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Posted on July 22, 2016 by Lee Jay
Edgar Degas Adored Japanese Art: Ideas of Distance, Impressionism, and art of the Renaissance
Lee Jay Walker
Ukiyo-e inspired many artists in distant lands and this includes Edgar Degas, who came to admire this Japanese art form. Edgar Degas (1834-1917) was born in Paris into a wealthy family and he was blessed to study at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in this famous city. This intriguing individual in time would join the Impressionists movement but he also adored Renaissance art.
Therefore, after studying he moved to Italy and copied the great masters of the Renaissance for five years. During this period he learnt the richness of this artistic era and he would meticulously study artists from this period of history. Not only did he study in Italy about the heritage of Renaissance art but he also copied each detail based on methodology.
The Impressionists were also igniting the art world during his lifetime and Edgar Degas became deeply inspired by this artistic movement. Therefore, from 1874 to 1886 he also became fully embroiled in this art movement and entered his work to be shown in the many exhibitions of this timeframe. This period enabled Edgar Degas to expand and grow and not surprisingly the fusions of many different art forms blessed his art and creativity.
Ukiyo-e was also very important to Edgar Degas who was fascinated by the richness of Japanese art. Van Gogh commented that "I envy the Japanese artists for the incredible neat clarity which all their works have. It is never boring and you never get the impression that they work in a hurry. It is as simple as breathing; they draw a figure with a couple of strokes with such an unfailing easiness as if it were as easy as buttoning one's waist-coat."
Edgar Degas also loved the diversity and creativity of ukiyo-e and you can draw certain parallels with his art regarding ballet dancers, bathers, stage performers, and other areas. Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Claude Monet, and a host of other artists, felt the pull of Japanese art and clearly Edgar Degas was equally inspired. Therefore, if you change the ballet dancer and stage performers to bijin-ga and kabuki, you can see a rich vein materializing whereby his own artistic culture is fused with Japanese art.
Also, not only did Edgar Degas collect ukiyo-e prints but many of his friends had a deep knowledge of this art form. Indeed, artists like Utamaro, Hokusai, Sharaku (an individual shrouded in mystery), Hiroshige, and other famous ukiyo-e artists, were highly admired internationally. This factor clearly rubbed off onto Edgar Degas and just like Renaissance art and Impressionism had inspired him, the same can be said for Japanese art.
On the Yale Univeristy Press website Jill DeVonyar and Richard Kendall highlight the book called Degas and the Art of Japan. In this book, it says "Degas and the Art of Japan explores the French Impressionist's lifelong fascination with the work of his Japanese counterparts. Adding substantially to previous studies, the authors propose new links between some of Degas's characteristic themes, such as laundresses and horse racing, and the woodblock designs of Ukiyo-e masters. Fresh light is also shed on another signature trait of the artist—his fascination with women in their public and private lives—which is echoed in the prevalence of female subjects in Japanese woodblock imagery. Equally significant are revelations about Degas's access to specific Japanese prints belonging to collectors and dealers in Paris."
The book continues, "Works by Degas in all media are considered—paintings, pastels, drawings, lithographs, etchings, monotypes, and sculpture—and juxtaposed with Japanese prints, illustrated books, and decorated fans. Comparable human predicaments and parallels in visual language are all part of this wide-ranging analysis, which deepens our understanding of one of the world's greatest artists."
The book called Degas and the Art of Japan clearly digs deep within the many aspects of his life. This notably applies to the legacy of the Japanese connection and how ukiyo-e inspired this amazing artist. Therefore, just like other notable artists, he also understood the richness of ukiyo-e and this further sheds more light on this amazing art form to an international audience.
Dieter Wanczura, a notable individual with rich knowledge of Japanese art, comments "All things Japanese were suddenly stylish and fashionable. Shops selling Japanese woodblock prints, kimonos, fans and antiquities popped up in Paris like mushrooms. The Impressionist painters and Post-Impressionists like Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Toulouse-Lautrec or Paul Gauguin were attracted and impressed by Japanese woodblock prints. In 1875 Claude Monet created his famous painting La Japonaise, showing his wife dressed in a Kimono and holding a Japanese fan."
Overall, in this period of history, the artistic city of Paris gave growing stature to ukiyo-e. Yet, the individuality of Edgar Degas also shines through because he was also an intriguing artist who fused many different art forms within his work.
http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300126334
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Q: Check if remote host/port is open - Can't use GNU Netcat nor NMap - RHEL 7 At work, the infrastructure team is rolling out new VMs with RHEL7 installed as the base OS. This particular image comes with the nmap-ncat version of Netcat and does not have NMap installed. We are precluded from installing anything on the machines.
Previously, we were using the GNU Netcat which have the -z option to scan a remote host/port to check if it was open. Something like this:
nc -z -v -w 3 remote.host.name 1234

How can I achieve the same check with the new ncat which does not have the -z option on a system where I cannot install nmap?

A: Though Ncat does not yet support -z, you can get the same behavior with shell redirection:
$ ncat google.com 80 </dev/null >/dev/null && echo "yes"
yes
$ ncat google.com 81 </dev/null >/dev/null && echo "yes"
Ncat: Connection timed out.
$ ncat scanme.nmap.org 1234 </dev/null >/dev/null && echo "yes"
Ncat: Connection refused.

The connect timeout can be adjusted with the -w option.
EDIT: Ncat 7.25BETA2 introduced the -z option which works as it does with GNU netcat, but only on single ports. If you need to scan port ranges, you should be using Nmap.

A: Neither netcat, telnet nor nmap are needed.
Bash is simpler, portable and more efficient.
Open check
(>/dev/tcp/example.com/80) &>/dev/null && echo "Open"

Open/Closed Check
(>/dev/tcp/example.com/80) &>/dev/null && echo "Open" || echo "Closed"

Port Range Check
for i in $(seq 80 88); do (>/dev/tcp/example.com/80/$i) &>/dev/null && echo $i Open|| echo $i Closed; done

A: Bash allows you to connect to TCP and/or UDP ports by redirecting to special files:

/dev/tcp/host/port If host is a valid hostname or Internet address,
  and port is an integer port number or service name, Bash attempts to
  open the corresponding TCP socket.
/dev/udp/host/port If host is a valid hostname or Internet address,
  and port is an integer port number or service name, Bash attempts to
  open the corresponding UDP socket.
A failure to open or create a file causes the redirection to fail.

So to test if you can connect to port 80 on www.example.com the following should work:
echo -n > /dev/tcp/www.example.com/80

