Israel I am so sorry of what is happening. Hamas release the innocents.

It is so tragic what is happening in the Middle East. So many people have needlessly been killed and kidnapped simply enjoying a concert. I support the Jewish community here at home and overseas. Hamas has also taken Canadians as well and has killed at least one Canadian as well as people from other countries. What a mess and needless suffering. I have been watching the news with what is going on and support Israel. Terrorists should never be tolerated. They are a threat to the entire world dominated by hatred and evil acts. Taking civilians including women and children and watching men saying they would trade themselves for their families is heart breaking. Israel will retaliate and rightfully so. It is so unfortunate that so many people from all sides will be suffering and killed because of terrorism. It doesn't have to be this way.

What should you do today?

I was wondering what to talk about today. Should I talk about the Nazi in the house? Should I talk about countries where women have to cover their lovely faces because of ugly men? There is certainly no religion that your face needs to be covered or your hair. Actually Mohammed wanted to protect women. Should I talk about global warming and how there is resistance in trying to keep us alive? Sounds depressing? Yes it can be and that is why balance is important. For many just getting out of bed is a chore. There are things you can do to manage your mental health. I always suggest spending time in nature. I have created my own oasis in mine. Gaze up at the sky and take in what you see, walk through the park or forest and take in the sounds. Lay on the grass and just be with nature. What do you hear, what do you feel as well as what do you see? Have a favourite plant or flowers for you to enjoy and just inhale the fragrance and beauty. Listen to music and even better dance to it. Sing. Choose a new hobby. You may be surprised to find you have a talent you never knew you had. Take a class. Focus on your breathing and feel the sensations of your body. Socialize with people you like and enjoy. Don't know any? Join a club or rereation. Create boundaries with those who cross the line. It is ok to protect yourself. Learn how to love yourself, if you do not. Learn to live and enjoy. It may be by just leaving your room. If need be, get the help that you need. Get a physical if it has been awhile, exercise, walk and know that you can make changes one step at a time. Have a good week everyone. Try to balance your life. What do you think?

Men's Conference Oct 12-13, 23 (I can't seem to paste the schedule. If interested provide an email I can send the program to. Sorry.

For Love of Country: Military Policewoman www.silva.redigonda.ca

The next day I ran a mile and a half in fourteen minutes and five seconds. Was I dead! Our instructor told us that we would all pass the gym portion if it killed her. I think we all liked her. She made us laugh and treated us humanely. Wednesday was another rushed day with no time for myself. Thursday I had a haircut and was fingerprinted and photographs of me were taken. I felt good and wrote home. Friday I earned my pass to go out. Was I glad! I met a recruit by the name of Peter – not hard to look at. I had badly needed fun. We’d been so rushed all week, it was incredible to finally have a break. Saturday, I began the day by going to Canex, which is a store that military people use. It has everything one could need from groceries to stereo equipment. I went to get film developed. I had taken some pictures before leaving for the military and also when I arrived at the base. They turned out well. As I left the Canex, I paused at the barber shop. Many a young man would be sitting on the outside steps, crying after having his hair butchered. Young men with beautiful hair they would never see again; after the barber was finished, I couldn’t recognize them! I knew exactly how they felt and what their tears meant. I went to the bowling alley after that but couldn’t find Peter. I joined the bowling league and found I wasn’t doing badly. At home I considered bowling to be a bore and mainly for geeks. Here it was an excuse just to be out; we could almost be ourselves. I returned to the barracks at 8: 30 PM. It was becoming my home. I did the wash, ironed, and shined some shoes. I was glad to go to bed and sleep. It was Sunday the 27th of October. I went to church and saw Peter. I liked him. He was rubbing his knee against me, when he had the opportunity, which made me nervous, considering how everyone noticed everything. After that I didn’t get to sit next to him. Peter was confined to barracks (CB). He wasn’t allowed to go anywhere except church and to the mess for meals. Attending church seemed to upset me terribly. I felt like crying and wishing I could believe in God. I deduced the possibility that if there was a God, and I wanted to believe in one so much, then I should be able to, but since I could not believe, then God could not exist. Monday, I went to the Recreation (Rec) centre and saw Moose. We had started at the same time from Toronto. He was being released. I guess he couldn’t take it. He was with another recruit being released. I didn’t see Peter. That day I received a letter from home. My mom was worried about Granville. Granville would be our final testing ground. At drill, we were terrible. I saw Peter as I entered the class for first aid training. He was walking the opposite direction. I skipped PT (physical training) because my foot had swollen and proceeded to the hospital (MIR) to have it checked. A male recruit seated nearby kept staring at me and made the mistake of telling me how beautiful I was. I hadn’t felt beautiful since I was forced to cut my hair, and here in Cornwallis what they did to me would have caused my hairstylist to have an anxiety attack. I let the recruit know exactly what I thought of his comments. He did not speak to me again.

Excerpt From: Silva Redigonda. “For love of country : military policewoman.”

For Love of Country - Military Policewoman continues www.silvaredigonda.ca

I was looking forward to going out that night, but when inspected to see if I was suitably attired to leave the barracks, I was informed I was wearing too much makeup. Too much makeup consisted of some lipstick, so I was not permitted to leave. I ironed that night, while most of the other women went out. I awoke Sunday to find a light blanket of snow outside. I walked to church and socialized. One of the men I met, Tom, volunteered to shine a pair of boots for me. This would become routine. I was advised that if I was seen with the same male more than twice, I was considered his girlfriend. I decided to avoid that. I returned to my barracks, worked on my kit and wrote home. That afternoon we had a blizzard. A power failure occurred and left us with no electricity. It was a cold crisp day, but we had fun with all the changes. One of women told me that the others thought I was too wild. I couldn’t believe this place. Wild, I was not. That night we went to bed as nightfall approached because we still did not have electricity. The next day we were kept extremely busy. We were not given time to wash, go to the toilet, or smoke a cigarette. We immediately had three class periods of first aid instruction, followed by more drill, pool and gym. Thank goodness I had my Award of Merit, which gave me some time to rest. I found there was hardly time to breathe. There was certainly no time to study. My confidence grew as I totally immersed myself in the course. But I missed home so much. Excerpt From: Silva Redigonda. “For love of country : military policewoman.” www.silvaredigonda.ca (for your signed copy). Ebook is also available.

