Q: I have a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD Diesel. My problem is that the heated seat on the drivers side comes on with no demand. I removed the door panel and disconnected the plug at the switches. The seat is eliminated from heating, but the rear back cushion heats up, sometimes intermittently. Which wire do I disconnect under the seat to eliminate this?

Ted

A: I dont get a chance very often to help someone try to make something stop working!

Your Silverado seat heaters are a fairly complicated system; seat cushion and/or back heat request switches tell the drivers door module to move on this. After communicating with the powertrain control module to be sure the engine is running, the door module sends a class 2 serial data message to the drivers seat module, which controls the heaters by supplying both power and ground. Thermistor sensors within the seat cushions provide feedback so the proper heating level can be maintained.

Without detailed testing, its difficult to imagine how the seats are mistakenly being heated. A pro grade scan tool can be used to observe inputs and outputs of both the door and seat modules, which would narrow the suspect list considerably.

A surefire way to cease operation of the drivers side heaters only is raise the seat fully for access and unplug connector #325, which is located roughly centered, two-thirds of the way back, beneath the seat cushion. This connector contains six wires; hopefully, the wire count will help differentiate it from the three other connectors somewhat nearby. The purple wire within this wire group provides ground for the seat back. Could it be chaffing on nearby metal?

Q: Your headlight lens article got me thinking. I have an older car with good quality halogen glass headlights and they could always be brighter too. What do you think of a relay kit? Do these really help with brightness?

Sid

A: Vehicles with the older/traditional sealed beam headlights can often suffer from voltage drop in the headlight circuit, due to skimpy wiring diameter, dirty contacts in the headlight and beam select switches, as well as in line connectors. Lets say your system voltage is 14.6 volts (engine running); you might find only 12.5-13 volts are actually making it to the headlights, resulting in slight to moderate dimming.

A relay kit, or a carefully home crafted equivalent, uses the original headlight circuits to energize a relay, which delivers a shorter/more robust circuit directly from the battery to power the lamps. Done right, fuse protected, wiring carefully routed and with good connections, this can reduce the voltage drop between the battery and headlights to perhaps 0.2 to 0.4 volts (14.2 now delivered). This can bring up brightness by perhaps 15% to 20%.

Is it worth the trouble and expense? Some think so, particularly if their original circuit is suffering worse than mentioned.

Im receiving some great feedback regarding home remedies for clouded headlight lenses. Ill follow up soon with these recommendations!

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Under the Hood: Truck's seat cushions heat up unbidden - Greater Milwaukee Today

Issued on: 02/03/2020 - 18:09

Beirut (AFP)

Nissan's lawsuit in Lebanon against former CEO Carlos Ghosn over his use of a Beirut home will wrap up at the end of March, the carmaker's lawyer told AFP on Monday.

The Japanese auto giant filed a case 15 months ago against Ghosn on the grounds he was illegally using a large residence paid for by Nissan in central Beirut.

Nissan lawyer Sakher al-Hashem said the car manufacturer wants Ghosn, who has been living it since he jumped bail in Japan and took refuge in Lebanon, to vacate the house.

A hearing was held on Monday and the next, which Hashem said would the last before a ruling, was scheduled for March 30 by a Beirut court.

A judge last month rejected Ghosn's request to have security guards stationed outside his residence by Nissan removed.

Ghosn considers he is the rightful owner of the distinctive house with pink walls and pale blue shutters, located on an upmarket street of the capital.

The former head of the Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance fled Japan, where he faces several years in jail on charges of financial misconduct, late last year,

He reached Lebanon in mysterious circumstances and has rarely been seen in public since launching a spirited defence at a well-choreographed January 8 press conference.

2020 AFP

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Nissan case over Ghosn's Beirut home to end this month - RFI

Burlington Electric is partnering with a software company on a pilot program to spur charging at apartment buildings.

Electric vehicles have long been the domain of the single-car garage, but more and more, apartment renters are looking to plug in, too.

