ANN ARBOR, Mich. It might be easy for a surging and rested Michigan football team to look past its next opponent.

The Wolverines, still unbeaten and up to No. 6 in the polls this week, play host to struggling Northwestern this Saturday at Michigan Stadium (noon, FOX). Jim Harbaughs team is 6-0 and riding high after a bye week, and oddsmakers peg Michigan as a three-touchdown betting favorite to win the game.

And with in-state rival Michigan State on deck, potentially pitting a pair of top-10, 7-0 teams against one another in East Lansing, its shaping up to be one of the biggest games in years.

We cant look to next week because weve got a very good opponent coming in this week, defensive tackle Chris Hinton told reporters on Monday. Weve got to take every game, every week, one game at a time. Because if we dont handle our business this week, the next week and the week after is just not as significant.

Michigan State held on to beat Indiana, 20-15, in Bloomington on Saturday, cementing the Spartans 6-0 mark heading into a bye week of their own. While they have a week of rest ahead of them, Mel Tuckers team will also have an opportunity to get a jump start on preparing for Michigan.

More: U-M football a big betting favorite to beat Northwestern

Meanwhile, the Wolverines have to take the field against Northwestern a 3-3 team thats traded wins and losses, yet is coming off an impressive 21-7 victory over Rutgers.

Remember, it was just three years ago, in 2018, when Michigan waltzed into Evanston as a big favorite and fell behind 17-0 in the first half, only to score 20 unanswered points and escape with a win.

Continually, you see the Northwestern team get better every single week, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said. This year, last year, the year before that the year before that. When you play Northwestern in the middle of the season, later in the season theyre really formidable.

Michigan is one two unbeaten Big Ten teams still standing, along with Michigan State, clearing a pathway to the Big Ten championship if it can handle business in the second half of its schedule. In addition to the Oct. 30 game at Michigan State, the Wolverines must also travel to Penn State (Nov. 13) and host rival Ohio State (Nov. 27), a pair of pivotal games required for such a run. But before they get there, or even to the Michigan State game, they must first handle business in front of them.

The team has been very locked in, Harbaugh continued. Daily, weekly. The thing Im continuing to be pleased with is how they attack every single day. They didnt practice Friday, they didnt practice Saturday (but) they came back Sunday and we had as good a practice (as weve had).

Midseason grades: Harbaugh, Michigan get high marks for run game, defensive turnaround

Guys moving around, knowing what they are doing as locked in, focused as Ive ever seen a team come off a two-and-a-half day break.

Harbaugh declined to provide a concrete updated on Michigans injured players, only saying receiver Roman Wilson (undisclosed) and offensive linemen Chuck Filiaga (leg), Zak Zinter (leg) and Trevor Keegan (shoulder) are day to day but progressing.

But if there was ever a cautionary tale, look at Iowa this past week. The Hawkeyes were unbeaten and ranked No. 2 in the country and lost a stunner, 24-7, to Purdue to fall out of the top 10. While they remain the favorites to win the Big Tens West Division, their College Football Playoff hopes have dimmed. For Michigan to keep all of its hopes and dreams alive, total effort will be required on Saturday against Northwestern.

Were not overlooking them at all, receiver A.J. Henning said. We know theyre a great football team. Theyre going to come in here and give us their best shot, so were going to take the necessary preparation to try and have a successful outcome.

While Michigan is off to its best start since 2016, the team has taken a unique approach to preparing each week. Players say they treat each week of practice like theyre preparing for Ohio State, long considered the Big Tens best, while treating each team as a nameless, faceless opponent.

They hope that holds true on Saturday against the upset-minded Wildcats.

Each week, were going in with a 1-0 mindset, linebacker Kalel Mullings said. We want to be 1-0 for that week and as long as we continue to do that, well reach all of our goals.

There was never any looking past our opponent this week or onto other games. We know that we have to take of business this week, take care of business next week and if we continue doing that well be set.

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With rival on deck, surging Michigan says its not overlooking Northwestern - MLive.com

Malia White from Below Deck Mediterranean went into greater detail about the intense pain she suffered following her horrific scooter accident in Spain. While fans knew the accident was extremely serious and she had broken bones and severe road rash, she never described what happened when she arrived at the hospital for treatment.

