This page will contain updates to the site as they are implemented. Use this page of the site as a reference to the latest changes and news in feral cat caretaker news & the use of MA as a feline birth control.
I am NOT affiliated with either of these sources but I have indeed safely bought MA from them in the past. Contact them for more info.
UPDATE: MARCH 8, 2016: Has the ACCD softened their once harsh stance on the use of MA as a feline contraceptive? Is there a crack in their info dam to open up to the use of MA? We'd like to think that this site & the 1000's of users of MA has changed their minds. A few years ago, ACCD would not have had this info on their site. Read it HERE.
UPDATE: MARCH 7, 2016: I have updated a few dead links & general site maintenance.
People ask me "What's New" for MA? Actually there really isn't any "new" news as far as MA is concerned except we all KNOW that it works. Since my last update a year ago, I have received hundreds of emails from satisfied users of the Ebay MA/nonovulin or RX MA from their vet and they all say the same thing: NO NEW LITTERS following the dosing guidelines on this site! There's no new dosing guidelines and nothing really on the horizon to replace the use of MA. For now, "if it's not broken, don't fix it!" so continue to use this website as a reference for dosing your colonies with MA.
Also, please DO NOT email me asking where to get MA! If you do so then that means you have NOT read this website in it's entirety as I plainly state above how and where to buy MA without a veterinary prescription.
You would not believe how many emails I get asking me this question when all one has to do is READ this site. I seriously doubt that some of these people should even be trying to mix MA if they can't follow simple directions. READ THIS SITE ENTIRELY and then READ IT AGAIN! I do NOT sell or RX MA! The sources for you to obtain MA are on this site.
UPDATE: March 11, 2015: I just got an email from a reader that reported she has been using the Bulgarian Nonovulin MA pills for 32 straight weeks with ZERO pregnancies in her colony! Great! MA works folks.
UPDATE: March 10, 2015: Added an English translation of a 2003 French study on the side effects of megestrol acetate. This study basically squelches the naysayers of MA out there who say the side effects of MA are dangerous. The study concluded that the risk of adverse reactions of using megestrol acetate in felines was .074 in 100,000 pills sold! See HOME page of this site for a PDF copy of the study. Or you can download it HERE.
UPDATE: September 15, 2014: Some people have said that their Ebay Bulgarian Nonovulin mixture molded after a few days of mixing. This is because the tablets do contain lactose. It is best to mix up only the required amount necessary for any given week to prevent spoilage. See the 10 MG Tablet mixing page for mixing the Nonovulin or any other MA tablets DRY without liquid.
UPDATE: October 31, 2013: I have added a mixing and dosing page for those of you that are now using the 10 MG each MA tablets purchased without a prescription from E-bay. These pills are available from Bulgaria. I have added information on obtaining these below as well. If you are using the 10 mg each MA tablets, please click HERE for your dosing and mixing instructions.
UPDATE: October 30, 2013: People have been emailing me asking how MA is working for me. I am happy to state that I have had ZERO new kittens in my colonies since 2012 when I put the colonies I care for on MA as per the dosing guidelines I have outlined on this website.
For those asking, I will implement the "Home Vet-Pet Tips" page soon. I have decided to hold off on doing it until I can get the information written up in an easy-to-understand format. This is for the safety of the cats.
WITHOUT a Rx! I ordered it from Bulgaria for $11.00 USD with $7.00 shipping. It is sold in Bulgaria without a Rx. (NOTE: As of January2017, Ebay has stopped sale of MA. See above for new source no RX needed.) The packet is a 30 tablet count with each pill being 10 mg. For those of you having a hard time here in the USA finding a vet that will prescribe it for you, this is perfect for you. The product is marketed there as "Nonovulin Anti Estrus". Do NOT follow the instructions included with the packet. Follow only the dosing instructions on this website for estrus prevention in feral cats by dissolving the pills in distilled water! I have now included dosing and mixing instructions for the 10 mg Nonovulin tablets HERE.
How to make your own Capstar pills for pennies—safe and tested by me already.


