text:
Reviewed by Chris Galloway
A-Pix, widescreen 1.85:1, languages: English DD 5.1, subtitles: Spanish, single side-dual layer, 20 chapters, theatrical trailer, cast filmographies, rated NR, 121 min., $24.98, street date 1/4/2000.
Directed by Alex De La Iglesia. Starring Rosie Perez, Javier Bardem, Harley Cross, Aimee Graham, James Gandolfini, Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
She's sexy, shameless and loves taking people to their limit. She's a dangerous young woman who dreams about a jaguar that licks her naked body and sleeps by her side. Her past is bathed in blood and weird passions..Now she's met the man of her wildest dreams. He's dark, tough and mysterious. He likes robbing banks, trafficking in corpses and spicing it all with voodoo rituals.
Together, the duo sets off toward Mexico destined to become the most feared outlaws in the continent. With a pair of teenage hostages, this non-stop murderous road-trip will take you on a bullet-riddled ride of sex, violence and high octane evil.
Picture/Sound/Extras (D+/D+/D+)
Why is it that a film like Natural Born Killers gets picked on because someone not all there to begin with goes out and kills someone and something like this is just ignored. I don't get it. There is something wrong out there. NBK is far from a perfect movie but it had a point. Dance With the Devil some Tarantino/Rodriguez/NBK wannabe is utter trash with no point but to just shock people. Its violence is more disgusting and unnecessary than anything appearing in the infamous Oliver Stone film.
The plot (or it's stretching of one) is very inconsistent and lost. Rosie Perez plays Pedita Durango (which was the original title of the film), a lonesome woman with a couple of problems. From the flashbacks it's suggested she witnessed her sister and her daughters killed by her husband. She tries to get across the American border from Mexico and finds a way across with Romeo (Javier Bardem), a grave/bank robber (what a profession, huh?). He is also a voodoo priest and uses the bodies he steals for very graphic, unnecessary voodoo rituals. The two are falling in love and then go into Mickey and Mallory Knox mode when they decide to abduct two White people, rape, torture and kill them. I was ready for some NBK knock off but didn't get that. I ended up becoming as confused and bewildered as this movie obviously was.
They kidnap two kids and this was where I became interested. Not because of the story but because I recognized the young man. It drove me nuts through almost the rest of the movie because I recognized him. This held my interest. When I figured it out (I think I saw him play a kid on "Law & Order" who enjoyed shooting other kids) I lost interest. This kidnapping leads to the two to be ritualistically killed but when a gun battle right out of left field happens, that plan is totally destroyed. The two lovers are then stuck with these two kids as they deliver a truckload of dead babies across the border (HEY! I didn't write this so don't ask me how we got there, either).
If there was one thing that the movie suffers from it's a poor narrative. It has no idea what it's about, where it's going and how to end. I mean, when we go from ritual killings to kidnapping to delivering a truck of dead babies there is something not working and an obvious attempt at stretching out a plot that had nowhere to go to begin with (and I can't believe it's based on a book!).
These two characters are supposed to be likeable, I think! If NBK did it right somewhere it was that Mickey and Mallory were anything but likeable. They try to get us to like these two. I mean if you're trying to show evil the last thing you want to do is make us like these anti-heroes. I don't get how these two teens after being raped, tortured and almost gutted alive could actually take a liking to these two as well. One minute they're scared and the other they're having a ball. I despised these characters yet I felt I was supposed to feel for them because of their poor upbringing. Whatever!
The acting is top notch BAD. I can't think of one good performance other than James Gandolfini's ("The Sopranos") cop but it's only because he's played this type of character a zillion times. He does better than deserved considering his character is an idiot. I mean, the guy gets the piss beaten out of him over and over and even though he has the common sense to put his arm in a cast (which disappears a little later) it just never occurs to him to change his suit. I mean, the guy has the friggin' cast go over the sleeve of his suit!!
Rosie Perez in my opinion is not a good actor. I never really liked her. Yeah, she has a nice chest but that's about it (yeah, I'm a man and I suck, I know). Other than that, not much else is present. I don't even consider her good looking (and she looks even more rough here). So I could never understand how she ended up in movies. But her taking on this sadistic character is just not right. She can't do it. And of course her character has some sort of realization out of left field (a lot of stuff happens out of "left field" in this movie) and must save the day. Huh!? Where the hell did that come from?
Javier Bardem occasionally gets a feel for his character but sometimes I get the feeling he's confused as to what he's supposed to do. And I don't blame him! Man, I'd be confused if one minute I was a bastard voodoo priest that cut the limbs off of corpses, drank blood, spit it on people, raped a 17 year old and was then talking about TV shows and was befriending the boy I kidnapped and had some bright look on life. Wha'?
This could be a guys movie if it wasn't for the fact it is incredibly boring. Its plot has no interest at all and even though it's declared an "action" movie, no real action occurs. But, in hopes of bringing the film to life, you get blood, guns occasionally and sex thrown in also way out of left field. And it wasn't enough. Basically all that could have saved it is if Perez had decided to show her chest. It would have offered something more interesting as I started drowning away into slumber land.
Hey, and what do I have here? As it turns out I have the "Director's Cut" of the film. Oh boy! Apparently the film was only 90 minutes upon its initial release (if it actually played in theaters) and although I have trouble believing it could be that long, somehow the movie was expanded to 121 minutes. The laws of physics don't work here. Anyways, we have some incredibly graphic stuff here. We have some stomach turning sex scenes and a lot of violence. I don't have a problem with graphic violence if I think it serves a point. Yeah, Natural Born Killers bothered me but not as much as it probably should have. This movie just grossed me out. None of the violence is necessary. I'm sure the graphic depiction of a corpse being chopped up could be left out. As well as the site of dead babies scattered across the road. And to top it all off someone actually picks one up (Alex Cox of all people). Not only was that not needed, I can't think of anyone, especially a cop, who would actually pick up a dead aborted baby.and then throw it at someone! What the hell is that!?
The director Alex De La Iglesia seems intent on becoming a big action director in Hollywood. Well, this movie isn't it. I will give him this, though, he know how to use a camera. Some of the scenes are very well shot, using the Scope Aspect ratio to its fullest. Like some of the greats, he uses empty space to work for him, not against him. Unfortunately he doesn't know how to make a movie. This is a bad movie. And it's of the worst kind. It's a bad movie that is unwatchable! I am never sitting through this again. It's pointless, gross, lacks anything close to a story (it tries to fake it but has no narrative), makes little to no sense, suffers from every dumb clich� imaginable, bad acting, bad DUBBING and it's a lost mess. Never have I seen a movie work so hard at being nothing. An utter waste of time!
(Oh, I almost forgot my favourite part. While the film's production value isn't that bad - we get a rather well done close up shot of a guy getting run over by an 18-wheeler - there is a character who has one arm, cut off at the elbow. The SAD thing is that what the actor did was, while wearing a T-shirt, stuck his upper arm up the sleeve, and since now his upper arm is twice the width of his other upper arm, this becomes incredibly obvious. Why they didn't just find a one-armed guy is beyond me. Actually, why did the character have to be one-armed anyways!?)
And I wasn't surprised that the DVD edition of this film was also way below par. It's been released by A-Pix and I've actually never seen a movie distributed through them, let alone one of their DVD's. And I'm not planning to again (although I'm sure fate will intervene).
The film is presented on a single-sided, dual-layered disc in a widescreen format of 2.35:1. It has not been enhanced for widescreen TVs. And I will say I was impressed when the first shot opened. The first shot is a dream sequence of Perez being confronted by a Leopard. This scene is very bright and really has nothing wrong with it. It's sharp and bright and presented no real flaws. Too bad this is the only moment that presents this.
The picture has that straight-to-video look. The picture is awfully soft with very poor color saturation. Jagged edges appear in just about every really bright scene except for the opening. Darker scenes where grays are present display grain and if there are any lights (even fires) a chroma effect is present. The print is actually in very good shape as I hardly noticed a print flaw, which I found extremely surprising.
The title had been changed for its release. The film was originally called Perdita Durango but was changed for video (I'm guessing it wasn't very welcomed). So when the new title is displayed for us at the beginning of the movie, the title flashes before us in a 1.33:1 aspect ratio, filling up the whole screen. Some ying-yang forgot to format it to 2.35:1. Yeah, maybe I'm being picky but I find that pretty lazy. So that little bit actually caused me to drop the grade a little more.
It's not the worst picture I've seen, I'll be honest, but it's still very unimpressive.
Even worse is the "in name only" 5.1 Dolby Surround track given here. Incredibly flat and plain is the best way to describe it. There are very few action scenes so the soundstage is never used to it's fullest, even when the action does occur. I noticed it halfway through the one action scene that there are no split surrounds! This thing might as well be a regular 2 Channel track as the rears work together to give off a mono effect. And they also for some reason included a 2.0 track and I was not surprised to see it really sounded the same as the 5.1 track except it's incredibly distorted. Both tracks are weak and flat. Gunshots and explosions lack any punch and the only thing the 5.1 track has over the 2.0 one is that the dialogue is more intelligible and the music is less distorted. Both have a good forward soundstage, though. But that's it. Pretty sad.
In the field of extras we only get a couple things. We get an American theatrical trailer and a Mexican one. I found the trailer interesting as it tried to advertise it as more a Bonnie & Clyde film, as did the Mexican one. There is also a video trailer and they seem very confused on how to push the film as it jumps from a movie about the occult and then jumps to Natural Born Killers. As well you get some very stupid Biographies with about one and half pages of info for each.
I don't think you have to be a NASA consultant to figure out if I'm recommending this disc or not. No way. This movie is absolutely horrible with a lackluster DVD that is still (sad enough) better than the movie deserves. Poor video and sound as well as no extras and a movie that really has no excuse in taking up film that could be used for a new Adam Sandler movie, which I would rather sit through than this.
Current as of 2/15/2000
Amazon.com--Purchase the DVD at special discount.
Reel.com--Purchase the DVD at special discount.
Review Archive: #, A-C | D-F | G-I | J-L | M-O | P-R | S-U | V-Z
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text:
package endpoint

