering the halls, and then Alex brings her into a room to explain that the rest of those mo-fos are going to kill her if they find her because of reasons that… well he doesn't quite explain there and I'm not about to spoil it here. The point is that she's got to find a way to avoid detection and even fight back if the need arises while Alex tries to find a way for them to escape, and as the night goes on the family starts to get more and more desperate as there seems to be quite a bit at stake here. Can Grace manage to escape this house with her internal organs, as well as her marriage, intact? What is the family hiding that could possibly explain why a game of hide and seek has turned into the home version of The Most Dangerous Game? Is it just me, or do these rich jerks seem WOEFULLY unprepared for this?
This entry was posted in Cinema Dispatch and tagged Adam Brody, Andie MacDowell, Chad Villella, Chase Churchill, disney, Elana Dunkelman, Elyse Levesque, Ethan Tavares, Etienne Kellici, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Henry Czerny, John Ralston, Kate Ziegler, Kristian Bruun, Liam MacDonald, Mark O'Brien, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Melanie Scrofano, Movie Review, Nat Faxon, Nicky Guadagni, Radio Silence, Samara Weaving, Tyler Gillett on August 24, 2019 by Matt Vetrano.
Cinema Dispatch: Blinded by the Light
Blinded by the Light and all the images you see in this review are owned by Warner Bros. Pictures
Directed by Gurinder Chadha
See, I was confused about this movie when I first heard about it because of the title. Blinded by the Light is a Manfred Mann song, right? I'm not the only one who thought this? Well apparently it WAS a Springsteen song first which either goes to show my utter lack of musical knowledge or just how much THE BETTER VERSION has overshadowed the original. Seriously, they play the Springsteen version at one point, and I was pretty much meh on it. The song NEEDS those chopsticks! ANYWAY! Since Boomer Music is all the rage these days we were surely going to get the Springsteen movie at some point, and for someone like me who barely knows anything about the guy (Baby We Were Born to Run, Born in the USA, and… well that's about it), this might be the perfect way to educate me about his place is musical history while also telling a compelling narrative about an immigrant family in Thatcher's Britain since this is apparently based on a true story about a guy I've never heard of. A movie about a musician I know nothing about told through the life story of a person I know nothing about. Probably should have done some homework ahead of time, but regardless of all that; is this a good movie about the music that inspired a man to live out his dreams? Let's find out!
Javed Khan (Viveik Kalra) is your typical Pakistani teenager living in Britain in the late 1980s; facing discrimination from skinheads in the neighborhood and barely getting along with his family at home. His father expects him to get a high paying (and very boring) job once he graduates from college and until then he studies, he works lousy jobs, and he stays away from all the white kids having parties and premarital sex; the only solace from the drudgery being the poems and essays he writes every day. Not for mass consumption of course since his father would never approve, but it's at least SOMETHING that makes him a little bit happier. If only there was someone out there who can open his eyes to the world he's missing out on! If only there was a… musical artist let's say, who understands his plight and can reach him on an emotional level that nothing else has before! Well luckily for Javed, he meets someone at school named Roops (Aaron Phagura) who tells him about… The Boss. Have you heard the good word about The Boss? Well in case you hadn't heard, The Boss is Bruce Springsteen and he writes music that transcends generation, nationality, and race; so much so that this sad Pakistani teenager gets a new lease on life after two cassettes worth of rock and roll goodness! Can Javed turn his life around and start to follow his dreams instead of living up to the expectations of his father? How will his family react to his new taste in music and the rebellious attitude that comes along with it? Can he REALLY pull off the sleeveless flannel look? Then again, can any of us?
"Look at my hair, and know that I am judging you." "Whatevs. I look GOOD!"
This entry was posted in Cinema Dispatch and tagged Aaron Phagura, Dean-Charles Chapman, Gurinder Chadha, Hayley Atwell, Jonno Davies, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Ganatra, Movie Review, Nell Williams, Rob Brydon, Sally Phillips, Sarfraz Manzoor, Viveik Kalra, Warner Bros on August 22, 2019 by Matt Vetrano.
Cinema Dispatch: Good Boys
Good Boys and all the images you see in this review are owned by Universal Pictures
Directed by Gene Stupnitsky
Okay, hear me out. What if we took a movie… but remade it with kids!? WHY HASN'T ANYONE THOUGHT OF THIS BEFORE!? Heck, let's go ahead and add a baby to a sitcom! THAT'LL blow some people's minds, I tell you what! Okay, so a bunch of kids doing things they shouldn't be doing on screen isn't the MOST unique premise out there, but then neither is the whole COMING OF AGE narrative that this film along with plenty of other films I love revolve their entire plot around. Plus, it's being produced by Seth Rogen which is a good sign in my book as he has a good eye for comedy even when he doesn't star in the films themselves. Is this yet another fun raunchy comedy from a creative team that has turned the genre into an art form, or is this a worse idea than Another Bad Creation? Let's find out!!
The Beanbag Boys consisting of Max, Thor, and Lucas (Jacob Tremblay, Brady Noon, and Keith L Williams) are a trio of friends who are about to enter the scary world of… MIDDLE SCHOOL! BUM-BUM-BUUUUUUUMM! Truly the testing ground for all men who will either face the challenge head on or crash and burn in spectacular fashion ; becoming a pariah for all time. Well at least that's what they think as their plan is to get in with the COOL kids by sipping beer, NOT auditioning for the school play which Thor was really looking forward to, and going to the KISSING PARTY. They get the invite at least, but none of them ACTUALLY know how to kiss so they decide the BEST option would to take Max's dad's drone and use it to spy on the neighbors Hannah and Lilly (Molly Gordon and Midori Francis) who are college kids and therefore must be making out all the time. Well circumstances get out of control very quickly as the kids lose the drone which gets destroyed, they end up stealing Hannah and Lilly's drugs, and they have to make it to the mall to buy a new drone before Max's dad gets home; all the while STILL not prepared for the KISSING PARTY happening that night! Can the Beanbag Boys put their heads together and get everything fixed before bedtime? What toll will this adventure take on them, and can their friendship survive it? Will they unlock the mysteries of the universe on this treacherous journey!?
"Oh! I know this one! If it bleeds, we can kill it!" "If WHAT bleeds?"
This entry was posted in Cinema Dispatch and tagged Benita Ha, Brady Noon, Chance Hurtsfield, Christian Darrel, comedy, Izaac Wang, Jacob Tremblay, Josh Caras, Keith L Williams, Lee Eisenberg, Lil Rel Howery, Michaela Watkins, Midori Francis, Millie, Molly Gordon, Movie Review, Retta, Sam Richardson, Stephen Merchant, Will Forte on August 19, 2019 by Matt Vetrano.


