text:
path: "/typescript-eslint-custom-rules"
layout: post
title: "Writing custom TypeScript ESLint rules: How I learned to love the AST"
date: 2020-11-23
---

In this blog post, we're going to learn how to write a custom ESLint plugin to help you with otherwise manual tasks that would take you days.

![The task? An eslint rule that adds generic to enzyme shallow calls, so we avoid type errors about our components during tests.](https://miro.medium.com/max/1400/0*3PpSvUWc2fW5E-3u.gif)*The task? An eslint rule that adds generic to enzyme shallow calls, so we avoid type errors about our components during tests.*

Let's dive into the world of ASTs: They're not as scary as they seem!

# **Why writing your own eslint plugins and rules ?**

* It's fun to write and helps you learn more about JS/TS

* It can help enforce company-specific styles and patterns

* It can save you days of work 😃

There are already plenty of rules out there, ranging from [how to style your curly braces](https://eslint.org/docs/rules/brace-style), to [not returning an await expression from async functions](https://eslint.org/docs/rules/no-return-await) or [even not initializing variables with undefined](https://eslint.org/docs/rules/no-undef-init).

*The thing is, lint rules are virtually infinite. In fact, we regularly see new plugins popping up for certain libraries, frameworks or use cases. So why not write yours? It's not so scary, I promise!*

# The (not so) imaginary problem we're solving

Tutorials often use foo,bar and baz or similar abstract notions to teach you something. Why not solve a real problem instead? A problem we encountered in a team while trying to solve some TypeScript type errors after the conversion to TypeScript.

If you've used enzyme to test a TypeScript React codebase, you probably know that shallow calls accept a generic, your component. e.g `shallow<User>(<User {...props})`.

![enzyme's shallow type definition from DefinitelyTyped](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/3476/1*xcmChHCMNLZAB1BCwE5g0Q.png)*enzyme's shallow type definition from DefinitelyTyped*

What if you don't pass it? It might be "fine", but as soon as you'll try to access a component's props or methods, you'll have type errors because TypeScript thinks your component is a generic react component, with no props, state, or methods.

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/3804/1*d-QA0ZlJJ3KV6Wi5Sk-wCA.png)

Of course if you're writing new tests from scratch, you'd catch it instantly with your IDE or TypeScript tsc command and add the generic. But you might need to add it in 1, 100, or even 1000 tests, for instance because:

* You migrated a whole project from JS to TS, with no typings at all

* You migrated a whole project from flow to TS, with missing typings for some libraries

* You're a new contributor to a TS project using enzyme to test react components, and aren't familiar with generics

In fact, that's a problem I've experienced in a team, and the same eslint rule we'll write today saved us a lot of time by fixing this in our whole project.

## How does ESLint work? The magic of ASTs

Before we start digging into creating ESLint rules, we need to understand what are ASTs and why they're so useful to use as developers.

**ASTs**, or Abstract Syntax Trees, are representations of your code as a tree that the computer can read and manipulate.

We write code for computers in high-level, human-understandable languages like C, Java, JavaScript, Elixir, Python, Rust… but the computer is not a human: in other words, it has no way of knowing the meaning of what we write. We need a way for the computer to **parse** your code, to understand that `const` is a variable declaration, `{}` marks the beginning of an object expression sometimes, of a function in others… etc. This is a needed, yet obligatory step.

Once it understands it, we can do many things with it: **execute** it by passing it to an engine, **lint** it... or even generate new code by doing the same process the other way around.

To quote [Jason Williams](https://twitter.com/jason_williams) that authored the [boa](https://github.com/boa-dev/boa/) JS engine in Rust, a basic architecture for generating ASTs can be:
> # We break down our code into various tokens with semantic meaning (a.k.a lexical analyzer/tokenizer), group them and send them as groups of characters to a parser that will generate expressions, that can hold other expressions.

Such tree sounds familiar? This is very similar to the way your HTML code will be parsed into a tree of **DOM** nodes. In fact, we can generate abstract representations of any language as long as there's a parser for it.

Let's take a simple JS example:
```js
    const user = {
      id: 'unique-id-1',
      name: 'Alex',
    }
```
It can be represented like this with an AST:

![Abstract representation of our JS code in AST Explorer](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2736/1*QmVwolqBgrOPesaw0RwG3A.png)*Abstract representation of our JS code in AST Explorer*

To visualize it, we use one excellent tool: [https://astexplorer.net](https://astexplorer.net/). It allows us to visualize syntax trees for many languages. I recommend pasting different bits of JS and TS code there and exploring the tool a little bit, as we will use it later!
> Make sure to select the language of the code you're pasting to get the right AST for it!

# Creating a TS project to lint
> **If you already have a TS + React + Jest project, feel free to skip to the next section, or pick just what you need from this one!**

Let's create a dummy React + TypeScript + Jest + Enzyme project, that will suffer from the typing issue we've seen earlier.

Conceptually, parsing TypeScript code is no different than JS code, we need a way to to parse the TS code into a tree. Thankfully, the typescript-eslint plugin already ships with [its own TS parser](https://github.com/typescript-eslint/typescript-eslint/tree/master/packages/parser). So let's start!

Create an `ast-learning` folder and add a package.json file containing react, jest, enzyme, eslint, and all type definitions.
```json
    {
      "name": "ast-learning",
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "description": "Learn ASTs by writing your first ESLint plugin",
      "main": "src/index.js",
      "dependencies": {
        "react": "17.0.0",
        "react-dom": "17.0.0",
        "react-scripts": "3.4.3"
      },
      "devDependencies": {
        "[@babel/preset-env](http://twitter.com/babel/preset-env)": "^7.12.1",
        "[@babel/preset-react](http://twitter.com/babel/preset-react)": "^7.12.5",
        "[@types/enzyme](http://twitter.com/types/enzyme)": "^3.10.8",
        "[@types/enzyme-adapter-react-16](http://twitter.com/types/enzyme-adapter-react-16)": "^1.0.6",
        "[@types/jest](http://twitter.com/types/jest)": "^26.0.15",
        "[@types/react](http://twitter.com/types/react)": "^16.9.56",
        "[@types/react-dom](http://twitter.com/types/react-dom)": "^16.9.9",
        "[@typescript](http://twitter.com/typescript)-eslint/eslint-plugin": "^4.8.1",
        "[@typescript](http://twitter.com/typescript)-eslint/parser": "^4.8.1",
        "babel-jest": "^26.6.3",
        "enzyme": "3.11.0",
        "enzyme-adapter-react-16": "1.15.5",
        "eslint": "^7.13.0",
        "jest": "^26.6.3",
        "react-test-renderer": "^17.0.1",
        "ts-jest": "^26.4.4",
        "typescript": "3.8.3"
      },
      "scripts": {
        "lint": "eslint ./*.tsx",
        "test": "jest index.test.tsx",
        "tsc": "tsc index.tsx index.test.tsx --noEmit true --jsx react"
      }
    }
```

Let's also create a minimal `tsconfig.json` file to make TypeScript compiler happy :).
```json

    {
      "compilerOptions": {
        "allowSyntheticDefaultImports": true,
        "module": "esnext",
        "lib": ["es6", "dom"],
        "jsx": "react",
        "moduleResolution": "node"
      },
      "exclude": [
        "node_modules"
      ]
    }
```

As a last configuration step to our project, let's add `.eslintrc.js` with empty rules for now:
```js

    export default {
     "parser": "[@typescript](http://twitter.com/typescript)-eslint/parser",
     "parserOptions": {
      "ecmaVersion": 12,
      "sourceType": "module"
     },
     "plugins": [
      "[@typescript](http://twitter.com/typescript)-eslint",
      "ast-learning",
     ],
     "rules": {
     }
    }
```

Now that our project has all the config ready, let's create our index.tsx containing a `User` component:

```tsx
    import * as React from "react";

    type Props = {};
    type State = { active: boolean };

    class User extends React.Component<Props, State> {
     constructor(props: Props) {
       super(props);
        this.state = { active: false };
      }
       toggleIsActive() {
        const { active } = this.state;
        this.setState({ active: !active });
      }

    render() {
        const { active } = this.state;
        return (
          <div className="user" onClick={() => this.toggleIsActive()}>
            User is {active ? "active" : "inactive"}
          </div>
        );
      }
    }

    export {User}
```
And a test file called `index.test.tsx`:
```tsx
    import * as React from 'react'
    import * as Adapter from "enzyme-adapter-react-16";
    import * as enzyme from "enzyme";
    import {User} from './index'

    const {configure, shallow} = enzyme

    configure({ adapter: new Adapter() });

    describe("User component", () => {
      it("should change state field on toggleIsActive call", () => {
        const wrapper = shallow(<User />);
     // @ts-ignore
        wrapper.instance().toggleIsActive();
     // @ts-ignore
        expect(wrapper.instance().state.active).toEqual(true);
      });

    it("should change state field on div click", () => {
        const wrapper = shallow(<User />);
        wrapper.find(".user").simulate("click");
     // @ts-ignore
        expect(wrapper.instance().state.active).toEqual(true);
      });
    });
```
Now run `npm i && npx ts-jest config:init && npm run test`. We can see that the TSX compiles fine due to the `// @ts-ignore` directive comments.