import (
	// Stdlib
	"bufio"
	"bytes"
	"fmt"
	"net/http"
	"regexp"
	"strings"

	// Internal
	"github.com/salsaflow/salsaflow-daemon/internal/github/events"
	httputil "github.com/salsaflow/salsaflow-daemon/internal/http"
	"github.com/salsaflow/salsaflow-daemon/internal/log"

	// Vendor
	"github.com/google/go-github/github"
	"github.com/salsaflow/salsaflow/github/issues"
)

// HandleCommitCommentEvent implements events.CommitCommentEventHandler
// and it is used to handle GitHub commit_comment events.
func (handler *eventHandler) HandleCommitCommentEvent(
	rw http.ResponseWriter,
	r *http.Request,
	event *events.CommitCommentEvent,
) {
	// A command is always placed at the beginning of the line
	// and it is prefixed with '!'.
	cmdRegexp := regexp.MustCompile("^[!]([a-zA-Z]+) (.*)$")

	// Process the comment body.
	scanner := bufio.NewScanner(strings.NewReader(*event.Comment.Body))
	for scanner.Scan() {
		// Check whether this is a command and continue if not.
		match := cmdRegexp.FindStringSubmatch(scanner.Text())
		if len(match) == 0 {
			continue
		}
		cmd, arg := match[1], strings.TrimSpace(match[2])

		var err error
		switch cmd {
		case "mustfix":
			err = handler.createReviewBlockerFromCommitComment(
				r,
				*event.Repo.Owner.Login,
				*event.Repo.Name,
				event.Comment,
				arg)
		}
		if err != nil {
			httputil.Error(rw, r, err)
			return
		}
	}
	if err := scanner.Err(); err != nil {
		httputil.Error(rw, r, err)
		return
	}

	httputil.Status(rw, http.StatusAccepted)
}

func (handler *eventHandler) createReviewBlockerFromCommitComment(
	r *http.Request,
	owner string,
	repo string,
	comment *github.RepositoryComment,
	blockerSummary string,
) error {

	// Find the right review issue.
	//
	// We search the content of all review issues for the right commit hash.
	var (
		client        = handler.client
		commitSHA     = *comment.CommitID
		commentURL    = *comment.HTMLURL
		commentAuthor = *comment.User.Login
	)

	issue, err := issues.FindReviewIssueByCommitItem(client, owner, repo, commitSHA)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}

	// Parse issue body.
	reviewIssue, err := issues.ParseReviewIssue(issue)
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}

	// Add the new review issue record.
	reviewIssue.AddReviewBlocker(false, commentURL, commitSHA, blockerSummary)