Download "Keith Ralston fonds. Compiled by Erwin Wodarczak (2012) University of British Columbia Archives"
4 Record Office, Hudson s Bay Company Research, Research, Associations, Personal, and Day Books. Notes File list available. Related records may be found in the B.C. Fisheries Research Collection, and in the Ralston Family fonds in UBC Rare Books and Special Collections.
5 Department of History series cm. Series Descriptions Series consists of textual records arising from Ralston s teaching and other activities in the UBC Department of History, and includes course handouts, correspondence, minutes, and Ralston s obituary of former department head Margaret Ormsby. Thesis series cm. Series consists of Ralston s original proposal for his MA thesis, along with various drafts and related documentation. Dictionary of Canadian Biography series cm. Series consists of materials related to biographical articles written by Ralston for the Dictionary of Canadian Biography (DCB), and includes research notes, drafts, finished articles, and lists of historical individuals considered for inclusion in the DCB. Cowichan Fishing Case series cm. Series consists of textual materials relating to a First Nation fishing rights case which Ralston researched and wrote about, and includes correspondence, written notes, newspaper clippings, and typewritten manuscripts. Public Record Office series cm. Series consists of textual records relating to Ralston s Canada Council-funded leave to conduct research at the Public Records Office in London, UK, and includes correspondence and written notes. Hudson s Bay Company Research series cm. Series consists of textual records relating to Ralston s research at the Hudson s Bay Company archives in Winnipeg, and includes correspondence, written notes, copies of original documents, typewritten manuscripts, and copies of published articles.
6 Research series cm. Series consists of textual records relating to Ralston s research activities and written articles on various topics, and includes correspondence, written notes, typewritten manuscripts, and copies of published articles. Associations series cm. Series consists of textual records documenting Ralston s relationships with various historical and political organizations, and includes correspondence, newsletters, minutes, and conference materials. Personal series cm. Series consists of textual records relating to Ralston s personal life and interests, and includes correspondence, newspaper clippings, and minutes. Day Books series cm. Series consists of day books and similar bound volumes which Ralston used to track his activities and appointments. Of twenty items originally received, five day books were retained as a sampling to illustrate how Ralston organized his life and activities.
NOTES ON CONTRIBUTORS Peter Boxall is Professor of English at the University of Sussex. His research has focused on the relationship between aesthetics and politics in modernist and contemporary writing.
Zimmerman House Collection Finding Aid. Extent Approximately 45 linear feet, plus an architectural drawing storage cabinet.


text:
I Will End Insecurity Before 2023 – Buhari
President Muhammadu Buhari has reportedly assured Nigerians that he would see to the end of insecurity across the country before the end of his tenure.
He reportedly made this known when he paid a visit to the Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Sa'ad Abubakar on Thursday.
According to him, he has ordered the military and other security agencies to crush bandits in the northern part of the country.
The president also maintained that the current happening in the North West is disturbing, with people of the same culture killing themselves with no clear reasons.
Meanwhile, the President, condoled with the people of Sokoto over the recent loss of lives and property as a result of attacks by bandits and other criminal gangs, assuring the people that he remains unrelenting in his resolve to put an end to heinous criminal activities in the state and other parts of the country.
Writing in the condolence register, he stated, "My condolences to the Sultanate, the Government, and people of Sokoto State over the recent mindless killings by bandits and terrorists. Nigeria shall win the battle over evil."
https://punchng.com/buhari-recommits-to-ending-insecurity-before-2023/?amp
Egypt To Aid Nigeria In Preserving Stolen Artifacts
IPOB: I'll Emerge Victorious – Nnamdi Kanu
Breaking News: John McAfee Found Dead in Spanish Prison Cell
The iron law of oligarchy – United States
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Axie Infinity (AXS) $ 9.16
Frax (FRAX) $ 1.00


text:
The Party of Wales Arfon Standing up for the people of Arfon
Siân Gwenllian AM
Siân's Blog
Contact Siân
Siân's Twitter
Siân's Facebook
Hywel Williams MP
Hywel's Facebook
Hywel's Twitter
Bangor Medical School
Safeguarding Maternity Services
Retain essential services at Ysbyty Gwynedd
Plaid Cymru's website
Ewch i wefan Gymraeg
Arfon AM raises awareness of importance of Welsh dairy industry
Posted on October 19 2018, 4:52 PM
In the Assembly last week World School Milk Day was celebrated with the Members all receiving a pint of Welsh milk as a symbol of the importance of the Welsh dairy industry. One of those to receive the milk – from a local dairy – was Arfon AM for Plaid Cymru, Sian Gwenllian.
"At the moment school children receive free milk at school, which is so important for their health," said Siân Gwenllian, "and is in turn vital for the health of the dairy industry here in Wales, which plays such a major role in our rural economy. World School Milk Day is a fantastic opportunity to draw attention to the importance of milk for us all, as it gives every child in Wales an excellent start in life, helping them grow into healthy adults."
Llyr Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru's Shadow Education Secretary launched the day in Wales [Wed, 26 Sept] by delivering a pint of Welsh milk from Cowbridge farmer Rhys Lougher of Tŷ Tanglwyst dairy to every Assembly Member.
Mr Gruffydd said: "Maintaining free school milk for primary school pupils is vital both for youngsters' health and the Welsh dairy industry. World School Milk Day is an international campaign to emphasise the importance of milk for growing youngsters. Children require lots of nutrients and energy from foods to ensure adequate growth and development, and a carton of semi-skimmed milk can provide 42% of 7-10 year olds recommended daily intake for calcium and 24% of their recommended protein intake.
"It's also important for the dairy industry in Wales that we promote Welsh produce in our schools and strengthen that connection between farmers and the consumers of the future.
"I will be delivering the milk provided by the National Farmers' Union in Wales to every Assembly Member in the building to remind all our politicians of the importance of good nutrition for our children and also for the dairy industry."
Mr Gruffydd also said that free school milk, currently provided free to Foundation Phase children and at a subsidised rate for other primary school children, is currently funded in part by the EU and will need to be maintained post-Brexit.
One of the Members to receive a pint of milk from Llyr Gruffydd is Siân Gwenllian, AM for Arfon, and she said:
"I was very pleased to receive a drink of Welsh milk first thing in the morning, delivered by Llyr but from Tŷ Tanglwyst dairy – my constituency is in a rural area where many of my constituents are farmers and many of the communities I represent depend on the farming industry which has dairy at its heart. Receiving the pint of milk was an effective way of reminding us of the hard work that goes on quietly in our communities with our farmers producing dairy food and drink that we take entirely for granted. With the threat of Brexit looming, I'm painfully aware of the danger to our farmers who we depend on so much for our food, and it was a timely reminder of that this morning when I received the milk."
NFU Cymru Milk Board Chairman Gareth Richards said: "I'd like to thank Llyr Gruffydd for arranging this event and for taking the time to highlight to his AM colleagues how important milk and other dairy products are to children's development. I do hope they enjoyed starting their day with a pint of fresh, Welsh milk. I'd also like to thank fellow dairy farmer and NFU Cymru member Rhys Lougher from Tŷ Tanglwyst Dairy for supplying the milk.
"World School Milk Day was the perfect opportunity to highlight its importance and the vital role it has in helping children maintain a healthy, balanced diet. Drinking milk at school-age is critical to tackle rising obesity levels, dehydration and young people's deficiencies in important nutrients like iodine and calcium.
"At NFU Cymru we are committed to ensuring that milk and other dairy products remain accessible and affordable to schools to help promote a healthy, balanced diet, support the Welsh dairy industry, and develop consumption trends for the future."
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text:
Q: How to pass data from  Spring MVC I would like to share my problem with you.
I built on jsp page and use on my page some of <form:select> it use <form:select> to extract and render data from DB when I request the page search.jsp and user have to select one:
<form action="result" method="get" >