`@ts-ignore` directive comments instruct the TypeScript compiler to ignore the type errors on the next line. So, it compiles and tests run fine, all is good?Nope! **Let's remove the `@ts-ignore` directive comments and see what happens.**

**❌❌ Now the tests don't even run, and we have 3 TypeScript errors in our tests.**

Oh no 😞! As seen in the intro, we **could** fix it by **adding the generic to all our shallow calls manually.**
Could, but probably shouldn't.
```tsx
    const wrapper = shallow<User>(<User />); // here, added User generic type
```
The pattern is very simple here, we need to get the argument that `shallow` is called with, then pass it as a **type argument** (a.k.a generic).
Surely we can have the computer generate this for us? If there is a pattern, there is automation.

Yay, that's our use-case for a lint rule! Let's write code that will fix our code for us 🤯

# If there's a pattern, there's automation

If you can find patterns in your code that could be done by your computer to analyze, warn you, block you from doing certain things, or even write code for you, there's magic to be done with AST. In such cases, you can:

* Write an ESLint rule, either:
  - with autofix, to prevent errors and help with conventions, with auto- generated code
  - without autofix, to hint developer of what he should do

* Write a **codemod**. A different concept, also achieved thanks to ASTs, but made to be ran across big batches of file, and with even more control over traversing and manipulating ASTs. Running them across your codebase is an heavier operation, not to be ran on each keystroke as with eslint.

As you've guessed, we'll write an eslint rule/plugin. Let's start!

# Initializing our eslint plugin project

Now that we have a project to write a rule for, let's initialize our eslint plugin by creating another project folder called `eslint-plugin-ast-learning` next to `ast-learning`
> ⚠ eslint plugins follow the convention `eslint-plugin-your-plugin-name` !

Let's start by creating a `package.json` file:
```json
    {
      "name": "eslint-plugin-ast-learning",
      "description": "Our first ESLint plugin",
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "main": "index.js"
    }
```
And an `index.js` containing all of our plugin's rules, in our case just one, require-enzyme-generic:
```js
    const rules = {
     'require-enzyme-generic': {
      meta: {
       fixable: 'code',
       type: 'problem',
       },
      create: function (context) {
       return {
       }
      },
     },
    }

    module.exports = {
     rules,
    }
```
Each rule contain two properties: `meta` and `create`.You can read the documentation [here](https://eslint.org/docs/developer-guide/working-with-rules) but the tl;dr is that

the `meta` object will contain all informations about your rule to be used by eslint, for example:

* In a few words, what does it do?

* Is it autofixable?

* Does it cause errors and is high priority to solve, or is it just stylistic

* What's the link of the full docs?

the `create` function will contain the *logic* of your rule. It's called with acontext object, that contains many useful properties documented [here](https://eslint.org/docs/developer-guide/working-with-rules#the-context-object).

It returns an object where keys can be any of the `tokens` that exist in the AST you're currently parsing. For each of these tokens, eslint will let you **write a method declaration with the logic for this specific token**. Example of tokens include:

* **CallExpression**: a function call expression, e.g:

     `shallow()`

* **VariableDeclaration**: a variable declaration (without the preceding var/let/const keyword) e.g:
```js
    SomeComponent = () => (<div>Hey there</div>)
```

* **StringLiteral**: a string literal e.g `'test'`

The best way to understand what's what, is to paste your code in ASTExplorer (while making sure to select the right parser for your language) and explore the different tokens.

## Defining the criteria for the lint error to kick in

![ASTExplorer output for our code](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/3104/1*iNogB5dChK8arvi9tYy0vw.png)*ASTExplorer output for our code*

Go to the left pane of AST explorer and select our shallow() call (or hover over the corresponding property on the right pane): you'll see that it is of type **CallExpression**

So let's add the `CallExpression` property to the object returned by our `create` method:
```js
    create: function (context) {
       return {
        CallExpression (node) {
         // TODO: Magic 🎉
        }
       }
      }
```
Each method that you will declare will be called back by ESLint with the corresponding `node` when encountered.
If we look at babel (the AST format that the TS parser uses) docs, we can see that the node for `CallExpression` contains a `callee` property, which is an `Expression`. An `Expression` has a `name` property, so let's create a check inside our `CallExpression` method
```js
    CallExpression (node) {
      if ((node.callee.name === 'shallow')) // run lint logic on shallow calls
    }
```
We also want to make sure that we only target the shallow calls **without a generic already there**. Back to AST Explorer, we can see there is an entry called typeArguments, which babel AST calls `typeParameters`, which is an array containing the type argument(s) of our function call. So let's make sure it's `undefined` (no generic e.g `shallow()` or empty generic e.g `shallow<>`) or is an empty array (meaning we have a generic with nothing inside).
```js
    if (
          node.callee.name === 'shallow' &&
          !node.typeParameters
    )
```
![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/3140/1*xFKfvshcT4QhMKrY5lMujg.png)

Here we go! We found the condition in which we should report an error.

The next step is now to use `context.report` method. Looking at the ESLint docs, we can see that this method is used to report a warning/error, as well as providing an autofix method:
> The main method you'll use is `context.report()`, which publishes a warning or error (depending on the configuration being used). This method accepts a single argument, which is an object containing the following properties: ([Read more in ESLint docs](https://eslint.org/docs/developer-guide/working-with-rules#contextreport))

We will output 3 properties:

* `node` (the current node). It serves two purposes: telling eslint **where** the error happened so the user sees the line info when running eslint / highlighted in his IDE with eslint plugin. But also **what** is the node so we can manipulate it or insert text before/after

* `message` : The message that will be reported by eslint for this error

* `fix` : The method for autofixing this node
```js
    CallExpression (node) {
          if (
          node.callee.name === 'shallow' &&
          !(node.typeParameters && node.typeParameters.length)
          ) {
           context.report({
            node: node.callee, // shallow
            message: `enzyme.${node.callee.name} calls should be preceded by their component as generic. ` +
            "If this doesn't remove type errors, you can replace it with <any>, or any custom type.",
            fix: function (fixer) {
             // TODO
            },
           })
          }
        }

```
We managed to output an error. But we would like to go one step further and fix the code automatically, either with `eslint --fix` flag, or with our IDE eslint plugin.
Let's write that fix method!

## Writing the `fix` method

First, let's write an early return that will insert `<any>` after our shallow keyword in case we're not calling shallow() with some JSX Element.

To insert after a node or token, we use the `insertTextAfter` method.
> insertTextAfter(nodeOrToken, text) - inserts text after the given node or token
```js
    const hasJsxArgument = node.arguments && node.arguments.find((argument, i) => i === 0 && argument.type === 'JSXElement')
    if (!hasJsxArgument) {fixer.insertTextAfter(node.callee, '<any>')}
```
After that early return, we know that we have a JSX Element as first argument. If this is the first argument (and it should, `shallow()` only accepts a `JSXElement` as first argument as we've seen in its [typings](https://github.com/DefinitelyTyped/DefinitelyTyped/blob/master/types/enzyme/index.d.ts#L708)), let's grab it and insert it as generic.
```js
    const expressionName = node.arguments[0].openingElement.name.name
    return fixer.insertTextAfter(node.callee, `<${expressionName}>`)
```
That's it! We've captured the name of the JSX expression shallow() is called with, and inserted it after the shallow keyword as a generic.

Let's now use our rule in the project we've created before!

## Using our custom plugin

Back to our ast-learning project, let's install our eslint plugin npm package:
```sh
    npm install ../eslint-plugin-ast-learning
```
So far if we lint our file that shouldn't pass ling by running `npm run lint`, or open `index.test.tsx` with our editor if it has an eslint plugin installed, we'll see no errors as we didn't add the plugin and rule yet.

Let's add them to our `.eslintrc.js` file:
```js
    module.exports = {
     "parser": "[@typescript](http://twitter.com/typescript)-eslint/parser",
     "parserOptions": {
      "ecmaVersion": 12,
      "sourceType": "module"
     },
     "plugins": [
      "[@typescript](http://twitter.com/typescript)-eslint",
      "ast-learning", // eslint-plugin-ast-learning
     ],
     "rules": {
      "ast-learning/require-enzyme-generic": 'error'
     }
    }
```
If you run `npm run lint` again or go to the file with your IDE that has eslint plugin, you should now see errors:
```
    /Users/alexandre.gomes/Sites/ast-learning/index.test.tsx
      12:21  error  enzyme.shallow calls should be preceeded by their component as generic. If this doesn't remove type errors, you can replace it
     with <any>, or any custom type  ast-learning/require-enzyme-generic
      20:21  error  enzyme.shallow calls should be preceeded by their component as generic. If this doesn't remove type errors, you can replace it
     with <any>, or any custom type  ast-learning/require-enzyme-generic

    ✖ 2 problems (2 errors, 0 warnings)
      2 errors and 0 warnings potentially fixable with the `--fix` option.
```
They can be fixed automatically, interesting! Why don't we try?