If the port is blocked you either get a "connection refused" message or a timeout.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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HomeNewsAustralian Court Decides to Recognize Artificial Intelligence as Inventors
Australian Court Decides to Recognize Artificial Intelligence as Inventors
Australian Federal Court announced on Friday that artificial intelligence platforms will now be recognized as inventors. Humans and AI-platforms will now be listed as inventors of a system or technology.
By Dipayan Mitra
Australian Federal Court now decides to recognize artificial intelligence as inventors under the patent law. This groundbreaking announcement has changed the widely accepted fact that only humans can invent new technologies.
Earlier this year, the South African government also recognized an artificial intelligence neural network named DABUS as an inventor. An Australian Law professor at the University of Surrey, Ryan Abbot, had also filed two international patents in seventeen different countries across the globe to recognize DABUS and the inventor of two neural systems for adjustable food containers and emergency beacons.
He mentioned that he wanted to support DABUS after realizing the double standards the current law has for the assessment of human behavior and artificial intelligence. The developer of DABUS, Stephen Thaler, had been engaged in numerous legal cases worldwide for this recognition since 2019.
Read More: Neuralink Raises $205 Million In Series C Funding Round
Thaler said, "It's been more of a philosophical battle, convincing humanity that my creative neural architectures are compelling models of cognition, creativity, sentience, and consciousness."
He further added that the recently established fact that their artificial intelligence platform DABUS has developed patent-worthy inventions prove that the system can function as a conscious human brain.
Dr. Mark Summerfield, the patent attorney of Australia, said, "A recognition in Australian law that the term inventor can encompass a machine would not only be well ahead of the dictionaries, it would also be ahead of any significant usage of the word in this way in society at large, or even among qualified experts in the field."
Countries like The United States and the United Kingdom have already rejected to accept artificial intelligence as an inventor. The developers are now looking forward to a positive response from India, Japan, and Israel.
Subscribe and never miss out on such trending AI-related articles.
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Dipayan Mitra
Dipayan is a news savvy writer, who does not leave a single page of news paper unturned. He is also a professional vocalist who enjoys ghazals. Building a dog shelter is his forever dream.
TheMathCompany raises $50 million in Funding Round
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan Takes Us Inside the Dance of Mira, Royal Detective
Disney, Interviews, News, Television | March 15, 2020 | | by Stacey Yount
MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE – Nakul Dev Mahajan ("So You Think You Can Dance") serves as the Indian dance consultant on "Mira, Royal Detective" (Disney Junior/Valerie Durant)
NAKUL DEV MAHAJAN (INDIAN DANCE CONSULTANT)
Choreographer Nakul Dev Mahajan is know as The Bollywood Choreographer from his outstanding work on So You Think You Can Dance, his dance studios and NDM Bollywood Dance Production and many other special projects. His newest dance step (pun intended) is into the world of animation. He is the choreographer and dance consultant for Disney Junior's new show Mira, Royal Detective.
Disney Junior's Mira, Royal Detective is an animated mystery-adventure series for preschoolers inspired by the cultures and customs of India. Set in the fictional land of Jalpur, the series follows the brave and resourceful Mira, a commoner who is appointed to the role of royal detective by the Queen. Along with her friend Prince Neel, a talented inventor, creative cousin Priya, and comical mongoose sidekicks Mikku and Chikku, Mira will stop at nothing to solve a case.
One of the coolest things about the show is that, like in Bollywood movies, music and dance play a very important role in Mira, Royal Detective. Each episode features at least one original song along with Mira's signature recurring song, 'We're on the Case'. The show includes a variety of South Asian musical styles, including Bollywood, pop, classical, folk, fusion and more, with a classic Disney feel. Add in the dance numbers choreographed by Nakul, which showcases the diversity of the culture and highlights both northern and southern Indian dance styles, as well as big Bollywood numbers, and you have something very special.
In a fascinating, fun and far-reaching interview Stacey talked with Nakul about his work on the very exciting Mira, Royal Detective including how he created the numbers, his thoughts on the show and what he thinks audiences will love.
Your first thoughts when you learned that Disney was going to make an Indian character as the star of an animated children's show and that you were going to be a part of it?
Honestly, Stacey, my eyes were filled with joy. I think I actually started crying. When I was called for the interview I did not really know the full capacity of this gift that I was looking at or that I was even being considered for. So, while I was sitting with Wild Canary, the sketches and some of the animation they showed me blew me away. Then knowing the entire premise was around this Indian girl, her friends and family in this city named Jalpur and how beautiful everything has been drawn out – I honestly think I forgot that I was at an interview. I forgot… I zoned out. I was a kid in a candy story looking at different sketches and just wanting to eat it all up.
Then our fearless leader, Sascha Paladino, I think he saw it on my face. I think he realized that this guy is a little bit too obsessed with what he just saw. (Laughs) Aside from his resume I think he is the guy for it. The next day I got the job. (You can hear the excitement in his voice)
KHUSHY NIAZI, NAKUL DEV MAHAJAN (INDIAN DANCE CONSULTANT)
What were your first thoughts about choreographing moves and full dance numbers for something like this?
It was just joy because I have always wanted to work with Disney. I have always just put it out there how wonderful would it be if I ever would get a chance to do something like this. And now it has happened! I had an opportunity years ago with a different company that didn't work out. So, I always put it out there that if this is going to happen again it needs to be Disney. Then it did! It is so weird. It is that Law of Attraction that has been so good to me.
Then, knowing I am going to choreograph on animated characters and that too, that look like me, that look like my sister, that look like my Auntie, who just lives down the street, who looks like my mother, I immediately said okay these characters are my family. I am now going to teach them how to dance and create movement on them in this space.
Stacey, I can't tell you… it has been such a dream. It has been such an honor. Because I know what I am holding on to – I know what has been given to me. It is bigger than anything that I can even describe.
It must have been an exciting challenge to create this. What was your process to prepare the pieces?
It starts off with getting a script and the music for that particular episode. Each episode has a different song that is catered to the narrative, just like watching a Bollywood movie, which you are so good at. As you know, the Bollywood song, at least when you go back about 10 years ago, helps tell the story. That is what Mira has captured. It has captured a true essence that the music, the song, and the lyrics are helping you navigate to what is going to happen next versus it being something completely random – Which I LOVE! Then from there I set the piece. I videotaped my assistant and myself and we give the version of how it should look like when you are dancing full-out. Then we give a breakdown tutorial, of each 8 counts, each 8 bars, all the nuances, the details, the textures, the layers, the formation and what I am envisioning. Then it goes to the artist.
Then the artists do their magic. And I have to say they really, really do their magic. I am in awe of what they do.
It comes back to me as an animatic. I give my notes, and then it comes back to me as animation. Then I am crying all over again because it is so emotional to see what I am looking at and seeing it all come together.
I think, they have gotten the movements so perfectly. When I saw the theme song I thought they have really captured the essence of this!
That is so amazing that you said that Stacey. I am so happy! Because you are a dancer too, so that means a lot. Thank you!
I know in your dances you, of course, use the Bollywood dance style and classical Indian dance technique as well. So for this, what types of dance and moves did you want and feel you should include?
That is a great question. See we want these characters, we want the story telling and we want the overall feel to be something that every demographic can feel connected to.
Unlike other shows that I have been on, the team has really allowed me to tap into sub-genres of Bollywood in terms of the pieces. So, of course you will see some Bollywood inspired-numbers. But these are not just folk driven which is what most of America is used to seeing me do. You will see a little bit of a Bolly-Hop version in some numbers or a little bit of a contemporary feel. There are going to be a lot of different textures, and sub-genres of Bollywood that I am finally able to show on these characters. What I also like a lot is that I was able to showcase, because of the script and its needs, I was able to showcase Ghoomar [traditional folk dance of Rajasthan] and Bhangra [folk dance and music of Punjab] and its forms without it making it look Bollywood. I loved that because I can do all those styles too. It is just there is not a platform to allow it. Now you have this show Mira, Royal Detective, that is not just showcasing Bollywood dancing but is also showcasing other Indian styles of dance. I think it is about time. I am so, so happy this is happening.
MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE – "The Case of the Royal Scarf/The Case of the Missing Bicycle" (Disney Junior)
AUNTIE PUSHPA, MIRA, PRIYA
There is not only Mira, but also her friends, the animals and the other characters, so for say like the theme song, how many did you have to choreograph for and how did you make each unique? Like an Auntie would move differently than say Mira…
Correct, I can't take the credit and say that was all me, as much as I would love to. (Laughs) But you know me Stacey, that is not who I am. It was the artists. I did have to keep some things in mind, for example we have Mikku and Chikku, the two mongooses. They are friends of Mira. So, with them I know they have a tail so I now have an extra body part to work with. I know that their expressions are a little bit different and that they are goofy. See, I am not just choreographing the moves, I am also helping with action moves in-between because we all know that Bollywood is also an expression form of dance – where it is just maybe waist-up, maybe it is shoulders-up, it is about the face and what it is doing – so I am very much involved with giving my ideas for that part as well. I know these characters so well that they have become family members for me. So, if I know that there is a character that is a little sassier, that I might give her a little gesture that might fit her character the best, or these mongooses, they are so mischievous and they are so funny, they are the comic relief of the show, so sometimes their movements look goofy. Knowing these characters and knowing their characteristics and their personalities, the movement is set on that. The animators are the ones that tweak it so if it is a 5-year-old child dancing or if it Auntie Pushpa who is dancing, that looks very different. I think that is the brilliance and the detail of this show. All the people behind it are not making it look like this cookie cutter show on Indian culture. It is far beyond that!
How many numbers did you create?
So, when you watch the show, and hope everyone tunes in, you will see 2 11-minute episodes each show. I can share that there is a piece of me in every episode, because I did the opening title. I would say half of season one you will be seeing a lot of my choreography.
What was the most challenging thing about working on this show?
I always feel the most challenging thing for me is the responsibility. We have spoken about this before in our conversations about So You Think You Can Dance. It is just knowing that this is going out to millions of people. I think the added responsibility for me and I think it comes from being an educator as well is that I know this is going out to a certain demographic and a demographic that soaks the information in very quickly. A demographic that can be influenced very quickly and make ideas. Knowing that, I feet added pressure to make sure that I bring my A game every time. I have been a part of season one and now am working on season two and I approach each and every episode as if this is the first time I am doing this. That has just been my work ethic always. That has been challenging – just making sure I am absolutely happy with everything I have given to their team. Then signing off on it from my end, which honestly is very easy to do knowing the support of all the people that all have the same common goal. That common goal is making something that has integrity, authenticity, sending a message and not just sending a message to one demographic but sending a universal message. Mira, Royal Detective is not just an animated series for South Asians, it is an animated series for everybody from any background or age. It is really going to lift everybody up.
MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE – Key Art. (Disney Junior)
MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE
I think it is going to educate so many people, not only as a representation of South Asians as we have talked about before, but it is going to educate people around the world, which I think is very exciting. What does that mean to you?
Absolutely! It means a lot. Of course, my angle is just a dance angle right? But there are so many different things that are being introduced in the show, there is clothing, there's food, customs and traditions. Even the way that we look. People sometimes, unfortunately, when they think of an Indian person, or a person of South Asian descent, they have this one vision of what that is. We all know we look so different within the country itself not with just what we wear but with our skin tones. I have never experienced this before. The show has done such a beautiful job in displaying this array of diversity within the country.
As a young boy growing up, could you ever imagine that this would be a show that would be, and that you would be a part of it? What would it mean to young you?
Wow, without getting heavy, it would mean a lot to a young me. Maybe it would mean, I don't know, I wouldn't have been made fun of or teased or bullied at school for just being me in terms of what I look like. Maybe not having to justify why my mother has a dot on her forehead, maybe I wouldn't had to do that because someone would already have a reference for that and would know if they saw a series like this. If they grew up with a series like this they would know why my lunch box had different items in it – I didn't have to explain what I was eating. So this is going to do a lot. I didn't grow up with this as you know, and whatever representation that did come, came much later when I was a teenager was stereotypical, incorrect and not accurate and if anything it endorsed more of the teasing. I think this show is absolutely going to change so much for so many different people. It is going to; it is going to educate everyone. I said this to the team a few times that maybe they don't know what they are holding – how important and precious this medium is that they are creating. I often get emotional talking about Mira because it is something I wish I had growing up. It is never too late and it is now happening. I am just rejoicing.
We are airing in 160 different countries and I really hope this actually snowballs into other shows and other different programs. My wish is that everyone would be more aware of other people's cultures, and obviously my biggest wish is that everyone needs a little bit of dance in their life! It makes life much happier.
When you saw the animation of your choreography and then saw it through the season what were your thoughts?
When I first saw the lighting pass for one of the earlier episodes, I think I watched it like 50 times. I just couldn't believe that there is this character that is moving like me. I haven't seen anything like this before. Anything that I have seen that resembles Bollywood dancing that is animated – it is a little cliché. It didn't look authentic to me. So to see this one particular episode, which I was able to choreograph a little bit of a Ghoomar number, a Bhangra number and a Bollywood number all in one episode, it was so great because I couldn't believe how accurate they were dancing. The characters doing the Bhangra number were doing it better than me. (Smile) I am like wait, this can't happen! (Laughs) How are the animated characters better than me? (Laughs) These characters are out-dancing me.
Would you love to have an animated version of you in the show?
Oh my gosh! I would love that! Just for kicks, I mean I can't be greedy right? I have already been given such a beautiful gift… But you know my secret now – I would love to have a character on the show. (Smile) Let's put that out there.
MIRA, ROYAL DETECTIVE – (Disney Junior/Valerie Durant)
NAKUL DEV MAHAJAN (INDIAN DANCE CONSULTANT), SASCHA PALADINO (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER), SONAL SHAH, PARVESH CHEENA, DIANE IKEMIYASHIRO (EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING, DISNEY JUNIOR), SHAGORIKA GHOSH PERKINS (CULTURAL CONSULTANT/ CONSULTING PRODUCER)
How has the entire journey been?
I joined summer of 2018 and I have been waiting for March 20, 2020 to happen ever since. Primarily because I just can't wait for the world to see this! As I have been working on season one and then seeing the final product I have just been getting more and more excited. It is just this beautiful brewing energy that is just waiting to explode in fireworks and glitter. And just Joy! We really have to get the word out about this spectacular show and what it really means. I think once people watch it they will truly understand that this is something extraordinarily special.
To me it is so exciting and important that a show like this will be aired especially for and to young children ages 2-7 and then their parents… your thoughts on that…
I think that that demographic, that age group is the right age to educate them on stuff like this. Kids are so inquisitive, and they are so observant, that's the age when all these questions come and I think that it is the perfect time to lay that foundation. For someone who will be watching it who doesn't know anything about this culture, for someone that is watching it that is familiar with it then can be reacquainted to it, or if they feel and see themselves – whatever angle you look at it it is definitely a very inspiring show. I really commend Disney Junior for doing this. I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't see more from Disney doing these types of shows.
What makes you the most proud about you being a part of it and overall about the show?
It is a great question. This probably one of my proudest projects because it has to do with something I love so much, which is obviously Bollywood but also children. I have always been a Disney person myself so these three components coming together this is just such a gift. I really have no words. I think what makes me the most proud is and this is extracting me out of the equation is how they got this right. I am the most proud of what they created! For me, it's unheard of. I have never have experienced this. You know I have done jobs and where I come in create a Bollywood number and leave. This is not that, this is different, this is start to finish this is a whole season. There easily could have been areas where the team, the creators, the writers, the artists, could have been lazy. No one is lazy at all. Everything has been done with such authenticity. You know, I am just proud that this thing has been made.
What can audiences and kids – everyone expect from Mira, Royal Detective?
This is not a one-word answer because there is so much that they can expect. See so many people have come to me and said, oh we can't wait to watch the show. I hope this is going to be good… and that comes from fear because there have been other things that haven't been good that were representing us. My answer to them is – You are going to be hooked on this! Each story is so different. There is something to learn from culturally. There is something to learn from that anyone can apply, especially a young person, in a life lesson, which is very important. It inspires not just little girls, but also boys as well. It is also reinforcing the idea that music and dance brings us together! That, I think, is absolutely what this world needs more of is each person holding their hands together as a community, as a family, working together, solving our problems and then dancing it out. That is what Mira is for me.
Mira, Royal Detective begins airing on March 20th on Disney Junior so be sure to tune in and get on the case!
Stacey Yount
View all posts by Stacey Yount	→