The crunchy flakes of corn, flax and amaranth brings a twist on the classic corn flake, delivering bonus nutrients and flavour all in one go. They're gluten-free and a natural source of omega 3 fatty acids, which are natural anti-inflammatories and brain boosters, making it a smarter choice of breakfast cereal.
*Amount in cereal. One half cup skim contributes an additional 40 calories, 65 mg sodium, 6g total carbohydrate (6g sugars), and 4g protein.
Corn meal*, yellow corn flour*, evaporated cane juice*, flax*, buckwheat flour*, quinoa*, amaranth*, sea salt, tocopherols (natural vitamin E).
Produced in a facility that uses peanuts, dairy, wheat, tree nuts and soy.
If you want good, organic and sustainable food for your kids, but all they want is breakfast cereal, Nature's Path have your answer. They have created delicious breakfast foods that are good for tummies and good for the environment too. They continue to create new combinations, trial new superfoods, and find the best way to make healthy food delectable.


text:
Pilophorus gracilis är en insektsart som beskrevs av Philip Reese Uhler 1895. Pilophorus gracilis ingår i släktet Pilophorus och familjen ängsskinnbaggar. Inga underarter finns listade i Catalogue of Life.

Källor

Ängsskinnbaggar
gracilis

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


IDFC Infrastructure Fund is a Equity - Sectoral fund launched on 8 Mar 11. It is a fund with High risk and has given a CAGR return of 5.3% since its launch. Ranked 1 in Sectoral category. Return for 2018 was -25.9% , 2017 was 58.7% and 2016 was 10.7% .
Net Assets (AUM) as on 31 Mar 2019 ₹956 Cr.
Rajendra Mishra 27 Jun 13 5.6 Yr.


text:
Q: How to store the return value of services function as array of object in my another ts file I want to store the returned value of function in the services, into array of object of my ts file
getserver(id:number) {
    const server = this.servers.find(
      (s) => {
        return s.id === id;
      }
    )
  }

this function return type is void and ,But I want to store it in ts file as object so I am getting the error
*Error
type void is not assignable to type
{id:number,name:string,status:string}[];
Here my question is what I am doing wrong,  should i convert this void type retrun value into object or something then how?
edit-server.ts
import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
import { ActivatedRoute, Router } from '@angular/router';
import { ServerService } from '../../servers.service';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-edit-server',
  templateUrl: './edit-server.component.html',
  styleUrls: ['./edit-server.component.css']
})
export class EditServerComponent implements OnInit {
  servers!: {id:number,name:string,status:string}[];
  constructor(private route: ActivatedRoute, private serviceserv: ServerService) { }

  serverName = '';
  serverStatus = '';
  ngOnInit(): void {

   this.servers= this.serviceserv.getserver(2);

  }
  onupdate() {

   this.serviceserv.updateserver(this.servers.id, {name:this.serverName,status:this.serverStatus});
  }

}

server.service.ts
import { Injectable } from '@angular/core';
@Injectable({ providedIn: 'root' })
export class ServerService {

   servers = [
    {
      id: 1,
      name: 'ProductionServer',
      status:'online'
    },
    {
      id: 2,
      name: 'TestServer',
      status: 'online'
    },
    {
      id: 3,
      name: 'DevServer',
      status: 'offline'
    }
  ];
  getservers() {
    return this.servers;
  }
  getserver(id:number) {
    const server = this.servers.find(
      (s) => {
        return s.id === id;
      }
    )
    console.log(server!.id);

  }
  updateserver(id: number, serverInfo: { name: string, status: string }) {
    const server = this.servers.find(
      (s) => {
        return s.id === id;
      }
    );
    if (server) {
      server.name = serverInfo.name;
      server.status = serverInfo.status;
    }

  }

}

A:   Instead doing this

getserver(id:number) { const server = this.servers.find( (s) => { return s.id === id; } )

 I think you can do:

    getserver(id:number) {
    return this.servers.find( (s) => { return s.id === id; } )
    }
    Or

    getserver(id:number) { const server = this.servers.find( (s) => { return s.id === id; }

    return server;
    )}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A native New Englander, Francis Birch is well acquainted with the comedy of life. Born into a robust Italian/Native American family with six older brothers and sisters, this runt of the litter now has a clan of his own. He's a veteran of a crazy household, but a stranger to the parenting battlefront and his award-winning act has been requested all around.


