Scripted bodies: reading the spectacle of Jacob wrestling the Angel

This article argues that by reading the spectacle of Jacob’s struggle with the angel/man in Genesis 32:22-32, we might explore how the difficulties of representing human and divine male bodies are also bound up with certain scriptings of what these bodies can mean. This is not to simply map biblical characters onto modern masculinities, but to focus on the ‘technologies of the self’ that are involved in reading in the present, a type of ‘pre-posterous’ reading (Bal, 2008) of these biblical patriarchs who inhabit a textual world that has historically been a part of constructing our conceptions of how social, political and theological textualities structure everyday life. I am concerned with how such representations are formed by interpretation and, if such interpretations are to become more androcritical, this includes the necessary acknowledgment of a poetic-ethic double-bind in deconstructive reading and retelling

What’s the Difference: A Study of the Nature and Extent of Racism in Rugby League

At the start of the 1993/4 season the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) and the Professional Footballers' Association launched the 'Let's Kick Racism Out of Football' campaign which subsequently gained the support of the Football Association, the FA Premier, the Endsleigh League and the Football Trust (CRE/PFA, 1994). That campaign led to discussions between the Rugby Football League (RFL), Leeds City Council and the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) with a view to taking action to address racism in rugby league. Some sports though have become renowned as being sites for racialist confrontations, most notably football, as recorded in Hill's (1989) account of John Barnes' experiences and Holland's (1994) work on the terraces at Newcastle, Leeds and Bolton. General impressions suggested that the position in rugby league was not as bad as in football, but racist abuse and occasional incidents of banana throwing and monkey chants have all been recorded at rugby league matches. Concern about racism at matches has also been expressed recently in the letters pages of the rugby league press and players have talked about their own experiences on television. Since we live in a racist society it would be remarkable if there was no evidence of racism in sport. Nonetheless, as the National Governing Body of the sport, the RFL recognised that this was not a reason for taking no action if it were demonstrated that there are cases of racism in rugby league. However, before embarking on direct action it was decided that information was needed on the nature and extent of racism within the game. To that end Leeds Metropolitan University was asked to survey attitudes and it was agreed that this investigation should have three main components: a) the attitudes of the clubs b) the attitudes of (black and white) players c) the attitudes of spectators At this stage we have been concerned only with the professional game, thou

Cytosolic Glucosylceramide regulates endolysosomal function in Niemann-Pick type C disease

A new paradigm for Niemann-Pick C disease is presented where lysosomal storage leads to a deficit in cytoplasmic glucosylceramide (GlcCer) where it performs important functions. Previously it had been reported that Gaucher cells have defective endolysosomal pH. GlcCer also accumulates in Niemann-Pick C disease and also shows this defect. Niemann-Pick C cells were found to have reduced cytoplasmic glucosylceramide (GlcCer) transport. Inhibiting cytoplasmic glucocerebrosidase (GBA2), increased GlcCer, decreased endolysosomal pH in normal cells, reversed increases in endolysosomal pH and restored disrupted BODIPY-LacCer trafficking and increased expression of vATPase a subunit in Niemann-Pick C fibroblasts. The results are consistent with a model where both endolysosomal pH and Golgi targeting of BODIPY-LacCer are dependent on adequate levels of cytosolic GlcCer which are reduced in NPC disease. This work consequently suggests GBA2 and vATPase as new therapeutic targets in Niemann-Pick C and related neurodegenerative diseases. The work was in collaboration with colleagues in the Netherlands and Leicester University. The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.Niemann-Pick type C disease (NPCD) is a neurodegenerative disease associated with increases in cellular cholesterol and glycolipids and most commonly caused by defective NPC1, a late endosomal protein. Using ratiometric probes we find that NPCD cells show increased endolysosomal pH. In addition U18666A, an inhibitor of NPC1, was found to increase endolysosomal pH, and the number, size and heterogeneity of endolysosomal vesicles. NPCD fibroblasts and cells treated with U18666A also show disrupted targeting of fluorescent lipid BODIPY-LacCer to high pH vesicles. Inhibiting non-lysosomal glucocerebrosidase (GBA2) reversed increases in endolysosomal pH and restored disrupted BODIPY-LacCer trafficking in NPCD fibroblasts. GBA2 KO cells also show decreased endolysosomal pH. NPCD fibroblasts also show increased expression of a key subunit of the lysosomal proton pump vATPase on GBA2 inhibition. The results are consistent with a model where both endolysosomal pH and Golgi targeting of BODIPY-LacCer are dependent on adequate levels of cytosolic-facing GlcCer, which are reduced in NPC disease

Scripted bodies: reading the spectacle of Jacob wrestling the Angel

This article argues that by reading the spectacle of Jacob’s struggle with the angel/man in Genesis 32:22-32, we might explore how the difficulties of representing human and divine male bodies are also bound up with certain scriptings of what these bodies can mean. This is not to simply map biblical characters onto modern masculinities, but to focus on the ‘technologies of the self’ that are involved in reading in the present, a type of ‘pre-posterous’ reading (Bal, 2008) of these biblical patriarchs who inhabit a textual world that has historically been a part of constructing our conceptions of how social, political and theological textualities structure everyday life. I am concerned with how such representations are formed by interpretation and, if such interpretations are to become more androcritical, this includes the necessary acknowledgment of a poetic-ethic double-bind in deconstructive reading and retelling

Vistics

Vistics is a 2.5D platformer game for virtual reality devices such as the Oculus Rift. One of the major software goals in the Vistics design is to reduce the effects of simulation sickness in virtual reality devices. On the technical side, Vistics needs to achieve a low enough rendering time that matches the refresh rate of the device of the Oculus Rift - 90 Hz (also known as 90 frames per seconds). Additionally, the camera in the game must be capable of updating in under 16ms. This means that when the user changes their head position in the real world, the camera in the game must respond in less than 1/6th of a second. The camera system in Vistics is also designed to account for locomotion. Since the game world is moving as the player moves their head, the camera system must take this dual movement system into account. These issues are solved by designing and developing optimized software that can run on the PC hardware designed for the Oculus Rift. The Vistics presentation will feature a playable demo of the game. It will also feature a detailed explanation of the technology used to design the camera system in Vistics