text:
Q: Separating a sentence word by word with JavaScript (client) I'm trying to separate a sentence word by word but it seems like it is a very hard task with JavaScript. I can't simply separate the sentence by looking at the whitespace. Because there are languages (Thai, Chinese, Japanese, etc.) that don't use whitespace to separate words. Therefore a dictionary-based algorithm seems like the way to go. However, the dictionaries have a large size and I'm trying to separate the sentence on the client.
Java has a BreakIterator class that allows you to iterate through the words in the sentence. That's exactly what I need but JS doesn't have the same functionality. Chrome has Intl.v8BreakIterator but I'm looking for a solution for all major browsers.
There is a proposal, Intl.Segmenter, that would solve the issue. It's basically BreakIterator on Javascript. But it wasn't released yet.
If there is way, can you please point me in the right direction?

A: It seems you may have to use the spread operator:

const text = '中國是最古老的文明';
const splitString = [...text];
console.log(splitString);

But then again, I'm not too sure if that's what you're trying to do since I'm not sure what the Chinese language/characters mean/read. But I read this somewhere a while ago.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


If you would like your policy reviewed, connect with one of our friendly local agents at Hartsfield and Nash Insurance Agency, Inc. in Wake Forest, North Carolina. We would be happy to look over your current policies and search for a less expensive option with better coverage.
May 16th, 2016 by Hartsfield and Nash Insurance Agency, Inc.


Companies that act with integrity in addressing acute business problems have an advantage with real benefits. To that end, we help companies manage risk, investigate alleged misconduct and fraud, and measure the financial implications of disputes.
When unusual financial activity is suspected, our investigation, dispute and technology professionals will work with you to help resolve conflicts and realise value in the most challenging circumstances — all with the sensitivity and urgency required.
Experienced in forensic accounting, financial and securities regulation, electronic discovery and risk management, our multidisciplinary professionals investigate situations where you suspect you have a problem. We understand your need for sensitive and time critical corporate investigations. Working with you or your outside counsel, we can help determine what happened, how much is at risk, who is involved, and what opportunities exist for recovery. Through a fraud risk assessment, we can help you identify your most significant risk areas so they can be better managed and mitigated.


text:
Will Smith could Lose his role in 'Aladdin' sequel to Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson (Video Inside)
It seems like Disney isn't happy with Will Smith after the slap In his role as the Genie, Smith portrayed the mythical character that was previously inhabited by the late great Robin Williams in animation back in the '90s. The film gathered wild success by amassing over $1 billion in the box office.
But the recent Oscars incident appears to have spooked Disney executives, who apparently have made a massive decision in regards to the 'Aladdin' sequel. Given that this source from two weeks ago is not a majorly reputable source, we are going to treat this like a rumor. Giant Freakin Robot claims to have some of the best scooping sources in the industry but they appear to be a fairly small news site for entertainment. According to them, Disney is already trying to do damage control with Will Smith.
Knowing Disney, it wouldn't be surprising if they are actively looking for an ideal replacement who can take over his role as the Genie in the 'Aladdin' sequel. The actor who is allegedly in talks to take over an unspecified role in the movie will surprise more than one, but he is definitely a great choice if this story turns out to be true.
According to this source, Disney has begun talks with Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson to play an unspecified role in the 'Aladdin' sequel. Although they don't confirm he is currently in talks to play the Genie, the timing of this information is strangely coincidental. If Disney does act like they have in the face of scandals, choosing Johnson for Will Smith's role sounds like the perfect replacement.
Remember that in the past, Dwayne also played a musical role in 'Moana' and completely nailed it. However, none of this is confirmed yet and we will have to wait in order to get more accurate information about this. So far, there has been no official confirmation on what Disney plans to do with Will Smith after his scandal erupted.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
440 families receive Chinese humanitarian aid in Jawzjan
(Last Updated On: October 7, 2022)
A total of 440 families received China-donated humanitarian assistance in Shiberghan city, the capital of northern Afghanistan's Jawzjan province on Wednesday.
"Today we distribute the aid, including flour and rice, assisted by China to 440 needy families," provincial head for Disaster Management and Humanitarian Affairs Mawlawi Sarajudin Saraji said, Xinhua reported.
Thanking China for sending the assistance, the official said that the package to each family includes 25 kg of rice.
Shafa Khan, who received the package, said the assistance "could be enough for 12 to 15 days for my family."
Weeks ago, another batch of Chinese humanitarian supplies were distributed in other parts of Jawzjan province to some 400 needy families.
China also provided humanitarian assistance to the quake-affected and flood-affected people in the eastern Paktika and Khost provinces a couple of months ago.
Related Topics:aidChinafeaturedJawzjan
IEA spokesman says good news coming soon on girls' education
US envoy for Afghanistan meets Hina Khar
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan's Supreme Leader Mawlavi Hebatullah Akhundzada has ordered all government officials to carry out their duties in accordance with Islamic principles and not to appoint staff based on subjectivity and connections.
In a voice message disseminated by the Ministry of Higher Education, Akhundzada said the Islamic Emirate will not fail to implement the Islamic Sharia and now that the IEA's security forces are stationed in the cities, they should take effective steps to implement the divine system and guide people towards Sharia.
"Anyone who is appointed and by his appointment harms the people and the Islamic system, must be removed. The appointment of people should be based on the interests of the nation and Islamic Sharia," said Akhundzada.
He also instructed civil servants not to force staff to resign unless there is a Sharia reason.
A number of experts meanwhile say that new laws need to be drawn up in order to advance governance because the Islamic Emirate has abolished the previous laws.
"Social justice and meritocracy, fair distribution of power and wealth for the citizens of the country is a Sharia and legal principle, a system will stand on its own feet when every specialty is in place," said Sayed Moqadam Amin, a political analyst.
"Appointing experienced people who can manage government departments can have positive effects on the governance process," said Abdul Jabar Akbari, another political expert.
"And it even encourages people to work in government offices," he added.
Monday's massive explosion at a mosque in Peshawar has left at least 44 worshipers dead and over 150 injured.
Police said most of the worshipers were police, army and bomb disposal unit members and that a suicide bomber detonated his explosives while inside the mosque.
Hours after the explosion, rescue workers were still digging through rubble in search of survivors after a large section of the double-story building collapsed.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility.
A senior police officer told local media that the entire roof of the mosque had caved in, and the mosque was likely full as it was the first day of the working week.
While some say the mosque can take a couple of hundred people, Peshawar police said it was likely that about 260 people had been inside the mosque when the suicide bomber detonated his explosives.
A total of 139 Afghan migrants, who entered Turkey illegally, were deported on Saturday, said the head of Turkey's Migration Management Directorate.
Anadolu Agency reported that in accordance with the country's Irregular Migration Strategy Document and the National Action Plan, migrants, who do not have valid documents to be in Turkey, are being sent to their home countries by charter flights.
After going through all necessary procedures, including health checks and security-related steps, the migrants were deported to Afghanistan on Saturday, Savas Unlu told reporters in Ankara.
He said Turkey has so far arranged nine charter flights this year. "We have deported 8,571 irregular migrants from our country so far this year. This does not include these 139 migrants."
Unlu added that as a result of Turkey's efforts to combat irregular migration, the number of irregular migrants arriving at the country's borders for illegal entry in 2022 decreased by 38% compared to 2021.
"Since 2016, 2.7 million irregular migrants have been prevented from entering our country illegally," he said.
Turkey has been a key transit point for asylum seekers aiming to cross into Europe to start new lives, especially those fleeing war and persecution.