    Date fro DB:
    <form:select  path="listOfDates">
    <form:option value="NONE"> --SELECT--</form:option>
    <form:options items="${listOfDates}"></form:options>
    </form:select>

    Name of company from DB:
    <form:select  path="listOfInstitutionsNames">
    <form:option value="NONE"> --SELECT--</form:option>
    <form:options items="${listOfInstitutionsNames}"></form:options>
    </form:select>

    Type of company from DB:

    <form:select  path="listOfInstitutionsTypes">
    <form:option value="NONE"> --SELECT--</form:option>
    <form:options items="${listOfInstitutionsTypes}"></form:options>
    </form:select>

    <input type="submit" value="Извлечь"/>

    </form>

I need to pass what user select as request parameter to my controller, here is the code of controller:
@Controller
public class HomeController{

    @Autowired
    private ControllerSupportClass controllerSupportClass;

        @RequestMapping(value="/search", method=RequestMethod.GET)
        public String search(Model model) {

            List<Date> listOfDates = controllerSupportClass.findAllDatesForm();
            List<String> listOfInstitutionsNames = controllerSupportClass.findAllInstitutionsForm();
            List<String> listOfInstitutionsTypes = controllerSupportClass.findAllTypesForm();
            model.addAttribute("listOfInstitutionsTypes", listOfInstitutionsTypes);
            model.addAttribute("listOfInstitutionsNames", listOfInstitutionsNames);
            model.addAttribute("listOfDates", listOfDates);

            return "search";

        }

        @RequestMapping(value ="/result", method=RequestMethod.GET)
        public String SecondActionPage(@RequestParam String particularDate,
                                       @RequestParam String nameOfInstitution,
                                       @RequestParam String typeName,
                                       Model model) throws Exception {

                if(particularDate !="" && nameOfInstitution.trim() !="" && typeName.trim()=="") {
                    controllerSupportClass.findWithDateAndName(nameOfInstitution, particularDate, model);
                } else if(particularDate.trim() !="" && nameOfInstitution.trim() =="" && typeName.trim() !="") {
                    controllerSupportClass.findWithAddedDateAndType(typeName, particularDate, model);
                } else if(particularDate.trim() !="" && nameOfInstitution.trim() =="" && typeName.trim() ==""){
                    controllerSupportClass.findWithAddedDate(particularDate, model);
                } else if(particularDate.trim() !="" && nameOfInstitution.trim() !="" && typeName.trim() !="") {
                    throw new Exception("Search by choose all parameters is not exceptable");
                } else {
                    throw new Exception("You didn't put any search parameters");
                }
            return "search";
        }

}

As you can see my SecondActionPage() method use @RequestParam annotation to get parameters from url and after validate them and pass them to another method to extract data corresponding on request parameters...  But problem is that I can't to pass them. It just show me like this http://localhost:8080/controller/result? and after ? nothing passing. How can I pass this all my choosen parameters from serach.jsp thank you.

A: I believe you should use <form:select> inside the <form:form>.
It should look like this:
search.jsp:
<form:form modelAttribute="myform" action="result" method="get" >
  <form:select  path="nameOfInstitution">
    <form:option value="NONE"> --SELECT--</form:option>
    <form:options items="${listOfInstitutionsNames}"></form:options>
  </form:select>
  ...
</form:form>

HomeController.java:
@RequestMapping(value = "/search", method = RequestMethod.GET)
public String search(Model model) {
  ...
  model.addAttribute("myform", new MyForm());
  return "search";
}

@RequestMapping(value = "/result", method = RequestMethod.GET)
public String SecondActionPage(@RequestParam String nameOfInstitution,
    Model model,
    @ModelAttribute("myform") MyForm myform)
    throws Exception {
  ...
}

MyForm.java:
public class MyForm {
  private String nameOfInstitution;

  public String getNameOfInstitution() {
    return nameOfInstitution;
  }

  public void setNameOfInstitution(String nameOfInstitution) {
    this.nameOfInstitution = nameOfInstitution;
  }
}

Hope this helps.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Yep, it's time for another post of random junk clogging up my inbox. I e-mail myself all sorts of links for possible blog posts. Since Loose Ends and Subway Surface (from this Friday Streets of Glasgow) are taking up two of my three or four posts a week, posts about other things get squeezed out. Hence posts like these with a jumble of different ideas, a gallimaufry, in fact.
First is a recent story from the East Lothian Courier about how North Berwick is one of the twenty most charming towns in Scotland, alongside Anstruther, Broughty Ferry, Crieff, Cromarty, Falkirk, Fort William, Kelso, Kirkcudbright, Millport, Oban, Pitlochry, Pittenweem, Plockton, Portree, St Andrews, Stornoway, Stromness, Tobermory and Ullapool. Apparently NB is on the list due to the birdlife and golf courses around and about. No arguments from me, even with the golf. What struck me when I saw this list is some of the surprising choices on it. I've been to fifteen of them and I wouldn't say Falkirk or Fort William are really that charming. Falkirk in particular has a pleasant town house and Callander House is okay plus the Kelpies but it is a bit of a hole apart from that. Fort William is rank too, its only saving grace that any possible direction the road takes you leads to somewhere much nicer, Mallaig, Glenfinnan, Loch Ness or Glencoe.
A memorial garden to victims of the Irish and Highland famines was recently unveiled outside the People's Palace. When I went by there the other day, the cleanup after the Transmt music festival was still in progress so I couldn't go get a good look. The helpful People's Palace directed me to an upstairs window where I could see the garden and to the Winter Gardens where there was an interesting, informative and reasoned display about why the garden was there. I hope to get back for a closer look in the next few weeks. It is thoroughly appropriate that it is there, long overdue perhaps, and done in a sensitive but powerful way.
The East Lothian Courier yielded another article about a statue of an archer that has been put up recently by the river Esk in Musselburgh. Apparently it will be part of a larger arrow trail around Musselburgh relating to various major events in the town's past including Roman settlements, battles and the Silver Arrow competition which dates from 1603. I hope to get there soon. I like imaginative public art like that.
In fashion news, there was a story on the BBC News website that tight swimming trunks are the least popular garment in Britain. I don't do Speedos, you'll be glad to hear. Other unpopular items include in order leather trousers (don't like them), Crocs (or them though I believe they are popular in hospitals because they clean up good), flares (distress), clothes with elbow patches (yup), tracksuit (in context, fine), red trousers (check out the New Town Flaneur account on Twitter for red breeks capers), Uggs (whatever), deep v-neck T-shirts (anything that shows chest hair is too much for me) and sweater vests (don't do them – too thick). I would also add jeans with holes in them. I absolutely hate them. Why pay a fortune for something that happens anyway? If you want ventilation, put on shorts.
And finally a nice story from the Edinburgh Evening News of a primary school pupil who has brought about friendship benches in her school playground where lonely kids can sit and other kids can go and befriend them. The benches were made by the charity Scottish War Blinded. I can't be cynical about stuff like this, I just think that's great. All power to Alix.
Anyway, enough of this. Easter Road West also has a post much like this one tonight though that one covers the campaign to provide female sanitary products in football grounds, as well as autism and old football grounds. That's my inbox clearer for just now, until the next time.
Crocs or similar are mandatory in operating theatres, for precisely the reasons you mention. But finding a matching pair can be a nightmare, and I've had to assist once or twice wearing odd Crocs!
I'm told that wearing odd socks is lucky so maybe odd Crocs might have a similar effect!
We were actually at the famine monument this afternoon! I first went looking for it a few weeks ago when they were setting up TRNSMT, not realising how far the cordoned off area extended. It will probably appear in the next Gallivanting post. We had to wait ages for three kids to stop playing on the upturned boat before we could get pictures. There's nothing to say you can't climb on it, but it seems a bit disrespectful to me (on the parents' part).
I agree about keeping kids from climbing on the monument. Will look forward to reading your post!


