text:
WonderCon 2014 – Press "Showrunners: A Documentary Film" Interview
Let's flash back to San Diego Comic Con, July 2013. The folks behind the Kickstarter project for Showrunners: A Documentary Film are throwing a party for their backers, of which I am proudly one. I'm an early bird to the venue, but I'm allowed in just as the clock strikes opening time, and I start mingling with various people in the room. Within minutes I spot the man I'd been hoping to see: Des Doyle. He's a soft-spoken, affable gent, with a lilting Irish brogue and a quick smile on his lips. Making my way over to the bar where he's stationed, we chat for some time about the project (at the time, they were still filming interviews and footage, and acquiring clearances) but not wanting to monopolize all his time, I excuse myself to mingle with others as the room started to fill. I manage to grab a few minutes with one of Doyle's partners in crime, Ryan Patrick McGuffey, who is equally as amiable and also enthusiastic about the movie, the convention and the opportunity to meet up with backers that night. As the event carries on, I meet many interesting people who are invested — personally and financially – in the film, thereby reaffirming my smart decision in backing it.
Now fast forward to Anaheim WonderCon, April 2014. Offered a chance to formally interview Des prior to their panel, I jump at the chance. I'm typically not presumptuous in expecting people to remember me, especially since SDCC is an endless stream of meet-and-greets, name exchanges, promise making and overall introduction overload. Imagine my honest delight when Des immediately says he remembers me from our chat at the party that hot July night. Ryan, who is briefly at the table before the interview starts, agrees that he, too, had a fun time mixing at the event. I'm not putting this here for lack of humility; I'm putting this here because these gentlemen are consummate professionals. Not only have they given most of their time (and possible sanity) over to this film for the past few years – a piece of passion they are not paid to make, by the way — but they've worked with most of television's A List creators in the process. For them to be able to peg a backer they spoke briefly with at a party over 9 months ago is nothing if not proof that no little detail gets by, and that everyone they encounter on the road to making this documentary has value to them.
Susie M: Let's be honest, are you sick of this whole thing yet? You've done so many interviews (like this) and have done so much PR over the last year; did you ever think it would take this long?
Des Doyle: [sighs] No… No. I've met a lot of feature doc filmmakers over the years and they've told me that 3-4 years now is about the average. You hit speed bumps along the way in terms of funding, logistics and other problems. There were two big problems – why it took so long to finish. First, there was the editing process. We were in a really great position, but it's also a really difficult one, in that we had an abundance of good material and 34 contributors, so trying to make that work in 90 minutes is a challenge; making sure everybody gets enough of a say and that you're covering the bases that you want to cover. Unfortunately, some people haven't made the final cut, but those interviews will be seen, they'll be available on the Blu-Ray, the DVD, online or in whatever format down the line. But the other issue that was very challenging for us was getting clearances. Because if you're dealing with 22-23 people, that's 22-23 TV shows, 22-23 casts of TV shows, etc. so we ended up dealing with every studio, every agent, every publicity company, photography company — the entire gamut of Hollywood — over the last year, and as a low budget documentary that is a challenging thing to do. But amazingly, people were incredibly helpful and supportive with us on doing that so, yeah, I'm kind of relieved it's done, but more importantly I'm relieved it's good. We've shown it to a number of the showrunners, and the folks at TV Guide have seen it, and the feedback is fantastic. We did a little test screening in Dublin, Ireland, a little while ago and again the feedback was fantastic, so that's the most important thing at the end of the day and hopefully it's a good film.
SM: That's a long labor process!
DD: Yeah, it is! And there are moments when we've all gotten a little tired since it's basically only 3 or 4 of us trying to do everything, and nobody's getting paid for it, so it's definitely a labor of love. But you do take a certain degree of pride and relief in it. I got an email from Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory) who said, "This is the film that I'll show to people to explain to them what I do" and that's awesome! I hope all the fans will like it.
SM: What gave you the idea to do it in the first place? It's kind of a crazy endeavor to take on!
DD: [laughs] Yeah, if I could go back and talk to myself 4 years ago I might hesitate slightly! But, yes, it was my idea. I did it because I was waiting around for somebody else to do it. I was obsessed with American TV; I read everything I could about it, and I watched everything I could about it. I've always been interested in what goes on behind the scenes, what goes into the writing of a show, because those are the people with the real power and control. I think especially from 2003-2004 on, with the arrival of Lost, there was a real boom in social media, and everybody was doing podcasts, and there seemed to be such a huge upsurge in interest. The word "showrunner" was being bandied around a lot; every kind of report in relation to a TV show was using the word, and associating the person involved with it. I just found it fascinating, because as a job it's insane. I think sometimes the people themselves doing it don't realize what they've let themselves in for, when they walk into that for the first time: For a number of people we spoke to, this was their first time doing it and they really did find it overwhelming. I think people will find it very interesting, especially people who might be aspiring TV writers or looking to do this as a career, they'll find some of the stories very interesting.
SM: No doubt. Bottom line, here: What do you want or expect to get out of this? What's your end-game in making this documentary?
DD: We say it's a film made by fans for fans, and it really is. I wanted to show people how hard people worked to make the shows that entertain them. Online message boards and social media can be very vicious places, sometimes; if you have a situation like Damon [Lindelof, showrunner for Lost] who was driven off Twitter. I think if people actually understood what goes into the job and the challenges those people face, they'd see that not everything is their fault. Hopefully the film will help to eliminate that a little more and people might cut them a little more slack. [laughs]
SM: If you could change anything about the process, would you? And if so, what would it be?