text:
Shireoaks Hall
Our proposals
Renewable Connections is investigating the potential for a 35MW solar energy farm in Shireoaks, Nottinghamshire. Once operational, the project would supply enough power for 10,500 homes, and make a valuable contribution towards tackling the climate emergency in Gloucestershire.
As we prepare an application to submit to Bassetlaw Borough Council, Renewable Connections is undertaking consultation to inform local communities of our proposed plans and invite any feedback. We will also be hosting virtual community information events to present our proposals and answer any questions given the COVID-19 pandemic.
We welcome any feedback you wish to provide so please do get in touch.
4,942 tonnes of CO2 saved annually
20,000 megawatt hours supplied each year
Equivalent annual energy needs of 7,310 homes
46 hectares of land enhanced for native wildlife
The site proposed for Shireoaks Solar Farm comprises agricultural land located in Nottinghamshire.
Our plans are still in the development stages, so our design proposals will evolve as we gather local input and the results of our environmental assessments.
If installed the solar farm will have a capacity of up to 20MWp and will be operational for up to 40 years. After the time, all of the installation will be removed and the land restored to how it was before, but with improved soil health and biodiversity. The power generated will be exported to the grid via a substation connecting to existing powerlines which run through the site boundary. No new pylons will be necessary to facilitate the connection.
The solar panels will be installed in rows which run east to west through the site. These rows will be tilted towards the south to capture the maximum amount of solar irradiation possible. The total height of the panels will be no more than 2.75m above the ground with a gap of more than 0.8m above the ground at its minimum.
Small electric cabins will be located amongst the panels and these will be accessed by a network of crushed stone track which will run through the site. All of the panels will be surrounded by a deer fencing to protect the equipment from large animals entering the site. CCTV cameras will be located periodically around the site perimeter for security.
The development will also involve additional landscaping including hedgerow planting and improved biodiversity management. The site is currently pasture and arable land with low ecological value, however with the implementation of a Green Infrastructure Plan the site will be significantly enhanced for biodiversity by creating a range of new habitats, offering food and shelter to wildlife.
Proposed site plan
Our site plans are still being developed and we welcome feedback on these before they are finalised.
Viewpoint Photos
Proposed views of what the site will looks like from various points in the local area are provided here.
Renewable Connections is committed to ensuring local communities benefit from our projects. Details of how we intend to do this are provided here.
Preliminary Surveys
Late 2022 / Early 2023
The need for the project
Following the Government's declaration of an "Environment and Climate Emergency" in May 2019, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) advised that to meet 'Net Zero' targets, the UK will require substantial amounts of new, low carbon power sources to be built before 2050, up to four times that of today's levels.
Nottingham Borough Council declared a climate emergency acknowledging that urgent action is required to limit the environmental impacts produced by the climate crisis. The Council has produced an action plan to become carbon neutral by 2028.
Solar is one of the cleanest, lowest cost forms of energy available. Shireoaks Solar Farm would make a meaningful contribution to Nottinghamshire's energy needs by delivering green energy to over 7,310 homes annually. Over the lifetime of the project, it would save an estimated 197,680 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted. This is around the same reduction in carbon emissions as taking over 140,000 cars off UK roads.
Why this location?
This site has been identified following extensive site selection across Nottingham which took into account environmental designations, local electricity network access and capacity, the physical characteristics of the site, and a supportive landowner.
Will there be any impacts on local roads?
For a period of approximately 6 months during construction, there will be deliveries of equipment to site. Renewable Connections will put in place measures to manage impacts of construction traffic and these measures will be included in a Construction Traffic Management Plan that will submitted with the planning application. There will be infrequent maintenance visits to the site during operation.
Will there be any permanent impact?
Solar farms are temporary and the land will be fully reinstated to farmland once the equipment is removed at the end of the project life.
Does solar pose a health risk?
No – solar is a passive technology which doesn't produce any harmful by-products.