text:
'Dateline' examines murder of Maurizio Gucci
(NBC News) — On Friday's "Dateline," insiders close to the Gucci family are speaking out for the first time on network TV about the murder of Maurizio Gucci, the former CEO and third-generation scion of the fashion empire.
"Dateline" goes inside the investigation that exposed how the family's business was undone by jealousy, backstabbing, and, ultimately, an act of murder, for which Maurizio's ex-wife, Patrizia Reggiani, was convicted.
Gucci heirs say 'House of Gucci' narrative is inaccurate
Here is a preview of Natalie Morales' report:
Via Monte Napoleone, in the heart of Milan, Italy, is one of the most prestigious shopping streets in the world.
To step through the heavy glass doors means crossing the border from the ordinary and mundane into luxury, privilege and glamour.
DAN WAKEFORD: It really is the world that so many people aspire to live in.
But once upon a time, just a few blocks from this fairy-tale world of gold-fringed dresses and thousand-dollar handbags, haute-couture gave rise to hatred. Beauty became betrayal.
SARA FORDEN: This story makes a Greek tragedy look like a children's story.
It happened one morning in March 1995, when a man, rich beyond measure, a man in love, strolled to his office and greeted his doorman with a smile.
Then it happened. His worst fears were realized as he was assassinated in a hail of bullets.
'Dateline' examines chilling disappearance of Texas mother, Heidi Broussard, and baby daughter
The victim was 46-year old Maurizio Gucci, the former CEO of the sprawling Gucci empire, a celebrity and third-generation scion of one of fashion's most notable families.
SARA FORDEN: When the news came out that Maurizio Gucci had been shot in broad daylight in downtown Milan, it was absolutely shocking.
Dateline's special "Murder in the House of Gucci" goes inside the investigation that exposed how the family's business was undone.
Watch tonight on NBC4 at 9 p.m.
Murder suspect's $1M bond remains in effect


text:
University professors lead talks on Mid-East crisis
Terence Cullen, Assistant News Editor|March 23, 2011
Students and faculty discussed the recent surge of protests and uprisings around the world at the Politics and Economics of Social Upheaval in the Middle East and North Africa panel on Monday.
The panel of three consisted of St. John's professors who specialized in various fields such as economics, government and politics and North Africa. Their open dialogue on what has happened and where it was going brought up concerns of race, religion and economics.
What seemed to be a general feeling of the three panelists was the youth movement that they say was crucial to ousting some of the oppressive powers. They also said one of the most fascinating characteristics is the unforeseeable future that lies ahead.
Dr. Robert Pecorella, a professor of government and politics, served as both a panelist but also the moderator for the discussion. Pecorella, who was also the first of the three to speak, laid the ground work for the discussion mentioning the recent Western intervention and what the future brought for the region.
Dr. Azzedine Layachi, who specializes in North African history, gave insight about the reality of these uprisings. While Layachi noted that for the first time the people of the area are trying to make changes to the system. However, the professor also noted that it would be a long road before total order was in place.
"Revolution does not take place overnight," Layachi said. "It's going to be a long one."
Dr. Charles Clarke, a professor of economics, discussed the youth population's ire with the high unemployment rate in many of these countries. He also mentioned how the series of revolutions and uprisings vary from many others in history, notably those of 1848 or 1968/1969. Because many of these societies are not rooted in Western thought, Clarke said they "should play out in a way very different from other student uprisings."
After each professor gave their input, the panel was open to questions from students and faculty. Since all three discussed the youth factor of these revolutions, one of the first questions asked was whether the youth would remain engaged in forming a new government.
Dr. Layachi said he believed that the poor would continue their involvement in developing new governments. He also noted that this was the first time that many of the nations were having open debates. In Egypt, Dr. Layachi said, there was talk about developing political parties – something he believed would help continue youth involvement.
Students and faculty who attended the event seemed impressed and intrigued by some of the matters discussed. Dr. Robert Tomes, a history professor, said he was pleased with the open communication between the panelists and students.
Of the recent uprisings in the regions Tomes admitted there is some potential and some skepticism. "I'm looking at this with guarded optimism," he said. He also said that there is "a lot of wait and see."
Tara Enahoro, a senior, said she attended the panel for class but was glad to see her normal classroom discussions expanded upon. Enahoro, who identified herself as being of African descent, said she was happy to see the people taking a stand.
The Torch Exclusive: Introducing Rev. Brian J. Shanley
Rev. Brian J. Shanley O.P. announced as President Gempesaw's successor
The status of Academic Service Learning
Students express grievances with Monty's indoor dining and meal exchange options
OIE cancels all study abroad programs through May 2021
Defining Civility In A Global Context
Presidential Election night chaos
In person or mail-in: Students take advantage of voting options
Support our survivors: "Take Back the Night" virtually speaking
St. John's professor works to understand how children are impacted by COVID-19


A lower cost alternative to cast-in-place and other concrete retaining walls, the SierraScape® Wire-Formed Retaining Wall System is the superior choice for appearance, performance and value. Welded wire forms, Tensar® Geogrids and a locking tail strut connecting the two work together to resist differential settlement, seismic activity and heavy external loads. Inert to chemical degradation, the high-density polyethylene (HDPE) geogrids enable a wider variety of fill materials to be used, including on-site soils and recycled concrete. And like all Tensar systems, a full range of services, including engineered drawings and site assistance, is available for SierraScape System installations.
With its limited number of components, the SierraScape System is quick and easy to install and maintain, requiring no specialized equipment or labor. Wire forms stack easily to create a uniform wall face that maintains alignment, even with varying setbacks. And since the SierraScape System can be backfilled with general embankment fills or on-site soils, materials and disposal costs are reduced as well.
The SierraScape System can be specified for both grade separation and pressure relief applications. For structures with face angles greater than 70°, the system can save 30% to 60% over the cost of comparable concrete wall installations. And it features three facing options for complete design versatility.
The SierraScape System can also be used for pressure relief applications to support soil and building loads below grade, providing a faster and more affordable solution. Because it effectively supports surrounding fill, lateral soil loads against the below-grade structure are eliminated. The result: lower cost foundation walls that are structurally equivalent to conventional installations, including cast-in-place.
Vegetated – typically incorporating local plant species to complement the surrounding environment. Erosion control products promote vegetation, eliminate erosion and provide long-term reinforcement of the root system.


As a result of an agreement with NRG Energy, University of Delaware EVs have been altered to allow for the bidirectional flow of energy at a moments' notice, channeling electricity from the cars' batteries back onto the grid.
On the site of an old Chrysler plant in Newark, Delaware, several electric cars are parked alongside a repurposed industrial garage, each with a power cord connecting the car to its main fuel supply. Some of the time, electricity here flows unidirectionally—recharging the vehicles' battery packs at night when demand is low and rates are economical—but these cars are not your conventional EVs. As a result of an agreement with NRG Energy, University of Delaware EVs have been altered to allow for the bidirectional flow of energy at a moments' notice, channeling electricity from the cars' batteries back onto the grid.
"It's using a battery to balance fluctuations in the electric system," says Willett Kempton, who heads a University of Delaware research team focused on vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technologies.
When combined with a very large pool of electric vehicle batteries, V2G can help utilities balance short periods of supply and demand imbalances in the electrical grid and even lower bills by using locally generated power from solar or wind. According to the University of Delaware's Center for Carbon Free Power Integration, these cars can charge or discharge 19 kW of electrical capacity, the average power consumption of 12 U.S. homes.
Last year, the average U.S. household spent $1,768 on gas, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says, $700 less than 2014, and a third consecutive year of decline. However, these savings are invariably linked to the price of oil, which in mid-January once again entered a period of heightened volatility. V2G technology may provide consumers—many of whom may be in the market for an EV—with a contrastingly reliable revenue stream. In partnership with PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission operator serving several Mid-Atlantic states, Dr. Kempton and his research team found their electric vehicles' batteries—plugged in most of the time and charging and discharging at 12kW—generate $5 per vehicle per day, or $1,825 annually. "While your car is sitting in the driveway or garage, you're getting paid," said Dr. Kempton in an interview with The Fuse.
Electric utilities design the grid to meet peak electricity demand. But when demand exceeds power generation, grid operators rely on backup generators and ancillary services to balance the load for short periods of time. In large cities, the difference between supply and demand can be as large as 40 to 50 percent, according to some studies, presenting challenges to grid reliability and stability. V2G particularly allows EV owners to "peak shave," absorbing excess energy when demand for power is low and returning some of that energy back to the grid for profit when demand is high. This benefits both EV owners, who can make money, and grid operators, who benefit from the backup power reserve.
Since the average automobile spends 95 percent of the time parked in one place, grid operators can aggregate stationary EV batteries through connected power cords to fine-tune supply and demand mismatches. This process—regulation up and down to meet short term imbalances—is done with minimal impact to the car's battery, researchers say, adding approximately one driving cycle to the car each month. "Instead of using large generators for balancing, we could do a lot with electric vehicles that are lower cost and more efficient. As we look to the future, we will have more generation from small solar and wind generators, which of course fluctuate with natural forces," says Kempton.
The automotive research consultancy Navigant estimates that global revenues from V2G will grow from less than $900,000 annually to over $190 million by 2022. But some question what will happen if too many V2G enabled cars enter the market for ancillary services. In California—where lawmakers have set a goal of putting one million zero emissions vehicles on the road by 2020—industry representatives say it is theoretically possible that the widespread use of V2G by consumers with fast-charging capabilities would give the grid access to 10 GW of battery power. Such a scenario depends, of course, on the effective linkage of electricity and transportation infrastructures, as well as the integration of other demand-response activities. Electric utilities are now working with practitioners—notably, the Department of Defense (DOD)—to explore these important questions in smaller deployments across the country.
At the Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, California, DOD officials are applying the University of Delaware model in the largest pilot demonstration of V2G in the world. "Our focus is showing how this can work in any configuration," says Camron Gorguinpour, Director of Transformational Innovation for the United States Air Force, in an interview with The Fuse. "We're using open standards so that other folks can come back after us and replicate what we have done." The Los Angeles Air Force Base now uses 43 non-tactical vehicles in its V2G program, including 13 Nissan Leafs, Chevy Volts, Ford C-MAX Energis, and other mission-relevant pick-up trucks.
"We're basically riffing off [Kempton's] concept. You drive a car, and it's probably the worst asset that you operate because it's high capital cost, it loses its value precipitously over time, and you almost never use it," Gorguinpour said.
Direct participation in the transmission grid market in California required innovative planning for DOD. Under an agreement reached between the entity managing the transmission grid, the California Independent Service Provider (CAISO), the California Public Utilities Commission, and the local electricity distribution utility, Southern California Edison—one of the largest in the state—the L.A. Air Force Base's V2G program is now permitted to bid directly into the CAISO market for ancillary services. V2G-enabled cars use Open Automated Demand Response technologies that sends instructions to and from the vehicles within a four second time interval. The result is a V2G system that isolates the vehicles' batteries from any other source.
The U.S. Defense Department is under various mandates to reduce operational costs and lower fleet-wide petroleum consumption.
The U.S. Defense Department is under various mandates to reduce operational costs and lower fleet-wide petroleum consumption. Executive Order 13423, for instance, requires federal agencies to cut the use of petroleum products by two percent annually and use plug-in hybrids when cost competitive with gasoline-run cars. DOD operates over 200,000 non-tactical vehicles, meaning the successful roll-out of the V2G program at L.A. Air Force—and smaller projects at Fort Hood, Texas and Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland—could signal a wider roll-out.
For now, the Defense Department is working to validate the technology. Over the next several months, Dr. Gorguinpour says officials will be evaluating how much revenue is generated within a specific risk tolerance, and how system operators manage the grid on a consistent basis. Once demonstrated, the military may apply the technology to support tactical operations that support mission-critical endeavors on the ground. For now, the widespread use of V2G in electric vehicles may seem far away, but successful validation of these technologies in Los Angeles and elsewhere could bring them to your doorstep sooner than you think.
Why Have EVs Taken Off in Some Markets but Not Others?