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James Milner – Liverpool's Red Wine, getting better with Age
Written by: Production
Article by Mizgan Masani @mizgans
Liverpool have made a perfect start to this Premier League season, winning all the four games played. This positive inception has sent a massive statement of intent around the world about the Reds meaning business, which was on the horizon once they completed some very high-class deals in the summer.
The whole team has contributed in one way or the other in the wins so far, which were not easy by any stretch of the imagination. For that reason, this perfect start makes more significance, just because there were moments when you felt something is going to give, and the Reds will drop points. But that hasn't been the case thus far, for which credit goes to every player and the manager Jurgen Klopp.
One player who really has upped his performance level in the past six to seven months is the experienced James Milner. The Englishman has been an epitome consistency in the team, especially in the first four games of this season.
Despite Liverpool signing Xherdan Shaqiri, Naby Keita and Fabinho to bolster attacking, central and defensive midfield options respectively, Milner was adamant to retain his spot in central midfield. The 32-year-old has shown tremendous qualities on the pitch, and he seems to get better every next time he steps on the field.
Talking about his performances this season – the energy, the guile and of course the quality on display has been just phenomenal.
Dipping into some stats of the campaign, Milner has completed 343 passes, out of which 308 were successful with an accuracy rate of over 88%. This type of precision is what makes a midfield player special, as the whole team can trust him on the ball.
A midfielder must also be good without the ball, pressing and winning tackles or interceptions at crucial moments. Milner has made 8 vital interceptions (2 per game) and won 7 out of 15 tackles attempted. So, basically, the 32-year-old has produced 15 moments of ball recovery by himself, whether it be on his half or the opposition.
What makes Milner a complete midfielder is his contributions on the attacking side of things. His key passing rate of 1.8 is quite impressive in just the four games. This amounts to seven chances created towards goal (2 assists).
If the previous bits were any indications of what the player has done so far, the next bit is equally sensational. We will analyse his performance on the basis of heat-map against West Ham and Brighton. He was good in all the four games but we take these two for a reference.
As shown in the above image, James Milner's heat-map against West Ham United in the opening game of the season. We can get an idea of how he performed and where he operated the most. The brightest spot is on the right central wing, from where the 32-year-old controlled the tempo of the game, by allowing the right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold to move forward and simultaneously covering the space.
There are also a few spots just around the centre circle, and some dots on the other side of the pitch. Overall, an impactful performance from a midfielder who basically covered every portion of position and more.
Against the Hammers, Milner had 122 touches of the ball, which was just 10 less than the combined touch count of Jack Wilshere and Mark Noble (132).
GAME STATS VS WEST HAM – PASS ACCURACY – 93.1% (95), KEY PASSES – 3, BIG CHANCES CREATED – 2, DUELS WON – 3, INTERCEPTION – 1.
Compared to West Ham, the Brighton game was a proper hard-work for Liverpool. They had to show determination and spirit to hold onto a one-goal lead. Milner was again influential all over the pitch controlling the wider midfield portions. His versatility allowed him to switch flanks once Klopp replaced Keita with Jordan Henderson.
He touched the ball 117 times during the game, the whole of Brighton's midfield had a count of 181. It speaks volumes about a midfielder when his game influence is juxtaposed with the whole midfield of the opposition. Milner has only made this possible by doing great things on the pitch.
GAME STATS VS BRIGHTON – PASS ACCURACY – 89.4% (84), KEY PASSES – 1, DUELS WON – 7, TACKLES WON – 1, INTERCEPTIONS – 2.
Summing up, we have discussed everything about how James Milner has contributed in a big way this season. The way he has impacted the game on all fronts is something extraordinary. He is 32 and seems like getting better every passing week. Klopp also deserves credit for this incredible turnaround from a player who was expected to be on the periphery with all the new signings around.
It just shows that hard work and dedication can lead you somewhere positive in life. Take Milner as an example and replicate it in your own way, the results are certain to be positive.
‹ Napoli Fixture At Risk Of Venue Change & Lovren Injury Latest | #LFC Daily News LIVE
🎧🏆 The Champions League Group Stage | Around The League Podcast ›