In Burlington, Vermont, renters will soon have access to more charging stations through a pilot program led by the citys electric utility.

The Burlington Electric Department is partnering with a California software developer called EVmatch, a sort of Airbnb for electric vehicle charging. Charging station owners can use the service to make their chargers available to the public, setting hours and prices within an app. Drivers can then use the app to reserve and pay for charging.

Burlington will be the first test of a new user group feature. Until now, building owners could only set one price rate for their chargers. The new software option allows them to set rates for different groups of people at different times of the day. For example, a property owner might choose to open their charger to the general public during the day but allow tenants to have 24-hour access at a discounted rate.

The new software feature was developed with apartment and condo dwellers in mind. I think the multifamily segment needs additional innovation, said EVmatch co-founder and CEO Heather Hochrein. Building owners have told her team theyre concerned about cost both the upfront cost of installing the charger, and recovering electricity costs from drivers. Leaders in Burlington hope the program addresses those concerns.

Building owners approved for the pilot in Burlington will get a free charger compatible with EVmatchs software. The electric department originally allocated 15 chargers, but because of high demand, that number was increased to 25. Owners will receive an additional $500 to help cover the installation of each charger they agree to make publicly available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

As for recovering electricity costs, thats where EVmatch comes in. Owners can set prices either for time or amount of electricity used. The software automatically charges drivers, who pay through the softwares mobile app. This way, building owners can accurately charge drivers without having to install extra hardware, like a submeter, which can cost hundreds of dollars per meter versus $100 per year for the EVmatch software.

Property owners want something that can manage itself, Hochrein said, so once they set parameters for their different user groups, the software can run on its own. They can designate access codes for certain user groups. So if tenants get a discounted price, the owner gives them the access code so they get the discount.

The pilot is part of the 2019 funding round in the Accel-VT accelerator program (now called DeltaClimeVT). The program each year provides support to climate-focused startups so they can bring their technology to Vermont.

Through the program, Burlington Electric and Green Mountain Power officials chose the companies they want to collaborate with on pilots. Utility partnerships like this are especially important as Hochreins team looks for new cities to expand to, she said. The utilities provide the chargers and financial incentives, but Hochrein said the really valuable piece is their marketing channels and customer relationships, which are important for a small startup.

Green Mountain Power, an investor-owned utility that serves much of the state, also plans to roll out a pilot program using EVmatchs software.

For Burlington Electric, a partnership with EVmatch seemed ideal to help the citys apartment renters charge their electric vehicles. About 60% of the utilitys customers rent, said Darren Springer, Burlington Electrics general manager.

Vermont is beginning to see some strong public charging networks take shape, Springer said, but most charging still takes place at home. Drivers are usually encouraged to charge their vehicles overnight rather than during the day to minimize charging during peak hours. But since public chargers often arent available overnight, renters dont have much choice. This program should help level that playing field, Springer said.

The program could help the city meet its ambitious clean energy goals. Burlington aims to be a net-zero energy city by 2030. The citys electricity last year came from all renewable generation, according to the electric department. Now officials want the heating and transportation sectors to make their own gains. Plans include converting to an electric and hybrid vehicle fleet, so having more chargers can encourage that shift, Springer said.

He also pointed out the potential appeal for building owners to install chargers: On the one hand, they can avoid extra meter costs by using EVmatch. At the same time, in a city with a tight rental housing market, offering charging could be a key factor to draw tenants.

I think its great that they [Burlington] are taking these steps to try out what we hope is a reasonable solution at a lower cost, said Dave Roberts, the coordinator of Drive Electric Vermont, a group of state agencies, utilities and researchers that advocate for more electric vehicle adoption in the state. Pilots like this are a good start to test how they serve drivers, Roberts said.

The recently updated state residential building energy code requires owners of new multifamily buildings to be prepared to offer charging: As of September 2020, owners of new developments need to have a certain number of parking spaces ready for electric vehicle charger installation, ranging from availability for one charger if there are 10 parking spots, to charging availability for 4% of the spaces if there are more than 100 parking spots. (Like other places that have enacted similar policies, building owners dont actually need chargers yet; they just have to ensure they have appropriate wiring so their buildings wont require costly renovations if they offer charging later.)