White estimated that she was going about 70 miles per hour on the Vespa scooter when one of her deckhands accidentally clipped her tire and sent her soaring. She recalled being calm immediately following the accident but warned her team she was going into shock. Then she described what happened when she arrived at the hospital.

Honestly, that was the worst part, she said about the accident on the Hollywood Raw podcast. Like I speak broken Spanish. [The medical professional] was speaking broken English. And basically, she brought the tub in. And she was like, Im was so sorry, this is going to hurt. And Im like, What? Whats going on? And she just takes this sponge and like this brush, and she just starts scrubbing all of my [wounds].

White reminded listeners that her wounds covered most of her arms and legs. I had wounds that were like massive, she recalled. Then she shared how the doctors cleaned her wounds. And it was pure iodine. And I just started screaming. She gave me a popsicle stick to like bite down on. I was like, No, please stop!'

RELATED: Malia From Below Deck Med Reveals She Hooked up With Engineer Jake in Split

The pain was horrific but White said they couldnt numb her or give her anything for the pain at the time. That was the other thing, she said. They didnt give me any pain medication, and I was like, Why? Please give me pain medication. Shes like We cant yet. Because they had to do scans and everything you know, which I understand.

Thankfully White didnt suffer any long-term infections, but she had broken bones and a concussion. No, no infections. I was concussed pretty badly, but nothing long-term. White ended up flying home to Florida to recover and spent a considerable amount of time healing. Only recently was she permitted to return to work.

When White hit the pavement, she hit asphalt and gravel to create the massive road rash. It was like asphalt, but there was a patch of gravel when my friend like trying to swerve, she recalled. So loose gravel in it. But it was asphalt, and I just kind of felt like flew and just my body just did a bunch of barrel rolls on asphalt.

The impact was so intense, White said her helmet cracked. My helmet had a crack all the way down the middle, just split, she said. Luckily, I had a face shield.

White told Showbiz Cheat Sheet the recovery period was hard because shes not one to sit still for a long period of time. She finally went for a run before her broken toes were fully healed and admitted it was painful. It was [painful] but to me, I just cant sit, she said about not being able to be active. Not working out is kind of worse for me.

RELATED: Below Deck Mediterraneans Malia White Returns Home After Serious Scooter Accident

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Below Deck's Malia White Recalls Screaming in the Hospital After Her Horrific Scooter Accident 'My Helmet Had a Crack' - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

McCORDSVILLE A developer wants to bring buildings for logistics and warehousing purposes to McCordsvilles south side in a plan that calls for rezoning properties and annexing others into town.

Indianapolis-based Strategic Capital Partners is considering two to three structures west of Mt. Comfort Road and north of County Road 500N.

John Cumming, senior vice president of development for Strategic Capital Partners, said the sizes of the buildings remain to be determined.

Were still working on a master plan and assembling various properties, which would dictate the size of the buildings, Cumming said.

So far, the developments would be speculative, meaning without occupants yet secured.

I would love to attract a build-to-suit as well, but our plan would be to go speculative if were not able to, Cumming said.

It would be the first project in Hancock County for Strategic Capital Partners, which has been involved in industrial, office, multi-family and student housing developments in several states since launching in 2005.

Certainly the access to I-70, a major distribution route, is attractive, Cumming said. Hancock County and the town of McCordsville have done a nice job in terms of attracting businesses. I think theres a very competitive labor story in the area, and theres a lot of demand out there, and were trying to diversify what we have to offer in the Indianapolis market.

Brian Tuohy, a lawyer with Indianapolis-based Tuohy Bailey & Moore representing Strategic Capital Partners, told McCordsville Town Council members recently that the builder has agreements with the owners of about 150 acres of the nearly 160 making up the site and is pursuing arrangements with the owners of the remaining acreage.

The eastern part of the site, along Mt. Comfort Road, is already part of McCordsville and is made up of mostly farmland with some residences. To construct its buildings, Strategic Capital Partners would need to request that the land it gets be rezoned from its residential and neighborhood commercial designations to an industrial one. Such a request would be vetted by the towns plan commission and considered by the town council.