	// Update the review issue.
	issueNum := *issue.Number
	_, _, err = client.Issues.Edit(owner, repo, issueNum, &github.IssueRequest{
		Body:  github.String(reviewIssue.FormatBody()),
		State: github.String("open"),
	})
	if err != nil {
		return err
	}

	log.Info(r, "Linked a new review comment to review issue %v/%v#%v", owner, repo, issueNum)

	// Add the blocker comment.
	var bodyBuffer bytes.Buffer
	fmt.Fprintf(&bodyBuffer,
		"A new [review blocker](%v) was opened by @%v for review issue #%v. The summary follows:\n",
		commentURL, commentAuthor, issueNum)
	fmt.Fprintf(&bodyBuffer, "> %v\n", blockerSummary)

	_, _, err = client.Issues.CreateComment(owner, repo, issueNum, &github.IssueComment{
		Body: github.String(bodyBuffer.String()),
	})
	return err
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Gold Coast Tourist Parks are an ideal holiday getaway. We have seven parks located near some of the best beaches on the Gold Coast.
powered and unpowered camping sites for vans and tents.
Our tourist parks are centrally located to main arterial roads, with easy access to all theme parks and attractions on the Gold Coast.
Gold Coast Tourist Parks are packed with facilities for all ages including Foxtel TV (in villas only), free wireless internet (conditions apply) and swimming pools (all heated during winter), as well as children's playgrounds and barbecue areas.
The use of a dump point is available for park guests and external visitors at the tourist parks listed above, excluding Jacobs Well and South Stradbroke Island.
The current dump point fee for the disposal of liquid waste by non park guests is $15 (valid to 30 June 2020).
Visit the Gold Coast Tourist Parks website for rates, special offers and bookings.


text:
Mitchell I. Gordon
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
Investment Banking
Restructuring and Financing
SPAC Expert Witness | Mitchell Gordon | SEDA
Mitchell Gordon has over 30 years of industry experience as a C-suite executive (in both public and private companies), as partner at private equity firms, and as senior investment banker. He has extensive experience in Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs) as President and CFO, and he brings significant expertise in Investment Banking, M&A, and restructuring transactions, with a focus in the transportation and logistics industry.
Mr. Gordon throughout his industry career, served as CEO and CFO of two public companies (NYSE:IPX and NASDAQ: CAMB), and as President, and Board member of other several firms including 10 corporate boards and 4 not-for-profit boards.
He has also served as CEO of a number of companies, including Adgile Media Group and Edition Logistics Management.
As President and CFO of Cambridge Capital Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: CAMB)-SPAC, a Special Purpose Acquisition Corporation, Mitchell focused on finding a private company merger candidate that would make a superior public company. Originated acquisition targets, managed due diligence, structuring and negotiations. He managed the IPO process, and he was responsible for all the company's activities (IR, regulatory, accounting/finance). He also served on board of directors, and completed the merger with Ability, Inc., the world's leading provider of tactical mobile communication interception tools used by government agencies.
Before joining Cambridge Capital Acquisition Corporation, Mitchell co-founded Morpheus Capital Advisors, a boutique merchant banking firm, with offices in NYC, San Francisco and Los Angeles, that provided M&A advice, raised debt and equity and advised on restructurings on over $20 billion of transactions.
At Interpool (NYSE:IPX), he served as CFO and Board Member, and he was one of three members of the Office of the President. He helped build into the world's largest container and chassis leasor, and he completed over $4 billion of financings and M&A transactions. Outperformed the S&P 500 by 60% during his time at the company.
Mitchell spent his early industry professional years as an investment banker at various firms including Solomon Smith Barney, with focus on the transportation sector, and he founded and managed Atlas Capital, a private equity firm that folded into Interpool.
BSBA
Adgile Media Group
2019-Present
Edition Capital Partners
2016-presen
Edition Logistics Management
Cambridge Capital Acquisition Corporation (NASDAQ: CAMB) - SPAC
President and Chief Financial Officer
Morpheus Capital Advisors
Interpool (NYSE: IPX)
Executive Vice President, CFO and
Member of the Office of the President
Atlas Capital
Salomon Smith Barney (Citi Bank)
Series 24,63,7 licenses.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Everything You Need to Know About HTTP/2?
Internet by twitiq	on December 19, 2017 HTTP/2 Internet 1.72K views
HTTP/2 was launched with the aim of revolutionizing the way we use the internet through advancement in daily operations, privacy and security to the next level as per the need of the hour. There was no doubt that the HHTP/2 was designed to undo the shortcoming faced with the HTTP/1.1 and it helped in making our application more fast, simpler and robust than ever before.
A brief history of HTTP/2:
HTTP protocol was developed in 1989 by Sir Thomas John Berner Lee working on a NeXTcube workstation. This device will appear almost nothing with just 25MHZ CPU and a RAM of few MS when compared with the modern day devices. Even at that time this protocol was efficient enough to work on the port connection having a speed of 10 Mbits. It would come as a surprise that over the years we had enhanced the computing capability of our everyday computer to a massive extent but we had still been using the HTTP/1.1 protocol for the internet communications.
HTTP protocol has only been updated in the year 1992 to HTTP/1.1. But other protocol like FTP was updated to STFP, similarly POP3 became IMAP, telnet became SSHA and so forth there wasn't any change in the HTTP1.1. Finally in the year 2015 the famous Internet Engineering Task Force released the HTTP/2 which happens to be only second update to the highly popular internet protocol.
Some of the key highlights of HTTP/2 are
It makes use of the HPACK to reduce the overhead
It use a new ALPN extension
Browser Compatibility of HTTP/2:
HTTP/2 supports a wide range of modern web browsers like Microsoft Edge, Firefox Quantum, Apple Safari and Opera Mini. It also supports popular web browsers like Internet Explorer, Android Browser, Google Chrome & Chrome for Android as well as iOS Safari.
HTTP/2 has its fair share of shortcomings but it should be noted that there isn't any alternative for the superiority of it.
It isn't extremely fast and or ultra-modern in its functioning.
No major enhancement in the encryption protocols which are just same as the HTTP/1.1.
On this protocol; cookie security still happens to be major spoilsport.
Start using HTTP/2 protocol today
For client-side users it is necessary to update the browser to the latest version so that it supports the HTTP/2. While the process involved toward upgrading to it is quite tedious and complex for the service side users. A simple search on the web will help in finding the quick guide for loading HTTP/2 on variety of popular server OS and web server.
If you wondering whether you should upgrade to the HTTP/2 or not then this decision is directly dependent on your need. Secondly anyone can upgrade to the HTTP/2 which isn't a rocket science but upgrading to it isn't as smooth and simple process which can be performed with few clicks. You will suffer from few compatibility issues along with some really unpredictable results but over the time it will help in offering decreased load times and better user experience.
Tags : HTTP/2Internet
Researchers Create Quantum Calculator
Data Analytics is Great, But There's Still Room for Improvement
The author twitiq
Everything You Need to Know About the New Internet Privacy Rules
What to Expect Now That Internet Providers Can Collect and Sell Your Web Browser History
Speed Up Your Home Internet With These 5 Tools
Why is Cloud Crucial to the Future of Our Societies?
What to do next when you forgot your Apple ID and Email?