How long will the project be there?
The development proposes a life span of up to 40 years. No later than this, the development would be decommissioned, and the site returned to solely agricultural use. A decommissioning plan will be provided with the planning submission.
Are solar farms noisy?
No – solar farms are not noisy, producing no more than normal background levels of sound similar to wind or distant traffic beyond the site boundary.
What are the benefits to the local community?
Renewable Connections is committed to maximising benefits for the Nottingham Community. The project will support local businesses, provide enhanced business rates, and provide enhancements to wildlife. We will also establish a Community Benefit Fund to share the profits from the electricity sales to support local causes.
shireoakssolar@renewableconnections.co.uk
Shireoaks Solar,
141-145 Curtain Road,
Renewable Connections is committed to respecting your privacy and to complying with UK data protection and privacy laws. Our privacy policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect personal information
This form collects your details and emails them to us so that we can receive, view and reply to your enquiry. View our privacy policy for more information on how and why we store your information and how you can manage what we store.
I consent to Renewable Connections collecting my personal details
Home Services About Us Our Partners News Contact PRIVACY & SECURITY TERMS & CONDITIONS
© Renewable Connections 2019. This website is owned by Renewable Connections Holdings Limited and is for informational purposes only, it does not constitute an offer or a solicitation to invest.
Renewable Connections Holdings Limited is registered in England and Wales (no. 12351952), with its registered office at 141-145 Curtain Road, 3rd Floor, London, EC2A 3BX.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Biosystems | Diagnostics | Features | Therapeutics
From Cells, To Cells: A Step Forward in Targeted Drug Delivery
by Babak Mostaghaci | Apr 20, 2017
Extracellular vesicles are highly biocompatible and efficient carriers for targeted and personalized drug delivery.
In the past decade, targeted drug delivery has become a major research topic. The aim is to increase the efficiency of the therapeutic drug and reduce side effects. An ideal carrier, should not only protect the drug on its journey to the site of disease from degrading enzymes or immune cells, but also avoid drug release in the wrong place. The main challenge is the complex physiology of the human body.
A further prerequisite of a drug carrier is biocompatibility, i.e. the materials should not lead to severe adverse effects themselves. An emerging trend is the use of bioengineered and biohybrid systems as they could potentially be the most efficient carriers for drug delivery. Such systems could be designed to actively move, find the target cells or tissue and release the drug at the site of disease. Bioengineered bacteria and viruses are naturally great in drug and gene delivery, and they have been extensively studied for this purpose. However, they are being considered as enemies by the immune system, which results in a very strong, and sometimes lethal, reaction. Thus, an alternative would be to use a biohybrid drug carrier made from components of the own body.
In a recent publication in Advanced Biosystems, Florence Gazeau and colleagues in Paris, France, report the application of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as naturally-targeted drug delivery carriers. EVs are released by cells in a constitutive manner or in response to stress and circulate in all body fluids. They can be called the human body's own delivery carriers which are used for far-reaching intercellular communication. EVs also have the capability to transport and transfer membrane proteins and lipids, as well as RNA and cytoplasm components from parental cells to distal cells.
In their report, Gazeau and colleagues modify EVs in order to have enhanced delivery efficiency. The modified EVs were produced from drug and iron oxide nanoparticle-loaded endothelial cells. The release was triggered either spontaneously in complete medium, by starvation in serum-free medium or by mechanical shear stress in vessel on a microfluidic chip mimicking. Finally, EVs were purified by ultracentrifugation or magnetic sorting.
Different methods for purification and engineering of EVs are studied. Additionally, as the EVs are loaded with a phototoxic drug and iron oxide nanoparticles, it is possible to remotely manipulate them by magnetic force and use them for combined fluorescence and MRI detection, as well as for their phototoxicity and heating competence.
The study presents a new generation of controllable and smart personalized drug delivery vectors for application in therapy and diagnosis of diseases such as cancer.
Reproducibility in Scientific Publishing
Screw cancer: Microneedle sticks it to cancer tissue
Hall of Fame Highlight: Antonio Facchetti
Researchers engineer tiny machines that deliver medicine efficiently