    ❯ npm run lint -- --fix

![](https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/2000/0*58oeG6ZpFe3ATRb-.gif)

Woohoo! Our files now have the generic in them. Now imagine it running in 1000s of files. The power of code generation!

# **Going further**

If you want to learn more about ESLint custom plugins, you'll need to read through the ESLint docs that are very complete.

You'll also want to add *extensive* tests for your rules, as from experience, eslint autofixes (and jscodeshift codemods, the topic of another post) have a lot of edge cases that could break your codebase. Not only are tests sine qua non to your rules being reliable, but also to contributing an official rule 😉


text:
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
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In response, Amber said she was simply "joking". I feel like she's the one who was, like, f-ing Jay-Z... And now, Gwyneth has found her name dragged into the drama, as Amber joked that the Shakespeare In Love actress was "fucking Jay Z " on ...
Roseanne Barr on racist tweet: 'I wish I worded it better'
Barr repeated her assertion that she did not know Jarrett was black when she tweeted that she was the "baby" of the Muslim Brotherhood and Planet Of The Apes . "I mean seriously, she needs a new haircut". During the interview Boteach said he fel...
New 'Mission: Impossible' ups the action with skydiving Tom Cruise
As per media reports, "It is followed by the stuff which has always remained a favourite among the audiences - thrilling action scenes". She talks about the acting, direction, actions scenes, and storylines in the film . When it comes to India, Tom ...
Meghan Markle wears ideal denim dress to polo
Prince Harry watched on proudly, as the Duchess of Sussex followed in her mother-in-laws footsteps at the Royal County of Berkshire Polo Club in Windsor . You may see the Duke and Duchess and their viral kiss in the video below. Oh, just ...
Ryan Reynolds Working On A Stoner Reboot Of Home Alone
Reynolds will produce the comedy, via hi Fox-based production company Maximum Effort. As of this writing, no one's been cast in the lead role of the "twenty-something weed growing loser", and we suppose it'd be too much to ask for Macauly Culkin to...
Priyanka Chopra has a shock for Salman Khan
The singer, 25, and Quantico star began dating in May, but their relationship started to heat up after they met each other's families. "He's dated a lot over the last couple years but it's never been anything serious, so this is a big step".
Giuliani attacks Cohen after Trump Tower report: He's a 'pathological liar'
Previously Trump has denied knowing in advance that the meeting was going to take place, and he has denied that there was any collusion between his campaign and Russian Federation. Rudy Giuliani , a lawyer for the president, said that the elder T...
Comic 'Locke & Key' receives a 10-episode order from Netflix
Andy Muschietti directed the original Hulu pilot but is unable to return to direct the Netflix series due to his commitment to "IT 2". But all was not lost: Netflix made a decision to give the series a shot, and now, they're making it official.
Prince Harry & Duchess Meghan Markle Kiss at His Polo Match!
The Duchess of Sussex attended the event in Berkshire, England, wearing a blue Carolina Herrera dress to help her husband combine his love of polo and charity. But don't be fooled by the laid back silhouette, as the cap-sleeved number from the ...
PewDiePie 'sorry' for meme mocking Demi Lovato
The former Disney star's mother, Dianna, has not left her side and is being very protective of her daughter, ET's source says, adding that Lovato has agreed to go to rehab , but has anxious her family by telling them she can kick this habit on her o...
White House defends decision to bar reporter from press event
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Demi Lovato treated with Narcan during medical emergency, ABC News confirms
YouTuber PewDiePie has apologised after he shared a meme online that was "insensitive" towards Demi Lovato , the pop-star who was rushed to hospital following a suspected overdose on Tuesday. "She was not partying alone", the source added. She h...
Nikki Bella reportedly moving out of John Cena's house
Driving in the auto with her sister, Brie Bella , and mom, Kathy Colace, Nikki revealed that she needs to work on herself in order to have any sort of future with the WWE superstar. It was apparent that Cena had pushed Nikki away because he didn...
Conor McGregor pleads guilty to disorderly conduct violation as part of deal
The plea deal did not include a probation term, which will make it easier for him to continue to work and travel back and forth to the United States. "I just want to say that I am thankful to the DA and the judge for allowing me to move forward", h...
Graphic novel debuts in Man Booker longlist
The award, which includes a £50,000 prize, is presented annually to the best original novel in the English language by a living author. A six-title shortlist will be announced September 20, 2018, with the victor to be announced October 16, 2018.
Roseanne Barr will appear on TV for first time since firing
Barr was sacked from her hit ABC show after comparing Jarrett, a top adviser to former President Obama, to a character from " Planet of the Apes ". "During the live interview , [Barr] will react to reports about the tweet that got her fired alon...
Disney Faces a Backlash From Its Stars for Firing 'Guardians' Director
Gunn was recently fired from his cushy Marvel gig after an online campaign, led by alt-right conspiracist Mike Cernovich , seized upon old tweets in which Gunn joked about paedophilia. Stars have made it clear that they believe Gunn could change....
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The actress was charged with racketeering conspiracy Tuesday stemming from her involvement in Nxivm ; she has already been charged with sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit forced labor for allegedly helping to run...
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Nxivm hearing brings Clare Bronfman and Allison Mack back together
Bronfman , a daughter of the late billionaire philanthropist and former Seagram chairman Edgar Bronfman Sr., is an heiress to the Seagram's liquor fortune. Marzulli said they were expected to enter pleas on Wednesday in the latest indictment. Ranie...


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Tagged: Guardians of the Galaxy
· by Jordon Davis · Jul 11, 2018
Superheroes, ranked (by singing ability)
Superheroes: they're great. But which one is the best? Is it Captain Marvel, the mightiest Avenger? Or maybe Lady Sif, the character that they took a great deal of time to establish and then just abandoned completely in favor of…
· by Thomas Stockel · Apr 12, 2018
Countdown to Infinity War: Revisiting Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
When Guardians of the Galaxy came out, I don't think anybody could have realistically expected the level of success it achieved, both critically and financially. It was so big that you can reasonably argue that it affected the production of…
· by Thomas Stockel · Mar 23, 2018
Countdown to Infinity War: Revisiting Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
When Marvel announced their post-Avengers movie schedule in 2012, I expected some titles to be on the list. I expected a Black Widow movie. I expected Power Man and Iron Fist. I had expected Daredevil. Bear in…
· by Tyler Peterson · Feb 8, 2018
All MCU villains, ranked from worst to least worst (part 1 of 2)
Hey there! You like the Marvel Comics movies? You do?! Awesome! I do too! You like the colorful, inspiring heroes? Me too! You like the frenetic action choreography? Me too! You like the seat-rattling CGI spectacle? Me too! You like…
· by Dr. Winston O'Boogie · May 3, 2017
Hit or Bomb? May 2017 movie predictions
It's the start of another month, and time again for another round of box office predictions. But this time around, our predictions should be way easier than usual, because May, for all intents and purposes, is now the official kickoff…
· by Joshua Bell · Dec 31, 2014
The top 10 films of 2014
"2014 was a great year for movies. So much so that making my top ten list this year was torturous (well, more torturous than usual)."
· by Jonathan Campbell · Dec 24, 2014
Marvel's cinematic villain problem
"When people complain about adaptations of a work, it's because they like the things that end up getting lost in translation, and the classic superhero/supervillain dynamic is one of those things that's gotten lost in a lot of these Marvel flicks."
Movie Review / Movies / Videos
· by Film Renegado · Aug 2, 2014
VIDEO: Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) Video Review Roundup
Our reviewers have seen the newest Marvel movie. Has it exceeded expectations? Find out in these videos!
· by Sofie Liv · Aug 2, 2014
"It's just as ridiculous as it sounds and looks. Which in all honesty is what makes it great."


I created this ornament pattern with several finishing options in mind. When one thinks of "holiday lights", many things can come to mind: bright jewel-toned lights in an array of strong colors, soft, pastel tones to cast a gentle glow, or even a monotone color theme, to match a certain theme or holiday. I honestly cant decide which one I liked best!
The sample ornaments were scroll sawn out of 3/16" solid maple and 1/8" Baltic birch. I left the maple ornaments their natural color and finished them with some spray lacquer. I love the beautiful, rich glow it gives the wood, allowing its natural grain to show through!
The coloured ornaments were painted using DecoArt acrylic paints and made from the birch plywood. They also look nice and I made two color schemes – brights and pastels.
I stack-cut three layers when cutting the ornaments, making them fast and easy, as the extra layers offered just the perfect resistance for cutting. The pretty Damask style design is both beautiful and forgiving of any little 'boo-boos' that you may make too! All the ornaments are finished off with beautiful crystal hot-fix rhinestones. They shine from them catches the eye and enhances them wonderfully.
Beautiful! I'm always in awe of your ability with the scrollsaw.
As always great work! You are one with your machine.
To say the least "YOU HAVE DONE YOURSELF PROUD", really super nice !
Wow Sheila! Those are cool. You could sure save on electric with these lights.
Thanks, Roger! They are so much fun to cut! :) I love doing the Damask style stuff!