DD: In terms of making it? Well, when I came over, nobody really knew who I was. I'm from Dublin, Ireland; I have no track record here so just trying to get to people was incredibly difficult for the first couple months we were here. By the time we finished, that situation had changed entirely in that everyone was trying to contact us wanting to be in the film. Which is fantastic, but by that point it's very difficult since you've shot so many people and the schedules are very difficult to make work. So, I guess what I would change is that I would make the approaches we made a little differently than we did at the start. But it's almost impossible, since it's a thing you learn; what's the best way to approach these people? What's the best way to make the schedules work? It's really only something you can find out by doing it. So, that question is a hard one, actually! [laughs]
SM: That makes sense. After all, if anything had changed, then you wouldn't have this film that you have now.
DD: Exactly. And there are some happy accidents in there, as well, that have benefited the film. But yes, if we do something else we'll approach it in a slightly different manner.
SM: And now you have the street cred, thanks to this film!
DD: [laughs] Yeah! We're in a nice position where people are coming up and asking what we want to do next, so that's not a bad position to be in either.
SM: Any final comments or thoughts you want to share with our readers?
DD: At this point, I'm just very anxious for people to see it. You know we want to get it out into the word and we appreciate that people have been waiting a long time to see it. But it's important for us that the release be as broad as it can be; we want as many people to see it in as many different places as possible and that's taking some time to put together the way we want it to. So, if people can bear with us just a tiny bit longer, hopefully it'll be worth it.
(NB: If what I've seen so far is any indication, then yes, Des, it'll be very worth it!!)
In case you haven't figured it out yet, the documentary features interviews with JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost), Matthew Carnahan (House of Lies), Steven S. DeKnight (Spartacus: War of the Damned), Chris Downey (Leverage), Jane Espenson (Once Upon A Time, Husbands), Hart Hanson (Bones), Mike Kelley (Revenge), Robert and Michelle King (The Good Wife), Ali LeRoi (Everybody Hates Chris), Damon Lindelof (Lost), Ronald D. Moore (Battlestar Galactica), Jeff Melvoin (Army Wives), Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest), Jeff Pinkner (Fringe), Greg Plageman (Person of Interest), Bill Prady (The Big Bang Theory), John Rogers (Leverage), Mike Royce (Men of a Certain Age, Enlisted), Shawn Ryan (The Shield), Kurt Sutter (Sons of Anarchy), Janet Tamaro (Rizzoli & Isles), Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly), Terence Winter (Boardwalk Empire), J.H. Wyman (Fringe, Almost Human) and many others.
"Showrunners" is a Black Sheep Productions / Romark Films / Junto Entertainment production with the participation of the Irish Film Board/Bord Scannán na hÉireann and support from Kickstarter. Written and Directed by Des Doyle, Producers: John Wallace and Rock Shaink, Co-Producer: Ryan Patrick McGuffey, Editor: John Murphy, and Executive Producers: Jimmy Nguyen, Jason Rose, and Christof Bove. Submarine Entertainment represents the film for US distribution and worldwide sales rights.
Many thanks to Des, Ryan and the rest of the folks behind the film, and to M4PR who gave us this fabulous opportunity.
Categories:	Interviews	/ No Responses / by Susie M
Post Author: Susie M
I write about things I watch. And sometimes talk to cool people and then write abut that, too. Also, I love movies and TV. Genre stuff, actually.
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text:
MP: Owning cars is outdated (You'll own nothing and be happy)
Owning a car is outdated '20th-century thinking' and we must move to 'shared mobility' to cut carbon emissions, transport minister says
Owning a car is outdated '20th-century thinking', junior transport minister says
Trudy Harrison, 45, said the UK should move to 'shared mobility' to cut emissions
Almost 80 per cent of UK households own at least one car, latest figures showed
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10298487/Owning-car-outdated-20th-century-thinking-transport-minister-Trudy-Harrison-says.html
Trudy Harrison was just given this script to read for a perk. She has no idea what she's talking about.
They are telling you where we're going. There's no conspiracy.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Seaside Ideas For Bathrooms Bathroom Ideas is a part of 25 Top And Wonderful Coastal Bathroom Ideas For More Comfort pictures gallery.
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text:
Coronavirus: University launches £3.4m fund to support students living in halls of residence
The University of Winchester is making available funds of £3.4 million to support its students who have returned home because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and are no longer living in their University accommodation.
Students who have gone back home to their families for the Government lockdown period will pay no rent for their accommodation from 27 March onwards until the end of their housing contract. Students who continue to stay in their University accommodation during this period will receive a 50 per cent discount.
The University is also working with the Winchester Student Union and national bodies to call on private providers to do what they can to support those students who have private accommodation contracts outside the immediate control of the University.
The University has also offered accommodation to the NHS which is still in the process of identifying its needs.
Professor Joy Carter CBE, DL, Vice-Chancellor of the University, said: "These are unprecedented times and so we have made the important decision to launch this fund in the best interests of our students, to support them during this very challenging time.
"Our students are amazing and I want to thank them and our fantastic staff for their commitment, hard work and agility in the face of the huge shock wave we all face from Covid-19. I, along with the University's senior managers and governors, have been hugely impressed with the way students and staff have rapidly adapted to a new way of learning and working, and all at the same time as dealing with the personal pressures, anxieties and complexities the lockdown has presented for us all.
"We are also continuing to work closely with Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to support them in any way we can, including providing accommodation for frontline staff."
The University is operating but currently responding to the Government lockdown, with all teaching moved online and the majority of staff who are able to do so working remotely. Only critical on-site services are open.
Other support for students includes a newly-launched coronavirus helpline, while the Student Services team continues its usual support on a variety of students matters, including academic skills, remotely.