Tuohy said the builder would seek to annex what it gets of the western portion of the site, also mostly farmland and some residences, into McCordsville.

McCordsville Town Council member Tom Strayer noted with the site being made up of different property owners and zoning classifications, and some of it being in town and some of it out, much would need to align in order to accomplish a uniformity.

When we do an annexation or development, I am not for having small cutouts within the development that arent of the same use, he told the Daily Reporter.

Tuohy also said the company would work with the town on extending a planned future road called Aurora Way west from Mt. Comfort Road. Plans are already underway to stretch it east from the thoroughfare for other industrial developments in the area.

Ten-foot-wide walking paths along Mt. Comfort Road and County Road 500N would be part of Strategic Capital Partners development as well.

If all goes according to plan, work would start in fall 2022 with occupancy for the first building ready in fall to late 2023, Tuohy said.

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More spec on deck in western part of county - Greenfield Daily Reporter

According to the study results, the treatment did not reduce the risk of death (24% in both groups). read to know everything about the therapy.

Written by Satata Karmakar | Updated : October 8, 2021 1:12 PM IST

It's been more than a year now the world is in the grip of deadly coronavirus, which was first reported from China's Wuhan city. The infection was so deadly that the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared it a pandemic. Ever since then many studies have surfaced claiming various treatment options to lower down the death rate among patients suffering from COVID-19 infection. One of the very first was 'convalescent plasma therapy', which scientists thought might be one of the best ways to treat the infection. Since earlier days of the pandemic, experts considered convalescent plasma therapy as one of the possible best ways to treat COVID-19. What exactly happens in this therapy? This process involves techniques in which a patient is being given the plasma of people who had recovered (or convalesced) from COVID-19. Now, coming to the idea behind this was that this antibody-rich infusion would help their immune systems fight infection. It's a strategy tried, with various degrees of success, for other infectious diseases, including Ebola.

In medical terms, convalescent plasma is a blood product that contains antibodies against infectious viruses such as the SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Convalescent plasma is being taken/collected from the patients who have recovered from the infectious disease.

To separate the plasma from the blood of a recovered patient, scientists use a process called apheresis. In this process, the red and white cells, and platelets are generally removed from the blood leaving plasma, which is the house of the antibodies.

Convalescent plasma therapy which is also known as serum therapy originated in the 1890s. This was the time when the diphtheria outbreak was first reported. The outbreak was noted among the infected horses with the bacteria causing diphtheria. Once the horses recovered, Behring collected their antibody-rich blood to treat humans with the disease. This led to him being awarded the first Nobel prize in physiology or medicine, in 1901.

According to the study, a growing number of evidence shows that convalescent plasma does not save the lives of people critically ill with COVID-19. The study concluded the therapy as 'futile' in treating the deadly virus infection.

Ever since the first outbreak of deadly coronavirus was first noted in the world, researchers stated the use of this therapy's significance in treating the highly infectious coronavirus disease. Convalescent plasma os, not a new treatment, it has been used to treat infectious diseases for over a century. Some of them include scarlet fever, pneumonia, tetanus, diphtheria, mumps, chickenpox, MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome), and Ebola.

Based on several clinical studies and trials, convalescent plasma was being used widely among the patients suffering from COVID-19 in the United States (USA), a decision supported by the Food and Drug Administration. By May this year, more than 100 clinical trials had been conducted with convalescent plasma in people with COVID-19; about one-third of these studies had finished or were stopped early.

Earlier this year, UK conducted a study to investigate convalescent plasma therapy (compared to usual supportive care) which included more than 10,000 people hospitalised with COVID-19. According to the study results, the treatment did not reduce the risk of death (24% in both groups), with no difference in the number of patients who recovered (66% discharged from hospital in both groups) or who got worse (29% needed mechanical ventilation to support breathing in both groups). Therefore, following the study, the researchers concluded that convalescent plasma offers no benefit for people admitted to hospital with COVID-19.