Now, one app does it all. iNavX just announced that it's available for Android. And, it can run Navionics. One stop shopping. Comes at a price: $30. That's an expensive app. But it used to be $50, and worth it, even before it integrated with other chart app software. So, you get what you pay … Continue reading iNavX: not just for iPhone anymore!


text:
"""
Hello World app for running Python apps on Bluemix
"""

# Always prefer setuptools over distutils
from setuptools import setup, find_packages
# To use a consistent encoding
from codecs import open
from os import path

here = path.abspath(path.dirname(__file__))

# Get the long description from the README file
with open(path.join(here, 'README.md'), encoding='utf-8') as f:
    long_description = f.read()

setup(
    name='TechnologyNewsBot',
    version='1.0.0',
    description='Helps to classify articles based on point of interests',
    long_description=long_description,
    url='https://github.com/IBM-Bluemix/python-hello-world-flask',
    license='Apache-2.0'
)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Thousands of cheering students, staff, school children and local people lined the route of the Olympic Torch Relay through campus yesterday as we hosted the start of the Bath leg of its 8,000 mile journey around the UK.
Staff member Fay Hollister was the city's first Olympic torchbearer, running with the flame past our Sports Training Village and St John's Field and through to the University entrance, before handing on to the next torchbearer to carry it on towards the city centre.
Fay, from the Department of Mathematical Sciences, was greeted by 5,000 spectators who had gathered in glorious sunshine to enjoy the celebration.
Students Hanna Wade and Jamie Barrow were also torchbearers in Bath and enjoyed their moments of Olympic history in the city centre, with Jamie receiving the Torch from Bath's Olympic gold medallist and University ambassador Jason Gardener.
Over 800 children from local schools were part of the crowd that watched the Torch Relay on campus, having taken part in an Ancient Olympics on St John's Field. The children had created costumes and built chariots at school for a morning of running races, javelin and discuss throwing and chariot racing.
For many of the children it was the culmination of a week of Olympic themed activities and events at school.
and exhilarated to have the Olympic Torch on campus.
"It was particularly fitting to see the Torch here given the important role the University has played in helping athletes prepare for Olympic and Paralympic Games past and present.


text:
ZZ Top CD
Goin' 50 (2019)
I'm Bad I'm Nationwide
Rough Boy
Doubleback
What's Up With That
Fearless Boogie
ZZ Top are celebrating 50 years of beards, blues, hot cars and fuzzy guitars this year with a new, Texas-sized compilation that includes the 50 songs that helped transform "that little ol' band from Texas" into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame standard bearers they have become in the 21st century.
On August 16, Warner Bros. Records will release GOIN' 50 as both 3-CD and 180-gram, 5-LP sets. A single-CD version with 18 tracks as well as digital and streaming versions will also be available on June 14.
ZZ Top will also embark on a 50th Anniversary European tour on June 4 followed by a US tour beginning Aug 16. Full itinerary is listed below and tickets are on sale now.
Packed with enough hits to fill a roadhouse jukebox, GOIN' 50 spans the band's entire musical career, from its 1969 debut, and its multi-platinum zenith during the Eighties, to its most-recent releases. This new retrospective includes an array from each of the 15 studio albums that guitarist Billy Gibbons, drummer Frank Beard and bassist Dusty Hill have recorded since 1970. Two bonus tracks, "Salt Lick" and "Miller's Farm" – a single and b-side respectively – were recorded in 1969 by the original incarnation of ZZ Top.
The first disc of GOIN' 50 focuses on the irresistible FM-radio hits that hooked the first generation of ZZ Top fans during the Seventies and early-Eighties with songs like "La Grange," "Tush," "Cheap Sunglasses," "I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide," and "Pearl Necklace."
The additional disc explores the steady stream of hits the band released between 1983 and 1991 that made them international superstars, including six Top 40 tracks: "Gimme All Your Lovin'," "Legs," "Sleeping Bag," "Stages," "Rough Boy," and "Velcro Fly."
GOIN' 50 closes with a selection of songs recorded between 1992 and 2016 that find the band returning to its blues roots for fresh inspiration on tracks like "Pincushion," "What's Up With That," "Rhythmeen," and "I Gotsta Get Paid." The set's final two tracks – live versions of "Waitin' For The Bus" and "Jesus Just Left Chicago" – are taken from the band's most recent release, Live Greatest Hits from Around the World (2016).
ZZ Top is an American blues rock band, formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. The band members are Billy Gibbons (vocals and guitar), Dusty Hill (bass guitar and vocals), and Frank Beard (drums). They hold the distinction of being one of the few rock bands still comprised of its original members for over 40 years, and until 2006, with the same manager/producer, Bill Ham. They reached the peak of their commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, scoring many hit songs during that era; but they remain together today and are still touring and releasing albums. ZZ Top was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 15, 2004. Summarizing their music, Cub Koda wrote, "As genuine roots musicians, they have few peers; Gibbons is one of America's finest blues guitarists working in the arena rock idiom … while Hill and Beard provide the ultimate rhythm section support."[1] Their song lyrics often feature sexual innuendo and humor. Nearly as well-known as their music is the group's appearance: Gibbons and Hill are always ...
Tejas (Purple Vinyl) (Start Your 'Ear Off Right) (2019)
El Loco (Pink Vinyl) (Start Your 'Ear Off Right) (2019)
Rio Grande Mud (Brown/Black Vinyl) (Start Your 'Ear Off Right) (2018)
Tres Hombres (Green Vinyl) (Start Your 'Ear Off Right) (2018)
Cinco No. 2: The Second Five LP's (LP5) (2018)
Cinco: The First Five LP's (LP5) (2017)
ZZ Top's First Album (180g) (2017)
Original Album Series Vol. 2 (2016)
Greatest Hits/Recycler (2016)
Eliminator (2016)
Jesus Just Left Chicago (2016)
The Very Baddest Of... ZZ Top (2014)
The Complete Studio Albums 1970 - 1990 (10CD) (2013)
CD BOX 2013
Triple Album Collection (2012)
Original Album Series (2012)
Tres Hombres / Fandango (2012)
Deguello (180g) (2011)
Fandango (2009)
Eliminator (Collector`s Edition) (2008)
CD+DVD 2008
Fandango! (Expanded & Remastered) (2006)
Tres Hombres (2006)
The Very Best Of ZZ Top - Rancho Texicano (2004)
Rio Grande Mud (1994)
Tejas (1994)
One Foot in the Blues (1994)
Recycler (1990)
Afterburner (1990)
First Album (Expanded & Remastered) (1988)
Deguello (1984)
Eliminator (Reissue) (1983/2013)
El Loco (1981/1988)
Tres Hombres (180g) (1973/2014)