text:
Home Education and Careers Ursuline Academy improvement projects make time for work and play
Ursuline Academy improvement projects make time for work and play
Mike Lang, Dialog Reporter
3 September 2018, 07:09
Ursuline President Trisha Medeiros (left) and Lower School principal Laura Fodge tried out the new playground before students returned.
WILMINGTON — A busy summer's worth of work at Ursuline Academy will continue into the winter, but administrators are thrilled at what awaits the Wilmington school community.
Two projects commanded most of the attention over the summer: the renovation of the former convent into a student life center and the replacement of the playground behind the lower school. The Anthony N. Fusco Student Life Center, named after the prominent Delaware businessman and philanthropist, will benefit all of the members of the school family.
Ursuline president Trisha Medeiros said the building will house new dining areas; a state-of-the-art library; collaborative learning space; rooms for art, dance and theatre; a chapel; administrative offices; and a student atrium with glass walls allowing a view of the Cool Springs Reservoir behind Ursuline.
Ursuline Academy President Trisha Medeiros tries out the new playground.
Dialog photo/Mike Lang
"It's really going to be the center of campus in a lot of ways," Medeiros said. "All children of any age will have access to the building. We've gone to great lengths to preserve the history of the building. Parts of it are over a hundred years old.
"I'm most excited about the student atrium, which will be a gathering space for our girls and small boys."
Officials had hoped originally to have the center open for the beginning of this school year, but now are looking at a January blessing and dedication. Workers from EDiS Co., which is managing the project, were busy taking advantage of the dry weather in late August getting as much work as they could done.
The school is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year, and they have scheduled several activities to mark the milestone. Inside the Student Life Center, they will have a uniform display, including those for school, gym and athletics.
"Alums are sending them in, and we're going to have a beautiful uniform collection through the years," said Debbie Hurd, the marketing manager.
Other events include a 5K, golf outing and the second induction ceremony for the Ursuline Athletics Hall of Fame.
It will all kick off with a gala event on Nov. 9 at the Dupont Country Club, which is open to current and former students, families and supporters of the academy. The night will include a meal, dancing, an auction, raffles and more.
"A lot of action. It's hard to keep track. It's been hopping, but there's been a lot of great energy," Medeiros said.
Some work, and some play.
While the Student Life Center fully resembled a construction scene in late August, the playground for the Lower School appeared ready to accept students, although the adjacent basketball court was still awaiting a surface and painting.
Laura Fodge, the Lower School principal, said the old playground was in decent shape, but it needed improvements and lacked some features the new one has. She interviewed fourth- and fifth-grade students last year to see what they wanted in a playground, and many talked about climbing and "various movement-type activities."
Along those lines, the playground features monkey bars that lead across the apparatus to a climbing wall. There are two sliding boards, and the benches are designed for climbing as well. But physical stimulation is not the only area addressed.
"We put some sensory items in there, too. It's got a little sound garden in there, it's got a rain wheel and tom-tom drums," Fodge said.
Another feature is a "buddy bench," where children can go if they are having trouble finding a companion, and an outdoor classroom will be added. Medeiros said students requested zip lines as well, but they did not make the cut.
Fodge said to mark the opening of the playground, which was scheduled for Aug. 30, students would be receiving T-shirts that said, "I play at UA."
Medeiros, in her second year as president, has kept busy during her short tenure, but enrollment is up this year and things are happening at Ursuline.
"It's an exciting year for us," she said. "We have a lot going on."
Anthony N. Fusco
Trisha Medeiros
Ursuline Academy
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text:
package client