President Zelencskyy continues to keep me in awe as much as Putin does the opposite.

The Ukraine President is in Canada and we continue to support his country with weapons and equipment as all should. We cannot have Dictators try to take over democratic countries. During the first 500 days Putin had his people kill more than 9000 civilians and 500 children in Ukraine. This is what cowards do. They attack, maim and attempt to destroy the innocent. I fully support my country providing Ukraine all the help that they need to save their democracy and identity. As for Russia, you can do better than follow the actions of pure evil. I am so impressed that Zelencskyy has the strength to travel for support against Russia because he cannot do it on his own. All democratic countries must help. What a guy! Too bad Putin continues with this cruelty but can we expect anything else? Why he is still alive is beyond me. Zelencskyy received a deserved standing ovation. What does Putin deserve? Have a good weekend and pray for peace.

More of IA - University of Toronto Had to cut and paste. Article is at https://defygravitycampaign.utoronto.ca/news-and-stories/new-autonomous-lab

New autonomous lab at University of Toronto to improve drug formulation Aug 31, 2023 From left: PhD trainee Zeqing Bao, Professor Christine Allen, Allen Lab Director of Research and Partnerships Pauric Bannigan. Photo by Steve Southon. A new autonomous lab being built in the University of Toronto’s Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy will help to design and optimize formulations that will improve bioavailability, stability and efficacy of a variety of drugs. Christine Allen, a professor in the faculty whose research focuses on drug development and disease diagnostics, is co-leading the lab with Frank Gu, a professor in the department of chemical engineering and applied chemistry in the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. “I see huge potential for artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and automation in pharmaceutical sciences, for formulations and beyond,” says Allen, an expert in drug formulations. “The world is finally understanding the impact of formulation technology and how powerful it is. Now we can marry that technology with AI and machine learning, so we’re kind of unstoppable.” The impact of ‘self-driving’ labs The self-driving lab at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy is one of six being built at U of T through a $200-million Canada First Research Excellence Fund grant to the Acceleration Consortium, a global network of government, industry and academic researchers accelerating the discovery of materials and molecules needed for a sustainable future. The new facility is known as a ‘self-driving’ lab because it uses AI, automation and advanced computing to test different combinations of materials and iteratively develop the best formulations. This approach will allow researchers to evaluate a much larger number of materials, significantly reducing both the cost and time required to identify a new drug formulation. Allen explains that formulation scientists are often working under tight time constraints to get a product to market by deadline, and the final formulations are the best that can be done with the time available – but are not necessarily the best possible option. “We’re providing a solution to that – accelerating development while looking for the best formulation,” says Allen, whose team worked in collaboration with Professor Alán Aspuru-Guzik’s research group to develop a prototype of the self-driving lab last year. The world is finally understanding the impact of formulation technology and how powerful it is. Now we can marry that technology with AI and machine learning, so we’re kind of unstoppable. The future of pharmaceuticals Allen played a key role in launching the Acceleration Consortium during her time as associate vice-president and vice-provost, strategic initiatives. As a co-lead on the project, Gu is bringing his expertise in nanotechnology engineering to develop high-quality, precise formulations that use nanotechnology to improve the delivery, bioavailability and efficacy of drugs. “Nanotechnology engineering has revolutionized the pharmaceutical industry, and its potential applications in a self-driving lab are both imminent and paradigm-shifting,” Gu says. “By harnessing the power of nanotechnology in a self-driving lab for pharmaceutical formulations, my lab is working with Professor Allen’s team to unlock many advantages that will transform drug development, formulation, modular manufacturing and patient care.” A strong collaboration Allen says that the lab’s strong collaboration between pharmaceutical scientists and computer scientists also provides unique educational opportunities for trainees that will provide them with key skills needed for a career in the pharmaceutical industry. “The trainees are experts in both fields – this is where the future is going, and that to me is the power in all of this. It is true interdisciplinary collaboration,” Allen says. “The trainees are gaining knowledge, expertise and experience, and they are then able to secure exciting positions in industry and be leaders in the field.” Researchers say the self-driving lab will help the pharmaceutical industry improve efficiency in drug development and production. Photo by Steve Southon. Last year, Allen took a leave of absence from the university to take on a leadership role with adMare Bioinnovations, an organization that helps support Canadian life science companies and researchers. She has now returned to the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy full-time and brings back a wealth of new experience in entrepreneurship that she plans to apply to her research and the work of the Acceleration Consortium. To that end, Allen is also chairing the Acceleration Consortium’s committee on commercialization and partnerships, and is also developing a graduate course in innovation and entrepreneurship. Improving patient outcomes With the lab’s focus on translational research and commercialization, both Allen and Gu are excited about its potential to generate new formulations that will ultimately improve patient outcomes. “The self-driving lab is the most cutting-edge technology to help the pharmaceutical industry to drive toward digitization, automation and ultimately improve efficiency in product development and production,” Gu says. “With its unique capability in bridging automation and iterative discovery process, it is also the key to helping us accelerate the development and production of personalized medicines, which is prohibitively expensive and labour-intensive to be done today.” By Eileen Hoftyzer Explore related campaign priorities: Drive scientific discovery Enable healthy lives