text:
UNICEF donation reaches $330,000
Grant Thornton IBR donation to UNICEF climbs over $330,000
Grant Thornton this week donated US$62,500 to UNICEF UK as part of its ongoing association through the International Business Report (IBR). This takes the total donation made through the project over the past seven years to over US$330,000.
The IBR is the leading mid-market business survey in the world, providing insight into the economic and commercial issues affecting more than 12,500 businesses in 45 economies every year.
For every interview completed Grant Thornton makes a donation of US$5 to UNICEF UK. The $330,000 donation that Grant Thornton has made over the last seven years could pay for over 30 temporary schools for children affected by natural disasters, war or displacement.
Handing over the cheque to UNICEF UK, Paul Raleigh, global leader for strategic growth and development at Grant Thornton, said, "We are delighted to continue our partnership with UNICEF. Like Grant Thornton UNICEF is a truly global organisation operating in many of the 120 economies where our 37,000 people are based.
"IBR is growing all the time – this year we started interviewing business leaders in Indonesia for the first time, taking the total number of economies the survey covers to 45. And the donation to an internationally recognised organisation is a key driver for business leaders to undertake the survey. US$5 does not sound like a lot but when multiplied by the ever increasing number of respondents, the figures are very impressive."
Kate Goldman, Director of Corporate Partnerships at UNICEF UK said: "This is a fantastic example of how a company such as Grant Thornton can help to transform children's lives through a core business activity. I want to thank Grant Thornton for their continued support which is helping to improve the lives of children across the world."
The Grant Thornton International Business Report (IBR) has been running since 1992 and is the world's leading mid-market survey, providing insight into the economic and commercial issues affecting 12,500 business leaders per year across 45 economies. For more information, please visit: www.internationalbusinessreport.com
UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything we do. Together with our partners, we work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere. For more information, please visit www.unicef.org
"Grant Thornton" refers to the brand under which the Grant Thornton member firms provide assurance, tax and advisory services to their clients and/or refers to one or more member firms, as the context requires. Grant Thornton International Ltd (GTIL) and the member firms are not a worldwide partnership. GTIL and each member firm is a separate legal entity. Services are delivered by the member firms. GTIL does not provide services to clients. GTIL and its member firms are not agents of, and do not obligate, one another and are not liable for one another's acts or omissions.
John Vita
Director of Public Relations and External Affairs
T +1 312 602 8955