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Drifting Cinema #3: Takeshi Kitano, Violence, and Defining Liquid Auteurism
Aug 31, 2020·13 min read
Drifting Cinema is an essay series about both underseen films and films that I generally love, or am critically stimulated by. These essays will vary in tone, structure, and purpose. The one constant will be cinema, itself.
Objectivity is a term that has little to no relevance in the world of narrative cinema. Narrative cinema is inherently experiential — every aspect of the filmmaking apparatus informs the finished work, but no piece of the apparatus is as powerful as an assured director. A tenacious and driven director, who also writes and occasionally edits their films, is a singular force fueled by creative purpose. This type of director is often given the title of "auteur". The term auteur stems from Andrew Sarris's 1962 text, "Notes on the Auteur Theory", in which an auteur is defined as a filmmaker with a specific vision, having a distinguishable personality present in their works, and interior meaning. Auteurs exist in every genre of cinema and their presence spans the globe in its entirety. For this paper, I will be focusing on one director who has been deemed an auteur by many — the enigmatic and ever-subversive Takeshi Kitano (or Beat Takeshi). Takeshi Kitano has been a popular face in the world of Japanese television/cinema for decades, but it was not until the late 1980s/early 1990s when he started directing films. Up until then, he was known as a popular comedian and slapstick artist on the zanier Japanese game show circuit. But when he forayed into directing films, his lens was intimately focused on the seedier aspects of Japanese life, vehemently toxic masculinity, and the suffering and dirtiness that comes with the doing of violence unto another human being.
In Takeshi Kitano's 1993 film Sonatine, Kitano frames and paces his violence in the same way one would pace comedy — there is a buildup and a punchline, but the punchline usually involves bodily harm and/or bloodshed, and the violence (like comedy) upsets the continuity of drab realism that is imbued within every all of Kitano's films (specifically Sonatine/Hana bi/Violent Cop), and he stretches out the time it takes to do violence in order to portray the bodily harm that comes with violence. Kitano's prior status as a comedic auteur informs his films and reveals what audiences expect of him, and in turn, he must subvert his prior auteurship in order to prove that he, in fact, is an auteur of dramatic cinema and the doing violence on film.
Takeshi Kitano spent his early years as a comedian, and he mastered the art of zaniness and the timing of slapstick comedy. Upon entering the comedic sphere, Japanese audiences instantly fell in love with him. Eventually, Kitano would seek out a career in dramatic acting — with his foray into the medium being one of the most important (and heartbreaking) roles in the under-appreciated Nagasa Ôshima-directed Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. The film was released in 1983 and audiences were not ready to buy Kitano and his personage as anything more than a comedic force. They wrote him off. He pushed on. The year is now 1989 and Kitano bursts back onto the scene with his directorial debut Violent Cop, a film so bleak and so violent that cinema-goers would surely have to buy into Kitano as a dramatic filmmaker and auteur of violent cinema, right? Well, no. Many Japanese media consumers saw Kitano's film as overly nihilistic to the point of comedy. Life as portrayed in Violent Cop could never be a reality, so instead of being confronted with the bleak facts of existing in a chaotic world, audiences laughed at the film as if it were nothing more than a shock for the sake of spectacle. Still, Kitano would not be deterred. He desperately wanted to leave his comedic auteurhood behind for the sake of acquiring a new auteur status in the world of dramatic cinema, and his answer to that very conundrum would come in the form of 1993's Sonatine — a film that takes place in almost real-time with a sleepy, relaxed, and melancholic pace that only ever raises above the mundanity of life when shocking moments of violence bring the film to an abrupt and unexpected life basked in the red of human viscera.
Takeshi Kitano's prior entertainment life as a comedic force has imbued his serious and dramatically violent cinema with an essence of comedy, not through direct humor, but how violence and bodily harm is framed. He directs the violence in Sonatine (and his later films) in the same cinematic style that one would frame a moment of surprise or slapstick comedy — there is usually a buildup (sometimes comedy, like violence, can burst from nowhere into unexpected life) followed by a moment of catharsis or a punchline. It just so happens that this punchline in the works of Kitano is usually punctuated with gunshots, leaking bodies in a state of flux between life and the finality of death, and the aftermath of violence. Anti-catharsis, if you will. For example, in a scene midway through Sonatine, Kitano's Murakawa and his yakuza-cohorts are seen drinking in a dimly lit Okinawa bar. Patrons come in — some are students who decide to have beer over hard liquor. "No hard liquor!", they say. But before those students enter, another group of young men enters and find a seat at a table in the back corner of the bar, directly behind Murakawa. Throughout these parties entering and finding seats, the camera hangs on Kitano and his gang in a static wide shot that showcases the relaxed normality of the current moment. This reality is fractured as each party enters the bar, as Kitano and his gang cast side-eyed glances at those who enter. This builds some tension, but nothing comes of it. The yakuza members just keep drinking in silence. The buildup of tension should have had a pay-off by now, and thus the tension washes away as reality sets back in. Then out of nowhere, violence erupts. Gunshots ring out through the bar, as the party in the back of the bar opens fire on Murakawa and his men. Some die, others live. The camera hangs in another static wide shot as Murakawa stands stoically in center-frame rapidly firing his handgun — no remorse, no sense of panic, no fear. This is all just normal, another bump in the road of the yakuza lifestyle. But the previous buildup of tension had little to do with the violence on display, and as the camera lingers over the leaking bodies as their fluids mix in with the bar's carpet, it becomes quite obvious how similar this whole moment is with random outbursts of slapstick comedies that color so many Japanese films — from Toshiro Mifune's wannabe samurai in Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai to the random crises that pop up in Juzo Itami's The Funeral. Kitano portraying violence as analogous to comedy directly ties to Kitano's human experience, directly playing into his status as a dramatic auteur: "Interior meaning is extrapolated from the tension between a director's personality and his material…It is not quite the vision of the world a director projects nor quite his attitude toward life. It is ambiguous, in any literary sense, because part of it is embedded in the stuff of the cinema and cannot be rendered in non-cinematic terms." (Sarris 453). Takeshi Kitano's auteur status is in a state of constant flux, of the push and pull between his past as a comedian and his present as a foremost director in the Japanese New Wave. His films have earned him the title of dramatic auteur, but his prior comedic auteur status will always inform every aspect of his works. That is where the interior meaning of the actions on display in his films come from. His experience of always being pulled in two directions informs how he portrays violence — there is the pull to see it as comedy and the direct, unmistakable push of the stomach-churning fact that what the viewer is seeing is an astoundingly graphic portrayal of violence. Once again, it is easy to turn to a specific scene from another one of his post-Violent Cop films, Hana-bi, which is a rumination on grief and guilt. Kitano once again stars in the film and seeing his body weave between moments of violence and comedy further exemplifies how he, beyond his auteur status, is in a constant state of bodily/metaphysical flux between his doing of comedy and violence. Roughly a third of the way through the film, Kitano's lead character — Yoshitaka Nishi — sits silently at the bar of a sushi restaurant. The camera faces him in a medium-wide shot that keeps his upper body and head in full-frame. Once again, the camera remains unmoved. Two low-level Yakuza thugs enter and flank him on either side. They hassle him for owed money. He remains, like the camera, alarmingly still. They threaten him with physical violence, and then he bursts into violent life. He sticks a chopstick in the eyeball of the man to his right and kicks the other man in the face, who gazes confusedly at Kitano as he violently coughs up bloody bile. Kitano's stillness and emotional distance in the face of chaos are what builds this scene to play for comedy, and his un-reaction to the gangsters hassling him is quite funny, but the explosion of violence yanks the viewer right back into Kitano's new field of play — serious drama imbued with shocking violence. In this, he subverts audience expectations, but more importantly, he subverts himself and finds his directorial essence flung into a state of liquid auteurhood, a term which I will endeavor to define and ground within Sonatine, while also allowing the phrase to drip into Kitano's entire oeuvre.
Liquid authorship, as I've come to define it, is an artist's ability to treat auteur status like a body of moving, flowing water, where their auteurhood is always moving forward in a new direction, but like how water a mile down a river is the same as the water a mile back in the river, is always informed by and in conversation with that person's prior auteur status and/or their essence as one who partakes in the metaphysical habits of the human experience. Takeshi Kitano emboldens and is easily defined as a liquid auteur because his past, in both filmmaking and in life, is always informing his present and his future works. There would be no Violent Cop without his past as a comedian and his desire to change and radicalize himself from being a comedic auteur. And there would be no Sonatine without the realization that Violent Cop was too nihilistic — its seriousness diminished by unwieldy pessimism. Fluid auteurhood is akin to walking a tight rope where on one side there is the past and on the other, there is the future of limitless, malleable possibilities. Sean Redmond, in the scholarly book Flowering Blood: The Cinema of Takeshi Kitano, sees Kitano as a filmmaker whose ideas and themes are 'liquid': "That his own authorial persona is itself a body-without-organs, that he is a self-reflexive liquid celebrity complicates the experience further…In a more direct academic sense, Kitano is an assemblage, a network or nodule through which these texts and images emerge." (Redmond 13). Kitano's filmography is imbued with a through-line of violence (or the implied threat of violence/its effects), but his films are also vastly different in the themes and worlds they explore. Yet, Kitano's essence and authorial voice ties them all together. Redmond sees this as being due to Kitano being the node or nexus point in which all of Kitano's filmic images stem from and return to — he is the terminus of his own work because he retains control over almost every aspect of his texts.
Kitano's focal point of where his terminus lies is always changing — it will move closer to comedy (as in his 1995 comedy Getting Any) or it will plunge into the murky, red-hued depths of bleak violence (as in his 2012 yakuza revenge film Beyond Outrage). Thus, the whole idea of him being "a body-without-organs" shows that his frame (his body/personage) cannot be changed, but the essence within is ever-malleable. Apply this line of thought to his filmic structure and style, and his resonance as a liquid auteur is directly defined. His films follow similar structures, pacing(s), and styles that grant the viewer the knowledge that they are viewing a Kitano film, but it becomes liquid/subversive when themes are applied to his structure — the fluctuation between comedy, violence, and the space between the two both subverts viewer expectations and Kitano's expectations of himself. He may seek to craft a violent and hyper-serious tale, but he'll end up with a jet-black comedy in the vein of Outrage or Violent Cop. He subverts typically defined auteur theory at almost every step, whether it be what audiences expect of him or how he frames and portrays violence, but he can still be defined as a liquid auteur of the portrayal of violence in cinema. This is most easily seen in how he lingers on the aftermath of violence, and it is in the moments after violence where his dramatic prowess fully reveals itself.
The thrill of cinematic violence comes in how the doing of violence is framed, paced, and executed. The recent John Wick films' whole raison d'être is to show how fluid and quick cinematic violence can be. The aftermath is rarely lingered on because once the viewer sees the aftermath of violence — the smoking bullet holes in mangled corpses, for example — the violence becomes less 'fun' and, in turn, it becomes more damning. But the films of Takeshi Kitano almost portray violence just to show the aftermath of such volatile acts — almost as if to show how pointless and ugly and random violence often is. For example, in Sonatine, Kitano lingers on almost every moment of violence. The most effective outcome of this specific directorial intent comes in a scene when rival yakuza bosses confront each other on a small dirt road that lies between two poppy fields. A man, his female partner, and bodyguards are shot in a static semi-overhead wide shot, as they converse with the rival party of yakuzas. What follows is a cut to a medium-wide shot as the yakuza boss and his bodyguards are killed. It happens in semi-slow-motion, as if in order to emphasize the impact of each gunshot. Lead punctures each body as they writhe in pain and crumble to the dirt. Where most directors would move on to the next scene knowing that the conversation of violence with the audience has reached its end, Kitano holds. In another semi-overhead wide shot, Kitano holds his camera over the dead bodies in the dirt and the surviving female character just stares at the bodies in shock or fear — her reaction is not conveyed to the audience, but it need not be. She is our surrogate. We, like she, are survivors of the outburst of violence and all we can do, all we must do, is look and grapple with the grisly aftermath. This structure of violence, this malleability of the image and of the aftermath is a necessary part of understanding Takeshi Kitano as a liquid auteur of comedic violence: "So film is a very versatile form of expression. That is why film making is the most exciting and enjoyable medium for me right now." (Hamid 33). Kitano expresses violence through its aftermath. The portrayal of violent acts is just a means to an end — the end being bloody bodies in variable states of disrepair and undoing. Violence in the cinema of Takeshi Kitano does not end after the last punch is thrown or the last shot is fired. It lingers for minutes after, and it never goes away within the universe of his films. The malleability of cinema affords Kitano the ability to be expressive through cinematic violence, how he portrays it, and by emphasizing the fact that he is far more interested in the psychological violence and bodily ruin then in just the sheer kinetic act of doing violence. That is why the violence in his films is not thrilling, it is just a matter of fact. And like comedy, what matters is what comes before and after the punchline — how it is affected in the cinematic sense and how it affects viewers, characters therein, and the status of Kitano's liquid auteurhood. Through his expression of violence, Kitano's will is, too, expressed.
Takeshi Kitano embodies the essence of an anti auteur theory because his life is constantly in conversation with his cinema, and his style of framing violence akin to comedy acts as a means of subverting cinematic styles, and auteur theory itself because he is his work but he, like his work, is always changing, never defined. Furthermore, his subversion of cinematic styles extends to the fact that Kitano is self-reflexive and aware of his status of liquid auteur. This affords him the ability to both subvert audience expectations and his own expectations of himself in how he portrays the filmic and thematic conversation between violence and comedy. Both Sonatine and Hana-bi exemplify the varying range of aspects that make up the metaphysical body of Kitano as a filmmaker. His films constantly engage in the means and doings of violence, but he knows that violence is more than just an act. It is a world-altering event, and he allows his cinematic worlds to be molded, fractured, and annihilated by violence and the carnal aftermath(s). Yet, he does with a subtle smirk because his violent and comedic tool kits are, in fact, one and the same.
Afterword:
I, personally, do not buy into auteur theory as it is defined. I find it to be a toxic concept that has emboldened many (predominantly male) directors to be assholes, cruel, and monstrous in order to "assert their auteur status and achieve their vision." If we are to find any power and purpose in the term and its origins, we must redefine it—which I have tried to do in a way that makes sense for the overall essay, but as a whole, I genuinely believe that auteur theory has been detrimental to the making and consumption of cinema, as well as the teaching and doing of film theory. It is a crutch.
Related Readings:
Hamid, Rahul. "'Beat' Comes to America: An Interview with Takeshi Kitano." Cineaste, vol. 26, no. 3, Summer 2001, p. 32.
Kitano, Takeshi. "Sonatine." 1993.
Kitano, Takeshi. "Hana-bi." 1997.
"Introduction: Becoming Lost in Tokyo." The Cinema of Takeshi Kitano: Flowering Blood, by Sean Redmond, Wallflower Press, 2013, pp. 1–15.
Sarris, Andrew. "Notes on the Auteur Theory from 1962." Film Culture, pp. 452–454.
How Movies give shape to the Soul
Fox Kerry
"Late Spring" and the Blossoming of Ozu and Hara
Alex Bauer
Movies on Netflix That Accurately Capture Mental Illness
"I Didn't Know They Stacked Sh*t That High"
Amanda Kerri in Humungus
Misinformation cinema
Harrison Blackman
How Martin Scorsese Crafted Taxi Driver
Ezra T. James in Storius Magazine
Curtain up for the future: My five favorite films about artificial intelligence
Anja Hendel in #NextLevelGermanEngineering
How Long Will I Love U (Su Lun, 2018)
Sean Gilman in The Chinese Cinema