text:
package org.apache.velocity.util.introspection;

import java.util.Iterator;

/**
 *

 * When the runtime.introspection.uberspect configuration property contains several
 * uberspector class names, it means those uberspectors will be chained. When an
 * uberspector in the list other than the leftmost does not implement ChainableUberspector,
 * then this utility class is used to provide a basic default chaining where the
 * first non-null result is kept for each introspection call.
 *

 *
 * @since 1.6
 * @see ChainableUberspector
 * @version $Id: LinkingUberspector.java 10959 2008-07-01 00:12:29Z sdumitriu $
 */
public class LinkingUberspector extends AbstractChainableUberspector
{
    private Uberspect leftUberspect;
    private Uberspect rightUberspect;

    /**
     * Constructor that takes the two uberspectors to link
     */
    public LinkingUberspector(Uberspect left,Uberspect right) {
        leftUberspect = left;
        rightUberspect = right;
    }

    /**
     * {@inheritDoc}
     *

     * Init both wrapped uberspectors
     *

     *
     * @see org.apache.velocity.util.introspection.Uberspect#init()
     */
    //@Override
    public void init()
    {
        leftUberspect.init();
        rightUberspect.init();
    }

    /**
     * {@inheritDoc}
     *
     * @see org.apache.velocity.util.introspection.Uberspect#getIterator(java.lang.Object,
     *      org.apache.velocity.util.introspection.Info)
     */
    //@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    //@Override
    public Iterator getIterator(Object obj, Info i) throws Exception
    {
        Iterator it = leftUberspect.getIterator(obj,i);
        return it != null ? it : rightUberspect.getIterator(obj,i);
    }

    /**
     * {@inheritDoc}
     *
     * @see org.apache.velocity.util.introspection.Uberspect#getMethod(java.lang.Object, java.lang.String,
     *      java.lang.Object[], org.apache.velocity.util.introspection.Info)
     */
    //@Override
    public VelMethod getMethod(Object obj, String methodName, Object[] args, Info i)
        throws Exception
    {
        VelMethod method = leftUberspect.getMethod(obj,methodName,args,i);
        return method != null ? method : rightUberspect.getMethod(obj,methodName,args,i);
    }

    /**
     * {@inheritDoc}
     *
     * @see org.apache.velocity.util.introspection.Uberspect#getPropertyGet(java.lang.Object, java.lang.String,
     *      org.apache.velocity.util.introspection.Info)
     */
    //@Override
    public VelPropertyGet getPropertyGet(Object obj, String identifier, Info i)
        throws Exception
    {
        VelPropertyGet getter = leftUberspect.getPropertyGet(obj,identifier,i);
        return getter != null ? getter : rightUberspect.getPropertyGet(obj,identifier,i);
    }

    /**
     * {@inheritDoc}
     *
     * @see org.apache.velocity.util.introspection.Uberspect#getPropertySet(java.lang.Object, java.lang.String,
     *      java.lang.Object, org.apache.velocity.util.introspection.Info)
     */
    //@Override
    public VelPropertySet getPropertySet(Object obj, String identifier, Object arg, Info i)
        throws Exception
    {
        VelPropertySet setter = leftUberspect.getPropertySet(obj,identifier,arg,i);
        return setter != null ? setter : rightUberspect.getPropertySet(obj,identifier,arg,i);
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


TPAN is down at Fantastic Fest later this morning registering voters until 1pm!
Texas does not have true online voter registration (boo!). You can visit VoteTexas.gov to request a form but you will still be responsible for mailing that form in to complete your registration. **You can also usually find these forms at your local post office and most public libraries!
The deadline to get registered or to update your registration (did you move?) is OCTOBER 9TH. Clock is ticking so if you want to vote this November (and EVERYONE NEEDS TO VOTE THIS NOVEMBER!) then visit VoteTexas.gov and get it done today.
Early voting starts October 22nd and goes until November 2nd.
Deadline to request a mail-in ballot is October 26th.
Visit our Voter Hub for lots of other helpful resources!
Take a few minutes and tell us why you're voting this November! Let's take that message across the state and encourage everyone to BE A TEXAS VOTER!