text:
Warranty Conference,
Members of the AIAG detailed their effort to create an early warning system that uses new warranty data communications standards to improve product quality.
While the first morning of the Warranty Chain Management conference held earlier this month in San Francisco was helmed by representatives from the computer industry, the second morning had a decidedly automotive flavor.
During an extended 100-minute keynote address, four members of the Automotive Industry Action Group spoke in turn from the podium, assisted by additional members who joined the panel during the question and answer session at the end.
The topic of discussion was an AIAG effort to define an early warning standard for the automotive industry that could help reduce warranty expenses and boost product quality by reducing the lag time between the instance when a pattern of failure is detected and when its cause is corrected.
It sounds so simple, but of course it's not. Representatives from a subset of 60 of the AIAG's 1,000 member companies have been meeting periodically for more than a year, as an outgrowth of earlier efforts to define best practices for TREAD Act compliance. They quickly zeroed in on warranty data communications as their first target for standardization, because warranty was something understood by virtually all of the AIAG's manufacturing members.
Early Warning Standards
Marianne Grant, director of Syncata Corp., chaired the panel and described the actual scope of the AIAG Early Warning Standards initiative. Besides being an outgrowth of the AIAG's TREAD Act work group, this new effort also leverages the work of a heavy equipment work group which was engaged in quality and warranty standardization initiatives for the benefit of that industry. And it leveraged the work of other industry associations representing dealers, parts makers, and other stakeholders in the warranty chain.
"You have to strive for balance in coverage," Grant told the audience. "So you want to make sure you have the dealer's voice, you have the manufacturer's voice, and you have all the supplier voices -- Tier One and all the other tiers as well. And you want the solution providers. But you don't need it to be too heavy with any one group, because you don't any want one group swaying the whole process."
Early on, the group decided to focus on warranty, essentially because it was something they all had in common. Grant said there was a belief that if they could communicate warranty data across the industry, then other types of aftermarket communications would naturally follow.
Grant said the group periodically holds large meetings during which it brainstorms and builds consensus around what needs to be done. Then it holds more frequent and smaller meetings at which the work actually gets done. Typically, during these smaller meetings, smaller working groups each tackle a discrete piece of the puzzle, such as parts removal issues.
Experienced Organizers
The AIAG, she said, has extensive expertise with project management, especially in regards to standards making, which the warranty group has heavily relied upon. The organization has its own staff, she said, as well as a roster of member company employees who have been "lent" to the AIAG for a specific purpose.
Through both open meetings and private discussions with some of the more bashful industry players, the early warning group has now put together a good overview of "how things work" as well as some theories about how things can be improved, Grant said. Next on the agenda is to put some of these ideas into practice.
Grant said that member manufacturers and suppliers may begin implementing some of the group's standards and formats in pilot form within the next four or five months, using software provided by solutions companies that have also been part of the definition process. "We're not talking about years away," she said. "We really want to do this quickly."
Kevin Mixer, research director for the automotive practice of AMR Research Inc., provided an overview of the automotive industry and the impetus behind the drive to standardize warranty data communications. He said that like Hewlett-Packard's call to action, as delivered by Bruno Duverge the previous morning, the AIAG's early warning initiative calls for collaboration, standardization, and benchmarking efforts. But while HP is focused on the information technology industry, the AIAG is aiming at automotive manufacturers.
The need, Mixer said, is immense. In 2003 he said automotive manufacturers processed 100 million warranty claims, spending $200 million on the processing and more than $12 billion on the claims. Warranty expenses routinely consume 2%, 3%, or even 4% of a typical vehicle manufacturer's product revenue -- frequently more than they report as their net profit margin. And it's expected to get worse.
In the next three years, Mixer said, 420 new models are expected to be introduced into the North American market. "That means we are launching more product in the next five years than we have historically in the last 20," he said. It also means that product development cycles are shortening from their historical level of 36 months to as little as 12 to 18 months. And it means that automakers are looking to save on development costs by re-using designs and assemblies as frequently as possible from one model to the next.
Multiplying Recalls
The bottom line is that specific parts and modules are being tested and deployed faster and more widely across more nameplates and platforms than ever before. Therefore, if anything is missed in the rush to market, it could impact more vehicles than ever before. "When you leverage platforms across multiple product lines, and they fail, you have the potential to multiply your risk," Mixer said. If you use the same steering column in five different models, you've potentially multiplied your warranty risk five-fold should there be any problems in that module.
"No surprise: a lot of headlines last year -- 30.6 million vehicles were recalled in North America alone," Mixer said. "To put that in perspective, we built and sold 16.7 [million vehicles that year]." He added that the record volume of recalls is not at all a sign that quality is declining. In fact it's improving. What's happened is that problems have been replicated across multiple product lines.
At the same time, automotive designs have taken a decided shift towards more and more electronics. Mixer cited statistics showing that the percentage of a vehicle's production cost accounted for by electronics has grown from 22% in 1997 to 29-33% in 2005, and is expected to grow to 33-40% by 2010. "Vehicle manufacturers are looking to differentiate their products not with physical parts," Mixer said, "but with the tailoring of your vehicle to your needs, with your DVD, your CD, your surround, your passive restraints, your night vision -- all kinds of complexities and new technologies coming to enrich the vehicle and enrich the driving experience."
All this new technology inevitably results in warranty claims. One way to reduce their frequency is to re-engineer warranty systems so they provide an early warning to the manufacturer that a problem exists. That involves linking the warranty system with the product design system, so that one feeds data to the other. It also may involve links to suppliers who may have been involved in the manufacture of the problem part. If, in the old days it took 200 days for news about a pattern of failures to come back in from the field and reach people in a position to correct the problem, in a re-engineered system that lag time can be cut to 100 days. That means only half as many vehicles are produced before the problem is detected and corrected. And that, in turn, means fewer warranty claims and therefore less warranty expense. It also makes for happier customers who require less warranty service and experience fewer recalls.
Interestingly, Mixer said that when AMR Research surveys manufacturers pursuing early warning strategies, the reduction of warranty expenses ranks lower as a priority than the effort to reduce the number of parts failures and to cut the lag time between problem detection and correction. It also ranks lower than a reduction in the re-use of problematic designs in future products. But of course, if any of these efforts are successful, overall warranty expenses will decline along with the frequency of warranty claims.
Geographic Specialization
Robert Hornak, lead warranty systems analyst at General Motors Corp., spoke about the early warning standardization effort from a vehicle manufacturer's point of view. Increasingly, he said, GM is aligning itself so that specific locations will design certain types of vehicles for the whole company. Germany will take the lead in mid-sized passenger cars. Korea will take the lead in small cars. Australia will take the lead in rear wheel drive vehicles.
In most cases, this means that GM's traditional suppliers will also have to shift their geographic focus, or product quality could suffer. GM needs to better understand the capabilities of its suppliers, as well as the needs of its suppliers. "We have to work and play well with others," Hornak said.
One forum where GM has been able to work through issues of communications and product quality is the AIAG. "It gives us an opportunity to sit down and talk to each other," Hornak said. "We have a lot of common issues. It doesn't mean we agree on everything. It doesn't mean we talk about it. But when it comes to responding to something like the TREAD Act, or to a state government, or when we need a standard to talk with our suppliers, it gives us an opportunity to say, 'Here's something we can agree on -- that we've developed as a group.'"
Some subjects, Hornak said, are just too sensitive to talk about, such as what each automotive OEM is doing in terms of text analysis. Whichever manufacturer gets the emerging process of text mining to produce results will have a competitive advantage over the others, so of course they don't want to share their secrets in a public forum. But the exploitation of other new technologies are perfect for an open discussion, such as how manufacturers can leverage inexpensive digital photography to move around images of failed parts instead of the parts themselves. "Some problems can only be solved with photos," Hornak said, such as an investigation of a wire harness that's frayed by constant friction with another part.
Increasing Product Complexity
Krista Coy, quality system manager at the Metaldyne Company LLC, spoke about the need for a common early warning system from the point of view of an automotive supplier. Metaldyne manufactures parts for engines, transmissions, clutches, and wheel assemblies, among others. Its headquarters is near Detroit and a cluster of manufacturing locations are nearby in Ohio, Michigan, Ontario and Indiana. But it also manufactures in Japan and Mexico, in addition to numerous locations in Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The company was formed through a merger of three smaller suppliers, she said. So even within the company, data communications is a major undertaking.
Coy noted that some of the products that Metaldyne makes, such as connecting rods, are sold to multiple OEMs. Therefore, any news about a pattern of failures in such a component would be of interest to multiple OEMs. And while in the past Metaldyne was supplying simple parts and components, increasingly today it's providing more complex modules and assemblies. This potentially opens the company up to more warranty expense, she said, because it becomes easier for the OEMs to trace problems back to a given supplier if that single source provided, say, the entire drivetrain. She added that if in the future the OEMs push more warranty expenses back onto their suppliers, they also will have to give those suppliers an opportunity to learn from their mistakes -- to help them understand why a failure occurred, so it doesn't recur in the next generation.
"It's in all of our best interests to do what we can to identify the problem sooner," she said, so it can be corrected. "Along those same lines, we have to have better quality and improve our product continually, and successfully launch new products." Frequently, the attention that surrounds new product launches provides a good opportunity to sort problems out, because more resources are available at that stage. "But you just have to pay attention and you have to be reactive when these things occur."
The AIAG, she said, provides the forum for the creation of standards that will allow suppliers such as Metaldyne to communicate with multiple OEMs, and will in turn allow each OEM to communicate with multiple suppliers. For professionals such as herself involved in day-to-day warranty and quality issues, the AIAG provides a kind of escape, where they can step back from the constant "firefighting," she said, and concentrate on the big picture questions.
Data Communications Pioneers
Decades ago, the AIAG pioneered the development of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) standards. In fact, AIAG work groups remain enmeshed to this day in EDI-related projects involving the United Nations, the American National Standards Institute, the standards makers of the Internet Engineering Task Force, and companies of all stripes working on document standards such as the Extensible Markup Language (XML). Now it's helping to define communications standards for the exchange of parts failure and warranty data.
"I don't know about you guys, but I know in our business there's just not a lot of people, and not a lot of money, and not a lot of time to do everything that needs to be done," Coy said. "So any way you can streamline the process and get the job done faster and better is in all of our best interests."
The key to success is increased communications using industry standards such as those developed by the AIAG. Manufacturers aren't going to replace all their legacy systems, but they might change the way those systems communicate. EDI was a set of standards that streamlined purchasing. The standards used for Early Warning Systems, or EWS, will streamline communications about products after they've been sold.
"The scope of these problems is huge," Coy said. There are numerous issues just with No Trouble Found diagnoses, she said. "That's probably a whole project in and of itself."