text:
<?php

namespace Database\Factories;

use App\Models\NewsletterSubscription;
use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Factories\Factory;

class NewsletterSubscriptionFactory extends Factory
{
    /**
     * The name of the factory's corresponding model.
     *
     * @var string
     */
    protected $model = NewsletterSubscription::class;

    /**
     * Define the model's default state.
     */
    public function definition(): array
    {
        return [
            'email' => $this->faker->unique()->safeEmail()
        ];
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


2 nights ago: Dreamt my patient had ebola Last night: dreamt they tried to take my nursing license away Help.
I dreamt I went to a makeout party & started freaking out about getting ebola. That says so much about my subconscious, it's not even funny.
Dreams, say modern dream theorists, are extensions of our waking lives that tend to explore the emotional and practical issues and problems that concern us the most.
Dreams seem to help us process emotions by encoding and constructing memories of them. What we see and experience in our dreams might not necessarily be real, but the emotions attached to these experiences certainly are. Our dream stories essentially try to strip the emotion out of a certain experience by creating a memory of it.
This way, the emotion itself is no longer active. This mechanism fulfils an important role because when we don't process our emotions, especially negative ones, this increases personal worry and anxiety.
In fact, severe REM sleep-deprivation is increasingly correlated to the development of mental disorders. In short, dreams help regulate traffic on that fragile bridge which connects our experiences with our emotions and memories.
In other words, without the Ebola dreams, you'd likely be a lot more freaked out by the virus than you already are. Sweet Ebola dreams, everyone!
I had a dream that Ebola was an epidemic in America and I had to hide in my house and never leave. It was like I am Legend.
DREAMED I COULD CURE EBOLA. All you had to do was hold an iguana to your chest until it split into three tiny iguanas and BAM cured.
Just woke up from a migraine nap, during which I dreamed the guy I was crushing on in high school contracted Ebola.
Had a crazy Ebola zombie war breakout dream last night. I wish I never woke up.