Parents, Grandparents and Nannies, learn to shoot your favorite kids--with a camera of course. This series of Coffee & Cameras is learning to shoot portraits of children and create artwork like this. The 3 part class will start with learning to work that fancy-camera-with-all-the buttons-and-the-lens-that-changes, aka DSLR, with the optimal settings for portraits. Next we learn how to set up a simple shooting space and how to engage your subject. This session is what I call the 15 Minutes of Fame. We finish the class off with learning to cull and edit your photographs and assemble and print a storyboard collage for your home. No experience necessary, camera and cute kids are. Please email me--denarobles@gmail.com to sign up for the Learn to Shoot Portraits class.
This class is designed to help you curate the little details in your everyday life and turn them into art for the walls. The added benefit is learning to operate your camera along the way and to refine your composition and perspective skills. This series is appropriate for all skill levels and will cover the camera basics to shoot in manual mode and learn to perfect your exposure. We will choose a personal project to work on and then finish with critique, basic editing, storing, sharing and printing options. Participants should come to each class with a Dslr and lens, charged battery and memory card.
Kids and Cameras This photography class is designed for 4th, 5th and 6th grade students. A point-and-shoot camera with the ability to adjust exposure is appropriate for use in this class, a Dslr can also be used if you have one! What do you learn? Skills learned are basic camera operation, exposure compensation, creative composition, macro, interacting with portrait subjects, and troubleshooting photo problems. Finished projects are printed and ready to hang. Class size is limited to 8 photographers.
Teen Photography Club Teen Photography Club has become really popular and books up quickly. This class is designed for teens age 13-17. A DSLR is most appropriate for this class as we delve deep into manual exposure and the exposure triangle on Day 1. Additionally, we learn about composition, perspective, when to use different shooting modes, choosing lens length, shooting details with macro, working with your environment, and the basics of portraiture. Teen Photography club runs in two series and there are many students who return for subsequent series to build on their skills and knowledge and to create new joint photography projects with the instructor.
Coffee and Cameras Individual Classes For all of you adults with fancy cameras with all kinds of buttons and dials and no idea how to get the best photos, this is the place to start. If you have some high school or college photography knowledge brewing in your past but need a refresher or want to push your skills further, I have a place for you too. Coffee and Cameras is an individualized program for one-on-one or small group meet ups. You can pick and choose from a variety of topics and projects according to where you are in your learning and then work at your own pace. You will be provided with creative projects to work on with the hope that using the camera will become second nature to you once you start working.


Workbench site worth considering for your woodworking links.
Huh? You think? Oh wait – a crude attempt by a spammer trying to do SEO work.
Well guess what. My site, I do what I like, including editing your links out.


text:
Thu 20 January 2022
The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in Iran increased to 128,852 with 118 more Iranians killed by the deadly disease over the past 24 hours, Iran's Health Ministry announced on Saturday.
Some 118 more Iranians have died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) over the past 24 hours bringing the total deaths to 128,852, Iran's Health Ministry said on Saturday.
3,539 new cases of infection with the COVID-19 were found over the past 24 hours, 616 of whom were hospitalized, it said.
The Iranian Health Ministry noted that 5,771,363 patients out of a total of 6,073,098 infected people have recovered or been discharged from hospitals.
Some 3,416 COVID-19 patients are in critical condition and in intensive care units, it added.
The Health Ministry also announced that 56,473,162 Iranians have received the first dose of the Coronavirus vaccine and 44,294,652 people have so far received the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Moreover, 724,721 people have also received the third shot as the booster dose.


Jennings 3-Piece Living Room Collection Top-grain leather. Includes sofa, loveseat and chair. $2,499.99 Delivered Valid 5/01/09–5/31/09 #11468107 Costco.com only.
Carlsen 2-Piece Power Reclining Set Micro ber. Reclining sofa and wall-hugger recliner. $1,899.99 Delivered Valid 5/01/09–5/31/09 #11466394 Costco.com only.
Featuring patented human touch® massage system. Bonded leather.


Personally, I really like the look of the Ferryman.
Will go for The Ancient Mariner here. Many great details! Also like Bastion and the Undead Crimean Soldier very much.
Ferryman looks cool and quite like the Anubis characters as I always liked the Powerslave theme. The Clairvoyant looks great after her spruce up and Alchy has always looked pretty cool too.
I like Charlotte's design. Honorable mention to Icarus, Warrior Banshee, Sirius and Clairvoyant.
For me it's the Elf of the Damned or the Snowmen.