Most of us, I would think, could expect to be in a pretty sorry state by the age of 150. Nietzsche, however, is looking rather healthy. Having put behind him the twin inconveniences of going insane in his mid-forties and dying in his midfifties, he stands on the threshold of a new millennium as an enormous philosophical presence. Nietzschean influences can be traced on many major intellectual movements of our century, from existentialism to 'death of God' theology, and in the writings of contemporary thinkers as diverse as Jacques Derrida and Bernard Williams. But perhaps most significant of all, Nietzsche remains the only philosopher ever to have been featured on a Philosophy Now T-shirt.
Between 15th and 17th April, Nietzschophiles from the UK, Germany, France and the USA gathered to raise a glass in celebration of the old boy's first 150 years. The venue for the Friedrich Nietzsche Society's Fourth Annual Conference was Clyne Castle, an attractive part of University College, Swansea. Duncan Large, the conference organiser, had put together a diverse programme of papers on Nietzsche, mixing professional philosophers with those from other disciplines. The range of papers was matched by the multiplicity of backgrounds from which the audience hailed. It was good to attend an academic conference at which university lecturers and students talked not only to each other, as is so often the case, but swapped thoughts on Nietzsche with freelance writers, engineers and maths teachers. Clearly, there is something about Nietzsche which has a very wide appeal.
To attempt a short summary of Nietzsche's thought is a dangerous and foolhardy activity. (Those for whom bungee-jumping is a bit tame should try it some time.) Nevertheless, a whistlestop tour of part of Nietzsche-world may help readers unfamiliar with his thinking. Such readers must be warned, however, that what follows is necessarily both selective and oversimplified.
A topic of perennial importance to Nietzsche was religion, in particular its relation to morality and what he sees as the corrosive, life-denying effects of Christianity. One useful way into the maze of Nietzsche's thought, therefore, is through his infamous proclamation of the 'death of God'. God, once a 'useful fiction' for enabling man to survive in the world, has long outstayed his welcome, but lives on, to Nietzsche's fury, through modern man's tendency to cling on to a broadly Judaeo-Christian ethics; a 'Christianmoral' interpretation of the world. This lack of integrity infuriates Nietzsche, and he sets himself the task of tracing the 'genealogy' of morals. Two of his aims here are, firstly, to show how massively dependent our ordinary understanding of 'morality' is upon the Judaeo-Christian tradition; and secondly, that such an ethics is premised upon resentment ('ressentiment'). Hence his distinction between 'master' and 'slave' moralities. Christianity, for Nietzsche, offers predominantly the latter kind of morality. 'Slave' morality is essentially reactive. From such a perspective, individuals with 'masterly' qualities – the 'noble, powerful man' who enjoys his autonomy and power – come to be viewed as a threat, and labelled as 'evil'. This is because those of a 'slavish' mentality resent those with 'masterly' qualities. On the other hand, values such as pity and humility are useful to the community as a whole, and hence these 'herd' values come to be viewed as good in themselves. "The slave revolt in morality begins ", claims Nietzsche, "when ressentiment itself becomes creative and gives birth to values ". This occurs precisely when the values of the 'master' are labelled as evil, and 'herd' values are rendered absolute and universal.
A major reason for Nietzsche's concern about slave morality's becoming seen as the only morality is the limitations this places on man's potential. Here his famous figure of the Übermensch (the 'Superman' or 'Overman') enters the picture. The Übermensch embodies a 'yea-saying' attitude to life; he affirms his world without needing to rely on the 'superterrestrial hopes' provided by a God. The Übermensch is the supreme manifestation of what Nietzsche labels the 'will to power'. This easily misunderstood term refers, on a primal level, to the desire of all living things for expansion and development. In human terms, will to power is thought of in terms of 'self-overcoming'; the Übermensch exercises his will to power to destroy everything within himself that is weak, comfortable, mediocre; in short, 'slavish'. Significantly, he lacks the corrosive resentment of the 'slave'. "For that man be delivered from the bonds of revenge ", says Nietzsche in Thus Spoke Zarathustra, "that is for me the bridge to the highest hope ". The Übermensch, then, would be "too pure for the filth of the words: revenge, punishment, reward, retribution ". His lack of ressentiment is one of his most important qualities.
From this we begin to see the answer to the question that is still all too often asked about Nietzsche; that of the association of his thought with Nazism. The admiration of Nietzsche's sister for Hitler is the primary reason for the Nazi appropriation and distortion of his philosophy. (Interestingly, contrary to this myth of a far-right Nietzsche, his immediate political influence, prior to the First World War, was on anarchist, socialist and feminist thinkers.) Nietzsche scholars have for decades needed to point out the lack of evidence for anything like a Nazi world-view in Nietzsche, including his regular attacks on nationalism and anti-Semitism. Let it be said yet again: Hitler seems to have far more in common with the resentment-fuelled 'slave' than with the resentment-free Übermensch.