text:
Pahadi Shop
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Uttarakhand Travel Blog
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We will help you find the right school in less than 6 hours!
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Courtesy by Ecole Globale School, Dehradun
Welham Girls School Dehradun
Affiliation CISCE, New Delhi
Address No. 12 - Circular Road, Dalanwala, Dehradun - 248001, Uttarakhand, India
City Dehradun, Uttarakhand
School Type Boarding School (Residential)
Welham Girls School (previously known as Welham Girls High School) is a boarding School for girls located at the foothills of the Himalayas in Dehradun, Uttarakhand India. It has progressed from being a School for privileged girls to being a School that prides itself in encouraging students from across the length and breadth of India.
It is a girls' only boarding school in Dehradun.
A retired English headmistress, Miss Oliphant started Welham Boys School in 1937. Soon, she was struck by the lack of Schools of similar quality for the sisters of these little boys. Fired by the desire to create an equal educational platform for young Indian women in a newly independent India, she acquired a palatial estate called Nasreen adjacent to Welham Boys School to start a small boarding school for girls.
Miss Linnell became the Founder- Principal of Welham Girls School. Under Miss Linnell's able guidance, Welham Girls' High School, as it was known then, established itself as a full-fledged boarding School in Dehradun, India.
Welham Girls School in Dehradun is a reputed School in Uttaranchal. Welham Girls School in Dehradun is affiliated to the Indian School Certificate Examinations (ISCE), New Delhi.
Welham Girls' School in Dehradun has an ambiance which is absolutely non-communal. They put stress on value-added education and on discipline. Students are inspired to develop leadership qualities. There are classes from V to XII at Welham Girls School of Dehradun.
Facilities in Welham Girls School, Dehradun
The School is justifiably proud of a spacious, very well stocked, open-shelf library cum resource center designed to encourage girls to develop an interest in a variety of subjects, and to allow them the facility of research and in-depth study. State-of-the-art, well-equipped laboratories provide excellent facilities in Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Computer Science, Mathematics, History, Geography, and Home Science. Computer Science is compulsory up to Class VIII and is offered both as a subject and as a co-curricular activity thereafter. The School makes extensive use of audio-visual ICT-enabled teaching aids. There is great emphasis on project work and students are encouraged to use the library and carry out reference work. Independent thinking and learning through discussions and group activities are encouraged.
Extracurricular activities and Sports
These activities in Welham Girls School includes Craft, Kathak, Bharatnatyam, Folk Dance, Tabla, Sitar, Guitar, Drums, Piano, Indian classical vocal music, Western classical vocal music, Audio Visual, Dramatics, Paper Recycling, French, Computer science and Yoga Sports form an integral part of the school routine with regular house competitions culminating during the Annual Sports Day, the day before Founders Da. The girls are free to choose from various sports activities like Basketball, Hockey, Badminton, Lawn tennis, Athletics, Table tennis, Karate, Cricket, and Aerobics.
The new academic session begins in early April every year. Admissions are offered in Classes VI, VII and XI only, subject to the availability of seats. The lower age limit for admission in the School is 10½ on 1st April of the year of joining the School in Class VI.
An application for registration is the first stage of the admissions process. A registration fee must be sent along with the application so that the girl's name may be registered for the year and class for which admission is sought. The fee is neither refundable nor adjustable and it is valid only for the specified academic year. The registration of a girl is not a guarantee of her admission.
Every girl registered for admission into Classes VI & VII is expected to appear for an Aptitude/Proficiency Assessment at the specified center closest to the individual girl's place of residence. The Assessment is held in November/ December of the year preceding that in which admission is sought. Particulars of these Assessments are sent by the school to parents well in advance. The student is also required to pass a medical fitness test.
Documents Required at the time of Admission
Transfer Certificate, Character Certificate
03 Passport size Photographs
Migration Certificate
Click Here to View Fee Structure
Posted by: eUttaranchal/ Rashmi Bisht
Contact Address of Welham Girls School Dehradun for 2021 Admissions, 2021 Results and other Information related Exam Dates 2021
No. 12 - Circular Road, Dalanwala, Dehradun - 248001, Uttarakhand, India
+91-0135-2657223, 2659690, 2657378, 6670100
mainschool@welhamgirls.com, wgs_admissions@welhamgirls.com
www.welhamgirls.com
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GENE WILDER'S WIDOW OPENS UP ABOUT ALZHEIMER'S
Heres How ABC News Covered Gene Wilder's Death
ABC NEWS -- In an exclusive essay for ABC News, Karen Wilder opens up about her 35-year marriage to the late actor and activist Gene Wilder. The "Young Frankenstein" star died last year at the age of 83, after battling Alzheimer's disease in the final years of his life. Wilder discusses some of the trials and tribulations caregivers or spouses can experience when caring for someone living with the debilitating disease.
Gene Wilder's widow on what it's like to care for someone with Alzheimer's
I never pictured myself marrying a movie star. I also never saw myself spending years of my life taking care of one. But I've done both. Love was the reason for the first. Alzheimer's disease, the second.
I met Gene Wilder in 1989. He was preparing to shoot a movie called "See No Evil, Hear No Evil," in which the character he played was deaf. Though I grew up in very small town in Idaho, where it was a big deal if you had indoor plumbing, I had been working in New York City for over twenty years by that point as a speech pathologist with the hearing impaired. As he always did when he took on a role, Gene wanted to understand his character. He showed up at my office one day in search of my professional advice.
We formed a powerful bond. At the time, Gene was married to Gilda Radner, who was in the final stages of ovarian cancer. After Gilda's death, Gene sought me out again. We married a year later and, for more than twenty years, we were one of the happiest couples I knew. We traveled to France and played tennis together (three sets in a single afternoon). When I signed up for tap dancing lessons, Gene joined me. We set up side-by-side easels in the garden painting watercolors. At night, we danced together on a floor we'd built, under the stars -- The Waltz, Salsa, Cha Cha and Tango.
The first signs of trouble were small. Always the kindest, most tender man (if a fly landed on him, he waited for the fly to leave), suddenly I saw Gene lashing out at our grandson. His perception of objects and their distance from him became so faulty that on a bike ride together, he thought we were going to crash into some trees many feet away from us. Once, at a party with friends, when the subject of "Young Frankenstein" came up, he couldn't think of the name of the movie and had to act it out instead.
When we finally got him tested and the diagnosis came back, it was Alzheimer's. Unlike other diagnoses, even some cancers, this one offers not even a shred of hope for survival. The synapses of his brain were getting tangled and the result would be a steady and terrible progression of losses -- memory of course, but also motor control, to the point where eventually his body would simply forget how to swallow or breathe.
My husband took the news with grief, of course, but also astonishing grace. I watched his disintegration each moment of each day for six years. One day, I saw him struggle with the ties on his drawstring pants. That night, I took the drawstrings out. Then his wrist was bleeding from the failed effort of trying to take off his watch. I put his watch away.
I was determined to keep Gene with me –- in California and, finally, at the home we'd made together in Connecticut. We still managed to have some good times and to laugh, even at the ravages of the disease that was killing him.
One day, when he fell on the patio and couldn't get up, I maneuvered him over to the edge of our pool and floated him to the other side, where there were steps and a railing to assist him. Another time, after struggling for twenty minutes trying to pull himself up, he looked out as if he was addressing the audience at the Belasco Theater, a place he knew well, and said in his best Gene Wilder voice, "Just a minute folks. I'll be right back."
But there's another particularly cruel aspect to the disease of Alzheimer's, because in addition to destroying – piece by piece – the one who's stricken with it, it ravages the life of the person caring for its victims. In our case, I was that person.
I am grateful that I knew to reach out for help from the Alzheimer's Association. When I did, I learned some alarming statistics from them. One in three seniors dies with Alzheimer's or another dementia. That means, if a mature couple invites two couples over for dinner, one of the couples could face Alzheimer's.
Then came the biggest shocker: 40 percent of Alzheimer's caregivers die before the patient according to a study done by Stanford Medicine -- not from disease, but from the sheer physical, spiritual and emotional toll of caring for a loved one with Alzheimer's.
Gene died fifteen months ago. I was in the bed next to him when he took his last breaths. By that point, it had been days since he'd spoken. But on that last night, he looked me straight in the eye and said, three times over, "I trust you."
Pure Imagination Project
So, I have a responsibility, I think. Neither my love, nor science, could save my husband's life. But it's my most profound hope that through research and awareness, others may be spared the experience that killed Gene -- and could have killed me, too. of Earlier this month, The Gates Foundation announced the largest gift ever presented to the cause of Alzheimer's research: a commitment of $100 million aimed at eradicating the disease within our lifetime. I am profoundly grateful that this crisis, viewed for too long as insoluble, is receiving funding for the dedicated scientific community, with the goal of early diagnosis and ultimately a cure. It was in this vein that I allowed the use of my husband's character of Willy Wonka to be used in the "Pure Imagination Project," a new video campaign to bring greater awareness about Alzheimer's and encourage each of us to do our part.
But let's not forget that other killer -- the silent one that takes its victim even before the disintegration of brain cells does its own dirty work. I am speaking of the crisis that can kill the once-healthy loved spouses, siblings, friends and adult children of Alzheimer's patients, who devote almost every waking hour of their lives (and also the nights) to caring for a person they love, but who may no longer recognize them.
I am grateful that Gene never forgot who I was. But many caregivers of Alzheimer's patients are less fortunate.
Every year, Alzheimer's disease costs our nation an estimated $259 billion, according to the Alzheimer's Association. At this hopeful moment, when there is more momentum than ever towards finding a cure and treatments, let's also remember the desperate need of caregivers.
It is a strange, sad irony that so often, in the territory of a disease that robs an individual of memory, caregivers are often the forgotten. Without them, those with Alzheimer's could not get through the day, or die -- as my husband did -- with dignity, surrounded by love.
ABC NEWS ALZHEIMERS GENE WILDER INTERVIEW KAREN WILDER