text:
The League is Watching
Chapter 3 - Shikadi
The first thought that broke Billy's unconscious state was the sharp tension burning in his shoulder. Hissing against the pain, he gingerly walked fingers over his offending left appendage and felt the tell-tale misplacement. Great, so the corporate tool had dislocated his shoulder – third time running.
Can't he wait until I have health insurance that actually covers anything? he thought dizzily. Does he have any idea how hard it is to get insurance when you keep being thrown against brick walls? And ow. Ow.
Weakly, Billy pressed his right palm against a cold forbidding surface and propped himself up against the wall – which was equally as cold and hard. The darkness thing got a little old so, finally, he was brave enough to open his eyes.
Iron bars, smirking thickset man in a flabby uniform, Spartan decoration scheme...a very unfortunate conclusion. For some reason, this struck Doctor Horrible as strange. Unthinkable. You never heard about Bad Horse being hobbled in a stable, after all. Or Fake Thomas Jefferson padded up in an asylum. That would be just...weird.
"Do I get a phone call?" he gritted while attempting to snap his shoulder back into place.
The guard glanced back over at him, dropping a yawn into his hand. "You have a lawyer?"
"Well no. Villains don't need lawyers. And besides, what lawyer do you know who isn't applying to the Henchmen Union anyway?"
"You're got a point there," the guard conceded. "Alright. Do you have any friends to call?"
Dr Horrible straightened his back against the wall and immediately wished it hadn't. He winced. "They're not friends. They're henchmen. Totally...different."
"Isn't that a bit..."
"Superior? Evil?"
"More like really lonely. You're like a hermit with an evil complex. You need help. You ever considered seeing someone? Because you need to."
"Right. Well this has been fun. Could you get me a doctor? Captain Hammer dislocated my shoulder. Again."
"Again?" The guard lifted an eyebrow. "You a glutton for punishment or something?"
Billy crossed his arms and scowled. "I...just want...social change."
A dime skipped and jumped its way across the floor. For a moment, Bill contemplated it before focusing back on his tormentor. The guard now had his back to him, sorting through paperwork and what looked like sudoku puzzle books. It took two minutes for the guard to explain in a mutter, "That's all the change I got. Keep it."
Billy waited a while before slamming his shoulder into the concrete wall. He preferred to think that he grunted in a tough manly fashion, although his ears rang with a high-pitched protest that may or may not have resembled the call of a disembowelled hyena. A crunch, some writhing and a thick pop later, he was lying back on the floor where he started. But it felt good. Good in a way that would have been entirely improved by morphine.
"You think you can handle a visitor?" the guard queried from his post. "Or are you still auditioning for the opera?"
Penny? You shouldn't be here. Please be here. Please don't...
His girlfriend entered the room. This should have been worrying, but a delirious happiness flooded Billy. He jumped to his feet, preparing to spill it all – from the midnight meat hamburger runs to the slight matter of a certain botched heist –
"Thank you, officer." Her voice sounded stuffy and flat. "I just wanted to see the person who ruined the opening."
Knots formed themselves all the way down Billy's throat straight to his intestines. Reflexively petting his still twinging shoulder, he opened his mouth. A strangled noise emerged. He tried again. In the distance, he could hear hyenas.
"I have nothing to say to you," Penny snapped at him, stripy shadows crossing her face.
Doctor Horrible paced towards her. "And yet here you are. Using a redundant sentence, by the way. For the record, I didn't ruin anything. It was Captain Hammer who did the ruining. Did you listen to that speech? And they get free soup. Great. That's helpful. I'd like to see him serving up slop in a soup kitchen."
She took a step back, shaking her head. Hair fell across her face. Her lips moved, cut in half by one of the bars. Billy tilted his head to one side and frowned. What...? Moving barely half an inch to one side, Penny mouthed words slowly and deliberately at him.
Stay. Away. From. The. Wall.
Glancing at the wall behind him, and seeing some suspicious brown stains around the toilet, Billy shrugged. Okay.
STAY. AWAY. WALL.
He figured she was using capital letters now. The wide and frantic movements of her lips brought her the closest to shouting without actually making a sound. Kind of like when you're in a chat room and no one will voice call you because your profile picture is too sexual-predator-creepy or something, so you have to use capital letters to shout obscenities. Not that this was a familiar experience. In the last twenty-four months, anyway. And he had shaved the moustache.
Penny click-clacked out of view. He watched her go, nibbling on the tip of one of the glove fingers. After he tasted grit, this habit was quickly discarded. Or rather, he ripped off the glove and started in on his nails. Then his hand got really cold he resumed his comfort gnawing on the glove.
Stay away from the wall? He'd been trying to stay away from walls ever since Captain Hammer had decided he should get up close and personal with them. Do or do not – because trying is for losers. And good guys. Because the result is what matters, not how you get there. Clearly.
Billy cast his eyes around the cell.
Most of the time, anyway...
Dim moonlight snuck in from somewhere. Blinded, Dr Horrible attempted to pull his goggles over his eyes, except lying unconscious on one's face had turned the surrounding hair into sticky tentacles that refused to release his goggles – without undue pain in his hair follicles. Quite simply, it meant tearing out hair, and he didn't exactly want to be seen moulting.
He watched the wall. The wall watched him.
The concrete creaked out a laugh.
He threw a boot across the cell and regretted it.
Mostly because it bounced back and hit his shoulder. But shoes shouldn't do that. Boomerangs did that, not boots. Although...there was rubber on the soles, but that was no reason for the shoes to ignore the laws of any realism and bounce back an entire distance of five metres. Unless the Earth's gravitational field had disappeared over night and everyone outside the police station had been seconded off to the moon to begin a life of mining and...floral possibilities...this could not happen.
Billy threw his boot again. It wedged itself where the wall meet the floor.
"Well that's helpful," he muttered.
The boot had betrayed him for the LAST TIME –
It flew violently back at him. Along with chunks of concrete, glass and metal, accompanied by a whining discharged pop. He ducked belatedly. Any speech he had planned for his traitorous boot disappeared in a cloud of dust.
"Still in one piece, Horrible?" a voice demanded from somewhere overhead. "Come on. Someone's bound to notice the big hole in the side of the police station, even if you haven't."
Five sharp talons dug into the soft flesh behind his elbow of his bad arm and yanked him up. Billy gnawed into his lip to keep from making embarrassing noises. A few might have escaped his mouth.
"I need to put my boot back on..." he protested.
Diamantes twinkled at him through the haze. "Were you that desperate to get at a sock? Don't you know they have toys for that? Leave the boot. On second thought, leave the sock as well. I am not touching that."
"...Conflict Diamond?"
"Eh, you didn't press the buzzer. No points for you. Now stop thinking and start squealing."
Conflict Diamond pulled him over the edge of the building. Foot and hand-holds were burnt into the bricks, allowing a quick easy climb down to the alley below. This was was a crazy happenstance – helpful, but mostly crazy. The bricks became slippery at the bottom, that possibly could have resulted in an undignified fall to the ground and then being saved by the quick hands of Moist. That would have been entirely unwanted physical contact. If it had happened, that is. Which it did not, because it didn't end up on YouTube.
"Moist!" He may have sounded hysterical. "My evil moisture buddy!"
"Did they give him morphine or something?" Moist asked Conflict Diamond.
The not-henchman, not-villain dragged her long nails on the bricks. "He'd be seeing the little green fairy by now. Instead I ended up rescuing the One-Shoed Bandit."
Moist looked concerned. "You lost a boot? That's bad, isn't it? Can't they use that to find what size shoe you are? And then go around putting the boot on until it fits?"
"I'm not Cinderella, Moist," Billy said irritably. "And besides, in a city this large, what's the chance of no one else having the same shoe size?"
"Your foot is kind of small," Moist said dubiously.
Conflict Diamond stuck two fingers into her mouth and blew hard. An excruciating whistle later, a solid vehicle shot into the alley. It was bulky, yet stream-lined, and the windows were so dark you could study the stars off the reflections. The purple bodywork – and matching neon light stripes – could only mean one thing.
The Purple Pimp stuck his head out the window and gestured. Shouts of alarm overhead were just the right incentive to get into a car with a weird looking guy wearing a hat. Billy found himself flattened up against the door on the other side, with someone in his lap. Someone who smelled very nice if he just stuck his nose into her neck...
"Penny, how did...the wall...you..wha?"
"You should let your woman plan your heists, Dr H," the Pimp suggested.
Conflict Diamond leaped into the middle of the back seat, followed by what appeared to be Pink Pummeller wearing flip-flops. Moist turned around from the front. "You okay, Doc?"
"What – of course I'll be okay," he said. "Once this...excuse for a getaway car is moving. This does move, doesn't it?"
Conflict Diamond slapped his knee. "Leave the witticisms for me, Horrible. They look bad on your lips."
Once the last limb was tucked inside, the Pimp Mobile lurched off down the alley, leaving stomachs, kidneys and other assorted organs back by the police station wall. Or would have, if the vehicle's shell wasn't reinforced with some mysterious element that was known by some theorists and largely unknown by anyone with something better to do with their life than ponder the structure of cars owned by has-been villains.
Billy preferred to leave it in the realm of "mysterious" and "unknown".
Other things, not so much.
"Penny, you...are you alright?" he demanded. "You might be a little mad, but it'd be better if you were mad instead of hurt and mad, because then that..that would really suck balls."
Kisses are a useful tool – conveying one's love, bartering physical contact for some of grandma's money and...of course...shutting up babbling evil scientists. This was of no particular concern to Doctor Horrible, mainly because he was fairly certain it was the first use, since he had clearly finished his stream of consciousness before his girlfriend kissed him.
Verbally, anyway.
"Are you alright?" Penny asked. "When he threw you against the wall, it sounded really bad. I wanted to go check on you, but I didn't want to, you know, compromise your identity."
Moist cleared his throat. "What she means, Doc, is that she was trying to get us out the back door."
This was news to Billy. "There was a back door?"
Purple Pimp snickered, before flinging the steering wheel wide to the right. The car followed immediately. The passengers – a little after that. Slightly painful, made even worse by the fact that a certain left shoulder went careening against the side of the car hard enough to pop it out and right back in.
"Did you guys hear a hyena?" Moist voiced from the front.
"Was there a reason you tried to redecorate the back seat with our brain matter?" Conflict Diamond growled, leaning forward to pinch the Pimp's ear.
"I shouldn't have paid my rent for next month, I'm going to die..." Pink Pummeller mumbled.
Purple Pimp pointed out the flashing blue and red lights behind them. "The pigs are on us. And get your claws out of my ear, Conflict, it's new you know!"
She let go very quickly. The sirens increased in volume while the traffic light up ahead began to change. The Pimp Mobile began hopping forward, groaning, coughing and possibly swearing. It lumbered through the intersection.
"That looked a lot like a red light," Billy pointed out.
"Still green!" Pink Pummeller said.
"Amber – and shut the hell up!" Pimp shouted back. "What does it matter if we break another damn law? You know how many I've broken just tonight? I had to double park to pick up some of your homies and then I had to cross an unbroken line right in front of the police station. SO DON'T TALK TO ME ABOUT RUNNING A RED LIGHT."
Moist held up a hand. "You said it was amber."
Doctor Horrible rolled his eyes and looked sideways to Conflict Diamond for support. She was looking at Penny instead. "You can't get any decent lackeys these days, can you?"
"I don't know, they seem okay to me," Penny said, smiling.
A police car screamed in front of them. Purple Pimp swore and sent the car leaping off down a side street. He demanded, "Conflict, you packing anything?"
"Depends. Do I get to keep one of your ears?"
"Can you help us?" Penny entreated.
Conflict Diamond sighed. "Only coz you asked nicely. And you're cute in that top."
She elbowed her way into Pink Pummeller's lap, extracting a squeak of indignation and ignoring any ensuing protests. The bullet-proof glass slid down for her. Conflict Diamond stuck a hand out the window and squinted. She bit her lip. She wriggled. Pink P tried very hard to sink into the seat and into obscurity. Results were varied.
Precious moments passed – and then Conflict Diamond laughed into the wind. Thin lines of crimson laser shot out from her extended fingers, slashing the tyres of a pursuing police car. It spun out and blocked the path of another car, but still one more escaped, swerving all over the road behind them. Conflict Diamond hissed, "These Shikadi are toast!"
Pink Pummeller stared up at her. Okay, so he got stuck on the cleavage for a moment. Then he was staring at her face. He asked, not quite believing, "You play Commander Keen?"
"Who doesn't?!" she bellowed, stabbing her hand through the air outside.
Squirming up against the seat, he managed breathlessly, "Have you ever finished The Armageddon Machine?"
"Yeah. Piss easy. Move out of my way!"
Pink Pummeller slipped down the seat so fast he almost ended up limbo dancing under the seat in front. Limbo dancing brought to mind a night not three years ago involving tequila, a pink fluffy teddy bear and...something about an alien spaceship. He blinked up at the woman kneeling on him as she lasered the entire road, bursting water mains and searing through street lights.
He gulped. "So I was wondering..."
"I prefer women," Conflict Diamond told him, and kneed down hard between his thighs.
Pink Pummeller barely shifted precious parts of himself out of the way.
"Oh," he said.
The last cop car's bonnet exploded into white sparks. Conflict Diamond nodded, then turned back to her more geographically convenient victim. "Pink P, you lure the space bombs onto the generator. That's how you finish the last level of The Armageddon Machine."
With that, she wrenched open the door and whizzed onto the pavement. The door slammed shut behind her.
"Is that safe?" Doctor Horrible said into the confused silence.
"No, but she told me she's had a lot of practice," Penny answered lightly.
Pink Pummeller's eyes were glued to the rear window, and this was not a problem which he wished to rectify. He breathed, "I hope my grandmother likes her."
Purple Pimp cleared his throat. "A little zip-it!"
"Are we interrupting your zen?" That was Moist.
"No. I can't hear the police scanner over this racket. So zip-it!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Twenty minutes later, after dispatching Pink Pummeller off to his flat, the Pimp Mobile rolled up to Billy and Moist's apartment block. The sirens sounded comfortably distant, although the red light over the pawn broker thirty metres down the road caused some momentary panic for at least two members of the getaway party. Never mind that those two happened to live on that street.
Shaking out his shoulder, Billy tried hard not to look at his girlfriend. He didn't think she was mad. If she was really mad, she'd have left him in jail, which would be less-than-awesome. Extremely un-awesome, in fact.
Moist made to slide out of the car, but Purple Pimp grabbed his arm and jerked a thumb over at the two other passengers, now standing on the pavement. Moist dutifully sank back into the seat.
"Billy, I wish you had told me," was Penny's first pronouncement, standing in a mixture shadows and a convenient shade of red light across her eyes. That kind of thing only happened in bad horror movies, especially the sinfully re-watchable kind starring Alec Baldwin.
Billy stuck his hands into his pants pockets. An uncomfortable rip somewhere down below reminded him of his torn pants, something he had forgotten about in all the excitement of taking a room of media representatives hostage, having one's own ass handed to them by a common household tool and then losing a boot. That last one really smarted.
He kept his eyes down. "I just wanted to get it right...and I can't even do that!"
"It looked right to me...up to the point where the Freeze Ray died."
She didn't seem mad. That was good.
"It needs work," Billy said glumly.
Penny quickly squeezed her arms around him and kissed his cheek. Drawing back, she fixed her smile on him. "Can I help you get it working?"
"Penny, I...I..."
"Look, I know why you lied to me. Again." She shook her head. "So this is going to stop. I'm yours if you want me. Hench-woman, soundboard, girlfriend and maybe...maybe something more one day."
Billy kissed her because, you know, it was the right response and nothing to do with lacking a sufficient answer that comprised of words that actually existed in an English dictionary. Penny's lip gloss smelled really good. Kind of like boysenberry, but without the bitterness. He only stopped kissing her when Purple Pimp made an extremely inappropriate suggestion.
Billy wasn't quite letting go of Penny just yet. He held her at arm's length and promised right to her, "I won't ever not tell you something about my evil plans ever again."
"Great!" Penny grinned. "I'm going to let you get some sleep first, though."
"By myself?"
"Yes, by yourself. But tomorrow, you can come by my place. I have some ideas for your application to the ELE."
Glancing over at the Pimp Mobile, and suffering a mild coughing attack, Billy asked hopelessly, "You think they'll take me even after this?"
"Everything happens, Billy. And, together, we're going to make sure it happens."
Purple Pimp tapped the side of his car impatiently. He didn't need to tell Moist to get moving, but didn't seem particularly fazed when Penny sat back in the car and asked for a ride home.
Moist and Billy stood in the red-tinged shadows for a moment.
"I should get her a present," Billy muttered.
"What did you have in mind, Doc?"
Sixteen hours later, a washing machine accompanied by a wannabe villain were sitting in Penny's kitchenette. Penny bit her lip and didn't say a word.
"You don't like it?" Billy clenched his fingers to stop them from shaking. "I just thought – you said doing laundry was one of your favourite things...and it's one of my favourite things, so why-why not bring the washer to you?"
At last, she offered a tiny smile and explained, "I like going to the laundromat with you Billy. That's what makes it fun. And besides, if everyone owned a washing machine, do you know how bad that would be for the environment? It's better if a lot of people use just a few."
That...went differently in his head.
Two hours after this, Doctor Horrible and a henchman were attempting to wheel a washing machine up a flight of stairs in a dark building. The elevator may have been easier for all concerned, but it wasn't exactly discreet.
"That's a bummer," Moist said when he heard the explanation. "But bringing it here? I don't get that."
Billy stopped to adjust his goggles, and noticed the running shoes on his feet. He had yet to find another pair of boots, so he was pretty much stuck with those. And they had bright green laces, which added further insult to injury. At the thought, he rotated his left arm in its socket just to make sure. Penny had suggested he get it checked out, but Billy had plans for a Healing Ray that he probably shouldn't test on anyone but a mutated rabbit.
The machine slipped down a step. Moist muttered his apologies and then added what sounded like his new catchphrase, the one that went "slip slop slide" or something. They resumed their long trek up the stairs, although they soon reached the level they wanted.
"What was with that catchphrase anyways?" Dr Horrible asked him.
Moist's shoulders slumped. "A skin cancer awareness campaign in Australia."
"Really? You didn't think anyone would notice?"
"You didn't."
"Australia..." Billy mused. "I was going to give that to Penny when – never mind."
"Nice beach front property."
"Think so?"
It took far longer than was necessary to install the washing machine into the rather empty laundry room buried within the headquarters of the Evil League of Evil. That might have had something to do with the power socket being behind the door – which was just useless, but somehow just the right kind of diabolical.
Then again, a laundry room without any appliances was diabolical itself.
"You really think Bad Horse needs a washer?" Moist asked.
Billy didn't have an answer for that one. He flipped the on-switch. Nothing happened. He flicked it backwards and forwards a few times. Great, just great. Not that he had a real reason for bringing a washing machine to the Evil League of Evil, considering that he'd probably never get in now.
The lights dimmed, then exploded. There were several loud bangs from down the hall.
They exchanged glances, then hurried outside. What looked like a thick line of balls of smoke streamed out of a room not two doors down. Villain and henchman spent a minute or so having a panicked discussion with their eyes, before Doctor Horrible peered into the hazy gap of the double-doorway.
On first inspection, it looked like any normal evil conference room, except with a layer of gritty smoke lurking near the ceiling. Once his eyes adjusted, Billy noticed a good deal of ash. In fact, there was a pile of ash for every seat, and even a larger pile on the floor at the end of the table.
His mouth felt very dry. "Moist, did I just – "
" – wipe out the entire Evil League of Evil?" Moist finished. "Yeah."
"Huh," said Dr Horrible.
"Was this some diabolical plan you had or did it just kind of happen?"
Choosing not to answer that, Dr Horrible kicked the pile of ash on the floor – presumably it was the remains of Bad Horse – and stood there, gazing down the table at his friend...ahem...henchman.
The silence didn't have much awe to it, so the lone villain at the League's table decided to change that. Elongating each syllable, he announced, "Doctor Horrible is here."
Moist gulped. "Dude, that is totally badass."