The themes of religion and/or politics recurred in several of the conference papers. The opener, by David Cooper of Durham University, explored Nietzsche's relationship to Buddhism, an area of growing interest. Cooper argued that Nietzsche saw Buddhism as superior to Christianity in that the former recognises the centrality of desire to human existence. Buddhism, Cooper argued, was seen by Nietzsche as a serious opponent to his own ideal. What he objects to is its 'lifedenying' aspect; its emphasis on the need to escape from the demands of the will. Nietzsche would replace this life-denying 'nay-saying' with its only superior counter-force; art. The artist, 'enjoying himself as power', falsifies the world in his art, but in this respect he is no different from either the metaphysician or the priest, both of whom might be said to produce 'lies' which become 'convictions'. He is not different, that is, except in one crucial respect: he is aware that his falsifications are falsifications; and therein lies his superiority. Art, for Nietzsche, is crucial to life; "it is only as an aesthetic phenomenon ", he says in his first book The Birth of Tragedy, "that existence and the world are eternally justified ".
Religion and politics were linked by Daniel Conway (Pennsylvania State University), who looked at the relevance to Nietzsche's political thinking of one of his last works, The Anti-Christ – an all-out declaration of war on Christian values. Political themes were explored further by the leading Nietzsche translator R.J.Hollingdale, Kenneth Minogue (LSE) and Tracy Strong (University of California – San Diego), who offered an interesting political reading of The Birth of Tragedy.
A lengthy exploration of Nietzsche's alleged anti-Semitism was given by Sarah Kofman (University of Paris I). Kofman produced evidence from Nietzsche's texts and letters to conclude that if Nietzsche was ever anti-Semitic, such an attitude was restricted to his youth, and due largely to the anti-Semitism of the young Nietzsche's two heroes, Schopenhauer and Wagner. (Nietzsche first idolised Wagner, then turned against him, viewing the composer as a harmful, if indispensable, 'decadent'.) Kofman argued that Nietzsche's views had changed as early as The Birth of Tragedy. Certainly, by Daybreak (1881) he was hailing the Jews for producing "the noblest human being (Christ), the purest philosopher (Spinoza), the mightiest book " and for preserving the 'ring of culture' that connects modern Europe to ancient Greece. In Beyond Good and Evil (1886), German anti- Semites come in for castigation and ridicule: "it would perhaps be a good idea to eject the anti- Semitic ranters from the country ".
Some papers dealt with early responses to Nietzsche. Albi Rosenthal (a descendant of Oscar Levy, the man behind the first translation of the complete Nietzsche into English) talked of how Nietzsche was received in Britain prior to the First World War; while Gottfried Wagner (a descendant of the composer) explored both Nietzsche's distortion by his sister, and Wagner's by his widow.
Two further papers came to Nietzsche from rather unconventional angles: Babette Babich (Fordham University) energetically discussed his philosophy of science; and Richard Schacht (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) suggested that the prefaces Nietzsche wrote between 1885 and 1888 to his earlier works could be usefully read, one after the other, as a "serial work of Nietzsche's later years ".
The two evening sessions each provided something different from the academic papers. In the first, Sebastian Barker read from "The Dream of Intelligence ", his poem about, and inspired by, Nietzsche. Nietzsche's ability to inspire poets serves as a very concrete reminder of his widespread appeal outside the confines of academic philosophy. Alan White has pointed out how Nietzsche is unusual amongst philosophers in being the inspiration for compositions by over two hundred musicians. Similarly, it is hard to imagine contemporary poets being inspired by, say, A.J.Ayer, and writing a poem called "The Dream of Logical Positivism ". On the second evening, mezzo-soprano Beatrix Bown and pianist Roger Hollinrake performed some of Nietzsche's own musical compositions.
The final day included workshops giving postgraduates and others the opportunity to present papers. Then, after a psychoanalytical reading of Nietzsche from James Watson (Loyola University), Christopher Norris and Peter Sedgwick (Cardiff University) brought the conference to a close by usefully thinking back over some of the major themes which had emerged. Norris attacked those who 'under-read' Nietzsche by viewing him simply as the beginning of a 'post-philosophical' age, in which we have stopped bothering with those tired old questions about truth, ethics and metaphysics, and have instead just decided to party. This, Norris rightly suggested, is to ignore the vast importance questions of morality and metaphysics held for Nietzsche.
In conclusion, this was a highly enjoyable and thought-provoking conference. Some of the sessions overran their allotted time – a result of the unfortunate tendency we academics have to involve ourselves in passionate love affairs with the sounds of our own voices. But the strongest voice at the conference, appropriately enough, was the birthday boy's. "Has it made you want to go home and re-read Nietzsche? ", one participant asked as we left for the station. The answer, of course, was yes. Perhaps the most vivid impression I took home was the strength of interest there currently is in Nietzsche, and the diversity of uses to which his thought is being put. A century and a half after his birth, and ninety-four years after his death, Nietzsche, it seems, is alive and well.
John Lippitt is a Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, and Treasurer of the Friedrich Nietzsche Society. He will also be organising next year's conference, on "Nietzsche and the future of the human ", which will take place at the University of Hertfordshire on 16th and 17th September 1995. (See future issues of Philosophy Now for details.) For information on the Society, which publishes the twice-yearly Journal of Nietzsche Studies, please contact: Duncan Large, FNS Secretary, Department of German, University College of Swansea, Singleton Park, Swansea, SA2 8PP.