A Cochrane review, which was updated in May this year and evaluated all available trials, confirmed these results. These trials involved more than 40,000 people with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 who received convalescent plasma. The review found the treatment had no effect on the risk of dying from COVID-19, did not reduce the risk of requiring hospitalisation nor the need for a ventilator to assist breathing when compared to placebo or standard care. However, this is not the case with every country, in Australia, the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce does not recommend using convalescent plasma in people with COVID-19 unless it is in a clinical trial.

In the latest study which involved about 2,000 hospitalized patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19, it has been found that

Although the results and detailed analysis were published this week, the trial was halted in January. This is when the trial committee reviewed the interim results and reported: "convalescent plasma was unlikely to be of benefit for patients with COVID-19 who require organ support in an intensive care unit". So continuing the trial was considered futile.

Convalescent plasma treatment did not reduce the risk of death in the hospital over the month after treatment (37.3% convalescent plasma-treated, 38.4% usual care, not treated with convalescent plasma). The median number of days without the need for organ support (such as a mechanical ventilator or cardiac support) was 14 days in both groups. Serious adverse events were reported in 3.0% of people treated with convalescent plasma and only 1.3% in the usual care group. Taken together, the weight of evidence now clearly demonstrates convalescent plasma is not a treatment option for people with mild, moderate, or even severe COVID-19.

Experts say that the only tool to ward off the complexities of deadly coronavirus is by getting vaccinated. Vaccinations against coronavirus remain the major strategy to prevent the severity of the infection, However, the attention is now turning to some emerging and promising treatments to prevent COVID-19 worsening.

These include emerging antiviral treatments that may be used early in the disease, including monoclonal antibodies such as sotrovimab and AZD7442. Then there are potential oral antiviral medicines, such as molnupiravir and PF-07321332.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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Can Plasma Therapy Help In Treating COVID-19? Study Sheds Light On Why COVID Convalescent Plasma Is No Longer - TheHealthSite

Madonna recently wore her heart on her sleeve and addressed two of her biggest regrets in life.

The singer addressed it all during her interview with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show while promoting her Paramount+ concert special, Madame X.

She started off by detailing her first regret which she understood instantly after seeing Michelle Pfeiffer in a latex suit for Tim Burtons 1992 Batman Returns, as Catwoman.

I saw them both, and I regret that I turned down Catwoman, she admitted to Fallon. Quite simply, the part was fierce.

She also went on to add, I also turned down the role in The Matrix. Can you believe that? I wanted to kill myself.

At that point Fallon chimed in and lamented Poor Madonna. You dont regret anything?

The singer responded to that by adding, A teeny-tiny part of me regrets just that one moment in my life.

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Madonna sheds light on biggest regrets in life: I wanted to die - Geo News

Casey DeSantis Diagnosed with Breast Cancer

With Gov. Ron DeSantis describing her as a "true fighter," Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Floridas First Lady Casey DeSantis has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Support for the 41-year-old mother of three young children is building, starting with her husband.

The governor put out a statement saying, in part: "Casey is the centerpiece of our family and has made an impact on the lives of countless Floridians through her initiatives as first lady As she faces the most difficult test of her life, she will not only have my unwavering support but the support of our entire family."

This month, news outlets are shining a national spotlight on breast cancer awareness and early detection. We spoke with Dr. Terry Mamounas, a surgical oncologist with the Orlando Health Cancer Institute.

"Because of COVID, I think it is an important thing to remember that cancer screenings should resume normally, and if this is something that increases awareness, this would be a good thing for people to take home," Mamounas said.

Mamounas says while there is debate on the best age to get a mammogram, most doctors agree on getting them over 40. But women with higher risks, including family history, should be screened earlier, specifically, 10 years before a relative was diagnosed.

RELATED: Sen. Amy Klobuchar reveals breast cancer diagnosis, says treatment went well

"The good news is we have very meaningful therapies that we have developed over the years that have continuously helped the outcome of patients with breast cancer. It is a very survivable disease with good outcomes," Mamounas said.

Watch FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.

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Casey DeSantis breast cancer diagnosis sheds light on early detection, awareness - FOX 35 Orlando

STOCKHOLM UK-based Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, whose experience of crossing continents and cultures has nurtured his novels about the impact of migration on individuals and societies, won the Nobel Prize for Literature on Thursday.

The Swedish Academy said the award was in recognition of Gurnahs uncompromising and compassionate penetration of the effects of colonialism and the fate of the refugee.

Gurnah, 72, arrived in Britain as an 18-year-old refugee a half-century ago. He said the themes of migration and displacement explored in his novels are even more urgent now, amid mass movements of people displaced from Syria, Afghanistan and beyond, than when he began his writing career.

The scale is different, he said. What makes it different, I think, is what we see in the way that people risk their lives. Of course, people risked their lives from Haiti coming to the United States a couple of decades ago, and that was horrible.

But in more recent years, the vast numbers of asylum seekers perilously crossing the Mediterranean or the Sahara, he said, are a different scale of horror.

He said he hoped fiction could help people in wealthy nations understand the humanity of the migrants they see on their screens.

What fiction can do is it can fill in the gaps, he said. And actually allow people to see that, in fact, they are complicated stories which are being mashed up by the high-sounding lies and distortions that seem to be what popular culture somehow requires to continue to ignore and to dismiss what they dont want to hear.

Born in 1948 on the island of Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania but previously under Omani rule, Gurnah moved to Britain in the late 1960s, fleeing a repressive regime that persecuted the Arab Muslim community to which he belonged.

He has said he stumbled into writing after arriving in England as a way of exploring both the loss and liberation of the emigrant experience.

Gurnah is the author of 10 novels, including Memory of Departure, Pilgrims Way, Paradise, shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1994, By the Sea, Desertion and Afterlives. The settings range from East Africa under German colonialism to modern-day England. Many explore what he has called one of the stories of our times: the profound impact of migration both on uprooted people and the places they make their new homes.

Gurnah, whose native language is Swahili but who writes in English, is only the sixth Africa-born author to be awarded the Nobel for literature, which has been dominated by European and North American writers since it was founded in 1901.

Nigerian writer Wole Soyinka, who won the Nobel Literature prize in 1986, welcomed the latest African Nobel laureate as proof that the Arts, and literature in particular, are well and thriving, a sturdy flag waved above depressing actualities in a continent in permanent travail.

May the tribe increase! Soyinka said.

Anders Olsson, chairman of the Nobel Committee for literature, called Gurnah one of the worlds most prominent post-colonial writers. He said it was significant that Gurnahs roots are in Zanzibar, a polyglot place that was cosmopolitan long before globalisation.

His work gives us a vivid and very precise picture of another Africa not so well known for many readers, a coastal area in and around the Indian Ocean marked by slavery and shifting forms of repression under different regimes and colonial powers: Portuguese, Indian, Arab, German and the British, Olsson said.

He said Gurnahs characters find themselves in the gulf between cultures between the life left behind and the life to come, confronting racism and prejudice, but also compelling themselves to silence the truth or reinventing a biography to avoid conflict with reality.

News of the award was greeted with excitement in Zanzibar, where many remembered Gurnah and his family, though few had actually read his books.

Gurnahs books are not required reading in schools there and are hardly to be found, said the local education minister, Simai Mohammed Said, whose wife is Gurnahs niece. But, he added, a son of Zanzibar has brought so much pride.

The reaction is fantastic The young people are proud that hes Zanzibari, said Farid Himid, who described himself as a local historian whose father had been a teacher of the Quran to the young Gurnah.

Gurnah did not often visit Zanzibar, he said, but he has suddenly become the talk of young people in the semi-autonomous island region.

And many elder people are very, very happy Himid said. Also me, as a Zanzibari. Its a new step to make people read books again, since the internet has taken over.

The prestigious award comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor (over $1.14 million). The money comes from a bequest left by the prizes creator, Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel, who died in 1895.

Last years prize went to American poet Louise Glck. Glck was a popular choice after several years of controversy. In 2018, the award was postponed after sex abuse allegations rocked the Swedish Academy, the secretive body that chooses the winners. The awarding of the 2019 prize to Austrian writer Peter Handke caused protests because of his strong support for the Serbs during the 1990s Balkan wars.

On Monday, the Nobel Committee awarded the prize in physiology or medicine to Americans David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their discoveries into how the human body perceives temperature and touch.

The Nobel Prize in physics was awarded Tuesday to three scientists whose work found order in seeming disorder, helping to explain and predict complex forces of nature, including expanding our understanding of climate change.

Benjamin List and David W C MacMillan were named as laureates of the Nobel Prize for chemistry Wednesday for finding an easier and environmentally cleaner way to build molecules that can be used to make compounds, including medicines and pesticides.

Still to come are prizes for outstanding work in the fields of peace, on Friday and economics, on Monday.

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Nobel literature prize laureate hopes fiction sheds light on humanity of migrants | | AW - The Arab Weekly

Researchers will create digital twins of communities including Galveston Island. The models are a virtual representation of a physical object, service or process that can be updated with real time data.

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As the specter of increasingly severe storms looms over the Texas Gulf Coast, urban planners, emergency planners, policymakers and citizens seek to protect Galveston and coastal areas infrastructures from catastrophic damage.

To funnel hazard resilience efforts from numerous federal, state and local agencies into a cohesive strategy, Xinyue Ye, Texas A&M University associate professor of urban planning, is heading a multidisciplinary team of scholars who are developing a comprehensive digital model of Galveston Island and portions of other Texas coastal communities in aNational Science Foundation-fundedstudy.

The model is whats known as a digital twin: a virtual representation of a physical object, service or process that can be updated with real time data. Its a burgeoning concept with applications in planning as well as manufacturing, product development and other fields.

A digital twin of Galveston is something that planners and citizens can use to better understand how planning and infrastructure alterations and additions can positively or negatively affect a communitys natural hazard resilience, said Ye, who is performing the study with a two-year, $300K grant from the National Science Foundation.

By digitally modeling and testing resilience scenarios, planners, policymakers and citizens will be able to determine the best science-based measures for hazard resiliency design interventions, he said.

The digital twin integrates a variety of data sources, digital modeling and analytics platforms as the foundation for making optimum decisions, Ye said.

The platform will be able to collect massive volumes of data representing people, vehicles, structures/infrastructure, and many other factors, and create simulations of the effects of hazard events under different policy or hazard response scenarios, he said.

Its a visualized operating procedure that local residents and decision-makers can use to better understand the effects on hazard planning of the relationships among different planning efforts, disaster management, new construction, and infrastructure additions, repair, rehabilitation, retrofitting and maintenance, Ye said.

The potential upside for developing the system is high.

More informed decisions and better inter-agency coordination may lower the costs of the coastal resilience protective system, Ye said. This decision/support framework will also act as a catalyst for further research in data-driven decision making by connecting different datasets and by providing training and collaborative research opportunities for local project participants as well as graduate and undergraduate students.

The projects research team also includes Youngjib Ham, associate professor ofconstruction science, Galen Newman, associate professor oflandscape architecture and urban planning, David Retchless, assistant professor of geography and marine and coastal environmental science, Texas A&M University at Galveston, and Lei Zou, assistant professor of geography at Texas A&M.

Ye, who is among the mostcitedurban planning associate professors in North America, holds the Harold Adams Endowed Professorship in Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and directs the Urban Data Science Lab. His experience in urban planning, economic geography, geographic information system, and computational science informs his research, which focuses on geospatial artificial intelligence, big data, smart cities and urban computing.

He models the space-time perspective of socioeconomic inequality and human dynamics for applications in various domains, such as economic development, disaster response, transportation and land use, public health and urban crime.

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'Digital Twins' Of Texas Coastal Communities Could Shed Light On Resiliency - Texas A&M University Today

Everyone has a story, but few of them are heard.

The Albuquerque-based nonprofit Bold Futures wants to change that.

For the past two decades, the organization formally known as Young Women United has worked to build reproductive justice in New Mexico by and for women and people of color. More recently, it has expanded its mission to create communities by leading policy change, research, organizing, and culture shift by and for women and people of color in New Mexico.

In 2017, the nonprofit decided to try using film to tell the stories of women who so often are voiceless. All the World Is Sleeping is that film, shedding light on the realities of addiction and the resources desperately needed for families living in cycles of addiction.

Months of work and dozens of stories were told. In the end, a script for All the World Is Sleeping was completed.

We were able to get seven women and talk with them to understand the complexities they faced with their substance use, all while balancing a family, says Charlene Bencomo, Bold Futures executive director. There was a conversation that we wanted to tell the stories through a feature film.

The film is already gaining buzz, picking up best narrative feature at the prestigious New York Latino Film Festival.

It will have its New Mexico premiere at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, with screenings on Thursday, Oct. 14, and Friday, Oct. 15.

The films main character, Chama, played by Melissa Barrera, is an imaginative composite of the seven women who helped craft this storyline. Chama encompasses elements of their bravery and struggles while exposing the arduous circumstances they have endured.

Barrera, along with co-star Jackie Cruz, worked with the mothers on and off set to authentically capture and represent their truth. Each genuinely wanted to understand the cyclical, chaotic, yet hopeful side of fighting addiction.

Barrera has since been seen in the film In the Heights and will be Carmen in the movie Carmen. Cruz skyrocketed to fame in the TV series Orange Is the New Black.

At the helm of the production is New Mexico native Ryan Lacen.

The director says he was involved in the project since the beginning, often sitting in on the discussions and writing the script.

I sat for months and created a script that honored their voices, then brought it back to them and got notes, Lacen says. Then I adapted it. The seven women were fixtures in the process the whole time. They were on set and there to work with the actors. We wanted it to come from a place of emotional honesty.

Because the film was being produced by a New Mexico organization and telling New Mexicans stories, it was important for the production to take place in the state.

Bencomo says the production chose Las Cruces to do principal photography.

She says the production was a learning process. Having the community step up and help out made her glow with emotion, she says.

Merging the world of film with nonprofit, there were bumps in the road, she says. When we got to filming, we pulled in extras by word-of-mouth. People wanted to be involved because this is a story of hope and positivity coming from a dark place.

Doralee Urban is one of the women who sat down with Bold Futures to tell her story.

She stepped forward not only to give herself a voice but to give voice to the many women who arent seen.

Im honored to be part of something this important, Urban says. There have been so many women that have been in situations Ive been in before. Its like were invisible a lot of the time, and I wanted to be a part of this to express that we are people. Theres a real issue out there. We are people and should be seen.

Urban is overwhelmed by the response to the film.

She hopes it brings light to the subject and better care for people who are struggling especially those with children.

Substance use is a health issue, she says. Everyone gets the wrong idea. It doesnt mean I love my kids any less. Im lucky because Ive found the help I needed and continue to work on myself.

Lacen says being back in New Mexico was an honor for him. Lacen, who grew up in Albuquerque and graduated from the University of New Mexico, now lives in Los Angeles but tries to get his projects to film in New Mexico.

He wanted the state to be another character in the film.

Ive filmed everywhere in the world, and New Mexico has the best film community, he said. Being an independent film, its nearly impossible to complete. But everyone opened their doors, and the community came together to help tell the vision. We want this film to open that curtain of not only showing the problems with substance abuse but give some ways of getting help.

UpFront is a regular Journal news and opinion column. Comment directly to Journal arts editor Adrian Gomez at agomez@abqjournal.com.

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Independent film made in NM gains notice for shedding light on the realities of addiction - Albuquerque Journal

6 Inspiring Examples of Effective and Aesthetic Acoustic Solutions

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Acoustic comfort is affected by the levels and the nature of the sound experienced in an interior space, measured in decibels. The functionality and aesthetics of working and living spaces are usually the primary focus of the designer, however, too often overlooked, are the factors contributing to the productivity of employees or the comfort of residents. Providing a comfortable acoustic environment contributes significantly to the overall mood and health of people operating within it.

Kvadrat Acoustics meets these challenges by collaborating with architects and designers to create aesthetically outstanding spaces with perfect sound control, using the inherent properties of beautiful textiles. Let's review some of its solutions applied in 5 interior design projects.

At the headquarters of Aedas architects in Singapore, Soft Cells panels by Kvadrat Acoustics were installed on walls and ceilings to enhance the acoustic comfort and aesthetic quality of the Interior and Architects offices. They support the design concept, which delivers a hotel-like ambiance that facilitates discreet conversations. Aedas worked closely with Kvadrat Acoustics and Multiline, the lighting supplier, to create custom integrated panels for most of the ceilings in the reception and meeting rooms. The collaboration also focused on ensuring that the hanging lights and panels could be precisely adjusted to the final ceiling level with equal spacing between the panels.

The ceiling at Under, designed by Snhetta architects, features acoustic panels by Kvadrat Acoustics in a variety of different geometries. In the underwater dining area, which looks out at marine life, the ceiling unites concave and planar acoustic panels, creating an acoustic environment that steadily becomes increasingly crisp and still, while the colors melt from light reds to dark greens and blues. Both above and below the ocean in Lindenes, Norway, 137 Soft Cells panels upholstered in a specially developed textile: the "Under" (named after the restaurant for which it was developed).

Located close to Munich, the680 sqm Skin and Laser Center - which opened in 2016 - is a practice that focuses on classical and aesthetic dermatology. The texture of the skin is at the heart of the design concept by Reimann Interior & Design. For instance, the hexagonal shape of skin cells can be found in the wall design, as well as in custom-made concrete cubes used in different areas. Furthermore, the colour concept is comprised of different skin tones.

Novartis is a global healthcare company. The organizations Asklepios 8 office tower was built in collaboration between architects Herzog De Meuron and the Novartis Business Services unit. Situated in the Novartis Campus, it overlooks the Rhine river in Basel, Switzerland. The interior, which is characterized by lightness and transparency, supports creative collaboration. Reflecting this, writable walls that invite people to visualize and share ideas are used throughout, while acoustic conditions are optimized to facilitate conversations. Soft Cells panels in assorted colors are installed on walls and ceilings to optimize acoustic quality for web conferences and face-to-face meetings. They are in 100 meeting rooms, across all floors.

In Ohio, Foster + Partners specified a Kvadrat Acoustics solution throughout the Samson Pavilion which is designed for Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic. A new vision for a health pavilion looks to the future of integrated, interactive health education. Most of the Soft Cells panels in the building are installed in the roof trusses above the spacious Delos M. Cosgrove courtyard. Triangular and upholstered in Toto, they deliver an acoustic environment that facilitates collaboration.

Soft Cells panels by Kvadrat Acoustics are designed for optimal sustainability. Consequently, they meet the criteria of major environmental building certifications notably: DGNB, LEED, BREEAM, and HQE. Furthermore, they hold a low emission certificate, Eurofins Indoor Air Comfort, and are third-party verified EPD (Environmental Product Declaration).

AMOREPACIFIC is the largest cosmetics company in Korea, responsible for a portfolio of 30 brands. The companys new headquarters were designed and completed by David Chipperfield Architects, is in Seoul, South Korea. The 22-story cube-shaped building accommodates more than 3,500 AMOREPACIFIC employees. The site also incorporates a museum, a library of exhibition catalogs, an auditorium, several gardens, and a tea house.

To ensure a perfect match with the buildings design requirements, Kvadrat Acoustics' R&D unit developed special product and installation solutions, even setting up a Kvadrat Acoustics production facility was set up in Seoul. Different types of custom Soft Cells panels by Kvadrat Acoustics were installed on walls and ceilings throughout the building.

A specially-defined 50 mm panel installation depth was developed for the headquarters (Usually Soft Cells panels have an installation depth of 55 mm.). To achieve this, new modified profiles were extruded while installation parts were redesigned. L-shaped Soft Cells panels were also engineered especially for the project, meeting the need from the architects for panels that fit around corners.

Click here to see more examples of projects by Kvadrat Acoustics.

Link:
6 Inspiring Examples of Effective and Aesthetic Acoustic Solutions - ArchDaily