Ford Fiesta, the most popular second-hand supermini.
Car buying experts at the web portal have put together a list of the most popular cars by segment, based on searches on the site year-to-date. The Volkswagen Golf, which was the most searched for car on the website last year, is the most popular car within the family hatchback segment, while the Nissan Leaf remains the most searched-for electric car. The Nissan Qashqai takes the top spot in the compact SUV category, and the Ford Fiesta is the most searched for supermini.
Surprisingly, the Hyundai Tucson – Ireland's best-selling car 2018 – does not make the list.
The most searched for cars on Carzone in January 2019 by segment: family hatchback, Volkswagen Golf; small car, Ford Fiesta; executive saloon, Mercedes-Benz E-Class; compact SUV, Nissan Qashqai; family saloon, Volkswagen Passat; estate car; Audi A6 Avant; large SUV, BMW X5; hybrid car; Toyota Yaris Hybrid; electric car, Nissan LEAF.
Commenting on the findings, Karl Connolly, audience manager, says January is traditionally a time of change.
"As we reach the end of the month, many of us start looking to upgrade our car. Based on previous years, we know it is the third Monday."


text:
Peak Hours (Part 5)
Posted in American TV (General), American TV Shows, TV Acting, TV Criticism, TV History, Uncategorized with tags cherry pie, damn fine coffee, david lynch, dougie jones, kyle maclachlan, laura dern, mark frost, twin peaks, twin peaks: the return on October 8, 2017 by Tom Steward
Twin Peaks features the most food and drink of any non-culinary show on television. The original series became synonymous with references to "damn fine coffee" and "cherry pie" and not an episode went by without food or beverage items being the focal point of at least one scene. It was a mechanism by which the show could conceal (at least temporarily) its dark heart. What little joy was experienced by the characters of Twin Peaks always centered on eating and drinking and it was prominently placed during their moments of redemption. So what does The Return add to the menu?
In short, something seems to have gone wrong with food and drink. A weakness for shop-bought lattes condemns a young couple to a gruesome death at the hands of an inter-dimensional demon. The contents of a deep fat fryer are just as likely to contain firearms as sticks of potato. More importantly, the quality of Norma's pies is in jeopardy after her Double R Diner is franchised. The respite that a good meal washed down once provided from the violence and chaos in the town of Twin Peaks looks to have disappeared. Now it seems to be a harbinger.
Oranges in The Godfather and eggs in The Sopranos. Here the mere fact of opening a bag or pouring a glass of something can get you killed. Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason Leigh's junk-obsessed assassins suffer demises as messy as their diets. Diane and Sarah Palmer, who are human manifestations of tragedy in this reiteration, are cosmically corrupted in a deep well of dependence drinking. To consume was once a pure act of pleasure, one that transcended the sickness of the world around it. Now it seems more like a symptom of the world's illnesses that then attack the consumer.
Lynch and Frost developed an orthodoxy based on an inverted snobbery idealizing American junk and diner fare. Now they seem to find something inherently toxic about such diets. Their attitudes towards food are, once again, translated through the body of Dale Cooper. Reborn into the (noticeably paunchy) body of the "manufactured" Dougie Jones, Dale rediscovers his love for coffee and pie with an infantile simplicity that seems to represent a desire to return to the roots of classic American dining. Another storyline featuring a beloved character from the original series puts a socio-economic spin on some of the same thoughts.
Yes, Norma now has a chain of Double R diners across the country. But rather than sacrifice the quality and authenticity of her pie recipes, Norma opts out of ownership to retain control over the original location. A re-telling of the origin story of the McDonald's franchise with a (far) happier ending for the lineage of home-style cooking in America, it seems that Lynch and Frost's malaise at the state of American food is tied up with a protest against the forces of corporate capitalism which dilute and disturb its uncomplicated bliss. Although David Lynch loves his Big Boy!
Maybe nostalgia is the difference. When Sinclair (memorably played by the buffoonish Tom Sizemore) tries to bribe Dougie to conceal his part in insurance fraud, he takes his co-worker to a coffee shop in the lobby of a Vegas business complex that seems to have been transported back into the 1950s. The waitresses have mid-century hair and uniforms, pies are on display stands, and your gal promises to bring a piece to your table while you enjoy your coffee. Clearly this is nothing like the Starbucks shacks that would really inhabit such spaces, yet there we are.
In other parts of the show, it appears that Lynch and Frost have simply become more modern and mature in their tastes. Dougie Jones' primal relationship with food and drink passes off such predilections as childish folly, while Lynch himself (in the barest of guises as FBI director Gordon Cole) swigs fine Bordeaux and one of Dougie's co-workers finds a green tea latte a perfectly acceptable substitute for a decent cup of coffee. There are many commentaries on the cultural changes that have taken place since original airing, but democratization of fine food and drink is perhaps the most telling.
There's a lot of talk about The Return missing so many qualities from the original. The truth is much more complicated. The themes and preoccupations of Twin Peaks are largely present but register differently, and this is true of food and drink. In food language, you might call it "elevated".
Peak Hours (Parts 3 & 4)
Posted in American TV (General), American TV Shows, Behind-The-Scenes, TV Acting, TV Criticism, TV Dreams, TV History with tags david lynch, jennifer jason leigh, kyle maclachlan, laura dern, mark frost, tim roth, twin peaks, twin peaks: the return on September 24, 2017 by Tom Steward
When Mulholland Drive topped the BBC's list of the 21st Century's Top 100 Films last year, Time Out film editor Geoff King was interviewed about David Lynch on BBC News. King was subjected to the kind of bullyboy pedantry that has infected BBC journalism since the era of Jeremy Paxman, and apparently now taints its arts coverage. The reporter banally badgered King about whether or not he understood Lynch's movie, a question which the critic sensibly dodged by challenging its relevance to an appreciation of the film, adding "I think I'm getting everything that Lynch is putting out there". I couldn't have said it better and it's a sentiment that should inform any attempt to write about Twin Peaks: The Return.
I'm not suggesting I'm any better than those who try to make literal sense out of Lynch's work. I recently clicked on a YouTube video that was doing the rounds on social media called "David Lynch comments on the ending of Twin Peaks: The Return" which turned out to be a montage of the finale with Lynch as Gordon Cole edited in for comic effect, asking "What the hell?" In spite of myself, I still feel the need to rationalise what Lynch (and, in this case, Mark Frost) puts up there on the screen. Yet I genuinely believe that the critical reception of the series focuses far too much on meaning and not nearly enough on feeling.
Looking for plausible explanations of what happens in The Return immediately reveals its own futility. Take any of the series' unsolved mysteries, for example: "What happened to Major Briggs' head?" The question itself is so absurd; it renders any answer moot. I'm more interested in talking about the sublime image of Don S. Davis's head floating through space like an early cinema moon. Critics are on firmer ground when they ask legitimate questions about cliffhangers from the original series. In the first incarnation of Twin Peaks, these storylines would most likely have been resolved, while here they are surrounded by even more uncertainty. The continuation of Audrey Horne's story arc from the third season finale is a case in point.
We learn that Audrey fell into a coma after being the victim of an explosion at the Savings & Loan while she was handcuffed to the vault. We also surmise that she gave birth to a child, Richard, fairly soon after. That is exactly as much as we know, and we don't learn any of it in the scenes in which Audrey features. In those scenes, Audrey appears to be caught in a loveless marriage and has taken a lover. But there's an odd doctor-patient vibe of her relationship with husband Charlie and the denouement of her storyline has Audrey clearing the dance floor of The Roadhouse as she slow-dances to her eponymous leitmotif, followed by a last-second jump-cut to an expressionistic close-up of her face inside a mirror surrounded by clinically coloured and lit walls.
In Audrey's story, there's a perfectly rational explanation of her fate, a completely fantastical one, and everything inbetween. Viewers can latch on to the "fact" of her coma and ascribe her appearances to an elaborate fictional life created in unconsciousness, which is then broken in those final few seconds as she comes out of it. The reverse works just as well. At any point, we may be in the real world or the realms of fantasy, and they could switch at any time. This is an openness of storytelling seldom seen in television. I also suspect this may be a satirical comment on the trope of "retconning" in TV revivals, as information previously understood to be true in a show is unconvincingly revoked or revised by future versions of it. Here Lynch and Frost become the least reliable sources for what has happened to the characters they themselves created.
The Return keeps original Twin Peaks characters dancing on the edge of cliffs in an entertaining holding pattern that promises more resolution than it can ever deliver. At times, Lynch and Frost (my instincts tell me mainly Frost) pay heed to the viewers' desire for closure but these are hollow gestures, with the exception of Norma and Ed's happy ending. As the series drew to a close, it appeared that Cooper might return to his original status in the show, but all the different variations of the character seen in The Return coagulate into the muted, half-speed version of the Dales we encounter in the finale episode.
One thing Lynch is putting out there that I'm definitely getting is the casting. In the first incarnation of Twin Peaks, the cast comprised largely of Lynch favourites (Kyle MacLachlan and Jack Nance, the protagonists of Blue Velvet and Eraserhead respectively), teen pin-up eye candy (Sheryl Fenn, Sheryl Lee, Madchen Amick, James Marshall), veteran actors from Hollywood movies of the 50s and 60s (Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Piper Laurie) and those selected for bodily attributes (The Dwarf, The Giant, The One-Armed Man). The mix of old and new in The Return is already complicated by a pre-existing cast that looks backwards and forwards simultaneously. The dual sense of history and youth is retained but, once again, that means something entirely different in casting The Return.
Lynch's 21st Century films are represented here by the leading ladies of Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire, Naomi Watts and Laura Dern. Though, along with Harry Dean Stanton (in his final television role), Dern connects The Return with Lynch's oeuvre of the 80s and 90s. She does more than that. By casting her as Diane, who remained offscreen for the entirety of the first run, Lynch has entrusted Dern with giving life to a character that never had one. It really speaks to the idea that Diane is a figment of Lynch's imagination manifested in the body of his favorite actress. The way Diane's story plays out onscreen and the agency that Lynch (as Gordon Cole) has in her scenes eerily mirrors their professional relationship.
Like Twin Peaks, The Return is unashamedly sexy in its selection of actors. But there's a different aesthetic here. While the original titillated viewers with the eroticism of preppy high-schoolers and teenage beauty queens embracing the darker sides of their sexualities, the revival finds the same quality of desire in adult femininity. Agent Tammy Preston's hourglass figure, hip-slinking walk and lithe chic is the object of Lynch's lust. Were this not obvious from the way he shoots her, Lynch's Cole is also the voyeur in front of the camera. We can draw similar conclusions from Cole, the character once again interchangeable with the director, talking about "one of his Monica Bellucci dreams", a fantasy which the actress gamely indulges for Lynch. The sexualisation of Diane's hard drinking, smoking and swearing is another indication of Lynch's fetishes achieving maturity.
With over a half-century gone since the era of Hollywood that Lynch and Frost plucked their Twin Peaks stars from, it's remarkable that Beymer and Tamblyn remain to keep the torch of movie nostalgia alight in The Return. This is topped off with the addition to the cast of Don Murray, whose brushes with mid-century Hollywood glamour (having acted alongside Marilyn) and character actor chops make him the perfect Peaker. But The Return also pays homage to the Indiewood cinema and quality television that has dominated American popular art since Twin Peaks first went off the air. Think of Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason Leigh's pair of assassin lovers as American indie cinema's Prom King and Queen, with Michael Cera and Amanda Seyfried the first-grade pretenders to the crown. Robert Forster as Sherriff Truman manages to straddle associations with both mid-century Hollywood and the nineties US indie boom.
While James Belushi might seem a curious choice, for the TV connoisseur his presence puts Twin Peaks into a quality television timeline that acknowledges early nineties virtual reality thriller Wild Palms and then culminates in contemporaries such as Mad Men and The Walking Dead, whose stars make punchy cameos here. Lynch and Frost seem to recognise that the paradigms of pop art have shifted with time. Actors are still cast on the basis of their different bodies (though refreshingly not made to play mythical creatures this time) but there's a few nice twists on the theme. I was particularly enamoured of the three Las Vegas detectives, all named Fusco (and possibly all brothers), who have a heavyset uniformity that makes them seem like actors all waiting to audition for the same part.