Your employer may make a contribution to your occupational pension scheme in addition to deducting a percentage of your salary and paying it into the scheme. You may make extra contributions to your occupational scheme to boost your pension provision up to a maximum of the the maximum limit (annual allowance), tax relief is available on pension contributions of up to 100% of your taxable earnings. (You may contribute more than your taxable earnings but no tax relief will be given on payments above that amount).
Eligibility to join a company scheme varies from company to company. Some allow their employees to join either straight away or very soon after joining the company, whilst others put in place conditions before an employee can join, such as a minimum 2 years of service, or upon reaching a certain age.


text:
Wilder: The Lost Weekend (1945)
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Don Birnam (Ray Milland), long-time alcoholic, has been "on the wagon" for ten days and seems to be over the worst; but his craving has just become more insidious. Evading a country weekend planned by his brother Wick (Phillip Terry) and girlfriend Helen (Jane Wyman), he begins a four-day bender. In flashbacks we see past events, all gone wrong because of the bottle. But this bout looks like being his last... one way or the other.
We've now come to The Lost Weekend, Billy Wilder's first Oscar winning movie. This movie won the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Screenplay. The Lost Weekend might be an "award winner" but is it one of Wilder's timeless classics?
I would answer no to that. While it is well written and gives Ray Milland a meaty role to go wild in, I don't think it has stood the test of time as well as many of Wilder's other films. This movie is so preoccupied with being about IMPORTANT THINGS that it becomes too preachy. I also think the ending wraps everything up way too quickly and gives the audience a happy-ish ending the movie did not earn or build up.
So before we really get too far into talking about this film, Danny, I have a question I would love to hear an answer to. Would you rather win awards and for the rest of your career be known as "award winner" or would you rather make films ahead of their time that will be watched and admired for years past your prime? Never winning an Academy Award for Best Director never seemed to hurt Hitchcock.
Danny no longer writes for Can't Stop the Movies, and can be reached at his fantastic site Pre-Code.com
Well, that's an odd question. I'm not sure Hitchcock was ever 'ahead of his time' but rather he was very much timeless. I don't think anyone needs awards to legitimize their works, as history has proven time and again that the ones that people remember usually cruise comfortably beneath the radar.
However, if you're implying that The Lost Weekend got the award erroneously, I have to disagree. Compared to the other releases from 1945, with the exception of maybe Mildred Pierce, this was heads and shoulders above every other nominee. I mean, it was up against The Bells of St. Marys and Spellbound for Christ's sake! I'm sure even the lamented Hitchcock was okay with these results.
We're going to hit a lot of Wilder movies far worse than this, so I'm guessing your dislike may come from this not fitting into the pantheon as neatly as some of his other works. What separates this from his other works is the grim sense of humor that punctuate Double Indemnity or Sunset Boulevard and even Some Like It Hot is missing here. The funniest thing in Lost Weekend is a coat check guy getting annoyed with Birnam's impatient wait for a mismatched coat and his much desired bottle of rye. This is a march straight into the gaping unpleasantness of human addiction, and doesn't attempt to pull away from painting its subject in the worst light possible.
It's masterfully constructed, but the emotional beats seem muted. I think all of the film's accusations thrown at Milland's Birnam begin to reflect in the screenplay: everyone is theatrical by a half a step. I don't mind it too much since we're essentially watching a grand tragedy, and to an extent we're watching Birnam's idea of what's happening rather than the reality of it; we keep getting playful hints that he's writing his own reality, which is why the ground beneath him keeps falling out. Every time he thinks he has a handle on himself, he loses connection to that little voice in his head that needs the alcohol to keep everything under control.
And that ending is not nearly as happy as you're painting it out to be. He finally loses everything, even the sympathy of the woman who loved him. He almost puts the gun to his head (or as close as the censors of the time would allow), but comes down from it when Helen reawakens his inner writer. He's a selfish person, and stroking his ego is the only way to break him out of this horrible cycle of alcoholism -- though one must wonder why no one thought of that three years earlier...