The panel concluded its presentation with plenty of time left over for a question and answer session. Jon Goldfarb, the warranty business and product development manager at MSX International Inc., asked the panel whether their early warning standards were using parts order data as a leading indicator. The reason, he suggested, why that might be a good idea is that frequently that data is available even before the warranty claim paperwork has been submitted by the service station.
Grant said that while most manufacturers are keeping the data, they're not yet making it part of their early warning systems. That could change, she said, as first they're convinced of the value of integrating it, and second as they're able to adapt their systems and processes accordingly.
Shift of Responsibility?
Paul Eison, a program manager at Carrier Transicold, asked the panel whether the shift of design and engineering work back to the Tier One suppliers was complicating their efforts to diagnose and correct problems. GM's Hornak said it was, but only in that it added another possibility to the list of who was responsible: the supplier, the OEM's engineering, or one of its manufacturing plant. Metaldyne's Coy said "absolutely, we get involved," in both the engineering and the problem resolution. Whether it be through conference calls, Web meetings, or the email exchange of digital photos, the supplier works with the OEM to resolve the problem through root cause analysis. "We can transfer that data back and forth pretty quickly," she added.
To help respond to a question from Entigo's chief technology officer Nick Shelness about the pro-active prevention of warranty incidents within the trucking industry, Charles Barnes, the assistant manager of warranty administration at Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America Inc. joined the panel. Barnes said the root cause of a part failure is rarely so simple that it can be assigned to one source, be it manufacturing, supplier, or design. "Many times, it's a cross between functions," he said. This is why Toyota emphasizes the problem-solving aspect of the post-failure investigation.
"All the warranted parts for vehicles manufactured in North America that end up being returned flow through the location where I am," Barnes said. "Sometimes, if the issue is critical enough, we'll bring suppliers in."
"When we have a field issue, there's really two parts to the story," he said. "Part One is the case data. Part Two is the testing of the actual part itself." He said anything that can be done to speed up that testing and investigation process is being done, including the use of digital cameras in the field to speed the collection of images. But even then, the parts themselves are collected for a more thorough review.
"The key point is to get to that root cause as quickly as possible," Barnes added. This means getting the information back to the correct people as rapidly as possible so that the issue at hand can be resolved and its recurrence can be prevented. But the goal is not to have the problem in the first place.
Hornak agreed. "Warranty is post-mortem. The patient's dead," he said. While a careful investigation of why the patient died might help to save the lives of others, the goal should be to prevent any incidents. But unfortunately, that's not as easy as it sounds.
"Right now, we're still in a very reactive mode," Mixer said. The use of predictive technology in warranty analysis is still in an initial phase. "Warranty tends to be a reactive response, not a predictive [one]."
This whole early warning effort, he noted, is designed more to facilitate the flow of information between OEMs and their suppliers than to improve communications with either dealers or customers. That may be the direction it heads in next, but right now it's not going there.
The AIAG has scheduled its next Early Warning Standards Warranty Conference for May 13 at the Burton Manor in Livonia MI. Details and online registrations are available at the AIAG Web site.
Go to Part One: Opening Keynote Speeches
This is Part Two: AIAG Early Warning Standard
Go to Part Three: Extended Warranties 101
Go to Part Four: Customer Loyalty
Go to Part Five: National Regulatory Trends
Go to Part Six: Auto Warranty Fraud
Go to Part Seven: PC & Appliance Warranty Fraud
Go to Part Eight: Warranty Metrics
Part One: During the kickoff keynotes by HP and IBM at last week's Warranty Chain Management conference, the need to involve people in warranty transformation projects outranked all technical and financial challenges.March 8, 2005 Warranty Conference,
Part Three: Extended warranties may look like easy money to some, but beneath the surface there are lots of moving parts. Here's one expert's how-to guide:March 22, 2005
This Week's Warranty Week Headlines
IBM ThinkPad user and EasyServe extended warranty policyholder tries a CMOS battery self-repair, ends up with a $725 repair bill for a $799 laptop.
InfoWorld, March 15, 2005
American International Group CEO Hank Greenberg retires and CFO takes leave; AIG also to miss 10-K annual report filing deadline.
Press Release, March 14, 2005
Consumer advocate says fill out warranty registration cards for certain products, but beware of direct marketing.
KLTV Tyler TX, March 14, 2005
Attensity Corp. announces Attensity Workstation, promises users can be trained in 30 minutes to extract meaning from unstructured free form text.
Saab Automobile AB is lengthening its 2.3 liter engine warranties from 4 to 8 yrs. after oil sludge problem appear in 1998-2003 models.
Automotive News, March 14, 2005
UK's PowerPlan appliance extended warranties and cashback schemes to pay only pence on the pound after administrator goes into receivership.
Sunday Sun, March 14, 2005
Arizona appellate court rules that state's lemon law can apply to leased vehicles.
Arizona Republic, March 14, 2005
Asus offers a 30-day zero bright dot warranty on LCD notebook screens, models W1, V6V and M6, part of a warranty upgrade plan.
ARNnet.com.au, March 14, 2005
Judge sentences 13 to home detention for their parts in auto loan and extended warranty fraud scheme at Joe Florek Volkswagen and Gray Mountain Auto Connection in Arizona.
Yuma Sun, March 12, 2005
Nashville Metro Public Works pays $187K per year for 10 yr. replacement warranty on 120K new trash bins, for a $2 million total.
WTVF Nashville, March 11, 2005
FN Herstal USA says decrease in accuracy of pepper pellet gun used at Fenway Park is a "training and warranty" issue after Justice Dept. cites testing data; recall expected.
Associated Press, March 11, 2005
Lenovo-IBM deal wins approval of the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States.
Asia Times Online, March 10, 2005
ServiceBench Inc. moves into new corporate headquarters with 45% more floor space.
The StoneEagle Group aligns with Major Payment Systems LLC for a warranty and insurance claims payments processing system using the vCom Virtual Credit Card Platform.
Press Release, March 9, 2005
More Warranty Headlines
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Related Articles From Warranty Week
Early Warning Standards: Decades ago the AIAG helped set standards for electronic commerce when it developed new data interchange standards. Now it's doing similar work with warranty data communications standards, looking for ways to reduce delays, improve accuracy, and cut warranty claims costs.
Mark Your Calendars: Both pre- and post-show events now surround the WCM conference in early March, plus there are now additional warranty events to consider attending in February and June.
Don't TREAD On Me: While the top tier of automotive manufacturers fumes about the burden of TREAD Act compliance, a group of small trailer manufacturers mounted a grassroots effort to gain an exemption for themselves from Congress.
Warranty Report: A white paper commissioned by Microsoft finds that the auto industry needs better communications and collaboration tools to reduce warranty costs.
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NVC Foundation
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NVCF Speaker Series: Todd Matthews on Photographer Elmer Ogawa
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Go For Broke 2015 Student Essay and Video Contest
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PHOTO GALLERY: Tom Graves on Twice Heroes
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by May Sasaki
March 2015, Volume 65, Issue 3
The evening of February 28, 2015, was very nostalgic to many Nisei in attendance at Todd Matthew's Speaker Series presentation at NVC Hall. His talk and power point slideshow took us back to Seattle's local Japanese community during the 1900's. The pictures depicting some very familiar places, peoples, events were taken by a Japanese American photographer, Elmer Ogawa, and discovered in the Special Collections of the University of Washington Libraries.
Todd Matthews is a reporter, editor, photographer, and freelance journalist whose work has appeared in more than a dozen newspapers and magazines in the Pacific Northwest. Todd earned an Associate Degree from Seattle Central College and a Bachelor's Degree in Communications from the University of Washington. He has received numerous awards for his photojournalism and freelance work and is an editor, reporter, and photographer for the Tacoma Daily Index.
Originally, Todd was researching the PNW Asian archival papers for information on the Wah Mee Club massacre but became intrigued by the numerous photos and writings of a local Japanese American photojournalist, Elmer Ogawa. Seems that Elmer kept everything and may have been a "hoarder" of sorts. Combing thru all his correspondence and home movies and 14,000 black & white negatives and 7,000 black & white prints in Elmer's collection, Todd was able to piece together much of Ogawa's life.
Born in 1905, Elmer spent his teenage years working summers in Alaskan canneries while attending the University of Washington and graduated with a business degree. He moved to the East Coast where he worked as a salesman, married his wife Florence, had son Herb, divorced, returned to Seattle, and then freelanced for a variety of Asian American newspapers. Todd found documentation of Elmer having served in the US Army between 1942 thru 1945.
To help pay the bills, Elmer was also employed by Isaacson Iron Works as a pipe fitter/boilermaker. In many of the blue-collar taverns he frequented after hours, Elmer's photos were posted on the walls. Examples include places like the Bamboo Inn Café in Chinatown, Tim's Tavern on Capitol Hill, Barney's Café Downtown, or the Klondyke Café in Pioneer Square. He was a regular who photographed the city's rowdy and festive nightlife during the 1950's-era in Seattle at places that have long since disappeared.
Todd said he located and interviewed Goldena Ogawa, Elmer's 78-year-old daughter-in-law who now lives on her daughter's farm in rural Arkansas, to get a better understanding of Ogawa family dynamics. Goldena, who was married to Elmer's only son, appears to be Elmer's closest living relative.
Todd also located and interviewed the former Broadway singer Pat Suzuki, who was 82 years old and living in New York City. Ogawa photographed Suzuki when she performed at The Colony nightclub in downtown Seattle during the 1950's and the pair became casual acquaintances and often went out with a group of people to late-night diners and bars.
Matthews then located and interviewed Harry K. Honda, Ogawa's editor at the Pacific Citizen, to get a better sense of Ogawa's journalism career. At the time, Honda was 94-years-old and living California. He has since passed away.
Finally, Todd was able to acquire records (birth certificates, death certificates, obituaries, etc.) to piece together Ogawa's family history. His father died when Ogawa was just a teenager and Ogawa's sister was committed to a mental institution and underwent a lobotomy.
Elmer Ogawa was a freelance photographer who spent much of his time photographing people in the Japanese community and the local taverns that he drank at. He always carried around his camera and was able to capture photos of bar fights and auto accidents.
Todd showed some of the old photographs taken by Elmer: Pat Suzuki at the Colony, Governor Rosellini, Mayor Pomeroy, George Tsutakawa and family, JACL Princesses on floats, Nisei Salmon Derby, Kraft Auto, Main Bowling Alley, Pharmacist Eddie Shimomura, the Shiro Kashino and Joe Nakatsu families, and the Nisei Vets Memorial Hall.
Todd Matthews is writing a biography of the late Japanese American Photographer, Elmer Ogawa. As indicated by his thorough research and documentation style, Todd is still asking for community input before he finalizes his book. He welcomes any information or anecdotal recollections about this overlooked but unforgettable character in Seattle's Japanese American history. You can contact Todd at (206) 399-9907.
The following excerpt from Todd's draft manuscript shows the author's colorful and skillful descriptive style as well as the book's distinctive Seattle flavor.
"Ogawa, whose mother was German-Irish and father was Japanese, was an easy figure to spot around town. At five feet, eight inches tall, weighing nearly 200 pounds, he had a husky, overweight physique, jet black hair combed back in a shiny slick, meaty jowls that hung beneath his eyes like saddlebags, cork plug nose, thin mustache, thickly forested eyebrows, wide smile. Perched at a bar, Ogawa would have been impossible to ignore…" ---Todd Matthews
"As a photographer for the Seattle-based newspaper The Northwest Times, Ogawa reported on everyday life in the ethnically diverse neighborhoods along a stretch of Jackson Street that ran from downtown Seattle, past the Japanese, Chinese and Vietnamese owned shops and restaurants, and into what was known to African American locals as the Central District. It was an easy enough beat, considering Ogawa lived for a spell in the six-story Bush Hotel, a bulky building that towered over the corner of Seventh Avenue and Jackson Street, the heart of Seattle's Asian American community…" ---Todd Matthews
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Q: Get index of element in VARRAY collections This may seem straightforward, but I couldn't find the answer in docs.
As with nested tables, we can use TABLE() with COLUMN_VALUE pseudocolumn for varrays.
create or replace type NUMBER_ARRAY as VARRAY(10) of NUMBER;