import (
	"bytes"
	"fmt"
	"io/ioutil"
	"net/http"
	"strings"
	"testing"

	"golang.org/x/net/context"
)

func TestPluginDisableError(t *testing.T) {
	client := &Client{
		transport: newMockClient(nil, errorMock(http.StatusInternalServerError, "Server error")),
	}

	err := client.PluginDisable(context.Background(), "plugin_name")
	if err == nil || err.Error() != "Error response from daemon: Server error" {
		t.Fatalf("expected a Server Error, got %v", err)
	}
}

func TestPluginDisable(t *testing.T) {
	expectedURL := "/plugins/plugin_name/disable"

	client := &Client{
		transport: newMockClient(nil, func(req *http.Request) (*http.Response, error) {
			if !strings.HasPrefix(req.URL.Path, expectedURL) {
				return nil, fmt.Errorf("Expected URL '%s', got '%s'", expectedURL, req.URL)
			}
			if req.Method != "POST" {
				return nil, fmt.Errorf("expected POST method, got %s", req.Method)
			}
			return &http.Response{
				StatusCode: http.StatusOK,
				Body:       ioutil.NopCloser(bytes.NewReader([]byte(""))),
			}, nil
		}),
	}

	err := client.PluginDisable(context.Background(), "plugin_name")
	if err != nil {
		t.Fatal(err)
	}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Ukraine: Out of Control
The road to war is paved with dangerous delusions
by Justin Raimondo Posted on April 25, 2014 April 25, 2014
They don't make war propaganda like they used to – or maybe it has something to do with this newfangled thing they call the internet – but the latest "evidence" of Russian troops supposedly directly involved in east Ukraine turmoil was debunked almost as soon as it was made public. It turns out that a key photo touted by the US State Department and the New York Times as proof positive of Russian special forces in Ukraine was lifted off the photographer's Instagram page. Yes, folks, it's strictly amateur hour at the CIA, or whichever agency cooked up this "intelligence." The photo wasn't taken in Russia, as the Times and US officials claimed, but in Sloviansk, which fatally undermines their case that these are Russian special services.
We can chalk this one up to desperation. They had to do something to salvage their fading credibility as the Ukrainian government's "anti-terrorist" operation sputtered out as soon as it began. In a truly pathetic scene, a phalanx of crack Ukrainian "special forces" in armored personnel carriers advanced on Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, where they were surrounded by unarmed civilians – and promptly defected en masse. It was a humiliating comedown for the Kiev regime: Ukrainian officials had been boasting to the international media that their mighty army would subdue the "terrorists" in short order.
Sloviansk, by the way, is the scene of the Kiev regime's latest attack on civilian protesters. "At least five" pro-Russian protesters are dead, according to the Ukrainian "interior minister." Bereft of professional troops, who have mostly gone over to the pro-Russian side, the coup leaders sent in their Right Sector stormtroopers along with the remnants of the national police – who attacked a checkpoint manned by unarmed civilians in the dead of night.
Yes, they're killing their own people – but that isn't something you'll hear US officials say about a government deemed "pro-American."
The lies, the hypocrisy, the brazen whitewashing of a gang of extremists – this administration's championing of the Kiev coup leaders is Washington's most reckless act since the end of the cold war. Yes, more dangerous than even the 2003 invasion of Iraq: Russia, after all, really does possess weapons of mass destruction.
The Geneva talks were supposed to have de-escalated the looming conflict: instead they made conflict more likely. The reason is because Lavrov, Kerry, and the EU failed to invite the key participants: the east Ukrainians, including representatives from the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic as well as Crimea. The big powers thought they could devise a diplomatic "solution" without consulting the people most directly involved. The Russians are just as responsible for this slight oversight as the Americans: indeed, more so, since they pose as champions of Russian-speakers in their "near abroad."
The irony is that the turmoil in east Ukraine underscores the truth of Russia's protestations that it is not responsible for the actions of pro-Russian separatists: Moscow, which has nothing to gain from such provocations, really thought the east Ukrainians would meekly follow the Kremlin's lead. Yet the Russian Foreign Ministry is hard put to explain away the double standard that requires pro-Russian militants to surrender their positions in the various city halls and government buildings they've taken over but allows the Maidan protesters to occupy the seat of government in Kiev.
As predictably histrionic as criticism of administration policy from the John McCain/Peter King wing of the GOP is, the White House seemingly went out of the way to display its own powerlessness by revving up the rhetoric – and tacitly acknowledging there is little they can do about Crimea or east Ukraine. That old geopolitical adage – "put up or shut up" – seems to have been forgotten as John Kerry flies hither and yon, possessed by the idea that the US must "do something" in response to every ginned-up overseas "crisis."
