As the sun sets over the lofty Beartooth Mountains in the US, Tawny McVay makes her final stop of the day on her school bus. After an eight-hour stretch behind the wheel, she is ready to head straight home and hit the hay – and she won't have far to travel.
That's because McVay, 35, is no ordinary bus driver, and this is no ordinary bus. She eats, works and sleeps on the converted 72-passenger vehicle, after spending only $25,000 (Dh92,000) on the unique home. She is joined on the renovated "skoolie" by husband Mike, 32, children Aidyn, 16, and Ellery, 14, and their 60 kilogram Great Dane, Apollo.
I could never go back to staying in the same place and living the same day over and over again
"We had everything you're supposed to aspire to," says McVay, who is from Montana. "We had a successful gym business, we had new cars, a big beautiful home, the works. But instead of feeling satisfied we just felt trapped."
In 2016, the couple took a trip to Rome, where they caught the travel bug and after returning to America they decided they couldn’t continue with their conventional lifestyle. Instead they sold their home, their cars, their business and all of their possessions and bought a $5,000 school bus, which they spent another $20,000 and 12 months transforming into their dream home on wheels.
Since June last year, the family have travelled around America in their portable home, making money as writers on the road, while homeschooling the children. "The sense of freedom we have now is incredible," says McVay. "I could never go back to staying in the same place and living the same day over and over again."
The bus is powered by solar energy and batteries, and despite living off-grid, the couple aren’t against the odd mod-con. “We have teenagers to entertain,” McVay, says, with a laugh. “So yes, we have a 40-inch television, we have a PlayStation, laptops and all the kitchen appliances you need for a family.”
But that doesn’t mean it’s all fun and games. “Living in a small space with adolescents can be difficult,” she admits. “There are times we all want to kill each other and there’s nowhere to escape.
“There’s also all of the practical stuff like emptying the toilet and losing internet signal, but I’ll take that over bills and mortgages and stress any day.”
Eventually, the family plan to settle down on a patch and live self-sufficiently, but for them, returning to the daily grind will never be an option. “I no longer feel like I’m trapped waiting for my next vacation,” McVay says. “I’m now living a life that I don’t need a vacation from.”
Meanwhile, in Australia
"Skoolie" living is becoming increasingly popular across the world. In Australia, Marte Snorresdotter Rovik, 38, and her husband Jed Harris, 39, converted a 12-metre school bus into a cosy home on wheels. The couple now travel around the country full time with their two young children, Ellida, 5, and Embla, 2. They were planning to invest in a traditional property when they had a sudden change of heart, selling their home, their cars and all of their belongings and buying a dilapidated school bus for A$10,000 (Dh27,000) – all while Snorresdotter Rovik was pregnant with her second child.
“We didn’t feel like we were free,” says Snorresdotter Rovik, who is originally from Norway. “We were struggling to find the right home. Society was trying to push us down the traditional path but it never felt right for us. To cut a long story short, we thought instead of trying to get to a place where we have more money to get more freedom, we create a life where we need less money and we’re less reliant on living at the mercy of someone else.
“We just wanted stability, which is funny because we now live in a moving home, but we feel way more stable now.”
Don't wait for the right time to make a change, the right time is now
Their expertly designed bus is unrecognisable, with a homely living space, a kitchen complete with a full-sized fridge-freezer, stove and washing machine, a master bedroom with a spacious queen-size bed, an extra bedroom for the girls and even a bath and shower room. But it's taken a lot to get to this point. Harris gutted the entire vehicle himself, spending 18 months and A$30,000 rebuilding it from the ground up, installing solar panels and a hot-water system.
The family have been living on board for 13 months, with Snorresdotter Rovik working on the road as an online sleep consultant, and although it can be difficult to raise a family in such a tight space, Snorresdotter Rovik and Harris insist they wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s been the best thing I’ve ever done. I can’t even imagine where we would be now if we hadn’t made this decision,” Snorresdotter Rovik says. “It’s brought us closer as a family and I don’t know if I can ever go back to renting or paying a mortgage. We’re changed people.”
So far the family have travelled all over Western and Southern Australia, as well as Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales, stopping in each destination for about eight weeks, and the parents insist that moving around is beneficial for their children, who are homeschooled.
“Embla knows no different,” she says. “We moved on to the bus when she was 18 months old. Ellida loves the bus and her confidence has really grown since we’ve been travelling around and she’s been able to socialise with other kids.
“When they get older we appreciate that we’re going to grow out of the space, and at that point we’ll park up somewhere and expand outwards, continuing to live off-grid, but I could never give up this freedom and go back to our old lives.
“If anyone else is considering trying a new lifestyle I’d urge them to go for it. Don’t wait for the right time to make a change, the right time is now.”
And in the UK on a double decker
For Adam Collier-Woods, the right time was seven years ago, when he saved a British double-decker from the scrap heap. The 49-year-old carpenter paid £4,500 (Dh21,000) for the crumbling vehicle, and a further £20,000 and six months transforming it into something spectacular.
With more than a million kilometres on the clock, the bus had travelled almost the equivalent distance of the Earth to the Moon, back to Earth, and then halfway to the Moon again. And it’s now unrecognisable.
The Big Green Bus comfortably sleeps six people and features a fully fitted kitchen and lounge, a cosy log-burner and a bathroom with hot water, and is now parked up on farmland in Brighton on England’s south coast.
“It’s been a labour of love and took way more money and time than I expected,” says Collier-Woods. “But it really is unique and I’ve never seen anything else quite like it.”
During the recent coronavirus lockdown, he enjoyed lazy days on the deck and relaxing nights in the hot tub he installed nearby. And when he’s not donning the conductor’s cap himself, he rents the bus out as a holiday home in the Sussex countryside.
“I want everyone to be able to experience this lifestyle,” he says. “Life is more exciting on four wheels.”
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre turbo 4-cyl
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Power: 190bhp
Torque: 300Nm
Price: Dh169,900
On sale: now
The%20specs
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The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
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Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The specs: Audi e-tron
Price, base: From Dh325,000 (estimate)
Engine: Twin electric motors and 95kWh battery pack
Transmission: Single-speed auto
Power: 408hp
Torque: 664Nm
Range: 400 kilometres
more from Janine di Giovanni
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
SPECS
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