It doesn't get much more literati than Vidal, who also once described Vonnegut as the "the worst writer in America". But Vidal enjoyed saying mean things about almost everyone; and Vonnegut and he had (highly amusing) form when it came to making fun of each other.
But some jibes are harder to ignore. Vonnegut complained that critics "wanted me squashed like a bug". When he died, the Times Literary Supplement compiled a list of "recent judgments" that had been made against his "lugubrious and wearing" prose within their august pages. It wasn't all that long, but the collected adjectives (like William Boyd's coy, arch, winsome and cute) were stinging. Just as sharp was the accusation that Slaughterhouse-Five validates the work of the Holocaust denier David Irving, with Vonnegut quoting his figures about the Dresden death toll (which in turn seem to have come from Goebbels).
Herring presumably knows how it feels when funny material isn't taken seriously. I wouldn't want to argue the point too vigorously. The ease with which people still dismiss PG Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett says a lot about humour and readability.
But the sci-fi question is trickier. The idea that people still think it is a lesser genre seems absurd; anyone who makes such a claim needs to be confronted with the last decade of Arthur C Clarke award nominees, Joe Haldeman's searing The Forever War, or any of the magnificent and challenging works of Ursula K Le Guin. Not to mention, you know, Slaughterhouse-Five.
After that improving course of genre fiction, and because this strawman I'm fighting has now got me so annoyed, I'd also force such sceptics to read books by Ben Okri and Keri Hulme, to show that literary fiction is as capable of ridiculous excess as science fiction.
It sounds almost as if Vonnegut might have agreed with Herring. That said, it is worth noting that Vonnegut wrote the essay in 1965. Things were different then, weren't they?
• Slaughterhouse-Five: 50th anniversary edition is published on 28 March.