Knight Rider: The Series - "I'm Shinny"
:10 second commercial aired 7/15 during America's Got Talent. Mostly recycled footage but new audio and graphics - just a taste of what is to come.
Knight Rider: The Series - "Turbo Boost"
What millions of Knight Rider fans have been waiting for - KITT talks about his Turbo Boost!
Justin Bruening stars in NBC's new Knight Rider series.
David Bartis is executive producer of NBC's new version of Knight Rider.
Gary Scott Thompson is executive producer of NBC's new Knight Rider.
Bruce Davison stars in NBC's new Knight Rider series.
Gary Scott Thompson explains some of the features of KITT's new Attack Mode to Knight Rider Online.
Gary Scott Thompson talks briefly about the Original Cast and references to the old show.
Check out this really cool video of the transformation process from raw video, to 3d wireframe to final transformation. exclusive for knight rider online!
exclusive for http://knightrideronline - 3min plus interview with Bruce Davison, actor playing the roll of Charles Gramin in the Knight Rider series on NBC September 24h.
exclusive for http://knightrideronline.com - interview with Yancey Arias, actor playing the roll of Alex Torres in the Knight Rider series on NBC September 24h.
exclusive for http://knightrideronline.com - interview with Sydney Tamiia Poitier, actor playing the roll of Carrie Rivai in the Knight Rider series on NBC September 24h.
Gary Scott Thomspon is interviewed by Knight Rider Online on the set of 1x17 and reports on the news that Knight Rider may be canceled.
This page is an archive of entries in the Exclusive category from December 2008.
Exclusive: March 2009 is the next archive.


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Homechevron_rightSportschevron_rightOlympicschevron_rightOlympics: Indian men...
date_range 3 Aug 2021 9:45 AM GMT
Olympics: Indian men lose 2-5 against Belgium in Hockey semi
Tokyo: Indian men lost in the Olympic hockey semi-final against Belgium for 2-5 on Tuesday, missing another chance to play Olympic men's hockey finals in 40 years.
India faced Belgium for the first time after losing to the latter in the FIH Pro League match in February 2020.
Now, India will contest the loser's final for the Bronze on Thursday, against the loser of Australia versus Germany match, the second semi-final.
Right from the start, India played a bit nervously that saw an early penalty corner. And in the second minute, Luick Luypaert scored for Belgium.
Barely nine minutes thence, it was Belgium's turn to concede a penalty corner which Harmanpreet Singh converted into a goal. Two minutes later, Mandeep Singh scored another goal to give India a lead, when Amit Rohidas passed a ball to the former inside the circle.
In the second quarter, Belgium raced back and earned four penalty corners within minutes. Hendrickx put one of them into the nets and levelled scores before halftime. It was Hendrickx's 12th Olympic goal.
The third quarter didn't award either team any opportunities. But in the last 15 minutes, India paid the price for its inability two prevent penalty corners. Alexander Hendrickx scored two goals; one out of them was a penalty corner.
In the final minutes, Belgium veteran John-John Dohmen scored the fifth goal culminating in a big win for the team.
Throughout Tokyo Olympics, India had exhibited good performances except a 7-1 defeat against Australia. It had defeated New Zealand for 3-2 in the opening group game. It had defeated Germany (2-0), Spain (3-1), Argentina (3-1) and Japan (5-3) so far.
TAGS:Tokyo Olympics Hockey India


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By The Australian
Lyn and Chris Dawson appear to have the perfect marriage. He's a star footballer and popular high school teacher. She's a devoted wife and mother. They share a beautiful home above Sydney's northern beaches. But when Lyn goes missing, dark secrets are buried. This is no fairytale, but a sordid story of strangely close twin brothers, teenage student lovers, and probable murder. The Australian's Hedley Thomas digs deep into a cold case which has been unsolved for 36 years, uncovering startling new evidence.
Chris Dawson
Special Update Episode
As Chris Dawson's defence team, police and prosecutors work hard to prepare for a murder trial which may be heard some time next year, 2020, the team behind The Teacher's Pet podcast series discloses a new development - taking down the first 16 episodes in Australia, to help ensure Chris gets a fair trial. And Greg Walsh, Chris's experienced lawyer, flags some of the issues and claims which are important to him and the accused.
Introducing: Who the Hell is Hamish?
July 19, 2018 · transcript
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Australian, which is the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Listen Notes, Inc.
Search past episodes of The Teacher's Pet.
@australian
@the.australian
theaustralian
google.com/podcasts?feed=aH...
open.spotify.com/show/19LCr...


Watch video · Related: Oculus Rift system requirements or buy the VR PC I used to test the Rift If you already have a PC powerful enough then the first thing you need to do is make sure your graphic card... The Oculus Rift is one of the most popular virtual reality headsets in the world at the moment, with the company, arguably, being responsible for the virtual reality boom that we're witnessing at the moment.
Update: Rumors are circulating that Oculus Rift 2 may be cancelled following the announcement that Brendan Iribe, co-founder and former CEO of Oculus, is leaving Facebook.... Update: Rumors are circulating that Oculus Rift 2 may be cancelled following the announcement that Brendan Iribe, co-founder and former CEO of Oculus, is leaving Facebook.
Use the HDMI for the Rift, and either a Display Port or the DVI (with an adapter if necessary) for your monitor. Don't use that other HDMI up by the USB ports! That's the integrated video of your motherboard.... The Oculus Rift is one of the most popular virtual reality headsets in the world at the moment, with the company, arguably, being responsible for the virtual reality boom that we're witnessing at the moment.
The high-resolution screen of the Oculus Rift lets players see enormous landscapes from the cockpit of their aircraft, leaving the enemy no place to hide. To play War Thunder with the Oculus Rift... The specs are in, and they're big. The PC that consumers will need to power Oculus's imminent consumer VR headset will need to be predictably high-powered, but that doesn't mean it's out of reach.
Support VR device:GEA VR, Oculus IFT, PlayStation VR, HTC Vive et. Gear VR, Oculus Rift etc, VR head mount display is used when using sanitary cloth.
The specs are in, and they're big. The PC that consumers will need to power Oculus's imminent consumer VR headset will need to be predictably high-powered, but that doesn't mean it's out of reach.
Important update 5/1/15: You can now purchase LCD displays that are spoofed to have the same monitor information as the Oculus Rift DK1. This allows you to use it with the Oculus SDK with barrel warping in official Oculus Rift demos.


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Howard drops 35 as Marquette blows out Xavier
Markus Howard scored 35 points and Marquette stifled Xavier on the defensive end in an 85-65 home victory on Wednesday night in Milwaukee.
Howard, the nation's scoring leader at 27.3 points per game, logged his seventh 30-point game of the season and 24th of his career by making 12 of 27 shots with five 3-pointers.
Howard had 19 in the first half and 13 more during a 15-0 Marquette run early in the second half that gave the Golden Eagles a 61-39 lead after Xavier had opened on a 7-2 run to cut into a 44-32 halftime deficit.
Marquette (12-5, 2-3 Big East) shot 47.7 percent and outrebounded Xavier 46-30, with 15 offensive boards leading to 17 second-chance points. But it was its transition game that really stood out, scoring 25 on the break, with many of those scores coming after Xavier turnovers or one-and-done possessions.
Howard's scoring dominance was expected but aiding the cause for Marquette were other contributors. Senior guard Sacar Anim had 10 of his 12 points in the first half while junior forward Theo John and junior guard Koby McEwen each added 10, improving the Golden Eagles to 7-1 when at least three players score in double figures.
The Musketeers (12-6, 1-4) were held to 35.9 percent shooting, their second-worst rate of the season, and hit only 6 of 25 from 3-point range to drop to 26.7 percent from outside in Big East play.
Hurting Xavier's cause was having junior guard Paul Scruggs limited to five minutes in the first half because of foul trouble. He did not score until the first minute of the second half and finished with 11 points, but helping fill the void in his absence was senior forward Tyrique Jones, who had 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting and passed 1,000 points for his career, while leading scorer Naji Marshall added 15.
Xavier and Marquette will have a rematch in Cincinnati on Jan. 29.


text:
Q: How move main menu to center in joomla my main menu is aligned in left I want to move my main menu items in the center of the page.I'm using protostar template.