You could make the observation that 4% of those parking spaces is a great step but longer term were going to have to figure out ways to get much higher, Roberts said. But for now, this should at least help increase charging availability, he said.

Drive Electric Vermont is preparing a survey for multifamily building owners to better understand the more common reservations about offering charging. It hopes to have feedback in late spring but Roberts said they expect cost will be a top concern.

Burlington Electric for now is evaluating applications from building owners. Springer said his team hopes to give chargers to anyone whos interested, which is why they expanded beyond the original 15 they had planned. He added that he was pleased to see applications from buildings in different areas of the city. Once they get the program up and running, he said, theyll evaluate its potential for expansion.

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Vermont city hopes 'Airbnb for EV charging' will give renters new options - Energy News Network

One of the best moments of a long, hectic day often comes at the very end, when you fall into bed, pull up the covers and drop off to sleep.

Unless, of course, your bedroom is an uninviting mess.

A poorly chosen paint color you would rather forget, an uncomfortable rug underfoot and the glare of streetlights outside are just some of the problems that can conspire to create a room you would rather avoid the opposite of an ideal environment for deep sleep.

Our bedroom environment is probably the most modifiable factor that can influence our sleep health, said Natalie Dautovich, an assistant professor of psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and the environmental fellow for the National Sleep Foundation, which has declared March 8 the beginning of Sleep Awareness Week. There are things we can do to improve the bedroom that will help us to fall asleep more easily, return to sleep when we wake up during the night and stay asleep until our desired wake time.

Specifically, the ideal bedroom environment is dark, quiet and cool very cavelike, in a sense, Dr. Dautovich said.

But by adding comfort and a feeling of security, we can do much better than a cave. For tips on how to design a restful bedroom, we consulted designers and scientists.

When your objective is to create a comforting environment, the bedroom is not the place to experiment with dazzling patterns or bold colors like lime green or fiery orange.

I like to make bedrooms super calm, said Timothy Godbold, an interior designer in Southampton, N.Y., who favors a crisp palette of whites and light grays with few, if any, pops of bright color. My clients tend to be super busy people who work a lot, so when they go to bed, they want to clear their minds.

Mark Cunningham, an interior designer in New York, also prefers a tightly controlled color palette. A lot of times theyre kind of monochromatic, he said of the bedrooms he designs. I think its a nice relief and retreat to go into a serene bedroom.

That doesnt mean light colors are the only option. Dark colors can be equally inviting, so long as you choose neutrals and stick with them. In one Manhattan apartment, for instance, Mr. Cunningham used a palette of dark grays, resulting in a deeply cozy, cocoon-like bedroom.

The easiest way to surround yourself in a calming color is with a fresh coat of paint. But in a bedroom, many designers instead opt for a soft wallcovering.

For one San Francisco home, Alison Pickart, a Bay Area designer, created a bedroom with walls upholstered in gray silk velvet. For me, bedrooms always need to feel super cozy, and I always love to layer textures, she said.

But the look and feeling of velvet isnt its only asset it also helps keep the room quiet. Its dead silent, she said, because of the acoustical quality of the velvet on top of the cotton batting.

An economical way of achieving a similar effect is to use wallpaper with the look of fabric. In some of her projects, Ms. Pickart has used Suede Lounge wallpaper from Phillip Jeffries, which looks and feels like natural suede once it has been installed.

Even patterned wallpaper can work well in a bedroom, as long as the colors arent too wild, said Ellie Cullman, a founder of the New York interior design firm Cullman & Kravis Associates. Sometimes it creates an element of restfulness, because its like being enveloped in the pattern, Ms. Cullman said. It can be very cozy.

An easy way to make a room with wood floors quieter and more inviting is to add carpet.

We always love a carpet in a bedroom, said Lee Cavanaugh, a design partner at Cullman & Kravis. Its nice to be able to step out of bed and not just feel a cold wood floor.