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MIL-OSI New Zealand: Extreme heat making business and investors sweat
Source: University of Otago
Wednesday 6 November 2019 9:43am
Extremely hot weather leads to declines in market value of shares on the stock market, according to a new international study.
The research involved researchers from Victoria University of Wellington, the University of Otago and the University of California, Davis."The study quantifies the impact of extreme heat events on corporate market values in public companies in the United States but has lessons for New Zealand," say Associate Professor Lubberink from Victoria University of Wellington's School of Accounting and Commercial Law.
Professor David Lont
Associate Professor Lubberink teamed up with Professor David Lont from the University of Otago Business School and Professor Paul Griffin from the University of California, Davis.Professor Lont says the research suggests equity markets are recognising weather-related climate risks but are underestimating their financial impact.The researchers used National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data on thousands of heat events – from what is considered "extreme" by local standards to weather disasters with a cost in excess of $US 1 billion – between 2003 and 2017. Then, by layering the timing and geography of these events with the main location of public companies' operations, they were able to measure the equity markets' response.The researchers found equity markets experienced a 0.42 percent loss in the first 20 days of a heat wave, and more if it continued. Investor losses grew to 1.38 percent for more severe weather events and smaller firms were more vulnerable.The most exposed firms lost 1 to 2 percent of their market value.The researchers found a more negative response from investors in the most recent years of the study, as extreme weather events and climate change gained more media attention. "That suggests investors are increasingly incorporating an assessment of weather-related climate risk in pricing future equity returns, but that risk is still underpriced," Professor Lont says."All things being equal, the risk to the industry from extreme weather events would be understood and priced accordingly but the drop in value after an event shows that is not the case. The investors are the likes of pension funds and insurance companies, so it's pretty important that they understand the risk profile of the companies they are investing in."
Associate Professor Lubberink says the research is particularly relevant to any companies exposed to extreme hot weather, such as wineries, agricultural businesses and power generators that rely on hydro-electric sources.
"Barring more drastic action to curb and disclose corporate emissions," Professor Griffin says, "if asset prices continue to underprice extreme weather climate risk, this could have devastating future market consequences."The study, to be published in the December issue of Weather and Climate Extremes and available online now, is one of the first to examine and quantify the impact of extreme heat events on corporate market values.The study also shows that this type of climate risk is local. Smaller firms were more vulnerable to losses from events in their region than were the big firms with operations in different localities."The study has implications for New Zealand and Australian firms and fund managers who need to manage this risk. However, the NZ Superfund, for example, does not disclose and quantify this specific risk in their latest annual report," Associate Professor Lubberink says.Professor Lont, a member of Ngāi Tahu, says the iwi's climate change strategy briefly acknowledges some tribal areas will be impacted by extreme heat impacts. For example, Aoraki is projected to have 80 more hot days by the end of the century under the worst case scenario. "Our study provides a timely reminder that these risks need to be better disclosed, quantified and managed by boards of directors and investors," Professor Lont concludes.
Read the study online in Weather and Climate Extremes
Professor David LontDepartment of Accountancy & FinanceUniversity of OtagoEmail david.lont@otago.ac.nz
Mark HathawaySenior Communications AdviserCommunications OfficeUniversity of OtagoMob +64 21 279 5016Email mark.hathaway@otago.ac.nz
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'Pinkalicious' paints the town pink for children's theatre
Nellie Zucker
The Florida State University School of Theatre has had an impressive, dramatic lineup for its 2018-2019 season thus far. With several being intended for the more mature audience, its current show, "Pinkalicious: The Musical," provides some quality viewing for younger eyes.
In a very pink production, the musical tells the story of Pinkalicious Pinkerton and the trouble that ensues when she eats one too many pink cupcakes and suddenly wakes up with a case of Pinkititis. Throughout the show Pinkalicious experiences the highs and lows of being turned completely pink and faces the facts of the one thing that will cure her: eating things that are green.
Based on a children's series of the same name by Victoria Kann, the entire performance feels like a storybook come to life. From the stage design to the costuming of the characters Pinkalicious meets along the way, there is a whimsical, dreamlike element to watching this lighthearted musical.
While it may have been a little difficult for older audiences to relate to, it certainly was the perfect show for introducing young children to the arts. Kids absolutely swooned over this performance with its humorous banter, audience interaction, delightful imagery and the kind of characters they were sure to see themselves in.
While being entertaining, the show also works to deliver the message of eating vegetables, being kind to friends, doing things that make you happy and that pink is a color for anyone.
"My whole closet has been pink forever and my whole room is pink and everyone has asked me, 'Did you get that for the show?' And I'm like, 'Absolutely not. I own that,'" said Hannah Trowell, playing the role of Pinkalicious Pinkerton herself.
Trowell feels like she connects with her character and couldn't wait to share it with others.
"When they announced the show last semester, I wanted to be Pinkalicious so bad because it's me as a child and a 21-year-old. I've never done a show where I have to actually interact and respond to them so that's going to be cool," Trowell said. "I love the story and I love kids so I'm excited to perform for them and bring joy and hopefully sparkles and pink to all the little kids and the adults."
Several of the performances were even blocked off for children to be bused in to enjoy the show on a field trip. With three performances a day for two days, just for local schoolchildren to attend the musical, the Fallon Theatre was full of kids seeing pink.
"Performing for kids is a bit different than performing for general audiences," said Billy MacManus, playing Pinkalicious' father, Mr. Pinkerton. "When you perform for [children] the actions are a lot bigger and there's more bits if it's funny, whereas for mature audiences it's more subtle versus. For kid's it's less subtle so they can laugh about and understand it as young as they are."
The children were no doubt amazed at the colorful and lively world the School of Theatre was able to create. The production of this show, though not necessarily targeted at the college-age audience, provides a nice genre diversity in the theatrical season that will continue wow audiences well into the new year.


We filmed our air adventures with Sony Action Cam X3000 and Sony RX10M3. The Action Cam proved steadfast again, being attached to the wing of a Cessna Skyhawk. It was removed upon landing in Malacca and reattached again before take-off. Not once did we have doubts about its integrity.
Our RX10M3 was a blessing to have in the sky. Inside a Cessna 172, the compact body of the RX10M3 could be wielded around easily for aviation shots, despite the plane being full with passengers.
The fact that the RX10M3 has a Zeiss zoom lens with a focal length of up to 600mm gave us the option to capture close-up shots of our planes in the distance. The two cameras are the perfect team to have when you have to travel light and move fast.


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