text:
Tag: Alan Veale
Posted in Author Interview
Interview with Alan Veale, Author of The Murder Tree
Posted on February 1, 2014 by cleopatralovesbooks
The Murder Tree introduces an unlikely pair of heroes: the American daughter of a wealthy businessman and a Manchester-born librarian working in Glasgow. Each have their share of domestic strife to deal with, while sharing a thirst to find out the truth about a 150 year-old murder. But deaths are still taking place today as far afield as New York, and trying to dig through the roots of this unique family tree becomes more hazardous than either Chrissie or Billie could imagine.
It was a particularly bright but quiet morning on Anderston Quay, yet still too early for the day shift to begin their labours around the harbour. The sun was ascending leisurely above the tenement houses to the south and east of the Clyde, polishing away the gloom of the previous night and casting long shadowy fingers from a multitude of ships' masts that towered over the cobbled old wharf. Stately schooners grunted in sullen protest at their less wholesome neighbours as the river's brackish waters reached the ebb, and nuzzled the wooden hulls against each other. Like a forest of elm trees in a winter wind, the tangle of spars and lines swayed to their own peculiar rhythm as the rooted vessels rode fretfully under their cabled restraints, murmuring their protests at the turning tide.
Another sound approached from the north: soles of leather slapping against unyielding cobblestones, tripping a little unsteadily under the impatient progress of their mistress. The slight figure of a young woman, curiously hunched forward under a light grey woollen cloak, rounded the corner of Finnieston Street and blinked against the sun's dramatic appearance.
When did you first become aware of the Sandyford murder?
I first got to hear the story around November 1992. I was taking a short coach holiday in Scotland and I'd taken a book to read with me – 'Heaven Knows Who' by Christianna Brand, which gave a contemporary account of the trial of Jessie McLachlan, and the events leading up to it. This was one of two books that had recently been passed on to me by an elderly friend of my then wife's family who was losing her eyesight. She was a lovely Geordie lady named Chrissie MacPherson, who died long before I came to write the novel, but that should explain the choice of name for my main character, and the dedication at the beginning of 'The Murder Tree'.
I always wonder how an author chooses the character's names and this is one of the best answers I've heard.
What prompted you to turn this historical crime into a book?
Christianna Brand's version of events read to me like a good old-fashioned mystery story – with a surprising twist at the end. I had written several scripts for the stage, and my creative instincts told me that the story of Jessie McLachlan could be given a fresh treatment. The problem was that I did not feel it was right for the theatre. I had recently performed in a play written by Jeffrey Archer that featured a trial and the background events preceding it. Unfortunately I did not feel that his story worked well in that medium, and I was put off going down the same route. A visit to Glasgow and the murder scene the following year helped to form the outline of the plot that was to become 'The Murder Tree', but somehow I felt that a screenplay would be easier to work on than a novel. How wrong I was! I kept making notes and working on scenes, and bringing them in and out of a drawer many times over the next two decades. But it wasn't until my children were older, divorce had lost its sting, and I had taken early retirement from the Civil Service that I decided the time was right to use my notes to create a novel.
Did you prefer writing the present day parts or the historical sections?
I think the correct answer to that one would be the present day scenes. But I say that simply because they were in part easier to write. I have a busy imagination, and it can be fun playing God and have the power of life and death over the characters I create. Also, Glasgow as a backdrop to the present day inspired me to feel comfortable about the places I took those characters. It really is a fascinating city, and whenever I have been there I have been greeted by so many friendly faces. There is no evidence of the pictures painted by the television series of 'Taggart', and I could imagine Chrissie and Billie walking those streets without any feeling of threat – other than from the past…
But I also like a challenge – otherwise 'The Murder Tree' would never have been written! Selecting the relevant scenes from the past was certainly that. I was mindful of a need to be as accurate as possible about the nineteenth century incidents, as anyone reading my book with a historical knowledge might have cause to complain if I had misrepresented the facts for artistic licence. I was also aware that I should not be too heavy on the detail from the past, so I tried to keep the court scene as tight as possible, without losing the inference of culpability against Old James Fleming. The dialogue on this occasion was largely adapted (and anglicised) from the original trial notes as recorded by William Roughead.
I am one of those readers who pick up on historical inaccuracies but as far as I was concerned you did a fantastic job of keeping the past authentic.
I imagine there was a lot of research needed since this book was based on an actual event, did you do all of this first or was it done while you were writing?
On reflection, I would think it was around fifty-fifty. It is true to say that I spent around twenty years with this project getting a dust off now and then, usually to re-read material, and then to work on a plot outline or consider re-writing a particular scene. I also visited both Glasgow and Edinburgh during that time, and collated photographs with other documents I felt might serve some purpose.
But once I had made the decision that this was going to be a novel, the work began in earnest. I had time on my hands and a healthier bank balance, so I took the research very seriously. Again I visited the murder scene itself, and made the longer trip to Inverness. I felt it necessary to visit the key scenes in person so that my descriptions were as complete as possible. Even a short holiday in New York came in useful.
How long did it take to write The Murder Tree? Did you set yourself a writing schedule, if so what did this look like?
It took longer than I thought it would! But then I should qualify that because this was such a steep learning curve for me. Writing a novel was more technically demanding than I expected, and while I actively looked for help and advice, at the end I still had to find a way of re-writing scenes that at one time I had felt sure were pretty near perfect. They weren't of course. Ernest Hemingway is often quoted as saying "The first draft of anything is shit", and he was right! In real terms it probably took me around a year to complete that first draft, and then another twelve months re-writing it. Once I was absolutely sure I had got it as tight as it could be I sent it off to a professional copy-editor for final 'tweaking'. She then sent it back with a long list of recommendations for further re-writes… And she was right to do so – on the whole. Once I had taken on board most of her comments (including a good helping of praise), I was ready to publish.
No – there once was an effort to have some kind of schedule, but it was impossible to stick to while juggling other duties involving work and teenage children!
Is Billie based on anyone you know? He is a fascinating man and the perfect person to pair up with Chrissie!
Ah, there's the rub… The short answer is yes, but I'll give you the long answer first!
To begin with, you have to remember that my original outline for 'The Murder Tree' started off as a screenplay, and unlike books, such scripts rely heavily on dialogue. If I had started off writing a novel I might have let Chrissie be a more dominant main character, and followed events principally from her point of view. A book can do that because it allows us inside a character's head, but I was accustomed to writing dialogue to tell a story, so I was committed to giving my female lead a male counterpart who would act as her foil, and prospective romantic interest.
With the medium of film or television in mind I started out visualising actors that I felt might suit the characters I had created, thus helping me to work through a scene in my head that I could then write about. In my early drafts I imagined Billie to be a Scot, and the first actor that sprang to mind was Robbie Coltrane. I think that was where the smoking element came from, because Robbie was playing a chain-smoking character in 'Cracker' at the time. Some of his style of humour is also still evident.
But certain elements were not right. Size matters. As I re-visited my plot and the characters therein I found that I needed both Michael and Edward Fersen to be big men. For me, I needed a contrast to complete the picture, so Billie had to be physically around average height or below. Bye-bye Robbie!
Billie's part became more important as the plot developed over time. I found myself using my own experiences to shape this man's personality. I was a Mancunian, so why not make Billie more like me? There was no reason why an Englishman might not work and live in Glasgow, so there was my answer – I built Billie's character around myself – and found the whole story that much easier to write! Physically there are some differences: I am nearly six feet tall, and around sixteen years older than Billie, plus I don't smoke, and have never worked in a library. But I've haunted several!
What a brilliant insight into this wonderful character. Now you've mentioned Robbie Coltrane and Cracker I can see the connection in the sense of humour which was one of the points that made me love the character so much, plus I as a child I wanted to work in a library, but that was before I realised you couldn't sit and read the books all day!
Are there any villains in your family tree? I have done a little research on my family and haven't turned up anyone remotely criminal, much to my disappointment!
None that I'm aware of, Cleo! But it's a subject that holds out so many possibilities, don't you think? The television series 'Who Do You Think You Are?' has dug up many curious family skeletons, and somehow it does seem disappointing if we only find that our ancestors led rather simple, blameless lives. During my library talks about 'The Murder Tree' I do ask my audience to consider how they might feel if they researched their own family tree and came up with a potential connection to a murder story such as Jessie's from 1862. If you put yourself into Chrissie's situation, how would you react?