The lesson of recent events in Ukraine is that no one—not Washington, not Moscow, not Kiev, not nobody – is in control. Ukraine sends in platoons of highly-trained "crack" troops to quell the Donetsk uprising – and the next thing you know they've gone over to the other side. The Kremlin uses the Donetsk rebels as a bargaining chip in seemingly successful negotiations that changed the subject from Crimea to east Ukraine – and a day later the Donetsk Republic is telling the world, in effect, "Putin doesn't speak for us!" Washington, for its part, financed and directed a regime change operation that was supposed to put its favored oligarchs back in power – and instead found itself saddled with an "interim" government dominated by right-wing extremists with a penchant for anti-Semitism.
The hubris of the American political class doesn't allow them to understand the implications of their own ignorance: they think they are master puppeteers, and that they can manipulate the strings of history in an endless morality play written and directed by their all-powerful selves. Yet events on the ground in Ukraine disprove this conceit every day.
And it is a dangerous conceit. Back in 1914, the Russian Foreign Ministry didn't realize that the Serb fanatic Gavrilo Princip would set off World War I – a conflict that would bring down the Romanovs – when they aided and abetted Serbian secret societies in the Balkans: the Austrians didn't realize the visit by Crown Prince Francis Ferdinand would provoke a war that would end their empire for good: the Germans, the French, and the British all miscalculated, drawn inexorably into the conflict by means of interlocking alliances, numerous tripwires, and the pernicious concept of "collective security."
The exact location of Ukraine's borders is not a matter the US has any business having an opinion about – never mind intervening on one side or the other. According to the principle of national self-determination, which Washington pays lip service to, the people of Crimea and east Ukraine have the right to secede and go independent, or seek union with the Russian Federation: it's up to them. And they were not consulted when the big powers sat down to determine their fate – with the result being that the situation is rapidly veering out of control.
Speaking of chaos: the news that Right Sector – the neo-fascist formation that served as the "muscle" of the Maidan rebellion – has moved its headquarters to east Ukraine, and set up a paramilitary army of some 800 heavily armed fighters, does not bode well for the future. According to the terms of the Geneva agreement, Right Sector was to have been disarmed: instead they have been unleashed. As more of the regular Ukrainian army and police defect to the Russian side, Right Sector and various other fascist gangs are increasingly taking their place – setting the stage for a violent provocation that could send the Russians marching in. And also setting the stage for a possible future ultra-nationalist coup against the unelected "interim" government – thus giving the Kiev coup leaders a taste of their own medicine.
There is only one solution to the Ukrainian "crisis," and that is a referendum offering the people of east Ukraine a choice between the status quo, autonomy within Ukraine, or union with Russia. As both the more moderate Kiev officials and Putin seem to realize, federalism and decentralism are the keys to peace.
Yet the Kiev regime is under considerable pressure from super-centralist ultra-nationalists, who hold key positions in the interim government, to resist such demands. Putin, on the other hand, is under pressure from extreme Russian nationalists who want to grab all Ukraine and dream of restoring the old Russian empire.
The wily Russian leader, for his part, no doubt realizes this is just a dream – because an empire is a luxury ramshackle Russia can no longer afford. With a rapidly declining population and an economy standing on some very shaky ground, the best Putin can do is manage Russia's inevitable decline and hope his country will come in for a soft landing.
The not-so-wily Americans, on the other hand, persist with their delusions of global hegemony, unaware that their ambitions have seriously outrun their resources. Which practically ensures that when our bankrupt-in-more-ways-than-one country comes in for a landing it's going to be quite hard.
NOTES IN THE MARGIN
You can check out my Twitter feed by going here. But please note that my tweets are sometimes deliberately provocative, often made in jest, and largely consist of me thinking out loud.
I've written a couple of books, which you might want to peruse. Here is the link for buying the second edition of my 1993 book, Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement, with an Introduction by Prof. George W. Carey, a Foreword by Patrick J. Buchanan, and critical essays by Scott Richert and David Gordon (ISI Books, 2008).
You can buy An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard (Prometheus Books, 2000), my biography of the great libertarian thinker, here.
Author: Justin Raimondo
Justin Raimondo passed away on June 27, 2019. He was the co-founder and editorial director of Antiwar.com, and was a senior fellow at the Randolph Bourne Institute. He was a contributing editor at The American Conservative, and wrote a monthly column for Chronicles. He was the author of Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement [Center for Libertarian Studies, 1993; Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2000], and An Enemy of the State: The Life of Murray N. Rothbard [Prometheus Books, 2000].	View all posts by Justin Raimondo
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text:
Death of a Fucking Salesman
December 16, 2012 July 13, 2018 by Aaron Botwick
2012 has been a year of great Broadway revivals—first Death of a Salesman, followed by Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?—and now David Mamet's masterpiece Glengarry Glen Ross, likely the best American play of the last thirty years.