create table TAB_WITH_ARRAY(
  ID    NUMBER,
  VALS  NUMBER_ARRAY)

insert into TAB_WITH_ARRAY
select 1, NUMBER_ARRAY(1,2)
from dual
union all
select 2, NUMBER_ARRAY(1,2,3,4,5)
from dual

select t.id, c.column_value
from TAB_WITH_ARRAY   t,
     table(t.vals)   c

However, unlike nested tables, VARRAY is an ordered collection type, and I want to preserve that order. Is there a way to get not only value but also index of each element in SQL?

Yes, in my tests the order of output was right and I could just use ROW_NUMBER with PARTITION BY primary key of my main table to generate indexes, but experience taught me not rely on ordering unless it was manually specified.
So is there a built-in way to access indexes of elements in array?

A: Use the ROW_NUMBER() analytic function:
SELECT t.id,
       c.COLUMN_VALUE,
       ROW_NUMBER() OVER ( PARTITION BY t.ROWID ORDER BY ROWNUM ) AS idx
FROM   TAB_WITH_ARRAY t
       CROSS JOIN
       TABLE( t.vals ) c

Or, from Oracle 12c, use OUTER APPLY and ROWNUM:
SELECT t.id,
       v.*
FROM   tab_with_array t
       OUTER APPLY (
         SELECT v.COLUMN_VALUE,
                ROWNUM AS idx
         FROM   TABLE( t.vals ) v
       ) v

Which, for your sample data, both outputs:

ID | COLUMN_VALUE | IDX
-: | -----------: | --:
 1 |            1 |   1
 1 |            2 |   2
 2 |            1 |   1
 2 |            2 |   2
 2 |            3 |   3
 2 |            4 |   4
 2 |            5 |   5

db<>fiddle here


After I woke up, I was shuffled towards the van, and separated from my beloved cat, Tiger. What I will do without him? I know not.
Then, we went to El Rodeo and discovered that Princess Guardado is very uncomfortable speaking Spanish. That was quite fun for me.
At the airport, I was surprised to see my friends: Alison, Stephanie, and Paullina. It was very nice of them all to come out–I appreciated it–even though I'm still surprised we didn't get arrested for terrorist jokes. Grandma Dee and Grandma Kay came out as well, it was nice to see them. Father was obviously the happiest to see me, as he slipped me some cash without me even asking. Jessica had her usual mental breakdown, but we all see that as a sign that she is normal, now.
There was an unfortunate side to the airport business, aside from the fact that everybody was dressed to the the nines in their dress sweats, Mother's ticket to Paris was screwed up badly. She had a seat, but there wasn't one assigned to her. I, of course, began thinking of the possibilities of a business class or first class upgrade. We had been terribly inconvenienced by this thoughtless company and if anybody deserved to be bumped to the front it was us.
The flight to Chicago was incredibly uneventful–about 45 minutes from Des Moines. I was impressed with the speed of airplanes and then wished that they would go faster. We were placed in the Exit Row–which was a godsend. In the Exit Row, you get a magical five inches more legroom–that doesn't sound like much, but it's a world of difference. As the plane took off, I decided to read the instructions on what to do when the plane crashed into the fields below. After leafing through the pamphlet, I took a good look at the handle of the emergency exit. It looked as if it had been well used, chipped in a few places with the security cover quickly put back on. It made me a bit nervous, but we never had to use it.
Once we got to Chicago, we went to try to and get an upgrade. Joyfully, I discovered that the only available seats were in the Premium Section. My heart afloat with joy and my imagination running amuck with stretch-out cabins and roasted turkeys with a personal bottle of champagne, I went to find some food in the airport. The only thing I could find were some Chicken Selects at the McDonalds. I would have chosen to eat anything other than that, but I had no choice. So, with pain, I munched on my poison strips dreaming of my imminent upgrade.
When I returned to the lounge, those dreams were dashed upon the rocky rocks of sorrow. The kind woman who was helping us had placed mother in a standard economy seat. So on the plane we were seated far in the back with absolutely no room next to a snotty 14-year old. It was all going well until they decided to turn the lights out. Then, the woman in front of me floored her seat back. It was basically in my lap. I couldn't even keep my legs straight. Reclining seats should be exiled, or the plane companies need to give us a few extra inches in legroom. That being said, it was the most uncomfortable eight-hour flight that I have ever experienced. Not even Hell could compare to that misery.
The food was good though, I had manicotti.
Once everybody had rushed to line up and stand there for twenty minutes we made our way into the labyrinth-esque halls of Charles de Gaulle. There were fascinating stair-less escalators, that have surely killed people, which criss-crossed every which way on the way to baggage claim. All of the passengers waited for thirty uncomfortable minutes for their baggage. Hundreds of bags flooded out, but none of them seemed to be for any of us. Ours finally did come, near the end.
There was an adorable white cat who was screaming. Then there were tons of people in traditional Muslim dress. I think it was a tour or something, they all seemed to know each other. Several people looked nervous at their presence and I got annoyed as I hate stereotypical generalizations–I think them in my head, like polite people do.
Then we had to finagle our bags to cooperate. Each of us was carrying at least 100 pounds and it was horrible. Anybody who knows me will attest to the fact that I can hardly conceive of lifting 20 pounds and living to tell the tale. We took a tram that took us to a building which led us to a series of magical moving floor things which took us to two sets of elevators which descended to the train station. We caught the train and the agonizing 40 minute trek though most horrible part of Paris, the suburbs! There was nonstop graffiti and gang symbols, vandalization and destruction everywhere. It was great!
We switched at Gare du Nord and struggled with the bags all the way to the next train. We made it and struggled out onto the street. Thanks to the mystical power of Google's Street View, I was able to know exactly where I was going. I don't know how we would have ever found the apartment if it hadn't been for that.
On the walk to the apartment we walked by a hobo which wasn't only fascinating but moderately horrifying as well.
I quickly found the apartment, and we stood outside looking silly with our mass of bags. Christiana came out and found us. She had been in the apartment waiting for us, but we never received the email telling us how to get in, but oh well. She had to leave, so she gave us instructions on how to get into the apartment. There was entry code after entry code. Inside the first door there is an old courtyard that used to be a stable in the late 1700s. The building itself was built when America was still under British rule before the Revolution. Inside the building, there is a wall of mailboxes for the mail I will not get much of.
Then, we had to find the apartment, which was no easy feat. First of all, the doors are not numbered, and secondly, it was dark, thirdly, it was on the second floor she said which is really the third floor. The French don't count the bottom level as a floor, it is called the ground floor. Then, the key wouldn't work. Finally, though, we managed to get in.
The apartment is lovely, there are chandeliers, the balconies are covered in antique grillwork that was designed to look like a vineyard. There is a new HDTV and a refrigerator hidden in a cupboard. It's all very nice. The bathroom is a little odd though. The shower has no curtain, it's just a pane of immovable glass which means that the water trickles out onto the floor when you are showering. The sink is also a tad bizarre, so you have to be careful or else it will splash all over you.
I looked around and started to unpack, but then I just fell asleep.
We woke up and went to the Eiffel Tower for dinner. There is a delightful restaurant called Iolanda. When you get off the Metro and walk towards the Eiffel Tower, you'll be unable to miss it. I always get a roasted chicken that is always excellent and Ma always gets the spaghetti and she is always impressed.
After dinner we made our way to the Eiffel Tower, which as you can see from the picture above, is blue. The structure itself isn't blue, but rather, there are blue lights pointed on it casting it in blue light.
It was all lovely, but freezing, so we came back to the apartment. Then I went to sleep.
Oh, I'm posting a walkthrough video on YouTube as we speak, so that'll be up soon for you to see.
I want to be there now!!!


The second pull takes a bit longer to discover, though once you've put your finger on it, you'll see it everywhere: pride. The people of Graubunden are enormously proud of – and loyal to – the biggest canton in Switzerland, often returning from adventures elsewhere to settle back in its fold. In fact, the rate of repatriates is remarkable, I am told by the Grisons I meet during my adventure around Switzerland.


When this little puppy fell into the ditch, he thought he was going to be stuck there forever. He was unable to climb out of the ditch by himself, and knew the only way he was getting out was with some help. But little did he know that the creature that was going to save him from this deep ditch was a courageous cat!
This video is amazing. As the puppy falls further into the ditch, the cat leaps down to follow him. He then picks up the puppy by his mouth and carries him out of the ditch to safety. If that doesn't melt your heart then I don't know what will. It's great to see dogs and cats working together to help each other out.
What an inspiring cat! Love this story? Share it and read our next item here.


Enjoy a relaxing family holiday together in the Deluxe Family room. This spacious accommodation in Karon is ideal for families with one or two children, or small groups of friends. The 36 sqm room has a queen size bed, a single bed, plus space for an extra bed accommodating a total of 4 people. Lounge on the daybed and watch the television, and enjoy a long refreshing shower after a day on the beach. The room also features a balcony with outdoor seating.