I know it probably would be quite unnerving, to put it mildly, but I do wish my ancestors had done something exciting. The most interesting character was a taxidermist in rural Essex who wrote long letters to the local paper!! I watch Who Do You Think You Are? avidly because I find the unfolding of a past that at best the descendants have an inkling about, amazing.
What made you come up with the concept of a website to complement the book? I really enjoyed reading this and felt unlike similar ideas your website actually adds something to the reading experience, you can't beat the pictures of the actual house where Jessie was killed!
I attended a writers' festival in York in 2012, and one of the authors I met there had written a book on self-publishing, which I bought as the concept made a lot of sense to me. I am fairly hopeless at new technology myself, but one of the recommendations he made was to create a website to promote my work. I appreciated how relevant such a suggestion was in today's competitive environment, and a personal friend of mine made a living designing these things, so it seemed the obvious way to go. I also realised that a website would allow me to provide so much more detail about the original crime than I could feature in my novel, and also to add the little biographies that I had created for my characters during the writing process. Some of the readers of my earlier drafts commented that the names, dates and numbers of characters described could be quite confusing, and therefore it made sense to provide a separate source of reference using a dedicated website. The designer is Mirandi Van Staden, who also did an excellent job in creating the book cover from my own description.
If after all Alan's answers to my questions above you are still wondering whether you will enjoy this book visit the website The Murder Tree and see what it is all about. As I read this book on kindle I didn't realise there was a website until the end, and I'm not sure quite what made me check it out, but I'm glad I did!
Now onto my most important question as someone who has read The Murder Tree:
You hinted in your comment to me that there was going to be another book; is it going to feature any of the same characters? I think I may be a little in love with Billie Vane.
A second novel is in the early stages of research and plotting, and because the feedback from 'The Murder Tree' has been 99.9% positive, I feel it makes sense for book number two to have some continuity. So yes, two (and possibly three) of the characters will make a second appearance. The subject will again be an historical mystery and investigation (based on a true story), and this time the central character will be Billie Vane! (You heard it here first…)
Well on that very happy note I want to thank you for providing wonderfully informative answers to all my questions!
Here is a taster of what a happens when Chrissie's father is flying across the Atlantic, before her life is altered forever….
His attention shifted to the small video screen set into the seat in front of him. Another reminder of the chaos that had just entered his life: a representation of the northern hemisphere, framed in a touch screen box, gave a course across the Atlantic for all one hundred and eighty two passengers presently in Economy Class. Alternating with an on-screen message of welcome from Continental Airlines was a reminder of the miscellany of entertainment channels awaiting the passengers aboard Flight CO17. Fersen shook his head in resignation and raised his hand in front of him, idly considering if he should simply turn the damn thing off altogether.
But then the picture on screen changed as if part way through a movie, the image now displaying a city street with elegant Georgian buildings, proudly flanked at ground level by iron railings. Into view in the foreground came a plodding horse shackled to a two-wheeled cart, with a man and a young lad of about fourteen at the traces. Their clothing was old-fashioned: simple work-shirts and trousers with heavy boots, while the young lad also appeared to be wearing an apron. At the back of the cart sat several large metal churns, a couple of wooden crates, and some enamel jugs. Fersen watched in fascination as the lad leapt off the cart, grabbed a heavy jug off the back, and climbed the steps to ring the bell of a stone-fronted building with a heavy front door. The screen in front of him was too small for much detail, but he thought he could just make out the number 17 etched in gold leaf onto a glazed panel above the door.
Then it felt as if turbulence had hit his ribcage. The city street scene was clearly depicted on all three monitors in front of him: a triple image that brought shock recognition of the house Fersen had left in anger just a few hours ago.
Beads of sweat now leaked from every pore. He sat transfixed while the focus gradually shifted past the cart, past the boy as he stood waiting patiently on the steps, and on to the handle of the door itself. Now oblivious to the detritus of the twenty first century that surrounded him, Fersen was totally absorbed by a parallel world of long ago – yet still so familiar. He caught his breath as the door swung open, and witnessed the look of surprise on the milk-boy's face. Framed in the doorway stood the corpse-like image of an old man: a stooped figure in a black coat, waistcoat and winged collar. The face filled the screen, cold black eyes that looked directly into Fersen's heart while the thin lips moved silently. He stared back, his own mouth moving in a similar pattern. A spasm of pain surged through his upper body and his hands clutched the left side of his chest. He squeezed his eyelids together in a vain attempt to shut out the images on screen. But then his mouth was forced to open wider as his lungs made a futile bid to function without oxygen.
The Murder Tree – Amazon UK
The Murder Tree – Amazon US
Posted in Books I have read
The Murder Tree – Alan Veale
Posted on December 14, 2013 January 14, 2014 by cleopatralovesbooks
Based upon fact that in 1862 Jessie McLachlan was tried for murder of her friend, another servant also named Jessie McPherson this really is a unique read because this isn't just a rehash of a crime rewritten for people like me who are fascinated by such things. The Murder Tree is, if anything, more weighted towards Chrissie Ferson and her companion Billy Vane than what really happened that fateful 4 July 1862 in a house in Glasgow.
A great genealogical mystery underpins The Murder Tree with a very determined Chrissie Fersen on the trail in Glasgow determined to find out what links her to the murder of a servant Jessie McPherson, in 1862.
Having suffered a great loss in her life the seemingly tenuous link between her family and the terrible murder that took place at 17 Sandyford Place appears to be just the right kind of focus she needs to take her mind off recent events. Billy Vane a local librarian also needs a distraction in his life and so when wealthy Chrissie meets him with a fantastical tale of ghosts they decide to solve the mystery together.
This book covers the murder, a family mystery twisted by lies both past and present, ghosts along with a smattering of madness and even a surprising smattering of romance all carefully mixed to produce an engaging read. I say carefully mixed as this combination could easily have gone badly awry! I'm not a lover of the supernatural and early on I did wonder if this would undermine the book for me; it didn't I couldn't wait to find out, well… everything!
I like books based on true stories and although the author makes it clear that this is a work of fiction the inclusion of some of the statements from the trial added a layer of intrigue for me.
To my delight this author has provided a fantastic The Murder Tree website which is the best example I have come across. This is a great addition to this book with pictures of 17 Sandyford Place, a family tree as well as notes about the author. In answer to the author's question posted there, this reader would certainly love to read a second book.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in return for this honest review.
The Murder Tree Amazon UK
For other examples of Genealogical crime read my previous post that lists some books available in this fascinating genre
WWW Wednesday (December11)
Posted on December 11, 2013 by cleopatralovesbooks
Hosted by Miz B at Should be Reading
To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…
• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?
I am currently reading Postcards from the Past by Marcia Willett
Siblings Billa and Ed share their beautiful, grand old childhood home in rural Cornwall. Their lives are uncomplicated. With family and friends nearby and their free and easy living arrangements, life seems as content as can be.
But when postcards start arriving from a sinister figure they thought belonged well and truly in their pasts, old memories are stirred. Why is he contacting them now? And what has he been hiding all these years? Amazon
I've nearly finished this one which is a gentler read than the last couple of books I've read!
I have finished The Killer Next Door by Alex Marwood
click on the cover to read my review
Next I am going back to crime albeit mixed with some history with The Murder Tree by Alan Veale
Chrissie Fersen desperately wants to know how she is connected to the death of a servant woman in Glasgow in 1862. Enlisting the aid of local librarian Billie Vane, she is determined to clear the name of the woman originally convicted of the crime. But her chief suspect appears to be alive and well – and it looks like he still has murder on his mind…
The Murder Tree introduces an unlikely pair of heroes: the American daughter of a wealthy businessman and a Manchester-born librarian working in Glasgow. Each have their share of domestic strife to deal with, while sharing a thirst to find out the truth about a 150 year-old murder. But deaths are still taking place today as far afield as New York, and trying to dig through the roots of this unique family tree becomes more hazardous than either Chrissie or Billie could have foreseen…
The Murder Tree is based on the true story of Jessie McLachlan, convicted of murder in 1862, but who famously accused an old man of the crime after being found guilty at her trial
WWW Wednesdays 12/11/13 (coffeencrackers.wordpress.com)