A: Assuming you are using Joomla 3.5 or later, create a file at: templates/protostar/css/user.css if it doesn't already exist and add the following contents to the file:
.navigation {
  text-align: center;
}
.navigation .nav {
  display: inline-block;
}

A: You open the file template.css in folder templates\protostar\css\template.css if you use template protostar.
And find the line of code:
.navigation .nav-pills {
    margin-bottom: 0;
}

add code:
.navigation .nav-pills {
   margin-bottom: 0;
   display: flex;
   justify-content: center;
}

As the following image

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Vote for roguelike of the year 2013
It's that time of the year again: the roguelike of the year competition has arrived! Please consider voting for Kerkerkruip if you like the game. (Note: you can vote for as many games as you like.)
Posted by Victor Gijsbers at Thursday, December 19, 2013 No comments: Links to this post
Ludorama #2: "Fiasco" by Jason Morningstar
Title: Fiasco
Author: Jason Morningstar
Price: 12$ pdf, 25$ book+pdf, link
Size: 130 pages
Genre: black comedy; slapstick; crime
Themes: great ambitions and poor impulse control; big dreams and flawed execution; lives that get fucked up by gigantic stupidity
Number of players: 3-5
Player roles: no differentiation; everyone plays one character
Preparation: none
Length of game: 2-3 hours
Rules complexity: low (but you need some big tables)
Resolution: specified number of successful and unsuccessful scenes; player's choose which scenes will be which
Online playability: medium/high
Capsule overview: An easy to understand, quick game about people with big ambitions and poor impulse control. You will go from a tense situation full of potential to an absolute mess in a very short time, as the characters get themselves and each other into more and more trouble. Do not expect happy endings, but glory in the absolute train-wreck that it all will become. The playsets and tilt do a lot to stimulate your creativity, and help you get and keep the game up to speed. Highly recommended. (Based on playing the game twice.)
Detailed overview: A game of Fiasco starts by choosing a playset and creating a situation. A playset is a set of four tables, each detailing 36 items organised in 6 categories of 6 items. One table has relationships, like "Family - grandparent/grandchild" or "Romance - former spouses". One table has needs, like "To get even - with this town, for what is has turned you into" or "To get rich - through tricking a handicapped guy." The third and fourth table define objects and places, respectively.
As a group, you roll a big pile of dice, and then take turns using these dice to assign relationships, needs, objects and places to the characters. On my turn, I might write down the relationship category "Friendship" between your character and mine. I would then take a 3 from the pile of dice, because this playset indicates that "Friendship" is category 3. If there are no 3's left, I can't choose this category. Then you might use a 5 to add the specific relationship "Friends with benefits," which is number 5 in category 3. Again, you can only do this if there is a 5 left.
This way, you'll end up with a situation that is partly chosen by the players and partly determined by the dice. You then flesh out the characters and what they want, and once everybody has an idea about what's going on, you start playing.
Play consists of discrete scenes focussing on one active character. That character's player can either choose to start the scene -- telling what his character is up to -- or end the scene -- choosing a black or white die from the pool in the middle of the table, which indicate failure or success respectively. (Dice are never rolled during scenes, they act only as black/white tokens.) The other players get to do the other thing. Obviously, if you choose to determine how the scene ends, they'll generally narrate how your character is involved in a really stupid plan that you probably don't even want to succeed.
Halfway through the game, two surprising events are determined using the Tilt Table. Some examples of tilts are "Betrayed by friends," "Something precious is on fire" and "The wrong guy gets busted." These events are then worked into the next scenes.
At the end of the game everyone rolls the dice they have collected. You count up the white and the black dice, then subtract the smaller from the larger number. The closer you get to 0, the worse you are off. ("You are probably dead. Other people, probably innocent people, are as well. There is no justice, there is no mercy, everything is utterly, painfully screwed and it is all -- all of it -- your fault." Rolling 0 is even worse.) Happy endings for a character are possible, but somewhat unlikely. Everybody gets to establish the fate of their own character by narrating a couple of short vignettes.
Context: Jason Morningstar is a prolific game designer, as can be seen here. His best known games, apart from Fiasco, might be The Shab al-Hiri Roach, a 2006 game about backstabbing academics and a mind-controlling roach (link); Grey Ranks, a 2007 game about young Polish partisans in the 1944 Warsaw uprising (link); and Durance, a 2012 game about a penal colony in space (link).
More good-humoured than Fiasco, but just as much given to slapstick, is Jared A. Sorensen's Inspectres. Just as bloody, but with even less rules, shorter and a distinct party-game feel is Great Ork Gods by Jack Aidley.
Posted by Victor Gijsbers at Sunday, December 08, 2013 No comments: Links to this post
Labels: Fiasco, Jason Morningstar, ludorama, roleplaying games
Ludorama #1: "Mars Colony" by Tim C. Koppang
The Ludorama is a new feature at the Gaming Philosopher where I present a tabletop roleplaying game. The first instalment is about Mars Colony by Tim C. Koppang, a game that I recently had the pleasure of playing online with Remko van der Pluijm.
I'll start by giving you the "vital statistics" of the game, and then go on to give a fuller description of the game. Since this is the first instalment, and I'm just trying things out, let me know what you would like to see in the vital statistics. (P.S. I've added several things since the first publication.)
Title: Mars Colony
Author: Tim C. Koppang
Price: 6$ PDF, 12$ book, link
Size: 52 small pages
Genre: social science fiction
Themes: the toughness of social problems; inability to meet your own and others' expectations; the temptation of using deception
Number of players: 2
Player roles: one "Savior" and one "Governor" (see below)
Rules complexity: low
Resolution: some scenes are resolved using one or more rolls of 2d6
Online playability: high
Capsule overview: A short game for two players who are interested in exploring serious social problems, political struggle, and the moral and personal problems of a well-meaning politician who wants to set everything right but probably cannot succeed. Well-presented and easy to like, though I expect the stories will become rather repetitive if you play it often. (Based on playing the game once.)
Detailed overview: Mars Colony is a game for exactly two players. It tells the story of how Kelly Perkins -- who can be either male or female -- attempts to solve the problems of the failing human colony on Mars. One player (the "Savior") plays Kelly, sent to Mars by the Earth Coalition, whereas the other player (the "Governor") controls the other characters and the environment.
The game consists of three stages: preparation, play, and the endgame. During preparation, the players collaborate to set the fictional stage. They choose several real-world political parties to serve as inspiration for the political parties on Mars; they create NPCs on Mars, most of them important to the colony, one of them closely linked to Kelly and in trouble; and they choose the problems that the colony is dealing with. These can range from "radiation" to "terrorism," and from "population" to "funding."
The game proper consists of discrete scenes. The Governor and the Savior take turns framing scenes, which have to fall into one of three categories. Personal scenes are about Kelly's personal life and struggles; opposition scenes are about setting up trouble for the colony; progress scenes are the scenes in which Kelly attempts to solve these problems. Only the Governor can start opposition scenes, and only the Savior can start progress scenes.
Personal and opposition scenes are played out without any mechanical resolution. Progress scenes, however, involve the Savior rolling two dice. The sum total of these dice indicate the amount of progress the Savior is making towards solving the problem. The Savior can continue rolling dice as many times as she wants, thus making more and more progress ... but if a die ever comes up 1, the scene ends in disaster and she loses all progress she has made in that scene.
Unless she uses deception, that is. Kelly always has the option to cover up her failures by deception, in which case her progress is not lost. This progress is, however, marked as "lies." Lies can help the colony. But they can also come back to haunt Kelly. If the dice ever fall particularly unfavourable -- an outcome that becomes more probable when deception is used more often -- the deceptions are uncovered, Kelly is completely disgraced, and all Lie points are lost.
It is very unlikely that you will be able to get the colony completely on track without using deception. It is still pretty unlikely even when you do use deception. So Kelly's story will almost always involve an element of getting to grips with her own failures; with her own inability to meet the very high expectations that the people of Mars have of her, and the need to confront their growing disillusionment and contempt. Whether this involves humility, browbeating or high-stakes deception is up to the player.
When nine progress scenes have been played, the game ends. The Governor describes the state of the colony, based on the amount of progress Kelly has made. The Savior describes the situation from Kelly's point of view, and that's the end.
Context: Tim C. Koppang has published three other games. Persona, a "just in time" roleplaying game written in 2003 and available for free here. Clank, an extremely brief game about finding a stranger in your appartment, freely available here (2013). And, more substantially, Hero's Banner: the Fury of Free Will, a 2006 game about a fantasy hero who must choose which goals to reach and which to abandon (more information here).
For those who are eager to explore more social science fiction, there is Joshua A. C. Newman's Shock: Social Science Fiction.
Posted by Victor Gijsbers at Monday, December 02, 2013 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: ludorama, Mars Colony, roleplaying games, Tim C Koppang


Should the world worry about America's corporate-debt mountain?
Britain crashing out of the EU (Brexit with no EU deal).
Are tens of millions of Americans about to experience devaluation of the dollar?
What, exactly, is socialism? Again this discussion seems necessary.
How Free Market Ideology Killed hundreds in American Airline Industry.
Where is the out cry over the debt?


Discharge Flange for GT20 with Pocket Carve | EXOTICSPEED INC.
Discharge flange for GT20 with pocket carved to clear internal wastegate valve. Profiled to the housing discharge shape. 2" OD opening for 2" tube (1.795" ID opening). For welding.