The softer the carpet the better, since its a place where youll often be barefoot. When the budget allows, we like to use a carpet with silk in it, because thats really soft, Ms. Cullman said. But there are a number of pleasing options that are less expensive, including rugs made from wool, cotton and other natural fibers.

Usually, designers install a wall-to-wall carpet or a large area rug that extends under the bed and other furniture, leaving a border of exposed wood around the edges of the room.

The choice comes down to the desired look, as well as the layout of the room, Mr. Cunningham said. Often, he said, if there is a walk-in closet or dressing room adjacent to the bedroom, well do wall-to-wall, just so it can run into the closet.

Light is the most dominant cue for our circadian sleep-wake system, Dr. Dautovich said, so controlling the illumination from windows is important.

The easiest way to reduce the light from outside whether its from the moon, an early sunrise, streetlights or the headlights of passing cars is with blackout shades or curtains that have a blackout lining.

The way the sun rises at dawn is particularly powerful. The gradual onset of light cues the body to suppress melatonin and start feeling alert, Dr. Dautovich said. If your desired wake time is after dawn, then blackout curtains can help with that.

Of course, bedrooms arent used solely at night. Most people also want privacy and some light control during the day, without having to make the room completely dark. Many designers use multiple layers of window coverings that might include blackout shades inside the window and sheer curtains over top.

Cullman & Kravis frequently goes one step further and installs blackout and solar shades inside the top of each window, and then a decorative treatment, like embroidered curtain panels, over the window casing, for a softer appearance.

In bedrooms with many windows, Mr. Godbold recommended installing motorized shades that can be raised and lowered with the push of a button (or smartphone tap), from a company like the Shade Store or Hunter Douglas.

You dont necessarily have to have electrical wires in your walls near the window casings, he said. There are a lot of battery-operated ones that are really good.

In the same way that layers of window coverings provide better control of natural light, layers of light fixtures can help create the right atmosphere at various times of day.

We are firm believers in lots of layers of light, said Ms. Cavanaugh, of Cullman & Kravis. We like an overhead light fixture, art lights, sconces and lamps.

Installing numerous fixtures and lamps may also make it easier to support the bodys natural circadian rhythms.

Dont try to get everything out of one fixture in the middle of the room, because youre probably not going to be able to do it, said Mariana G. Figueiro, the director of the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. You really need bright light during the day and then dimmer, warmer colors in the evening, because thats what gives you that robust light-dark pattern that helps maintain entrainment for the circadian system.

Bedroom light fixtures and lamps should be on dimmers, she said, and bulbs should have a warm color temperature of about 2,700 kelvin. That way, all the fixtures can be switched on at full wattage to brightly illuminate the room in the morning, but then the ceiling fixture can be switched off and bedside lamps can be dimmed in the evening.

Also consider having a storage place for electronics like smartphones inside the drawer of a nightstand, for example where they wont disrupt sleep with late-night notifications.

A platform or a four-poster bed? A soft or firm mattress? Many pillows or just a few?

When designing the centerpiece of the bedroom, so much comes down to personal preference and sleep habits. But there are some rules of thumb.

In general, our mattress height is usually around 24 or 25 inches, Mr. Cunningham said, although some people may like it a few inches lower. To avoid ending up with a bed thats uncomfortably high, he said, consider how the height of the bed frame, box spring and mattress will add up when shopping for components.

For a reassuring sense of enclosure, Mr. Cunningham often uses four-poster beds in his projects. (He has also designed an upholstered model of his own, which he sells through his Manhattan showroom, Marked.)

Its also possible to create the illusion of a four-poster bed, if you dont want to splurge for one. In a house in Greenwich, Conn., Mr. Cunningham installed a ceiling-mounted drapery rail above the bed, with long, sheer curtains that can encircle it and park at the four corners when open.