Regardless, there's a lot of great details in the movie. Using the watery rings of shot glasses to show time passing. Birnam so overcome with a desire to drink he almost lights the wrong end of the cigarette, and then the way that relates to his final interaction with a glass of rye. Ray Milland probably wouldn't have been my first pick for the part, but he and his stubble play the hell out of it.
Anyway, I should probably pass the baton back. So, Ryan, Birnam's obsessed with drinking rye, which at least proves he's in the major leagues of alcoholism because that stuff is disgusting. Do you like rye? If so, what's your problem?
And on a more serious note, this is one of those films that believes that being someone who creates art can redeem past sins. Birnam's creative streak saves his life, even if it is what almost destroyed it in the first place. I guess my question here, Ryan, is: do you buy that?
I think I might have started a little too grand of a scale on this movie because I really didn't dislike it and I thought it was a good drama. I believe that it deserved the Oscars it won, I just find it amusing how the first award winning picture in his career is one of the weaker movies he wrote with Brackett.
I am glad you brought up my favorite moment of the film with the rings that the glass made. It was a great way to show the passage of time and also the amount that the man could drink in a given day. It was a little playful moment in a movie that was very serious, yet at the same time was one of the most damning shots of Birnam's addiction.
I really liked what you said about watching Birnam's idea of the situation instead of what is going on and I agree wholeheartedly. Birnam despises himself as much as the rest of the people and knows what he is doing is wrong but does it anyway. We know he likes to drink and maybe even needs to drink but what voice is he really quieting in his head? I think it's his conscious because even though he is down on himself, he really doesn't see how low a man he truly is.
This brings up another point I wanted to ask you about, Danny. Do you think that we are supposed to root for Birnam? I really was conflicted when I watched the film about what as an audience we were supposed to be doing. I think the main reason the ending bugs me is because you are watching the whole film knowing there isn't a light at the end of the tunnel for this guy and then the heavens part for him at the last moment. I was not really rooting for him and I pitied him, I am not afraid to admit that I was hoping he would pull the trigger because it would have saved all of the main characters a lot of pain in the future.
As for your question and explanation of the ending, I could see how his writing could stave off the drinking for a few weeks but he was not "cured" in the least. He might start writing but what if his voices don't like what he is writing? A more realistic ending would have been him drinking while writing, there have been many great artists that unfortunately did some of their best work while on some sort of drug or alcohol binge.
Maybe he could have kept the drinking down while writing, but I doubt that since he went straight to the rye when drinking, but he will always be a drunk. From where the movie left off, my belief is the book will never see the light of day because it will never get finished. I would have ended it with a page half written in the typewriter with a lot of rings right next to it. That would have been the just ending for this story.
Now that I have bummed everyone out with my bleakness, I would also like to know your thoughts on Helen. Everyone including Birnam knows that she should leave him but she doesn't, is she the movies weakest character or the strongest?
Somehow I don't think transition to being simply a functional alcoholic would quite have had the same impact. The movie's built to be uplifting; alcohol addiction wasn't exactly new at this point, but giving into despair was unthinkable. If alcoholism can't be cured, then what's the point of fighting it? Wilder and Brackett are trying to show that the road isn't easy, but it's possible.
(That and I'm 100% sure the Production Code Administration-- the film censors of the 1940's-- would never have let someone who's sunk to Birnam's deaths remain in such a state.)
In regard to Helen, she's the kind of woman Birnam needed. That might make her a bit of a doormat, but remember that they spent months together before his alcoholism reared its ugly head again. While she's been through three years of relapses and false starts, it's not impossible to consider that someone naive enough could push through this. The Lost Weekend is the darkness before the dawn, and it gets pretty bleak for everyone involved. He doesn't overcome it until she gives up on him, after all. She didn't know it, but she was enabling his addiction.
That reminds me of Birnam's own indiscretions during the film. Though he loves Helen, it's obvious that, as a drunk, he loves attention more. I think the alcohol gives him an outlet to be loved and admired by women, and he laps up that attention. He doesn't make any romantic overtures rather than basic flirting, but as he gets progressively further down the hole he begins to prostitute himself out. He kisses one woman he has no feelings for since he's so entirely desperate to borrow $10. She gives it to him.
And I think that's the interesting thing about this movie: Birnam is really good at being a drunk, and its his vocation to make up for his perceived failures as a writer. He's that guy people love to be around, he's cordial and funny. It's only when you get in the way of him and alcohol that things start to fall apart for him, and as he encounters more and more obstacles his desperation increases. The Lost Weekend isn't saying that Birnam is a bad guy at the beginning, but that even what seems to be harmless alcoholism puts you on the edge of a precipice, and the danger is always there.
That brings me back to the social stigmas that pop up in the film. Early on, we have Birnam, having just purchased and hidden a couple of bottles of rye in a paper bag under some apples, saying hello to a pair of nice old ladies. After he's out of earshot, one turns to the other and hisses, "That's the nice young man who drinks!" There's a lot of examples of societal backbiting, as most of the characters and their actions drive home just how hopeless they see Birnam's situation, from his brother to the people in charge of the detox chamber.
Perhaps Birnam's hopelessness stems from not only being a good drunk, but being popular as a drunk. Changing his ways now means erasing everyone's preconceived notions about him. There's only two people who don't give up on him, and that's Helen and his bartender, Nat. Nat's certainly seen plenty like Birnam, so his determination is just as admirable as Helen's.
Just a couple of other things I wanted to touch on briefly:
The Lost Weekend was adapted from a book, and I think this is one of those cases like with the first Harry Potter where the result feels deferential. The ramblings of Birnam sound rife with literary contrivance, which is fine since he's a bad writer wanting to make good, but Helen and Birnam's brother Wick both have their long monologues that sound like they'd be better read. This may also come from how good Milland is here (drunk acting has rarely been better) compared to pretty much everyone else, too.
There are some benefits to this, though, and I've always loved Birnam's description of his short story to Helen: an explanation of why the Leaning Tower of Pisa leans, and why all sensible buildings should lean. When you conflate leaning with drunkenness, you suddenly understand how far into denial Birnam's gone.
Taking interpretation a step further, the climax of the film is Birnam detoxing and hallucinating, going down the darkest part of himself and coming back. He sees the vision of a mouse breaking out of the wall and a fierce bat swooping in and feasting on the mouse. I'm going to wager that the bat is alcohol eating away at Birnam's exposed soul.
Pretty A is A stuff, but it's still creepy in how it's executed, and the line of blood is extremely effective. Does that sound right, or am I nutty?
You should do a commentary for the DVD because you are bringing up really good points that are making me appreciate the film more. I think it is a good point that Helen enables Birnam and he needs her to give up before he hits bottom but it still doesn't change the fact that she is a doormat for three years. They paint her to be a very smart, independent woman and I don't believe that she would give him this much time before leaving him.
When she first met him he was already a drunk because "their meet cute" is over a misplaced coat that he desperately needs because of the bottle or rye in the pocket. Helen never knew him before so couldn't think of "the good old days" and I have a really hard time someone like her would let her life be put on hold for such a lost case. Maybe she is just a much nicer person than me but I think I would be more like his brother and throw his ass to the curb.
Although she did not have a big role, I liked the character of Gloria who obviously has a huge crush on Birnam that is not acknowledged until his is trashed. She is the flip side of Birnam, and probably the type of girl he should be with instead of Helen. The scene where he whores himself out for a little bit of money is no different than something from Requiem for a Dream, just with less Keith David, and I find it interesting that the typical roles were reversed in this case. Yet the big question is what does Gloria see in Birnam? Has she even met the sober version of Birnam or does she just like the man free of all his inhibitions?
Finally I am glad that you brought up the bat/mouse scene because it is the most famous scene from the movie because it effectively sells his state. Thankfully this movie was in black and white because the shadows and the colorless blood made this scene play other worldly while in color it might have just seemed silly.
This also brings me to the last thing I want to talk about with this movie. Wilder again uses Cinematographer John F. Sietz for this film and it again looks beautiful. I feel each mood or place that Birnam is in gets a different look. The Lost Weekend throws you into this world and you can almost taste the rye and smell the smoke from the bar. For being so immersive, I would have to give equal credit to Wilder, Milland and also Sietz. Do you think I am missing any other important component to this film?
Like I said, I think Gloria is seduced by his charm. I think the point is that there's a difference between drunks and alcoholics. Drunks are funny and sweet, and while an alcoholic is the man begging for just one more drink. Milland claims to be a drunk, but over the course of The Lost Weekend demonstrates his true nature.
I like that you brought up the cinematography. I've talked a few times about how the film is a journey into Birnam's darkness, and the visual style of the movie drive this home-- everything becomes grimmer as it moves along. His worst episodes are at night, and he sinks into pools of darkness the more he drinks. At last we're in that hallucination scene and it's basically just key lights in a sea of darkness. As the orderly puts it so well, "Delirium is a disease of the night," and that blackness literally envelops him. The suicide attempt the next morning is moving back into the light; hell, Birnam nearly goes to it. But it's clarity, and the shades soon match as we replay the beginning of the film.
I don't blame Wick for giving up on Birnam, but I don't blame Helen for sticking around, either. Mind you, she lasts less than 24 hours more than his brother, but she was more desperate than him. Keep in mind, we've seen Wick put up with all of Birnam's habits more than Helen, from eliminating the stashes to paying all his expenses to covering up for him. I don't think Helen had been exposed quite as much; a day without Wick running interference shows her the reality of Birnam's sickness.
I can't fault Billy Wilder for making this film, as it's very good. But then while it's a very good movie it doesn't feel like a very good Wilder movie. I like The Lost Weekend , but there's no trace of nasty fun like in a lot of other Wilder films. This is a Serious Movie about An Important Issue, done with professionalism. This and Ace in the Hole are as grim as his features go.
And that's probably why his next picture is a Bing Crosby vehicle where he costars with an adorable dog. But I guess we'll see that mood swing for ourselves.
Next Week: The Emperor Waltz (1948)
Wilder: The Emperor Waltz (1948)
Wilder: A Foreign Affair (1948)
Wilder: Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
Wilder: Death Mills (1945)
Wilder: The Major and the Minor (1941)
Wilder Diversions – Double Indemnity (1973)
Posted by Danny
Filed under: 1940's, All Film Reviews, The Films of Billy Wilder Leave a comment
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Q: Can't get the timing right as to when to call jquery using applescript I am trying to simulate logging on as a specific user in microsoftoline.com using a combination of applescript and javascript (jquery).  First I need to know how many users are in the "previously logged into MSFT list". I try to do that by introspecting the number of rows listed in the MSFT signon screen. Once I have the "Numusers", then I iterate the HTML within each row to click on the userID div of interest. Problem is, I can't seem to get the timing right as to when to run the jquery to get that number of users. I have all the other parts working, just not the jquery part.
Here's my code thus far:
tell application "Safari"
    activate
    make new document with properties {URL:"http://login.microsoftonline.com"}
    delay 3
set NumUsers to do JavaScript "$('div.tile-container').length" in
current tab of first window
display dialog NumUsers

end tell

In response, I get an error that states "The variable NumUsers is not defined."
I've tried doing numerous things including waiting for the page load before calling jquery.. but I can't seem to get that to work either.  That particular coding attempt looks like this:
tell application "Safari"
    activate
   if not (exists document 1) then reopen
    tell current tab of window 1 to set URL to "http://login.microsoftonline.com"

set the_state to missing value
repeat until the_state is "complete"
    set the_state to (do JavaScript "document.readyState" in document 1)
    log "busy"
    delay 0.2
end repeat
log "complete"
set NumUsers to do JavaScript "$('div.tile-container').length" in current tab of window 1
delay 2
display dialog NumUsers
end tell

I'm not married to using safari as the source browser.

A: Didn't need to use jquery afterall.
This worked:
    set NumUsers to do JavaScript "document.getElementsByClassName('tile-container').length" in current tab of window 1