In short, there are ways to appreciate Twin Peaks: The Return that don't involve interpreting it. We should enjoy the freedom that Lynch and Frost give us to experience the characters without the burden of story arcs hanging over them. Sometimes, the significance of characters is not related to their role in the story but is closer to the actor playing them, and what they mean to the world of the show. I don't feel cheated and I hope others don't either.
Posted in American TV (General), American TV Shows, Behind-The-Scenes, TV Acting, TV channels, TV History with tags david lynch, inland empire, kyle maclachlan, mark frost, mulholland drive, showtime, twin peaks, twin peaks: the return on September 10, 2017 by Tom Steward
Any belated revival of a TV show will inevitably fail to recapture the essence of their original. Insurmountable anachronisms, missing or surrogate cast and creative personnel and a return to a radically altered television landscape compound, leaving such enterprises feeling like a stilted ventriloquist act of the first run. With Twin Peaks: The Return, creators David Lynch and Mark Frost have made a virtue of this uncanny disconnect between original and revival.
The limited series event (a fashionable moniker for "miniseries" or "special") is themed and styled around anachronism. Deputy Andy and receptionist Lucy's adult son Wally confusingly models his life on the film characters of Marlon Brando; Lucy herself is acutely afraid of cellular phones, a technology that became ubiquitous in the intervening decades (and one that, incidentally, was advertised early on by Kyle MacLachlan playing Agent Cooper). Beloved characters like Cooper and The One-Armed Man claim not to be able to distinguish between future and past, and we jump around in time about as much as we do geographical space and existential realm, and as fluidly.
Deceased or unavailable actors (or, in David Bowie's case, both) are not an issue but instead are woven into the fabric of the storytelling. Michael Ontkean declined to reprise the role of Sherriff Truman and, in a nod to the series' daytime serial muse, Robert Forster takes his place as Harry's brother…Sherriff Truman. The reverse is also true. An actor whose character was killed off previously returns in an almost identical role. Phillip Jeffries (Bowie channelling Jerry Lee) is back, but with a new voice and recast as a shadowy steam kettle. The Return is as estranged from television in 2017 as Twin Peaks was to the medium in 1990 but to achieve that effect, the latter has to be pathologically dissimilar from the former.
For starters, The Return immediately spurned its eponymous location, forsaking Twin Peaks for other rural backwaters like Buckhorn, South Dakota, and small communities including The Fat Trout trailer park last seen in feature spin-off Fire Walk with Me. Iconic cities such as New York and Las Vegas also feature, and we even venture into Latin America for a few seconds, though don't ask me why. This kind of mobility is commonly found in and used to justify sequels (Babe: Pig in the City, Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles) and such a negotiation with the commercial is by no means above David Lynch's avant-garde take on pop art. But the pan-American canvas and urbanization of the revival indicate that it is more rooted in social reality than its predecessor, even if the approach taken to the material is about as far from social realism as it's possible to be.
Secondly, sound. The perpetual underscoring has been scrapped in favour of long silences punctuated by atonal soundscapes with a few sonic callbacks to the original when canonical characters appear. Ironically, the new sound design serves to highlight the presence of music in the show even more prominently than before, which I didn't think possible. This is capped by a "concert series" approach to musicality, in which alternative bands and performers appear in the last few minutes of each episode behind the credits, with the faintest of story justification as acts playing The Roadhouse. The ability to completely overhaul the sound design yet have it perform the same function it always did is a testament to how familiar yet strange The Return really is.
As I suggested earlier, the uneasy mixture of reassurance and disparity is usually a by-product of aiming for the tone of the original and misfiring. Here it is cultivated. Kyle MacLachlan returns as Dale Cooper, but a Dale Cooper possessed by evil ghost Bob, and alter-ego Dougie Jones, himself split between a lovable compulsive and sleepy new-born simpleton. Tiki-fetishist Dr. Jacobi has become Twin Peaks' version of Alex Jones and Audrey Horne is so unrecognisable from the thrill-seeking bad girl we used to know, she (and Lynch/Frost) barely knows what to do. Characters are not permitted to appear the way they were, until they have gone through a seemingly endless series of alternative permutations.
The Lynch-directed episodes of Twin Peaks were groundbreaking in retarding story development to draw out select scenes until they were protracted beyond credulity. That goes for the entirety of The Return. The show is slower than wax. This slow television is yet another example of how the follow-up has one foot in the original and another in an alternate dimension of art.
How slow is Twin Peaks: The Return? Well, it takes Audrey Horne two episodes to leave her house. The scenes involving the FBI play more like table reads than final cuts, with David Lynch as Director Gordon Cole regulating the snail-pace delivery onscreen as well as off. The cast is populated by a variety of mutes and monosyllabics and the most basic of actions take an eternity to complete. In fact, one could easily write the series off as an experiment to take the most circuitous route to the simplest outcome in each scenario.
Lynch had certainly played with this kind of pacing before in Twin Peaks, most notably in the opening scene of season two in which the cliffhanger of Cooper's shooting is suspended in time as a doddering room service waiter attempts to deliver a glass of milk to the mortally wounded agent. The (first) series finale, which leads into The Return in a way other Twin Peaks episodes do not, consolidated the idea that this was about Lynch's speed as director and elevated the early talking picture staginess to auteur style. We've seen this bloom into a mark of Lynch's filmmaking in his cinema of the past two decades, with both Mulholland Drive and Inland Empire exercises in unnecessary elaboration. Indeed, Mulholland Drive began life as a television pilot, which makes one wonder how much The Return would have resembled a Mulholland Drive TV series.
We can think of pacing in The Return as the natural evolution of Lynch's languorous directorial style, culminating in a project with an eighteen-hour run-time. But context is everything and it's hard to discount the importance of having Showtime as a partner in this respect. When Twin Peaks aired on ABC, it wasn't a typical network show but it pandered to the network viewers' diet of serial melodrama, sitcom and police procedural just enough to get away with some of Lynch's more left-field ideas, like his slow-motion storytelling. Now the cornerstone of a premium cable channel's output, The Return gets its artistic license from the baggage of quality television the franchise comes with, a Sunday-night drama that is designed to out-experiment the competition. In this ecology, it's easy to see that Lynch's loosening of narrative could be a real commodity. It makes rivals for the quality TV crown Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead (as well as anything else on the network) seem positively pedestrian by comparison.
For any viewer used to the clip of television narration, Lynch/Frost's pacing decisions must seem perverse. To devotees of Twin Peaks (Twinsies? Peak Audiences?), it borders on sacrilege. Despite its avant-garde overtones, the original was largely driven by story. Multiple, labyrinthine plotlines layered each episode and built successively until they were unfathomably complicated and entangled, while the overarching narrative became multi-dimensional, and I mean that both literally and figuratively. The diminished pace of The Return means that there's barely enough time for a cursory drop-in with each of the recurring characters, and that could be a problem for long-time viewers. The premature cancellation of Twin Peaks at the end of season two resulted in cliffhangers across the board, many (if not all) of which audiences expected to be addressed in the revival. With the exception of a few notable concessions, like Norma and Ed getting the ending they always deserved, the threads are left hanging and in some cases clouded with even more ambiguity.
For the most part, Twin Peaks: The Return unfolds with a sluggishness one expects from a video installation in an art gallery. Whereas the vast majority of TV shows use their generous quota of screen minutes to create the most expansive stories possible, Lynch and Frost have turned that tendency in on itself and focused in with minute detail on a set of small, self-repeating incidents. Were it not so artfully done, it would simply be tedious. In fact, it dangles over the precipice of tedium more times than I can possibly count. But, like his fellow art cinema auteur Lars Von Trier, Lynch knows exactly the right moment to add a jolt of (often comic) energy that will reel the audience back into engagement.
I've resisted using the word "leisurely" to describe the pacing of The Return because there is nothing about the absences that is remotely enjoyable. The lingering silence and portraits in pausing are where the most disturbing aspects of the program coagulate. When nothing happens, there is no greater sense of fear and dread.
Posted in American TV (General), American TV Shows, Behind-The-Scenes, Internet TV, TV channels, TV History with tags armistead maupin, bbc radio 4, laura linney, netflix, olympia dukakis, pbs, showtime, tales of the city on July 13, 2017 by Tom Steward
I heard the news that a television adaptation of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City was in development at Netflix a matter of weeks after seeing the West Coast Premiere of The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin in San Diego (shame on you, San Francisco!) which documented the author's life and work. Much lamented in the film were the circumstances surrounding the PBS broadcast of the miniseries version of the original Tales collection which subsequently prevented future adaptations of all the books in the series. Aided by a selectively salacious highlight reel of the first miniseries – which in some markets would be the best possible trailer – Senator Jesse Helms (Maupin's former boss, in a Dickensian coincidence worthy of the author's serial fiction) led a campaign against taxpayer funding of a series which he argued was an affront to family values (of the homophobic, ultra-conservative, religious fundamentalist variety, of course), resulting in PBS dropping the show. The subsequent two collections were later televised by Showtime, but in dramatically ineffective and (eventually) severely truncated formats that tipped the balance into TV movie-esque melodrama. Getting even three of the collections televised was a notable success – especially in the nineties – but somehow still unsatisfactory.
I'd suggest that the latent disappointment stems not just from completism but the natural home in television for the Tales of the City books. First published in a format copacetic to television's repeated regularity, the newspaper serial, the continuing episodic storytelling that drives much TV fiction is inbuilt. Tales derived from the tradition of newspaper-based serial fiction written by authors such as Charles Dickens, which would later inspire the broadcast soap opera (so much so, in fact, that the very title was chosen by Maupin over alternatives because of its Dickensian quality). It's a lineage that the BBC's successful radio serial adaptation of recent years only serves to reinforce. You only have to look at how many times the characters in the Channel 4/PBS original miniseries are caught watching the late 1970s daily satirical soap opera Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman to see how much the producers felt this was a convergence waiting to happen. In a TV "binge" culture, the sheer amount of literary material available for adaptation becomes a selling point for the franchise rather than the drawback it had been in previous decades. But Netflix will still encounter problems of adaptation due to the period of time elapsed.
It's been reported that the stars of the original three TV adaptations Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis will be returning, which raises a lot of difficult questions about what the new series will be. A good quarter-century has passed since Further Tales of the City aired on Showtime, which limits what can be done with the characters in certain age ranges. Their casting strongly suggests that we will pick up the series from Michael Tolliver Lives, a belated sequel from 2007 that spawned a (supposedly) final trilogy of Tales novels, since this timeline would find Mary Ann Singleton and Anna Madrigal somewhere near the same age as the actors playing them (in all but appearance). Of course, it's entirely possible Linney and Dukakis will be playing different characters, as is conventional in a remake. This seems unlikely to me, as, unlike other (frequently re-cast) characters in the canon, the Tales of the City fanbase tends to find the two leads inseparable from their performers. It was, after all, Laura Linney (albeit dressed as Mary Ann Singleton) who rode alongside Grand Marshal Armistead Maupin in the San Francisco Gay and Lesbian Pride in 2003. Re-casting these actors would be highly problematic.
If my suspicions are correct, a (more or less) contemporaneous Tales of the City TV series is in the works. There are gains and losses here. TV thrives on being able to hold up a (broken and vaselined) mirror to current events, and the original Tales serials had that very cultural commentary in mind. It would then be the first time that a television version of Tales of the City played the same role in society as the original literature. Viewers would, however, miss out on three novels' worth of character and story development. They will particularly feel the absence of Babycakes, the first novel to discuss AIDS. Though, with its vacation vibe and self-standing storylines, the third in the series is probably the only Tales of the City novel that would work as a feature film. Either way, Looking is the modern-day heir to Maupin's San Francisco no more.
Nineties Degree
Posted in American TV (General), American TV Shows, Internet TV, TV channels, TV History with tags fargo, friends, horace and pete, netflix, nineties, roseanne, the unbreakable kimmy schmidt, twin peaks on June 12, 2017 by Tom Steward
This isn't the first post I've written about nineties nostalgia in television but at the time of writing I had no idea how contagious it would be. Consider the evidence. The most innovative program on TV remains Twin Peaks (I'll hold off on saying the best until it's over). There is a television revival of Fargo which not only seems determined to re-capture every iconic moment from the golden decade of The Coen Brothers, but also currently stars Trainspotting's Ewan McGregor (incidentally, this is too much for someone who once owned VHS of both movies with the other film's trailer before them). Louis C.K's experiments with television comedy, both on and off the air, channel nineties indie cinema auteurs like Jim Jarmusch, and what is Horace & Pete but a serialised soundstage version of star Steve Buscemi's Trees Lounge? Factor in a Friends revival and you couldn't be more nineties.
The best of nineties nostalgia TV is also a cultural commentary on it. Netflix's transcendent sitcom The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt uses the device of a woman kidnapped and secluded for fifteen years in a bunker to retrofit the majority of the program's points of reference to nineties pop culture. There are so many I've lost track but imagine an alternate universe where the apotheosis of pop culture remains Kelsey Grammer. It's a satire of our arrested development that also manages to capture the (albeit anachronistic) zeitgeist, as any successful sitcom must. Though not specifically aimed at the early nineties, Twin Peaks processes its nostalgic appeal in fittingly gothic ways. In the reboot, the Sherriff's Department receptionist Lucy has a debilitating phobia of cell phone use, which she regards as some kind of witchcraft, while her son Wally Brando (an unusually well-used Michael Cera) delivers an eerie ventriloquism of namesake Marlon.
In some sense, it was only a matter of time. We're about as far now from the nineties as we were from the fifties when movies and TV shows romanticising the decade like American Graffiti and Happy Days started to dominate pop culture. We may be waiting a while for the nineties-set equivalent of the explicit love letter to the fifties that is Back in the Future, which is to say this phase probably hasn't peaked yet, but it can't be far from saturation point. Enough time has passed that any piece of media dealing with the nineties can now legitimately be seen as a work of history. Indeed, this very Summer CNN premieres the graduation of its decade-based documentary series The Nineties, the trailer for which positions the CD player as the relic of a bygone era and The Backstreet Boys as detached from the present as The Beatles.
Nineties nostalgia is also a by-product of a TV ecology where the past is always present. Though claiming to revolutionize the reception of television, Video-On-Demand platforms like Netflix and Hulu have done more to take TV content back in time than any oldies station ever did. Entire canons of popular (and not so) TV shows from the 1950s onwards are now instantly accessible to a vast viewership, and without the bitter pill of catheter commercials to swallow. The appeal of such platforms is as much being able to binge on Cheers as House of Cards. If lifespan permits, such extensive replay creates a natural demand for revival, which the VOD platform's business models are always more-than-happy to accommodate, with a slew of fannish resurrections. Done so routinely online, the on-air networks are now spicing their season line-ups with revivals of nineties properties, as shown by the upcoming return of Roseanne.
I was a teenager in the nineties and those were my formative cultural years. At the time, I thought the best of film, TV and music had been and gone, though it turns out that's a very nineties way of looking at things. Now I fetishistically relish what came out of that decade, and regard it as a far more sophisticated era in mainstream media arts than we are currently experiencing. I think I'm pretty typical of my generation, if we can be uniformly tantalised by the prospect of a Minnesota-based police procedural coming to primetime or react excitedly when one of the most belaboured sitcoms of all time returns to network TV. There's no doubt we're the demographic that television executives are targeting with their retroactive approach to commissioning, and that producers find common ground with their fragmented audience based on a shared love of the decade's cultural output.
Stage Set
Posted in American TV (General), American TV Shows, Behind-The-Scenes, Internet TV, TV Acting, TV Culture, TV History on March 29, 2017 by Tom Steward
I've spent a lot of time away from this blog because I'm building a career in theatre. However, I'm finding that the playwrights I come across when I'm reading plays or looking for audition monologues are many of the same names I'm seeing in the writing credits of the TV shows I watch. In a previous career as a TV historian, I observed many instances of theatre artists crossing over into American TV – or vice versa – and each time emigres were brought in to help shape or re-define the medium, carrying with them the necessary cultural cache to do it.
And here they are doing it again. Louis C.K's web experiment Horace and Pete used the internet to deliver a fusion of TV and theatre which was hitherto unseen in the US, and he enlisted the help of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker in the process. While Baker declined the offer to be a staff writer on the project, the author of The Flick and The Aliens was instrumental in bringing her trademark edge of masochistic naturalism to the third episode of the mini-series (which begins with a 12-minute monologue by Laurie Metcalf), where she is loosely credited as consultant.
Louis C.K. eventually succeeded in getting an award-winning playwright to join his writing staff when he hired author of The Whale and A Bright New Boise Samuel D. Hunter to pen episodes of Baskets, a dramedy starring Zach Galafianakis that he produces for FX. Though far more conventional than Horace and Pete in form, Baskets nonetheless confounds expectations of tone for a series which led strongly with broad physical comedy before existentially breaking down each of the absurd characters. Hunter's episodes go a long way towards this analytical deepening of the (sometimes literally) massive stereotypes established in the opening episodes.
Orange is the New Black writer Jordan Harrison is also a renowned playwright, with Pulitzer Prize finalist Marjorie Prime under his belt. It's interesting that a playwright concerned with digital technologies which change human-machine relations should be involved with a series that's at the cutting edge of the electronic televisual experience. Having seen the play along with his Amazons and their Men, I can see how (for better or worse) the clipped art of TV writing has affected his theatre pieces, with both feeling like they cut away from a scene too early or, more importantly, that they need follow-ups.
Gina Gionfriddo is the playwright of Becky Shaw and Rapture, Blister, Burn. She also wrote for Law & Order and Cold Case. Given the obscenity and offensiveness of her plays, it's a safe bet she had to self-censor when it comes to satisfying the still-draconian standards of network television, at least where words were concerned. However, if you follow John Mulaney's thinking (and who wouldn't?), the two procedurals with their graphic depictions and explications of heinous crimes would be the perfect dwelling place for a writer concerned with the underside of human behaviour. But these are by no means pioneers.
The play format of early American television resulted in the employment of writers who both came from and subsequently went to the theatre, including Horton Foote, Tad Mosel, Paddy Chayefsky and Reginald Rose. Much of the immediacy we still associate with television came from it being written as a live, continuous experience by theatre-savvy artists in those years. Even when TV eschewed theatrical trappings, playwrights continued to enter the medium, such as Neil Simon, who worked on comedy vehicles for Phil Silvers and Sid Caesar in the late 1950s. Simon would later theatricalize this for Laughter on the 23rd Floor.
While we're used to talking about writers from the movies coming to TV, we've traditionally overlooked stage playwrights who moonlight in the medium. In the 1980s, another Pulitzer Prize-winner David Mamet, author of American Buffalo and Glengarry Glen Ross, was ahead of the game when he penned an episode of the transformative cop show Hill Street Blues, before following this up decades later with military drama The Unit, which he co-created with Shawn Ryan of The Shield. The Hill Street Blues episode was before Mamet made the jump to cinema and well before great writers flocked to US quality TV. It's easy to see playwrights who come to TV as Greek Gods who deign to push us mere mortals in the right direction, but the truth is much messier and speaks to exchanges of ideas between the two art forms which have always been around and are still in development.
Trump TV
Posted in American TV (General), American TV Shows, Reality TV, TV History, TV News on January 20, 2017 by Tom Steward
Following Barack Obama's consecutive election triumphs, cultural commentators lined up to congratulate American TV for paving the way towards national acceptance of an African-American President. Among those frequently cited were 24's David Palmer (played by Dennis Haysbert), TV's first African-American President outside of a comedy skit or cartoon. Though Hispanic, The West Wing's Matt Santos (played by Jimmy Smits) represented a minority rising to the Presidency with producers claiming (retrospectively) the character was based on Obama. As Donald Trump takes office, which TV portrayals will be deemed responsible for his ascension to power? Here are some of my personal predictions.
Though only a few weeks into its pilot season, ABC's Designated Survivor projected that someone who was drastically under-qualified for the Presidency coming from outside the Washington establishment could successfully take office. Given that the 2016 election went right down to the wire and polls were offset in the final couple of weeks before voting, it's not unthinkable that this fish-out-of-water political drama normalized the idea of a Trump presidency for some swing voters. Although since Tom Kirkman's lack of fit with the job derives from his liberal bent and academic background, this is where any resemblance to Trump ends.
24 should not be let off the hook either. Palmer had become President by the show's second year, yet subsequent seasons undercut the legitimacy of his administration, much as Republicans and their affiliated media outlets would eventually do to Obama. Dead-in-the-water after one term, Palmer's administration is mired in scandal while the Democrat is deemed incapable of handling rising national security threats, and capitulates to an ignominious, seemingly inevitable assassination. As many have viewed 24's later seasons as a (more) fictional extension of Fox News, the synonymy of their respective rhetoric for debunking an African-American Commander-in-Chief cannot be a coincidence.
24 may have overreached in its predictions of Palmer being succeeded by Romney-clone John Keeler (whose fate, thanks to uneven storytelling, we remain unsure of) and later the first female President, Alison Taylor. Although, to be fair, Romney was a close call and Hillary Clinton was twice a foregone conclusion for the office. But the series was right on the money when it prophesized that the US Presidency would fall into the hands of a treasonous, spineless egomaniac engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia who demonstrated a reckless regard for weapons of mass destruction. Charles Logan was a trailblazer.
Indeed it's hard to believe that 24 didn't have a psychic consultant on staff when it aired scenes of a newly sworn-in Logan rushing former President Palmer into his office to advise the new Commander-in-Chief how to do the job in spite of utter incompetence and inconsistency, before shunning his predecessor and claiming all the credit for their successes. While many looked back to Nixon (especially considering actor Gregory Itzin's astounding physical resemblance to the man himself), Logan looked into a Trump crystal ball, which is not only a metaphor but an actual domestic good produced by the Trump brand.
With his rank outsider status, any consideration of what brought Trump into office must also consider what kept Hillary Clinton out of it. CBS's The Good Wife had a lot to say about that. In the latter seasons of the hit legal drama, Alicia Florrick runs for the political office of Illinois State's Attorney, having witnessed her husband Peter's consecutive electoral victories which propelled him to Governor. Despite winning outright, Alicia is forced to resign her office after an election fraught with allegations of vote tampering and concerns about the integrity of the Democratic Party image. Starting to sound familiar?
What The Good Wife saw, that most in politics would not, was the inevitability of a woman failing to succeed to the offices that their male peers had risen to against worst odds. Peter is an adulterous ex-con with a reputation as one of Illinois's most corrupt politicians, yet he glides effortlessly from State's Attorney to Governor, and even runs for President. Alicia is an outstanding lawyer with no stain on her character, and yet is forced to be the fall guy for a party at war with itself, despite her achievement. Similarly, Hillary Clinton shoulders two unsuccessful bids for the Presidency in the shadow of her philandering, ethically dubious two-term President husband while the marital indiscretions of former Congressman Anthony Weiner provided the impetus for the FBI to besmirch her name just prior to election day. She lost to an inexperienced African-American male and won to an internet troll.


text:
Literature Network Forums > Discussion on Specific Authors & Books > Author List: > Fitzgerald, F. Scott > > I really like this book!
View Full Version : I really like this book!
kelby_lake
And there are no posts!
PabloQ
As I was reading this book, I kept getting whiffs of other novels that came before. The arrogance that Anthony Patch exhibited in not seeking gainful employment as he waited to inherit is fortune was strongly reminiscent of George Amberson's arrogance in The Magnificent Ambersons. George is far more ridiculous, but manages to alienate his family and his friends. Anthony does much of the same but becomes a drunken lout.
As I watched him detiorate, Anthony reminded me of xxx in Sister Carrie. Anthony uses alcohol almost as an accelerant, but watching both of these characters just sit around, reading the newspaper and totally unmotivated toward employment rang familiar. The despair that Gloria felt that drove toward her screen test is similar to Carrie's motivation to audition for the stage. Carrie succeeds, however.
The waiting for the contest of the grandfather's will felt a little like Bleak House. The way it drags out over the years just seemed familiar.
The way that Gloria uses her beauty to attract men and gain acceptance in society reminded me a bit of The House of Mirth.
The ending of the novel, though, was abrupt and unsatisfying. Not to spoil it for anyone who might read it, but the expectation is set that these two prople, Anthony and Gloria, are going to hit rock bottom. Anthony, through is alcoholism, I expected to die or end up in some sanitarium similar to Zelda Fitzgerald. Gloria and her faded beauty seemed bound for some tragedy like an accident caused by her uncaring negligence or a suicide. I truly felt that at a minimum, the marriage would not make it to the end of the book. Well, I had it all wrong, but what I got was three scenes just seemed weak in comparison to the rest of the book to the point of almost ruining the whole thing.
This one was less lyrical and less artistically done than This Side of Paradise. But all thing considered, I liked it...
bluosean
I really liked it too but its been a long time since i have read it. I have to pick up some fitzgerald again. One of the best authors ever.
Buh4Bee
I agree, he knows how to tell a story, even if the plot moves slowly. His character development allows you to see into the characters mind as well as develop empathy or even the most heinous like Anthony Patch. This is great writing 101!