As for choosing a mattress, Ms. Pickart stressed the importance of trying out several mattresses in person to find your preferred comfort level, rather than taking a chance with an online order. Its something that you return to every day to recover and prepare for the next day, she said. You really have to take your time and find the right thing.

To finish it off, Mr. Godbold usually keeps the bedding simple, topping mattresses with white sheets, a blanket or duvet and a minimum of pillows.

For me, its about having one or two pillows per person, and thats it, he said, noting the current trend away from the sumptuously overblown beds of decades past. Its not that grandma vibe of having way too many pillows on your bed.

For weekly email updates on residential real estate news, sign up here. Follow us on Twitter: @nytrealestate.

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How to Get the Bedroom of Your Dreams - The New York Times

On a hill overlooking a middle-class neighbourhood and a hospital lies one of So Paulos slums home to about 300 families trying to eke out a living in the largest city in Brazil. Here in Boi Malhado, ramshackle dwellings built with planks of wood and corrugated iron are perched precariously on the hillside. Only recently, one house belonging to a mother and her newborn baby collapsed. Both survived but the remains are there for everyone to see.

Children run up and down narrow passageways between laundry lines and live electric wires; sewers are a hole in the ground covered by a piece of wood; and water access is sporadic its common for the community to go without for days. Our government is very unfair, says resident Mariangela Ferreira, 35. We pay our taxes and we dont even have the basics.

Inhabitants face all manner of health problems, including HIV. It is this that has brought Sandra Santos, a healthcare professional who specialises in educating young people about the virus, here on a Saturday afternoon. Santos, who works at Emilio Ribas hospital is convinced that its areas like this where she must work.

But its challenging. The poverty is breathtaking and Santos had to go through an intermediary to ask the drug dealers that rule this area to allow her into the slum. Healthcare professionals wont enter because theyre too scared, she says. But these are the people who we cant reach and who need our help.

In the past hour, she has spoken to a 20-year-old mother who is living with a diagnosis of HIV. The new mother is taking antiretroviral drugs she started when she found out she was pregnant but Santos fears for the future. If [health services] dont give her the support she needs, she will lose motivation and not take her medication.

The number of young people with HIV in Brazil is on the rise. Figures from 2019 show that from 2007 to June 2019, 300,496 cases of HIV were reported in Brazil. The majority (52.7%) were found among those aged 20-34. While rates among the white population are falling, more black people are becoming infected. In So Paulo, young men account for the most accentuated spread of the epidemic. In the 10 years up until 2018, male 15- to 19-year-olds, 20- to 24-year-olds and 25- to 29-year-olds showed an increase in detection of 3.8 times, 2.9 and 2.3 times respectively.

Santoss work has never been more important. Traditionally her role has been to welcome young people who contracted HIV from their mothers to the hospital, and work with other healthcare professionals to educate them around the importance of taking their medication, as well as helping them to deal with prejudice and stigma in society.

Now she is focusing on prevention. She works with a team of young people with the virus to give lectures in schools and youth centres about what living with HIV is like, and how to avoid getting it in the first place.

Renata Ferreira, 21, is a patient at Emilio Ribas and recently helped to set up an organisation that supports other young people with HIV. She also goes out with Santos and others to talk about her life with the virus.

She was the only one of three siblings to contract HIV from her mother and now lives in Paraispolis, one of the largest favelas in Brazil, with her adoptive parents. She takes antiretrovirals and is undetectable she cannot pass on HIV through sex and can have children without giving them the virus. No one knows about HIV around here. We know it exists but thats it, says Ferreira. We are taught very little about sex and prevention. Even doctors dont know much. At her local health centre, she has found herself explaining aspects of living with HIV to doctors.

Life hasnt always been easy for Ferreira. Until the age of 14 I thought I was going to die, she says. I didnt have other people with HIV in my life. There were times when she gave up taking her medication and struggled with stigma at school. Along with Santos and her friend and colleague Thiago Martins, who also lives with HIV, Ferreira has seen lots of people die. Santos remembers one year when 17 people she was working with died. Wed go from a funeral to a birthday party. It was very hard, she says.

Back in Boi Malhado, Maria dos Anjos, a community leader, sits at a table with Santos talking about ways they can work together. Its so important to talk about HIV. And first we must talk about prevention, says Anjos. I know 11- and 12-year-old girls who have to prostitute themselves to survive. We have a problem with sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy because children dont receive any sex education.

The future may be fraught with challenges and Santos and her colleagues have to work in a difficult political climate: the president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, recently labelled people with HIV an expense for everyone. But today has been productive and, at least on the ground, there is hope and appetite for change.

More:
'Health workers are too scared to enter': the fight to treat HIV in a So Paulo favela - The Guardian

Issued on: 03/03/2020 - 17:01

New York (AFP)

Dublin-based Yvonne Farrell and Shelley McNamara were awarded the Pritzker prize on Tuesday -- the first time a female duo has scooped architecture's most prestigious award.

The pair gained international fame for their blocky, brutalist-inspired structures that include Paris's Institut Mines Telecom building.

Just three women have won Pritzkers before them and no Irish citizens have ever picked up the prize.

Architects since the 1970s, the duo have developed a unique style that is modern while emphasizing craft and working with site-specific aesthetics.

The jury cited Farrell and McNamara's "integrity" and "generosity towards their colleagues."

The judges also praised their "unceasing commitment to excellence in architecture, their responsible attitude toward the environment, their ability to be cosmopolitan while embracing the uniqueness of each place in which they work."

The pair say their home of Ireland informed their focus on geography and shifts in climate, resulting in buildings that celebrate detail while remaining modest.

"What we try to do in our work is to be aware of the various levels of citizenship and try to find an architecture that deals with overlap, that heightens your relationship to one another," the Pritzker committee quoted Farrell as saying.

The two women co-founded Grafton Architects in 1978 in Dublin, where they both continue to work and live.

The past four decades have seen them complete projects in Ireland as well as Britain, France, Italy and Peru.

"Within the ethos of a practice such as ours, we have so often struggled to find space for the implementation of such values as humanism, craft, generosity, and cultural connection with each place and context within which we work," said McNamara.

"It is therefore extremely gratifying that this recognition is bestowed upon us and our practice and upon the body of work we have managed to produce over a long number of years."

2020 AFP

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Architecture's top prize awarded to two women - RFI

Want to know how to wire a plug? These simple, step-by-step instructions are intended to help you replace a plug on an appliance, or other electrical equipment, in the event that the plug supplied has been damaged. It's a simple DIY job that should be carried out, with ease, by most. And is a better solution than replacing a product entirely.

Before you get started, it's worth noting that an error in wiring your new plug not only has the potential to prevent your equipment from working correctly, but can also make it unsafe and could cause serious injury. So, if you have any doubts or queries prior to getting started, then you should consult a registered electrician, repair technician, the equipment manufacturer or their agent in order to seek professional support. It's not worth getting this one wrong if you're totally confident in what you're doing.

For more DIY advice and information, head over to our DIY hub page.

Materials needed:

Cabinet Handle Screwdriver Set

Wire Cutters - Mini Diagonal

Instructions:

1. Before starting, check if any part of the plug is damaged. If this is the case, dispose of it and replace it.

2. Note that a plug with exposed conductors will be dangerous if plugged in.

3. Firstly, with the plug on a flat surface, remove the outer screws. Note that the main centre screw may undo but not be removable.

4. Open the plug up and familiarise yourself with the markings on the inside positions of the markings should be Neutral (blue cable; bottom left); Live (brown cable; middle right) and Earth (green and yellow cable; central top).

The mains lead on your equipment may only have two wires inside, Live (brown) and Neutral (blue). This is perfectly normal and your equipment will have extra protection built in so that an earth connection is not required.

5. If your plug was supplied with a flex strain-relief (rubber tube), slip it over the end of your cable.

6. Next, loosen all the small terminal screws inside the plug.

7. Check the instructions provided with your replacement plug and strip back the correct length of outer insulation on your cable. Make sure you do not damage the inner (coloured) cores.

8. Cut the individual cores to length and strip back the coloured insulation of each core according to the plug instructions twisting the copper strands together. The Live (brown) cable will typically be shorter than the earth (green/yellow) and neutral (blue).

9. Beginning with the Live wire, insert the twisted copper conductors into the terminals and tighten each screw securely. Ensure that no strands of copper protrude and that the coloured insulation does not enter the terminal.

If your mains cable does not have an earth wire, ensure the earth terminal in the plug is also tightened securely to prevent the loose screw from falling out.

10. Press the coloured wires into the spaces in the plug so that when the top is attached, wires will not be pinched.

11. Hold the cord grip in position and replace the two screws (if provided). Check that the wires inside the plug are not under tension and that the cord grip will tighten onto the outer insulation.

If you have a rubber flex strain-relief, ensure it is captured with the cable beneath the cable grip or is in position at the exit of the plug as appropriate.

12. Tighten securely and gently pull on the cable to check that it cannot move. Note that some plugs do not have a cord grip retained by screws but have a mechanism that pinches the cable. Check that the cable is retained securely. If this is not possible, maybe because of the size of the cable, you will need to obtain a different plug.

13. Double-check that all connections have been made correctly, i.e. Live to Live terminal etc.

14. Replace the top of the plug and tighten the screw securely.

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How to wire a plug use our advice to tackle this simple DIY task - Real Homes

Issued on: 02/03/2020 - 22:40

Los Angeles (AFP)

James Lipton, the US actor-turned-academic who for decades interviewed Hollywood's biggest A-listers as host of "Inside the Actors Studio," has died at 93, the show's network said Monday.

Lipton hosted the influential show for nearly 25 years, conducting hour-long interviews with silver-screen legends from Paul Newman and Dennis Hopper to Julia Roberts and Scarlett Johansson.

"Beloved Inside the #ActorsStudio host James Lipton has died at 93," tweeted Ovation TV, an arts network that acquired the show last year when Lipton retired.

Lipton passed away Monday at his New York home following a battle with bladder cancer, his wife Kedakai Mercedes Lipton told The Hollywood Reporter and The New York Times.

The show was conceived as part of a program for drama students at the New School in Manhattan, but the Bravo cable channel picked up the television rights.

Lipton focused on the craft of filmmaking and avoided straying into celebrity gossip.

Nominated for 21 Emmys, the show was praised for its stellar lineup and in-depth discussions, but drew criticism for an approach labeled sycophantic by some viewers.

Born in Detroit in 1926, Lipton embarked on an acting career in the 1940s, and later moved into writing and producing.

During a 2013 interview, Lipton described a brief period in his youth when he had worked as a pimp in Paris.

"We'll miss him dearly, but we wish him peace as he arrives at those pearly gates. #RestInPeace" wrote Ovation TV.

Lipton would finish his interviews by asking each famous guest to answer a series of identical questions, borrowed from French TV host Bernard Pivot.

"If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?" was among the questions.

2020 AFP

Continue reading here:
'Inside the Actors Studio' host James Lipton dies aged 93 - RFI

A family which planned a "nice weekend away" at a holiday camp left after one night because of the "filthy" state of their accommodation.

Teresa Barbato, 21, from Port Talbot went to Brean Sands in Somerset on Friday, February 28, for a three-night stay along with her partner, mother, grandmother and grandmother's partner. They had paid 130 for two apartments.

Teresa received an email from Pontins shortly before the break to offer the family a free upgrade to a higher standard of apartment, called a Club Apartment, which they accepted.

When they arrived, they found that one of the rooms had children's bunk beds in and they claim there was mould in the bedrooms, faulty electronics, and what they thought was faeces on a pull-out sofa bed.

"As soon as we opened the door we found problems. We couldn't believe they expected elderly, disabled people to sleep on bunk beds," said Teresa.

"Also, my mother and I have fibromyalgia and my partner is 6ft 3ins tall so it wasn't appropriate for any of us.

"They ask the age and other details for people before they stay to 'allow the allocation of appropriate accommodation,' which this wasn't."

Teresa's grandmother, Mary John, 68, and her grandmother's partner, Douglas Hookins, 73, both have disabilities.

"We thought a weekend away would be nice and let everyone forget about their problems for a bit.

"After seeing the state of the rooms, we said we'd make the best of a bad situation and just use the rooms as base but by the Saturday morning we'd had enough, we packed up and went home," added Teresa.

On Saturday, Teresa, who has asthma, says she woke up with a tight chest.

"I got out of bed on Saturday and stood right in a puddle of water, there was mould on the walls which must be what set off my asthma," she said.

Her mother, Rebecca Barbato, was staying in the one bedroom chalet opposite and had problems of her own.

"There was a pool of water in the shower that must have been there for days because it had dead flies and spiders in it and there were black stains in the toilet," said Teresa.

"There were also exposed wires in the bathroom and my partner said 'imagine if a child touched those'.

"My mother pulled out the sofa bed and there was what looked like faeces on it."

Shortly after arriving on Friday, Teresa had been to the reception at Brean Sands and said the manager offered her a downgrade to standard apartments, but was told she would have to pay for electricity in the rooms if they decided to move.

She added that a cleaner was sent to their rooms as well but "all they did was let the water out of the shower basin and flush the toilet".

The family decided against the offered downgrade and made the two-hour drive back to Port Talbot on Saturday morning.

Teresa added that she made a complaint on the Pontins Facebook page, but the post had since been deleted and her profile has been blocked.

She said that the family had often gone to Brean Sands for holidays in her childhood but that they had "no intention of going there again".

Pontins has been approached for comment.

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Family leave Pontins holiday early because of 'mould, dead flies and exposed wires' in their rooms - Wales Online

Six Island schools were upgraded or refurbished by the Isle of Wight Council last year and many more are set to benefit from millions of pounds of government funding.

In total, almost 2 million was invested by the council in major projects that have included modern classrooms, replacement roofing and windows, heating systems and electrical works.

However, a further estimated 12 million is set to be spent on the Island over the coming years through the governments Priority Schools Building Programme (PSBP).

The programme has already seen the refurbishment of Barton Primary School, Newport, and a new build at Queensgate Primary School, East Cowes which opened last week with major works also planned for Binstead, Brading, Dover Park (Ryde), Greenmount (Ryde), Wootton and Wroxall primary schools.

Councillor Paul Brading, Cabinet member for childrens services and education, said: We are continually investing in our schools to ensure our children have the best possible learning environment.

Thanks to the strong working relationship between the Department for Education (DfE) and local authority, many Island schools are also benefiting from significant investment from the governments PSBP.

Our push on improvements is helping to boost school results on the Island with outcomes improving at a much faster rate than schools nationally.

Godshill Primary School has recently undergone a 640,000 transformation with the council investing a further 790,000 in Cowes and Broadlea primary schools, with the latter benefiting from a brand-new roof.

Around 200,000 has been spent at The Bay Church of England School, Sandown, as part of a series of works which has included the refurbishment of the school dining hall.

Meanwhile, further investment has been made at St Georges special school and Medina House School, both at Newport, to enhance fire safety.

Among the schools to have already benefited from PSBP funding is Gurnard Primary where, last month, pupils were excited to walk into a snazzy new building.

The old school had become very expensive and time consuming to maintain with a leaky roof, blocked drains and temperamental boiler.

The new building has much larger classrooms, benefits from the latest facilities and is fully accessible for children and adults with disabilities.

Headteacher Vanessa Hicks said: We are lucky enough to have two halls, two library spaces, music practice rooms and a specialist science lab.

The learning environment in the new school is outstanding.

The children are now designing our new back garden which will be created on the site of the old school. This will include a natural playground, pond, wildflower meadow, forest school, orchard and allotment so were all very excited to see it develop.

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Millions of pounds of investment in Island schools - Isle of Wight Observer