Al Pacino, who played Richard Roma in James Foley's 1992 film, returns as Shelley "The Machine" Levine, a modern-day Willy Loman. With papery skin and thinning gray hair, through which he is constantly running his fingers, Mr. Pacino often behaves like an elderly man at a bus station who has forgotten where he is and where he's going. Stammering through recollections of better times—you look at the books, you'll see, he was on top for eight months out of twelve in for three years in a row—his wide eyes rarely make contact with his peers; instead, they glaze over as he searches through the audience for a sympathetic listener. Later, when he briefly believes he is back, he skips across the stage, wagging his tongue and narrating "war stories" with the fervor of an expert raconteur. "I'm eating her crumb cake," he tells Roma (Bobby Cannavale), lapping up the mimed dessert as well as his colleague's enthusiasm. "How was it?" asks Roma. "From the store." "Fuck her."
Roma has been slightly rewritten in order to be more sympathetic—in the script, his affection for Shelley is orchestrated; here, it is at least ostensibly genuine. Nonetheless, Mr. Cannavale plays him with a terrifying masculinity. Wearing sunglasses and occasionally using them as a mirror to check his slicked back hair, he epitomizes the company mantra, "Always be closing." He's the cool kid you know is just feigning interest in your life so you'll do his homework—but you don't care, he's such a good actor, such a good salesman, that even his false friendship tickles your ego. James Lingk (Jeremy Shamos), a sheepish customer who falls under his charm, witnesses an event that confirms that Roma has screwed him and still ends their relationship by asking, "Forgive me." Still, at any moment, his sociopathic charm will click off and he'll start calling you a "stupid fucking cunt."
With the exception of David Harbour, who plays Williamson with too much self-consciousness, this is a first-rate cast. Mr. Shamos, who was spectacular in Clybourne Park, is not given much here, but still plays his part with grace—Lingk, after all, is probably the only character in Glengarry with grace. John C. McGinley, playing David Moss, exercises the veins on his forehead and in his neck as he rails against the company, and Richard Schiff, as George Aaronow, completely inhabits the poor schlemiel. In his conversations with Moss, he is complacent with never getting out three or four words before being cut off.
With Glengarry Glen Ross, Mr. Mamet has performed a masterful feat—there is rarely a moment that is not both tragic and hilarious, a scene that is not both misanthropic and humanistic. His dialogue is spare and barbed, like Harold Pinter's, and perfectly depicts that space where men don't talk so much to each other but over each other. It is a devastating parade of machismo—and one that cannot be missed.
Glengarry Glen Ross runs through January 20th at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. 236 W. 45th Street New York, NY.
Tags: Al Pacino Arthur Miller Bobby Cannavale Broadway Daniel Sullivan David Harbour David Mamet Death of a Salesman Edward Albee Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre Glengarry Glen Ross James Foley Jeremy Shamos John C. McGinley Murphy Guyer Richard Schiff Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf
Aaron Botwick
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"... Abstract—This paper proposes a two-stage iterative method for removing random-valued impulse noise. In the first phase, we use the adaptive center-weighted median filter to identify pixels which are likely to be corrupted by noise (noise candidates). In the second phase, these noise candidates are r ..."
"... This paper proposes an image statistic for detecting random-valued impulse noise. By this statistic, we can identify most of the noisy pixels in the corrupted images. Combining it with an edge-preserving regularization, we obtain a powerful two-stage method for denoising random-valued impulse noise ..."
"... This paper proposes a new image statistic for detecting random-valued impulse noise. Combining it with detail-preserving regularization, we obtain a powerful two-phase method for denoising even for noise level as high as 60%. Simulation results show that our method is significantly better than a num ..."
"... Abstract: In this paper, we propose a new method for impulse noise removal from images. It uses the sparsity of images in the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) domain. The zeros in this domain give us the exact mathematical equation to reconstruct the pixels that are corrupted by random-value impulse ..."
"... Abstract — In this paper, noise reduction performance of a switching vector median filter with a random-valued impulse noise detector for color images is evaluated. As a random-valued impulse noise detector, a method utilizing the minimum spanning tree (MST) is employed. In the switching vector medi ..."
"... The known median-based denoising methods tend to work well for restoring the images corrupted by random-valued impulse noise with low noise level, but poorly for highly corrupted images. This paper proposes a new impulse detector, which is based on the differences between the current pixel and its n ..."
"... Abstract. This paper presents an efficient detail-preserving random-valued impulse noise filter. The proposed method introduced an image statistic, the decision-based rank ordered absolute differences (DROAD for short), to distinguish image details from impulses. This reduces the probability of dete ..."


text:
Q: Pandas iterrows too slow, how can I vectorize this code? I'm a Jr. Data Scientist and I'm trying to solve a problem that may be simple for experienced programmers. I'm dealing with Big Data on GCP and I need to optimize my code.
                                      [...]
    def send_to_bq(self, df):
        result = []
        for i, row in df[["id", "vectors", "processing_timestamp"]].iterrows():
            data_dict = {
                "processing_timestamp": str(row["processing_timestamp"]),
                "id": row["id"],
                "embeddings_vector": [str(x) for x in row["vectors"]],
            }
            result.append(data_dict)
                                      [...]

Our DataFrame have the following pattern:
           id                                               name  \
0  3498001704  roupa natal flanela animais estimacao traje ma...

                                             vectors  \
0  [0.4021441, 0.45425776, 0.3963987, 0.23765437,...

        processing_timestamp
0 2021-10-26 23:48:57.315275

Using iterrows on a DataFrame is too slow. I've been studying alternatives and I know that:

*

*I can use apply

*I can vectorize it through Pandas Series (better than apply)

*I can vectorize it through Numpy (better that Pandas vectorization)

*I can use Swifter - which uses apply method and then decides the better solution for you between Dask, Ray and vectorization

But I don't know how I can transform my code for those solutions.
Can anyone help me demonstrating a solution for my code? One is enough, but if someone could show more than one solution would be really educational for this matter.
Any help I will be more than grateful!

A: So you basically convert everything to string and then transform your DataFrame to a list of dict
For the second part, there is a pandas method to_dict. For the first part, I would use astype and apply only to convert the type
df["processing_timestamp"] = df["processing_timestamp"].astype(str)
df["embeddings_vector"] = df["vectors"].apply(lambda row: [str(x) for x in row])
result = df[["id", "embeddings_vector", "processing_timestamp"]].to_dict('records')

A bit hard to test without sample data but hopefully this helps ;) Also, like I did with the lambda function you could basdically wrap your entire loop body inside an apply, but that would create far to many temporary dicitionaries to be fast.

A: You can use agg:
>>> df.agg({'id': str, 'vectors': lambda v: [str(i) for i in v],
            'processing_timestamp': str}).to_dict('records')

[{'id': '3498001704',
  'vectors': ['0.4021441', '0.45425776', '0.3963987', '0.23765437'],
  'processing_timestamp': '2021-10-26 23:48:57.315275'}]

A: You can use pandas.DataFrame methods to convert it to other types such as DataFrame.to_dict() and more.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Airtel 4G comes to HP's Mandi
Available at a price of 3G, subscribers can enjoy Airtel 4G with immediate SIM swap and home delivery of SIM cards, the telco said in a statement.
Muntazir Abbas
Updated: February 11, 2016, 17:04 IST
NEW DELHI: India's top telecom operator Bharti Airtel Thursday launched fourth-generation or 4G services at Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.
ALSO READ: Airtel 4G service makes a debut at sea
"With the help of the feedback received from the beta launches, we have now built India's first commercial 4G network," Manu Sood, Hub CEO – Upper North, Bharti Airtel said.
The launch of Airtel 4G for our customers in Mandi, will be uniquely positioned for a superlative 4G experience and we are committed to building a world class 4G network in the region, Sood added.
READ MORE: Bharti Airtel migrates 40,000 sites to green technology
Airtel has first launched 4G network in Kolkata in April 2012, and since then IT has made 4G available across 350 towns in India.
Most Read in 3G/4G
Vodafone Idea, Jio, Airtel may pilot identity verification sans OTP
Non-Airtel users can now use Xstream streaming service for Rs 499: Report


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The author works regarding Ernest Jones and Pandora jewellery is located at Ernest Jones.


text:
Home / Tackling Exploitation & Abuse / Sexual Violence
Sexual violence and sexual abuse can be defined as any behaviour perceived to be of sexual nature that takes place without consent or without understanding. It could be physical, visual or verbal, and includes harm carried out through virtual encounters and online offences.
Sexual assault and abuse often goes unreported and it can be very difficult for victims to step forward. Offences take place against people of all ages and genders, and within all faith and cultural communities.
While there are much greater numbers of offences against women and girls being reported; it is important for all organisations to acknowledge that men and boys are also being harmed in this way and take steps to protect them too. In addition, overcoming potential barriers to accessing help and to reporting crime for LGBTQ communities is important in order to keep everyone in the West Midlands safe.
Professionals need to ensure they are working with the knowledge and confidence to be professionally curious, acting appropriately in order to safeguard and support all children and adults where there are concerns of sexual abuse.
There are significant, wide ranging and lasting impacts of the trauma experienced by survivors of sexual violence and exploitation, regardless of the age at which this takes place. The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse is gathering powerful testimony from survivors. It will use this information to deliver an ambitious programme of analysis and research and to make important recommendations about how organisations can better protect young people.
What is the VRU Doing?
The violence reduction unit has a particular focus on preventing harm to children and young people. Many young people who are suffering with drug or alcohol abuse, challenges such as school exclusions, offending, or mental health issues may also have a history of traumatic experiences such as sexual violence.
While it is important to improve the way we all support victims of sexual abuse and exploitation the VRU recognises the importance of preventing offending from taking place. We will help challenge early indications of offending behaviour and work to ensure young people understand consent and are able to develop strong and positive age-appropriate relationships.
Sexual violence occurs where there is an imbalance of power or an opportunity to intimidate. The VRU can help ensure organisations do not deal with issues such as violence in the night time economy, gang activity and organised crime, or other forms of exploitation without also considering the potential to reduce the risks of sexual violence. An example of this is the closer working that has been established between the multi-agency Rape and Serious Sexual Assault Board and the Domestic Abuse Board.
Other organisations lead on these areas, but the Violence Reduction Unit can help by supporting the development of good practice and adoption of approaches that are proven to work.
Working with the Rape and Serious Sexual Offences Board the VRU is supporting work to:
Ensure that the national Sexual Assault and Abuse Strategy is delivered through local multi agency plans
Ensure professionals adopt a trauma informed approach when dealing with victims.
Ensure victims and survivors are involved in the development and improvement of services.
Ensure victims' services are accessible and effective.
Ensure there is strong oversight and understanding of the effectiveness of regional interventions and pilot projects.
Strengthen the approach to safeguarding, identification and prevention.
Support for victims of crime
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner is responsible for commissioning support for victims of crime. For more information, click here.


text:
Namecheap Builds a Next-Generation Hyper-converged Cloud with StorPool Storage and AMD EPYC™ Processor-based Servers
Namecheap, the world's second-largest domain retailer and global hosting provider, selected StorPool's software-defined storage solution as part of a new hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) platform that increases the speed and reliability of Namecheap's services to better retain and attract customers.
With more than 13 million domains managed and a robust roster of services, Namecheap is a trusted partner for businesses worldwide. The company's legacy architecture consisted of a fleet of bare-metal servers with local storage, which resulted in "noisy neighbor" issues where some users' workloads consumed too much server resources. This led to service disruptions for other users and additional problems like single points of failure and downtimes during server upgrades.
Wanting to build a next-generation hosting service with improved availability and reliability, Namecheap chose to go with an HCI deployment with StorPool's software running together with compute workloads on Supermicro servers with 64-core AMD EPYC 7742 processors and NVMe SSDs.
"We always strive to keep our customers' data safe and secure," said Max Semenyaka, Technical Operations Manager at Namecheap. "In a sense that is why we chose the StorPool solution, based on AMD processors, providing high performance combined with impressive fault tolerance and data availability rates."
Read Namecheap case study:
Download Namecheap Case Study
About Namecheap™
Namecheap is the world's second-largest domain retailer and a global hosting provider. The company offers affordable hosting plans and high-quality services to its customers, helping companies build their digital business for over 20 years. Namecheap now manages over 13
million domains and provides services, including hosting, managed WordPress, professional email, security services and solutions, etc.
For over 50 years AMD has driven innovation in high-performance computing, graphics, and visualisation technologies—the building blocks for gaming, immersive platforms, and the data center. Hundreds of millions of consumers, leading Fortune 500 businesses, and cutting-edge scientific research facilities around the world rely on AMD technology daily to improve how they live, work, and play. AMD employees around the world are focused on building great products that push the boundaries of what is possible. For more information about how AMD is enabling today and inspiring tomorrow, visit amd.com/EPYC.
Learn more about StorPool Storage and how we accelerate the world by storing data more productively!
case studynamecheap
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