Young players will be delighted to play with this high quality squash skirt.
It is lightweight, breathable and provides very nice playing conditions.
If you are looking for quality squash clothing for girls, go for the Adidas Club Tech Steel F16 / Shock Slime F16 squash skirt.
Not only this squash skirt offers a stylish look to young players, but above all, it offers them optimal comfort.
This high quality squash skirt features the Climalite technology, which keeps the body dry despite the sweat.
With this ultra-breathable material, the girls play under very nice conditions.
They will not go unnoticed on the squash court with this blue and green skirt.
Girls will appreciate the lightness, fluidity and the material of the Adidas Club squash skirt.
With this squash skirt, girls have more self-confidence and play under better conditions.


Share in our growth by investing in Supercars.
We've created a remarkable opportunity for you to enjoy impressive returns by investing in Supercars.
Bespokes are the connoisseurs of Supercar hire in the UK. Since 1995 we have catered to genuine enthusiasts by offering meaningful driving experiences in some of the planet's most exciting cars.
Our reputation grows year-on-year as we add the newest models to our fleet.
Share in the growth by investing in Supercars.
If you're passionate about Aston Martins, you could be driving the newest model.
Lamborghini; Ferrari; Maserati; Porsche; Lotus; TVR; and McLaren – they're all in our fleet of Supercars.
The Supercar Investment Opportunity gives you a generous return of either cash or drive credits.
Your investment helps us to continue purchasing the newest and most desirable Supercars, ultimately making the UK's premier selection available for your driving pleasure.
Bespokes is the Driving Experience Company that treats you as a unique individual by satisfying your deep desire to drive meaningful miles on the open roads…in the car of your dreams.
Bespokes was established in 1995, and quietly began amassing a fleet of the most desirable luxury cars, supercars, sports cars, and modern classics.
We now own over 50 of the world's most incredible driving machines, with more being added regularly.
Every one of them is here for your driving pleasure.


At Your HOA, we're passionate about service and support. Our top-notch team of educated, experienced professionals sets us apart from other homeowner association management companies in the Midwest. We are a full-service homeowner association management company, serving single family and multifamily communities in Central Indiana and Beyond. We've developed an effective style of management that has resulted in long-lasting relationships with the clients we serve.
We make sure everything we do honors the expectations of our homeowners, clients, residents and employees – from our commitment to providing the highest quality HOA management services, to the way we personally engage with our customers and communities to do business responsibly.


text:
package com.ctrip.framework.apollo.biz.repository;

import com.ctrip.framework.apollo.biz.AbstractIntegrationTest;
import com.ctrip.framework.apollo.common.entity.App;

import org.junit.Assert;
import org.junit.Test;
import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;

public class AppRepositoryTest extends AbstractIntegrationTest{

  @Autowired
  private AppRepository appRepository;

  @Test
  public void testCreate() {
    String appId = "someAppId";
    String appName = "someAppName";
    String ownerName = "someOwnerName";
    String ownerEmail = "someOwnerName@ctrip.com";

    App app = new App();
    app.setAppId(appId);
    app.setName(appName);
    app.setOwnerName(ownerName);
    app.setOwnerEmail(ownerEmail);

    Assert.assertEquals(0, appRepository.count());

    appRepository.save(app);

    Assert.assertEquals(1, appRepository.count());
  }

  @Test
  public void testRemove() {
    String appId = "someAppId";
    String appName = "someAppName";
    String ownerName = "someOwnerName";
    String ownerEmail = "someOwnerName@ctrip.com";

    App app = new App();
    app.setAppId(appId);
    app.setName(appName);
    app.setOwnerName(ownerName);
    app.setOwnerEmail(ownerEmail);

    Assert.assertEquals(0, appRepository.count());

    appRepository.save(app);

    Assert.assertEquals(1, appRepository.count());

    appRepository.delete(app.getId());

    Assert.assertEquals(0, appRepository.count());
  }

}


Creo Skincare offers a unique product development service, working collaboratively with you to explore your vision, brand story and values.
We'll guide you every step of the way from product ideation, research and development, prototype formulation and compliance, stability and preservative efficacy testing, packaging, graphic design and marketing.
Whether you are looking to develop a niche product to fill a gap in the market or upgrade an existing formulation to meet current market demands, you can rely on our product development expertise to turn your concept into a reality.
For smaller budgets, we offer a wide range of existing formulations that are available under private label agreement. These include: Cleanser, Toner, Moisturiser, Serum and Specialised Treatments.
This is the foundation of our cosmetic development process, where we listen to your ideas and set the framework for your project.
Looking at current research and market trends we can start to define your point of difference and work together to bring your concept to life. We will advise you on ingredient choice, product safety and stability, and feasibility in terms of natural and organic compliance.
Because budget is an important consideration of any product development, we estimate and clarify costing to ensure your vision is financially feasible.
Whether you have an idea for upgrading an existing formulation, a new product concept or just a list of ingredients, we will actively work with you to develop the best formulation to achieve your cosmetic product objectives.
As soon as your vision and brief has been defined we start the search for the ingredients, utilising our extensive library of only the finest natural and organic ingredients found here in New Zealand or sourced sustainably from overseas.
Once your formulation is complete, our lab will prepare a prototype product sample for your evaluation. The products esthetics and sensorials will be considered and if necessary, adjusted to meet your requirements before being 'signed off'.
A significant advantage of owning your cosmetic formula is the freedom to choose the best manufacturing partner for your specific needs.
Drawing on our vast network of cosmetic contract manufacturers, we'll match you with the most suitable manufacturer for your needs in terms of manufacturing volumes and product expertise.
Our consultancy rate is from $85 per hour.
The cost of formulation development varies depending on the brief.
As part of our quote for research and development of each formula, a confidentiality agreement will be included.
For more information or to book a consultation, please complete the form below.