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Q: Flipped normals around object edges in OpenGL I'm using vispy to render 3D parametric surfaces with OpenGL. It seems to be working well for the most part but it looks weird

in some parts around the edges of the geometry, almost as if the normals were pointing inwards (example).

I suspect the problem lies either with my fragment shader or the surface normals, especially in areas where the they are close to perpendicular to the camera direction. Here's how the vertices are created:
# --- Python imports ---
import numpy as np

# --- Internal imports ---
from glmesh import MeshApp3D

# -----------------------------------------------------------
# Torus parameters
radius1     = 1.0
radius2     = 0.2

# Define torus
torus       = ( lambda u,v : np.cos(u)*(radius1+radius2*np.cos(v)),
                lambda u,v : np.sin(u)*(radius1+radius2*np.cos(v)),
                lambda u,v : radius2*np.sin(v) )

# Generate grid of points on the torus
nSamples    = 100
U           = np.linspace(0.0,2*np.pi,nSamples)
V           = np.linspace(0.0,-2*np.pi,nSamples)

grid        = np.array(
                        [
                            [ [torus[componentIndex](u,v) for u in U] for v in V ] for componentIndex in (0,1,2)
                        ],
                        dtype=np.float32 )

# -----------------------------------------------------------
# Rearrange grid to a list of points
vertices    = np.reshape(
                        np.transpose(   grid,
                                        axes=(1,2,0)),
                        ( nSamples*nSamples ,3))

# Generate triangle indices in a positive permutation
# For example:
# 7---8---9
# | / | / |
# 4---5---6
# | / | / |
# 1---2---3
#
# (1,5,4) (1,2,5) (2,6,5) (2,3,6) (4,8,7) (4,5,8) (5,9,8) (5,6,9)

faces = np.zeros( ( 2*(nSamples-1)*(nSamples-1), 3 ), dtype=np.uint32 )
k = 0
for j in range(nSamples-1):
    for i in range(nSamples-1):
        jni = j*nSamples+i

        faces[k]    = [ jni,
                        jni+nSamples+1,
                        jni+nSamples ]

        faces[k+1]  = [ jni,
                        jni+1,
                        jni+1+nSamples ]
        k+=2

# -----------------------------------------------------------
# -----------------------------------------------------------
meshApp = MeshApp3D(    {'vertices' : vertices, 'faces' : faces},
                        colors=(1.0,1.0,1.0) )
meshApp.run()

The fragment shader:
varying vec3 position;
varying vec3 normal;
varying vec4 color;

void main() {

    // Diffuse
    vec3 lightDir       = normalize( position - vec3($lightPos) );
    float diffuse       = dot( normal, lightDir );
    //diffuse             = min( max(diffuse,0.0), 1.0 );

    // Specular
    vec3 halfWayVector  = normalize(  ( lightDir+vec3($cameraDir) )/2.0  );
    float specular      = min( max(   dot(halfWayVector,normal)   ,0.0), 1.0 );
    specular            = specular * specular * specular * specular;
    specular            = specular * specular * specular * specular;
    specular            = specular * specular * specular * specular;

    // Additive
    vec3 fragColor      = vec3($lightColor) * color.xyz;
    fragColor           = fragColor * ( $diffuseMaterialConstant * diffuse +
                                        $specularMaterialConstant * specular)
                                        + $ambientMaterialConstant * vec3($ambientLight) * color.xyz;

    gl_FragColor        = vec4(fragColor,1.0);
}

The rest of the code is broken down in modules but in a nutshell, here's what happens:

*

*a MeshData is constructed from the vertices and faces

*the normals are generated in MeshData internally, based on the vertex positions and the order in which they define their corresponding triangles

*a canvas and an OpenGL window is created and initialized

*the mesh is drawn as triangle strips

A problematic part can be the definition of the mesh triangles. Example:
  7---8---9
  | / | / |
  4---5---6
  | / | / |
  1---2---3
v
^
|
---> u
(1,5,4) (1,2,5) (2,6,5) (2,3,6) (4,8,7) (4,5,8) (5,9,8) (5,6,9)

It was originally meant to generate triangles for 2D functions z=f(x,y) and worked well for them, but I ran into problems when applying it to parametric surfaces r(u,v) = [ x(u,v), y(u,v), z(u,v) ]. For example, this is the reason why the parameter v goes from 0 to -2pi instead of +2pi (otherwise the normals would be pointing inwards).
Any ideas on what might be causing the glitches seen in the image?
(or any advice on better triangle generation?)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange